Soul Mates
by lady

CHAPTER FOUR
Uncharted Territory: New Beginnings

 

Seven months have passed since that fateful day in April when Justin had laid out the plan that would take them one step closer to their destinies. He had spared no expense or workers in constructing the proposed skyscraper and had it standing, ready for occupation, in record time.

The building had thirty floors, not counting the restaurant located at the top encased in a Taj Mahal roof replica made of crystal clear glass. The rest of the floors were surrounded by mirror-like walls, which reflected whatever they were facing while showing nothing of the inside.

The building also possessed several unique features like the six feet high, stone fence which surrounded the property as well as the enormous flower gardens just inside the fence, bordering the structure all around. It had two rows of fountains marching parallel to the path which led from the entrance of the building all the way to the huge gates shaped like a pair of harps.

The most unusual feature it boasted were the four glass columns on each corner attached to the building by a short walkway on each floor. These were actually the elevators used to transport people to any level while affording them a picturesque view of the city of Tokyo.

On this particular day in November, however, the sole occupant of one of the elevators wasn’t very appreciative of the splendor around him. Instead, his excitement seemed to stem from the sheaf of papers he held in one hand. He kept glancing at the top one, reading and rereading the name written there to make sure he wasn’t imagining it. There was no mistake. Her name was clearly spelled out on the form and he knew a certain someone who would be happy about that.

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

On the thirtieth floor, Galen sat on one end of the enormous table in the boardroom thinking about the events of the past month since they had arrived in Japan. By that time, they found that the building had already garnered a lot of attention because of its unusual features. They didn’t have any problems advertising it and, after two weeks, had more businesses wanting to move in than available office space. Now all they had to do was hire enough people to run their own companies.

Justin had already hired his workers before the start of the building construction via his manager and Nathan wanted to hire his own cooks because he needed to see how good they were beforehand. That left them to hire Justin’s office workers, all Nathan’s employees besides the chefs, and all their own people for the general office, systems and self-defense classes. It was going to be a long week.

He had just looked down to continue looking through the applications lying in front of him when he heard the door open. It was Ashe coming from the post office.

"You are not going to believe this!" he said excitedly. "You are just not going to believe this!"

"Well I won’t if you don’t tell me what ‘this’ is," Galen replied sounding amused.

"I just got more applications in the mail and I already know that three of them are definitely going to be hired."

"They must have pretty good resumes if you feel that way."

"Their experiences have nothing to do with it, although they are impressive."

Galen sat back and folded his arms in front of him. "So, tell me more."

"First of all, I’ve got the owner of a successful computer firm offering to set up our network system for us. Says he likes the challenge of creating one for a security-consulting firm. Then we have a very talented chef who wants to join Nathan’s team. I know he wants to hire them himself but I think he’ll be glad if we set this one up for an interview when he comes. And lastly, we have a black belt, karate expert who’s interested in being one of our instructors."

"Very impressive indeed," Galen agreed. "But so are a lot of these other applicants. What makes these three so special?"

"You haven’t heard the best part. Our computer expert happens to be Mamoru Chiba. Our chef, Makoto Kino. And our black belt is --"

"Yes?" A note of expectation crept into his voice.

"Haruka Ten’ou."

There was a sudden silence after Ashe said the words. The only sound was that of Galen taking a deep breath before asking, "You’re not kidding, are you, Ashe? ‘Cause if you are --"

"I won’t joke about something this important. Look for yourself." He handed Galen the forms he was holding and pointed to Haruka’s name at the top.

Ashe watched as Galen read the form carefully, seeing a myriad of emotions pass through his friend’s face while doing so. When he finally looked up, a glint of excitement sparkled in his eyes where there was nothing but boredom before.

"Yes!" he said exultantly. "Let’s hurry up with these applications so we can move on to the interviews."

Ashe was in total agreement. After all, where Haruka was, Michiru could usually be found, if the past was anything to go by. "I’ll accept Mamoru’s offer later today and set up a meeting for tomorrow. And I’ll phone Makoto to say we’re interested in her but the person who’s going to do the interviews won’t be here until next month. You’ll take care of Haruka?"

"You know I will," he answered distractedly. He was looking out at the city, already thinking of what to say to Haruka when he called her.

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

In a large mansion, on the other side of the city, a tall woman with short, blond hair was pacing the floor of the living room. Across from her, sitting on the sofa, another woman with aqua tinted hair was trying to practice playing the violin while watching her friend going back and forth. She finally put down the instrument and asked, sounding exasperated, "Haruka, what is so important about this job that you can’t stand still?"

Haruka stopped suddenly and looked guiltily towards Michiru. "I’m sorry. Was I disturbing you?"

Michiru shook her head. "Not really. I know this piece anyway. I just don’t understand what you’re so worried about."

"I’m not worried, exactly. I just don’t like not knowing if I’m accepted or not."

"It’s just a job, Haruka. You don’t even need it. Why do you want to work anyway?"

Haruka heaved a deep sigh. "I need to work so that I can feel my life is going somewhere. I mean, you and the Inner Senshi seem so sure of what you want to be while my future is up in the air. Even Mamoru has his own company and it provides him with the distraction he needs now that Usagi’s gone." Her face suddenly showed her worry and she ran a hand through her hair. "She’s the only one who’s future I’m not sure about. I wonder if she’s okay, wherever she is."

"I’m sure she’s fine. She’s a lot stronger than we all think she is," Michiru said, trying to console her. "But what about you? I thought all you wanted to be was a racer."

"Racing is just a hobby," she replied. "I want something that would last longer than the next accident on the track."

"And you think being a karate instructor will fill the bill?"

"It’s something I’m good at. And, I feel like I’ll be helping people defend themselves from creeps as well as monsters if they ever encounter one." Haruka ran her hand through her hair once more and resumed her pacing. "I mean, while we were searching for the Messiah, I felt like I was doing something useful. Even afterwards, we had Hotaru to take care of ‘til her father got better and we also had Usagi, the Moon Princess, to protect. Now, we only have one youma attack every six months, and they’re not even powerful ones. It’s not that I’m complaining about that, it’s just that I feel so useless!"

"I’ll always need you, Haruka. I hope you know that."

Haruka stopped her pacing and sat down beside Michiru, taking both her hands. "I know that, Michiru. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay. I just need time to work things out, that’s all."

A sudden loud ringing cut into their conversation. Haruka stood and hurriedly walked towards the phone sitting on the desk by the wall. Michiru watched her with a concerned look on her face. She didn’t know what was bothering her friend but she knew it had something to do with the job she applied for. She’d been acting different since she read the ad.

Haruka glanced guiltily back at Michiru as she headed for the phone. She didn’t like keeping secrets from her, but how was she going to explain what was bothering her when she didn’t even know it herself. When she read the ad about the karate instructor, the name of the company president just triggered something in her brain. But, try as she might, she couldn’t seem to access it. It remained an illusive thought; floating somewhere in her mind but never at a place she can reach. One thing she knew for sure, she was getting to the bottom of this mystery. And being accepted for the job was a step forward.

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

Back at the building, in his office on the twenty-fifth floor, Galen sat holding the telephone, waiting for the other end to pick up. After a couple of hours of thinking, he finally concluded that there wasn’t much he could say to Haruka at this point. Not anything personal, anyway. To her, he would be a stranger, an employer calling for an interview, nothing more.

The call was answered after the third ring and a rather breathless voice said, "Hello?"

Galen clutched the phone tighter and ordered his breathing to remain normal. "May I speak to Miss Haruka Ten’ou please?"

"Speaking."

I know. "My name is Galen Fujiwara and I’m calling about your job application to the G & A Security Consulting Firm. Will you be able to come down for an interview on Wednesday morning at nine o’clock? There will also be a tryout of skills in the afternoon since there are too many applicants and it will serve as a process of elimination." But you don’t have to worry, he added silently. You were already hired before I even called you.

"That will be no problem. Do I need to bring anything?" She sounded a bit anxious. Not like the Haruka he remembered.

"You might like to bring a karate uniform if you have one. Other than that, I can’t think of anything more."

"I do have one and I’ll bring it. Thank you."

"You’re welcome. I’ll see you the day after tomorrow then," he managed to say calmly. He put the phone back on its cradle and leaned back on his chair. The next forty-eight hours before he could see Haruka already felt like forever.

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

In a temple, up on a hill, a few blocks from the building, four young women and two cats sat around the living room having a snack.

"Honestly," the one with long, black hair said. "This meetings are starting to become a farce. We don’t have any enemies to discuss anymore!"

"Cool it, Rei," Makoto with the brown ponytail, responded. "We should be happy that there have been very few attacks. At least, now we can live normal lives."

"Mako-chan is right. There was a time when all of us would have given anything for peace and now we have it," Luna, the black colored cat, reminded them.

The blond young lady with hip length hair looked sad when she said a little wistfully, "Usagi would be very happy if she was here. She wanted to live a normal life the most."

"Yes, she would, Mina-chan" Luna said tearfully. She recalled the many times Usagi had cried and said all she wanted was to be a normal teenager. How she missed her.

The white cat, Artemis, moved closer to Luna to console her. "It is unfortunate that we couldn’t find her. It’s as if she fell off the face of the Earth. Where could she have gone in a few short hours?"

"We’ve been asking ourselves that question for the last four years and we still don’t have an answer," Ami said. She had short, blue tinted hair and occasionally wore glasses like she did now. "I just hope that she’s alright and that we’ll meet again someday. I’d hate to think that we wouldn’t be able to tell her how sorry we are for what we did back then."

Rei looked down at her lap and almost whispered, "It was mostly my fault."

Everyone stared at her since it was unusual for her to admit mistakes.

"What do you mean?" Luna asked.

"I was always mean to her, even before that day. She was such a crybaby and always late that she stretched my patience thin. I never held back my criticisms about her faults and I told myself I was just telling the truth. All the times she did something right, I rarely told her how proud I was of her but I still continued pointing out all her errors." She stopped to wipe the tears falling from her eyes. "At first, I thought I would be a better leader. I even asked for a vote. But, somewhere along the way, I saw that Usagi had all the qualities a leader should possess. She cared about all of us, even me, and tried to protect us without worrying about herself. She was there when we needed her and she always made us laugh. I believed in my heart then that Usagi was the rightful leader of the Senshi, but I never told her."

"That last day, when she didn’t show up, all my old grievances against her surfaced and I lashed out without thinking. I convinced myself I was wrong in believing her and that she cared nothing about us after all. I didn’t want to hear her explanation because I was afraid I’d be fooled into becoming her friend again. I was fooled alright. But not by Usagi, by myself. I thought she was the worst person in the whole world but, in truth, she was my best friend and I loved her. I was such a fool, I sent her away!"

Minako put an arm on Rei’s shoulder and hugged her briefly. "You can’t shoulder all the blame, Rei. You always said what you thought and Usagi never left before. I think we all share the blame since we all accused her of things she didn’t do and flatly refused to hear her explanation. Thank God Luna is a stubborn cat and wasted no time in straightening our mistake."

Luna remembered that day very well.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

She woke up feeling sore from being thrown at a tree and saw that Sailor Moon was nowhere around. She remembered that they were on their way to help the others when the youma appeared. She decided that Sailor Moon must have gone to the old church near Mamoru’s school. That was the location Ami gave when she summoned them.

Luna ran to the scene as quickly as she could manage. Even then, the fight was already finished when she arrived. Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Tuxedo Kamen were all gathered in a semi-circle on one side with Artemis lying unconscious in the middle. Sailor Moon stood alone on the other side, facing them. She saw the other Senshi say something to Sailor Moon and watched her respond. She couldn’t hear what they were saying since she was still at a distance. Then Sailor Moon paused before speaking to Tuxedo Kamen. Whatever he said must have hurt because, after saying a few words, she turned around and started walking away from them.

Luna saw that Sailor Moon was crying when they met and asked her where she was going. She didn’t get a response but heard a collective gasp coming from the Senshi. Puzzled, she faced the others and asked them what was going on. They were all in a state of shock and were staring at the departing Sailor Moon. She followed their gazes and saw what held them stupefied. What was left of the back of her suit was torn to shreds and blood was oozing from the four long claw marks across her back. She was walking slowly, not with her usual vivacity. Luna tore her gaze away from the painful sight and repeated her question to the Senshi. She was determined to get an answer from them.

The Senshi repeated everything that had happened, from the time Morgon appeared to the time Sailor Moon left. Luna was stunned. She could barely hold back the angry words that threatened to erupt from her chest. But she knew that they needed to tend to their wounds before they became any weaker. So she held back her tongue-lashing until they were sufficiently recovered.

That evening, a few hours later, Luna summoned the Senshi and Mamoru to the temple. She had gone home to see if Usagi was alright but didn't find her there. She had waited for an hour before leaving, worrying that she was out somewhere crying her heart out. It made her all the more furious with the other girls and Mamoru so she decided to call a meeting. She needed to vent the anger she felt and she knew telling them the truth would serve that purpose. She didn’t tolerate any excuse for not attending. She wanted them to know what they had done.

A short while later, five leery souls entered Rei’s bedroom where the meeting was to take place. Five nervous hearts thumped a rapid beat while they sat down and prepared to listen to the lecture. Five curious faces turned contrite as the events of the afternoon unfolded. And, at the end of the tale, five troubled people left to ponder their sins and regret their hasty actions.

Luna was satisfied.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

The ringing of the telephone broke into Luna’s reminiscing. Rei quickly picked it up.

"Moshi, moshi?" Then, in hesitating English, "One moment please." She put the receiver down on the table before saying, "It’s for you, Mako-chan."

Makoto jumped up from her chair and walked towards Rei. "Oh! I forgot to tell you. I forwarded all my calls here since I’m expecting an important one. I didn’t want to miss it." She cleared her throat before speaking into the mouthpiece. "Hello? This is Kino Makoto." She paused to listen for a few moments. "Really? I understand. Thank you very much for calling."

After hanging up the phone, she jumped in the air and screamed, "I got it! I’m in, I’m in!"

"What is it that you got, Mako-chan?" Ami asked curiously.

"You know that new building a few blocks from here? The one they just finished building a couple of weeks ago. The roof is going to be a restaurant owned by the Gekko Corporation. They’re the owners of a chain of Japanese restaurants famous the world over. And I was just asked for an interview! Usaka-san, the man I was talking to said I had a pretty good chance of getting taken."

"Of course they’ll take you, Mako-chan," Luna assured her. "After all, you’re already famous here in Tokyo."

"Thank you, Luna. But there will be a lot of competition for this position. And I’ll have to practice all my dishes just in case they’ll want to try me out."

Everyone congratulated Makoto and they were discussing the subject excitedly when the door opened. A man with dark hair stood there wearing formal slacks, a polo shirt with the sleeves folded to the elbows, and carrying his sports coat over the shoulder. It was Mamoru.

"Hi everyone! What’s all the excitement about?"

"Mamoru!" Rei exclaimed. "Mako-chan just got a call for an interview. She’s trying for the position of chef in that new restaurant downtown."

"What new restaurant?"

"The one located on the roof of the new building," Mina explained.

"Oh. I didn’t realize they were going to put one there. That’s strange though. I offered to set up the network system of one of the companies there. Usaka-san just called me to accept no more than half an hour ago."

Makoto looked surprised. "But that’s the same man who just called me."

"He’s one of the owners of the building. Apparently, there are seven owners and only two of them are here now. The others will be coming next month."

"So that’s why I have to wait for my interview. The owner of the restaurant won’t be here ‘til next month."

"Anyway, I’ll be going there tomorrow to meet Galen and Ashiro. They’re the two owners of the G & A Security Consulting Firm. Would you like to come with me, Mako-chan? Maybe you can see the restaurant while were there."

"Would I! Just try and stop me!"

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~

Mamoru was up and about early the next morning, preparing for his ten o’clock meeting with Galen and Ashiro. It was almost nine-thirty before he was ready to leave his condo to pick up Makoto at her place.

Makoto was also up early trying to decide what to wear to the meeting. She finally decided on an emerald green dress with a cowl neck and long sleeves. It hugged her body to the waist then flared out to just above her knees. A short, black, wool jacket, ankle high black boots and black gloves completed her ensemble.

She had just finished putting an emerald colored ribbon on her usual ponytail when she heard a car outside. She picked up her purse from the bed and quickly went outside to meet Mamoru.

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

At five to ten, Galen was in his office organizing the papers on his desk. At least he was trying to. His fingers seemed to be all thumbs and everything he stacked either fell scattering across the desk or, worse, dropped to the carpeted floor.

A shadow darkened the open office door and he saw Ashe enter with a sheepish grin on his face. "Couldn’t do anything either, huh? I guess were just too nervous about the meeting to function well."

"I guess you’re right. I’ve been trying to put some order to this desk for the last fifteen minutes and nothing seems to be going right." He finally gave up and shoved the papers in a drawer, leaving only the folder he needed on top. "What time is it, anyway?"

"We’ve got a couple of minutes before he comes."

Ashe sat on one of the chairs across from Galen and tried to even out his breathing. They both needed to relax and drain the tension from their bodies. They didn’t want Mamoru to think that something was wrong.

The buzzing of the intercom and the voice of Galen’s new secretary ended their waiting. "Fujiwara-sama, Chiba Mamoru is here to see you."

"Thank you, Eumi-san. Please show him in," Galen replied, standing up to meet the newcomer.

Ashe walked to the open door to get a first glimpse of their visitor. He watched as Mamoru handed his coat to Eumi to reveal a dark blue suit underneath. When he moved a little to the side, Ashe saw that he wasn’t alone. A tall young woman with brown hair and dark green eyes was removing her own jacket for Eumi to take. Well, well, Ashe thought. He didn’t expect to see Makoto so soon. She was a very welcome surprise, though.

Mamoru took Makoto’s arm and, together, they walked towards the office. Ashe moved away from the door so he won’t be caught snooping. By the time the pair entered the office, he was standing by the desk beside Galen.

"It’s nice to finally meet you in person, Mamoru Chiba. I’m Galen Fujiwara and this is my partner, Ashiro Usaka."

"It’s nice to meet you too, Fujiwara-san, Usaka-san. I hope you don’t mind but I brought a friend with me. I’d like you to meet one of the best chefs in the city, Kino Makoto. I think you talked to her on the phone yesterday, Usaka-san."

"Please call me Ashe. We’re pretty casual around here," he replied as a form of greeting. "And yes, we did talk yesterday. I’m looking forward to working in the same building with you, Makoto-san." After a thoughtful pause, he continued, "I hope you don’t mind if I call you Makoto."

"No, I do not mind," Makoto replied in carefully spoken English. She had started having reservations about the job yesterday when she realized that Usaka-san had not spoken in Japanese but only in English. She wasn’t very fluent in that language and, for the first time, wondered how she was going to work for an American.

Galen looked at her with consideration before saying in perfect Japanese, "Would you prefer if we spoke in Japanese. It will be no trouble at all. Ashe and I both speak it fluently."

Makoto heaved a sigh of relief and smiled, eyes twinkling. "Thank you. My English is atrocious and I don’t understand it very well," she confessed, using her native language.

The two men smiled their understanding. Galen looked at Ashe and suggested, "Why don’t you take Makoto for a tour of the building while Mamoru and I discuss business."

"Would you like to do that, Makoto-san," Ashe enquired.

"I’d love to."

Ashe motioned for her to precede him and was already enumerating the places they could see as they walked out the door and closed it behind them. Galen walked around the desk to his seat while Mamoru surveyed his surroundings. He obviously liked what he saw.

"This place looks as good inside as outside. And, believe me, I find the outside quite impressive."

"We’re lucky to have a very talented interior designer as a friend. Actually, she’s one of the owners of this building. The only female in the group."

"Really? She must be pretty special."

"Very special. I’m sure you’ll agree when you meet her next month."

"Next month?"

"The grand opening of the building as well as the restaurant will take place on the first of January. We’ll start with an evening of dinner and dancing on New Year’s Eve and then officially cut the ribbon at twelve midnight. Of course you’ll be invited to join us, Mamoru-san. And bring as many people as you like. The more the merrier."

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

In the meantime, Ashe and Makoto were on the twenty-ninth floor. They had just finished viewing a suite, which will eventually be occupied by one of the owners.

"Will all the owners of this building be living here?" Makoto asked.

"Yes, they will. Galen and I both have suites on this floor and the one I just showed you is for our female member. The fourth one is empty. The other four guys are on the floor below this one," Ashe explained.

"I see. The owner who’s going to interview me, does he own the restaurant?"

"That’s right. Nathan, that’s his name, wants to choose his own chefs. He’s a very talented cook himself so he knows what he’s looking for."

They were entering the elevator at this point and Ashe noticed the frown on Makoto’s face as she went in ahead of him. "What are you worried about to cause such a frown?"

"I’m just afraid I won’t get taken. I know I’m a good cook and that I can make any dish as well as anybody, if not better. But somehow this feels different." She looked at Ashe but didn’t really see him. She had a far away look in her eyes. "All my life I’ve wanted to become a world famous chef. And here’s my opportunity staring me in the face. I’m worried it might slip my grasp."

You have nothing to worry about, Ashe wanted to say. Nathan will never let this chance to get to know you pass. Instead he said, "Don’t worry, Makoto-san. I’ve tried your cooking at one of the restaurants nearby and it’s very good. Knowing Nathan, I’d say you have a good chance of making the team."

"Do you really think so, Ashe-san?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes, if you don’t call me Ashe-san. Please just make it plain Ashe. Ashe-san sounds funny to me," he answered laughingly.

Makoto couldn’t help smiling back. "Alright. Ashe it is then."

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

Galen and Mamoru had just finished making plans for the network system and were shaking hands when Ashe and Makoto returned.

"So Makoto-san, did you enjoy the tour?" Galen enquired.

"Yes, very much thank you. Especially the restaurant. I didn’t realize it was so huge," she replied. "By the way, what is it going to be called?"

"It’s going to have the same name as this building. We’ll reveal both names at the grand opening party I was telling Mamoru about. You’ll come, won’t you, Makoto-san?"

"I’d love to! Are you going, Mamoru-san?"

"Of course." Turning to Galen he said, "So I’ll see you next week then. I’ll bring those plans we talked about."

"I’ll have everything ready by Monday."

Ashe shook Mamoru’s hand then turned to Makoto. "I hope you come visit us again soon."

"I sure will. As soon as I start working here," she answered confidently.

"That’s the spirit."

The four of them said their good-byes before Mamoru and Makoto went to the outer office to get their coats. Ashe and Galen sat once more across from each other.

"That didn’t go as badly as I thought it would," Ashe observed.

"Not at all," Galen agreed. "I asked Mamoru some personal questions hoping he might give a hint about how they’re all dealing with Usagi’s absence. He answered most of them but wasn’t very expansive. I guess he’s too private a person to give away much."

"That means we’ll have to find out those facts the hard way. By dealing with the Senshi themselves."

Galen nodded gravely.

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~

Wednesday dawned bright and sunny with hardly a cloud in the sky. It was seven in the morning and Haruka was just coming back from her early morning jog.

"Good morning," she greeted Michiru who was sitting at the table having breakfast.

"Good morning. Are you ready for your job interview."

"I’m ready. I’ll just take a shower, have breakfast, then I’m off. I have to be there by nine." With that said, she disappeared up the stairway leading to the second floor.

After thirty minutes, she was back, freshly showered, and wearing a tan suit with a cream blouse. She joined Michiru at the table and proceeded to partake of the meal.

Michiru watched her eat a few bites before clearing her throat. When Haruka looked up, she asked, "Is it okay if I come with you today? I’m curious about that building. I’d like to see what it looks like inside."

Haruka looked surprised but agreed nonetheless. "I don’t see why not. You can look around while I talk with Fujiwara-san."

Michiru nodded. And maybe I’ll find out what’s bothering you, she added silently.

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

Galen was standing by the windows looking out at the city when Eumi came to tell him that Haruka Ten’ou was there. The moment he’d been waiting for had finally come. He was going meet Haruka all over again. He moved towards the door as his secretary ushered her into the room.

Haruka felt a little uneasy entering the office. She wasn’t usually such a coward about facing the unknown, but there was something different about this one. She didn’t know what it was. She just felt it.

Seeing Galen Fujiwara for the first time didn’t help ease the tension any. His light colored suit only served to emphasize his dark, good looks and intense, green eyes that looked at her as if to her very soul. It was very disconcerting although she gave back look for look. She was never one to back down to anybody, especially a man.

Suddenly, Galen’s person was superimposed by another figure. This one had his face but wore different clothing, all in white. He seemed to be in the middle of a battlefield because there was fighting going on all around. He himself was frozen in a fighting stance, ready to attack. Haruka blinked to see if she was imagining things. As suddenly as it appeared, the vision was gone. Only Fujiwara-san was there holding out his hand for her to take.

Galen wondered if he missed something in the last few minutes. One second they were having a staring contest, the next Haruka was looking at him as if he’d grown another head. She looked like she was going to faint and he didn’t know if he should put his hands up to steady her. She wasn’t very receptive to close contact, if he remembered correctly, especially from strangers.

Haruka took Galen’s hand, more to steady herself than to shake it. The moment she held it, she felt warmth steal up her arms and over her body. She quickly broke contact. How strange, she thought. Why am I reacting to this man? Could he be an enemy? I’d better be careful.

Galen was oblivious to the thoughts running through Haruka’s head. All he cared about was that they were together again. Things could only get better.

"Good morning. I’m Galen Fujiwara and I’ll be conducting your interview." Galen motioned towards the chair opposite his own and offered, "Please have a seat."

Haruka gratefully sunk into the chair and tried to compose herself. She watched as he took his seat across the desk and looked through some papers in a folder. She was ready when he asked his first question.

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

Meanwhile, Michiru had wandered down the hall to what looked like a large gym. It had training equipment on one end as well as a ring like the ones used for boxing. The biggest space located at the center was empty with only a row of lockers by the wall. A group of men and women in karate uniforms were there presently, practicing their moves alone or with a partner. This must be the other applicants, she concluded. Haruka’s in good company. She recognized some of them as champions from karate tournaments she’d attended.

Footsteps coming from her left made her look that way. She saw Haruka with a tall, dark haired man walking towards her. She put on a smile of greeting.

"Michiru, I’d like you to meet Galen Fujiwara. Fujiwara-san, this is my very good friend Kaiou Michiru."

"Hello," Michiru said.

"It’s nice to meet you," Galen replied. He studied her for a few moments, comparing her to his old friend back on the Moon Kingdom. She was still very beautiful. He looked around to see if Ashe had arrived yet. His friend was going to have a big surprise.

Turning to Haruka, he said, "This is the room where the trials are going to be held. There is a empty room next to the showers where you can change." He pointed to the far side of the room where two doors were located. "I’ll be joining you soon. I still have one more applicant to see before we can start." With that said, he walked back to his office.

Haruka looked at the other contenders on the floor. She grimaced. "It’s going to be tough," she said to Michiru. "I didn’t realize all the experts were going to be here."

"You’re more than equal to any of them, Haruka," Michiru replied confidently. "Don’t turn craven on me now."

"I’m not. Just appraising the competition, that’s all." She picked up her duffel bag and started for the changing room. "I’ll see you later, Michiru."

Michiru waved and watched her until she entered the room. She was getting more and more worried about Haruka. She had always been the impulsive one, doing things before thinking it out. And now she was stopping to look over fighters before doing battle! Something was definitely wrong.

Michiru decided she was going to watch the tryouts. That way, she might find more clues to Haruka’s preoccupation. When Haruka emerged from the room wearing her black karate uniform, she headed straight for Michiru who had found a bench to sit on. She sat down beside her.

"I thought you were going to have a look around the building," Haruka commented.

Michiru shrugged. "I could do that after the try outs. I want to find out who gets taken."

"I see."

After a moment of silence, Michiru asked, "Aren’t you going to join them." She gestured towards the group in the middle of the room. "Don’t you need to warm up?"

"Not really." Warm up?, she thought. It felt too hot as it was. And getting hotter by the minute, she added when she spotted Galen entering the room with another man.

"All right, everybody. We’ll start the try outs in five minutes," he announced in Japanese to Haruka’s surprise. He only spoke in English when they were in his office. Galen smiled mysteriously at her before the two men walked towards the far side of the room to change.

Unbeknownst to Haruka, Galen’s smile had widened once he had his back to her. He deliberately didn’t let on to her that he knew Japanese. He liked throwing Haruka off kilter as often as he could. That way, she didn’t notice the chips falling off from her emotional armor. After all, that’s how he got close to her the first time. He attacked her from her blind side.

Haruka, rattled, stood up and started stretching exercises. She needed to loosen her muscles or she wouldn’t be able to fight well. She had to find a way to get rid of the tension running through her body.

All too soon, Galen and the other man were back and he was asking all the applicants to gather around. The tryouts were going to be person to person combat with the winner of each match fighting the other winners. Being one of the losers didn’t necessarily mean you were out of contention for the job. "I’m not only looking at who’s going to win or lose," Galen explained. "I want to see how well you fight and whether your skills are the ones I need. We’ll do a lottery on who’s going to match up with whom first. Then we’ll take it from there."

Haruka was matched with a burly man who thought she would be an easy target. He underestimated her and lost when a judo throw landed him on his back. After him, she systematically defeated all her opponents until there was only one left to fight. It was the man who entered the room with Galen.

Michiru watched tensely from the corner as Haruka and her opponent took a few minutes rest before fighting. She was confident of Haruka’s ability, but she also knew that the man was very good. She honestly didn’t know who was going to win.

Standing at the entrance, shocked to the core, was Ashiro. He had come to watch the last of the competitions so he could help Galen decide on the right candidates. He had not expected to see Michiru sitting so serenely at the back, looking very beautiful. He had to struggle to compose himself before walking closer.

"Your friend is doing well," a deep voice said from beside her.

Startled, she looked up to see a tall man with blond hair standing at her side. He was looking down at her from a set of brilliant purple eyes on a face carved like a Greek statue. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen. She shook her head to clear it and tried to remember what he said. "Yes, Haruka is very good. But her match is good as well."

"I don’t think you have anything to worry about. I’ve been watching her fight and I think she’ll beat him." Holding out his hand he introduced himself. "I’m Ashiro Usaka, by the way. My friends call me Ashe."

Michiru smiled and placed her hand in his. "I’m Kaiou Michiru. And my friend over there is Ten’ou Haruka."

"I’m delighted to meet you, Michiru-san." I’ve missed you so. "Would you mind if I sit beside you?"

In response, Michiru moved to give Ashe some space on the bench. He sat down beside her and turned to look at her once more.

"How come you didn’t join the try outs? Don’t you know karate?"

"I do but it’s not really my interest. I’d rather study music and improve my playing."

"Music? Kaiou Michiru, hmm." He pretended to study her face while trying to reconcile himself to the fact that he was really here with her. That he wasn’t dreaming. "Not Kaiou Michiru the famous violinist?"

"I’m afraid so."

"What’s to be afraid of. Your music is very good. I’d think you’d be proud of it."

"I am. I’m just not used to people recognizing me when I’m not on stage."

Movement on the floor caught Michiru’s attention and she saw the two combatants get into position. After bowing to each other, they assumed their first stances. Then the fighting began. As it went on, Michiru was very much aware of the warmth she felt coming from where Ashe sat beside her. She couldn’t seem to concentrate on the fight because her thoughts kept going back to this handsome stranger. Nobody else had ever been able to claim her attention when Haruka was around. Until now. And that fact alone was distracting enough.

Both the opponents on the floor were breathing hard from exertion. The final fight was taking longer than anyone thought, and they were both getting tired. Finally, Haruka faked a move by going down on her heels. Her counterpart thought she was going to perform a slide kick to fold his legs from under him and defended himself by jumping with both feet in the air. Instead of a slide kick however, she kicked upwards and caught him in the stomach while he was still airborne. The impact threw him backwards and he landed with a thud on the floor.

Michiru heaved a sigh of relief and looked up to see how Ashe was reacting. He was smiling and clapping his hands like most of the other applicants watching. Then he turned towards her and saw her looking at him. He raised one eyebrow in question. She quickly turned away and felt the heat rising in her face as she blushed furiously at being caught staring. She made herself watch as Haruka walked over to her fallen opponent to give him a hand up and ignored the strong urge she felt to look at Ashe again.

Fortunately, Galen chose that moment to make another announcement. "All of you performed very well and, no matter who gets taken, I’d like you all to know that you are some of the best fighters I’ve seen by far. Thank you very much for your interest in our company and for participating in today’s events. I’ll be in touch with the people I choose in the next day or so," he informed the tired group facing him. "Again, thank you very much."

When the applicants shuffled towards the changing room, Galen halted Haruka’s progress by putting a hand lightly on her arm. "Can I speak to you for a minute, Ten’ou-san?"

Curious as to what he wanted, she nodded her ascent. "Of course."

Galen led her towards the windows where they could have a bit more privacy. "You’re obviously the best fighter of this group," he started, "and I’d like you to know that you’ll be one of the few taken."

"Thank you." She felt as if a huge load was taken off her shoulders.

"You deserve it. Furthermore, I’m putting you in charge of the other instructors when my partner and I are not around. You’ll basically be the third in command of this part of the operation."

"Why me?" she asked, not daring to believe what he was offering her.

Galen placed his palms on the windowsill and settled in for a long explanation. "To most people we are simply a security firm, a company who puts up alarms and monitors the comings and goings in the businesses we serve. But, in actual fact, we do a lot more than that." He paused to take a breath before continuing. "In truth, we are responsible for a lot of important people’s well being. They come to us for protection and we offer them training and the best security we can afford, including bodyguards. The way you fought those other applicants, especially the last one, separated you from the rest." And the fact that you’re very special to me as well. "The people we protect mostly don’t know anything about self defense tactics and the trick you used at the last fight could prove very useful to them. They need moves like that to best their enemies, specially since they’re usually up against more powerful, better trained individuals."

"I see."

"Think about it very well before you accept, Ten’ou-san. These assignments could sometimes develop into a life or death situation. I want you to know that beforehand." He stood up straight and turned to face her. "If you accept, you will be working closely with me and Ashiro. Mostly with me." Very closely if I have my way. "What do you say?"

Haruka weighed the pros and cons of the job silently. She now had a chance to do something with her life. Something important. But to do that, she had to work with Galen a lot and she still wasn’t comfortable with the feelings he brought out in her. On the other hand, if he were an enemy, she could find out more of his plans by staying close to him. She looked towards the entrance where Michiru sat with a stranger. Haruka wondered who he was and what he was doing with her. But more pressing decisions kept intruding on her mind. She’s not going to be happy about this, she thought. Michiru never liked it when she put herself in danger.

"I accept your offer, Fujiwara-san."

"Then welcome to the G & A Security Consulting Firm, Ten’ou-san. We’re lucky to have you."

They shook hands before heading to the now empty changing room.

The room had two rows of lockers with nothing but space in between. Galen and Haruka’s lockers were on the same aisle but on opposite rows. Galen quickly removed his top and opened his locker to get a change of clothes. Haruka watched the muscles on his back ripple when he reached up, and admired his physique. Then she caught her wayward thoughts and briskly reprimanded herself. It wasn’t like her to ogle a man no matter how handsome he was. What is wrong with you anyway, she asked herself. First you feel all hot when he touches you, then you decide he’s an enemy. Now you’re ogling his body. Geez!

Galen noticed Haruka watching him from the corner of his eye and tried to smother a grin. He saw her give herself a mental shake before attacking her karate uniform. She removed the garment to reveal a well-toned body in latex shorts and matching top. There wasn’t an ounce of fat to be found on her, only pure muscle and smooth skin. Some things just didn’t change.

Haruka finished buttoning her shirt on top of her jeans and turned to see Galen waiting for her. He had also changed into jeans and was holding his duffel bag in one hand. She picked up hers and together they left the room.

Haruka noticed that Michiru was still talking to the man she saw earlier. When they got close enough to be heard, the man looked up and smiled at them. "So, how’d the competition go?" he asked Galen.

"I take it you weren’t watching?" Amusement dripping from his every word.

The man didn’t actually blush but Haruka saw him turn pink at the neck. She became all the more curious. She sat down on Michiru’s other side and put an arm on the bench behind her back. The man saw the gesture and cleared his throat. "Actually, I watched Ten’ou-san win but not much else. Congratulations, by the way," he offered Haruka. "Michiru and I were discussing whether you were going to get the job. I said I felt pretty sure Galen wouldn’t pass you up."

When she looked up at Galen with eyebrows raised, he said, "This very dense man is my partner, Ashiro Usaka, Ten’ou-san. He will be the other person you will be working with a lot."

"So you accepted. Welcome aboard! We could always use a good instructor."

"Thank you," she replied. Michiru gave her a questioning look and she said, " I’ll tell you later."

Ashe stood up and said apologetically, "I’m sorry to cut this meeting short but Galen and I have another appointment to go to."

"That’s all right," Michiru said standing up as well. "We have to see a lot of places anyway."

"I’ll call you later in the week about when you’ll be starting," Galen informed Haruka. "I’m looking forward to working with you." More than you will ever know.

She found herself saying, "Me, too," and meaning it. Her two bosses then walked out of the room, leaving her and Michiru alone.

"So," she started. "Aren’t you going to tell me about the job."

"I’ll tell you when we get home." She wasn’t exactly looking forward to that. She knew she was going to get an argument from Michiru.

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~

The next week passed by quickly for the foursome. Haruka found herself enjoying the work involved in her new job and being with Galen as well. She didn’t look too closely on the latter and chucked it up to liking his personality. He was just a good friend, nothing more.

Galen also found himself whiling away the hours in Haruka’s company. He found ways and means to talk, tease or work his way into her good graces. She was a little leery at first and avoided being in his company as much as possible but was now very much at ease with him.

Ashiro, on the other hand, was having a harder time getting to Michiru. She was always performing at one event or another and, the odd time he managed to invite her over to see how Haruka was doing at work, she spent practically looking over her friend’s shoulder with a worried frown on her face.

Michiru was not having much luck either. She was getting more and more concerned about Haruka and going nowhere. She had tried extracting information from her but all she would say was that her job involved confidential information. They had never kept secrets from each other before. Of course it didn’t help that everywhere she turned, she found Ashiro. She was having a hard enough time forgetting him without having him turn up at all the places she went to. In fact, she was thinking so much about him that she kept forgetting about Haruka’s dilemma. It made her feel guilty so she redoubled her efforts on her friend’s behalf and tried to appear uninterested when Ashiro was around. It was getting to the point when she didn’t know how she really felt about either of them.

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~

One winter afternoon, at the end of November, Haruka came back from having lunch with Michiru to find Galen preparing to leave the office. He smiled when he saw her. She noticed he did that a lot around her.

"There you are, Haruka-san." They had started calling each other by first names after the first couple of days. "I was hoping you’d get back in time to accompany us to the airport."

Sitting on the edge of his desk while he put on his jacket, she asked, "What are we going to do at the airport?"

"We’re picking up a few friends who’ve just arrived from Canada. They’ll be living and working in this building from now on."

"Oh. You’re talking about the other owners, aren’t you? I didn’t realize they were coming today."

"They weren’t supposed to come ‘til next week but they wrapped things up early on that end and decided not to waste anytime," he explained. "So, are you coming?"

"Sure. Why not?"

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

There were a lot of people in the airport when they arrived, so they had to stand at the back of the crowd waiting for arrivals. Haruka watched to see if she could spot the people they were waiting for even though she didn’t know what they looked like. All she knew was there were four men and one woman, so she looked for a group of five.

From afar she noticed four men wearing casual attires of jeans and leather jackets disembarking. They were all tall, handsome men with great looking, well toned bodies. In contrast, the lady in the middle looked almost diminutive and was wearing a short, black dress, which molded closely to her slim but shapely figure without being scandalous. She also wore a short, hanging jacket in black as well as tall, black boots with three-inch heels. The darkness of her outfit emphasized her long, blond hair parted at the side and hanging in plaits all the way to her shins. It would probably have reached her feet if she hadn’t pulled it over her shoulder so it dangled in front.

She headed straight for Galen, reaching up to fix her dark sunglasses in place. Haruka watched, shocked, unmoving, and looking like she lost her best friend, as the lady hurled herself into Galen’s arms and planted a kiss on his mouth. She didn’t want to acknowledge the hurt she felt deep inside.

Galen was also in shock while he absorbed her weight and felt her arms go around him. When she kissed him for all she was worth, he didn’t know whether to embrace her or strangle her.

What in the world was Usagi doing?!!

 

to be continued...