Among Friends, Part 4
Kazeno Nuru
By Taerir

All Sailor Moon references are the property of their respective owners. Any concepts, characters, world names, plotlines, and so on not found in the Sailormoon television series or manga are the sole property of the author, Taerir, copyright 1999. No duplication is permitted without written permission from the author.

Asami sat on the steps of Elina's house the next afternoon, waiting for the girl to come out. There had been a simple message on Asami's answering machine the evening before, saying that Elina had wanted to talk. Knowing the younger girl was probably still somewhat confused, Asami had agreed willingly.

Elina finally emerged, and the pair walked down the sidewalk. Asami waited patiently for Elina to speak.

"So," the girl said finally, in a hesitant voice. "Could I ask you a question?"

Asami laughed. "Of course you can. That's why I'm here."

Smiling uncertainly in response, Elina began. "What... What's it like, being a Guardian? I know that was our goal in the last life, and that we didn't get a chance to make it that far... So how is being a real Gate Guardian different?"

Asami grinned. "Less focus and more freedom, I guess. You don't have all of those catch phrases for transformations and attacks." She laughed. "And you get a sword." Her tone turned serious quickly. "But it's a hard road to achieve it. It's not the same for everyone, but I died before I became a Guardian. I hope you don't have to go that far."

Pausing, Asami thought for a moment. Maybe it was better to get the easier topics out of the way first. "So, how old are you, Elina?"

Grateful to have someone to talk to, Elina grinned. "I'm sixteen. I just moved here from the US with my mom, but we've never really stayed in one place for long." She laughed a little. "Who knows? Maybe I'll end up in Greece next. That would be an appropriate place, don't you think?"

She sobered. "What about you? What do you do when you're not guarding Gates or fighting evil with Usagi and her friends?"

Asami flushed, embarrassed. "School, school, and more school." She grinned sheepishly. "I'll be going into my second year of college this fall." She sighed. "I do a few things on the side, work on my own to pay for my apartment... and then I study. It's not an amazing life or anything." Asami sighed again and looked down, examining the engagement ring on her finger.

Kazeno Nuru hurried down the streets of Tokyo, glancing at her watch and cursing softly. She was late to work yet again.

"Stupid museum..." she muttered under her breath. "What, do they think the ancient artifacts are going to get up and walk away if I'm not there?" Fiddling with a strand of beaded hair, she growled. Those beads were the reason she was late.

As Nuru turned a corner, she slammed head-on into a pair of girls and fell backwards onto the pavement. "I'm sorry; I didn't see you!" she apologized from the ground. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at them and realized that they looked familiar. That was impossible, though. She was certain she couldn't place where she might have met them.

The redhead smiled down at her and held out a hand to help Nuru up. "It's no big deal," she said mildly, smiling. Nuru frowned as the redhead gasped slightly, but the expression of surprise cleared from the older girl's eyes quickly. "You look a little rushed right now, but... I'm Asami, and this is Elina."

Nuru grabbed Asami's hand and pulled herself up. "I'm Nuru, and I'm late for work." She scowled slightly. "The curator gets mad every time I'm late." Vaguely, she wondered why she was telling some strange girl off the street all this.

Shaking off the feeling, she brushed herself off. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get going. It was nice to meet you," she called, already rushing on her way again. As she burst through to doors of the Natural History Museum, she found the curator already standing and glaring at her.

"You're an hour late, Nuru. That's a record, even for you," the curator commented. "The museum opens in fifteen minutes. And what the hell did you do with your hair?!? You work in the prehistoric wing!"

Nuru sighed. "If you're that worried about my hair, why don't you put me in the Ancient Egypt exhibit, Dr. Miyori? I'm sure the mummies will like me just fine." By the end of her statement, Nuru's tone overflowed with sarcasm.

Dr. Miyori frowned disapprovingly. In a large-scale exertion of will, she managed to calm herself down. "Alright, then, that's where you'll go. You've only got ten minutes until we open. Make sure everything is ready!"

As Nuru turned toward the exhibit wing, she mocked the doctor's words and cast a glowering glance behind her.

The thanks on this section go to Pisces, for Nuru's personality and predicament.