Blast From The Past (Part 2)

Posted on Tue Nov 28th, 2023 @ 6:14am by Captain Taiga Aisaka & Captain Kagami Izumi & Captain Minori Kushieda & Lieutenant Commander Ryuuji Takasu

1,664 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Christmas Time
Location: San Fracisco 2378/9

[December 2378 - Starfleet Academy Cadets Common Room]

It had been two whole months since their encounter at the club. Taiga walked into the common room followed by Ryuuji. They were deep in conversation as the entered the large open common space. The room sported several comfy sofa's, tables and chairs, a replicator area and games for the cadets to play in their down time and between classes.

"Come on, that can't work like that!" Taiga said. "You need to make sure you've calibrated it correctly first..." Both of them stopped at the table where they would usually hang out. Minori and Kagami were already sitting there, both going over their lecture notes.

"Hey guys!" Minori said with a smile as they approached. "Hows it going?"

"Not too bad," Taiga said. Since that night out the four of them had grown closer as a little group. She had noticed that slowly Ryuuji had been building up his confidence and had been helping her as well. She would have never passed the last test if he hadn't of helped her.

"Say, Minorin. Do you have those notes on the last lecture on temporal mechanics?" Taiga asked as she slipped into a chair. She didn't necessarily need the notes, in fact she had her own. But she knew that Ryuuji needed them for his next class. She was hoping they could all share them and that put Minori and Ryuuji close together.

"Yeah, I do." She said as she pulled out a PADD from her bag and passed it to Taiga. "Cool, mind if we borrow this? Ryuuji needs help with it too."

Minori nodded as she looked up at Ryyuji. "Of course, anything I can do to help!" Taiga placed the PADD down on the table infront of the seat next to Minori. "Come on Ryuuji, lets look at this together..."

Ryuuji sat down next to Minori and picked up the PADD. He seemed to blush sitting so close to the red haired cadet. That was Taiga's cue as she stood up. "I'm going to get some drinks."

She made her way over to the replicators and began to tap in a basic order, a round of drinks for the four of them. However the replicator began to beep and was telling her that she didn't have access to the system. "Come on!" she cursed as she tried it again. She was met with more beeping and the replicator giving her errors. "Stupid replicator! Come on!"

"Need help?" Ryuuji asked. He had somehow appeared next to her.

"What are you doing here?!" Taiga asked. "You should be with Minori!"

"I saw you struggling. You need an Operations officer..." He smiled as he pushed her gently out of the way and began to tap at the replicator controls. "Oh, this one always has a few glitches. I have reported this before, but it seems low on the list of priority repairs." he sighed. Eventually he got the replicator to make the drinks.

Taiga sighed as she took the drinks. "That was your perfect time to get close to Minori!" she scolded him.

Meanwhile, Minori and Kagami were watching them arguing by the replicator. Kagami couldn't help but smile at their interaction. She leant a little closer to Minori. "Hey..." she whispered. "Do you see that?"

"Uh huh..." Minori said with a smirk. "It seems like they're getting along in their own way..."

Kagami nodded in response. "Aye it seems so. They're bickering is actually quite cute," she giggled. Minori raised an eyebrow as she watched them by the replicator before heading back over to the table. They seemed to bicker as they walked over carrying the drinks. As they grew closer she averted her gaze back to her work pretending like she didn't see anything.

[January 2379 - Starfleet Academy Grounds]

Taiga was sitting against a tree, her knee's pulled upto her chest as she sobbed. She had just been chewed out by Commander Koda for her sloppy work on the last assignment she had submitted. True she had done it at the last minute, she had been enjoying the holidays far too much over the festive season.

"Young lady. That is a prize tree that you're leaning against!" an old man said as he leant over her. She looked up to see the old groundskeeper, Boothby standing there in his gardening overall. "Something is on your mind clearly..." he said.

Taiga nodded. "I'm making a mess of everything." She sobbed. "I'm going to get kicked out I just know it..."

"Nonsense!" Boothby replied. "I've seen many good officers sit under this tree. Many of them have even made captain! Brush yourself off young lady and get on with it. You sound like you need some hard reality."

"What did you do this time Taiga?" A voice from behind Boothby said. The old man turned to see Ryuuji standing there, his arms crossed.

"Ryuuji..." she said looking up at him. "Commander Koda chewed me out again. I messed up big time..."

"Uh huh..." Ryuuji said. "And did you bother to ask me for help again?"

"I didn't want to bother any of you..."

Ryuuji sighed. "You know its ok to ask for help at times. We're all in this together after all."

"The young man's right you know." Boothby said. He turned to leave. He placed a hand on the shoulder of Ryuuji. "You seem like a capable lad. Look after her, she needs someone to guide her by the looks of things. I'm getting too old for this..." with that said he left them alone. Ryuuji nodded. "Yes sir!"

Ryuuji sat down next to Taiga and placed an arm around her and pulled her in. Taiga began to blush as the sudden embrace. "Don't worry Taiga. You did your best, but you know you could just ask me for help. We promised to help each other right?"

"Yeah..." Taiga sniffled. "Speaking of which. How are you with Minorin?"

"Well, she's a good friend. But I still don't know how to ask her out." Ryuuji replied with a sigh. He looked out into the distance as he held Taiga close and comforted her. "Right now, I have a friend who needs my attention. Don't worry about her."

Both of them weren't aware that over the other side of the grounds, Minori was watching from one of the upper floors of the academy. She couldn't help but smile as she saw them sitting together under the tree. She turned away from the window to go back to her assignments. The cogs in her mind was starting to turn as she worked out several plans. A smile emerged across her face as she came up with new ideas and strategies.

[February 3rd 2379 - Female Dorms]

It was late at night in the female forms. The assignment set by Commander Koda was due tomorrow morning. Many of the freshman cadets across the campus were doing last minute changes and working together to get their assignments finished or polished off to a good standard.

Taiga sat crossed legged in her pajama's across the table from Minori and Kagami as she looked over her work. It had been a difficult assignment and they had spent the majority of the late evening going over the finer details of their work.

"I hope I pass this..." Taiga said with a sigh as she placed the PADD down on the table.

"I'm sure you will. Didn't Ryuuji help you with your draft?" Minori asked curiously as she tapped away at her own PADD. She looked over at Taiga with curious eyes.

"Yeah, he did. He's actually very useful when it comes to that sort of stuff..." Taiga said. "He would make a great boyfriend to someone someday." She replied directing the statement at Minori.

Minori smiled in response. "Speaking of that. You two have become close haven't you?" she asked. "Do you like him?" She smirked mischeavously at Taiga.

"No. I don't thinkn of him like that!" Taiga said. "He's a good friend. But he's more suited for someone else."

"Why's that?" Minori asked. "Do you not like him?"

"Not in that way. True he's caring, selfless and goes out of his way to help others. But... well you know. I don't think I could ever be with someone like that. He's too good for me." Taiga replied quickly. She averted her gaze back down to her assignment, not realising she was blushing slightly.

"Uh huh...." Minori said as she continued to probe into Taiga. "I think the same. He is a nice guy. Maybe I should ask him out..."

"You ask him out?" Taiga said suddenly. She looked up directly at Minori. 'Wait, isn't this what I want? Why do I feel like she shouldn't be saying that?' she thought as she stared at Minori.

"Yeah, I mean he's a nice guy and all. This is the twenty fourth century, I believe that womena should have the same rights as men. Afterall, I should maybe ask him right?" Minori asked as she looked over at Kagami.

Kagami shrugged. "Maybe you should. I mean, what harm could it do?"

"I don't think you should ask him out!" Taiga interjected. 'Oh my god what am I saying?!' she thought to herself. "At least, not yet. We need to get the first year of the Academy out of the way first... I don't think it will be good idea to be... you know... distracted..."

"Oh, it sounds almost like you don't want me and him to be together. Do you want him Taiga?" Minori asked.

"No, thats not it at all!" Taiga snapped back. "You should totally ask him out. Just, I don't want it to take away his focus from his studies. He works really hard and he really wants to go far..."

Minori smirked as she turned back to her work.

To be continued...

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