My NaNoWriMo Project officially starts here! Woo hoo!

Warnings for angst and clichés.

Story Notes



Part V – Runs in the Family



The day after he met Pavel by the bay, Hikaru got a call from Kenji.

'Hey motherfucker,' he said cheerfully. 'How's it hanging?'

'Is that any way to speak to your elder brother?' said the voice from the other end. It was two octaves deeper than Kenji, and never failed to make Hikaru's blood run a little bit colder.

'Grandfather?' he managed to croak out. 'I – I'm sorry. I didn't know - '

'Have we taught you no manners, Hikaru?'

'I'm sorry,' he said again. He had the urge to bow his head and look at the floor in shame, which was ridiculous because the old man wasn't using the on-screen function.

'I fear you have disappointed me.'

'I'm sorry,' Hikaru said. He could hear his voice reflecting his panic and desperation and loathed himself for it. 'I thought it was – I didn’t - I'm sorry, Grandfather. I won't do it again.'

'That is not what I am referring to, boy. What is this I hear about the goings on at Starfleet? Did I or did I not tell you to behave yourself?'

'I did! I had nothing to do with that!'

'Are you lying to me, Hikaru?'

'No,' Hikaru said miserably. 'I was at a dorm party all night. I didn't even know that anything happened until the next morning. Why would you think -'

'Why indeed? Very well, if you say you were not involved -'

'I wasn't!'

Hikaru's heart was going like a jackrabbit now, pounding harder and harder. He could feel his face getting hot, flushing as his fight-or-flight reflexes kicked in. All he wanted was to run as far away from this conversation as possible.

'You had better not be. And Hikaru, do clean up your language. You are not some gutter-child. Try to remember that.'

'Yes, sir,' he said wishing that he didn't feel like a five year old with his hand caught in the cookie jar. The old man cut off without another word.

He crawled back into bed and pulled the covers over his head. He wasn't getting up today. He was just going to stay here and never come out again.

Keiichi Aoki was not really his grandfather. He was Hikaru's grandfather's elder brother. He'd taken Hikaru and his mother in after the death of his younger brother and the subsequent divorce. He still treated Hikaru as if were his fault.

Hikaru thought that maybe it was, in a way. If he hadn't been born arguably a lot of it wouldn't have happened. Maybe his grandfather would have still been alive.

'I didn't ask to be born,' he mumbled into his pillow. 'It wasn't my fault.'

***

Pavel was beginning to get bored with this investigation. He'd been called in for questioning as his fight with Cupcake was now common knowledge, but he'd just stared up at the IPF officers with wide eyes and pretended not to understand half of their questions.

It helped if they thought you were stupid.

He could tell it was all a formality anyway. They had to follow up on him as a potential lead but they didn't really think he had anything to do with it.

Besides, if they'd seriously thought that this was a student's quarrel then the IPF would have never been involved. They'd have left it to the police or to Starfleet. No they thought that this was bigger.

It was funny. In life Cupcake had been loud, brash and the least subtle person that Pavel had ever met. In death he had turned into an enigmatic mysterious figure. A shady criminal who had crossed the mob one too many times.

That suited Pavel just fine.

Now if he could just be allowed to go home.

The only bright spot was that Hikaru was stuck there as well. They were in this together now, weren't they? So surely there was nothing wrong in Pavel comparing a few notes with him?

Pavel frowned at himself in the mirror. 'Hi!' he said brightly. 'I just came to see how you vere doing? Iz so boring being stuck here. Um, do you vant to do something?'

He groaned. He sounded like such a dork. Hikaru was never going see him as anything more than a geeky, awkward child.

But there had been that moment they'd had, on the academy steps. Pavel put a hand to his lips and smiled.

You didn't do that to just anyone. Maybe Hikaru liked him too. Even if it was just a little bit, that was something.

Hikaru had taken out the rest of the Muffin Gang for Pavel as well. He didn't know why but he would have staked his life on it.

If that wasn't love, Pavel didn't know what was.

***

Robert Peterson, known to friends, family and the word in general as Bob, was a little worried about his room-mate.

Hikaru had not been himself for the last few days. Of course, they'd all been shook up by the murders and Hikaru had gotten into a fight with the victims a day before they'd been killed which had to freak out almost anybody but still...

It was so unlike Hikaru to get into a fight with anyone. He was the quiet type but once you got to know him the guy knew how to party. Everyone who met him liked him; no-one had a bad word to say about him. He was nice and amiable and could take a joke and give as good as he got and right now something about him was off.

He'd retired into his shell and spent most of his time staring at the walls or out the window. Maybe being called in for questioning had made him anxious but Bob didn't think that was it.

Hikaru was brooding over something. It was as if he was moping. And then this morning he'd gotten that voice-call on his PADD and Bob had never heard him sound so terrified in his life. Then he had gone back to bed and refused to come out.

'I'm a cadet and it's the holidays,' he'd said when Bob had pointed out it was past midday. 'I'm supposed to stay in bed until at least three. Leave me alone.'

Hikaru never slept in past eight. Not even when he was hung-over.

About one o' clock a hesitant knock came at the door. Bob was in the middle of trying to compose a poem to his girlfriend back home and was stuck on a good rhyme for 'hot and sexy,' so he ignored it hoping Hikaru would take the hint.

He didn't. The knocking grew louder.

'I'll just get that, shall I?' Bob said to the lump in the blankets. 'Seeing as you're so busy.'

'Your poetry sucks,' said the lump. Bob threw a hole-punch at it and grinned with satisfaction at the grunt of pain that ensued. Then he opened the door.

It was the little physics genius. Chekov. They all knew of the kid now even if they didn't know him. It was his fault that Hikaru was in this mess in the first place.

Not that Bob condoned the Muffin Gang’s ragging on the kid; Hikaru had just picked a very inconvenient time to play the hero.

The kid looked nervous and was fidgeting, clasping and unclasping his hands, twiddling his thumbs

'Yeah?' said Bob. 'If you're selling boy-scout cookies, we're all stocked up.'

It was meant to be a joke but the boy glared at him. The twitching had stopped. 'Is Hikaru zere?‘ he said, almost threateningly.

Bob was about to tell the kid to fuck off and that he'd caused enough trouble when Hikaru shoved him out of the way. He was only wearing pyjama bottoms and his hair was sticking up in all directions. His face was still bruised from his fight with Cupcake, combine that with how wild his eyes were and he looked positively primeval.

'You,' he said, rasping the words out. 'What are you doing here?'

The boy had tensed up as soon as Hikaru had come to the door and looked ready to bolt now.

'I – I just – I wanted – sorry, I did not mean to disturb you,' he stuttered. 'I shall go.'

'No wait,' said Hikaru and grabbed the boy's wrist as he started to move away. 'I didn't mean it like that. Come in.'

Hikaru pulled his chair away from his desk and motioned for the kid to sit down. The kid looked at Bob somewhat warily.

'Oh yeah,' said Hikaru. 'Pavel this is Bob, my roommate. Bob, Pavel.'

'Charmed, I'm sure,' said Bob. 'And how do you two know each other when you're not out fighting crime?'

Pavel looked confused. Hikaru scoffed. 'Don't mind him Pavel, he thinks he's funny.'

Pavel nodded and then turned his back on Bob. ‘Are you alright?’ he asked.

‘Never better.’

The boy looked sceptical. ‘You look like shit.’

Hikaru grinned and sat down on his bed. ‘Flattery will get you nowhere, kid.’

‘No? Iz shame. And here I vas sinking you vere the wain type. All ze time you spend on your hair must have thrown me off.’

‘And how do you know how much time I spend on my hair?’

‘Iz common sense. No-vun believes zat you get up in ze morning and your hair just falls into place,’ Pavel looked at Hikaru’s hair pointedly. ‘I am right, da?’

Hikaru ran a hand through his hair ruefully. ‘Guess I can’t get nothing past you, huh? What with you being a genius and all’

If Bob didn’t know better he would have sworn that Hikaru was flirting with the kid. Shit, how old was he? Fourteen? Fifteen?

‘Iz trufax’ said Pavel. ‘Also I have been stalking you for the past four months.’

Hikaru laughed at that, the first proper laugh that Bob had heard from him all week. ‘I told you flattery would get you nowhere.’

‘You cannot blame me for trying,’ said Pavel smiling faintly. ‘Um, Hikaru? Did they – uh –‘

Hikaru stopped laughing abruptly and held a hand up. ‘Do you want to get out of here? I could do with some fresh air. Been stuck here for what feels like forever.’

Bob would have pointed out that he had been trying all week to get Hikaru to go out but he got the idea that the two of them wanted to get rid of him.

‘I vould like zat wery much,’ said Pavel.

‘Great, give me five minutes to grab a shower and we’ll be out of here. You don’t mind waiting right? Just – uh, read something.’

Hikaru picked up a towel and some clothes and headed out to the dorm showers. The kid was definitely checking out his ass as he left.

‘You could do with a shave as well,’ yelled Bob at Hikaru’s back. Hikaru flipped him the bird.

‘So you never did tell me how you two know each other,’ Bob said to Pavel once Hikaru was out of earshot.

‘Oh, we don’t,’ said Pavel. ‘Not really. Just from here and zere.’

He didn’t seem to want to continue the conversation so Bob turned back to his poem and sighed. Why was it so hard to find a rhyme for love? There were only so many times you could use dove. There was glove, but that was rather hard to fit into the context.

‘You don’t know a rhyme for love, do you?’ he asked.

‘Shove,’ said Pavel distractedly. He’d picked up one of Hikaru’s mangas was flipping through it. Most of Hikaru’s stuff was Japanese so he was probably just looking at the pictures.

‘That’s not much help. How do I put that in a –‘

Pavel squeaked, did a double take at the page he was on and then slammed the manga shut, very red in the face.

‘Ah,’ said Bob. ‘And you thought he was such a good boy. Did you get that from the box under the desk?’

‘Yes,’ said Pavel, not looking at Bob.

‘Yeah, that’s his more porntastic stuff. The stuff on the shelf is clean.’

Hikaru chose that moment to come back in. He was still shirtless and his hair was dripping wet, the droplets sliding down his skin. The kid choked.

Bob turned away so they wouldn’t see him smirking. It looked like someone had a little crush.

‘Bob,’ said Hikaru warningly. ‘What have you been telling him?’

‘Why would you think I was telling him anything?’ said Bob. ‘If he looks freaked out it’s cos he found your porn. I keeping telling you, you shouldn’t leave that out. What if your Mom comes to visit unannounced.’

‘My what – oh God!’

Bob swivelled round in his desk chair just in time to see Hikaru picking up the manga and turning almost as red as Pavel. ‘Oh fuck, uh – this is –‘ he whirled on Bob, embarrassment changing to anger. ‘It isn’t porn, it’s art!’

‘It has naked ladies in it,’ said Bob. ‘And some naked dudes. Doing naked things. That’s porn.’

‘I am sorry,’ said Pavel sounding mortified. ‘I did not mean to read your porn-uh, art. You said I should read something so I thought –‘

‘Forget it,’ said Hikaru. ‘It didn’t happen.’

‘Was it the tentacle stuff?’ said Bob. ‘Cos if it was I don’t think he’ll forget it as long as he lives.’

‘Tentacle stuff?’

‘There is no tentacle stuff! I don’t have any tentacle stuff!’ said Hikaru. ‘Gah!’ He pulled on his regulation jacket directly over his chest – as freaked out as he was, a distinct look of disappointment crossed Pavel’s face. Bob guessed that meant he wasn’t put off.

‘Come on,’ said Hikaru to Pavel. ‘Let’s go.’

He glared at Bob before almost dragging the kid after him. Bob sniggered. Hikaru had it bad and if he thought that Bob was going to let him off for falling for someone who looked about twelve then he was stupider than he’d given him credit for.

***

Pavel was patient at first but Hikaru had been dragging him along for a while now and he was beginning to get anxious. Not that he would have minded if Hikaru did intend to spirit him away somewhere and have his wicked way with him but it was the principle of the thing.

‘Vhere are ve going?’

‘The Auditorium,’ said Hikaru through his teeth. He wouldn’t say anything else until they’d arrived and Hikaru had led him under the bleachers. They sat down on the floor, just like that time a week ago. Was it only a week? It felt like years.

Pavel rubbed his wrist and looked up at Hikaru accusingly. ‘Ow!’

‘Oh shit!’ Panic flitted across Hikaru’s face. ‘Did I hurt you?’

‘Only a little,’ said Pavel trying to suppress a smile. Hikaru was cute when he flustered. He resolved to try and fluster him more often.

‘Let me see!’ Hikaru scooted over and knelt next to him.

Pavel’s wrist didn’t really hurt but he let Hikaru look anyway and his hands were gentle this time. Pavel’s skin tingled as Hikaru ran his fingers over it, almost caressing. He couldn’t help whimpering softly. No-one had ever touched him like this before.

Hikaru hissed at the noise as if he was the one who’d been hurt and then he looked up at Pavel from his crouch on the floor. When their eyes met Pavel felt his face getting hotter and knew he was blushing. He hated himself for it.

‘It iz okay now,’ said Pavel, not trusting himself to speak louder than a whisper.

‘Is it?’ Hikaru whispered back. Without breaking eye contact he lifted Pavel’s wrist to his mouth and kissed it softly.

Pavel gasped. ‘What are you doing?’

‘I don’t know,’ said Hikaru. ‘Should I stop?’

‘No!’ said Pavel, a little too quickly. ‘No, please don’t stop.’

Hikaru kissed his wrist again and then licked a slow, wet stripe along it. Pavel bit down on his other palm and closed his eyes as Hikaru kissed him again. Slow, sucking open-mouthed kisses over his skin. Pavel had never considered his wrist as any place he’d want anyone to kiss but he had obviously been missing something.

Hikaru licked up his palm now, running his tongue over Pavel’s lifeline or was it his fateline? He didn’t care. He forgot about trying to stop making any noise when Hikaru drew his fingers into his mouth and began to suck on them one by one, pausing occasionally to lap at the skin in between them.

Pavel didn’t think he had ever been harder in his life. If Hikaru didn’t stop soon he was going to embarrass himself.

Pavel bit his lip. He groaned as Hikaru nipped at the heel of his palm and shuddered. ‘Stop,’ he said. ‘I – I – it’s too much.’

Hikaru looked up at him with glazed eyes and licked at the tip of his little finger lazily. ‘Sure?’

Pavel pulled his hand away and wiped it on his pants. He swallowed uneasily. ‘I thought you thought I was too young.’

Hikaru shook his head and ran a hand over his face. ‘Shit. You are, aren’t you? I don’t know what’s wrong with me.’

He moved closer to Pavel and took his hand. Pavel’s cock twitched hopefully. Pavel cursed it internally and told it to go away.

‘I’m sorry,’ Hikaru said. ‘I – fuck – you must think I’m a real pervert –what with the porn and – uh -that. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as if to steady himself.

‘I didn’t mind,’ said Pavel squeezing Hikaru’s hand reassuringly. ‘I liked it. Besides, I thought you said it vas art’

Hikaru chuckled somewhat shakily. His hand trembled slightly in Pavel’s grasp. ‘This is fucked up,’ he said. ‘I wish you were eighteen. I’d be all over you.’

Pavel beamed at him, ’Really?’

‘Don’t look so surprised. You have to know you’re freaking adorable.’

‘Really?’

Hikaru sighed. ‘You have no idea. So, you got called in for questioning?’

Pavel huffed but Hikaru hadn’t let go of his hand yet so that was something. ‘Yes. You also?’

‘Yeah, we’ve got nothing to hide really. A fight was a fight. No big deal, right?’

‘Da,’ said Pavel. ‘Iz what I tell zem,’ he smiled knowingly. ‘Cupcake was three times my size. How could I have killed him? Iz impossible.’

Hikaru grinned at him, ‘Who said anything about Cupcake? Maybe you were the one who took out the Muffin Gang.’

‘Can you see me in the bushes vith a – how you say?’ Pavel mimed aiming with a sling-shot. He had to let go of Hikaru’s hand to do it and something inside him twisted at the loss.

‘Catapult,’ said Hikaru. ‘And yeah, I can actually.’

‘Zey say no vun man could do such a thing,’ said Pavel. He reached for Hikaru’s hand again cautiously. ‘He vould have to be a super trained ninja person. You have zhese in Japan, yes?’

Hikaru threaded his fingers through Pavel’s. ‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘We have those in Japan.’

***

The sun had been shining when they’d gone into the Auditorium but now there wasn’t a trace of it. The clouds had gathered thick in the sky and the fog had descended upon them like a

Hikaru shuddered and pulled his jacket closer around him. ‘I’m never going to get used to the weather over here,’ he grumbled. ‘It’s psychotic!’

Pavel smiled. ‘Iz not so bad,’ he said. ‘At least zhere is alveys something to talk about.’

‘I have plenty of stuff of talk about without the weather pms-ing on me every thirty seconds.’

‘Vat is PMS?’

Hikaru stopped so that Pavel crashed into him. ‘OK, please tell me you’re joking?’

The boy rested his forehead on Hikaru’s back and laughed softly. ‘You are so easy to tease.’

Hikaru could feel the vibrations of Pavel's laughter tingling up his spine and they made his stomach clench and flutter (and a couple of flutters further down but he was not going to think about that, no he was not). He hadn’t felt this way over anyone in years.

‘You’re going to be bad for business,’ he said, more to himself than to Pavel. ‘I can tell.’

‘Vhat?’

‘Nothing.’ Hikaru turned around to look Pavel in the eye. ‘I guess you’re too young to have got caught up with the retro fad a few years ago. Late twentieth, early twenty-first century craze.’

Pavel snorted. ‘I remember zhat. Vere you wery much onto it?’

‘Into it. Uh- I dunno, I’m more an eighteenth century kinda guy.’ He felt a blush coming on under Pavel’s all too intense, blue-eyed stared. What was it about this kid?

‘Eighteenth? Oh, svords and samurai?’

Hikaru shrugged and looked away. ‘I know it’s dorky,’ he said. He didn’t know why that stung. He wanted Pavel to be impressed with him and it was as frustrating as hell.

Pavel reached up and pushed at Hikaru’s chin with two slightly trembling fingers until his face was turned back towards him. ‘I do not think it iz dorky,’ he said earnestly, looking deep into his eyes.

‘You’re just saying that,’ Hikaru tried to make it sound like a joke. Like the flirty banter they’d been engaging in ever since Pavel had walked into his room an hour ago – but his throat had gone dry and it came out barely above a whisper.

Pavel’s eyes were just so damn blue.

‘I vouldn’t lie to you,’ he said.

Hikaru lent down so that his lips were almost touching Pavel’s. The kid’s breathing was erratic now, short, jerky breaths. Why was he so young?

‘Tell me to stop,’ said Hikaru. ‘Please.’ Although, he wasn’t sure that he could stop if Pavel asked him to. All that he was sure of was that he had never wanted to kiss anyone more than he wanted to kiss Pavel Chekov at that moment.

‘No,’ said Pavel. His fingers slid from Hikaru’s chin to clutch at his jacket collar.

Oh he was going to burn in hell for this. (And for all the other things he’d done but this especially).

Hikaru brushed his lips against Pavel’s gently. The kid whimpered. If Hikaru’s mind had been in any way functioning he would have guessed this meant that the kid had never been kissed before.

‘Hikaru!’

Hikaru thrust away from Pavel violently and turned around. He knew that voice.

‘Dad?’ he asked incredulously. ‘What the fuck are you doing here?’

His father was wearing a suit. That was the first warning he had. Whenever Hikaru remembered his father wearing a suit it had always ended badly. The fact that he was accompanied by a couple more suit wearing men who looked extremely uncomfortable also seemed to suggest that happy, fun times were not at hand.

Hikaru was furious that they’d been able to sneak up on him and interrupt what should have been a – fuck, he didn’t know what that should have been.

His father looked at Pavel curiously. ‘Your room-mate told me I’d find you here,’ he said. ‘Robert, was it?’

‘What do you want?’ said Hikaru. ‘You wouldn’t be here unless you wanted something.’

The men had started murmuring to each other. They kept glancing between Hikaru and his father.

‘I suppose,’ said his father. ‘That it would be out of the question that I just wanted to see you?’

Hikaru folded his arms across his chest and said nothing. When he thought about it he knew exactly what this was about and he didn’t trust himself not to try and kill the man if he didn’t keep his arms pinned down.

His father turned to Pavel and gave him a friendly smile. ‘Hello, I’m Hikaru’s father. And you –‘

‘Don’t talk to him,’ snarled Hikaru. ‘Don’t even – just don’t.’

His father smirked. ‘Possessive. I’m just making conversation.’

Hikaru stepped past his father, took Pavel by the shoulders and turned him around to face the direction of the dorms. He leant down so he could talk into his ear.

‘Get out of here before things get ugly.’

‘But –‘

‘Just go, okay. I’ll come find you when it’s over.’

Pavel looked at him with those big, unearthly eyes. He looked hurt, as if Hikaru had just ripped his heart out. Hikaru considered that if he’d been denied his first kiss that had to be pretty fucking heartbreaking.

‘I promise,’ said Hikaru wishing he could sound more reassuring, wishing that it was a promise that he could keep. He gave Pavel a little push.

Pavel nodded and then ran. He didn’t look back, he just ran the way that he always did – like he was late or on a mission.

Hikaru swallowed and turned back to his father.

‘Well, what are you waiting for? Say it.’

His father sighed. ‘I would have called you,’ he said. ‘But when we last -‘

‘Just fucking get it over with!’

His father reached into his coat and took out his badge. His colleagues did the same, right on cue.

‘Hikaru Sulu, I am Commander Harold Sulu of the Intergalactic Police Force. You are required to come with us for questioning regarding the murders of Steven Hollister, Geoffrey Hopkins, Damien Saunders, Justin Di Maggio and Richard Smith-DeLaney.’

‘You never give up, do you?’ said Hikaru quietly. He’d been expecting this but it still hurt. He didn’t know why. He didn’t care about this man. He hated him.

He almost wished he hadn’t sent Pavel off. Maybe he wouldn’t feel so alone if there was someone around who acted as if they gave a damn about him.

***

When Pavel got to his room, his parents were waiting for him.

His mother’s eyes were red, like she had been crying. She was sitting on Pavel’s swivel chair. His father had a hand on her shoulder and was talking to her quietly in soothing tones. When Pavel opened the door his hand tightened to restrain her.

She threw it off and then flung her arms around Pavel. Pavel staggered. ‘Mama,’ he complained. ‘Get off.’

She cupped his face between her palms. ‘You stupid boy,’ she said. ‘What did you do? You promised. You promised.’

Pavel decided that lying would be pointless.

‘Please can we not talk here?’ he said, he took her wrists and pulled her hands away from himself.

‘You promised me,’ she said again. It was as if she thought that if she said it often enough she could turn it back. Perhaps she hoped he would deny it.

‘It wasn’t all me,’ he said. He could give her that concession at least. ‘I only –‘

‘The boy is right, Marta,’ said his father. ‘It is too risky to speak of such things here. And the old man will want to hear it first.’

He walked over to them and ruffled Pavel’s hair. ‘Besides, Pasha is not an idiot. I’m sure there was a good reason for whatever he had to do.’ He gave his curls a sharp tug and pushed his head in a motion that was too rough to be a caress but not quite hard enough to be a smack.

Pavel winced. ‘I think I should speak to grandfather first, yes?’

‘That’s what I said.’

Pavel let go of his mother’s hands. ‘He isn’t here, is he?’

His father scoffed. ‘Don’t be stupid. He would not come here. Not for this.’

Pavel shrugged, ‘There is nothing to be concerned about. I’m handling it.’

‘I can see that,’ his father was starting to get annoyed. ‘We’re leaving within the hour. Pack what you have to and then we shall go.’

‘Leaving?’ Pavel gasped. ‘I can’t leave! All leave was suspended because of the –‘

‘Your grandfather made a few calls,’ his mother said. She seemed to have deflated. The fight had just left her. ‘We have a pass for you. They said they did not need to question you again. They –‘ and here she either laughed or sobbed, Pavel couldn’t tell - ‘They said you about as likely to have anything to do with it as you were to be a mafia hitman.’

Pavel couldn’t help sniggering at that. His mother slapped him. ‘Do not laugh,’ she shouted. ‘It isn’t funny. It isn’t funny at all.’ Then she ran out of his room, he heard her heels clattering down the corridor.

His father smiled ruefully. ‘Women, they are emotional,’ he said. ‘We will wait in the car. Call me once you have packed and I shall have Boris bring your things down.’

‘I can’t just leave,’ protested Pavel. ‘It will look odd if I disappear.’

‘They are almost going to close down with their inquiries,’ his father said impatiently. ‘The students will be allowed to leave in a day or two.’

‘We are cadets not students,’ said Pavel. ‘I do not want to be thought of as privileged. I don’t fit in as it is!’ What would happen if Hikaru did come looking for him? He’d been so close, so close to getting what he wanted all year and if he had to leave now – Pavel could have cried, the situation was so horrible.

‘Stop being such an infant,’ his father said. ‘Either you pack what you want to keep in an hour, or you can sulk for an hour and leave everything. We have a flight to catch and I do not plan to waste any more time. Understand?’

‘Yes, sir,’ said Pavel gloomily as his father strode out.

Pavel knew that if he didn’t do as his father said he would just have Boris sling Pavel over his shoulder and carry him downstairs. Then he would have to quite probably kill himself out of embarrassment.

He began to throw his belongings into his suitcase not really caring what they were or how they fell. It wasn’t fair. Alright, last week he’d been prepared to wait three years for Hikaru but seeing as Hikaru didn’t seem to have meant it he couldn't bear waiting any longer. He’d been so fucking close.

He could leave a note. But he didn’t know what he would say. ‘Sorry I missed you. See you in the autumn.’ Would he even get to see Hikaru again? What if he changed his mind?

In that moment he hated everything about his family. And Hikaru’s family. Why did they all have to show up right now to cockblock him?

It wasn’t fair!

***

Captain Christopher Pike, like most of Starfleet, did not like it when the IPF decided to stick their nose into their business.

They had no respect for any sort of procedure, refused to maintain any sort of decorum and took a positive delight in undermining any sort of authority that Starfleet had.

‘I mean, no offense’ said Lieutenant Smith in a way that suggested he was going to say something offensive. ‘But you people aren’t exactly neutral. I mean Starfleet’s always protected its own. You’ve got a nice little gateway right out there to the highways of the universe. You can’t suggest that being infiltrated is completely out of the question.’

‘If you are suggesting that out security clearance protocols are lacking in anyway –‘ Captain Pike began, but the second agent, Lieutenant Commander Jones cut him off.

‘The fact is, Captain, that the victims were known to be dealing in drugs and the testimony of your Commander Spock suggests that he was involved in the Chocolate Trade –‘

‘Remind me what you mean by Chocolate Trade again,’ said Captain Pike, although it galled him to have to ask anything of them.

‘Substances that are harmless to one species but produce hallucinogenic or narcotic effects in others,’ said Smith. ‘Try to keep up, Captain.’

‘The term is not widely used outside the Force,’ said Jones. ‘Lieutenant Smith, you will remember to maintain a civil tongue. We’re working with Starfleet, not against it.’

Smith smiled insincerely. ‘No offense meant, Captain.’

Captain Pike scowled. ‘That be as it may gentlemen, however if the IPF is convinced that this is the work of some drug cartel then why are you interviewing a cadet that has already been questioned and cleared of all involvement?’

The agents looked uncomfortably at each other. ‘Commander Sulu has his suspicions,’ said Smith eventually.

‘Sulu?’ asked Pike. ‘Don’t tell me that’s just a co-incidence.’

Again with the uncertain, uncomfortable looks. ‘We’re supposed to be working together,’ said Pike. And we have the cadet’s history on file. We do a full security clearance that I assure you is impeccable so I can find out with a push of a button.’

Jones nodded. Smith rubbed his nose, ‘He’s his father,’ he said.

‘His father?’ They had to be kidding him. ‘Oh, and since when do the IPF use an investigation for a father to give his son a talking to? Or is this part of the custody agreement?’

‘He has a personal interest in the case,’ said Smith carefully.

‘You just said the boy was his son! Of course it’s personal!’

Jones cleared his throat. ‘It doesn’t sit with me well either sir, to tell you the truth. But Sulu’s an expert in the Chocolate Trade. He’s studied the Japanese Yakuza groups intensively. He would have headed up this investigation no matter what.’

‘And questioning his son is the best way to go about that?’

‘Well sir, some twenty years ago the Commander went under-cover. Nothing was ever proved but the family he was investigating – well, he considers them the one who got away. He got a little too close if you catch my drift.’

‘Meaning?’

‘He knocked up the fucker’s high-school aged daughter,’ sneered Smith. ‘All in the name of justice, of course. And that long haired emo-boy in the interrogation chamber is the biggest fuck-up that came out of a five year series of fuck-ups that those guys called Project Pantheon.’

***

Hikaru had been left waiting in the sparse interrogation chamber for over an hour now. It was very different to the way he’d been questioned earlier in the week.

Captain Pike, who was leading the investigation for Starfleet had seen him in his office and had been somewhat apologetic about the whole thing.

‘Your record is fine, son,’ he’d said reassuringly. ‘No-one’s accusing you of anything. We just have to ask. It seems to me that you just got very unlucky with your timing but take me through the events of the last couple of days.’

This time the room was empty except for a few uncomfortable chairs, a table and several cameras and recording equipment.

The walls were four giant view-screens set to one-way. They could see him, but all he could see was the room reflected in on itself. Reflections on reflections. There were a million mirror Hikarus surrounding him, looking back at him. They all looked upset and dizzy as sickened by the whole thing as he was.

‘I see you,’ he murmured. ‘Watching me watching you watching me watching you watching me –‘

He rambled on this way for about five minutes, hoping he was making whoever was watching uncomfortable before the door opened. His father and Captain Pike came in. Pike didn’t look happy but then he had always struck Hikaru as the decent sort. Not like his father.

‘Jesus,’ muttered Pike. ‘This is all very big brother. Is it absolutely necessary?’

‘It’s due procedure,’ his father said, taking the chair opposite Hikaru. ‘You did not have to be involved with this.’

His voice was clipped and it sounded like he was talking through his teeth. Hikaru suspected that he’d had words with Pike before they’d come in here. Maybe that’s why it had taken them so long to see him. After all, what sort of father immediately decides that his son is his prime suspect? A better question might be – what sort of officer doesn’t take themselves off such a case?

‘Well here we are again, Mr Sulu,’ said Captain Pike. ‘How about you start at the beginning, again?’

‘How about your partner just asks me if I did it? That’s what you think, isn’t it, Dad?’

His father winced. ‘Hikaru, this isn’t personal.’

‘I know,’ said Hikaru. ‘I’ve never been personal to you.’

‘Aren’t you a little old for teenage angst?’

Hikaru clenched his fists. ‘I already gave a statement,’ he said. This time he was the one talking through his teeth. ‘Don’t you do your background reading before you jump in with your accusations?’

‘I haven’t accused you of anything, yet.’

‘Commander Sulu,’ Captain Pike spoke up. ‘Perhaps it would be better if someone other than yourself conduct this interview. Mr Sulu appears to be becoming distressed, and you’re hardly a neutral party. If there isn’t a massive violation of the conflict of interest regulations going on here then I’ll hand in my badge.’

‘There are always exceptions to the rule, Captain,’ said Hikaru’s father. ‘Once you are better acquainted with the facts on this case, you’ll understand.’ He looked Hikaru in the eye and raised an eyebrow.

‘I’ve got all day here, son. Why don’t you –‘

‘Don’t call me that,’ hissed Hikaru. ‘I’m not your fucking son.’

‘Unfortunately you are. What do you know?’

‘I don’t know shit. I got into a fight, next day the fucker's dead. Bad fucking timing.’

‘We know the victims were involved in drugs, Hikaru. I –‘

‘I don’t know shit,’ Hikaru repeated. He was so angry now he could barely see straight. ‘You went chasing down a fucking snipe hunt twenty years ago and you still haven’t given up. You couldn’t prove that they were involved in anything!’

‘Just answer the –‘

‘Why do you think I’d know anything even if they were involved?’ Hikaru was ranting now but he couldn’t stop himself. ‘Whether I like it or not I am your son and no-one will ever let me forget it. All anyone ever sees when they look at me is you. You betrayed them and I’m still paying for it!’ He slammed his fist down on the table, ignoring how his hand started to throb.

Captain Pike looked mildly horrified. Hikaru would have felt sorry for him if he wasn’t beyond caring. Having your academy turned into an interrogation room into a family melodrama was probably no fun but Hikaru wished his problems were that simple.

His father looked at him unblinking, Hikaru’s own eyes glaring back at him.

‘If you knew anything, would you tell me?’

Hikaru didn’t bother to dignify that with an answer. ‘She was sixteen,’ he said. ‘How was it her fault she didn’t know what you were? How could she have known anything? But she-‘

‘The door slid open again and one of the other IPF agents walked in. Hikaru’s father looked up, ‘What is it, Jones?’ he asked impatiently. ‘We’re in the middle of an investigation here.’

‘Not any more you aren’t, sir,’ said Jones. ‘The cadet’s lawyer has just arrived.’ He held out his PADD. ‘No more questions.’

‘His lawyer?’ said Hikaru’s father jumping to his feet. ‘Since when do you have a lawyer.’

‘He’s always had one,’ came a deep cold voice from the doorway. ‘I would have thought that you, of all people, should know that.’

Oh shit! Hikaru thought. It’s him. He scrambled to his feet hurriedly as Keiichi Aoki entered the room.

For a second his father looked terrified, then it was gone and replaced by anger and disgust. ‘You’re his lawyer? You?’

Aoki smiled cruelly, a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. ‘I handle Hikaru’s legalities, yes. Although I must admit, until today he has not needed many legalities for me to handle.’

Captain Pike gaze flickered from Aoki to Hikaru to his father and then he threw his hands up. ‘I don’t know what’s going on here –‘

‘Allow me to explain then,’ said Aoki. ‘Commander Sulu here is obsessed with the idea that my family has criminal ties although no solid evidence was ever produced. Nothing was ever proven. It is obvious that he is using this terrible tragedy as an excuse to try to further his own cause. He will not even spare that unfortunate who happens to be his own son. Is that sufficient?’

Captain Pike blinked. ‘That was adequate, yes. Is this true?’ he asked Hikaru’s further. ‘Because I do not appreciate you using our facilities and wasting our time for some sort of personal vendetta.’

‘And I do not appreciate my time being wasted either,’ said Aoki. ‘So Captain –?’

‘Pike.’

‘Pike. Do you have any reason to hold my client?’

‘Well no –‘

‘He hasn’t been arrested, Keiichi,’ said Hikaru’s father. ‘I’m just asking him a few questions, that’s all.’

‘No wonder he is so at ease then,’ said Aoki. ‘If you wish to question him further I suggest you charge him with something. Until then, I bid you Good Day. Hikaru!’

‘Yes, sir?’

‘We’re leaving.’

Hikaru moved around the table trying to avoid any sort of contact with any of the officers or agents and left without looking at anyone. He followed his grandfather out of the room and along the corridors.’

‘How did you get here so fast?’ Hikaru asked. He’d probably pay for speaking out of place later but he had to know.

Aoki frowned. ‘I was already in the city, boy. I told you this.’

He hadn’t, not at all, but Hikaru just nodded. ‘Sorry Grandfather, I must have forgotten.’

‘It is fortunate that I decided to see for myself this academy of yours and discovered that you had been detained. I am surprised you did not think to call me.'

'Sorry,' said Hikaru. 'I wasn't thinking straight.'

'That does not surprise me,' said Aoki. 'That man is enough to drive anyone to distraction. What did you say to him?'

'Nothing important,' said Hikaru. 'Nothing that counts.'

They were outside now and his grandfather led his to the large black car waiting. 'Get in,' he said as a muscle bound footman opened the door. 'We fly tonight.'

'But -' Hikaru looked around nervously, ridiculously looking for an escape route. 'I – what about my stuff?'

'I will have someone collect it,' said Aoki. 'Get in.'

'Couldn't I just -'

'Hikaru!'

He felt like a chastised child but he did as he was told. He could feel a lump forming in his throat but swallowed it down. He stared at the blacked out window trying to compose himself.

He'd promised Pavel that he would see him when it was over. Admittedly, he didn't expect he'd be able to keep it but – but he wished he could have,. He knew what it was like to be disappointed by somebody you thought cared about you. He couldn't bare the thought of Pavel being disappointed in that way. Couldn't stand the thought of the light going out in those bright blue eyes. He'd only just met the kid. This was stupid. He didn't even know him.

'I'm sorry,' he said.

'Stop apologising,' Aoki snapped. It was only then that Hikaru realised he'd spoken aloud. 'Hikaru, the next time something like this happens, and now that your father is involved, believe me, it will happen again. I want you to come straight to me, do you understand?'

'Straight to you?' Hikaru asked sceptically. Aoki was not the most approachable of people.

'Yes, it wouldn't do to have you caught. I've invested a lot of time and effort into this set up and I do not want it to go to waste.'

Of course. And here Hikaru had almost thought that the old man had cared for a minute. 'Protecting your investment?' he said softly.

'Precisely,' said his grandfather. 'It's simply good business.'

***

Pavel sulked for three days before his grandfather deigned to see him.

He got the feeling that the old man was keeping him dangling on purpose. If he thought Pavel was going to see him all cowed and apologetic he was wrong.

'You took your time,' he said to the back of the armchair, once he was led into his grandfather's study. 'Don't you like me anymore?'

'Come round where I can see you. I am an old man, Pasha. Surely you do not expect me to stand up and greet you.'

'You are a lazy old man,' said Pavel. But he stepped over nonetheless. 'Well?' he said.

'You have grown taller.'

'That happens sometimes. They tell me it will happen every year until I am seventeen or eighteen.'

'None of your cheek, now.' The old man stood up, he was still taller than Pavel. 'You are not so big that I cannot whip you over my knee.'

'You can try,' said Pavel fighting the grin that was threatening to break through. Despite everything he had missed his Dedushka.

His grandfather smiled and patted his cheek. 'You have not changed, little one. It is good that you are home where you belong.'

'Why did you send me away then?' asked Pavel.

'Come now, if I had not how could you have gone to this academy of yours, hmm? To business first Pasha, and then we shall talk of more pleasant things. What is this I hear about you breaking your promise to me? Your poor mother is inconsolable.'

'I only killed one of them,' said Pavel. 'He was going to cut my face up. I got to him first. That's all.'

'All? Pasha, you've barely begun.'

'I was good,' said Pavel. 'All year I was good, even though he was always there taunting and making fun of me. One day I talked back and he was going to rearrange my face for me. What would you have had me do?'

'Your poor Mama, you have broken her heart.'

'Would she rather it be her heart or my face?'

The old man sighed. 'Pasha, you must learn that not every problem can be solved with violence. Sometimes you must use reason.'

'Sometimes there is no reasoning with people,' said Pavel. 'There is a time for everything, yes? A time to wait and a time to strike? I waited for a long time, Dedushka. Then the time for waiting was over and it was time to do something.'

The old man laughed, 'You have a lot to learn,' he said. 'But perhaps not as much as I thought.'

He sent Pavel away then, but that night Pavel found his guns on his pillow. It was like meeting old friends and he fell asleep with his finger curled around the trigger.

The next morning his grandfather joined them for breakfast. His mother tried to bring up the subject but the old man cut her off.

‘We will have no more of such talk,’ he said. ‘Boys will be boys, Marta.’

‘That’s right,’ she said shrilly. ‘He’s just a boy. This isn’t -’

‘I will have Pasha accompany me for the rest of his time here,’ said Dedushka. ‘It is time he learnt more of the business.’

His father frowned over his newspaper. ‘I had hoped that now Pasha is back he would be able to continue in his old duties. The Mashkov incident is-

‘That will take what? One day? Two? The rest of the time he will stay with me,’ he grinned at Pavel. ‘You will be my shadow, yes?’

Pavel grinned back. ‘It’ll be fun.’

‘Fun!’ his mother shouted standing up. ‘Fun? Do you hear him? Do you hear yourselves speak? He’s a boy. He should be thinking of football and popstars and girls, not – not this. I’d hoped when he went away that he could a child again but how can he when both of you are hell bent on turning him into a monster?’

She started to cry again and left the room sobbing. His grandfather scowled. ‘Andrei,’ he said warningly. ‘I thought you were going to speak to her.’

His father waved a hand dismissively. ‘She will understand in time.’

‘Perhaps you need to speak to her again. Somebody should.’

Neither man made any move to go after her. Pavel concentrated on his eggs, pointedly ignoring the way they were looking at him until it felt that their stares were literally burning into him.

‘Fine,’ he said. ‘Why must I do everyone’s dirty work? She didn’t call any of you a monster.’

He found her in her bedroom, sniffling over a photograph of himself when he was about three. It was a stupid photograph. He was reaching for whoever was behind the camera and his eyes looked huge in his head which was far too big for his body. His hair was a mess of long, tangled curls. He looked more like a little girl than a little boy he thought.

‘Mama?’ he said sitting next to her.

She turned away from him and held the photograph tighter.

He bumped her shoulder with his own. ‘I do not like football that much,’ he said. ‘Or girls,’ he added. ‘And popstars are stupid.’

‘Ballet and physics and boys then,’ she said thickly. ‘This is not the life I wanted for you.’

‘You should not have married Papa then,’ said Pavel impatiently and then sighed as another tear rolled down her cheek. ‘Do you want me to say no?’ he said. ‘I could say I want no more of it, that I just want to be a Starfleet Officer and explore new worlds. Papa would be angry but Dedushka would make it okay if I asked him.’

She looked at him sharply. ‘You think I will say no, is that it?’

Pavel shrugged,’ I don’t care. I am going to be a Starfleet officer, Mama. I am going back next year. Perhaps I will be a navigator. I want to see the stars.’

She shook her head. ‘If I ask you to refuse them, they will not be happy.’

‘When is Papa ever happy?’

‘They will make sure that you do what they want, one way or another,’ she said. ‘I would rather you not have to find out of the other ways.’

Pavel wondered what sort of things she had had to do. How many times they’d used their ‘other’ ways on her and what they were.

‘I am not afraid of them,’ he said. ‘In fact I think Papa is a little scared of me. He looks at me sometimes like he thinks I will bite him. Maybe I will bite him one day. Just to keep him on his toes.’

She laughed then, in spite of herself and stroked his hair back. ‘You are a monster,’ she said.

She took his face in her hands and kissed his forehead. ‘Go and tell them you have convinced me,’ she said. ‘Be your grandfather’s shadow and your father’s gun again. One more time.’

Pavel nodded and started to leave the room. He paused at the door. ‘One more time?’ he asked. ‘What do you plan to do?’

‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘But I will make sure that you see those stars of yours. One way or another.’

***

Hikaru was told to take two days to see his mother and then report back at his grandfather’s house. They’d sorted out a training program for him, he was told. Hikaru didn’t like the sound of that but he said nothing.

Two cars were waiting for them at the airport. ‘That one is for you,’ said Aoki. ‘Namikawa will drive you to your mother’s home and return to pick you up in two days time.’

Hikaru hesitated. ‘I don’t need a car,’ he said. He’d never been driven anywhere unless he was travelling with someone important.

‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ said Aoki. ‘You don’t know where the new house is.’

‘New house?’

‘The old apartment was very cramped,’ said Aoki. ‘Especially in her condition. I thought a larger one would suit her better.’ He got into the back of his own car and rolled down the window. ‘You have done very well this year, Hikaru. Much better than I thought. I do not hold this unfortunate incident against you. If I had known your father was involved,’ he shook his head. ‘You have done very well,’ he repeated.

‘Cut your hair before I see you again,’ Aoki ordered before he was driven away.

The house that Hikaru was driven to was not as ostentatious as Aoki’s but it was a house. It was in a quiet neighbourhood that even had a park where children were playing. Granted, it was a very small park. There was barely enough room for a swing set and a slide but it beat a tiny apartment over a shop on the noisy high street any day.

‘This is it?’ he said, not getting out of the car. ‘This can’t be right.’

‘Just enjoy it,’ said Namikawa, handing him a pass-card. He’d worked with the man once, he’d been the getaway driver on a job Hikaru had been sent on.

‘You obviously did something right,’ he said as Hikaru left the car. ‘Just remember,’ and now his voice changed slightly and took on a rehearsed quality. ‘What the Lord gives, the Lord can take away.’

Hikaru watched after the car as it moved away. A message from Aoki. How charming.

The pass-card worked like a charm. He could hear soft clinking coming from a room that turned out to be the kitchen, peeking in there was some sort of maid or cook washing dishes. No doubt she was also paid for by Aoki, all as a reward for how well Hikaru had been doing.

Namikawa's warning still rang in his ears. He felt like a little boy again, scared and helpless, wanting his mother.

This is what made him kneel down on the floor next to her chair when he did find her. She was staring out of the window, looking at nothing. He put his head in her lap.

'I'm home,' he murmured, voice muffled by her skirts. 'For now, at least.' This place, bought and paid for by his great-uncle felt nothing like home. Nothing ever felt like home. Starfleet came close, but even that was somewhere he didn't quite fit.

She rubbed his hair with the palm of her hand. 'Was it very terrible?' she asked.

She cupped his face and lifted it up so she could look at him. 'What have you done with your hair? Don't they have barbers in America any more?'

Hikaru tried not to flinch as the stub where her thumb should have been brushed against his face. His mother noticed his grimace and took her hand away.

'Sorry,' she said. 'I know you don't like that.'

He tried not to look at her hands. Everything he'd been through over the past week and the months and years before that, came down to them. He took her hands in his forcing himself to ignore the rising nausea that he still couldn't control when he touched them. Not even to this day.

'How long are you here for?' she asked.

'Two days. I don't know how long he wants me. He said I needed some training.'

Oh God, he was going to be sick. He knew he was gripping too hard on the one finger and thumb she had left on her left hand and the shapeless fingerless hunk that passed for her right. He could still hear her screaming, still smell the blood. No matter how hard he tried, whenever he touched her hands he was still five years old and trapped in that cellar, helpless and terrified.

She was watching his face and took her hands away gently. 'You should go and rest,' she said. 'You will know your room when you see it.'

He forced himself to walk and not run, hoping the bathroom was close by. He found that he had one attached to the room which he recognised as his. His posters on display. His swords and other assorted weaponry arranged neatly along with his baseball bat.

He didn't pause to admire the room, which was a lot bigger and airier than anything he'd ever had before but went straight into the bathroom and turned on the water taps hoping the sound would be enough to drown out the noise of his stomach voiding itself of its contents.

***

The two months of Summer were some of the busiest that Pavel had ever known.

He'd never appreciated just how much his grandfather actually did. How much any of his family did.

There was so much to do, so much to remember, so many people to meet, so many decisions to be made.

He was woken up at four thirty every morning and he was lucky if he got to bed at midnight. In between were tiring trips where he'd have to cover his father from across the street, his phaser rifle aimed just so, in case anybody tried anything. It was boring and exhausting – boring because there was nothing to do for hours but he always had to be alert, on his guard for anything that went wrong.

When he complained his father had him fitted with a ear-piece so he could hear what was going on. 'You might as well learn something,' Papa had said. 'Make sure you pay attention. There will be a quiz later.'

Pavel had gawked at him in dismay for five minutes before he realised the man was joking. The he refused to speak to him for the rest of the day.

Then there was the plan. Pavel had no intention of letting his mother do his dirty work for him.

He'd started to talk about Starfleet, not constantly, just dropping it into conversation every now and then.

'Exploring new worlds,' he mused one day. 'Just think of the potential. You could discover hundreds of new Star-Routes that are completely unknown. New civilisations just waiting to be corrupted. Whole species who would give their right arms for a little taste of – oh I don't know, table salt maybe.'

His grandfather raised his eyebrows. 'I did not think you were taking any courses that required you to go into Space,' he said.

'My professors think I would be very good at navigation,' said Pavel. 'I have been encouraged to switch. Of course there are research ships but they tend to only stick to one biosystem. For a real look at the universe you need to be on one of the exploratory vessels.'

After that cryptology was added to his schedule.

Pavel was so busy that he barely had time to think of the boy-with-the-scar at all. Except in those quiet moments, just before he fell asleep and just before he'd quite woken up when it was all he could do not to think of him.

It was the day before he was to fly back to San Francisco. He'd allowed himself to lie in, but he couldn't sleep any more. His thoughts fluttered over to Hikaru. He wondered what had happened to him, whether he'd even be back.

If he wasn't then Pavel would just die.

Would Hikaru care that Pavel had spent all summer manoeuvring his family so that he could return to Starfleet?

What if Hikaru didn't want him anymore? What if he was going out with someone else?

He entertained fantasies where Hikaru was a Starship pilot and Pavel was his navigator and how they would be a team and work together and afterwards they'd go back to their shared quarters and fuck until they fell asleep in each others arms.

Hey, he was fifteen. He didn't have very sophisticated fantasies.

But what if Hikaru had forgotten him?

'Come and find me when it's over,' he whispered to the dawn light streaking in through his window. 'You promised you would.'

***

Hikaru’s new training regime was brutal.

Swordsmanship, four hours a day and they were insistent he learn to use his left hand as well. ‘Learn to use the reflection of the sword to your advantage,’ said his master. ‘There isn’t much you can do with this if you’re up against someone with a phaser. But if you are smart you can turn their beams back on themselves.’

At least no-one had tried to teach him how to use his shuriken. There was nothing that anyone one of them could teach him that he didn’t know – that he hadn’t learnt himself.

Once Aoki had learnt that he was being put forward on the Advanced Pilot’s Program he had piloting lessons as well. Nothing more complicated than a four person shuttle but they wanted him to have an edge on the competition.

‘We want you in service as soon as possible,’ Aoki had said.

Espionage, ciphers, survival and scouting, poisons, explosives, endurance – oh god, endurance.

He’d always hated long distance running but it was thought to build up stamina so for an hour every afternoon he was forced to run laps around the local school’s athletic ground that they had commissioned for the Summer.

‘I don’t think,’ he panted at Kenji who was lounging in a deck chair under a parasol with what looked like iced bubble tea. ‘That I’ll have any need for this sort of thing in space.’

‘What if you get chased by a space-monster or an angry Klingon?’ asked Kenji. ‘You’ll be glad of this then. You have five minutes left, bro. That’s good for another two laps, at least.’

‘I hate you,’ said Hikaru, and upturned his cousin’s drink over his head.

He was handed a long lists of pass words and passcodes to memorise. ‘By the time you are able to start, you should be able to interpret and pass on a message to any of our operatives,’ said Aoki. ‘You might as well begin learning now.’

It was like a freaking new language.

He tried not to think of Pavel. The kid probably hated him for blowing him off. A couple of times he found himself rehearsing apologies and then felt stupid for doing so.

The kid was fucking jailbait.

Fuck. He hadn’t felt this way about anyone in – well, ever.

Either way, he couldn’t wait to get out of there and back to San Francisco. He missed Starfleet and his classes and friends. He even missed the crazy fog that was there one minute and gone the next.

If he did think of Pavel sometimes, with those too big eyes and ridiculous curls and those lips turned towards him begging for his first kiss, well who had to know?

The day before he was due to leave Kenji took him aside. ‘Grandfather wanted me to give you this,’ he said. ‘Sort of a good luck present.’

Another reward. Hikaru tried to look enthusiastic but it wasn’t easy. Not with that warning, which had never quite left him since he had heard it. What the Lord gives, the Lord can take away. It was just like Aoki to refer to himself as ‘the Lord’. Arrogant son-of-a-bitch.

Kenji handed him what looked like a sword-handle.

‘What is this?’

‘Twist it,’ said Kenji. ‘You’ll see.’

He twisted the top of it, which seemed a little loose and then there was a ripple of silver, a shimmering glimmer of light.

It was a sword, but unlike one he’d ever seen before. Other swords were just tools. This one seemed alive as it glittered and winked at him in the sunlight.

‘It’s custom made,’ said Kenji. ‘Grandfather had it built specially. Double edged and everything. It’s made of fucking titanium. That baby will reflect any phaser beam that’s thrown at it.’

Hikaru was only just listening. The past two months had been hell, but this more than made up for it.

‘You gonna say anything or just stand there with your mouth open?’ Kenji asked impatiently. ‘You don’t like it or something? Because believe me bro, I’d be more than happy to take it off your –‘

‘Shhh!’ said Hikaru. ‘Just shut up for minute, would you?’ He tested a few strokes experimentally. It sang as it cut thought the air. It was perfect.

Aw, fuck!’ groaned Kenji. ‘You’re gonna be one of those crazy fuckers who talk to their swords like they can understand them, aren’t you?’

Hikaru glared at him. Why did he have to ruin this moment. But then, Kenji was the closest thing he had for a brother so it kind of came with the territory. He stuck his tongue out, well aware of how childish he was being.

'Don’t mind him, baby,’ he said stroking down the blade of the sword. ‘He doesn’t understand our love.’

'Gah!’ said Kenji with mock exasperation. ‘Not that I want to be giving you advice on your love-life, but you’ve just met her.’

'We have a connection,’ said Hikaru getting into it. ‘The moment I saw her I knew. She’s the missing part of my soul!’

Kenji burst out laughing, ‘God Hikaru, you need to get laid!’

Hikaru grinned. He did miss Starfleet but maybe it wasn’t so bad here either. ‘Maybe you need to get laid, big brother. I’ve never had more tail in my life.’

Kenji slung an arm around his shoulder. ‘C’mon kid. Let’s get hammered. I’m buying.’

Hikaru retracted the sword reluctantly. Then he drew it out to take one last look. He didn’t know how he was supposed to fight anyone with it. It was so beautiful he wanted to lock it away and just look at it forever.

Kenji sighed in a long suffering manner. ‘If you name that thing I’m gonna disown you.’

Hikaru twisted the sword in the air, watching entranced as the sunlight reflected off it. It fit his palm perfectly, moved with his body as if it was made for him. It was gorgeous and deadly and he felt as if he’d been waiting his whole life for it.

It reminded him of the last time that he’d felt at peace. Of something – someone - else perfect and beautiful and deadly. He caressed the hilt lovingly.

'I know just what to call her,’ he murmured. ‘Lolita.'


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Notes:
Cut text from Run in the Family by Amanda Palmer

You're going to be bad for business. I can tell. Hikaru is quoting Moulin Rouge here.

IPF Operatives, Smith and Jones are named after the Men in Black.

Yeah, yeah. I know this part was as cheesy as fuck! But sometimes we need a little cheese, right? *crickets chirp*

*sigh* I'll try better next time. More Mayhem (and possibly Murder) coming up in Part VI.



Any sort of comment or critiques are even more ♥ than usual as I need all the encouragement as I can get to be able to finish this sucker.

Phew, this took forever. But I'm over the 10,000 word mark for NaNo. Only 4/5ths to go now!