Story: Rabbit's Game 2: Three Realms (all chapters)

[Author's notes: Alexa has a new visitor to her dream world; Kurumi has a new responsibility; and a new player enters the game.]

DISCLAIMER: “Yeah, I know…I told them I would do it, but I didn’t know it would take this long! Yeah, they know I writing it—I don’t have to tell them, do I? I mean, my name’s right on the freakin’ page! The gods are in public domain, right? Thought so…so no problem there, right? Okay, and if I do mention anything somebody else might even think they own, I’ll give full credit if I can...are we cool then? You sure? I don’t wanna have to duck some process server or anything…alright, but if something happens, I’m giving them your name—hello? Hello? Hey!!”

(Snaps cellphone shut) Stupid 99-cent store lawyers!

Ikimashou!

RABBIT’S GAME 2: THREE REALMS

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Chapter 1: Reset
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Misaki Ohta was in her heaven, wrapped in her lover’s arms as she watched the sunset. The light reflecting off of the water’s surface shone in her eyes, but she didn’t mind one bit. She had her own glow going, and it spread enough warmth for both of them.

“Um, Misaki,” Alexa said, giving the smaller woman a gentle hug. “It is summer, y’know…no need for our own personal heat wave.”

“Gomen nasai, Alexa-chan.” The brunette concentrated for a moment, and the warm glow that surrounded her and her lover soon disappeared. “I was caught up in the moment. It is beautiful, ne?”

“That it is, Misaki…a quiet afternoon, a beautiful sunset, and no pending disasters to worry about.” Alexa thought for a moment about the last part of that statement. For the past few months, things had been relatively quiet. Sure, there had been the usual earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and the like, but the various authorities were usually on the ball and did a good job of saving the majority of the residents. The red-haired seer was half-temped to check her books to see if anything was on the horizon, but a gentle nudge from the herald she held in her arms killed that thought.

“Maybe we should check on Ku-chan,” Misaki whispered. “She must have her hands full with the Muses.”

“What, and ruin this beautiful moment? Not a chance. Besides, I’m sure your sister’s doing fine. She has all of Olympus at her disposal, and Artemis as her tutor. If anyone is in good hands, she is.”

Misaki didn’t seem to be comforted by her lover’s words. “Ku-chan can be quite focused when she is doing something, but taking care of nine girls while learning to be a demigoddess? It may be too much for her.”

“Don’t be such a worry-wort, Misaki. No news is good news, remember? Don’t forget, those are the Muses—they’re actually older than I am; they just prefer to use their youthful forms. They’re really quite mature—well, most of them are—but they won’t give her any trouble.” The oracle saw the questioning look her lover gave her, but chose not to satisfy her curiosity this time. “She should be done with her ‘training’ soon enough, and you’ll have your sister back home in no time.”

Alexa gave her girlfriend a reassuring hug, and the two women returned to watching the sun sink into the opposite side of the lake. “Well, show’s over. Maybe we should go inside. I’ll make dinner this time.”

Misaki moaned her displeasure, then rose to offer the redhead a hand. “No thanks…I want to be alive when my sister returns!”

Alexa swatted Misaki’s hand away, and rose on her own. “Hmph! I’ll have you know I’ve cooked for kings, presidents, sultans, and even a movie star or two!”

“Considering your age,” Misaki retored with a smirk, “I would not be surprised if you cooked for Cleopatra herself!”

“Well…let’s just say she doesn’t like snake…” Alexa grinned and left her lover dumbstruck.

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Eris sat atop the large stone entryway at the gates of Olympus, bored out of her skull. Sure, being the goddess of chaos was fun, but it was the most fun when she had someone to piss off. And since Apollo was halfway through serving his sentence in Tartarus, she didn’t have her favorite whipping boy to poke fun at. She needed a new target to harass...someone she could have her way with, without repercussions…someone like…

“Phoebe-sama, are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, I was told they usually go out on their own, whenever they wanted. Don’t you think they’ll resent me if I treat them like children?”

“Kurumi…chan,” the goddess better known as Artemis answered awkwardly. “I think it is time to teach them about Japan and her people on a more personal level. The Muses are good girls at heart—they wish to inspire creative thought in all its forms. Sometimes those thoughts are…misinterpreted by those in the human realm, and used in the most horrible ways imaginable.”

The demigoddess of the sun thought for a moment. “I’ve seen some of those things first-hand…unfortunately.”

The two women had grown pretty close over the past few months, and while Kurumi still harbored a deep resentment for Apollo, she came to admire his twin sister. The moon goddess smiled at her student, and Kurumi blushed. “I also believe they will learn a lot from you, as you have seen and reported on a great many things. Zeus was right in putting you in charge of them, even if it was for just a year.”

Kurumi wasn’t so sure about that. “But…they’re pretty independent! They question and even correct me when I try to teach them things. They ignore me when I try to show them something they’re not interested in…” The curly-haired woman blushed at a sudden thought. “The only one who pays any attention to me at all is Erato, and…well, let’s just say her brand of attention makes me uncomfortable, okay?”

Phoebe had to laugh at that, drawing a pout from the smaller woman. “It is a matter of both standing and understanding. Soon you will be on equal footing with them, and they are not happy with that—they must come to terms with who you are…and what you are. That takes time, Kurumi-chan. That is why I want you to take them with you to Japan; this will put them at a disadvantage, and they will have to rely on you. They will come to respect you…”

“They can always come back here, y’know,” Kurumi interjected. “I can’t force them to stay.”

“You won’t have to! As a daughter of Apollo, and as their guardian, they are bound to you. They may do as they please while here, but outside of Olympus, they must abide by your rules. ”

“Still, I’m not so sure this is a good idea. Will you help me, Phoebe-sama?”

Phoebe took her student’s hands and clasped them with her own. “You will already have two demigoddesses at your disposal. If you still need my help--or if you just wish to talk to me—I will be here on Olympus.” She then raised Kurumi’s hands and kissed them lightly. “Now, go and prepare for your return. I will gather the others, and we will meet you back here shortly.” With that, Phoebe walked towards a large garden maze. Kurumi watched her lanky, sandy-haired mentor leave, before heading back toward the main palace.

From her perch, Eris watched the proceedings with glee. “Well, well…what have we here? Daddy’s little girl’s become a den mother now, eh? Can’t let that be all fun and games now, can we?” She stood up and brushed the dust off of her leather skirt. “But how to cause mayhem without her knowing I’m involved? Not to mention dealing with those crazy Muses…I’m going to need some help, but from whom?” A second of thought, and a Grinch-like smirk came to the spiky-haired blonde’s face. “You know what they say…’When in Japan, do as the Japanese do’!” A shrill laugh filled the air, along with a swirl of black leaves.

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The familiar sounds of the carousel’s melody played in Alexa’s ears. Her dream world still existed, and while she couldn’t share it with Misaki, she could at least be comfortable there. Guests from Mount Olympus still came and went, delivering this message or that omen, but lately the park bench on which she sat was just a place for some ‘alone time’; as much so as her lover’s own forays into the realm of the Shinto gods. Their paths never crossed in their respective realms, but they would share their dreams and interpretations, and do whatever they were advised to do. After over two thousand years, Alexa thought, it was finally nice to have someone share the burden that was her premonitions…all the better that the someone would be the person with whom she would share the rest of eternity.

The curvaceous redhead basked in the sunlight of her thoughts, when she noticed that—even through closed eyes—the sunlight had grown much too bright for her. Shielding her eyes with her hands, she opened them to find that the cause of that extra brightness was standing in front of her.

“Misaki? Is that you?”

The glaring light retracted, and in its place stood a tall woman in a overly long kimono. Rays of light streaked from her impossibly-black hair, which was done up in a traditional Japanese bun. “Please accept my apologies, Lady Alexa, for intruding upon your dream. There is something I must discuss with you.”

“Amaterasu-sama?” Alexa took in the dour expression on the sun goddess’ pale countenance, and saw that she was indeed troubled. “Forgive my insolence, but shouldn’t you be talking to Misaki? After all, she is your…” She wanted to use the word ‘mascot’, but that didn’t quite fit. “She is your emissary, right?”

Amaterasu smiled at her choice of words. “That she is, Alexa-san, but I have two messages; one for you both, and one specifically for you. I thought it best to convey both to you in person, as what I have to say to you may have dire consequences for you personally.”

Alexa’s eyes grew wide, even as her fear started to rise. Not many things rattled the seer, but when a goddess warns you about your own morality—especially if you are supposed to be immortal—that’s something you take serious heed of. She nodded and waited patiently as Amaterasu drew closer to her.

“One of my subjects is planning to uncover your secret to the world. He is destined to succeed, unless you can dissuade him into canceling his plan. Normally, this would not be a problem, but it will interfere with yet another problem—you will come to have a vision you may not understand. Lady Misaki will help decipher this vision. Pay close attention to the person you will see; he—or she—will try to change the world as we know it…and kill both you and Lady Misaki. You must stop this. In order to do so, you must be able to operate unhindered—and in order to do that, you must prevent my subject from exposing you to the world. Am I making myself clear?”

Alexa did her best not to glaze over at all that was presented to her. It certainly was a lot to take in. “I…I think so. But I thought we were immortal? And if this is such a big problem, couldn’t the gods themselves—yourselves—take care of this?”

The sun goddess frowned. “This is a matter that involves the human realm directly. As such, it must be handled by those of the human realm. Remember, Lady Alexa; we do not hold as much sway as we did in earlier times, thanks in no small part to the spread of Christianity. Therefore, our power to interfere on a large scale is limited.” One arm of her robe flowed outward as she pointed to Alexa. “You must do this.”

“Fine…fine. We’ll do it.” Alexa was none too happy with this new challenge, but if it meant saving Misaki, it didn’t matter whether or not she thought the gods were just being lazy. “So, how am I supposed to know about this ‘subject’ of yours?”

“You will find out about that person on your own. As for the other event, ask Misaki about it once you have had your vision. She will give you all of necessary details. Also, I have spoken with your messenger god Hermes, and sent him to speak to Zeus-sama to warn him. The outcome of these events may have serious consequences for our three realms. Whether it does or not depends on you.”

“I will do my best, Amaterasu-sama.” Alexa did her best to appear calm.

“Fear not, Lady Alexa. There will be others who will assist you…on both sides. I believe we will come to a peaceful resolution.” Amaterasu backed away from Alexa, bowing as she did. “Before I forget…I wish to thank you for…caring…for my emissary. You have lived a long time, and if events flow as they should, so will she. I am pleased to know she will share eternity with someone she loves.”

“Funny…I had exactly the same thought,” Alexa said with a smile. She watched as the sun goddess flared brightly and suddenly winked out of her dream.

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The offices of the Asahi Post were quiet, as the paper was put to bed. Amid the maze of cubicles, one light was still burning. The nameplate on the side of the cubicle read “Ohta K.”, but someone else was occupying the space. A young man in suspendered pants was getting comfortable in the former owner’s chair, as he hoped this would soon be his own desk. “Sorry, Kurumi-chan…but this is what happens when you take too much time off.” Akihito Masanori, the Post’s researcher, had worked hard during the past few months to improve his writing skills. While nowhere near the level of the paper’s lead reporter, Akihito had a few human interest bylines under his belt. He felt he just needed the right story to put him in league with the upper-level journalists.

The desk had stayed pretty much the way Kurumi left it—in total disarray. Sticky-notes, news clippings, random pens and pencils, and even an empty box of pocky lay strewn across her desk. “This won’t do,” Akihito said to himself. “There’s a place for everything, and everything in its place.” He started to clean off the desk when a nagging thought occurred to him. “Almost everything…”

He looked at the locked drawer at the bottom of the cubicle’s file cabinet. He knew the contents of that drawer pretty well—after all, it was he who gathered it all. Folders full of pictures, receipts, and news clippings spanning over 200 years. He wondered why Kurumi had wanted it all, only to let it rot here in the drawer. All of those items had one thing in common. “Alexandra Melanos…you don’t have a place, do you? Out of place, and out of time…you must belong somewhere, and I’m gonna find out where. You, too, have to be put in your place..” He gave the drawer a final glance before getting to the task at hand.

Hello everyone! Thanks for reading! It's been awhile, and I've been meaning to put this up for months--but health and personal issuses have put things on hold. Hopefully things will go back to a more normal schedule. I hope you enjoy this story!

Please ignore the "Don't Feed the Panda!" sign--reviews, criticisms and pocky are all welcome! I aim to please!

Chapter 2

[Author's notes: Artemis rounds up the Muses, Eris goes on a fox hunt, and Alexa's sleepless night continues.]

DISCLAIMER: A silhouette of a rotund figure with round ears atop its head stands atop a building, framed by a full moon. One arm is raised in defiance against the sky. “Beware, evildoers! This story is written by me, and though parts of it may borrow from sources old as the hills, the idea is mine and mine alone. Steal from me, and feel my wrath! I am the creator! I am the writer! I…AM...MADPANDA!!” A blast of lightning strikes said panda, sending his charred carcass hurtling into the abyss….

Ikimashou!

RABBIT’S GAME 2: THREE REALMS – by MadPanda

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Chapter 2 – The Weak Greek
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The sounds of laughter rang through the large garden maze. Every now and then a yelp or squeal would signal two of the Muses crossing paths or back-tracking each other’s trails. None of them had yet reached the large fountain in the center—as always, the goal of the game. They played here often, the only challenge being that Demeter would change the layout of the maze before every game, so that none of the girls could memorize it. Even with that handicap, one of the girls usually ended up seated near the ornate pool before anyone else—Urania, muse of science and astrology. She may not have been the fastest or the strongest, but she was arguably the smartest.

Once again, Urania had arrived first. The girl had tired of waiting for the others to arrive, and sought to amuse herself. Scooping up a handful of water, she closed her eyes and muttered to herself, “The stars know all…” The water swirled slightly in her palm, before rising into the air and forming a small globe. Once it stabilized, Urania stared into the globe until she could see the positions of the stars themselves. She was hoping to see something she hadn’t before. To her amazement, she wasn’t disappointed…nor was she happy. “This cannot be good, but it must be as it must be.”

“Something wrong? Something asunder? Something to put your mind to wonder?” Euterpe’s melodious voice—and her accompanying lyre--broke Urania’s concentration, sending the watery globe splashing into the fountain. “Tell me, Urania, what can it be? Tell me, Urania…what did you see?”

“This is not the time, Euterpe. It seems we are to go on a journey.”

“Right as usual!” Both girls turned to see Artemis appear, seeming from nowhere. “You are all to go with Kurumi to her homeland.”

“YES!” Clio ran out of the carved thicket, and towards the rest of the group. “Finally! We get to go to the Land of the Rising Sun! I always wanted to go there! So much history to learn and sing about! Oh, the glorious battles of feudal warlords! Ninjas! Samurai! Emperors! Magical Girls! Now we get to learn about them from the source, instead of hearing the edited versions from—“

“From Kurumi-sensei?”, Polyhymna interrupted. “Really, Clio. You should have more respect for her. Even if she is our half-sister, she is looking out for us, and has our best interests at heart.”

“Or maybe she has…other interests!” Artemis turned to see Erato leering at her. “I’ve seen how she looks at you, dear Artemis…and she even has a cute nickname for you—what was it again?—oh, yes…’Phoebe-chan’!” The muse of love songs and poetry laughed as Artemis’ blush deepened.
“It’s…it’s nothing of the sort!” Artemis’ plea fell on deaf ears, as the other girls joined in the laughter. They surrounded the moon goddess and chanted as they danced around her, “Phoebe-chan! Phoebe-chan! Phoebe-chan!”

Soon they were joined by another voice, which was terribly off-key. “Phoebe-chan! Phoebe-chan! Phoebe--By the way…who’s Phoebe-chan?” The newcomer stopped in her tracks to ask her question, which sent the rest of the dancers tumbling behind her.

“THALIA!” The fallen group glared at the muse of comedy.

“What? Is my toga undone or something?”

“No,” Calliope answered, bringing Terpsicore along by the hand. “They were talking about Artemis.”

Thalia gave the leader of the Muses a smirk. “No, they’re talking to Artemis. I want to know who ‘Phoebe-chan’ is!”

“She’s Phoebe-chan! Artemis is also known as—oh, for the love of….” Calliope frowned—she’d been set up as the ‘straight girl’ once again.

“Oh, right…” Thalia walked over to Artemis, and gently took her hand. “I’m sorry, ‘Phoebe-chan’…I hope the doctors find a cure for your schizophrenia real soon.”

Artemis opened her mouth to protest, but Calliope beat her to it. “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

“No, silly!” Thalia answered, before jumping into the fountain and then rising out of it on the back of a dolphin, arms spread wide. “I’m doing it on porpoise!”

A collective groan ran through the crowd, while Terpsicore just shook her bowed head.

Artemis thought it was time to bring the shenanigans to an end. “Now that Thalia’s done…let’s get ready to go. Kurumi will be waiting for us.” A quick headcount showed there was one Muse missing. “Has anyone seen Melpommene?”

Calliope groaned. “Not again.” She left Terpsicore with the group and trudged back into the maze, returning soon afterward with her quarry. “How many times do I have to tell you, Melpommene…If you didn’t want to play, you should’ve stayed back at the palace!”

“I would have, but I would have been alone…left to wallow in solitude for eons! I wanted to play, I really did, but mazes are dangerous!! Don’t you remember the story of the Minotaur?” The muse of tragedy was visibly upset about having been physically dragged through the maze by her older sister. “And it changes every time! Who knows what could befall any of us in there!!”

“Such a drama queen!” Thalia couldn’t resist poking fun at the shaken muse. “Then you’re gonna love what’s coming next!”

Melpommene dropped her head in her hands. “That can’t possibly be good!”

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Normally, Kurumi would have packed a couple of suitcases in order to prepare for her trip back to Japan. But seeing as she didn’t bring any, she was at a loss at how to get ready. Her Olympian wardrobe consisted of a toga, a gold circlet, and probably the most comfortable pair of sandals she’d ever worn. There was no need for much else. Even the clothes she’d worn on the way up had dissolved into the sparse clothing she now wore. She wondered if that kind of transformation worked in reverse on the way down.

“It does…otherwise we’d end up in some pretty embarrassing situations!” Mnemosyne’s voice echoed in Kurumi’s head. The goddess of memory rarely appeared anywhere—it was much more convenient for her to simply send her thoughts instead. “As you’ve seen, we don’t exactly have a chic clothing store up here.”

“True,” Kurumi answered out loud. “I do like the flowing robes. Kinda like our kimonos, but not nearly as complicated…”

“…or as beautiful!” Mnemosyne sent mental images of kimonos she had seen directly to Kurumi’s mind, and the reporter-turned-demigoddess felt nostalgic. “Ah, as I thought, you are excited to return to Japan?”

Kurumi sat on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. “It’s not that I don’t like it here—I mean, come on! It’s lively and interesting, and there’s so much I could write about that no one would ever believe—but I do miss the hustle and bustle of home. And I miss my sister. It’s only been a few months, but it feels like years.”

“The good thing is that you are close…and that you keep her in your heart and mind until you return. There are some siblings up here who would sacrifice someone to have the closeness you two share.” Mnemosyne’s gentle laughter rang softly in Kurumi’s head. “And some who would sacrifice their siblings just to be rid of them!”

Kurumi giggled to herself, remembering some of the sordid tales she’d heard in her time here. Her voice then took on a more serious tone. “Mnemosyne-sama…am I really the right person to oversee your daughters?”

“To be honest, it really is Apollo’s job. Seeing as he’s…well, busy right now…it’s only right that you pick up for him. Besides, the girls need a gentler touch than his. I trust you—I’m sure things will turn out fine.”

“Thank you, Mnemosyne-sama.” Kurumi nodded her head in sort of a ‘mental bow’. “I have to go now and meet up with them…”

“…and ‘Phoebe-chan’ too, right?”

Kurumi flushed. “Does the term ‘invasion of privacy’ mean anything to you?”

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As much as Eris loved causing trouble, she didn’t particularly like it when she herself was inconvenienced. So she waited until dead of night to seek out her partner-in-crime for the time being. “You’d think finding a malevolent spirit would be an easy thing to do in this place,” she muttered to herself. “Go to a shrine, offer it some food or a virgin or whatnot, do the ‘hokey-pokey’ and tell it to do your bidding or else…” The first few places were small, roadside shrines without the least hint of true spiritual energy. After an hour of teleporting, walking and fruitless searching, Eris plopped herself down at the bottom of a large staircase at the base of a hill. “Oh, come on! If this keeps up, I might as well go back to Olympus and dredge up my own crew…”

“It can’t be helped.” The words came from everywhere, but it was definitely one voice…a female voice.

“Who’s there? Come on out!” Not many things unnerved Eris, but this certainly did. She was on her feet now, her tiredness all but forgotten.

The voice was playful, yet full of sarcasm. “It can’t be helped,” it repeated.

“You’re gonna need help when I find ya! Get your butt out here and face me!” She wasn’t sure it taunting whatever it was a good idea, but Eris decided to put on a brave face. She could always just teleport if things got too hard to handle. “And what do you mean, ‘it can’t be helped’? What can’t be helped?”

“Your situation…it’s quite the pitiful one, isn’t it?”

“Keep it up, smart-ass. You’re asking for it!” Eris took a moment to regain her composure. “Alright, I’m asking nicely. Come out and let’s have a chat.”

“Well, since you asked nicely…turn around, and look up.”

Eris spun around to stare at the base of a statue. Sitting on the pedestal was the statue of a fox holding a large jewel under one paw. “Well, now! Don’t tell me I’ve actually stumbled upon an honest-to-goodness fox spirit?”

“That’s ‘kitsune’ to you, Greek! The only reason I’m even talking to you is because you’re soiling my stairway! Do you know how hard our beautiful shrine maidens work to keep this place beautiful?”

The leather-clad blonde gave the statue a surprised look. “How did you know I was Greek?”

“And how did I know you were also a goddess?” the voice asked. “I can feel that you have a power that’s far beyond that of normal humans…lots of negative energy. And since a couple of your kind have already made their presence known, I thought it wouldn’t be long until more of you showed up. Thank you for proving me correct.”

Eris had a feeling her little mind games weren’t going to work with this being, so she changed her tactics. “Okay, I’m sorry. Come out and let’s have a talk, woman to woman…err, fox.”

The spirit laughed at the deity’s misstep, but her mirth was temporary. “You ask to see my face, yet you offer me nothing? I don’t know how things work where you are from, but here in Japan there is a protocol to follow. Introduce yourself, ask me what you want, and give me an offering. Then we’ll talk.”

Eris raised an eyebrow. “You want me, a goddess, to give you an offering?”

The statue’s voice suddenly became hard-edged, and Eris actually took a step back. “What…did you think I’d be at your beck and call for nothing? Insolent fool! You may be a goddess, but you are out of your domain. My land…my rules! You are weak here, Greek. There are no shrines in your favor, no objects in your name here. Simply put, you are but a pawn! Now tell me, who are you and what do you want of me?”

Eris gave the kitsune a lot of credit; this being knew where it stood, and gave no quarter to anyone. It was one of the things she loved about Apollo—at least until his obsession with the Ohta sisters got the better of him. It made him attractive to her, and Eris had to admit, this creature was beginning to stir the same emotions in her.

She also knew that what the spirit has said was true; without the faith of the people, a goddess might as well be a glorified priestess. If she was going to get anything done, she’d need the fox spirit’s help…and to do that, she had to play by its rules.

“Fine, have it your way. How shall we do this, formally or casually?”

“See? That didn’t hurt a bit, did it?” The smile returned to the fox spirit’s voice. “Let’s go with formal. You are a goddess, after all…you might as well start acting like one!”

Eris curled her lip at the slight, but pressed on. Standing squarely in front of the statue, she began the impromptu ceremony. “I am Eris, Greek goddess of discord and strife, sister of Ares, god of war, and bearer of the Golden Apples.”

“I don’t suppose I could eat one of those golden apples, huh?” the voice asked.

“Um…no.”
“Just as well,” the fox spirit sighed. “Please continue.”

Eris rolled her eyes, then got back into the role of beseecher, much to her chagrin. “Anyway…I’ve come seeking your help. One of your subjects—who also happens to be a demigoddess of my realm—has been given control of, shall we say, a certain group of nympbs. I wish to cause trouble for her, but as you have so rightly pointed out, I cannot do so here. Therefore, I seek your assistance.”

“Nymphs…they must be very important to you or your realm.”

“They are...and to the human realm as well.” Eris stared at the stone-faced fox statue and tried to imagine what was going on in its head.

“Very interesting! Well, now comes the hard part. What do you have to offer?”

“Hmmm…well, the guide book says to offer fox spirits sake and fried tofu, but I don’t have any. Sorry ‘bout that!”

“Awww…and I was so looking forward to some fried tofu!” This time the voice came not from the statue, but from behind it. A tall woman with long blond hair stepped out from behind the statue. Two black-tipped animal ears stood out on top of her head, and a long blond tall curled around the bottom hem of her elaborate kimono. The tail was also black-tipped, and came to rest across the woman’s toes. Her golden eyes could barely be seen, but they held Eris’ attention nonetheless. She sensed something about those eyes—a mischief about them that she almost envied.

“I’m sure you can find an all-night ramen shop out here somewhere…they’re sure to have some sake—and don’t forget the fried tofu!”

Eris was so taken with the kitsune that she almost didn’t hear the request. “Right…be back in a minute…” She backed up, keeping her eyes on the fox-woman, then turned and left the spirit alone.

“A pawn, indeed.” The kitsune took a few steps up the long stairway, pausing to glance over her shoulder. “Will she do, Orochi-sama?”

A heavy voice whispered, “We shall see, Mizuko-san…we shall see.”

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Normally Alexa would sleep with Misaki cradled close to her, letting the petite brunette’s breathing serve as a soothing metronome. This wasn’t one of those nights. After the dream she just had—and the warning from Amaterasu—the oracle wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight.

“Should I tell her now, or should I wait?” she thought to herself. “It’s not like I actually had a vision…and even if I did, we’re supposed to be immortal! What can possibly hurt us now?” The redhead pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “This doesn’t make any sense…yet I can’t just let it go!”

“Alexa-chan?”

Alexa looked down to see her lover’s sleepy onyx eyes sleepily meeting her emerald ones. “Sorry, Misaki. Did I wake you?”

“Well…you did remove my pillows.” The younger girl slowly pulled herself up alongside her lover. Alexa lowered her knees, allowing Misaki to lean her head on the redhead’s breasts. “That’s much better. What has you up at this hour of the night?”

Alexa draped an arm around her girlfriend. “Just a dream I had…nothing to worry about.”

“You do know that I can tell whether or not you are lying, right? I have ways of making you talk…” As her words trailed off, Alexa felt the smaller girl’s fingers start to caress her.

“Now, now…you’ve had enough for one night. Go back to sleep. We’ll talk about it another time. Trust me, I won’t forget.”

“I’ll make sure of that.” Misaki waited for Alexa to lie flat once again, then returned her head to the redhead’s chest, planting a light kiss there before snuggling in. Alexa held her herald and listened for the rise and fall of the girl’s breathing. She then cursed the gods before drifting off to sleep.

“What part of ‘forever’ don’t they understand?”

Hello again! Another chapter down...hope you enjoyed it! I know, things seem to be going slowly, but it's a slow boil...things will be picking up pretty soon.

Thanks to all who have read and reviewed. Please feel free to leave your thoughts (for better or worse) in the bucket below. Hopefully, I'll be back with the next chapter in two weeks!

Chapter 3

Eris and Mizuko have an interesting dinner...the Muses arrive for breakfast...and the researcher Akihito has his lunch interrupted.

DISCLAIMER: Look, you've waited three months for this, so let's just say I wrote this and get to the story. Now, go read!

Ikimashou!

RABBIT’S GAME 2: THREE REALMS

===================
Chapter Three – Reunited
===================

“Ahh…oishikatta!” Mizuko downed the last of the sake, which she used to wash down the large amount of fried tofu Eris had procured for her. “That’s why I love this prefecture so much—lots of worshippers, beautiful setting, great food…”

“Right, right…and a partridge in a pear tree,” an annoyed Eris mumbled. “Now that we’re done with the preliminaries, why don’t we get to the main event already?”

Mizuko’s eyes widened with glee. “My, my! It’s been ages since I’ve seen a woman so eager to be eaten!”

“What the hell are you babbling about? I’ve done what you asked—what your ‘rules’ asked—so now you are to obey me, not eat me!”

Eris’ outburst sent the kitsune into a pout. “But…don’t you want to be eaten?”

“Of course not! Why would I actually want to be eat—“ Then the light came on in Eris’ head, and she blushed profusely—a rare feat. “You are such a freak!”

“Hey,” the long-haired blonde replied nonchalantly. “One woman’s freak is another woman’s partner! I did tell you that you had to make an offering, did I not?”

“True…but you never said anything about offering my body to you?”

‘And spoil the surprise? Where’s the fun in that?” The kitsune leaned across the low table, so that she was within kissing distance of the goddess of strife. “It’s not such a bad deal, is it? You get my services, and you get me. All you have to do is give yourself over to me for a night, body and soul. When our little escapade with the nymphs is through, so will our contract. It’s as simple as that.”

Eris gave the furry-eared woman a cursory snarl, then a smile. She knew the fox-spirit was more conniving than she was letting on; being the conniving type herself, Mizuko’s little game excited her. “Now you and I both know it won’t be as simple as that. I’m sure there’ll be at least one more thing I’ll have to do to get out of our little deal, won’t there?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Mizuko said, returning Eris’ smile with a vulpine grin of her own. “In the meantime, what do you say to a little…dessert?”

------------------------------------

Misaki took another sip of morning tea before bringing her attention back to her laptop. She was hard at work putting together outlines for her next book, a re-working of the tale of Jason and the Argonauts. Being with Alexa proved to be a goddess-send for the petite brunette; her lover has also proven to be her muse, giving her all kinds of information about the Greek heroes and heroines both mythological and factual, and how those characters dealt with adversity, love, and in Jason’s case, an ironic death. At the moment, her attention was on a certain female Argonaut who traveled alongside Jason in his quest for the Golden Fleece.

“…maybe I should have you compete with Jason for the love of Medea, my dear Atalanta,” the writer said to her laptop.

“Too bad Atalanta didn’t swing that way…”

Misaki didn’t even bother to turn around—she had become accustomed to Alexa’s backseat commentary, even when it seemed the redhead was nowhere to be found. She simply smiled to herself. “Speaking from personal experience, are we?”

Alexa’s eyes widened at the thought. “What? With her? No way! First of all, she wasn’t my type. Second, I’d have to beat her in a footrace just to get noticed by her…and I’m not exactly Hermes, y’know!”

“True…but there must have been at least one woman who was interested in her—or that she was interested in. She seemed to be too much of a tomboy to just be attracted to men.”

“Nope,” Alexa replied. “That one was as straight as Eros’ arrows. And many men died trying to beat her…she was more of a challenge than anything else. One man won, but not without Aphrodite’s help. So, even if some women were interested, they weren’t going to win against her…and I certainly didn’t want to die trying.”

“That is why being a writer is so much fun, Alexa-chan; I can make the impossible, possible.”

Alexa raised an eyebrow. “Even if it’s improbable?”

Misaki sighed the kind of sigh teachers make when their students don’t pay attention in class, complete with head-shaking and eye-rolling. “It is not a matter of probability, Alexa-chan, but of plausibility. If you can make someone believe something is true, or at least credible, then it will be so. I believe the reader should believe in your character’s ability to be what they are supposed to be, regardless of what came before. Even a superhero can be accepted to be evil for a time if the writer gives him a credible enough reason and a chance to reclaim his former self.”

“I see your point.” Alexa thought for a moment. “But that would all depend on the skill of the writer, and whether or not she made her characters believable…”

It was then that Misaki finally turned around to face her lover, giving the other woman a confident smile. “…And if they cannot believe the words of the demigoddess of Truth, who can they believe?”

Alexa laughed at her girlfriend. “What, you’re actually using that as your credentials now? ‘Written by Misaki Ohta, Dg.T.’?”

The writer joined in the laughter. “It does have a nice ring to it, does it not?” She turned back to her laptop, and her voice took on a slightly more serious tone. “I did not forget about last night, you know…”

That sudden mood change caught Alexa by surprise. “I was hoping you’d forgotten about that. Could we at least have breakfast first?”

Misaki saved her file, closed the laptop and left the room, beckoning to her girlfriend to follow. Alexa knew there was no getting out of it this time, short of a minor miracle.

----------------------------------

Kurumi watched as the eight redheads—and their black-haired sister—marched towards the entry gate at Mt. Olympus. Artemis followed the girls’ parade, making sure none of them decided to take a last-minute detour. Once everyone arrived at the arranged meeting place, Kurumi took a look at the entourage and sighed. “Whoa…where are we gonna put them all?”

“They will return here at night,” Artemis answered, “seeing as your home is not big enough for nine more girls.”

“We could stay in a love hotel!”

Everyone looked at Erato, who didn’t bother to blush. “What? I hear they’re very popular!”

“Get your mind out of the gutter, Erato…as impossible as that is for you!” Kurumi gave Artemis a questioning look. “Can you get us all down okay?”

Calliope seemed to have the same idea. “We could have just gone through the fountain instead of coming here. I’m sure Urania would have pointed us in the right direction.”

“We’ll do it together,” the moon goddess answered. “Being water nymphs, they would normally use any good-sized water source, but I want to make sure they all stay together.” She ordered the girls to form a circle and link hands. As they did, she and Kurumi took each other’s hand to close the circle. “Now, Kurumi-chan, think of the place we need to be, and keep it in your mind. Then close your eyes.”

Clio and Thalia shouted wholeheartedly, “SAILOR TELEPORT!”

A loud groan erupted from the circle, even the silent Terpsichore stomped her foot in displeasure. “Hey, it wasn’t my fault this time,” Thalia protested. “Clio made me do it!”

The muse of heroic poetry stood with a proud grin. “You have to admit, it was missing a little something, right?”

Kurumi did as she was told—trying really hard not to laugh--and soon the group was enveloped in Artemis’ moonlight.

------------------------------------------------------------

Misaki blinked at her girlfriend in disbelief. “This must be some kind of twisted joke, Alexa-chan! All this ‘could be’ and ‘might be’…I know the future is changeable, but why warn us without concrete evidence?”

“Probably because that ‘concrete evidence’ isn’t set in, well, concrete just yet…at least until something triggers my vision.”

Not happy with that answer, the herald tried a different tack. “Why did Amaterasu-sama not come to me? Maybe I could have used the Light of Truth to get more precise answers…”

“That could be why she didn’t tell you—you probably would have tried to jump the gun; we could try to prevent something from happening, only to create a bigger problem. It seems to me that it’s a matter of timing.”

Misaki smiled. “I do believe I am rubbing off on you, Alexa-chan! That does make sense. Even so, I wonder what that trigger will be, and why someone would want to expose you?”

“Like the song says, ‘people are strange’. I’m sure whoever it is has some strange reason, but we’ll take care of it…I’m sure of that.” Alexa tried to put on a brave face, but her girlfriend knew better.

“That we will, Alexa-chan…and do not worry—we were promised forever. It is not like the gods—neither yours nor mine—to take back a promise such as that.” Misaki gathered up the breakfast dishes and brought them to the sink. “I would not forgive them if they did,” she said quietly.

Alexa stared at her lover in wonder. She may not look it, the redhead thought, but Misaki had wisdom well beyond her years, as well as a quiet strength that belied her short stature.

‘To give me such a gift, only to take it away, would be the cruelest fate of all.’

---------------------------------------------------------------

Akihito sat alone on the roof of the Asahi Post, eating his store-bought lunch. “For once, I’d like to have even a half-decent homemade bento.” He was about to bite into yet another boring sandwich when a shadow blocked the blazing sunlight in which he was basking.

“Such a pity,” the owner of the shadow snickered. “All the knowledge in the world at your fingertips, yet you don’t know how to make a decent lunch.”

The researcher looked up to see Mizuko standing before him. Even silhouetted by the sun, he didn’t know any other fox spirits who knew him personally. “Let me guess…you’ve come to collect on our trade, right?”

“That’s what I like about you, Akihito—right to the point!” Mizuko took a seat beside the bespectacled young man. “I have met a rather nice young woman,” she began with a smile. “One who can help you with your…task. All you have to do is make sure what we seek is available, and what the safeguards around it are. Once you do that, she will do the rest.”

Akihito raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Meaning I don’t have to steal it myself, right?”

“I never intended you to do so in the first place. Like I told you, I just wanted the information on how to get it. That’s your job, and that’s why you have the connections you do.” The kitsune looked at an omelet roll and drooled. “You’re not going to eat that, are you?”

Akihito waved her on, watching the blonde stuff the food into her mouth. “And what about when I’m done? Will I still be able to keep my sources?”

“Fair is fair…just let me know when you have what I need.”

“So I’m guessing that you already know it’s not in one of the National Treasure Shrines. That would be too easy, and you wouldn’t need my help at all.”

Mizuko laughed, choking on a bit of the omelet for a second before regaining her composure. “Bingo! We both know they do that for the tourists…and to keep the real treasures away from the locals who might be fool enough to try stealing it.”

“And even if they did find out where it’s supposed to be, it might not even be there. That’s the trouble with mythological weapons, isn’t it?”

“That’s why I have you and…well, you’ll meet her later.—ooh, cookies!--You’ll find out where it’s supposed to be, and if it’s there, she’ll do the rest. Just do your part, and don’t worry about the rest.”

His lunch half gone, another thought crossed Akihito’s mind. “If you don’t mind my asking, Mizuko-san…what are you going to do with it? You can’t sell it, and I’m pretty sure you can’t use it. Hell, it’s a legend for kami’s sake! It might not even be--”

Sharp eyes met bewildered ones as Mizuko bore her fangs at Akihito. “That is not your concern. Just get me the information I want. Failure to do so will cost you more than your sources…do you understand?”

“I…get it,” Akihito answered nervously. He got up from his seat and bowed to the fox-spirit. “Until next time, then…” With that, the researcher turned on his heels and quickly headed for the stairwell.

Mizuko watched him go, then stared off into the distance. “All is going according to plan, Orochi-sama. You won’t have to wait much longer.”

“I have waited long enough,” a dark voice hissed in reply.

Mizuko noticed the half-eaten bento. “Aww…he left the rest of his lunch! Oh well…waste not, want not!”

-------------------------------------------------------------

“Tadaima!”

Misaki recognized the sound of her sister’s entrance, and greeted her before the latter could get her shoes off. “Welcome home, Ku-chan! I have missed you so!”

After receiving a warm hug from her sister, Kurumi smiled and looked around. “I missed you too, Mi-chan. Where’s your girlfriend? I’d figure you two would spend every waking moment with each other.”

“She is upstairs cleaning up. And what of Phoebe-chan? Has she returned with you?”

“Oh, yeah…about that…” Kurumi took her sister’s hand and led her out the front door and to the backyard, ignoring Misaki’s bemused look. “We’ve brought some company with us.”

Misaki looked at the nine girls surrounding Artemis, and smiled. “So, Ku-chan…why was I not invited to the wedding?”

-------------------------------------------------------------

Alexa took one more look at her red notebook, noting that a river was due to overflow in China in a couple of weeks. “Maybe we should go there next week to warn the smaller villages.” She smiled for a moment at how things had been going between her and Misaki. “We,” she said to herself. “I’ll never get tired of the sound of that!” She put the notebook back in the bag with its green-covered twin, and started to exit the room when the sound of boisterous laughter broke out. “Now that’s different…” The tall redhead left the room and bounded down the stairs, heading for the new sound.

She followed the sound to the backyard, where Artemis and Kurumi stood back to back, both wearing severe blushes. Her eyes then met Misaki’s, the smaller girl shrugging her shoulders innocently. Before she could question what caused such embarrassment, she was swarmed by the source of the laughter.

“CASSANDRA!!” Clio was the first to notice the redhead, and led the charge toward her. “How long has it been? And look at you! You’re so beautiful!”

“Beautiful? She’s sexy! Look at those brea—“ Erato’s comments were quickly hushed by the usually reserved Polyhymna, who practically tackled the love muse in order to silence her.

Thalia couldn’t help a jab of her own. “Yup, she looks damn fine for a woman of her age…but then, there aren’t any other women her age!”

“Don’t mind them, Lady Cassandra…it has been so long since we’ve heard from you, we’ve practically turned you into a legend.”

“My apologies, Calliope…and it’s Alexa now.” The taller redhead’s smile became even broader when Terpsichore gave her a most graceful bow. “And hello to you too, Terpsichore. Why are you all here?”

“For the shopping!” Clio chimed in. “Do you know how hard it is to get good anime in Greece?”

Urania ignored the comment. “Actually, we are here to learn Japan’s culture…but I am sure there will be more importance placed on this excursion before we’re through.”

“Oh…this trip is sure to end in tears,” Melpommene sobbed.

“Such a drama queen…” Calliope walked over and draped her arm around the gothic muse. “Don’t mind her, Lady Cass—er, Lady Alexa. She’s always like this.”

“As Misaki would say, ‘shou ga nai deshou’—it can’t be helped.” Alexa waited for a nod of approval from her smiling girlfriend before continuing. “She is the muse of drama, after all. And she might be right; something’s due to happen soon, but I’m not exactly sure what.”

Before Calliope could ask what that something was, she felt a tug at her robe. It was Terpsichore, who was rubbing her own stomach.

“I did not know muses got hungry,” Misaki said, smiling at the silent muse. “Come with me, I am sure we can find something you will like.” Terpsichore let go of Calliope’s hand and took Misaki’s, and the two of them entered the house.

Artemis took a seat on the steps next to Alexa, leaving Kurumi to tend to the remaining muses. “I have spoken to Zeus this morning. He informed me that the Lady Amaterasu has spoken to him, and that I was not to divulge what we spoke of. I am sure you already have an idea of what this is about, so I will tell you this much—I will not allow any harm to come to you or Misaki-san…or to Kurumi-chan.”

Alexa let the words sink in. “Thank you, Artemis. That means a lot to...” She lifted her head and caught the moon goddess’ blush. “Don’t worry, ‘Phoebe-chan’,” she teased with a smile, “I won’t say a word.”

-------------------------------------------

A rising tone tore Akihito’s attention away from his desk reference book for a moment. It was his computer—a message awaited his reply:

“THETA: Possible location confirmed. Possibility of actual existence: high. Awaiting further instructions.”

“ALPHA: Send.”

‘This is good news,’ he thought to himself. ‘One down, one to go.’ He closed the computer and headed to the main workroom…and the file cabinet of Kurumi Ohta.

===============
End of Chapter Three
===============

Hello everyone! Sorry for the loooooong wait! I wish I could say I was with my panda brethren in Beijing watching the Olympics, but I've been (and am still) tending to a serious family matter. The early part of the crisis is over, so hopefully I'll be able to write on a more timely schedule. Please bear with me.

As always, thanks to those who've read so far, and to those who have reviewed. Now that I've finally gotten over the hurdle of getting the Muses to Japan, things will move faster storywise. Again, bear with me. Oh, and a special "arigato gozaimasu" to 'Bel-chan...the reason I haven't given up on this story.

Chapter 4

[Author's notes: Eris decides to have a little fun before meeting with Mizuko...unfortunately, her idea of 'fun' proves dangerous to Kurumi.]

DISCLAIMER: Hmmm…I don’t think I ripped off anyone in this—oh yeah, there is something that needs a copyright announcement. Please see end notes for that. Otherwise, this is a continuation of an original story written by me. Okey-dokey, go read now.

Ikimashou!

RABBIT’S GAME 2 – THREE REALMS

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Chapter Four – Day Trippers
=====================

The midday sun beat down on Eris the way a taskmaster would a slacking slave. Her body being clad in leather didn’t help matters much. Even so, the goddess of strife didn’t seem to mind at all—she was as much a masochist as she was a sadist. She grinned as she watched the Ohta sisters’ house from her perch atop a nearby utility pole.

“Now I see why villains like these things,” she mused. “Gives one a great perspective of things, it does…” A moment later, she watched as thirteen females left the house and broke up into three groups. “Ah…this should be fun! Now, who to choose…” A smirk came to her lips as she pointed to each group, singing in turn.

“Eenie, meenie, miney, moe…”

Alexa and Misaki waved to the other two groups as they led Calliope, Euterpe and Terpsichore towards Misaki’s car.

“Catch a demigoddess by the toe…”

Artemis watched intently as Urania held out a water globe, fixing a position on where they were to go next. Polyhymna would have been watching as well, but she was too busy keeping Erato from hiking up her miniskirt.

“Make her day all full of woe…”

Clio hoisted a kicking and screaming Melpommene onto her shoulder, and unceremoniously dumped her in the front passenger seat of Kurumi’s car. She then joined a laughing Thalia in the back, as the car’s owner got in and started the engine.

“Eenie, meenie, miney…”

Eris waited for a moment, then pointed to Kurumi’s car just as it started, and the vehicle shuddered a bit.

“Moe.”

The engine sputtered, stopped, and then restarted, and Eris smiled. She waited for the car to follow Misaki’s out of the dead-end street. “I’d love to tag along and watch the fun, but well, I do have priorities…” She disappeared in a swirl of black leaves.

Artemis took her attention from Urania’s water globe for a moment. “Was that…?”

“What is it, Lady Artemis?” Polyhymna asked, finally letting go of Erato’s skirt.

“Nothing…I just…no, it’s nothing.” It was something, Artemis thought, but she didn’t want to upset the girls in her charge. “Let us get started. We don’t want to be late coming back.” As they began to leave, Artemis took one more glance at the top of the utility pole. “Eris…”

-------------------------------

Mizuko yawned lazily as she uncurled her vulpine form, stretching her legs and tails for good measure. In a few hours, it would be time for her to meet Orochi in person—a needless burden, she thought, since he usually communicated by thought. “Maybe he’s just as perverted as the rest of them,” she thought. “Or maybe he just wants to taunt me again. Regardless, I will do as he asks, get my compensation, and be free of his scaly hide once and for all.” She strode away from the shady tree where she lay to bask in the sun a bit. She then morphed into her human form, and walked back to her shrine to get dressed. “He will give me what is rightfully mine…”

“And that would be what, exactly?”

The kitsune turned to see a swirl of black leaves appear, and where they dispersed, Eris stood with a finger to her chin, admiring Mizuko’s naked form. “It wouldn’t be something I’d be interested in, would it?”

“No, Eh-chan…it’s none of your concern,” Mizuko answered, not bothering to cover herself. “A simple bauble that is owed to me, that’s all.”

“It seemed pretty important to—‘Eh-chan’?”

“A cute nickname, ne?” Mizuko grinned at how easily she was able to divert the goddess’ attention from the original topic. “In Japanese, your name is pronounced ‘ehh-ri-su’, so it’s only natural to call you ‘Eh-chan’. It’s much better than calling you ‘Greek’, isn’t it?”

“Whatever…” Eris blushed a bit, but set to the task at hand. “So, you said you had something for me to do?”

“That I do…I want you to meet with someone—a nice young man who is also doing me a favor. His name is Akihito Masanori. He will lead you to your part of my quest. You do know where the Asahi Post building is, don’t you?”

“Yes, unfortuantely,” Eris responded bitterly. “You could say I had some business with a couple of its reporters.”

“Good then. He knows of the item I seek—the one I wish for you to retrieve. He will lead you to it, and you will bring it to me.”

Eris thought for a moment, then nodded. “Fine. In the meantime…”

“In the meantime I will attend to my duties here at the shrine…trust me, you’ll want me to do this, as part of your little group should be arriving shortly. You don’t have much time before your meeting with Akihito, so if you were planning to take advantage of my naked state, I’m sad to say you’re out of luck.”

“How did you know…about the others, I mean…not the, um…er…?” a surprisingly off-balanced Eris asked.

“What is that saying again? Oh yes…‘a little bird told me’. Remember, Eh-chan, the Greeks and Romans aren’t the only ones with a pantheon of deities.” She closed the distance between her and Eris, and gave the other woman a long kiss. “Now, off with you—Akihito awaits. I have work to do.”

Eris returned the kitsune’s kiss with one of her own. “Do your best, then…and if you’re a good girl, I’ll do mine when I get back!” She giggled and then disappeared.

Mizuko waited until the last of Eris’ dark leaves was gone before she walked over to a small cage, where a beautifully colored bird began to sing. “So, it seems Amaterasu’s little pet project and my own little pet have crossed paths before. And the Greek seer is involved as well…this could be troublesome if not handled carefully.” She gave the bird a few grapes and whispered to it, “Good job, Ten-chan.” The bird sang happily as it jumped from its perch and down to the floor of its cage, its beak opening wide to rip apart the grapes with its sharp teeth.

A few moments later, Mizuko stood at the front entrance of the temple, her long blonde hair now shoulder-length and midnight black; her ears and tails completely hidden from view. She adjusted her miko outfit, making sure it wasn’t a stitch out of place, before going out to meet the worshippers and tourists.

“Minna…irasshai! Everyone, welcome!”

--------------------------------

“I can feel the time closing in;
I can feel the years crawling through my skin;
And if I doubt myself, I can count on the rain
To cover the tears of this aging game…”

Euterpe’s singing and playing only added to what was already a beautiful car ride for the other passengers.

“Didn’t I tell you it was beautiful?” Alexa was facing the back seat, watching as the three muses in her charge while her partner kept her eyes on the road.

“It really is! Not just the bridge, but the whole city!” Calliope’s face was pressed against the car window, gawking at the Pearl Bridge and the skyline of Kobe.

“Yes…,” added Misaki. “And at night, the lights change colors, forming a rainbow pattern. It is very beautiful.”

“We don’t have anything like that back in Greece, or even on Olympus. I’m sure Iridia could come up with something, but it wouldn’t be the same. And you say there was an earthquake here?”

“Yes,” Misaki answered. “A terrible one. Over six thousand people perished, including…my parents.” Her soft voice grew almost to a whisper, but the feel of Alexa’s hand grasping her thigh in support brought Misaki back. “It was a long time ago…they built the bridge a few years later.”

“I’m sorry.” Calliope’s downcast eyes met Terpsichore’s quizzical expression. “No, she is okay…she has her sister and Lady Alexa to care for her. She is doing well.” That seemed to sate the smaller girl’s curiosity.

The muse of dance watched Misaki as she concentrated on the road ahead and smiled. She may have been the youngest of the Muses, but she was by far the most sensitive. On many of her own journeys she would give this dancer and that the inspiration to express their feelings, from bucolic joy to infinite sadness. If Misaki were a dancer, Terpsichore thought, she would not need inspiration from her—that came from Alexa, from her sister Kurumi, and even from her dead parents. Even so, she thought Misaki held a pain deep inside of her for the loss of her parents—whether she wished to express it or not--and that the girl was determined not to feel that kind of loss ever again.

She envisioned Misaki alone on a stage, walking slowly amidst the darkess. A cry was heard, and Misaki suddenly turned with her head held high and arms open wide, standing against the wind in a defiant stance; daring the powers that be to assail her. Terpsichore watched as her image of Misaki dodged left and right with her upper body, her arms flailing in the wind, yet her feet never giving an inch. Behind her on the stage appeared Alexa, taller yet more fragile; anchoring her lover, yet holding onto the smaller girl for dear life. Further back was Kurumi, leaning into both girls, unsure of how to help, but watching for anything that may come behind them. Finally another figure appeared above them all, Yume—Kurumi and Misaki’s mother, and Alexa’s former lover—shielding them with her body as she floated above them.

Yes, Terpsichore thought, this is how it is for them. This is how they are bonded…not unlike herself and her own sisters. She sent that image to Calliope, and the lead muse smiled. “Yes…that’s how it is. They’re lucky to have each other…those two.” She nodded toward the women in the front of the car, and Terpsichore nodded in agreement.

“But I can count on you, to play your part;
I don’t miss a beat of your animal heart.
And when you push from behind, I know I can
Cover a mountain with the palm of my hand…”

Euterpe paused strumming her lute for a moment, wondering what had been discussed, before giving a shrug and going back to the song she was playing…

“Oh babe, you can make history young, again…
You can re-write it, you can decide the things that should or shouldn’t have been…
You can look at me in the scheme of things…
Oh babe, you could make history young…again.”

---------------------------------------------

Clio was practically drunk with glee from Kurumi’s rapid driving. “Whoo-hoo!! This is great! Go faster, Sensei! Go faster!!”

“There is a speed limit, you know!” Melpommene’s voice lacked the excitement of her sister’s. “You keep this up, and it’s sure to end in tears!”

Kurumi waved her off with one hand, while she used the other to steer her car around the rest of the highway traffic. “Don’t be such a spoil-sport, Mel-chan. You really have to lighten up a bit. Just look at Thalia—she’s having a great time, too!”

Sure enough, the muse of comedy had her head stuck out of the window, eyes bulging and tongue wagging like a rabid dog.

“Can’t take her anywhere,” Melpommene deadpanned.

“Don’t worry, Mel-chan…we’ll be back on the city streets soon enough. I have to make a stop at the paper before we go on to Akihabara. You guys will love—“

PING! BONK!!

Melpommene watched as the side mirror suddenly went spinning off to the rear. “That can’t be good.”

“No…no, it’s not!” Clio pulled a limp Thalia back into the car, a large welt forming on the latter’s forehead. “Guess she never saw it coming.”

“How is she?” fretted Melpommene. “Is she conscious?”

A woozy Thalia stared blankly at her sister. “Whoa, Clio—did you mate with a hydra? Why you have so many heads? They’re all cute, but…” She pointed to a spot just to the right of Clio’s head. “That one’s got only one eye…must be part Cyclops…”

“I don’t think she’s ever conscious, Mel…Maybe you should slow down, Lady Kurumi…it looks like your car can’t take this speed.”

“Damn the torpedoes!” Thalia shouted. “Punch it, Chewie!”

Kurumi looked over her shoulder for a moment at her rear-view mirror, seeing the serious look Clio was giving her. “Maybe you’re right…That’s never happened before! Let me pull off at the next ex—“ She was cut off by the sound of her rear bumper unhinging and rolling into the oncoming traffic.

“Are you sure this vehicle will even make it to the next exit?” Melpommene’s already ashen complexion became more so—if that was possible—as she gripped her seat.

---------------------------------------

“Lady Misaki, I have heard from Clio that you are a writer. Is there any way we can help you with your work?” Calliope asked.

“Thank you very much for the offer, Calli-chan, but Alexa-chan has been a great help, given her first-hand experience on the subject, right Alexa-chan? Alexa-chan??”

“Pull over…NOW!” Alexa’s voice was loud and fearful, her eyes glowing a bright green. Misaki did the best she could to swerve her car to a open parking spot, then grabbed both of her lover’s hands for support.

Even Euterpe put down her lute to see what was happening. Terpsichore clung to Calliope as the older girl leaned forward.

“Kurumi’s car…Thalia…oh no, we’re not gonna…” Alexa drew back from her vision at the touch of Misaki’s hands. “Misaki! We’re not gonna make it! They’re falling apart!”

“Slow down, love. What did—“

As Misaki listened to her panicked girlfriend, both Euterpe and Terpsichore stared at Calliope, hoping to at least get some kind of translation for the garbled speech they were hearing. “I’m not sure, but whatever it is, if she’s seeing it, it can’t be good…”

Finally Misaki turned to Calliope. “Calli-chan…is there any other way for the Muses to teleport other than through water?” She tried to speak calmly, but her voice was shaking.

“Well, Lady Artemis and Lady Kurumi teleported us here, but they did it together. We cannot do it on our own. What’s wrong?”

“Ku-chan is in trouble…her car is dismantling, and the pieces will be strewn all over the highway, causing accidents and killing many unless we can help her in some way.”

Calliope thought for a moment. “And there’s no way we can reach them otherwise. Lady Artemis may be able to locate them with Urania’s help, but they do not have their own vehicle.”

“And we can teleport, but trying to land on a fast-moving car is nearly impossible,” a downcast Alexa added.

Just then Misaki’s cell phone rang, and a voice came through the car’s speakers. “Lady Misaki, Lady Alexa…”

“Urania?” a surprised Calliope asked.

“I am the muse of science and astrology,” the voice responded matter-of-factly, “So by extension I would also be the muse of both technology and fate. But that is not important, Calliope. I have alerted Lady Artemis as to the possibility of danger to Lady Kurumi and our sisters, and she suggested I get in contact with you to confirm my suspicions.”

“And she didn’t even get a headache!” Misaki whispered to her girlfriend teasingly. She then proceeded to tell Urania what Alexa had seen in her vision.

“I see,” the muse answered. “Please hold…Artemis has asked Zeus for help. It should be arriving shortly. Also, I would also suggest Lady Misaki ask Amaterasu for some assistance, as our influence in this area is rather poor.”

Misaki blinked for a moment, embarrassed that she hadn’t thought of that herself. “But is there enough time?”

“For one such as yourself, time is irrelevant,” Urania answered, “Ask her—she will know what to do.”

“Right.” The phone disconnected, and all eyes turned to Misaki. She was still holding Alexa’s hands, and gripped them tighter. “Come with me—it’ll help if you’re there.” She then turned to the three girls. “Don’t move—we won’t be long!” A warm golden aura shone around the petite brunette and her girlfriend as her eyes closed in meditation.

Calliope warned, “Don’t take too long up there---“

---------------------------------

“Ah, I have been expecting you, Misaki-chan,” Amaterasu said politely. “And I see you’ve brought Lady Alexa with you as well!” The goddess nodded her head in what could be considered a slight bow.

Misaki returned the bow with a deep one of her own, followed by a stunned Alexa. “Please forgive me, Amaterasu-sama. It’s one thing to see you in my dreams. It’s another to see you in person.”

“Thank you, Lady Alexa, and welcome to the Heavenly Plane. Unfortunately, this is not the time for pleasantries.” The sun goddess turned to leave the Gates of Heaven and enter her palace, her beautiful kimono trailing on the ground behind her. “Come with me, please…even in a timeless place such as this, temporal matters still carry urgency.”

Alexa pulled Misaki aside as they walked behind their guide. “She’s more beautiful in person…especially in this place. I guess since this is her realm, this is where she is the most radiant.”

“Too bad you did not come when I was first called, Alexa-chan,” Misaki teased. “We were both completely naked.”

Alexa’s eyes popped open. “You didn’t…with her…did you?”

Misaki giggled. “No, silly! That would be sacrilegious. Besides, she has…someone else fulfilling that need.”

The seer thought it best not to take that any further, as the beautiful goddess led them to an odd-looking door—one that seemed anachronistic, given the splendor of the ornate gardens and old-style palace. It was a basic wooden door with a glass inset, as one would see in an old office building. A sign in old Japanese kanji hung over the door.

Misaki read the writing out loud. “It says, ‘Office of Divine Affairs.’ I did not even know we had one of these!”

Amaterasu smiled. “Not many people do, Misaki-chan. The Emperor’s requests are filled here, as well as disputes among the deities.” A knock on the door brought a gruff voice from the other side.

“Whaddaya want? I’m too busy for anything else!”

“Shitsurei shimasu, Koyane-san…” Amaterasu poked her head in, and the golden aura surrounding her head could be seen lighting up the room from behind the door.

“Ah, Amaterasu-sama! To what do I owe the pleasure of the Divine One?”

“There is a matter that I need you to take care of.”

“If you’re talking about that traffic nightmare going on down there—hey, who are the cuties you have with ya?” The short, balding man peered from behind his paper-filled desk to get a look at the sun goddess’ companions.

“This is Ohta Misaki. You already know about her. And this is her companion, Melanos Alexa. I am sure you have a file on her here as well. Ladies, this is—“

“Oh, please, allow me!” The little man stepped up and bowed to Misaki. “It is an honor to fimally meet you, Ohta-sama. And you, Meranosu-san…” The man took a long look at the tall redhead before him. “If there is anything I can do, do not hesitate to ask. I am Ame-no-Koyane, Chief Executive of the Office of Divine Affairs.” He stood as proudly as his short stature would allow.

“Um…pleased to meet you.” Alexa bowed curtly and gave Amaterasu a look. “About that, we’re…”

Koyane looked at the three women and suddenly remembered why there were here. “Oh, right, right…As I was saying about that traffic mess, people were starting to complain almost immediately, and I got a long distance call from some guy named Hermes—says he knows you personally, Amaterasu-sama—who asked if something could be done. He speaks perfect Japanese for a Greek, y’know…”

Amaterasu, for all her radiance, had trouble hiding a blush. “Anyway, is there anything that can be done?”

“Hah! Who do you think you’re talking to? I just talked to Fujin—it seems he has a connection to the Greek gods as well…in fact, he’s a direct descendant of the Greek god Boreas. He wanted to go run off and help Lady Kurumi out, but I told him the proper request had to be filed first. Now that you’re here, he can proceed.”

“Fujin…and Boreas?” Misaki gave the man a curious look. “Excuse me, but why did we not have to go through these channels before?”

“Simple. Other than Amaterasu, no one bothered to actually follow the rules before. Now look at all the paperwork I’ve got!” He waved his arm, accidentally knocking over a pile of said paperwork. “It can’t be helped, I guess…as long as things get done and the country—and the Heavenly Plane—runs smoothly, I don’t really care.” He turned his attention back to Amaterasu. “So, if there’s nothing else…”

“There is not.” The goddess bowed slightly before leading the other two women out of the office. “Thank you again, Koyane-san.”

“No problem…oh, and if you see Ume-chan, please tell her to grace my office with her presence, will ya? She promised to go on a date with me!”

Amaterasu led Misaki and Alexa back to the Gate of Heaven. “And so you have it. Leave things to Fujin—continue your journey, and remind the others to continue as well. It is important that they do so. You will find out why soon enough.”

“Thank you so much, Amaterasu-sama,” Misaki said with a bow. Alexa joined her, and the sun goddess stepped towards the redhead.

“Fear not your dreams…the future is never set in stone.”

---------------------------------------

“—you two…” Just as Calliope finished her sentence, a bright flash of green-gold light appeared between Alexa and Misaki. “Don’t tell me…”

“Yup, we’re back!” Alexa answered. “Have you heard anything from them yet?”

“Are you kidding? We never saw you leave! One second you’re here, then a flash, then you’re still here…like you never left!” Terpsichore shook her head affirmately, while Euterpe sat open-mouthed.

“Lady Misaki…are you still there?”

“Yes, Urania-chan…we’ve just returned from seeing Amaterasu-sama.”

“One moment please…” Some muffled whispers could be heard coming through the car speakers. “”I see. Thank you, Hermes. Lady Misaki, Lady Alexa—please wait there until I can provide further proof of their safety.”

“Thank you, Urania.” Alexa sounded a bit more relived knowing Hermes was nearby—meaning that Fujin was not long in getting to Kurumi. “In the meantime, Amaterasu suggests that you continue on to the shrine. I’m not sure why, but she said it was important that you be there.”

“It is as it is written in the stars, Lady Alexa, and the stars never lie. We will proceed. Hermes or Fujin will inform you further. Until later…stay well.”

“You too, Urania. Don’t forget to tell Artemis—“ The sound of the disconnected line annoyed Alexa. “Is she always so abrupt?”

Calliope sighed. “Pretty much. Not exactly the life of the party, but we love her just the same.” She looked down at Terpsichore, who once again gave her a questioning look. “They’ll be alright…put your faith in their gods.”

--------------------------------------------------------

What was left of Kurumi’s car continued to speed along the highway. The wheel covers, doors, rear engine hood and top had long since been discharged along the way. The passengers themselves were still intact, though Melpommene was sure she’d be in need of some serious therapy when this was all done.

“It’s amazing when you really think about it,” Clio said, enjoying the thrill of the event.
“All that debris, and not one person killed or maimed yet! You’d think there’d be at least one explosion or a major pile-up or something!”

Kurumi groaned as she did her best to avoid the panicking drivers. “Don’t ask for it, Clio-chan…it’s not like I’m an expert driver or anything!”

“You’re an excellent driver …definitely an excellent driver!”

Everyone looked at Thalia. “It wasn’t me! It was him!” She pointed to the front of the car, and there sat Hermes, dressed in a white suit and sunglasses.

“You know, you’d go a lot slower if you put your foot on the brakes,” the messenger god teased.

Kurumi wasn’t in the mood. “Look, I have no brakes—hell, I’m barely keeping this side of the car up! Can’t you stop this thing?”

“Nah, but my friend there can,” Hermes replied, pointing to a spot behind the passengers. “Go ahead, look—the road’s straight…you won’t hit anything!”

Everyone looked to see what appeared to be a man with a leopard’s skin and a wild mane of hair. On his back he carried an enormous bag, which he was using to somehow steer the various shrapnel of Kurumi’s car away from the other drivers. “Ladies, meet Fujin…Shinto god of wind.”

The strange man gave a wave with one hand, while gathering up his sack around his neck. “First, we might as well get rid of this…” He reached down and started ripping out pieces of the engine, tossing them to the side of the road.

“Hey!” a shocked Kurumi cried out. “You’re ripping up my car!” After a look of disbelief from Melpommene, she waved him on to do his bidding.

“Now, a little reverse thrust should do the trick…just let me get up the front there…” Fujin leapt over both rows of seats and onto the front hood.

Hermes scooted over to give the much larger man some room. “Not too much, okay? We don’t want these ladies to lose their lunch!”

Fujin gave him a nod, then reached for the huge bag. He pointed the opening at an angle downward and ahead of the car, and gave a gentle squeeze of the middle of the bag. Soon wind began to rush ahead of the car, so much so that the vehicle began to lose speed.

“It’s working!” For the first time, Kurumi actually thought she saw a smile on Melpommene’s usually dour face.

Fujin gathered his bag to his side, and slowly pressed against it, forcing more air out and slowing the car further until it came to a stop. “Well, my job here is done.” He and Hermes jumped off of the vehicle, joining a very relieved Melpommene on the side of the road. As soon as they got off, what was left of the car simply fell to pieces, leaving Clio and Thalia sitting on their backs on an upended rear sofa, and Kurumi hoding a no-longer-functional steering wheel.

Fujin took the bag and returned it upon his broad shoulders. “Well ladies, while Hermes-san works things out with the authorities, I’ll be more than happy to take you where you want to go.”

“Can’t we just go home now?” Melpommene asked.

“No!” Clio and Thalia both shouted. “Who knows what other trouble we can get ourselves into?” Clio added.

Kurumi just rolled her eyes. “Thank you, Fujin-sama. I don’t know how you knew we needed your help, but I’m grateful for it.” She bowed to the wild-haired god, who let out a roaring laugh.

“You live with a seer and a herald, have a Greek goddess for a girlfriend, and have nine muses in your charge…and you wonder how I knew about your plight? Ha! I think that time in Olympus is dulling your senses, girl!” He whistled for the other girls to join him. “Let’s go ladies…first stop, Asahi Post!” He took the bag off of his shoulders and let the wind blow straight up, with a wave of his hand, he swept up the four ladies and headed off toward the office towers of Kobe.

Kurumi’s surprised yell was the last sound the group heard…”Girlfriend??”

----------------------------------

Misaki stepped out of her car and waited for the others to join her before activating the alarm. Having heard from Hermes of her sister’s exploits did settle her mind, but something about it still bothered her. “She’s always been a reckless driver, Alexa-chan, but she takes very good care of her car. Whatever happened was definitely unnatural…and I am surprised that you could not see who the cause of such an act was.”

Alexa smirked at her lover’s remark, knowing full well it was not meant in anger. “Hey, I’m clairvoyant, not psychic! The good thing is that all is well for now…”

“’For now’? What did you mean by that?” Calliope asked.

“Nothing,” Alexa replied, admonishing herself for the slip. “Let’s just enjoy the rest of the day, okay?” She led the rest of the group to the front gate of the large palace that stood before them. “I guess you could say there’s something here for us all to enjoy.”

-------------------------------------

Urania stopped at the top of the large staircase. Checking her bearings, she pointed to the temple ahead of her. “We have arrived at our destination.”

“Ah, so we have,” Artemis said, noting the signpost. “Itzumi Shrine. This should be an interesting stop for all of us.”

“Very much so,” Polyhymna said, her face beaming with excitement. “I have heard so much about the Shinto gods and their shrines…I consider myself blessed to finally be able to see one in person!”

“There is also a historical aspect that must be inspected,” Urania added. “Though that holds very little interest to me, I will be sure to record what we learn here for the benefit of both Calliope and Clio.”

“Very thoughtful of you, Urania.” Artemis then turned to Erato, who was looking back at the long flight of stairs with dismay. “Is there a problem, Erato?”

“Well…I feel kinda funny coming here, you know. I mean, shrines and eroticism don’t exactly go together.”

Artemis smirked. “What if I told you that, like our own shrines, these have beautiful maidens tending to them?”

“Are they virgins?” Erato leered.

“I’m sure you’d like to find out, do you not?”

The group turned to see a tall woman with shoulder-length black hair smiling at them. Artemis knew right away that this was no ordinary miko.

Even though she knew of their arrival, Mizuko still felt uneasy about having a goddess of Artemis’ stature; she was definitely stronger than Eris, and that put the kitsune on edge. Even so, she did her best to put on a brave face.

“Welcome to Izumi Shrine…please, follow me.”

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End of Chapter Four
===============

Hello everyone! Delays, delays...I'm dioing my best to get the next chapter out before Halloween. Really.

The lyrics Euterpe sang in Misaki's car are from "You Can Make History Young" by Elton John, and were used iwthout permission. Please don't sue me, Sir Elton, sir--I've wanted to use that song for Misaki and Alexa since the original "Rabbit's Game", but this was the first chance I got. For those who haven't heard it, give it a shot--it's a beautiful piece.

As always, thanks to those who've read, and who have been patient while I get things going. Also...if you haven't read "Not Quite Cinderella" by AdventFalls, please do so--you'll thank me later!