Okay, "best treat ever" take two. Wiki markup this time, not forum markup.
"That was some decent loot," commented Tomo as the group made its way down the laneway and headed for the next building. "Hey, is that a cafe?"
Everybody slowed down and took a look. Sure enough, there was a building with a classic Art Deco facade with a few people inside enjoying tea and cake. "Technically, it isn't a cafe, it's a tea house."
"That's really pedantic, Aika-sempai," muttered Alice.
Tomoyo looked at the building, then said, "I believe it might be a Japanese-style cake shop. It has a Japanese style name: Midoriya."
Brent and Ben abruptly stopped walking. A moment later, so did everyone else. Chiyo was the first to ask, "What's wrong?"
"Did you know they were in your home city?"
"Never had a clue until now."
"Could it be a coincidence?"
Sakura and Shaoran spoke in unison. "There is no such thing as coincidence. There is only necessity."
Ben nodded. "I have to agree with you. Of late, I don't do 'Coincidences'. Brent, can you see who's inside from here?"
Yomi growled impatiently. "Are you two going to tell us what's going on, or are you going to continue keeping us in the dark?"
"Sorry," both landlords said in unison. Ben continued, "If they're who we think they are, then we need to introduce ourselves very carefully."
"So who gets to go inside and reconnoiter these folks?" asked Tomo eagerly.
"Not you. You don't know what to look for." As Tomo frowned, Brent turned back to Ben and suggested, "We could draw straws."
Ben groaned, "Let's just skip the part where I lose. Brent, call Belldandy, let her know we may have an issue here, then let everybody know who we think they are. I'll go take a closer look."
"What if you need help?" asked Minako. "How will we know?"
"... Good question," said Ben. "Here, let me call your phone. Don't hang up on me. You'll be listening in. Put your phone on mute so they won't hear anything on my phone from here."
"Oooh! Good idea!" said Minako as she got her cell phone out. Ben could trust Venus to know when his bit of social engineering has failed and he'd need extraction.
Ben nodded as he dialed Minako's phone. "If things do get dicey, I want you and Ami to come in. If it's a hot situation, transform first. But if it can still be managed without resorting to violence, come in as you are and help me get out of that situation. Are we clear?"
"Absolutely," said Ami.
"Like glass," chirped Minako.
"Don't you mean 'crystal'?" asked Tomo.
Minako shook her head. "I've seen Crystal Tokyo. This isn't like that."
----
"Hello! Welcome to the Midoriya!" chirped a teenaged Japanese girl with her hair in braids and large, round eyeglasses over her eyes. "Are you ready to order or do you need a moment?"
Ben smiled and reminded himself that he was very likely dealing with Ninja, and they'd be able to see right through him if he half-assed this. Fortunately, he knew that the best way to lie was to tell the truth while omitting details.
"Howdy. Just wanted to check this place out. I was in Japan for three years while I was in the US Navy and I loved every minute of it."
"Oh! Then our store must be very nostalgic for you."
"Very much so," replied Ben with a smile. "So I'll probably be a regular customer from here on out. My name's Benjamin. What's yours?"
"Takamachi Miyuki," replied the girl, confirming Ben's suspicions. He resisted the urge to geek out, and successfully as Miyuki was none the wiser. "Or... Just Miyuki. It's still kind of strange getting used to how Americans address each other so informally."
"No worries," replied Ben easily. "If it makes you more comfortable, I'm more than happy to call you Takamachi-san instead."
Miyuki shook her head. "No, there's no need. If you are going to be a regular customer, then it'd get confusing having several of us answer to you all at once."
"Ah, I see then. Miyuki-san, then?"
"Just Miyuki is fine. So, do you see anything you want?"
"Not just yet. I have a group that I need to get back to outside - I'm helping to chaperon some youngsters while they go trick-or-treating."
"Oh, so that explains your costume. Who are you supposed to be though?"
"A young version of Edward Teague, the father of Captain Jack Sparrow. I didn't want to do the old and grizzled version because that might scare some of the kids. And I don't like doing that even if it is Halloween."
"Onēsan," came a girls voice from behind the counter, "watashi wa kaji o oemashita. Feito to issho ni ikimashou ka."
Ben turned to the source and froze dead-still.
There, wearing the uniform for the Midoriya, was a small Japanese girl, with brightly shining red hair and brilliant and deep blue eyes.
''Oh my God... That's really Nanoha!? She's such a beautiful little girl!'' came the unbidden thought.
Nanoha herself wasn't unaffected. She looked up at the strange American and was transfixed by his gaze, never minding the fact that he was dressed up in the most elaborate pirate captain costume she'd ever seen. Rather than feel crushed by his intensity, the girl felt compelled by it. There was something in those eyes of his that some part of her recognized, but her conscious mind couldn't describe it.
ALERT! came Raising Heart's voice in her head. ANTI-MAGIC REACTION DETECTED!
''What?'' thought Nanoha back at her device. ''What is that supposed to mean?''
MY MASTER, THE MAN EMITS MAGIC DISRUPTION FIELD. IT IS WEAK, BUT DANGER STILL.
''But... I don't think he is dangerous. To us at least.''
DESIGNATE FRIENDLY, MY MASTER?
"...Yes."
"Is something wrong?" said Miyuki, a bit confused.
Ben snapped out of it. "Oh, sorry. Just had an Aspie moment." Not entirely a lie.
"Aspie moment?" parroted Miyuki.
"I have Asperger's Syndrome. It's a very high-functioning form of autism, and every now and then I can get lost in a moment, so to speak."
"But... you seem all right?" said Miyuki in confusion.
"Autism is rarely something so cut-and-dry. I'm an outlier known as an Extroverted Aspie. All the social awkwardness with none of the tendency towards being a wallflower. Anyhow, the reason why I spaced out was because during my time in Japan, I never saw any girls as young as you, little miss, with such hair and eyes."
"It's real!" cried out Nanoha defiantly.
Miyuki inwardly winced. ''It looks like he wasn't kidding about the socially awkward part,'' she thought to herself.
Ben, meanwhile, berated himself harshly. ''Smooth move Ben - way to open mouth, insert foot there.''
"I apologize," said Ben quickly, knowing for sure he was turning pink with embarrassment. "I didn't mean to offend."
"Mou," replied Nanoha grumpily.
"How about I play a song to make it up to you?" he asked.
Nanoha blinked as Ben swung the guitar around from his back. "You mean that's not just part of your costume?" she asked in awe.
"Well, it kinda is," said Ben as he checked the tuning on each string and made a few little adjustments. "The person I'm dressed as spends a lot of time playing when he isn't busy. Right, here we go then."
And with that, Ben began to pick the strings of the guitar, playing the unmistakable opening bars of Pink Floyd's ''Wish You Were Here'' and weaving rhythm, melody, and baseline together, flawlessly capturing the emotional pull of the song.
And then he began to sing, eyes closed as the emotion, pure and raw, flowed through his voice. It wasn't the same as the original performance, but instead, this was Ben's own feelings as he made the song his for the moment.
<poem>
''So,''
''So you think you can tell''
''Heaven from Hell?''
''Blue skies from pain?''
''Can you tell a green field''
''from a cold steel rail?''
''A smile from a veil?''
''Do you think you can tell?''
''Did they get you to trade''
''your heroes for ghosts?''
''Hot ashes for trees?''
''Hot air for a cool breeze?''
''Cold comfort for change?''
''Did you exchange''
''A walk-on part in the war''
''for a lead role in a cage?''
</poem>
Nanoha could only watch in wonder as she could almost taste the bittersweet angst in the air. And then, just when she thought she couldn't have been moved any more, the final verse started.
<poem>
''How I wish, how I wish you were here.''
''We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year,''
''Running over the same old ground.''
''What have we found?''
''The same old fears.''
''Wish you were here.''
</poem>
The words and the emotion hit her squarely in the heartstrings, making her imagine a life estranged from the friends that she cared so much about. It took every ounce of her self control to not start crying there on the spot.
There was a smattering of enthusiastic applause from the other customers. "More!" cried out one.
Ben smiled wistfully. "Sorry folks, I have places to be. But if the staff doesn't mind, I can come back another time."
"We would greatly appreciate that," said a new voice from behind the counter. Ben turned as saw a man in his prime, just starting to creep up on middle-age, and wearing a black apron over a button-down shirt and khaki slacks. "Hello, my name is Shiro Takamachi. What's yours?"
"Benjamin Rhodes," he replied with a bow.
"It's nice to meet you, Benjamin," said Shiro with a smile. "Would you really like to come back and play for us? We're pretty new here, and if you can help us draw in more customers, it'd be helpful for us. We're doing okay so far, but okay isn't the same thing as 'Great'."
Ben smiled back. "It'd be no problem. Here, let me give you my card. I'm actually an apartment manager on the west side of town."
"You came all this way for trick-or-treating?" asked Shiro.
Ben nodded as he handed over his business card. "This is one of the nicest neighborhoods in town, and there's a lot of youngsters visiting at my complex right now. I just thought it'd be nice for them to see this place and get the most out of their experience while they're here."
"Well, then you're certainly more than welcome to come back, Benjamin. I'll go ahead and email you some possible dates you can come and play for us. By the way, have you lived here long?"
"Not really, but I am a native - my heritage here goes all the way back to the original Native Americans and Spanish Explorers that came here and established this city. I'll tell you guys about it later, though. It's a heck of a history lesson."
Shiro smiled broadly at that. "We'll look forward to it."
"Well, I need to get back to my people outside; I've kept them waiting long enough."
"Anything before you go?" asked Shiro.
"Hmmm..." said Ben thoughtfully. "I'll take one of those C.C. Lemon sodas - I haven't had one in a while!"
Miyuki chuckled at that as she rung him up. "You definitely lived in Japan for a while!"
----
"Well?" asked Brent as Ben came back out.
"Definitely them," said Ben as he cracked open the soda and then took a long pull from it. He cleared his throat after swallowing and then went on, "Nanoha had Raising Heart with her. What did Belldandy say?"
"We don't have to worry right away - it's something for her and the others to handle - the reason why they showed up with no warning, that is. But you're still going to be stuck with dealing with them. Can't say I envy you."
"Never thought otherwise," said Ben as he rolled his eyes. "C'mon, let's round up the kiddies and head on back before something else happens."
----
Meanwhile, in the Midoriya's back office, Shiro and Momoko spoke quietly together.
"I could tell even on the camera," said Momoko. "He was nervous about something. And him claiming to have Asperger's syndrome is a little too convenient - especially that he's an extrovert despite that."
Shiro nodded. "I think so too, but I didn't sense anything dangerous about him."
"How is that?" asked Momoko.
"I can't put my finger on it," said Shiro. "But... It felt like he wanted to help us."
"He might know about us. I did an Internet search using our names. You're not going to believe this."
Shiro put on his glasses and looked at the computer screen. Bit by bit, his expression fell lower and lower as his face slowly turned pale.
"... This changes things for us."
"The sooner we get him back here," said Momoko, "the better. But first, we'll need to talk to Nanoha."
----
"Okay, Minako, you can hang up now."
"Oh. Right."
----
The trick-or-treaters had worked their way up one side of the closest cross-street to the Midoriya, and were working their way back down the other side.
"We only have until 8:30! Why aren't we going on to the next street?"
"Do you really want free candy that badly?"
Shaoran interrupted before Tomo could answer Brent's question. "Am I the only one who thinks we're being watched?"
"That's why we're not going on to the next street," replied Minako. "No, don't look! And keep walking. I spotted two. One's a girl Aika-neesan's age, with braided twin tails and big glasses."
"Miyuki. She followed us." Ben sighed deeply. "I wonder what I did to tip them off."
"They didn't follow us; they're watching from the corner. The other one's a girl about Diana and Chibi-Usa's age. She's carrying a bag." Minako giggled. "I wonder where she found that outfit."
"What's she wearing?"
"A Juuban Municipal Junior High School uniform. She almost looks like Usagi, except her hair's tied with ribbons, and she's wearing a pin where Usagi wears her brooch."
"A pin? Not a pendant necklace? What color is her hair?"
"The same as mine. Why?"
"I didn't see her in the Midoriya," Ben commented.
"You probably wouldn't have been allowed to see everybody." Brent continued completely deadpan, "Oh, well. I suppose it has to be Fate."
"What, like Destiny?" Ami asked. "Sakura-chan said there's no such thing as coincidence, so ... Oh! ''Fate."''
The adults (most of them) waited at the foot of the driveway that they had just reached while the youngsters (and a few of the adults) went trick-or-treating. Ami continued, "How do we make contact with them without it turning into a fight?"
"Since she knows who Sailor Moon is, then you could go introduce yourselves," Akia suggested.
"Hang on," interrupted Minkao. "She's coming this way. No, she's headed for the kids!" Minako and Ami both got their transformation brooches out, and Ami waved at Chibi-Usa.
The youngsters picked up their pace and rejoined the others just before Fate arrived. She looked straight at Diana. "You're here! We've been so ... Oh. I'm sorry. I thought you were somebody else. Where did you get that costume?"
Diana smiled. "I made it."
"Your costume is pretty good, too, but there's a couple of things wrong," Chibi-Usa said before Diana could continue. "The pin on your bow isn't right, and Usagi-mama doesn't wear ribbons in her hair."
"Usagi-''mama?"''
Chibi-Usa looked around to make sure nobody was watching (except for the other trick-or-treaters), grinned and grabbed her locket from her pocket. "Moon Prism Power, Make Up!" A moment later, Sailor Chibi Moon was standing where Chibi-Usa had been a moment earlier. Diana transformed into her cat form and jumped onto Chibi-Moon's shoulder.
The pin on Fate's bow chose that moment to say "MAGICAL REACTION DETECTED" - because the girl was standing there with her mouth half-open in amazement.
Chibi-Moon looked straight at Fate's pin. "Hello, I'm Chiba Usagi, or Sailor Chibi-Moon."
"Bardiche."
"Happy to meet you!"
The blonde finally regained her wits. "Er... and I'm Fate Testarossa. Pleased to meet you."
"And I'm Diana!"
"Hello, Diana. I'm pleased to meet you. Are you her familiar?"
"No, I'm her friend. Can we be friends, too?"
Miyuki chose that moment to make plain to the others that she was there. "I think we should be friends. Are you all... well, magical girls?"
River grinned. "Don't we look the part?"
"That was some decent loot," commented Tomo as the group made its way down the laneway and headed for the next building. "Hey, is that a cafe?"
Everybody slowed down and took a look. Sure enough, there was a building with a classic Art Deco facade with a few people inside enjoying tea and cake. "Technically, it isn't a cafe, it's a tea house."
"That's really pedantic, Aika-sempai," muttered Alice.
Tomoyo looked at the building, then said, "I believe it might be a Japanese-style cake shop. It has a Japanese style name: Midoriya."
Brent and Ben abruptly stopped walking. A moment later, so did everyone else. Chiyo was the first to ask, "What's wrong?"
"Did you know they were in your home city?"
"Never had a clue until now."
"Could it be a coincidence?"
Sakura and Shaoran spoke in unison. "There is no such thing as coincidence. There is only necessity."
Ben nodded. "I have to agree with you. Of late, I don't do 'Coincidences'. Brent, can you see who's inside from here?"
Yomi growled impatiently. "Are you two going to tell us what's going on, or are you going to continue keeping us in the dark?"
"Sorry," both landlords said in unison. Ben continued, "If they're who we think they are, then we need to introduce ourselves very carefully."
"So who gets to go inside and reconnoiter these folks?" asked Tomo eagerly.
"Not you. You don't know what to look for." As Tomo frowned, Brent turned back to Ben and suggested, "We could draw straws."
Ben groaned, "Let's just skip the part where I lose. Brent, call Belldandy, let her know we may have an issue here, then let everybody know who we think they are. I'll go take a closer look."
"What if you need help?" asked Minako. "How will we know?"
"... Good question," said Ben. "Here, let me call your phone. Don't hang up on me. You'll be listening in. Put your phone on mute so they won't hear anything on my phone from here."
"Oooh! Good idea!" said Minako as she got her cell phone out. Ben could trust Venus to know when his bit of social engineering has failed and he'd need extraction.
Ben nodded as he dialed Minako's phone. "If things do get dicey, I want you and Ami to come in. If it's a hot situation, transform first. But if it can still be managed without resorting to violence, come in as you are and help me get out of that situation. Are we clear?"
"Absolutely," said Ami.
"Like glass," chirped Minako.
"Don't you mean 'crystal'?" asked Tomo.
Minako shook her head. "I've seen Crystal Tokyo. This isn't like that."
----
"Hello! Welcome to the Midoriya!" chirped a teenaged Japanese girl with her hair in braids and large, round eyeglasses over her eyes. "Are you ready to order or do you need a moment?"
Ben smiled and reminded himself that he was very likely dealing with Ninja, and they'd be able to see right through him if he half-assed this. Fortunately, he knew that the best way to lie was to tell the truth while omitting details.
"Howdy. Just wanted to check this place out. I was in Japan for three years while I was in the US Navy and I loved every minute of it."
"Oh! Then our store must be very nostalgic for you."
"Very much so," replied Ben with a smile. "So I'll probably be a regular customer from here on out. My name's Benjamin. What's yours?"
"Takamachi Miyuki," replied the girl, confirming Ben's suspicions. He resisted the urge to geek out, and successfully as Miyuki was none the wiser. "Or... Just Miyuki. It's still kind of strange getting used to how Americans address each other so informally."
"No worries," replied Ben easily. "If it makes you more comfortable, I'm more than happy to call you Takamachi-san instead."
Miyuki shook her head. "No, there's no need. If you are going to be a regular customer, then it'd get confusing having several of us answer to you all at once."
"Ah, I see then. Miyuki-san, then?"
"Just Miyuki is fine. So, do you see anything you want?"
"Not just yet. I have a group that I need to get back to outside - I'm helping to chaperon some youngsters while they go trick-or-treating."
"Oh, so that explains your costume. Who are you supposed to be though?"
"A young version of Edward Teague, the father of Captain Jack Sparrow. I didn't want to do the old and grizzled version because that might scare some of the kids. And I don't like doing that even if it is Halloween."
"Onēsan," came a girls voice from behind the counter, "watashi wa kaji o oemashita. Feito to issho ni ikimashou ka."
Ben turned to the source and froze dead-still.
There, wearing the uniform for the Midoriya, was a small Japanese girl, with brightly shining red hair and brilliant and deep blue eyes.
''Oh my God... That's really Nanoha!? She's such a beautiful little girl!'' came the unbidden thought.
Nanoha herself wasn't unaffected. She looked up at the strange American and was transfixed by his gaze, never minding the fact that he was dressed up in the most elaborate pirate captain costume she'd ever seen. Rather than feel crushed by his intensity, the girl felt compelled by it. There was something in those eyes of his that some part of her recognized, but her conscious mind couldn't describe it.
ALERT! came Raising Heart's voice in her head. ANTI-MAGIC REACTION DETECTED!
''What?'' thought Nanoha back at her device. ''What is that supposed to mean?''
MY MASTER, THE MAN EMITS MAGIC DISRUPTION FIELD. IT IS WEAK, BUT DANGER STILL.
''But... I don't think he is dangerous. To us at least.''
DESIGNATE FRIENDLY, MY MASTER?
"...Yes."
"Is something wrong?" said Miyuki, a bit confused.
Ben snapped out of it. "Oh, sorry. Just had an Aspie moment." Not entirely a lie.
"Aspie moment?" parroted Miyuki.
"I have Asperger's Syndrome. It's a very high-functioning form of autism, and every now and then I can get lost in a moment, so to speak."
"But... you seem all right?" said Miyuki in confusion.
"Autism is rarely something so cut-and-dry. I'm an outlier known as an Extroverted Aspie. All the social awkwardness with none of the tendency towards being a wallflower. Anyhow, the reason why I spaced out was because during my time in Japan, I never saw any girls as young as you, little miss, with such hair and eyes."
"It's real!" cried out Nanoha defiantly.
Miyuki inwardly winced. ''It looks like he wasn't kidding about the socially awkward part,'' she thought to herself.
Ben, meanwhile, berated himself harshly. ''Smooth move Ben - way to open mouth, insert foot there.''
"I apologize," said Ben quickly, knowing for sure he was turning pink with embarrassment. "I didn't mean to offend."
"Mou," replied Nanoha grumpily.
"How about I play a song to make it up to you?" he asked.
Nanoha blinked as Ben swung the guitar around from his back. "You mean that's not just part of your costume?" she asked in awe.
"Well, it kinda is," said Ben as he checked the tuning on each string and made a few little adjustments. "The person I'm dressed as spends a lot of time playing when he isn't busy. Right, here we go then."
And with that, Ben began to pick the strings of the guitar, playing the unmistakable opening bars of Pink Floyd's ''Wish You Were Here'' and weaving rhythm, melody, and baseline together, flawlessly capturing the emotional pull of the song.
And then he began to sing, eyes closed as the emotion, pure and raw, flowed through his voice. It wasn't the same as the original performance, but instead, this was Ben's own feelings as he made the song his for the moment.
<poem>
''So,''
''So you think you can tell''
''Heaven from Hell?''
''Blue skies from pain?''
''Can you tell a green field''
''from a cold steel rail?''
''A smile from a veil?''
''Do you think you can tell?''
''Did they get you to trade''
''your heroes for ghosts?''
''Hot ashes for trees?''
''Hot air for a cool breeze?''
''Cold comfort for change?''
''Did you exchange''
''A walk-on part in the war''
''for a lead role in a cage?''
</poem>
Nanoha could only watch in wonder as she could almost taste the bittersweet angst in the air. And then, just when she thought she couldn't have been moved any more, the final verse started.
<poem>
''How I wish, how I wish you were here.''
''We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year,''
''Running over the same old ground.''
''What have we found?''
''The same old fears.''
''Wish you were here.''
</poem>
The words and the emotion hit her squarely in the heartstrings, making her imagine a life estranged from the friends that she cared so much about. It took every ounce of her self control to not start crying there on the spot.
There was a smattering of enthusiastic applause from the other customers. "More!" cried out one.
Ben smiled wistfully. "Sorry folks, I have places to be. But if the staff doesn't mind, I can come back another time."
"We would greatly appreciate that," said a new voice from behind the counter. Ben turned as saw a man in his prime, just starting to creep up on middle-age, and wearing a black apron over a button-down shirt and khaki slacks. "Hello, my name is Shiro Takamachi. What's yours?"
"Benjamin Rhodes," he replied with a bow.
"It's nice to meet you, Benjamin," said Shiro with a smile. "Would you really like to come back and play for us? We're pretty new here, and if you can help us draw in more customers, it'd be helpful for us. We're doing okay so far, but okay isn't the same thing as 'Great'."
Ben smiled back. "It'd be no problem. Here, let me give you my card. I'm actually an apartment manager on the west side of town."
"You came all this way for trick-or-treating?" asked Shiro.
Ben nodded as he handed over his business card. "This is one of the nicest neighborhoods in town, and there's a lot of youngsters visiting at my complex right now. I just thought it'd be nice for them to see this place and get the most out of their experience while they're here."
"Well, then you're certainly more than welcome to come back, Benjamin. I'll go ahead and email you some possible dates you can come and play for us. By the way, have you lived here long?"
"Not really, but I am a native - my heritage here goes all the way back to the original Native Americans and Spanish Explorers that came here and established this city. I'll tell you guys about it later, though. It's a heck of a history lesson."
Shiro smiled broadly at that. "We'll look forward to it."
"Well, I need to get back to my people outside; I've kept them waiting long enough."
"Anything before you go?" asked Shiro.
"Hmmm..." said Ben thoughtfully. "I'll take one of those C.C. Lemon sodas - I haven't had one in a while!"
Miyuki chuckled at that as she rung him up. "You definitely lived in Japan for a while!"
----
"Well?" asked Brent as Ben came back out.
"Definitely them," said Ben as he cracked open the soda and then took a long pull from it. He cleared his throat after swallowing and then went on, "Nanoha had Raising Heart with her. What did Belldandy say?"
"We don't have to worry right away - it's something for her and the others to handle - the reason why they showed up with no warning, that is. But you're still going to be stuck with dealing with them. Can't say I envy you."
"Never thought otherwise," said Ben as he rolled his eyes. "C'mon, let's round up the kiddies and head on back before something else happens."
----
Meanwhile, in the Midoriya's back office, Shiro and Momoko spoke quietly together.
"I could tell even on the camera," said Momoko. "He was nervous about something. And him claiming to have Asperger's syndrome is a little too convenient - especially that he's an extrovert despite that."
Shiro nodded. "I think so too, but I didn't sense anything dangerous about him."
"How is that?" asked Momoko.
"I can't put my finger on it," said Shiro. "But... It felt like he wanted to help us."
"He might know about us. I did an Internet search using our names. You're not going to believe this."
Shiro put on his glasses and looked at the computer screen. Bit by bit, his expression fell lower and lower as his face slowly turned pale.
"... This changes things for us."
"The sooner we get him back here," said Momoko, "the better. But first, we'll need to talk to Nanoha."
----
"Okay, Minako, you can hang up now."
"Oh. Right."
----
The trick-or-treaters had worked their way up one side of the closest cross-street to the Midoriya, and were working their way back down the other side.
"We only have until 8:30! Why aren't we going on to the next street?"
"Do you really want free candy that badly?"
Shaoran interrupted before Tomo could answer Brent's question. "Am I the only one who thinks we're being watched?"
"That's why we're not going on to the next street," replied Minako. "No, don't look! And keep walking. I spotted two. One's a girl Aika-neesan's age, with braided twin tails and big glasses."
"Miyuki. She followed us." Ben sighed deeply. "I wonder what I did to tip them off."
"They didn't follow us; they're watching from the corner. The other one's a girl about Diana and Chibi-Usa's age. She's carrying a bag." Minako giggled. "I wonder where she found that outfit."
"What's she wearing?"
"A Juuban Municipal Junior High School uniform. She almost looks like Usagi, except her hair's tied with ribbons, and she's wearing a pin where Usagi wears her brooch."
"A pin? Not a pendant necklace? What color is her hair?"
"The same as mine. Why?"
"I didn't see her in the Midoriya," Ben commented.
"You probably wouldn't have been allowed to see everybody." Brent continued completely deadpan, "Oh, well. I suppose it has to be Fate."
"What, like Destiny?" Ami asked. "Sakura-chan said there's no such thing as coincidence, so ... Oh! ''Fate."''
The adults (most of them) waited at the foot of the driveway that they had just reached while the youngsters (and a few of the adults) went trick-or-treating. Ami continued, "How do we make contact with them without it turning into a fight?"
"Since she knows who Sailor Moon is, then you could go introduce yourselves," Akia suggested.
"Hang on," interrupted Minkao. "She's coming this way. No, she's headed for the kids!" Minako and Ami both got their transformation brooches out, and Ami waved at Chibi-Usa.
The youngsters picked up their pace and rejoined the others just before Fate arrived. She looked straight at Diana. "You're here! We've been so ... Oh. I'm sorry. I thought you were somebody else. Where did you get that costume?"
Diana smiled. "I made it."
"Your costume is pretty good, too, but there's a couple of things wrong," Chibi-Usa said before Diana could continue. "The pin on your bow isn't right, and Usagi-mama doesn't wear ribbons in her hair."
"Usagi-''mama?"''
Chibi-Usa looked around to make sure nobody was watching (except for the other trick-or-treaters), grinned and grabbed her locket from her pocket. "Moon Prism Power, Make Up!" A moment later, Sailor Chibi Moon was standing where Chibi-Usa had been a moment earlier. Diana transformed into her cat form and jumped onto Chibi-Moon's shoulder.
The pin on Fate's bow chose that moment to say "MAGICAL REACTION DETECTED" - because the girl was standing there with her mouth half-open in amazement.
Chibi-Moon looked straight at Fate's pin. "Hello, I'm Chiba Usagi, or Sailor Chibi-Moon."
"Bardiche."
"Happy to meet you!"
The blonde finally regained her wits. "Er... and I'm Fate Testarossa. Pleased to meet you."
"And I'm Diana!"
"Hello, Diana. I'm pleased to meet you. Are you her familiar?"
"No, I'm her friend. Can we be friends, too?"
Miyuki chose that moment to make plain to the others that she was there. "I think we should be friends. Are you all... well, magical girls?"
River grinned. "Don't we look the part?"
--
Rob Kelk
Sticks and stones can break your bones,
But words can break your heart.
- unknown
Rob Kelk
Sticks and stones can break your bones,
But words can break your heart.
- unknown