"Nee-chan, wait up!"

The patter of feet on tiles echoed as two young women jogged down the hallways. Scientists who saw or heard them smiled, some calling out greetings, while others murmured amongst themselves. There wasn't a person who had worked here for more than a month who didn't know of "the Second-in-Chiefs' princesses".

One of them, a relatively short woman with Asiatic features, was trying to keep a tray of steaming food balanced as she hurried along. Ahead of her, more at ease with her own tray, was a mocha-skinned woman who was a couple inches shorter. It was this woman who turned around to grin teasingly at her self-proclaimed younger sister.

"You'll have to catch up~"

"B-but, nee-chan . . . !"

The mocha woman's laughter was cut short as she faced forward again and realized she was going to walk into someone. Her first thought was to at least save the food in her hands, and jerked away, losing her balance as she did so. The Asian woman saw this and hurried to help, causing the liquid in her food to slosh around. In her attempt to rectify it, she mis-dastepped, and felt herself topple . . .

"Whoops, careful there."

A strong arm s around her waist to break her fall, while another helped to keep her tray from falling. The woman blushed slightly as she felt the muscles in the arm that supported her tense to help her stand. Readjusting her grip on the tray, thankful that nothing had spilled, she took it and turned to bow to her saviour.

"A-arigatou . . ."

As she straightened, the woman dared a look up to her rescuer. He was a young man with ebony hair, his bangs parting a little off centre. His bottom lip was fuller than the top, and if she was considering it, would have though it would have made his pouts quite endearing. But right now, those lips were smiling as he drew back to give her personal space.

"That doesn't look like a group lunch," he remarked lightly.

"Oh . . . y-yes! It's for my father. Nee-chan and I . . . nee-chan!"

She gasped remembering the other. She turned to see if her companion was alright.

The mocha woman was actually quite fine, and in a similar situation to her Asian counterpart. Her saviour was a youth with locks bleached to the colour of toffee, and full, pouty lips that complimented his rather effeminate appearance. An earring glimmered from his lobe.

"Daijoubu?" he asked. His voice was soft, and lightly husky.

For once she was glad that her dark skin hid most of her blushes. But she couldn't stop staring as she nodded, nor keep the bashful stammer out of her voice.

"H-hai . . . anou . . . arigatou . . ."

"It's better to go somewhere with someone beside you to talk to, neh?"

Her blush deepened as she realized he was subtly chiding her for not letting her "little sister" catch up. The woman bowed her head to hide her embarrassment.

"Hai . . ."

"Good girl." There was a smile in his voice.

"Well, looks like your nee-chan's just fine," the dark-haired man next to the Asian woman smiled. "Your fathers are very lucky men, getting food served by daughters as lovely as you two." Still smiling, he beckoned to his male companion. "Come on. The others are probably waiting for us."

The effeminate male nodded, and turned to the mocha woman once more. "sureishimasu . . . sorry for running into you."

The two men waved as they left. Both girls continued to stare on until they had rounded a corner and gone. Another minute passed before they turned to each other.

"Newbies?" the Asian asked.

"Cute ones if they are," her mocha companion replied.


The two Second-in-Chiefs looked up from their work as they heard familiar voices at the door. Dmitri jumped up to answer, a big smile stretching over his face.

"Stasi! Aly!" he boomed, quite literally shoving the door open. "Stasi-chan, c'mere and give Daddy a hug!"

"Da~~ad," was the mocha's mock-exasperated answer. "Do you really want me to spill your lunch on you?"

Nonetheless, Anastasia craned up onto her tiptoes to plant a peck on her father's cheek. The last two decades had seen Dmitri Curtis change little. Though there was now a distinctive white streak in one part of the spiked-up bangs of his short sepia hair, and his waistline had seen some expansion, he was still as robust and large a man as he had been in his early-mid-twenties. His hazel eyes still sparkled with mirth, his smiles were still just as big and bright, and his laughter still shook the room.

"Oh, we wouldn't want that, would we, D?" chuckled the other man in the office. "Aly-chan, are you okay with that?"

"Hai, daijoubu! I can manage, Daddy," the Asian girl chirruped brightly.

She, too, gave her own father a kiss on his cheek as she set the tray down on an empty space on his desk. The years had been kind to Liu-Shen Feng as well. He was still as lanky as ever, though he now sported a bit of scruff on his chin, and glasses now gleamed before his pale eyes. He had gotten his abnormal eye and hair colouring from an experiment gone wrong as a teenager. Since then, his dark brown eyes and raven hair had both turned a rich pastel green. Even his roots had grown in that shade, though in recent years it had dulled to a more dusky hue. Liu-Shen liked to joke that it was because the "dye was running out", and then would add, "At least it'll hide the white hairs."

The two men had been friends since childhood, with Teiji as the third member of their group. Since they'd become fathers, however, Dmitri and Liu-Shen had become all the closer, and were now the best of friends. Anastasia and Aleyn carried on that legacy of their fathers' bond with each other, to a point that the two teenagers considered each other "sisters".

Dmitri's signature laugh rumbled out as he sat back down to the lunch his daughter had brought. "Ah, you're right as always, Liu," he grinned "Lunch is always better in my stomach than on my lab coat." Clapping his hands together, he rubbed them eagerly as he continued, "Let's see what my lovely Stasi-chan has made today!"

Liu-Shen laughed, a whispered echo compared to his best friend's. "I don't think you need any food, with all that energy. Mind lending me some?"

The big man's face contorted with dramatic horror. "Whatever do you mean!? Look at me, I'm skin an' bones! I could pass out right now!"

His exaggerated acting of that very action drew laughter from the daughters as well. Anastasia beamed at her father. This was what she loved about her dad. He may be forty-something, but his behaviour most of the time was as bad as any university class clown's. To her, Dmitri wasn't just a father; he was a best friend. She'd grown up with his thundering laughter and friendly strength and big warm hands.

"Oh~! Honey curry chicken!" her father's exclamation dragged her from her thoughts. "Ah . . . I'm the luckiest father alive. A beautiful daughter who can cook like a goddess . . ."

"Da~~ad~!" Anastasia complained, despite the massive grin that was on her face as she gave him a friendly punch on his arm. "C'mon, now you're just being embarrassing."

Liu-Shen smiled at the interaction, and turned to his own lunch. Aleyn felt a thrill of happiness run through her as her father's eyes lit up with delight.

"Fish hot pot," he murmured, voice betraying his joy.

Though Liu-Shen wasn't nearly as boisterously expressive about his love for his daughter, no one could deny that the feelings were blatantly and painfully obvious. Like Anastasia, Aleyn never really thought of her father as a father so much as an older brother or best friend. The scientists who knew them believed that the father-daughter pair had a psychic connection because of the way the two seemed to be able to communicate without words. Anastasia and Dmitri would be the same way too . . . if Dmitri didn't wear his heart on his sleeve whenever he was with his daughter.

"Tilapia with krill," Aleyn smiled. Just the way you like it.

This time the light that was in his eyes made it to his lips. "I've an angel for a daughter," he smiled. Truly I'm blessed.

The girl looked down at her feet, flushing pink.


After lunch, the two girls bid farewell first to their fathers then to each other as they went to their jobs. Anastasia and Aleyn knew little of life outside their immediate neighbourhood and the Tenyakuryou complex. They'd gone often as children with their fathers, but since they were ten the frequency had dwindled. Since Anastasia's fourteenth birthday the two could go out on their own, but they were restricted to the places they were allowed to go, and though they rarely saw them, both knew that they were constantly being watched.

"Stasi! Hey!" a familiar voice called out as the mocha woman stepped into the department section.

The "Curtis Division", as they liked to call themselves, worked directly under Dmitri. Liu-Shen has his own team, and both consisted of some of the world's most elite minds, the two Second-in-Chiefs among them. Anastasia smiled brightly and waved as she spotted the spiky sandy-blond head of Reever Wenhamm. Reever served as a team manager of sorts, heading most of the research done in the department in Dmitri's stead. He was a kind man who sported a well-kept chin-scruff not unlike Liu-Shen's and looked as if he wouldn't look out of place with a cigarette smoking lightly between his lips . . . that is, if Reever smoked in the first place.

"Hi Reever!" grinned Anastasia, and added as she spotted them, "Hey Tapp, Cash! Hi Jerry! Hey Johnny-kun~"

The puffy-haired youth with glasses so thick that they hid his eyes turned a delightful shade of pink as he returned her enthusiastic wave with a shy one. Johnny Gill was the newest and youngest member of Curtis Division, only three years older than Anastasia herself, and was still having trouble coming to terms with the mocha woman's identity. The others enjoyed teasing him for having a "crush" on her, especially when she was in hearing range. Today was no different.

"Johnny~" Jerry grinned slyly. Jerry Patel was Indian, a peculiar man with dyed lavender hair who was a genius in the kitchen as well as at work. "You better watch yourself~"

"Yeah, haven't we told you over and over what'll happen if Curtis-taichou catches you giving his precious hime-chan those looks?" Tapp added, while his sister Cash giggled. The Topps looked like twins, both with the same hairstyle and round portly tummy.

"This one guy, Jake?" Reever piped up, spinning one of his many ridiculous yarns again. "He tried making a move on Stasi. Curtis-taichou took him down to the labs . . ."

Reever didn't get to finish. Johnny had hurriedly finished whatever he'd been doing and scampered back to his desk, the hoots of his co-workers following him. Despite herself, Anastasia giggled slightly.

"Reever, hidoi~" she scolded him, thumping him on his side. "You really should stop picking on him. Jake left because his mom got really sick. Besides, your fresh meat routine is getting old."

"But he's the only fresh meat we have~" Jerry whined.

"Only?" Anastasia blinked, confused. "Then who were those two guys in the hallway?"

"Maybe they're Feng Division?" Cash suggested.

"Well, if they are newbies, they're certainly not ours," Reever agreed.

The mocha frowned slightly. "Hmmm . . ."


A trio of young scientists were discussing something near the door when Aleyn entered. Seeing them, she tiptoed up and tackled the tallest male from behind.

"Rikei-sempai~!"

The spiky-haired Rikei Lai gave a yell of surprise, which turned to good-natured chuckling as he realized whose arms it was around his waist. Reaching backwards, he tickled the petite girl's sides, using his arms to pin hers to his own sides so she couldn't escape. Aleyn shrieked with laughter and wiggled in a futile attempt to evade the evil fingers while Rikei's two friends, Lou-Fa Chen and Shifu Chong, chortled at the scene. The fun was interrupted by an angry voice.

"WILL YOU GUYS SHUT TH- . . . . oh."

A man with hair bleached blond had stormed out to alleviate the noise, only to stop when he realized who the source was. His face performed an amazing feat of colour change, going beet red as he turned away, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Oh . . . etto . . . I should've . . . realized it was you, Aly."

A young girl in purple with pinkish hair appeared behind him and watched with a devious smirk as his coworkers pounced on him like bees to honey.

"Oh~ What's this? Yelling at Feng-taichou's kawaii hime." Lou-Fa had pigtails and glasses, appearing to all the world the token meganekko of the division. "Maybe we should report this to him . . . ?"

"Na-!?" the blond rounded on the girl.

"Mmmm, don't think he'd be very happy with that," Rikei nodded, looking very thoughtful with his hand to his chin.

"What'd we report it as, though?" Shifu asked. He was a youth who looked like the stereotypical Chinese: squinted, slanted eyes, short black hair that was cut to rest flat against his head.

"'Baka Bak-chan's at it again'!!" Fou, the girl behind the blonde, declared as Shifu's answer.

"You . . . you guys . . ." Bak's face did another miraculous colour change, going from sheet white to deep red from anger. "GET BACK TO WORK!!"

Grinning to each other, the others ducked away. Bak Chan was almost like Anastasia's father, save that instead of Dmitri's spontaneous humour, Bak was prone to yelling fits and split-second mood swings. His temper was ridiculous, but it couldn't be denied that he was both an excellent team manager and a brilliant scientist. Fou was his testament, a fully independent AI that worked alongside everyone in the Feng Division like any normal human being. Her entire design, from her appearance to her wiring, had all been created by Bak.

"B-Bakkun . . . daijoubu," Aleyn said, stifling her chuckles to pat the man in a comforting manner. "They're just kidding. I'd tell Daddy the truth anyhow."

The blond blinked, once again caught off guard, before blushing and grumbling as he turned. "A-anou . . . well . . . j-just . . . Just get to work."

"Hai~" giggled Aleyn, saluting cutely.

Not to mention, Bak was actually a big, fat softie inside.

It was a few minutes before the Asian remembered her and Anatasia's little incident during lunch. Once she'd collected all the items and files the scientists needed or wanted put away, she returned to hand the ones needed to the people who'd requested them.

"Say, Rikei-sempai," she piped up as she transferred files onto the holo-panels in front of him, Lou-Fa, and Shifu. "Did we get any new scientists recently?"

"Newbies?" Rikei repeated, looking confused. He turned. "Lou-Fa?"

"Not that I've heard of," the woman replied.

"Maybe they're for another division," Shifu pointed out. "We aren't the only ones, you know."

"Mmmm . . . I guess you're right," Aleyn nodded.

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Glossary
 (I'm sure most of you know them, right? ^^)