Colorado/August 2nd, 1987/Late into the Evening...

A couple walked down the midnight block, avoiding the streetlights, whose glow seemed to penetrate through their hearts. A woman, wrapped in a black coat (which was sorely out of place in such summer times), looked around at her surroundings nervously, like a rabbit watching warily for the wolf stalking in the shadows. Carrying a sleeping infant in a carrier seat, she and her husband avoid the streetlights, whose glow seems powerful enough to pierce through all deception, even in the dark of night. Looking at a piece of paper in her other hand, she recites the address written therein silently before looking up to read the numbers on the houses to their left. They continue on for a few minutes like this, until her husband points out the matching pattern on the house just across the street from their location. Searching for any incoming cars, the two quickly, and quietly, run across the street and up the porchway. As the woman moves to ring the doorbell, the door opens to reveal another couple, the worry evident on their faces. With haste, they usher the two outsiders into their home, closing the door behind them.

With the security of their conversation ensured, the woman of the visiting couple begins to cry as she stammers out, "Th-thank you! Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you…" The other woman, who looks almost identical to the first, holds up her hand, even as she tries to force down her own tears, "Don't worry, we'll take care of her. Nothing is going to harm her while she's here." The men, on the other hand, size each other up. Unlike their wives, the differences between these two men are profound, one with dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes which soak up every detail, while the other is of obvious Asian heritage, with short black hair and eyes which radiate joy, even in these sad circumstances. Eventually, the first man extends his hand out to the other. "Lawrence. You can call me Larry." The other man takes it, his eyes piercing deep into his counterpart's. "My name is Kei," he replies, with a heavy accent. He smiles, before nodding his assent. "You look like a good man. I trust you and your wife will be able to…" he pauses, taking a deep breath as he continues on hesitantly, "to take care of our daughter for us, even with a child of your own?" The man in front of him simply smiles, before leading everyone to the living room.

The visiting couple sit down on the small, plaid-patterned loveseat as the twin owners of the home take their place in individual chairs of the same design. Once everyone is seated, the visiting woman picks up her child, wrapped in a cream blanket and covered with a infant's cap, and brings her over to the other woman opposite of her. "Here she is. Her name is Haruka Tenoh. She's…" she stops, fighting down the urge to blow her nose even as the tears stain her clothes and her little girl's blanket. "She's our little girl. We love her…" Even then, she can't continue on as her crying makes further speech impossible. Her husband continues on from there. "What Sarah means is… we are in a terrible position. Financially. Real estate back in my home country is reaching a peak point, and business is drying up no matter where you go. We," he stops as even he is forced to confront his tears. He gulps, before coming out with the worst of the news. "We cannot afford to raise a child. It is… simply not possible. Not at this moment." He looks up at the couple in front of him. "That is why we are here. To my greatest shame, I…" He stops, the words choking in his mouth, before he slowly rises off the couch and kneels down at the couple's feet. "Please… I beg of you: Can you please… raise our child?"

The husband and wife look at each other, the magnitude of this request finally bearing it's full weight upon them. Over the phone, months ago, they had already agreed to accept this plea of help. That's why they purchased the plane tickets for the couple in front of them to come here, right? But now, truly face-to-face with such a life-changing decision, they must come to a consensus once more. Lawrence is the first to speak up. "I know that we can afford it. I can work extra hours if I need to. Ultimately, it's Cassandra's decision."

Cassandra looks down, deep in thought. Here in front of her is her sister, her twin sister, a woman she was quite literally raised with since the day she was born. Could she accept such a responsibility? On the other hand, could she really take away from someone she loves the simple, pure joy of parenthood? It is with these thoughts in mind that she deliberates for what seems to the human mind to be eternity, but in truth is but moments. Finally, she looks at the child sleeping in her sister's arms. With that, all indecision melts away in pure maternal instinct. Her face morphs into that of a resolute champion. "Yes. By God, I will raise this little girl, and I will raise her right. I will care for her, nurture her, teach her, so that when she is an adult she will be a woman the two of you can be proud of." With that, she gets up and slowly walks up to her sibling, before crouching down on the floor next to her. Sarah, understanding what must be done, slowly places the child in her sister's arms. Cradling the child, she cannot help but smile at the babe's peaceful expression. Then, a thought occurred to her. Looking up with a nervous expression on her face, she admitted: "There's a problem. We can't go around calling her Haruka. It's too foreign a name for people to just accept."

Sarah looked at her husband with a similar expression. When he shrugged in reply, she quietly said, "Harriet. If I lived in America, she would have be named Harriet." "Harriet Emily Thompsen." Everyone turned to look at Lawrence as he knelt down beside his wife, resolute in his stance. "Until she's old enough to go out into the world, she will be named Harriet Emily Thompsen." No one argued against that proclamation.

Several Minutes Later…

Sarah and Kei left, both distraught for their loss, and yet also happy for their child to be receiving the proper parentage they could not give. As they walked out the door, and back across the street, Lawrence watched them leave, his thoughts taking a dark tone. Oh God, why them? Why deny them the joys of a family? Shaking his head, he turned back to his wife, who was sitting on the loveseat with the newly-christened "Harriet" in her arms. As if sensing her true mother's disappearance, the babe woke up, and cried a dirge only such an innocent creature could cry. As her new mother rocked her and sung to her a lullaby, her new father said, "We're going to need keep her in a separate room from Jacob."

Cassandra looked up, the shock plain on her face. "But, don't we want the two of them to get used to one another? They were born only a week or two away from each other, we still haven't told mother about the children, we could pass them off as twins." Lawrence shook his head. "I like the twin idea, but they still need to be separated for two reasons, one long term and the other short. Long term, they're of two different genders, I'd rather get the two of them used to living in separate spaces. Short term, I'm not sure of Harriet's immune system. Jacob's isn't going to be much better. I'd rather if something does happen to one of them, it's not going to immediately spread to the other." He grimaced as an unpleasant thought reared it's head in his mind. "You know, we wouldn't have to be so secretive about this if-" "If Mom and Dad weren't miserable racist bastards who haven't yet learned that we live in the 20th-century already?"

He looked at his wife in shock. She merely shrugged her shoulders. "Mom and Dad have good qualities about them, but they both come from old families. Old, white, southern families. They already threw a fit when Sarah began to date Kei, let alone marry him. If they found out that we took in a child of theirs? I think they'd have an aneurysm. Simultaneously." Lawrence sputtered his reply, still deeply in shock. "But, they seemed so nice to me-" "Larry. You're a business exec. An exec for a small business, but still an exec. They like that you can sufficiently provide, they like your work ethic, and they like how you're 'a true American'. Honestly, it'd surprise me if they didn't like you beyond the typical father-daughter protectiveness."

He was about to retort when the two of them heard a cry from upstairs. "Jacob's calling. You want me to take care of Harriet?' His wife nodded as she carefully handed the baby off to him and went upstairs to deal with the other baby in the house. Looking down at the little girl in his arms, he softly muttered, "Don't worry Harri. We'll raise you right. We'll make you a woman your parents can be proud of." The majority of his mind rejoiced when his new baby daughter smiled at that phrase. Another, much smaller part of his brain became frightened as it recognized that "innocent" smile as more of a smirk.

18 Years Later (June 15th, 2005)/Arvada, Colorado/1:24 PM…

18 years. A lifetime of experiences, of lessons learned. Lessons such as: "Not all girls immediately take to dresses." "Make-up is not always treated as a daily necessity." "Always make sure your vehicles aren't 'commandeered' in the middle of the night for midnight drag races." Most parents with daughters only had to deal with the first two. Most parents are not Cassandra and Lawrence Thompsen, and most Daughters are not Harri Emily Thompsen.

Still, such thoughts were a distraction away from this momentous occasion. It was Graduation, and such an event demanded a parent's full attention. At least, when their child's name was called. The location for this ceremony took place in the school gymnasium, with anxious families sitting in the fold-up chairs on the floor below, or if such was not possible, the stands on either side. Blue and gold streamers decorated the walls and doors, as the classic "Graduation Music" begins to play and the students walk up to receive their diplomas and handshakes from the principal and members of the education board. Eventually, after sometime, the names these two are waiting for are called out.

"Harriet Emily Thompsen." The two begin their frantic clapping along with the rest of the audience. The elderly couple seated next to them clap more slowly and purposefully, even as their faces show their joy in seeing the success of their granddaughter. They watch as Harri, now a confident young woman with short blond hair , steps up onto the podium to accept her certificate. After she jumps down from the stage to walk down the hall, the name after her is called.

"Jacob Robert Thompsen." The clapping continues on, as a large man with messy brown hair and a fairly athletic build walks up the stage. His blue eyes take in the audience, and before he accepts his diploma, he does an exaggerated theatre bow. At that, his parents slap their faces with the palms of their hand as they groan.

"Didn't we tell him no theatrics?" asked Lawrence. Cassandra can only reply with her own astonishment. "Apparently getting him interested in Drama was a bad, bad idea." Her parents can only chuckle at their grandson's actions, their child-rearing days long since passed. As he steps off the stage, certificate in hand, and walks down the hall, he makes bows to all of his friends and their families, which causes only further embarrassment to the two who raised him. His mother's parents on the other hand, have no sympathy for their daughter and instead laugh and hoot with the rest of the audience. As the ceremonies are drawn to a close, celebrating parents run up to meet with their children and rejoice. The Thompsens, on the other hand, slowly walk up to greet their children while trying to avoid further embarrassment.

When they finally get to where their children are, Lawrence is quick, but quiet, with his admonition. "Didn't we tell you not to be so dramatic? This was an important ceremony, and you embarrassed us in front of the entire audience!" His son, however, feels no need to repent of his actions. With overly dramatic poise, he retorts, "Dearest father, how is it that thou canst be so cruel against thy son and his passion? Surely, such authoritarianism runs counter to the desire to raise a happy child." With that, he drops the theatrics, and grinning ear-to-ear he says, "Besides, it was funny." Without even turning their heads to look at each other, the Thompsen twins hi-five.

Still chuckling, Grandpa Williams (still perfectly strong and healthy at his old age, he'll have you know!) places his hand on the young man's shoulder. "I, for one, thought it was funny. Besides, compared to the stuff I saw you," he looks at his daughter, "do throughout high school, I think that a one-time thing was perfectly fine." Turning to meet his grandson's gaze, he gives him the legendary parental STARE. "This will only be a one-time thing, right?" Quickly, Jacob turns his gaze away and almost shouts, "Yes, Grandpa!" Nodding his head, his smile returns as he looks back at his daughter and son-in-law. "And that is how you get your kids to behave. No wishy-washy 'helicopter parenting' from me!" His wife nods her head at that, before scooping her grandchildren in a hug. "Now, look at the two of you! Graduating from high school, going to college! Your Grandpa and I are so proud of you!" Looking around to confirm that yes, none of their friends are currently looking at them, the twins hug their grandmother back. Tilting her head up, she notices a discrepancy.

"Now, Harriet, you haven't done up your hair, it's like a bush!" "Grandma, it isn't that-" "Harriet, a woman needs to learn how to look like a lady, not like a scamp in some alleyway. When we have dinner tonight, I expect you to have your brushed and dolled up nice and pretty. Now, is there any reason why you haven't done your hair up?" Her granddaughter chuckles nervously. "Well, um, at least it doesn't have oil spots in it?" Her grandmother's eyes widened in horror. "Wait just a minute, are you implying that you went out in public once with OIL in your hair?" "Well-" "Child, Bob Dylan may have said that the times are a-changin', but they have not changed so much that rolling around in the mud is FASHIONABLE." Looking at her daughter in outrage, she said, "Cassandra, I thought you taught your children better than that!" Her daughter looks away in shame. "Well, I did with the other girls, but Harri is… an unique individual." The girl in question grins cheekily and proclaims, "And DAMN proud of it too." This, of course, earns her a swat on the arm from Granny. "Language!" "...So, 'darn proud of it'?" "It's a start. We'll work on it later."

Watching the exchange in action, the three remaining men look at each other in confusion. "You're lucky, Jacob," began Grandpa Williams, "that I was part of my school's choir, and don't mind this theatre stuff. Honestly, compared to some of the stuff boys your age are doing, I'd approve if you dressed in drag!" This got the three men laughing, while the youngest tried his best to reply. "Well, heh, Grandpa, I appreciate you letting me embrace," he pauses, before finishing with the utmost flair, "my feminine side!" This, of course, jumpstarts the laughter once more.

Meanwhile, Grandmother and granddaughter are going at it, while the mother despairs in silence at the scene they're making. "And this idiotic fascination with cars-" Harri interrupts, as death begins to radiate from her eyes. "Oh, no no NO! No one, and I mean NO ONE, insults my love of cars!" "You children and your phases-" "A PHASE?! Grandma, with the utmost respect," these words are said with terrible vitriol, "Cars and racing are my LIFE. Racing is my life's dream. I am not going to keep shut when-" her words are cut off by her mother's hand clamping down on her mouth as she drags her daughter away to the girl's bathroom. There inside, her mother cuts off any chance of argument. "I know both you and Grandma Williams have stubborn streaks which are miles wide. And I know that Grandma started the argument. But for once in your life, can you please be the better man and just take the hit? We wouldn't have the entirety of the school watching the two of you if you just ignored what she was saying!"

Cassandra takes her hand off of her daughter's mouth and prepares herself for the worst. "Mom, she's a %&$ #." Wow, I was actually expecting worse. "I am quite aware of that, dear. As are most of your aunts and have to realize that she was born and raised in wartime. She had to toughen up, especially when Grandpa got drafted into the War. Most of the stuff she's expecting of you? That's all the stuff she never had the time to do when she was your age. I know you don't like it, but you have to at least occasionally look at things from her perspective. Besides, she doesn't even know about the worst stuff."

Harri quickly looked away. "What… do you mean by that, mother?" "Harri, first, you only call me 'Mother' when you're lying, and second, I'm talking about your interest in women." Her daughter looked at her in surprise. "Ho… how…" She begins to stammer, before Cassandra cuts her off. "Harri, I'm not blind. I notice how your eyes follow attractive women around, and not in the usual, jealous way. Plus, even you know that when it comes to secrets, Charlotte is easily bribed." Shaking her fist in the air, with an angry look on her face, Harri mutters, "Curse you, sis!"

Her mother sighs. "I'm not going to antagonize you about this, Harriet. Heaven knows," she pauses, and looks up, as if remembering something, her eyes glazing over, "Heaven knows I'm not going to argue with you over who you love." She shakes her head furiously, before continuing on. "All I ask is that you don't talk about it near Grandma. You know how she and Grandpa are about this sort of thing."

Harri nods. "Yeah, I get it." She pauses, before carefully treading in verbal no-man's land. "So… you're… okay with it?" Cassandra shakes her head. "I'm not going to lie, emotionally at least? I'm not okay with it. But I also know that this is one of those things I can't control. The only thing in your life I can control is how I raise you. And, minus a few little scruples, I think I did a good job."

Harri stops, thinking about what she just heard. Then, she moves in to hug her mother. "Thank you, Mo-" and then she pauses, before growing just a bit indignant. "Hey, what do you mean 'a few little scruples'?" Cassandra just laughed at her daughter's expression.

Later that night…

The parents and the grandparents arrived back at the large, yellow two-story house where the family had lived for the past five years (Harri and Jacob having gone to the Grad Party). Quickly bounding out the door came a short girl with waist-length bright blonde hair, trying her best not to trip on the stairs. Seeing the tears run down her face, it didn't take Cassandra long to figure out what was going on. "Kate? What have you done now?" Her daughter's expression became furious as she retorted, "I didn't do anything! It was Christian's fault!" Her mother placed her hands on her hips as she drew on the almighty power of parenthood. "Really now? Because the last three times you said it was your siblings' fault, it turned out to actually be yours." "But it's true!" Cue the child in question, a slightly older boy with dirty blonde hair much like his father's (or at least, like most of his father's hair, raising five kids really does a number on it, after all). Seeing is mother in front of him, he cries, "Mom! Kate threw her mashed potatoes at me!" "Did not!" "Did too!" And thus, the legendary debate began, even as Cassandra's fists began to tighten in frustration. Not wanting to see his wife in such a state, Lawrence took the lead with a trick of his Father-in-law's. "ATTENTION!"

Sadly, no dice. As the kids continue on, Grandpa Williams put his hand on Lawrence's shoulder. "No, no, you got to say it more forcefully. Like this," Looking towards the two children, he shouts in the voice of a drill sergeant (he's still got it, after all these years), "ATTENTION, MAGGOTS!" With that, the two arguing siblings stand stock still, at attention. "ALRIGHT, LISTEN UP! YOUR MOTHER HERE HAS HAD A BUSY DAY, AND DOESN'T WANT TO DEAL WITH TWO CHILDREN WHO ARGUE CONSTANTLY AND NEVER GET ANYTHING DONE! SO, THIS IS WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO. WE ARE GOING TO GO INSIDE, AND YOU TWO ARE GOING TO GO RUN AROUND THE PERIMETER OF THE HOUSE TEN TIMES! IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS! IF YOU CAN BEHAVE YOURSELVES WHEN YOU COME IN AND TELL YOUR STORY, WE MIGHT BE INCLINED TO LISTEN! IF NOT, YOU WILL PROCEED DIRECTLY TO YOUR ROOMS! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" the two of them cry, before splitting up to run around the house. With that, Grandpa Williams grinned and looked at the two astonished parents next to him. "See, with just the right tone of voice, you can really whip those kids into shape!" "Um, yeah Dad, the two of us could totally do that…" Cassandra peters off. He shakes his head at her, a soft smile on his face. "Look, Cassy, Larry, the two of you are better at this parenting thing than you think. Heck, you're far from the worst parents we know. Really," he stops, a grimace flashing over his face. It is brief, but still it occurs. "You're far from the biggest disappointment in this family." With that, he walked into the house, his wife close by his side. At that, Lawrence and Cassandra trade a worried look, before joining her parents in the house.

Around 2:45 AM…

Harri and Jacob headed back to where their parent's car was, the fatigue evident in their expressions. As Cassandra got out and opened the back doors for them, the two got in their seats, buckled up and promptly bent over, the lateness of the night finally getting to them. As Lawrence pulled out of the school's parking lot, he looked over at his wife, before asking, "So, how was the party?"

Jacob responded first. "It was good for the first few hours, but I really don't think any party should go past midnight. I feel like the walking dead." "Yeah," said Harri, "It was a pretty decent rave. Also, do they always have a hypnotist for Grad parties?" Cassandra couldn't help but laugh at that. "I'm pretty sure, actually. We had one at mine." "And mine as well," finished Lawrence.

They rode on in silence, before Lawrence broke it once more. "I have a question." "Lay it on us," said Jacob. "What do you the two of you think of your grandparents?" It was a few moments before either of them answered. "They're trying to do their best to help us," Jacob finally answered. "They act really old-fashioned sometimes, but I think they just want us to be happy." "Personally," interjected Harri, "I think they just want us to act like how kids acted in their time. I mean, isn't Grandpa in his mid-70's? I think in their time people still believed in 'Children are to be seen, not heard.' It's not to say that either of them are the Devil incarnate, but they just don't…" She struggled for a word, before simply continuing on. "Fit in this time, you know? Their ideas are a couple of decades too old, they don't really get modern technology, heck, Grandpa was born before the TV was invented-" "Actually, Harri-" "Yeah, yeah, I know, it was probably invented before he was born, but it's the principle of it. They're like a rock in the river of time." Her mother looked at her with pleasant surprise. "Wow, that's quite the metaphor, Harri. Are you sure your brother isn't rubbing off on you?" Harri snorted. "What, don't you know? When neither of us have been getting the sleep we need, our minds and personalities switch. Clearly, I'm Jacob in Harri's body right now." Everyone in the car laughed at that.

Something irked Jacob, however. "So, Dad. Why ask us about Grandma and Grandpa?" Lawrence sighed. "Well, it was to lead to our next topic." Looking at Cassandra, he tilts his head at Harri, still slumped over. She mouths "Only part of it. Parents are still around for right now." He nods, before continuing on. "Have either of you heard of a 'Sarah' in our family?" Jacob responds, "I've heard the name whispered about at family gatherings, but that's the extent of it." "Sarah... is your mother's twin sister." That got the twin's attention immediately. Cassandra continued on from where her husband left off. "Sarah and I were born the youngest children in the family. Grandma and Grandpa were in their early-40's then, and they weren't expecting either of us until we were born. But, we were still members of the family, and life was good." She paused, before hastily informing the two, "Something you need to know about Grandpa's family is that his eldest brother served as a fighter pilot in World War 2, against the Japanese. That brother died shooting down enemy aircraft. He really idolized his older brother, so to hear that he died... well, he now has a… a bit of a vendetta against the Japanese people. Grandma also lost family to the Japanese." "What does that have to do with Aunt Sarah?" questioned Harri.

Lawrence sighed. "When Sarah went on a study-abroad program to Japan, she met this man named Kei Tenoh. They later fell in love. So, when Grandma and Grandpa found out about it, that their daughter was 'dating the enemy', so to speak, they were furious. They struck her out of the will, they don't try and contact her, and heavy shade is cast upon the sibling who does try to contact her and her now husband." Jacob gaped at that. "But that's stupid! To shun a family member just for the person they love…" Harri, meanwhile, realized something.

Her mother sighs. "I'm not going to antagonize you about this, Harriet. Heaven knows," she pauses, and looks up, as if remembering something, her eyes glazing over, "Heaven knows I'm not going to argue with you over who you love."

So that's what she meant when she began to stare off into space. And she thinks that the old lady is someone to empathize with? Harri's disgust grew, even as she spoke up. "Why only tell us about her now? Why not earlier, neither of us are as bad as Charlotte at spilling secrets." Cassandra sighed once more, the conversation obviously wearing at her. "First, because despite what my parents say, we've been doing our best to keep in semi-regular contact with her and her husband." Ignoring her daughter's "Woo! Go Mom!" She continued. "Second, because your 18th birthdays are approaching and your father and I agree that you should at least know about her before you guys leave the house. And third, there are a few other things we need to talk about, related to her, which we can begin discussing when your grandparents finally leave. So," She gives her children the deadliest glare she can muster," I expect that no word of this gets to the Grandparents. Got it?" With a nod of their heads, they agree. And so, the rest of the car ride continues on in silence.

(End Theme: Cue Cat's in the Cradle by Harry Chapin)

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Well, this isn't Exalted on High. What in the world am I doing, I've already got another story to write!

Well, I was writing the latest chapter for EoH, but then Midterms happened. Which I sadly bombed. So, I've been doing my best to catch up with the rest of the class, and I haven't had the free time to write until literally yesterday. And this idea has been bouncing around in my head for the past few weeks, and I haven't been able to concentrate on EoH, schoolwork aside. So, this story is probably just going to be something on the side, while I finish schoolwork and continue writing Exalted on High. Is it going to be finished? To be honest, probably not, but it's still an idea I want to play around with.

What is the story about? Well, to be painfully honest, I got the idea in a dream after reading too many Sailor Moon fanfics. At least, I think that's why I had the dream. Any way, the concept is this: What if Haruka Tenoh (Sailor Uranus, everyone) was raised by an American family along with a "twin" brother? I know, it messes around with canon a bit, but isn't that what fanfiction is for? Anyway, there are a few things I can tell you guys about it right now:

There will be a single Exaltation in the story. Three guesses on who's going to get it.

Haruka, or "Harriet" as her adopted parents are calling her, is not necessarily going to act like Haruka in Sailor Moon, manga or anime. To be honest, her personality's going to be a bit more like Yusuke's from Yu Yu Hakusho (As in, a bit more rough around the edges, okay scholastic ability, able to be a bit more shady when it comes to the law, and also a fierce desire to protect her friends. Well, the last one she already has but you get the point.)

One of my EoH characters is going to be popping up sometime soon, but hopefully not for very long.

The story, timeline-wise when compared to the Official YYGDM timeline, is somewhere around 2700-2900 AD. So, pretty far into the ice age.

And that's all I can really say about it at his point. I know it's probably not what you guys were hoping for, and I know that I made a few errors when it comes to present/past tense, but honestly it's almost midnight now and I'd rather just get this thing uploaded and done so I can go to sleep.

Sincerely, and getting way too little sleep,

Critian Caceorte