[FFML] [Mai Hime, Future] The Summer of Her Discontent 4--To Bear What Must Be Borne

[John Biles]

The Summer of Her Discontent:
    To Bear What Must Be Borne

By John Biles

Series:  Mai Hime (future)

Home Page: http://www.thekeep.org/~wombat/Stories/MaiHime/index.html

*************

Dan's Tale:

    I got woken up by a phone call from Mom.  "We're downstairs.  We're
coming up.  Hide Sanae if she's naked."

    "She's not naked," I told her.  "But she doesn't know anything."

    She sighed.  "For now, it needs to stay that way.  From what I've heard,
it seems likely you won't have to worry about that tie, though."

    "Come on up."

    I woke up Sanae on the couch and took a SPEED SHOWER.  I was halfway
presentable when my parents arrived and I'd already closed the door to let
my roommate sleep.

    My parents hugged me very tightly.  "Sorry to steal your man, but we
have to take him for stuff today," Mom said to Sanae.

    She sighed.  "I can't come?"

    "Not this time," Mom said.  "But look...get your homework done; if there
is time, we'll come get you and the four of us can hit the museum and dinner
together, okay?  You've gotten me curious about this Babylonian exhibit."

    Sanae perked up.  "Of course.  Maybe I should call my parents, see if
they want to go too?"

    "Let's just do the four of us this time," Mom said.  "As we might not be
able to, so best not to put them on tenterhooks.  We could shoot for a
sixsome on Friday, maybe?"

    "Sounds good," Sanae said, then kissed me.  "See you later, dear."

    I smiled at her.  "See you too," I told her, praying Mom is right and I
won't be putting anyone at risk.  Though I think I put MYSELF at risk
reading that thing.  Damn infectious spells.

    "She's so happy with you," Mom said once she was gone.  "I promise you
won't have to hide from us, unlike most of your cousins.  And I'm sure her
parents will approve of you."

    I laughed.  "True."  I just wish I knew if this was a good idea.  I like
Sanae, but I can't really call this love yet.  But I'll just take it nice
and slow.  "Let's go get some breakfast."

    "Haruka is supposed to have infinite food for us, so let's go," Mom
said.

    "Just remember, no nookie until you're at least as old as your mother
was when she first did it," Dad said, smiling.

    "So, seventeen, then," I said, grinning.

    Mom mumbled something incoherent and Dad said, "Just be glad you'll be
of majority before you reach the age I was."

    "Was Mom your first?" I asked, surprised.

    Dad mumbled something incoherent.

    I'm not waiting THAT long.

    But I was going to wait some anyway, curious as I am.

*************

Crystal's Tale:

    Eventually, I woke up; my body ached as sleeping on the couch sitting up
doesn't actually work that well.  However, being cuddled up to my girlfriend
was nice.

    I let her sleep and stumbled off to get sort of cleaned up.  I wasn't
sure if I should dress fancy or casual, so I put on a nice blouse and blue
jeans as a compromise.

    Then I started making coffee, expecting Mom would want some.  I was
excited and terrified at once.  I'd been waiting for this day forever, but
the things I'd learned... yeah, Mom's exactly the sort of person to try to
protect us by hiding it.  And that's without even knowing the real details
of everything that happened when fighting the Obsidian Lord.  Marduk.
Whatever his real name is.

    Junko was still asleep when the parents knocked on the door.  I shook
her gently and she stretched just in time for the parents to come in.

    Dad and Aunt Mikoto were in their workout clothes, which is to say as
casual as Dad ever gets.  He and Mom both love to dress up and are totally
vain about it, though they'd never admit it.  Aunt Mikoto, on the other
hand, only dresses up for fancy occasions.

    And then there was Mom.  Who was wearing a straw hat, a t-shirt that
announced 'Lifeguard' and blue denim shorts.  I stared, eyes wide; Mom
generally only dresses like that to go to the beach.  In fact, I was pretty
sure she had on one of her one-pieces under that; were we going to go swim
across the harbor or something?

    Then I noticed Mom and Dad and Aunt Mikoto were all wearing their class
rings from Fuuka on their right hands on the ring finger.  Which they
usually almost never wear.  Was this a secret sign?

    Mom hugged me silently, looking sad, while Dad and Aunt Mikoto looked
pretty cheerful.  "We're gonna kick your ass today, Crystal!" Aunt Mikoto
said.  "And Junko's too!  I wanna see her skills!"

    "Hi," Junko mumbled groggily.

    "Mom?" I said softly.

    "All I ever wanted was for you to be safe and happy and able to have a
normal childhood like I never had," Mom said to me softly, holding me
tightly.

    "I am safe and happy and I had a good childhood," I said to her softly
in reply, hugging her with all my strength.  "But I am the daughter of the
Dragon-Princess and we are at war and I'm ready to do my duty."  However
much it scares me.  I hate being this scared.  Kasumi doesn't seem scared at
all any more.  How does she do it?  I always thought I was so brave and now
I get scared just thinking about all this.

    Dad went and poured himself some coffee. "I'm stealing your coffee.
Want some, Junko-san?"

    "Yes, sir," she said, then came over to Mother and I.  To my surprise,
she kneeled down and said, "Dragon-Princess.  I have sworn to keep your
family secrets and to help defend our schools and this city from the
monsters which plague it.  I promise you I will do my best to keep your
daughter safe and all other members of your clan. My word is my honor is my
life," she said very formally.

    That must be a tradition in her family, I thought.

    For a moment, Mom looked embarrassed, but then to my surprise, she
turned very serious.  "Junko-san, do you really understand what you are
getting into?"

    "Of course not," Junko said.  "But I am willing to learn.  I cannot
unsee what I have seen or stay idle while others risk themselves.
Especially not Crystal."

    Mom looked very sad.  "Akane says you are a very skilled fighter."

    "I am rusty and out of practice but I am gradually relearning my skills
so I can fight with my fellow students," Junko said.

    "Why did you quit before?" Mom asked her firmly.

    "My parents forbade me," Junko whispered.  "They said it was
unfeminine."  She shivered and I put a hand on her shoulder.

    "But you are willing to defy them for my daughter's sake?" Mom said
softly.

    "Not just Crystal," she said softly.  "Shun and Natasha are my friends,
and Kurauchi-sensei showed me I could be a woman and a warrior as well,"
Junko continued, staring at Mother's knees.  "I have gradually come to learn
at Saint Mary's that many things my parents taught me...are not held outside
our clan.  And I...I am not a boy, so my brother will inherit.  I would only
serve at best.  I do not wish simply to cook and clean while others fight.
I want to make my own future."

    Dad hovered nearby, a cup of coffee in each hand; his was laden with
junk the way I do to mine; the other was still black.  He handed it to
Junko.  "She sounds serious to me, Mai."

    "Cooking and cleaning suck," Mikoto said.  "Well, cooking can be fun but
cleaning SUCKS."

    Agreed.

    "Doesn't it scare you?" Mom asked softly.

    "Yes," Junko said.  "But I learned to rise above my fears long ago."

    I thought I had.  I'm sorry Junko.  But I swear, I will do my best to
protect you.

    "And you understand what may happen if Crystal is defeated?" Mom said.

    "I will not let her lose," Junko said firmly.

    Mom suddenly snapped at her angrily, startling me.  "That kind of
arrogant nonsense is half of what got us all crushed!  Thinking you will
never lose is fine for SMALL CHILDREN.  Sooner or later, ALL of us lost.
Sooner or later, Crystal WILL lose," Mom said, her eyes ablaze.  "No one is
invulnerable and if you go into this thinking you will somehow never lose,
then it would be better if you left now before it's too late!"

    Junko looked stricken and I said, "Mom, don't yell at my girlfriend!"

    "I had to watch my brother and the man I love  dissolve away into
nothing because for all my power, I could not protect them!," Mom said.
"We've had a very long and successful period of not getting beaten up, but
nothing lasts forever.  If you are going to date Crystal, sooner or later,
something is going to happen to you.  And I can't even warn you what as we
don't know yet!  And if you don't understand that and if you can't accept
that, then you shouldn't be part of this.  The rest of us have no choice;
we're in too deep.  But I can't accept letting you endanger yourself unless
you convince me you really understand!"

    "Mom!  I'm sure she..." I began but Junko took my hand and shook her
head.

    I fell silent, frowning.  Why is Mom being so harsh about this?

    "She's right," Dad said, sipping his coffee.  Aunt Mikoto wandered over
to get some coffee.

    "Everyone loses sooner or later," Aunt Mikoto said sadly.

    "It is hard for me to consider the consequences when we don't even know
what they are," Junko said to Mom.  Her voice was more hesitant now.

    "Fair enough," Mom said.  "You could die.  Think of it that way.  None
of us realized we'd ever get our loved ones back when we lost them."

    "I would rather die fighting to defend my friends than live knowing they
were being hurt or dying without me," Junko said firmly.  "I can't walk away
from this and stay on the sidelines, living in fear.  You are right.  We do
all lose sometimes."  She shivered and I wondered what she had lost.  "Real
strength isn't never getting knocked down, it's getting back up when you
do."

    Aunt Mikoto chugged her coffee.  "Mmm, good."

    Mom looked at me and I looked back.  "What?" I asked.

    "Crystal," Mom said firmly.  "Do you understand now?"

    "Understand what?" I said warily with the feeling of a trap closing in.

    "Do you think you could have let yourself fall in love with anyone
knowing what you know now?"  Mom stared me in the eyes.

    "..."

    "I tried to stop myself," Mom said, looking pained.  "To push everyone
away with some crazy idea I could stop caring and thus no one would be at
risk when I died.  But I couldn't.  Our love is dangerous, Crystal.  It can
hurt those around us when we fail, and no one always wins."

    "Yeah, but the only other choice is to just crush your heart and let it
die and that's no way to live," I mumbled, staring at the floor and feeling
very guilty.

    "I don't like being so harsh, but you both have to understand this is
dangerous and not just rush into it with the optimism of youth."  Mom looked
over at Dad.

    Dad put a hand on my shoulder.  "We love you, you know.  You're our only
child, maybe the only child we'll ever be able to have.  We lied to you and
hid things from you, but we only did it because we didn't want to crush your
youth out of you like it got crushed out of us."

    "I'm old enough to make my own decisions now!" I protested angrily.
"And I might not be in this position if you'd actually told us the truth!"

    Junko squirmed uncomfortably, still kneeling before Mom.

    "You wouldn't be in this position if you hadn't decided to lie to US!,"
Mom said angrily.  "Instead of hiding multiple monster attacks from us so we
thought you were safe when you weren't!"

    "You were lying to us to make us think we were safe when we weren't
first!" I shouted back at her.

    Aunt Mikoto drank her coffee and looked uncomfortable, while Junko
carefully studied the floor.  Dad had a very blank look on his face which
really irritated me.

    "Are you going to just stand there?" I shouted at him.

    He took another gulp of coffee.  "Yes."

    Dammit, I just did what I had to!  Natasha would be monster shit right
now if I hadn't gone to her aid!

    "We didn't want you to constantly live in fear!" Mom shouted at me.

    "Maybe you shouldn't have kept searching us and not telling us why and
not letting us know you all actually fight monsters so you could protect us
if you wanted us to feel SAFE!  Do you know how much of a freak you made me
feel with the body searches?  How much I worried about what exactly you were
looking for and what would happen if you found it?"  Mom retreated as I
angrily advanced on her.

    Aunt Mikoto suddenly swallowed all her coffee and said quickly,
"Crystal's roommate and suitemates are here, trying to sleep."

    We all froze up.  Shit.  What the hell am I going to tell them?

    Mom looked like a meteorite hit her.  "Get ready to go," she mumbled.
"We can fight in the car where no one can hear us."

    Dad made a face, clearly not looking forward to driving with his own
mobile fight.

***********

Natasha's Tale:

    I dressed up fancy for this, though I also packed a workout outfit and a
bathing suit, just in case, though I looked weird wearing a fancy green
dress with a blue denim backpack.  After much arguing with myself, I got my
nicest piece of jewelry.  It's basically a silver tiara with an emerald set
in it with several small green gems, my fifteenth birthday present from
Mom's boyfriend of the time, George.  Or was he Fred?  Anyway, whatever his
name was, he was a redhead like Mom and I and he liked emeralds and other
green gems and gave Mom and I jewelry to that effect.  He claimed it was
magical, but I think that was just him teasing me.

    Anyway, I almost never wear it because it's expensive and worth more
than anything else I own.  I have my own box with a combination lock for
it.  But I felt like prettying up, so I wore my only really nice dress and
my headpiece and I was all ready to be a pretty princess.

    Fortunately, my arm bandage from where I got nailed worst by the
cyber-panther-thing was hidden under the dress sleeves on my left arm.  It's
healing fast, but it's going to be a pain in the ass for a while.

    Mom showed up in a navy-blue suit-dress, one of the many she wears for
work, and the glasses, which she wears on the job in order to look more
intellectual.  She saw me, looked surprised, then smiled almost shyly at me,
which was kind of freaky.  "You look beautiful," she said softly.

    "I feel beautiful," I said, taking her hands.  "So when do I get a ride
on your crow?"

    Mom stared at the ground.  "I haven't summoned him in 23 years," she
said softly.  "Natasha...I was terrible.  I was jealous and hateful and
spiteful and I ended up killing the man I loved in order to keep him away
from Mai.  He came back, but...but...I don't deserve to have a wonderful
daughter like you."

    I stared.  I knew Mom and Aunt Mai had fought over Uncle Yuuichi and
he'd basically dumped her to date Aunt Mai, but...killed him?  He's rather
not dead.  Unless...no, there was no way she could be talking about my
actual Father.

    I grabbed Mom and hugged her tightly.  "Mom, I love you.  And you love
me.  And that's all that matters, not things that happened when you were a
little kid."

    "I can't even protect you because I can't use my powers, but if I could,
I'd probably just become a hateful monster again," she said, sobbing onto my
shoulder.  "I should have let Mai and Yuuichi and Mikoto take you as their
own like they offered to.  I'm a terrible woman, a terrible mother and a
terrible Hime."

    "You are not terrible," I said, dragging Mom back into my bedroom and
closing the door.  My roommate was off at...something or another.  I hadn't
paid attention when she'd shouted incoherently from the shower.  But I think
my suitemates are still in bed.

    "You are my mother and I love you.  They offered to raise me?" I asked
her, sitting her down on the bed and hugging her tightly.

    "I thought about getting an abortion," Mom said, starting to cry.  "I
couldn't stand the thought of raising that fucker's child.  I just wanted it
to be over.  But Yuuichi offered to take the baby himself.  Mai was pregnant
with Crystal and it would have been easy to pass you two off as twins."  I
was born the day after Crystal.

    Thinking about being raised as Crystal's twin was kind of surreal.  It
would have been pretty different than what I had with Mom.  I'd probably be
a very different person.  "Why didn't you?"

    "I couldn't stand the idea of Mai raising my baby either," Mother said,
half-talking and half-sobbing.

    "I'm glad you kept me," I told her.

    "I'm a shitty mother.  You would have been far better off with Mai.
More toys, more clothing, more attention paid to you.  Yuuichi would have
loved you as his own and Mai would have too.  Damn her and her big heart,"
Mom said, pounding my back with her fists, but I barely felt it.  "I can't
do anything at all right.  I lied to you all those years for nothing, I
never got revenge on that fucker for getting me pregnant, I can't hold down
a boyfriend for more than 3 minutes and you nearly got killed because I lied
to you!"

    She began sobbing incoherently and I just held her, letting her let it
out.  I'm sure some of the others are pretty pissed with their folks over
the whole lying thing, but I've lied too much to Mom to get mad at her for
doing it for what she thought was my own good.  And frankly, I'm the one who
decided it was a good idea to run off into the woods by myself.

    When she finally stopped, I said, "I was only in danger because I didn't
get backup before I went investigating fight noises."

    "You wouldn't be so overconfident if I hadn't helped hide the truth from
you all those years," Mom said, having moved on to the dry heaves.

    "I'm not mad, and I love you, and I want to ride with you on your crow
even if you did something bad with it once.  I know you, Mom.  You got mad
and you did something stupid while you were mad you would never have
normally done.  And I'm just like you."

    "You're better.  Much better.  My perfect, loving, little girl who isn't
a big old ball of spite and hate like I am," Mom mumbled into my shoulder.
"How a fucker like your father and I managed to make something as wonderful
as you, I'll never know."  She sounded utterly weary.

    "He convinced me never to date anyone Japanese again," Mom said
bitterly.  "Japanese men are shit."

    I winced.  That's kind of unfair.  Gin's Japanese and he's GREAT.  And
Dan and Shun are perfectly fine and Hayao basically exists to stick it in, I
think, but he's not terrible beyond that.  Man, I don't know how he's going
to manage to be faithful to Kasumi if she insists on staying virginal.
Taiki's an asshole, and I'm going to kill him, but his brother Yaten is
okay.

    "Gin is not shit," I said firmly.

    "He'll probably dump you the second he doesn't get what he wants from
you," Mom said gloomily.  I would have gotten mad, but I think right now she
would have accused Buddha of being not just a pimp but kingpimp.

    "Be nice, I never badmouth your boyfriends," I told her.

    "You just think it.  I can tell."  She sighed, and despite the
bitterness, she was starting to sound more like herself.  Herself on a bad
day.

    "Anyway, I love you, I'm not mad.  I just want a ride on your crow."

    "Why are you so obsessed with Yatagarasu, anyway?" Mom asked curiously.

    "Because I think riding a giant bird would be totally awesome.  And my
Child can't fly," I said regretfully.

    "Oh, they can all fly once they got strong enough.  Don't ask me how,
but we all flew into battle together to destroy the Hime Star," Mom said.
"Even Midori's stupid looking chariot thing can fly."

    "I wish I had enough room here to summon my Child to show you.  Boris is
really cool, even if I still am not sure what a pelycosaur is.  I thought
these things were dinosaurs," I said thoughtfully.  "But apparently
Dimetrodons are pelycosaurs."

    "It means they are part pelican," Mom said.

    "Oh, well, in that...wait, what?" I asked.  She had to be messing with
me.

    Mom laughed.  "Got you."

    I laughed too.  I was happy to see her happy.  "Maybe it's the spines."

    "I am totally clueless.  I know Tyrannosaurus Rex means 'King of the
Lizard Tyrants' but that's about it," Mom said.  "And I think 'saur' means
'lizard', so a pelycosaur would be 'something or another' lizard."

    "I'll have to look it up, I guess," I told her, then I hugged her
tightly.  "Ready to go, Mom?"

    "No, but ready as I will ever be.  You look beautiful."

    "Thanks," I said.  "Then let's ship out."

    We got downstairs; to my surprise, Gin was in the lounge.  He had a
wrapped painting propped up against the chair.  He grabbed me into a tight
embrace and a kiss, to which I responded eagerly.

    I then broke it off.  "Sorry, dear, I think my family is taking me
captive today."

    "I just had to see you," he said softly, holding my hands.  "I about had
a heart attack last night."

    "You need to wander around shirtless more often," I told him.  "Just
with me with you."

    He laughed and kissed me again.  "Try to stay away from snakes."  He
paused, then said, "I think whoever turned the snakes loose must have been
who I thought was stalking me."

    I had meant to ask Mom about possibilities for that and totally forgot.
"Makes sense," I said.

    "Look, before you go, I have a present for your mother."  He let go of
my hands and turned to Mom.  "This ended up a bit of a rush job, as the play
ate my time, but here you go."

    It was a painting of Mom in a green suit-dress, acting as interpreter
for two businessmen in a fancy office; one looked European, the other
Japanese.  The European one looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't actually
place him.  Not one of Mom's boyfriends, I don't think.  Mom looked looked
very respectable and successful.

    Mom blinked in surprise, then smiled.  "This is very nice but who are
these two guys?"

    "I got pictures from history websites," he said.  "The founder of US
Steel and the founder of Toyota."

    "I think it looks great," I said.

    "I had to throw out my first idea for fear of getting hit."  Gin
paused.  "Umm..."

    "Was I naked?" Mom asked teasingly.

    "You would have had a bikini on," he mumbled.

    "Surrounded by cabana boys at the beach?" Mom asked.

    "More or less," he mumbled.  "You and Natasha together."

    Mom laughed.  "I can put this up in my office," she said.  "Thank you,
Gin-san."

    "You're welcome, Shiho-san."

    I said goodbye to him and headed to the car with Mom, who now looked
worried again.

    "What's wrong?"

    "He pays the price if you fail," she said.  "Or else I do.  I can accept
that, as I fear that if I fail, you will pay the price.  So that would only
be fair.  But he doesn't even know the truth."

    "I want to tell him," I told her.

    "He can't even keep his mouth shut about fantasizing about the two of us
together in bikinis," she said.  "You think he could keep this secret?"

    Ugh.  I know he'd probably blab without meaning to, but I totally hate
the idea of hiding anything from him.  That's not fair to him or how a love
affair is supposed to work.

    "Is that why none of your affairs last very long, Mom?" I asked.

    "It's among the reasons," she said.  "Sooner or later, they figure out
there are things they aren't being told and sometimes that's what drives the
knife in."

    "I really love him," I told her.

    "I've thought that before and it didn't last," Mom said.  "True love is
a delusion.  Every time I've thought I found true love, I got betrayed."
She sighed gloomily.  "I'm sorry, honey. This is among the reasons we kept
it all secret.  How are you supposed to fall in love if you know it puts
someone in danger?  That's totally not fair to you."

    It's not.

****************

Kagami's Tale:

    I woke up feeling totally wonderful.  Shun held me gently with his
strong arms and his body was warm against my naked one and my hair seemed to
splay out everywhere, trying to mix with Shun's own hair.

    After a few seconds, however, something else became apparent.  The room
smelled UTTERLY TERRIBLE.  It smelled like we'd been wallowing inside an
entire basketball teams' dirty uniforms after a big game.  My eyes crossed.

    I made some sort of hideous noise and Shun snapped awake.
"What's...ugh!"

    The dorm's air conditioning had apparently shut down during the night as
temperatures dropped and the dorm cooled off down to the thermostat
setting.  Which meant little air circulation which meant a trapped stench.

    We threw the window open and took the sheets and our clothing and
stuffed it in the laundry hamper.  No time to wash them before Shun's
parents showed up.  We took a shower together, laughing and kissing and
touching each other and I felt so good.  Grown up.  It was probably just
like when Akane-sensei and Kazuya-san or Akira-sensei and Takumi-san take a
shower together.  Which they might be doing right now.

    I giggled as Shun scrubbed my hair.  "Your parents are probably doing
this right now."

    He winced.  "Don't remind me."

    I laughed cheerfully at that.  "I love you so much, Shun."  I worked on
scrubbing my stomach.

    "I love you too, Kagami," he said softly and kissed my cheek, his
fingers working out the snarls in my hair.  "Man, Mom was awesome," he said,
sounding very fond of her.

    This relieved me as seeing them get mad at each other had left me really
nervous and uncomfortable.  "She loves you very much," I said softly, now
trying to bend around to scrub one of my legs without messing up his work.

    He grimaced.  "Funny way of showing it," he muttered.

    "I..."  Now I was getting nervous again when I just wanted to be happy
with the man I love.

    "I'm not mad at you.  If you weren't a Hime and I was, I'd have had to
not tell you," he said, sighing.  "And you're new, so you're in no position
to defy people.  But my parents had a very long time to tell me all this, so
I'm not happy with them.  But I am not mad at you.  I love you."  He kissed
my cheek and now turned my head to rinse the soap out of my hair.  "But I
think you'd know better than me that just because you love someone doesn't
mean you're always happy with them."

    I know exactly what he means.  But I don't want him to go through that.
He's so close to his parents; I envy that but I don't want him to lose it.

    He now turned for me to start doing his hair, so I got the shampoo and
went to work.  He has such beautiful hair.  "I just..."

    "I promise I won't swear eternal hate, Kagami," he said.  "But I can't
just roll over either."

    I sighed.  I didn't want...I just want us all to be happy.  Like I was
when I woke up.  But I guess perfect happiness never lasts long.

    "Are we going to tell them?" I asked softly.

    "Only if they ask," he said.  "If our lives are going to be on the line,
we have the right to have as much sex as we want, as long as we're careful
to avoid pregnancy," he continued, working on scrubbing his arms while my
fingers tugged and worked over his hair.

    That's very important to me; for all that I think Mother overdid it
trying to restrict my social life, I agree with her that I don't want to get
pregnant until my education is over.  But if we stick to things like what we
did last night, there's no danger of that.

    But I don't want Akane-sensei and Akira-sensei to be disappointed in me
either.  Though Akane-sensei said it was okay, she trusted my discretion.  I
don't think Akira-sensei is going to be happy with me.  But then she and
Shun aren't happy with each other either.

    And I don't like that.  But what can I do?  I guess it will blow over
but I don't like just trusting the future blindly.

    We finished bathing and dried off, then kissed each other while clad
only in towels.  I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful boyfriend who loves
me so much.

    Time to get dressed and go meet with everyone.

**************

Aoi's Tale:

    I woke up and went out to make everyone breakfast.  Chie mumbled
something incoherent about helping me, but I left her and Erica still
sprawled across each other.  Erica was mumbling about finding tasty leaves.

    To my surprise, Akira was in the kitchen with Takumi, already making
breakfast. Further to my surprise, it didn't involve fish and rice, which
she usually makes for breakfast those few times we let her.  She's not a bad
cook, but she tends to feed everyone ninja food, which is nutritious and
healthful but not usually very tasty.

    In fact, they were making pancakes.  Mmm, pancakes.  From one of my
recipe books.  Keiichi and Katsuhito had been put to work and were busy
cutting up fruit and setting the table.

    They're not bad boys as long as you channel their energy productively,
I've found.  It's if you leave them unoccupied that they get out of hand.

     Takumi was humming a tune to himself, while Akira worked quietly, but
she looked very cheerful.

    I said, "Good morning.  I see you've got breakfast underway."

    "You can go shower now," Akira said.  "I will handle this."

    "Okay," I said.  "I'll rustle up a change of clothing for you."  Takumi
shouldn't be hard, but Akira's a fair amount shorter than me.  Well, I can
hem something up for her for a blouse and with skirts, it won't matter as
she can just wear one of my knee-length ones and it'll go to mid-calf on
her.  She tends to wear her clothing a little loose, anyway.  "Thank you."

    "I felt like cooking," Akira said.

    "She wants to see how high and fast she can flip a pancake now," Takumi
said, grinning.

    "Do not," Akira muttered.

    I laughed, then went and took a shower, dragging Chie out of bed so we
could both get clean and dressed and let others get clean.  Eventually, the
food was ready but Akane and Kazuya still hadn't come out.  I sat the boys
down, then went to wake them up; they must have really gone at it last
night.

    Or something.  I could have thought I heard crying but why would one of
them be crying?  Well, it was none of my business, even if the curiosity was
eating at me.

    I knocked.  "Rise and shine, breakfast is ready!"

    "Okay, be there in a minute," Akane said.

    They soon stumbled out.  Akane seemed rather quiet, while Kazuya looked
like he'd slept badly.  He grumped out to the table, sat down, and started
stuffing his face.

    "Daddy, did you have a nightmare?" Keiichi asked.

    "Yes," he mumbled.

    Everyone made a face; I could imagine what.  Katsuhito looked curiously
at the rest of us, then said, "Did everyone but me have a nightmare?"

    "I didn't have one," Keiichi said.

    "I slept very well," Erica said.  "I hope the couch wasn't too
uncomfortable."

    "Don't try to jump on it," Keiichi said.  "Not that I would know."

    I laughed at that.  But the sofa bed looked fine, so I wasn't going to
make a point of it.

    To my surprise, Kazuya didn't either, he just kept shovelling pancakes
and fruit into his mouth without even bothering to put anything on them.

    Chie started to say something, and I said to her, "We need more milk, go
get me some."

    She blinked, then went to the kitchen and began fumbling around in the
refrigerator.

    I love Chie dearly, but I expect if she tries to use humor to deflate
the situation, it will just make it worse.  Let him grump it out and he'll
be fine.

    I hope.

    Keiichi came over to Kazuya a little nervously and held out a slice of
apple which he'd slathered jam onto, as he'd done to his pancakes.  "Here,
eat this."

    Kazuya blinked, then ate it very quickly.  "Tasty," he said softly.
"Thank you, Keiichi."

    "Isn't it better like that?"

    Keiichi began slathering jam all over Kazuya's food while he stared,
slightly confused.  Once he was done, he said, "That always makes me feel
better."

    "Thank you," Kazuya said somberly, but he smiled and ruffled Keiichi's
short hair.  "I was so hungry, I forgot."

    "I never get too hungry to forget the jam," Keiichi said.

    Akane smiled and said, "Thank you, Keiichi."

    "You're welcome, Mommy, Daddy," he said, then went back to his chair and
started eating again.

    "I can't find any milk," Chie said from the kitchen.

    This is because all the milk is on the table, but she never pays
attention to our food supplies, so of course she doesn't know.

    "Put it on the list," I said.  We were going to be out after feeding
this many anyway.

    Kazuya was still mopey after that, but not so much so.  Enough he only
dragged the conversation down rather than destroying it completely.

*************

Shun's Tale:

    Kagami and I weren't sure if we should dress up, dress down, dress for
practice or what.  So we decided to dress up but we packed practice clothing
too.  So I put on a suit and Kagami went back to her room and put on a dark
blue, very simple but pretty dress, and then we basically sat on the couch
in my suite and cuddled while we waited.

    My suitemate, Kim Masahiko stumbled out of his bedroom with his stupid
looking spikey pink hair.  He only gets to spike it on the weekends, as the
school doesn't mind if we dye our hair, but things like mohawks, giant
spikes, etc, are right out.  I think it looks terrible, but he loves it.

    "Hey there," he said.  "You two going to have a formal lunch date or
something?"

    "No, just waiting for my folks for a family gathering," I said.

    "Hello, Kim-san," Kagami said.

    "Hey there, Mitsu-san," he said.  "You're looking good."

    "Thank you," she said, smiling.  "How are you?"

    "Pretty awesome.  I have a lunch date.  You won't believe this, but the
Principal hooked me up with her neice."

    He was right, I couldn't believe it AT ALL.  "You've got to be
kidding."  Masahiko doesn't get in trouble much, but he's not the sort of
guy who authority figures like, either.  Even if he and the vice-principal
have the same hair color.

    "Yeah, she's in a rock band and everything.  Totally awesome," he said.
"Anyway, wish me luck."

    Maybe I'm just dreaming this, I thought.

    "Good luck, Kim-san," Kagami said.

    "Good luck, man."

    He sauntered out and I looked at Kagami.  "Ever heard of the Principal's
neice?"

    "While I see the Principal more than most people, she doesn't talk about
her family to us.  I don't think she's married, but I know she has some
siblings.  But the Principal is in her forties, I think, which I guess means
she might still have some nieces around our age," Kagami said.

    We were still speculating on why the principal would do this when Mom
called from downstairs, telling us to come on down.

    We went down to the lounge.  Mom stepped towards me, then hesitated,
looking at me, while Dad said, "Hello, Shun and Kagami."

    I wasn't as mad as I was yesterday but I wasn't feeling affectionate,
either.  "Hi, Mom, Dad," I said softly.  "We ready to go learn more stuff
you should have told us years ago?"

    Mother winced, then said, "It was a family decision."

    "Which we acceeded to," Dad said.  "I'm not going to hide it.  We
thought it best not to lay the burden on you.  If you want to be mad, you
have the right, but I think it was within our rights to keep our mouths shut
so long as you were in no danger.  And if we'd known you actually were in
danger, we would have told you sooner, but you hid it from us.  We can have
a big pointless fight if you want, but we'd better save it for the car."

    I wasn't sure if I wanted a big pointless fight or not.

    Kagami looked very tense; I knew she felt guilty about this and I wished
I could cheer her up, but we need to have this out so we can move on.

    "We can riot in the car," I said.

    We headed for the car in silence.  Kagami kept almost taking my hand,
then forcing herself to stop.  Hardly anyone was around; I was pretty sure
most people were sitll in bed.  Or malingering around their dorm.

    Gin now came our way.  He bowed to Mom, to my surprise, then said,
"Hello, everyone.  Off to your secret family meeting?"

    Mom stared at him and I laughed.  "Yes."

    "Say hello to everyone for me.  I'm going to work on the Tates next,
sensei," he said to Mom.

    "I'll email you more pictures," she said.  "I'd suggest using the older
ones as embedded pictures."

    He nodded.  "I'm still thinking about the right theme there."

    They talked for a little while about the painting project then he
saluted us and headed on, and we went to the car, so we could have our
fight.

****************

Kasumi's Tale:

    I got up and put on a workout outfit, expecting that probably we'd
practice at Aunt Haruka's.  Then I waited for them.

    The phone rang, but to my surprise, it was Uncle Jinnai.  "Hey, sweetie,
it's me, got time to come down and say hello?"

    "Yes," I said, though I was surprised he came all the way from Tokyo at
this hour in the morning.

    He was wearing a suit when I came down, and he looked very worried.
"Hey, I heard from your mother that you quit the track team."

    I stared at the ground, wondering what he thought.  "Yeah, I'm too busy
for it," I said.

    He gave me a dubious look.  "Your new boyfriend didn't tell you to quit,
did he?"

    "No!  He'd never ask me to do that!  He felt guilty when I did," I told
him frantically.  "I've just got too much stuff on my plate."

    "Couldn't hide it any more?" he said softly.

    I winced.  He'd seen me run.  He didn't know why but he knew what.
"Pretty much.  Lots of people thought I had to either be cheating or holding
out on sharing," I mumbled.  "You didn't come all the way here just to ask
me this, did you?"

    "I...we need to go somewhere more private than this," he said.

    My room had people...  Outside, I guess.

    I took him around back behind the dorm to the very edge of the woods.
"What is it?" I asked.

    "Are you going to vanish like your mother did during the troubles at
Fuuka?" he asked rather bluntly.

    "..."

    "People I talked to said she vanished just before summer vacation,"
Uncle Jinnai said.  "That's coming up, isn't it?"

    In a few weeks, yes.  "Soon, yes," I told him.  "But I think there are
vague plans to go to France or something, not to, umm...vanish."

    He frowned, looking thoughtful.  "Kasumi, I don't want anything to
happen to you or my brother or your mother or my nephews.  But just...no one
will tell me anything, they just hint ominously."

    "I'm fine," I told him, glad that my shirt hid the bandage I have on my
side where I have a bruise from last night.  Don't wince, I told myself.
"You don't have to worry, Uncle Jinnai.  It's going to be okay."  I felt
very guilty having to leave him in the dark.

    He sighed.  "I just want to do something."

    "You don't have to worry about it," I told him.  "I'm okay.  Mom and Dad
are coming if you want to say hi to them; I was kind of expecting it to be
them calling me."  I paused.  "You didn't come down here just to see me,
right?"

    "I had an emergency meeting," he said.  "Ms. Johnson is napping in the
car in the parking lot."

    "What's wrong?" I asked.

    He laughed nervously.  "Now I feel a hypocrite, as I can't talk about it
myself.  There was trouble with some business rivals."

    I nodded.  "I understand," I told him, feeling a little better.

    "So you're having a family day?" he asked.

    "Big family gathering at Aunt Haruka's," I told him.

    I could tell he was curious, but was afraid to ask why.  "Did the
meeting go well?"

    "Yes," he said.  "Though half of it consisted of me listening to this
tech woman spew words I didn't understand.  Ms. Johnson has a sister,
Harmony, who works in the tech department of US Robots.  Her Japanese was
good, but it was all words I never use and don't know."

    "So, like my science classes," I said, and then we both laughed.

    "Kazuya has a real head for science and math," Uncle Jinnai said, then
sighed.  "I guess maybe it was too easy for him to stay interested in it,
though.  I'd better get going if I'm going to get back to Tokyo in time to
do some things."

    "Thank you very much for coming," I said, and hugged him, remembering
too late I had a bruise and a bandage on my side.  I tried to fight the urge
to wince, but I can't believe I fooled him.

    However, he just said, "Give my love to everyone," then smiled at me and
headed off.  I headed back to wait in front of the dorm.

    A little later, Crystal, Aunt Mai, Aunt Mikoto, Uncle Yuuichi, and
Nagiki-san came out of the dorm.  They all looked like they'd had cranky
sauce for breakfast, though Nagiki-san looked more like she'd walked into a
mine field.  She bowed to me.  "Heir of Kurauchi, good morning," she said.

    Everyone else greeted me too.  I smiled.  "Hello, everyone.  You don't
have to call me that, Nagiki-san."  I bowed back to Nagiki-san.  I always
feel weird when she calls me that.

    "Waiting for your parents?" Aunt Mai asked.  She was in her usual beach
outfit.  Were we going swimming today?  Aunt Haruka does have a pool, but
that's usually what she wears to the beach.  Maybe I'd better get a bathing
suit too.  Usually, Aunt Mai dresses up fancy, so this was unusual to see
her dressed down.

    I nodded.  "Yes.  You all off to Aunt Haruka's?"

    "Yes," Aunt Mai said.

    I wanted to ask about her outfit, but I was nervous about it.  So
instead, I said, "Uncle Jinnai was here; he's worried I'm going to vanish."

    Aunt Mai looked intensely guilty.  "I should have known," she mumbled,
then said, "No one is going to vanish this time.  If we have to start
handcuffing people into pairs."

    "Kinky, Mom," Crystal said.

    Aunt Mai rubbed her forehead.  "I didn't mean it like that."

    "That's just for in private," Uncle Yuuichi said dryly.

    "I still don't understand how I got stuck under the bed that time," Aunt
Mikoto said.

    My eyes crossed and I turned red.

    Aunt Mai panicked.  "We don't...Kasumi...we..."

    Crystal began to laugh, while Nagiki-san looked confused.

    "Someone will pay the price, unfortunately, and we'll find out the hard
way," Uncle Yuuichi said.  "Let's delay it as long as we can."

    I sighed.  "I'm already paying the price.  I had to...put off Uncle
Jinnai.  I felt bad hiding the truth from him."  I don't want to lie to
Hayao either.  Is it fair for me to risk him when I don't even know what
might happen?  But then, I can't...I can't just dump him either.  And that
wouldn't actually help.  It's my heart that determines who is most important
to me.  Dumping him wouldn't change that.  "And of course, I can't tell
Hayao anything."

    Crystal made a gurgling noise and stared at the ground.  Nagiki-san
looked at her curiously.

    "I know how you feel," Aunt Mai said sympathetically, taking my hand.
"We may end up having to tell him.  But I hope that you all will be able to
live in peace here a while longer."  She sighed.  "Well, at least you have
the strength to defend yourselves, if this place is no longer safe."  She
sounded very sad.

    "I fear it probably isn't safe," Uncle Yuuichi said.  "Let's just hope
it doesn't get levelled."

    I grimaced at the thought.  So did Aunt Mai.

    "Anyway, we need to get moving," Aunt Mai said.  "Shouldn't your folks
be here by now?"

    "I think I will call them," I said to her.

    "We can drive you if they're having trouble," Aunt Mai said.  "I thought
they were up at Aoi and Chie's place, though."

    I called Mother, who said, "I'm sorry we're kind of dragging around.
We'll be there in fifteen."

    "Okay, just wanted to check, as Aunt Mai offered to drive me."

    "We'll be there soon," Mother said.

    We said goodbye and I told Aunt Mai, so they took off, probably to have
a fight on the way there.  I know the signs.

    I went up and got a bathing suit and some nicer clothing as well and put
them all in a bookbag to take with me.

    Mother and Father arrived with the boys in tow.  Father was holding both
their hands and they stuck close to him, looking more serious than usual.
How odd.  Mother and Father both seemed subdued and I was worried there was
trouble to come.

    Mother now hugged me tightly.  "How are you?" she asked, smiling a
little.

    "I am very good, Mother," I said.

    Father now let go of the boys and hugged me very tightly.  "I'm sorry,"
he said softly.

    "It's okay," I told him.  "I love you, Father," I said to him.

    "I love you too," he said.  "Ready to go?"

    "Uncle Jinnai was here," I said.

    He stared at me.  "He was?"

    "He had an emergency meeting, so he came and saw me, then left again
quickly."

    I glanced over at the boys and tried to indicate 'I will tell you later'
just by my face, but instead, I think I just confused him.

    "I wish he'd called," Father said, then sighed.  "Let's go."

    We headed out.

***************

Crystal's Tale:

    Mom closeted herself with Aunt Haruka, Aunt Yukino, Aunt Natsuki, and
Aunt Yukariko when we got there, while the rest of us milled around the
gardens being sociable.  Everyone kept giving Mom funny looks; given how she
was dressed, it didn't surprise me.  I couldn't figure out why she'd slobbed
out so much.

    Mom then went and talked to Aunt Akira for a bit, and then all the
parents and us kids assembled in one of the living rooms and Dad and Aunt
Yukino set up a projector and Mom opened a power point presentation.
Somehow I should have expected that.  Presentations are her lifeblood, I
think.  I could imagine her planning the final battle with the Obsidian
Lord.  'Slide 1:  Scouting', 'Slide 2:  Diversion', 'Slide 3:  Main
Assault', 'Slide 4:  After-Battle First Aid', 'Slide 5:  Karaoke Victory
Party'.  I giggled nervously at the thought.

     The rest of our aunts and uncles went off to another room.  The brats
got hauled off by Aunt Haruka and Aunt Yukino's butler, Mr. Wolsey.

    Mom looked weird giving the presentation in her beach outfit, but ran
through what had happened to them at Fuuka in brief.  They'd all been born
with the mark, but only developed powers when they came to Fuuka.  They had
fought against various Orphans and then were manipulated into turning on
each other.  Mom skimmed the details of that, saying it was up to our
individual aunts and uncles to talk about it; they had put this behind
them.  I had to wonder how easily you can put something like that behind
you.  Knowing they'd been made to turn on each other made me very
uncomfortable; I had been assuming one big happy team, but...

    I guess people do change.  Okay, maybe not one big happy team like in a
show for five year olds, but actually trying to wipe out each other's loved
ones?  I couldn't believe it.  No wonder they hid this.

    All the rest of us looked pretty uncomfortable too.  It just didn't seem
right.  Our family isn't the sort of family that does things like this.  No
wonder there's the big rule to never fight each other seriously.

    "One of our biggest sources of trouble was Nagi, a servant of the
Obsidian Lord," Mom said.

    Nagi...Nagisa...  "Nagi. What did he look like?"

    Mom described him to me and I suddenly wanted to just douse myself in
gasoline and burn myself.  "Short, junior high...teal hair."

    "Yes."

    "And the headmistress was named Kazahana Mashiro," I said.

    Mom cocked her head curiously.  "Yes."

    "So if he and the headmistress had a child, the child might look like
this?"  I had a picture of him in my phone; it comes up when he calls me.  I
showed the picture to Mom and the other adults.

    They paled.  "Yes," Mom said.  "Where did you meet this boy?"

    "He goes to school and was helping me investigate the events at Fuuka,"
I said, burying my face in my hands in utter frustration with myself.  "He's
probably also Kei and he's been totally playing me and I am going to kill
him."

    "If he's the headmistress' son and she's the Crystal Princess, isn't he
on our side?" Natasha said.

    "If he's connected to Nagi in any way, he's bad news," Uncle Kazuya said
firmly.  "That was very stupid of you, Crystal."

    "If you had actually told us everything, I wouldn't have been that
desperate!" I said.

    Junko sat next to me quietly, looking uncomfortable.  I'm sorry, Junko.
You hitched your wagon to a damaged star, I fear.  I felt like a total
fool.

    "He's probably also 'Kei', then," Kasumi said, explaining Kei for
everyone.

    "I will have to try to talk to him later," Mom said.  "He may well have
set up that monster summoning thing to help keep the Silver Knight's
monsters away or possibly even to try to push you all to manifest your
powers as Nagi did to us."  She sighed.  "Let me finish explaining
everything."

    We were all rather squirming by the time Mom  explained how Uncle Reito
had been possessed by the Obsidian Lord and how she and Aunt Mikoto had to
fight each other and how Dad had fought the Obsidian Lord in a sword duel
and how they finally defeated him and Aunt Miyu had freed everyone's loved
ones from the pillars and then the other Hime had blown up the Hime Star.

    "What happened to the pieces of the Hime Star after it disintegrated?"
Shun asked.

    "It all disintegrated," Mom said.  "There was nothing left."

    "So you searched the area?" he asked.

    Mom said to Aunt Midori, "It all evaporated, right?"

    "It looked like it," Aunt Midori said, then frowned.  "I suppose
anything that didn't fell into the ocean and washed out to sea.  It would be
gone by now."

    Shun frowned at that.  Good thinking, I thought.

    "And blowing up the star led to your powers fading so they only work in
high magic areas," I said.

    Mom nodded.  "Exactly."

    "But since Dan read the Namcub, now people can take an oath to gain
access all the time," I said.

    "But it only seems possible in a danger situation," Mom said.  "So you
five and Aunt Akane and Aunt Akira and Aunt Miyu are the only ones whose
powers work everywhere."

    I have a feeling I'm going to still have to do some hammering to get the
full story out of everyone.  Though now I'm not sure if I want it, given
what details I do know...  "So what happened at Primus?"

    "Primus was part of First District, the servants of the Obsidian Lord,"
Mom said.  She looked at Kagami extremely uncomfortably.  "They kidnapped
Akane after she was defeated and held her for a long time, until Natsuki
rescued her."

    Kasumi gave a small gasp at that and looked outraged.  Uncle Kazuya
stared at the floor.  Aunt Akane hugged him and stared down too.

    "I..."  I wanted to know, but I couldn't ask.  Surely they hadn't...I
couldn't imagine Mom just slaughtering everyone in the place.  She doesn't
even like to squash bugs.

    Mom looked at Aunt Akane.  Aunt Akane looked at Aunt Akira.  She looked
at Aunt Midori.  And so on, around the room several times.

    Aunt Shizuru swept in.  "It is my fault."

    "Shizuru," Mom said.  "You don't..."

    "I do," Shizuru said.  "I killed everyone in Primus.  Everyone who
died.  I went mad and I killed every single person there I could get my
hands on because I was afraid they would hurt Natsuki again.  I was weak and
I broke under the strain and I became a crazed killer.  Many of them
deserved death for betraying humanity and serving the Obsidian Lord for
power, but some of them were innocent."  Her voice was calm but her face was
pained.  "I have never used the power of the Hime since that day and I don't
think I ever will because I don't trust myself with it.  Everyone tells me
it's not my fault, but I will be paying for it for the rest of my life."
She turned to Kagami, who was staring wide-eyed at her.  "If you want to
hate me, Kagami, you have the right.  I...I killed so many and I didn't even
know their names.  It's all a blur.  But if your mother's first husband died
there, then I am to blame and I am sorry.  Your mother is on the Primus
Survivor's Fund, right?"

    "Yes, it pays my tuition to go to Rosewood and it will be paying to send
me to college too," Kagami mumbled.  "You set that up?"

    "Yes, I did.  I wanted to ensure that none of those I...I orphaned or
turned into widows and widowers would go hungry or suffer for my sins," she
said, staring at the ground.  "Mine is the greatest sin in our ranks."  Aunt
Shizuru shivered.  "I shouldn't be alive."

    "Don't say things like that!" Kasumi said.  "You couldn't help
yourself.  Everyone broke under the strain."

    Aunt Shizuru winced at that.  "I want to believe that, but my
madness..."  She shuddered.  "I would pray if I believed in any god who is
not the enemy of mankind.  Pray that none of you will be put to the test.
But you will.  You possess great power which will only grow stronger.  And
power corrupts."

    "Lord Acton," Dan said.

    Power corrupts Lord Acton?  Who is Lord Acton?

    Aunt Shizuru blinked at him, then said, "What?"

    "He's a historian famous for saying power corrupts and absolute power
corrupts absolutely," Dan said.

    Mom came over to Aunt Shizuru and hugged her.  "Stop hating yourself,"
she whispered.  "We all did terrible things."

    Aunt Shizuru laughed bitterly.  "Some of us were far more terrible than
others."  But she rested her head on Mom's head.

    I looked over at Kagami, who was staring at the floor and shivering,
while Shun held her tightly.  She turned and buried her face in his chest.

    "Aunt Shizuru, I swear we will do our best to be responsible with our
powers."  I looked around at everyone and we all stood up, myself, Kagami,
Kasumi, Erica, and Natasha.  We put our hands over our hearts and I said,
"This is all better than my worst fears but not as good as my best hopes.
But we promise, we will do our best to be responsible with our powers and
keep the family secrets.  We will make you proud of us and help defend
everyone from all the gods and demons that may rise against us.  May the
Crystal Princess be our witness."  The others repeated what I had said, and
I felt a sudden jolt in my new tattoo.  Aunt Akane and Aunt Akira jumped as
well.

    "I think we all need to be careful with making formal promises," Aunt
Akane said a little nervously.

    "Oaths cannot bind in and of themselves," Aunt Shizuru said, but her
voice seemed uncertain.

    "That's all we can ask," Mom said.  "We're going to keep training you
all.  If more monsters show up, let us know this time."  She frowned.
"Unfortunately, there's no easy way for most of us to be close enough to do
much good, though Sakomizu-sensei, Aoi and Chie are all close by and armed
for trouble."

    Really, until the rest of the family get their powers back, they
wouldn't do much good if they were there.  Which worried me; we'd needed
Aunt Akane and Aunt Akira to handle the last fight, but we couldn't count on
that all the time.  I prayed that was an abnormally bad situation.

    "Oh yes," Mom said.  "One more thing."  She let go of Aunt Shizuru,
clicking up a slide.  "The Sears Foundation. They possess the technology to
create artificial Hime, using it to create Alyssa and Miyu."  She then
explained in detail about how they are a conspiracy which at least
supposedly controls the USA and definitely has a huge global power and
influence.  But has been hiding from us ever since the Festival.  "Sears
originally sent Alyssa and Miyu to hijack the Festival, but they failed and
now they are on our side.  They can tell you more, if they want to."

    I had an uncomfortable feeling this meant 'they attacked members of the
family, but we eventually made up with them'.  Ugh.  We're not going to end
up doing what they did.  Not if I can help it.

    But then, Mom's not the sort of person to do anything like that and yet
she got caught up in it to.  Can I really do any better?

    Junko took my hand and squeezed it, smiling at me as best she could,
which made me feel a little better, so I kissed her quickly and tried to
still my churning stomach.

    My curiosity warred with the part of me which now didn't want to know
more.  God, they fucked up so much.  Can we really do better?  We have to do
better.  I have to do better.  Or else they will have been right.  We have
to show them we can handle this and do better than they did.

    No wonder Shinichiro broke.  No wonder they never told us.  We have to
do better.

    We have to.  I don't want to see Rosewood burn.  We have to defend it
and we can't fail.  We can't fail.

    Please, God, Buddha, all of you, help us to not fail.  I know I'm not
very religious, but...please.  For the sake of all the students we have to
protect.  Our world.  Help us.

    No wonder Mom wanted to hide from all this.

    But I still don't get why she's wearing her beach outfit.

*************

Kasumi's Tale:

    We all then assembled in the backyard, all of us.  Aunt Mai got up in
the gazebo to address us.  "Thank you all for coming.  You are probably
wondering why I am wearing this."

    Several people, including Aunt Nao and Shun, began laughing.  Others
just nodded.  I nodded.

    "I spent a while struggling with what to wear.  The outfits I normally
wear to indicate I'm serious didn't seem appropriate as they reflect the
life I lived while trying to hide from my duties as part of this family."
Aunt Mai sighed.  "Most of us never asked for this, and so when we had the
chance, we ran and hid from it for as long as we could.  I was one of the
worst offenders.  And so the burden of protecting our world fell on the few
of us willing to shoulder it.  I am sorry you had to stand alone for so
long.  But as we've seen, the war is coming to us whether we want it or
not.  So it is time for me to get really serious."

    Aunt Mai's determined gaze swept across us.  "It is the lifeguard's job
to watch over others, forsaking their own fun so others can enjoy
themselves.  And that is what we will have to do in order to protect our
city, our country, our world.  Haruka has agreed to put me on retainer so I
can dedicate myself to the family's needs.  I will be working to coordinate
our efforts to find out what's going on, and what we can do about it.  And I
will be training for battle."  I could tell she didn't like that, but she
was determined to do it anyway.  "Thanks to Yukino's VR technology, I can do
that training with her rig until I get a chance to swear.  I never wanted
these powers, but I am not going to run away.  And when the chance comes, I
will take the oath and fight by everyone's side to protect our world."

    Aunt Nao looked rather surprised, then rather pleased, along with our
other nun-aunts.  So did Aunt Mikoto and Aunt Midori and Uncle Yuuichi and
Mother and Aunt Akira.  Uncle Takumi looked worried, though he smiled at
Aunt Mai.  Father, on the other hand, seemed rather melancholy and Aunt
Shizuru still looked depressed.  What happened to her is so terrible.  I
felt awful, but she didn't seem to want sympathy.  I can't even imagine how
she holds up.

    "Me too!" Aunt Mikoto said firmly.  "I will fight by Mai's side to the
end!"

    A wave of affirmations swept through the crowd of our aunts, though I
noticed Aunt Shizuru kept silent and Aunt Shiho was staring at the ground,
holding Natasha's hand really tightly.  Natasha put an arm around her and I
wondered what had happened to her.

    "I don't know how long this will last," Aunt Mai said.  "Whether it will
be days, weeks, months, years.  It seems increasingly likely that the
Obsidian Lord protected this world from destruction, and now we must find a
way to reinforce the barriers which keep out invasions from other
dimensions, or else this world we love will fall.  I don't have a solution
yet, but we will find one that doesn't require the sacrifice of innocents,"
Aunt Mai said, her gaze sweeping across all of us.  The audience nodded
agreement.

     "We must keep this a secret as much as we can, though, as there is also
reason to believe that the more people know these creatures exist, the
weaker the world's defenses will get, as nothing now maintains them except
humanity's collective spiritual power; if humanity loses its faith in a
world without monsters, the walls will fall before we can find some way to
reinforce them."  She sighed.  "I know, I know.  I don't like it either, but
we can't take any chances."

    Ugh, I thought.  I can't stand to lie to my boyfriend and I can't tell
him the truth.  I hate that.

    "Still, unless we find a solution, this cannot be hidden forever," Aunt
Mai said.  "But for now, this burden is ours.  Now, as for the Crimson
Huntsman."

    She took a deep breath.  "He appears to be imprisoned inside the moon.
He choses both men and women to become his Hunters.  There is reason to
believe from the Black Archives that his servants grow stronger when the
moon is in the sky and that his power is greatest on the Equinoxes and
Solstices.  We can likely expect a massive outbreak of trouble in September
as a result."

    "What about the silver colored monsters?" Erica asked.

    "We believe them connected to the Silver Knight, who is imprisoned on
Mars," Aunt Mai said.  "We will be trying to find out more about him.  We
know the Crimson Huntsman endorses Social Darwinism, the strong dominating
the weak and crushing them into submission or death."

    "Technically speaking, Social Darwinism has very little to do with
Darwin and a lot to...anyway, I can explain that later," Dan said, starting
strong, then running out of steam as everyone stared at him.  But both of
his parents grinned broadly.

    So he wants people like Ayumi-sempai, I thought, then told myself to be
less uncharitable.

    "I've collated a report from everything that I've been told so far by
our researchers," Aunt Mai said.  "You should have all gotten it in your
email this morning.  Once we have enough information to put together a
counter-attack, we will strike.  But for now, keep your eyes and ears open
and we'll keep getting ready for that day, and fighting defense when
necessary."

    She now gestured to Sister Yukariko, who stepped up onto the gazebo.
"We got up early and went and examined the wreckage of the stone table.  It
was pretty thoroughly smashed up and turned into a campfire pit, but we
found a small amount of an odd reddish-pink crystalline substance which Miyu
thinks..."  She frowned.  "It seems to basically be solidified spiritual
power."

    Uncomfortable whispers swept through the crowd.

    "Someone of substantial spiritual power deliberately turned that table
into a trap.  Further, from the report of our children, it would appear that
the table itself was activated when one of the Orphans began bleeding on
it.  Coupled with the report of the odd phenomena Aoi and Chie noticed at
that awards ceremony, and the fact that emotions are key to tapping
spiritual power, I suspect someone has been tapping emotions and connected
spiritual release in some way at the school and used the power gained to set
this trap up."

    I grimaced.  Delightful.  I suddenly wondered if Kei was behind this.
He'd shown up when Natasha stumbled into this and hadn't done much, other
than helping her to get away from the serpents...long enough to run into the
table and spring the trap.

    I raised my hand.  I hope he's innocent, but...

    "Kasumi?" Aunt Yukariko said to me.

    "I think our prime suspect has to be this 'Kei'," I said.  "Who claims
to be the son of the Crystal Princess, but the time I met him he didn't have
any proof.  He clearly has powers and while he did help Natasha, it ended up
causing her to run right into the trap," I continued.  "We were discussing
him earlier and he may well be the child of the Crystal Princess and Nagi."

    "Are we sure this was intended to kill?" Crystal said.  "From what Mom
said, you all basically were made to fight Orphans to build your strength up
and force you to awaken your powers.  So this may be the same idea on the
part of whoever did it."

    "Very good points," Aunt Yukariko said.

    "Nagi," Aunt Haruka said.  "Five will get you ten it's that bastard Nagi
in disguise.  Was he eating expensive Italian Sorbet?  Lime flavored?"

    "No," I said.  "Why would he be eating ice cream?"

    "Ahah!" Crystal said.  "That time you came over to our house in the
middle of the night, was that Nagi stealing your ice cream?"

    "Hell yes," Aunt Haruka said.  "Do you know how much that stuff costs to
import from Italy?  You'd think a country with over a hundred billion people
could make decent sorbet, but no, I have to import it."

    "Haruka, you ate that ice cream yourself," Aunt Yukino said.  "And Japan
has over a hundred million, not billion."

    "IT WAS NAGI," Aunt Haruka insisted.  "This sounds like his MO."

    "His Mo?" Crystal asked.

    "Method of Operation," Aunt Haruka said.  "Being a whiny, ice-cream
stealing, high place perching, lie spewing, trick playing, luring into
danger PUNK."  She put her hands on her hips.  "It's definitely got to be
Nagi.  I certainly can't believe Mashiro was desperate enough to have sex
with him and produce a kid."

    We spent a while debating all this, then broke into smaller groups
discussing various things to be done.  Mother and Father now came over to me
and hugged me, which felt very nice.

    "I'm very proud of you, you know," Mother said, and I blushed a little,
though it made me very happy to hear that.

    "Just be careful," Father said urgently.  "And stay out of going
anywhere remote by yourself."

    "I know," I said softly.  "I will be careful."  I sighed.  "Uncle Jinnai
is really worried about me."

    Father frowned.  "I'll give him a call.  Tell him...something.  I don't
know."  He stared at the ground.  "I hate this."

    "It's better he not get involved," Mother said.  "But it's nice to see
how much he cares."

    "Jinnai's a good guy," Father said.  "I wish he'd come and said hello
since he was in town again."

    "I got the impression he was in a hurry and had to get back to Tokyo for
something," I told them.  "Or he would have, I'm sure."

**************

Jinnai's Tale:

    I only made it back in time because Ms. Johnson drove like a maniac.  It
was my own fault for sleeping later than I planned.  "You really didn't have
to drive me all the way back; I could have taken the train," I told her.

    "It's okay, I like driving," she said, smiling.  "I'd better get back to
Osaka, though."

    "Oh, I'll be fine now that I'm back in the city."  I have to admit,
dealing with US Robots does have its perks.  And the family is going to be
rolling in money from this deal.  Even though I may get run ragged if I have
to keep going all the way to Osaka for emergency meetings.

    I would have rescheduled this, but the man I'm meeting didn't ever call
me back.

    "Okay."  She bowed to me.  She seems to enjoy it.  "See you in a week or
two probably!  Bye!"  And then she roared out.

    I headed into the cafe; Lemon Square is basically a brunch and lunch
place, with really excellent desserts.  I could see the man I was going to
meet, or at least I assumed it was him, as he was the only foreigner.  We
had talked a week ago, but only on the phone.

    "Mr. Smith?" I asked.

    Mr. Smith was a grey haired old man, somewhere in his seventies, I
think.  He wore a nice, but out of date charcoal colored suit and a red tie
with grey circuit patterns on it.  He saw me looking at the tie and said,
"One of my granddaughters gave it to me.  She works in electronics.  Yes, I
am."

    I sat down.  "Thank you for agreeing to look into this."

    "Information is my business, Kurauchi Jinnai.  It's nice to meet you
face to face," he said, shaking my hand and passing me a menu.  He flagged
us a waitress and I ordered a roast beef sandwich and a caesar salad with
green tea.

    "So what have you found out about what happened at Fuuka in 2005?" I
said, getting right to the point.

    He smiled.  "Direct.  I like that.  Yes, I do."  He sipped his Pepsi,
then got a file folder out of his briefcase and laid it out on the table,
opening it.  The first picture showed a teenage Akane, catatonic in a bed
with an IV hooked to her arm.  Two men in labcoats, one black and one
Japanese, were studying her; the black man was taking a blood sample and the
Japanese man was getting ready to put a fresh bag on the IV.  The second
picture showed a long haired teenage girl beating up three armed guards at
the same time.  The third showed her loading Akane onto a gurney and a
fourth showed her shooting guns out of the hands of guards trying to stop
her.  The fifth showed a giant metal dog with a cannon coming out of its
back blowing up a truck and a sixth showed the teenage girl driving a
similar truck, while shooting out the window at something.  I noticed the
teenage girl had very odd looking guns with a sort of big bubble in the area
where an old style revolver would have had its turning cartridge holder
thing.

    "An organization known as Primus Research kidnapped your sister-in-law
during the summer of 2005," Mr. Smith said.  "They conducted experiments on
her which reduced her to catatonia and she was eventually rescued by Kuga
Natsuki, a friend of hers from school."

    An apparently very tough friend of hers, I could see.  "What is this
dog-like robot?" I asked.

    "I don't know," Mr. Smith said.  "It belonged to Ms. Kuga.  Her mother
had once worked for Primus, then died in a car wreck when she was eight.
She lost a year of school and ended up in the same grade as Ms. Kurauchi,
back when she was Ms. Higurashi."

    He produced two more pictures, showing the dog-robot blowing up what
looked to me like parked military trucks, along with a picture of Ms. Kuga
beating up US Army soldiers.  "She fought the occupation of Fuuka by US Army
forces too."

    "What exactly happened?" I asked.  Could this all be true?  But other
than the dog, it fit the facts I knew for sure.

    "Fuuka Prefecture appears to have fallen under the near-total control of
Primus Research, a subsidiary of Iwasaki Pharmaceuticals," Mr. Smith said.
He produced a series of pictures which showed an old woman in a suit meeting
with various younger men in suits.  "This was CEO Nagakami Kuroko of Primus
Research. These men include the Prefectural Governor, the Mayor of Fuuka and
the head of the prefecture police.  And..."  He laid down a picture of the
old woman meeting with a young girl in a wheelchair being pushed around by a
pink-haired maid.

     I knew the girl from my own research.  "The headmistress of Fuuka
Academy, Kazahana Mashiro."  Who had somehow become headmistress at a very
young age.  Or is one of those weird freaks who has surgery to look like an
11 year old because some people get their jollies from it.  And who totally
vanished after resigning in the wake of the Academy's near destruction.

    Only to be replaced by the woman who in this picture is just her maid.
IE, the woman who was probably really in charge all along, using this girl
as a disposable proxy to take the fall when everything went to hell.  I
grimaced at Himeno Fumi.  What a disgusting woman.

    And she's still in charge of Fuuka, where my little neice went to two
weeks ago and returned faster than before.  And I noticed Akane seems to
have completely changed her usual attitude and is much more confident than
I've ever seen her.  Since that trip.

    Something is definitely going on.

    "Any idea what the people at Primus did to her?" I asked.

    He pulled out another file folder with stapled photocopies from several
journals.  "All published research connected to Primus concerned itself with
human augmentation," Mr. Smith said, passing them to me.  "Human
augmentation.  Making people faster, stronger, healthier, and so on."

    It suddenly struck me that ever since I finally met her, I had never
once heard of Akane or Kazuya getting sick, not even the time that both
their sons and Kasumi had the flu last year.  Other than Akane getting
nauseous and throwing up a lot while pregnant with her sons and Kasumi.
Which had included throwing up on me in the case of the sons.

    Had they done something to her DNA?  She would have passed it on to
Kasumi and now after both of them visited Fuuka, suddenly Kasumi was so fast
I think she could set a world record or at least come close.  And then she'd
had to quit the track team...why make her faster unless...

    Kuga Natsuki's mother had worked for Primus.  Kuga Natsuki was
apparently tough enough to take on adults as a teenager and win.  They'd
probably experimented on Ms. Kuga as a child and then killed her mother when
her mother tried to smuggle her out.  And then she'd declared war on them.

    I had a sudden feeling that this 'Kiyohime' group which took the blame
for the destruction of Primus was probably either working for Ms. Kuga or at
the very least had recruited her.  And possibly recruited Akane as well,
after her own augmentation.  Could they still exist underground?  Who else
was experimented on there?

    "But you don't know specifics," I said.

    "Most of the records were destroyed when 'Kiyohime' wiped out everyone
there.  It took me substantial effort to find these photos, which you'll
notice are actually screenshots from the security cameras in most cases," he
said.  "Here is another thing."

    He pulled out another folder with several photos.  The first showed the
Japanese man who had been changing the IV bag.  The second showed him with a
pretty young blonde woman, clearly a fair amount younger than him, her long
hair tied back in a pony-tail, glasses just barely perched on her nose,
about to fall off.  In the third picture, the same woman was now
substantially older.  She had cut her hair short and now it was brown, but
her face was recognizable.  She was with a raven haired man about the same
age as herself, but they were both with a black-haired teenage girl also
wearing glasses.  The fourth showed the girl in a Rosewood uniform with a
ton of other students being addressed by the Principal.  I knew the girl.
Mitsu Kagami.  "I know her."  I said, pointing to the girl.  The one who
Akane has taken under her wing.  And dotes on so obviously I could tell from
just watching a track meet with them.

    "The woman is Mitsu Mari; her daughter is Mitsu Kagami and her current
husband is Mitsu Kazuo.  But her first husband was Dr. Takahashi Yugo, one
of the researchers at Primus.  One of his papers is in that other folder, a
study of the genetic factors which influence how fast people can run."

    Now I know what goosebumps actually feel like.  My skin felt like ants
were crawling in it.  My order finally came and I took a big bite of my
sandwich, trying to get my brain in order.  "What did he say about it?"

    "I'm afraid I don't know much science," Mr. Smith said apologetically.
"Enzymes and genes and things.  You'll have to take it to a real scientist;
I'm just an investigator.  I just used a journal database and a list of
Primus employees with doctorates."

    A very good investigator.  He'd been recommended to me by Mr. Robert
Cooper, one of the men I work with who is employed by US Robots.  He said
Mr. Smith did top of the line work and I had to agree.

    "Did Dr. Takahashi get killed at Primus?"

    "Yes.  His wife was at home, sick, and missed the slaughter," Mr. Smith
said.  He pulled out another file folder.  "We know that all the girls at
Fuuka underwent medical examination during the army occupation, but not the
boys.  It seems rather likely to me that the whole 'terrorists with plague'
story was, in fact, an excuse to search for girls with certain qualities or
maybe even specific girls."  He showed me several pictures of girls lined up
to be checked by doctors.  "Some families eventually sued, but were paid
hush money."

    "Could you find anything on this 'Kiyohime' group?" I asked.

    Another folder came out.  He likes his file folders, I see.  "It's
interesting.  The terrorist group the US Army claimed was 'threatening to
unleash a plague' was originally unnamed.  The name 'Kiyohime' somehow
became connected to it and within a few weeks after the destruction of
Primus, everyone 'knew' a group named Kiyohime was responsible, even though
no one could actually tell me how they learned this name.  Only one man
survived the actual massacre and he's hopelessly insane, claiming 'a giant
squid' killed everyone."

    "A giant squid."

    "Yes, he's crazy," Mr. Smith said sadly, then took a minute to eat some
of his own burger.  "He also has only one arm and one leg and it's a miracle
he's still alive."

    "And they've never done anything else."

    "Never," Mr. Smith said.  "They get blamed for blowing up the bridge,
which I think actually was some sort of freak lightning strike."

    "That blew up a bridge?"

    "Virtually all witnesses agree than an effect like the aurora borealis
appeared in the sky over Fuuka, then a yellow bolt stabbed down, striking
the bridge, which then exploded," Mr. Smith said.  "Some thought it a
meteor, others thought it was a lightning strike.  But it doesn't sound like
a bomb, whatever it was.  Or something that some obscure terrorist group
could pull off.  I suspect Kiyohime was made up of people who wanted revenge
for being experimented on by Primus and killed everyone to get even and stop
it."

    I couldn't imagine Akane helping to slaughter people, even if they
experimented on her.  But...

    Yet another folder came out.  "This boy, Tokiha Takumi, was kidnapped
from the Fuuka City Hospital during the chaos.  The case was never solved
and he did not press charges."  Tokiha Takumi...Akane's friend Akira is
named Tokiha Akira.  Her husband?  "He is now married to Tokiha Akira, who
has been working at the Kurauchi Bakery the last two weeks, even though she
has her own dojo and teaches martial arts in the afternoon, evenings, and
weekends."

    Since the trip to Fuuka.

    "Tokiha Akira, then Okuzaki Akira, was his roomate at Fuuka, until it
turned out that she was female and not a male as originally registered," Mr.
Smith continued, laying down a picture of an art show; I recognized Akira,
though she was younger there.  "She's also a skillful artist and
periodically does shows."

    Another picture.  I knew this woman vaguely by reputation, though we'd
never met face to face.  Tate Mai.  "Tate Mai," I said.

    "Older sister of Tokiha Takumi, Fuuka student, currently a consultant,"
Mr. Smith said.  He put down another picture showing her, Akane, and Kuga
Natsuki together at some kind of athletic event, cheering for someone.  "And
still a friend of your wife and Kuga Natsuki."

    More pictures came out, tying Akane to various students and staff from
Fuuka.  "Now, none of this proves anything," he said.  "And these are all
really old photos.  Lots of people don't keep up their ties from school," he
said.

    But Akane had.  I'd met the children of some of these people.  "What
does Kuga Natsuki do now?"

    He produced another picture, which showed Kuga Natsuki, a handsome dark
haired man who looked American to me, a beautiful brunette Japanese woman,
and a short, pale skinned redheaded woman who looked European all coming out
of an opera house together.  The dark haired man looked familiar.  Had I
seen him on TV or a newssite or something? The brunette looked sort of
familiar too.  Some sort of treaty or something.  Then a second one showing
a slightly stoned looking actress coming out of a movie theatre with Kuga
Natsuki standing next to her looking aggravated.  I recognized the actress.
Nanri Rika, star of 'Dark Vengeance', 'Love Flowers' and 'Monte Carlo
Weekend'.  A while back, she'd been stalked by a crazed fan.  And the third
picture showed Kuga Natsuki punching some crazed otaku in the face while
Nanri-san howled nearby.

    "Who is that?" I asked, pointing to the dark haired man.  "I take it Ms.
Kuga is a bodyguard?"

    "Yes," Mr. Smith said.  "She is.  And very good at it. The first picture
shows Kuga Natsuki; her current boyfriend Roger Smith, a top-ranked
Negotiator; her ex-girlfriend Fujino Shizuru, who was the school council
president under Headmistress Nazahana, and who now is also a top-ranked
Negotiator; and Mr. Smith's assistant, Dorothy Waynewright, who is also a
skilled pianist and gives concerts periodically.  She has released two
records.  I have them on my MusicBox, in fact."  He pulled out the small
widget and played a short snippet.  I have little ability to really judge
musical skill, but it sounded quite good to me.

    Part of me suddenly wondered if Akane and Ms. Kuga had been...surely
not.  I've never seen anyone love someone as much as Akane loves Kazuya and
vice versa.  But if it had been a one way crush...no wonder she was willing
to take on an entire facility by herself in order to rescue Akane.
Especially if they'd both been experimented on.  "Are Smith and Waynewright
connected to Fuuka?"  I paused.  "You and he..."

    "Purely a coincidence," Mr. Smith said.  "Nearly three million Americans
are named Smith; it's the most common family name in our mutual homeland.
Smith and Waynewright seem to have come to Japan and attended Tokyo
University a decade ago, but have no previous presence in Japan.  Whatever
happened at Fuuka, I don't think they're connected to it, other than now
being tied to Kuga Natsuki and Fujino Shizuru.  Who I will note set up a
large fund for the surviving family members of those who died at Primus.
She's from very old money, and she seems to have devoted her whole life to
peace activism and being a Negotiator ever since college, and to some degree
since high school."

    Something is going on here, even if I can't quite figure out the whole
story.  I have a feeling 'Kiyohime' still exists, if not by that name, and I
fear my brother and Akane are tangled up in it and...  They aren't aging.
Had Primus discovered some sort of aganathic?  All the way back in the
2000s?  We have had some success retarding aging, but we're still working on
it.  But if it only works for people with the right DNA...And it was clear
this Fujino Shizuru wasn't aging and neither was Tokiha Akira and...

    What is going on here?  I felt like I was standing on the edge of a vast
abyss and the answers were at the bottom, but to look further would risk
falling in.

    "Anything else?"

    "One last thing."  He put down a picture of a curly haired man in his
fifties.  Indeed, the man had an actual afro, which looks odd on a Japanese
man.  "This man is Sakomizu Kaiji.  Your neice's homeroom teacher was hit by
a car and sent to the hospital several weeks ago and he stepped in to
substitute for the man.  He's been teaching at Fuuka since 2004, until
suddenly he left to be a substitute at Rosewood," Mr. Smith said.  He then
laid down a picture of the young Mitsu Mari with Dr. Takahashi and
Sakomizu-san, laughing and enjoying themselves in what looked like a company
cafeteria.

    "He seems to have been employed by Primus AND taught at Fuuka at the
same time.  But he was not present at the massacre and went on to a long
happy career of teaching under Headmistress Himeno until he became your
neice's homeroom teacher three weeks ago, shortly before her trip to Fuuka.
Which, by the way, I checked out.  Two teachers, Harada Chie and Senoh Aoi,
former Fuuka students who attended with your sister-in-law, took a pack of
students to Fuuka, then ran around town taking photos all day Saturday and
went to the campus and apparently attended some huge gathering at the
Headmistress' house.  They stayed at the Fuuka shrine, run by the Munakata
family."

    He put down a picture of a beautiful redhead in a business suit,
attending a meeting between some Europeans and Japanese businessmen.  I
recognized some of the Japanese people; they were part of the Shinohara
family that runs Shinohara Electronics, one of our big rivals.  "Here she
is, working as a translator."  He laid down another picture of a very young
girl with squid-like hair clinging to a nervous looking teenage guy's arm.
"And here she is at Fuuka with Tate Yuuichi, husband of Tate Mai."

    I could hardly believe it was the same woman.  But if you looked
carefully, you could tell.

    "Munakata Shiho, mother of Munakata Natasha, who goes to school with
your neice, went around the town with the teachers and your neice.  Her
daughter was in the group, along with your sister-in-law."

    Why would teachers haul a small group of students all the way to Fuuka
to take pictures?  This was a cover activitity for whatever really went
down.  And they went to the Headmistress' house?

    This was getting complicated.  "This is definitely worth the money I've
paid you."

    "I will see what else I can find," he said.  "I'm rather confused myself
by all this.  It's pretty clear she's tangled up in some kind of conspiracy
along with your brother though."  He looked a little envious.  "And
something is keeping them all young."

    Kasumi, what have you gotten yourself caught up in, I asked.
Brother...Akane...  Kasumi knew.  Or knew something.  She wouldn't have
looked so guilty if not.  They must have...taken them to Fuuka for some kind
of treatment.  But why would they do that to their own children?  Unless
perhaps they'd come to see it as more gift than curse, as they must have
thought when they destroyed Primus.  If one of them could rescue Akane from
armed guards and take on soldiers, they probably all could.  And they likely
had more of those robot wardogs.  Probably vastly better models by now.
Only a few companies could afford to make something like that, but if Fujino
was old money...and Kuga Natsuki's ex-girlfriend...maybe she'd helped to
kill everyone at Primus, then felt guilty about it and tried to make up for
it.  Things done in rage may make you feel bad later.

    Akane, did you...I couldn't believe it.

    I have to know what's going on.

    Even if I have no clue what to do about it.

*************

Gin's Tale:

    I was just trying to eat lunch when suddenly a swarm descended upon me.
To be precise, it was Hayao, Mandi, Sanae and Hotaru.  "Holy shit, you're
awake, Hotaru?" I asked.

    She looked groggy.  "Yes," she said.  "What happened last night?
Natasha vanished, Crystal freaked out, then you ran off in the woods and
never came back."

    "Natasha went out for a piss, I think, then got chased by snakes, and
then Crystal went looking for her, then I went looking for them and lost my
shirt."  I sighed.  "Going to have to get a new one."

    "Snakes?  There are dangerous snakes in the woods?" Sanae said,
frowning.  "Has this been reported to the principal?"

    Hotaru frowned very deeply but didn't say anything.

    Hayao said, "You lost your shirt?"

    "Well, actually, I turned it into a torch," I said.  "Worked pretty
well; I wandered around stupidly, ran into Aoi-sensei and Chie-sensei who
were looking for Natasha and some of the rest of her family found her and
got her out."

    "Maybe this is why they're having the meeting," Sanae said to Hayao.

    "Just to yell at Natasha?  Surely it doesn't take their whole family for
that, even for Natasha," Hayao said.

    "Hey, don't badmouth my girlfriend!" I said.

    "C'mon, Natasha has even less common sense than I do.  She probably
mistook a shadow for a snake and ran off in a panic," Mandi said, waggling a
finger at me.

    I wished that wasn't easy to believe.  "Natasha is kind and generous and
loving and please don't insult her in front of me."

    "I think the family meeting must be connected to what happened last
night," Sanae said.  "As when we went to bed, there was no family meeting
and when I woke up, he had to go to one."

    "Damn, you two are already sleeping together?" I said.

    Sanae turned as red as her hair.

    "Wow, you move fast," Mandi said.

    Hayao looked stunned.

    "I slept on his couch, because YOU were having sex with someone you'd
just met in our bedroom!" Sanae said, pointing at Mandi.

    "Hey, I've known Rokuro-kun for months.  It's not the first time we've
had sex, either," Mandi said.  "Neither of us has a steady, so what does it
matter?"

    "It matters when I can't sleep in my own bed because there's a naked boy
in yours!" Sanae said angrily.

    Hayao said, "Just call me if that happens," to Sanae.  "I've got the
bedroll ready to set up on our couch whenever you need it."

    "The fact that we already have a contingency plan for this shows how
much of a problem it is!" Sanae said, gesturing wildly.

    "Hey, if you and Dan ever want to do it, just let me know and I'll clear
out," Mandi said.  "Fair is fair."

    I looked at Hayao and he looked at me and we decided not to jump in the
middle of this any further.  "I still can't see why snakes chasing Natasha
would lead to a family meeting."

    Hotaru now drank my coke.  "So tired," she mumbled.

    "Hey, I wasn't done with that!," I said.

    "I'll get you a new one."  She headed inside into the cafeteria; I was
at one of the tables out front.

    "Something weird is going on, though," Mandi said.  "Their parents never
told them about all the stuff with exploding bridges and army takeovers at
Fuuka when our folks were there with them."  She frowned.  "Or so they say."

    "Their parents look younger than our parents, but are the same age,"
Sanae said softly. "We're talking a decade or more younger."

    "Yeah, I kinda noticed that.  Damn, there are some hot..."  FUCK ME, I
thought.  "Umm, they're in good shape."

    Mandi grinned at me.

    Hayao said, "Gin-san, I strongly recommend you NEVER EVER go into any
line of work which requires even the slightest, tiniest bit of hiding what
you know.  At all.  Also, never play poker."  He was smiling at me.

    I laughed nervously.  "I am not good at gambling."

    Hayao laughed, then changed gears.    "Mom noticed too, but they all
made non-commital statements and told her how beautiful she is."

    "She is beautiful," Mandi said.  "She's still prettier than me at
thirty-nine.  Maybe I should grow my hair out like she does."

    "I think long hair would look good on you," Sanae said to her.

    "It's so much work, though," Mandi said.

    Hotaru returned with a plateful of food and drinks for everyone,
including me.  "When the sprinklers went off on Thursday, Kasumi's mother,
Kurauchi Akane, came to investigate.  Clearly expecting to get in a fight."

    "And she suddenly started acting as sensei to them too," Hayao pointed
out.  "And now Kasumi has quit track in order to spend more time training
with her mother."

    "And with you, you know," Mandi said.

    "I think Junko knows something; she got sent to take the news of the
snake attack to the rest of the family," I said.  "Because phones weren't
working."

    Hayao frowned.  "See, that is a big part of why I think there's more
going on here than snakes.  We have really great cell coverage here
normally."

    Hotaru was stuffing her face, but nodded.

    "But what could be going on?" I asked.

    "I don't know," Hayao said, frowning.  "But the parents won't let them
tell us about it."

    "Maybe we should call Junko; I think she knows something.  She trains
with them, anyway," I said, then worked on finishing my lunch.

    "I just see her at the parties," Mandi said. "I don't have her number."

    I don't have it either.

    "She's on the inside; she won't talk," Hayao said.  "I don't know why
Crystal's girlfriend gets better treatment than the rest of us," he
continued, sounding bitter.  "But then, Crystal's parents apparently don't
care about her whoring around and indulge her every whim.  That bitch Nao
the fake nun's poisoned most of the adults against me, but they don't seem
to dislike the rest of you.  But we're all shut out together."

    "And why did Erica suddenly join their inner circle?" Mandi asked.
"It's like one day she had nothing to do with them and the next day, she was
joining all their activities."

    "I think we need to go check out the area where the 'snake attack'
happened," Hayao said.

    I frowned. "Is that safe?"

    "I'm pretty sure there are no snakes in these woods," Hayao said.

    "Don't worry, I'm sure it'll be safe," Hotaru said confidently.

    I wasn't so sure, but my curiosity wouldn't let me say no.

*************

Dan's Tale:

    I could almost feel the Namcub moving inside me, like a restless bear
patrolling its den at the zoo.  This made me intensely uncomfortable, but
not half as uncomfortable as I feared my toughness test would.  Mind you, I
asked for it.  I wanted to know exactly how much I could take, if the Namcub
had made me tougher.

    I hope it's not going to start doing this all the time; it seemed to get
jumpy when we all got together, which it didn't do yesterday, so I don't see
why it has to make me feel weird now.

    Aunt Akira looked at me.  "Dan, are you sure you want to do this?"  She
sounded reluctant herself.

    "No, I don't want to do it at all, but I think I have to," I said.  "I
need to know if this is doing things to me."

    Aunt Miyu nodded approvingly.  "I agree.  I will monitor your vital
signs."

    Knowing Aunt Miyu is some kind of walking medical scanner in addition to
everything else makes me kind of nervous.

    The others were watching when they were supposed to be training. They
all looked uncomfortable with this, except for Junko, who seemed to agree
with Aunt Miyu.  Which didn't make me feel any better.  Erica was off in the
shooting gallery with Aunt Natsuki. I normally would be, but I wanted to do
this.

    "Come on, let's get started," Aunt Akane said, then began leading the
others in various drills.  I could see she didn't look too happy either.

    Mom was here; Dad was off in another room where Aunt Yukino had set up
the VR gear.  Mom said, "Be gentle, Akira."

    "Being gentle is not the intention," Aunt Akira said, then frowned.
"Are you sure, Dan?"

    "Better I find out now, right?  Than in a crisis.  I know you're good
enough to test my limits without going overboard, Aunt Akira."  Maybe I am
being stupid, but...

    Aunt Akira closed her eyes and when she opened them, her face was
blank.

    Oh boy.

    Every blow was aimed at my chest and stomach, mostly my chest.  Probably
because I have a ribcage to defend me there and she didn't want to really
hurt me.  It hurt, but it hurt a lot less than it should have.  At least
this thing is good for something if it's going to roil around inside my
head.

    I fell down a fair number of times, and every time, Aunt Akira looked
very guilty, then went blank again.  My cousins kept stopping and looked
extremely uncomfortable.

    Finally, Kasumi said, "Is this really necessary?"

    It hurt, but Taiki had hurt me more than this with every blow and surely
Aunt Akira was stronger than Taiki now.  Though I really wasn't sure how
much stronger.

    "It is not necessary to the survival of Dan or anyone else, but I think
Dan is wise to wish to know the limits of what he can take and what may have
happened to him due to reading the Namcub," Aunt Miyu said.  "We will, of
course, stop the second he asks us to."

    "Dan, you don't have to prove anything to us," Kasumi said, and the
others nodded.

    I wasn't trying to prove anything just because I missed the big fight.
"I'm not.  I just need to know."

    Kasumi grimaced and stared at the floor.  "Dan..."

    "Continue," I said to Aunt Akira.

    She breathed out, then breathed in.  "You should at least try to defend
yourself."

    "Why waste time?  I haven't much chance of that," I told her.

    "I can get a better idea, since in a real fight, you would not just
stand there and get hit," Aunt Miyu said.

    I summoned what passes for unarmed combat training with me.  Dad taught
me some stuff for if I got in a scrap, but it's hardly formal.
Unfortunately, a lot of it is stuff Aunt Akira would never ever fall for
ever.  Not from me, anyway.

    She came in for a punch and I side-stepped and tried to grab her arm and
pull her forward so she would stumble past me.  The side-step worked to my
surprise, the grab did not.  We quickly established I couldn't get hold of
her longer than about a second, but I could actually dodge some of the
blows, though less of them as we progressed.  I couldn't tell if she was
getting faster or if she had just learned my tricks and now instinctively
countered them.

    I got hit less and not as hard.  Was she holding back or was I getting
better at resisting the blows?  The others were now sparring, but not very
well as they kept watching us.  Kasumi was getting totally reamed by her
mother because she kept looking over here.  "Keep your eye on your Mom," I
shouted to her, and then Aunt Akira landed one on my shoulder that knocked
me on my ass.

    "Dan!" Kasumi said.

    "I'm fine," I said, getting up and rubbing my ass.  That one had hurt
because I wasn't paying attention and I landed badly.

    "Isn't this enough?" Kasumi said.

    "No," I said.

    "It really seems..." Kagami said.

    "I am FINE," I said.  Which I wasn't.  I ached all over.  But this still
hurt less than when Taiki kicked my ass and he took a lot less blows than
this to take me down.  I was tougher and that was reassuring.

    Shun shook his head and I glared at him, then said, "Fire when ready,
Gridley," to Aunt Akira.

    "What?" she asked, losing the mask and just looking baffled.

    Mom started laughing.  SHE gets it.

    "Just a joke that died," I told her.

    "Commodore George Dewey, battle of Manila Bay," Mom said.  "I guess
Gridley must have been the Gunnery Officer."

     I pushed myself, moving faster and Aunt Akira sped up.  She'd been
holding back.  I didn't want her to hold back.  I need to know my limits.
But Aunt Miyu was right.  I needed to know my other limits too.  I kept
dodging and trying to counter attack.  My counter-attacks were hopeless, but
I got better at avoiding being hit, so long as I pushed myself faster.  That
had its limits too and I was now wearing out a lot faster than before.

    Then she stopped.  "Kagami," she said.

    Kagami said, "What, Akira-sensei?" then Crystal threw her to the floor.

    "I need you to come hit Dan as hard as you can.  And Kasumi too."

    "I can't just hit Dan," Kasumi said, shivering a little.

    "Do I have to?" Kagami said, sounding reluctant.

    "Yes," Akira said.  "My Hime power is more oriented to speed than
strength.  I know Kagami is more strength oriented, though I'm not sure if
either of you is actually stronger than I am now."  I wondered if she really
needed them to try or if she was nervous about hurting me if she fully cut
loose, which I could tell she still hadn't.

    "I will if they won't," Junko said calmly.

    Crystal stared at her in surprise.

    "I don't think you're stronger than me," Aunt Akira said.  "But take a
shot."

    Junko walked over and bowed to me, then kicked me full force in the
chest, sending me sprawling.  OWW!!!

    "Legs are stronger than arms," Junko said.  She then helped me up.  "I
can take over if you wish to work with the others, Akira-sensei."

    "Junko," Crystal mumbled, looking shocked.

    "It's okay," I told Crystal.  "Come and get me," I told Junko.

    I'm pretty sure Aunt Akira must have been holding back some or maybe
legs really are hugely stronger than arms.  It certainly hurt more.  But I
could still take it better than I took Taiki.

    However, she didn't connect as often as Aunt Akira, who I think is
faster than Junko.  Which meant I could dodge more of the blows.  I even
managed to grab her once and  throw her to the ground.  But man, when she
hit, she hit like a hammer.

    At one point, when she was helping me up again, she whispered to me, "I
understand.  This is your strength, to bear what must be borne.  A man's
strength."  Then she backed up and went to town on me again, even harder
than before.

    This went on a while, until finally Kasumi just ran over and grabbed
Junko.  "That is ENOUGH," she said.  Junko did not resist.

    "Kasumi, it's okay," I said.  "I had a lot worse than this from Taiki."
Though I was starting to hurt a lot.

    "Aunt Miyu, you have to stop this, please," Kasumi begged her.  "I can't
stand this."  She sounded anguished and I felt somewhat guilty.

    "Dan wants to know," Aunt Miyu said softly.  "This is his desire."

    "Dan, please stop," Kasumi said, taking my hands.  "Isn't this enough?
What is Sanae going to think if she finds you all covered with bruises?"

    I hadn't thought about that at all.  Dammit, I'm not used to this.  I
looked over at Junko, who was now staring at the ground.

    "I am sorry, Heir," she said to Kasumi.  "I just wanted to help."

    "Just call me Kasumi," Kasumi said to her.  "Please, Dan, this is making
me crazy."  Her voice was wobbling and now I felt guilty.

    "Do you have enough data, Aunt Miyu?" I asked her.

    She looked at Kasumi, then said, "Yes."  I think she was lying, but it
was clear she didn't like seeing Kasumi so unhappy.  Which kind of surprised
me.  I mean, not that Aunt Miyu revels in sorrow or anything, but she is
normally pretty relentless until someone reins her in.  Which I didn't
realize Kasumi was on the list of those allowed to do so.

    "Any conclusions?" I asked.

    "Not as much as, say, Kasumi, does, but enough to substantially reduce
the impact's effect on you.  Further, your body is drawing low levels of
energy as we speak to augment repair.  Further still, Junko was also drawing
small amounts of Hime power, augmenting the strength of her blows.  Because
Akira was holding back earlier, this meant she was actually hitting you
harder than Akira did, but not as hard as Akira could without holding back."

    Aunt Akira said, "I have to exercise control if I am to not hurt my
students, especially now.  I've never attacked someone just to see how much
they could take in terms of damage before."

    Aunt Miyu looked thoughtful a moment.  "Hit me with everything you
have."

    Kasumi winced.  "Can we stop with the macho posturing?"

    "This is a test," Aunt Miyu said.  "I need to see his strength."

    "Couldn't he just lift weights?" Kasumi asked.

    "No," Miyu said.

    "It's okay.  Aunt Miyu can take a hell of a lot more from me than one
punch," I said.

    Kasumi grimaced and stepped back.

    I hit Aunt Miyu with everything I had, right in the chest.  Then I
stumbled back, wringing my hand.  "OW."

    She only barely moved.  "Good.  You drew some power for that, though
your accuracy was terrible.  Even the boys could not have missed me since I
stood still, however."

    I had a feeling she wanted me to do it again, but Kasumi was getting
more worked up and I decided it best to save this for another time.  "So,
how?" I asked.

    "I expect the Namcub wants to protect you," Aunt Miyu said.  "I also
suspect you could probably draw more power if you were less calm."

    "..."

    "Hime powers grow with our emotions for good and ill," Aunt Miyu said.
"Kasumi's love is strong, enabling her to draw a lot of power.  Yours is not
and you are naturally prone to suppress your emotions.  Junko was hitting
you with everything she had and was very determined, enabling her to draw
more power."

    Kasumi looked embarrassed but smiled.  Junko looked pleased too.

    "I tend to suppress my emotions too," Kagami mumbled.  "I was taught to
have self-control."

    I felt totally embarrassed with everyone looking at me now.  Mom said,
frowning, "That was mean, Miyu.  None of us can know what is in each other's
heart."

    "I simply tell the truth," Miyu said.  "The children have had far too
much of us lying to them to make them feel good."

    "You love Aunt Alyssa a lot, don't you," Kasumi said softly to Aunt
Miyu.

    "I would move the heavens and the earth if she asked me, and die for her
without thinking twice," Aunt Miyu said flatly.  "There is no one I love
more."

    No wonder she's so powerful.  And can use her powers all the time too.

    "You have died for her," Mom said softly.

    "And you brought me back and set me free," Aunt Miyu said to Mom.  "You
know that if there is ever anything you need of me, anything, you need but
ask and I will do it.  Whatever the difficulty or cost."  Sometimes she says
such extravagant things.  But when Aunt Miyu says them, you can't help but
believe she will bring them to pass.

    "You died?" I asked, surprised.  "And came back from the dead?"

    "Everyone deserves to be free, Miyu.  I knew someone who loved that much
would do the right thing," Mom said very seriously.  "And she wasn't exactly
dead.  Not dead, dead.  I can't just raise people from the dead."

    "She revived me with a machine which belonged to the Crystal Princess,"
Aunt Miyu said.  "Having found me broken after I fell when Alyssa was taken
from me."  Her voice actually wavered, which for Aunt Miyu is the equivalent
of screaming and tearing your hair out.

    "Good job, Mom," I mumbled.

    "After which I was able to destroy the pillars and free everyone's loved
ones," Aunt Miyu said.

    Kasumi hugged her tightly.  "Thank you for that, Aunt Miyu," she said.
"I wouldn't be here without you."

    I could see Aunt Akane wince.  I had a sudden suspicion that Aunt Miyu
may have had something to do with Aunt Akane's defeat.  Why else would that
make her wince?

    "None of us would," I said.  "Well, except Kagami and Junko."

    For a moment, I saw Aunt Miyu's eyes flicker.  She then hugged Kasumi
back.  "That would be a great tragedy," she said softly to Kasumi, brushing
Kasumi's bangs aside, then kissing Kasumi's forehead.  "Remember... when all
is darkest, that the Lord can turn even the most wicked of things to his
purposes.  We are all sinners, and even the greatest of sinners may cause
something wonderful to come to pass, if it be the Lord's will.  For in Him,
all things are made whole.  Even the deeds of a sinner like me."  She
sounded very unusually remorseful.

    "You're a heroine, not a sinner," Kasumi said, resting her head on Aunt
Miyu's shoulder.  "You probably saved our lives last night."

    Everyone was staring at Miyu in surprise.  I have hardly ever seen her
be so...gentle.

    I could see Aunt Akane staring quietly at the floor, and wondered what
she was thinking.  She looked rather torn.  This seemed more evidence for my
theory; Aunt Akane never has seemed too comfortable around Aunt Miyu, or
Uncle Kazuya either.

    "Your mother would never forgive me if I let you get hurt, Kasumi, when
I could have stopped it," Aunt Miyu said gently. "I only told you that you
were going to die in order to push you to get stronger.  I do not wish to
see you die."

    "I would never forgive myself if Kasumi died," Aunt Akane said softly.

    "You would never let Kasumi die," Kagami said firmly.  "And neither
would I."

    "No one is going to die,"  Aunt Miyu said.  "Though I would suggest Dan
get some unarmed combat or weapon training and not just rely on surviving
blows until he can shoot something."

    Aunt Akane and Mom both perked up.  "I should teach you to use an axe
properly," Mom said, smiling.

    Even the wooden practice axe looks dangerous.

    Aunt Miyu let go of Kasumi.  "You all should get back to practice.  I
will return in a while."

    "Wait, before you go, can you study me?" Shun asked.  "I want to
know..."

    Aunt Miyu now returned to her usual calm, but it seemed fake to me.  "Of
course.  Attack me with everything you have."

    Shun took a deep breath and then leaped at Aunt Miyu, delivering a
flying kick to her chest that made her stagger back, then grabbing her and
slamming her to the ground, followed by a stomp; she dodged out of the way,
however, and landed behind him, then rolled back, slamming him into the
ground, though he landed well and rolled to his feet.

    Kagami gave a strangled cry, watching, and Aunt Akira frowned.

    Aunt Miyu fought back, but I don't think she was going all out.  Shun
was, throwing everything he had into the attack. Aunt Miyu periodically
counter-attacked, but she didn't press things.

    After a little while, she said, "Very good, Shun."  She tapped her cheek
thoughtfully.  "Like Junko, your emotions are potent, enabling you to tap
your capacity more strongly, though not so well as a Hime or as I suspect
Dan's actual limits are if he was fully tapping his potential."

    I frowned at that.  I like being in control of myself.  When I do let
emotions rule me, I generally act totally stupidly.

    "If there is only one slot left, how could Junko and I both have this
capacity?" Shun asked.

    "I will think on it.  I must go," Aunt Miyu said.

    "Okay," Shun said.  "I'll go back to practicing."

    Mom started teaching me how to hit things with a stupidly large axe
while Aunt Miyu departed.

**************

Alyssa's Story:

    I could feel Miyu's pain and anguish from the pool, where I was swimming
with much of the family.  I immediately got up, got a towel and went and
found her, kneeling by a bed in one of the guest rooms, trying to pray.
Most people couldn't have told anything from the outside, but I knew.

    I always know.

    I knelt down beside her.  "God loves us, you know, Miyu."

    "We did terrible things to their parents and yet they love us.  Love us
unconditionally. They trust us.  I told Kasumi she was going to die and
she...she loves me anyway.  Even more now."  She was holding her rosary
beads, but I couldn't tell if she was actually praying a rosary or just
needed to hold something to still her hands.

    I took mine out.  Glancing at her hands, I could see she was on the
first sorrowful mystery.  Appropriate, I suppose.  "I know, I know, Miyu," I
said softly to her.  "They only know us as we are now.  They don't know our
foolish sins of the past.  But we'll have to tell them."

    "I should," she said.  "But I cannot.  I tried. The words would not
come.  They would not come.  She held me so gently and they would not
come."  She quivered just a little.  "Shizuru told them everything.  But I
could not.  She loves me and I cannot find the strength to hurt her with the
truth."

    "Give it time," I said.  "They've had to absorb enough for one day or a
week or even a month," I told her.  "Let us pray together."

    The first sorrowful mystery is the agony in the garden.  The final
temptation of Jesus to turn back from the cup of pain set before him.  To
abandon us to our sins as we deserved instead of dying for us.  Not because
we deserved salvation, but because we needed it.

    Miyu tends to linger here when we pray the Rosary.  Myself as well, who
I think she learned it from.  Even my sins can be forgiven.  I was horrified
to be defeated, but Mai saved me from myself.  I will forever owe her for
that.  I was so eager for power, so convinced of my own righteousness that I
treated everyone I met as disposable except Miyu and Father.  I wanted so
much to impress him, to earn his love, to show I followed his dream...

    I was an utter and total fool and deserved to die.

    But God loves me despite all that.  Somehow.  And I have done my best to
make up for what I did.  So has Miyu.

    "I know," she said.  "I am afraid to calculate their likely responses.
I do not want to know."

    "Let it rest, Miyu.  Be glad they love us instead of hating us.  And
leave the future to God."  I patted her hand.  "Pray with me."

    We worked our way through the other four Sorrowful Mysteries, and then
the Joyful Mysteries.  As usual, I felt much better afterwards, and I could
feel Miyu's turmoil had mostly died down.  "Come out and swim with me," I
told her.

    "I love you, you know," she said to me.

    "I know," I told her, then hugged her.  "I love you most of all."

    "I love you most of all too," she said softly, then kissed my forehead.
"Let us go swim."

****************

 Kasumi's Tale:

    Mother took Kagami and I to bathe with her after our training session;
there's a billion baths and bathrooms in this place, it seems like, and
Mother somehow got a small one just for us.

    It's hard to even express how good this made me feel.  No more need to
hide my Hime mark from her.  No more secrets.  Everything could go back to
normal.

    Sort of normal.

    Mother said, "Kasumi, I will do your hair, and then Kagami's."

    "Oh, it's okay," Kagami said.

    "No, no, I want to pamper you both," Mother said.

    I smiled goofily like a little kid.  I hadn't done this with Mother in a
long time.

    "At least let me do your hair, then," Kagami said.

    "Okay," Mother said.

    Mother scrubbed my hair throughly.  It felt wonderful.  I felt like the
hugest of huge burdens had been taken from me.   Everything was going to be
okay now, even if the family is at war.

    "Where is your mark?" Mother asked me; she seemed to be searching my
back.

    "Here," I said, peeling off the bandaid and casting it aside.
"Unfortunately, if I wear anything shorter than knee-length like running
shorts, it can be seen."

    "Akane-san and I have ours on our backs," Kagami said.  They turned and
I saw they had theirs at the same place.  I felt a stupid burst of jealousy,
but it quickly passed.  I was too happy right now for anything to bring me
down.

    "I love you, Kasumi," Mother said, and I smiled even brighter.  "You are
my strong, darling daughter and I love you."

    "I love you too, Mother," I said to her.  "I want you to be proud of
me."

    "I am proud of you.  You're strong and fast and beautiful and hard
working and kind and gentle," Mother said.  "And I know you will fight hard
alongside Kagami and I."

    I heard Kagami make a happy noise, and then Mom made one as Kagami
worked on her hair.  "Kasumi fights very well.  It is right for you to be
proud of her," Kagami said.

    "You fight very well too," I told Kagami.  I'm sometimes jealous of her,
but right now, I couldn't be jealous of anyone or anything.  "And we all
have someone who loves us."

    "We are blessed," Mother said, now taking a comb to some tangles in my
hair.  But even the jerking around felt good because it was Mother taking
care of me.

    "I...I have to tell you something," I mumbled.

    "Hmm?" Mother asked.

    "I like fighting," I mumbled.  "Doing katas feels good.  So does
sparring. And even actual battle was really exciting, though also
terrifying.  I hate everyone being in danger, but the practicing feels
really good and even the fighting feels kind of good.  Even though it
shouldn't.  It makes me feel like running makes me feel."  I didn't expect
to enjoy this.  I shouldn't enjoy it.  But it feels good to move around and
jump and dodge attacks and just...do things with my body.

    That sounds like a five year old, I guess.  But I'm enjoying it.  I
don't like seeing anyone get hurt, but I'm starting to see why people do
things like Kendo as a sport, which I never understood.

    It's fun.

    It shouldn't be fun.  Fighting is terrible, people getting hurt is
terrible.  Seeing Dan get clobbered...I could hardly bear it.  But sparring
with Mother is...it's really enjoyable.  I like it.

    "I know," Mother said.  "It feels wonderful.  Some time soon, I want to
take you both and Kazuya flying with me.  It feels wonderful to fly.  But I
guess you both know that."

    "Yes," Kagami said, smiling.  Her hands were very gentle with Mother's
hair.  She soon finished while Mother was still working on me.  "We
should...oh, I guess it wouldn't be fair of me to bring Shun when Kasumi
can't bring Hayao."

    "Not yet," Mother said.  "If their relationship lasts, we will have to
tell him everything.  But we have to be careful."

    I nodded.  That made me feel better, knowing that eventually I could
tell him.  I hate the idea of hiding things.  "It's okay, I wouldn't mind,"
I told her.  I shouldn't mind.  It would probably irritate me some, but I
shouldn't be jealous her boyfriend knows everything and she doesn't have to
hide anything from him and no one hates Shun.

    Okay, I was jealous.

    But I couldn't stay jealous with Mother pampering me.

    Mother finished working out the kinks in my hair, then doused me with
water and moved to work on Kagami, who was smiling like I was.  I began
scrubbing myself before getting in the nice hot water nearby.  "If we died
Kagami's hair red, then she and Shun could be Christmas color twins."

    Kagami laughed.  "Mother is naturally a blond, but she dyed it brown
because she felt people didn't take her seriously enough."

    "So you have your father's hair color?" Mother asked.

    "Yes," Kagami said.

    I feel bad she has to hide everything from her parents.  That's one area
I'm ahead now.  We all three of us have pretty much the same build except my
legs are a lot more muscular than either of them and Mom has some muscle
development on her arms and legs, just enough to show she gets lots of
exercise but isn't a bodybuilder or as dedicated to it as I've been.  And
Kagami...you can tell she didn't use to get much exercise.  Another place
I'm ahead.

    But I shouldn't brag just because Hayao likes to kiss me and would
probably die of joy if he could see me right now before I panicked and
killed him.

    "I wonder what I would look like with blonde hair," Mother speculated.

    "Beautiful," Kagami said.  "I wish I'd gotten Mother's hair."  She
seemed to be remembering something.  Her mother being pretty, I suppose.  I
am curious what her parents look like.

    I wonder what hair color Hayao likes best.  Well, he likes me and that's
all that matters.

    We finished getting clean and took a nice long relaxing bath and I
emerged feeling wonderful.  This has really been a good day, other than
having to lie to Uncle Jinnai.

    We all put on bathing suits; Kagami put on a blue one piece cut high in
front and low in the back; you could see her Hime mark.  I wore a green one
with a red stripe down the front splitting it in half with an almost
identical cut to Kagami's.  But Mother, to my surprise, put on a white
bikini.  I didn't think she even had any bikinis.  You could see her mark as
well and you could see mine, though it was not as easily noticeable down on
my inner thigh.  Everyone was out swimming and I swam for a while, then went
looking for Aunt Miyu.

    She never came back to the practice and I wanted to make sure she was
okay.

    Aunt Miyu was playing tennis with Uncle Yuuichi, Aunt Mikoto, and Aunt
Haruka (as her partner).  So I had to wait for them to finish before I came
up to her and pulled her aside.  "Are you okay?  You never came back."

    "It was time to pray the Rosary," she said.  While her voice was blank
as ever, I am not so young and foolish as to fall for that kind of
diversion.

    "Are you okay?  I guess remembering what happened to Aunt Alyssa must
have hurt a lot."  I took her hands with mine.

    "Yes," she said softly.  "It had to happen.  I know that now.  We had to
learn the error of our ways.  It was God's will."  She stared at the
ground.  "But it hurt."

    "I can't imagine your god would want you to hurt," I said.

    "You do not know much of my God.  He is an artisan who forges souls to
perfection.  But you know what is used for forging?" she said softly.

    "A big hammer and an anvil, right?" I said.  Having one's soul hammered
sounded pretty painful.

    "Fire.  Every soul must pass through the fire, so we will become
malleable enough to be hammered into a new shape.  But then we must pass
through the fire again and be hammered again.  It is a long and painful
process.  But by it, we become perfected and we will go to be with Him in
eternity.  One day, our souls will shine like diamonds, like the stars in
the sky, and others will ask us to help them become perfected too."  Her
voice sounded wistful and hopeful.  "It is known as the Communion of
Saints.  The dead hear our prayers and help us as best they can by praying
for us as well.  I am part of over two thousand years of those who have gone
before me and who watch over us and one day...I hope...I will go to be with
them and watch over the faithful in the future as well."  But she sounded
uncertain of that.

    "I'm sure they will welcome you home, Aunt Miyu."  I think I understand
her better now.  Why she can be so hard on us sometimes.  But I know she
just wants us to become better.  And listening to her, I can tell she judges
herself as harshly as she sometimes judges us.

    Though...

    "I shouldn't ask...but do you really think Dan's love is weak?" I asked
very softly, feeling bad I was probing into this.

    "Dan holds back his emotions and tries to be a rock," Aunt Miyu said
softly.  "And to just tough out every problem.  The Namcub may enable him to
tap into Hime energy, but so long as he holds back his emotions, he will
struggle to use it for anything useful."

    "Is he...Is he a Hime?" I asked.

    "No," Aunt Miyu said.  "Not exactly.  I don't think he could summon a
Child even if he had Natasha's passion.  But I do think that the Namcub will
give him greatly enhanced physical prowness if he learns to use it instead
of repressing his own strength."

    I nodded.

    "His girlfriend seems nice enough; I just hope she is not expecting a
grand passion," Aunt Miyu said.

    "I think she wants a smart boyfriend," I told Aunt Miyu.

    "Then she chose well.  He needs to study more, but he has great native
intelligence.  I think only Erica can match him for brainpower among the
ranks of your generation."  She paused, then said to me, "Which is not to
say you are stupid."

    "No, it's fine, Auntie," I told her.  "I'm quite aware I'm much better
at physical things than mental.  I really like doing physical things."  Like
fighting.  I can't believe I like it.

    "I can tell your enjoyment, especially when you practice with your
mother or when you run.  Which you need to practice to keep getting faster,"
Aunt Miyu said.

    "I'd have to practice in the middle of the night," I said.  "How fast
can you run, Aunt Miyu?"

    "I am not absolutely sure, actually.  Some time we should measure it,"
she said.

    "We could go running together one night," I told her.

    "Yes, that is a good idea," she said.  "I would like to see how fast you
can run."

    I smiled.  This should be fun.

******************

Shun's Tale

    I pretty much just wear a speedo at the pool as I am basically shameless
about my body.  Dan wears boxer-style trunks and sometimes even wears a
t-shirt, though not today.  Natasha, as usual, was in a bikini, a green
one.  The bandage on her upper left arm looked rather out of place; I was
glad it wasn't slowing her down, though, as she was busy swimming and
enjoying herself.

     I was rather stunned to see Aunt Akane in a bikini (though about as
modest as bikinis get) and not surprised at all to see Kagami in a modest
one-piece acting as if she was actually wearing a string bikini, and
therefore embarrassed about it.  I came over to her and kissed her and she
kissed me back, then she mumbled something incoherent about bathing and then
said, "I...Do you like it?"

    "It's a very nice bathing suit," I told her, then flaunted myself.  She
stared appreciatively, then looked more embarrassed as I grinned.  "Ready to
get wet?"

    "I need to talk to Fujino-san," she said nervously, staring at the
ground.

    "I can come with you," I said.

    "No, no, I have to do this myself," she mumbled.

    Crystal and Junko now came out in red and green bikinis respectively.
Damn hot.  Junko went a-wandering, while Crystal jumped in the water.

    "Okay," I told her.  "I'll be swimming.  Dunk me when you need me."

    She laughed.  "See you soon."

******************

Kagami's Tale

    I was extremely nervous about this.  But I had to talk to her.  I
approached Fujino-san as she was lounging out by the pool, after we finished
our practice.  She's so incredibly beautiful, I just wanted to run away,
especially given how nervous I was already.  I don't look hideous in a
bathing suit, but my body isn't very impressive.  Even my bathing suit is
just this solid blue thing which is totally not pretty at all.

    She was wearing a one piece, pink and red, but on her it looked
amazing.  I stood there staring at her as my brain chased itself in
circles.  She had her eyes closed and I suddenly wondered if she was asleep.

    "I'm awake," she said, though her eyes didn't open.  "Hello,
Kagami-san.  How are you?"

    "I...I'm very good," I said nervously.

    Shun offered to come with me but if I can't even talk to her without my
boyfriend helping me, I don't deserve to be alive, let alone a Hime.

    "Are you enjoying attending Rosewood?" she asked me, eyes still closed,
a little smile on her lips.

    "Yes," I told her.  "It's wonderful.  We...I couldn't afford it without
the Survivor Fund money."

    "This is exactly the sort of reason why I set it up," she said softly.
"To help families like yours."

    "It kept Mom afloat when she lost Father too," I said softly.  "Thank
you."

    "You shouldn't thank me," Fujino-san said.  "It is no less than your
due.  It is a paltry replacement for all those lost, all those loving
relationships destroyed, everything I wrecked in my rage."  She sounded sad
and tired.

    "I wouldn't exist if you hadn't done that," I mumbled.  Somehow I had
never really thought about this.  I always felt bad for Mother for losing
her husband, but...his death meant my life.  If he had lived, I wouldn't
exist.  And I don't know what to think or feel about that, other than
guilty, even though I didn't do anything.

    She fell silent and now she sat up and opened her eyes and really looked
at me.

    "And I'm not the only one," I mumbled.  "There's probably dozens of kids
like me, whose parents only met because of what happened that day." I stared
at the ground.  "I mean, not that it, I just...I don't know what I mean."

    Her eyes are a little creepy with that crimson shade.  But her face was
very kind.  "There is no reason whatsoever for you to feel guilty for
existing," she said very firmly.  "The crime was mine and the responsibility
mine.  You shouldn't feel bad about this, Kagami-san."

    "I can't help it; I was raised to take responsibility for things," I
mumbled.

    For a moment, she stared at the ground, then she said, "It is good to be
responsible.  But you should not feel bad that you are here and alive.  Let
me carry the guilt; I am experienced at it.  I am glad you exist,
Kagami-san.  And so is Shun, you know."

    "I know," I said softly.  "He loves me." I smiled; I'm sure I looked
silly.  "My parents...aren't good at showing affection.  But he and
Akira-sensei and Akane-san shower me with it.  I hardly can believe it
sometimes.  He wants to touch me all the time."  I turned a little red,
thinking about it.

    Then she caressed my cheek, and I jumped.  "Like that?" she said softly,
looking a little impish.

    "Eee, yes, but..."

    "I know all about how to touch someone to drive them wild if you want me
to share some secrets with you that you can use on Shun," she almost purred
at me, giving me a look which reminded me of how Shun looked at me last
night when we...

    I turned redder than Dan's hair.  "Fujino-san, much as I want to know
those secrets, people are watching and oh god I said I want to know out
loud!"  I had meant to ask her for advice on using my Element, as Akane-san
had told me that she could do all sorts of tricks with it.

    Several family members looked our way and Kuga-san began coming our way,
looking irritated.

    "Why don't you get Shun and we can go somewhere private for me to teach
you?  Or maybe Natsuki is volunteering to be the guinea pig, hmm?" she said
to Kuga-san.

    "Shizuru, what are you doing to this poor girl?" Kuga-san said, hands on
her hips.  She was in a black bikini.

    "I need a volunteer to be turned on by Kagami-san.  She needs to learn
some of my secrets so she can use them on Shun.  And of course, it'll be
more fun if Shun is surprised.  So I need a stand-in for him," Fujino-san
said to Kuga-san.

    I stared mindlessly.  How can she ask someone that?  And she's totally
shameless about it!  And Kuga-san has a boyfriend!  A really handsome one,
too.

    "Kuga-san has a boyfriend!," I protested.

    "Hmm, we could ask Takumi-kun, but he's married," Fujino-san said.
"Ahh, Reito-san is free."

    I looked over and saw him and Sister Alyssa and Sister Yukariko and her
husband...Ishigami-san, I think, all batting a beach ball around in the
water.  "I think he's busy," I mumbled.

    "Shizuru, stop embarrassing the girl," Kuga-san said, hands on her hips.

    "But she wants to know how better to make her boyfriend go wild.  Isn't
that commendable?" Fujino-san said.  "And if you help, you might learn a few
tricks to use on Roger, too."

    "He does like the ear thing I learned from you," Kuga-san said, then
slapped her forehead.  "Shizuru!"

    Shizuru laughed and smiled, but I could see a little sadness in her
eyes.

    She's trying to cheer me up and make me forget it, I realized.  Plus,
she seems to greatly enjoy teasing Kuga-san.

    Akane-san now came over.  "What's going on?"

    "We need a man for me to teach Kagami my secrets of seduction on,"
Fujino-san said.  "So she can surprise her boyfriend with them."

    "If you need secrets of seduction, I can teach you plenty of those,"
Akane-san said, patting my shoulder.  "I have been married to a man for many
years and I know what makes men crazy.  Whereas, if you were dating Kasumi,
then you would need to go to Shizuru-san."  She smiled impishly.

    "Just because we slept together doesn't mean I'm after girls," I said,
then realized what I had said and wanted to die right now.

    Fujino-san smiled very broadly, while Kuga-san stared and Akane-san
said, "I hope Kasumi showed you a good time, then," still smiling at me.

    "We had a very good time," I said.  "But it totally wasn't...we
didn't...I mean..."  I tried to find some way to express I'm only into guys
without slapping the two people in front of me who I know are into girls,
though I guess Kuga-san drives both sides of the road.

    "I know," Akane-san, said, putting a hand on my shoulder.  "Sometimes
it's nice to just sleep with a friend and not have to be alone."

    "Yeah," I said softly.

    "See, Natsuki?" Fujino-san said.  "We can be just like Kasumi and
Kagami-san."

    Kuga-san mumbled incoherently.

    "I actually...I know you don't want to use your powers, but we have the
same Element, and I was hoping you could help me figure out how to use it
better, as no one here studies the naginata.  I mean, Akira-sensei sort of
knows, and Akane-san is doing her best, but..."  I stared at the ground.
"But I guess that would only make you feel bad."

    "I have not touched even a normal naginata in a long time," Fujino-san
said softly.  "Though my family trained me with it as a child.  But I will
talk to your senseis and help them help you some.  As for your Element..."
She seemed lost in thought.  "Call your Element," she said firmly.

    I summoned it.

    She stared at it, and Kuga-san said, "It looks just like yours."

    Fujino-san shivered, then held her hands out gingerly.

    I heard Akane-san swallow and Fujino-san took it gingerly and suddenly
flowed into a complex kata with it, then looked surprised.

    I noticed a fair number of family members looking at us.  Tate-san
looked stunned, and I could see Suzushiro-san and Kikukawa-san looked rather
nervous.

    "Take it," Fujino-san said urgently and I did.

    "I guess it's like riding a bicycle," I said a little nervously.

    Kuga-san whispered something to Fujino-san, who didn't seem pleased.

    "I will see about helping them to design a program for you," Fujino-san
said.  "You may be able to do what I did, to separate the blade into
chain-linked segments. I suspect what you need to do, though, is just to
experiment somewhere you can afford to break things, and it will come to you
as it did to me."

    "Thank you, Fujino-san," I said and bowed, then banished my Element.  "I
am very grateful."

    "Now, let's find someone we can use as a guinea pig for my OTHER
secrets," Fujino-san said, smiling.

    "You're coming diving, now," Kuga-san said, taking her by the arm and
dragging.

    "Why, Natsuki, you're so bold!"

    "Can it.  It's time for you to fall in water, a lot."

    As they retreated, Akane-san took me aside out of easy earshot of the
pool.  "So how far have you and Shun gone?"

    I was about ready to explode.  "We haven't done anything that could make
me pregnant," I mumbled.  "We agreed we won't do anything that can cause
pregnancy.  We're in no position to risk making a baby."

    Akane-san studied me, then said softly, "But you have done intimate
things which can't lead to pregnancy."

    "Yes," I whispered, totally embarrassed and afraid of how she would
react.  I want...I need her approval.

    She closed her eyes, and I wondered what she was thinking.  "It's not
wise to do that so soon after you start dating," she said.

    I felt crushed.  "I'm sorry," I said.  "I just...we just..."

    "It's okay," Akane-san said, opening her eyes and looking into mine.  "I
said I trusted your judgement, so I will.  I'm not angry.  Kazuya and I...
we did it for the first time after the destruction of the Hime Star.  But
we'd been dating for months before we first did it.  But you don't have that
luxury.  Shun could die.  So I can understand why you want to not hold
back.  Just be careful, okay?"

    "I will," I told her.  "I very much don't want...to end up like
Mother."  I winced.

    She took my hands and squeezed them gently.  "You're an adult now,
Kagami.  You may still be a student, but you're going to have to grow up
hard and fast, and this is part of that.  Come with me."

    She took me over to the gazebo and we sat down together.  She leaned
back against the swinging bench seat, holding one of my hands.  "The thing
you have to understand is this.  Sex is part of a healthy relationship and a
necessary one, but it's not a cure or fix-it-all.  Sometimes you need it for
comfort, often you want it because you love each other, but it can't do the
job by itself, any more than you can live on just tomatos, even if they are
good for you and tasty."

    I nodded, holding her hand firmly.

    "I expect you and Shun will have a lot of sex," she said softly.  "But
you can't just do that.  You have to find lots of ways to build your
intimacy.  So your love will grow.  Love needs a balanced diet, just like
you do."

    I nodded, wishing I could take notes.

    "Love starts with a rush, but you can't be passionate all the time
forever.  Eventually, things will calm down.  That doesn't mean love has
failed, it just means you can't run the oven at maximum temperature all the
time without damaging it."

    I nodded.

    "You'll fight sometimes too," Akane-sensei told me.  "But that will pass
as well.  And sometimes, you will have to stand your ground against Shun
until he stops being stupid and vice versa.  I hate fighting, but even
Kazuya and I sometimes fight."

    I don't ever want to have fights with Shun like my parents sometimes
have.  Why can't people who love each other always be happy together?  It's
not fair.

    "You can always come to me for advice and I will do my best for you,
Kagami-san," Akane-san said.  "You're important to me."

    "You're important to me, very important," I said, squeezing her hand.
"You always...you always treat me very well."

    "And you can go to Kasumi, too.  She's very kind and gentle and very
good at comforting and helping people."  Akane-san smiled brightly.  "I am
very lucky."

    "Me too," I said softly.  "Me too."

************

Shun's Tale:

    I went to see Aunt Haruka, who I found lounging out, half-asleep, on a
deck chair.  Aunt Yukino was clonked out next to her on another one with a
book on her face; it was about something called 'Eniac', whatever that is.

    I gently shook her awake.  "Hey, Aunt Haruka."  I was pretty stunned to
learn she wasn't actually a Hime.

    She sat up.  "What is it, Shun?"  She was wearing a fancy bikini which
probably cost ten times what it's worth, though admittedly, she looks good
in it.  It was fancy and frilly with a leopardskin print.

    "Mom mentioned you have anti-monster weaponry, and since I have yet to
manifest and may or may not, I need to ask you for some.  If it's possible
for you to have knives made for me."

    "Of course," she said.  "Though you'd best avoid fighting if you can
help it.  You're too young."

    "Well, I probably can't, since apparently monsters aren't just attacking
our campus, they're attacking EACH OTHER to see who gets to."

    Aunt Haruka laughed nervously and Aunt Yukino now mumbled something
about vaccuum tubes.

    Aunt Haruka said, "I will see about having them made.  If the
nanomachine project works, we may be able to give you artificial Hime
powers, but it's having some problems."

    "Causing people to mutate into hideous monstrosities?" I teased.  I know
that doesn't ever really happen.

    "No, they break down when exposed to very much testosterone," Aunt
Haruka said.  "Which means they won't work on most men or any women who get
very much exercise.  Also, we still can't get the muscle development even
enough.  And it causes hormone imbalance problems.   And they seem to cause
infertility.  So basically, right now, progress is slow."

    I nodded.  "Well, I seem to be able to tap a little myself, which could
mean I'm going to manifest or maybe it's something else."  Though I'm not
sure what.

    Aunt Haruka looked thoughtful.  "Maybe it's because of your link to a
Hime.  We know it keeps our lovers young, so perhaps it provides other
benefits too."  See, she talks as if she is a Hime.  And no one treats her
any different, except in so far as she is, well, Aunt Haruka with all her
quirks.

    That made sense.  So it could go either way.

    "But Anton, where will we find lederhosen at this hour?" Aunt Yukino
mumbled in her sleep.

    Aunt Haruka laughed softly and smiled fondly at Aunt Yukino.

    "Who is Anton?" I asked.  "Does she have a secret boyfriend?"  I won't
pretend I understand what's up with these two.  Though if they're not lovers
of some kind, I'll be stunned.

    "Anton Lavoisier is my boyfriend Pierre's right hand man and best
friend," Aunt Haruka said.  "You ever heard of Lava soap?  It's named after
one of his ancestors, I think, who was a big chemist who discovered
conservation of mass, oxygen, and hydrogen.  But he got killed during the
French Revolution when they discovered tobacco causes cancer and he'd been
selling it."  She paused.  "I think.  Anyway, Anton is a big sweety and very
smart.  He and Yukino get on very well."

    "So when do we get to meet them?" I asked.

    "They're very busy, but if everything works out right, we'll be able to
take you all to France for your summer vacation and you'll get to meet
them."

    "Really?" I said.  "I know Natasha had kind of talked about that, but I
assumed it was one of her big dreams."

    "I hope so," Aunt Haruka said.  "I want to introduce him to everyone,
but at the same time...well, you know how it is with our family."  She
sighed.  "I can't be fully honest with him yet and I hate it."

    "I understand," I told her.

    "You're very lucky," Aunt Haruka said.

    Aunt Yukino's book began to slide and Aunt Haruka gently pushed it into
place.

    "I know," I told her.  "Anyway, I'll let you go back to napping.  I hate
to just ask a favor, but I need your help."

    "I'll get on it on Monday," she said.  "Good luck with Mitsu-san."

    "Thanks, Auntie."  I now went for a swim.

************

Erica's Tale:

    I feel like an indecisive Harem show lead, except he'd be trying to
decide between women who like him and I've got two guys in my head I can't
possibly have.

    I am the biggest idiot on EARTH.

    Possibly in the entire solar system.

    I lounged out by the pool, trying to figure out what to do.  I can't
stop thinking about them, even though both of them have zero interest in me
and Hayao kisses like a dream and someone kill me now.

    I can't even talk to someone about this without feeling like an idiot.
Because I am one.

    I am stupidly stupid.  Stupid head.  Stupid heart.

    "Surprise octopus attack!" Aunt Shiho said and began tickling me by
surprise.

    I flailed wildly, laughing and laughing and laughing.

    Aunt Shiho smiled a crooked smile at me.  "Hey, you want to talk to
someone?" she said softly.  "I know what liking someone who doesn't like you
back feels like."

    "Did my parents blab?" I mumbled.

    "A touch.  But mainly, I know how to read people," she said.

    Great, I'm broadcasting to the world.  "Okay," I said.

    She pulled over a lounge chair, then sat on it.  She is so totally
beautiful.  My figure's decent, but she's just amazing looking.  I don't
feel beautiful, but she IS beautiful.

    "I can't imagine any guy would turn you down, Aunt Shiho."

    "Well, very few can," Aunt Shiho said proudly, but then more soberly
said, "But the first guy I ever fell in love with dumped me totally.  Then
started dating the woman I most hated."

    Uncle Yuuichi and Aunt Mai, I think.  I nodded.

    "It hurts, I know," she said.  "But you can't dwell on it.  I spent way
too much time doing it, hating him, hating her, hating everything, hating
myself.  Sometimes, it just doesn't work out."

    "I keep dreaming about him," I mumbled.  Both of them.

    "It'll pass with time.  Find someone else, get some kissyface and you'll
forget.  Forget enough to get by with sanity intact, anyway," she said.
"I'm sure there are a ton of boys who wouldn't mind having a little fling
with you."

    I wasn't so sure I could do that.  On the other hand, it was at least
something to try beyond sitting around and being Queen of Moping.

    I've done way too much of that.  "Are you seeing anyone right now?"

    "Yeah, his name is Robert Cooper and he works for Shell Solar.  They're
in a huge project with US Robots and some Japanese companies to put solar
panels up on a huge scale around here.  Including some of Kazuya's
relatives, I think," Aunt Shiho said.  "I tried to get him to come Saturday
but he was busy."

    "Is he a businessman or a scientist?"

    "Businessman," she said.  "I couldn't keep up with an egghead."

    "I'm an egghead," I told her.

    "Yes, but you're my super-neice," she said.  "Please watch over
Natasha.  She's a good, loving, kind girl and I'm very proud of her, but she
has NO common sense whatsoever.  And total, blinding confidence.  Which is
usually justified, but she needs someone sensible riding herd on her."

    "I'll keep an eye out," I promised Aunt Shiho.  "You and Natasha seem to
be really close."

    "She is my everything," Aunt Shiho said calmly.  "We fight sometimes,
but she's the best thing in my life."

    "I'm pretty close with my folks and very glad we won't have to hide
anything any more," I told her.

    "I know how you feel.  I'm glad I don't have to hide everything any
more.  You're lucky you have parents with nothing to hide."

    "I know," I said softly.

    We talked a while longer; it was nice to have a chance to get to know
one of my aunts better, as I don't have a decade and a half of experience of
them like everyone else does.

*************

Gin's Tale:

    The woods were pretty much totally safe.  We wandered around, dodging
old beer cans and makeout spots.  Given we had no clue what we were actually
looking for, I'm not surprised we didn't find anything at first.  We
couldn't even find my tracks, let alone Natasha's.

    Then we found the stone table, now ground down to rubble and turned into
a fire pit with clear evidence of recent use.

    "Holy shit, what did this?" Mandi asked.

    I kneeled down and picked up a chunk of rock.  One side of it was
crushed and smashed up and rough.  The other side of it was cleanly sliced
as if someone had somehow smoothly sliced the granite with a blade.'
'sliced, as if someone had somehow cut the granite with a very sharp blade.
The top of it was a chunk of chinese writing.  So was the bottom.

    "Hmm, a mixture of blunt force and bladed cutting tools," I said.
"However, it would take a diamond tipped saw in order to easily cut this
stuff, and it would take a lot of work to make it this smooth."  I held it
up to Sanae.  "Does this smooth side look like anything heated it?"

    "No," she said.  "However, granite is heat resistant enough that nothing
short of a blowtorch would do anything but put ashes on it."

    "You can tell what was needed to cut it?" Hayao asked, surprised.

    "Mom runs a gardening store, which includes selling things which cut
things,"  I told him.  "This should have made a fuckton of noise too.  And
we would have heard rumors, so it has to be recent, though I don't see how
this could have anything to do with snakes."

    In a few places under the piled rubble, there was pinkish-red powder,
which Sanae collected into an envelope, using a hair brush from Hotaru's
purse.  It looked to me like someone had taken most of it, but there were
faint smears and traces on some of the chunks, which looked to me like there
used to be some kind of picture or runes or something.  I copied it as best
I could.

    "Please tell me this isn't radioactive, Sanae," I said.

    "I have no way to tell but why would anything radioactive be on the
bottom of this?" she asked.

    "I don't know."  Please don't let this turn out to be crack or
something.

    "What is all this engraving on this tablet, anyway?" I asked.

    "Chinese," Hayao said.  "I can't read it, though; too archaic."

    "Dan would know," Sanae said.

    "Yes, but we can't ask Dan," Hayao said.  "Dan is inside the secret and
we are not.  He won't tell us."  He frowned.

    Hotaru ran her fingers across it, studying it.  "I would not be
surprised if this thing was left over from the early Heiian period, maybe
even the Yamato period."

    "Perhaps it was once part of some kind of land marker from the
divisional allotments made during the Taika Reform," Hayao said.  "Or even
part of Emperor Kotaku's palace, which I think he actually built in Osaka in
its early years.  Or an old shrine."

    I took my pencil and pad and took a couple of rubbings, not that I was
sure who could possibly translate any of this for us.

    Something now struck me.  "Sanae, you know botany, right?"

    "Yes," she said.

    I took her around the edge of the clearing.  "Is it just me, or are
there burn marks in some places and smashed up branches and stuff around the
perimeter?  But that's not a botany question.  This is.  What the hell are
these mushrooms?"  I pointed to some purple mushrooms which now bloomed
around the edge of the clearing.

    "It's not just you," she said frowning.  She pulled up two of the
mushrooms, putting them in a small bag.  "I can try and look these up."

    Hotaru turned in a circle studying this and frowned deeply.  She touched
several of the damaged trees.

    Mandi frowned.  "There are broken branches in the edge of the woods, but
the damage doesn't go far from the clearing.  And everything that might have
fallen on the table is cleaned up.  They probably burned some of the
evidence."

     Something strange had happened here.

    Hotaru cocked her head.

    "What?" I asked.

    She frowned.  "Nothing but silence."

    "Should we be hearing something?" I asked.

    Sanae frowned.  "You're right, it is quiet."

    "Should we be hearing something?" I asked again.

    "That is kind of eerie," Hayo said.

    "Will someone answer my question?" I asked.

    "There should be some animal noises.  Not a whole lot as nothing very
big lives here," Sanae said.  "But instead, total silence except for us.
These trees are usually full of small noises."

    "We didn't see any animal corpses," I said, "so they can't all be dead."

    "Isn't dead silence normally the prelude to some monster or a
spring-loaded cat jumping out at you?" Mandi said.

    "We're not living in a horror movie," Hayao said.  "And even if we are,
we won't actually die until we split up so we can be picked off one by one."

    "Also, none of us are doing drugs or having sex right now, so that
increases our survival odds," Mandi said.  "Though if this is a horror
movie, Hotaru and Sanae will likely survive while the other three of us
die."

    Hotaru said, "If this was a horror movie, I'd turn out to be a real
vampire."  She grinned.

    "Well, in that case, Hayao and I are already vampires," Mandi said,
laughing.

    "Probably the fight here, whatever exactly happened, scared off
everything," I said.   "Man, this tree has blast marks on it," I said,
studying its bark.  It was charred pretty badly in spots.  So external
flame, but brief contact, as it didn't ignite.  The tree felt too damp to
burn easily.

    "And look here," I said.  I'd found a tree that looked like someone had
driven a long, narrow blade through the tree from one side to the other.
There was a stain around the cut on the side facing the clearing.

    Sanae studied it and frowned, then got another bag and took some of the
bark off, putting it inside.

    "Why would anyone smash this thing up?" Hayao asked, studying the new
firepit.

    "Well, maybe next weekend we can take it down to Osaka University and
find someone who can read the rubbings," I said.

    "Yeah."

    Something more than snake chasing was going on here, but what?

*****************

Dan's Tale:

    I jumped into the water again without enough foresight and ended up
diving right into Junko.  We flailed stupidly, then rose to the surface.
"I'm really sorry," I told her.

    "It's okay," she said.

    "Thank you for helping me earlier," I said softly.  "You shouldn't feel
bad about it; I needed to know."

    "I understand completely," she said softly.  "I know what it is to...I
understand men better than most women," she said.  "I am still adjusting to
how different your clan is from ours.  It must be hard to..."  She struggled
for words.

    I have to admit I am curious about her clan.  By what I know of her and
Hikaru, they seem to have a rather old-fashioned view of gender roles.  But
then, how did she become such a badass?  She'd kick the shit out of me in a
real fight.

    Junko was still flailing to find the right words.  "You would be
respected in my clan for that," she said finally.  "I know it must be kept
secret, your limits and abilities.  But my family...my brother...would be
proud of you.  Though they would not have stopped until you passed out."

    "That would have been fine," I said.  "Though Kasumi was right, going
further would make it even harder to explain to Sanae."

    "She should be proud of your strength," Junko said firmly.  "But I
appreciate the need for secrecy here.  I wish you luck with her.  I know
virtually nothing of her, I'm afraid."

    "And good luck with Crystal.  She...umm...  Good luck."  I can't just
say 'her affairs burn brightly and end fast' to someone who has risked
herself for Crystal and now is committed to our cause.

    "I have known Crystal for a while," she said.  "Though I see much of
what I thought I knew was merely the iceberg's tip."  She stared off across
the pool area towards where Kagami, Aunt Akane, Uncle Kazuya, and Shun were
playing around with a beach ball.  I was surprised Kasumi wasn't with them,
but then I saw her surface halfway across the pool and vanish again.

    "Aunt Akane is training you, right?" I asked.

    "Yes," Junko said with a bright smile.  "I am very grateful to her.  You
train with Kuga-san, right?"

    "Yes," I said.  "She's a good teacher, though a little rough."

    "A teacher must be a little rough.  Sometimes a lot rough.  I am not
used to a teacher like Kurauchi-sensei," Junko said.  "But it seems her
teaching is bearing fruit and I have learned that many things I grew up with
are not the only way to do things."  She continued to study the others.

    I wondered what she was looking at, though given she likes women, maybe
it was just Kagami and Aunt Akane in bathing suits.

    She finally shook her head, and said, "Can you introduce me to your
sensei?"

    I took her over to Aunt Natsuki, who was sitting sideways on a deck
chair with Shizuru; Uncle Yuuichi was sitting on a chair opposite them,
pontificating on some subject.  They fell silent as we came up and smiled at
us.

    I saw Junko had suddenly shifted stances from looking kind of macho and
dangerous to a very serious but non-violent kind of posture.  I'm not sure
how to describe it, but it was kind of how Mom and Dad look when they teach.

    She bowed to them and I said, "Uncle Yuuichi, Aunt Natsuki, Aunt
Shizuru, this is Crystal's girlfriend Nagiki Junko.  She wanted to meet Aunt
Natsuki."

    "I guess the rest of us are just chopped liver," Uncle Yuuichi said
dryly and Junko looked embarrassed.

    "No, I want to meet everyone in your clan, I just specifically wanted to
meet the woman who trains Dan," Junko said hastily and bowed again.  "My
apologies."

    "I was teasing," he said cheerfully.

    "It's nice to meet you," Aunt Natsuki said, studying Junko curiously.
"I'm Kuga Natsuki, a bodyguard," she said.  "I'm teaching Dan and Erica to
shoot and ride motorcycles."

    Junko nodded and bowed again, making me smile a little.

    "I am Fujino Shizuru, a Negotiator," Aunt Shizuru said.  "And this is
Tate Yuuichi, who works for Shinohara Electronics and Robotics."

    "We've met," Uncle Yuuichi said, smiling.

    "Tate-sama and I have met," Junko said very seriously.

    "-sama," Aunt Shizuru said teasingly.

    Junko mumbled and I grinned a little.

    "She is going to be a librarian," Uncle Yuuichi said.  "Conan the
Librarian, I think."

    Junko soon ended up discoursing on the state of libraries and the need
for more librarians which turned into a general debate on education which I
found interesting but you probably would not.

***************

Crystal's Tale:

    Seeing Junko relentlessly beat the shit out of Dan had been kind of
creepy.  Seeing him perfectly happy with this had been MORE creepy.  What is
he thinking about?  Though I guess it was good to find out he won't be
helpless.  Now I have to wonder what else may happen to him.

    I had decided to take Aunt Miyu's advice and go talk to Aunt Mikoto
about my Child, though I'm not sure why.  But best to find out, right?

    I pulled Aunt Mikoto away from her tennis and over to the gazebo.  She
was wearing a black one-piece with little white jaggedy marks like claw
marks on it.  "What's up?" Aunt Mikoto asked.  We'd sparred during practice
but I had forgotten to ask then.

    "I...Aunt Miyu said to tell you about my Child," I said a little
nervously.

    "Oooh, yes!  She said he's some kind of giant robot monk?"

    "His name is Miroku," I said.

    Aunt Mikoto's eyes widened and she jumped back onto the railing.

    "What's wrong?" I asked.

    "I...really?" she asked.

    "Aunt Mikoto, why are you freaking out?" I asked.

    "Miroku...was the Child given me by the Obsidian Lord," Aunt Mikoto
said.  "Mai had to kill him."  She stared at the gazebo floor, then said, "I
suppose it must be a coincidence."

    "He said he wanted to repent his sins," I said.

    She stared at me, then stared at the ground.  I shifted about nervously;
this is not really normal for her.

    "Well," she said softly, then looked at me, then a tree, then turned
back and said, softly, "I wish you luck with him, then.  He served me well.
Tell me about the big fight."

    I sat down on the bench with her and told her all about it; she quickly
grew excited again and I felt better.  I normally would have pressed her,
but at this point, I felt uncertain I wanted to know

    "I wish I'd been there," Aunt Mikoto.

    "Me too," I said.  "Is it normally that ugly?"

    "We usually only had to fight one or two at a time," Aunt Mikoto said.
"These must have been weak, or you guys are more powerful than we were."

    "I'll be happier when everyone has their powers back," I told her.  "I
mean, we'll do our very best, but we have school and I'm grounded
and...everything."  And we nearly died without Aunt Akane and Aunt Akira.  I
shivered.

    Natasha still isn't scared.  But I am and I hate it.  I feel like such a
coward.  Junko doesn't seem afraid of anything and she doesn't even HAVE
powers.

    Aunt Mikoto hugged me tightly.  "You did great and you will do great.
I'm very proud of you and so is your mother."

    "She bit mine and Junko's face off," I said miserably.  "What was I
supposed to do, just let Natasha die?"

    "She's just terrified for you.  Remember, she had to watch her brother
and her boyfriend dissolve away into green shiny dust which blew away,
during the Festival.  She's afraid you'll get hurt  and she's probably
doubly afraid for Junko, who went into fighting Orphans with no powers at
all," Aunt Mikoto said, patting my head.

    Yeah.  "This wouldn't have happened if you all had come clean with us
before."  I tried to muster some outrage, but it wasn't very strong.

    "Then you would have just known monsters could eat you at any time while
being helpless to stop them," Aunt Mikoto said.  "We just hoped you'd never
have to face it."  She sighed.  "I'm sorry."

    That made me feel better.  I doubt Mom will ever apologize, given she's
convinced of her invincible self-righteousness.  Even though she sat on her
ass for over twenty years and let others go get in trouble instead of her.
"It's okay."  I can see why they didn't tell us.  It's just...  Aaargh.

    I guess I'm lucky.  Junko knows everything.  Nothing to hide from her.
Unlike the others.  Well, Shun and I are lucky.

    I glanced off and saw Junko, deep in discussion of something with Dan,
Aunt Shizuru, Aunt Natsuki, and Dad.  She was in what I now dub 'parent
face' mode of being very serious and even in a bikini, she stood with the
stance of an adult.  I don't know how exactly to describe it, other than to
say she stood like a professional, not like some teenager hanging out at the
pool.

    God, she's hot in that bikini.

    She's a complex person.  But that's okay, as I find that interesting.
And she knows where she's going and what she wants, and I like that too.

    So it's up to me not to screw this up.  But I'll do my best.

    Then, as Kagami was playing some kind of ball game in the water with
Aunt Akane, Uncle Kazuya, and Shun, Kasumi suddenly rose out of the water
and yelled "PROXY AMBUSH," grabbed Kagami and pulled her under.

    "..."

    Uncle Kazuya flopped back and sank himself and Aunt Akane dove for him,
leaving Shun laughing his ass off before suddenly he sank underwater.

    "I think they need our help," Aunt Mikoto said, taking off.

    Help.  Hehe.

    I followed her in.

*************

Kasumi's Tale:

    Aunt Haruka and I were crushing Shun and Kagami at tennis when Father
came up to me and pulled me aside; he was wearing white boxer trunks the
same color as Mother's bikini.  I suddenly wondered if they'd
color-coordinated today.

    "I'm sorry," he said softly.

    I blinked.  "Sorry for what, Father?" I asked in confusion.

    "Not telling you the truth.  That you have to get involved in this.
That you had to quit track."  He sounded as guilty as if he'd forced me to
quit it.

    "It's okay, Father," I told him.  "I was meant for bigger things.  I'll
be running races with tornados and comets.  I didn't ask for this, but I'm
going to do my best.  It's not your fault."

    Father stared at the ground.  I looked down but it just looked like
grass.  "Tornados and comets," he mumbled.

    "Well, figuratively.  I can only run about ninety kilometers per hour
right now," I told him.  "If I get up to full speed."

    He continued to study the ground.  "I see," he mumbled, then looked up
at me; I could tell he was rather unhappy and I felt terrible and I didn't
understand.

    "What's wrong, Father?" I asked.

    "Nothing," he said, then hugged me tightly.  "You know I'll be cheering
for you."

    "I know you will, Father.  I love you," I said, feeling bad he was
unhappy.  But I still didn't understand why.

    "I love you too," he said softly.  "Just remember everything we taught
you when you're out saving the world."

    "I wouldn't be able to do this without you and Mother," I told him.
"Everything I am, it's because of you two."

    That seemed to make Father feel a little better.  "Be careful."

    "I will."

    He let go of me.  "That's all.  It's all I...it's all."  He stared at
the ground a moment, then smiled at me weakly.

    "Is everything good at work?" I asked.

    Though it couldn't be work, as Mother looked totally care-free as she
and Aunt Mai and Aunt Natsuki and Uncle Yuuichi engaged in some very strange
game that seemed to involve kicking a small bean bag in the air with the
side of your foot.  I've seen them doing this before and it always looks
very odd to me.  "What is Mother doing?" I asked.

    "Hmm?  Oh, they're playing hackeysack," he said.  "Do kids not do that
any more?"

    "Not at all," I said.  It looked kind of like jianzi to me, which is a -
I think it's Chinese - game that involves keeping a shuttlecock in the air,
though.

    Mother kicked the hackeysack a little too vigorously and it flew into
the air and came flying down at us.  Father intercepted it, kicked it into
the air, turned, kicked it up again, then nailed it a third time, sending it
flying back towards the others, where Aunt Natsuki caught it with her knee,
bouncing it back into play.  Father looked a little surprised, but pleased.

    Mother and Aunt Mai both clapped.  "Nice save, Kazuya!" Mother shouted
and Father smiled.

    He bowed to them.  "Here, let us in.  We have to show Kasumi how to play
this."

    "Come on in," Aunt Mai said and Mother smiled at me and I headed over
with Father to learn something new.

*************

    Later, before we left, Mother took me aside.  "Kasumi, you and Hayao
haven't..."

    "No, no, we haven't gone beyond kissing and hugging," I said, a little
panicked.

    "Good.  You shouldn't rush things," Mother said.  "It's best to ease
into things."

    I nodded.  "I will."

    "Okay," she said.  "I just had to check."

    I wonder what brought that on.

*************

Sanae's Tale:

    Unfortunately, Dan's family kept him too late for us to go to the
museum.  Fortunately, it wasn't too late to go out to eat for dinner with
his folks.  So we hit a Korean barbeque which was pretty good.

    Dan seemed a little down, so I gave him a kiss which I think made him
feel better, though he still didn't revive all the way.  He kept giving me
an odd look when he thought I couldn't see.  Kind of guilty looking.  This
made me curious and worried.  Maybe it's just because he can't talk about
what happened last night.  This made me even more curious.

    We chatted about the future; Dan and I both have pretty clear plans for
college and beyond.  I expect we'll both end up in academia and so Dan's
parents had lots of good advice and interesting stories for us.  It was a
very good conversation.

    Afterwards, they dropped us off and we wandered around campus, hand in
hand.  Eventually, we ended up in the middle of the gardens and I pulled him
into an embrace and a kiss.  I could tell he enjoyed the kiss, but he felt
very tense.  "What's wrong?" I asked softly.

    "Unarmed combat training, my torso is kind of tender," he mumbled.

    I pulled his shirt up, which caused his face to turn a little red, which
was totally cute.  He had a bunch of mostly faded bruises, but he looked
pretty roughed up.  "What happened?" I asked, worried.

    "I'm a lot better at taking getting hit than avoiding getting hit," he
said, grimacing.  "Junko hits really hard with those kicks."

    I grimaced.  At least this meant he was trying to learn some
self-defense so we wouldn't have a repeat of the beating Taiki gave him.

    I could hardly believe that.  I mean, Taiki's never been a pacifist, but
giving someone a brutal beating like that is totally unlike him.  I really
gave him a piece of my mind but it didn't work.  We've all tried, but it
just doesn't seem to get through his anger for very long.  Hopefully,
Ayumi-sempai will make him feel better.

    On the other hand, she seems to be a bundle of anger herself, so they
may feed on each other.  Ugh.

    I let his shirt down.  "You're cute when you get embarrassed," I said.

    He mumbled incoherently.  I took his hands and kissed him again.

    "So why did Junko get to go and I didn't?" I asked.  "I got to go
yesterday."

    Dan stared at the ground, mumbling something about kicking.

    "I can kick someone if you need me to," I told him.

    Dan was about to say something, then he frowned.

    I followed his gaze; it was Taiki and Ayumi-sempai and Fukuda-san and
Kiwara Hitomi, our school gossip, having some sort of excited conversation.
Then they all fell silent and stared our way.  If looks could kill, Dan and
I would have caught fire and died.  Or more precisely, Dan, as they all were
aiming their gaze at him. Though Kiwara-san looked more contemptuous than
angry.

    "I think we'd better leave," I said.

    "Let's go the library," he said.

    Much as I like our library, like studying, and like learning, I do not
consider it a site for romance.  But there couldn't be any trouble there.

    I hope.

    We went into the library; to my suprise, the study area up front
actually had Natasha and Gin hard at work on what looked like math.  "Hey,
need any help?" I asked.

    "Please," Natasha said.  "I can't continue Vaguely Final Fantasy XXIX
until I get this stupid homework done."

    "I hid her FunBox where she can't find it," Gin said.  "It's a hostage
until her math gets done.  And mine."

    "Dan likely needs help too," Natasha said.

    "I don't have my..." Dan began.

    "Paper.  Pen.  Pencil.  Duodecahedron," Natasha said, setting things
out.

    I stared at the twelve-sided plastic geometric solid, numbered one to
twelve.  "Is this a die?" I asked.

    Gin took it.  "Yes, but it's not relevant to this, I think."  He cocked
his head at it.  "Maybe.  Unless there's something on random numbers hidden
in here."

    I helped them out, feeling good.  I want good relations with Dan's
cousins, as I know they are to him as Mandi and Hayao are to me.  And as
Taiki was, except now he seems to have gone axe-crazy on us.  I don't
understand.

    At the same time, I think they're keeping secrets from us and I don't
like that.  Especially since I couldn't find those mushrooms in any of Dad's
reference works in his office or in my usual online databases.  They glow in
the dark, but I couldn't figure out why.

    And if I understand the test I ran, I think they cause hallucinations.
So I'd best go root them up before they spread and some idiot eats them.
Later.

    We finally finished.  "You are a life-saving miracle worker," Natasha
said.  "Why'd you come to the library, anyway?"

    "Taiki, Fukuda-san, Kiwara-san, and Ayumi-sempai were having an anti-Dan
hatefest in the gardens, so we evacuated," I said.

    Natasha grimaced.  "I think it's way overdue for me to give that fucker
some payback."  Then she smiled in a way that disturbed me.

    I started to say something, then remembered Gin was right there.  I
couldn't just say 'let it slide he beat up your boyfriend', but I didn't
want this to turn into an endless cycle of retaliation.

    "Just let it slide," Gin said.  "He's not worth your time, Natasha.  You
can put all that energy into just taking me now, right here on the table."
He grinned.

    "Oh my, Gin, you're so bold," Natasha said with a kind of weird lilt,
clearly imitating someone.  Dan began laughing loudly.  I felt confused.

    "Well, not quite now, as I don't think Dan and Sanae want to watch and I
surely don't want the librarians watching," Gin said.

    "But seriously, I want to give that fucker some payback," Natasha said.
"I can't let him get away with it."

    "So would I," Gin said.  "But given stabbing him is out, I doubt either
of us can take him.  Maybe not even both of us."

    Natasha grinned confidently.  "Oh, I don't know about that."

    "I don't want to see you get punched out, honey," Gin said.  "We can
just dump ants in his room or something."

    "Please don't dump ants in his room," I said to them.  "If you
retaliate, this will just go on forever."

    "I'm pretty sure I..." Natasha began.

    "We have responsibilities," Dan said to her very seriously.

    She winced.  "He attacked my boyfriend and called me a whore!"

    "He beat me down and I let him so he wouldn't mess things up for us,"
Dan said, still serious.  "I hate his guts and if he got hit by a car, I
wouldn't cry," Dan said, grimacing.  "In fact, I'd ask the guy to back up
and do it again.  But we can't just go around beating people up."

    I winced.  Knowing my boyfriend hates an old friend of mine is not fun
at all.  Why is Taiki being so crazy?  He's moved on to another woman, so
it's not just the Crystal thing.  All she did was dump him, anyway.

    That's not worth freaking this much over, is it?

***********

Shun's Tale:

    "How was your date?" Kagami asked my roomate.

    "Great," he said, then yawned.  "We're going out again next weekend."

    "Cool," I said.

    "You guys have fun with Shun's family?"

    "Yes," Kagami said, smiling and kissing me softly.

    "Good," he said.  "My homework is done, so I'm going to bed."

    We soon got ours finished and went to go to bed.  Kagami took a shower
and then I did.  She was sprawled out in bed by the time I came out in my
pajamas.

    I love having her hold me all night long.  It helps me sleep better.

    She rolled onto her side and let me get in and pull up the covers over
us, then she laid down on me and kissed me slowly, her arms wrapped around
me.  My hands roamed up and down her back, and one of her hands slid down
onto my butt.  She smiled shyly at me, and I kissed her again.  "I love
you," I said softly.

    "I love you too," she said, then slumped down and closed her eyes.

    Mom's not happy about this, but too bad.  I need it.  I deserve it.  We
both do.  We could die at any time.  Though I am pretty optimistic.  But Mom
pretty much lost the moral high ground here by lying to us all those years.


    "Does Aunt Akane know?  She isn't mad at you, is she?"

    "She told me I'm an adult now and to be careful," Kagami said, eyes
still shut.  "And gave me some advice on relationships and how to make you
go crazy."

    "Good crazy, I hope."

    She smiled.  "Yes.  I'm saving it for a special time.  Or at least one
where I'm less tired."

    "We're very lucky," I said.  "Kagami, what are we going to do if Junko
gets the last slot instead of me?"

    "Suzushiro-san will arm you with her special weapons and we'll fight
together anyway," Kagami said confidently.  "Like Dan's parents.  I'm sure
you could beat Professor Sasaki in a fight and he's got decades of
experience.  It will be fine."

    I hope she's right.  But it's true, he has been handling it and I could
hand him his ass.  That made me feel somewhat better.  I just want to be
useful, not a liability or a hostage.  Knowing Kagami wants me by her side
whatever happens feels good.

    I slid off to sleep, as content as I was going to get.

***********

Natasha's Tale:

    I was headed to join the others for breakfast on Monday when I passed
Kiwara Hitomi and her friends.  Hitomi said, "Yeah, from what I hear,
Natasha got hammered again, got lost in the woods, totally panicked her
whole family and told a story about being chased by a snake to cover it up.
But that's about what you can expect from trash like that."

    "If you want to see what trash is like," I said, pounding her table,
causing the trays to jump, "I would be happy to introduce you to the inside
of a garbage can."  If I don't stop this now, people are going to be
crapping on me all day.

    "You want to go join your cousins in detention?" Hitomi asked.  "Go
ahead, attack me with a billion witnesses."  She got her camera out.

    "Natasha, she's not worth it," Kasumi said.

    I half-jumped out of my skin.  She'd been a good ways over at our usual
table when I came over here.  "Hey, Kasumi," I said.

    Kasumi gently began to pull me away.  "She's just jealous because you
have a sexy, gentle boyfriend and she has to make love to her photo
collection."

    I stared at Kasumi, eyes wide.  Did she just call my boyfriend sexy?

    Hitomi spluttered in shock.  Her friends stared, eyes wide.

    "But a catty liar like her will never know the sweet kisses of a boy who
truly loves them," Kasumi said.  "Like Gin loves you.  So what does it
matter what she says or thinks about you?  He knows the truth, and that's
what matters, right?"  Just for a moment, she touched my chest over my
heart.  "He sees the shining star that burns inside you, the light to always
guide him back to you.  He knows the fires that burn inside your heart, that
gently warm him on a cold night."

    Hitomi yelled something at us as Kasumi led me away with a gentle hand
on my back.  But I didn't hear.  Well, I heard it, but it didn't register as
anything but noise.  Because I started crying and crying and crying because
that was the nicest thing Kasumi had ever said to me, and I wished Gin had
said it, though he would have if he'd thought of it before she did and I
thought...

    She understands.  She understands how I feel about him and why I ache to
avenge him and how I love him so much.  It burns inside me like a star, like
she said.  And he loves me.

    Our love is going to shine like the sun.  Stuff Romeo and Juliet.
They're going to be making movies about US.

    Kasumi held me gently as I cried on her shoulder.  She's a touch taller
than I am, but that just makes this easier.  Crying shouldn't feel good, but
weirdly, it did.  She held me until the storm blew out.

    Finally, I let go of her and said, "We should have a double-date."

    "Sounds good to me," Kasumi said.  "We can flaunt that we're not
grounded."  She had an impish smile.

    "We're the good girls who didn't get in trouble," I said, laughing.
That's a weird category to be in for me.

    "Now come get some breakfast. Love makes me hungry."

    I laughed.  "Me too."

    I don't focus easily; like a cat, I sometimes pounce at anything that
moves.  But I've got to focus on what's important.  My boyfriend and my
family's war.  And not let stupid people get to me.

    Kasumi thinks my boyfriend is sexy???  What?

    What planet am I on?

***********

Erica's Tale:

    I had lunch with my parents in Aoi-Mom's office / clinic.  Chie-Mom and
I were stuffing our faces while Aoi-Mom was busy replenishing my first aid
kit with supplies.  I'm going to need it.  We all took rather a beating,
though it seems to be healing abnormally quickly.  A benefit of being a
battle princess.

    I dreamed about both of them last night.  Despite my efforts to 'change
the channel'.  I am going to go crazy if this keeps up.

    But I'll get over it.  I haven't had two people on my brain at once
before, but I'm...I can't believe I'm going to take Aunt Shiho's advice.  I
need some kind of fling to get them out of my head.

    Mind you, I haven't decided on a target yet, but that's where having a
mother who tracks the romantic status of half the school comes in handy.

    I can hardly believe all this is real, sometimes.  Three weeks ago,
Chie-Mom introduced me to my new cousins.  Since then, my world has totally
changed.  I have a new family and new responsibilities.

    I hope I can handle them.  That battle royale was exhilarating and
terrifying at once.  I think I did pretty well, but we still had to have
Aunt Akane and Aunt Akira save us.

    I just hope I can keep my grades up so I don't end up like Natasha.

    "Penny for your thoughts," Chie-Mom said.

    "You don't have any pennies," I said.

    She laughed.  "Seriously."

    "I don't know if I can handle all this," I told her.  "This is
so...nothing prepared me for this."

    "I know exactly how you feel," Aoi-Mom said, closing my box and pulling
her meal out of the microwave.  Beef stroganoff.  Mmm, good.  "But it's too
late, Chie's gotten us in over our head again.  But that's the price of
love.  It'll make you strong, but it also means hitching your wagon to the
stars of those you love."

    "Quite literally," Chie-Mom said, looking embarrassed as she ate. She
had microwave sphagetti with meatballs; I had chicken, rice, and
vegetables.  Mmm, good.  We are all adept in the ancient art of microwaving
boxed meals.  Though actually Aoi-Mom is a great cook and Chie-Mom can keep
us alive.  "The idea that I'm getting power from a star makes me boggle."

    "It's just hard to believe it's all real."

    "It's not so hard for us because of the things we saw at Fuuka, but it's
strange to be inside it, living it, instead of watching it from the
outside," Chie-Mom said.

    "Yeah," I said.  But I can't just watch; I have to act.  To be a heroine
outside my dreams as well as inside them.  I just hope I can do a good job.

    And stop thinking about kissing Hayao, even if his lips are so...

    AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

***********

Crystal's Tale:

    "Ryota-san is TOTALLY into me," my suitemate Noriko said.  "I put him
off three times before that double-date and he just kept on coming back, oh
yeah."  She looked triumphant.

    Mary looked up from her desk.  "Haru bought me flowers, Ryota gave you a
box of raisins, I win," she said.  "Also, he's nice and strong and Ryota
looks like a beanpole."

    "At least Ryota is tall enough to ride with the big kids at the
amusement park," Noriko said a little testily.

    Noriko and Mary, my suitemates, were arguing over whether Ryota (who is
after Noriko) or Haru (who is after Mary) is better looking and likes them
more.

    I was at my desk, trying to pretend them and their inane prattle didn't
exist.  In theory, I was trying to do my reading for biology.  In practice,
I was slow-roasting myself over the fire inside my head.

    I was such an idiot, being suckered by Nagisa.  I had pretty much
trusted him implicitly, but he'd pretty much led me around by the nose.
Even if I couldn't figure out exactly what he was trying to accomplish or
why he did it that way.  Though from the things I knew now, his mother and
his likely father were both manipulators.

    All the cuts and scrapes I got on my legs from riding through the woods
on Boris have already faded as if they happened weeks ago; you can barely
tell they ever happened.  But my body aches all over.  The nausea also
served as a reminder that even with powers, I was not nearly as badass as I
expected to be.  Aunt Aoi had given me some drugs, but my body is still
recovering from whatever that gunk was the frog got on me when it died.

    "I guess if you want someone bloated like a parade balloon, Ryota is the
way to go," Mary said.  "How hard did he hit when he tripped and fell on
you?" she said a little nastily.

    What an entirely retarded fight, I thought.  More monsters could show up
and eat them right this minute and they're busy bickering over whose
boyfriend is sexier or chunkier or whatever the fuck they're arguing over.
Gods are on the march to conquer our world.

    And I can't even tell them or it'll help our world get conquered.  So
they'll just keep on bickering stupidly while the apocalypse grows closer.

    I should be drilling right now, but I've got all this stupid, pointless
homework and I don't even know how much use I actually am.  Aunt Miyu
totally had to save our asses.

    They were starting to get pretty mad at each other and I couldn't take
any more of this crap.  "My girlfriend could kick the ass of both your loser
boyfriends and she's better looking than either of them," I snapped.  "But I
frankly don't care which of you is dating more of a bloated pig or a
shrivelled midget!  Can it, I'm trying to study!"

    Pretending to study.

    "Who died and made you princess?" Mary sniped at me.

    "Yes, your highness," Noriko said angrily.  "We'll get on that right
away after we finish kowtowing."

    "And if you ever again have an incoherent screaming match with your
parents when I'm trying to sleep, I will make you regret it," Mary said,
folding her arms across her chest.  "What the hell was so important you had
to bellow at five in the morning?"

    It wasn't five in the morning.  "None of your business," I said
angrily.  "That's between my parents and I."

    "Then don't make me listen to it!  All I could hear was some sort of
twaddle about monsters but most of it was muffled through the door," Mary
said.

    "Yeah, what was so important you had to shout about it?"

    "Nothing," I muttered.  Not that either of you could do anything useful
if I did tell you.

    "Did your cousin Munakata really get drunk and wander the woods on
Saturday night calling people and telling them snakes were chasing her?"
Mary asked curiously, but with a nasty edge to it.

    "Did she really vomit on her boyfriend?" Noriko asked.  She didn't
bother hiding the malice.

    I stared mindlessly.  Vomit on Gin?  How did people get that idea in
their head?  "Natasha didn't call a bunch of people about snakes chasing
her."

    "Well, I'm just saying what I heard," Mary said.  "It's not hard to
believe that drunken whore did that."

    "Be fair," Noriko said.  "Ota-san is twice the whore Munakata is.  Even
if Ota-san has a respectable mother and Munakata's mother is a whore."

    "Aunt Shiho is NOT A WHORE, she's a translator!  You've never even met
her!" I said angrily.  What is in them tonight?

    "Only a whore has kids out of wedlock, then never marries," Noriko said
as if this fact was written in the stars.  "She's trash."

    "My cousin is not trash," I said angrily.

    "Poor grades, sluts around, runs drunken around the woods yelling about
snakes, that's trash," Mary said flatly.

    It would be so easy to just summon my sword and beat the shit out of
these damn liars.

    A second later, I realized what I'd just thought and felt utterly
horrified with myself.  I was so angry, but we swore...I can't do anything
like that.  And I shouldn't.  You shouldn't respond to words with violence.
Unless you want to be that fucker Taiki.

    It would be so easy.  They couldn't possibly resist me.  They probably
couldn't resist me if I just punched them, as I get lots of healthy exercise
and they both diet fanatically because they're too lazy to even just ride a
bike.  Mary would probably blow away in a stiff wind.  Noriko might be solid
enough to take a few hits, but I wouldn't even feel her counterblows.

    Oh fuck me, I'm thinking about hitting them again.

    "She'd probably run around half-naked if we didn't have a uniform and a
dress code for after hours," Noriko said.

    "I expect her boyfriend will start pimping her out once she's in college
and is old enough to sleep with adults," Mary said, nastily.

    I stared.  That was such an utterly hateful thing to say.  And it PISSED
ME OFF.  "SHUT UP!" I shouted at them.

    They both jumped back, looking surprised.  They talk about my cousin
like that and they they have the GALL to act surprised?

    "Do I talk smack about your relatives?" I demanded angrily.

    "No," Mary mumbled weakly.

    "Then stop talking shit about mine!" I screamed.

    "Stop yelling at us!," Noriko said, now prety angry herself.  "And you
know it's true!  The woman is an out of control slutty piece of trash!
She'll be pregnant and abandoned just like her mother if she isn't careful!
And we both know she won't be!"

    So easy to just...

    NO.

    I trembled with rage and fear at the same time.  No wonder our aunts got
manipulated into fighting each other.  I can't believe I'm getting this
angry.  What is wrong with me?

    Does Taiki feel like this?

    I can't believe I'm experiencing sympathy for Taiki!

    Mary was retreating, but Noriko stood her ground. "Are you going to
throw a hissy fit?" Noriko demanded angrily.  "I'm not going to put up with
your crap just for telling the truth."

    "For LYING," I said angrily.  "Fine, I can't study with you two spewing
bullshit at each other, anyway."  I grabbed my book, notebook, and pen and
stormed out of the suite.

    One...

    NO.

    I trembled.  This is stupid, I've dealt with them in crap on everything
mode before, I shouldn't get this angry.

    I should be angry at me for being such an overconfident dumbass, not
them for just being petty stupid little high school girls with nothing to do
but gossip and talk trash about people.

    But instead, I can think of too many ways to kick their ass.

    I went to Kasumi's room and pounded on the door, praying she was there.

    She was, and she answered the door. There were books all over her table
and Hayao was there, scribbling on a piece of paper.  He didn't see me yet.
If he hurts Kasumi, I am going to kill him.

    Shit.

    "Crystal, what's wrong?" Kasumi said, looking worried.  I don't know
what I looked like, but it can't have been pretty.

    Hayao now looked up at me, blanched, and determinedly turned back to his
paper.

    "Privacy," I mumbled.

    For a moment, she stared at me blankly, then nodded and took me back to
her bedroom.  "Sorry dear," she said to Hayao.  "Crystal needs me."

    "I see," he mumbled.

    We sat down on her bed and she put an arm around me and pulled me over
to rest my head on her shoulder.  I'm just a tiny touch taller than Kasumi,
who is about the same height as Mom.  "What's wrong?" she asked softly.

    "My idiot suitemates were talking smack about Natasha and accusing her
mother of being a whore," I mumbled.  "And I...just for a moment, I thought
about kicking their ass.  Which I totally could."

    I'm sure being able to kick my suitemates' collective skinny asses will
be oh so useful in saving the world.  UGH.

    "I think about kicking Ayumi-sempai's ass more than I should," Kasumi
confessed.  "But we can't do that."

    "I know," I mumbled.  "I know. I swore...we all swore an oath to be
responsible with our powers.  And Mom... Mom really pounded into my head we
should never attack normal people with our powers either."   I don't want to
be the kind of violent maniac who gets so mad from words I hurt people.
That's not me.

    It's not me.

    It's not.

    "We will be.  And you won't hurt anyone, Crystal.  You fight to defend
others, not to hurt them."  Kasumi ruffled my hair with her other hand.
"You just got worked up because you love your family so much.  You love all
of us, even when we're hard to deal with."

    "You're not hard to deal with; I'm the prickly one," I told her, leaning
on her, wishing I had Junko here.

    Then I thought about Junko pummeling Dan and shivered.  That had kind of
scared me, though the fact that Dan was all 'Thanks for kicking my ass,
Junko' was more disturbing.  I like sparring with her, but that was just...

    I guess I'm being a hypocrite.  And Dan certainly isn't flimsy and
that's good.  But I'm just...

    My brain was all awhirl and I'm scared of myself and everything and I'm
such a failure.  I thought I would be all awesome and I wasn't.  And there's
so much I was counting on them to know and they don't.  I hate being in the
dark, but they're in the dark too.

    No wonder Mom hid this all these years.

    Kasumi held me quietly while I broiled inside my own head.  Slowly, the
mental storm subsided and I relaxed.  "When did you become the strong one?"
I mumbled.

    "You're stronger than I am," she said softly.

    Yeah, right.  I was an overconfident idiot.  And now I've lost my
overconfidence and I don't know what to do.  If we'd gone to Tallin without
getting caught...probably Shun and Kagami and I would be dead if our plan
had worked well enough to get us there.  Or the Crimson Huntsman would be
using as hostages.  Or worse.

    What a shitty heir to the Dragon-Princess I am.

    No wonder Mom got so mad at me.

    "I don't feel stronger," I mumbled.

    "You will," Kasumi said confidently.  Of course she feels confident.
She saved mine and Natasha's ass from our own stupidity.  She looked so
awesome diving down on Horus.

    I just don't know.  If I hadn't gone, Natasha would be dead.  But I
wasn't much use, really.  The others had to save us, and then Aunt Miyu had
to save us all.

    "How can you be so confident?" I asked weakly.  "You're so strong and
I'm so weak."  I stared at the floor.

    "You're not weak," Kasumi said.  "I felt just like you a week ago.
Exhausted, overwhelmed, lonely, frustrated.  And now I feel like I could do
anything.  Anything at all.  You just have to get used to this."

    I hardly even noticed how she felt.  I felt very selfish and small.  She
went through this hell all by herself and we were all so busy with
everything, we didn't do anything for her until it was too late.  I was too
busy fantasizing about how awesome I was going to be to notice all the
stress she was under.

    I suck.

    "I don't know how," I mumbled.

    "You have to decide what is important to you and focus on that.  You'll
find your center.  And then you'll be even stronger than before," she said
confidently.  "Don't let them get you down.  You weren't made to gossip with
girls who are jealous because Natasha is prettier than they are,  and more
boys like her than like them.  They think Aunt Shiho is a whore because
they're jealous of her too and it's a way to bring her down so they can feel
superior to her, even though she can speak a half-dozen languages, maybe
more, and has more freedom than they'll ever have.  They've caged themselves
and they're jealous because Aunt Shiho and Natasha fly free."

    "I thought..."  I always thought Kasumi kind of looked down on Aunt
Shiho for not being a 'good girl' like her.

    "I know," Kasumi said, sounding guilty.  "But after what's happened with
my boyfriend and everything...I'm too judgemental.  It's really easy for me
to put people down and act like I'm superior.  But Aunt Shiho...she raised
Natasha all by herself.  She wasn't even out of college yet.  She worked
hard and learned a ton of stuff.  I can't even speak English very well and
I've been studying it in school for years.  Aunt Shiho writes love poems in
French and English for her boyfriends.  Neither of us can do that.  I can't
even write a decent one in Japanese," Kasumi said.  "But none of us ever
give her any respect.  And I feel guilty about that."

    That's true.  I never really...I hope I haven't been dissing on Aunt
Shiho.  Though my ideas about sex are a lot closer to hers than they are to
Kasumi's.  Unless Kasumi has changed her mind.  Maybe she's riding Hayao
like a hurricane.

    I felt my stomach churn.  Fuck you, body.

    "You two haven't..." I said hesitantly.

    "Wait, what are you talking about?" she asked, confused.

    Of course not.  Kasumi wouldn't change that much.

    Would she?

***********

Kasumi's Karma:

    The next day, Mom and Aunt Shiho arrived with Natasha to take me away to
Aunt Haruka's house.  I'd changed into my workout outfit and had my tonfas
ready in my purse.  I came over and hugged Aunt Shiho tightly.  "I love you,
Aunt Shiho.  You know that, right?"

    She looked a little embarrassed, patting my back clumsily.  "I love you
too, neice," she said.

    Natasha was grinning.  Mother looked surprised, then she smiled.

    "I've always been jealous because you're so good with other languages
and I sound like a five year old when I try to speak English.  Maybe not
even that good," I told her.  "Do you think you could help me?"

    She looked utterly stunned, but then she smiled confidently.  "Of course
I can."

    "We're likely to all end up going around the world to stomp on monsters
and gods and demons and whatnot, so we need to at least all speak passable
English, since it's so widely used," I said.  "And you're even better than
Aunt Mai at that."

    "I am," she said proudly.  "And I speak more languages than her.  And I
would be happy to help you improve, Kasumi."

    Mother smiled at me and said, "That's a good idea, Kasumi.  We should
all work on that.  My English is terrible too."

    "We can start by speaking English in the car on the way there and back,"
Aunt Shiho said.  "I will put a plan together.  English is a difficult
language, but like all languages, you open up entire new worlds once you
learn it.  Once you master English, we can try French or German."

    That may be a while.

    She chattered excitedly as we headed down to the car, and had talked
herself into tutoring the others as well by the time we got there.  Aunt
Shiho looked very happy and that made me happy.

    "When that happens, you will find a power within yourself, you didn't
think you had.  You'll be able to do things you never thought you could do.
Be able to face anything without fear or despair.  Love will make you
strong," Mother said to me at Fuuka.

    I've found that power within me.  I'm ready now to face whatever comes.
I am Kasumi Karauchi, the Hime of the Swift Wind, who rides Horus the
Avenger into battle.  I am the eldest of the Hime, and I am ready to fight
for my world with my family and my friends.  I am ready to race with comets
and tornados and the stars in their courses.

    My name is Kurauchi Kasumi.

    And I am no longer afraid.
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