Swiftgold: We finally got it done! I think you're probably going to get a kick out of this one... heh!
Sharra: Beware, there is a mention of a pornographic food product in this chapter. It might rot your impressionable young minds. When you find it... close your eyes.
Chapter Two: Identity Crisis
Morning came bright and early. Too early, in Sharra's opinion. She swatted at the hands shaking her. They were like flies buzzing around her head, annoying and constant.
"Storm the fort, General Washington! Damned Lobsters…" she mumbled, burying her face in her pillow. Beside her head, Fluffy Chicken cheeped.
Swiftgold stared down at her sister, blinking. "Eheh. Uh… Sharr?"
"Damn you, Cornwallis…"
She stood there for a moment, running a hand through her short hair. "Hrm… okay…"
Suddenly, Sharra sat up screaming, "ARNOLD!! NOOO!!" She looked around the room, eyes wild and glazed. Sweat stuck to her brow, and her chest was heaving. "Heh… a dream… it was only… a dream…" She shook herself, then peered up at Swiftgold. "Mornin', Swifty. How goes it?"
Her sister was looking at her as if she had grown three heads. "Fiiiinnnee..."
"Okay then. You ready to rock, girlfriend?" She hopped out of bed, hair tousled and nightshirt wrinkled. She had a few feathers struck in her hair from where Fluffy Chicken had lain in the night. Swiftgold gestured to her head, and she stared at her blankly for a moment before feeling the top of her head. "What?"
"Your head."
"What about my head?"
"There's something on it."
"Like what?"
"Feathers."
"Oh." She plucked a few downy feathers from her head, then flicked them away from her.
From the pillow, Fluffy Chicken clucked softly, preening. <You look better with them, Sharra dear.>
<I need a new boa, Fluff Bird - keep it up.>
Swiftgold plopped down on the bed where she had been engaged in sorting out their clothes. "You gonna take a shower or something?" she asked, derailing her train of thought. "I'm ordering breakfast in a minute."
"Yups! Order for me too," she said, poking through her bag for shower essentials.
"Of course. What do you want?" She picked up the telephone and dialed room service.
Sharra careened into the bathroom, flicking on the light and setting the bottles on the counter. She'd always had great skin, but some of those lotions and things smelled really nice. "How bout... hmm... pancakes, and eggs!"
"Kay," Swiftgold replied, repeating that into the phone. "And some donuts, and sausage and bacon, please."
"Waffles!" her sister called over the sound of the water as she turned on the faucet. "And muffins too! Hot chocolate, and coffee. I'm really hungry. Mmm… coffee. Hope they send up creamer too."
Adding that to the order, she also tacked on milk and juice. "This is gonna be expensive," she muttered. "Oh well. I'm hungry too." Standing and looking over the clothes again, she selected some to wear that day. She wanted to look impressive.
Swiftgold frowned as she looked around the room again. "Oh… crap in a hole!" she cried. "Room service is gonna see these damn birds!" She scowled at Erwin, who had woken her and probably half the hotel up with his crowing. Sharra was too used to it and as usual slept right through it.
Flapping a towel at the ducks, she chased them toward the open bathroom door. *She won't care, and it'll keep em out of sight. Let her see what it's like,* she chuckled. Picking up Fluffy Chicken off the pillow, she held the hen out at arm's length, depositing her in the large sink. "There, it's a nest," she muttered. "Stay."
"What was that?!" Sharra hollered from the shower.
"Nothing!" she called back. "Just cleaning up after your pets so we don't get kicked out when room service comes!" Sweeping up the phone book, she took a couple steps toward Erwin, grinning evilly. "Shoo!" she cried, doing her best to herd him toward the bathroom. The disgruntled rooster did not want to be shooed, but after a moment, he ran squawking in. Swiftgold slammed the door and leaned against it for a second with a satisfied sigh. Sharra could clean up the rest of the mess and feed them later.
Coming out of the bathroom, she saw in disgust that there was some… chicken mess on the carpet and bedspread. Looking about the room, she spied the complimentary newspaper. Thanking God, she picked up the paper and separated the sheets, dropping some here and there in the room, then on the bedspread - her bedspread, she noted sourly. The damn birds had probably targeted her bed on purpose.
There was a knock on the door, and a call of "Room service."
"Come in," she replied, placing the last paper down.
A moment later a young man wheeled a cart in laden with breakfast delicacies. He stopped still, eyes goggling out of his head as he saw the lovely blonde in her skimpy, form-fitting nightshirt.
Swiftgold stared at him, before looking down at herself. She eeped, and then grabbed up a blanket from Sharra's bed and held it up in front of herself, blushing prettily. Then, Sharra came out, wearing only a towel. She stretched a little, and the young man looked as if he were about to faint.
"Sharra! Put some clothes on!" Swiftgold hissed.
"Uh… you can… ah… enjoy your breakfast!" Eyebrows raised at his nervousness, the older girl extended her hand with his tip in it. Snatching it up with a hasty bow, he retreated quickly.
Sharra blinked. "I guess that's one way to keep 'em from noticing the birds, eh, Swifty?" She gestured at the ducks, who had followed her out of the bathroom and were milling, randomly, at her feet. Gazing at the food, her eyes went big and shiny. So many breakfast delectables... all for herrrr! …And Swiftgold.
Swiftgold sighed at the look on her sister's face, then wheeled the cart over to the beautiful table and took out the elegant china they had included with the meal. It was amazing how the girl could eat so much and remain so model-thin. Of course, she herself had never had any problem with weight gain either.
She piled the food on her plate, feeling quite hungry from the events of yesterday. Watching Sharra help herself to twice as much, and a disturbing amount of coffee, she found her thoughts wandering.
This wouldn't have happened if Sharra hadn't insisted to going to speak to a Japanese mythology professor that came to their high school about her interest in Susano and Amaterasu. The professor had spied the pendant around her neck and said one of his coworkers at Shinsha University had one just like it in a similar style, as did her husband and their friends that he had met. That was what had gotten Sharra started on this whole crazy quest of hers. She had found a small lead and, like a bloodhound, was determined to sniff it out.
Swiftgold herself wasn't sure about any of this. Maybe it was best to leave things alone. Then again…
"So, whatcha wanna wear today, Swiftsilver?"
She received a dirty look for the nickname before her sister said thoughtfully, "The loose flowing skirt. You know - the silk one with the roses on the skirt. And flowing silk midriff shirt. The one that has the golden embroidery. Sandals too."
Sharra snorted. "Fem. I'm going to wear my black jeans with the ripped knees, my black hiking boots, emerald green tank top, and my favorite leather jacket - the black one. Oh, and those fingerless black leather gloves."
"Eehh… you looking to get us arrested, Sharryu?"
"DON'T do that! Stop with the Pokemon nicknames already!"
Her sister smirked. "If that's what you want - Sharrmie."
"AGHH!" Sharra counted to ten once, twice, three times. Erwin flapped up onto the table. <Hey - Erwie. Swiftgold wants to share her food with you!>
A moment later, Erwin strutted over to her plate and began to peck at her bacon. "HEY!! YOU STUPID - GET OFF!!" she screamed, taking the phone book on the table and swinging it at him. The bird gave her a good peck on the wrist before flying over onto the bed. She growled, "I reallly have a craving for KFC."
Sharra was quick to change the subject, deciding not to revel in her victory. "Okay - phone book. The professor guy gave us two names. Sanada Ryo and Mouri Cye."
Swiftgold flipped open the phone book after casting a wary eye on Erwin. "Mouri, huh…" A second later she reached for the phone and dialed in a number. It rang a few times, and she gnawed on her lip once or twice.
"Hi-hi. Mouri Traci here!" a peppy voice piped.
She wrinkled her nose in disdain. The bimbo must have been a cheerleader in high school. They must have them in Japan too...
"Uh… hiii… is Mouri Cye there?"
"Nope!"
"Okayyyy… do you know when he'll be back?"
"Yep! He's at his restaurant right now! He'll be back soon! Ya want me to take a message?" There was the sound of gum snapping, and she winced. In the background, she heard a child giggling and the Barney song playing in Japanese. She shuddered.
"Hrm… could you give me the address of the restaurant? I really need to talk to him."
"Oops! I have another call! Be back in a sec, m'kay?"
Swiftgold sighed and held her head in her hands as she received a busy signal. Sharra stared at her expectantly, opening her mouth to say something. She held up a finger to her lips. There was a clicking, and she didn't know whether to be relieved or afraid.
"So sorry 'bout that, dear. I was talking to the jewelers, I'm getting a replacement made for a pendant I had a long time ago."
She went white as a sheet. No no no no nooo! It was all she could do not to hang up the phone. "A--address, please?"
"'Kay. Coming right up."
With a shaky hand, she wrote down the address, then hung up the phone hard, trembling. Then, she looked over at her sister pleadingly. "Please - do we HAVE to go through with this?"
"Well, duh."
She sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that. Dammit." Banging her head on the table once, she stood up, went over to grab her clothes from the bags, and headed to the bathroom, kicking away at the poultry in her path.
As Swiftgold left, Sharra gazed over at the phone. Who was the other one? Oh yeah. Sanada Ryo. She flipped through the book until she found the names. There were quite a few.
At last, she saw it. Right there, in black kanji. Sanada Ryo. Quickly, she dialed the number, her fingers a blur on the numbered buttons.
A moment later, a sultry feminine voice said, "Sanada's Exotic Bakery. Yes, we make penis cakes."
Sharra's eyes went huge and her face bright red. "Um… uh…"
"Tell me, what's your pleasure?"
She hung up the phone hard. There was a large sweatdrop on the side of her head.
Swiftgold blinked at her. "Why'd you hang up?"
"Heh… you're better off if you DON'T know. And I'm never going to tell you, let's just leave it at that."
Swiftgold's curiosity was piqued, and she was about to press the issue, when Sharra gave her that LOOK, taught to her by her hippie friend, Seven Spears. Her real name was Pink Flower, but everyone called her by that nickname because her stare was said to pierce one like several spears. She shrank back, looking down at the table repentantly.
As Sharra looked back down at the phone book, she saw that she had missed the number by one. Crossing her fingers, and hoping that she had better results this time, she dialed the number.
To her relief, a calm, soft voice answered the phone. "Hello. Sanada residence."
"May I speak to Sanada Ryo?" As an afterthought, she added, "Please?"
The level-headed voice said, "I'm sorry, but he's at work right now. May I take a message?"
Sharra sighed, "It's really important. Could you tell me where he works?"
There was a hesitation on the other end of the line, and for a moment, Sharra wasn't sure that the woman, probably his wife, was going to give it to her. Finally, she said, "Toyama City Zoo. With the big cats."
She took down the address, wondering why the woman was so cautious-sounding. Ah well, it didn't matter. Thanking the woman, she hung up. Glancing up at Swiftgold, she said, "Toyama City Zoo. With the big cats."
Swiftgold muttered, "This Cye guy is a chef at some fancy restaurant. The Golden something or other. It had a really stupid name. You can have him."
"But I want to go to the zoo!" Sharra protested.
"Tough." Knowing Sharra and animals, she'd be there all day and they'd never get anything done. She watched her sister sulk, then smirked lightly. "Get ready, it's… time to go look."
"Fine," she mumbled. Gulping down what had to be her sixth cup of coffee, loaded with sugar and creamer, she stood, still sulking, and went over to her suitcase.
*****
"Mmm… fooood…" he murmured, breathing in the delicious aromas.
Kento of the Hardrock leaned back in the plush chair, gazing about at all the nicely dressed people and tastefully decorated restaurant. Yes, being a food critic had its perks.
A little impatient, he tapped his fingers upon the silk tablecloth. What was taking so long? He was getting hungry. He leaned over to speak to a passing waiter, when something caught his attention.
A cloud of weird-smelling smoke.
Blinking, he glanced over at the man who had just sat down at the table beside him. Then, he blinked again. The man had long gray hair with a rolled-up bandanna tied up in a band around it. There was a brightly colored shirt and a fringed vest upon his upper body. He wore John Lennon sunglasses, obscuring his eyes. Around his neck were a few pairs of love beads and a peace sign. Bellbottoms and Birkenstocks completed the ensemble. In his mouth was a joint.
What in the freak was a hippie doing in here?
The hippie suddenly looked at him steadily. Why did he look so familiar? It was as if he had some type of aura about him…
Not wanting to be caught staring, Kento glanced down hurriedly. His cheeks were flaming from embarrassment. A hippie?? He hadn't even known they were still around! A flower child…
The hippie was still looking at him… he could feel it. He was about to ask him what his problem was when his cell phone rang. Pulling it out of his back pocket, he flipped it open and said, "Rei Fuan Kento, Food Critic Extraordinaire, at your service."
"Kento? Sweety?" came the sickeningly peppy voice on the other end of the line.
He brightened. "Candy! Honey bear! How are you?"
"Hungry," came the petulant pout. "I haven't eaten in a whole hour!"
Smiling at the thought of his wife, he remembered how they had gotten together. She had been one of the most beautiful girls in high school - a cheerleader. Rowen, Sage, and Cye had been dating her friends, also cheerleaders. They had introduced them, and Candy's love of food and great looks had instantly won him over. They had only grown to care more about each other when it was revealed she and her friends had armors of their own, as well as Mia, who became their leader.
"Will you bring me something on the way home, pumpkin? I hear there's a new deli opening."
As Kento talked with his wife, the man at the table next to him continued to stare in his direction. He leaned back in his chair and inhaled deeply, blowing out a ring of smoke skillfully.
"Buh-bye, sweety," she said in her syrupy voice. "Hurry home!"
"Love you, muffin. See you later," he told Candy, just as he spied the waiter bringing his order. Perfect timing! He snapped the phone closed and tucked it away, taking out his notebook and grinning happily as a wide selection of dishes was set on his table. Immediately he began to sample them, writing his impressions in his book.
Reaching up to adjust his tie, Kento's fingers brushed the small pendant on a chain he wore under his shirt. After the Ronins and the She-Ronins had defeated Neo-Talpa, back in the early nineties, Mia had ordered a pendant with their armor symbols on them, one for each of them. He wore his often because Candy liked for them to match, and to tell the truth it was kind of a comforting reminder of his fighting past. It had been a long time since they'd had such adventures, and there were families to think of now.
But for some reason, as he touched the pendant, it seemed to shock him slightly. His hand jerked away, and he looked up quickly. Instinctively, he turned to look at the hippie, who was definitely staring.
Flushing a little in embarrassment, Kento snapped, "What? Haven't you ever seen someone eat before?"
Much to his surprise, the man just stood up and walked out. Blinking, the Ronin stared after him. He certainly wasn't just any weirdo, that was for sure.
The hippie left the restaurant, turning down the street toward the bus stop. He had an old friend to meet…
*****
Swiftgold glanced over at her sister in the seat next to her. She was snoring loudly in her sleep. She'd never known anyone who could sleep so much… especially in this hunk of junk truck. *Hunk of junk truck,* she mused. That was almost a good rhyme thing, but not quite. She'd have to work on it a little.
"Chickens…" Sharra mumbled, rolling over.
Rolling her eyes, she continued to drive down the highway - again - on the wrong side of the road! What ever happened to... normal driving? Japan, England… insane, all of them.
"Herbert…" she mumbled again.
She sighed. Then again, when was anything ever normal?
The man frowned as he walked past the kitchens. The servants were preparing the evening meal. Nothing out of the usual. But something seemed to be out of place.
The rings on his staff jingled momentarily...
"HERBERT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOUNG MAN?!" He realized in that instant that the out-of-place feeling was connected with his only son. Herbert. Praying to Kami-sama for strength, he stepped into the kitchens.
"Yo, Pop!" Herbert waved.
A muscle in his cheek twitched. "How many times have I told you not to call me Pop?"
"I dunno, Pop. Want a joint?"
His cheek twitched some more. "What's a joint?"
Herbert ran a hand through his gray hair and pulled out a cylindrical object that looked rolled. "This is. Wanna light one up?"
"Ancient One! He's trying to steal the evening meal!" fussed one woman. She gestured to the cage in one hand that he hadn't noticed previously. "Are you going to allow this?!"
"Herbert..."
"Yeah, Pop?"
The Ancient One stared at the white rooster in the cage who was clucking irately and flapping his wings. He cocked his head to one side and warbled at the monk. His beady eyes sought the man's own shielded ones, and he stared back evenly. "What are you doing with the chicken?"
Herbert lifted the cage above his head, crying, "I'm liberating the oppressed!" The chicken clucked triumphantly, flapping his wings all the harder.
He sweatdropped. "Riiight... why don't you put the cage down now and..."
Damn kid got nuttier and nuttier every day.
"No way, Pop!" Herbert stated roughly. "I'm not letting you eat Erwin!"
"Oh, dear gods..." he muttered. A headache pounded behind his temples. This was the heir to the powers of the Ancient One?
"His name's Erwin, Pop. He told me so! And check this out, I made him immortal!"
"YOU WHAT?!"
"Brawwwk..." stated the rooster.
Sharra's eyes shot open. She peered over at Swiftgold, who eyed her, then went back to watching the road. She shook her head once, murmuring, "Cool dream."
*****
Erwin flapped about on the table, trying to frighten Fluffy Chicken away from the remains of a waffle. He had set his sights on the piece of food and he'd be damned if he would let any other bird have it! He opened his beak wide and let out an annoyed warble. Fluffy Chicken continued to peck at it, contentedly devouring the breakfast treat.
He warbled again, then rushed at her as only an enraged rooster can. She cheeped in fright and flew from the table. Erwin gave a crow of triumph before pecking away at his prize.
"Psst!" came the whisper. "Chicken dude!"
Erwin clucked, head flying up at the sound of that familiar voice. The hippie was levitating in front of the window, long hair flapping in the breeze, love beads rattling. He let out a happy "Bawk!", jumped from the table, and rushed over to the open window. He continued to cluck excitedly, flapping his wings.
"Whoa, cool it, Erwin!" Erwin clucked a few more times before becoming still and staring at the hippie solemnly. "Listen up, okay? He's coming back, and he's after them. You have to watch out for the babes, okay?"
The chicken flapped his wings, warbling.
"I know, I know!" the hippie said. "But they don't know about their powers yet! Man, they don't even know who their parents are!"
"Bawwk!" Erwin hopped up and down a few times.
Sighing, the hippie nodded. "This is going to seem totally cosmic to them. They'll think they're tripping or something." He reached into the pocket of his bellbottoms and pulled out a joint. A flame came out of his finger, lighting it. Bringing it to his lips, he inhaled deeply. Erwin clucked in agitation, flapping his wings. The hippie frowned. "I know they're bummer for me! Don't you ever quit buggin' me?! One thousand years and you're still bringin' me down!"
The chicken warbled.
"Yeah, yeah. Just keep your eyes open. We're just gonna have to go with the flow on this one. Man, it blows my mind." The hippie began to vanish. "Always remember this, though, my man. Ten flowers makes a mouse, but one flower makes a joint."
Erwin cocked his head to one side, looking totally confused. "Bawwwk??"
*****
Sharra waved at Swiftgold as she drove off. Then, she turned and stared up at the sign proclaiming the name of the elegant restaurant. The Golden Clucker. What kind of a stupid name was that?
"Golden Clucker?" she muttered to herself. "What the hell? I coulda gone to the zoo!"
She sighed, straightening her leather jacket before pushing open the door of the swanky-looking restaurant. Wonderful smells filled her nostrils and she breathed in deeply, before realizing the scents smelt slightly off to her. Furrowing her eyebrows, she tried to brush past the snooty looking French waiter.
"Excuse me," the waiter said, looking disdainfully at her attire, "can I help you, miss?"
Who knew they had snooty French waiters in Japan?
She tried to return his nasty glare. "I'm looking for Mouri Cye. I heard he works here. I need to talk to him, it's important." Unconsciously, she fingered the pendant around her neck, the gemstone glimmering in the elegant lighting. The waiter turned his nose up at her. Her cheeks flushed in annoyance at his superior attitude.
"The master chef is working now. Come back later."
Sharra growled at him. "I NEED to see him."
"Come back LATER," the snooty man replied coolly.
She raised a blonde eyebrow at him, suddenly smirking. Stupid old fart. Well, there was more than one way to skin a cat. "UNCLEEE CYEEEE!! HEELPPP!!" she screamed, pasting a terrified look on her face. "HE TOUCHED MEEEEE!!"
The waiter's face went ghost white as the patrons of the restaurant turned to stare at him. His head whirled around to stare at the girl in horror, then back at the customers. He swallowed, trying to cover the girl's mouth with his hand. Unfortunately, this only made him look worse in their eyes.
"Hentai," one of them said.
"Monster!" another cried.
Sharra bit his hand and he released it with a cry. She continued to scream hysterically. "PERVERT!! PERVERT!! HE PUT HIS HANDS ON MEEEEE!!"
Suddenly, there was a roar of fury, and a muscular man came charging through the mass of tables and whispering people. His tie flapped about him madly as he charged towards the man. She blinked, then wisely jumped out of the way.
The waiter screamed like a girl as the man tackled him with a loud "YAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!" He went down like a sack of manure beneath the assailant's weight.
"No one touches my bud's relatives like that! Sicko! Pervert! Hentaiiii!!" the man howled, slamming his fist into the snooty man's jaw. The waiter sobbed as if he were an infant, begging for mercy.
"I didn't touch the little delinquent! I swear! It's a lie, I tell you! A lieee!"
Sharra stared at the man, running a hand through her blonde curls. "Whoa…" Serves him right, she thought wickedly. I hope the big guy knocks his yellow teeth right out of his face! "Wait… bud's relatives?"
Quickly, she rushed over and pulled the snarling - and heavy - man from the waiter. The waiter whined and scrambled off, screaming about assault charges. The man grunted, turning to the young woman. "You okay, kid?"
"Fine… and don't call me kid." Watching him straighten his tie, her eyes suddenly widened as she saw the carnelian pendant around his neck.
She was about to open her mouth to ask him about it, and how he might know Mouri Cye… and more importantly, her parents, when a man with reddish-brown hair, wearing a goofy chef's hat, rushed out, screaming, "WHO TOUCHED VICTORIA!? I'LL KILL THEM!!" He skidded to a halt, staring at her. His face was flushed, and he was gasping for air. "You're not Victoria."
She only stared back, stricken. There was a plucked chicken in his hand. A chicken. A dead one. That was what the smell on the air was. Chicken cooking.
The husky one waved a hand in front of her face. "Hey, you okay?"
Sharra only made a whimpering sound, tears filling her eyes. "C - chick…"
She fell to her knees, tears breaking free as she sniffled loudly. The pendant on the silver chain swung outwards a bit, and the reddish-haired man's eyes widened. He dropped the chicken. It landed with a squishy thud.
"Where the bloody 'ell did you get that?"
The husky one gave him a daft look. "Say wha'? Cyeee? Yo? Dude, whassup?"
"Look, Kento." He pointed to the pendant. Kento squinted, before his mouth dropped open. What he saw was a bit unexpected.
"Where'd you get it, kid?"
Sharra looked up, brushing away the tears and managing to say, "It belonged to one of my parents. My sister has the other."
"You're the daughter of--?!" Kento began.
Her eyes took on a hopeful look, but Cye suddenly shushed him, gazing around at the crowd that had gathered, the people looking on at the scene as if it were some kind of staged play. "Let's go to my office," he said soothingly, "and we can take care of everything there." He bent to pick up the chicken, frowning at it. Damn, perfectly good food gone to waste...
Sniffling, the long-haired girl stared at the… at the corpse he was holding, trying desperately to keep her lip from quivering. "Ah… c'mon," the larger man said, putting an arm around her shoulders and turning her away from the awful sight, "it's this way. And hey," he said with a wink, "Cye's got those pastel dinner mints in his desk."
She nodded miserably in response, letting him lead her past the kitchen's swinging doors.
*****
Swiftgold slammed the truck door hard, and winced as the whole thing shook. "Damn junky nineties cars…" she sighed to herself, noting the elephant on the parking sign and stalking up toward the gates of the zoo.
She liked cars, but not enough to want to work with them or anything. Sharra was more into that type of thing, always tinkering with the ones they had on the commune. Those weren't much better than the rental, sure, but when she'd turned sixteen Swiftgold had used some of her savings to buy herself a nice car. It barely had ten thousand miles on it. *And it's now just sitting there doing nothing, she thought, peeved.* Oh well, at least it was a nice day, even if it was the… zoo. Full of big, stupid animals, and things she would most rather avoid stepping in. Plenty of screaming children and bored adults. Yes, a wonderful place the zoo was.
Buying a ticket and soon after handing it to the too-happy ticket taker, she walked inside, ignoring the cotton candy stalls and other souvenir booths that lined the entranceway. All overpriced junk anyway.
The first thing she looked for, and found, was a large map board. But as she gazed at it, she scowled. Too many kanji. She hated kanji. She could barely read it. The most she could read was 'cat', 'welcome' and 'must wear pants to enter the building'. Well, it was probably best to just walk around and find it that way.
Pulling a copy of the map from the side holder, she meandered down a cement walkway. And another walkway. She glanced up at the animals from time to time, trying to figure out where she was from the map, but to no avail. Getting frustrated, she stamped her foot and spun around a little. "Dammit," she cried, forgetting to use Japanese, "this is stupid! What an incredible waste of time this place is!"
Almost as if in response to her comment, a peacock strutting nearby made a loud, piercing cry. She jumped at the almost-scary noise, her eyes widening as the bird started coming her way, raising its large tailfeathers slightly. She noted sourly that if it were Sharra in this situation, the damn bird would most likely love her.
"Okay," Swiftgold apologized, her face a little pink, "this zoo is all worthwhile, especially since I had the privilege of seeing you." She turned to hurry past, muttering, "Stupid oven-bait. You'd go great with some Stove Top, I bet." There was a horrible insulted squawk from the peacock, and she nearly ran to get out of the area.
Who knew the peacocks in Japan understood English?
There was a small building up ahead, and she moved toward it, intent on finding someone to help her find her way to the big cats. She flung open the glass door and suddenly stopped in her tracks. Oh. This is the reptile house. She walked warily past the displays, peering in a few here or there. Snakes and the like were interesting, but kind of creepy. A girlish shiver went through her.
Motion up ahead made her quickly stop again, and she scowled, feeling like she was driving downtown during rush hour. The person up ahead straightened, turning around with a disgustingly huge snake draped around his shoulders like some mockery of a boa. Swiftgold looked at him curiously. From his appearance, he certainly was getting into his job. Very into his job, indeed.
"Excuse me?" she said, and he blinked, seeming to see her for the first time.
The man in the brown zoo uniform smiled, coming closer, and she raised a wary eyebrow at the snake. "Don't worry, he won't bite. Do you need something, miss?"
"I'm kind of lost…" As he reached for a copy of the map on the information desk, she held up her own and shook her head. "I can't read it too well," she muttered, a little embarrassed.
"No problem, I know this place like the back of my hand. What area of the zoo are you looking for?"
Swiftgold wondered if he'd had his hair dyed green before or after he got the job. "The big cats. I'm looking for a Sanada Ryo… he does work here, right?" she asked quickly. If she was somehow at the wrong place… oh, something would get hurt.
"Ryo?" he said, surprised. "Sure he does. In fact, we're pretty good friends." Hrm, I wonder what she wants to talk to Ryo for... well, it's probably noting special. Even so, I feel something weird about this. Looking back at her suddenly, he said, "Hold on a moment. I can take you there myself." She nodded, and he turned to put the snake back in its cage.
As the man walked to the other end of the building, she couldn't help but stare after him, smirking a little. He was pretty damn cute, even with the odd hair color and strange eyes. It was sexy, in an odd sort of way. *Stop that, she chided herself. There are plenty of tight butts back in Kansas.*
But then she realized with a little shock that if they did find their parents here, would they even be going back to the States? At least, permanently? She was a legal adult, but their biological parents could probably get custody of Sharra if they tried hard enough, and she was not leaving her sister in a foreign country where they drove on the wrong side of the road and ate raw fish. Nope. No sirree.
The zoo worker returned, snakeless, and she jolted herself out of her thoughts and put on a smile. For a moment both wondered what to say, until the man suddenly smacked his forehead. "Sorry," he apologized, "I'm so rude. My name is Sekhmet." He bowed to her, and she froze for a moment before holding her hands in front of her and doing the same, hoping she hadn't messed up.
"I'm Swiftgold," she said. "Pleased to meet you."
"Well," he began, "as soon as… ah, good, here she is." The blonde-haired girl watched curiously as another employee entered, looking about furtively and narrowing her eyes. "I should be back shortly. Thanks for covering for me," he told her.
The woman nodded, businesslike, straightening her nametag, which said, in no uncertain terms, with bold, red lettering, 'Zookeeper'. "The facility is safe in my hands," she stated with a salute. Swiftgold sweatdropped.
"You didn't have to stop working or anything," she muttered as they left the building.
He waved a hand dismissively. "I don't get a chance to do this often." She blushed at his attentive smile, following him down the mind-numbing maze of paths and through crowds of sticky, whining children and half-interested adults.
The smell changed as they arrived in the large building with the felines - though it was thankfully not half as bad as the giraffe house. She looked around at the informational displays to amuse herself while her companion searched for what was hopefully the key to her past, and the possible ruin of her life. Whatever worked for Fate.
"Hey, Ryo!" Sekhmet called, raising a hand.
The dark-haired man, dressed in the same brown uniform and surrounded by an awed crowd of kids, waved back and wrapped up his talk. He ambled over to the two, a flurry of white motion near his legs. Swiftgold got a good look at what it was and jumped back, hiding behind the green-haired man. "Bwahh! That tiger's out of its cage!"
Ryo laughed at her, waving a hand. "Whiteblaze is harmless," he smiled, and she sheepishly stood forward again.
The white tiger was beautiful, with extraordinary brown eyes, and she tentatively patted his head, encouraged when he just sat there and acted like any other housecat. She loved cats. Briefly, the thought crossed her mind that he might be interested in a nice chicken dinner by the name of 'Erwin'.
"So," the man said, looking at his friend, "what brings you here, Sekhmet?"
"Ah," he said, "Ryo, this is Swiftgold. Swiftgold, Ryo." Expecting another bow, she was relieved when he merely reached out and shook her hand. "She was looking for you and happened to find me."
'Happened to'? he thought with a trace of the old suspicion, but shook it away. It had been years since they'd put down the Dynasty again. If something was going to happen, it would have already. "What do you need?" the handsome man asked kindly.
She fiddled with her fingernails a moment before quickly explaining to him how she and Sharra had found his name in possible connection with their missing parents. "The professor said that you had similar pendants?" she asked, raising hers up for them to look at.
Two sets of eyes went wide, and Ryo's hand automatically stole toward his neck where his own Wildfire pendant hung, the same color as his wife Mia's pendant of the Roses armor symbol. That was right, she did have these made for everyone after the battle. *But if the girl has one, from a parent, then that means...*
"Um," he said, "just a moment, please?" He pulled Sekhmet aside, speaking in a soft, harsh tone. "Did you see that?"
"Of course I did," he said shortly. "Do you know what this means?"
Ryo nodded. "Well, who else out of the sixteen of us is missing a pendant?"
Sekhmet made a face. "How am I supposed to know? It's not Naeko; I just saw it on her the other day. But… damn, look how old she is! This wasn't anything recent! And a sister? It happened twice, and we never knew?"
"Yeah, really… well… Mia still has hers, she never takes it off."
Swiftgold looked over at the two, who were deep in their conversation and oblivious to everything else. She sighed, glancing down at the tiger and scratching behind his ears as he leaned against her legs and got fur all over her skirt.
Reaching into her purse, she pulled out her compact and checked her makeup, as always thankful that a lipstick had finally been invented that didn't need to be reapplied all the time. Even so, it was time for a touchup, and she pulled out a tube of the metallic purple stuff, carefully applying it.
The two warriors turned zoo employees stopped in mid-argue, staring over at her as she arranged her short blonde hair out of her eyes, snapping the compact closed. "There's no denying it," Sekhmet commented. "I mean, look at her."
"I know," he responded, biting his lip. "Okay… I'm going to make a phone call. Right now."
*****
*Mmm... mints,* Sharra thought, reaching into the bag and tossing several of the pastel goodies into her mouth. After a lot of sniffling, the exasperated master chef had finally given her the entire thing to keep her quiet. Ahh, she always got what she wanted. Heh. Life was good.
Absently picking at her jeans and making the holes in the knees bigger, she stared up toward the front of the small electric sports car, watching Cye drive. Kento was slumped in the seat next to him, tapping his fingers against his cheek. Funny how she'd just met them but still felt comfortable enough to let them drive her somewhere. Well, they seemed trustworthy, and kind of, well, sweet. For adults. Besides… she had mace.
"So…" Kento said, desperate to break the silence, "do you… have any pets?"
The blonde-haired girl growled a little at the driver. "Yes, they're chickens," she spat, "and a couple of ducks. Lulu, Houdini, Erwin and Fluffy Chicken." Each syllable was laced with venom.
"Oh, holy hell," the sandy-haired man muttered, automatically checking his watch. Perhaps he should have left her at the restaurant.
Sharra smiled at his reaction, also glad that their search was finally going to be over with. Cye had called around and arranged a meeting with their parents at Ryo Sanada's house. Good thing Swiftgold found him, she mused, also happy that these two were able to take her there. Apparently they were good friends with her real parents, and their whole entire group had keepsake pendants or something. It was better than ID.
The soothing sounds of the ocean were emanating from the minidisc player in the front, water apparently being one of Cye's favorite things. She shifted on her seat, trying to drown out the noise by humming. "Are we there yet?" she asked in a singsong tone. "Your ocean is making me hafta pee."
"Don't worry," he replied quickly as Kento snickered, "there it is." He pointed forward, and Sharra looked, her mouth dropping open.
"Damn," she drawled with a huge grin, "you didn't say he was rich…" She rubbed her hands together gleefully as the adults exchanged looks. Oh, this was gonna be fun.
*****
Idly, she stroked Whiteblaze's fur, listening to the soothing sound of him purr as the large jeep sped swiftly along the country roads. She laid her head against his soft face, and he nuzzled her short blonde hair. Sighing, Swiftgold stared up ahead, peering at the back of Ryo and Sekhmet's heads. It was probably a dangerous thing to be riding with two strange men she didn't know, but this whole quest was dangerous! She was taking the final steps in revealing the secrets of her past, and she could only wonder if Sharra had the same luck.
Swiftgold fiddled with her pendant, watching the play of the sunlight upon it. It glittered enticingly, and Whiteblaze leaned down and sniffed it, then looked up at her, bottomless brown eyes peering deep into her own hazel ones. She was a bit put off by that gaze.
"So… um… are we almost there?"
Sekhmet turned around and smiled at her a bit reassuringly. "Up ahead, the large manor. Ryo lives there with his wife. Her name is Mia; you'll like her, I think."
She glanced back up to see said manor, and her jaw dropped. "My God, it's huge! Bigger than the main farmhouse!"
The two men chuckled politely, almost indulgently. Immediately, she felt stupid at saying something so immature. A pretty flush stained her cheeks, and she rested her head against the window, peering out.
She sat up straight again when she saw another car, a pale blue sports car, pulling up in a driveway ahead of them. She could barely make out a blonde head, and a hand waving at her.
Exhaling a breath, she thought to herself, *So, Sharra found him.*
The jeep pulled into the driveway, and she stared up at the mansion with something akin to fear. She was poised on the edge of a precipice, and there was no turning back now. She was about to plunge right off the edge.
Swiftgold rejoined her sister out in the large, spacious driveway. Sharra was so hyper that she'd bet one of those guys had given her some kind of candy. When she saw the bag of mints peeking out of her pocket, she knew she was right. *Damn,* she thought sourly. *Might have to get violent and threaten Erwin the Demon Rooster again.*
"Look at the size of this place!" Sharra said quietly, suddenly nervous. She reached down into her pocket and popped another mint into her mouth. Swiftgold sighed. Her sister looked at her sideways and asked, "You want a mint?"
Yes. She was definitely nervous. She was offering to share her food.
"No," Swiftgold said back, voice trembling a little.
Each of the men greeted each other with manly slaps on the back, noogies, and other such male rituals. Cye in particular seemed to bear the brunt of this. With a long suffering expression, he submitted to the welcomes before giving out a few hugs of his own.
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"Really sure?"
"YES!" Swiftgold snapped.
Sharra stuck her hands in her pockets, sulking. "Fine," she mumbled. "Stupid chicken-hater."
Ryo suddenly cleared his throat. "Well, let's not stand outside. Please, come in." He gestured toward the house, and Swiftgold nodded, nudging Sharra to move before her up the walk. She jerked her arm out of her sister's reach, pouting as she clumped toward the door.
Discreetly, Swiftgold flipped her off when everyone had passed her. She had just lowered the offending finger, when a pretty brown-haired woman opened the door and stared at the group of people on her doorstep before turning to her husband. "Ryo, you didn't say we'd be having company. We've already got two other gues--"
Ryo chewed on his lip. "Well, you won't really mind a few more for dinner, ne?"
Mia sighed, "No, I suppose not." Then she smiled at them. "Hello, won't you come in?"
"Thanks," Sharra said as she passed her. The woman nodded in acknowledgment. Both girls paused in the middle of the entryway, stunned at the size of the house. It was even larger inside than outside!
"Huge…" Swiftgold muttered.
"Daaaaamn huge," Sharra whispered back.
The woman, whom they presumed to be Mia, coughed, before grinning a bit sheepishly. "It's been in the family for quite a while. My grandfather left it to me upon his death." She bowed traditionally before them, hands in front of her. "How do you do, I'm Sanada Mia. Pleased to meet you."
Swiftgold returned the bow, if not a bit awkwardly, and Sharra eyed her oddly for a moment before copying her. They stood by and watched as Mia familiarly greeted the other men with hugs and warm welcomes. They replied in turn. While this was happening, Ryo took them aside. "Those other 'guests' must be your parents. We'll wait here. Good luck."
"Ryo?" Mia asked in confusion.
He cleared his throat. "Mia, will you take Swiftgold and…"
"Sharra," the girl said.
"Sharra… to our other guests. Please?" At her look, he continued, "we'll explain everything to you while they're talking, I promise."
She nodded, giving him a very odd look. "Okay, Ryo. This way, please." The woman gestured, leading them up a flight of stairs and down a hallway. "This is my study," she told the two nervous girls.
She raised her hand to knock on the door, but Swiftgold reached out to stop her. "Um, can you give us a moment before we go in?"
"Of course," Mia said with a friendly smile. She was all to ready to go downstairs and ask the guys what was going on, anyway. "Whenever you're ready, of course," she said, just nodding and smiling as if she understood what they were doing here in the first place, turning away.
As soon as her footsteps on the stairs faded, Sharra whirled to face her sister. "Why are you stalling?" she hissed. "Our parents are in that room! Don't you want to meet them, finally?"
"Well," she said, "they abandoned us, how do we know they'd actually care about meeting us?"
"They're here, aren't they?" Sharra retorted, looking at the older girl. She actually appeared really troubled. Not as if she wasn't scared herself… "Isn't it a bit too late to think of this now?" she asked, then sighed. "Well, okay, while you struggle with your issues, I'm going…"
"No, don't!" she cried as well as she could in a whisper.
She grinned. "Calm down, I'm just going to listen at the door. Maybe we can find out why they gave us up at all." She leaned her ear against the wood, listening intently, and a moment later Swiftgold crouched down to see if she could discern anything through the vent.
"It's been too long, hasn't it?" one voice asked, distorted, from the other room. "I mean, after everyone got married, we couldn't even begin to try and tell anyone anymore."
"Yeah," the other one replied, the voice a little higher-sounding than the other's. "If only things were different, now."
"I never wanted to give them up, you know… but it was for their own safety. I only wish we could have gotten the girls back after the battle, without breaking anyone else's hearts…"
"You know… I bet they still look just like you."
"And I bet they still have your wonderful smile."
There was a pause for a moment, and Sharra raised her eyebrows at her sister, who shrugged back.
"Do you think they hate us for leaving them?" There was a little dip in this voice, like he or she was about to start crying.
"No… no, they won't. Not after we explain everything to them… and to the others. It'll be hard to take, but we're going to be there for them, from now on."
There was the sound of someone's nose blowing, and Sharra leaped to her feet. She felt kind of sorry for whoever it was. "I can't take this anymore," she said. "I'm going to explode. We have to go in there now!"
Swiftgold nodded resignedly, getting to her feet and squeezing Sharra's shoulder once, as if to reassure her, or maybe herself. Taking a deep breath, the long-haired girl knocked - just to warn them, in case they were doing something embarrassing - and reached for the knob, turning it. The large door swung open.
*****
Ryo, Sekhmet, Cye and Kento sat in Mia's pristine living room as she went to get some tea from the kitchen, prepared to listen to their story of how the two girls found them through the pendants. Ryo had given her a quick summary, but the kettle started to whistle and she'd had to run to turn it off.
They looked at each other almost disbelievingly. Who would have thought that two members of their group had had an affair? Twice, even?
*Good thing we aren't fighting the Dynasty anymore,* Kento thought, playing with his tie, *'cause this would really screw up all our love and trust.* That had happened once before a few years ago when Sage and his wife Heather had gotten divorced. She'd had to give up her Armor of Sunlight when she left, and now it was without a wearer.
No, it was an incredibly fortunate thing that no one had attacked them in the meantime. Ryo, too, was thinking back to that time. Kayura had never sat down and actually found the new Sunlight warrior… they could only hope when she was found she and Sage would fall in love, completing their circle once more. It used to be so perfect, when all sixteen were together…
He shook his head as Sekhmet looked over at him. "So…" he began. "God, two of us had kids so long ago!"
Ryo nodded, running a hand through his hair. "How did she take it when you called her, Cye?"
Cye frowned, leaning back with his arm along the back of the couch. "Huh… but I didn't - I thought you did!" He cut himself off, his brow wrinkled in confusion as he tried to figure out what his friend and leader was talking about.
Mia looked just as perplexed as she carried teapots and cups in on a tray, placing it on the coffee table. "You know, guys, I thought of something. What are you talking about, parents? Then who's the--"
No one answered, and she too trailed off as they stared at each other. They stared, and stared, and then their eyes widened as if on cue.
Kento finally put it into words. "Oh my God, you aren't saying…"
*****
"Um, hi," Sharra said, poking her head in the door. "I'm Sharra, and this is my siste--"
Her jaw promptly hit the floor. She tried to speak, but only a squeak came out. Then a type of choking noise. Promptly followed by a whimper.
"Emily?" the blonde asked, one covered eye widening.
Swiftgold stepped in a moment later. Her jaw, too, scraped against the plush carpeting. "W - wh - whaaa…"
The strong-looking man with wild blue hair and an odd scar over his eye stepped forward. He smiled, his soft expression uncharacteristic upon such a sculptured face. "Amanda? Gods, look at how much you've grown…"
"Oh my GOD!" Sharra blurted out.
In unison, they both cried, "YOU'RE MEN!"
Sharra: Betcha didn't see that one coming?? HUH?? HUH?? HUH?? <whack> Ouch! Swifty!
Swiftgold: <helpless laughter> Believe me, it does NOT end there... we hope to keep you in the bathroom for many chapters to come! Please let us know what you think.