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November 16, 2009
Seiya had to force himself not to run into the living room. Olivia sounded worried when she said Usagi had something to tell him. "Olivia said you wanted to see me?" he asked as soon as he spotted the blonde.
The blonde woman nodded and motioned toward the couch. "You have visitors."
Kakyuu turned to face Seiya, half-rising from the couch. It was obvious she was deeply troubled, as were Usami and Shi, sitting beside her. "There's a problem. Kai-chan was found on your ship this morning."
Seiya seemed surprised for a moment, but quickly moved to the redhead's side. He looked at Kakyuu and then Usagi and then back to his princess. "There's something else, isn't there? What's happened?"
Kakyuu sighed and looked at her hands. "You know Yaten-chan had been planning on bringing his family to Earth for some time. I got word that they set off for Earth, but made a detour to your ship first," she replied. She glanced at the blonde in the wheelchair and then at Seiya. "We think Kai-chan must have gotten on board then."
"Well, that's simple. We'll just find where Yaten-chan landed and take her to him," Seiya replied.
The ousted princess shook her head. "It's not that simple. There was an explosion on the ship as it entered the atmosphere," she replied. "We haven't heard from him or anyone on board since."
Seiya stared at Kakyuu in shock. "When did this happen?"
"Yesterday. It was over Africa and the only one tracking the shuttle was Yaten's ship. Their entire comm. system went down. All the shuttles were sabotaged and they weren't able to get anything fixed until this morning," the redhead replied in Japanese. "We came straight here to find you to see if you might know why Kai was on board your ship. And if you knew where the other kids were."
"I ... have no idea." Seiya unconsciously reached for the hand of the blonde teenager on the couch. "Sabotage? Who would ..."
"Usagi."
The blonde in the chair turned to the doorway and motioned for Naru to come in. "What did you find out?"
Naru frowned slightly as she walked over to the group. "As soon as Kakyuu-sama arrived, Usagi asked me to contact Ami-chan. Yaten-san's ship crashed not far from where she and her mother are working. Yaten-san is okay, as are most of his crew."
"And the children?"
Naru looked shaken as she sank into one of the chairs. "She didn't mention a child on the ship, except for a little boy."
Kakyuu turned to Naru. "Did she mention what happened to the little boy?"
Naru glanced at the aliens for several moments before shaking her head. "I'm afraid he was killed in the crash," she replied. "That's all Ami-chan told me. It was a very bad connection."
Kakyuu glanced at Seiya and nodded to his unspoken request. She watched him squeeze Shi's hand, then transform and teleport from the house in the same instant.
"You are welcome to stay here until he returns," Usagi replied, watching Seiya leave. She turned her attention to the dethroned princess as Naru also left the room. "There is obviously a lot that Seiya-san has neglected to mention."
Kakyuu nodded slightly. "You mean the children? We ... I thought it was best."
Usagi smiled sadly. "You know you can tell me anything, Princess."
"That is the first thing I have to tell you. It's just Kakyuu now. Kinmoku, our Kinmoku, is no more," the redhead replied. "It's still there, but it belongs to the Hrrrrunai now. It's been such a very long and difficult journey since we left Earth. We've spent most of the last twenty years fighting one group or another."
"Twenty years? But it has been only twelve," Usagi replied.
It was Kakyuu's turn to smile, though it did not reach her eyes. "For you, Usagi-san. Or, at least, for your world. Kinmoku exists in a different time, almost like a ... bubble. Our time does not flow as yours does. When we went home after Galaxia nearly destroyed our planet, we discovered something very unusual about it. It had regenerated itself. Our people were alive again, or rather, their descendants. We could once more live as we had before 'The Ultimate Soldier'. At least that's what we thought. We were still so very few."
The former princess recounted how other peoples had come to settle on Kinmoku, soon outnumbering the survivors and the descendents of the survivors, the conflicts between her people and the settlers, and the struggles between different groups of settlers and their interstellar sponsors. "Finally the Hrrrrunai empire took over. Because of the accelerated time on our world, it was a very useful asset to them. At first we fared well. They favored our people over the other settlers, who were from stronger opponents of theirs. They even relocated most of them to other worlds in their empire. They intermarried with our nobility to seal the alliance. My spouse and Yaten's are Hrrrrunai.
"But then the Hrrrrunai began arriving in greater and greater numbers, exploiting our world as never before, pushing our common people aside. More and more began to resist. At first I tried to keep the peace. I was tired of war. I couldn't let my children grow up like that. But the Hrrrrunai Governors were barbaric. They seemed to get a sick sense of pleasure from what they did. It finally became too much, so... I decided to lead the resistance.
"We could not overcome their forces, not without destroying ourselves and everything we were trying to defend as well. We Kinmoku have never before needed a military. Galaxia was the first to bring war to our planet. And she left as soon as the Star Seeds were gone. These ... people were nothing like her. The weapons they used we had no defenses for. They had ... devices that would rob a senshi of her powers. We could not win. I tried again to make peace. We would give up everything, if they would let the others live. But that was not enough for them ... they wanted vengeance, at the cost of the last of their honor."
Kakyuu could not help but add, "Sovereign, will you not fight with us to bring us justice?"
Usagi gently shook her head. "No. I have asked my President to find homes for your people. But as I told Seiya-san, this is not our war. Let it end, Kakyuu-hime. Has it not sent enough to the world of death already? Kinmokunai and Hrrrrunai alike?"
Shi stood, glaring at Usagi. "I thought you were his friend. Were you not the one who begged him to help save your own world? Why do you now refuse to help us do the same?"
"Shi!"
"I want an answer! The Kinmoku risked their lives to come here. All because He spoke of this great queen who would be able to help them regain their world. They trusted him because he trusted you! The least you could do is tell me why you refuse to help the man who loves you more than his own children!" Shi glared at Usagi for several moments before tears started stinging her eyes. She turned away angrily and ran from the house, nearly knocking over Sarah, who had been standing in the doorway, listening to the conversation.
Kakyuu looked like she was about to follow her for a moment before turning to Usagi. "I apologize for my niece's behavior. She hasn't dealt with her ... with Enishi's actions very well," she replied. Beside her, Usami also sat rooted in place. She agreed with the blonde girl, but knew that any action on her part would be considered a reprisal at the moment.
Usagi nodded slightly. "I could see some of her thoughts. She is more hurt than angry," she replied. She held her head in her hands a moment, trying to calm the headache the younger woman's outburst had caused, before turning to the doorway. "Follow her Sarah. She will get lost very easily."
Sarah nodded slightly and left the house. Kakyuu turned back to Usagi as she left. "Your daughter will not be able to find her. Whenever Shi-chan wants to vanish, she can," she replied. She glanced at Usami. "Go with her."
Usagi nodded slightly as she watched the other girl hesitantly follow Sarah. "All Sarah-chan has to do is follow her thoughts. She'll have no trouble finding her."
Sarah concentrated for a moment before following the strange thoughts she had read as the other girl had run past her. She glanced at the reporters outside the gate for a moment before realizing the other girl couldn't have gone that way. Things were far too calm at the gate. She saw something out of the corner of her eye and turned. The mysterious blonde had retreated to the side of the house, only to encounter one of her many cousins. 'Mom's right. She's not angry. She's hurting. And more than a little frightened,' thought Sarah, close enough for her power to feel Shi's mind. She had good reason to be frightened, though. Pleione had pinned her to the wall and slid her up far enough so that her feet were dangling. Sarah shook her head, taking it in for a moment, before saying, "Let her go, Pelly. She is a friend of our moms."
Pleione set Shi down, but she did not apologize. Sarah was dying to know what Shi had said or done to set off Pleione, usually slow to anger, but very bad news once she got there!
Shi turned to the girl she had almost knocked down and glared slightly. "I don't need you to fight my battles for me," she said in very strangely accented Japanese, with nuances that Sarah did not recognize.
Pleione looked at Sarah. "This brat's a friend of our mothers?"
"Yes, Pelly-chan. Shi-san, this is Pleione-chan. We've been friends since we were babies."
"What do I care who you are?" Shi asked. "And why don't you and your mother stay out of my head?"
Sarah fought down a momentary urge to blast this prickly girl enough to teach her some manners. Turning away for a moment, she noticed that there was one camera team in view, advancing up the side street, and they were obviously focusing on their dispute. "Look, can we at least go inside and talk? We don't need you to cause a spectacle on the six o'clock news."
Shi looked confused for a moment. "I have no idea what you're talking about. And I am most certainly not going anywhere with you."
"Shi! Akunatan s'ssa iki! Kano!!" Usami had come around the corner of the house and started toward the group of girls. She was speaking in a language Sarah had never heard, and looked a little peculiar with her long black hair braided on either side of her head down to her knees. "You should be ashamed for what you said to your Dema's friend."
Shi turned to the new girl and looked as if she wanted to scream at her. Only dignity and a lifetime of court mannerisms kept her from doing just that. She bowed slightly to the girl and mouthed a tight-lipped apology to Sarah before running back into the house, Pleione following a moment later, obviously not trusting the blonde.
Sarah looked at the new girl in shock. "What did you say to her?"
"I told her to apologize. Just be glad her Dema drilled enough discipline into her that she didn't start a fight," the newest girl replied in Japanese. She smiled slightly and walked over to Sarah. "Shi-chan is just a little high-strung. And until we find out what happened to Mi-ko-chan, I can't blame her for being angry. My name is Usami, by the way. Usami Kumiko Dai Aotani, First Imperial Princess of the Kinmoku Empire."
"Sarah Ami Usagi Uer, First Princess of the Moon," she replied. Unsure whether Japanese or American manners were appropriate, she bowed slightly to the other girl and then extended her hand. "Dema?"
"Dema means ... parent, in Kinmokunai," Usami replied, looking at her hand. She returned the bow and then slowly placed her hand next to Sarah's. "I'm afraid I am not familiar with your customs. We are not from ... America?"
"I would have never guessed," Sarah replied sardonically, grabbing Usami's hand and shaking it. She smiled at Usami and motioned for her to follow her into the backyard. "We can avoid the cameras this way."
Usami followed the blonde, but glanced back over her shoulder. "Cameras?" she remarked, watching the TV news crew. "Oh, audiovisual sensors. Do all of your people know about us already?"
"No, they are here watching us. I wonder if the Reverend is going to pay us another visit."
"Reverend?"
"One of our holy men. Well, some people believe he's a holy man." Sarah began explaining about the Younts and Auntie Mako and her children, and soon quite forgot that she was supposed to be watching Shi ...
Sarah's suspicion that the Reverend Johnny Lee Swainson would make an appearance turned out to be wrong; the celebrity turned out to be a Country and Western singer who was a member of the New Gospel Church. Once she had sung a few songs and had a few interviews, the camera vans packed up and drove away. It was growing dark, though there was enough heat left from the warm November day to make the back porch pleasant.
"'Tomi is the only one that ever had time for a 'normal' life," Usami replied. She had dropped the honorifics after trying to explain why she never called Kageshirou 'brother'.
"'Tomi'?" Sarah asked. She glanced up as she noticed Naru pull into the driveway with a van full of kids.
Usami nodded. "Tanetomi. Uncle Taiki's daughter," she replied. "She's a few months younger than I, but she spent more time actually getting to know people than we did. Uncle Taiki wasn't as strict with her as the other StarLights were with their kids."
Sarah nodded and then noticed Minako peeking out of the back door and motioning them inside. She led Usami in and then looked to the older blonde. "What's up?"
Minako smiled sadly at the two teenagers for several moments before hugging a startled Usami. "We just heard from Seiya-san. Mi-ko-chan was on Yaten-san's ship, as was the little boy. She's pretty banged up and won't be able to travel for a few days. The boy-"
"Yo-Ichi."
"Yo-Ichi-chan was ... hurt very badly in the crash. Our friend Argent," here Minako gave Sarah a significant look, "is going to try to heal him. It could take a long time."
Usami frowned at the blonde. "But your friend said that Yo-Ichi was dead."
"Argent has powers. She can sometimes bring back those that have died. But for the younger kid's sakes, your mother asked that we say he is just badly injured and has been taken to a place where he can be helped." Minako brushed a few stray hairs out of Usami's face and wondered for a moment if she was the daughter of Kakyuu and Seiya. "Once Mi-ko-chan can travel, she and Yaten-san will be coming back here. So will Ami-chan and her children. I think he said the others were going back to Kakyuu-hime's ship."
"Then I should probably go speak with Dema about returning as well. I do not think your friend, Chiba-san, wants Shi here any longer than necessary," Usami replied.
Minako smiled slightly and shook her head. "She understands what she is going through. Part of it, at least. She's already invited all of you to stay, even your little siblings."
Usami nodded slightly then bowed to the older blonde and smiled. "I must go speak with my mother, anyway. It was nice meeting you, Aino-san."
"How did she know your name? For that matter, why was I talking to her for so long?" Sarah asked after the other girl had left.
Minako chuckled slightly. "Because she has some of the same abilities as Ishi-chan. She can make people like her. At least that's what her mother said," she replied. "I guess it comes in quite handy when dealing with diplomats. As for my name, I guess Kakyuu-hime and the others told her about us."
Minako and Sarah walked into the main room as Usami and Shi teleported out of the house. "Where are they going?" the older Senshi asked in English. "And how did they do that?"
Usagi smiled slightly. "Apparently, they can get through Naru-chan's spellwork," she replied in Japanese. "They are going back to Kakyuu-hime's ship to get the other children. It will be good for them to be around kids their own age for awhile. As a matter of fact, I was just talking to Kakyuu-hime about enrolling the older girls in Sarah-chan's school."
"Since we can not return home, and it looks as though any more travel will be dangerous, I have decided we will take Usagi-sama's advice and try to live here. Most of our fleet is months away still. We can contact them and tell them to explore the other planets in this system. Usagi-sama has agreed to help us bring some of our people to Earth a few at a time, so that it does not attract undo attention," Kakyuu replied. "From what I have heard, you have all had far too much of that recently."
Minako nodded and sat next to the recently ousted princess. "Definitely. Anyway, I think it would be a great idea to put the kids in school together," she replied. "How many of them are there?"
"Coming to Earth now?" Kakyuu asked. She thought for a moment and frowned slightly. "Only eight."
"Why don't you tell us all their names? I have lost track of who's who already," Usagi replied, smiling slightly. It was actually a small lie; she really wanted Kakyuu to repeat the names for Minako and to see if she could read anything else from the Princess.
Kakyuu nodded slightly. "Well, Shi-chan and Usami-chan you've already met. The other girls that would be going to school with Sarah-chan are Miyo-chan and 'Tomi-chan. Kai-chan, Tsuki and Mi-ko-chan aren't quite old enough for High School yet. And I don't know if ... if Rei-chan will be going to school yet or not."
"Rei-chan?" Usagi smiled. "Mars will be happy to hear one of the children shares her name. How old is she?"
"She's five. All of the children are named after people we cared for."
"And who belongs to who?" Minako asked as several children came running into the room, including her twins.
Kakyuu smiled slightly. "I'll explain later. It's ... complicated. Why don't you tell me about your little ones?"
Usagi noticed the redhead's reluctance to talk about the children and only half-listened as Minako explained who was who and how old they were. Her mind was focused on several images she had pulled from the redhead's mind.
Victor Quinn sighed as he looked at the footage of the scene between the four teenagers at the side of the house. "From Warfield's own reports, I know two of them are kids of Chiba and one of her friends, but who was the new blonde? I don't remember having seen her before. And what was the deal with the other one, the one with the braids? She came out and totally took over the situation," he replied. He looked over the footage and noticed that the mysterious blonde-haired girl had glanced their way once. He also remembered that was right before the batteries had died.
"These things have got to be defective. I mean, they're brand new and they go dead less than fifteen minutes after I turn the camera on," the camerawoman replied. She chucked the dead batteries into the garbage can of the editing room and sighed. "I can't even get them to charge back up."
Quinn shook his head. "Forget the batteries. Who are these new kids? More of Dr. Chiba's love children?"
"Why don't you just give them a break? He's been dead for months. What does it matter if he had more children? Sheesh, Quinn, you're getting to be as bad as Warfield."
"His death was never fully explained. What if his wife finally got tired of him fooling around with all of her friends and did him in, using the White House as an excuse? She may be in a wheelchair, but she's no innocent," Quinn replied.
The camerawoman rolled her eyes and left the room.
Quinn shrugged, and resumed watching the videos, hoping to find something he'd missed before. There didn't seem to be anything, although something still bothered him.
Eventually there was a knock on the door and one of the assistant producers walked in. "The news director said I would find you here."
"Congratulations for following directions correctly. Do you have anything useful to tell me?" Quinn was a man who got right to the point, and he didn't have much patience with small talk.
"We found out who your mystery man is."
"Which one?"
"The one who was sighted three days ago coming out of Chiba's house. Apparently, he's a has-been singer from Tokyo," he replied. He handed the reporter a folder and turned to leave. "And get this, he's been missing for over twelve years."
"Really? 'Missing man returns from the dead to comfort a grieving widow', huh? Thanks, kid." The reporter opened the folder and started flipping through the pictures. He came across one of the Three Lights from a commercial they had done a few months before their disappearance. He froze the tape at a picture of the mysterious new girls at the Alvarson mansion and looked at the photo in his hand. After a few moments, he shook his head and put the picture back down. "It can't be coincidence that they show up around the same time he does. But who are they, his kids? Even Warfield couldn't make that believable."
