FATE AND FRAILTY

Sometimes it feels like,
I've seen you somewhere before.
Your face is fleeting...


Haiku 8: Have We Met?

No one knew what the queen looked like. To look at her would only bring upon your untimely demise... This was why her crown was also a mask that covered the upper half of her face and all of the area on the back of her head. She did not cover her identity to hide any hideousness. No, in fact... There were whispers of a great beauty underneath the golden crown. A wondrous beauty. A horrible beauty... It was said that only the queen's most trusted mediator had seen a full glimpse of her. The others envied Capello as fervently as everyone hated the elusive Cheshire.

Capello liked to think of himself as an Italian Englishman, as a man of gentility and passion. He was fond of rich suits that were tailored to fit his exceptionally lanky form, and wore matching top hats that would cover his oiled, dark hair-- and one would often see him in such attires. He had an eyepiece over his right, blue eye. Of course, his eyesight was perfect. But he liked to look the part of an English nobleman-- the Duke of Diamonds, to be exact.

He stood in front of the immensely tall, arched opening with white Valkyrie statues standing on each side-- like petrified guards. The only thing that separated the outside from the inside was a luxuriant, bright-red, velvet curtain that looked like a bloody waterfall at first glance. "My queen..." He called out unassumingly. "May I enter?"

"You may."

He pushed the curtain aside and walked in. The queen's chamber was dark and windowless and looked like it was rarely inhibited. But there was always a lingering scent of feminine fragrance in the air-- which never failed to make Capello feel drunk with want. Contrary to the pure-white, stoned walls that comprised of the whole of their secret lair, the queen's private quarters were made out of black marble. There was nothing else in the room except for a generously-sized closet with a changing screen beside it, a large king-sized bed against the wall across from the entrance, and a beautiful ebony dresser with a mirror beside it-- where the queen happened to be sitting in front of, with her back towards him and wearing nothing but a silky red robe.

He gazed at her with open hunger and longing as she lovingly brushed her long, silky hair. He desired her, but he knew that he could not have her. He knew Pillar desired her. The children desired her. Probably Cheshire as well... No one was immune to the queen's strange and unexplainable magnetism. That was why she was called, by all, as the Queen of Hearts.

Capello stopped, several meters away from her, and knelt on one knee. He took off his hat and tucked it against his chest before bowing his head courteously. "You called for me, my queen?"

"What have you heard from Cheshire?" She spoke, her voice soft and emotionless.

"The reunion will happen earlier than expected. She has reported that they will all meet in four days." He answered, never taking his eyes off the floor. "She claims she has only interfered once. But my other sources say that she has prevented the senshi from meeting... Twice." He pursed his lips together grimly. Cheshire was a sensitive topic among them, and like the others-- he had no love for the treacherous spy. "If you will permit me to ask, my queen, why do leave her unpunished? She has justifiably prevented the children from acting rashly... But the second time, she saved two of the senshis without probable reason. If they had awakened then, we could have finally executed the plan and began the coup. Why did Cheshire delay the inevitable?"

The only indication that the queen was affected by his inquisitive words was when her hand, that held hairbrush, paused before resuming its masterful stroking. "She was the first of the Maestros to betray her world." She began patiently. "And she will see through the creation of our paradise until the end."

"My queen," Capello sounded confused and wary. He could not believe that his queen would be this naive. How could she put her trust in Cheshire so easily? She was too kind for her own good.

"Do no worry, Capello," she reassured him as if she had read his mind, "Cheshire is bound to her own fate... which is to die as soon as the ending of this game has come. She will die before she could ultimately betray us. I have glimpsed at her future."

If it was possible, Capello lowered his head even more-- ashamed to have doubted the queen in the first place. "I apologize, my queen. I have foolishly forgotten that you have Time on your side."

"It's quite alright, Capello..." There was a hint of a smile in her voice. "Now tell me about this reunion... Will all key players be there?"

"Yes, my queen." He heard a gentle shuffle of silk against skin, and the brief rattling sound of a hairbrush being placed atop a black enameled surface. Then there was a steady sound of soft padding-- of bare feet against the marbled floor, and he felt his heart race when he realized that the queen was moving towards him. He did not dare move.

"I want you to send the twins to them..." She spoke quietly, and ghosted her long, slender fingers against his paling cheeks. "Tell them I want the senshis killed."


Makoto, Seiya, Yaten and Taiki were all squeezed inside the battered, blue Volkswagen-- with the eldest of them behind the wheel. Today was the big day! The Benefit Concert was supposed to occur late in the afternoon. But they all left earlier than usual because the concert was going to be held in Aoyama, which was a mile and a half away from Minato, at the Chichibunomiya rugby stadium. Plus, they had to beat the traffic.

The sisters were excited. But Makoto felt sluggish. She had not slept at all last night, and it was not because of the concert. There had been too many conflicted, unresolved thoughts running around in her head, the most prominent being her undeniable attraction to certain people... Well, to narrow it down, it was her attraction to girls in particular. The first time she felt the pull was with the teen idol Aino Minako. But that was normal, right? She was a celebrity, and an icon to be idolized!

Then there was Ami. She could try to fool herself for as long as she wanted to. But when she could not stop thinking about kissing the other girl senseless-- she knew it would take a serious amount of mind-fucking to find a reasonable explanation for THAT. Was she really attracted to girls?

The question made her remember that night in the alley.

She brought a hand in front of her face and concentrated. She tried to recall the feeling of the breast she had accidentally squeezed-- unconsciously curling her fingers up and down in the process. Instead of feeling any sort of hint of desire, or even experimental detachment, it only brought chills up and down her spine... especially when the image of the unnamed, dark-haired girl's rage-filled face filled her traumatized mind.

Ugh! She shuddered in aversion. No way... She was not attracted to girls. But she had a stupid little crush on Ami. Big deal! It was just a phase. That's right. It was a stupid hormonal phase. If only there were decent boys in Juuban, she would probably not even consider thinking about these kinds of things.

"Mako-chan... What are you doing...?"

She jerked her hand away from view, and turned to see her friends looking at her oddly. She gave them all an awkward smile and shrugged. "Nothing. My uh... wrist was feeling a little weird, that's all." They did not argue. After all, they had other important things to worry about.

They reached the stadium, after an hour's ride, without hassle. There was already a small crowd milling around the barred entrance. They parked the beetle in the parking lot in a spot reserved specifically for the concert's main crew.

"You going to come with us, backstage, Mako-chan?" Taiki asked the other brunette as everyone got out of the car. Seiya and Yaten went to the front to pop the trunk open to take their stuff out. Makoto glanced at her wrist watch. She and Ami had agreed to meet outside the backstage an hour before the concert. But there was still another hour to kill before that. So she nodded at Taiki and smiled.

"Sure. I'd love to see what happens behind the scenes in this sort of shindig."

The Chichibunomiya rugby stadium was roofless and spacious which could seat more than twenty-five thousand people. But since the field will also be occupied-- it was predicted that the stadium would be filled up to at least fifty thousand spectators. The stage took up the whole northern wing. For those who would be too far to see the performance on the temporarily-constructed stage, there was a large video screen above it that would magnify the scenes that would take place.

Excitement hung in the air. Even though Minako and her crew were not first-timers to large concerts like these, they were all still anxious to perform to the best of their ability. Technicians and roadies were rushing out and about to set everything perfectly. The rest of the musicians rehearsed in the background. Minako was on stage with her dancers doing last minute practices.

When Makoto and the sisters saw all this, they were all blown away.

"WOW!" Yaten exclaimed and rushed ahead of them to get a better view and take all the scenery in. Her heart was pounding furiously-- probably trying to tattoo this image in her soul. She felt someone wrap an arm around her shoulders and looked up to see a grinning Seiya standing beside her. Taiki appeared to her left and mimicked her sister's position. They huddled closely alongside each other and looked forward with wonder written all over their faces.

Makoto hung back to give them privacy. This was THEIR moment, when the full impact of their dreams came into full realization. And she was happy to let them indulge in that blissful high for as long as it lasted. Suddenly that moment came into an abrupt halt when the voice that resonated out of the large amplifiers echoed across the stadium.

When Minako was in her groove, there was little else that would distract her from her focus. But the instant she saw the Three Lights, she just had to stop everything else. The dancers behind her paused as well, confused at what was going on with their Star. The blonde's heart started to race when she caught sight of a familiar face behind her three back-up singers. Then she screamed into the microphone.

"MAKOTO-SAN!"

The aforementioned brunette cringed, and then paled when she realized who it was that had yelled her name. "What the hell..." She muttered just as she saw Minako run down to the side of the stage and rushed towards her.

"You know, Mako-chan..." Taiki moved beside her quickly. "Aino-san didn't know you were a girl the first time you met her."

"Huh?" Makoto was dumbfounded. She didn't know why, but the thought of Minako realizing that she wasn't what she had pretended to be gave her an ominous feeling. "Why didn't you guys tell me that before?" She hissed at her friends.

"We tried." Yaten rolled her eyes. "But a certain SOMEONE didn't want to listen to us."

Makoto needed to get out of here... fast! She whirled around and ran across the field towards the exit. Seiya nodded shrewdly and walked ahead to try and bar Minako's way. She didn't know what exactly was going on, but she knew that her friend had to get away before Minako could catch her. "Hey! Minako-sempai! How goes it? Are you excited about the concert?"

"Move it!" The blonde pop star snapped, which caused a surprised Seiya to jump out of the way just as she stormed past. The other sisters exchanged exasperated looks behind her.

Minako's resolute blue eyes were zeroed in on her fleeing quarry. She did not know why Makoto was running away from her. But she was determined not to let 'him' get away. She was incredibly fast despite the fact that she was wearing high heels. But infatuation... lust... delusion... whatever... can do that to a person. When she was near enough, she launched herself into the air to tackle Makoto to the ground.

The force caused them to roll on the grass for a moment, before Makoto was finally laid flat on her back with Minako on top of her. "Gotcha!" The blonde crowed triumphantly and straightened up. She looked down to grin at her catch, but the smile quickly fell from her face when she took in the evidently feminine form in below her. "Y-you're a girl!"


The stadium was practically mobbed by anxious fans. Ami had a hard time trying to push herself through the larger, stubborn bodies, and for once she was thankful she was small enough to slip through. She saw the fenced 'restricted area' a little ways ahead of her and walked towards it. She adjusted her shoulder bag which contained three plastic bottles of water and a few chips. It didn't hurt to come prepared for the concert, even if she knew it was only an hour's worth of it. She saw Makoto leaning against the wired barrier, obviously waiting for someone. "Makoto-san!" She called out excitedly and waved at her furiously to try and catch her attention.

The brunette turned towards her and waved back. Her smile was listless-- Ami could see that even from where she stood. "Are you feeling well, Makoto-san?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." The taller girl answered before grabbing her hand and pulled her towards the entrance leading to the backstage. "C'mon," she interjected before Ami could voice her disbelief at her claim, "We have to find our seats before the stadium gets too crowded."

"Alright," Ami answered and thought, 'We're going backstage?' Of course, the blue-haired girl had intended to go there in the first place since she always had free admittance to her best friend's concerts. But then she remembered that Makoto had mentioned that her friends were Minako's new back-up singers. So she let herself be led inside, holding on to the taller girl's hand tightly.

With the backstage entrance accessible to them, they had little difficulty in navigating themselves around the empty bleachers reserved specifically for special people like them (people who were special guests to this sort of thing that is). They found it in the western wing among the front row bleachers, in perfect view of the stage just meters ahead of them. They had the most comfortable place and the best view of the upcoming performance. The girls settled themselves comfortably for a short wait.

"I'm so excited," Ami announced happily. "It's been a while since I've been to these things with someone. Have you ever been to Minako-chan's concert before?"

Makoto suddenly found her thoughts wandering to what happened earlier. After Minako had tackled her to the ground and discovered the truth-- the blonde quietly rose to her feet, flipped her hair, and walked away. It was rather anti-climatic really... But the brunette was bothered by the look of ire and disappointment in the teen idol's eyes. "No," she answered Ami out loud. "It's my first time."

They both chatted for a while, and Makoto was able to forget about Minako. The concert hadn't even started but she was enjoying herself already. Ami was good company.

The bleachers in their wing slowly began to fill up. They were both amazed at the amount of people flowing inside the stadium. A minute before the appointed time when the concert was about to begin, Makoto felt someone slide into the bleachers beside her. "Excuse me; can you move a little please?"

"Sure." The brunette answered graciously and scooted over-- painfully aware of her right leg pressing snugly against Ami's. It distracted her for a moment, so she didn't hear the sharp intake of breath at first. But then her head snapped back to acknowledge the stranger beside her when the feminine voice yelled.

"It's YOU!"

Wide, green eyes met furious, narrowed lavender. Behind the fuming Rei, a puzzled Haruka looked over her shoulder to see what's holding the line up. "Is something wrong, Rei-dono?"

The dark-haired girl whirled around to face her and growled, "Let's find another seat." But the stadium lights suddenly went out, and the previously dark stage lit up brightly. The concert was about to begin! But to hell with it, Rei wanted out of here! Haruka, tried to dissuade her, logically saying that they possibly could not find another seat in this darkness, and even if she wanted to leave-- the combined dimness and the crowded paths would hinder their escape.

So without any options left, Rei sat down on the bleachers with a scowl, crossing her arms across her chest defensively. There was a noticeable, deliberate space between her and Makoto. "Don't even think about copping a feel in the dark..." She whispered to the other brunette with quiet hostility, without looking in her direction.

"As if." Makoto answered back stiffly, unintentionally mirroring the other girl's stance by crossing her own arms across her chest, and did not take her eyes away from the stage when she said the words.

Both Haruka and Ami glanced at the girls beside them before looking at each other, over the pair, in confusion.


Minako would never see a single yen from this charity event. But that did not stop her from giving it all she got. She sang, she danced, and she had fun. It almost made her forget about the unfortunate discovery that Kino Makoto was a pretender. Minako had felt betrayed then, now she felt angry. How dare that girl lie to her! Well... She didn't technically... But forget the semantics! Minako was the victim here!

She had to teach Makoto a lesson. No one made Aino Minako look like a fool and get away with it. But how?

She did not need to look further. When it was time for her ritualistic 'fan service' just before the concert ended-- she found the perfect method for revenge. She was going to humiliate that cross-dressing snake in front of a million people. It was perfect!

"Hey everybody!" She called out excitedly into the microphone, her voice ringing in the crowd's ears. "It's time to pick a lucky name on the list! Are you ready to be serenaded?" The fans roared their answer. "Great!" She turned to wave at Michiru, who had been waiting in the hidden sidelines, to come towards her. The aqua-haired woman walked into the stage, carrying a glass bowl full of folded papers-- her magnified image was captured on the video screen above them.

Among the crowd, Haruka and Rei's eyes widened in recognition.

A hush fell over the spectators as the blonde, super star dug into the bowl and took out a single paper. Minako glanced at the name which was Umino Gurio, but instead she called out-- "Kino Makoto!" There was a collective groan among the fans. Michiru and the Three Lights looked surprised behind her.

The older woman whispered furiously at Minako, "Who is that? That person is not in the list." But the blonde ignored her, and called out again.

"Kino Makoto-san? I know you're out there. Come up here on stage!"

For Makoto's part, she was stunned and dumbstruck. She had sat up eagerly the first time her name was called. The second time-- she was afraid, excited and suspicious at the same time. Ami was bouncing in her seat beside her and enthusiastically trying to get her to stand up.

"Makoto-san! Makoto-san! You should go up there!"

Rei and Haruka looked at the pair, though the dark-haired girl was pretending to be disinterested. The crowd around them, upon realizing that the lucky winner was right in front of them-- began chanting in encouragement. Makoto had no choice but to comply. She stood up and proceeded reluctantly towards the stage.

When she passed Michiru on the sideline, the aqua-haired beauty's eyes lit up in recognition. Then they widened in bewilderment when she saw that she was obviously female. 'Yeah, lady... I'm a girl alright. Old news...' Makoto tried not to roll her eyes at that.

She looked at the center of the stage where Minako was waiting. The blonde was smiling like a shark, and was beckoning her to come closer. Inhaling deeply, she approached the Star. Minako couldn't possibly try anything funny in front of all these people, could she? PR and all that, right? With that thought in mind, Makoto stepped into the stage. She hesitated when the crowd cheered at the sight of her, stopping in her tracks to take in the numbers of people that were watching her. She swallowed hard, suddenly feeling dizzy and nauseated. The blood drained away from her face. What a fine time it was to discover that she had stage-fright...

Upon seeing how pale their friend had suddenly become, the Three Lights hurried out of their places to surround her.

"We've got your back." Seiya assured her. Taiki held her arm to keep her from swaying. Yaten nodded in agreement to her sister's words, before flashing a glare in Minako's direction. She did not believe that all of this wasn't deliberately set up. They led Makoto to where Minako was waiting for her. A roadie had scurried from the other side to put a chair in front of the blonde earlier-- the back of the chair faced the crowd. The tall brunette was made to sit down on it.

"I'll take it from here." Minako smiled sweetly at the Three Lights, a not so subtle hint that they go back to their place. Reluctantly, they do so. She looked down at Makoto for a moment, smirked, then addressed the crowd once more. "For my next song, I will be singing 'Want Me, Want Me.'"

The fans roared and cheered their approval.

The music began. The catchy and fast-paced RnB beat electrified everyone in the stadium, making the audience lean forward eagerly. The song was Minako's latest hit, and it was also one of her sexiest songs. Every hormone-induced male in the audience could feel their nose start to bleed at the implication of this number. The blonde swung her hips suggestively and raised the microphone to her lips to sing the chorus.

"Want me, want me split it open and fly

You're too impatient with my button

Wait a minute, wait a minute

I calmly give you help in every way

We don't know how to handle it like a virgin

But, don't forget the Trojan

I am oochie, la-la poppin' coochie

Want me uncontrollably, baby"

The camera zoomed in on her. And everyone was treated to the sight of Minako running a finger between her heaving breasts and toyed with the top button of her tight, white shirt. Then she leaned forward to sultry sing the last few lines of the stanza in Makoto's reddening face.

"Oh boy, you are sooooo hot

It's been a long time since I've had this feeling

Although it's already repeating over and over

Ah... Hey gimme one mo' stroke

Ah! Ah! I can do you

Yeah, yeah you can do me"

Minako practically moaned the "Ah's" which caused Makoto to grab the armrests of her chair desperately. The brunette wanted to close her eyes, but she didn't. The seductive sight of Minako swaying and singing for her was too impossible to look away from. In fact, if Makoto admitted it to herself, she didn't want to.

"Anything you want me to do

I can do you, I can do you

From A to Z, from back to front, everywhere, even 'there'

Baby, let me taste it, taste it

A conversation without words

Up and down, in and out

Bounce wit me like this"

In this part, Minako straddled Makoto's legs and pretended to hump against her-- especially along the "up and down" part of the lyrics. Their breasts were pressed against each other, and Minako's pubic bone rubbed along the taller girl's long legs in the process. She had to hike up her skirt in this position (but she was still safely covered since the brunette's frame shielded her from view), and the only thing that lay between their heated flesh were her panties and Makoto's jeans. The thin layer of the blonde's underwear did not lessen the friction any.

Makoto still stared up at her intensely, unblinking. Minako was beginning to feel hot and dizzy. She carefully untangled herself from the other girl to sing the chorus once more. Her voice was a little shaky at first, but regained its strength in the end. Then she proceeded to the next stanza,

"Oh boy, I'm flying too much

Why don't we tryna go nice and slow

One, two, three, four, take a breath, look at my eyes

Slow down until I get used to the stimulation

"Oooooh...

From A to Z, from back to front, everywhere, even 'there'

Baby, let me taste it, taste it

A conversation without words

Up and down, in and out

Bounce wit me like this"

Minako did not know why she did it, but she reached out to tenderly run a hand across the other girl's cheek and brought her face close to hers once again-- almost kissing but not quite. Their lips simply brushed with each word the shorter girl crooned. She could feel Makoto tremble against her, and saw how wide her eyes had become. There was not only fear in the green orbs, but anticipation as well. Minako was sure there was a similar expression in hers. The blonde had the powerful urge to submit herself to Makoto's mercy. She wanted her like a man would-- in the dirtiest, most primal sense.

'Oh my god...' She thought in morbid fascination. 'I'm turned on by a GIRL!'


After the concert, everyone gathered at the stadium's expansive executive office to celebrate. There was a long table in the center filled with all kinds of delicious food. The walls were decorated with party favors and balloons, and a colorful banner with the words "Omedeto!" written on it was hung against the white board.

On one side of the room, Michiru was lecturing Minako about her reckless, impromptu publicity stunt and how the press was going to have a field day with her little "girl-on-girl" ending act. On the other side, Ami, Makoto and the Three Lights were huddled together-- gushing in interest and disbelief regarding the incredible and sexy finale. They were the only ones who were there. Everyone else was busy cleaning up, Aino Minako's crew in particular, and had no time to celebrate like the others. When they passed by the open doorway they offered congratulations without missing a beat.

Minako and Makoto would not look at each other. Both of them were too embarrassed.

Rei and Haruka appeared a few minutes later to personally congratulate the pop star. "Aino-san?" The dark-haired girl queried as she paused in front of the blonde. Minako turned around to look her, and Rei smiled at the other girl politely. "Good evening. My name is Hino Rei and this," she gestured to Haruka who winked at Minako, "is Ten'ou Haruka. We represent the Hino foundation. And on behalf of my father and the rest of the sick children in the hospital-- we'd like to thank you."

"We were glad to help, Hino-san." Both Rei and Haruka looked behind a rather unsurprised Minako and at Michiru in astonishment. The aqua-haired woman simply smiled at them, and bowed once in Rei's direction. "I'm Kaioh Michiru, Minako-chan's manager."

Minako giggled beside her, already knowing why the three of them recognized one another. She finally looked across the room towards the others. Her eyes lingered on Makoto's back; before they shifted down to see Ami looking back at her with an unreadable expression face. Minako blushed and looked away.

So Makoto WAS Ami's Makoto. This was such a freaky coincidence. Her best friend knew Makoto? And... Makoto was a girl! And... SHE had the HOTS for a girl? The teen idol still had trouble wrapping her mind around that. She shook her head and refocused her attention on Rei instead, putting on a charming smile for the other girl. "So what did you think of the show, Hino-san?"

"It was wonderful, Aino-san. I've really enjoyed it." Rei answered, the lingering effects of her excitement from the concert was still apparent in her tone. "Well... except for the last part."

"Why's that?" Minako frowned.

"Not that I'm being homophobic or anything..." The dark-haired girl glanced in Haruka's direction to show that she was not trying to offend the mannish blonde. "But I could not believe you would allow THAT pervert near you!" She said it loud enough for everyone to hear. The others turned to gape at her with the exception of Makoto, who tried to make herself look smaller.

"Excuse me?" The teen idol began slowly. "What do you mean by 'pervert?' Do you... do you know Kino-san?"

"No." Rei growled and glared at the tall girl's direction. If her arm wasn't in a cast, she would've started cracking her knuckles by now. "But I bet she got to know me QUITE personally that night."

Makoto simply could not let the other girl continue to trample on her dignity and unjustifiably sully her good name. "Hey! That was an accident!" She shot back.

"You kissed me and grabbed my boob! That was NO accident, buster!"

Haruka and Michiru's eyes widened simultaneously.

"You dawg!" Seiya cackled and proudly socked Makoto on the arm.

"SEIYA!" Yaten and Taiki yelled at her.

"Makoto-san?" Ami looked distraught.

"WHAT!" Minako shrieked.

"It was an accident!" The brunette repeated desperately. "You're such a liar, you lying witch!"

Suddenly there was a sound of clapping. And everyone looked towards the doorway to see a pair of kids leaning against the frame. They were dressed so strangely-- like they were a duo of twin jesters. The one who was clapping was the sneering black-haired one. "Bravo! Bravo! Everyone's finally here, and yet-- everyone hates each other already!"

"Who the hell are you!" Rei yelled at them, angry at being interrupted and mocked by these brats.

"You..." Ami backed away slightly. There was something eerily familiar about these twins, something familiarly sinister... "I-I've seen you before."

"Yeah..." Makoto murmured beside her, and instinctively felt her hackles rise. There was a threat in the room, and the likely culprits were the seemingly harmless little girls. "Who are you and what do you want?"

The twins giggled and moved further into the room. "You sure you want to know?" Deedee taunted, just as Dumdum closed the door behind her with an audible click


+Author's Note+

It's about damned time! Don't you think:P Haha! I had fun with this chapter.

References to places such as Chichibunomiya rugby stadium and Aoyama is true.

"Want Me, Want Me" belongs to Namie Amuro. It's very good. XD But what can you expect from the Japanese queen of RnB, ne? If y'all wanted the mp3 for this little number, you know where to email me. ;)

Omedeto translates to congratulations.