Subject: [FFML] [SM][FANFIC] Bear Bunnies Chapter 4
From: Douglas Helm
Date: 12/24/2000, 3:49 PM
To: ffml@fanfic.com

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Merry Christmas Minna-san, I hope you enjoy it. Comments are welcomed.





Bear Bunnies

By Douglas Helm and "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl.



Those characters that are original and the story "Bear Bunnies" are

copyrighted (c) 2000 by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl.



This story and our other Sailor Moon stories reside at

http://rivendell.fortunecity.com/traveller/861/



Send comments to: Douglas Helm (dhelm@log.on.ca) or

"Tuxedo" Will (wwolfshohl@logicon.com)





Chapter 4  "Propellers Spinning"



       The sun worked its way towards the cliffs on its slow journey to

its watery bed. Its orangish light painted the storm clouds that were

moving in with a palette of fiery colors.

       Hino Rei's view of this spectacle was blocked at the moment by a

concerned looking face. "Are you okay?" a girl's voice asked. It sounded

soft and shy.

       Moaning a little, Rei sat up before reaching for her lip. She

winced as her fingers brushed against it. The brown fur on her paw came

away with a small amount of blood on it. With the girl's help, Rei got

up off the ground. "Maybe I should go get a teacher."

       "No!" Rei snapped and shook free of the girl's hold. "I'm fine."

She turned to get a good look at the girl. She was a rabbit with

snow-white fur, shoulder length blonde hair, and bright blue eyes. Rei

felt a smile work its way across her face as she noticed a blue ribbon

tied around the base of each ear. The girl couldn't be any older than

her host body -- twelve years old. <I shouldn't have snapped at the kid.

She didn't do anything wrong.> She blushed slightly and looked away.

"You're in my class, aren't you?" Rei asked.

       "Y-Yes," she stuttered out, "You're K-Kit... right?"

       "Yep," Rei replied while rubbing her cheek, "I wish I wasn't at

the moment." The girl giggled and covered her mouth. "You're... uh..."

       She blushed again. "Cindy... W-Why were you fighting with those

boys?" <Poor Kit...> She reached for his hand and then pulled back.

       "You saw me?"

       Cindy nodded. "I was really scared."

       Rei suddenly felt very self-conscious. "I... I really should get

going. Usa... I mean Baloo'll be worried about me." Turning, she started

walking, though her side hurt a little.

       <He's so brave.> "Can I walk with you?" the girl asked while

walking beside Kit. "I live down this way."

       "Sure."

       The pair walked in silence for some moments before the rabbit

inquired, "Kit, I thought the Jungle Aces were your friends." Although,

she had never cared for the others in the group.

       Rei didn't really wish to discuss it. Her pride was giving her

enough grief. She could see, however, that Cindy was genuinely

concerned. <She deserves some kind of explanation I suppose.> Sighing a

little, she explained, "We got into talking about heroes. I told them

about some Sailor Warriors and they didn't believe it. Said I was making

it all up."

       "Sailor Warriors?" Cindy frowned slightly. "I never heard of

them. Is it a new radio show?" The cub shook his head. Curiously, she

wondered, "Why didn't they believe you, Kit?"

       "Because the heroes aren't heroes but heroines." Seeing a blank

look, she elaborated, "The Sailor Warriors are all female."

       "Really? You mean like those stories you hear about Amazons 'n'

stuff?"

       The cub slapped a paw over her eyes and regretted it. "No!"

Cindy winced. Groaning a little, Rei decided, "I mean, it doesn't

matter. The creeps thought that girls couldn't do brave things." She'd

like to see how brave any of Ernie's heroes would be against one of the

enemies she had fought. "Um... Thanks Cindy. I really should go. Papa

Bear has a cargo run today."

       "'Kay," Cindy agreed and watched as Kit started to run off, "I

hope you'll be okay!" Her heart started to flutter a bit. Not only was

he super cute, but he also believed girls could be heroes too.

       Rei was hoping she'd be okay too. She had rarely ever lost a

fight to anyone that wasn't magically enhanced. Even as a child, she

held her own very well against boys her age.





       Baloo was preparing a large sandwich when he heard the office

door open. "Li'l Britches, that you?" There was no answer. Puzzled, he

quickly finished preparing his snack and came out into the office.

"Kit!" he exclaimed, "What on earth happened to you?"

       "Got into a fight. What does it look like?!" Kit snapped.

       Baloo put his sandwich on the desk and went over to the youth.

"Were you goin' up against them street pirates ag'in? Didn't I learn ya

nothin'?"

       "It was that whining fungus, Ernie." The big bear blinked. "He

wouldn't admit that girls could be just as good superheroes as boys."

Baloo raised an eyebrow. "Little snot didn't believe me when I told him

about the Sailor Warriors."

       "Those Navy boys..."

       "They're woman warriors," Kit interrupted.

       "Girls? Like Amazons?" Baloo asked. He was startled when Kit

threw up his paws and screamed. "S'ppose not." Sighing a little, he

remarked, "Let me get ya some ice for that eye. Did he give ya that fat

lip too?"

       The bear cub winced and nodded. "Forgot about that, Baloo."

       "I'll get the ice pack. You rustle us up some food. We gotta

pull chocks soon as Becky gets back."

       "Where is MS. Cunningham anyway?"

       "She went ta pick up Molly from school." The gray bear set about

making an ice pack. "I'd let ya stay home, kid, but I think I'll need

ya." Kit mumbled something as he chewed thoughtfully on an apple. "What

was that?"

       Swallowing, the cub commented, "If Ms. Cunningham sees me,

she'll start asking a ton o' questions." <Usagi will never let me hear

the end of it.>

       "Got that right. We'll grab whatever you need and then stash

yourself on the plane. I'll be out as soon as the Boss Lady shows up."

He handed the ice pack to Kit and sighed. "Ya know, I don't like you

fighting, Li'l Britches. Ol' Baloo knows nothin' good comes of

fighting." He sighed as the cub scowled. "Listen, you can tell me about

these heroes or whatever they are after we takeoff, okay?"

       "Yeah, sure thing, Papa Bear," Kit agreed, not sounding happy in

the least.





       "What's that noise?" Usagi wondered.

       "What noise?" Ami questioned. "I didn't hear anything, Usagi."

The bearess shrugged. "While this is a fascinating world, Usagi-honey,

we must discover a method to leave." The pair was sitting in the small

kitchen of the Higher for Hire office.

       "But if we can't even transform..."

       "That is another reason for us to leave," Ami interrupted, "I do

not know how long we can continue to maintain this deception. Today was

quite difficult for me."

       "I'm sorry, Wild... I mean Ami-honey." Usagi groaned a little

then changed the subject. "Chibi-Usa thinks Mamoru's here."

       "We haven't found or heard from him. Are you sure?"

       The bear shook her head and said, "I don't know. What about it?"

       The lion tapped her lip for a moment before saying thoughtfully,

"He was sitting right beside both of you. If we are here, then it's

logical he could be." Usagi looked depressed. "On the other hand, all of

us quickly formed together. Therefore, it's unlikely that he crossed

into this world."

       "So he's maybe at home?"

       "Yes, and having Makoto and Minako helping him search for you."

Usagi smiled with a little relief. "How do we get out of here?"

       The lion ran a paw through her mane. "I don't know." To stop her

friend from becoming depressed again, Ami asked, "Usagi, did you know

that Rei was in a fight today?"

       The bearess pouted slightly. "Yeah, Baloo told me but he said to

leave Kit alone. I just wanted to see how he was doing."

       There was a long silence. "I..." The lion paused and cocked her

head. "I do hear something. It sounds like banging." Getting up, they

both moved into the office proper and found little Chibi-Usa... Molly

Cunningham perched on the desk wielding a rubberstamp.

       "Molly Elizabeth Cunningham?!" Usagi cried, "What are you

doing?!?" The mother rushed forward and scooped up her daughter.

Glancing down, she saw her desk, and the large stack of papers that had

sat on it, covered in stamp marks. "What exactly did you do?" she asked

the golden cub.

       By way of answer, Chibi-Usa swung the stamp and planted its mark

neatly on her mother's forehead. As the bearess dropped her daughter and

stumbled back, Ami could see the word "void" neatly printed across her

friend's forehead.

       "Are you all right, Usagi?"

       "Yes," Usagi answered. She glared down at the child who was

giggling and backing up. "Come here, you!" She tried to snatch the cub

but the little girl darted out of the way.

       "Can't catch me!" the golden cub sang and danced away.

       "Come back here!"

       Ami covered her eyes and sighed. <Some things just don't

change.> She couldn't really blame Usagi though; she had had a hard day.

Stepping over to the armchair, she decided to watch the fun. <There

might not be television here but this is just as good.> Ami felt a bit

of guilt for thinking this but her friends' quarrels were sometimes

rather funny. <Both of us have had a hard day.>

       She found acting dumb difficult; it just wasn't in her nature.

Usagi, on the other hand, had to put up with the few customers that had

dropped by and pretend to know what they were talking about. Her

princess simply was not suited for running a business.

       A cry of triumph distracted her thoughts. "Rebecca" was standing

by the desk with a squirming "Molly" tucked firmly under her arm. "What

are you going to do, Ms. Cunningham?"

       "Go home before that storm breaks and washes us away, Wildcat.

Besides, MOLLY needs a bath before going to bed."

       "Bed!" the little girl wailed. It was bad enough to be put into

a sickeningly sweet school uniform. It had been even worse to be put

into a childish set of pink overalls and a blue T-shirt. Nevertheless,

she planned on going to bed at her normal time and not one second

before!





       The little girl stopped her playing when she noticed that Usagi

was still in the bathroom. The cub hadn't minded her mother watching

her; in a way, it had been reassuring. Now though, she was used to the

porcelain tub and saw Usagi's presence as yet another sign she was being

treated like a little kid.

       Chibi-Usa scowled at her mother who sat on a stool reading a

fashion magazine. "You don't have to be in here when I take a bath!" The

indignation in her voice was readily apparent.

       "You are six, Molly-honey," Usagi stated simply.

       "I'm nine, Usagi," Chibi-Usa countered in a huff, "I can bathe

myself."

       Her mother lowered the magazine and said softly, "You are small,

in a strange tub, and I don't want you getting hurt. Now we take baths

together in the furo at home, don't we?"

       "Yeah," Chibi-Usa admitted sulkily, "But this ain't a furo."

       The bearess sighed a little and then smiled. "Okay, I'll make

you a deal. I'll go out and leave the door open. When you're ready to

get out, call me."

       "Deal!" Chibi-Usa declared and smiled. <Anything to get rid of

her.> "Thanks!" she called out as her mother left the room. She settled

into the water and sighed with contentment. <Usagi's right I guess...>

It wasn't as if Chibi-Usa didn't like her mother worrying about her.

<But I'm not a little kid! Mamo-chan never treats me like this.> That's

why she got along with him so well.

       Closing her eyes, she thought about her day at school. It had

been interesting but she sure didn't want to repeat it. <I'll just tell

Usagi that I'm sick or something.> Sitting up, the cub grinned evilly.

"Yeah!" Now all she had to do was think of a way to make herself look

sick. <I wish I had Luna-P here.> Molly might be six but she was crafty.

<Just like me!> Settling back, she closed her eyes again and started

humming. <Yep, tomorrow's gonna be really different.>





       "Waz up, short-stuff?" the orangutan asked. The brown cub

blinked and looked towards the gray bear. "Man, you look like yous got

worked over." Kit just scowled and walked over to the bar. "Somethin'

botherin' him, fuzzy?"

       "Naw, Louie, don't take it personally. I think his pride's hurt

more than his body." Baloo grinned. "I'm hungry."

       "Thought I could hear somethin' growling." Louie grinned at his

old friend before making his way behind the bar. "The usual?"

       "Sure thing," Baloo answered, "And I can pay too."

       "You're kiddin' me..." The gray bear reached into his pocket and

pulled out a stack of bills. "Crazy! You knock over a bank or somethin',

cuz?"

       "Naw, ol' Beckers gave it to me, Louie." The orangutan blinked.

"I did that too."

       Louie started to laugh then. "You finally drove her out of her

mind."

       "You could say that," Kit offered with a knowing grin. Baloo

scratched his head and looked at the cub. "I'm hungry too, Papa Bear.

Let's eat!"

       "Best idea I heard all day, Li'l Britches."

       The mood for the next little while was considerably lighter.

When Kit excused himself to use, as Baloo called it, "The little pilot's

room," Baloo leaned close and smiled.

       "The itchy bug's got 'im."

       "Kit?!" Louie's disbelief was clear in his voice. When Baloo

nodded, the orangutan asked, "So who's the lucky little lady, Baloo?"

       The big bear shrugged. "Don't know 'cuz haven't met her. Kit

won't even tell me 'bout her." He grinned toothily at his friend then.

"I think he got beat up 'cuz he was stickin' up for her."

       "Sound likes Kit."

       "Here he comes. Don't say nothing, Louie, or he'll be downright

sore at his ol' Papa Bear."

       "Don't sweat it, cuz."





       Chiba Mamoru sat in meditative silence in his captain's chair.

The pirate raid the previous day had gone smoothly. For a first time

flyer, he had done pretty good. <It must have been Karnage's body

remembering.> Some of it had seemed more instinct than anything else.

       "Cap'n."

       He turned and opened his eyes. <How does Karnage put up with

that whiny voice?>

       Maddog and Dumptruck were coming onto the bridge. "Cap'n, the

plane's coming."

       "That bothersome bear, yes/no?"

       "Yeah," Maddog whined.

       "So, my snippety crew, he shall pay for being late to his own

funeral." Mamoru hopped up. "To your planes, men! Make sure to leave

that piteous bear for my magnificent self." <Maybe this way I can keep

him alive.> He hoped he'd be even luckier and Baloo would capture him.

<But I can't go too easy on him.> Or Mamoru would find himself dead.





       "Come on, Kit. I need ta set a course." Baloo looked anxiously

at his young navigator.

       Rei glanced at the maps that were in her lap. <How do you read

these baka things?> The navigational charts were more complicated than

the Tokyo Metropolitan Subway System. The cub was coming to the

disheartening conclusion that she would have to confess everything when

bullets tore into the plane. "What was that?!"

       "Pirates!" Baloo cried and shoved the yoke forward, "Of all the

rotten... YIPES!" Rei felt her stomach crawl up into her mouth as the

pilot pulled hard back on the controls. "Crazy pilot!"

       "Rebecca did this!"

       "Huh?!"

       "She said there'd be a pirate attack." The cub managed to scowl

despite the fear that was coursing through her.

       "Becky?" Baloo sounded dubious, "What'd she do? Call 'em?"

       Rei opened her mouth to answer then clamped it shut. <I thought

this body was supposed to like this stuff.> She gripped her seat arms in

fear as the Seaduck went into a spinning dive. The Air Pirates followed

firing as they dove. Bullets ripped through the hull.

       "Boy, they sure want this stuff bad, don't they?"

       "What are you doing, Baloo?" Rei questioned as they started to

land.

       "Britches, a bunch o' lightbulbs ain't worth gettin' shot over."

Rei was a little relieved. He had a point.

       "Ms. Cunningham's not gonna like this."

       "Well, she can eat her contract if she complains. They're

shooting at MY baby!"

       <Not to mention us,> Rei added silently but didn't bother

commenting.





       Mamoru watched as Dumptruck and Maddog forced their way into the

yellow seaplane that was floating atop the swells. After a moment, "Don

Karnage" sauntered through the open door and looked around.

       "Hey Karny! Why were you shootin' at MY plane?" the large gray

bear demanded. Dumptruck had him and Kit backed up against a bulkhead

using his sword while Maddog rummaged around in the boxes of cargo.

       <Damn it, Baloo's not one of them. I thought for sure...> "So,

Baloo, you are like the fly in my ointment, yes/no? So now, I will be

stealing your treasure for I am the feared pirate Don Karnage!"

       "Cap'n..."

       "Maddog, can you not see I am introducing my beautiful type

self?" Mamoru chided his first mate.

       "But, Cap'n, there ain't nothin' here... but lightbulbs."

       "So, you doer of good type deeds, where have you hidden the

plunder you are carrying?"

       "He said he doesn't have any, you idiot!" Kit finally snapped.

       "Ah, it is that traitorous pippidy-squeak kid. You have shrunk

since our last encounter, yes/no?" <I hope it's one of the girls.> He

was becoming desperate.

       Kit Cloudkicker, who had been standing with his paws behind his

back, burst forward. Dumptruck was taken completely off-balance so,

Baloo took advantage of it. With a mighty shove, he pushed the lumbering

pirate towards the hatch.

       "Why you..." Maddog began while rushing the gray bear.

       Mamoru wasn't sure what happened next. The brown bear cub jumped

up in front of him at that instance and hit him squarely between the

eyes with a familiar piece of white paper.

       "I am not short!" Kit shouted, "Evil spirit! BEGONE!"

       <Rei?!> Mamoru concluded with surprise. Clutching the ofuda, he

looked around and found that he was alone. "I am feeling generous this

time, little one. But the next time we meet, I, Don Karnage, shall show

you the interesting things I can do with a rose." Mamoru was a little

annoyed when Baloo moved forward and shoved him out of the hatch like he

had done with his two crewmen. <Kami-sama, this is just great,> he

thought in disgust as the hatch was closed.





       That evening, rain pounded against the Cunningham apartment

window. Usagi, wearing a nightgown and bathrobe, looked out of the

window at the dark city. The wind howled outside as the storm washed

over Cape Suzette. <I hope Baloo and Rei are all right.>

       She was blinded suddenly by a blue-white streak of lightning.

Blinking to get the spots out of her eyes, she cringed slightly at the

peal of thunder that sounded overhead. Another rumbling sound of thunder

occurred and again, she cringed but a slow look of puzzlement crossed

her face.

       <I don't feel as scared.> She was still a little scared but not

as petrified as she typically would be. Her thoughts got sidetracked

once again as streaks of lightning lit the blackened night sky.

       "MOMMY!!!!" came the yell from Chibi-Usa. The golden cub came

racing out of her room and down the hall. Usagi turned and taking a few

quick strides scooped her daughter up. Chibi-Usa snuggled close against

her and started to cry.

       "Mommy's right here, Molly-honey," she said soothingly. Walking

over to the rocking chair, she sat down and started to rock gently.

       "It's loud, Mommy," the cub sniffled and hugged her tightly.

       "I know, sweetheart, but it'll be over soon." She chuckled

softly to herself. <Chibi-Usa said that she was a big girl now and could

look after herself.> It looked like her daughter had been wrong. She did

need her as a mom.





       Baloo shut the engines of the Seaduck off and sighed. Lightning

flashed overhead and rain pounded against the windows. Sitting in the

darkness of the cockpit, he regarded his young navigator who was sound

asleep in the seat beside him. <That kid's been acting funny lately.> It

worried the old pilot a bit to see Kit scared of his aerial acrobatics.

It was something very unnatural. Some of it had to do with a girl; he

knew it in his bones. However, he was unsure about the rest. Shrugging

again, the old gray bear gave a massive yawn before reaching over and

shaking the youth gently.

       "Kit, come, Kit-boy... time ta get up and go to bed."

       "Are we there yet?" the sleepy voice of Kit asked.

       "Sure am, home sweet home. Come on, I'll fix us a shake then we

can hit the hay." The brown bear cub pushed himself up, rubbed at his

eyes, and yawned.

       "Okay, Papa Bear." The cub got up then half-walked

half-staggered over to Baloo before leaning against the pilot. The big

bear was a little surprised when soft snoring floated up to his ears.

       "Poor kid's all tuckered out."





       Streamers of morning sunlight washed into the little girl's

room. In the bed, a golden cub lay. Next to her lay her rag doll. The

cub was awake and thinking of the battle that was to come.

       Chibi-Usa moaned slightly as her mother came into the room.

"Molly-honey... it's time to get up. You have to go to school"

       "I don't wanna go to school, Mommy. I feel sick."

       Usagi's face suddenly appeared concerned. "Do you feel hot?"

       The golden cub nodded. "Yeah 'n' my tummy hurts." She watched as

the bearess drew back the covers and asked her to point to where it

hurt. Sighing a little, the child pointed.

       "So your tummy hurts?"

       "Yeah," Chibi-Usa confirmed. Pulling up the covers, she added,

"I feel hot too. I think I should stay home, Usagi."

       "You stay right there, honey. I'll be right back." With that,

Usagi tucked the covers around Chibi-Usa.

       <This is working better than I thought!> she gloated silently.

Yes, she wouldn't have to hang around with those babies or play their

sissy "Danger Woman" game today. Her smug expression instantly vanished

when Usagi came back into the room. Her stomach knotted up when she saw

the old mercury thermometer in her mother's hand. "What's that for?"

       "I have to take your temperature, Molly," Usagi explained, "It's

a little old fashioned but I think I can handle it."

       "You can't use that!" Chibi-Usa protested.

       "Sorry, pumpkin, either it's this or the rectal one."

       Chibi-Usa winced. "You can't... you don't have to take my

temperature, Usagi," she argued, "I mean, would I lie to you?"

       "I have to check. A high temperature can be quite serious," her

mother explained. "Open up your mouth." Chibi-Usa clamped it shut and

shook her head. "Please?" The child shook her head again. "Okay, I'll go

get the other one."

       "NO!"

       "If you have a temperature, Molly, I have to know how high it

is. I might have to take you to a doctor," Usagi stated with some

exasperation.

       "Okay... so maybe I fibbed... a little." Her mother crossed her

arms and narrowed her eyes to glare at her. "But I still don't have to

go to school."

       "Molly, you have to go to school."

       "Usagi, MY name is CHIBI-USA! You idiot!"

       "Young lady, get dressed this minute. You ARE going to school!"

       "NO! I am NOT going to school!" Chibi-Usa countered. Grabbing

her pillow, she pulled it over her face and shouted, "You aren't my mom,

just my airheaded cousin!"

       It was silent for a long moment then the covers were yanked back

and the pillow pulled from her grasp. She found herself looking into the

face of a very angry mother bear.

       "Get up and dressed... Now."

       "I'm not gonna get dressed."

       "Fine."

       Chibi-Usa watched as her mother straightened and walked over to

the closet. She felt her stomach sinking as Usagi pulled out that

sickeningly sweet school uniform. <What's she gonna do?>

       "You ARE going to school, Molly Elizabeth Cunningham. You aren't

sick so there's no good reason to keep you home." The little girl could

have thought of a few reasons but kept those to herself.

       "Hey!" she squawked as Usagi scooped her up, "What's the big

idea, Dumpling Head?"

       "We are going to get dressed."

       "No, I'm not."

       "YES, you are," Usagi stated coldly and started removing the

cub's pajamas.





       Usagi took a final mouthful of cereal into her mouth before

washing it down with the last of her tea. Glancing over at her sulking

daughter, she saw that the child hadn't touched her breakfast.

"Molly..."

       "Molly..." Chibi-Usa sneered out. "Jeez, you can't even get my

name straight. I wish Mamoru had come here with me and you didn't. It

would've been way more fun."

       "What?" Usagi asked, a hurt tone coming into her voice. <Why is

she being so difficult?>

       "You heard me."

       "No Molly..."

       "CHIBI-USA!"

       "Chibi-Usa-honey," Usagi started again, "Eat up. We have to go

soon."

       "You gonna feed me too?" Usagi simply sighed. "I don't want

this."

       "You need a good breakfast for school. I'm not surprised you're

still sulking." She was startled when the child gave the bowl of cereal

a shove, which sent it sliding across the table and onto the floor.





       Baloo sat lounging in a red easy chair, his hat over his eyes.

He could hear the sounds of the docks about him. Normally this would

lull him into relaxation but not today -- his "baby" had been hurt the

night before. Kit had got up early and already headed off to school,

mostly because he wanted to avoid Rebecca.

       As if that was a cue, Rebecca Cunningham walked into the office.

Baloo pushed his pilot's hat up and blinked. Sitting up, he ran his eyes

up and down the person before him. "Oh baby! Hubba hubba," he declared.

       "You like it, Baloo?" Rebecca asked him. She was dressed in a

blue skirt and cream colored blouse. A butterfly pin was tucked into her

hair.

       <That's more leg than I's seen in a long time... At least from

Rebecca.> He ran his eyes over the womanly form before him and whistled.

Rebecca blushed prettily and curtsied. She then sat down at her desk.

       "Hiya, Boss Lady," Baloo said trying to calm down, "You look

tired. Have a good night?"

       "Molly was scared by the storm... Then she didn't want to go to

school." Rebecca stopped and turned around to regard him. "How did last

night go?"

       "Standard, pirate attack."

       "Hah!" His boss looked smug. "I told ya there could be one,

Baloo."

       "Maybe Kit was right," Baloo remarked while rubbing his chin.

Getting up, he walked over to the desk and declared, "We have a

problem." When the bearess looked at him with concern, he said,

"Lightning hit the Number Two Engine last night. Scared poor ol' Wildcat

to death, not ta mention Kit." Baloo chuckled. "Pert' near jumped two

feet myself. Anywho, me 'n' Wildcat gotta to take it apart. It's a two

man job."

       "So no deliveries today?"

       "Well, I can do them in-town ones I s'ppose, if there's any, but

no flyin' for at least today. Depends on what the damage is like."

       Rebecca sighed, and put her face in her paws. "The customers

aren't gonna like it."

       He didn't like the sound of that. "Becky, I hope you're not

thinking we can fly on only one engine."

       "No, no... Okay, Baloo, go to it. We need that plane back up

fast or this business will be sunk."

       "Right 'o, Beckers."

       "I'll call our clients." She didn't sound very thrilled at the

prospect. "I sure hope they'll understand."





       Rei yawned a little, propped her head up by one paw, and

regarded one of the Jungle Aces with boredom. "So you're coming to the

meeting after school, right Kit?"

       "I might... if I don't have anything better to do." <What a

bunch of braggarts!> Rei glanced around the cafeteria of the elementary

school. "Excuse me," she said and getting up, got her tray and moved

over to where a certain girl rabbit was sitting. "Hi Cindy."

       "H-hi Kit," Cindy stuttered out.

       "Okay if I sit here?"

       Cindy nodded nervously. "Did you have a good flight?"

       "Oh, that silly Don Karnage showed up but Papa Bear threw him

out of the plane." She gave the girl a broad smile. The rabbit was

staring at her with something akin to awe. "We make it all the home to

Cape Suzette and lightning hits an engine while we're sleeping. Baloo

nearly had a heart attack." Rei couldn't help but feel a little

disappointed. She had been looking forward to flying with Baloo again.

<Those aerobatics were petty neat too.> After thinking about it, she

realized that part of her fear had actually been adrenaline.

       "It was very loud, wasn't it Kit?" Cindy commented. <Does he

like me?> "Why aren't you with the Jungle Aces?"

       "You're much better company, Cindy," Rei answered. <And I'm not

making that up either.>





       Carefully, she brought the sandwich to her mouth and took a

large bite of it. <Wildcat certainly has a big appetite,> she thought,

<Certainly more than mine.> Putting it back down out of the way, Ami

turned her attention back to the damaged engine. The sky overhead was

clear crystal blue. The sun shone down with warmth while a southwesterly

breeze brought the tang of the ocean to her nostrils. Rubbing at a

grease spot above one eyebrow, she gave the bolt before her another tug.

It didn't move. Looking around, she found a mallet.

       <Perfect!> Ami thought, <Just what I need.> Picking up the

mallet, the lion took careful aim and swung. Much to her surprise, the

hammer missed. The momentum whirled her around. She teetered on the edge

of the dock before a large paw reached out and pulled her back to a more

stable stance.

       "Careful, Wildcat ol' buddy, or you'll be taking a bath."

       "Like, thanks man," the lion said to the gray bear beside her.

"Like this screw is being like a mule. It's saying, `No! No! I don't

wanna turn!�" Baloo chuckled, grabbed the wrench, and turned the bolt.

       "Thanks man," Ami said. <What a strange expression.> Well, she

had work to do. She took another bite of her sandwich. <I'll fix this

one and then, I'll start working on an improved engine design.> That

would be a very satisfying challenge for her.





       "Yes, yes, I know," Usagi stated into the telephone. She was

seated at Rebecca's desk in the Higher for Hire office. While one hand

held the phone, the other hand plugged her free ear so she wasn't

distracted by the noise coming from outside. "Sir, I know how much those

cute little..."

       "I think I should find another company!" the angry man yelled,

"I should have known better than deal with a woman." With that, he

slammed the receiver down.

       Usagi hung the phone up, crossed her arms on her desk, and

rested her forehead on them. <I hate this. Chibi-Usa's right. I make a

terrible Rebecca. Why couldn't I have been Molly?> She sighed and rested

in that position for a few more moments before pushing herself up.

Dialing the next number, she waited.

       "Hello?"

       "Yes, this is Rebecca Cunningham calling from Higher for Hire.

I'm calling in regard to your shipment of glass windmills."

       "Yes?"

       Usagi took a deep breath and exhaled in a rush,

"I'mreallyreallysorrybutwecan'tdeliverthewindmillsuntiltomorrowbecauseour-

planegothitbylightninglastnight."

       There was a deathly pause on the other end before the man

requested, "Could you repeat that, Ms. Cunningham, and more slowly

please?" When Usagi had done so, he replied, "I see. Well, thank you for

calling."

       "You mean we can deliver them tomorrow?" Usagi asked.

       "Of course, why?"

       "Uh... nothing, sir. Thank you for understanding." After saying

good-bye, she hung up the phone and smiled for the first time that day.

<Okay, so there was one person who wasn't rude to me.> But she really

couldn't go on like this. <I don't want to wreck this place. It's too

important.>



End of Chapter 4



Coming next in Chapter 5  "Friends and Family"



Ja ne,



"Tuxedo" Will



http://members.fortunecity.com/tuxwill (My Stories)

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