The Cruelty and Fairness of Fate (part 27 of 29)

a Sailor Moon fanfiction by Crawlspace

	Her mind finally made up, Rei quickly pulled her shirt over her 
head.  She took a moment to interrupt Minako’s shower by cracking the 
door and calling in, “Mina, there’s something I have to do.  Go ahead 
without me, and I’ll meet you guys at the park.”  The door was closed 
again before Minako had a chance to pull her head out from under the 
water’s spray.
	Rei’s pace slowed as she approached her destination.  The cherry 
blossoms on the small branch she had taken from a tree at the shrine 
matched those that bloomed and fell around her as she walked.  Turning 
a corner, her hand reached out to run along the bars of the wrought 
iron fence that surrounded the cemetery.  When she reached the 
cemetery’s entrance, Rei paused for a moment before going in and making 
her way to the short, black pillar that marked her mother’s grave.
	Kneeling down, she brushed aside the covering of pink blossoms 
and other debris that lay across the base of the gravestone, then 
carefully placed the branch she carried in one of the holders on its 
corner.  “Hi, Mom,” she said softly in deference to the stillness of 
the place.  “I’m sorry it’s been so long since I visited.  I suppose 
you know about everything that’s been going on.  I’m still trying to 
sort some of it out, but it’s been getting easier.”
	Rei took a breath and ran a hand through her hair.  “I can’t give 
him any more chances, Mom, and I don’t think he expects me to.  I know 
that hurts you, but he isn’t the same as when you knew him.  Whatever 
it is that made you love him so much disappeared a long time ago.  I’m 
not even sure what it is that made me love him for as long as I did, 
either.  But I know he hurt you, and I don’t know why you thought he 
wouldn’t do the same to me.  I’m a little angry at you for that.  But 
for all the times I remember you saying not to be upset by what Dad 
did, and as much as I think you wanted us to have a relationship, I 
can’t help wondering if you knew it was all going to fall apart 
eventually.  That’s why you made sure I had Grandpa.  And I feel like 
I’ve taken that for granted all these years.”
	A corner of Rei’s mouth turned up into a small smirk.  “And 
speaking of Grandpa,” she went on, “he’s finally started teaching me to 
drive.  If he had any hair left, it would all be grey by the time I’m a 
fully licensed driver.  He told me about how you came home in tears and 
cried to Grandma about how he was being mean to you because you kept 
grinding the gears when you were learning.  I don’t know if he’s gotten 
more patient in his old age, or if having an automatic just makes it 
easier, but the trauma has been kept to a minimum.”
	Grinning, Rei sat back and rested her weight on her hands.  “Now 
let’s see, what else has been going on?  My friends have all got stuff 
happening in their lives these days.  Usagi’s started the one year 
count down for when she can get married.  Though I swear she’d marry 
Mamoru the second he steps off the plane if her parents would let her.  
He should be home the middle of next month, just in time for Mako-chan 
to have the baby.  She’s due in a few weeks, you know.  The whole thing 
still seems a little strange sometimes, but she and Ami are really 
happy.  Plus, it’s fun watching Ami get all wrapped up in something 
other than school for a change.  Turns out she’s a hoverer, and she’s 
got the rest of us babysitting Mako-chan when she can’t be around to do 
it herself.”  Rei laughed to herself as she sat forward and brought her 
knees up to her chest.  “Tomorrow’s my turn, actually, but I don’t 
think Mako-chan minds.  Because no matter how much she says she’s ready 
for this, she’s got to be a little scared.  Just so long as we don’t 
baby her too much, I can tell she’s glad to have us around.
	“I’m meeting all of them at the park with Mina in a little 
while,” went on Rei as her chin rested on her knees.  She idly turned 
the gold band on her finger and smiled.  “Things with her are going 
really great.  I swear I love her even more now than when I first 
started telling you about her.  Somehow, we’ve survived everything 
that’s been thrown at us, and she’s telling the truth when she says she 
has no regrets.  Disappointments, yes, but neither of us regrets what 
we’ve done.  And I’m not afraid of forever anymore.”
	After a moment of silence, Rei stood and brushed off the seat of 
her jeans.  “I have to get going, but I’ll visit again soon.  Bye, 
Mom.”
	As she turned to leave, a warm breeze picked up and blew against 
her back, pushing her hair over her shoulder and bringing down a rain 
of cherry blossoms from the trees around her.  Rei closed her eyes and 
smiled.  Tucking her hair away from her face, she looked back over her 
shoulder.  “I love you, too.  And I’ll bring her with me next time, I 
promise.”


*            *            *

	Minako flipped on the radio in the bedroom, then hurried to get 
dressed so she wouldn’t be late meeting the others.  Plus, she wanted 
to find out where Rei had run off to without her.
	The song she was singing along to tapered off, and the DJ came on 
with his weather and cherry blossom watching reports.  “Looks like 
we’re being smiled down on today, people, because we’ve got another 
sunny one ahead for all of you heading out to Ichinohashi Park, which 
is, of course, the best spot we could find to take it all in.  The 
blooms in that park are at their fullest today, so get out there and 
have some fun while you can.  We’ve gotten word that Hoshigara 
Elementary already has their picnic area set up.  Megumi-sensei says 
don’t forget your sketch pads, kids!  For the rest of you, remember 
that the south corner of the park has been rented out to a private 
party for the day, so plan your own party around it.  And with that, we 
bring you the latest number one tear-jerker from the Princess of Lost 
Love herself.  Here’s Nakusu Ai singing ‘Falling.’”
	Minako reached over and turned off the radio.  It was a good 
song, one of her more recent favorites, but it was also one of the most 
depressing things she’d ever heard.  That just wasn’t the mood she was 
in right now.  She finished dressing, humming to herself as she did, 
then called to Artemis and took off for the park.
	Coming up on the south end of the park, the first thing Minako 
noticed was the crowd.  People were pushed in tight, trying to see over 
and around each other, as well as a rope barrier, several vans, and 
what looked like television equipment.  Her curiosity growing by the 
second, Minako moved closer, but realized pretty quickly she wasn’t 
going to get very far.
	“Mina, what are you doing?” asked Artemis from his place on her 
shoulder as Minako stopped and quickly looked around.
	As stealthily as she could, Minako began to sidle her way towards 
one of the vans that faced away from the crowd.  “I want to see what’s 
going on,” she answered, pressing herself against the side of the van, 
which forced Artemis to jump down from her shoulder.  She grinned down 
and whispered loudly to the cat, “Come on, Artemis.  You’re just as 
curious as I am.”
	“Curiosity and cats don’t mix well,” mumbled Artemis.
	Minako began inching her way forward across the side of the van, 
not really listening as the white cat talked to her.  She could hear 
other people talking now, and a man shouting out curt commands, but 
couldn’t see anything good from this spot.  So, keeping her head below 
the tinted glass of the driver’s window, Minako peeked around the front 
of the vehicle and smiled widely at the scene of organized chaos that 
greeted her eyes.
	The people she presumed were the workers were running around 
tinkering with equipment and setting up what was going to be their next 
shot.  She still couldn’t see the man she heard shouting orders, 
though.  A boy in glasses caught her eye as he ran passed with a bottle 
of water and something he’d grabbed off the food table.  She watched 
him hurry over to a canopied trailer, and her eyes widened in 
excitement at what she saw.  Nakusu Ai, live and in person, practically 
right in front of her close enough to touch.  Just wait until she told 
the others about this!
	And then her view was effectively cut off by a pair of black 
jeans and a white t-shirt stretched over an extremely tall and muscular 
man with a shiny bald head and dark sunglasses.  Minako slowly stood to 
her full height, her head tilting back so she could look up into his 
humorless face.  She grinned and laughed nervously, her mind quickly 
running through all the best excuses she could think of for her 
presence here.
	The security guard crossed his arms over his chest and glared 
down at her.  But before Minako could begin to form her explanation of 
why she was there, she realized someone else was shouting at her.  She 
looked around the mountain of a man in front of her and saw a man 
pointing and gesturing almost frantically at her.  
	“You, new girl!  You aren’t the one who gets paid to stand around 
and look pretty.  That’s what her majesty over there is for,” called 
the man who had been shouting orders at everyone.  His face was 
reddening from exertion under his graying beard, and at the pace he 
seemed to be going, Minako understood why.   “Now get that box over to 
Colleen so we can get this done!”
	Minako started to object, to tell him that she wasn’t who he 
thought she was, but he turned away before she had the chance.  She 
frowned in confusion, then looked back up at the security guard, who 
only shrugged and stepped aside.  Not knowing what else to do, Minako 
shrugged also, then took a few steps back and bent down to get Artemis.
	“That’s a good kitty,” she said in exaggerated cutesiness to him 
as she scratched around his ears.  “I have something I have to do, so 
you go find your friends.”  Then she added in a quick whisper, “And 
tell them I’ll be late.”
	Artemis nodded to her and meowed once for good measure before 
running off.
	Minako stood and turned back to the security guard.  “Um, you 
don’t happen to know what box he was talking about, do you?”
	Without saying anything or looking away from her, the security 
guard pointed to a man in a gray, button-down shirt.
	Minako smiled at him brightly.  “Thanks,” she said before going 
over to the box man.
	After a quick conversation and a silent confirmation from the 
security guard that she was indeed supposed to be there and in 
possession of “The Box,” Minako was on the hunt for Colleen.  It took a 
few tries, but she was finally pointed to a petite woman atop a folding 
ladder who was toying with one of the large lights.
	Standing at the bottom of the ladder and holding “The Box” with 
its unspecified contents, Minako called up, “Colleen?”
	Without turning away from what she was doing, Colleen answered, 
“It’s about time you got here, Iroki.  Senzo’s been running around just 
begging to give himself a heart attack because he thinks we’re running 
over.”  Colleen laughed, then looked down at Minako.  Her laughter was 
cut short as she said, “You’re not Iroki.”
	Minako shook her head.  “No, sorry.  I’m Minako.”
	“Where’s Iroki?”
	Minako shrugged.
	Colleen slid down off the ladder and stood in front of Minako.  
She ran a hand through the mop of short, dark curls on her head before 
readjusting the dark rims of her glasses over her hazel eyes to better 
look at the blonde in front of her.  From her looks and name, Minako 
had been expecting some kind of foreign accent, but when Colleen spoke 
to her, it was with perfect Japanese.
	Except that Colleen wasn’t speaking to her at the moment.  
Instead, she was walking away and calling rather annoyedly for someone 
named Senzo.  Minako, for lack of anything else to do, followed after 
her, never once abandoning her duty to ‘The Box.’
	After shouting his name at him in close proximity several times, 
Senzo finally turned around to acknowledge her.  “Did the new girl find 
you?” he asked, not bothering with why Colleen was looking for him in 
the first place.  “Is that damn light fixed yet?”
	Having worked with this man for the last five years, Colleen was 
used to him and his eccentricities.  She also knew how to ignore his 
questions and get answers to her own, regardless of the roundabout 
responses he had a tendency to give.  “I can’t fix it if I don’t have 
my staff.  Where’s Iroki?”
	“Who?” asked Senzo, genuinely confused by the question.
	Colleen rolled her eyes.  “The new girl,” she clarified.  “Where 
is she?”
	“She’s standing right behind you,” answered Senzo, pointing 
behind Colleen to Minako.
	“I don’t know who she is,” shot back Colleen, “but she isn’t 
Iroki.”
	Senzo turned to Minako then.  “You’re not the new girl?”  When 
Minako shook her head, he asked, “Then who are you and why are you 
holding that box?”
	Minako took a step forward and bowed as best she could with ‘The 
Box’ in front of her.  “Aino Minako, sir.  And you asked me to take 
this to Colleen, so…”
	Senzo nodded, remembering that part.  Then he asked, “Do you even 
work for me?”
	Again, Minako shook her head.
	“Do you want to?”
	The question caught Minako off guard, and she hesitated just long 
enough for Senzo to find an answer for her.
	“Good, you’re hired,” said Senzo firmly.  “You belong to Colleen.  
Do whatever it is she tells you.”  Then he looked back at Colleen, who 
was staring at him with her mouth gaping in disbelief.  “She’s the new 
girl.  Now go fix that blasted light!  We’re burning daylight and money 
here!”
	Colleen didn’t even have a chance to answer as her boss moved 
quickly on to another person and issue.  So, instead, she looked over 
at Minako and grinned.  Sounding much more friendly than she had a 
moment ago, she said, “I suppose I should be used to that by now.  
Anyway, I need to stop being so rude and introduce myself properly.  
Minako, right?”
	Minako smiled back at her.  “Yes.”
	“Mitsukari Colleen.  Do you really want a job?  It’s okay if you 
say no, I promise.”
	Minako thought about it for a moment, then answered honestly, 
“I’m not sure.  What is it I’m supposed to be doing?”
	“Well, for starters, you can bring that box over this way and set 
it down.”  As Minako followed her back over to the broken light, 
Colleen studied her through sideways glances before finally saying, 
“You look really familiar to me.  I know you’ve never worked for us 
before, so where have I seen you?”
	Minako shifted the box a bit, then laughed lightly, hoping it 
would cover up the sudden shot of nervousness she felt.  “I think I 
just have one of those faces.  Everyone thinks they know me.”
	“I guess,” shrugged Colleen.  Then she asked, “Are you still in 
school?”
	“Mm hm, my last year,” answered Minako as she set the box down.
	“Same as Iroki,” said Colleen as she bent to rummage around in 
the box.  When she found what she was looking for, she got back on the 
ladder, but kept talking to Minako the whole time.  “Well, you’d be 
taking over her job, obviously.  We need someone around the office 
after hours, when the regular staff has gone home, but we’re boneheaded 
enough to still be working.  Hours are four to eight, Monday to Friday, 
though you might be needed at other times, like today.  Officially, 
you’ll be my part time assistant, but what it really translates to is 
you’d be a gopher for anyone who needs something from you.”
	“What is it you do?”
	“I fix things,” answered Colleen with a smirk that left Minako 
feeling like she was missing something.  “The man running around and 
shouting at everyone is Hagino Senzo.  He’s usually a bit more calm, 
though not by much, and he’s terrible with names, so don’t ever expect 
him to remember yours.  And he owns all of us, since it’s his company.”
	Minako’s eyes widened at that piece of information.  “Hagino?  As 
in Hagino Music Productions?”
	“Good girl.  You read the backs of your cds.”  Colleen finished 
tightening one thing, tied off another, then looked down at Minako.  
“So, still interested in the job?  I will warn you, though.  You may 
see some interesting things from time to time, but the job itself isn’t 
always fun and can get downright boring.”
	Minako looked around at all the people running around, setting 
things up, or tinkering with equipment or a temperamental young idol.  
Somehow, she doubted things could ever get truly boring.  But there was 
just one small snag.  “I am interested,” she answered tentatively.  
“But I already have a job I can’t just walk out on.  There are some 
people I’m going to need to talk to first, before I can give you a 
definite answer.”
	Colleen nodded in understanding.  “That’s fair enough.  I’d 
really appreciate it, though, if you hung around for a few hours.  I 
could use the help, and we could call it a trial so we both know what 
we’re getting into.”
	“Sure,” answered Minako.  “But I’ll have to call my friends and 
let them know where I am.  I was supposed to meet them here this 
morning.”
	“Do you need a phone?” asked Colleen, automatically reaching for 
the one clipped to the pocket of her jeans.
	“No, thank you.  I’ve got one of my own,” replied Minako, pulling 
hers from her pocket and holding it up.
	“You know, when I was your age, we had to use payphones,” quipped 
Colleen.  Then she redirected her thoughts as she made the final 
adjustments to the wiring.  “So, is one of these people you need to 
call your husband?”
	Minako looked at her, surprised, until Colleen held up her hand 
and tapped her ring finger with her thumb.  Minako smiled as she 
twisted the ring around her finger.  “I forget sometimes that people 
can see it now,” she admitted.  Then added just a bit hesitantly, “And, 
actually, she’s my wife.”
	Colleen’s hands stopped in the middle of what they were doing, 
and she looked down at Minako with raised eyebrows.  “Really,” she 
said, clearly surprised.  Then she chuckled and shook her head.  
“You’re a unique one, Aino Minako.  I can tell that already.  I think 
it’s going to be fun having you around.”


*            *            *

	The others had beaten her to the park with enough time to get the 
picnic blanket and first round of goodies set out.  Rei spotted Makoto 
first, sitting in a green folding chair with Chibi-usa on the blanket 
at her feet.  The little girl was sipping bright blue liquid from a 
squat soda bottle while Usagi and Ami stood talking to some tow-headed 
kid with a camera and school ID around his neck.  This boy wasn’t the 
blonde she’d wanted to see when she got here, and the fact that Artemis 
was sitting there right beside Luna made Rei wonder even more about 
Minako’s whereabouts.
	The first thing Rei heard as she walked up to them was the boy 
thanking her friends for letting him take their picture.  Well, that 
pretty much answered the question she felt like asking anyway.  “Hey, 
guys.  What’s going on?”
	The grin on the boy’s face grew into one that seemed slightly 
familiar to Rei as Usagi answered, “We’re getting our picture taken for 
the school paper and maybe the yearbook.  Chio-kun is working for both 
today.”
	The boy, Chio, nodded.  “I’d like to get one of you, also, Hino-
sempai.  And one of everyone together.”  He hesitated for a moment, 
then asked, “Um, Aino-sempai wouldn’t, by chance, be close behind you, 
would she?”
	Rei thought he looked just a little too hopeful when he asked 
that.  “Actually, I don’t know where she is.  We didn’t leave together.  
You guys know anything?” she asked, directing the question back to her 
friends.
	“She was slightly sidetracked by something,” answered Ami, 
silently promising to explain further once their unexpected guest had 
left.  “We’re not sure how long she’ll be.”
	“Oh,” replied Rei.  “Well, anyway kid, I’m not big on having my 
picture taken these days.  Especially for anything having to do with a 
newspaper.”
	Chio’s smile began to fade into disappointment.  “Please, Sempai?  
Just for a group shot and one with Aino-sempai when she gets here.”
	Rei frowned and answered pointedly, “No.”
	The boy faltered, stumbling over his words as he searched his 
pockets in what was becoming a near desperate state.  Finally, he 
pulled out a piece of paper and stuttered, “But you’re on the list.  If 
I don’t come back with a picture of you and Aino-sempai, Yukari will 
hurt me.”
	Rei narrowed her eyes at Chio and took the list he was holding 
up.  She scanned it quickly, noting places and people that had been 
specified and a few crossed off.  Towards the bottom, her eyes stopped 
on one item that read, ‘Kino and Mizuno – cute factor.  I don’t care if 
you have to beg.’  She would have found that very amusing if, right 
beneath it, Minako’s name hadn’t been written twice as big as 
everything else and underlined three times.  And below Minako’s name 
was a bulleted sub-list:  *Group with friends – the usual 5.  *With 
Tsukino for the look-a-like’s page.  *With Hino.  *Backdrop of blossoms 
– come back without and I’ll hurt you (I know where you sleep).
	Rei looked up from the list and glared at the boy almost 
unintentionally.  She held the list so he could see it and pointed to 
Minako’s name.  “Okay, who is this ‘Yukari’ and why does she want so 
many pictures of *my wife*?”
	Chio paled under Rei’s stare.  Makoto was the first to come to 
the poor kid’s rescue.  “You’re scaring him, Rei,” she said with an 
amused grin.  “And don’t worry about Yukari.  She’s his sister and in 
the drama club with Minako.  Their dad’s one of the guidance counselors 
at school.”
	“She’s in our class, too,” added Usagi.  “And the assistant 
editor of the school paper, and I think she’s on the yearbook staff 
this year, also.”
	Chio nodded to confirm this, his green eyes wide as he waited for 
Rei’s reaction.  “All right,” said Rei.  “That tells me who she is.  So 
what’s the big fascination with Minako?”
	Ami grinned as she answered, “You know how Minako always teases 
you about having fangirls?  Well, Itoh-san is something of the Minako 
equivalent to that.  Minako is the star of the drama club, naturally 
social, and somewhat larger than life.  With Itoh-san’s penchant for 
over-exaggerated gossip, Minako was just the perfect target for her.”
	“Exaggerated gossip?” mumbled Rei as the missing pieces fell 
together behind her narrowed eyes.  Then those eyes opened wider as one 
particular piece clicked into place.  “Wait a minute.  Prince Haruka?”
	Usagi giggled as all three of them nodded.  Chibi-usa looked as 
confused at that question as Chio did.  She wanted to know what it 
meant and decided to ask Rei later.
	Rei laughed and shook her head.  “Okay, now I remember who she 
is.”  Then she leveled a calmer gaze back at Chio.  “But that doesn’t 
mean I want my picture taken or anyone stalking Minako to get a bunch 
of her.”
	Ami’s cell phone interrupted the boy’s silence.  All eyes turned 
to her as she reached into her pocket.  “Hello?  Hi Minako.  Are you 
okay?  Your friend relayed your message to us.”
	Rei took a few steps closer to Ami as the girl nodded to what was 
being said to her.  She wanted to talk to Minako, but this seemed to be 
shaping up into a conversation just between the other two.
	“Yes, I know,” answered Ami with a fond sort of annoyance.  
“Mako-chan is the same way.  She completely misses my point about those 
things not being for personal use.  Her own phone would be much more 
convenient.”
	Rei and Makoto both gave Ami and her conversation a slighted 
frown.  “You know, I think I’ve just been insulted,” muttered Makoto.
	Chibi-usa nodded and handed her up a bottle of bright pink soda 
to commiserate.
	Finally, Ami handed the phone over to Rei, grinning as she did.  
“She’d like to speak with you.”
	“Okay,” said Rei into the phone.  “What’s going on?  I haven’t 
heard any of this yet.”
	Rei listened as Minako explained what it was that had held her 
up.  Her eyes grew round as her jaw fell open.  “You’ve got to be 
kidding me.  There’s no way.”  She looked over to the cats, and Artemis 
gave her a quick, subtle nod.  As Minako did the same thing verbally, 
Rei laughed.  “I want to see this for myself.  Sit tight and keep an 
eye out for me.  I’ll be over there in a few minutes.”  She folded the 
phone and handed it back to Ami.  “I’m going over to see what she’s up 
to.”
	Rei had taken three steps when Usagi’s voice stopped her.  Blue 
eyes looked over to Chio, who was still standing there, his hands 
holding on to his camera and a childishly hopeful expression on his 
face.
	Rei sighed in defeat.  “All right,” she said.  “You can come with 
me.  But,” she added sharply, “you may only take one picture.  
Understand?”
	The boy grinned widely.  “Yes, Sempai.  Thank you,” he babbled 
out excitedly.  He moved quickly to Rei, and as she turned and began 
walking away, he hurried to keep up, deliberately staying one step 
behind her as they walked.


*            *            *

	Colleen wiped the back of her hand across her brow, not caring 
about the small streak of dirt it left behind.  Her dark, curly bangs 
would cover most of it anyway.  She slid down off the ladder she was 
on, tossed a few tools into the box on the ground, then scanned the 
area for the two people she needed to find.
	Senzo was being annoyingly quiet at the moment, so her short walk 
found her Minako first.  Colleen stopped and stood not far from where 
the blonde was with two people she assumed were her friends.  The boy 
had a camera and was snapping pictures as Minako smiled happily and 
posed in front of one of the smaller cherry blossom trees.  A dark 
haired girl stood beside the boy, her arms crossed over her chest in an 
unhappy manner.
	Colleen tapped the knuckle of her index finger against her lips.  
She watched as Minako waved the girl to her, only to have the girl very 
adamantly shake her head ‘no.’  Not caring about the protests she was 
receiving, Minako pulled the girl to her and wrapped her arms around 
the girl’s shoulders, holding her there so the boy could snap off a few 
more photos.  The dark haired girl smirked at something that was 
whispered in her ear, and that was when it clicked.
	Colleen laughed loud enough to draw a few curious stares.  ‘I 
knew I’d seen you before,’ she thought with a grin.
	Senzo appeared beside her, not terribly interested in what she 
found amusing.  He only wanted one thing.  “Is that damn light fixed 
yet?”
	Without looking at him, Colleen answered flatly, “Yes, that damn 
light is fixed.  That should be everything.  Of course, if you’d get 
some new equipment…”  She let the sentence trail, having said it enough 
in the past for Senzo not to need it completed.
	Senzo grinned at her, a brief window of amusement appearing in 
his otherwise frantic nature.  “I have you.  I don’t need new 
equipment.”
	Colleen turned to smirk at him at the same time Senzo looked over 
to see what she was staring at.  “What the hell?” he muttered before 
starting forward towards Minako’s group.  “Hey, you, Shutterbug Jr.!  
What are you doing on my set with a camera?”
	Colleen stayed where she was and waited to see how far Senzo 
would go.  If it looked like he was really going to scare them, she 
would help out.  She hoped Senzo wouldn’t actually scare off or run off 
this particular ‘new girl.’  She like her and wanted to keep her.
	A few minutes later, Senzo was waving to her with one of his 
hands resting on the shutterbug’s shoulder.  “Colleen!  Get this kid 
over to Red!  I told you we didn’t need to hire a professional to get 
shots of the crew!”


*            *            *

	Minako walked slowly to the sitting room, carefully balancing the 
serving tray she carried.  Rei followed beside her, now silent after 
the discussion they’d had while Minako was preparing the tea.  She 
understood why Minako wanted to do this.  Getting Grandpa’s permission 
to take this new job was important to her, just as showing him the 
proper respect while doing so was.  Minako considered this not only 
good manners, but as the least she could do for the man who had taken 
her in, treated her as if she were his own granddaughter, and not asked 
for a single thing in return.
	The little creamer on the tray bobbled as Minako reached to open 
the door.  A tiny splash of cream dribbled down its side and around the 
plate of cookies as she quickly rebalanced the tray.  One of Rei’s 
hands touched her arm to help steady her as the other reached around 
her and opened the door.  Minako gave her a grateful smile and either 
didn’t notice or just ignored the small gap Rei left between the door 
and its jamb after Minako had gone through.
	Grandpa sat atop a dark floor pillow, his arms folded with his 
hands tucked into his sleeves.  He waited patiently as Minako set the 
tray on the table in front of him, righted the two china teacups, and 
filled them.  When she was finished, Minako sat across from Grandpa and 
waited until he’d lifted his own cup before reaching for hers.
	Several quiet minutes passed before Grandpa set his cup back on 
its saucer and smiled at the girl across from him.  “Very good,” he 
said approvingly.  “I’m very impressed.  Now, I believe there was 
something you wanted to speak with me about?”
	Minako nodded and began her tale of what had happened the day 
before at the park.  Her smile grew as she described the people she’d 
met and the odd sort of chaos they embodied.  As she shifted to the 
details of the job she’d been offered, she settled down and became more 
serious.  She went through every point she’d rehearsed with her mirror 
perfectly, acknowledging everything he’d done for her and how thankful 
she was, promising to keep up with her schoolwork and still help Rei 
with the chores, and finally, very respectfully, asking for his 
consent.
	Grandpa steepled his fingers in front of him, the expression on 
his face one of contemplation as he looked at the girl before him, her 
head bowed respectfully.  An expression that would have been perfect 
had it not been for the grin tugging at the corner of his mouth, which 
Minako missed completely.  Clearing his throat once, he nodded and, 
sounding very serious, said, “Yes, yes, that all sounds very 
interesting, and the responsibility of an outside job could be good for 
you.  However, even though it sounds like you’ve thought this through a 
great deal, I must question if you’ve really considered what all of the 
consequences may be.  Not only for you, but for shrine as well.”
	Minako was chewing nervously on her lip as she raised her head.  
“I believe I know how it will affect me, Grandpa, and I’m willing to 
accept that responsibility.  I did talk it over with Rei, and I think 
we worked out a good way to deal with our chores.  If you would tell me 
what other concerns you have, perhaps we could talk them over and find 
a way to work something out?”
	“My concern isn’t just with the workload shifting back to Rei.  
It’s with the shrine itself.  You see, a shrine without pretty girls is 
like a night without stars,” said Grandpa sagely.  “Having two pretty, 
young shrine maidens working here attracts the same and is good for 
business.  And, as you know, I am terribly concerned with the spiritual 
wellbeing of the young women who come here.  Why, Rei herself could 
tell you how I’ve dedicated my remaining life to helping set them on 
the path to maturity and guiding them into the reality of true 
enlightenment.”
	Minako’s eyebrows knit together as she asked slowly, “Path to 
maturity?”
	“Yes,” answered Grandpa with a curt nod.
	“And the reality of true enlightenment?”
	“Absolutely.”
	Minako smirked, for the first time seeing the glint in Grandpa’s 
dark eyes and knowing without a doubt this was where Rei got it from.  
“And you think having both me and Rei here, after all the *wonderful* 
publicity we’ve gotten lately, is going to bring in even more pretty 
young girls for you to help ‘enlighten?’”
	“That has become my most earnest prayer,” replied Grandpa 
solemnly.
	Minako’s cheeks puffed out as she tried to hold in her giggles.  
A few escaped, but a deep breath took care of those that didn’t.  Then 
she smiled prettily at him and said, “I hate to say this, Grandpa, but 
I don’t think any of the pretty, young girls who would come to the 
shrine because of me and Rei would be all that interested in taking a 
stroll down any ‘path’ with you, or any guy, for that matter.  Besides, 
if any of those girls ever tried to lure my Rei down such a path, I’m 
afraid I’d be forced to offer them my own form of ‘enlightenment.’  Or 
worse, think of what your granddaughter’s very unmiko-like reaction 
would be should she find herself with the shoe on the other hand.  Are 
you really okay with tempting Rei’s evil temperament so much by 
allowing me to stay in the presence and adoring glow of a bunch of 
pretty, young girls?”
	Grandpa sighed heavily and his shoulders slumped.  “I suppose you 
have a point.  You are a bit of a distraction, and would probably be 
better off working somewhere else.  Still, it was a nice thing while it 
lasted.”
	Grinning ear to ear, Minako scooted over until she was sitting 
next to him.  “Aw, my poor, poor Grandpa,” she said consolingly.  “But 
you still have a very beautiful Rei to attract all those pretty young 
things, even if she is a bit temperamental about it.  And I’ll still be 
here to help out on weekends.”
	Grandpa’s exaggerated sorrow quickly shifted to a happy, 
lecherous little smile.  He leaned closer to whisper something that Rei 
couldn’t hear from where she was standing on the other side of the 
door.  She did, however, hear Minako’s shocked gasp of, “Grandpa!” and 
the giggles that followed it.  Then she saw Minako lean down and kiss 
Grandpa’s forehead.
	The door to the room slid aside quickly, and Rei stepped in, a 
frown on her face.  She crossed her arms and looked down disapprovingly 
at Minako and her grandfather, addressing them as if they were two 
wayward children.  “Okay, that’s enough of that.  I’ve told you before 
you should know better than to be doing stuff like that, Grandpa.”
	“Like what?” he asked innocently.
	“Like whatever it is you just said to her,” answered Rei.  Then 
she said to Minako, “And you.  Don’t encourage him.  He’s bad enough as 
it is.”
	“Oh, Rei, don’t be so mean,” pouted Minako cutely.  “You should 
be nicer to your grandfather.  He’s such a sweetie.”
	Rei rolled her eyes.  “If you say so.  Don’t you need to call 
that Colleen person tonight?”
	“That’s right,” answered Minako.  She stood quickly.  “Need to do 
that before it gets too late.”  Before leaving she turned back to 
Grandpa and bowed one more time.  “This shouldn’t take too long.  Then 
I’ll come back and we can finish our tea.”
	Grandpa nodded, and as Minako left the room, Rei sat down beside 
him.  She pushed one of the cookies around on its little china plate 
and said without looking up at him, “Thank you for letting her do 
this.”
	With a smile, Grandpa answered, “She must choose her own path.  
It’s not my place to try and decide for her.  Besides, I could tell she 
was beginning to get bored with working here.”
	Rei grinned as she picked up the cookie and tumbled it between 
her fingers.  “Something like that.  She had fun for awhile, though.  
Her star just needs a little more happening on a daily basis.”
	“What about your star?”
	Rei smirked.  “My star has enough trying to deal with you and 
your idea of ‘enlightenment.’”
	Grandpa laughed, then reached for his teacup.  “I don’t know what 
I’d do without you, Rei.  Even if you are terribly mean to your old 
Grandpa.”


*            *            *

	Chibi-usa sat on the floor sandwiched between the side of 
Hotaru’s bed and Hotaru herself.  The dark-haired girl was half lying 
in Chibi-usa’s lap, down far enough so the back of her head could rest 
against Chibi-usa’s shoulder.  Her eyes were closed, and her breathing 
was mostly even, disturbed only by the occasional giggle or silly grin.
	On Chibi-usa’s command, Hotaru took a deep breath and began to 
let it out slowly as Chibi-usa counted.  She managed to make it all the 
way to six this time before Hotaru’s even breath turned into a barely 
contained laugh.
	Chibi-usa grinned and bopped Hotaru on the head.  “Hey, come on, 
now,” she said, trying to act like the serious instructor, but failing 
because of her own amusement.  “You’re supposed to be relaxing.  So 
stop laughing all the time.”
	“I am relaxed.  See?” smiled Hotaru as she held up her right arm 
with her wrist hanging slack.
	Chibi-usa took hold of the upraised arm near the elbow and gave 
it a little shake.  Hotaru’s hand flopped up and down limply, proving 
its relaxed state.  Then Chibi-usa moved it from side to side, still 
encountering no resistance.  “Okay, you’re relaxed,” she agreed with a 
nod.  She raised the hand and patted Hotaru’s cheek with it.  “Good 
girl.”
	“Silly,” laughed Hotaru as she claimed back her arm and rolled 
onto her stomach beside the ice cream bowl they were sharing.  She 
picked up her spoon and swirled around the soupy chocolate and 
butterscotch mixture before swallowing a spoonful.  When Chibi-usa 
joined her, she went on, “But I was already relaxed when we started.  
So were you.  I don’t think practicing will work if we’re both already 
relaxed to begin with.”
	Chibi-usa nodded around her ice cream.  “Well,” she started as 
she swallowed, “everyone seemed more like they were playing than 
practicing when Ami and Makoto came over last weekend after they all 
got done at the hospital.  But I think you’re right.  They’re probably 
a lot more serious when they do that stuff in class.”
	Hotaru slowly swallowed another spoonful of melted ice cream 
before saying, “So what we need is someone who’s serious and tense.”
	Chibi-usa nodded with her spoon hanging from her mouth.  For a 
moment, Hotaru imitated the action.  Then their eyes met and held 
steady as identical grins spread across their faces.  Two spoons 
dropped quickly into the chocolaty remains of the ice cream as both 
girls bolted for the hallway.


	She had been sitting in the house’s small library, her feet 
propped up comfortably on the leather ottoman that matched the large 
chair she was most fond of, when she heard their voices and stampeding 
feet coming down the hall.  Setsuna had lowered the book she held, 
using her finger to keep her place, and waited.  Even expecting them, 
however, she still jumped just a fraction as the door was flung open 
and the two girls came flying into the room.  Now, she sat with Hotaru 
on one side of her and Chibi-usa on the other, listening as they 
explained to her why she wasn’t relaxed enough and how they could help 
her with that if she would let them practice on her.  She was almost 
afraid to ask what it was they wanted to practice.
	“What Ami and Mako-chan showed us,” answered Chibi-usa.
	“For when Mako-chan has the baby,” explain Hotaru further.  “They 
were practicing at Chibi-usa’s last weekend.”
	“Except Hotaru wasn’t there,” added Chibi-usa.  “So I said I 
would show her how to do the relaxing breathing stuff, since we all 
need to know how to keep Mako-chan calm until Ami can get her to the 
hospital.  But we need someone who really needs to relax so we know if 
it’s working or not.”
	“Hotaru, Small Lady,” began Setsuna, giving each girl a small, 
indulgent smile.  “I think it’s very commendable that you want to be 
able to help Makoto when the time comes.  However, I am actually very 
relaxed at the moment, so it wouldn’t work any better with me than it 
was with you upstairs.”
	Hotaru pulled Setsuna’s arm up from the chair arm and gave it a 
light shake.  Ignoring the raised eyebrow her mother gave her, Hotaru 
concentrated on the stiffness in her wrist.  Shaking her head sadly, 
Hotaru pronounced, “Nope, Setsuna-mama, you’re all tense.  See?” asked 
Hotaru as she gave the arm another jiggle and got the same result.
	Setsuna opened her mouth to protest once again, but was stopped 
by Chibi-usa’s almost pitiful plea of, “Please, Puu?”  She looked down 
at the girl, her lower lip now pouting out and her eyes all round and 
sad looking.  Then, against her better judgment, she looked back at 
Hotaru, knowing full well what she was going to see was going to kill 
her resolve completely.  And sure enough, she saw those large violet 
eyes staring back at her in a heartbreaking puppy dog stare that was so 
much like one of Haruka’s it was frightening.  And entirely effective.
	Setsuna sighed and hung her head in defeat.  “All right,” she 
said quietly, reaching for the ribbon on the book’s spine to mark her 
place.  “I’ll help you practice.  Let’s go into the den.”
	Both girls cheered and helped to pull Setsuna to her feet.  She 
couldn’t help but smile at their enthusiasm as they drug her out of the 
library and to the den.

	
	Michiru finished cleaning off her brushes and put the last of her 
supplies away.  She stepped back over to the canvas she’d been working 
on for the better part of the day, observing it with a critical eye.  
There was still something not quite right.  Perhaps tomorrow she could 
get Haruka to come and sit with her for a bit while she worked on it.  
More often than not, just the simple presence of her partner helped her 
to find that missing something.
	Finally deciding she was completely done for the day, Michiru 
turned off the light in the room and went to find her family.  She knew 
Haruka was outside in the garage toying with the cars, though she’d 
lost the last of the sunlight an hour ago.  She wasn’t sure what plans 
Setsuna had for the day, and the girls had been unusually quiet for the 
last few hours.  She wondered if perhaps the three of them had gone out 
and she hadn’t noticed because of how occupied she’d been with her own 
task.  She was ready to accept this as the most likely explanation when 
she heard music drifting softly from the den.  Wondering what might be 
going on and why they’d put one of her old concert recordings on, 
Michiru walked up to the double doors that led to the den and slowly 
pushed one open.  What she saw brought a very amused smile to her face.
	The lights were turned down low to match the quiet tone of the 
music.  Setsuna sat on the floor, leaning against one of the couches 
with pillows propped behind her back and under her feet, her head 
tilted forward and her eyes closed.  Chibi-usa sat behind her on the 
couch, dutifully massaging her neck and shoulders.  Hotaru was on the 
floor at her stockinged feet giving the same concentrated attention to 
each one in turn.  The little girl laid one foot aside gently and was 
reaching for the other when she noticed Michiru standing in the 
doorway.
	“Hi, Michiru-mama,” greeted Hotaru happily.  “Did you get your 
painting finished?”
	Michiru swallowed a laugh as Setsuna instantly tensed up at the 
mention of another person’s presence.  “Not quite, Hotaru.  Tomorrow, 
perhaps.  So, what have the three of you been up to?”
	Chibi-usa and Hotaru gave her the quick rundown of what had 
brought them here and what they were trying to do.  “But I think she’s 
all tense again,” said Chibi-usa as she lifted and dropped a stiff arm 
back onto Setsuna’s thigh.
	Setsuna cleared her throat, then opened her eyes to look at 
Michiru’s elegantly smirking face.  Resigning herself to the fact that 
she was never going to hear the end of it, Setsuna decided she might as 
well take advantage of this while she could.  So she ignored Michiru 
and instead addressed the girls.  “Perhaps I am still a bit tense.  A 
little more practice might be in order.  You’re both doing very well, 
by the way.”  She wiggled her toes as both girls grinned at the praise 
and set back to their tasks, Chibi-usa taking on the role of breathing 
coach for this round.
	Michiru didn’t even bother trying to hide her laughter this time.


*            *            *

	Lying on the couch with her feet propped up on the arm, Makoto 
watched Ami as she finished setting up the mini planetarium Setsuna and 
Hotaru had given them.  Well, given Bug was probably more accurate.  
The planetarium, like the brown, stuffed bunny Makoto was playing with 
at the moment, had been gifts for the baby shower all their friends had 
surprised them with this afternoon.  They’d even managed to surprise 
Ami, though she’d been in on it from the beginning.  A small campaign 
of disinformation from everyone, including her mother, had seen to 
that.  So when Rei came over to show off her license and new found 
driving skills, Ami honestly had no idea where they were being driven 
to or why.  Makoto found herself more grateful for that than anything 
else she’d been given today.
	“That should do it,” said Ami as she placed the top cover over 
the black dome of the base.  She stood to turn the lamp off, then 
reached back toward the coffee table to switch on the planetarium.
	The ceiling was suddenly bathed in tiny points of light that 
flowed down onto the walls.  Ami had chosen the filter for the 
constellations, so Makoto wasn’t certain, but she thought she could see 
the Big Dipper in the mass of stars.  Ami touched another switch on the 
black base, and the stars began a slow, lazy crawl across the 
livingroom.  With the nighttime breeze coming in through the open 
windows and the sound of crickets mixed with the evening traffic, the 
room was given a calmer, gentler feel.
	Ami grinned at her handiwork and then moved back to the couch.  
She carefully lifted the pillow from under Makoto’s head and replaced 
it with her own lap.  Her fingers twirled around the end of Makoto’s 
ponytail while Makoto played with the ears on the bunny that sat atop 
her belly.  She had finally graduated from the ‘basketball stage’ to 
the ‘beach ball stage’ according to Ami’s mother.  Ami chuckled lightly 
thinking that Makoto hadn’t found that quite as amusing as the rest of 
them had.
	Makoto tilted her head back and stared up at her partner when she 
heard that little bit of sound.  “What’s so funny?” she asked, reaching 
to give the round, blue ‘I’m the Daddy’ button pinned to Ami’s shirt a 
flick.  The yellow sticky note with ‘Ami-mama’ printed on it was still 
there underneath it, also, and Ami didn’t seem in any hurry to remove 
either.
	Ami shook her head and answered, “Nothing really.  I was just 
thinking about something.”
	Makoto rolled her eyes and groaned.  “It’s not that ‘let’s use 
string to guess how wide around Makoto is’ game, is it?  Because if it 
is, I’m never speaking to you again.  And I think someone needed to 
reiterate that part to Haruka.  It was *wide*, not *tall*, *wide*.”
	Ami chuckled a little harder at the memory of the length of 
string Haruka had taken.
	“I knew it,” said Makoto indignantly.  “That is what you were 
thinking about!  Finding amusement in my humiliation.”
	“I wasn’t Mako-chan, honest,” swore Ami, though she had to admit 
it had been funny.  Even if she wouldn’t admit it out loud.  “I was 
just thinking of something my mother said.”
	Makoto smirked evilly, then said, “Potty-training Ami?”  She 
laughed at the look that produced on Ami’s face.  Even with it so dark 
in the room, she could tell Ami was turning a rather interesting shade 
of red.  “Don’t worry, sweetie,” added Makoto.  “I’ll still love you no 
matter how many embarrassing stories your mom decides to tell.”
	Ami’s embarrassment slowly began to change back to humor, and she 
smiled down at Makoto.  Placing a kiss against Makoto’s forehead, she 
said, “I should thank you for that, I suppose.  And I’ll always love 
you, no matter how many yards of string around you are.”
	Makoto lifted the little bunny up to kiss Ami’s cheek.  When she 
brought it back down, she settled it against her side, then said, “I 
wonder if Suu will be jealous of her new siblings?”
	At the mention of her favorite stuffed cow, Ami grinned a little 
wider and went back to playing with Makoto’s ponytail.  “Well, I don’t 
know how she’ll feel,” she answered as if she were giving this very 
serious thought.  “But, just to be certain she doesn’t feel left out or 
less special, perhaps we should keep her in the bedroom with us instead 
of moving her to the nursery.  She does seem rather fond of her spot on 
our bed, after all.”
	‘I knew you’d never give her up,’ thought Makoto amusedly.
	The two of them fell into a comfortable silence.  Between the 
quiet night sounds and the feeling of Ami’s fingers running softly over 
her hair, Makoto felt herself begin to nod off.  Her eyes had been 
closed for several moments when a random thought popped into her head, 
and she had to share.
	“When we get a house,” said Makoto softly, “I want to be able to 
sit with you like this in front of a fireplace.  So we have to make 
sure we have a fireplace.  And a dishwasher.”
	The corners of Ami’s mouth turned up as she replied, “That sounds 
nice, Mako-chan.  Can we have a pool, also?”
	“Definitely,” answered Makoto.  “We have to have a big backyard.  
Big enough for a pool, and a swingset, and a tent so we can camp out 
and do this for real, and you can tell us all the scientific stuff 
about the stars we’re gazing at.”
	“Don’t forget your garden,” added Ami.  “He’s going to be so much 
like you, and not just with his good looks.  I bet he’ll love helping 
you with it and being out there digging in the dirt.  Though he may 
like the worms a bit more than you do.”
	Makoto opened her eyes to look up at Ami.  The girl had her head 
tilted back and was watching the stars as they turned on their ceiling.  
For a moment, Makoto thought about the yellow onesie Ami had bought as 
a shower present.  ‘He’s not only going to be like me,’ she thought 
right before she said, “So, you really think he’s going to grow up to 
be a handsome, yet brainy ‘Laptop Model,’ huh?”
	“Yes, I do,” answered Ami almost shyly.
	“What if he’s more of a jock?”
	“I don’t see a problem with that, either.”
	“You wouldn’t be disappointed?  Really?”
	Ami’s head nodded slightly before she raised it from the back of 
the couch to look down into Makoto’s eyes.  “Yes, really,” she 
answered.  “I would never be disappointed by something like that, and I 
have every confidence that you will be more than able to handle that 
aspect of his life.”
	“Whew, well, that’s a relief,” said Makoto, sounding as if she’d 
just been freed of some great burden.
	“Why do you say that?” asked Ami, curious as to why this was such 
a relief to her.  Surely Makoto knew by now she would love this child 
no matter what.
	A teasing grin formed on Makoto’s lips as she answered, “Because 
I’m sure you’re the one much more qualified to handle the homework 
part.”
	“Mako-chan!”
	“Oh, come on, Ami-mama,” laughed Makoto.  “You know it’s true!  
Would you really trust *me* with keeping up *your son’s* grades?”
	“I’m sure you would do just fine with that part as well,” replied 
Ami, her smile widening at the new mental image of a little boy in a 
soccer uniform sitting at the kitchen table with his first grade 
reader.  “However,” she went on, “I wouldn’t mind the responsibility.  
Not at all.”
	“Homework, wow,” said Makoto almost reverently as the thought 
really settled over her.  “He’s going to have homework, and practice 
for whatever sports he plays, and we’re really doing all of this, 
aren’t we?”
	“Yes, we are,” said Ami just as reverently.  Her hand found 
Makoto’s and laced their fingers together.
	Flexing her fingers around Ami’s, Makoto whispered, “Can I tell 
you a secret?”
	“You can tell me anything you want to, Mako-chan.”
	Makoto swallowed hard, then said, “I’m just a little bit nervous 
about all of this.”
	For a heartbeat, Ami was silent.  Then she answered, “I am, too.  
But I’m still glad we’re doing it.”
	“Yeah, me, too,” replied Makoto, closing her eyes and finding 
comfort in Ami’s nearness.  And hoping that she was giving some of that 
back in return.  “Me, too.”


*            *            *

	Makoto opened the door to the nursery and walked in ahead of 
Ami’s mother.  “We finally got all of our stuff out of here and 
unpacked,” she said as Kaya took in the room-in-progress.  “Now we’re 
trying to get Bug’s stuff into some kind of order.”
	“Those last few weeks, I lost track of the number of times I 
rearranged Ami’s things.  For some reason, I felt the need to keep 
refolding all of her clothes,” said Kaya as she walked further into the 
room.  She passed by and ran her fingers over Ami’s old crib, which sat 
in the middle of the floor.  On the side of the room with the closet, 
there was a rocking chair and changing table with a few pieces of 
clothing and blankets folded on top of it.  A dresser was set against 
the wall on the opposite side.  There was no order to the placement of 
anything, and Kaya could tell they were still in the process of 
arranging things, as Makoto had said.  Smiling, Kaya indicated the 
splotches of paint and doodles that decorated one wall.  “What about 
that?  I take it you’re planning on repainting?”
	Makoto smiled.  “Yeah.  Antique white isn’t a real color.  He’ll 
get bored looking at it all the time, so I want to redo the room.  I 
think I like the lightest blue best.  The one Ami did the happy face 
in,” she said, pointing to the image and brush strokes on the far left 
beside her own dark blue flowers.
	Kaya laughed.  “This is Ami’s artwork, is it?”
	Makoto nodded.  “Her artistic abilities lie in her poetry, not 
her painting.  And I’m betting it will be the others that do most of 
the actual paint job, since I can’t,” she added, the slightest bit of 
annoyance creeping into her voice.
	“You’ll have enough to deal with yourself,” answered Kaya with 
some sympathy.  “Let them have this one little thing.”  Then she smiled 
fondly.  “I always wondered if Ami had kept up with her writing.  It’s 
been years since she let me read any of the poems she wrote.  I thought 
perhaps she’d given it up.”
	“She still writes,” replied Makoto.  “But she’s shy about it and 
keeps most of it to herself.  I can’t get her to show me half of what 
she does.”
	The sound of the front door opening caught their attention.  A 
few minutes later, Ami came into the room.  She stopped beside Makoto, 
her hand briefly touching the girl’s back.  “Hi, Mom,” she said 
happily.  “I was hoping I’d get back before you got here.  I got 
everything on the list, Mako-chan.  They only had regular peanut butter 
this time, though.”
	“That’s okay,” replied Makoto.  “I’ll gladly take whatever I can 
get.”
	Kaya smiled as she watched her girls.  Then she remembered the 
small matter that had brought her here earlier than planned.  Her voice 
even, she began, “I’ve had a nice visit with Makoto while we waited for 
you.  And you were only out taking care of your responsibilities, which 
is something I’m glad to see.  I was beginning to worry about that, you 
understand.  I thought perhaps with all the freedoms I’ve allowed you 
of late, that you might be slacking off.”  Her arms crossed over her 
chest and she looked directly at Ami as she said, “We need to have a 
discussion, young lady.”
	“Um, maybe I should go get dinner started,” said Makoto, easily 
recognizing the tone of Kaya’s voice even without the words, knowing 
she needed to get out of their way, and in a sense asking permission to 
leave before this conversation went any further.
	“Do you need any help?” asked Kaya, her voice losing some of the 
sternness she’d affected when she’d addressed Ami.
	Makoto shook her head.  “No, I can handle this part on my own.”
	“All right,” answered Kaya.  “But let us know if you need 
anything.”
	Makoto nodded, then excused herself from the room.
	Standing alone, Ami fidgeted under her mother’s gaze.
	“I got a call from your grandmother last night,” began Kaya.  
“Imagine my surprise when she told me how long it had been since they’d 
heard from you when I specifically told you two months ago to call them 
and tell them what you were doing.”
	“I’m sorry,” said Ami quietly.  “I meant to, but every time I 
tried to call, I couldn’t figure out how I was supposed to bring it up.  
It’s not the easiest thing to work into a casual conversation.”
	Kaya resisted the urge to say she did know because she’d already 
had this specific conversation with her mother, and instead smiled to 
help soften her words.  “I know better than anyone how hard it can be 
to tell your grandparents something they may not want to hear.  But you 
made this choice, and it’s something you have to take care of yourself.  
Don’t be so worried about it, Ami.  Your grandparents love and adore 
you beyond words, and I promise any shortcomings you think they may see 
will be blamed on me, not you, so you have nothing to be concerned 
about.  You’ve got less than a month left.  I think it would be best if 
you told them before the baby is born.”
	Ami nodded in agreement, then a grin slowly formed on her lips.  
“We have three weeks,” she said softly.  “Just three more weeks.”
	Kaya smiled down at her daughter.  “Are you feeling at all 
overwhelmed by it yet?”
	“A little,” admitted Ami.  “But it’s a good sort of feeling.”
	“Then that’s what you tell your grandmother when you speak with 
her after school tomorrow,” said Kaya.  “She’s expecting your call, and 
it will make her happy to know that you’re happy.  And if you can, when 
you talk to her, find a way to work in the words ‘great grandmother’ in 
reference to her.  Just for me.”
	“I promise,” laughed Ami.  Then she sobered a bit.  “Was she very 
upset with me?”
	“No,” answered Kaya.  “Mom just assumed you’d gotten busy with 
school and the rest of your life.  Actually, that wasn’t even why she 
called.  She’s been after me for a while now about Gram’s birthday.  
Last night was just another excuse to drive her point home.”
	“She wants you to come to the reunion this year?”
	“She wants us to come every year.”  Kaya sighed lightly, a sure 
sign of her admitting defeat.  “I can’t argue with Mom when she says 
Gram doesn’t have many years left, and that we don’t get up there 
nearly as much as we should.  Plus, this year, you have Makoto and the 
baby, and this would be a good chance to introduce them to everyone.”
	“So we’re going?” asked Ami, not at all minding the idea of 
seeing the relatives her mother so often tried to avoid.
	“Yes,” answered her mother.  “And I thought you might like to 
invite your friends, as well, since you’ll all be on summer break.  
They’ve been good to you this last year, and it’s the least we can do 
to thank them.  Besides, with all this unpleasantness recently, it 
would be good for them to get away for a while and have a real break.  
Now, let’s see,” went on Kaya, becoming very thoughtful in expression, 
“Usagi’s young man will be back by then, so you should invite him, 
also.  Assuming, of course, that her parents don’t have any objections.  
With his recent studies overseas, I think Father will enjoy talking 
with him.  And if Chibi-usa is still with Usagi’s family, she’ll be 
there so Hotaru will have someone to play with, just in case Kara is 
too young for her and she doesn’t have any interest in playing with 
Seiji, so that will take care of that.”
	“You want me to invite Hotaru’s family as well?” asked Ami, doing 
a mental tally of how many people this would have invading her 
grandparents’ estate.
	“Of course,” replied Kaya, as if she couldn’t understand why Ami 
would even ask that.  “They’re your friends, so there’s no reason you 
shouldn’t.  It’s not as if your grandparents don’t have the room.”  
Then she turned her eyes away from Ami and picked up one of the little 
t-shirts that lay on the changing table.  Focusing all her attention on 
refolding the small garment, Kaya added, “And I thought… perhaps… I 
might bring a friend with me this year, as well.”  She laid the shirt 
back down and carefully smoothed it out before looking back at Ami, a 
touch of nervousness in her eyes.  “Unless you think it would make you 
too terribly uncomfortable?”
	Ami smiled gently and moved to stand beside her mother.  Picking 
up one of the blankets beside the shirt Kaya had just refolded, Ami 
imitated her mother’s actions as she said, “I think it would be nice if 
you had a friend to bring with you.  I shouldn’t be the only one, Mom.”  
Then she looked back up, the smile still in place, and was rewarded 
with a similarly grateful one from her mother.


*            *            *

	It had been over an hour since Usagi had arrived at the 
apartment.  After greeting her and giving her a few minutes to settle 
in for the evening, Ami had taken the cordless phone and hidden in the 
bedroom to make the call to her grandparents.  Once since then, Makoto 
had walked by the bedroom, just to make sure everything was okay.  
After several seconds of straining to hear through the closed door, she 
was able to pick up Ami’s low voice.  There was no crying or shouting, 
and they were still talking, so everything must be okay.  Makoto hoped 
that was what it meant, at least, as she flipped another page in one of 
the wedding magazines Usagi had brought over with her.
	Now that she had official permission, Usagi wasn’t wasting any 
time.  Tonight, since she was staying with Makoto while Ami went to 
cram school, she had brought over a bunch of magazines and catalogues 
she’d collected and had laid them all out on the dining room table in 
front of them.  The idea of being able to dress her friends up for her 
wedding was unbelievably fun to Usagi, and the idea became even more 
fun with one of those friends there helping with the preliminary 
‘perfect dresses’ search.
	Makoto grinned as Usagi chattered on about flowers, and colors, 
and what would look best on who, all with an infectious sort of joy.  
They had all found the happiness they’d been looking for, regardless of 
how they’d fallen into it.  This wedding would be the final cap to all 
of that.  Makoto envied Usagi that, just a little.  Not with a bad kind 
of envy, but the spiteless kind that left her knowing she’d be living a 
bit vicariously through her friend, right up to the day she preceded 
her down the aisle.  But it wasn’t the marriage she envied.
	Marriage was, at its heart, about love, a promise, and a 
commitment to that promise.  It was what she had here with Ami, the 
thing they’d started the first night they said ‘I love you,’ and Makoto 
cherished that more than anything.  What she envied was the wedding 
itself, though she felt a bit foolish and silly for that.  After all, 
beach balls didn’t wear white.  But she had spent so much time dreaming 
about what it would be like, the perfect end to the fairy tale she’d 
been looking for, that she could still see it.  Everything from the 
creamy colored satin, to the little pink sweetheart roses, to the two 
flower girls in long, white dresses with pink satin sashes and shiny, 
black Mary Janes.
	She wasn’t sure how long she floated on that soft, familiar 
cloud, or was even aware she was doing it, until she came back down.  
Usagi sat staring at her, her chin propped on her hands and a smile on 
her face.  Makoto’s cheeks warmed at the scrutiny.  The blonde’s smile 
touched her eyes, and Makoto saw a glint of knowledge in their blueness 
that left her thinking Usagi had seen some of that daydream.
	Still smiling, Usagi looked back to the magazine in front of her.  
“Anyway, my dad wants us to get married by a real priest, not one of 
those Westerners-for-hire a lot of the wedding planners use,” went on 
Usagi as if their brief pause had never happened.  “So as soon as Mamo-
chan gets home, we can pick a church.  I hope that won’t bother Rei too 
much.  But I’ll keep her so involved in stuff, she won’t have time to 
think about it.  And after you have the baby, we can start looking for 
dresses.”
	Their conversation was still going on, having moved to the merits 
of lacy things with ribbon, when Ami came back into the room.  She sat 
beside Makoto, but not quickly enough to get a peek at the pages she’d 
just closed.
	“How’d it go?” asked Makoto, aware of the calmness Ami wore that 
hadn’t been there before she made the call.
	“It went okay,” answered Ami, a small grin on her face now that 
the weight of her nervousness had been lifted.  “Actually, it was a bit 
odd.  My grandmother was significantly less surprised than I expected 
her to be.  And while she was very interested in knowing about you, she 
spent considerably more time asking me about my mother.”  Ami’s head 
tilted a bit to the side, and her grin reformed into the thoughtful 
frown she wore when she was trying to puzzle something out.  “It’s been 
three years since I actually saw them.  I didn’t even know for certain 
back then, so I can’t see how I could have given off any sort of 
signals or such for her to pick up on.  Perhaps it’s just a matter of 
mother’s intuition, or in this case, grandmother’s.  Unless they really 
can tell just by looking, and Minako wasn’t teasing about that.”
	Makoto smiled, but didn’t say anything beyond a quick reassurance 
that Minako had been teasing that day.  There was no need for Ami to 
know the real reason if she hadn’t figured it out on her own.  Besides, 
it was all just speculation on Makoto’s part.  It was just as likely 
that Ami’s grandmother had really good intuition, the same way it was 
possible Saatchi-san was a just a really good and intuitive doctor who 
always knew exactly what little things were bothering her at any given 
check-up without her having to say a word.  However, Makoto suspected 
it had more to do with the one person they all had in common – Ami’s 
mother.  
	“Regardless,” went on Ami, snapping her attention back to the two 
in front of her, “Grandmother said they’re looking forward to meeting 
you.  All of you.”
	“I still can’t believe your mom invited all of us,” said Usagi.
	“I was a bit surprised myself, but more so because she wanted to 
go,” replied Ami.  Then she looked over at the wall clock and stood.  
“I have to get going, or I’ll be late.”  Out of what was now reflex, 
she started to bend down towards Makoto, but caught herself and paused, 
her cheeks tinged pink.
	Usagi giggled and turned in her chair so her back was to them.  
She covered her eyes with her hands and said, “I promise I won’t look.  
Go ahead and kiss her.  You know you want to.”
	Makoto laughed and shook her head, then reached for the front of 
Ami’s shirt and gave it a light tug.  Ami moved closer and bent down to 
give Makoto a quick kiss.  “Love you,” she whispered before 
straightening back up.
	“Love you, too,” answered Makoto with a warm smile.  As Ami began 
to gather her books, Makoto added, “Call me when you get there and 
again before you leave.  If you forget, I’ll make sure people start 
following you around, too.”
	With a quick smile and a promise not to forget, Ami closed the 
door behind her.  Usagi turned around in her chair and leaned forward, 
resting her chin on Makoto’s shoulder.  “Aw, how cute,” she teased and 
laughed at the playful swat it earned her.
	“Smart aleck,” chided Makoto with a chuckle.
	Usagi sat back in her chair and began flipping through the 
catalogue they’d been looking at before Ami came into the room.  “Hey, 
Mako-chan,” she asked.  “If it was your honeymoon, which of these would 
you pick?”


	Several days later, when Usagi secretly slipped Ami a sealed 
envelope, the blue haired girl found herself grateful it had come with 
an imperative not to open it until she was alone.  Sitting on her bed, 
the door to the room closed, Ami stared at the torn out catalogue pages 
as her cheeks flamed red.  Who knew those little wisps of white lace 
and ribbon could hide so much and yet so very, very little all at the 
same time?
	The little pink note that had come with the pages was lying, 
unfolded, on the bed beside her.

		Ami,
		Mako-chan likes these best.  You guys are gonna have 
		a great honeymoon!
		Usagi


*            *            *

	Keiko made it to the guidance office just in time to see Yukari 
place a brown paper bag roughly on her father’s desk and then turn away 
without so much as a word.  The attitude, however, was apparently only 
reserved for the elder Itoh, because when the girl passed the young 
teacher, she smiled prettily and greeted her with a pleasant, “Good 
morning, Sensei.”  Keiko responded with an equally pleasant greeting 
and thought to herself that Yukari was likely the only student in the 
school other than Kino-san who wasn’t intimidated by the man she had 
come to speak to.
	Knocking against the open door, Keiko said, “Am I here at a bad 
time?”
	Itoh-san shook his head and waved her in.  “No, no.  That girl’s 
beginning to wear on my last nerve, though.  Sometimes, I think she 
forgets who the parent is and who the child is in this relationship.”
	Itoh-san took the lunch bag Yukari had left for him and placed it 
in one of his drawers.  When he did, Keiko noticed the student files 
lying on his desk and felt just a bit sorrier for disturbing his 
morning.  “Are those all for today?”
	The hard line his mouth usually formed turned down into a frown.  
He picked up several of the folders and started running down the list.  
“These three are being suspended for the rather harsh hazing of a first 
year on the baseball team.  A first year whose parents are threatening 
to sue everyone they can think of, including us.”  He let those drop to 
the desk and held up another.  “This is the reason for my daughter’s 
newfound attitude problem.  Aino had to get a job, and because of that, 
has had to quit the drama club.  This is somehow all my fault because 
I’m the one who had to sign her working papers.  But at least she’s 
keeping up her grades.  Or at least as up as Aino ever gets.”  Minako’s 
file hit the desk, and the next one he picked up was Makoto’s.  “Since 
the term started three weeks ago, I’ve been hearing nothing but 
complaints from certain people, who shall remain nameless, because Kino 
keeps coming to school out of uniform.  She isn’t even in their classes 
this term, for God’s sake, and yet they still feel a need to complain.  
But there are certain things you just never discuss with a pregnant 
woman, especially one that pregnant, and what she’s wearing is one of 
them.  Kino can come to school in her bathrobe and slippers for all I 
care, just so long as she gets herself here.”
	One corner of Keiko’s mouth turned up as Makoto’s file landed on 
top of the others.  “And what about this one?” she asked, her finger 
tapping against the one file he hadn’t touched.
	The frown on Itoh-san’s face went back to the line it had been in 
earlier as some of the tension in his brow disappeared.  “That one 
never gives me any problems.  Mizuno just needed some information for 
her scholarship applications.  She also wanted permission to keep her 
cell phone on during class when Kino goes on leave.  They should all be 
like her, Keiko.  She doesn’t break the rules, when I have her in my 
office, it actually has something to do with her education, and when I 
talk to her, she listens.”
	“I do believe, Itoh-san,” replied Keiko, humor in her voice, 
“that if all your students were like that, your job would become 
considerably too easy.”
	A rough bark of laughter escaped the guidance counselor.  “From 
your mouth to God’s ears,” he said.  Then he leaned back in his chair 
and asked, “So, what did you need me for this morning?”
	Keiko reached across the desk and picked up Makoto’s file.  
Seeing just a bit of Itoh-san’s tension return, she smiled and said 
reassuringly, “It isn’t anything terribly serious, and I have no 
complaints whatsoever.”
	“She’s just your favorite student, and you want to check up on 
her?” asked Itoh-san.  “Which would make sense, since you’re the one 
who will be doing the home visits.”
	“It would make sense, but that’s not quite it.”  Keiko placed the 
folder back on the desk and folded her hand in her lap.  “She’s 
uncomfortable.  One only needs to look at her to see that.  Trying to 
deal with it is distracting her from what’s going on in class.  She 
isn’t getting what she normally could from being here, and I think, 
perhaps, now might be a good time for her to start her leave.  
Tomorrow’s Friday, it’s only a week earlier than we’d planned, and I 
think it would do everyone some good.”
	Itoh-san templed his fingers in front of him as he thought.  
Slowly, he began to nod.  “I agree,” he finally answered.  “And I 
certainly can’t see any harm to readjusting our schedule a bit.  It 
might even reduce the tension levels of some of the faculty.  I swear I 
saw Yukiko practically running away from Kino the other day.”
	“Well, we have to remember that no one on the faculty aside from 
you and I knows when she’s due.  Little details like that do tend to 
cause a bit of anxiousness in some people,” answered Keiko simply, not 
allowing any of the amusement she’d felt at Kume-sensei’s 
uncharacteristic fear of her very pregnant student to color her words.
	Itoh-san looked at the woman in front of him, charmed by her 
smile and almost able to see some of the mischief behind it.  Giving 
her back what passed for his own grin, he began to relax.  Perhaps his 
day was starting to look up a bit after all.

*            *            *

	Five pairs of feet jogged at a steady pace through the woods 
behind Hikawa Shrine.  Having a better sense of the land and its 
layout, Mars led the small pack through their warm-up run.  Chibi-moon 
was beside her, breathing hard, but doing her best to keep up.  Venus 
was one step behind them, while Sailormoon and Mercury trailed behind.  
Of the two in the back, the latter trudged along compliantly, even 
though this was something she truly hated to do.  The former was 
considerably less placid and complained whenever her lungs would allow 
her the breath to do it.
	Sailormoon yelped suddenly as a low branch appeared in her path.  
She ducked, but not far enough to keep her odangos from brushing 
through the leaves.  Her steps thrown off and uneven, she flailed for a 
moment as she spit out the greenery that had fallen into her face.  
With an annoyed grunt, Sailormoon steadied her pace, then picked it up 
until she was once again even with Mercury.
	“I don’t get,” huffed out Sailormoon between breaths, “why we 
have to do this.  I get enough exercise running… every morning… trying 
to get to school… on time.”
	“We’re almost done,” answered Mercury evenly.  She banked a bit 
to the left, trying to keep to the path the others were clearing by 
virtue of being in the lead.  “Just try not to think about it, and 
perhaps the others will be here by the time we get back to the 
clearing.”
	Sailormoon stayed close to Mercury so there was no chance of her 
getting lost or hitting anything else.  What seemed like forever and 
one turn later, they emerged into the clearing where the rest of their 
party, along with Luna and Artemis, were waiting.  There was still no 
sign of the Outers.  Mars was leaning against a tree near Venus and 
stretching.  Chibi-moon bounced on her toes, still wanting to move and 
waiting for the actual practice to start.
	‘Pink sugar, definitely,’ thought Sailormoon as she watched the 
girl.  She plopped herself down on the ground at Mercury’s feet, her 
legs forming a V.  She stretched forward to touch her toes, then sat 
back up and wiped her arm across her forehead to clear away the sweat 
that had formed under her bangs.  Letting out a long exhale, Sailormoon 
was getting ready to give one last, good complaint about the heat, when 
Mercury’s soft voice stopped her.  She looked up to see Mercury with 
the palms of her hands facing the ground as the end of one attack 
phrase quietly spilled from her lips.
	With a jump and a squeak, Sailormoon’s head snapped back down as 
the first, cool mists of Mercury’s Shabon Spray touched her legs.  As 
the mist rose up around them, Sailormoon giggled and passed her fingers 
through the fog that began to dissipate around the level of her neck.  
Feeling infinitely better with the temperature drop, she turned her 
smile up to Mercury.  “Thanks.  I needed that.”
	Mercury returned the smile.  “You’re welcome.  I feel a bit 
better now, myself.”  She noticed the others begin to move closer and 
take advantage of the quick cool-down before it all evaporated, and the 
cats move farther away to avoid it.  Luna and Artemis jumped up on the 
rock where Mercury’s bag was resting, and that was all it took to 
remind her of something she wanted to do.  “I’ll be right back,” said 
Mercury, heading for her bag.  “I want to call Mako-chan once before we 
really start practice.”
	As Mercury took the cell phone from her bag, Luna said to her, 
“It’s only been one hour.  I’m sure she’s all right.”
	“I know,” answered Mercury with a slightly embarrassed grin.  
“But an hour is an awfully long time when Mako-chan is by herself and 
restless.  I just want to make certain she isn’t too restless.  I’ll be 
quick, I promise.”
	Luna watched as Mercury moved several yards away, concentrating 
on nothing but her phone call.  She turned to Artemis and said, “Maybe 
leaving her alone wasn’t such a good idea, after all.”
	Artemis nodded in silent agreement.
	Luna’s attention was drawn back to the other girls when she heard 
Mars’ voice.
	“She needs a better target than that,” said Mars as the three of 
them stood around Chibi-moon and the tree she had her Pink Sugar Stick 
aimed at.  “Until that tree grows fangs and sprouts legs, it isn’t a 
real target.”  Then a devilish grin formed on her lips, and she bent 
down to whisper in Chibi-moon’s ear.
	Chibi-moon listened intently, then nodded.  When Mars stood away 
from her, she turned to face Sailormoon with a grin that almost managed 
to capture the devilishness of Mars’.
	Sailormoon frowned down at the girl, who was now aiming at her, 
and took two steps backward.  “Hey now,” she said, just a hint of 
nervousness in her words.  “You wouldn’t.”
	“You, evil look-a-like, who would kidnap someone who needs more 
practice than any of us, and then try to disturb the much needed 
training of the valiant and noble Sailor Senshi, can not be forgiven.  
In the name of the future moon, I’ll punish you!”  Chibi-moon smiled 
wide, and then let out in a loud burst, “Pink Sugar Heart Attack!”
	And nothing happened.
	The Pink Sugar Stick flickered several times like a neon sign, 
one lone pink heart tumbling passed its edge and landing on the ground 
in a poof of pink dust.  Chibi-moon frowned at her Stick as she gave it 
a hard, vigorous shake.
	Sailormoon put her hands on her hips and laughed.  “Serves you 
right.  I should punish you in the name of the moon just for trying 
that.”  The new laugh that was coming from her quickly changed into a 
yelp as a stream of tiny pink hearts finally found their target – her.  
“Hey, knock it off!” complained Sailormoon as she batted at the hearts 
with her hands and backed away from them at the same time.
	This time it was Chibi-moon who laughed.  As Sailormoon turned 
and started running, Chibi-moon followed her, a few of her hearts 
managing to clip Usagi’s retreating backside, making her jump.
	Luna bowed her head and sighed as Mars doubled over in laughter.  
“Go get her, Chibi-moon!” called Mars in high glee.  “Don’t let the 
evil clone daimon get away!”
	Mercury looked up from her conversation to see what all the 
commotion was.  She watched Sailormoon duck behind a tree, turn to 
stick her tongue out at Mars, then take off running again, still pursed 
by her pink attacker.  “Apparently,” said Mercury to a curious Makoto, 
“Sailormoon has been abducted by the newest forces of evil and replaced 
with a clone daimon.  Chibi-moon is now attempting to vanquish that 
daimon.”  Mercury chuckled at the response that got.  “It would seem 
Mars agrees with you.  However, Luna and Artemis look somewhat less 
than amused.”
	The cats had left their spot on the rock and gone over to Venus.  
Artemis got her attention and directed her away from the still laughing 
Mars so they could speak more privately.  Both cats looked sternly at 
Venus, but it was Artemis who spoke.  “You stand here as their leader, 
in the middle of a battle.  Your princess is being attacked, two of 
your Senshi have turned traitor, and the third is unduly distracted by 
personal matters.  You have lost all control of the situation.  What do 
you do?”
	Venus tapped her finger against her lip and rested one hand on 
her hip, looking as though she were giving this serious consideration.  
Then she waved her hand in Mercury’s ‘unduly distracted’ direction.  
“Well, to begin with, that’s your fault.”
	“I beg your pardon?” asked Luna.
	Venus smiled at the cats and knelt down to them.  “There’s a 
reason we never leave Mako-chan alone anymore, and that’s it.  I told 
you one of you needed to stay at the apartment with her.”
	“She said she would be perfectly fine by herself for a few 
hours,” replied Luna, not about to admit she had already realized this 
on her own.
	Venus reached over to scratch the black cat’s head.  “I know what 
she said.  I also know why she said it.  The two of you should already 
know that Mako-chan feels like she’s letting the team down somehow just 
by not being able to transform.  Pulling someone out of practice just 
to keep her company would have made her feel like she was being even 
more of a burden.”
	“That’s why Ami didn’t argue with her about it,” added Artemis, 
realizing that particular detail for the first time.
	Venus nodded.  “That’s my guess.  But Ami’s extra worrying is the 
end result of it.  I can’t really blame her, with Mako-chan due as soon 
as she is.  If this were a real battle, though, she’d be here 100%.  
I’d stake all our lives on that.”  She straightened up a bit and 
redirected her gaze to two others.  “Now, as for Sailormoon and Chibi-
moon, just look at them.”
	Luna and Artemis looked around Minako to the small battle that 
was waging.  Sailormoon had produced her Eternal Tier and was using it 
like a bat against the hearts Chibi-moon was trying to pummel her with.  
The blonde wore a grin that was more amusement than annoyance as she 
egged the younger Moon on.  Chibi-moon laughed, the stream of hearts 
momentarily faltering.
	“Does she really look like she’s in danger?” asked Venus quietly.  
“Chibi-moon’s attack may sting a bit when it hits bare skin, but that’s 
about all it does.  They need to have some fun, we all do, and the 
practice she’s getting using it on a moving target will do her good.  
Besides, if Sailormoon really wanted to stop her, she could.”  Then 
Venus’ attention drifted to the last of her present Senshi, and a 
mischievous grin replaced her smile.  “On the other hand, you two might 
have been right about that traitor.  She should be dealt with.”
	Venus stood and quietly called her Love Me Chain into existence.  
That same mischief still on her features, she leveled the chain 
straight at Mars, catching the girl off guard.  Mars’ laughter was 
abruptly stopped, but the amusement never left her smile.
	Venus walked slowly up to her captive, one end of her golden 
chain swinging lazily in her hand.  She circled around Mars, taking her 
time and eyeing the girl as if she were sizing up an opponent.  Her 
gaze lingered a bit along the smooth, perfect legs Mars’ fuku showed 
off to good advantage, before moving up and locking on to the amused 
violet of Mars’ eyes.
	“You’ve done a very bad thing, Mars,” Venus chastised teasingly.  
“I’m afraid I’m going to have to punish you.”
	Mars smirked.  “In the name of Venus?”
	With a very girlish giggle, Venus answered, “Of course.”
	Mars, her arms pinned to her sides by the Love Me Chain, took a 
step closer to Venus so they were eye to eye with less than an inch of 
space between them.  Her voice low and hinting at the ‘evil and 
dastardly’ her love found so much amusement in, she said, “Then all I 
can do is ask that you please show some mercy on me, oh great leader.  
I’ll even beg for it, if you want me to.”
	Finding himself not far enough away to miss the words or the 
waggle of Mars’ eyebrows, Artemis shuddered and hid his head under his 
paws.  “I really wish I hadn’t seen that,” he mumbled.
	Luna let out another longsuffering sigh and put one paw to her 
head.  Things were definitely not going according to the plan.  All she 
needed now was for…
	“I hope we’re not too late to join the party.”
	Luna froze at the deep, cheery voice behind her.  A shadow fell 
over her, dimming the sunlight on the back of her closed eyelids.  And 
they were going to stay closed, too.  She didn’t need to open them to 
see the half smirk on Uranus’ face or the pretty little smile hidden 
behind Neptune’s hand.  Saturn’s giggles gave her away, and Pluto’s 
observing silence might as well have been a solid thing.  No, thought 
Luna, she wasn’t going to open her eyes to any of it.  Instead, she put 
her head down and covered it with her paws the same way Artemis had.  
The universe could finish falling down around them just as well without 
her.

Onwards to Part 28

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