Shared Heritage
A parasite EVE fanfic
By Kristin Renee Taylor

"For several years now, it has been hypothesized that mitochondria can be used to cure certain ailments, but, now this hypothesis has been proven. Research has found that injecting healthy mitochondria into diseased cells causes the cells to return to their normal, healthy states. We have had much success in reversing diabetes using this method."

Somebody stood. "How far have you gotten in your research?"

The doctor at the podium paused to shuffle his papers. "As of right now, we are using the process on animals, but I am fairly certain that in another month the government will…"

"Ah! Here you are, Aya."

The voice, so close to her shoulder, startled her out of her thoughts. She turned, relived that she had decided to stand in the back of the auditorium, and smiled at the her friend. "Doctor Maeda." She shook his hand (breaking away when he held his grip a tad too long), and followed him into the hallway. Once the doors were closed behind them, she said, "I hope you weren’t searching for me for too long."

"Not very long at all," he said. He adjusted his glasses. "I was only lost twice. Perhaps, three times."

"You’ve been hanging around me to long, Doctor. You are becoming entirely too sarcastic."

He blanched. "Do… do you really think so? I wasn’t aware..." Abruptly, he bowed. "I’m sorry."

"Uh… I was kidding…"

"Maeda-san!" Saved from further embarrassment, Aya looked to her rescuers. Two people were approaching, a man and a woman, both Japanese. The man was obviously a doctor, as the nametag clipped to his suit jacket made plain. The woman, dressed in a blue business suit, didn’t seem to be a doctor. The man’s wife, perhaps?

Maeda recovered, and the trio begin conversing in Japanese. Feeling slightly left out, Aya looked around, noting other doctors wandering the halls of the hotel, traveling to and from the various science lectures going on. This was the third day of the conferences, the only day Aya would be attending, and she was beginning to regret letting Pierce bully her into going with him.

If any of the people here recognized who and what she was…

"And, who is your beautiful friend, Maeda-san?"

Maeda’s two friends were both looking at her. Maeda blushed slightly. "This is… This is…" He gestured in Aya’s direction. "Aya Brea. This is Doctor Iwakami Toru. And his assistant, Asakura Sachiko."

"A pleasure to meet both of you," Aya said, returning their bows.

"You are Maeda-san’s assistant?" Iwakami asked, not quite admiring her openly.

"I’m a friend," Aya said firmly, staring the man in the eye. He chuckled and said something in Japanese, which caused Maeda to jerk. "Iwakami-san!"

"Ignore him," Asakura said, just as Aya bristled. The assistant smiled. "Iwakami-sensei can be a bit of a pain, but he really is a brilliant scientist. Don’t let him get to you."

Aya glanced at the two scientists, but both were deeply involved in some sort of argument about mitochondria and… dancing?

She shook her head. I have got to brush up on my Japanese.

Asakura sighed slightly. "There they go again. Every year it’s the same thing: they see each other, they say hello, and then they promptly forget about the rest of the world." The look she gave Aya was pleading.

Aya smiled at her. "This hotel has a pretty nice café. We could go grab some coffee…"

Asakura’s relief almost made Aya laugh. "That would be wonderful. Anything to keep from listening to these two all day!"

They claimed a booth in the back, where a casual passerby, or scientist, wouldn’t immediately notice them. For a while, they chatted pleasantly about nothing in particular: Maeda’s research, Iwakami’s research, the conference in general. Healthy, normal stuff.

Then, Asakura said, "’Aya Brea’ isn’t a typical American name."

Aya shrugged slightly. "My mother was Japanese. She named me, and my sister. The ‘Brea’ comes from my father, who is obviously not Japanese." She chuckled as she sipped her coffee. "I’m kind of a mutt, if you haven’t guessed already."

She sobered. "I’ve drifted away from my family, though. I haven’t seen Dad in… quite some time. He never really agreed with me going to Police Academy, and after he found out I was good at it, he just sort of… stopped talking to me. Last time I checked, he was in New Jersey, doing some article on pollution and the ocean."

"And your mother and sister?"

"Dead," Aya said flatly.

"Oh…" Asakura’s face filled with sympathy. "I’m sorry."

Aya shook her head. "Don’t be. I’m used to it."

"No one should have to be used to having their family die." Asakura looked off into the distance for a moment, then visibly shook herself. She returned her attention to Aya. "What about your grandparents? Any other relatives?"

"Not really, no. Dad was an only child, and his grandparents were gone before I was even born. As for Mom’s side, I think I’ve got a couple of cousins in Okinawa, and an aunt in Tokyo, but I don’t know who they are. I don’t even know what they look like." She laughed suddenly. "In fact, we could be related I wouldn’t know it."

Asakura smiled and said quietly, "Would it not be interesting if we were related?"

Aya snorted and flagged a waitress to get a refill. "We can’t be related. We don’t look anything like each other."

"Appearances, Brea-san, can be deceptive. We may have different parents, but, if you were to search hard enough, you would find that we share a common mother."

Aya stared at her. "What?"

Asakura reached across the table, covering Aya’s hand with her own. Her skin was almost blisteringly hot. Softly, she said, "Maeda-sensei has told me all about you. You and I have much more in common than you realize."

Aya whispered, "Who are you?"

"Not the woman I used to be," Asakura said.

A sudden beeping broke the stasis. Asakura pulled her hand free and glanced at her watch. "I have to go. Iwakami-sensei will need his lecture notes from his room now." She stood and bowed. "Thank you for the coffee, Brea-san. I look forward to our next meeting." She walked away.

Aya tried to go after her, and nearly collided with the waitress bringing her coffee. She apologized, paid, and ran outside the café.

Asakura was nowhere in sight.

Frustrated, Aya looked down at the business card in her hand. Asakura’s email address and cell phone number. Aya turned it over, and stared in surprise at the neatly written message on the back.

"You will have to accept it sometime, Aya-san. When you do, call me. Asakura Sachiko."

Aya Brea, Doctor Maeda and the parasite EVE game are owned by Squaresoft. Asakura Sachiko and the parasite EVE movie are owned by some other people that are obviously not me. Whatever’s leftover is owned by me, copyright 2003 Blueberry Enterprises. Don’t plagiarize. It’s rude.