Authors Note:   Warning this story does contain some bad language.
	It may not be overly offensive but  for  the younger readers 
	out there this is a fair warning.

E-Mail: k340029@yahoo.com

Plug: If  you haven't visited my site yet please do!  Who knows there might 
         even be a sneak peak of part five.
	www.geocities.com/k340029/index.html 

Dislcaimer: As always it is my sad duty to remind everyone, including
	myself that I do NOT own Sailor Moon or anything that goes
	with her.  I'm just borrowing the characters for a bit.

Rating: PG-13 (for language)

Date: 6/9/00

	*		*		*
		      A Merging of Hearts
		A historical fiction fan-fiction
			by Ceila
	*		*		*

April 6th, 1860 St. Louis

	Kenji's normally neat office was a mess.  The roll top desk that held all
 of his client's files was open and papers littered its surface.  From the floor a 
frustrated blonde was looking through files searching for the elusive marriage 
contract that sealed her fate.  Serenity sat back and pushed a few loose strands 
of hair behind her ear.  She had been searching her father's office for the past 
hour and she still hadn't found it. That meant that her father still held the upper 
hand, she had no choice but to let Rei and Mina take over her life. 
	Sighing in defeat Serenity started cleaning up the files.  When she 
came to the Rose Saving and Loan file she just shoved it back into it's box 
without a thought.  "I wish I'd never heard of you," she muttered to the box.  Of 
course she meant Mamoru.  She let her thoughts drift back to being held in his 
arms, looking into his eyes, listening to his heartbeat, and the smell of his 
calogne.  Serenity sighed and then shook herself mentally.  "Get back to the 
task at hand," she said as she started reorganizing files again.
	Half an hour later all the files were back in order and the office 
looked like it hadn't been touched.  Serenity was just about to open the door 
when it opened for her and there stood the object of her thoughts, Mamoru.  He 
looked very comfortable in his tan suit and tie.  His dark hair, as always, was a 
perfect sculpture that made her fingers itch to mess it up.
	"Fancy meeting you here," he said as he entered the office.
	"What are you doing in here.  This is my fathers office not yours," 
said Serenity as she followed him behind the desk.
	"I know that but I'm his partner now so I have as much right as you do 
to be in here."
	"I suppose."
	Serenity folded her arms over her chest and leaned against the 
doorframe watching every move that Mamoru made.  She watched him walk 
behind her fathers desk, sit in his chair, but when he started leafing through 
piles of papers she wanted to strangle him.  That's when he looked up at her, 
his blue eyes holding a feeling of suspicion.
	"What were you doing in here?" he asked.
	"Just organizing files for Papa.  They can get so messy sometimes."
	"I see.  Is that why some of these are in here like this?" asked 
Mamoru as he held up the Rose saving and loan box with papers sticking out 
from all sides.
	"Well I didn't get to that one yet," said Serenity as she backed toward 
the door.
	"What were you really doing in here Serenity?"
	"I was just doing a little research that's all."
	"Right and what were you looking for that involved my bank?"
	"Nothing in particular."
	"Looking for more information about me?"
	"No, of course not.  Why would I even be interested in you?" asked 
Serenity as she balled her hands into fists.
	"Oh I can think of a couple reasons," said Mamoru as he reclined in 
her father's chair.  "One of which is you like me more than your saying."
	"I do not take that back."
	"It's the truth isn't it?"
	"No."
	"Then tell me what is the truth Serenity?  What were you looking for?"
	Serenity looked to the floor, suddenly interested in her boots.  She 
was cornered and he knew it.  It was either admit she liked him or tell him about 
the license her father was hiding from her.  Neither really appealed to her at the 
moment.  Serenity finally looked up and into his curious gaze.  Why did he have 
to be so cute?
	"Serenity there you are come on Motoki has the buggy outside and 
Setsuna will be waiting for us," said Rei as she pulled on her last glove.
	"What did you say Rei?" asked Serenity as she turned to her sister.  
She had never been so happy to see the woman in her life.
	"Come on put a hat on or something because we need to be in town 
by 3 o'clock for your first fitting."
	"Fitting for what?"
	"You wedding dress silly," said Mina as she too peeked into the 
office.  "Oh hi Mamoru are we interrupting a meeting?"
	"I ordered the fabric but now we need to pick out a design and fit it 
accordingly," continued Rei as if she hadn't been interrupted.
	"Excuse me ladies but I was talking with Serenity," said Mamoru 
from behind the desk.
	"Oh don't worry Mamoru you'll be able to flirt with her after we get 
back.  Now come along Serenity," said Rei as she pulled a willing Serenity 
from the office and into the waiting buggy leaving Mamoru to stare at the open 
office door.
	*		*		*
	The streets of downtown St Louis were filled with, people, horses, 
buggies, and venders as the buggy from Seven Gables maneuvered towards 
Setsuna's Dress Shop.  Motoki carefully steered the horses into an opening 
near the boardwalk and brought them to a stop.  He then jumped down and 
went to help his passengers out.
	The first one out was Rei.  Dressed in a royal purple dress trimmed 
in black lace.  Her raven hair was netted up in a shanook and her gloved hands 
held a matching purple parasol over her shoulder.  The second was Mina.  She 
practically jumped from the buggy into Motoki's arms in her rush to get to the 
shops.  Her hair was hidden under an orange bonnet secured with a white 
ribbon under her chin.  Her dress was orange as well with white lace trimming 
her throat and wrists.  The third passenger was not as eager or well dressed 
as the other two.  Serenity sat slouched in the buggy seat with her arms crossed 
and her hat low over her eyes.
	"We're here Serenity," said Motoki as he offered his hand to the 
sulking girl.
	"I know," replied Serenity but she remained unmoving.
	"Serenity dear you know that you have to come with us," said Rei as 
she impatiently twirled her parasol.
	"I suppose if you wanted to wait out here we could just ask Setsuna 
to take your measurements outside," said Mina with a smile.
	"Of course then the whole town would get to see you trying on 
dresses," said Rei.
	"I'll come in," grumbled Serenity as she left the safety of the buggy.  
"Daddy didn't say anything about fittings."
	"Well how do you expect us to teach you how to be a lady if you don't 
have proper clothes," said Rei as she grabbed one of Serenity's arms.
	"Anyway this is the best part of being a lady Serenity," said Mina as 
she grabbed her other arm and smiled.  "Shopping."
	Serenity threw a pleading look to Motoki who held up his hands in 
defense and jumped back into the buggy.  "I'll just wait out here."
	*		*		*
 	The girls entered the shop with Rei leading, Serenity in the middle 
and Mina bringing up the rear.  A bell above the door announced their arrival 
to the small girl behind the counter.  She looked up at the trio that had just 
come in he large purple eyes taking in each girl in turn before she slipped 
from her stool to greet them.
	"Good afternoon ladies," she said as she curtsied in her small 
purple dress.
	"Good afternoon Hotaru is your mama around?" asked Rei as she 
smiled to the young girl.
	"She's upstairs now getting the fabric that you ordered."
	"Should we wait over by the fitting area or do we have time to look 
around a bit first?" asked Mina as she gazed at the rows of fabric that lined 
the back wall.
	"Mama said it would be a few minutes so I guess you could look 
around a bit."
	"We'll do that then," said Rei as she walked over to the pattern books.
	"So I guess you don't need me so I'll just go back outside and keep 
Motoki company," said Serenity as she edged toward the door.
	"Oh no you don't!" shout Mina and Rei at the same time as they each 
grabbed one of Serenity's arms again.
	"On second thought I think we'll wait by the fitting area," said Rei as 
she smiled at the stunned little girl.
	Hotaru just shook her head and retreated to her seat behind the 
counter.  "Mama was right," she thought to herself.  "These girls are crazy."
	Five minutes later a door opened upstairs and a tall woman dressed 
in a forest green gown came down.  Her black hair was up in a tight bun at the 
back of her head and in the lighting of the shop it looked almost green.  Rei 
was immediately smiling as she jumped up and ran to meet the taller woman.
	"Setsuna thank you so much for meeting us today," gushed Rei as 
she embraced the seamstress.
	"It's no problem at all Rei I'm only too happy to be the one making 
your sisters dresses," said Setsuna as she walked over to where Serenity 
and Mina were still sitting.  "She is going to wear them this time right Rei?"
	"Of course she is."
	"She won't throw them out the window?"
	Serenity blushed and looked down at her feet as she answered the 
taller woman, "No mam."
	"Good then let's get started with the fitting."
	"Oh this is always the worst part," said Mina as she pouted and 
walked over to a mirror.
	"Why do you say that?" asked Setsuna.
	"Because I'm not the one getting fitted."
	Rei and Setsuna both started laughing as they led Serenity to the 
small stool in the center of the fitting area.  "Don't worry Mina this should be 
interesting even if you're not getting fitted," said Setsuna as she unrolled her 
tape measure.
	"After all were not fitting just any female were fitting Serenity and 
she never does anything the easy way," said Rei as she nudged Serenity 
onto the stool.
	"Hey watch it Rei or so help me I'll," said Serenity as she balled her 
fist and drew back her arm to hit Rei.
	"There will be no fighting in my shop understand," said Setsuna as 
she stared each sister down.  Her crimson gaze went from friendly to deadly in 
exactly a heartbeat and each girl nodded her head in reply.  "Good now let's 
get started."
	Rei claimed a seat next to Mina as Setsuna set to work measuring 
Serenity.  No one said a word as the seamstress took measurement after 
measurement without writing a single number down.  Serenity didn't even put 
up a real fight, only jumping once when Setsuna accidentally tickled her.  When 
she was finished Setsuna stood back and studied Serenity for a moment taking 
in the color of her hair, eyes, and skin tone.  Serenity looked down at her feet 
avoiding the penetrating gaze of the taller woman.
	"Hotaru run and get the blue dress from upstairs please," said 
Setsuna while still gazing at Serenity.
	"Yes mama," said Hotaru as she jumped from her stool and 
scampered up the flight of stairs.
	"You have something made already?" asked Mina in a shocked 
voice as she set down the pattern book she had been looking at.
	"Yes but it's just a simple pattern dress.  I'm going to use it to see if 
the shoulders or underarms will need adjustments."
	"How long do you think it will take for the wedding dress?" asked Rei 
as she set her fan in her lap.
	"Well I'm not really busy now so I should be able to have it done by 
next week for a first fitting and then the alterations will be done the week after 
that."
	"Perfect there will even be a week to spare," said Mina as she 
clapped her hands together.
	"Here's the dress mama," said Hotaru as she carefully handed a 
blue bundle to Setsuna.
	"Thank you sweetie.  Now Rei did you bring the necessary items?"
	"Their out in the buggy.  Mina would you mind getting them dear?" 
asked Rei as she batted her eyes.
	"I suppose not," grumbled Mina as she headed for the door.
	"She'll be right back so let's get started.  Come on Serenity."
	"Come where Rei?" asked the skeptical blonde as she leaned 
against the mirrored wall.
	"You're going to try on this dress."
	"No I'm not."
	"Yes you are."
	"I agreed to be fitted I never agreed to put one on."
	"Here's the bundle of goodies," said Mina breaking the mounting 
tension.
	"I'll just set these out behind the screen for you Serenity," said 
Setsuna as she untied the string around the package inspecting its contents.  
"Oh and you'll notice that there aren't any window near my fitting room so you 
will be wearing this."
	"Do I get any say in this?" asked Serenity as she looked first to Rei 
then Setsuna and finally to Mina.
	"No," they all chorused together as Rei and Mina led Serenity to the 
fitting area.
	*		*		*
	An hour later Serenity stood in front of the dressing screen in an 
ankle length baby blue dress trimmed with white roses.  It had taken all three 
of them to get Serenity into a corset but after two failed attempts they got her 
on the third.  Rei, Mina, and Setsuna all stood admiring their accomplishment 
and talking amongst themselves as Serenity tried desperately to unhook as 
many of the seemingly endless buttons that she could reach.
	"Congratulations ladies we did it," said Rei as she fanned her now 
flushed face.
	"I can't believe she's actually wearing it," said Mina as she collapsed 
into one of the plush chairs.
	"I can't believe you tried to do this on your own Rei," said Setsuna as 
she set three more boxes on the small table in front of them.
	"Can I take this off yet?" asked Serenity as she tried once again to 
unhook the tiny buttons.
	"No and stop fussing," said Rei as she glared at her younger sister.  
	"But I can't breathe."
	"Now we need to do something about her hair," said Rei ignoring 
her sister's complaints.
	"What about my hair?"
	"Her complexion is too dark too.  It'll take at least a can of powder to 
lighten it," said Mina as she applied a fresh layer of powder to her own face.
	"Maybe a pinch of arsenic would work at first," said Rei as she 
examined her sister's complexion.
	"Arsenic!" shrieked Serenity as she jumped away from her sister.  
"I may want out of this dress but not that badly."
	"Don't worry it won't kill.  It'll you just make you pale enough for proper 
society."
	"Damn right it won't kill me cause I won't take it!"
	"Serenity!" gasped Mina and Setsuna at the same time.
	"Please watch your language there are children here," said Mina as 
she motioned to the front desk and the small girl sitting behind it.
	"There really isn't anything to worry about Serenity lot's of women take 
arsenic to lighten their complexion," said Setsuna as she opened one of the 
boxes.  "But we'll worry about her complexion later, right now you two work on 
her hair while I get her shoes on."
	"Right," said Mina as she handed a brush to Rei.  Together they 
unpinned the simple messy bun that Serenity had her hair in and watched it 
tumble to the floor in a tangled mess.
	"Take your time Setsuna," said Rei as she stared at her sister's long 
locks.  "I'd forgotten just how long her hair was, we'll be here a while."
	"So will I," said Setsuna from her position next to Serenity's feet on 
the floor as she held up one of the matching baby blue boots to display two 
rows of tiny hook buttons.
	The girls each laughed at the other except for Serenity who sat with 
her arms crossed and muttering curses under her breath as the three women 
began buttoning and brushing.  Twenty minutes later Serenity's hair was pinned 
up in a braided bun and her feet were safely inside of the matching boots.  
Setsuna went to the table again and opened a smaller box and extracted a 
white hat with three blue silk roses pinned on one side.
	"This will help keep the sun off of your skin while you're riding home," 
she said as she placed the hat on Serenity's head and secured it with a hatpin.
	"What about my hat?" asked Serenity as she looked longingly at the 
pile of clothes behind the dressing screen.
	"I'll put it back in papa's room where it belongs," said Rei as she 
opened the third and final small box on the table.  "Setsuna these are perfect."  
Rei turned around holding a pair of white satin gloves.
	"Oh they're wonderful," said Mina as she looked them over 
approvingly.
	"I'll just slip them on her and she's done," said Rei as she grabbed 
one of her sister's hands.
	"I think I can put them on myself Rei," said Serenity as she yanked 
her hand from her sister's grip.
	"Well excuse me but you haven't been able to put anything else on 
without help today so I just assumed you'd need help with these as well."
	Serenity threw and icy glare to her sister as she put first one then the 
other glove on.  "See that wasn't difficult.  Now can we please go home?"
	"Of course we can, but first I think you need a lesson in walking like 
a lady," said Rei as she handed her bag to Mina and offered a hand to her 
sister.
	"I think I know how to walk Rei."
	"I know you know how to walk but those aren't cowboy boots 
Serenity."
	"How hard can it be?  I mean their just smaller boots right?"
	"Fine miss know it all, walk for me."
	"Oh I'll walk for you Rei, I'll walk right out that door," said Serenity 
as she hoisted herself out of her chair and onto the tiny blue heeled boots.  
She wobbled slightly before steadying herself and taking her first hesitant 
step.  "See Rei I told you no problem."  Serenity then increased her speed 
and made straight for the door her new dress swishing as she walked.
	"Serenity watch out for the door there's a small step," called Setsuna 
as she followed the trio to the door.
	"Trust me you guys I can walk just fine," said Serenity as she pushed 
open the door and tripped on the step.  She tried to turn and grab the doorframe 
but instead she grabbed air and landed on her rump sending her skirt up into 
the air exposing the blue striped stockings she wore.
	"Are you alright miss?" asked Motoki as he walked over to the pretty 
young woman sitting in front of the dress shop.
	"I told you to watch your step," said Setsuna as she tried not to laugh 
at the sight of Serenity sitting on the ground grumbling ankles exposed and hat 
tilted to one side.
	"We did offer to help you Serenity," said Mina as she offered one of 
her hands to her friend.
	"Serenity?  Is that really you?" asked Motoki in astonishment as he 
took another long look at the woman before him.  He looked again at the pale 
blue fabric, white roses, and the familiar blue eyes that were currently flashing 
fire.
	"Yes it's really me now will you stop gawking," said Serenity as she 
rolled onto her knees and stood once again on the wobbly shoes and 
straightened her skirt.
	"Sorry Serenity but you just looked, well not like yourself."
	"This dress doesn't change a thing Motoki Furuhata I'm still Serenity."
	"Yeah but now you actually look like a girl."
	"And that matters?"
	"Well yeah," said Motoki as he looked down at his feet.  "Now you're 
a lady Serenity."
	"She is no such thing," said Rei as she stepped onto the boardwalk.  
"She may look the part but we still have a lot of work to do."
	"That's for sure," said Mina as she grabbed hold of Motoki's arm.  
"We still have to give her a crash course in finishing school."
	"Can we go home now please this thing is starting to get 
uncomfortable," said Serenity as she tried unsuccessfully to adjust her dress 
before trying to get into the buggy.
	"Serenity wait let me help you up," said Motoki.
	"I can get in just fine thank you," said Serenity as she placed on boot 
on the small step.
	"That's what you said about walking too," mumbled Rei as she 
shook her head.
	Serenity just turned her nose up at her sister and pulled herself up 
onto the step.  However Serenity was not expecting to have to adjust her skirt 
to fit through the buggy door.  The hoop bounced off of the frame causing 
Serenity to loose her balance sending her off the edge of the buggy and into 
Motoki's waiting arms.
	"Um maybe I do need a bit of help," muttered Serenity as she 
blushed in Motoki's arms.
	"We have a lot of work to do Mina," said Rei as she watched 
Motoki lift her sister into the buggy.
	"You're telling me," said Mina as she too let Motoki lift her into 
the buggy.
	*		*		*
	"This sun is just going to ruin my complexion," complained Rei as 
the buggy brought them back to Seven Gables.
	"A little light never hurt anyone Rei," said Serenity as she plucked 
at her gloves.
	"You just don't understand Serenity a dark complexion like yours 
just isn't fashionable and, no offense but I don't want to look like a heathen."
	"Yeah well, no offense, but I don't want to look like a stuck up snob."
	"Are you calling me a snob?"
	"I don't know, were you calling me a heathen?"
	"Rei, Serenity please don't fight," begged Mina as she held a hand 
up to the bridge of her nose trying to fight off a headache.
	"She started it," mumbled Serenity as she slouched down in her seat.
	"Sit up straight Serenity," said Rei as she swatted her sister in the 
knee with her fan.
	"Hey watch it!"
	"You're dressed like a lady now Serenity so you're gonna act like 
one."
	"This can be her first lesson," said Mina in an effort to avoid 
another fight.  "Proper posture when sitting down."
	"Good idea Mina," said Rei as she folded her fan into her lap.  
"Now Serenity when sitting a lady must have perfect posture.  Get your head 
up so that it's level, now shoulders back, and sit straight up in your seat."
	As Rei listed how to have proper posture Serenity just watched the 
two in front of her with mock interest.  Sure the corset she had on was cutting 
off circulation to her lower half in her current slouched position but sitting that 
straight didn't look any better.  So she continued to slouch and ignore her 
sister and Mina until a movement caught her attention.  A single rider was 
coming from town and heading straight for them.
	"So as you can see Serenity proper posture can only give you a 
more refined and feminine appearance," finished Rei as she once again 
opened her fan to cool herself.
	"I don't think she's listening to you Rei," said Mina as she nodded 
to the unmoving blue clad female.
	"Oh she heard me she's just pretending she doesn't understand."
	"Um sure Rei."
	Just then the lone rider flew past the buggy stirring up a cloud of 
dust in his wake.  Motoki just pulled out his handkerchief and covered his 
face with that while in back the three women sputtered and choked.  Rei 
and Mina had their fans covering their faces while Serenity just squinted 
her eyes against the familiar sting of the dust.  What was Tegami headed 
out to Seven Gables for?
	*		*		*
	Tegami rode like the wind if not for the telegram that he carried to 
arrive as soon as possible but for a chance to talk with Serenity again.  He 
hated to admit it but he still had feelings for her.  Maybe if he talked with her 
long enough he could get her to admit she had feelings for him too.  He was 
so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice the buggy carrying three
ladies in the same direction.
	*		*		*
	Mamoru placed the last Rose Savings and Loan file back into the 
box and sat back to relax.  He had spent the entire afternoon combing through 
the files looking for anything that could have been missing, but it was all there.  
It worried him that Serenity had been nosing through his bank's files looking 
for something.  Mamoru wanted to know what that something was.  There 
was a knock at the door and Mamoru looked up to see Makoto standing 
there with a pitcher of lemonade in her hand.
	"Thought you could use a refill," said Makoto as she entered and 
filled his empty glass.
	"Thanks Makoto, I am kind of thirsty," said Mamoru as he stretched 
in his seat.  "Do you have any idea when the ladies are going to be back 
from town?"
	"Not really but I'm sure it shouldn't be too much longer.  Setsuna 
is a very imposing woman and even Serenity can't fight her forever."
	"So you think she'll be coming home in a dress then?"
	"I bet you a chocolate cake that they have her looking so much like 
a lady that we won't recognize her when she comes home."
	"I'll take that bet because the Serenity I know would die before 
she wears a dress."
	"Fine but I think I have this one won.  I know Serenity a lot better 
than you do sir," said Makoto as she held out her hand to shake Mamoru's.
	Mamoru smiled and shook her hand.  There was no way Serenity 
would come home dressed like a lady because she wasn't one, but it would 
be a nice sight to see.  Mamoru shook his head to dispel the image of 
Serenity in a form fitting dress.  I gotta get my mind back on work he thought 
as he gulped down some lemonade and returned to his seat.  A knock at the 
front door got his attention though and he listened as Makoto answered it.
	"Well hi Tegami what are you doing here?" she asked the young 
man.
	"I have an urgent telegram for Mr. Chiba," said Tegami as he 
looked past Makoto and into the house.
	"I'll give it to him.  Was there anything else you wanted?"
	"Well um is Serenity here?  I kind of wanted to talk to her."
	"She's in town getting fitted for her wedding dress."  Makoto 
emphasized the wedding dress part of her sentence and watched as 
Tegami's face fell slightly.  "I'll tell her you stopped by Tegami."
	"Thanks Makoto," he said as he turned and walked over to his 
horse.
	"Poor kid," mumbled Makoto as she closed the door and turned 
around only to come face to face with Mamoru.
	"Why is he a poor kid?" asked Mamoru as he glanced out the
 window to watch the boy ride away.
	"I think he's still got feelings for Serenity.  He tried to date her a 
while back but Kenji stopped that idea before he could even act on it.  He 
brought this for you."  She handed him the Telegram.
	"Thank you Makoto.  So does Serenity still have feelings for this 
Tegami?"
	"No I don't think she ever really did.  It was mostly one sided on
his part.  Why do you ask?"
	"Just curious that's all."
	Mamoru walked back into the office closing the door behind him 
so he didn't catch the smile that crossed Makoto's face as she walked back
to the kitchen.  He wasted no time in tearing open the urgent message and 
reading it's contents through before promptly swearing under his breath.  
The message was from Kenji asking him to come as soon as possible 
because of problems with one of his older customers.
	Mamoru tossed the message into the trash and headed up the 
stairs to pack a bag for his trip grumbling all the way.  Why it bothered him 
so much to be leaving Seven Gables didn't really hit him until he was walking 
down the hall to his room.  He didn't want to leave because he'd been looking 
forward to spending time with Serenity without her father around.  As he 
packed his things into his small bag he stopped for a moment to clear his 
head.  "She's engaged to someone else, not you so stop thinking about her."  
But as much as he tried to deny it he had to admit, he was in love with the 
woman.
	*		*		*
	Motoki rolled the buggy into the Seven Gables drive in time to wave 
to Tegami as he headed back to town.  The young postman however didn't 
bother returning the gesture and just kept on riding.  Motoki shrugged it off 
and led the buggy to the front steps of the main house.
	"Now wait for Motoki to help you down Serenity," said Rei as she 
stood and brushed off her skirt.  "We wouldn't want a repeat performance of 
you hitting the ground as funny as that is."
	"Rei be nice it is her first day in a dress," said Mina as she gave 
Serenity a huge smile.  "Don't worry we'll have you used to being a lady by the 
time you walk down the isle."
	"I don't want to be used to it," grumbled Serenity as she tried to 
correct her slouched posture.  She winced as her ribs popped back into 
place.  "Damn corset."
	"We'll have to fix your language problem as well," said Rei as 
she accepted the hand Motoki offered her.
	"Should we start with her language or her walking skills?" asked 
Mina as she allowed Motoki to lift her out of the buggy.
	"Language first because we can always just keep her in a chair."
	"True but she will have to move around the house I mean we can't 
bring all of her meals to her."
	"Well I guess.  It'll be funny to watch her learn."
	"Hello you know I am standing right here," said Serenity as she 
placed her hands on her hips.  "I'm not your new doll Rei and I will not be 
treated as such."
	"You will too and you'll like it if you want to find out whom the 
unfortunate man is that you're going to marry," said Rei as she took a seat 
on the porch swing to watch Serenity get down from the buggy.  "Well are 
you getting down or not?"
	Serenity sent one more glare in the direction of her sister before 
she accepted Motoki's arm for support as she hopped out of the buggy.  
Her skirt swayed and her body followed suit as she nearly lost her balance 
once again.   Once she was balanced Serenity climbed the two stairs to the 
porch and opened the door only to trip once again and land in the arms of the 
last person she wanted to see.
	"Are you alright miss?" asked Mamoru as he held the small 
woman in his arms.
	The blood drained from Serenity's face and her ability to speak 
vanished with it as she noticed the look of concern in his gaze.  She merely 
nodded as he helped her inside and led her to a seat.   Mamoru looked her 
up and down admiring the way the soft blue fabric fell around her slim figure
and accented her eyes.  The white hat she wore hid most of her hair yet 
allowed him a glimpse of the mass of gold that must have been pinned there.
	"Can I get you anything miss?  You look a little pale maybe I could 
get you a glass of water," he said as he continued to admire her figure.
	"No thank you sir," said Serenity as she regained her composure.  
How did one man manage to make her so disoriented with just a touch or 
glance?
	"You look familiar have I met you before?"
	"I don't believe so sir," said Serenity in her best impersonation of 
her sister's southern drawl.  "What did you say your name was?"
	"Oh forgive me my name is Mamoru Chiba and yours?"
	"Hana Kohaku, it's nice to meet you and thank you again for 
catching me."
	Mamoru looked at her again, closer this time examining her face.  
She almost looked like Serenity but she would never be dressed like this and 
she didn't sound like Serenity.  Mamoru finally gave up the idea and took her 
hand in his giving it a quick kiss.
	"Your welcome Miss Kohaku.  Now I must say good bye," said 
Mamoru as he dropped her hand and headed for the door, picking up a 
small black satchel on his way.
	"Leaving so soon," Serenity drawled.
	"Yes I have to go back to Davenport to finish up some business 
deals."
	"Good bye then and have a safe trip."
	Mamoru stepped out onto the porch closing the door behind him 
only to be met by three smiling figures.  Rei was sitting on the swing smiling 
behind her fan and Mina was in Motoki's arms smiling for a completely 
different reason.  Mamoru walked up to the happy couple ignoring the 
flirtatious smile Rei was giving him.
	"I hate to break you two up but I need to be run into town as soon 
as possible," said Mamoru as he lifted his bag into the buggy.  "I just received 
an urgent telegram from Kenji asking me to meet him in Davenport tonight if 
possible.  If we leave now I can make the last train of the evening."
	"Aren't you even going to say good bye," said Rei as she put down 
her fan to reveal a small pout.
	"Forgive me Miss Tsukino but I am in a bit of a rush."
	"Can a cousin at least get a hug?" asked Mina as she jumped into 
the reluctant arms of her cousin.
	"Mina please I really have to be going."
	"Oh alright but what about Serenity?"
	"What about her?"
	"She'll want to say good bye to you too."
	"Mina forgive me but I'm sure Serenity won't miss me and it's 
mutual," said Mamoru as he stepped up into the buggy.
	"Don't worry Mina he already said goodbye to my sister," said 
Rei as she stood up and moved to the door.
	"No I haven't."
	"Sure you have.  Serenity come on out here for a minute."
	Rei opened the door and the woman in the blue dress stood there 
with the white dress hat in one hand and a brown cowboy hat in the other.  
When Serenity placed the cowboy hat on her head Mamoru's jaw dropped 
and he sat there gaping at the sight of Serenity in a dress.  As Motoki pulled 
the buggy away from the main house Mamoru finally regained his verbal skills.
	"That was Serenity!"
	Both sisters broke down laughing as they watched the buggy roll 
off toward town.
	*		*		*
Ending Note:
	I know I know I took my sweet time getting this part out but for those
readers out there who don't know I went through finals and then proceded to 
fall out of my bunk bed spraining my wrist.  Then two weeks later I mashed a
couple fingers in a door so in short I klutzed out and didn't write.  Now I hope to
remedee that situation by setting the goal of a new part every other week.
If anyone has any suggestions for the upcoming "finshing school" send them my
way.
	I would like to send a big thank you out to my faithful readers who
have stuck with me even though I have taken my swet time about things.  Crissy,
Mr. Turtle, this means you.  I appreciate all of the comments you send my way.
Thanks.  To those of you who don't e-mail me thanks for reading but please 
send me a note please pretty please.  I'm not begging just asking nicely.

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