Hooky.
Chapter Four: Hospitality.
Disclaimer: I still don't own any of the Sailor Moon characters.
Kakyuu lay in her bed staring at the ceiling unable to sleep. The clock beside her bed told her that it was 0330 in the morning.
She had returned to the Three Light's loft after stopping at the video store and then dropping Rei off at her home. She watched a few of the DVD's she had purchased and laughed harder than she'd had in a long time at the antics of 'Larry, Moe, and Curly'. They reminded her of her protectors in various ways. Kakyuu sighed, she missed Taiki, Seiya, and Yaten terribly and she prayed that everything was all right on Kinmoku.
Her thoughts strayed towards what was happening on Earth. She loved being with Usagi and the others. Kakyuu hadn't known how much she had missed them until now. She regretted a lot of things that had transpired in the past, especially the animosity between her protectors and the Outer Senshi. She hoped that she could make amends somehow. Dinner tonight at their home seemed like a good time to start.
Motoki's image wandered into her mind's eye. He was a wonderful, charming man and the more Kakyuu thought about him, the more she was drawn to him. Am I rushing things? She thought. I only just met him the other day. Despite Usagi's assurances she worried about upsetting him and her friends.
More memories of her lover came to mind. She was sure that he would want her to move on and be happy, but still she worried. Kakyuu cast her thoughts aside and finally managed to drift into a fitful slumber.
The sound of the door buzzer awoke Kakyuu. She awoke with a jolt wondering who could be calling at this insane hour. She was even more startled to see the sun peeking through the blinds, and nearly had a heart attack when she saw the clock. 1015! Kakyuu hurled the covers aside and scrambled out of bed, managing to stub her toe on something in the process. Wincing in pain she managed to put her robe on and limp to the door.
"Who is it?" She growled when she pressed the intercom button.
There was a brief pause. "Um, Kakyuu? It's Usagi and everyone." Usagi's hesitant voice replied taken aback by Kakyuu's tone.
"Oh no, I'm so sorry! Come in, please!" Kakyuu replied in a mortified tone as she pressed the button to let them in. A few minutes later Usagi, Ami, Minako, Makoto, Mamoru, Luna, and Artemis walked in.
"Um, are you all right Kakyuu?" Usagi asked, concerned.
"I'm all right. I just overslept that's all. Where's Rei?" Kakyuu asked.
"She's fairly busy at the temple today and she sends her regrets." Ami replied.
"Oh okay, I'll call her later then. Make yourselves comfortable while I have a shower." Kakyuu said as she turned on the coffee maker and showed Makoto where everything was so she could make everyone a quick breakfast.
"That's all right, take your time. It looks as though it might rain today anyway so we'll probably wind up going to the Crown if that's all right with you." Mamoru stated as he opened the blinds a bit to reveal some dark and ominous looking clouds in the sky.
"That would be fine." Kakyuu said. Inwardly her heart sped up a bit at the thought of seeing Motoki again. She quickly dashed into the shower before the others could see her blush, at least that's what she hoped.
As soon as their host was in the shower, the girls immediately began conferring among themselves on the couch while Mamoru waited for the coffee maker to work its magic. He smiled and pretended not to listen to them. "Didn't I say that she'd fallen for Motoki? Didn't I? Huh? Huh?" Minako gloated.
"Yeah, yeah, you were right and we were wrong. Happy?" Makoto replied sounding irritable as she prepared a batch of scrambled eggs. Inwardly she was happy for both Motoki and Kakyuu.
"Maybe we're jumping to conclusions here." Ami stated. "We don't really know what's going on between them."
"Oh please! It should be obvious that she's totally crazy over him!" Usagi exclaimed.
"Yeah Ami, she kind of reminds me of you whenever someone mentions Urawa's name." Minako commented. Ami's face turned a deep crimson as she attempted to hide behind the thick book she habitually carried in her bag. Her friends knew that Ami's on again/off again relationship with Urawa had deepened ever since he had permanently relocated back to Tokyo almost two years ago. They figured it was only a matter of time before he proposed.
"Now, now let's be fair to Ami and to Kakyuu for that matter." Luna chastised. "Let them work everything out themselves. There's no need to meddle in things beyond our control." Ami gave her a grateful look.
"Uh-huh, than what pray tell were we doing in the bushes with Minako and Usagi outside the restaurant where Ami and Urawa had their last date?" Artemis asked in a smug tone. Mamoru nearly gagged on his coffee while Makoto buried her head in her hands. Ami's expression went from smiling to shock to homicidally furious in less than three seconds as she glared at her so-called friends. Usagi, Minako, and Luna all looked down at the floor in embarrassment while Artemis looked smug. Kakyuu chose this moment to come out of the bathroom drying her long red tresses with a towel, just in time to forestall Ami from committing quadruple homicide.
"Is there something going on here that I should know about?" Kakyuu asked in concern as she noticed Usagi, Minako and their guardian cats trying to put as much distance between themselves and the angry-looking Senshi of Mercury as possible while Makoto and Mamoru looked torn between interceding and making a run for it.
"It's nothing, just a small matter between us that we'll settle later." Ami stated in a low ominous voice. Usagi, Minako, Artemis, and Luna all gulped nervously. 'Settle' meant 'kill' or at least 'harvest their internal organs'. With the four of them being awake for the whole process.
"All right then. Let my dry my hair and get dressed. After breakfast we'll go to the park if it's not raining." Kakyuu replied as she went into her room. Meanwhile Ami got up and moved across the room to sit on a stool by the kitchen counter away from Usagi and Minako. Makoto kept occupied by cooking while Mamoru unconsciously positioned himself between Ami and the rack of kitchen knives.
Usagi attempted to change the subject after a long silence. "I wonder what Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten are up to right now back on Kinmoku?"
"I imagine they're feeling a bit depressed that Kakyuu is here with us having a good time while they're at home working." Minako commented.
"I just hope nothings gone wrong, no huge disasters or anything." Makoto said as she put some bread into the toaster oven.
"I'm sure that they can handle it. They are a resourceful bunch." Ami said while she accepted a glass of orange juice from Mamoru. She'd managed to calm down a bit, but she was still a bit annoyed with her friends. Just then Kakyuu came back, all dressed and ready to go.
"So what were you talking about?" Kakyuu asked.
"We were just wondering what Seiya and the others were up to, that's all." Usagi replied.
Kakyuu smiled. "Oh I wouldn't worry. I know they're all right." I hope.
Meanwhile back on Kinmoku.
"Come back here you little brat!" Yaten shouted as she chased Chibi-Chibi around the apartment which now bore more than a passing resemblance to a war zone. The Starlight's normally tidy living room was a shambles. Overturned furniture, books scattered all over the place, assorted knick-knacks were knocked off the shelves in their mad chase around the room.
"Chibi run!" Chibi-Chibi gleefully squealed as she did yet another lap around the apartment. She narrowly avoided Yaten by ducking under the coffee table. Yaten tried a running tackle but only succeeded in knocking herself silly when she struck her head on the table.
"What the hell is going on around here?" Seiya bellowed as she and Taiki entered the apartment. Two sets of eyes widened at the devastation that the two had wrought in such a short time while they had gone out to buy groceries.
"Seiya!" Chibi-Chibi exclaimed happily as she bounded across the room towards them. Seiya just smiled and crouched down, opening her arms wide as the child flew into her arms.
"Yaten, I hope that you have a logical explanation for this." Taiki growled, tapping her foot impatiently as she glared down at Yaten who had only managed to turn herself over.
"Uhh, what happened?" Yaten moaned as she rubbed the large bump on her forehead. She opened her eyes to focus on Taiki, but closed them again quickly when she saw two of her in the bright light. Taiki shook her head in annoyance and reached down to help Yaten sit up.
"Have you been a good little girl while we were gone?" Seiya cooed as she hugged their young guest.
"Chibi good!" Chibi-Chibi chirped in reply. Seiya laughed, picked her off the floor, and headed for the kitchen.
"Then let's go make dinner while Yaten cleans up a bit, shall we?" Seiya asked as she gently kissed the toddler's cheek.
"Yay! Chibi make dinner!" She exclaimed happily as Seiya took her and a few bags of groceries into the kitchen.
"You heard her. You clean this mess up and maybe we'll let you have dinner with us." Taiki stated as she glowered at Yaten who stood there staring at the floor.
"But it wasn't my fault." Yaten whined.
"Right, whatever you say Yaten. And after you clean up you and I are going to have a very long chat about being a responsible babysitter." With that Taiki turned on her heel, grabbed the remaining grocery bags and strode into the kitchen leaving a dejected Yaten in her wake.
"Don't I even get a little help?" Yaten called after her.
"No!" Three voices replied from the kitchen. A broom sailed out towards Yaten before the door closed completely.
"What else could happen today?" Yaten muttered morosely as she stared at the wreckage of the living room. As if in reply, the kitchen door cracked open again and a dustpan sailed across the room to strike Yaten in the side of the head.
"Princess! When are you coming home again?" Yaten wailed in abject misery.
And now back to Earth and our heroes again…
True to Mamoru's word, it began to rain heavily within half an hour of their arrival at the park, and so they retreated to the safety of the Crown where they discovered Rei talking to Motoki at the front counter. Motoki greeted them all warmly and showed them to their booth while Unazuki started preparing a few drinks.
"Hello everyone, it's nice to see you again. Are you enjoying Tokyo so far, Kakyuu?" Motoki asked.
"Y-yes I am." Kakyuu stammered in reply, blushing profusely as she looked up at him. Beside her, the others tried and failed to conceal their giggles.
"Could I, ah, ask you something?" Now it was Motoki's turn to be nervous. Usagi and the others looked at him in anticipation.
"Of course. You may ask me anything." Kakyuu replied. The others, Mamoru included, leaned in closer.
"Um, let's go over by the counter where we can have a bit of privacy." Motoki said. The others looked disappointed as Kakyuu climbed out of the booth and followed Motoki over to the front counter where Unazuki was finishing up with the drinks. She grumbled in annoyance as she realized that her baka older brother wasn't going to help her carry the drinks over.
Kakyuu sat on a stool by the counter while Motoki went behind and started to nervously clean a glass. "I was…" Motoki stuttered, completely at a loss for words. Kakyuu looked at him expectantly while Unazuki took the tray of drinks over to the table. "I was wondering if I could ask you something." He managed to say finally.
"Of course, you may ask me anything you like." Kakyuu replied. She idly wondered if he was only going to clean the one glass. It looked pretty clean to her.
"Would you…?" He began but faltered. Unazuki returned, rolling her eyes as she handed the orders to the cook.
"Yes?" Kakyuu prompted. Her heart began to speed up a bit. Motoki subconsciously realized that the glass couldn't get any cleaner so he put it down and grabbed another.
"Would you like to go out and have coffee or dinner with me sometime soon?" Motoki managed to say after Unazuki poked him in the ribs.
"I'd love to!" Kakyuu exclaimed happily.
"I'd understand if you didn't want to. I mean I must seem a bit forward since we only met the other day…" Motoki babbled on, oblivious to the fact that Kakyuu had already agreed.
"I said yes, I'd love to go to dinner with you." Kakyuu replied, waving her hand in front of Motoki's face.
"You're new here in Tokyo and I imagine things might be a little different where you come from and…" Motoki babbled on while Kakyuu looked frustrated. Unazuki snapped her fingers near her brother's right ear to no avail.
"Can you help?" Kakyuu asked Unazuki in frustration.
Unazuki's face brightened. "Sure!"
WHAM!
"Yow! Unazuki! What the hell…?" Motoki exclaimed in surprise while rubbing the back of his head. Kakyuu stared at them in shock, as did Usagi and the others, while Unazuki grinned impishly and unsuccessfully tried to hide her now rather bent serving tray behind her back.
"Just trying to get your attention big brother." Unazuki replied cheekily as she got a new tray and the first of her friend's orders. "Go get 'em sister!" She whispered to a still shocked Kakyuu as she moved past leaving the two of them alone. The two watched her leave with a bit of awe.
"Your sister is very direct I must say." Kakyuu commented.
"Yeah that she is." Motoki replied. "What was I saying before?"
"I believe that you were asking me out on a date." Kakyuu said as she returned her gaze to him.
"Yeah I was, um so, did you want to go out sometime?"
"I would love to."
"Great! I know this nice little place nearby. The food is great, they have live music, and the waitresses usually don't hit people." Motoki stated with a grin.
Kakyuu laughed. "It sounds wonderful. When would you like to go?"
"Would tomorrow night be good?"
"Tomorrow night would be fine."
"Okay then I'll swing by your place around 7:30 and we'll be at the restaurant by 8:00, if that's okay with you?" Motoki asked expectantly.
"That's fine. Let me give you my address and phone number here…" Kakyuu reached into her bag for a pen and paper and scribbled out the address for her apartment and the phone number. She was blushing a bit as she handed it over to Motoki who she noticed was also blushing. Their hands touched and a small current went between them as they looked into each other's eyes. A loud crash from the kitchen brought them back to reality.
"Um, I'll see you tomorrow at 7:30 then?" Motoki asked.
"Yes I'll be waiting for you. Please call me before you come." Kakyuu replied.
"I will. I have to go, I've got a business to run you understand." He said.
"I understand. I'll see you tomorrow then Motoki." Kakyuu replied. The two regretfully parted as Motoki returned to the kitchen while Kakyuu went back to the booth to rejoin her friends. Unazuki grinned and gave her a thumbs-up as she passed.
"Well? What happened?" Minako demanded breathlessly as Kakyuu rejoined them.
"Motoki asked me out to dinner and I said yes." Kakyuu replied.
"That's wonderful Kakyuu! Motoki is a great guy, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time." Makoto said. The others agreed.
"I hope so. It's been a long time since, well…" Kakyuu faltered, memories of her former lover passing through her mind. Usagi placed a reassuring hand on hers.
"I understand Kakyuu. Don't worry Motoki is a kind and decent man. You'll be fine, you'll see." Usagi assured her.
"Thank you my friend." Kakyuu replied placing her other hand on Usagi's and smiling. "Now let's enjoy lunch here before I have to go back and get ready for my dinner with Haruka and the others." They all smiled and dug into their lunch discussing all sorts of things relating to life on Earth until it was time for them to Part Company once again.
A few hours after dropping Rei and Ami off at their respective homes and buying a bottle of wine from a local merchant, Kakyuu found herself standing outside the home of Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, and Hotaru.
"Hello Kakyuu, I'm glad you could make it." Setsuna said as she greeted their guest. Kakyuu smiled and thanked her and presented her gift to her as Hotaru came up followed by Haruka and Michiru. Soon the five of them were sitting around the table enjoying a pleasant meal that Michiru had prepared.
"Oh my, this is so wonderful! Thank you so much Michiru." Kakyuu said to her hostess.
"You're welcome Princess Kakyuu." Michiru replied.
"Please just call me Kakyuu. I don't want you to feel obligated to address me by my title while I'm here." Kakyuu replied.
"We're sorry, but it's not every night that we have a real Princess over for dinner. Well except for Usagi and our little Hime-chan of course." Haruka said as she reached over and affectionately ruffled Hotaru's hair, causing her to giggle.
Kakyuu smiled a bit as she watched the interplay between Hotaru and her adoptive parents. She felt a slight bit of envy towards them as they had overcome so much adversity and had formed a tight-knit, if a little unusual, family. Hotaru's voice brought her back to reality.
"What were you and the others up to today?" Hotaru asked. Kakyuu smiled and told them about everything that had happened, especially where Motoki had asked her to dinner. Her hosts were happy for her, even Haruka (with a bit of prodding) and they raised a toast to her.
"To our friend Kakyuu; we wish her the best of luck and all the happiness in the world for her and Motoki." Setsuna said as they stood and raised their glasses. They all touched their glasses together, sipped, and sat down again.
"Do you need a chaperon?" Haruka asked with a grin.
"Haruka!" Michiru exclaimed as their guest turned beet red. "She isn't a teenager you know!"
"But she doesn't know about all of Earth's customs and rituals. I don't want her to be taken advantage of!" Haruka replied stubbornly.
"Kakyuu is a grown woman who is capable of taking care of herself. She is a fellow Senshi you know! Besides, Motoki is a wonderful man who wouldn't hurt her in any way." Setsuna stated.
"Give them a chance Papa. It'll work out, you'll see." Hotaru added. Haruka caved in, she couldn't resist her daughter when she used that tone of voice.
"Oh all right. Just let us know how it all turns out okay?" Haruka asked Kakyuu.
"Okay, thank you Haruka, all of you." Kakyuu replied.
"Now that everything is settled, I have some home baked apple pie and ice cream for dessert. Who wants to help me go and get it?" Michiru asked.
"I will!" Hotaru exclaimed as she bounced to her feet. Michiru laughed as she and her daughter took some of the dinner dishes into the kitchen while Kakyuu, Haruka, and Setsuna sat and talked.
After dinner they retired to the living room where they talked and played games until it was past midnight. Kakyuu was ready to leave but Michiru insisted that she stay in their guest room until tomorrow since Kakyuu had drunk her fair share of the wine she had bought. Kakyuu agreed and was shown to the guest room by Setsuna and Hotaru who promised to help her find a dress that would be appropriate for her date tomorrow. She thanked her hosts for their hospitality and went to bed thinking about what would happen tomorrow and hoping that her Protectors and her old lover's spirit would approve.