Story by SinisterMarmalade.

As always, I intend neither infringement, disrespect nor profit from the original works or their authors. On with the show.

LOVE AND BLACK GLASS

Chapter Two: A Prelude To Danger

The newly dubbed Cory led Minako Aino across the street to the diner. There wasn't much traffic (for New York City) as the hour wasn't so much late as early. She kissed his cheek shyly and pulled away with haste. He wagged his eyebrows and she giggled, lightly swatting his shoulder. The two of them entered their twenty four hour destination hand in hand.

From down the street, this lovely scene was taken in by a pair of golden eyes. The being smiled, revealing a long mouth with canine teeth. The rest of this strange visage was drowned in shadow. Her master would appreciate this information. Once the two of them were inside the establishment, she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

In a dimly lit hallway, the fox creature appeared. Standing in the light she took on a human appearance. Long coppery red hair fell past her waist, framing a pensive face. Her form was willowy and supple, with a firm muscle tone and slight frame. She quickly braided her hair as she walked briskly down the hall, taking barely a moment to lament the brevity such a situation demanded as this. She opened the door to a corner office and stepped inside. The room could be said to be lit if light could be paid minimum wage and hate it's job. The room had character, however, in the scent of old books piled on shelves on the wall, and sometimes in front of them. Ancient papers were strewn about the room, and a fireplace that had no business existing there blazed merrily. Behind the desk was a thin young man, pale and tall with dissheveled black hair and violet eyes closed in pain.

"Tsunami, have you found my brother?" the figure behind the desk asked.

Tsunami bowed respectfully. "I have. May I get you some tea, and perhaps an aspirin?" The young man opened his eyes and studied her.

"You're report, please," he intoned.

"Of course, master. I have located your brother's position. Obsidian is in New York City, where you have sent him. Specifically, I last saw him leaving a coffee shop and heading toward a soul food diner in the company of his intended target. They seemed to be flirting amiably."

The young man paused for a moment as emotions mixed with thoughts behind his eyes. "I want you to follow him. Keep an eye on what he's doing, and report back to me." Tsunami bowed again, turned and left the office. Not far down the hall, she knocked on an elaborate bedroom door. It opened, and in front of her was a mirror image of herself. The two girls embraced for a moment, then stepped back.

"My dear sister," Tsunami said with a smile. A sigh then escaped her lips and she deflated slightly. Entering the room she let herself drop into a chair. "Maikel is upset. It may be that Obsidian has betrayed us. Or it may just be that he is wasting time and playing games. If he is a traitor, our duty can only be unhappy. I must go, and Maikel has been pushing himself too hard again. You should make him some tea and see if you can get him to rest."

Kiku smiled mischieviously. "I wish I could get him to use his bed more often, and I wish the traditional methods worked."

"If he was so easy to manipulate, how would we feel about him?" Tsunami responded. Kissing her sister on the cheek, she disappeared in a puff of smoke. Kiku strode into the hallway and headed for the kitchens.

Soon she approached Maikel's office with a tray bearing a pitcher of Chammomile tea and a delicate china cup. She paused in front of his door and knocked softly. Maikel looked up from his studies and bid her enter. Kiku stepped inside, placing the tray on his desk and pouring him a cup of the soothing liquid.

Maikel said to her absently. "You are dismissed."

Kiku's face never betrayed a hurt look, her features were her ninja mask. "Of course, master. Please get some sleep, however. You've been pushing yourself again." She smiled teasingly at him. "Indeed, your ettiquette is starting to slip." Maikel thought to himself a moment, then quickly finished his tea and lay down on a sofa near the desk. His breathing slowed as sleep overtook him. Kiku watched him for a moment, then leaned down and gently placed two kisses on his lips. "The first one is for me," she whispered, "and the second is for Tsunami."

At the same time, the inner senshi plus Mamoru were boarding a plane to America. They were silent as they flashed their tickets, repeated the procedure with their passports, and took their seats. Each of them denied drinks or other offered comforts. It was a struggle for them not to cry in desperate worry, so exchanging hand squeezes would have to suffice. Even Usagi was brave, and simply held her boyfriend's hand with a determined grip. It was going to be a long flight, going from Tokyo, Japan to New York City, USA. There was going to be a stop over in California to refuel, and the whole trip would take hours. All they could do was accept the time it would require, and get to Mina as quickly as possible upon landing. Mamoru made some phone calls during the flight, securing a mini-van to be waiting for them when they arrived, as well as hotel rooms. Mamoru wasn't worried about English, as his was good and so was Ami's. Rei would stumble with it a bit and Usagi was hopeless without complete immersion. Lita spoke English like a native, because in part she was.

Lita had the most difficulty of all of them. Having been born in America, she hadn't been back since her parents died in a plane crash on the way to Japan. A plane crash she survived, but could still remember in nightmares. Anxiety bore tiredness in her friends, and one by one they drifted off to sleep, but not the Senshi of Jupiter. Her stomach felt as if it were a thousand feet of string and cubscout troops were practising their knots. Still, she boarded for her friend, and if needed she would do so a thousand times again. It started when Usagi bore the letter up the steps. The feeling itensified as they learned how Mina lost hope. They each blamed themselves, of course, but Lita knew the saccarine card they sent when Mina was only hinting at her depression was not enough, even then. They should have gone to see her. Mina had always been there for them when needed, and now they had failed her. The tightness in her gut only got worse as they approached the airport, and everything after that had been kerosene on the flames. Added to that was a twinge of betrayal as the others dozed, unaware of her extreme discomfort. The thought turned to guilt as she felt selfish for forgetting Mina, even for a moment. She tried to take her mind off it, and there were certainly other things to focus on in her head.

The fact that she was coming back to America was deep in her thoughts as well. In Japan she had a happy life, but they just couldn't get some things the same. Which wasn't to say they were wrong, but pizza was different, baseball was different, tough talk was different, even background music was different. It was a definite scene change, requiring a whole new soundtrack, a contrast in the lighting, and a shift in mood and theme. Lita briefly wondered what Mina first thought stepping off the plane herself, in the midst of all this.

Far above the calming ocean, a single figure still kept silent vigil at the round window of the plane.