A New Addition

Written by Hana Tanrei/Sailor Chibi Yavin

Dreams Can Be Real

Hana Yuushuu looked down at the baby in her arms and smiled. "But she's going back to her friends, and I'll be here to take care of you."

The baby looked calmly up and her, then started crying. Not the loud wailing tears of a normal child; instead she cried in silent sobs wracking her tiny frame.

"Ooh, no, what's wrong dear?" Yuushuu cooed, trying to soothe the infant. Gently she smoothed the soft patch of dark hair covering her head.

Tanrei stopped her tears and looked up at her guardian. She hiccupped once, then closed her eyes and fell into a light sleep.

Yuushuu shook her head and carefully carried her niece up the stairs to the nursery she'd prepared for her. Gently she put the sleeping infant in her crib and tucked a blanket around her. She smiled to herself at the image Tanrei presented. Her home had just gotten the last thing it was missing - a daughter.

Twelve-year-old Hana Tanrei looked up in surprise. The schoolyard, which only minutes ago had been full of students, was now deserted.

"I've been looking all over for you - come ON!" Lera Shue grabbed Tanrei's arm and pulled her up off the bench she'd been sitting on. She paused and looked over it. "Taannnnnyy. You need to get that thing to stay HOME." The 'thing' she was speaking of looked up and growled at her.

Tanrei frowned and lightly tapped the panther cub on the head. "Rajni, you know better than that. It's just Lera."

Lera scowled at it then turned to Tanrei. "Come on, we gotta get to class. Your cat'll be fine out here."

Tanrei looked up from her book at her twin sisters. "It's too loud. Teva, turn it down and give it back to Tavia."

Tanrei stared calmly at them for a moment, but neither girl was backing down. "Alright. Teva, you go upstairs to your room to do your homework; Tavia, you go down to the basement and listen to your music there."

Teva and Tavia looked at each other then at Tanrei. They both shrugged, then went to do as they were told.

Tanrei calmly went back to reading as if she had never looked up. A moment later she was interrupted again as her mother came through the door.

"Kissa, can you help me with these bags?" Yuushuu called as she entered the house.

Tanrei set her book aside and stood. "Sure Mum." She crossed the room and took two of the grocery bags from her mother's arms and carried them into the kitchen. "You got an awful lot today - is there something I should know about?"

Yuushuu smiled tiredly at her dark-haired daughter. "Didn't I tell you, Kissa? Your grandmother is coming to visit."

Yuushuu sighed. "Tanrei... Lady Yuri is far too busy to come here. And she doesn't like me."

Yuushuu sighed again. "You will someday dear. You will someday..." And then they'll take you from me, she wanted to add, but didn't.

Tanrei looked away for a moment, then turned back with a small smile. "I know Mum, I'd just like to know them... I'm going to go up to my room, alright?"

Tanrei smiled indulgently at Yuushuu. "Mum, I'm not going to die from standing up. I'm perfectly fine if I take my medicine."

"Don't even get me started on those two, honey. They're so stubborn. Not like you, Kissa."

Tanrei smiled once more as she took the back way up to her room - it went straight from the kitchen to her bedroom, so she was the only one who ever used it. She pulled the door shut behind her, and as she got about halfway up she heard it - screams coming from upstairs... Teva! Tanrei was running the rest of the way upstairs; when she heard a scream and a crash from the kitchen... she went back down and looked out from a crack in the door. A woman in red and black stood over her mother's prone figure.

The woman turned to her and smiled wickedly. "There you are. Just the girl I was looking for."

Tanrei saw the energy begin to crackle between the woman's hands, and at the same instant threw the door open and ran past her into the street. She put all her energy into running, knowing instinctively that her mother's murderer was following her. She ducked into an alley, and as she rounded the corner, tripped over a cardboard box. She cowered behind it as the dark woman approached; she saw the energy crackling in her hands again. It was more than she could take, and she fainted dead away.

Tanrei was surrounded by darkness. Enveloping, warm... she could see a pinpoint of light; she started toward it, then hesitated. There was something... something had happened, something horrible... with a jolt she came back to consciousness.

She gasped as she sat up in the strange bed and tears of fear and exhaustion filled her eyes. She pulled her knees up and buried her face in the folds of her skirt. She jumped when a moment later she felt someone gently touch her back. She pulled away and spun to face them, her tear-streaked face showing fear.

The young girl in front of her smiled sweetly and shook her head. "Hey, it's okay. Ariel didn't get you; you're all right. You're with the Sailor Senshi."

Tanrei wiped her eyes and looked at the pink-haired girl with distrust. "The Sailor Senshi aren't real - they're just ancient legends."

The girl giggled. "No they aren't silly. I'm one of them. I'm Sailor Chibi Serenity, but you can call me Ame."

Tanrei actually felt a tiny smile tug at the corner of her mouth as she looked into the girl's - Ame's, she corrected herself - large pink eyes. "I'm Tanrei. Where am I? Why does my head hurt so much?"

Ame shrugged. "Time travel does that to you. As for where you are, it'd be more accurate to ask WHEN you are."

Ame giggled. "You're ten tears before you were born! On Coruscant, in the Room Behind the Waterfall inside the Jedi Temple."

Tanrei stared at her with large unblinking purple eyes. "That's impossible. Time travel is impossible. Besides, Coruscant has been taken over by Palpatine; the Jedi Temple was destroyed. Don't you watch Holovids?"

Ame rolled her eyes. "You're not getting it. That won't happen for almost twenty years. Time travel IS possible, at least for Sailor Yavin. She's the -" Ame paused dramatically and posed " 'Guardian of the Dimensional Gates, make a comment about her hair and she'll kick you into the next millennium!' " Ame grinned, while Tanrei stared.

"Why would someone make a comment about her hair?" she asked a moment later, looking puzzledly at Ame.

" 'Cause it's, um, orange-y near the top, but it's BRIGHT RED at the tips. You'll know her when you meet her, and whatever you do, DON'T STARE."

"What are you telling her about me, Ame?" the annoyed voice came from the doorway, making both girls jump.

The annoyed young woman walked over and lightly bopped Ame on the head with a paper she had in her hand. "When you don't have a Big Time Stick, use a newspaper." She grinned and turned to Tanrei. "Don't believe a word she says. I don't do horrible things to new Senshi - like send them into universes with singing purple dinosaurs because they called me Coru - I just don't DO things like that." She smirked and winked at Tanrei. "Oh, by the way, I'm the one who brought you here. Sailor Yavin, aka Fuukou Ippin."

Tanrei nodded slightly and turned to Ame. "Um, Ame? Could you show me where to get something to eat?"

Ame nodded enthusiastically. "Sure! I think Nom's been making cookies today, and since you're new she won't get mad if you take some... and of course, you'll share, right?" She opened her eyes wide and looked pleadingly at Tanrei, who nodded.

"Of course. Since you're showing me where they are." The two girls left the room, leaving the Guardian of Time feeling as if she had just been royally blown off.

"A'e!" A small kitten purred, prancing up to Ame and Tanrei. She stopped suddenly and looked at Tanrei. "Who 'at?" she asked, pointing with a paw.

"Ohhh." The purple kitten nodded seriously, then giggled and purred. "We'come!" She giggled and ran off again.

Tanrei glanced in surprise at Ame, but the younger girl didn't seem fazed at all.

"Starr's like that. She doesn't even guard anyone because she's so silly," Ame explained. "I don't know why she came to the past, though, since there doesn't seem to be a need for her."

Ame giggled. "Yeah! Maybe Schylar and Solai just got tired of having to take care of her and decided to foist her off on us."

Ame rolled her eyes and giggled. "I know for a fact you'd do that. Aren't you the one who's always running from Starr and UsaNeko?"

"Er... um..." the tabby-cat turned to Tanrei. "Hey beautiful! I don't believe I've met you yet. I'm Solai, the coolest cat around."

Solai flashed a grin - or the kitty version of a grin - at the dark-haired girl. "Nice to meet'cha. Which one might you be?"

"Senshi, of course! That's the only reason anyone comes here," Solai explained, grinning.

Ame answered hurriedly, "We don't know yet, Solai - Ippin just saved her from Ariel."

"Oooh." Solai nodded. "Well, gotta jet, see ya later!" He hurried back in the direction he'd come from.

Ame blinked. "Um... well... I dunno. I never thought about it - they've ALWAYS spoken."

Tanrei puzzled it out in silence as they reached the kitchen, where Nom was busily using a spatula to guard her cookies from the hungry Senshi.

Nom pursed her lips and nodded. "All right. You may have one." Ame's face fell, making the other senshi giggle.

Tanrei glanced at the proffered cookie. "What's in it?" She asked, looking solemnly up at the chef.

Nom raised an eyebrow then replied. "Nothing unusual. It is merely a chocolate-chip cookie."

Nom looked surprised - for Nom anyway - and nodded. Obviously she wasn't used to her food being refused.

Ame also looked surprised but accepted the cookie - a precious gift in the Room Behind the Waterfall. "Thanks." The other Senshi stared at Tanrei in amazement.

Tanrei nodded silently. Her eyes went wide, and she looked nervous at being the focus of attention.

Annika shrieked and pointed to the door behind Tanrei. The other girls followed her gaze, and gasps filled the air.

The panther cub looked curiously at her. "Of course I did. I always did when we were alone."

Rajni looked stubborn - for a panther. "Yes I did. YOU were just to occupied with yourself to notice."

Rajni's ears twitched. "Shall I mention just how many times you've been late to class because you didn't notice the bell ringing... when you were sitting a foot from the door?"

Tanrei looked down at her shows and blushed. "That only happened once... usually I'm out in the courtyard."

Rajni purred her laughter. She glanced around at the amazed Senshi and explained. "I found Tanny a month before we came here."

Rajni purred. "Of course. I'm your guardian; it's what I do. Sailor Yavin would NEVER have forgiven me if I let you out of my sight..."

Tanrei frowned and looked down at the panther. "Sailor Yavin? The lady with red hair?"

Ippin entered the room in time to hear her sister's comment. "Like what? Who referred to me, and how?" She looked around the room at the smirking Senshi and the frightened Tanrei. "Oh... it's okay, usually people who insult me only get a couple broken bones. I almost never kill 'em." She grinned and looked over at Priire. "That's Aster's department."

Rajni pranced over to Ippin and rubbed against her leg. "Yavin-sama! I brought Chibi Yavin with me!"

Ippin stood stock-still and looked at Tanrei. Slowly everyone else turned and stared as well. "Chibi... Yavin?"

Rajni purred and nodded. "I was guarding her for you in the future, but we're here now."

Annika broke the silence by running to Ippin and hugging her. "You've got a chibi! Congratulations!"

A sharp intake of breath from Tanrei one again drew their attention. "No! That's not right!"

Ame looked concerned and gently laid a hand on her shoulder. "What's not right, Tanrei?"

"She's not my mother!" A collective gasp went up among the Senshi, and Ippin went white. "My mother is Hana Yuushuu!"

Ippin's mouth opened but not a sound came out. Priire looked worriedly at her twin then turned to Tanrei. "How is that possible?" Her expression darkened. "It's probably the fault of the stupid Riku..."

Tanrei started. "Yuri... Riku?" Priire nodded, staring angrily at the door behind her sister. "That's my father's name."

Ippin gasped and released a cry of pain. Nom turned to her, and Annika moved as if to hug her, but Ippin was too quick and was out the door a moment later. Priire tried to follow her, but the pure desperate desire to escape gave Ippin speed she'd never had before, and Priire fell behind. Luckily, she knew exactly where her twin was going, the one place that could offer some solace. Her ship. Priire arrived at the hangar bay just in time to see the Crystal Prism lifting off the ground and smoothly leaving the bay.

Yukiko glanced up at Priire and started, seeing the almost homicidal look on her face. "Um... Priire? What happened? Coru just ran through here looking close to tears and took off."

Priire looked down at the ice-haired warrior. Her voice was scarily calm when she replied. "All I have to say is... Riku had best be glad that I have to go after her."

Yukiko, Xarae and Tashita sat clustered around a holocomm. Tashita and Xarae nominated to Yuki to call. She didn't particularly want to, but she knew Riku a little better than they did, so agreed. She brought out Ippin's address book and looked up Riku. She dialed the number and waited for the connection to finish.

Yuki tried to hide her concerned expression but didn't quite manage. "Ko-konichiwa Yuri-san."

Riku looked surprised, then worried. "Kirin-san? What's wrong? Did something happen to Coru?"

Yuki shook her head quickly. "No, no. We're calling for YOUR sake. Priire's truly going homicidal."

Riku paled. "Uh..." He licked his lips nervously. "Um... what did I do? I didn't forget Coru's birthday, and I don't think I've broken any dates lately... I didn't forget any anniversaries, did I?"

Xarae leaned into view. "No, it isn't something you've done. It's..." She paused, then changed her mind. "It isn't important why she's upset. Only that Priire is about ready to kill you."

Tashita shrugged. "Well, there's kinda a rumor going around that you cheated on Ippin."

Riku paled even further, if that was possible. "Oh." Here he added a string of curses so strong they made Yuki blush. "And Priire heard it. Sith."

Yuki nodded. "Now you see why we were worried. We thought you might wanna go hide somewhere until they blew over."

Riku nodded quickly. "And fast - if this doesn't get worked out Priire'll KILL me."

"Slowly... not letting you die until she's gotten satisfactory revenge for making Ippin cry," Tashita added. "Priire's proTECTIVE of Ippin."

Again Riku nodded; he'd seen this first hand. "I... I think... I gotta go!" With the he closed the connection, leaving the three girls feeling both relieved and worried.

Seijoutai Priire was furious. Furious and worried. She had no idea where her sister had gone - she'd contacted the mining facility around Yavin, and they hadn't seen her. She obviously wasn't on Coruscant, and Priire had no idea where else to look.

She paused, her hands over the controls. Why hadn't she thought of it before? Quickly she entered the coordinates and sat back as the ship entered hyperspace.

Priire entered the dirty cantina on Corellia and couldn't help but wonder if she was wrong. Just as she finished that thought, she spotted a familiar head of flaming hair. She let out the breath she'd been holding and quickly made her way over - dispatching several 'unsavory' types on the way. She paused a few yards away from the table as she picked up on a conversation.

"You know, you're prob'ly the most beaut'ful girl I ever seen," the man leaning over her table slurred.

"And you're probably the most disgusting excuse for a human I've ever seen," Ippin replied sharply.

The man grinned drunkenly. "Really? Tha's quite a comp'ment. I can see you gots a pers'n'lity jus' like your hair."

Priire winced inwardly as Ippin stiffened in her seat. "Oh really? And just what is that?" she asked venomously.

He didn't take the hint in her tone and answered. "Well's I figger you seemed like a fiery kinda girl. Bright red, jus' like your hair."

Ippin reached back and pulled out a lock of hair. "Fiery red, like my hair you say?" Her voice took a dark turn. "Well I DO have a fiery red personality." She stood sharply, throwing her chair back - and silencing everyone in the bar. In one fluid movement she removed her lightsaber and flicked it on. She held the beam close to his neck and whispered angrily. "And you just got burned." Another motion, and his head was neatly severed from his body. The other patrons gasped, and those sitting near her table quickly took their drinks and moved. Calmly, Ippin waited as a droid came to clean the mess, then righted her chair and sat again, calmly sipping her drink.

Priire shook her head and slid into the chair across from her twin. Ippin nodded but said nothing, waiting for her sister to speak. Finally she did. "Are you okay?"

It was a silly question, but one Ippin needed to hear. She bit her lip and looked at the blue liquid in her glass. "No," she whispered softly.

The comforting gesture set her off. She started sobbing, hot tears flowing in a steady stream. "How could he do it, Aster? How? We were supposed to be soulmates!"

Priire stood and hugged her sister. "It'll be okay, Coru. Let's go home, okay? This place is disgusting, and your hair's a mess." The only nearby patrons gasped and pulled farther away, fearing more blood.

Ippin only laughed chokingly. "If anyone else said, that I'd kill them. But I guess I'll make an exception, seeing as I need someone to take me back to my ship."

"Because I'm about to pass out." A moment later, Priire was carrying her unconscious twin toward the door.

Yuri Riku looked around the small town he was in and sighed. He'd hopped the first shuttle off Coruscant after getting the call from Yuki and the others. Now he was on a small planet with no way off - there wasn't another shuttle leaving for a week, which he hadn't known that when he boarded the transport. He shrugged and shouldered his bag, heading toward the nearest inn. Wanting no more than to simply fall into a bed and sleep, he approached the manager of the establishment and pulled out his wallet.

"I need a room for a couple days, until the next transport comes," he declared, pulling out a few credits.

The manager looked and him and raised an eyebrow. "You alright, son? You look like you got tied to the back of a landspeeder and drug across a mountain."

Riku sighed. "Worse. My girlfriend's sister thinks I've been cheating on her. I'm on the run."

Riku sighed dramatically. "YOU try having the Hawkbat after you - see if you laugh then."

The old man froze mid-chuckle. "The Hawkbat's sister is your girlfriend?" Riku nodded morosely. The old man fiddled with something on his ancient computer and then looked up apologetically. "You know, it seems we don't have any rooms for the next few days. Sorry."

Riku glared then turned to the door. "I guess I'll just have to go to another inn."

"I don't think so, son," the old man replied quickly. "This is our busy season, and I bet all the inns will be full."

Riku glared at him and continued out the door. "I'll just have to check," he called back over his shoulder. The old man picked up his comm and whispered urgently into it.

Riku looked around the street outside the inn and started walking to the next bed-and-breakfast. A moment later, he noticed something odd - as he passed, each store or restaurant in the town closed its doors. A small child ran away from him, crying for his mother. Riku froze and looked around at the suddenly abandoned town. One word escaped him.

Early the next morning Ame crept into Tanrei's bedroom and looked worried for a moment at seeing her bed empty. She smiled as she spotted a shape by the window and let out a relieved sigh - announcing her presence as well.

Tanrei turned her head to glance at Ame, then looked back out the window. "Was I wrong, Ame-chan? I feel so guilty."

Ame shook her head rapidly and put an arm over Tanrei's shoulders. "It's not your fault Tanrei. Really, it's not. It's NO ONE'S FAULT."

Tanrei sighed and continued to stare out the window. "Maybe I should just go home."

Ame hugged Tanrei gently. "There's no reason for that. Ariel's looking for you in that timeline, you aren't safe. Besides... the only person who CAN take you back is Sailor Yavin."

Tanrei turned and stared at Ame. "You mean I can't go home? Unless she takes me?"

Ame shook her head, and Tanrei sighed again. Ame pursed her lips and looked around the room. "Okay, enough pouting. We've got to cheer you up. And I can't think of a better way than to go shopping."

Ame giggled. "For EVERYTHING, of course! You didn't bring any of your stuff with you, and you've got this whole big room to yourself, with no decorations."

Ame nodded enthusiastically. "We all get to decorate however we want - like Annika has all pink, and Ippin has all red and gold. I haven't finished my room yet, but there's lots of pink."

Tanrei looked wistfully around her bedroom. "Hmm... would you take me shopping, Ame-chan?"

Tanrei gazed around at her room, satisfied with the result. With the help of some of the older senshi, her room had been painted a deep rich purple, trimmed with gold. Her comforter was royal purple, with faint images of purple and gold flowers - the earthborn Senshi insisted they were pansies - embroidered on it. She'd bought a dark purple carpet flecked with gold to go over her hardwood floor. And infinite candles, menorahs and lamps. On every surface there was a candelabra or a lantern or a candlestick. She liked to soft glow they gave and removed the glowpanels from the ceiling. She had bought one electric lamp to use when she was reading or needed more light. She'd even bought new furniture, all in cherry wood. A desk, a mirror, a bureau and a headboard for her bed, each carved with the same flowers, completed the decor.

Ame grinned in appreciation. It wasn't exactly in her taste, but it fitted Tanrei perfectly. "It looks wonderful Tanrei! Perfect! Anyone could come in here and just KNOW it's your room."

Tanrei turned to Ame with a tiny smile. "This is the first time I've ever decorated a room in the way I really wanted. Mum always found my tastes too gloomy - she wanted me to be more cheerful like my sisters."

Ame smiled. "Me too! Well, those aren't their names, but I have twin sisters too. Lys and Lysthea."

Tanrei cocked her head to the side. "How unusual. We seem to have quite a few things in common."

Ame smiled cheerfully. "Maybe that means we're meant to be good friends! C'mon, let's go get something to eat."

Tanrei blinked slowly and nodded. "Perhaps we can find something that I can eat?"

Ame looked confused for a moment then remembered. "Oh, RIGHT! You're vegan. Okay, I'm sure we can find something for you. We have all sorts of stuff in the kitchen - the senshi generally prefer food from their own home planet so we keep quite a lot around."

Tanrei nodded and smiled in relief. "Good - I was getting tired of eating apples." Ame giggled and the two girls went to the door. They opened it to see Aisu, poised to knock.

"Oh! Hi! I'm Aisu, I haven't met you yet, but Mommy said you were sad so I thought I'd come visit you and welcome you to the senshi and see how you were and all." The blue-haired little girl smiled then focused her attention on Tanrei's wrist. "Ooh! Look, you've got a bracelet just like Miss Coru! She's really nice, I like her lots. She and Mommy are really good friends and she comes to visit a lot. Her bracelet's just like that and her Momma gave it to her. Even though she didn't get it till a long time ago before I came here, but after she came here, so her Momma didn't REALLY give it to her, she just left it to her, but she still likes it a lot."

Tanrei stared at the happily chattering little girl, then tuned her out and looked at the gold bracelet she wore. Yuushuu had given it to her when she was nine and said it belonged to her grandmother and that she should treasure it. She undid the clasp and shakily read the inscription. 'Fuukou Ippin, the strongest girl I've ever known - Fuukou Natalie.' It had never meant anything to her before, but now she understood. It had been Ippin's bracelet, and for some reason she'd left it with Yuushuu. Tanrei blinked and brought herself back to the present as Aisu held out a box.

"Sailor Pluto - she's a really nice an' she's the like Miss Coru but from another galaxy - came and brought this for you. Mommy was gonna give it to you, but she's busy with Daddy today, so I took it an' brought it myself!"

Tanrei blinked and took the box. Carefully she opened it to reveal a holocube. She took it out and set it on her bed. She activated it and knelt on the floor beside it to watch.

A blue-ish three-dimensional image appeared above the box. "Well, I suppose if you're watching this it means I am dead and have not told you the truth about your family - I was planning to destroy this as soon as I did," the image of Hana Yuushuu said sadly. She continued. "I suppose I will start at the beginning. When I was seventeen I met Yuri Riku. We became quite good friends, often traveling together. Once, a few years later, I went with him to his home for a family holiday. I then met his younger brother, Yuri Kenjo. I fell in love with him, and soon we were married. After two years of marriage he was... killed in a land-speeder accident. Riku and I continued to be friends, despite my much later remarriage to Hana Shingo. It devastated me when a year later I heard of Riku's death. He killed himself after his wife died after giving birth to their first and only daughter - you. For reasons I don't know, your aunt asked me to take you in. I couldn't refuse, and even when two years later Shingo died, I never regretted it. I meant to tell you years ago, but I suppose I was afraid. After the way you dismissed Shingo when you heard he was not your father, I feared you would do the same to me. I could not have borne that. I'm very sorry, Tanrei, so very sorry. Remember that even if I am not your birth mother, I love you as much as any real mother could have, and raised you as my own. Goodbye, my dear - live well."

Tanrei put her head on her bed and cried. Ame wrapped her arms around the older girl's shoulders and hugged her. Aisu just looked uncomfortable and pulled at her hands, retreating into a corner.

Tanrei looked up and shook her head, her watery eyes betraying her calm expression and voice. "She's not my mother. She'll never be my mother. Yuushuu was and always will be my real mother."

"I don't care what she said. I don't even care if it's true - she is my mother."

Tanrei shook her head violently. "I don't want anyone to know, ever. Nothing has changed. What my mother said never leaves this room, understood?"

Ame nodded, and they both looked at Aisu. The blue-haired chibi looked momentarily like a nerf caught in a landspeeder's lights. Quickly she nodded, though it's up for debate whether she really understood what was going on.

Apparently, the other two assumed she did. Tanrei took the cube and hid it in her new desk, and the trio left the room. Ame and Tanrei headed for the kitchen, and Aisu went running straight to Yuki's room.

Yukiko entered the kitchen a few minutes later, concern written plainly on her face. Oddly the apartment held none of its usual occupants; indeed, the only other person in the room was Tanrei.

The dark-haired girl was quietly eating a salad and staring into space. She jumped when Yuki approached and put a hand on her shoulder.

Tanrei stiffened noticeably. "Oh? And within five minutes too." A rare note of sarcasm crept into Tanrei's voice. "Surely that's some sort of record."

Yuki shook her head slowly. "Tanrei, I want you to think about this. Calmly and rationally."

Tanrei raised her eyes and stared at Yuki. "I'm always rational. I'm always calm. I have made my decision."

Tanrei closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. She sat like that for a moment, then straightened up and opened her eyes. "I can't. I can't allow her to be my mother."

"Tanrei, you have got to tell her." She paused for a moment then sighed and continued. "If you don't, then I will."

Tanrei stiffened again and glared at her. "You can't. It's not your place to tell her anything - mind your own business!" Her eyes filled with tears as she stood and almost ran out of the kitchen, not noticing the 'clink' as a small object dropped from her wrist.

Yuki sighed softly, then knelt to retrieve the lost item. She looked puzzled for a moment, then looked up and stared in the direction Tanrei had gone. "Oh boy."

Hisako Skywalker looked cautiously around the corner. Luckily no one was around to see her - everyone was downstairs welcoming Priire and Ippin home. Seeing no one, Hisako crept down the hall until she reached the appropriate door. She paused with her hand on the door - she could get in a lot of trouble for this, if the Council ever found out - or worse, if her parents found out! But she had to. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and peeked inside. Empty, just as the hallway had been. She crept over to the desk and removed the item. Aisu had told her where it was hidden; her sister was quite easy to get secrets out of, if you knew how.

Quickly she crossed the room and peeked out. Still no one. She hurried down the corridor and crossed into another hallway. She reached the right door and glanced in. Of course there was no one there yet. Hisako bit her lip as she set the holocube on Ippin's bed. Maybe she wasn't doing the right thing... but she'd overheard her mother's conversation - Tanrei wasn't going to tell Ippin herself. And Yuki was the only other person who knew, besides Hisako, Ame and Aisu - whom Yuki had put a temporary mental block on to assure her silence.

Hisako shrugged and set the cube down. I may not be doing it exactly the right way, but I have to let Ippin know - besides, if I don't, Priire's gonna KILL Riku, and Tanrei'll die too. So I'm doing a favor for everyone involved. She rationalized this to herself, then turned and quietly left the room.

A few minutes later Ippin entered her bedroom. She sighed and started to collapse on her bed - noticing the holocube too late. She lost her balance and fell to the floor. She groaned and pulled herself up on the bed, avoiding the cube this time. She picked it up and noticed the name on it. She sighed and stood again, wondering absently how it had gotten there. She sighed again as she pulled her boots back on. Now she'd have to talk to Tanrei - she had wanted some time to herself first. Oh well.

She left her room and walked down the hall til she arrived at Tanrei's door. She hesitated, then knocked.

The door slid open to show a disheveled Tanrei. She blinked in surprise at Ippin, then tilted her head to the side. "Yes?"

Ippin shrugged and held out the box. "I found this on my bed. It's addressed to you."

Tanrei's eyes widened slightly, and she grabbed the box. She looked up at Ippin with distrust written in her eyes. "Did you listen to it?" she asked accusingly.

Tanrei's eyes widened further. "You really didn't listen to it?" Ippin shook her head. Tanrei blinked slowly, then backed away from the door and held her arm out in gesture that plainly said 'enter'. Ippin shrugged and followed. Tanrei sat on the edge of her bed, while Ippin took a seat at the opposite end. She activated the cube and watched Ippin's face as the message played out. A number of emotions crossed her face in the few minutes it took. As the message ended, a tear came to Ippin's eye. She turned to Tanrei and moved as if to hug her. Tanrei jumped back and shook her head.

"You may be the one to give birth to me, but that doesn't make you my mother. Yuushuu raised me - she is my real mother. Don't forget that."

Slowly Ippin nodded. She stood and silently made her way to the door. She shook her head and looked sadly over her shoulder, but Tanrei's face was hidden in the shadows, and she couldn't see the tears running down her daughter's face. Without another word she left and nearly ran to her room to cry - though there was relief in her tears. Tanrei WAS her daughter; she was destined to be with Riku after all.

A few weeks later, Tanrei and Ame sat quietly beside a pond in the Room of a Thousand Waterfalls, feeding the dolphin Tanrei had adopted. She had mentioned, rather sheepishly, that she had a tendency to bring home any homeless animal she encountered. The Council had allowed her to keep Oceana in one the pools. Just as Ame tossed a small bit of food to the purple dolphin, Oceana splashed with her fins, drenching them both.

The two girls stood indignantly and immediately slid into the murky water. At first they both glared at the large fish, then Tanrei giggled. Soon both girls were laughing and splashing each other, swimming around the shallow part of the pond.

Ippin jumped when she felt the gentle hand on her shoulder. She turned and looked at Annika. "What is?"

"Seeing them like that, enjoying each other's company. When they can hardly stand us."

"Oh, that. Yeah... it is. It's impossibly hard. It's so hard I can barely stand it." Ippin sniffled and looked back at the two girls, who were now wetly walking back to the Room Behind the Waterfall.

Annika sighed as well and hugged her friend. "They'll come around. They have to, right? We're their mothers. They have to love us."

Ippin sighed once more and watched them go. "I don't know Annika... I don't know."