2024-09-02: The Earth Is Still Turning! Do Your Best, Michiru!
- Log: 2024-09-02: The Earth Is Still Turning! Do Your Best, Michiru!
- Cast: Himeyuri Oono, Michiru Tenjou, Yukiko Oono (NPC)
- Where: Ganymede, Jupiter
- OOC - IC Date: 2 September 0099
- Summary: Not long after the world broke, one of it's architects has yet to awaken. Michiru stays by Himeyuri's side, and is the first person the Calamitous Saint sees after waking up- and is the one who has to tell her of the failed mission. The news stings- but Himeyuri resolves not to give up the fight against the Earthlings- as long as she's told not to, at least.
<Pose Tracker> Himeyuri Oono has posed.
It had been several days since the AECF had launched the deadliest strike against the tyranny of Earth in their allied career. Indeed, it was probably the biggest strike that Jupiter had made against the Federation- or NUNE or whatever they were calling themselves now- since the autonomous weapons had been unleashed.
Himeyuri Oono, the architect of the weapon that broke the world, was unaware of any of that. She had been unconscious since the battle, her Daitenshi carried to the women's shuttle by her closest friend and bodyguard.
In the main city of Ganymede were the primary science labs of the Jovian Federation, from the outside a perfect replica of the Kokubunji Labs from Gekigangar 3. The interior was... well, it had the vibe? For some reason it had been near impossible to create blueprints for the building so they had to improvise. But within that science compound, behind significant security, was a traditional Japanese home, with a garden and a water clock and a washing line with clothes hung out. It was idyllic, and beautiful.
And Himeyuri herself had never noticed the artificiality of it.
The woman of the house, Yukiko Oono busied herself with her daily tasks. She had done the weekly cleaning, the preparation for dinner was already done, the washing was drying...
With a sigh, she toward her daughters bedroom, fidgeting with the tips of her black hair, braided and hanging over her shoulder. She didn't know exactly what had happened- just that Himeyuri had done her duty as a Jovian and a Saint, and that she needed time to recover. It was a great honour, no matter how it worried Yukiko. All this saint business had already pushed Himeyuri beyond the typical marriage age- the poor thing was nearly twenty! Much more and her daughter would be considered Christmas cake- if not worse.
...Though, it was hardly up to her to decide her daughter's match. She's sure her husband and those nice men from the church would find the right man for Himeyuri soon.
She knocked on the sliding, before opening that, to look to the woman that had been looking over her daughter. "Michiru-chan, I'm going out to get groceries for tomorrow," Yukiko said, trying to keep calm. "...should I get more baking supplies, dear?" Michiru had been using the oven more than she had the past few days, after all. "Or anything you'd like me to cook tomorrow?"
On her futon, Himeyuri didn't yet stir, still asleep- but it hardly looked restful. If Himeyuri wasn't so still, Yukiko would have thought she might be having some terrible nightmare. Instead... she just stood at the door, watching her daughter and the girl who watched over her, waiting for an answer.
<Pose Tracker> Michiru Tenjou has posed.
Michiru wasn't terribly more knowledgeable of the results than her unconscious friend. Her reasons perhaps less reasonable, as she's been awake most of the time. Only sleeping when her body couldn't keep going one time, and passing out while slumped in a chair, still watching over Himeyuri. If she sees how... fake this home really is, she's at least never spoken about it, leaving the question thoroughly in the air.
She's had no shortage of time learning all about Himeyuri's mother. A nice enough woman... not horribly different from Michiru's own. She can only imagine what either of them think of her. Let alone what her father would think, with Michi being so far removed from what everyone always says she should be. ...Perhaps the thing she liked most about ZAFT. Everyone accepted her way of doing things. Even if they didn't understand Gekigan Spirit, they never gave her that... pitying look. Or the anger she occasionally saw.
"Lady Oono, please do. I suspect the kitchen will see much of my time still." She doesn't offer any food suggestions. She hasn't even once since they arrived. She just can't think of any food she wants. And hasn't felt able to speak of how even the idea of dinner makes her stomach churn in revulsion, due to the memories. "I shall ensure nothing befalls your daughter as she rests, fear not." She has her own worries of course. This new system... it had removed the link that let her protect Himeyuri's heart. It had left her vulnerable to that malignant force as it swept across the field. She intends to try and convince Hime that their combined unit is safer, but... she doubts any mention of the combination program will yield fruit.
She expects the response will just be that the two of them shouldn't be in the field at all.
<Pose Tracker> Himeyuri Oono has posed.
Yukiko nods, as Michiru accepts her offer for more baking supplies, still, she smiles a little. "Michiru-san, you don't need to be so formal with me. I'm glad Himeyuri has a friend as close as you by her side." She walks over to the younger woman, and leans over to give her a small hug. "She didn't get to have too many, growing up."
She then steps away. "I'll get some of the things for Himeyuri's favourites, then. Even if she's recovering, it's impossible to keep my little girl out of the kitchen when she wants to cook. And don't forget to get some rest yourself, alright?"
Yukiko takes one last look at her sleeping daughter, and steps out of the room, careful not to make more of a disturbance.
About half an hour, there is movement from the futon. It's a slow stirring, a quiet moan coming from Himeyuri's lips as her eyes flutter a little, eventually opening- then closing again. "'s bright..." She mumbles, getting a word out.
She feels... utterly exhausted. Like she can barely move, and her head is still throbbing. Instinctively, she makes a quick connection to her cyberbrain to gather her thoughts, and establish where she is. After a few seconds she recognizes the feel of her futon, the warmth of her room.
She was home. She was at home. After...
She lets out a long breath, not realizing she was holding it.
<Pose Tracker> Michiru Tenjou has posed.
Michiru tenses slightly at the hug. It's been a while since someone hugged her. ...When was the last time, actually? She's not completely sure what the answer is. "I'm sorry, it's an instinct." Formality and respect for older, more authority-wielding figures. A mother can be such, to an extent. Was that something from her pilot training? She definitely takes it further than most girls are taught by their parents after all. "Neither did I... so I understand. I hope I'm able to help her." A statement with more meaning than Yukiko could imagine.
She makes a promise to get some sleep... When, who knows. But she'll try to eventually. Once Himeyuri is able to speak with her again. When she knows falling asleep won't be a criminal disregard of her duty.
Still... she's starting to drift off slightly, when she hears it. The voice shocks her awake again. "Hime-hime... you're back." She hasn't had the time to process it yet, but given a few minutes one thing will be clear. She is surrounded by baked goods. Michi's had to eat quite a bit herself, as has Yukiko, making sure none of it goes to waste. But the last few amounts she made are still perfectly ready to eat.
"Welcome home."
<Pose Tracker> Himeyuri Oono has posed.
Hime turns her head slightly toward Michi, her eyes flickering a bit. "Michi...?" ...Of course Michi would be there. Michi was always there for her. She can't help but smile hearing her voice, welcoming her. "We're home..." She says, just as quietly before trying to push herself up on her elbows- a little too quickly given the way she reacts dizzily before lying back down.
That's when she takes in the array of baked goods around her. She blinks a few times. "...I really had you worried. I'm sorry, Michi." She's very quiet still, but she knows that's one of Michi's coping methods by now.
Still, she smiles again, looking to her best friend again. "You got me back, didn't you? Thank you, Michi."
After a moment, she pauses. "...Did it work, Michi? Did we finally beat them? Is it over?"
There's a longing in her voice, a hope. A hope that maybe, finally, she could be a normal girl, with a normal life. No more science, no more being made to fight, just... getting to spend time with friends and family and finding love. The way her eyes look up at Michiru, big and round and eager for news, one might almost want to lie to her instead of the truth.
<Pose Tracker> Michiru Tenjou has posed.
The guilt is already there, the moment Himeyuri looks at her. She's not too bad at hiding it of course, mostly because she's had a few days to swallow it down. "Be careful... you've been out for several days. Ease into everything, at least for a bit." She reaches out to offer support. Help her find a midpoint that won't make her head swim.
She leans into that, setting her head on Hime's shoulder. "I'll always make sure you get home safe, when you're in trouble." She was still a bit too late to do it perfectly, but she did make it there. The new systems pulled their weight more than Hime might have expected. "The angels did incredibly well."
Then the question comes. She'd certainly be tempted to lie. She absolutely could... but lying isn't the Gekigan way. And Hime will absolutely find out soon. "We fled the field before the results fully came in, due to what happened. But... the planet is still standing. I'm sorry Hime..." Truthfully, she's glad the Earth wasn't annihilated. Not just because she wants to do the fight and claim victory herself. But because she also just doesn't want all that death and destruction. She's seen people who aren't evil monsters. There ARE horrible monsters beyond saving, she's certain. But... She doesn't say those parts.
<Pose Tracker> Himeyuri Oono has posed.
Michiru's support is both welcome and needed, as the taller woman slides in next to her. "A few days?" Himeyuri responds, a touch groggily. No wonder she feels so bad. As Michiru sets herself against her, Himeyuri relaxes into her best friends grasp. She does feel so tired right now. She remembers the battle, but it's blurry.
Still, a warm gentle smile makes it's way to Himeyuri's lips, closing her eyes at Michiru's reassurance. "I know. And I'll always be grateful for it. I don't know where I'd be without you by my side." That's an admission Himeyuri wouldn't usually make. After all, when the war was over, so would this bodyguard arrangement. "I'm glad. I made them to keep us safe."
She falls silent as Michi explains the outcome of the mission to her. "...Oh." That's all she manages, her face falling for a while. When she finally opens her eyes, she smiles again, though- but this one lacks something the previous one had.
"It's alright. We'll get them next time."
After a moment, though, she leans back against Michiru again. "Do you know what happened, near the end? It's all kind of fuzzy. Did they get past S1's armour? Or is there a weakness I need to fix."
<Pose Tracker> Michiru Tenjou has posed.
Hard as it may be, it's a feeling they both share. Michiru isn't really certain what she'd do either. She could make guesses. Some part of her has thought of things she might like. There's a piece of her that wishes she was still with ZAFT... though that same part also wishes she'd been able to slug the mask clean off Rau's face. Of course, she wouldn't have been in that position without Himeyuri to begin with. The part of her that wants another beachside vacation is right there too.
She tries not to think too much on where she'll wind up AFTER the arrangement is over. Especially given she doesn't want to marry some Ideal Jovian Man or open a bakery or anything of the sort. Even if sometimes the thoughts flow unbidden into her mind.
The lack of warmth... lack of optimistic hope... in that smile, makes Michi's heart sink. "I'm sorry. It's not your fault the mission didn't go to plan. None of us could have predicted everything that happened." It's not her fault either, though... given the next words out of her mouth one might think she does blame herself.
"It's the missing system. S1 and S2 can't link... so I can't protect your heart or your mind. Something came with our allies, within their battleship. There was an overwhelming and horribly foul presence exuding from it. A monstrous entity... almost like Emperor Hyperion himself." She can't help herself. Even if it will make Himeyuri upset, that IS the biggest failure of the Lovely Angel Pair. The lack of defense against mental attacks is something Michiru used to be able to make up for, acting as the shield for Hime's heart.
But... that's also a flaw in their life outside of piloting, isn't it? Michiru can't constantly defend her heart from all that hurts it. And it leads Himeyuri to say and do things that hurt herself too.
<Pose Tracker> Himeyuri Oono has posed.
Hime doesn't say much when Michiru says it's not her fault. Isn't it? She may not have developed the plan- but the technology involved was her development. It came to her naturally, of course. Thoughts unbidden leaping to mind as always.
Just like that thought that cemented who she had to be on the battlefield- even if that one felt a little different in ways she couldn't explain.
"I suppose I underestimated the Earthlings..." Hime says, quietly. "I didn't think they could stop it. We'll have to work out something new, if they stopped that weapon even after it entered orbit." She's sure the Admirals will have plans soon. She just needs to enact them.
The missing system, huh... Hime's smile weakens further. "The Admiral's told me that the system was too dangerous to keep using." Himeyuri says, quietly. "There was further testing once I sent the plans back here, and the risks were too great." She never bothered to ask what risks those were- the fact that one of the Admirals told her was enough. "It's not the first time my designs had to be put away, Michi. If it's too risky for even the braves male pilots to use, we're lucky we didn't experience negative effects." She shakes her head. "The Otome and Galaxia are shelved for now."
But... that Michiru can't defend her heart? Hime looks down again. "That's not your fault, Michi... You do everything you can to protect me- heart, body and soul." She pauses, though. It was a vulnerability for Himeyuri but... "It'll be okay. Maybe we won't have to deploy as often. It's not like the admirals would put us in the line of danger unless they absolutely had to, right? And that's why we have the Daitenshi. They'll keep us safe, with all that armour and shielding."
The worst part, she believes it fully. This is only because there's no option- the Admirals wouldn't risk two of Jupiter's Treasures any other way.
Fortunately, there is a convenient distraction from that, when a slight rumble emits from Himeyuri's stomach. Which, of course, makes Himeyuri embarrassed, blushing brightly. "S-sorry, Michi. I didn't mean to be so unladylike..."
<Pose Tracker> Michiru Tenjou has posed.
Michiru understands some things clearly. Clearer than she should. The way Himeyuri's thoughts leap around, for example. She can't talk about it, normally. Even though it happens to her too. Especially lately. It's not the same of course. Her thoughts aren't sudden technological leaps and bounds. They're nothing nearly so useful to anyone, especially herself.
"It seems like most people underestimate them. There's no reason that should be though." After all, it's not like Michiru never files reports on what she witnesses. Any of the bizarre happenings or miracles. Apparently nobody wants to listen. Or maybe it just gets filed under her reading the situation wrong, and ascribing qualities that CLEARLY can't be true.
Michi's just a girl after all, why would they take her accounts at face value? She's not sure where that line of thought came from. Nor does she know where it vanishes to after.
She knows before Hime says anything, whatever will come regarding that system, won't be what she wants to hear. She sighs and shoves her face into a pillow at the news. Still, Hime can understand her question, mumbled through it. "What were the risks? What side effects did it cause, that we didn't experience in testing?" A question that Himeyuri of course, can't answer. Despite being a technician. Someone who at the core of their job NEEDS data to improve her creations, and could likely fix whatever problems existed if she had it... But because of a few words. Shelved.
These are the moments that most make Michiru frustrated. More than any argument she has with Himeyuri.
"...We already aren't on the battlefield THAT often." They are, in fact. Even if it's not in the kind of major skirmishes this incident was. They still take part in a number of minor missions. Though, less now than they used to, certainly. Michiru can't help thinking that if they had deployed Novagalaxy more often before it got shelved, or if they deployed more now in the Daitenshis, quite a bit more would be accomplished. But she doesn't say that. Isn't it just her selfish desire to be out there in the fight, after all? "I hope it'll be better at protecting you in the future. Maybe you can find a way to have it dampen the effects of mental attacks. Block out their influence."
Michiru is far less optimistic about the view people have of her. She's becoming slowly more aware of how deeply anomalous she is.
The rumbling is thankfully not a problem for her. She doesn't mind it in the least. "Hime... you haven't eaten in days, it's perfectly fine. Natural even, to be hungry by now." She holds out both arms. "I'll help you eat. Slowly, so you don't overdo it or get dizzy. It wouldn't do if our amazing Saint got hurt again from trying to eat too quickly, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Himeyuri Oono has posed.
Hime shakes her head. "I'm sure that it's my design that was flawed, Michi. Everyone else did their part- if it didn't work when it should have that's my mistake." How did they even stop it? She'd have to find out... How to counteract that next time. She was *so sure*.
Hime pauses, briefly, when Michiru asks the question through the pillow. "...I'm sorry, Michi. I was told to take on a different project. And I don't think I'll have time to look into it now that the plan has failed. I'm going to be busy again fixing my mistake." She pauses. "When I get to the lab, maybe I can request you get research access? Then you can see the report. They wouldn't have shuttered it for no reason, I'm sure."
Michiru seems... put off by the fact that they aren't in battle? It's such a strange instinct of hers. "I mean... we're there enough, aren't we? Not even the bravest soldiers want to be on the battlefield- they're fighting for the sake of Jupiter against the oppressors." That's right. The Jovians were the aggrieved party. Driven from home to home, with whatever Earth had to throw at them. Nukes included.
Hime can't say more on mental attacks, though. "You're right... I'll... have to see if the Dr Yamashita will let me spend research time to find some sort of dampening, especially if it's putting the pilots in danger. But I have to use the Wisdom of Kokubunji the way I'm directed, Michi. That's my role."
There's a fortunate distraction, and when Michiru outstretches her arms, Hime takes them. "...Okay, Michi. I'm in your care tonight." She smiles again, some of that genuineness back. The warmth for her friend- the pride in her offering to take care of her. She's going to need to be physically supported a bit right now, given she's still fairly weak- and Michiru's right about her taking it slow.
Still... this is fine, right? It's practice for when Michiru has to take care of her future children. She even giggles at the mention of getting sick. "Well, I guess I'll just have to pick what we start with and let you hand feed me then."
And that's fine, right? Normal actions between unmarried girls of their age. Even Noa and Hifumi did it, and they were the very embodiment of Jovian girls who are friends. It's just practice- and Hime's ready to help Michi practice.