REUNION,
Chapter 5: "Acts of Friendship"
By Bill K.
"I'm not keeping you from anything, am I?" Ami asked. She and
Minako were meeting at a downtown restaurant for lunch.
"No, we got all the week's episodes in the can yesterday,"
Minako told her. "I would have been scouring the grapevine for leads
or going on auditions. No big deal. And with what happened to
Usagi, I don't think I'd do a very good job anyway."
"It's a shame," Ami concurred. "From a medical standpoint, I
know things like this happen, but from a personal standpoint, I still
wonder why."
"Yeah," Minako said, sipping on water. "You ever think about
having kids, Ami?"
"Not a lot. I think I'd like to, but my life is so busy that
I'm not sure I could find the time to raise one. Mother tried for
years to balance being a doctor and a mother after she and Dad
divorced - - and in all honesty she never quite pulled it off."
"Oh?" queried Minako.
Ami sighed. "I know she loved me and I know she tried her
best, but there were times when it seemed like her patients got more
attention than I did and I was jealous. There were times I needed
her and she wasn't there. And I don't want to do that to any child I
have. And yet there are sick people in the world who need doctors
- - and there may come a time when the senshi are needed again."
"Yeah," nodded Minako. "That's what I'm thinking."
"You're thinking about children?"
"Yeah," she grinned, embarrassed. "As close as Toshi-chan and
I are, the thought's entered my head. I'm just not sure what kind of
mother I'd make. I'm not very organized and I'm not very mature, and
it could only hurt my show-business career. But I'd love to hold
Toshi's son in my arms and just love him to pieces."
"A boy, eh?" asked Ami.
"Of course," smirked Minako. "Aren't males the single most
gorgeous creatures that walk the Earth? And with my genes in him,
he'd have to be utterly beautiful."
"It sounds like you and Toshihiro are serious," Ami judged.
"Not yet, but it's getting there," Minako smiled shyly. "And I
have to admit that, with Makoto getting married, I have been thinking
about it - - occasionally." Minako looked around quickly. "Usagi
isn't listening, is she?" Ami giggled. "Ami, it's so great being
with him. He's bright and he's funny, and he's so creative! He's
got this wicked sense of humor and is a complete encyclopedia of
what's funny. He'll come up with these situations out of nowhere and
just have me rolling, or take some normal situation and instantly see
the funny side of it. And he's got a fantastic creative vision! I
can sit and watch him dream up this stuff and just be in awe of him!
I don't know how he does it."
"I know the feeling," nodded Ami. "I used to watch my father
paint and wonder how he could make such wonderful things appear out
of a blank canvas and his own mind."
"Yeah, it's just like that!"
"So how did you meet him?" Ami asked.
Minako shrugged. "Typical entertainment romance. He was the
assistant director on a comedy series I was appearing on. You ever
hear of 'Angel High'?"
"No," Ami said diplomatically. "We don't really get a lot of
Japanese television programs in England."
Minako stopped and thought. "Yeah, I guess that would be a
problem, wouldn't it? Anyway, 'Angel High' was this comedy about a
private girl's school and this poor little geeky guy that gets hired
as the groundskeeper and all the over-sexed students are trying to
hit on him, even though that'll get him fired."
"And you played one of the students?"
"Or, as I like to refer to her, 'third bimbo from the left',"
Minako grumbled. "It was a 'real deep role', but hey, I got five
show checks from it. And I got to know Toshi-chan. He was real
sympathetic about the role I had to play and how shallow it was. And
he told me to keep working, that he thought I had talent and what he
called 'photo-charisma'." Minako leaned on her hand and flashed Ami
a cynical smirk. "Of course, I figured he was buttering me up so he
could ask me out, and he did after episode five when I got dropped."
"You didn't think he was serious about what he said?"
"At the time, yeah." Minako tossed back her hair and shrugged.
"But I went out with him anyway. Hey, he was nice to me on the set
and I figured the worst that could happen would be I made a contact
that might help me in the future." Minako dropped her eyes, slightly
embarrassed. "But he was serious. He thinks I have a big future - -
and he turned out to be a lot of fun to be with. So then I asked him
out. Pretty soon we're spending nearly every day together. We still
have separate apartments, but we're very seldom separate."
"So you and he get along well?"
"Well," hesitated Minako. "Creative people can be really
strong-willed. Now you know I'm nothing but the soul of harmony,"
and Minako smiled in mock sweetness, "but we've been known to
disagree."
"That happens to every couple," shrugged Ami.
"Yeah, so we have a system. If one of us thinks the argument's
about to go too far, we hold up our hand and say 'kiss and make up',
and we do."
"Does that work?" Ami asked skeptically.
"Has so far," Minako replied brightly. "And Toshi's a great
kisser, so that helps. I suppose it might not always work, but I
prefer not to think about that."
Ami looked at her doubtfully.
"Don't knock it, Ami," Minako smiled. "Love can conquer a lot
of things."
"Not everything," Ami said distantly, recalling Evan. "And as
I recall, you said the same thing about Tomokazu."
"That doesn't count," Minako scowled. "I was temporarily
insane then. And Tomo misrepresented himself. He told me he was
human."
"You still hold a grudge?"
"Oh, well why should I hold a grudge?" grumbled Minako. "I
only caught the little ferret in bed with another woman."
"Usagi told me you were cheating on him," Ami interjected.
"Forgive me if I got it wrong."
Minako flushed with embarrassment. "Well - - I wasn't exactly
in bed with another guy so much."
"What was it?"
"It wasn't a guy. It was Ace," Minako whispered. She averted
her gaze in embarrassment.
"The last time I checked, I thought Kaitou Ace was a man. Have
things changed?" Ami asked, a hint of judgment in her voice.
"Kaitou Ace isn't a man, Ami. He's a demon from Hell sent to
torment me! He has no concept of right or fair or - - or anything
else decent and honorable! He's," and Minako caught herself
breathing faster, her pulse racing. She willed herself to calm down.
"He also has the unique ability to make me lose all rational
judgment. He's utterly irresistible. That's why he's a demon!
Nobody human could possibly be that obscenely beautiful! And Tomo
should have understood that! I couldn't help myself!" Minako
slumped back into her chair. "Besides, we already weren't getting
along when Ace showed up to rip my life to shreds again. Tomo
changed once we were married. Once he had me, he began to lose
interest - - take me for granted. I don't have to take that."
"No," sympathized Ami. "No one should."
"It was a mistake," Minako declared. "We were two people in
the heat of passion and when the heat cooled, we looked at each other
and freaked. And maybe some day I'll be able to think of Tomo and
not wretch."
Ami let the subject drop and Minako cool down. After a few
moments, Ami asked, "Is Rei seeing anyone?"
"How'd we get on Rei?"
"Well," Ami began uncomfortably. "Usagi has Mamoru. Makoto's
getting married and you seem very happy with Manabe-san. And we all
know I'm just getting over someone. What about Rei? I think it's
been eighteen months now since Usagi wrote me and told me Yuuichiro
left. Has she seen anyone since then?"
"Not that I know of - - not that she'd tell me," Minako
grinned. "Still, I could probably sniff it out if she were."
"Did breaking up with Yuuichiro hurt her that much?"
"I doubt it. I mean she always kept him at arm's length - -
although I think there was at least one night she broke down and let
him get 'close', if you know what I mean. She won't admit it, of
course. If you ask me, that's why they broke up. They did it once,
he expected it to happen again and she wanted to go back to the way
things were. I mean, you know how she is with her 'standards'. I
don't really blame him for leaving."
"Well, Minako, you have to understand something about Rei," Ami
cautioned. "She was very hurt by her mother's death and her father
abandoning her. I can understand what a blow that is. I have to
confess, I had bad feelings about my father occasionally after the
divorce."
"Really?"
"I know why they did it, and I know he didn't want to leave
me," Ami said softly. "But every so often I'd miss him and it would
make me resent that he chose his art over me. But those feelings
never lasted long. I'm sure they're much more intense in Rei.
Everything's so much more intense with Rei." Minako nodded
sympathetically. "And this makes her erect walls - - her
'standards', as you call them - - she thinks it keeps her from being
hurt. I know she's afraid to let people get too close to her,
because she's afraid they'll hurt her like her father hurt her. I
tend to do that myself sometimes, too."
"Yeah," Minako said distantly, swirling the water in her
bottle.
The two women sat silently for a moment.
"Or it might be that she's just too picky."
A huge smile bloomed on Ami's face. "Oh, Minako, you always
knew how to distill a problem down to its essence."
"I keep telling you people I have talent," grinned Minako.
"You just won't listen."
* * * *
At four p.m., an orderly brought in a wheelchair and parked it
at the foot of Usagi's bed. Mamoru lingered behind the orderly,
picking up a bag of sanitary supplies - - Usagi had joked earlier
that they were her 'parting gifts'.
"What's that for?" Usagi asked, eyeing the wheelchair
suspiciously.
"The doctor signed your release papers, Mrs. Chiba," the
orderly told her. "As soon as you're ready, you can leave. This is
your ride to the front door."
"You don't need that," gaped Usagi. "I can walk perfectly
fine. Tell him, Mamo-chan, I haven't tripped in weeks."
Mamoru smiled at her jest.
"Sorry, Mrs. Chiba, but hospital rules say so," responded the
orderly. "I don't have any say in the matter."
She was about to protest further, but caught sight of Mamoru
silently mouthing the words "insurance company". Her eyes narrowed
in frustration.
"Oh," fussed Usagi, "all right! But you ought to save those
things for sick people!"
"Don't worry, Mrs. Chiba," smiled the orderly. "We've got
enough to go around."
Usagi went into the bathroom to change into the street clothes
Mamoru had brought for her. Minutes later she emerged and sat down
in the wheelchair.
"Do you have everything?" Mamoru asked.
"I think so," Usagi said, glancing at the room and scowling.
"Let's go." The orderly effortlessly wheeled her out the door of the
room. However, as she passed the threshold, Usagi got a flash of
memory. "Mamo-chan, wait! My sketch pad! It's in the dresser
drawer!"
Mamoru went over to the dresser, opened the drawer, pulled out
the sketch pad and pencil and popped it into the tote bag. Usagi
smiled with relief.
"At least I'll be leaving with a little piece of Kousagi," she
murmured to herself.
The trip to the front lobby was uneventful. The lobby,
however, was a different story. Several of Mamoru's intern friends
were waiting for them.
"So Mamoru," one of them said as the three men and a woman
gathered around, "this is the wife?"
"This is her," smiled Mamoru.
"Wow, she's gorgeous!" another commented. "Hey ma'am, how'd
you get stuck with a lead weight like Chiba?"
"My Mamo-chan is not a lead weight," Usagi replied.
"Mamo-chan?" smiled the intern. Mamoru grimaced.
"Don't pay attention to these guys," smiled the woman intern,
kneeling next to Usagi's wheelchair. "It's obvious why they're all
still single. Are you going to be all right?"
"I'll be fine," Usagi said. "Thank you for your concern."
"It's OK. Now if you have any problems, you let your husband
know right away. I hear he's a pretty good doctor. Or feel free to
come to me."
"I will. Thank you."
"Yeah, that goes for all of us," an intern said.
"And if you get tired of giving Chiba your charity, let us
know, too," joked another.
"All right, stand aside," Mamoru scowled playfully. The
orderly resumed wheeling Usagi to the front entrance.
"You take your time with her. We've got your shifts covered,"
his friends called after them, "Mamo-chan." A few chuckles escorted
them out.
Once outside, the parking valet brought around Mamoru's car.
Mamoru insisted on helping Usagi in and she patiently allowed him.
Once inside himself, Mamoru eased the car away.
"How are you feeling?" Mamoru asked. Usagi felt annoyance
swelling up, but pushed it down.
"I'm feeling fine," she replied patiently. "Mamo-chan, I'll
tell you if I feel anything wrong. I swear it."
"OK," he answered. "It's just I've already lost one loved one
this week. I don't want to risk losing two."
And Usagi saw flashes of the old loneliness that always haunted
Mamoru's eyes when they were both younger. Her hand slithered up his
arm and grasped him around his wrist. Mamoru let go of the steering
wheel with his right hand long enough to grasp Usagi's hand and
squeeze it, then resumed his driving.
Once home, Usagi was no sooner in the apartment then Luna
leaped up into her arms. She barely had time to get her arms under
the cat's rump to support her.
"Oh, Usagi, I've been so worried about you!" Luna cried,
rubbing her forehead against Usagi's chin. "It's been three days of
worry and wonder! I can't believe I'm not completely gray because of
it! But it's so grand to have you back!"
"It's good to be back, Luna," Usagi said, hugging the cat to
her breast. "Everybody else tried to nag me in your place, but it
just wasn't the same."
"Oh, pish tush!" the cat chuckled. "Usagi, I'm so very sorry
about what happened."
"Thanks, Luna," Usagi whispered.
"I wanted to visit you, but the hospital has these silly rules
about cats not being allowed in."
"You should have told me," grinned Usagi. "I'd have turned you
into your human form."
"And risk you over-exerting yourself? I should say not! It's
bad enough you insist on going to the wedding Saturday! In fact, why
are you even standing here for? March yourself right into that
bedroom and lie down!"
"Luna, I'm fine!" groaned Usagi.
"Not another word! Go on!"
Usagi sighed in frustration, dropped Luna to the floor and
walked to the bedroom like a condemned prisoner.
"I bet people with normal cats aren't bossed around by them,"
she muttered as she disappeared into the bedroom.
"Yes, they are," joked Mamoru. "They just can't understand
what their cat's saying."
* * * *
Haruka and Michiru walked through the park. It was Michiru's
idea. She loved the park in the spring. Everything that could
possibly blossom was doing so and the air was rich with the scent of
nature awakening. The weather was just cool enough for Michiru to
put a sweater on over her floral dress, while Haruka had a
windbreaker on over her white open collar blouse and jeans. As they
walked, Haruka's hand silently sought out Michiru's. Michiru's lips
slowly spread into a contented smile.
"So Makoto's getting married," Haruka mused as they walked.
"Yes, and good for her," Michiru said. "I'm glad life has
allowed us all a little stretch of normalcy. You and I can take
knowing danger lurks around every corner. But the inners were so
young. Their mission prevented them from enjoying some of the best
years of their lives."
"I guess life decided to make it up to her," Haruka replied,
"and Dumpling - - not counting what just happened."
"Yes, but still and all she seems happy with Mamoru. That's
all you can ask."
As they walked along the path, the scent of cherry blossoms and
the fresh water smell of the pond wafted over them. Haruka caught
sight of a man and a woman sitting on a bench. She leaned up into
him and he bent down to kiss her. They seemed barely out of their
teens, but their gentle embrace gave them a timeless quality. Haruka
pointed the couple out to his companion and Michiru's face took on a
happy glow. The midday sun shimmered off the pond as they continued
to stroll through the park. Everyone there seemed newly invigorated
by spring and life and love.
"Michiru?" Haruka said quietly, tentatively, exploring the
subject like a shy little child. "You ever think about it?"
"About what?"
"Getting married?"
"Us?" Michiru asked, curious more than anything. "Did you want
to have a formal ceremony?"
"I don't need to," she replied quickly, dismissively. "But if
you wanted one . . ."
"Well, Haruka, what is a ceremony but a formal ritual for a
person to pledge her love and fidelity to her intended. I've already
done that. I promised long ago to be by your side no matter what
path you walked in life. I meant that. So I don't need a ceremony.
As far as I'm concerned, we've been married for years."
"But," Haruka said, struggling to articulate what she felt.
"Don't you consider us married?"
"Well, yeah, I guess. But the world doesn't."
"I don't care what the world thinks. The world can think what
it likes. I am your mate, for as long as you'll have me. Your
opinion and your desires are all that matter to me."
"I just," Haruka shrugged. "You seemed to really love the idea
of going to Makoto's wedding. I thought you just kind of missed
having one for your own."
"That's sweet," Michiru said, hugging Haruka's arm. "Maybe
some day I'll feel like showing off and decide I want one. Right
now, though, the only thing that's important is that you're here with
me."
Haruka nodded, satisfied by the response. The couple continued
to stroll through the park.
"If you did decide," Haruka said after a bit, "would you want a
traditional ceremony or a western one?"
"Wanting to know whether to buy morning clothes or a formal
kimono?" smirked Michiru.
"I'm just wondering," groused Haruka. "Now answer the
question."
"Actually," Michiru said with a far away look, "the ceremony
performed by the Ashanti tribes of West Africa is very moving. I
think I'd pick that."
Haruka shook her head. "You artistic types are all nuts."
Michiru covered her mouth to smother her giggle.
"Well, you did ask," Michiru said. "So what kind of ceremony
would you want?"
"Wouldn't matter to me," shrugged Haruka, then leered at her
companion. "I'd be more interested in the honeymoon anyway."
"Oh, you!" Michiru huffed and playfully swatted her companion
on the arm.
* * * *
Makoto heard a knock on her front door.
"Who is it?" she asked cautiously.
"It's me," Sanjuro said from the other side.
"What happened?" Makoto asked, opening the door. "Did you lose
your key?"
"No," he said, seemingly uncomfortable. "I just - - didn't
know if I should stay here tonight."
"Why not?" Makoto asked, suppressing panic.
"Well," Sanjuro began, "we are getting married tomorrow. I
just wasn't sure if I should be here tonight. You know, bad luck to
see the bride before the wedding."
"Get in here!" Makoto scowled, pulling him inside. "Usagi and
Rei are the superstitious ones, not me. It wouldn't matter to me if
you did my make up the day of the ceremony." She noticed he still
seemed a little reticent. "Is there something else? San-san, you're
not getting cold feet, are you?"
"No," he said unconvincingly. "I'm perfectly fine with getting
married. I guess I just can't figure out why you'd want to marry
me."
"Why not?" Makoto smiled. "You're messy, you look at other
women and you hog the covers in bed. What's not to love?"
"See, that's what I mean."
"San-san, if you can't figure out why I want to spend the rest
of my life with you, then you're not as smart as I gave you credit
for. I'm marrying you because," and Makoto's jaunty voice choked up
on emotion a little, "because the thought of living life without you
is suddenly more than I think I could bear. OK?"
Sanjuro's features softened. "OK." He lightly rapped his
knuckles on his skull. "Thick head; please excuse me." They walked
arm in arm to the kitchen. "Did you really mean all that stuff?"
"No, I had Usagi ghost-write it for me!" huffed Makoto, giving
Sanjuro an exasperated swat on his chest.
"Well, I was just checking," Sanjuro explained. "I thought I
was the only one who thought that way."
Touched, Makoto pressed her lips together as her eyes
moistened. She melted into his arms and the couple kissed slowly and
gratefully.
"I love you, Makoto," he said when their lips parted.
"I love you, San-san," she replied. They kissed again. This
time, passion began to filter into the kiss and breathing became
harder.
"Think we could get a jump on the honeymoon?" Sanjuro rumbled
when their mouths parted again. "Or would that be bad form?"
"I think so," Makoto smiled, her forehead pressed to his.
"I'll make you a deal, though. You try to control yourself," and she
reached down and gave his bottom a squeeze, "and I'll try like Hell
to control myself."
Concluded in part 6
Chapter 5: "Acts of Friendship"
By Bill K.
"I'm not keeping you from anything, am I?" Ami asked. She and
Minako were meeting at a downtown restaurant for lunch.
"No, we got all the week's episodes in the can yesterday,"
Minako told her. "I would have been scouring the grapevine for leads
or going on auditions. No big deal. And with what happened to
Usagi, I don't think I'd do a very good job anyway."
"It's a shame," Ami concurred. "From a medical standpoint, I
know things like this happen, but from a personal standpoint, I still
wonder why."
"Yeah," Minako said, sipping on water. "You ever think about
having kids, Ami?"
"Not a lot. I think I'd like to, but my life is so busy that
I'm not sure I could find the time to raise one. Mother tried for
years to balance being a doctor and a mother after she and Dad
divorced - - and in all honesty she never quite pulled it off."
"Oh?" queried Minako.
Ami sighed. "I know she loved me and I know she tried her
best, but there were times when it seemed like her patients got more
attention than I did and I was jealous. There were times I needed
her and she wasn't there. And I don't want to do that to any child I
have. And yet there are sick people in the world who need doctors
- - and there may come a time when the senshi are needed again."
"Yeah," nodded Minako. "That's what I'm thinking."
"You're thinking about children?"
"Yeah," she grinned, embarrassed. "As close as Toshi-chan and
I are, the thought's entered my head. I'm just not sure what kind of
mother I'd make. I'm not very organized and I'm not very mature, and
it could only hurt my show-business career. But I'd love to hold
Toshi's son in my arms and just love him to pieces."
"A boy, eh?" asked Ami.
"Of course," smirked Minako. "Aren't males the single most
gorgeous creatures that walk the Earth? And with my genes in him,
he'd have to be utterly beautiful."
"It sounds like you and Toshihiro are serious," Ami judged.
"Not yet, but it's getting there," Minako smiled shyly. "And I
have to admit that, with Makoto getting married, I have been thinking
about it - - occasionally." Minako looked around quickly. "Usagi
isn't listening, is she?" Ami giggled. "Ami, it's so great being
with him. He's bright and he's funny, and he's so creative! He's
got this wicked sense of humor and is a complete encyclopedia of
what's funny. He'll come up with these situations out of nowhere and
just have me rolling, or take some normal situation and instantly see
the funny side of it. And he's got a fantastic creative vision! I
can sit and watch him dream up this stuff and just be in awe of him!
I don't know how he does it."
"I know the feeling," nodded Ami. "I used to watch my father
paint and wonder how he could make such wonderful things appear out
of a blank canvas and his own mind."
"Yeah, it's just like that!"
"So how did you meet him?" Ami asked.
Minako shrugged. "Typical entertainment romance. He was the
assistant director on a comedy series I was appearing on. You ever
hear of 'Angel High'?"
"No," Ami said diplomatically. "We don't really get a lot of
Japanese television programs in England."
Minako stopped and thought. "Yeah, I guess that would be a
problem, wouldn't it? Anyway, 'Angel High' was this comedy about a
private girl's school and this poor little geeky guy that gets hired
as the groundskeeper and all the over-sexed students are trying to
hit on him, even though that'll get him fired."
"And you played one of the students?"
"Or, as I like to refer to her, 'third bimbo from the left',"
Minako grumbled. "It was a 'real deep role', but hey, I got five
show checks from it. And I got to know Toshi-chan. He was real
sympathetic about the role I had to play and how shallow it was. And
he told me to keep working, that he thought I had talent and what he
called 'photo-charisma'." Minako leaned on her hand and flashed Ami
a cynical smirk. "Of course, I figured he was buttering me up so he
could ask me out, and he did after episode five when I got dropped."
"You didn't think he was serious about what he said?"
"At the time, yeah." Minako tossed back her hair and shrugged.
"But I went out with him anyway. Hey, he was nice to me on the set
and I figured the worst that could happen would be I made a contact
that might help me in the future." Minako dropped her eyes, slightly
embarrassed. "But he was serious. He thinks I have a big future - -
and he turned out to be a lot of fun to be with. So then I asked him
out. Pretty soon we're spending nearly every day together. We still
have separate apartments, but we're very seldom separate."
"So you and he get along well?"
"Well," hesitated Minako. "Creative people can be really
strong-willed. Now you know I'm nothing but the soul of harmony,"
and Minako smiled in mock sweetness, "but we've been known to
disagree."
"That happens to every couple," shrugged Ami.
"Yeah, so we have a system. If one of us thinks the argument's
about to go too far, we hold up our hand and say 'kiss and make up',
and we do."
"Does that work?" Ami asked skeptically.
"Has so far," Minako replied brightly. "And Toshi's a great
kisser, so that helps. I suppose it might not always work, but I
prefer not to think about that."
Ami looked at her doubtfully.
"Don't knock it, Ami," Minako smiled. "Love can conquer a lot
of things."
"Not everything," Ami said distantly, recalling Evan. "And as
I recall, you said the same thing about Tomokazu."
"That doesn't count," Minako scowled. "I was temporarily
insane then. And Tomo misrepresented himself. He told me he was
human."
"You still hold a grudge?"
"Oh, well why should I hold a grudge?" grumbled Minako. "I
only caught the little ferret in bed with another woman."
"Usagi told me you were cheating on him," Ami interjected.
"Forgive me if I got it wrong."
Minako flushed with embarrassment. "Well - - I wasn't exactly
in bed with another guy so much."
"What was it?"
"It wasn't a guy. It was Ace," Minako whispered. She averted
her gaze in embarrassment.
"The last time I checked, I thought Kaitou Ace was a man. Have
things changed?" Ami asked, a hint of judgment in her voice.
"Kaitou Ace isn't a man, Ami. He's a demon from Hell sent to
torment me! He has no concept of right or fair or - - or anything
else decent and honorable! He's," and Minako caught herself
breathing faster, her pulse racing. She willed herself to calm down.
"He also has the unique ability to make me lose all rational
judgment. He's utterly irresistible. That's why he's a demon!
Nobody human could possibly be that obscenely beautiful! And Tomo
should have understood that! I couldn't help myself!" Minako
slumped back into her chair. "Besides, we already weren't getting
along when Ace showed up to rip my life to shreds again. Tomo
changed once we were married. Once he had me, he began to lose
interest - - take me for granted. I don't have to take that."
"No," sympathized Ami. "No one should."
"It was a mistake," Minako declared. "We were two people in
the heat of passion and when the heat cooled, we looked at each other
and freaked. And maybe some day I'll be able to think of Tomo and
not wretch."
Ami let the subject drop and Minako cool down. After a few
moments, Ami asked, "Is Rei seeing anyone?"
"How'd we get on Rei?"
"Well," Ami began uncomfortably. "Usagi has Mamoru. Makoto's
getting married and you seem very happy with Manabe-san. And we all
know I'm just getting over someone. What about Rei? I think it's
been eighteen months now since Usagi wrote me and told me Yuuichiro
left. Has she seen anyone since then?"
"Not that I know of - - not that she'd tell me," Minako
grinned. "Still, I could probably sniff it out if she were."
"Did breaking up with Yuuichiro hurt her that much?"
"I doubt it. I mean she always kept him at arm's length - -
although I think there was at least one night she broke down and let
him get 'close', if you know what I mean. She won't admit it, of
course. If you ask me, that's why they broke up. They did it once,
he expected it to happen again and she wanted to go back to the way
things were. I mean, you know how she is with her 'standards'. I
don't really blame him for leaving."
"Well, Minako, you have to understand something about Rei," Ami
cautioned. "She was very hurt by her mother's death and her father
abandoning her. I can understand what a blow that is. I have to
confess, I had bad feelings about my father occasionally after the
divorce."
"Really?"
"I know why they did it, and I know he didn't want to leave
me," Ami said softly. "But every so often I'd miss him and it would
make me resent that he chose his art over me. But those feelings
never lasted long. I'm sure they're much more intense in Rei.
Everything's so much more intense with Rei." Minako nodded
sympathetically. "And this makes her erect walls - - her
'standards', as you call them - - she thinks it keeps her from being
hurt. I know she's afraid to let people get too close to her,
because she's afraid they'll hurt her like her father hurt her. I
tend to do that myself sometimes, too."
"Yeah," Minako said distantly, swirling the water in her
bottle.
The two women sat silently for a moment.
"Or it might be that she's just too picky."
A huge smile bloomed on Ami's face. "Oh, Minako, you always
knew how to distill a problem down to its essence."
"I keep telling you people I have talent," grinned Minako.
"You just won't listen."
* * * *
At four p.m., an orderly brought in a wheelchair and parked it
at the foot of Usagi's bed. Mamoru lingered behind the orderly,
picking up a bag of sanitary supplies - - Usagi had joked earlier
that they were her 'parting gifts'.
"What's that for?" Usagi asked, eyeing the wheelchair
suspiciously.
"The doctor signed your release papers, Mrs. Chiba," the
orderly told her. "As soon as you're ready, you can leave. This is
your ride to the front door."
"You don't need that," gaped Usagi. "I can walk perfectly
fine. Tell him, Mamo-chan, I haven't tripped in weeks."
Mamoru smiled at her jest.
"Sorry, Mrs. Chiba, but hospital rules say so," responded the
orderly. "I don't have any say in the matter."
She was about to protest further, but caught sight of Mamoru
silently mouthing the words "insurance company". Her eyes narrowed
in frustration.
"Oh," fussed Usagi, "all right! But you ought to save those
things for sick people!"
"Don't worry, Mrs. Chiba," smiled the orderly. "We've got
enough to go around."
Usagi went into the bathroom to change into the street clothes
Mamoru had brought for her. Minutes later she emerged and sat down
in the wheelchair.
"Do you have everything?" Mamoru asked.
"I think so," Usagi said, glancing at the room and scowling.
"Let's go." The orderly effortlessly wheeled her out the door of the
room. However, as she passed the threshold, Usagi got a flash of
memory. "Mamo-chan, wait! My sketch pad! It's in the dresser
drawer!"
Mamoru went over to the dresser, opened the drawer, pulled out
the sketch pad and pencil and popped it into the tote bag. Usagi
smiled with relief.
"At least I'll be leaving with a little piece of Kousagi," she
murmured to herself.
The trip to the front lobby was uneventful. The lobby,
however, was a different story. Several of Mamoru's intern friends
were waiting for them.
"So Mamoru," one of them said as the three men and a woman
gathered around, "this is the wife?"
"This is her," smiled Mamoru.
"Wow, she's gorgeous!" another commented. "Hey ma'am, how'd
you get stuck with a lead weight like Chiba?"
"My Mamo-chan is not a lead weight," Usagi replied.
"Mamo-chan?" smiled the intern. Mamoru grimaced.
"Don't pay attention to these guys," smiled the woman intern,
kneeling next to Usagi's wheelchair. "It's obvious why they're all
still single. Are you going to be all right?"
"I'll be fine," Usagi said. "Thank you for your concern."
"It's OK. Now if you have any problems, you let your husband
know right away. I hear he's a pretty good doctor. Or feel free to
come to me."
"I will. Thank you."
"Yeah, that goes for all of us," an intern said.
"And if you get tired of giving Chiba your charity, let us
know, too," joked another.
"All right, stand aside," Mamoru scowled playfully. The
orderly resumed wheeling Usagi to the front entrance.
"You take your time with her. We've got your shifts covered,"
his friends called after them, "Mamo-chan." A few chuckles escorted
them out.
Once outside, the parking valet brought around Mamoru's car.
Mamoru insisted on helping Usagi in and she patiently allowed him.
Once inside himself, Mamoru eased the car away.
"How are you feeling?" Mamoru asked. Usagi felt annoyance
swelling up, but pushed it down.
"I'm feeling fine," she replied patiently. "Mamo-chan, I'll
tell you if I feel anything wrong. I swear it."
"OK," he answered. "It's just I've already lost one loved one
this week. I don't want to risk losing two."
And Usagi saw flashes of the old loneliness that always haunted
Mamoru's eyes when they were both younger. Her hand slithered up his
arm and grasped him around his wrist. Mamoru let go of the steering
wheel with his right hand long enough to grasp Usagi's hand and
squeeze it, then resumed his driving.
Once home, Usagi was no sooner in the apartment then Luna
leaped up into her arms. She barely had time to get her arms under
the cat's rump to support her.
"Oh, Usagi, I've been so worried about you!" Luna cried,
rubbing her forehead against Usagi's chin. "It's been three days of
worry and wonder! I can't believe I'm not completely gray because of
it! But it's so grand to have you back!"
"It's good to be back, Luna," Usagi said, hugging the cat to
her breast. "Everybody else tried to nag me in your place, but it
just wasn't the same."
"Oh, pish tush!" the cat chuckled. "Usagi, I'm so very sorry
about what happened."
"Thanks, Luna," Usagi whispered.
"I wanted to visit you, but the hospital has these silly rules
about cats not being allowed in."
"You should have told me," grinned Usagi. "I'd have turned you
into your human form."
"And risk you over-exerting yourself? I should say not! It's
bad enough you insist on going to the wedding Saturday! In fact, why
are you even standing here for? March yourself right into that
bedroom and lie down!"
"Luna, I'm fine!" groaned Usagi.
"Not another word! Go on!"
Usagi sighed in frustration, dropped Luna to the floor and
walked to the bedroom like a condemned prisoner.
"I bet people with normal cats aren't bossed around by them,"
she muttered as she disappeared into the bedroom.
"Yes, they are," joked Mamoru. "They just can't understand
what their cat's saying."
* * * *
Haruka and Michiru walked through the park. It was Michiru's
idea. She loved the park in the spring. Everything that could
possibly blossom was doing so and the air was rich with the scent of
nature awakening. The weather was just cool enough for Michiru to
put a sweater on over her floral dress, while Haruka had a
windbreaker on over her white open collar blouse and jeans. As they
walked, Haruka's hand silently sought out Michiru's. Michiru's lips
slowly spread into a contented smile.
"So Makoto's getting married," Haruka mused as they walked.
"Yes, and good for her," Michiru said. "I'm glad life has
allowed us all a little stretch of normalcy. You and I can take
knowing danger lurks around every corner. But the inners were so
young. Their mission prevented them from enjoying some of the best
years of their lives."
"I guess life decided to make it up to her," Haruka replied,
"and Dumpling - - not counting what just happened."
"Yes, but still and all she seems happy with Mamoru. That's
all you can ask."
As they walked along the path, the scent of cherry blossoms and
the fresh water smell of the pond wafted over them. Haruka caught
sight of a man and a woman sitting on a bench. She leaned up into
him and he bent down to kiss her. They seemed barely out of their
teens, but their gentle embrace gave them a timeless quality. Haruka
pointed the couple out to his companion and Michiru's face took on a
happy glow. The midday sun shimmered off the pond as they continued
to stroll through the park. Everyone there seemed newly invigorated
by spring and life and love.
"Michiru?" Haruka said quietly, tentatively, exploring the
subject like a shy little child. "You ever think about it?"
"About what?"
"Getting married?"
"Us?" Michiru asked, curious more than anything. "Did you want
to have a formal ceremony?"
"I don't need to," she replied quickly, dismissively. "But if
you wanted one . . ."
"Well, Haruka, what is a ceremony but a formal ritual for a
person to pledge her love and fidelity to her intended. I've already
done that. I promised long ago to be by your side no matter what
path you walked in life. I meant that. So I don't need a ceremony.
As far as I'm concerned, we've been married for years."
"But," Haruka said, struggling to articulate what she felt.
"Don't you consider us married?"
"Well, yeah, I guess. But the world doesn't."
"I don't care what the world thinks. The world can think what
it likes. I am your mate, for as long as you'll have me. Your
opinion and your desires are all that matter to me."
"I just," Haruka shrugged. "You seemed to really love the idea
of going to Makoto's wedding. I thought you just kind of missed
having one for your own."
"That's sweet," Michiru said, hugging Haruka's arm. "Maybe
some day I'll feel like showing off and decide I want one. Right
now, though, the only thing that's important is that you're here with
me."
Haruka nodded, satisfied by the response. The couple continued
to stroll through the park.
"If you did decide," Haruka said after a bit, "would you want a
traditional ceremony or a western one?"
"Wanting to know whether to buy morning clothes or a formal
kimono?" smirked Michiru.
"I'm just wondering," groused Haruka. "Now answer the
question."
"Actually," Michiru said with a far away look, "the ceremony
performed by the Ashanti tribes of West Africa is very moving. I
think I'd pick that."
Haruka shook her head. "You artistic types are all nuts."
Michiru covered her mouth to smother her giggle.
"Well, you did ask," Michiru said. "So what kind of ceremony
would you want?"
"Wouldn't matter to me," shrugged Haruka, then leered at her
companion. "I'd be more interested in the honeymoon anyway."
"Oh, you!" Michiru huffed and playfully swatted her companion
on the arm.
* * * *
Makoto heard a knock on her front door.
"Who is it?" she asked cautiously.
"It's me," Sanjuro said from the other side.
"What happened?" Makoto asked, opening the door. "Did you lose
your key?"
"No," he said, seemingly uncomfortable. "I just - - didn't
know if I should stay here tonight."
"Why not?" Makoto asked, suppressing panic.
"Well," Sanjuro began, "we are getting married tomorrow. I
just wasn't sure if I should be here tonight. You know, bad luck to
see the bride before the wedding."
"Get in here!" Makoto scowled, pulling him inside. "Usagi and
Rei are the superstitious ones, not me. It wouldn't matter to me if
you did my make up the day of the ceremony." She noticed he still
seemed a little reticent. "Is there something else? San-san, you're
not getting cold feet, are you?"
"No," he said unconvincingly. "I'm perfectly fine with getting
married. I guess I just can't figure out why you'd want to marry
me."
"Why not?" Makoto smiled. "You're messy, you look at other
women and you hog the covers in bed. What's not to love?"
"See, that's what I mean."
"San-san, if you can't figure out why I want to spend the rest
of my life with you, then you're not as smart as I gave you credit
for. I'm marrying you because," and Makoto's jaunty voice choked up
on emotion a little, "because the thought of living life without you
is suddenly more than I think I could bear. OK?"
Sanjuro's features softened. "OK." He lightly rapped his
knuckles on his skull. "Thick head; please excuse me." They walked
arm in arm to the kitchen. "Did you really mean all that stuff?"
"No, I had Usagi ghost-write it for me!" huffed Makoto, giving
Sanjuro an exasperated swat on his chest.
"Well, I was just checking," Sanjuro explained. "I thought I
was the only one who thought that way."
Touched, Makoto pressed her lips together as her eyes
moistened. She melted into his arms and the couple kissed slowly and
gratefully.
"I love you, Makoto," he said when their lips parted.
"I love you, San-san," she replied. They kissed again. This
time, passion began to filter into the kiss and breathing became
harder.
"Think we could get a jump on the honeymoon?" Sanjuro rumbled
when their mouths parted again. "Or would that be bad form?"
"I think so," Makoto smiled, her forehead pressed to his.
"I'll make you a deal, though. You try to control yourself," and she
reached down and gave his bottom a squeeze, "and I'll try like Hell
to control myself."
Concluded in part 6