I wrote and posted a Love Hina - Ghost In The Shell crossover on Mediaminer after I thought up a plot while reflecting on a snippet posted by one of our regulars.
Here's the repost:
Ghost In Hinata District
A crossover from Love Hina and Ghost In The Shell TV
Disclaimer: I donÆt own Love Hina or Ghost In The Shell. Love Hina is a property of Ken Akamatsu and his production anime company. Ghost In The Shell is property of Shirow Masamune and Kenji Kamiyama and the respective anime and manga companies. I donÆt make money from this. IÆm just a fan.
- Terdwilicker
AD 2043, Japan, Kanagawa Prefecture, Tokyo suburb
ôBatou, does this place look familiar to you?ö asked Motoko via subvocal broadcast.
ôNegative, Major. There is a lot of electronic feedback however. It could be messing with your nav system. The towers on the mountainside are probably responsible,ö offered Batou, pointing to the lights against the darkened sky beyond. They rolled past the old railstation, still in use in this strangely forgotten part of Kanagawa, a suburb of Tokyo.
ôThe streets are narrow. It looks like it predates the Second World War,ö admitted Togusa over the radio. He popped the hatch of the Tachikoma and looked at the townÆs small whitewashed buildings crowded together, streets wet with the rain and geniune cherry trees along some of them. ôI gotta take my wife and kids here,ö he said to himself.
ôItÆs like time forgot this place,ö murmured the Major. She shook her head to clear it. ôWe have a job to do. Batou!ö
ôYes MaÆam!ö responded the combat cyborg.
ôCover the West side and start asking locals if theyÆve seen our witness,ö she ordered. ôTogusa, take the East.ö
ôYes MaÆam,ö they both answered. A quick dismount from their big blue robots, which followed along behind, searching faces on their database. The humans spoke to shopkeepers and passerby, some of whom were tourists. Festival lights gave the district an eerie if comforting glow, though the sudden arrival of fog off the lake below the town made it more surreal.
ôMajor, IÆm getting more feedback on my com,ö complained Batou.
ôWe all are. Report when you have something,ö ordered the Major. She wandered up the street towards a large mansion building. A small night spot was lit up inside, a small old woman wearing an apron eyeing her with some degree of recognition though Motoko couldnÆt remember ever having met someone like that.
ôWait here, Tachikoma,ö she ordered, entering the shop. Her sensors told her it was loaded with some rare chemicals associated with tea, not chemical weapons. A quick scan of people there showed only a couple who might be real players in a confrontation, full borgs like herself. Quick burst of info relayed through the Tachikoma outside responded with interesting records on the faces.
ôCare for some tea? WeÆre just about to close up shop for the evening but I can make something for you to go, if you like?ö offered the old lady in her cackly old voice which sounded exactly like it should.
ôYes. Thank you. The house special, please,ö asked Motoko, not turning away from the couple, clearly together. The younger woman narrowed her eyes slightly. Motoko shifted her balance slightly to dodge if she needed to. She plucked a cigarette from a pack of the table and her husband, wearing glasses and a rough coat lit it for her, then one for himself.
ôYou look familiar,ö said the man. ôHave we met?ö
ôI donÆt think so,ö she replied. The old woman poured hot water in a small clay pot, left it there a moment, then poured out the water before adding green tea, then filled it with hot water to the brim, covered it, and poured more hot water over the top. Proper tea is a big deal. She waited a moment before pouring a dash into a saucer and offered it over. Motoko took her eyes off the couple and walked two steps to the counter, dropping a small coin to the counter before tasting the tea. It was sweet and complex, not cheap stuff. She added a second coin.
ôThis is good,ö she admitted.
ôWhat brings you here, Miss?ö asked the old woman.
ôKusanagi, Major Kusanagi. IÆm with the government, investigating a possible witness we think is either living here or associated with this area,ö she said, offering a photo from her vest pocket. They hardly glanced at it, looking more at her.
ôThatÆs not your name,ö corrected the younger woman behind her. ôMiss Maehara.ö MotokoÆs eyes narrowed, turning to regard the woman who gestured to a seat at her table.
ôIÆm afraid youÆre mistaken. IÆm Motoko Kusanagi,ö she insisted, ignoring the chair.
ôMaybe youÆve forgotten but I havenÆt. I knew your mother,ö said the woman. ôIÆm Haruka Urashima. I used to babysit you when you were a girl. It was 30 years ago, but IÆll never forget you. We thought youÆd died, at first. When we found you in that hospital ward, well we did what we could for you despite having no official right to,ö admitted Haruka.
ôI paid for your first body,ö said the old woman behind the counter. ôIt was SuÆs design. She made the first one for you, adapting it from a remodel of the robots she used to build.ö
ôSu? Su Electronics? What business do I have to do with them?ö asked Motoko, confused. The network was messed up and she wasnÆt able to dive to pull up the data to verify it. The Tachikoma was silent, though only 10 feet away outside the entrance, watching the scene.
ôSu is a person, not just a company. She was your motherÆs best friend in the world and she wanted to do something for you once she found out youÆd survived the crash,ö admitted Haruka.
ôWait, how do you know about the crash? IÆve never told anyone about that,ö said Motoko, confused and nervous for the first time in years of combat.
ôMemory Lane,ö sighed the man quietly, as if that explained everything.
Togusa crept up the street, sensing nothing evil but something strange just the same. The fog bank rolled up behind him, enveloping him. He turned to regard it and saw a small crowd of old men and a couple women emerge. The Tachikoma stepped aside, scanning them with a visible laser. ôSafe,ö it radioed him. Togusa reholstered his revolver.
ôMemories and dreams,ö murmured one of the old geezers.
ôDreams and memories,ö murmured another.
ôTimes past and futures present,ö said a third.
ôCircles close, doors open,ö said the fourth one.
ôSecrets and answers,ö said the last and the fog surged once more, the crowd vanishing once more.
ôOkay, that was weird,ö said Togusa. ôBatou?ö he radioed to his teammate. ôI just found some weird old guys speaking like a fortune cookie. You find anything?ö His answer was nothing but radio hiss and empty packets.
Batou had seen a playground which his infrared and UV kept picking up afterimages as if someone with good reactive camouflage were running around loose. However, a total lack of footprints or EM signature pointed to that being more sensor noise rather than a genuine threat. Most of the noise was concentrated around a sandbox. He turned to regard the big house at the top of the low hill above the town, its long staircase marked as being built in 1896, a full century and a half earlier. The house itself could be older, and sensor noise made it hard to even look at. He wasnÆt sure exactly why, but it made him feel uneasy. He climbed the stairs, the tachikoma following behind him.
ôHinata Girls Dormitory and Hot Springs,ö Batou read the sign out loud. ôHuh. Looks like my nerves are my own imagination.ö He stepped back, then rolled aside as a wash of wind rolled past him. The pavement was cracked. He looked to the source, seeing a woman with a sword standing there glowing. His eyes saw no EM signature per-se but she was glowing just the same.
ôIntruder! What is your business at Hinata Sou in the middle of the night, dressed like a soldier and carrying guns?!ö she yelled. She was a beautiful older woman, around sixty and gray haired but fierce and strong, dressed in traditional clothes from two centuries earlier. Batou tightened his grip on the assault rifle he carried, then felt its weight registering off as the front half fell off the grip he held.
ôDamn. That was one of my favorite ones,ö he muttered. He turned his attention to the woman, long hair flowing despite the lack of a wind on the sheltered courtyard above the cherry trees. Batou gritted his plastic teeth and leaped, shooting as he went. She blocked it in another wave of light. The Tachikoma moved, firing at the woman who blasted it with light after a few jumps, knocking its legs and cannon out of action. Batou bounded down the stairs before getting caught by that glowing wind, blasting himself way out over the town before dropping to a rooftop, shaken.
ôTogusa, Major! IÆm under attack by some freak woman with a sword!ö he reported. ôOne tachikoma is down.ö He burst transmitted data from the attack to both of their cyberbrains. The woman yelled from the top of the stairs, pursuing him into the town.
ôYour namesake approaches. Please instruct your men to break off their attack. Repairs are expensive,ö said the old woman.
ôYour guard fired on my men first,ö the Major pointed out. ôAnd my robots arenÆt exactly cheap either.ö
ôHe was trespassing and the guard is somewhatà protective of her charges. SheÆs been doing it for almost fifty years, after all,ö explained Haruka.
ôTogusa, Batou, cease fire. Home in on my position. I found some information,ö she radioed.
ôRoger, Major,ö replied Togusa.
ôAffirmative, Major,ö answered Batou grumpily. He was outside the tea house momentarily. The swordswoman arrived moments later, glaring at the cyborg sheÆd sent running with only her sword. He glared at the older woman, clearly a beauty in her time.
ôMotoko, meet my neice, ShinobuÆs daughter Maehara Motoko,ö explained Haruka. The elder Aoyama peered at the cyborg officer, then peered through her, eyes unfocussed.
ôInteresting. It is as you say. Should we tell him sheÆs here?ö asked the Aoyama warrior.
ôHeÆs on the way with Hideki,ö explained Seta.
ôI am Aoyama Motoko. Your mother named you for me. I see it was not wasted, as you are a warrior yourself.ö
ôMajor, whatÆs going on here? Who are these people?ö radioed Batou on his secure line.
ôYou say you knew my mother. Prove it,ö insisted the Major. Togusa arrived, watching from outside. He and Batou radioed back and forth. Major Kusanagi ignored their banter, focussing on these people who claimed to be family.
ôWhen we were children, young women, we all lived at the inn at the top of the hill over there. Shinobu was our resident cook, despite starting when she was only twelve. She was very determined, and very much love with someone who didnÆt return her feelings the same way. Our housemates were mostly students, though some went on to fame later in their lives, including your father.ö
ôWhat do you mean? My father was never famous,ö denied the Major. ôI knew this was a waste of time.ö
ôThe man who raised you was not your father. He was a good man to marry Shinobu despite her carrying another manÆs baby. Its so sad that she died in that plane crash. DonÆt you wonder why you survived and your parents didnÆt?ö
ôI try not to think about such things. My job makes that easy,ö she stated. Silently admitting that her fatherÆs family did not share her DNA, something she learned years ago. A dive the tachikoma were running came up with her results: match. Most likely her genetic father was from this family after all. Curious anomalies were listed in their records. Ages in particular, such as the old lady behind the counter.
ôWell, when you meet him, maybe youÆll understand,ö said Aoyama.
ôJust how old are you?ö asked Motoko Kusanagi of the old lady, who just grinned, pouring her another saucer of tea. Motoko sipped it, waiting.
ôJust who are these people, Major,ö asked Batou over the link.
ôThey seem to be family. I have a DNA match to their records.ö
ôCould it be cabinet disinformation?ö asked Togusa. Paranoia was a requirement in Section Nine.
ôPossibly, but IÆm having the Tachikoma check the data integrity. They cracked a small local clinic with decades of records on the family, including old scans. So far the data checks out. We can verify things with DNA tests by our own lab if we need to,ö radioed the Major silently.
The Major turned her head suddenly, looking down the slope towards the train station. The others looked that way as well. Some part of her could FEEL something coming. It wasnÆt her circuits or hardware, it was somewhere else in her still human brain. As time passed, she could feel two someones, one appearing beside Batou suddenly wearing a grey salaryman suit. The two of them eyed each other edgily.
ôFather, sheÆs here,ö he gestured in the door. An old man stepped forward with dignity, tripped on the doorsill and tumbled the Aoyama warrior into a tangle of limbs with him, accidentally enough but with comic results, his face in her crotch and hers in his.
ôOh brother,ö commented Batou. The man in the gray suit shook his head in despair.
ôOops. Sorryà sorry! Motoko forgive me,ö he pleaded in a somewhat squeaky voice that didnÆt fit his age or bearing terribly well. The two untangled and stood, both blushing like teenagers.
ôKeitaro, meet your daughter, Motoko,ö Aoyama introduced them before drinking a cup of the house tea. Grandma Hina poured Keitaro a cup as well.
ôThanks grandma,ö he said, swallowing quickly before turning to regard his progeny.
ôSo, youÆre ShinobuÆs girl. My girl. IÆve been looking for you. YouÆve had a very busy life,ö he admitted, looking her up and down. ôI canÆt say I approve your fashion sense, but I imagine youÆre a modern woman.ö
Motoko considered her high rise sleeveless body suit which accented her charms beyond taste, passing into a repugnant mockery of woman. She was a full body cyborg, after all. The needs of the flesh hardly applied to her and hadnÆt for most of her life. Her full breasts were another distraction on a combat machine.
ôI really had a hell of a time finding you, ya know,ö he said, scratching the back of his head with one hand. Something about that gesture triggered a deeply buried memory and she paused in her cynical self-perusal to examine this man claiming to be her father more closely.
ôIÆm glad you kept your hair the same,ö he said finally, noticing her change in attention.
ôWhy didnÆt you marry my mother?ö she asked finally. Keitaro sighed.
ôThere was a great deal of age difference, and IÆve been chasing another woman for 6 years and finally married her. My wife was aà an intemperate woman,ö he admitted. His son outside snorted, coming in from the cold, nodding to his half-sister.
ôThatÆs a very kind way to describe Mom,ö said the man. ôIÆm Hideki Urashima, by the way. IÆm your brother. ItÆs a miracle Dad is still alive after all the times she hit him over the years.ö
ôYes, well, NaruÆs temper eventually killed her, a heart attack twenty years ago.ö
ôThat doesnÆt answer my question,ö reminded Motoko.
ôYes, well IÆm getting around to that. For the first few years of my marriage, Naru would not submit to meà and I found myself impatient when Shinobu visited me. SheÆd had a crush on me since we met and well, she seduced me. I wasnÆt unwilling, though I felt very guilty about it during and after our affair. Naturally, she became pregnant and married a man when she realized I wouldnÆt leave Naru for her. I suppose if I hadà well thatÆs water under the bridge.ö
ôSo you say its all her fault? ThatÆs hardly honorable of you,ö snorted Motoko, amused.
ôYou donÆt understand. You may think your memories of her as a sweet and loving Mom were just that, the memories of a child. You have to understand that I, all of us, knew her through her childhood and some of her adult years. She was the sweetest and gentlest soul we ever knew. Shinobu was a genuinely kind and good person. When she begged, I couldnÆt say no. IÆve denied her far too much over my youth and she was always so good to everyone around herà IÆm sorry,ö he finally said. Motoko found herself crying, surprised that she still could.
ôYou give me this and then take it away, telling me my mother was both an adultress and a woman of gentle nature. And I kill people. Where does this leave me?ö she asked.
ôYouÆre not alone anymore, Motoko. We are your family,ö said Keitaro, stepping forward to embrace his daughterÆs robotic body. She froze at the unwanted contact, resisting the urge to fling him away, to push away the man who claimed to be her father.
ôAnd I have a job to do,ö she finally announced. ôI will contact youà later. How may I reach you?ö she asked. They gave her contact info, including direct IDÆs, inferring a great deal of trust on her. She was still suspicious but they offered to allow genetic testing at her preferred location to satisfy her fully.
Weeks later, Motoko Kusanagi saw the report on her family genetics. It was a match, in spite of expectation otherwise. Howà odd, she admitted to herself. SheÆd accessed her long stored external memory, finding data relating to her mother, and her family from her first cyberbrain recordings. Things sheÆd long forgotten sheÆd ever known. There were memories of the Hinata District as well.
ôChief, things are slow. IÆm going to take a walk. Call me if you need anything,ö she radioed to her team. Grunts and monosyllables greeted her.
ôThatÆs what I get for working with only men,ö she admitted to herself, heading for the subway, referencing the map for that particular station. She wondered if the tea would be as good today.
The End
Here's the repost:
Ghost In Hinata District
A crossover from Love Hina and Ghost In The Shell TV
Disclaimer: I donÆt own Love Hina or Ghost In The Shell. Love Hina is a property of Ken Akamatsu and his production anime company. Ghost In The Shell is property of Shirow Masamune and Kenji Kamiyama and the respective anime and manga companies. I donÆt make money from this. IÆm just a fan.
- Terdwilicker
AD 2043, Japan, Kanagawa Prefecture, Tokyo suburb
ôBatou, does this place look familiar to you?ö asked Motoko via subvocal broadcast.
ôNegative, Major. There is a lot of electronic feedback however. It could be messing with your nav system. The towers on the mountainside are probably responsible,ö offered Batou, pointing to the lights against the darkened sky beyond. They rolled past the old railstation, still in use in this strangely forgotten part of Kanagawa, a suburb of Tokyo.
ôThe streets are narrow. It looks like it predates the Second World War,ö admitted Togusa over the radio. He popped the hatch of the Tachikoma and looked at the townÆs small whitewashed buildings crowded together, streets wet with the rain and geniune cherry trees along some of them. ôI gotta take my wife and kids here,ö he said to himself.
ôItÆs like time forgot this place,ö murmured the Major. She shook her head to clear it. ôWe have a job to do. Batou!ö
ôYes MaÆam!ö responded the combat cyborg.
ôCover the West side and start asking locals if theyÆve seen our witness,ö she ordered. ôTogusa, take the East.ö
ôYes MaÆam,ö they both answered. A quick dismount from their big blue robots, which followed along behind, searching faces on their database. The humans spoke to shopkeepers and passerby, some of whom were tourists. Festival lights gave the district an eerie if comforting glow, though the sudden arrival of fog off the lake below the town made it more surreal.
ôMajor, IÆm getting more feedback on my com,ö complained Batou.
ôWe all are. Report when you have something,ö ordered the Major. She wandered up the street towards a large mansion building. A small night spot was lit up inside, a small old woman wearing an apron eyeing her with some degree of recognition though Motoko couldnÆt remember ever having met someone like that.
ôWait here, Tachikoma,ö she ordered, entering the shop. Her sensors told her it was loaded with some rare chemicals associated with tea, not chemical weapons. A quick scan of people there showed only a couple who might be real players in a confrontation, full borgs like herself. Quick burst of info relayed through the Tachikoma outside responded with interesting records on the faces.
ôCare for some tea? WeÆre just about to close up shop for the evening but I can make something for you to go, if you like?ö offered the old lady in her cackly old voice which sounded exactly like it should.
ôYes. Thank you. The house special, please,ö asked Motoko, not turning away from the couple, clearly together. The younger woman narrowed her eyes slightly. Motoko shifted her balance slightly to dodge if she needed to. She plucked a cigarette from a pack of the table and her husband, wearing glasses and a rough coat lit it for her, then one for himself.
ôYou look familiar,ö said the man. ôHave we met?ö
ôI donÆt think so,ö she replied. The old woman poured hot water in a small clay pot, left it there a moment, then poured out the water before adding green tea, then filled it with hot water to the brim, covered it, and poured more hot water over the top. Proper tea is a big deal. She waited a moment before pouring a dash into a saucer and offered it over. Motoko took her eyes off the couple and walked two steps to the counter, dropping a small coin to the counter before tasting the tea. It was sweet and complex, not cheap stuff. She added a second coin.
ôThis is good,ö she admitted.
ôWhat brings you here, Miss?ö asked the old woman.
ôKusanagi, Major Kusanagi. IÆm with the government, investigating a possible witness we think is either living here or associated with this area,ö she said, offering a photo from her vest pocket. They hardly glanced at it, looking more at her.
ôThatÆs not your name,ö corrected the younger woman behind her. ôMiss Maehara.ö MotokoÆs eyes narrowed, turning to regard the woman who gestured to a seat at her table.
ôIÆm afraid youÆre mistaken. IÆm Motoko Kusanagi,ö she insisted, ignoring the chair.
ôMaybe youÆve forgotten but I havenÆt. I knew your mother,ö said the woman. ôIÆm Haruka Urashima. I used to babysit you when you were a girl. It was 30 years ago, but IÆll never forget you. We thought youÆd died, at first. When we found you in that hospital ward, well we did what we could for you despite having no official right to,ö admitted Haruka.
ôI paid for your first body,ö said the old woman behind the counter. ôIt was SuÆs design. She made the first one for you, adapting it from a remodel of the robots she used to build.ö
ôSu? Su Electronics? What business do I have to do with them?ö asked Motoko, confused. The network was messed up and she wasnÆt able to dive to pull up the data to verify it. The Tachikoma was silent, though only 10 feet away outside the entrance, watching the scene.
ôSu is a person, not just a company. She was your motherÆs best friend in the world and she wanted to do something for you once she found out youÆd survived the crash,ö admitted Haruka.
ôWait, how do you know about the crash? IÆve never told anyone about that,ö said Motoko, confused and nervous for the first time in years of combat.
ôMemory Lane,ö sighed the man quietly, as if that explained everything.
Togusa crept up the street, sensing nothing evil but something strange just the same. The fog bank rolled up behind him, enveloping him. He turned to regard it and saw a small crowd of old men and a couple women emerge. The Tachikoma stepped aside, scanning them with a visible laser. ôSafe,ö it radioed him. Togusa reholstered his revolver.
ôMemories and dreams,ö murmured one of the old geezers.
ôDreams and memories,ö murmured another.
ôTimes past and futures present,ö said a third.
ôCircles close, doors open,ö said the fourth one.
ôSecrets and answers,ö said the last and the fog surged once more, the crowd vanishing once more.
ôOkay, that was weird,ö said Togusa. ôBatou?ö he radioed to his teammate. ôI just found some weird old guys speaking like a fortune cookie. You find anything?ö His answer was nothing but radio hiss and empty packets.
Batou had seen a playground which his infrared and UV kept picking up afterimages as if someone with good reactive camouflage were running around loose. However, a total lack of footprints or EM signature pointed to that being more sensor noise rather than a genuine threat. Most of the noise was concentrated around a sandbox. He turned to regard the big house at the top of the low hill above the town, its long staircase marked as being built in 1896, a full century and a half earlier. The house itself could be older, and sensor noise made it hard to even look at. He wasnÆt sure exactly why, but it made him feel uneasy. He climbed the stairs, the tachikoma following behind him.
ôHinata Girls Dormitory and Hot Springs,ö Batou read the sign out loud. ôHuh. Looks like my nerves are my own imagination.ö He stepped back, then rolled aside as a wash of wind rolled past him. The pavement was cracked. He looked to the source, seeing a woman with a sword standing there glowing. His eyes saw no EM signature per-se but she was glowing just the same.
ôIntruder! What is your business at Hinata Sou in the middle of the night, dressed like a soldier and carrying guns?!ö she yelled. She was a beautiful older woman, around sixty and gray haired but fierce and strong, dressed in traditional clothes from two centuries earlier. Batou tightened his grip on the assault rifle he carried, then felt its weight registering off as the front half fell off the grip he held.
ôDamn. That was one of my favorite ones,ö he muttered. He turned his attention to the woman, long hair flowing despite the lack of a wind on the sheltered courtyard above the cherry trees. Batou gritted his plastic teeth and leaped, shooting as he went. She blocked it in another wave of light. The Tachikoma moved, firing at the woman who blasted it with light after a few jumps, knocking its legs and cannon out of action. Batou bounded down the stairs before getting caught by that glowing wind, blasting himself way out over the town before dropping to a rooftop, shaken.
ôTogusa, Major! IÆm under attack by some freak woman with a sword!ö he reported. ôOne tachikoma is down.ö He burst transmitted data from the attack to both of their cyberbrains. The woman yelled from the top of the stairs, pursuing him into the town.
ôYour namesake approaches. Please instruct your men to break off their attack. Repairs are expensive,ö said the old woman.
ôYour guard fired on my men first,ö the Major pointed out. ôAnd my robots arenÆt exactly cheap either.ö
ôHe was trespassing and the guard is somewhatà protective of her charges. SheÆs been doing it for almost fifty years, after all,ö explained Haruka.
ôTogusa, Batou, cease fire. Home in on my position. I found some information,ö she radioed.
ôRoger, Major,ö replied Togusa.
ôAffirmative, Major,ö answered Batou grumpily. He was outside the tea house momentarily. The swordswoman arrived moments later, glaring at the cyborg sheÆd sent running with only her sword. He glared at the older woman, clearly a beauty in her time.
ôMotoko, meet my neice, ShinobuÆs daughter Maehara Motoko,ö explained Haruka. The elder Aoyama peered at the cyborg officer, then peered through her, eyes unfocussed.
ôInteresting. It is as you say. Should we tell him sheÆs here?ö asked the Aoyama warrior.
ôHeÆs on the way with Hideki,ö explained Seta.
ôI am Aoyama Motoko. Your mother named you for me. I see it was not wasted, as you are a warrior yourself.ö
ôMajor, whatÆs going on here? Who are these people?ö radioed Batou on his secure line.
ôYou say you knew my mother. Prove it,ö insisted the Major. Togusa arrived, watching from outside. He and Batou radioed back and forth. Major Kusanagi ignored their banter, focussing on these people who claimed to be family.
ôWhen we were children, young women, we all lived at the inn at the top of the hill over there. Shinobu was our resident cook, despite starting when she was only twelve. She was very determined, and very much love with someone who didnÆt return her feelings the same way. Our housemates were mostly students, though some went on to fame later in their lives, including your father.ö
ôWhat do you mean? My father was never famous,ö denied the Major. ôI knew this was a waste of time.ö
ôThe man who raised you was not your father. He was a good man to marry Shinobu despite her carrying another manÆs baby. Its so sad that she died in that plane crash. DonÆt you wonder why you survived and your parents didnÆt?ö
ôI try not to think about such things. My job makes that easy,ö she stated. Silently admitting that her fatherÆs family did not share her DNA, something she learned years ago. A dive the tachikoma were running came up with her results: match. Most likely her genetic father was from this family after all. Curious anomalies were listed in their records. Ages in particular, such as the old lady behind the counter.
ôWell, when you meet him, maybe youÆll understand,ö said Aoyama.
ôJust how old are you?ö asked Motoko Kusanagi of the old lady, who just grinned, pouring her another saucer of tea. Motoko sipped it, waiting.
ôJust who are these people, Major,ö asked Batou over the link.
ôThey seem to be family. I have a DNA match to their records.ö
ôCould it be cabinet disinformation?ö asked Togusa. Paranoia was a requirement in Section Nine.
ôPossibly, but IÆm having the Tachikoma check the data integrity. They cracked a small local clinic with decades of records on the family, including old scans. So far the data checks out. We can verify things with DNA tests by our own lab if we need to,ö radioed the Major silently.
The Major turned her head suddenly, looking down the slope towards the train station. The others looked that way as well. Some part of her could FEEL something coming. It wasnÆt her circuits or hardware, it was somewhere else in her still human brain. As time passed, she could feel two someones, one appearing beside Batou suddenly wearing a grey salaryman suit. The two of them eyed each other edgily.
ôFather, sheÆs here,ö he gestured in the door. An old man stepped forward with dignity, tripped on the doorsill and tumbled the Aoyama warrior into a tangle of limbs with him, accidentally enough but with comic results, his face in her crotch and hers in his.
ôOh brother,ö commented Batou. The man in the gray suit shook his head in despair.
ôOops. Sorryà sorry! Motoko forgive me,ö he pleaded in a somewhat squeaky voice that didnÆt fit his age or bearing terribly well. The two untangled and stood, both blushing like teenagers.
ôKeitaro, meet your daughter, Motoko,ö Aoyama introduced them before drinking a cup of the house tea. Grandma Hina poured Keitaro a cup as well.
ôThanks grandma,ö he said, swallowing quickly before turning to regard his progeny.
ôSo, youÆre ShinobuÆs girl. My girl. IÆve been looking for you. YouÆve had a very busy life,ö he admitted, looking her up and down. ôI canÆt say I approve your fashion sense, but I imagine youÆre a modern woman.ö
Motoko considered her high rise sleeveless body suit which accented her charms beyond taste, passing into a repugnant mockery of woman. She was a full body cyborg, after all. The needs of the flesh hardly applied to her and hadnÆt for most of her life. Her full breasts were another distraction on a combat machine.
ôI really had a hell of a time finding you, ya know,ö he said, scratching the back of his head with one hand. Something about that gesture triggered a deeply buried memory and she paused in her cynical self-perusal to examine this man claiming to be her father more closely.
ôIÆm glad you kept your hair the same,ö he said finally, noticing her change in attention.
ôWhy didnÆt you marry my mother?ö she asked finally. Keitaro sighed.
ôThere was a great deal of age difference, and IÆve been chasing another woman for 6 years and finally married her. My wife was aà an intemperate woman,ö he admitted. His son outside snorted, coming in from the cold, nodding to his half-sister.
ôThatÆs a very kind way to describe Mom,ö said the man. ôIÆm Hideki Urashima, by the way. IÆm your brother. ItÆs a miracle Dad is still alive after all the times she hit him over the years.ö
ôYes, well, NaruÆs temper eventually killed her, a heart attack twenty years ago.ö
ôThat doesnÆt answer my question,ö reminded Motoko.
ôYes, well IÆm getting around to that. For the first few years of my marriage, Naru would not submit to meà and I found myself impatient when Shinobu visited me. SheÆd had a crush on me since we met and well, she seduced me. I wasnÆt unwilling, though I felt very guilty about it during and after our affair. Naturally, she became pregnant and married a man when she realized I wouldnÆt leave Naru for her. I suppose if I hadà well thatÆs water under the bridge.ö
ôSo you say its all her fault? ThatÆs hardly honorable of you,ö snorted Motoko, amused.
ôYou donÆt understand. You may think your memories of her as a sweet and loving Mom were just that, the memories of a child. You have to understand that I, all of us, knew her through her childhood and some of her adult years. She was the sweetest and gentlest soul we ever knew. Shinobu was a genuinely kind and good person. When she begged, I couldnÆt say no. IÆve denied her far too much over my youth and she was always so good to everyone around herà IÆm sorry,ö he finally said. Motoko found herself crying, surprised that she still could.
ôYou give me this and then take it away, telling me my mother was both an adultress and a woman of gentle nature. And I kill people. Where does this leave me?ö she asked.
ôYouÆre not alone anymore, Motoko. We are your family,ö said Keitaro, stepping forward to embrace his daughterÆs robotic body. She froze at the unwanted contact, resisting the urge to fling him away, to push away the man who claimed to be her father.
ôAnd I have a job to do,ö she finally announced. ôI will contact youà later. How may I reach you?ö she asked. They gave her contact info, including direct IDÆs, inferring a great deal of trust on her. She was still suspicious but they offered to allow genetic testing at her preferred location to satisfy her fully.
Weeks later, Motoko Kusanagi saw the report on her family genetics. It was a match, in spite of expectation otherwise. Howà odd, she admitted to herself. SheÆd accessed her long stored external memory, finding data relating to her mother, and her family from her first cyberbrain recordings. Things sheÆd long forgotten sheÆd ever known. There were memories of the Hinata District as well.
ôChief, things are slow. IÆm going to take a walk. Call me if you need anything,ö she radioed to her team. Grunts and monosyllables greeted her.
ôThatÆs what I get for working with only men,ö she admitted to herself, heading for the subway, referencing the map for that particular station. She wondered if the tea would be as good today.
The End
