Sorry this took so long to post -- I'm home on vacation now, so I have
to do everything off the laptop.
    Here's the third chapter.  For the record, this is finished now, and
definitetly over at 11 chapters.  I'm looking for feedback to do a revision,
so I'm happy to hear what anyone has to say, particularly bad stuff.

    I hope this ASCII conversion didn't come out too badly.  As always, my
e-mail is khaine@mindless.com.  And, also as always, I own none of the
animes referred to or parodied herein.

Chapter Three

        Sumiko looked as though she'd fallen down the stairs; there were a
couple of heavy
bruises on her arms, and a thick white bandage above one eye.  For all that,
she was
cheerful enough, bouncing in to school and collapsing in the seat next to
Robyn's.

        Robyn raised an eyebrow, and took a moment to readjust her brain to
Japanese.  "What
 happened to you?"

        "Got into a fight with some thugs."

        "Did you win?"

        "Yup."  She caught Robyn's expression and laughed.  "If I tell you
the real reason,
promise you won't tell anyone?"

        "Sure."

        "I got into a fight with my cat and accidentally knocked over some
furniture."

        "I didn't know you had a cat."

        "Yup.  I brought him from Japan.  His name is Moron and he hates
everything."

        "Really."

        "You'll meet him."

        Robyn started.  "Oh!  Sorry I didn't call last night.  Something
came up suddenly,
and I wasn't around, but I shouldn't have left you waiting anyway."

        "Don't worry about it.  After this business"--she gestured at the
bruises--"I wasn't
 up for much anyway.  Had a nice long bath and read some manga."

        "Are you around tonight?  We can go out to dinner."

        "Sure.  Come back to my place afterwards?"

        "If you want."  Robyn hesitated.  "Do you mind if one of my friends
comes along?
You really have to meet her."

        "Not at all."  She dropped her voice to a whisper.  "Look out, here
comes Professor
Eyebrows."

        Robyn couldn't help laughing.  Dr. Mercy, who taught first-period
biology, was tall
and thin with an unfortunately pale complexion that made him resemble one of
the specimens
in his jars.  He also, as Sumiko had commented, was possessed of a pair of
impressively
large and brown eyebrows and was in the habit of pulling on them while he
searched for a
word.

        "The earthworm," he'd say, "is one of the most"--tug,
tug--"most...*amazing* of
creatures.  Yes.  Um.  It's digestive system..."

        And so on.  It was amazing how quickly school went past with Sumiko
sitting next to
her, exchanging wry comments without the knowledge of anyone else in the
room.  Robyn could
honestly say she hadn't had this much fun in class in years.  Several times
she had to
restrain herself from telling her friend what had happened the previous
night; only the
memory of Mary's expression stopped her.  [I'm not supposed to tell anyone.
Though I'm sure
 Sumi can keep a secret.  She barely speaks English anyway.]  She smiled to
herself.  [I'll
ask Mary tonight -- I'm sure she'll agree with me.]



        After school, they wandered the town.  Sumiko asked Robyn to show
her the sites,
such as they were, and Robyn gladly provided a guided tour.  They also
discussed important
issues in today's anime, such as whether Utena could beat Allen Schezar in a
swordfight and
whether or not the two of them would make a cute couple.

        "What do you want for dinner?"

        Sumiko considered.  "Anything but Chinese food.  I've been living on
takeout for a week."

        "How about--"  Robyn stopped.  [I wonder if they've got that place
cleaned up yet?]

        "How about...?"

        "How about Italian?"

        "I'm not sure I've ever been to a real Italian restaurant."

        "I know a good one, and we can walk there.  Let me call Mary."

        Sumiko snapped open her cell before Robyn could look around for a
payphone, and
Robyn bobbed her head in thanks and punched Mary's number.  It rang and
clicked almost
immediately.

        "Yo."

        "Mary?"

        "Hey, Robyn."  Mary sounded a little on the tired side -- given how
late they'd been
 up, that was no surprise, though Robyn herself was still feeling energetic.
"What's up?"

        "A new friend of mine and I are going out to dinner tonight.  Care
to join us?"

        "A new friend?"

        "She's a transfer student from Japan.  Isn't that cool?"

        "Really."  For some reason Robyn thought Mary sounded suspicious,
but her voice
changed almost instantly.  "Sure, I'm up for dinner.  Where and when?"

        "JoJo's at seven."  Robyn looked at her watch.  "Can you make that?"

        "No problem.  Wait"--Mary cursed softly--"damn.  I forgot something.
Is it okay if
Lia comes along?  I'm supposed to be watching her tonight."

        Robyn translated quickly for Sumiko, who nodded eagerly, and spoke
into the phone
again.  "Sure."

        "See you then."  In the background, she could hear Lia's voice.

        "*Where* am I going now?"

        Robyn hung up and passed the phone to Sumiko.  "All set."

        "Are you up for playing translator?"

        Robyn hadn't thought about that, but she nodded firmly.  "Sure.  But
you should
practice your English, too."

        "Right.  Should we start over?"

        "Sure."



        This guy's face had seen better days.  A faded bruise ran all the
way down his cheek
 and onto his neck, and one of his eyes was still slightly swollen.  Without
the injuries
he'd actually be pretty good-looking, Rin decided, though young and
near-fatally
self-absorbed.

        Deus sat back and let her do most of the questioning.  Finding this
kid had been
easy enough -- everyone knew something mysterious had happened to him and
his friends, and
that he didn't want to talk about it.  Luckily, most people were willing to
tell the Bureau
things they wouldn't spill to their closest confidant.

        "So, we were in this bar, right?"

        "Which bar?"

        "The Toasted Frog.  It's down on Willard."

        Rin noted that down, more for form's sake than anything else.  "And
who's we?"

        "Me an' Chris and Jake."

        "I'll need full names later.  But go on."

        "So, we were in this bar.  And this chick comes up to us.  She's
wearing a
trenchcoat and stuff, but I can tell that she's, you know.  Hot.  And she's
like, 'So, you
want to come have a talk with me in the alley?'  Or something like that."

        "Okay."

        "So me and the guys were like, damn, she has to be a hooker or
something, right?  I
mean, I get my share of action"--he puffed up visibly--"but I don't like
have random chicks
propositioning me in bars.  So I said, 'All three of us?', and she was like
'Yeah,' and we
were like 'Dude! '  So we followed her out."

        Rin stopped herself from rolling her eyes.  "And then what
happened?"

        "That's where I don't remember so good.  I was pretty wasted,
remember.  But this
huge guy jumped out of nowhere with a bunch of his friends, and they beat
the shit out of
us.  And then they said if we ever told anyone or hassled this one girl
again, they'd kill
us."

        "Which girl?"

        "Robyn.  She's a senior in school, pretty hot but a total geek."

        "Have you ever bothered her?"

        "Well..."  He tried to look crafty.  "I mean, Dane asked her out one
time, just for
kicks.  You'd think she'd be happy, but she just walked away.  So we had to
get her back for
 that, right?  We never tried to kill her or nothing, though."

        "Okay.  And you never told anyone about this?"

        Deus stood from the couch and started walking around the living
room, peering at the
 family pictures on the mantle.  The kid watched him nervously for a moment
before wrenching
 his eyes back to Rin.

        "Nah.  We figured that Robyn was the daughter of some Mafia dude or
drug dealer or
something, so we haven't been fucking with her.  I mean, who cares, right?
It's okay if you
 get beat up if it's by the mob."

        "Right."  Rin closed her notebook with a snap.  "That's all I need
for now.  Any
questions, Agent Deus?"

        Deus didn't look around.  "Not at this time, Agent Rin."

        "Okay.  We may be back if something else comes up.  I'd like to
thank you for being
so helpful."

        "No prob."  The kid stood up and shook her hand, leering a little
now that the scary
 part of the interview was over.  "You gonna catch those fuckers?"

        "Chances are," rumbled Deus, "that they're already in custody.  If
they are who we
think they are."

        "No shit?"

        "We're trying to gather evidence to keep them behind bars.  Right
now it looks as
though they'll go to jail for a long time."

        "Nice."  His eyes gleamed.  "I'm going to have to tell the guys."

        "Good day, Mr. Jacobson."

        "Yeah.  Later."

        Rin closed the door to the house quietly behind her and stood on the
doorstep with
Deus, admiring the clear day and savoring the fresh air.

        "I think I get it."

        Deus smiled.  "Enlighten me, Agent Rin."

        "You don't think there was any 'huge guy', right?"

        "Correct."

        "So if some girl beat up three big guys, she has to be
supernatural."

        "It seems likely."

        "So she could be the one we're looking for."

        "It is possible."

        "And, like you said, she's protecting this Robyn."

        "Yes."

        "So you tell these lunkheads that the goons are gone, and they're
going to go make
Robyn's life a living hell."

        "Quite possibly."

        "That doesn't sound very nice, Agent Deus."

        "We are not paid to be nice, Agent Rin.  However, I suspect your
sympathy is
misdirected.  My plan revolves around the fact that Robyn's mysterious
benefactor will not
let her come to much harm."

        "So when the magical girl shows up to trash these guys, we grab
her?"

        "Very perceptive, Agent Rin."

        "I think I'm beginning to get the hang of how you work, Agent Deus."



        JoJo's Bar and Grill was something a misnomer, presumably a holdover
from an earlier
 phase of the restaurant's existence.  There was no bar, and the food they
served was wider
than might typically be described by 'Grill.'  The owners had kept the name
nonetheless, and
 served up a fine mix of traditional Italian cuisine as modified by the
boundless American
appetite for fried crap.

        Mary had been there often enough that she was on nodding terms with
the staff, and
they waved her over to Robyn's table in the corner.  Her friend was already
seated, talking
animatedly to a diminutive Japanese girl with short hair and a friendly
expression.  Their
conversation sounded *off*, somehow, and with a sinking feeling Mary
realized they were
speaking in a language she wasn't supposed to understand -- Japanese,
presumably -- and
meaning was being automatically rendered by the translation magic built into
one of her
bracelets.  She hurriedly extended the spell to cover Lia and the girl
herself and stepped
forward, hoping to catch Robyn before she noticed.

        "Mary!"  Robyn gestured animatedly.  "Mary, this is Sumiko.  Sumiko,
this is my
friend Mary."

        Mary nodded.  "Nice to meet you."

        "Likewise."  Sumiko bobbed her head, and Mary saw Robyn's eyes
widening.

        "Uh, Robyn?  Can I talk to you for a second?"

        "S...sure."  Robyn got slid out of the booth, and Lia plopped down
resignedly in her
 place.  "What's up?"

        "Privately.  Just for a second."  Mary gestured back to the booth.
"This is my
sister Lia, by the way."

        Lia raised a hand.  "Yo."

        Once they were safely away, Robyn practically exploded.  "What's
going on?  Sumiko
understands you--"

        Mary held up one finger.  "Magic."

        "And..."  She trailed off.  "Magic?"

        "Right.  And Lia doesn't know about it, so let's not mention it,
shall we?"

        "She really won't notice?"

        "I doubt it.  And we don't want to let either of them in on this."

        "Are you sure about that?  I've been thinking, and if we told
Sumi..."

        "No."

        "No?"

        Mary shook her head.  "It's too much of a risk.  You have to realize
we need to be
*careful* with this, Robyn."

        "O...Okay."  Robyn took a deep breath.  "Sorry."

        "Now let's get back to the table before the waiter shows up."

        "So," Sumiko was saying, "how come you're hanging out with your
sister tonight?"

        Lia rolled her eyes.  "Don't ask me.  Dad is away on a business
trip, and he has
some idiot idea that I'm safer if he's asleep in his room.  So I have to tag
along."  She
turned to Mary.  "Though I don't see *why* we can't just tell him--"

        "Nope.  No lying to Dad."

        "I already lie to him about tons of stuff."

        "You shouldn't do that, either."  Mary smiled.  "What about you,
Sumiko?  Nothing to
 do on Friday night?"

        "I just moved here a week ago, so I'm not exactly into the
nightlife.  Plus"--she
rolled her eyes--"I'm kind of a manga freak anyway.  My idea of a good time
is curling up
with the latest couple of issues and a few gallons of soda."

        "Sounds like someone else I know."  Mary threw an exaggerated glance
at Robyn, who
laughed.  Lia rolled her eyes again, in a 'how did I get lumped in with
these weirdos'
gesture.

        "You girls ready to order?"

        The waiter -- the only one on duty tonight -- cut something of an
odd figure, so
heavily muscled his shoulders sloped almost diagonally into his neck.  He
put the plates on
the table, surprisingly gently for someone whose forearms Mary couldn't have
wrapped her
fingers around, and whipped out his little pad.

        "Um..."  Sumiko hurriedly glanced at the menu, but Mary shook her
head.

        "We'll just get a couple of pizzas.  One cheese and one"--she
flipped to the
specialty section, where all the pies had funny names--"'The World.'  And
coke for everyone.
  Right?"

        There were nods all around, and the waiter flipped his pad away.
"No problem.
Should be out in no time."

        The drinks were delivered after a longish pause, and Mary sipped at
hers before
asking another question.  "So you're the new transfer student, huh?"

        "Yeah."  Sumiko shrugged.  "It's a pain, let me tell you."

        "I don't know about this.  Aren't transfer students usually demons
or the villains
in disguise or something?"

        "Hey!  The heroine can be a transfer student, too."

        "I guess."

        Robyn cut in.  "Sometimes the transfer students are new allies or
something.  Or a
bad guy who ultimately gets converted to being on the other side."

        "Hopefully not the latter."  Sumiko mock-shivered.  "Usually
converted bad guys
don't last too long."

        "Earth to planet nerd!"

        "What, Lia?"

        "Pizza's here."

        There was a long period of cheesy, doughy silence.



        "And this," said Sumiko, throwing open the door, "is my place.
Total hellhole,
right?"

        In fact the room was startlingly clean, if small.  A tiny
kitchenette bordered on a
living room equipped with a TV and a stack of interesting black boxes, plus
a couch and a
couple of chairs.  Mary raised an eyebrow.

        "Actually, this is pretty good.  You should see my room when I lose
interest in
cleaning."

        "Mary."  Robyn glared.  "You live in a mansion."

        "Yeah, but it's so big there's places that *never* get vacuumed--"

        "Wow!"  Lia darted forward, catching site of a narrow set of shelves
stacked high
with plastic games cases.  "Look at all this stuff!"

        Sumiko shrugged nonchalantly.  "I brought my stash from Japan."

        "I haven't even played II, and you've got IV."  She looked up, eyes
bright.  "Can I
try?  Please?"

        "Go for it."

        While the gaming machine booted up, Robyn flopped onto the couch and
Mary followed
Sumiko behind the counter to the fridge.

        "Can I help you with anything?"

        "Not really.  Just getting some drinks."  Sumiko started handing out
long-necked
bottles.  "Just grab one that suits your fancy and pass the rest along."

        "You mean--"  Mary read the label and raised an eyebrow.  "Oh.
*Drink* drinks."

        "I've got soda and stuff, if you'd rather not."

        "I don't mind, but Lia probably shouldn't."

        "I can answer for myself, thanks!"  Lia shouted from the living
room.  Sumiko waved
a hand dismissively.

        "Come on.  We're all underaged in this stupid country, right?  My
dad keeps me
well-stocked whenever he comes to visit."

        "Nice guy."  Mary tried to select one of the more harmless-looking
bottles and
popped the top with a fizz.  Robyn's hand snaked up over the counter to grab
one without
looking, and Sumiko stacked the rest on a tray and walked into the living
room, where the
game was just getting underway.



        One hour later.

        Mary was still on her first bottle, though she doubted anyone else
had noticed.
Robyn had a healthy glow, and the pile of empty bottles in the corner was
growing.  Lia was
still engrossed in the latest technical wizardry that Japan had to offer.


        "So what do you think of America?"

        "*America* I like fine."  Sumiko smiled crookedly.  "I hate
Americans, though.  All
Americans are jerks.  Present company excluded."

        "That's not exactly fair."  Mary shook her head disapprovingly, but
Robyn raised a
finger.

        "Let's be fair, Mary.  Most Americans *are* jerks."

        "*And* you drive on the wrong side of the road."

        "And we drive on the wrong side off the road."  Robyn seemed to be
getting a kick
out of this.

        Sumiko took a long pull from the bottle.  "And it's impossible to
find decent
pornography."

        "And it's--"  Robyn colored, and Mary raised an eyebrow.

        "I've always found that the internet provides all the porn you could
ever I want."
Mary coughed.  "Not that I've researched the matter."

        "I've used your computer before."  Lia leaned back and grinned.
"She's a pervert."

        "You should talk."

        "At least Darren's in full 3-D."

        Sumiko giggled, and Robyn turned even redder.  The Japanese girl
punctuated her
points by gesturing wildly with her bottle.  "Internet porn is crap."

        "Can we please change the subject?"



        Three hours later.

        "--and, well..."  Lia shrugged.  "That was about it."

        Robyn was *still* red, though some of it had to be from alcohol
rather than
embarrassment.  Sumiko was leaning way back on the couch, and despite her
best efforts Mary
was feeling a bit on the tipsy side.  The video games were long forgotten,
and the
conversation had taken its inevitable turn for the worse.

        "And nobody ever caught you two at it?"

        Lia shrugged.  "Mary has."

        "Don't remind me.  My little sister with no shirt on is not high on
my list of
wonderful sights."  Mary endured Lia's slap with good humor, and Sumiko
turned to Robyn.

        "What about you?"

        Robyn shot a look at Mary and the pair of them broke up giggling.
Lia and Sumiko
stared, blankfaced.

        "What?  When was it?"

        Robyn was still laughing, so Mary had to answer.  "Gaming
convention."

        "A gaming convention?  You're kidding."

        "I still can't believe you actually went through with it."  Mary
shook her head
sadly.

        "A bet is a bet."  Robyn opened another bottle, still blushing but
trying to ignore
it.  "My honor was at stake."

        "As I recall, it was."

        "Okay."  Sumiko glared.  "What, exactly, happened?"

        "Robyn made a poorly advised bet."

        Robyn shrugged.  "I was drunk at the time."

        "A bet on what?"

        "DDR."  Mary broke out giggling again.  "You almost beat him, too."

        "You bet--"  Now Sumiko couldn't help laughing, too.  "Really?"

        "Yup."  Robyn leaned back against the couch.  "I mean, I ran out of
money.  What
else was I supposed to do?"  She glared at Mary.  "And you can stop
laughing, too.  *You*
lost to a grade-school girl in a Taruto costume."

        Sumiko switched targets for her astonished gaze.  "You...did you
really..."

        "*I* was willing."  Mary drew herself up with an expression of
injured pride.  "She
chickened out."

        "Yikes."  The Japanese girl sat back, impressed.

        "What about you?"

        "Yeah."  Robyn leaned forward.  "What *about* you?"

        Sumiko lowered her voice.  "Actually..."

        The other three girls leaned forward even further.

        "...that's a secret."

        She had to flee into the kitchen to escape the storm of bottlecaps
and hoots of
derision.



        Six hours later.

        Mary looked around, sadly.

        "You're going to have some cleaning up to do."

        Sumiko nodded gently, leaning against the base of the couch.
"I'll...do it...in the
 morning."

        "I think it's about time for me to go."  Mary lurched to her feet
and was pleased to
 find that she could walk with only a few wobbles.  Lia was fast asleep,
curled up in front
of the TV, and Robyn had collapsed on the couch again.  Mary nudged the
latter.  "Robyn.
Wake up."

        "Mrgfl."  Robyn turned over.

        "Let her sleep."  Sumiko waved a hand.  "I don't mind."

        "As long as you promise not to take advantage of her."

        The other girl giggled.  "Sure."

        "Then I'd better collect my belongings and go."  Slinging Lia over
her shoulders
took a fair bit of doing.  Mary's sister wasn't really *that* much smaller
than she was, but
 by surreptitiously supporting her with blocks of hovering air Mary managed
to carry her
comfortably.  "Thanks for having us."

        "Had a great time."  Sumiko waved, a little unsteadily.  "It's been
great meeting
you."

        "I'll see you again, I'm sure."

        "Absolutely."

        Outside, the air seemed wonderfully clean and cold.  Mary stood for
a moment in the
lee of the doorway, then started slowly walking towards home.  It was full
night by now, and
 stars burned overhead in a cloudless sky.

        After a while, Mary cleared her throat, then thought for a moment
and checked
whether her sister was really asleep.  When a few prods proved her to be
thoroughly
unconscious, Mary spoke.

        "Aku."

        "Yes, your highness."  The little demon popped into existence,
clutching his hands
together.  "Thy wish is my command."

        "Can it."

        "Okay.  Whaddya want, boss?"

        "I've got news."

        "Shoot."

        "Sumiko is Eternity."

        "Really?"  He floated next to her, looking suspicious.  "I knew
there was something
up with her.  Transfer students are always no good."

        Mary shrugged.  "That's just a clich�.  But I think it's a pretty
good guess."

        "Based on what?"

        "When I was in her bathroom, I saw a bloody sailor uniform in the
hamper.  Either
she has a fondness for fighting people in obscure costumes, or..."

        "Right.  So what are you going to do about it?"

        Mary sighed.  "Robyn's involved with her, and there's not much I can
do about it."

        "I still think you should just *tell* Robyn about all this."

        "No."  Her eyes were hooded.  "Trust me.  It's not worth it."

        The demon was about to press the matter, but thought better of it
and shrugged.

        "So what are you going to do about it?"

        "I'm going to drop Lia off at home."  Mary sighed again.  "Then I'm
going to go and
have a talk with Sumi."



        "Sumiko."

        Sumiko twisted in her sleep as a burning figure took shape in her
dreams.  She
knelt, instantly, as it pulled aside its veil of fire to reveal the features
of the Queen.

        "My Queen.  What would you have of me?"

        The Queen was beautiful, no doubt about that -- perfect features and
long black hair
 that sizzled in the eternal fire of her garments.  She looked exactly as
she had always
looked.  Sumiko had first seen her when she was fourteen, after a
particularly awful fight
with her father, and her life had never been the same.

        [And I don't regret it for a minute.]  Still kneeling, Sumiko
smiled.  [She gave me
what makes me who I am.  I owe her everything.]

        "Eternity.  I am glad to see you have made it here safely."

        "Of course, my Queen."  [Though it was a near thing, yesterday.]
"The demons have
been interfering again."

        "As well they might.  We are so close, Eternity.  Already the chains
are weakening."

        Sumiko's heart thrilled.  "My Queen..."

        "The few obstacles that remain, however, will be the most difficult
yet.  You must
prepare yourself."

        "My Queen, I am *always* prepared."

        "Good."

        The vision started to fade.  Sumiko hesitated, then spoke up.

        "My Queen..."

        "What is it, faithful servant?"

        "What about this...Reaper?"

        The Queen put on a thoughtful expression.  Her mismatched eyes
glittered in the
light of her own fire.

        "I think that, though deluded, she is ultimately a warrior on the
side of Light.
Encourage her to join our cause."

        Sumiko nodded, unconvinced.  "And if she refuses?"

        "Then she is an obstacle, nothing more."  The Queen shrugged.
"Remember.  The path
to salvation is watered with the blood of the innocent."

        "No sacrifice is too great, my Queen."

        The visage of the immortal faded away, and Sumiko felt herself turn
over happily.
Her peaceful sleep lasted only a few moments longer, however -- there was a
sudden noise at
the window.



        Mary rapped on the window, hard enough to make the frame rattle.
Aku hovered over
her shoulder, looking worried.

        "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

        "Of course I'm sure."

        "I mean, this Eternity person is on our side.  Shouldn't we be
trying to recruit
her?"

        "'We?'  I don't recall the last time *you* helped smash some
demons."

        "Fine.  But still--"

        "Look, Aku.  I work alone.  I always will, and you know it."

        "I just don't see *why*--"

        The window slid open with a prolonged screech, revealing a
disheveled-looking Sumiko
 wearing a long T-shirt and an expression that implied a killer headache.
She shook her
head irritably and focused on Mary.

        "What?  What do you--"  Her breath caught.  "Reaper!"

        Mary bowed, thankful for the blurring mask that hid her face.  "At
your service.
I'm here to deliver a message."

        "You--"  She realized, suddenly, that her outburst had given away
her secret.  "I
mean..."

        "Relax.  I know who you are."

        "Okay."  She was clearly relieved.  "Look, I've been thinking about
what you said
last night.  I don't mean to move in on your territory, but surely you can
see how we could
benefit from working together.  I mean--"

        "I'm not going to rehash that.  If not for me, you'd be dead."

        "Well--"

        "That means you owe me your life.  So do me a favor and keep it."

        Sumiko rolled her eyes.  "So what are you here about?"

        "Her."  Mary thrust a finger through the window at the sleeping
Robyn.

        "Her?  What about her?"  She looked suddenly sly.  "Do you know
her?"

        "Don't start.  And you can think of me as her guardian angel.  So
here's the deal:
she can never know about this."

        "About--"

        Mary conjured a tiny tornado on her palm.  "About this.  About you.
Understand?"

        "But...I think she could keep a secret, and--"

        "It's for her good, not ours."  Behind her mask, Mary's eyes were
raw with pain.
She was glad they were invisible.

        "What if I don't agree with you?"

        Mary took a deep breath.  "Then we have it out.  Now."

        There was a long pause.  Sumiko broke eye contact first.

        "Fine," she muttered, turning away.  "You've been here longer.  I
respect that.
Robyn will never know."

        "Good."

        "But you can't stop me from doing my job."

        "Since when is it *your* job?"

        "I serve at the behest of my Queen.  She--"

        Mary held up a hand.  "Fine.  I don't care.  Just don't expect me to
save you next
time."

        "I never expected you to--"

        Mary didn't stay around to hear the end of that remark.  She turned
around and
walked away, and heard Sumiko close the window behind her.



        It seemed to Robyn, over the next few days, that Mary was avoiding
her.  Usually
they met up after school at least every couple of days, a time-honored
ritual that had
persisted despite Mary's graduation.  But without making it obvious, Mary
had drawn a bit
farther away, until Robyn realized Sunday morning that she hadn't even
spoken to her best
friend since the party of Friday.

        Sumiko had been similarly unavailable -- a call to her house had
been met with
silence, leaving Robyn to stew alone for the weekend.  She used the
opportunity to catch up
on things, watch some anime she'd been meaning to watch, and put a real dent
in [A Storm of
Swords].  But fantasy, disturbingly, was starting to remind her of things in
real life, and
sometime Sunday morning she put down the book with a sigh and stared up at
her ceiling.

        [It all seems like a dream.]  She knew that wasn't possible, but it
almost felt like
 she'd merely gotten drunk and imagined it -- the goblins, the conversation
with Mary, the
somewhat blurred party with Sumiko and Lia.

        [This isn't how it's supposed to go.  How it's supposed to go is: I
find out magic
is real, then I learn that my friends are involved in a desperate battle to
save the world,
then I turn out to be the chosen one who leads us to victory.]  She smiled
weakly.  [Okay.
Maybe not quite that bad.  But I've never read a story where goblins attack
one night and
the next day it's back to school as normal.  How can I go to school?  How
can I even take
any of this 'real life' crap seriously?]

        [I have to talk to Mary.]  Her resolve suddenly hardened.  [There
has to be
*something*.  I'll get her to tell me where all her magic stuff came from.]
A tiny worm of
doubt quivered in her heart, a certain dark suspicion -- [could she be
*hiding* something
from me?  It doesn't seem likely.]  Still, she hesitated before picking up
the phone, and
finally rolled out of bed and started pulling on her shoes.  [I'll go and
see her in
person.]

        Robyn hadn't realized, before she moved, how *frustrated* she was.
It was something
 that had been building for some time.  There was something under the
curiosity, under even
the nervousness -- [anger.  If she *is* lying about this...what right does
she have?]

        She pulled on a light jacket, pushed up her glasses, and tied her
hair back into a
tail.  [There.  Halfway presentable, even.]

        The day was overcast, the air heavy with a hint of rain and enough
chill to make it
unpleasant.  Robyn wrapped herself tightly in the jacket and set off without
noticing the
black sedan that pulled out and followed, at a leisurely pace.



        "Mary?"

        Mary's house was big enough that knocking on the door simply had not
effect, and the
 doorbell was eternally unreliable.  By far the easiest method of getting
someone down was
to aim in the general direction of their window and shout, or throw
snowballs in wintertime.
  Robyn had gotten used to this long ago and no longer considered it
impolite.

        It took three or four calls before the window shuddered open and
Mary stuck her head
 out, blinking sleepily in the morning sunshine.

        "Hey, Robyn.  What's up?"

        "Wanted to talk to you about some stuff.  Can I come in?"

        "Sure.  Give me a sec to put some pants on."

        A few moments later the front door creaked open and Mary, still a
little bleary,
ushered Robyn into the living room.  Like the rest of the house it was
cavernous, with ancient hardwood floors and Salvation Army furniture.  Robyn
took her accustomed place on
the couch while her friend pulled some soda from the fridge.  Mary finally
settled down and
leaned forward.

        "So what's up?"

        Robyn glanced around.  "Is anyone else up?"

        "Nope.  Dad's out of town until tomorrow, and Lia was up until four
in the morning
playing some idiot game."

        "Good.  I wanted to talk about...what we talked about before.  You
know."

        Mary sighed.  "Okay.  And?"

        "I just wanted to know...more.  You know.  There's got to be
something more to it."

        "Look.  There's not much to say.  Magic is real -- fine.  I've got a
trunk full of
magic crap upstairs.  Most of it is useless, and what is any good is mostly
good at blowing
stuff up.  How useful is that, really?"

        "But--"

        "Where does it come from?  I don't know.  We inherited it from my
grandmother.  How
does it work?  Search me.  What good is it?  Not much."

        "But...don't you get it?  Just the fact that this stuff *exists*
means there's a
whole other world we know nothing about!"

        "So?  Who says it's better than this one?"

        "God!"  Robyn shook her head.  "You're not curious at all about
this?"

        "I used to be.  Curiosity doesn't get you anywhere."

        "I *was* almost killed by goblins."

        "I know."  Mary quieted.  "I'm sorry for that."

        "Why?  It wasn't your fault."

        "Right.  And it's not likely to happen again."

        "So I should just forget about it?"

        "Exactly."

        The two exchanged a heated stare, which Mary finally broke.  Robyn
shook her head,
harder.

        "I don't believe you."

        "What?"

        Robyn was watching her friend's face carefully.  There wasn't much
there -- barely a
 blink of an eye, but it was enough.  Her expression hardened.

        "You're lying.  You're lying to me, Mary."

        "I..."

        "Do you not trust me?  Is that the problem?  I swear--"

        "I trust you."

        "So why won't you *tell* me what the hell is going on?  This isn't
some stupid
little secret, Mary, this is a big deal."

        "Calm down."

        "What?"  Robyn was almost shouting now.  "Why?  My best friend is
keeping what is
possibly the most important thing in my life to date a secret.  Why should I
calm down?"

        The anger welled up inside her so quickly it made her realize how
long she'd felt
it.  [She always knows best.  She's always *looking out* for me.  And I owe
her for it, but
*God*...]

        Mary put her chin in her hands.  "Robyn.  Will you listen to me for
a second?"

        "Go ahead."  She was still nearly vibrating with suppressed rage,
but she managed to
 hold it in for the moment.

        "Suppose that I was keeping something from you.  Don't you think I'd
have a good
reason for it?"

        "Sure.  I bet I know what it would be, too."

        "Oh?"

        "It's too dangerous, Robyn," she parodied.  "You might get hurt.  So
just stay
wrapped up in your safe little world and ignore the man behind the curtain."

        Mary's face was expressionless.  "Something like that."

        "So here's my question, Mary.  What makes you so *fucking* qualified
to deal with
it?  Lia's your little sister, you know.  I'm supposed to be your best
friend, not someone
you have to protect.  And for something like this--"  She trailed off,
weakly.  "I just
don't get it."

        "I know."  Mary's voice was almost a whisper.

        "Don't try that 'knowledgable mentor' crap on me.  I'm tired of
this.  I'm tired of
you constantly doing me favors."

        There was a long, awkward pause.  Robyn seethed, hurt and angry and
somehow afraid
at the same time.  Finally, hesitantly, Mary shrugged.

        "There's nothing to tell."

        "*God*!"  She surged off the couch, heading for the front door.
"Fine.  I'm going
to go find it myself."

        "Robyn--"

        The front door slammed, hard.

        "Be careful."



        Mary let her hand fall and slumped back onto the couch.  Unbidden,
her little
familiar appeared with a 'pop'.  He clucked sympathetically.

        "Maer, I'm telling you, you got something good going with that girl.
You should let
 her in on it -- we could use some backup."

        She took a deep breath, with some effort.  "Aku?"

        "Yeah, boss?"

        "Shut up."

        "Okay, boss."

        The little demon vanished in a flash.  Mary put her head on the
armrest and sobbed
for a while, quietly, before stumbling to her feet and starting breakfast.






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