Fatal Fury Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Sailor Rifts ❯ Chapter 24: Some Cameos, Others New ( Chapter 24 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Sailor Moon/Rifts Crossover (Revised Edition) By Simon Woodington

Chapter 24: Some Cameos, Others New

:How long has it been? Six years, tomorrow; she thought. :But so much
had happened since then!:

Was she really edging up the drying husk of forty? It wasn't that bad,
was it? Even at this age she looked as attractive as she had when she
was at her peak. Of course, it was easy to say that based on the
opinion of her husband. He was always telling her how beautiful she
was, even when she did not agree. But that is the way of men, is it
not? A small white lie to ease the society-based pain of the forming
forks in the corners of her eyes, the wrinkles of flesh on her
formerly firm skin?

Yet she knew very well that he meant every glowing word. That was one
of the reasons why, indeed, she had accepted his proposal of marriage.

'No, Mai,' he had said. 'I'm only a few years older... age affects me
like it does you.'

She had sighed, flipping her head, and subsequent lengths of brown
hair back, still thoroughly wet. Her brown eyes had settled on him,
attempting to perceive, as she had not thought to until then, what
exactly about him had changed.

'You're more handsome with your age. More...' she sought the words,
face visibly working. 'Well, handsome... and respectable.'

She had completed the statement with a cute upward flip of tone which
Andy so enjoyed. Andy had just nodded with a warm smile, before he had
hopped into bed. They had made love before he fell asleep and she had
lain half covered in blanket and thoughts of the past.

Thoughts of the distant past. They seemed to permeate her life, but
then, what else was there? Few regrets, the least of which were the
twins. Kai seemed so happy, and Tenma, somehow emotionally - well -
removed. How could she expect a teenage girl to deal with also being a
part-time teenage guy? Nakio had been very good about helping her to
discover the - woman, as it was revealed - who had issued the curse
upon Tenma. Apparently it had been done while Mai had been pregnant
with her.

Anger and fear no longer surfaced in Mai, yet Tenma seemed so familiar
with them. When she had reached a sufficient age to really comprehend
her nature, or rather, the horror and curiosity that her
transformation - ability, talent? - sparked within others (and
herself), she had adopted the aforementioned feelings and drawn nigh
totally into their expulsion through the Martial Arts.

Being a martial artist of considerable prowess in reputation as much
as ability, Mai understood the faucets - the escapes - that training
could offer. In many ways, it was a healthy way in which to focus
emotional turmoil, but in doing so, it was possible to become lost, or
engulfed entirely. Through the years Tenma had become a fiercely
powerful warrior, and - like her uncle, Terry Bogard, she admitted -
had declared herself a Lone Wolf. She was only sixteen, and yet it was
clear she considered herself ne plus ultra. To a point, it was
reasonable, for who could relate to her? No one, not even her own
mother.

'Mama?'

Blinking slowly and swiveling the recliner on the Lazy-Suzan style
base, Mai faced the daughter upon which her thoughts dwelled so
frequently. It was the next day, she realized dully, and dinner was
simmering in the kitchen. Had the whole of it passed her on such brief
terms? Shaking the thought and attempting to seek light past the all
consuming considerations of recent history, she gazed upon the young
woman.

'Yes sweetie?' she half crooned subconsciously.

The demure fear in the young woman's eyes betrayed her usual fire-eyed
demeanor.

'Mama... I need to talk to you.'

Uncertain, Mai sat forward, reading tears and pain in her expression.
Offering silence and open arms, Mai accepted Tenma's abrupt sobbing,
trembling and confused mutters.

'It's okay,' she whispered, hoping to heaven that she could convince
herself of that. Everything inside her spoke ill, denying her the
security of certainty. Even as her daughter shuddered and rendered
emotions from her soul, Mai remembered the past.

---

'Kai! Where are you?' Her brown eyes narrowed uncertainly, fearfully.
'Stop it! You're scaring me!'

Finding no answer, she turned and fled towards her sensei, her Elder,
her Mother.

'Tenma Misty Bogard,' Mai had chided. 'Your sister isn't far. Remember
what I said: It's...'

'...all part of the training...' the girl finished for her. 'I know
Mama,' she sighed as she shifted to face the open field beyond the
walls of their home. Her eyes squinted in concentration as a gentle
wind shifted the short and stylish locks of her ruby red hair.

The young girl raised her hands and arms in the ingrained martial form
of defense as she strode with determined caution. Mai had been very
impressed with the progress of the twins, especially Tenma, who seemed
so innately skilled. Mai was hoping to press them into tournament
fighting, noting even Kai was at least as good as she was at that age.
Not even eleven yet, and so strong, so graceful.

Mai had hoped that neither of them would be quite so burdened by her
breast size. Rather self-consciously, she had wrapped her arms around
her stomach, sitting with her knees drawn to her chest.

:Gawd; she had thought, :which Goddess cursed me with these things?:

They were nothing but a hassle, or distraction - at best - in battle.
She thought now that her ribbon of an outfit - a thin gi covering the
barest of essentials by only more than a few inches wideness - had
been youthful foolishness, and pride. Pride? Maybe not. Maybe "wanton"
was a better word. No, she never accepted advances of the sort, at
least not from those she was not interested in. Andy being the crux of
her lusts (and following love - or was it the reverse?), she recalled
with a smile.

Of course, Andy had refused the barest hint of such advances for many
years before they had married - at which point he had shown that he
was nowhere near as skillful in bed as in fighting. On the other hand,
she had had as little experience regarding sex as he. They had
traveled that path of discovery together. If not a sometimes stumbling
pattern of travel, it always turned out to be a pleasurable one. A
hushed rustling of movement had brought her eyes from recollection, to
her daughters.

'Ki-ha!' Kai snapped, causing Tenma to duck sharply. 'I almost got you
that time! You shouldn't spend so much time thinking!'

'Not like you,' Tenma retorted as she turned, adding a quickly and
aptly guided fist to the remark, which was similarly dodged.

'That's not fair!' Kai replied, missing her sister with a beautiful
crescent kick.

Tenma giggled, leaping at her and knocking her to the ground.

'Gotcha, Leaky!' she cried triumphantly, sitting on the shoulder
length brunette's stomach. With a gasp, the waylaid altered her
position dramatically by wrapping her legs around her sister's neck
and dropping her to the ground beside her. "Leaky" a strictly childish
parody of Kai's middle name: Waters.

'Oh yeah, Little Miss Fogs?' she laughed. Tenma, on the other hand,
had not. Kai smirked, jumping to her feet and letting herself relax,
preparing for a more serious match. Her sister was a joker by nature,
but did not enjoy losing. Kai had been smart enough to use that to get
her to be more serious about training. When it came down to it, Mai
recognized Tenma's apparent disregard for the intensities involved in
marital training. Despite this, her sheer skill in battle exceeded her
sister's by a fair degree. So by that mark, they were evenly matched.

'Kai! Tenma! Come home!' Mai had yelled in an only mildly
authoritative summons, knowing they would obey. Calling names and
chasing each other to the doorstep, they removed their shoes at the
door before lowering the tone to a hushed match of vocal hand-to-hand.

'I want you to get cleaned up for supper,' she had stated in a timbre
more pleasant and gentle, from the small kitchen. 'We're having
company. The new sensei will be here soon.'

'It'll be a guy!' Kai snapped playfully, disappearing into the
bathroom.

Tenma's gentle voice retorted: 'No it won't! It'll be a girl!'

'Will not!'

'Will too!'

'Won't!'

'Will!'

This bout continued until Tenma had cried out, and Kai had come
running, laughing loudly. Tenma followed, chasing her, childish
frustration distorting her otherwise cute face.

'Tenma! Kai! Calm down!' Mai had called impatiently, if not tiredly.
Tenma had run up to her mother and whined:

'But Kai got cold water on me!'

Her eyes widened, more irritated than shocked. She turned to Kai,
knowing she would be standing underneath the range of her gaze.

'You know that was wrong! Apologize to her, then go and get some warm
water.'

'But Mama...'

'Sush!'

'So sorry, Tenma,' she offered, bowing curtly before she hurried to
retrieve the requested item, not wishing to entice punishment any
further.

'Are you alright honey?' she had asked, and hand on her head.

'I don't like it Mama,' he had replied, sticking out her tongue in
distaste. 'It feels funny.'

Again, she had not known what to say other than, It's Alright Honey,
It'll All Be Okay.

:Cursed woman; she had thought.

Some luke warm water and the promise of dinner had settled the twins
for a time. Didn't it go something like; Dinner is when kids sit down
to continue eating?

---

'I'm pregnant,' were the words, breaking the vision, shattering the
thin sheen of memory. A shrill spark of rage shot through Mai, and she
clenched at Tenma until she whimpered slightly.

'Mama... that hurts!' Recalling herself, Mai unclenched the figurative
talons and retracted her nails. Red faced and terrified, Tenma sniffed
and blinked, saying little.

'What am I going to do?'

Mai got to her feet, standing, walking, exercising her body in a weak
effort to calm the torrent of anger flared within.

'Who's the father?' she asked like an unconscious parry.

'I don't know!'

Another shard spiked.

'What!?' she snapped harshly.

Mai's fury passed as the tale flowed, along with Tenma's tears.
Cursing herself and her "feminine" weakness, she reflected on changing
to her male self, staying that way for days, and only now, two weeks
later, turning back to herself. She had been mugged and raped at
gunpoint. She'd been shot. Where? In the arm. It was only a flesh
wound! No, he hadn't beaten her. She said she had been tested. No! She
hadn't tested HIV positive. An abortion...?

'Mama... I don't... I... I can't! It's not the baby's fault!'

Mai crossed over to the couch, taking her daughter's hands, and said:
'That's okay. I'm here. We're here.'

Tenma's eyes fell.

'What about Papa?'

'We'll talk to him. Together.'

'But what if he says...?'

'Papa loves you Tenma... We both love you. Always. We'll work it out.'

'I know... I just... I shouldn't have been walking around like this,'
she glanced at herself, indicating her sexual state. 'If I'd been male
he'd...' her voice dropped.

'No!' Mai searched her face, finding no end of sentence. Her
expression set sternly. 'He could have killed you. I would have lost
you. I couldn't bear that!'

Tenma gazed at her, hearing the words, fearing them, feeling for her
mother, knowing it was a return of favor.

'Arigato gozeimashita,' she said bluntly, softly. 'That was a stupid
thing to say.'

'No, no, Misty darling.' Open arms to receive the deathly terrified
girl.

---

Rest came only several hours beyond midnight. Rest, lying down of the
body, without calming the mind. The muscles in her neck felt like a
firm crosstitch. Mai feared this more than death itself, this
unrelenting pain in her daughter. She could not let herself act upon
the wills which her mind fed upon. To kill the man would be simple, if
only to find him. She swore vigorously.

She let herself slip into a trance of fantasies, wondering just how
painful she could make his death, knowing she could never act on them.
Perhaps Andy...? No. He had given up fighting many years ago. Nakio
would understand. Tomorrow they would talk. Nakio understood such
pains. As her body sought sleep, her mind pursued memories...

She had promised the sensei supper upon arrival, and of course, she
would not be late. Mai had seleected this woman primarily based on her
excellent training and reputation. Though, something had nagged at
her. Was it the fact of Andy's absence? She doubted it. He spent a
great deal of time traveling, though only for a pair of days at
length, usually.

Watching Kai apologize to Tenma, and then giggle and snicker at their
childish games, it had come to her that it could not have been that.
Andy had only left yesterday, and was due back the following night.
Even now she wished he could stop traveling, so they could spend less
periodically interrupted time together. But he was paying the
mortgage, so Mai could run her martial arts school.

They had needed the time for the school to gain recognition, and
bountiful enough students through which they could establish the
school reputation. Even with Kai and Tenma as examples of their
ability to teach...

There had been a faint knock at the heavy oak door.

'Hai!' she had called. Behind the entrance dwelled a woman adorned in
a simple robe of khaki green, a scabbard at her waist, and a hood over
her head.

'Greetings Mai-san,' said a dulcet female voice in fragrant Japanese.
'I trust I am timely?'

Somewhat flustered, she had replied only a simple nod.

'Yes. May I ask your name?'

'Kani Nakio,' was the reply, easy, and of a carefully gauged tone. Mai
had nodded simply with a smile.

'Come in. Make yourself at home.'

The woman had done so, and with her entrance came the removal of her
hood. Beneath the thick cloth were gentle brown eyes, lengthy brunette
hair hanging loosely about her face, and the war worn countenance of
an experienced fighter. Mai could not miss the tell-tale weariness and
wariness in those soft eyes, the deliberate stride on the edge of
fleeing. Like Mai, she had obviously seen much violence, and it was
clear that she had yet to distance herself from the source.

:That's fine, as long as the doesn't get my twins involved in her
battle; Mai had decided, setting her mind to be watchful of this
creature. As if sensing the gaze of the parent, Nakio had faced her,
scrutiny also evident in her features. Saying nothing, the agreement
had been set.

'That smells nice,' Nakio noted with a hint of a smile.

'Thank you Nakio-san,' Mai replied curtly. 'Sit down, relax. There is
no hurry here. You are safe.'

The woman merely bowed, saying nothing and offering agreement nor
denial, and then proceeded into the livingroom, introducing herself to
Kai and Tenma, who smiled cheerfully at her sister. Kai frowned
slightly, then grinned up at Nakio, who bowed, and sat down between
them. A time of somewhat less than idle conversation had passed: Both
girls boasting their abilities, ages (measured in the distance of
minutes difference in birth), and talents. They were gently hushed by
their new mentor's words:

'It is good to know what you can do, but better still to be aware of
what you cannot.'

Kai mystified at the statement, while Tenma's thin brows had furrowed
in consideration. She observed to her sister:

'Agragance isn't good. Makes you blind.'

Nakio smiled, pleasently amused. 'Iye Tenma. Arrogance.'

'Um, hai. Arrogance. Thank you Nakio-san.'

'Where's Mama?' Kai had asked, drawing the subject away from that
which she as yet failed to comprehend. A plate was set softly in front
her in place of an answer. The upturned corners of her lips indicated
her pleasure as she had begun to eat.

Mai set out the proceeding plates, and then sat down herself with all
the grace of a sure footed doe. During the course of dinner, she had
sought conversation in brevity, hoping it would drain the unease and
tension she seemed to be feeling so readily. Nakio mentioned only the
pleasantry of the weather, the kindliness of the people, and the
exceedingly excellent and aptly prepared food.

She had related that she was ill-prepared to talk at length, as her
trip had been arduous, and that she was fatigued. Of course, Mai
relayed to her that she may excuse herself at the earliest convenience
to her awaiting bedchambers, and said that Tenma would show her to the
room. Eagerly, Tenma had nodded, wiping at her face as to not spill
her food from her mouth, while she was chided softly. Dinner had
proceeded in silence beyond that point, and Nakio had accepted Mai's
Gracious Offer with a simple bow of gratitude.

Mai had been convinced somehow that Nakio was hiding something. What?
She had treated the kids with utmost respect, and seemed honest
enough. She knew, of course, that these outward appearances meant as
much as the visage of the local media "personality." I've Got The
Look. Trust Me, I'm The Good Guy. Only a witless idiot would set foot
upon the Shirinaui grounds with ill intentions. Unless, of course,
they had the strength to back them up.

It had to be done, she had to talk to her. This distrust was upsetting
her too greatly. Forestalling the matter had kept her up that night,
well into the wee hours of the morn'.

"Nakio?" Her door had been slightly ajar, allowing the vaguest sliver
of light to intrude upon her apparent rest. Mai had knocked faintly,
fearful that her intuition may be leading her astray.

'Hai,' she had replied, abruptly revealing herself as she opened the
door to allow Mai's entrance. 'Mai-san, you wish to speak with me?'

Mai had nodded demurely.

'I'm sorry Nakio-chan, but I can't sleep. I have troubles which...'
she faltered, eyes stooping to the floor.

'... concern me. I know. Come. We will talk.' She turned curtly, her
pale blue nightgown shifting pleasantly around the slender curves of
her figure, leaving the door for Mai to close behind her. As she
walked to her bed, she pulled out a frightened looking chair for Mai
to rest upon. Mai had watched her, as she had promised herself she
would. Every motion, carefully executed like the motions of a dance.
Not one an afterthought, or lacking foresight. It seemed nearly
painful to witness how much effort she seemed to drop into the bin of
thoughtfulness.

Of course, The World Would Be A Better Place if everyone did as this
woman demonstrated, but it had seemed out of place. What drove her to
such ends?

'Nakio,' she had begun before even seating herself. The woman gave her
a Get Comfortable expression and a negatory glance.

'What's wrong?'

Mai had realized something. Over the course of two words, a facade had
been dropped. A well constructed, carefully delineated outline of
protective shell had been pulled off to display a real, emotional
creature. A gasp had escaped her lips. A good three-forths of the rock
structure in her neck and shoulders dissolved into loose muscle,
something rather akin to faintly wet sponge. She found, however, that
her mouth would not work. The questions in her mind had been washed
into obscurity along with the strains of anxiety.

'I'm sorry Mai, I didn't mean to be so cold,' she had offered, opening
up in such a manner she had not conceived possible. 'It's hard to know
who to trust.'

An empathetically transmitted nod was Mai's only comment. Silence
offered itself to Time, and was accepted with grandiose passion and
love. The two mingled in coupling until Mai discovered herself roused
enough to marshal her thoughts.

'I knew there was something,' she had begun, unsure of the state of
her footing.

Nakio had only smiled.

'Of course you did. I'm not a mother yet, but something close to one.
You, on the other hand...'

'You're married?' Mai had leaned back, set - to a fair degree - at
ease.

'And pregnant,' she sustained. Mai started, sitting forward, surprise
and concern alight upon her fair countenance.

'Why are you training my twins then?'

'Because I still have to make a living.' Wry smirk.

Mai had nodded again, sympathetic.

'How long until...?'

'Seven months.'

'Oh my!' she gasped. Nakio was expected to act as sensei to her twins
for five years. How could she raise a child and...?

'You knew I would help you,' she observed. With a faint look of guilt,
and admittance, Nakio had confirmed her words.

'If you don't wish to... I'll leave,' she tossed the words out,
knowing they would be knocked out of the park before they were
volleyed forth.

'No, Nakio-san. I wouldn't do that. I had enough trouble with the
twins to do that to someone like you,' Mai had half-smiled, sharing
empathy with the Mother-To-Be. 'Besides, it's not like I mind. Um..
why are you here alone? Where's the father?'

The dramatic change in her face had startled Mai, realizing that it
was not the best question available.

'I'm looking for him,' she had replied, restraining the sorrow in her
voice, in the core of her being. 'We were separated just after our
marriage.'

'But why come here? I can't...'

'It's complicated, Mai. I won't neglect your children, of course, but
I need to pay for the investigators somehow...' she fell silent.

'I trust that. You have an excellent repuatation,' Mai confirmed. 'I'm
very sorry about your loss,' she offered, pouring a part of her soul
into the words. 'You are welcome here. If it will help, I can
subsidize the expenses of your child.'

'You don't have to do that, really,' she said, an unseen distance in
her eyes, and echoed within her gentle voice. Mai could feel the
welling of tears behind the woman's eyes, aware that she was in dire
emotional agony.

'No, I insist. Your burden is so much, and to accept the charge of my
children...' she had stated, feeling very strongly that she would
crumble to tears as well. Watching Nakio in silence, seeing that she
did not cry, the woman's brown eyed gaze reaching to somewhere beyond
the walls she looked to be caged in, she perceived an innate strength
in the woman. 'I could not ask of you such things.'

A strength not so unlike her own.

'Thank you, Mai-san. Thank you,' she had said finally, softly. She
said nothing more, knowing that to do so would be an error. Mai stood,
and hugged her, feeling a very close emotional tie to her, very much
like the bond of siblings, though exactly why, neither could she
fathom nor concern for.