TRIO TRIALS
by Haruka

It was a beautiful beach. Fish Eye stood barefoot in the warm sand and breathed deeply of the salt air. The cool breeze blew a long tendril of sky-blue hair into his deep blue eyes, but he didn't care. He was already off and running toward the water.
"Fishie, wake up."
"Hm?" The inviting ocean waves faded from view as Fish Eye reluctantly opened his eyes. He saw his purple-haired mother, Nuriko, smiling back at him from the front seat of the car.
"We're here, honey."
Lifting his head from his brother Hawk Eye's broad shoulder, Fish Eye peered ahead at their new house. It was big enough for the five of them with room left over, but what mattered to Fish Eye had nothing to do with the house. He scrambled over his other brother Tiger Eye, who complained noisily at being treated like a speed bump.
"Fish Eye, slow down!" his tall father, Sanosuke, called after him. "It's not going anywhere!"
Maybe not, the pretty Changechild thought, but he first wanted to make sure it was there.
As soon as he rounded the corner of the house, he saw it. Sparkling clear, blue and irresistible. Not an ocean perhaps, but the sight of the enormous inground swimming pool was enough to make his heart pound. Without a moment's hesitation, Fish Eye jumped into the water. He came up beaming.
"You could have changed into a bathing suit first," Hawk Eye said wryly as he and Tiger Eye looked down at him from the patio.
"Oh, who cares?" Fish Eye said airily. "Isn't this pool gorgeous?"
"Glad you're happy, Fish Eye," Nuriko said as he joined them, easily carrying four large cardboard boxes, "but right now we have a truck to unload."
"Don't bother taking Fishie's stuff out," Tiger Eye said mischievously. "He'll be living in the pool."
Fish Eye could indeed have lived happily in the pool. He was in his human form now, but in mid-way form he showed more of his Changechild aspects, such as scaled hands with webbed fingers. If he took it a step further, he would be a true fish, the only visible clue to his origin being vivid blue eyes. Hawk Eye and Tiger Eye were as comfortable in the sky and woods as he was in the water.
"Come on, boys!" Sanosuke called from around front.
Fish Eye closed his eyes and did the backstroke in contented bliss. He vaguely remembered throwing a crying fit when their father announced their imminent move from Kyoto to Tokyo. The tears stopped abruptly with the revelation that their new house had a pool. Maybe he was being bribed into accepting the move, but right now he didn't care.
"You heard Mama and Papa, Fish Eye," Hawk Eye said in annoyance. "We have work to do."
Too bad there hadn't been anything worthwhile to bribe his brothers with, Fish Eye thought with a sigh. On the contrary, both Tiger Eye and Hawk Eye had lost out when they left Kyoto. Tall, blonde, blue-eyed, Tiger Eye had more girlfriends than he knew what to do with. He'd been certain to be nominated for Homecoming King, and just about anything else they could come up with to honour him. Now he'd have to start all over at a new school with no reputation to precede him.
Known for being cool and sexy, Hawk Eye nevertheless dated only rarely. He preferred to spend time with his friends, especially one in particular whom he'd known since grammar school. For he the move represented the end of that close friendship and nothing else.
As for Fish Eye, there'd been no one special that he'd left behind. He'd dated, of course, but no one that he wanted to see more than casually. He was pretty and feminine, and knew he'd have no trouble finding a nice boyfriend when he was ready. What he wasn't quite so sure of was whether the girls would accept him as one of them. If not, he may as well do as Tiger Eye predicted and live in the pool.

Next door, Tenou Haruka was whistling as she jogged up the driveway. The prospect of seeing her beautiful girlfriend Michiru was always guaranteed to lift her spirits, but she was especially looking forward to this visit. There was a motocross competition that afternoon, and Michiru had already agreed to come along and cheer her on. Not that there was any chance of her losing, but Michiru's presence would make the victory even sweeter.
"Hello?" Haruka said as she entered the house. She and Michiru's families had known each other forever, and had long since dispensed with the time-wasting exercise of knocking.
A stunning woman with dark green hair to her calves came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. "Hello, Haruka. How are you?"
"I'm great, Setsuna, and you?" Calling each other's parents by their first names was another accepted custom for the Tenous and Kaious.
Setsuna's ruby eyes smiled at her warmly. "I'm fine, thank you. I understand you're going to risk life and limb again today?"
"Every chance I get." Haruka laughed, running a hand through her short gold hair. "But hey, with me it's never a risk, you know."
"Not to you, maybe, but for those of us who love you it's always a time to worry." Setsuna gave her a maternal kiss on the cheek. "Just be careful, all right?"
"You and Mom rehearse, don't you? That's exactly what he said." Haruka grinned.
"It's instinctual for mothers, I suppose." Setsuna smiled. "Michiru is out back."
"In the pool? I should have known." Haruka headed for the back doors.
"Actually, she and Kurama are spying on the new neighbors," Setsuna said. "I would have joined them, but I want to finish this casserole so I can bring it over. No one ever has time to cook on moving day."
"I'm sure they'll appreciate that, especially if it tastes as good as it smells." Haruka reached the glass doors and peered out. She saw Michiru and her younger brother both trying to sneak a peek at the neighbors without being seen. A mischievous gleam came into her green eyes and she winked back at Setsuna before tip-toeing outside.
Setsuna smiled to herself, shaking her head. She loved her best friend, Zoisite's, children as if they were her own, and she knew Zoisite felt the same way about Michiru and Kurama. She could still remember Haruka as a feisty four-year-old with tousled hair, dirt on her face, untied laces, and a tear in the knee of her overalls. Now she was tall, leggy, and beautiful, with a figure that made both sexes take notice when she chose to reveal it. Haruka was still a feisty, tousle-haired tomboy who wouldn't wear skirts, but that was okay. Michiru was as feminine as Haruka was boyish and the two complimented each other nicely.
"Was that Haruka?"
Setsuna turned and smiled at her husband, Kenshin. He was a master samurai with long red hair with a perfect 'X' marking his left cheek. Loving purple eyes returned her smile. Kenshin was the most gentle, easy-going man she'd ever met. He took life very much as it came and had a calming effect on those around him.
"Yes, she's gone out to find Michiru."
"I saw she and Kurama spying on the new neighbors," Kenshin said. "It looks as if there are kids their age moving in."
"I wonder what the parents are like," Setsuna speculated. Kenshin put his arms around her.
"You'll find out when you bring over that delicious casserole," he said. "And I'll go with you to welcome them."
The phone rang and Setsuna grinned. "I'll bet you anything that's Zoi."
Kenshin chuckled. "I won't take that bet."
Setsuna picked up the receiver. "Hello? ... Oh, hi Zoi! ... Yes, it looks like the new people are moving in ...." She winked at Kenshin who stifled a laugh.

Even from the back, Michiru looked incredible. Her wavy sea- green hair, slender waist, gently flaring hips and sexy legs were enough to make Haruka's skin tingle. However, they weren't enough to keep her from sneaking up behind her and tickling her ribs.
"Aaaah!" Michiru screamed.
"Aaaah!" echoed Kurama as he jumped into the air.
"Hi, whatcha doing?" Haruka grinned.
Michiru's reproving blue eyes flashed as she gave her tall tomboy a slap on the arm. "Waiting for my heart to crawl down from my throat! You scared me!"
"You wouldn't have been so easily scared if you weren't so intent on being nosy." Haruka shifted her amused gaze to Kurama, whom she'd frightened out of his wits. And with Kurama's wits, that was quite an accomplishment. Both she and Michiru were excellent students, maintaining high averages without any difficulty. But Kurama, like Haruka's younger sister Yui, was an honour student. The two of them traded off top position weekly, and were the best of friends. Haruka's father Malachite joked that they had to be, since no one else could understand what they were talking about. Kurama was not only smart, he was gorgeous, with long red hair and big green eyes. Like his father, he was quiet and polite, and it took a lot to rankle him.
"Yui would have come over with me, but she's finishing up some homework." Haruka sighed. "Imagine, homework on a Saturday."
"I finished mine last night," Kurama said innocently.
"This morning for me," Michiru admitted.
"Hey, I'll get mine done, too, and correctly. It's just that I wanted this day for me." Haruka peered through the fence. "So, what have we got here?"
"Three teenagers," Michiru said. "Two boys and a girl. They're beautiful, but unusual. We both sense strong magic around them."
Haruka would never question either Michiru or Kurama's psychic instincts whereas she might wonder about her own. Still, she concentrated her attention on the new people she hadn't yet seen.
"I see what you mean," she admitted. "It doesn't feel like hostile magic, at least."
"No more so than yours," Kurama said.
Haruka and Michiru were Sailor Senshi. As Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, they both possessed powers that could effectively stop anyone who threatened them. Haruka gave Kurama a wry look.
"Look who's talking, Mr. My-Plants-Eat-People."
"Some of my plants eat demons," Kurama corrected. "No need to exaggerate, Haruka."
"Aren't demons people, too?" Haruka teased. "You ought to know."
There was more to Kurama than anyone would guess. In reality, he was a five-hundred year old fox spirit. Fifteen years earlier, he'd been mortally wounded by a hunter. In desperation, he tore his soul from his body and entered that of Kaiou Setsuna's unborn baby. Neither of his human parents knew of their son's secret self, but Michiru, Haruka, and Yui did. They had seen him transform into Yohko Kurama, and dealt with the resulting personality changes. Despite being stunningly beautiful with long silver hair and tail, fox ears and gold eyes, Yohko Kurama was nonetheless sly and mischievous. In the spiritworld, he had a reputation as an accomplished thief, and his ability to control and create demonic plants meant both forms of Kurama were to be taken seriously.
"Ssh, you two!" Michiru hissed, peering through the fence. "They're coming back."
Haruka took another look and saw an attractive couple come out of the house and head for the truck. One was very tall, with spiky dark hair and handsome features. The other was a lovely woman with long purple hair, maroon eyes, and a slight frame. To the observers' surprise, both of them stacked several large boxes and carried them back into the house in one load each.
"They must be amazingly strong," Kurama remarked.
"Wouldn't have known it to look at either of them," Haruka said. "The woman is too little and the man's too slim."
"Strength must be their magic," Michiru said. "Oh, look. Here come the kids."
Three teenagers came bounding out of the house. All of them were pretty, but none shared any similar features. The tallest one had blue-grey eyes and long blonde hair with two tendrils that extended from his sideburn area, giving the odd impression of cat whiskers. He paused to admire himself in the truck's rear-view mirror before hopping inside. The other boy was well-built, and had spiky pink hair and sexy red eyes. He scowled before accepting the box that the blonde handed down to him. The only girl was as slightly built as her mother, and just as beautiful. Her sky-blue hair swung across her back as she walked and wide, bright blue eyes regarded her brothers with concern. A long tendril of hair extended out in front of her face without touching it. She took a smaller box from the blonde and followed the pink-haired boy into the house.
"Did you feel it?" Michiru asked Haruka.
"Yeah, they've definitely got magic. It's a common one that all three of them share, too."
"I think they're Changechildren," Kurama said thoughtfully. "As a fox spirit, I can recognize animal you-ki and they all have it."
"Well, why don't we ask them?" Haruka said, and vaulted over the fence.

Fish Eye came back outside feeling down. In their annoyance over the move, Hawk Eye and Tiger Eye had taken to bickering over things that normally wouldn't be a problem. The latest was the new bedrooms, and who should get which one. Naturally, both boys decided on the same room, with their father settling the dispute by giving the room to the only uninterested party--Fish Eye. So now both his brothers were mad at him. The funny thing was that the room didn't look any different to Fish Eye from the rooms on either side of it.
"Hi there!"
"Aaah!" Fish Eye cried. He stared at the tall blonde apparition that had suddenly appeared before him.
"I'm sorry. I don't usually make a habit of sneaking up on cute girls." The blonde winked.
"Oh yes, she does!" A lovely green-haired girl climbed over the neighbors' fence and walked over to glare at the blonde. Fish Eye tried to accept that the blonde was a 'she', but it wasn't easy. Finally, he remembered his manners.
"Uh, I'm Sagara Fish Eye. We moved here from Kyoto."
The green-haired girl smiled warmly. "I'm Kaiou Michiru, your next-door neighbor." She nodded at the blonde. "This is Tenou Haruka, my girlfriend. She lives right across the street."
"Hey, wait for me!" a voice accompanied by the sound of running feet came up the driveway. A pretty girl with hair of a similar colour and style to Haruka's came around the side of the moving truck. She smiled at Fish Eye. "Hi, my name is Tenou Yui. I'm Haruka's sister."
"I'm Sagara Fish Eye. It's nice to meet you."
"Kurama, you may as well stop skulking around and join us," Michiru called out. A beautiful boy whose face was almost as red as his hair climbed over the fence and walked up to the group. He smiled shyly at Fish Eye, who could feel himself blushing in return.
"This is my brother, Kurama," Michiru explained.
"Welcome to the neighborhood." Kurama handed him a rose, deepening Fish Eye's blush. Haruka rolled her eyes and Michiru nudged her teasingly.
"You're just mad because he's as charming as you are and with less effort."
"It doesn't take any effort for him to produce roses on demand," Haruka mumbled.
Fish Eye's brothers came out of the house behind him and paused at seeing the newcomers. "Come here, you guys," he said. "These are my brothers, Tiger Eye and Hawk Eye." He proceeded to introduce each of their neighbors in turn.
"Where'd you get the rose, Fishie?" Hawk Eye asked.
"Kurama gave it to me. Wasn't that nice?"
"You'll get used to it," Haruka said dryly. "Wherever Kurama is, you'll find flowers and plants." She studied Hawk Eye thoughtfully.
"You've got really cool hair. Do you race?"
"Race what?" he asked.
"Cars, motorcycles, whatever."
"I don't have my own car, unfortunately." Hawk Eye frowned. "We've been trying to talk our parents into at least getting us one to share between us, but so far no go."
"I'll work on them for you," Haruka said confidently. "Everyone should have a car."
"She'll do it, too," Yui said.
"She?" Tiger Eye said without thinking. "Oh, sorry."
"Don't worry about it," Michiru assured him. "She encourages mistakes like that."
"Sounds like Fish Eye." Tiger Eye grinned at his brother, who shot him a glare in return.
"What do you mean?" Haruka asked.
"He means that Fish Eye is a boy, even though he dresses like a girl," Hawk Eye said.
"This is about the room, isn't it?" Fish Eye muttered. "I'll get you guys for this."
Haruka's jaw had dropped, and Michiru calmly reached over and closed it for her. "Yes dear," she said lightly. "You were flirting with a boy."
"Could have fooled me," Haruka admitted. "In fact, he did."
"Don't be angry with your brothers, Fish Eye," Kurama told him. "We would have found out sooner or later, and it makes no difference anyway."
"Really?" Fish Eye twirled the flower in his fingertips. "You don't want your rose back?"
"No." Kurama smiled. "It looks better with you."
"You're blushing, Fishie," Tiger Eye pointed out.
"Shut up," Fish Eye warned behind clenched teeth.
"Hey, there's something we wanted to ask you guys," Haruka said. "Are you Changechildren?"
"Yeah, how did you know?" Hawk Eye asked in surprise.
"Between the four of us, we've got some good instincts."
"Well, you're right," Tiger Eye said. "We each have a human, mid-way, and animal form."
"Let me guess." Yui smiled. "A tiger, hawk, and fish?"
"Right," Fish Eye said. "Although we were actually named after the jewels."
"May we see your mid-way forms?" Kurama asked.
"Don't know why not." Hawk Eye shrugged, and he and his brothers changed. All three now had pointed ears, two coloured streaks on their left cheeks, and a black dot in the centre of their foreheads. Their clothes had changed as well, and Hawk Eye now wore a lavender outfit that consisted of a sash over one shoulder, a short skirt, tights, and high heels. Two small hoops in both earlobes and brown spiky-cut gloves reminiscent of his hair completed the look. Tiger Eye had on striped tights, black knee boots, black bikini bottoms, and a mostly- white top that stretched down both arms to cover his hands, leaving his midriff bare. He wore a necklace, rings, and a bracelet, plus dangling razor blades for earrings. Fish Eye's outfit was a puffy blue one-piece bodysuit, low-cut in front and in back, with a pink fish skeleton running down the centre of his midriff. On his feet were blue and red high heels. His only jewelry was a pair of thin green and orange earrings.
"Unreal," Haruka murmured. "You guys like to make an impression, huh?"
"These are the clothes that always appear with our mid-way forms," Hawk Eye said. "I think we were circus performers in a previous life."
"We mostly stay in our human forms," Fish Eye said. "It's easier than explaining things and we blend in better."
"I think you three would stand out no matter what you do," Yui said frankly.
"It would be hard for you to go unnoticed," Kurama agreed.
"You're probably right," Tiger Eye said. "Hey, would you all like to come inside and meet our parents? I warn you now, Fishie takes after our mother. He's a male, too."
"What?" Michiru gasped. "That pretty purple-haired woman is a man?"
Haruka laughed. "Hey, why not? You should see my mom!"

"It was really nice of you to do this, we appreciate it," Nuriko said to his new neighbors. It was late in the day, and he and Sanosuke were sitting at their kitchen table with Setsuna and Kenshin, and the Tenous, Malachite and Zoisite. They had all hit it off with the Sagaras during the dinner of Setsuna's casserole and the cherry pie Zoisite brought.
"We were glad to do it," Setsuna said. "Moving is such a hassle. And of course, we wanted to meet your family."
"Your sons and daughter are beautiful," Zoisite remarked, playing with a tendril of his long butterscotch-coloured hair.
Sanosuke smirked at Nuriko. "Did you have another child without telling me?"
The elbow he received in the ribs knocked him off his chair. Zoisite frowned. "Did I say something wrong?"
"Not at all." Nuriko sipped his tea. "Your mistake is understandable. You see, Fish Eye is a boy."
"Oh!" Zoisite looked startled. "I'm ... sorry."
"Don't be." Sanosuke pulled himself back into his seat. "He dresses like a girl most of the time, and his mannerisms and speech patterns are feminine."
"Much like Zoi's, I expect." Malachite put an affectionate arm around his mate. "He gets mistaken for a woman often."
"Nuriko, too," Sanosuke said.
"You mean she's a he?" Setsuna asked uncertainly.
"They're going to fit in very well in this neighborhood." Kenshin smiled. "Nuriko and his son have a lot in common with Zoisite and Haruka."
"What _about_ your son?" Nuriko asked Zoisite, who laughed.
"Our son is a daughter."
"I think we see what you mean," Sanosuke said wryly and looked at Kenshin. "What about your children? I'm pretty sure about Michiru being a girl, but Kurama is a boy, isn't he?"
"Yes, he is, although he, too, has caused confusion."
"I think we're going to like it here very much," Nuriko said. "I just hope the boys adjust to it all right. They weren't happy about the move."
"Don't worry," Malachite assured him. "Our kids will change their minds."

"This is a gorgeous car!" Hawk Eye declared as he walked around the gold Porsche in Haruka's driveway.
"Want to drive it?" Haruka tossed him the keys. He stared at them, then at her.
"You serious?"
"Sure, let's go."
Hawk Eye grinned and got into the driver's seat. Haruka slid in beside him and he started the car.
"If you turn right out of the driveway and then right again at the first corner, you'll be able to see your new school."
"Okay, cool." Hawk Eye steered the car into the street then gave it the gas. Haruka whooped as they disappeared from sight.

"There goes Haruka," Michiru said, peeking out her living room window. "Oops, no! That's your brother driving."
Tiger Eye leaned down to look out beside her. "Whoa, she let him drive that beautiful car? She just made a friend for life."
"Hawk Eye is interested in cars?"
"Cars, science, computers, girls, boys, birds." Tiger Eye shrugged. "Hawk Eye's interested in anything interesting. He's not a genius, but he gets good grades."
"Do you?"
"When I try hard enough, which isn't often," Tiger Eye admitted. "The only thing I like about school is that pretty girls congregate there."
Michiru smiled. "And Fish Eye?"
"He's very bright. He could keep up with Hawk Eye no problem if he weren't so easily distracted."
"By what?"
"Friends. He likes to gossip and pass notes in class. He's also an incurable flirt when good-looking guys are around."
"Sounds like Haruka with girls."
"Does that bother you?"
"Not really," Michiru said. "She's not serious about it, it's a game to her. I'm proud that other girls find her attractive."
"I'm surprised she isn't worried about competition for _your_ attention." Tiger Eye smiled suggestively.
Michiru raised a delicate eyebrow. "She trusts me. With good reason."
Tiger Eye gave her a respectful nod. "Fair enough."
She patted his shoulder. "Even if, God forbid, there was no Haruka, I'm afraid you wouldn't be my type, Tiger Eye. I've never been interested in boys."
"Believe it or not, that _is_ a comfort." Tiger Eye grinned.

Fish Eye looked around with a smile. "Your garden is beautiful, Kurama."
"Botany is his thing," Yui remarked, grinning at the redhead.
"What are you interested in, Fish Eye?" Kurama asked.
"Swimming, of course. I like to shop, mostly for clothes. Oh, and I'm a dancer."
"What kind of dance?" Yui inquired.
"Ballet. I can dance en pointe." Fish Eye did an impromptu pirouette, then frowned. "I hope there's a good ballet studio around here."
"There's one about five minutes away," Yui told him. "Haruka and Michiru went there for lessons when they were little."
"Haruka?" Fish Eye sounded surprised.
Yui laughed. "Our moms put them in together. Haruka hid in the changing room the first day and refused to come out. She never went back."
"Michiru kept going for a year, then she discovered the violin and her painting," Kurama explained.
"Beautiful _and_ talented, hm?" Fish Eye remarked.
"Michiru is a model lady," Yui explained. "She and Haruka are good at everything they try."
"Everyone admires them at school," Kurama added. "They're the golden couple."
Fish Eye studied them. "That must be hard for you sometimes."
They exchanged a look. "More for Yui than me," Kurama said. "Being Michi's brother, I don't get compared to her the way Yui's compared to her sister."
"Who's practically a brother, anyway," Yui said dryly. "But I have good things going for me, too. Kurama and I skipped a grade; Michi and Haruka have never done that."
"Did you get compared to your brothers a lot?" Kurama asked.
"Sure, but mostly because we're all so different. We all had friends, though, so it was never a problem."
"You'll have friends here, too." Yui smiled, then gave Kurama a sideways glance. "And as friends, we should fill you in on the hidden aspects of everyone around here ...."

End of chapter 1

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