Kaoru Kururugi

We met Basara! Oh sweet universe we met NEKKI BASARA!

and and and SENPAI NOTICED ME!

The first songs I learnt to play on my guitar were by Fire Bomber. This was an amazing moment to meet someone I idolized as a kid.

Copic markers, copic fountain pen and posca paint marker.

"Kaoru, this is the wrong way!" Gina exclaimed as the girls walked down another hallway, taking them further away from the temporary change room they'd been given on the military base after another 'culture attack' experiment.

"I know where I'm going, you guys should go back." Kaoru replied in a somewhat serious tone, her eyes remained fixated ahead.

"Yeah, let's go back..." Gina looked at the other two girls searching for agreement but not getting the responses she was looking for.

"If I leave you alone Kaoru, you'll get into trouble." Ami sighed. "I'm coming with you." 

"Ooooh aren't you curious now Gina?" said Savi, leaning in close to Gina's face with her eyes wide. The hybrid girl sighed and continued following the others, not wanting to go back by herself.

Kaoru stopped at a door, the name plate suddenly making it obvious why she had deviated from their original destination. Shigeru Kururugi. Her fathers office. She turned the handle but it was obviously locked, un-used for months. The blue haired girl pulled the bag from her back that was carrying her guitar and poked through the pockets, she pulled out her wallet and then an ID card with her fathers picture on it. She swiped it through lock system, there was a click and she entered without hesitation, Ami following close behind.

Gina hovered at the doorway but Savi pulled her inside and shut the door behind them. Kaoru had sat down at the desk and began poking through the files on the computer. "You planned this, didn't you?" Savi inquired but didn't get an answer. "Impressive!"

Finally I can say the words that are true, I can sing the words that are true.

I know it's risky for me to return to the public eye but it's worth it if we can bring the people the truth and lead them to freedom. I want to inspire with music and culture and do away with oppression and war. But in order to obtain peace, first we must fight. You can't wish for change, you have to make it.

Only a short time had passed since Kaoru's mother and siblings had come to Petra base. Although they had to leave everything behind on Macross Unity in an instant, they had settled in fine, quickly finding their suited roles among the resistance group. Kaoru still avoided the issue of his exact role within the Wyverns, still neglecting to tell his mother he had become a pilot.

Despite having revealed his identity as the songstress Kaoru Heartsong, some days Kaoru felt more comfortable continuing to be a boy. Today was one of those days.

He wandered into the mess hall and paused for a moment as he scanned the room, searching for familiar faces and found his brother and sister had already arrived. He headed towards their table, on the way noticing a group of young teenagers at another table to the side of the room. One girl was watching him and as her lips moved, he could tell she had alerted her friends to his presence. All their heads turned around to look at him and followed him intently as he moved through the room. He couldn't hear what they were saying but they giggled and looked embarrassed after he made eye contact and smiled their way. Kaoru smiled to himself as well, getting a kick out of the attention and their reactions, still wondering if the the truth of his identity had spread to everyone in the base yet.

The blue haired boy reached the table where his siblings were sitting down. "Hey!" He hesitated before sitting down. "Is Mum here yet?" Kaoru wondered if he should go find her.

"Hey!" The twins chimed back in unison and then his sister Mineko spoke. "Mum is on her way, sit down, relax!"

Kaoru smoothed his uniform and pulled up a chair. The three of the Kururugi siblings chattered, the twins not phased for a second by their baby sisters male persona and altered voice. They had grown used to Kaoru's theatrics long ago as children.

After a short time, their mother Lilah appears from the direction of the mess hall kitchen carrying a plate. "Mum!" Kaoru smiles as she approaches the table.

He notices Mineko and Kenjiro have focused on him and they say "Happy Birthday" in a singsong tune as Lilah puts down a cake on the table.

"Happy Birthday Kaoru" smiles Lilah as she takes a seat herself.

Kaoru looks confused. "Awww Mum! My birthday was months ago!"

"I know... but 21 is special... and we didn't get to see you...we didn't know where you were..." Lilah sounds a little sad and Kaoru feels slightly regretful for causing his mother so much stress over his disappearance. It was bad enough she had to deal with her husband going missing and then on top of it, her daughter became a wanted criminal.

Kaoru reaches over and grabs his mothers hand. "It's good to have you here..."  He smiled at his siblings with a thankful look and squeezed his mothers hand. "I wish Dad could be here."

Lilah smiled but her eyes still looked sad. "I wish your father was here too." She reached over to pet Kaoru's hair. "You remind me of him when you wear that uniform." Mineko and Kenjiro were silently nodding in agreement.

Kaoru tensed a little, he still hadn't discussed his role in the Wyverns with his family in detail. He knew that Lilah would freak out a little to discover her youngest daughter is a pilot. But the conversation took a different turn.

"You can't help being like your father" Lilah sighed. "But could you at least turn that thing off so I know I'm actually talking to my daughter?" Her voice had switched to a slightly stern motherly tone.

Kaoru laughed, internally sighing with relief that he'd dodged a bullet for another time. He pressed his finger to the black choker around his neck. It could be disabled with a passcode and left on but he removed it instead. Kaoru placed it on the table and gave Kenjiro a knowing smirk as his brother picked it up and pretended to examine it for the first time.

"I'll have to get used to your hair.. but the voice makes you sound like a stranger."

"Sorry Mum. I've gotten so used to it, I kind of forget!" Kaoru smiled sheepishly as she spoke in her real voice. Lilah smiles and begins cutting the small cake into quarters.

"I like it! It's like I have a little brother!" chimed in Kenjiro.

Mineko raised an eyebrow as she watched her brother fidget with the voice changing device in his love for small gadgets. "Stop pretending like you didn't make that thing. It has your style all over it." his twin sister chides him.

He puts the choker on and it deepens his voice in an amusing way. "Ahhh busted!" he shrugs. The three siblings laugh. Kenjiro takes it off and gives it back to Kaoru, as their mother sets out the plates of cake in front of them.

The Kururugi family continues to talk and as they almost finish eating, a chiming sound comes from Kaoru's phone. She pulls it out and holds it low beneath the table on her lap, the small device looks like a rabbit and is not much larger than her palm. She squeezes it to bring up the holographic projections and read the message.

'Typhoon squadron, report the hangar immediately.'

She glances at the time. "Ahhh damn, I better get going..." Kaoru tries to make it sound casual, like another appointment is approaching.

Lilah looks unimpressed. "You've barely been here a few moments! Surely you can stay a bit longer?"

"Just.. a few minutes more...should be ok..." she said until her mothers expression softened. The guilt of not being able to tell her family where she'd been for the past few months played on Kaoru's mind, she felt bad for not being able to spend more time with them right now. But the message sounded urgent and it was probably going to be announced over the intercom system any minute if she didn't show up.

As she began to quietly fret about lingering too long when this could be an emergency, a familiar voice came from behind. "Sorry Mrs. K, we need to borrow Kaoru for a while." It was Flynn, Kaoru hadn't even noticed him come into the mess hall. Flynn smiled in that gentlemanly way that made it hard for people disagree with him.

"Oh...ok." Lilah sounded a little disappointed but her mother mode was completely disarmed. Mineko and Kenjiro gave eachother smirking glances as they seemed to be cluing into Kaoru's situation faster than their mother.

"C'mon Sparky" his broad hand ruffled Kaoru's hair. "Let's go." The tall man begins walking off casually, leaving Kaoru a moment to say goodbye.

Kaoru gets up and walks around the table, she hugs the twins from behind while they are still seated, then hugs her mother with a quick peck on the cheek. "Thanks for the cake!" She dashes off with a wave and catches up to Flynn.

They walk calmly from the mess hall, Kaoru replaces the choker that changes her voice as they leave. They dash in the direction of the hangar once they reach the hallway out of sight.

We made it out safely without any casualties but that doesn't mean it was an easy task! Things got pretty tense! I got promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade. I would try to be modest but I really can't contain how pleased I am. I want everyone to see that I am in this squadron because of my skill.

There was something familiar about the Guardians and it finally dawned on me that my fathers friend Golak wore the same sort of clothes and so does Exo. Was Golak a member too? Did my father have any connection to The Guardians? I know they are far away now but wonder if I could ask them if they know anything ... I wish I realised sooner!

With some free time lately I've started to decrypt some of my fathers diary, it goes back a few years. He definitely knew that things weren't right way back then. He loved his job but some circumstances were making him doubt the people around him.

Who is Markus Nguyen? He has the same surname as Celeste and I thought she might be able to help me, but she says she doesn't know anyone by that name. Hmm.. another dead end.