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At the Imperial Uruseian Capitol Spaceport, a small, tiger-striped UFO/Space Yacht/Saucer had just come in for a smooth and effortless vertical landing; -a not-so-small city in its own right, the Spaceport was so crowded with ships of every color and size, that the arrival of the gleaming, black-and-gold saucer went virtually unnoticed by everyone except the overworked traffic-control center. Settling down on a small landing-pad near the main entrance, a robot arm extended from the saucer, to put 380 Urucents in the parking meter. -As a robot microphone extended from the surrounding landing bay, to make a routine Customs inquiry, as to whether or not any of the passengers onboard had anything they wanted to 'declare'?-Since Lum was busy at the time, Benten picked up the microphone in the control room of Lum’s saucer; and made a reply that burned out several circuits in the landing bay!... (Benten's response was rhetorical; --but to be expected).
Although small for a Royal Princess, Lum's saucer was almost the size of a residential block back on Earth; so, as the landing ramp lowered with a whine of servos, there was ample room inside for the crowd of passengers gathered inside the entrance hatch... but all the same, the lowering of the boarding ramp revealed a mixed crowd of very impressed humans! (As well as a small number of accompanying aliens, for whom the sight outside was 'pretty ordinary'... [Although it was somewhat flattering to find two airbikes and an open-top aircar-limousine/tour-bus (all tiger-striped)! Along with the beautiful and smiling presence of 'Her Imperial Majesty, The Empress of The Greater Oni Space-Empire'; waiting for them!] Gleefully 'bouncing up and down, and clapping her hands'; Lum made a diving somersault out the hatch - eagerly waving and reaching out to clasp hands with her Mother, as the beautiful tiger-gowned Oni-woman soared up to meet her!...
"Mom! Mom! Momma-chan-!! Mother!.. We're Here-!! We made it!..."
(Equally happy to see her daughter, Lum’s Mother proceeded to give her a fond Mother-daughter hug of greeting): "L#m=ch#an!!"
While this was going on, as the Oni Palace Guard soldiers assigned to be their traffic escort climbed onboard their airbikes; in the meantime, after doing a graceful pinwheel-somersault, as Lum and her Mother made a landing in the saucer boarding hatch; several of the teenage boys from Tomobiki seemed quite impressed with the aerobatic gracefulness of Lum's Mother. In a low, muttered aside, Kakugari surreptitiously elbowed Pama.
"...Pay me! I told you she'd probably have tiger-striped panties like Lum.."
"It was worth it!..."
For most of the human passengers on Lum's saucer, this was not their first time to visit Urusei (that'd been when they'd been kidnapped to serve as wedding guests for the wedding Lum had planned, when she'd been trying to get Ataru married to her before Princess Elle of the Rose Planet could steal him)!.. That occasion (plus the chaotic aftermath, when Ataru had fled from the cathedral and his wedding) was a free-for-all adventure that made even their sideline trip to the Rose Planet, look somewhat tame..
Following the conclusion of the manhunt for Ataru (See the USAYatstura APA fan-fiction/FRP Game report: "Find Mr. Groom"); -Lum and Ataru had managed to reconcile with each other; but the compounded chaos and uproar had proved too much for Lum's Father, and he'd ended up kicking everybody off-planet; after Lum's Mother ordered the planned wedding cancelled (for the time being)!...
In this case, Lum had invited all her friends in Tomobiki to come and visit her planet, because a very important ET Oni-holiday was about to take place; and she wanted to share it with all her friends... The alien teens all knew what the holiday was about, but for the Earth-guests; this was something completely new and unknown on Earth.
On this occasion, Ataru consented to go along peacefully, "IF" Lum promised not to try and force him into marriage;... -he still felt a bit uneasy about the way Lum agreed so cheerfully!... She had said that: "-she wouldn't use this occasion for a wedding; unless Darling wished to!!..." (There was something about that little smile she was wearing when she said that... sort of a coyly 'knowing' little gleam, that seemed to imply that she knew something that he didn't)!!
Just at that moment, Lum alighted next to him along with her Mother. "Mother-! You remember Darling-cha!"
"0hyayqyho-!" (Lum's Mother smiled fondly; Ataru thought he could 'just manage to hear' the Japanese word for 'hello' in her greeting*... (That worried him; he wondered if Lum's constant presence was beginning to affect his thinking-?!)
[*: "Ohaiyo" - 'hello, greetings.']
As Mendo stepped up in his white school uniform and bowed politely to her;.. Lum cheerfully made polite introductions... "-And you remember Dahling's friend, Shutaro-cha?!"
"Your Majesty-! In the name of the Mendo-clan, please allow me to thank you for the kind invitation of your daughter, Lum-chan, in inviting us here!..."
Smiling sweetly at the polite, handsome young Earthboy, Lum's Mother extended her hand in greeting-: "0weqalcomhe T0hue 0hUruwesewi-!.."
As Mendo bowed to one knee and took Lum's Mother's hand to kiss it; -it was only by accident that he lit up with enough voltage to power an atomic submarine... (Like her daughter when Lum first came to Earth; -Lum's Mother wasn't always aware 'when the current was on', or how it sometimes affected non-Uruseians!...)
As Lum's Mother turned to give some orders to the driver of the private tour-bus / air-van; everybody else felt that perhaps it would be best to leave the introductions to Lum, and maintain a 'polite' (safe) distance.. -While Ataru pretended to try and indifferently ignore Lum, who was floating beside him, blissfully wrapped around his left arm:-- in the meanwhile, the sizable party of other residents of Tomobiki, stood gawking with open-mouthed awe like a group of tourists. (They'd forgotten just how 'big' and impressive this place was-!) Besides classmates of Ataru; numbering among them: Shutaro Mendo, Megane and the other boys of "Lum's Guards", as well as Shinobu, Ryunosuke, Shingo -in his role as "the Mendo Ninja"- and Mendo's cousin/arch-rival Tobimaru (Ton-chan) Mizunokoji.. the group also included the alien teens: Oyuki, Benten, Lan, Yuni, Diana and Kaji... and the adults: Miss Sakura, Mr. & Mrs. Moroboshi, Mr. Fujinami, Tsubame Ozuno, Mr. Onsen-Mark, Mr. Hanwa, the Principal of Tomobiki High, Shutaro's parents: Mr. and Mrs. Mendo, and Sakura's uncle, Cherry.
As they came down the ramp, Mendo's Mother greeted Lum's Mother warmly (-despite the fact that their first meeting had been unpleasant and had almost blown Tomobiki off the map; - thanks to Ataru's Mother, the two women were now good friends).. As he walked down the ramp to the waiting air-bus, the Principal of the High School was commenting with quiet dignity to Sakura and her Uncle- "..I am sure that the cultural learning opportunities of a field trip like this shall be an invaluable learning experience for the students we have entrusted to our care...indeed; every day's new encounter should be treasured as an opportunity to aid in the blossoming of the youthful spirit and intellect..."
Sakura nodded solemnly in agreement: "Right. --An opportunity for them to chase alien teens of the opposite sex... pig out on foods from other planets, with who-knows-'what' effect on them... disgrace the reputation of Earth... inflict damage on property-values with the idiocy they get into... and provide another chance to get the Earth blown up..."
Cherry glanced up as he removed a string of prayer-beads from his pocket: "This is very strange; I sense an unusual flow in the forces of Destiny.. I sense the gathering of great and far-ranging events!... Something quite awesome Is going to happen during this visit-!!"
Surprised, Sakura glanced up into thin air with a look of abrupt surprise. A sudden 'flash' of arcing odyllic force had just shot thru her perception of the time-stream, like the eye-opening change of an abrupt shift from sleep to wakefulness.
"You're right, Old Man!! I feel it too!.. This is something that will have vast and far-reaching effects upon the future of both Earth and this planet-!!! ..There can be no mistaking the power about to be unleashed... And I sense that the focus of that power Is------!" (Sakura abruptly whirled to glance up at the top of the ramp! There, milling together in a group, engaged in a typical round of adolescent chatter- were the mixed crowd of Earthly and ET teens... and in the 'center' of the group-
"That adolescent letch and jinx; Moroboshi Ataru! And floating beside him; that ET temptress and imperious source of high-voltage tantrums and large-scale disasters: Lum-chan!..."
Sakura's eyes narrowed with wary concern. But was it Moroboshi or Lum who were the focus of this impending 'storm of destiny'-?!! The cloud of swirling and mingled youthful emotions, personalities, and threads of future life-options was like the cloud of a typhoon or hurricane; blending and distorting individual auras and timelines. In the present state of time-flow, the sheer, overwhelming magnitude of the impending Force-nexus was beginning to blot out the individual prana-beacons of each teenager! ---No. Sakura told herself; given Moroboshi's capacity for causing disasters, it 'had' to be him who was the center of all this!..........and yet--- the overall 'feel' of the emotional spectrum of the impending 'event-horizon'; all seemed to suggest a star-like burst of imminent joy and happiness...certainly not the kind of result that Moroboshi tended to attract! But--- strangely,.. it seemed to be mingled with... with....
Suddenly, Sakura paused to open her purse and reach in to remove two small packets; ---each one was a deck of cards. First she opened the pack of Western-style playing cards.. Removing the deck from the box, Sakura murmured a Shinto prayer of divination, and then removed three cards, one at a time---
The first card was from the suite of clubs (-generally regarded in fortune-telling as the suite of bad luck)! --The Knave of Clubs... now she removed a second card --The Queen of Hearts... and finally a third card- (the picture was the laughing face of a clown, wearing a jester's cap and sticking his tongue out with a big grin)... The Joker!!
As her eyebrows rose slightly, Sakura re-packaged the box of playing cards and opened the second box... these were the cards of the ancient means of divination known as the Tarot. Again, the beautiful Shinto priestess drew three cards: ---first. The Wheel of Fortune.. (an ambiguous symbol of momentous change)! ---Then the second card: ..The Lovers (!)... On the card, a youth and maiden held hands before the figure of a hovering angel; their picture surrounded by a wreath of intertwined flowers, decked with valentines. And finally--- the third card!! As she drew it from the deck, Sakura looked at the picture of a young man dressed in the flower- patterned costume of a minstrel, with a wreath of flowers around his head and a traveler's staff resting on his shoulder; walking along with his eyes looking up at the heavens. ---And just about to step off the brink of a
cliff-!!!The Fool-!
As Sakura repackaged the deck and returned it to her purse, an unreadable expression on her face; she could only ask herself in stunned bewilderment-: "This is more momentous than I even imagined!..... Our presence here is the very Keystone of a massive shift in the flow of future events!!... What can it all mean-?!!"
Even as he raised a canteen to his lips, her Uncle solemnly muttered- "It is Fate-!"
In the meantime, back in the hatch, Shinobu was worriedly helping a scorched and "jolted" Mendo back to his feet.. (this was shortly before Shinobu broke up with Mendo and met Inaba). "Mr. Mendo-?!! Are you all right?! Speak to me!!"
As everyone climbed into the open-top aero tour-bus; Megane took the chance to ask: "Lum-chan!? Will we be going to the Royal Palace; or to the smaller house your family has on the outskirts of the city? I think this group would be a little bit too large for the UFO-mobile-home that you've shown us pictures of..."
With a giggle, Lum replied- "We're not going to my home, Megane. Mother told me that she'd arranged for you all to be able to stay at the guest-quarters of a mansion belonging to the parents of a neighboring family. --Of course......if he'd like, Daahling and I could stay together at my apartments in the Royal Palace.. (t'hee) -We could be all alone there, together!.."
"-OVER MY DEAD BODY!!"
'BR-ZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPP-*!!!!!!..' (!)
As the airbus soared off, high over the huge alien-city; Pama turned around to inquire: "Ah- Lum-chan? This holiday we’re here for!.. Could you tell us something about it? -I gather it's something important?..."
Proudly, Lum began to explain the Oni-festival of “Wishing-Star Eve". "Long, long ago; during the remote history of their race; a wondrous 'miracle' -born of the love of two teenage lovers- one an Oni-youth!.. The other a maiden of the race that Human-Mythology would record and recall as: 'The Good-Luck Gods'... This love played an important part in saving the planet Urusei from a 'terrible' fate!..
At that time- (roughly equivalent to the early Bronze Age on Earth); the planet Urusei had faced invasion by terrible ‘demons’ from another dimension!! -It happened that the alien-humanoid race that Benten belonged to, had recently developed a low-tech means of space travel, that enabled them to explore nearby worlds by means of a form of 'astral-projection' and space-warp 'Gate' windows... Although their parents had objected to the two adolescents falling in love with an ‘alien’ from another world... A Princess of the 'Good-Luck Gods' race; -who possessed powers of 'spiritual grandeur' and pristine, 'sublime depth-of-soul'; ..far greater than 'any' beings now living today... Felt that "-she could not live!!-" if the boy she loved should perish-! Her lover was a valiant young Oni-boy warrior; and- as their souls touched in the depths of their longing and concern for each other- he forbade her to come to Urusei; lest she should be endangered-- Or worse yet!!! -Be 'captured' by the foul demon-warriors invading Urusei!.... But as a pledge to her that their love should never be seperated from each other- he gave to her a black -and- gold striped jewel that he'd found and treasured as a present, just for her... and that was the beginning of the use of the 'Tiger-Star' gems as a soul-bond for betrothed lovers....
In return, the Kun'Lunn Princess sent 'all' of her power streaming thru the 'soul gate' from her star- to give her oni-boy lover the awesome power to overcome 'All' the demons-!!! Just as the last of the three suns of the Oniboshi Trinary of Urusei was setting; the power of her love streamed down from her star high overhead, in a diamond-like glittering aura of snow-white light, to touch him on the head; - striking his horns and filling him with all the holy power and might born of their love! And as he was transformed into a mighty 'mystic / warrior / wizard-hero'; more powerful than any who'd ever lived before... her spirit appeared before him and promised him that the star that'd first shone down on
the two of them, when they’d first fallen in love, would give him all the power he needed to save his people and world! And that forever after -so that all would remember their love- this gift would reappear, once every fifteen years; - and touch one deserving Oni, each generation.. And in doing so, would grant them their most heartfelt ‘wish’, in a way that’d bring a blessing to that generation of Urusei...Continuing on- Lum described that even as the boy's alien lover spoke, the power filling his horns caused them to 'grow' from a pair of short stub-horns into a pair of larger, spiraling, 'ram-like' horns, filled with powers of magic greater than 'all' the powers of the invading demons!!- And then, leading the armies of the now-united Oni-tribes - with the power of his mighty magic, and his glowing white 'starsword'; he drove the monsters off of Urusei forevermore; -and afterwards, became their planet's first king!
As Lum finished, she wasn’t the only girl to be wiping away a few tears!...
Intrigued, Sakura inquired- “What was the name of this Princess of the Good-Luck Gods?”
Lan glanced up pertly; “-Her name was ‘Benten’, Sensei-sama!..”
Instantly, Ataru’s arms wrapped around Benten’s upper torso from behind, in a ‘crushing’ tearful embrace, as he sobbed: “Benten-sama!!! How could you be unfaithful to me like this; after all we’ve meant to each other-?!!”
As a nonchalant, iron-fisted, feminine ‘right hook’ knocked Ataru back into Lum’s embrace, Mendo took the chance to inquire politely.. “Please excuse me if I should unintentionally ask being rude, Benten-sama; but I was just curious?.. On Earth, legends about you go back for centuries!.. And yet, Lum-sama has told us of you when you two were children together... Could you please explain to us how that might be possible?”
Benten glanced up at the white-suited Earthboy, with an ironically friendly smile. “On my homeworld, the First Daughter of the “Dragon King”; is always named ‘Benten’-!”
Shinobu sat up with interest: “Then?-- Then many of the legends of our homeland are about some of your ‘ancestors’-!?”
Benten grinned cheerfully. "Yeah. -I'm the latest member of our dynasty to have th' name: 'Benten'!"
As many of the Earthpeople enjoyed the view, sightseeing as they flew Over the 'huge' alien capitol-city; Pama took the occasion to enjoy asking- "What more can you tell us about this holiday we're here for, Miss Lum?"
Proudly, Lum began to once more describe the 'Wishing-Star Festival'... "The holiday celebration lasts for several days; but the Holiday itself, is today!!! -In just a few hours! .. In keeping with the legend of its beginning, once.. every 15 years, the constellation that the 'Wishing Star' is in, comes into alignment; and that evening- just as the last of Urusei's-three suns set beneath the horizon -the magic beam of sparkling stardust will reach down to touch the horns of one Oni on planet, bringing some sort of: 'blessing' to their whole generation -while at the same time, granting his or her 'greatest wish'-cha!"
(Ataru was aghast): "-SO THAT'S WHAT YOU MEANT, WHEN YOU SAID 'YOU WOULDN'T TRY TO MARRY ME THIS TIME -UNLESS I 'WISHED'-?!!"
Lum was coyly smiling as their noses were almost close enough to touch. "Uh-huh."
The boys of Lum's Guard, as well as Benten, Mendo, Shinobu and Ryunosuke, had all seen Ataru make some pretty 'original' escapes, in trying to get away from Lum's various plans for matrimony; but never before a high-dive without a parachute, from a moving aircraft-!!
As Benten laughed and whistled for her airbike, Lum darted over the side in pursuit and to the rescue- "Darling, Come Back Here! Mata-wa!!"A few moments later, as Lum soared back up into view, holding Ataru by his collar; the teenage oni-girl was busy lecturing him with a mildly exasperated attitude, like a person scolding a willful child. "Dahling, really! We're flying at an altitude of two hundred meters; .. you could've been killed!"
"-that's what I had in mind."
As Lum was flying Ataru back into the air-skiff/tour-bus; Lan proceeded to continue with a description of some of the details of the holiday.. The carnival-celebration that would follow for several days, was evidently much like various Earth-holidays like Mardi-Gras and similar celebrations.. food, parades, music, rides, parties, -and a 'lot' of fun!... (-She also mentioned the interesting fact that- for whichever Oni was 'granted' their wish? When the ray of light from the star touched their horns (the source of an Oni's chakra powers); the light from the Wishing Star would usually cause some sort of 'change' in the nature of their horns! .... And often in a way that would be somewhat 'symbolic' of whatever they'd wished for!! ---For instance, one Oni who lived long ago, who'd wished to become a great artist; had the power focused in his horns. Whenever he painted a great picture?! His horns would 'glow' with all the colors of the rainbow, and project a picture of the painting he wanted to make, onto the canvas--- and then he just had to 'paint over' on top of the view of the picture whose dream was in his mind) ...
As Lum snuggled up to Ataru, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder; Ataru gave the shapely, teenage oni-girl a nervous and uncomfortable look; while Sakura favored the two teens with a sardonic, thoughtful 'smile'...( -it might be added, that Oyuki was beaming fondly at her close friend and Lum's “intended".. While Benten was 'grinning' with amusement, after calling out to a sweating Ataru): "-Y' BETTER ASK YOUR DAD T' HAVE THAT 'LONG TALK' WITH YOU, AHO!! AFTER TONIGHT?!! YOU MAY BE NEEDING T' KNOW ABOUT THINGS LIKE THAT, ONCE YOU GET TO TH' 'LOVE-HOTEL'-!!! AHHAHAHAHAHAHA-!.."
(While Benten was enjoying her joke, Lan was getting starry-eyed over a picture of Rei... )
As the tour-bus swept thru the vast canyons of the alien mega-city; far ahead, atop a mountainous 'stratoscraper' arcology-block; an enormous, rooftop mansion-estate came into view; with a palatial penthouse-mansion and wide, park-like, surrounding grounds;.. almost as large as the Mendo Estate back on Earth. As the airbus dipped towards it, Lan let out a delighted squeal, clapping her hands.
"N'kya!! Ohhhh- those are the estate-grounds of Rei's family-! We're going to be staying there, with Rei-chan and his family-?! Oh- Lan is so happy!...(sigh)!!"
As the bus swooped in over the wooded acreage surrounding the mansion of the Seq-Reikutsu clan; even the Earth-teens were somewhat impressed... Pama let out a low whistle.
"Wow-! .... This is Rei's home? .... I never figured that monster would be living in a place like 'this'.."
With a casual and lofty nonchalance, that manage to hide a few slight twinges of envy; Mendo replied with affected indifference: "Hmph-! It should be obvious... until shortly before she came to Earth, Rei was Lum-chan's steady-boyfriend; it would only be natural to assume that his family would be one of some importance.. Lum is a 'Princess'; so- it only follows that Rei's family would probably be one of the nobility of the planet!..."
With a wry grin, Pama replied- "Well, I don't know if it's that logical .... When Lum came to Earth, she fell for that letch, Moroboshi; and he's sure no nobility!.."
With a slight ironic smile, Mendo didn't even bother glancing back: "Wrong-! Moroboshi is a 'prince' in his own way... A prince of fools...a prince of letchers...a prince of idiots..."
(Perhaps it was fortunate for the boys that Lum didn't happen to overhear their conversation; however- just at that moment, Lum was busy working out a few details to make their visit for the Wishing-Star Eve party, that evening, a little 'more' enjoyable for her... leaving Ataru immobilized inside a large globule of ice (--yes, he tried to do so 'again'); Lum had just finished making a request that had Lan almost 'dancing for joy' -- (she’d just asked Lan to do her a favor "-by keeping Rei occupied, so he wouldn't notice her")! Lan was 'overjoyed' to oblige.
* * * Meanwhile, -inside one of the lavish private-quarters of the towering skyscraper-monad estate; there was someone who wasn't so happy...
In a luxurious bedroom decorated in a style to appeal to a young girl, a visiting Oni doctor was just taking a thermometer out of the mouth of a young -and rather 'miserable'- ' patient... "Hmmmmmm-! Well Sugoi, I think you’ve fully recovered--- I think you'll be able to get out of bed today.. It looks like your case of ‘tiger-flu' is all over."
As the doctor -a kindly-faced, bald, elder-oni with a fringe of white hair half-circling his head; closed his medicine bag and got up with a reassuring smile to depart- The mother of his pretty little patient now sat down beside her daughter with a smile.
This Oni-woman was Rei's Mother. A shapely and beautiful female oni, dressed in a tiger-stripe 'Mandarin dress', like that worn by Lum's Mother; her jade-green hair was gathered back into two long, flowing ponytails.. rather resembling a pair of dangling "bunny-ears" hanging down behind her.. her face had a rounded, snub nose and a pair of gentle, blue eyes; and an expression that -at this time, was a kindly encouraging smile (...knowing what this day was, she figured her daughter would be 'needing' a 'little' bit of encouragement).
"Well, dear, you heard what the doctor said; -now you won't have to miss the big party tonight, so cheer up some ...... everything will be fine!"
As the figure in the bed pushed back the covers and started to sit up, she looked up at her Mother with an expression of total misery-- "Fine?!?? Oh Mother- it's terrible!!!..." (Removing a bandage wrapped like a headband around her tousled mop of satiny, blue-green hair, the young oni-girl wailed mournfully):- "When I Caught That Case Of Tiger-Flu, It Made My Horns Fall Off!!... Tonight is 'Wishing -Star Eve’.. If I don't have any horns, the Star-Beam of the Wishing Star will 'Never' touch Me-!!! Ohhhhhhhhhhh- my whole life will be 'ruined'; -and there's 'one' wish that I So wanted to hope would come true-!!..."
As her younger daughter buried her face in her hands and sobbed, Rei's Mother leaned forward to hug her daughter and rock her reassuringly in her arms;.. although Sugoi had never mentioned exactly 'what' her "special wish" was; still...her Mother felt that she had a pretty good idea as to the nature of it- it wasn't so far back that she couldn't remember the early-teenage years of her own childhood!...
As her daughter leaned back, looking up solemnly at her mother, with tears rolling down her cheeks; the 'family resemblance' she had with her older brother, was quite obvious -tho in a slightly younger, shojo-feminine version.. For a 15-year old, Sugoi could only be called 'beautiful'-- Just as Lum was a younger version of 'her' Mother in appearance; Sugoi bore a definite (if juvenile) resemblance to her Mother... and a sibling resemblance to her brother two years her senior... Parted at the nape of the neck, Sugoi's long, shimmering, thigh-length blue-green hair was braided like that of an Earthly Amerindian-maiden into two long braids, one falling down across each shoulder; while in front, her hair hung down across her brows in soft silky bangs, so long that at times it almost threatened to get in her eyes.. In facial features, the most noticeable thing about Sugoi's face were her 'Huge' dark, sparkling eyes; -able to express and 'magnify' emotions with just a 'blink' of expression; they gave her face that rare and bewitching beauty of "a child on the brink of becoming a woman!.." Below her face, Sugoi's build was slender and girlish but already beginning to show hints of the kind of 'impressive' beauty that she'd have when she was full-grown!--- Although still having a certain "childlike" proportion; she already had a graceful wasp-waist and a bust-measurement that would've made several grown women envious!..
Now as her daughter sat up with a forlorn sigh, and began to unwind the rosettes her braids had been wrapped into on either side of her head; Sugoi's Mother got up with a fond smile, giving her daughter an encouraging pat on the shoulder and going over to a drawer, to get out a change of clothes for her... As she did so, remarking reassuringly in reply to Sugoi's forlorn complaint..
"-Don't cry Dear,.. you're young girl; you'll have 'many' times when you'll have a chance to make your wishes come true... By the next 'Wishing-Star Eve'; you'll be a beautiful young woman, with her whole life ahead of her .... And besides, it's always possible to make your dreams come true, even if you never get the chance to have a miracle make it happen! -When I was your age, I had a dream that I feared would never come true.. The Wishing Star's beam never touched me; but my dream eventually came true anyway!..."
"(sniff-!).. You Mother?... Wh-what did you wish for-?"
"Yes, Dear. --when I was your age, I was afraid that the boy I liked -the boy who eventually became your Father!!- Would 'never' notice me or care for me... He was always so interested in science, I was afraid he'd never have any interest in me.."
[As she thought back to her own girlhood, in her memories, Sugoi's Mother could recall her life as a teenage girl of the Reikutsu-family, in Jr. High School; -with what seemed to be a hopeless crush on a quiet and studious, shy boy of the high-ranking Seq-family.]
Intrigued, Sugoi now asked: "-So,.. what happened Mother?..."
Sugoi's Mother smiled bashfully: "Well- in spite of all my wishes back then, the Wishing Star never granted my wish;.. but I didn't give up, -I thought your Father was the most 'wonderful' boy in school.. and -even though I was quite shy; -and very much afraid he wouldn't ever care for a girl as timid as me, . I didn't give up. And finally, well- he let me know how 'he' felt about me...!"
[ -A view of Sugoi's Mother --about the age of Sugoi -or perhaps Lum- with a handsome (if somewhat flustered and surprised) Oni-boy her age; ..with him down flat on his stomach with his arms and legs 'hogtied' behind him; -and Sugoi's future-Mother (as a teenage girl) sitting on top of the boy-of-her-choice, and gleefully throwing another loop around his arms, with a sardonic, triumphant grin. --To the slightly interested curiosity of various other students: oni... gaki... fox-kami... and BEM; in the background].
As Sugoi happily shared a hug with her Mother, the beautiful oni-woman went on with reassuring certainty. "So you see Dear- ...it helps to have a 'Wishing-Star'; but one can still make dreams come true without it.. Now, you get dressed- some other young people will be visiting tonight. And just enjoy thinking that; now that you're all-well again?-- You'll be able to enjoy the big party tonight!..."
"Ohhh- Mother! .... Thank you!!"
As Sugoi began to change out of her nightgown, and started to dress; as her Mother left to go downstairs into that wing of the mansion; she had a fairly good hunch as to 'what' her daughter was wanting to wish for... At her present age of 15, Sugoi was beginning to reach an age where she was starting to notice boys, -and no doubt beginning to get a few romantic daydreams about what it would be like to have a boyfriend...
However, she had just one little 'problem' with that..
Two years her senior; Rei had always been a devoted and protective elder-brother to his little sister; in most aspects, they had a quite friendly brother-sister relationship,.. the 'only' problem with this was- Rei was somewhat 'overprotective'... -Not with the intent of being a spoilsport; -but ever since the time when Rei was 7 and Sugoi 5 -when he once protected his little sister from a stampeding 'astrosaurus' at the park-zoo!.. With more good intention than wisdom, Rei had seen himself as having to 'protect' his baby-sister from all the dangers in the world. And--- as she grew old enough to be interested in (and 'interesting' to) boys-!! Naturally, her brother's attitude began to have a few 'unwanted' side-effects! .... (Now with Rei's fierce shape-shifting power; ..there wasn't a boy on the whole planet who wasn't afraid to incur Rei's wrath, by asking Sugoi for a date. (With a sigh, their Mother assumed that eventually she'd probably have to say or do something to help her daughter have a little bit of fun with friends her own age... There was nothing wrong with her sons 'intentions';-- merely with the degree of overzealousness with which he tended to react to them)-!!
* * * Outside, the airbus was just about to land, as Lum pointed out one of the main scenic views from atop the lofty monad-tower. "-One important part of the holiday, will be the transformation of another window in The Great Cathedral-cha!"
Curious, Shinobu looked up with interest: "What do you mean, Lum-?"
With a smile, Lum replied: "Although you all saw the cathedral the last time we were all here; -one thing you 'didn't' know about it, was;- When it was built long, long ago by an ancestor of mine-- he had all 10,000 windows in it, made out of unbreakable prana-crystal. Once every 15 years, when the Evening of The Wishing Star arrives; at the moment that the Star sends down its ray, the mystic energy released, causes 'one' window to 'transform' from clear colorless crystal, to an unbreakable picture of stained glass; a picture that -in some way- symbolically depicts the 'miracle' that was granted that night, for 'that' occasion-cha.... "
As everyone turned to look at the huge, towering spires of the enormous ET-cathedral, they could now see that -although many of the windows on the first and second floors were huge, Gothic-shaped sheets of gem-like colors,.,. the greater number of windows for the skyscraper-levels of upper floors and towers -in windows of various sizes- were lacking in the colors of the lower floors.
Lum went on- "So far, only 530 windows -all of the 'large' ones of the Main Chapel; Plus a few others-- have had pictures appear on them, in 7,950 years...!"
After a moment of mental calculation, Shutaro exclaimed: "L-Lum-chan!... If what you say is so!---- Th-that means the 'last' window won't have a picture appear on it until after the passing of---142,050 years...!"
As the various guests all stared at the huge structure, bathed in the light of a late-afternoon sunset cast by the triple stars of the Oniboshi system, Ataru folded his arms with a resolutely exasperated determination: "Just don't ask me to wait around till then!”
As adults and teenagers, humans and aliens, all went inside the entrance of one of the vast wings of the Seq Mansion,.. a moving red carpet quickly whisked them all into a large and impressively furnished living-room/lounge-and-banquet hall; Lum's Mother went to cheerfully greet her friend, Rei & Sugoi's Mother...after exchanging friendly handclasps Lum's Mother proceeded to introduce Mrs. and Mr. Moroboshi, and Mrs. Mendo, and Sakura (fortunately -unlike Lum's Mother- Rei's Mother had learned to speak earth languages; and soon made her guests feel quite at ease)...
Lum introduced her 'Dahling' -and then a moment later jolted the socks off of him, when- to Mrs. Seq's amusement- Ataru went and ("supposedly") 'tripped' on the carpet and ended up 'hugging' Rei's Mother..! (Mrs. Seq only thought Ataru was rather typical of 'most' teenage boys---he was just a little less reluctant to 'express' his feelings,. besides, given a certain point-of view, his greeting COULD be taken as something of a "compliment" --it was nice to know she hadn't lost any of her attraction that she had when she was a teenager)!
Mendo's Father was talking with Mr. Moroboshi and Mr. Onsen-Mark...Shutaro's Mother introduced her son...Mendo bowed politely to one knee and then introduced Shinobu...
To Oyuki's delight, one of the other guests waiting there for them, was her Mother: Queen Aki of the ice-world Ymir (she was informed that her Father would be arriving a bit later). As such, formal polite introductions went off without a hitch, as Oyuki introduced Kaji -who also bowed down to one knee and brow to forearm..(Oyuki's Mother had met her daughter's "Ii-Hito" before; -and in her own private opinion, had always considered the Marid-boy a very 'fine' young man!.. Still, given her husband's disapproval of Kaji and Oyuki seeing each other, it was probably just as well that she could be present 'first', when they arrived. -Since Kaji was an invited guest there, her Dearest Husband could hardly protest Kaji's presence; but her daughter would probably be grateful for any words on their behalf)...
As Queen Aki went over to talk with her cousin (Lum's Mother), and some of the other adults there; Ryunosuke had just decked her Father with a sofa, for telling her to: "-Be a 'good' boy, and not try to go dating 'all' the pretty girls who'd be at the party tonight!!"
Lan had taken just enough time to greet her Mother (who was also there), and then left the group to go look for Rei...(Rei's Mother thought that the crush Lan had on her son was quite "sweet" and amusing; and thought that the young gaki-girl would be a good match for her son).
-Just about that time, as some of the kids moved into the adjacent banquet-hall section, where a number of large buffet-tables had been set up for the holiday-party that evening; a loud outburst of profanity from Benten quickly informed those there that Rei had happened to come in a few minutes earlier -and now, a number of the tables were now more bare than Mother Hubbard's Cupboard!! While Lan was gleefully greeting her most-adored fixation and heart-throb; Rei abruptly began cringing 'behind' the pretty teenage gaki-girl, as his Mother appeared and sternly reminded her son that- "Hadn't she told him that these tables were to be left alone for the party tonight-?!.."
While Lan happily offered to take Rei to one of the mansion's kitchens and do some cooking "just for him"; Rei's Mother took in the banquet hall in a weary glance,.. on the 'good' side, about half of the tables were still untouched-- which meant enough food to still host a fairly decent-sized party-gathering;... or, to provide her son one average meal before bedtime.. Fortunately, the pantries of the mansion had ample supplies of various treats (-for a family like hers; that was almost a prerequisite)! But- many of the tables of snack-foods had been cleared 'clean' -as though a typhoon had swept thru the hall... Knowing the tastes of young people, Rei's Mother figured that with a large convenience store located nearby, the quickest solution would be to merely send someone to pick up a large, assorted order of soft drinks and snacks, rather than sending a call to the kitchen storehouses on the other side of the mansion (---the convenience store was 'closer’)
Within a few minutes, an aircar-limousine (towing a number of aero-boxcars); had departed the Seq mansion for a short hop a few streets away...(-when Lum asked if anyone going there would take the time to get her a bottle of tiger-striped nail polish while they were there? Megane instantly volunteered)!As everyone began to relax, Ataru -who'd gotten interested upon hearing about the reason for the holiday- decided to conduct a private little 'experiment'.. Once, some time before, when Benten showed up for the traditional Earthly, Japanese holiday, where the Gods of Good Luck have a contest with the Oni, as humans drive the spirits of oni from their homes; Lum had 'dragooned' Ataru into being 'forced' to fight on the Oni-side, by creating a pair of artificial Oni-horns and attaching them to his head! When he heard they were coming to Urusei, Ataru had gotten the horns out of a drawer and figured that maybe he could use them while on Lum's world, to disguise himself as an oni-boy, and using the opportunity to try and make some dates -or at least some passes- with various ET-girls. But now that he knew 'how' the Wishing Star was supposed to 'grant' wishes-!!! (heeheeheehee-! Well.. nothing in the legend said that the person getting the Wish had to be a 'real' Oni!! This was a long-shot; but a chance too good to pass up)-!
"(Heeheeheehee-!! Harem..harem..harem..harem)!"
BRRRZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAp-!!
"DAH-LING-!!? 'WHAT' DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING WITH THOSE ON-??!"
"Aah- hello Lum.. you're looking beautiful..!"
"Dahling-!! You wouldn't be trying to 'get a wish' to try and prevent mine from coming true? Would you-cha?!"
"Eh- ..Lum! I swear- that thought was 'never' in my mind..."
"-AND WHAT 'WOULD' YOU BE WISHING FOR?..."
With dignified scorn, Mendo quietly remarked: "-With Moroboshi, need you ask?"
Glancing up at the ceiling, Shinobu added ironically: "Ask me if I'm surprised."
"DAAAAAAHHHHHH-LING !!!"
As the room lit up with all the flash and voltage of a video-arcade, humans and aliens each responded in their own way; -Sakura muttered: "He's hopeless-l" in weary exasperation ...Immune to high-voltage shocks, Shingo 'bounced' over in a ninja-leap, to land on top of Ataru; to clasp Lum's hands and offer to 'console' her... "-GET 'OFF' OF MY DARLING!!"
...With a 'Dracula-like' sweep of his arm and billowing red-and-gold-edged cape, Kaji had (in the blink of an eye) summoned up a 'wall' of transparent ruby-crystal, to 'shield' Oyuki from the cyclone of unleashed electrical amperage...
Several other boys and girls from Ataru's class back in Tomobiki, were cowering back against the far wall...Pama was cringing behind a police riot-shield; Chibi was too -and proceeded to hand his friend a Civil Defense helmet like the one he was wearing...Cringing behind one of the marble pillars of the room, Kakugari had found a hooded, electricians insulated suit, somewhere for himself...Muttering to himself, Cherry removed a strand of prayer-beads, and raising a small bell in one hand- rang it solemnly before beginning a funeral prayers..
"--I wish I'd never had him."
At the elbow of Ataru's Mother, Rei's Mother was laughing gently with unoffended amusement: '-it was all so cute and "romantic"...it seemed to her that Lum-chan was quite fond of the Earthboy she'd picked for her sweetheart.'
* * * Meanwhile- a few streets away, at a 'Get and Warp' convenience-store; automatic cranes and conveyer-belts had finished loading up the last of the anti-grav boxcars parked in tow behind the aero-limousine (this store had gotten a 'lot' of orders from Rei's family, before)! -And Megane was helping the chauffeur and brakeman carry out the last few boxes of snacks, to put on the seat of the aircar. As the long 'sky-train' lifted off and Megane leaned back in the comfortable back-seat of the car; he happened to glance at the large box sitting nearest to him... With all the treats they'd loaded up, he figured that there'd be enough food for them all to 'party hearty' for several days...and as such- since all of that work had made him a little thirsty, he didn't think anyone would begrudge him sampling just a 'little' of one of the containers of beverages before they got back...
Reaching into the box, Megane pulled out a 2-liter plastic bottle of soda-pop; bearing a yellow-and-black striped label, with a pretty oni-girl posed enticingly on it... Looking at the label thru a special hand-viewer lens he'd been provided, Megane read the title: 'Oni-Cola' .... With a shrug, Megane unscrewed the plastic cap and took a long swig.....!!! Hm. Not bad.. It tasted sort of like a blend of root-beer, cream-soda, cola, and orange pop!.. In fact- he thought it was quite tasty and refreshing...! There was however, one thing Megane 'didn't' know---!
This was the soda-pop of an alien world, created for Oni!! And although for Lum's race, this was no more potent than root-beer, ...... for a human of Earth-? The drink had all the intoxicating power of Sake-!! And fooled by the innocuous taste, Megane began to gradually knock back the whole bottle!
* * * Back at the Seq Estate, while everyone else was beginning to settle down to celebrating downstairs (on Urusei, the 'countdown' to Sunset on "Wishing-Star Eve" was as much a tradition as the countdown to "New Year's" on Earth); --out on a balcony-patio of the large mansion, Sugoi had privately stepped out to watch the sunset all by herself. At that moment, the young Oni-girl didn't feel exactly like 'celebrating' with anyone else...
There was only one sun of Oniboshi left in the sky -and that one was low on the horizon... The sky was 'so' beautiful .... The sunset had turned the whole sky into a blaze of yellow, orange, red and gold, -with a few shadows of purple in the clouds; and higher up-? The sky was beginning to turn a deep, velvet-blue, with a few stars like sparkling diamonds.. It was such a beautiful 'romantic' setting; --and to Sugoi, the greatest misery was: -She had no one to 'share' it with!...
Without her horns? There'd be no chance of her ever having her wish granted... not 'this' time-!! And Sugoi was beginning to wonder if her wish would 'ever' come true!..
Some of the other girls in her Jr. High School had gone to their first dances; or even gotten their 'first kiss'- but she felt so lonely! Sometimes she began to fear that she'd 'Never' have a boyfriend-!! Sugoi was aware of 'part' of the reason for this...
She knew that her Big Brother didn't 'intend' to make her unhappy; -but part of the reason she was so lonely, was because he was so 'protective' of her, that other boys her age...(or of 'any' age!) -Were afraid to get Rei angry at them!.. -And Sugoi didn't have a lot of girls for close friends either; because any time she brought any girl-chums home to visit; -one look at her Big Brother, and they'd get all 'dreamy-eyed' trying to get his attention, and forget about her; .... or else, they'd start asking her to “put in a good word for them; and 'introduce' them to Rei.." -She knew her Big Brother meant well; but sometimes it was all so discouraging! .... Recently- Sugoi had started to worry about a notion that seemed rather unlikely- but still... one never knew..
As Sugoi began to forlornly unwind her braids and comb them out thoughtfully, she wondered.. Could it be that her Big Brother was not just protecting her from boys who might act 'naughty'... but that he was ‘protecting' her because perhaps- 'Boys Wouldn't 'Like' Her??!-" And that he was trying to protect her from finding out???!
With a tiny sniffle, Sugoi swept the last of her long tresses out behind her.. She didn't want to go down and then have everyone see her crying!.. She'd stand here on the balcony and watch the sun set, and wait ..... while she was waiting, she could at least enjoy 'thinking' about the kind of boy she'd like to have for a boyfriend---!
Someone handsome... and strong and gentle... and intellectual... and fearless... and passionate... and 'romantic'... and bold... and bashful... and 'cute'... with a sense of humor and a nice laugh... and wise; with lofty, far-away dreams and ideals... and strong arms... and a kind smile... and an attitude that'd sometimes be a bit shy and 'boyish' and amusing... and with a heart of brave and 'knightly' heroism... but at the same time, unselfish and tender... someone who'd love her... someone who'd 'want' her.. and 'need' her... and 'protect' her.. and cherish her.. and....! --And..............
She'd 'Never' Have A Boy As Wonderful As 'That'-!!......* * * Down in the banquet-hall, Cherry suddenly recoiled from the large, color-hologramic viewscreen, with a look of shocked amazement- "AAAAAAHH-! The Forces of Destiny Are All About To Converge!! -And In This House!!! The Oni-legend of the 'Wishing-Star Eve' is True-!! The Inescapable Hand of Fate is about to descend on one person standing very close to here!..."
Flinging her arms around his neck, Lum 'bounced' up to a height where her knees were level with Ataru's elbow:- "OH, DAHLING-!! I'M SO HAPPY-CHA!!!"
"Aahhh- Shaddup' You Old Fraud-!! I'm tired of you always yakking about my having bad luck-!.."
"-I did not mean either of you!"
(Ataru and Lum were both surprised): "-Huh?!/ "What?-!!"
( -but not more than Sakura): "Uncle!... If not Them, then Who-?!?"
* * * Shortly after their arrival, as servo-robs unloaded the assorted foods and drinks from the limousine and sky-train, to transport them into the banquet-hall, Megane had euphorically 'reeled' off, enjoying the pleasant sensation that- apparently, for part of the enjoyment of the holiday -someone on the planet had evidently "repealed the Law of Gravity-!!.." (He found it amusing). Stumbling into a lift-shaft, he found himself blissfully blundering off on the next floor up -without even realizing he'd done so; and now sauntering down the long, empty, red-carpeted hallway with a carefree and jovial frame of mind, whose sensation might be compared to- 'a drunken cloud of pixie dust!!'
To Megane's left were a long row of tall, gold-framed, pointed-topped French windows; looking out on a long, white marble, balcony-patio; running parallel to the hall inside. As Megane went blithely "do-si-do-ing" down the hall, now suddenly he felt a light, fresh breeze caressing his left cheek;.. and ever so slightly gracing it- the soft, flower-like scent of perfume!...
Tossing away the just-emptied bottle of Oni-Cola; as he turned to face the source of that gentle caress, he saw that the twin doors of the French window there, were wide open; ... and- as he shook his head to clear his vision and looked again; suddenly- Megane's breath caught in his throat with a choking gasp of heartfelt emotion-! Standing there... Outside on the balcony... Leaning on the white marble railing of the flower-entwined balcony; and gazing at the sunset-- Was His Own Beautiful Lum-Chan-!!!
...!
(Actually, it wasn't Lum.. It was Sugoi!... -But she hadn't yet been introduced to Lum's friends from Tomobiki, yet.. And with her back turned to him...and her braids untwined and combed out, falling down behind her... And with the light of the sunset in his eyes... and given Megane's infatuation with Lum...(and the fact that, after two liters of Oni-Cola, Megane was now cheerfully 'sloshed'-!!) Megane didn't 'realize' that...
To Megane, this was a moment that he'd 'dreamed' of!!--- A moment that might never come again! --Him ..... alone, .... with Lum-!! And how ‘Romantic'; the two of them-- all alone together; at sunset; -on a white marble balcony! .....
(-Even if he got 'microwaved' for it; 'this' was a chance too good to let go by-!!! A chance to finally 'Kiss' Lum-Chan) -!!!
So.. In a moment of 'drunken boldness'; Megane stepped out onto the balcony-- as yet, unnoticed by Sugoi -who was watching the last fleeting seconds of sunset with a feeling of soulfully dispairing, 'heartbroken misery'... Feeling all the confidence of a hero and a poet- Megane suddenly spoke out-- "-Princess Fair!..."
! -?!
Surprised, Sugoi didn't know that anyone had been standing behind her! And just as she turned around to see who it was...
-Megane suddenly 'pulled' her into a real "backbreaker" of a 1950's Hollywood movie 'Epic'/Swashbuckler-style Kiss-!!!!!' ..... (!) --fifteen seconds long, 'at least!!'
[: Traditional, 'romantic movie' overlay-take, of: clouds of blowing cherry-blossom petals and catalpa leaves.. crashing white tidal waves (done in 'traditional' Japanese art-style!!)..sparkling stars.. flashing meteors falling in an arc of drifting glitter.. bursting novas.. soaring white doves rising above sunbeam-crowned clouds in a pure blue sky..’time-lapse' views of blossoming roses (red and white), lilies, and honeysuckle... bursting skyrockets... ?[-(Who put on the recording of the theme from "Gone With the Wind"-?) .... ]
And while their lips were still pressed together...
At--That--Moment---
The last of Urusei's three suns 'dipped' below the horizon!
And as it did so, from high overhead, in the starry evening sky... One unusually large and beautiful, twinkling star Now Began To 'Sparkle' With Increasing Flashes Of Radiant Light!!... And even as this began to create an expanding 'Halo' of star-centered light 'Around' it ....
Just At That Moment, A Beam Of Light.. Like A 'Laser-Beam' Of Diamond-White Stardust; 'Flashed' Down From High 0verhead-! ..... To 'touch' Sugoi on the crown of her head..!!
And as it did..
From the crown of her head; a single horn 'thrust' up from the center of her cowlick!
For Sugoi. Her wish--- had been 'granted!'
(Megane 'still' didn't realize just what all had happened-!!)
Following a moment of fleeting 'surprise'; -Sugoi didn't question what was happening, .....the feeling of sheer 'bliss' had her almost 'mind-blanked' with happiness. However--
As Megane finally 'came up for air', as he leaned back and opened his eyes- he got a 'jolt' that half-sobered him up in that one glance---
-He found out that: 'He'd grabbed the wrong girl-!'
(And for Sugoi? ..... It was 'her First kiss-!!..')
That was Megane's first shock.
"WHA-?!!! ..Wh-? ...wh-wh-Who're you? .... "
"Mmmmmmmmm,(sigh)! Sugoi..."
"Sugoi-?!?"
The first real awareness of what was 'happening' to her, came as Sugoi realized that she was being tenderly cradled in the embrace of a pair of strong, powerful arms;.. and that the blissfully 'breathtaking' sensation she was feeling; -was the warmth of a pair of lips pressed against hers in a lingering, passionate -yet 'romantic', yearning kiss!
When Sugoi opened her eyes, she had no doubt whatsoever, as to what had happened,. Her Wish Had Been Granted!! --The cute, handsome boy standing over her and holding her in his arms, was 'Everything' she'd ever dreamed of-! ......
[: -I might say here, for anyone who might argue the point with Sugoi (-not a 'chance' of Success!!)... Megane -and his pals- 'are' handsome...in an 'Ordinary' way.. :- See the views of him in the TV-episodes: "Die Ladykiller" (-where Rei accidentally had several girls on Earth thinking that he'd proposed to them)... or the episode (-don't know the title-) where the octopus was stealing the girl's swimsuits.. ]
--He wasn't an Oni, .... but that didn't matter] He was so 'noble'-looking;--and gentle ;-- (*-teeheeheehee!) -And kind of 'bashful' looking..! (That wasn't bashfulness-- Megane was almost in a state of 'shock'-!!!)
While Megane was struggling to find some sort of apology or explanation for this embarrassing situation; -with a coyly blushing, dimpled smile, Sugoi bashfully inquired-- "-What's your name?... (teehee)-!"
"?!- Wh-who, m-m-me? .... Uh- m-my name is M-m-m-m-Megane!.."
"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmegane---!" (Sugoi sighed; even his name seemed to have music in it).
As Megane looked down at the little Oni-girl leaning back in his arms, Megane didn't know 'what' to think...or what to 'Say'-!! (Which was a 'first' for him)!... THIS WASN'T LUM-CHAN!!! ..He'd Kissed A Totally Strange Girl-!!...
(-In days to come, 'strange' would -in his opinion- be something of an 'understatement'; -but at the time, he was thinking in a completely different context of the word),.. one good thing about the experience; it'd managed to 'wake him up' from his drink-induced 'dreamwalking!...'
As Megane looked at the smiling young Oni-girl looking up at him with a dimpled pearly grin hiding behind laughingly uplifted hands; even in his present 'numb' state of mind, he could now see that this girl was probably a couple of years younger than Lum-Chan;.. she was a 'pretty' little thing! With a heart-shaped face; small, pointed chin; tiny, pointed snub-nose; 'Huge' twinkling, star-like soulful, shojo-eyes; and a shy but impudently playful, laughing smile;.. despite her slightly smaller size, and a slightly 'younger'-looking, embonpoint build, she had a tiny "hourglass-waist',; and a Large, outthrust bust that looked totally 'fantastic' on a girl as young as her!!... (If this was what she looked like as a young 'girl'; Megane found the prospect somewhat dizzying in trying to imagine what she'd look like, when she was Full Grown...!)
If she was 'beautiful' now .... when she was a woman, she'd almost be a Goddess!..
Still... (he forced himself to remember-!) He was faithfully devoted only to Lum-Chan --Her, and none other before her!!
Then came Megane's 'second' shock.. While trying to pry Sugoi's arms loose from around his neck, the two of them were suddenly surprised by a loud, bellowing 'ROAR!' Glancing down the long stretch of balcony-patio to Megane's left, both were surprised to see a handsome young, 17-year old Oni-boy, clad in a tigerstripe jumpsuit; staring at the two of them with bared fangs and a look of outraged disbelief on his face, and breathing hard. Sugoi cheerfully fluttered her fingers and chirped: "-Big Brother!.."
Megane did an aghast double-take: "BIG BROTHER?!!- REI??!!!"
(Megane had been 'trying' to pull Sugoi away from him, but it was like falling in a barrel of maple syrup.. )
With an even louder Roar, Rei 'monstered out' and started to close the yardage between them- (exit Megane, stage right-!)...
'TROMP! TROMP! TROMP! TROMP! TROMP! TROMP! TROMP! TROMP!- (you see these giant tiger-legs go pounding past Sugoi, left to right)...!
Her hands 'clasped' blissfully to one cheek, Sugoi was reeling on her feet- (still not fully 'all there'); as -out of curiosity regarding both the 'surge' of intense, mystic energy that Sakura, Cherry, and Tsubame had traced to that location; and the source of the screams, roars and tromping shaking the whole house; several of the kids -and some of the adults- appeared and came pouring out onto the balcony; -Lum, Oyuki, and Benten in the lead...
As they gathered around the dazed (and somewhat 'dreamy-eyed'), younger oni-girl; with some 'concern', Lum now asked: "Sugoi-?! That noise?... What happened?!.."
(Sugoi, ecstatically -not really 'noticing' them): "-I'm in love!..."
(from off scene-right): "HAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLP-!"
"GGGRRRRRROWWWWWWWWWRRRRRR*- ! !"
-and so it all began.
(Benten tried waving a hand in front of Sugoi's eyes, but got no 'blink' or response..
(Shrugs).
When her Mother (-along with some of the other parents-) arrived, after discovering that her daughter was all right; she was abruptly startled to realize that- despite her losing them when she came down with the case of ET-flu,.. her daughter’s horns had re-grown-l!! But now .... instead of two horns, growing above her brow.. Sugoi now had one horn; growing from the crown of her head!... (Like the one little Jariten has).
.... To her Mother, there could be only 'one' answer!... An answer Sugoi readily 'confirmed', When she finally became "aware" of the world around her once more; -and then 'hugged' her Mother tight for joy, and began joyfully talking a blue streak; telling her of how:. "-Her Wish Had Been Granted!!... She'd just met the most 'Wonderful' boy-!! And he'd told her that He 'Loved' her! .... And he was 'everything' she'd ever dreamed of .... and he was so 'cute’.. and so ‘handsome’.. and so romantic!...And so gentle.. and so brave- "
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuugghhhhhh-! Haaaaallllllllllllp-!! Someone-- 'save' me-!!"
"Gggrrrrrrrrrro.....rrrrrrrrrrrrrrhhhh-!!!!!!" Tromp! Tromp! Smash! Tromple!!
Sugoi was mildly astonished when she was informed that her "horn" -had grown back!.. Feeling the crown of her head with both hands; the younger oni-girl was 'Wide'-eyed with surprise, as she lightly felt the stub-horn sticking up out of the back of her skull, with both hands.. "I- I've got my Horn back!.'.. -b-but Now?! I've only got 'One'-!!"
Benten laughed with overjoyed hilarity, as a bashful but still-happy 'blush' of embarrassment appeared on Sugoi's cheeks...
"HAHAHAHAHAHAH-! It's 'Easy' T' See What You Were Wishin' For!..." Benten crowed.
Surprised, Ataru whispered to Lum.. "Hey- Lum... What's she talking about? Didn't you say that whenever an Oni got a wish from the Wishing-Star, that it'd cause some sort of "change" in their horns-?"
With a slight blush, Lum whispered back: "---Yes, Dahling! But before...... Sugoi had 'two' horns... Usually, -only Oni boys have one horn!.. There 'have' been a few exceptions now and then-- but for girls, it's a 'recessive' trait that doesn't often show up... The few occasions when it has-? Those girls were usually Priestesses, or Witches, or Princesses, who were marked by Destiny to have a special role in our history... Since little Sugoi was so lonely, and so much wanted a boyfriend; -in granting her wish, the Wishing-Star symbolically gave her the One Horn that usually only boys have-cha."
"Hm. And when she wished for a boyfriend- it arranged for her to meet...?"
" -haaalllllllllllllp ! "
* * * Some time later, back down in the main banquet-hall, everyone was busy enjoying the party and watching celebrations going on around the planet, on the viewscreen; --the Patriarch of the Cathedral, -an elderly oni in long tigerstriped robes of gold, with a long, white beard; had come over to visit (tracking screens in the cathedral had located the site of the star-beam's descent); and after talking with a blissfully overjoyed Sugoi; -and listening with quiet amusement to the spluttering and frantic, flustered protests of explanation from Megane;-- now the tall and dignified Oni-priest had gone over towards one wall (near one of the party-tables) to discuss the religious and mystical aspects of what'd apparently happened, with Cherry, Sakura, and Tsubame -and with Sugoi's Mother and Father..
Elsewhere in the room- Megane had seated himself (-well, almost 'collapsed') on a sofa, and was now doing his best to 'try' and keep Sugoi from sitting on his lap (-it was a non-stop, second- to- second ordeal; -if he stopped to answer a question for just a few seconds (and there were 'plenty' of 'em!)... When he turned his head back again, he'd find Rei's little sister curled up in his lap, and trying to wrap herself around his neck... (After learning the 'effect' that Oni-Cola had on Earth-humans; (-and how that was the reason for this humiliating mix-up)! ....... After setting aside his plate of treats, Megane was now sipping from a one-pint bottle of the cola...!! (Although he had no desire or intention to once more lose touch with reality; he needed 'something' to calm his nerves and give him the measure of self-assurance that he would need to smoothly talk - his - way - 'out' - of - this - disaster!!)
"-Miss Sugoi.. Please permit me to apologize! I am 'deeply' ashamed about this whole embarrassing incident... I ask your forgiveness; -this was all due to a case of 'mistaken identification'...I...I was drunk;.. and I didn't know what I was doing... I deeply regret my inexcusable lack of manners;...and I 'assure' you, this will 'never' happen again-!":
From where she'd been seated on his lap, drinking in every word he'd said; Sugoi now looked around at the crowd of Earth/& ET-kids gathered there; 'beaming' with a dazzling smile of utter delight- "Isn't he the "sweetest" thing-?! So shy, and cute, and polite, and 'caring'; -ohhhhhh! Oh, Megane-Sama, I Love You, Too-!!"
"-THAT'S NOT WHAT I SAID!! -AND I'M 'NOT' "SHY"; I'M-...(m'Mmf-*!)"
While Megane was enduring the frustration of Rei's little sister 'kissing' him in front of all his friends; plus assorted others gathered there; Benten wryly leaned over, resting her foot on one arm of the sofa and leaning one arm on her knee, with a sardonic grin of utter glee; before commenting ironically--
"--So Megane here is what you were 'wishing' for?!!!- heh-heh. Too bad your wish turned out so bad... better luck 'next' time."
Sugoi stopped for a moment to stick her nose up in the air with haughty scorn.
"Bleeeeeeeah-! You're just jealous because I've got him and you don't...!"
About that time, the main doors to the hall opened, and a trio of girls Sugoi's age came into the room; -these were the closest friends that Sugoi had at her Jr. High School, and while some of the others were chasing around the estate grounds, trying to stop Rei and rescue Megane- Sugoi had taken the chance to call her friends and invite them over; offering to send one of the mansion's aircar-limousines out to pick them up...
These three fifteen-year-olds, were none other than 'The Skeban Trio'...! Sugar, Pepper, and Ginger; -who'd taken Sugoi into their club as a sort of 'associate member', just as Lan had had a sort of 'similar' status to the Senior-High trio of Lum-Oyuki-Benten.
While Sugoi 'bounded' over in two bounces, to begin eagerly chattering with her friends; Megane went frantically clawing and stumbling off of the sofa, to end up almost 'groveling' before the somewhat astonished conversation-group of his classroom pals.
"Ataru .... Friend! .... Comrade!...I 'Beseech' you!! .... Mendo!! -If 'anyone' can save me-! ..... Please... before it's too late!!! .... Before Miss Lum goes and thinks that-- that ---that I---that Rei's Little Sister! .... That--that--that--that--!! -oh I can't say it!.."
Looking up again, Megane desperately grabbed Ataru by one arm, with both hands: "Ataru-!! You are Tomobiki's most reknown girl-chaser; how can you just 'Stand' there after seeing Rei's sister?! .... You 'must' save me!-- I 'beg' of you!!---If something isn't done soon; this could be the 'End' of all my chances to win Miss Lum-!!! .... Mendo-!! With your wealth, looks and charm, You should be able to persuade Sugoi of the childish folly of this 'insane' infatuation of hers... Will you let Moroboshi win one like her away from you-?!! Please.. my whole future hinges on your decision!"
While Megane proceeded to frantically dive behind Ataru's legs, as Rei looked up from a table-full of assorted layer-cakes that he was standing beside; to glance around the room with an angry glower, before turning his attention back to the plate of cake he was holding. As Megane cringed back behind one arm of an easy chair, Ataru and Mendo both glanced at each other, and 'nodded' shortly, with a silent smile of mutual 'agreement.'
Looking down with a smile of ironic disbelief; Ataru inquired with half-scornful, amused skepticism: "Megane-!!? Are you really trying to make us believe that you're 'not' interested in that bouncy, bubbling, 'buxom', beautiful little bundle of adoring affection? ... And 'especially' after the way she described to us-" (:Megane 'cringed' with helpless frustrated mortification). "-Of how you 'swept her off her feet' like someone playing a combination of 'The Crimson Pirate'; Romeo; and Casanova-?"
Almost ready to pull his hair out, Megane protested desperately-: "-I Was Drunk!! I Didn't Know What I Was Doing-!!!"
With lofty, aristocratic disdain, Mendo quietly answered:- "..'That' is a very old, and shallow excuse, Kyogi-kun.. Saying one was drunk and not aware of what they were doing; is in the same category of feeble alibi's as claiming that something was done a result of 'mistaken identity'.."
"-BUT IT 'WAS'!!! -I 'WAS' MISTAKEN!! I THOUGHT IT WAS MISS-LUM!.. I Didn't Know Rei Had A Little Sister... Her back was turned! .... The light from the sunset was in my eyes... If I'd been in my right mind, I'd have never- (?) .... !! ah- Ataru ...... perhaps you might be interested... I just happened to find out by chance, while Rei's sister was talking my ears off .... !--Sugoi .... does 'not' have the power of creating high-voltage shocks, like our Lum-Chan does...!"
(!)-
In one 'leap' Ataru was off like a shot.
As Sugoi stood, giving a second-by-second 'replay' of what all had happened (in 'slow motion' subjunctive time) to her three classmates, Ataru chose that moment to slide up behind her and make his move- wrapping his arms around her, in just a second, Ataru had pulled Sugoi around into a 'cradle-armed' embrace, not unlike the one Megane had first had her in; using his most 'soulfully sincere' tone to the surprised (-although not yet offended) younger oni-girl. Ataru quickly began to make his pitch-- "Oh- Miss.. You're so beautiful!--- Why waste time with Megane when I could be so much more faithful a slave than him?!..."
Before Sugoi could even think of any reply-
"DAAHHHHHHLING-!!!! QUIT TRYING TO BREAK UP MEGANE AND SUGOI'S ROMANCE-CHA!!!"
'BR-ZZZZZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP-!!’
(Fortunately, even though her family didn't have lightning powers; Sugoi did happen to be immune to Lum's 'electric overkill' means of persuasion).Since the same couldn't be said for Ataru, He made no further protest as Lum dragged him off by the back of the collar.
* * * That night, the assorted visitors, human and alien; were provided quarters in the 'Guest Wing' of that side of the mansion;.. for the assorted teens, the arrangement was a atrium-like arrangement, of a suite of opulently comfortable private apartments, opening on a large, central living room/lounge; with the main entrance to the suite on one side, and a semicircular balcony on the other. The boys were all roomed in this dorm-like arrangement on one floor; and the girls on another, a few floors lower...
Although Sugoi wanted to have some private time to think about what all that'd happened that evening;.. since she had a small private apartment located in that wing (-on the same floor as the other girls).. she asked her Mother if she could be allowed to stay there -closer to her friends- rather than in her 'larger' apartments, a few kilometers away... Her Mother indulgently agreed.
After her Mother had left, Benten caused Sugoi to come down with a case of the 'giggles', and a 'glowing' strawberry-red 'blush'; as the older-teen girl guessed right and ironically quipped. "-Y' want to be 'as close to him as possible'; hmmm-?!"
* * * While the other girls were enjoying an impromptu 'slumber-party'; a few floors up, the boys were likewise enjoying a late-night "bull-session."
"NO, I WILL 'NOT' EXPLAIN IT AGAIN!!!- You Won't Hear 'Anything' You Didn't Hear The 'Last' Six-Dozen Times! .... " ( -and that was when he started 'counting').
Although Megane was perhaps understandably- a little bit irritated -the amused respect he was getting from the other boys was actually something of an admiring blend of envy and sardonic skepticism... As Kaji turned off the flame-thrower in the showerstall of his own apartment, and came out in a pair of satiny asbestos-pajamas, brushing his teeth;.. Ataru grinned at Megane with coaxing disbelief, as he taunted his friend--
"Come on, Megane- are you gonna stand there and try to tell us all that the way Rei's little sister has been going on for the past four hours, was 'all' just because you gave her a 'kiss'? .......... C'mon, we're all friends here--- No one's gonna tell your parents; ...or any 'other' grown-ups... What all 'else' did you do-?!! The way you had her seeing stars; you must've both done 'something' else!"
Casually, with folded arms, Mendo (who was standing back on the Sideline); took a moment to interrupt- "At least Kyogi is not the type to 'kiss and tell' -which shows at least a certain 'limited' degree of self-restraint.."
"-TELL??!...'TELL WHAT-??'...By THE TIME I REALIZED IT WASN'T LUM-SAMA; HER BROTHER HAD SHOWED UP, AND I WAS TRYING TO QUALIFY FOR THE OLYMPICS, IN 'TRACK'-!!"
With a chuckle, Kaji spoke up: "-I checked some of the security-scanners of the estate;.. after the first few minutes, those 'explosions' we heard were not caused by any weapons Rei might've been using... They were 'sonic booms', caused by Megane Breaking The Sound-Barrier!!.."
"-YOU'D BE 'BREAKING THE SOUND BARRIER' TOO, IF YOU HAD REI CHASING YOU-!!!"
(Speak of the devil)...
'POUND-! POUND-! POUND-! POUND-!' "RRRRRRGGGGGGHHHRRRR-!! ...'WHERE'-?!! ........ OWL ........ -EYED ............ ........ 'PERVERT'-!! ................ GRRRRRRRRRRRR-! ....... ?"
Although all the boys reacted in somewhat different ways, -each according to their own natures; -while Mendo, Ton-Chan, Shingo, Kaji, and Ataru; all managed to retain a degree of tense and wary, but nonetheless courageous outward bearing-- by contrast, the entire membership of "Lum's Guard" (Megane included), were clinging together in a trembling pose of utter terror. (Why should the others be worried? Rei wasn't after them)-!
Trying to pry Megane's hands loose from the shirtfront of his pajamas, Pama frantically demanded thru gritted teeth- "MEGANE, LET GO!!!--- I Don't Want Rei Getting The Two Of Us Mixed-Up In The Confusion...!""Pama, Save Me-!!! We Swore An Oath Of Friendship..."
"-That was an oath of friendship;.. not a Suicide Pact-!"
"But We Swore We'd Stand Beside Each Other To The End!!-"
"..Don't worry, I've got a hunch 'The End' is standing just outside the door...!"
At that moment, bouncing over Megane's head, leaping to the French door-panes leading to the small balcony outside; Shingo called out- "Hey Megane-! Quick!... You can hide outside on the balcony..."
Turning to glance in that direction, for a moment of worried indecision, Megane looked desperately, back-and-forth, from one door to the other... "I- ohhhhhhhh- but .... It's night outside-!! ...I can't go out there just in my pajamas!!"
Cheerfully, Kaji replied: "-No problem!" And reaching into one pocket of his space-jacket, lying folded across the back of a chair; -pulled out a small sphere the size of a sourball candy,.. seemingly made out of some transparent substance of bright, gold-flecked yellow..(rather resembling one of those spheres of bubble-bath-gel)!.. And with a grin, proceeded to ‘throw' it at Megane!
As the globe hit him in the chest, there was a soft 'POW' and whatever was "in" the globule, now rapidly 'spread' over Megane -like a coat of melting wax- in less than a couple of seconds; --and as it finished doing so? Now it suddenly 'transformed' in less than a second, into a thigh-length belted tunic of soft, loose-fitting, snowy-white cloth; with matching, white, close-fitting trousers and snug, Soft, knee-length sandal-boots (much like Luke's suit of "Tatooine sun-whites" in the first 'Star Wars' movie)! A sash of dark, royal-blue velvet, edged with satiny cloth-of-gold, was knotted snug around Megane's waist; a second sash of red satin,. edged with gold fringe, ran diagonally from his belt, across his chest and over his right shoulder to fasten in back..
As Megane looked up in puzzled confusion; Kaji shrugged nonchalantly.. 'unstable molecules'...I always like to carry a chance of clothes with me for 'formal' occasions."
Just at that moment, Rei's pounding took on a distinctly 'ominous' tone; and with a nervous look of a person attending his own firing-squad; Megane decided "a little fresh air might be good for him-!" And bolted for the balcony.
As Mendo gestured for Shingo to open the door, outside- Megane proceeded to 'flatten' himself against the wall; as Rei stormed into the room and angrily proceeded to ask about Megane's whereabouts.. [: -he held up a 'mug-shot' of Megane, with a red, International, circle-and-diagonal 'forbidden' symbol stamped over his face, and a large, black skull - and - crossbones" printed underneath]!
Mendo suavely informed Rei that Megane 'wasn't there' -and that he could search and see for himself--- As Rei angrily rummaged through the apartments (-ignoring Chibi's ironic demand for a search warrant), and the suggestion from Ataru that Rei try checking out the kitchen; outside, Megane was finding the night breeze at this altitude kind of 'chilly'... however, it was about to get somewhat 'warmer' pretty quick!..
Having failed to find Megane in any of the rooms, a glance at the closed panes of the door to the outside balcony, made Rei decide to check that out-- however, before any of the other boys could make a move (outside of Chibi closing his eyes and sticking his fingers in his ears; and Pama covering his eyes with both hands); -after a short glance around outside,...instead of the sound of agonized screams and breaking bones- Rei half stepped back inside with a puzzled look,.. uncertain where to search 'next'; but evidently not finding Megane outside..!
Although Megane's friends didn't understand it any better than Rei; -the whole question could've been answered, if Rei had thought to lean 'over' the gray stone railing of the balcony, and look 'below' it-!! When Megane glimpsed Rei starting to head towards the door to the balcony, he realized that -however much he was afraid of heights- staying there and trying to 'reason' things out with Rei would be infinitely worse that trying his hand at a little amateur steeplejacking.. (Besides, he sourly happened to recall a light--hearted jest that Kaji once had made; an assertion that 'nobody' had ever been killed by a fall.......! (-He'd wryly added that: "-It was the 'sudden stop' at the other end, that hurt!")
So, while Rei prowled around on the balcony for a few more minutes; looking around in bewildered confusion,.. unable to figure out 'where' Megane might've disappeared to; -and ignoring the suggestions of Megane's friends that he 'go look somewhere else-!' (They didn't know what'd happened to Megane either)-!!
While this was going on, Megane was hanging on for dear life, just under their feet!!! -Clinging to the thick growth of ET-rose vines that'd been planted and tended to grow up the wall like a blanket of ivy... (Fortunately, these happened to be 'thornless' roses from the 'Dark Joker Planets', or else Megane might've had yet another problem to worry about;.. Kaji's suit of' borrowed attire didn't include a pair of armored gauntlets).
Finally, Rei accepted what the other boys were insisting; nodding in agreement, that their friend was not there... he'd go search elsewhere. 'That decided, Rei stopped to think 'where' Megane might be that he should search next;--- since 'thinking' was not something Rei had much practice in; -and since his friends were beginning to worry as to what had 'happened' to Megane? It began to look like Rei might be standing there till daybreak ..... Until Ataru cautiously inquired with a sly smile: "Aaah- Rei? ..Where in the mansion would your sister be staying?...."
Rei's eyes snapped 'Wide' open with a look of 'Shocked' awareness-!
Rei's departure was not only immediate; Kaji got on the intercom to summon robots to put the door back on its hinges. Outside, as Megane heard the boys discussing Rei's departure, he allowed himself a deep sigh of relief..
When at that moment- the stems of the vines he was clinging to, began to... '-snap!' ... 'Snap-!' ... 'Snap!! Snap!! Rip! Crackle-!!' ...(!)
Morturi Salutamus Te-! (We who are about to die, salute you!)
Not all the vines were breaking; just the ones attached at that level, that Megane was clinging to,... so, when the last few gave way that made it impossible for the rest to 'hold' his weight; .... Megane found himself 'Swinging' down on a long strand of intertwined vines; like something out of a 'Tarzan' movie.. with the vines that didn't pull loose, anchoring those that 'had.' Megane didn't want to scream; but he couldn't help it.. the sheer height to the grounds below was more than that of some office buildings on Earth. As he tried to draw a frantic 'Gasp' for breath, the rapid path of his quick descent could be followed by the sound of tearing stems, rustling leaves, and a piercing shriek of:-
"Ohhhh- Noooooooooooooooooooooo-!! AAAAAAAAH-! SUUUUUUUUUUUUUGOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII*-!!!!"
[* translation: "-This Is Terrible!!!" ]
* * * Some floors down below, Sugoi had finished dressing for bed, and her thoughts were still in a star-flecked 'swirl' of Dreamland!.. The events that'd all occurred that evening were 'still' running on "continuous replay" in her mind; -and she couldn't decide whether she wanted to stay awake all night; or 'go to sleep and 'dream' all about it-!!!'
Just then- as she was about to unbraid and brush her hair, Sugoi glanced up with a look of puzzled surprise; --she wasn't sure, but she 'thought' she'd heard someone faintly call her name ..... from 'outside.' -But that was silly! (Wasn't it?) Her apartment was on the 10th floor... who would be outside at this hour!?
Stepping out onto the small balcony outside her room, for a moment Sugoi paused to breathe a deep sigh, and enjoy the beauty of the view.. The glitter of countless stars in the night sky high overhead, the peaceful shadowy patterns of the landscaping of the gardens far below; -and off in the distance, beyond the edge of the rooftop, penthouse boundaries- the bright, neversleeping glow of the huge capitol-city of the Empire..
As Sugoi paused with a smile, to admire the beauty of the roses blanketing the walls and curling around the railings; -it was just then at that moment, when Megane came in for a perfect landing at the far corner of the balcony, to her left, close beside her!!
(In parachute landings, the 'best' landing of all, is one where one comes down so gently, they can land 'standing' without discomfort. (Megane's descent was fast, but this was the kind he made-- the vines he was clinging for dear life to, played out with just the right amount of resilience (like a bungee cord); to allow him to make a suitably 'dramatic' landing within four paces of Sugoi ---Although he didn't notice 'that' detail for a few seconds)!
Sugoi gasped!! This sudden appearance of her Megane, for a quiet, romantic, moonlight meeting with her, on her balcony; was totally ‘unexpected'.. (But it was also so totally 'delightful')!!!.. And he looked 'so' Heroic and Handsome; just like some sort of Knight or Prince in some love-story... Before- she thought she'd "memorized" every detail of his appearance;.. but now, it seemed that she hadn't remembered him being 'half' as handsome as he looked standing there...! (A moment later, Megane found out he wasn't alone, when Sugoi wrapped a crushing rib-lock around his chest-...although given what he'd just gone thru, it took a few seconds for him to realize that--- )
"OHHHHH- Megane!!! I've 'Missed' You So-!! (Sigh-!)"
"??- ..S-? .... S-Sugoi? .... Aaaaaa .... wh- wh-where am I-? .... I...I..(gasp)...I thought I was gonna die ...... Everything seemed like I was spinning...(pant-!) .... A-Am I awake or dreaming? ..... (gasp) .... Excuse me .... I gotta catch my breath...can't breathe ..... I...m-my heart! .... I-It's beating so much; it feels like it's trying to 'get out thru my chest' .... !"
Blissfully nuzzling his under his chin, Sugoi sighed. "Awwwwwww- you're so 'romantic'...I love you too-!"
“(?!-)”
As Megane finally got his breath, and became fully aware that:- (a) he'd stopped falling and was now 'standing' on some solid surface (-albeit, it 'felt' at the moment like it was rocking like a teeter-totter).. and (b) -to an icy chill of horror, he now realized that, somehow- he'd landed somewhere where Sugoi was; and now the little oni-girl was hugging the stuffings out of him!... It now belatedly occurred to him that there was something 'else' a little weird- Megane was surprised to realize that he seemed to be talking with 'gritted teeth' -evidently due to something he was holding clenched 'between' them..(?!)
Reaching up, Megane grabbed hold of something sticking out of the corner of his mouth..(out of 'both' sides, to be exact); and when he removed it... he discovered (to his exasperation).. that it was- a rose-blossom! (He should've shut his mouth)!!
(Evidently, while he had his mouth open, when he was 'screaming' while falling- one stem must've got in the way during one of the tangle of vines that he'd 'crashed' thru; and'd gotten snapped off at the branch.. With a weary sigh, Megane pondered that 'he could've ended up bringing his own flowers to his funeral';.. and as Sugoi leaned back to happily smile at him- he absent-mindedly handed it to her without even really pausing to 'think' about it.. (Sugoi was overjoyed, almost to tears)!
" -Here."
"(Gasp-!!) Oh-!! For Me-?!! Oh-- Ohhh- (sniff!) Oh- Megane!..... You came all the way down here just to bring this to Me?....(sigh-!!) ohhhhhh- I'll treasure it forever!"
( -It took Megane a couple of seconds to realize 'what' she was talking about.. But When He Did-!!!) ........Maybe the funeral would've been preferable.
Sugoi had waltzed off for a moment to fetch her diary on a table by the balcony door- and then, ...after a moment's pause, instead of pressing the flower inside its' pages at once.. putting the stem in a small, water-filled crystal flower-vase next to it.
Frantic to try and find 'some' way to defuse this potentially 'disastrous' chain-of-events; Megane reflected- Sugoi seemed to be as adorably sweet as she was pretty!.. But nonetheless- she was only a naive, impressionable child!... She was taking a few accidental coincidences 'completely' out of context!! And if Megane didn't act fast, he feared that he'd find himself wrapped up in an 'embarrassing' tangle of misunderstandings that'd not only hamper his efforts to win the affections of Lum-chan..(and cause poor little Sugoi some unnecessary heartbreak that he wanted to 'spare' her from)..But which would also probably ended up getting him 'KILLED' if her brainless big brother ever got his hands on him-! (Megane had been chased by Rei in 'Tiger-Bull' form, a few times before; and it wasn't an experience he wanted to repeat)...!
As Sugoi whirled around to return to him, her face all smiles- Megane decided that perhaps his arrival here was an unforeseen blessing. A few words of 'consoling encouragement and reason' here, and he'd be able to talk his way 'out' Of this whole predicament; while doing so in a way that'd leave Rei's little sister happy to accept it as merely one of life's 'learning experiences'...
"Ah--- M-Miss Sugoi?... I ah- merely wanted to take a moment...merely to entreat your pardon and forgiveness... I- ah- ..wh-when we f-first met? .... I merely w-wanted to let y-you know that... uh- y-you sh-shouldn't let occasional discouragements make you sad!... Life 'rewards' those who can face repeated discouragement with the refusal to give in to hopelessness .... Now--- the uh- 'meeting' we first had...? W-Well.. it... it was one of those 'unexpected' events that we all have to experience occasionally.. I- I'd 'never' seen you before... and so- well,..I hoped it wouldn't make you sad to find out that our chance-meeting was merely an.. an accidental 'chance of fate'.."
Blinking with sweetly attentive, alert curiosity, Sugoi inquired- "Then our first meeting was an Act of Fate-?!!"
(Megane smiled with relief): "Yes! Yes -that's it exactly!.."
(The smile got wiped 'off' his face pretty fast, when Sugoi happily flung herself around him, with open arms)!-- "Ohhhhhhh-! That's so 'Romantic', the way you describe it-!!"
(A 'chill' went thru Megane, as he was suddenly filled with mingled relief and apprehension; at the thought of what he 'might've' heard if Cherry had been there-!!)
While Megane was auditioning for the title-role of the movie: 'Mask of the Zombie'; in the meantime, Sugoi had darted away for a moment to fetch a large, book-sized/shaped slab of tiger-striped plastic, bearing a large video-screen and a collection of dials and buttons, on one side of it-- an ET-"film-book" [: for any who haven't seen the movie 'DUNE' wouldn't recognize the description].. Happily presenting it to Megane, Sugoi adoringly informed him that it was one of her own 'art-study' sketch-books; and that she'd already done "several" pictures of him in it, since she'd retired for the night!... (Megane later learned that the reason Sugoi had been able to do so 'many' pictures, was because- when plugged into the OniNet art-select programs; all she had to do was punch-up for different 'choices' of optional: backgrounds... costumes... 'themes'-( (: fantasy-- 'heroic'-- historical-- scenic--etc.)...and 'poseable' computer-simulations of input 'views' of pictures of herself and Megane, that she'd entered into her book. Then afterwards- once she'd assembled the components (-rather like the computer-video "paper-dolls" that many teens at home enjoyed playing with, for various fiction-series); all Sugoi had to do was push a button to "fix" and store the picture she'd made... )
Megane gazed at the collection with a mingled fascination of 'flattered' disbelief; and increasing horror;.. to describe the pictures as "complimentary" to him, Would've been an understatement! -Whether tender and sentimental; or 'heroic' and swashbuckling ;.. Sugoi's seeming infatuation with him had ceased to worry him ....... it'd gone past 'worry' twenty pictures earlier...now Megane felt sure that if Rei saw 'any' of these, his life wouldn't be worth the dirt used to 'bury' him...( -although he did rather like that 'Sword-and-Sorcery'-style picture; -with Megane clad like a 'Conan-type' warrior, and bursting shackles on his wrists that would've held 'Godzilla' -in order to rescue an 'overjoyed' Sugoi -dressed like some fantasy princess- from a cringing and fearful evil Wizard)! . Megane pushed the button again-
"EEEK-!!" (..that was Sugoi) With a 'deep' blush and bashful grin; Sugoi abruptly snatched the film-book out of Megane's hands, with a coyly apologetic little laughing smile.
"-That one's part of a 'secret' collection;.. I haven't yet got the ones that come 'next', numbered and "locked-away" under personal code combination... (teehee)! Gomen!"
(Megane's eyebrows 'still' hadn't come down to their 'usual' position... If Rei ever saw 'that' picture; it was doubtful he'd 'kill' Megane .... Megane was sure that he'd never be that lucky)!!
Just then-
POUND!POUND!POUND!POUND!
"SUGOI- ! ! !"
Megane and Sugoi glanced at each other.
"Gasp-! Big Brother!!.."
While Megane was glancing around, trying to figure out what to do next-? Sugoi quickly lifted the cover on a nearby bunk-sofa, with the whispered, urgent entreaty- "Quick! Hide-!..." (Sugoi didn't 'yet' know how much her big brother disliked her new boyfriend; -but past experience made it seem a good idea to not let the issue come up at the time).... As Megane dove under the sofa, Sugoi quickly glanced around to see if anything else needed straightening; and then- donning a light house-jacket over her nightgown, calmly walked over to open the door..
As Rei entered, -after glancing around for a moment with concern- (hmm! Good...it seemed that that un-oni Earthling pervert hadn't tried to come around and see his little sister 'yet')!... With sweetly meek, innocent politeness, Sugoi smiled and chirped: "-What can I do for you, Big Brother?"
Turning with a stern look, Rei produced a picture of Megane (-a rather 'frightened' looking one, taken by one of the security monitors out on the mansion-grounds);..and using a oni 'spray-book' of "inhaled words" to help him find the needed terms to 'warn' his little sister about the 'danger' of admitting that lecherous Earth-boy; he began to read Sugoi the Riot Act, regarding how she was 'Not' to -under any circumstances- open her door to Megane. Sugoi didn't hesitate to defend Megane's honor and character, and pretty soon, she and Rei were exchanging opinions in typical brother-sister style.
From where he was hiding under the couch, Megane was able to hear every Word,..(he found Rei's threat to "-use him as 'live-bait' for Gaki-Sharks-" if he ever found Megane bothering Sugoi; as 'particularly' impressive) l!.. Then, peering out from under the spread; although he couldn't see much of Sugoi 'or' her brother (except for their feet)... Megane 'did' see something that made him feel as though Oyuki had just shown up in a 'bad' mood....!
Lying atop one of a pair of fluffy throw-rugs at Sugoi's feet.. was her computer-sketch pad, film-book!! -If Rei picked that up and started to go through it; even if Megane survived- his reputation would be ruined... he 'had' to get hold of it before Rei chanced to notice it-- but how?...
To simply reach out and grab it was not a consideration to give much thought to; although within arm's reach, Megane would have to reach out 'between' their feet... but- hmmmmmmm... there 'was' a way that would be 'less' noticeable-!
Cautiously--- Megane slowly slid his arm out.. underneath the throwrug that was lying closer to the couch .....
Neither Rei nor Sugoi even noticed the long 'bulge' silently, slowly burrowing out between them, under the rug at their feet..
"-MEGANE-SAMA IS GOOD, AND 'NOBLE', AND HONORABLE, BIG BROTHER; AND I WANT THE RIGHT TO DATE HIM-!!!"
"-NO !!!!!" (STOMP !! 'CRUNCH')!!
Rei and Sugoi were too busy glaring eyeball-to-eyeball; so as such, neither one saw the couch 'buck' like a horse stung by a bee, when Rei's foot came down on Megane's hand.
(Underneath the couch, Megane had barely had time to clap his hand over his mouth; and use all his self-control to keep from yelping-!..)
"-YOU .... WILL .... 'NOT' .... ALLOW .... THAT ....... RRRRRRRGGHH-! ... 'DIRTY-...MINDED' .... GROPING .... 'PERVERT' .... TO .... COME .... AROUND .... WHEN... I’M... NOT... HERE!... -I .... 'FORBID'..IT-!!..."
"No!No!No!No!No!No!No!!-" (Sugoi punctuated each refusal with a little stamp of her foot..) -!
(-While this was going on, neither Sugoi nor Rei noticed the surface of the couch pitching and jouncing like an ocean in an high storm-!! Each time She said 'No'; Sugoi had chanced to bring her heel down on the back of Megane's knuckles-!!! With a final desperate grab, Megane stuck his fingers out from under the opposite edge of the rug; and snagging the video-book... And quickly 'yanked' it back underneath the couch, before Rei and his sister even had a chance to see it).
About that time, Rei finished up with an argument that ran to the general effect of: '-I'm older than you---I've been to Earth before---I know more about these things ---I'm doing this for your own good---and-'I am your brother; you'll do as I say-!..'
"Bleeeeeah!" (-as her brother turned to leave, Sugoi got in the last word).
As the door shut and Sugoi pulled her tongue back in, she briefly turned her back to it, her arms folded in a huff; when she abruptly remembered that her Dearest Megane was still in the room! Frantically, Sugoi flung herself at the door to make sure and lock it, before turning back to "her beloved Megane." (-!!)
Struggling out from underneath the couch, Megane seemed to be fighting desperately to keep both hands pressed to his mouth (-although he couldn't keep from waving one or the other around now and again); before finally catching sight of a pillow on Sugoi's bed, on the other side of the room, and rushing over to grab it and frantically 'press' it to his face; just as he could no longer keep from-
"( ouch-! )" -! !
As Megane came up panting for air, Sugoi flung her arms around his neck with a sigh of contented delight: "Ohh- Megane!! Thank you for sparing my Big Brother!.. He really 'means' well; he just doesn't understand that our love was decreed by the Stars!..."
While Megane was looking up with an expression of weary resignation; -just then, there came a sharp rap on the door!... Curious, Sugoi had just started towards the door, when a familiar voice sternly came through it-
"SUGOI-!.."
"(gasp)! ..Y- Yes Big Brother?.."
"..You... Keep ..... Your.. Door .... 'Locked'.. Tonight!... You... Understand?!"
(Sugoi smiled cheerfully and nodded): "Yes, Big Brother!"
Outside, with a slight smile and nod of satisfaction, Rei departed down the hall; ...at least his little sister wouldn't be in danger of seeing that lecherous Earthling nuisance tonight! -Rei didn't 'want' to make her unhappy; but- thinking back, Rei still couldn't quit seeing the scene that'd happened a few hours earlier, just before sunset.
He'd just stepped out on the patio to get a breath of fresh air and look at the sunset...(: he'd had a couple of wishes in his mind, but he was having trouble deciding on 'which one' to wish for ....... 'Lum' .... or 'Lan'...)!! As he glanced around, he saw his little sister leaning on the railing;.. and 'then!-' Before he could even think of a word to say!! .... He- saw- that- loudmouth- Earth-scum-- Megane!--- Sneak-Out- -On-The-Balcony--- And- Suddenly- 'Grab' Sugoi-!!l And---And---And---And---(!)..
(If he'd only been a little faster, he'd have taught that groping sex-fiend a few lessons that he'd've remembered for a long time .... while the hospital was 'cloning' him a replacement-body! But... the Earthboy was too fast for him... And now, His Little Sister had gotten it into her childish imagination, that Megane was in Love with her-!! )
Back inside Sugoi's 'garden-view apartment'; Sugoi had turned around to resume the 'romantic heart-to-heart talk' that Megane had come down to visit her for; when she was surprised to find that Megane wasn't in sight-?! Sugoi made a quick check; under the bed?..no .... under the ouch? ..no .... in the closet?..no .... in the bathroom?..no .... At that moment, Sugoi paused with a Smile- of course... Megane had wanted to respect her request that he not hurt her Big Brother; so when Rei knocked on the door, he'd stepped out on the balcony, where Big Brother wouldn't see him, if he came in...! Just as Sugoi was about to step outside, she hesitated, for a moment- and then, with an impish little smile; stopped only long enough to reach into a drawer of her dresser, and then lean forward to look closely into the mirror..(Sugoi's guess of Megane's hiding-place was right on the money!-- Megane had 'flattened' himself up against the wall on the left side of the balcony, and was praying for dear life... (He 'had' planned to toss Sugoi's filmbook, computer sketch-pad over the side into the shrubbery below -where Rei couldn't find it right then- and claim to Sugoi that it'd been just an 'accident' ....... however, -he couldn't stop looking at the picture of him (in 'safari' style outfit), 'struggling' with Sugoi (dressed in a pair of hip-high, tigerstripe step-in's)!!! --(!)
As the door opened and he heard a soft voice call his name, Megane had just enough presence of mind to push the button to turn the screen 'off.' As Sugoi stepped out into the moonlight, smiling sweetly, the golden robe she'd thrown over her nightgown -lit from behind by the lights of her apartment, made it look like she was clad in a fairy-like robe, lit like a lantern. Stammering uncomfortably, Megane handed her the filmbook,..telling her that 'he hadn't had time to look at it, but he was afraid that her Big Brother might not like the pictures of him; -so he'd held onto it, in case Rei came in.'
As Sugoi stepped up to lean against him, hugging the book to her- uncomfortably Megane stumbled through a suggestion that: "-he didn't want to make any difficulty for her with her brother or parents...Maybe it'd be better if they talked some 'other' time?
Maybe some time when she came to visit Earth-!? ....in a few years or so..
Eyes sparkling, reflecting a thousand stars; Sugoi looked up into his eyes with a wistful and adoring gaze, and with a sigh of- "-Oh, Megane! ..You're so 'Wonderful'-!!"
Before Megane even realized what to 'expect'; Sugoi had thrown her arms around his neck; and pressed her lips to his in a long and affectionate 'kiss'...! ( -Whatever the calendar said; for Megane- it was 'New Years' (the 'fireworks' that Sugoi's kiss had him seeing, were the most spectacular since Luke Skywalker blew up the 'Death Star')-!
As Sugoi shyly slipped back inside her apartment with a bashfully reluctant, goodbye waive and smiling, whispered- "Goodnight... my Megane... my Love-!.."
Megane was left 'standing' there, in a state of total 'paralysis'-!! With a blank, vacant, sappy smile on his face; and a pair of kaleidoscopes for eyes... (Sugoi's kiss had almost done a total mind-wipe on Megane; he'd 'never' been kissed like 'that' before, by a girl ...... (for that matter, he'd never been kissed by a girl before-!!) -if one didn't count that accidental mix-up of 'mistaken identity' earlier that evening!.. But he hadn't been in his right mind then)...
While Megane was off in 'Neverland'; in a 'fragment' of his mind, a portion of his identity seemed to 'split away' from him, like a phantom double;.. trying to 'wake' Megane back up to his sworn purpose and loyaly in life...! After the spectral 'mind-clone' tries to waive a hand in front of Megane's unblinking gaze; it proceeded to go on to more 'intense' efforts: .... slapping Megane's face .... shouting in his ear.... blowing a trombone in one ear and out the other.... waving a sign in front of Megane's face, reading: 'LUM-CHAN!' -and 'THINK OF MISS LUM!' .... In one part, holding up an 8 X 10" smiling picture of Lum... As Megane takes it, and gazes at it with an absent-minded smile; -the smiling picture 'morphs' into one of Sugoi's face-!!
(Megane-2/phantom mind-clone): "-Miss Lum!!! Remember your goal!! ...Miss Lum-!"
(Megane, still smiling): " ...... sugoi ....... !-" [*: 'wonderful']
(Megane-2, shouting in his ear): "MISS-LUM!..."
Abruptly, Megane 'comes out of the clouds' with a startled 'blink' of startled awakening-: "!!- ah.... Right-! ....Like I said....... Miss Lum!.... Miss Lum i-is s-sugoi! ....Miss Lum is wonderful .... !!"
Megane's alter-ego/double 'nods' sternly in agreement; and then, as Megane nods in reply, steps back 'into' Megane; fading into him.. Shaking his head, Megane told himself with brusque exasperation, that Rei's little sister 'was' a sweet little thing... And he certainly had no wish to hurt her,... however-! He had not held onto his adored goal of winning the beautiful Miss Lum, to be distracted and entangled by the misperceptions of a case of childish "puppy-love!" --He didn't want to be 'cruel' about it ..... but tomorrow-? He'd set things straight with Sugoi... she'd be happy knowing that he wouldn't be keeping her from finding whatever boy could 'truly' make her happy!..
(Still- ...it was the first time any girl had ever given him the feeling that she really 'wanted' him ........... ! Aaah- nonsense! She was only a 'kid'-- he had higher standards. -He had the Maturity of a loftier frame of intellect!! ..Lesser mortals might be tempted -or even 'dazzled'- by the juvenile charms of some naive schoolgirl; -but he wasn't the type to fall for the sensual innocence of any passing, immature jailbait)!
Just as Megane turned with stern resolve, to take hold of some of the rose-vines.. (when he looked 'up' the expression of dismay at the prospect of climbing back all-the-way-'up' was almost too discouraging for him to begin to consider)! -Just then, he heard a musically soft, faint whisper of his name.. And looking over to the glass-door?
Saw a pair of 'huge', soft, dark twinkling eyes peeking out from behind the curtains; and a tiny pair of fingertips waving 'goodbye.'
[ -SUDDEN 'HEROIC' TRUMPET-FANFARE FROM THEME OF 'THE LAST STARFIGHTER'; -THEN AFTER A TIME SEGUING INTO THE SIMILAR 'HERO' THEME OF "DEN" -FROM THE HEAVY METAL MOVIE;.. BEFORE SEGUING BACK AGAIN.. -AS WITH A BOLD WAVE AND RECKLESS SMILE; MEGANE CHEERFULLY BEGINS TO GO SWARMING UP THE ROSE-VINES LIKE SOME CHARACTER OUT OF A 'PIRATE' OR "PRINCE VALIANT" MOVIE-!!..]
(-!!)
.... It's a long climb. Some of it will 'wear off.'
As the light went out behind Sugoi's window,.. some distance away, some other lights could be seen in the darkness.. lights 'blinking' in red, green, and white.
The "running lights" on Benten's airbike!
Benten had flown off a bit earlier to get some things from her UFO-home (parked on the campus of the ET-high school that she attended when she wasn't visiting Lum on Earth]. Now, as the teenage, ET-"biker princess" drew closer to the Seq-Mansion, she was surprised to notice a figure seemingly crawling up the side of the wall on the 'Guest-Wing'..?! As she zoomed in for a closer look, she saw -to her amusement- that it was that aho Megane! (Benten had been 'mildly' amused to hear Rei's little sister going on about how Megane had 'grabbed' her a few hours before--- Benten always thought he wanted t' get his hands on Lum! (-Amusement became hilarity when Rei came chasing Megane through the front room like the Charge of the Light Brigade) !!
Swooping down, Benten set her bike on 'hover'and, leaning on the handlebars, propping her cheek on one fist; tauntingly quipped: "-'Scuise me for asking, but is there something wrong with the elevators; -or d' you 'enjoy' playing King Kong at this hour?!"
Startled, Megane glanced up: "Benten-?!"
Benten flicked one hand in an ironic waive: "Yo, 'stud'-!.. Out for some fresh air-?'
Trying to keep from showing irritation, Megane glanced away- "This isn't my idea!! Rei showed up on the floor where I was staying and I had to run for my life!..."
Benten was surprised. "Are you still chasin' his little sister?l! -An' here I thought you were always after Lum!... You planning t' start a 'collection'-?!"
"-Don't Be Crude!! ..I am devoted to Miss Lum! -And her only!!"
"Yeah. sure...That's why you grabbed Sugoi and gave her that 'Kiss' that- (?!)Say-Y'know?.. You must be quite a kisser, th' way she was going on so!!- The way she was describing it to us; you had her seeing stars!..."
"-THAT WAS ONLY AN 'ACCIDENT'l!!"
Benten grinned. "Yeah.. sure...sure .... that's what they all say... So, anyway- what're y' doing all th' way down 'here'?! The floor you boys are stayin' on, is twenty floors that way-! .... " (Benten pointed 'up')!
(Privately, to himself, Megane had come to the same conclusion about ten floors earlier; -when he came out of that silly 'daydream' of fantasy / invincibility / grandeur"
(Alright! So her kiss made him a little light-headed...it was only an understandable lapse of concentration-- could happen to anybody).. When Megane saw how 'far' he still had to go; he asked himself- ("Why didn't he go 'inside'; and proceed the 'rest' of the way with a little bit more of both comfort and safety?") -At that moment, Megane had happened to be hanging onto the shrubbery, just above the arch to a little pocket-sized, castle-like, one-person parapet / archway,.. (and was just about to drop down onto it and go inside), when one person stepped out onto the miniature balcony, to get a breath of air and look out over the estate below.
Rei ---!
(Houston? We have lift-off!...)
Rei never even realized that Megane was 'there', within reach;.. (and the way Megane was climbing, it wasn't likely that he'd find out)!! Fear is a great incentive for self-preservation; and with the speed Megane was travelling at, somebody 'might've' been able to nail him with a shot; but they'd never catch him in a 'chase.'
It was just then- as Megane was reflecting on all that'd happened; that Benten's eyes suddenly 'Widened' in surprise. With the moonlit sky overhead, there was 'plenty' of light enough to see by -even without the surrounding lights of the city- and as she leaned a bit closer, her lips parted in a smile; as she suddenly 'saw' something- and... reaching out with one fingertip- before Megane even noticed it- Megane was suddenly roused from his thoughts as Benten abruptly drew her fingertip across his lips, and then raised her finger to her face for a closer view;.. before looking up at Megane with a roguish and 'knowing', mocking smile...
"!... Nice lipstick you're wearin'-! .... But I really don't think this color suits you.."
"Lipstick?-" Puzzled and blank-eyed, Megane reached up curiously, to wipe his mouth across the back of his hand .... -And as he looked down in 'dawning horror' at the long, red stripe across the back of his hand; Benten grinned in amusement at the long 'smear' stretching across his face from mouth to right cheek! (Megane exploded)!-
"SUGOI-!!! 0hhhhhh- Oh fer- !!...'This' must've been after her brother left-! She must've put this on just before she came out of her bedroom! ..... Of all the- (!)..."
As Megane suddenly glanced up wide-eyed; he saw Benten's mouth drop 'wide open'; as the K'unn L'unn-girl first looked down (-in the direction he'd been 'climbing' from)... and then, (as she looked again at Megane, her eyes 'narrowed' and her lips curved sardonically in a breathless 'leer' of 'scandalized' glee)...
"-OH GET THAT LOOK OFF YOUR FACE!!! WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING AT ALL LIKE 'THAT'-!!! ...When Her Brother Came In Upstairs, I Hid Out, Outside;..In The Shrubbery!... The Vines Pulled Loose; -An' When I Came To A Stop,..It'd Dropped Me Just Outside Her Apartment-!! ..... I- I didn't even know it was 'her' room inside..."
Benten's expression had become one of smug delight (a couple of little locks of hair above her temples, had even momentarily taken on an 'upward' curve, giving them a resemblance to a small pair of imp-like 'horns' -as she replied with coyly skeptical 'agreement-!')
"Oh- sure .... !"
"-IT'S THE TRUTH!!! ..I never 'touched' her-!!"
Benten grinned wryly: "..Kissing by teleportation?!! .... Nice idea...very hygenic."
"Oh- of All the-*&&%$##@+?!!.."
While Benten enjoyed a 'good laugh', she proceeded to give Megane a 'lift' back up to his window onboard her airbike! (Megane used the time to try and remove every 'trace' of Sugoi's lipstick from his face, with a handkerchief...( -he missed a few spots).
Back above, outside the boy's apartment-suite, the boys were about ready to organize a searching-party;.. they hadn't found any trace of Megane (-and some were beginning to wonder if he'd decided to take 'the quick way out')-?!! Benten's arrival removed 'that' worry;-- although Megane's "explaination" would take several hours (despite his protests, there would be some parts that would be taken with a general consensus of disbelief)!..
As Benten came in for a landing, Ataru rushed out eagerly, with open arms, to 'greet' her (catching the forward drive-nacelle of her bike in his face).. and as Megane dismounted from the back seat; with a sly look, Benten winked and remarked in parting-
"Well- I'll be going back down t' join th' other girls... See ya' guys tomorrow!.. Oh- and .... I won't tell Rei about you goin' down t' visit his sister!..But you better be careful 'Lover-Boy'-!! ..It's considered t' be more good-mannered t' wait and have th' honeymoon after the wedding-! Hahahahahahahahahahahhaha-!!"
"..damnit! where's me a gun-?..."
* * * After her departure, Benten swooped down to enter the mansion-complex by a lower, automatic hangar-bay entrance on the 10th floor; --at first, Benten could hardly keep from 'running' to the suite where the girls were staying..(staying up all night; -to listen to music,..share gossip,..watch videos,.. and talk about what all had 'happened' that evening...)! --Benten could hardly wait! ..... (She said she wouldn't tell Rei; -she didn't say that she wouldn't tell anybody else)!! But then-- an idea occurred to her--- Sugoi's apartment was only a few halls away; on the same floor..
Back in her apartment, Sugoi hadn't been able to fall asleep, and'd finally turned on a reading-lamp to make a 'long' entry in her diary; all about Megane's visit-- when she was surprised by a firm but light knocking on the door. Pushing a button, -in response to her inquiry of: "who is it?..." She got a cheerful, feminine reply of-
"-It's me, Benten!.. Care t' open up for a second-?"
When Sugoi answered the door, she found Benten lounging in the doorway with a friendly, ironic smile.
"-Yo! Sugoi!.. I hope I didn't 'wake' y' up.. But us other girls were havin' a sort of 'slumber party' .... -An' I figured that -if you'd like? Maybe You'd care t' join us!... And you could tell us 'all about' what happened this evening... and maybe anything else, that might be of interest?!"
(Sugoi was overjoyed-!! Taking only a moment to pull on a houserobe, she was soon heading off down the hall with Benten; nattering cheerfully at a speed that was running one sentence right into another... )
“..AndI’mSoHappyMeganeIsSoWonderfulHeIsTheMostHandsomeBoyInTheWholeUniverseHeIs
SoKindAndGentleAndBraveAndConsiderateAndNobleAndUnderstandingDon’tYouThinkSo?IThink
So!!He'sSoStrong!!ButSoTenderAndWhenHeHoldsMelnHisArmsIFeelSoSafeAndProtected-...(!) (This 'wasn't' all of it).Benten smiled to herself; -she'd have no trouble at all in coaxing Sugoi to "tell all 'about' it..!" -She knew the other girls would keep it between them...!! -But she was eager to find out just how far they'd both gone?!... She now knew how far Sugoi would let that aho go!!! ('whatever he 'wished')! ..Now the only question was, -Did she let him go 'that' far This time!...?!
As the two teenage girls turned a corner, Sugoi was starting to slow down a bit, but still going on with blissfully undiminished enthusiasm...
"-I'm still so happy, I can hardly even 'talk' about it.. But my Megane-Sama is such a 'Wonderful' boy!... I---I just don't know how I can say enough to let you understand that..."
Benten grinned ironically. "Well- you just feel free to say whatever you wish... And Don't Leave 'Anything' Out-!!!.."
* * *
(TO BE CONTINUED-!!.. END OF PART I.) [ .I'd 'thought' I could do this whole story in 'One' Complete part; but it turned out that there was too many ideas that developed, to do so... However, this story will conclude with the 'Second' Part, in the next issue!.. The second half will finish up the story of how Megane first met Sugoi...
Anyway, I hope that everyone enjoys it;... This is the 'official' story of how Megane first comes to get a girlfriend! .... (and finds out that 'wanting' something; '-and 'getting' it; -are sometimes two different things)!! At 'this' point, Megane still thinks that this can all be treated as a "minor misunderstanding" --next issue, he'll learn the meaning of Oni-style 'fixation'...! One thing I just realized this week..
In the years to come-- both Sugoi and Megane will be textbook cases of the idea of 'denial'... Sugoi refuses to believe that Megane doesn't want her! .... And Megane refuses to believe he does!... He'll find out otherwise-- Sugoi never will! ]
- Fred Lee Cain