Title: Sailor Minerva: Protector of Light
Overall rating: PG-13
Part: Chapter 2
Author: Aimee*Dee*Dee
E-mail: sailorminerva@yahoo.com
Note: Earlier I had two different e-mails posted. Please use 
sailorminerva@yahoo.com because the other account at 
bishoujosenshi.com hasn't been working as well as it should, 
especially on weekends. For your e-mails to be replied to more 
promptly, please send to the Yahoo address. Sorry for any 
inconveniences this may have caused you! Domo arigato!

:::PG-13>>>Violence and just a little language (well,
and a _faint_ allusion to the fact that babies don't 
come from storks ^_^) Not suggested for young or 
sensitive readers, as the nightmare is rather 
graphic:::

>>>>>>Chapter 2<<<<<<
    )))Chouko(((

"Ayumi Attacked! The Senshi Nowhere to be Found!"

Her former placidness evaporated. It was the same 
nightmare she had dreamt for weeks. Subconsciously she 
groaned and tried to bury her head in the pillow. It was
obviously to no avail.

Her eyes were wide open as she lay flat on the ground, 
searching the darkness for some trace of light. An 
enormous fear squeezed her heart. She tried to move, and
she couldn't, but she didn't feel bound. The weakness in
her limbs was just too great. The terror just grew and 
grew, her dry throat throbbing convulsively. It was 
worse than ever this time, because it was so clear that 
it seemed to be reality. She knew that very soon, close 
to her in the penetrating darkness, a woman would begin 
to scream, and she started to cry in dread. Then her 
fears came to a climax.

A high, piercing scream ripped through the dark, close 
air like a sharp sword. She thought she would die from 
horror, hearing the terrible panic in that shriek. Two 
voices were speaking from somewhere in that dark mass 
surrounding her. This was new, and they were not 
speaking Japanese or any language familiar to her, yet 
she understood each word clearly.

"Where is she?"

"Not with me! Is she with an ally, perhaps..."

"No, their back-stabbing dirty work paid off. I'm sure 
she is caught in another--"

"They're coming! Quickly, hide!"

After a momentary cessation of noise came a hideous 
sound, the sound of a sharp instrument tearing into 
meat, followed by a sudden gasp and moan as if the 
breath had been squeezed out of a person's lungs all at 
once; then a gushing, splashing sound that died slowly 
into a trickle.

Light! Was there a tiny spark of light beckoning to her 
in that overwhelming darkness?

She was trapped; she could not escape the dream. It 
unwound ceaselessly, forcing her to live and experience 
it no matter how she resisted. The flickering candle, 
the inevitable sounds, the faint, faraway woman's 
voice--

"Look! Oh, no, God, why?"

This time the dream was much closer than it had ever 
been before. She recognized that voice. Was it--yes, it 
was her mother! The dream should have concluded now, but
it didn't.

The dim light moved towards her, slowly closing in. The 
grimy face of a rough-looking man grinned sinisterly, a
thin red line of blood trickling down his cheek, his 
eyes glittering in the candlelight. He raised his sword
slowly when something touched his back, a poisoned 
throwing star. His sweaty body fell on top of hers, and
she was frozen.

"So, we've finally found you," a tall man said calmly, 
stepping out of the shadows. She was suddenly awash with
fear. This man was evil, pure evil itself, and he would
stop at nothing...

*I'm going to die. No one can be afraid like this and 
not die or go crazy...*

"Chibi-Chou!" Comforting hands gently shook Chouko's shoulders
as a soft woman's voice interrupted her terrifying 
nightmare. "Hush, Chibi-Chou (little butterfly), it's 
only a bad dream...there, there, calm down."

Strangely enough, Chouko was not crying, but she was 
shivering even in the muggy summer night air. Hugging 
herself, she tried to stop, but the fright made her just
tremble more violently. 

"Come on, now, Chibi-Chou. It was only a bad dream, nothing 
to worry about."

"No, Mama, it was more than that," Chouko said as soon as
she regained enough control to speak. "I'm sure it's
more than just a nightmare. Nightmares aren't real, and 
they don't scare me like that."

"I suppose you would know," her mother agreed 
soothingly. "I guess since they're recurring, they could
mean something, but don't you worry about it."

Chouko's mother tweaked her nose playfully, and she 
giggled. Maybe her mother was right--maybe it was 
nothing to worry about. Still, her anxiety about it 
lingered, and she knew the dream would return, again
and again. 

++An unoccupied square room with a round table.++

Suddenly the evil being with the blood-red robe 
appeared, sitting at the round table. Musing, he spoke 
his thoughts aloud.

"The time has come...all the practice games are over. 
Evil cannot win this battle without using its full 
potential. The advance 'scouting parties' all failed...
I had hoped to weaken them...but, alas, my wishes have 
always been in vain. But not this time, no, my wishes 
will come true. The stakes are high, but I will gamble 
everything. I _cannot_ lose, not with my power used so 
cleverly. I _will_ match them, and win. I've waited 
patiently too long for this, and I won't _ever_ have to
wait again. If we don't win this one, it's all over for 
us. But, then again, if they don't win, it's all over 
for them. [Chuckle] At least we could rebuild in the 
next million years...they can't have that option. 
Goodbye, Earth! Goodbye, Life! Goodbye, Universe! The 
Aurora will be overcome in a very short time!"

++A park with tall trees, well-kept grass, multi-colored
flowers, and gravel paths.++

Chouko bounced the ball to Emi, who threw it to Ayumi, 
who passed it back to Chouko. They merrily laughed and 
played while their mothers sat on benches nearby, 
discussing adult matters quietly.

When Chouko reached to catch the ball from Ayumi, she 
felt herself gasping for air. It was as though she had 
just been punched in the abdomen, but this didn't make 
sense, as she had caught the ball midair. The dull 
beige ball glinted slightly, as if spun of threads of 
light. She tossed it to Emi, who glimpsed it as she 
caught it and dropped it as if it was a hot plate.
"What's wrong with the ball?" Ayumi asked.

"That's so creepy! Don't touch it, Ayumi-chan! 
Chibi-Chou-chan did something weird to it," Emi said.

"I didn't--" Chouko began.

"What did you do?" Ayumi wanted to know, curious.

"I didn't do a thing! I wish it would stop that," Chouko 
said irritably.

Instantly the ball stopped shimmering. [Emi and Ayumi 
have a _really_ scared look on their faces]

"You--you told it to stop, and it did!" Ayumi exclaimed.

"No, it was just a coincidence," Chouko insisted.

"Well, if you want to be stubborn...Come on, Ayumi-chan. 
Let's go play alone with a ball that doesn't glow and 
leave Rudolph to play with her new glow-toy." Emi 
laughed. Emi always laughed at everything, because she 
made everything into a joke.

Chouko wiped a tear from her eye. Now no one would play 
with her. Everyone thought her eyes that changed color 
with her moods were weird, and now she did weird things. 
*Why can't I be just like the rest of them?* she asked 
herself, seeing all the children playing in the park. 
*Why not?*

She trudged over to her mother, who was busily chatting 
with the two mothers of her "friends." She tugged on her
mother's sleeve. "Mama, let's go home."

"All right, Chibi-Chou," her mother said, but Chouko saw 
her questioning glance. Chouko loved to play in the park,
usually. While they walked home, Chouko explained the 
incident to her mother.

"Mmm," her mother murmured, sounding unconcerned. 
"Would you like some curry noodle soup for dinner 
tonight?"

[Sweat drop on Chouko] "Mama! I don't like what 
happened today! What was that?"

"Chibi-Chou, you think it was your fault? Those children 
needed someone to blame for an unnatural occurrence. Some
people just can't accept that strange things do happen, 
and those occurrences usually have nothing to do with 
anyone."

"All right," Chouko said grudgingly, and then brightened.
"Did you mention curry noodle soup? My favorite?"

++A room that looks like the inside of a shrine, with 
five girls talking and eating.++ ===That's right. Now
make an educated guess.===

"Ooh! Yummy! Makoto (Lita), I didn't know you made my
favorite cookies!" a blonde-haired girl with 
funny-looking odango atama (dumplings, meatball 
head) exclaimed.

"They were made just for you. I don't have that much 
time anymore to do that, being a successful 
businesswoman. After all, I have three restaurants and 
an arcade to run," a tall, brunette woman said.

"Arigato! (Thanks!)" the blonde girl mumbled belatedly, 
her mouth full.

"So, how's Urawa-kun (Greg), Ami (Amy)? I haven't 
seen him for a while," a young woman in the clothing of 
a priestess inquired.

"Ryo's (Greg's) doing just fine. His biological research on
the effect of tropical plants and animals...you don't 
really care, do you? Anyway, it has helped me in some 
surgical procedures, and I'm happy. Our marriage has been
very beneficial, and not just for the medical field," the
quiet, mousy woman called Ami said, patting her slightly 
protruded belly.

===Yeah, yeah, I know Urawa Ryo (Greg ?) was only in two 
episodes, but I had to make the "inevitable" 
happen...it's a fault of mine. Gomen, clich鮽==

Another blonde girl chortled. "You've all settled down, 
haven't you? All of you except for me. I think I'm glad 
I don't have to take care of a husband. Too much work,
and what a pain! I much prefer pouring my heart out into
directing movies, and never having to commit myself to 
something else." She ran slender fingers through her 
stylishly short hair.

"Yuuichirou (Chad) isn't a pain!" the priestess 
protested.

===I know Yuuichirou did not even exist in the manga, 
but this is based (mostly) on the anime. Sorry again...
I know, clich鬠clich鬠clich鮠Well, at least it's
not the main plot of the story...ugh!===

"Then why are you always complaining to me, Rei-chan 
(Raye)?" the odango-haired girl asked snidely.

Rei looked flustered. "Ah, Usagi (Serena), I'm not 
always complaining. It's you who always gripes about 
Mamoru (Darien)!"

"I do not!" Usagi yelled. "Mamo-chan (Darien) is the 
sweetest, most caring guy, and much better than any of 
your husbands!"

"Excuse me? Motoki (Andrew) is the hottest, and he's a 
very nice nurse, don't you think?" Makoto said.
===I know Reika (Rita, sp?) is Motoki's (Andrew's) 
girlfriend, and I know that Makoto (Lita) "got over 
him," but I am writing a fan fiction (tragedy!) about
that right now. Don't worry, Reika won't die. I'm not
_that_ evil, really. Besides, I finally put in a (kind
of) non-clich頴hing! It's not Motoki and Minako! Aren't 
you proud?===

"You all know that Ryo (Greg) is much more intelligent 
than any other man in this world. And 
he...uh...well...you know what I mean," Ami stammered, 
gesturing at her stomach again.

All the women laughed, and the tension broke.

"You know what?" Usagi (Serena) said. "I miss 
Michiru-san (Michelle), Haruka-san (Amara), Setsuna-san 
(Trista), and Hotaru-chan."

"Yeah," the other blonde girl replied. "It's really too 
bad they had to go fight the terrible evil in the United 
States. I wish there weren't so many problems there, and
they could at least come for a visit."

"I agree, Minako (Mina)," Rei said wistfully. "But, it
is important that they protect the people there also."

"But worst of all, Chibi-Usa (Rini) had to go back to 
the future!" Usagi (Serena) wailed. "My baby!"

"Don't worry, Usagi," Ami (Amy) said cheerfully. 
"I'm sure you'll see her again soon."

"Easy for you to say," Usagi (Serena) muttered.

"Come on, minna (everyone), stop it," Minako (Mina)
berated. "We haven't been able to chat all together in 
person like this for years. It's just not the same as 
talking on the phone and the Internet or with 
communicators. Don't ruin it with silly squabbling."

[They all nod their heads, ashamed.]

"It's hard to believe that Yuuichirou (Chad) and I still
work at the Hikawa Jinja (Cherry Hill Temple)," 
Rei said. "Remember, we used to meet in this same room. 
It's been so quiet around here since Grandpa passed 
away..."

Usagi started to cry. [Usagi's eyes look like faucets]
The other girls patted her back and comforted her in 
various ways. 

"It's not the same without Luna and Artemis either, is 
it?" Usagi cried plaintively. "I wish they could have
come."

"Let's stop this!" Ami exclaimed. The other women turned
to stare at the typically soft-spoken woman. "We didn't
come here to share reminisces or be nostalgic about the
members of our team who were unable to attend. We wanted
to get together in person to discuss various matters."

The women reluctantly agreed [with slightly annoyed sweat 
drops ^_^] and they went back to eating cookies and drinking 
tea. "Now, since we don't have to use our communicators 
to plan and talk, we should at least get a little work 
done. I have to go cook at my restaurant in an hour," 
reminded Makoto.

"I developed some new methods for us to consider..." Ami
began.

The image and sound became fuzzy and dimmed in Chouko's 
mind. Ami's voice was distorted and became incomprehensible. 
Her dream about the women in the temple crawled to the back 
of her subconscious mind for the moment. She dreamed more 
normal dreams, fragments of momentary nonsense that did not 
mean anything, and she did not remember any of them in the 
morning, except for this one. It seemed tauntingly familiar...

++A dimly lit, circular room covered with mirrors.++

Two demonlords slid silently up through the floor.

"Tho, the plan ith complete. You know the victim," 
one hissed in an unpleasant tone. ===Once again, the
characteristic lisp. Just replace "th" with "s."===

"Hai, (Yes) I do. Could she possibly be..." The other 
demonlord's voice trailed off. He could barely be
seen in the dim light, but he appeared to be merely
a black blob in a humanoid shape.

"Don't thay anything! Even thith hideout ith not thafe.
The mirrorth only hinder thpying; they don't eliminate
the pothibility."

"Well, then, we'll commence with the new scheme
immediately." 

"I'm leaving you in charge. Don't dithappoint our 
mathter, underthtand?"

"Ara, hai, (Oh, yes) I will use my entire force, and I 
will succeed! Those silly senshi will be sorry they 
distracted me earlier. You still have the little moonie
wand, don't you?"

"Ja, (Yeah) but don't be overly confident. Thothe thenthi 
are really very powerful, and you don't need interferenthe.
You mutht be prepared to meet their fortheth. Thend out a
thingle demon, one with thtrategical knowledge. Get to 
work right away. I don't want failure in thith mithion.
You're our primary attack, and thith ith a victory we 
need...you only have so many demonth, ne?" ==="ne" is like
the Canadian "eh?"===

The other demonlord bowed to the one with the lisp. He
seemed to defer to the demonlord with the hissing voice.

++The peaceful park with trees and grass again.++

Walking slowly down the path, Chouko sighed. She sat down
on a nearby bench to think. *I wish Ayumi-chan and 
Emi-chan would play with me.*

*Baka! (Fool, to herself) Quit remembering. They don't
care about you, so just forget it!*

Seeing a nearby pond, Chouko peered at its surface, 
noting her appearance. Her short black hair with 
unnatural red highlights was slightly ruffled by the 
cool breeze. She was eight years old, and small for her 
age. Since her parents were both blondes, it seemed 
strange that she, their only child, had black hair.
Pensive eyes the color of emeralds stared back at her 
from the water. Her eyes changed color according to her 
mood, so her emotions were always evident. Her face was 
so thin that it seemed almost gaunt, and she was well 
aware that she was no beauty. *Ayumi-chan always says 
that my beauty is inside me instead of out--* Brusquely 
she turned away from the pond, vexed with herself for 
dwelling on her lost friendship. She just couldn't help 
herself...

Chouko thought of something that Ayumi had once told her. 
[Flashback] "Your name is so pretty, Chibi-Chou-chan. I 
wish my name meant "butterfly." I have such a common 
name, and it doesn't match my personality. I'm not 
independent at all, and I don't walk my own way. 
===Ayumi is a fairly popular kanji name that means
independence. (Literally translated: "to walk," I 
think)=== But I love your name. I think we'll be friends 
forever, right?"

Tears welled up in the corners of Chouko's eyes. 
Squeezing her eyes tightly, she tried to restrain them, 
but they overflowed. *Ayumi-chan is _not_ my best friend
anymore because she abandoned me! The glowing ball 
wasn't my fault!*

A sympathetic man walked by. She thought she had seen 
him before, but where? He paused and asked if she was 
all right.

"Oh, I just got a splinter in my finger from the bench. 
I'm fine now," she lied.

*Where have I seen him before?*

He wondered if the splinter was causing Chouko pain, and 
she said that she had removed it from her skin, and that
it would not bother her anymore. So that she could 
figure out who he was later, she carefully saved the 
image of his face in her mind. He walked away, and she 
sighed with relief. 

A noise from behind the trees alarmed her. 
"Chibi-Chou-chan!" Emi yelled, diving out of the bushes.
"There's a crazy monster who's attacking Ayumi-chan! I 
must get help!"

Emi ran as fast as she could, but the monster caught 
up. Tightly gripping Ayumi by the hair, the strange 
being scooped up Emi as well. Chouko stared at the scene 
before her in horror. Her heart leaped in her throat as 
she dove under the bushes for cover. Emi had fainted, 
and Ayumi was screaming like a banshee. Chouko 
frantically analyzed the situation. *I would help them, 
but how? And why should I help them, after what they 
have done to me?*

*I am _not_ going to help _them_. Not after what they 
did to me, no.* ^Now, if you were them, wouldn't you 
want help?^ that nasty little opposition inside her 
argued. *No, I'm not going to! Anyway, I'm helpless 
against that...thing.* Chouko knew it was a losing 
battle, and she sighed when that inner part of her 
overcame her good sense. *Fine! I give in. Just give me 
a second to make a plan of some kind. It's not going to 
do any good to just rush on in there and foolishly 
threaten that horrid monster, is it now?* ^Fine then, if
you want to be that way,^ the snippy little side of her 
thought dryly. *I do,* she thought back tenaciously, and
twisted a strand of her hair involuntarily as she 
riveted her attention on the adversary in front of her.

===Yoohoo! Where could those sailor senshi be?===

*I will stop that demon...somehow!* [Fierce look on 
Chouko's cute little baby face] Concentrating on 
the demon, she felt a deep anger from within at these 
cruel demons who took her friends captive. She could
sense her eyes becoming a furious shade of deep black.
Just as she started to say something insulting, the 
demon dumped her friends rather carelessly on the 
ground. Fuming, she almost deliriously stormed out of 
the bushes and attacked the demon, losing all
practicality in her rage. She was a tiny girl, but she
indignantly kicked the demon's right eye with a sharp-
toed shoe, causing the demon to roar in extreme pain. 
"That's it!" the demon howled, seething. "Hecate will 
obliterate the Aurora, and I will do her deeds! But 
you are in my way, so I will have to annihilate you 
first!"

The demon began to whirl around like a tornado, 
consuming everything in its path. "STOP IT!" Chouko 
cried, unable to tolerate the decimation of the park.

Surprisingly, the demon stopped dead in its tracks. 
Literally, _dead_. *What? The demon actually _obeyed_ 
me?*

The demon fell to the ground and disintegrated into 
dust.

Chouko gasped, panting after her stuggle. *It's over.*

Then demons began to appear all around her in the 
destroyed park. *Nani? (What?) What's going on?*

They all spoke in a single, screeching voice. "You think
you can stop me, girlie. Well, think again! No one kills
the followers of Erebus!"

Chouko dodged the first attack, but her leg throbbed 
painfully. The demons were identical in appearance as 
well as their attacks, so their combined force could 
overcome Chouko with ease.

Commercial break!

"A new seminar has been developed by Professor Umino 
Gurio (Melvin ?) to promote the study of earthworms in 
science. Among the books Professor Umino has written, 
_Earthworms: The Amazing Organisms_ and _Supercomputers 
Built From Scratch_ will be studied.
[Shows a classroom of children with strange looking 
science lab equipment and oversized computers.]
"Sign up now, and your child could win their own 
personal collection of earthworms! These rare specimens 
have been bred by Professor Umino himself, and this 
collection is easily the most breathtaking of all known 
earthworm collections.
[Shows earthworms wriggling around in front of the 
camera]
"Don't hesitate! The quota for these classes led by 
personal associates of Professor Umino is one hundred. 
Call the number on your screen, and mention this ad to 
be eligible for the incredible earthworm contest!"

[See a drive-through with a sign "Makoto's"]
"Thanks for buying delicious food at Makoto's."
[A rather peppy blonde worker ===why am I prejudiced 
against blondes when I am almost part of that group?===
with an annoying high-pitched voice handing a brunette 
===ah, yes, sensibility!=== a bag]
[The car drives to an intersection with a particularly 
long traffic light; pop music playing softly in the 
background, a song about love, coincidentally.]
[There's a handsome man in the car next to the 
brunette's; she says, "He looks like my old boyfriend," 
and rolls down the window.]
===<Groan> Did I say sensible?===
"You have food from Makoto's? Cool, why don't we get 
together sometime?"
[Almost can see the brunette drooling (and not drooling 
from the food) as she rips the corner off the paper bag 
and writes down her number hurriedly]
"Call me, okay?"
"Maybe we could go to dinner at Makoto's and a date..."
[The light changes and they drive off separate ways]
"Our food is _not_ fast food, but our drive-throughs are
fast. Makoto's is a high-quality restaurant with helpful
service and great taste no one can resist."
[Singing] We ha-te to see- you frown.
===Sorry, I just _had_ to make fun of McDonald's 
sometime in a non-fast-food "commercial", didn't I?===

Now, back to the story!

@}-->-- A rose struck one of the demons, rendering the 
rest helpless. A man in a black tuxedo with a cape 
swooped down from the sky to carry Chouko away. *Brave 
little girl,* he thought. *But where are the 
senshi?*

"Stay here," he told the little girl he'd seen crying in
the park.

"Where are you going, Tuxedo Kamen-sama?" Chouko wanted 
to know, gazing earnestly at Tuxedo Kamen with steadfast
blue-gray eyes.

"I must fight the demons," he responded, unnerved by her
piercing stare that seemed to touch the depths of his 
very soul.

He ran back towards the formidable demons, leaving Chouko
to watch by herself.

Chouko looked at Ayumi and Emi, who both lay unconscious 
on the ground. Ayumi stirred, and she said sleepily, as 
if in a dream, "Chibi-Chou-chan, I'm sorry about the 
ball...it wasn't your fault." Overcome by weakness, 
Ayumi swooned again.

*Ayumi-chan said she was sorry? She's still my friend! 
However, she is mistaken; it was my fault.*

Feeling a strange kind of tranquility in her heart, 
Chouko stood up sedately with confidence, a vast 
contrast to her feelings earlier when she had been 
flaming. *I am getting very tired of those demons, so 
_I'll_ have to do something about it.*

Relaxed and composed, Chouko strolled leisurely towards 
Tuxedo Kamen, who was fighting his hardest but not 
making any real progress. *Now, what did I do to that 
ball?* Chouko asked herself. *I concentrated so hard on 
catching it, so, if I concentrate on those demons...*

Tuxedo Kamen finally noticed that Chouko had returned to 
the battle field. "Leave!" he shouted, but his voice was
cut off by the violent wind the demons had created.

Chouko smiled slightly as she focused on the demons. 
*Just keep your attention on the demons and don't 
blunder.* She gave herself a little pep talk. *Now, to
work!*

She looked at the demons, and tried to imagine the 
presence of their souls. Once she thought she knew what 
their feelings were, she reached inside herself to 
figure out where that light had come from. It was in 
there, all right! She grasped it ===not physically, 
figuratively speaking! ^_^=== and spun the rays of light
together into a single strand. Reaching out to touch a 
demon, she performed the final step. The thread of light
twisted into the demon's body at her command, because 
she knew the anatomy of the demon's inner being.

The demons burst with a flash of light, and were no 
longer there all of a sudden. *I--I did that?* Chouko 
thought skeptically.

"Tuxedo Kamen-sama, are you okay?" Chouko cried after 
perceiving that he had been injured.

"I...am--am fine," he stuttered, out of breath. *Where 
were the senshi?*

"No, no, you aren't! I'll go call an ambulance."

Tuxedo Kamen, although hurt, was concerned about the two
unconscious girls and limped over to check them as Chouko 
called for an ambulance. The two children were both 
breathing, and their pulses were fine. As far as he 
could tell, they would be all right.

He suddenly heard a siren and saw flashing red lights. 
*Nani (What)?* Then it dawned on him. His shoulder had 
what seemed to be a minor cut, but it curved around to the 
back of his arm in a huge gash. He must have passed out 
from the loss of blood after checking the girls. The cloth
of his dress shirt under the tuxedo chafed against the 
lacerating wound, making it burn with intense heat.
Fortunately he remembered to untransform before the
ambulance squad arrived, but his mask remained for some 
reason. His cut burned even hotter when the power from 
his transformation diminished. *Shimata! I should have 
noticed that. I could have bound it up or something.* 
Too exhausted to resist, he let the paramedics lift him
onto a stretcher and into the van. His mask slipped off,
and Chouko gasped with disbelief, aghast.

*That's the man I saw in the park!*

The last thing Mamoru (Darien) saw before drifting off
into a coma was the girl's stunned face.

New names in this chapter: Ayumi, as mentioned earlier,
means independence. Emi means "blessed beautiful." 
Chouko's full name is Nijino Chouko, which means
(roughly, I made this one up all on my own :) "butterfly
child of rainbows." Her nickname, Chibi-Chou, means 
"little butterfly."

...Previews for the next chapter...
>Chapter 3< )Cynthia(
Is Cynthia's injury worse than it seemed? And what
exactly is the Aurora? What is this strange d誡 vu
feeling Cynthia has? An old character, who used to be 
the ample supply of energy for the Dark Kingdom, is a 
new target!
"Watch Out, Naru-chan! Return of Nephrite!"

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
<>    Please send in your original "commercials"!     <>
<>    I'd love to post them in upcoming chapters!     <>
<>       Not only your ideas would be welcome,        <>
<>   but also your helpful comments and criticism.    <>
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