Disclaimer: As usual, I disavow any rights to the characters from Pretty Guardian SailorMoon. They all belong to Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai.

The following story is based on the Live Action version of SailorMoon (PGSM) and was written in response to the October 2005 challenge on pgsm-fanfiction. I hope you enjoy it!

Hello to my two reviewers, Thorn on a Rose (The Artemis mirror scene was originally my central plot, but I thought it needed something a bit more. Like a real ghost. I'm glad I managed to still keep it funny!) and Angus MacSpon (Thanks! I agree, usually, so that is how I try to write most of the time.). Thank you both for reviewing. They brightened my day.

This section is a bit more light-hearted than the last... I did not do nearly as much research as I usually do for a subject I know little about, so please forgive me for any unintentional disrespect or misinformation with regards to O-bon. - Raya

Phantoms

(Return to the present…)

Minako felt the wind stir her hair, and heard the soft sound of tinkling glass. Slowly, she opened her eyes and sighed. While she may not be able to transform any more, she could still sense the supernatural. There was no sign of Chieko's spirit.

She smiled as she looked up at the wind chime. It was made with tiny mirrors. On the top was a circus tent, and little clowns dangled down to strike the pieces of glass. 'I hope you enjoy it…' she thought to the absent spirit as she watched the mirrors scatter light around the area. 'I just wanted to say thank you again for delivering my message to my grandfather. I hope you found a fantastic amusement park to play in.' She took two small bottles out of her bag, and her smile widened. 'You are too young for sake, so I hope you like lemonade and spring water,' she thought as she placed the bottles in the offering spot in front of the monument.

Placing the empty bag back in her purse, she closed her eyes and pressed her hands together once more, and then clapped them together twice. Still smiling, she turned and made her way out of the quiet cemetery.

As she walked, she passed a small family. The two children looked at her curiously. The girl's eyes widened in shock as she recognized the famous idol, and Minako stiffened. Trembling a little, the pre-teen nodded her head. Minako smiled and nodded back. The younger brother looked back and forth curiously, and then nodded to her when she nodded to him.

Curious, Minako walked a few more steps, and then slid behind a nearby tree to spy on the family. Her eyes widened as they came to a stop beside Chieko's grave. The mother exclaimed in surprise when she saw that the grave had already been washed by someone, and the girl looked curiously down the path that Minako had been on. Quickly, Minako ducked behind the tree again.

"Hey, look up there," Chieko's older brother said. "Someone gave Chieko-chan a wind chime."

"That's so pretty," her older sister said with a smile in her voice. "Chieko-chan would have loved it."

Minako smiled, pleased, and then slipped quietly onto a different path and out of the cemetery. Cautiously, she looked up and down the street, and then walked briskly to her waiting limo and slid inside. When she saw Artemis curled around the bottle of fine sake that she had purchased earlier, she gave him a mock glare and then a smile.

Artemis stiffened when he saw the playful spark flare in her brown eyes. Before he could move, however, she tossed the bundled up bag at him. He swatted it, and then glared grumpily at her as she laughed. Carefully, the limo driver pulled out into traffic and headed for the next stop.

As they pulled into a more upscale cemetery, Minako retrieved the bag and put the bottle of sake in it. When the car came to a stop once more, she lifted the bag, Artemis, and a large lunch box.

"I'll be back in just a few minutes," the idol said as she reached for the door handle. Carefully, she checked to make sure that her sunglasses and hat were firmly in place. She checked the road both for cars and fans, and then slipped out of the long black car.

Walking calmly, but looking around alertly, she walked into the cemetery. Quietly, she made her way around the monuments until she came to a secluded, yet crowded corner where most of her ancestors were buried. She walked over to one particularly tall monument and knelt down in front of it.

With a fond smile, she put her packages down, reached out, and dusted it off. "Good afternoon, Grandfather, Grandmother," she said softly as she reached for the lunch box. Suddenly, she stiffened.

"Well, it's about time," a voice said teasingly. Minako's startled brown eyes flew to the ghost hovering over the headstone. "We've been waiting forever, haven't we, Chieko-chan?"

"Grandfather…" Minako said weakly. Never in the four years she had been visiting the grave had she ever seen a ghost, much less this one.

"Yep. Kinno-ojiisan said that these cherries are the most delicious things in the world, so I've been dying to try some," a younger voice said impishly. Minako's eyes widened even further as Chieko faded into view and grinned at her.

"Oh, you two…," another voice said laughingly. "Hello, Minako-chan."

"Grandmother…" Minako gulped, and then took a deep breath. "Hello." Her grandparents chuckled, while Chieko looked back and forth between them curiously.

Finally, Minako shook herself. "Well…" She reached for the lunchbox and opened it carefully. With a smile, she dumped a large portion of yellow cherries into a stone bowl which stood in front of the monument. "Sorry to keep you waiting," she said with a smile.

"Yeah!" Chieko cheered as she dove towards the bowl. Minako's grandfather barely beat her for the first handful. The idol blinked as she saw the cherries transform into energy, which was consumed by the two ghosts. "Yummy!" Chieko exclaimed happily.

"Hey, Chieko-chan, guess what," Minako said suddenly. When the young girl looked at her, she smiled. "I think there's something waiting over at your monument, too."

"Cherries?" the ghost asked as she reached for another handful.

"Lemonade?" Minako asked, suddenly unsure. "Park lemonade?" Chieko's eyes widened, and then she squealed with delight and disappeared.

"Perfect," her grandmother chuckled. "She claims that the lemonade we get just doesn't taste right. She's been longing for something else."

"Speaking of not tasting right," her grandfather said meaningfully as he looked at his granddaughter. Minako laughed and drew the bottle of sake out of the bag. He beamed as she showed him the label, and then opened the bottle.

"Oh, Minako-san, I need to talk to you," her grandmother said, suddenly sounding serious. As Minako looked at her in concern, however, she noticed that her grandmother's eyes were dancing. "Why would you think that I would let your grandfather forget O-ban?" the ghost asked with a smile.

"I'm sorry, Grandmother," Minako replied with a grin and a bow of her head. "It won't happen again…" The three of them laughed.

"Oh, and tell your little friend he can come out now," her grandfather said cheerfully. "It would be hard for him to hear your song buried in that bag like that. Besides, he's old enough to have some of this sake." And so, the quick visit to say thank you turned unexpectedly into a quick party.

The End