Kae and Patches waited patiently for Nakimura to return from his assignment so that he might 'find' Kae-de there on base. Not wanting to distract him from protecting Mariko during what appeared to be a very tense time, Kae refused to call him by comm. Instead, she threw herself into base routine.

She took her turn as cook, worked in the garage or at maintenance, practiced on the firing range or sparring in the dojo with Patches. She colored with Maemi, fiddled over half-finished inventions with Gizmo, played explosives pranks on Hi-Jack, built and disassembled bombs with Sandy. One day, after a month on the base, the general called her into his office.

"You're fitting in better than I expected here," General Graves complimented her. "You seem to be making friends outside the Nakimura clan and I'm glad to see you repairing the damage you do with your pranks. I cannot say the same about some others of ECHO's finest."

Kae-de laughed. "Thank you, Sir. I do enjoy such repair projects; I have to admit." She winked at him. "Almost as much as I enjoyed hearing Hi-Jack get his cold shower from that exploding shower head!"

"I suppose he deserved it after the bucket of water he put over the dining room door," the general grinned. "Hi-Jack has been overdue for that sort of payback for a long time. Anyway, the reason I called you in here is because you're about due for some time off. You will have two days to yourself, any ideas how you might spend it?"

Kae thought about it. "I love camping in the desert by myself. Maybe I'll just walk out into the desert for a while and camp."

The general raised his hand and interrupted with a smile. "Say no more! It sounds like a nice hike. Have fun."

With a grin, Kae-de shot back, "I always do." The general waved her away, shaking his head.

Having been dismissed to go about her vacation, Kae-de went immediately to Patches and told her. Knowing Kae-de had been working very hard, Patches agreed that she should take the time off and that as soon as Nakimura showed up, Patches would let Kae know.

Kae packed a few supplies to camp with, took the lift to the surface of the desert and started to hike. Near dark, she found a source of water, built a fire from the wood she'd packed in and settled herself down to relax. Kae laid out her picnic using dishes from the base dining room and ate while staring at the stars.

She was getting used to being underground most of the time but Kae found it a treat to lay still and stare at the stars that had been her constant companion as a child, to reflect on the God Who'd made them. She stretched out near the fire and toasted a few marshmallows for dessert, then returned to her stargazing. Kae-de wondered where under the stars Nakimura might be.

Since she knew that God was fully aware of that location, she thought to ask Him, but He didn't choose to answer the question. Suddenly restless, Kae jumped to her feet and paced from spot to spot. Her comm interrupted the peaceful evening. "Kae-de from General Graves."

Kae sighed and flipped open the screen of her comm, wishing she'd left it behind even though it wasn't allowed. "Kae-de here; go ahead, General."

"Sorry to cut your vacation short, but there's been another bomb located. Phoenix PD is trying to fly you in from New Mexico. I'm sending a chopper." He paused when someone said his name in the background. "Belay that. Gizmo tells me that another agent's comm is in your vicinity, so I'll send a car."

Kae-de grinned widely. "General, I would love to defuse their bomb. It sounds like fun. I can return here and camp out after it's defused, right?"

"Of course," the general said, sounding amused. "You're probably the only person I know of who thinks of defusing bombs as fun, Kae-de. Enjoy your R&R, general out."

Kae shut her comm and went to pack up her things before returning to pacing, anxiously waiting for her ride.

<><

Driving back toward base, Nakimura contemplated a life apart from Kae-de Doe. It seemed that his job left no time for courting and briefly considered quitting. He loved the ECHOs though and felt that his work was contributing toward the greater good in large measure. As much as he knew he had to stay, Nakimura was still sorely tempted to leave, even knowing that the Yakuza would surely kill him if he did.

His comm came to life, interrupting his reverie. "General to Nakimura."

"Nakimura here. Go ahead?"

"There is an ECHO operative camped near the water basin just south of you. I need you to retrieve that operative and return to base immediately for a mission."

The command only brought an empty hollow to Nakimura's heart. He was tired, tired of the constant work, tired of being alone. "As you wish; out."

Nakimura swung his jeep around to the south and headed for the landmark given him. Dread settled around him as he contemplated returning to work without having seen his beloved at all. Her trail was growing colder by the day. Kae-de had counted on him to find her and he'd let her down.

As Nakimura approached the ridge, he noticed a faint, orange glow and smoke from a fire rising into the night air. A lone figure stood, silhouetted against the stars. Nakimura's heart leaped in his chest when he thought of her drawing but he quelled the emotion bitterly. Of course, it would not be her.

Stealthily, Nakimura worked his way around to come up the fire from behind. A checkered table cloth was spread out on the ground and laid with chinaware from the base dining room. The person, presumably an operative, was a shapely blond with hair that fell nearly to the middle of her back.

Nakimura skirted the fire-light and crept up to her, trying to see her face without being seen. In the cool, dry desert air, the scent of jasmine wafted around him. Nakimura's heart pounded in his chest.

There was no operative, only his Kae-de. He keyed the text function on his comm. Negative ECHO, civilian only at location. Directions?

The reply came almost immediately. ECHO operative at location. Retrieve and continue mission. Could his Kae-de be the operative?

Nakimura strained to see if she were wearing a comm. She was. With delight, he keyed his comm. Call sign of operative?

You should know. You picked it. The reply made him grin as he keyed his comm. "Nakimura to Kae-de."

She answered immediately. "Kae-de."

"Turn around," he told her, stepping silently into the firelight.

When she'd complied, he found himself at a loss for words. She'd filled out considerably in the four years since he'd last seen her and her hair was a gloriously long mane of white blond hair. His timid, ragged foundling had been replaced by the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

Finally, he offered awkwardly, "I'm sorry I'm so late."

<><

Kae's heart leaped in her chest when Nakimura's page came over her comm. She turned around and saw his black form outlined by the firelight. "I've been waiting for you for a long time," Kae replied. "What kept you?"

"I wanted to give you time to fulfill your potential," he explained.

Kae heard a slight tremor in his voice and realized that he was having a hard time maintaining his tight, emotional control. "And lately every time I tried, I was called away before I could see you. Once, I was only a few blocks away from your apartment."

Kae sighed in exasperation. "Oh, Nakimura, did you really think I could ever fully live up to my potential without you?" She was far closer to kissing him than was good for the mission to come.

"You could not know unless you tried," he pointed out. Nakimura reached into the front of his gi and pulled out a sheaf of papers. "I found these. You are rather skilled as an artist."

"Thank you," Kae said. "I used to stand on a high ridge outside of Mobile and toss them to the wind, praying they would find you."

"And they did."

She grinned at him, enjoying this shy, tongue-tied side of Nakimura. He was usually so very much in control! She found that seeing his real personality was rather endearing.

Nakimura kicked sand over the fire to kill the flames while Kae packed up what she'd brought. Kae grabbed her backpack and swung it up on her back. Together, the two of them walked back toward the jeep. "How long have you been an ECHO?" asked Nakimura awkwardly while they walked.

"Just over a month," she responded with a smile, making no effort to draw near to him or initiate any sort of physical contact. As badly as she wanted to, the knowledge of a bomb waiting to be defused made her keep her distance, lest she lose her concentration.

"I saw the Raven in Phoenix and knew I had to alert ECHO, so I drew them a warning and made sure it landed near enough to the base to be found. I've been with them ever since I defused Orage's second bomb in the city. Tell me you didn't see Maemi's picture of her and I? It was hanging on the refrigerator in their apartment yesterday."

He sighed. "I have yet to enter the base since returning from this last mission."

They reached the jeep about then. As soon as they were inside and headed toward the base, Kae looked at Nakimura's profile. "Kae-de, why didn't you call me after you got your comm?" His voice was tight again and Kae realized that he was feeling hurt that she'd joined the team and he hadn't known for so long.

"I came on base right after you left for the Andes and I didn't want to interrupt your mission or distract you from protecting Mariko." Kae paused but he didn't say anything.

"Knowing you were only a comm away and not using it was the hardest thing I have ever done, Nakimura. There were lots of times when I was alone in the dojo and missing you, or couldn't sleep because I wanted to hear your voice so much, that I wanted to call you but I didn't know what you were doing and I was afraid that if I broke your radio silence, an enemy would find you. In the end, there was nothing to do but to wait for you as always."

Still he said nothing. After a while, Kae added, "did I choose wrong?" She held her breath while she waited for his answer.

Finally, after a thoughtful silence, Nakimura said, "no, you acted wisely. Welcome home, Kae-de Doe. I cannot tell you how much I have missed you." The garage loomed. Nakimura parked the jeep inside and they headed toward the lift that would lower them inside the base.

Kae flipped open her comm. "General Graves from Kae-de."

"General Graves."

"At base, over."

"Proceed to chopper hangar, where you will be flown to the Phoenix courthouse and take it from there; out."

Kae snapped her comm shut and grinned. "Let the fun begin!" She mashed the proper button with her thumb and the elevator started them down to where the helicopters were parked.

"I will remain here, Kae-de Doe, and wait for your call." Nakimura sounded unsure of himself. "Keep an eye out for members of Orage and your former faction. They will try to kill you if possible, to keep you from stopping them."

"Nakimura, I'm a tracker on this mission. Once I get to the bomb, I must have eyes, ears and nose for nothing else, or it will blow." The elevator dinged and the doors opened, revealing an entire team of operatives waiting.

Nakimura nodded his understanding. "Then I will protect you from afar."

Kae smiled tenderly at him before the two of them moved to join the strike team. "I know. You always have."

<><

Early morning sunlight was tinting the desert sky pink when Kae and Nakimura finally left the city. "So much for my camping trip," Kae sighed as the ground sped by under the chopper. "But at least we caught the Raven this time." Shackled and cuffed, Raven lay on the floor at their feet, glaring daggers at Kae.

"There will be other camping trips," comforted Black Hawk. "After the wedding, you and my brother can camp all you like." He winked at her through his mask. "You didn't honestly expect the General to leave you two alone in the desert, did you? In the absence of your father, he's responsible!"

"And you can expect to be moving in with Black Hawk and Patches for a while, too!" added the general, laughing as he joined in heckling the pair.

Patches agreed. "You're like my little sister," she explained. "And no little sister of mine is going camping overnight with a man until she's married!"

Kae wanted to protest that she wasn't exactly an innocent young girl but the words stuck in her throat. She'd never had a real family before but she knew these people were as close as she could ever want to come. With Nakimura's arm around her, she grinned at her family and enjoyed the remainder of the ride home.

That night, after having been interrupted by what seemed like every operative on the base, Kae and Nakimura sought the privacy of the dojo. "Shall I get some tea, Nakimura?" Kae began but he grinned and interrupted.

"Yasuo."

"What?" Kae turned to look at his masked face, puzzled by the unfamiliar Japanese term. "What does that mean?"

"I am Nakimura Yasuo, who loves you." He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his forehead against her hair for a moment before releasing her with a hesitant kiss through his mask on her brow.

"Yasuo." Kae savored it on her tongue. "I like that name." Kae went to the rear of the dojo, where the tea things were kept in a cupboard near the bathroom and prepared the tray.

When the tea had been made, Kae grinned at Nakimura. "Now you must drink it."

Nakimura chuckled. "I did rather fall into that, did I not?" Since there were only the two of them, Nakimura was obliged to drink his tea in order to complete the ceremony. He lifted his mask off and drank his tea, celebrating their relationship.

When the beverage was consumed, Kae stood up to take care of the tea things, but Nakimura beat her to it. When he'd returned, she came and stood before him. "I did as you asked," she whispered. "One of the first things I did when I lived in Phoenix was to research various tattoo styles. You have far more courage than I do."

She thought of the hand-applied inks and the needle-brushes employed by Japanese tattoo artists and caressed his cheek as if to ease the pain she knew he'd felt in having such realistic flames emblazoned on his cheek. Her finger brushed the sensitive skin near his eye.

Nakimura remembered well what he'd endured for the sake of his ink but even the pain of being tattooed couldn't compare with the agony of finally having his Kae-de Doe so close and not kissing her. "I do not defuse bombs for fun," he retorted in a whisper, his chest tight with emotion. "Courage comes in many forms."

She grinned up at him, deliberately staring him full in the face. "As does beauty, Nakimura Yasuo." Then her hands slid up around his neck and Nakimura Yasuo kissed his lavender-eyed lady, who was quite content to return his kiss.