She HATED being bored.
With a sigh, she waddled around to deliver drinks, figuring she could at least pass the time chatting with the patrons that made comments about how radiant she looked, and oh! He's a big baby! Yes, yes, she knows her son is going to be a big baby, but she sure as hell didn't feel radiant with how her body looked currently. Of course Idri would tell her she looked beautiful, even after she cried and told him this was all his fault in the first place, and she wanted to go take starseeds! Go beat up senshi! But noooooooooooooo, she just HAD to get pregnant!
Granted, Noa knew Idri was trying his best and she loved him for it, the hormones were just a b***h to work with sometimes. Maybe she could try to give him an apology message when she gets home. She did find herself looking for a certain tall co-worker of hers, wanting to check up and check in to see how she was doing.
The Encore was a classy place. Sleek, elegant, and classily hiding a wide scale draining operation. Sakura had warned Akito, after the first time he had dropped by, and he had been careful since. Even so, he still dropped by on a regular basis to visit his sister. Especially with how rough things had been for her. Sakura had vanished off the face of the practically for a week in the wake of her breakup, and he certainly wasn't going to let that happen again. He had seen her go through this before, but worse, oh so much worse, so he knew the signs of her lying through her teeth about being fine, knew what to look for if she wasn't taking care of herself, knew how to read the way she wouldn't meet his eyes when asked if she had eaten.
Running a hand through his messy pink hair, Akito made his way to the bar, teal eyes scanning around for Sakura and frowning when he didn't see her. He knew he looked out of place in such a nice establishment, in ripped jeans, a t shirt, and a multitude of piercings, but he hadn't intended to stay. Now, it seemed, he would actually have to talk to someone.
His eyes landed on a woman making her way over, and he gave her a charming smile. “So sorry to be a bother, but have you seen Sakura Gojo today by any chance?” He smiled at the woman, practically towering over her at his 6’2” height. He hoped he didn't unnerve her, belatedly noticing she was pregnant and hoping she wouldn't be jumpy about a strange guy talking to her who clearly didn't look to belong there
“Huh?”
Noa blinked then turned around, pointing to herself, as if to ask if he was talking to her. Well, duh Noa….Giving the man a smile, Noa shook her head, “Not yet. Ive been looking for her myself. Maybe we could wait for her together? Did you want a drink?” She didn't see a pin on him so that meant he was a potential energy well. The height was something she was used to given the fact that Idri is 6’4 or 5ish. She was already making her way over to the bar to see if she could give the pink-haired young man something. However, she did feel a bit bad since it seemed like he was a friend of Sakura…Okay so skip out on the energy draining cup and get a regular one, got it.
Turning to face the man Noa asked, “What would you like?”
Shaking his head politely, Akito smiled and declined. “Thank you but I'll be fine. I just ….wanted to make sure she hasn't vanished off again. Took me long enough to find her the first time, then she vanished and stopped answering her phone for a week recently. I just wanna make sure she's okay.”
As he spoke of Sakura, his smile was warm and fond. It was clear he cared for the woman, beyond a shadow of a doubt. “I'm Akito, by the way. Akito Takahashi.” He tried not to let his worry show when the woman said she hadn't seen his sister, but his brow creased all the same.
Oh! That would make sense. She would be worried too if Sak disappeared and didn't contact her. They were still getting to know eachother but Noa felt like it wouldn't be too long before they became good friends. “Nice to meet you Akito. My name is Naoko or Noa for short, last name is Sugimoto.” She had to ask her mother why she gave them her father’s name and not hers. But then again Naoko Claire Thomas just didn't ring like it did with Sugimoto. “Why don't you have a set instead? I'm sure she will be here soon.” After putting the cup away, Noa waddled her way over to an empty table, sitting down and crossing her legs at the ankle.
She missed being able to cross her legs at the thigh…Well once she births her little parasyte [said with love of course] then she could work on getting back to it.
Giving her a nod and a small smile, Aki nodded and sat across from her. “Sugimoto huh? Japanese?” He tilted his head, now grinning at her. Sakura hadn't mentioned she had a coworker who was Japanese. Not that she really talked much about her job to begin with. “Me and Sakura grew up there together. It's ……complicated to talk about though.” He wasn't sure if this woman was playing for the powered side of things, or just a civ who worked there, so he opted for caution with how he spoke.
It wasn't too much longer before a very out of breath Sakura showed herself. Hurrying over to the table where her brother and coworker were, she rested her hands on the top of the table and leaned on it, attempting to remember how to breathe.
“Noa, I am so, so sorry for being late! I was working on a design last night til late and fell asleep on my couch. I'm so incredibly sorry!!” She shot Akito a look, scowling at him before turning back to Noa. “Please tell me he hasn't been bothering you or said anything particularly stupid?”
“Yes! Half Japanese to be exact. On my father’s side.” Oh…She did remember her coworker saying something about growing up in Japan, which made her curious about what his relation is to her. Instead of asking, Noa jumped when Sak appeared, giving her a friendly smile while she laughed. “Nonono not at all! He only said that you two grew up together which is pretty cool!” She was intrigued. “Why are you apologizing? Apparently you needed sleep~”
Sakura groaned and gave the man another scowl. “Noa, this is Akito. My….brother of sorts. Only someone as stupid as he is would follow me through corruption and memory loss, just to hunt me down and harass me more.” She sighed and ran a hand through her hair as she plopped down with the two of them.
Akito grinned broadly. “Guilty as charged. Her face may look different and her name may have changed, but that shitty attitude and temper is still fully my sister~.” He pointedly ignored another nasty scowl and smiled vibrantly at Noa.
Sakura covered her face in her hands and groaned. “He's thankfully not a member of our team. Someone named Fafnir brought him into the fold. Because somebody has no sense of self preservation, it seems, and talks to any pretty boy he meets, including ones who are noticeably senshi.” It was clear that this boy was one of the new stressors in her life, but also clear that she very much cared for him.
Akito sighed dramatically, placing one hand over his heart and the back of his other hand on his forehead. “Am I so wrong for wanting to see if magical d**k is better than non magical d**k? Or just wanting to chat up cute boys in general? Oh Sakura, you wound me!” He winked at Noa, grinning cheekily. “Seriously though, it took me the better part of a year to get any sort of lead on Sakura. I'm just lucky she didn't change her other name, just her civilian one. Otherwise I might still be looking.”
Oh wow…This was entertaining!
Noa watched with an amused look on her face while the two siblings went back and forth. “I can confirm that magical d**k is totally better than non magical.” looking at Akito, “Get yourself a chaos agent ... .GOD they are just sublime.” She fanned herself dramatically, “Just make sure they are same sex or be smart otherwise you’ll be in my situation.” She poked teasingly at her belly, “But hey! That magical d**k is still around so I'm not complaining in the slightest.” She looked at Sak, “I'm glad you two found each other! God I would be devastated if I couldn't find my little brother for a year.” Ryu is her world and she wouldn't trade the kid for anything.
The grin on Akito's face was unrepentant. “With all due respect, the opposite sex isn't exactly my type.” He ignored the snort from his sister. “Fafnir, the guy who brought me into things, is drop dead gorgeous though and I've been trying to think of ways to….not ask him in a date, but y'know?”
Sakura sighed heavily. “Aki. I love and adore you but no. Absolutely not. There are, in fact, places you don't need to find yourself in.” She remembered, vaguely, hearing Fafnir’s name when she had gone with Chalcanthite to retrieve one of Faustite's boys that had been kidnapped. Anyone who was wrapped up with Faustite would be a headache for her later, should her brother get involved.
“Regardless…….I can also confirm magical d**k is amazing.” Her cheeks colored slightly and she averted her eyes, thinking of her ex as well as the man she was currently batting her lashes at off the clock. She knew damn well that Akito was raising a brow at her, didn't have to look at him to know that.
Fafnir? She hasn't heard of this person…Maybe she should try to get out more after she has her baby to make friends. “Why not just ask him straight up? Seriously just ask him if he wants to ********?” She had a feeling that most chaos people [she has no clue about order] are quite the horny crowd. She was only going off of herself and her partner, but that didn't mean they were the only ones screwing in the park, or on a rooftop, during patrol. “Wait, why not Sak?” Was there something wrong with the senshi? Red flags do exist everywhere, and she wouldn't be surprised if this Fafnir senshi was one of them.
She snickered when Sak did confirm that magical d**k was indeed amazing. “See? Two seals of approval. Clearly this means you should go get yourself some magical d**k.”
“Not that I know anything much, but I know he's got something to do with Faustite. And that's a headache I don't need to hear about.” Not that she had anything against the fiery mess of a General King that was Faustite. She had shared a meal with him and spoken to him a few times. But she had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her getting wrapped up with someone close to him might be trouble. “Look, if you wanna get wrapped up with him, fine. But my couch is not going to be where you camp yourself to cry your eyes out, Aki.”
Shaking his head, Akito smiled fondly at his sister. Even after everything, she still definitely cared about him. “I'll keep that in mind and tread carefully then.” He grinned as he turned his attention back to Noa. “I like you. You'll be good for Sakura to hang around more. She needs to lighten up and have fun more often.” He ignored the muttered insults coming from the woman beside him, still smiling without a care in the world.
She’s heard of Faustite in passing but has never met the general…BUT, Waru is his husband so maybe she could ask him for more information later. Oh! She does need to text him later to see if he wanted to hang out and go clothes shopping with her. “It's okay to live dangerously but I would keep the fee fees close just in case. No need to cry over a potential ******** buddy or ******** toy in my oppinion~” When Aki said that he thought she would be good for Sakura, Noa practically beamed, “Brother seal of approval. Clearly this means you’re stuck with me now Sak~” If she wanted to be stuck with her of course. She was not the type of person to force herself onto someone.
“Mm. Speaking of dangerously. Did I tell you about the hot guy I went for drinks with?” Sakuras eyes had a glimmer of excitement in them, completely ignoring Akito for a moment. “Because god. He has ‘bad idea’ written all over him but my god he's gorgeous. I'll have to tell you about him later, Noa. When I don't have a second shadow.” She glanced pointedly at her brother before grinning at her friend. “Hey. Is it really being stuck if it's willing and happy?” She definitely enjoyed the budding friendship.
Akito sighed dramatically once again. “Fiiiiiiiine. I see how it is. Drop a gem like that and then gatekeep the info. I absolutely expect to hear about mister gorgeous later though.” He turned his brilliant smile to Noa once again. “It really was lovely meeting you. I look forward to talking with you again soon. Maybe even without Sakura, so I can tell you allllll the embarrassing childhood stories of her too~.” He laughed and quickly stood, moving out of range as Sakura swiped at him, laughing as he waved over his shoulder and took his leave.
Lena Roze
