Tenshi relaxed. �I�m glad. Tell her she can show up barefoot, and I won�t care.� More seriously, she added, �Will an extra half hour be sufficient?�
Mi-chan nodded. She couldn�t really ask for more. �Hopefully, we should have the problem fixed by then. Thanks. I�ll let Michiru-sama know that you guys have agreed on that. I�m sure she�ll make sure to let everyone who needs to know.� Mi-chan had seen Michiru greeting people at the door. �Come on, Puroko-chan. I need your help.�
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Puroko was ready to handle any important task Mi-chan was going to give her. When Mi-chan hadn�t said anything the first few seconds, she began to tell Mi-chan about her plans for her wedding. She�d had lots of exposure to flowers and dresses and decorations, etc. while helping Tenshi plan for her wedding. Puroko considered herself an expert.
��and I�ll have a dress with sparkles and flowers on it. Even prettier than Tenshi�s dress, and-�
�Ara, you definitely will be wearing a dress then?� Mi-chan asked, suddenly interested.
Puroko�s eyes widened. �Of course! There�s gotta be a dress, and no boy�s going to wear it�.� Suddenly she stopped and clapped a hand over her mouth, horrified by what she just admitted.
But Mi-chan looked amused. �You do like boys then?�
�Onegai, Michiru-san, don�t tell anyone! Mama and Papa and Tenshi don�t know!�
�Demo, it�s not something to be ashamed of. Liking boys is a good thing. Then you can flirt with them, and date them, and tease them��
�No. Michiru-san, you gotta promise not to tell. Please!� Puroko already felt alienated from her perfect parents and sister. It would be that much worse if they knew she was the only one in the family who liked boys. No, she wasn�t ready to come out of the closet on that one.
Mi-chan sighed and stopped, checking out both directions. Apparently, she felt they had gone far enough to talk about things, for now she bent down to the young girl�s eye level, and began to speak more softly. �Alright, I agree. But first I need you to tell me something. Where exactly did you come from when you ran into me in the hall earlier?�
�Oh, I can show you!� Puroko took Mi-chan�s hand and began to pull her towards the entrance. Mi-chan followed as Puroko took her out and showed her the servant entrance. �I saw a caterer come in through one of these doors this morning before the front was open, so I checked it out. There are lots of these servant entrances and some are locked, but some are open. Papa caught me and said I should let the servants and wedding people use them and not get in their way.� She blushed and looked at the ground sheepishly. �But I couldn�t get through the crowd before, so I used this one near Tenshi�s room, and I ran into you right inside it.�
She took a breath and examined Mi-chan to make sure she wasn�t in trouble. Mi-chan was staring at the door thoughtfully, and then looked down the side of the building. Finally, she spoke.
�Thanks, Puroko-chan. That was very helpful. Now I have a job for you. I need you to tell your mama that Tenshiko and Neko agreed to postpone the wedding�s beginning half an hour. She�ll let Neo-Queen Serenity and everyone know. Will you do that?�
Puroko nodded, and Mi-chan sent her on her way.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jian-wa should have been much more comfortable here with Jasper than when Mi-chan was around, but the way Jasper had been scowling the past five minutes dissolved the remainder of Jian-wa�s confidence.
�Hey, sorry you got blamed for everything,� Jian-wa finally said, hoping to appease part of Jasper�s anger.
Jasper shook his head. �That�s not really your fault,� he said gruffly. �Michiru-san will probably always come to that conclusion, regardless of the circumstances.�
�Yeah, well, I�m sorry all the same,� Jian-wa repeated softly. He hoped Jasper understood that his apology went for the entire mess.
�I know.� Jasper looked as if he was torn between forgiving Jian-wa and holding it against him. Jian-wa supposed that made sense in a way. Jasper, of all people should understand what it�s like to set events in motion against people he would later regard as friends. Events he would come to regret after being touched by the positive energy of one or both of the twins.
And yet, that was why it seemed almost unforgivable. Three times�. Three! That was how many times he had caused the twins pain. Why did he continue to hurt them, even now, knowing their pure hearts? Especially now, when he was still regaining Neko�s trust� again?
*God dammit! I have no idea why Mi-chan puts up with me! She should have dumped me the moment she remembered I had betrayed them the first time!*
�Mi-chan would have been better off killing me back at the dance,� Jian-wa muttered under his breath.
�Don�t say that!� Jasper shot at him sharply.
Jian-wa didn�t know whether to be angry or embarrassed. �I don�t need your sympathy.� *Nor deserve it* was the unspoken part he left hanging as he stared at the ground.
�It�s not sympathy.� Jian-wa looked up and realized that Jasper�s gaze was set firmly on Jian-wa�s face. And he was right. Not a fleck of pity was reflected in Jasper�s eyes. There was simply determination. �There�s no point in wallowing in self-pity or wishing you were dead. You just have to live on, correcting your mistakes as you go. Neko-chan taught me that, and it�s how I live.� His features softened. �Even with things being the way they are, I know Neko-chan is glad you�re alive. And Michiru-san�s love and forgiveness for you is easy to recognize. Heh, even I�m glad you�re here. Otherwise, I might have a broken rib or two,� he chuckled, rubbing his side where Mi-chan had threatened to start pummeling him.
