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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
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A SINCERE APOLOGY

Three days after the attack on her, Michiru was cleared to return home. The doctor insisted that she be transported by medical professionals.

Aster put herself in charge of preparing everyone for Michiru�s return. She sat the other Senshi, the Kishi, and the Satellites down in the main room of Chiba House.

�Michiru�s coming home,� Aster said. �It�s going to be a bit scary, at first, but we need to be there, for her.�

�What exactly is wrong with her?� Ami asked, always the level-headed one.

�You all know what happened,� Aster said. �Well, as if that wasn�t trauma enough, he beat her severely, and apparently stomped on her hands. All of the bones in her hands are broken, and so are several fingers. There was some nerve and tendon damage, but the surgeons think they fixed all of it. Her hands are in braces until the damage is healed. That means that she not only can�t take care of herself, she can�t even move her hands. We have hired nurses to take care of the medical stuff, but we need to keep in mind that she can�t paint, or play, or even feed herself.�

�We�ll do everything we can,� Usagi said. �What�s being done about that man?�

�We have a meeting tomorrow,� Aster said. �Takagi�s father will be coming by this afternoon to talk to her and to us. He is going to try to talk us out of pressing charges. Between us, I don�t give a damn whether Katayama is charged or not, I want him off the streets. I want him locked up for good.�

�I want him dead!� Makoto growled.

�You�ll get the chance to put your two cents worth in,� Aster promised. �I�m going to make Satoshi put up with all of it, before he even gets to see her.�

Their conference was interrupted by the footgate squealing. Aster got up and headed towards the door. Before she could get to the door, someone knocked loudly. She finished her trip to the door, and opened it before the unknown person could knock again.

The man who stood on the doorstep was the largest man she had ever seen. He was tall, a bit taller than Kunzite, even, and much broader in the chest and body. He was much thicker than Kunzite, from his fingers to his neck.

�I am looking for Chiba Aster,� he said, his deep bass voice rumbling like a grain mill.

�I was Chiba Aster,� she said.

�Chiba Takara killed my father,� he said, taking a step towards her. �I am going to avenge my father�s death with your blood.�

�You�re making a mistake,� Aster said, retreating. Her henshin wand would not help her against a non-powered threat. She could see Planet Power in the man, but she did not know how to tell him.

�Titan, stop!� Hotaru�s voice drew both of their concentration, and they turned to see Sailor Saturn put the butt of her glaive down on the floor.

The man�s eyes widened, and he dropped to one knee immediately.

�Sailor Saturn,� he said, bowing his head. He raised his head abruptly, and stared at Aster in sudden realization.

�My pardon, Warleader,� he said. �I did not know � forgive me.�

�You are forgiven, Titan,� Aster said. �We have missed you. What is your name, now?�

�Zhang Tsu Mai,� he replied, rising to his feet. �I was born in Hong Kong. My mother was a Japanese citizen, and my father was Chinese.�

�Do you live in Tokyo?� Aster asked.

�Not at the moment,� he said. �I am here on vacation. I will return to Hong Kong, sell my apartment, and come back as quickly as possible.�

�If that is what you wish, Titan,� Aster said. �We can use the muscle. Sailor Neptune was attacked by a man a few days ago, and she�s due home today.�

�Someone attacked Neptune?� he asked. �Who would dare?�

�A man who thinks he has the right to any woman he wants,� Aster said, her face clouding. �He does not care whether she wants him or not.�

�Is he still at large?� Zhang asked, his brow furrowing in anger.

�No,� Aster said. �He was caught in the act, beaten, and arrested. He is awaiting trial.�

He was opening his mouth to ask another question when the footgate squealed again, and Aster headed back to the door.

She opened the door, and found Satoshi stepping up onto the porch.

�Hello, Ojii-Satoshi,� Aster said, her voice cold. �I know what you�re here for, and I�m not going to give you what you want.�

�May I come in, Aster?� he asked.

�I suppose,� she said, stepping aside. She waited while he changed his shoes for slippers. She noticed in the meantime that Zhang had taken off his shoes, and they were neatly lined up with everyone else�s.

She indicated that Satoshi should follow her, and then she led the way into the main living room, where everyone who was home was gathered.

Mamoru folded his arms from where he sat in his chair.

�I hope you don�t want us to drop the charges, Fushida-san,� he said. �Michiru is a good friend of both myself and my wife. Neither of us is going to let this go.�

�My son is not a criminal,� Satoshi said, drawing himself up to his full height. �He is ill. He belongs in a hospital, not a prison.�

�So he has nurses to abuse?� Aster asked, whirling to face him. �He belongs locked in a cage like the dangerous animal he is.�

�Aster, please,� Satoshi said. �Katayama belongs in a mental hospital. He is not a villain, he is insane.�

�How many women has he done this to?� Aster demanded. �Do you know what he did to her, Satoshi? He stomped on her hands! He broke her jaw! He beat her nearly senseless! He damaged her legs so that she can�t walk right now! That was all before he raped her! Now, she flinches when the man she loves comes near her! The hospital sedates her at night so she doesn�t wake up screaming! No, Satoshi, we don�t drop the charges!�

�Aster,� Satoshi said in a wheedling tone. �What if I promised you that he would never get out? What if I put him somewhere with people to guard him, and watch him, all the time?�

�No deal, Satoshi,� Aster said firmly. �He belongs in a cage, and that�s where he�s going.�

�I came to ask the woman he wronged,� Satoshi said. �I will abide by what she says.�

�What about me, Satoshi?� Aster said. �She�s my mekake. I love her. Do you know what it�s like when I find out she can�t sleep the night through without having a nightmare about what that animal did to her? Do you know how much it tears me up when she cringes from a man that she went to eagerly just a week ago? No, Satoshi, you will not speak to her alone and then intimidate her into letting Katayama free. If we let you speak to her at all, it will be with all of us present, including the man who asked her to be his wife.�

�Why are they letting you speak?� Satoshi asked. �Where is the man you speak of?�

�He went to the hospital to accompany her home,� Aster said. �They will be here soon.�

�Then I will wait,� Satoshi said. �Is that allowable?�

�I suppose,� Aster said grudgingly. �Have a seat.�

She gestured to one of the couches, and then she sat down on another couch. Joben came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, gazing dispassionately at Satoshi. Sakura sat down next to Aster and snuggled up against her, tucking his head under her chin.

�Another lover, Aster?� Satoshi asked sardonically. �Does Hosyu know about this?�

�Yes, Satoshi,� Aster replied. �He knows about Joben, Sakura, Sean, Haruka, Michiru, and Takagi. Sean asked Michiru to be his wife, and Takagi and I have been talking about getting married. That doesn�t mean that we won�t have time or room for the others.�

�That could be an interesting story for a reporter,� Satoshi said, raising one eyebrow at Aster.

�Don�t play that game with me, Satoshi,� she told him. �I�m not ashamed of my lovers. If you draw media attention to me, I�ll tell Hosyu about something that he doesn�t know.�

�What is that?� Satoshi asked.

�I brought my mother�s rosewood trunk to Japan with me,� Aster told him. �I found something illuminating inside it. I wonder what Hosyu would say if he knew that you were the one who suggested that my mother go to Los Angelehs, and you told her to check on Chiba Imports office in Los Angeles.�

�Is that true, Satoshi?� Hosyu�s voice startled all of them.

Aster turned to the doorway to the solarium, where Hosyu was standing. Kenji was barely visible behind him.

�Did you tell Nari to go to Chiba Imports?� Hosyu asked. �You knew the rumors about Takara. Did you send my sister to the den of a black sorcerer?�

�She�s reading something into it that�s not there, Hosyu,� Satoshi said placatingly. �I told Nari that Chiba Imports had finished their Los Angeles office, and I thought she might be interested in seeing a traditional building done with Western techniques.�

�You also told her that she should get married sometime soon,� Aster said. �You pointed out that only one of three Chiba brothers was married, and that one of them would be an excellent catch, as well as an advantageous business alliance.�

�I did remind her of her familial obligation,� Satoshi said. �I never told her to get involved with Takara.�

�You made it possible,� Aster said coldly. She reached up and ran her hands as far up Joben�s arms as she could reach, struggling to control her temper.

�I agree with Aster,� Hosyu said. �You only saw the advantages for you and the family business. You never considered the cost to Nari, or any children she might bear.�

�Your actions deprived me of my mother,� Aster told Satoshi. �I will not allow them to deprive me of a woman I love, as well.�

�I still wish to speak to the woman in question,� he said stubbornly. �As for Nari, she made her own decisions. I am not responsible for what they were.�

�I say you are,� Aster said. �In that matter, I am one of the wronged parties. It might interest you to know, Satoshi, that I have it from Takara�s own lips that he was responsible for the deaths of Ryoko and his wife.�

Their conversation was cut short by the sound of the car gate opening, followed by the rumble of a large engine.

Aster pulled away from Joben and nearly ran to the door. She pulled it open and dashed outside, and over to where Takagi, Sean, and Haruka were climbing out of Aster�s Rolls Royce while a pair of burly attendants steadied Michiru down a ramp and over to a wheelchair that was waiting for her.

�What is my father�s car doing here?� Takagi asked, gesturing to where a man in a chauffer�s uniform was leaning against a silver limousine, reading a newspaper.

�He�s here to talk to Michiru,� Aster said. �He insists on speaking to her. I think he�s going to try to talk her into dropping the charges.�

�No chance,� Takagi said. �She asked what was done with him.�

�Do you think that she can stand up to him?� Aster asked, fidgeting.

�No,� Takagi said. �However, since she accepted Sean�s proposal, she will defer the decision to him, and he can handle it.�

�Good,� Aster said. �I was afraid that she would say no, and I would have to back down from what I just told Satoshi.�

�No,� Haruka�s voice was soft, but firm.

Aster turned towards her, and then walked over and knelt next to the wheelchair.

�I�m so sorry, Umi�yosei,� Aster said. �I should have been there. I should have been able to defend you.�

�You are just one person,� Haruka said softly. �You can�t be everywhere. Takagi and Sean stopped him before he got away. He�s going to be punished. She�ll be alright. Her jaw�s cracked, but not broken. It was dislocated, and it has to be kept mostly immobile for a couple of weeks. Her hands have been operated on, and the surgeons say that there was very little nerve damage, and it should correct itself. Calm down, Aster.�

Michiru couldn�t touch Aster or say anything to her, but she brushed Aster�s face with the edge of the frame around her fingers. She smiled softly, but she had a brace holding her jaw in place.

�I can�t calm down,� Aster said, laying her head in Michiru�s lap. �Katayama never would have seen her if she hadn�t been at my house.�

�It makes me wonder what he was doing here in the first place,� Takagi said. �Katayama has always felt he had the right to anything that was mine. We�ve been seen in public, as a group.�

Aster lifted her head and looked at him.

�You mean that he was after me?� she asked.

�Not necessarily,� Takagi said. �He could have just been after whatever he could get.�

�Then it could have been anyone,� Aster said, rising to her feet. �It could have been Usagi.�

Aster turned and walked back into the house.

Takagi and the others followed her, with the attendants lifting Michiru�s wheelchair to follow her into the house.

�We will agree to your terms, Satoshi,� Aster said. �I have three conditions. One, he never sees the outside world again. Two, I want weekly reports that he is still confined, from Kenji. I don�t trust you. Three, if I even hear a rumor that he has been seen in public, I will hunt him down and deal with him myself. I will emasculate him with a hot knife, and I�ll cut the tendons in his wrists and ankles. He will never hold anything or walk again. Do I make myself clear?�

�Thank you, Aster,� Satoshi said, rising to his feet.

�Don�t thank me yet,� Aster said. �There�s a price beyond my conditions. I don�t want you in Tokyo, either. You will sell every business you have in Tokyo, or sign it over to me. You stay on your end of the island, for the rest of your life.�

�Agreed,� Satoshi said, after a few moments thought. �I will have the papers delivered to you by my lawyer within the week. I am sure that the Prosecutor will want to speak to you about this.�

�I�ll explain the situation,� Aster said. �I want you to understand something, Satoshi. We are through. I am not going to speak to you ever again. Katayama came here to get back at Takagi. Any woman in that house would have been fair game. I have teenage girls living here. It could have been one of them. I�m only making this deal with you to get that monster off of the streets. I would rather trust a youma than trust Katayama.�

�You won�t regret it, Aster,� Satoshi said earnestly.

�I already do.�

***** *****

Aster felt her hand go numb, holding the receiver of the phone to her ear. She could hear what Hosyu was telling her, but her brain was refusing to process it, at the moment.

She became vaguely aware of Hosyu saying Takagi�s name, so she held the receiver out to him, and then she walked over to sit down on the end of the couch next to Michiru�s wheelchair. Haruka and Sean sat on an adjoining couch. Occasionally, Sean would reach over and touch Michiru lightly on the shoulder or the arm. After five days, she wasn�t flinching every time he touched her.

Takagi spoke briefly with Hosyu, and then he hung up and came over to sit next to Aster.

�It seems my father had his own reasons for wanting to get Katayama out of jail,� he said softly. �He took Katayama down to a family beach house on Okinawa. When my mother hadn�t heard from him for a few days, she asked my brother Kagara to fly down from Hiroshima and check on them.�

Takagi paused a moment and buried his face in Aster�s hair. He took several deep, steadying breaths before he continued.

�Kagara found Katayama in the kitchen,� he continued. �His throat was cut. My father was on the back patio. He was traditionally dressed in a white kimono, kneeling on a white cloth, with a white-hilted tanto under his chest. Kagara doesn�t think they�ll ever get the blood out of the concrete.�

�He committed seppuku?� Haruka asked. �Why?�

�Because Katayama had finally overstepped the bounds my father would tolerate,� Takagi said. �He left a note, explaining everything. He could turn a blind eye, so long as the women that Katayama abused were not family, and not of the upper classes. My father still wanted it to be the Shogunate. Now, Katayama had dishonored a woman who was taken into the family, not only by Aster, but by me. Also, he had to face the possibility that Katayama had done it to dishonor me. There was only one response for that.

�He made one last will,� Takagi finished. �He left the business concerns from Osaka to Okinawa to Kagara, Sendai to Hokkaido to me, and Tokyo and Chiba to Aster. He left sizeable amounts of money, jewelry and art objects to Michiru and Haruka, and title to an office building to Sean. My mother has the house in Osaka and a trust fund that will keep her in the manner to which she has become accustomed until her death. After that, the remainder of the trust fund goes to Aster.�

He looked around at everyone, noticing that everyone looked stricken, even Haruka and Michiru.

�The funeral is going to be Saturday,� he said. �At my father�s instruction, Katayama is being cremated and the ashes are being interred in a communal urn in the family crypt. My father is being interred with all ceremony. My mother requests that any member of �my Tokyo family�, as she puts it, that is able, come down to Osaka for the funeral.�

Aster looked over at Michiru, who nodded slightly.

�I don�t see a problem,� Aster said. �My plane will hold everyone, and the facilities at Tokyo and Osaka can both accommodate Michiru�s wheelchair.�

�I just wish we could get her transformed,� Aster said. �We know that the transformation itself would fix things to a certain extent, but she has to be able to hold the henshin wand.�

�As soon as she can, we�ll do things that way,� Takagi reassured Aster, kissing her temple.

TBC
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Diamohns are Forever