Fic and comment dumps from Insanejournal

[estirose]

My username over there isn’t purged (thankfully, someone a few months ago decided to comment to nab icons, so I commented back, and that saved my journal), but I thought I’d dump commentary/fic from over there. It’s a random batch, and mostly of interest to me, but archived just in case. (There are posts I’m not archiving because they’re icons/stuff I have archived elsewhere for sure.)

Most of it is fic (OC and canon muses for Kiva, canon muses for Den-O, and two muses from the Highlander/Tomorrow crossover universe “Tomorrow’s Future” that are pretty gen) with some commentary for Kiva, and one random non-fandom note.

Aya, fragment of story

“Mom,” Aya said urgently, “If you value your freedom, you really need to take that rowboat and get out of here.”

“Why?” Kiyoe asked. Though Aya might have a good idea- this was a deeply weird world, with all of its monster worship. And Aya’s father was loose and probably sleeping with willing victims as they spoke.

Aya took a deep breath. “You have Merman blood.”

“I have *what*?” Kiyoe asked, incredulously.

“Merman blood,” Aya said. Her eyes dropped. “When I was kidnapped and brought here, they told me that some of my merman ancestry is through you. They theorized that it’s why father chose you. You might have smelled right to him.”

“I’m part monster, too?” Kiyoe asked. She shuddered. “That means one of our ancestors was probably raped, too.”

Aya nodded. “Raped, and left to bear a child, just like you did,” she said. “The reason you need to get out of here, back to our world, is because the Fangaire don’t care that father raped you. By law, they can seize anybody and check for nonhuman DNA, presence and amount. If you have enough, they can hold you indefinitely. Protective custody. If you’re endangered, they can force you to have sex – mate, they call it – against your will. All for the sake of your ‘species’.”

“Aya, are you-” Kiyoe thought of her beautiful daughter being violated.

“I… can’t have kids,” Aya said. “So I’ve never had sex. But you, if they decided you had the legal minimum amount or more, would put you with someone. Probably with father. Willing or unwilling.”

“And your father doesn’t have a problem with it,” Kiyoe said softly.

“No, but at least he’s still free. They might decide to hold you until they can recapture him, though.”

Kiyoe sighed. “I’ll leave, then. But you?”

“Mom, I’m going to live at least two more centuries, and I can’t be out of water for very long,” Aya said. “Besides, I’m needed here; someone needs to get these kids raised right.”

“You’re right,” Kiyoe said. Her heart broke as she realized that she would never see Aya again, and that Aya was trapped in this world. But her daughter made sense, too. She would never personally fit into a world where the monsters were worshiped.

She hugged her daughter, acutely aware of the fact that Aya’s skin was cold. So many changes. Aya hugged her back. She held onto the hug, knowing this had to be the basis of her own memories for the rest of her life.

Someone cleared their throat. Kiyoe looked up at a vaguely familiar man, tried to place him. “Shinoda Kiyoe?” he asked.

She stood up, not sure if she should answer that.

Aya stood up too. “Noboru,” she said. “What are you doing here?” The name clicked.

“Kuramae Noboru? The boy my daughter was dating before she disappeared?” Kiyoe asked.

He smiled and bowed.

“Noboru’s a Fangaire,” Aya said, giving her a warning look. “We work together. To take care of the kids.”

“Hatchlings,” Noboru corrected gently. He smiled at Kiyoe, and she could see how he had fooled her daughter.

“She was just leaving,” Aya said. “I thought you were changing diapers?”

“You lost track of time,” he admonished her with a smile. “I finished that hours ago.”

“Oh,” Aya said, making a motion with her hands, as if to tell Kiyoe to make a break for it. If Kuramae Noboru was a Fangaire, that was a wise choice. She started backing slowly away. “So, what were you doing?”

“Talking to Headquarters,” he said. “Urgent bulletin, plus they needed my input.”

“Oh,” Aya said. “Did you get worried about me?”

Kiyoe continued backing up. Hopefully Aya’s fake boyfriend would pay attention to Aya instead of her. “Shinoda-san,” he said admonishingly, turning to Kiyoe. “Don’t go anywhere. Please.”

“It’s all right,” Kiyoe said, continuing to back up. “I was just leaving.”

“If you insist on making this formal, I will,” he said, folding his hands together. “I’m a sheep Fangaire. I can get to your boat faster than you can.”

“Formal?” Aya asked.

Kuramae-san nodded. “Shinoda Kiyoe, under the provisions of the Intelligent Endangered Species Act, I’m empowered to hold you for testing, under reasonable suspicion that you have Merman DNA. If you attempt to run, I’m empowered to drain you to a point where you can be held in protective custody until you are tested. Would you prefer to cooperate, or do I have to drain you?”

“Noboru!” Aya squeaked. “What are you doing?”

“I’m sorry, Aya,” Kuramae-san said. His lower face and neck had taken on a pattern of rainbow colors. “But I will do what I have to do to ensure the safety and continuation of the Merman Clan.” Something formed above his shoulders.

Aya stepped in front of him. “And *I* am the Okoi-hatsuoki of this tribe,” she said with a quiet fury that Kiyoe had rarely heard. “And *she* is a human.”

Kiyoe ran.

She got to the rowboat, pushing it into the water, and rapidly started rowing away. She didn’t stop until she was out of sight of the land where she’d encountered the Fangaire.

And then she started crying.

After a while, she stopped. She had to get out of there. Aya had probably only bought her so much time.

Something surfaced beside her. She tensed and then realized it was only Aya.

“We don’t have much time,” Aya said. “I’m wearing a GPS anklet. And Noboru’s not dumb.”

Kiyoe nodded. “I have to get back to the gateway. How much danger am I in?”

“The Fangaire have been trying to catch you since you bled all over a security guard, or at least they believe it’s you now that Noboru’s seen you. That’s why Noboru was trying to hold you – he recognized you and he knew about the breakin. Now that you’ve escaped, there will be an alert out for you. You won’t be able to even return the boat, they’ll be alerting the whole area. And the people of this area are *very* cooperative with the Fangaire over the Merman population.”

“Shit,” Kiyoe said.

“It’s worse, mom,” Aya said. “You do have enough blood – if barely. I can sense you. That’s enough for the Fangaire, especially since I’ve met quite a few people with Merman ancestry here and I can’t sense them. They’ve got your blood – if that was you. They just need to match you to that sample and you’re stuck. My saying you’re human won’t buy you a thing if they get a sample.”

Kiyoe sighed. “I can’t stay here. What are my options?”

“Get out of this area, north or south of here. North might be better, except Dad’s up that way. Abandon the rowboat. But a train ticket – cash – get with the other people you broke in with, and get the heck out of here.”

Kiyoe took a deep breath. “I’ll risk running into your father if it gets me to where the Fangaire aren’t looking and it’s cheaper.”

Aya nodded. “I’d better go. Good luck!” Her daughter dove under the water, leaving Kiyoe alone.

Kiyoe rowed the boat, trying to avoid anyone else. Who knew how long she had before people knew she had to be captured. At least her food – bought for both herself and Aya for a few days – should stretch until she felt safe going to shore.

Someone waved on top of a cliff. She waved back, pondering when she’d be able to get back into civilization and get the hell out of the monster-crazy dimension.

Suddenly, the front of her boat was grasped by a scaly green hand. She gaped for a moment before trying to aim an oar at the intruder, which missed.

The intruder surfaced. It was a green creature with red eyes. It looked behind her and dove back into the ocean.

Only to surface a minute later and grab her food bag. “Hey!” she called as the intruder took off towards shore. The intruder stepped up on shore with her bag, as if taunting her.

Shit. Was that Aya’s father in his natural form? If so, it might be better to keep rowing. But rowing was a very physical activity; she probably needed the food. “I know who you are! Give that back, I need it!”

The form shimmered to reveal a face out of her nightmares. He smiled mischievously and took off with her food. “Shit,” she said again.

There was no way in hell she was going to pursue him. She’d just have to do her best with what little she had. Escaping on an empty stomach was far better than dealing with the monsters.

She rowed up the coast. At least the weather was pleasant. On a break, she was happy to find that she’d spilled a bit of food. At least she wouldn’t go completely hungry.

Kiyoe drew her boat up on the shore and got as comfortable as she could, closing her eyes and hoping for sleep.

The next morning, Kiyoe woke up and stretched. She turned to the boat, only to find Aya’s father sitting there, calmly eating what little food she had left.

She was starting to wonder if complying with that Fangaire wound have been the better choice. She probably would have had food and shelter, even if she was a prisoner.

Kiyoe had no clue where she was, but she’d have to run. She jogged in the direction opposite to the sea, trying to get away. Something hit her back, and she fell down in the tall grass.

She could hear him walking in her direction as she struggled to get up. Then there was a heavy weight on her legs. “You’re hard to talk to,” he said reprovingly.

“We have nothing to talk about,” she said as she tried to pull herself out from under his weight.

“You wouldn’t have come here unless they took you, or if you were trying to rescue Aya,” he said. “And you’re from my world; someone from this world wouldn’t he running from me.”

“And you’ve been tracking me for how long?” Kiyoe asked. If Aya could sense her, he probably could, too.

“I saw you when you came in sight of camp,” he said. “I had Riki distract you while I went into the water. And it was easy to follow your boat; you’re so *slow*!”

“You mean… You can’t sense me?” Kiyoe asked. If he couldn’t, she could get away. “Aya….”

“Aya *can*?” The weight on her legs suddenly lifted.

“Barely,” Kiyoe said. She rolled over to get up. He reached out a hand, which she ignored.

He was grinning widely. She debated whether running would be a good idea, or tricking him into letting his guard down. “If Aya can sense you, that means you’re a member of our tribe,” he said.

“Not in our world, I’m not,” Kiyoe said, remembering what Aya had told her. “No way am I part of a Merman tribe.” This had to be a nightmare; she’d gone from an energy vampire trying to arrest her to the father of her child reappearing and being cheerful about it. Backing away slowly had worked with the Fangaire; maybe it would with Aya’s father.

“But we aren’t in our world,” Aya’s father said, still smiling. “We’re in a new world, we need to make new rules. Aya sensing you means you’re a member of our tribe.”

“And if I decide to not be a member?” Kiyoe asked. “I’m going home to a world that’s sane.”

“No, you’re not,” Aya’s father said, suddenly serious. “We need to adapt to here. These humans think nonhumans are great. Crossbreeds are getting more common. We need to carve out a space here where everybody’s part of the tribe.”

“And you need me, a crossbreed, because?” Kiyoe asked.

Aya’s father shrugged. “Well, eventually you need to have more kids,” he said. “But in the meantime, we need to rescue Aya and the children from that Fangaire. Did you know he’s *mated* with her?”

Kiyoe muttered a curse word. “Aya’s been raped?” By one of the high-and-mighty Fangaire, no less!

That was it. She was going to have to rescue her little girl, and if she had to become part of the tribe and deal with her terror of Aya’s father, she would.

“I don’t know,” Aya’s father said, shaking his head. “Merman culture doesn’t have an equivalent word for the concept; if a woman’s ready, she’s ready, if she’s not, she’s not. If she’s ready, she mates with whoever comes to her, blindly.”

“But Aya said she couldn’t have kids,” Kiyoe objected.

“I don’t know,” Aya’s father confessed. “With her blood, it could be anything. She might act like she’s ready and not even know it.”

“So, he might be taking advantage of a biological tic?” Kiyoe asked. She did not even want to think of the wheres and whyfores of Merman reproduction.

“Maybe,” Aya’s father said. “I wouldn’t put it past that Fangaire. Jiro said his scent was all over her, and Jiro’s a Wolfen, he’d know.”

She nodded. “So, we have to free her.” Yes, she’d do this for her daughter, her daughter’s sake.

“Come with me,” he said, “We’ll go back to camp. And we’ll plan.”

Kiyoe had to wonder if she was having a particularly stupid moment, but she followed him to the boat.

The trip to Aya’s father’s little ‘village’ was considerably faster with his help. They dragged the rowboat behind some bushes and made their way upward to a set of structures, which Kiyoe recognized as lean-tos. “I told you I’d find her,” he told a man sitting in one of them. He turned to her. “This is Riki, he’s a Franken.”

“A Franken.” Kiyoe looked at the man. She didn’t know much about the Franken except that they were strong and slow. “Hello, Riki-san.” It seemed only polite.

“He-llo,” Riki-san said slowly.

“When Juni-chan gets here, you’ll have to give us a plan,” Aya’s father said.

“Who’s Juni-chan?” Kiyoe asked. “Do I want to know?”

“Juni-chan’s carrying my child,” Aya’s father said proudly.

Kiyoe wondered if the entire dimension was insane. “So, she’s an ordinary human, I presume.”

He nodded.

“So, two ordinary humans, a Merman, and a Franken to grab Aya,” she said. “Seems like overkill.”

“We should get the babies too,” Aya’s father said. “We shouldn’t leave them with the Fangaire. Besides, with you and Aya free, we’ll have enough people to watch over them.”

Kiyoe wondered how she’d gotten into the whole thing and backed away when Aya’s father came near her. She forced herself to stay still. She had to be cooperative, at least at the moment. “That’s going to make things more complicated, if we have to do that without alerting the Fangire.”

“Aya would tell him, too,” Aya’s father said.

“Then we take out Aya first,” Kiyoe said. “Riki-san,” she said, focusing on the Franken, “Can you knock her out without hurting her?”

The Franken nodded slowly.

Kiyoe took a deep breath. “Then… we’ll do that. She can’t warn him if she’s unconscious. We take her to safety, then we go after the babies.” That was where her plan was likely to foul up; she didn’t know much about Kuramae-san or the layout of the place. “If we can find the babies. I wasn’t there that long, and Aya was trying to shield me from Kuramae-san….”

“Aya tried to shield you?” Aya’s father asked. “But I thought you said she said she could detect you!”

“Yeah, after, when I’d gotten away from narrowly being captured by Kuramae-san,” Kiyoe said. “She’d told him I was human. She seems to be capable of lying to him.” At least where Kiyoe was concerned; she didn’t know if her little girl would do the same for her father. “But we can’t risk that in your case.”

Aya’s father’s answer was interrupted by a new, female voice. “Ramon-san! Ramon-san!”

Kiyoe looked over to see what looked like a human woman scampering down a narrow trail. “Who’s this?” she asked.

“This is Juni-chan,” he said.

Ah. The pregnant woman. “Hello,” she said to the woman, who was clinging to Ramon – the apparent human name of Aya’s father. “I’m Shinoda Kiyoe.”

“Matsumoto Juni,” she said. “Are you new?” She looked between Ramon and Kiyoe.

“We… Ramon and I… knew each other years ago,” Kiyoe said.

“She’s Aya’s mother,” Ramon added. Kiyoe decided he didn’t deserve any honorifics and mentally left his name without them.

“Oh! Pleased to meet you,” Juni-chan said. “I’ve heard of you.”

“Kiyoe is part Merman too,” Ramon said, and Kiyoe tried not to visibly wince. “I’ve made her a member of the tribe.”

“My first job being to rescue my daughter,” Kiyoe said. “And the babies. I know kind of where Aya lives, but I have no clue about the babies. Does anyone?”

Riki-san and Ramon shook their heads. “I know there’s a nursery, but that’s about it,” Juni-chan admitted.

Kiyoe took a deep breath. “We need to knock out Aya first then, get her to safety, and then we need to either kill or knock out that Fangaire. We can’t let him get reinforcements. This is assuming there isn’t an alarm that goes to nearby police or others.”

“I heard rumors of that kind of thing,” Juni-chan admitted. “Nobody knows for sure.”

Kiyoe took a deep breath. “We might have to go for Aya this round, get the babies next time,” she said. “We don’t know the security or even where the nursery is; Aya would.”

“Aya is brainwashed by the Fangaire,” Ramon said. “I can’t trust her until she’s safe from them. And *him*.” There was no need to ask who Ramon meant. “Besides, they’ll make their security better if they have a chance.”

“Or change it, presuming Aya-san told Ramon-san,” Juni-chan pointed out. “I would.”

Kiyoe looked at the other woman with greater respect. “You have a point there. But I have a thing about us getting captured on the first run.”

“So, do you have a plan?” Ramon asked.

Kiyoe took a deep breath. “First of all, we need a second, bigger boat. Ramon, can you get one? Mine won’t fit more than me and another person, and it would be good to have for those of us who don’t live in the water. Between the two boats, we need room to hold everyone here but Ramon, plus anybody we rescue from there.”

Ramon nodded eagerly.

“Good.” She looked at the others. “First, we knock out Aya. There goes anybody who can track us. I’ll go to shore and pretend Ramon has been following me and I’m scared and I want to hide while I think things out. While I’m distracting her, Riki-san will creep up behind her and knock her out. The two of us take her to my boat, and I leave. That’ll slow her down if she wakes up.” And would give her a chance to take Aya to safety and talk with her.

“What if the fangaire shows up?” Juni-chan asked.

“I throw myself on his mercy,” Kiyoe said, thinking rapidly. “He takes me to somewhere. Riki-san knocks Aya out and puts her in a boat. The three of you find the nursery and raid it.” Throwing herself on the mercy of the fangaire didn’t sound too bad.

“But that means the fangaire have *you*,” Juni-chan said.

“Don’t worry about me if that happens,” Kiyoe said. “Just get to the babies.” She knew that would appeal to Ramon and Juni-chan. “Juni-chan, you’d have the best clue on the nursery. Find it. Riki-san can probably disable the door when he’s done with Aya.”

The two monsters and Juni-chan nodded.

“Get everybody that you can back to the boats and get out of there,” Kiyoe said. “Head back to the village. We’ll figure out where to go from there.”

* * *

Ramon got a boat. Kiyoe had no clue from where, nor did she care to ask. All that mattered was that Aya was going to be safe, and perhaps they’d remove some kids before the Fangaire came after them full-tilt. Given their combined lack of knowledge, chances were that the baby rescue team would come up empty but Aya would be freed.

Kiyoe rowed her own boat, with some assistance from Ramon. Riki headed up the boat with Juni-chan. When they got near their destination, Ramon would get into the water, and Kiyoe would row alone.

When they got near the shore, her boat and the other boat parted ways. She rowed hers up to where Ramon said Aya was.

She stepped off her boat, looking around. Up the pathway there seemed to be the little hut that Aya had said was her own. Kiyoe guessed that as a water being, she just didn’t need the space. She knocked on the door; no answer. So she sat down, hoping that Aya would find her. She hoped that Riki had landed and would be ready to knock her little girl out.

“Mom?” Aya asked, coming up to her. “You ran. I thought I’d never see you again.” Aya’s words seemed stilted; was Noboru monitoring her.

“Right into your father,” Kiyoe said. “I know he’s followed me… is there any chance that I can spend the night here before I go south? He’s got me pretty freaked out.”

“He’s also very nearby,” Aya said, as if sensing something. “Mom, if you’re that in danger, Noboru’s house is right up the way. You probably should have stayed anyway.”

Kuramae-san was listening, all right. Aya would be trying to hide her before he came if she’d been alone. “If he’s there… oh, Aya, this world is so dangerous!”

She hoped Riki-san would appear soon. “I just want to go home,” she continued. “Back to where I’m not special. I don’t have enough genes to matter anyway.”

“That’s something that needs to be determined,” Kuramae-san said, coming up behind Aya. Pleased to see you again, Shinoda-san. Aya, is he nearby?”

“Very close,” Aya said. “Towards the water. He might be trying for the b-hatchlings. Or me. Or mom.”

Shit. Someone had to distract the man. “He’s after me,” Kiyoe said, rushing to the Fangaire and throwing her arms around him. She held on as tight as she could. “Help me. Please.”

“It’s okay, Shinoda-san,” Kuramae-san said. “It’s okay. It’s okay.” She felt a hand brush over her hair. “I won’t let you be hurt, Kiyoe-chan. I promise you.” The hand stroked her hair. “Aya?”

“Not moving,” Aya reported.

“Please, somewhere safe,” Kiyoe said. She looked up at him. “Now.”

“It’s okay, Kiyoe-chan,” Kuramae-san said. “You’ll be safe. But first….”

“Noboru!” Aya hissed as Kiyoe suddenly felt extremely lightheaded and tired. Kurimae-san caught her.

“She *ran*, Aya,” Kuramae-san said, and she felt herself being lifted up, as if to be carried. “I can’t let her run again. If she’s under the legal limit, she’ll be given a choice to be sent back or stay, but right now, she hasn’t even been *tested*.”

“Noboru. My Dad, remember? Why we came out?”

“I haven’t forgotten, Aya,” he said. “Come back to the house with me and keep watch on where he is. I’ll put out the alert, get your mom to safety. We’ll catch him, this time.”

“Nursery… safe… where?” Kiyoe asked, hoping that Kuramae-san would blurt out a clue for her father’s benefit.

“I’m taking you to my house, not the nursery,” Kuramae-san said gently. “You’ll be safe.”

She was carried off in one direction. She could only really see her daughter, whose clothes seemed hastily put on. Her daughter was alert, keeping a mental eye on Ramon’s location. Kiyoe wondered if they’d go ahead with the raid or they’d call it off. “Aya, get the door for me?” Kuramae-san asked.

Aya, behind them, nodded. Kiyoe lost sight of her daughter.

They bumped through a house until she was put on a unmade bed. “Kiyoe-chan, you’re safe here. Rest. We’ll be back.”

Kiyoe fell asleep.

* * *

“Mom, mom?”

Kiyoe groaned. “Where am I?” She didn’t quite recognize the room.

“Noboru’s house.” Her daughter was sitting, with clothes on, on a chair. “Noboru and our neighbor – Naoko – are with the police after Dad tried to break into the nursery.”

“Did you catch them?” Kiyoe asked. She hoped in a way not, because the Fangaire were sure to try to put her with Ramon again, and she wasn’t sure she’d survive that. Who knew how Ramon would act, now that she was a tribe member? At least she didn’t go into heat.

Aya shook her head. “Noboru and Naoko tried, but neither of them is a warrior. The best Noboru could do was try for a tranquilizer gun with an experimental homing chip attached. And who knows if it pierced Riki-san’s skin. I could find the place, but the Fangaire don’t seem to want to ask me. If Dad and Riki-san haven’t moved.”

“If it’s up a cliff,” Kiyoe said, “Then no, they haven’t.”

“Mom,” Aya asked. “Were you behind this? It’s the only thing that makes sense. I just don’t get why.”

“Ramon – your father – told me that you’d been forced to have sex with Kuramae-san,” Kiyoe admitted.

Aya laughed. “Mom, I’m sterile, and Noboru and I are *adults* capable of making our own decisions!”

“Oh,” Kiyoe said. She decided that her daughter was growing up, and if said daughter wanted to act like a human, that was totally fine with her. “I asked you if you were dating Kuramae-san, before….”

Aya shook her head. “No, it happened here. I guess I got a bit lonely, and so did Kuramae-san and… we don’t like to talk about it, but we both have needs.” She looked up. “I hope you weren’t planning to have Riki-san hit me over the head again.”

“Well, yes,” Kiyoe said. “I just underestimated Kuramae-san.” She stretched. “So tired.”

“Getting drained does that to you, Mom,” Aya said, reaching for some water. “Kuramae-san has his mind made up on some things.”

“So I see,” Kiyoe said. “I guess to the lab with me.”

Aya nodded. “Yeah. Maybe they’ll be nice and pack up your apartment for you.”

Kiyoe gave her daughter a weak smile. “I hope they blow the test and let me go home.”

“I hope so too, Mom,” Aya said, looking away. “I really hope so, too.”

-end

—–

Jeremy Boulder (OC, Highlander, Tomorrow’s Future universe)

Note: Jeremy was a Highlander OC in the “Tomorrow’s Future” universe.

Bit of Bad Luck
by Estirose
c 2008

Jeremy had resolved that night to get himself back into shape. After all, there was a young woman with a beautiful singing voice somewhere out there who was also due to become Immortal; someone had to keep an eye on her and make sure she was trained. And he was determined to be the one to do it.

“First of all,” he muttered to himself, “No more alcohol. Second, go to church.” That would be interesting, given that the church did wine. Maybe joining the Methodists would be a good idea; they did grape juice. He remembered a service he’d helped with not that long ago, before he’d fallen into the spiral, where the communion servings had been overrun by ants, and he and the pastor had frantically tried to save the whole thing. Which had ultimately proved futile.

“Third, find that girl,” he said, realizing he had no clue what her name was or where she lived. Hopefully he wouldn’t find her singing on the street again, or worse. There was a whole lot worse out there. “If her parents have abandoned her, take her in.” That could have happened, her foster parents could have kicked her out of the house.

He staggered down the alley, still a little wobbly. There were no Immortals nearby, so he was fairly safe. All he had to do was find some alcohol rehab and get through it, and then he’d start watching over that girl. As soon as he found her. Had to focus on finding her.

“What do we have here?” a man’s voice jeered. Jeremy looked up. He hadn’t been focusing on anything that one foot in front of the other, grand plans to get sober, grand plans to find the girl. “Why, it’s a good-for-nothing drunk!”

The man was drunk too, Jeremy could tell. And, as he looked up, armed. Jeremy hoped that he’d get through unscathed; he had a job to do.

“Hey, wanna bet I can shoot him?” the man suggested. “Make a better target than those paper things.”

The men with him laughed. Jeremy paled and backed up. He had to get out of there before they shot him. It wouldn’t be the end of his life, but this might mean the end of that girl’s, someday.

Raising his gun, the man shot. It hurt like hell as it tore through Jeremy’s chest, and he felt the pain screaming through him, the knowledge that he’d come back not helping.

“I’m sorry, my girl,” he said hazily as the world blacked out around him. “I’m really sorry.”

He guessed he wasn’t going to help her out, after all.

———–
Oliver Tilton (OC, Tomorrow’s Future, Tomorrow People end)

Note: Oliver Tilton appeared in the “Tomorrow’s Future” fics “Telepathic Ghosts” and “Mistakes”. He was an OC Tomorrow Person.

Tries and Trying to Cope
by Estirose
c 2008

Oliver had to admit that the future was stranger than he thought. Though Melinda had assured him that everything would be all right, he wasn’t sure of anything at the moment. At least books and things still survived, but he was amazed he could figure out a simple light switch, and the technology was so beyond him.

He was sure everybody would help him out, there were counselors that were also Tomorrow People, but he felt like Rip Van Winkle. Even if Melinda had done it to save his life, he still couldn’t help but feel confused. Out of place. A third wheel.

He supposed he would adapt to a point where this would seem all natural to him. After all, he couldn’t go back, he was dead there. This had been Melinda’s choice, and it had saved him, and everything might be happily ever after.

Eventually, of course. Not now. He was still lost, confused, sitting in someone’s home on someone’s couch, on the kindness of people he’d never known and had yet to have been born in his time. There were presences in his mind that called to him, tried to make him welcome, too. People who seemed to care. But he was still out of his time, like a fish out of water.

“It isn’t the end of the world,” an older woman with an Australian accent said from the doorway. “You will adapt; the Immortals do.”

He didn’t even know what an Immortal was. “I’m Theona,” the woman said warmly. “I’m here to help you. All of us are. Don’t be afraid to hurt; coping will come.”

For his sake, for her sake, for Melinda’s sake, he hoped so.

——–
Shinoda Kiyoe (OC, Kamen Rider Kiva)

Note: Shinoda Kiyoe has appeared as an OC in several of my Kamen Rider Kiva fics.

Peace of Mind
by Estirose
c 2008

Her daughter was gone, missing.

Kiyoe had always been afraid that this would happen, that Aya would someday find the sea so irresistible that she would never come back. But she’d always thought that her daughter would just choose one day to leave her past behind, not clean out her apartment. And where she’d cleaned out that apartment to, Kiyoe had no clue.

She’d tried to find Kuramae Noboru, the boy that Aya had insisted she hadn’t been dating. Which Kiyoe believed somewhat. Aya was a good girl. She was just a girl that wasn’t entirely human, and who knew what her nonhuman biology would press her to do, especially from what she’d researched. Her daughter could have gone into heat, could have found one of her father’s species, could be living a life away from humans, starting a new species. Kiyoe just hoped that she was wrong, that her little girl wouldn’t be trapped by those nonhuman compulsions.

Or she could have decided to shack up with Kuramae-san and didn’t think Kiyoe would approve. Kiyoe could be on her way to becoming a grandmother, either through those same nonhuman compulsions or just because. But she hoped not. She hoped Aya would have the sense to break that cycle, to not pass her genes on.

“Dad had hoped that you’d stayed with him,” Aya had said one afternoon. She’d shuddered, wondering why in the hell he thought she would after what he’d done to her.

“Would you have wanted brothers and sisters?” Kiyoe asked. She wondered what would have happened if she’d been trapped in that shack for the entire pregnancy, taking care of baby Aya, staying with her father in some sick Stockholm Syndrome.

“No,” Aya had said empathetically. “I believe that his kind has to die out. And I’ll do what I can to make sure that happens.”

No, Aya would not get pregnant, or at least not stay pregnant. And she didn’t know that Kiyoe feared that Aya would disappear. Kiyoe had kept that from her. Kept her from the fear in the dark periods that she would lose Aya and her sanity.

Kiyoe had not found Kuramae-san yet. But she would. And she would find Aya.

Just for her peace of mind.

———
Kuramae Noboru (Alternate Universe of a canon Kiva character)

Things Gone Awry
By Estirose

Kuramae Noboru had returned to the facility after an emergency phone call. He had been off-duty at the time that everything had happened, making preparations to see his little sister and help her pack up before she returned home to their world.

“What happened?” he asked as he came into the meeting room. Everybody looked grim, as if a major disaster had happened.

“All of our specimens escaped last night,” Takada-san, one of the techs, said.

“All of them?” Noboru asked. “Even Aya?” He couldn’t imagine Aya trying to escape. Aya seemed to take being there with ease. She might have had her occasional doubts, but she’d accepted that it was a safe place for her.

“Shinoda-san went,” Takada-san said, “But not willingly. She got knocked out by that Franken, Riki, and the rest of them took them with her.”

“I… see.” He wondered if Aya would have fought, had she been conscious. She occasionally complained about the pool size, but she knew very well about those humans that knew about the breeding project and wanted to take it into their own hands. She knew she wasn’t safe out there. Unfortunately, he also knew that her own biology would conspire against her wanting to come back. He’d done some reading on the topic.

But now, they didn’t need him to be the expert on Aya; they needed him to be the expert on the Franken that he was.

Dr. Hamagaki called the meeting into order, briefing them on the fact that, yes, the specimens had escaped, and Shimaguchi-san showed them all the video of the escape. “The Wolfen, Jiro, discovered a flaw in our security system; the Franken, Riki, proved that our fence wasn’t as good as we thought.”

Noboru watched with a horrified fascination as Aya obviously protested, and was hit over the head. At least one of them had had some sense. Too bad it was his frail half-Merman. Then they all escaped, disarming doors as they went, and then the Franken handing his Aya over to her father before pushing a section of fence out of the way.

“They’re out there, and we have no way of tracking them. Those bracelets were for getting into the common room *only*, they don’t have a GPS function,” Shimaguchi said. “Of course, they’ll probably think so and take them off anyway.”

“I’m not sure I want to try recapturing a Franken,” another tech said.

“Frankens aren’t fast-thinking creatures,” Noboru said reassuringly. “He’s actually going to be one of the easier ones to catch. It’s the Wolfen and the Merman I’m more worried about. With the Franken, you just need a strong sedative.”

“Right,” Takada-san said. “We need to recapture them before the Kyouiteki Kaijju No Ouse find out that they’re loose.”

Noboru shuddered. They wouldn’t bother to notice that Aya was barren; they’d rape her repeatedly to try for a child. Her father, too, though her father could change form and rampage if it suited him. He’d been so eager with the human women the facility they’d provided that Noboru doubted that he’d be uncooperative with them… unless, of course, they threatened Aya. The Merman was young enough that he didn’t have all his species’ prejudice against crossbreeds, and he was smart enough to realize that Aya, even part-human, was a new start for his kind.

“How do we recapture them?” the other staffer asked. “We don’t have enough staff to fan out to find them.”

“We put news bulletins out,” Takada-san said. “It’s not like the Kyouiteki Kaiju No Ouse don’t know they exist and what they look like. The people in the surrounding communities can be our eyes and ears.”

“Shinoda-san is especially in danger,” Yamamoto, their Merman expert, said. She looked at her paper. “If she doesn’t get to saltwater relatively fast, she’ll start to have health problems.”

“And if she does get to the ocean, we’ll have other problems,” Noboru said.

Yamamoto nodded. “Once she gets to the ocean, being in such a vast body of water will likely make her forget how safe the facility is; she’ll resist recapture, and she’ll become as uncooperative as our other specimens. If she does get to the ocean, our best hope is that she stays in it and becomes essentially aquatic in order to evade the Kyouiteki. Convincing her to stay in one location would be beneficial as well, because that would give us a heads-up if she disappears. If we work it right, she’d probably agree to a GPS tracker.”

“We should just take her back here,” the tech said. “That would save some time and effort.”

“And wipe out the voice of sanity in the group?” Noboru asked. “Yamamoto’s correct, she’ll turn rebellious. It’s better to leave her in the ocean and recapture her father for breeding. The sailors and townspeople can provide watchers for her where we can’t. Giving them a Merman to support will ensure they keep an eye on her.”

“Yamamoto and Kuramae are correct,” Dr. Hamagaki said firmly. “Shinoda Aya also knows she’s saltwater-dependent; she’ll head for the ocean. I’m less worried about her than I am about recapturing her father.”

“How many pregnancies do you have?” asked a man that Noboru didn’t recognize. Probably someone up the ladder or from some outside support service.

“Three confirmed Merman, one possible Merman, one possible Franken,” Dr. Hamagaki said. “Like Fangaire, the other species have low fertility rates with humans. We haven’t gotten the Wolfen to cooperate and are debating on assisted reproduction.”

The man nodded. “Where are the fugitives likely to go to ground?”

“The two Merman fugitives, to the ocean, due to Shinoda Aya’s dependency. Her father would be a fool to abandon her; she’s the key to his new tribe. The Franken seems content to stay with his Merman friend,” Dr. Hamagaki said. “The Wolfen will probably go to ground in the forests until the pressure lifts, and then seek urban areas. They’re coffee addicts. A possible watch point is the Cafe Mal d’Amour in Tokyo; both of them frequented it in their world, and it exists in ours; in fact, it is the meeting place for a former hunter group. One that Aso Megumi’s equvalent in our world often went to.”

“How dangerous is this group?” the man asked.

“It’s only *former* hunters because the Executioner took responsibility and charge for them,” Dr. Hamagaki said. “My understanding is mild, but they also successfully hid a Fandiri among their ranks for seventeen years. So, I would suggest someone watch the group anyway.”

“I would suggest giving the Wolven time to run,” Sato-san, their Wolfen expert, said. “The more time Jiro has, the more time he has to father children. We can watch the hunter groups for mysterious new children. Same for this hunter group; it might be worthwhile to see if he fathers children there. If he settles down, we might get quite a few part-Wolfen to work with. Jiro would protect his daughter in the mean time.”

Dr. Hamagaki nodded. “Then, let’s do this. Put our priorities on capturing our Merman and Franken first. If we get Shinoda Aya before they reach the ocean, fine. If not, we’ll start working with fishermen and communities, find her, and get her to stay in one general location. I believe if given the right terms, she’ll be cooperative. Mostly concentrate announcenents to the local area with some announcements in Tokyo and other metropolitan areas. Capture Jiro and Aso Megumi after we’re certain he’s been active with one or more hunters. Is that acceptable to you, Yamaguchi-san?”

“I have confidence in your research staff,” Yamaguchi-san, the unnamed man, said. “I trust you’ll beef up your security so that this doesn’t happen again?”

Dr. Hamagaki nodded grimly. “We won’t underestimate them again.”

“Then I trust your staff to do their best,” Yamaguchi-san said getting up and leaving.

“You heard the man,” Dr. Hamagaki said, looking around.

As they all scrambled up, Noboru could only hope that Aya was safe, and if not, that he could make her safe again.

-end

————
Kiva 15 thoughts

Today’s episode dealt with Go-on Red (Susuke?). He got body-switched with a monster. At the moment I tuned in, one of the main baddies was having to deal with the body-switched monster and Go-on Red, both of which were insisting that the other was Go-on Red. They got switched back, though.

* Jiro/Garulu doesn’t get to kill Otoya, because Yuri shows up. Jiro covers by saying something about a Fangaire. He takes IXA back from the unconscious Otoya.

* The main baddie does a lot in this episode: killing lots and lots of humans for various reasons, killing the remainder of the Wolfen clan in flashback, and we get Yuri’s flashback about her mom again. Unfortunately, we later find out that he survives to 2008.

* Otoya gets to spend the rest of the time in the hospital, not surprisingly. But he does flirt with Yuri and gets angry at Jiro. Again. This is about all he does this ep.

* Both Yuri and Jiro go after the Fangaire in 1986. Yuri gets knocked out of the battle, while Jiro gets walloped in both Wolfen and IXA forms.

* Wataru takes in an amnesiac who is very childlike. They name him Dai-chan (probably because he’s big – dai – and childlike, thus the -chan). Dai-chan untangles a bicycle chain and also hauls Wataru home on his back. On the other hand, he messes up Wataru’s violin-making and tries Wataru’s patience.

* Episode ends on both Jiro/IXA and Wataru (Garulu Kiva form) being walloped.

* Episode 16 looks like we get Jiro in 2008 hauling what looks like Wataru into Castle Dran. I’ll have to see an .avi of the ep to be sure.

—————-
Kiva timetravel fragment

Jiro watched the foursome, the faint scents coming to his nose confirming what he was overhearing. The four were from twenty-two years in the future, and it was a future where at least one child was in it.

None of the four looked old enough to be alive in the current time, therefore he had to have fathered one of them. Which one, he was not sure. He’d have to get closer to them to see, because whichever it was not reacting to his presence as a child of his should.

Which was disturbing. Surely, if he’d fathered children, presumably on Yuri, he’d have awakened their Wolfen blood? Unless he’d been killed and left the child or children behind, fatherless and ignorant of their heritage as Wolfen.



There was a slight crunch of grass as Kurenai Otoya came up beside him. The man was a pain, but he genuinely loved Yuri, the only reason that Jiro spared him. Well, and Jiro didn’t want to run the risk of making people suspicious if Kurenai abruptly disappeared.

”Stalking your next meal?” Kurenai asked mildly.



Jiro thought about not telling Kurenai anything, but then again, the taunt was too good to pass up. “These people believe they’re from the future. In fact, they are from the future. I can tell.” He was actually lying about his abilities; the information had been told to him and Yuri as a way to keep those visitors safe.



“So, you’re guarding them,” Kurenai responded, looking over at the group, doubt reflecting in his voice.



”Actually, one of those is my child,” Jiro said, not bothering to hide his pride. No matter if his son or daughter was not awakened, they were still his child. They were still proof that he would win.



”Which one?” Kurenai asked.



Jiro shrugged. “Does it matter?” he asked. He wanted to know more, wanted to know if Yuri was okay and how many children he had, but he was not going to admit he didn’t know. If for some reason he found and isolated his child, he’d see where they were on the steps to being awakened and push them along a bit more. He or she was wolfen, after all. They deserved to know and experience their heritage.



One of the four, the woman in her early twenties, looked over in their direction, and Jiro was glad he was concealed. After a half a minute or two, she was focused on the two of them, telling the others that someone was there.



As she walked toward Jiro and Otoya, Jiro knew that he had found his child. His daughter. The others were alert too, but she was the first to notice, and as she came closer, the clear Wolfen scent told him he was right.



”Yes,” Kurenai said, but Jiro ignored him. The others were following the girl, his daughter, trying to keep her safe in their own ways as she parted the bushes. Not that the girl had anything to fear from Jiro, but he knew Kurenai didn’t like his plans and might harm his daughter.
———–
Nogami Ryoutarou/Sakurai Yuuto, short slashy fic

Nogami Ryotaro protected those he loved. That was why a certain watch sat under a cloth covering under the telescope in the Milk Dipper, and why he currently had Yuuto’s card pack clenched in his fist.

He couldn’t allow his fellow Rider to wipe himself out of existance. If taking the cards away was the only way to save him, that’s what Ryotaro would do. Had done.

Ryotaro was sure Yuuto would want his cards back. He’d heard Yuuto yelling at him, telling Deneb to go after him, to stop him. But Deneb hadn’t stopped him, and Ryotaro was grateful for that.

Maybe Deneb knew how much he cared for his fellow Rider, how he’d gone from obnoxious Rider to his sister’s fiance’s younger self, to someone that Ryotaro cared about. More than cared about.

He’d started feeling guilty when his sister had completely lost her memory of Sakurai Yuuto the elder; the younger version meant nothing to her. And because that elder version had fallen in love, he knew he had no future with the other Rider. And yet something about Yuuto had pulled him his way, made him want the other Rider….

What would his sister think, if she knew he was interested in another man, even if she didn’t remember Yuuto? The only close being in Yuuto’s life, Deneb, seemed to tacitly aprove, but he was sure his sister wouldn’t. He had no clue what his imagin thought; he wondered if Momotaros would be as jealous of Yuuto as Ryuutaros was of anybody that would be with Airi. Hana-san would probably think it horrifying even if she wasn’t trapped in her younger self’s form.

But he wanted to explore that relationship. Give it a chance. After all, the elder Sakurai-san hadn’t seemed to hate him, but he hadn’t made any romantic gestures either. Maybe it would be an idle fling; unless the older Sakurai came back and told him, he’d never know.

Of course, that would have to be after Yuuto accepted that he wasn’t going to fight anymore. Because Ryotaro was not giving him his cards back. Memory was time, and time was memory, and wiping yourself and your memory out of existence was a sure way to commit suicide.

Yuuto would have a screaming hissyfit, of course. Yuuto did that. But Ryotaro had a duty to save lives, even Yuuto’s. Especially Yuuto’s. Yuuto had chosen to fight, wanted to help. Ryotaro could respect that. But defending time was one thing. Dying a slow death to defend time was another.

So, Ryotaro would have to hide the cards, just as he’d hidden the watch. He would do it. He had to do it. Because Yuuto’s life was too high a price to pay.

———–

Random Kiva muse natterings.

Now I’ve got Kiva AU muses again. (But I still adore “Boxed In” and intend to finish “Start Again”.)

There’s speculation going on that Wataru is older than he seems. (This has to do with movie spoilers, so this might be the movie’s AU.) That he, in fact, is a full Fangaire who somehow has had his memory sealed away by someone to keep him from destroying the world. In terms of chess pieces, he’s the king of the board. Which side’s king, we don’t know.

Going on with the King theory, another possibility is that Wataru is the opposite side’s king, but he doesn’t know it. He was protected by the Queen and various other pieces so that he could grow up and be Kiva. His mother (the Queen) raised him sheltered so he could not be corrupted by the human world and not protect the humans that she loved.

Which comes to the question of what the Checkmate 4 are, if Wataru’s mother is one of the Checkmate 4 but switched sides, and what Wataru has to face in the end is himself or his mother. And if he’s the King, who is protecting him?

——–
Random nonfandom tidbit

Websense Inc (the censorware company) was once known as NetPartners Internet Solutions, Inc. (The website www.netpart.com still exists and mirrors the Websense website.)

Ah, the fun of hitting the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.

Crossposted from Ramblings Yet Once More here.