White Sakura Foundation Interlude - by Melissa Koh: safyre@jade-court.darkgod.net - - website: http://safyre.tsx.org - ---------- It's not what others do to you; it's what _you_ do to others that counts. ---------- Part Two: Noise It was another peaceful day in White Sakura Foundation...scratch that. WSF was no paradise, except for psychos who liked nothing better than to spread the joy of chaos all over the world. It was also the home base for Hypertia Tsuyu and Jennifier Ding, founders of White Sakura Foundation, the first Department Heads and among the many psychos of WSF. Not that anyone would admit that they were part of the crowd, that is. It was an elite clique, after all. And so, it was another day in White Sakura Foundation. Nothing seemed amiss to the naked eye, but a closer look would reveal things that would differentiate WSF from other worlds and realities. For one, White Sakura Foundation was a domed city full of greenery with buildings scattered sparsely across the acres and hectares of land. The tallest building would be the marble-white tower that reached the skies. The material used was without a doubt, marble of the purest white, gleaming under the sun. Another thing: white sakura trees went on for miles within the domed city, each and every one in full bloom, sprinkling their white petals like snow. The sweet scent of cherry blossoms filled the air, refreshing the sleep-fogged minds of the residents of WSF. Plants weren't such a bad thing; after all, they replenished the oxygen in the air, aside from being the symbol of WSF. But it was no laughing matter when one of the Department Heads was seriously allergic to plants in particular. "All right, who was the ass who brought that bouquet of roses into the office?!" screeched Hypertia from the far end of the office. She glared witheringly at the vase of red blossoms on the coffee table, supposedly to add colour to the otherwise bland white room. Jennifier shrugged helplessly. "Like I'll know. Maybe it's the Man." "I'll kill him, you know," said the dark-haired girl, eyeing at the flower arrangement suspiciously. She was seated comfortably in her chair and staring at her computer, which currently, seemed to be having problems with getting into the main system. "Don't. We still need him to serve tea," warned Jennifier, crossing the room and removing the ghastly vase. A card fell out. She picked it up and read aloud, "To the Dearest Department Heads. With the greatest love, Mitsuru." Hypertia rolled her eyes, clearly indicating what she thought of the gesture. "Right. I get to kill her after that, don't I?" she whined plaintively. Jennifier narrowed her eyes. "You can, if you want. No one's going to stop you." "Good. I intend to do just that." Hypertia began humming tunelessly, not too softly either. She remained oblivious to Jennifier's wincing, who knew just how tone-deaf the girl was. "You don't have to sing, you know," said Jennifier as she carried the vase to a corner of the office, where Hypertia was least likely to notice the plant, much less come face to face with it. The humming stopped as Hypertia looked up, a saccharine sweet smile plastered on her lips. "I know, but I don't really give a damn. You should know that by now, Jenni." "Watch me roll my eyes," Jennifier retorted dryly. "Ha! Like I care." She began whistling a very off-key version of 'Joy to the World', though how joyful the world was over her song was another matter entirely. Jennifier moaned, and seriously considered using ear- plugs, though there were worse singers than Hypertia out there in the various realities. Still, suffering through her singing was not Jennifier's idea of fun, since it was not only distracting, but also annoying. Especially when she was working on her fanfictions. "Hypertia..." said Jennifier warningly, exasperated by her futile attempts to shut out the noise pollution. "Don't make me gag you." "Try that and see what _I'll_ do to you," came the quick retort. Nevertheless, the whistling died away as Hypertia nudged the pile of files sitting on her desk. The stack swayed on its precarious balance, but did not topple over. Hypertia stared at it, her dark eyes gleaming speculatively. The doors burst open, revealing a very agitated girl in white, the standard uniform of White Sakura Foundation. Both Department Heads looked up, eyebrows raising as the girl barged into the room without as much as a 'hello'. Slamming a file under Hypertia's nose and pushing the stack off the edge of the desk before the Department Head's horrified eyes, the girl seethed visibly. "What do you people think you're doing, regrouping the teams _again_?!" Jennifier blinked lazily. "Regrouping the teams, what else?" Hypertia's yelps were ignored as she bent down, trying to salvage her documents before they were treaded on. She neatened them into a stack on the floor, then sat up, regaining some of her lost composure. "What the freaking hell did you think you're doing?!" yelled Hypertia without restraining her voice in the least bit. Jennifier took in with some pleasure as the angry mask on the intruder's face cracked in the slightest bit. "Nothing. Just giving you the report of the last mission with my team," said Mitsuru, playing with her raven-black hair and glaring at both her superiors at the same time. Hypertia gave her a look of equal measure. "I take it that you're blind," she said smoothly, "can't you see that my desk's cluttered with an overdose of reports?!" Jennifier observed the exchange with narrowed eyes, flitting back and forth Hypertia and Mitsuru, who were engaged in their own private battle of looks. "Mitsuru-chan, why on earth did you send us those roses for?" asked Jennifier, deciding that she, of all people, should attempt at breaking the ice that was forming icicles in the office. "I thought that they were beautiful and might add colour to your office." Mitsuru's transparent green eyes stared at Jennifier, reminding the latter of her darling Subaru-kun. She almost swooned at the thought of her dearest, remembering his beautiful, innocent emerald-green eyes. Just like the pair Mitsuru had. "Thank you for your concern, but in case you've forgotten, I'm allergic to plants," said Hypertia, her icy gaze fixed firmly on Mitsuru. Mitsuru shrugged nonchalantly. "Too bad then." She didn't ask why rose bushes lined the sides of the pathways leading to the tower. Knowing Hypertia, it probably had something to do with her obsession with bishounen. Most probably a very deep obsession, considering the number of rose bushes. "Anyway, you still haven't answered why you're regrouping the teams again." A wide grin settled on Hypertia's face. It was one of those huge, lazy grins that grated on the nerves of those who didn't know her. But then, it irritated those who knew her even more, because they knew what it meant. Just one of Hypertia's many quirks. "Now, unless you like working with incompetents, you shouldn't really complain." Hypertia slid back, running a finger down the pile and selecting a file at random. She wrinkled her nose at the outrageous colour---a blinding, neon yellow that would have done any fluorescent colour proud. "Gross...how can anyone stand this pathetic colour?" she said, dangling the file by the edge. Mitsuru's face darkened. "They're not incompetents!" she yelled, a angry, crimson flush staining her cheeks. Hypertia arched an eyebrow and gestured at the stack of files. "Take a look at all the reports that came in. They're all from the Social Department, and may I remind you, for every failed mission, a report is required to explain in detail _why_ they failed?" Jennifier snickered, silently thankful that it was Hypertia's turn to go through the reports. And promptly slipped into silence when Hypertia glanced in her direction. Mitsuru blushed. "Never mind the reports, but they can't even choose a nice colour! Why on earth did they have to choose neon yellow, of all colours?!" Hypertia ranted, waving the file wildly before Mitsuru. Mitsuru shut her eyes tightly as a breeze sent her hair flying in all directions. "It's not our fault if the targets tend to be uncooperative. We are under the Social Department, after all. It's not always possible to change the life of someone who's bent on self-destruction," sulked Mitsuru. "Excuses, excuses," sniffed Hypertia. "Like Heero Yuy. That guy's going to be the death of all our agents," murmured Jennifier. "Don't be sick," chided Hypertia, which was more of a figure of speech than words of wisdom. "He's traumatised every agent that came his way. Funny, he's probably the only target to ever succeed in psyching out every agent. Must be that dead attitude of his..." She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "He-llo ~ will you _please_ rethink your decisions first? I'm not going to team up with Gavin and Astraia. The whole of WSF knows exactly how the two of them tick...you know, the theory of fire and ice. And I'm perfectly happy with my current team, if you don't mind." "Unfortunately, we mind very much." Hypertia nodded sagely, throwing a mischievous glance at Jennifier. Mitsuru had an outraged look on her face, ready to blow her top any moment. Jennifier shook her head helplessly, just waiting for the fireworks to begin. Her prediction turned out wrong, as the indignant girl spun around on her heels and stalked out of the office with a stiff back, slamming the door behind her. Hypertia winced once, twice at the slamming of the oak doors, before turning to Jennifier. Petulantly, she said, "Can we deduct that from her paycheque?" "She's dominating, that's all that I can say," said Hypertia guardedly, flipping through a document without much interest. She glanced over her shoulder, noting that Jennifier wasn't paying much attention to her; she was engrossed with her fic, her fingers dancing fleetingly across the keyboard as she worked on her 'Darkest Dreams, Deepest Desires', or in Hypertia's point of view, 4D. Jennifier, having discussed the fic with Hypertia before, knew her friend's private name for it, and even adopted it when the title became too long. However, just because she adopted the name didn't mean that she had to like it. Which she didn't, frankly speaking. Hypertia giggled. 4D. Readers of Jenni's fic would never forgive her for shortening the original title so ruthlessly, but a fact was a fact. The dratted title _was_ too long. Not exactly how Hypertia would prefer to remember it. "Oi, Jenni, did you hear what I said?" "Huh?" Jennifier looked up, her eyes glazed over as she glanced across the office drowsily. "What did you say?" Hypertia curled her lip. "You weren't paying attention, so what else is new?" "Gomen, I was too caught up," Jennifier apologised. Hypertia rolled her eyes. "Whatever. As I was saying, Mitsuru has a domineering nature...reminds me of someone..." "I wouldn't be surprised. I mean, she's _Sumeragi_ after all," Jennifier pointed out, moving her mouse to 'file' and saving her latest instalment of the fic into the hard disk. Hypertia snapped her fingers. "Hokuto. That's who she reminds me of. Sumeragi Hokuto." "Mitsuru's from the Sumeragi family, what did _you_ expect?" The younger girl frowned at the screen. The computer was taking too damn long in saving the file. She hoped it wouldn't jam like the last time. An illegal operation in the program had wiped out half of her fic simply because she hadn't saved it earlier. Hypertia's eyes nearly popped out. "You mean she's a cousin of Subaru and Hokuto?!" "A distant cousin, actually," Jennifier corrected, relieved that her computer was working just fine. It was only warming up after a long moment of inactivity, other than the usage of the keyboard. "You're slow today," she observed. The dark-haired girl gave her a long look. "You're talking to me or the com?" It wouldn't be the first time such a mistake cropped up. Hypertia was used to talking to her PC since it had a nasty tendency to crash when she least expected it. It was like forming a lasting, understanding relationship between the two. Partially to kill boredom and partially to reassure herself that the computer wasn't going to give up on her. Not yet, anyway. Jennifier had picked up the habit after the multiple illegal operations flashed across the screen, though she rarely did that. A psychiatrist would have pointed out that neither girl were sane and should come for weekly sessions to talk about their problems. Then again, WSF was their refuge, especially when they were in a truly unbeatable psychotic mood. "Both," replied Jennifier absently, exiting from the program and setting to WSF default. "Uh-okay," drawled Hypertia, tossing the file aside. "You know, I think the Man should have a holiday. He's been under a lot of stress lately, and it's been some time since he last took a vacation." She reached for another at random, choosing one with the soothing colour of green. It reminded her of Kurama's eyes... "Go ahead." "That's all?" demanded Hypertia incredulously. Jennifier nodded distractedly, moving her mouse to another folder. Hypertia wondered if she heard her words in the first place. Most likely not. Shrugging, Hypertia guessed she would just have to plan the details herself. An evil grin slowly crept across her face as she thought of the perfect location. Ryuu no Fujin smiled warmly as she watched her friend dig into her special cheesecake. The one she spent half her life perfecting for those who really knew how to enjoy the beauty of this rich, creamy cake. Oh, of course, also to please her husband dearest. Astraia was waving her fork in the air, as though she was a conductor leading an orchestra. Perhaps she was, by the way she was drawing neat patterns in the air. But Ryuu no Fujin felt inclined to point out that her friend was off beat and that perhaps, her talents were directed elsewhere rather than in music. But she said nothing, listening attentively as Astraia ranted non-stop. "The Department Heads have plans for regrouping the teams in the Social Department. They keep complaining that we're not completing our missions as expected, that the Environmental Department has less reports to look through...it's not fair! They don't have a jerk like Gavin in the Environmental Department! If it wasn't for him, the missions would have been completed successfully, more or less. He keeps on seducing girls for no good reason, like Ryuu. The difference is that Ryuu unwittingly _attracts_ attention, not the other way round. And this Gavin doesn't even know the meaning of modesty..." The silver-haired girl paused, and tried another piece of cheesecake. "It's good, Ryuu-chan. The Department Heads will love it, along with Ryuu." Ryuu no Fujin beamed at the praise. Nothing like a compliment from her best friend, who said exactly what she thought with little regard for others. As far as she was concerned, her cheesecake was the best if Astraia said so. She knew that Astraia would be polite, but would speak her mind without restraints. "Have more then," said Ryuu no Fujin generously, slicing another piece for her friend. Astraia glowed and continued with her tirade. "I don't see why the Department Heads have to disrupt the teams. They are regrouping the _entire_ Social Department and many of agents are not pleased. According to the Man, I'm still stuck with Gavin, at least until a new member joins the Environmental Department. Sometimes I wonder why I ever bother with them." Astraia took another bite, closing her eyes in complete bliss as the cheesecake melted in her mouth. "Why would the DH want to do that?" asked Ryuu no Fujin mildly, combing her long lavender hair back. Astraia shrugged. "How should I know? They're never sane in the first place." "Maybe you should try to know them better." A short laugh escaped from Astraia's throat. "Ryuu-chan, don't joke! We know them better than anyone else in the entire WSF, save for the Man, and even then, Hypertia Tsuyu and Jennifier Ding are psychos in the most literal sense!" Ryuu no Fujin nodded in agreement, then stopped short. Her silver irises gleamed as an idea sparked and burst into flames. "Why don't you quit field work then, and become a home agent like me? You won't have to put up with strange partners then!" she enthused. Astraia cast her an aghast look. Ryuu no Fujin blinked obliviously, caught up in her own imagination of Astraia being an administrator of WSF. Sad to say, Ryuu no Fujin couldn't imagine the day when Astraia would quit being a field agent. Astraia took pride in her work and loved her unlimited freedom to travel in different realities with a passion. Nothing short of death was ever going to tear her away from her position. Ryuu no Fujin's face fell. She propped her elbows on the dining table, her voice downcast, "You don't have any intention of quitting, do you?" Astraia placed her fork beside the plate and wiped her hands on a napkin, before lifting her amber eyes to meet Ryuu no Fujin's silver ones. She held them for a long while. "My dear lady, kill me and I'd still be a field agent of WSF." An hour later, Astraia was back in her apartment. She did not live alone, sharing the apartment with her team members, whoever they were currently. The good thing was that she was a senior agent and only the Department Heads dominated her. It meant that she did not have to move; her team members did all the shifting since they were her juniors. The Man included, even if he was the Secretary to the Department Heads. Leaning against the doorway to the Man's room, she watched the Man as he unpacked, and raised a questioning eyebrow. The Man looked up, and smiled vaguely, waving her to enter. She obliged, not out of the kindness in her heart, but mainly because there was a seat waiting specially for her. She sat down on the edge of the bed, silently observing the proceedings with little interest. "We're free until the end of this week. To adjust to our new conditions," the Man explained lamely. "I see. What's that for?" She gazed pointedly in the direction of a half-opened knapsack. The Man tossed a casual look in the general direction. "I'm going on a vacation, following Hypertia-san's orders. Meanwhile, you're the only senior agent around, so she wants you to keep the peace." Astraia wrinkled her nose in distaste. "She's looking for the wrong person then. I'd much rather be shelling Gavin." The Man shrugged and peered into the living room. "Maybe not. After all, it's only a week and they aren't assigning any missions at the moment. Gavin," he jerked a thumb at the door, "is taking a nap on the couch. Knowing him, he'll sleep like a log for the rest of the week." Indeed, his fellow comrade was lounging in the living room, slouched on the sofa with an open book covering his face. Most likely to shield the sunlight from directly shining onto his face, but Astraia knew perfectly well that Gavin could sleep through anything. Even if an atomic bomb blew up WSF. Besides, Gavin revelled in sleeping under the sun, relaxing and sunbathing at the same time. The main doors were kicked open and entered a flustered Mitsuru, dragging multiple suitcases that were almost bursting with personal belongings. Hanging from her shoulders and around her neck were bags that, like the suitcases, bulged from excess cramming. Mitsuru looked like a tourist who had bought a tad too many souvenirs and could not find the space to cram them into. Both senior agents watched with some amusement while Mitsuru huffed and puffed. Astraia leaned over and whispered, "I bet she's going to throw those bags on Gavin." The Man studied the scene intently. "I think so too." True to their words, Mitsuru tore off the dangling bags and dropped them on the couch---with Gavin napping on it---unceremoniously. Gavin jolted awake, pulling the book away from his face with calculated slowness. His perfect face remained smooth, unruffled despite the fact that he was buried alive in a pile of brightly-coloured, not to mention uncoordinated, bags. Mitsuru scowled. "Get lost. You're sitting on my bags." Astraia choked on air. The Man sighed, thankful that she wasn't drinking anything at that moment. She suppressed her coughing fit and turned to him, looking at him from head to toe in deep contemplation. "Do you need a travelling companion? I'm available." The Man didn't blame her in the least bit. How could he, when Gavin and Mitsuru began the first of many battles in the living room? The telephone in the office rang. Jennifier snorted. "Hypertia." "What?!" demanded the girl grouchily, her head rising from the stack of books that surrounded her. "The phone," said Jennifier patiently. She had to have plenty of that, if she was to remain sane with Hypertia around. That girl could drive almost anybody nuts. "What _about_ the phone?!" "It's ringing." "So? Go pick it up then!" "Hypertia," began Jennifier slowly, "can _you_ pick up the phone?" "Freakin' hell," growled Hypertia explosively as she waded through the books, which were, fortunately, kept only on her corner of the office. She snatched the receiver from its hole. Before she could even mumble a greeting (no matter how curt), yells blasted into her ear. "I DEMAND A TRANSFER ~!" screeched a voice that sounded suspiciously like Mitsuru's. "I AM NOT GOING TO PUT UP WITH THIS EGOISTICAL MANIAC WHO THINKS THAT THE WORLD'S FATE LIES IN HIS HANDS?!" thought Hypertia dizzily, mechanically pulling the handset away from her ear. Freaking nut. Yelling in her ear when she was absolutely innocent of whatever crap they were up to. They were going to get it from her. BAD. Fine, so Hypertia was a psycho, but who wasn't? "_DON'T_ YELL IN MY EAR!" Hypertia screamed back with equal measure. Jennifier winced; it was louder than Hypertia's usual, which probably meant that her friend was in a very bad mood. The screams on the other end did not die down. At least, not immediately, but muffled down to a point that was acceptable in Hypertia's terms. "Now," said Hypertia pleasantly, retaining none of her earlier annoyance, "what's going on? And where's Astraia and the Man?" She motioned for Jennifier to move over as she switched to speaker mode, replacing the receiver on the set. "I want a transfer out of this team, _now_. Astraia and the Man are currently...*out*... GAVIN NO BAKA! Take that!" Mitsuru's voice bounced off the marble walls. Hypertia's fingers twitched as a vase shattered in the background. She exchanged looks with Jennifier and mouthed, "Deduct from their paycheque." Jennifier nodded knowingly. "She's using speaker, or you just didn't notice," said Gavin, surpressing a tidal wave of rage behind the genteel voice. "Shut up!" "I told you it'll end up this way," murmured Jennifier, a bead of sweatdrop rolling down her face. Another crash in the background. Hypertia stared at the telephone expressionlessly. "I'm going to _kill_ them...very soon..." Jennifier did not have very high hopes for a pleasant way out of this. "Well then, bon voyage." "Arigato. Remember, until a week. No trouble until then," warned the Man as he adjusted the straps on his knapsack. Astraia smiled. "I will remember. Unless, of course, Gavin tries something funny again." "He's a good kid. Don't torture him too much." The silver-haired girl let loose a peal of merry laughter and slapped the Man's back. "I won't, but Mitsuru will." The Man sighed mournfully. "Ah, Mitsuru-chan..." He wondered if anyone in WSF had the concept of sanity. Probably not. After all, no sane person would ever join White Sakura Foundation. -------------------- Part Two: Noise ~ End Author's notes: I was half asleep when I worked on this, so it doesn't really matter if it's psychotic. Completed on: 27.12.1998 - End Part - Copyright (c) Melissa Koh 1998. All Rights Reserved.