Author Note: Thanks for your patience! There were some difficult emotions I needed to tap into to write this chapter and it was hard finding inspiration to get to that place. So I've been slowly chipping away at it, just trying my best to get at least something written. But an incident happened to me today that shoved me right into where I needed to be emotionally and it all started to come together. Though it wasn't a pleasant experience by any means, at least I can say something good came out of it now so I feel better at least about that. =\

Also, in the A/Ns of Chapter 29, I mentioned the primary language of the characters in this story is Japanese and that I would note when another language would be introduced. Well, this is that moment! Given all the formatting already in this story, even though I think most have been pretty obvious so far, I outlining the main ones at the end of these A/Ns. I hope it helps!

I want to especially thank author Victoria G for giving me permission to use the same formatting style to distinguish between languages that she used in her story "The Messiness of Life". I strongly recommend following her and reading all her stories on this site as she is an excellent writer and story-teller. Her stories were the reason I even started to write and post at all!

600,000 yen = approximately 5,283.60 US dollars

Rezu = [Japanese] slang for 'dyke'

Chapter 38 Pop-Quiz Answers:

1 - In Chapter 10, when Mamoru met Rei, where did he say he met Usagi?

Her father's company (Hino Sporting Enterprise)

2 - In Chapter 21, what disclaimer signs appeared periodically along the fence of the fleet management facility Rei takes Minako to?

'Private Property' and 'Security Camera' disclaimers.

3 - In Chapter 29, what did Nobuo say he didn't do when he was checking if Minako found her phone at the Laundromat?

Actually hacking into the Laundromat's security camera system to see if she indeed found her phone after it died.

4 - In Chapter 30, when Rei slammed her fist onto the top of the car while she was angry about her father, what did she say?

"What more could he possibly take away from me!?"

I don't own Sailor Moon, and have tried to the best of my ability to site my references.

Takeuchi, N. (1991). Sailor Moon. Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan: Kodansha Ltd.

The hospital ' Tokyo Sentora Hospital' that appears in this work is fictitious. Any resemblance to real businesses, existing or defunct, is purely coincidental.

FORMATTING NOTES:

Regular formatting = Narration

Bold Italicized = Sounds

- Dashes and Bold Italicized - = Songs

Italicized word or phrase (or) Underlined italicized word or phrase = Narrative emphasis

Italicized sentences = Internal thoughts of a character. Language doesn't matter.

Italicized paragraphs with "italicized quotes" and non-italicized words or phrases= Flashbacks with dialogue or internal thoughts of a character.

"Quotations and Regular formatting" = Speaking in Japanese

"Quotations and Bold Italicized formatting" = Speaking in English

Now, let's start Act II the same way we started Act I, Chapter 1!

Chapter 39:

The soft sounds of a bustling city served as quiet background noise in a lavish hotel studio suite and filled the heavy silence within its interior. That is, until the sounds of a melodic voice broke the monotony.

"…H-How," Minako whispered softly. Her voice trembled slightly as she tried to find it through her stunned silence. Her mind was struggling to process her situation as she stared at the candid photos that made their way onto the dark-brown coffee table, "H-How did you-"

"Technology's really something, isn't it, Aino-san," Takashi's low, commanding voice caused the rhetorical question to come out as more of a statement as he cut in authoritatively on Minako's attempt to verbalize her thoughts. He leaned forward and flipped open the top manila folder, revealing hundreds of still, surveillance photos in various sizes within. All of them containing Minako and Rei together as the main subjects in various locations, "In Tokyo alone, the average person with even just a part-time job is photographed by over 150 digital surveillance cameras a day in stores, restaurants, hotels, parking garages, traffic, etcetera," he stated matter-of-factly. He pulled the folder up, emptying its contents onto the table between them, causing the photos to slide haphazardly across its top, before he casually tossed it onto the seat next to him, "All you need is a computer, a little know-how, and you can track anyone in the world by simply hacking into those systems."

He picked up one of the photos closest to him, his harsh eyes examining it briefly, "Or you just hire the best computer engineer in the country to run your I.T. security division," he said off-handedly before clicking his tongue disapprovingly, shaking his head slightly as he tossed the photo back onto the pile.

He looked up and brought his attention back to the young blonde before him who continued to stare at the photos on the table silently, taken aback by the overwhelming evidence laid out before her that so openly displaying the nature of her relationship with his daughter. His steel-greys narrowed slightly as they eyed her critically, as if trying to decipher exactly what it was about this lackluster woman, this…cosmetics girl…that managed to drive his only daughter to utter distraction.

Coming up empty, he let out a quiet sigh as he leaned back into the couch. He brought his left elbow up to rest over the backrest behind him, "Look, Aino-san, I'm a very busy man and there are two things in this world that should never be wasted. One is time and the other is money." He brought his wrist up to look at his watch impatiently, "And you alone have already managed to cost me and my daughter a significant amount of both and I absolutely cannot afford to waste any more of either on you than I need to."

"Then what do you want from me?," Minako asked quietly in a resigned tone as she brought her piercing sapphire eyes that reflected a mix of defeat and acceptance up towards the older man before her. She had come to terms with the gravity of her situation once she realized the position she was in. There was no other option for her but to meet this man head-on and understand exactly what his intentions were with her. He was a man of business after all, why go through the trouble of bringing her here if not to do just that?

Takashi allowed his arm to relax as he brought his attention back to the young blonde, cocking his eyebrow slightly, "I believe that's my line, Aino-san."

The slightly perplexed look he received from the young blonde in response caused him to clear his throat in subtle annoyance, "Just tell me what kind of damage I'm looking at here so we can all be done with this and move on," he responded.

When he was met with only a deeper look of continued confusion from the make-up artist, he subtly rolled his eyes,"Oh, come now, Aino-san," he groaned, "You may have done an exceptional job of fooling my young, naïve daughter with all of this…nonsense," he said as he waved with his hand dismissively at the table towards the photos, "But certainly not me. So let's just cut to the chase: Is 600,000 yen enough for you to end this charade of yours?"

Minako's eyes slowly began growing wide as Takashi's words sank in and she began comprehending what he was insinuating, "Oh my Gods," she whispered in utter shock, "You…You think that this…that this is all…for money?," she managed to sputter, disgust seeping into her tone once she had found her voice.

"Or a sorry attempt at 15 minutes of fame," Takashi replied plainly with a shrug as if it were the most obvious conclusion in the world, "Why else? I mean, you can't possibly be serious about any of this," he chuckled condescendingly as if the thought itself was ridiculously humorous. He reached into his jacket, "My daughter has a role to play in our family business and she needs to remain focused. And since your antics have become a distraction for her, I simply cannot allow it or have you potentially use it as a means to scandalize the future of the company. So I'd much rather settle this quickly and all at once with a lump sum than have it drag on for however long you were originally intending on manipulating her for your own personal gain."

Minako was stunned speechless due to a mix of disbelief and offense from the conclusion the businessman before her had deduced regarding her relationship with Rei. She continued to watch the older man as he pulled a small slip of folded paper from his jacket pocket, her wary cobalts followed his movements as he leaned forward and tossed it onto the pile of photos, where it landed right in front of her, "So, there's your money. Take it and go," he said with a bit of finality in his voice.

Takashi leaned back into the couch as he watched the young blonde's attention go to the check on the table. Her head was tilted down just slightly, her bangs shielding her face as she reached out hesitantly and picked it up. As she unfolded it carefully and brought it up to her face to examine it closer, a satisfied smirk slowly made its way to his lips, pleased with the fact that this meeting was now more or less over faster than he had anticipated.

After another moment of silence, he took it as a sign of acceptance from the young blonde and stood up, "I expect you to never come in contact with my daughter again from this day forward," he finished firmly in his commanding tone and he buttoned his suit-jacket, "My men will escort you out."

He nodded in her direction quickly as a gesture of departure before turning towards the door, ready to head to his next commitment, already planning the rest of his day, when...

"Go fuck yourself," the soft, melodic statement broke Takashi's train of though and caused the businessman to stop abruptly in his tracks.

His eyes narrowed as he turned his authoritative gaze slowly back to the young blonde who appeared to not have moved since he last regarded her, "Excuse me?," he challenged in his low, commanding tone as he stared down the image of the young woman before him, daring her to repeat herself.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Minako replied in an over-exaggeratedly apologetic tone. As the young blonde tilted her head up to meet Takashi's condescending gaze, he noted how her once azure-colored eyes had now taken on a midnight-blue shade, how they were narrowed at him defiantly as she sat up taller to address him, "I said, 'Go fuck yourself,' you condescending, self-absorbed, sociopathic, sorry excuse of a human being," Her words were dripping with venom as she spat them through gritted teeth, her clenched hands shook with rage, crinkling the check she was holding, as she met his intensely critical eyes with her own deadly gaze.

Minako was seething as she glared at the older man before her whose hardened countenance was expressionless, save those narrowed eyes that still regarded her patronizingly. Gods, every possible moment she had with Rei outside of each other's respective living spaces was staring back at her in the form of still-photos that littered the table before her.

She felt violated. The thought of Takashi being able to spy on her…on Rei…without their knowledge…made every inch of her skin crawl.

It was bad enough that he was able find and summon her in this manner, virtually trapping her here with no escape in order to present them to her. But to accuse her of being a gold-digging hustler, trying to pay her off to stay away from Rei...

6,000 yen!? 'Disgust', 'Outrage', 'Appall'...there were no words in the entire Japanese language, or any language for that matter, that could describe how she felt about having money so casually thrown at her as if it could in any way amount to the depth and meaning to what she and Rei had...what they had both worked so hard to build together...what they had gone through in themselves and with each other to get to where they were now.

To top it all off, to do all of this seemingly for the sake of his fucking company and to assert his control over Rei's life!? All theses things sparked an unprecedented, volatile rage from deep within her towards the loathsome being standing before her.

And she was not going to let him get away with it without a fight.

The older businessman eyed his opponent analytically before a small, amused smirk slowly began to pull at his lips. He was pleasantly surprised by the young blonde's sudden brazen response.

So this is what his daughter saw in this seemingly lackluster child. No wonder she was able to keep his daughter's attention for more than just a few minutes.

But, nevertheless, she was still a child. And children needed to know their place.

"Listen, Aino-san-," he began.

"No, you listen, you sick fuck," Minako said icily as she cut in. She stood up, ripping the check into pieces, "First of all, I don't want your fucking money!," she hissed as she forcefully threw the shards in the businessman's direction, the tiny scraps fluttering delicately down on to the low coffee table separating them and landing haphazardly onto the photos, "And here's what's really going to happen: Your men are going to return my car and I'm going to go home and pretend that none of this ever happened. And I expect you to never come in contact with me or Reiko again from this day forward," she said firmly, using Takashi's words against him, "In return, I won't go to the police and report your twisted ass for stalking us and keeping me here against my will. I'm sure the press would have a field-day with that information going public!"

The smirk on Takashi's face slipped into a subtle grimace. His steel-greys widened slightly and he bristled in response to the insolent young woman's words. His change in demeanor wasn't because of the threats or the insults that were hurled in his direction or the bold resistance the make-up artist was putting up…

…but because of the name she used for his only daughter.

He pursed his lips into a thin line as he took a deep, audible breath through his nose, "So you…actually have feelings for her then," he stated lowly in his commanding tone.

"I'm in love with her," Minako replied without hesitation, nodding firmly in affirmation to emphasize her statement, "I never knew that my whole life I've just been…waiting…hoping for her to find me. And she did. She's my everything. And now that I know what it's like to love and be loved by her, I'm sure as fuck not going to give her up that easily," she followed-up confidently, sensing that perhaps she was beginning to get through to the contemptuous man before her.

After a brief moment of silence, she took it as a sign that the businessman had conceded to her demands and had nothing left to counter with, "So now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way," she stated dryly as she began making her way towards the double-doors of the suite.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Takashi stated simply in response, a hint of warning coloring the edges of his words as Minako reached the doors.

"Watch me," Minako replied in almost a defiant growl as she reached out and grabbed handle of the door. She turned it and was about to pull it open when…

"How's your twin, Tsukino-san?," the nonchalant question made Minako stop dead in her tracks, her hand frozen on the turned handle of the door.

Outside of those closest to them and the friends they grew up with, few to no one else even knew that Usagi had a sister, let alone a twin. They kept it that way on purpose due to their mutual protectiveness of each other's privacy given they were the only family members in exitence to each other and Usagi's rise to fame and her adoring, but sometimes aggressive, fans. Even Usagi's agency complied with this request, given it was really the only one Usagi had as a condition to her contract. In addition, because of the type of people Usagi and Minako were, their friends were staunchly respectful of this decision and upheld her and Usagi's hidden relations from public knowledge.

With all of that, to say Takashi's simple words took Minako by surprise would be a gross understatement.

Takashi casually brushed the front of his jacket with his hand, mentally noting the reaction he got in response to his off-handed question, how it managed to get the willful young woman's attention.

He realized now that he had been overly optimistic in setting up this meeting, assuming the situation would just be a simple fix, practically an open-and-shut case. It quickly became crystal clear from their brief conversation that the situation was far worse than he had originally anticipated. It was a simple mistake on his part, but a mistake nonetheless.

But, being the successful businessman that he was, he of course came prepared for such a potential scenario. And it was time to end this.

"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but you seemed to have left me with no choice," Takashi stated simply as he bent down and shuffled some of the photos out of the way. He pulled another manila folder out from underneath them that was perhaps a half an inch or so thick with documents, "Did you know Kobayashi-san used to be part of the Tokushu Sakusen Gun? Most of his work with them is classified, but one if his many specialities was espionage and counter-intelligence."

Minako slowly turned her head to bring her suspicious cobalts back to the older man behind her, who seemed unnervingly casual given their situation. She was unsure as to where he was going with his statements as it related to her and her sister.

"Aino Usagi and Aino Minako," the businessman read aloud once he flipped open the folder, "Twin girls, ages 21. Born on October 22nd at Tokyo Sentora Hospital to Aino Sachiko, née Tsukino-"

"What is that?," Minako asked lowly, her melodic tone heavy with skepticism.

"Your background check," Takashi noted informally, as if he were merely commenting on the weather, his attention still on the pages within the folder in his hands, "Kobayashi-san is very good at his job. He's quite thorough," he stated with feigned subtle astonishment.

"He told me he doesn't keep files," Minako replied, her voice still skeptical but with the original sharpness gone as doubt began creeping into her consciousness that perhaps this wasn't just a bluff.

"No, of course he doesn't," Takashi scoffed as he shook his head, confirming Minako's statement as if anything contrary to it would be preposterous, "The man's a walking database. Once he gets new information, it's stuck in that mind of his for good. And he's also very good at covering his tracks. I supposed that comes from all the training he's done." He balanced the opened file in his right hand as he reached down to the table again with his left to grab another folder from under the pictures, this one triple the size of the first, "It actually took longer than I expected for my I.T. Director to re-trace all of his research, but she's also very good at her job."

He laid the new folder on top of Minako's file and opened it, "This one has information on quite a few of your social associations: friends, past lovers, even family. I could read them to you if you'd like. For instance, this Fujii Karin, you two dated for some time while she was a manager at a different Kirei location, no?"

He made a show of flipping casually through the pages within, "Soon after you became head make-up artist about two years ago, she was transferred to your location. Though it seems you two were no longer together at that point, it doesn't look like she disclosed that bit of personal history before she was hired to be your supervisor. Even though there isn't a policy at Kirei that explicitly prohibits employees from dating, like any other company, they do have some policies regarding nepotism. I wonder how that would affect her career at the corporate office if they found out she promoted you to manager after she left."

He flipped a few more pages, "But the one I find most interesting is about your sister and her relationship with Chiba Mamoru. I was unaware that they both started their careers doing contract work with our Marketing department. Did you know Chiba-san lied about his age when he signed with his modeling agency? His hiring paperwork said he was 18 years old, but he had just turned 17 when he met your sister doing print work for us. Given your birthdays, I'd say she was about…19, right?"

He closed the file and began drumming his fingers softly on the cover as he thought, "Now, if I remember correctly, both the Corruption of Minors statute and the Obscenity statute in Tokyo have an age minimum of 18 years old to be old enough to consent. And the statute of limitations to report such crimes is-"

"I'm listening," the quiet, melodic words caused Takashi to finally bring his intense, steel-grey gaze up to meet the young blonde's cobalts that so clearly displayed both defeat and panic. He could tell by her reaction that she understood what he was prepared to do if she did not comply.

"Good," Takashi replied with a soft nod, satisfied that he had managed to get the spirited young woman's attention, "Aino-san, you asked me when we started what I wanted from you," he looked back down to the table and placed the folders he had in his hands back on it and grabbed the final manila folder he had brought from under the photos.

"It was no small matter having to obtain all of this footage of you and my daughter together in public and having to pay for peoples' silence on the subject," he continued as he brushed the cover of the folder lightly with his hands as if he were dusting it off, "Especially with one exceedingly aggravating young waiter from Himitsu who happened to be a very big fan of my daughter," he groaned in irritation under his breath. He held the folder out to the blonde make-up artist, returning his intense, unreadable gaze back to the very person who was the source of his problems, "What I want is to put an end to it all right now. I want you to disappear."

Minako eyed the non-descript folder warily, as if some unknown horrors would suddenly manifest from it to attack her, before she released the door handle and made her way towards the older man, carefully reached out and taking the proffered item from him. Slowly, she turned the folder so that it faced her and opened it. Inside was a thick stack of papers that, upon cursory review, seemed full of legal jargon.

"You'll be more than well compensated for your troubles, of course," Takashi continued as he slid his hands into his pockets casually, "It's all outlined in there."

"…What," Minako stated absently, her brow furrowing as she quickly flipped through a couple of the pages. She was finding it difficult to comprehend exactly what she was looking at in relation to what Takashi was telling her. What she did notice were a few prevelant words within the document that consistently appeared throughout: Shacho, Make-up Artist, Athlete, relocate, compensation, and…termination, "What…is this exactly?"

"It's a…formal arrangement, if you will," Takashi stated simply with a shrug.

"…A contract," Minako whispered in realization.

"In not so many words, yes," Takashi nodded in confirmation. Minako heart sank. She felt as if the wind had been knocked right out of her. Was this really happening? This couldn't possibly be real, right?

Takashi checked his watch impatiently again, "Under normal circumstances, I would allow enough time as a courtesy for the agreeing party to go over the details. But, given my schedule for today, I'll summarize the bottom line for you: By signing this agreement, you are agreeing to a restraining order that mandates you end all associations with my daughter and we will relocate you and take care of all the necessary arrangements on your behalf. That way, she can begin focusing on preparing to take over as Shacho for Hino Sporting Enterprise and you will no longer a distraction for her towards that end." He leaned down and tapped lightly on the folder that contained information on her sister, "In return, all of this information we've found on each and every one of the people you care about, especially the evidence of your sister and Chiba-san's relationship, will be buried so deep no one will ever find it."

"Why are you doing this?," Minako whispered softly, her melodic voice heavy with despair, "Is this all a game to you?"

"I don't play games, Aino-san," Takashi replied matter-of-factly, "I've built this company from scratch and I've been at this for quite some time. My daughter is the future leader of one of the biggest companies in Japan. It's cutthroat enough already as it is being a man in such a position, I can't tell you how ruthless it is for a woman."

He pulled his hands out from his pockets and looked down as he began fiddling with an elegant fountain pen between his fingers, "Especially the media. As you've said, they'll jump at anything scandalous they can find and pull the company name in with it. So being a woman and a rezu?," he cringed slightly, "Those in itself would be bad enough just on their own."

He brought his attention back up to the young woman before him, who was still looking down at the contract in her hands, but he could tell was intently listening to what he was saying. He began approaching her slowly, "But with you?," He shook his head disapprovingly, "The media would drag Hino Sporting Enterprise through the mud because of you. And my daughter would be taken along for the ride, dragged over the coals, going down with the ship, and I will not have that."

He stopped once he was in front of the young woman and uncapped the pen, "She may despise me but, right now, of the two of us, I'm the one who seems to actually be looking out for her well-being." He held the pen out towards Minako, within her line of sight above the contract, "Even if I didn't have information on your sister, think about it, would you allow all of that to happen to her?," he challenged quietly.

Silence fell between the two as they stood before each other. After a moment, he watched as the young make-up artist brought a shaking hand up to take the pen. Silently, almost hesitantly, she brought it down to the signature line at the bottom of the page…

…where she carefully signed her name.

"It seems you love her after all," Takashi said softly as if it were merely a passing thought as he took the pen and folder back from Minako, who continued to remain silent and frozen in place, save her shoulders which now appeared slumped and her arms hanging loosely by her sides once the items were taken from her.

"Honestly, Aino-san, 36 different lovers in a span of 5 years?," He continued as he turned back to the table and collected the other folders in his hands. Afterwards, he began sifting through the photos, "You seem like a smart girl. You didn't really think that this would last given your record, right?"

Once he had found what he was looking for, he picked up one of the photos and went back to Minako, holding it out to her, "I mean, what does a simple shop girl have in common with the future Shacho of a multi-million yen corporation?"

He waited until a shaking hand came up to gently take the photo before heading to the door and knocking on it twice, "The stipulations of the contract start immediately so I'll brief my men on the exact parameters of enacting it and they will carry out my instructions. I would have personally seen to all the necessary arrangements for the entire process myself, but unfortunately I'm already late to my next appointment."

The door opened and Zurui entered the space. The conversation he had with Takashi went unheard as Minako slowly brought the photo in her hands up to look at it. In it was a picture of Rei sitting across from her at Himitsu. The angle of the photo seeming to be coming from behind and above Minako, probably from a security camera in the ceiling of the restaurant so it only got the back of her head. But it gave a full-view of Rei's elegant image in her satin evening dress and her beautiful face as she sat across from her, smiling sincerely in that sweet way she always did when it came to Minako, those unique, intense lavenders looking attentively towards her. It was an amazingly perfect candid photo of Rei, to be honest...

…until the image became blurry and was further distorted by small droplets of water landing on it from Minako's heartbroken sapphires.

The sudden sound of a sweet voice taking a sharp intake of breath, urgently gasping for air, disrupted the silence in a dark room. This was paired with the silhouette of a figure shooting to a sitting position, the shadow cast by the faint luminescence from the golden hues of the Eiffel Tower just a mile away from the open windows.

…click!

"Mmmmm!," a husky voice groaning irritatingly under silky bedsheets followed the sound of a side lamp being turned on, suddenly flooding the room with its harsh light.

"Get up. Now," the sweet voice commanded a bit distantly with subtle urgency as its owner rolled out of bed and immediately gathered suitcases, "We need to go home."

"Wh-What?," a befuddled, husky voice vocalized as its owner brought an arm up to remove the covers, revealing short, sandy-blonde hair, heart-breakingly handsome features, and eyelids that were beginning to squint open from sleep and revealed dark-blue orbs, "Gods, Michiru, what time is it?," Haruka asked hoarsely as she brought a hand up to rub her eyes.

"Quite possibly too late," Michiru replied absently with deep worry as she finished changing out of her sleep clothes. She was rushing around the hotel room collecting clothes and personal items together, throwing them quickly into their suitcases as if possessed, "Fate is taking shape. Kami-sama, there's too much," The elegant woman spoke in riddles quietly as if she were talking to herself with a touch of panic.

"Honey," the racecar driver called soothingly to her wife as she groggily brought herself up to a sitting position in the bed, "Honey, slow down. You're not making any sense."

"We don't have much time, Haruka," Michiru responded matter-of-factly as she paused for a moment to address her puzzled wife. Her eyes were distant as she spoke, "Things are happening at this very moment. Decisions are being made, taking place as we speak." She brought her gaze to the floor, her brow knitting delicately together as she brought a hand up to rest on her chest. It was only then that Haruka noticed that her elegant wife was shaking slightly. Her full attention was on Michiru now, fully awake and taking in her troubled demeanor. Knowing how strong and accurate her intuition was, it was always wise to heed Michiru's advice.

"It's overwhelming," the elegant woman continued quietly, "I can feel it. Events all converging together like a perfect storm. It's going to hit soon and it's going to hit hard." She brought her deeply worried gaze up to the handsome racecar driver, "I have to…no…I need to be there for her when it does."

"'Her"?," Haruka asked with concern and a bit of confusion

"Our sister," Michiru whispered quietly, her distraught eyes now glistening with the hint of tears that were beginning to form.

The simple words caused Haruka to jump into action, reaching for her phone. She flipped it open, pushed a few buttons, and brought it to her ear,

"I need to charter a plane," she said in English with only a slight Japanese accent once someone answered her call, "Tonight…Yes, as soon as possible…Thank you."

She brought the device from her ear and shut it quickly as she got out of bed and began getting dressed.

"And you're sure you're ok to fly?," Michiru asked with concern given the late hour as she continuing to pack their things.

"For Rei, I can do anything," Haruka replied as she pulled a clean shirt over her head.

It didn't take long for the two women to gather their belongings and check out of the hotel they were residing in. They made it to the airport quickly and loaded the jet they had chartered to fly back to Japan. As the jet took off from the runway with the Paris nightscape and its various lights dotting the ground below them, Michiru gracefully, though anxiously, sat in the passenger seat, silently praying to Kami-sama that the wind would be in their favor and help to carry them swiftly back home…

…as she silently struggled to fight her intuition as it whispered to her that it may very well already be too late.

Author Note: Hang on to your hats, everyone, this is going to be a bumpy ride. Lots of minor details you probably didn't even notice in previous chapters are coming back up.

I know Chapter 37 would have made for a much better, cleaner, more satisfying break between Act I and Act II of this story...but that would have been too easy! ;) I like having the dissonance between the two acts. I wanted to end Act I where you knew there'd be more juicy things to come and Chapter 37 wouldn't have elicited that same visceral reaction I wanted for the end of Act I. I hope that makes sense.

Fun Fact: From the research I did, the age of consent is actually 13 in Japan. But local "corruption of minors" or "obscenity statutes" can raise the de-facto age of consent. So, in Tokyo specifically, the effective age of consent by local statute is actually 18. This detail really came in handy for this chapter. Also, the stats Takashi mentions about surveillance cameras in Japan are real as of 2014!

Age of Consent in Japan. (2017). In Age of Consent & Sexual Abuse Laws Around the World . Retrieved October 27, 2017, from world/japan (Type "Japan Age of Consent & Statutory Rape Laws" into your search engine and it should be the first link.)

Hoffman, M. (2014, A). Tokyo's robotic eyes are everywhere. The Japan Times, Retrieved from . /news/2014/08/30/national/media-national/tokyos-robotic-eyes-everywhere/#.WfagH4hrzIU (Type "Tokyo's robotic eyes are everywhere, Japan Times" into your search engine and it should be the first link.)

Constructive feedback/reviews would be greatly appreciated.

(updated 10/2017)