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
============
Chapter 1: Reset
============
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.
-----------------------------------------------------------
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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------
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.