Title: Trust and Truth
Meaning: n/a
Pairing: Eventual Shin/Makoto
Type: X-over; action/adventure
Rating: PG
Begun: 6/20/02
Ended: who knows?
Note: This takes place somewhere between the end of Sailor Stars, so it's sort of a TWT for the Senshi, and the middle of the Yoroiden Samurai Troopers series (between the first and second invasion - which is supposed to have happened in 1988, anyway), so it's a total TWT for the Troopers. Also, the people in Shinjuku came back from wherever they disappeared to between the two invasions.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Yoroiden Samurai Troopers. I never will own them, and I'm sure you're all thankful for that. However, I do own this plot and any and all clothing designs.
Warnings: The only senshi found here are Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune. All others appear in mention alone. There will be violence in later chapters, and blood. That’s about it, though.
Chapter 2
Makoto got home in record time and all but slammed the door closed, leaning heavily against it as she caught her breath. As she did so she mentally chided herself for getting so out of shape. Just because she had been in the hospital was no reason for her to forget training after all. It had been her Senshi communicator that had brought her running back to her new apartment, not a watch as she knew Nasutei had assumed, which had nearly sent her into a panic. Half way back to her home she realized that it was only beeping as a reminder. Now she stood in the front hall, debating what her next move would be, staring at the pictures that lined the walls in silver and wood frames. There were a few priceless photos of her and Shinozaki, memories that she hoped never to forget, and some of family members that she didn’t even know – or didn’t think she knew because she couldn’t remember any of them – but the predominant images were those of the Senshi.
Usagi, Rei, Ami, Minako, and even the outer Senshi and Starlights lined the two walls from the door to the living room. Some were group photos, others were singles, but very few had Makoto in them. She was usually the one taking the pictures that lined these walls; those that had her in them were in her room, in a photo album on the table next to her bed, next to her parents’ picture.
"It still feels weird being away from everyone ... ” Makoto muttered to one group image, bringing up her hand to trace the frame. “Maa ... are you all alright?"
She didn't expect to receive a reply, and thanked the gods that she didn't get one. The last thing she needed was to go insane – and talking photographs would probably be one of the first steps towards it. Makoto sighed and headed to the living room where she knew her phone would be waiting for her. It was time to call Haruka. She plopped down on the couch and stared at the blank TV screen before reaching over and picking up the receiver and dialing the number. The phone picked up on the first ring, and she blinked.
"Moshi-moshi? Haruka-san?"
"Kotora. Right on time. I'm impressed."
"Yes, Haruka-san. I'm sure you are. Just calling to let you know that I'm still alive, my apartment hasn't burned down yet, and no, I'm not moving out any time soon."
Haruka sighed slightly, "I didn’t think you would. At any rate, I wasn't going to push you. Did you get that job yet?"
"No, not yet. But I've got one more place to try before I give up and look for a different job that doesn't have to do with a restaurant."
"Have you made any friends?"
"Unless you count a big white tiger ... "
"A what?!"
Makoto laughed lightly. "A tiger. You know, Haruka-san, they're really big cats. Usually seen in zoos or on TV programs, live in the wild, that sort of thing ... "
"Cute, kotora, really cute. Tell me, does your new friend reside in a zoo?"
"No, with Nasutei-san. I assume Nasutei-san is the owner of the tiger, at any rate. His name is Byakuuen, by the way. She's the one who gave me the address of the restaurant. I'll go there tomorrow, I'm really not in the mood for tonight."
"Okay. Just be careful – "
"I know, Haruka-san. I will be. Listen, I've got some things to clean up in the bathroom and I need to put way the rest of my apartment, I'll talk to you on Monday, okay?"
"Sure, kotora. See you."
"See you, Haruka-san," Makoto said shortly and quickly hung up. She sighed, knowing it was rude, but settled herself back into the couch to decide what to do for dinner anyway. Being nagged at worked up an appetite sometimes.
In the end, Makoto chose to do the simplest thing: she decided to eat out. She had noticed a small ramen shop around the corner from her apartment and decided to see if they were as good as she was. Taking her first cautious bite, Makoto immediately decided that the cooks needed lessons in flavoring and tossed pepper flakes into the noodles. It was cheap food, though, which was a very good thing. When the broth was spiced to fit her needs, she ate happily while pondering her next move to get a job.
I know that Nasutei-san said that her friend's restaurant needed workers, but ... maybe I should call first? I mean, she said they wouldn’t mind, but ... it’s not like I’m a friend of theirs. I’m not even a friend of Nasutei-san’s, just an acquaintance. And the restaurant is in Yokohama according to the paper ... It would be rude of me to just show up and expect a job, wouldn’t it. All right, I’ll give them a call as soon as I get home and explain the situation.
Makoto nodded to herself firmly, affirming her decision, and finished the rest of her ramen quickly, tossing the correct change on the counter to pay for it. She headed directly home and marched herself to the phone, intending to call the number ... but was stopped by the flashing light indicating that she had a message.
But who would be calling me? I just called Haruka-san ... Only Nasutei knows my new number now, she thought, frowning slightly, and pushed the button.
“Kino Makoto-san?” Makoto started a little, hearing a completely unknown voice. “I’m sorry to call you at home. You don’t know me – I’m Shuyu Chan-Run, my son Shuu is a friend of Yagiyu Nasutei-san’s. She called us this afternoon and mentioned that you were looking for a part-time job, which I’m calling about. The family is looking to see about opening a new restaurant in Shinjuku, hoping to be closer to our son during college, and we are in need of help. If it’s not too much trouble, would you be able to make a trip to Yokohama tomorrow? We’d like to interview you. Please call us when you get a chance.”[1]
Makoto stared at her phone in shock, hands moving automatically to take down the phone number that Chan-Run left her. The message ended with a loud beeping sound, but she didn’t even notice. She was too busy staring blankly at the wall. Why did the weird stuff like this always happen to her? The digital clock changed its numbers, causing her to snap out of her daze and pick up the phone. Almost not even realizing what she was doing, she dialed the number.
“Moshi-moshi ... Shuyu-san? This is Kino Makoto ... ”
The next morning dawned the same time as the morning before, and as she had the morning before, Makoto missed it. Not that she was complaining. Her bed was wonderfully warm and soft and smelled very ... clean. All good things in her opinion. The alarm went off exactly three hours after the sun began to show on the horizon. She groaned and fought the urge to smash it into the wall, blearily opening her eyes to glare at it instead. 08:00 shown back happily in bright green.
Stupid green. Why’d I have to get green digital clocks for all my rooms? Should’ve gotten regular ones with hands. Or something. Or no clocks. Just a watch. Or something.
And so her thoughts ran in circles as Makoto pulled herself into a sitting position and shoved away her covers so she wouldn’t be tempted to go back to sleep. She couldn’t afford it today – not when she had a big interview that was probably her last hope for a job during the remainder of the summer break and college. The sleepy girl shuffled into the bathroom and dug around for her toothpaste – cursing herself for procrastinating with the unpacking. As always she’d taken a shower the night before, allowing her the right amount of time to wash her face and shuffle into the kitchen with her eyes still half closed and a hand on the wall so she didn’t crash in to anything.
Some time later, Makoto blessed whatever god invented coffee and taught people how to make it. Sadly enough, though she had once been an avid non-coffee-person, she had given into the temptation half-way through high school. She decided long ago that coffee had been keeping her alive ever since. She gulped down the mug and stretched happily, yawning just a little.
“All right then. Time to get ready for Judgement Day,” she muttered.
Shedding her night clothes as she went, Makoto moved about her bedroom, trying to extract her nice, business clothes from everything else. Successful at last, she put everything on and smoothed the blouse down, brushing out imaginary wrinkles. The boots gave her just an extra inch of height, but the leather had always made her feel slightly more classy. She gave her hair an extra brushing before swooping it back into a bun. Giving her reflection a smile, Makoto walked out the door and headed for the train station with a slight sigh.
No reason in ruining her good clothes on her motorcycle, she supposed. She grinned and reminded herself to thank Haruka for driving lessons once again.
The restaurant was a small one, Makoto noted immediately. She stood in front of the door, trying to see if there way anyone inside and chewing on her bottom lip absently. When she realized what she was doing, Makoto smacked herself mentally. Idiot! What are you afraid for? This is a job interview, not Galaxia. Stop stalling and get in there. Listening to herself, she walked inside.
Though the restaurant was small, the interior decorating and the large windows made the inside seem much larger. The kitchen was separated from the dining room by a small alcohol bar and a swinging door. At night it would be brightly lit by lanterns over each table – most of which were traditional low tables on raised platforms so customers could take off their shoes when they ate. Shoji screens separated the tables to give customers some privacy, but the sections could easily hold six people. There were some western style tables – the restaurant was a chain and catered to tourists after all.
“Anou ... excuse me! I’m Kino Makoto ... ” Makoto said, her voice seeming louder in the empty restaurant than it might have otherwise, “Shuyu-san called last night ... ”
A young man stuck his head out of the kitchen door immediately, “Ara? Oh, you must be the girl dad told me about. He’s upstairs – give me a second and I’ll go get him.” He extracted himself fully from the kitchen and out from behind the bar, going up a staircase to the left of it that Makoto hadn’t noticed before. She figured it at exactly thirteen seconds later when two sets of footsteps came tromping back down. The young man was back and this time there was an elderly man with him – she assumed they were the father and son as Nasutei had spoken of.
“Ah, Kino-san yes?” asked the elderly man.
She smiled at him and bowed respectfully. He was a kindly looking man, a little on the portly side, with an easy smile. If she looked closely Makoto could see that he looked a lot like his son – Shuu, if she remembered the name right.
“Yes, I’m Kino Makoto.”
“Well, don’t just stand in the door way like a stranger, Kino-san. Come in, come in, sit down. Relax a bit. Would you like something to drink? Tea or coffee?”
Blinking, a little startled, Makoto accepted the offer for tea. Shuu disappeared back into the kitchen soon after, almost without her noticing. The girl noted this absently – she didn’t know many people who were stealthy enough to escape the heightened observational powers granted to the senshi. But she was soon distracted by Chan-Run as he came back with a pot of tea and two cups.
“I hope you don’t mind if I join you in some tea. I’m rather fond of it myself.”
“Oh, no, please do. It’s your restaurant.”
“Thank you,” Chan-Run said anyway. He sat down and Makoto immediately poured him some tea from the delicate pot. He chuckled, “Good instincts.”
Makoto blushed.
“Nasutei-san spoke very highly of you,” Chan Run said after taking a long sip.
“Really? ... I mean ... we only met yesterday afternoon for a short time.”
“So she said, but Nasutei-san is a very good judge of character, I’ve found. My son and his friends are very fond of her. She hasn’t been wrong about one of them yet, so I’m more than willing to take her word about you.”
“I ... I’m not sure what to say. ... I’m honored in her confidence, really,” Makoto stammered, trying to wrap her mind around the new information.
Chan-Run chuckled again and turned slightly, “Shuu, stop hiding in there and come meet our guest.”
The young man appeared from in the kitchen with a smile that was almost sheepish. He grinned at Makoto, and she smiled back, dipping her head in a bow. He held a tray of snacks in his hands – they appeared to be dango and little cakes – and brought them to the table.
“Mom made these yesterday,” he said by way of explanation, helping himself to one.
Makoto waited until Chan-Run had done the same before taking one herself. She bit into the dumpling she’d taken and her eyes lit up. “It’s wonderful. Your mother is excellent.”
“I’ll be sure to tell her, Kino-san,” Chan-Run said, “In the meantime, I must bring the discussion back to work. Kino-san, what did Nasutei tell you of this restaurant?”
“That it was an excellent place but short-staffed.”
“Ah, and we often are short-staffed. But she maybe did not tell you why we are short-staffed?”
The confused girl shook her head hesitantly.
“We have never had much help because of the food. We are Chinese, and we make Chinese food, which many potential employees do not like the idea of. Now we would like to move the restaurant to Shinjuku, to be nearer to our son. It is a trial for him to come out to Yokohama every time he wants to see us; it requires too much planning. Of course, those helpers we have that aren’t family can’t be asked to make the move with us. We worried that we would have to hunt down help when we opened our new restaurant location, and when Nasutei told us of you we thought that maybe we were saved. I know this is a Chinese restaurant, but would you consider working for us?”[2]
“I ... of course!” Makoto said, blinking, hearing herself only vaguely, “The type of food doesn’t matter if it’s good.”
Shuu smiled to himself, I think I can see why Nasutei liked her so quickly. But that still doesn’t cover Byakuuen. I’ll have to ask Ryo about that.
~~~
NOTES
[1] Okay, I imagine this might be a little confusing. Based on the information I got from Nether Realm, Shuu Rei-Faun is actually Shuyu Rei-Faun, and Shuyu is his last name (in Chinese there is no such last name as Shuu). But since everyone knows him as Shuu (which is cannon, it’s what they call him in the anime) I’m not going to change that. His father’s name is Shuyu Chan-Run – I will continue to use Shuyu as the last name when talking about Shuu’s father, and I’m going to try not to use Shuu’s last name except as his first name.
[2] Right. So. Why does the fact that they’re Chinese matter? Does World War II ring a bell? I’m sure it’s not the case of everyone, but no matter where you go there is a sense of superiority to someone. Plus, I’m exaggerating for purposes of the story.