Once upon a time, Jasper had been part of a team that wanted to destroy the Sailor Senshi, starting, in fact, with Neko, Tenshi, and Mi-chan. Jasper�s lover of twenty years had been obsessed with Neko, and it had been Neko who had killed her. But due to the way Jasper had saved Neko�s life, and she his, none of that other stuff ever seemed to matter. They had grown very close in the last year or so.
Mi-chan wasn�t quite as forgiving.
�How�d you sneak past Mi-chan?� Neko asked curiously, changing the subject. Jasper wasn�t showing any of the usual signs of having gone through the ordeal of trying to convince Mi-chan to let him see her twin.
�Oh, Chang-san was most helpful in distracting her. I managed to walk right by the two of them with neither of them giving me a glance.�
She giggled and gave him another hug. �I�m so glad you came,� she said softly. She wasn�t sure he would, considering how violently angry Mi-chan could get at his presence. Neko hadn�t seen him in person in months, and the last time had been when she and Tenshi had taken a trip to Eryx over winter break. Neko was fairly certain that Mi-chan would behave herself for her twin�s wedding. But that didn�t mean she wasn�t going to send a few growls and dirty looks his way.
�Well, I should probably go before she finds me here, huh?�
�No, stay!� she begged him. �I haven�t seen you in ages.�
She thought he was going to � he rarely said �no� to her, and he looked like he really wanted to stay, but he shook his head and answered, �I should let you finish getting ready.�
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jasper wasn�t as lucky leaving Neko�s dressing room as he had been getting there. As he turned the corner after exiting, he ran right into Mi-chan.
�What are you doing here?� she yelled as she shoved him against the wall. He suddenly wished he hadn�t released her from her promise to Neko that she would at least act civil.
�I- I was invited?� It came out as more of a question as he tried to get over his surprise at being thrown into the wall. He cast about for an escape but her arm blocked his only way out.
�Whatever! You�re not welcome here!�
Suddenly Jasper realized how ridiculous this was. Of course he was welcome! He was a friend of both the bride and the groom. If he thought about it, Mi-chan�s challenge was almost laughable. �Michiru-san, I don�t know if you noticed, but your sister is my friend, and she invited me here. Frankly, I don�t care whether you welcome me or not.�
His confident manner only served to make her response even harsher. �Your �friendship� doesn�t impress me. I know you�re still in love with her. So if you do anything to ruin her wedding I will cause you such pain, you�ll go back to wanting to be with your dead girlfriend again.�
He smirked. �Gee, Michiru-san, I wasn�t planning on ruining my princess�s wedding day. The real question is�,� his eyebrows raised with a taunting smile. He nodded his head in the direction of her threatening fist so she couldn�t mistake his meaning, ��are you planning to ruin her wedding day?�
Mi-chan was so surprised by the suggestion that he was able to duck under her arm and dart away.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
�Why did you invite him?� Mi-chan grumbled as she and Neko worked to put the finishing touches on Neko�s ensemble.
�Because he�s one of my best friends,� Neko answered unabashedly.
Mi-chan thought about arguing, but decided not to risk upsetting Neko on her wedding day. Truth was, Jasper�s words had made a bigger impact on her than she would have liked. So she backed off for the moment.
Knock knock knock.
�Come in!� Neko called.
Jian-wa was blushing as he entered the room, perhaps worried that he�d catch them dressing or something. �Ne, Mi-chan, Tenshi-kun wants to see her bridesmaids in her dressing room.�
Mi-chan looked to Neko to see if she�d be okay alone, but Neko was grinning from ear to ear. �Go on! Tell Tenshi I love her.�
Mi-chan rolled her eyes as she took Jian-wa�s arm. Like Tenshi was going to need reminding.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
He was going to make his move when suddenly that damned boy came back into sight. He stepped out of view and watched as Jian-wa entered the dressing room he had seen his girlfriend enter only moments ago.
Now was not the time to act, but soon. Whistling to himself nonchalantly, he strolled off to find himself something to drink.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
�I don�t care what Tenshiko wants, I wanted to stay with Neko �til the ceremony,� Mi-chan complained as Jian-wa dragged her towards the bridal makeup room.
Jian-wa smiled at her warmly. �It�s Tenshi-kun�s wedding day too,� he reminded her. �Besides I don�t think Neko-chan was looking all that disappointed about it.�
Mi-chan had to admit that he was right. Neko was overly joyful today, and it seemed that nothing could cloud over her mood. Mi-chan just wanted to help ensure that that forecast was true.
Jian-wa left her at the door � he wasn�t one of the girls � and Mi-chan entered the room, joining Kimahou and Tenshi.
�Hey, Mi-chan! Tenshi-san�s giving us each a gift,� Kimahou told her happily.
Oh, well, that was cool, Mi-chan supposed. Tenshi handed them each a small gift box, leaving one on the vanity for Puroko.
Mi-chan lifted the lid off the small white box. Inside was a thin white gold bracelet. Mi-chan took the delicate piece of jewelry out and placed it in the palm of her hand. �Arigatou,� she breathed.
�Hai, domo arigatou,� Kimahou agreed as she attempted to put the bracelet on one-handed.
