Adult-FanFiction.org : Anime

Diamohns are Forever	By : SailorSol Category: Sailor Moon > General Views: 22490 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 28
- 29
- 30
CHANGE OF TACTICS

Sailor Sol listened to the conflicting reports from Terra and Endymion with a sense of bewilderment. According to them, there were two indications of a burgeoning attack. One was near the motocross track, and the other was near Hikawa Temple.

�There�s more people at the motocross track, today,� she said finally. �We can�t ignore the target at the temple, though.�

�This doesn�t fit the pattern,� Haruka pointed out. She was sitting in a nearby chair with a hairbrush in her hands. Minako was on the floor in front of her, her long hair unbound. Haruka had paused in brushing her hair to make the comment.

�I know,� Aster said. �I�ll get Thomas to run that astronomy program I bought him and see if there�s anything else we�re unaware of.�

�What are we going to do about two attacks?� Minako asked.

�We�ll send the Outers to the temple,� Aster said. �They can keep the thing busy until Sailor Moon can get there. We�ll send the Inners, Mini Moon, and Charon to the track. When the creature at the track is destroyed, Charon can bring Sailor Moon to the temple to destroy the second one.�

�Where are Terra and Endymion going?� Haruka asked. �I know they�re Inners, but they are very powerful.�

�That�s why they go to the track,� Aster said. �The Inners will need both the stabilizing influence of Terra and Endymion, as well as the power she commands.�

�What about the babies?� Haruka asked.

�Some friends of mine are coming over,� Aster said. �They�re part of the Business, so we won�t have to make any awkward explanations.�

�Now I know why you�re in charge, Sun Face,� Haruka said, smiling. �You think of everything.�

�That�s not why,� Aster said. �I�m in charge because I�m the most powerful, and I learned to plan ahead because of Takara. I�ll go talk to Thomas, and then we�re off to the temple and the races.�

~*~*~*~*~*~

When the warriors came home, they found Hosyu in the living room of Chiba house, cradling Jishin in his arms. He looked up when they walked in, and then handed Jishin to Meiko before approaching all of them.

�You look exhausted,� he said. �Are you sure you aren�t overextending yourselves?�

�It doesn�t matter, Uncle,� Aster said. �We have to do this. No one else can.�

�I don�t want you to wear yourself out,� Hosyu said. �I also don�t want to bury you like I buried your mother and her twin brother.�

�You won�t be burying me, Uncle,� Aster assured him. �We are perfectly capable of taking care of them. We just had to do it twice today, that�s all.�

�Twice?� Hosyu asked. �I thought you had them figured out. You said something about planetary retrograde and forward motion.�

�Yes,� Aster said, frowning. �These attacks don�t follow the pattern. Thomas is going to run some programs and see if he can find a correlation.�

�Is there anything you need?� Hosyu asked.

�No,� Aster said. �We have a T1 line here to the house. Thomas and the others that are attending the University have access to the University�s computers. We�ll find the answers. It just may take more than one attack.�

�Did anyone die?� Hosyu asked, dreading the answer.

�No,� Aster said. �We had two groups waiting. One at the racetrack, and one at Hikawa Temple. No one was hurt, but some people are going to be watching shadows for a while.�

�As long as no one was hurt,� Hosyu said, relieved. �You never told me about these other friends of yours.�

�I didn�t think my sex life was any of your business,� Aster said. �I did not anticipate having to bring them out of the shadows so quickly.�

�How many lovers do you have?� Hosyu asked, arching an eyebrow.

�Probably more than Mother ever did,� Aster answered, shrugging. �I�m not going to apologize or be embarrassed, Uncle. You told me once that people like us are expected to be more than a bit odd. I don�t tear around the streets of Tokyo in a race car, and I don�t carry a swagger stick wherever I go. My ownership of the Senshi House is a matter of public record, if anyone checks.�

�Just don�t bring any shame on us, Aster,� Hosyu said. �That�s all I ask.�

�She�s discreet, cousin,� Kojiro spoke up. �She doesn�t parade her koibitos around town, like nobles used to do, two hundred years ago and more.�

�When did you join this household?� Hosyu asked. �Your grandfather knew that you had moved out of staff quarters at the University, but he did not know where.�

�Grandfather can ask politely if he wants any information,� Kojiro said. �I�m not telling him anything. He will have the heir he wants when I�m good and ready, and no sooner.�

�Don�t bite my head off,� Hosyu said. �You�re family, and I get told about these things, that�s all.�

�I have another project that might distract you, Uncle,� Aster said. �Something completely mundane, that you can brag to the rest of the rich ex-nobles that you see all the time. Point out that your family is doing something to help save lives. We�ll see if shame can produce some civic responsibility.�

�Is that what you�re trying to do?� Hosyu asked her, smiling.

�No,� Aster said. �I want Kojiro and Lucinda to have an environment to do their research their way. They�re not going to get that at the University. I know that there are deserted warehouses near the waterfront. I want to obtain a complex of those, renovate them, and open the Fushida Seismology Institute.�

�Fushida Seismology Institute?� Hosyu asked. �There are several Seismology Institutes in Japan, Aster. What would make this one different?�

�It would have specialists for each type of seismological activity,� Aster said. �Kojiro is actually a tsunami expert, not a pure seismologist. His best friend, Professor Robert Taylor, is a vulcanologist, and would jump at the chance to do that, instead of teach seismology at Cal Tech.�

�What about a seismologist?� Hosyu asked.

�That�s what �Cinda will be,� Aster said confidently. �What most institutes have is a lack of funds, which impairs their ability to do research that might save lives. Our institute will have no such lack. We can get the best equipment, and invent new equipment, if that�s what it takes.�

�Lucinda doesn�t have her Masters or Ph.D. yet,� Hosyu said. �What about that?�

�Kojiro and Professor Taylor both do,� Aster pointed out. �There�s no rules anywhere that say they all have to be Ph.D.s. When they get results, it won�t matter that Lucinda only has her Bachelor�s degree. It will be her results that matter, not her formal education. Degrees are relatively new concepts in Asia, anyway.�

�If that�s what you want,� Hosyu said. �You know I won�t tell you no. It�s not like you and Lucinda don�t have enough money.�

Aster smiled at him, and then she turned to join some of the others to fix dinner. Michiru firmly pushed her into the couch and then Haruka dumped Usagi onto her lap.

�You stay put,� Michiru said. �You and Usagi did the most work. You two rest while some of the rest of us make dinner.�

�Then get �Cinda in here,� Aster said. �She worked as hard as I did.�

�No sooner said than done,� Vincent said, coming out of the kitchen. He had Lucinda in his arms, and he sat her down next to her adopted sister.

�You sit and rest,� he said. �No arguin�.� He turned around and went back into the kitchen.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

�I found it!�

The clock had just chimed ten pm, and everyone sat up from their various states of relaxation when Thomas came out of the �office� waving a printout.

Thomas came over to where Aster, Usagi, and Lucinda were still sitting together and dropped the printout in Usagi�s lap.

�There�s a conjunction between Venus and the Moon,� he said. �That accounts for the double attacks.�

�Why not before?� Usagi wondered aloud, picking up the printout and looking at it. �Thomas, I can�t understand this.�

�Maybe they�re getting desperate,� Lucinda said. �After all, we have been stopping them consistently. Perhaps they thought that we would have to choose one fight or the other.�

�Well, they were wrong,� Aster said. �We had enough people to keep both diamohns busy while Sailor Moon went back and forth.�

�If I�m right,� Thomas said. �The next attack will be in five days. There�s a conjunction between Mars and the Moon then. After that, we�ve got almost two weeks until Mars and Jupiter conjunct.�

�Good work, Thomas,� Aster said. �Did you eat dinner?�

�Yes,� he said. �Hotaru brought me something while I was running the programs.�

�Then get some rest,� Aster said. �You�ve more than earned it.�

***** *****

Sailor Sol ducked under the sweeping tail of the daimohn they were distracting and measured her length in the sand. The nearby surf muffled the cries of the creatures. She was just glad that the earcuff she was wearing made it possible to hear what the others were saying.

They weren�t trying hard to damage the daimohn. They were keeping it distracted while Sailor Moon dealt with the one that had interrupted Haruka�s motocross race, and then came to the beach via Charon�s shadows. All they had to do was keep it near the pier and away from the civilians that were fleeing as quickly as they could.

Sol got up, spitting sand, and turned to see where the creature was.

A massive hand hit her alongside her head and sent her flying.

She hit one of the pier pilings and landed in the water, unconscious.

�NO!� Kishi Pluto went charging into the surf to lift her out of the water, limp and unresponsive.

As if they knew that matters had gotten out of hand, Charon arrived with Sailor Moon. She stepped out of the shadow of the pier, her silver scepter in her hand. She nodded to Sailor Venus and stepped around Sailor Pluto, who was watching Kishi Pluto rescue Sailor Sol with a stricken look on her face. As soon as she realized that Sailor Moon was watching her, she schooled her expression to one of disinterest.

Sailor Moon raised her scepter, and swept it around in a circle, aimed at the daimohn.

�Moon Laser Arrow Strike!�

~*~*~*~*~

Aster regained consciousness lying on a chaise lounge in the solarium of Chiba House, with Takagi on one side and Vincent on the other. She felt Takagi tuck her henshin wand into her hand as she looked around to see Usagi�s tear-filled eyes.

�Hime,� she murmured. �I�m fine. Don�t worry about me. I just need an aspirin.�

�They thought you were going to die,� ChibiUsa�s voice came from above her head. �I told them they were wrong.�

�Maybe that�s what Setsuna saw,� Aster murmured. �Maybe she saw me get knocked out and dropped into the water, and thought I drowned.�

�That�s a possibility,� Lucinda�s soft voice interrupted them. �If she saw what happened today, she might have assumed the rest.�

�I�ll have to thank her,� Aster said. �I have just the thing in mind.�

�What?� Takagi wanted to know.

�There�s a store in Shinjuku,� Aster said. �It�s called the Rainbow Wave. They sell matched strings of pearls, in every color possible. I was looking for possible stocking stuffers for Christmas. One of Eiji�s brothers owns it.�

�Is that in your building?� Vincent asked.

�Yes,� she said. �Eiji asked me to do him a favor, and lease his brother a shop on the street. Since tourists always hit Shinjuku, and they tend to equate Japan with pearls, I figured it would be a good idea. I gave him a ridiculously low rent, and wrote in a percentage clause.� She sat up slowly, wincing as her head throbbed.

�You mean you get a percentage of his sales?� Takagi asked. �That�s unbelievable.�

�No,� Aster said, sitting up and swinging her legs off of the lounge. �I get a percentage of the profits. He was more than happy to agree, considering that the rent he�s paying is less than half of the going rate.�

�Half?� Takagi asked as Aster stood up and walked over to embrace Usagi. �Are you mad?�

�Mad?� Aster asked, turning to look at him. �The nightclub and the Senshi House pay for themselves. Le Parc de Soleil will once the renovations are finished. Planetary Energy is taking up the five vacant floors. There are fifteen other stores on the ground floor alone, and they�re all paying the going rate. The only other store that�s getting a cut rate is the Senshi Outlet. They have a similar arrangement, and my share of the profits is already more than the rent would have been.�

�People are buying Sailor Senshi stuff?� Rei asked, her disbelief evident in her voice.

�Yes,� Aster said. �Costumes, figurines, paintings, plushies, bento boxes, jewelry, the works. I had Uncle Hosyu buy the companies that were manufacturing them, anyway. I figured that if anyone should benefit, we should.�

�Here, here,� Michiru said. �Is that where you got the plushies on the bed?�

�Yes,� Aster said, smirking. �I saw the plushies at a toy shop. I tracked down the company, and had Hosyu buy it for me. He looked at the legers and never asked me why.�

TBC
- 28
- 29
- 30
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Diamohns are Forever