-by: the Yarnspinner- the_yarnspinner@yahoo.com http://strands-of-moonlight.my3gb.com -or- http://strands-of-moonlight.6te.net A Sekkushiaru Roman featuring characters from the anime "Sailor Moon" > Chapter 64 - Calm < Artemis crept along the fence at the back of an old warehouse. Moving slowly and stealthily, he looked around continuously and listened for the slightest sound that was out of place. On a previous visit, he had discovered a large guard dog with a very bad attitude. Fortunately, he had managed to outsmart the dog, but he still had no desire to run into him again. He stopped, observing carefully. Just as had happened the last several evenings, the final truck of the day waited at the loading dock. The driver emerged from the building and climbed into the cab. As the diesel engine roared to life, the two workers still on duty pulled the door closed. The truck edged away from the dock, then turned to head back out to the street. Only minutes later, the lights in the building were switched off and the workers left, closing the gate. Artemis nodded with satisfaction. The dog was now loose on the grounds, but would still be eating the food that had been left for him by the side door. The cat remained still, listening for anything out of the ordinary. Satisfied that all was as it should be, he very carefully jumped down off the fence, landing silently. Again, he stopped and listened. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, he crept across the yard. "Artemis?" Luna's voice called from the communicator in the new collar he was wearing. "Artemis, where are you? Have you found anything yet?" He tensed, cursing silently. The dog barked, and Artemis could hear him running. Breaking into a run, himself, the cat raced for the dock, leaping up onto the platform. As the dog bounded around the base of the loading dock, still searching, Artemis jumped up onto a window ledge. The bog barked again, now racing up the steps onto the dock. "Artemis?" Luna called again, now sounding quite impatient. He slipped through the broken window and jumped onto a crate. "A little louder, Luna," he said. "I don't think the dog quite heard you that time." "Dog? What dog?" "The big, mean guard dog who was trying to leave teeth marks in my tail," he grumbled. "I thought you said you could get past him without any trouble," Luna said. "I was doing just fine until he heard you calling me, Luna," he said. "So, I take it that means you haven't found anything yet," she said, clearly ignoring his last comment. "Not yet. I'll call you back," he answered, switching off his communicator. Shaking his head, he crept forward silently. The only significant noise was from the dog, still barking madly outside. He jumped down off the crate and made his way slowly into a side room. Old boxes littered the room, which plainly had not been used regularly in some time. As Artemis moved cautiously around the pile of boxes, his enhanced senses detected a magic source hidden here. Around the back of the pile, it became clear something had disturbed the boxes, and fairly recently. He shook his head, both amazed and thankful that the workers here were so inattentive. If they had taken the care to clean up this room, they would very likely have found what he was looking for before he could get to it. He edged forward with great care. This pile of boxes was clearly unstable, and the boxes individually were too heavy for him to move. Slipping around one box, he caught site of something glinting in the dim light. He stopped, carefully studying his surroundings. Two boxes rested very precariously above this object, balancing against each other and several surrounding boxes. It clearly would not take much to bring them down. Lowering himself into a crouch, Artemis crept forward, stretching himself out as far as he could manage. His paw touched something metallic. Reaching forward a little farther, he got a firm grip on the object and began to pull it toward him. As he did so, he carefully drew back until he was no longer in danger of having a box fall on him. Now that it was safe to do so, he studied the object closely, finding it to be an ankh, but with runic symbols inscribed along the stem that were clearly not Egyptian. He pulled it farther away from the boxes, then switched his communicator back on. It beeped almost immediately. "Artemis!" Luna called. "How dare you shut off your communicator?" Artemis shook his head. "I've found it, Luna," he said. "Do you have your computer ready?" "Ah, yes," Luna said. "Give me the details." "It's an ankh. Standard shape and proportions," he said. "About fifteen centimeters in length, and made of a golden metal. It has runic symbols on the vertical. There is a triangular indentation in the base of the vertical, about a quarter centimeter in depth. It has a strong magic localized in it. It's not pulsing or actively radiating, but we'd probably need Atana to determine its exact properties." "I understand," Luna said, now sounding very businesslike. "These runes. Can you tell if they're original, or if they were a later addition?" "These are very carefully engraved in the metal, and the markings are uniform in their depth and their shaping," Artemis said. "On that basis, I'd have to say they look original." "Alright," Luna acknowledged, remaining silent for a moment as she worked. "Are the runic symbols only on the one side?" "Just a minute," Artemis said. His lack of an opposable thumb made turning the ankh over a rather awkward proposition, but he managed it in relatively short order. "No," he said. "There is a small hieroglyph on the reverse, just below the horizontal." "Symbols on both sides?" she asked. "That's right," he confirmed. "That's strange," she said, clearly sounding puzzled. "I had it identified as an ankh of the wizard order of Magna Gothica, but my records say it should only be inscribed on one side." "Well, the Gothic masters must have based their ankhs on something. Perhaps this is it," he suggested. "And this appears to be a symbol of the goddess, Isis. As I recall, a dedication to Isis was pretty standard among some schools of wizards." "That's true," Luna conceded. "Well, you'd better bring it in. I've already picked up traces of another magic item." "We've already recovered six of these," Artemis said, shaking his head. "At this rate, we're going to be run ragged." "At least most have shown up in and around Tokyo," she reminded him. "But I don't think we can count on that," he said with a sigh. He sat down in front of the ankh. His collar glowed, and a matching glow enveloped the ankh, which disappeared. He nodded with satisfaction. "OK. I've stored the ankh away, Luna." He cocked his head, hearing the dog scratching at the door and growling. "I'll head back as soon as I get past the dog." There was a long moment of silence. "Be careful," Luna finally said. Mamoru stepped out of the elevator, glad to be home. He walked along the hall, retrieving his key. Stopping at his door, he unlocked it and went inside. "Usako. I'm home," he called, as he removed his jacket and slipped off his shoes. "Hi, Mamo-chan," she said. "I'm in the living room." He hung up his jacket. "Sorry I'm late," he said. "My meeting with Kobayashi-san went a lot longer than I expected. Chiba Industries owns a significant minority interest in one of the major auto manufacturers, and there has been an offer for our shares. The Board thinks we should take the offer, but Kobayashi's not so sure. He thinks it might be better for the long term to hold on to the stock. At first glance, I think I'd be inclined to accept the offer, but Kobayashi does have..." As he entered the living room, he found his lovely future bride sitting on the floor at the table with a book and a notepad in front of her and several crumpled sheets of paper strewn around her. "Is something wrong?" he asked. She sighed. "I'm supposed to be preparing a budget... but I can't seem to make it work out." He sat down next to her. "Would you like some help?" "Of course, Mamo-chan," she said. "We've been given figures to work with, but I can't make them come out right... and I don't really see the point." "You don't?" he asked. She shook her head. "Well, it's not like we have money problems, right?" He hesitated for a moment. "Usako, ah, just because the amounts are larger doesn't mean we don't have to watch where our money goes." She looked at him quizzically. He nodded. "I only get a certain amount from my trust every month, and out of that I have to cover expenses such as rent, groceries, tuition, insurance, medical, and so on." "But I thought your trust paid the rent directly," she said. "It does, but that's just a matter of direct deposit," he said. "It still counts against the total of my monthly allowance, so I have to plan for that." "What about your credit card?" she asked. "I still have to pay off what I charge every month," he said. "If you don't pay them off right away, credit cards charge a ridiculously high rate of interest. And I can't just charge forever. That's how our banks got into the mess they're in right now. The banks let companies keep borrowing just on their reputations as long time customers. Now those companies have fallen on hard times and are mired in debt, while the banks are holding billions of yen worth of bad loans. Easy credit can be a real trap that you don't want to fall into." "But what about this?" Usagi asked, indicating her assignment. "It all seems so complicated. Nothing adds up, and it seems like there's so much more in the way of bills." "That's usually the way it is," he said. "But the key is planning out how much is due and when." "Is it really that big a deal?" she asked. "I mean, for us?" He nodded. "It's a big deal for anybody," he said. "Didn't you say you wanted to be a housewife and raise our child?" "Oh, yes," she said. "I want to make a good home for the man I love, and be home with our baby." "Then that will put a large part of the responsibility on you, Usako," he said. She looked at him uncertainly. "When your mother had to purchase groceries or take you to the doctor, she didn't have to call your father first, did she?" Usagi shook her head. "No. Mom just took care of those things herself," she said softly. He nodded. "To do that, you'll need to know how we stand on our budget," he said. "Now it's true that we'll have options other people don't because we can borrow from my trust if there's a major expense, but it will still take at least several days to arrange that, so we have to be able to plan ahead." "OK," she said, nodding. "But how do I make this work?" "Well, let's start with a fresh sheet of paper," he said. "You'll want to make a list of your income and expenses. Now, how often do you get paid in this assignment?" "Every week," she said. "OK. Write down the amount," he said, watching as she did so. "Now, do you have a rent payment?" She nodded. "Yes." "But that's only due once month, right?" "Yes," she confirmed. "First, write down the total amount of the rent, with a note of when it is due," he said. "Then divide the rent amount by four." "By four?" she asked. "Yes. You want to find out how much you need from each week's paycheck to cover the rent," he explained. "And your rent amount is more than you make in one week, so you have to spread it out." "Hey, that makes sense," she said, writing it down. "So, I want to figure out everything on a weekly basis?" "That's right," he confirmed. "OK. Next I have insurance, which is due twice a year," she said. He nodded. "Well, six months is twenty-six weeks, so divide your insurance amount by twenty-six." She did the division on her calculator, then wrote down the amount. Continuing the list of expenses in her assignment, she did the same for each. "That looks good," Mamoru said, watching as she worked. She smiled happily at the compliment. "Now, add up your weekly expense amounts and see how it compares with your income," he said. She quickly added up the figures. "Hey. I actually have some left over," she said. "That's what you want," he said. "There's one more thing. It's not on your assignment, but it's a good idea to set aside a little every week for savings, and a little for unexpected expenses." "Yeah. That's a good idea," she agreed. "Just don't take out too much," he cautioned. "You can't budget for everything, and you're going to have incidental expenses and a need for pocket money." She nodded in understanding. Checking her totals again, she then wrote down an amount. "Does that look good?" He nodded. "I think you did a great job, Usako." He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Thank you, Mamo-chan," she said, kissing him in return. "You are the most wonderful man." He slipped an arm around her. "And you are the most wonderful woman, my princess." Geoff and Minako were on one of the volleyball courts at the university, playing a game of one-on-one. She returned the ball in a high lob. He jumped up and hit the ball for a hard smash, but she was already moving, vaulting up to the net where she spiked the ball to the floor, well out of Geoff's reach. "Point and game!" she cried. "Nice shot," he said. "That's another one for you." She grinned, meeting him at the side of the court and kissing him. "That was a good game, honey," he said. She nodded. "Yes, it was. A great way to unwind after spending so much time in the library." "I couldn't agree more... Mrs. Kelley." Her happy grin grew even larger. "I just love it when you call me that... But are you sure it's OK for us to be here this late?" she asked, glancing at the clock. "It's OK," he said. "I made sure before I reserved the court." They sat down on a bench beside the door, and he handed her a bottle of water. "Thanks," she said, opening the bottle and taking a sip. "So... you said you talked with your father," he said, taking a drink from his own bottle. "Any news?" "Yes," she said, taking another drink. "Mom had really thrown a fit when Daddy first told her about us." "I remember you saying that," he replied. "But if I remember correctly, your mother's reaction is why we haven't taken your father up on his initial request that we come see them." "That's right," she said. "But Daddy said Mom's growing more accepting of the idea." "Really?" he asked, turning to look at her. "Well, I doubt she's totally thrilled with it all yet," she said. "But at least she's not screaming at Daddy about it anymore." "It was that bad?" he asked. "I'm afraid so. I've never known Daddy to exaggerate about things like that," she said. "So, just how did he manage to stand by his sixty day trial if she was so upset?" he asked. "I'm not entirely sure," Minako admitted. "But Daddy has always had a special way with her... That's how he got her to agree to his taking a job in England... And it probably also helps that he's giving us exactly the same conditions Mom's father gave them." "Do you think there is any risk that they'll make you move back with them once the sixty days is up, regardless?" "I... I'm not sure," she admitted. "I guess that's possible... We never really had a chance to discuss what would happen after the sixty days were up." He nodded with a frown, not anxious to consider that possibility. "But Daddy has gone to quite a bit of effort to keep his end of the bargain," she said. "Based on that, I find it hard to believe he would make me move back if we keep up our end of it." "I hope you're right," he said. "So do I," she agreed. "I couldn't stand not being able to live with you." He nodded. "Yes. I'd hate to go back to being a bachelor. I've gotten spoiled sharing my life with such a beautiful and wonderful young woman." "And I have the most wonderful young man," she said. She leaned over and kissed him. "But after our game, I need a shower before I change." "Sounds like a good idea," he agreed. As Minako entered the women's locker room, Geoff noticed that the office was already locked, and the other rooms were closed with the lights turned off. He checked the main doors, seeing that they too were locked. They could leave, but no one could come in without a key. This meant it would be at least an hour before the guard came around again. He smiled, then went into the men's locker room to retrieve his clothes and brief case. Moments later, he returned, also with a towel slung over his shoulder. He looked around once more, then quietly slipped into the women's locker room. Just inside the door, he stopped, listening for voices or any other indication that Minako might not be the only one there. All he could hear was the sound of running water from a shower. He moved down one of the rows, finding Minako's clothes. Quickly and quietly, he undressed, then moved toward the showers, where he saw the incredibly beautiful young blond he loved so much, her naked flesh glistening as the water ran over it. She turned as she heard someone entering the shower. "Geoff!" she gasped. "What are you doing in here?" He grinned. "There's no one else here, so I thought I'd share a shower with my lovely Venus." "You're terrible," she said, as he took her in his arms, steering them both into the spray. "But such a wonderful, sexy man." "And all yours," he said, before pressing his lips to hers. She sighed happily into the kiss, loving him more than anything. His manhood bulged against her abdomen and she couldn't resist rubbing over it, feeling the usual intense warmth and wetness swelling within her. One of his hands grasped her bottom, his fingers pressing into her flesh. "I love you... so much," she whispered. "I love you," he said softly, running his hands over her naked body. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to one of her nipples, while running a hand over her pubic mound and sliding a finger into her. She groaned as she felt his finger part her nether lips, while his gentle suckling of her nipples sent further bursts of pleasure rushing through her. His finger brushed her jewel, bringing a sudden gasp from her. He then plunged two fingers into her channel. Her legs went limp beneath her and she could only lean on him. As his fingers plunged in and out repeatedly, she soared to spectacular climax. She struggled to keep from crying out as her body was consumed in ecstasy. "Oh, gods," she gasped breathlessly. "That was incredible." "I'm glad you liked it," he said, before pressing his mouth to hers for a deep, passionate kiss. His penis was still throbbing as he yearned for release of his own. "I love making you feel good, honey." "You do such a wonderful job of it," she said. "I try, my lovely Venus," he said with a grin, suddenly turning her around and bending her over. In only a moment, he moved forward, the tip of his penis spreading open her nether lips. She gasped at the feel of his hard, warm mass sliding deep into her, pushing herself back against him to take him in even farther. One of his hands grasped her breast, and he quickly began thrusting into her forcefully, adjusting his motion just right with each thrust to stroke her g-spot. "Oh, yes... Yes!" she cried, her passion fogged brain vaguely recognizing that neither of them was going to last long. He also knew this would be short, but still found every opportunity to join himself with this incredibly beautiful young woman he loved so very much to be just as wonderful as the first time. Her warm channel clung to him snuggly as he moved within her. His reserves of control were fading fast as he pushed himself faster and harder, determined to bring her to her peak as well. Minako pressed her free hand over her mouth as she cried out wordlessly. She too felt no lessening of the pure wonder and joy at being conjoined with him, as he continued to drive so powerfully inside her. In just a moment, she felt his throbbing shaft expand and heard him groan. Immediately her entire body locked up in an earth-shaking orgasm, just he exploded into climax himself, pouring his seed into her. "Oh, honey," he sighed breathlessly, holding her in his arms. "So wonderful," she whispered. "I love you." She took a breath, feeling his warmth spreading within her. "Oh, yes. That feels soooo good." "I'm glad you like it," he said softly. "Of course I do," she said. "And I love you... more than anything." Very gently, he slipped back, withdrawing himself from her. As she straightened up, he enfolded her in his arms and kissed her once more. "We probably should get washed up and head home," he finally said. "Eventually the guard will come around to make sure the building is closed and locked." "I was working on that, you know," she said. "I just didn't plan on being waylaid in the shower." He grinned. "Well, I can't help that," he said. "The pure naked beauty of Venus just makes me lose all control." "Oh, really?" she asked, with a mischievous smirk. She suddenly slipped out of his grasp, grabbing for the shower control and spinning the handle all the way over to cold. "Does this help, my love?" Geoff gasped as the spray suddenly turned ice cold, jumping aside. "Hey!" He lunged toward her, but she deftly stepped aside. "I was just trying to help," she said, readjusting the water temperature. He stepped up to her and kissed her. "The only thing that helps is the loving attention of a certain very beautiful young woman." "Well, I guess you're in luck," she said. "Because I have to admit I'm just crazy about you." "And I for you," he said. She reached for the soap and drew him back into the water. "Let's get cleaned up." - - - - - - - - - -
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Ami sat at her desk. A spreadsheet was open on her desktop computer. Her brow was wrinkled and her mouth turned in a frown as she reviewed the figures yet again. Just then, her Mercury computer beeped, having finally completed the highly complex scanning and calculations she required, which were far beyond the capabilities of her 20th century computer. She opened the computer and studied the results, shaking her head. "Any change?" Ryo asked, looking up from his book. "No," Ami said softly. "Not the slightest." She began to update her spreadsheet. He moved off the bed and looked over her shoulder. "It just makes no sense," she muttered. "Have you checked the others yet?" he asked. She shook her head. "They'd think I was crazy." "But if your calculations are correct, and if it does affect them too, they're going to notice it before long," he said. She nodded with a sigh, leaning back in her chair. He placed his hands on her shoulders and started to massage them. "That feels good," she said softly. "I'm glad," he said. "I don't know what I'd do without you," she sighed. "And I don't want to have to find out." He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Neither do I, darling." She turned and kissed him. "I love you so much." "I love you," he said. He glanced over at the clock. "But you've been at this all evening. I think you'd better give it a rest." Ami nodded. As she stood up, he untied her robe and began to open it. "Are we going to bed?" she asked. "Why not?" he asked with a grin. "We've been studying all day. And we're both very prone to being too serious." She laughed softly as he slid her robe back off her shoulders. "You are so very sweet," she said, lifting his shirt. Usagi settled into the tub with Mamoru and leaned back against him, sighing as he enfolded her in his arms. "Oh, Mamo-chan." He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. As he held this lovely young woman in his arms, he again marveled at how much joy she had brought into his life and just how much he had been blessed. "Have I told you lately that I love you, Usako?" She grinned and nodded. "But you know I love hearing it, my wonderful prince." He kissed her cheek again. "You are the most beautiful woman, my princess," he said softly. "And the most loving person I've ever known." "And you're the most wonderful man," she said. He smiled. "Who would have imagined being hit in the head by a crumpled up piece of paper would lead me to the most wonderful young woman," he said. She giggled, nodding. "But I'm sorry we got off to such a rough start." "We found each other, and that is what counts," he said. "My life has improved so much since I met you." "So has mine," she agreed. "I'd hate to think of being Sailor Moon without the handsome and very sexy Tuxedo Kamen there to help me." "You're pretty sexy yourself in that sailor fuku," he said. "You like that really short skirt," she said with a giggle. "Well... what can I say? You have an absolutely fantastic set of legs, my love," he replied, sliding a hand down onto her thigh. "Mamo-chan," she said softly and reprovingly, placing a hand over his. "But is that all that you like?" "Of course not, Usako. I love the entire package," he said, sliding his other hand across the slight swell of her abdomen to take hold of her breast. "As I said, you are just the most beautiful woman ever... and I love you more than anything." "I love you, Mamo-chan," she said, shifting position and sliding a hand behind her to grasp his penis. "And I love your entire package." "So I see," he said, feeling his penis respond to her gentle caress. He quickly turned her around a bit more and pressed his lips to hers. "I'm glad to know I can interest you at least in that way," he said with a soft chuckle. She shook her head. "Not just that way, Mamo-chan. I mean, yes, you've been able to get me very aroused from the beginning... but there is so much more. Before I met you, it was like I had no idea of who I was or what I wanted to be... but now, I know just what I want and where I belong." He kissed her again. "So do I, my lovely princess. I belong right here with you." "And I belong with you.," she sighed happily. "More than anything, I want to be your wife and the mother of our baby." "There's nothing I want more, Usako," he said, embracing her. She turned over and kissed him passionately, rubbing herself across his swollen shaft. "Oh, Mamo-chan," she sighed. "I think you have a problem... and I seem to have the same problem." He kissed her in return and grasped her bottom in his hands. "Well then, I guess we need to do something about our problems." A broad grin brightened her face. "I was hoping you would say that, you wonderful man." * * * * * * * * * * * * NOTE: I want to thank readers for their patience. I never imagined it would take so long to get this chapter finished, but my wife and I have both been incredibly busy, leaving no real time to write. Hopefully that won't happen again, but as I am presently making a career change I certainly can't promise that. More to come. Hopeless Romantic and I now have a message group to notify our readers when we post new stories/chapters. Those who are interested can sign up at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/strands_of_moonlight/ . Always remember, good gentles, that a yarnspinner works from and within existing legends and stories. The characters of "Sailor Moon" belong to others. In spinning my yarns, I do not seek to infringe on their rights of ownership, but merely to join with other fans to spread the legend still further. "The moonlight carries a message of love." Enjoy. -05.19.2004 |