Vuudu lay on his back, and stared at the ceiling.
    A figure slipped into the bed and snuggled up to him.
    "Ne...you're preoccupied, Vuudu-chan," Malaise said.
    Vuudu looked at his androgynous companion, and smiled.  "I'm sorry."
    Malaise smiled back.  "It's okay.  ...Tell me what's bothering you,
though."
    Vuudu reached out to idly stroke Malaise's pink hair.  "Well...it's the
Queen.  You know she hasn't been the same since she came back from Earth."
    There was silence for a moment.  Then Malaise asked, "Should we do
something about it?"
    Vuudu sighed.  "I don't know.  Would it be overstepping our bounds?..."
    Malaise lifted his/her head.  "Hey, I know!"
    "Hm?"
    "Why not do a prediction, or ask the tarot cards or something?"
    Vuudu rubbed his chin.  "Hmmm...actually, that's probably a good idea."
He reached over to a table beside the bed, while Malaise laid his/her head
back down.  "Ah!  Here we go!"
    "What are those, Vuudu-chan?"
    "Rune stones," Vuudu smiled.  He held the bag in the air with two hands,
and shook it.  "Oh mystic stones, guide us to an understanding of the troubles
of our unfortunate Queen."  Vuudu set the bag on his chest, and opened it.
"The first will show the Queen's past, the second her present, and the fourth
will guide us to the right path for her future.  Here, you pick, dear."
    Malaise smiled, and reached out to rummage in the bag.  After a moment,
he/she came up with a stone, and showed it to the astrologer.
    Vuudu's eyes widened.  "Peorth, reversed.  That usually means that a dark
secret has been revealed."
    Malaise looked at him.  "So that's why she's upset?"
    "It could be," Vuudu said, frowning.  "Go on and pick the one for the
present."
    Malaise searched in the bag some more, and came up with another stone.
    "Th, the Thorn," Vuudu said.  "Challenges and hardships.  Well, that seems
accurate."
    "Wow, you're so talented, Vuudu-chan," Malaise said, eyes sparkly.
    Vuudu smiled gently.  "Flatterer.  ...But there's one more rune, and this
one will show us what we need to do."
    "All right."  Malaise took a final rune out of the bag.  Vuudu stared at
it.
    "Mann," he said.
    Malaise blinked.  "What does that mean?"
    "It means she won't be able to take care of things herself," Vuudu said.
"She needs help."  He put the bag of stones back on the table, and sat up, the
sheet sliding down to his waist.
    Malaise sat up as well, sheet clasped demurely to his/her chest.  "So,
what does that mean?"
    Vuudu ran his hand through his hair.  "It means we're going to go help
her."
    Malaise stared, as the room seemed to go all pink and hazy.  [He's so...
so...so BISHOUNEN!]  The androgynous High General tackled Vuudu back down to
the bed.
    "Oof!...Malaise, what--"
    "We can help her...afterwards!"
    "...*Again*?"

=====


                             DO-GOODERS

                   The Proactive Teen Superhero Team
                  With One X Somewhere In Their Title

                 A FanArt HQ / Spoof Chase ImproFanfic
                   http://pixelscapes.com/improfanfic

                   Episode Thirty-four:
                   Destiny! The nature of villains!

                 by John Evans (jevans@datablast.net)

                  Do-Gooders started by Stefan Gagne

                 "One more date, and we would have had
                  a Greek tragedy on our hands!"
                               --Soap Dish 

=====

    Aki stared.
    "My *what*?"
    "Brother.  Twin brother, actually," Villyn exposited.  "I never told you
because...I thought you were too young.  But now..."  He sighed.
    "My *brother*?  He can't be my brother.  What are you talking about?"  Aki
backed over to a couch and sat down, still staring at her father.
    Villyn looked at her mournfully.  "It's true."
    "But I only just met him a few weeks ago!  And now you're telling me he's
my *brother*?  That's...that's nuts!"  Aki started laughing, then stopped when
she heard hysteria in her voice.
    Villyn eyed her.  "Are you all right, dear?"
    "No, I'm *not* all right!" Aki snapped.  "How am I supposed to feel?  How
do I even know you're not lying to me?"
    Villyn sighed again.  "I'm sorry...for not telling you earlier.  I always
thought you were too young...But I wouldn't lie to you, Aki-chan.  You're all
I have..."  He smiled, then blinked.  "Oh!  I almost forgot."  Villyn took a
wallet from a pocket of his armor, and flipped it open, then extended it
toward his daughter.
    Aki stared.  She saw a picture of Villyn and her mother, smiling over two
babies.  One was her, and the other she could all too easily believe was
Matsuro.
    "But...this can't be," Aki said.  "I mean...Matsuro...I mean, we
almost..."
    "Almost what?" Villyn asked curiously.
    Aki shuddered.  "Nothing.  No, nothing at all."
    Villyn sat down beside his daughter.  "I know this must be hard,
Aki-chan...but I think it's better that you know, now...don't you think?"
    Aki shuddered again.  "Uh...yeah.  It is better..."
    Villyn smiled.  "Now...do you want to talk about it, maybe?"
    Aki shook her head.
    "Well...if you do, just let me know."  He stood up.
    "I think our group sessions will get a lot more interesting now," Aki
said, almost but not quite laughing.
    "Oh, but we aren't going to those anymore," Villyn replied.
    Aki stared at her father again.  "What?"
    "That's right.  Here..."  Villyn rummaged around a pile of bills, and
found a letter which he handed to Aki.  She quickly scanned it.
    "Daddy, it says all the people in our group rescheduled to other
sessions, so it was cancelled!"
    Villyn peered over her shoulder.  "Why, so it does."
    "And why do you think that is?" Aki snapped.
    Villyn blinked.  "I don't know...they all had some anime they wanted to
watch that night?"
    Aki sighed.  "We'll have to sign up for another session."
    "But Aki-chan..."
    "DADDY!"
    Villyn looked at the floor.  "Well...if you say we do..."
    Aki sighed.  "Now don't get all depressed again, Daddy."
    Villyn looked mournful.  "But..."
    Aki took a deep breath.  "I think you should have told me about my brother
a long time ago.  But that's okay, I can deal with it.  ...Now we're going to
sign up for more group sessions, and talk about things...and things will go
back to normal.  ...Right?"
    Villyn smiled, a little.  "...All right, Aki-chan."
    "Good."  Aki stared off into space.  "...Now...I need some time to think
about this."
    Villyn nodded.  "I understand."  He walked over to a table upon which an
odd bit of machinery was positioned.  "If only my darling Natsuko was here,"
he sighed.
    There was a moment of silence.
    "Daddy," Aki said levelly.
    "Yes, dear?"
    "Mom's name was Akemi."
    Villyn looked back at his daughter.  "That's right..."
    "So who's 'Natsuko'?"
    Villyn blinked.  "I never told you about Natsuko?"
    "No, you never told me about Natsuko!" Aki yelled.
    Villyn looked off into space.  "She was someone I met one summer, many
years ago," he said.  "She was so kind, and gentle...but there was an
accident, and she passed away."  He smiled sadly.  "So you see, there wasn't
much reason to tell you."
    "...oh.  ...I see."  Aki blinked...then frowned.  "...How many wives have
you *had*, Daddy?"
    Villyn rubbed his chin.  "Well, Akemi, and Natsuko...and Haruka.  But she
was a long time ago.  ...And that's it, really."
    Aki stared.  Then, after a moment, she got up and walked to the stairs.
"I'm going to sleep until next morning."
    "Don't you want dinner, dear?" Villyn called after her.
    "I'm not hungry."
    Villyn watched his daughter climb the stairs, then shrugged, and looked
back to the robot on his table.  He then picked up the phone, dialed, and
waited.  "...Ah!  Hello, Mad Scientists' League of Japan?  Yes...Could I speak
to 'Fifi'?"

=====

    V gracefully tossed cards across the table.  "Five card draw, J's and K's
wild.  Ante up, gentlemen."  He set the deck down, and looked at his cards
with an impenetrable poker face.
    "I'm in for...seven fifty-three," Kireiko's father said, tossing in chips.
    Mr. Nakao groaned.  "Can't you ever stop being an accountant, Choji?"
    Kireiko's father grinned.  "No more than you can stop being a lawyer."
    "I should have set some rule about betting amounts," Tejina's father
grumbled.  "All right, I call."  He carefully counted out seven hundred,
fifty-three yen.
    "I raise forty-seven yen," Mr. Yamanaka said, and put in eight hundred.
    "All right, then, eight hundred," V said, his expression unchanging.  "So
how's things on the home front, gentlemen?"
    "Awful," Mr. Nakao affirmed.  "Tejina's long-lost twin daughter is staying
with us now.  Another mouth to feed..."
    "It's not like you can't spare the money, though, is it, Toshi?" Kireiko's
father asked.
    "It's the principle of the thing," Mr. Nakao snapped.
    "Hm.  Oh well, I raise thirty-seven yen."
    Tejina's father stared, then threw his cards down.  "I fold."
    "I raise thirteen," Mr. Yamanaka said.
    "I call."  V tossed a fifty-yen coin.
    Kireiko's father rubbed his chin for a few moments, then said, "I call,"
and counted out some coins.
    "How many, Choji?" V asked.
    "Two.  Well, Kireiko's giving us trouble as always.  I can't decide
whether it's his oni heritage or just being a teenager, but he keeps wising
off."
    "I'd say being a teenager," V said, handing him a card.  "Becky's a bit
like that too."  He sighed.  "Just like her mother..."
    "I'd like one," Mr. Yamanaka said.
    V threw him a card.  "Dealer takes three.  How's your daughter doing,
then, Yamanaka-san?"
    "Oh, our Keiko never gives us any problems," he said, smiling.  "We're
very proud of her."
    "One hundred seventy-six," Kireiko's father said, counting out the coins.
    "Tejina's the same way," Mr. Nakao said, still frowning.  "Always talking
back to us.  But I think it's just a phase.  Actually, with all the stuff
she's had to go through recently, the wising off is reassuringly normal."
    "I raise twenty-four," Keiko's father said, setting down a twenty-five yen
coin and taking a single yen back.
    V sat silent for a moment, then put in five hundred yen.  "I raise three
hundred."
    Tejina's father snickered.  After a few moments, Kireiko's father sighed,
and set down his cards.  "I fold."
    V looked at Keiko's father.  "To you, Yamanaka-san."
    "I call."  He put in a few bills.
    V looked at his cards again.  "Well...let's show 'em."  He set his cards
down, face up.  "Two pair, queens and tens."
    Kireiko's father stared.  "I had three of a kind!"
    Tejina's father snickered again.
    V smiled, just a little.  "Sorry, Choji.  Better luck next time."
    "Four sevens," Mr. Yamanaka said.
    They all looked at him.
    Mr. Yamanaka smiled, and raked in the money.  "Whose deal is it now?"
    "Mine," Kireiko's father said, shuffling.
    The other three men ducked reflexively.

=====

    Spike crouched in a bush, watching.  He could hear his prey approaching...
But more than that, he could *feel* her, sense the pulse of her strong young
heart...
    He licked his lips in anticipation.  She was almost close enough.  A few
more steps...two...one...
    Spike darted out, hardly making a sound--
    Pain flared in his side.  Out of reflex, Spike rolled away from the blow,
then sprang to his feet to confront his attacker.
    The girl stood with a small smile on her face...holding a rather large
sword.
    "Well, well!  A vampire!  I don't suppose you'd want to give me some of
your blood?"
    Spike scratched his head.  "Pardon me, but I think that's supposed to be
*my* line, miss."
    She leveled her sword at him.  "But I've heard that vampire blood is quite
powerful.  I'm something of a sorceress, you see."  She tossed her hair.
    Spike felt a chill where his heart used to be, and started to edge away.
"Ah...that's very interesting, miss.  But...I just remembered a rather
pressing appointment, and..."
    "Mmmm...no, I don't think you should leave yet."  Suddenly she pounced
forward.
    Spike ran.

=====

    Keiko ran after him for a few meters, then stopped and bent over, trying
to catch her breath and stop laughing at the same time.

=====

    Aki walked over to Matsuro.  "Matsuro...we can't be married.  I'm your
sister!"
    "Aki!" Matsuro said dramatically, holding her shoulders.
    "You'll just have to go out with Keiko," Aki continued.
    "No!" Keiko said.  "It turns out that I'm his sister too!"
    "Keiko!" Matsuro cried, holding his head.
    "But it turns out that I'm your sister too!" Tejina said, appearing from
nowhere.
    "That's right!" Ayame said.  "You're all my children!"
    "And you're all my sisters too!" some guy in a hat said, followed by a
bunch of girls with pink hair.
    "But my mother's dead!" Matsuro yelled.
    "That's not your real mother!" Ayame replied.  "I am she!  And your real
father is--"
    "Yo!" Kireiko's father said.
    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
    Aki sat bolt upright in her bed, and panted.
    "I thought Matsuro was supposed to be the one with bad dreams," she
muttered.

=====

    Blood.  Fire.  A desert.  A globe.  A cracked earth...
    "You must choose," a voice thundered.  He looked up and saw...Villyn's
face, looking sad.
    "Choose," it said.  "And the world will hinge on the choice..."
    Thousands of screaming dragons filled the sky.
    "AAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGHH!!!"
    He sat up in bed, panting.
    The Bluefaced Black Shadow walked over.  "Say...you all right there?"
    T-kun nodded, and ran his hand through his hair.  "Yeah...just a...bad
dream, I guess."
    "Ah," the BBS said sagely.  "Well, come on and get up, it's morning.  Time
to start the," he shuddered, "day."

=====

    Vuudu and Malaise appeared in the Darkverse throne room, amidst a shower
of intertwined ticker tape and biorhythm charts.
    Vuudu looked around.  "Strange...I thought she'd be here."
    Malaise prodded at the palm tree.  "I still don't know why this thing is
here."  He/she yawned.  "Ne, Vuudu-chan, it's too early for this.  Let's go
back to bed."
    Vuudu chuckled.  "Well, maybe if I thought you'd actually want to sleep."
He grinned, as Malaise blushed.  "But the yarrow sticks say now is a good time
to look for the Queen.  ...Except that she's not here, so I guess we have to
go somewhere else."
    Vuudu extended his hand.  Malaise took it, and they vanished.

=====

    Aki yawned, and entered her classroom.  "Good morning, everyone."
    A few random students said hello to her as she walked over to her desk.
    And stared.
    The girl with orange hair blinked.  "You!"
    "You!" Aki said.
    "Hi there," Mermaid said, waving.  "Didn't we see you at the audition?"
    "You were one of those fighting us!" Koohii said indignantly.
    "But you started it," Aki said, warily edging toward her seat.
    "No we didn't!  You--"  Koohii blinked.  "Did we?"  She turned her head.
"Ne, Scotch, did we start the fight, or did they?"
    Scotch shrugged.  "I dunno."
    Aki sat down.  "Well...I don't want to fight now.  I just want to learn,
okay?"
    Koohii frowned, then shrugged.  "Whatever.  We'll beat the Do-Gooders at
the Music Festival this weekend, anyway."
    "...So you got in?" Aki asked.
    Koohii nodded happily, her hair bouncing.  "Yeah!  We got in!  And you
guys got in too, so we can face each other!"
    "I'm not actually *in* the band," Aki said, trying to resist the urge to
sweatdrop.
    Koohii shrugged.  "Well, whatever."  She frowned.  "I didn't recognize you
from this class, though, when I saw you."
    Aki nodded.  "Yeah...I didn't recognize you either."
    Koohii's eyes started to fill with tears.  "I'm not memorable enough!...
How can I be a pop idol if no one recognizes me?  Ne, Mermaid!  Should I dye
my hair again?"
    Aki gave in and a small drop of sweat broke out on her head.  "Um...no,
you're memorable.  It's just that now you're wearing a school uniform, and
then you were wearing that...interesting suit, so..."
    "...Oh!" Koohii said.  "So this uniform isn't memorable!  Well, that's
understandable."  She giggled.
    "...Yeah," Aki affirmed.
    "Now, class, quiet down," the teacher said, at the front of the room.  As
soon as the class quieted down, he continued.  "Now, we have a new student
here today, so I'd like you all to make him welcome."  He gestured to a boy
with blue hair, standing at the front of the room.
    The boy bowed.  "Good morning.  My name is Takezawa Hiryuu.  It's a
pleasure to meet you."  His eyes roved over the class...then stopped when they
got to Aki and Koohii.
    Aki blinked.  [Is he looking at me?...I don't recognize him...]
    "There's a seat right there, next to Villyn-san," the teacher said.
Hiryuu bowed, and walked to the seat, which was right between Koohii and Aki.
He glared stonily at the Dragons for a moment, then looked at Aki and gave a
slight bow of his head.
    Aki returned the bow, feeling another sweatdrop coming on.  [Now what...]

=====

    "And we have a new student in class today," the teacher said.  
    The blond-haired girl bowed.  "Greetings.  My name is Hanamichi Mariko."
    "There's a seat next to Nakao-san," the teacher said, pointing.  "Go on
and sit down, and we can start the lesson."
    Tejina nodded at the girl, as she sat down next to her.  Then she went
back to playing with her now shoulder-length hair, and thinking about all that
had happened recently.
    "Hey..."
    Tejina blinked, and looked over at Mariko.  Mariko made a motion with her
head.  "Who's that girl?" she whispered.
    Tejina looked over, and realized she probably meant Keiko.  Keiko sat on
the other side of the classroom, in her black uniform, and seemed to be taking
notes...or perhaps doodling.
    Tejina glanced at the teacher, who was writing on the board.  "The one in
black?" she whispered.
    Mariko nodded.
    "Yamanaka Keiko," Tejina whispered.
    Mariko stared across the room.  "Can you tell me..."
    Tejina blinked.
    Mariko noticed Tejina's expression, and seemed to...blush a little?  "Um,
can you tell me how she gets to wear that?"
    Tejina rubbed the back of her head.  "Well...anyone who says anything to
her about it, gets thrown out of a window."
    Mariko...smiled.  "Really..."

=====

    "So, don't you think that's interesting, Matsuro?" Hanaki squealed.
    Matsuro shrugged.
    After a moment, Hanaki slumped back in her seat.  "I wish I was in
Tejina's class..."
    "Sorry," Matsuro said.
    "Oh, no!  I didn't mean it like that!" Hanaki said quickly.  "It's just...
well, I don't mean to sound offensive or anything, Matsuro, but...your and my
personalities don't seem to get along."
    Matsuro almost smiled.  "Really."
    "Yeah.  I'm sorry, but I find it hard to talk to you.  Not like I can talk
to most people."
    "I see," Matsuro said.
    "I mean," Hanaki chattered on, "You need someone who'll appreciate your
cool bishounen silence.  Like Keiko!  You two are so cute together!"
    Matsuro ran his hand through his hair.  "Thanks."
    Hanaki beamed.  "I hope you get to go out some more!"
    "Now, settle down, class," the teacher said, standing in front of the
blackboard.  "We have a new student today, so let's all make sure she feels
right at home.  Introduce yourself, dear."
    The girl with short brown hair bowed.  "I'm Mochizuki Yaki."
    The teacher waited, but nothing more was forthcoming.  "Uh...okay, dear.
Why don't you go ahead and sit behind Shirokaze-san, there."  Yaki nodded, and
walked over to sit down behind Hanaki, which put her next to Matsuro.
    Hanaki turned around and smiled.  "Hi there!  I'm Hanaki!  You can call me
Han if you want."
    Yaki stared at her.  "...I see.  ...Hello, Hanaki."
    Hanaki's expression got just a little bit less smiley.  "Well...I hope we
can have a fun year together."
    "I doubt it," Yaki said.
    Hanaki frowned.  "...You're as bad as Matsuro."  She threw a glance at
Matsuro, then turned around and faced the board with a 'hmph'.
    Yaki looked over at Matsuro.  Matsuro nodded.  Yaki nodded back.  They
both looked back at the board.
    Yaki felt a blush creeping onto her cheeks, and scowled.

=====

    And somewhere in the back of the classroom, a girl with short magenta hair
noted Yaki's reaction with interest.

=====

    "...So, why don't you introduce yourself."
    "Hello everyone!  My name's Nishiyama Yumeki!"  She smiled brightly.
    "All right, fine," the teacher said, frowning.  "Go and sit down...in that
empty seat over there, and we can start the lesson."
    Kireiko watched the girl walk down the aisle toward the empty seat behind
him.  She smiled at him, and he grinned back.  She slipped into the desk, and
he went back to watching the lesson and trying to stay awake.
    "Hey."
    Kireiko made sure the teacher was engrossed in the blackboard, and looked
behind him.
    "Is he always this boring?" Yumeki whispered.
    Kireiko rolled his eyes and nodded, then grinned sympathetically, and
looked back.
    After a moment he felt something on his shoulder.  He reached back and
felt a note.  At that moment the teacher turned and glared at the class
suspiciously, so he smoothly scratched his shoulder.
    When the teacher turned back, Kireiko opened the note.  It said:
    *Know any good dirty jokes?*
    He blinked.

=====

    Becky stared at the blackboard, and tried not to yawn.
    Class was always so boring.  She had no one to talk to, and there were
never any interesting things happening, like transfer students coming in.
    Becky let her gaze rove around the class room.  She noticed Koji looking
at her, from a couple seats away, and smiled at him.  He smiled back, a bit
shyly.
    Becky sighed, and returned to her doodling.  In the margins of her history
notes, an army of tiny little girls in sailor uniforms warred against a cadre
of SD women in black suits...

=====

    The women mixed the mahjongg tiles, producing a soothing clatter.
    "It's been too long since we did this," Mrs. Anderson said while they set
up.
    "Well, you've had so much work to do until recently," Kireiko's mother
said gently.
    "And so have I," Mrs. Nakao said.  "Still, it is nice to do it again.  My
deal then?"
    "We didn't decide whose deal it would be," Mrs. Anderson said, grinning,
"but you can have it, Fumie."
    Kireiko's mother nodded.  "Yes, go ahead."
    Mrs. Nakao grinned.  "All right, then."  She dealt out the tiles, then
drew one.  "...Damn."  She plunked down another tile in the middle of the
table.
    "Has work been hard, then?" Kireiko's mother asked.
    "Not really," Tejina's mother admitted.  "Just long.  What's really been
strange lately is how Tejina's biological mother and long-lost twin sister
appeared out of nowhere.  And we hadn't even told her she was adopted..."
    Mrs. Anderson blinked.  "Wow.  That's a lot to handle."
    Mrs. Nakao nodded grimly.
    "I almost feel like I don't have a right to complain," Kireiko's mother
said, drawing a tile.
    Mrs. Nakao chuckled.  "Oh, go ahead, Atsuko.  I'm used to complaining,
you know.  Or did you forget I was a lawyer?"
    The women laughed.  "Well, all right," Kireiko's mother smiled.  "Kireiko
keeps going out as an oni.  I'm afraid someone's going to mistake him for an
evil creature, and do something violent..."
    Becky's mother nodded.  "Yeah, I don't think they understand that we worry
because we *care*.  They just talk back to us."  She drew a tile, scowled at
it, and tossed another back.  "Becky's just like her father, in that
respect..."
    Mrs. Nakao nodded.  "Children never seem to understand that..."  She set a
tile down in front of her.
    "Ron."
    The three women blinked, and turned.
    The fourth player revealed her tiles, blushing a little.
    "That's a very lucky hand, Yamanaka-san," Kireiko's mother said.
    "Thank you," Keiko's mother murmured.
    "Damn," Mrs. Nakao muttered.  "Well, it's your deal next."
    "Are you getting along with your daughter, Yamanaka-san?" Kireiko's mother
asked.
    Mrs. Yamanaka smiled.  "Oh, yes.  She has lots of friends, and goes out to
do things with them a lot, and I think she even has a boyfriend now.  We're
very proud of her."
    Kireiko's mother smiled.  "Well, that's very nice."
    "And who is this boyfriend?" Mrs. Anderson asked with a raised eyebrow,
and glance at Kireiko's mother.
    Keiko's mother looked down.  "Well, I don't know if it's *official* or
anything, you know...but Keiko does seem quite taken with that nice Matsuro
boy."
    Mrs. Anderson nodded and made 'Ah' noises.
    "Damn," Tejina's mother muttered again, counting out money.  "I should
know better than to gamble like this."

=====

    With a *poof* of random objects, Malaise and Vuudu appeared in a room
they'd never seen before.  It was a bit larger than Vuudu's quarters, but
felt smaller because it was crammed with...*stuff*.  Half of the stuff seemed
to be toys or games of some kind...hula hoops, chessboards, stacks of decks of
cards, Lego sets, tiny little puzzles that you had to shake in a certain way
so little metal balls would roll into holes, super bouncy balls, go sets,
Rubik's cubes, kendama and dozens of yo-yos.  The other half of the stuff
was...stuff, seemingly chosen at random; Vuudu noticed a suit of armor, a hat
stand hung with pendants, a stack of videotapes of some kind, a pile of
cables, a few rolled-up posters, a Mr. Socko T-shirt draped over a metal post
of some kind, a Tifa action figure, sketches of various Darkverse personages,
a stack of CDs (or was it CD-ROMs?), a small stuffed bear showing signs of
wear, a desk piled so high with office supplies that it was probably
impossible to actually get any work done on it, a papier-mache donkey's head,
a lot of unlabeled cardboard boxes of various shapes and sizes and, oddly
enough, a sailor fuku on a hanger.
    Vuudu looked around.  "That's funny, the cards said to go this way..."
    "Well, this is interesting.  What are you two doing here, in my room?"
    Vuudu and Malaise turned to see Sohkoh sitting nearby, idly yo-yoing.
    Vuudu sweated a little.  "Er, I'm sorry, Sohkoh, I didn't mean to barge in
like this..."
    "Don't worry about it," Sohkoh replied.  "I'm bored enough to forgive just
about anything at the moment."
    Malaise looked around with interest.  "Wow, what an impressive...
collection, Sohkoh-san," the androgynous General noted.
    Sohkoh grinned.  "Just a few things I threw together.  So what brings you
two to my humble abode?"
    "We're looking for the Queen," Vuudu said.
    Sohkoh raised an eyebrow.  "Why would she be *here*?"
    "You've got everything *else* here," Malaise noted.
    Vuudu rubbed the back of his head.  "I'm sorry, it's just that the cards
said to go here..."
    "Ah, the *cards*.  Of course."  Sohkoh rolled his eyes.  "The Queen should
have fired you a long time ago.  I don't know why she hasn't..."
    Malaise stepped forward, eyes flashing.  "You take that back!"
    Vuudu, who had been about to respond, quickly put his hand on Malaise's
shoulder.  "Now, now, dear, it's just words."
    "Yeah, just like your predictions."  Sohkoh grinned.  "Hey, I know.  How
about a bet, astrologer?  Might stave off my boredom for a while."
    Vuudu was silent for a moment.  "What sort of bet do you mean?"
    "Hmmm."  Sohkoh stopped yo-yoing, and leaned forward to peer at Vuudu.
"I'll bet you 500 green crystals that Esjie escapes, sometime in the next 3
days."
    Malaise swelled in rage.  "Five hundred--"
    Vuudu cut Malaise off with a gesture.  "That's okay, Malaise.  I can
handle this."  He rubbed his chin.  "I'll have to consult the cards, of
course."
    "By all means."  Sohkoh's eyes glittered.
    Vuudu took out his favorite deck of tarot cards, shuffled, repeated a few
mystical formulas, and pulled one out.
    He stared at it.
    "Well?" Sohkoh said after a moment, frowning.
    "...er..."
    "What is it, Vuudu-chan?" Malaise asked.
    Vuudu rubbed his chin some more.  "...er...so let me get this straight.
If Esjie escapes from his crystal...some time between now and 3 days from
now...you win.  If not, I win.  Is that it?"
    "If you want to nail it down, yeah," Sohkoh said.
    "...All right, it's a bet.  Five hundred green crystals."
    "But Vuudu--" Malaise began.
    Vuudu looked at Malaise, and smiled.  Malaise's eyes got all sparkly.
    "Shake on it, then," Sohkoh said.  The two Generals shook hands, and
Sohkoh grinned.
    "You wouldn't, perhaps, be thinking of assisting in any sort of escape...
Would you, Sohkoh?" Vuudu asked, frowning.
    Sohkoh snorted.  "The Queen's already annoyed enough at me.  Even five
hundred isn't worth following our esteemed Supreme General into the Sleep."
    "Well, good."  Vuudu thought for a moment.  "Now, do you have any idea
where we might find the Queen?"
    "No," Sohkoh said, starting to yo-yo again.  "Why not go ask Ayesse?  He
seemed rather shifty-eyed last I saw him."
    "Hmmm," Vuudu hmmmed.  "Well, perhaps we will.  Take care, Sohkoh."  He
bowed, as did Malaise, though grudgingly in the latter's case.
    "Drop by anytime," Sohkoh said lazily.  He continued yo-yoing as the two
Generals vanished, their telout objects adding to the general clutter.
    Sohkoh grinned to himself.  "He doesn't need any of *my* help.  You can't
keep a good evil down."

=====

    "any threes?"
    "Go Fish."
    "damn!"  His Eminence drew a card.
    "Any fours?" Jodi Foster asked.
    "gO fISh," Brother Maynard replied.
    "Oh well.  ...Hey, these cards are all slimy!"
    "sorry."
    "Do yOu hAVE anY sEvEns, BroTHeR tArO?" Maynard asked the cultist to his
left.
    "Um, go fish," Brother Taro said.
    "yEah yEah.  hEy, i gOT nINEs."  Brother Maynard put down four cards.
    "So is this all you guys do?" Jodi Foster asked.
    "we also hatch plots to take over the world," His Eminence said.
    "...I...see.  ...You know, you hear about evil cults all the time, but the
reality is somehow...disappointing."
    "wE cOUlD plAy oLd mAiD," Brother Maynard said.
    Jodi Foster regarded Maynard levelly.  "Was that some sort of crack,
you...you?"
    "oF coUrSe nOt, miSS fOstEr."  It was hard to tell, but there was a
certain air of smugness about the entity formerly known as Brother Maynard.
    "I could call Ron again," Jodi Foster said warningly.
    Brother Maynard seemed to shrink a little.  "...soRrY, miSS fOstEr."
    "That's better."  She looked at the only other human in the room.  "Isn't
it your turn, son?"
    "Um...any twos?" Brother Taro said nervously to the entity on his right.
    "dAmN."  Brother Maynard handed over some cards.
    "Um...I'm out."  Brother Taro set down his cards.
    There was a pause.
    "hEY!  yOu saId yOu diDN't haVe aNy TwoS A coUPlE tUrNs AGo!"
    Brother Taro sweated.  "Um, but that was a couple of turns ago..."
    "ChEAtER!"  Brother Maynard grabbed Taro by the front of his cheap robes,
and threw him into the approaching Brother Knoll.  The tray of snacks the
unfortunate Knoll was carrying was sent flying.
    "dammit maynard!  i was looking forward to those dayglo orange cheese
crackers!"  His Eminence sighed.  "being evil isn't what it used to be."

=====

    In a hall outside a certain classroom, a confrontation between two
powerful reptiles was taking place.
    "So, after all this time, we meet again, Yoru," the lizard hissed.
    The snake pulled its coils tighter, raising its head.  "I expected to see
you again, Kahi."
    "And I you.  How is your work progressing?"
    "I have found Darkness," the snake said.  "But she is not coming along as
quickly as we might hope."
    The lizard's tongue flickered between its lips.  "That is...unfortunate.
My charges are doing quite well."
    "How glad I am for you," the snake replied, no emotion in its voice.  "So
lucky, you were, to find three of them so close together, while I have only
one."
    "Fate works in strange ways."
    "So it seems."  The advisors studied each other with cold-blooded
patience.  "We have worked well together, in the past, have we not, Kahi?" the
snake asked, shifting its coils.
    "Indeed," the lizard said, edging to the side.
    "It would be...unfortunate, if we had to work at cross purposes now."
    "It would.  But it might be necessary.  After all, we are only advisors to
our charges."  The tongue flickered again.  "We cannot...order them around."
    "Of course."
    They stared at each other some more.
    "I believe we both understand the situation enough, that nothing else
needs to be said," the snake concluded.
    "I concur," the lizard said, backing away.  "Now things must unfold at
their own pace."
    "And yet," the snake mused half to itself, "If we truly desire our
objectives, we must act.  Advise, as we always have.  Some things will not
happen without a push of some kind..."

=====

    "So we can't ask the school," the assistant coach said.
    "No, they're already over budget," the coach said.
    "And we can't ask the kid or any of his friends or parents."
    "Nope..."
    "Maybe we can get a corporate sponsor?"
    "For a high school American football team, in Japan?"
    The assistant coach sighed.  "Okay...I saw a book about winning at
pachinko once..."
    The coach rolled his eyes.  "Oh, you gotta be kidding me."
    "Well, how else are we going to get money for a new field?" the assistant
coach asked, angrily.  "Rob a bank?"
    The coach paused a moment, then rubbed his chin.  "Hmmm..."

=====

    Lunch time rolled around, and Tejina, Kireiko, Hanaki and Becky gathered
for their traditional noontime meal and exposition.
    "I heard you got sent to stand in the hall, Kireiko," Tejina said.  "What
was it for this time?"
    "Well...*this* time, it wasn't really my fault," Kireiko said, scowling.
    "Oh?"  Tejina raised an eyebrow, and took a sip from a can of tea.
    "Yeah.  It was really the fault of this girl who transferred in, Yumeki,
she was sitting behind me."
    "And what was she doing?" Becky asked.
    Kireiko rubbed the back of his head.  "Well...telling jokes."
    Tejina and Becky looked at each other.  "And were you doing anything?"
Tejina asked.
    "Well...I guess I was sorta laughing at them."
    "Ah, laughing in class."  Tejina nodded sagely.  "That's definitely not
something students should be doing."
    Becky giggled.  "Ne, Kireiko, can you tell us any of the jokes?"
    Kireiko blinked.  "Uh...what?"
    "Well, obviously you thought they were funny."
    "Uh...I don't remember them," Kireiko lied.
    "Oh.  Oh well..."
    "Ne, Kireiko."  Hanaki poked Kireiko gently in the side.
    "Ack!  What is it, Hanaki?"
    "We're still on for that movie today, aren't we?"  Hanaki's eyes glittered
dangerously.
    Kireiko blinked.  "Of course we are.  ...Wait, are you jealous?"
    Hanaki looked away quickly.  "No, of course not!"
    Kireiko laughed.  "You are!  You're jealous!"
    "BAKA!"  Hanaki smacked Kireiko on the back the head.
    "Ow!..."
    "We had a student transfer in today too," Tejina said, a sweatdrop
threatening on her head.
    "Aw...nothing ever happens in my class."  Becky pouted.
    "Hey, guys," Keiko said, sitting down near Becky.
    "Hi Keiko," Becky said cheerfully.  Yoru, on Keiko's shoulder, hissed at
her.
    Hanaki shivered visibly, and Keiko frowned at her.  "Oh, I'm sorry,
Keiko," she said quickly.  "It's just...well, I'm afraid of snakes."  She
looked down.
    "Don't worry, Hanaki," Kireiko said, "I'll protect you from the big nasty
snake."
    "Baka!"  Hanaki poked Kireiko again, who winced.
    "Oh, don't worry, Hanaki," Keiko said.  "Yoru won't hurt anyone.  Will
you, Yoru?"
    "Of course not," Yoru hissed.
    Tejina, Kireiko, Hanaki and Becky all stared.
    Keiko blinked.  "What?"
    "Keiko...your snake talked," Tejina said.
    Keiko looked at the snake.  "Well, of course.  He's my advisor.  ...Didn't
I tell you about that?"
    Tejina, Kireiko, Hanaki and Becky all blinked.
    "Oh.  Well, I'm a Sailor too now, so I get an advisor.  It makes sense,
doesn't it?"
    Tejina, Kireiko, Hanaki and Becky all looked at each other.  "Wait, I do
remember you mentioning that," Hanaki said.  "But it was that day when we
fought all the yoma, and things were really confused."
    "Oh yeah, then," Tejina said.  "It *was* pretty chaotic.  But I remember
now, that you said something about it."
    "Well, good."  Keiko looked around.  "So...has anyone seen Matsuro?"
    Hanaki looked around.  "Well, he was in class today, but I left for lunch
before he did...Oh!  There he is!"  She waved, and in a moment, Matsuro sat
down next to Keiko.
    Matsuro nodded coolly.  "Hi."
    "Hi Matsuro-kun," Keiko said, her eyes sparkly.
    Matsuro nodded, and almost smiled.  "Hi, Keiko.  It's good to see you."
    Keiko snuggled up to Matsuro...then peered into his face.  "You're
preoccupied, Matsuro."
    Matsuro shrugged.  "I got a lot to think about.  ...Sorry."
    "Oh, it's no problem!" Keiko said.  "I understand."
    "So...what's up?" Matsuro asked the group in general.
    Hanaki's eyes were huge.  "Oh, you two are so CUTE together!" she
squealed.  Becky and Keiko giggled, while Kireiko snorted.
    "Uh...yeah.  Hey, guys," Tejina said.  "I was wondering something."
    "What is it, Tej?" Becky asked.
    "Well...Becky, Ayame gave you the Icon, right?"
    Becky nodded.  "And she said she upgraded it.  ...Actually, it might have
been the Emblem, I couldn't really tell.  But you got the other one, right?"
    "Yeah," Tejina said.  "So...I was wondering...now that we've got them
upgraded, what should we do?...What *can* we do?"
    "Hmmm," Becky hmmmed.  "Well, we do have an advisor to ask right here,
right?"
    All eyes turned to Yoru.
    "Sorry," the snake hissed.  "I'm Sailor Darkness' advisor.  She's the
Guardian of the Darkverse, you know..."
    "...so you only know about Darkverse stuff?" Tejina asked.
    "Smart girl."  Yoru snatched a sausage from Keiko's lunch, while she was
occupied feeding Matsuro his.
    "Well...that just sucks, doesn't it," Tejina said petulantly.
    Hanaki stopped playfully tormenting Kireiko for a moment.  "Wait, Tej."
    "Hm?"
    "I know a little about the Icon and Emblem.  Mom could tell you more...
well, not like she is now, of course...but anyway, she told me a few things."
    Tejina tried to chew on the end of her ponytail, but realized she didn't
have them anymore.  "Well...that's fine, Han, but...you know..."
    Hanaki blinked.  "What?"
    Tejina shifted uncomfortably.  "Well...I don't mean to be rude or
anything, but...well, you don't always tell the whole truth, do you?"
    Hanaki looked down.  "Yeah...I know..."  She looked up again.  "But this
is important!  I always tell the truth when it's *important*!"
    Tejina blinked...then, after a moment, smiled.  "...Okay.  Well, tell us
what you know, then."
    Hanaki beamed.  "Okay!"  She leaned forward.  "Now...the most important
thing about the Icon and Emblem is...oh, hi Aki!"
    Tejina almost fell over, as Aki sat down next to Hanaki.  "Um, hi guys,"
Aki said.  Her gaze strayed to Matsuro, then jerked back to the ground.
"Um...what are we talking about?"
    "The Icon and Emblem," Hanaki said, her attempt to follow in her mother's
footsteps well underway.
    "Oh, good," Aki said.  "Go ahead."
    "Aki?" Becky asked.  "Are you okay?  You look sorta...preoccupied."
    Aki shook her head, as if to clear it.  "Well, yeah, I am.  But it's okay.
Go on and keep talking, Hanaki."  She smiled, a bit weakly.
    Hanaki gave Aki a spontaneous hug, much to the other girl's surprise.
"Okay, Aki.  Anyway...The Icon and the Emblem have to do with the two powers
of Rapture and Delight."
    "Rapture?" Becky asked.
    "And Delight?" Tejina asked.
    "That's right!" Hanaki beamed.  "And these two forces are so powerful,
they have to be controlled and balanced by a third force...Joy!"
    "Joy?" Aki said, feeling like she was expected to.
    "Yes!"  Hanaki was almost bouncing in place.  "And the Sailors of Delight,
Rapture and Joy were the core of the defense of the Kingdom of Delight.  They
had other Sailors, like me, and other kingdoms had Sailors, like Darkness...
But Delight, Rapture and Joy were always the core."  She finished her
exposition and smiled happily.
    Tejina, Becky and Aki threw glances around.  "Well," Tejina said, "that's
certainly interesting."
    "It's like that guy said, in that--" Aki shuddered--"dream, I had, a while
ago."
    "Hmmm."  Tejina played with her hair.  "So you're a minor Sailor, then,
Han?"
    "Yeah," Hanaki said.  "You're supposed to be more powerful than I am...But
I don't mind or anything.  I'll still support you, because you're my sister!"
She beamed.
    Tejina blinked...then smiled a bit.  "Well...Thank you, Han."
    "Wai!" Hanaki waied.  "I'm so happy I found my sister!"
    Anyone watching closely would see both Aki and Matsuro jump at this point.
    Tejina tried hard not to sweatdrop.  "So...what does all this have to do
with...the 'One' Zathras was talking about?"
    "Did I hear someone say 'The One'?"
    A familiar figure plopped down next to Aki, a flat box in his hands giving
off a familiar smell.
    "Oh, it's you again," Tejina said, arching an eyebrow.
    "Yep, me again," Sakyou said, smiling.  "Glad to see you haven't forgotten
me."
    "Hey, is that pizza?" Becky asked.
    "Sure thing."  He opened the box and took out a slice.
    "What kind?"  Becky asked, wiping her chin.
    "Vegetarian, of course."
    "Trade you five sausages for a slice."  Becky held out her bento.
    "I got a Vegetarian pizza because I *am* a vegetarian," Sakyou scoffed.
    Tejina peered at the pizza.  "But there's all this cheese and stuff.  That
comes from cows, doesn't it?"
    Sakyou sweated.  "Er...well, I'm an ovo-lacto-vegetarian, see."
    "Well, that hardly seems restrictive," Tejina said.
    "It works for me, okay?  Anyway, you're a Harbringer too, so you have to
learn to eat pizza."
    Tejina blinked.  "I do?"
    Sakyou nodded.  "Yeah, we all do.  It's sort of a tradition."
    "Ne, can I be a Harbinger too?" Becky asked.
    "HarbRinger," Sakyou said.
    Becky blinked.  "I think the English word is Harbinger."
    Sakyou sighed.  "No, we're Harbringers, because we distribute the mystical
substance known as 'Har'."
    "Har?" Keiko asked.  "Hey, I read about that in my book of magic!  Can I
have some?"
    Sakyou rubbed the back of his head.  "Uh, I don't have any on me..."
    "Hmph."  Keiko turned her attention back to Matsuro.
    "But you could actually be a Harbringer if you wanted, miss," Sakyou said.
    Keiko turned back.  "I could?"
    Sakyou took a bite of his pizza.  "Apparently you're not linked to the
Harbringers *or* the Seals," he said with his mouth full.  "Our leader thinks
that means you can help us if you want.  And we need all the help we can get,
so you're welcome."  He nodded toward Becky.  "And that goes for you, too,
although we don't know if you're really connected with the End of the World or
not."
    Tejina blinked.  "Wait a minute...end of the world?"
    "...Oh, yeah, you didn't get your Harbringer training yet, did you?"
    "Uh, not really," Tejina said.  "But what end of the world are you talking
about?"
    Sakyou rubbed the back of his head.  "Well...it's kind of vague.  But
apparently the Seals want to destroy the world, and we want to stop them.
...Or it might be the other way around.  As I said, vague."
    "I think the Seals want to destroy the world," Tejina said.
    Sakyou looked at her in surprise.  "And why do you say that?"
    "Well, the one I met had this trenchcoat with a cracked earth symbol on
it," Tejina replied.
    Sakyou blinked.  "...Wait a minute.  You mean you *met* a Seal?"
    "Three, actually," Tejina said.  She fingered her hair, and grimaced.
"One did this to me."
    Hanaki slipped over to Kireiko's other side, and gave Tejina a hug.
    Sakyou rubbed his chin.  "Well, then...this *is* interesting.  It means
that things are heating up."
    "I'll say," Tejina snapped.  "They kidnapped me and Matsuro, and wanted
him to come over to their side."
    "Ah, yes, the One," Sakyou said.  Everyone looked at Matsuro.
    Matsuro looked back coolly.  "They trapped us in this alternate reality,
and I broke us out."
    Sakyou whistled.  "Wow.  That's a trick we Harbringers can't manage."
    "So what exactly is the 'One'?" Becky asked.
    Sakyou frowned.  "Well, as I understand it...there will be six
Harbringers, and six Seals.  The One will join one of these two sides, making
seven, which is the mystical number of perfection, and the other will be left
at six, which is imperfection, one of the reasons Christians don't like the
number 666."
    They all digested this for a moment.
    "At least, that's how it's *supposed* to go," Sakyou admitted.
    "What if, say, Matsuro joins the Seals, and I join the Harbringers?" Becky
asked.
    Sakyou smiled slightly.  "I don't know."
    "So...anything else you can tell us about the Harbringers and Seals?"
Tejina asked.
    "Well, let's see.  I think we've found all of us now: You, me, Yoruko,"
Keiko scowled, "Hirata," Sakyou rolled his eyes for some reason, "and our
esteemed leader, and his protege.  I doubt you'll see much of those last two,
unless you go visit them."

=====

    Somewhere in a cold tent, a lone figure sneezed.
    "You should go get a blanket or something," the leader of the Harbringers
observed, and tore another chunk off his leg of beef.
    "Er, no thanks."  The figure huddled closer in itself, and shivered.

=====

    "We don't know anything much about the Seals," Sakyou said.
    "Well, we met three," Tejina said.  "A guy in a trenchcoat, a woman with
scissors," she scowled again, "and some gaijin in a hooded shirt."
    Sakyou nodded.  "Yoshimichi, Hasami and Gary.  We've seen them, and know
their names, but that's about it."  He frowned.  "You said something about a
cracked earth symbol?"
    Tejina nodded, then frowned.  "But in my dream my clones were building
that symbol!"
    Everyone gave her the kind of look usually reserved for Matsuro mentioning
his mother.
    "But you said I was a Harbringer," she continued, oblivious to the looks.
"What does *that* mean?"
    Sakyou shrugged.  "Well, all Harbringers and Seals have strange dreams,
but other than that I don't know."  He grinned.  "Mine usually have lots of
tattooed grocery clerks in them.  I'll be damned if I know what *that* means."
    Tejina played with her hair some more.  "I wonder..."
    "Hey, Sakyou," Becky said suddenly.
    "Yes?" Sakyou replied.
    "Do you know anything about the Kingdom of Delight?  Or the Crystal City
From Beyond the Age of Time?  Or the Darkverse, maybe?"
    Sakyou looked at Becky for several long moments.  "...uh...no."
    Becky frowned.  "Hanaki, do you know anything about the 'One' Zathras was
talking about?"
    Hanaki started to chew on her hair, but stopped when she noticed Tejina
watching.  "Um...yeah, I think.  There was some legend.  The greatest of the
Sailors...became the One, maybe?  Something like that."
    "I see," Becky said.  Tejina looked at her friend nervously, hearing Agent
BA-3's vocal tones.  "So it sounds like the One Zathras talks about, and the
One Sakyou talks about, are not the same One."
    Hanaki considered, then nodded.  "I'll buy that," Sakyou put in.
"Especially since I have no idea where guys on ships come into it."  Everyone
stared at him, and a sweatdrop broke out on his head.
    "Destroy the world," Matsuro muttered.
    Heads swiveled to stare at Matsuro.  "What are you talking about,
Matsuro-kun?" Keiko asked.
    Matsuro shook his head.  "I was just thinking about what he said.  The
Seals seem to want to destroy the world...But what does that mean?  How would
you go about destroying the world?..."

=====

    Two sharply dressed men walked down a hall.
    "Is it *really* cliche?" one asked, with the air of having kept silent for
too long.
    The other twiddled his fingers nervously.  "I'm not sure, really.  They
said something about anime, but I never watch it."
    "Well, I don't really care," the first replied.  "I think taking over the
world using pop music is a good idea, and will only increase the glory of our
lord, the Dragon of the East."
    The second sighed.  "Whatever you say, Ichiban..."

=====

    Vuudu and Malaise popped into existence again.
    Malaise looked around.  "Where are we now?"
    Vuudu stared grimly.  "Darkness, punctured by flashing lights...horrible
noises, bodies writhing...it can only be one place."
    "You don't mean..."
    "Yes.  The Darkverse Disco."
    Malaise looked around some more.  "Hey, look, it's Ayesse."
    "So it is."  Vuudu and Malaise threaded their way through the few dancing
yoma to Ayesse.  Vuudu put a hand on his shoulder.
    Ayesse yelped and spun around...then blinked.  "You!"
    "...uh...hello?"  Malaise said.
    Ayesse fell to his knees.  "I'm sorry!  I didn't mean it!  It just fell
over and he was free, and he said he'd never show his face around here again,
and...I'm sorry!"  He buried his head in his hands.
    "What--" Malaise began, but was cut off by a gesture from Vuudu.  Malaise
looked at the astrologer, and found an expression of deep thought on his face.
    "...You must tell us exactly when and where it happened," Vuudu said.
    Ayesse sniffed.  "...well...I was taking the crystal to storage...and
then..."  His face twisted.  "One of those DAMN Teletubbies attacked me!  And
the crystal fell down the cliff.  It was...yesterday morning."
    Vuudu rubbed his chin.  "So, just to be perfectly clear, Esjie escaped
from his mission, somewhere on the cliff leading to the storage facility,
sometime yesterday morning."
    Ayesse nodded, still looking at the floor.
    "We'll have to tell the Queen, of course," Vuudu said.  Ayesse whimpered.
"But I'll tell her you confessed to us, so she may be lenient."  He bowed.
"We shall see you later, then.  ...Incidentally, have you *seen* the Queen
anywhere around?"
    Ayesse got shakily to his feet.  "I think she went off somewhere with that
square Lessente."
    A Teletubbie suddenly loomed out of the crowd.  "BIG HUG!"  Ayesse
scowled, and kicked it back into the mass of dancers.
    "I see," Vuudu said, sweating just a little.  "Carry on."  He led Malaise
away from the growing melee.
    "That was AMAZING!" Malaise gushed, as soon as they were out of earshot.
"You're so *cool*!"
    Vuudu smiled slightly.  "Well, the cards *did* say Esjie was already
free."
    Malaise's jaw dropped.
    "So it seems I win my bet with Sohkoh, since he's not going to escape any
time in the next three days."
    "Sugoi," Malaise whispered.
    Vuudu frowned.  "But first we have to find the Queen.  And if she went off
with Lessente, I think I know where she could be..."

=====

    Three girls walked home from school together.
    "Well, there was a really cute guy in my class," Yumeki said.
    "Really," Yaki said, raising an eyebrow.
    "Yep!"  Yumeki beamed.  "And he laughed at all my jokes!  So much that he
got sent outside."  Her face fell.  "Then it was boring."
    "Well, I hope you finally get your wish and have wild sex with him," Yaki
said.
    "Thanks!"
    Yaki rolled her eyes.
    "So was there anyone interesting in your class, Yaki?" Yumeki asked.
    Yaki blushed involuntarily.  "No, it was boring."
    "Oh, reaaaaaaaally?"
    Yaki scowled.  "Well, the girl in front of me was all bright and cheery.
It was all I could do to keep from wringing her neck."
    "Hmmm...No one else?"
    "No!" Yaki snapped.
    "Oh well."  Yumeki looked over at their silent companion.  "What about
you, Mariko?"
    Mariko blinked, and looked up.  "Huh?"
    "Was there anyone interesting in your class?"
    Mariko blinked...then smiled.  "I found her."
    "Who?" Yaki asked.
    Mariko scowled, and Yaki drew back a bit.  "*Her*!  Sailor Darkness!"  Her
two companions made 'oh, yeah' noises, and Mariko grinned.  Then she scowled
again.  "But that bastard teacher gave me extra homework because I wasn't
paying attention."
    "Now *that's* evil," Yumeki said.

=====

    Tejina frowned at her notebook.  This history assignment was downright
evil.
    Tejina was lying on the floor in her living room, getting homework out of
the way.  Her parents still hadn't gotten home, she hadn't seen either Hanaki
or Ayame since she got home.  Eiji had been around to torment her for a bit,
but he was now off playing video games or something.  It was peaceful...and
reassuringly normal...
    "Heyyyyyy Tej!"
    ...Therefore, it couldn't last.  Tejina sighed and turned over to look at
Hanaki...then blinked.
    "What do you think?" Hanaki said, doing a little turn.
    Tejina blinked some more.  "Hanaki...you...cut your hair?"
    Hanaki fingered her now-shoulder-length hair.  "Well...I was thinking
about changing it.  And this way, we can still be twins!"  She beamed.
    "Hanaki...that's..."  Tejina swallowed.  "It looks...good on you."
    "Thanks!"  Hanaki smiled.  After a moment, Tejina smiled back.  Then,
suddenly, there was a knock at the door.  "Eeek!" Hanaki eeeked.  "That must
be him!  Can you answer the door, Tej?  I'm not ready yet!"  She zoomed off.
    Tejina blinked.  "Who?..."  Well, there was one way to find out.  She got
up, walked to the door, and opened it.
    Kireiko arrested himself mid-knock, so as not to pound on Tejina.  "Oh,
hey Tejina.  Is Hanaki in?"
    "Yeah, she's just getting ready," Tejina replied.  "Come on in."  Kireiko
stepped inside, and slouched around the living room looking cool in a
rebellious sort of way.
    "So, Kireiko..."
    "Yeah?"  He grinned.
    Tejina sat down on a couch and looked at Kireiko.  "What was that you were
saying, the other day, about you and Matsuro, and me?"
    Kireiko blinked.  Then, he started to sweat.  "Er, Tejina..."
    "Yes?" Tejina asked, her eyebrow arched.
    Kireiko sagged.  "You remind me of your mother when you do that," he
muttered.
    "Kireiko."
    Kireiko sighed, and ran his hand through his hair.  "Well...you know, we
both, sorta...thought you were cute."
    Tejina looked at him for a moment.  "...Really?"
    "Well, yeah."  Kireiko looked back into space for a moment.  "I remember
it was at the end of lunch one day...some girl was looking at Matsuro like she
had a crush on him or something."  He laughed.  "I think that turned out to be
Keiko.  Anyway...I dunno, I said something, and then he was like 'She's not as
cute as Tejina anyway,' and I was like, 'yeah', and then we both sort of
realized it.  Y'know.  So...that's sort of what happened."  He looked back at
Tejina, and blinked.  "Why are you looking at me like that?"
    "So basically," she snapped, "it was just you and Matsuro doing some macho
posturing or some guy thing like that!"
    Kireiko sort of looked away.  "Well...I dunno..."
    "Oh, just shut up."  She folded her arms and slumped.
    Kireiko walked around the room, looking at random stuff in a sort of
nervous fashion.
    "...Hey, Kireiko."
    "Hm?"  He looked back at her.
    Tejina blushed a little.  "Well...I was just wondering why you want to go
out with Hanaki now...instead of me."
    "Um..."  Kireiko rubbed the back of his head.  Some long-buried instinct
told him to be careful what he said.  "...Well...her and me, we just...oh!  I
know.  Do you remember when we were fighting that guy with the weird
monsters?"
    Tejina blinked.  "Which guy with weird monsters?"
    "The one with the doll that song that awful song."
    "Oh, *him*.  How could I forget?"
    Kireiko grinned.  "Well, anyway, you said something, during the fight.
You said...'Kireiko' doesn't have any respect for anyone', I think.  Right?"
    Tejina frowned a bit.  "Yeah, I do remember that..."
    "So that's why," Kireiko concluded.  "Hanaki doesn't really worry about
things like that much, either.  I mean, she doesn't really tell the truth
sometimes...and that's okay with me."  He grinned.  "We just sort of go
together better."
    Tejina played with her hair for several long moments.  "So...basically,
you're saying that you like her instead of me, because she's a ditzy chronic
liar?"
    "I hope you're not too disappointed," Kireiko said.
    Tejina giggled, and Kireiko grinned.  "Well...I guess I can understand,"
Tejina said.  "I just wish you'd told me earlier.  I feel like you guys were
trying to decide who I would go out with, without consulting me."  She
frowned.
    "Sorry, Tejina."
    "...But you really thought I was cute?"
    "Yeah," Kireiko nodded.  "Even more so in that short fuku."
    Tejina stared.
    Hanaki bounced down the stairs.  "Hey Kireiko!  How--er, huh?"  Hanaki
blinked as Kireiko grabbed her by the arm and whisked her toward the door.
    "Hey Hanaki, nice haircut, we gotta go, bye Tejina, see you tomorrow!"  He
raced out the door.
    Tejina ran to the door, and shouted "BAKA!" after Kireiko, then slammed
the door with a satisfying *WHAM*.
    Then she walked back to the living room, and threw herself down on the
couch.
    "Mom was right," she muttered.  "Men suck."
    "Well, I would venture to say that while many men are, in fact,
insensitive and crude, there are, with a definite probability, some rare
specimens which are, in fact, rather nice and decent people."
    Tejina felt a sweatdrop coming on.  "Er, hi Ayame, I didn't see you
there."
    Ayame smiled.  "Hi Tej!"  Then her expression softened.  "Want to talk
about it?"
    Tejina shook her head.  "No, that's okay.  Thanks anyway."
    Ayame nodded, and looked back at the TV.  "Dad was a good man, for
example."  She sighed.
    "Er...whose dad?" Tejina asked.
    Ayame blinked.  "Why, ours, of course!"
    Tejina gave in to the urge to sweatdrop.  "Oh, right."  She looked at the
TV, and Ayame did as well.
    [This is too weird,] Tejina thought.  [We have to find some way to get
Ayame back...]  She absently fingered her hair.  [But I wonder...what's my
father like?  Or was he like?  I don't even know if he's still alive...what
would it be like, to meet him after so many years?]

=====

    Matsuro sighed.  Finding out about your father, after so many years, was
pretty hard.
    "Ne, what's wrong, Matsuro?" Keiko asked.
    Matsuro looked at her, as they walked side by side.  She had somehow found
time to change into her skimpy leather outfit, and looked concerned.
    "I'm sorry, Keiko...am I making you worry?"
    Keiko blushed.  "Well...of course I worry.  I mean...I like you."
    "Thank you," Matsuro said.  Keiko blushed some more.  "But...I don't want
to talk about it just yet."
    Keiko looked down.  "But I want you to be able to tell me anything..."
    "I know," Matsuro replied.  "But...not yet."
    "Okay..."
    "You can tell me if you want, Matsuro," Yoruko said.
    Keiko glared at her.  "Nobody invited you along."
    "Hmph," Yoruko hmphed.  "Sakyou got to spend all of lunchtime with you
guys, and he didn't even call me."
    "Fine," Keiko snapped.  "Go hang out with Tejina or Aki or one of those
other girls."
    "I don't feel like it."  Yoruko smiled.  "But Matsuro doesn't mind me
being here.  Do you, Matsuro?"
    Matsuro shrugged.
    "See!" Yoruko said triumphantly.
    Keiko scowled.
    Matsuro opened the door to the apartment building, and led his small,
gothic harem inside.  "This is a...nice building," Yoruko commented.
    "Not really," Matsuro said, "but it's home."  The elevator was waiting
when they got there, so Matsuro led them inside and pressed the button for
floor 19.
    "So do you live with anyone else, Matsuro?" Yoruko asked.
    "My mother," Matsuro replied.  "At least sometimes.  And my aunt comes by
too.  And there are a couple of dwarves, and some white guy with a sword."
    "...I...see," Yoruko said.  Keiko snickered at her expression, eliciting a
scowl.
    The elevator doors opened, and they walked down the hall.  "I hope no
one's here," Matsuro said, turning the key.  "I'd really like a quiet day for
once..."
    He opened the door, and a huge Teutonic arm grabbed him by the throat.
    "Matsuro!" the girls said in unison, and dashed inside.  A rather strange
sight met their eyes.
    Matsuro's apartment still looked like a Norse drinking hall, only instead
of being cavernously empty, it was now positively crammed with Valkyries and
their horses.  The Valkyries were putting the drinking hall to its intended
use, i.e., drinking.  That is, most were drinking; a few were looming over the
cowering dwarves, Balin and Dalin, and one in particular was notable for
gripping Matsuro around the throat.
    "Aha!" the Valkyrie shouted.  "Now we have Sword back!"
    "Put Matsuro down!" Keiko shouted, and put a hand to her chest, drawing
the Cleaver of Duality from her...well...cleavage.
    "Yeah," Yoruko added, her Sword of Duality sprouting from her palm.
    "We must have Sword returned," the Valkyrie rumbled.  "Otherwise..."  She
blinked at the girls.  "Wait...are those?..."
    Keiko pointed her weapon at the Valkyrie.  "I said, put him down!"
    The Valkyrie grabbed the Cleaver by the flat side, and peered at it, while
Keiko struggled to pull it from her grip.  Then the Valkyrie looked at Yoruko
and her sword, causing Yoruko to step back warily.
    The Valkyrie frowned, and dropped Matsuro.  "One moment.  Do not be going
anywhere, mortals."  She walked back to confer with her cohorts.
    "Matsuro!" the girls said simultaneously.  "Are you all right?"  They
glared at each other, then both bent to help Matsuro to his feet.
    Matsuro coughed.  "I'm...okay."  He rubbed his throat, then smoothly drew
his sword from his stomach.  "All right...now I'm ready for them."  The three
looked at the Valkyries.
    The Valkyries seemed to be arguing amongst themselves.  It was true that
Valkyries never spoke quieter than a shout, but the Scandinavian flying back
and forth sounded even more confrontational than usual.  The three mortals
stared, the horses nickered nervously and the dwarves cowered, while the huge
warrior women argued.  Finally a consensus seemed to be reached, and the one
Valkyrie turned back to Matsuro.
    "I must be apologizing," she boomed.  "You can keep your Swords.  We will
see you soon, at Ragnarok.  Have great battle, eh?"  She grinned, then
shouted to her companions, who were already saddling up.  With much thundering
of celestial hooves and clanging of armor and weapons, the Valkyries rode out
the window.
    Matsuro, Keiko and Yoruko shared a blink.  Then, Matsuro walked over to
the dwarves.  "What was *that* all about?" he asked.
    Balin (or was it Dalin?) looked up at him morosely.  "Well...we told you
the Valkyries wanted the swords back, so Ragnarok wouldn't happen.  But now
*all* the swords are gone from the armory, so Ragnarok will happen whatever
anyone wants.  So they're just going to enjoy it."  The dwarf chugged his
drink, and stared at the floor.
    Matsuro sat down in a chair, and sighed.  "Well, maybe now we can have
some peace and quiet around here."
    "Hello, Matsuro," Matsuro's mother said.
    "Or maybe not.  What is it, Mom?"
    "I just wanted to say hi, dear," she said.  "Oh, can you introduce me to
your lady friends?"
    Matsuro slumped in his chair, and waved in the direction of the girls.  "I
think you know Keiko, and this is Yoruko.  Keiko, Yoruko, my mom."
    Keiko smiled.
    "Hi there," Yoruko said.
    Keiko glared at her.
    Matsuro blinked.  "You can see her?"
    Yoruko nodded.  "She's a spirit, isn't she?  All Seals and Harbringers can
see spirits like that."  She smirked.
    "And so can people who are magically sensitive," Keiko put in.
    The dwarf refilled his mug from a keg.  "Hey, I can see her too,
sometimes."  He belched.  "Good karaoke singer, is your mum."
    Matsuro blinked.  "*You* can see her?  Why?"
    "It's the alcohol," Matsuro's mother said.  They all looked at her.  "One
of the few spiritual things I know.  Alcohol messes up your perceptions so you
can see things you normally can't."  She beamed.
    "Ah," Matsuro said.  "So I imagine that other guy can see you a lot too."
    "That's right, dear," she said.  "Now, I have plans for tonight, but I
need to tell you something before I leave."
    Matsuro sighed.  "All right, go ahead, Mom."
    Matsuro's mother leaned forward.  "The Dragons that the Harbringers talk
about, and the Dragons you fought at the audition...are not the same, but
they're connected."
    After a moment, Matsuro blinked.  "That's it?"
    "I'm afraid so.  Well, we must be going.  Ready, Elric?"
    "Of course, Akemi-san," Elric said.
    "Gee," Yoruko muttered, "when you said a 'white guy', you weren't
kidding..."

=====

    Aki sighed, and looked at her house...then nerved herself, and started to
walk to the door.
    "Hey!...uh, Aki?"
    Aki looked around, and saw Takezawa Hiryuu standing nearby.  She blinked.
"Um...Takezawa-san?  What is it?"
    "Ah, Sailor Joy, good it is, to see you again," a familiar voice said.
    Aki frowned.  "Zathras, you shouldn't say that in front of..."
    "Is okay," Zathras said, stepping forward and nodding.  "Is no problem.
He knows, already, you see."  Hiryuu nodded.
    Aki blushed slightly.  "How does he know?"
    Zathras chuckled.  "You will see.  Yes."  He nodded for a moment, then
looked at Hiryuu, and prodded him.  "Go on!"
    Hiryuu blinked, and looked down.  "Uh...Well, um, Aki..."
    "...Yes?" Aki replied.
    The boy took a deep breath, then walked forward until he was mere inches
from Aki.  Aki blinked, and stepped back.
    "Will you marry me?!?" Hiryuu said.
    Aki stared.
    "...Well?" he said after a moment.
    "...*Marry* you?" Aki said.  "What are you TALKING about?"
    He looked down.  "Well, I'm old enough among my kind, to choose a mate..."
    "Mate?  Kind?  Who ARE you, anyway?"  Aki took a few more steps back.
    Hiryuu sighed.  "I'm sorry.  I...I didn't mean to upset you or anything."
    "Well, too bad!"
    Hiryuu raised his hands in a conciliatory gesture, and backed away.  "I'm
sorry.  It's just...well, you really helped me, when we met.  And I couldn't
stop thinking about you..."  He looked hopeful.  "Maybe we can just go out or
something?"
    Zathras prodded him again.  "Eh, not good.  You screw it up, should leave
now."
    "All right."  Hiryuu backed away some more, his eyes never leaving Aki.
"I'll be around, so you can take your time and think about it."  He turned his
back.
    A shimmer passed over his body, which lengthened and fell to the ground,
then swelled, as wings sprouted from his back.  Gleaming scales spread over
him, replacing skin.
    A blue dragon flapped its wings, a blast of wind stirring up dust, and it
ascended to the sky.
    Aki fell to her knees.  "...oh."
    Zathras walked over to her.  "Sorry, Zathras is," he said.  "Thought he
would be more polite."  He grinned.  "But, is good to see you again, Sailor
Joy."
    Aki closed her eyes.  "Why me?  I just wanted to help..."
    "Er, excuse me?"
    Aki opened her eyes, and saw a woman who looked vaguely familiar.  The
woman smiled.
    "Why, you must be Aki," she said.  "I'm your mother's sister, Itako.  It's
nice to meet you."  She peered past Aki to the Villyn house.  "Is your father
in, by any chance?"

=====

    Keiko walked morosely down the street.
    [If only he'd talk to me,] she thought.  [I don't even know what's going
on anymore.  ...I hope Aki isn't mad at me for how I treated her the other
day...]
    "Oh!...Keiko-san?"
    Keiko blinked, and brought her thoughts back to the present.  She looked
toward the voice, then down a bit, and found the Quake Camper looking up at
her.
    "Oh...hello, Camper."
    "Going to see Aki-sama, are you?"
    Keiko nodded.  "How about you?"
    "Well, I was just running an errand, and heading home.  Mind if I walk
along with you?"
    "Not at all," Keiko said, and continued walking, the minion falling into
step beside her.
    "I'm glad you're coming over," the Camper said.
    Keiko chuckled.  "Your master still think I'm an 'evil influence' that
will turn Aki on to taking over the world?"
    "Well, yes," the Camper admitted.  "But more than that, Aki-sama seems to
be depressed lately."
    Keiko's thoughts turned back to Matsuro.  "It seems like there's a lot of
that around, nowadays."
    "Yeah, things seem to be getting harder somehow."  The diminutive minion
sighed.
    "Matsuro always seems distracted," Keiko said.
    "And Aki-sama is very preoccupied."
    "He never wears anything but that school uniform," Keiko continued.  "I
know it seems small, but is it really okay to never change?"
    "I think Aki-sama's been having bad dreams," the Camper replied, off on
his own train of thought.
    Keiko sighed.  "It seems like Matsuro's not sure where he fits, in the
world."
    "Aki-sama says she just wants to live her life, and not worry about what
might be destined..."
    "And then he said something about his father.  He seemed pretty worried."
    "It might not be so bad, if her mother hadn't died so long ago..."
    "And I just want to help!" they both cried.
    Keiko and the Camper blinked, stopped walking, and looked at each other.
    "Well, hello again," a familiar voice said.
    Keiko turned to see Sakyou walking toward them, a grin on his face.  "Oh,
it's you."
    Sakyou frowned.  "Now don't be like that..."
    Keiko crossed her arms, as the Camper looked from her to the Harbringer in
interest.  "What are you doing here?"
    Sakyou shrugged.  "Walking around, seeing the sights.  Running errands.
Y'know."
    Keiko raised an eyebrow.  "Oh, really?"
    Sakyou laughed.  "Do you think I'm trying to pick you up?  No, I can see
when I don't have a chance, even if Yoruko can't."  His eyes twinkled.  "No,
our meeting is just a coincidence.  I wouldn't have stopped at all, but I
thought it rude to go by without at least saying hello."
    Keiko blinked, then shrugged.  "Well, if you say so."
    "Well, well.  Sakyou of the Harbringers, we meet again."
    Keiko sat Sakyou's expression harden.  She turned around and saw a man in
a black trenchcoat with an emblem on it...sort of a broken disk.
    "Yoshimichi," Sakyou said.  "To what do I owe the...pleasure of this
encounter?"
    "I don't feel like bantering," Yoshimichi said, pulling a Sword from his
thigh.
    "Fine with me," Sakyou replied, his Sword appearing from his side.
    Keiko looked back and forth between the Harbringer and Seal.  "Uh..."
    "Why don't you leave, and let me take care of this, Keiko-san," Sakyou
said.  He suddenly grinned.  "I'd ask you to stay and help, but I can't resist
being chivalrous."
    Keiko looked at him for a moment, then looked at Yoshimichi to see his
reaction.
    "If you're not with us, you're against us," Yoshimichi sneered.  He
suddenly swung his sword down, and when it impacted with the ground there was
a thunderous boom.  Keiko stumbled as cracks radiated past her and toward
Sakyou, who jumped into to the air, nimbly landing on a nearby fence.
    "AAAAAAAGGH!"
    Keiko staggered, as she realized the Quake Camper was clinging onto her
leg.  "Camper!  What--"
    "EARTHQUAKE!" the Camper babbled.  "HELP! Keiko-san, get me OUT of here!"
    "Let go, you little--" Keiko tried to pry the minion off, then stumbled
again as the Seal flew past her toward Sakyou.
    "The hell with this," Keiko muttered.  She held her hands in a mystical
configuration.  "By the forces I command, give me the power of the Cube!"  A
black spark grew between her fingers, which expanded into a cube of shadow.
The cube grew to surround her, then disappeared with a pop, and black leathery
wings unfolded from her back.
    "All right, hold on, Camper!  ...No, not THERE!  Who do you think you are,
Matsuro?  Forget it!  Let go and I'll hold onto your pack!"  She smacked the
Camper in the head until he let go, then grabbed the top of his pack and
flapped her wings.
    "I'm sorry Keiko-san!" the Camper whimpered as they rose into the air.
"Don't let go!"
    "I won't.  Damn, you're heavy.  Maybe you should go on a diet or
something."  She looked down at Sakyou and Yoshimichi.  From this height, it
was impossible to tell who was winning.
    "It's just my pack," the Camper said, seeming calmer.  "Wow...hey, this is
fun.  We're not in any danger of earthquakes up here..."
    "I'm glad you approve," Keiko snapped.  [Damn it, why is everything so
complicated today?  I just wanted to spend some time with the guy I like...]

====

    "Um, are you okay, Koji-kun?" Becky asked.
    Koji blinked.  "Yeah, I'm okay.  Why do you ask?"
    "Well, I mean, you're limping."
    Koji looked down at his leg, and laughed, rubbing the back of his head.
"Oh, yeah, that was...an accident I had recently.  It's nothing to worry
about."
    Becky smiled.  "Okay."
    Koji smiled back, then looked down.
    Becky blinked.  [He's so...shy,] she thought.  [That's...actually, it's
kind of cute.]  "So, I haven't really talked to you much, in school," she said
out loud.
    Koji shrugged, and smiled.  "Yeah, I don't...really talk to people much.
...Unlike you."
    Becky frowned.  "What do you mean by *that*?"
    "...Oh, that's not what I meant," Koji said quickly.  "I mean...well, what
I meant was that you're always so outgoing and friendly and stuff.  You
know...not like me."
    "...Oh!  Well, okay."  Becky smiled.  "It's really not that hard.  You
should try it sometime."
    "Well...if you say so."
    Suddenly Becky stopped walking, and held out her hand in a warning
gesture.
    Koji stopped as well.  "...What..."
    Becky pointed.  Half a dozen men in dark suits and sunglasses had appeared
in front of them.  Koji turned, then whispered, "More behind."
    "Who are you?...What do you want?" Becky called.
    One man stepped forward.  "The question is, who are *you*?  What do *you*
want?"
    Becky blinked.  "...Huh?"
    The man held his hands out, and a ball of shadow formed between them.
"You seem to have a sword.  Are you Seal, or Harbringer?  Now is the time to
choose."
    Becky stepped back.  "Er...I don't know what you're talking about."
    "Then you will die."  The shadow leaped from her hands, but Becky was
already diving to the side, pulling Koji along with her.
    Koji gasped as he hit the ground.  "Becky-san, what..."
    Becky smiled at him.  "I'm sorry, Koji-kun...but I'll have to explain it
all later."  She jumped to her feet, touched her forehead, and recited some
secret words...

=====

    Koji stared.
    She was beautiful, yes, but the sailor-suited warrior in front of him was
quite literally a figure out of nightmare, for him.  If she was here, then
maybe the rest was true...maybe the same thing...
    Koji shook his head, trying to resolve the internal conflict.  But she was
here, and he'd dreamed about her, and neither one could be disputed.  So he
did the only thing he could do.
    He got up and ran.

=====

    Becky parried a bolt of shadow, then neatly skewered one of the man.  He
vanished, oblivion spreading from the point of impact like a bubble popping,
leaving only a small bit of paper behind.
    Becky blinked.  [What the heck?  Magic monsters of some kind?...Well, at
least I don't have to worry about killing innocent agents.]  She waved her
blazing sword warily, turning to keep an eye on all the attackers...and saw
Koji running away.
    "Koji!" she yelled.  He didn't respond, but a couple of the not-men looked
back and noticed him, and started to pursue.  "Damn!  EVANGELIST CONFUSION!"
The black-suited men staggered, holding their heads, while the light of the
attack shone through them, turning them translucent.  A piece of paper was
visible in each one, floating at about chest-level.
    "You're not getting him!"  Becky took advantage of the Confusion to slice
through a couple of the paper things, and ran after Koji.  They recovered and
started after her, but stopped when a young man appeared in midair in front of
them, and dropped to the ground.

=====

    A girl with short magenta hair peered from the shadows.  "Who's *that*?
And where did he come from?"

=====

    T-kun stifled a groan, and opened his eyes.
    A black dress shoe was inches from his face.
    [That's the last time I try to warp reality without fully concentrating,]
he thought.  [Anime is just too distracting.]
    He looked up, and a hand grabbed him by the front of his minion uniform,
and pulled him up.  A black-suited man stared at him, eye to sunglass.
    "And who are *you*?"
    T-kun gulped.  "No one."
    "T-kun!"
    T-kun swiveled his head around and saw Becky a few meters away.  "Uh, yes
Becky-san?"
    "Can you hold them off for me?  Thanks!"  Becky turned and started running
in the other direction.
    "Of course Becky-san!"  The minion's heart swelled at the sight of her,
then fell as he realized what he'd just said.
    "If you're with her," the man holding him said, "then we attack you too."
    T-kun looked back and smiled nervously, then made a small gesture and a
bar of metal shot up from the ground, smacking the man in the jaw.
    T-kun hit the ground and scrambled to his feet, then raised a wall from
the pavement just in time to block a sphere of darkness.  Another man punched
at him from the side, but he dodged and rolled forward, then turned around to
get the wall at his back.  He looked up and saw a tree overhanging the street;
with a thought, a dozen leaves shot downward, striking and dissipating two of
the attackers, then clattering on the pavement.
    "Damn," the minion said, wiping his mouth.  "This is hard.  I've never had
to--Ack!"  Suddenly two men grabbed T-kun's arms from behind, and pulled him
against the wall.  Another stepped in front of him, and punched him in the
chest with a fist sheathed in shadow.
    "AAAARGH!"  The ground rippled, throwing the attacker backward, and T-kun
ripped his arms from the grasp of the other two with a sudden surge of
strength.  A wave of distortion rolled off of him, forcing the black suits
backward, while he clutched at his chest.
    "Ow...damn it..."  T-kun blinked, as his hand felt something odd.  He took
hold, and pulled...and an object slid out of his chest, producing a strange
combination of pain and relief.
    He stared at the thing.  It was...a weapon, probably.  It had a handle,
and a few blades that stuck out in...odd directions.  It was asymmetrical, and
had a projection on the side that made it three-dimensional.  It was also
covered in symbols he'd never seen before.
    It was...familiar, somehow.

=====

    The girl sucked in a breath.  "That settles it."  She jumped out from the
the shadows.

=====

    T-kun looked up in confusion as a girl with short magenta hair jumped in
front of him.  She was wearing a school uniform, and was holding some sort of
chain in her right hand.  She kicked one of the men in the chest, sending him
sprawling backward, then lashed at another with the chain.  "Come on!" she
said, in a rather commanding voice for a teenager.  "I can't beat them alone,
and neither can you, but together we can!"
    T-kun nodded and stood up.  He stood back to back with the girl and eyed
the remaining attackers.  One jumped in on his left and met his weapon, and
the girl pivoted to keep her back to him.  She lashed another into oblivion,
then yelled "Back!", leaning back against him.  He stumbled forward and heard
a magical bolt fly by somewhere behind him, then took the opportunity to slash
at another non-man.
    Within seconds, all that was left of their attackers was a few scraps of
paper.
    T-kun turned to the girl.  She looked at him, and smiled, breathing
heavily.  "You fight well," she said.  "Thank you."
    "...Um...no problem," he said.  "Actually, I was just sort of defending
myself."  [And Becky, of course...]
    "I'm Hanko," the girl said.  "What's your name?"
    "Oh...um...well, you can call me T-kun," the minion said, rubbing the back
of his head.
    "It's nice to meet you, T-kun," she said.  "Did you know that you're a
Seal?"
    T-kun blinked.  "A what?"
    "A Seal.  It's what lets you remake the world, and why you have that...
um...weapon," Hanko said.  "I'm a Seal too, and this is my weapon.  See?"  She
held it up, and T-kun noticed that instead of a chain, it was more like a
metal model of a spine; hundreds of tiny pieces fit together quite smoothly,
and each was inscribed with a very small symbol.  On the very end was a short,
gleaming blade.
    "It's very nice," he said.
    "Thanks.  I call it a Dragon's Tail."  She peered at his weapon.  "I don't
mean any offense or anything, but...your weapon's kind of strange."
    T-kun held up the thing, and looked at it.  "I guess so.  But somehow, it
feels right to me."
    Hanko grinned.  "Well, that proves you're a Seal.  ...Say, have you been
having any bad dreams?"
    T-kun rubbed the back of his head.  "It's funny that you should mention
that..."
    Hanko put her hand on his shoulder, and smiled.  "I'm glad I found you,
T-kun.  Now that you know you're a Seal, the world will make a lot more
sense..."

=====

    Keiko bent over, put her hands on her knees, and panted.  She scowled.
[Why the hell doesn't the world make any sense today?]  She straightened up
and intoned a few mystical words, and the wings folded themselves onto her
back and melted into her costume.
    "Now, where'd that minion go," she muttered.  A quick glance around the
street they'd landed on revealed the Camper talking excitedly with what seemed
to be a couple of monks.  Keiko rolled her eyes, and walked over.
    "Keiko-san!" the Camper squeaked.  "These priests say I might be the
Chosen One!"
    "Oh, really?" Keiko said, her eyebrow raised.  The two priests looked
rather worn to her.  They were both old and hunched, although that might be
because of their heavy packs rather than age.  One had wiry green hair and was
clean-shaven, and the other had light brown-fading-to-white hair with a full
beard and mustache.
    "He may indeed be the Chosen of the Dark Warrior of the North," the green
one said.  "He has already heard the calling.  See the pack, much like ours."
    Keiko blinked.  "So these guys are recruiting you because you wear a
backpack everywhere?"
    "That's simply an outward sign," the other said.  "You must trust our
judgement, as priests of Genbu."
    Keiko frowned.  [Something familiar about those two...]  "Well, I don't
want to hang around here much longer, Camper," she said.  "Are you coming
along or not?"
    "Yes, just a minute Keiko-san," the minion said.  Keiko rolled her eyes
and walked off, leaving them alone.  Her foot disturbed a piece of paper on
the ground, and she looked down...then blinked.
    [A magic symbol,] she thought, picking the paper up.  [A complicated one,
too.  I'll have to take this home and use the book to decipher it.]  She
looked around the street, and frowned.  [There are a lot of them.  Who would
be leaving papers with magical symbols on them around Tokyo?...]

=====

    "WATARU."
    "Yes, Great Shubby-chan."
    "THE PAPERS ARE DISTRIBUTED?"
    Wataru bowed.  "Yes, Great Shubby-chan."
    "AND WHO IS THIS?"
    "A new recruit to the cause, if he meets with your approval, Great Shubby-
chan," Wataru replied, bowing even lower.
    "An honor, madam," Yoi Maeda said.
    "IMPUDENT!  YOU WILL ADDRESS ME AS GREAT SHUB-NIGGURATH, OR GREAT SHUBBY-
CHAN.  NOTHING OF LOWER RESPECT!"
    Maeda immediately fell to his knees.  "I apologize, Great Shubby-chan.  I
did not mean to offend through my ignorance."
    "...GOOD.  YOUR NAME?"
    "Yoi Maeda, Great Shubby-chan."
    The woman shivered.
    Wataru blinked.  "...Great Shubby-chan?"
    "IT IS NOTHING.  YOUR NAME IS MAEDA, YOU SAY?"
    "Yes, Great Shubby-chan."
    "GOOD.  CONSIDER YOURSELF IN A PROBATIONARY PERIOD.  SOON, IF YOUR
PERFORMANCE IS SATISFACTORY, YOU MAY BE INDUCTED INTO THE RANKS OF MY CULT."
    Maeda bowed again.
    "AND FINALLY.  THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.  WATARU, ANY PROGRESS?"
    Wataru cleared his throat.  "We have some leads, Great Shubby-chan.  We
should be able to find her soon.  Within the week, we hope."
    "SATISFACTORY."  A dark and alien power surged in the room...and then was
gone.
    "...Wataru," the woman whispered.
    "Yes, Natsuki-san?"
    "Don't mess this up."
    "Yes, Natsuki-san."  Wataru pulled Maeda to his feet and ushered him to
the door.
    Maeda frowned.  "Natsuki...?"
    "Shhh.  Later."
    Wataru closed the door, leaving her alone.

=====

    The Quake Camper opened the door.  "I'm home!" he called cheerily.
    "Sorry to intrude," Keiko said, stepping in behind him.  She frowned.
A rather loud discussion seemed to be taking place in the household.
    "Hey, what's going on?" the Camper asked, leading the way to the living
room.  Keiko followed him, and a strange sight met her eyes.
    The Blank Psychic, the Unnamed Minion, Zathras and Matsuro's Aunt Itako
all seemed to be arguing with two little brown men wearing loincloths.  Keiko
tried to figure out what the argument was about, but then realized that only
the Unnamed Minion knew what the pygmies were saying, and he was having more
than a little trouble keeping with the translation.  As she watched, the
Camper joined the fray, trying to show off the tortoise-and-snake design the
priests had painted on his pack.  Keeping track of what was being said seemed
a remote possibility.
    "...Keiko?  What are you doing here?"
    Keiko turned to see Aki standing at the foot of the stairs.  She looked
worse than she had at lunch.  Keiko swallowed.  "Um...Hi, Aki."
    Aki rubbed her eyes.  "Did you want something?"
    "Well...It's just that Matsuro's been down all day, and I was just
wondering...if maybe you had some idea why," Keiko said, realizing how stupid
that sounded.
    "I don't know."
    "...Oh.  ...Um, Aki, are you all right?"
    "No."
    "Was it because of the things I was saying that time?" Keiko said.  "If
so, I'm sorry..."
    "No, it's nothing to do with you."  Aki looked at the floor.  "Keiko, I
don't want to be rude or anything, but I don't want to talk about it."
    Keiko blinked.  "...You too?"
    "...What?"
    Keiko's expression became a worried frown.  "Something's bothering Matsuro
too, and he won't talk about it with me either."  She blinked.  "Did...did you
two have a fight?"
    "No!" Aki snapped.  "I'm not going to be involved with Matsuro, okay?  Was
that what you wanted to hear?  You can have him!  Maybe he can be happier than
I am, although right now that's...not too hard!  Okay?  ...Now, just...go
away, and leave me alone!"  Aki turned and ran up the stairs.
    Keiko took a step forward.  "Aki!..."  A door slammed, and she stopped.
    "...damn it," she whispered, and turned back to walk back to the door.
The arguers were silent as they watched her go, then started up again after
she slammed the door behind her.

=====

    Daisy looked around, more or less alertly.  "Are you sure this ish the
place?"
    "Of course," Rover scoffed.
    "Did you say 'ish', Daisy?" Charles asked.
    "Hm?  No, why?"
    "Yes, you did!" Charles said.  "You found a drink somewhere!"
    "No I didn't!"  She hiccuped.
    Charles covered his face with a wing.  "Amore save us..."
    "This looks to be it," Rover said, trotting over to a desk.  "Pepper, can
you get her attention?"
    "No problem," Pepper said, and hovered his fishbowl up above the surface
of the desk.
    "Yes, he's not scheduled for another dream for a week or two," the woman
said into a headset.  "Yes, I know.  Yes, Renaku with a 'ren'.  Yes, I checked
it three times.  I checked it already, okay?!?  Yes, fine!"  She slammed a
button on a console in front of her.  "By Kasumi, I need a cigarette.  Yes,
Department of Mystical Destinies, please hold."  She looked at Pepper, without
the slightest hint of surprise.  "May I help you?"
    "Um...um...um..." Pepper managed.
    "We're here because we're advisors of several young women," Rover's voice
rang out, "whose mystical destinies seem to be, in all honesty, rather cocked
up!"
    The woman peered over the edge of her desk.  "All together, then?"
    Nods.
    "You'll need an appointment," she said, opening a notebook.  "Names of
charges?"
    "Sailors Delight, Rapture, Bliss and Joy," Rover rattled off.
    "Sailors...hm."  The woman tapped her chin.  "Sailor Joy.  Isn't that Aki
Villyn?"
    "Why, yes," Charles said.
    "Sister of one Matsuro?"
    Charles boggled.  "Sister?  Of Matsuro?"
    "You know Matsuro, then?" Pepper said.
    "Oh, very well," the woman said.  "I met him during some field work.  I
gotta tell you, it's a lot more interesting than this receptionist crap.  But
we all gotta take our turns, right?  Anyway, Matsuro and his friends have
gotten quite a few people worked up.  We've got their files all pulled for
easy reference."  She motioned to a pile of paper a couple of meters away,
fully the size of her desk.
    "...This is going to take a while, isn't it?" Pepper asked.

=====

    "And that's why the French don't wash," the Blank Psychic concluded.
    Zathras scratched his head.  "How we get on this subject, again?"
    The pygmies started chattering again, and the Unnamed Minion clapped his
hands to his ears.  "ARGH!  I can't take any more of this mindless arguing!"
    Suddenly there was a strange ripple in reality, and an old man was
standing nearby.  He looked around, and smiled.  "Well, hello, all."
    "Ohhh!  Master Chiang!"  Zathras scurried over and started bowing.  "Very
happy to see you again, Zathras is!"
    Chiang patted Zathras on the shoulder.  "Well, it's good to see you too,
old friend.  But we can save that for later.  Right now, I need to find a
Mr. Villyn.  Has anyone seen him?"
    "That would be me," Villyn boomed, entering the living room.  "And who
might you be, sir?"
    Chiang smiled, and bowed.  "My name is Fei-Hong Chiang.  You can call me
Chiang, everyone does."
    "Nemesis Serendipity Villyn," Villyn replied, taking the opportunity to
practice his 'evil urbanity'.  "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
    Chiang's mustache twitched.  "Well, first of all, I may be able to help
you.  I understand you're having some problems relating to the Artifact of the
Morning?"
    Villyn's face darkened.  "Yes...well...as it turned out, I was traveling
with the Queen of the Darkverse, and she stole it from the village of these
two men."  He indicated the pygmies.
    The pygmies started chattering again, but Chiang suddenly shouted
something in their own language, shocking them into silence.  He turned to the
surprised Villyn and smiled.  "This may take a moment."
    "Of course," Villyn said, blinking.
    Chiang then proceeded to talk at the pygmies for several minutes in a very
stern tone, never letting them get a word in.  They started to look more and
more shamefaced as the tirade went on, until they finally threw themselves on
the ground in front of Chiang and began an extended session of what appeared
to be begging.
    "What did you say to them?" Villyn asked, his eyes wide.
    "Well," said Chiang, "I simply reminded them that it was their duty to
guard the Artifact of the Morning, so that it could not be used to bring about
the end of the world.  They failed in their sacred duty, and so the world
almost *did* end.  Fortunately, it didn't, but guarding the Artifact was the
sole reason for the existence of their village, and...well, they messed up.
They're rather embarrassed now."  His mouth quirked as he looked down at the
pygmies.
    Villyn stroked his chin.  "How interesting..."  He frowned.  "But I still
cannot forgive Cha--the Queen, for betraying me like that."
    Chiang shrugged.  "Well, that's your business, of course.  ...Say, Villyn-
san."
    "Yes?"
    "Do you have anyone in your family named after a flower, by any chance?"
    Villyn's eyes widened.  "Why, my mother's name was 'Buttercup'."
    "Aha!"  Chiang grinned.  "Many years ago, a warrior from the Darkverse
took the Artifact of Morning to Earth, to hide it.  He founded that village,
and took a wife named Iris (roughly translated from the local tongue, of
course).  And since then, nearly all of the daughters of the line have been
named after flowers.  You saw the statue that looked like you, correct?"
    Villyn nodded, his eyes even wider.
    "Well, that proves that you are none other than the descendant of these
villagers' god!"
    "I knew it!" the Camper squeaked.  "Villyn-sama really is a god!  Hail
Villyn-sama!"
    And there was much rejoicing.
    "I'm glad I could spread some cheer," Chiang said, "but I'm really here
for another purpose.  Villyn-san, I understand you have a daughter?"
    Villyn nodded, his face darkening again.  "I do, but if you wanted to
speak to Aki-chan, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed.  She's not feeling very
well today."  He sighed.
    "I see," Chiang said.  "I hope she feels better soon.  I will most likely
be along again, if she feels up to talking, but for now I must be off.  Come,
Zathras."  He walked toward the door, the furry Zathras close behind.
    "Uh, Villyn-sama," the Unnamed Minion said, "the pygmies want to use our
phone to call their village.  They promise to make it collect."
    "Hm?  Oh, certainly," Villyn said, watching Chiang and Zathras walk off.
He stroked his mustache.  [No, I can't forgive her.  She probably never really
cared about my feelings, anyway...]

=====

    Vuudu and Malaise popped into existence again.  They looked around, then
suddenly froze.
    "...There she is," Malaise whispered.  Vuudu nodded, and started walking.
    They sat down next to the Queen.  "...excuse me, your Majesty?"  Vuudu
said finally.
    The Queen turned and looked at Vuudu.  ...At least, she tried to.
"Whozat?" she slurred.
    Vuudu and Malaise exchanged a look.  "Er, it's your astrologer,
Mohjojiujoovuuduwhodew, your Majesty," Vuudu said.
    The Queen blinked.  "Mojo...whoju...jiju...who?"
    "Vuudu."
    "...Oh...Vuudu.  Why di'n't you say so?"  She tossed back the rest of her
drink, and slammed the glass to the counter.  "Bartender!  Another!"
    "Yes, your Majesty," Damu said, gingerly taking the glass and tiptoeing
away.
    "Uncle, she's had too much!" Vuudu heard the bartender's nephew say.
    The Queen stood up.  "I'm the Queen and *I* say when I've had enough!" she
yelled, punctuating the sentence with a blast of eldritch energy that
incinerated a nearby innocent (but fortunately unimportant) yoma barfly.
    "Yes, yes, of course your Majesty!" Damu said hurriedly, sloshing green
liquid over the bartop in his haste to refill the Queen's glass.
    "Good shot yer Majesty!" Lessente cheered.  He was sitting on the other
side of the Queen.
    "Damn shtraight," the Queen said, and sat back down.  She took another
swig, and wiped her mouth, then focused on Vuudu.  "Who are you again?"
    "Vuudu," Malaise said helpfully.
    The Queen peered past the astrologer, and smiled.  "I like your hair,
dear."
    Malaise blushed.  "Why, thank you, your Majesty!"
    "Yeah.  'S pretty."  Her face screwed up.  "I thought I was pretty too.  I
thought he...he..."  She put her head in her arms, and started to sob.
    Vuudu patted the Queen on the shoulder.  "Er...there, there..."  [When the
stones said 'challenges and hardships', they weren't kidding...I wonder if
life is this hard for every Queen?...]

=====

    "So...you really are a reincarnated Queen?" Rika asked.
    "That's right," Yukiko said.
    "Wow.  ...That's...that's so cool!"
    Yukiko rubbed the back of her head.  "Well...actually, in the old days, it
was pretty hard."
    "I think it probably must be," Sayaki said.  "All those people always
asking you for things, and you have so much responsibility."  She smiled.
"Much easier to just be an ordinary person."
    Yukiko nodded.  "But this is how it is, like it or not."
    "Say, can we help you be Queen?" Rika asked.
    Yukiko smiled.  "Of course.  Just by being my friends, you're helping."
    Sayaki smiled as well.  "Oh, that's nice."
    "Yeah, it's just like this anime I saw the other day!" Rika said.
    "Got any more nuts?" Esu asked.

=====

    The Baron rolled his eyes.  "And here I thought that buffoon was going to
be King, so my revenge would be easy."  He scowled.  "I guess there is no rest
for the wicked."  He blinked.  "Wait.  There's no reason I can't take a break
from scheming for a while.  Who thought up that stupid saying anyway?  Well,
let me see..."  He stirred his coffee.  "Where are you, my sailor-suited
flower..."  He stared.  "What?...Ack!  I can't watch any more of this!"  He
scowled, and took a long drink from the mug, then spit it out.  "Pfaugh!  Hell
and damnation!  I swear, on the honor of the Kingdom of Obscurity, that this
is the last time Baron Stagner von Carrlson makes instant coffee!"

=====

    Aki clicked dully through her email.  Nothing but get-rich-quick scams and
ads for porno sites.  "The Internet is just another way to get junk mail," she
muttered.
    An instant message beeped.  She clicked on it, mostly out of reflex.
    <Haven't heard from you in a while.  Things okay?>
    She debated what to say for several minutes, then finally typed, <No,
they're not okay.>
    <I'm sorry to hear that.  Want to talk about it?>
    <Dad's not so depressed anymore, but I can tell he's still upset about
Charity, and then he got on this truth thing so he finally decided to tell me
that when my mom left him all those years ago, she took my twin brother with
her, and now he's this guy that I know in my high school,> she typed.
    There was a long pause.  Finally, a response came back.
    <Damn.>
    <Yeah.> Aki typed.
    <Not much I can say, is there?>
    <Thanks for listening,> Aki typed.  <I'm going to go sleep for a while.>
    <You sleep so much because you're depressed.>
    <You're probably right, but I'm still leaving,> Aki replied.
    <Sorry, didn't mean to nag or anything.  Goodnight, Aki.>
    <Goodnight, Wataru.>
    Aki disconnected, turned off her computer, flopped down on her bed, and
went to sleep.

=====

WHAT WILL HAPPEN NOW?

Find out when Kimberli McClanahan writes next week's episode of Do-Gooders.

Author's note: Heh, heh, heh.

But seriously folks, I would like to thank my nifty prereaders Yasha and
Lawrence Chu.  ...That is, Lawrence Chu and Yasha, not Yasha Chu and Lawrence
Chu.  ...Never mind.  (Actually, I'd *like* to thank Lawrence, but somehow I
think we got our lines of communication crossed...maybe next time, Lawrence?)

I'd also like to thank the following people, whose ideas I sto^H^H^Hpaid
homage to: Yasha, Jonatan Streith, Phoebe, Eslington, Philip Barkow, J.
Michael Straczynski, Gainax, Adventions and SoftEgg and, last but certainly
not least, the indescribable Twoflower.