Nurse Venus, Part 1
A Sailor Moon fan fiction by Thomas Sewell (sewell_thomas@hotmail.com)
Preface
Nurse Venus is the third arc in my Sailor Moon fanfiction series, following Sailor Moon's American Dream and Under Black Wings. The story starts about eight years after the end of Sailor Stars and a little more than a year after the end of Wings. Usagi has finally married Mamoru, but her days as Sailor Moon seem to be finished. She was partially paralyzed in her final fight and gets around in a wheelchair.
At one point, however, Minako almost married Mamoru, and she has a daughter by him . . .
...... = A thought quotation.
Chapter 1: The Nurse
MARVELL JONES thought of himself as a businessman. His business happened to be illegal drugs, but if they weren't illegal, they wouldn't be so profitable. Unlike so many of his old friends who joined the gang together in their early teens, he had always understood that it was the business that mattered. By keeping a cooler head, he had outlived all his old friends, become wealthy, and set up his mother in a place in Kensington, in fact one of the places she had toiled for rich white people when Marvell had been a small child. He remembered how his mother had made him be nice to the white people who owned it for giving him clothes their son had outgrown, and toys their son had tired of. Of course, he'd never been allowed to play with their son . . .
Sitting in his mother's kitchen drinking Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee, trying to keep his mind off the pretty little Filipina maid who had made it--he liked Filipinas a lot, but it was a bad idea to mess with someone his mother liked--he brought up a pleasant memory. The son, that golden white boy who had stolen so much of his mother's love, had died from an overdose. Marvell couldn't be sure that white boy had bought his last stuff from his organization, but it was likely enough . . . his only regret was that he wasn't sure.
When he'd bought the place, he'd found out white boy's mother didn't remember him at all, barely remembered his mother.
"Coffee, Mrs. Jones?" asked the maid, bringing Marvell out of his reverie.
"No, thanks, Aurora. I've had my cup for the day. Could you find something to do somewhere else? I'd like to talk with Marvell alone for awhile." Once she was sure the maid was gone, she filled a glass with warm water, drank some of it, and then sat down to talk. "I want to get another nurse for Kevin, Marvell."
"What's wrong with Mrs. Little?" asked Marvell Jones.
His mother explained, "She's a fine nurse and a good woman, but Kevin just doesn't care for her. He gets upset before she comes over."
Marvell shook his head. "All right. I'll look for someone."
His mother said, "No, you don't have to. I've found someone."
"You have?" said Marvell dubiously.
His mother said, "Yes. She took care of Mrs. Prizzi until she passed on. She's very sweet. And she's pretty, too. Kevin will like that."
Marvell said, "Moms, it ain't a good idea to have anyone here who doesn't work for us." Aurora and the other two Filipinas were illegals; Marvell had got them through an Asian gang. They were all very grateful; otherwise they would be whores. Mrs. Little had two sons in the gang, one still alive.
His mother said, "She'll just be a day nurse. She lives close to here, so she doesn't have to be here more than a few hours a day, just time enough to get Kevin through his therapy. Anyway, Kevin isn't in your business any more."
Marvell said, "He don't want to be left out, Moms . . . Moms, if you hire her, and she finds out something, you know what I'll have to do."
His mother said forcefully, "Just keep your mouth shut about your business around Kevin . . . you should never have let him in."
Marvell took his mother's hand. "You're right about that. I wish I'd never let him in . . . " But how could I have stopped him?
After a minute, Mrs. Jones asked, "Are you going to let me do it, son?"
"Yes. Anything to help Kev," he replied, squeezing her hand. "Just let me have her checked out. She might be a cop, or maybe the cops have a handle on her." He released her hand, and pulled out his PDA. "What's her name?"
"Miss Aino, A-I-N-O . . ."
Marvell's checks on Nurse Minako Aino took a couple of weeks. Professionally, she wasn't as impressive as Mrs. Little: not an R.N. yet, though she had tested once (and failed). She did have a lot of physical therapy in her background. She'd worked in a couple of convalescent hospitals and a board-and-care, but most of her work had been as a private nurse or an unpaid volunteer. He checked and found she had been let go from the board-and-care for complaining about how the clients were being treated.
Her driver's license was under suspension. She had never got a speeding ticket, but she had a long history of minor accidents. Otherwise, Aino had no criminal record in the United States or Japan. Finally, his contacts in various police departments and federal agencies found no line on her as a suspect, informant, or undercover cop.
The only thing left was to give her an eyeball check. She lived within easy walking distance of his mother's house, but he didn't even think of walking over from there. He did his walking and jogging on a treadmill. Doing those things outside made him too easy a target.
His mother had called Aino and asked her to keep herself open while they decided whether or not to take her. But Marvell dropped by without calling. He might miss her, this time, but on the other hand, it was less likely to be a setup, if no one knew when he was coming.
Marvell Jones remembered the house from his childhood, a mansion that had been around since long before he was born. He did remembered a ring of little nigger jockeys around the front driveway. Those were gone. The pillars and trim, white before, were now a light gray. It looked less like a fifth-rate Tara. Maybe the new owner had no dreams of happy, hard-working, nigger slaves.
The owner was D.A. Alvarson, a Swiss citizen. Exactly why Nurse Aino was living here was one of the things Marvell wanted to know before he made his final decision.
He sent one of his bodyguards up to the door first. While he was waiting for the bodyguard to get an answer, Marvell noticed another thing: the windows were about two inches thick.
The bodyguard came down. "She's home."
"All right. You, you come with me, you stay."
He went up to the door, noting that his men were really looking . . . they were all good. New enough to still have an edge on, but at the job long enough to be smooth. But he'd have to send them out soon; last year's war had left the ranks thin. Plenty of new talent, but not enough managers who were both tough enough and smart enough to make the operation work smoothly.
As he walked through the entry hall, Marvell was thinking about a cut he needed to make, Jaleel, one of his best men, but one who was getting too big, thinking about taking Marvell's place. The man had put some feelers out to the reds. Unfortunately for Jaleel, the reds thought Marvell was better to do business with now than any new man. Soon . . . this week. Marvell had killed many men, and had more killed. Once the decision was made, it should be done quickly. Marvell believed that some people could smell things like this, especially if they were in his business and alive after a few years. He had acted on odd feelings over the years, and had never been sorry that he had. Better make it messy . . . that will make the others think again.
"Take a seat. Minako will be finished in a few minutes."
The voice belonged to a woman in a wheelchair. She was blonde and good looking, if you ignored the withered legs under her skirt.
Marvell replied, "Thank you, Miss . . .?"
"Mrs. Chiba," the woman said.
Marvell asked, "Would Mr. Alvarson be in, by the way?"
Mrs. Chiba said, "You mean the owner? No, he's off tending to his business somewhere else. Why would you like to see him?"
Marvell said, looking around, "I like this house . . . I might buy it."
"Really?" She had an accent he found hard to place, but he could tell she didn't believe him. She wheeled over to a table, and took something from a small lacquer box. Wheeling back up to him, she held out a card. He took it. It read:
"THE GREY COMPANY" and gave several mailing addresses, and an internet site.
"If you can use e-mail, that's probably the quickest way to get an answer. Just put 'attention: D.A. Alvarson.' He reads his e-mail."
"Thank you." He pocketed the card.
The woman in the wheelchair moved away, and vanished behind one of the two double stairs.
Marvell didn't sit, so his guards didn't, either. He strolled around the big front room, which reminded him of a hotel lobby. There were a lot of couches and chairs, and they didn't match. He noticed that most of them were lightweight, except for a few set along the back wall. None of them looked new.
The tables held various items, and he looked them over. He noticed a stack of coloring books; the box next to it had several hundred crayons. There weren't any televisions showing, or any audio equipment. He did notice some cameras, and pointed them out to his guards. But there were few homes in Kensington without security cameras, including his mother's.
The woman in the wheelchair reappeared after the promised few minutes, among a few other people: a man and a woman in martial arts pajamas, and a blonde in a leotard and tights. The two martial artists went up the stairs, the woman pausing to give Marvell a penetrating look from the landing before continuing up. The blonde in the leotard, soaked with sweat and showing every seam of her underwear, and the contour of her nipples beneath it, pushed the woman in the wheelchair toward Marvell. They looked a lot alike, a lot alike, but not quite enough to for Marvell to be sure they were related. Perhaps an idle thought, but blood was always a connection worth considering . . .
The blonde in the leotard stepped around to the side of the woman in the wheelchair, and bowed. Then she held out her hand. "I am Minako Aino, Mr. Jones. I have met your mother."
Marvell took her hand, and impulsively bent down for a moment to kiss it. He noticed that she did not recoil, though he read trouble in her face. "Nice to meet you at last. I'm sorry I wasn't able to see you sooner."
Aino said, "I think I understand. You wanted to be careful."
She knows the score . . . but no one with enough brains to be any good wouldn't. Marvell glanced at the one in the wheelchair, but only for a moment. Her eyes were on him, and they were looking far past his face. He looked back at Aino, and said, "Yes. When can you start?"
Aino said, "Mr. Jones, I like your mother. I want to help her. But before I make my decision, may I meet your brother? The one I will be taking care of?"
Marvell said, "Fair enough."
Aino said, "And I want my friend Usagi with me, when we meet."
"Usagi?" asked Marvell.
"I am Usagi," said the one in the wheelchair. After an awkward interval of silence, she spoke again. "Tonight would be fine. We could have your brother and your mother over for dinner. You and your friends too, if you like. We are used to feeding lots of people."
"I can borrow Usagi's van to bring your brother," said Aino. "It has a wheelchair lift."
Marvell thought another moment. "What time do you eat?"
"Six o'clock," said Aino. "Is that too early? Too late?"
Six . . . Time enough to set it up. "No, not sure I can make it tonight . . . You said you were used to feeding lots of people?"
Aino said, "Yes. Most of my old friends live here with Usagi and her family. And we have quite a lot of children now. Would that be too much for your brother?"
"No, no, Kev always liked kids, and Moms . . ." Aino was a charmer; Marvell could see why his mother wanted her for Kevin. Her friend gave him the chills, but she was just a cripple, and a woman, after all. "Give my mother a call, will you? If she agrees, save me and by brothers some plates. I don't know if I'll be able to come, but I'll be disappointed if I can't." He took her hand again, and kissed it. "I hope this isn't the last time I'll see you."
Looking at Jones and his gunmen drive away, Minako Aino saw a car pull away a few seconds later. "Someone is following them. Police, probably."
"Would you like to know what he was thinking about when we invited him to dinner?" asked Usagi.
Minako said, "How his mother and brother would enjoy having a good meal with others?"
Usagi said, "Yes . . . and how it would be a good place for him to be while he has another man killed. He wants to kill him with his girlfriend and maybe their baby, so that other men who want to take his place will think they will be risking too much." Usagi wheeled up to Minako and the window she was looking through, and said, "He is probably sending the orders right now. He has something that he thinks makes his cellphone safe. He was thinking about that just as he walked out."
Minako said, "I won't attack him. That would be betraying his mother."
Usagi said, "Yes . . . Maybe we can stop the killing. I know the man's name is Jaleel. I will send e-mail to the police tip sites. Perhaps they can save the girlfriend and the baby."
Minako asked, "Could we find them ourselves?"
Usagi said, "We only have a few hours. I must tell the police first."
Minako said, "Yes . . . But we must also warn Mr. Jones."
"Mr. Jones?" remarked Usagi.
Minako said, "It is not right for his men to be lost to the police because he came to me to get help for his brother. And other people may be hurt or killed if there is a fight between his men and the police. If he is warned, he will call off his men . . . maybe, if there is time."
Rei came up to them, and Yuuichirou, who said, "You have only just met this Mr. Jones, and already so much trouble. Do you have to do this?"
The ghost of the General appeared in Minako. "It is not Mr. Jones, it is his mother and his brother . . . Go, help Usagi. We must try to keep any killings from happening."
"Some day you may have to fight Mr. Jones," said Rei. "Some day, you may have to kill him."
"Yes. But not today."
Kevin Jones could walk . . . but it hurt. Everything hurt, but walking hurt worse than most things he did, so he used a wheelchair most of the time. Walking, or even having his legs moved by Mrs. Little or the other nurses and therapists who Marvell and his mother had found for him, was torture. What was the point? What parts of his legs that didn't hurt were so numb he couldn't walk more than a few steps without stumbling. Canes didn't help; neither of his hands could grip them hard enough. He could manage a walker, but that was for old ladies, not a man. Kevin was still a man; he still had that, even if no woman would ever look at him the way they'd done before . . .
Kevin wished they would stop making him do therapy, but his mother kept telling him that this new woman would help him. Like she had told him the last one would help him, and the one before that.
Now they were going to meet the new nurse, actually going out to where she lived. His mother had her mind set on it, so it was going to happen. She had wanted him to dress nice, wear real trousers instead of sweats, a shirt with buttons . . . things he couldn't put on or take off by himself, not really. His mother had dressed him. She wouldn't let the Filipina maids do it. She'd gotten rid of the one who'd used to do what she could with him. His mother had called her a whore, but her touch had been gentle.
He had to get his mind off that. He said, "Let's see what's on the TV."
"No, they'll be here in a minute or two."
That's what you said ten minutes ago. Kevin did not say it aloud, of course.
But before Kevin could think too much more of what he missed, a van pulled up. The side door slid open, and a lift came down. Kevin's hopes that no one would come to pick them up were dashed. But at least he wouldn't have to struggle into and out of a car again.
He was using one of his powered wheelchairs. His mother didn't like him to use them, but he said they might be out a long time, and she said it was probably all right.
Someone got out of the van as he came up to the lift. It was a beautiful woman, blonde, blue-eyed--but not quite white; her eyes had the folds of an oriental, and her skin was about the shade of the lightest of the Filipinas. Japanese, probably; there were a few Japanese who had odd hair and eye colors; quite a few of them were entertainers, so even Kevin Jones knew of them. Or maybe she was just an Amerasian with colored contacts and a good dye job.
"Let me help you get in," she said, smiling at him. Kevin could see it was a forced smile, but she didn't look away right away, like most women. "All right, this is what you press to get in. Have you used this kind of lift before?"
"No, not quite like this one," said Kevin.
The woman said, "There are a lot of different kinds . . . can I press it for you?"
"Please, it's kind of hard."
She got him inside, and strapped the chair in, making sure he was belted in his chair. It was quite an elaborate harness, and she checked every part of it before she turned away and said to the driver, "We can go now." His mother had taken the seat the woman had been sitting in; she put herself in a little jump seat that folded down behind the driver's seat.
It was not a long ride at all. They pulled up in front of a big house, one of the biggest. Kevin saw people pouring out of the front door as soon as they stopped. Three men and a tall woman picked up his whole chair and carried him up the steps. Waiting for his mother, he saw one of the men go to the drivers side of the van. The driver was a woman, another blonde who looked a lot like the first one--but when the man picked her up, Kevin saw her skinny legs just hung loose. The tall woman got into the driver's seat, and drove the van away. The man carried the crippled woman in his arms up the steps, past Kevin, into the house.
Kevin's mother came up the steps with the blonde who had helped him get in and out of the van. She asked, "Don't you have a ramp for wheelchairs?"
The blonde woman said, "Yes, in the back. But Usagi said it was important for you to come in through the front door."
The house was full of people, including many children. Soon they were all gathered for dinner. It was a buffet; everyone filled up their plates with what they liked. Some of it was plain American food, and he noticed that most of the children took that. But some was not--he saw a little strawberry-blonde girl put a squid in a hot dog bun.
The evening wore on, and on. His mother liked this place, and these people. Kevin didn't know. The adults were polite, even thoughtful, but they were distant, except for the blonde that kept helping him, and the cripple--who always seemed to be looking at him when he looked around for her. She had eyes that looked through a person; old eyes, like Marvell's. The kids were mostly okay . . . except the kids who kept going up to the crippled woman the most. Kevin was always catching those three little girls looking at him, too.
It was a Friday night, and the kids were apparently allowed to stay up late, but they started falling asleep and being carried off. One of them surprised Kevin by coming up to the woman who had been helping him and saying, "Mama, will you put me in bed tonight?" It was one of the girls who had been watching him; he'd thought she belonged to the one in the wheelchair. "His" girl went off with her own little girl.
Waiting for the blonde helper to come back, Kevin saw that his mother had fallen asleep in a comfortable chair. Someone had covered her with a blanket. He wanted to leave, but he wanted to say goodbye to the woman who had helped him so much. He also needed to pee, badly, but he knew he couldn't manage his zipper, and who would help him with that? In fact . . . he realized he had been there for hours and no one had introduced the nurse who was supposed to be living here.
At last she came . . . with the lady in the wheelchair. They were alone in the great front room, although Kevin noticed a few faces on the railings high above, probably too far up to hear.
The cripple said nothing for a long time, staring at him, into him. Finally she said, "Yes."
The blonde who had helped him said, "Usagi approves. I will start Monday."
"Start?" blurted Kevin. "You are the nurse?"
"Yes. I am Aino Minako--Minako Aino, as you would put my names in America. I am the nurse your mother has wanted for you."
"You are lucky," said the crippled lady. "You are the one . . . and I think you need to visit a toilet now. Minako?"
Nurse Aino said, "I will help you. Those are nice pants, but they must be difficult."
"Thank you."
And he really helped him. She cleaned him off when he was finished, and said, "You must have happy girlfriends."
He knew she wasn't coming on to him. But that was when he was sure he was in love with her.
Chiba Mamoru held his precious Usako in his tiny apartment in Ravenswood. He stroked her hair, once so long, now cut short, and said, "We have not made love here since the night you returned from Nancy's world. Before Chibi-Usa was born."
Usagi said, "No . . . I thought for so long it would be the last time for so long . . . so long."
Mamoru asked, "Should we see if Minako's new client has left?"
Usagi said, "No. I want to spend the rest of the night . . . I want you to be here when I wake up, and make love again before we leave."
He kissed her, again, and again. But then he asked the question. "Is he the one?"
"Yes. I am sure of it."
Mamoru asked, "How can you stand it, then?"
Usagi sighed, "I have seen his heart . . . he has done bad things, and he does not really understand good and bad the way we do. But Cooan did worse, and I spared her. I have never been sorry I did . . . he was fighting for his family, that is what he felt."
"And the brother?" asked Mamoru.
"We cannot help fighting him someday, unless someone else defeats him first. One of us might kill him. I hope it is not Minako," said Usagi.
Chapter 2: The Lord of the Blues
MARVELL JONES had expected that his problem with Jaleel would be solved in a few hours. He hadn't counted on it--making too many assumptions was one thing that got you killed in his business. But he was surprised when he heard within hours that the police had been tipped that Jaleel was going to be hit.
The first thing he did was change all the keys to his encryption, especially the one on his car cellphone. Marvell didn't understand the math, but he knew no encryption couldn't be broken. But if it was broken, someone was probably feeding the codes to someone.
The leak could be from anyone who knew about the hit. that could be anyone in the car when he made the call, or the lawyer who he was calling, or any one from the lawyer to the enforcers who would make the hit.
Acting fast was important--but so was acting smart. Marvell made himself cold, and thought harder about what had happened. The police were tipped . . . but he had been tipped too. Before any of his warnings from cops who were on his payroll, there'd been a call to his own place. Every call there was recorded, of course, and Marvell had the connections to get just about any call traced. It had come from a woman with a scratchy, nasal voice, and it had been placed from Los Angeles. The woman sounded foreign, but Marvell couldn't place the accent.
That call had come in while he was stuck in traffic on the Bay Bridge, no more than half an hour after he had called the lawyer. None of his guards could have made calls. Maybe one of them had a wire . . . but if the cops had gotten that far without his contacts tipping him off, Marvell knew he was finished. He didn't feel like he was finished.
Probably the lawyer. He was a good asset, but he was a family man. He shouldn't have asked the lawyer to take care of the girl and the kid. He'd been fine fixing other problems. The lawyer would have to go away, but that would take some time to do right. It would have to look like an accident, or a random crime. Marvell was smart enough to know that if other lawyers even suspected that he'd killed one of them, he wouldn't be able to get more than a public defender.
But first, Jaleel had to go. It was going to take a big risk, but Jaleel had to go now. The reds would already know about the busted hit on Jaleel. Marvell didn't think they would be able to react for awhile, but that meant a few days, at most. They wouldn't tip off Jaleel if they didn't want to start the war again, and Marvell thought they wouldn't do that unless they were sure they could win. But things could change a lot in a few days.
Maybe there were a few of his men who really thought they were his friend, but Marvell knew he had no friends; the last friends he would ever have were dead. Kev was the only brother he had left, and he should have never got into the business. Dardenella wouldn't speak to him, hadn't since she went off into the Marines. Their mother knew what was what, though Marvell had never let her into the business.
Marvell knew he wasn't immortal. He wasn't going to retire to Florida or Italy or Israel, like those old-time Jewish and Italian gangsters. Not many of them had really done it; but when their time was past, a few of them who didn't matter any more had spent their last few years making up stories. For all the corny movies showing how tough it been for immigrants, they were just more white people. Old white people got to do that.
Not Marvell, or any other real black man. Sports and entertainment were for the ones that turned as white as they could. Marvell's business was the black man's only real way to fuck with the white world. He would die young, but he wouldn't kiss another white ass.
Jaleel, with his white girlfriend that he was talking about marrying . . . was he trying to turn white? Not part of the business at all, but an interesting thought. Maybe that was why the reds didn't trust him. But he had been a good man, for the business. Making his move too soon, maybe, but . . . Jaleel wasn't that much different from Marvell. He had had to take risks to get ahead.
And now Marvell had to take risks to stay on top. Jaleel was proving a more interesting problem than Marvell had had in a long time. Either he would solve it, or he would go out memorably. But Jaleel was going to go, soon, whatever happened. If he escaped, Marvell's rep would be lost. His rep was his real capital; Marvell had understood this part of the business from the first.
Detective John Shaw wondered if the laxative he had slipped his partner would ever kick in, but it started working at the best time: just when the shift change was happening. "Johnny, I just gotta take a crap!"
"All right . . . are you sick?"
"I'll be all right . . . but I really gotta go."
"All right . . . Use the liquor store around that corner. Show them your badge and tell them Shaw sent you. I know them . . . hey," he added, pulling some bills from his pocket. "Get me a hot dog or something. I didn't eat before I came on."
"All right."
Once his partner was gone, he switched the car radio to citizen's band, found a clear channel, and began rapidly pressing the mike switch. He didn't have to wait long before he heard a Morse code reply. And he didn't have to wait long after that for a surprise. A black youth casually walked around the corner and waved. Then he pulled out a gun, and sprayed into a car across the street.
That wasn't what John Shaw had expected, but he got the idea. Catching sight of his partner running around the corner in back of him, John Shaw sped off, putting the light on the roof and starting the siren. He turned at the intersection the youth had appeared at--the opposite way. He was going to get reviewed on this, maybe fired. But he had taken the money; now his only chance was to make sure they thought he wouldn't turn.
Jaleel Brown tumbled down from a razor-wired wall the next street back from his apartment. He left the blankets there; they were ripped to shreds now, but he had only a few cuts. He'd left Caitlin with a gun; that was all he could do for her now. Then he heard some popping sounds . . .
"Well, you ain't as stupid as I thought you might be," a voice called out from the darkness. Marvell tossed his gun over the razor-wired wall, and strolled away, making a call on his cellphone. When he connected, 50 kilos of C4 hidden inside of Jaleel Brown's BMW went off, killing Caitlin Terwilliger, Keisha Terwilliger Brown, Officer John Shaw's latest partner, and nine others.
While waiting for his car to come, Marvell Jones made another call, to the lawyer who might be the leak. "Yes, I know it's late. I just wanted you to know I handled the Jay matter myself, so don't worry about it any more. Oh, say hello to the wife and kids. We've all got to get together soon. Real soon . . . don't be a stranger, now."
Chapter 3: The Bouquet
THE MAGIC ROSES that Mamoru conjured with his powers usually faded away after a few moments, but the two dozen he had bound into a wedding bouquet were still there the next day. Kino Makoto, who had caught the bouquet, put them in water then. After two more days, she bought some small pots and planted one in each, just to see if any would root. They all did. They each outgrew two pots, and finally she set them outside, along the iron fences, hoping she would get a few bushes. As she watched Zoë wave from Usagi's van as they went off for the first day of the new school year, she saw noticed how big the bushes had gotten. Most were blooming red, but some had turned to other colors, more colors than Mamoru remembered from any of his forms. The blue one had attracted so much attention Mako had transplanted it again to the back yard, and replaced it with an ordinary rosebush.
Twenty months had passed. The bouquet had thrived, but its promise had not. There were men in Makoto's life, but not a man. There was Zoë, of course, but she was starting middle school now, and Makoto knew the years were flying. Makoto was 26 now, according to the records--and, actually, thirty, thanks to the time-bending journey that had brought her Zoë. Men said Makoto looked younger and she believed most of them were sincere, but Makoto didn't feel young. If anything, she felt older.
Kino Makoto walked along the fence, checking each bush. The one that grew black roses happened to be by the walk-in gate. She noticed that one of the blossoms had fallen whole. She bent down to pick it up, and examine the bush, and had a brief coldness pass through her. An omen? Rei was the great one for those, and sometimes Naru, with the spells she had learned from the little man and the books he had given her. But . . .
"Kino-san?"
The voice startled her. She sprang up, and saw a short man standing just on the other side of the fence. He was holding the hand of a little girl with golden-brown skin. The girl wore a little middie-dress like Usagi had put on her daughters before they decided they wanted to dress like regular American girls all the time. The little girl hid behind the man, peeking out from behind his legs.
"I am Ms. Kino," Mako replied in English; it was automatic by now.
The man smiled awkwardly. "I am sorry to startle you."
Makoto said, "I'm afraid I don't remember you."
The man said, "I am Urawa Ryo. We met years ago, when I first knew Mizuno-san. We met only once, but I remember you . . . You were tall then, but you are so much taller now, I thought you were an American lady." He paused for a moment, lowering his eyes. "I'm sorry, I am being foolish. I should have called . . ."
Now Makoto did remember. "Yes, of course . . . You have come here visit Ami?"
Urawa said, "I hoped . . . This is the last place I knew she was living. I had business in Berkeley, and . . . I thought I would drop by . . . foolish. Perhaps I should go."
Urawa looked as sad as a person can without crying, touching Makoto's heart. There is something very wrong here, Makoto thought, Where is his wife? Trouble with her? Can't say anything about that with his little girl right here. "No, no, come in," said Makoto, punching in the code that unlatched the gate. "Ami is not here, but she wonders what happened to you. We all wonder."
"All?" asked Urawa.
Makoto said, "Come inside! Look, that cloud! It will be raining here in a minute."
Once inside, they were alone, a rare occurrence, as Makoto pointed out. "All the babies and tots are at the Mercurius day care center. Usagi's father is on an assignment somewhere and her mother went with him--she does that a lot now. Rei and Yuuchirou are in Japan for a few days. Minako will be with her patient until the children come back. Usagi said she might do some shopping, so I'm not sure when she'll be back. Michiru is performing in Seattle tonight, and of course Haruka is with her. And Setsuna is we don't know where--the usual."
"I know most of those names only from Ami's old letters, I am afraid." Then Urawa said, "What about Hino-san's grandfather? Does he live here too? Everyone talked about his leaving Hikawa Temple. I know he moved to America to be with Hino-san. I would like to see that old hentai again."
"I'm sorry, Urawa-san, he passed away . . ." Makoto saw a cloud pass across Ryo's face, and the little girl's. "And who are you?" Makoto asked, kneeling down and sitting on her legs to make her face closer to the child's height.
"Zara," answered the child.
"Zara? You have a pretty name, Zara-chan. We have something here you might like to do while we grownups talk about our boring grown-up stuff." Makoto took her to the coloring books and showed her the crayons. Zara picked out a picture and started coloring it.
Easing far enough away from the child to talk privately, but not far enough away to alarm her, Makoto began to talk again. "About Ami . . . " Makoto made her voice gentle but firm. "Ami-chan is married, Urawa-san. She has been married for several years, and she has a child. Hermetia. We call her Erma or Meti-chan. She's a little over a year now."
Urawa was silent for a long moment, and then said, "I sensed something . . . my old power comes back now, sometimes." Urawa put his head down for awhile, and then brought it up to say, "It was better to hear it from you this way, Kino-san, than over the phone or in a letter. You are a kind person."
"Thank you, Urawa-san." There was an awkward moment, which Makoto ended by looking back at Urawa's daughter. "Zara-chan looks a little small for her age." Maybe like Chibi-Usa? Or Kimi? Or Ishtar? They were all small for their ages now, something that Usagi especially worried about . . .
"Zara-chan is not quite four," said Urawa. "I think she is going to be a short person, like me. Not like Pritpal."
"Pritpal?" asked Makoto.
"My wife," said Urawa.
"Oh. If I knew her name, I forgot." Makoto said. Then she turned back to Zara. "Zara is that young? But Ami-chan said you were about to have--"
Urawa said, "That was Soraya. She was killed with her mother. And my mother, and both of my wife's parents."
Makoto exclaimed, "Oh, no . . . how?"
"An airplane crash," said Urawa.
"Like my parents . . ."
"Not quite," said Urawa. "I saw visions of a plane crashing. Okasan missed Japan, so we we were all going to fly there for our holiday. I got everyone to change their minds. Instead, we went up to Scotland by train. And a plane crashed into the place we were at. I grabbed Zara and got her out. But I could not save anyone else."
"When did this happen?" asked Makoto.
Urawa said, "It was a few days before Christmas, the year before last. I--what's wrong?"
"Was it the Friday before Christmas?" asked Makoto. Makoto was aware of a familiar squeaking on the floor, but she paid it no mind.
Urawa, a little put-off, said, "No, actually it was the Saturday. About three in the afternoon. We'd just--Tsukino-san?"
Usagi answered, "Mrs. Chiba, now . . . Mamoru and I married on that day."
"What has become of you?" asked Urawa.
Usagi was silent for a notable time. "I am sorry for you, Urawa-san. I know what it is to lose one's child . . . Her name is Zara?"
"Yes," said Urawa.
Usagi said, "Would you mind if I spend a little time with her now? Makoto, you need to talk to Urawa-san some more."
Makoto knew the feel of Usagi using her command power now . . . but she did not use it lightly on her friends. "Urawa-san . . . people are going to be stumbling over us if we stay here. Let's go to my room to talk."
His eyes widened. But he got up and walked away with her. Glancing down from the landing on the way up, Makoto saw Zara give her an uncertain look over her shoulder. She went on.
Once they were in the room, Makoto swept her arm around. "That is where Minako sleeps. Her daughter Ishtar often sleeps with her. And this is my bed," she said, and sat down on it. "I have an adopted daughter, but she is so grownup, she doesn't sleep with me more than once a week." After one of her nightmares, but Urawa-san does not need to hear about more nightmares now . . . "Her name is Zoë."
"You have many rooms in this house. It is not like Japan. You have so many here, you cannot have a room of your own?"
"I could if I wanted." Makoto shrugged. "I have grown so used to it. I have tried sleeping alone, but . . . I do not like to. I prefer sharing this room with Minako . . . I do not sleep alone as well." She was wearing a man's shirt, with pockets, and realized she had stuffed the fallen blossom into one of them--and now it formed an unsightly lump on one of her breasts. She took it out, and showed it to him. "I picked it up, just as you came here . . . it was not clipped; it fell whole. That does not happen very often."
He took the black blossom from her hand. He looked at it for awhile, and said, "I saw this. I thought of this house. I walked by it. A flower like this fell in front of me. I stepped on it, and walked on into . . . nothing . . . It was when I was thinking of whether to come here today."
He stepped back to the dresser, set the blossom down, and picked up a picture. Urawa looked at it awhile, and then came to Makoto. He sat down next to her, not quite touching her. "Who are these people? Her? And her?"
Makoto explained. "That is Chibi-Usa's Aunt Nancy, and that is her stepsister Felicia . . . and that is my Zoë, about three years ago . . . Are you sensing something about them with your power?"
"I feel something," Urawa said, "Felicia . . . she's tall. Almost like you . . . Pritpal was tall, not like you, but tall . . . Soraya would have been tall like her . . ."
Makoto took the picture from him, and got up. She set it back in its place, and picked up the blossom. "Does your power tell you anything about me?"
"I'm not sure," said Urawa.
"Then maybe we have no future," said Makoto.
"Perhaps . . . or maybe our future is here."
Still holding the blossom, she bent down and kissed him, and let the blossom fall. She undid her jeans, and stepped out of them, putting them on Minako's bed as she returned to hers. Sitting down next to Ryo, she kissed him again. Then she asked, "Has there been anyone since your wife?"
Ryo said, "Once."
Makoto said, "I have not been with a man for a long time. Remember that, when you are gone."
They made love over and over. The clock marched past noon, past three, past four, past five. Zara came in once to show her father a drawing she had made; she seemed completely unsurprised that they were in bed together, obviously naked under the covers. It was insanity, and it was pure joy, and aching relief, and it came to an end too soon.
"You are flying out at ten?" asked Makoto as they dressed.
"Yes," replied Ryo.
Makoto said, "Time enough for dinner before you leave. We eat at six . . . I think. I do most of the cooking . . . do you have to go tonight?"
Ryo said, "Yes. I must do something tomorrow. After that--"
Makoto said, "After that, you will never come back. What we did here today, you will try not to think of." She held him to her bosom like a child. "This was to help you with your pain. I know that. This is not the first time I have helped someone like this. Don't feel guilty. If you do, you will only want to forget me more, and I want you to remember me."
They ate dinner together with the others, not the best meal, even considering that Urawa Ryo would be leaving soon after.
Despite her resolve, she made a big scene when it was time for him to finally go. Before he could get into his car, she picked him up and held him, kissed him, crying like Usagi had used to. Her heart was broken in more bits than ever before, crushed like the blossom she had found on the floor when she changed into the dress she had put on for his last sight of her.
Suddenly, she was aware they weren't next to the same car.
Makoto looked down, and Chibi Moon looked back up and said to her primly, "I think you should get married now."
Makoto looked up. They were in a parking lot, in the back of a building. A sign on a windowless door read:
"PRIVATE PROPERTY. NO TRESPASSING. AUTHORIZED PERSONS ONLY. Service Entrance, Rose Love Chapel."
The other senshi started popping in about a minute later.
This time, Minako caught the bouquet.
There was a tapping. It was ten in the morning. Makoto felt next to her make sure she was waking up from a dream alone, again. Then she pulled up the covers over Ryo and herself, and said softly, "Come in, Mina-chan."
But it was not just Minako. Usagi came in as well, and Naru. Naru closed the door once they were all inside. Usagi then said, "Urawa-san, you should think about having Zara stay on with us. Moving here, so she can do that."
"What?" Ryo was startled at the suggestion.
Naru spoke. "Have you had visions about her? Strange ones? Or dreams?"
Ryo said, "I have had dreams about her . . . but no visions."
"What was special about the dreams?" asked Naru.
Ryo said, "I dream that she flies. But everyone can fly in dreams, sometimes."
"But you dream about that a lot, don't you?" asked Usagi.
Ryo said, "Yes, I guess . . . what do you mean?"
Usagi said, "We think Zara is a senshi. Kimi-chan says she can see her sigil."
"She has magic," said Naru. "Strong magic. I sensed it even before Usagi told me. If I can see it with what little I know, it must be very strong magic."
Ryo shook his head.
"You are refusing?" asked Minako.
But Usagi held her back, physically and mentally. "No, he is not . . . You see it now, Urawa-san?"
"Yes," said Ryo.
Makoto was bewildered. "What, Ryo-chan?"
Ryo said, "My vision . . . I think it meant there was nothing else but to come here."
Usagi got that old look in her eyes as she went on. "You wanted just to live a normal life. That is what we all wanted. What we all really want . . . but the power always comes with a price. Always."
Minako spoke. "None of us are just senshi. Zara can have a happy life."
"Like you?" said Ryo.
"What do you see?" asked Minako.
"Trouble . . . a lot of it, I'm afraid."
Minako smiled, but in her eyes, Ryo saw the ancient General within her. "That is not news."
Makoto decided to break up the meeting. "Well, you did catch the bouquet. That means you'll have a husband soon. And he will be a lot of trouble." She touched him under the covers in a spot she knew would have him helplessly laughing in a second. But, while Naru blushed when Ryo's nakedness emerged, with the others, she took her time in leaving, and spent a little too long looking first . . .
Chapter 4: A Day in the Park
IT WAS A WARM NOVEMBER DAY. The San Francisco Bay Area often has an Indian Summer, and this was one of the best. It was Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. A lot of families were turning out around Lake Merritt with beach blankets and bags of turkey sandwiches and coolers of soft drinks . . . and a little beer; the police usually wouldn't bother anyone who wasn't making trouble.
No beer for the Jones', though. Jackie Jones had buried two alcoholic partners; no one was going to touch liquor around her, not even Marvell, if he were to show up . . . which was unlikely. If it was just Kevin and Moms, one or two of the maids and Nurse Aino, he well might have, but not if Mrs. Chiba was around. Mrs. Chiba gave Marvell the creepies, and Kevin thought he knew why. She had that look, the one Moms could give you, the one that made you think she knew every thing you hoped she didn't.
Moms liked Mrs. Chiba. She kept trying to get her to come to church. Nurse Aino would come sometimes, but Nurse Aino would do a lot of things she didn't like to make someone feel better.
But they weren't going to spend all the time with Moms and the crowd of friends Nurse Aino and Mrs. Chiba brought. Today, a special treat. A boat ride, on the lake, just Kevin and Minako--he knew her name but he always called her Nurse Aino because Moms kept correcting him when he didn't. All he had to do was walk down to where the boat was tied up.
Walk.
Nurse Aino said, "You are doing well . . . Oh, a little rough place there . . . Good, good . . . Not so far. Take as many steps as you like, what matters is that you get where you want to go . . . and we are here."
Nurse Aino lifted him up and set him down gently in the boat. He was still amazed at how strong she was; she was tall for a woman, especially a Japanese, but Kevin could see over the top of her head when she was wearing heels and that big ribbon she wore when she didn't wear her nurse's cap. She'd worn spike heels to church once, before Moms told her what was right to wear and what wasn't. Looking up at her after she had made sure he was safely seated, as she put his special canes into the boat before sitting down at the oars, he looked at her long legs and thought . . . she was wearing shorts today, modest enough, and yet they showed all of those long, lovely legs.
He looked up into her face as she sat down. She smiled, took the oars, and they were off. "Have you ever done this before?"
"No," said Kevin.
"I mean, anywhere." said Nurse Aino.
Kevin said, "No, nowhere . . . this is nice."
Nurse Aino said, "I haven't been in a boat like this for a long time . . . when we all lived in Juubangai, we would go out on a lake all the time."
"Jew ban guy?"
Minako's smile broadened. "It means 'Tenth Street District.' It is a neighborhood in Tokyo. A rich one, though there only one or two houses as big as they are in Kensington. My father . . . the man I thought was my father, he was wealthy. He still is."
"So he left your moms?" asked Kevin.
Minako said, "Yes . . . years ago, now. Before I came to live here."
"So that's why you went to work," said Kevin.
Nurse Aino said, "Not really . . . I have good friends with money. And my mother is keeping company with the man who owns the mansion we live in. He is much wealthier than the man I thought was my father. I am not sure they will ever marry, but he is kind and generous . . . though he is always looking up ladies skirts or at their breasts when he can."
"Well, he's a man," said Kevin, laughing, because he couldn't help looking at her breasts when she had said that.
She looked past him. "I rowed a lot in England, when I was staying there."
"When was that?" asked Kevin.
Minako seemed to look far away. "A long time ago . . . I was only thirteen, fourteen years old . . . I had this funny cat then . . . and friends I haven't seen for a long time . . . a long, long time."
There was something . . . "Were you in love back then?"
Nurse Aino blushed. But she did not giggle. As the color faded, her eyes got old. "Yes. I really was in love with someone. But he was in love with another friend . . . that was not the last time that would happen to me."
She rowed on for awhile, smiling, just letting him look at her.
Kevin finally said, "I think the first time I really thought I was in love was when I was eleven."
"Who was she?" asked Nurse Aino.
"She was my teacher," said Kevin.
Minako said, "Oh, so you have always had this thing for older women!"
He had to laugh a little, again, even if it hurt.
"Did you ever tell her?" Minako asked.
"No."
Nurse Aino said, "I didn't tell Alan either . . . maybe that was better."
"Do you still see Ma-mo-ro?" asked Kevin.
Nurse Aino responded, "Mamoru? All the time. He is Usagi's husband. And Ishtar's father."
"No, what I mean is . . ."
Nurse Aino said, "Oh . . . no. He was always meant for Usagi. He will always be in my heart, as Alan will always be there . . . and some others I don't think I will tell you about today."
Kevin said, "I'm sorry . . . I guess what I really mean, is, are you seeing anyone now?"
"No," said Nurse Aino. They were in the middle of the lake now, and she stopped working the oars.
Kevin said, "I . . . I want to know if you might be more than a nurse. To me."
Nurse Aino said, "I can be your friend. There are some things we can never share, but I can be your friend."
Kevin said, "You are my friend . . . you are my friend . . . but could you be more? Someday?"
Nurse Aino said, "You mean, could we have sex?"
"That's not really what I mean," said Kevin. "I mean . . . I do want you so damned much . . . but you're not a whore. I can buy whores. Even Moms can't stop me from that."
"The maid," said Nurse Aino.
"What?"
Nurse Aino said, "Your mother told me she got rid of a maid who was having sex with you."
Kevin said, "Yes, that happened . . . she wasn't really a whore. Well, she was, before, but . . . I didn't think she was just doing it for money."
"Did you love her?" asked Nurse Aino.
Kevin said, "Not love . . . but she was my friend. Moms shouldn't have--"
Nurse Aino cut him off. "Don't say it. If she told your brother to get rid of her, I know what might have happened."
"I won't let that happen to you!" said Kevin.
"Not so loud, Kevin." She began rowing again, slowly, but noisily. "You can't stop your brother."
"He--"
Nurse Aino shook her head. "You cannot stop him from doing what he thinks he must. You are more like his son than his brother. That is how it is. I knew all of this before I ever met you. I know how dangerous your brother is. I knew it before."
"So why did you take the job?" asked Kevin.
Nurse Aino said, "I like your mother . . . no, that is not the only reason. I wanted to know you."
"You wanted to know me?" asked Kevin.
Nurse Aino said, "Yes . . . to know you. I cannot tell you why, but it is not because I hate your brother. I think he is a very bad man, but I do not hate him. Usagi does because he had the baby killed . . . or she thinks he did. Everyone thinks he did . . . no, don't explain, don't ever tell me any secrets about your brother's business. I wouldn't tell, but I don't want to know. It would only make things harder."
After she rowed for awhile without speaking, Kevin said, "You figure that Marvell will kill you when you are finished with me?"
Nurse Aino said, "Maybe. He won't want to as long as your mother likes me, but if he thought I knew too much, he would. She would tell him, if she suspected. The longer I stay, the more likely it is that I will find out something."
Kevin said, "So, what do you want me to do?"
Nurse Aino said, "Get better. Learn to do as much as you can by yourself."
Kevin said, "Because you won't be with me forever."
Nurse Aino said, "That seems unlikely."
Kevin said earnestly, "I don't want you to go away."
Nurse Aino said, "I am not planning on going away soon."
The dignity of the moment was spoiled. Seagull droppings splattered over Nurse Aino. He laughed, and went forward to help her clean up before he thought about what he was doing. He almost overturned the boat, but she got him back into his seat and stopped the boat from rocking. Then she took off her shirt, dipped it over the side, and cleaned off. This wasn't quite as exciting as Kevin thought at first; she was wearing a bathing suit underneath, a two-piece but with a top designed for swimming, not sunbathing, or slipping hands under . . .
She finished, smiled, and then actually shook her chest a little before she started rowing again. "I thought I might swim later. There is a pool close by. Do you swim?"
Kevin said, "I used to dog-paddle, but no . . . you're pretty good?"
Nurse Aino said, "I guess. My friends Ami and Michiru can swim much faster, though. You should try, though. Even Usagi can still swim. Not well, but she can swim."
Kevin said, "I don't know . . . sometime."
She rowed for a long time, reaching the other end of the lake, and turning around. Now Kevin could see where Moms was sitting, though she was no more than a speck in an orange top and green pants. But they were getting closer all the time . . .
Kevin said. "Could we stop for a little while?"
"Yes." She stopped the oars.
He saw Moms stand up, still far away.
"I love you . . . Minako," said Kevin.
"I know," said Minako.
Kevin said, "I mean . . . I knew the night I met you."
"I know."
Kevin said, "I really love you . . . I'm never gonna love anyone else like you."
"I know."
Kevin said, "But you are never going to love me, are you? I mean . . . I mean like I love you."
She said nothing. She didn't smile. She just looked at him.
Kevin stumbled on. "I . . . I don't know how much longer I can be with you, without . . . but I can't think about what I'll do if you go."
She still said nothing. But he saw a glint at the corner of one eye, and then watched as a single tear trickled down.
Long after that tear fell, she spoke up. "Would you ever be sure I wasn't doing something because I pity you?"
He thought about that a long time, even as he watched Moms walking toward them, waving.
Kevin said, "I'll never be sure of anyone. I know what I look like. But . . . "
Nurse Aino turned around for a moment. "I should better start rowing back."
"I guess," said Kevin, defeated. So, that was it. When they got to the dock, that would be it. Moms stopped, and then turned around, and began walking back. She'd be waiting for them on the dock, so there'd be no good moment then.
"I'm going to miss you," said Kevin.
"Why?" asked Nurse Aino.
Kevin blurted, "Why? I just told you I love you. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
Nurse Aino said, "Yes. It does not mean I am leaving you."
Kevin said, "So we just go on like nothing has happened?"
Nurse Aino said, "No. I am breaking your heart."
Kevin said, "Then what?"
Nurse Aino said, "I am not a very old-fashioned girl. But there is only one way we can go on now."
"How?"
Nurse Aino said, "We have to get married."
Kevin said, "Married? You would marry me?"
Nurse Aino said, "Do you think I am lying to you now? We will get married. I am not marrying you for your money. You do not have any money, Kevin. When your brother dies, the courts and other gangsters will take all that he has. And all that you have, and all that your mother has. Once your brother is not there to protect you, you will be defenseless, unless you have someone else to protect you. I will protect you and your mother when that day comes. My friends and I."
"You will protect me?" exclaimed Kevin.
Nurse Aino said, "With the help of my friends, yes. We won't do what your brother would do, but we will try. My friends are not gangsters--that means we do not have to worry about the courts. And since some of my friends are rich--some of them very rich--the police will really protect them from gangsters. And gangsters will not want to attack you while you are with us, even if there are some with some special hatred for you. It would not be like blowing up poor colored people that don't matter much. Many police would come looking for them, and their . . . friends would give them up. Especially if there is a reward, and there would be."
"You believe that?"
She stopped rowing long enough to shrug. "Kevin, the truth is, you do not matter very much to any gangsters except your brother. I know you fought bravely for him. But your brother can always find men who can fight well, as long as he is powerful and can afford to pay them. I think that by now the brothers of the men you killed are all dead or in prison for so long they will never matter. All the men you killed were gangsters, so the police are not going to look that hard for you, unless they think they can use you against your brother. If they have not caught you by now, I do not think they ever will."
"You don't know gangsters." He shook his head.
"I know you," said Minako.
Kevin said, "Well . . . I don't matter. Maybe I never did."
"You matter to me." She stopped rowing again. She let go of the oars, reached forward, and kissed him. She sat back, and started rowing again, faster. "And besides."
"Besides what?"
"I caught Mako's bouquet." She smiled at that, but then grew serious again. "There is something else you have to tell your mother."
"What is that?" asked Kevin.
Minako said, "You will be living with me. She can visit as much as she likes, but I won't have Ishtar in your mother's place. It is too dangerous . . . another thing."
"Yes?"
Minako said, "Do not try to be a father to Ishtar. She has a father. Just be her friend. And maybe her baby-sitter . . . this would be a good time to tell me if you have any children of your own."
Kevin said, "No . . . I thought I did once, but when Peggy decided she didn't like me any more, she had a DNA test. Wasn't mine, after all. I was careful after that . . . but I can still be a father. Will you allow that? I mean, do you want it?"
Minako said, "I want more children . . . someday. I would not be ashamed to have your child, if that is what you mean."
They were getting close to the dock, close enough hear Moms' voice, though not close enough to make out the words.
If he was going to say anything else before Moms could hear, it was now.
Kevin said, "Do you just want to stay married until I feel better?"
Minako said, "As they say in your English wedding ceremony, 'til death do us part.' Lawyers don't believe that, but I do."
"Do you love me?" asked Kevin.
Minako said, "I care for you . . . If I said I loved you, would you ever be sure it was true? Really sure?"
"I guess not," said Kevin.
Minako said, "I care for you. Remember that. Whatever else happens, remember that I care for you." She stopped to kiss him again. Then she pulled for the dock with all her might.
"Are they asleep?" asked Minako.
"Absolutely," said Naru. "Usagi used her power, and I have put a spell on them. Sleep is the first spell you should learn if you are a mother. And you can learn spells."
Usagi was driving. Mako and Haruka were the only others who could drive comfortably using her special controls, but they were in another van.
Minako said, "I did not want to put everyone to this much trouble. I thought we would just go to Reno and back."
"No, if you are going to do this, do it right," said Usagi. "At the Rose Love Chapel. Good luck, so far . . . but we can't wear our costumes this time."
"He'll find out, you know," said Minako.
Usagi said, "Let him find out later. Unless you want to tell him now? Or are you afraid he will tell his brother?"
"I don't think he would want to . . . but he is so young." She shook her head. "He has fought and killed, but he is so much a child compared to us, compared to me . . . You must know what I feel, what I think."
Usagi said, "I don't read thoughts all the time, you know . . . and Naru-chan doesn't at all, unless she has learned a spell she has not told me about."
Naru said, "Not yet. I must learn a lot of others first."
Usagi said, "Well, then, speak to us, Mina-chan. If you want to."
Minako sighed. "He will lose hope without me. He will kill himself, or let himself be killed."
"Do you love him?" asked Naru.
Minako said, "I don't know . . . he is never sure because of how he looks, and I am never sure because of what I did to him."
Usagi said, "He will not be the last man you maim, you know, unless you want to finish off all your enemies from now on. And he is a danger to us as long as his brother is alive."
Minako said, "If you want, I will leave you. Like it or not, you are the Moon Princess. Say the word, and I will leave."
Usagi said, "No. I could have killed him the first day . . . you know, I don't have to turn a man into dust. If I just halate his heart, or the back of his head, he dies, quickly. With little pain."
Minako said, "Please . . . don't talk like that now."
"Mina-chan is right, Usako," said Naru. "We are going to a wedding, after all."
Kevin was very groggy when he entered the wedding chapel; he didn't really remember anything since the last rest stop. He'd slept most of the night, and most of the morning that followed.
There was a crowd of people around, mostly women. He asked about them, and Minako just said, "Friends we managed to round up." Then the ceremony was starting, and then it was over, and then everyone was looking shocked at a skinny girl wearing black holding the flowers Minako had been holding . . . she'd caught the bouquet. And then they were back in the van, and he fell asleep . . .
It was dark. Kevin woke up to the sound of a girl crying, loudly. Not a baby.
He got up, even though it hurt. He saw they were still in the van, pulled over. The driver, Mrs. Chiba, was gone. He looked through the window and saw that she was in another van across the road, sitting on the floor, holding a girl, who was doing the crying. "That's her oldest one, isn't she?"
Minako said, "Yes. Sarah Ami, but we also call her Chibi-Usa. Little Usagi. It is her Japanese name."
Kevin asked, "Why is she crying so hard? She's such a tough little one."
"She had a nightmare," said Minako.
"Really . . . I have nightmares," said Kevin.
Minako said, "I know . . . but I think Chibi-Usa's are worse."
"Nothing could be worse than mine," said Kevin.
"Maybe . . . Did you have a nightmare?" asked Minako.
"No."
"You might as well go back to sleep." She got out of the front seat to come back to kiss him. "We have a long way to go."
"Why didn't we just stay?" asked Kevin.
Minako said, "There are a lot of things to do tomorrow . . . it is Sunday now, very early. In fact, I am taking the R.N. test again tomorrow."
"I wonder what Marvell will say," Kevin thought aloud.
"He said 'Good Luck.' I called him before we left Las Vegas . . . I will be back in a minute." She left the van.
Moms was snoring away.
There was a great commotion in a minute. The biggest one of Minako's friends carried Usagi back to the van, with three little girls following. The biggest, Usagi's older girl with the strawberry-blonde hair got into the shotgun seat. Minako led the two other girls into the back. "I'm afraid it's going to be crowded." Minako said something in Japanese, and the two little girls got out again.
"What did you say?" asked Kevin.
Usagi answered him. "She said if they had to pee, they should do it before we started out again. Sarah-chan, that goes for you, too."
Minako said, "That goes for me, too. What about you, Kevin?"
"Uhh . . yeah, maybe. Well, if we are all peeing, what about you?" Mrs. Chiba was digging at him, he thought.
"I have a urine bag, Kevin. And a colostomy bag. It can't be very romantic for my husband, but he makes love to me anyway. That means a lot to me. Even if I can't feel anything below my waist."
Kevin asked his wife why Usagi had said all that to him, but she told him not to worry about it. "Usagi is always very upset when Chibi-Usa has one of the nightmares."
Kevin could truthfully claim he slept with his wife on their wedding night, although she slept on the floor with her daughter and Kimi while he returned to his fold-out cot.
Kevin Jones was wondering if the whole thing was a dream by the end of Sunday. He was groggy all day, and hurting not only in the familiar way but by overstraining himself. But then Nurse Aino . . . Minako . . . made love with him so gently he couldn't stop crying for a long, long time.
Author's Notes
Took me three books to get here, but at last I put in a chapter built around Makoto, and a romantic one to boot--even a happy ending, at least for now. IMHO Mako is the hardest senshi to write about.
Usagi's got the main love interest and a million interesting quirks and faults. Minako can either be written as a goofball or the one under a special curse (and I do a little of both). Ami the shy brainy one is the one everyone wants to play matchmaker for. Rei is either tragically noble or hot-tempered and hot-blooded (and again I do a little of both). Michiru and Haruka have so many conflicts to work out they are a minor fanfiction industry. All you have to do to write a passable Setsuna story is keep her mysterious. Hotaru was made for tragedy. Chibi-usa has a weird manga background that I've only touched on, if you think of the implications of a thousand-year-old child.
And what does Makoto have? Well, she can cook and grow flowers, throw lightning, and mother everyone else. Lots of writers put her together with Motoki/Andrew, but that doesn't ring true because Motoki, being the nicest guy in the universe, has to be loyal to Reika/Rita--Reika is Motoki's girlfriend in the manga, too, boys and girls. Makoto doesn't get a real love interest at all in the manga, just a close male friend named Asanuma.
If you thirst for more fanfic about Makoto/Lita, don't miss Sailor Moon J, a whole fanfic season centered on Princess Jupiter, and Lady Jupiter's Dream House, which has a whole archive of Jupiter stories.
In the next part of Nurse Venus, you'll see some of the Chibi Sailors in action. And investigative reporter Jack Crawford learns of a connection between a government agency and the Angel Girl stories. Send comments to: sewell_thomas@hotmail.com