What's that? You want a summary? What, you're starting with episode #21? What do you mean, you read Do-Gooders regularly? You FORGOT the entire story in less than a week?! *sigh* Oh, all right, calm down! Here's your precious back-story. A Brief Explanation of Do-Gooders: It all started -- no. That would take MUCH too long. Let me sum up, instead. Summary: The Do-Gooders (as well as Aki, Keiko, Villyn, Villyn's minions, the dwarfs Balin and Dalin, various pets, Zathras --who was apparently hired by Master Chiang of the Crystal City after his other contract expired-- and Dark Queen Charity, who is apparently leaving the Darkverse for reasons of the heart, which are generally sticky and illogical) had returned to Suzuhara Park in time to fight the Concentrated Hello Cthulhu (well, several Hello Cthulhus, actually) and meet Tejina's mysterious twin sister Hanaki, aka Sailor Bliss [we're only a step away from getting a Sailor Ecstasy, folks!] and her pet -- er, companion -- "Pepper" the goldfish. For reasons of his own, Brother Maynard has recalled the Cthulhus. Oh, and some weirdo has been scrying the actions of the Do-Gooders (and the other aforementioned persons -- I'm not listing them all again!) in various bowls of won-ton and glasses of milk. Satisfied? Then let's get on with DO-GOODERS The Proactive Teen Superhero Team With No X Anywhere In Their Title http://pixelscapes.com/improfanfic Episode Nineteen Grounded?! Everyone is in Trouble! by "Yasha" C. DeBartolo (ryuuyasha@telebot.net) Do-Gooders started by Stefan Gagne OI! A NOTE! -- Super-huge happy thank-you to Jonatan Streith for pre-reading, suggestions and cheering my idiocy on! Arigatoooo! Suzuhara Park was a wreck. Most of the grass was scorched and pulverized into dirt, and had been in turn transformed to mud by the gallons of black blood (from Saturday's youma) and ichor (from Sunday's Hello Cthulhus). Bits of ex-Hello Cthulhus (mostly tentacles) twitched and spasmed here and there as they dissolved into formless goo. Large piles of firewood marked where some of Becky's grenades had bounced off a youma foreheads and into the trees. The large banner that had been pasted over the entrance proclaiming "Hello Cthulhu turns Suzuhara Park into Ureshii park!" hung in shreds. So much for Hello Cthulhu's 'Happy' park.. The majority of the enspelled Hello Cthulhu fans had wandered off during the battle, confused as to why they were there, and trying to get the obnoxiously catchy and cute jingle out of their heads. The last of them had just left, stomping off and muttering something about reporting the incident to the police. Tejina surveyed the carnage. "You know, something tells me we should get our stuff and leave before someone tries to make us pay for all of this." Everyone agreed, and sprang into action. Well, not really. Villyn and Dark Queen Charity were rather involved in a deep conversation.. the type with a surfeit of pauses, permanent blushes, and long moments of inspecting their own shoes while they decided what to say. Keiko, not being in the band, sprang into the immediate action of watching Matsuro start to pack up his drums. Zathras and the various Sailor animal companions were deeply involved in a pointless discussion of Who Said What About Princess Hinagaeshi at the end of the last Crystal Millennium. Balin, Dalin, the Blank Psychic, the Bluefaced Black Shadow, the Quake Camper, Thrakkorzog? Thurston Dunne? Tharz -- whatever his name was, and the as-yet-unnamed-minion were currently enjoying the contents of a rather large flask of unknown liquid in Dalin's possession. However, it is safe to say that Kireiko, Tejina, Becky, and Matsuro sprang into action to rescue their musical equipment. Amazingly, all their gear was there and untouched, even though it had been left unattended since yesterday afternoon. "Hi there! We haven't been introduced yet, have we?" Keiko blinked a couple times, and awoke from the private reverie she had fallen into while watching Matsuro bend over to pick up parts of his drum set. She glanced at the source of the perky voice and scowled. [Just what I need,] she thought darkly, [that purple-haired girl. What is it with guys and these fuku-wearing bimbos?] Keiko's scowl intensified. The purple-haired girl frowned slightly at Keiko, then followed the leather-clad girl's line of sight to Matsuro. "Oh, he's gorgeous!" Keiko gave Hanaki a look that could have etched titanium. The sailor-girl smiled, seemingly oblivious, and leaned over to murmur, "You know, I think you and he make a *really* cute couple!" Keiko blinked, and blushed slightly. "You.. think so?" Hanaki nodded cheerfully. "Of course! And the way you guys coordinate your outfits is just adorable! I really like the matching weapons." She smiled brightly. Keiko twiddled her fingers. "We don't coordinate our outfits or anything.. it just sort of turned out that way..." Hanaki's violet eyes sparkled. "Ooh, that sounds like you're *destined* to be together -- well, either that or kill each other on New Year's Eve, you never know -- but I think that's really romantic! Have you been on a date with him yet?" "Just one.." "What happened? Did you kiss? Did he bring you flowers? Was it romantic?" "Well..." The two quickly descended into the type of conversation that involves intent staring at the male in question, graphic gestures, and the occasional outburst of piercing giggles. Matsuro sneezed. "Now I'm catching a cold, too?" He muttered to himself as he detached one of the cymbals. Tejina wandered past, carrying her keyboard and a box of extraneous sound equipment that even the author can only guess at the use of. She paused, and looked thoughtful. Actually, she looked vague and rather like a vacuous bubble-head chewing on her hair, but being Tejina this translated into her being caught in deep thought. "Did anyone else think it was terribly strange that the weird floating guy called off all those Cthulhu-thingies? "Hah! He knew we'd kick their ass!" Kireiko grinned as he stomped past, tenderly cradling his amp. "I'm not so sure," Tejina said doubtfully. "I think they may be up to something." "Such as?" Matsuro glanced coolly at the blue-haired keyboardist. Tejina sighed. "If we knew that, I wouldn't be as worried." ************************ The shub-basement of -- oops, wrong cult. The sewer-based home of the Cult of Cthulhu Local #39924-91 stank. One might think that this is quite normal, after all, sewers aren't noted for smelling of roses or cherry blossoms. You could say that it is in the very nature of a sewer to stink. However, this time the stench wasn't coming from the sewer outside the Cult's door -- this particular funk was being generated in the heart of the chthonic lair. Brother Knoll gagged slightly into the sleeve of his robe, and deliberately did NOT look at His Eminence. The corpse of their leader had degraded considerably in the past few weeks, generating an odor that was slowly melting the paint off the walls and causing cult members' nose hairs to spontaneously combust. A majority of the cult members were engaged in hanging stupendous amounts of those tree-shaped air-fresheners people put in their cars. Brother Taro, only one of many of the cult's resident idiots, had hung several on the decaying and mutating form of His Eminence. [If they didn't have my address,] Brother Knoll thought darkly, [I'd be out of here so fast they'd forget I ever joined, even *with* that stupid mortgage on my soul...] A dark chill permeated the room. The cultists shivered as a dark wind traced icy fingers down their spines and hissed and gibbered in alien tongues. Brother Maynard had entered the room. "Does he have to do that *every* time he comes in?" Brother Taro complained. Brother Ikimada shushed him. A wave of cuteness suffused the room. The cultists gagged as the subliminal and obnoxiously saccharine theme music of the Great Hello Cthulhu rang horribly in their minds. "brother maynard!" The gurgle whiplashed through the room, carrying with it the scent of rotting fish and pine air-freshener. "come here, at once!" "yEs, YoUR emInEnCe?" "what did i tell you about splitting the power of the great hello cthulhu?" There was a long silence as the burning red orbs of the thing that was once Brother Maynard gyrated wildly in their sockets, avoiding the stare of the fish-frog thing in the pool that was once the desiccated corpse of His Eminence. "well? what did i tell you?" "nOt tO DO It?" "and what did you do?" Brother Maynard looked down at where its seventeen toes had split what used to be a nice pair of shoes into just so much shredded leather. He wiggled fifteen of them. "i SpLIt tHe gReAt oNe IntO cOMpOnEnt PIeCEs." "i am very disappointed in you, brother maynard. what of the jodi foster initiative? what of the oni host? does every word i hiss at you go in one ear and out the other?" "i'M sOrRy." "sorry doesn't fix the great hello cthulhu!" "hE's OnLy A lItTle MaNgLeD..." "you're not leaving this sewer until you shape up!" "bUt sHub-NiGguRAth MuSt bE dEAlT wItH fOr hER iNsOleNcE tO tHe gReAt CtHuLhU! aNd ThE iNFiDEl cUlT oF bHAhR'nHeE mUsT bE aBsORbEd, FoR tHe GrEAtEr gLOrY oF CtHuLhU!" "you will not do any such thing! you will obey your orders like the summoned spirit housed in the insignificant shell of a human you are supposed to be! if you keep up this back-talk, i will personally feed you to the star-spawn!" "bUt --" "no buts. go to your hole, maynard." His Eminence subsided, and slid back into his pool. Maynard stomped to one of the side rooms, and crawled into a small crevice in the wall. Bending his limbs in ways that would be physically impossible for a human, he curled himself into a ball. "i ShOuLD hAvE lEt ThEm ToSs HIm oUT wHeN tHeY aSkED..." "i heard that." ************************ Villyn gazed at his armored toes, and desperately tried to recall how to carry on a successful conversation with an attractive member of the opposite sex. Come to think of it, he hadn't as much glanced at a woman in over a decade, ever since his beloved wife, Akemi, had -- but he didn't want to think of such things now. [Taking over the world looks like child's play, compared to this] he thought. Glancing over at the leather-clad lovely, he gathered his courage and struck on to a random path of conversation. "I hope Aki wasn't any trouble to you, Miss Vengeance." Charity Darkness Vengeance, Queen of the Darkverse (but more commonly referred to as the Drabverse) glanced at Villyn, her pale skin showing the faint blush across her cheeks quite clearly. "Oh, no. She wasn't any trouble at all! Aki's such a charming and polite girl, anyone would be proud to be her parent!" Charity blushed bright red. [Wh-what if he thinks I meant -- oh, I'm sooo embarrassed! I've never felt like this around *anyone* before.. can it be that the prediction came true? But that was so many years ago!] [Begin obligatory flashback sequence!] Dark Queen Charity, the beautiful (in a Goth sort of way) sovereign of the Darkverse seated herself on the rather casual throne in her private audience chamber. (This throne was simple and understatedly carved out of granite, with little calico cushions on the seat.) She raised an eyebrow at her assembled generals. Ayesse was, as usual, following current Earth fashions. At the moment, this meant that he was wearing a bright red vinyl jacket over his dull gray Dark General's uniform, as well as a glittery silver glove, and his normally dark brown hair had been dyed seven different colors (pink, green, cyan, magenta, violet, red, and black) and forced into a style that required the sacrifice of no less than five bottles of mousse and at least three cans of hair-spray. His uniform cuffs were rolled back to display brightly colored geometric patterns sewn onto the fabric. A palette-load of make-up and four earrings in his left ear completed the look. Malaise was also wearing make-up. Whether this was indicative of anything was anyone's guess. Sohkoh idly played with a bright red yo-yo, and looked quite bored. The other handful of Generals blended into the shadows of the chamber, with the notable exception of the Queen's newest General, who was still garbed in the spotlessly clean and exquisitely pressed business suit he had entered the Darkverse in. Charity smiled icily. "Your plan has intrigued us greatly, Yoi Maeda. If this 'Barney' idea succeeds you shall be raised to the position of Supreme General, the first among my most elite servitors." The other Generals shifted uncomfortably, flicking glances at each other and at Maeda. None of them dared to voice their feelings before the Queen. Charity tapped an impossibly long fingernail against the armrest of her throne. She had the rather irritating feeling she was forgetting something... Oh, of course. "Now, for the traditional consultation of the Court Astrologer!" Malaise muffled a groan. Ayesse muttered things under his breath. Sohkoh snickered. Maeda glanced at the other generals, and raised an eyebrow. With an out-rush of displaced air and a brief shower of astrological charts, the Court Astrologer appeared. He was tall, classically handsome, and he would've made a perfect bishounen, if hadn't immediately fumbled his Ouji board and three decks of Tarot cards upon his entrance. The generals all sweat-dropped in unison as he swore and started scrabbling around in the charts, trying to pick up the scattered cards. "One moment, my Queen!" "I am growing impatient," she hesitated, "..Astrologer." "I am Mohjojiujoovuuduwhodew, Your Majesty." Charity mouthed it silently to herself and shook her head infinitesimally. "Well... Vuudu, I have called you here to perform the ritual foreseeing for our Kingdom as we being a new and far-reaching plan!" Mohjojiujoovuuduwhodew blinked and scrabbled through his cards. "Um, I can't find all of them. Okay, not a problem!" He removed a double-handful of yarrow from one of his pockets, and tossed them into the air. "Majorly uncool, dude!" Ayesse snapped as he started to try and pick several of the plant stalks out of his hair. Malaise looked mournfully at his? her? glass of iced-tea. "And right after I'd gotten the perfect lemon to sugar ratio, too!" Maeda said nothing, but brushed yarrow off his shoulders with a startlingly white handkerchief. Vuudu regarded the various yarrow stalks for a long moment, then rummaged in his jacket. After a moment or two, he withdrew a book large enough to brain an elephant with. The title exclaimed "I-Ching for Dummies!" in large yellow letters. "Here we are! Ideogram #9234 -- "The oyster waits for death; flooding in the rice paddy; an offer of large mosquitoes; receiving a wet-willy on the train; avoid the demon's cooking; purple to win; beware the squid-headed one; double your pleasure, double your fun; bikinis spell doom; film at eleven." There was a long silence. Sohkoh sighed. "Is it too much trouble to get people to make any sense around here?" "Far too much trouble." Malaise nodded as she? he? stirred sugar into a fresh glass of tea. Dark Queen Charity began to tap her long and pointed fingernails in annoyance -- a usual indication that the torturer's offices are Not That Far Away. Mohjojiujoovuuduwhodew paled considerably, and tossed the book aside, knocking Malaise unconscious. "I know! Palmistry shall tell us! Let me see your hand, My Queen." The Queen eyed Vuudu for a long moment before reluctantly letting him look at her right hand. "Oh, my!" The handsome astrologer gasped in shock. "What is it?" Charity leaned forward, intrigued in spite of herself. "I've never seen such an empty love-line!" Without even seeming to move, a wide space cleared between the throne and the Dark Generals, who suddenly found great interest in the moldering tapestries decorating the walls. The Queen's left eye twitched. "Oh?" Her left hand curled delicately, a spark of negative energy springing up in preparation for Vuudu's imminent demise. "Hmm.. let me check your chart.. oh, I see! You have a true love waiting for you! But he won't show up for several years..." The dark energy fizzled out, and a faint blush tinged the Queen's face. "Really? Tell me more!" The Generals face-faulted as one. [end obligatory Darkverse flashback] Charity peeked at Villyn from the corner of her eye. [Can it be that I've finally met my one true love? That all those lonely Saturday nights are over? I can finally get some use out of that little red number I ordered from the 'Victoria's Secrets' catalogue?!] For a brief moment Mount Fuji appeared behind her and giant tidal waves crashed while the Queen was surrounded by a border of blooming roses. [If this is my one chance at True Love, I can't turn back, no matter the consequences. I'LL DO IT!!] She whirled and strode purposefully (all two steps distance) to Villyn. "Would you..[mumblemumble]?" Villyn blinked. "I'm sorry, could you say that again?" "Would you.." Charity twiddled her fingers, and went bright red. "Umm, IhavetheseticketsIgotfromEsjieandIneverusedthembutthey're stillgoodwouldyouliketogoonacruise?" She babbled, waving the tickets about. Villyn blinked, tried to figure out what she had said, gave up, and decided to look at the tickets she was waving instead. "Romantic cruise for two, to exotic locales," he read out loud. He blinked, and gazed at Charity for a long moment. "With... me?" Still blushing, she nodded once. [He's going to turn me down, I'm being much too forward -- I'll just go kill Vuudu when I get back, that ought to make me feel better..] She lost her train of thought as Villyn took her hands in his. He gazed deeply into her dark eyes, a bit of a blush tinting his cheeks as well. "I would be honored to escort such a lovely woman as yourself on a cruise.. to anywhere!" The two leaned towards each other. Birds sang. Violins surged triumphantly. Cherry blossoms fluttered past. Villyn's minions cheered and wolf-whistled. With a guilty start, the two sprang apart. The band had finished gathering their equipment, and everyone was staring at them as though they were the latest attraction at the zoo. Aki looked mortified. "'Go for it!'" Kireiko pronounced in English. He leered at the Dark Queen. "She's a 'hot babe!' Ow!" This last was said as Aki hit him with her father's as-yet-unnamed-minion. Tejina sighed. "Will he ever learn?" She considered the thought for all of one second. "Probably not." The altercation between Aki and Kireiko was rapidly growing into a seven-way fight, as everyone decided to get involved in the excitement. Annoyed, Tejina strode to the center of the group and clapped her hands together sharply. No one noticed. "Will you guys knock it off?!" she shouted. She failed to gain anyone's attention. Tejina fumed. Then her stomach, which had been sans food for nearly twenty-four hours, let out the mother of all growls. Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare in amazement at her. "As I was saying, while all of you were being idiots," Tejina began, with only the slightest of blushes betraying her inner embarrassment, "we should get organized and get out of here before we get blamed for all of this. If the rest of you want to be held accountable -- fine! Wonderful! Stay here! I'm going home, I'm going to eat, and then I'm going to sleep until Monday morning! Sayonara!" She turned and stomped off. Kireiko blinked. "Is she mad about something?" "Long day it has been, for everyone!" Zathras nodded wisely. "See you guys later, I have some things to talk about with Tejina!" Hanaki waved, then spun and dashed after her sister, clutching her goldfish bowl one-handedly. Daisy staggered drunkenly after them. "Well, I think they've got the right idea. See you guys around!" Sailor Rapture/BA-3/Becky trotted away, bass guitar in hand, followed closely by Rover. "'Later!'" Kireiko announced in English. His precious guitar was slung across his back, and his nearly equally beloved amp was held tenderly in his arms. He was still in his obviously half-oni state. "Got to go get more ofuda-t-shirts." "And I've got better things to do then stay around here all day," Matsuro said coolly, as he brushed his hair back in a bishounen manner. "You're not leaving without us!" Matsuro glanced down. It was the two dwarves. Again. "*Now* what do you want?" "We're sticking with you until you're done with the sword, like we told you before!" Balin (or was it Dalin?) scowled up at him. Dalin (or was it Balin?) nodded emphatically. "Whatever. But if I have to put you guys up at my apartment, you have to carry my equipment." He gestured at the drums. "Heh! No problem!" Within moments, the three of them were on their way. The Bluefaced Black Shadow blinked. "Hey, does anyone hear that?" "Hear what?" The as-yet-unnamed-minion looked confused. "I don't know. It sounds sort of like something being slowly pulverized between two rocks." "I think you're imagining things." Keiko was grinding her teeth together in fury. [That... jerk! He didn't even say good-bye or ANYTHING! Oh, but he sure stuck around to watch those short-skirted girls bounce off! I ought to..] Down the street, Matsuro paused, then turned. "Oi! Keiko-san!" "Nn?" Keiko looked down the street toward the object of her affections. "Nani?!" She shouted. "See you in school on Monday!" He waved once, then started walking off without waiting for a response. [YES!!!!] she exulted. [He DOES care!] She waved and grinned maniacally. "Haiiii!!" In a fog of happiness, she made her way home. Aki glanced about. Her father was having some sort of discussion with his minions, while Dark Queen Charity and Zathras studiously ignored one another. Abruptly, the five minions shouted, "AT ONCE, VILLYN-SAMA!!!" and rushed off in the general direction of the Villyn house-hold. [*Now* what is he up to?] Aki frowned as her father came towards her, smiling nervously. "Aki, my dear, I've thought about some of the things you've said to me lately." [Huh?] Aki looked at her father blankly then glanced at Charles. Somehow, the canary managed to shrug. "What do you mean, Dad?" "I'm going to take a vacation from doing evil, dear." Aki managed to rescue her jaw before it impacted painfully with her toes. "Huh?!" "I've already sent my minions to pack, and it should only be for a few weeks, so --" "But, Dad! I've got school, I can't just leave in the middle -- urk!" Aki's words were cut off by a tight, and rather armored hug. "That's my girl!" Villyn dashed a tear from the corner of his eye. "So mature and responsible! That's why I have no worries about leaving you in charge while I'm gone!" "What?" "I've given a list of chores and things to be taken care of by my minions, and of course I told them that if anything happened to you while I'm away, I'd ritually flay their flesh from their bones and use the rest of them for kindling! Oh, and I let them know that they're to follow your commands as my own, in my absence." "But where are you going, Dad?" "Just on a nice, relaxing cruise." He glanced over at Charity, who smiled at him. A large, rather goofy grin pasted itself on his face. "But--" Aki started, then stopped and regarded her father. [I haven't seen him look this happy and calm since.. well, he's never looked happy and calm, actually.] She glanced at the Dark Queen. [I always wanted Dad to pay more attention to me, but I want him to be happy -- preferably, I want him to be happy without those humiliating attempts at 'Taking over the world,'] she amended. [Maybe it'd be good for him... and I'd have the house to myself for a few weeks, too..] Villyn smiled at her anxiously. After a long moment of deliberation, she leaned forward on tiptoe, hugged him carefully, and kissed him on the cheek. "Have a good time, Dad." Grinning like children on a holiday, Villyn and Charity ran off hand in hand. The Queen waved to Aki, and then they were gone. "Zathras is ready! Where is your house being?" The furry man beamed at Aki. She regarded him silently for a long moment, then sighed. "Why me?" ************************ Tejina surreptitiously eyed Hanaki as they walked back to the blue-haired girl's house. Her so-called twin had caught up to her a block or two ago (thankfully, the drunk moggy appeared to have been left behind for now). It was eerie, seeing her own face outside of a mirror or a photograph. Even out of their Sailor fukus, the two girls were practically matching book-ends. "It's kind of weird." "Suddenly having a twin, you mean?" Hanaki smiled at her. "It must be stranger for you, never even knowing you had a sister." Tejina paused. "You knew?" The other girl nodded and regarded her goldfish solemnly. "I'd always hoped I'd get to meet you some day. I've always wanted a sister -- to have someone to talk to and to be friends with!" "You know, it's not all it's cracked up to be. I'd cheerfully toss Eiji down a well." "Eiji?" "My little brother.. the Brat from Hell." Hanaki giggled. "How cute! You're so lucky, Tejina!" "Luck is not the word to use. And I guess he's your little brother, too." "Mm." Hanaki avoided her gaze. "Let's wait until we get to your house before we get into that. It's a bit of a long story, and I don't know if I have the energy to tell it more than once." "We're already here." Hanaki blinked, and looked at fastidiously clean and rather upscale front door to Tejina's house. The purple-haired girl backed up a step or two to take in the large house. "Wow! You guys must be rolling in it!" "Eheh. Well, Mom and Dad are litigators. Try not to show any fear, they can smell it." Tejina unlocked the door, and waved Hanaki in. "Guests first, of course." Hanaki glanced about the foyer, impressed by the tasteful decor and the air of understated elegance that permeated the house. She was even more impressed by the way the lady in the rather aristocratic business suit expanded her face into a giant blue-faced demon's head as she was yelling at her. "Tejina Nakao! You have failed to obey the ordinances of this household! Where have you *been* all night?! And now your hair's *purple*?! Young lady, I am going to prosecute for you to be grounded until the next vernal equinox!" "Mom, I think you're persecuting an innocent party in this instance. Keep it up, and Hanaki will claim slander." Mrs. Nakao snapped back to normal, revealing a rather pretty face bordered by a sleek business-like haircut, currently wearing a little make-up and a stunned expression. She looked at Tejina. Then she looked at Hanaki. She looked at Tejina again. She smiled, let out a very tiny sigh, and fainted. "Mom!" "What's going on here -- Fumie!" An average-looking man in an Armani business suit dashed to Tejina's mother. "Fumie?! Can you hear me? Speak to me! Oh, my poor wife! Cut down in the prime of her life!" The man burst into tears. "Dad, get a grip! She just fainted!" Mr. Nakao looked up at Tejina and Hanaki. His eyes bugged out, as he put one and one together, and came up with -- "Tejina, how could you go and make us grandparents in our thirties?!" -- five. Tejina face-faulted. "Da-aaad! She's as old as I am! There's no possible way she's my daughter!" "Oh, thank kami-sama!" He nearly burst into tears again. "This can only mean one thing!" He leaned in to peer closely at Hanaki's face. "Waaaaaah! Tejina, when did you let the government clone you for a genetic experiment?!" Hanaki's left eye twitched. "Who are you calling a genetic experiment?!" "She isn't my clone, either, Dad!" Tejina glanced at Hanaki. [Well, I hope not, anyway,] she thought to herself. "Why don't we move over to the living room and talk this out?" ************************ Becky slid quietly into her house through one of the living room windows. She paused to listen for the tell-tale sounds of her mother and father being in. Silence was all that awaited her. [Hmm. Mom must've been called out on a mission, vacation or no vacation.] Now would be the best time to slip the spare neuralizer back, before anyone even noticed it was gone. She had just placed it back on the coat-rack just behind the door (it had a key-ring attachment for just such uses) when a hand fell across her shoulder. "Hyaaa!" BA-3 activated instantly, grabbing the offending hand as she ducked down and her left foot struck backwards into the attacker's leg, throwing him off-balance and allowing her to hurl him forward across her shoulders in a classic judo throw. Her father thumped to the floor and lay there, grinning at her. "Ack! Dad!" Agent V chuckled at her expression. "No harm done! We'll have to have a little match some time. Your mother's better at hand-to-hand than I am, but I'm sure I'd be enough of a challenge for now." "Dear, *do* stop playing!" Mrs. Anderson called out from the kitchen. "You're *supposed* to be having a serious conversation with her, in case you've forgotten!" "Nag, nag, nag.." V muttered. "Well, she's right, for once." A sharp "Ha!" echoed from the kitchen. V rolled his eyes. "Becky, you're grounded for the next two weeks." "Oh, come *on*! It wasn't my fault I was gone all night, we were kidnapped by youma and thrown in the dungeons all night! And we weren't even fed, either!" "I'll make you some breakfast, dear!" Another shout rang out from the kitchen. Metal clangs soon followed. "Tell your father he can go make his own!" "Thanks, Mom!" Becky shouted in the general direction of the kitchen. "Double portion pancakes with syrup and peanut butter, please! And sausage! And bacon! And three eggs, scrambled!" "I understand that you didn't intend to stay out that late. It's not why you're being punished." "Then why do you want to ground me?! I haven't done anything wrong!" "You took the Little Big Gun!" "Mom said I could!" "And when, pray tell, did she say you could take the neuralizer?" "Uhh..." Becky tiny-sweated. "Exactly. Go to your room, young lady. You are on probation until the end of the month." "Not until she eats, V!" "Oh, all right. Go eat your breakfast, THEN go to your room." "Aw, jeez!" ************************ "Ohhh, what a horrible nightmare!" Mrs. Nakao blinked, and stared at the ceiling. "There were two -- why am I in the living room?" "Surprise, Mom. Time for a reality check." Fumie Nakao gazed at the identical girls perched on the chair across from the couch she was lying on. "Oh, dear. I *wasn't* dreaming." It was also readily apparent that she wasn't just seeing double, as the purple-haired version of her daughter was sitting demurely in the seat of the chair with a goldfish bowl in her lap, while the more familiar blue-haired girl perched on the armrest was devouring a king-sized Snickers bar like she had forgotten what food looked like. Her husband cried at her. "Oh, I'm so happy you're awake, darling!" "Do stop bawling, dearest. You don't need to ruin another suit." Tejina's mother sat up with crisp, economical movements and ran a critical eye over the matched set of girls. "Hmm. Identical twins, I'd say." Hanaki smiled. "Exactly so, Nakao-san." Tejina scowled. "What is this all about, Mother? Neither of you ever told me anything about having a twin sister! What's up with that?" Mrs. Nakao straightened her skirt. "You were never told of a sister, Tejina, simply because neither I nor your father ever knew that you were a twin." "Wh-what?! How could you not know? You just *forgot* you happened to give birth to twins, Mom?" Tejina's parents stared at the floor in uncomfortable silence, unable to meet the annoyed teen's gaze. Hanaki looked sadly at her sister. "Oh, Tejina, haven't you figured it out yet? You were adopted!" ************************ Kireiko zipped towards home, sticking to the back alleys and generally keeping out of sight. It wouldn't do for anyone to spot him while he was still in his obviously oni form -- you never knew when some crazy ghost-sweeper or devil-hunter might pop out of the woodwork with a trite speech and some deadly mystical weapon that had been sitting in their attic for one hundred and eight generations or something. He made it back to his house without too much trouble. (Okay, so he ran into *one* devil-hunter.. but it had been a male devil hunter -- a rarity! -- so he had no compunctions over knocking the sap unconscious and throwing him in the nearest dumpster. Best of all, his amp had been in no real danger.) Thankfully, his parents hadn't put the warding ofuda up on the front door again, so getting in was no problem. Kireiko being Kireiko, the first thing he did was head straight for the kitchen, and the treasured refrigerator it contained. He was utterly unprepared for the scene of mind-searing, soul- destroying, nightmarish agony that awaited him. "Yuck! Man, I'll have nightmares about this for weeks!" Kireiko's father leapt to his feet, dumping his wife out of his lap to stand beside him. "Kireiko! Where have you been all night? Your mother and I were worried sick!" Kireiko snorted. "Yeah, I can see how much you guys were worried. Sheesh, 'rent a room!' " Kireiko's father loomed horribly, a dark red aura of fury flickering about him. "Kireiko, I did not raise you to be a hooligan! And what happened to your shirt?! You were running around Tokyo as a half-demon? What if someone tried to exorcise you, or kill you?!" "I only ran across one ghost-sweeper and he was totally pathetic! I coulda taken him, even without oni strength and stuff." "Now my son is beating up defenseless demon hunters?! Oh, the shame, that the honorable line of Akatsuka, keepers of the proudest demon-hunting traditions, has come to this!" "*What* traditions?! You're the one who gave it all up to become a cost accountant! I didn't ask to be born a half-oni, either! Last I checked, all that stuff was *your* fault, not mine!" "Kireiko! How many times have I told you not to dishonor your parents by talking back to them?!" "I don't know! Why don't you ask someone with nothing better to do than listen to you?!" "That's IT! You're grounded!" "WHAT?!?" ************************ "I just can't believe it," Tejina repeated for the fiftieth time, as she stared at the canopy over her bed. "I can't believe they never told me." Hanaki sighed. "I'm sorry, Tej. I wish I hadn't mistaken you for Mom. If it hadn't been for me, you might never have known." Tejina bounced upright and glared at the other girl. "Now *there's* a comforting sentiment -- am I supposed to be happy about living in ignorance of my own past for over a decade and a half?" She paused, considering her twin's words. "And just how the heck did you mistake me for your mother, anyway?" The purple-haired girl looked uncomfortable. "Well you look a lot like her. So do I." "She's got to be what, in her late thirties? Are you sure you don't need glasses?" "Oh, ha-ha. No, I don't, and neither do you. She might be nearly forty, but she looks she's in her late teens or early twenties." Tejina blinked and tugged one of her pig-tails self-consciously. "Nice. And she has blue hair, too?" "Sometimes. She goes for blue in the winter, lime green in the spring, orange in the summer, and purple in the fall." "Sounds... colorful." The door to Tejina's room burst open, and a small, obnoxious living superball bounced in. "Tej's gonna be GROUN-ded! Tej's gonna be GROUN-ded!" Eiji hopped back and forth, singing his latest taunt at his sister. "Get out of here, brat!" "That's Eiji?" Eiji stopped taunting, and looked at the Tejina on the canopy bed, and the strangely purpled Tejina on the window seat. "Aaaaaahhhh!! Tejina's one of the pod people!" The door slammed behind him and his screams dimmed slightly as he ran downstairs to his parents. "Oh, dear." Hanaki chewed on the end of one of her pig-tails. Tejina laughed until she fell off her bed. ************************ On the one hand, being constantly followed by dwarves that want to steal the Sword of Duality (and thusly ticking off one's dead yet not gone mother-of-all-hallucinations) can be more than a little annoying. On the other hand, they did make it a lot easier to transport equipment. Currently, they were trundling along, buried under a bass drum, a couple of snare drums, and various stands and cymbals. This left Matsuro to lead the way in typical bishounen elegance, unaware of the appreciative glances his progress collected from passing girls (and from other bishounen guys). The dwarves, however, *did* notice, and had a good snicker. Matsuro glanced at the dwarves, as he unlocked the door to his apartment. [Great. Two house-guests, when all I've got is a single room place. What else can go wrong?] He opened the door to his apartment. "KIYAAAAARRRRRRRR!" Matsuro blinked. His apartment appeared completely normal.. except for the fact that the mutilated corpse of his mother was sitting at the kitchen table and sharing a cup of tea with a compacted cube of flesh. His mother's head (it was on the table) smiled. "Welcome home, Matsuro.. your Aunt Ikuko has decided to move in with you for a while.. isn't that nice?" Her body (seated in a chair) poured another cup of tea. Matsuro gritted his teeth. [All right. That's it. This is just going too far.] "I think it's time we had a little *chat* about all of this." Thus, the biggest family quarrel since before Mom died began. Balin and Dalin exchanged a long glance. "So.. why is he yelling at the kitchen table? Is there someone there, or is he nuts?" Balin finally asked. "How should I know? I don't see anything." Dalin grumbled. ************************ "Anyway, Mom and I have lived in America for most of my life. We were on the trail of the Darkverse's evil plots to take over the world via bloated software and an equally bloated purple children's icon. A week ago, she had a premonition that strange things were afoot here in Tokyo, so we caught a flight out here. Two days ago, while investigating the destruction of some place called the Tokyo Legitimate Businessman's Club, she..." Hanaki twisted her hair between the fingers of her left hand and bit her lip. "She what?" Tejina prompted her gently. Hanaki's eyes shimmered slightly, as though she were trying to keep herself from bursting into tears. "She just... disappeared! I was only gone for five minutes, to check out the room below, and when I got back -- she was gone!" "Gone? Were there signs of a struggle?" "No.. nothing. But she would have never just left me there like that!" [Funny, she apparently never had a problem with leaving me to total strangers.] Tejina decided not to repeat that particular thought to her sister. "I don't know what happened. There wasn't the slightest clue at all." "Mm." Tejina stared at Hanaki, whose earlier perkiness seemed to have drained out of her. She slumped on the window seat, a poster child for depressed teens with funky hair. [Should I ask her now? Maybe it'd sort of get her mind off it.] "Hanaki?" "Ngh?" "Why was I put up for adoption?" The purple-haired girl blinked, and visibly snapped back to the present. "I mean, if she took care of you successfully, why did she give me up?" "It was for your protection." Hanaki's eyes focused on some invisible point before her, as though she were remembering a story she had heard often but never expected to tell. "There was only one Princess Amore, heir to Queen Amore. Only one child should have been born." Hanaki leaned forward to stare intently at her sister. "But, somehow, the reincarnated soul of Princess Amore was born into twins. We are *both* the reincarnation of Princess Amore!" "We only have half a soul? Is that even possible?" Tejina chewed on her hair absently. The other girl shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I've read a lot of philosophy about souls -- I don't think anyone else really knows, either. What I do know is that us being born twins freaked the hell out of Mom. She told me that she sat down and thought about it for several weeks. Finally, she decided that it was some sort of sign that we should be kept separated, so that if one of us were to be... killed, there would still be a Princess left to fight." Tejina curled up and rested her hands on her knees. "That's... that's just cold! How could she even think like that? And what was I supposed to be -- bait?" "Mother is, first and last, a tactician fighting against all the powers of darkness. You were supposed to be the one who was to be kept safe. Daisy was told not to approach you, and she certainly wasn't supposed to give you the transformation pen! All she was instructed to do was to watch over you from a distance, and watch out for any unusual youma activity in your vicinity. Mom made the mistake of believing such a simple task would be within the reach of the drunken sot's limited capabilities." "If it was never intended for me to be some warrior against evil, what the heck was I *supposed* to do with my life?!" Hanaki shrugged. "Grow up. Have a job. Get married. Reproduce. The usual stuff, I suppose. The way Mom wanted it set up, you would've only known about the whole Crystal Kingdom and Princess Amore bit if I had been sent to wherever dead Sailor Warriors go." "I guess Daisy can kiss her pension good-bye." "Hah! When Mom finds out, Daisy's going to end up as a pair of gloves and a dish of cat chow mein." ************************ Keiko closed the front door behind her quietly. [Hmm. I'll probably catch hell from my parents for being gone all night. Hmph. Of course, I don't have to worry about it -- if they try to ground me or anything, I'll cast a spell to turn them into living zombies, utter slaves to my every whim!] "O-hohohohohohooo!" Keiko burst into a round of chilling villainess laughter. "My, you're up early on a Sunday, Keiko." Keiko spun around. Her mother was standing right behind her. Mrs. Yamanaka smiled vaguely. "How nice." The older woman straightened her apron and wandered off to the kitchen, humming to herself. Keiko stared after her in disbelief. "They didn't even notice I was gone?! Aaaaaaaaaggggghhhhh!!" "Keiko, please, it's much to early in the morning for screaming." Mr. Yamanaka rustled his newspaper, and settled back at the kitchen table. Keiko glared in the general direction of her parents. [Turn them into living zombies? It'd be a waste of energy!] ************************ The cruise ship gleamed. Perfect and sleek white curves cut into the ocean, and bright banners and flags graced the rigging with brilliant primary colors. People crowded on the dock and on sides of the ship, most waving and cheering madly. Dark Queen Charity glanced at Villyn's profile. [He seems upset, or worried about something.] Randomized panic gripped her, and she wrung her black lacy handkerchief. [I shouldn't have asked him on this cruise, he's probably worried about his daughter... What if something happens to her? He'll hate me forever!!] She bit into the handkerchief out of nervousness. "VILLAIN-SAMA!!" Charity shrieked and jumped. Villyn nearly fell over the railing. He whirled and roared "DON'T **DO** THAT!!" at the offender.. his as-yet-unnamed minion. The minion bowed and scraped repeatedly. "Forgive me Villyn-sama, it was hard to find you in this crowd.. I just wanted to report to you that all your luggage is aboard, just as you commanded us. The others have already returned to your divine household, to watch over Aki-sama as you wished of us." "Very good, my minion." Villyn waved dismissively. "You may go and rejoin your brethren." "That might be somewhat difficult," Charity observed. "Eh? How so, Miss Vengeance?" "You might not have noticed, but the ship just left the dock." "I wanted all five of you to watch over Aki!" Villyn snarled. The as-yet-unnamed minion grinned. "Not to worry, Villyn-sama! Not even the most deadly of oceans can stop me! I shall swim to shore and watch over the divine Aki-sama as you have commanded!" He whirled and dove off the side of the ship. "Hmm. Perhaps I should honor him with a name. What do you think of "The Deep Sea Swimmer," Miss Vengeance?" "It sounds very impressive, Mr. Villyn." She paused, and the two watched as the minion floundered in the waves. Fortunately, someone on shore was handy with tossing life-preservers. "But perhaps it is not entirely accurate?" The pair tiny-sweated as the unconscious minion was hauled out of the bay. ************************ A dark and dramatically garbed stranger scowled at his miso soup, and shoved an offending chunk of tofu out of the way. The view of the white cruise ship dissolved into the usual sight of some shiro-miso broth. "I can't believe it! Doesn't she have any pride in her ancestral heritage? And that guy looks like a complete moron, too!" He slurped his soup noisily, then frowned again. "Something's funny about that cruise ship. I wonder..." He peered into his tea, which darkened briefly, then cleared... ************************ Esjie lounged primly on the great onyx throne in the empty audience chamber of the Black Palace of the Darkverse. The image of a cruise ship flickered within the crystal ball attachment of the throne. He extended a pale hand, in which rested a large, round stone, matte black and smooth. He began to chant softly in a language long dead and forgotten by all but those of the most esoteric and arcane learning. Red flared within the heart of the stone, and extended glowing tendrils into the crystal to weave a net of light around the cruise ship. "Let time and space warp to my whim. Let the Queen and her paramour be bound within A cursed ship, my will shall them send On a journey to danger that shall never end!" Within the crystal, the ship flared red. Esjie permitted himself a small, self-satisfied smile. "That is, without a doubt, some of the worst poetry I've ever had the misfortune to hear." Esjie glared coldly at the silhouette that lounged in the shadows near (but not *too* near) to the throne. "I would suggest you remember that if it were not for my intervention, you would be dead and frozen in a block of crystal." *szzzzzzzzaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh* *FWAP* *szzzzzzzzaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh* *FWAP* The yo-yo flicked within centimeters of the floor before returning to its master's hand. The shadowy figure seemed to smile. "And perhaps you should remember that without me, you could have never have gotten your hands on the Chronos Stone, my dear Maeda." The two exchanged a long, unfriendly look. The dim figure blinked then and said, "Why do I suddenly have a thirst for green tea?" ************************ "Ha! So, he plans a double-cross against the Dark Queen, eh? He's underestimating her if he thinks that will slow her down for long! Mua-hahahaHAAAAAA!!!" The other occupants of the restaurant sweat-dropped in unison. ************************ "Ummm... who cooked this?" Aki sat down at the table for her long-delayed meal, prepared for her by one of her father's Minions. She regarded what was, presumably, something that was once edible. She reluctantly prodded it with a chopstick. It twitched and began to slowly crawl off the plate. The Bluefaced Black Shadow eyed the meal with trepidation. "I think it was Thrakkorzog? Thurston Dunne? Tharz -- whatever his name is. Would you like the rest of us to torture him for his horrible cooking, Aki-sama?" "Umm, no, but thank you." She stared at the meal again. [The really scary thing is that I'm *almost* hungry enough to eat it... Yuck.] "I'll just make something for myself.." "Oh, *no*.. we couldn't possibly let you do anything so boring and time-consuming! I know! I shall fetch the Quake Camper, and he shall cook all the meals for your Holiness!" He dashed off, shouting and trailing strange shadows behind him. Aki shook her head. "He thinks I'm the Pope? Where did Dad *find* these guys?!" "The bottom of the barrel," suggested Charles. The doorbell rang. Aki gratefully left her food to war amongst itself for superiority while she answered the door. As she entered the hall, four voices rang out, from various locations within the house. "I'LL GET IT!!!!!" Aki hastily flattened against the nearest wall as the Minions managed to commit a four-way collision. With a long-suffering sigh, she wended her way past the large, groaning heap of idiots to open the door. "A- Aki-sama..." The as-yet-unnamed minion dripped at her. Aki sweat-dropped. "What happened to you?" "I saw Villyn-sama off successfully.. he and Vengeance-san were doing quite well when the boat left the dock." Aki looked at the minion, the large puddle of salt-water surrounding him, and the rivulets of water that dribbled out of his sodden clothing. "Let me guess. You forgot to get off the boat, and had to swim to shore." The as-yet-unnamed minion gasped in astonishment. Behind Aki, the Bluefaced Black Shadow poked one of his compatriots. "See?" He hissed. "She IS a goddess.. she's even omniscient!" The Blank Psychic looked blank. "Om-what?" Thrakkorzog? Thurston Dunne? Tharz -- whatever his name was, sighed. "It means she knows everything, Blank." "Ha ha HA hA ha HA-HAAA!" The Blank Psychic laughed his disturbing laugh. "Truly, we are blessed by fortune to serve such divine divinity!" "No, wait!" Charles whisper-chirped. "I know where he gets them... Morons 'R Us!" "You might just have something there," Aki agreed. ************************ Charity would be the first to admit than sunlight and Darkverse skin really didn't mix too well. The time Ayesse had come back from his first vacation (to some weird Earth place called "Pensacola") and had spent three weeks in the infirmary until all of his skin grew back had proven that beyond a doubt. However, this wasn't about to stop a Queen of the Darkverse from stretching out for a tan and showing off her best swimsuit. She tipped back her sunglasses to gaze at the sky for a moment. The moon was quite bright tonight, and made it rather difficult to see the stars. She frowned slightly. [Something's not quite right about this... We've been on this cruise for over a week, and the moon's still full? I thought it was supposed to change... Maybe I'm thinking of one of the other planets.] "Villyn-san?" "Yes, Miss Vengeance?" Charity paused briefly to admire the rather nice physique revealed by Villyn's current lack of armor. His swim trunks were cute, too, being black with little evil smiley faces and the words "I will conquer!" embroidered all over the material. "It's a full moon again, tonight. I was wondering --" "Full moon?" Villyn blinked, and grinned. "Oh, of course! A perfect night to go dancing!" "D-dancing?" Charity blushed, all thoughts of weird-details- about-the-ship-didn't-quite-fit completely banished from her mind. "I haven't danced in years." "Then we shall re-learn to dance TOGETHER!" Villyn proclaimed. [Oh, he's sooooo romantic!] ************************ Mondays were the most boring and horrible thing ever invented, Tejina decided. [With the possible exception of the Barney thing,] she admitted to herself. [Hmm. I wonder if I could sucker Hanaki into filling in for me... probably not.] Right now, her mysterious double was roaming about Tokyo, trying to find some clue about her missing mother. Tejina wasn't sure about how she felt about the whole thing yet. Well.. she felt rather surprised about all of it, but not a whole lot else, so far. "Miss Nakao!!" Tejina snapped back to reality. "Ah? Sorry?" "Are you going to hand in your five-page essay on Oda Nobunaga and the victory at Nagashino, or are you going to continue to stare blankly out the window?" [I just *knew* there was something I forgot to do this weekend.] ************************ "I can't believe he grounded me over something as silly as taking one stupid little neuralizer," Becky complained. "It's not like he doesn't have a dozen of them in his briefcase, or something." The band (and Aki) were again relaxing under a large, shady tree with their lunches. [As last seen in #14] At the moment, they were engaged in the age-old one-upmanship of 'Oh yeah? Well, my parents were *twice* as dictatorial!' "They get bent out of shape over the stupidest little things! And then they go and put ofuda on all the doors and windows so I can't sneak out, either!" Kireiko growled. Tejina gave Kireiko a puzzled look. "Since when did you get grounded for staying out all night? You said that you do that sort of thing all the time." "I didn't get it for being out. The old man got all whiny about me 'mouthing off' and 'talking back' and 'being a wiseass' and stuff." "I can't imagine why," Aki said dryly. "Me neither!" Kireiko agreed grouchily. Tejina and Aki tiny-sweated. "How did you escape getting grounded, Tej?" Becky tilted her head to one side. "I thought your parents were going to go ballistic and ground you until you turned thirty again..." "Well, they were.. but Hanaki was with me. They were so shocked that they forgot to ground me." "That whole twin bit seems kind of weird." Aki frowned. Tejina had filled them all in on what the purple-haired girl had said, but not all of it had really made sense. "How could her mother just disappear? Shouldn't she be more powerful, being the reincarnation of a Queen, instead of a Princess? And how in the world can a soul split into two?" "I don't know. My parents confirmed the whole adoption thing, though, so at least that part of what she said is true. I find out that my mother isn't who I thought she was all my life, and that my real mother has been kidnapped, or run away, or I don't know what!" She tugged on one of her pig-tails. "I mean, she could even be dead! I might never even get to meet her." "I don't think that would stop her," Matsuro said morosely. "I think mothers have some secret way of getting around it." Everyone paused to give Matsuro a patented 'You're weird' look. "What happened to you?" Becky looked at the bishounen critically. "You look like you haven't slept at all. Those dwarves getting on your nerves?" "The dwarves aren't any problem. They actually cleaned my place up and cooked real food. It was nice to have a change from instant ramen, for once. One of them said he was going to put up some wallpaper, and the other is sewing new curtains. The bad news is that my Aunt Ikuko decided to move in. I ended up having a huge fight with her and my mother about it." Becky glanced at Matsuro. "Umm.. isn't your mother kind of, well, dead?" "Yeah. So is Aunt Ikuko." Matsuro stared glumly at the ground. The 'You're weird' look circulated amongst the group once more. "So, Aki," Tejina quickly changed the subject, "how's it been with your Dad going on vacation?" "Annoying. Zathras isn't too much of problem, but Dad's minions practically need to be diapered. The one that has that name that begins with a 'T' tried to cook again, and it took Zathras and I half an hour to put the flames out. I've assigned the Quake Camper to guard the kitchen from Thrakkorzog? Thurston Dunne? Tharz -- whatever his name is, so now I have to squeeze past a tent whenever I want to get something out of the fridge. I just hope they're not trying to iron my clothes again while I'm gone. The Blank Psychic melted two of my best sweaters and scorched my favorite pair of jeans already." Tejina winced in sympathy. The loss of a good pair of jeans was truly a horrible thing. "I hate to admit it, but I actually miss having my Dad around. He hasn't even been gone for twenty-four hours yet, and I miss him!" Aki sighed. "It could be worse, though. I don't miss his 'evil' laughter yet." ************************ "MUA-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!" Villyn tossed his head back and laughed madly. He and the Queen (who was garbed in a sort of leather formal -- having one's own sub-dimension for luggage can be a wonderful convenience) stood in the very center of the ship's ballroom. The doors and windows were wide open, letting in the perfumed tropical breezes. "You seem happy, Villyn-san." Charity smiled at him adoringly. [There's just something about a man in a tuxedo...] Villyn grinned and brandished the trophy. The bronzed figures on the top were caught in an eternal waltz. The glittering light of the ballroom gleamed on the engraved words '1st Place, Dance Competition.' "HAhahaa! We defeated all the other couples utterly!" [Other couples? He thinks of us as a couple!] Outwardly, she smiled sweetly and demurely. Inwardly, she was metaphorically opening champagne and doing the Meposian Dance of Joy. "We defeated all our opponents utterly!" He gripped her hands tightly. "Miss Vengeance, together we are unstoppable! No one can defeat us! Thus, I would ask... I would ask that..." "Yes?" Her breath caught in her throat. [Can it be that he'll ask me to.. to..] She swayed dizzily. "I would ask that you --" "ICEBERG!!!!!!" ***KKKKRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNGGGGG!!!!!!!*** ************************ To Be Continued! ************************ OH NO! WILL THE SHIP SINK? WILL VILLYN AND THE DARK QUEEN SURVIVE? WHAT WAS VILLYN ABOUT TO ASK CHARITY? AND WHAT THE HECK IS AN ICEBERG DOING AROUND A CRUISE THROUGH THE TROPICS, ANYWAY? WILL KIREIKO ESCAPE HIS GROUNDING? WILL BECKY DIE OF CLOGGED ARTERIES BEFORE SHE FINISHES HIGH SCHOOL? WILL THE DWARVES PUT UP NICE CHINTZ CURTAINS AT MATSURO'S APARTMENT? WILL YASHA DIE A HORRIBLE DEATH FOR MAKING A REFERENCE TO THE MOST OBNOXIOUS MOVIE MEDIA SENSATION OF '98? IS HANAKI REALLY TEJINA'S TWIN SISTER? WILL THE MYSTERIOUS MOTHER EVER BE FOUND? AND WAS SHE KIDNAPPED, OR DID SHE RUN AWAY FROM HOME? WILL KEIKO AND MATSURO BATTLE EACH OTHER TO THE DEATH ON THE LAST NIGHT OF 1999? OR WILL THEY JUST GO TO PROM TOGETHER? WILL AKI SURVIVE THE CARE OF HER FATHER'S MINIONS? WILL ZATHRAS EVER FIND THE 'ONE'? AND WHY HAVE TWO WEEKS PASSED ON THE SHIP WHEN IT'S ONLY BEEN ONE DAY FOR THE DO-GOODERS? COULD IT HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE CHRONOS STONE? AND WHAT THE HECK IS BARON STAGNER VON CARRLSON'S AIM IN ALL OF THIS? WILL MAYNARD ACHIEVE HIS OBJECTIVE OF WAGING WAR AGAINST SHUB-NIGGURATH, THE BLACK GOAT WITH A THOUSAND YOUNG? OR WILL HIS EMINENCE GROUND HIM UNTIL HE'S 800? HAVE I RUN OUT OF QUESTIONS? YES! WILL ANY OF THE OTHER QUESTIONS BE ANSWERED? FOR THE ANSWER TO THAT, YOU'LL HAVE TO LOOK TO JONATAN STREITH, THE AUTHOR OF THE NEXT ASTOUNDING INSTALLMENT OF THE DO-GOODERS! ************************ Author's Notes -- Wai! This episode was a blast.. I *wanted* to write more, but I don't think I could've come up with a better cut-off point than that for the ship... Comments and Criticisms are, as always, welcome. Now I just have to get the deathly urge to fan-art out of my system. Ja ne! --------------------- C. DeBartolo "Yasha" ICQ: 28165157 ryuuyasha@telebot.net http://www.bigfoot.com/~ryuuyasha ON-LINE MANGA AND ART!