Camera flashes and shouted question filled the air in 
front of O’Hare International airport.  Reporters jostled each 
other, trying to get their questions answered…or at least to 
make eye contact with the object of their avid attention.


	“Ms. Carlyle!  Ms. Carlyle, is it true that –“


	“Ms. Carlyle!  Some critics say that – “


	“Ms. Carlyle!  Ms. Carlyle!”


	“One at a time!” laughed the musical voice of Ms. Lita 
Ann Carlyle.  Since the breeze chose that exact moment to blow 
her hair into her face, the young woman had to toss her brown 
hair over her shoulder before she could continue.  “I can’t not 
answer your questions if I can’t make them out!” she pointed out.


	Her quip, a humorous allusion to her reputation of revealing 
frustratingly little to the press, did make many of the reporters 
smile briefly.  A few even laughed, but they were not distracted 
for long.  Everyone outside the airport knew that they would only 
get the answer to one question.  The question was, whose question?


	In the end, it was the local reporter that beat everyone 
out.  Recovering half a second before anyone else, she went right 
for the jugular, “Ms. Carlyle, it has been said that you’ve never 
forgiven the Japanese or the country of Japan for the loss of your 
sister.  What does this trip to Japan really mean for you?”


	That question took some of the famous sparkle out of the 
young actress’ eyes.  Lita Ann turned to the reporter and looked 
at her for a few minutes, not answering.  Then she quietly shared, 
“My manager would like me to say it is for the movie shoot that 
will get me that Academy Award.  But honestly, it’s for closure.  
Just closure.”


	And with this, the young actress was gently ushered to 
the door of the airport and the press were told that there would 
be no more questions as there was an international flight to catch.






******


	Laughter surrounded the fourteen year old as she sat 
with her closest friends in a room in a Shinto temple in Tokyo.  
She was so glad she had her friends, even when Rei and Usagi’s 
fights were a little hard on the ears, as they usually were.


	Makoto Kino smiled sadly. She still remembered that time 
when she didn’t remember the others or her duty as a senshi.  It 
was a time of being alone again.  A time on the outside looking 
in.  A time when she keenly felt the loss of her parents.


	But she had her friends back now.  Her other family.  She 
took a moment to look around the room.  Ami sat in the far corner, 
her nose in what looked like a chemistry book.  Ami was the smart 
and practical one; in many ways, she was almost like an older 
sister, although they were all the same age.  A ways away from 
Ami, closer to Makoto herself, sat Minako, the newest member of 
the family.  She also had her nose in reading material, but it 
looked more like a fashion magazine.  The bubbly blonde had been 
trying to show them sometime earlier, but between her enthusiastic, 
if hurried and dizty, conversation and Makoto’s arrival with snacks, 
no one had really quite caught her point.  Amazingly, in her 
senshi form, she was a clear and committed commander. 


	At the other end of the table, both reaching for the 
last cookie, sat Rei and Usagi.  Rei was…the hot head of the 
group, but she was probably also the most spiritual.  Maybe 
being so aware spiritually necessitated that one was emotional 
and pushy, though she’d doubt Rei would appreciate that musing 
on Makoto’s part, much less agree with her.  Usagi, on the other 
hand, while just as emotional as Rei, was her polar opposite 
in other ways.  And not just in coloring, although blonde hair 
compared with black hair with a purple tint were pretty opposite.  
While Rei had a grace that was clearly a part of her training as 
a Shinto priestess, Usagi was clumsy most of the time.  While 
Rei could be strident, Usagi was usually sweet, if a little 
whiny.  And while Rei seemed to be able to fend for herself 
and reach out to no one, Usagi seemed to need protecting and 
tended to reach out to everyone…at least to more people than 
Rei did, although Usagi did have some selfish tendencies as 
well.  It was Usagi’s ability to reach beyond herself that 
allowed her to befriend Makoto after all, although it probably 
helped that Makoto had saved her from some bullies first.  
Regardless, Makoto felt the need to play big sister and protect 
and befriend Usagi in return.  


	Returning to the topic of family in her head, Makoto 
realized that her family did go beyond her friends here.  And, 
to be fair, she should also throw in the two talking cats who 
sat in another corner of the room, deep in conversation.  Sure, 
her family didn’t fit the going definition, but it did a lot of 
the things a family was supposed to do, the teen figured.  It 
gave her a support network, an outlet, and a purpose.  People 
to cook for, something to live for.  


	Yet, even with all of this, Makoto did still wonder at 
times what life would have been like if she had a biological 
family.  That is, if she hadn’t lost her parents.  From what 
little she remembered of her parents’ extended family, her father 
was alone in the world.  Her mother did mention having a younger 
sister, however-


	“Mako-chan!” a familiar high-pitched whining voice broke 
into the brown-haired teen’s consciousness.  That and the tugging 
at her left hand.


	“Whoa!  Calm down.  What is it, Usagi-chan?”


	“She,” the wailing blonde pointed to her former table 
mate, “ate the last of your amazing cookies and she wouldn’t 
even share with me!”


	“That’s because you ate five already, odango-baka!” Rei 
immediately responded, glaring at the still wailing blonde.


	“Rei-chan, why are you so mean to me?!” was the loud, 
ear-jarring response.


	“Usagi-chan,” Makoto interrupted, hoping to avoid another 
Rei versus Usagi argument, “next time, I’ll make a batch just for 
you,” she promised rashly.


	“Really?” Usagi squealed, quickly changing moods from 
whiny to excited.  The blonde gave Makoto a big hug.  “Oh, thank 
you, thank you, thank you!”


	Rei snorted.  “As if she isn’t enough of a pig already!”


	“Rei-chan! –“


	Makoto sighed.  So, her promise of extra cooking hadn’t 
stopped the argument that the rest of the room was hoping to avoid.  
But, in the end, it was okay, the teen decided.  She smiled.  
This was her family, complete with all of its faults.









Chapter 1:  Strong Ties







	Nothing disrupts traffic like the arrival of pop idol.  
If that pop idol also happens to be American, it means the 
American press is involved…and bedlam usually ensues.  Such 
was the case in the arrival of the Golden Globe and Emmy award 
winning actress at the Tokyo airport; American reporters and 
camera crews were swarming like flies, running the natives 
off.  Anything to get their questions answered and set up their 
shots. Without a doubt, the thirty-two year old Lita Ann Carlyle 
was news.


	And, as soon as she stepped out into the sunshine, the 
shouting started.  “Ms. Carlyle!  Ms. Carlyle!”


	“Pay up,” said the woman to the immediate right of the 
American actress.  Valerie Ann Jefferson, called Valerie Ann by 
her friends and family, was known to many of the reporters 
gathered as the personal assistant to Lita Ann Carlyle. Most of 
those reporters also knew that Ms. Jefferson was Lita Ann’s first 
cousin.  While some mistakenly thought that thirty-three year old 
only kept her job because of the family connection, those who 
covered Ms. Carlyle’s career regularly knew that Ms. Jefferson was 
amazingly competent.  And, as a few of those reporters would point 
out, one wouldn’t realize that Valerie Ann Jefferson and Lita Ann 
Carlyle were related at first glance, as Valerie Ann was clearly 
brown-skinned and often sported neat African braids.  Lita Ann, who 
was much paler, tended to wear her brown hair loose and looked more 
like she had just stepped out of a Pantene commercial.


	"Ah, man!” the young man directly behind Lita Ann could 
be heard objecting as he handed Valerie Ann twenty dollars.  “How 
did you know they’d be out here?  We just landed, damnit!" he 
continued.  Although blocked from sight at the moment because of 
where Lita Ann stood, most of the press knew the voice belonged 
to Lita Ann’s assistant manager Patrick Spencer.  Rumor had it 
that among Lita Ann’s personal circle he was referred to as "the 
baby”, due to his young age of twenty-eight.  Although he was 
younger than the rest of Lita Ann’s inner circle, the red-headed 
Spencer was a quick study and quickly becoming a force to be 
reckoned with in Hollywood.


	Over the din of the reporter’s shouts, the man to the 
immediate left of Lita Ann objected to the media barrage.  “Come 
on, guys!  She just got off the plane!  We’ll release a statement 
this afternoon.”  Silent up to that point only because he finishing 
up a conversation with Lita Ann herself, Lita Ann’s manager, 
Marcos Mitsuru O’Reilly was ready to use his voice and influence 
to get the press to back off his client.


	Although a lot of attention had been focused on Marcos 
O’Reilly due to his undeniable influence on the amazing career 
of runaway star Lita Ann Carlyle, no one was really sure what 
ethnicity he was.  He had darker skin, but was naturally blond.  
He had almond shaped eyes, but a flat nose.  And he spoke English, 
Spanish, and Japenese fluently, never claiming one as  “first 
language”.  One Hollywood insider once called him the “walking 
rainbow coalition”.  Unlike his ethnic heritage, the power he 
commanded in Hollywood circles was clear.


	“It’s okay, Marcos.  These reporters are just trying 
to make a living,” spoke the voice and actress behind Therese in 
Flipside, a surprise cult hit musical released at the end of the 1980s.
Then in a louder voice the focus of all of the cameras conceded, 
“Okay, if y’allwill stop pushing the natives, I’ll consent to three 
questions now.”


	While that did stop some of the shoving, it didn’t lessen 
the shouting.  Over the various attempts to shower with question, 
Lita Ann first recognized the CNN reporter.


	“Ms. Carlyle,” the young man began, “It is well known 
that you’re an active and avid Democrat.  What do you think of 
Arkansas governor Clinton as a possible Democratic nominee for 
president?”


	“Well, I will admit to being sad that Jerry Brown is not 
a viable option anymore.  I think part of me will always be a 
Brown girl,” a few of the reporters and Valerie Ann laughed at 
the unintentional pun that related back to the actress’ race.  
“But, who knows?” the actress continued, “This Clinton guy may 
surprise us all.  The jury’s still out, in my opinion.”


	‘Ms. Carlyle,” the ambitious MTV reporter spoke up before 
the other reporters could get their questions in, “Flipside was a 
dark and sardonic musical.  The movie that you are here to shoot, 
based on the industry buzz, is an epic drama.  Do you think that 
your experiences with Flipside and the one season critically 
acclaimed show Years, has prepared you for such a different project 
and for co-starring opposite Tom Cruise?”


	Lita Ann laughed.  “Now that is a question that is 
guaranteed to upset my manager,” she said as she patted Marcos’ 
arm.  “But to answer your question, I think I’m up to the challenge.  
Remember, I was still in my twenties when I did both Flipside 
and Years.  I’m a little older now and can handle deeper roles.  
Besides, I’d hate to be type-cast.  You may get MTV props for a 
movie like Flipside, but you don’t get an Academy Award for it.”


	Many of the reporters nodded at this insight.  Everyone 
who knew anything about the Academy knew that Flipside was a 
little too much for them.


	“Okay, okay. One more question,’ the famous voice continued.  
"Yes, you in the back by the taxis.”


	“Ms. Carlyle,” the reporter began, “There are rumors that 
the Japanese are unhappy about the film and about they are 
portrayed within it.  Given their reported tendency to prefer 
sameness over difference and your statements regarding the loss 
of your sister, are you worried about your reception in this 
country?”


	That question caused the actress to pause for a moment.  
Then she replied, “At some point, every actor or actress faces a 
hostile crowd.  I’m not the first; I won’t be the last.  It 
could be worse.  For example, I here Madonna is advocating to 
play the role of Evita should a movie ever be made.  Let’s just 
say, I expect the Japanese to be kinder to me that the Argentine 
will be to her.”  The actress took and deep breath and gave the 
reporters a sunny smile.  “Now, if you’ll excuse us.  I think 
we’ve blocked enough traffic for today.  Marcos will release a 
statement later this afternoon.”


	After that the four pressed through the gathered 
reporters until they reached the car awaiting them, and, 
ignoring the continued shouts of “Ms. Carlyle,” drove away.






**********





	In another part of the city, a teenager sat down on her 
couch and sighed.  “It’s not that I don’t love them,” Makoto Kino 
thought to herself, “it’s just that they can be so exhausting 
sometimes.”  The tall brunette then chastised herself for the 
thought.  Those four had been there for her in so many ways; 
they had saved her life a few times, too.  She herself had even 
died to protect Usagi.  But listening to Rei and Usagi go at 
it…well, nothing real was perfect after all.  She just wished 
she was as good at tuning them out as Ami seemed to be.  Of 
course, Ami had had more practice at it.


	Reflecting on her friends, Makoto turned on her TV.  For 
the first minutes she mindlessly flipped through the stations 
until something caught her eye.  A woman, not much taller than 
Makoto herself, was standing in front of the airport, surrounded 
by cameras.  What was so arresting about the woman is that she 
had the same colored hair as Makoto.  In fact, the woman looked 
so much like what Makoto saw in the mirror every morning that 
Makoto briefly wondered if she would look something like that 
woman in 10 years.  Although the scene was being carried on a 
Japanese station, the woman was speaking in English.  Curiosity 
make Makoto at least attempt to follow what the woman was saying; 
the slight accent the woman had made it a little harder to follow 
than Makoto would have liked, but she understood somewhat what 
was going on.  Makoto did process the actress’ musical voice, 
which, ironically, reminded Makoto of her mother.  But, after 
the five minute segment was over, Makoto didn’t really dwell on 
it.  She did have dinner to prepare, after all.



- to be continued -