Perestroika: Epilogue

Dear Miss Alyona Rodionova
You were right. Most people were relived to see you transfer out. I heard some people calling you a demon openly again. The one thing they seem to remember is the computer guides you wrote. Everyone uses the one to get on the internet, and Vera can read english well enough to understand some American homepages. They're still really stingy about computer access though: Mr. Rabadov isn't scared of getting his windows broken like he used to be.
How is life in Japan? I read it can get pretty cold in the winter so I hope you kept your snow gear. School is just boring without you around trying to start revolutions and mess with the teachers. Everyone's just okay with being pushed around now, it's frustrating. I got around to watching some of those tapes you gave me of those cartoons and their fun, I was hesitant since it seemed so childish to watch cartoons again. I think I just forgot how fun being a kid was. All anyone cares about now is studying up for 10th grade or finding excuses not too and go to the movies or the cafes.
Oh, and Vera isn't Christian anymore. I think we got her to help us get on too many adult websites and she finally realized that it was a crock of shit. She ran away from home for about 2 days and stayed with the black-haired Natasha (the one who refuses to get her ears pierced) before her parents gave it up and let her come back home.
Pavel dropped out and ran away to Moscow. I'm sorry if you still wanted your chance to scare him with your gun.
I'm doing okay. I'm not sure how to get a letter to Japan but one of the post office ladies says I just need special postage. Hopefully the Gundam drawing arrives with it.
Sincerely, Vanya
PS: I heard they make model kits for some of the robots from the show. If I send you money can you get me one?

Alyona reads over the letter and writes a reminder to send Vanya a gunpla kit. They weren't her kind of thing but she saw the appeal. "Maybe throw in a some tapes for Zeta..." she says to herself groggily as she finds the drawing. It's amateurish, like a child's schematic more than art, but Vanya had said he was going to do Engineering in university. It's cute enough to hang up somewhere on her wall when she could rouse herself out of bed. She didn't miss Russia, and a part of her is glad it feels the same way for the most part.

She had taken a day off from school, mostly because she could barely walk since a few hours ago. It's been a day since since the kidnapping was resolved, and she'd been bedridden for since then. Whatever source of magical power her overpressuring draws from, it was destructive to her real body when it wasn't present. She's only alive because she's practiced using it enough to walk the line between between life and death enough with some level of reliability.

Her mom's only alive because of that too.

Even Yaya was saved by it.

It felt good for Alyona, the warm feeling in her chest of being a hero. She did what Sailor Moon would have, minus the liberal use of firearms and probably putting a mobster in a wheelchair for a long time. Even tainted by all of that the feeling was intoxicating and strong.

Her room was the largest one in the house, stuff with extra shelves for all of her figurines as she lays on a futon. She could have had her big curtain bed from Russia shipped over but she liked having more space for her things. Despite the rooms size she'd made it cramped, the walls covered in posters for anime she hadn't even seen. She tries to stand to get a look at herself in the mirror, mustering the strength but sighing at how worn out she looked. Her long blonde hair is the most cared for part of her, braided up by her mom while she was asleep. Her eyes have slight bags, looking small and out of focus. She hopes she could regenerate her optic nerves in case to avoid having to wear glasses to avoid being a bad megane girl. Ojou-samas and Megane academics shouldn't mix after all.

She looks outside the window and sighs in disappointment. It was already past school hours, so even dragging herself into her uniform and over to Higan would be pointless. She feels a headache come on, and start to wobble over only to be saved from falling down the stairs by her mom.

"I was told your friend Renka would bring some... medicine she made, Desya says its dangerous but..." Ludmilla says in Russian

"Desya has no idea what he is talking about" Alyona says as the pain passes.

"Some tea?" Ludmilla asks, helping Alyona walk. She nods weakly and sat down.

"Mom. How much do you remember from the kidnapping?" Alyona asks

The woman sighs and looks away from Alyona, having already hoped to slot those memories away.

"...I recognized it was Yaroslav, I couldn't do anything once he had me and when they went into that jungle... place..."

"I'm sorry, even with your friends explanation I don't understand the Idea World. I thought I was drugged and... preferred it to being left alone with my thoughts"

"It's my fault it even happened" Alyona says, looking straight at her mother.

"It isn't, you just-"

Alyona's look says every thing she needs to get mother to stop. She wasn't accepting no for an answer. For once, her mother shakes her head instead of loking away and going back to her own matters.

"Beating yourself up helps nobody and hurts you even more. You're hurt enough as it is, Alyonushka"

Alyona wanted to tell her mom shut up, that she didn't know the kind of pain she went through, that she was the one in charge. But... that's what her father would do, not what Sakura would do. She just nods at the advice.

She's light headed from overpressuring herself, its nothing.

The door is opened by one of Alyona's guards to reveal Renka arriving straight from school.

"Alyona-sama, I have completed your medicine. However, it must be imbibed very carefully to replenish your chakras" she says with a deadpan stare toward her former boss. "As such, we will need to stay awake for a very long period of time so that it works properly, and does not distort or break your body"

Alyona nods wearily, looking at her mother: "Renka will be staying over then. How long will this take?"

"24 hours" Renka says

"I'll get some coffee going then!" Ludmilla says. She was just glad she had a friend who wasn't terrified of her

"W-Why are you so accepting of this? This could be a vial of raw mercury for all we know!" Alyona says to her mother with some exasperation in her voice.

"There is some mercury invovled, it is diluted for the body of a frail maiden" Renka clarifies.

Alyona sighs: "This is going to taste terrible, isn't it?"

"The most bitter pills carry the most miraculous of cures"

"....We're rewatching Cardcaptor Sakura and you're going to keep me awake with wordplay games when I start to drift off then" Alyona insists as she shakily stands up. She see's Renka flash a smile and nod.

"I'll make sure you girls have plenty of snacks then~" Ludmilla says, putting more cheer into her Japanese than she can usually manage. The smile spreads to Alyona as Renka helps her up to her room to down whatever poison she brewed.


Momofuku Chikata brushes her teeth in her small bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror before spitting into the sink. It was mostly her grandmother's things, from cosmetics to shampoo. Momo's own hair was long, and she had 10 different excuses why she kept it so long and only put it in a ponytail. She was used to Madoka asking about it all the time, but Alyona's chiding was harder to listen to. She throws her usual uniform on with her holy sword over her shoulder and lurches downstairs where her grandmother is still working in the kitchen. Momo simply sits down and awkwardly waits: she didn't get a chance to see Alyona off and make sure she and her mom were safe.

"Momofuuki? Is something the matter?"

"Some... underling in the gang got in a lot of trouble. Everyone had to bail her out of it after she went off and almost made it worse for everyone involved by acting alone" Momo says with a pout.

"Do you think she should be punished for that, Momo?" Her grandmother asks

"Yes... but no, but kinda yes" Momo says, her awkwardness turning into anger.

"What exactly happened?" Momo's Grandmother asks gently as she sits down across from Momo.

"It was the Russian girl, Alyona- I mean Rodionova-San. Her mom got kidnapped by some old enemies of her fathers, and she thought she'd just... get rid of them all on her own"

"You would do the same thing if I was taken, you know that" the old woman says a bit too happily for Momo's tastes as she give her a look and an audible "tch".

"But I would just beat them up and leave them breathing even if they were a bunch of Gaijin trying to invade our turf again. She was going to kill all of them and make it look like an accident" Momo says with more concern than hate in her voice.

"But you stopped her, that was a good thing. Little girls shouldn't kill people even if they have a reason" Momo's Grandmother says in a sagely tone.

"She's such a pain, and she always charms her way out of being punished!" Momo says in a frustrated tone. "Even when she's working as a maid- I mean cleaner at the hideout she tolerates it and does her best! And I didn't see her off last night so maybe she's already out doing something stupid and dangerous again after she already couldn't walk last night!"

Momo's grandmother sighs in an affectionate way, and nods: "We should go see her then, unless your showing off your holy sword at school today"

The girl sighs: "Just to check on her and make sure she's okay, nothing else" Momo says

Momo's grandmother serves breakfast up, but catches a whiff off of Momo's clothes.

"Not in that you aren't" she says, earning a glare from her grandaughter.

"It's not that dirty" Momo stubbornly insists.

"It is. Do you like this underling enough to dress somewhat nice for her?" Grandmomo asks rhetorically.

"...Yes, but only as long my uniforms are being washed" Momo answers with an irritated blush.

Grandmomo smiles as she serves herself. "I'll help you pick something out: your cousins send you so much you've never even touched"

A feeling of forboding sets over Momo, as if she just signed off a waver that allowed her to be humiliated as much as her mother pleased in front of Alyona.


Alyona catches herself drifting off into sleep and looks over to Renka.

"Hey-"

Renka is sleeping in her lap as some gorey mecha anime from the 80's plays on her television. The usually stoic girl giggles softly in her dreams, though Alyona has no idea what she could possibly be dreaming about given how odd of a duck she was. Then again, what right did she have to call anyone else weird? She was a Russian in Japan, not unheard of but still distinctly foreign. Her hair was golden and her eyes were blue, she couldn't shake her Russian accent, and she often chose to wear outfits which marked her as someone not in the crowd of proper Japanese civilians. She reveled in being seen and even when she was made to wear a maid outfit she-

Stop.

What would her mother think? Let alone her father if they knew some part of her liked prancing around and being ogled in a maid outfit by a bunch of punks? It was only a part of her of course, she was 90% dominant, strong bones, she wasn't some blushing princess that needed to be saved by a strapping Sailor Uranus type-

She shakes her head and tries to get these Lesbian thoughts out of her head. Her parents would never approve: just because Rita and her girlfriend avoided getting expelled because of it doesn't mean people do anymore than tolerate them. Renka laying in her lap makes this more and more awkward, since a small part of her wanted to know what was under that eyepatch. Was she just playing an exaggerated character? Or did she actually need it to cover a grisly wound? Would Renka care is she took a look?

She's her boss, of course she has a right to look! She has to know for combat reasons! She can cover her blindspots better if her vision is actually limited because of some tragic accident! It was probably some delinquent bully like that barbarian Momo who did it in a fit martial prowess brought forth by an overdose of courage.

The thought felt disgusting, but she was too tired to purge it from memory as she hovered her hand over the eyepatch. she starts to lift up slowly, trying to avoid waking her up or snapping the strap back painfully-

The doorbell rings, and her nerve breaks, and the eyepatch snaps back before anything can be see. Renka wakes up groggy but still focused.
"Your lap is quite soft, Alyona-Sama. I am grateful for the comfort you brought to my rest" Renka says in her usual stoic tone. Alyona blushes aggressively and looks away from her.

"I-I need to check the doorbell! Please turn the VCR off so the tape doesn't get damaged!" she says as she stands up. She trudges downstairs without even grabbing her robe. Walking was easy now but she was still exhausted from binge watching. Her mom probably just forgot her keys again or had some suprise she wanted to show her.

The reality was much worse as it was Momo.

Momo and what seemed to be her Grandmother.

Momo wearing a cute white and red dress which went down to her knees with pleats in the skirt and cute puffy sleeves, a belt at the waist to accentuate her waist and her well-dressed and lovely looking grandmother who was carrying a basket with food in it.

Momo and her Grandmother catching a wide look at her in nothing but her nightgown with no makeup on, and her hair a complete mess.

Momo blushing with freshly brushed hair, maybe even a hint of makeup.

Alyona's face burns redder than it ever has as she slams the door shut and hears Momo talk loud enough to hear even through the door which was shielding the shreds of modesty she had left.

"Well she's walking and still pale as a ghost: let's go home"

"She'll just need a few minutes, Momofuku. Don't be rude" her grandmother tuts.

"Fine" Momo says petulantly.

Alyona rushes up stairs, bursting into her room. Renka's single eye barely has time to open before Alyona is already barking orders at her.

"GET SOME CLOTHES ON AND KEEP MOMO AND HER GRANDMOTHER ENTERTAINED!"

"I see" Renka says as she slides her shirt over her chest and her skirt over her waist while Alyona rushes to the bathroom to get through her morning routine as fast possible. She was not going to look like the unsophisticated savage here!


"....Sadly, we've never been able to go back to into the Colosseum after that. They'll forget Alyona's face when she grows up at least" Ludmilla says as Renka refills everyone's tea. It'd been 30 minutes since Ludmilla had taken over the efforts to keep things going with stories from her time abroad.

"You traveled quite a lot it seems! Did you leave your souvenirs in Russia?" Grandmomo asks the peer in child-rearing.

"Sadly yes, they were too numerous and heavy to bring over and the cost simply isn't worth it. They could be broken as well, Momoyo-I mean-" Ludmilla says, drifting into the tone one might imagined a frightened ferret would have.

"No no, it's fine. Your still learning Rodionova-san. Its an understandable mistake."

Momo was not comfortable as she tried to maintain the look of a lady. She suffered through crossing her legs and keeping her hands on her lap like her Grandmother did.

"Hey, Renka. What's taking the princess so long?!" Momo says impatiently.

"Chikata-sama, she is preparing herself to be seen as fast as possible. Please understand her beauty standards are akin to a painter's eye for perfection"

"Yes, she's always been very conscious of her appearance even as a child." Ludmilla says

"Well we just came here to make sure she was okay after yesterday's disaster! Don't make excuses for her!" Momo says, earning a look from Momoyo.

"Momofuku, please. Renka has already given you context, and the fact you wear one outfit near constantly isn't much better than the other extreme" the old woman says

Momo gives another aduible "tch" as she crosses her arms and looks at the floor.

"It's not like I even wanted to see her today after all of that. You know I ran around the whole city looking for her? Have you ever tried translating Chinese back into basic Japanese so some meathead gaijin can understand what the guy you're trying to talk to is saying since he's the only one who knows her habits? And don't even get me started on her stupid plans! she's just a princess who can calculate sales tax in her head at the of the day. All that diligence studying for her good grades gets her stuck in the bathroom so she can look like some goddess when she comes down the stairs, as if it's anywhere near enough to make up for all of the frustration she put the entire Student council and all of her friends through!" Momo says as her rant finishes.

Alyona looks down on her, wearing a strawberry themed Lolita outfit made for the spring. Her hair was still done in twin tails, but further back to allow space for a red and white bonnet secured under her chin by an elegantly tied bow. Her face almost illuminated by the light around her. Alyona's crimson lips and fuller eye lashes seeming to grab Momo's eyes with every blink revealing her light pink eyeshadow. Her blue eyes contrast against every bit of red she wears as the two stare at each other for an awkward amount of time while the rest of the room smiles and handouts a boiler plate compliment to Alyona.

"Well? Do I look like the goddess of princesses you expected?" Alyona says in a demanding, bratty tone.

"You-You... it's..." Momo starts, unable to escape the details of her cuteness. Every part of her was preened and themed to perfection from her socks to the bag slung off of her right arm.

Alyona sighs as she sits down next to mother, Renka quick to serve her boss.

"I am Rodionova Alyona Tarasovna, and this is my mother Ludmilla." Alyona says to the old woman sitting beside Momo.

"I'm Chikata Momoyo, I'm told you're a friend of my daughter's. Her friends are usually not nearly as sophisticated as you are, is it too much to hope your manners won't rub off on her?" Momoyo jokes. It gets a chuckle from Ludmilla and Renka and a sigh of frustration from Alyona and Momo.

"I'm afraid Momofuu-ki is likely stuck with the manners of a beast. Though that dress is very cute I'm sure you picked it for her." Alyona grumbles.

"I simply set her a standard to dress to, and let her choose something to wear. It was her choice and I think she made a very good descision~." Momoyo says.

Ludmilla nods. "Alyona was always so insistent on being well-dressed even as a small child it was troubling where we came from. She was a pioneer and-"

"I thought we agreed to stop sharing that story, mom." Alyona says with an embarrassed look.

"I'm gonna go for a walk in your garden." Momo says as she stands up and slips her shoes back at the entryway. Alyona takes a pair of red and white strawberry themed mary-janes out of her purse and follows her out after giving a quick bow to Momoyo.

"Do you wish to join them too, Cho-san?" Ludmilla asks the eyepatch wearing girl, who simply shakes her head.

"This is a fated encounter. It is not my place to taint it with intervention"


I walk beside Momo and feel warm and overdressed in the sunny spring weather. Why did she get so dressed up for this? I should be at school not trying to impress a Barbarian with one of her most expensive coords. Momo bothered dressing up in more than her black and red uniform and it made me feel obligated to one-up her efforts I suppose. Yet it feels wrong to see such a strong beast contained in a dainty, frilly thing. The image of Simply Red breaking the sleeves and striking a pose wearing the small garment is one I can't get out of my head fast enough as she sits down on an ornately carved stone bench. All the furniture was already here, otherwise I would have shipped in some pieces from home that have a more modern look.

Momo looks down at me, the sun behind her head: "Rodionova, you feet hurt in those?"

It's not a protective look, and it's not a protective tone. I'm just imagining all of that.

"They're a bit small, yes. But it was the closest size and they fit well enough to wear" I say.

"I don't get why you would ever wear them willingly then: if something hurts to wear you take it off" Momo says in her usual barbarically blunt tone.

"Because it looks beautiful, and beauty is pain. It's one of the things which sets people apart from animals." I say. I don't want to admit I wore it for her and can't get over the fact that it worked.

"Your suffering is violent and ugly fistfights, my suffering is keeping up appearances. We both do what we must for our dreams" I say in a colder tone than I meant.

"For what then?" Momo questions as she sits down by me. "Your club is gone and a lot of the clubs you messed with still hate you. Is it that exotic gaijin charm your trying to preserve?"

"I can be charming without makeup or nice hair. I just..." I trail off, occupying my eyes with the blueberry bush next to me.

Momo waits patiently for me to get my thoughts in order. It makes me take a second to process why she's even asking: is she actually concerned about me?

No, it can't be. She's just a delinquent, not something as cute as a tsundere sukeban. Maybe I should have played sick in bed and let Momo take care of me for a day and-

Stop it. This is reality. You'll be gone in 3 years time.

"...Back home, I have a job waiting for me. I don't want to do it but I need to practice for it" I admit. I shouldn't be saying any of this to her of all people.

"Once I graduate from Higan I'll be going home to work with my father and his organization, so that I may succeed him when he passes away."

My voice is cold. I can't get angry about it, that phase passed when I was much younger. That fantasy, that sweet dream of a prince taking me away from it all would remain as mere escapism

Momo looks at me with severity: it's not judgement, it's her own method of problem solving. She is estimating how strong she needs to be to carry my burdens.

"Why don't you say no? Tell your father stuff it and stay? You've got all the money in the world!" Momo says with exasperation.

Why? Because he controls that money.

Why? Because he'll send bigger and bigger groups of men to find me if I run.

Why? Because It's the only place I really belong after hurting as many people as I have.

"Because I can't!" I let out.

"I've fought off Bratva before, I can do it-" Momo starts, but I give her a withering look.

"You fought off the plans of an over-reaching little girl and a man who thought he was on a cakewalk. Fujiwara Ward needs you, your people need you, and they need you alive. The kind of men my father employs to deal with problems stop having mercy for someone past the age of 13-"

"Shut up!" Momo shouts to interrupt me. I lurch back, about to fall into the bush of blueberries.

I brace for impact, but Momo grabs my hand and lifts me upward.

"I'll fight anyone for the safety of Kageoka! If your father wants some, He and whatever army he can bring can come get some!" she says looking me in the eyes. There's an unquenchable fire in eyes, the kind that sees a challenge and makes it her problem. It's the eyes my father has when he talks about expanding his organization. Her grip is unfailingly strong as her hands support me by my back and waist.

All I can think is that I don't deserve this. This adventure is my last revolution before towing the line for rest of my life. I am already getting more than I could have ever wanted being a real magical girl. Getting a prince is too much, even if it's a barbaric and dirty one.

Momo seems to become rapidly aware of what this looks like and sits me back down on the bench as I fuss with my dress and bonnet. We're both blushing.

"Sorry, you're too frail to be treated roughly after all of this" Momo says quietly as she looks away from me

After being so close, I feel a hundred meters away from her. The smell of peach shampoo in her hair is still lingering in my nose as I look away from her. Not that she's much better, awkwardly pacing about like a caged animal trying to hide her own intense blush.

Yet neither of us can will ourselves to leave.

Edit

Pub: 25 Nov 2025 06:24 UTC

Edit: 01 Dec 2025 17:46 UTC

Views: 130