World Shaking: Chapter 1 Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Sailor Moon or anything that comprises it. This is a non-profit story written solely for my own enjoyment and that of anyone who wishes to read it. The story and original characters are mine. Please don't use them without permission. Story notes: This is the second sequel to my previous story Fallen Stars, and picks up soon after the end of the first sequel: Shooting for the Moon. Having gone back to read those two stories it's clear that both are showing their age, but even so there was still more that I wanted to do in this continuity, so here we are. As before, lesbian relationships are abundant and if you haven't read the previous two stories then the current situations the characters are in won't make much sense. *** World Shaking - A Sailor Moon Fan-Fiction by Nutzoide - Chapter 1: Leaving the Nest. Home is Where the Heart Should Be. It seemed to be written in Tsukino Usagi's stars that whenever there was an important event in her life, or in the lives of her few closest friends, she would always be late for it. As surely as the Moon would circle the Earth, Usagi would arrive in a tornado of apologies and gasps having missed the start, be it her college entrance exams or the chance to help one of her friends move house. Today was the latter. It had been a long time in coming, but Ami was finally moving out of her mother's apartment. To make it even more memorable, she would be moving into the large and expensive Meioh- Kaioh-Tenoh house, and into a strange not-quite-three-way relationship that Usagi didn't really understand very well. It went a little like this. Tenoh Haruka and Kaioh Michiru were lovers, and had been for as long as Usagi had known them. Thanks to a strange twist of supernatural events - including all sorts of magic, reincarnation and pre-destiny - they had come to consider the now teenaged Tomoe Hotaru as their adopted daughter, despite the fact that Haruka and Michiru were only twenty two years old themselves. The third adult member of their unofficial family, Meioh Setsuna, was now the not-so-legal guardian of all three by virtue of her age, her wisdom, and the aura of authority that followed her around like an affectionate ghostly cat. Not to mention the fact that she could present herself as all-knowing at the drop of a hat, thanks to the time-space shenanigans that came with her share of the magical destiny stuff. Then an irate space-faring bird woman - also magical, would you believe it - banished Haruka to another world for a bit, along with Usagi's closest friends and fellow super-heroines, of whom Mizuno Ami was one. Thanks to loneliness, home-sickness and magical trauma (of an entirely different magical variety this time), Ami and Haruka found themselves falling for one another while away, culminating in a slightly intoxicated but much needed night together for the both of them. Though they decided to leave it at that the morning after, fate - and a certain demon Hino Rei had accidentally conjured up - would not let them get away so easily. Now they were back in their own world Michiru knew about the affair, thanks to Haruka's guilty admission over keeping the secret, and Haruka was now carrying Ami's child by way of that entirely different magic and the aforementioned demon's perverse sense of humour. To make it even *stranger* neither Michiru or Ami had been able - or maybe willing - to take Haruka for her own. By the time they had all dealt with and finally befriended some unfortunate refugees from the dispossessed Dark Kingdom the pair had stopped competing for Haruka's heart and, somehow, reached a truce. They had to work with each other as the Sailor Senshi - magical soldiers of love and justice - so they had to live with each other as well. And because of the understanding they had come to, they were going to do that quite literally. No wonder the whole thing made Usagi's head hurt. It was hard enough for her being Mamoru's fiancee, and he was as understanding as any man could hope to be. Still, Usagi was as understanding as any woman could hope to be as well, when it mattered. There had been too much heartache already, so seeing everyone getting back to their normal selves was more than she could have hoped for. Even if it took a very large and unconventional household in order to manage it. When Usagi did finally arrive at the condo complex the move was in full swing. Both Haruka and Setsuna had brought their own cars (Haruka's was actually a rental, having had her convertible totalled by a youma attack - the insurance company hadn't been willing to cover something like that) while a dozen or more boxes lined the pavement outside. It looked like a lot of stuff for Ami, but wouldn't have been a quarter of Usagi's own possessions. "Usagi-san! You're late!" Hotaru, looking chipper in her deep violet sun dress and white hat, waved to her as Usagi screeched to a halt. Even before taking her first gasping breath Usagi dropped into a deep bow. "I'm really sorry for being late I meant to get here to help you all carry things but I forgot to set my alarm clock even though I don't have classes today and Mamo-chan is at work so he didn't wake me and I had to have breakfast or I would have starved before I got here and I went to feed Luna except I forgot that she doesn't live with me any more because I was sleepy and I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" Everyone there stopped to look at her in amusement, including several of the passers by and one invasive celebrity photographer. "That's our dumpling for you," Haruka said, using the fond nickname that she and Mamoru shared for Usagi. "I'm amazed she managed that without passing out," the astonished photographer said. "She's had practice," Michiru replied, still holding a box she had brought down from the apartment above. "She has the lung capacity of an opera singer. By the way, would you mind moving? These books are heavy." "Oh, of course," he said, and he took the box from her in a fit of gentlemanliness, forgetting for a moment that he was there for a story and not to help them pack. Standing apart from them Ami simply smiled. "That's alright Usagi- chan. We forgive you. We know what you're like." Usagi panted for a moment before pouting at her. "Ami-chan, you're mean." "And you are hopeless at timekeeping," Ami replied with a friendly smile. "As always. But thank you for coming." Looking around a moment, Usagi could see why Ami might have been grateful. "Ami-chan, isn't your mother here?" Ami shook her head. "It's midday. Her shift at the hospital will be starting in an hour. You just missed her." Usagi pouted again, this time in sympathy. "That's so sad. She can't be here to see you off?" Ami didn't seem to mind as much though. "We said goodbye and had a hug, and she has important work to do. It isn't as though I won't be back to see her." "It's only a short trip across town, after all," Setsuna added. The photographer gave Usagi a friendly smile. "And I caught the moment for posterity, so don't worry, Usagi-san." Usagi's eyes shined in anticipation. "Can I have a print?" "Certainly. If you just give me the address you'd like it posted to..." Haruka interposed herself between Usagi and the man's lens. "That's *Tsukino-san* to you. And you can post anything you have to us. We will make sure she receives it." The photographer sighed. "Tenoh-san, so cold. That doesn't befit a pregnant lady. Now, if only you would say something about these living arrangements-" "No." "But Tenoh-san, think of the good publicity for the gay and lesbian community if you only explained a little." It was now Michiru's turn to interpose herself into the conversation. She took Haruka's hand, as much as a show of public solidarity as for Haruka's benefit. "We have said everything that needs to be said, Karasuro-san. The gay community knows that Meioh-san has been living under the same roof as Haruka and myself for years. Despite our past disagreement, which we have both put behind us, Mizuno-san coming to live with us should not provoke this kind of finger pointing and scandal mongering." Usagi knew that Ami had her own story to tell as well, as she did so without betraying a thing. "And it is the perfect chance to study pregnancy on a day to day level," she said, every inch the inquisitive medical student. "The fact that it could be with a friend like Tenoh-san is simply a bonus." The photographer wilted, and it was clear that he wanted more to write about than that. "And the donor-" He was suddenly made aware that Setsuna was behind him when she spoke, her voice as mystical and prophetic as ever. "-wishes to remain anonymous." Yes, Ami did wish to remain anonymous. At least as far as the media were concerned. Like Hotaru Ami did not enjoy the public eye that Haruka and Michiru lived under. Usagi herslf had lost her own desire for celebrity after that eye had turned on her and her friends over their banishment and subsequent return from the alternate world of Seiji, and the mess that had been stirred up when Michiru had first confronted Ami. Now, Usagi was all too happy to remain normal and content instead of popular and forever cautious, and she was determined to help Ami and Hotaru stay that way too. "Come on, Ami-chan, Hotaru-chan. We have work to do! And you still haven't told me about Haruka's ultrasound!" "Well, there really wasn't much to see," Hotaru said, taking one of the lighter boxes of clothing. "Even if it's going to be my little brother or sister, it just looked like a black oval shape." "You couldn't see little baby hands?" Ami shook her head. "Usagi-chan, she was only six weeks along. Some doctors say that it isn't worth getting an ultrasound that early. The baby is still too young an embryo, so all they were really checking was whether it was viable. Being in-vitro, sort of, and everything that goes with that." "Viable? In-vitro?" Usagi thought that those were very cold words to use for Haruka's baby. Especially since Ami was the 'other mother'. "Can't you just say she's pregnant and it's great?" Ami smiled, but of course she couldn't say that in the way she wanted to, no matter how she agreed. At least not in public. "You're right, Usgai-chan. It is wonderful. But I also have to be analytical about it, remember? This is research." But whatever she said for the sake of the reporter, her smile let Usagi know how she felt. She was almost giddy, and for Usagi any giddiness from her friends was immediately contracted. "Ahh, who cares about school today? It's our day off classes, so forget it! We've got moving to do!" She bent down to grab a box of books marked 'Biology' in black marker, and failed to lift it. "Wha..? These are heavy?! Why do Rei- chan and everyone else have to have work and classes! They ought to be helping too!" Haruka left the reporter taking his inane photos and came to help out. "That just means you'll have to knuckle down, eh, dumpling?" Usagi watched, appalled as Haruka lifted the 'Philosophy' box next to hers. "Haruka-san! You're not supposed to be lifting heavy things!" Haruka gave her an annoyed look. "Only six weeks, Usagi-chan. I'm fine." Then, to Usagi's relief, both Ami and Michiru came to take the box from her. "You didn't sound so 'fine' after breakfast, love." "And the increased blood flow to the baby will still take its toll, Haruka-san. Even at six weeks. *That's* why you're tired." Haruka just stared at them both in disbelief. "Usagi-chan? Please don't get them teaming up on me." "Heh heh, sorry." "Or is it that you want me all to yourself?" Usagi blanched, and then blushed in pure reflex. The rakish woman was making trouble again. "H-Haruka-san... They can hear you..." Hotaru picked up another box of clothing before going over to commiserate with her adoptive 'father'. "Don't worry about them, Haruka-papa. You can help me with these instead." It was true that the boxes were a little on the bulky side for the slender girl to manage alone, so after giving Usagi a wink Haruka went to help her. Then a camera flash went off in her direction, capturing the 'father'-daughter moment so that the world could see it the next day. "You can get lost and all! And take your camera with you!" *** At the same time, on the roof of a house on the less affluent side of Tokyo's Juuban district, a white tom cat with a peculiar crescent of yellow fur on his brow lay stretched out and basking in the warm, early autumn sun. He was the kind of cat that got called lazy by his owners, mainly because that's exactly what he was. For his own part though, Artemis preferred to describe himself as relaxed. Next to him sat his once and future mate, Luna. She was, both physically and in attitude, as different from Artemis as it was possible for another talking cat to be. He was white furred, Luna was black. He was lazy, she pro-active. He was carefree, and she was concerned. Somewhere down the line they would realise that made them a perfect match. But not today. "Can't you at least show a little interest?" Luna asked. "I would have thought spending a month with your front leg in a cast would have made you want to spend less time lying around. Didn't you say you were getting cabin fever?" Artemis nodded, and rolled over to bare the other side of his stomach to the warm rays. "And now I'm out of the cabin and in the fresh air. How can you not enjoy this, Luna?" "I thought you wanted to talk strategy, not take in the sun." "I can't do both?" Luna sighed. "You might be a little more dignified about it." The white cat rolled back over to look at her. "Okay. So let's talk. What do you want to talk about?" Luna's whiskers twitched. "*You* called *me* over." "Because you wanted an excuse not to help Ami-chan move." Yes, there was that. "Well, it is not as though I could be of any assistance anyway. We felines are not known for our furniture moving skills." Artemis tilted his head in a question. "It would have been good moral support though. The only reason Minako isn't there is because her agent is coming out of hospital today. Hopefully." It was hard for Luna to deal with Artemis when he was right. "I know, alright? But Usagi will be a better moral support than any old cat." "Old? Who's old?" Artemis took on a gentler tone of voice. "You're not still sore about Ami-chan getting involved with Haruka-san are you?" "I was never sore!" Luna retorted. "I am worried, that's all. I don't want to see our team fragmenting and I don't want them to start turning on each or because of who is or is not infatuated with who when they *all* need one another. I told them as much. You were there." Artemis knew it, and what's more he shared her concerns, but they did not prey on his mind the way they did on the feline he himself was infatuated with. "I don't think they'll end up going that far, Luna. And they are old enough to make their own mistakes. They have lives to live as well as their duties as Senshi. If those lives are a little more complicated and intertwined right now then it'll be a good learning experience for them. Better now than in a hundred years, while fights and misfortunes are still easily forgotten." Luna gave him a curious, slightly warning look. "Are you saying that those of us from Serenity's old court are now grudge holders?" Artemis gave her a shrug and a weak smile. "In six years you haven't forgiven me for pretending to be 'Central Control'." Luna blinked at the unexpected answer. "... Of course I have. I had forgotten about it until now." "Liar." Artemis winked at her. "But if you're worried about them you could just talk to Pluto. She seems to be unusually accepting of Ami- chan's newfound place in their household, don't you think? Do you think she would have remained quiet if it was going to be a real mistake?" Luna dropped her head. "She might. Pluto has made far worse sacrifices for the sake of her future goals." "Now you've got *me* worried," Artemis said. "Just trust them. Ami- chan, Haruka-san and Michiru-san know their own hearts better than we do." "And Rei-chan and Makoto-chan?" Artemis smiled at that one, and rolled onto his back again. "There I have no complaints. They won't forget the others so easily, and they're more than happy enough." This time Luna had to agree. "Yes, I should be grateful for that at least. How is Minako-chan holding up with all the fresh romance in the air?" "Mina?" Artemis laughed. "You know her. She spends half her time bemoaning the fact that she's the only one still single - besides Setsuna-san and Hotaru-chan of course - and the other half being too tired to think of pampering anyone but herself, let alone a needy boyfriend. How about Usagi-chan? I can see her taking it all in her stride." "That seems to be the case. For as much as I see her these days, anyway. After the shock of her friends deciding to fall for *each other* had worn off, she was overjoyed for them. And with Usagi that certainly didn't take long." "And Mamoru-san?" Artemis enquired. There Luna had to shrug. "Honestly? I don't know, but I think he's as confused by it all as I am." *** Hakano Mikiyo, agent to many a young starlet over the years, had never had a client quite like Aino Minako before. Like many in her line of work Minako was always overworked and mostly underpaid during those lucky months when she was actually working, but unlike most of them Minako seemed to revel in the exhaustion. She didn't whine, she didn't mean it when she pouted, and she never raised her voice in protest that her skills as an 'artist' were being undervalued. At least not in public anyway. Minako also had the energy to make good on her enthusiasm, and the confidence not to be stepped on by the more conniving starlets or directors around her. When Minako had first come to her Mikiyo had thought she was all gloss and no stomach, but Minako had proved her wrong. She had stuck with the poor hours and inconsistent pay and now, thanks to some very good and very bad luck, she might well become a household name. Aino Minako was also unique in that none of Mikiyo's other starlets had ever put her in hospital before, even if it had been indirectly. It certainly wasn't hurting Minako's career that she was on public first name terms with at least one of the Sailor Senshi, but that was also the reason Mikiyo was lying in her third hospital bed in as many weeks, waiting for yet another diagnosis. At least Minako had the moral fibre to be there with her for this one. "Oh, stop looking like such a worry-mole, Mikiyo-san! I'm sure they just want Mizuno-sensei to multi-tuple-check a few things and then you'll be able to go home. I mean, you're fine! What else can they do to you to make you finer? I mean, you used to be a model too when you were young, so even plastic surgery wouldn't be worth it." On reflection, Minako's idea of moral support could have done with toning down a notch. Or seven. Maybe tone down the entire Swiss army knife, before she hurt herself with it. Mikiyo sighed. At least she meant well. Minako always did, and that was a rare virtue in her experience. "Thanks, I think. But I'm not old yet." "Of course not! You're just older than me, or you'd be the star and I'd be the agent. I hope." "Maybe so." Mikiyo decided that the topic needed changing to one that wasn't age related. She wasn't sore, but it still wasn't nice to be reminded that the fashion industry considered her past her prime. "I was reading that you were getting involved in Kaioh-san's latest little predicament." Minako nodded. "Of course. The whole thing is stupid. Did you know Michiru-san was finally thinking of putting up a painting for the Revelations exhibition, her first painting since Haruka-san came back, and now she's not going to because it wouldn't be 'appropriate'?" It probably wouldn't have been appropriate to some, but Mikiyo was more surprised that such a thing would have put Kaioh Michiru off. While hers was an entirely different circle of celebrity than the one Mikiyo travelled in, Kaioh Michiru was well known for her unapologetic stances on her life, art and music. "That is unfortunate, but what I meant was you skipping your own rehearsals to stand up for people who are quite capable of standing up for themselves. Four weeks isn't long to pick up a full stage role like yours, Minako-chan." "I know," Minako admitted, "and I know you worked hard to get me that part, even from hospital. But I've got the script down flat, and I've still got two weeks to learn the choreography. I'll be fine." "Says the girl with the most gymnastic part in the whole play. I got a call from the organiser you know. He says you haven't got the first part finale right once yet." "I can do it! It's just not everyday I need to springboard on stage and backflip fifteen feet just for a final pose! That choreographer is a sadist." Mikiyo gave her a look that tried to be stern, but was laced with her own amusement at Minako's pouting. "Well you *will* have to do it every day until you get it right, and then every day while the show is running. I warned you that you'd be replacing a professional gymnast." Then she gave the ambitious girl a smile. "And I wouldn't have tried to get the part for you if I didn't think you could do it. This is the perfect chance, and it's come just when you've left people wanting more of you. So no more shirking, or Hanzo-san *will* fire you even if he can't afford to. Dress rehearsals start next week, so try and be ready then, okay?" Minako nodded, smiling confidently. "Okay! I'll show them what the Minako of Love can do in just one week!" It was then that the doctor finally appeared, clipboard in her hand. "You do that Minako-chan, but do remember there are people in this hospital who need their rest, hm?" Minako blushed at her faux pas and nodded. "Sorry, Mizuno-sensei." Mikiyo looked between them as doctor Mizuno smiled at them both. "You know each other, Minako-chan?" It was Mizuno Katsura that answered. "Yes, she and my daughter have been friends since junior high school." Minako nodded, still embarrassed and now looking a little guilty. "I'm sorry I didn't go to help Ami-chan move, Mizuno-sensei. I just..." That surprised Mikiyo again. "You have somewhere useful to be? Why on earth are you sitting around with me? You seem to need no excuse to rush away at the drop of a hat most of the time." She had to wonder what she didn't know when Minako and Katsura both looked uncomfortable for a moment there, quite independently of each other. The doctor didn't seem to mind Minako missing whatever had been happening though. "That's quite alright Minako-chan. Being here with Hakano-san is just as worthy an intention. Now, Hakano-san, I would just like to ask a few final questions before we release you, and I'd like you to answer them as fully as you can please. Have you been suffering from any kind of depression since the event?" Mikiyo shook her head. "Only cabin fever. And it was rather humiliating, being caught like that, but like I told the last shrink I don't actually remember anything from when I was... you know." Katsura still made a note of that, while Minako wondered something. "Mizuno-sensei, how come you're the one doing this? I thought you were a bone doctor." Katsura nodded. "I did specialise in physical rehabilitation, but I seem to have become something of an authority on cases like Mikiyo- san's as well. I've certainly seen enough transformation victims recently." Given the recordings of the last big Sailor Senshi battle that Mikiyo had seen on the hospital's news repeats, she could believe it. "At least I wasn't the only one." *** That night Tenoh Haruka sat smiling to herself in absurd contentment. She hadn't felt so unlike herself since she had been persuaded into that dress for her junior high dance, or when she had admitted her predilection for lingerie to Michiru. She put her feet up on the coffee table. "I feel like an American mobster," she said, chuckling to herself. In her right arm sat Ami, and in her left, Michiru. "So," Michiru asked in the naughty haze of the wine they had drunk with dinner, "that's makes which of us your moll?" "I'm not married, so wouldn't you both be?" "That's cheating, Haruka," Ami chided. It was obvious that she had drunk her fair share of wine as well. "Though I would rather not be a mistress at all. If I must be a criminal, then partners in crime is better." "True," Michiru admitted. "The wives and mistresses always get shot." "Butch and Sundance then?" Michiru shook her head, and gave her girlfriend a glare. "They got shot too." "Hmm, that's no fun. They probably would have got out of it if they'd had a third partner." This time Ami disagreed. "They wouldn't have needed to get out of it if they hadn't been criminals to begin with. Crime doesn't pay." Haruka agreed, to a point. "Not unless it suits the plot." "I didn't think you watched much in the way of cinema, Ami-chan," Michiru said idly, rather than letting them argue the point. "I don't much. I prefer a good book, but I think I ought to watch some of the classics. And American films allow me to practice my English." "We have quite an extensive film library, foreign and otherwise, so do help yourself if you find yourself needing to pass an hour or two." Haruka nodded. "Our foreign interview tapes are in there was well, if you need a chuckle. Though Michiru has made a lot more than me." "I'm sure you handled them very well, both of you." "Even at fourteen, giving an interview in English?" Michiru smiled at the memory. "I thought I would die in that chair." Ami looked at her in surprise. "You were being interviewed that young? Wow." Haruka nodded, proud of Michiru. "Yup. She was a bona fide prodigy. And at much the same age that you were scoring the best junior high test scores in Japan." Ami flushed. "Yes, but..." Haruka gave them both a squeeze, as best she could. "It seems I have quite discerning tastes." "Haruka, don't flatter yourself," Michiru chastised. "That's my job. But yes, you do have very good taste." Both of them looked over to Ami, but rather than playing along she was simple staring across the room as she sat cuddled up to Haruka's side. "Ami?" "Hmm? Oh, sorry. I guess, maybe you do." Haruka leaned down to catch her eyes properly, since her hands were otherwise occupied. "Only maybe? I think more than maybe." In response Ami flushed again, and Michiru giggled. "She really doesn't take flattery well, does she?" Ami just looked down into Haruka's lap. "Sorry. I was just thinking; it's nice to be home." "Well, it's nice to *have* you home," Haruka said. Beside her Michiru decided that was her cue to leave. "I'm glad you feel that way, Ami-chan. And, if you'll forgive me, I think I need to follow Hotaru off to bed. Apparently my agent is on the warpath right now, so I had better be ready for him tomorrow." But, as she stood, Ami and Haruka did the same. "Yes, I should do the same," Ami said, politely. "I have classes tomorrow morning, so I shouldn't be late. Michiru-san, thank you for dinner, and I will see you both tomorrow." Michiru felt her pleasant smile as it slid from her face. "What... that wasn't what we agreed-" Then Haruka took her hand and held it strongly. Michiru looked up to her in shock, completely unprepared. She had been making herself ready for weeks, mentally preparing to sleep alone on the night that Ami would join their household, and now Ami and Haruka had changed their minds? "Haruka, you planned this?!" Haruka shook her head. "No. But I agreed to it." Without any sign of an internal struggle Ami smiled at them both. "Michiru, I don't want to steal Haruka away from you on the very night I come to live here. That isn't why I came. It has been a tiring day, and I would like to find out how it feels just to sleep in my new bed, in my new home." "I don't need coddling! I accepted this!" "But it does hurt a little, I know," Ami countered. "I am going to need time to find my own space here, and I want to you know that your space is still your own." Michiru stared at her with watering eyes, before a short surrendering laugh escaped her. That was so like Ami. "You've been over-thinking this all week, haven't you?" "Maybe. But haven't you?" "Touche." "Sleep well, Michiru-san. Haruka. And thank you for taking me in." Michiru watched helplessly as Ami bowed to them both and left for the spare room that they had spent the afternoon making Ami's own. She squeezed Haruka's hand, part in punishment and part in fondness. "You could have told me." "I didn't want to spoil her surprise." Michiru sighed, and wiped her eyes with her free hand. "More like a shock. You know, if she is going to let me have you tonight then I'm damn well going to make the most of you." Haruka looked as though she didn't know whether to feel guilty or glad for that. "After she told me about this, I was hoping you would." *** Up at the Hikawa shrine the visitors were long gone, the donation box had been emptied and the fortune stand was well and truly closed, and only now were the inhabitants finishing off their evening meal. As a collaborative effort between Grandpa Hino and Kino Makoto it was both spicy and subtly complex, and probably quite unsuited to resting in the stomach while anyone tried to sleep. "I'm really sorry," Hino Rei apologised yet again as her grandfather sipped on his sake and her girlfriend cleaned her bowl. "It was a good thing that you went, Rei," her grandfather said. "Even if it might have been nice to call us." Makoto nodded in agreement. "I won't begrudge you one late dinner. As long as your friend is okay." "She's not even my friend," Rei admitted. "She just sat behind me in class. I didn't know her name until we tried to admit her to hospital." "But you took control and you went along to make sure she was okay, that's what matters." Grandpa Hino drained his cup. "It's important to keep your head when someone collapses. Especially in light of recent events. People get jumpy with talk of youma and demons flying every which way." Rei nodded. "Not that I'll complain about the extra trade in prayer slips, but yeah. One girl just started screaming. Stupid." "As long as it ended up okay," Makoto said. Grandpa Hino nodded and got to his aching feet. "Yep, that's most important. Now if I can leave you girls to clear up, I feel like a bath before bed." "Sure thing, Gramps. It's the least I can do for holding up dinner." "Never mind dinner. I'm just glad nothing had happened to you." Then, once he had left, Makoto leaned over the table. "So *was* it youma or anything?" Rei shook her head as she finished her food. "No, she just fainted. Apparently she was on a diet or something. One meal a day." Makoto sighed is disappointment. "Eh. No matter how thin you want to be, that's just stupid." "I told her a much," Rei groused, though without much venom. "And I missed out on our evening because of it." Makoto didn't mind. "Don't worry about it. I got to chat to your granddad. He's always good value for money." "That's not how most girls describe him." Rei sighed. "Are you sure you can't stay here tonight?" Makoto shook her head in apology. "I'm sorry, but I really shouldn't. I've been neglecting my flat enough as it is, and I have bills to deal with." "At this hour?" "In the morning. While you're at college. Before I have to go to work." Rei surrendered graciously. "I guess I can't complain about how much we see each other already." "No kidding. I clean your room more than I clean my own!" Rei pouted. "Well you don't have to!" "I do if I'm going to be sleeping in it!" Rei's pout turned into a grin. "We can go over to yours then. We've only slept in your bed once!" "Rei!" "I'm not the one who carried me in there either, as I recall." Rei's grin only grew as Makoto flushed red. "Why the blush? It was very dashing of you. The perfect reward after I'd spent all evening working up the courage for it." "You enjoy embarrassing me, don't you?" "Yep." Rei didn't notice in time to stop it before Makoto pulled her closer and kissed her. It was far too sudden a change of gear for Rei, passionate and strong, and all she could do was lean into it and let Makoto lead. That was the type of kiss that made her uncertain and tense as she dissolved into Makoto's touch, but the type that she was slowly teaching herself to accept not as a fearful relinquishing control, but as a thrill. Makoto's smile was broad and gentle as they parted. "Now who's the one turning red?" Rei knew she was, and she swallowed hard. Makoto was getting wise to the effect that her passionate turns could have on Rei's composure, as long as they did not cross the line. "I guess I asked for that." Rei leaned forward again, this time to return the favour less one- sidedly, but she toppled forward a little when Makoto's lips were not there. "Yes, you did ask for it, but I'll forgive you this time. Now come on, I'll dry up for you." Rei blinked in surprise. Makoto was going to leave it at that? After springing such a knee-weakening kiss on her? "Hey, that's not playing fair!" "I guess that makes two of us then!" *** Ono Marya, the first and only child of the entrepreneurial Ono family, watched with acute brown eyes as her workforce scurried to and fro. The lack of daylight did not slow them down as they hauled their props and building materials past her. Men carrying trees and bedding plants paused to give her final approval of their chosen scenery, and she sent each one on his way with a nod of her head. If they were following the landscaper's plans then there would be no problems, and her staff knew better than to leave her out of the loop if the plans had needed changing. Precision and attention to detail had been the cornerstones that had taken the Ono family's business and turned it into a multinational. And Marya had to admit that, correct or not, the flowers and foliage were nice enough. She had always loved the greenery of her father's parks and gardens abroad, and she had hoped to emulate his inspiring touch now that she was back in Japan. Where had that enthusiasm gone in the eighteen months it had taken to complete her first real step in her father's shoes? She allowed a wan smile to cross her gentle, stoic lips. Perhaps she was becoming too like him, and like her European mother. Gentle, considerate and courageous, and yet too business minded to let those virtues shine. She shook her head and straightened her deep red suit. That was the suit that had become an icon for the Ono family and earned it all manner of strange titles in the leisure entertainment industry, from the 'Crimson Roses' to the 'Bloody Dragon'. Her father had first been made famous for his Chinese dragon parades, and even now that name always made her smile, in spite of the accusation that he had been a ruthless businessman. Had he not been, his company would not have constructed gardens, festival parades and amusement parks all across the globe. Marya however had been careful to craft a gentler image for herself, now she was the sole owner of Le FEI; The Family Entertainment and Installation Company. She was a more moderate hand with her employees and competitors alike, and combined with her vice for expensive perfume and her childhood playing on her mother's theatre stages several of her people had taken to calling her the Rose Scented Princess. Totally unnecessary, but very flattering. So why did she feel withdrawn as she walked through her nocturnal wonderland? The silver moonlight did not stir her as it once had, and she did not feel like talking to her hard working employees. A shadow, tangible and uncaring, crept across her. That wasn't why she was there. It wasn't the culture or nostalgia that had brought her back to Japan after twelve years away. It wasn't the plants or the scenery that concerned her. Five years of study and toil would be wasted if her plan wasn't followed exactly. Once open, this nocturnal theme park would become the home she craved. "Marya-san, is anything the matter? You look troubled." Marya jumped, and that dark flicker vanished. "Kizugi-san! You startled me." Her secretary nodded. "I apologise, Marya-san. I thought you might have been ruminating unnecessarily. Please, rest assured that your wishes are being carried out to the letter." Marya gave the broad but bookish looking man a small, grateful smile. "Yes, maybe that is it. How about you, my friend?" Kizugi's neutral expression did not change. "I still mourn for our losses, but I doubt that shall ever change, Marya-san. But do not be concerned. I will continue to give my utmost in carrying out your wishes, as I did for your parents." Good, Marya thought, though that had not been why she had asked. But before she could correct him there was loud bang back down the path. Kizugi turned sharply, his face hard. "What are they doing?!" Marya's face showed panic. She knew that her people would be setting up the props for the 'haunted mansion' installation that night. She actually ran after her suddenly angry secretary, only to see the crate her men had been carrying lying on the paved pathway. A huge split ran from one corner up the entire side of the wooden box, where it had been dropped. It was the crate she had feared for. "You idiots!!" she roared, her face flushed with rage. "Don't you know how important that is!?" Her voice scared back the astonished and apologetic workers. "I-I'm sorry, Marya-sama," one of them said, bowing as low as he could. Marya did not even acknowledge his apology. She knelt down by the crate and lay her hands protectively against the crack. "This cannot be replaced! We open in less than two weeks, and if we are not ready all of this will be for nothing!!" Kizugi stepped in front of her, broad and imposing even behind his thick glasses, so that the workmen had something beside his fretting employer to stare at. He pointed to the large stencilled letters on the top of the crate. 'FRAGILE 'THIS WAY UP 'HANDLE WITH CARE' "Didn't you read it?" he growled. All four of the workmen bowed low again. "We're truly sorry, Kasahara-san!" Kizugi stared at them all for a moment before dismissing them. "Go. And take proper care this time. Ono-san and I shall take our centrepiece from here ourselves." Then, as the workmen remained bowed, Marya took the furthest end of the six foot crate and between them she and Kizugi left with slow and deliberate care. She was grateful for her secretary's interposition, but she couldn't voice that gratitude. The shadow at her back had returned, and she was too absorbed in caring for the simple box in her hands. *** Once their boss was out of sight the four workmen turned to each other and allowed their shock to show. "I can't believe you dropped it! You almost got us fired!" "Definitely. Ono-san has never shouted at *anyone* before!" "Of course she has. Must have done. But damn, that was scary. Is the coffin really so valuable?" "Of course! It's the main prop for the mansion!" "Heh, didn't you guys take a look?" "At what?" "Remember that mannequin of her father she commissioned? It's already set up inside." "No wonder she was mad. Man, that's creepy." "Of course it's creepy. It wouldn't be a haunted house if it didn't have a ghost!" *** To Be Continued... *** Please send any comments and constructive criticism to: nutzoide@nutzoide.net They are always greatly appreciated, and there is no better reward for a writer than to hear back from the readers. (c) Nutzoide 2009-2011 http://www.nutzoide.net