Chapter 49- Changes

Looking around herself, the young princess felt things were finally looking up for herself. The clacking of flats on the wooden floor or the pub was accentuated by the clacking of dishes being stacked or served. The young chevalier with brown hair and hazel eyes had a few smudges on his apron as he bussed tables while his queen's sister brushed past him a little closer than needed, the two exchanging a look lovers understand. Even if the two still kept quiet, everyone knew that Kanade was taken with Hojo and the feeling was reciprocated.

Bright blue eyes blazed as the other queen with short, black hair that now sported streaks matching her eyes, whirled by the two with a tray of food for the family at table 2. They were locals and it was quite apparent by the way they conducted themselves. The children played quietly as they waited for their dinner while remaining seated on the same side of the table, while the mother sat demurely with her hands in her lap. The lines in the corners of her eyes revealed her age and her husband already sported a bit of silver in his sideburns.

Thinking of having a relaxing beverage with his meal, the father ordered a local made beer, causing his wife to give him a sideways glance. Thinking better of his choice, the man nodded that tea would be better suited with dinner.

Smiling at this, Mary Frances thought of what it would have been like had she had a real family like this. With a sudden shake, her reverie was broken as she heard a rather loud slap. The place became quiet as the blue-eyed queen loomed her small frame over a man in his twenties that now sported a red hand print on his face… as the offending hand was still firmly planted on Hibiki's ass.

Ignoring all around her, Mary Frances leapt over the bar, bringing a number of surprised sounds from her usual customers, and she was at the side of her cousin in an instant. Riku was nearly at the table by then, too. "Is there a problem here, sir?" she asked coolly as her brown eyes could have frozen fire at that moment.

"Nah," he drawled as he and his friends nodded and laughed, "I was just getting to know your waitress." The knowing chuckles that came from his friends told her everything she needed to know. Their faces were flushed and eyes were glassy. A couple of them were looking through eyes at half mast. These men were simply stoned and drunk.

"First," Mary Frances suggested as Riku watched from his vantage and snickered behind his closed fist when the princess jerked the offending hand forcibly off of Hibiki's rear end, "we don't talk with our hands on someone's ass at Omoro."

By now Saya had moved from her table and took in the scene with a bit of a blush as well. The princess was quite bold.

"Second," she added as she motioned Hojo over and began to pile their alcoholic beverages on the tray, "we don't serve you if you are over the limit." Hojo arrived at her side and took the half filled glasses away.

Kai was now standing in the pathway to the kitchen, wiping out a frying pan that was just cleaned, complete with a smirk on his face. Never before had he been so proud of this girl- she was really something.

"Third," she completed as she pulled two of them to their feet by the back of their shirt collars, Riku following suit with the other two, "if you act like a jerk, we will treat you like a jerk." With that, the four were tossed out of Omoro.

Mary Frances and Riku came back into the pub and one of the patrons at the bar began to clap slowly, he was soon joined by the family at table 2, then the rest of the bar was clapping, and soon the entire place was filled with applause and cheers. The owner of Omoro stood with his frying pan in hand and a very proud grin stretching his features. Giving a slight bow of his head to his son and niece, he headed back into the kitchen.

"That was so awesome!" Kanade cried as she came to the side of the heroes for the day.

Hibiki chimed in, "Way to nail them!" Her eyes were glassy from holding back laughter. "The look on his face when you said, she cleared her throat and spoke in a deeper voice- attempting to imitate Mary Frances, "'We don't talk with our hands on other people's asses!' I nearly fell on the floor laughing!"

Mary Frances laughed as well. Hibiki looked too funny when she tried to imitate someone. Her brown eyes caught the burgundy of Queen Saya. She smiled and inclined her head in thanks. Mary Frances smiled in return and wondered again at this strange tugging in her chest. It seemed that all her life she just wanted to be accepted for who she was… for some strange reason, this woman's approval meant even more to her.

Shaking the eerie feeling, the dark haired savior smiled and motioned that she really needed to get back to the bar and her customers. The group dispersed and went back to serving customers.

After they had turned tables (that is when all the customers from one service leave and the next wave of customers are seated), Kanade came to the bar with a drink order for a couple at table 6. As she handed the order to Mary Frances, she nervously asked, "So, were those guys traffickers?"

It took a moment for Mary Frances to understand what she had meant, and then answered, "Oh. No, those were a bunch of drunks." Turning back to wiping out her glasses, Mary Frances thought the young, red-eyed queen would have been on her way. When she turned to begin work on the drinks, she was surprised the queen was still there.

Kanade thinned her lips and muttered, "Umm..." After she concentrated a bit, she asked, "What do we do if we think we see them and you aren't here? I mean, how do we know what we're looking for anyway?"

Taking in a breath, Mary Frances leaned forward, her dangling silver earrings jingling, "If I am not here, for some strange reason, do not serve them and do not speak with them. Get Hojo or Riku to do it- heck, even ask my dad. He's usually stalking around here someplace," she muttered the last part. "If you have to serve them, keep it short and simple and do not go anywhere with them."

After a moment she added, "You will know them easily. They are flirtatious, but they usually hint at a life of travel, and mostly, becoming a US citizen." Adding sadly, "They'll try any and every tactic to get you to go with them."

Kanade examined the tough girl exterior, or what was starting to crack. The underlying secret almost peeked out and she could have slapped herself for opening her mouth. "Why do you know so much about this?"

Snapping to attention, the princess turned back to her drink order and replied, "I'll have them in a bit, Kanade. Go get their order in to Kai so they won't get too drunk waiting to eat!"

The queen with long, black hair nodded and gave a sigh that caused her shoulders to rise and fall.

Mary Frances was startled when one of the usual bar flies asked her a question. He was watching the waitresses move from table to table like honeybees in a field and apparently became curious about them. "So… the brown eyed one with short hair is a distant cousin?" He asked. It must have been rhetorical since he continued before Mary Frances could open her mouth to respond. "Must not be too distant since they all look alike."

Reaching for the vodka on the top shelf, Mary Frances responded. "Hibiki and Kanade are twin sisters. The only difference is their eyes… and Saya is their cousin."

The man turned and looked at her squarely in the face and commented, "You look like that Saya's boyfriend- the one that carries a coffin on his back."

Mary Frances snorted and corrected, "It's a cello- not a coffin… and he's my brother."

The bar fly looked around at the ones next to himself and said, "It's like some creepy horror movie around here- they all have a twin!"

"Except Kai," one retorted, causing the other one to wave him off.

"Nah," the last grunted before he nursed his beer again. "Only the pretty ones get twins- Kai's too ugly."

That caused them to guffaw in laughter. Mary Frances let it slide and just shook her head. The men needed a bit of humor. Most of them came here each day for a balm to soothe their tattered souls. They worked very long hours, their wives had left them, or they had lost a job. Either way, she knew how it was. The world could be a cruel place- very cruel indeed.

~0~

It was late when Omoro closed it's doors and the twins whined of aching feet. Saya assisted with the dishes as HIbiki and Kanade sat at the tables and washed them down. Hojo and Riku cleaned the floors and helped Kai clean the kitchen while Mary Frances cleaned the bar. It had been a profitable night. There were usually more tourists in summer, but an influx of people wanting to escape the cities for winter break were proving to create a really good off season.

Once they had finished up, Mary Frances donned a long, hooded, black coat and waved to everyone as she left for Hagi's apartment.

The twins wearily trudged up the stairs, making a production of each one and causing their chevaliers to whisper bets on which one would win the best actress awards for the Oscar ceremony this year. Once two well placed glares were turned at the chevaliers, the discussion was dropped.

Kai finished wiping counters in the kitchen as the last dish made it to the industrial dishwasher Kai installed 10 years ago. Saya huffed after she closed the door and pressed a button. Turning her weary burgundy eyes to her brother she gave a small smile. A small nod came from her as he asked if she was done.

"Well," he announced, "I'm headed for a shower and then bed."

Rubbing her arms after she removed her apron, Saya furrowed her brow and observed, "I'm not feeling very sleepy- it's just that my feet hurt." The two of them stood in agreeable silence for a bit.

"You know Saya, " Kai started, but was interrupted by her.

""I think I'll change and go to the beach for a little while," she announced as she turned to leave the room. Saya knew her brother very well. It was obvious he did not agree with her punishment for Hagi- it was too harsh. But… the brown eyed queen was hurting- and she knew that she never made good decisions when her emotions got in the way. Unfortunately no good answer came from all this. Her hand traced along the banister as she headed upstairs. The carpet under her feet was worn and the boards creaked. Omoro was well lived in and felt like home, and Saya had been through many homes in her lifetime. This one was, by far, the closest thing to real for her.

~0~

It has been a quiet and cool day today. A stoic figure sat with one leg crossing over the other, his suit jacket was likely wrinkled from sitting in that chair all day, but he didn't care. He had nothing better to do.

Even the sound of the door opening had no effect on him, as the brown eyed, female version of himself walked through and shut the door. Her idle chatter carried through to him on the balcony, but he didn't pay any mind. An empty glass twirled in his hand against the plastic table.

Since he had been dismissed, he had more time to think. And thinking had lead him to this point.

The young woman came out onto the balcony, likely asking about why he had left the door open, letting the heat out and the cold in, but his eyes never left his crossed legs. His hair was unbound and cascading down his shoulders in dark waves, their shine revealed by the balcony light above him.

Her concerned voice finally broke through his thoughts and he started slightly at the sound. "No," he replied when he understood that she had been wondering if he was listening to her.

"Okaaay," she said slowly and then rose to press her palm to his forehead.

Gently pushing her hand away, he informed his daughter, "I am not ill."

"Well…" she pressured, "if you are perfectly all right, why are you sitting on the cold balcony, letting in the cold air through an open door?"

The only response was that he looked to the sea instead of his legs. The young woman's brow furrowed as she became concerned about why after finally opening up to her, Hagi had suddenly slammed the door shut between them. What had she done?

It was plainly obvious to the chevalier that his daughter was confused, but he was not about to allow her comfort toward him right now. What he was about to do, he needed to do alone. The independant girl would just want to lend a hand and tag along… and this was truly something he needed to do alone. Also, he was doing this solely for the sake of Saya, and he did not want his daughter to feel any jealousy, not now that she had finally opened up to him.

Finally, after many minutes of frustrating silence, the chevalier spoke, "I have decided to take a very short journey- to think."

Mary Frances nodded, urging him to continue. She watched as his hair gleamed in the porch light as the wind played with it while heavier tresses rested on his darkly clad shoulders. He did not continue, so she asked, "How long will this 'thought process' take, Dad?"

Giving a slight shrug, his blue-grey eyes returned to the glass in his hand. He watched as the squares etched in the heavy glass caught the light and cast yellow squares on the porch table in front of him. A gust of wind came through and seemed to amplify the sound of the surf in the distance. "I am unsure," he responded. "In the mean time, I want you to stay out of trouble."

Smirking, she shrugged, "You know me. I can't stay out of trouble."

They sat in silence for a while as a barely perceptible frown etched his features.

Mary Frances looked out into the darkness and watched as white caps of surf periodically flashed in the distance. The salt of the sea air was clinging to her already and she had only been out here for 15 minutes. Even though Hagi was being reassuring about this coming absence of his, alarm bells were sounding in her head. Knowing she had to assuage this fear before it became something more, she asked him in nearly a whisper, "What are you planning?"

Furrowing his brows, the man thought about how he could possibly calm her fears. After all, the girl was accustomed to being abandoned and this sure sounded like someone planning on dumping her and walking away. Before he could open his mouth, he was surprised to see the girl shoot up from her chair, leaving it to fall on its side. The girl was nothing more than a breeze out the front door, leaving him with her parting words, "Fine! See if I care if you wall your stoic ass away again!"

In her haste, the door was left open about a foot, revealing the yellow lit hallway outside the apartment. Hagi simply stared at it and inwardly cursed. He had done it again. With a brief glance to the heavens, he wondered if she would ever truly let go of the past- her and Saya, as well.

~0~

The scrap of paper seemed to stand out in its yellow-ness on the surface of a chest of drawers that had once been her dad's. The finish was worn on the edges from the many years of raising children that ran and bumped into things. On the top drawer,there had once been a decorative design behind the knob, but all that remained was the slightly darker tone where the light had not faded it.

Saya smiled fondly at the memory of a time some 35 years ago when she had just been brought here to begin her life... again.

Dad had decided that her hair should be much shorter. In a house of himself and two boys, there was really no one to show Saya how to care for any kind of long style.

But she was much more fascinated, at the moment, with a pair of his shoes. She had placed them on her hands and began clapping the soles together in a childish glee quite unseemly for a teenage girl.

Just then, the gruff voice of the oldest brought both pairs of eyes to the bedroom door. "Is she retarded, Dad?" Kai asked.

Shocked by his eldest's disrespectful and shameful way of asking about his new sibling, George admonished, "Kai, that is no way to talk about a family member."

Saya remembered that she felt her brow furrow in concentration. Something about what that boy with the fiery hair said had upset her, but she wasn't sure why. She recalled running her fingers over the big wooden object next to her, her nails catching on a raised item on the surface. Those nails dug in and freed the wooden thing. With a very agitated grunt, she flung it at the redhead, who dodged and turned to see the filigree shatter against the wall.

George had to nearly pin Saya to the ground and soothe her with calming words.

Her present day fingers drew over the place where Dad had repaired it as best he could. Her other hand drew the piece of paper into it.

The man's name was George like her father. He had the most amazing eyes! When she closed her eyes, she could see those beautiful eyes- the color of honey warmed by the sun.

Then a cloud passed over them, cold and blue-grey, narrowed to an almond shape, pleading with her... urgh!

Frustrated with her turn of thoughts, she grunted. In just above a whisper, her eyes opened and she asked, "Why does he have to come to mind all the time?"

She looked at the phone number in her hand again. Didn't she get to see how it felt? When was it her turn to feel loved, needed? Hagi had found it without her... twice!

How many times had she thought on it since she had found out about her cheating chevalier? Was there a number she could recall to represent the number of times she picked up this paper and thought to call? He said he could offer her a life far from here. What could hurt to just go out with him? Who knows, she may actually find out what it feels like to be the one on the fun side of this- instead of feeling cold and lonely.

Looking around and taking in a deep breath, Saya made certain that her nieces were asleep in their rooms. The cold pulse of the presence of Riku and Hojo revealed that they were both playing cards downstairs, as usual. Seeing her opening, she went into the hallway and picked up the phone, picturing a dark haired, well built man with eyes of amber instead of blue.