[FFML] [Mai Hime, Future] Road Trip Revision Effort Three Correct Version

[John Biles]

I goofed up and sent an only partially revised draft.  Disregard the
previous Effort Three, this is the CORRECT Effort 3

      Please, kami-sama, don't let anyone be watching us.  I tried to see if
I could hear Natasha snickering, but all I heard was the distant sound of
the radio and some song about loving someone as much as an elephant.  As an
elephant?

    "Shun, is that you?" a woman's voice asked.

    I froze up; a second later, Kagami froze up as well with one of my hands
on her back and the other on her butt.  She had one of her hands on my chest
and the other on my back.

    "Who?" a guy's voice asked.  "I told you someone else would already be
here, plus I think they're having a party."

    "Shun?" the woman asked again.  I know this woman; it was Tamura April,
one of my old girlfriends.  She's blonde and on the lush side, though not as
lush as Crystal (more like Natasha).  She was wearing a very pretty blue
dress today.

    The guy with her was fairly good looking in a conventional way, a little
on the tall side with short brown hair and brown eyes, wearing black slacks
and a white dress shirt.  A blue tie half-dangled out of his pocket.  I had
no clue who he was.  He looked to me like someone easy to lead around if I
was dressed as a girl, though.

    April and I had dated for several months; we'd slept together, in fact.
However, her parents weren't fond of me and April wasn't doing as well as
they wanted, and I think they blamed me, so they transferred her to another
school.

    Which it suddenly struck me was the kind of thing I could easily see
Kagami's parents doing if they found out about us.  I don't want to go
through that again; April and I broke up because we knew we'd probably never
see each other again at least until college, but it hurt a lot.

    I gave Kagami one final kiss.  "Hi, April, it's me," I said.  "April,
this is my girlfriend Mitsu Kagami."  I moved the hand on her butt up to her
back and took her left hand with my right.  "She's the Queen of Rosewood."

    "I'm not the Queen," Kagami mumbled, a bit flustered; her face was red
now.  "Just a member of Ring Club."

    "This is my boyfriend, Hayasaka Shigeru," April said, putting an arm
around him.  "He's the captain of the basketball team."

    "That's a good sport," I said.  April plays women's basketball, so I'm
not suprised she ended up dating someone from the men's side.

    Stupidly, irrationally jealous, yes.  Surprised no.  There's no reason I
should feel jealous of this man; we both agreed to break up and I have a
girlfriend now.

    Unfortunately, humans are pretty stupid sometimes.

    He was staring at me in stark disbelief.  I could tell he was surprised
April had gone out with someone like me.  Or that I had another cute girl in
my lap when I looked so feminine.  I couldn't decide whether to try to be
innocuous or flirt with him to see if he freaked out.  Normally, I'd do the
latter, but I don't want to hurt Kagami's feelings.  And it would likely
ruin April's date.  I assume they're on a date, anyway.

    April sat down on another bench facing us with her boyfriend.  They held
hands, but she didn't get into his lap.  I'd be stunned if Kagami had gotten
into my lap with anyone watching, though.  "Mitsu-san, did we have some
classes together when I was at Rosewood?  You look kind of familiar, but I'm
starting to forget everyone I knew there."  She sounded embarrassed about
that.

    "I've heard of you and I think we did," Kagami said, concentrating.
"Didn't you play basketball or something?"

    "Yes," she said.

    "She's one of the stars of the women's team," Hayasaka-san said
proudly.  "That's where we met, at one of their games."

    April smiled goofily and I felt the jealousy knife in my gut.  "He came
up after the game and asked me out on the spot."

    Which is what I did.  STAB.

    "Shun, are you okay?" Kagami asked me.

    Could she tell?  I was doing my best to just smile brightly and not show
it.  "I'm fine," I told her.

    "So what brings you two all the way to Fuuka?" April asked curiously.

    "We just needed a new place to make out," I teased.

    Kagami turned more red.

    "Actually, my aunt is the headmistress," I said.  "We basically all came
out here to party with her."

    "I'm suprised you don't go here if your aunt runs the place,"
Hayasaka-san said.  He was still eyeing me strangely while trying not to let
April see it.

    Don't flirt, I told myself.  I have a girlfriend.

    I'm kind of surprised myself that they didn't send us here. On the other
hand, we've never been attacked by monsters at Rosewood, so I have a feeling
that's why.

    "Our family wanted us closer to home.  We're a good ways away at
Rosewood, but not hours away like we'd be here," I said.

    I heard movement behind me and suddenly rose to my feet, hopping away
from the bench.  Too late, Mother advanced on our old position, a straw in
each hand.  "Very good," she said.  "I see you've kept up your drills even
if you forgot how to obey school rules or to keep other people out of your
trouble."

    "Hi, Mom," I said.

    "Hello, Tokiha-san," Kagami said, embarrassed.

    "Hello, Tokiha-san," April said, rising and bowing to Mom.  Confused,
her date did likewise.  April tried hard to get Mom's approval, but Mom was
never satisfied with her.  I hope Kagami doesn't have that much trouble.

    Mother half-bowed to them.  "I am glad to see you well," she said to
April.

    "Hi, April," Dad said, coming out of the darkness himself now.  "Good to
see you again."  Dad liked April, but then Dad usually likes almost anyone I
date or befriend or just save from getting rained on.  If I ever dated
someone and Dad didn't like them, I'd be stunned.  If he hates anyone, I
don't know who it is.

    "Hi, Tokiha-san," she said.  "This is my boyfriend, Hayasaka Shigeru.
He's captain of the basketball team."

    "We both graduated from Fuuka," Dad said.  "I was in the gardening club
and Akira was in the painting club."

    "You never told me your kin ran this school," April said. "Whose sister
is the headmistress, if I may ask?"

    "She is mine," Mom said.  "We don't look much like each other."

    "That's so true," Kagami said, then put a hand over her mouth,
embarrassed.  I was still holding her.

    "You can set her down, Shun.  I promise I won't attack," Mother said
dryly.

    April scooted her boyfriend over and I sat down next to them with Kagami
still in my lap.  Hayasaka-san looked distinctly uncomfortable and I
couldn't help smile at that.  I shouldn't mess with people's heads, but
sometimes I enjoy it too much.  Now if I was sitting next to April, the
temptation to mess would have been even higher.

    April...  I told myself to focus on the present, on the woman I was
holding in my arms.  I kissed her cheek to remind myself to be good.

    Mom and Dad asked April about the things she'd been doing at Fuuka,
shared a few recommendations on things to see in the area, then Mom said,
"Shun, Kagami, we need you to come with us."

    "Okay," I said, standing up and letting Kagami down, though I held her
hand.  "Nice to see you again, April.  Nice to meet you, Hayasaka-san."

    "Nice to meet you," he said, shaking my other hand, rather tentatively
as if afraid of being infected with girliness.  That would probably just
make April like him more if I could spread it with a touch.  I'm kind of
surprised to see her with a guy like that.

    But that's probably my jealousy talking.

    "Nice to meet you both," Kagami said to them.

    "Remember, he needs GENTLE guidance," April said, then laughed.

    "I will be gentle," Kagami said, smiling.

    Mom and Dad led us into the antechamber of Fumi's house and we went to a
parlor; I could hear the distant drone of conversation.

    "What's up?" I asked softly.

    "You two sit," Mom said to Dad and me, so we sat down on a couch.

    "Hit me," Mom said to Kagami.

    "What?" she asked in confusion.

    "Hit me," Mom said.

    "Shouldn't we go to a workout room or something if we're going to be
hitting each other?" I asked.

    Dad grinned a little.

    Mother said, a little evasively, "Yes."

    She ran off, then came back and led us to Aunt Fumi's workout room.  One
side had exercise equipment; the other side was open enough for sparring or
weapon drills.  Aunt Fumi's weapon selection, however, entirely consisted of
wooden scythes.

    Mom didn't bother with weapons, though.  "Hit me," she said to Kagami.

    Kagami rushed at her; Mom didn't bother moving until the last second and
darted out the way.

    Kagami chased her around for a while, Mom parrying or dodging the blows
with ease.  This went on for a while, not surprising me at all.  Kagami's
spent her life studying, not training.  Mom's better than me and I have done
a lot of training.

    "Are you going to hit me or am I going to die of old age?" Mom asked.

    Kagami grimaced and began swinging with more power but even less
control, wild swings I'm sure even Dad or Aunt Shiho could dodge or block.

    "Make her come to you," I said to Kagami.  "You've got a little more
reach than her, if not a lot."

    Kagami nodded and stepped back, now imitating what I think is supposed
to be a boxing stance.

    "Don't interfere," Mom said.

    Nevertheless, I got up and demonstrated my usual stance and Kagami now
copied it.

    "I said, don't interfere," Mom said, and now said to Kagami, "Hit me."

    Kagami advanced cautiously, now trying to punch in a manner clearly
imitated from martial arts movies.  I glanced at Dad.  Dad glanced at me
with his blank face, which is usually the face which preludes him tricking
me into making an idiot of myself to teach me a lesson.  Dammit.

    I demonstrated how to throw a punch.  Kagami tried to imitate me, but of
course, Mom easily blocked it.  "Shun, sit down," Mom said.

    I looked at Dad.

    Blank face.

    I demonstrated again.  To my suprise, Kagami did much better this time,
though certainly not good enough, still.  I showed off a kick.

    Mom blocked Kagami's copy easily, but the second time, she did better.
"Shun!  STOP!" Mom yelled.

    I looked at Dad.

    Blank face.

    Heh.  I had a pretty good idea which way the wind was blowing.  I went
for something a little fancier, a side step and a spinning kick.  Kagami
didn't get that right either the first time, but the second was better and
the third better than that.  I grinned as Mom yelled, "Shun!  I mean it,
stop showing her moves!"

    I stuck to just a couple of moves; too much would only confuse her at
this point, but Kagami relentlessly hammered at Mom, imitating me and
picking things up and then doing them over and over.  Which is what you need
in martial arts, is to drill like a crazed drill seargeant until you can do
the moves in your sleep and your body moves instinctively.

    Dad was starting to crack and grin as Mom kept yelling at me to stop and
I kept showing Kagami what to do.  Even though she still hadn't managed to
connect solidly with Mom, she wouldn't give up and kept trying.  She had the
same utterly determined look on her face as she had when she told me to call
her Kagami-san and I have to admit it gave me a thrill to see it.

    Studying the fight, I could see, curiously, that Mom had a lot easier
time dodging Kagami than blocking her attacks.  Kagami must be stronger than
I realized.  Then Kagami finally connected with a kick and to my surprise,
Mom went sprawling on her ass, looking surprised herself.

    Mom sat up.  "That's enough, Kagami-san.  Good job."

    Kagami nodded.

    "Shun...," Mom began.

    "If you REALLY had wanted me to stay out, then Dad would have told me to
stop.  What you really wanted was to see if I would keep helping Kagami even
if you told me stop," I said.  "Right?"

    Dad began laughing loudly.  "He's getting too old for the easy tricks,
dear."

    Kagami said, "What?"

    "You wouldn't have just kept saying stop and not doing anything about
it.  And you wanted to test Kagami's will to not give up when it became
obvious she didn't have a chance of hitting you yet." I said.  "Did we
pass?"

    "Yes," Mother said.  "Kagami, you have a LOT to learn."

    "I know," Kagami said softly.  "You're very good, Akira-san."

    "I am," Mom said.  It wasn't bragging, just a statement of fact.  "I
only have one son, Kagami.  I have to know you understand what you are
getting into.  The responsibilities you are taking on.  And the problems you
are going to face.  I am going to work you like a dog until you become good
enough to fight me and win.  You are back in kindergarden for this
training.  Do you understand?"

    "I will do my very best," Kagami said, straightening up; she now looked
as she did when talking to a teacher.  "I will practice every day until you
can be proud of my skills, sensei."  She looked very determined.  I like her
smile, but I like it when she looks so unbreakable too.

    "I am going to be training Kagami to fight," Mother said.  "And working
on your training, too, as best I can with you both being grounded to the
school.  And as best I can since I still have my own students to teach who I
don't want to leave high and dry.  Which means you're both going to have to
work with Akane most of the time."  She sounded frustrated by this.

    "I'm sure she will teach us well," Kagami said very seriously.

    Trained by Aunt Akane?  Well, she has been teaching Kasumi and Kasumi
totally tore the hell out of those snake monsters and...Aunt Akane has 23
years of experience on Kasumi.  Holy shit, she must be death on a stick...in
which case Mom...  My eyes crossed.

    "Respect your Aunt," Mother said sharply to me.  "No eye games."

    "No, I...Yes, Mom," I said.

    "You will respect your aunt," Mother said firmly.  "And any of the rest
of your aunts who come to help.  And I will give her exercises for you."

    "Yes, Mom," I said firmly.

    "Neither of you can leave campus under your own power.  Fortunately, we
have a teacher in the family.  This means that Chie or Aoi will have to do
the paperwork any time you want to date and it will have to be supervised by
one of them or us," Mom said.

    I nodded firmly.  "Yes, Mom."

    "And I expect both of you to keep your grades up," Mom said.

    "Of course, Tokiha-san," Kagami said.

    "You may call me Akira and Takumi by his name too, since you are dating
Shun," Mom said.

    Holy shit, none of my other girlfriends ever got to use her first name.
They really like her.

    "You flatter me," she said, turning a little red.

    "You're the first one of my girlfriends they ever said that to," I told
her.

    Now she looked really embarrassed, which is to say, super-cute.  I
kissed her softly.  "It's an honor."

    "I respect Kagami-san's intellect and discipline and expect her to
instill some of those in you," Mom said.

    "And Kagami, Shun will no doubt teach you all about getting in trouble,"
Dad said, smiling.

    "Honey," Mom said.  "Don't encourage him."  They've had this argument a
few thousand times, I think.

    I grinned.

    "Remember, any time you two think you can have sex without us catching
you, I could be anywhere at any time. In the ceiling, in the floor, in the
closet, the walls, under the bed...  And you know what happened the time I
caught you with April," Mom said to me.

    I winced.  "Yes."  It hadn't stopped us, but it did stop us for a
while.  And then her parents had stopped us anyway.

    Kagami mumbled something incoherent about parents.

    "I think that's everything," Dad said.  "You two ready to go back to
your cousins?"

    "It's not everything," I said softly.

    My parents now both looked very nervous.

    "Kagami, I..."  I stared her in the eyes.  "Am I really worth defying
your family for?"  No one's ever thought I was worth that.  I know Mom
defied her family and threw away everything for Father.  And Aunt Kazuya and
Akane did that for each other.  But...in the end, though April loved me, she
couldn't defy her family.  I have defied my family...sort of...but not so
much so as they did or as Kagami is going to do.  I like myself, but I never
thought I could be as lucky as my parents.  Not once my first few love
affairs all blew up one way or another.

    "Yes," she said simply, then pulled me into a kiss.

    That filled me with simultaneous joy and terror.  Could I really love
her back as much as she deserved?  She's so beautiful to me and I love to
see her smile and be happy and I can tell my body wants her, but do I really
deserve this?

    And my parents...well, of course they approve.  They'd be hypocrites not
to.  And Aunt Akane left her family too...no wonder she feels sympathy for
Kagami.  But can we really hide our relationship?

    Or am I going to fuck this up in spades.  Please no.  I don't want to.
I just want to feel joy like I do right now.

    I've never had so much blessing from my parents for a relationship.  But
that also gives me more to lose if I do screw up.

    Please don't let me screw up.

    I broke off the kiss.  "I will do my best to be good to you," I said
softly.

    "I know you will," she said confidently, smiling at me so brightly.

    "Okay," I said.  "Let's go back and tell everyone."

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

Crystal's Tale:

    "Maybe we should check on Mitsu-san and Shun," I said to the others as
we hung out on the porch listening to music.  "They've been gone a long
time."

    "They're probably doing it like weasels," Natasha speculated.  "Mad
weasels."  She grinned as if she was helping.

    "You always think that," Dan stated dismissively, splayed out in a deck
chair.

    "I don't think Mitsu-san would jump right into bed with Shun," Kasumi
argued.  "She has more sense than that."

    "I was a little more worried about black oily snakes," I confessed.
Those things had scared the hell out of me yesterday.

    "Surely Aunt Fumi would not have snake monsters attacking people in her
gardens," Erica said.

    "I'm sure Aunt Fumi wouldn't WANT snake monsters in her gardens.  I also
doubt they'd ask permission nicely to come eat people," I countered.

    "They're probably kissing and that's all," Dan said, sounding perhaps
just a touch jealous.

    I was just a touch jealous.  I don't want to kiss either of them, though
I have kissed both boys and girls in the past.  Mostly boys, though.  I've
never actually dated a girl, but I have kissed at parties and kind of liked
it.  But then, so does Mom.

    But I am starting to feel the lack of a lover.  But I don't have time to
try to find one, really.  And I can't really date someone until I stop being
confined to campus.

    And make sure everyone stops thinking I'm dating Dan.

    Mitsu-san and Shun now came around the side of the building.  Mitsu-san
looked like she could power half of Japan with her smile.

    "I see you two had a good time," Natasha said, grinning.

    "Wonderful," Kagami said.

    "Kagami-san and I are dating now," Shun said.

    "I..."  Mitsu-san suddenly looked nervous.  Then she straightened up.
"Please, everyone, call me Kagami.  I hope to be closer friends with all of
you now, both as Shun's girlfriend, but also as me.  I...I hate to ask this
of you, but my parents can't know that Shun and I are dating and we'll only
be able to be fully honest with you all.  I know that's a heavy burden to
lay on you all, so I'll understand if you can't promise me that," she said
urgently.  "But please.  I beg of you."

    "Hah!  That's an easy promise to keep, given none of us have ever met
your parents and aren't likely to any time soon," Natasha said.  "We'll keep
your promise, Kagami-san."

    "Of course," I said.  Man, she's defying her family to date Shun.  Now I
am jealous.

    Everyone else agreed as well and she relaxed.  "Your family is so kind
and...and loving.  Thank you for welcoming me in."  She bowed to everyone.

    I bowed back, as did the others, then came over and took her other
hand.  "Welcome aboard, Kagami-san," I told her.  "And good luck to both of
you." I squeezed her hand and released it.

    We hung out for a while, chatting about school stuff and eventually went
back to the shrine.

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

Akira's Tale:

    I stared at the silent block of stone which had once produced the
soul-trapping pillars which held our loved ones.  There was nothing left of
the pillars but stumps.  Everyone was asleep back at the temple or in a
hotel or staying at Fumi's mansion, but I couldn't sleep, so I was down
here, brooding.

    We don't know what, if anything, will happen to us if our Children are
slain this time.  At first, we thought all our Children were dead, but they
seem to have been restored by Miyu's destruction of these pillars.  Are we
free now?  Or do we accept the risk of the loss of our loved ones every time
we summon them?  The fact that our powers work only in fairly limited areas
and that so far, we've been very lucky, has kept us from finding out.  But
those areas are slowly spreading.  And so far as I can tell, I think soon we
will have to abandon the lives we've carved out for ourselves and fight.

    I'm not sure what to make of that.  I was raised to fight.  To be a true
man.  But I haven't fought much the last two decades, other than training
people in martial arts.  I've hardly seen Gennai in all this time.  I have
grown attached to this peace, if not so much as Mai.

    But unlike Mai, I know fighting is sometimes inescapable.  If the
Crimson Huntsman seeks us out, we must fight or die in our homes.  And I do
not intend to die.

    And yet, if I fight, it may be I must risk Takumi. Of course, if I ask
him, he will tell me to fight without hesitation or thought for himself.  As
he did before.  He is kind and gentle and still more naive than myself.  But
the thought of losing him... He is still, after all these years, the one I
love the most.

    But Shun... Takumi knows what the consequences of my return to the fray
may be.  He experienced it.  And yet he doesn't hate me for it; he loves me
more for our shared sorrow.  But Shun is a child as we were.  He doesn't
know what he is getting into.  It's quite clear he is Kagami's most
important person.  Which means she may be risking his life every time she
goes into battle, and he doesn't even know.

    Or maybe not. But she knows the risk.  The possible risk.  She is
determined to do her best to protect him.  She has shown me that she will
fight to defend him and is willing to learn.  But she is so young and her
skills are so few, yet.

     And we still don't know enough.  I need answers.

    I press deeper into the caves, searching for answers, though I already
know they aren't here.  I feel a change in the air and I summon my element.
Though most of Fuuka Academy is now a null zone, this holy place retains its
power.

    We could settle it... some of it... by taking the kids down here.  But
then we would have to explain everything.  I feel no shame for my role in
the Festival. I avoided hunting my fellows until I had no choice and I fell
honorably.  But some among us did horrible, horrible things, and I fear if I
had been a little luckier, I would have been one of them.  I do not wish the
children to hate Shizuru for her succumbing to the madness brought by the
Obsidian Prince or Shiho for succumbing to the base impulses of childhood,
or Mikoto for being loyal to her kin or even Yukino for being weak and a
pawn.  I was raised to kill without regret or pity and I fear that as the
power of the star grew, I might have become far more terrible than even
Shizuru did.

    And I do not wish to lose my son, not even temporarily.  Kagami-san is a
good girl; indeed, in many ways she's exactly what I want for Shun, but now
my son's life is in her hands and she is hardly trained to fight at all.  I
pray the training will be enough.  That we've started soon enough.  That
Rosewood will remain a refuge for them.

    The tunnel leads to the shore of a lake, which is not new, but what lies
beyond, is. Two things catch my eye in the starry ceiling; the constellation
of Draco and... a reddish something.  Not the Hime Star, but my knowledge of
astronomy is not good enough to see what star it is.  A great fungal garden
now arises on the shores of the island beyond it, a riotous profusion of
colors which glitter under the stars high above.  In the center, the great
stone massif still rises, but now staircases allow easy egress to the top,
though from this angle, all you can see is a giant ziggurat up there. A
ziggurat???

    Fumi hadn't mentioned this.  Then again, does Fumi know?  What reason
does she have to come down here often?

    I was torn between my solitary instincts and the feeling I shouldn't
enter unknown territory alone.  I could call Gennai... but that might just
play into a trap like the one set for Akane...  Though this time she sprang
it safely.

    I contemplated my options, and then suddenly Fumi said, "Hello, Akira."

    I did my best to conceal my surprise.  "Hello, Fumi," I said.

    "Welcome to the Dragon Palace," Fumi said.  "Come with me."  She wore
neither her maid outfit nor her business outfit, but instead was wearing
sturdy denim jeans and a multi-pocketed green blouse.  Only her hair
remained the same and her element looked the same as ever.

    "Fumi-san," I said, following her.  "What has happened here?"

    "The Obsidian Lord is dead and the Crystal Princess has bequeathed this
shrine to us, the Hime," Fumi said.  She reached the water and struck it
with her scythe.  "CHARON!"  The water rippled and a shadow rose out of it,
a flat image, which then took on depth and became a black robed figure, a
skeleton made of light blue crystal, the same which had once imprisoned the
Crystal Princess; he had coins in his eyesockets which glittered copper in
the starlight.  He struck the water with his scythe and a boat now
appeared.  He moved to the front, his scythe becoming a pole of black metal
with stars shining in it, leaving seats for both of us.

    Fumi hopped on and I followed her nervously.  Charon began to pole us
across the water; I could see the stars reflecting in its surface.

    "What is he?" I asked softly.

    "He is my Child.  He will come to bear across any Hime who strikes the
water with her Element."

    "Wait... did your Child not return to life?" I asked, concerned.

    "My Child... required Mashiro-chan to work properly," Fumi said sadly.
"Like Mikoto-chan, I was an unusual case, standing to the Crystal Princess
as Mikoto did to the Obsidian Prince."

    I studied Charon; he looked oddly like an effort to make Death cute.
Which fitted Fumi, I suppose.

    "He is the Guardian of the Threshold, as am I," Fumi said, studying the
fake night sky.  "Anyone entering the Dragon Palace is under his protection
and mine."

    How much does she know that she's not telling us, I wondered.  She
hadn't mentioned these changes at all. On the other hand, no one thought to
ask.

    I followed her down a path through the fungus; Charon and his boat
dissolved away into the water behind us.  The fungus grew in all sorts of
shapes; at times some of them seemed to have been shaped to form crudely the
shape of various of the Children.  Fumi led me on silently to the base of
the massif; I could see three staircases; one in front of me, and one to
either side.  I expected there were likely three more to match beyond.  This
one was made out of steel with two huge side rails all the way up.

    The one off to the right was made of red sandstone and the one to the
left was made of wood.  I followed Fumi up the stairs.  "Interesting art
design."

    "I did not create it; it recreated itself over the years, slowly," Fumi
said.

    We reached the top and I could now see the other staircases:  There were
two more on the far side:  a staircase of pure white ivory and staircase
made of sapphire. I stared at it, wondering how much it was worth.  There
was a sixth, a spiral staircase of transparent crystal that descended into
the massif; images flickered within the crystal which vanished when I tried
to look directly at them.

    A great stone ziggurat rose upwards beyond the staircase; there was a
pool of water on the other side of the ziggurat from us.  Heat shimmered
from it... a hot spring???  The ziggurat had simple brick stairs leading up
to the shrine on top.  Twin dragons flanked the entrance to the shrine.

    "There are quarters for each of us and empty quarters as well, within
the massif, as well as stores and a kitchen," Fumi said.

    Pretty defensible, I thought.  I wouldn't want to fight my way in past
angry Hime.  Though way out here in the middle of nowhere, not so useful to
us.  "And the shrine?"

    "I cannot open the shrine," Fumi said.  "But I think I have an idea how
now."

    She took me up the stairs to the double doors which had six hime signs
on it; a translucent one in the middle of constantly changing colors and
ringing it were five:  white, blue, red (a lighter red than that of our
marks), grey, and green.  "These marks were just colored circles on my
previous visits, but now they are colored Hime signs," Fumi said.

    "And Kagami-san has a grey mark," I said softly.  "What happens when the
shrine is opened?"

    "I don't know," Fumi said.  "But where the Festival demanded only one
winner, I think this requires six people to cooperate."

    That didn't sound so bad.  "That seems rather easy."

    "Too easy," Fumi said.  "Power always has its price, and this seems too
simple.  On the other hand, it may do something terrible once opened."  She
sighed.  "I will continue my research.  Unfortunately, most of the Book of
Fuuka remains obscure to me.  And pieces of the text seem to be missing."

    "Missing?" I asked.

    She produced the book from somewhere and opened it, counting pages.
"Here on page six..."  She paused and stared.

    "It looks like... some kind of writing," I said, staring at the wedge
shaped script.

    "This was blank the last time I looked.  Not that I can read it," Fumi
said.  "Oh dear."

    Oh dear indeed.  Though perhaps Midori or Sasaki-san can figure it out,
I thought.

    I studied the other door; the constellation of Draco was upon it with
fifteen stars represented by rubies.  "This is Draco, right?"

    "Yes," Fumi said.  "It is the constellation of our power now."

    "But there's only fourteen Hime... fifteen with Kagami-san.  If more
Hime bearing the colored marks appear..."

    "I think those over there are for the new Hime to come," Fumi said.  "I
am not sure how we number fifteen, though perhaps Alyssa counts for this.
All is new and the old lore often does not apply."

    "What I want to know is what is the price of our power now?" I said.
"Am I..."

    "The Festival was designed to produce crippled, despairing Hime whose
overflowing tears would feed the Hime Star," Fumi said.  "This is why our
loved ones were drawn into the pillars, to link us to them so they could
feed off us.  The Festival has ended; there is no Hime Star; now we share an
entire constellation.  I do not think our loved ones will be absorbed into
the pillars again, but what price will take its place, I am not sure.  But
as our childs are born of the link between us and our loved ones, I think
they will share that price with us, in some manner."

    I frowned. "So Shun..."

    "May be in danger.  If he is her most important person," Fumi said.
"And I think he is.  But the prophecies within the book have turned
unreadable.  I think with the Obsidian Lord dead, there is no single
destiny; rather, competing ones.  And we will be the ones to determine which
one wins.  And for that..."

    "We must fight."  I said flatly.

    "There is no one else who stands for humanity in this war.  The world is
ours now, but we must defend it, if humanity is to achieve its dreams." Fumi
said, now gazing off across the cavern.

    "The children aren't ready to fight... assuming this is their destiny."
I stared alongside her, wondering how they would handle it.

    "I know.  But we will have to make them ready," Fumi said.  "I must stay
here and guard the Dragon Palace.  But I will aid you however I can."

    All of this and only Akane and Kagami can use their powers anywhere, it
seems.  Two fragile reeds to hold up the ceiling of our hopes.

    I had to see Akane now.

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

Kasumi's Tale:

    I woke up in the night and went to the bathroom, then decided to test
something.  I slipped out of the shrine living quarters and looked to see if
anyone was on watch.  It was Mom, doing drills with her tonfas.  She moved
swiftly and fluidly, faster than I'd ever seen her move before, striking
invisible foes as she flowed through a series of katas.  It was hypnotic to
watch.

    And it kept her busy enough for me to slip out and down the stairs to
where I could find some level ground long enough for what I wanted to do.  I
turned my watch to the stopwatch function, then got into a ready position.

    And I ran.  I ran, kicking up dust and pouring on the speed, careening
down the road which leads up the mountain to the area where you park to then
go up the stairs to the shrine.  I poured on all the speed I could, running
with everything coach had taught me, letting my watch run.  I ran what I
hoped was a kilometer, then back and checked my time.

    80 seconds.

    80 seconds.

    I JUST RAN TWO KILOMETERS IN 80 SECONDS.

    I did it again, just to be sure.

    Then I realized I wasn't even really tired after doing it.

    The women's high school track record for the 400 meter race is 50
seconds, roughly.  That's about 8 meters a second.  The adult record is only
46 seconds or so.  I just ran 5 times that distance in less than twice the
time.

    For a moment, my mind was full of images of glory.  I would be the most
famous track star ever.  I had just buried the men's record in the dust.

    Except I couldn't do that.  I couldn't show my full capacity.  I had to
hide it for the good of the family.  It would draw too much attention.  It
was clearly, utterly, blatantly superhuman.  And I couldn't possibly explain
it.

    That made me feel rather depressed.

    But if I ran slower but good enough to improve my times some...maybe I
could do that.  But could I do it without looking fake?

    I would have to figure that out.

    Hope and fear warred within me and then I decided it best I get some
sleep before my absence was noted.

    I made it back up the stairs, but now I could see Mother still drilling,
but now winds kicked up with her every move and she leaped about impossibly,
showing an agility I'd never seen her demonstrate before.  It was like she
was someone else, a graceful, dancing athlete who could have easily taken
any Olympic gymnastics event she wanted.

    I slipped up to the house unseen and into the door, but I peeked out,
unable to stop watching.  It was hypnotic.  I wanted to tell her everything,
my new powers, show her my Horus, share it all with her.

    But I couldn't.  Not yet.  I prayed we weren't making a mistake.  But it
wasn't worth getting yelled at.  Yet.  If everything goes to hell, I'm
running to Mom, whatever the others may think about holding out.  Seeing her
move...I wonder what her animal is like...something that flies, I'm sure.
Graceful.  A swan maybe or an eagle.

    She looked so happy.

    I had to do something.  I opened the door loudly, enough to alert her
someone was coming back and faked a yawn, coming out.  "Hi, Mother," I said,
not even sure if I was about to confess to everything or what.

    "Hello, Kasumi," Mother said, dropping her tonfas onto a bench and
coming over and hugging me tightly.  "How are you, my darling daughter?"

    "I'm good, Mother," I said, hugging her back tightly.  I wanted to tell
her everything, show how fast I could run.  I wonder if she can run that
fast.  But I think being a battle princess enhances what we have.  I might
well be the fastest battle princess.  Which would be really cool.  All that
training would pay off even more.  "Are you standing guard against the oni?"
I teased.

    "Kasumi," she said softly.  "Nao told you about the monsters, right?"

    "Yes," I said nervously, unsure what she would say next.

    She stared into my eyes, and I gazed back at her.  Her eyes were full of
love, but also regret and a touch of fear.  She pulled me to her tighter.
"You believe in me, don't you?" she asked softly.

    "Of course I believe in you, Mother," I said softly.  "I love you."

    She rested her head on my shoulder and I couldn't see her face, just
feel her pulling me tight with strength I didn't know she had, but I could
take it and I hugged her tightly.  I felt so strong and Mother was so strong
too.

    "Kasumi," she said softly.  "You are a brave, strong girl.  Soon, you
will be a brave, strong woman."  Hearing her say that gave me a surge of
joy.  "You're very responsible and hard working and kind and gentle.  I am
very proud of you."
    "Thank you, Mother," I whispered.

    "Kasumi, I wanted...I wanted to protect you from the things that wrecked
my childhood.  I was able to protect you from most of them.  I like to hope
I am a better mother than my mother was ever able to be.  That you wouldn't
have to reject your family like I had to mine."  There was old pain in her
voice now and it made me hurt to hear it.

    "Mother, I would never reject you," I promised.  "Because you've never
rejected me.  You always loved me, even when I was bad."

    "You were never very bad, Kasumi.  Even when you were bad, you were
good," Mother said, laughing a little.  "You'd even fink on yourself,
sometimes."

    I don't remember that at all, but I've heard all the stories.

    "Kasumi, you are very responsible.  So I know I can ask a favor of you,
though I don't want to lay this burden on you.  But there's no one else I
can ask, as you're my only dear daughter."  Her voice was heavy, and I
wondered what it could be.

    "Kasumi...you know about what happened with my family, right?" Mother
asked me.

    "Of course I know," I told her, my head now on her shoulder.  "How could
I not?"

    "I had to leave behind everything to marry your father.  Even just to
date him.  Some of my siblings still talk to me, but my parents...they don't
talk to each other and they pretend I don't exist."  Mother pulled me even
tighter.  "I did it all for love."

    "Mother, I'm sorry," I said softly.

    "Don't be sorry.  I wish you'd found a love like mine, but I was so
lucky.  I know that now.  And I know that in time, you will find someone who
would sacrifice anything and everything for you.  Who will love you more
than anything else in the world," Mother said assuringly.

    I hope so, but it gets harder to believe with time.  Maybe I'm just
impatient.  But I'm still hoping.  I like Hayao, but can I trust him?
Everyone looks down on him so much, but he's kind to me and charming
and...maybe I'm fooling myself again.

    "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.

    "But strength can be used to kill as well as to heal," Aunt Akira said
flatly.  "It can make us into monsters as well as angels.  People kill for
love every day.  Or at least what they convince themselves is love."

    I could hear Dan's voice in my head.  "Remember, love is both a weapon
and a balm; it can both heal and slay, unite and divide.  The wise Knight
knows the utility of both and wields their love wisely instead of it
weilding them and surrendering to Chaos."

    I like to watch this soap opera; I shouldn't, it's extremely naughty and
gives me bad thoughts, but I can't peel my eyes away from it.  It gives Dan
and Aunt Midori fits; it's called the Diadochi, and it's about Alexander the
Great's successors and how they fight each other and seduce each other's
wives and mistresses and gay lovers and how their kids and their bastards
fight each other.  It's an hour long train wreck and I cannot stop watching
it.

    And if it has a theme, that theme is 'love makes you crazy'.  That and
'a throne is worth killing for'.  Neither of which ought to glue me to the
screen, but I can't help it.

    "Doesn't your love for Takumi make you strong?  I've always admired your
relationship," Mother said softly to Aunt Akira.

    "It makes me who I am.  Without him, I would be a very different
person," Aunt Akira said softly.

    "Come here," I said to Aunt Akira.

    She came over and I took an arm and hugged her tightly, as did Mom.  She
turned a little red in the face and looked surprised, but then she relaxed
and put an arm around each of us.  "It was worth it, wasn't it?" Mother
asked Aunt Akira softly.

    "Yes.  I have no regrets for that, only for the times I've failed him,"
Aunt Akira said softly.

    "I know you did your best," I said to her.

    "Sometimes, your best is not enough," Aunt Akira said.  "Sometimes your
best is still failure."

    "I know," Mother said softly, her voice full of pain.  "I know."

    I wondered what they were both talking about, but I just hugged them
tighter.  "But you both learned from it and got better, right?"

    "Yes," Mother said softly.  "We did."

    "Yes," Aunt Akira said softly.  "But we want you all to do better than
we did."

    Which would be easier if you weren't hiding the past from us, I
thought.  Taking on the parents head on will only make you crazy, though.
Unlike Crystal, I know when to simply work around their stubborness instead
of acting like I am Judge Dee.  Relentlessness sometimes just means repeated
failure.

    "Kasumi, I hate to interrupt your talk, but I need to talk to Akane
right now," Aunt Akira said.

    Right now?  At 2:30 AM?  "Okay," I said, and went in and went to sleep
after giving them both a goodnight hug.

    Only in the morning did I remember that Mother never did actually ask
the favor she said she was going to ask of me.

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

Akane's Tale:

    "Fire away," I said, letting go of Akira and sitting down on a bench
with her.

    "Do you have any regrets?" Akira asked me. She didn't have to say about
what.

    "No," I said, then contradicted myself.  "Yes.  Of course I do.  In my
perfect world, my parents would be together, my family would still be happy
and Kasumi and I would be standing guard together over everyone.  And I
wouldn't keep finding Optimus Prime in my sock drawer for some reason."

    "Find what?  Oh, wait, one of your boys' robots, right?" Akira asked.

    "Yes," I said.

    "You shouldn't put up with their crap," Akira said flatly.  "If you
disciplined them properly, they wouldn't make messes and say stupid things."

    I resisted the urge to snap at her, because I knew she had something
more important to say than criticizing my raising of my boys.

    I hoped.

    "Are you having trouble with Shun?" I asked softly.

    She carefully studied a nearby bed of violets.  "If she loses, my boy
evaporates.  Or goes mad.  Or whatever happens now."

    "We don't know if anything happens," I said softly.

    "We can't count on that," Akira said hotly.  "We can't count on that."
Her fists clenched.  "And I can't even protect him in most places.  She will
do her best," she said.  "But she is like a baby in combat.  A novice.  Shun
at eight fought better than her.  Her parents taught her nothing.  Nothing."

    "I didn't teach Kasumi much in that regard," I said softly, patting her
shoulder.  "I thought it was over, that those days would never come again.
But I was wrong."

    "You should have been teaching her from her youth, as I did with Shun,"
Akira said hotly.  "She ought to be as good with those tonfas as Shun is
with a knife or his fists."

    "I'm not as good as Shun is, without my powers," I said softly.  "I
mainly did it for exercise all these years.  I could not have taught her as
well as you taught him.  You taught him very well, Akira."  I could tell she
was only yelling at me because she couldn't yell at herself.  She's so
worried about Shun.  He's a good boy at heart.  And Kagami loves him very
much.

    "I have to teach you, so you can teach him.  And her.  And the rest of
them.  You have to be my hand," Akira said.  "Do you know how much trust I
am putting in you?"  She sounded frantic.

    I put an arm around her.  "Sister," I said softly.  "I know exactly how
much trust.  And I promise, I will move the heavens and the earth to be
worthy of your trust.  I will do everything within my power to make them
stronger, able to bear the burdens we must bear."

    "Will you?" she asked.  "You are kind and gentle and forgiving.  You
have to push them.  Don't let them accept limits.  You have to break those
limits.  Shatter them.  Force them to find the strength inside them.  Have
you ever sculpted, Akane?"

    "No," I confessed.

    "Inside every block of stone is a sculpture waiting to be set free.
That is what Michelangelo taught.  The sculptor does not create the
sculpture, but through the wise use of force, the subtle art of the hammer,
he chips away everything which is not that thing, until only the art already
inside it remains.  You have to be that sculptor.  I will do everything I
can for Shun and Kagami and for the other children too.  But I cannot be
there as much as you can."  Her voice was both fervent and agonized.

    "I will give them my all," I promised her.  "That is all I can promise
you."

    For a short time, she was silent, though she now put an arm around me.
"Do you think he will get the power?" she asked, sounding haunted.

    "We can't know, but I think so," I said.  "Isn't it hereditary?  Which
is why they could make Alyssa?"

    "Being genetic doesn't necessarily mean a boy can do it.  Shun can't
bear children and I can," Akira said.  "He needs...Do you want Kasumi to
inherit your powers?"

    "Yes," I said.  "I would have said otherwise even a few months ago.  But
we can't escape it.  And if we can't hide from it, then our children NEED
the power.  Even at cost.  We need their strength and they need the power to
protect themselves when we cannot.  Children have to fly free in the end,
even if their parents love them, right?" I said softly, giving her a gentle
squeeze.

    "Maybe we should just wake them all up, march them down and search
them," Akira said, staring off into the woods.  "I want to know.  Even if it
means telling them everything.  Our failures, our betrayals, everything.
Even if they hate us.  I want to know if my boy is going to be a hostage and
a vulnerable point his whole life or if he's going to have the power to
fight back."

    "Takumi isn't just a hostage and a vulnerable point to you, is he?" I
asked softly.

    "He is the man I love.  He is never a weakness to me.  He is my
strength, now and always," Akira said hotly.  "I do not regret I left my
family behind and married him."

    "Even if Shun doesn't have the power, I think he too will find his
role," I told her.  "But I think he will.  I think they all will.  But where
we started dispersed and seperated, they will start together, with a family
that loves them watching their back.  Whatever may come, I think they will
make us proud."

    "How can you be so optimistic?" she asked me.

    "When all your dreams have come true, how can you not be optimistic?" I
asked her.  "And I have you and others in the family to anchor my fluffy
dreams to the Earth."

    "I will do my best," Akira said after a little bit.

    I let go of her and rose.  "Harry," I whispered.

    With a great rush of air, he appeared.  "Climb on," I said.

    "What?" she said in confusion.

    "Climb on," I said.

    She clambered up and I leaped lightly onto Harry's back.  He's so large
now, it amazes me.  "Fly," I whispered and he took off, soaring into the
skies.  Akira clung to him nervously, while I flew high into the sky with
her and him, laughing for the joy of it.

    I never got to do this before, to just cut loose with my Child and enjoy
myself with my friends.  I fell so swiftly when I first dared to spread my
wings.

    But I am not afraid now.  I moved to position myself to catch her if she
was in danger of falling and moved Akira up so she could see.  "The city is
so beautiful at night," I said softly.

    "Yes, it is," Akira said softly, smiling a little.

    "You should paint it," I told her.

    "I should," she said softly.

    We flew around for a while, enjoying the view and the wind in our
faces.  "We'd best go back," Akira said.  But she sounded more at peace with
herself now.  "If I don't get some sleep, I'll drive off the bridge or
something tomorrow."

    We headed back and I gave her a hug and went back to my guard duties.

    Good luck, Akira.  I hope you find peace over this.

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

Kasumi's Tale:

    I woke up to find a ninja standing over Kagami-san with a finger to her
throat.  I grabbed my tonfas and rose to my feet.  "Get away from
Kagami-san!" I demanded loudly.

    The others started to stir groggily.

    Then I realized it was actually Aunt Akira.  What was going on???

    Crystal stirred and Natasha mumbled, "What?"  Erica rolled over, showing
she was hugging her camera in her sleep.

    Aunt Akira said to me softly, "Very good, Kasumi, though I was trying
not to wake everyone."

    "Hi," Kagami mumbled to me.

    "Oh kiss me, Kyoko, you're so sexy," Crystal mumbled and began kissing
her pillow.

    "..."

    Kagami and Aunt Akira stared blankly at her too.

    Natasha sat up, rubbing her eyes.  "Are we having a surprise night
party?" she mumbled.  "And is Crystal eating her pillow?"

    "I was attempting to ambush Kagami without anyone else waking up," Aunt
Akira said, sighing.  "Kagami, you were completely vulnerable."

    "I will do better," she said very seriously.

    Is Aunt Akira going to be ambushing Kagami all the time now?  I'm glad
we're not roomates.

    "You never ambush me," Natasha said, sounding a little jealous.

    "I can arrange that," Aunt Akira said.

    "Cool.  I'd like to test my skills against yours," Natasha said.
"Anyway, shouldn't we all be asleep?"

    "Yes," I said.

    "Come with me, Kagami," Aunt Akira said to Kagami.  "I am very sorry,
everyone."  She led Kagami out and I flopped down to go to sleep.

    Though having Crystal mumbling on and on about how cute Kyoko was didn't
help.

    Kyoko?

    I dreamed of Crystal riding a giant whale named Kyoko, trying to swallow
Horus and I whole, but she was too slow and I was too quick and they
couldn't catch us.

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

    "She's just a movie star," Crystal mumbled.  "I was talking in my
sleep?" she looked very embarrassed.

    "Yes," I told her as we bathed.

    Natasha, Crystal, Erica, and I bathed together; Aunt Akira had dragged
off Kagami and Shun for early morning training.  I wonder if she ever
sleeps.


    We then had breakfast, and headed back to school.  I rode with Mother,
Aunt Shiho, and Natasha; Crystal's parents took her and Shun and Kagami and
Erica all rode with Aunt Chie and Aunt Aoi.  "Did my stupid brothers ever
apologize?" I asked Mom.

    "Sort of," Mother said.

    "You should spank them," Aunt Shiho said firmly.  "If you put up with
them, they'll just continue being retarded."

    Natasha said, "You've got to convince them you can and will protect
them."

    "By what?" I asked.

    "Dunno," Natasha said.

    "Hmm," Mother said thoughtfully.

    They discussed ways to do this while I tiredly zoned out and wondered
what the future would bring.  Would the others get powers like me?  Or was
this a coincidence.  Surely not, not when our parents had the big secret.
And some of them were monster hunters.  No wonder they started giving me
fighting training.

    I'd rather not fight, but if it's going to happen, I want to be ready.
Especially now that I'm going to have to protect the others until their
abilities happen.

    I was back at school and Mother had left when I finally remembered
Mother never had asked that favor of me.  But if it was important, she'd
remember and call me, right?

    Anyway, I had a TON of studying to catch up on.  So I would worry about
that later.  I would put my concerns about being a battle princess and the
duties it entails to one side and do what I have to do, right here and right
now.

      And from what Aunt Nao said, Rosewood was really safe.  So I'm not
likely to have to fight anyone any time soon.  But I will be ready when
Mother needs me.  When everyone needs me.

    I am the eldest of the seven of us and the eldest child is always the
responsible one; the younger ones can afford to play freely because we're
watching over them.  So I will watch over them and keep them safe.

    That's what elder sisters do, right?
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