Holiday Wars Chapter 2
Ice Christmas
written by Kevin Bell (Death Star)
Holiday Wars Chapter 2
Ice Christmas
written by Kevin Bell (Death Star)
9:00 AM, Galactic Standard Time (Christmas Day)
Cheryl Mizukaze opened her eyes slowly, having growned accustomed to waking up at this time of morning every year on this day since Lorelei was about two years old. She was a lover of Christmas and passed it on to Aurica, and Taiga. Remembering Taiga brought a stab of pain through her head and heart. Don't remember.
Sitting up, she looked around the bedroom and glanced down at the bed. Chii was already gone, likely downstairs getting ready already, back in her role as housewife once more since Asteroid C was being rebuilt still and there was no threats. Like she was after Lorelei was born and down through Taiga's birth. Stop remembering.
Getting out of bed, the cold, bitter winter air from outside making her nipples hard, since she slept naked every night, and since the cold didn't bother her outside a physical reaction, she walked toward the closet to get dressed. Aurica, usually more reserved than her sisters, even got into the spirit with wild gifts and fun. When the two were young, since they were only about a year apart, they would have a lot of fun under the tree, in the piles of wrappings, wrestling one another while Cheryl and Chii watched, and when Taiga was born, the two older girls introduced her to the world of Christmas and presents, each of them looking after her. Even after Cheryl and Chii was gone, they looked after her. Stop it. Stop it.
Pulling on robes and tightening them, Cheryl looked up at a present in the closet and stared at it a moment as she continued to remember despite herself. Christmases at the Cran Mansion were some of her favorites, Lorelei and Aurica growing up there and having fun, wrestling about the tree, playing out in the massive yard and down below in the base; when Miyuki and Kasha joined the family and they all lived together. Then the Siberia Base where Taiga was born and they had recreated the Cran Mansion down to the detail and she would climb the Christmas trees they had, knocking it over one year, making Aurica and Lorelei laugh. I don't want to forget.
She sighed and closed the closet door. The Christmas/Birthday present was what she had gotten Taiga before her death; she had gotten it at the same time she had gotten her birthday present. Her birthday was at in November, and she had died at the end of October - and Cheryl had gotten her presents during a brief break in the war, since her kids loved Christmas so and she didn't want to forget them, since she didn't know how long the Illium War would last. Then she lost Taiga - and she never gave her clone Birthday/Christmas present. With all the insanity, her birthday was pretty much forgotten for a time until a little later when people began to give her gifts later, since the final battle had been on Taiga's birthday and that was the same day the clone was awakened. Cheryl had just gotten a new gift, as well as a new Christmas gift for some reason, and given the new birthday gift to Chii to give the clone and kept these two in the closet, hidden from Chii - she didn't even let on in the bond they were there or what she had done. She didn't quite know why she had done it herself, really.
Closing the secret location, she stood up and began to head downstairs. She had begun to open up to the clone of her daughter, for Chii's sake and she was Taiga, down to the bone for the most part. There were quirks now and again - her hair was lighter, she didn't have her photographic memory. She would miss certain beats that other people wouldn't notice or act a little moody or withdrawn, but that could all be chalked up to cloning. Perhaps. Or am I looking for excuses?
Taiga had taken the hint from most of the family, the ones who wanted nothing to do with her, and had moved out the house instead of being around them, in typical Taiga fashion. She knew why, too - Taiga had lost them for five years when she was young in the Others War and it had left a mental scar. To have some of them rejecting her for being a clone had to be too much and it was unfair. It's one thing to tell yourself these things logically, it's another to stop acting on it. She's not Taiga and she is at the same time. Right? Either way, while Lorelei and Chii accepted her whole heartedly, Aurica had not, and Cheryl was struggling - and there were others on the Nue side who had not either, or saw her as the clone she was - a replacement for the real deal. Even among Taiga's friends this was the case, Cheryl figured. We've drawn lines, haven't we, over my dead daughter. The end result was that she was living with her dead girlfriend and this was causing her wife pain, and Cheryl had to find a way to fix it. But how do I stay true to my baby girl?
Rubbing her larger tits that hurt at times, and not from the cold wind, she walked up to the glowing tree, it's lights blinking, already turned on by Chii, admiring them. She had sent an inivitation to Taiga to join them - and hoped she came. She truly did, since either way, she was part of this family. On the 21st, Taiga had invited Lorelei and Chii out to Santa's Forest, a Holiday Theme Park place with rides, petting zoos, and other delights, and Cheryl had gone along, and they had had a fantastic time, Cheryl forgetting everything for a time.
Peering at the tree, and listening to the Nues in the main part of the mansion, Cheryl watched as Lorelei bounded downstairs, then Aurica, followed by Benjamin; Chii came over with her with warm tea and they watched the girls begin to open gifts and exchange them; Chii getting a french maid outfit and Cheryl getting keys to a motorcycle. However, Taiga did not come and Cheryl could see the pain on her face, as could Benjamin, she noticed. Cheryl hoped, though, her big gift for the family, the one she was playing close to the vest, could help mend things.
* * *
2:00 PM, Galactic Standard Time (December 20th)
Cheryl walked along the halls of Cran Manor, eyeing the decay of some of the walls over the last ten years of no use since Miyuki's parents moved into their own place, then peered at the person beside her - President Tess Arakawa. The two had been touring the place together and glancing at Cheryl's rennovations since she began to fix up the Manor last month and get it back to liveable standards, place adding new things to make Chii and the kids happy, in the hopes they would move out there with her. Hoping to entice all three of them with her away from PAX City as it was called now. One thing she was planning to build was a teleporter in the house that linked to Miyuki's Manor and that would be the only link back to the city, since she would not lose ties to her other daughters.
"It seems like your work is coming along nicely," Tess noted, nodding her head thoughtfully as they moved passed an area Cheryl was tearing down completely and turning into a massive greenhouse area for the family to grow plants and other things. "Very nicely."
"Thank you, but I still do not understand why you wanted to meet here, Madam President," Cheryl noted slowly, cautiously. She could feel a snare but couldn't figure out what yet. She had to feel her way along it lest she get snared by it.
"As you know, there is a military base under your house - and by all accounts, it is yours to do with by the written agreement," Tess began slowly.
"It's pretty much demolished and a well known secret in the open world," Cheryl said. "Meaning, not a secret at all."
"I know," Tess responded, nodding her head. "However, but the Siberian base is even less so really than the one under your mansion and it's linkage to Mega City a few miles away made it ideal for protecting the President. I would like you to rejoin EarthGov Military and run the base. We will pay for the repair of your Manor and rebuild your base. You will have full control of how you run your operations and be the most powerful black ops unit - John McCormick and his unit in PAX City will be the face of the military, and control the Flag Ship, but you will respond in the shadows."
Cheryl studied her carefully. The reason she wanted out of the base under her house was the attacks on it and her family, but that hadn't ended well for her after all - Taiga's death was still a cold pit in her gut. Even with her clone alive and well. But if Tess could snare her perhaps she could use this to snare one of her daughters to her as well. "I'm afraid I have to reject your offer," Cheryl began, watching the disappointment on Tess' face as she opened her mouth to try to convince Cheryl to take her offer. "However, I have a counter offer."
Tess studied her and nodded for her to proceed. "I will take your deal on the credits to repair the Manor and the base, and I will suggest who should run the base. I will stand by as advisor to this person, and when I'm not here, Lemon will be here to help advise them - she has all my experience and then some. You will be getting a bonus out of the deal as the person I pick will being molded by two of the finest minds and you will always have one of us around as advisors to the team," Cheryl told her.
Tess paused, peering at a portrait of Cheryl's family, considering her offer, then turned to face her. "Alright. And just who is this person you propose?"
Cheryl smiled as she leaned in.
* * *
1:00 PM, Galactic Standard Time (Christmas Day)
Aurica watched the Nue Family play with their gifts in the house, the snow, and other places, breakfast having been eaten hours ago. She leaned against Brony, holding his hand and musing to herself. She had done her checklist of Christmasy things - tease Miyuki, Lorelei, try to get Brony flustered and take her up to her room for sex by teasing Oneesama. But all of it felt hollow this year with Taiga not there, part of the festives. And no, not that clone. She is not my sister. Just a pale imitation - even her hair is not the same.
Patting Brony's hand, figuring he would sense her mood any minute and not wanting comforting from her dark thoughts, she stood up. "I'm going to do some work at the new station," she told him. She got a few glances from some of the others present, Suzu, Lorelei, but she didn't care and headed down to their side of the mansion and teleported up to the new location, and found Airym.
"Hey, Airym," she greeted the robot. Airym had popped up briefly to observe the holiday but had come back here to do work, it seemed. Moving along the orbital elevator that had been installed, Aurica sat at the mainframe and did work getting the minor details fixed, spending the next few hours in alignment, trying to get her thoughts worked out, and keep her mind clear.
For whatever reason, the Strikers appealed to her, even when she had made a nearly disasterous mistake. And had lost her powers of time - going nearly insane in the process. Being with Brony had helped afterward. Of course, her sister had lost her life. Maybe if she had not screwed up and lost her powers, she could have saved Taiga somehow. Her reverse time powers had never gone more than 1 minute or 2, but maybe...
The reason she had joined the team with her mothers was because during their three year journey as a family was some of the best years of her life. Seeing new realities, and possible realities, had opened her eyes to things she had never seen before. Aurica had wanted to explore it all, not as a fighter really, though she definitely didn't mind it if that is what it took, but as an explorer. So she had signed up and hung in there, and before the Illium War got so bad, she had enjoyed seeing the sights of new realities. Now, it tasted so bitter.
Aurica pressed her hands against her face, closing her eyes. She felt a hand on her back and lifted her head, expecting Airym but saw it was Cheryl. Her mother sat down on the desk and studied her. "Brony told me you came up here, my Auri," she said softly, using her baby name for Aurica, and hugged her. "Are you okay, sweetheart?"
Aurica let out her breath. "No. I'm not. I don't know what I want to do any more, momma. Ever since the war - since that mission I was on and I lost my powers. Since Taiga died, I feel like I'm adrift," she muttered.
Cheryl nodded and held her. "I know how that feels," she told her and Aurica felt surprise at that statement. "Out of all my children, you can be the most like your mother Chii at times, and yet the most unlike us at times. And that is not a backhand." Cheryl leaned back and cupped her face. "You see what you want and you go for it, just like your mother Chii. When you wanted Miyuki, you teased her and got her. When you fell in love with Brony, you two became a couple. But at the same time, you look out to the stars and see possibilities. I think that's why your power manifested as it did - time reversal. Because you want to go back and do things again and again. You want to see it all and do it all. You remember what you told me on our third year, during Christmas?"
Aurica nodded slowly, recalling their third year into the multiverse during Christmas time, at least as far as their Calendars went they were keeping.
* * *
Late Evening, Christmas Day (Third Year of Multiverse Trip)
The Mizukaze family was in yet another multiverse reality, this one very much like their own. By the record keeping Aurica was keeping, it was around Christmas time, yet in this reality it was more spring, if it could be called that, when they touched down in what appeared to be the beginnings of a cyber punk/noir world. There was a constant rain falling, and it was night, and there was neon signs and lights, with billboards flashings ads for various products. The buildings were tall, massively tall, yet as they appear on the streets, the filth and grime was evident, and people huddled under building overheads that jutted out to keep out of the rain, while others ran along the streets - some stopping at vendors in the rain to grab soy products and shovel it into their face as they went.
Aurica looked around in awe, taking it all in delight, while Lorelei peered at her three soaking wet tails and made a sad sound, her ears dripping, and Taiga, 13ish, made an angry sound from deep within her throat. Cheryl and Chii glanced at each other then around and quickly moved down the street, peering at the humanoid people for the most part, and navigating the streets, passing Asian like people at vendors, calling out credits for products and people hurrying along from street to street under the massive buildings. Up in the sky hovercars flew along, yet people on the ground paid them no mind, as if that was another world. To Aurica, it was all amazing, this world - so much like their own, yet so different. Just like everything else, shades of gray difference.
Finding shelter in a hotel, which cost them most of their multiverse credits - credits Cheryl made with her reality powers a few trips back to shift to match whatever reality they were in, they moved up the stairs, each step creaking. The walls were dry peeling yet they had advertisements that appeared on them out of nowhere of products, like cyberjacking into the net and whatnot, yet the advertisements would fizz out, as if the hotel was falling apart around their ears and the advertisement circuit was damaged.
Reaching their rooms, Cheryl opened it, the door nearly falling off it's metal circuit and inside roached scurryed out of sight. Taiga made a vile curse that earned a cuff from Chii. "Watch your language, young lady," Chii said.
Rubbing her ears, Taiga gave a look. "Look at this place, it's a pigsty. Can't we just go already to a better reality?" she asked. As Taiga asked that, she turned a little and eyed in awe a hotel maid go by that looked like Chii, with the tails and ears, amazing. Aurica watched as Cheryl pulled Chii into the room and closed the door to watch her go by, Chii skipping and hopping as she went by. "What the hell? Another momma here?"
Cheryl mused. "You've seen her before in other realities - the closer we are to our reality, the more varitions there are us."
Taiga glanced at Cheryl. "Yeah, but those variations were way off at the same time, and there were always something off about the reality in some ways. Like an anime like reality if it most of us, or a spoof reality. This reality seems... somewhat normal, then we have a momma that looks like momma."
After a while of debating things, since up to that point Taiga had been right, they all settled down for the night. The variations had been odd, Aurica thought - there would never be all of the group in a reality, like something was off. Aurica theorized it was the barrier around the trinity. And it seemed something always happened to the reality eventually, like it was doomed to die out if it had them in it. Realities that did not have any of them in it were fine. It was like the multiverse was weeding out all realities that had variations of them in it - likely due to the Trinity and the barrier. Even Cheryl could not argue that. Did that mean this reality was doom? In the end, momma Cheryl said it did not matter, since they were there to learn about a threat to the multiverse, not how the multiverse operated.
Aurica sat down by Cheryl while she was stripping down to sleep and looked at her. "I know what I want to do when we save our the Trinity," she told her.
Cheryl glanced at her curiously. "What's that, Auri?" Taiga in the back ground was nipping at Lorelei who was trying to tickle her and both of them had fallen on top of Umi and Brony; the two celestial dogs were putting them in their places.
"I want to lead a team of explorers across the multiverse. I want to learn everything there is to learn about it. Perhaps there is more to be learned out here, visiting the various places. Our futures could be out here and I want to see if I can find it," Aurica said, smiling. "Take this reality for example. It's a possiblity of our own. Momma Chii's counter part being outside, and the fact there are buildings with ads, hotels, credits, asian people, and the fact she was kitsune is all proof of it. I am sure if we had time to learn more, we might could learn the deeper connections between the two. I want to be the person that does that."
Taiga looked over at her from hanging from Umi's mouth. "Yeah? I wouldn't mind helping with that, sis. Exploring sounds nice - instead of fighting forever. Helping finding the answers to the future," Taiga said. Then suddenly her face went dark and she went to brooding and being withdrawn and Aurica didn't know why.
However, Aurica smiled and hugged Taiga, making her squeak. "Yeah, lets go exploring the multiverse together, okay sis?"
Taiga flustered. "Alright."
* * *
3:20 PM, Galactic Standard Time (Christmas Day)
"I know why now she acted the way she did," Aurica answered sourly, more to herself than to her mother. "She knew she was going to die, if what her friends say is true."
"Yet she wanted to explore the multiverse with you, if she had made it. And I'm sure the Taiga that is there now, her clone, remembers that dream. But the more important thing is this, Auri," Cheryl began, taking her hands. Aurica looked up at her mother's blue eyes. "You can't forget your dream of wanting to explore. "After the Reality Strikers are repaired, I want to make you my second in command."
Aurica felt shock flood through her. Second in command? Of the Reality Strikers? Her? "What about Oneesama? Isn't she your second in command?"
"Miyuki's battle is done. She's led enough and deserves a rest. She will fight when she needs to fight, if the Illium aren't finished and the Strikers need her, but she needs to step back a little," Cheryl told her. "The Strikers need to be divided into two divisions now until we know they are gone. A fighting division, which I will oversee until a time I know the Illium are done and the reality holes are finsihed. And an exploration division, which you will oversee - that goes into the multiverse and explores all there is to see. And learns what our future may be. And will continue even after the threats are done. That is, if you are up to it," Cheryl asked her.
Aurica thought hard. And she realized she wasn't ready to give up on her dreams, remembering how she felt that Christmas back in that ratty hotel. She nodded at her mother. "I'll do it," she said.
Cheryl nodded. "Then listen here. I plan to..." And her mother told her the plans about Cran Manor.
* * *
4:00 PM, Galactic Standard Time (Christmas Day)
Lorelei rubbed her pregnant wife in bed. Umi was likely to give birth sometime next month, being a doggy. Smiling lovingly at her wife as she slept, Lorelei stood up and moved out of her room and down to her office in the guest wing of the Nue Manor, sitting at her desk to do some reports real quick, having put them off all day to have fun, though it was dampered a little by Taiga not showing up. Taigy... why do you not show up. We love you. Clone or not, you are my sister.
The thought of Taiga not coming and staying at Ouka's made bile come up in her throat that she tried to push down. Lorelei tried to never let anger overtake her but since losing her reality powers, having Aurica radically hurt and nearly going insane, and then Taiga killed and having to be cloned to come back, Lorelei found herself having to cling to the things she did have still. And having Taiga stay with that whore was nearly unbearble.
With her thoughts drifting from work, Lorelei opened her drawer and eyed the folder she took from Vanessa Ashcroft's personal safe. The safe had been well hidden, and not many would have found it, but Lorelei used her scent tracking to locate it. She had been trying to find signs of the girl but instead the scents led her to the safe, which she used her datpad to hack. For all her supposed intelligence, Vanessa Ashcroft was still just a high school graduate. Thinking it might have held more clues like the ones she gave to Taiga's friends, Lorelei had naively opened it, to her horror.
At first she hadn't believed what she had seen and nearly tore it up on instinct, but then she forced herself to put the photos back inside. A few days later she took it to a computer and had them examined and verified they were real. Oh Taiga, you do not deserve to be up there with her. If only I could take you away.
But the fact is, the Taiga up there was a clone and had six months of memory loss. And that was an ethical dilema. She didn't know how close her sister was to Ouka at that point, and if she should interfere. So all she could do is be angry that her sister was not with her family and with Ouka instead, and find her Christmas with a bloch on it instead.
Leaning back in her chair, Lorelei looked at her uniform hanging up in the corner. Part of me wants to go into the PAX and drag her out of there by force, and make her come home. But that would be abusing my authority. I haven't done such a thing since she was little, make her obey me. Oh Taigy...
She found herself thinking back to many years ago, to shortly after their parents had vanished.
* * *
10-602 (Christmas Day - 6 Years Ago)
Taiga was only five years old - she had turned that about a month ago. And she was crying today. Christmas was their favorite holiday, yet with their parents missing for most of the year, none of them felt like celebrating. Lorelei and Aurica had been looking toward Lemon, who was trying her best to cheer up little Taiga with presents and gifts, but it wasn't doing much good. Lorelei mused and kneeled down before Taiga.
"Taigy," Lorelei said gently, while Aurica hugged on Lemon. Taiga rubbed at her eyes, glancing at Lemon through teary eyes. She felt pity for the little girl and no wonder. Cheryl, Miyuki, Chii, so many they knew gone. And they weren't the only ones. Del Giblin was gone, so X was raising her young daughter alone as well.
"Taigy, I know momma Cheryl and Chii aren't here today, but Christmas is a special day, you know. Remember how mommas told us that?" Lorelei felt proud of herself for that. For an eleven year old, she could be smart. Taiga nodded slowly, sucking her thumb, something she hadn't done since she was two years old. "Well, even if they aren't here, they are looking over us today, and want us to be happy. That's why Santa and they have brought us presents through Lemon. They are looking out for us, even from far away. So you have to be happy, and remember that."
Taiga seemed to be thinking it over hard, then nodded and moved to the tree and sat down, opening the presents and Aurica thumbed up Lorelei. Lemon gave both girls a hug and they sat down opening presents. Over the years, though, Taiga cried less and became strongwilled, and Lorelei had to put down her foot and order her around more and more, as Lemon let Lorelei handle Taiga it seemed.
10-605 (Christmas Day - 3 Years Ago)
Taiga sniffed. "I'm going out today," she said flatly. They had opened presents and had a good Christmas morning and day so far, but that afternoon Taiga was pushing her bounds. She seemed intent on going out and training, like Lorelei and Aurica did with their days.
Lorelei frowned, twitching. She didn't want her sister taking the same path she and Aurica were taking with their friends to get their parents back. "Taigy, you have to stay here; it'll be dark in two hours," she said. Even she and Aurica weren't going out this late to train. They would have done it hours ago if it wasn't Christmas Day, after all
Taiga crossed her arms. "You're not my mother," she said harshly, turning to go. Lorelei winced in pain from the words, then grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"No, I'm not. I'm your sister, who loves you very much and wants what's best for you. We're inside a mountain and you're not going outside in a blizzard to train. Do you understand?" Lorelei said firmly, holding her and looking her in her eyes. Taiga hesitated, then nodded and turned, moving back for her room.
Aurica walked up beside her, peering at Lorelei. "She's going to get more willful if we don't include her with what we're doing."
Lorelei sighed. "Then we include her."
* * *
4:30 PM Galactic Standard Time (Christmas Day)
Did I get her killed? Setting her on the path of wanting to train and fight? Or was it always in her? Oh Taigy. Thank Goodness you're back now. I-If you weren't. Lorelei shivered. She thought back to Gordon Paladin coming to see her and asking her questions a few weeks ago.
Paladin walked into her office and sat down across from her. "Officer Lorelei, I was wondering if I might ask you a few questions?" he said casually.
Lorelei nodded appropriately, since EarthGov was part of the Suisen Empire. "Of course, Judge Paladin. Whatever you need."
Paladin leaned back, and began to tell her details about The World's death, and how Ninpo Fireballs killed her. "We are looking into who might have killed her, you see," Paladin said. Lorelei immediately began to get the feeling he was leaving something out, something important. "You can use ninpo fireballs, right?"
Lorelei nodded. "Yes, I learned it from ninpo from my mother and channeled it into fireballs. Did you want to know more about it?"
Paladin inclined his head in a nod, and began to ask various questions about scents, asking her to fire her fireball, taking a sample, oddly, and inadvertantly asking where she was at a certain tme. He suspects me Lorelei realized with a cold feeling. And by the way he's asking questions, he suspects others in my family. She quickly began to try to recall who call could use fireballs. Fortunately, Lorelei had an alibi - she was working at the time of the murder.
After the questions, Paladin stood up. "If you can think of anyone who might want The World dead... please talk to me. It is your duty as an officer of EarthGov," he noted, and walked off, pulling out a cigerrate. Lorelei narrowed her eyes as she watched his back go.
Lorelei wouldn't betray a member of her family. Especially since she had her fears of who it might have been. She would go on protecting her family. Pulling out a family photo, peering at the smiling faces of Cheryl, Chii, Lorelei, Aurica, Taiga, and Benjamin, she ran her fingers along each of them, stopping her fingers along a few of them. Be safe.
She dropped the photo back down on top of Vanessa's folder, giving it another disdainful look, and closed it, rising up. Then she moved to check on her wife.
* * *
11:00 AM, Galactic Standard Time (Christmas Day)
Benjamin Carmichael finished up Christmas celebrations at the Mizukaze residence and some time at the Nue Household, then moved across toward the PAX, messaging Taiga to spend time with his youngest sister. The entire situation with her being a clone was hard on the entire family, especially his mother. He could see the pain in her eyes every day and he wished she had never been cloned in the first place and that things had been left as they were. However, she was cloned and she was alive - and she deserved to be treated as Taiga. His own father was manipulated through time and whatnot enough. Also, he could see that Cheryl was beginning to reconnect with Taiga and that his other mother, while not blood related, desperately need Taiga in her life.
He also knew, through his spy network, about Cheryl's dealings with the President and that they would be moving to Mega City. And that meant Taiga would be left behind. He had no doubt that Cheryl intended to reveal her gift sometime today to the whole family - the move out to the Cran Manor, with the add-ons she was doing to renonvate it. And the base for his sister. But if they moved without Taiga, that would mean more connections served. He had to try to reach out to her.
Setting up a meet at a resturant, he met with Ouka and Taiga, and had a pleasant chat with them, exchanging gifts with the two, and then dumped the news, guaging the reaction to it in Taiga's eyes. Taiga, wearing a sexy santa outfit with candy canes with wrapped notes on them, seemed surprise and confused, and a little bothered by the notion. Good. She still wants to be part of the family. She doesn't want to cut herself off completely. While the food was delivered, he peered out at a figure at a resturant across the plaza and noticed a dark figure sitting at a table and narrowed his eyes. Gordon Paladin.
Damn. Damn Damn. Not now of all place. A cold sweat broke out across Benjamin's body as he studied Paladin watching them. So he was stalking the Mizukaze family, which meant he was stalking them for the death of The World. Which was not good. It meant he knew one of them did it. Benjamin noticed Ouka move off, likely noticing where his gaze was, then crab walk across the plaza and get caught by Paladin. He's tied into the cameras of the PAX. Multiple angles. Not taking chances after The World was killed on his front steps.
Benjamin mused. If he was Paladin he wouldn't take chances either. The World, killed in the back by fireball ninpo, or something that was made to look like it. And his mother had ranted she would be the one to kill her. His spy network had alerted him to Gordon's crusade and that he had hit up Lorelei a few weeks ago, and now he was here spying on him and Taiga. He narrowed his eyes. I'll have to deal with him - if he keeps digging he might hurt one of them. But how can I get Gordon to back off without hurting him?
Or would Benjamin have to get rough? He would if he had to. He would do anything to protect his mother. She deserved peace and happiness after all she went through over the past 20 years of her life. And he would see to it. Losing his dad, he would not lose her or another family member to Gordon's crusade. He would not.
After finishing supper, Benjamin began to move down the plaza, drawing Paladin after him and then turned down into a blind spot of the PAX, knowing that Paladin would have to enter after him. Shifting up onto some pipework, he waited for Paladin to enter and look around, then he landed behind him. As Paladin turned, reaching for his issued blastered, Benjamin grabbed his arm, remaining in the shadows for denability and slammed his hand into the wall, making him drop the blaster.
Then he spoke in a modulated voice, so that any recording devices Paladin had could not identify him. "You will back off on the Mizukaze family."
Paladin stared at him in the shadows, his face unreadable, but being much older now, and Benjamin younger and stronger, he didn't try to overpower him. "I won't; that girl deserves justice and one of them is a murderer."
Benjamin felt anger flash. "That family has saved the world over a dozen times. Even if it was possible that one of them killed the girl, she killed one of their's first. "
"Murder is murder."
Benjamin slammed his fist into Paladin's gut, dropping him onto the ground and he had a flash of a memory he had buried briefly. He couldn't remember from when, just looking down at something. Perhaps it was from when he was in the multiverse with the false Warren, or more recent. He shook his head, focusing. "That was a warning; I don't have to kill you to make you regret."
He turned and moved on, knowing Paladin would need a minute to recover from the punch.
* * *
5:00 PM, Galactic Standard Time (Christmas Day)
Taiga sat on her bed in Ouka's place, peering at the ceiling. She still thought over what her brother had told her about what her mother was doing. Cran Manor... my sisters told me some of their happiest memories were from that period.
She rose up. But I can't leave Ouka behind either. We were going to move into the student building together after all. But she doubted Ouka was going to get an invitation to move into the Cran Manor, right?
Or maybe she can. Maybe I can work this to my advantage. Standing up, Taiga grabbed her coat and moved out of the PAX and across the snow, moving into Guest Wing of the Nue Manor. As she knocked and Cheryl opened the door, her mother blinked in surprise as she walked in. "Taiga..." Cheryl said, trailing off.
"Hey, Momma," Taiga said softly, smiling a little as she walked on in. Chii, Aurica, and Lorelei were all there, along with Umi and Brony. Just like old times, they were having an afternoon get together by the tree before going back to Miyuki's for supper.
Chii hugged her tightly, lifting her up. "You came!" she wailed happily and Lorelei skipped over, her tails wagging as she nuzzled her.
Benjamin walked in as well, rubbing his knuckles a little as he sat down. Cheryl moved to the head of the family and spoke. "I think it's time I let everyone in on a secret gift I've been keeping for the family," she said, and then brought up a picture of the Cran Manor, modified. It had a huge greenhouse wing, with beautiful flowers and a garden, along with an astronomy wing and telescope, and mechanical wing for buildings things that made Taiga's eyes widen, clearly made for her and Cheryl to build things. The Manor had other additional add ons - some for when Miyuki and Kasha came, and other beauitul things, like a hotsprings installed inside and a bit underground, and a mini waterfall.
"Also, Lorelei, you have been given command of the base, if you will accept it," Cheryl went on, and explained how she and Lemon will be advisors. Lemon peeking in from the kitchen, waved - she spent part of christmas over at the hospital seeing to Tomoe, being one of her mothers.
Lorelei jerked to her feet and nodded. "Of course I will!" she glanced at Umi and smiled. Taiga figured she was accepted since that would let her take care of her kids in the mansion and run the team, sending others instead of herself at times.
Cheryl then looked at Aurica. "We will also install a direct teleport at our mansion to Asteroid C so you do not have to travel as far now and set up communication work station here for you to work while you are here," she told her. Aurica smiled warmly.
Then, finally, Cheryl looked at Taiga. "And of course, we want you to come with us Taiga. It'll mean a new school, but we're a family. I know everyone will be happy to have you," she told her. Not everyone, momma. I know you're making a great effort and you're nearly there; but I'm a clone still in your eyes and Aurica's. Aurica will never see me as her sister really. But thank you for the offer. It means more than you can know.
"I accept, if I can bring Ouka with me. If she'll accept that is. We had plans after all and it wouldn't be fair. We're not having sex or anything or bonded, but with a manor that size she can surely have a room. Plus I think she might like it in Mega City and having a new school," Taiga said. Cheryl blinked at Taiga's counter offer and looked at Chii who simply nodded.
"I'm fine with it if her family is fine with it," Cheryl said.
"Then I'll take it to them after we celebrate," Taiga told them, and smiled.
* * *
10:00 PM, Galactic Standard Time (Christmas Day)
Taiga returned to Ouka's, in time to do the last candy cane. Calling out to her that she would be there in a moment, she pulled out hair dye and eyed her lighter blonde hair and then began to work on her hair color, working the hair color in and then after a few minutes, leaned back, studying it as it was back to her brownish-blonde that it used to be before she was cloned.
"There. Better. Much better," she murmured.
Turning to go, Taiga took a moment to open her datapad and studied the picture of the person that was following them, glancing over the profile on Gordon Paladin. Grimacing, she closed it. Another problem for another day.