I'd like to thank Lerche, Orlean, and Zack for commenting

on the teaser for this chapter, which helped me finish

this much sooner than I had expected.  Also like to thank

David Johnston, Richard Beaubien, Michael Hopcroft, and

C. Casta�eda for commenting on previous chapters.



***



Project Kawaii: Scramble War!

(an original magical girl fic)

By Ammadeau

Roy.Fokker@UNSpacy.org

http://www.thekeep.org/~amm/



Episode 3:  The Slumber Party



***



     "Out!!" Junko yelled as she attempted to shut the door on 

her uncle.  It was bad enough Emi was in her room.  The city's own 

precious angel, currently dressed in a boy's school uniform, was 

sitting on Junko's bed as she pulled out her stuffed bunny from her 

bag.  This was made worse by the fact that Junko's self-declared 

best friend would be staying the night and there didn't seem to be 

anything the plain girl could do about it.  However, Kozo sitting in 

her room and gleefully filming the little blonde girl's every 

movement had been downright creepy.

     "Just a few more photos," Kozo begged pathetically while 

his head was being squeezed between door and doorframe.  "I can 

even come back after you're ready for bed."

     That did it.  Junko might not be able to transform with Emi 

around, but she knew something else that would work on her 

uncle.  "Emi, can you hand me my baseball bat?  It's under the 

bed."

     "Sure, Ju-chan!" Emi enthused.  She carefully setting 

Usagi-kun on a chair, the stuffed bunny appearing very relieved, so 

she could peek under the bed.  "Wow, you've got a lot of neat stuff 

under here!"

     Junko blushed faintly, only remembering now what she had 

also been keeping under there.  She didn't want them, but since 

they were gifts from her parents, she couldn't just get rid of them 

either.  The fact that her uncle seemed unwilling to get the hint, he 

kept trying to fit his camcorder lens through the doorway, only 

added to her increasing anger.  "Just hurry up with the bat 

already!"

     "Right!" Emi agreed, picking the bat up in both hands.  She 

studied it intently for a few moments, before frowning in disdain 

and handing it over to her new best friend.  Baseball bats were 

definitely not kawaii.  Why couldn't it be a cute cheerleading baton 

or a nice gymnastics ribbon?

     *Finally,* Junko thought with a small sigh when she felt 

the comforting weight of solid aluminum firmly in her right hand.  

About four years ago, the boys of her neighborhood had played 

baseball.  Junko wanted to play too, but they considered girls too 

fragile for a man's sport.  They changed their minds when she 

brought her own bat, especially after using it on them a few times.  

The bat had become a good luck charm for Junko, not to mention 

handy for getting rid of unwanted guests.

     "Night, uncle!" she told him with a cheerful smile before 

smacking him on the forehead, causing him to stagger out the door.  

Junko quickly slammed the door closed, locked it, then made sure 

to secure the windows and tug down the shades.  Fanboyism, she 

had just discovered, was a very scary thing.

     "Your uncle is silly," Emi said with a small giggle as she 

once again secured a firm hold of Usagi-kun, something that the 

stuffed rabbit didn't look at all pleased about.  Junko wasn't exactly 

thrilled to have the little bundle of cuteness squirming on her bed 

herself.  However, even she wasn't cold-hearted enough to turn 

Emi away when she had no other place to go.

     "You got that right," Junko agreed with a small sarcastic 

smile, sitting down heavily some distance from her 'friend.'  

Having rid herself of one unwanted guest, now she only had to 

deal with the remaining one.  "Well, it's been a long day for both of 

us.  Why don't we go right to sleep?"

     "We can't go to sleep yet, Ju-chan!" Emi stated firmly as 

she stood tall and proud on Junko's bed, still dressed in her boy's 

uniform and pink frilly socks.  "This is going to be the best 

slumber party in the history of the world!"

     "Hurrah," Junko cheered in a deadpan tone.  She actually 

didn't feel tired, despite all the things that had happened to her 

recently.  The fight with the giant robot had gotten her adrenaline 

pumping, eagerly looking forward to the next time she could use 

her new powers.  However, sleeping now would mean less time 

with Emi.  She was sure this whole thing with the girl's parents 

was all a misunderstanding and would be cleared up by morning 

anyway.

     "Yay!" Emi agreed, taking Junko's utterance as enthusiasm.  

Her friend really was subtle about her emotions, just like Atsuko.  

Emi bounced up and down a few more times on the bed before 

executing a perfect back flip to land lightly on her feet, posing with 

her arms outstretched.  "Tada!"

     "Yippie," Junko said in the same tone as before.  Emi's 

hyper energy was starting to make her feel tired after all.

     "Don't worry if you're not prepared.  I've brought a whole 

bunch of fun things with me!" Emi exclaimed all smiles as she 

seemed unable to keep still.  "But first, it's not a real slumber party 

until we change into our pajamas!"

     Junko had to admit that her hyperactive 'best friend' had a 

point.  Things would be uncomfortable enough without trying to 

sleep in her regular clothes.  Still, she couldn't go to the bathroom 

to get changed with her uncle still probably lurking about.  Maybe 

there'd be enough room in the closet...  "Wh... What are you doing, 

Emi?!"

     Emi looked up from unbuttoning her shirt in confusion.  

She had already laid out her pajamas on the bed next to her.  It 

should have been very obvious what she was doing.  "I'm getting 

changed of course, Ju-chan!" she said with a smile before returning 

to her buttons.

     "But... but...," Junko stuttered with growing 

embarrassment, before finally turning her back on the girl and 

facing the wall.  She had always been a very private person who 

didn't even like her mom watching her get changed, once she could 

manage it herself.  She couldn't really understand the mentality of 

a person who could get dressed in front of an almost stranger.

     "Hurry up and get changed, Ju-chan!" Emi told her 

cheerfully as she flipped back onto the bed to stand before Junko, 

now dressed in oversized pink pajamas with a carrot motif.  "Then 

we can have some real fun!"

     "Real fun, right," Junko half-heartedly agreed as she went 

to her dresser and took out her pajamas.  Looking around the room 

for a safe place to change, she found it impossible to ignore Emi 

just sitting there and grinning back at her.  Junko began to wonder 

if this was some sort of plot to make her suffer for being Hime 

Star-chan.  Her magical alter ego had taken some of the spoiled 

rich girl's glory away from her after all.  Emi could be much more 

devious than she appeared.

     Junko quickly ducked into her closet, slamming the door 

shut behind her.  Then she tried to get changed, only to realize it 

was too dark to see her clothes.  She knew there was cord to turn 

on the light, if she could only find it.  She had to hurry before her 

unwanted guest intruded.  "Argh, where is it?!"

     "Is this what you're looking for, Ju-chan?" asked a familiar 

voice as the light went on with a small click.  Junko blinked in 

surprise to see Emi sitting on a packing box across from her.

     "What are you doing in here?!" Junko shouted, also 

wondering how in the world the blonde girl had managed to sneak 

in without her noticing.  The closet was barely large enough to fit 

the two of them.

     "Aren't we playing hide and seek?" Emi asked with a 

puzzled look in her wide blue eyes.

     Junko started to say no, but then stopped herself and 

chuckled instead.  "Yes, that's exactly what we're playing.  You 

found me so now it's your turn to hide."

     "Wai!" Emi enthused as she bounced to her feet.  "You 

come up with the best games, Ju-chan.  I already thought of a 

really good place to hide too!"

     Junko sighed in relief once the other girl was gone.  Even if 

the rest of the night was a disaster, at least she could change in 

peace.  She also noted that however Emi had appeared in the 

closet, she had left via the sliding door like a normal person.  It 

probably had something to do with that vanishing guy who always 

served them lunch.  Some kind of magic, perhaps.

     Junko had managed to get her shirt mostly off before Emi 

quickly opened the door and poked her head back inside.  "Ju-

chan, where did you get than neato armband you're wearing?"

     "... It was a gift from my grandmother.  It's an important 

family heirloom so I never take it off," Junko managed to reply 

around her shock.  Didn't this girl have any notion of privacy?

     Emi nodded in smiling comprehension before closing the 

door again.  Junko had just started putting on her pajama top when 

the door opened once more and Emi asked, "Does that mean you 

even wear it in the bathtub?"

     Junko could actually feel the vein that was popping out of 

her forehead over the headache she was developing.  "Yes, even in 

the bathroom.  I wear it everywhere," she replied through clenched 

teeth.  "Now is that the last thing you have to ask me?"

     Emi put her finger to her lips in thought for a few moments 

before nodding vigorously and saying, "Yep, that was it!  I'll go 

hide now."

     "Yeah, you do that," Junko told her as the closet door was 

shut by Emi, for hopefully the final time.  The plain girl waited a 

few moments, however, before sighing and then finished changing 

as quickly as she could.  Emi had said she was going to hide now, 

but Junko wasn't about to take any chances.

     Steeling her courage, Junko slid open the closet door and 

stepped back into her room.  Emi was nowhere in sight.  Junko 

knew her forced-friend was supposed to be hiding, but there really 

wasn't any place to hide in her room outside the closet.  Even 

under the bed should have been too narrow, but she checked 

anyway.  No sign of pink pajamas.  Where could she be?

     "You got any idea where she is?" Junko asked Usagi-kun, 

who was sitting in her chair.  The stuffed rabbit stared back at her 

as if to say 'you talking to me?'  Junko groaned, head in her hand, 

when she realized she talking to an inanimate object.  Emi must be 

effecting her worse than she thought.

     *Where can she be though?* Junko thought in confusion as 

she sat down on her bed, only to spring up and pull back the sheets.  

No sign of Emi there either.

     *Could she had left the room?*  Junko was sure she would 

have heard some commotion from her uncle if Emi had actually 

ventured into his territory.  Besides, the door was still locked.

     Then Junko shrugged.  Now that things were peaceful, why 

was she fighting it?  She should just relax in Emi-free quiet until 

the girl got sick of the game and came out on her own.  Might as 

well tidy up her room while she waited, though.  Because of Emi's 

sudden appearance, Junko had only put half of her clothes away 

from her last load of laundry.  She insisted on washing her own 

clothes while living with the hentai, half worried that he'd decide 

to add something of hers to his little collection.

     Junko pulled open the drawer to put a shirt away, only to be 

knocked to the floor when something leapt out of her drawer like a 

cat, scattering her shirts all over the room.  When the chaos had 

settled, Junko looked up to see Emi grinning triumphantly back at 

her.  "Surprise!  I win again!"

     Junko had a feeling that this was going to be the longest 

night of her life.



     *This is so embarrassing!* Yoji thought as he skipped 

down the streets of the city with Emi-san smile #21 plastered to his 

face.  It was the smile that went best with the blue dress, blue 

contacts, and blonde wig he was wearing.  Even if this was the 

worst moment of his life, he was at least going to be professional 

about it.  He'd imitate Emi as best as he possibly could.

     The problem was he was just a bit too good at pretending to 

be the girl he had sworn his life to protect.  Well, actually his 

mother had sworn for him, being a few months old at the time of 

Emi's birth, but he had reaffirmed that commitment several times 

since.  He frowned mentally; it wasn't very ninja-like to 

purposefully distract himself with idle thoughts.

     "Hello, Emi-chan!" said an old man on a bench who waved 

as 'she' passed by.

     "Hello, mister!" Yoji replied in Emi's voice and her smile 

#35, used for greeting the elderly.  Lingering for the minimum 

time to avoid appearing impolite, Yoji skipped along once again.

     Yoji hated this.  He really, really hated it; even more than 

his older sister's teasing.  He was a man, just like his father and 

grandfather before him, and real men didn't get mistaken for 

women.  He understood that a variety of disguises, both male and 

female, were part of the traditional ninja arsenal, but he didn't have 

to like it.

     Then again, this was for Emi-san.  He had been there to 

serve her slightest whim ever since he could crawl, but she rarely 

asked him for anything.  Instead, Emi-san relied on his older sister 

Atsuko, who everyone knew only served out of duty.  She didn't 

actually care what happened to Emi-san, whether she were happy 

or sad, not that there had been much... well, any of the latter until 

today.

     It had only been two years ago since Emi-san had given 

Yoji his first real task.  She instructed him to film all her public 

moments for her to review at the end of the day.  This he had done 

so diligently, risking death to get the best camera angles... perhaps 

not death, he thought, but at least major... minor injury.  He had 

only made copies in order to know how to serve her better, but all 

those hours of intense study were paying off in a way he had never 

anticipated.

     "Oh, my.  You're looking very cute today, Emi-chan," said 

a young woman with a grocery bag in her arms.

     "Thank you, pretty lady!"  Yoji answered with smile #8, 

which included a few giggles.

     *I'm doing this for Emi-san!* Yoji thought vigorously for 

the tenth time.  *But the next guy who gushes over how cute I am 

is getting a fat lip!*

     Unknown to Yoji, mainly because he had far too many 

things on his mind already, his mother and father were stealthily 

following him as he wandered aimlessly through the city.

     "I'm so proud," Tamiko whispered, wiping away a tear.

     "Yes, our son has finally become a man," her husband 

agreed at an even lower whisper.  "If I didn't know it was Yoji, I 

would swear we were still watching over Emi.  He is a true ninja."

     "Nor can I tell the difference," Tamiko agreed.  "We should 

have him dress like this more often... to confuse potential 

kidnapers and other hostile forces, of course."

     The male ninja raised one eyebrow at his wife's nervous 

laughter, but being a dutiful husband, said nothing.



     *At least she helped clean up the mess she made,* Junko 

thought as she stared at Emi, who was currently rummaging 

around in her bag.  The unwelcome guest had even done a better 

job of folding Junko's shirts than she herself had, much to the plain 

girl's disgust.  Was there anything that this sickeningly cute girl 

couldn't do?  *At least she can't turn into a magical girl,* she 

thought with some satisfaction.

     "The next thing a slumber party needs," Emi started to say 

while she continued to dig around in her bag, "is for everyone to 

relax and be comfortable.  And for that we need... candy!"

     Junko blinked as Emi dropped a huge bag of assorted 

sweets in her lap.  "So we just going to sit here and pig out?" Junko 

asked as she stared at the various brightly colored wrappers.  She 

had decided the night would go a lot easier if she just let Emi had 

her way and follow along with her slumber party plans.  Resistance 

only delayed the inevitable.

     Emi giggled cutely as she secured Usagi-kun in an iron hug 

and sat down next to her friend.  "Of course not, Ju-chan!  That'd 

be so boring.  We eat candy while watching anime.  Then we'll be 

ready for some fun games!"

     Junko suddenly wondered what sort of games Emi had in 

mind and shuddered, thinking of all the cute little games she had 

watched other girls play.  If Emi tried dressing her up like a doll, 

her 'best friend' would spend the night in the closet.

     "And since I brought the candy," Emi continued, "you have 

to provide the anime!"

     "Well, it so happens I have a very wide selection," Junko 

bragged.  All of her allowance that wasn't spent on video games 

went towards acquiring anime.  She was proud of her collection 

because it had been obtained on such a small budget, buying 

mostly used VHS tapes and haggling to the last yen whenever 

possible.

     "Sugoi!" Emi exclaimed in awe.  "Do you have Ruby 

Princess?  Or Naka-chan, Badger Girl?"

     "Umm, no," Junko admitted, having never even heard of 

those titles before.  They were probably all shojo anime, which she 

had no interest in, despite her parents' best efforts.

     "Oh," Emi said in surprise.  "Well, just pick something you 

want to watch, Ju-chan.  I'm sure it'll be good!"

     Having already popped a random sweet in her mouth, 

Junko set the bag of candy on the bed and walked over to the 

bookcase where she was keeping her extensive anime collection. 

Eventually, she decided on a martial arts anime.  Hopefully, it 

would give her some ideas for cool moves that her magical girl 

alter ego could try.

     Her uncle Kozo had bought her a TV/VCR combo to 

appease her wrath after the armband incident.  It wasn't nearly as 

nice as the big screen TV downstairs, but she wasn't about to leave 

her room with Emi's most obsessed fan in the house.

     Junko laid down on her bed as the video started up.  Emi 

bounced over to the light switch, turned off the lights, and bounced 

back to lay down on the bed herself, with the bag of candy between 

them.  Usagi-kun attempted to hold the bag upright, but it was 

difficult with his puny stuffed arms, so he instead supported it with 

his plump tummy.

     The anime opened with a severed arm flying towards the 

screen.  This was the same fight that had been going on for the past 

six episodes, but Junko always skipped to the end where the fight 

really started to get interesting.  She knew the other five episodes 

had only been a warm up.

     "Ouch, that looked like that hurt," Emi commented around 

a chocolate-covered cherry.

     "Just watch, he'll laugh and grow another one," Junko told 

her, though was a bit disappointed by the girl's lack of reaction.  

She had expected squeals of fright, not casual commentary.  

Maybe she should have gone with the gorier OAVs, but Junko had 

watched all those already.

     The villain in the anime merely laughed, and with an 

expression of extreme concentration, or constipation, grew a new 

arm from his stump.  The hero was caught completely by surprise 

as the restored arm grabbed him by the throat and slammed him 

into a convenient stone wall.

     "Wow, you were right, Ju-chan!" Emi exclaimed, pausing 

in mid-reach for more candy.

     Junko shrugged.  She hadn't actually seen this episode 

before, but they were all pretty predictable.  She didn't watch them 

for a complex plot though.

     The anime fight continued; energy blasts, body parts, and 

corny speeches filling the air.  Junko usually reveled in this, but 

just couldn't seem to be drawn into it tonight, not with Emi laying 

next to her.  The bag of candy, however, was a welcome addition 

to her usual viewing session.  She gathered a small pile of brightly-

colored wrappers from the candies she had consumed.

     "Ju-chan, why are the characters so ugly?" Emi asked after 

a full five minutes of silence.

     Junko shrugged again.  She never really cared what the 

characters look like in anime.  To her, it was more important how 

they acted.  "Don't know.  This is all based on a manga so I guess 

they wanted to be true to the original designs."

     "Hmm," Emi said, a look of intense thought on her face as 

she nosily sucked on a hard candy.  "But its so boring without any 

cute characters.  Can we watch one of the videos under your bed 

instead?  Please?  Please?"

     "I guess," Junko reluctantly agreed as she blindly reached 

under her bed for a more cute video.  Though she had given up on 

being cute long ago, Junko's parents had not, and kept buying her 

cute little things whenever possible.  These things had become 

Junko's burden, her secret shame, even though she only kept them 

because they were gifts from her parents.

     The plot of the new anime was quickly explained by super 

deformed animals.  A nauseatingly cute magical princess had to 

save her world from a mad doctor who was turning all of the cute 

and fuzzy animals evil.  An evil rival princess, along with various 

human and animal sidekicks, rounded out the cast.  It was 

supposed to be loosely based on an old Chinese myth, which made 

Junko wonder where magical princesses fit into ancient 

mythology.

     Emi, of course, quite obviously loved it.  She cheered for 

the heroine and booed the villains.  She seemed to reserve a special 

hatred towards the evil princess, frowning whenever the girl tried 

one of her schemes, and laughing when said schemes blew up in 

her face.  Junko pitied the mad doctor who had to put up with these 

kids always interfering in his plans.  It was clear from the 

beginning that he'd never catch a break.

     The fights were surprisingly violent for such a sugary sweet 

show and Junko became interested despite herself.  She kept 

wanting the evil animals to win just once, even though she knew in 

anime like this it never happened.

     "Ju-chan," Emi said so softly and without her usual 

cheerfulness that it immediately grabbed Junko's attention.  The 

other girl had been quiet for nearly a whole episode now and the 

plain girl had begun hoping she was falling asleep.

     "Yeah?" Junko asked cautiously.  It had just become clear 

to her that the reason the evil princess fought the good princess all 

the time was because she had a crush on her, and was a bit 

paranoid that Emi was about to admit something similar.

     "What are your parents like?" Emi asked, her eyes still 

glued to the TV, though she didn't seem to be paying it much 

attention anymore.

     "My parents?" Junko echoed, surprised by the question.  

"My parents are pretty normal.  Dad worked for some company 

doing something, mom stayed home and took care of our 

apartment.  Some weekends we'd go to the park or see a movie.  

Occasionally, we'd spend week-long holidays someplace nice.  

Average family stuff."

     Junko decided to leave out the part about her father being a 

space alien from a distant planet, which she had a hard time 

believing herself, even with the armband.  That was one family 

secret she had no problem keeping.  She didn�t know which would 

be worse, to be considered a loony or a half-alien.

     "That sounds nice," Emi said with a smile, which vanished 

from her lips as she asked, "Do you think your parents were happy 

with you?  Do you think they ever regretted that you were born?"

     Junko mentally urked, berating herself for not seeing where 

this was heading sooner.  The plain girl always felt vaguely 

uncomfortable around depressed people.  She believed that there 

was something she could do to make them feel better, but could 

never figure out what that something was.  She'd rather deal with 

the perky Emi than a depressed one any day.

     "That's sort of a hard question to answer.  I mean, when 

someone says they love you or they hate you that might not be how 

they really feel.  In a situation like that, you have to go with your 

instincts.  I think that all the times my parents said they loved me, 

they were being honest though.  Still, they would have been even 

happier if I was a girl more like you, Emi."

     Emi blinked several times in surprise as she turned to look 

at her new friend.  "Like me?  But why?"

     Junko looked away from her with a small smile of 

amusement on her lips.  "My mom and dad were both good 

looking, so everyone expected me to really cute.  Didn't turn out 

that way though.  They still keep trying to at least get me to act 

cute, but I don't believe in fighting a losing battle."

     "I'm not very cute," Emi said as she sat up on the bed and 

held Usagi-kun close to her.  "Not like that magical girl Hime Star-

chan."

     Junko flinched at the sudden stab of guilt.  Emi was a 

spoiled girl who everyone had heaped praises on, probably ever 

since the moment she was born.  Junko should have felt a smug 

satisfaction that her alter ego seemed to have usurped the title of 

cutest girl in the city, even though she didn't want it.  Instead, there 

was only guilt.

     "I don't think this 'Hime Star-chan' person is all that cute," 

Junko told Emi.  "Being an extremely powerful and cool magical 

girl, naturally she's caught the public interest for now.  I'm sure 

when people get used to her, though, they'll only talk about her 

heroic feats and not how cute she is."

     Emi only sat there staring back at her friend, an expression 

of careful consideration on her small face.  After a few minutes, 

she smiled her carefree smile again, moments before lunging at 

Junko with a power hug that sent them both off the bed.  "That's it, 

Ju-chan!  Thank you!  You're really a true friend!"

     "Please get off of me," Junko croaked out, too faint for Emi 

to hear.



     "WHAAATT?!!"  The combined shout of Emi's parents 

was enough to shatter the window of their study and knock most of 

the books from their shelves.  Ichiro was glad he had taken the 

precaution of donning earplugs before imparting his news.

     "Due to... certain events earlier in the day, Emi has run 

away from home,"  Ichiro repeated with a level of unshakable calm 

reserved for ancient ninja masters who have stared death in the 

face more often than they paid taxes.

     "What events are you speaking of, Ichiro?" Ryuji asked 

with a unusually-strained calm.  Strained partly because he was 

holding back his wife from ripping the ancient ninja's throat out 

with a letter opener, partly because he was tempted to try it 

himself, even though he knew he had no chance of harming this 

particular old man.

     Ichiro looked slightly embarrassed by this question, but it 

would have taken another ninja to notice.  "I believe it all started in 

Emi's encounter with a giant robot and a woman who called herself 

Lady Morgana.  As we interfere in Emi's life as least as possible, 

we allowed the conversation to escalate to the point she attempted 

to harm Emi with her robot."

     "She... what...?" Michiko asked in a deceptively calm 

voice.  Her hands were shaking so badly that she dropped the letter 

opener.  Then tears began to spill from her eyes as she threw 

herself into her husband's waiting arms.  "It's all my fault... I'm a 

terrible mother!"

     Ryuji did his best to comfort his distressed wife.  "There, 

there, dear.  There is no way you could have suspected this could 

happen... especially when Emi had a whole family of ninja to 

guard her!"

     Ichiro didn't have to be an ancient ninja master to know that 

last comment had been directed at him.  "I assure you that your 

daughter was never in any danger.  We were all ready to save her 

from harm when someone beat us to it.  I believe the press are 

calling her 'Hime Star-chan.'"

     "Yes, we saw her on the news," Michiko said, wiping away 

her tears.  "They're calling her an alien, but she has to be an 

android or something.  You saw what she did up close and have to 

admit that it was beyond human capacity."

     Ichiro nodded.  "A normal human unaided, yes.  However, 

there are things beyond physical and mental training that can allow 

a person to exceed human limitations.  I believe this Hime Star-

chan is in possession of such an object.  Because I did see her up 

close, I can tell you that whatever she is, she is no robot."

     "This magical girl or whatever isn't important right now," 

Ryuji insisted, "Why would our darling daughter run away from 

home when we've done everything in our power to make her 

happy?"  Michiko nodded fervently in agreement.

     Ichiro, kneeling on the floor before them, suddenly 

developed a more serious look.  "Your daughter has had but one 

goal in her life, to become the paragon of cute!  I have long 

observed her trials and experiments in this, going without food or 

sleep until she had perfected one small thing that would enhance 

her kawaiiness.  I have seen many things in my long life, but never 

before had I witnessed such single-minded dedication to one 

ideal!"

     "We are so proud," Michiko said with a tear in her eye, 

echoing the expression of her husband.

     "But!" Ichiro insisted loudly, grabbing their attention.  

"There are dangers in such single-mindedness.  This I have also 

seen in others... and even in myself.  I know full well the harm it 

can bring..."

     Michiko and Ryuji blinked in surprise as the old man just 

trailed off, looking down at the floor.  They glanced at each other, 

but it was clear neither had a clue what this was about.  Ryuji 

finally asked, "And this has to do with Emi how?"

     "Right," Ichiro said with a cough and continued.  "Because 

Emi has been so focused on her goal, she has never stopped to 

truly consider the reasons for what she does.  This shallowness of 

thought has left her vulnerable to doubt, doubt which arrived in the 

form of Hime Star-chan.

     "Hearing the people who once praised her now talking only 

of this magical girl, along with a woman angry enough to attempt 

to end her life, I believe Emi began to not only question if she truly 

was cute, but if becoming cute was still a worthy goal.  That was 

when the... incident occurred, here in this very study."

     "Here?" Michiko echoed, looking around herself in 

confusion. The window had already been repaired and the books 

returned to their shelves, but this was not the reason for her 

expression of surprise.  "My husband and I have been the only 

ones here, planning the repairs to the city nearly right after the 

robot was destroyed."

     "That is incorrect," Ichiro informed her calmly.  "Emi 

entered the study while the both of you were deep in conversation.  

She was careful not to let her presence known so it is no surprise 

you failed to realize this.  It was then that she overheard your 

conversation and... seemed to have misinterpreted your words."

     "What do you mean 'misinterpreted'?" Ryuji pressed.  "We 

talked about a lot of things today.  What did she overhear?"

     Ichiro looked slightly embarrassed once again, and felt 

angry for himself for acting so.  He couldn't help it.  To watch Emi 

suffer so yet do nothing, even preventing his own daughter from 

comforting the distraught girl.  He knew he had done the right 

thing, both as a ninja and for Emi's welfare, but that thought 

couldn't erase the image of the normally smiling girl with tears 

falling from her eyes.

     "You were discussing both Hime Star-chan and Dr. 

Yokozaki," the ninja master informed them.  "From only hearing a 

small part of your conversation, I think that Emi assumed you 

didn't love her, that in fact you barely tolerated her presence."

     Michiko and Ryuji could only stare back at the old man in 

open-mouthed shock, unable to conceive the possibility that what 

he was saying might be true.  When Emi had been born, they had 

both cried tears of happiness until their eyes had gone dry.  They 

had all slept in the same bed and taken all their baths together until 

Emi was five because they couldn't bare to be parted from their 

daughter.  They planned to conquer the world just for her.

     The girl they constantly worried about not loving enough 

thought they didn't love her at all.

     "Die!!" Michiko and Ryuji shouted in unison in grip of 

parental rage, fire burning in their eyes.  Ichiro, however, had 

taken the precaution of tying them up very tightly with stout rope, 

so their twin lunges were stopped short.

     "Pain can be a great source of strength," Ichiro lectured as 

his audience struggled feebly to escape their bonds.  He was glad 

he had explained all this to their bodyguards beforehand.  Not 

being young as he used to be, he wasn't up to fighting off a dozen 

assailants and expounding at the same time anymore.

     After a dramatic pause, he continued, "In Emi's case, she 

was able to come up with a clever plan despite the distress she was 

under.  Knowing that running away from home would be futile 

while still being watched by a family of ninja, she disguised herself 

as a boy and forced Yoji to dress up as her in order to throw us off 

her trail.  Using the skills I taught her, in fact.  I'm really quite 

proud."

     "Our sweet, precious daughter has run away from home, 

and you're proud?!"  Michiko raged at him with a glare that could 

make even the most hardened corporate exec run for cover.  The 

thick rope began to stretch under the power of her anger.

     "Oh, yes," Ichiro replied, his smile never wavering.  "I only 

taught her the very basics, but she managed to figure out a great 

deal on her own.  I think it's almost a pity she wasn't born into a 

ninja clan.  My daughter and her husband couldn't even tell the 

difference, from a distance that is."

     "Are you telling us that no one is watching her now?" Ryuji 

asked with slightly more control than his wife.  Not that he was 

any less furious; he just knew well how it was a waste of effort 

getting angry at this old man.  As a long-time friend of his father's, 

he had known the ninja master since he was a boy.  Still, he wished 

he hadn't laughed at those times the old man had tied up his father.

     Ichiro chuckled lightly as the rope finally snapped, freeing 

the distraught parents.  "I'm afraid your daughter still needs to 

work on her methods.  Her plan was much too obvious.  Atsuko 

has been watching over her the entire time and the rest of us can be 

on the scene in seconds if something arises which she can not 

handle herself.  Though I find that possibility highly unlikely."

     Michiko snapped her fingers.  Instantly, one of her female 

bodyguards was at her side, dressed in the corporate battle gear of 

a kevlar business dress and spiked heels.  "Prepare the helicopter.  

My husband and I shall be leaving immediately!  And also prepare 

the IMI Stadium for a welcome home party for our daughter."

     "Yes, madam," the woman in dark glasses nodded and 

vanished.

     "Right!" Ryuji agreed reverently.  "We've got to clear up 

this misunderstanding right away and show our precious Emi-chan 

how much we love her!"

     "I humbly suggest an alternative scenario," Ichiro told them 

with a small frown.  If asked, he would have calmly explained it 

was over the shameful display of emotion, but in reality it was his 

shame that he felt much the same way.

     He had always an emotional weakness when it had come to 

certain women.  First, his departed wife, then his own daughter, 

and now little Emi was able to piece the stone walls around his 

heart.  Perhaps he had never truly meant to be a ninja.

     "Hmph!  Why should be continue to listen to you after you 

let this misunderstanding occur in the first place?" Michiko asked 

disdainfully.  How could she forgive a man who let her precious 

daughter think that she hated her?

     "There, there, honey.  Let's at least listen to what he has to 

say," Ryuji said as he wrapped his arms around his wife.  To 

comfort her, and also to prevent her from straggling the old man, 

not that he wasn't tempted himself.  He knew, though, that Ichiro 

always had plenty of rope.

     After a moment of resistance, Michiko melted into her 

husband's strong embrace.  "What is this scheme of yours, old 

man?"

     "I only ask that you delay your apology to Emi until 

tomorrow," Ichiro told them.  "I do not doubt how much the both 

of you love your daughter, but there are some things that all the 

love in the world can not make up for.  Emi has been a very 

sheltered child and this small pain will help her to mature into a 

healthy woman.  Already I have seen the budding of a new 

maturity in her because of this.  Besides, haven't you noticed that 

she has no true friends her own age?"

     "What does she need friends for?  She has us!" Michiko 

insisted, with Ryuji nodding his head fervently in agreement.

     Ichiro slowly shook his head.  He knew as well as anyone 

how hard it was for a parent to let go of a child they had loved her 

whole life, but it was something that had to be done sooner or later.  

He had a feeling that when the time came, it would take someone 

with a lot more skill than he to make Michiko and Ryuji let go.  

Even the strength of someone like Hime Star-chan might not be 

enough.

     "Just this week, your daughter has finally made her first 

friend.  Her name is Junko and she is a very nice girl, coming from 

a good family.  I believe that Emi can learn a lot from her, if given 

the chance.  This is the person your daughter has run to in her time 

of need.  If you pull her away now, you ruin the chance of her 

making a true friend.  Are you so selfish that you would isolate 

Emi from the world just so you could keep her for yourselves?"

     Michiko and Ryuji stared into each other's eyes for some 

time, a wordless communication passing between them, until, with 

defeated expressions, they both slowly nodded.  "We will do as 

you suggest," Ryuji said finally.  "But if any ill comes of this, we 

will hold you personally responsible."

     "As you wish," Ichiro said with a bow and vanished.

     The room was silent for some moments as the parents of 

Emi sat in the darkening study. Michiko suddenly blinked and 

exclaimed, "Now we have time to plan out Emi-chan's welcome 

home party!"

     "Right, right!" Ryuji agreed with a smile as he got out a 

notepad and several pencils.

     Soon the couple were hard at work, with occasional nookie 

breaks.  The problem of Nayoko and her spree of destruction was 

shelved for now.  They had more important matters to attend to.



     "Game time!" Emi announced suddenly as she sprung up, 

and with several flips, shut the TV off and switched the lights back 

on.

     "Is she always like this?" Junko asked Usagi-kun as she sat 

up with her back against her bed.  Five minutes ago the girl had 

looked ready to cry.  Now she was bouncing around the room 

fueled on sunshine and happiness, even though it was dark out.

     The stuffed rabbit nodded seriously before tumbling from 

the top of the bed to land right on his head. Usagi-kun stared up at 

the ceiling with a resigned expression before Emi picked him up 

and snuggled close to him.

     "What kind of game?" Junko asked with faint curiosity.  

She preferred the more athletic or violent games, but could find fun 

in just about anything with a challenge to it.  If Junko had felt the 

need for false humility, she would have said she looked forward to 

it because Emi, despite her faults, would make a worthy adversary.  

In reality, Junko wanted to beat her soundly and prove she was 

better than the wonder girl at something.

     "Cards!" Emi answered as she pulled out a pink box from 

her bag.  "We can even bet candies.  Won't that be fun?"

     "Sure," Junko agreed as she cracked her knuckles.  Her 

father had been fond of card games and she had played against him 

at almost every opportunity.  Their matches had become extended 

trials of will, as carefully thought out as a championship chess 

tournament.  Recently, she had been able to match her father's 

skill, but she doubted that Emi would be nearly as good.

     Emi opened the box; removing three decks of cards, some 

dice, and a thin instruction manual.  The latter, along with one of 

the decks, went to Junko while Emi set up the cards for herself and 

Usagi-kun.

     "What is this?" Junko asked in confusion as she began 

thumbing through the manual.  It was called 'Princess Scramble' 

and the players all seemed to be attendants to various princesses. 

One had to use the cards in order to help her grow up into a proper 

queen.  One also had to sabotage the attempts of the other players 

to keep their charges from taking the throne first.  And Junko 

thought Uno had been a strange game.

     "Isn't it neat?" Emi enthused with a smile that quickly 

crumbled. "... my parents had it made for me."

     "Yeah, it looks like a lot of fun!" Junko quickly enthused 

with a nervous smile.  She didn't like to see anyone sad.  Besides, 

she wasn't sure if she could take another of Emi's full-strength 

hugs.  "Let's get started.  You can explain the game while we 

play."

     Emi nodded with a somewhat tentative smile and started to 

explain the various cards and their purposes while Junko carefully 

watched for other signs of depression.  Before she knew it, the 

game had begun.

     Emi was first and played confidently, concentrating on 

building up her princess's appearance and education.  Usagi-kun 

opted for defense, strengthening the palace guard and giving his 

princess fancy armor.  Because he had no actual fingers, Emi had 

to play the cards for him, though the girl promised to them both not 

to cheat.  Junko would have questioned the sanity of someone who 

thought their stuffed animal could talk, if it had been anyone else 

but Emi.

     As the host, Junko got to go last, which was actually the 

best place since she could plan based on the moves of the others.  

She decided to use the evil princess from the anime, sans the crush 

on her rival, as a model for her own.  She proceeded to build up the 

palace's offensive capabilities while warping the princess into a 

totalitarian dictator.  She was a bit surprised that a card game made 

for Emi allowed this.  Judging from the way the blonde girl usually 

acted, it should have been a game were everyone got along in 

peace and cuteness.  The game was overly cute, but it was anything 

but peaceful.

     *I would advise an alternate stratagem,* said a dry voice in 

Junko's head.  *You are new to this game and face two skilled 

opponents.  It would be wiser to follow a more conservative plan 

until you are familiar with all the nuances of play.*

     *I know what I'm doing,* Junko thought back to Akito, the 

AI, and probably only downside to her powerful armband.  She 

was surprised but thankful that it had been silent for some time.  

*Besides, I'm playing against one opponent with two different 

hands.  Her attention is split so it'll be easier for me to win.  I doubt 

I have much to fear from a stuffed animal.*

     *I wouldn't be so sure,* Akito thought with a touch of 

apprehension.  *I don't trust that... thing.  It has been staring at me 

with its beady eyes the entire night.*

     Junko had to resist the urge to laugh.  A computer program 

afraid of a stuffed toy?  Sometimes the world really made no sense.  

*Do you sense any sort of life readings or anything from it?*

     *Well, no,* Akito admitted.  *It is simply a mass of cloth 

and cotton, according to all my scans, but I still don't trust it.*

     *Whatever,* Junko thought and continued to play as she 

saw fit.  She wasn't about to take advice from something afraid of a 

stuffed bunny.

     Usagi-kun continued to stare at the armband hidden under 

Junko's sleeve, but said nothing.

     Candies were used in place of markers for prestige points, 

getting fifty of which was how one won the game.  Most attacks 

came in the form of challenges between princesses.  Here the 

players could actually bet their accumulated prestige points for a 

sweeter victory.  Since the outcome of these challenges was 

sometimes decided by cards not yet played, it was even possible to 

bluff one's way to success.

     Despite the cute motif which oozed from every card in its 

pictures, icons, and even the wording of the descriptions, Junko 

found herself completely enthralled as she struggled to make her 

petty dictatoress the queen of the world.  She avoided issuing 

challenges, especially against Emi's omni-skilled princess, instead 

opting for sneakier methods of attack, sending out evil minions to 

sabotage the attempts of others.

     Junko couldn't remember how many rounds they had 

played, she had lost all track of time, but it was clear that Emi was 

winning, despite the plain girl's efforts to ruin her princess.  It was 

like the anime they had just watched; all of her evil schemes were 

thwarted before they could really do some damage.  Even worse, 

Junko had spent so much effort on sabotaging Emi's princess that 

she hadn't really improved her own, and therefore had only a small 

pool of prestige points.  Usagi-kun continued to play a defensive 

game, building up his princess slowly while guarding against all 

forms of attack.

     Picking the next card from her deck, Junko almost let her 

poker face slip.  It was the fencing challenge card, the one skill she 

actually had built up on her princess.  The fencing skill of Emi's 

princess was only a little lower so it seemed like it would be left to 

the dice to decide the victor.  However, Junko also had a 'Deus 

Power' card, which would greatly increase her princess's fencing 

skill, making her almost unbeatable.  Impatiently, she waited for 

her turn to come again.

     Emi planted a rose hedge, which conveyed both a defense 

bonus and prestige for a nicer-looking palace.  Usagi-kun filled his 

moat with man-eating crocodiles.  Junko grinned as she threw 

down her fencing challenge card atop Emi's palace.

     "I challenge you to a duel!" Junko declared, thinking 

herself more the evil princess than her attendant.  Then she pushed 

her small pile of candies to the center, along with the five pieces 

the challenge was worth.  "And I shall wager all of my prestige on 

this match!"

     Emi smiled joyfully; her friend was really into the game 

now and that made it more fun for all of them.  She matched 

Junko's candy, picked up her die, and declared, "I accept your 

challenge!  Prepare to be defeated!"

     "No, victory will be mine!" Junko responded as she shook 

her own die in cupped hands.  She couldn't wait for the look on 

Emi's face when she threw down her trump card.

     Dice were rolled and relative points tarried, resulting in a 

tie.  Before Emi could declare this, however, Junko threw down 

her Deus Power card with a flourish.  "There!  According to this, 

my fencing skill is now four times normal.  Looks like I win."

     "Wow, you learned how to play really quick, Ju-chan!" 

Emi enthused.  "I wasn't expecting that at all."

     "Well, this game is pretty simple once you get used to it," 

Junko bragged as she reached for the pile of prestige points.

     "Its a good thing I kept this card in my hand just in case," 

Emi added a moment later, throwing down another card on top of 

Deus Power.

     Blinking in confusion, Junko picked up the card and 

scanned it quickly.  It was the Rose Bride card, complete with the 

picture of an elegant woman in a wedding dress emerging from a 

rose.  The card could be used to double a princess's fencing skill or 

halve the effect of Deus Power card.

     "This only halves the bonus, so I still win, right?" Junko 

asked, a strange feeling that the answer would be no.

     Instead of answering, however, Emi handed Junko her Rose 

Hedge card.  With a small groan, the plain girl read the note that 

addition to its other bonuses, it also doubled the effect of the Rose 

Bride card.  Despite all of her eager plotting, the result was still a 

tie.  Somehow, she couldn't feel bad about it though.

     "So what happens now?" Junko asked.  They had never had 

a tie in their challenges before.

     "We split the pool, with the extra going back into the main 

pool," Emi instructed, then turned to face Usagi-kun with a small 

frown.  "What?  You have a card you can play too?"

     The stuffed bunny nodded, falling flat on its face.  Emi 

picked up the card indicated by its nose and flipped it over.  Her 

eyes widened in surprise.  "I had forgotten all about this card."

     "What is it?" Junko asked with a sinking feeling.  She 

accepted the card from Emi and read it over.  A Surprise Raid card, 

which could only be used in the event of a tie.  While the deadlock 

was being debated, Usagi-kun's thieves had raided the challenge 

place and stolen all the prestige points.  This also brought Usagi-

kun's total points past fifty, which meant the bunny had won the 

game.

     "I should have warned you about Usagi-kun," Emi said 

apologetically while packing up the cards.  "He likes to be very 

sneaky when he plays.  I think he picked it up from those times we 

played with Ats-chan."

     *I told you about that rabbit,* Akito thought almost 

smugly.

     *Shut up,* Junko replied, feeling like she had just lost a 

debate with a ventriloquist's dummy.



     Nayoko sat in her darkened office in the once-abandoned 

factory, a smoldering cigarette crumpled in the ashtray as the only 

source of illumination.  She sat before her phone and stared at it, 

wondering what she should do.

     IMI's secret robot parts delivery truck, which operated 

under the concealing darkness of night, was now hours late.  She 

had a feeling it wasn't just caught in traffic; it wasn't coming.  That 

was when it occurred to her that her employers might be holding 

her partially responsible for her creation rampaging through the 

city, and had decided to cut her funding.

     Normally, Nayoko couldn't care less.  She'd just go back to 

raiding the junkyard for supplies like she had after they had fired 

her the first time.  Having had a taste of what the latest technology 

and nearly unlimited funding could do, however, Nayoko really 

didn't want to give it up.  With it, she could build things that she 

could only dream of before, inventions that pushed her incredible 

genius to its limits.

     The factory still received all the power it needed from the 

river, though Nayoko couldn't remember where the light switch 

was.  The beautifully shiny machinery still worked to perfection, 

but without materials they were just modern art.  She couldn't 

bring herself to salvage them for parts; it would be like a 

desecration of a church to her.

     Nayoko considered just telling her bosses the truth.  That 

some mysterious maniac had kidnapped her, stolen the robot, and 

smashed the city.  Either they'd think she was lying, insane, or 

careless enough to leave a city-wrecking automaton completely 

unprotected.  Nayoko had to admit it would have been better to 

actually lock the doors of the factory, but the robot should have 

only responded to her vocal commands.  Obviously, the thief had 

been clever enough to overcome that obstacle.

     The truth wasn't worth telling, but Nayoko couldn't think of 

a lie that wouldn't sound even worse.  No matter what she said, it 

would make her look incompetent to that prissy president.  People 

like that always annoyed Nayoko, but she was regretting her little 

paddle joke now.

     *I'll just think of something in the morning,* Nayoko 

thought before she slumped forward, unconscious.



     Since stuffed rabbits couldn't eat candy, Usagi-kun had 

generously split his winnings between Emi and Junko.  At least 

this was how his owner had interpreted a nose dive into the pile of 

sweets.  The two girls had decided to enjoy this gift while 

watching another episode of the cute princess anime.

     Emi covertly glanced at Junko, a small smile on her lips.  

She had imposed so much on her friend, but the other girl had 

treated her with nothing but kindness, welcoming her into her 

room and sharing her anime.  She had even come up with the fun 

hide and go seek game, even though she hadn't been very good at 

it.  The blonde girl felt so much better now.  Her earlier depression 

was almost completely forgotten.  She wished that there was some 

way she could repay her friend...

     "Why are you staring at me like that?" Junko asked 

nervously, noticing Emi's half-lidded gaze and lazy smile.

     Instead of replying, Emi continued to smile as she sat up 

and reached out to run her fingers through the plain girl's short 

black hair.  Her other hand gently tilted Junko's face until her 

profile was illuminated by the TV's glare.  Junko could feel the 

blonde girl's breath on her neck.

     "Wh... what do you think you're doing, Emi?!" Junko 

demanded as she backed away, forgetting she was already on the 

edge of the bed.  With a small whoop of surprise, she tumbled over 

to land on her backside.  That made three falls in one night and she 

had the oddest feeling that it wouldn't be the last.

     Looking down at her, Emi exclaimed with a wide smile, 

"It's makeover time!"

     "Makeover?" Junko repeated as she stood and rubbed her 

bruised posterior.  At the moment, she was thinking how stupid it 

was that her powerful armband couldn't provide her just a bit of 

protection when she wasn't transformed.  There was probably a 

good reason for it, but she didn't want to listen to Akito drone on 

about it, so she was careful to keep that thought to herself.

     Emi nodded, picked up Junko, somersaulted into the air, 

and set her friend in the chair in front of her dresser before the 

other girl could blink.  "Yep!  I'll do your hair and nails, then you 

can do mine!  Just sit tight and I'll get the stuff from my bag."

     *Is she going to turn me into another one of her?* Junko 

thought with growing horror.  Then she shook her head.  She and 

Emi looked nothing alike.  The ultra-cute girl had a better chance 

of turning a boy into a vision of kawaiiness than Junko.  Still, the 

effort would be painful to endure, not to mention the monstrous 

result.  It would be best to avoid this altogether.  "I don't know how 

to do any of that girlie stuff, Emi.  Maybe we should just go to 

sleep early."

     "Don't worry, I can teach you.  I learned from Tamiko-san. 

She does the same thing for me every morning," Emi replied with a 

smile as she placed her stuffed rabbit in Junko's lap.  "Here, you 

can hold Usagi-kun for me.  He gets lonely if he's left alone for too 

long."

     Junko put her arms around the bunny while keeping her 

eyes on her kawaii-obsessed companion.  She was surprised how 

comforting it was to feel the plush form of Usagi-kun in her arms, 

softer than anything else she had felt before.  Growing up, Junko 

had never had much need of stuffed animals, but right now she 

could use whatever consolation she could get.

     Emi hummed a little tune as she set the nail polish on the 

dresser and plugged in the curling iron.  The latter Junko eyed as if 

it were a cobra.  She just knew it that so much as touched her hair, 

she'd be forced to wear a hat in public for the next month.  Some 

hair just wasn't meant to be curled.

     "I don't think we need something as... advanced as that 

tonight, Emi," Junko told her nervously, indicating the curling iron.

     "Only just as little," Emi said as she stood behind Junko, 

scissors in one hand, comb in the other.  "You'll be surprised just 

how much cuter you can look with only a tiny bit of curling!"

     "I don't want to look cute," Junko muttered into Usagi-

kun's ears, too low for the amateur bueation to hear.  She was sure 

that she was imagining that the stuffed animal's reflection in the 

mirror looked vaguely sympathetic.

     Junko couldn't think of a way out of this without yelling at 

the girl, and guessed what would happen then.  Emi would break 

down in a sobbing heap about how no one loved her and Junko 

would have to go along with even worse plans just to stop her from 

crying.  She shuddered to think of what other cute experiments 

Emi could have in store.

     Emi continued to hum as she gently ran the comb through 

her friend's hair, snipping off any split ends she discovered.  The 

blonde girl had learned at least one important thing from her recent 

turmoil; nothing is more important to a child than her parent's love 

and approval.  Emi had already disappointed her parents, but she 

wasn't about to let that happen to her friend.  She had to make her 

more cute until it was too late.

     However, one of the reasons she had initially chosen Junko 

as her friend was the other girl's total lack of cute.  This didn't give 

Emi much to work with, but for a friend willing to see her through 

tough times, she had to try her best.  *Don't worry, Ju-chan.  I'll 

make sure your parents find you cute if it's the last thing I do!*

     Junko shivered suddenly as if someone had just slipped an 

ice cube down her back.  It was an odd reaction since, despite her 

earlier apprehension, Emi's makeover so far had been nothing 

more than a simple haircut.  The blonde girl mostly combed out the 

snags while snipping here and there to generally even things out.  

Junko really didn't care either way, but it was hardly something 

she'd be embarrassed to be seen in public with.

     "You have nice hair, Ju-chan," Emi remarked as she held 

up some strands, only to snip off the ends.  "You should let it grow 

up longer.  Then we can tie it up in cute pigtails like mine!"

     Junko shuddered at the sudden mental image of herself 

with Emi's hairstyle.  It wouldn't suit her at all, resulting in the very 

opposite of cute.  *Guys don't have to put up with this stuff,* she 

thought with a touch of anger, though was very glad she hadn't 

been born as a boy.  Emi's ministrations were preferable to that 

fate.  "I like keeping my hair short... takes less time to wash and 

doesn't get caught in anything."

     "But bath time is so much fun!" Emi argued lightly as she 

made a few minute adjustments to Junko's hair with the scissors 

before grinning in satisfaction at its reflection in the mirror.

     "So am I all done now?" Junko asked hopefully when Emi 

had finally stopped.  She was already leaning out of the chair, 

considering the possibility of a mad dash to the bed and the 

dubious protection of her comforter.

     "Of course not!" Emi said as she leaned on Junko's 

shoulder with one hand and picked up the curling iron with the 

other.  "Your hair might not be long enough to look like mine yet, 

but there are still some things I can do to make it more cute."

     "I really don't think you should go through the trouble," 

Junko insisted, staring at the curling iron as it came closer and 

closer to her hair.  She could feel the heat of it on her face, making 

her wonder if it would sizzle when it finally made contact.  She 

decided that she really didn't want to find out.  "My hair looks 

really... cute with all you've done already.  You don't need to do 

any more to it."

     "You're my best friend, Ju-chan!" Emi declared, holding up 

the curling iron like a knight raising up his sword.  "There is no 

task too small or problem too great that I wouldn't attempt for 

you!"

     Junko groaned.  Maybe a depressed Emi would be better 

after all.  At least then she wouldn't be trying to warp Junko into a 

funhouse mirror version of herself.  She found Usagi-kun's pained 

expression just a bit comforting, knowing that she wasn't suffering 

alone.  It only made her feel worse, however, when she realized 

she was thinking a stuffed rabbit was alive again.

     "There, all done!  Now that wasn't so bad?" Emi asked as 

she unplugged the curling iron and set it back on the dresser.

     Junko blinked, realizing that she had been so deep in 

thought that she had completely missed her chance to stop little 

miss kawaii's cute treatment.  She looked up into the mirror and 

turned her head side to side, surveying the damage.

     Actually, it wasn't nearly as bad as she had been imagining.  

Emi had just curled up the bottom of her hair, and not really all 

that much.  The effect was rather cute, though Junko doubted 

anyone would notice on a plain girl like herself.  She didn't exactly 

like it, it made her look silly, like a tomboy trying and failing to 

appear feminine, but she wouldn't have to avoid all human contact 

until she could repair the damage either.

     "Thanks, Emi.  It looks great!  It couldn't possibly be any 

better," Junko replied with nervous enthusiasm.  She knew if she 

didn't act totally pleased with her new look, her 'best friend' would 

try something more drastic.  Junko wasn't about to push her luck.

     "Wai!  I'm so happy you like it, Ju-chan!" Emi enthused as 

she hugged the other girl from behind.  "I'm sure your parents will 

love it too!"

     *What do my parents have to do with this?* Junko 

wondered, but decided against asking and risk making Emi think 

of her own parents.  The plain girl reflected that whatever her 

friend might think, she was sure Emi's parents were frantic with 

worry about her now.  Junko felt a small stab of guilt in not calling 

to tell them that their daughter was all right, but there was no 

phone in her room and leaving was risky with her uncle still 

lurking about.  Besides, she didn't even know their number.

     "That was only the first step, though," Emi continued as she 

picked up a small bottle she had set out earlier.  "Now it's time 

for... nail polish!"

     Junko thought she would have to cut Emi's hair next, but 

wasn't about to tempt fate.  She wasn't sure if she'd be able to resist 

the temptation to muss up Emi's curls or snip her pigtails.  She 

didn't really hate the girl for being so cute or want to take her down 

a notch or two, but with scissors in hand, she knew it'd be hard to 

resist the sudden impulse.

     As Junko let Emi drag her back to her bed, she thought it 

wouldn't be so bad to wear gloves until she could buy a bottle of 

hair polish remover.  She failed to notice how all the small bits of 

fallen hair vanished right after she left the chair.



     Contrary to Junko's beliefs, her uncle Kozo wasn't camped 

before her door waiting for a glimpse of Emi-chan, the paragon to 

all things cute.  Though his door was left open so the slightest 

sound from the hallway could be heard and his camcorder was 

ready to be used at a moment's notice, right now all of his attention 

was focused on the phone before him.

     After finally coming down from the euphoria of having the 

one and only Emi-chan visiting his humble abode, Kozo had 

realized that she had run away from home.  Having once been one 

himself, he knew a few things about kids, and thought that trying 

to run away from home was a natural part of the rebellious phase.  

He had a hard time thinking of Emi-chan as a rebel, even a cute 

one, but she was a child after all.  So while she could have a 

legitimate reason to run away, it seemed unlikely.

     That had brought him to his current dilemma.  Should he or 

shouldn't he call Emi's parents?  Normally, he would have done so 

right away.  But in this case, it would mean that Emi-chan would 

be going home almost immediately, and as selfish as it may have 

been, he wanted her to stay at his house as long as possible.  He 

couldn't wait to see how the snobs in the fanclub reacted to that 

news.

     Then there was the more important fact that Emi's parents 

were also his employers, and could quite easily make sure he never 

worked anywhere in Japan again.  They also scared the willies out 

of him.  At work, he did everything possible to avoid having to talk 

to them.  The idea of calling them up at home filled him with 

dread.

     *I'd better call,* he thought finally as he picked up the 

receiver.  Emi's parents could use their influence to get both Junko 

and himself deported, and he didn't want to have to answer to 

Junko's or his own mother about that.  He listened to the phone 

ring as his nerves slowly frayed.

     "Ishiyama residence," said the clear voice of an elderly 

man.  "This is the butler speaking.  May I help you?"

     Kozo breathed a sigh of relief.  It looked like he wouldn't 

have to talk to one of his bosses after all.  "Ah, it's nothing really," 

her started to say, still feeling somewhat nervous.  "It's just that my 

niece, whose currently living with me, is having their daughter Emi 

stay the night and I was just making sure it was all right with them.  

Silly of me to not call earlier, I know, but I guess I just didn't think 

of it."

     "Mr. Kozo Kitaue, correct?" the butler asked, but didn't 

wait for an answer.  "Yes, my employers were quite pleased that 

their daughter has found such a good friend.  I'm sure they'll tell 

you so themselves when they come around in the morning to pick 

up their daughter."

     "They're coming... here?" Kozo asked, swallowing the 

sudden lump in his throat.

     "Oh, yes," the butler replied in a cheerful tone.  "After all 

that has happened, they are quite eager to meet little Junko."

     "That's great," Kozo said with a total lack of enthusiasm.  

"Well, that's all I wanted them to know.  So I'll just say good-bye 

now."

     "Good-bye, Mr. Kitaue," Ichiro said formally, hanging up 

the phone with a smile.



     Junko stared at her toes.  They glittered back at her with the 

dried pink nail polish.  Emi insisted that her best friend's toes were 

extra-cute now, but to the plain girl they only looked stupid.  

Normally hidden by socks and shoes, at least no one else would 

see them.  Her fingernails were another matter.  She really had to 

wonder why she had let Emi do this to her, but at least the 'greatest 

slumber party ever' was finally winding down.

     A long and emotional day combined with an active night 

were finally catching up with Emi.  Her eyelids were trying to 

close when she wasn't watching them.  That kept distracting her 

from keeping her head upright.  There were so many other things 

she wanted to with her new best friend, but it looked like they'd 

have to wait until the morning.

     "I'm sorry, Ju-chan," Emi apologized, yawning cutely, "but 

I think I need to go to sleep now."

     Junko was anything but disappointed.  "No, that's okay.  I 

mean, this night has already been so much fun that I don't think we 

could make it any better anyway.  I'm pretty tired too."  Junko 

ended with a forced yawn for effect.

     "You're so nice, Ju-chan, I wish I could have been a more 

fun guest today," Emi told her while stretching her arms high over 

her head.  "I'll just have to try harder tomorrow night!"

     "Tomorrow?" Junko repeated apprehensively.

     Emi eagerly nodded with a somewhat sleepy smile.  "Now 

that I'm staying here, we can have a slumber party every night!  

We can even work on making you into the cutest girl in the world, 

because nothing isn't too good for my best friend!"

     "That'd be just great," Junko replied, her voice oozing 

sarcasm.  She decided that she would reunite Emi with her parents 

tomorrow, even if she had to drag them to her house herself.  There 

was no way she was going to endure another night of the blonde 

girl's 'friendship.'  While it hadn't been all bad, Junko would have 

much preferred a quiet night alone over being slowly transformed 

into Emi's clone.

     "But first," Emi started, then blushed in embarrassment, 

leaning close to Junko to whisper, "I need to use the toilet."

     "Okay, just follow me."  Junko was reluctant to step a foot 

outside her room, but this was one thing that couldn't really wait 

until morning.  Besides, she had to go too.

     Holding her bat ready in one hand, she unlocked the door 

and slowly opened it to peer out into the hallway.  No trace of her 

uncle, but she wasn't about to drop her guard.  With the sign for 

silence directed back at Emi, she cautiously crept out into the 

hallway.

     Emi smiled as she followed closely behind her friend on 

tip-toes, careful not to make a sound.  This was a game that she 

used to play with Ichiro-sensei. They would creep around the 

mansion and the first one to make a noise lost.  Emi had always 

lost at first, but using her mother's advice, had worked on lowering 

her opponent as well as raising up her own skill.  Tamiko-san had 

been eager to teach her how to make traps too.  However, the game 

ended much too soon as they reached their destination.

     "It's through that door," Junko whispered, gesturing with 

her bat.  "Just hurry up and be quiet.  Umm, my uncle likes to go to 

bed early and he's a real light sleeper.  I don't want to wake him."

     Emi nodded with a smile, then entered the room indicated, 

shutting the door behind her.

     Junko released a relieved sigh as she leaned up against the 

wall.  This was the first time she could truly relax the entire night.

     "Quite the handful, isn't she?" said a feminine voice with a 

bitter edge off to her right.  "And her parents have no idea what a 

little monster they've raised."

     Instinctively, Junko swung her bat around to connect with 

the mid-section of her surprise guest.  Atsuko easily caught the end 

of the bat in one hand and grinned back at the other girl.  *Not bad 

reflexes for someone with no training.*

     "Who are you and how did you get in here?" Junko 

demanded in a harsh whisper.  She was steamed to have to deal 

with this on top of the night she was already having, but also a 

touch afraid.  This woman had appeared out of thin air and caught 

her bat as if it were nothing.  The black ninja outfit that she wore 

was a bit tacky though.

     "No need to worry.  I'm just one of pretty princess Emi's 

bodyguards," Atsuko replied with a smirk, releasing her iron hold 

on the aluminum bat.  "As to how I got in... that's a special ninja 

secret.  I've been sworn to only explain it to a person who has 

already figured it out for themselves."

     "Isn't that kind of pointless?" Junko asked in confusion as 

she brought the bat back to the guard position.  "I mean, if I figure 

it out, I wouldn't need you to tell me anymore."

     Atsuko shrugged.  "So are the ways of the ninja, at least 

that's my grandfather's excuse.  He's a skilled fighter and a great 

sensei, but... he's pretty strange."

     Junko noted that the girl didn't seem threatening, but wasn't 

prepared to trust her either.  Not that she could do anything about 

it, she reflected with a frown.  *What's the point of having an 

armband that's supposed to protect me from strangers if I can't use 

it in their presence!*

     *Well, I do have an emergency transformation mode,* 

Akito replied dryly, sounding a bit hurt by the accusation of 

uselessness.  *However, my creator was a bit too keen on 

protecting his love and so this mode tends to be a bit... explosive.  

The host is completely protected of course, but for anyone in the 

blast radius...*

     *Umm, how big an explosion are we talking here?* Junko 

asked curiously, figuring there might come a time when she'd have 

to put it to the test.  She had a feeling that Emi becoming her friend 

had made her own life much more complicated, in ways she was 

only beginning to understand.

     *If you were to use it now, for example, you would need to 

find a new place of residence,* Akito informed her.  *The resulting 

explosion would level your uncle's house.*

     *Sugoi!* Junko thought gleefully.  Not to be used on her 

uncle's house of course, but it would make a very nice surprise 

attack against an enemy.  Possibly that crazy woman in black 

leather, if she managed to build yet another stupid robot.  She also 

enjoyed the feeling that Akito seemed vaguely disturbed by her 

enthusiasm for destruction.

     "Hey, you okay there?" Atsuko asked as she waved her 

hand before the little girl's face.  She was used to being ignored by 

people when she complained about Emi, but this girl seemed to be 

in some sort of trance.

     "Yeah, I was thinking of something," Junko replied 

quickly.  She didn't want anyone figuring out that she was Hime 

Star-chan, especially someone connected with Emi.  "So... why are 

you talking to me now?  If you're hear to warn me about harming 

Emi, you should have done that a week ago.  Besides, I'm not sure 

I could hurt her even if I wanted to.  She's nimble as a cat."

     "You have my grandfather to blame for that," Atsuko said 

with a frown.  "When she was only a few years old, Emi managed 

to convince him to teach her some of our secret techniques, at least 

the non-violent ones.  It should have been forbidden since she's not 

a true member of our clan, but grandfather made up some excuse 

of her being a honorary member.  For once, Emi's parents did the 

right thing and eventually put a stop to this, but that little brat 

managed to learn a lot of it anyway."

     Junko was taken aback by the amount of venom in the 

older girl's voice.  Everyone she had met so far always adored Emi.  

It was strange to hear from someone who obviously disliked her, 

especially the person charged with protecting Emi's life.  Junko 

didn't think Emi was that bad, but she hadn't know the blonde girl 

for nearly as long as her ninja guardian.  In time, would she speak 

of her 'best friend' with such bitterness too?

     "It sounds as if you don't like Emi very much," Junko noted 

tactfully.

     "You can tell, eh?" Atsuko replied with a toothy smile.  

"Well, I don't actually hate her, but she really gets on my nerves.  

Some days it seems as if she's going out of her way to make my 

life hell, and I don't exactly appreciate it.  I'll endure it though, 

because I am a ninja who has pledged her life to serve and protect 

Emi.  I don't have the choice that you do, which is why I'm telling 

you to get out while you still can.  Once Emi has really dug her 

claws into you, she won't ever let go."

     Junko blinked several times over such an odd statement.  

Yes, Emi annoyed her, especially when harping on the whole cute 

thing, but her company was hardly torture.  "What do you mean 

by...," she started to say, only to realize the odd girl had vanished.  

Junko didn't even know what her name was.

     A muffled flush brought Junko's attention back to the door, 

which opened to reveal a smiling Emi.  "Did you like talking to my 

big sister?"

     "Big sister?" Junko repeated in confusion.  She had been 

sure that Emi was an only child.  If the Ishiyamas had another 

daughter, they were very good at keeping her out of the public eye.

     "Ats-chan has been there for me ever since I was little," 

Emi explained with a warm twinkle in her eye.  "She's just like a 

big sister to me.  Isn't she cool?  I love her so much!"

     *The feeling definitely isn't mutual,* Junko thought, 

wondering if Emi had overheard any of their conversation.  Still, 

ninja didn't try to hide her feelings so Emi had to know how her 

'big sister' felt about her.  "Okay, it's my turn.  You wait right 

here... and hold onto this for me, just in case."

     "Umm!" Emi agreed with a nod as she accepted the 

baseball bat with both hands, slinging it over her shoulder.

     Junko felt a touch guilty leaving Emi all alone when her 

possibly ecchi uncle might still be awake, but it would only be for 

a minute.  Then she mentally smacked herself.  Why was she 

worried about a girl who had her own personal ninja to protect her?

     The trip back to the room went without incident.  Maybe 

her uncle really was as innocent as he claimed, Junko thought, but 

more likely he just fell asleep waiting for his opportunity.

     Emi was surprisingly quiet as the settled in for the night, 

which was probably why Junko didn't protest when the blonde girl 

crawled into her bed.  Thankfully, the bed her uncle had gotten for 

her was big enough for the two of them and Usagi-kun in the 

middle.

     "Good night, Ju-chan," Emi said in a voice half-slurred 

with sleep.

     Junko smiled, though was unsure why.  "Good night, Emi."

     "After a nice breakfast tomorrow, we can go to my favorite 

dress shop tomorrow and replace your entire wardrobe," Emi 

added a moment later.

     Junko snored loudly.



     "Ugh, what is that revolting odor?" Lady Morgana thought 

out loud as she awoke, twitching her delicate nostrils in distaste.  

Wherever she was, it was pitch black.  She couldn't see her 

perfectly formed hand before her breathtaking face.  However, she 

could tell that the source of the foul odor was close.  She reached 

out to find it.

     "Aiiee!!" she yelled, recoiling in pain from the sudden heat 

to her delicate fingers.  It was so tragic that her wonderfully acute 

senses would have such a drawback.  But some good had come of 

it; she had inadvertently knocked the odorous thing far from her, 

making it only a minor annoyance.

     "Where have my loyal minions brought me to this time?" 

she wondered.  The true tragedy of her fragile, yet perfect, body 

was that she suffered from frequent blackouts, which sometimes 

occurred without warning.  Luckily, her obvious charisma had 

attracted a devoted following who aided her in these times of need.  

They would convey her to places of safety when her flaw 

overwhelmed her, but also could perform numerous other tasks, 

such as aiding in the construction of her magnificent, yet now 

sadly destroyed, metal colossus.

     Lady Morgana had never actually seen these minions, but 

she simply assumed they were much too shy and felt unworthy to 

stand before her awesome presence.  But how else could the facts 

be explained?  She wasn't so na�ve to believe that elves had snuck 

into her workshop to complete her robot for her.

     She wished that this time they had been thoughtful enough 

to turn on the lights as she stumbled around in the dark.  After 

banging her shin painfully against a low table, she decided that she 

probably should leave them some rather stern instructions for the 

next time a blackout occurred.  Making sure she could see where 

she was when she awoke would be at the top of the list.

     Through the power of her great skill and talent, she 

managed to find the light switch.  She smiled under the soft white 

glow.  It was the evil lair that her minions had found for her not 

one week ago.  It was the perfect place to launch her revenge upon 

the city, though she still thought it needed sprucing up.  It was a bit 

too clean and antiseptic to be really considered an evil lair.  

Something to work on while taking breaks from constructing her 

latest evil creation, she supposed.  It was something much too 

important to be left to shy minions.

     With that thought, she dug around for her latest plans, 

laying them out on her desk.  "Mental note, replace desk and office 

chair with evil-looking throne."

     Lady Morgana frowned at the plans before her.  They were 

what she had conceived of in general, she was sure of that, but 

there were a lot of little details that seemed off to her.  Whoever 

had drawn up these plans obviously had no sense of style, no 

drama in their soul.  This would take the whole night to fix, but 

Lady Morgana was dedicated to her evil deeds.  Besides, she 

preferred sleeping in the daytime anyway.

     In the darkened wood surrounding the abandoned factory, 

the faint sound of eerie laughter started up once again.



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