ZKC - Colliding Universes

Standby Room

Kaoru raised an eye-brow as she watched Fujiko then got in the way between the two. "He just got his little sister back and your asking him to do something like that?" she asked with a since of disgust.

Office

"Not to mention, how do you tell a kid that kind of stuff?" Sakaki asked, though it was a rehectorical question.

Standby Room

Fujiko looked like the cat that ate the canary. "Well, Fujiko has been waiting 5 years to ask...but you're right. It's not really time."

Shiho put a hand on the seated Fujiko's shoulder and read the contents of her mind. "Still, she found the first wrinkles around her eyes last week, and is worried about her bre--"

"Shiho-chan, don't read out a woman's private thoughts!" Fujiko said looking at her with panic, as Aoi looked at her own chest with concern. Fujiko pulled the girls in a huddle and smiled. "Besides, it works both ways...you can become older for Minamoto-san if you befriend him, ne? Nip here, tuck there, boost there, sculpt yourselves..."

Toshiro felt disgusted, standing up with the kitten and moving further away from the group.


Office

"I don't know. I don't think there is a good way, Sakaki...how long until we have the head results?"

Standby Room

Shiho watched as Toshiro had walked away a bit, her mind only a bit on the current conversation, she had realized that this boy clearly didn't trust the adults here and perhaps what Fujiko had just said wasn't exactly going to help build any trust.

"He doesn't trust you," she said in a whipser to Fujiko. "Perhaps you shouldn't have said what you said, it might make him feel uncomfortable," she turned toward the older woman.

Office

"I guess I'll head back to medical for now, and wait for the results of her scans, I'll let you know what I find," Sakaki said and handed Minamoto the folder he had been given by the man, before leaving to return to his own office.

Standby Room

Fujiko noted the boy's demeanor, and gave a sigh. It wasn't like when she could just bully Kyosuke into cheering up. of when she could just cheer up men now by being flirty.
"Fujiko's ways of cheering him up would get Fujiko in jail, so I leave it to you three capable young ladies."

Before anyone could protest, Fujiko leaned back in the seat and fell asleep with the skill and speed of a full-blown narcoleptic.

Office

Minamoto poured over reports, not only about Sakura and Toshiro, but also over the entirety of the ring. He also looked over the technology on site, including something which dissolved people. Much like the disruptors on Star Trek, or a phaser set to kill. The implications of a new enemy having such capabilities was frightening. He finally stood up, in need of a break, and started walking to where the Children were waiting with the Director.

Standby Room

The girls all sighed collectively and walked over to Toshiro. "She likes to joke around a lot, doesn't know that what she considers cheering up might be offensive to others," said Shiho as she sat down beside the boy.

Medical

Sakaki walked into his office a few minutes later, taking a seat in his chair and leaning back against it and pinching the bridge of his nose while thinking.

As he waited for the results he brought up the current x-rays on Sakura's other injuries. "I'll have to put in a note to keep her on life-support for the time being...."

Standby Room

Toshiro looked to the others and Shiho, and gave a bit of a nod...hearing, but not really believing as he pet his kitty. He relaxed a little around the girls, eyes closing for a moment in thought before he opened them again.

"In this world, people want whatever someone else has...at least the adults do. Sakura and I survived by my making people look younger or have bigger chests for money, so I have to say I've used that. We're just tools or weapons, except to a few like maybe that Minamoto guy. He seems nice enough, but you never know...i might have to read him to be sure."

Standby

Shiho curiously looked at Toshiro. 'This world'? the words made her ponder what he meant by it. "He doesn't like to be read," Shiho smiled and looked back over at the window.

"Say, you want to go to the lounge? Maybe get something to eat?" Shiho asked.

Standby Room

He pondered Shiho's comment about not liking to be read, understanding such a thing. Most people didn't like to be read recklessly. It was the woman...err...girl in front of him that had taught him that fact. Memories were becoming cohesive, though not yet fully.

"...Yes, I'm very hungry right now." He got up, still holding the purring kitten as he sought some measure of distraction.

Lounge

Shiho, Kaoru and Aoi lead Toshiro up two floors, taking the elevator and arriving at a very large lounge area that had an observation balcony. Because it was raining outside though, the balcony was off-limits with a sign that blocked the way.

"Here," Shiho stepped aside as they walked in so that Toshiro could get a better look. The lounge was lavish lookingand had three levels to it, there was a salad bar on the level they were on along with a few people who were moving about the area getting themselves something to eat.

"This lounge has everything you'd ever want," Aoi smiled and looked over at a stack of trays and gestured to them.

"...Thank you..."

Toshiro's eyes lit up and he accepted the tray. He then moved to fill it with all manner of things, having not had solid food in three months and also remembering an era where he often had to survive on rations. To the girls, it would seem like he hadn't eaten well in a long time.

After having a seat, he started to eat...politely as his high speed would allow. He didn't hold a candle to Hatsune, but it was still impressive or unnerving depending on your viewpoint.

Lounge

Sure enough, the girls were a bit shocked to see how quickly Toshiro was eating. "Slow down," Aoi smiled and placed her tray down beside his and sat down.

The girls all had something different from one another, with Aoi having something more akin to what she would get in Kyoto.

"Ummm, is it good?"

"It's fantastic, I haven't eaten this well in...months." He almost said years.

"I imagine this is the first solid food I've had since passing out at all. And I can't remember the last time I ate this well. I usually eat very simply. Raising Sakura-chan hasn't been easy...she can't hear, so she has to go to a special school and everything." He looked saddened, remembering.

"My basic ability is able to modify the body...but for some reason, I've had trouble trying to reconstruct the missing parts of her ears...the surgery she'll eventually have to get is expensive, so I save every tiny bit I get."

The girls looked amongst one another. "You know that if its possible, Minamoto-san will be able to help out," Kaoru smiled. "But... how'd she lose her hearing?"

Toshiro slowed down further, giving a sigh.

"She was born without parts of the insides of her ears, though she can use her power to read gravitic waves to a degree...if I rely on your Minamoto though, we'll wind up having to become some kinda indentured servants for the government in exchange. Essentially selling our freedom..."

"I don't know why you'd say that," said Kaoru as she tapped her chin. "We aren't really servants, at least, Minamoto has never treated us that way; he gives us quite a bit of freedom."

"But, it would be a good idea for you stay here.." Aoi started.

It was at this point that Toshiro looked to Kaoru, and gave a sigh.

"I was grabbed up and experimented on against my will. Seems like being forced into servitude to me. I might not have any choice this time either, though. Especially if they use Sakura's well-being as a bargaining chip."

Lounge

Kaoru and the girls couldn't really say anything to him; they couldn't understand truly what the boy had been through. "Well, with Minamoto around, that shouldn't happen," was the only thing Kaoru could say and she had a big smile about it.

Doctors Office

Sakaki had been resting his eyes a bit when a message popped up on his computer, waking him up from his little nap. He looked over at it and opened the message to find a series of cerebral scans all related to Sakura, with a heavy sigh he transferred the scans to a wall display.

"Bleeding in the brain," he said and shifted the scans over to show the brainwave activity, all of which was rather normal with the exception that some areas of the brain were completely dark - namely - the areas that translated what a person heard into what could be understood.

"Mmm..." he rubbed his chin and walked back over to his computer and wrote out a quick message to the cities health department, requesting a release of all of the girls medical files. When he was done he contacted the other doctors and nurses he'd been with an hour ago to get ready for surgury again.

Toshiro sat in thought, finishing his meal. He was quiet, until someone came up and spoke to the group.

"Yuki-kun, until a supervisor is selected for you, and until your sister has regained consciousness, we've prepared a room for you. It's a bit much to expect Minamoto-san to bring you under the same roof as these three with no warning at all. Preparation will be needed. Please come along..."

Toshito gave a sigh and stood, looking briefly at the girls.

"Seems the decision's been made for me. See you later, I suppose..." He walked away obediently, with a neutral mask over his features.


Several Days Later


The first thing BABEL would learn was that this boy's mind was active. He needed to be thinking, reading, or building things. He seemed to have a deeper knowledge of electronics than most, and often liked to create and build things. He was doing such a thing now, constructing a small device whose purpose was as of yet unknown.

Tango had been excellent company, but still...Sakura's condition weighed on him heavily.

Everything was quiet right now, Toshiro could hear the occasional clattering of boots outside of his dorm room along with some chatter between people.

In the hospital wing, Sakura was sleeping peacefully - she had an IV stuck in one arm and a blood-drip stuck in another, there was a nurse overseeing her care. Occasionally the nurse would check the heart monitor, noting the drops in heart rate that every every so often but would return to normal after only a few seconds.

"How's our patient?" Sakaki asked when he came in to check on the girl.

"Stable, and still asleep..." responded the nurse as she checked a few things off her list.

Sakaki gave a nod of the head and walked over to the girls bed, as he was about to check the blood-pack he noticed the girl stir a bit, at first it was a subtle bit of stirring that someone would do when they'd been in a deep sleep.

Then the girl shot up with a yelp, grabbing her head with both hands and shaking it. Sakaki went to try and figure out what was going on but soon found himself and the nurse thrown against the wall.

Rippling waves of gravitic energy shot out from her, causing nearby equipment to shatter and the window to blow out. Sakaki struggled to get onto his feet but found that difficult.

The whole building shuddered, enough that Fujiko who'd been asleep in her own office was awoken with a jolt. Toshiro would feel the pained waves of telepathic energy, reminiscent of the girl having a very bad dream.

The boy immediately recognized the waves, as did the kitten, oddly. The pair rushed to see what was happening with Sakura, the feline jumping onto her owner's shoulder as he went to rush down the hall. He hadn't the presence of mind to question this as he made his way to the hospital area, following the waves.

Fujiko sat up in her bed, groggily, before looking at the clock...which included a calendar function. She stretched, and teleported on some half-decent clothes before rising and heading off in that direction as well.