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"I'm ho-ome!" Minako burst through the door, the day's mail holstered
under one arm. "Don't worry, Dad, I'll do my chores right away." She
dumped the mail on a table in the front room, and quickly began sorting
through it.
Halfway through, she muttered, "I swear, they're so irresponsible.
Having the time of their lives and making me do all the work around
here." Having separated the bills from the rest of the mail, she
grabbed a checkbook off a nearby shelf.
******
"Thanks for coming by, Luna."
Luna looked down from atop the fence in front of Minako's house. "You
said there was some problem. Is it a monster? We haven't seen an enemy
in months; I'd hate to think we're due."
"No, no, nothing like that. It's...well, I don't think Minako's ever
going to get over what the Silver Crystal did."
******
*ring* *ring* "Hello? ... Oh, hi, Ami. ... Another study session?
Sure, I'd love to come. ... Err...are you *sure* it has to be at
Usagi's? What about your place, or Rei's? ... Well, it's just, ahh,
it's a little far from my place to Usagi's. ... Yes, I know we're the
closest on a map. When you're walking, you can't always go as the eagle
flies. ... Crow? Who'd want to fly like a crow? ... OK, OK! I'll
be there. See ya at 8." *click* "Sheesh!"
******
"What do you mean?"
"Well, remember how the world got shifted back after we defeated Beryl?
And it made it as if that battle never happened? It also changed a few
things."
"What kind of things?"
******
"Yes, this is Ikuko Aino. I'd like to place an order. ... Mm-hmm, my
usual. ... Yes, my daughter will be there to pay the driver as usual.
... I think she's got a crush on him. Teenage girls. ... A new
driver? She'll want to check him out, too. ... Ok, yes, even if he is
a she. ... You think it's wierd you never see me? Oh, isn't that
cute. Just deliver the pizza, ok? Ta-ta!" *click*
Minako brushed a strand of hair from her face in irritation.
******
"Well...for instance, you remember Minako's parents?"
"I never saw them myself, but go on."
"You know how they had the *exact same* given names as Usagi's parents?"
******
Interruptions finished, Minako returned to the bills. Each one was now
matched to a check signed "Kenji Aino", in handwriting only vaguely
similar to Minako's own. She set to putting the bills and checks in
their envelopes, then tossed the packaging and ads that came with the
bills along with the junk mail.
******
Artemis looked up. "Oh, there you are, Usagi. Just in time!"
Usagi paused next to Luna, panting a bit. "You don't have *huff* to
take off *puff* like that, you know."
"Artemis said it was important." Cats could not shrug, but Luna seemed
to anyway. "I thought you could keep up."
Usagi shot Luna a look. "Anyway, you said you had something to show
us?"
"Yes. Minako's home right now, so I've left a rear window open. She'd
never let you near this willingly."
******
Minako weighed mowing the lawn versus studying, and decided that the
lawn could wait another day. That only left one chore to do. Humming a
tune to herself, she walked over to the house's computer, tapped the
mouse to shake it out of screen saver mode, and called up the investment
software. The checkbook needed another few thousand and soon; a few key
clicks, and today's worst-to-date investment was converted into a bank
deposit. Getting to college would be easy enough, but she was going to
have to sell the house to get through college, which meant that someone,
probably many someones, would show up. Perhaps she could ask Usagi if
she could borrow the disguise pen.
******
Usagi muffled a yelp as she landed inside the window.
"Keep it down! She mustn't know you're here!"
"Sorry..." Usagi's eyebrows threatened to launch into orbit. "This is
her bedroom! You want me to..."
"You HAVE to know this, Usagi! Someone has to, and *you* especially."
Artemis jumped up on Minako's dresser. "Over here."
"Are those her parents?"
******
Tasks done, Minako headed for her room.
******
"There's gotta be some mistake. Those are..."
Artemis pawed a folded up piece of paper underneath the framed picture
that had Usagi's attention. "Read this."
Usagi quickly took the paper, and unfolded it with a flick of her
wrist. "Missing Persons Report...Reported by: anonymous (alias
'Artemis')...Report ended when daughter reported seeing Kenji and Ikuko
Aino." She reread it, sure it was not what she thought, then paled as
she looked at Artemis. "You mean...my parents..."
"We *think* it was an effect of the Silver Crystal. We think." Luna
looked a little annoyed at Artemis speaking for her, but better to
present a united front...and given what she knew, it was, indeed, her
conclusion as well.
"But I knew them even before I was Sailor Moon!"
"It was retroactive."
The door burst open. Minako pounced on Usagi, pinning her to the bed
faster than Usagi could blink. "GOTCHA YOU BURGLA...Usagi? What are
you doing here?"
Artemis coughed. "I asked her to come."
"You should've used the front door. I thought you were trying to rob
the house or...what's this?" Minako took the paper from Usagi's hand.
"That's *why* I asked her to come."
"Artemis..." She slowly lowered the paper, her expression promising
murder. "You promised you wouldn't tell anyone."
"No, your sock puppet promised. You were a bit out of it when you found
them missing."
Usagi squirmed free of Minako's lessened grip. "I'm so sorry..."
Minako glanced at her. "For what? Stealing my parents?"
Usagi nodded.
"*You* have nothing to apologize for. You didn't do it."
"But..."
Minako closed her eyes. "The thing that did is the one thing I am
sworn to protect, even above you." The report crumpled as her hand
unconsciously balled into a fist. "Damned fate! I try to pretend that
they're still here, just goofing off or something...but I can't always
lie to myself. Artemis keeps worrying that I'm driving myself insane
when I do keep up the lie. He may be right, but what else can I do?"
"Minako...we could share them, you know."
"No. It'd be too wierd." She locked eyes with Usagi. "I suppose
you're going to blab this to the others."
"You know Makoto's in the same situation."
"She's an amateur at keeping secrets."
"She's kept hers, except from us."
"More power to her. She was never Sailor V."
"So?"
"So, she's already got her money. *I* didn't have rich parents."
Minako waved a hand around. "Merchandising paid for all of this! She
can run a secret, but can she also run a business?"
Usagi blinked.
"But there's only enough money for one of us. I don't want to have to
say 'no' if you ask me to promote you too - but I might starve if I said
'yes'. Besides, if my identity slips out, at least I'm the only one
who'll have to suffer the press hounds." And, she did not say, she was
already marketing all of the Sailor Senshi, who had assumed that no one
authorized Sailor Senshi merchandise. It was a sin she committed almost
daily against her friends; she had lost count of the number of her
nightmares which had centered around them finding out.
"Umm..." The doorbell chimed. "I think I smell pizza!"
It was Minako's turn to blink as Usagi bolted to the front door,
dragging Minako halfway before Minako let go. "Tell you what: don't
tell ANYONE else about this, and I'll split the pizza with you."
"Ok!"
Minako sighed, muttering to herself, "She's such a kid." A second
later, her bubbly mask was on at full force, charming the cute
deliverygirl out of suspecting anything could possibly be wrong.