uchuhime - Tumblr blog

[uchuhime]

     When he asked the question, she stared at him for a long moment before smiling the slightest. There certainly couldn't be too much harm in telling him a tiny bit. "Well, I am to meet someone in Kawasaki City. Although, as to who or why, I can't tell you!" She moved a finger to her lips, grinning happily. "It's a secret!"

     She landed calmly on the floor, looking at her newly obtained trinket and then back to him. "Is this interrogation over now?" she asked him, tilting her head to the slightest. "If you think I'm going to hurt someone, I can tell you I'm not. Sorry if I caused any trouble." Tama looked back at the item he allowed her to keep, moving her fingers along the prongs. "What is this called?"

Sugane opens his mouth to say that Tama really shouldn’t be standing on the table— it’s rather rude, after all— but when she steps off of it and starts floating, the words die in the back of his throat. He’s not too surprised; he already had his suspicions that she might be an alien. The only thing he’s worried about is whether she’s more like the aliens that are part of the G-Crew or Katze. So far, she’s shown herself to be more like the former, but he keeps his guard up regardless.

He isn’t too sure whether Tama saw him in his G-Suit or not, but if she did, wouldn’t she have mentioned it? Or perhaps she had seen it, but it was something she was used to… … Either way, he has no information on her, and he needs to find out whether she’s an alien criminal, a Gatchaman herself, or something else. He takes a few steps over to where she’s standing to look outside of the window, following her finger to the star she’s pointing at.

"I see…" he replies. "Then what brings you to Earth, if you don’t mind me asking?" He supposes the only way to find out whether he can trust her or not is to ask her directly. He’s admittedly a bit surprised when she asks about keeping the fork— it was just an ordinary eating utensil; what was so special about it?— but it’s not as though they didn’t have plenty of other forks lying around. He doesn’t see the harm in letting her keep one.

"You can keep it, yes," he says, crossing his arms. Part of him wonders if O.D. and Paiman had the same reaction to Earth when they first arrived. It was something that he’d have to ask either them or Joe next time he saw one of them.

[uchuhime]

     She looked up at him, providing perfect eye contact. When you looked close enough, the blue hues of her eyes seemed to look as though they had little stars in them after she blinked, but they quickly faded away. Tama followed to where his gesture pointed to, and she nodded to confirm.

     The next question puts her off a bit, and she wonders if he doesn't believe her or believes she is some human child. Oh well. It didn't matter to her. Nonetheless, she nodded a second time.

     Her eyes had become drawn to the look of the sky at night. The twinkling stars were just beautiful, and she even managed to find various patterns in the sky from time to time. She popped up to her feet on the couch, stepping onto the table in front of her. She kept moving forwards, but when she pushed her way off the table, she was floating over to the window, plate in hand. The eating utensil provided to her rested on the rim of the plate.

     When she came up to it, she was in midair, looking up at the sky. After a moment, she pointed to a point in the sky that was hard to diminish from any other point. "Not far past that star.." She took another bite of the human food, and she pulled the fork out of her mouth, she gave it a quizzical stare. The metallic surface of it was endearing to her, and she could add it to part of her collection. "Can I keep this?" she asked, holding the pronged object up.

Sugane is admittedly a bit surprised that Tama started eating right away. Any other kid definitely would have been put off by the strange colors of the food, but Tama started the second he set the plate down. Despite her not commenting yet, he’s already sure she’s enjoying the meal if she hasn’t stopped eating yet. Hajime will be happy to hear that, at the very least.

"So," Sugane begins, figuring that Tama can speak between bites, "You said that you were from up there, right?" After asking, he gestures to the sky outside of the window. If he’s going to get the truth out of her, he thinks it may be for the best to word it so that it sounds like he believes her. "Do you have any family there?"

[uchuhime]

     She nodded understandingly when he mentioned his missing acquaintances. It made it a bit less of a hassle for her to be swarmed with people. One was certainly enough until she got herself adjusted to the environment. She passed him to look into the window of the microwave, watching the meal spin around slowly as time ticked by. Needless to say, she wasn't really paying attention when he mentioned the sleeping arrangements.

     Tama backed away when he retrieved the food from the box, and she moved over to a table swiftly to sit down. And, despite assumptions, she actually didn't put the food off at all. Considering the fact she hasn't had much experience with how human food should look, nothing was really too strange to her at this point. So, she happily dug into the meal, eating away.

     As she ate away at the delicious meal, she had caught a few quick looks from Sugane out of her peripheral vision. She didn't bother to comment on it until she was finished with the meal. 

Sugane starts to feel a little relieved when Tama smiles and tightens her grip on his hand. The only time he’s ever dealt with children was during the G-Crew’s trip to the kindergarten, and even then, all he had to do was entertain the kids in his G-Suit. That wasn’t something he could do at this time of night, so he’ll have to rely on the way Joe raised him and hope everything will work out if he copies what his former guardian did for him back when he was a child.

"It’s nothing you need to thank me for," Sugane replies, and with that, he makes the mostly silent walk back to his apartment with Tama. Once they arrive, he removes the key from his pocket to open the door, then lets Tama inside before walking in himself and shutting the door behind him. "I’m back," he calls out, and he raises an eyebrow in confusion when he isn’t met with a response. He flips on the light switch, and after leading Tama to the kitchen, he comes to realize that both Hajime and Paiman are either asleep or out.

Maybe something came up while he was dealing with the CROWDs? As much as he would like to knock on their doors and ask if they’re home, he’s not going to disturb them while they’re sleeping. Instead, he sits Tama down and releases her hand, then moves to the refrigerator retrieve the leftovers from dinner— stir fry. After popping it into the microwave, he turns around and says, “It looks like the two I mentioned earlier might not be here.” It’s almost a shame, really; he’s sure that Hajime would have found Tama adorable.

"That being said, since you need to stay the night, you can use my room. I’ll sleep on the floor over there." He gestures towards the space right outside the kitchen, then takes the food from the microwave once it beeps. He places the dish in front of Tama and says, "One of the others that stays here made this, so tell me how it is when you try it." Of course, since it was Hajime’s cooking, it didn’t look a thing like stir fry. With all of the odd colors, he’s sure that Tama is going to be put off at first, but he hopes she’ll at least try it. If she refuses, then it’s up to Sugane to cook something for her, and he knows better than anyone how that’s going to turn out.

[uchuhime]

     The thought of others about his home didn't really bother her too much, as she was rather adjusted to the presence of large crowds considering her circumstances back home. Not to mention, she would often find humans drawn to her for whatever reason. It was simply something about her presence people seemed to enjoy. Whether it was the appearance, personality or something different, it was really unknown. However, it made it easier to get something she needed from people who were so easily amused.

     Then, at the mention of food, she wasn't able to resist the smile that appeared on her face. The grin was completely captivating, really. Tama was rather proud to be able to reach her goal so well, and it would make her trip over to Kawasaki a bit easier and faster for her with the offer. She felt a feeling in her toes that made her want to bounce, but she managed to subdue the urge. Her grip on his hand also tightened slightly.

     Tama began to wonder if the form of speech she learned from the system on earlier Japanese language would help her, but she didn't know how it translated. But she should probably read up on it a bit more before she goes tossing it around unknowingly. So she simply said "Much thanks!"

"… Wait, what was—" he starts, though he’s interrupted when the young girl tells him to call her ‘Tama’ instead. He’s grateful that she goes by a nickname; there’s no way he was going to remember her full name. Azuma no Shi—… Yeah, he’s already lost it. At the very least, he knows he heard an honorific at the end of her name, though he isn’t sure if she added that herself of if she’s actually a princess.

Kids can dream big, right? He knows he did, and the fact that she says she’s from the sky further proves his point. If that was the case, though, was she only pretending not to be from around Tachikawa City? If she had parents, they were probably so worried with how late it was…

… But there’s also a chance she was telling the truth, right? He doubts it’s possible for a child to make up a name that long, and even if one did, he knows better than anyone as a Gatchaman that there are aliens out there. If she was pointing towards the sky, is it possible she’s…? … In any case, as much as he would like to ask all the questions he has, he knows how late it is. He’ll get her to his apartment, make her something to eat if she’s hungry, then ask what he needs to while she’s eating.

He’s not one for nicknames, but… “… Tama, then,” he says. “You can stay in my apartment. I live with two others, but I don’t think they’ll mind you staying the night.” Well, Paiman might, but maybe he’s drunk enough to the point where he won’t care. Hajime will just find the poor girl adorable. “If you’re hungry, I can heat something up for you, too.” He would offer to cook a fresh meal for her, but with everyone telling him how horrible his cooking skills are, he thinks that may not be for the best.

[uchuhime]

     Well that was easy enough. She practically had this person on the palm of her hand with one fell swoop. She looked at his hand when he offered it, and lent him her own slowly, a suspicious look on her face. His hand felt weird in her own considering the size difference. She wasn't really making much of an effort to hold on, as her grip was very light.

     "I am Azuma no Shibanu Tamamushi-hime." She noticed the dumbfound look on his face, and shrugged. "Tama," she helped him. His poor mind possibly wasn't going to be able to take in the title in it's fullness.

     She shook her head in response. "No." Of course not, she wanted to add with it, but she didn't know how to say that in Japanese. What a shame. With her free hand, she pointed towards the night sky as indication. "From there." 

Sugane falls for that look easily. He’s never once forgotten Joe’s words to him— to help someone, too, someday— and while he knows he’s already done that as a Gatchaman, he wants to continue to do so, especially for children like the girl in front of him. If she really doesn’t have a place to stay, there’s no way he can let her leave afterwards if she doesn’t have anywhere else to go.

"I see," he replies, managing a small smile. He crouches down to her height, offering her his hand to take. "My name is Sugane. Are you from around here?" Sugane’s guess would be no, considering the way she’s forming her sentences and the fact that she needs a place to stay, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.

[uchuhime]

     Ohhhh, boy. Now she was a bit stuck with this decision. Mainly because she wasn't supposed to be going around talking to random humans, but then again it's not like it mattered at this point. Plus, he was probably more than willing to offer food to this 'poor, lost child.' Tama could certainly play along for a little while if it would get her something in return. Her gaze lowered towards her feet as she though, and she put her hands together behind her back. She swayed a bit on her feet.

     The human language was one that was hard for her to grasp, but she had been looking into it during all this time. Still, she couldn't speak in complete sentences, but that would probably just go ahead and add to her innocence factor.

     "Um... Need place to stay. One night."

     Yeah, that was getting her somewhere. Maybe. But even the king could't resist the look she was about to give this person. Her eyes seemed to twinkle a bit, and the look was one that was slightly pleading, like a lost puppy.

In Sugane’s defense, he hadn’t planned on making that much noise. The violence of people using the CROWDs had spiked again, and since Sugane was out and closest to the area, he had told the other members of the G-Crew he would take care of it. He made his way to the park as fast as he could, and he transformed into a Gatchaman when he realized that speaking to the CROWDs wouldn’t stop them from attacking each other.

He was able to take care of the first one just fine, but the second had caused him a bit of trouble. It was quick— Sugane would give it that— but it certainly wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle. The large explosion was caused by the CROWD; it had attacked Sugane, and he supposed he shouldn’t have moved, but since he had, the CROWD had landed a hit on one of the playsets behind him, causing it to collapse. Maybe the fact that it missed Sugane caused the CROWD to hesitate, because Sugane was able to throw his sword straight into it, turning it into a cube and rendering it useless.

Now, as he just finished, he knows the Big-Smalls can take care of the rest. With a sigh, he turns to the damaged playset and mumbles, “… I guess I’ll have to report that to Leader.” He’s sure it’s something that can be fixed, but the fact of the matter is he let it happen at all. Paiman was not going to be happy. It would probably be for the best if he got it over and done with. “Amnesia Remind.”

With those words, his G-Suit disappears, but just as he holds up his NOTE to contact Paiman, he notices a rather small girl staring at him. Part of him wonders if she saw the fight— it’s not as though Gatchaman were a secret anymore, so they rarely used Amnesia Effect to hide themselves nowadays— but he knows how late it is, and it’s certainly not time for a girl around her age to be out alone. “Um, excuse me!” he calls out, taking a few steps towards her.

"It’s a little late for you to be walking around, isn’t it? You should go home…" Just as the words leave his lips, he realizes that there’s a chance that the girl doesn’t have a home, and that’s why she might be wandering about on her own. "… Or are you lost? If that’s the case, then…" He doesn’t think that Hajime or Paiman will have a problem with her staying with them for a bit if she really doesn’t have a home, but before any of that, Sugane needs to find out what situation the girl is in.

[uchuhime]

          ★ oldfashionedsamurai

     Earth is such a strange place. Everything is so different in this system in comparison to her home.  And by different, mostly worse. But did it really matter at this point? She was here now, no going back. But the coordinates were slightly off, but not by far. She somehow managed to wind herself up in Tachikawa City instead of Kawasaki, but she decided to give herself a rest before continuing her travel plans.

     Her metabolism certainly wasn't as small as humans that she had observed from a distance, but she still needed to find something to eat for later. However, it appeared that everything was closed at this late hour, which was another difference from her home. She found herself looking into a store filled with the human's sort of food, but she could only stare through the glass, as causing a ruckus trying to get in wasn't worth it.

     She sighed before turning around, only to hear a large explosion that caught her off guard. Her brows furrowed together in confusion, and she followed the sound of the noise a bit aimlessly. Tama approached a park, looking about from the sidelines when a person faded into view, and she stared at his back for a good long amount of time, wondering where he had apparated from. 

[uchuhime]

To all of the fans of Ms. Kinako, thank you for waiting! We are releasing the initial set image of Tama-chan.

Her temporary name was “Uchuushoujo”, which means “a Cosmic Girl”. Yes, the background music has to be “Cosmic Girl” by Jamiroquai :) The space boots and space hood is very innovative! Her beautiful eyes have a distant look…is she seeing into someone’s mind?

Oh, and one more thing. Have you noticed her round eyebrows? It was traditional custom of Japanese woman to have round eyebrows back in Heian period, eighth century. I guess Tama-chan’s real name, Azuma-no-shibanu-tamamushi-hime, which is very old fashioned, came from this design!