Kazeko gulped as she watched the royal family assemble at the elaborate marble table. They were all clothed elegantly in their princess dresses; Kazeko was thankful to Fuyuko for asking Natsuko to lend a dress to Kazeko. Fuyuko's own dresses were certainly much too small, and although the green-haired princess of Juno had a scant wardrobe where dresses were concerned, what she did have was thankfully in a flattering shade of green; Kazeko's dress was, perhaps, a bit on the short side for Kazeko's tastes, but it was certainly better than showing up to dinner wearing her uniform. Looking around the table as everyone was seated, Kazeko noticed that Princess Venus' chair was conspicuously absent, but Kazeko couldn't imagine herself having the audacity to ask where she was. Instead she quietly sat down next to Fuyuko and tried to calm her tornado of nerves.

"Who's your friend, Fuyuko?" Princess Jupiter asked, leaning her head on her hand as she stared at Kazeko. Although in some sense Kazeko knew she was on equal footing with these people, in terms of innate divinity even if not experience, she could not help but feel she was staring at Macha, a veritable personification of feminine strength and power.

"Oh," Fuyuko said, "This is Kazeko Shirochize. She's Sailor Ariel."

"Sailor Ariel...?" Endymion said somewhat suspiciously.

"She defeated Coeus the other day," Fuyuko said animatedly, turning toward the king. "It was awesome. She was all like, 'boreal tempest!' and then Coeus went all frozen in a gust of icy wind."

"Impressive," Endymion said sincerely.

"Just what you'd expect from a Uranian moon," Princess Uranus said, turning toward her. Uranus was the senshi shes associated with the Cailleach, the spirit of skies and mountains.

Kazeko felt herself becoming uncomfortably warm. "Er--Not really--I mean..maybe other moons of Uranus, but not me..." she stammered awkwardly.

"Nonsense," Uranus continued. "I'm sure you were splendid." She smirked. "It's nice to have such a lovely young lady from somewhere so close by."

Princess Neptune smiled mysteriously. "Haruka, whatever could you mean by that?"

"I was only commenting on the fact that Kazeko is very pretty and elegant for one of her age--merely an observation of fact. Unless you disagree...?"

"Of course not," Princess Neptune replied, though Kazeko could swear she heard the tiniest edge to her voice.

"But she is not half as beautiful or elegant as you, dearest Michiru." Haruka winked playfully at Kazeko, which only served to increase the redhead's discomfort.

"Where are you from, Miss Shirochize?" Ami asked politely, smiling at Kazeko.

Kazeko paused nervously. She didn't like to talk about where she was from, but she just couldn't bring herself to lie to the gods she had admired since her childhood. "I'm from county Meath, Ireland," Kazeko told her. "And...the truth is...my name isn't Kazeko Shirochize. It's Deirdre..and my birth name, before I was adopted, was O'Reilly."

"To be honest, I thought Kazeko was a rather odd name for someone of your ethnicity," Ami replied. "Even though it's not unheard of to hear people using Japanese names abroad these days, Kazeko is..." Ami coughed awkwardly.

"I assume you wrote your name with the characters for 'wind child'," Haruka interjected. "What Princess Mercury is too polite to say is that kaze is not usually how we pronounce that character when it's in someone's name, since phonetically, 'kaze' can also mean a cold. When we are using the character for wind in a name, it is usually pronounced 'fuu'."

Deirdre felt herself becoming flushed. "How dumb of me," she said awkwardly.

"I'm sure that we Japanese have made equally embarrassing mistakes concerning English," Mercury said. "Don't feel too bad. Anyway, 'kaze' can mean cold, but everyone who hears your name will assume that it uses the reading 'wind.'"

"I like the name Deirdre, though," Fuyuko remarked. "I think I like it better than Kazeko--not that I dislike Kazeko or anything," Fuyuko added hastily. "But Deirdre is such a mysterious sounding name. And it suits you, 'cause you're so mysterious yourself."

"I don't know about that..." Deirdre said self-consciously. "I don't feel I'm half as mysterious as say, Princess Pluto."

"And what makes her so mysterious, Fuyuko?" Princess Mars asked, smiling rather mysteriously herself.

"She talks to trees," Fuyuko said. "And she can fortune-tell."

"Oh, my," Princess Neptune said. The very daughter of the ocean god Lir seemed to be impressed with her! Deidre was not really sure what to think...what to feel. "What do they say?"

"It depends," Kazeko said awkwardly. "But it's difficult to get much of anything out of them. Trees are very vague and slow. It's not like talking to a person."

"What kind of fortunetelling do you do?" Serenity asked, her expression keenly interested.

"I toss norse runes," Kazeko replied. "Runes aren't originally from Ireland, but the Norse people ruled Ireland in ancient times, and their culture and traditions have a strong current amongst our people. That, and the runes have just always spoken to me somehow."

"Can you tell my fortune?" Serenity asked excitedly. "I know! We could all go to the parlor after dinner and you could tell all of our fortunes. Right, everyone?"

"Feh," Princess Uranus scoffed, "fortunetelling is for love-struck teenaged girls."

"I think it's a lovely idea," Princess Neptune replied. "and I'm sure one with such potent mystical abilities as Miss Deirdre will have something interesting to foretell."

"Suit yourself," Uranus said nonchalantly.

"I'm afraid I am with Haruka in this case," Princess Mars replied. "Although I don't disbelieve Miss Deirdre, I feel quite confident in my fire-reading abilities."

Deirdre paled. "I'm sorry if I implied--"

"Please perish the thought, Miss Deirdre," Mars interjected with a smile. "I wasn't trying to insinuate that you were trying to eclipse me. My methods of fortune-telling are best reserved only for serious matters because of the manner in which they work. I imagine that rune reading is a better method of fortunetelling for personal reflection in any case."

"But Rei, if that's true, why not join us?" Serenity asked.

"Well...to be frank, my own experiences in foretelling the future tend to be rather grim. I don't usually think of reading the future as an evening's light entertainment."

"Well, I am curious to know what Deirdre has to say," Saturn remarked. "I hope you're coming too, Usako?"

"Of course!" Lady Serenity replied. She turned toward her four guardians. "What about you guys?"

"I would like very much to attend," Ceres said immediately.

"I'm going to go for a run," Juno said indifferently.

"Me too!" Vesta immediately piped in. Juno just rolled her eyes.

Helios smiled. "You guys can go on without--"

"You're coming too, Helios," Lady Serenity interjected.

"It's too bad Minako isn't here," Jupiter said. "She would have loved this."

Mercury smiled politely. "Well, there is lots of work to be--"

"You're coming, too, Ami," Jupiter interjected with a grin. "You don't have a choice." Ami sighed, resigned.

Moon Senshi: Unmei no Kodomo

Episode Eighteen:

"The Sphere of Wretchedness"

Tsuki ni michibikarete doko ni tadoritsuku to mada kangaete iru
Yasashige na lullaby kiite kako wo sukoshi dake omou
Machigai mo hiai mo ippai dakedo anata ga iru kara
Koukai-shinai

Pink-iro no tsuki no shita ni iru kedo
Motto tsuyoi nagusame ga iru no
Tatoe ayamachi dake shitemo
I love you tte itte ne

Though I hold a mysterious destiny,
I'm still wondering to where I will struggle on,
being led by the moon

Listening to a gentle lullaby, I think just a little of the past
It's full of mistakes and sorrow, but since
You are here, I won't regret it

Though I'm under the pink moon,
I need an even stronger comfort
Even if I make only mistakes,
Say, "I love you," okay?

Kazeko breathed deeply in meditation. She had asked her hosts to dim the lights in the large drawing room in order to help her in her rune casting; in the darkness, it was difficult to make out the faces of the royal family. She felt herself wanting to call them gods, but what need had gods for rune casting? For that matter, where was she getting the power to rune-cast with no gods to call on? Now, more than ever, she felt lost and naïve.

But no. She may have thought of these people, powerful as they were, as the Tuatha de Dannan, but clearly that was not the case. The Tuatha de Dannan were older than time itself. Perhaps they were merely relatives or daughters--after all, did she not already think of Neptune as the daughter of Lir?--or, who knew? Perhaps the gods saw fit to gift their powers on unsuspecting mortals. That was, after all, her own situation.

She stared across the drawing room table toward Princess Mercury, who was seated somewhat nervously across from her. For whatever reason, the royal family had felt very strongly that she ought to go first. Kazeko wondered if maybe the air of quiet contemplation that accompanied her made her a mystery to her companions, and they wondered what passed through her mind.

Kazeko took a deep breath. Mercury may not be Boann, but invoking a goddess of rivers and wisdom seemed appropriate for this reading. "Please focus on Princess Mercury," Kazeko said to the assembled family. "Otherwise, the reading may become confused."

"Fascinating," Neptune said. "I did not know what was an issue when fortunetelling."

"Quiet, Michiru," Jupiter said. "Remember?" Neptune remorsefully brushed her fingers against her lips, as if to warn herself against further transgressions.

Kazeko waited a moment, shuffled her runes in her bag, and set them down in a cross formation. She looked at the runes for a long time before beginning. "The reversed Raido rune is in your past. There's been a sense of stasis and rigidity in your life the past few years," Kazeko said. "Things have fallen into place, but not in a good way. You're trapped...maybe even taken advantage of. The problem is Ursuz reversed--things are not in the right place. You're being used by other people--" the discomfort in the room was almost palpable--"But not necessarily on purpose," she added hastily. "You've become bored. Discontent." Mercury said nothing, but her face was drawn. "Eihwaz reversed is your challenges. The problem is not only that you're dissatisfied, but also that you don't feel strongly enough about your discontent to change anything." She looked at the next rune. "The future, Tiwaz--good news is coming. There's a man in your future--" an outbreak of giggles. "--not necessarily a love interest, though--who will change things. Someone who will show you the inner strength that you possess, who will show you how to have authority and confidence. The outcome, Kenaz, will have you transforming yourself, and you will have a new strength and greater power." Kazeko paused. "You may even meet someone and fall in love with each other."

"Who?" Jupiter asked anxiously.

"I don't know," Kazeko said. "The runes do not specify. It's not even guaranteed that it will happen--the meaning of the runes is not always clear. I know this much: Princess Mercury will have a transformative experience, one which will increase her strength and fortitude."

"Mayumi!" Her father shouted joyously, hugging her gently. Her room was immaculately neat, with light pink walls and silver silk curtains. She had been sitting at her light blue desk, getting her homework done in the spare moments in her hectic schedule. Mayumi loved her father, with his silver-gray hair and his thick glasses, and sometimes, she wondered if that was the problem. Sure, she got mad at him sometimes for pushing her into so many events--for pushing her into singing--but he had never once had to threaten her or force her into anything. He just had to say that something was "important" or tell her that "it would mean a lot to me" and she found no matter how she tried or convinced herself that she would say no this time, it never happened. "Mayumi, how are you doing, sweetie?"

"Good," she said, pulling away from the hug. "Working on my math homework."

"I was talking to Seki earlier today," he said--Mayumi could hardly repress a shudder--"and he as a great new opportunity for you."

"Oh?" Mayumi said, trying to sound interested but feeling sick. "What is it?"

"Apparently they're going to do a re-make of 'Serendipity,' that classic movie based on the life and times of Princess Serenity in the Silver Millennium," her father told her, sitting down on her bed. "They're going to focus on the forbidden romance between Serenity and Endymion...and they want you for the title role!"

"Me? As....Princess Serenity?"

Her father nodded excitedly. "The role of a lifetime! And frankly, it 's brilliant casting. You'd make a perfect Serenity."

She had to admit to feeling a little awkward about the idea of playing the queen, but she supposed from what she had learned about the queen's personality in school that they weren't entirely unlike each other. "What about my tour in the states?"

"They're going to shoot the scenes you're not in over your tour," he said. "It's not a big deal."

"Are you sure I'm good enough to act in a movie?" Mayumi asked. "I mean, I've done commercials and a few daytime drama roles...but movie acting...that's a whole different level."

Her father took her hand and pressed it between his palms. "I know you'll make me proud, Mayumi," he said confidently.

"I'll do my best, Daddy," she replied.

.

"Thank you for a nice evening, Minako," Eros said, stopping in front of the doors to the crystal palace. "Or at least...the best you could offer, under the circumstances."

"Not a problem...But Eros," Minako said, "Think about what me and Sayoko told you."

"Oh, Mina," he said with a sigh. "You heard her. She doesn't even want to talk to me."

"Give it time," she said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you do something for her? Something that will show her your sincerity."

Eros pondered Minako's words for a moment. "I'd probably just make her feel like I'm stalking her," he said. "But I suppose I could try to think of something subtle."

There was a lull. Minako found herself groping for words to continue their conversation; it wasn't that she liked him--okay, maybe she had a little crush on him--but she knew that returning to the palace would mean returning to the busy life of a stateswoman. "What about the Maenads?" she said at last.

"What about them?" Eros replied.

"Don't you need new ones? What do they do, exactly?"

Eros laughed. "They guard the shrine. Maenads are no sailor senshi, but they have passable magic of their own, not to mention martial training. They also help to amplify a priests' power."

"How?"

"Priests have rather different powers than Senshi or Knights," Eros explained. "Creating barriers, healing....we can also cleanse or taint things, depending on the nature of our powers, and make the landscape take on the features of a planet's element--"

"Er, what do you mean exactly?" Minako asked.

"Like when I weakened Mauros' demon," Eros replied. "It's sort of like...it's difficult to explain. I can take areas of hatred and replace them with love. Or, like if we were using Coeus as an example--his province is wisdom--he could make people think more clearly, indeed literally become smarter, as long as he is concentrating. The same goes for the physical side of our powers. I can literally turn things to gold, summon chains from nowhere....that sort of thing."

"That's amazing!" Minako exclaimed.

"Not really," Eros replied. "I always thought turning things to gold was in particular a rather useless power. Mauros, the priest of Hades--Pluto's holy land--he can control time. That is power. Anyway, I can only affect a small area as it stands--a few yards, perhaps, at most. But if I had my maenads, I could affect a much greater area....miles, perhaps, depending on the circumstances. Plus, the maenads help maintain the health of our holy land...they can keep an eye on things when we're not around."

"Well," Minako said, "it sounds like we should work on finding some. How many do you need?"

"It sort of depends," Eros said. "But usually at least two. As many as ten...but it's better have fewer maenads that you work well with than a lot that you barely know."

"Maybe we should work on finding you some Maenads," Minako suggested.

"Maybe," he replied. "We should focus on Nemesis, but...I suppose it would be helpful in the fight.

"I'll keep an eye out," Minako said. She put her arm on Eros' shoulder. "And Eros...don't be a stranger. It's not good for you, hanging about that palace all alone."

"Well, it is your palace," Eros remarked.

Minako waved her finger and made a tutting noise. "Magellan castle is my palace."

"I've never heard of it," he said.

"That's because Queen Serenity the elder gave it to me. So it wasn't around when you were alive. It orbits the planet."

"Ah, I see," Eros said. "Then you have three castles--one on Aphrodite, one on the surface of Venus, and one orbiting the planet."

"But Venus' surface is uninhabitable," Minako remarked. "How is it that there could be a castle on the surface? Is it protected by a dome?"

"The planet's surface was made uninhabitable when your three powers were broken," Eros replied. "Now that you have your crystal again, it is as inhabitable as Earth. Which, my lady, you would know if you had looked inside your heart. You are spiritually connected to your planet...it is a part of you now."

"Jeez," she said, giving him a playful shove. "You're getting all sappy on me. Even by my standards." she winked.

Eros laughed dryly. "But it's true. You are connected to your planet--for better or worse. If ill comes to Venus, it eventually comes to you."

"Like Endymion."

"To be sure."

Minako mulled over his words for a moment and then smiled. "Well. As you said, it was as best an evening as could be had under the circumstances. Now...I hope you'll excuse me for the night."

"Of course--you must get your beauty sleep." Minako rolled her eyes but waved as the ornately carved palace doors appeared before her and she walked through them.

Eros sighed, peering down into the water of the fountain beneath him. He had taken off his shoes and was sloshing about in the cool stone basin, watching the light refract on the golden glints in the stone. Now what? He had to do something to show Yamiko his sincerity, at least, to make some pathetic attempt to apologize to her...but what? A song, a bouquet, a work of art? It all seemed so cheap, so easily done. What good were things in such cases as these? No trinket could mend a broken heart. Still, he supposed he must try. If he was going to make her a present of something, he ought to make it something she would truly want, something she would like enough to try and put aside who it was from.

He sat on the edge of the fountain. Tomorrow, he would have to seek out a draper.

"Mayumi!" Mauros cried. Her hair glinted brightly in the afternoon sun, shining like a curtain of gray silk. Mauros stepped forward to meet her, his hands full of yellow peonies. "Look. I have something for you this time."

"Oh, Kuro..." Mayumi smiled broadly as she took the flowers from him. "They're beautiful." She looked at him slyly. "Did you steal them from the park?"

Mauros looked a little alarmed. "You have to buy the flowers from the park?" he said.

Mayumi laughed. "No. But usually they're meant for the people visiting to look at. But it's okay...I'm sure no one will miss them, and it went to a good cause, right?" she winked at Mauros. "So how are you, Kuro?"

Mauros frowned. "There's something that is troubling me, Mayumi."

Mayumi sat down on a nearby bench and motioned for him to sit next to her. "What is it, Kuro?"

Mauros hesitated before speaking again. "Mayumi...do people...do you...feel pain, when you're hit?"

Mayumi looked a little taken aback. "Well...of course."

"Do you know any senshi? Do they...do they feel pain?"

"I have met a couple of the planetary senshi," Mayumi replied. "Though only very briefly. But there's one sailor senshi I know personally. A...friend of mine found out she was a Moon Senshi recently. So sometimes...she talks to me when she feels lonely, and she needs someone to share with. As for your second question...yes, w-they do feel pain. Sometimes, it seems like...even more than most people."

Mauros felt a deep, dark feeling in the pit of his stomach at these words, a feeling he had not had in quite some time. "I don't want to hurt anyone," he said at last. Mauros wasn't sure what to do. He knew his brother would never lie to him. But he couldn't believe that Mayumi would lie to him, either. Maybe her friend had lied? But why would Mayumi be friends with a liar? He couldn't quite believe that, either, though he supposed it was the most logical option.

"You don't have to hurt anyone, Kuro," she said. "And I can't imagine that you would."

"Your friend...are you sure that she feels pain?" Mauros replied.

"Why wouldn't she?" Mayumi asked. "How are their bodies different from ours? I mean...they still have red blood and everything. Not five years ago the sailor senshi were nearly defeated by the Black Moon. They may be strong, but they still have their vulnerabilities."

Mauros frowned. It was like a nightmare. He had thought that what he and Coeus did...it was just a game, right? like chess, or...he prayed that Mayumi's friend was wrong, perhaps mistaken. Maybe they had never been hurt before, and so they did not know their own strength. Mauros himself did not realize that he could feel such tremendous pain until the other day. Yes. That must be it.

"Kuro?" Mayumi said, leaning forward and staring at his troubled face. "Are you in...some kind of trouble?"

"No," Mauros said at last, forcing a smile. "It's nothing. I just don't want to make anyone suffer."

"Come on, Kuro. Don't be silly," she said, putting her hand lightly on his shoulder. "You don't have a bad bone in your body. If you ever hurt someone, I'm sure it could only be by accident."

Mauros looked at her. "I don't know what kind of bones are in my body," he said. "I...I don't know what I'm capable of. I'm not sure I want to."

"Well, from all the time I've spent with you, you've only seemed capable of great kindness," Mayumi said. "Now enough of this depressing talk. Have you had anything to eat today?" Mauros shook his head. "Is your brother coming back soon?"

"I don't think so," Mauros replied. "That wasn't the impression that I got."

"Let's go get crepes," She said, taking the peonies in one arm and standing up. With her free hand, she took Mauros' wrist and pulled him gently upward. Mauros happily got up and stood beside her. "Maybe I can allude my lolicon producer for awhile."

"Your what?"

"Hey Kuro, how old are you?" Mayumi asked, dropping his hand awkwardly. "I'm 15, by the way."

"Er, uh...I'm seventeen. More or less--or that's what brother tells me, anyway."

"Hmmm. You're pretty tall for seventeen," she said, looking up at him. "But I guess you're just pretty tall in general. Is your brother tall like you?"

"He's tall, too, but not as tall as me," Mauros replied.

"Which one of you is older?"

"We're the same age. He and I are twins."

"If he's shorter than you, though, you must be fraternal twins, right?" Mayumi said. Mauros looked at her blankly. "Er...you aren't identical...like, you don't look and sound the same."

"Oh! No," Mauros replied. "Brother has blue hair and eyes. He has told me that we may not have the same father."

"Ah..um..." Mayumi was not sure how it would be appropriate to respond to this, but she decided that making a thing out of it wouldn't be a good idea. "Then I guess you're technically half-brothers?"

Mauros shrugged. "It doesn't matter. He's the closest thing to a family I have. Or even a friend." Mauros said. "Well...until I met you, anyway."

Mayumi suddenly felt very flustered. She looked down, pretending to be very interested in the peonies, which really made things worse because they reminded her that Kuro had done something as romantic as given her a bouquet of flowers. She almost felt a little mad at him, doing something so princely and romantic with such childlike innocence. She had gotten flowers from hundreds of male admirers before, but Kuro's bouquet of clumsily, unevenly picked peonies he had gotten from a park somehow touched her more. She glanced over at Kuro, who looked absentmindedly into the distance as he walked beside her. He had nice hair. It was too bad it was so tangled...gah, what was she thinking about!

"Mayumi?" he queried, looking toward her. "Are you okay?"

"Of course! Look, the crêpe stand is right over there," she said, pointing toward it. "Do you want strawberry, banana or chocolate?"

"What's the difference?" Mauros asked.

"We'll get you chocolate," Mayumi said. "You strike me as a chocolate lover." Mayumi walked up to the crêpe stand and ordered while Mauros sat by, staring blankly off into the distance.

"Here you go," she said, handing him the crepe.

"Ah," he said, "I was supposed to give you something this time. But now you've given me something again," he said, ruefully looking at the crêpe.

Mayumi giggled. "It's okay, Kuro," she said. "Just hanging out with you is like a present to me." Mauros smiled.

Mayumi was happily finishing off the last of her crêpe when she saw a figure waving at her in the distance. "Mayumi!" The voice cried. Mayumi could vaguely see Shin'ichiro running toward her, his white suit blindingly bright in the early summer sunshine. "What are you doing over here? And why are you hanging out with him again?" he said, panting in between words as he looked at Mauros skeptically.

"I came to hang out with Kuro," Mayumi said in frustration, glancing away from her producer. "He's my friend."

"You keep questionable company, Miss Hatsuhara," Shin'ichiro said, glancing skeptically at Kuro and his plain, worn clothing. "You don't even know where this guy came from, do you? He looks like a bum."

"Don't call Kuro a bum!" Mayumi snapped. "He's...he's not a bum!"

"Oh? Where is he from, then? Surely, he doesn't live around here--unless, of course, he lives in the park."

Mayumi glared daggers at Shin'ichiro. He returned her glance sternly, unyieldingly. She eventually turned away, tears beginning to pool in her eyes. Mauros looked on, upset and confused. "Kuro is--"

"--a danger to your reputation, and frankly, your career. What would become of your sales if word about this got to the tabloids--we'll have to pray it hasn't already. Mayumi Hatsuhara, seen with a man--"

"--he's only seventeen!"

"--a boy that appears to be unemployed and homeless. Although maybe in this case, it would help--your male fans will think, given your low standards, that they may stand a chance no matter how much of a loser they may be! Is that really want you want?"

Mayumi covered her face with her free hand, trying to surpress a sob. Mauros paused for a moment, looking at Mayumi with deep concern. Then he turned toward Shin'ichiro, a dark expression passing over his face. "Leave Mayumi alone," he said. "You're making her sad."

"I'm not afraid of some bum," Shin'ichiro retorted.

Mauros passed his hand before him in a wide arc; Shini'ichiro buckled over, retching violently. "Leave her alone," he repeated.

"Kuro, what are you doing?" Mayumi shouted, grabbing his arm. "Whatever it is, stop! You're hurting him!"

Mauros gasped, realizing he had done something which his brother was bound not to approve of. Shin'ichiro coughed roughly and gasped; he appeared to have recovered. "I..." Mauros flushed. "I'm sorry..." With that, he turned and ran away.

Natsuko breathed deeply as she walked out onto the front lawn of the Crystal Palace.

"Where are you going to jog?" Akiko asked, tying the end of her braid as she turned toward her sister.

Natsuko gave a resigned sigh. "Oh, I don't know. I guess the park, where the Memorial Gardens are."

"Sounds good," Akiko replied. They jogged in silence for a long time, Natsuko doing her very best to run ahead of Akiko and Akiko was similarly straining to outpace her sister. Eventually, they came to a broad park, thickly planted with ornate, flowering gardens. Apparently Natsuko wasn't interested in showing sisterly solidarity, Akiko thought in annoyance, since she quickly sprinted into a hedge maze and out of sight. Akiko thought about following after her, but honestly, she was pretty tired and she didn't feel like getting in another fight with her sister--so she wandered off into the rose gardens instead.

Catching her breath as she walked amongst the rows of immaculately tended tea roses, Akiko sat down and watched the multicolored flowers sway lightly in the breeze. The sky was beginning to darken ever so lightly, casting long shadows beneath every bush and tree. Akiko lay stomach down on the bench and turned her head to the side, peering through the foliage of the garden. She squinted her eyes, watching as vague, shadowy shapes weaved their way through the garden's bushes. "What is that?" she mumbled aloud, sitting up and watching intently for another movement amongst the foliage. She slowly stood up, moving toward a shadow slinking in the bushes.

Her heart almost leapt out of her chest as she heard a plaintive meow. A small blue tabby walked out of the bushes and jumped nonchalantly onto the bench where she had been sitting, tucking its paws underneath its body and looking at her as though it felt her hair color was right out. "Oh," she said. "It's just a cat." There had been other shadows weaving through the bushes...Akiko peered amongst the other roses.

There were at least a dozen of them--all domestic cats of various hues and sizes, lying lazily in the dirt or going about their business. A few glanced briefly up at her, but most of them could have cared less. "Where did they all....come from...?" she murmured.

"People leave them here," a voice said from behind her. Akiko whipped around to see an dark-skinned man with dirt-smeared khaki pants and a worn linen shirt. Covering most of his dark gray hair was a dusky bucket hat; he wore a utility belt filled with various gardening implements.

"Where did you come from?" She asked.

The old man laughed. "I work here, taking care of the rose garden. My name's Kunitachi."

"Mine's Akiko," she replied. "You're here sort of late."

He shrugged. "This is where I like to be."

"Why do people leave them here?" She asked, kneeling down and petting the blue tabby that lay on the bench. "Is there something wrong with them?"

"Not usually," Kunitachi replied. "Most times, people have to move and can't afford an apartment that takes pets anymore, so they just leave their pets here. But sometimes people think they've gotten too old, or they get one for their children and they get bored with it."

Akiko frowned as she looked at all of the cats. "Why would someone..." she shook her head. "What happens to the cats?"

"I try to keep as many of them as I can," Kunitachi replied. "I feed them so they won't kill the songbirds, but..." he sighed. "Sometimes there gets to be too many. Then I'll take them to Ark shelter."

"If Ark will take them, why not bring them all there? Then they might find homes."

"They can't always take them," He replied. "Sometimes there's too many."

Akiko picked up the blue tabby and held it against her chest. The blue tabby mrowed in annoyance but didn't resist. "I could take them. My house is huge...I'm sure the q--I'm sure my mother and father wouldn't mind."

"Ha, what, all of them?" Kunitachi said with a smile. "Your parents must be pretty understanding."

"I could take care of them," she said. "You just feed them, right?"

"You have to change the litter box, too," Kunitachi added. "If they live indoors."

Akiko frowned distastefully. "I can...manage it."

"talk it over with them first," he said. "This many cats...it's a lot of responsibility."

"Well, I took care of one huge one," she said with a smirk. "I bet I can handle a dozen small ones."

Kunitachi raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure that's quite the same," he replied.

"Ha! Trust me, this one had the attitude of twenty," she replied.

When Tokimo--cleverly disguised as the tomboy Himeko--walked up to Coeus, he was reading a book. The park was filled with the early summer chirping of birds; the small, inedible cherries on the sakura trees were just beginning to ripen. "Whatcha reading?"

"A book exploring the fundamentals of thought by comparing three of the greatest geniuses to ever live."

Tokimo's face was blank as she continued to smile. "Whatcha reading?"

"A book on thinking."

Tokimo frowned. "People write books about thinking? Isn't it enough to have to think about a book that isn't about thinking? If people start writing books about thinking, where does it end? Do they have books about thinking about books about thinking?"

Coeus paused as he contemplated this. "Thinking about books about thinking is a kind of thinking already."

"Huh. So--"

Coeus got up and began to walk away. Tokimo grabbed his arm; Coeus turned toward her, a look of utter disgust on his face. So that was how it was going to be, after all. He had considered relocating to a different park, but he liked leaving Mauros here--it was in a safe place where he wasn't likely to get in any danger, and Coeus hardly trusted him in the hands of Nemesis and her agents. And frankly, humoring some insane Earth girl was, if annoying, only a small waste of his ample time. He closed his eyes and inhaled sharply. "I suppose I am not going anywhere, Himeko," he said dryly.

"Nope," Tokimo said, grinning.

"Fine. Rather than wasting my time trying to evade you, let us simply move directly to the point. What is it you want? Another ice cream?"

"Let's do something different this time," Tokimo said, mulling her options over as she held on to Coeus' arm. "I know! We could go to the amusement park."

"Oh god," Coeus said. "If I must humor you, for the love of Sol, let me go somewhere a little less unbearable than that."

"Shopping?"

"If you are trying to attract my amorous intentions, as you seem to have the misguided belief you can, you would be better off trying to appeal to my interests rather than yours." Tokimo looked confused at these words. "Let us go to the aquarium." A location that had the added advantage of being dark, twisty, and easy to lose someone in.

"That sounds boring."

"There are sharks and dolphins," Coeus said enticingly.

"Oooo," Tokimo replied, "That sounds cool."

"Let us be off, then." Coeus said...and maybe he could get rid of her yet.

The inside of the aquarium was dark and cool; there was a display of brightly colored discus fish as they entered the vestibule. "Oh, neat," Tokimo said, walking up to the tank and looking at the fish. They were neon orange and blue and mottled with iridescent markings; they looked at Tokimo with interest as they darted around the tank.

"Those are discus fish," Coeus told her, looking at them appreciatively. "Symphysodon aequifasciatus. One of the few schooling cichlids. Cichlids are a civilized fish...they mate for life and care for their young." He frowned. "Sad day when fish are more civilized than men."

"You know a lot about fish," Tokimo said. She almost asked if it was because he was from Mercury--thank Serenity she caught herself in time.

"I like fish," Coeus replied vaguely, and moved to the counter to purchase their tickets. "They don't have the cruelty or ambition of humans. Of women."

Tokimo stuck out her tongue. "Don't be a stupid jerkface. There's plenty of cruel, ambitious guys out there."

"There are men who are cruel and ambitious, it is true," Coeus said. "What makes it different with women is...they're just..." he shook his head. "It's so cold-blooded. When a man does something cruel, it's out of passion. But with a woman...it's terrifying because it's so premeditated."

"Well that's a dumb way to think about it," Tokimo replied. "Whether you do awful something 'cause of your emotions or 'cause you've thought about it, the results are the same."

"But someone who can think things through is capable of so much more," Coeus replied.

"I dunno," Tokimo replied. "I think, a lot of times, people do the most damage when they haven't thought things through." Tokimo sighed. "You dive into something, thinking it's a great idea...but later, you realize it was a mistake. Sure, maybe your intentions aren't as malicious as if you've considered the consequences and done it anyway, but...the result is the same."

"You speak as if it is from experience," Coeus replied.

"Come on," Tokimo said, grabbing his arm. "Let's go see the dolphins first." She led him over to the section of the aquarium where the dolphins were on display, stopping excitedly at broad, relatively shallow pool. There was a long bench surrounding the pool, and stout, pink dolphins with long, skinny noses weaved their way around roots and rocks in the tank.

"Those are boto dolphins," Coeus said, looking down in the tank with an almost dazed expression.

"They look kind of funny," Tokimo said.

"They're one of only a handful of species of freshwater dolphins," Coeus replied. He held his hand toward the tank and three of the boto dolphins gathered around him, looking toward him inquisitively.

"Wow!" Tokimo exclaimed. "How did you do that?" she had a guess, but she wasn't going to share it.

Coeus shook his head as if snapping out of a trance. The dolphins turned away and continued to swim around the pool. "I uh...I'm not sure. Come on, let's keep going."

"So, what is it you like about the aquarium?" Tokimo asked, catching up to Coeus before he had the chance to run off.

"It's quiet," he said. "Something about the darkness and the way that the water bubbles....well, there's a fair share of noisy kids, especially on the weekends, but if you go on the weekdays...it's like another world. It hushes people into silence. I find it...relaxing."

"I bet you like the library, too," Tokimo replied. "And the museum."

"A lot more than I like you," Coeus replied. "Certainly, all of those places are much quieter than you are."

Tokimo stuck out her tongue. "That's 'cause they're booooring."

"They're only boring because you don't take the time to think about what they have to teach you," Coeus replied. "Because you don't take the time to learn, it is in fact you who are boring--your lack of knowledge makes you unable to carry on an interesting conversation."

"That's not true! I can carry on all kinds of interesting conversations."

"Oh?"

"Yeah! Like..." Tokimo paused. "Have you read the newest issue of Best Comic Jennifer? Hikari found out her boyfriend was--"

"I am not interested in your silly romance stories. You may be able to carry on a conversation, but it has no interest or substance. It may be diverting enough, for a time, but it fails to lead you to think about the world at large."

"Well, if you're such a Mcsmarty Pants, what do you think I should be thinking about?"

Coeus scrutinized a nearby tank of Baiji dolphins. He shrugged. "I suppose it's a lost cause, with you," he said at last. "There's no point in wasting time trying to educate a flighty young girl with more interest in stories of boys and angst than the world of the mind."

"Oh yeah?!" Tokimo said angrily. "I'll show you!"

"It would amuse and impress me if you did," Coeus said distantly, moving down the corridor of the aquarium towards the Lake Tanzania display.

"Kuro!" Mayumi cried, reaching a hand out toward him as he ran off. "Come--"

Shin'ichiro yanked backwards on Mayumi's arm. "Let him go," Shin'ichiro said. "It's time for your rehearsal."

"I don't care," Mayumi said, yanking her arm away. "Kuro is hurt and confused. He needs me."

"Your fans need you!" Shin'ichiro said, motioning to a nearby limo.

"People don't need my music," She said. "I don't even write my own songs!"

"They need your smiling face," he replied. "and someone has to read Serenity's lines. Even if you're willing to disappoint your fans...are you going to disappoint your director? Your co-stars? Me, your producer?"

"Fine," Mayumi said darkly. "I'll go." She walked briskly up to the limo and coldly sat inside its luxurious interior.

Shin'ichiro got in the car behind her. They were silent a long time. Shin'ichiro prepared himself a whiskey on the rocks as they drove along through the congested traffic of Tokyo. "I know you're angry at me for the way I treated that boy...but I'm just doing this to protect you, Mayumi. To keep your career safe and healthy--to keep you safe and healthy. I don't want things to get ugly for you...as they often do in this business. I care about you, Mayumi."

"Yeah, I've noticed how much you care about me," Mayumi said dryly, looking out her window at the dazzling scenery.

"Is it bad for a producer to care about his top talent?" Shin'ichiro replied.

"Somehow, Shin'ichiro, I don't think your interest is..." Mayumi began, then cut herself off with a tutting noise before continuing. "Necessary. I can handle myself."

"Don't feel like you have to be pillar of strength, Mayumi," Shin'ichiro replied. "You can trust me."

Mayumi felt like giving him a piece of her mind, but her earlier courage had withered away like unwatered flowers. She looked down at the peonies she still clung to, like their presence would leave a little bit of Kuro behind.

"You should get rid of those," Shin'ichiro said. "They look sloppy. They'll reflect badly on you."

"They're beautiful," Mayumi said, looking down at them. "They aren't just bought from a store. Kuro...he picked these. And he didn't do it to impress me, or be polite...he just did it out of kindness. Besides," she added, "wouldn't it reflect on me worse if I threw them away?"

Shin'ichiro said nothing as he sipped his whiskey. After what seemed like an eternity, the car stopped and pulled up to the studio's front door. Mayumi's father ran out to greet her; Mayumi hugged him with her free arm after she'd made her way out of the black behemoth of a car. "Daddy!" she cried happily.

"Mayumi! Have you had your after school snack yet?" He asked, brushing a stray hair out of her face as he smiled at her.

Mayumi frowned, remembering her time spent eating crêpes with Mauros. "Yes," she said. "Thanks, dad."

"We'll, let's get into the audition, then," he said. "Even though the part is as good as yours, they'll want you to do a script reading."

"I think I can handle that," Mayumi replied. "Hey Dad, since I'm doing this movie and it's a big step for us and all....do you think you could do something for me?"

"What's that?" her father replied.

"I'd like to take composition and piano lessons," Mayumi replied.

"What, you mean...you want to write your own songs?" Shin'ichiro said, walking up behind her. Mayumi flicked an annoyed glance in his direction.

"Yes," Mayumi said. "I'm sick of just being a voice for someone else's music. Or if we're going to have someone else write my music, have them on stage with me playing the piano, as part of a double-billing, instead of trying to trick people into thinking I write my own music. Either way, though, I want to start writing lyrics to my songs."

Mayumi's father was quiet for a moment. He looked at the peonies Mayumi held in her hands, straightened his blue striped tie, and sighed. "You're already very busy, Mayumi. Between school and all your obligations...do you really have time for this?"

"I'll make time," Mayumi said. "There're things I want to say through my music. As long as someone else is writing my music, I can't do that. In the meantime....I'd like to write the lyrics for at least one of the tracks that the composers are working on for the new album."

"Out of the question," Shin'ichiro said. "The contract stipulates--"

"That Mayumi has to have a certain number of songs written by our lyricist, but the current agreement for the album does not stipulate that they all have to be written by the lyricist."

"There aren't any extra songs on the new album," Shin'ichiro replied. "There are exactly the contracted number of songs planned for the next release, and not a single extra."

"I'm sure we could contract an extra song or two from the composer," Mr. Hatsuhara said confidently. "After all, Mayumi's first self-authored lyrics will be a point of interest to her older fans."

"Thank you, Daddy," Mayumi said, giving him a hug.

Shin'ichiro frowned but said nothing.

Sayoko yawned as she stepped out of the shower. She glanced at the clock on the hallway wall; one o'clock. Time for breakfast! She walked into the living room, wrapped in her slinky blue silk robe.

"Yamiko?" she said, her eyes hovering over her sister. She was sprawled across the couch, clad in her frilly black nightgown; her arm hung over the side and was and resting on the floor. Her eyes looked sort of vacant and listless. "You should be at school!"

Yamiko shrugged. "I don't want to go to school."

"Oh, Yamiko...." Sayoko sighed, sitting down beside her sister's head and taking her limply hanging hand. "You can't stay home forever."

"I can stay home two days," she said. "I'm owed at least that much after all this. Especially since last night rubbed salt in my wounds."

Sayoko sighed. She supposed her sister had a point. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Yes you are," Sayoko said, getting up and moving into the kitchen, "You're just too angst-filled to realize it. Now do you want to make your own breakfast, or do you want to eat what I'm eating?"

"I don't want vodka, if that's what you mean," Yamiko said dryly, rolling over so that her face was lying against the back of the couch.

Sayoko just rolled her eyes. "I'm going to make eggs and bacon and toast, and you're going to eat them," she informed her sister matter-of-factly as she pulled out a frying pan. "And if you want them done properly, you had better get up and get to it now, or you'll just have to eat whatever I give you. And like it."

"Whatever," Yamiko said, covering her head with a pillow.

Sayoko got all of her ingredients together. Well, she knew she could handle the toast; she got that on her own all the time, so she stuck that in the toaster and set it going. Now. Bacon and eggs. She tossed the eggs and bacon in the frying pan together. She remembered hearing somewhere that putting bacon on high heat made it burn, so she turned it down to medium and waited. Things actually seemed to go pretty smoothly.

"Here," she said, handing Yamiko her breakfast.

"I told you, I'm not hungry."

"Yamiko, if you do not eat this breakfast, I will turn my rock music up to eleven. And I will sing along. Also at eleven."

"I'll leave the apartment."

"In your pajamas? Without a shower?"

"I'll just take a shower and get dressed first."

"Even if you were willing to sit through an hour of my music before you got out of the house, I'm not letting you leave without eating anything. In your delicate state, you're liable to pass out like the ladylike Victorian maiden that you are."

"I hate you, Sayoko. Oh so very, very much."

"Breakfast!" Sayoko said, nudging it in her sister's direction. Yamiko groaned and sat up, taking the plate and biting unenthusiastically into her eggs.

She frowned. "Sayoko, you cooked the eggs and the bacon in the same pan, didn't you."

"...is that bad?"

"They're all greasy," Yamiko said listlessly, though she ate it anyway. "The fat from the bacon renders and then the eggs cook in a big puddle of pig fat. Makes them slippery and oily, with an unpleasant texture."

"You're pretty fussy considering you weren't even going to eat."

Yamiko just shrugged and ate her breakfast without interest or relish. Eventually she put her plate on the coffee table and lay back down on the couch.

"Come on, come on, come on," Sayoko said, grabbing Yamiko's arms and yanking her off of the couch. "Get yourself cleaned up and dressed."

"I'm not going to school!" Yamiko whined.

"No, I won't make you go to school," Sayoko said with a sigh. "But let's get up and walk around a bit at least, huh? Maybe we can go out somewhere. A museum, or a park...something."

Yamiko groaned from her spot on the floor next to the couch. "I. Don't. Want. To."

Sayoko grabbed her sister's arms again and started pulling her across the rug.

"You'll tear my nightgown!" Yamiko yelled.

"What?" Sayoko said, continuing to drag her across the floor. "Can't hear you over this dragging sound..."

"Fine!" Yamiko cried, bending her knees and standing up. She begrudgingly let Sayoko pull her into the shower.

"I'm glad you agreed, because I didn't want to have to figure out how to take this thing off," Sayoko said, tugging at the billowing sleeves of Yamiko's long, empire-waisted nightgown. There were tall vertical slits along the sides of each sleeve; Sayoko pulled them up so that they hung in the air above Yamiko's arms. "You have little angel wings." She flapped them up and down, amused. "Whee! Yamiko's flying away!"

"I wish," Yamiko said dryly, tugging her sleeves out of Sayoko's grasp. "Now get out."

"Okay. Don't go all Ophelia on me now," Sayoko warned, leaving the bathroom.

Yamiko sighed, looking at herself in the mirror--puffy eyed and pale as a ghost. She pulled off her night gown and turned on the tub water; she went to switch it to the shower head, but thought better of it and plugged the drain. She threw some bath salts in the tub and curled up in the tub basin as warm water began to pool around her and she listened to the comforting roaring sound of hot water pouring from the faucet.

The thought of Eros filled her with anguish. The sight of him--his face mournful, his wings glowing faintly in the dim light of the theater--lingered in her mind, a painful memory. She wanted to push it aside, but it kept echoing through her. She turned off the faucet and leaned against the back of the tub, inhaling the scented water. She took her time cleaning up.

"Yamiko, I didn't give you any ideas, did I?" Sayoko asked suspiciously from the other side of the door.

Yamiko rolled her eyes. "No, I'm fine," she said. "I thought a bath would help me relax."

"Oh, okay."

Yamiko got out of the tub and dried herself off. She wrapped herself in her black bathrobe and went into her room. She emerged an hour later wearing a long, black linen skirt and a simple cotton blouse. She wore a black headband on her head.

"You look like a governess," Sayoko said.

"Be grateful I had the motivation to get dressed at all," Yamiko replied, annoyed.

Sayoko whistled as she carried the box of ramen she had purchased to the nearest park. "Well, there's no sakura blossoms anymore, but the roses and peonies are in full bloom," she said happily. They had gone to the mall earlier, which Yamiko seemed to barely endure. Sayoko figured she better go somewhere more pleasant to her sister before she lost her patience.

Yamiko ignored her sister as she looked dreamily off into the distance. There was a crêpe stand nearby; a girl with bright silver hair was happily carrying crêpes to tall man with long, brown hair. She turned back toward her sister--

"Wait a minute!" Yamiko glanced back toward the crêpe stand, but they were gone. Huh. Perhaps it was nothing.

"What?" Sayoko said, turning back toward Yamiko.

"I thought I saw something really weird," Yamiko replied.

"Which was...?" Sayoko asked, turning around next to a peach tree and giving Yamiko a quizzical look.

"I thought I saw Mayumi Hatsuhara giving Mauros a crêpe."

Sayoko snickered. "That is really weird," she replied. "Anyway, let's eat!" Sayoko sat down on a nearby bench surrounded by cheerful white peonies. She opened the box and pulled out Yamiko's ramen; Yamiko gingerly took it from her sister and began to eat.

Sayoko looked into her ramen bowl thoughtfully. "I know! we should go to the costume museum."

"I've been over a dozen times," Yamiko replied.

"Phft, you haven't been since sixth grade. And the exhibits change all the time. Remember that Victorian mourning dress you saw? That's what got you into the goth scene."

"I remember I asked Mom if she could buy it for me," Yamiko said with a weak smile. "She wasn't amused."

"Well, you know how Mom was," Sayoko said, shrugging. "She wasn't the type to be easily amused. So are you in?"

Yamiko sighed. "Sure, I'll go."

The sterile smell of museum hung in the air as Yamiko admired the displays of ancient textile and costume. An Egyptian shift hung on a mannequin's inert form; the dress began underneath the mannequin's breasts. Yamiko remembered being rather scandalized by this as a young girl.

"I should wear that out to the club," Sayoko said, admiring the dress. "Looks very cool for the summertime. And it would be classy with that fancy jewelry," she added, remarking on the broad, intricately beaded necklace that lay on the mannequin's breast.

Yamiko rolled her eyes and moved on. There was a male mannequin wearing an elaborate toga dyed a deep purple hue and covered with golden ornaments. A similarly hued chiton on a female model stood next to it. There was a vase next to the costumes; several men and women stood around on it, also wearing chiton. There was a nude, winged man holding a mirror next to them. Yamiko looked at the description. 'Ancient Greek Apulian Pelike in Red Figure. Eros holding mirror in company of chiton-clad Grecians.'

"God, can I not get away from that man?! It's like he follows me everywhere!"

"Hm?" Sayoko said, looking over Yamiko's shoulder. "Oh, don't be silly. That's just a Pelike. Eros was a popular subject for vase decoration. And anyway, this depiction looks nothing like Eros of Aphrodite. He has black hair, for one thing."

"Since when are you an expert?" Yamiko asked, annoyed.

"Since I minored in anthropology," Sayoko replied complacently.

Yamiko just grimaced and walked on. "Yamiko," Sayoko said, walking after her. "Look, Eros was a douche-bag, yeah....but you shouldn't let what he did ruin you. Eros will spend the rest of his life hating himself for what he did. You should let that console you. Most of my boyfriends don't even think they did anything wrong."

"Your boyfriends weren't using you as part of an evil plot," Yamiko replied.

"Sometimes I wonder..." Sayoko mumbled under her breath. But she didn't want to dwell on Eros too much, because she knew that would make things worse.

Yamiko looked longingly through the display at another dress, a dark burgundy gown from the 1400's.

"You like that one?" Sayoko asked, glancing at the dress.

"This must be new," Yamiko said. "I don't remember it." It was made of a heavy brocade with a black shift underneath it; a slit down the front of the dress and on the sleeves showed off the shift, which was embroidered with dark green leaves.

Sayoko raised an eyebrow. "What, you want to try and buy it? Like you did with that Victorian mourning gown?"

"Don't be stupid," Yamiko said, moving on. "Let's go to the Victorian section."

"Of course," Sayoko said, pulling out her cell phone and texting Minako.

"Who are you texting?" Yamiko asked.

"Just a girlfriend," Sayoko said. "Asked her if she wanted to go out to a club later tonight."

Yamiko shrugged and moved on.

To Part B