CATCH A SHOOTING STAR

RATING: R

BY: Jeanne Stumbaugh

CHAPTER3

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and related characters are the property of their creator. It is not the intent of this author to profit from their use herein.

Sorry, guys, but my email is down!!! You won't be able to reach me if you want to comment on my story for a little while anyway. My motherboard had gone south on me (Something about the way it communicates with my modem is messed up. "AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!" to quote Lucy from Peanuts.) and it'll be a little while before I can either bypass the problem or, heaven forbid, replace the motherboard (Which will take even longer.). Anyway, if you really want to send something to me, I'm pretty sure that if you ask her really nicely, my sister, Michelle Harris here, will find some way of getting it to me.

PLEASE ALSO NOTE: The format on the story has changed!! If you're reading this revised chapter, you will notice that there are only six chapters posted. This is because my sister is a little impatient and had wanted to merge all twenty-five chapters into one file (Good grief, can you imagine!). Anyway, I've persuaded her to combine them into smaller files. To wit, here's the breakdown:

Chapters 1 thru 5 are now Chapter One
Chapters 6 thru 10 are now Chapter Two
Chapters 11 thru 15 are now Chapter Three
Chapters 16 thru 20 are now Chapter Four
Chapters 21 thru 25 are now Chapter Five
Chapter 26 is the Chapter Six

I hope that's not too confusing. Anyway, the chapters will be segmented into they're original parts (1-25), so if you know where you were the last time (Hopefully at the last chapter), then you should be able to find them more readily.



PART ELEVEN

Tia had been at the club for about twenty minutes when Yuichiro showed up. She stared at him for a moment and sighed. The suit he was wearing didn't fit him very well. It was a little too loose and the color didn't suit him very well at all. His hair was still shaggy and he hadn't shaved, his strong jaw line sprouted several days of stubble.
'Oh boy,' Tia thought to herself.
"Am I glad I asked you to come early, Yuichiro-san," she took his arm and steered him out of the club again.
"Where are we going?" He caught the helmet she threw at him.
"To my house," Tia shook her head. "You don't dress like this when you go home for dinner, do you?"
"No, not really," he put the helmet on. "It's a little less formal. Why?"
"You bought this years ago with the idea that this will be your all-purpose good suit, right?"
"Well, yes."
"Oh, boy."

Tia went into the main house shouting for her brother, Joshua. He put his head around the kitchen door, "What do you want now, Pipsqueak?"
"C'mere. I need your help."
His head disappeared, she heard him talking to someone in the kitchen. He reappeared a moment later, a curious expression on his face, "What's up?"
"Come over here and stand next to Yuichiro-san for a moment. By the way, Yuichiro-san, this is my older brother, Joshua MacKenzie. Josh, this is Yuichiro Kumada-san," the two men exchanged handshakes and casual greetings as Joshua moved next to Yuichiro.
"So, Pipsqueak," Joshua said, in English, a devilish light in his eyes "is this your-"
She interrupted him before he could get anymore out, "No, he's not." She saw the laughing light in Yuichiro's eyes, and she spoke to him in English, "You'll have to forgive my brother, sometimes he's like a bull in a china shop."
Yuichiro laughed, tossing his hair out of his eyes and spoke in perfect, lightly accented English, "Oh, that's all right. I think I understand where he's coming from. Doing a little field work for your family?" this last was directed at a slightly chagrined Joshua.
"Uh, well, for the men anyway."
"Pray for me, Yuichiro-san, I'm related to these men," she clapped a hand over her forehead as he laughed. "And I was right. You and Josh are about the same size and the exact same coloring. I'm going to borrow some of your clothes," this she said to Joshua.
"Borrow? Hey!" Joshua charged after her as she dragged Yuichiro towards the guest room. "Why?!"
She stopped and pointed at Yuichiro, "This is his good suit. He was going to wear it at the opening. And a girl he really likes is going to be there," she glared at her brother, expectantly.
"Oy vey. You're right," it was Joshua who took Yuichiro's arm this time. "He needs to borrow my clothes. His good suit? Ye gods."
"You know, I really wish you two wouldn't talk about me as if I weren't here," Yuichiro murmured quietly.
Tia looked at him and grinned, "Sorry, don't mind us, we're just naturally bossy. Way worse than Rei-chan. Anyway, I think you'll like what you're gonna wear anyway. After Takumi-san, Joshua has the best taste in clothes out of all my male relatives."
Joshua grinned opening the door to the guest room, "I spend more on clothes than most people pay for basic needs."
"And has more suitcases than you can carry at one time," Tia laughed and dodged as Joshua picked up a pillow and threw it at her. "In this case, it was fortuitous. And you know, we really need to do something about your hair. No, we won't cut it off," she laughed at the alarmed look he'd tossed her way. "Although, that would be interesting. . . . Oh, and we need to get you shaved."
"He can use my electric," Joshua said from the depths of the closet. "The hair's gonna be a little harder," his head came around the closet door and he stared at Yuichiro for a moment. "It's a good thing it's so long."
"Is this thing charged?" Tia had emerged from the bathroom, holding out his electric razor.
"Should be. Turn it on," Joshua was back in the closet. "Is the light on the bottom green or red?"
"Green. So it's charged," she tossed the thing at Yuichiro, who caught it deftly. "Get to buzzin', my boy. While we decide on what you should wear."
Tia and Joshua were in a deep discussion as to which color would be best for Yuichiro came back out of the bathroom. Tia glanced up, looked back at her brother mouth open to say something to Joshua, then left it open as she looked back at the other man. "Move your hair out of the way," she commanded. When he did, she gasped, "Why the heck do you hide that face? Geez, it's enough to put the latest superstar to shame," she turned back to her brother, fanning her face with her hand. "What do you think? The blue or the gray?"
"The gray," Joshua was squinting at the other man. "Or, what about the green?"
"The gray," she stated, firmly. "No tie. But what kind of shirt?"
"The tuxedo shirt?"
"Huh-uh," she frowned, going into the closet. "Did you bring any of your poet shirts? Oh, yeah, here we go. We're going to need a cravat pin and cufflinks."
"Uh," Yuichiro eyed the stark-white shirt she was holding, "I don't know. A white shirt is one thing, but ruffles at the collar and cuff?" Visions of Austin Powers made him shudder.
"It's a cravat, silly," Tia laughed. "Trust me, you'll look scrumptious. Oh, come on. Don't look so uncertain."
"You shouldn't be, you know," Joshua grinned, giving his sister the jeweled cravat pin and cufflinks that went with the shirt. "She's usually a great judge of style. Usually."
She grinned, "You're still trying to hold that against me, are you? I was a kid then, you know."
He shot her a dirty look, "You're still a kid. But, thank god you've improved a little bit," he looked over at Yuichiro and shook his head. "I still can't believe she thought my cat needed a black hair dye job. And then, when Bella got away from her she decided she'd look good with
black hair," he shuddered as he remembered how badly she'd looked. "Okay, my man, take off your coat and shirt, then go stick your head under the shower. Your hair's gotta be wet for this to work. Squeeze off the excess when you're through."
Once Yuichiro had taken off his shirt, Joshua caught Tia eyeing the other man's torso in admiration, "Tia, will you knock that out? Doesn't he already have a girlfriend?"
Tia grinned at the blush that spread over Yuichiro's face and the pink tinge in her brother's cheeks, "Oh, relax, will you? He's got a great body, after all. There's nothing wrong with looking, for crying out loud," she laughed at the choking noises her brother was making. "Yuichiro-san, would you please go into the bathroom, before my brother has a coronary?"
Yuichiro grinned as he disappeared into the bathroom and Joshua embarked on a whispered argument with his sister.

"You did it," there was awe in Tia's voice. "I don't believe it. Oh, god, Rei is gonna trip."
Yuichiro stared at the reflection in the mirror, hardly recognizing the man staring out at him. His good suit had been replaced by the dark, stone gray suit and the poet's shirt stood out starkly from the suit and the deep red glowed from the cravat pin. The ruffles at his wrists weren't as nearly as overwhelming as he'd thought and the cravat actually enhanced the line of his jaw.
The most startling part of it was his face. His hair had been slicked back with a judicious amount of gel, exposing the clean lines of his face. Wickedly curved eyebrows arched over his eyes and the bold lines of his cheekbones giving him a sharper edged face than most Japanese men enjoyed.
"You really did it!" Tia gave a triumphant laugh. "I'm impressed, Josh. Very impressed."
"Of course you are," Joshua sniffed, sticking his nose in the air, and almost fell over when Tia pushed him, a 'oh-please-will-you-get-real' look on her face. "Well, it didn't take much. He had a pretty good face under all that hair."
"There you go again," Yuichiro grinned, "talking about me like I wasn't here. How do you know so much about this anyway? Are you some sort of image consultant?"
"Not hardly," Tia laughed. "He's in the ATF. That's the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. It's a law enforcement branch that deal in those areas. The reason he knows this stuff is various family members have been in the entertainment industry for as far back as any of our family records go, which is several hundred years. We grew up with it, four of our aunts and uncles are actors and six of our cousins are musicians and actors, and seven of our brothers and sisters are in the business or work in related fields. When you're around the business that much, particularly with our oldest brother, Brian, being such a success, you're bound to pick up these things."
She stared at his reflection in the mirror in satisfaction, "Oh, yes. This will do quite well. Josh, you can help me with this next bit, too. Now, Yuichiro-san, this is what you're going to do tonight. . . ."

Ten minutes before the doors would be opened, one of Brian's vocalists dropped a bomb on her.
"He wants me to sing?" She stared, gape-mouthed at Cecilia Bronson. "You're kidding."
"Actually, he said it wasn't a request," Cecilia grinned, adjusting the jacket on her outfit. She caught the look on the girl's face. "What is it?"
"I was hoping," Tia shook her head, "to get out of that."
"Why?" Cecilia was truly puzzled until the girl shrugged off her coat. "Oohhh. . .Brian's gonna kill you. With all that skin showing. And such tight pants . . . ."
"Yeah, I know," Tia sat down hard, sighing. "But, I'd hoped that maybe I could avoid it until maybe sometime way later. Like after the party. This way, he'll kill me right after we get off stage."
"Well," Cecilia grinned, her eyes twinkling, "tell you what, I'll talk to Barbara and we'll see what we can do to distract him for a while, so you can make your getaway."
"Oh, would you? There's a guy I want to see before I die."
"Oh, I see," Cecilia's grin went wicked. "Is that why you wore that?"
"Ah, well, yes," Hoping to deflect the woman's interest she changed the subject. "So, what are the songs you're going to be singing tonight?"
Cecilia's eyes danced at the all-too-obvious change in subject, "Well, we didn't have a set thing, but maybe we could make up something. . . ."

"Just relax, man," Joshua laughed, slapping the tense Yuichiro on his shoulder. "She's gonna flip when she sees you. Just remember what we told you."
"Just remember what you told me," he nodded his head. Then jumped as if he'd grabbed a live electric wire, "Yeegh! There she is!"
"Huh, where?" Joshua asked, craning his neck to look at the very large group of women walking through the press of reporters, curious about the girl who could make him react that way. "Which one, man?"
"The one in the red dress," then suddenly Yuichiro's voice changed. "The one in the VERY SHORT RED DRESS. I'm going to kill her."
Joshua laughed out loud as he looked at the girl, "Yes, it is very short. Very, very short. This girl is in high school? I don't--," he stopped short, a sort of reverent sigh escaping his voice. "Who is that?"
"Who?" Yuichiro dragged his gaze from Rei and her short red dress.
"The tall one," Joshua breathed. "With the pony tail. Next to your Rei."
"Oh, that's Makoto-chan," Yuichiro stared at Joshua for a moment, a grin breaking out on his face. "Can you handle her?"
"What do you mean 'handle her'?" Joshua's eyebrow rose, but he didn't take his eyes from her.
"She's a one of those strong, independent types," Yuichiro clapped him on the back. "And a great martial artist to boot."
"Oh, good, then we have something in common," Joshua reluctantly dragged his gaze away from Makoto. "Come on, let's go. You remember the plan, right? I'd better stick close to you, though, to make sure your brain doesn't dribble out of your ears when you see her."
"Uh-huh," the other man grinned. "I see an ulterior motive here. You want me to introduce you to Makoto-chan."
"That, too," Joshua admitted, so unabashedly Yuichiro had to laugh. "Come on, I'll buy you a drink."
"I thought they were free for the party."
"That was a figure of speech."

"Who are you looking for Rei-chan?" Usagi noticed her friend's gaze sweeping across the crowded club.
Rei shook her head. She didn't want to admit that she was looking for Yuichiro. He said he'd be there and she'd seen him leaving the Temple in his suit. But looking around now, she didn't see him. She thought she'd be able to spot that familiar suit, "No one."
"Look at all the cool guys," Minako breathed, her head whirling with the possibilities. Then she let out a muffled shriek, "Look! Look! That's Akira Shiro!"
"What! Where?" Usagi spun around, looking in the direction Minako was pointing. "Cool! And look who's with him! Keiko Ito," they were, of course, referring to two idols. They stared after the two with stars in their eyes.
"Hi, girls," Nikki came up behind them, startling the girls greatly. "Where are the others?"
"Others?" Minako glanced around, noticing for the first time that Haruka, Michiru and Tetsuna were nowhere to be found. "Huh, they're gone."
"Well, guess it's their loss," Nikki looked up then waved someone over. "Let me introduce you to some friends of mine. "Keiko-san, Akira-san. Come and meet my sister's friends. I think they're big fans of yours."
The general conversation was interrupted by loud screams coming through the entrance. They all turned to see three boys standing comfortably in the spotlight. The Three Lights had arrived.
Seiya swept the room with a glance, "There are the girls."
Yaten glanced over their way, "Hey, Seiya, I thought you said only the best of the brightest were invited. What are they doing here?"
Seiya hid a grin, "See that woman with them? Her brother owns the club and she knows the girls."
"And how exactly does she know them?" then his mind leapt to the obvious conclusion. "Oh."
"Hmm. Now, where is she anyway?" Seiya murmured to himself, peering around the club.
"Where is who?" Taiki, still completely in the dark about this, demanded.
"Tia-kun," Seiya answered absently. "Her brother owns the club."
"I don't see her," Taiki joined the search. "Maybe she's backstage."
"Come on," Yaten, exasperated, swept past the two of them. "The girls probably know where she is."
Seiya and Taiki grinned at each other behind his back then followed him to where the girls were standing. They greeted their fellow idols then moved into general conversation. Yaten continuously stole glances around the club, searching for Tia. Seiya, knowing full well he
was doing it, decided to put him out of his misery.
"So," Seiya looked up at the ceiling, striving for a casual air, "where's Tia-kun? I thought she'd be here."
While the idols merely looked puzzled and Nikki murmured and explanation, and the girls shook their heads, saying that they didn't know. Nikki spoke up, "She's backstage. Brian asked her to sing tonight."
"She can sing?" Seiya sounded surprised.
"We all can," Nikki winked at him. "With this family, are you surprised?"
"I'm not," Yaten shook his head, remembering the CD. "She's got a powerful voice."
"You should know," Seiya murmured behind him.
"Exactly what does that mean?" he snapped, rounding on him.
"Oh, nothing," Seiya threw up his hands in surrender.
"My, you're a fiery one aren't you?" a new voice, laced with amusement came from behind him. They turned to find an older couple, the man in a stylish, dark suit, and the woman in full Marine dress uniform. "Nikki, dear, please introduce us."
"Grandmother," Nikki grinned at the looks on the girls faces and the pale cast that Yaten suddenly took on. She knew very well who Yaten was, Tia had confessed everything to her and the other women in the family. And, of course, to her grandfather. Her grin got wider as she
remembered the argument which followed the girl's confession.
She introduced the girls to her grandparents, ending with Yaten. "So," Violet MacKenzie took Yaten's hand, "these are my Tia's friends." She smiled down at Yaten, since she was a full four inches taller than he, "I'm very pleased to meet you."
Yaten had the feeling that there was a double meaning to that last sentence which was meant for him alone. When he looked straight into her eyes, the same deep, smoky amethyst as her granddaughter's, he saw that he was right. He had the sudden sinking feeling that Tia had told her grandmother everything. Even as that hit him, an amused knowing glint came into those amethyst depths and he nearly groaned when he realized that she had.

"Excuse me, Kurasuma-san," Sailor Aluminum Siren murmured in her characteristic soft voice. "But what are we doing here? I thought we were going after that police detective," this last was followed by a crunch, as she bit into a cookie.
"We are. I couldn't talk to his wife today because she wasn't in the office. They said she wasn't going to come in today because she was helping with this. I figured since she was helping with this then her husband would also be here," Sailor Lead Crow saw what Sailor Aluminum Siren was doing and snatched the cookie from her. "Is eating all you ever think of doing? We're supposed to be working here!"
"I'm sorry," Siren was genuinely contrite, lowering her eyes in submission. "It's just I'm getting nervous, and when I get nervous I get hungry."
Lead Crow's blood pressure rose ten points, then she sighed in resignation.

"Come on, Tia," Brian called through the dressing room door, "it's show time."
"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Tia turned to Cecilia and Barbara. "Okay, let's go. You drag Brian away and onto the stage and I'll come in a minute."
"You got it," Barbara grinned. "But I get to watch him kill you afterwards."
Tia groaned good naturedly, "Some friend you are."
She hid partly behind the door when they threw it open, "Come on, Brian let's go."
"But, Tia--," Brian craned his neck but was interrupted by Cecilia.
"Tia, will be there in a minute. She had to adjust her top and you can't do it on the fly, if you know what I mean," Cecilia fought to keep her voice level and her face relatively straight.
"I'll be out in a minute," Tia called from behind the door. "You'd better get going."
"Okay, but you'd better be out there in time for the first song," he called as his backup singers dragged him away. "You know, girls, I can walk very well on my own."
"Well, you could've fooled me, the way you were dragging your heels," Barbara let go of his arms. "Get moving, O fearless leader."
"Man, they way you guys order me around," he rolled his eyes. "One wonders exactly who signs the checks around here."
"Better watch your attitude," Cecilia rolled her eyes back at him. "Or I'll tell Nancy you're being mean to us."
That shut him up right quick. The last time Nancy scolded him, he turned into a remorseful puddle at her feet. There was no way in Hades that he was going to be reduced to that in front of an audience.
A few minutes later, he had his guitar slung over his shoulder and he looked around, "Where is she?"
"Don't worry, she'll be here," Cecilia got behind him and shoved him out onto the stage. "Just get out there."
Brian cursed under his breath, then assuming his professional face, he moved out onto the stage, stopping only to allow his eyes to the sudden, glaring shine of the spotlight. Then the adrenaline rush he always got when he performed hit him and a huge smile split his face. And he strode out to the microphone, "Hello, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the party! I'd like . . . ."

Yaten and the others looked up when the lights in the club dimmed suddenly then were drawn to the stage as the spotlight hit the man standing there. He recognized the man from the CD case from Tia's house. He watched the man change into the star he was and was speaking
to the mostly Caucasian audience in English. He notice many of the English-speakers translating for the Japanese speakers. But most of them knew English and he knew that the man up on stage knew that also.
While the man was greeting the crowd, the band members and the background vocalists were moving onto stage and taking up their positions. Seiya turned to Nikki, "I thought Tia-kun was going to be singing tonight?"
"Yes, where is she?" Usagi asked.

Where she was was peeping around the curtains backstage. She jumped nearly a mile high when someone hissed, "Tia! You're supposed to be onstage. Here!"
That someone was Susan, who shoved a headset microphone into her hands. When the girl had put it on, the roadie shoved her out on stage. She skidded to a halt just outside the circle of the spotlight. She gulped nervously, scanning the crowd. Her gaze riveted on Yaten, who stood scanning the stage. Her nervousness evaporated and she straightened proudly. Taking a deep breath, she strode out into the bright spotlight.



PART TWELVE

Yaten felt his heart go into overdrive when Tia strode into the spotlight. The temperature in the room seemed to go up ten degrees and he felt as if all the air had been forcibly expelled from his lungs.
Then he noticed the expression on Akira Shiro's face. His glance became a glare, palpable enough that Akira turned and caught it. A slightly sheepish expression crossed the other's face as he realized the message the other was sending him. Back off, she's mine.
He had the idea that maybe other men were reacting the same way he was. But there wasn't really anything he could do while she was up on the stage. He heard her brother pause in his speech as he caught sight of his sister. He made a slight choking noise over the microphone before recalling himself sharply and continuing his greeting speech. Yaten empathized with the man completely. He was going to kill her if her brother didn't do it for him. He felt the same outrage he'd felt when he'd caught Taiki gaping at her when she'd shown up at the apartment the day they'd made love. That nobody should see so much of her skin but him.
"There she is," Usagi cheered when she spotted the other girl. "Doesn't she look cool?"
"I'm going to kill that girl!" They heard her grandfather mutter to his wife. "Look at her!"
"Danny, boy," Violet murmured back, "you are such an old fuddy-duddy. She's perfectly presentable."
"She's not! Good lord, she's about to fall out of that top! And what did she do, paint on those pants!?!"
"My love, turn around and look at Nancy."
Daniel did so and they heard him gasp, "There's another one I'm going to kill. There's hardly any fabric on that thing to cover her,"
"Now, my dear, turn around and look at the woman standing next to our second oldest grandson," now there was an edge to Violet's voice.
When he did, he eyes widened to the size of saucers, "Vi, that woman doesn't have any clothes on."
Nikki stifled her laughter, "Actually, Paw-paw. Those are considered clothes."
"All I see are strings of beads, and she only has them over her front side."
"Well, actually," Nikki was squinting at her brother, laughter in her voice, "she's also got Lawrence's drool all over her chest, too."
"That doesn't count."

Everything was going smoothly, despite Brian's obvious disapproval over what his younger sister was wearing, he was after all a consummate professional. And living under the spotlight like he did, he was able to maintain control. The last thing he needed on his rap sheet
was a starring role in one of the newsstand tabloids.
The music was loud and the crowd was a mix of the Who's Who, children and friends and family. The dance floor was packed. And the girls found themselves, after the initial dance, the center of a great deal of male attention. They were watched over by Nikki and the rest of her clan, the men intercepting any unacceptable partners. After all, it was their necks if one of Tia's friends was manhandled or harassed in any way. They knew this from personal experience; their sister could hold a grudge like nobody's business.
Makoto was, to her delight, singled out almost exclusively by Tia's older brother, Joshua. She delighted him by being such a wonderful dancer and by being even prettier up close than from a distance.
'Oh, god, Tia's gonna kill me,' that thought kept rolling through his brain each time he danced with her. That is, when other thoughts, decidedly wicked thoughts, weren't zinging through his brain.
There was only one thing that distracted him. Yuichiro. The man was having a great deal of difficulty working up his courage to dance with Rei. Every time someone else managed to get a dance out Makoto, he would go over and encourage Yuichiro. Trying to nudge him into going over and dancing with Rei. But every time he would get some modicum of courage, he's start over and end up dancing with another girl. It was enough to make a man scream.
"All right, that does it," Joshua grabbed the other man's arm and began dragging him through the crowd. "Look, you want to dance with her? You gotta ask. And this time," he scowled at another young pretty thing who was heading their way, "you are not going to get distracted. Excuse me, miss," of course, he wasn't rude to the girl, but he wasn't going to be deterred. They made their way around the crowd of people and was near the group Rei was in when Joshua stopped and straightened, "Now, straighten up and ask her." He caught the look the Yuichiro had on his face, "Don't even think about it. If you don't ask her, I'll ask her for you.
Now go on," he shoved Yuichiro hard enough that he almost stumbled headlong into the group.
And, of course, this got the girl's attention right away. Yuichiro's cheeks were red with embarrassment but he straightened, and firming his resolve, turned to Rei, "Rei-san, you know, I've been here since the club opened and you haven't even come over to say hello."
No one was more shocked to hear Yuichiro's voice coming out of such a beautiful man than Rei was. Her mouth dropped open and she gaped for a moment. He reached out and gently closed her mouth with his finger under her chin. Then she was even more shocked when he grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her out onto the dance floor. He smiled down at her, his inherent confidence returning, "You owe me a dance, I believe."
Brian chose at that moment to switch gears from fast to slow. As the soft strains of a classic guitar filled the air, Yuichiro's smile grew and he pulled Rei into a light embrace, his body moving smoothly to the music. Rei, by this time, was having a difficult time remembering to breathe, because every time she looked up into Yuichiro's face she forgot everything else. Yuichiro solved this problem for her by pulling her more fully in his arms, and rested his chin on top of her head. Their bodies brushed against each other as they danced, listening to Brian's voice rising above the music.

From the day we first met, I've been so amazed by you.
Never thought I'd feel this way, but I do.
You're so wonderful
And so incredible
I want to lay in your arms forever

Do you know how I'm feeling?
Feeling things that I'm barely believing
Never felt this kind of love before
I didn't think my heart could soar
Never want to lose you

You're my sky, my star
Can't believe we've come so far
How can I express what you mean to me?
Can I make you see
Just how much I love you.

When I look at you, can't help but stare
It almost doesn't seem fair
That you can be so wonderful
You make my life so full
You're the one thing I don't want to lose

You take me to a higher place
All I can see is your face
You've been my heart
Right from the very start
You're my angel, my heart and soul.

You're my sky, my star
Can't believe we've come so far
How can I express what you mean to me?
Can I make you see
Just how much I love you
You're my sky, my star . . .

Tia listened as her brother sang the song he wrote for Nancy, and felt a short, sharp pang of envy. Her eyes met Yaten's then she shut them, shut him out. She faced the very real possibility of going through life without him. Her fist clenched and her jaw, angrily. She cursed whatever fates had caused her to meet him.
Then she sighed, shaking her head. No, that wasn't right. Better to have met him, than never having met him at all. Even if she had to lose him.

He had seen her distress and was pained knowing it was his fault. If only he was just a normal person. If only he were free to love her. If only, if only . . . . His life seemed to be made up of "if only"'s.
All he wanted was for her not to hurt anymore. And he couldn't give it to her. Which is why he had to stay away from her. Because he knew if he stayed near her, she'd get hurt even more. Maybe even killed. And he would die before letting that happen.
He felt a hand descend on his shoulder and found himself face-to-face with Daniel MacKenzie. The old man smiled, saying, "You look like you have the weight of the world lying on your shoulders."
"More like the fate of the galaxy," he muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" Daniel tilted his head.
"N-nothing. I just have a lot on my mind, that's all."
"Like my granddaughter?" Daniel grinned roguishly, drawing admiring eyes from several directions.
"In part, yes," Yaten, uncomfortable discussing this with the older man, fidgeted under his gaze. "I just don't really know how to handle her."
Daniel laughed, squeezing the boy's shoulder, "Welcome to the club, my boy. I've been with my Violet for nearly sixty years and I still don't know how to handle her."
"And you never will, either," Violet's amused voice reached them. "Our way of keeping you men in line. Never forget that," she addressed this to Yaten. "Especially dealing with the women in this family."
He didn't know what to say to that, so he asked, "Has-has Tia told you about-?"
"To us, everything," Daniel stifled his laughter at the expression on the young man's face.
"Everything?" Yaten choked out. "Everything as in. . . I mean, even that?"
"Everything, even that," Violet smiled. "We don't approve of how you've handled this, but that goes without saying. I'm not saying that we weren't angry when we found out, but it's too late to do anything about it now. You were entirely too careless. I hope you're up to facing the consequences whatever they may be."
"God, her brothers are going to kill me," Yaten's eyes darted around the room.
"No they're not," Daniel laughed again. "The brothers don't know. My grandsons are good men, don't get me wrong, but they tend to go ballistic where their sisters are concerned. Her sisters, on the other hand, know everything. And they're going to keep a closer eye on you than you will like. They don't want to see Tia hurt, and if you do, there'll be hell to pay. And not only from her sisters," there was a hard look in Daniel's eye when he said this and Yaten knew that this was not a man to cross.
"I'm afraid, sir," he turned to look up at the now girl singing on the stage, "that I have hurt her, already. There are things going on in my life right now, things I'm not at liberty to discuss with anyone, that may force me to hurt her even more. Circumstances may force me to push her away, just to keep her safe," he turned a solemn face to them. "That's all I can say. I am sorry. I hope that things will turn out well, but sometimes we have to make choices, hard ones, to keep those we care about safe and well. I may have to make that choice with your granddaughter. I hope not, but if I have to . . . ," he sighed, looking up at Tia again.
Daniel knew all too well situations like that. And wondered how such a young man could be so burdened with such things. He put a hand to the boy's shoulder, "If you ever need to talk . . ."
"Thank you," he shook his head. Then muttered, out of the blue, "I cannot believe she told you about that."
Violet laughed, then clapped him on the shoulder, "Come on, I'll buy you a drink."
"I thought they were free for the opening."
"That was a figure of speech, young man, don't take everything so seriously."

"Tia, I am going to kill you," Brian ground out a little later, when the band had stepped down, to let the a DJ continue providing the music. "What the hell you were you thinking wearing that thing? You're about to fall out of that top!"
"I'm not, you nitwit," she snapped back. "That's what the straps are for! Good lord, Brian, half the other women in this club are wearing a lot less, and you have the nerve to freak out about this? Jeez. What am I supposed to wear? A gingham dress with a butterfly collar?"
"Yes, that sounds just about right. When we get home I'm gonna tan your hide."
"Oh-so. Now you listen to me," she poked him firmly in the chest, "I'm not going to sit here and take this. I'll wear what I want. I don't think it's indecent, so why should you?"
"Because you're my sister, that's why! Dammit, you're going to be a target of every single trawler out there tonight."
"I agree," a new voice interrupted. "Just what were you thinking, wearing that thing?"
"Yaten," Tia growled at the newcomer. "Don't you dare start on me. As for you," she jabbed Brian in the chest again, "I don't appreciate being treated with your double standards."
"Just what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Brian demanded.
"Oh, come on, Brian," Tia crossed her arms, "you're wongo over Nancy, and I don't see you freaking out over the outfit she's wearing tonight."
"I haven't seen her, yet," Brian blushed, suddenly. "Wait, you know--?"
"Of course I know, you ninny, you wear your heart on your sleeve when you're around her. Not that she's noticed, mind you, she'd too busy thinking you don't know she feels the same about you. Jeez, you two are pathetic sometimes," Tia recalled herself to the argument suddenly. "So, I don't see why you are spazzing out because I'm wearing this! She's wearing even less!"
"What do you mean, even less?"
"Less than this. There's a whole lot more fabric covering me than there is her. So I don't see why this is such a big deal."
"God, I don't have the time to deal with this," Brian ran a hand through his hair. "Look you, I'll deal with you later. And don't think there isn't going to be hell to pay."
Brian disappeared through the doorway to the club, leaving Tia and Yaten alone. They stared at each other, warily for a moment then Yaten demanded, "What the hell were you thinking, wearing that-that. . . "
"Now wait just a cotton-picking minute," Tia rounded on him. "I can wear this if I want to."
"I want you to change," his voice hardened.
"You can want what you like, but like Mick Jagger said, you can't always get what you want," Tia turned away from him. "It's not up to you."
"That is a ridiculous outfit you're wearing. Every guy who's on the prowl tonight is going to home in on you right away."
"Yaten, if I don't want to go with someone, I'm not going to. It's not like I'm stupid, you know. I do know something of the way of the world," she shook her head.
"I don't like the way you're dressed. It makes you too much of a temptation."
"What is it with you and my brother? What, did you two go to Repression School together? Did you both take Disapproval 101?" She threw up her hands in exasperation.
Yaten grabbed her by the arm, yanking her around to face him, "No one has the right to see so much of you but me. Got it? Me. No one else."
She pulled her arm out of his grasp, eyes narrowed, "You should've thought of that when you left me that note, boy.
"You don't own me, and you didn't want me. What do you care? Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going out and have a good time."
She stalked away, opened the door to the club and didn't even have the grace to slam the door shut, merely closing it softly.

Yaten emerged from the back five minutes later, having finally gotten his temper under control. He stood in front of the backstage door, eyes sweeping the room. He found Tia out in the middle of the dance floor with a tall, young black man, their bodies moving in perfect sync
with each other and the music blaring out of the speakers.
Yaten's eyes narrowed, sharply and his nostrils flared. The man was far too close to Tia. Far too close.
He stalked purposely through the crowd and the dancers, paying close attention to the music as he did so. He reached them just as the song ended then stepped up behind the young man, tapping him on the shoulder. When the man turned, he said in perfect, lightly accented
English, "I'm going to cut in. She promised me a dance. Do you mind?"
The young man shook his head, edging away from Yaten, sensing something in the other's attitude and wasn't about to argue with him about it. He smiled and winked at Tia, "Thanks for the dance."
Tia gave him a brilliant smile, "My pleasure." When the young man had disappeared into the crowd, she turned diamond-hard eyes on Yaten, "You know, you are an unmitigated bas--"
She was cut off when Yaten put a finger to her lips, saying, "Now, now. This is a family gig. You need to watch your language around here."
"Fine," she moved her mouth away from his finger. "You creep."
The music started up at that moment. Tia recognized the opening notes and grinned, seeing a chance to give a little of the frustration she was feeling back to Yaten.
Her body began following the rhythm, moving closer to him with each beat until she was brushing up against him. His eyes riveted to her mouth, as she began singing the lyrics to him. Each time she brushed up against him, she leaned in close and breathlessly sung a line into his ear. She began dancing around him, making sure she touched him lightly, smiling like a cat as she heard him suck in a breath. She pressed against his back, bringing her front flush against him, still dancing all the while. Her smile grew wider as she felt him tense against her. She sung another line into his ear and was rewarded with a hissing exhalation of his breath.
With every verse, every line she sang, she leaned in close to him, singing to him. The look in her eyes blistering him with heat. When she wasn't singing and while she did, she touched him in some way, brushing up against him, running her nails down his back or his chest. He couldn't seem to catch his breath, because every time he took a breath, she touched him and it was like being punched in the gut, forcing the air out of his lungs. And every time he sucked in a breath and held it, he forgot to exhale because of her breath in his ear.
When the song ended, she whirled to stalk away from him, but he grabbed her arm, whirling her around to face him, "You're playing with fire, Tia."
"I can handle it," she sneered at him. "What's the matter, can't you?"
He gritted his teeth in anger. Then his attention was caught by the beat coming out of the speakers. And decided turnabout was fair play, "Oh, I can handle it all right." He pulled her up against him, then let the beat move him. He saw her eyes widen and he smiled like a shark, "The
question is, when you aren't dishing it out, can you handle it?"
He held her tightly against him, moving to the beat. He'd never heard the song before, but the music and the beat was just right. He felt her breath increase and slid his hands to her hips, then around her waist, splaying his hands across her bare back. He let his hands slide up and down her back, as he guided her in the dance. He buried his face in her neck, drawing her fragrance into his lungs. Now she was the one who was having problems with her breathing. Being this close to him, his arms around her, his smell in her nostrils. Her movements began matching his and her eyes drifted shut.
They danced like that, so close, for too short a time before the song ended. She pulled away from him and they stared at each other, silently, for a moment. Then she stepped back, stopped, then took another step away from him. Then she whirled around and walked away from him. He didn't follow.


PART THIRTEEN

Takumi leaned against the side of the club and sighed. The club was a mad house. The club scene really wasn't his thing. Not that he never went, he liked the hectic energy found in clubs, but only in limited doses. He much preferred being at home, with his family.
A sound to his right had him tensing for action. A silhouette appeared around the corner. The click of high heels sounded between the buildings as a woman walked toward him. Another woman joined the first. He relaxed, but only slightly. He didn't relax easily around strangers, even if they were women. His years in the police force had exposed him to exactly what women were capable of, and he didn't let down his guard unless he trusted those in his presence. As the women came closer, he saw that they were dressed as if they'd just come from an office somewhere. They were looking around, speaking with each other in low voices.
He pushed away from the wall, clearing his throat, "Ladies, can I help you?"
Both women jumped at the sound of his voice, having been unaware of his presence. They looked at each other a moment, then the second woman pushed the first woman forward, hissing, "Well, go on."
The first one clutching at her purse, moved timidly forward, her eyes downcast. She stopped a short distance away, and bowed, saying very quietly, "I'm sorry. I'm trying to locate Takumi Miyake. Do you know where I might find him?"
Takumi's eyebrows rose; they were looking for him, "I'm Miyake. How can I help you?"
At this admission, the woman's head snapped up and her eyes drilled into him. That action raised his hackles. He eased back, "Who are you?"
The woman smiled, her eyes gleaming in a predatory-like manner. Her left hand coming up to her neckline, grasping it and pulling upwards. With a magic twist, she disrobed, leaving her in a light blue negligee costume, "Hi!"
The other woman, had done the same thing, coming up with a brown, feathery costume. She stood in the background, gloved arms folded, her eyes gleaming, "Get on with it, my Rival."
The predatory light intensified in first woman's eyes and she smiled as she spoke, "Let me introduce myself. I'm Sailor Aluminum Siren."
"And I'm Sailor Lead Crow," Lead Crow gave a little mocking bow as she introduced herself. "Take care of him, Siren."
"What the hell do you want?" Takumi had no intention of backing down. Now that they'd revealed themselves, his adrenaline levels had skyrocketed and he was ready to fight.
"I want your Star Seed," Aluminum Siren brought her arms up, bringing together the gold bracelets around her wrists, the backs of her hands toward Takumi.
"Star Seed? What the--Ho!!!" Takumi dived out of the way as the jewels on the bracelets flashed and energy burst from each, lancing toward him.
He rolled to his feet, got a bead on the energy bursts as they circled around toward him and rolled out of the way again. Regaining his feet, he waited until the last minute as they arched toward him, then dove out of the way again, straight for some wooden pallets leaning up against the side of the club. On his feet again, he tracked the energy bursts as they changed course toward him again. He pulled a pallet away from the wall, waited until a split second before the burst reached him and flattened to the ground. The energy bursts hit the pallet with explosive force, shattering the pallet and flinging splinters in every direction. The two women leapt clear of the flying debris.
Immediately following impact, not even bothering waiting until the splinters had disbursed fully, Takumi was on his feet. A grimace of pain on his face, because of embedded splinters, he sprinted toward the women, who had surprised expressions on their faces. Apparently, none of their prey had ever retaliated against them before. They leapt back and out of the way.
Which is what Takumi had been hoping for. He dove between them, hitting the ground in a roll, then rolled back to his feet out of the alley. He wasn't running away, just giving himself room to fight. He was at a disadvantage cornered in that alley.
"This is much better," he smiled, grimly, pivoting to face the women who ran out of the alley behind him. "Come and get me, ladies."

Tia blew out of the club's front door, and raised a hand to the bouncer, "Keichi-san, I'll be back soon."
The massive Japanese man nodded, then scowled at the reporters who came rushing to see who'd just left the club. Tia wasn't in the mood to deal with the press, so she gave them a vague smile then breezed by them. She strode down the street and around the corner into a courtyard next to the club. She slipped into a shadowy alcove and sat down on a secluded
stone bench.
Left alone, she wrapped her arms around her waist and hung her head. A shudder rippled through her frame. Tears fell from her eyes, dampening the ground between her feet. She sucked in a breath, crying silently. She sat like that for a long time, no sound coming from her even as she cried her heart out.
Eventually, her tears slowed, then stopped. The shudders convulsing her frame, slowed then ceased and she brought herself under control. She sat, staring at her fallen tears for long minutes, having come to one of the most gut wrenching conclusions in her life. A decision she knew she had to make, for the sake of her health and her sanity. But it didn't make the thought of giving up Yaten any less painful. It hurt worse than any pain she had felt before aside from the pain she felt over the loss of her parents. She leaned her head back against the wall, wishing she could scream out against the pain.
She didn't notice the silent black shadow watching her from behind one of the pillars. But she uttered a low, startled exclamation when it materialized between her feet. Luna gave a low, meow, and it seemed as if the little cat understood she was hurting and was somehow trying to offer her some comfort. Luna leapt from the ground and into her lap and Tia put her arms around the little cat and gave her a watery smile, "Little kitty, are you trying to comfort me? I could use all the comfort I can get right now," she laughed, a slight edge of hysteria creeping into her voice. "I just made the smart decision to give up the love of my life. What a joke, huh? Or is the joke on me? I fell in love with a person, who for reasons unknown, can't love me back," she drew in a gasp, the raggedness of it painful to even listen to. "Ah, God, I don't even know if I'll be able to live through it. Can you die of a broken heart?"
As she sat there, the silence was shattered by a muffled explosion. As she shot to her feet, Luna leapt from her arms. She didn't really pay attention to the cat's unusual behavior, as Luna became a black streak, racing straight towards the origin of the explosion. Tia shot out of the alcove, sprinting toward the sound, less than a split-second later. She skidded to a stop, catching sight of her brother-in-law as he sprawled headlong into the ground. Two pits in the ground near his feet were smoking, the explosion having torn up the ground. There were two women determinedly stalking Takumi, both seemed take a great deal of pleasure in doing so.
She saw Takumi wince as he rose from the ground and she saw that his shirt was torn to shreds on one side and noticed that his shirt was with blood. Dried blood streaked down his cheek, the nape of his neck and several places down his back.
Rage poured through her. Her protective instincts kicked in. Takumi was family and she would kill to protect her family. And if she started with these two women, all the better. She was in a violent mood and was itching to take it out on someone.
The woman who was dressed in light blue, brought her arms up, there was a flash of light and energy raced toward Takumi. Tia cursed and raced for a manhole near the edge of the courtyard. With a tremendous amount of force, her foot came down on the edge of the manhole cover and it sprang from its place. Her hand closed around the edge and she pulled it up, the muscles in her arms and shoulders standing out prominently. The manhole cover was a good forty pounds but it seemed that she hefted it one-handed with ease. Then she was racing to her brother-in-law. Her heart nearly stopped as Takumi lost his footing, slamming to one knee.
His head whipped up, tracking the energy bursts which were bearing down on him too quickly now for him to dodge. Then someone was there with him, a strong hand pushing down on his neck and a familiar voice snapping at him, "Get down!"
Pressed against her, he felt the shock of impact and heard her hiss as the energy bursts hit something. He craned his neck, hoping that she hadn't taken the full brunt impact with her body. All he could see was that she was holding something up as a shield. Then she was talking to him
again, "Run. Now. I'll distract these two witches. Get to the club and get help. Tell Keichi-san and Nancy and the brothers."
"I can't--" his protest was interrupted by her, "Oh, yes you can. I'm hale and whole, while you are injured. You need to get back up. I can handle myself. NOW GO! Or the evil twins will get the both of us. Move it, move it, move it."
And he did. He hated that he had to, but he was in more pain than he was letting on and he was nearly worn out. He did know that she could handle herself, he knew how much and how hard she trained. As he ran back to the club, he didn't see the small dark form which dogged his heels.
Lead Crow moved toward Tia suddenly and Aluminum Siren tried to block Takumi's path. But Tia had other plans. Tia pivoted around on one foot, easily evading Lead Crow's feint. Still holding the manhole cover, she sprinted for Aluminum Siren, and knowing she wouldn't reach the woman in time on foot, spun on one foot and tossed the manhole cover like a discus. Suddenly, Aluminum Siren was very busy dodging the manhole cover. She leapt out of the way with a bare inch of space between her and the huge piece of flying metal death.
She turned her attention to the girl who'd nearly killed her. Then she locked on the girl, like a hawk on its prey. The girl wasn't intimidated one whit. Siren felt Lead Crow glide to her back and smiled grimly. Then they launched themselves at the girl simultaneously.
The girl exploded toward them, a sneer showing her teeth. She eluded Siren's outstretched claw simply by bending her side a little. Her arm hooked around Siren's throat in a choke hold. Using Siren for an anchor, and her own momentum, swung herself around, delivering a powerful kick to Lead Crow's stomach, sending her to the ground clutching at her stomach.
Siren snarled, and, getting her feet under her, backpedaled furiously. Tia slammed into the wall behind them at full force, the breath hissing from her lungs and her grip loosening enough for Siren to twist free.
Tia's foot came up, and pushed herself from the wall, straight at Siren with her forearm extended. She hit Siren in the neck, right under her chin, bearing them both to the ground. She swung her fist, ready to kill. Then her sight was obscured and she screamed as an electrical charge jolted through her.
Lead Crow had recovered sooner than she'd hoped. Seeing her compatriot in dire need of assistance, she'd rushed forward. She hooked her hand over the girl's face and yanked her from Siren, simultaneously delivering an electrical shock to the girl with a great deal of pleasure.
Tia hit the ground with a loud thud and rolled slowly, shakily to her feet. She was still reeling from the shock she just received, but she knew she couldn't let her guard down. She shook her head, trying it clear it. She focused on the two women across from her and her lips peeled back from her teeth in a feral snarl, "You're gonna have to do better than that if you wanna get rid of me."
Lead Crow grinned ferally, "Oh, really? I just might be up to the challenge."
"Come on then. Let's see what you got."

Seiya was talking to Taiki, taking some time out from the action in the club, when his heart jolted in his chest. Taiki felt it at the same time, his head snapping up and around. Yaten joined them a second later and they nodded to each other. Then they melted into the crowd and disappeared from the club.

Takumi staggered into the club with the assistance of Keichi. He was fast becoming uncomfortably aware of all his injuries. Keichi leaned him against the nearest wall and went in search of his grandfather-in-law. When he found Daniel MacKenzie, he whispered a few succinct words into the older man's ear. Daniel's eyes became serious and he nodded his head. Keichi went in search of other members of the family and Daniel appraised his wife of the situation. Everyone else was having such a good time, they didn't really notice that all their hosts had disappeared from the main room of the club.

"Hey, what's a cat doing in here?" A young woman asked, a little startled to see the feline making her way around the flying feet of the guests at the party.
"Maybe it got in here by mistake," the young man she was with grinned. "Let's get it and put it out. It doesn't belong in a club."
The young woman laughed, "This'll be fun."
But try as they might, they couldn't get their hands on Luna. She gave them one contemptuous look and evaded their hands neatly. Then she disappeared into the crowd of dancers. The young man and woman were crouched down, almost on their knees trying to locate her, but the low lights and the dark shadows cast by the dancers, impeded their view and they lost her.
Luna finally spotted Usagi, chatting with Rei and Minako. She sprinted over, and leapt directly into Usagi's startled arms, "You've got to hurry, Usagi! Tia is in some big trouble! You have to transform into Sailor Moon and save her!"

Three women stood on top of the StarWay, and looked down on the scene below them. The shortest on of them started abruptly then leaned forward swiftly, "NO! Tia!"
"What?!" the tallest one joined the other. "Oh, lord, it is her."
"Well, what the hell do we do now?" The last joined the other two.
"What the hell do you mean, what do we do now?" The first woman snapped, "We get out there and---"
There was a flash down below and she got ready to jump down. But she noticed that the girl down below had dodged the energy bursts and was rolling this way and that avoiding them. They saw that she just wasn't rolling around aimlessly avoiding the energy bursts, but was making her way to the next building. The two women down below followed her at a more leisurely pace than their weapon.
Tia hit one of the columns which lined the front walkway of the restaurant across the courtyard from the club. She scrambled to her feet, her eyes locking onto the circling energy bursts. She planted her right foot against the column behind her and tensed her whole body. The timing for this maneuver had to be perfect or she was toast. She tracked the bursts as they got closer.
------Closer-------
------Closer-------
Now!
She pushed away from the column less than a split second before the energy bursts hit the column. They struck, obliterating what they hit, sending debris outwards with explosive force. She allowed the force of the explosion carry her up and out, toward the women who had followed her, ignoring the sting of flying debris. She balled her hand into a fist, and bellowed her defiance.
The woman in blue merely smile and raised her hand. A energy lanced out from her hand, hitting Tia squarely in her mid section, sending her flying backwards. She crashed into the restaurant wall, her head slamming into it with a sickening crack. She slid down, insensate.
The woman in blue, took a step closer, "We only wanted Miyake. But, you're just as shining as he was. I'm sure someone like you has a Star Seed." Her arms came and the jewels on her bracelets flashed.
"NO!!" The word came from several different directions at once.
"SILENCE WALL."
The woman in blue shouted in surprise as the extractor bursts exploded harmlessly against a force barrier. The woman's stare became a glare at the girl in a sailor uniform holding a fork-bladed javelin in front of her, maintaining the shield.
"STAR SERIOUS LASER."
"MARS FLAME SNIPER."
"WORLD SHAKING."
"FREEZE!!"
The laser slammed into the woman in blue first, knocking her off her feet. The fire arrow missed, since the woman in blue had been knocked out of the line of fire, exploding through the restaurant window. The planet shaped energy weapon, aimed at the second woman, only clipped her in the shoulder because she'd stepped back in surprise as her compatriot was hit. Still, the blow was powerful enough to send her sprawling to the ground.
Suddenly the courtyard was filled with people. Women in costumes and civilians. Tia's attackers had regained their feet and decided that a strategic retreat was definitely in order. A European-style phone booth appeared in a flash of light and both women stepped backwards into it. The women in blue's face assumed a vague pleasant cast and she bowed for all the world like she was bidding them goodbye from the office. Lead Crow was less polite, "I won't forgive this outrage. We'll be back to avenge this."
The phone booth door shut with a snap and, with another bright flash, they were gone.
The girl maintaining the force barrier dropped it as soon as they were gone. One of the women from the roof, the shortest one, rushed forward to check on Tia.
Sailor Star Healer slid her hands gently under Tia's head and checked her injuries. She winced as her fingers found a huge lump on the back of the girl's head. After a thorough examination, it was determined that other than the lump, there were only bruises, scratches and some minor cuts. All things considered, Tia had come through this quite well.
Sailor Star Healer breathed a sigh of relief, looking for all the world like the weight of the world had just slid off her shoulders. She looked up at Tia's anxious relatives and smiled, "It's okay. She's not seriously hurt. She'll be a little uncomfortable while the bruises heal, but other than that, I think she'll be all right."
"Thank you, God," Daniel knelt down and brushed Tia's forehead with his fingers.
Tia's eyelids twitched and she began regaining consciousness. She took a deep breath, then opened her eyes, blinking to focus her eyes. The first thing she saw was her anxious family members. The second, the assembled sailor soldiers. She groaned, mortified, "Oh no, not you again," she squinted, suddenly noticing that there were more of them than she'd met before, "God, how many of you are there?" Then she looked straight up, meeting Star Healer's eyes. She was silent for a long minute, then, "So . . . is it okay for me to get up or is there some reason I'm still laying here like this?"
"I wouldn't know," Star Healer smiled down at the girl. "You seemed comfortable enough to me."
She sat up slowly with Star Healer's help, and nearly fell back again as her head began spinning, "Oh, goodness gracious. Did someone get the number of the train that hit me?"
She put her feet under her and pushed upwards. Star Healer steadied her on one side and Uranus moved to help her on the other. The two glanced at each other and it was a wonder that Tia didn't combust right there. Tia caught the animosity between the two and raised her hands,
waving them in the women's faces. Caught off guard, the both looked down at her and she grinned, "Stop it. I'm afraid you'll set me on fire. Man, what's with you?"
"She's an intruder from outside this star system," Uranus snapped, shortly. "My duty is to protect this system from foreign encroachments."
"Oh," Tia swallowed that one quietly then looked at Star Healer. She stared for a long time, then sighed, shaking her head, "Did it ever occur to you, Uranus, that maybe she doesn't have any choice but to be here? That maybe, just maybe, she and her friends have nowhere else to go? Like they say, 'any port in a storm'," she shook her head again. "But I can't tell you what to think, can I? But you're a soldier, aren't you? And soldier's don't question anything, they just do their duty, right?"
"Au contraire, my dear," Violet MacKenzie gave her a look that could've scalded her skin. "Soldiers can question everything. At least the good ones do."
Tia sighed, exasperated, "Grandmother, I know that, and you know that. But somehow, I don't think she knows that," she jerked her thumb at Uranus. "If you can't relax, maybe you should take your tension somewhere less . . . volatile. I've got enough stress in my life without
having to worry that you guys are going to rip each other's throats out."
She sighed, her shoulders sagging suddenly, "You know, I don't care. I just don't care. I just want to go home," she waved away her family, shaking her head. "No. No. I can get one of the limos to take me home. You guys have got to stay here and support Brian. I'll be all right. I'm just so tired all of the sudden."
Violet nodded at Keichi, who nodded before disappearing in search of one of the limousines. They waited in silence, her family members clustered about her and Star Healer, who'd refused to move aside for her family, receiving an odd look or two from them. Tia leaned against her, grateful for the support. The limo pulled into the courtyard and Star Healer, helped her into the backseat. After reassuring her family she'd be fine, she leaned back and allowed Keichi to close the door. Once she was alone, her head rolled to the side, forehead coming to rest on the tinted window.
There was no one to see a solitary tear roll down her cheek.


PART FOURTEEN

Tia leaned against the door to her home, her eyes closed. When she opened them, her eyes were brilliant with tears. She pushed away from the door, scrubbing angrily at her eyes.
Crying wasn't going to solve matters to any degree. She had to think, decide what she was going to do. After all, one doesn't discover that the love of your life is an extraterrestrial everyday. And one that transforms from boy to woman, to top things off.
She crossed to the bathroom, and splashed water on her face. She knew that Yaten would be showing up soon and she wanted to be composed when facing him. She stared in the mirror a moment, then shook her head. In the ten minutes she waited for him to show, she'd decided what had to be done.
When he came, he didn't even bother knocking, just bursting into the house, willy-nilly. The stared at each other silently for a long moment, her heart breaking and his soaring in relief.
He sat down next to her, "I just heard there was an incident. I came as soon as I heard. Are you, are you all right?"
"Incident," she gave a sort of watery laugh. "Well, that's one way of putting it. What did they tell you?"
"Just that you were attacked."
"My brother-in-law was attacked, not me. I just interceded, to my sorrow. I think I bit off more than I could chew," she let her head fall back, wincing as her sore head made contact with the couch, and stared at the ceiling. "I had to be rescued by the Sailor Soldiers."
"From what the others were saying, even your brother-in-law, they said you did pretty well."
"Maybe, maybe not. Doesn't feel like I did all that well. If I had, I would been standing, still, when the others came out."
"Don't beat yourself up over it," he winced when he realized what he'd said. "I-I. . . . I didn't mean it like that . . . . Um, what I meant was--," his stuttering halted when Tia, half-amused at his earnestness, silenced him with her lips against his.
When they broke away, she rested her forehead against his chin. He lifted her face to his and kissed her again. And again.
She pulled away slightly, "This is-," he kissed her again, "-a mistake."
"Maybe it is," their lips meshed again, "but it feels wonderful."
"Mmm," she hummed against his mouth. The kiss deepened and it was a long time before either broke away again to breath. Without thinking about the consequences, he lifted her up against him and they disappeared into her room.

Sometime later, Tia was sitting on her bed, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, her feet bare, and was combing her hair. She was in a pensive mood, quiet in movement and thought. She looked up when Yaten walked out of her bathroom.
They stared at each other a long moment, before he moved to sit next to her. She sighed, and leaned her head against his shoulder. Quietly, she said, "I love you."
He stared at her, stunned. She smiled slightly, "You had to know this was coming, you know, with what we've been doing."
"But, I don't--," she silenced him with a finger over his lips.
She smiled, sadly, "I know. You don't have to, you know. Just know that I love you. I had to be honest with you, and with myself. I know that nothing can come of it. But I believe I had to let you know," she was silent for a moment. "You were right, in that note, after all. It is best if we didn't get together again."
He took her in his arms, holding her tightly in his embrace. His heart was breaking now, but knowing she was right, but a part of him screaming denial. He buried his face in her hair, whispering, "I'm so sorry."
Her reply was softer than the sighing of the wind, "I'm not."


PART FIFTEEN

Takumi went searching for his wife. He found her in the kitchen, staring worriedly out the back window towards her sister's place, a cup of coffee suspended half-way to her lips. "Has she come out yet?"
"No," she shook her head. "If it were anyone else, I wouldn't be too worried. You know, I'd think they were still shook up after the event and all. But, this is my sister. The Crusader. She's made of stronger stuff. She's been through hell and back. This shouldn't be too hard for her to bounce back from."
"Maybe she's a lot more sensitive now than she was back then," everyone in the family knew what Tia had done and gone through. "People change."
"Not this way. Not Tia."
"Well, maybe she doesn't want her family fussing unduly over her," he put his arms around his wife's waist, wincing slightly as the movement pulled at his bruises and newly healing cuts.
"Oh, well maybe," Nikki hadn't thought of that. "Maybe, I ought to tell the others before they take it to their heads to go barging in there."
"Oh, I think that's an excellent idea," he squeezed her again. "Your family does tend to overwhelm one, even if they're family."
"Oh, ha, ha. Very funny."

"What do you mean we shouldn't go and find out how she's doing?" Brian demanded, then protested as one of his sisters cuffed him in the back of the head.
"Well, maybe she just doesn't want anyone to fuss over her, fool," Theresa, their oldest sister, rolled her eyes. "And admit it, you guys would smother her trying to find out if she's okay. And she wouldn't like that one bit."
"We would not smother her," Joshua protested hotly before catching the look on his grandmother's face. "Well, maybe we would."
"Why wouldn't we?" Michael demanded. "She's our sister, for crying out loud. And she was attacked!"
"Point of fact," Takumi interrupted, calmly, "I was attacked, not Tia. She rescued me, if anyone would care to remember. And she seemed fine when she left last night. If just a little shook up. Just let her alone for today. When she's ready she'll let us know," his lips crooked, in an amused smile. "You guys can smother her then."

On Monday, Tia almost didn't go to school, dreading facing Yaten. But then she grit her teeth, she'd been brave enough to tell him what she felt; she was brave enough to face him in the light of day.
So she dressed for school and went across the courtyard to face her family. Her grandparents were in the kitchen, and Nikki and her children. Her grandmother rose immediately and enfolded Tia in her arms, hugging her tightly.
Takumi wandered into the room and grinned, "Well, well, look who finally decided to grace us with her presence."
"I love you too, bro," she grinned right back at him. "I wanted breakfast and I didn't want to cook myself."
"Uh huh," Nikki winked one eye. "So the only reason you showed your face was to use me as slave labor."
"That's just about the size of it," she grinned again.
"Well, we're glad to see you anyway," Violet's voice was tinged with laughter.
"Gee, I hope so," she sat down next to her grandmother, and smiled at Takumi when he placed a cup of coffee in front of her. It felt good to be back in the fold of her family.

"What is it with people today?" she shook her head, catching more than a few of her classmates giving her sly sidelong looks.
She slipped behind Usagi and company and announced her presence to them, saying, "Good morning, everybody. Does anyone know why everyone is looking at me cross-eyed at me today?"
The girls, to a man, jumped at least an inch off the floor when she'd spoken, she'd noticed with some amusement. She got the idea that maybe not many people got away with sneaking up on them. A germ of an idea formed in the back of her mind, and she let her mind just flow along with it.
Mina had some faint color in her cheeks and she put her hand to the back of her head, "Weelll . . . . I might have mentioned what we heard going around the club Saturday night after you disappeared. They said that you were attacked and that Sailor Moon and the Sailor Soldiers
rescued you."
Tia shrugged a little, "Well, some of it's true, at least. My brother-in-law, Takumi, was attacked and I jumped in without thinking and got in over my head. Stupid of me, really, interfering without thinking or getting anyone to back me up. If Sailor Moon and the Sailor
Soldiers hadn't interceded, I probably would've been toast, or some such."
"I think it was incredibly brave of you," Minako said quietly.
"Brave or stupid," Tia shrugged again. "I'm still trying to figure it out."
"I think it was brave," Usagi announced suddenly, in such a decisive tone that Tia laughed and impulsively hugged her friend.
"And that's that, I suppose," she grinned, shaking her head. "Well, I guess I'll just have take your word for it and leave it at that. Let's get to class shall we?"
"So. . . ," Usagi slid a glance at her. "Did Yaten-kun stop by? He tore out of the club like he'd been blasted out of there with dynamite."
Tia's jaw clenched, tightly, then she shrugged, "Yeah, he stopped by. To see if I was all right. No big deal."
"Tia, is something wrong?"
She sighed, shaking her head, "No, not really. Just one of those things that happen and you can't do anything about. It'll work itself out."
Yaten and company were already in class when they got there. Taiki and Seiya came over, inquiring about her state of being. She smiled and assured them that she was fine. She flicked a glance over at Yaten, catching his eye. They nodded slightly to one another and then proceeded to ignore one another completely.

And so it went for the next few months. They avoided one another when they could, but they had common friends and it was inevitable that they should come in contact one another in a social setting. When that happened, they ignored each other's presence as best they could.
Their friends noticed the breech and wondered at it. And were concerned over it. Tia was less outgoing before, and some of the life seemed to have left her. Yaten, whose normal nature was essentially morose, became even more withdrawn. He had many a sleepless night
since the incident at the club.

Takumi was brooding in his study, when Nikki stuck her head around the door, "Penny for your thoughts."
He looked up and smiled, "A yen; you're in Japan. Come in."
"What is it?" She sat down on the corner of his desk.
"I'm worried."
"Tia?"
"You, too?"
"Mm," she nodded her head. "She hasn't been the same since the night of the opening."
"She puts on a good front, I'll give you that," he put some fingers to his temple. "She completely fooled me for about a week. But something's happened."
"Yes."
Takumi glanced up at his wife's tone, "You know something."
She nodded, "She fell in love. It didn't work out. Now she's heartbroken."
"What?" he shook his head. "When did this happen?"
"They'd only known each a few months. But she fell in love," she shook her head now. "And it wasn't some teenage thing, either. You could see it on her face. It was the real thing."
"Then why-? You don't think that she's --?" he was half-off his seat with a deadly look on his face. "When I find out who he is--"
Nikki put a hand on his shoulder, "Calm down. There is that possibility. But from what she's given me to understand . . . . I think she made the decision to break it off. She didn't tell me why. She will, someday, I think. We just have to give her time."
"I don't like it."
"No. Neither do I. But it's her decision."

In the U.S.


"What the hell is this?" Ronnie Collins muttered fiercely, stabbing at his computer keyboard. His eyes flew over the computer screen, the light from it throwing his features into an eerie kind of relief, giving him an almost satyrical look.
As what he was reading became more clear, a shocked, almost fearful expression settled over his face. He reached for the telephone and punched numbers. As he listened to the phone ringing at the other end, he muttered into the receiver, "C'mon, c'mon, girl. Pick up the phone," he let it ring more than twenty times, then slammed the phone down into its cradle. Then dialed again, then cursed hard enough to paint the wall blue.
"Damn it, girl, don't you know what an answering machine is?" he slammed out of his workroom, into his bedroom, grabbed a travel bag and started flinging clothes in it willy-nilly. He opened the drawer next to his bed and pawed through it, searching. He came up with a fairly new passport, which he put in the pocket of a leather briefcase he pulled from under his bed. Unzipping it, he checked on the condition of the laptop computer contained therein, making sure it was in working order.
He stalked back into his workroom, logged into an airline's Internet site and booked a flight to Japan. He enabled his computer security systems and turned on the house security systems.
Then he went to catch his flight.

Tokyo

"Hey, Tia," Usagi stared at her friend, "you don't look so good. Are you all right?"
"Yeah, I think I might have the stomach flu or something," Tia looked a little green about the gills. "I've been a little nauseated for the past couple of days. I may be coming down with something."
She was, but it wasn't what she thought.

"Why hasn't my problem been taken care of?" the voice on the other end of the line was deadly quiet.
"The shooter wants high exposure on this," said the man a cigarette poised near his mouth. "How can we get the point across if it's done quietly?"
"Hmmm," the other paused to think it over. "Very well, but I want it taken care of by the end of the month, high profile or not. Understand? My patience is wearing thin."
"I understand."


Continued in Chapter 4