Chapter Eight: Soldier of Fire, Part I 

	Violet eyes closed as the young miko felt herself falling into a deep 
meditative state. In front of her, the sacred fire burned brightly, warming her 
skin and calming her spirit. The sensation was not unpleasant, and in a strange 
way, the heat around her felt almost natural, as if it was a part of her or she 
was a part of it. The girl reveled in it, enjoying the all too rare sense of 
belonging.

	Rei then allowed herself to relax both her body and mind as her 
grandfather had taught her and opened herself to receive any message the kami 
deemed important enough to show her. It was difficult at first, as the fourteen year 
old had only just begun her training as a fire reader and still was rather 
inexperienced, but Saburo told her she had a natural, if untrained, talent for 
communicating with the flames. Rei took in a couple of deep breaths to focus and 
then began to chant, her fingers moving in a series of intricate motions that 
were quickly becoming as natural to her as breathing.

	"Rin, pyou, tou, sha, kai, jin, retsu, sai, zen."

	Feeling the fire respond to her calling, Rei’s eyes popped open. She 
reminded herself not to lose her concentration and stared into the flames. They 
danced before her, flickering bright yellows, exotic oranges, and passionate 
reds, and cast dark shadows across her face. It brought her peace to see 
such a sight, and Rei unconsciously began to smile.

	However, as she continued to watch the blaze in front of her, a feeling 
of foreboding overtook her, and she gasped. The fire dimmed, and Rei faintly made 
out the shadowy silhouette of man. It was too dark to make out his features, so 
Rei couldn’t recognize the man, but somehow, she sensed he was an agent of evil.

	“Something is coming,” she whispered. “Something unbelievable is about to 
happen, but what?”

	So intent was she on the fire and the question she posed, Rei failed to 
hear when the door to the prayer room slid open and somebody else stepped inside, 
his dark shadow falling over her like a blanket. The man lightly touched her 
shoulder, and Rei nearly jumped out of her sweaty skin, her heart pounding so 
hard, she thought it was going to jump out of her chest.

	“Gomen nasai, Rei-chan,” a familiar voice said. “I didn’t mean to 
frighten you.”

	Rei craned her neck to see who was standing behind her and was glad to 
see it was only her grandfather. “Ojii-san!”

	“Intense reading, huh?” the old priest of the Hikawa shrine asked with an 
amused smile. “You normally aren’t so jumpy, my little fire mistress.”

	“You could say that,” Rei replied dully, watching the flames die back 
down. She was disappointed her reading had been interrupted but promised herself 
she would try again later. Maybe she could get a better look at the man’s face 
now that she knew what to focus on.

	“Did you see anything interesting?”

	Rei shook her head. She was reluctant to share what she saw in the fire 
with her grandfather. Saburo had enough to worry about without concerning himself 
with some vague fire reading. The police were investigating the mysterious 
disappearance of young girls who had taken the bus home after visiting the shrine 
over the last week, and Saburo had a lot on his plate to deal with at the moment 
in helping with the investigation. She didn’t want to alarm him until she knew 
something more definite. Who knew? Perhaps the man in her vision was the person 
also behind the kidnappings.

	“It was just really…intense.”

	“I see.” 

	Rei couldn’t tell if Saburo believed her or not, but fortunately, he 
didn’t press the subject any further, probably too distracted by other things. 
She had heard a police car, its siren blaring, pull up to the shrine right before 
she began her meditation, and she didn’t doubt he had had to suffer through yet 
another interrogation about the missing girls.

	“Are the police still here?” she asked, standing back up. “I noticed the 
siren outside.”

	Saburo sighed, suddenly looking very old and tired as he pinched the 
bridge of his nose. “No, they left shortly before I came in here. Nothing new. 
All they wanted was to ask me the same inane questions they asked me last week 
when this whole mess started.”

	Rei frowned. “No clues? No suspects? Nothing at all?”

	“I’m afraid not, Rei-chan, although I’m beginning to think they believe 
we have something to do with the kidnappings.”

	“What?” she yelped. “That’s insane! We’ve done nothing wrong. Why would 
they think such a thing?”

	“I don’t know. But don’t worry about it too much, Rei-chan. The police 
are just doing their job, and I’m sure this thing will blow over in a couple of 
days. Once they see we have nothing to do with those girls’ disappearances, 
they’ll leave us alone.” He didn’t say “hopefully,” but Rei knew that was what he 
was thinking.

	“But, ojii-san…”

	He shook his head, brushing off the subject. “You should probably get 
back to work now. I noticed a couple of girls outside wanting to buy some charms 
and you know you shouldn‘t keep them waiting.”

	The miko caught Saburo’s subtle hint to leave so he could begin his own 
meditation in front of the sacred fire and didn‘t argue, though Rei would have 
liked to resume her reading where she had left off before the interruption. 
“Sure, ojii-san. I‘ll go take care of the customers.”

	Rei exited the prayer room, closing the door behind her on her way out, 
and went outside to the small office where the shrine’s charms and fortunes were 
sold. A couple of elementary school girls, probably no more than seven or eight 
years old, were waiting in front of the booth as her grandfather had told her, 
laughing and pointing at Phobos and Deimos, who were in an unusually playful mood 
that day. Even Rei couldn’t hold back a little giggle at her pets’ silly antics, 
and she wondered what had gotten into them.

	“Konnichiwa, Mii-chan, Taiyouko-chan,” she said, greeting the two little 
girls as she stepped up behind the counter. Rei knew the best friends well 
enough, as they were both frequent visitors to the Hikawa shrine. “What can I do 
for you today? Would you like some charms?”

	The dark-haired girl who wore her hair in pigtails nodded her head 
enthusiastically as she turned her focus away from the crows and stood on her 
tiptoes in order to see over the counter. “Hai, Rei-san,” Mii answered, the 
unmistakable look of adoration in her hazel eyes that always appeared whenever 
she saw Rei. She had a slight case of hero-worship for the mysterious miko. “Me 
and Taiyouko-chan have a *huge* kanji test tomorrow and we need all the good luck 
we can get.”

	The other girl, a cute blonde with short hair cut into a bob, echoed her 
friend’s sentiments. “Yeah, if we don’t pass this test, our parents won’t let us 
come to the shrine festival next month and we really, really, really want to go!”

	Laughing softly, Rei reached for the box of charms and pulled out a 
couple for the girls, who were digging in their pockets for donations. “Now, you 
know good luck alone isn’t enough to pass the test,” she reminded them. “If you 
want to make a high mark on the exam, you also have to study hard and make sure 
to get plenty of rest tonight.”

	“We know,” Mii said. “We’re going to study *real* hard. Promise!”

	Taiyouko made an “X” mark over her chest with her finger, a solemn look 
on her face. “Cross our hearts and hope to die.”

	“Yeah! Nothing is going to stop us from attending our favorite festival!”

	“Well, then, I hope to see you there,” Rei said, exchanging the girls’ 
donations for good luck charms. “It should be a lot of fun. Gambatte and good 
luck.”

	“Arigatou, Rei-san,” the girls chorused in unison, bowing their heads in 
thanks.

	By that time, Taiyouko pointed out it was almost time for the next bus to 
arrive and that they should probably be on their way if they didn’t want to miss 
it. Rei decided to walk them down the steps, a straw broom in her hand to sweep 
away the sakura blossoms. Even though the so-called phantom bus hadn’t made an 
appearance for the last couple of days, Rei had a feeling it might come again 
today, and if it did, she wanted to see it for herself so maybe she could give 
the police a good description and prove that her grandfather had nothing to do 
with the kidnappings. Besides, she didn’t want Mii and Taiyouko going off by 
themselves during such a dangerous time.

	“There’s the bus!” Mii exclaimed, jumping down the final steps and 
pointing. “Good, we made it in time.”

	Rei turned her gaze in the direction of Mii’s finger to see a bus indeed 
was heading their way. On the outside, it didn’t seem much different from the 
usual buses. It was big and gray, accented with blue and red streaks. Perfectly 
ordinary. The only physical thing even remotely disturbing about it was the fact 
it was Bus #666. Rei may not have paid as much attention in the religion class 
she had to attend at school as she probably should have, but she did remember 
learning 666 was the devil’s number. She didn’t think much of it, though, and saw 
the girls off.

	“Sayonara, Rei-san,” Taiyouko said, bowing before she headed toward the 
open door of the bus. “Come on, Mii-chan! Let’s go before the bus leaves.”

	“Okay, I’m coming, Taiyouko-chan,” Mii said, running to catch up with her 
friend as she waved goodbye to her idol. “Bai-bai, Rei-san.”

	Rei waved back. “Bye, Mii-chan! Be careful!”

	Mii jumped on the first step of the bus after her friend, but much to the 
little girl's surprise, the door abruptly closed behind her with a loud, ominous 
thud, not even waiting until she took her seat. The noise alarmed Rei, who had 
begun sweeping under the impression everything was fine. The miko quickly glanced 
up, and much to her absolute horror, she felt the unmistakable aura of evil 
emanating from the departing bus like a noxious smell.

	“Oh, no!” she gasped. “Mii-chan! Taiyouko-chan!”

	Rei wanted to run after it, but the bus seemed to gain speed at the very 
moment she realized what was happening. There was no humanly way she could catch 
up to it. All she could do was watch as it disappeared from her sight when it 
turned the corner, the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach growing until 
she thought she would throw up. 

	It was the phantom bus. It had to be!

	Glancing down at the watch on her left wrist, Rei noted the time. It was 
six, the same time the other buses had disappeared. It could have been a strange 
coincidence, but she highly doubted it. She had to tell her grandfather about 
what she felt.

	Her broom left laying on the sidewalk where she dropped it in her 
excitement, forgotten, Rei ran up the stairs.

	“Ojii-san!”

					*****

	“Here’s a piece of late breaking news. We have just received a report 
that another bus disappeared around the Sendaizakaue area at around six o‘clock 
this evening. It is unknown how many passengers were on board at the time, but 
preliminary estimates state between twenty or thirty, mostly school children. 
This is the third bus over the last week to mysteriously vanish in front of the 
Hikawa shrine, and the experts are still baffled. Police are offering--”

	Governor Hino Keitaro clicked off the television set with his remote and 
massaged his temple. He had heard quite enough. The news channels all said the 
same thing -- another bus had disappeared near Hikawa and nobody had a clue who 
was behind it. There was no need to sit through another report.

	Over by window where he stood drinking a cup of steaming coffee, 
Keitaro‘s press secretary grunted. “This is getting out of hand, sir,” Takamori 
said. “It is only a matter of time before the press uncovers your connection to 
the Hikawa shrine, and if that happens, there *will* be questions that need to be 
answered, especially if this case remains unsolved.”

	“Are you suggesting Kondo Saburo-sama has something to do with these 
mysterious kidnappings?” Keitaro asked. 

	Takamori looked nervous as he took another sip of his coffee. “Well, you 
must admit it does look rather suspicious. All three buses disappeared right 
after picking up visitors from the shrine.”

	“Takamori-san, Kondo-sama is an elderly Shinto priest. He hardly fits the 
profile of a kidnapper, especially one so cunning.”

	“He may not fit the profile, sir, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t 
possible. Reports say most of the passengers were young school girls, and I don’t 
think it is unreasonable to believe this might be the work of--”

	Keitaro cut him off before he could finish, disgusted by the suggestion 
that his father-in-law might be some perverted old man with a sick fascination 
with children. “Kondo-sama is *not* a pedophile.”

	“That may very well be the case, Hino-sama,” Takamori said, setting his 
mug down on the end table beside him. “And for your daughter’s sake, I do hope 
you are right. However, true or not, that does not change the fact something 
strange is happening around Hikawa, and questions will undoubtedly arise about 
your connections to the shrine. How do you suppose we answer them?”

	“We’ll tell the truth,” Keitaro answered. “Kondo-sama is my father-in-law 
and the legal guardian of my fourteen-year-old daughter. Simple as that.”

	Takamori frowned. “I’m afraid the press won’t be satisfied with that 
answer, sir. People are going to suspect the governor’s office might be using its 
influence to compromise this case when they learn the main suspect is your 
father-in-law.”

	“Well, they are going to have to be satisfied, Takamori-san. We have 
nothing to hide. If the police haven’t made an arrest in this case, it is because 
of a lack of evidence and not based on any wrongdoing on the part of my office. 
If they can‘t accept that, then it is their problem.”

	The press secretary did not look happy with that decision. Takamori was 
one of the best in the business and prided himself on always being one step ahead 
of the media when it came to diffusing any possible scandal concerning the 
governor’s office before things could get out of control. To sit back and do 
nothing when there was gossip flying around was not in his job description.

	“Look, sir, I mean no disrespect, but if we don’t do something now to 
stop this, it could mean disaster.”

	The governor sighed, leaning back in his chair. “What do you suggest I 
do?” Keitaro asked. “Have the police arrest a probably innocent man when there is 
nothing but circumstantial evidence against him to show I am not opposed to 
having one of my family members thrown in jail?”

	“Nobody is suggesting that, Hino-sama. What I am suggesting, though, is 
for you to hold a press conference to show you are just as committed to finding 
the true kidnappers as the rest of this city, no matter who they might be, and 
allow the media to ask any questions they might have concerning your involvement 
in this case.”

	Keitaro was quickly becoming tired of their conversation. “I have no 
involvement,” he insisted, slipping off his glasses to wipe the lens with his 
handkerchief. “I wasn’t even aware of the kidnappings until you burst in here, 
ranting about phantom buses and family scandal. If it weren’t for all these 
missing children reports, I would almost think somebody had fabricated the entire 
story. It sounds more like something out of a movie than real life.”

	Takamori nodded in agreement. “I agree with you there, and believe me, I 
am as skeptical of those eyewitness reports claiming a bus vanished into thin air 
as you are. However, you cannot argue that there isn‘t something going on around 
here.” The man held up his hand and began counting off the facts on his fingers. 
“One, nearly a hundred people, mostly children and teenagers, have disappeared, 
somehow, over the course of this last week in the Sendaizakaue area, near a holy 
shrine many people believe holds mystical powers. Two, the priest of that shrine 
is none other than the governor‘s father-in-law. Three, the police have no clues 
or suspects. Four, the peop--”

	Hearing enough, Keitaro held up his hand, signaling Takamori to stop. 
“There is no need for you to go over everything again. I am well aware of the 
facts and you are right. It does seem somewhat suspicious.”

	“Then shall we begin scheduling the press conference?”

	The governor pressed his lips together in thought and laced his fingers 
together in front of him. Takamori was right in some respects. Even though he 
thought the idea was preposterous, it was only logical to assume there would be 
people out there who would claim Saburo had something to do with the kidnappings 
since the shrine was so close to the scene of the crime, and when the press got 
wind of the fact the priest was his father-in-law, there would be hell to pay. 
Keitaro could only imagine how much trouble it would cause if that information 
fell into the wrong hands. Given the right twists of truth by his rivals, it had 
the power to put his entire political career in jeopardy. Politically wise, 
perhaps it was a good idea to nip the potential scandal in the bud, so to speak 
-- acknowledge everything up front before somebody else had the chance to turn 
the information against him.

	Still, Keitaro did not like the idea of putting his family in the 
spotlight. Ever since Takara’s death, he had worked hard to keep his personal 
life separate from his professional life, and he wanted to keep it that way. As 
far as the public was concerned, he was simply a widower with a teenage daughter 
who lived with her maternal grandfather. That was all they needed to know.

	“Hino-sama, do you want to hold the press conference?” Takamori asked 
again, stressing each word as he tapped the edge of his file folder against 
Keitaro’s desk. “We need to jump on this quickly if we hope to do any kind of 
damage control. It is already bad enough we’ve waited this long after the first 
incident.”

	Exhaling, Keitaro placed his glasses back on his nose. It was now or 
never. He had to make a choice. “Fine, we’ll hold the press conference,” he 
decided. “But…”

	Takamori’s brief smirk of satisfaction fell. “But what?”

	“No personal questions. I reserve the right to say ‘no comment’ to any 
question I deem unrelated to the subject at hand. This will not turn into some 
kind of media circus. And before you even think of it, no, I will not ask my 
daughter to be there. I’m sure Rei-san if having a hard enough time dealing with 
the suspicions surrounding the kidnappings without me dragging her into this mess 
and calling more attention to it.”

	“Are you sure that is what you want to do, sir?” Takamori asked. The 
press secretary did not look at all pleased with the conditions put into place. 
“I can certainly understand your reluctance about your daughter being there, but 
refusing to answer questions about your family life could backfire and do more 
bad than good. It is going to make it appear you have something to hide, when the 
whole point of this press conference is to assure the public you *don’t*. 
Speaking from experience, you are not playing smart politics here.”

	“It might not be smart politics, but it is my decision to make,” Keitaro 
declared evenly as he rose from his chair. “Contact the media and set up the 
conference for an hour from now, Takamori-san.”

	“An hour?”

	“You were the one who said we needed to deal with this as quickly as 
possible. If we do this tonight, we might be in time to be on the evening news.”

	“Yes, but…” Takamori paused, looking as if he wanted to object, but then 
thought better of it. He bowed and then walked over to the door to leave. “I’ll 
get right on it, sir.”

	“Good.”

	After Takamori left, Keitaro moved to the large window behind his desk, 
drawing back the curtains to reveal a moonlit sky. Ideally, he probably should 
have been outlining what he was going to say at the press conference, but for 
once in his life, he chose to go unprepared. He already knew what he would say; 
there was no need to write it down.

	Instead, he stared down at the bustling city before him, his thoughts 
focused on the reports of disappearing buses and missing children. It did sound 
like something out of a sci-fi movie. Yet, if Takamori was worried about it, it 
had to be something serious. Keitaro didn’t believe in phantoms –- but that 
didn’t mean these children were safe and sound. No, it didn’t take ghosts to do 
cruel, terrible things to the young. Keitaro sighed, rubbing at his forehead.

	What was going on in the city of Tokyo? 

					*****

	Saburo took a seat on the porch steps, leaning his tired head against one 
of the wooden posts. It was nearly midnight, but he hadn’t been able to fall 
asleep, his mind unable to forget what had happened earlier that day.

	Another bus had disappeared. Another bus, filled with children, had 
simply vanished into thin air.

	It was becoming a nightmare, an absolute nightmare.

	He couldn’t help but feel somewhat responsible by association for the 
kidnappings. After all, the phantom bus always disappeared after picking up 
passengers in front of his shrine. But what was so special about Hikawa? Why had 
the kidnappers -- if the people behind the disappearences were indeed human, 
which he doubted -- chosen his home, of all places? 

	Saburo remembered Rei telling him she felt an malevolent presence nearby 
as the 6 o’clock bus drove away. Was it possibly the work of an evil spirit? 
Saburo closed his eyes and focused on his surroundings, trying to sense any 
traces of evil, but he could feel nothing but peace and tranquility. Whatever Rei 
felt was long gone. He sighed, wishing he could at least find a clue that would 
lead to locating the missing children. Those poor, innocent kids... They must be 
terrified.

	"Ojii-san, why are you still awake?" a sleepy voice asked from behind 
him, breaking him from his thoughts.

	Saburo turned around to see his granddaughter, dressed in a pair of 
lavender pajamas, yawning from her spot in the doorway. "I should be asking the 
same of you," he quipped as Rei finished tying the belt of her white robe and 
came over to sit down beside him.

	"I heard you walking down the hall and thought I would see what you were 
up to."

	"Oh, gomen nasai, Rei-chan," he apologized. "I couldn't sleep, so I 
thought I would do a little stargazing. I didn't mean to wake you."

	"That's okay. I wasn't sleeping very well, either," Rei admitted. "I 
can't stop thinking about what happened. I was *right* there, and still, I didn't 
sense anything until it was too late. If only I had been paying more 
attention..."

	"You can't blame yourself, little one," Saburo replied. "It is nobody's 
fault except for the twisted soul behind this nightmare."

	"But Mii-chan and Taiyouko-chan... I could have at least saved them," she 
insisted. "That afternoon, right before you interrupted my reading, I sensed the 
phantom bus might strike again. I *knew* it was coming, yet I still let those 
girls get on board."

	"Rei-chan, you didn't *know* anything. Did you see the bus disappearing 
in your reading?"

	"No. All I saw was a man's shadow."

	"Then don't beat yourself up about it. Fire readings are usually vague in 
their meanings. For all you knew, it could have been something completely 
unrelated to the kidnappings."

	"I guess you're right," Rei said, not sounding very convinced but letting 
the subject drop. "So, why can't you sleep?"

	Saburo sighed. "Same reason. I'm concerned about the kidnappings and the 
missing children."

	"I thought as much." Rei frowned, crossing her arms across her chest. 
"The police shouldn't be pestering you and treating you as if you were a suspect. 
Everyone who knows you knows you're not the one behind this."

	"Like I said before, the police are only doing their job."

	"Well, they aren't very good at it," Rei spat. "You would think with the 
sheer number of victims and several eyewitness accounts, they would at least 
eliminate you from the suspect list. Where in the world would you hide a hundred 
kids? In the tool shed? And you were in the prayer room meditating during the 
last kidnapping, so there's no way you could have made that bus disappear. I can 
vouch for that."

	"That doesn't account for much when you're dealing with the 
supernatural," Saburo commented, barely aware he had voiced the thought aloud 
until Rei gave him a strange look.

	"The supernatural? Do you really think something like that is happening, 
ojii-san?"

	"I don't know..." Saburo hadn't meant to share his suspicions with Rei, 
but no matter how crazy it might sound to some people, he couldn't help wondering 
if it might be true. "When buses start vanishing into thin air, you have to at 
least consider the possibility. Things like that simply don't happen in the 
physical world, unless the kidnapper is some kind of master magician."

	"Well, if he is, then that was one amazing magic trick. I saw it with my 
own eyes, and I still can't believe it happened."

	Saburo chuckled, albeit mournfully. "Unfortunately, it did, Rei-chan," he 
said, shaking his head. "I only hope somebody, whether it be police or 
ghostbuster, gets to the bottom of this before those children are hurt, if it is 
not already too late."

	"I hope so, too, ojii-san," Rei said, stifling back another yawn. She 
looked as if she would fall back asleep at any minute, and Saburo laughed. 

	"I think it's time for a certain young lady to go back to bed," he 
teased. "Remember, you have school in the morning. You don't want to fall asleep 
in the middle of class, do you?"

	Amethyst eyes suddenly darkened at the mention of school. "Do I have to 
go?" Rei asked, her voice barely a whisper in the night. "Can't I stay home and 
help you with the shrine?"

	"Why?" Saburo inquired. The tone of her voice, free of the playful 
whining he remembered so well from when his daughter was in school, concerned 
him. Rei might not like attending the Academy, but he knew she wouldn't want to 
skip just for the heck of it. "Is something wrong?"

	"No, of course not," she answered a little too quickly, forcing a smile 
on her face. "We just have this huge history test tomorrow, and I'm not prepared. 
That's all."

	Saburo didn't believe her for a second. "Are you sure that's all?"

	"Sure. What else would it be?" Rei asked, standing up to head back 
inside. "But that's okay. I'll study during lunch, and I'm sure it'll be 
alright."  

	"Rei-chan..."

	"Well, I better go back to sleep so I'll be well-rested for the exam. 
Oyasumi, ojii-san."

	Watching Rei head back inside, Saburo sighed. "Oyasumi, Rei-chan." 

					*****

	“Have you heard about the latest kidnappings?”

	“Yeah, it was all over the news last night. Even the governor held a 
press conference to talk about it.”

	“It’s scary, to think the bus just simply disappeared without a trace.”

	“You don’t honestly believe that, do you?”

	“Maybe it was the work of aliens.”

	“Cut it out, Mai-chan. You’re starting to sound like Kotono-chan and her 
weirdo friends. Besides, we all know that Hino is behind this.”

	“Well, I think it is some kind of elaborate magic trick to drum up 
ratings. I bet you all those people aren’t even missing. They’re probably in 
hiding somewhere, waiting for the perfect time to come out and say ‘Haha, we 
fooled you!’”

	“I don’t know… Hey, there she comes! Shut up!”

	The chatter in the classroom died the second Rei stepped inside and took 
a seat in her usual desk near the door. Though she refused to look anywhere 
except the opened textbook in her hands, Rei knew all eyes were focused squarely 
on her. She had become quite the hot topic at T*A Academy for Girls over the last 
few days, thanks to the kidnappings. It was all anybody talked about.

	Rei could have lived without the extra attention. She hated being in the 
spotlight like this. Everybody was so suspicious of her. Some of her peers were 
even afraid to look her in the eye, scared she would put some kind of curse on 
them or something like that. It was ridiculous! Quite frankly, Rei had had more 
than enough. All she wanted was for the whole mess to be over and for everything 
to get back to normal. Was that too much to ask?

	Somehow, though, Rei sensed nothing in her life would ever be normal ever 
again.

	“If you are talking about me, then please don’t stop on my account,” Rei 
said evenly after a few minutes, her eyes never looking up from her history text. 
She was so tired of all the whispers and gossip going on behind her back. If they 
wanted to talk about her, then she would prefer they do it in front of her, 
instead of being cowards about it. “Go right on ahead. I‘m not going to stop 
you.”

	A profound silence, brought on by embarrassment, fell over the classroom. 
Literally nothing but the girls’ collective breathing could be heard. Even the 
sound of pencil scratching across paper, more than likely being used to write 
some nasty note about her, had stopped. 

	Rei raised her eyebrows in surprise. Nobody?

	But then she heard the unmistakable sound of a chair being pushed back 
from a desk somewhere near the rear of the room, and a girl came forward, 
flipping her long green hair haughtily over her shoulder as she passed by the 
miko’s desk. The girl muttered “Shinto freak” under her breath, just loud enough 
for Rei to hear, before she took a seat in their absent teacher’s chair and 
propped her feet on the desk, a smug look on her face. There were a few gasps 
from some of the girls at her audacity, but nobody dared to tell the Queen of T*A 
Academy for Girls her behavior was inappropriate. 

	“You want to know what we’ve been saying behind your back, Hino?” Sayo 
asked. “Well, I would be *more* than happy to fill you in.”

	Big surprise, Rei thought, rolling her eyes. She should have know Sayo 
wouldn’t pass up the chance to try and make her feel small.

	Sayo continued, evidently not noticing the eye roll or choosing to ignore 
it. “We have been saying the same thing I have been saying ever since the day you 
transferred to this school. You, Hino Rei, are a freak. F-R-E-A-K. You have crows 
as pets, you live in a creepy old shrine, and you use weird powers. You are a 
weirdo and we don‘t like you.” 

	A couple of people, mostly members of Sayo’s usual clique, nodded their 
heads in agreement. However, Rei remained completely emotionless. It was nothing 
she hadn’t heard before, and she had long gotten over their cruel words. Sayo 
momentarily seemed offended by her lack of response, but she didn’t let it bother 
her for long and carried on with her rant. 	

	“Not only that, but you and your dear grandpa are now *kidnapping* 
innocent people as sacrifices to those false gods you worship and your father, 
the governor, is letting you two get away with it.”

	At that, she did react. Rei slammed her book shut and stood from her 
desk, her blood boiling at a fever pitch. It was one thing to insult her, but 
Sayo had gone too far by bringing her family into this. “We are not!”

	“Oh, really?” Sayo asked, sarcasm dripping in her voice like venom from a 
snake’s teeth. “You could have fooled me.”

	Rei‘s temper flared at the girl‘s ignorance, and it was taking all her 
self-control not to slap Sayo right across her smug little face. “Read a book 
sometime, Tanaka-san. Then maybe you would know that the Shinto don’t believe in 
human sacrifices.”

	“Blah, blah, blah…” The snobbish girl waved her hand in disinterest. 
“Fine, so you aren’t sacrificing people to the kami-sama. That still doesn’t 
change the fact that you and your weirdo family are behind all these mysterious 
kidnappings. I mean, who else could it be?”

	“Lots of people. The police have no suspects, so it could be just about 
anyone. You have no idea what you are talking about.”

	“Oh, but I think I do.” Swinging her legs off the teacher’s desk, Sayo 
stood back up. A sly smile crossed her blood red lips, and she folded her arms 
over her chest. “In fact, everything is starting to make a whole lot of sense. 
Maybe you are innocent, Hino. Maybe you really don’t know what is going on at 
your grandfather’s shrine, although how you would be so clueless is beyond me.”

	Amethyst eyes narrowed as Rei stared into sapphire blue. She didn’t like 
where their conversation was heading. “What are you suggesting, Tanaka-san?”

	“It’s really quite obvious, when you think about,” Sayo said. “I heard on 
the news last night that most of the missing people happened to be young girls 
between the ages of seven and eighteen.”

	“So?”

	“So, the police seem to think this might be the work of a pedophile.” 
Making her way over to Rei, Sayo sauntered over to her desk and planted herself 
right in front of the strangely calm miko. “Tell me, Hino, does your grandfather 
get off on young girls?”

	The sound of palm hitting cheek echoed like a gunshot in the absolute 
quiet of the classroom. 

	Though her hand stung from the force of the slap, Rei felt a deep sense 
of satisfaction as she watched a surprised Sayo reach up to touch the tender 
area. A huge red welt had formed where Rei had made contact and nearly covered 
half of the other girl’s left cheek. Mai and a couple of the other groupies 
rushed over to help their leader, but the green-haired girl motioned for them to 
stay away. 

	Cradling her injured face, Sayo glared at her attacker. “Why, you little 
bit--”

	Rei interrupted before she could finish the highly improper expletative. 
There was no way she would let Sayo take the upper hand in the conversation this 
time. “Don’t you ever say that about ojii-san again, or you won’t get off so 
lightly, Tanaka,” she warned, meaning every single word. “Ojii-san has done 
nothing to you. He is one of the kindest, most loving people I have ever known. I 
understand you have a problem with me. That’s fine, hate me all you want. Call me 
a freak, spread ugly rumors about me, tell me I’m going to Hell… I couldn’t care 
less. You just better leave ojii-san out of this little feud, or I’ll make sure 
you regret the day you ever messed with Hino Rei. Do we understand each other?”

	“Perfectly…” Sayo drawled, once again flipping her hair over her 
shoulder. She didn’t look particularly concerned by her threat. 

	Rei chose not it bother her. If the snobby princess knew what was good 
for her, she would keep her little conspiracy theories about her grandfather to 
herself. And if she didn’t… Well, Rei wouldn’t hesitate giving her a matching 
welt on the other cheek. She might not have ordinarily considered herself the 
type of person to resort to violence in a fight, but she couldn’t deny what she 
had done had felt extraordinarily good. Sayo had had that slap coming to her for 
the past seven years. Rei didn’t regret it in the least.

	Their homeroom teacher, Sister Theresa, arrived soon after their 
less-than-friendly exchange. She was surprised by the sight of a bright red mark 
on Sayo’s face. The small crowd that had gathered around the two girls backed 
away as the black-garbed nun walked toward them.

	“What is going on here, girls?” she demanded. “Where did that welt come 
from, Tanaka-san?”

	“I suppose you could say Hino-san and I had a little disagreement,” Sayo 
answered, still rubbing the sore area. 

	“Hino-san, you did this?” The shocked nun whipped back around to face 
Rei. “I must say I am very disappointed in you.”

	Rei held her head up high, refusing to show any remorse for her actions. 
“Yes, I did, Sister Theresa-sensei,” she admitted. “And I would do it again if I 
had the chance.”

	Sister Theresa sighed, placing a hand against her forehead. She was known 
as one of the more caring nuns at the school, and she hated having to dispense 
punishment, but there was no choice in the matter. “That is hardly the attitude 
of an Academy student, Hino-san. I hate to do this, but I’m afraid I have no 
choice but to send you to Father Watase’s office. Gather your books and go.”

	“Yes, ma’am.”

	Heading back to her desk, Rei grabbed her book bag and the history text 
she had been reading, and then left the room, a satisfied smile on her face.

					*****

	T*A Academy for Girls wasn’t the only school in which the rumors of the 
phantom six o’clock bus were running rampant. Over at the middle school in the 
Juuban district, classroom 2-1 was abuzz with excitement over the latest 
kidnappings while the students waited for their teacher to arrive for class.

	“Hey, did you hear about the evil six o’clock bus?”

	“Yeah, the one that goes by Sendaizakaue? I heard that if you get on a 
bus near the top of Sendaizakaue at six o’clock, it’s the end. You’ll end up 
missing!”

	“Oo, really? That’s scary!”

	“They say Death himself drives that bus.”

	“It’s destination could be Hell!”

	The girls were all speaking in loud, excited voices typical of a 
hyperactive, scared group of young girls, but Tsukino Usagi was only vaguely 
listening to the discussion going on around her. As usual, the blonde with the 
peculiar odango hairstyle was attempting to catch a little more sleep before 
class began, her head resting on her desk and drool falling from the corner of 
her partially opened mouth onto her half-completed math homework. Not for the 
first time, Usagi wished school could start later in the day. Noon would be nice. 
It was just too early in the morning for her brain to function. No wonder she 
always had such trouble in school. How did anybody expect her to get high marks 
when she could barely keep her eyes open long enough to learn? 

	“Girls really love these kinds of rumors, don’t they?” a familiar voice 
muttered under her breath before its owner jumped on the napping girl’s back. 
“Hey, Usagi-chan, wake up! I need to tell you something.”

	Usagi slowly lifted one eyelid, drowsy and disoriented from her nap. That 
black cat with the crescent moon bald spot on her forehead always managed to wake 
her up at the worst times. Only a second later and she would have been in Tuxedo 
Kamen’s arms, gazing up into his handsome face...

       “Usagi-chan!” hissed the black cat, exasperated at the time Usagi was 
taking to merely wake up.

	“Huh? This better be good, Luna,” Usagi mumbled, stretching out her arms.

	“It is. After school today, we’re having a meeting with Ami-chan to 
discuss our strategy against the enemy.”

	Groaning, Usagi felt her heavy eyelid droop as she tried to go back to 
sleep. “Forget about it, Luna. I wanted to go home early today and goof off, 
maybe take a nice, long nap…”

	The cat didn’t take no for an answer. “You will be there, Usagi-chan. 
Four o’clock sharp at the video arcade.”

	Video arcade? Suddenly wide awake, Usagi jumped up from her seat, causing 
poor Luna to fall on the floor. “Arcade? Why didn’t you say so before? You know 
I’ll be there. I want to try to beat Ami-chan’s high score on Sailor V. Like that 
will ever happen, though. She‘s so good!”

	Luna sighed, shaking her head in exasperation. It was fast becoming a 
familiar habit of the elegant feline. “We aren’t going to the arcade to play 
video games, Usagi-chan. We have some very serious business to discuss.”

	“Yada, yada… I know. We need to fight the enemy and find the princess. 
You‘ve told me a thousand times already.” 

	Reminded of her secret life and destiny, Usagi frowned. Sometimes it was 
still hard to believe that a klutzy crybaby like her was Sailor Moon, the soldier 
of justice. Her life used to be so normal until she came across that group of 
kids being mean to Luna. It scared her sometimes to think of the danger she 
faced, but at least now she had an ally in Mizuno Ami, a.k.a. Sailor Mercury, the 
girl genius of Juuban Middle School. With Ami to back her up, things didn’t seem 
as scary.

	Her frown soon became a bright smile again, though, not letting the 
thought depress her for long. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t mix business with 
pleasure, does it. Luna? We‘ll play video games and talk strategy!”

	Luna looked as if she wanted to explode, but fortunately for Usagi, the 
door to the classroom slid open at that moment, and an attractive brunette 
stepped inside, carrying a stack of exam papers in her hands. The black cat took 
the teacher’s entrance as her cue to leave and bounced on the woman’s head on her 
way out the door.

	“Sorry I’m late…Yeowch!” Sakurada Haruna exclaimed. “A cat! Who brought a 
cat into my classroom?”

	Usagi sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. “Uh, gomen, Haruna-sensei. 
She’s my cat, but don’t worry. She’s going home now.”

	“Tsukino-san! You again? I should have known.” Miss Sakurada rubbed her 
forehead as if she felt the beginning of a migraine and took a seat in her desk. 
“Okay, class, let’s begin first period. Pass forward your homework please.”

	Passing forward her uncompleted math worksheet, the blonde let out a 
relieved sigh. Usagi was glad Miss Sakurada didn’t give her after school 
detention for bringing Luna to school. If she had, her new pet would have been in 
huge trouble. It wasn’t even her idea to bring the cat in the first place. Luna 
had taken it upon herself to follow Usagi to school. It was like she didn’t trust 
Usagi to actually make it there. Usagi sighed again; she might often be late, but 
she would NEVER cut school completely. Well, at least without a really good 
reason. 

	The rest of the school day went by fairly quickly and after saying 
goodbye to her best friend Osaka Naru, Usagi headed straight to the nearby video 
arcade, for once ahead of schedule. The Crown Arcade was one of her favorite 
places to hang out. Not only did it have the best games, like her favorite, 
Sailor V, but the owner’s son, who worked there, was very cute. Usagi had had a 
huge crush on Furuhata Motoki for months, though it had somewhat lessened with 
the appearance of the handsome and mysterious Tuxedo Kamen in her life. Sometimes 
she imagined they were the same person, but Usagi doubted she would be that 
lucky.

	It didn’t hurt to dream, though…

	“Konnichiwa, Usagi-chan!” a blue-haired girl greeted her, waving to Usagi 
from her spot near the Sailor V game as she closed the thick textbook in her 
hand. “You made it!”

	Usagi walked over to her friend, not at all surprised to see Mizuno Ami 
had already arrived and was waiting for her. Ami was the type of person who hated 
being tardy. She had probably never been late for anything in her entire life.

	“Konnichiwa, Ami-chan!” Usagi said brightly, taking a seat in front of 
her favorite gaming console. “I’m really glad you’re here. You can help me beat 
this game, since everybody knows you’re the best.”

	The girl genius blushed, bowing her head. “I’m not that good, 
Usagi-chan,” she said modestly. “Besides, Luna said we were supposed to be 
discussing ways to deal with the enemy.”

	Unconcerned, Usagi placed a token in the coin slot. “Oh, come on. We can 
play a few games. After all, all work and no play makes Usagi a very dull girl.”

	Ami giggled. “Usagi-chan, if a person were to choose one word to describe 
you, ‘dull’ would definitely not be one of the choices.” She paused, placing a 
finger on her chin as she pretended to consider the suggestion. “But I suppose it 
couldn‘t hurt to play a little, at least until Luna arrives.”

	“That’s the spirit, Ami-chan!”

	Usagi pressed the button that would begin the Sailor V game and with 
Ami’s help, managed to clear the first few levels with very little difficulty. In 
fact, soon Ami had backed away and was playing a difficult fighting game (well, 
difficult for other people) whilst Usagi had become engrossed in the higher 
levels.

	“Hey, Usagi-chan, you’ve gotten better!” the cute blond man in the apron 
said as he watched Usagi’s progress over her shoulder. “You’re getting really 
good at this Sailor V game.”

	Usagi smiled brightly at the compliment but never took her eyes off the 
masked heroine in a school uniform that jumped across her screen, shooting beams 
of golden light at the youma coming after her. “Arigatou, Motoki-onii-chan! It’s 
all because of the special training Ami-chan’s been giving me.”

	“Yeah, I remember your friend got the high score on the Sailor V game the 
last time she came here, didn’t she?”

	The blue-haired girl, who had finished her game and was standing beside 
Usagi once again, blushed for a second time. “Hai, I did,” Ami admitted softly. 
“I can‘t believe you remembered.”  

	“Of course I did, Ami-chan! You were amazing. Nobody has ever gotten that 
high on this game before. How could I forget?”

	“Yeah, Ami-chan,” Usagi chorused as she moved onto the next level, the 
first time she had done so. “Don’t be so modest! You’re really, really good at 
this game. I can’t believe you got to this level. It’s so hard!”

	Taking a brief glance over at her friend during a momentary respite in 
the game, Usagi saw Ami had turned the shade of a ripe red tomato at their 
gushing words. The blonde smiled, shaking her head. For a girl who was praised 
for almost everything she did, Ami sure didn’t know how to take compliments very 
well. If Usagi did things even as half as wonderful as the quiet girl did, she 
would certainly be enjoying the attention, especially when it came from a certain 
handsome young arcade worker with the cute dimples. What Ami needed was a little 
more self-confidence, and Usagi resolved to help her get it, somehow. 

	Luna arrived at the arcade a few minutes later, rubbing against Usagi’s 
legs in a subtle way to show she was there. Usagi growled, annoyed by the 
distraction from her game, and gently pushed her in the direction of a still 
blushing Ami. Getting the message, the black cat walked over to the other senshi 
and jumped on Ami’s shoulder, where she was treated to some heavy petting until 
Motoki left to assist another customer. Then the feline jumped down on the game 
console beside the one Usagi was playing and cleared her throat to get their 
attention.

	“I now call this meeting of the Sailor Senshi to order,” Luna said, 
glaring at her mistress. “Usagi-chan, stop playing that silly game and pay 
attention. This is important.”

	“Oh, come on, Luna,” Usagi whined as she wiggled around the game‘s 
joystick. “I’ve never gotten this far before. Just a few more minutes, okay? You 
two can go ahead and talk about senshi business. I’m listening, promise!”   

	“Are you sure?” the cat asked doubtfully. “You can barely chew gum and 
walk at the same time.”

	Usagi huffed, offended by the insinuation behind those words. “I can too! 
Now talk. I’m listening…Yeah, Sailor V! Blast those youma to outer space!”

	Luna didn’t seem convinced, but, nevertheless, she turned her attention 
to the more serious of the senshi. Beside her, Ami had begun intently studying 
her delicate hands, her navy blue eyes widening in awe of the power they held.

	“I still can’t believe this,” she murmured. “To think that something like 
magic truly does exist, and not only that, we are both soldiers of justice, 
gifted with wondrous powers…”

	“I know it feels new to you now because you’ve only recently awakened, 
but in time, you will understand, Ami-chan,” Luna assured her.

	Abruptly looking back up from her hands, the soldier of water’s face was 
serious, but full of the natural curiosity that made her such an excellent 
student. “Luna, what kind of people are our enemies?” she asked. “What is their 
goal? What do we do next?”

	“We have to protect the princess, whoever she is, and the Ginzuishou.”

	“Ginzuishou?” Ami repeated. “What is--”

	Before she could get out the question, Usagi jumped off her stool and 
pumped her fist. “All right! I cleared two levels!”

	Luna rolled her cinnamon-colored eyes. “Usagi-chan, did you hear a word 
we said?”   

	“Yes, of course. We have to protect the princess and the Ginzuishou,” she 
recited back, a smirk of satisfaction on her face. “See, I told you I could play 
and listen at the same time.”

	“Good.”

	Satisfied, the cat looked over at the game, the crescent moon bald spot 
on her forehead twinkling slightly in the florescent light of the arcade, and 
Usagi heard something fall into the bin at the bottom of the machine. Did she win 
a prize? Kneeling down, she reached into the bin and pulled out what looked to be 
either a pair of bracelets or watches wrapped in cellophane. One of the items had 
a pearl band connected to a large pink face surrounded by four stones of blue, 
red, green, and orange, while the other looked almost exactly the same, except it 
had a blue face with matching sapphire stones.  

	“Cool, these wristwatches dropped out of the machine,” Usagi said, 
pulling the prizes out of their bag and popping open the pink one to reveal the 
face of a clock. “They’re so pretty. And there are two, so Ami-chan can have one, 
too. Here you--”

	“Not yet,” Luna said, the cat somehow managing to swipe the watches from 
Usagi’s hand with her paws. “These are perfect. With a little remodeling, we can 
use them as communicators.”

	Both girls looked at the feline in shock. “Luna, did you do something to 
the game machine?” Ami asked.

	The black cat knowingly winked at them and Usagi lowered her head in 
shame. It was pathetic that some furry animal who didn’t even have opposable 
thumbs knew more about computers and electronics than she did. Some day she was 
going to have to ask Luna how she learned all her technical mumbo-jumbo. That cat 
was too smart for her own good.

	“Wow, look at the time,” Usagi said, glancing up at the clock on the 
wall. She was surprised how late it had gotten. It seemed like they only arrived 
a few minutes ago. “It’s almost 5 o’clock.”

	There was a flurry of activity at the announcement as the girl genius 
began stuffing the book she had been reading before Usagi arrived back into her 
book bag. “Oh, no! I have an English prep class in thirty minutes,” Ami 
exclaimed. “I’m going to be late if I don‘t hurry. I have to go.”

	Usagi pouted, disappointed her friend had to leave so soon. She didn‘t 
want Ami to leave. “But, Ami-chan, it’s boring without you. How am I going to get 
to the next level without you coaching me?”

	“Well, why don’t you come with me then, Usagi-chan?” Ami suggested. “You 
could join my class. It is really fun, and you learn a lot.”

	Luna, unable to resist a little good-natured ribbing at Usagi‘s expense, 
enthusiastically agreed. “You should, Usagi-chan. It would be good for you. 
Besides, didn’t you fail your last three English exams?”

	Giving the cat a nasty look, Usagi whacked Luna on the top of her head. 
“You didn’t need to mention that in front of Ami-chan, Luna,” she growled through 
her teeth.

	“Oh, Usagi-chan, it’s okay. English is a very difficult language to 
learn. I have trouble with it sometimes, too,” Ami admitted with a sympathetic 
smile. “That’s why I’m taking this course.”

	“Well, I’m not sure I need another class to worry about, but I’ll keep 
you company on the way there.”

	“Great. Then we better go before we miss the bus.”

	Waving goodbye to Motoki, Usagi and Ami, along with Luna, who was curled 
up on Usagi’s shoulder, left the Crown Arcade and headed to the nearby bus stop. 
A bus bearing the name Sendaizakaue was coming toward them.

	 “Oh, we should be able to see that mysterious girl today,” Ami informed 
them as they waited for the bus to stop. “There’s this really beautiful girl who 
sometimes rides the Sendaizakaue bus home at this time.”

	“The Sendaizakaue bus?” Something clicked in Usagi’s brain at the name. 
She recognized it, although from where, she could not recall. “I think I’ve heard 
of it before…” 

	“That’s right!” a slightly nasal voice said. “That’s the same route as 
the evil six o’clock bus everyone has been talking about.”

	Usagi turned around and was surprised to find Umino Gurio, one of their 
classmates, standing behind them, adjusting the frames of his thick glasses. 
“Hey, Umino-kun, where did you come from?” she asked as the bus finally pulled up 
at the bus stop.

	Umino ignored the question, grabbing the sleeve of Usagi’s uniform. “I 
wouldn’t ride that bus if I were you, Usagi-san,” he warned. “You might go 
missing like all those other people. It‘s dangerous!”

	Laughing, Usagi grabbed the handrail and jumped on board after Ami. “Oh, 
that’s just a silly rumor,” she said, dismissing his words with a wave of her 
hand. Umino lived in a state of constant paranoia, so she doubted there was any 
truth to the story. Besides, it was only five fifteen. It would be another 
forty-five minutes before the so-called “evil bus” appeared, if there was even 
such a thing. “I’ll be fine, Umino-kun.”

	“B-But--”

	The door closed before he could sputter out the rest of his warning, and 
Usagi giggled at the sight of Umino standing speechless at the bus stop, his 
mouth hung open mid-word and his finger in the air, as the bus drove away. 
Sometimes, Umino could be such a nerd, but it was sweet of him to be so concerned 
about her safety. 

	About five minutes later, the bus made another stop to pick up a few more 
people. Among the group that entered the bus was a beautiful, dark-haired girl. 
Even though there were a couple of girls who wore the same school uniform in the 
new group, she seemed very much alone, standing apart from her classmates at a 
pole near the back of the bus. 

	“Look, Usagi-chan, there she is,” Ami whispered, discreetly pointing in 
the girl’s direction. “Wow, she has a T*A Academy uniform. I’m impressed. The 
Academy is one of the most exclusive and academically challenging private schools 
in all of Tokyo. Her family must be very wealthy. See, isn‘t she beautiful?”

	Turning around for a look, Usagi had to agree with Ami. The girl from T*A 
Academy for Girls was exquisitely beautiful. She was around their age, with 
waist-length black hair the color of midnight and unusual purple eyes, and as Ami 
had pointed out, she wore the Academy's uniform, which Usagi thought was much 
cuter than the one Juuban students were assigned to wear, consisting of a very 
short brown skirt and a gray jacket trimmed with red bow. Her posture was 
immaculate, and she had an air of elegance around her.

	“Yeah, Ami-chan, you’re right,” Usagi said. “She’s *so* pretty, like a 
princess or something! Wouldn‘t be cool if she was? Imagine, a real-life princess 
right here in Tokyo!”

	“Yes, I suppose that would be rather interesting,“ Ami said as the bus 
rolled to a stop. The genius grabbed her book bag, which she had sat down on a 
nearby seat, and bowed. “This is my stop, Usagi-chan. Thank you for keeping me 
company. I’ll see you tomorrow at school.”

	“Okay. Ja ne, Ami-chan!”

	Usagi barely noticed her leaving, still staring at the mysterious girl in 
the back with stars in her eyes. She bet the girl really was a princess, or at 
least a duchess, in exile from some foreign country, like China or Singapore. Or 
maybe she was some kind of goddess come down from heaven like in those old 
legends about the tennyo her mother used to tell to her before bedtime. Or maybe 
she was…

	“Next stop, Sendaizakaue in front of the Hikawa shrine,” the bus driver 
said into his microphone, interrupting Usagi’s musings.

	At the announcement, the girl looked up and headed back to the front of 
the bus, and unconsciously, Usagi felt her feet move toward her, following the 
girl as she stepped off. She didn’t know why, but she had to know where the 
princess was going.

	Sharp claws dug into the skin of her arm as she jumped off the final 
step. “Usagi-chan!” Luna growled under her breath. “Why did you get off here? 
Your house is no where near Sendaizakaue. Are you following that girl?”

	“But she’s so pretty! I want to meet her,” Usagi explained, looking 
around for the girl. She could have sworn she had gotten off there, but other 
than some middle-aged man walking his dog down the street, there was no one 
around. Usagi stomped her foot in frustration. That stupid cat! “Oh, no! She’s 
gone. This is all your fault, Luna. I lost her.”

	“Maybe she went into that shrine,” the cat suggested, pointing her tail 
in the direction of a long stone staircase leading up to the torii.

	With a weary sigh and slumped shoulders, Usagi dolefully eyed the stairs 
as if they were some impossible-to-solve math problem. “Walk all the way up 
there?” she asked. Knowing her luck, she’d probably trip on one of the steps and 
twist her ankle, or worse. Tsukino Usagi and staircases simply did not mix. “I 
don’t know. It’s an awfully long climb…”

	“You wanted to meet her, didn’t you?”

	“Yeah, but--”

	“Then, don’t be lazy. Just think of it as senshi training.”

	Luna was right. She really did want to meet the girl and she had already 
come this far; it would be silly to turn around now. Usagi squared back her 
shoulders, a look of pure determination in her eyes, and began up the stone 
staircase, praying to whatever kami the shrine was dedicated to not to fall and 
break her neck.

					*****

	The first thing Rei did when she walked into the quiet shrine after 
school was head to the kitchen, where she found a note from her grandfather 
hanging on front of the refrigerator with a Hello Kitty magnet. It said he 
had gone out to buy some groceries for dinner and he would be back in about an 
hour.

	Rei was grateful for his absence. Maybe by the time he got back, she 
would think of a way to explain the letter which currently was burning a hole in 
her jacket pocket. 

	Stupid Tanaka Sayo… If there was any justice in the world, that snob 
would have been the one sent to the principal’s office and given the letter to 
take home, not her. After all, she had only hit the girl. Sayo’s verbal abuse was 
far worse than any slap she could have given. While the red welt on the other 
girl’s face had almost faded when Rei had returned to class after Father Watase's 
lecture, the scars she bore ran much deeper and no amount of healing would ever 
make them completely go away. 

	“Ojii-san is going to be so disappointed in me,” she said to herself, 
pulling out the envelope. Rei was almost tempted to tear the letter in half and 
throw it away in the trash, but she needed to have it signed by a parent or 
guardian. 	

	Sighing, she smoothed out the crease in the middle of the envelope and 
set it on the kitchen counter where Saburo would be certain to see it when he 
came home. There was no point in delaying the inevitable; she knew that hiding it 
from him would only make things worse in the long run. Rei then headed to her 
bedroom to change into her miko’s robes so she could begin her usual chores 
around the shrine. 

	Maybe Saburo would understand why she had slapped Sayo when he heard what 
the girl had said about him. Rei’s blood still boiled with anger when she thought 
of the disgusting accusation the girl had made against her grandfather. How could 
she even suggest such a thing? Her grandfather was one of the kindest and most 
decent men she had ever known. The idea of him being some kind of sick pervert 
was unthinkable to her. 

	But it did make her wonder. Did other people have the same idea about 
Saburo? Was that the reason why the police were continuing to investigate them? 

	Biting down on her lower lip, Rei angrily tied her belt into a bow, not 
even noticing the tightness around her waist. She hated this! Saburo had nothing 
to do with the kidnappings, so why wouldn’t they leave him alone? The police 
should be out trying to find the real kidnappers, not wasting their time 
pestering an innocent old man with questions and false accusations. More children 
would be hurt if they didn’t find the cause of the disappearances soon. Didn’t 
they care about that?

	No, she thought bitterly. All they cared about was finding the 
perpetrator and getting the glory. 

	Rei quickly finished dressing, still fuming, and headed to her bedroom 
door. It was then when she felt it -- a strange and foreign presence nearby, 
overwhelming her senses. Her heart thumped, and Rei nearly lunged for the door, 
reaching for one of her ofuda scrolls in the top part of her robe. 

	What was it? An evil spirit? A ghost?

	Outside, she could hear Phobos and Deimos cawing loudly, along with 
somebody’s high-pitched screams. Whoever her faithful companions were attacking 
must have had the lung capacity of a whale. Following the noise, Rei sprinted 
toward the main door and slid it open. Her mind went blank as she stepped onto 
the porch, and she let instinct take over her body, ready to do whatever was 
necessary.

	At that moment, all Rei knew was that she had to protect the shrine from 
the invaders. She wouldn’t allow evil spirits to taint the holiness of Hikawa. 
That was her duty. She had to protect Hikawa.

	“Akuryo taisan!”

	A strip of paper flew from her hands as she yelled the words, decorated 
with fancy calligraphy Rei had done herself. The ofuda scroll seemed to move on 
its own power and headed straight toward the invader. It landed squarely in the 
middle of the person’s eyes, and the screaming that had filled the air instantly 
stopped as the owner of the shrill voice was too stunned to speak. Then there was 
a soft thud as a body fell to the ground. 

	Only then did the miko realize what she had done.

	“Wh-What?” Rei gasped, taking in the sight of a young blonde schoolgirl 
sprawled on the grass. “It’s a girl?”

	That couldn’t have been right. Rei knew she had felt something, and her 
“feelings” were rarely ever wrong. Not only that, but Phobos and Deimos had 
apparently felt something, too. They wouldn’t have felt the need to attack if 
they hadn’t. Yet, the unconscious girl on the ground before her was obviously 
nothing more than an innocent bystander caught in the round of fire.

	Running over to help, Rei kneeled down beside the girl and cradled her 
golden head on her lap. “Are you okay?” she asked softly, hoping the girl hadn’t 
been seriously hurt by the attack. “Please, answer me.”

	“Uhhh…” The odango-headed girl stirred and slowly opened her cerulean 
blue eyes, confused and disoriented as she looked around. “Where am I?” she 
asked, bring a hand to her forehead. “Why am I on the ground? Everything is so 
dizzy and my head hurts…”

	Much to Rei’s relief, the girl seemed fine other than perhaps a nasty 
headache. She sat up on her own once she got over her dizzy spell and turned 
around to face the embarrassed miko.

	“Gomen nasai,” Rei apologized, bowing to the still-confused blonde. “I 
must have made a mistake. I thought I felt an evil spirit.”  

	“Evil spirit…?”

	“Phobos and Deimos don’t usually attack people,” she explained, holding 
out her left arm to one of the birds. “I don’t know what happened. I‘m so sorry 
they frightened you. Did they scratch you?”

	“No, I don’t think so…” The girl examined her arms for any signs of a 
tear in her uniform, and satisfied she had come through the attack unscathed, 
smiled brightly as she reached for her cat. “I’m fine, really. Hey, are you the 
miko of this shrine?”

	Rei was shocked by the abrupt change in the girl’s moods. It was as if 
she had forgotten the attack had ever happened. 

	“Y-Yes, I am,” she stuttered. “My name is Hino Rei and my grandfather is 
the priest here at the Hikawa shrine.”	

	“It’s nice to meet you, Rei-chan! I’m Tsukino Usagi and this is my cat, 
Luna. My friend Ami-chan and I saw you on the bus earlier.” Laughing, Usagi 
rubbed the back of her neck. “Actually, we thought you might be a princess or 
something.”  

	Rei blinked in surprise. “Me? A princess? Well, you must be terribly 
disappointed then, Tsukino-san. I assure you I am no princess except in my former 
caretaker Yukana-san‘s eyes. Before you, I am only a humble shrine maiden.”

	“No, I’m not disappointed at all! I think it’s totally cool you’re a 
miko!”

	“You do?”	

	Usagi nodded vigorously, and Rei allowed herself a small half-smile. The 
blonde was a sweet girl, if perhaps a little ditzy. She was probably very popular 
at her school. Usagi seemed like the type of person who could be friends with 
anyone -- the complete opposite of her. Rei noticed her aura was very bright, 
almost blinding, and filled with endless love. Perhaps that was what she and the 
crows had sensed earlier. There was something unusual about the girl…

	Rei was interrupted from her thoughts by a voice chanting a prayer over 
at the haiden. “I wish my Mii-chan would come home,” a woman prayed, ringing the 
bell. “Please bring her back to us.”

	Mii-chan?

	Politely excusing herself from Usagi’s presence, Rei approached the 
haiden where two women stood. The one who was praying she recognized as Mii’s 
mother. The other woman, wearing a pair of tortoiseshell glasses, was unfamiliar 
to her, but Rei could see the similarities between her and Mii’s best friend 
Taiyouko. She was most likely Taiyouko’s mother, or at least a close relative. 

	Rei’s eyes darkened in sadness as she guessed why they had come. A part 
of her had hoped somehow Mii and Taiyouko had managed to escape the fate of the 
other children who took the six o’clock bus home that day, though she knew the 
bus had disappeared soon after the girls got on. Wishful thinking, she supposed.

	“Akiyama-san, did something happen to Mii-chan?” Rei asked softly once 
the woman had finished her prayers.

	Mrs. Akiyama turned around. “Oh, Rei-chan!” she exclaimed. “You’ve 
probably heard it on the news already, but our daughters have gone missing. We’re 
so worried. I’ve heard the rumors about that evil six o’clock bus, but I never 
thought they were true. Mii-chan and Taiyouko-chan always ride the bus home after 
visiting the shrine… We’re afraid the children might have been kidnapped!”

	“Gomen nasai, Akiyama-san.”

	The woman brought her hand to her mouth, barely managing to hold back the 
tears clouding her hazel eyes. “I knew we shouldn’t have allowed them to come 
here by themselves,” she continued. “This neighborhood used to be so dangerous. 
It’s always given me the creeps -- not that I mean to say your shrine is creepy, 
Rei-chan.”

	Mrs. Akiyama added the last part in a quick burst of words that told Rei 
she had actually meant quite the opposite. Rei tried not to take it personally, 
but it was hard. Mii’s mother was understandably upset over her daughter’s 
disappearance and she knew she couldn’t blame her for being suspicious, even if 
her suspicions were completely unfounded, but that didn‘t make Mrs. Akiyama‘s 
words any easier to take, especially after what had happened at school. The miko 
took a deep breath to calm her slowly rising temper and tried not to show her 
irritation.

	“I’m sure Mii-chan and Taiyouko-chan will come home soon, safe and 
sound,” Rei assured the women. “My grandfather and I will keep the girls in our 
prayers.”

	“I certainly hope so, Hino-san,” Taiyouko’s mother said, reaching for 
Mrs. Akiyama’s arm. “Come, Chiyo-san. It’s getting late. If we want to make it to 
the police station before dinner, we need to be on our way.”

	“Yes, we must be on our way,” Mrs. Akiyama echoed. “Sayonara, Rei-chan.”

	Rei bowed. “Sayonara, Akiyama-san.”

	The women turned to leave, the one with the tortoiseshell glasses 
regarding Rei with a final suspicious glare, as the miko sensed Usagi and Luna 
come up beside her. Both girls could hear the mothers’ conversation as they 
walked away, despite the fact they were talking in whispers.

	“What’s with her, Chiyo-san? That miko’s face didn’t change color at all. 
She wasn‘t even surprised when you told her Taiyouko-chan and Mii-chan were 
missing.”

	“Hino Rei-san of the Hikawa shrine is an eccentric. She reportedly has 
strange, mystical powers and can talk to crows. Mii-chan admires her a lot, but 
honestly, I’ve always thought Rei-chan was rather strange. It’s like she is 
inspired.”

	“Do you think she and her grandfather have anything to do with the 
disappearances?”

	“I don’t know. The police do appear to be concentrating their 
investigation on the shrine…” 

	The voices died away as the women disappeared down the stairs, and a hand 
gently rested on Rei's shoulder in a show of support. “Rei-chan, are you okay?” 
Usagi asked.

	“I’m fine, Tsukino-san,” Rei insisted, lying through her teeth.

	The blonde shook her head. “Oh, don’t be so formal! Call me Usagi!” 

	Despite herself, Rei smiled. The girl’s boundless joy was infectious.  
“Okay, Usagi-chan.”

	“What were those women talking about?”

	“Oh, it’s just a silly rumor.” Rei’s smile disappeared at the reminder of 
the women‘s private conversation. “Sendaizakaue is an unusual place where five 
roads all meet, but ever since long ago, there have been reports of a phantom 
sixth road. Some people say the evil six o’clock bus is sucked into that sixth 
road and disappears. Do you know what it’s called, Usagi-chan?”

	Shaking her head, Usagi held Luna closer, taking comfort from the soft 
warm fur. “N-No, I don’t. What is it called?”

	“It’s called a Hell Heist.”

	"A Hell Heist?" Usagi repeated, her blue eyes widening to the size of 
saucers. "That sounds scary. Is there really such a thing, Rei-chan?"

	Rei shook her head. "I don't know, Usagi-chan..."

	But she vowed to find out.

					*****

Dear Kondo-sama,	

	We are sending you this letter to inform you your granddaughter, Hino 
Rei-san, was sent to the principal’s office this morning for the physical assault 
of another student. Since it is her first offense, Hino-san only received a 
warning, but if this behavior continues, we will be forced to take tougher 
action, up to and including expulsion from our school. T*A Academy for Girls does 
not tolerate this kind of violent behavior from our students. It is our hope  you 
will impress upon your granddaughter the gravity of what she has done, and so 
prevent further incident. Please fill out the bottom portion of this letter and 
have the student bring it back to school no later than 3:00 p.m. tomorrow. Thank 
you.


	Saburo reread the letter in his hands for the third time, still in 
disbelief. Surely, there must have been some kind of mistake. The granddaughter 
he had raised had been taught to settle her disagreements with words, not 
violence. Rei would never assault one of her classmates. It simply wasn’t 
possible…

	But when Rei herself walked into the kitchen to help him put away the 
groceries and start dinner a few minutes later, there was a guilty look on her 
face when she saw him reading the note. Without a word, she stopped in the middle 
of the doorway and bowed her head in shame. “I’m sorry, ojii-san,” she whispered. 
“So very sorry…”

	Confused, Saburo looked first at his granddaughter, then back down at the 
letter, then back at his granddaughter again. He didn’t want to believe it, but 
at that moment, he knew in his heart it was true. Anger and disappointment melded 
his heart, and he barely restrained himself from snapping at her.

	“What did you do, Rei-chan?” he demanded, holding up the letter so she 
could see.

	There was a short pause before Rei hesitantly tried to explain herself. 
“I slapped a girl before homeroom began,” she said, her hands clenching into 
fists at her side. “I know I shouldn’t have done it, but Tanaka-san made me so 
mad! She was saying such horrible things about you. I couldn’t stand it anymore, 
so I guess I kind of…snapped.”

	“Things about me?” Saburo asked, surprised. That was the last thing he 
expected to hear. “What about me?”

	Rei slowly lifted her head, her gaze meeting his, but when she tried to 
speak, no words emerged from her lips. “I-I can’t say it,” she finally managed to 
sputter, abruptly turning around. “It’s too horrible. It makes me sick even to 
think about it.”

	Concerned, but no longer truly angry with Rei, Saburo walked over to his 
granddaughter and placed his wrinkled hands on her shoulders. He was more worried 
about the reason behind the assault than the actual slap itself. “It couldn’t 
have been that bad, Rei-chan,” he said softly.

	“But it was!” she insisted. “The idea that you would do such a thing…”

	“Do what?”

	“I can’t say it.”

	Turning Rei back around to face him, Saburo gave her a sad smile. He had 
a very strong hunch he already knew what had upset her so much. The rumors 
weren’t isolated only in school classrooms; he had heard plenty during his 
expedition to the shopping district. “This is about the kidnappings, isn’t it, 
Rei-chan?”

	She gasped. “How did you know?”

	The priest forced out a hollow chuckle. “What else is there?” he lamely 
joked. “That’s all everybody has been thinking about lately. We were bound to 
become subjects of rumor, no matter how ridiculous and untrue the rumors may be.”

	“What Tanaka-san said about you was far worse than any rumor,” Rei said, 
her voice tinged with anger. “It was slander!”

	“Slander or not, I’m afraid many people hold the same ideas about me as 
your friend.”

	Rei scoffed. “Tanaka-san is hardly my friend…”

	“No, I should think not.”

	“How can you be so calm about this, ojii-san? Don’t you care that people 
are saying awful, disgusting things about you behind your back?”

	“I can’t control what people think of me, Rei-chan,” Saburo said, pulling 
out a large black pot to begin the soup they were having for dinner. “Does it 
bother me? Yes, very much so. It hurts when people who once respected you resort 
to jaywalking across the street just so they won’t have to pass you on the 
sidewalk, but I can’t do anything about that. Anger or violence won’t solve 
anything. All I can do is hope and pray the police will soon apprehend the true 
kidnappers and prove my innocence.”

	“And if they don’t?” 

	If they didn’t, well, Saburo didn’t want to think about what might 
happen. “They will,” he insisted, half in blind faith and half in fervent hope.

	“I hope you’re right, ojii-san.”

	“I hope so, too.”

					*****

	“Hino-sama, Tanaka Yoshiyuki-san is here to see you,” Miss Katsuki said.

	Keitaro glanced up from the paperwork he had been working on to see his 
dowdy secretary standing at the door. “Tanaka-san?”

	“I told him he didn’t have an appointment, but he insists on speaking to 
you right away, sir. He says it’s urgent.”

	Keitaro sighed. The last thing he wanted to do at the moment was speak to 
his one-time rival, but if Tanaka, who still held a legendary grudge against him 
over losing the ‘78 gubernatorial elections, felt it was important enough to see 
him after swearing never to step foot in the office as long as Keitaro remained 
governor, then he couldn’t turn him away. Setting down his pen, Keitaro sat back, 
preparing for an unpleasant time. 

	“Very well. Send Tanaka-san in, Katsuki-kun, but inform him to make his 
visit quick. I have a meeting I must attend in ten minutes.”

	“Yes, Hino-sama.”

	The door to the main office opened a few moments later, and Keitaro rose 
from his seat to greet his unexpected guest. “Konnichiwa, Tanaka-san,” he said. 
“Please, have a--”

	“Cut out the politeness crap, Hino,” Tanaka interrupted as he stormed 
into the office, startling poor Miss Katsuki who held open the door. “This is not 
a social call.”

	Keitaro was not at all surprised to see Tanaka was as rude and 
disrespectful to him as he had always been. The fourteen years that had passed 
since Keitaro withdrew from the debate at Tokyo University had not softened the 
older man in anyway, except perhaps for in the stomach area where it appeared he 
had developed a slight paunch. In fact, Tanaka’s eyes glittered with exactly the 
same malice, and his mouth was still bordered by those cruel deep lines.

	“As blunt as usual, I see,” Keitaro said, taking a seat back in his chair 
behind the desk. “Well, if this isn’t a social call, then may I ask what business 
you have with me, Tanaka-san?”

	“This.”

	With a flourish, Tanaka reached into the inside pocket of his blazer and 
produced a long, white envelope already crudely torn open. He handed the envelope 
to a surprised Keitaro and motioned for him to read the letter inside.

	“What is this?” Keitaro asked as he pulled the letter out of the envelope 
and pushed his glasses back up his nose to read. The elegant letterhead of T*A 
Academy for Girls at the top was the first thing he noticed when he unfolded the 
paper. “A letter from my daughter’s school?”

	“You’re a regular Einstein, Hino,” Tanaka said, finally sitting down in 
the chair Keitaro tried to offer him earlier. “To be more specific, it is a copy 
of the letter that was sent home with your daughter after she attacked my 
granddaughter at school this morning. A family friend on the board of trustees at 
the Academy was kind enough to send it to me.”

	“Attacked?”

	Briefly reading over the letter, Keitaro shook his head in disbelief. It 
shocked him to learn Rei had physically assaulted another student at her school. 
She had never done anything like that before, at least not to his knowledge. 

	Tanaka nodded. “It’s all right there in black-and-white."

	“You say Rei-san assaulted your granddaughter?”

	“Apparently, she and Sayo-san got into some kind of heated argument 
before homeroom and Hino-san slapped her. I don’t know all the details, but there 
is no excuse for your daughter’s behavior.”

	Frowning, Keitaro looked over the letter once again before folding it 
back up and slipping the paper into the envelope. He didn’t quite understand why 
Tanaka felt the need to show him the note. Tanaka knew Rei lived with her 
grandfather. It was out of his hands. 

	“Well, I’m sure Kondo-sama will deal with this in a fair and responsible 
manner,” he assured the angry grandfather. “Thank you for telling me.”	

	“Hino, I don’t think you understand the severity of your daughter’s 
actions,” Tanaka thundered, banging his fist on the desk in front of him. “I do 
not take kindly to a member of my family being attacked by anyone, much less a 
member of yours. The Academy only took minor action since it was her first 
offense, but I have half a mind to press charges.”

	“For a slap?" Keitaro asked, thinking that was a little extreme. "I agree 
that it probably wasn’t the best course of action for Rei-san to take in an 
argument, but don’t you think you are being a tad bit ridiculous? It was only a 
schoolyard fight, and nobody was seriously hurt.”

	“Not at all. I’m sure the press would have a field day with this story -- 
not that they don‘t already have enough headlines with your father-in-law being 
the prime suspect in the mass kidnapping case.”

	Keitaro’s eyes narrowed slightly behind his glasses. “That is only 
speculation and you know it, Tanaka-san. There is no proof Kondo-sama has 
anything to do with those children‘s disappearances.”

	The balding man in front of him had the nerve to laugh. “I hate to say 
it, Hino, but in today’s media, the line between truth and rumor is very blurry 
indeed. It doesn‘t matter if it is true or not. In the eyes of the public, the 
old priest has already been tried and hung.” Reaching for the envelope which 
Keitaro had set aside, Tanaka placed it back in his pocket, a white eyebrow 
raised. “Shame if you would have to deal with yet another scandal so soon, 
especially with the Diet elections less than two years away…”

	“If you are trying to blackmail me, it is not going to work. I’ll have 
you charged with extortion so fast, you won’t have time to blink.”

	“I’m offended, Hino. Blackmail is such an ugly word. Besides, what I’m 
asking for is hardly illegal. All I ask is for your daughter to apologize to 
Sayo-san for her actions this morning, something which I‘m sure any proper parent 
would have their child do in this kind of situation. In exchange for an apology, 
preferably public, I will be willing to forget this whole ugly episode ever 
happened.”

	“And if Rei-san doesn’t apologize?” Keitaro questioned.

	“If she doesn’t, well…” Tanaka’s lips curled into a positively malicious 
sneer as he patted his hand against the letter in his jacket pocket. “Let’s just 
say I can make your chances of ever winning a seat in the Diet nothing more than 
a shattered dream.”

	Hearing that, Keitaro leaned back in his chair and frowned. It was all 
starting to come together. Revenge -- that was what Tanaka wanted. The old man 
was still upset about losing the 1978 election and was determined to make him 
pay. Keitaro doubted if Tanaka even cared whether or not Rei apologized to his 
granddaughter. All Tanaka wanted was the means to destroy his career.

	“Are you so hungry for revenge, you would stoop that low, Tanaka-san?” he 
asked in a low voice, struggling not to lose his cool in front of his rival. “The 
elections were fourteen years ago. I would hope by now you would have gotten over 
this silly grudge you have against me. It’s not as if I ruined your entire 
career. You‘ve done very well for yourself since then.”

	“Perhaps so, but you still stole the one thing I wanted most.” Standing 
from his seat, Tanaka outstretched his arms to indicate the room around him. “The 
governor’s office -- this all could have been mine, *should* have been mine. I 
was so close, Hino. So close I could practically taste the power. If not for the 
little stunt you pulled at the debate, I would be the one behind that 
ridiculously expensive desk, and you would still be nothing more than an Assembly 
member. It should have been me.”

	“What happened at the debate was hardly a ‘stunt‘, Tanaka-san," Keitaro 
declared softly as memories of that night came flooding back. "In case you’ve 
forgotten, my wife was in labor and almost died. Do you honestly think I planned 
that? Because, I assure you, that night was one of the worst nights I‘ve ever 
experienced. I would not wish that kind of torture even on my worst enemy, not 
even you.”

	“Spare me the sob story. You know as well as I do the only reason you 
were elected in the first place is because the voters felt sorry for you.” 

	Keitaro almost wanted to laugh, but didn’t. Funny how Tanaka seemed to 
have conveniently forgotten how close they were in the polls or how horribly he 
performed at the debate. Even if what Tanaka said was true and some people only 
voted for him out of sympathy, he doubted it had any real effect on the results. 
That Keitaro was going to win the election was almost a given. He had thoroughly 
defeated Tanaka in the subsequent debates. 

	“Tanaka-san, if you didn’t win the election, it was your own fault, not 
mine,” Keitaro said, reaching for some papers he needed for his upcoming meeting 
after taking a quick glance at his Rolex. As far as he was concerned, their 
conversation was over. “I trust you can show yourself out. I was expected at a 
meeting at five, and I’m afraid I’m already late, so if you will excuse me…”

	Keitaro stood to leave, but Tanaka was quicker than him and effectively 
blocked the doorway. “Do you intend to talk to your daughter about her behavior?” 
he asked. “Or will your exalted name be dragged into yet another scandal? It‘s 
your decision, Hino -- apology or scandal.”

	“I will see what I can do,” Keitaro answered, willing to say almost 
anything to get the man to leave so he could get to his meeting with some 
environmental lobbyists. Tanaka Yoshiyuki was one of the few people alive who 
could get under his skin. “I’m not making any promises, though. If Rei-san 
honestly feels sorry for her actions, I‘m sure she will do the right thing and 
apologize. If not, then I hope you will be the bigger man for once in your life 
and drop these ridiculous threats.”

	“Don’t count of it, Hino. She better apologize or else.”

	With that final threat, the man dropped the arm blocking Keitaro’s way 
and left without even as much as a goodbye.


					*****

	Uchizawa Minoru might not have been the best student in the world during 
his younger, more carefree days, but over the years, he had developed into a 
prominent businessman, becoming a top executive at Nintendo, mostly in charge of 
the international divisions. His job meant he was often away on frequent business 
trips, but for the moment, Minoru was home in Tokyo at his main office, making a 
few last preparations for his upcoming trip to Redwood, Washington for a meeting 
with the head of Nintendo of America Inc. that weekend.

	Or to be more truthful, he was conducting some very important “product 
research” on his handheld Gameboy. 	

	“Yes! 10,000 points! Minoru, you are the man!…Okay, don’t lose focus. 
Only need 5,000 more to beat my high score…Get those coins, Mario…No, watch out 
for the fireballs!…Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Get out of the--”

	A loud knock on the door broke his intense concentration, and as Minoru 
swore violently at the “Game Over“ screen on his console, an attractive blonde 
bombshell -- a dead ringer for Rosa from "Final Fantasy IV", one of Minoru's 
favorite games -- entered the office. There was a look of clear amusement in her 
eyes as she watched her boss quickly turn back around in his chair and hide his 
Gameboy under a thick stack of papers, clearing his throat with authority.

	“I hope I wasn’t interrupting something, Uchizawa-san,” she said sweetly, 
closing the door behind her.

	“N-No, not at all!” he insisted, retying his tie which he had undone 
sometime during his game. “I was…uh…uh”

	“Playing Super Mario Bros. again?” 

	She knew him too well.

	“Product research,” he said, tapping the side of his nose. “How do you 
think I got so far in this company? I know the product inside and out.”

	“Of course,” the secretary said dryly as she walked over and pulled out 
his plane ticket, hopping up to sit on the edge of his desk. She crossed her 
mile-long legs tantalizingly at the knees, showing them off to her best 
advantage, and Minoru gave them an appreciative stare. “This arrived for you a 
few minutes ago -- first class to Seattle, Washington, with a short layover in 
New York. A private jet will fly you directly to Redwood.”

	“Great!” Minoru took the offered ticket and checked the boarding 
information before placing it in his pocket so he wouldn‘t leave it behind. Good, 
he had gotten a window seat. “Did you remember to make the hotel reservations, 
Amaya-san?” 	

	Amaya flipped through her notebook and made a note with her pencil, 
placing it behind her ear once she was done. “Yes, Uchizawa-san,” she said. 
“You’re booked at the Hilton Hotel, your usual suite. Oh, and I hope you don‘t 
mind, but I took the liberty of making a reservation at that restaurant you like 
for your meeting with Smith-san on Saturday.”

	“Thank you, that sounds great,” Minoru said, shooting her a charming 
smile. “You always know exactly what I want.”

	“Well, I do aim to please.” Tossing her notebook aside, Amaya leaned back 
on the desk, shaking her luxurious blonde hair in a flirtatious manner, and his 
smile widened. “Anything you want is yours -- and I do mean, anything.”

	As tempting as her offer was -- and it was *very* tempting -- Minoru 
leaned back in his chair and shook his head, still wearing the smile. Their 
flirtation had become very much a game between them, one he looked forward to 
whenever they had a spare moment at the office. Neither took the attraction 
seriously, but they both enjoyed it just the same.

	“Amaya-san, we’ve been over this before,” he explained, using his “stern“ 
voice as he wagged a finger at the blonde-haired seductress. “It’s against 
company policy.”

	Ruby red lips curled into a seductive pout. “Oh, pooh!” she huffed 
indignantly. “If I had known working for you meant I wouldn’t be able to get in 
your pants, I never would have taken this job.”

	He smirked. “Then maybe I should fire you.”

	“Maybe you should.”

	The redhead pretended to contemplate the suggestion just as the telephone 
sitting on the side of his desk began ringing, its shrill tone reminding them, 
unfortunately, that there was work to be done. Sighing, Minoru reached for the 
receiver, but was stopped by a slap on the hand by Amaya.

	“*I’ll* get that,” she said, sitting back up to reach for the phone. 
“After all, I *am* still your secretary, aren’t I?”

	“Hmm…not if you keep wearing those short mini-skirts to the office, you 
aren‘t. Hasn’t anybody ever told you they’re against dress code?”

	“Nope, my boss doesn’t seem to have a problem with them,” she quipped.

	“He doesn’t?” Minoru once again inspected her legs, placing a finger on 
his chin in thought. “Well, I can think of one objection he has to them.”

	“What’s that?”

	“They’re too long.”

	Rolling her eyes, Amaya brought the receiver to her ear as Minoru spun 
around in his chair, his hands folded behind his head. Sometimes, he really loved 
his job. Good pay, lots of travel, all the free video games he could want, and a 
sexy secretary -- what more could he need?

	“You have reached the office of Uchizawa Minoru-san. How may I help you?” 
he heard Amaya say, answering the phone call. To her credit, not only was she 
unbelievably attractive, she also was very efficient and professional when the 
situation called for it. “Hino-sama? Yes, Uchizawa-san is here. I’ll put him on 
right away.”

	At the mention of his best friend’s name, Minoru abruptly stopped his 
spinning, surprised. He hadn’t heard from Keitaro in quite a while, not since 
about two months ago, when they had gone out to dinner to celebrate a huge deal 
he had closed for the company. Minoru wondered why he was calling, especially 
during business hours.

	“Is that Hino Keitaro-sama?” he asked Amaya.

	Nodding, the secretary pressed the receiver up against her chest. “I 
didn’t know you knew the governor, Uchizawa-san,” she said.

	“Yes, we’ve been friends ever since we were kids -- almost like 
brothers.”

	“Really?” She sighed longingly, pretending to act like a lovelorn 
teenager. “Do you think you could set us up on a date? I mean, there‘s no company 
policy against me dating one of your friends, is there?”

	Minoru chuckled. That girl never gave up, did she? “I’m afraid you’re not 
really his type, Amaya-san,” he informed her, his eyes suddenly darkening in 
sadness. “Besides, Keitaro hasn’t dated since his wife died about eight years 
ago.”

	Her lovely face fell. “Pity. Hino-sama’s even more handsome than you 
are.”

	“Hey, are you *trying* to get yourself fired?” he asked, raising an 
amused eyebrow in the giggling secretary’s direction.

	“Okay, he’s almost as handsome as you are.”

	“Too late,” he teased. “Now, give me the phone and tell accounting to go 
over the last quarter numbers for SNES sales in the U.S. I want the final 
spreadsheet on my desk before I leave for the airport. Oh, and have advertising 
send me their preliminary plans for the promotion of 'Final Fantasy V' and 'Shin 
Megami Tensei', as well as 'Mega Man III'."

	“Hai, Uchizawa-san.”

	After handing him the phone, Amaya bounced off the desk and walked to the 
door, her hips swinging back and forth in an exaggerated manner as he watched her 
leave. Minoru smiled privately, thinking it really was a pity they couldn’t date 
as long as she was his secretary, and then turned his attention to the phone in 
his hand.

	“Gomen nasai, Keitaro,” he said, apologizing for the delay. “I didn’t 
mean to keep you waiting.”

	“That’s fine, Minoru-kun. I wasn’t waiting long.”

	“So, why the call? You normally don’t call me at the office. Is something 
wrong?”

	There was a sigh on the other end, and Minoru imagined his friend was 
rubbing his forehead in the all-too-familiar habit of the stressed-out 
politician. He often told Keitaro he needed to take a vacation, but as always, 
his friend failed to take his advice, claiming he was fine. Sometimes, Minoru 
wondered why he even bothered anymore.

	“You could say that,” Keitaro said after a short pause. “I had an 
interesting visit today with Tanaka Yoshiyuki-san at my office.”

	“Tanaka-san? You mean the man you ran against in the ‘78 elections?” 
Minoru remembered the smarmy politician well.

	“The one and only.”

	“But I thought he said he would never step foot into the governor’s 
office as long as you were in charge.”

	“Well, apparently, he thought threatening me was more important than 
keeping some silly oath.”

	Alarmed, Minoru sat up in his chair. “He threatened you?” he asked. “How? 
Did you call the police?”

	“No, it was nothing that serious,” Keitaro assured him, though Minoru 
still had his doubts. “He didn’t threaten to hurt me physically.”

	“Then what?”

	Keitaro explained what happened, telling him about how Rei had slapped 
Tanaka’s granddaughter earlier that day before homeroom and how Tanaka wanted Rei 
to apologize or else he would press assault charges and leak the story to the 
media. Minoru found it rather hard to believe his sweet goddaughter would 
actually hit another girl, but he knew Keitaro would never lie about such a 
thing.

	“So, let me see if I got this right,” Minoru said after Keitaro had 
finished his explanation. “You’re telling me that if Rei-chan doesn’t apologize 
for slapping his granddaughter, Tanaka plans to use the assault as a means to 
cause a scandal?”

	“Yes, unfortunately, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”

	“That’s ridiculous!” Minoru pounded his fist on his desk, silently 
cursing the vengeful politician. Couldn’t Tanaka let bygones simply be bygones? 
“I can’t believe he would stoop so low as to use a fight between his 
granddaughter and Rei-chan for his own personal vendetta against you.”

	“I know. If this only involved me, I wouldn’t worry so much. Tanaka-san 
may talk big, but I can handle him in the political arena. However, he’s dragging 
Rei-san into this, and I’m afraid she might get into some real trouble if she 
doesn’t go through with an apology. I highly doubt Tanaka-san would hesitate to 
press charges against her, and his brother-in-law is the superintendent of the 
Keishichou.”

	“Is there anything I can do?”

	“Actually, there is,” Keitaro said softly, sounding almost reluctant. “I 
was hoping you could go to Hikawa this evening and warn Rei-san and Kondo-sama of 
what may happen.”

	“Go to Hikawa?” Minoru repeated, running his fingers through his hair. 
“You know I normally wouldn’t hesitate, Keitaro, but I’m leaving for the States 
tonight for a business trip. I don’t know if I would have time. Besides, perhaps 
it would be better if they heard the news from you.”

	“No, I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

	“Why not?”

	Keitaro sighed on the other end. “It’s just not a good idea, Minoru-kun. 
Rei-san will be more receptive to your advice. She trusts you and respects your 
opinion.”	

	Minoru frowned. It was true he and Rei had a better relationship than 
father and daughter, but he didn‘t really feel right about getting involved in 
their private family affairs. Ever since Rei moved to Hikawa, he had tried his 
best not to interfere. “But--”

	“Please. I know you love her, Minoru-kun.”

	Minoru reluctantly agreed, though personally, he still felt Keitaro 
should be the one to talk to Rei. “Okay, I’ll go.”

	“Arigatou.”

	They said goodbye, and Minoru hung up the phone. Then he turned around 
and surveyed the view through his window, his breath hissing through his teeth in 
frustration. Takara had been dead now for about eight years, and Rei had been 
living at the shrine for almost the same amount of time. Everyone seemed to have 
accepted this state of affairs –- everyone but Minoru. Despite his knowledge of 
Keitaro’s past and his doubts about giving Rei a good home, every instinct that 
Minoru possessed told him that keeping Rei at arm’s length was not doing Keitaro 
any good. In fact, he was only delaying the inevitable confrontation between him 
and his daughter. Minoru had no doubt that one day this would all blow up in 
Keitaro’s face, yet he blindly continued living his life, seeing Rei-chan only a 
few times a year, if that. It should have been him talking to his daughter –- she 
was the one in trouble, he was the one who had been threatened. But once again, 
Keitaro had run away, and it was Minoru who had to do his dirty work.

	Sighing, Minoru wondered how he was going to talk to Rei about this. To 
think that five minutes ago he had been worried about Mario getting toasted by 
fireballs –- being a grown-up was far more complicated than he would ever have 
imagined.

					*****

  	That evening, Rei was scrubbing the hardboard floors of the porch by 
hand, her punishment for slapping Sayo, when she noticed a male figure walking 
underneath the torii toward her. The shadows of night concealed his identity from 
view, but there was nothing threatening about his easy stride, so she threw her 
sponge back into her pail of soapy water and stood, wondering who would visit the 
shrine at such a late hour. It was almost nine o’clock. 

	“May I help you?” she called out, wiping her wet, raw hands on her 
red-and-white miko’s robes. “I’m sorry the office is closed, if you wanted to buy 
a charm or fortune. However, we'll be open tomorrow, so you can come back then.” 

	“Oh, darn, and I wanted a charm to ensure a safe flight,” a very familiar 
voice answered back, not sounding particularly disappointed. 
	
	The door slid open at that moment as her grandfather stepped out to 
investigate the late-night visitor. “Rei-chan, is there somebody out--?” The 
light from inside revealed a pleasant grin and flame-red hair. “Oh, Uchizawa-san, 
what a nice surprise!” Saburo said. “We weren’t expecting you.” 

	Minoru stopped at the foot of the steps and bowed politely. “Konbanwa, 
Kondo-sama, Rei-chan,” he greeted them. “I’m sorry for intruding at such a late 
hour. Is this a bad time?” 
	
	Saburo shook his head. “No, not at all. Please, come inside. Rei-chan 
will prepare some tea, won‘t you?” 
	
	Beside him, Rei nodded, a bright smile on her face. It was always a treat
when her godfather came to visit. “Of course!” she said, turning to go back 
inside. “I’ll get started on it right away. Is green tea okay?” 

	The man held up his hand, signaling her not to bother. “That’s not 
necessary, Rei-chan,” he insisted. “I can only stay for a few minutes. I’m on my 
way to the airport.” 
	
	“Oh.” Disappointed he couldn‘t stay for long, Rei turned back around. 
“Well, we don’t want to cause you to be late for your flight. Perhaps some other 
time.” 
	
	“I’d like that. Some other time, I promise.” 
	
	“May I ask why have you come then, Uchizawa-san?” Saburo asked. 

	The redhead sighed, his relaxed look changing to a serious one in the 
blink of an eye. “Keitaro sent me to talk to you.” 

	“Otou-sama?” Rei’s eyes narrowed in suspicion at the mention of her 
father’s name. Hino Keitaro rarely took an active interest in her life at Hikawa, 
so she was understandably doubtful of Minoru’s claim. “What does he want?” 
	
	His hands in his pockets, Minoru glanced around the quiet shrine as if he 
half-expected some hoodlum to jump out and attack him. Of course, there was 
nobody else around except for Phobos and Deimos, who were playing their usual 
games nearby, but the redhead still didn’t look comfortable. “May I come inside 
first?” he asked. “I don’t think this is an appropriate conversation to have 
outside.”
 
	Saburo stepped aside, motioning him to enter. “Please do, Uchizawa-san. 
You know you are always welcome in our home.” 

	“Arigatou, Kondo-sama.”
 
	Accepting the invitation, the business man walked up the porch steps and 
entered the modest living quarters, Saburo and Rei following right on his heels 
after exchanging puzzled looks behind his back. Neither had any idea what was 
going on. Minoru was acting so strangely. At first, it seemed like he had come to 
pay a surprise social visit, but now his usual relaxed attitude was gone, 
replaced by a tense and worried expression. It was obvious that whatever he had 
to tell them must be serious. 
	
	Once everybody was settled around the low table in the middle of the main 
living area, sitting on the assorted pillows that served as chairs, Rei looked at 
her godfather. Minoru seemed to be avoiding her gaze, staring at the table 
instead. Disappointed and faintly irritated with this behavior from a man who was 
usually so honest, Rei looked down at her folded hands, just as she had been 
taught, wondering what was going on. 
	
	“What is it you needed to tell us, Uchizawa-san?” Saburo asked, breaking 
the silence that had fallen over the room. “Has Hino-sama fallen ill?” 

	“No, nothing like that,” Minoru assured them, nodding in Rei’s direction. 
“My news concerns Rei-chan.” 

	“Me?” Rei looked up from the inspection at hearing her name, surprised. 
For a brief moment, she entertained the thought her father had finally decided to 
allow her to move back into the manor, a hope she had thought had died long ago, 
but the stern look on her godfather’s face told her this was not happy news. 
“What about me?” she demanded.
 
	“I understand you got into some trouble this morning at school, 
Rei-chan.” 
	
	“Oh.” Embarrassed, she bowed her head, trying to hide the faint blush 
painted across her cheeks. The school must have informed her father about what 
had happened. “Hai, Uchizawa-san, I did.” 
	
	Reaching across the table, Saburo placed a comforting hand over her own. 
“Rei-chan was simply standing up for me,” he explained. “I’m sure you are aware 
of the… happenings around here lately. It’s been very tough for the both of us, 
but especially for Rei-chan. While I don’t approve of the way she handled things 
with Tanaka-san, I do understand why she did what she did. I assure you, 
Uchizawa-san, I have punished her properly, and now I hope we can put the whole 
incident behind us.” 
	
	“I only wish it could be that easy, Kondo-sama,” Minoru said regretfully, 
taking a deep breath. “That’s why I’m here. This is far from over; in fact, it 
maybe be only just beginning.” 
	
	Hearing that, Rei and Saburo glanced at each other. The fear in Rei's 
heart gripped at her throat, closing it up, leaving her body cold. Saburo could 
see Rei's pallor, so he decided to speak for her. 
	
	“I’m afraid I don’t understand. The school said Rei-chan would not face 
further punishment unless she became a repeat offender.”
 
	“That is the Academy’s position on the matter. Unfortunately, Rei-chan 
could still be facing criminal assault charges.” 
	
	Her grandfather‘s face went white at the news, and Rei felt a little 
light-headed herself. This couldn’t be happening. It was only a slap. It wasn’t 
as if she had punched Sayo in her snotty, turned up nose or gave her a black eye. 
By the time class ended, the welt on her cheek had completely disappeared, and 
Sayo seemed to have forgotten what had happened, laughing and gossiping with her 
clique as if she didn’t have a care in the world. Nobody was seriously hurt, so 
why bring in the police? 

	Frowning, Rei couldn't help the cynical thought that if Sayo had slapped 
her, there wouldn't have been half as much fuss. She looked at Minoru, still not 
quite sure what was going on. “Assault charges? As in, I might go to jail?” 

	“I doubt it would come to that, since you are a juvenile and this is your 
first offense with no prior history of violence. However, there is the 
possibility of heavy fines and/or probation.” 
	
	“But why?” Rei asked.
 
	“Do you know Tanaka Yoshiyuki-san?” 
	
	“I know of him, and I remember meeting him once when I was younger. He’s 
Sayo-san’s grandfather, as well as an old political rival of otou-sama’s. What 
about him?” 
	
	“Well, Tanaka-san came by your father’s office this afternoon. He insists 
you apologize to his granddaughter or else he will press charges against you and 
cause a scandal for Keitaro.” 
	
	“What?!” Rei exclaimed, jumping up from her seat. “There is no way I am 
ever going to apologize to that girl! I refuse to do it! Not after what she said 
about ojii-san. She doesn’t deserve my apology.” 

	Her face was flushed with anger and her hands were clenched. Rei couldn't 
believe Sayo's nerve. At that moment, she didn't care if she was put on probation 
or had to pay a fine. She refused to let Sayo win as she had won all through 
middle school. 

	“Rei-chan, please calm down,” Saburo ordered, gently tugging at the 
bottom her robes. “Losing your temper will not do anything to solve this 
problem.” 

	Taking the hint, Rei settled back down on her pillow, but she couldn’t 
mask her anger. Why did he always have to be so calm about everything? She knew 
her grandfather had to be just as upset about Tanaka’s threat as she was, so why 
didn’t he show it? After all, this was Minoru, an old and trusted friend. But 
then she felt ashamed of her outburst; she should try to be more like her 
grandfather, dignified and calm.

	“I won’t do it, ojii-san,” she said in a firm, but quiet, voice. “I am 
not at all sorry for what I did to that witch. The only thing I’m sorry about is 
disappointing you.”

	“But, Rei-chan, Tanaka-san has the power to cause a lot of problems for 
you and your father,” Minoru said, his green eyes sympathetic as he reached 
across the table for her clenched hand. “I know you don’t want to do it, but 
apologizing to the girl is your best option. Nobody wants to see you hurt by 
this.”

	Saburo nodded in agreement. “Uchizawa-san speaks the truth, little one. 
You did slap the girl, and while I know you had good reason, it is only proper to 
extend an apology.”

	Aghast, Rei stared at her grandfather as if he had completely lost his 
mind. She could understand why Minoru would want her to apologize, since her 
father’s career was also threatened by Tanaka, but Saburo was as much hurt by 
Sayo’s hateful words as she was. How could he sit there, knowing full well the 
reason why she had slapped Sayo, and tell her *she* was the one who needed to 
apologize? 

	“I can’t believe you,” she whispered harshly. “How could you suggest such 
a thing, knowing what she said about you? If anything, she should be the one 
apologizing, not me.”

	“Rei-chan, sometimes in these kinds of situations you need to be the 
bigger person,” Saburo said. “It may be humiliating and seem unfair at the time, 
but by not apologizing, you are no better than she is. Who knows? Perhaps she 
will be so touched by your gesture, Tanaka-san will find it in her heart to offer 
her own apology.”

	Rei scoffed. “I doubt it, ojii-san. That girl has no heart.”

	“Rei-chan!”

	The miko sighed, knowing she was being unnecessarily mean. It wasn’t like 
her to be so spiteful, but Tanaka Sayo seemed to bring out the worst in her. As 
it was, it was a miracle she had been able to hold her feelings in as long as she 
had. Her intense dislike of the catty snob had been steadily increasing ever 
since the day she heard Sayo call her a freak in the cafeteria, and it was only a 
matter a time before she exploded. There was only so much one person could take. 
In Rei’s eyes, she had gotten off easy compared through the torture Sayo had put 
her through on a daily basis, and her words, if anything, were too kind. 

	“Gomen nasai,” she apologized for the rude comment, “but it’s true. Pigs 
will fly and cats will talk before Tanaka Sayo-san ever apologizes.”

	“That may be true, but that doesn’t mean you can’t,” Saburo said. 
“Please, Rei-chan, just apologize. If not for yourself, then do it for me. I 
can‘t bear the thought of you being brought to court over something so foolish.”

	“But--”

	She looked alternately at both her grandfather and her godfather, 
searching for any way out of having to give the apology, but their faces showed 
the men were both in complete agreement over what course of action she should 
take. Defeated, she lowered her head.

	“Fine, I’ll apologize,” Rei declared softly, “but I’m not going to like 
it.” 



To be continued in Part II...


AUTHOR'S NOTES: Again, I apologize for the long period between updates. It looks
like I haven't been able to control the length of my chapters after all. Oh, 
well, hopefully you like the long chapters, and if you're wondering, Part II will
be posted most likely sometime next week.

Credits:
- Some of the dialogue was taken from Alex Glover's and Mixx's translations of 
the manga.
- The actual Nintendo headquarters is in Kyoto, not Tokyo, but I took a little
creative license. ^_^
- Thanks to I Abibde/Samuraiter for helping me with my video game research.
- Special thanks to my editors, Krysia and Starsea.


DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon is the property of Takeuchi Naoko.