Azkaban 4

Friday December 29th
Azkaban Episode 4
(NOTE - Disclaimer time once again ladies and gentlemen! Harry Potter and all related characters are the property of the one and only J.K. Rowlings. One book to completion of her series, three movies to go (with Order of the Phoenix coming in Summer of 2007). By the way, that means she only has until… hmm… I’d say we’ll see Harry Potter Year 7 the Movie by Summer 2010 if things go the way they do, so Rowlings will have to answer whether she’ll do anything with the Potter franchise past the last book of the series by then. Don’t envy her, by the way, when she finally makes her announcement if she hadn’t already.)

If Alicia’s fears about her letter writing abilities when it came to Hermione seemed unfounded that night when Harry came to the Leaky Cauldron, they were soon justified and well founded fears as each and every day passed. Each day she would get an owl back from Hermione (cursing her fortune that only Cho knew well enough to wait until she finished her letter before sending it back with Chii), and each day her letters became more and more lengthy and gibbering. She began to feel that she was truly becoming a gossiping little girl everytime she penned a letter to Hermione.

Her letters to Cho Chang were not so blathering, and she also felt more at ease speaking her mind and her feelings more openly than with Hermione. Hermione she was too flustered to do much but blither on about the day’s events, but Cho was different.
“Maybe I’m pursuing the wrong girl.” Alicia wrote in a letter once to Cho, only to get this reply : “I’ll let you know when I’m available. Keep going after Hermione for now.”
Now that was a weird response. But she did as Cho asked, and didn’t push the topic of a relationship again, at least not until she was ready for one.

The day’s activities? Not much to go over, really. She’d start with breakfast, and being her happy go lucky self again she had an easier time chatting it up with the witches and wizards than she did before remembrance day. With the weight of that event off her shoulders for another year she was her old good natured self again. Though of course some of it was show to make her time with the “locals” easier to manage, she still showed abit of real humor and good natured-ness while conversing so it wasn’t all an act.

The most interesting thing she saw was what Harry thought was a hag, who ordered a plate of raw liver from behind a thick woolen balaclava. Turned out to be a rather fit 30-ish year old witch with blazing pink hair. “BAD HAIR POTION!” she cried, covering her hair again.
It took a few minutes, but Alicia talked her to put her covering down and relish her new hair as a eye catching thing to get a boy (or girl’s) attention. That was yesterday. Today Alicia nearly fell over when that same witch came back in, dressed like a girl half her age and hugging the arm of another “born again” 30-ish witch with purple hair on her head. She then went on to say how she had accidentally bought the wrong “Gilded Lock-hearts” hair potion but then recommended it to her companion after she began to love the results and…

“Yup. Definitely created a monster.” she sighed, wondering just how many “born again” 30 year olds was Gildroy Lockhart going to inspire with his hair potions. The thought sent a cold shiver down Alicia’s spine, mostly because (as a human being with years added from her birth to death, and to now) she was 30-ish in years. ‘Does that make me a bad person to chase girls half my age?’ she thought as she finished breakfast and headed into Diagon Alley. For the past several days she had been wandering the alley, so much so that she now knew the entire length of Diagon Alley from back to front, even the “Darker” aspects of Knockturn (or was it Nocturne?) Alley, but mostly to indulge in her more “adult” needs.

By now, however, she had gotten a bad rep in Knockturn Alley as being abit of a “loose girl of questionable morals”, but then again she also had a lot of dirt on the regulars of the alley so they kept her “activities” to themselves. After all, it wasn’t her fault that they kept their most guilty thoughts floating at the top of their “heads” for an easy pick up from anyone sensitive enough to hear those thoughts.
As for her “loose girl” morals? It was only once this week, and not even with one of “those girls”. She once spied a “Black Widow” type witch skulking the alleys. She was quite beautiful, and used those looks to stalk male wizards where she proposition them for activities of a sexual nature, then tapped them for whatever Galleons were on them and whatever good magical items she could steal.

Alicia was in the mood, she was right there, so she simply changed her form into a male (which was easy since Ravens could take either gender form without much hassle) and took her offer. The “loose girl” thing came from those who saw the results. When the “Black Widow” came out again from a nearby small inn she was dazed, shaky in the legs, and looked as if she was just run over by the Hogwarts Express. When an unsuspecting male (who was about to ask her for her services) tried to speak to her, she simply jumped into his arms screaming “I’M SORRY!! I’LL NEVER TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MEN AGAIN!!!”
(the fact that Alicia came out seconds later grinning like a cat and looking guilty as hell just dug her own grave in that particular incident).

She’ll be the first one to tell you this : she’s no angel. She doesn’t believe in false moralities, nor does she practice platitudes or false moral uprightness. She simply states that she, as a woman, has her needs. If she wants to fulfill them? Those are her priorities, and not to be judged by others. She does as she wishes, and acts as she pleases, devil be damned and to hell with whoever disagrees with her. That didn’t mean she neglected her schoolwork, however, not by a long shot. She did go to a boarding school after all, little chance to use the oft used excuse that a dragon ate her homework when trying to explain why she didn’t do said homework.

When she wasn’t spending the nights blathering to Hermione in letters, or (a few times) having a little fun with the locals, she worked on her scrolls and homework. Luckily for her she took Harry’s advice and started sitting outside of Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor finishing her essays, which was easy on one part because Florean Fortescue himself helped them with their medieval witch burning essays (cutting out a lot of the questionable stuff from Alicia’s while keeping the spirit of it intact). He even once introduced her to a descendent of Wedelin the Weird for part of her essay.

The next day Harry asked how her paper was coming, “The fire thing must be a family addiction.” she mused, toying with her food. “She made me “burn” her four times before she gave me what I wanted.”

“So she helped you with your essay?”

“Huh?” (blushes) “Yeah. The essay. Uh-huh. Right.”
Truth of the matter was she still wasn’t finished, mostly since that wasn‘t the thing she “wanted“ from Wendy (Wedelin‘s descendant) in the first place.

The first thing Alicia wished everytime she went back to Gringotts to refill her pouch was “I wish they gave out “credit cards” here.”, feeling her tesseract pouches as she filled them with coins. One pouch for Gold Galleons, one for Silver Sickles, one for Bronze Knuts, and one for miscellaneous treasures she “pocketed” from “people”. Her money? Since she continued to “launder” the ill gains of the wicked she “exorcised” from the living? She had more than enough to last her two lifetimes, yet she still practiced a great deal of restraint nevertheless.

“Set of solid gold Gobstones!” the merchant bragged, showing her the set. She poked at it huffing her breath at the useless things, that is until one of the stones squirted her with a nasty smelling liquid. The merchant gave her the counter-liquid to wash it off, after a gentle “reminder” from her on good customer relations when he tried to sell her the counter-liquid.

“Perfect moving model of the galaxy! Set in this indestructible glass sphere, it guarantees that you’ll never have to take another Astronomy lesson ever again!”
What Alicia told the merchant she wanted to see in one of those spheres nearly gave the man a heart attack. She decided not to ask again unless in the “proper” store.

What tested her resolve, however, came when she passed Harry at Quality Quidditch Supplies, and noticed the large crowd. She stood behind Harry, slowly moving along to get a better look at what they were all looking at. “What?” she whispered, trying to get a better view, “Somebody released a Nimbus 2002? What?!”

“Just come out -- prototype --” somebody said, “It’s the fastest broom in the world, isn’t it, Dad?”

“Irish International Side’s just put in an order for seven of these beauties! And they‘re favorites for the World Cup!”
Alicia was becoming annoyed that she heard the hype, but had yet to see the merchandise. Finally someone got out of the way and they both saw the item in question.
THE FIREBOLT This state-of-the-art racing broom sports a streamlined--- Blah, blah, blah blah. Alicia quickly sped down the list to the price. She could always figure out the optional extras when she bought one. Price on Request. Alicia’s teeth ground together as she began to tense up, her palms sweaty. Now she knew how guys felt when near an ego-rubbing vehicle or, dare she think it, broom. She looked at the flawless beauty and thought only one thing, ‘Gotta get Hermione on it.’

Briefly she let her thoughts wander away, and she imagined Hermione, naked and beautiful in the moonlight, sitting with legs crossed and eyes glittering on the broom as it floated in midair, a come hither look in her eyes as she reached her hand out to gesture for-- “ACK!” Alicia hissed, quickly spinning away and walking out of the store as fast as possible. ‘No way!’ she thought angrily, ‘She’d never do that! Stupid wet dream idea!’

Still, the thought of seducing her on such a fine broom kind of appealed to her, but she quickly shook it off. Anyway, as she figured, she already had a nice broom in her Nimbus 2001 she got the first year she was eligible to buy her own broom. And since Hermione hadn’t offered to ride barebroom yet for her she figured it was never going to happen.
Still, the thought -- She struggled with that for awhile, mostly gritting her teeth and trying to put it out of her mind.

She even asked Cho about it and she replied with a “She’s too much of a lady for such things.” but then went on to say “I’d like to see what that feels like though, one day.”
Cho Chang. A puzzle wrapped in an enigma riddled with contradicting thoughts.
Getting to know her better only made her that much harder to understand. Still, she was honest at least.
As for the idea? Sexy in wetdream but impractical in reality. The mirror didn’t seem at all interested in helping Alicia figure out if she really did look sexy sitting on her Nimbus 2001 in the buff. It just yawned and fell back asleep. “Maybe I should ask a living person next time.” she lamented, crawling back into bed to sleep.

Of course there was things that Alicia simply had to buy for school.
She went over to the Apothecary to fill out the list of potion ingredients that Snape sent her. She was, it seems, the only student at Hogwarts who wasn’t a Slytherin AND capable of having a decent conversation with Snape without being forced to speak to him.
That made sense to her since they both, after all, held secrets. She learned his the first night she returned in the second year and he bitched her, Harry and Ron out for being late and the flying car thing. He lost his temper so badly that a few random thoughts floated to the top of his mind, thoughts he normally kept hidden. It didn’t take long for her to figure out, while researching about the school’s past, what the images meant. She thought he might have been a disciple of the Darke Raven when the existence of a Darke Raven in that world came to light, but instead Snape, it seems, was once a Death Eater (one of good ole’ Voldemort’s followers).

She didn’t care abit, she was only looking for followers of the Darke Raven who might have been searching the school for the rumored Darke Raven “Heart” lying within it’s walls. Still, she didn’t miss a beat in holding it over his head like a hammer and threatening him with it. When she felt, however, she pushed him far enough? She gave him her dirty bag of secrets in return and made him a deal : they each keep the other’s secrets over their heads, and in return they become ambicle “partners” while she was at the school, keeping young “Mr. Potter” alive while staying out of each other’s way. Given no choice in the matter he agreed, and they’ve been “partners” since.

This partnership was paying off it seems now as it was with the list, however, that he also wrote “Someone told the Headmaster about your recent run in with those youths and how they were murdered. He doesn’t suspect you were involved, but I think he plans on speaking to you when you return to school, be mindful of that in case he summons you. Still, I think it best you tell me what role you played in their demises.”
Alicia wrote back “I didn’t kill them, however that’s not to say that I was saddened by their demise. They were animals, and I’m glad they’re dead. You won’t see me mourn their passing.”

Snape hadn’t written back yet. Obviously he was taken aback by her words, or just silently agreeing with her feelings. Either way? He didn’t answer and she figured the topic closed. She had to buy robes, mostly as a show since she usually used her Raven “Uniform” as her “robes” (form changed into the spitting image of Hogwarts robes), but this was about as good a time as any to dress like the “Romans”, which made sense since she usually occasionally used her robes for after baths as bathrobes, so why not use them as school uniforms for once?

And, of course, she had to buy books. After her birthday she wrote to Hermione and Ron offering to buy their books this year. This was, of course, mostly to get the chance to “buy” Hermione something, and using Ron as a “cover” so she couldn’t point to Ron just in case she noticed that Alicia only lavished Hermione with books.
“Ron needs books too.” she might have complained, or something like that.

Ron’s list was the same as her’s, so that was no shock. The shock came when she saw Hermione’s list. There was more books than the hours of the day could provide Hermione with a chance to go to all the classes these books entailed. “What the…” she rasped, looking at the list. “What kind of nutter signs up for so many classes?!?”

“…maybe she has a lot of time on her hands…” Wendy moaned from her spot on the bed, this being the night she stood over for “homework”. She promised a “refresher” lesson after she caught her breath, so Alicia was looking over the book lists while she waited for Wendy to get her second wind. The idea of all these books and the classes they went to… still, she promised she’d get the books so a promise was a promise.

When she got to Flourish and Blotts she thought for an instant the books have gone mad and started killing each other (it was that time of the year after all so maybe the books were suffering from schooltime maniac depression). In a huge iron cage she saw books trying to murder each other. “Oh, no.” she sighed wearily, “Not the murdering Monster books again.” (sure enough, each list had a request for one copy apiece) “Hagrid must have an evil streak in him to assign these books.” she lamented as she walked in. As she did, the manager came hurrying to her. “Hogwarts?” he said abruptly. “Come to get you--”

“Hang on a sec.” she grumbled, shoving her lists into his hands. With a tired groan she walked over to the iron cage and stood in front of it, whipping her head back and forth to work the kinks out as she loosened up. “---miss? What are you---”
With one hand she motioned for the cage to open, with the other she waited as the books rushed out all at once. “MISS!! WHAT ARE--”

“Shut up.” she growled, quickly using her free hand to “catch” all the books as they rushed her, freezing them in place and bringing them upwards into the air. As she focused on them she thought for a second “Need a good medium, something to---” (looks down and sighs miserably) “---the things I do for love---” she groaned. Carefully, she then (with one hand levitating the books) ran two of her fingers up and down between her breasts (generating a sense similar to how she stroked book’s spine if she was working on the book), feeding that same “soft touch” into their “minds” (as it were). She then focused harder, tongue licking the air as she stimulated the books “minds” the same way she did her own book’s spine with her tongue. She then (still stimulating herself while focusing those feelings onto the books) triggered a looping spell that kept that same pleasure rippling through each book.

Finally she set them all down on the display and stopped focusing. That did it. The books were now completely docile, and would stay that way. All she had to do was mend the books and that’s when she realized she was doing it without her wand! Feeling like a total idiot for missing such a simple “trick” she quickly yanked it out and did that spell with her wand, hoping he was too dazed to notice what she was doing before.

After the books mended themselves, and he seemed too dazed to ask about earlier, she told the manager that the books were now docile and moved to catch her breath. Of course she TRIED to catch her breath, which she didn’t have long to do as the store manager nearly mauled her crying out, “GOD BLESS YOU!! GOD BLESS YOU!!” (She nearly died from suffocation). When he finally stopped smothering her he helped her get the books she needed for herself, Ron and Hermione.
Two copies of the Monster Book of Monsters being part of her list of course.
“I’m never stocking those things again!” the manager cried, helping Alicia find a book on Arithimancy, “It’s been bedlam (before you showed up of course)! I thought we’d seen the worst when we bought two hundred copies of the Invisible Book of Invisibility -- cost a fortune, and we never found them…”

Alicia - “You got ripped off.”

“Huh?”

Alicia - “Ripped off.” she noted as she picked up a book on, of all things, “Muggle Studies” which she put into her lot. “Those kind of books would be sorta like Predators.”

“Say what?” the manager asked, looking confused. “Predators. Like the movie?” Alicia remakred, “With Schwarzenegger, then Danny Glover in the sequel and then Aliens Vs. Predator?” (waits for a reply) “Don’t you ever get out and see a movie? Rent or buy a DVD? Anything that isn‘t magically inclined?”

“OH!” (looks embarrassed) “But what about it? You mean the books are dangerous?”

“I mean you should have received a batch of books which looked like clear whispy glass, when you open it the pages become solid. That’s how you can tell an invisible object from an empty box which is what you probably bought.” The manager excused himself and made a call, probably to a mystical lawyer (’I wonder if they call them “broomchasers“ in the mystical world‘ Alicia pondered silently), coming back seconds later to help her with her books again, thanking her again of course (this time no hug). “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“Yeah.” (she looks down her list, having taken care of Hermione’s specialty books) “I need three copies of Unfogging the Future by Cassandra Vablatsky.”

“Ah, starting Divination, are you?” he said with a bit of a dramatic flourish. “Guess so.” Alicia muttered as she followed him, sighing resentfully as she did. In truth? She really needed a class like Divination like she needed a hole in her head. She was already a Raven so she had a talent with future sight, but apparently the class was given automatically at Year 3 so she had no choice but to take it, even if it was probably going to bore the heck out of her.
He took her to the back of the shop where a small table of books set for fortune telling were set. “Here you go.” said the manager, who had climbed a set of steps to take down three thick, black-bound books. “Unfogging the Future. Very good guide to all your basic fortune-telling methods -- palm-reading, crystal balls, bird entrails--”

“I’ll give it a shot after dinner tonight. I have a hankering for roasted chicken so I‘ll be all set.” (sighs) “Then again maybe I’ll just stick with the Hamburger Helper that the cook makes, and tries to pass off as an old Transylvanian pasta dish. Eck.” (picks up book lying to one side) “What a grim cover. The writer of this book had a lousy future indeed.”
The book was uninteresting except for the title. Death Omens: What to Do When You Know the Worst Is Coming. (‘Should have had a copy before I died.’ Alicia thought gloomily, ‘Then again--’)

“Oh, I wouldn’t read that if I were you,” the manager warned her, looking at the book in her hand. “You’ll start seeing death omens everywhere. It’s enough to frighten anyone to death.”

“Been there, done that.” she whispered, tossing the book aside. “Then I’ll just need three copies of Intermediate Transfiguration, three copies of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Three, any book that’d make a good birthday gift for a girl who is really good at magic (Year 3) and--” (grabs a book off the shelf, rifles through the pages, and tossing the book into her pile. “This.” The manager looks down at it, “But that’s a book a lot of male customers have been demanding! It’s nothing but naughty stories and moving photos of women having sex with women and---” (blushes) “---oh.”

“Oh.” she repeated, glaring at him as her fingers brushed the title, which simply read “The Beauty of Our Love - Hogsmeades‘ Witches on Witches“. He immediately backed off to find her books, adding “Lots of women read it too! You know, because we get a lot of them here. And they love that book. Highly recommended. The stories of passion are very detailed and beautiful while the pictures are very erotic without being perverted or degrading to the women and---”

“Quit while your WAY behind already.” she finally told him, shaking her head. As he rung her up (adding “The Big Book of Little Known Useful Spells Vol. 1”) she asked the obvious, “Do any lesbians really shop here?”

“Why not? Though I wouldn‘t know which witch is which, it‘s not like they confide those things to me, they just come here to buy books.” he remarks, “I sold quite a few copies of that book to women since it’s written by women so it’s nothing--- oh!” (frowns) “Your thinking of those blokes. The ignorant ones who--- yeah.” (nods his head) “I saw their ‘work’ and heard their ‘ideas’. Bunch of ignorant thought if you ask me. People should be allowed to live and love as they please, not having a bunch of slack jawed whiney wand wavers like that with no class pester them for it. Bunch of jerks if you ask me.”

“Agreed.” She paid him, and pecked him softly on the cheek for being a nice man, then left the shop with her purchases. Still, the thought of those “blokes” rubbed into her as she walked. Still, it lingered as she went back to her room and collapsed into her bed.
She didn’t want to think about it anymore, about ignorance or how racist it was everytime they referred to Muggles, or to -- “I don’t care anymore.” she growled, rolling over onto her stomach to bury her face in her pillow, “I hate my life.”

“What, dear? I didn’t understand that, you have to speak up.” the mirror said with a slight bit of concern, “Your not going to off yourself, are you? I remember when the mirror two rooms down nearly had a bloke who did that by accident, wouldn’t stop panicking everytime somebody looked dead to it and --”

‘Is silence worth seven years back luck.’ Alicia thought as she regarded the mirror briefly.

* * * * * *

The days passed, and the wait for Hermione was becoming unbearable.
She finally sent, after a few days, her “last” owl saying that she was on her way. Still it seemed to be too long. As the days drew closer to the trip back to Hogwarts she began to see students from the school arriving at Diagon Alley for their school supplies.
The last day before departing was the worst and the best though, in her opinion.

The worst of it was being cornered by Oliver Wood at the ice cream shoppe and nearly talked to death about Quidditch moves. Of course he couldn’t stop going on and on about how she should be more like Potter. More like Potter this, more like Potter that, made her want to kick Wood in the Little Wood just to shut him up. The worst (if that wasn‘t worst enough), however, came when Florence came out and remarked on her cute boyfriend (which nearly sent her into ballistic mode), but at least Wood got the point and left her alone (for now at least, but she knew like any “good“ dimestore villain “he‘d be back“).

She met other members Gryffindor house, but only a handful she knew to any degree (moreso from he lacking social skills than any attempt to be a reclusive in school). In terms of friends she only had a tight woven circle of friends, followed by a medium circle of good acquaintances, and then a wide circle of people who feared her, or just kept their distance because they didn’t like her too much. She wasn’t the darling of the school, nor it’s social outcast, she was simply one of them. She had her own friends, her own enemies, and that made her basically normal in every sense -- except this year.

People she never talked to seemed to take note of her, if not to speak to her than just to look at her and speak about her behind her back. For some reason everyone seemed to note her more, and it seemed to go back to what she learned earlier that she was going to be abit more noticed in school than before. But how--? ‘With my luck somebody’s passing around an illegal sphere of me and some loose morals witch making out. With my luck it’s Wendy since I have no idea how much of a egomonger she is when it comes to dubious fame.’ she thought to herself, taking a rather low view of her limited “fame” without even knowing why people were more intent on looking at her than they were last year.

There was, of course, a few bright spots, one of which being her running into the cute couple of Longbottom/Myrial (May to everyone she knew). She ran into Neville (the real Neville) and May outside of Flourish & Blotts, May (a girl Neville’s height with small pointy elfin ears and beautiful blonde hair (from her Amazonian side) flowing down her back) gently scolding Neville for losing his booklist. As he went in to get their books May took Alicia aside. “I told him, and I showed him my true elfin form!” she grinned, flashing a V for Victory sign, “And he STILL LOVES ME!! My precious loves me!”
Alicia, confused, thought about what she said for a second before -- “OH! You mean you -- you act like a Amazonian the way you prattle on! Not like your mutli sexed or any--”

“Don’t be mean!” she pouted, looking down at her feet as she did, “It was sweet of him to still accept me as a lover despite the shock it must have been for him.”

“It would have been a worst shock if you pulled your skirt up and showing him a thing only Amazonians and certain humanoids have! No doubt in my mind, probably would have shocked a few years off his life expectancy.” Alicia murmured, only to receive a glaring glance from May. May, after all, was extremely sensitive about her elfin body. She, when in “true“ form, was a tall statuesque young woman with ample everything (which Alicia liked to tease her about even if it made May majorly pissy). “You‘re supposed to be my “parole“ officer, not here to find the perfect mate! My misery, after all, isn’t supposed to be your “Love Connection”! Anyway, you give him the “grand tour“ of your assets yet? At least help him lose his virginity sometime soon!” May’s face drops and turns serious, “My Neville’s a gentleman!” she growled, waving an accusing finger at Alicia, “When we’re ready we’ll explore our sexualities when it’s time and NOT before. Just because your so loose with your legs--”

“Alright, alright, give me a break.” Alicia sighed, shaking her off as she turned her back over to Neville (who was waving for her from inside the bookstore). “Thank god for sweet “little” girls like May --” (thinks about it for a second) “-- good thing she still goes around in her “second“ form though, I don‘t think anyone‘s ready to see Neville with a tall blonde elfin goddess as a girlfriend just yet. It‘d probably kill Malfoy at first sight.”

There was, of course, other people she met, some of who she actually knew.
She ran into her fellow Quidditch teammates (who were doing their best to avoid Wood since he was on the warpath today), and most of them were found ogling the Firebolt. Even her more sensible female teammates were ogling it, which was a real surprise to Alicia since she never thought them as “broom fanatics”. All and all though? She kept any questions as to why they were ogling it to herself.

She, of course, eventually found the people she was really looking for.
It was outside of the ice cream shoppe she’d been spending her days with Potter studying that she finally saw the person she was waiting for. Hermione Granger. She was presently talking to Harry and Ron (who hadn’t noticed her yet), but she soon heard her opening when Harry asked if they got all their supplies yet. “I already got the books, as I promised.” she chipped in, sliding into a chair between Hermione/Ron as she nodded to each one. “I’ll give them to you once we get back to the Leaky Cauldron. Though…” (her face turns serious) “I have to say that your list baffled me the most. I mean the amount of books implies a lot of classes! Can you…”

“Well, I AM taking more new subjects than you, aren’t I?” she remarked. “Don’t be all flippant with me on it.” Alicia countered, feeling her cheeks grow rosey red from Hermione’s stern expression aimed right at her, “You got all the stuff we have, PLUS Arithmancy (whatever that is), Study of Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies -- and that I can’t figure out because you need Muggle Studies like I need a refresher course in Lesbian 10---” (Alicia quickly shut her mouth and went an even brighter red that went from face to toes. Hermione, however, either didn’t notice or chose to “ignore” it as she picked up the conversation where Alicia “dropped” it). “It’ll be fascinating to study them from the wizarding point of view,” she said earnestly.

“Oh, sure. That.” Alicia sputtered, trying to regain her composure, “If you like the view from a purely ignorant racist POV then you’re in for a real treat with this class. Yes, sir.” (sighs irritably as Ron picks up the slack) “Are you planning on surviving on air and sunlight alone because there’s no time to do anything else, let alone feed yourself or get any sleep, with that schedule.” Hermione, ignoring him, checked her purse. “Thanks to Alicia’s generous help I have quite abit of Galleons left.” she announced, checking her purse’s contents. “It’s my birthday in September, and Mum and---?” At this moment Alicia popped the book, wrapped in beautiful gold wrapping and tied with a bow, out of a tesseract gem on her uniform and quickly shoved it forward towards Hermione squeaking “Happy Birthday!” with her face blushing madly, and her eyes shut.

She felt a cold chill down her spine, and gritted her teeth at her rash action. She didn’t even have a chance to prepare, or to do it properly. She just wanted to give it the moment she heard it was her birthday coming up. Rash, impulsive, without thinking a thing out. That’s her alright. Still, Hermione accepted it graciously and looked genuinely happy with the gift. She hugged it to her chest and said she’d treasure it. With a little bit of the weight lifted from her shoulders she asked Hermione what she was going to get herself with her Galleons. “How about a nice book?” said Ron innocently. “No, I don’t think so, and Alicia already got me a nice book so -- I really want an owl.” (Alicia almost groaned out loud at the decision, an OWL, sheesh) “I mean, Harry’s got Hedwig and you’ve got Errol --”

“No I haven’t,” said Ron as a matter of fact. “Errol’s a family owl. All I’ve got is Scabbers.” (suddenly he pulls his pet rat out of his pocket), “Speaking of which I want to get him checked out.” he added, placing Scabbers on the table in front of them. “I don’t think Egypt agreed with him.”

“Don’t blame him.” Alicia whispered, looking carefully at the rat, it’s body thinner than usual with a telltale droop in his whiskers showing how rather “off” it was in it’s health. “Did you try out the Magical Menagerie yet?” Alicia offered, motioning towards the side of the street opposite of the ice cream palour, “Figure they could help you out while Hermione gets her owl.” (she took care not to drool out the word “owl” or make it sound like she was pissed.) Noticing Alicia’s foul mood, Hermione smiled, “I’ll get one that’ll remind me of you everytime I see it, as a thank you for the lovely present.”
This brought Alicia’s frown up to a smile, and brightened her mood. Even an owl started to sound pretty good as long as it was beautiful and noble, because it would always remind Hermione of herself, and gave her hope that Hermione was getting the hints that she was interested in her. Of course it wouldn’t but Alicia could dream, couldn’t she?

* * * * * *

The first thing Alicia noticed when she stepped into the Magical Menagerie behind the trio was that it was quite cramp inside. In truth there was not much room inside the shop, every inch of the walls being hidden behind some form of cage. It was smelly, the noise was unbearable, and it took a lot of effort on Alicia’s part to remain focused as she walked into this virtual assault on the senses.

The first face to peer at her from behind the counter didn’t help her any either, it was the purple haired witch she “helped” some days ago. She was already advising a wizard on a sickly (by appearance more than by it’s health) looking double-ended newts (with an additional head where it’s butt should have been --- whichever end that could have possibly been). As she helped him with that, the four waited behind the wizard, examining cages. The entire store did nothing for Alicia whatsoever. In fact, the store was beginning to get on her nerves in a general and overall sense.

The pair of enormous purple toads that gulped down the dead blowflies made Alicia nauseous. The gigantic tortoise with it’s jewel-encrusted shell that sat by the window, glittering in the sunlight that streamed into Diagon Alley? That was just too weird for Alicia’s tastes, too shiny too. The poisonous orange snails that were oozing slowly up the side of their glass tank only served to creep Alicia out majorly. As for the fat white rabbit that kept changing into a silk top hat and back again with a loud popping noise? Alicia was tempted to purchase it just so she’d have the unique pleasure of strangling it to death with her bare hands.

There were, of course, cats of many different colors and breeds. They mostly made Alicia thankful that she didn’t have an allergic reaction to cats. There were her favorite animal, of course, the ravens. But these ravens were far too noisy and nowhere as dignified or perfect as her Chii was. These ravens were just bad mannered ruffians, not for her. There was a basketful of odd looking custard-colored furballs that were humming a strange song (if Alicia didn’t know any better, she would have sworn that she was staring at a giant basketful of Tribbles. She didn’t like Tribbles. No sir, she didn’t like them in the least. So these things of course turned her off in a major sense from just reminding her of Tribbles).

On the counter a vast cage of sleek black rats sat, and they were playing a rather odd skipping game with one of the rat’s tails as the “rope”. By the time Alicia finally noticed what was going on, Ron and Harry was already up front and the witch was taking care of Scabbers. She listened to hear Hermione making her selection, wondering what kind of beautiful owl she’d pick. So lost in her thoughts she barely noticed the gigantic orange thing fly from the top of the highest cage, land hard on it’s head (ouch), and then leap like a guided missile right at Scabbers. “NO, CROOKSHANKS, NO!” the witch cried out, but almost immediately the entire place became a madhouse.
Scabbers ran off, Ron and Harry scurried to find it, the witch clung onto the strange cat like mad trying to hold it down -- and Alicia? She followed Ron/Harry out, having decided at the start of the chaos to quickly step back out of harm’s way and watch the events unfold without actually becoming an active participant in the madness.

It took ten minutes for Ron to find Scabbers. For some reason, no matter how hard she tried, Alicia couldn’t get a lock on Scabber’s mind. It was as if he was a blank “void” in the middle of this large ocean of open minds.
Still Ron found him, and that’s what mattered. Ron had found him beneath a wastepaper bin outside of Quality Quiddich Supplies. This fact confused Alicia. She had passed that wastepaper bin FIVE times, each time scanning it as she passed, yet she felt nothing of Scabbers. ‘Maybe he hid under there just as Ron found him.’ she thought, brushing off her strange inability to “connect” with Scabbers as nothing to become overtly concerned about.

As for Ron? He merely stuffed the trembling terror filled rat back into his pocket and straightened up, massaging his head as he did. “What was that?”

“Cat, Ron. It was a cat -- or a furry version of a guided missile,” Alicia remarked, thinking back on the bizarre creature, and how it could respond so quickly after taking a header into the counter and smacking itself upside it’s own head. “Take your pick. I’m personally swaying towards “guided missile” myself, but that’s just me.”

“Where’s Hermione?” Ron asked, to which Harry replied “Probably getting her owl--” before his voice fell away into a dead sort of silence. It seemed that, at that moment, he saw Hermione and saw her “animal”, and that is what fell him so quickly into a stunned silence. It was Hermione alright, but she wasn’t holding an owl as she exited the Magical Menagerie. Far from it. Her arms was, instead, clamped tightly around the self-same enormous ginger cat that tried to turn Scabbers into a mid-day snack. Alicia’s heart sank at the sight of the monstrous thing that passed for a cat, and felt rather dejected by Hermione’s choice.
“You bought that monster?” Ron sputtered, his mouth sputtering as he stared at it in confusion. “He’s gorgeous, isn’t he?” she went on, blathering about the thing as if it was the most beautiful thing in the whole wide world. But to Alicia? It only added insult to injury that the thing was not only a monstrously disgusting creature, that it also had to be a “he” as well. That just seemed to push all her buttons, yet she still managed to keep a slightly disturbing “smile” on her face.

The cat’s ginger fur was thick and fluffy, but the creature the fur was attached to was rather bowlegged and it’s face looked grumpy and oddly squashed (most likely from it’s habit of “table diving” which often resulted in it landing face first into the countertop). Anyway as long as Scabbers remained hidden the cat seemed quite content to purr contentedly in Hermione’s arms. Still, the implications of Hermione’s “promise”, and the thing she brought out with her, only dug deeply into Alicia’s tender feelings like a red hot knife through exposed flesh. In fact she was so put out by this that she ignored their talking all the way back to the Leaky Cauldron, pouting miserably (though keeping her “smile” on her face).
They found Mr. Weasley inside, sitting in the bar reading the Daily Prophet. “Harry! Alicia!” he said, smiling as he looked up. “How are you two?”

“Fine, thanks,” said Harry, to which Alicia merely nodded her head and said a quick greeting, as they all joined Mr. Weasley at the table with all their shoppings in hand. As they all sat down Mr. Weasley put down his paper, which Alicia looked at briefly noting the now familiar picture of Sirius Black staring up at them. “They still haven’t caught him, then?” Harry asked. “No,” Mr. Weasley confirmed, looking rather grave as he spoke, “They’ve pulled us all off our regular jobs at the Ministry to try and find him, but no luck so far.”

“Would we get a reward if we caught him?” asked Ron, which nearly shocked the hell out of Alicia as he did, “It’d be good to get some…” She hit him upside his head and snarled, “ARE YOU MAD?” she hissed, viciously tapping two fingers down on the picture of Sirius as she spoke in her harsh tone, “This guy is a certified whack-job and killer! The only thing you’ll catch is your death if you messed with him.”

“She’s right,” Mr. Weasley added, his face looking rather strained at Alicia’s outburst. “Black’s not going to be caught by a 13-year-old wizard. Mark my words, it’s the Azkaban guards who’ll get him back.”

The mention of Azkaban brought briefly back memories of the place to Alicia. She had seen it only once, but it was enough for her. The place was dismal. Not horrific like a bad cult horror movie, but disturbing in a clean, antiseptic nightmare future prison way.
The walls, floors, everything was bathed in a sickly green light, and everything was far too clean. It was so clean that Alicia almost felt that she could eat off the floor and not worry about becoming ill or anything. Each “cell” was sealed off with a glass “door” which allowed unrestricted visuals into the cell, which held one person each who looked like they had the life sucked out of them and the prison was only being used to hold their lifeless husks. Each prisoner inside was a disturbing vistage of madness, laid out on their bed staring listlessly into space as if their very souls were sucked out by Azkaban.

One cell, however, caught Alicia’s attention the most. It was housing two, not one.
The two, who were husband and wife, laid in their bed naked and seemed to be quite sexually active most of the time. It seemed the only thing they did all day was eat, sleep and have sex. Their eyes were as disturbing as everyone else’s, and their “enthusiasm” for sex was scary by the human guards term of the word “scary” because nobody bothered to watch. They all kept their distance. Even the “Dementors” kept their distance, preferring the quieter prisoners to these two who did everything with great and frightening energy.
That’s why she did what she did, when she…

Her memories stopped as Mrs. Weasley entered, laden with shopping bags followed by the “Terrible Twins” of Fred & George. Now it was no great secret that Alicia didn’t like Fred & George very much, but they seemed to have a strange fascination towards her. A fascination that seemingly bordered on the illegal, the way they seemed to fixated on her at times. The only thing Alicia knew of their fascination with her was that she didn’t want any part of it, period. And that’s all she ever wanted to know about their “liking” for her. Right behind those three was Percy, then Ginny (the youngest and only girl of the family).

Ginny, who had a major crush on Harry, seemed even more embarrassed than usual when she saw him, having no doubt remembered how he was her “Knight in Shining Armor” when he saved her from the temporarily “resurrected” “dupe” of “Lord Voldemort”. She went quite red (even redder than Alicia was earlier when she slipped up outside of the ice cream palour) and muttered a quick “hello” without looking at Harry. Young “love”. Alicia couldn’t help but smile inwardly though she still felt rather moody on the outside. A condition which only worsened when Percy stepped forward. Percy, for his part of the situation, was rather disturbing towards Harry (and in a sense to Alicia as well) as a counterbalance to Ginny’s full body blush girl-ish embarrassment as he held out his hand solemnly to Harry as if it was the first time they met. “Harry. How nice to see you.”

“Hello, Percy.” said Harry, trying not to laugh as they shook hands. Next, he turned to Alicia and repeated the process, “Alicia. Pleasure to meet…”

“Cut the crap, Perce.” Alicia muttered, battering his hand aside as her mood soured even worst than it was a minute ago. “Really not in the mood.”
Of course George & Fred simply had to get into the act, bumping Percy aside as they “assaulted” Harry. “Harry!” Fred started, bowing deeply, “Simply splendid to see you, old boy---”

“Marvelous,” George added, bumping Fred aside in turn and seizing Harry’s hand quickly. “Absolutely spiffing.” Percy scowled, and so did Alicia. “That’s enough, now.” said Mrs. Weasley firmly, only to have herself set upon by the two. “Mum!” said Fred as though he’d only just spotted her, seizing her hand as he did. “How really corking to see you…”

“CUT IT OUT!!” Alicia finally yelled, her eyes starting into their “burn” cycle, the whites of the eyes slowly glowing. “I said that’s ENOUGH,” Mrs. Weasley firmly repeated as she put her shopping bags down into an empty chair, reaching a hand out to Alicia, touching her shoulder softly. “You alright?” It took a few seconds, but she simmered down, calming herself to the point she could talk without growling every word. “I’m fine.” she sighed, smiling abit as she beheld Mrs. Weasley in her eyes. It never failed. Just being near Mrs. Weasley always made Alicia feel abit better about the world, and her mood lightened abit in her presence. If she was only younger she’d so take her in an instant… aghh… (Alicia blushed) ‘What the hell am I thinking?!‘ she reprimended herself. ‘Should never repeat that to Ron. “Oh, hi Ron. Me? Nothing me, I’ve just been thinking about how much I’d love to shag your mum if she was younger. By the way, how’s International Quidditch these days?”… yeah.’

She turned towards Harry, smiling, and greeted him. The buzz was all about Percy’s new rank as Head Boy, but Alicia wasn’t listening. Her mind was wandering aimlessly. She felt something in the back of her head and smiled. Cho Chang was nearby now. She could “feel” her presence faintly in the back of her mind. She told Alicia once that she always came here a day early and stood with relatives in London before taking the train, so that she was always on the Hogwarts Express before everyone else. She had been anticipating this “feeling” ever since she started “looking out” for Cho a few days ago.

It took the sound of Ginny’s giggling to bring her back to the real world. “You want to set a better example for your sister!” snapped Mrs. Weasley, to which Percy replied “Ginny’s got other brothers to set her an example, Mother, I’m going to change for dinner---”
Good examples, at this remark Alicia began to laugh. Low at first, then it started to grow. Percy, staring at Alicia oddly as if she just snapped, simply turned and went upstairs. George heaved a sigh. “We tried to shut him in a pyramid,” he told Harry, “But Mum spotted us.”.

To Be Continued

(NOTE - Don't forget to drop in New Year's Day for the first look at Trial of Fire and Darkness! Happy New Year!)

Mirra's Trilogy 4

December 31st
Hikaru looked so peaceful while she slept.
Mirra couldn’t help but smile as she gently brushed a few hairs awayfrom her forehead, watching her slumber. How things have changed since that first night some months ago.

When Hikaru first fell asleep in Mirra’s bed she wore her day clothes and was there to comfort the other girl’s fears as she recovered from what Mimic did to her.

Two months ago she started wearing her jammies to bed, feeling more and more comfortable with Mirra. She had even started changing in front of Mirra for bed.

A few nights ago they made their first step towards lovemaking (slow, baby steps learning as they went) and haven’t looked back since.

* * * * * *

The night before

Mirra was all smiles as she finished dressing in her jammies. The soft material and new clothes smell just excited her. These were brand new pajamas from Hikaru, one of the gifts she got from her for Christmas. They fit her like a glove, and felt so soft against her bare skin. She particularly enjoyed the blue color and little bunny images on the fabric. She poked one of the rabbits (situated over her left nipple) and gasped, giggling abit at her reaction from her prodding. Quickly she jumped into bed, rolling on the soft bedding in her pajamas,
receiving a charge from the sensations that coursed through her.

“It’s like a slumber party in here everynight, isn’t it?”

Mirra bolted upright, blushing abit as she looked towards the door. “Uh--- hi, Umi---”

“Just thought I’d check in on you on the way to bed. You two…”

“----” Mirra blushes.

Umi smiled, “Oh-kay, Ok. I won‘t ask. I wouldn’t want to make you embarrassed.“

“I‘m not embarrassed.”

Umi nods as she exit’s the room, “Sure you’re not.“

“I‘m not!” she cries out, feeling the blood drain from her face leaving her flushed. She was abit shy, but not because she and Hikaru were becoming sexually intimate (slowly, with meek steps). She just didn’t want to talk about those things. They were their intimate acts that wasn’t Umi’s business.

“I’m not embarrassed.” Mirra sighs, lying down in her side of the bed to relish in the feel of her jammies. “---hmph---” Mirra grunts slightly as she rolls over on her stomach and buries her head in her pillow. “Umi‘s so nosey!” she rasps, her face blushing as she thinks about her answer.

She always seems to be prying for “juicy” details of what happens between the sheets at night, and it miffs Mirra to no end how Umi continues to harp for details of things she didn’t want to talk about. Maybe, however, she was embarrassed that she was learning stuff from
places that she felt ashamed to talk about openly, but she was so curious.

She had been “juicing” her age (mimicking an older person) to buy porn magazines, mostly of women/women love, and looking through them for “ideas” for the past few days. Admittedly she was still rather awkward when it came to her sexuality, and didn’t know how Cloud could be so mature next to her since they were used about the same amount of times (and “Aged” the same way).

As far as everyone was concerned, Cloud seemed to be a mischievous little girl to everyone, but Mirra knew how mature she was when she wasn’t “playing” around. Still, it gave her a little shock two days ago to wander in on “little” Cloud masturbating furiously in her room
while Kero was out. She didn’t seem at all like the little girl whose “body” she wore, but Mirra knew she wasn’t little at all, at least not in real age, the body was only her non-powered form--- her true form was older in appearance--- and taller.

After Cloud was done, Mirra sat down next to the exhausted “girl” and spoke to her, but she didn’t want to talk--- all she did was crawl under her blankets of her “bed” set in the corner and hide herself.

She was very prideful, and being caught by Mirra doing that to relieve herself only frustrated her and hurt her pride. She refused to come out again until Kero returned to play more video games, but by then Mirra had already left the pouting Clow “girl” behind to mope under her blankets.

For such a young little thing she was actually a mature woman, with needs that Mirra was only now beginning to grasp--- needs such as sexual fulfillment. However she didn’t like to display this need in front others, especially Kero to spare him the pain of having to watch
without being able to participate.

Make no mistake about it. She did love him, quite strongly, but as long as they were unable to achieve their true forms they could do little about that love other than keep it close to their hearts and mind their time. It might not have happened in the original “world”, but a lot of loves and happiness that were now possible didn’t happen before so Mirra didn’t gripe about their relationship in the slightest.

Absentmindedly she rolls over and reaches under the bed, retrieving one magazine to flip through as she waited for Hikaru to come to bed. As she flipped through each page she imagined it was her and Hikaru making love, and each thought in that direction made her smile. A free hand caressed her breast, plucking at her nipple causing it to harden as she looked at the pictures. The women in the magazine looked so staged, so fake, but Mirra only wanted inspiration so it didn’t matter to her as long as they looked like they were in love (so it didn’t matter if they were really in love or not).

“Thinking dirty thoughts?”

Mirra suddenly went pale, feeling a weight press onto her rear as she loomed behind her.

“Hik--hikaru---”

Hikaru’s fingers traced the page, rotating around one of the women’s breasts on the magazine, “Do you like big breasts? I know I‘m not adequate…”

“NO! No!“ Mirra spat out quickly, “I love you---”

“That’s not right!” Hikaru groans in a joking manner, her fingers digging into Mirra’s shoulders to massage her. “You have to say your lines correctly! You’re supposed to tell me how big my breasts are and how you love them!”

“Sorry.”

Hikaru smiles, helping Mirra put her magazine “away” back beneath the bed as she looks on. “I’m only joking, Mirra… I think you’re cute when you blush like that. It‘s so kawaii!!”

“I’m not blushing!” Mirra cried out, feeling herself grow even redder.

End of flashback

* * * * * *

What happened next--- Mirra blushed lightly at the thought.

They were still at an awkward early stage, and content with their light and innocent bondings, after awhile Hikaru helped Mirra slip her bottoms off and the two laid down in a 69 position and made love in this way (fingers and tongue helping along) until they were
exhausted and content.

Mirra couldn’t help herself. She couldn’t help but to blush thinking how intense and beautiful their little acts of love were some hours ago. The thought of each and every lick, stroke, and touch warm in her mind and deep within her heart. Unconsciously she wiggled her bottom
abit, still getting used to sleeping in the half buff (top only). Each wiggle sent a little jolt through her, the bedding’s soft material exciting her in strange little ways. She had slept for so long in jammies that the last few nights of only wearing half her clothes (after lovemaking) still wasn’t something she could get used to without the need to indulge in these little “jolts“ she got from the bedding--- at least not yet.

How Tomoyo-mama & Sakura-papa slept in the complete nude in these soft squishy blankets and beddings (which tickled her exposed bottom everytime she rolled over in bed and threatened to set her off during sex) was amazing (to her at least).

Mirra’s eyes narrowed slightly as her stomach grumbled. She was feeling a tad hungry.

That was another thing she envied Tomoyo-mama/Sakura-papa, their stamina.
It seemed as if they could make strong love (a few times over), sleep, and wake up at a normal hour to eat breakfast, but Mirra felt hungry two hours ago (only a short time after her light lovemaking) and that vexed her. She already felt inadequate and it would get worst she thought. How could she be hungry after such a low key session while mama and papa can love so intensely yet not seem hungry afterwards? Did she have that low a stamina?

Abit ashamed, she crawls out of bed (locating her pajama bottoms) and sneaks out of the room. She was just going to the kitchen for a snack, then back to bed. That‘s it. Inside the kitchen, however, she found that she wasn’t alone. Inside she found Cloud sitting despondently on the floor, looking upwards at the tall cabinets and a treasured box of
cookies she wanted (but was too short to reach since it was positioned so high out of her reach).

Using her power to easily access the box (by becoming an adult sized person), she passes the box to Cloud and walks to the refrigerator to scrounge up some stuff for breakfast. Admittedly she was still learning how to cook, and only mastered a few things like eggs and
microwave-able meals, so she was only now scrounging for what she knew to make. As she sets to cook herself a meal, Cloud stares at her (cookie in mouth). “Whatcha’ doing?”

“Making something to eat.” she answered.

“Munchie! Munchie!” Cloud giggled, stuffing another cookie in her mouth ignoring the fact that she was also having a case of the “munchies”, though Mirra didn’t miss that fact for a second. “You’re eating too.” she pointed out, pointing at the box. “So why are you REALLY up anyway?”

“You first, munchie-girl!” Cloud shot back, munching as she talked.

“I was hungry.” she repeated, but abit reluctantly this time, adding, “I wonder if I’m doing right by Hikaru--- being such an inadequate lover.”

“Your not that bad. At least you can love her in that way.“ Cloud muttered as she stood up, mood shifting to her serious self. “I think I’m hurting Kero the more I stay in there with him. It‘s not fair to him… he must be frustrated by this as much as I am.”

“Why?”

No longer eating, Cloud walks over to the table and sits herself down. “I woke up and heard him talking in his sleep--- he was remembering one of the times we made love when we were… when we were… you know. Bigger people.”

“I know.” Mirra replies, cracking the eggs and dropping it’s contents in and seasoning it as it cooked. “Have to cook it longer, hate runny yolks.”

“Am I pretty?” Cloud suddenly asks, to which Mirra turns (while watching her eggs cook) “Huh?”

“I don’t feel pretty.” she admits, looking down at herself, “I feel--- ugly being this small. I don’t see how people can find this age sexy… perverts must have low expectations because it’s disgusting to me to be this young. I wish my power was back.”

“Cloud---”

Cloud sighed miserably, “I want to be the way I should be. Back in my grown up body--- and with Kero by my side, as he’s always been--- but I ---” (sighs) “---I hate being this little--- it hurts being this little.”

Mirra nods her head, remembering how Hikaru wished to be bigger so she could love Mirra better. “I can relate to that sentiment.”
After a few seconds Cloud smiles, her eyes rolling mischievously as she bounds over to a cabinet and lifts a six pack of soda bottles from a cabinet stocked full of them. “I’m going to stack these in the fridge in my/Kero’s room! Never can have too many of these for playing
games!” And with that she bounces out of the room, back in child mode again. “Are you really so unhappy being a child again?” Mirra whispers, watching Cloud’s retreating form bound out of the room. As she turns her attention back to her food she sighs, was she really doing right by Hikaru?

The door opened again.

“Another six pack, Cloud? Sugar rush must be infectious amongst the cards---” Mirra started, only to come to a dead halt vocal-wise.

It was Hikaru, and she looked troubled. “Ah--- what’s wrong, Hikaru-chan?”

“I was worried.” she whispered, walking over to Mirra, “You weren’t in bed.”

“I got hungry. Here---” (gives a drink to Hikaru) “I’ll make you something to eat.”

“Thanks.” she whispered, walking to sit down, shivering abit. “I didn’t want to find you in the closet again crying, my heart was pounding when I checked it… it hurts me to see you in pain like that, you know, it‘s not fair… why can‘t Mimic leave us alone?”

Mirra shudders abit, almost losing the egg she was plating as she did.
It was true, she had been found curled in the closet from time to time over the past few months, and it was all because of Mimic. She still couldn’t shake the visions--- dreams if it was possible to dream in a Realm of Dreams--- and it only scared her what she saw--- but it was hurting Hikaru to see Mirra in pain. She knew that now.

“I’m sorry.” she whispered, handing the plate over to Hikaru and taking another plate for herself, “I don‘t mean to do it on purpose, but it scares me sometimes to think what she‘d do to you if she could…”

“Wake me up then.”

Mirra looked at her abit surprised, “What? I don‘t understand.”

“Wake me up.” Hikaru repeats. “I don’t want you to hide yourself because you don’t want me to see you cry. Let me at least try to take away your pain, if only in a small way.”

“Even if I’m crying because of my fears for you? That‘s not fair to you.”

“Mirra-chan,” Hikaru whispered, reaching out to take her hand. “I’d be a terrible wife to you if I couldn’t comfort the one I love.”

Mirra barely sets the plate down before her mind goes numb. “Wife.”
Hikaru stands up, walking over to take Mirra’s hand. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you if I could, and if you’d have me I want to be your wife…” (her voice fails her as she kneels before Mirra, looking up into her eyes) “Marry me. One day. When you and I are ready… marry me. Please---” she stops, voice wavering as she lays her head on Mirra’s lap.

Mirra stands dumbfounded, uncertain what to say. She knew that she always wanted to marry Hikaru one day, like Tomoyo-mama & Sakura-papa were planning to get married when they were old enough., and when Mirra asked Hikaru once she even said she wanted it. Mirra however thought Hikaru was being kind and agreed just to make Mirra happy--- until now.

“Here. I have a ring for…” she stammers, lowering her hand to her hip and brushing her fingers against her soft naked thigh--- “?”--- (she was naked from the waist down) “---” (a smile creeps across her face, suddenly she bursts out laughing) “OH GOD I LEFT MY BOTTOMS IN THE ROOM!!”

Mirra smiled, “Happens to the best of us.”

“Aww--- and I---”

Two fingers gently press against her lips. “Later. Let’s eat.”

At first she tried to protest, but looking into Mirra’s eyes she knew it was futile so she relented, sitting down and eating her snack with Mirra, looking anxious to give Mirra her ring. Mirra smiled, and thought back as she ate, watching Hikaru shifting her weight abit from time to time as her shivered abit--- it was a little colder sitting on the chairs without her pajama bottoms on.

* * * * * *

November
Mirra’s Flashback

“A ring?” Mirra asked, “Uh-huh.” Tomoyo replied as she held the small box out to Mirra.
They were in her studio, Tomoyo asked for Mirra to see her. “You’re growing up so fast I wanted to make sure I gave this to you before I forgot, so that one day you and Hikaru…”

“Not until you and papa marry first!” Mirra screams out, hugging Tomoyo as she did, squeezing her tightly, “You have to marry first! I want you and Sakura-papa to give me away as my parents! You have to get married! You have to! It‘s not going to be right unless you’re my mommy for real!!”

“Alright! Alright!” Tomoyo relented, smiling as she gave in to the “younger” girl’s demands. “I’ll tie the knot first with Sakura-chan, I promise! I wouldn‘t want to disappoint you with unmarried parents on your wedding day!”

“Really?”

“Really.” Tomoyo nods, hugging Mirra back in turn. “If it means that much that we give you away on your wedding day as mate and wife then I‘m sure we can accommodate you, though what if Umi wants to give Hikaru away?”

“---uh--- then she‘ll have to marry as well?“ Mirra smiles sheepishly, blushing abit, “Don’t ask me to explain that--- I don’t know what I just said.”

“In any case---” Tomoyo motions to the box, “When your ready.”

“When I’m ready. Right.” Mirra nods her head vigorously, “But don’t forget your promise!”

“I won’t forget.” Tomoyo promised.

* * * * * *

The ring was right where she left it. The day Tomoyo gave it to her she ran up to the room excited, and hid it in her jewelry box.
Mirra retrieved her ring, and knelt on their bed as the two exchanged rings and vows.
Vows to marry one day, when the time was right and Tomoyo/Sakura were already married.
As Hikaru fell into Mirra’s arms, kissing her, Mirra felt a surge of joy and happiness beyond what she felt to date. It felt as if the entire room melted away leaving her and Hikaru floating on clouds. Her body felt so light from her excitement that she hardly felt the bed as she fell backwards, Hikaru in arms, kissing madly and passionately.
She felt so numb it was pure heaven to be so carried away.

It was only when Hikaru switched positions and presented herself to Mirra that her senses returned, and she felt her needs rise as she placed her hands on her lover’s hips and drew her close for her tongue to engulf her womanhood as her’s was enveloped in turn.

The bliss of happiness was replaced by the bliss of their lovemaking, and the world just seemed to fall away as Hikaru became her world and vice versa.

* * * * * *

December 31st (Morning)

“No fair.” Nina remarked glumly, “We didn’t even get to see all this? Nuts!”
Several hours have passed and it was now daylight. As everyone gathered in the kitchen for breakfast Mirra and Hikaru were relating their decision to become engaged to anyone who’ll listen (which was a great deal of people in the house).

“It sounded quite sweet and beautiful.” Eliza noted, smiling at the two happy young women, “I’m sure you’ll both be quite happy on your wedding day---” (winks at Nina) “---just as we’ll be on our wedding day. Right?”

“Right…” Nina nods, blushing at the sudden shift of attention by Eliza. “…uh, so, what are we doing today? It being New Year’s Eve and all that. We‘re going to party, right?”

Fuu entered the room and bowed slightly, “We have visitors this morning. A Mrs. & Mrs. Shai’zhan to see Sakura.”
At this Nina scoffs, leaning back in her chair. “Gee, wonder who THAT could be.”

“Phwee?”

As Fuu leaves the kitchen Meilin and Xai Shar enter, all smiles. Meilin was wearing casual pants and a red dragon t-shirt with cute matching red shoes, Xai Shar was wearing her usual uniform (as Keiko & Rena often did whether they were working or not). “Meilin? Who---”

“It’s their future married last name isn’t it.” Nina noted, looking straight at Meilin. “Shai’zhan is a Palominian name--- your changing your last name?”

“It’s a beautiful last name!” Meilin huffed, bowing slightly to Tomoyo as she entered, “Good morning, remember my promise?”

“I remember. We’re going to celebrate your wedding engagement today.”

“Hoe??” (Sakura)

“Hoe.” (Nina repeated, scoffingly)

Eliza shifts her weight in her chair to bring her attention to Mirra/Eliza, “That’s great! You two can celebrate your engagement today too!” Both girls blushed at the sudden attention Meilin & Xai Shar gave them as they turned to look at the two. Suddenly Meilin smiles and gives Mirra a slight smack on the back as she laughed abit. If this was meant to settle down the two’s nerves? It didn’t help one bit.

“Let’s go downstairs and set up then.” Nina suddenly announced, taking the spotlight off of the two (to their relief). As they walked out of the kitchen, Mirra seemed confused. “But we’re already downstairs.”

“We’re going down to the holochamber. We can set the celebration up down there.”

“Phwee?” Mirra whispered, in trademark Sakura fashion.

* * * * * *

The holochamber was already on when they entered.

The setting was inside of Tokyo Tower, the observation deck now set up for a party with tables of food and a karaoke machine, and there was also a huge TV set to one side with ample seating and a few smaller sets to another side with video games hooked to them. “I like to be prepared just in case.”

“She’s been planning this for weeks.” Eliza whispers, cheeks blushing as she watches Nina hustle about making sure everything was in it’s proper place.

Mirra felt someone grasp her hand, and realized it was Hikaru. She seemed a little nervous about the setting, but quickly smiled and waved off Mirra’s concerns with a wave of her free hand. Mirra nodded her head and went back to looking around. Hikaru was worried, but she
always tried to shield it when Mirra was around. And she accused her of hiding things. Mirra shook her head briefly as she pushed those thoughts away for the time being. When she was ready she would say what was troubling her, but for now she just wanted to spend the day
with Hikaru and enjoy herself. That’s it.

“The food’s real by the way, I just used the replicator to set the buffet. Help yourselves and I’ll get some of the events started so people can relax. Remember it’s a party today so everyone have fun!”

As the groups began to break apart to try some of the food or one of the play areas, Hikaru pulled Mirra to one of the tables for a bite to eat. Feeling abit famished herself she followed, mouth watering abit as she did.

* * * * * *

Eventually somebody asked the obvious question.
“So, whose tying the knot first?”

“Phwee?”

“Is there an echo in here? I keep hearing that same noise over and over again…“ Nina remarks, eventually asking the question on everyone’s mind as they sat around the table eating lunch. The group consisted of the three marrying couples in question (Sakura/Tomoyo,
Nina/Eliza and Meilin/Xai Shar).

Meilin was decked out on a couch lying contently in the taller Palominians’ gentle grip using her breasts as pillows, the two plucking crackers & cheese from a tray on the table near to them.

Sakura and Tomoyo sat side by side, and so did Eliza/Nina. As Nina finished asking the question, all eyes roamed about as everyone looked at each other. Eliza was first to speak. “Nina wanted our wedding to be a Christmas thing so we’re having ours on Christmas Eve.”

“We’re marrying on May 15th (Xai’s birthday).”

“---hoe---” Sakura face faulted, looking nervous as everyone turned to look for her answer. Tomoyo quickly “steps” in and covers her, “We haven’t decided yet.”

“Is it going to be this year?” Xai asked, only to receive a warming smile (but not answer) from Tomoyo. “We’ll let you know when we decided.”

“Whatever.” Nina relented, dropping the subject for the time being. “How many more cards does Sakura need to seal anyway?”

Sakura suddenly blanked out, her face going as expressionless as it could possibly get.

“What?! You mean you don’t even know??”

“I wasn’t keeping count!” Sakura cried out, defending herself.

“Sigh---” (Nina began counting cards on her fingers) “Let’s see--- Jump, Fly, Illusion, Create---”

“Don’t forget to minus six cards for those who became human.” Tomoyo added, to which Nina scowled, “I know that! I know--- made me lose count. 1-2-3-4---”

Silence.

“Anytime today, Einstein.” Keiko called out from another nearby table, listening in the whole time. “SHUT IT!” Nina screeches, counting again (lost her count again). Finally, which much fanfare she came up with the number--- “You captured 13 regular Clow Cards (unlucky).”

“Is that it? Not counting fan cards--- I---” (Sakura bows her head) “---it’s 13 cards.”

Keiko, overhearing the conversation from her seat, huffs her breath. “13 cards out of a possible 46? That’s only a bit over 25%!”

“I’M SORRY!!” Sakura cries, her shoulders slumping as Tomoyo pulls her over to console her.

“Can you do better?” Nina asks, turning around to look at Keiko. “You haven’t caught card one yet dontcha know!”

“Neither have you so don’t go on about my catching skills! Why I---”

Meanwhile, at one of the game stations, Mirra slumps her head. “They’re fighting again over there!”

“Ignore them. They’re a bunch of children anyway.” Kero remarks, “They simply have no sense of decorum or--- YA-TAH!!” (Kero flies up in the air and whoops it up over Cloud’s head as she slumps her shoulders now, face scrunched up) “Keep it up, “Kero-chan”--- keep it up!!
(You‘re one to talk about acting like a kid!)”

“You OK?” Hikaru asks, tapping Mirra on the shoulder to draw her attention. “I just don’t like it when they fight. I wish they got along better.”

“I’m sure they’re getting along just fine, it’s just that---” Hikaru stops, sparing the others a quick glance before looking back at Mirra, “They just have a funny way of showing it, that’s all.”

“Could’va fooled me.” Kero responded, settling back down to take his controller.

Suddenly Mirra became very contemplative as she sat there, thinking--- “I hope Fight and Power are in good spirits today---”, a small flicker of concern crosses Hikaru’s face, but she quickly suppresses it, choosing instead to shift herself so she could lean on Mirra as they
played. ‘I hope they’re in good spirits as well.’

* * * * * *

Fight’s eyes slowly flickered open, her head lolling to one side as she stared at the clock.
She’d slept in. A slight frown came across her face as she realized that he let her sleep in again so he could make her breakfast. He was always doing that. Turning off the alarm clock and letting her sleep in when she had a day off. Then again he was a far better cook than
she was so she enjoyed it when he cooked, and became a nervous wreck when she took to the kitchen.

Day off. She never thought being “human” had so much responsibilities. As a card she would just shift back to her card form and sleep for days (or weeks), but as a human she needed a job (she taught physical education at Mirra’s school), and she needed to be constantly
active--- but, as she fondly remembered, her beloved gave her plenty of activities that was “fun” including things that involved bed and/or--- as she laid there silently, her fingers gently traced a line around her breasts as she thought about what they did during the
night, and sometimes during the day as well.

Her body seemed to come to life in strange and wonderful ways with each and every touch and caress from his hands and body, and she cherished every moment together. With the strength to shatter bone and metal her body was a weapon, but that weapon just seemed to melt like butter in his grip. She never would have thought that someone so unassuming could have so much power over her--- but she wanted him to be there, and be loved by him. She needed it as much as mistress needed love from her special someone, but why didn’t mistress
understand? “Is this how it is, mistress?” she whispered, her fingers lazily tracing circles along her nipples, “Is every night with your beloved as beautiful? Does she make you as happy as I am with him? Why can‘t you understand?”

As Fight rolls over to her side, she frowned at the thought of mistress trying to steal her power, and her rash act. She felt guilty about hitting mistress for days now, but she didn’t know what else to do--- mistress didn’t understand that if it was a better world she would have gladly given her powers up.

Each and every night she fears a little. When in the heat of lovemaking that she’d lose control, she’d harm him unintentionally--- she’d never do it on purpose but--- and then there was her need for revenge. If mistress only thought about it, and the situation was reversed with her love being the one violated, she would not hesitate to do the same and strike back at her tormentors.

“We’re the same.” she whispered to herself, “The same.”

She did not know if she said that because it was true, or just comforting words, but she said them all the same. “Did you say something?” Fight’s frown vanished quickly, warming back into a smile as she rolled back to her lying position and beheld his worried face.
“Nothing. I was just wondering when breakfast was going to be served.”

He set her place in bed, and patiently waited for her to settle in before serving himself. She smiled, and ate her breakfast with enthusiasm (his food tasted the best to her because it was made with love).

Briefly her image in the mirror showed and she thought of something she hadn’t before. Her hairstyle. When she was in Clow Costume, and in her “element” of violence, she wore her hair in such a constricting way--- but now her hair was loose and flowed down her back in long
shimmering waves.

‘Maybe I’m more relaxed like this---‘ she thought to herself, ‘---maybe I’m happier being a lover and a gentle woman than---‘, her mind focusing back on her meal as she realized he was watching her with some concern. She sighed as she tapped her fork for a second before devouring another large bite, knowing what was coming next.
“I’ll never leave you. There’s no need to constantly lavish me.”

“I love doing things for you. It‘s not excessive to---”

“Please---” Fight sighed again, looking up at him, “I’m not rejecting you. I just don’t want you to feel as if everyday must be a struggle to keep my heart--- when you’ve earned it the first moment we met.”

“I felt like such a loser--- couldn’t save you.” he whispered, lowering his head. Her strong fingers slide beneath his chin, and raise his face up to meet her gaze. “You were there when I felt like dying, and protected me from something worst than those men--- myself. You’re the strongest man I ever met.”

“I’m not strong.”

“You came to my rescue even when you knew you were going to lose, and what they did to you---” Fight chokes back a bad memory, focusing only on him, “---nobody should have had to endure that, but you did--- for me.” Without another word she slides closer and holds him tight. “I won’t leave you. Ever.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

For a second she shuddered, feeling as if it might have been a promise she might not be able to keep--- ‘No.’ she thought to herself, ‘I won’t leave his side--- I’d rather die than be sealed again---’ And with that she leaned forward and kissed him, long and slowly, thinking idly if it was the same when mistress kissed her beloved on the lips. If two people, regardless of gender, could kiss with the same beautiful passion regardless of whether they were man and woman, or two women like mistress and--- Tomoyo? That was her name, she finally remembered it having heard it only one or twice. Tomoyo.

With that they went back to eating, her mind idly wondering what the day would bring.

* * * * * *

“Yah!!” she cheered, digging into her food with relish. “Thank you, mama!”

The tall blonde woman smiled, “I’ve never been called mama before---” Quake admitted, her cheeks glowing as she smiled at the word. “I like it.”

“Mama!” Power repeated, smiling even wider as Quake took her seat at the table. It was a serene moment, even peaceful. They were a happy family, even if their occupation wasn’t normally something people would associate with happy families--- mainly the occupation of
assassins. “Papa? Are you---”

“I’m feeling better.” Technocrat assured her, motioning towards his arm as he ate. “It’s healing up nicely, don’t worry about it!”

“I’m going to a friend’s house for New Year’s! Can I---?”

“Sure.” Quake agreed, nodding her head, “There’s no work this week so you can stay over tonight. Call us if you need anything, OK?”

“OK!” Power cheerfully replied, going back to eating. From the front door of their huge apartment there was a knocking sound. “I’ll get it.” Technocrat replied, standing up and heading through from the kitchen area into the living room where the knocking was coming from. As he opened the door he felt a slight chill go through his body. “Oh, it’s you.” he mildly remarked, looking over the man standing outside his door. “If this is work then---”

“No, no, not at all…” (silence)
Technocrat waves him in with a “Come on, come on, in you go.” to which BloodStorm walked in calmly, looking about a bit nervously, “Are you sure I can enter?”

Technocrat - “I suppose so since I know you won‘t take no for an answer.”

As Technocrat stood aside to let the other assassin enter, he asked the obvious. “Work?”

BloodStorm, a tall figure dressed in black (with short black hair and coal black eyes to match his clothing) stood for a second before responding, “No. At least---”

“What now.” he asked, motioning for BloodStorm to sit down as he maintained his position standing, watching over him. “This isn’t about…”

“No, no. People like that never cross over from the waking world into here. They dream in nightmares even if they believe what they’re seeing is pleasant dreams. It’s about the buzz on the rumor mill over the past several days.”

“Mimic.” Technocrat said with a slight irritation, “What about her…?”

“It might yield some big work if certain somebodies drafted a contract for her… removal. It seems to me that it would be a right nice solid work with a nice solid payout. Can’t beat that.”

“Can beat that.” Technocrat shot back flatly, “It’s suicide to take on that assignment, what with Mimic being a certified whacko and all. Then again you never were the type to concern himself with the minor details--- like self preservation for instance.”

“Can’t help it.” BloodStorm remarked calmly, shrugging as he did. “It’s my narcissistic side acting up. I’m too vain and egotistical to know better.”

Silence reigns for a few seconds until Power, backpack on, passes by “Bye dad--- daddy?”

“It’s nothing.“ he assures her, kneeling down to look her in the eyes, “Just an old friend. Go on now, your friends are waiting---“ (smiles) “Go on. Bye sweety.” she moves quickly, kissing him on the cheek and dashing out the door. She stops briefly though, one last time, to regard BloodStorm before hurrying on her way.

As she closes the door behind her, BloodStorm smiles, his thin lips pulling upwards in a way that made Technocrat shiver inwardly. “Speaking of narcissistic tendencies, isn’t it abit vain to have a Clow Card for a daughter?”

“None of your business.” Technocrat hisses, locking gazes with BloodStorm as he stood up again, “I’ll do as I please.”
If this was meant to surprise BloodStorm, he showed no reaction to it. “Of course. As you have always done before, so what’s the surprise in that?” BloodStorm remarks as he stands up, brushing himself off and saying his farewells, “Not much different than me I suppose. Well, I had to ask anyway---” (bows slightly) “See ya’ around.”

As the door closes, Technocrat sighs, feeling his partner‘s arms wrap around him.

“Not if I can help it.”

* * * * * *

The morning turned to afternoon, and the day rolled on.

As the celebration rolled on Hikaru felt a slight chill run down her spine, but dismissed it.
She felt as if something was going to happen--- but it wasn’t time yet.
Not for that yet. Briefly she remembers part of it--- her dreams.

In Tokyo Tower, at night.

She feels Mimic yank her skirt up, forcing her down on all fours. Mimic was screaming horribly, her rage beyond anything she’s experienced. Mimic was enraged about something, and she knew she was blaming Mirra for her pain. Then, on all fours she feels Mimic kick Hikaru’s legs apart and mounted her…

“Is something wrong?”

Mirra was standing in front of her, with her usual worried expression on her face. Hikaru silently chided herself for letting Mirra see her pained expression. She quickly smiled and led Mirra to the table for a snack, “I’m OK. Really.”

“I dreamed the same dream you did. I know why you did what you did--- why you---” Mirra whispers, to which Hikaru laughed silently. “Did you now? Then we must be bonding closer than I thought…”

“If Mimic rapes you, I’ll kill her.”

Hikaru falls into silence, stopping dead in her tracks mouth ajar.

“If Mimic rapes you, I’ll kill her.” she repeated, eyes narrowed and tear filled. Without another word Hikaru draws Mirra close and holds her tight, “Oh, Mirra-chan.”
The two stand silently embraced, Mirra’s tears falling on the other girl’s shoulders as she cried.

To Be Continued

The Start of 2007 Brings A Special Preview!

January 1st 2007 brings your first look at the next Potter themed fanfic, Trial of Fire and Darkness. Tune in next week Monday for your first look!

CardCaptor Sakura Remastered II Episode 1 (10)

Tuesday December 26th
CardCaptor Sakura Remastered II 1 (10)
Tomoyo Daidouji
Misho NamoCatCat (through her corporation, NamoCatCat Corp) is hosting a Summer Field Day at the elementary, and I never seen Sakura so excited about a field day before like she was for this one.

In the past she was the star of Field Day events, but today she’s a happy parent up in the stands cheering her precious girl to victory. “GO MIRRA-CHAN!! GO!! YEAH!! YOUR WINNING!! YEAH!!”

Sakura can be so spirited when it comes to these things, especially when it involves Mirra-chan. Hard to believe that a year ago she was just a magical card, but now she was flesh and blood, and she was (by her own choice) our daughter (mine & Sakura’s).

I feel great leaps of pride watching her, filming her triumphs for posterity like I film Sakura’s victories. Sakura & Mirra-chan. The two precious loves of my life.
It was nice of Miss NamoCatCat to host this event. Especially since she went out of her way to make everyone feel like a winner, with gift certificates and free dinners for families who participated regardless of whether they won or loss. This was, after all, just a day to unwind and be kids (or kids at heart) and enjoy ourselves.

With food booths set up around the track, a karaoke stage, and a family race later there less emphasis on competition, and more on fun. I hope there’s more events like this in the future. Suddenly I feel Sakura tense up and I know why. Mirra-chan was talking to her brother by the track after her win. Sakura keeps putting off talking to Mirra-chan about her brother, and with all the card capturing I understand that, but she keeps getting angry every time she sees her brother near Mirra-chan. Overtly defensive maybe? I better get down to the field before Sakura does something she’ll likely regret later.

* * * * * *

As Tomoyo reaches the field she watches Sakura belt Toya in the back once, snarling. “I’m NOT Snoozer!!”

“Oh, no.” Tomoyo sighs. “They’re at it again. Maybe Yuki can break them up.”

“Wow! Did you bring lunch? That’s huge!!” (Mirra-chan was happy despite Sakura’s outburst, which only made Toya forget Sakura’s anger) “Yuki thought of it. It has a lot of your favorites.”

“COOL!!”

“Sonomi will be here with the others in abit. She’s running late from a meeting.”

* * * * * *

That last voice was Nina’s.
Mother’s at a meeting for a new toy line for her company, but she promised to be here when she could. She loves Mirra-chan dearly, and she has taken the former card into her heart as her granddaughter as easily as Sakura & I accepted her into our hearts as our daughter. And even though she’s always very busy she makes time to be with her granddaughter, and that’s important in Mirra-chan’s life as she adjusts to being human and growing in our world as one of us.

* * * * * *

“What’s a family race? Is it a relay to determine family unity?” Eliza asks, to which Nina replies. “Not at all. Family Race is a tongue in cheek catchphrase for a macho parent race. Whose the toughest mom & dad on the block, that sort of silly stuff.”
Nina takes a sip from her soda as she looks about, “Lots of potential winners here but Sakura is going to blow them all away. That is of course unless Sonomi enters and gives Sakura a run for her credits.”

“Me?? But I’m--- I mean can I? Nina!” Sakura blushes at the thought, “I guess I am a parent now so I could race in the Parent Race--- can’t I?”

“YOU BET!” Mirra-chan cheers, clapping Sakura on the back. “Cheerleaders? Please report to the entrance gate for the exhibition show. I repeat, all cheerleaders report to the entrance gate---”

“Now there’s a memory!” Tomoyo sighs as she listens to the announcement, “That’s Hikaru, right? She’s doing the PA system job. I remember doing that when Sakura was cheerleader. Sigh. Memories.” Toya taps Mirra on the shoulder to bring her to the here and now, “Your up, Mirra. Good luck.”

“Thank you, Toya-chan!” Sakura face faults as she hears the words “Toya-chan”.
Tomoyo - “I’ll get it on film.”

Yuki - “And I’ll take lots of pictures.” And with that Mirra-chan dashes off. But as she leaves earshot Sakura grouses under her breath, “Isn’t she going to ask for pictures of “Toya-chan”? Hmph.”

“Jealous, Sakura? That‘s so like you to be jealous.” Toya remarked, to which Sakura shrieked “I’m NOT jealous of YOU! It‘s unnatural, damn you!!”

Toya smiled, “Coulda’ fooled me. Come on, let’s go get a good spot Yuki.”

“Arrgghh!!” Sakura clenches her teeth, her face turning red as Toya led Yuki away. Quickly Tomoyo moves between Sakura and her view of Toya and catches her attention, “Sakura, did you talk to Mirra-chan yet about Toya?”
Suddenly (all at once) Sakura goes pale. “I--- I--- I forgot.”

Tomoyo sighed yet kept a strong face on, “Please try to talk to her. It’s important.”

Sakura - “I know--- I know but--- I---” (Tomoyo leans forward and kisses Sakura softly on her cheek) “I’m counting on you. Please talk to her.”

Sakura - “I’ll try--- I’m sorry.”

Tomoyo - “That’s OK. I know it’s hard being a new parent and all. I’m struggling too.”

Sakura - “Can you talk to her then? I don‘t know what to say!”

“Sakura---” (Tomoyo takes Sakura’s hand in her own) “---she looks up to you. As both her parent and her role model it’s your job to talk to her. And she’ll understand since it’s coming from you, especially when the topic is Toya. OK?”
Sakura nods, head lowered. “OK--- I’ll talk to her.”

“GREAT!” (grabs camera) “Let’s go! I must capture our daughter’s glory on video! Make a DVD out of it also, I have some heroic soundtracks I want to use and we mustn‘t miss a moment! Come on, I’m loaded and ready to go!”
Sakura faints.

* * * * * *

“Mirra-chan is quite good. I like her showmanship.” Nina remarks, watching the performance. Toya - “Sakura never was that good when she was Mirra’s age.”

Sakura - “That’s not fair!”

Toya - “Is so. You used to catch the baton a lot with your head--- just how good is THAT?”

“Our daughter is doing it flawlessly,” Tomoyo sighs, “but then again she had a good teacher.”

“---Tomo-chan---”

Toya, however, didn‘t know when to quit. “That’ll be the day when Sakura teaches Mirra something, more likely the other way around.” Sakura grits her teeth and huffs her breath. ‘This is Mirra-chan’s moment, don’t lose your cool Sakura, don’t lose your cool---’
Sakura’s thoughts rage as she calms down and tries to relax, ’I’ll use Umi’s ring on him later just to make myself feel better.’

* * * * * *

And, like the cheerleading practice, once again Toya was present for another thing (this time the picnic meal) “Well he did volunteer to make lunch today after all.” Tomoyo reasoned, mostly to simmer Sakura’s rage as she huffed about having to sit with Toya.
“I knew we should have made lunch.” she growled in defeat, ultimately using Tomoyo, Mirra & Hikaru as barriers to sit between herself & Toya (with Nina, Eliza & Yuki flanking her other side to keep Toya as far from her as possible). But when it came to the meal, there was one thing Sakura couldn‘t avoid having to admit even if she wanted to, “I hate to admit it but Toya’s cooking is pretty good.”

“Didn’t Yuki make anything?” Tomoyo asked. “Part of it is his work but I had to stop him after awhile. He kept sampling the food and--- well, he would have ate it all if he kept that up so I made the rest.”

Sakura - “Which part?”

Toya - “Just eat, Sakura. And your welcome.”
Sakura mutters a thank you as she continues to eat. ‘He always has to make Yuki sound like a pig!’ (though she has seen him eat and he does eat in, as Dan Ackroyd would put it from that old SNL skit, “mass quantities”.) “OH NO!! I MISSED IT!!” Sakura jumps in her spot, mostly because Sonomi just ran up behind her in a panic and shocked her. Sonomi was sweating slightly, the bodyguards nowhere to be found, with Umi, Gaia & Windy in tow. “I missed Mirra-chan’s events!”

Tomoyo - “Don’t worry! I got them all here on video!”

Yuki - “And I took pictures.”

Eliza - “And I holovid’d the whole thing for the holochamber beneath the house. Gives you a second chance at being there, so to speak.”

“Really? Thanks.” Sonomi sits down, rather casually, and grabs a plate. Tomoyo leans over and whispers into Sakura‘s ear, “Mother’s been really relaxed lately since Windy came to life. It’s like she breathed new life into her and made her happy again. I can’t ever remember seeing her this relaxed in public before.”

Sakura smiles at the remark, “Windy must be a good influence on her.”

Windy - “But I’m Nade--”

“HERE!!” (Sonomi shoves something into Windy’s mouth) “Taste that! Isn’t that good?” Windy nods her head and starts munching, forgetting completely what she was saying a second ago, with further encouragements to forget seconds away as Sonomi hastily makes a plate for her. “Is Windy alright? I thought she was going to say something.”

Sonomi quickly shakes her head in aggitation, “She’s just hungry. Makes her speak jibberish. Here!” (shoves plate into Windy’s hands) “Eat.”

“Is it just me,” Eliza notes, “or is Windy acting odd lately?”

Nina - “I never got to know Windy very well so I don’t know.” (looks at Sonomi) “But that’s a funny name for an exchange student from--- uh--- the Grimmlands. Yeah.” (remembering that they were still keeping Sonomi out of the Cardcaptoring loop). “Where’s--- uhh--- Dawn & Eve?” (nicknames for Light & Dark when talking about them in front of Sonomi) “They‘re visiting a hot spring with Fuu. Today‘s her day off.” (Sonomi smiles) “I think the two of them have a crush on her.” (she goes back to eating) “Well that was awkward--- and speaking of awkward here comes Keiko.”

“I’m NOT awkward, thanks for the insult Nina.” Keiko sits down and puts her box lunch aside as she regards everyone. “Great race, Mirra! I caught that earlier. Blew everyone away!”

“Sakura-papa helped me practice and…” (blinks) “…what the…” (plucks a flower petal from the air as more start to drift down) “…is this…?”

“Sakura, it’s…”

“I know, Tomoyo, I know…” (groans inwardly) “…not now.”
Sonomi didn‘t know what was going on, “What not now?”

“Oh, nothing. Nothing at all. Let’s go throw out the trash and we’ll need some help.”

“I’ll stay here.” Tomoyo offers as Nina, Eliza & Keiko help with the trash (and consult Sakura).

* * * * * *

“Where is it?” Sakura asked impatiently.

“Hold your hamsters, I’m looking.” Nina pans the length of the campus again, “Nothing. It must be on a rooftop but the wind’s kinda weird today so it’s blowing the petals everywhere. Not going to be easy to figure out which rooftop it’s coming from without some data from Weather Control.”

“Can’t access Weather Control.” Eliza tossed in, “They’re swamped with linkers tracking an interesting system forming in the pacific so they can’t process my request at this time.”

“That’s not good, is it?”
Nina sighs as she clips her scanner (open) onto her belt, “You have a way with understatement, Sakura. Without the benefit of Weather Control’s eye in the sky we can’t use it’s tracking system to pinpoint the wind directions to see where the flowers might be originating from. I guess we could climb onto a rooftop and visually do a roof by roof search though.”

“That’d attract too much attention, and they lock down the school buildings for events like this anyway so getting in won‘t be easy.”

“Well then Sakura we just have to wait until my scanner can do the job on it’s own tracking the winds, or we find a better eye in the sky other than Weather Control’s eye. Well, let’s go back, there’s still dessert to be eaten and I want dibs before it’s all gone.”

* * * * * *

As they return they notice a new woman in the scene, Nina motions to her as they approach. “That must be Hikaru’s mom.”

“Hikaru?” Keiko repeats.

Mirra-chan - “Papa! Auntie!”
The scream that follows shocks the heck out of everyone hundreds of feet in all directions, sets off three car alarms, brings dreadful chills down people’s spines and causes the flowers to stop falling for about a full minute.

* * * * * *

Flower sits stunned on the rooftop, she was on panting and looking about shocked. She’ll be happy again--- in a minute--- but right now she has been thrown gracelessly out of her happy place and she didn’t like it one bit. Oh, well. At least the flowers stopped for a minute.

* * * * * *

“YOU?!?”

“Oh god it’s you.” Keiko whispers, feeling faint. Seconds later she’s dragged out of eyesight of everyone and into an impromptu meeting of sorts. And by some bad luck Nina decides to tag along. “I get it now!” Nina remarks looking at the two of them, “She’s the jealous woman who was in love with the girl Keiko was in love with once, and who she married only for her to have died when she was 27 and that girl is seeking unholy vengeance in the memory of the woman she loved with all her heart!!”

Keiko - “Uh--- no. Where the (bleep) did you get that explanation anyway. Is that really the kind of thing one woman should accuse another woman of--- I don’t think so--- no.”

Nina - “Well then who is she?!”

Eliza - “Who does she look like to you?”

Nina - “She?” (looks at woman) “She’s beautiful, looks like a model or a star, and the hair is a dead giveaway. I say Umi from MKRE but what’s the odds in that being true?”

Keiko face blanks out, “Sadly the odds are better than you think---” (frowns) “---and lord knows what compeled me to actually do something nice for the likes of YOU!” (talking to Hikaru‘s mother, face frowning) “I’d get a restraining order but your illiterate so what’s the use, you‘d never be able to understand what it said on it anyway.”

“What are you doing here?” Umi raged, “Me? It’s Field Day. I have as much right to be here as you. What brings you other than the obvious fact your daughter who I saved from an alternate reality is going to the same school as Sakura’s daughter who I didn’t have anything to do with whatsoever.”

“Really.” Nina remarks, “Really.” Keiko counters, “It’s not like I’m everywhere at once. I do get time off for good behavior sometimes.”

Nina - “Oh.”

“Good behavior!” Umi hisses, “Some good behavior. Meddling in things you didn’t understand, throwing everything out of whack, playing god. Some good behavior.”

Keiko pushes into Umi‘s space, and right in her face. “Look, don’t bitch at me because you came out ahead which is more than I can say for some of the others who didn’t fare as well. You got brought here. You wanted true love, and I hooked you with El female Capitan who you had a crush on. You wanted a daughter between you two girls and I brought you little Hikaru. You wanted your friends back and I hooked you up with alternate versions of them here in the Realm of Dreams. It seems you want a lot of out me, but don’t think you owe me the simple courtesy of being grateful for turning over heaven and Earth to make you happy. So don’t stand there and scream at me about how unhappy your life was because I did a lot to make you happy and you owe me at least the simplest gratitude for the effort I put in playing god so don’t get all preachy at me because I’m tired of it. You hear me? Tired!”

“I wanted my friends!” Umi exploded, “They’re great friends but what happened to…”

“One set is happily married to each other, the other is here because they’re DEAD in their reality. And for the life of me I thought I explained that to you before… must be from having stupid stuck between your ears!”

“But this isn’t Earth!” Umi yelled, “It’s not my home! My family’s gone! My friends! My life! This isn’t the---”

“IT CAN’T BE THE SAME!” Keiko screamed, “I told you, it’s not MY fault! Blame your creators if your reaching for a reason why things just can’t be the way they used to be. It’s their fault things just didn’t have that happily ever after twinge you wanted it to either way, and it’s their fault I’m stuck with you, so don’t get on my back about it because I am not to blame here!”

Umi - “I don’t have anyone else to blame! I need someone to take responsibility for this!”

Keiko - “Why me?! I did the dirty work, but I didn’t set the events in motion that lead to what I had to do! I didn’t like it, but I had no choice in the matter! And, if you got off your emotional high horse and looked at my position in all this, you’d see that was the truth as well as I see it!”

Umi - “I don’t want to look! I don’t want to think! It’s your fault my life is incomplete and I’m holding you responsible for it!!” (With that Umi storms off in a huff) “---aw damn---”

“Should I kill her now?” Keiko looks at Nina as if she fell off her rocker, “Oh, yeah, sure. And while your at it why don’t you find a cure for the common cold while your doing it.” (huffs at Nina as she passes her by) “It’s impossible. She might be brass and yakkity-yakkity but she’s also extremely good at her art, and that art is war. I have a hard time fighting her when she’s enraged, you’ll have no better luck against her believe me.”

Nina - “Oh. Just as well because I left my gauntlets at home.”

“Really.” Keiko frowns as she stretches, “Makes me wish I left something at home.”

Nina - “What?”

“Myself.” (Keiko sighs irritably) “Oh, well, might as well get it over with.”

Nina - “She going to duel you to the death?”

Keiko - “Nothing so clean or quick I’m afraid. If I know her and what she‘s thinking of challenging me in”

* * * * * *

“Keiko sure gets around it seems.” Eliza remarks as she waits for the three to return. “I never knew she knew Umi. Maybe Nina can explain when she gets---”

“The Family Race is next. Participants please report to the main gate.”

“Yes! That’s it! I’ll beat her with that! Yes!” Umi passes by, hugging Hikaru as she does and seeming rather jovial as she does this, walking towards the main gate. “Somebody’s in a good now all of a sudden…”

“Wait! Wait! I want in on this race!” (Keiko) “Where is it? Where’s the gate?”

“Mirra’s taking Sonomi to the gate now, if you follow them you can---” (Keiko dashes off after the two before Eliza can utter another word) “---catch up---?” Nina walks up next to Eliza, only to receive a curious stare from her. “Should I ask, or is this one of those things I’d feel better not knowing about?”
Nina explains the situation to her. “But Keiko can’t be held responsible for all that. She did her best, right?”

Nina - “Umi doesn’t see it that way. She’s a tad miffed and Keiko is in her line of sight as a target as far as she’s concerned. She doesn’t want reason, she wants to take it out on someone and Keiko’s the candidate whether Keiko likes it or not.”

Eliza - “Did she say much else past what she said to Umi?”

Nina - “No. You know Keiko, she can be very tight lipped about things when she wants to be.” (sighs) “Doesn’t matter to me in the slightest. It’s their problem so they should thrash it out amongst themselves (as long as they don’t drag the kids into it at least).” (looks up) “This is bad. Flowers’ kicking up the flowers.”

Eliza - “A Clow card is doing this?”

Nina - “Either that or somebody blew up the FTD Florist--- probably an old grudge from mother‘s day.”

“Oh.”

* * * * * *

This year Hikaru & Mirra were given the goal for the Parents’ Race. They didn‘t understand what was happening but they kinda knew something was up.
“Did you know that my mom knew Keiko?”

“Sorry, Hikaru, I don’t even know Keiko very much myself.” Mirra admitted, a confused expression on her face. “Maybe they went to school together when they were our age?”

“Maybe.” (Hikaru turns towards the starting line) “Mother seemed happy when the race was announced. She was kinda reluctant back home but now she’s actually excited about running in the race.”

Mirra - “Maybe she caught a second wind?”

Hikaru - “Maybe.”

* * * * * *

“Do you mind not glaring in my direction?” Keiko growls, pushing Umi back a few paces, “I have two words for you, girl, “Restraining”, “Order”.”

“I’m still going to beat you dammit!”

“Whatever.” Keiko rasped in frustration, her eyes looking up as the flowers began falling from sky once again. “I’d say this was a cliche moment but I’m far too irritated by the situation to even think about laughing at it.”

* * * * * *

Somehow Flower managed to find a vidscreen on the roof and started using it.
“…that’s what christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”
(musical score)
Flower (wiping tears from her eyes) - “That’s so Flower…” (blows nose in a fistful of flowers)

* * * * * *

Eliza - “Nina, is Keiko fast?”

Nina - “Well, she’s got a fast mouth so maybe…” (blushes) “…oh, wait. I have the fast mouth. She just has a potty mouth. She’s so screwed.” (blinks) “Still what’s with Sonomi racing? It‘d be a sure thing she‘ll win.”

Eliza - “But that won‘t solve the dispute between Keiko & Umi if Sonomi wins.”

Nina - “And that’s a bad thing because---”

* * * * * *

As the race starts Umi takes the lead--- which lasts for about a few seconds as Keiko takes over. This doesn’t last long as Sonomi passes them, who leaves the other two behind her to catch up. ‘Man what was I thinking?!?’ Keiko yells in her mind, ‘I’m going to humiliate myself out here and still die a vicious death from fatigue, or drowning in flowers, or whatever comes first!’ (sighs inwardly) ‘Next time I want to prove my womanhood, I’ll challenge someone to a game of Trivial Pursuit or an orgy or whatever that requires the least energy to undertake!!’

* * * * * *

As the flowers increase Sakura looks about the roofs. “We can’t wait much longer. Let’s take to the sky and spot Flower so we can---”

“AGH!” Nina suddenly yelps.

Sakura - “What?!”

Nina - “Misho put up a huge holo-banner on each rooftop to advertise her businesses! From ground level you can’t see anything but eye-level to the roof or above the rooftops you see only the banners! It’ll be impossible to see Flower from the sky because all the rooftops are covered in virtual banners!!”

Sakura - “WHAT?!? But that means…”

“It’s going to be a lot harder to capture Flower this time.” Nina finishes for Sakura.
“Aw man---”

The field was becoming hip deep in flowers, the race was still on (just like the first time Flower appeared years ago), and people were beginning to panic. Only this time without an ability to have a clear bird’s eye view of Flower even from an advantage point above the field, and the wind making it hard to locate which rooftop Flower was on (scattering the flowers in a strange pattern about the schoolyard skies) it wasn’t going to be easy to nab Flower. Not easy at all.

* * * * * *

“I don’t remember this before…” (Flower blinks) “…this is a new Peanuts Christmas cartoon isn’t it?” (sighs) “The things I missed while I was sealed away between releases.”

* * * * * *

Nina wasn’t in a good mood.
“HOW ARE WE GOING TO FIND THAT CARD IF WE CAN’T SEE THROUGH THE HOLO-BILLBOARDS!! I---” (stops and thinks as she looks around) “Everyone’s panicking, things are getting worst. We have to do something now!”

“But what? With those boards up we can’t see the rooftops!” Eliza points out.

“I got it.” (motions to Sakura) “You take Tomoyo and grab some sky. Here---” (pins her commlink pin to Sakura‘s top, set open) “It’s an open link. Just talk into it when your up there and I’ll do the rest to guide you along.”

“But the billboards!” Sakura protested, only to get pushed once by Nina. “You leave that to me, just grab some sky with Tomoyo and capture that card!”

Tomoyo - “But Sakura can’t use her magic in view of everyone.”

Nina looks about, waving her arms in the midst of the storm of flowers, “Who’s looking, Tomoyo? Nobody!”
Sure enough everyone was too panicked to notice anything.
Tomoyo - “Oh. Right. That happened before too.”

“Then get going. I’ll be down here monitoring…” (Nina turns and walks off in one direction) “And improvising something McGyver style.”

“Then let’s go.” Sakura holds out the key, her other arm wrapping around Tomoyo drawing her close, the urge to kiss her clawing into her mind as she held out the key.
“Key of the Star, with powers burning bright, release the staff and shine your light---
RELEASE!!” As the key grows into the staff, Sakura takes out the Fly card and triggers it, unfurling two huge wings from the bird head end of the staff. “Let’s go, Tomoyo!”

* * * * * *

Nina, wading her way through waist deep flowers, moves towards one of the booths. “Everyone get to higher ground! Come on! Move it!”
Nina stops to pull someone out of the flowers and send them on their way to higher ground. A few seconds later she reaches the booth and climbs on top of the now cleared booth counter, looking over into the pile of flowers within the booth. “He said he kept it under the counter, so…” Nina shoves her arms into the flowers, then her head, shoulders, and half her body until her hands finally latch onto the case beneath the counter.
Wresting it up from it’s hiding place she lies it on top of the flowers, propping it open and pulling out the parts of the sniper rifle within. “Good thing there was a marksmanship exhibition event planned for later today… Sakura?”

* * * * * *

“We’re here. Your right…” (Sakura responded, looking down at the huge floating holoboards advertising everything from soap, to soda, to movies, to toys). “I can’t see anything under the huge boards. Wait…”

Nina - “You see Flower?”

Sakura - “No. I see a movie I want to see though. Have to remember to see it.”

Nina - “SAKURA!!”

* * * * * *

Nina finishes assembling the rifle and hefts it up, “45 seconds, new record for me.”

Sakura - “What was that? What record? I don’t hear music---”

Nina - “Never mind, Snoozer. Just tell me which of the boards is glowing the brightest.”

Seconds pass and nothing, then--- “I see it. It’s the main school building. Can you---”

“I see it, I see it.” Nina swings the rifle over and aims up. “Don’t go near yet, I need to have a clear shot of the roof side.”

“Clear shot?” (Tomoyo)

“Holo billboards use holopods to project the images on all the roofs, but the programming comes from one point. A direct feed antenna linked to an orbiting satellite which in turn is feeding it up-to-date ads, news reports, weather and so forth. Snap that feed and the whole
system goes down…” (smiles) “…and there it is. Hold on and get ready to spot Flower because the lights are going off for corporate excess.”

With one shot Nina snaps the feed in two, breaking the link and shutting the system down. Seconds later the holoboards fall silent and the rooftops lie exposed.

Sakura - “There’s Flower!”

“Alright then, it’s up to you two. Let me know how it turns out.” Nina finishes, putting the rifle onto the flowers with a sigh. “That was a nice shot if I do say so my…” (her phone rings) “Speak to me.”

“Remember that thing you called for this morning? I have the results for you.”

Nina - “And?”

“Your not going to like it.”

* * * * * *

Sakura & Tomoyo land behind Flower, but she is oblivious to everything (dancing away).

Her dress flutters in the breeze, her hair shimmers as it’s blown slightly in the wind, her face is happy as she dances without a care in the world. Sakura quickly rushes up, “FLOWER! STOP---”

Flower is shocked for a second, but immediately smiles. And, just like old times, Flower scoops up her favorite dance partner in the whole world and begins to dance. Only this time, Tomoyo has her camera at the ready (filming since the Parent Race started) and wasn’t going to miss this dance for nothing.

“It’s beautiful!” Tomoyo said speaking out loud, not realizing Sakura passed the link to her when they landed.

“What? What’s beautiful! Tomoyo? What‘s going on up there?” (Nina) “Is Sakura making out with Flower?”

Tomoyo - “It’s Sakura! She’s dancing with Flower--- again.”

Nina - “Oh…“ (silence) “Again? She did that before you mean?”

Tomoyo - “Yup. This time I’m getting it on video.”

Nina - “Great. I’d never believe it if I didn’t see it… uh… Tomoyo?”

Tomoyo - “Yes?”

Nina - “Will this take long? Not to be a pesk or anything.”

Tomoyo - “Just a few minutes, then I’ll remind Sakura to capture Flower.”

Nina - “Really.”

* * * * * *

(Tomoyo) “Really. I’ll let you know when the card’s sealed.”

“Great.” Nina looks about as the booth is now covered in flowers, and her legs which were lying on top of a mass of flowers were now buried and she was slowly in danger of being buried herself. “You think we‘ll survive long enough for Tomoyo to get her precious Sakura dancing footage? Huh? Tomo? You still on? No, no, I didn‘t say anything. Uh-huh. That’s good to know. Please hurry. Thank you.” (looks down) “This area of the field is getting more flowers than other parts so… eh… I think I only have another ten or so minutes at this rate but do take your time. I’ll be here all day. Sadly.”

Nina leans back against the machine next to her as she waits for the inevitable end.
“Do you think she‘ll remember to give us honorary mention at the end of this DVD episode after we drown in flowers?” Nina stops and thinks, then swivels herself around, “I think this is the cotton candy machine. Is there---?” (looks inside) “SCORE!! There’s still cotton
candy in here!!” (quickly unplugging the machine Nina grabs two large handfuls and starts eating straight out of the machine without a care in the world)

Eliza - “Is that sanitary?”

Nina - “We’re minutes away from drowning in a scene kinda hinting of influence from American Beauty (and none of us is going to die naked looking enticing and arousing while we drown), so we might as well treat ourselves while we’re still alive.“

Eliza - “Since we’re techincally Fictionals we’ll never die of anything, let alone drowning.“

Nina - “Stop being so rational.“ (glomp glomp glomp) “Nobody’d mind since if I eat the machine clean. It’s a public health service anyway, with the plug pulled like that and
everything--- mmm--- it‘s only for the public good I remove the slowly spoiling food.”

Eliza - “Cotton candy doesn’t spoil that fast, and you unplugged the machine.”

Nina - “Details, details.”

Eliza - “…” (holds hand out) “…pass me some.”

* * * * * *

Six minutes (and two dances) later.

Tomoyo (over the cellphone) “We got it! Nina! We got Flower!”

Nina didn’t sound so happy, “You sure Tomoyo? You got it? I‘m feeling a little stuffed… all this cotton candy and all…” (burps) “…was it fun?”

Tomoyo - “Yes we’re sure, and yes it was. And what did you---”

Nina - “Never mind. Never mind. That’s great---” (sighs) “---now I can cancel my funeral arrangements (if all this cotton candy doesn’t kill me first).”

Eliza - “We’re Fictionals so we can’t di--” (Nina shoves cotton candy in her mouth)

Nina - “Oh, did a little background check on this “event” before we left the house this morning. It took awhile but the results came in a few minutes ago. It seems that just after the first flowers fell Misho put a call through to a contact she had at the Edenina Patenting Office to push through a set of products marketed after “Flower”. And, get this, it’s all products which can be made FROM flowers. Jams, perfumes, pillows, candles, potpourri, etc. Anything related to the stuff Flower makes with her powers Misho had patented. And I just heard a loudspeaker announcement that Misho’s buying bags of the Flowers for 5000 credit’s a pop.”

“That’s a lot.” Sakura notes.

Nina - “Not if you think of all the products she can package and sell on one bag. 5000 credits a bag is nothing compared to the gross yield she’ll pocket from the sales of Flower related products. She’ll clean house, so to speak.”

Sakura huffs her breath and frowns, steam seemingly coming out of her ears, “SO SHE RIGGED THIS WHOLE EVENT JUST TO PROFIT FROM FLOWER’S POWERS?!?”

Nina - “Flower’s Powers. That’s cute, Sakura, really. Oh, and that’s about the size of it. Yeah.”

Sakura - “GRRR!!! THAT’S NOT FAIR!!”

“Hey your telling me.” Nina gingerly steps down into the flowers, bag in hand. “I’m going to start bagging and selling to Misho. Want me to rack any bags aside for you and Tomoyo for pocket change?”

Sakura - “NINA!!! YOU CAN’T DO THAT!! THAT’S WRONG!! IT’S TAKING AD--”

“AGHH!!” (Tomoyo)

Nina - “What? What’s wrong?! Is Sakura hurt?!? What!!”

Tomoyo - “I forgot to tape mother winning the race!” (Sakura faints) “Oh and she raced so well…”

(link goes off)

“Whoops.” (Nina pockets her spare link and sighs) “Turned it off by accident. Silly me. Now where was I…” (looks about herself) “So many flowers to bag, so little time. Might as well work my way to the bathrooms just in case I have to go. Kill two birds with one stone and all that, as it were. Might have to after eating all that cotton candy, and then the soda…”

* * * * * *

True to Tomoyo’s prediction, Sonomi won the race… if anyone was checking.

Once across the “finish line” (reduced to a ribbon with (once again) Toya & Yuki holding the ribbon (for old time’s sake) since the actual track and finish line itself was buried under a ton of flowers) she quickly grabbed the flag and started waving it. “If only wish Fujitaka
was here to see this! Then I’d shove this flag right up his…”

“AHEM!” (Toya)

“Sorry.” (Sonomi’s breath stops for a second) “…what’s that…” (turns around) “---eeeww---” (blinks) “Was I that… I mean that…”

Toya - “Just about. Only those two seem angrier. Wonder why.”

“Can‘t possibly imagine why.” Sonomi face faults, staring in horror at the two before her. “God was I that bad?” (passes flag to Toya) “He won.”

Toya - “Gee, thanks.”

* * * * * *

Two hours later.
The field was finally beginning to look like a field again.
Everything was cleared, with only another hour’s worth of cleaning to do--- maybe two.

Toya, as always, had a complaint to file. “Second time we ended up cleaning this field. Why don’t they cancel these events altogether if this is going to keep happening.”

“It’s not the event’s fault.” Sakura gripes, holding up a handful of the flowers, “Why did he make that card? It’s such a pain in the…”

“You said something?” (Yuki)

“Me? Nothing. Nothing at all. I didn’t say anything---” (blushes) “Say! Where’s Hikaru? And her mom? And Keiko…”

“What about Nina?” (Eliza)

Sakura - “What about her?”

Eliza - “Nina went off to bag more flowers, but she showed Keiko/Umi to the back of one of the buildings before that so they can talk out their differences. As for Hikaru & Mirra-chan? I saw them about helping with the cleaning but I can’t say where they are now, they’re somewhere around here I guess.”

Sakura - “Which building did Keiko/Umi went behind?”

Eliza - “They went behind that building and---” Sakura quickly grabs Tomoyo and runs off in the direction of where Eliza was pointing. “---your welcome.”

Toya - “Well that’s a sure fire way to get out of cleaning.”

Eliza - “Isn’t this a 5000 credit a bag job?”

Toya - “Yeah, so?”

Eliza - “Then less complaining and more cleaning please, you‘re being paid for your services after all so less bitching from you.”

* * * * * *

As much as listening to Keiko & Umi trash out their differences might interest Sakura & Tomoyo, what’s happening between Mirra & Hikaru is more interesting.

Mirra & Hikaru were sitting under a tree in a secluded spot, catching their breaths.

“That was a lot of work!” Mirra gasped, turning over to look at Hikaru by her side, “I know, Mirra-chan, but… it was worth it… for a little extra allowance this week.”

Mirra - “A lot extra! 20000 credits apiece for each of us! Personally I think I’ll put some in my savings and use the rest to go shopping this weekend. Wanna come?”

Hikaru - “Sure, I like that plan, sounds like fun--- Mirra-chan?”

“Yes?” (turns to look at Hikaru) “What’s wrong? Your blushing.”

Hikaru paused for a few seconds, uncertain what to say, but say it she did. “How long have we known each other?”

“Since last year…” (Mirra shudders, ‘Since I was “born” last year.’ Mirra thought to herself, her thoughts sad as she stared in Hikaru’s eyes. ’While Tomoyo-mama & Sakura-papa were still dating--- their love still growing. Why can‘t I tell Hikaru the truth?’)

Hikaru smiled a little, while still blushing. “I remember the first day you came to school. How fast we became friends. Our first trip to the mall, our first sleepover, the first time we swapped box lunches. Everything. It’s only been a year but… I… I mean I…” (grows
silent again)

Mirra - “Go on. You can tell me. What’s wrong?”

Hikaru - “N-nothing’s wrong! I just… I… I just wanted to… well I wanted…” (lowers head as she struggles with her words) “…to tell you how much I care about you.”

Mirra smiles, “I know. I care a lot about you too, silly!”
Hikaru, however, wasn‘t stopping, head snaps up as she struggles to get all the words out at once, “No! No I don’t think you know just how… how much I… I…”

Mirra suddenly leans over and kisses Hikaru softly, holding their kiss for a few moments before pulling Hikaru close and embracing her close. “I know, Hikaru-chan, I know…” she whispers, closing her eyes tight as she takes the leap. “I love you, Hikaru-chan. I never thought you could love me but… I mean… you do…”

“I do.“ she agrees. “Now you know.”

Both girls lean into each other, Hikaru resting her head on Mirra’s small but strong shoulders. “Thank you.”

Mirra - “One day I hope we can be a couple like Tomoyo-mama & Sakura-papa.”

Hikaru - “Or like my loving parents. I hope we have that kind of special love when we’re older, one day married and planning our futures together one day at a time.”

“I love you now.” Mirra-chan notes, “The rest will come when we’re older. But for now I want to enjoy our special love the way it is, and let it grow slowly. As you said it’ll be one day at a time. Blossoming every day.”

Hikaru giggles abit at Mirra‘s words, “Your so eloquent. It’s like your older than you look Mirra-chan.”

Mirra - “You don’t know the half of it.” (Before Hikaru can question her further Mirra kisses her again, kissing away the questions before they come to voice). “N-nothing. Nothing. Let’s just enjoy the moment. And our love.”

The two spend the rest of the afternoon watching the clouds roll lazily by, while talking about their day and what they wanted to do that weekend. Their future was ahead of them, and they were in no hurry to get there. No hurry to take the next steps, or to love in the
ways older women loved.

They were fine the way they were. No rush. They’ll get there soon enough, why rush things?

They would one day grow into stronger and more mature lovers, find new ways of expressing their love, and eventually consummate.

But not today. And not for awhile to come. For now they were simply in love.

That was enough for them. Just as it was enough for Sakura and Tomoyo as they took their leave as silently as they came in.

* * * * * *

“---and that’s the report. It’s not much I’m afraid.”

“It’s enough.” she remarked.
From her vantage point on the rooftop of one of the buildings overlooking the field she watched, holding the Seeker out ahead of her as the images flow and ebb in her mind’s eye. The power reading was unmistakable. The one that was being spoken of in the ranks of
Alliance Command, the Guardian units and even the Judgments was below her, on the field.

“The one is here. I feel her--- and the cards.”

“Are you sure this is what you want?” the voice from her commlink warned, “Orders are---”

“Damn the orders.” she rebuked, “I’m going to take the cards, and save the Realm myself.” (a thin smile etches itself across her face as she speaks) “After all, am I not the 5th Judgment?”

* * * * * *

Meanwhile---

Umi - “Best five out of seven!”

Keiko - “For god’s sake, Umi, I beat you at everything already! Give it up!!”

Umi - “Not yet! Let’s run again!”

Keiko - “Sure. No problem--- if only you didn’t challenge me to strip poker and I happen to have all your clothes in front of me here.”

Umi, not put off by the fact she was stark naked, was not going to give in. “Let’s run anyway!”

Keiko - “Oh, no! It’s Family Day out there! Have some decency dammit! Give it a rest!!”

Umi - “NO! NO! I WANT TO BEAT YOU!!”

Keiko - “I don’t see how you can possibly--”

Umi - “Let’s see who’ll be the first to have---”

Keiko - “NO!! N-O!! I’m NOT DOING THAT!!” (stands up in a huff) “I GIVE UP!! YOU WIN
ALREADY, ALRIGHT? I LOST, YOU WON! YOUR TOO MUCH FOR ME!! I GIVE UP!!
THERE, HAPPY??”

Umi sits, naked, watching Keiko storm off into the woods in a huff.

Umi - “Does this mean I get to have my clothes back?”

Keiko - “BY ALL MEANS!!” (Keiko’s voice is fading as she storms away)

Umi - “Hah! I always knew I’d win in the end!” (grabs her clothes and smirks) “SEE? I BEAT YOU!!”

Keiko - “Whatever.”

Umi - “YEAH!! I WON!! I WON!! I--- hey! My panties are gone! I can’t wear this without panties, the first wind will blow up my skirt and I’d flash every--- KEIKO!!!”

Somewhere in the parking lot there’s a Judgment smiling like a cat who ate the canary and swinging a pair of blue panties in one hand while whistling “Ode to Joy”.

Don’t ask her why she‘s doing that though--- she might tell you.

To Be Continued