Megumi flipped through her medical magazine. The article, which would fascinate her on a regular basis, didn't seem to catch her interest today. It had been incredibly slow at work.
She listlessly picked at her chicken salad before glancing around the galley to see other hospital employees enjoy their lunch hour.
"May I sit?" a voice spoke up.
Startled, Megumi looked up to see her father dressed in a khaki uniform. Colored ribbons adorned the left side above his breastpocket. "Yes, of course, Captain."
As he sat down, he shook his head. "You don't have to be too formal, Megumi. We're on break."
"Sorry...Father..." She looked down at her food.
Captain Ryuusei Takani shook his bottle of juice and studied his youngest and only daughter. "So how are you?"
"I'm fine," she responded automatically.
"That's good," he replied, removing the cap of his beverage. "How are your patients doing?"
"Well," she answered honestly. "Not too many came in today, so it's nice to know that they're taking care of themselves."
He took a sip from his juice before saying. "Have you given some thought to what I said?"
She blinked, looking up at him. "You mean... becoming part of the Medical Corps?"
"You'd make a fine asset to the Navy," he said bluntly.
"I've thought about it," she added hesitantly.
"And?" he prompted.
"I'm still thinking."
"I see." His tone indicated his displeasure.
"It sounds wonderful," Megumi quickly added. "I...I just don't know if I could become an officer. The training seems so...rigorous."
"If your brothers can do it, so can you," he replied.
Megumi said nothing. At her silence, her father sighed.
"I'm preparing a speech for this year's Navy ball...about the improvement of Navy life and medicine since I first started my service here," he suddenly spoke up. "I'd like you to attend...you'll find it enlightening. It might convince you to finally sign those papers and start a new life in the Medical Corps."
She smiled at him. "I'd like that."
"Who's escorting you?"
Her smile dropped. "I'm sorry?"
"Who's escorting you to the ball?" he asked before he began his meal.
She blinked. "Oh...No one...as of right now. I was thinking of asking a friend at work, though."
"Is he an officer?"
"Yes...Lieutenant Conners is a nice man who-" Megumi stopped at her father's expression.
"That boy barely graduated from college," her father suddenly said.
"I...I don't understand..."
"He didn't even graduate with honors. He averaged a B-/C+ in college. I'm amazed the Navy accepted him after graduation..."
"Well, the Navy needs physical therapists," Megumi reasoned.
"We also need more physicians," he said pointedly.
She laughed shortly. "But I work for the Navy. It's practically the same thing as signing my life to Uncle Sam for five years." She leaned forward, eager to change the subject. "I'm looking forward to your speech..."
"Ah, yes. Regarding the Navy ball...I'm sure we can find you a suitable escort," he continued. "There are plenty of good men out there...unlike that ruffian you dated years ago."
Megumi gasped. "Father, that's not fair! Sanosuke was a good man."
"He's enlisted personnel," her father said pointedly. "What kind of man would let his daughter throw her future away on someone like that?"
She sighed. "The Navy is made up of fine enlisted personnel..."
"True," he admitted. "But he didn't deserve you."
"Father, that's not fair," she repeated. "He-"
"Megumi, listen to me. What kind of father would I be if I let you be with...even marry someone like him? He wouldn't be able to take care of you. He'd be relying on you to take care of him," the captain stated. "Is that the life you wanted?"
Megumi blinked, forcing down the lump of emotion that welled inside of her. Even after all these years, it hurt. Not Sanosuke leaving. Although back then, that had hurt too. But the fact that deep down, she knew her father was right. What kind of life would they have had?
"I know you loved him," her father said in an uncharacteristically gentle manner. "But if he really loved you...he would have stayed. You were a resident working long hours...he knew what was going to happen if he got involved with you. You two wouldn't have had much time together." His jaw clenched. "When you came to my house after you two had an argument...it was always about the same thing. He couldn't handle being with a doctor. Instead of him complaining about how little time together you had, he should have cherished what you did have."
Megumi looked away. He was right, she hated to admit it, but he was right. In the end, Sanosuke issued a terrible ultimatum...him or her career. How was she supposed to react to that? And he had asked at the worst possible time...just when she was about to pull a 60-hr shift at the hospital. She hadn't been able to contact him and he had immediately requested a transfer out of Pearl Harbor. Last she heard from Kenshin Himura, Kaoru's husband and Sanosuke's best friend, he was in Norfolk, Virginia. They literally had the entire country separating them.
"Now, I hear Lieutenant Greenleaf is single and he has no escort..."
"Devin Greenleaf?" Megumi echoed. "But...he works in the Public Affairs office..."
"There's nothing wrong with that...he's in charge of keeping Pearl Harbor's relationship with the public strong. Civilian support is very important to the Navy's future..."
"He's basically a marketing guy," Megumi commented wryly. She brushed one of her long bangs away from her eyes. "That's all right, Father. I think I have someone in mind..."
"Not Conners?"
Megumi shook her head, giving him a reassuring smile. "No, not Conners."
Her father gave her a smile which crinkled the corners of his eyes. "Well, whomever he is, I'm sure he'll be just fine. I have to get going now, but I'll see you at dinner over the weekend." As he got to his feet, he dropped a kiss on her head...a very rare display of affection considering their location.
"Bye, Father..." She waited several minutes after he left before cleaning up and heading out of the galley.
Megumi blew out a breath as she headed to her department. Now she really had to be concerned. Her father making an appearance at the ball...meaning she had to be presentable as well. Maybe she could tolerate the lieutenant commander's company for one night. If what she knew about him was any indication about his thoughts on a personal life...he didn't have one. So she didn't have to worry about an interaction going beyond the Navy ball.
Aoshi glanced at his compass watch.
Ten p.m. Keoni Palaka, owner of Sunshine Scuba/Snorkeling, could be back any minute. Aoshi had stowed away on the boat in the early hours just before it had gone off the coast of Waikiki for its usual tour. Several hours ago, the boat had docked on Kauai, just a mile and a half walk from the pineapple plantation Palaka's uncle owned. Aoshi had found enough marijuana on the boat as evidence. It was packed tightly, less to transport, but it was a year's supply worth if sold on the streets of Honolulu. Question was... where did it go after it reached Kauai?
Now to see if the stash was being hidden on the plantation. The owner would probably be coming back to move the stash off the boat.
His eyes narrowed when he spotted headlights. A truck made its way down to the dock, and sure enough, the lanky form of Keoni Palaka came into view. From his position, Aoshi pressed himself against a wall on the deck of the small boat. Keoni would be going the opposite way towards one of the storerooms that was off limits for tourists. Aoshi had already been in there while Keoni spent dinner with his uncle.
He had radioed Lt. Williams to let her know what he had found. He'd radio her again to let her know when he got onto the plantation.
As soon as Keoni disappeared onto the boat, Aoshi quickly got off the boat to hide in some tropical shrubbery near the parked truck. Judging by the amount in the storeroom, Keoni would be making two trips.
It didn't take long for Keoni to come back, his arms wrapped around a few packages. Aoshi took several pictures using his nighttime camera. Keoni shoved the packages into the passenger side of the truck before heading back to the boat. Aoshi then jumped in the back cab of the truck, hiding under a large blue tarp that was stowed in the back.
Within several minutes, the truck was pulling away from the dock. Aoshi used the stars above as a compass, and deduced that they were heading northeast.
The trip was short. Keoni cut the engine and Aoshi heard a door open and slam before the sound of footsteps walking away.
Aoshi quickly and quietly jumped off the back and hid behind several palm trees. The area was lined with several pineapple patches. A large shed stood twenty feet away from the truck. It took a while, but Keoni emerged from the shed to make one last trip to the truck. Aoshi used his camera again.
He dug into his bag to pull out a pair of binoculars, seeing a small house in the distance over the flat stretch of land. Glancing at his compass watch again, he surmised that the shed was about two miles west of the house.
The sound of the truck engine entered the night and Aoshi kept low as the truck pulled away.
When it was gone from view, he reached into his bag to pull out a safety/survival stick, pulled it out of its casing, and cracked it, causing the tube to glow neon green. Aoshi unwound the string wrapping the stick's base and hung the stick around his neck. He quickly picked the lock of the shed and entered. The shed mostly stored old farming equipment. He removed the stick from his neck and used it as a flashlight, surveying the area. It looked as if the shed was used a lot, the equipment looked heavily used yet free from rust...so the packages wouldn't be stored out in the open.
His sharp eyes looked carefully at every wall, every part of the floor...for some indication of where the packages were kept. Crouching, his eyes looked closely at the floor as he passed the light source over it. Frowning, he rapped his knuckles on the wooden slats beneath him. Nothing. He tried again...on a space a foot away. Nothing. Two feet away.
Echo. Aoshi used a lever in his bag to pull the wooden slat out. It was connected by a series of rope to other slats so it could neatly be shoved aside to reveal a secret storage area beneath the shed.
Target acquired.
Aoshi pulled the small radio strapped to his hip. "Tiger, this is Iceman." He hated that codename. One of his team members for this mission came up with it because Top Gun had been his favorite movie. Then the crew decided that the call sign for one of the characters in Top Gun fit their commanding officer. Aoshi should take it as a compliment, after all, Iceman in Top Gun was cool and collected in dangerous situations...he rarely made mistakes. Very much like himself.
Lt. Williams voice echoed back. "Iceman, what's up?"
"Meet me at ten after."
It had been their code to meet at eleven p.m. on the western side of Kauai, the rendezvous point. The walk would take him about half a day.
"Sure thing," she responded.
"Translate the following..." Misao read aloud. "Man, this sucks..."
"How can it suck? It's easy for you!" Stella wailed.
"Whoever made it law for all students to take Japanese as a graduation requirement needs to get socked," Danielle complained.
Misao grinned as she pencilled in her answers. That was the advantage to living on an island with so many Japanese inhabitants. Like Southern California high school students were required to study Spanish, Hawaiian students were required to study Japanese. Not that it was hard for her. She was of Japanese descent, like Aoshi, so they had been learning to read, write, and speak Japanese since childhood.
"It sucks because since I know it so well, the teacher gives me more work!" Misao exclaimed.
Danielle reached for a chocolate chip cookie on the counter where the three girls were doing their homework. "Oh yeah, thanks for inviting us over, Misao..."
"No problem."
"Where's Aoshi?" Stella asked.
"He's working," Misao answered.
"Oh." Danielle put her pencil to her lips thoughtfully. "I know you said he works for the Navy, but what does he do?"
Misao hesitated. "Well..."
"You have to kill us if you tell us, right?"
Misao laughed. "Not exactly. He basically makes sure that Navy personnel aren't doing anything illegal. Or that nothing illegal is being done on Navy property." Boy, was that ever a cliff noted version of what Aoshi did...
"So...he's like internal affairs or something?" Stella asked.
Misao nodded. "Yup."
Suddenly, the phone rang.
"That's weird, who the heck could that be?" Misao murmured. She picked up the cordless phone. "Hello?"
"Misao?"
"Um...yeah?"
"Hi, it's Dr. Takani."
"Hi," Misao responded automatically. Was something wrong? She had her last physical done a couple months ago, so why...? Aoshi, maybe? No! Dr. Takani was a general practitioner...she dealt with mostly healthy patients, not those in critical or serious condition. But Dr. Takani had interned under most of the physicians at Pearl Harbor Medical Center...and she was her primary physician. If something happened to Aoshi, maybe they thought it'd be best to hear from her. "Is...Is anything wrong?" she asked, trying to ignore the tremor in her voice.
"No, I just wanted to know if I could speak with Commander Shinomori," Megumi responded.
Whew. So that meant he was okay. Misao frowned at Megumi's formal reference to him. "Um...he's at work."
"Do you know when he'll be back?"
"I...I can't say," Misao responded.
"Oh." Megumi was quiet for a moment. "That's understandable. I'll just call back when-"
"Did you want to leave a message?"
"Well..." the female doctor sighed. "I...Oh, this is so silly...But...when...when he gets back from work...could you tell him to call me back?"
"Oh. Okay." Misao reached for a dry erase marker to write on the white board posted on the fridge. She then said goodbye and hung up once she had the number written.
"Who was that?" Stella asked.
"My doctor," Misao responded. "It's weird...she wanted to talk to Aoshi..."
"Why not?" Danielle replied cheekily. "I would. But I'm too young."
Shaking her head, Misao added, "But she hates him. Aoshi asked her to the Navy ball not too long ago, she turned him down flat."
"Are you sure? Maybe she secretly likes him," Stella added.
"I don't think so," Misao hedged.
"Does he like her?"
"I don't know," Misao shrugged. "Even if he did, Aoshi doesn't get into relationships. They don't last very long. No woman can stand what he does..."
"They're idiots," Danielle retorted, grinning at Stella's laugh.
"Good to see you're on time, Lieutenant," Aoshi spoke over the sound of the small helicopter's whirring blades.
"Wouldn't want to be late at all, sir," Lt. Williams responded, as she and the pilot saluted the senior officer.
Aoshi placed his headset on as the chopper moved away from the island. "How were things while I was gone?"
"Very quiet," Lt. Williams answered honestly. "When we get back to base, there are a couple things I need to show you...regarding the pineapple plantation..."
"Good," he replied. This had turned out to be a good week.
Hearing that Misao passed her quiz would make it even better. His lips turned up in a brief smile. Considering she had a tendency to leave her books, planner and homework out before she went to bed every night...he knew exactly what was happening when it came to her academics.
"There have been several reports of another boat docking on Kauai..." Lt. Williams handed him a file folder once they got back to Pearl Harbor. "We have reason to believe that he is transporting the goods you found..."
Aoshi examined the photograph of a man in his early thirties. It was dark at headquarters, but he and Lt. Williams had no problem getting inside the building. His office was the only one brightly lit. The hallways and cubicles were all dim to conserve energy.
"Our sources say that he's a longtime friend of Palaka's uncle...he visits once every two weeks just to say hi..."
He skimmed the profile of their target before casting a speculative glance at his junior officer. "How do you feel about field work, Lieutenant?"
"I'm sorry?" she blinked.
"Field work," he repeated.
"Oh...Whatever helps the mission, sir," she responded.
"According to this, Eddie Mamo has a habit of being in the company of a different woman every other day...Put you in a dress or a swimsuit, and I think you could attract his attention quite nicely," Aoshi commented smoothly.
Her eyes rounded with shock. "But..." she stammered. "Of all the-"
Aoshi held up his hand to silence her. "Don't misunderstand me, Lieutenant...I think you would be able to find out what's going on with Mamo faster than I could."
"I wasn't thinking anything of the sort, sir," she emphasized the last word, whirling around, crossing her arms over her chest. "But...pretending to be interested in him...just to get on his boat?"
"You said 'Whatever helps the mission'," he pointed out.
She felt her cheeks flush. Good thing her commanding officer couldn't see her expression. "True...but...I refuse to be a bimbo just to find out what's going on..."
"I never said you had to act like that," he said coolly.
She sighed while he waited for her answer.
"Theresa," he spoke quietly. "This is the first time I'm asking someone to do the job, because I can't. Don't make me ask again."
She blew out a breath. When he addressed her as his equal, how could she argue?
