The Girl Who Waited

Posted on Sat Sep 12th, 2026 @ 10:24am by Captain Taiga Aisaka

2,466 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Kintsugi
Location: Kanagawa, Japan, Earth
Timeline: April 6th, 2397

The steam that hovered above the teacup swirled and danced in the air as the contents slowly cooled. It sat on a wooden table, which was pushed up against the counter of an open-plan U-shaped kitchen that looked into the living area. The living area itself consisted of the table and four neatly arranged chairs, with the cup resting on the tabletop.

Opposite were two comfortable sofas that faced each other. One faced the large sliding glass doors that led to the back garden; the other faced the table itself. Set into the wall between the two sofas was a wall console. Currently, its screen was blank; however, the small LCARS-style control panel glowed even in the bright light.

A singular well-cared-for potted plant sat in the corner of the room, offering some greenery to the room. Several photographs were hung on the wall where doors led to different rooms. It was a picture-perfect home, one that many would imagine in their dreams or visualise in their minds when someone said "Little family home."

The sound of the front door opening echoed loudly through the house. Then the familiar sound of shoes being pulled off. "I'm home!" a voice called. "Dad, are you home?"

Haruto Fujimura smiled. "I'm in the living room, Akari," he called out in response.

Akari didn't reply. Instead, the sound of footsteps drew closer. "I had a test today. I'm glad that I studied for it. I wasn't expecting it to be so hard though..." The sound of a bag being unzipped and a piece of paper being pulled out could be heard as she approached. "I didn't get the top score in my class though, but I still got a good eighty-seven..."

Then she stopped as she spotted who was sitting at the table.

Taiga looked up from her teacup at Akari. The seventeen-year-old girl stood frozen. She had long brown hair, flowing down her back in swirls and waves. Her eyes were hazel, and they glistened in the light. She was tall and more developed in build than Taiga. Her hair was darker than Taiga's, although it flowed down her back in the same gentle waves, and the two sisters shared the same hazel eyes. Apart from that, she was Taiga's complete opposite in height and stature.

"Erm..." she said, slightly confused.

"Welcome home, Akari," Haruto said, giving her a smile. "This is..."

"Taiga!" Akari burst out. She instantly dropped her blue schoolbag and the test paper. Taiga's eyes opened in surprise as she suddenly found herself in a very tight hug from this girl whom she had never met before today. Taiga certainly hadn't expected Akari to rush forward and pull her into an embrace.

Haruto chuckled as he picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"Wait... What?" Taiga said as she looked over at Haruto. Why was she being hugged now? How much did Akari know? She had presumed that after everything that had happened back then, they wouldn't have told Akari about her.

Instead, Haruto continued sipping his tea. Taiga knew that it wasn't up to him to tell her the answers she needed to know. Instead she focused on the teenager who shared her eyes... and apparently, her grip too.

"Hi... Akari..."

Akari let go. It was then that Taiga noticed that her eyes were full of amazement and wonder, and she even seemed a little starstruck. "I always wondered when you would come home." Akari beamed as she slid down into the chair opposite Taiga. Her schoolbag and test paper remained on the floor, discarded and forgotten.

"You know about me?" Taiga asked.

"Of course. I've always known that I've got a big sister," Akari replied, giving Taiga a nod. "Mom and Dad explained that you joined Starfleet before I was born. I understand that you were out in deep space and keeping us all safe. Is it true that you're now a Captain?"

That hit Taiga like a shuttlecraft at full impulse. Had they actually been keeping tabs on her all these years without her ever noticing or knowing? How had they been doing that? How did they know where she was and what she was doing? She nodded slowly. "Yeah, I am."

"So, is your ship flying above us? Is it in orbit?" Akari asked excitedly. "Can we go aboard and see it?"

Taiga shook her head. "Unfortunately not. It's currently being repaired after it was heavily damaged when we were leading an assault on a Herald starbase."

"The Heralds..." Akari said sadly. "Those are the Iconian troops, right? The ones that have started this war?"

Taiga blinked. "How much do you know?"

"Not a lot. Only what's on the FNS these days."

That was to be expected. News regarding the war was shared with the civilian population, but just as it always had been in history, it was highly regulated and controlled. This was mainly to avoid mass panic and to keep morale high amongst the civilian planetary populations. Earth was still seen as a paradise. As the capital world of the Federation, it was considered safe.

"So, you've fought them? And you obviously won?" Akari asked.

Taiga wasn't going to admit that it had been the Tokyo and her crew that had actually made first contact and could have accidentally started the war. She nodded in response. "Yeah. I have."

Akari beamed in response. Haruto had by now moved back into the kitchen and had poured out a fresh cup of tea. He placed it in front of his daughter and had retrieved her school bag and test paper from the floor. Whilst he allowed Akari and Taiga to 'catch up', he skimmed the test paper in the background.

"So, what took you so long?" Akari asked. "Why did it take you this long to come home?" There was sadness in her eyes now. Taiga felt something tighten in the pit of her stomach. How could she tell this energetic young soul that she had left them on bad terms? That she'd believed Akari was replacing her, that she'd felt pushed out and unwanted? It was clear now that she had not only been wrong, she had been very wrong about the entire situation. She had allowed her anger and emotions to control her back then; she had never seen the situation from any perspective but her own.

How was she going to say this? How was she going to tell her? How could she tell her that she had never actually wanted a sibling? How could she admit that she had been selfish back then? Back then, she'd wanted the attention to be on her and only her.

"In Starfleet, people often find themselves away for long periods of time. Space isn't small, Akari. Plus, it's not often that Starfleet officers have a chance to return home."

The answer didn't come from Taiga. Those words were spoken by Haruto. Taiga froze. Why had he answered for her? Did he know the truth and simply not have the heart to break the girl's spirit?

"Is that really true?" Akari asked as she turned to look at Taiga.

Taiga nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't get back sooner. I've been very busy. Not just with Starfleet, but with my own family."

"Your own family?" Akari asked. That also got Haruto's attention. He lowered Akari's test paper and glanced over, a curious look on his face.

"Well... You see..." Taiga started. "I met a nice man at the Academy. He's kind, caring, strong and helps me a lot. I love him more than anything in my life... well apart from one other person." She bit her tongue for a moment. "You see, we got married about nine months ago. Now we have..."

"Do I have a nephew? Or maybe a niece?!" Akari interrupted.

Taiga simply nodded. "You do, yes. It's why I returned to Earth. I'm on leave after having my daughter."

Haruto turned away for a moment, a hand went up to his face. He then turned back and made his way over to Akari's side. He was now just as invested in the revelation as Akari was. "What's her name? Is she cute?" Akari asked. Her eyes shone in the light as she continued the questions.

"Riko... And I think she's cute," Taiga told them. She could feel a pull on her heart. She was away from Riko now, and she had the sudden desire to return home to her.

"Riko!" Akari exclaimed. "That's such a cute name! Doesn't her name mean ‘moon’ and ‘love’ in kanji?"

Taiga nodded in response. "Yeah, it does."

"That really suits her! With parents being in Starfleet and all," Akari replied. "Why didn't you bring her with you? I would love to meet her and play with her!"

Haruto placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Taiga needed to come alone first. I haven't really explained what happened all those years ago, but unfortunately Taiga and your mom didn't really see eye to eye when she left for Starfleet. Taiga has spent a long time away amongst the stars, so it was probably very difficult to come back here after so long."

Akari's shoulders drooped slightly. "I understand." She looked up at her father. She could see that he had his 'serious face' on. So she turned back to look at her sister. "Well I'm glad you're back, Big Sis. I've been dying to meet you for a long time now. I've heard so many stories about you."

"Stories?" Taiga asked curiously. She had always thought that she had been simply replaced and forgotten. She never imagined that her mother and Haruto had ever passed on stories about her, or even mentioned her name and certainly never mentioned her position in Starfleet.

"Yeah. Like stories from when you were my age. Didn't you beat up three bullies in middle school because they kept teasing you about your name?" Akari asked. "Dad said that you not only beat them up, but it took three people to drag you off them in the end?"

Haruto chuckled to himself as a wave of nostalgia hit him, bringing back those old memories. Taiga blushed slightly, then she sat back and crossed her arms. "They deserved it," she admitted. "But I'm not like that these days. Although I do command an Armitage-class starship."

"An Armitage-class?" Akari asked curiously. "I thought you would have something impressive like a Galaxy or Sovereign class?"

Taiga blinked in surprise. "No, the Armitage isn't like those. It's... not as well known from a civilian point of view," she explained. "It's a Rapid Response Attack Carrier. An upgraded design based on the same space frame as the Akira-class."

"Oh..." Akari said. She scratched her head. "I'm not really into starships. But I guess that's cool... So what's your ship called?"

"It's the USS Tokyo."

Akari couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

"What?"

"The Tokyo? You do realise we're not far from Tokyo, right? We lived in Tokyo when I was younger. You ended up commanding a ship that was always connected to home!" Akari smirked, clearly amused with herself at making the link.

"I didn't choose the name, you know..." Taiga muttered.

"Just call it a coincidence, then, or you could call it fate. Maybe even destiny that you ended up in command of a ship called that," Akari replied. She finally picked up her teacup and took a sip. She looked at her sister with beaming eyes. "Anyway. So, what's it like in Starfleet?"

"Why do you ask?" Taiga replied.

Haruto answered that for Akari. "Akari isn't sure what she wants to do once she graduates high school. She has been hinting at joining you in Starfleet."

Akari joining Starfleet? This cheerful, bubbly and energetic young girl? Taiga couldn't possibly imagine her younger sister wearing a Starfleet uniform. Not to mention, the threat of the Heralds was becoming greater with each passing day. She knew deep down that the idea of exploring new worlds and meeting new civilisations was idealised by a lot of civilians. But when it came down to it, many didn't see the darker and more dangerous side of Starfleet.

Starfleet was not only a peacekeeping force; it also defended the people. Starfleet had always claimed they were not a military organisation, but deep down everyone knew that they were. They just pretended not to be in times of peace. But when it came down to war and defence of Federation space, Starfleet was always there to answer the call.

Taiga shook her head. "Nope."

"What do you mean nope?" Akari asked.

Taiga looked her dead in the eyes. "Look. Starfleet isn't all sunshine and rainbows, Akari. It's a lot of hard work. You need to be disciplined, have self-control and be able to follow orders. Plus, it's highly dangerous in space. You never know what you're going to encounter out there," Taiga stated. "Every day carries a risk. One day you could be fired upon by a hostile alien species, the next you might find that your ship is being pulled into a black hole or something."

"Yeah, I get that. But..." Akari said. "I want to do what you do."

"Why?" Taiga asked.

"Because..." Akari's face started to turn red. She looked away nervously. "Because... I've grown up... always hearing about you. How you beat up bullies in middle school. How you left at sixteen to join Starfleet. How you rose to the rank of captain. How you command your own starship! How you have a husband and your own child..."

"Wait... Akari, are you...?" Taiga's eyes opened wide. Was this younger girl, whom she had not met until this afternoon, trying to tell her that she was... jealous?

"Maybe I am a little green when it comes to you," Akari replied. "But if you can do it, why can't I?"

Taiga was speechless. For the second time that afternoon, she found herself completely frozen. All these years, she had avoided them because she'd believed they hated her. She'd believed they had replaced her, and now here she was, discovering that none of it had ever been true. They hadn't erased her or forgotten her. Instead, they had made sure Akari grew up knowing exactly who her big sister was. This girl had spent seventeen years growing up without ever meeting the big sister she had always been compared to. And that big sister was her.

An awkward silence hung in the air. "Akari, I..."

The front door opened. Taiga stopped immediately. That could only be one person. A voice she had not heard in many years then called out from the entranceway. "I'm home..."

Posting by:

Captain Taiga Aisaka
Commanding Officer
USS Tokyo

Haruto Fujimura
Civilian

Akari Fujimura
Civilian

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