The Mewtwo File Prologue

[Alison]

Chapter Seventeen (First half)

Chapter summary: Sakaki goes too far.

Chapter Seventeen – Message In A Bottle

Aiko submitted pragmatically to Nurse Rin's efficiency. It wasn't as if she had much choice in the matter, after all.

Every evening, the sedative tube and catheter would be removed for one hour as Aiko was sat on the toilet and a suppository inserted. Once that unpleasant task was over, it was shower time. Aiko sat like a lump of meat in the specially-designed open-weave wheelchair and rotated under the water as Rin applied soap, rinsed her off, wheeled her out and toweled her dry.

It was the only time the sedative tube was removed. At first Nurse Rin had attempted to do all this with the tube still in Aiko's arm, but they found that the movement caused Aiko to either vomit, pass out, or both. So it and the catheter were dutifully removed and Aiko found that at the end of the shower she could once more move her hands and feet, if only weakly, enough to help Rin get her dressed again. Then it was a bowl of spoon-fed mush, after which Rin would lift her back onto the bed and the various tubes would be reinserted for another twenty-three hours of sedative-induced meditation.

All of this was done without either ceremony or conversation. Aiko had long ago given up trying to ingratiate herself with the pair of nurses. Rin was polite and to the point and never deviated from the standard line that Aiko was sick and needed to be treated as just another addict going through drug withdrawal. Nurse Tetsu didn't even have that much caring bedside manner and tended to ignore the fact that Aiko was a living, thinking human being at all.

But although Aiko's body was immobile, her mind was not. Her consciousness had traveled to the surface a dozen times since finding out where she was yesterday. And it was a lot quicker now: enough logic had finally seeped through the sedative-induced stupor for her to realize that she wasn't constrained by the physical in her out-of-body state. She felt rather ashamed that it hadn't occurred to her before, but then, old habits died hard as the saying went. All she needed to do was allow herself to float straight up, through the ceiling, the many layers of concrete and deep, dark metres of water to break free at the top into the sunshine or starlight above her physical prison.

On her last visit, just before the time came for her evening ablutions, she'd floated above the waves and turned her face south, towards the horizon. A mere three hours away lay Shima. Only three hours. And as out of reach to her as if it had been on the moon. Aiko was still fighting to extend her time out-of-body so that she could reach it, but the most she'd been able to manage so far before being snapped back had been twelve and a half minutes.

Oh, Sakaki had been clever, she thought furiously. Aiko knew that Mewtwo would have searched for her psychic signature; even believing she was dead, he would have looked for the fading sign while he still had the strength left to levitate. But Sakaki knew Mewtwo almost as well as she did, he'd been the one who'd concentrated on developing the pokemon's various talents to help him win on the circuit. Sakaki knew that buildings blurred, but didn't eradicate, a living psychic signal. Hiding Aiko beneath the seafloor had been a move of genius – no signal could leak through the many metres of water. Even if it occurred to Mewtwo to look beneath the waves, the signal wouldn't travel much past the mud and rock of the seabed. It would appear to Mewtwo that his mate's body had been destroyed utterly, her signature wiped from the face of the earth.

Sakaki was right, Mewtwo must be deep in the depression of Pershan Syndrome by now. He'd have stopped eating and sleeping, his physical reserves depleted, unable to fight off the demons until his exhausted body collapsed…

Aiko buried her incorporeal head into her hands and sobbed inconsolable, invisible tears for her love.
*

Mewtwo slept fitfully for most of that day. Tossing and turning, crying out in nightmare certainly, but still, it was sleep, and his exhausted body needed it.

About an hour or two before sunset he woke up, took a shower, forced some more food down, then sat on the verandah outside his house as the sun set, with little Benjiro on his lap and his children grouped about him. None of them said very much; the children's usual chatter had been greatly subdued that week as they tried to come to terms with their mother's death. They appeared content just to be with their father, their love and need for him obvious even without words.

Mieko went upstairs and fetched her brush and comb. Handing the comb to her sister, she sat for some time grooming her father, working the snarls from his coat and brushing out the fur shed due to stress. Hanako worked on his tail, gently smoothing the comb through his lilac fur. Montaro and Hideaki sat on either side of Mewtwo, unconsciously mirroring his position, both the boys looking so like their father that Yutaka and Kagami, sitting on the swing chair, could only tell them apart by their body size.

Finally Montaro turned to his father. "I'm glad you're back, Dad," he said quietly. "I – I thought that – after Mum died - "

Mewtwo put a paw on his eldest son's shoulder. "I won't ever leave you again," he said solemnly. "That's a promise."
*

Nurse Rin had unplugged Aiko from the various tubes and appliances in preparation for her evening ritual. She was on the point of lifting her patient from the bed prior to undressing her when Sakaki arrived.

This time, however, Aiko had no interest in feigning sleep. She wanted to talk to Sakaki. She'd thought long and hard after returning from her last visit to the surface, and had finally decided, with a heavy heart, that if it was the only way to save Mewtwo's life, she would make a deal with the devil. In this case, the devil's name was Raikatuji Sakaki.

Sakaki looked sick. Aiko hadn't really taken a good look at him for several days; she was usually asleep, pretending to be, or incorporeal. But now, as she saw him coming in through the door, it struck her that her one-time friend indeed looked ill. His eyes had developed even darker shadows under them than she remembered, and as he closed the door behind him she noticed a visible tremor in his hands. His face had an unhealthy grayish tinge to it, and his eyes appeared feverish.

Nurse Rin looked at her employer with concern. "Sir, are you feeling all right? You look unwell … "

Sakaki shook his head. "I'm going through Anodyne withdrawal, Rin. It's – unpleasant. But necessary. If Aiko can wean herself off Mewtwo, the least I can do is give up the drugs." He glanced at Aiko. "You're awake at last, Aiko. Good. I wanted a quiet word with you." He turned back to the nurse. "Rin, it must be nearly time for your dinner-break?"

"Not for another hour yet, sir. And I always eat it at my desk anyway."

"Nevertheless, I'd like a private word with Aiko. Kindly go on up to the staff cafeteria for an early dinner."

"Oh. Yes sir. I'll just intubate her again … "

"No, leave it. Aiko has an annoying habit of dropping off to sleep when I'm here; no doubt the sedative working on her. I want her to stay conscious while we have our talk."

When Nurse Rin looked set to object again, Sakaki's lips thinned impatiently. "Look at her, Rin! She's as weak as a kitten. After you go, lock the door behind you. Then, even is she does somehow manage to overpower me," and he smiled humorlessly at the thought, "she still won't be able to leave the room."

Sakaki seated himself in his usual place next to Aiko's bed and waited while the nurse left. As the door closed behind her he fixed his eyes on Aiko's face, his elbows on his knees.

"I know you must hate me by now, Aiko," he said quietly. His face had a sheen of perspiration on it, and this close she could see that his eyes were bloodshot. "But I just wanted to let you know that I'm going through a similar pain to you. You're not alone." He gave a small smile and leaned forward to clasp her hand, drawing a shuddering breath. "I haven't had any Anodyne now for six days. The pain is – really beginning to bite. But we can get through this together, my darling. Just a little while longer."

Aiko met his eyes squarely. Now was the time, and it broke her heart, but she'd do it to save Mewtwo's life.

"Sakaki," she said quietly. "I've been thinking about our – situation – and I wanted to let you know that I've come to a decision. I'll – I'll marry you."

Sakaki's eyes opened wide. "You will?" he breathed. "Oh Aiko, I knew it, I knew that once Mewtwo was out of your life, you'd be reasonable – "

"On one condition," Aiko interrupted.

Sakaki sat forward. His eyes were shining and he clasped her hand in both of his. "Anything, my darling. Just name it and it's yours!"

"Sakaki, I want you to let Mewtwo know that I'm alive."

Sakaki stared at her in disbelief. "What?"

"Please, Sakaki, I promise I won't try to seek him out, or my f-family. I'll marry you and try to be a good wife to you." A tear slipped down Aiko's cheek. "But don't let Mewtwo die because he thinks I'm dead! Oh Sakaki, if you love me, really love me, do this for me!"

Sakaki's face was incredulous. Slowly it changed to anger. He stood up, to tower over her. "I should have guessed it wouldn't be that easy!" he said angrily. "I really thought, just for a moment, that you were over Mewtwo, that you loved me! But no, that monster is still first, always first, in your affections!"

"Sakaki, he doesn't ever need to know that I'm with you. Just let me talk to him, just the once, on the telephone. I'll explain that for his safety and the children's safety, we must live apart." She was sobbing now, unable to contain it any longer. "I'll make him promise not to – not to come looking for me ... "

"Do you take me for a fool, Fuji Aiko? The minute Mewtwo knows you're alive, he'll be searching for you. And he won't rest until he finds you! Why do you think I went to all this trouble?"

"But Sakaki! Mew – Mewtwo will die!" Her voice ended in a sob.

"That, my dear Aiko, is the whole point of the exercise. And it appears I was right – you're not going to be over him until he's well and truly dead."

"Sakaki, how can you be so cruel?" Aiko pleaded through her sobs. "Mewtwo has always loved you, you're his brother … "

"ENOUGH!" In one swift, vicious movement, Sakaki turned and put his fist through the wall.

Breathing heavily, he cradled his hand for a moment, staring at the hole he'd made in the plasterboard while he tried to regain some sort of tenuous control. Finally he turned around and faced her again. "I've warned you before, Aiko. Don't speak about that accidental relationship. I donated some stem cells. That's all! You'll never be free of him while he's alive, and I could never trust that you wouldn't try to go back to him. And I'd have to keep looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life, knowing what he'd do to me if he found we were together! No, the only way to get him out of your system is with his death."


"He won't come looking for me," Aiko begged desperately. "I'll tell him that if he does I'll be killed! I'll beg him to live for the children's sake, and then I'll go away with you forever! Sakaki, please!"

"Huh! Do you still think you're his master, and that he'll do whatever you want? I saw through that particular ruse of his years ago! He's the master, not you. He only has to click his deformed fingers and you'll jump to do his bidding."

"You'll never understand what's between us, Sakaki," Aiko said sorrowfully. "I love Mewtwo more than life itself … "

"Yes, I saw the way you love him!" Sakaki sneered. "Going at it like a pair of alley cats on heat in my conservatory when we came back from the circuit. I saw how he controlled you then, Aiko, don't deny it!" Sakaki was face to face with her now, his hands on the bed on either side of her, his eyes wild. "I saw him standing against that tree with you clinging to him. I heard you crying out his name and him yowling like a scalded cat while he ****ed you! He controlled you and you loved every minute of it!"

Aiko stared at him, appalled not only that he'd seen their intimacy, but that he could debase it and make it sound so filthy.

"You – you knew about that?" she whispered.

"Did you think you could hide it from me? I burned for you that night, I realized then you were the only woman I'd ever love. And I did everything I could to win you over, but still you left me. For twelve years, Aiko, I never heard a word from you! Why do you think I turned to Anodyne? It was the only way to dull the pain of my broken heart!"

Aiko felt the slow burn of anger beginning. How dare he spy on their love, then throw it into her face as if it was something disgusting? And how dare he blame her and Mewtwo for his bad decisions in life?

"It's always about you, isn't it, Sakaki?" she said coldly. "You can't stand to see anybody else happy, even though you've had all the advantages, all the money and prestige and glamour, all the education and privilege. You hate the fact that Mewtwo found love, true love. It wouldn't matter if it was me or some other woman. Whoever Mewtwo fell in love with, you'd want her for yourself. Just so he couldn't have her." She was panting for breath now, her heart racing, the fury she felt making her voice rise until she was shouting at him. "This was never about me, it's about your twisted attitude towards Mewtwo. Towards your BROTHER!" She screamed it into his face with everything she had in her, wanting to hurt him as much as he was hurting her.

His hand hit her with punishing force, rocking her back against the pillows and splitting her bottom lip. Aiko cried out in pain; she fought to hold onto her slipping consciousness. If she'd still had the sedative being fed into her arm she wouldn't have managed it; as it was the world tilted ominously and she forced it down before her consciousness could slip from her body again.

Sakaki gripped her shoulders, his fingers digging in with cruel force. He shook her hard, his eyes burning into hers. "Shut up, shut up!" he hissed between clenched teeth. "Or I swear, I'll kill you!"

But Aiko was no longer cowed. "Do it, then!" she shouted at him. "Do you think I care what happens to me if Mewtwo dies?"

"I'm doing you a favour, you blind little fool, you should be grateful! I'm freeing you from a monster, a filthy manufactured miscreation!"

Aiko stared at his face, so close to hers, so twisted with rage, and her own anger seethed in her chest. Her voice when she spoke was low and steady, but had the force of a blow behind it. "Mewtwo's more a man than you'll ever be, Sakaki!"

He paled, and Aiko could see she'd struck a nerve. For a moment she was sure he'd hit her again, and she didn't care.

And then suddenly he was kissing her, kissing with a bruising, hurting force, and pushing her nightdress up to her waist as she struggled against him while he tore at the fastenings of his clothes, freeing his penis. He was on the bed, holding her sedative-weakened body down with his own, parting her legs with ungentle hands.

Aiko struggled, but she had no more strength than a new-born baby, barely able to lift her arms. As Sakaki pulled back from the horrible kiss, his mouth smeared with blood from her split lip, she whimpered, "No, Sakaki! Please don't!"

"I'll show you how much of a man I am, Fuji Aiko!" he hissed through clenched teeth. And thrust into her.

The force of it rocked her body, and unready and unwilling, she cried out in pain at the invasion. Frantically, she wrenched her head to one side. The sound of ripping velcro had never been more welcome …

*

 

[Alison]

Chapter Seventeen (second half)

Benjiro had been sleeping with his grandmother since the abduction, as he still suffered nightmares about "bad men" if put to bed by himself. After the sun had set in a blaze of colour, Yutaka and Kagami left to go back to their adjoining villa, and Mewtwo walked with them, carrying the sleeping toddler in his arms.

At the front door, he rubbed his cheek against the little round head affectionately, then handed the child to Kagami with a grateful smile.

"Thank you for taking care of him this week," Mewtwo said quietly.

"He can stay until he feels secure enough to start sleeping in his own bed again," Kagami answered. "He's no trouble. Good night, Mewtwo."

"Good night, Kagami."

She disappeared into the house with Benjiro.

Yutaka lingered at the door. He put one hand on Mewtwo's shoulder. "And speaking of sleep, what will you do now?" he asked in concern.

Mewtwo drew a deep breath. "I meant it when I said I've decided to live, Yutaka. I'll probably sleep on the sofa again tonight, though. Benji's not the only one to have nightmares in his own bed." He said it grimly. Now he looked down at the old man. "Yutaka – thank you for talking to me this morning. If – if you hadn't said what you did – " He trailed off, blinking against the tears that threatened again. Finally he said hoarsely, "The pain of losing Aiko will be with me always. But you made me realize how much my children need me. I have to live for them now." He gazed up into the night sky, and a single tear escaped, to wind its way down the fur of his cheek. "But oh,Yutaka! I miss her so much!"

Yutaka bowed his head in pain. "We all do," he answered in a subdued voice. "I'm just taking it one minute at a time, and trying to keep as busy as I can. I can't let myself dwell on it, or I'd lose my mind to grief."

"Aiko was the first human I ever met who treated me like a person," Mewtwo said shakily. "As someone worthy of her respect, rather than just some sort of – of engineered fighting machine. I learnt so much from her about life, about values. I can't believe that she's gone. I keep expecting to look up and see her."

Yutaka nodded solemnly. "If ever you feel the need to talk, it doesn't matter if it's the middle of the night, please, come to us. If anybody understands your loss, it's Kagami and I. We share your pain. Let us share our love and support, too."

Mewtwo nodded gratefully, not chancing his voice anymore. He turned to go.

"Goodnight," Yutaka called after him quietly, "Sleep well, my son."
*

Mewtwo accompanied his children upstairs to their bedrooms, saying goodnight and giving a quick head rub to each of them in turn before turning off their lights. He turned to go back downstairs, but hesitated as he passed his own door. He needed to face his demons, to prove to himself that he could walk into the room. Keeping it as some sort of untouched shrine to be avoided was not the way forward.

Although it hurt, he forced himself to go through into the dim bedroom, the room he had shared with Aiko for so long, closing the door behind him. He felt a horrible sort of dislocation. This wasn't right, it shouldn't feel so empty; it had always been their sanctuary, a place of physical bliss, emotional ease, and unconditional love. He'd never once imagined that it would one day be his alone. If he'd thought about it at all, he'd always vaguely assumed he'd die before Aiko did.

He sat on the edge of the bed and closed his eyes. His feline sense of smell came to the fore; everywhere was the lingering scent of his mate, the pillow where her head had rested, the sheets which had covered her, so immediate that he could almost imagine she was in the room with him. The scents overlapped as he turned his head, still with his eyes shut: there on the bedside table was her hairbrush, under the bed her slippers. Hanging from a hook on the back of the door was her robe, the quilted sky-blue silk one she wore when the nights were cool. He remembered the day she'd bought it on the mainland. She'd smiled and said the colour reminded her of his eyes …

It was too much. Tears squeezed out from between his closed lids as Mewtwo buried his head in his paws and rolled onto Aiko's side of the bed. He sobbed brokenly, muffling the sound in her pillow.
*

It was identical to the time Aiko had seen Mewtwo collapse in the stadium on the circuit – with no appreciable sense of time elapsed, she was now hovering in the air beside her house on Shima. Somewhere in the back of her consciousness, she was aware of what Sakaki was doing to her body, but it was as if it were happening to somebody else, something that she would think about later.

She thought she understood the trick now: twelve years ago, when she'd seen her mate collapse in China, and a few months later when Sakaki tried to stop her leaving, she'd been faced with real and immediate danger. And her first instinct both times had been to get to the side of her soul-mate. It seemed fear was not enough, the danger must be extreme to force her psychic power to transcend normal barriers of time and space.

For now, she had to find Mewtwo and somehow let him know where she was. As she floated through her front door, she recalled her first long-distance psychic translocation to Shanghai: she'd knelt by his side, and called frantically, "Mewtwo! Wake up, my Mew!"

His eyes had flickered open, and she'd been sure he'd heard her even though he didn't seem able to see her, because he'd murmured faintly, "Aiko? Where are you?"

She could only hope their psychic connection was strong enough that he'd hear her now.

Then there was time to be considered. Twelve years ago she'd only managed perhaps a minute before being snapped back to her body. But she was far more confident now, and beginning to really understand her psychic potential. She had at least ten minutes, maybe slightly longer.

But she couldn't afford to waste the time she did have. Disregarding the stairs, she floated straight up to the first floor, emerging in the hall just outside their bedroom. Praying that he'd be there, she drifted through the door.

Aiko's heart contracted when she saw him. He was lying face-down on the bed, crying heart-brokenly. Oh, he looked so thin! She hovered by the side of the bed, and called out, "Mewtwo! My Mew! Look up!"

The effect was immediate: Mewtwo stopped crying mid-sob as his head snapped up from the pillow. There was no doubt that he'd heard her, psychic mind to psychic mind. He gazed wildly about the room, swinging his legs off the bed to sit on the edge as he did so. Aiko could see his nostrils dilate as he tried to sniff her whereabouts.

"I'm here, my Mew!" she said as loudly as her incorporeal voice would project. "Right beside you, my love!"

Suddenly Mewtwo's tense face relaxed. "Have you come to take me to the spirit world with you, Aiko? Oh, I want to go with you so much!" Then the familiar worry line appeared between his eyes. "But I can't go yet, my heart. I promised Yutaka; I told him I'd live for the children's sake ..."

"Mew, I'm not dead," Aiko said frantically. "Sakaki abducted me! I'm back at Kagoshima!"

Mewtwo sighed, and his voice became resigned. "Ah, this is a dream, isn't it? I've fallen asleep and I'm dreaming you're alive."

"No!" Aiko felt desperation. She had to make him believe she was no dream or hallucination or spirit before she was forced back. If she couldn't convince him now, she may never get another chance. Sakaki would end up killing her, with his twisted version of 'love'. "I'm real, my Mew! Please, please listen to me! Sakaki's addicted to the drug Anodyne and has convinced himself that I'll love him if you die of Pershan Syndrome. Please come and find me, Mewtwo! Sakaki is – he's hurting me."

"I saw you die, my little mate. Whenever I've dozed off I've seen you in my dreams, still alive. But – but Sakaki was never in my dreams before … " For the first time he sounded uncertain.

"Sakaki staged my death! He wanted you to contract Pershan Syndrome again! Think about it, Mewtwo. He's the only one apart from the family here on Shima who knows you well enough to manage it." She had unconsciously touched his shoulder, trying to make him believe her, and he started at the contact. He could feel her touch! Aiko was struck with sudden inspiration at the revelation. "Put your hand up, my love! I'm here, really here!"

Hesitantly, as if he couldn't believe he was doing it, Mewtwo lifted his paw. Aiko reached out her incorporeal hand and grasped it. Mewtwo gasped.

"I – I can feel your hand!" he whispered. "It tingles, like cool fresh water on a hot day!" He looked frantically in her direction. "But I still can't see you, my heart."

He deliberately shut his eyes, and Aiko felt a slight thrumming in the air as he let his psychic-spotting ability take over from his eyesight. Oh, it was warm! She'd never imagined before that this could be felt, but in her purely psychic state, it felt like a warm bath enveloping her.

Mewtwo gave a desperate moan, still with his eyes closed. "You're here! I can see your soul! Oh, my Aiko! What miracle is this?"

"No miracle, my Mew, but a horrible conspiracy by a man you've never hurt in your life. I'm so sorry, my love, but he hates you and thinks himself in love with me. But his love will kill me, if you don't come to find me soon!"

Mewtwo kept his eyes shut, still "focusing" on her psychic signature. "Sakaki? He did this to us?"

"Mewtwo, I haven't got much longer in this form, my psychic ability is limited." Aiko desperately pushed the incipient feelings of return away.

Mewtwo shook his head, as if coming to a decision. "Whether you're spirit or dream or reality, my mate, I will come to you as you ask. Where must I go?"

Relief flowed over Aiko. "Do you remember at the Expo where we saw the display of Sakaki's new electricity generating facility? The main entrance is on the beach outside the Raikatuji Centre, at the same place my house used to be. The facility extends underground, and out beneath the water. Sakaki has me hidden there, in one of the deepest rooms… "

Mewtwo's mouth dropped open. "Oh! That's why I couldn't find you! I didn't think to look under the water!"

"Sakaki is clever," Aiko agreed. "You must out-think him. When you get to the entrance, go in invisibly, there'll be security and possibly some others about as well. You're not too weakened for psychic, are you?" she added in sudden concern, remembering how Pershan Syndrome had temporarily robbed him of his strongest power on the circuit. "I can't walk, I'm being given a powerful sedative to stop me escaping. I'll need help to get out ..."

"I'll manage. Where do I go from the entrance?"

Quickly, Aiko gave him directions to the labyrinth under the facility. Mewtwo unsheathed one of his claws and scratched the instructions directly into the plasterboard wall of the bedroom as she recited them. Paint and plaster peeled off in a thin line under the assault, leaving the directions etched deeply into the wall.

Aiko's need to return to her body was becoming urgent. She felt as if she were hanging above a huge drop, clinging to the cliff-edge by her fingertips.

"Be careful, my Mew!" she warned. "Sakaki's addiction has made him unstable. And he's even less rational due to withdrawal. He's dangerous."

Mewtwo frowned, his ears back. "I warned him once before, if he ever hurt you, I'd kill him, brother or not."

"No, my love. He's not thinking rationally, it's the drugs. He needs help, but won't go into rehabilitation. He's become obsessed with the love you and I share." Aiko felt the pull to return as a definite ache now. "My Mew, I've reached the limit of my time here. Please tell me you'll come for me!"

"No! Aiko, don't go yet!" Mewtwo was on his feet, shouting desperately, his arms reaching for her invisible body as if he could hold her to him. "Don't leave me!"

"I'm sorry! Come for me!" she shrieked as her grip slipped, and she felt herself again enveloped by her aching body back in Kagoshima, at the same time as Sakaki plunged forward on top of her with a harsh cry and shuddered his way through orgasm …
*

Sakaki had been rough. Aiko felt the sting of unlubricated penetration and fought not to wince. He was collapsed on top of her, limp now, catching his breath, and although she wanted to cringe away from his touch, she made herself lie still so he wouldn't know she'd regained consciousness.

Finally, she felt him raise up on his arms, withdrawing from her body.

"Aiko? Oh no, what have I done?" Sakaki's voice sounded lost. "Aiko! Aiko, please wake up."

She felt his hand caress her cheek. It was no use; the flutter of her eyelids would give her away. She opened her eyes and gazed steadily back into Sakaki's, her expression stony.

"Oh Aiko!" Sakaki's face was distraught. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I lost control…"

Aiko turned her head away, slowly enough to keep body and consciousness together, not wanting to look him in the face anymore. She felt angry, used, abused and sore. Sakaki was always sorry after the fact, and, like a child, thought that empty words of apology could make all things right again. This was the man she used to think of as a friend, who had abused her trust and who had hatched a plot designed to cause Mewtwo a lingering and unpleasant death. Sakaki hadn't cared that it would leave her children orphans and her parents bereaved, hadn't realized that Aiko would rather be dead than live without her soul-mate.

But at the same time she didn't want to have a conversation that might antagonize him again; she very much wanted to survive now. For Mewtwo was on his way. That fact warmed her.

"Aiko, what can I do to atone and get you to forgive me?"

Aiko turned her head back to him. "You can let me go," she stated flatly.

Something flickered in Sakaki's eyes, and for a second, just for the briefest instant, Aiko thought she might have gotten through to him. But then the keypad activated on the locked door, heralding Nurse Rin's return, and the spark of compassion that Aiko had seen in Sakaki's face flickered out.

He stood up, hastily tucking himself away before pulling Aiko's nightdress roughly back down to cover her.

"You're not going anywhere, Fuji Aiko," he said coolly, with the sudden mood swing of the addict. "And the next time we make love, I'll expect you to participate a lot more than you did tonight."

He stalked to the door as it opened, brushing past Nurse Rin without a word.

Rin stared after him for a moment in surprise, then turned her attention back to her patient. Her eyes widened as she got to the side of the bed; Aiko realized her face must look a sight, smeared with blood from her split lip, and most likely she would have a nasty bruise left from Sakaki's fist as well.

"What happened here?" Nurse Rin asked, touching Aiko's cheek. Pain flared where her fingers touched the spot Sakaki had hit her.

Oh yes, definitely bruised, Aiko thought ruefully.

Aiko decided to have one last attempt at engaging the nurse's sympathy. "When you left," she wavered, "Sakaki – Sakaki raped me … "

"What?" Rin's face showed shock for an instant before her expression closed down. "What a wicked lie!" she said coldly. "Tell me how you got that split lip! Truthfully, now!"

"Sakaki hit me," Aiko insisted. "And then he raped me. It's the truth."

Rin shook her head. "You addicts are always such liars," she said coldly. Her eyes fell on the sedative bottle with its tube dangling from it. "You must have gotten some movement back and slipped against the bedframe," she said, as if trying to convince herself. Picking up the tube, she reinserted it efficiently into Aiko's arm.

Aiko could see that the nurse wouldn't be swayed. Suddenly she very much wanted a shower, to get the smell and the feel of Sakaki off her body. "Please Rin. I haven't had my shower yet," she pleaded.

Rin gazed down at her coldly. "I don't think so, not when you tell such wicked stories. You can have a shower in the morning."

She moved the nightdress up to catheterize Aiko again and gasped.

"What is it?" Aiko asked anxiously. With sedative again flooding her system, she could no longer feel her soreness, but also couldn't lift her head enough to see down.

"You – you have some bruising," Rin answered slowly. As Aiko took a breath to press the point that she had been raped, Rin held up her hand. "I don't want to hear another word against Raikatuji-sama! I don't know what happened while I was out and I don't want to know! My job is to keep you here under sedation until you're better. It's not up to me what you and he do!"

"Nurse Rin, please!"

"No!" The nurse refused to meet Aiko's eyes. "Since you've got a little abrasion to the tissues there, I won't catheterize you tonight. You can wear an adult diaper instead. And if you say one more word I will increase the sedative until you're asleep."

Aiko's lips pinched together. She didn't want to sleep, not with Mewtwo on his way. She watched Rin with resentful eyes as the nurse busied herself at one of the cabinets, finding diapers.

*

Mewtwo opened the bedroom door to find his four eldest children clustered together just outside, wide-eyed and nervous, brought from their beds by their father's cries.

"What's wrong, Dad?" Montaro asked.

This was a complication Mewtwo hadn't foreseen. "I – I'm not sure," he said. "I had a – a vision? It was Aiko. She told me that she's alive and – I know this sounds crazy, but I have to go and check for myself."

The children exchanged glances. Mewtwo could see they feared for his sanity. He knew he must look crazy, with his ears laid flat against his skull and his fur puffed out in response to the adrenalin currently flooding his system. Conciously, he stilled the nervous swishing of his tail and the extending and retracting of his claws, trying to calm down.

Mieko put a gentle hand on her father's arm, her brown eyes full of concern. "Dad, you must have dozed off and had a nightmare. Mum's – she's dead, Dad."

Mewtwo shook his head. "I can't explain what happened, but I saw her. I saw her psychic signature."

Montaro gasped. "You've found her sig? After a week?" Hope warred with disbelief in his eldest son's face.

"She managed to project somehow." Mewtwo's eyes unfocused for a moment as his words brought up a memory from years ago. "She's done that projection trick before!" He frowned, trying to remember. "Once definitely. Maybe twice. She projected from Sakaki's office into the stadium where I was training. And – yes, I'm sure of it, when I collapsed in Shanghai! I thought then I was delirious, but she was there!" He gazed at his children wildly. "She's alive! I have to go to her!"

"Dad, wait!" Montaro stepped in front of him. The youngster was rapidly approaching him in height. "How are you going to find her?"

"She told me where she's being held, on the mainland!" Mewtwo hesitated, then continued more slowly, "My powers are still weak; I've overstretched them and they haven't fully recovered yet. I'll need the boat to get to the mainland and bring Aiko back."

"No."

Mewtwo stared at his son. "What do you mean, no?"

"I mean you're not going anywhere unless we come with you. You told us this evening that you wouldn't leave us again. You promised."

"Montaro's right, Dad," Mieko backed up her mate. "If there's any possibility that Mum's still alive, we're coming with you."

Hanako and Hideaki also stepped forward. "If Montaro and Mieko are going, so are we."

"No." Mewtwo shook his head. "You're too young, you're still only children … "

"If Mum's not alive," Mieko said, "if you were just having a - a realistic dream – we want to make sure you come back home again."

"Please don't leave us again, Daddy!" Hanako pleaded. Her brown eyes were full of tears.

Mewtwo relented. "Montaro and Mieko can come along, but you have to stay on the boat when we get to the mainland," he said. "But you two," and he looked at Hanako and Hideaki, "I'm sorry, you're too young. You stay by the radio downstairs and when we have Aiko, we'll let you know so you can wake your grandparents. They'll be able to notify the police."

Hideaki opened his mouth, looking about to argue again, but Hanako caught her brother's eye and shook her head slightly as Mewtwo turned to the other two.

"Get a pen and some paper," he instructed. "I've scratched the directions on the wall of the bedroom. I had nothing else to write with," he explained in answer to their puzzled expressions. "Copy the directions carefully: your mother is hidden in a chamber deep underground, and I don't want to have to spend hours trying to find my way."

"Whereabouts on the mainland is she, Dad?" asked Montaro, as Mieko dashed away to fetch paper and a pen.

"The Raikatuji Clean Energy Facility, at Kagoshima." Mewtwo's expression hardened. And when I get there, he thought grimly, I have some unfinished business with my brother.

 

[Alison]

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter summary: Mewtwo's children make him proud.

Chapter Eighteen – Family Matters

The catamaran pulled out smoothly from the jetty and Mewtwo swung the wheel to head it north. Then he looked to the stern where Montaro and Mieko were sitting, their expressions just a little too innocent in the moonlight. Mewtwo sighed and raised his voice to be heard above the hiss of the waves and drone of the engine.

"All right, you two. You can stop shielding now."

For a second nothing happened, then two figures flickered into visibility. Hideaki and Hanako both had sheepish expressions on their faces.

"How did you know?" Hideaki asked.

"Do you think I'm a human, with no sense of smell? I knew you were following when we left the house."

"Oh. We didn't think of that."

Mewtwo shook his head in resignation. "If you're that set on coming, you may. But you stay on the boat when we get there, do you hear me?"

Both the children nodded.

"We knew you were there, as well," Mieko commented to her siblings.

"Oh, you did, did you?" Mewtwo said, trying to look grim and failing. "You didn't think to mention it?"

"No. We were sure you'd know too. I slipped a note under Gran's door so they'd know where we'd all gone." She hesitated, looking uncomfortable. "And I said why we'd gone. Only I didn't say that you'd – had a vision. I said you'd spotted Mum's psychic signature."

Mewtwo nodded. "Well, I did, in a way." He stared at his four children, so much trust in him, so confident that he knew what he was doing, when he himself wasn't at all sure. He rubbed his eyes wearily. "Or I thought I did. But what if I'm wrong?" he said desperately. "What if it turns out that I was just dreaming? I'd have built all our hopes up for nothing …"

"Then we'll turn around and go home again," Montaro said. "But we'd still be together." He stood up and went to where his father was standing by the wheel. "Would you like to sleep some more, Dad?" he asked, radiating concern. "You still look worn out. We can call you when we get there."

Mewtwo looked at his son in surprised gratitude. Montaro looked and sounded so much more mature than his age, even given the accelerated growth rate of their species. For a moment, Mewtwo's heart swelled with love and pride in his children. They had accepted his decision to go charging off on what could still turn out to be a fool's errand, chasing after a vision that might have been brought on by the broken heart of Pershan Syndrome. Not only had they accepted it, but they'd joined him in it.

Even if - even if Aiko truly was dead (and Mewtwo swallowed hard against the desperate fear that he might have hallucinated the whole encounter), these children were her legacy to him.

He nodded acceptance and stood to one side, letting his son take the wheel. Even though Mewtwo doubted that he'd be able to sleep for the three hours until they sighted the mainland, still he decided he may as well go on down to the cabin and rest. The catamaran was in good hands.
*

Mewtwo managed to doze fitfully over the next couple of hours, lulled by the constant drone of the catamaran's engine. When he finally awoke the cabin was in darkness and he wondered what time it was.

Lazily, he reached with his mind towards the light switch on the wall. He flicked the switch using telekinesis and gasped in pain. He sat up suddenly, his eyes wide, the sharp needle-like pain still tingling unpleasantly inside his head.

He breathed deeply, then got to his feet slowly. Turning on the light had hurt. Gazing around the small room for something light to manipulate, he reached with his telekinesis for the pillow on the bed.

AAARGH!

He dropped to his knees, his paws at his forehead in raw agony, jagged shards of pain slicing across his brain. It felt like sandpaper being rubbed over his mind; he fought not to retch.

Over the next few minutes the pain eased enough for him to get shakily to his feet. A horrible fear gripped him. In his desperate search for Aiko's body, had he completely burnt out his psychic powers?

But as he managed to focus his still-watering eyes he realized the pillow lay beside him where it had dropped onto the floor. And the light had come on. So his telekinesis still worked, but caused him acute distress to use.

Facing the cabin's mirrored wardrobe door and steeling himself, he tried to shield from light. With a flicker, his reflection vanished, and Mewtwo breathed a sigh of relief. That wasn't painful, and it was easy to maintain. He must have overextended only his telekinesis this last week, levitating more or less continuously while he searched the globe. He dropped the shield and his reflection reappeared in the mirror.

But this presented a problem. Aiko had said she couldn't walk. Stubbornly, he clung to his vision and the conviction that it had been real. If he was wrong, he'd deal with it later, somehow he'd deal with it. But for now, he was going along with it, to the extent that a rescue attempt had to be planned.

So. She'd said she couldn't walk. He'd been assuming he'd levitate her out; but what if he couldn't? He'd carry her in his arms if he had to, but he was still weak physically as well as psychically, and wasn't sure how far he'd get or how long it would take. And he wanted to get her safely back on board the catamaran and headed home before it was discovered she was gone. It could take hours if he had to keep stopping to rest. He frowned, frustrated that he couldn't achieve something that his four eldest children could do so easily…

Something that his four eldest children could do so easily.

The recollection of the four of them assisting him home after his emergency psychic SOS rose in his mind: Montaro and Mieko with their arms under his shoulders, supporting him strongly, and Hanako and Hideaki levitating themselves and adding their adolescent telekinetic power from underneath to help bouy them up. Mewtwo had been faltering when they'd found him, his tail skimming the surface of the sea as his exhausted powers flickered. But working in concert, the four children had achieved something that Mewtwo could no longer manage alone: transporting a weight heavier then themselves several kilometers safely back to Shima.

And Aiko was small, and weighed little …

He hesitated, arguing with himself. The children weren't kittens anymore, but neither were they adults yet, and the urge to protect them from danger was strong. But how dangerous was it, really? To all intents and purposes, they'd be invisible to both human senses and scanners, and could cast the light shield around their mother as well while they stretchered her out and back to the boat. And the crux of the matter was that he couldn't manage this by himself, not anymore. He really, really needed their assistance.

Mewtwo climbed the short flight of stairs leading to the deck. Mieko had taken over the wheel from her mate; Montaro was curled up with his two smaller siblings over by the mast. Hideaki and Hanako were asleep; but Montaro opened his eyes and pricked his ears forward as soon as his father appeared on deck.

Mewtwo felt his eldest children's greeting fill his mind with warmth. Montaro stood lithely without waking his younger brother and sister and joined Mieko and Mewtwo at the wheel.

"I tried to persuade them to go down to the cabins to sleep," Montaro explained. "But Hidi-chan wanted to stay on deck. And Hanako wouldn't go if he didn't. So I let them stay."

"We're almost there," Mieko said, her eyes fixed on the glow of lights ahead. "That's Kagoshima. But I don't know how to navigate us to Raikatuji wharf."

She moved aside and let her father take over the wheel.

"You've done a good job, both of you," Mewtwo said after a moment, his eyes also on the lights of Kagoshima in the distance. "But I have to ask more of you. I've – exhausted my telekinesis over the past week. I can't levitate at all, not so much as a grain of sand, without pain. A lot of pain."

As his two children's concern flooded his mind, he shook his head. "I don't believe it's permanent. It happened once before, twelve years ago in Shanghai, when I contracted Pershan Syndrome the – the first time. But now I have the problem of getting your mother safely away without her abductors finding out at once. She told me in the – vision, dream, whatever it was, that she can't walk. She'll need to be carried. I was going to levitate her, but with my telekinesis so depleted… " and he trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid.

Mieko and Montaro were listening avidly, their tail tips flicking restlessly.

"We could levitate her!" Mieko said enthusiastically. "Like the way we helped you yesterday, Dad!"

"And we can cast a light shield around ourselves and Mum," Montaro added.

"That's what I thought as well," Mewtwo agreed. "I don't think we'll run into any danger, not if we're all invisible. We can just avoid any humans we come across. But I don't want to leave Hideaki and Hanako on the catamaran by themselves. They still need adult supervision and support. They'd better come with us. And they can help, too." He hesitated, but the children had earned his candour. "I didn't thank you properly for coming to my aid yesterday," he told them seriously. "I was almost done when you showed up. I would have drowned out there, all alone. Thank you. And thank you for coming with me tonight, for trusting me so much. If – if Aiko is truly dead, well, you children will be the reason I keep myself alive - "

Before he could say anything more, both children had enveloped him in a group hug. Mieko was crying, and Montaro was not far off it. Truth be told, Mewtwo was feeling none too steady either, although how much of that was due to Pershan Syndrome was unclear. He rested his forehead against the tops of their heads affectionately.

Finally he disengaged from them, looking towards the lights. The mainland was now a lot nearer. He took the wheel again and turned on the navigation guidance system, heading the catamaran for the Raikatuji Centre's wharf.

*

All five of the Mewtwos had shielded from light, and now stood by the door of the entrance into the Raikatuji Clean Energy Facility. Mewtwo was keeping track of his children using his cat sense of smell; the two younger children were by his right side, with Mieko on his left and Montaro bringing up the rear.

A neat sign stenciled onto the glass door showed that the facility was open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Through the door, they could see a single security officer sitting at the desk, watching a re-run of last season's circuit match on television.

"Stay close," Mewtwo told the children in a low voice. "I'm going to open that door. When I do, you have to get inside the building before the human can get to it. Hold hands so you don't trip each other up, and wait for me over by that far door." He paused for a moment as he listened to them organize themselves into a line. "Are you ready?"

A couple more scuffling noises, then there came a soft chorus: "yes, Dad," "ready, Daddy."

Mewtwo had a page torn from a magazine held in one paw. Now he reached up to the light sensor which activated the door. He dropped the page, which became visible again as soon as it left his touch, and fluttered to the ground. The glass door slid back smoothly, and Mewtwo felt the movement of air as his children hurried through.

The security officer glanced up and lifted his eyebrows in surprise when he saw no-one there. Mewtwo slipped inside as the door was closing again, whisking his invisible tail up and out of the way just in time.

The officer came around the desk warily, one hand on the stun gun in its holster on his belt. The door slid open again at his approach. He relaxed as he saw the slight breeze outside had blown an old magazine page up against the door, activating the sensor. He picked the crumpled page up and threw it into the wastepaper bin next to the desk before settling back to watch the match.
*

Due to its being operational all day and night, the facility had many shiftworkers about, either at their workstations or walking along the corridors. The invisible family needed to dodge more than once as groups of humans nearly walked into them. Despite this, they reached the elevator without mishap and still undetected.

Mewtwo studied the buttons as they entered the empty elevator, then pressed the one marked "Level 10." As the lift started down, the family one by one flickered back into visibility.

"Be ready to shield again when we stop," their father told the children. In the bright light of the elevator, their eyes were wide, their ears pricked forward alertly. All four faces had an air of excitement, with no hint of nervousness.

Mewtwo envied them their childish sense of adventure. He himself was becoming more and more anxious. What would he do, if, after all this, he found only empty corridors? The fact that the underground labyrinth existed had so far kept his flagging spirits up; he couldn't have imagined all of this, could he? But doubt still niggled in his mind …

Mieko's ears went back in sudden surprise. She grabbed her mate's hand. "Montaro! Do you see what I see? Tell me I'm not imagining things!"

Montaro gasped. "Dad! I can feel Mum's psychic signature!"

"What?" Mewtwo had been so immersed in his thoughts that he hadn't bothered to engage his psionic power; but at his children's words, he did so.

And there, yes, over there, was a faint smudged glow of blue-green light! Mewtwo focused on it hungrily, closing his eyes for a moment in order to see it more clearly. When he'd been searching so desperately, he'd swooped to investigate any light that remotely resembled Aiko, only to be disappointed time and time again. But this was unmistakeably her, his mate's soul, gaining strength and definition as the elevator descended, shining like a beacon for her family to follow!

The lift came to a smooth halt and the door slid open, but the family didn't bother to shield anymore. Their psionic power was fully engaged, and the corridors ahead were empty of any sign of life, apart from a muddy yellow soul hovering near the blue one. They didn't need directions now. The children hurried to keep up with their father, who had dropped to all fours and set off up the corridor at a fast, loping run …
*

Mewtwo skidded to a sliding halt before a heavy metal door which marked the end of corridor South 10, his expression managing to be both eager and frustrated all at once. He rose up onto two legs again and turned to his children as they came panting up behind him.

"I don't dare try to unlock this door with my telekinesis," he said. "Montaro, Mieko, do you think you could focus your telekinetics onto the lock together and break it?"

The two eldest children glanced at each other uncertainly.

"We – we can try," Montaro answered. He reached for Mieko's hand and together they faced the door.

"On three," Mieko murmured. "One … two … three!"

Looks of intense concentration appeared on their faces. The air seemed to thrum briefly as their adolescent psychic power lashed out, merged, and focused on the door, pushing, wrenching, searching for any weakness in the metal.

With a sound like a gunshot, the door was blasted off two of its hinges and swung open a few inches before sagging drunkenly on the one hinge remaining.

Montaro kicked it open the rest of the way with one strong foreleg and they were through the last barrier between them and Aiko. With a casual wave of his hand, Montaro lifted the yellow soul that was Nurse Rin into the air, holding her suspended off the ground. At her shriek, he clicked his fingers and her mouth snapped shut, muffled sounds of fear and outrage coming from her.

But Mewtwo was already at Aiko's bedside, gathering her in his arms, sobbing with relief, unable for the moment to speak coherently for the emotion hammering through his body.

The children clustered as close as they could, adding their joyful feelings until the air itself seemed to shimmer with happiness.

"Oh, my Mew!" Aiko was crying, too. "I knew you'd come for me!"

Mewtwo drew back a little. He rubbed his cheek tenderly against the top of Aiko's head. "My little mate, my heart," he sobbed brokenly. "Oh Aiko, my Aiko! You're alive!"

"We're going to carry you out!" Hideaki said. "We came along to help Daddy!"

"We're going to shield you from light and all go home together!" Hanako added.

"They've done a wonderful job tonight," Mewtwo told her huskily. He glanced at the various monitors beeping away as they registered their patient's vital signs, fear clouding his face. "What has Sakaki done to you, my Aiko? All these machines …"

"I've been sedated and can't move," Aiko said. "Please, please take the needle out of my arm. I want to get out of here before – before Sakaki decides to come back and finds you all here – "

Mewtwo's paws were shaking so much with the force of his emotions that he couldn't grip the small needle. Instead it was Mieko who turned off the drip before taking the needle between her human-shaped fingers and deftly removing it from her mother's arm, swabbing the small bleeding spot left behind with a tissue. She then busied herself removing the heart-rate and blood pressure monitors, each one as it was removed eerily going to a flat-line monotone.

Mewtwo flinched; the nightmare he'd been living the past week had included that sound every time he'd tried to sleep, the memory of his soul-mate arching off the bed, her eyes fixed to his in mute agony as she died, and all he could do was watch helplessly …

It was faked, he told himself, trying to calm the desperate hammering of his heart that the sound evoked. My Aiko is here, warm and alive, and coming home to Shima. It was just pixels on a screen.

"What about her?" Montaro asked, indicating the nurse who was still making stifled sounds of fury in mid-air.

Mewtwo glanced across at Rin and felt a roll of anger at Sakaki's accomplice. He took the sedative bottle on its mobile stand and rolled it over, gesturing to his son to lower her.

Mewtwo extended his claws and held one paw threateningly in front of her face, the claw-tips lightly touching her cheek. Rin's eyes had gone wide and terrified in her pale face.

"You allowed this to happen," he snarled. "You let my mate be brutalized and tortured and did nothing to stop it."

He took her arm and jammed the needle into the vein at the elbow, using his extended claws to clumsily turn on the drip. "Let's see how you like it."

Rin's struggles against Montaro's psychic hold slowed, ceased. Her body went slack and her eyes rolled back. Montaro let her slump, unconscious, to the floor.

Mewtwo turned and went back to Aiko. Slipping one arm behind her back and the other under her knees, he picked her up, smiling down into her eyes.

"When I tire, you can take over," he answered the unspoken questions of his children. "But just for now, I need my mate in my arms…"
*

Aiko was safely tucked up in bed in the catamaran's main cabin, having been efficiently shielded from light and stretchered out of the Raikatuji Clean Energy Facility by her children. They had managed to exit the building when the glass door opened for a large group of employees finishing their shift. The whole family had marched out in their wake.

It was a tight fit, but the family was now squeezed into the smallish cabin. Mewtwo sat on the edge of the bed, holding Aiko's hand, and looked about at the children with pride. The catamaran rocked gently at its mooring.

"I have to ask one more effort from you tonight," he told them. "I need you to take your mother back home to Shima. I can't come with you; I need to stay here a little longer."

"What?" "Why, Daddy?" "Come home with us!"

"Why do you have to stay, my Mew?" Aiko asked quietly, already guessing the answer and dreading it.

Blue eyes met brown seriously. "I know now how Sakaki really feels about me," Mewtwo answered. "I know he hates me. But he can't be allowed to do what he likes to my family without consequences. This ends tonight."

Aiko couldn't feel his emotions anymore, and realized he was blocking. She had a little strength returning to her body now, and she clutched his paw tightly in fright.

"Please, don't take him on tonight, my love! You're still weak, he'll kill you!"

Mewtwo shook his head. "I have to have this out with him. He'll try to wipe all of us out once he realizes you're gone."

"Mewtwo, no! We'll radio ahead to Shima, get Mum and Dad to call the police. Let them deal with Sakaki! Please come home with us … "

She trailed off, knowing that stubborn look meant he wouldn't be swayed. He held her hand against his face in apology and licked her palm, his tongue curling about her wrist tenderly.

Still holding her hand in his, he said, "You know Yutaka and Kagami will never hear the radio at home. They'll only think to check it when they get up in the morning and find us all gone. And if we went to the police here on the mainland, how many hours would it be before they act? They'd waste time taking statements, getting their precious facts, when we know that the moment Sakaki finds you've escaped, he'll flee. And once he's on the run, he becomes so much more dangerous, not just to me, but to you and all our children. Who knows what he'll do, once he knows we've thwarted him? He still has money and contacts all over the world. I don't intend to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder and jumping at every shadow."

Aiko stared at his hard expression. "Mew, you're frightening me! Are you thinking of killing him? He's sick, not thinking right with the drugs he was taking."

Mewtwo put one shaky paw to his forehead wearily. "I – I can't kill him," he said tiredly. "He's still my brother. But he needs to answer for what he's done, Aiko, drugs or not, he's responsible for his actions. Let the children take you home, and when you get there, call the mainland police to come and pick him up. I'll keep him in his office until they arrive, so he can't slip away in the meantime."

His mental voice continued in her head, for her ears alone, "Please understand, my heart, why I have to do this. I'm not going to run from him like some scared animal. We have to settle this business face-to-face."

Aiko could see his mind was made up. She nodded slowly, her face working as she tried to hold back the tears she could feel threatening. "Oh, be careful!" she whispered. "Come back to me on Shima afterwards! Don't let him – h-hurt you, please!" The last word was a sob.

Mewtwo gathered her in his arms again, holding her tightly against him.

"How can I live without you?" she gasped against his chest, hearing his thudding heartbeat, and wondering wildly if it would be for the last time.

He rubbed his cheek lovingly against her forehead. "Live for our children's sake, little mate. But I must do this, if only for my own self-esteem. As a … man."
*

Mewtwo stood on Raikatuji wharf staring out to sea long after the catamaran had disappeared from view and the drone of its engine could no longer be heard. Finally he turned with a sigh, jumped down to the sand and began to trudge towards the treeline, over the top of which towered the glass and concrete block that was the Raikatuji Building.

Mewtwo was certain that his office would be the first place Sakaki would come to in the morning, still several hours away. And if he decided instead to visit the Clean Energy Facility, Mewtwo would still see him arrive, as this area was the main access-way to the beach. He took up position behind the thick trees screening the stadium, where he had a good view of everybody coming and going while remaining unseen.

He thought about the impulse that had made him stay here while his family continued on to Shima. It was complex. He knew he should wait until he was stronger, but, perhaps perversely, he wanted to face Sakaki without the safety net of his major psychic power. Just the two of them, each no stronger than the other. Equals.

Not only that, but Mewtwo had the uneasy feeling that if he put off the confrontation, he'd never again have the courage to face the man he used to think of so fondly as his brother. He needed the impetus of his anger to carry him through this. His anger at what Sakaki had done to Aiko. And of what he'd tried to do to Mewtwo.

He hadn't lied when he told Aiko he wouldn't kill Sakaki. But Mewtwo needed the truth from Sakaki for once, he needed to hear from his own lips how much the man hated him, however painful it might be. He wanted to strip away the mask of easy charm and super confidence and expose the real Sakaki underneath. Only then could Mewtwo allow the emotional scars to heal. Then perhaps he could sleep without waking in gut-clenching dread from dreams of a flat-lining monitor …

Dawn was still some way off, and it was getting chilly. Mewtwo curled himself into a heat-conserving ball on the ground and settled himself to wait for the sun to rise.

He didn't see the moonlight reflecting off a pair of alert eyes a little distance away, carefully upwind and sitting behind some discarded boxes between two smelly garbage skips.
*

Mieko had the wheel, her gaze fixed on the horizon as the mainland receded swiftly behind them. Hanako was still down in the cabin with their mother, but Hideaki emerged onto the deck after a little while to keep his older sister company.

"Will Daddy be all right?" he asked finally, wistfully.

Mieko flicked her eyes to her little brother. "Yes." Her tone was positive.

"But he's still sick. And he can't use telekinesis… "

"Dad's strong," Mieko answered. "Remember the times Mum told us about how he beat the Kabutops on circuit when he had Pershan Syndrome? Mum said he was only skin and bone and fur, and his telekinesis had gone then, too. But he still won the match!"

Hideaki looked around. "Where's Montaro-chan?" he asked in puzzled tones. "I thought he was up here with you."

Mieko smiled smugly. "That's another reason I know Dad will be okay. After we left, Montaro shielded and levitated back to the beach. He'll make sure Dad comes home to us!"

 

[Alison]

Chapter Nineteen


Chapter summary: Mewtwo confronts Sakaki. But Sakaki is most dangerous with his back against the wall.


Chapter Nineteen – Love Not Human, Redux

Mewtwo's ears pricked and swiveled at the sound of crunching gravel. He shielded from light and flicked into invisibility even as he opened his eyes to see a car drawing up to the entrance of the Raikatuji Building.

He drew a quick breath; he was right, Sakaki always was an early riser. The sun was barely peeking above the horizon, and there was nobody else about yet. The catamaran should have reached Shima by now; probably Aiko's parents would have already contacted the mainland authorities. It wouldn't be long before the police came to the Centre with pertinent questions for Raikatuji-sama. And Mewtwo was going to make sure Sakaki would still be there for them to arrest. He only hoped they wouldn't waste time by going to Shima first to get Aiko's statement. Surely she would impress upon them the need to act immediately.

He stood in a single lithe movement, trying to settle his dew-dampened fur down as adrenaline began to surge through his body.

As Sakaki got out of the car and shut the door, Mewtwo loped invisibly across the intervening space, any sound his paws may have made on the gravel of the drive masked by the car's wheels as Sakaki's driver accelerated smoothly away. Sakaki touched his thumb to the entrance lock and the door slid open to admit him. Mewtwo slipped through just behind him, marveling as always at the incredible olfactory blindness of humans. The lobby of the building was empty and dim. Sakaki crossed the marble floor to the elevator, with Mewtwo still a close shadow, walking cat-quiet behind him. Mewtwo rode with him up to the top floor, all without Sakaki suspecting that he wasn't alone.

The elevator door pinged and opened directly into Sakaki's luxurious office, with its two picture windows and their panoramic views of Kagoshima on one side and the ocean on the other. Mewtwo gazed around at the remembered opulence as Sakaki seated himself behind his desk. All, all was as he remembered. The only thing that had changed was Sakaki. Now that he was in the well-lit office, Mewtwo could see that his face looked – not old, exactly, but sick. His skin was drawn tight across his cheekbones, as if he hadn't eaten in some time, and his eyes were bloodshot. Aiko had told Mewtwo that Sakaki was going through withdrawal symptoms as he tried to get off Anodyne. Mewtwo hoped vindictively that the man had been having as much trouble sleeping as he had.

Sakaki picked up his desk phone and dialed. After a moment, as the ring tone continued unabated, he began tapping his fingers on the green leather-upholstered desktop impatiently.

"Come on, Rin, pick up," he muttered.

Finally he put the telephone receiver down and went to gaze out of the seaward-side window, his hands clasped behind his back.

Mewtwo let himself flicker back into visibility. "Hello, Sakaki."

Sakaki spun about, his eyes widening in shock and his face paling when he saw who his visitor was.

Mewtwo raised one eyebrow. "Aren't you going to say anything, brother? You did tell me I should drop by anytime."

Sakaki recovered himself with an effort, the urbane mask slipping back on to cover his uncertainty. "Of course I did, of course. Mewtwo! Let me say, er, I saw the news about – about Aiko's abduction, the police requests for information and so on – what a horrible shock! If I can do anything to help, anything at all…"

Mewtwo nodded and walked forward, his face grave. "I appreciate that, my brother. You were always – very fond of Aiko, weren't you?"

"Of course! You know how I feel about the pair of you."

Mewtwo put a friendly paw on Sakaki's shoulder. "I used to think I did. And yet, at the moment of my greatest distress, my brother didn't care enough to call me to offer his condolences, didn't bother to make contact in any way. Even though the woman he claims to have been so fond of had been brutally murdered in full view of her whole family!"

The friendly grip turned to a vice of iron. Sakaki yelped and wrenched himself away from the pokemon, outrage and fear in his eyes.

"What, are you crazy? You're hurting my shoulder!"

Mewtwo's fur was bristling now. His claws extended and his ears laid flat against his skull, his tail lashing in anger. "It was a clever plan, Sakaki," he snarled, a low growl beginning in his throat. "To lure me from Shima and steal Aiko away. I remember you even rang me on the catamaran when I was on my way to the mainland that day, and you asked about Aiko then. You wanted to make sure she'd stayed on the island, didn't you?"

He took a swipe at Sakaki with one paw, and Sakaki leapt backwards, his eyes fixed on Mewtwo's claws.

"Where were your abductors? Hidden around the other side of the island, were they, waiting for the signal from you that it was safe to go in? And what would you have done if she'd decided to come with me that day, hmm? Would you have told them to wait for a few days and have another attempt later?" Mewtwo snarled, baring his teeth. "But hiding her beneath the seabed in your new power station, what can I say? A stroke of brilliance. You must have guessed I'd never think to look under the ocean for my mate."

Sakaki made a run for his desk, but Mewtwo headed him off in a single swift leap.


"But then, you were the one who helped me refine my talents, so you know my limitations. I confided so much to you when I first came here, about what I could and couldn't do. I was so grateful to you, and when I found out how we were related, well, I would have moved mountains for you!"

Mewtwo stopped, panting heavily. The intense emotion of the previous night, along with the lack of food and over-exertion of the past week were all taking their toll on his energy reserves. His eyes fixed on Sakaki's face, the anger giving way to desolation.

"Why, Sakaki?" he whispered. "I know now that you must hate me. I can accept that, even though I don't understand it. But why hurt Aiko as well? She never did anything to you to deserve that."

Sakaki's expression hardened. "Got it all figured out in that little cat brain, haven't you?" he sneered. "I didn't credit you with that much intelligence, to tell the truth. And don't give me the affection routine, don't bother to claim any sort of relationship. We don't have one, we never had one. I donated some stem cells to add to the genetic mix, that's all, I'm not your brother, or your father, or related to you in any way, you misbegotten experiment!" Sakaki had been backed up against his bookshelf. "You look tired, Mewtwo," he taunted. "Do you think I don't know you have Pershan Syndrome? You're as thin and mangy-looking as an alley cat. Probably haven't slept in a week either."

With one hand he pulled out a book from behind him and lobbed it at Mewtwo with all his force. Mewtwo lifted one arm to stop the heavy volume hitting his face, grunting in pain when it smacked against his forearm.

Sakaki grinned evilly at this sign of weakness. "Just as I hoped, no telekinesis left! Well well, how the mighty have fallen. I was counting on you losing your psychic powers, but that you'd come after me weak and unprotected is better than I could have imagined! You ask why I took Aiko? Because she needed to be reminded what it was like to be with a man for once, you freak!"

Mewtwo snarled and launched himself at Sakaki again, and Sakaki made a mad scramble for his desk, hitting a concealed switch there. A metal cage slid up from the floor, barring off the small corner of the room where Sakaki stood, a modified version of the trainer's booth on the circuit. Mewtwo swung about to face one of the windowless walls, which had rumbled heavily to one side when Sakaki hit the button. A room was revealed behind the wall, still cloaked in darkness. Inside the room, in deepest shadow, a pair of eyes shone eerily red, unblinkingly fixed upon the cat pokemon in the office.

"I always thought I might some day need protection from you," Sakaki's voice sounded triumphant. "So I had these additions to my office built. Now I'd like you to meet an old friend. Come on out, Koneko. You remember Mewtwo, don't you, my pet?"

The thing in the room moved. A metallic foot appeared from the shadows, then more legs, all jointed metal. The creature emerged fully into the office. Six legs splayed out like a huge cockroach. Mounted on one metallic shoulder was an industrial laser, the type used by builders to slice through plate steel. The creature's head was the only part of the original animal left: the rest was cold metal and wiring. Its neck disappeared into a cuff of studded metal.

Koneko scuttled to Sakaki's cage, putting its – her – head by the bars for a pat from her master. She fixed her eyes on Mewtwo, and the psychic pokemon picked up the waves of despair emanating from her.

Mewtwo stared at the apparition, appalled. "Koneko?" he whispered. "Sakaki, what have you done to her?"

Sakaki glanced back at Mewtwo. "I saved her life," he said angrily. "Her heart stopped when she was under anesthetic, the same day you took Aiko and left me, twelve years ago." He stroked the head tenderly. "But I put her body into a gestation unit and kept her mind alive. I had this robotic pokemon developed and mounted her biological brain to it, giving her a new body. She'll live forever, thanks to me…"

"Sakaki, how can you make her live like this? This is – is an abomination!"

"Shut up! Just shut up, Mewtwo!" Sakaki glared at him. "Koneko might only be a pokemon, but she's loyal to me, she loves me more than anyone ever has! Koneko would do anything for me!"

Suddenly Mewtwo understood: Sakaki wanted the true love Mewtwo and Aiko shared. But Sakaki could never have the love he craved, because he wouldn't surrender himself to another enough to obtain it. To him, control was everything. But Koneko loved him. It didn't matter that it was the unequal dynamic of master/slave; in fact, that was the only relationship Sakaki would countenance.

And it was no wonder Sakaki had turned against Mewtwo, and disavowed any genetic relationship: once the pokemon had shown that he could think for himself, and wanted to leave, Sakaki's precious control was threatened by a character as stubborn, in his own way, as the human. In Sakaki's experience, such individuals could only be competitors. And they were either bought out, absorbed by the Raikatuji empire, or destroyed. Sakaki didn't love Aiko, he had just deluded himself into thinking he did. She was the prize to be obtained once Mewtwo was destroyed, not a person in her own right. And Sakaki never gave up on anything he wanted.

"Koneko's never had a living target to practise on before, have you, pet?" Sakaki said, smiling into the robotic creature's eyes. He pointed to Mewtwo. "Now I want you to eliminate that for me! Fire!"

Mewtwo had an instant to spare as the laser swiveled in his direction. It was just enough time to throw himself backwards in a somersault to avoid the beam. As it was, he felt the heat of its near-miss before it splashed against the wall of the office, burning a hole right through the wall and leaving a large scorch-mark on the surrounding priceless silk wallpaper.

Desperately, Mewtwo flickered into invisibility, and heard Sakaki burst out laughing.

"That old stunt of yours won't work here, Mewtwo! Koneko has heat sensors built into her body. She can see you just as clearly as if you were visible! Fire!"

The laser spat again; Mewtwo flung himself to the floor to slide beneath the deadly beam, flicking back into visibility again.

"Oh, nearly got you, Mewtwo! You're still fast, I'll give you that, but you can't keep dancing around my office all day! Fire!"

Another blast, and Mewtwo felt the sensitive whiskers on his face shrivel as he jerked backwards, out of the way.

Sakaki laughed jeeringly. "What a pity I don't have a monitor recording this! I'd love to watch a playback of it later! Ah well, I'll just have to treasure the memory. Fire, Koneko!"

Sakaki was playing with him. Mewtwo searched for a way out as he dodged yet again. He was panting for breath now, his sides heaving as he fought to catch his breath, trying to make his exhausted brain think. He'd be trapped if he tried to get into the lift. The only other way out was through the window, and without telekinesis the drop would kill him...

"I realize you must have stolen Aiko away from me again. All my good work of the past week trying to wean her off her addiction to you has been wasted now. But I'll get her back, you know that, don't you Mewtwo?" Sakaki said it with infuriating certainty. "Oh yes, once you're disposed of, I'll offer her a deal: come to me willingly or have those pets of hers killed off one by one. Oh, I know! Once you're dead, I'll have her wear a necklace made from your teeth! Yes, perfect. That will remind her who's boss! Fire!"

Mewtwo spun away, but yowled in pain as the beam caught him a glancing mark, side-on across his flank. Koneko's aim was improving, and it was only Mewtwo's speed that had prevented that last shot from hitting him fully in the middle and cutting him in half. And he was tiring, his vision going grey around the edges…

The window on the seaward side suddenly imploded, showering the room with glass. Mewtwo had an instant where he saw a lithe, younger image of himself hanging in mid-air, then with a yowl of fighting rage, Montaro arrowed straight for Sakaki in his protective cage. The bars shook, but held, as the teen attempted to bend them with his telekinesis to get at Sakaki. He landed, snarling, in front of the cage, one arm snaking through the bars as he grabbed at the man cowering back against the wall.

"Koneko!" Sakaki screamed. "Leave Mewtwo. Get this one! Fire!"

Mewtwo didn't stop to think; as Koneko's deadly laser swiveled in his son's direction, he grabbed the teenager with his telekinesis and flung him across the room, out of the way of the beam he could see lancing towards the cage. And then doubled up on the floor, heaving and dry-retching as pain blossomed inside his head.

It was over, Mewtwo thought, lying gasping on the floor as the sick throbbing subsided to a dull misery. Sakaki had won, and any moment now he'd feel the laser skewer him, and see his first-born son die…

But then, a lilac-furred hand was reaching down to him, helping him stand. Mewtwo clung to his son as he got shakily to his feet. The boy was unhurt, but he wasn't looking at his father. Instead, he was staring wide-eyed in horror at something over by the desk. Revulsion was coming off the youth in waves.

Slowly Mewtwo followed his son's gaze. Sakaki was staring at them. He'd slid down the wall, and lay splayed out on the floor, one leg protruding through the bars of the cage. The hole through his chest was still smoking, and the wall behind him was stained rust-coloured with the superheated blood that had been blasted out of his back where the laser had passed through his body.

As they watched, the light of life left his eyes…

Koneko had crouched low to the ground submissively. Now she scuttled towards her master, making odd mewling sounds of distress. She put one long jointed leg through the bars and nudged him, her sounds rising as she tried to get some response from him, utterly ignoring the pair of Mewtwos in her grief.

She pulled away from the cage a little, and determinedly put two of her legs over her back, wrenching the laser on to a new direction, one it had never meant to be pointed in. As Mewtwo and Montaro watched in horror, she laid her head on top of her dead master's knee and blasted the laser one last time, directly into the top of her skull. The robotic body jerked once and collapsed to the floor as conscious control was removed.

"Dad? What do we do now?" Montaro's voice sounded lost, and forced Mewtwo to look away from the dead pokemon and the man that had been his brother.

He met his son's scared blue eyes and took a deep breath, trying to centre himself and concentrate his scattered thoughts on what needed to be done next.

"Let's get out of here," Mewtwo answered. "Only we'd better not use the elevator, we don't want any record that we've been here. And – I can't use my telekinesis. Not yet."

"Leave it to me," Montaro answered. Putting one arm under his father's shoulders, the teenager's forehead knotted in concentration. With a grunt of effort, he levitated them both over the shattered glass covering the carpet.

"Shield now," Mewtwo warned. "We mustn't be seen leaving."

The pair flicked out of sight together. Montaro floated them through the shattered window and lowered them, slowly and carefully, to the ground outside the Raikatuji Building.

 

[Alison]

Chapter Twenty


Chapter summary: The title is self-explanatory, I think!

Chapter Twenty – Where the Heart Is

The boat was one of the numerous research vessels bobbing at anchor at Raikatuji wharf. It was small and slow, but what made it invaluable for their purpose was that the fuel tank was full. And it was still early enough in the day that there was nobody about to see the boat leave. It would have been unbelievable in any case: the anchor was pulled up apparently of its own volition and the engine started by an invisible pilot before it pulled carefully away from the other boats.

They had gotten well clear of the wharf when they saw the first police cars arriving at Raikatuji Centre. For safety's sake the pair remained invisible until the mainland receded and grew hazy with distance. Only when they were far enough away not to be seen did Mewtwo and Montaro flicker back into visibility.

Montaro was staring at his father's side. Mewtwo followed his gaze. The laser had left a nasty burn, scorching away fur and blackening skin. Blisters were beginning to form but at least the wound had cauterized the skin as it went. Mewtwo grimaced; if he'd been just a fraction slower, the laser would have caught him full in the stomach. He'd seen what that could do to a body: Sakaki's chest had been reduced to a smoking crater. Mewtwo sank to sit on his haunches on the deck, his legs shaking as the morning's events threatened to overwhelm him.

"I know you wanted me to go back to Shima, Dad," Montaro said quietly. "But I was worried about you, and I knew Mieko would get them all home safe. I just couldn't let you go in without any sort of backup, at least while you're – not as strong as usual. So I stayed. Upwind of your nose!" And he grinned briefly before his expression settled back into grim lines. "I was levitating outside the window when I saw you fighting that thing. When it hit you with the laser I panicked. I just thought, if I could get to the human controlling it, it might stop attacking you. I'm sorry I disobeyed you, but I'm not sorry I stayed." He lifted his chin stubbornly.

Mewtwo shook his head. "You saved my life, my son. I'm very grateful you decided to stay." He examined the burn gently, and hissed a sharp indrawn breath as his fingers touched the edges of the blistered skin. "It will heal, but it's sore."

"There might be a first-aid kit somewhere on board," Montaro said. "I'll go and see what I can find."

He entered the tiny cabin and began opening cupboards and drawers. After a moment he made a pleased sound. "Here you go," he announced, bringing out a plastic container with the familiar red cross marked on a white background, handing it to his father. "And there are tins of food in the other cupboards." He set about preparing breakfast on the single gas ring that served as a stove while Mewtwo tended to his wound, smoothing on antibiotic cream and taping a bandage securely over the area.

As the small boat chugged steadily southwards, they shared a meal of reconstituted shoyu raman and tinned soy protein. Montaro turned his nose up at the rubbery strips of fake chicken and concentrated instead on the noodles, but Mewtwo ate as much of everything as his shrunken stomach could hold, barely tasting it in his eagerness. And as he ate, the distressing greyness around the edges of his vision eased, his limbs ceased trembling, and his thoughts began to flow smoothly once more.

Already the events in the Raikatuji Building were taking on the slightly impossible cast of a nightmare. But one fact stood out from the rest: Sakaki's death hurt. Mewtwo had truly loved the man he'd thought of as his brother for too long not to feel pain at his loss. But at the same time, there was a sense that it was the only possible resolution in the circumstances. It was rather like the laser slash across his flank: a dull ache, but one that would heal as time went by.

The mainland had disappeared over the horizon and they were all alone in the wide blue expanse of ocean and sky when Mewtwo stopped the engine.

"We should both sleep," he said, in answer to his son's puzzled look. "I'm worn down to my whiskers. Shima will still be there when we wake up."

Gratefully, Montaro joined his father in the shade of a tarpaulin stretched over the front of the small boat's nose. They curled up into identical balls of lilac fur, noses on front paws, and slept.

*

The moon had risen when they approached Shima. Mewtwo and Montaro had slept late into the afternoon, finally waking as the bottom of the sun's disk kissed the horizon, and the small boat had taken another five hours to get them home, due to its slow pace and the distance the boat had drifted while they'd slept.

When they got close to the beach, Mewtwo throttled back and turned in a wide arc so that the boat faced northwards again.

"What are you doing?" Montaro asked with interest.

"I don't want the boat found on our island. It could make for some embarrassing questions. But if it's found drifting in the open ocean, it'll just look as if the last person to use it didn't secure it properly when they got back to shore. Nobody needs to know it didn't just drift away from the wharf."

Mewtwo drew a deep breath. The rest and food had been restorative. Steeling himself for pain, he reached out with telekinesis, and was pleased to feel only a dull, easily ignored twinge as he opened the throttle fully. Reassured that he wouldn't be crippled in his major psychic power, he went to the side. "Feel like a swim?"

He dived cleanly into the water, followed a second later by Montaro.

The water was still warm from the day's heat. Father and son surfaced and made for the shore with long, easy strokes as the little boat chugged patiently off into the distance.
*

They could see lights on in the downstairs rooms as they approached the house, but Mewtwo was more interested in searching the area for other lights. He scanned and recognized all of the psychic signatures present: Yutaka, Kagami, Benjiro, and Mieko in the downstairs lounge room, the sleeping lights that were Hideaki and Hanako upstairs, and, oh yes! Aiko's living blue light, up in their bedroom! It was all he could do to keep from breaking into a run to cover the last few metres between them.

Mewtwo and Montaro entered the house through the back door into the kitchen and went on through to the lounge room. The family tableau held for a moment as they came through the door: Yutaka and Kagami were sitting at each end of the larger lounge, separated by the sleeping ball of fur that was Benji, and Mieko was curled in the armchair next to them, her chin resting on one hand. Mewtwo felt a surge of love at the sight of them, all quietly keeping a vigil for their return.

The tableau broke as soon as the family caught sight of the pair, however. Mieko's head swung up first, and her eyes widened in delight.

"Dad!" she cried, leaping to her feet. "Montaro!"

And she was across the room and hugging both of them. Yutaka and Kagami were a little slower, but their faces, too, were wreathed in smiles of relief as they joined the family reunion.

"We contacted the police first thing this morning," Yutaka informed Mewtwo, as the group hug broke apart. "Just as soon as Aiko and the kittens arrived."

"The first we knew that you'd gone was when Hideaki came charging into our bedroom in the small hours, saying something about rescuing Aiko and that you and Montaro had stayed on the mainland," Kagami said.

"I filled them in properly," Mieko told her father, "once they came over to the house. I'm sorry we startled you, Grandma," she added.

Kagami shook her head. "We had the miracle of our daughter back, alive and well. You have nothing to apologize for, Mieko-chan."

"What did the police say?" Montaro asked eagerly. "Dad and I saw them arriving just as we left Raikatuji wharf, but we stayed invisible and didn't hang around!"

His grandparents stared at the youngster.

"You were there?" Yutaka met Mewtwo's gaze. "Then you know that…?"

"Sakaki's dead, yes," Mewtwo answered. "I wanted to talk to him, just talk, Yutaka. I needed to understand his reason for abducting Aiko. But he had a – a new fighting machine. He tried to kill me with it." He glanced at his son. "He would have managed it, too, but for Montaro. And during the fight, Sakaki was accidentally shot by his robot. There was no purpose to be served by us staying, after that."

There was silence for a moment, then Mewtwo asked, "Did the police ask to talk to me?"

Yutaka looked uncomfortable. "No. They only wanted to speak to Kagami and I. And Aiko, of course."

"They were very interested in how Aiko managed to contact you," Kagami said. "We told them about the old tests she'd done as a child showing she had some psychic talent. They accepted that she managed to contact you telepathically. But they seemed to believe that it was at her direction that you and the children rescued her."

"They seemed incapable of grasping the notion that a pokemon could not only come up with such a plan, but implement it," Yutaka added. "I'm sorry, Mewtwo, they didn't even inquire if you were on the island. And since I wasn't sure what you and Montaro were up to on the mainland, I didn't enlighten them."

"Ah. Well, in this case, it's probably a good thing. Let them go on thinking that I'm just her pet." Mewtwo's expression hadn't changed, but Yutaka felt he could sense a touch of chagrin in his son-in-law's voice. Yet again, he'd been undervalued and underestimated as an individual by humans.

"The news reports are all saying that Raikatuji-sama was killed in an accident with an experimental project," Mieko spoke to break the uncomfortable silence. "Some of the people interviewed were speculating that he may have committed suicide."

Montaro shook his head. "No, we saw what happened. And Dad saved my life, just as much as I did his. That – that robot thing– it was lethal."

"Poor Koneko," Mewtwo said. "She was carrying out her master's orders."

"The police told us that nurse we saw with Mum has been found. She was still where we left her, the sedative kept her from moving," Mieko said. "She's going to be charged with – with – what was it again, Grandpa?"

"'Unlawful imprisonment, reckless endangerment to human life, and aiding and abetting in a criminal act'," Yutaka answered. "The reckless endangerment part was because the sedative they used on Aiko was new, designed for use on pokemons, and unapproved by authorities. And at the amounts they used, and untested on humans besides, they could have killed her."

Mewtwo looked at Yutaka, his forehead creased with worry. "She is going to be all right, isn't she?"

"I spoke to the police doctor who examined her after she got back. The drug may take some time to get out of her system completely, and she'll probably experience some side-effects as well, giddiness, maybe some nausea. But he seemed positive that she'll make a full recovery."

Mewtwo hadn't sat with the others. Now he turned for the door. "If you'll all excuse me, I'm going upstairs to see her."

Yutaka nodded gravely and turned to his wife. "Well, we'd better get home. Benjiro can stay with us again tonight, Mewtwo, until he gets used to having the family all together again."

Mieko also stood, and used her telekinesis to levitate Benjiro up into his grandfather's arms without waking the toddler. The family walked their grandparents to the door and waved them goodnight.

Mieko yawned widely as she shut the front door. "I'm going to bed," she announced. "G'night, Dad."

Taking Montaro's hand, the pair went upstairs. Mewtwo followed more slowly. He had no words to describe how proud he was of his children and of the way they had risen to the challenge of the previous twenty-four hours. Particularly his two eldest. They had proved themselves to be adults in the best sense of the word. He sent a quiet"well done" direct to their minds. Both teens turned and gave him a quick smile before they disappeared into their bedroom.
*

Aiko was dozing when the sound of voices downstairs woke her. She couldn't pick up individual words, but could clearly identify Mewtwo's deep rumble and the higher adolescent tone of Montaro. Relief at their return washed over her.

She struggled to a sitting position against the pillows. She was regaining the use of her body slowly, and had managed to walk as far as the ensuite bathroom without assistance earlier that afternoon. She'd run a bath and scrubbed herself raw with the sponge, trying to wash all traces of Sakaki out of her body.

The door opened and Mewtwo entered the room, his body silhouetted in silver from the beams of the full moon flooding in through the open window. Aiko's breath caught in her throat at the sight of him. He was alive, he was safe!

His eyes met hers and the anxious expression on his face faded to intense relief, as if he hadn't believed until that moment that she was really there. He made a small sound in the back of his throat, a soft glad growl.

They had no need for words; she held her arms out to him. Mewtwo was across the room in an instant, his arms about her and his head against the curve of her neck, trying to tuck himself as close as possible while she stroked his silky fur. The sound of his purring was loud in the quiet room.

"I wish I was smaller," Mewtwo said telepathically, as if he didn't trust his voice. "I want to crawl into your lap!"

Aiko slipped down to lie on her side, her arms still about him. "This will have to do instead."

They held each other, simply experiencing the quiet joy of being together again. Aiko felt Mewtwo's emotions washing over her, and relaxed into the experience, relishing it. She hadn't known how much she'd missed their unique feeling of connectedness until this moment, and now she felt like a starving woman suddenly presented with a banquet.

Aiko stroked a hand down his side lovingly, letting the velvety softness of the fur tickle her palm, but then froze as she felt Mewtwo flinch. He was injured?

"Are you hurt, my Mew?"

Mewtwo snuggled closer. "A laser scorched me." His voice was muffled against her shoulder. "It'll heal." He took her hand and laid it directly over the burn. "Feel it. It's not bad."

Through her palm, Aiko felt the dull ache superimposed onto her own body.

"Sakaki wasn't pleased to see me," Mewtwo added.

Aiko's arms tightened about him. "Sakaki shot you with a laser?"

She felt Mewtwo grimace against her neck. "That's not exactly what happened." He gave her the details. "I never suspected he hated me so much," he said at last. "It should never have come to this. Maybe I should have made more of an effort to contact him after we left. Maybe, if I hadn't let so many years go without a second thought, if only I'd kept in touch with him, perhaps this could have been avoided …"

"No. This is not your fault, my Mew. None of it. Sakaki is wholly to blame. I – I can't say I'm glad he's dead. But I'll admit, I'm relieved."

Mewtwo lifted his head from her shoulder. His blue eyes gazed at her with concern, the pupils rounded and human-looking in the moonlight. "You're all right? Really all right?"

"Yes. I'll live. I even managed to walk to the bathroom by myself this afternoon." And had a long, long bath, she thought to herself.

Mewtwo stroked her hair tenderly, still cuddled close. He felt so good, so right, beside her again…

With some trepidation Aiko felt the first teasing hint of desire, the echo, she knew from experience, of what her mate was feeling. She closed her eyes for a moment, fearful that the previous night would have turned her off sex. But as she inhaled the comforting scent of cinnamon and felt the the soft silky fur next to her skin she began to relax. This was familiar and non-threatening, she was secure and safe in her mate's arms and the nightmare of the past week was finally over.

Mewtwo's breath was warm; it tickled slightly against her neck as waves of love rolled from him. The desire kicked up a notch as he pressed his warm body closer, and Aiko felt her pulse begin to quicken in response.

This was nothing like the squalid business of the previous night, no roughly unzipped trousers and painful, unready penetration. This was gentle and loving, and Aiko wanted nothing more than to stop thinking about what Sakaki had done to her and relax into her mate's embrace, letting him soothe the emotional and physical bruises that had been left. She sighed as his warm tongue began to caress her neck, so much more arousing than any kiss could ever be …

But no. She couldn't do this, not without telling Mewtwo what had happened first. She wasn't about to lie by omission, not when it concerned something of this magnitude. Regretfully, she opened her eyes.

"Mewtwo? Please, stop for a moment, my love. I need to tell you something."

Mewtwo pulled back a little, his arms still about her. "It's all right," he murmured, stroking her hair. "After what you've been through, I understand that you don't feel like making love yet. I'm just so happy to have you back with me again. It's like a miracle, a dream come true that you're alive. My body wants to be convinced that you're really here."

"It's not that," Aiko answered slowly, dreading what she must say. "My Mew, last night, Sakaki – Sakaki raped me. Um, that means – "

Mewtwo placed one finger gently against her lips. "Shh. I understand the word. And I already know."

"You do? How?" Then her expression cleared as understanding dawned. "Oh. Your sense of smell?"

Aiko felt her cheeks flame as Mewtwo nodded. She knew how sensitive his cat's sense was; he could always tell who had been in a room hours after the fact just by the odour trail left hanging in the air. So he must have scented Sakaki all over her as soon as he saw her last night. The sharp acrid tang of semen must have been obvious to him right away…

She looked down, unable to meet Mewtwo's eyes, but it was as if he'd read her mind. His voice was a gentle rumble against her ear. "I scented your fear and disgust at being forced. The pheromones hung in the air, faintly, but enough for me to read them."

Aiko felt tears threaten, and buried her head against the soft fur of Mewtwo's chest. "I couldn't stop him," she whispered.

She felt Mewtwo's arms tighten about her, holding her protectively. "He can never hurt you again," he said quietly. "And I won't risk your life from now on. Tomorrow, I'm going to hire a security firm from the mainland. I don't want anybody landing on our island, not without knowing who they are and why they're here. I never took groups like HAGEO seriously before; now I feel like a fool for ignoring the danger. Sakaki's actions were a warning of how vulnerable we are." He gazed into her eyes, and she could see that they were swimming with unshed tears. "I can't lose you again, my Aiko. I can't. I don't have the strength to bear it. "

They were silent for a moment. Aiko knew he was right; how easily she'd been captured, how trusting she'd been! They'd been living in paradise, one which had been brutally shattered by one man and his delusions. An efficient security system was the only solution. But at the same time, she felt a pang for the sense of innocence lost.

She gazed up into his face. "Please, make love to me, my Mew."

Mewtwo looked at her in surprise. "Are you sure you want to?" he asked hesitantly.

Aiko nodded. "I need to feel safe again. I want you. I need you."

And as Mewtwo nestled his head against her shoulder again and began licking her neck in long, luxurious strokes, she whispered, "Bite me, my Mew, bite me like you did the first time we made love. Mark me and make me your mate once more."

Aiko felt the sudden sharp feeling of his teeth sinking into her neck. Once more the sensation rode the bare edge between pain and pleasure, and she welcomed it. She arched her body against him, wanting him to wipe out Sakaki's claim on her body.

"Mine… " His telepathic voice rang inside her mind.

"I'm yours," she confirmed. "Forever."

 

[Alison]

Chapter Twenty One


Chapter summary: Will Sakaki, even posthumously, have won? Will his "parting gift" be the wedge that finally splits Aiko and Mewtwo apart?

Chapter Twenty One – Sakura, Sakura, Hanazakari
(Cherry Blossom, Cherry Blossom, In Full Bloom)

Aiko sat at the kitchen table with Benjiro on her lap while her mother made a pot of tea. In the two months since she'd been back, the toddler had been her constant shadow, as if fearing she'd disappear again if he let her out of his sight even once.

Aiko rubbed her cheek against the top of his fluffy little head, thinking that Benjiro was not the only one of her family to be keeping a close eye on her: Mewtwo was nearly as obsessive as Benjiro, hovering, sometimes literally, wherever she went. She knew he kept a constant watch on her psychic signature as well, whenever he couldn't physically be with her.

Whether it was the effect of the sedative on her system or whether she'd merely grown into her previously dormant psychic abilities, Aiko's mind was now sensitive enough to pick up the trace of each of the children as they checked on her whereabouts psychically. She was getting expert enough at it to be able to recognize each one - their minds all had individual 'flavours' and 'textures', subtle overtones that brushed gently across her mind like a warm scented breeze now and then throughout the day. Mewtwo's mind was instantly recognizable from his children: his psychic touch was always far more intimate, enfolding her consciousness in a loving caress, like the touch of a soft velvet glove inside her mind.

So Aiko's family was still watchful and alert, despite the fact that the new security was working well: they now had a small staff of security officers permanently on the island, a ring of electronic detection buoys in the sea to alert them to the approach of unauthorized boats, plus every member of the family had a small identification tag inserted under the skin of their arms to broadcast their location at all times.

There was no doubt that the precautions served to make Aiko feel more secure, although before Sakaki abducted her, she hadn't felt at risk…

A cup of tea and plate of cookies was set down on the table in front of Aiko, bringing her back from her musings.

"Would you like to eat something now?" Kagami asked her daughter. "You didn't touch your breakfast."

Aiko thought about it for a moment, then nodded and reached for a cookie. "I wish that sedative would clear out of my system," she complained to her mother as she bit into it. "I thought I'd metabolise it faster than this. I'm still queasy a lot of the time."

"Mummy sick?" Benjiro asked, also reaching across to the cookies on the plate.

"No, no. Just the medicine I had to take while I was away gives me an upset tummy," she answered the toddler.

Benjiro nodded and settled back against her, closing his eyes while he ate. Now and then he'd smile, as if he'd thought of something funny.

"Well, you were forced to take rather a lot of it," her mother said soothingly. "Give it time."

"I thought I might go down to the lab today and take a blood sample," Aiko continued. "I can work out the levels of sedative still in my system and hopefully how long before I'm back to normal." She raised her eyebrows at her mother in a silent question and pointed with her chin to the toddler in her lap.

Kagami nodded, picking up with the ease of long grandmotherhood on her daughter's implied hint to distract the toddler. "I'll need Benji-chan's help today," she announced. "I'm going to make a cake for Grandad's birthday. I want a big strong assistant to help me mix it."

Benjiro opened his eyes alertly at this. "Can I lick the bowl afterwards? No shares with Hanako and Hideaki?"

"It's all yours," his grandmother agreed, not bothering to point out that the four eldest children were busy in the gym until lunchtime anyway.

"Yay!" Benjiro bounced up and down. "I'd share with my sister," he added, suddenly serious again. "Only she's not here yet."

Aiko met Kagami's eyes and they shared a smile. Benjiro had been a little disappointed that his mother had not brought his sister back with her from the spirit world; but he'd been telling anybody who'd listen that she was on her way. Aiko had even heard him talking to his imaginary sister when he thought nobody was around.

Maybe all children were alike in that respect, Aiko mused as she sipped her tea. Although she and Benji were unrelated genetically, she'd also had an imaginary friend when she was small. She used to talk to her toy Little Mew all the time, holding the stuffed doll close, playing and confiding secrets.

And there had been times, just now and then, but particularly when she was in her bed at night, dozing and cuddling the toy, when she could have sworn he'd answered back, sounding far-off and faint inside her head like a whispering echo, barely heard, or like the light touch of a warm, scented breeze over her mind …

*


The lab was quiet when Aiko unlocked the door and entered. All of the staff had gone home for the weekend, and the only sound was an occasional hum from the computers or the muted gloop-gloop of the gestation unit in the middle of the room.

Aiko went to check on Raku and Raiden first. The embryos had been successfully transferred into the new unit. At eight months old, they resembled kittens, rather than the shiny pink jelly-beans of their earlier months. They were both now at least as large as a newborn human baby, had fully formed arms and legs, long tails, eyes that were firmly shut, and a soft downy covering of fur, lilac on Raiden, dove-grey on Raku. Both babies had their tails twined together, as if even at this young stage they were not only aware of each other, but had bonded.

Aiko gathered the equipment she needed and went to sit at her workstation, staring at the small vials she'd collected for the bloodtest with a suddenly dry mouth. Her heart was pounding and she looked down to see that her hands had clenched into tight fists in her lap.

She drew a deep breath and opened her hands with an effort. The fact was, she was scared, and didn't want to do this. For she hadn't told her mother the whole truth this morning. Although she hoped with all her will that her recent queasiness was only the sedative still lingering in her body, she'd had another symptom, one that was ominous in the light of what Sakaki had done.

Aiko had last had her menstrual period two weeks before Sakaki abducted her. And since that time, nothing. Over and over during the past six weeks, at least, she'd examined all other options that could explain the absence: maybe the stress of abduction had temporarily upset her menstrual cycle, or the sedative was still in her system, interfering with her natural rhythm. Or perhaps it was just the fact that she was worried that her period hadn't shown, worry was a known cause of menstrual delay...

Yes, she thought desperately, it was one of those reasons. It couldn't possibly be the other explanation, the one that had kept her awake at night, tossing and turning, her mouth too dry to swallow.

Because unless she and Mewtwo had somehow managed to circumvent every biological law she'd ever heard of, she very much feared that she was pregnant with Sakaki's baby.

*

The blood test was conclusive: there was no longer any trace of sedative left in Aiko's system.

She told herself not to panic; that still left stress as the most probable cause of her absent menses.

That doesn't explain the recent queasiness and vomiting, her mind objected. Aiko told her traitorous brain to shut up, but it ignored her, as it usually did whenever she was worried. There's been a weight gain, too, it reminded her.

Well, she responded, I should hope so. I lost way too much on that starvation diet the nurses fed me.

Her hands shook as she pipetted a drop of her blood for the last test. This was one she'd done many times before: mainly on female pokemon, but it worked on humans as well – pregnancy hormones were pregnancy hormones, and would show up for anything mammalian. Once, years ago, she'd performed it for Suzu, back when they'd still been friends. Suzu had been in too much of a panic about an unplanned and unguarded indiscretion to manage the test herself. In that particular case, Aiko remembered, Suzu's menstrual period had just been delayed. Aiko mentally crossed her fingers that this was also the case for her.

Anxiously she watched the drop of blood as it splashed into the vial, mixing with the chemical inside. It would just stay that shade of rosewater pink, she knew it would, of course it would, there was just no way it would turn the pale blue that indicated pregnancy…

Aiko couldn't bear to look. She turned her head instead to gaze out of the large window in front of her workstation. This allowed her an uninterrupted view of the gentle slope leading down to the shore, and on the rocks at one end of the beach she could just make out Mewtwo and her father peacefully fishing, having re-established their comfortable pre-abduction ritual of Saturday morning male bonding.

Aiko felt her hands clench once more into fists. What would she tell Mewtwo if the test was positive? But of course, it was not going to be positive. The liquid in the vial would remain pink and unchanged, and Aiko would know that she just had a virus or something similar to explain every anomalous detail of her symptoms …

She forced herself to turn her head back to the desk, slowly, like a child not wanting to look in case the monster you thought you heard behind you turns out to be real.

The chemical within the glass had turned a bright and cheerful shade of blue.

*


Aiko met up with Yutaka and Mewtwo on the path just outside the boat shed. Mewtwo carried the tackle and net, fishing rods slung over one shoulder, while Yutaka held the bait bucket with exaggerated care.

"Get anything?" Aiko greeted them, trying hard for casual. Even in her own ears her voice sounded odd; too high, forced. She peered into the bucket. It was half-full of water, and contained a single small, brightly-coloured fish. "Oh! How pretty!"

Yutaka rolled his eyes in a show of mock exasperation. "Your husband," he said, "won't let me eat this. Apparently I have to put it into the aquarium in the lounge room."

"Don't listen to him," Mewtwo gave Aiko a quick smile in greeting, his eyes bright with amusement. "He's the soft-hearted one. I wanted to throw it back." He glanced down at her, and seemed to notice something amiss in her expression. His voice echoed telepathically in her head: "What's wrong?"

"I need a quick word with you in private," Aiko said. "You don't mind, do you, Dad?"
"You want to talk about the surprise birthday party I don't know I'm having," Yutaka said, nodding wisely. "There's been whispering going on all week in this family, whenever people think I'm not listening."

"Something like that," Aiko answered, not meeting her father's eyes. "Oh, and Dad, don't go in through the kitchen, will you? Mum and Benji-chan are making you a cake. Don't let on that I told you."

"I didn't hear it from you. Come on, fish."

As Yutaka headed on up the slope towards the house, Aiko followed Mewtwo into the boat shed. Motes of dust drifted and danced in the bright sunlight coming in through the window. "Boat shed" was a misnomer; it had never had a boat inside it, at least not to Aiko's knowledge. The building pre-dated the Mewtwo family's arrival on the island and was now used for storage, tools, tins of paint, and of course, fishing gear.

Aiko seated herself on an old wooden crate and watched as Mewtwo casually levitated the fishing equipment up onto one of the shelves lining the wall. She still had no clue how to begin; for how do you tell your husband that you're pregnant to another man? Or to another male, at least.

She felt slightly nauseous, and this time knew it owed nothing to morning sickness but had everything to do with the fear of loss. She stared at Mewtwo as he stowed the gear. She loved watching his graceful body, the way his lean muscles moved so smoothly under his soft, strokeable fur. She loved gazing at his face, such a chimeric blend of human and feline that it shouldn't work, he shouldn't be beautiful, yet he was, he was. She knew every curve and line of him in intimate detail, and the fear that she might lose him over this was almost more than she could bear.

Would Sakaki, even posthumously, have won after all? Would this baby she was carrying be the wedge that ultimately drove them apart? Maybe they couldn't physically separate, not with the risk of Pershan Syndrome recurring. Yet how could Mewtwo ever look at her after this news and not see that Sakaki had claimed her body in the ultimate insult?

They'd been so happy together, here on the island, building a family, a species, together, and never minding that others might find their life choices bizarre or aberrant. But it could never be the same again, not after this.

She had the option of saying nothing, she thought desperately. She could go to the mainland and have an abortion. But even as she thought it, she knew it would never work. Quite apart from the fact that Mewtwo had hardly let her out of his sight these past months, she couldn't countenance lying to him by omission. They'd always been totally honest with each other. She knew that he'd sense something was wrong if she began now.

Aiko realized that she was shaking, and gripped her hands together hard, staring at the ground. It did nothing to help the dryness in her throat, or ease the ache in her heart.

Mewtwo sat down on his haunches beside her, his blue eyes wide with concern. He put his front paws on her hands, holding them tight between his in a steadying grip. It didn't stop them shaking, but it helped a little. He ducked his head to look up into her face. "Aiko? This isn't about Yutaka's party. You have something to tell me, don't you?"

Aiko met his eyes for a moment, then, swift as a bubble popping, the tension became too much. She burst into tears, covering her face in her hands. She felt Mewtwo's warm arms go about her, felt him lift her off the crate and pull her against him, hugging her in wordless comfort against his chest.

"Shh," the thought vibrated in her head. "Don't cry, my heart, please don't cry. It's going to be alright …"

Aiko leant into his embrace, her hands resting against the soft fur of his chest, trying to control the sobs. No, she thought, it wasn't alright. Not any more. Sakaki had seen to that.

Slowly the crying slackened, became little hiccuping gasps, then finally stopped. Aiko stayed where she was, curled against Mewtwo, drawing comfort from him even though she knew the worst was still to come.

Mewtwo gently brushed the tears from her cheeks with one paw, his eyes full of concern, and Aiko put her hand up, holding his palm against her face just for a second, drawing strength from the contact, before turning her head slightly to kiss it. She took a shuddering breath.

"Mewtwo," she whispered finally, "I've got something I have to tell you. Oh," she cried, raising her eyes to his face. "I don't even know where to start telling you … "

"I know what this is about," Mewtwo said gently. He cradled her against him, his paw still stroking her cheek tenderly. "You're having a baby, aren't you, my Aiko? Sakaki's baby."
Aiko didn't know what she'd expected him to say, but certainly not this. She realized her mouth had dropped open in amazement, and managed to shut it with a click. "What … but how … how did you know?" she managed to stammer at last.

"Humans have no sense of smell," Mewtwo said, but he smiled slightly to soften the statement. It was a comment Aiko had heard from him many times before, however, so she ignored it, still trying to get her mind around this revelation.

"I know your body's rhythms and times like I know the sound of the waves on the beach," he continued. "And since you've been home, your cycle has altered. You haven't bled at all, and you haven't ovulated. At first I thought it was the effect of the abduction. But your scent has changed. The hormones I can smell on you lately remind me of the Abras when they were having babies – subtler, but definite." He smiled down at her astounded face. "And you must know that I've been keeping watch on your signature telepathically, whenever I can't be with you?"

Aiko nodded, still trying to assimilate this amazing news.

"You have a signature that is a clear blue-green, like the sunlit water over a coral reef," Mewtwo told her. "But now there's something … someone else there, as well. A tiny spark, like yours, but separate. It's blue, as well, but a different shade, not so much green in it. It's superimposed on your colour. Curled up, inside of you." And he laid one paw onto her stomach.

Aiko sat up, still letting him support her, but enough that she could look him squarely in the eyes. "How long have you known? And why didn't you tell me?" Her voice sounded breathless in her own ears.

Mewtwo looked down, as if embarrassed. "I should have said something before this. But I've only really understood what I was sensing in the last week or so. At first I didn't put it all together. I kept telling myself that you still had the after-effects of the drug in your system. But that little spark inside you is very real, and it's growing. I can't deny its existence. I wasn't sure if you knew what was happening, and decided to give you time to get used to the idea; I knew you'd tell me when you were ready." He sighed, and it sounded regretful, and very human. "I've learnt enough biology to realize that it can't be mine. That just leaves Sakaki."

Aiko put a hand on each side of his face and met his eyes squarely. "I wish it was yours," she said, and felt her eyes begin to fill with hot tears again. "I'd give anything in the world for this to be your baby … "

Mewtwo hugged her again. "I know, my little mate, I know. But it's impossible."

"What should I do?" Aiko said, and she couldn't keep the quaver from her voice. "I've been so scared this last month. I don't want to lose you over this."

Mewtwo's eyes widened in genuine surprise. "Why should you lose me? Don't you know by now you're my world?"

"Yes, but … I'm having Sakaki's baby. How can you just accept that so calmly?" She got to her feet, and began pacing the room, unable to sit still any longer. "This is a baby conceived by rape. That's not the sort of thing a child should grow up knowing. Perhaps – perhaps it'd be better to book myself into a clinic on the mainland, and – just get rid of it before I'm too far along…"

"Is that what you want to do?" Mewtwo's voice was calm. He stayed seated cat-fashion on the floor, watching her intently.

Aiko shook her head. "No," she said, her voice low. "But what's the alternative?"

Mewtwo stood and took both her hands again in his own, stopping her restless pacing. "The alternative is that you have this baby. We raise it with the other children, and love it just as much as we love them. But it's your body, Aiko, and you have to be the one to decide. I have no right to dictate to you what you should do."

"Yes, but you have a say in this as well," she reminded him. "How would you feel if we did decide to raise Sakaki's baby alongside our own children?"

"I feel like Sakaki has given me a gift to remember him by," Mewtwo said quietly. "For this child is part you, and part Sakaki. And remember, I share Sakaki's genes. So this is the closest I can ever get to naturally fathering a child with you, without using gestation tanks and clones. I would be the baby's – what is the word, for the brother of a father?"

Aiko stared up into his serious face. "Uncle," she murmured. "You're the baby's uncle … " The idea that Mewtwo might want to keep the baby had never occurred to her, but she realized that he had a valid point. For this child would be related to him genetically, far more than his daughters were, who were the same species.

Mewtwo nodded. "I am this baby's uncle," he agreed. "I have no problem raising her."

"Her?" Aiko quavered. "You can tell that, too?"

Mewtwo nodded. "She's like you: a latent telepath. I can feel her broadcasting at the moment." His eyes got a faraway look as he concentrated. "Her thoughts are basic, not really thoughts yet, just emotions." He smiled gently. "I'm getting … flashes, primitive feelings. She can hear your heart beating, it's the loudest and most constant noise in her world. She can feel the vibrations of your voice as you talk, as well, and is gently rocked with every pulse and movement of your body. She's feeling warm, and safe."

Aiko sank back down on the crate, feeling as if her legs would no longer support her as the implications sank in. Another thought occurred to her, and she looked back up at Mewtwo.

"Benji!" she exclaimed. "He knows! His baby sister is all he's talked about since I got back! And he gets that same look on his face that you did just then, when you were sensing … her."

Mewtwo considered this, then nodded. "You're right. He must be able to feel her presence too." He sat back down in front of her, flicking the tip of his tail neatly over his front paws. "You know my feelings now. What will you do?"

"What will I do?" Aiko repeated blankly. She hadn't a clue. But there was a growing sense of relief inside her, unstoppable as a high tide. She wasn't going to lose Mewtwo. He was with her, whatever she decided.

You haven't won, Sakaki, she thought, a feeling of growing jubilation beginning to fill her. We're together still, our love can't be conquered by anything you could do!

Aiko got off the crate and sat back down beside her husband, cuddling close. Mewtwo laid his cheek against the top of her head, his arms circling her protectively.

"We'll need to get another cot for the nursery," Aiko said, feeling breathless all over again, though for a far different reason this time. "And how am I going to tell Mum and Dad they've got an unscheduled grandchild on the way?"

She felt the vibration of Mewtwo's chuckle, felt it change to a loving purr.

"And a human grandchild, this time," he murmured. "Trust this family to be different!"

 

[Alison]

Epilogue

Epilogue

Sakura's father took her to the lab to see the newest pair of kittens growing in the gestation unit.

"Just remember," he told her as they walked up the path from the house, "these are still only tiny, they won't look much like your big brothers and sisters."

The rainy season had begun on Shima, and as they walked, the light sprinkling rain turned into a steady fall, pattering on the leaves and making tiny ripples in the puddles along the path. At the first heavy drops, Mewtwo took Sakura's hand in his and cast a water-tight shield around them both. The child laughed in delight, holding her other hand out to watch the rain splash and bead and run off without ever making contact with her skin.

Dr Fuji Yutaka looked up from his desk as they walked in. "Mewtwo, is this the new lab assistant you've been promising me?" he said with a grin.

Sakura smiled back at her grandfather. "Daddy says I can see Kiyo and Keiji, so long as you say it's all right for me to be here."

Yutaka stood up and stretched. "Ooh now, I don't think you'll disturb them," he answered, walking to the gestation unit with Sakura.

She stood on tiptoes, trying to peer up into the tank. Mewtwo lifted the seven-year-old in his arms so that she was eye-level with the two pink kittens floating peacefully inside. She gave a gasp of delight and covered her mouth with her hands.

"They look like little pink jelly-beans!" she announced.

"That's because they're so new," Mewtwo told her.

"Did I look like that when I was new?"

"You did. Only we couldn't see you, because you grew inside Mummy, instead of this tank. We should show you the ultrasounds. They're pictures we took inside Mummy when we found out you were there, we keep them in a little album with your baby photos."

"I've got to go back up to the house for some notes; I'll ask your Grandma to find the album and we can look at them after dinner tonight," Yutaka offered.

"It's pouring down outside," Mewtwo said. "If you wait a few minutes, Sakura and I can come with you and I'll shield us all from the rain."

Yutaka shook his head. "No, no, take your time," he said. "I'm not sure where I put my notes, so I may be a while." He placed a waterproof hat on his head, shrugged into a plastic rain-cape, pulled on his gumboots and reached for the big black umbrella hanging from a hook by the door.

"Yutaka, you're only going up to the house," Mewtwo told him in an amused tone. "Not Antarctica!"

"You can't be too careful when you reach my age," Yutaka said with dignity. "I wouldn't want to catch a cold."

He opened the door and stepped out. The rain chose that moment to stop, and a weak beam of sunlight broke through the clouds, but Yutaka raised his umbrella anyway and splashed determinedly off through the puddles.

Mewtwo shook his head with a smile and turned his attention back to the tank. Sakura was still staring at the kitten embryos, a look of intense concentration on her face.

"Benji said I'd be able to hear them talking in my head," she said in a disappointed tone of voice. But I can't, Daddy."

"That's because you're fully human, like Mummy," Mewtwo told her, walking slowly around the gestation unit with her still in his arms, so that she could get a view from all sides. "Your psychic talent is growing, but you might not be able to use it completely until you're older."

"I can always hear Benji speak inside my head, even though I can't hear the others," Sakura said. "That's why I really wanted to be able to listen to Kiyo and Keiji."

Mewtwo looked at her disappointed little face. He knew she felt left out when the feliniforms in the family could communicate so easily telepathically. It seemed that, although she had inherited her mother's latent psychic ability, she also had her biological father's tight natural shielding. It made it difficult for her to hear any of the other family members. The exception, of course, was Benjiro, who had managed to bond with her while she was still in utero. It seemed as if that contact had accustomed her to his psychic speech patterns, while the others remained impossible for her to hear.

"Kiyo and Keiji are still so little, they don't talk yet," he said consolingly. "They just have emotions, like feeling warm and comfortable. They're really a bit boring."

Sakura turned her brown eyes to her father's face. "Mummy said you grew up in one of these, too," she stated curiously.

"Well, for a while I did," Mewtwo answered. "When I got out I was nearly as big as Benjiro is now. Then I spent the next few years on this island, until your father came along and took me back to the mainland with him."

"Ooh, tell me the story, Daddy!" Sakura said, her eyes shining with anticipation.

"You've heard the story lots of times," Mewtwo teased gently.

"But I love it! Tell it again, please!"

"All right." He sat in Yutaka's vacated seat and settled Sakura on his lap. "Once upon a time, there was a very powerful king named Raikatuji Sakaki. He was rich and famous. He had a younger brother … "

"Who was a cat, just like you, wasn't he, Daddy?" Sakura interrupted.

"Who's telling this story, you or me?" Mewtwo asked. "But you're right, the younger brother was a sort of cat. Now, in Raikatuji-san's kingdom there lived a beautiful lady named Fuji Aiko." He glanced at Sakura, but this time she managed not to interrupt. "Both the king and his brother were very much in love with the lady, but she chose, not the rich and powerful king, but his penniless younger brother.

"The lady and the king's brother knew they needed to leave Raikatuji's kingdom. They wanted to go to Shima to make their own small kingdom, but to do that they needed money. The king's younger brother was an agile fighter, so he became a sort of knight, who could make money by fighting other knights in the arena … "

"And he was called the Attack Cat!" Sakura said, too caught up in the story to stop herself. "And he won every tournament, even the one where he got sick and couldn't use his psychic moves!"

Mewtwo nodded tolerantly, watching the little girl's rapt face. From the time she was a toddler, she'd loved stories about kings and queens; as she grew older, Mewtwo and Aiko had discovered that this fairy-tale element worked very well in explaining to her the adult dynamics that had culminated in her birth. Sakura was aware that this story was an allegory for what had actually happened, she knew that the "kingdom" was in reality a business empire, and that her biological father had been a successful businessman. But she loved to hear the story as told to her by members of her immediate family, in the "once-upon-a-time" fashion that made it all seem magical.

"The knight and his lady made money that way," Mewtwo continued, "enough to leave and follow their dream of starting a new kingdom of their very own. When the king found out they were planning to leave him, he was very sad. He tried to make them change their minds and stay. But finally he realized that they were going to go, no matter what, so he wished them good luck and said goodbye."

Mewtwo's tone had become wistful; the child sitting in his lap watching him so attentively reminded him in many ways of Sakaki. She was very like Aiko in looks; but now and then she would do something, move in a certain way or with a certain type of mannerism, or an expression would appear on her face, and Mewtwo would remember, with a pang of bittersweet nostalgia, where he had seen it before. On Sakaki. And, just occasionally, on his own face, reflected in the mirror …

"The years went by and the island kingdom grew. First Montaro and Mieko arrived, then Hanako and Hideaki, and then little Benji. "

Sakura gave a sudden choke of laughter, and Mewtwo looked down into her face with surprise at the reaction, his ears pricked forward curiously. "What's so funny?"

"Little Benji!" Sakura giggled. "You said 'little Benji'!"

Mewtwo smiled. Benjiro, at nine and a half, was now almost as tall as his father and older brothers, with the lanky arms and legs typical of the feliniform's early adolescence. "Ah well, he'll always be 'little Benji' to me," Mewtwo said. "No matter how tall he gets.

"It was around this time," he continued, taking up the thread of the story, "that the lady and the knight visited the mainland, and by accident, they met the king again. They hadn't seen him in many years, and were very happy to talk to him once more. But the king had never stopped loving the lady Aiko, and seeing her again made him envious of his younger brother. The king thought, if only he could make her forget his brother, he could make the lady love him, instead."

Sakura's face was very solemn now as she listened to this part of the story. "What did the king do?" she asked breathessly, although she knew the whole story off by heart.

"The king waited for a day when his brother had to leave the island. Then he sent two of his men to lure the lady down to the beach. When she got there, they captured her, without anybody knowing, and stole her away from the island kingdom."

"Benji knew about it," Sakura commented, as Mewtwo paused. "He told me he was there when the bad men took her. But he was only little then, not grown-up like now, so he couldn't stop them."

"Benjiro-chan tried to fight them off," Mewtwo agreed. "The bad men drugged him and your mummy, but left him on the jetty for the family to find when they got back." He resumed the story from the point of view of fairy-tale. "The lady Aiko was taken to Raikaituji's kingdom. So her family couldn't find her, she was locked in a dungeon, deep underground. The knight tried to find her, he searched for her night and day, but she was too well hidden. It seemed as if her psychic signature had just … disappeared … "

Mewtwo stopped speaking. Even now, the memory of that terrible time had the power to make his pulse race and his mouth go dry with the remembered intolerable fear and loss. He stared unfocused at the far wall, recalling his desperate search for Aiko, the sure knowledge that she was dead and gone forever from him, and the seductive idea that he could finish it all by simply letting himself plunge to earth from on high, let the ground close over him and end his torment. His throat became tight as he recalled how close he had come to ending his life, and that it was only the thought that he must see justice done that had sustained him long enough to get back to the island. And how Yutaka had managed to sway him from suicide by appealing to his sense of responsibility as a father ...

He was brought back from his musings by the feel of a little warm hand that had slipped into his. He glanced down in surprise. Sakura had taken one of his paws in her hand and with other was stroking it gently, smoothing the fur over his knuckles in the way Aiko so often did. The little girl's expression was very serious when she looked up into his eyes.

"When Benji tells me the story," she said slowly, "he always makes it sound like a big adventure, that it was because I needed to be born that mummy left. And when Mieko, Montaro, Hanako and Hideaki tell it, they all talk about how brave they were when they rescued mummy from the dungeon. But whenever you or mummy tell the story," and she hesitated, her brow wrinkling as she tried to find words for her emotions, "I can sort of … feel your sadness." She touched her throat with one forefinger. "It gets all tight in here, and I sometimes feel like crying."

Mewtwo hugged her gently with his free arm, laying his cheek on the top of her head. "That's a sad part of the story," he agreed gruffly. "And you're right, it depends who's telling it. Mummy and I remember the part where we missed each other so much, and thought we'd never see each other again. That's why we feel like crying then." He looked at Sakura speculatively. "If you really can pick up our emotions like that, maybe your psychic talent is growing. You may be able to hear the others telepathically, if you keep practicing."

Sakura looked pleased. "Benji's helping me," she confided. "He says I'm whispering with my mind now, and he's trying to teach me how to shout." She went quiet for a moment, then added, "If the story makes you sad, daddy, you don't have to finish it."

Mewtwo shook his head. "But the happy-ever-after part is coming up soon, and that makes the sad part worthwhile."

Sakura settled back against him, looking up expectantly.

"The lady Aiko found that she could use her psychic ability to get a message to her knight. She told him where she was, and he and their children traveled to Raikatuji kingdom and freed her from the dungeon. There was an evil dragon called Rin guarding her, but Montaro dealt with her. Then the family managed to take the lady home once more to their kingdom.

"Now, while all this was happening, up at the castle, the king was experimenting with a new weapon. It was very powerful, but like everything powerful, it could also be very dangerous. Once the king found out that the lady Aiko had been rescued, he was very angry. The knight had gone to talk to his brother, but the king didn't want to listen. He was so angry that he tried to use the new weapon on his brother. Montaro had followed his father, and was able to save him, but this made the king even more angry, and he got careless. He had an accident with the weapon."

Sakura nodded solemnly. "He got shot, didn't he, Daddy? When the weapon was aimed at Montaro, he was trying to reach the king, so the weapon was pointed at them both. And you were able to use your psychic power to pull Montaro out of the way just in time."

"That's right. The laser hit the king instead of Montaro."

"And he died, never to see the lady Aiko or his brother again," Sakura added.

Mewtwo glanced at her face to see how she was taking this part, but as always, she displayed fascinated attention but no grief. Of course, Mewtwo thought, the death of a fairy-tale king was easier to deal with than the death of a father she'd never known. That was the main reason he and Aiko had decided on this particular format to explain her birth; they didn't want her to feel guilt about her biological father's actions towards the mother she loved.

"Yes. The king's brother and the lady Aiko were sad that he died. They had truly loved him, you see. But he left them a gift, something they hadn't expected."

Sakura smiled expectantly at this, sitting up straighter. It was her favourite part of the whole story.

"He gave a little princess, his only child, to the lady Aiko. Both she and the knight loved her very much, and named her 'Sakura.' The knight adopted her as his own, and he is her uncle, but she calls him Daddy. And when the little princess was born, her blood was tested on the mainland. That proved that she was, indeed, the king's only child. The lawyers argued about it, but they finally had to agree that she was the king's legal heir. The whole of the rich Raikatuji kingdom belongs to her, and the lady Aiko holds it in trust for her until she grows up."

Mewtwo stared out of the window for a moment, musing. Raikatuji Sakura was a very rich little girl, having inherited her father's massive business empire. It was being operated now by managers, and Mewtwo wondered if Sakura would one day take over personally, like her father had. Certainly, she was smart enough, Mewtwo thought. She had inherited quick wits and intelligence from both sides of her family. But from an early age she'd insisted that she wanted to be a pokemon expert 'like mummy and granddad'.

Although that had always been one of Sakaki's interests, as well, Mewtwo thought. Not the research side, perhaps, but he'd always had a talent for making intuitive leaps of imagination, of taking ordinary ideas and turning them into something extraordinary. Too extraordinary at times. Mewtwo frowned: he still had occasional nightmares of a pixilated Aiko and a flat-lining monitor…

"Finish the story, Daddy," Sakura insisted, impatient to hear the rest.

Mewtwo pulled his mind away from remembered night terrors and returned to the task at hand. "And the family lived on the island … " he said, then paused expectantly, and Sakura finished the sentence with him: "happily ever after."

Sakura nodded, satisfied that the ritual had been properly completed. She was silent for a moment, a pensive look on her face. Finally she looked back up at Mewtwo.

"Was my father a – bad man?" she asked.

Mewtwo took his time answering, choosing his words carefully. Sakura had never before asked such a question. Also, he noticed that she wasn't now referring to the fairy-tale king, but had asked about the real Sakaki. That she had done so he considered a sign of her maturing outlook, and as such he wanted to give her a truthful answer.

"Sakaki was – human," Mewtwo answered slowly, "with all the good and bad qualities every human has. His major problem was that he'd never been denied anything in his life. He'd always been rich, and was used to getting his own way. So he didn't know what to do when anybody told him no." Mewtwo smiled nostalgically. "When I first met him and went to live on the mainland, I wanted to be just like him. To me, Sakaki was the best of the best, a handsome, successful human with everything I'd ever wanted, but could never hope to have. I would have given up all of my psychic powers, all of my dreams of building my own species, if I could just have been as human as Sakaki was. I wanted to be his brother truly, not something constructed from a mixture of different creatures that just happened to have some of his cells. "

"Do you still wish you were human?"

"Oh no, not any more. Once I realized that your mummy loved me for who I was, I was able to accept myself as well, for perhaps the first time." Mewtwo thought about it for a moment. "I'm fairly sure Sakaki envied us. I think, for all his power, he was lonely. He could never be sure that the people he regarded as friends were really his friends, or if they just wanted to be with him because of his money and influence. But I loved him for the fact that he was the only family I had, and Aiko loved him because he didn't treat us like freaks for wanting to be together."

"But he stole Mummy away from the family, and that hurt you both," Sakura said, her brow furrowed in the effort to understand.

Mewtwo nodded. "Yes. But I think I know why he did it. Aiko and I were the only true family he had, and he missed us, once we left. For a long time, I believe, he really tried to forget that he loved your mother; but he was lonely, and when we met him again on the mainland it brought all the memories back, the good times the three of us had shared together. And we did have some good times. Some of my happiest memories are of Sakaki and I, talking, practicing, training. We used to laugh together, and after Aiko, Sakaki was the human I liked most." He sighed. "I should have kept in contact with him after I came here to Shima. Maybe – maybe if I had, Sakaki wouldn't have been so lonely. I still feel guilty that I didn't make the effort. But we were so busy here, me and Aiko and your grandparents. We were building a new species together, and the time went by so fast that I didn't realize how the years had slipped by. And I was so very happy, it never occurred to me that Sakaki was unhappy. I think, when he met us again, that he – gave in to temptation. He hungered for the sort of love that Aiko and I share. But love can only be given, it can never be taken by force. That was something he never understood."

"I would have liked to meet my father," Sakura said, considering. "I mean, I've seen the pictures mummy has in her scrapbook of him and you when you were fighting on the circuit, and I've seen all the discs Grandma recorded from the television then, too. But it's not the same thing, is it?"

"No, no it's not the same," Mewtwo agreed.

"But I think it would be confusing," Sakura continued. "You can't have two daddies, can you? You're my daddy. But you're not my father, you're my uncle!" She smiled, as if amused by the idea, and once again, Mewtwo could plainly see the resemblance to her biological father. That quick, mischieviously-charming smile was pure Sakaki. Then it faded, and her face became serious again, and she looked far more like her mother. "Does that make Benji my cousin? He says it does."

"Mmm, I suppose you could call him your cousin," Mewtwo said, trying to keep up with the kaleidoscopic train of thought and endless questions of a typical seven year old. "Benjiro is my clone, which means he is sort of your father's younger brother, as well! Yes, let's just say he's your cousin. It makes it easier."

The child smiled. "I'm glad you saved mummy and that you're my daddy, even if you're really my uncle!" She put her head to one side, as if listening. "Benji's finished his schoolwork," she announced, sliding off Mewtwo's lap. "He says would I like to go down to the beach with him and the kittens before dinner."

Mewtwo was not surprised when the door opened at that moment to reveal Benjiro, along with seven year old twins Raku and Raiden, and Kuri and Kiyoshi, Montaro and Meiko's four year olds. He'd already spotted their psychic signatures as they walked down the slope from the main group of houses. Sakura ran to join the ranks of her chattering peer group with a smile, taking her accustomed spot beside Benjiro, who was the acknowledged leader of the gang.

"Don't be late back for dinner," Mewtwo said, raising his voice slightly to be heard as the six children exited. "Grandma's made umeboshi."

He watched for a moment longer as they walked off down the path, then stood and padded across to the storeroom. The door was slightly ajar, with Aiko standing just inside, sorting through some computer discs. She placed them on the table beside her as Mewtwo came in and put his arms fondly about her waist.

"Why didn't you come out and join us?"

Aiko shook her head with a slight smile. "I didn't want to interrupt while you told Sakura the story. That's the first time I've heard her ask about Sakaki. Not as part of the story, I mean, but about why he did what he did. You handled it well."

"Her questions made me nostalgic. I still wonder, now and then, if I could have managed things with Sakaki differently, better. Would he still be alive today if I hadn't gone back to the Raikatuji building after we rescued you? He must have been very afraid of me to have built Koneko's robotic body; my being there goaded him into using her …"

Aiko put two fingers against Mewtwo's mouth, stopping him. "Sakaki sowed the seeds of his own destruction when he abducted me," she said firmly. "I'm just glad we're still alive. I was so scared that night. If you hadn't come to rescue me, he would have killed me. Maybe not right away, maybe without meaning to, but I'd certainly be dead now. Sakaki's addiction made him completely unstable. And I can never forgive that he planned your murder. If he'd managed to kill you … if I'd lost you because of him …" She broke off, her expression suddenly bleak. She put both arms about Mewtwo and hugged him hard, burying her face in the soft fur of his chest.

Mewtwo rested his cheek against the top of her head for a moment in a brief kiss, hugging her back. "How fierce you sound, my little mate! I'm glad it's not me you're angry with!"

Aiko knew he was making light of it to lift her mood, and looked up into his face, giving him a small smile of reassurance. "I think you were right when you told Sakura that her father always had to have his own way. He could act like a spoilt child at times – charming, but only for as long as he got what he wanted. We kept confusing him, because we didn't want the same things! He didn't know how to deal with us." She picked up her discs again. "Just let me put these away and we can go on up to the house."

"Have you finished here, then?" Mewtwo asked. "I don't think Yutaka's going to be back anytime soon."
"Dad was yawning before you got here. Those notes of his were just an excuse: I'll bet he's fallen asleep on the couch again!"

The rain was falling once more as Mewtwo and Aiko exited the lab. Aiko slipped her hand about her mate's waist fondly. He smiled down at her and she felt the slight tingle as the waterproof shield activated about them both.

A peal of childish laughter sounded from the beach, and they turned to watch the children for a moment. They were playing by the shore, totally oblivious to the rain as they raced about in a running game. The slight shimmer in the air about each showed that they were all shielding against the wet weather, even the pair of four-year-olds. Benjiro was holding Sakura's hand in his own and protecting them both.

"Hey, that's not fair, Raku!" Sakura was protesting. "It's against the rules to levitate when me and Kuri and Kiyoshi can't … "

She broke off with a sudden squeal of surprise as she and her kitten cousins were hoisted a little above the sand. Laughing, Sakura turned to Benjiro, who was still holding her hand but grinning cheekily. She was now on eye-level with him. "Put me down!" she demanded.

"Why? We can beat Raku now!" he answered.

And the six children raced away down the beach, squealing and laughing, Benjiro levitating himself, Sakura, and his pair of cousins with no apparent effort, while his younger brother and sister struggled to keep up.

Aiko smiled at the sight. Raku had turned out to have a competitive streak; she was constantly testing her older brother and human sister, and would complain that Benjiro always took Sakura's side in everything. Raiden, on the other hand, was as easy-going as all the males of the Mewtwo clan, and happy to let his sister take the lead. The six flying children disappeared around the curve of beach, and Aiko looked up at her mate, sensing a bittersweet nostalgia radiating from him.

"Benjiro and Sakura make me think of you and I when we were young," Mewtwo told her. "We could have been childhood friends, too, if we'd been given the chance."

"If only Dad had let me stay at the lab that day we met. But we became friends anyway. We just had to wait a while to meet again."

Mewtwo was silent for a moment, but Aiko sensed his mood. She smoothed the fur over his knuckles with her thumb. "What's wrong?" she asked gently.

"Are we doing the right thing?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Sakura and Benjiro are so close. Maybe that's not such a good idea."

"I don't understand. Benjiro adores her, you know that, and she loves him. Why is that not good?"

"Yes, she loves him as a brother. But I know Benjiro loves her as a future mate. He told me recently that they're going to live together like we do when they grow up." The familiar frown line had appeared between his eyes. "Remember what Sakaki said? That it was … what was the word, when people are related and shouldn't mate?"

"Incest? Well, Benjiro and Sakura aren't actually related, except in the most tenuous of terms," Aiko answered. "Sakura told me the same thing, that she and Benji plan on being mates. But they're children still, so I wouldn't worry about it. They may both change their minds in future."

Mewtwo shook his head, his expression very serious. "Benjiro won't. But Sakura might. She has a lot of Sakaki in her temperament. And he got married four times."

Aiko smiled. "Is that what you're worried about? You could just as easily say she'll take after her mother, with one mate forever!"

Mewtwo smiled despite himself. "She is very like you, too," he admitted.

"I've noticed more than a passing resemblance to her uncle, as well," Aiko teased gently. "And I know for a fact that he's monogamous! And don't forget, we've broken a few taboos ourselves." She took Mewtwo's paw in both her hands and gazed up into his eyes. "I loved you from the moment we met. I've been lucky enough to find my soul-mate; I can only wish my daughter the same good luck, with whoever she chooses."

"But what if she decides on a human mate, and Benjiro comes down with Pershan Syndrome… "

"What if a tsunami arrives tomorrow morning and wipes us all off Shima?" Aiko countered.
"Or a television satellite drops out of orbit on top of us? Whatever happens, we'll deal with it when it happens. We've managed harder issues before this."

Mewtwo nodded slowly, his eyes losing some of their worry. "You're right. I'm overreacting, aren't I?"

"Maybe just a little bit," Aiko answered with a slight smile. "Let them be children for now, they'll grow up soon enough."

She tugged at his hand. "You know, we haven't gone for a walk along the beach in the rain for some time."

Mewtwo allowed himself to be led back down the path. "You want to go after the children?"

"No, I want some you-and-me time. Alone. There's a little spot not far from here that I've always thought looks like the area where the pershans in Wild Kingdom lived … "

Mewtwo pricked his ears forward; Aiko could sense his amusement. "Except they lived by a river, and we're next to the sea, they're in Africa, we're on Shima, they …"

"Details," and Aiko waved those considerations aside. "The main thing is, it's quiet and nobody ever goes down there." She brushed one hip against him playfully, and could feel she had his complete and enthusiastic attention. "Come on. Walking along the beach in the rain: that always reminds me of our first time together."

"Mmm, have we got time before the television satellite falls on us?" Mewtwo asked.

"I plan on having too much fun to notice it." Aiko looked up at him. "Can you shield against rain while we're making love, though? I've never thought to ask before."

Mewtwo grinned, showing his long cat teeth. "We'll soon find out, won't we?"

The End. ​