Holiday Wars Chapter 3
Warm New Year
written by Kevin Bell (Death Star)
Holiday Wars Chapter 3
Warm New Year
written by Kevin Bell (Death Star)
5:00 PM, Galactic Standard Time (New Year's Eve)
Paladin Gordon ground up his cigerrate into an ashtray in annoyance as he eyed the guest list of the Mizukaze New Year's Party. His name was not on the guest list anywhere, even though Cheryl had no idea he was looking into her family - no doubt the doing of her son, Benjamin. He leaned back and rubbed his hand along his head, his graying black hair cut short to black head.
If he could not get into that party, then he could have to continue his observation of the subjects from a distance. Which meant watching the house. So far he had not been doing his real job, that of a judge, like he should have since taking this case, but he had presided over that young girl and passed her sentence setting her free, and he was not going to let the Mizukazes get away with her death, just because they were heroes.
Besides, there were plenty of young judges that could handle his work load. Leaning back and looking in the mirror at his gray black hair, and wrinkled old face, Paladin mused at his old age. Technically he could retire, he mused, and maybe he should after this case. Alike many that had been doing this for so long, he had not been cloned, or deaged, or had something special done to him. He just ate well, had good human organ replacements in him, and likely had another good 40-50 years in his 65 year old bones.
Standing up, Paladin moved down to exit his office and get a shuttle signed out to watch the Mizukaze Manor in Mega City, which was out of his jurisdication of PAX City.
* * *
8:00 PM, Galactic Standard Time (New Year's Eve)
Cheryl Mizukaze leaned forward and looked over the decorations and food on the tables, Lemon standing by her on the right, and Chii on the left. The ball room they had picked, one of many in this giant Manor, was filled to the brim with tables of food, decorations covering the walls and dance space picked out for the guests, music playing and a giant clock on the wall showing the time. The guests were due to arrive any minute and Lorelei, with her newborns, was in the corner with Umi, and Aurica was talking quietly to Brony at that moment. Cheryl noted lately she had been spending more time getting serious with him, and less time chasing Miyuki - she knew those two were going to get married and have a child soon of their own. And finally there was Taiga and Ouka to one side, both dressed in Japanese outfits.
"You have out done yourselves, you two," Cheryl said, glancing at Lemon and Chii, smiling softly. "This is beautiful." She glanced around one more time at the place. They had only been in the Manor for a week, but the place truly had been transformed, the construction adding new places like the green house, the Observeratory, the robot workshop for Taiga, and finally the Japanese half of the Manor with the rock garden in the middle and the hotsprings, plus the redesigned base down below with mini manors for all the military personal that worked under Lorelei now - such as Delano Giblin, John Hale, Tabetha, and so on.
Lemon smiled. "Thank you," she giggled. She wore a french maid outfit, though more revealed, and had a giant cake out shaped like a 24 hour clock, each slice a different flavor that got more exotic and sweeter the hour closer to midnight it went. Chii bowed and took Cheryl's arm, smiling, as personnel began to come up from below the base.
Jade and Kitty came up, holding each other's arms, and Del and X, talking to each other; followed by Em and Hale, and more. Finally Miyuki and her family arrived, then Erevis and so on. Soon the place was filled with people and Cheryl went around greeting everyone, smiling as she watched the kids dancing. Lenneth grinding against Iro and whispering in his ear, Jem watching them quietly despite being blind, and Katrina and Mem dancing quietly, along with Pio and JM.
Then you had Sol, dancing her heart out and Usagi hiding under the table, Tsuki and Ama and Inari and Thara, along with Erevis sitting and rubbing her belly. It truly felt like a moment of peace here, in this little ball room. While Chii and Lemon danced, and Lore held up her pups gently, Cheryl moved over to Benjamin, who was alone and drinking quietly, and sat down beside him.
"How are you, Ben?" she asked quietly, knowing her son was still hurting after losing his father, Warren; while she didn't love Warren anymore, maybe never did, she still missed him, and always would.
"I'm okay, mom," Ben said, smiling back at her. She found it hard to read his blue eyes, as blue as her own, his blonde hair the same color as her own as well. But his face was all Warren. "It's nice to see you so happy, and everyone else." He glanced over at Taiga and Ouka. Taiga was eating some sort of cream puffs.
"Yes. It really is, isn't it?" she murmured softly. "Are you happy?" she asked him, taking his hand and squeezing it.
Benjamin blinked at that, but she could see him quickly recover. "Yes. Of course I am, Mom; being here with you all, seeing you all happy. It makes me happy. Really," he said in an assuring tone that Warren would use when he was shifting a conversation. Benjamin wasn't quite as good, or perhaps it was due to the fact he was truly comforting her.
"I'm glad," she said, squeezing his hand. She stood up and kissed his forehead. "If you ever need me, my son, I am here for you. You know that, right?" she told him.
"I know it. And I'm here for you," he assured her. Cheryl gave him a smile and moved on, walking along, listening to everyone talk. She soon came upon Zephyr, sipping her drink and holding her babies, Hisame near by and Megumi further away with Ama and Erevis.
"Hey little sister. Ready to get a little older in just a bit?" Cheryl teased, since Zephyr was born on New Year's Day.
Zephyr made a face. "I'm not old," Zephyr said, puffing her cheeks. Zephyr was always the baby of the Alphas and typically looked it, staying in her teens despite however old she got. She was designed to look eternally 15 for the longest time, and when she discovered she could make herself older she jumped on it, until her age got attached to Megumi. Now, she can manipulate her age, but it required great effort on her part and she left it at Megumi's age. Which was physically 19.
"Of course," Cheryl said, sitting down and handing her a wrapped present she had in her pocket. "While I'm thinking about it, happy birthday. I know it's about an hour early."
Zephyr smiled softly, handing Cheryl her little ones, Hope Zoe and Kiseki. She then slowly unwrapped the present, making sure not to damage the wrapping to much, showing how much she had changed over the years when she would tear into the wrapping like a little kid, Cheryl mused. As she opened the box, she smiled at the necklace with a locket at the end and opened it up and looked at the photograph of her, Cheryl, and Mem, from the Dragoon War. It was taken when they were searching for answers to their past, a brief one shot that Mem had agreed to after much needling. A sign of their 'sisterhood', perhaps. Zephyr, young and 15 - belaying her assassin like talents, Cheryl and Mem older.
"Thank you, Cheryl," Zephyr whispered and hugged her. Cheryl returned it and rubbed her back, the two sitting that way for a time before Cheryl stood up.
"You're welcome, kiddo," Cheryl whispered, shifting the kids back into Zephyr's lap, having had to balance them during the hug. "And you look after these two little ones." Zephyr nodded and smile and Cheryl rubbed her head once before moving on.
She went and talked to Miyuki a while and then made her rounds, talking to everyone and soon the countdown to midnight occurred. It felt like a dream within a dream.
* * *
12:40 AM, Galactic Standard Time (New Year's Day)
Benjamin Carmichael stepped out of the mansion to get some air as the party was winding down inside. Some of the guests were going back down inside the mansion and many were going to teleport back to PAX City with the teleporter, like the Zhenmeis. There was a hovercar out in the drive way, oddly, and he moved over to investigate it, that part of him that was naturally suspicious unable to help himself.
He circled it slowly and saw it belonged to Miyuki Nue, and through the window noted that it was packed to go to a resort. Cycling through the files in his head, a skill he learned from his father, Warren, long ago, to help keep all the facts he learned throughout his life, he recalled that during New Year's the Nue Clan liked to go to the Hot Springs Resort that Miyuki owned.
Nodding to himself, he stepped away, his suspicious nature draining away. He had told himself that he would protect his family, especially after losing Warren, which was still a gaping wound in his heart after all this time. He would not see any of them - not Chii, not his sisters, and especially not his mother, unhappy or hurt again. No matter what happened or what they did. He had hacked into Paladin's files after warning him off and read his suspicions and go over completely what he suspected and what he had on them after the murder of The World, and what he could prove.
Thinking about Paladin, and how stubborn he was - Benjamin glanced around. He could not hack into Paladin's main files, since then CHIP would have detected him. That was the one good thing about the PAX's computer systems. You had to find firewalls and computer systems that CHIP would not note easily. That meant getting into Paladin's personal datapad and read up on what he was planning and leaving a virus that let Benjamin keep track of him, and it was clear Paladin was still going to keep hunting and tracking the Mizukazes. Perhaps that is why I came out here as the party began to wrap up.
Looking around, Benjamin made a show of finishing his drink and setting the cup down on a brick wall, scanning the street outside the fence, a good half mile away and spotted it then. A shuttle parked well in the shadows far away. Not many would have seen it. Paladin. Well done. So he's watching the house. Seeing if we stay or gone, probably.
Clicking his tongue, Benjamin began to turn away when he saw Miyuki coming out and packing up the car and Cheryl following her. The two women were talking, Cheryl teasing Miyuki about using the car when she could use the teleporter and Miyuki bringing up the resort and inviting Cheryl. Benjamin watched his mother consider it, then nod, saying she would invite the kids along. He decided he would make sure he was there. Since he had no doubt Paladin would follow.
* * *
Noon, Galactic Standard Time (New Year's Day)
Paladin sat in his shuttle, keeping it a little ways down from the resort Miyuki owned, having parked it in a wooded area. He stretched, feeling crinks and pain in every part of his back and legs. The shuttle was small, to help avoid detection, having just a small area in the back for supplies. Which meant he had to step outside in the woods to use the bathroom and do his business.
He mostly just sat in the shuttle and used binocaurs, keeping an eye on the resort and the area around it, where the car was parked out front. Shaking his right arm, getting feeling back in it, and resisting the urge to smoke since it would fill the small cabin up quickly, Paladin mused quietly. It was a strange twist of fate them coming out to this deserted area so far away from anyone here.
What are they doing here? Does Miyuki know something after all? He wondered. So far observing them all, none of them showed any signs of guilt, or nervousness. The only ones that acted any strange was the youngest girl, Taiga, and the son, Benjamin Carmichael.
The girl, Taiga, would sometimes, over the past week, leading up to New Year's Eve, if there was a fight with the other girl, or another family member, walk out of the house and wander the road, with a strange expression, and talk to no one. And form fire in her hand and play with it, and then come back and look surprised at being gone. And a little afraid. And sometimes she would look right at him where he was observing the manor. Reading up on clones, it fit within clone degradation and skips, the strange behavior. But the fire is what he noted most. But why would a clone kill her own killer?
Benjamin Carmichael, however, seemed to be shady and watch everything around the house, making a point never to glance in his direction even when he looked everyone else. He always had that modified gun on him and he would go places. Whenever Paladin tried to follow him, he would lose him as easily as if Paladin had never been an EarthGov General for 30 years before becoming a Judge. While it was unlikely it was a non-ninpo attack, if Benjamin could have used his gun to mimic it, or if he had fireballs himself, then he was certain next on his list besides Cheryl, who never left her house.
And now here they all were, in the resort. And there had been no sign of any of them since he woke up at 10 AM. What are you all up to?
* * *
7:00 PM, Galactic Standard Time
Taiga laid in the bed beside Ouka; the two of them sharing a room. The day had been fun so far, spending the day exploring the resort and having fun. And talking to the younger Nues, while avoiding the older ones like Miyuki. While she felt no hostility from Miyuki, she still didn't like being around her. It feels like I lost a sister somehow. A replacement - a toy for those who lost the real deal indeed. I am the real deal she thought scornfully.
They had been spending the day having fun and playing games. Shion was cute as button and it had been relaxing. Her mothers had been relaxing and everything seemed wonderfully bliss. However, her and Taiga had made plans, before coming out here, to go to the Mega City High School Festival and it was getting late. They still had a little time but she wanted to talk to Cheryl about it. Standing up she slipped on a robe to go to the hot springs to talk to her.
Moving down the hallway, she slid open the door to the hotsprings and spotted her mother, Chii, Kasha, Miyuki, Isis, Hi, Iku, and Shion in the hotspring and felt herself stiffen at the sight of them all in there. Great. It had to be that many and that combination. Swallowing and preparing to go in anyway, she suddenly paused when she felt a hostility vibe going on.
Taiga felt her eyes glaze over a moment then shook her head. Fuck this. She felt this anger in herself she could not explain, at all of them and turned, heading back to the one person she could count on, the one person she loved and she knew loved her back, the person who had been there when she woke back up into this world. Opening the door back to their room, she glanced at Ouka, who was waiting. "We're going to have to sneak out to the dance," she told Ouka.
"H-How?" Ouka said nervously.
"We'll borrow Miyuki's car and drive down to the public comm down the road, then drive it back up and wait on the Air Taxi," Taiga said determinedly. "They'll be so busy with their shit in the hot springs they'll never notice we're gone."
She reached out and took the hand of the one who loved her the most in all the world and smiled warmly. She knew that Ouka would never, ever let her down. I'll see to that.
* * *
Cheryl glanced at the atmsphere in the hot spring go from merry to dark in a moment. It seemed to be getting too warm for her by the moment. The first day of a new year and it's going like this already. Bad portents of things to come.
Her hand began to glow before she could really think about it, after listening to Kasha say she wish she could give birth as quickly as Hi and touched Kasha's belly, to grant her what she wanted, and Kasha's belly went from a few months pregnant to 9 months. However, she left a clause in there in case her other daughter, or her wives, wanted to reverse it due to how many babies that meant. "There. Now you're nine months pregnant too. If you don't want it, though, someone elses can pull your ears in five minutes."
Hi was excited, Miyuki not so much, and Isis was playing peace maker as usual. Cheryl left it and began to dress with Chii, musing on that. She saw Taiga and Ouka's room empty, as well as Benjamin's. Lorelei was swinging to her pups and she could hear Aurica and Brony talking in their room. The fact she was not in the hotspring confirms my thoughts.
Cheryl laid down on her bed and covered her face a moment, feeling exhausted from using her powers, the reality power being split three ways meaning it took more out of her than before.
* * *
Taiga sighed, having been caught by Miyuki since she had come out to sulk in her car and had to go talk to Cheryl to ask for permission. Dammit. I have to go to that dance with her. I have to see to it our love is solidified even more.
Stepping into the room, she glanced at Cheryl laying on the bed with her forearm over her eyes and cleared her throat slowly. Cheryl lifted her arm and glanced at her. "Yes, little tiger?" she asked softly.
Taiga slowly explained what happened with using Miyuki's car to call for the Air Taxi. "So... can me and Ouka go to the school festival?" she asked hopefully.
Cheryl studied her and nodded, smiling softly. "Yeah. Of course. Just be sure to be safe and come back here right away, okay?" she said.
Taiga did a cross your heart, hope to die. "I promise." Taiga turned and hurried back outside, blinking when Miyuki told her she had paid for the Air Taxi. Taking Ouka's arm, she bowed and thanked her and slipped into the Air Taxi, changing into her kimono, not noticing the shuttle following them.
* * *
Benjamin frowned, watching the dark colored shadow following Taiga's Air Taxi leave. He spared a glance at Isis and Miyuki in Miyuki's car, talking about something, and then moved on down the street to where he had stashed a hidden shuttle earlier in the day in case he needed to make a quick survey of the area, or deal with something - like Paladin. He figured the old man would follow them to the island, and wouldn't stick his nose out of their business like he warned him before. Part of Benjamin's blood ran cold at the fact Paladin was continuing to hound his family, and could fracture his mother's already weak psyche. Losing Taiga the first time almost broke her into a million pieces. She threw herself into the multiverse to find me when I was a child. You don't want to see what she will do when her children are endangered, Paladin. Be glad it's me that's dealing with you and not her.
Getting into the shuttle, he flicked the switches and lifted the shuttle up into the air, and began to follow the other two, enabled a stealth mode that Warren had put into it. Paladin would never know he was being followed. He quietly followed the vehicles back to Mega City, taking note that they were landing at a High School district.
Taiga's new school that she'll be starting in. It seems to be a school festival for the new year. Benjamin noted as they landed. Taiga and Ouka stepped off their taxi, both dressed in kimonos and moved into the high school, while Paladin landed in an alley near the school. Benjamin picked a rooftop himself - it would leave no evidence like the snow covered alley in a few hours, due to the snow hitting the roof sooner.
Slipping into his tactical gear, he checked his gun and slipped it into the holster, in case he needed it after he talked to Gordon Paladin.
* * *
10:00 PM, Galactic Standard Time (New Year's Day)
Taiga glanced at her datapad - the message from her mother stating to go back to Cheryl Manor instead of the Hot Spring Resort. That suited her just fine, personally, she noted. Tucking it back into her kimono, Taiga smiled at Ouka. So far they had gone to the various places of the festival - the food, sharing various snacks, and then Ouka had won her a gold fish. Taiga had then won them a tiger and wolf plushies, each of them having one. And finally they went to the maid cafe, which embarrassed Taiga more than she wanted to admit.
Now they walked hand in hand, heading back to the front doors, since the festival was wrapping up, and Taiga was glancing at Ouka. I need to tie her to me. Let her know how I feel. That I love her more than anything else in the world. That she is mine. Taiga took a deep breath and shifted, kissing Ouka deeply, pressing her against the wall, lifting her arm up, the goldfish bag tied around her wrist, and laid it on her shoulder. She used her tongue, experimenting with it, and tilted her head, listening to the little sound Ouka made.
She knew that a few of the other students were looking their way, but she didn't mind or care. She had who she wanted right there. Ouka was her's. Her other hand slid a little into the kimono and she grasped Ouka's small breasts, mimicing what Ouka did to her earlier the day before, groping her and thumbing her nipple, watching her expression with a smile to herself, kissing her ear and neck. Finally she withdrew her hand, both of them out of breath.
Taiga spoke up first. "I love you," she whispered softly and Ouka smiled, like she had been waiting to hear that. Before Taiga could say more though she glanced outside and saw a shadow of a man watching them and recalled Ouka moving off and dealing with someone a few weeks ago.
"I love you, too, Tiger," Ouka said, smiling. Taiga smiled and nuzzles her and they stood like that, even as lights shut down around the festival.
"Why don't you go get the Air Taxi called up and I'll go use the bathroom?" Taiga said, and felt like there was a buzz in her hair. Why do I need to use the bathroom? Ouka nodded and Taiga turned to head toward the bathroom, but briefly recalled it being in the other direction.
* * *
10:15 PM, Galactic Standard Time (New Year's Day)
Paladin stood smoking near the school as the students came stepping out. He watched them and a few of them noted him and quickly moved on toward their cars to leave, taking sweethearts with them. Paladin shifts more into the shadows to avoid being seen in the alley when he noted Ouka stepping out, alone, and heading toward the public comm near the school and calling someone. Air Taxi?
He shifted, trying to keep her in his line of sight, when someone came up behind him. He turned and saw Taiga there, eyeing him, her brown eyes looking darkish. "Who are you and why are you following us?" she asked harshly.
Paladin shifted. I sense a dangerous aura from this girl. Shit. Is she the killer? Taiga stepped forward toward him, the alley lighting up with fire and lightning crackling around her from more ninpo. "I asked you a question," she snapped.
"I'm Gordon Paladin. I'm investigating the murder of The World. Do you know anything about that?" he asked her.
Taiga's head snapped to the side like an animal almost. "The World? The Arcana that killed me? You're stalking me and my lover because of my killer? You're a psycho and a sicko." Taiga lifted her hand and before Paladin could say another word she launched the lightning and fire ball down before him, knocking him away into the wall of the building in the alley, a jolt of pain burning through him.
"If you come near me again, I will do more," Taiga warned him as he struggled to get him; she turned and moved off and Paladin reached for his comm to call it, to get Taiga take in see if she was the killer after that stunt, turning his back to her a moment when a blast hit him in the back, and he felt his entire body jerking and going numb, like every nerve was blown out. The world begin to go black and he thought he heard a voice warning him to stay away.
* * *
10:24 PM, Galactic Standard Time (New Year's Day)
Taiga walked up to Ouka from the wrong angle to have gone to the bathroom and she smiled, rubbing her hands. "Hey," she said, smiling. Hm, what was I doing again? She shrugged, dismissing it.
Putting her arm around Ouka, she began to chat while she waited on the Air Taxi, and as they entered, she glanced up and thought she saw a shuttle on the roof top lifting off.
* * *
Benjamin leaned back in his shuttle as it went for the mansion, intending to be back there a little after Taiga; which meant he would be the last one there. It took a little time to clean up the lightning and fireball strike in the snow, smoothing it out. And the falling snow would even it out even more in a few hours.
It would likely take time for them to find Paladin's body, which was unconscious. There was no cause for worry of him dying, Benjamin saw to that after he left the alley. He played in his mind what he witnessed between him and Taiga. Feeling warm, Benjamin stripped out of his suit and leaned back in the clothes he was in when he went to the resort.
Something told him, despite the snow, the pressure was just going to keep getting warmer and warmer for his family.
How far will I go to protect my family?