Just some quick facts: during World War II, many hundred thousand Japanese and Japanese-Americans in the United States, suspected of being spies for Japan, were rounded up and sent to relocation camps throughout the country. These barracks were inhospitable and crowded, with poor medical and culinary facilities. Manzanar, in eastern California, was one of the largest of these camps. The camp closed November 1945, but many had great difficulty even leaving at all, because their homes and possessions had been resold for such a low price that they did not have enough resources to live anywhere else.

Sailormoon is not mine.

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Twilight Bastille: Chapter #2 – Lil' More Conversation

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Almost two-o'-clock. Most of the children were already packed up, eyes glazed over with boredom during the last five minutes of class before they could leave. The moment the clock struck the hour, they flooded outdoors, chattering excitedly. The teacher up front shoved a few papers and folders into his bag and left immediately, the wood door slamming shut behind him. He was a brusque man who had barely spoken three words to Rei since she had become the cleaner and assistant tutor, of sorts. The last of the stragglers filed out as Rei absentmindedly pushed in chairs and straightened desks. She hadn't been able to concentrate on work all morning.

If Grandfather couldn't get his medicine, he couldn't work. His job as the bathroom custodian and her work as a classroom assistant paid meagerly enough as it was. She had no idea how they would pool enough money to buy back any property in the West, let alone the valley ranch Grandfather was so attached to. Free to go since January, she thought bitterly, but with no money to live anywhere else but here. She thought jealously of the internees wealthy enough to pick up and leave, to move into new homes as soon as they'd been freed last winter. Five years ago, Rei wouldn't have considered herself poor in the least, but the declaration of war had promptly cut off her despised source of income – Papa.

She wished, not for the first time, that her father had never sent them here. But it was far too late for that bright spark of anger anymore. Patience and resignation to life here was a lesson hard-learned for Rei, but a lesson learned nonetheless.

Still, it would crush Grandfather to be caged here for God-knew-how-long, unable to return to the ranch, and Rei knew just how fragile his health was already. In the many, many months since they'd been sent here, she'd seen him grow weaker and weaker, dependent on medications that were hard to come by anywhere, let alone at Manzanar. Usually a perceptive person, quick to know things before they happened, Rei knew that she had trusted for too long that her only real family would be healthy forever. It was a childish belief, but he was all she had. Rei would never let him go.

He was everything.

I really need to take care of him now.

"Excuse me? Miss Rei?"

Wrenched from her thoughts, Rei turned to the door, open just a crack to let the girlish voice through. "What is it, Hotaru?"

The girl opened the door just a bit further, poking her heart-shaped face in. Stepping into the classroom, Hotaru smiled at her shyly and began to speak rapidly in Japanese. "Miss Rei…I'm sorry to bother you again, but I didn't understand this algebra question when Mr. Yukimura explained it. Can you help me?"

Rei smiled at the younger girl. "There's no need for you to be so formal. Don't be afraid to ask."

They both stepped outside, where the light was better, and pulled up seats at the mess table just past the building. Hotaru quickly pulled her oft-patched schoolbag off her shoulder, searching for her algebra notes. Rei watched the girl, losing herself in distant thought, as was her incurable habit.

When she was younger, she'd spent a great deal of time searching through Grandfather's old photographs of her laughing, fairy-winged mother who was gone, swept away by some uncertain illness before Rei could even snatch a memory of her. Nevertheless, her recollections were too vague to cause her any real pain. There was something about Hotaru that reminded Rei of those precious photographs; she seemed like a firefly, radiant as she was delicate. The oldest orphan in Block 28, Hotaru was one of Rei's favorite people in the camp – there weren't as many left, with people moving back into homes their neighbors had kept for them.

"Here it is – this is the problem I was having trouble with," Hotaru pulled a bent notebook out. Rei took it from her, flipping to the last written page and quickly scanning what was diagrammed there. "Oh, I see. Conic sections – I remember this from school, fortunately…" She took Hotaru's pencil, making quick sketches on the blank page opposite.

"I still don't get this part," Hotaru said, puzzled, a good fifteen minutes later. "Why is it reversed?"

Rei rolled her eyes heavenward. "Hotaru, I just said, it's negative – "

"Look," Hotaru interrupted her quietly, her attention elsewhere. "He's watching you."

Rei followed Hotaru's pointed gaze, only to see a man's turned back, walking away from them. Certainly not Japanese, judging by his blond head and height. "He's not watching me."

"He was." Hotaru affirmed, twirling a silky black lock around her finger carelessly.

"Who is he?"

"I'm not sure. The new supervising doctor, I guess, because he's walking toward the hospital."

Rei's eyes narrowed slightly, the color of dark wine. "So that's him, is it?"

"I think so – Miss Rei, you look upset…"

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After Hotaru left, Rei finished mopping up the various classrooms by dusk. Pausing on the doorstep, she glanced at the dun-colored horizon; twilight here was always dimmed by faraway dust storms. She had to hurry if she was going to catch the doctor still in the hospital.

"Hey there, Miss Tokyo Rose, too busy tonight for a lonely guy?"

Raucous laughter shattered the silence, as the night guard's buddies slapped him on the back. He gave her a slow, easy grin. Rei, hackles rising, forced herself to walk past, only pausing to deliver a positively withering stare. He stepped back acquiescingly, but his eyes still followed her footsteps.

If I didn't have to worry about the consequences for Grandfather…I'd never let them get off so easy, she thought darkly. The rowdy guards had nothing better to do; there hadn't been a peep of unrest at Manzanar for months now.

The lights in the hospital windows were dim; Rei saw no movement behind the desks. Closed. No problem; I'll just make a personal visit. The doctors and other senior administrative staff enjoyed spacious quarters around the back. Time to make my…request?

Request was not exactly the word she had in mind.

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Jacen tossed his last white shirt into the armoire, along with the abused leather duffel it had been crumpled into. It hadn't taken him much time to unpack – I never saw the point in too much folding, anyway, he thought ruefully. He could have finished this morning, had Phyllis not arrived to take him on her little tour. I can't believe she traipsed me all over camp before telling me the hospital was right next to my room.

He couldn't complain much beyond that, though. His quarters were spacious and airy, with several windows allowing the sunset to spatter over the wood-paneled floor. A comfortably large bed (although Jacen didn't see much opportunity for an additional occupant), trestle desk, matching armoire, and a deep recliner completed the room's major furnishings. A few other things had been added, probably by a feminine hand – a rug, a bright lamp, nightstand, and a few extra pillows on the bed – maybe a hint from Phyllis, Jacen thought with a snort.

The phone on his desk rang suddenly.

"Hello?" Jacen picked up the phone at the second ring.

"Jacen? Is this Jacen Amos?" her low, questioning voice came through loud and clear.

Good Lord. Jacen dropped into the chair, one hand coming up to rub at his forehead. "It's me, Therese. How the hell did you find my number so quickly?"

Therese laughed throatily. "I've got my sources. I did a little digging, found out you were out of convalescence. Your camp manager, or whatever – just so you know, he thinks I'm your wife."

"I'm fairly certain that's just wishful thinking on your part, Therese," Jacen replied lightly, refusing to acknowledge the purr in her voice.

"Aren't you nasty tonight! And here I thought we'd been friends so long that you'd be the one to call me up first when you were better!"

"Therese." His voice went cold. "We're not friends, and as a little bird told me you're now engaged, we're not anything else, either. Don't call this number again."

"What the hell are you doing out there, Jacen?" Therese's voice was shrill, tinny over the phone. "Everyone wants to know where you've gone!"

"Anyone curious enough about my whereabouts can find me – you can attest to that. I'm not hiding from anyone."

"I thought you'd come back to New York when you got better," she said. "I thought we…"

"You thought wrong. Don't hand out my phone number like you do your other favors, Therese," Jacen added as an afterthought. "I don't want a million phone calls. I'm working out here in California; it's no vacation."

"I'll do my best to forget your number, Jacen, don't you worry," she snarled, and the line went dead. He hung up with a sigh.

The last of his flings before he'd gone abroad, Therese had admittedly been a little different. After all, they'd known each other since childhood, making flirtation impossible between them. She'd gone for blunt honesty instead, telling Jacen exactly what she wanted from him, and the relationship had been a refreshingly simple one. Until she'd tried to put the marital noose over his head…he shouldn't have been surprised, and yet he still was. Thank God she's another man's problem now.

There was a sharp rap at his door. He hadn't been expecting company. Jacen crossed the room, not particularly caring that his unknown guest would be privy to its total disarray. He flung the door open. Surprise, surprise.

The girl he'd seen teaching earlier, standing on his doorstep, her violet eyes snapping flame at him. He'd never seen eyes quite like hers; it unbalanced him for just a moment.

Jacen glanced pointedly at the growing darkness outside, asking, "Can I help you, kid?"

Taking her forbidding look into stride, his silverblue eyes remained calmly on hers.

"It's Rei Hino, actually. I'd like to place an order for some pills." She held a small order form up for his inspection. He took it, skimming over the precise, elegant cursive.

"Well." The tiniest of smirks curved Jacen's mouth, and he briefly scanned her lithe form, top to bottom, before replying. "You're on the younger side for a prescription like this, aren't you?"

Rei expression remained cold. "It's for my grandfather, Doctor," she spoke the last as if it was something vile. "Whom I believe you turned down cold, just this morning."

"Oh, yes, I remember," and Jacen did, with some regret. He'd genuinely wanted to help the elderly man, but there was no way to secure his medication through official channels. Internment camps were possibly the lowest ranked in the pecking order, when it came to food and medication. Jacen tried to think of a way to explain – the girl seemed reasonable, if haughty. She had not been raised here, that much he could tell. Jacen detected a Japanese accent, but it was considerably faded, more of a lilt. "Listen, come inside and I'll explain how it works."

Rei didn't hesitate the way he expected most girls of her age and upbringing would, stepping inside the large room as though she owned it. His view was much improved by the lamplight, and Jacen couldn't help but admire her striking features, her lips and crushed-velvet eyes the only color in her elegant face. I bet she'll make her husband happy, some years from now.

Jacen reseated himself by his desk. She continued to stand, not even glancing at the recliner. Guessing that Rei wouldn't sit, even if he asked, Jacen began.

"I'm not sure you understand the situation, and it's no wonder, because the system is a confusing one, and internees have access to precious little information. What I told your grandpa is true. There's no way I can order his medication through the official channels. There's a lot of jargon to it, but basically, rationing regulations are being changed every day, and with the situation overseas being what it has been for the last year, the kind of medication your grandpa needs is very hard to get a hold of right now."

"I already know all that," Rei replied composedly. "But without those pills, my grandfather can't work. And without his wages, we don't have a hope in hell of moving out of this place. Every day he wakes up here, his health worsens. And really, that's all I care about – getting him out. So if there's any way for me to get those pills for him… I'll damn well take it."

So she's got a mouth on her, Jacen thought. She's nothing like sweet old grandpa. He admired her pluck, but really, he didn't enjoy repeating himself.

The doctor shrugged and leaned back in the chair. "I admire your determination, but honestly, it doesn't matter if your grandpa's Churchill himself. There's no way anybody here is going to waste their time and money to help out the one guy who can't – "

" – can't what?" she interrupted sharply. Jacen could see her losing her cool, anger bubbling up beneath the cool veneer. With two steps Rei was right in front of him, her smell of flowers and smoke invading his space. He had to give her credit – that glare was more than a little cowing. Jacen stood slowly, not about to let the girl think she could intimidate him.

Rei generally tried not to let her temper get the best of her, but she wasn't about to let someone who'd met her grandfather once tell her what he was capable of. The worry, the stress, the frustration of depending on someone else for his continued health was wearing her down. She managed to keep her voice down, but the words were sibilant, unexpectedly lethal. "Can't hack it? Is that what you were going to say? So what exactly are you here for, if you're not even going to treat anybody? Is a case like my grandfather's too hard for you? What the hell kind of doctor – "

"That's enough." Startled by his brusque command, so apart from the relaxed demeanor she'd become accustomed to throughout their little interview, Rei stopped. Jacen moved forward, toward her, and she moved back to avoid being practically stepped on. Her back hit the door with a thud, and Rei wondered briefly if the room had shrunk. She wasn't sure what part of her beginning tirade had hit home, but the glint in his eyes held real menace. The doctor's voice, though, was still controlled, if tight.

"Listen, kid. I don't know what standards you're judging my skills by, but I can assure you that I have no intention of sitting here and letting a brat like you mouth off about something you obviously don't understand. There's nothing I can do for your situation, so I advise you find somebody else to irritate."

Rei felt distinctly unsteady at his proximity, too startled to be angry anymore, and it made her reckless. When she spoke, her words were unrepentant. "Hit a nerve, did I?"

Jacen had no idea how he'd ended up here, holding this girl up against a door like she was some kind of felon. He was blessed with a remarkably even temper, and he couldn't remember ever losing his cool with a woman, certainly never getting physical. Somehow, what she'd said was so goddamn provoking…Jacen didn't quite trust himself to speak civilly yet; his words were rough.

"Get out. I'm running some errands. If I come back and find you still hanging around…" He shook his head. "Just get out." Jacen brushed past her, banging open the door and disappearing into the dark.

After a moment, she also exited, making her way around the large building. His dizzyingly rapid change of mood left her equally curious and afraid. Rei smiled slightly. What was she so scared of anyway? No one had ever intimidated her before; malicious schoolgirls and lecherous night guards alike were thrown by her disconcerting, lingering stare and unexpectedly indelicate vocabulary (a surprising perquisite of dealing with her wealthy classmates' bullying). It seemed the man she'd met tonight was a force to be reckoned with. Rei knew she'd been rude – she was a little surprised at herself, to tell the truth – she'd only meant to discomfit the new doctor a bit, and she certainly hadn't intended to let things get so confrontational. After her years here, she thought she had a pretty good idea of how to get people to do her bidding without needing to fight. But what interested Rei more was that he hadn't shouted at her despite his sudden, obvious rage. From that clue alone, she suspected he was not one to lose control of his own emotions easily, and it made her wonder what had set him off enough to even reveal his anger to her at all. It was…curious.

Her smile slipped as she thought of her grandfather. So the decision was final. What would they do without his medicines? Some days, those pills were the only thing that kept the pain at bay long enough for him to do his work. Rei stopped short, sinking to the dirt, her back against the wall. Without the money he made, they would never be able to re-buy their home. Oh, God…to be trapped here forever, surrounded by prisoners like her and still more alone than she'd ever been in her life.

There was nobody around now, and the night was mercifully black. All the same, Rei couldn't find it in herself to weep.

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