"So, Zwei-ite turned traitor and you killed him for the 
good of the cause?" Beryl asked Ego.

	Ego nodded.  "Yes!"

	"But you failed to recover any of the rings, the Tennis 
Warriors have all of them now, the power of Princess 
Serenity has been awakened, and now I’m short another 
general.  And you have no actual proof he betrayed us."  
Beryl’s voice was colder than usual, her gaze harsh.

	"Well, umm, err..."

	Beryl said, "I tire of your incompetence.  I will give 
you one more chance to eliminate the Tennis Warriors, and 
if you fail, I will send you to the Brady Bunch room 
forever."

	Ego paled.  "But...but..."

	"Ooooh, Marsha is cute!" Horny said.

	I should have let Pluto have them, Beryl thought.  
Time to start searching for some new generals.

*******************

Marmalade Moon, Episode 11:

"Aftermath"

http://www.maison-otaku.net/~rhea/MMoon

by John Biles

********************

	Suzu sat quietly in the chair and stared out at the 
ocean.  "Why do people have to die?" she asked softly.

	"It’s the way of the world," Guenevere said.  
"Especially in a war."  She leaned against a tree.  "He died 
protecting someone he loved.  If you have to die, there 
aren’t many better ways to go."

	"I don’t even understand why he ran off on his own," 
Suzu said.  "If we’d all gone, I’m sure he wouldn’t have 
died."

	"People get crazy when someone they love is in 
danger," Artemis said sadly, curled up at Suzu’s feet.  
"Very crazy, sometimes."

	"I just keep thinking it should have been different," 
Suzu said.

	"I wish it had been, but wishing can’t make it so," 
Guenevere replied.  

	"I know," Suzu said.  "I just can’t help myself."

	They sat and stared at the ocean in silence after that, 
until everyone woke up and they didn’t have to stand watch 
any longer.

**************

	Miki’s shirt was damp when she woke up; she guessed 
Meiko must have cried on her during the night.  Meiko 
wasn’t crying now, but her face looked miserable as she 
slept.  Miki just lay there, not wanting to disturb her.  

	Meiko stirred, then asked very softly, "Miki?"

	"Yes, Meiko?" Miki replied.

	"Tell me it was just a bad dream."

	"It wasn’t," Miki said softly.  "I’m sorry."

	"I just don’t understand," Meiko said.  "What was he 
doing?  Did he really love me?  What was he thinking?"

	"I think he really loved you," Miki replied.  "Beryl 
must have done something to him, and he broke free too 
late to save himself."  She sighed.  "So how long had you 
two been seeing each other?  And why didn’t you ever tell 
me?"

	"Since last year.  We had to hide it because he was a 
teacher."  She began to cry softly.  "I’m not good at being 
as open and honest as you are, Miki."

	"We’re going to have to figure out what to tell 
everyone," Miki said.  "At school, and everything.  And my 
parents."  She shuddered.  "I can’t lie to them about this, 
but if they find out..."

	"We tell the truth," Meiko said.  "Monsters killed him.  
Dirty, stinking, filthy monsters who are going to die very 
slowly and painfully."  Her voice was a melding of pain 
and rage.  "They killed him.  And I will make them PAY."

	Miki winced.  "Meiko, vengeance isn’t good for you."

	"I don’t care what’s good for me.  I just want to make 
them suffer like I’ve suffered," Meiko snapped back, then 
sighed.  "I’m sorry, Miki.  I know what you mean, I just..."  
She began to cry again.  "I loved him, Miki, with all my 
heart, and now he’s gone, and he was lying to me before he 
was gone and..."

	The tears came, and Miki held her until they left again.  
"I’m here for you, Meiko," she said softly.  "You’re my 
best friend.  You’ve always been strong for me and given 
me good advice and tried to help me.  I’ll always be here 
for you."

	"Thank you, Miki," Meiko replied.  She wiped her 
eyes.  "I think I’m ready for breakfast."

	"Let’s go get some food, then."  
  
**************

	"We had best call the police," Ryoko said at breakfast.  
"Even though we don’t have a body.  The damage to the 
house is evidence at least."

	"That’s going to raise all sorts of questions about what 
we were doing out here," Yuu pointed out.

	"Meiko invited us all out for a weekend at her family’s 
place.  Namura-kun and I were here as chaperones for the 
rest of you," Ryoko said.  "The Dark Kingdom seems to 
already know who we are, and there’s no evidence of us 
being the Tennis Warriors."

	Nanami sighed.  "My parents are going to crucify me.  
I not only snuck out of the house, but then ending up at 
this."

	Yuu frowned.  "What are we going to tell our parents?  
Has anyone told them the truth about this?"

	Miki said, "I think we’re going to have to tell.  At 
least, I know I can’t keep this from my parents any longer.  
Whatever they make of it."  She stared at her bowl of 
cereal.  

	Arimi sighed.  "Well, my parents don’t pay much 
attention to what I’m doing, so I’m not sure if they even 
remember I left this weekend."

	"Dad’s going to freak out if I tell him," Ginta said.  
"He’d never agree to this.  Me being involved in something 
like this, that is."

	"Well, after this happening, I don’t know if you’ll be 
able to hide it," Ryoko said.  "I think this is probably a 
good time for you all to come clean with your parents."

	Meiko stared out the window, and decided not to tell 
her own parents.  Not that she’d heard from them since the 
house blew up.  She couldn’t really think of them as her 
parents in any real sense any more.  

	"I think we shouldn’t tell them unless we have to," 
Guenevere said.  "If most of us end up grounded and the 
like, then we’ll have an incredibly hard time fighting the 
Dark Kingdom.  But then, my parents are in no position to 
do anything about me either way."  She frowned and turned 
back to her muffin.

	"We’ll need to tell your host family something, 
though," Ryoko said.  "And the principal..."  She sighed.  
"I’d best call him as soon as we figure out what our official 
story is."

	Miwa glanced over at Meiko, who continued to stare 
out the window.  "Monsters attacked.  They seemed to be 
after one of the family heirlooms kept here.  Namura tried 
to fight them and they annihilated him.  They took the 
heirloom and we all ran and hid, getting away because 
Namura kept them busy long enough for us to escape.  We 
end up not looking very brave, but I think it’s believable.  
Assuming the police will believe in the monsters.  The 
government still hasn’t said anything official that I know 
of."

	"Does that sound reasonable to everyone?" Miki 
asked.

	Meiko turned back and said softly, "That’s a good 
story, Miwa-kun.  I’ll find something in the house we can 
say they took.  I’ll make sure the housekeeper backs us up."

	He blinked in surprise, then nodded.  "We should 
probably call the police now, then.  And then get ready to 
go back to Tokyo."

	Ryoko nodded, then blinked.  "Hmm, we have a 
problem."

	"A problem?" Yuu asked.

	"You can’t all fit in my car, and Namura-kun was the 
only other person here who can drive."

	"..."

	"My parents are here at that resort nearby," Miki said.  
"We can get one of them to drive us home."  She sighed.  
"Yuu, will you walk over there with me?"

	Yuu nodded and rose.  "Yes, I will."

	Luna got up. "I’ll go with you too, Miki."

	"Do you want to come with us, Meiko?" Miki asked.

	"I’d better stay here in case I need to talk to the 
police," Meiko replied.

	"Alright," Miki said, getting up.  "We’ll be back in a 
little while."

**************

	Miki, Yuu, and Luna found the parents at the resort's 
tennis courts.  Jin and Chiyako were in the process of 
beating Rumi and Youji into the ground at mixed doubles, 
as the score was Love-40.  Miki stood quietly and watched, 
petting Luna, as her father served into Youji's side of the 
court.  Youji, who had paused to wave hello at Miki and 
Yuu jumped desperately to stop it, but missed, and the ball 
scored on him.  He sighed.  "This is not our day."

	Jin and Chiyako now turned to face Miki and Yuu, 
smiling brightly.  "Good morning, Yuu," Chiyako said, 
smiling.  "How..."  Then the looks on Miki and Yuu's faces 
sank in.  "What's wrong?" she asked softly.

	"You didn't hit someone in the head with a tennis ball 
by accident, did you?" Jin asked, trying weakly to lighten 
the mood with humor.

	"Na-chan is dead," Miki said very softly.

	The four parents all froze up.  "Dead?"

	She ran over to her mother and hugged her, dropping 
Luna as she ran.  "The monsters killed him," she said, 
trying to pull herself together, but falling apart instead.

	Youji frowned.  "I take it things turned ugly after you 
chased us off."

	Yuu paused.  "How long have you known about all 
this?"

	"You two aren't exactly the best people in the world at 
concealing secret identities," Youji said.

	"..."

	Jin came over and joined Rumi in hugging Miki.  
"We're just glad you're okay, Miki.  Is Meiko alright?"

	"Meiko is...is..."  Miki began to bawl incoherently.

	Yuu said, "Meiko is very shaken up, but she had to 
stay there to talk to the police, since we were at her beach 
house."

	"Can you tell us what happened?" Chiyako asked.

	"Alright, this is the whole story as I understand it," 
Yuu began.  He told them everything, finally concluding 
with, "So, we don't have a good way to get everyone 
home."

	"Well, I'm not sure if we're allowed to move Namura's 
car around with him being dead," Jin said.  "But if some of 
you come here to the resort, we can all get taxis to the train 
station, then ride the train back together.  Has anyone called 
Namura's family?"

	"Momoi-sensei was going to call Na-chan's parents, 
since she knows them," Yuu said.  "I'm surprised you're not 
mad at us for not telling you."

	"Well, someone has to stop these monster attacks," 
Youji said.  "And we're thinking we can make a mint on the 
merchandising."

	Miki stared at him.

	He sighed.  "Alright, I'll stop trying to be funny.  
Although I could set us up for a very hefty profit.  There's a 
lot of bootleg Tennis Warrior goods floating around."

	"We can think about that later," Yuu said.

	"But seriously," Chiyako said.  "We had a long 
discussion about it, and decided that if we told you to stop 
for your own safety, you'd just end up defying us, making it 
pointless.  I don't like seeing you in danger, but I don't want 
to see the monsters take over either."  She sighed.  "I wish 
you didn't have to do this, but..."

	Rumi kissed her daughter's forehead.  "We're very 
proud of you, Miki.  And you too, Yuu.  What you're doing 
is very dangerous.  But...it seems to be necessary."  She 
sighed.  "I don't like it at all, but I don't think we have much 
of a choice."  She paused.  "And I'm a little jealous.  I 
watched a lot of magical girl shows when I was little, but I 
never got to meet any talking cats."

	"Well, now you've met one," Luna said.

	"Hmm, we could get you to do endorsements and wear 
patches for the various companies," Youji mumbled to 
himself.

	"Dear, don't make me hurt you," Chiyako said.

	"Oooh, and Suzu's already a model!" he said.

	Yuu tried to pretend his father was imaginary.  "Well, 
we'd better go see how the others are doing and figure out 
who will ride back and who will be coming back here to 
take the train."

	Miki let go of her parents reluctantly.  "We'll be back 
soon."

	"Alright.  Once we finish clobbering Youji and Rumi, 
we'll be up in our rooms," Jin said to Miki.

	"Alright."  She hugged her parents again, then left.

	Once the kids were gone, Chiyako turned to Youji.  
"This really wasn't a good time to bring that all up."

	He sighed.  "I don't like thinking about death, and 
so..."  He shook his head.  "Yuu's mad at me."

	Rumi said softly, "Next time, it could be one of them 
who gets hurt or who...who dies."

	Jin winced, nervously twirling his racket.  "I know.  
But they won't stop even if we order them to."

	"I wouldn't," Rumi said, sighing.  "In their position.  I 
just wish we could help them."

	"I still think we ought to get them to go the 
government," Chiyako said.  

	"They'd end up being experimented on," Jin said 
firmly.

	"I think you've watched too much X-files," Chiyako 
said.

	"Given how little the government has done about the 
monster attacks, I fear they're either up to something, or 
wouldn't be much use," Rumi said. 

	"I can't believe she's taken over the government or 
surely she'd use its resources to track our children," 
Chiyako said.

	"I suspect she probably doesn't understand the 
capacities of the government well enough to use them.  
She's not from an industrial modern society.  She's used to 
doing things personally and 'by hand'.  So to speak," Youji 
said.

	"I suppose," Chiyako said.  "But I think the 
government's resources would be a lot of help for this."

	"Well, if the government starts doing something about 
it, then we can tell them they ought to see about helping 
with that," Jin said.  "But not yet."

	Chiyako sighed and gave in.  "Another game?"

	"Yes," Rumi said.  "I can use a distraction."

********************

	Ego paced back and forth.  There had to be some sort 
of coup she could pull off in order to save her ass from 
Beryl.  She glanced over at Horny, who, to her surprise, 
was busy scribbling on paper rather than doing something 
stupid.  "What are you doing?"

	"I'm trying to remember everything I've read about the 
demon-gods."

	"Of our homeworld?"

	"Yes.  I bet if we had one of those, we could beat the 
Tennis Warriors."

	Ego blinked.  "Hmm, it may be hard getting back, but 
yes, I believe that would be very good.  Unfortunately, I 
don't think anyone knows where any are."

	"Back in the old days, I had read about some of them, 
but I never followed up on it, because I didn't WANT to 
find any of them," Horny said, her voice trembling a little.  
"There are, however, certain ancient ruins which might 
contain one.  I'm trying to think of anything I can which 
might narrow down where to look."

	"But how do we control it?" Ego asked.  "We would 
need the key."

	"Let us hope the keys were kept near them," Horny 
said.  "We may also need to see if Beryl has any machine-
controlling youma.  Once she understands how potent they 
are, I'm sure she'll provide us the resources we need."

	"I have a feeling she has tired of us and wants us to 
fail so she can kill us without guilt, but we'll never know if 
we don't ask, I suppose," Ego said.  She frowned.  
"Damnable Zwei-ite."

	"Well, his plan wasn't half-bad," Horny said.  "But he 
didn't cover his tracks well enough.  Let's not end up like 
him, okay?"

	"That's fine with me."  Ego turned.  "I'll go to the 
library, and see if we're lucky and she has any books on El 
Hazard.  I suppose she must have had some if she knew to 
come looking for us."

	Horny nodded.  "Good luck."

	"We're going to need it."

*****************
	
	"I don't see why it's a problem," Urd said to Tennis 
Warrior Pluto.  

	Tennis Warrior Pluto sighed.  "Because there's a time 
paradox.  The events which created me can't happen."

	"Casuality only flows one way.  By travelling into the 
past, you cut yourself adrift from your own origins.  You 
became a causeless event.  You have no prime mover," Urd 
said.  "So it doesn't matter what happens to Ifurita the 
Demon-God, for Ifurita the Tennis Warrior is not 
dependent on her having ever been created."  Urd paused.  
"I can make a diagram if it helps."

	"If casuality can't flow backwards, how did you 
change the past when you granted Miki's wish?" Tennis 
Warrior Pluto asked, confused.

	"As goddess of the past, I can cheat.  The wishes of 
the Goddess Relief Office are not limited in the ways which 
the normal functioning of the universe are.  Beryl cannot 
wipe you out by changing the present, though if she found a 
way to travel to the past, she COULD change that, and thus 
change its future, our present.  But, barring wishes and 
deliberate time travel, casuality only flows one way."  Urd 
took a swig of sake.  "Would you like some?"

	"I am too powerful to risk drinking," Tennis Warrior 
Pluto said.

	"This is why Serenity had to insure a guardian of your 
power for the Time Tunnel.  For it was a great menace to 
the integrity of the time line."

	She nods.  "Well, that's a relief."

	"Which means you had best get back to guarding it, 
before Beryl finds a way into it."

	"So why aren't the goddesses doing anything about 
Beryl?"  Tennis Warrior Pluto asked sharply.

	"Our job is to fight Hell's forces.  What mortals do to 
each other is not something we meddle in, except to stop 
Hell's meddling."  Urd frowned.  "I do not wish to see 
Beryl triumph, but there are rules we must live by.  Even if 
I am a bit of a rule breaker.  Beryl existed before I granted 
Miki's wish; I simply changed whose duty it was to stop 
her."  She took another swig of sake.  "Sure you don't want 
some?"

	Tennis Warrior Pluto frowned.  "That seems a weak 
excuse to me."

	"You fight your battles, and I will fight mine," Urd 
said, a little sharply.  "I don't like sitting back on such 
things, but we don't exist to make humanity unable to take 
care of itself by solving all their problems for them.  
Heaven gave some of its power to various groups of 
mortals so that they could use it to defend humanity.  That 
is, for now, all we are allowed to do."

	Tennis Warrior Pluto frowned, but saw she wasn't 
getting anywhere.  "And what will you do if Beryl's forces 
strike at this mortal you live with?"

	"That is another question entirely.  He is under 
Heaven's protection, for he has a great role to play one day.  
I do not think Beryl is foolish enough to strike at Heaven's 
forces, for if she attacks us, the gloves are off."

	"I see," Tennis Warrior Pluto said.

	"Now, now, let's talk about something else.  Like your 
love life.  As, now that I think about it, your love destiny 
has gotten screwed up a little by the wish I granted."

	"Given my lover is now falling in love with someone 
else, you could say that," Pluto said softly.

	She rubbed her hands.  "Now, meddling in love 
affairs, THAT I can do."

	Pluto asked herself if she really wanted Urd's help on 
this.  Well, it can't get any worse, she thought.  "So what 
are you thinking?"

	Urd grinned.  "I have a clever plan."

****************

	Meiko sat and watched the tides move, while she 
waited for Miki and Yuu to come back or the police to 
come back.  A shadow fell over her.  "Please go away," she 
said, knowing who it was.

	"I can't," Miwa said softly.  "I just wanted you to 
know that I will miss him too.  We all will.  Just don't close 
in on yourself, okay?  There's people here who care about 
you."

	"I know," Meiko said softly.  "But I'm not used to 
having people care about me."

	He stood silently for a minute, and watched the waves 
come in and out.  "Miki cares for you very much, you 
know."

	"I know," she said softly.  "Even though I didn't tell 
her about everything.  She's so...I can't understand how she 
can open her heart so easily."

	"She was very fortunate in her parents.  They appear 
to be airheaded, but from what I have heard of them, they 
are very kind and loving.  Most of us are not so fortunate as 
to have parents so good."

	"I take it you don't get along well with your parents," 
Meiko said softly.

	"Father is a very busy man, and I don't get to see 
Mother much since the divorce," Miwa said.  "They aren't 
horrible parents, but they never had a lot of time for us."

	"I would have been happier if mine had just not had 
time for me," Meiko said softly.  "I am jealous that Miki 
has four nice parents like she does."

	"So am I, sometimes," Miwa said softly.  "And 
sometimes I wonder if she'll be like them one day."

	Meiko said, "Miki is too responsible for that."

	"I suppose.  Hmmm..."

	"What?"

	"Thinking things which would make you hit me, so I 
will stop," he said.  "Feel better?"

	"A little," she said reluctantly.

	"Do you mind if I ride back with you?" he asked 
softly.

	"I...no, no I don't," she said.  "Just don't do anything 
stupid."

	"I won't," he said.  "You are in mourning, and I will 
not trespass.  I'm not giving up on you, but I am not that 
rude."

	"Thank you," she said.  

	The waves came in and out for a while.

	"We have to hit them," Meiko said.  "And I need to 
figure out how to use this ring against them."  She stared at 
the white gold band.  "So plain and simple, but so 
powerful."

	"If you know how to use it," he said.

	"Which I don't really.  Hopefully, Luna or Artemis 
knows, or the memories will come back to me.  And then 
I'll destroy them."  There was a hint of steel in her voice.  
"Enough of waiting for them to attack.  We're going to have 
to train intensively, then take the war to THEM.  They'll 
pay for what they've done."

	Miwa nodded.  "Yes, they'll pay.  But we can't rush 
into it too quickly, or they'll crush us."

	"We also need to find the rest of the Tennis Warriors," 
Meiko said.  "That's going to need to be a high priority.  
And if we can't find them, we may have to figure out how I 
can grant the powers to other people, in order to empower 
them as Tennis Warriors."

	"Like Setsuna."

	She nodded.  "She's already got a lot of Tennis skill.  
And a good heart."

	"And a mild obsession with Ginta."

	"Pot, meet kettle," she said, frowning less as she 
couldn't manage an actual smile.

	"Touche," he said, ruefully.

	There was a sound of cars pulling up to the house.

	Meiko rose.  "Must be the police."

	"Let's go, then."

*************

	Lt. Kobayashi finished writing out his report.  He had 
the feeling they were hiding something, but he couldn't 
believe they'd killed the man and made up this story about 
monsters, either.  He'd heard rumors of monster attacks in 
Tokyo, but assumed it was all part of some publicity stunt.  
Now he wasn't quite so sure.

	He was curious to know what the coroner would make 
of the dead man; his injuries didn't match anything Lt. 
Kobayashi had seen before.  Surely they couldn't really be 
energy blasts from monsters.

	What exactly had two teachers and a bunch of students 
been doing out here anyway?  It had all the hallmarks of 
some sort of wild teacher-student orgy to him.  Going to 
have to look into these teachers, he thought.  Or at least get 
the police in Tokyo to look into them.

	He shook his head.  What a mess.
	
**************

	"He died?" Makoto's father, Mizuhara Taiki, asked in 
disbelief.

	Makoto sighed.  "Yes, he did."

	Taiki frowned, stroking his short beard thoughtfully.  
"No more trips out of town for you for a while."

	"I don't think I'll be wanting to go anywhere for a 
while."  He sighed.  "I never expected anyone to die."

	"Well, of course not.  No one dies on chaperoned 
school trips, normally," Taiki said.  "So how much trouble  
is Nanami-chan going to be in?"

	"Probably boatloads," Makoto replied, sighing.  "Her 
parents will probably eat her alive..."

**************

	Nanami tried to decide whether to climb in the 
window and hope they hadn't noticed she was gone, or just 
walk in the front door and take her beating.  She decided to 
go to the door, as it was possible the police had called.

	Her mother was seated on the couch in the living 
room, reading a news magazine.  She looked up and said, 
"Ahh, decided to come home finally?"

	Nanami winced.  "Yes.  I snuck out of the house."

	"What has gotten into you?" her mother demanded.  
"These last few months, you don't do your chores, you 
sneak out in the middle of the night...I always thought the 
Mizuhara boy was a good influence on you, but now you 
two just get in trouble all the time."

	Nanami said, "Better a little trouble then threatening to 
destroy humanity."

	Her mother paled slightly.  "Nanami..."

	"You always egged on Katsuhito and encouraged his 
stupidity, while I had to go scrimp and save and scrounge 
up money just to make sure I could afford to have a can of 
soda with my friends, let alone anything else!  And how did 
he repay you?  He kept harrassing my boyfriend, he rigged 
student council elections, and then he signed up with an 
evil monster queen to destroy humanity!"  Nanami tried to 
pull herself together.  "While I, the daughter you IGNORE 
except when you want to yell at me, have been trying to 
ensure this city doesn't get WIPED OUT."

	"As long as you live in this house, you will obey us!" 
her mother sniped back.  "Do you know how much it costs 
to keep you fed and clothed and get you an education?  
That's money I will NEVER get back.  We both work sixty 
hours a week to keep you fed and clothed and housed.  The 
least you can do is some chores around the house and not 
sneaking out when you're grounded!"

	"Well, excuse me for trying to defend humanity!"

	"What are you TALKING about?" Nanami's mother 
snapped back at her.  Her skin was flushing to match her 
short red hair.

	 "I'm Tennis Warrior Mercury!  I'm helping to FIGHT 
these monsters!"  She transformed to give proof.

	Nanami's mother stared, then stared some more, and 
then little yen signs lit up in her eyes.  "Oooooh."

	Uh oh, Tennis Warrior Mercury thought.

	"We're going to be RICH!" her mother shouted.

	"Rich?"

	"Merchandising is the key!"  She sprung to her feet.  
"Honey, we're going to need to write up some contracts!" 
she shouted upstairs to her husband in his office.  "The 
gravy train just arrived!"

	This is not quite how I expected this to go, Nanami 
thought.  But I should have.

*****************

	"Your coach DIED?" Ginta's mother, Shinobu, asked 
in disbelief.

	Ginta stared at the table.  "It's hard to believe myself," 
he said softly.  "The monsters got him."

	His mother took a swig of coffee and stared at her 
glass.  "What's happening to us?  Where are these monsters 
coming from?  Why isn't the government doing anything?"

	"I suppose we must have polluted our planet too much 
or something," Ginta mumbled, hating to lie to his mother, 
but not ready to tell her everything, yet.  If she found out 
right after hearing about Namura's death, she'd ground him 
for life.

	"Well, something has to be done about it, dammit!"  
She smacked the table, causing her coffee cup to jump and 
fall over.  Sighing, she got up and got a paper towel to 
clean her mess.  "Not that I have any idea what."

	"Well, hopefully, the Tennis Warriors will continue 
defending us," Ginta said.

	"I don't want to put my trust in a bunch of teenagers in 
short skirts.  They're probably the sort of girls who steal 
other girls' boyfriends," Shinobu said angrily.  "They look 
rather skanky to me."

	Ginta tried to restrain himself from shouting angrily at 
his mother, finally saying, "I'd be dead without them."

	His mother gave a great sigh.  "They didn't save your 
teacher."

	"They did their best.  But no one can win all the time."

	"Just promise me you'll stay away from any fights 
with monsters," his mother said.  "You're my only son."

	"I'll do my best not to get killed by monsters," he 
replied.

	"Let me know when the funeral is.  I'll do my best to 
make sure the school lets you go," his mother said softly.

	"Thanks, Mom.  I'd appreciate that.  Namura-sensei 
was a really good teacher, and a very good coach too.  I'm 
going to miss him a lot."

	"Well, you'd better go finish your homework."

	Ginta rose.  "If I can focus."

	"I can come help you if you want," Shinobu said.

	"Yes, please.  I really don't want to be alone."

***************

	Ryoko hesitated at the door.  What could she say to 
Namura's parents?  The truth?  They deserved to know the 
truth, but at the same time...would it help them or just hurt 
them more?  

	She decided she wouldn't quite tell them everything, 
not the parts where she wasn't entirely sure of what he had 
been doing.  And best not to tell them about him and 
Meiko, either.  But they would know he died heroically, 
defending one of his students.  

	She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

**************

	"Cute people shouldn't have to die like that," Suzu 
said, sitting on her back porch and staring off across the 
grounds of her family's estate.

	"Cuteness does nothing to stop death," Miwa said 
softly.

	Artemis nodded; he was curled up by Suzu's feet.  
"Death comes to the just and unjust alike."

	"And those two who killed him aren't cute AT ALL," 
Suzu said.  "They should have lost."

	"Cuteness is useful for getting a boyfriend or 
girlfriend, but doesn't count for much else," Miwa said, 
feeling a little irritated.  

	"Cuteness is very important!" Suzu insisted.  "The 
cute person always triumphs over the ugly guy!"

	"In the movies," Artemis said.

	"And?"

	"That's the sort of stupid thinking that got Namura-
sensei killed," Miwa snapped.  

	Suzu sighed.  "I'm just trying to understand why this 
had to happen."

	"It didn't HAVE to happen," Miwa said.  "It happened 
because people made bad choices."

	"He...he was really on our side, wasn't he?" Suzu 
asked softly.  "I mean, he didn't seem like someone who 
would betray us."

	"Traitors usually don't have a badge on their 
forehead," Artemis said.  "Or they'd get caught before they 
could do their treason."

	"I just...Why?  Why would he want to help Beryl?"

	"Power is a very tempting thing," Miwa said.  "And I 
think he wanted to escape destiny as well.  He loved 
Meiko, and once his memories awakened, he must have 
known she loved another in the past, and might stop loving 
him once her memories returned.  And maybe Beryl may 
have influenced his mind.  I hope so.  I do not want to have 
to believe someone could seem so nice, and yet serve evil."

	"Me neither," Suzu said softly.

	"Unfortunately, it happens," Miwa said.  "Evil would 
not be so seductive if it was ugly."  He sighed.  "I'm sorry 
you have to go through something like this at your age, 
Suzu."

	"Me too," she said, sighing, and picking up Artemis.  
"You'll always be by my side, won't you, Artemis?"

	"To the bitter end," Artemis said.  "I will not abandon 
you."

	She smiled as best she could.  "Well, Beryl hasn't won 
yet."

	"And she won't," Miwa said firmly.  "We will stop 
her."

***************

	Arimi knocked on the door of her father's home office.  
"Father, are you in?"

	"Come in," he shouted.

	He put aside the brief he was reading.  "The work 
never stops," he said ruefully.  "How are you, honey?"

	"I just got back from my trip," she said.

	"You took a trip?" he asked in surprise.

	"You gave me permission to go," she said, ever so 
slightly frustrated.

	"Oh, that trip.  I've been snowed under with these new 
cases, and I had to fly out to Sapporo to consult with a 
client.  I just got back myself," he said.  "Was it fun?"

	"There was a monster attack," Arimi said softly.  
"Namura-sensei died."

	"Okay, now you're making fun of me because I forgot 
you were gone."  He checked his watch.  "Dammit, your 
mother's plane is about to arrive!  Come with me, we can 
talk in the car."

	"Mother's plane?"

	"Her art show in Kyoto.  The one she's been raving 
about for months?" her father said.

	"Oh, right, yes," Arimi said.  "I thought that was in 
two weeks."

	"That's the one here in Tokyo," he replied.  "That your 
aunt's pieces will be appearing in."  He hustled his way 
down the hallway.  "Anyway, so what really happened?"

	"There was a monster attack."

	"Arimi, it's only funny the first time."

	Arimi gave up.  She'd answer their questions when it 
was in the news, but she wasn't in the mood to argue with 
her father about the truth of her experiences.

******************	

Yuu followed his nose to the kitchen, where she saw 
Chiyako and Rumi collaborating on a cake.  "What's this 
for?" she asked.

	Very softly, Chiyako said, "We're hoping if we make a 
cake, it'll cheer Meiko up a little."

	"She's up in her room, crying," Yuu replied softly.  
"Miki's with her; I thought I ought to get out of the way."

	"It's only natural," Chiyako said, sighing.  "We all 
have to be extra nice to her."

	"I'll do my best," Yuu said.  "No teasing for now.  
She's not as much fun to tease as Miki, anyway."

	"Well, this should help," Chiyako said.  "At least a 
little."

	"As long as you don't let Rumi-san do any of the 
cooking, or it might poison her," Yuu said.

	"Hah!  Just for that, YOU get to wash all the dishes," 
Rumi told him.

	"Alright," he said, going to work.

	"Are you okay?" Chiyako asked Yuu.  "I know you 
didn't know him as long as Miki and Meiko did, but..."

	"He was a good man," Yuu said softly.  "I didn't know 
him all that well, but I'll miss him."

	Rumi said, "Hmm, Miki likes lemon icing.  Does 
Meiko?"

	"Everyone likes lemon icing," Chiyako said.  "Alright, 
now to mix up some icing..."

**************	

	Few things are worse than getting a college degree, 
moving away from home, then losing your job and having 
to move back home.  Today, Amawa Hibiki was passing 
the time by reading a biography of Tokugawa and taking 
notes; he was a teacher, or wanted to be if he could get 
another job, and it would help if he could teach more than 
just athletics. 

	His mother came to the door.  "Hibiki-chan, it's for 
you," she said.

	Please let it be one of the local schools, he thought.

	"Amawa Hibiki?" the man on the other end of the line 
asked.

	"Yes," he said.  "Can I help you?"

	"We need a substitute coach for the remainder of the 
semester, and we will consider you for the full-time 
replacement position when the time comes if you do well.  
While I see you don't have much experience, we need 
someone who can start now."

	"Yes, I'll take it!  What am I going to be coaching?" he 
asked.

	"Tennis.  The men's tennis team needs a coach."

	"I'll take it.  When do I start?"

	"Tomorrow.  If you could come by the school today, 
I'll see about getting you up to speed."

	"Thank you, sir," he said.  "You won't regret this."

	"I hope not.  Can you come by now?"

	"Yes.  I'm on my way."

	"See you soon, then."

	He turned off the portable and put it back on its stand, 
then leaped in the air.  "YES!"

	"Good news?" his mother asked.

	"They need a substitute for the rest of the semester, 
and they may hire me if I do well!"

	"Good," she said.  "I hope it goes well."

	"Me too."  He turned to go.  "See you later, Mother."

	"See you, Son," she said. "Make us proud."

	"I will!"

**************

	"I can't go," Meiko said the next morning.  "Not yet," 
she said.  "Please don't make me go."

	"You don't have to go," Rumi said.  "Miki, you'll stay 
here with her, won't you?"

	"I'll stay," Miki said.  "And we'll have Luna with us 
too."

	"Yuu, you get to go to school and take a note to the 
principal explaining why they didn't come," Jin said.

	"Can't I cut too?" Yuu asked.

	"You can cut tomorrow," Jin said.  "But take this note 
first."

	"Right," he said, then headed out the door.

	Rumi asked Meiko, "Would you like us to stay too?  I 
know I always like company when I'm sad."

	"No, I'll be fine with Miki," Meiko said.  "But thank 
you for offering, Rumi-san."

	"Feel free to eat as much of the cake as you want," 
Rumi said.

	"I promise Rumi didn't make any important parts of 
it," Chiyako said.

	Meiko gave a brief laugh, before her gloom resumed.  
"Alright, I'll try some more.  Thank you for making it for 
me."

	"You're welcome," Chiyako replied, then reached over 
and took Meiko's hand and squeezed it.  "I know it seems 
horrible right now, but you won't feel this pain forever."

	"I don't...I don't want to lose this pain, because it's all I 
have left of him," Meiko said softly.

	"You have the memories of good times, don't you?" 
Chiyako asked.

	Meiko nodded.

	"Then you have that too.  I'm sure he doesn't want you 
to hold onto the pain forever."  She sighed.  "But do what 
works for you."  She turned to Miki.  "Take good care of 
her, won't you?"

	"I will," Miki said firmly.  "I will."

******************

	"Everyone, we have a new student today," Go-sensei 
said to his students.  Said new student was a tall woman 
with long white hair, who looked old enough to be in 
college instead of high school.  Pale-skinned and quite 
attractive, she drew the stares of the male students like 
sharks smelling blood.  "Her name is..."  He consulted a 
sheet of paper carefully.  "Eiffel Rita.  She's an exchange 
student from France."  He looked over at her.  "Related to 
the creators of the tower?"

	"Yes," she said.  She had the sort of carefully blank 
look Go-sensei knew was usually a mask for abject terror.  
"It is a pleasure to meet you, and I hope to get to know you 
all better," she said, her voice unnaturally calm.

	"Since you're the class president, Makoto, I hope 
you'll help Rita-san settle in here and learn the ropes," Go-
Sensei said to Makoto.

	"Sure, I'll be happy to," Makoto said, trying not to 
stare too much at her with Nanami watching.

	She smiled broadly at Makoto.  "Thank you, 
Mizuhara-san.  I hope I won't be too much of a burden on 
you."

	"Oh, no burden at all," Makoto said.

	Trouble, Nanami thought.  She's after him.  I can smell 
it.

	"Alright then.  Let's get down to work, everyone..."

*************
	
	At Torio, the students looked around nervously as an 
unfamiliar man walked into the classroom.  Tall and thin 
with long dark hair tied back in a pony-tail, he was 
definitely not Namura-sensei.  Some had heard rumors, 
others were clueless.  The man looked rather nervous, 
whoever he was.

	He set his briefcase down on the desk, then said, 
"Hello, I'm Amawa Hibiki, your substitute teacher for the 
remainder of the semester."

	Everyone stared, and then a million questions 
exploded at once.  

	"Everyone, please calm down," he said.  "The 
Principal will be here in a few minutes to explain 
everything."

	The Principal soon arrived.  "Hello, everyone.  I have 
bad news for all of you.  Your teacher is dead."

	Eyes widened all over the room, and a chilly silence 
fell over everyone.  

	"The exact circumstances remain somewhat confused, 
but there was an attack on some students and teachers over 
the weekend, and while the others escaped, Namura 
perished.  Amawa-san will be your teacher for the rest of 
the semester.  Please give him your respect."  The 
Principal's voice was grave.  

	Some nodded respectfully, while others just sat in 
mild shock, or wondered why the Principal was evading 
saying what exactly had killed Namura-sensei.

	The Principal finished by saying, "I do not know when 
the funeral will be, but I will see about making the 
information known once I do.  Good day, everyone."  And 
then he left.

	"I know this is a shock for everyone," Hibiki said.  "I 
know with news like that, you won't want to do 
schoolwork.  Unfortunately, we can't afford to fall very far 
behind.  So..."  He took a deep breath.  "Let's open our 
books, and turn to page 322."

****************	

	Meiko spun the spinner and moved her little car five 
spaces on the board.  "Your house explodes in a huge 
sphere of white light.  Lose one child, but gain 100,000 in 
money from the TV rights."  She frowned.  "This is a very 
strange edition of Life."

	Miki frowned.  I should have picked something more 
cheerful.  "How about Scrabble?"

	"No, no, let's finish this, then we can play Scrabble," 
Meiko said.  "I should...I should be working on how to 
defeat Beryl, but I just can't focus."  She sighed. 

	"We should go out to eat for lunch," Miki decided.

	"We might get caught by a truant officer," Meiko 
replied.

	"We'll just have to look as adult and sophisticated as 
possible, then," Miki said.

	"You're in trouble," Luna replied.

	"Luna!"

	"But, perhaps with my help, we can make you pass 
anyway," Luna said.  

	"Hmm, actually, now that I think about it..." Miki 
thought.  She pulled out the disguise pen.  "Can you whip 
up one for Meiko as well, Luna?"

	Luna looked slightly embarrassed.  "I don't actually 
know how to make most of these things; I just have a lot of 
them stashed in subspace."

	"Well, Meiko looks more sophisticated than me 
anyway, so we'll just try dressing her up."

	"I don't want to put you to a lot of effort, Miki," Meiko 
said.

	"It's no problem.  It'll be fun!" Miki said, rubbing her 
hands excitedly.  "Let's see, where's the good makeup..."

***************

	Setsuna hesitantly approached Ginta as he sat eating 
lunch.  "Want some company?" she asked softly.

	"Sure," he said.

	She sat down near him.  "Are Miki and Meiko 
alright?"

	"I guess they were too depressed to come to school, 
though I saw Yuu made it," Ginta said, picking at his lunch.  
For once, his shrimp held no appeal.

	"You were there, right?" Setsuna asked gently.

	"Yes," he said.  "I can still see him dying."  His fists 
clenched.  "It was just...dammit."

	"We should go visit them after school," Setsuna said.

	Ginta nodded.  "Yes."

	Concerned, she said, "If you don't eat now, you'll be 
hungry later."

	"I know," he said.

	She stopped talking and ate quietly.  He found her 
presence strangely comforting.  He didn't know what to say 
or how to talk about it, but it was just nice to have someone 
nearby who cared.  

	He finally started eating, feeling a little better.

******************

	"You're Momoi Ryoko, right?" a man asked Ryoko in 
the teacher's lounge as she tried to make herself eat.

	She looked up at him in surprise; she thought she 
knew all the other teachers on sight by now.  "Yes, I am."

	"I'm Amawa Hibiki," he said.  "I'm the new men's 
tennis coach; I'll be handling the rest of Namura Shinichi's 
classes this semester."

	"Nice to meet you," she said.  "You may have some 
trouble with his students, though I hope not.  They were 
very devoted to him, and I don't know how well they'll take 
this."

	"They seem to be very good kids, although two of 
them were absent today," he said.  "I understand you 
were...on the trip where he died."

	She took a sip of her coffee and nodded dully.  She 
felt utterly drained.  "Yes, I saw the monsters kill him."

	"Monsters?" he asked.  "I thought all those stories 
were..."

	"True," she said.  "They've attacked this school, and 
many other people."  She sighed, trying to calm herself as 
she felt some venom creeping into her voice.  Convincing 
Shinichi's parents the monsters had killed him hadn't been 
easy.  "I've seen it."

	Out of one frying pan and into another, Hibiki thought 
uncomfortably.  "You head the women's tennis club, right?"

	She nodded.  "Yes, I do."

	"Interested in a game some time?  I have to admit that 
track and field is more my area of expertise, so I could use 
some tips," he said.  

	"I'd be happy to," she said.  

	"Thanks.  I'd best get back to the lesson plans I 
inherited, so I can figure out what I'm teaching."

	She laughed.  "Good luck."

	She's very nice, he thought, as he sat down to go to 
work plowing through the lesson plans.  But monsters...?  
There's no such thing as monsters, he thought.  They 
couldn't really be real, could they?

	Hibiki, Amawa Hibiki...she thought.  I've heard that 
name somewhere.  Oh well, it'll come to me if it's 
important.  He seems like a nice fellow.  I hope Shinichi's 
students treat him well.


****************

	Meiko looked around the restaurant at all the men and 
women in suits having lunch.  "Are you sure you can afford 
this, Miki?" she asked.

	"Don't worry about it," Miki said.  "I couldn't do this 
everyday, but I can afford to splurge."

	"I'll split the cost with you," Meiko said.  "This looks 
like the sort of place I went to with my parents the few 
times we ate out together, and the cost was always just 
amazing."

	"Alright," Miki said, secretly relieved.  She'd seen the 
prices on the menu; they were huge indeed.  "You look 
very elegant," she said.

	Meiko was wearing Miki's best dress, along with some 
jewelry which Luna had pulled out of her subspace stash, 
and had been very carefully made up by Miki, following 
Luna's directions.  Miki thought Meiko looked quite 
beautiful.

	"So do you," Meiko replied.  The disguise pen had 
done an excellent job of making Miki look like she might 
in ten years, if she had a six or seven digit income.  She 
looked around.  "So what are you hoping to do for a living 
one day?"

	Miki blinked, then said, "I don't know.  I've thought 
about it some, but I really haven't made up my mind.  I 
suppose I could probably do pro tennis, given my current 
abilities, but that might make hiding my secret identity 
difficult."

	Meiko nodded.  "Well, I still want to write."

	A thought struck Miki.  "Maybe...maybe it would help 
you cope with this if you wrote a story about you and Na-
chan.  Get it all out on paper."

	Meiko's eyes widened slightly.  "Thank you, Miki.  
That's a very good idea."  She nodded.  "Yes, I think I'll do 
that."

	Meiko's salmon now arrived, along with Miki's steak.  
They both ate quietly for a while, and then Miki said, 
"Maybe I should go into Chemistry like Mom."

	"You've never been much of a science buff," Meiko 
said.  "I think you should do something where you can use 
your people skills.  You're very good with people."

	"You really think so?" Miki asked.

	"Well, sometimes you fret yourself to death, but yes.  
You like people, and they like you.  Not like with me."

	Miki frowned.  "Meiko, lots of people like you."

	"Lots of people admire me, but you're the only really 
close friend I have, now that Na-chan is gone."  She stared 
at her salmon.  "I don't open up to people easily, but you're 
friendly and honest and kind and everyone likes you."  
Picking at her food, she said, "You've been a very good 
friend to me, Miki.  I'd probably be wanting to kill myself 
right now, if I didn't know you."

	Miki's eyes widened.  "Don't say things like that."

	"It's true.  I'd still be trapped with my parents, all alone 
in a house where no one cared.  Instead, I'm living with 
you, and everyone cares about me so much it scares me 
sometimes.  Your parents treat me like I'm their own.  
How...how can you be so..."  She paused and took a bite of 
her salmon, then once she was done, she said, "You're all 
so kind and caring, it makes me jealous.  I wish my parents 
were like yours."

	"So do I," Miki said.  "You shouldn't have to live like 
you had to."  My folks seem downright normal next to hers, 
she thought.  "I'm sure my folks will be happy to put you 
up for as long as you want to stay."

	"I hate to ask them to, but I don't want to go back to 
where my folks are.  Wherever they are now."  She sighed.  
"I don't even know for sure."

	Miki said, "We really ought to find out."

	"I know.  But I'm afraid I'll have to move back if I 
contact them."  She sighed and picked at her food more.  "I 
don't feel much like a princess."

	"Well, you look like a princess," Miki said, smiling.  

	"I suppose that's a start." 

****************

	"Oh, we have to bring our own lunches?" Rita asked 
Makoto.

	"Or else fight a mob in the cafeteria to buy one," he 
replied.  "I usually buy one from Nanami-chan, as she 
makes the best lunches."

	"I can sell you one," Nanami said.  "And thank you, 
Makoto."

	"I'd be very grateful," Rita said.

	"Here you go," Nanami said to her, handing her a 
boxed lunch, and accepting five hundred yen from Rita in 
return.  "And here's yours," she said, passing a larger one to 
Makoto.

	"Ohh, squid," he said, smiling.  "Let me get my 
wallet."

	"Oh, it's free," Nanami said to Makoto.  "Since you're 
my boyfriend now."  There was a subtle emphasis on the 
word boyfriend.

	"Oh, you two are dating?" Rita asked.  Her voice was 
its usual calm, but Nanami could see Rita was staring at her 
very intently.

	"Yes," Nanami said, taking Makoto's hand.  He 
blushed slightly.  "We've been friends ever since we could 
talk, too."  She sat down besides him and got out her own 
lunch, which required letting go of his hand, unfortunately, 
so she just scooted close to him.  "And it's destiny, too."

	"Destiny?" Rita asked.

	"We have a love which transcends the barriers of 
death!" Nanami proclaimed loudly.

	Makoto blushed a little.  "Don't shout, Nanami."

	Why isn't he saying anything about how he loves me? 
she asked herself.  Surely he can't be thinking about HER.  
Just because she's tall and beautiful and built like a model 
and has such a lovely voice and...  Nanami suddenly felt 
very skinny, short, drab, and under-developed.  "Enjoying 
your lunch?" she asked a little sharply.

	"Very much," he said.  "Your cooking is great as 
usual, and it was very nice of you to give me a free lunch," 
he replied to her.

	"Oh, Mom ungrounded me," Nanami said to Makoto.

	"She did?" he replied in surprise.

	"The thought of all the money made her feel very 
benevolent."

	"Eh?"

	"I'll tell you later," she said.

	Rita looked up from her lunch.  "Hmm, this is very 
good," she said.  "So your mother is rich, Jinnai-san?"

	"Please, call me Nanami," Nanami said.  "Everyone 
called my brother that."  She shuddered.  "Mother is pretty 
well off, and expects she's found a new gravy train, so she's 
feeling very good."

	"Gravy train?" Rita asked in confusion.

	"A source of income from merchandising in this case," 
Nanami said.

	"She wants to..." Makoto asked Nanami.

	"Yes," Nanami said hurriedly.

	"This could get interesting," Makoto said worriedly.

	"Yes, it could," Nanami said, sounding about as 
nervous.  "You know how she gets."

	"All too well."

*************

	"Well, we could probably use Serenity's Ring to break 
into the Dark Kingdom right now," Luna said.  "But I don't 
think you're ready; given we have no army to take with us, 
the fighting is going to be very ugly."

	"And no easy way to get one either," Meiko said, 
sighing.

	Miki and Meiko had gone home after finishing lunch, 
and now were brainstorming with Luna.  

	"Well, we need to think about finding or replacing the 
Tennis Warriors we don't have yet, too," Miki said.

	"I asked Nanami to have her computer search for 
them," Meiko said.  "As soon as she gets the results, then 
I'll know if I need to recruit new Tennis Warriors or if we 
can find the old ones." 

	Miki nodded and checked that off the list she was 
writing up.  "We need to call everyone after school gets out 
and find out how their parents reacted."

	Meiko nodded.  "And we have to find time, somehow, 
for daily training.  And I need to learn more about how to 
use my own powers and Serenity's Ring."

	"It's dangerous to use the Ring," Luna said.  "As it 
magnifies your own life force and magical power to do 
what you will.  Which means, if you're not careful, you can 
use yourself up."

	Meiko nodded.  "Can you do anything to try to help 
me remember how to use my abilities, Luna?"

	"I can train you in their use," she said.  "But we'd best 
wait until you are finished grieving; the use of magic while 
you're distracted by other things is very dangerous."

	Meiko sighed.  "Once the funeral happens, I think 
we'll have to start.  But yes, he's on my mind."  She took a 
sip of tea and sighed.  "I miss him so much."

	Luna said, "We all will."

	"What did he think he was doing?  Why?  I just wish I 
knew WHY," Meiko said angrily.  "Why didn't he tell me?"

	"Those who fight their own destiny tend to destroy 
themselves," Luna said softly.  

	"Why?" Meiko demanded.  "Why can't we do what we 
want with our own lives?"

	"Destiny can't control you, but those who leave its 
path walk without a net," Luna said.  "Just as you can drive 
your car into oncoming traffic because you feel like driving 
on the other side of the road, but you shouldn't be surprised 
if you then have a wreck."

	Meiko frowned.  "I refuse to let some...some destiny 
tell me who I should be in love with!"

	Miki said, "Please, let's not fight."

	The doorbell rang, and she got up and went to answer 
it.  Setsuna and Ginta were there.  "Can we come in?" 
Setsuna asked.

	"Sure," Miki said, leading them back to where Luna 
and Meiko were glaring at each other.  

	"He was nearly twice your age!  And he betrayed us 
all!" Luna said, not realizing people had come in.

	Setsuna stared.  "Talking cat?"

	Miki laughed nervously.  "Just Meiko practicing her 
ventriloquism, right, Meiko?"

	Luna did her best to meow, and looked for some yarn 
to bat around.

	Setsuna scratched her head, shrugged, then said to 
Meiko, "Are you okay?  Everyone worried when you didn't 
come to school today."

	"I'm fine," Meiko said.  "Thank you for asking."

	"Ginta told me about how monsters attacked your 
training camp and killed Na-chan," Setsuna said.  "It must 
have been awful to see that."

	"It was awful," Meiko said.  "I don't think I'll ever 
forget."

	Setsuna said, "I'm really glad none of you got hurt.  
Poor Ryoko-sensei.  Losing her boyfriend like that and all."

	"Boyfriend?" Meiko asked in surprise.

	"Weren't they dating?" Setsuna asked.  "They always 
seemed awfully close to me, anyway."

	"I should give her a call," Miki said.  "I'm sure she 
won't want to be by herself."

	"When's the funeral?" Setsuna asked.

	"Wednesday," Meiko said.  "There isn't...isn't much to 
bury, but..."  She shuddered.  "I wonder what his family 
thinks..."

	"I think most of his family is in Kyushu," Miki said.  
"He mentioned he has a...brother?  Uncle?  One of his 
relatives runs a company down there, and a lot of the others 
work for him."

	"I hope I get to see some of them at the funeral," 
Meiko said softly.  "I always wondered what they were 
like."

	Jin now came in the door.  "Hello, everyone.  I saw 
your father today, Meiko."

	Meiko froze up.  "You did?"

	"I never realized before, but your family has its 
accounts at our bank," he replied.  "He knew who I was, 
though."  He took off his suitcoat.  "He wanted to buy my 
silence."

	"Silence?" Meiko asked in surprise.

	"Burning down your house in a fight with your wife, 
after which your daughter has to run off to live with her 
best friend because you didn't make any other arrangements  
is somewhat socially embarrassing.  He wanted to make 
sure we wouldn't spread the truth around," Jin said, now 
coming over and sitting down.  "Anyway, he's off to Osaka 
until the house is repaired, which is going to take months.  
I'm not sure where your mother has gone to, Meiko.  But I 
got him to put more money in your account, Meiko, so 
you'll have spending money, and I accepted some money 
for us to cover the food you eat and other expenses.  And 
talked him into setting up a trust fund for your college 
education.  Just in case."  Jin shook his head.  "He's not all 
bad, I think, but I don't think he was meant to have 
children."

	"So I'll be staying here?" Meiko asked softly.

	"As long as you like," Jin said.

	Meiko began to cry with relief.  "Thank you.  Thank 
you.  Thank you."

	"You're welcome," Jin said.  "I'd have let you stay 
longer anyway, but the money will certainly help, I must 
admit."  He looked around.  "Where's Yuu?"

	"At work," Miki said.  

	"Oh, alright," Jin said, then got up. 

	"Where's everyone else?" Miki asked.  "You four 
usually all get home at once."

	"They went to the grocery store," Jin said.  "I'm 
supposed to be getting things out so Rumi and Chiyako can 
cook when they get home."  He headed for the kitchen.  
"Are you all staying for dinner?"

	"I don't think so," Ginta said.  "I wouldn't want to 
impose."

	"Alright then."  Jin pulled a list out of his pocket.  "So 
what is a collendar anyway..."
	
****************

	The worst part of the funeral for Meiko was having to 
hide her full feelings.  Part of her knew that it would be a 
scandal if his affair with a student came out.  But the rest of 
her hated having to hide it.  Especially when the chance 
came to speak to his parents.

	Mr. Namura was a tall man like his son, his hair 
turning gray now, well dressed in a suit.  "I'm glad to see 
my son's students loved him so much they all came to the 
funeral," he said to Meiko.

	"We...we cared for him very much," Meiko said 
softly.  "He was always kind, and he cared about his 
students."

	"He loved teaching," Mrs. Namura said.  She was 
short, with long black hair in a braid.  "And very proud of 
his tennis team."  She put a hand on Meiko's shoulders.  "I 
understand he died at your beach house."

	Meiko nodded mutely.  

	"I'm sorry," she said softly.  "Was it really... 
monsters?"

	Meiko nodded angrily.  "Yes.  They will pay for this."

	"I hope so," Mrs. Namura said.  "Just don't do 
anything foolish and get yourself killed trying to avenge 
him.  I don't think he would want to see any of you get 
hurt."

	"I can't just let this pass," Meiko said.

	"Leave monster fighting...to the experts."  Mrs. 
Namura sounded a little embarrassed.  "If such things exist, 
it's best to avoid them, and let the government handle it."

	"The government isn't handling it," Meiko said. "And 
I will do what I must."

	Mrs. Namura sighed.  "I can't stop you, but I think 
monster fighting is not a business for children."

	"I'm not a child any more," Meiko said softly.  "I've 
seen too much."

	"Everyone thinks that at your age, dear," Mrs. Namura 
said.  "But you are still too young to risk yourself against 
creatures that even adults can't stop.  Hard as it is to believe 
such creatures exist."

	"I wish I felt young," Meiko said softly.

	"Me too."

	"It hurts so much," Meiko said.  "I wish the pain 
would stop."

	"That's why we have friends," Mrs. Namura said, 
glancing over at Yuu and Miki and Ginta and Arimi and 
Setsuna and Guenevere, who all lurked nearby silently.  
"Life is full of pain, but our friends can help us chase it 
away for a while."  She took her husbands hand.  "Those 
we love and who love us give us the strength to go on.  Let 
them help you."

	Meiko began to cry.  "He died.  I was right there, and I 
couldn't do anything.  I failed.  I should have done 
something.  I should have saved him."

	Miki quietly came over to her and hugged her from 
behind.  "We were all there, Meiko.  But we didn't have any 
luck either."

	Meiko began to cry incoherently, and Miki led her 
away.  Yuu said to Namura's parents, "Don't worry, Miki 
will take good care of her."

	"That's what friends are for," Namura's mother said.  
"So she had a crush on him, did she?"

	He started.  "You...you can tell?"

	"I know the signs," she said.  "You only cry that hard 
when you lose someone you love."  She shook her head, 
and began to tear up herself.  "My son.  I have lost my only 
son."  She turned to her husband.  "I think I am going to cry 
some more now."

	He nodded.  "Come along, dear."  As he lead her 
away, he said to Yuu, "Thank you for coming."

	"You're welcome," he said.  "I will miss your son."

	Mr. Namura nodded.  "Thank you."  And then he 
departed to take his wife to sit down and cry.

*****************

	"So, you propose to bring back a demon-god from 
your homeworld?" Beryl said to Ego.

	"Yes.  I believe that such an asset is within our grasp 
and would help to turn the tide."

	Beryl nodded.  "Yes, it would.  You have my 
permission to go."

	"We will need your help to leap between worlds," 
Horny said.  

	"Yes.  How soon should I expect your return?"

	"A few days at most, if all goes well."

	Beryl nodded.  "Then let it be done."  She waved her 
staff and they vanished.  And now to send someone to 
watch them and make sure they don't use the demon-god to 
try to help them hit on women, Beryl thought.