Aberrant: Infinite Earth - Cosmos Nova - [CN] New Beginnings [Fin]

[Long]

Ryu lanced again with a bowerful storm of energy, destroying the remaining hostile guns and turrets, before swooping down to fish Naomi out of the harbor, Setting her on one of the disarmed platforms. The remainder of the excercise he did alone, setting down next to her at the end, and nodding so many blasts significantly ate through his reserves, and he sighed. "Well I hope I don't have to do that much blasting."

[Naomi Minami]

"Thanks... And I doubt it."

The Director flies over and starts clapping. "Excellent teamwork and creativity you two... but completely against orders. You were supposed to send Naomi back to shore if she got sunk. If she was a Human she would be dead."

She holds up her pad displaying where two hits struck, one on her inner thigh where a major artery would be, and one that hit at the kidney. Naomi looks at herself and sees the dark red marks of the paint blotches. Then the alarm which was delayed to simulate a bleed-out signaled.

"Then again, Naomi's creativity, and your skill if this was a two-nova squad was... amazing."

"But this isn't to assess destructive skill, it is to assess your teamwork."

She sighed, Giving the two a stern face, then she smiled. "Alright you passed."

Naomi sighed and fell back on her back, smiling.

"I sincerely hope that's all the physical stuff..."

"Well... it is, Naomi. Thanks for helping." The director said, walking up to Ryu. "Captain Hideyoshi, You do have what it takes in a combat situation, as expected, but you have control. That was what I was looking for. Naomi is a great compliment to your law-enforcement skill, and I would like to have you two as partners. If you are interested."

[Long]

Ryu nodded. "That would work for me, yes. I trust the Psychological Evaluations will be done next?"

Naomi couldn't help but notice the wy his lips curled, showing a hint of fang was reminiscent of a smile, more than any agressive gesture."

"It will be awhile before I am capable of doing much more." He'd slowed down to normal, no longer leaving afterimages.

"I do not object to being her partner, so long as it is the same for her."

[Naomi Minami]

Naomi got up and straightened herself up, which wasn't hard as she jumped from a fully horizontal reclined position to on her feet.

"It would be an honor, Director... Captain..." She said with a smile. "I think having a partner would be a excellent idea. Tell me, Ryu... How are your investigative skills? Tokyo is a big city, and as such, full of things that need my skills... Now I wonder if you're up to the challenge."

She looked out to Yokohama. In Japan's bubble economy, the lights of Tokyo and Yokohama and Osaka merged making the coast look like one city. Now factories and docks have started to shutter, and whichever were left were used for imports. Japan was no longer the king of technology... but when Naomi looked at the daytime skyline of the once proud megalopolis...

"15 million stories, Ryu... And we are the readers."

She grinned and let out a exuberant and very human whoop as she jumped into the harbor. "You can't just watch, Ryu! The thrill of the hunt, the mysteries of a concrete jungle are the most wonderful of prey! You know you're intrigued. This isn't chasing robbers or catching perverts and the occasional crazy. This is overturning the very underbelly of the rock and finding what it hides. Something tells me, Ryu... you're up for it. Somewhere someone's lost a loved one, somewhere a CEO agonizes over corporate spies, somewhere a criminal has flummoxed the police. Somewhere a cat is up a tree... I can't wait to begin."

The Director nodded with a smile. "So be it. After the psych-eval is done tomorrow, you are definitely in."

"Until then, Ryu, Naomi, you have the rest of the day to yourselves." The Director says with a nod to Naomi before flying off.

Naomi bobbed in the water still wearing the gear she was given. "Ever done search and rescue? I think you would be up for it as well."

As she says that the D0 Zodiac pops back out of the water, self-refilling with air it regains it's buoyancy and puts it's engines on warm standby. Naomi presses a button on a remote. "Now that the test is over I could show that off. It's a cute trick to use for delivering Scuba-Divers. I've not used it yet for anything."

She swims over to the boat. "I'm sure you got your ways to get back to the docks, so I'll meet you back there once I park this."

Naomi climbs in and starts the engines up and looks over to Ryu. "I do have to say... you were brilliant. You... brought out my best."

[Long]

"I've been a Detective or better with the force for over fifteen years, I'd like to think my skills are quite appreciable, though perhaps not really nova enhanced."

he smiled as he took to the air again, much slower this time, and nodded. "I always like to make pretty ladies happy." Perhaps abit improper, but nonetheless, his blue eyes held no hint that he didn't mean it, as he flew across the bay, landing next to her car to wait for her.

"I hope that didn't sink our partnership."

[Naomi Minami]

"No not at all..." She giggles. "I sort of like that, actually. A bit of levity." She says as she navigates along.

"So... what's on your agenda now that we're done with this exercise?"

She takes off her helmet and sets it in the boat, as well as the communicator. Her ears pop back up and she gets an urge to scratch them to get them all fixed up. "Man... still getting used to having my ears up here now than down on a normal head."

She moves back her hear and indeed where her ears should be as a human were not there. "I'm glad I was unconscious during my transformation, I would have been in excruciating pain. At least that was what was predicted by my para-physicians when they looked me over. Do you have any special needs as a feline-human hybrid now? I have several now that I have a cat's physiology as well as my Superhuman physiology. Any changes in diet or anything?"

[Long]

"not that I've noticed. My shift itself wasn't painful and physically I'm comfortable in my new form. I'm stronger faster and tougher. Far as I can tell, I eat alot more, praticulary meat."

he shook his head. "I haven't been a nova long enough to discover any other quirks."

[Naomi Minami]

She would talk about her known vulnerabilities as a cat would, but when she talked with Connor she learned a few things about making sure that it was one-on one... but if Ryu is going to be her partner, she will let him know.

She pulls up to the docks and hops out, stripping off the suit she was wearing and setting the helmet on the dock. The commander walks over with her shoes, a pair of patent leather loafers. "Thought you'd need these. Oh, you can keep the suit and helmet, it's been adapted to your body and we don't have catfolk in our ranks in the JMSDF."

She smiled and put her shoes on after managing to get every part of her suit off. "Thanks, Commander." He hands over her coat, nods and walks off.

"Okay, Ryu... what's the plan?" Her tone was youthful and energetic. She takes the duffelbag her other personal effects were in and packs the gear up that she was given for the session. "To be honest, this is the most I've been doing for the past few days... well... outside of encountering mutant squids."

[Long]

"That sounds like a good story over dinner."

He smiled. 'I can cook if you like, or we can go to a restaraunt."

He smiled and waited for her to get into the car, happy that she wasn't mad at him, and abit surprised he'd passed.

"Mutant calamari? I imagine it was quite large, and intelligent?"

[Naomi Minami]

"It was an unfortunate mutation, Ryu... it was human."

She had a solemn tone. "I don't know how it... I lack a gender or identity for it... even got that..."

Her hair bristles as she thinks of her brush with death.

"I'd... rather not speak of something that almost killed me if it wasn't for the help of Karrie and Rob and their DSA cohorts."

She stepped into the car, her ears back up. "I'd like to see you cook tonight, Ryu. Your place."

[Long]

He nodded. "The DSA eh? And they called you in to help out. They must think highly of you Naomi."

He smiled as he climbed in seeing if she remembered the way to his place. He was happy when she made it back to the apartment with nearly no guidance, and parked. He got out of the car noting the looks of the people and sighed. "Come on, before we become a spectacle."

He led her upstairs, to the eighth floor and a corner apartment. It was larger than most, and immacculately clean. There was a small case with his awards, as well as a stand with his guns and badge. The living room was spartan, aside from the large TV, and a single couch. The house smelled of natural pine, and by the window was a lone bonsai. "Make yourself at home naomi."

[Naomi Minami]

Naomi blinked.

She walked over to the badge and pistols and felt a sense of pride. In old times a Samurai would hang his armor and swords in a display like this.

Her tail moved back and forth, and her ears flicked as she took in every detail.

"A modern day Samurai who serves the people..."

She turned to Ryu after setting her coat on the couch. "This is the beginning, Ryu... The first step is always the hardest."

Something about him radiated loss, not something found. In a way she was starting to understand. More than anything. "After I became who I am, there was a while when I was scared of what people thought of me. Of who I became. One day though, after solving a serial killing case I... I was respected. They saw me as the watchful sentinel..."

She walked over and put a hand that felt of understanding, light and not overbearing. "Later on, With my work with recovery efforts they saw me as Naomi again... but Naomi transformed. Don't measure yourself on what you lost, because you've lost nothing. You are still Captain Ryu Hideyoshi. The minute you put down that badge and those guns for good, you've given up on yourself... And isn't the most important thing you? The real you?"

For a split moment he thought he saw a human standing before him. A schoolteacher who never forgot who she was. "I never lost my classroom, my students... I hold to them in my heart. My hometown that is no more... still exists in my memory. The warm beaches, the families enjoying their free time, the fishing ships bringing in the sea's bounty... That world still exists for me. I still live in it."

"What is your world, Ryu? What will be your paradigm?"

[Long]

"Your Hometown can and will be rebuilt. I saw the videos of your American Friend, and I know that there are some novas from the DSA already helping with recovery efforts there. It's good to know who our real allies are. I'm happy that our government was able to accept that we needed help in this regard. I do not know of too many novas in Department Zero, though I expect I will meet them all in time."

"That world will come to be again, and if you choose you can return to it."

He shook his head. "I know that I am still a cop. Still, at the moment I'm still reconciling the changes I've gone through. There are few cops who can shoot lasers as I do, or peel armor away like the skin of a satsuma. Or stand up the the level of punishment I can." He nodded. "You're about the only one who knows what it's like to have one of these." His tail lashed about behind him and he held his hands up "Or dealing with these." as he arched his fingers his claws extended.. "You want to know what I will do, I will do as I have, Protect and serve the people of Japan to the best of my ability. Though I think it may be time for a homecoming of a different sort."

He set to work cooking, and she could soon smell the familiar scent of mackerel seared over rice, along with tuna sushi.

[Naomi Minami]

"Now that smell is a homecoming I can agree on, Hideyoshi-san."

Naomi let go her feelings at that moment and as he cooked, she embraced him from behind. She felt his pulse, his respiration... all the sinews and muscles within him moving, beating...

"I believe in you. That's all you'll need."

She steps back and starts to look at what he's doing. "Can I help?"

The smell and look of the tuna causes her ears to perk up and her tail shows her interest like a flag.

[Long]

"We're partners. Ryu will do, Naomi."

Her embrace was unexpected and not unwelcome. He paused to put an hand over hers and nodded. "It just might be."

"If you want to help, you can either set dishes on the table, though, as i think about it it might be best that We eat in the living room, or I do at any rate. as that little chair is not going to hold my weight."

"I'll be done soon, and you can poor whatever you like to drink. I've got soada, milk, water, and cold tea in the fridge."

[Naomi Minami]

Naomi takes the dishes required like a deft waitress. "No need to tell me twice." Naomi said, starting to set things up.

"You know... I think you've passed all the tests thrown at you. Even the psychological one that will be administered."

She sets up the last dish then looks in the fridge. "Milk... ooooh my one true vice." She takes the entire carton out and pours herself a generous glass and puts the carton back. She then sits on the small chair that actually had room for her tail. She purred a little as she felt comfortable, taking a sip of milk before dinner.

The smell of the tuna started to re-awaken some of her feline tics. She meowed once with a lilting, chirping type of meow. Her cat-like vocalizations were uncanny.

"Oh... sorry... was a little distracted." She says putting her hand over her mouth.

[Long]

He smiled and idly his tail brushed against her cheek as he passed by. "Nothing I'd not expect from you."

"Passing the tests doesn't worry me. It's the power itself. There's a hefty responsibility accompanying it, greater even than I had as an officer. I don't want to lose myself in either part."

He went back to finishing his preparations. "It was kinda cute too."

He nodded to her. "I've always liked cats. The crest of my family is a tiger, after all."

[Naomi Minami]

Naomi smiled as Ryu softened up. She took note of everything.

"Our particular family has the symbol of a red sun shining a ray down to earth contained in a circle representing all of creation. The red sun at the top shining, with a white ray shooting down from it. I've never really focused on that as something important but it does show a connection between I and my past."

She let her tail lazily move on the chair, showing how pleased and happy she was that Ryu had softened.

[Long]

He looked at her. "Naomi, how much do you know about me?"

He speared her with a inquiring gaze even as he presented a plate of freshly cooked fish, rice and raw sushi. He sat with his own plate on the couch and nodded. "To my family our past is a part of us, or rather it's a part of me."

[Naomi Minami]

"My past is a mixed one from two corners of the world. The family symbol is only 30 years old or so. After my father Joseph and my mother, Kyoko married. They both married right after my birth. Although my Father is a couple years from retiring as well as my Mother. They're both surprisingly healthy for their age. I guess it's their love for each other and me I think."

"I look at my time as I forging our new family's history."

She smiled as she stretched out and enjoyed another sip, her milk mustache was a bit funny looking. "I... I would love to know more about your history."

[Long]

"My family dates back over seven hundred years. We have amassed great wealth, political power and influence." He sighed. "I changed that."

"I didn't want that life. I left to make my own way in the world. I became a cop after working my way through college, and maintaining a cool relationship with younger brothers. Then about ten years ago, I hap probably the worst day of my life. It started with the news that mother and father were slain when their plane went down. about four hours later, my brothers were on their way home to help plan the funeral, and their car was struck by an eighteen wheeler that ran a redlight. There wasn't much left."

"My brothers had no sons, and my Father was an only child, so it fell to me to take over. I didn't." I have an old friend who went on to become a respected accountant and Administrator, I asked her to oversee things for the family until I was ready. I didn't want that life, I still don't."

He shrugged. "It's worked well so far, I go to the family home once a month to tend the gardens, She lives there, taking care of the other things. It's just been too painful to deal with the last decade. It was easier to just be a cop."

He had finished his own plate and smiled. "You're Familiar with Isesaki Shipping? that's the company my family founded, and that technically I have controlling interest in."

[Naomi Minami]

Naomi nods, she had been on a few cases for that company to investigate missing shipments recently.

"Yes, well familiar. A few months ago I worked for that company on a case. Seems some electronics shipments disappeared off the radar and they needed me to figure out what happened. I could tell the shipment was stolen, but with the professional level of how it disappeared, I didn't know who. Although the evidence is there in case there is another robbery of this type."

She straightens out her outfit. The dark brown vest and black skirt with a white blouse and a bow. "The Ministry of Justice is currently putting their resources on it and asked me to step down from the case, which is rare. Usually when that happens it's a matter they want to keep internal."

"If The Russian is involved on this, I'm not surprised, considering her pedigree."

She sits back, looking at the ceiling.

"I will help you avenge your comrades, Ryu. If there is one thing I cannot stand, is a cop killer. We'll find her... and bring her to justice. That is more than enough to win some brownie points with the public."

"And besides, you're my partner now. That means some of the public's good will will start rubbing off pretty quick."

She looks over at the Tuna Sushi being prepared and her ears perk up again. "Wow... you're pretty good. Nice form."

[Long]

He smiled. "It isn't about revenge. I won't let it be that. It will be justice, or nothing."

He smiled. "Eat up, I had to learn to cook when I was young, form wasn't real important, but I get by."

[Naomi Minami]

Naomi smiled when the meal was served and she went through her usual ritual of grace before beginning her meal.

"Well... seems the practice is starting to pay off. You know what you want and you're getting better and making it."

She smiled. "It's never about revenge, Ryu. Not for me or anyone. It's because of revenge people like us have a job."

She sighed and continued. "Most novas I have had the unfortunate experience of seeing the more violent side. I was talking to you about those mutant squid earlier? I wasn't sure about their origin, but I do know that they almost killed me and another DSA agent and severely injured her friend. But it was the agent known as Umiwashi here in Japan that illustrated blood lust to me. Then again two other novas she was protecting... but god help those that threaten her friends."

She sighed.

"I've seen enough blood. Both after the fact and during. Although the unfortunate truth is that some live by the sword and are doomed to die by it."

[Long]

He smiled and pointed to the stand. "I live by the shield."

"I'm glad you like.it." He nodded. "So other than work, tell me about yourself Naomi. "I'm curious as a cat."

[Naomi Minami]

Naomi's ears flicked. She had a smile on her face and her last bit of sushi she ate made her look feline, but then her human side was present again as she cleared her throat.

"Well... we know the detective stuff. But I have to admit for every case there is usually a few weeks of boredom. Not that I'm want for money. I got that covered with my salary and doing side-work as a substitute teacher. Well... I've not started yet, but I just got my teaching license for teaching in the Tokyo prefecture. So I'll probably get the call soon."

She smiled. "I think the kids seeing a Nova teaching their class would be a... distraction. But I think once I get my teaching swagger back I should be fully in control again. Then again my biography has been on television enough where if they see me walk in to do their class they will be more interested than wondering if the tail is real or if I can meow..."

"I do have a preference now towards High-Schoolers. They tend to be more understanding of someone like me because of their awkward situation themselves growing up."

She sips on her milk. "Outside of that I visit my folks from time to time and I visit the bookstores around my residence. My Department Zero contacts and my Mother helped in me getting a old 5-floor office building in the Jinbocho to make as my offices and my residence. I own it lock, stock, and barrel. The top floor and the maintenance shack on the roof I converted to my home, and the other floors are for my detective work and someplace to put my reference materials or to have tutoring."

Stretching out she sighed. "I'll be honest... I don't have much of a life."

[Long]

"It sounds you have a life you quite enjoy." "A good quiet life."

He smiled. "I wouldn't mind this too, if in your schedule, and our work lives, you want to keep doing this." That was pretty blatant. He nodded and looked to her. "I've really enjoyed your company, Naomi. If nothing else, the two of us are kindred spirits in many ways."

[Naomi Minami]

"I would not mind in the slightest, Ryu."

She smiled, when her ears flicked up and every thing aligned from her stretching out, her mannerisms showed she was relaxed.

"So... What do you think of so far of Department Zero?"

[Long]

He smiled. "It's quite nice, hopefully it will prove to be where I need to be."

He smiled and scooted over on the couch so if she wanted she could sit by him.

"You really do have some cute feline mannerisms."

[Naomi Minami]

Naomi purred then hopped over to the couch after finishing the last of her meal, the rest of her milk in hand. All the while there was this look on her face as if she was merging the cat within with the human within. Slowly coming to terms with her new state of being.

"My psychologists call them my "Feline tics". I'm still trying to figure them out, but there is something interesting about them too..."

She leans over with a smile. "I can speak to cats and they speak to me. It's freaky, I know, but it works."

She giggles. "I don't know how or why... but it is sort of cool. I haven't told anyone yet I can do that... I doubt they would believe me."

"So I wanna wait until I see the opportunity... Wait a sec..."

She steps over to the window and looks outside, opening the window. She smiles. "I'm about to have every stray in the neighborhood call out for a second."

She meows loudly, after stepping away from the window enough not to be seen. Every stray in the neighborhood and every housecat that heard her meowed in response for about 5 seconds.

"See? I told them to call out their location. The only ones not responding were the hunting ones."

She heads back to the couch and flops down.

[Long]

"Tics suggests it's a rblem. I don't see it that way. It's a part of you now."

He smiled. "A useful talent considering how many cats we have around here." He reached up to scratch behind her pointed ear and nodded, "And this, does this feel as good as it seems to for normal felines?"

"Not that you're anything close to what I'd call normal."

[Naomi Minami]

Naomi moaned a little in pleasure. Her gleaming greenish blue eyes showed she was indeed quite relaxed now.

"Since we're safely alone there... is a couple things. You might have the same vulnerabilities. I... have a feline's biochemistry as well as a human nova's. I cannot have Chocolate it will kill me. Also if I somehow ingest a lily, get me to the hospital since those are highly toxic."

"I... also enjoy a little catnip from time to time."

She looked ashamed actually.

[Long]

"I don't have that one. Nor does catnip hold any affect on me. I do purr though."

He smiled. "i don't have them like you do, just the form I believe." He shifted and scratched under her chin softly.

He was definitely someone who knew cats.

[Naomi Minami]

Naomi's tail calmly and loosely moves from side to side. She closed her eyes as he scratched.

"Shiro-chan loved this..."

She stopped herself. "I mean, my cat loved this. I have distinct memories of his entire life from when he first opened his eyes to his very last in my arms."

"He was... in my arms when I erupted as the tsunami crashed into me." Her ears droop. "I've always thought my eruption caused him to be assimilated into me, but... I think the opposite may be true... he may have..."

She starts falling silent. "His last thoughts were... why is Naomi so scared?"

She holds herself and lays on Ryu's lap. "Can I... ever... reconcile what Shiro left in me?"

[Long]

"Of course you can. "You are still Naomi. You didn't want him to feel alone, and you became like him in what seemed like those final moments, but became even more."

"You've done a good job so far." He began to stroke her tail softly, as one would do to a cat.

[Naomi Minami]

"You... mind if I stay here tonight... I... want to be near someone tonight."

She cuddled next to Ryu, even if it was her as a human would do so against someone they loved, it still seemed so much like a cat.

She had all sorts of people that know her and love her... but she has felt so lost... but seeing Ryu going through the same things she is...

"Someone like us."

[Long]

He smiled. "Of course you can Stay Naomi, I was going to offer that myself." He scratched her shoulderblades and smiled. "I feel more comfortable with you here already."

He relaxed, letting her curl up against him and nodded. "The beginning of a great partnership."

[Naomi Minami]

Naomi curled up, holding her tail.

"I think it will..."

She had been isolating herself for so long, "keeping it professional", and all it has done is socially isolate her. Now, she feels that very human need. Companionship.

"I... have complete faith in you... in us. Ryu."

[Long]

He smiled. "Me too, Naomi, me too."

He put an arm around her and soon even the larger male feline nova joined her in her peaceful sleep.