The sun shone down, blue skies stretching out as far as the eye could see. It was a bit cooler this summer morning, a bit of morning mist clinging to the ground. The soft cries of birds and the waves coming in were the only sounds, that and the sound of running. She came up the deserted beach, dressed in simple tank-top and shorts, her long brown hair streaming down her back. Green eyes were narrowed in concentration as Makoto Kino ran, maintaining a careful pace that easily eat up the ground under her feet. She slowed, sweat soaking her clothes, then finally she came to a stop. "Towel?" a smiling Erica asked, the slim, black haired young girl holding it out in offering to the older woman. "Thanks," Makoto smiled back, wiping away the sweat gratefully. She smiled wryly, "You didn't have to come out this morning." "I wanted to talk to you about something else anyway," Erica shrugged casually, dressed in her own sports gear. "Oh?" Makoto raised her eyebrow slightly. Erica smiled wryly, "I want you to teach me how to fight." Makoto and Erica walked together to the vehicle waiting for them up on the road as Makoto asked, "Why don't you ask your mothers?" Erica shook her head firmly, "Haruka-papa probably would agree to train me, but I think she'd hold back." "Fair enough," Makoto waved her to the passenger seat, climbing in the driver's side. She started up the car, "But are you sure you want to do this? It could get pretty rough on you." Erica ran a hand through her hair uncomfortably, "I don't want to just rely on my abilities as Tuxedo Kamen, especially since I'm not too sure myself what I can do." "Have you changed since the first time?" Makoto asked as she pulling the car out into traffic, the beachside road deserted this time of the morning. "Twice so far," Erica said, watching the buildings go by, "once during another accident and once when a robbery happened." Makoto smiled, "How did you handle it?" "Threw the roses, actually," Erica blushed faintly, "I pinned his arm to the wall with two of them and he gave up immediately." She flashed a slight smile, "Naomi Armitage was a bit annoyed with me for interfering, though." "She's a bit of a grouch," Makoto agreed with a smile, remembering a few run ins with the android officer in the past. She looked over at Erica, "So what can you do as Tuxie, anyway?" "Tuxie?" Erica repeated indignantly then she laughed softly. "I'm faster and stronger than normal, more agile, and I can throw the roses," she said, "other than that I don't know." "You might want to try summoning the cane Tuxie used to use," Makoto noted, "it was a pretty effective weapon back then." "Sounds like an idea," Erica said. She gave Makoto a cautious look, "You haven't said for sure if you'll train me, yet." "Yes, I'll train you," Makoto confirmed with a smile. Erica sighed happily, relaxing a bit in her seat. "So have you seen the Three Lights yet?" she asked casually. Makoto shook her head slightly, braking and turning slightly to avoid a slower car. "No, not yet," she said simply. "I'm surprised," Erica admitted. She tilted her head to the side as she asked curiously, "Weren't you all friends back then?" "Yes and no," Makoto answered, "we got to be friends in our civilian identities but were semi-adversaries in our Senshi forms. Once our various secrets were all revealed things got even more complicated, of course." "Things got awkward when my friend Catrine found out I was related to the Senshi," Erica said thoughtfully, "I know what you mean." "Still," Makoto mused as they pulled in nearby the Palace of Crystal Tokyo, "it might be nice to see them again." "And they'd probably like to see someone who doesn't scream and faint when they walk into a room," Erica laughed as she hopped out of the car. "They're still that popular?" Makoto chuckled. "Oh yes," Erica agreed as they headed inside. Makoto hesitated as they rode the lift up. "So have you heard from the young Ms. Mizuno lately?" she finally asked. "Ran hasn't written to me," Erica admitted, "but we do keep in touch off and on." "I thought so," Makoto nodded slightly, "Minako was commenting that you two had seemed to cut down on messages." She looked at Erica cautiously, "I suppose you won't tell me how you two are keeping in touch?" Erica shook her head, "Once Ran figured out we were being monitored by Aunt Minako she was furious, she nearly stopped contacting me period." Makoto sighed, "I wish Ran would stop being so angry at Rei and Ami, I'm sure her mothers did the best that they could." "Sensei," Erica kept her voice respectful as they came to a stop, "I'd have to disagree with that. Her moms were absent for years running from crisis to crisis, only coming back home when they realized she was leaving." Makoto sounded a bit surprised as they walked down the hall together as she said, "I didn't know you felt that way." "Just because I can get along with my parents," Erica said as they came to a stop at her door, "doesn't mean I can't see Ran's point of view." She smiled, "Do you want to come in, I'm sure my moms wouldn't mind you dropping in." "Thanks," Makoto laughed, "but I have to go get changed." "Have a good day, then," Erica said as she headed inside. "See you later," Makoto said as she walked down the hall, her thoughts on her 'niece' Ran Mizuno. Ami had carried Ran to term, but her DNA was a mix of both of her parents. They lived together for the first few years of the child's life but then the succession crisis out in the colonies had come up. Ami had been sent out there to help negotiate the colony's leaving, and of course Rei had to come with her. It took nearly three years to handle it all, time that Ran spent in the care of nannies and the other Senshi. Then another situation involving Jurai had come up, and so on. Ran had been nearly fifteen years old when her parents had come home at last, a coldly furious and rebellious girl that the two women barely knew anymore. Despite many attempts by Ami and Rei they barely talked at all in the years that it took for Ran to reach her majority, and once she did Ran moved right out of the Palace immediately. Ran signed up with the army of Crystal Tokyo against her mothers' loud objections and excelled in both the mecha piloting and fighter combat skills. She served out her four year tour of duty and then took her skills off-planet. Originally Ran signed on with the Free-Amazons on Mars, but she left when she found out that Rei was keeping an eye on her. Deciding that she would be watched no matter where she stayed she left the solar system and hadn't been seen in human occupied space since then. The only person that she had kept in touch with was her childhood friend Erica, whom she regarded as something like a little sister. 'The problem is,' Makoto thought to herself glumly as she unlocked her rooms, 'there's no way that Ran can make and peace with Rei and Ami unless she comes home.' She smiled wryly as she walked inside, 'Easier said than done.' "I don't need to take leave," Ran scowled, the blue haired woman leaning obviously on a simple cane. Her face was well formed, a bit of angry red starting at the base of her jaw and running down below her shirt, scars connecting to other wounds hidden from view. "You're a mess," the older felinoid said dryly. His whiskers went forward slightly, his cat-ears cocked in amusement as he noted, "You have a warrior's eagerness to seek battle, but you must heal the wounds first." "I can still pilot my strike fighter First Fang Zaran," Ran said seriously, "even with these wounds. I don't want to leave my wing." "And you'll tear the wounds open the first time you execute a high G turn," Zaran said grimly. "You are taking leave," he pointed a clawed, humanoid finger at her, "even if I have to ship you off in chains, Captain." Ran looked at him a moment, gauging his seriousness, then nodded reluctantly. "Yes, sir," she said, bringing her hand to her chest in dignified salute. "I've arranged transport for you to your homeworld," Zaran said calmly, "Terra or Earth or somesuch. You'll have two weeks travel and six weeks leave there to finish your recovery." "You're sending me home?" Ran gaped at him a moment. With a soft laugh she said, "Trust me, my family won't help me make a restful recovery." "Then at least it will be interesting," Zaran shrugged philosophically. "Sir," Ran said, then turned to walk out of the office. As she strode down the hallway she thought, 'Guess I better contact Erica, let her know I'm coming for a visit.' To be continued.... Author's Note: Ran Mizuno is a new character, and the name was suggested by several readers. I'm a fan of 'Tsukage Ran' so I found it rather amusing to think of a modern character carrying the name.
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