Notes: 
Keep in mind that this is an unfinished, early draft.  I had 
everything mapped out, and may decide to post a new revision with 
a summary of the remaining unwritten scenes – but if I do decide 
to finish writing this one-shot, I'll most likely revise 
everything rather than just add to it.  :/

One of the ideas tossed about on the Project's mailing list 
involved Minako; after the end of Stars, or some point after 
that, she begins to remember that she had been someone else – 
Ranma.  A Life Renewed was my take on one possible beginning for 
such an idea.

Eventually, however, interest in ALR seemed to have waned 
significantly on the list (and there didn't seem to be much 
interest outside the Project, as well), and I was receiving many, 
many requests to work on certain other stories... so the one-shot 
was shelved, for the time being.

Minako: A Life Renewed
written by Mike Koos

     Ranma sighed.
     She hadn't taken the time to think everything through, true...
by now, she had very little left in the way of food, clothing or
money.  Her large pack was more or less serving only as a carrying
case for her old bedroll - and now her blond-haired, blue-eyed face
was leading people to come to some weird assumptions about her, most
of which made her feel uncomfortable.
     Well, those people who could speak Japanese, anyway.
     But at least she'd finally made up her mind to leave the old
fool of a father who was responsible for nearly all of her problems
in the first place.
     Ranma paused to study her reflection in the display window of a
small shop.  As far as she could tell, she was an eleven-year old
girl of perhaps average height, dressed only in a weathered gi that
was wearing thin in too many places and looked as though it had been
dredged through every possible terrain and weather condition... which
it had, of course.  Her hair had now grown long and thick enough that
her recent habit of wearing it tied into a simple ponytail made
little sense.  Of what use was a tail or even a braid when one's hair
descended well past her waist?  Maybe a headband, or... or... or
something, until she could have her hair cut in a more masculine
manner.
     Or was it better to leave it long, since she could be considered
a different person, now?
     All of a sudden, a man in an apron angrily stormed through the
shop's door, waving a home-made broom in her direction.  Ranma could
only guess that the man was telling her to move on if she wouldn't buy
something, and start once again on her way.
     Not understanding more than two words of the Chinese language
was at the root of everything that had gone wrong since she'd come to
China; Ranma had in truth been a boy until his father brought him
to a place whose equivalent Japanese name was apparently
'Jhusenkyou,' an ancient training ground that challenged people to
fight atop bamboo poles above a vast array of pools.  That was enough
for Saotome Genma to consider taking his son there, more so since the
boy needed a true test of his mid-air combat skills.
     The only problem was that each pool in Jhusenkyou carried a
curse.
     Genma and Ranma hadn't learned that particular fact until the
elder Saotome managed to distract his son with cheap tactics and
kick the boy off his pole.  Ranma fell into a pool neighboring the one
above which he'd been fighting, then, and resurfaced as a girl with
uncomfortably long, blond hair.
     Their guide - a man who spoke just enough Japanese for Ranma to
understand him - informed them that the effect of the pool into which
she had fallen, the Nyan-nii-chuan, was permanent.  She was a girl
now, and the magic of these grounds would no longer have any effect
on her... as the guide assured her father when Genma suggested
tossing his new daughter into a different pool.  Any form had to be
better for Ranma than that of a girl, right?
     She'd finally had enough.  Her father had put her through no end
of misery in the name of teaching her to be a martial artist - one of
the most scarring incidents being the 'training' he had given her for
a technique known as the 'Nekoken.'  What it amounted to was little
more than binding his son tightly, covering Ranma in fish-cake and
fish-paste, then repeatedly lowering the boy into a deep pit filled
with starving cats.  What kind of man would think nothing of putting
his child through that?
     "Where do you think you're going... girl?"  he demanded, when
she began to walk away.
     She glowered at him.  "What business is it of yours, old man? 
I've had it!  I'm not gonna let you screw up my life any more!"
     Genma folded his arms.  "Just what I'd expect from a weak girl. 
One minor setback, and you want to throw everything away.  Well,
girl, now that you're no longer a martial artist, what are you going
to do?  Find some place to hide and cry?"
     "I didn't say I was going t'quit being a martial artist, you
idiot!  I said that I wasn't gonna let you ruin my life!"
     "I haven't done that.  You, on the other hand, have.  Don't you
know that a girl can never be a martial artist or even a fighter? 
You might as well find your future husband now, girl.  All you can
ever be now is someone's faithful little wife."
     She resisted the urge to throttle him.  "You really don't know
anything about training anyone to be a fighter, do you?"  Ranma
snorted, turning her back on him... but only until she sensed his
guard was down.  She immediately bounded back toward him and
place-kicked her father in the direction of the pools, not bothering
to see if he landed in any of the cursed waters.
     "I hope I never see him again," Ranma muttered to herself.  That
aside, she wished she had taken the time to get some of whatever
little supplies the elder Saotome had stored away.  The man had been
in charge of all their money, and as a result Ranma now had almost
none of it whatsoever; that was normal, though.  It seemed as if the
only way she could get more without taking the time to find some sort
of job was through others' charity.
     To her relief, however, people seemed a slight bit more
charitable to a young girl than a boy.
     Ranma had no intent of remaining in China for the length of time
it would take to earn enough for a trip back to Japan, or for
learning the Chinese language.  She believed that in Japan, she would
have a much better chance of finding a place to live.  Surely, she
had to have a relative or two somewhere who could take her in...
     She'd worry about the difficulty of proving she was Saotome
Ranma later.
     The most important thing to do now was find a way of getting
there.  With some luck, she could find a port, try to determine if
any ships were departing for Japan, and stow away on one of those
ships.
     What would the crews or authorities do if they discovered her? 
Throw an eleven-year old girl overboard at sea?  She didn't mind
swimming - Ranma had done a fair amount of that to make it to
China, after her father had forced them to dive from the side of that
cargo freighter on which they'd stowed away, when he'd thought they
were about to be discovered.  Ranma wasn't sure how her new body
might handle the strain of having to swim half or all the way back,
on the other hand.
     She let her thoughts occupy most of her attention as she
followed the road out of the city.  Half an hour later, Ranma turned
off the road and walked into a forest.  The roads alone weren't
getting her anywhere; heading in the direction of the port from which
she and her father had come sounded like a better idea the more she
considered it.  Just walk in a straight line, letting no obstacle
stop her... and if she reached the coast, simply follow that until
she did reach a port.  After all, how large could China be?
     That choice of action would be put to the test in another
half-hour when she came to the base of a mountain.  Not one to let
anything as simple as a mountain stand in her way, Ranma began
trudging along the nearest trail leading up.
     She hadn't been walking long when she heard the explosion.
     Huh?  What was--
     By the time she saw the tell-tale debris of a landslide
steamrolling toward her, there was almost no place to run.  Ranma
frantically tried retreating as best she could upon the trail - but
the rocks overtook her in the next instant, completely engulfing her.
She felt her world torn from her in an indescribably vibrant
explosion of both pain and color...

     Aino Kenichi handed his binoculars to his wife, who immediately
took to peering through them at the mountain.  "Do you think blowing
the place up will get their attention?"
     Terumi frowned.  "I hope so.  Right now, I'd like to tear down
all their hidden factories, but that won't do anything other than
slow them down."  Tracking - or rather, attempting to track - a large
international cartel of dealers to their home base in China by
disabling their factories and waiting to see what happened wasn't
exactly the most ideal of plans, and Terumi wanted to be done with
the entire affair.
     The facilities, stationed here and there throughout the world
yet were mostly concentrated in China, manufactured a wide range of
illegal goods from bootleg toys to the latest favored drugs and
weapons.
     "Well, the charges should go off in a minute or so," she heard
Kenichi say.  Being with her husband was perhaps one of the details
about this operation Terumi did like...
     Suddenly, she peripherally noticed movement on the distant
mountain trail and tracked the binoculars toward it.  "Oh, my--"
Terumi gasped as she saw what had wandered into her range of sight. 
"Kenichi!  There's a child - a girl! - on the trail!"
     Kenichi's eyes widened.  "What?  Scout assured me the entire
area was clear!"
     "Yes, well, that girl is still there!  Can you disable the
charges?"  she asked.
     "Not from here, I can't.  And it's too late to try to stop the
countdown--"
     As if to emphasize Kenichi's point, the charges exploded above
the girl's position on the trail... and within a moment the resulting
rockslide had completely overwhelmed her, much to Terumi's horror. 
She made a vain attempt to follow the girl's path.
     Terumi lowered the binoculars to her side once the rockslide had
slowed almost to a halt.  "Come on," she insisted.  "We've got to
find her."
     "If... if she's still alive..."
     She glared at him.  "I have to know.  It's our fault she was
caught in that 'slide.  We have to see if she survived that - and if
she did, we'll help her.  Take her to the hospital."  Her voice
faltered.  "Whatever... whatever we can do."
     Kenichi could only sigh and nod silently in agreement.  He knew
the look of determination that had surfaced on his wife's face well;
there would be no argument with her over any point in this issue. 
"I'll tell Scout he messed up and have him put a rescue helicopter on
ready status."

     Fortunately, Terumi had been able to narrow the area in which
the flow of boulders had carried the girl to less than five acres. 
After ten minutes of searching, a soft moan caught her attention. 
"Over here!"  she yelled.  "She's somewhere over here, near me!"
     By the time the rescue team dislodged the rocks that had formed
a narrow air pocket around the girl's prone body, the child had
slipped from consciousness.  Fearing the worst, Terumi rushed to
check her pulse and breath.  "Thank goodness," she exhaled.  "She's
still alive, though she's fading.  We've got to get her to a
hospital, now."
     Poor girl, she thought, feeling the tears well up in her eyes
while she brushed a few strands of the child's gravel-coated, golden
hair away from her forehead.  The worst wound she could find without
a doctor's examination was a severe gash and bruise half-hidden by
the hair Terumi had swept aside, but it was that coating of dust and
small rocks that luckily kept the wounds from bleeding more than they
should have.  Why was she here?
     The girl - who clearly wasn't of Chinese descent and had to be
at least ten or eleven by Terumi's estimate - possessed beautiful
blue eyes, blond hair that the girl had allowed to grow until it
extended below her waist, and the gentle face of an angel.
     She wore a faded gi that looked to be a bit larger than her, one
that had probably been in poor condition before the accident
shredded it.  And within that thin layer of clothing, the child
wore... a pair of boys' boxer shorts, which made Terumi withdraw
slightly for a second in disgust.  Was this child an orphan, too poor
to buy even the type of clothes she should be wearing?  There was no
indication she had carried anything with her other than the pack
Terumi had seen from a distance - but that pack had only held her
bedroll, from the look of it, and was lost somewhere else beneath the
field of debris.  Finding that could be saved for later.  At the
moment, making sure the girl received care was everyone's first
concern.
     Maybe you are an angel, Terumi forced a faint smile. 
Please, don't let her die!

     "......up.  Wake up, dear."
     Terumi bleared awake to the sight of her husband's face.  "Oh,"
she yawned, casting a quick glance at the face of the girl sleeping
in the hospital bed beside her.  "I suppose I must have fallen
asleep.  Any updates?"
     "Not really.  We haven't seen any change as a result of shutting
down that factory."  Kenichi watched the girl breathe slowly as she
slept.  Terumi had insisted on spending the rest of the evening and
night by her side after they'd found her, leaving him to explain the
whole matter to their superiors.  "And you know Control's not happy
about this.  So..." he ventured.  "How is she?"
     Their young charge appeared a lot better than she had when
Kenichi left her with his wife the previous evening.  She had been
bathed and groomed, her questionable clothes temporarily replaced
with a hospital gown.  Her scrapes and wounds had been bandaged; a
bandage thicker than the rest was wrapped around her forehead, and
her left elbow had been encased in a plaster cast.
     "Well... she's doing fine, for the time being.  They stitched up
the gash near her temple and put her broken arm in a cast, as you can
see."  A sigh.  "However, she finally woke up last night and couldn't
remember a thing.  She was so frantic after that that they thought it
necessary to sedate her.  I've already talked with Control; I asked
them to see if they can help us determine who she is - if there are
any records of her anywhere, or even if her DNA is on file.  They did
find her pack at the blast site, but nothing was in it... other than
what was left of her bedroll.  Oh, and people who saw her walking
through the city yesterday say she was alone, kept to herself, and
acted like she didn't have any money or know the language."
     Kenichi sighed.  "So she's going to be fine, aside from possible
amnesia?"
     Terumi nodded, not paying complete attention to her husband's
words.  "Maybe."
     "Then we can let the hospital take care of her and return to our
assignment."
     Terumi pushed herself out of her chair, eyes flashing - a motion
which set Kenichi instinctively on alert.  "I told you, it's our
fault she's been hospitalized, and I'm going to stay here with her
for a while."
     "Control's paying for her stay here, and the hospital can handle
her."
     "Kenichi, she's a foreigner - the first words out of her mouth
last night were in Japanese - and most likely an orphan.  Can you
guarantee that they won't just discharge her onto the streets the
moment we leave?  If they do, Control can't do anything about that. 
Not unless she turns out to be an internationally-wanted criminal or 
someone very important, which I doubt."
     Terumi did have a point, though he wasn't about to concede
defeat.  "Okay... maybe they would do that, I don't know.  But we're
supposed to be completing our assignment."
     "Really.  When did we stop?  And keep your voice down - we don't
need everyone in the building knowing what we are."
     Kenichi started, then began again.  Wonderful - his
impulsiveness was again guiding his actions.  "But if you stay
here..."
     "You don't need me around to complete the assignment," Terumi
declared, matter-of-factly.  "If you do need me, I'll be around to
help."  She peered back over her shoulder at the girl lying
underneath the bedcovers.  "But until then..."
     The child chose that moment to stir.  "Mmmmmm......"
     Terumi returned to her side.  "Hello," she smiled as the girl's
eyes fluttered open.  "How do you feel this morning?"
     Kenichi pursed his lips.  He could tell that his wife was
forming an attachment to their yet-to-be-named guest.  They had been
largely to blame for the explosion and subsequent rockslide which had
injured the girl - but was it a good idea to let Terumi remain close
to her?  The child could very well be the daughter of someone who
worked at the factory or had business there... or possibly even child
labor.  There was a chance she could be connected to their assignment
in some way other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time...
Was Terumi at all aware of these possibilities?
     Carefully sitting up, the girl scanned the room until she found
a window.  "...Morning?  I... guess I feel okay.  Why?"
     Terumi inwardly winced at the girl's usage of boys' informal
Japanese in her speech.  Not only had the child been dressed somewhat
like a boy, but she spoke like a boy, too.  It was possible that she
couldn't remember how to speak like a girl, of course, but Terumi
discounted that possibility.  "You said last night that you couldn't
remember anything.  Do you remember anything today?"
     She searched her mind for a moment.  "The only thing I remember
is what happened last night when I woke up... sort of.  You were
there," she said to Terumi, then stared at Kenichi, "but you weren't."
     "How about your name, or age...?"  Kenichi thought to ask.
     ".........No."
     Terumi hurriedly broke the silence that followed.  "Well, we're
working on discovering who you are.  Until then, though, we can't
just call you 'girl' or 'you' - and I don't care much for the name
'Jane Doe,' so why don't we give you a temporary name?
     The girl blinked, as did Kenichi.  Why would anyone name her
'Jane Doe?'  "I... guess..."
     "Okay," Terumi said after some thought.  "How about 'Minako?'  I
think the name suits you."
     Kenichi frowned.  The name did fit the blond-haired girl
somewhat; given half a chance, she would clearly grow up to be a
beautiful young woman.  But the question remained - who had 'Minako'
been before falling victim to the landslide?
     Perhaps without her memories, she truly was innocent, but...
     "Well..." she considered the name.  "I suppose it's okay, for
now."  At least until I find out who I am, she amended in her
thoughts.
     Terumi beamed.  "Pleased to meet you, Minako-chan.  My name is
Aino Terumi, and this is my husband, Kenichi.  We're the ones who
found you and brought you here after you were caught in a landslide."
     Naturally, she's not telling her we caused that slide to
begin with.
     "I...... don't remember being in a landslide," Minako hesitantly
said.  She slowly ran a finger along the length of her cast, then the
bandages concealing her head wounds... and sharply withdrew her
breath when that slight pressure triggered a twinge of pain.  "Oww...
but I was in an accident, wasn't I?  Something big."
     Even Kenichi found himself softening at the sight of her weak
smile.  Oh, all right.  Maybe I don't need to be so paranoid about
her.  For now, anyway.  But if something happens, we'll deal with it.
     "Let's not worry about that now," laughed Terumi.  Time to
change the subject.  "I'll tell you the whole story about the
accident a little later.  There are a few things I'd like to speak to
you about.  Are you hungry, Minako-chan?"
     Pause.  "I think so."
     "Great.  Kenichi, would you ask the hospital staff if they can
bring something in here for her?"
     Kenichi chuckled, having caught the dual intent in his wife's
request.  "Uh-huh.  And how long would you like me to stay out of the
room?"
     "Oh... only until we tell you to come back in."
     The last words Kenichi heard as he left the room were,
"Minako-chan... I really must talk to you about the way you speak."

     In the week that followed, Minako seemed to be recovering faster
than anyone had expected - an unusual recovery which the hospital was
partially attributing to signs of physical conditioning in the girl.
     The thought that Minako may have been training herself to be an
athlete or martial-artist had come as little surprise to Terumi; the
girl had been wearing a gi, after all, albeit a highly worn and dirty
gi tailored for someone larger in stature and perhaps older than her.
But as to the person Minako had formerly been, no one could tell. 
Despite her accelerated physical recovery, Minako showed no signs of
recovering her memories... and the only details about her past
Control's numerous searches and tests had uncovered were an
approximate age and birthdate.
     Minako apparently was an orphan, as Terumi had suspected,
though she had no records or genetic link to anyone else on the
planet.  That particular fact continued to bother both Control and
Kenichi.  The girl, on the other hand, took it all in stride - Minako
possessed a cheerfulness that easily spread to others in her presence.
     Terumi had indeed developed an attachment to the girl, as
Kenichi had guessed, and young Minako now spoke and behaved for the
most part like an eleven year-old Japanese girl as a result of her
efforts.
     As much as he wanted to remain suspicious of the girl, Kenichi,
too, had formed something of an attachment to her.  He'd elected to
take Terumi's place at Minako's bedside while Minako slept late one
evening, offhandedly hoping that she would say something in her sleep
that night that might hint at who she was... Minako did talk in her
sleep that night, but only to wonder where her home was and why she
couldn't find it regardless of her searching.
     Her murmurings led Kenichi to consider what would happen once
Minako was ultimately discharged from this hospital.  Memories aside,
if all went well, the doctors planned to remove Minako's stitches and
cast well ahead of schedule.  But after she had made a full physical
recovery, then what?  They couldn't keep Minako 'under observation'
for long, no matter how much he, Terumi or their employers wanted to
keep her where they could watch her.
     No, they'd have to release the girl onto the streets with no
knowledge of who she was or where she could go - she didn't know a
word of the Chinese language, as Kenichi recalled - with perhaps a
change of clothes and a small amount of spending money that wouldn't
last long at all.  They could leave her with an orphanage, or escort
her to Japan and place her in an orphanage there... but chances were
likely that the young Minako would nonetheless wind up roaming the
streets again.
     There was also the chance that someone might adopt her to force
her into a less-than-ideal life...
     What choice did they have, however?  It was such a shame to have
to send an innocent child back into a world she wasn't prepared to
confront, without a family and a home to protect her.
     Isn't there something we can do?  Kenichi wondered while he
watched Minako sleep, her features interrupted less by the occasional
restless murmur.  Whatever nightmare or dream that had set her to
wondering where her home was had hopefully passed.  If she is just
an orphan who happened to wander into the wrong place at the wrong
time, she deserves more than all that.  But what can we do?
     He stood, walking over to the nearest window and drew the blinds
open as quietly as he could manage, in order to stare at the starlit
sky those blinds had concealed.  Maybe there's someone we know who
wouldn't mind adopting her.  Someone who can provide her with a good
home and try to keep her out of trouble.
     That left the question - who did they know that wouldn't mind
taking Minako in as a daughter?  Most of the friends and
acquaintances he or Terumi had were involved with the agency in some
manner.  Was that the kind of life to potentially place the girl
within?  High espionage?  Always fearing for her father or mother's
life, or her own?
     Kenichi shook his head.  He glanced back at Minako to see that
the moonlight shining through the window illuminated her face.  I
don't know... we really should be discussing this with her.  Later.
     Was it a good idea to worry as much about Minako's future when
they weren't thoroughly certain she was a complete innocent?

     Kenichi slowly tapped the small keys of his laptop's keyboard
until 'June 17' appeared at the top of the on-screen window, then
hesitated, watching the thin cursor blink for a few seconds before
bringing a finger down upon the colon key.
     It had become a nightly procedure for him to file progress
reports from the hotel room he and his wife had rented; while a
handful of notable leads had finally narrowed their choices for the
cartel's home base down to two hidden locations, the only noteworthy
event of the day was the news that Minako would have her cast removed
the following morning.  If all went well, the hospital planned to
discharge her by the afternoon - at which point Minako was to be
placed into Kenichi and Terumi's custody until they could determine
what should be done with her.
     The only problem was that neither he nor Terumi had been able to
come to a decision on that issue.
     Every single attempt to uncover Minako's identity had produced
nothing helpful.  The blond-haired girl simply seemed not to have any
trace of an identity at all, or family, and Kenichi could tell that
upset Minako regardless of the great effort to which she went to hide
how she truly felt behind her accustomed good cheer.
     One possibility for Minako's future which Kenichi continued to
entertain was the thought that a friend of the family might possibly
adopt her, though Kenichi wasn't sure how he would begin to propose
the idea to Terumi.  
     He hadn't expected her to suggest adoption to him.
     "Kenichi?"  she asked from where she lay on the bed that was
bolted to the wall on the opposite side of the room.  "I've... been
thinking.  Why don't we adopt Minako-chan?"
     Kenichi kept his eyes on the laptop's screen, exhaling.  "I was
thinking about that, myself, but I had no idea how to ask you--"
     Wait.  She hadn't said, "Why don't we ask our friends if one of
them can adopt Minako-chan?" or something like that, but rather, "Why
don't we adopt Minako-chan?"
     He pivoted in his chair to face her.  "Wait a minute.  Us, adopt
her?  We... but, didn't we agree our job was too dangerous for us to
start a family?"
     Terumi pulled herself to the end of the bed and sat upon it. 
"That was when we were thinking of starting a family the traditional
way," she said, meeting her husband's gaze.  "If we tried raising a
baby while we're both on active duty..."
     She collected herself.  "But Minako-chan... she's older, and
better able to deal with all of this.  I'm not saying I think she'll
eventually work for the agency like us - I think it would be best if
she didn't - though I know she will be better off with us than if we
left her to the streets or an orphanage."  Terumi paused.  "You
thought that maybe someone among our families or friends might not
mind taking her in, I suppose."
     "Well... yes.  I didn't think of including us because we had
made that agreement.  But the two of us, adopting Minako...... I need
to think about it.  We never did find any indication of who she may
have been, and--"
     "It's been over two weeks, Kenichi.  You know that if there
was anything about her out there to find, the crew at Control would
have found that information well before now," interrupted Terumi. 
"As far as the agency is concerned, she's got no records and no
family; they've given me the go-ahead to adopt her."
     Kenichi mentally scolded himself for not recognizing that Terumi
had clearly thought about the matter far more than he had first
guessed.  "That means..."
     "I've already gone through all the official processes and papers
for adoption.  The only thing left is for you to give your
permission, and we can tell Minako-chan the good news."
     He breathed an exasperated sigh, briefly slumping forward in
defeat before standing.  She's already taken care of most
everything.  "I want to think about it for a while.  This is a
considerable decision... I want to be sure this will work in the long
run."  There was no question that they were both worried about
Minako's future.  Now, what kind of parents would they be for her?

     Minako's gaze remained fixed on her left arm as the doctor
carefully and slowly cut across the outer length of her cast with a
saw that looked slightly odd to her.  A lesser cut had been made
along the opposite, inner edge beforehand; the doctor had warned her
that he planned to open her cast as though it were a hinge, and slide
it away from her arm.
     She stared with a vague fascination at her arm after the cast
had been removed.  Two weeks in a cast had left her arm appearing
pale and seemingly smaller, more so when she compared it to her right
arm.  Hopefully, thought Minako, that would change after she'd had
time to let circulation return to normal in the arm and some exposure
to the sun. 
     "Okay... Minako, I want you to flex your arm.  It will be
somewhat stiff at first, but as long as you do not feel any
significant pain and continue exercising the arm, it should return to
normal."
     Minako glanced at Terumi, who was leaning against the nearest
wall, attempting not to look as concerned as she knew the woman truly
was.  Kenichi stood next to her, his concern somewhat less apparent
than Terumi's.  She had come to regard them both as her unofficial
parents, after a fashion.  It pained Minako that she could not
remember her parents... much less herself.  If she was an orphan,
what had happened to her or her parents to leave her without a home?
     The doctors insisted that if her memories hadn't returned by
now, she would more than likely never be able to recover what the
amnesia had taken from her.  That meant that even if she was reunited
with her parents, she wouldn't recognize or remember them.
     "Minako?"
     She blinked.  "Oh, sorry," Minako quickly apologized.  "I was
just thinking about something..."  She pursed her lips, letting her
voice trail away.  I won't cry.  I won't cry!
     Terumi moved to reassure her, resting a hand on the girl's
shoulder.  "It's okay.  Don't worry about it," she offered.  I wish
I knew exactly what's troubling her...
     Minako flexed her arm twice, noting how much it resisted her.
     "How does it feel?  Is there any pain?"
     "No," she answered.  "I guess it feels okay.  It doesn't really
hurt at all."
     "Good, good.  Now, to be safe, I want you to avoid putting that
arm through much stress for at least the next week or two.  I do not
think you have anything to worry about, however, seeing as how you
have made such a wonderful recovery."
     Inwardly, Minako sighed.  Her 'recovery' was due in part to one
of the details of her lost past - that for some reason, she had been
putting her body through some sort of physical conditioning.
     Terumi had mentioned the clothes she'd been wearing when they
found her, after she had fallen victim to the rockslide; the gi
suggested she was training to be a martial artist, while the boys'
boxer shorts made her cringe every time she thought about having worn
such a thing.  Blast it, she was a girl!  Why in the world would a
girl be wearing boys' underwear?
     Maybe she had been too poor to buy the proper kind of
underwear, as Terumi had suggested.  She certainly could have found
her clothes by rummaging through trash or having someone give it to
her.  With no money, she'd have to take what she could get.
     But the idea of wearing boys' underwear still disgusted her. 
Terumi's explanation made sense, though if she'd worn the underwear
for some other reason... That was a possible aspect of her past
she didn't mind losing.
     "That is it, then.  After we take care of the paperwork, you
will be free to go."
     Free to go... where?
     Once she left this hospital, she would temporarily find herself
in Terumi and Kenichi's custody.  But after that, was she to head
back out onto the streets?
     Minako glanced down at the white blouse and blue denim coveralls
Terumi had bought for her, along with the proper underwear, socks and
shoes.  Well, I guess these are better for walking all over the
place than some stupid old gi...
     ...But not here, she amended.  If I'm gonna go back to the
streets, I'll ask Mr. and Mrs. Aino to drop me off in Japan.  I
should be somewhere where I can speak the language.
     She wondered if whatever skills she had developed for surviving
on the streets were still a part of her instincts, or would return
once she was on her way.
     Minako frowned.  I've known for a while that I'll have to do
all this... and I'm only now thinking about it?  Mina, you are SO
stupid...
     On a sudden impulse, she stood, drawing herself away from the
hospital bed in which she'd spent most of the past two weeks - though
Minako wasn't sure why everyone had insisted she stay in this room
for such a long time.  A head wound requiring stitches, one broken
arm and a handful of bruises didn't warrant a two-week stay, as far
as she could tell.  Something to do with her lack of an identity,
perhaps?  A girl who had no records would probably make who knew how
many people suspicious of her.
     She made her way into the room's small bathroom, pausing before
the mirror mounted above the sink.  How does somebody get to be
eleven without... well, being somebody?  I've gotta have some kind of
record somewhere...  Her gaze fell upon the simple, generic
plastic comb lying upon a tissue beside the soap.  The hospital staff
had given her the comb - as part of their standard procedures -
although they hadn't been sure if a larger brush would be of more
help to the girl, what with her long fall of hair; aside from her
new clothes, the comb was her only possession.  She began brushing
her hair slowly, yet deliberately, in the careful manner which Terumi
had taught her.
     I can't REALLY survive on the streets, can I?
     Her expression fell.  Street life had to be tremendously more
difficult than what her mind had been picturing out of optimism. 
Even if she had led that kind of life before losing her memory, did
she really want to spend whatever future she had left desperately
scrounging for food, clothes, money and shelter?
     "Minako-chan?"  Terumi called to her from the bathroom's
doorway.  "We're done.  Are you ready to go?  Or maybe you would
prefer to stay around here for a while?"
     "No... I'm ready," she said absently, pushing the comb into the
breast pocket of her coveralls before moving to join Terumi at the
door.  I guess...

     Traffic on the city streets, Minako idly noted from where she
sat in the rear seat of her guardians' car, consisted primarily of a
lot of people riding bicycles.  There weren't as many cars on the
road as she'd assumed there would be in a fair-sized city, which
meant that the drive from the hospital to the hotel where Terumi and
Kenichi were staying would be over before she knew it.  While in the
hospital's parking lot, Terumi had mentioned that they'd checked into
a different room at the hotel, one which would have another bedroom
just for Minako to use.
     Oh, good.  Another room, all to herself.  No doubt she'd be
spending every day - well, at least until her guardians sent her to
live again on the street - lying on a bed, and worrying about
everything.
     The doctors had suggested she keep a journal or diary as a way
of distracting herself, and a means of keeping track of her 'new'
life.
     She didn't have anything that could serve as a journal, however.
     In her opinion, the doctors were being considerably more
optimistic than she was, in believing that a journal might somehow
help trigger memories of her past.  Even they had to admit that her
memories became less likely to return as time passed.
     She was Minako now, and Minako only.  I bet I didn't have much
of a life as an orphan.  I wouldn't've had a family name, anyway.  So
what did I lose, other than my name?
     "Minako-chan?"
     Minako brought her head up to find that Terumi was peering over
the top of the front seat, staring at her.  "You've been terribly
quiet back there.  What have you been thinking about?"
     You mean you don't know?  she thought for a second, until
Minako realized the woman was deliberately trying to get her to
discuss whatever was occupying her thoughts.
     Did she want to share those thoughts with Terumi?  Whether or
not Terumi did know precisely what she was thinking - as if she had
much else to worry about, really - didn't matter.
     What mattered was that her problems would never be addressed if
she kept them to herself.  "I don't wanna go back to living on the
streets," she said after working up the courage to speak.  "Ever.  I
don't care if that might've been the way I used to live."
     Terumi's expression softened.  She'd spent the morning wondering
how she would approach the issue with Minako - and here, Minako had
taken the first step for her.  "Do you have any plans... an idea
where you might go?"
     "No."
     "I might have an idea..." Terumi hinted, barely suppressing the
urge to smile.
     "Really?"  asked Minako, relieved.  She'd hoped that Terumi
would be able to suggest an alternative or three to her 'former
life,' particularly since she hadn't had time to think of anything
beyond the desire not to return to the life she might have been
forced to live.
     "Yes."  Terumi couldn't help but feel anxious, herself; what
would she do if Minako didn't want to be their daughter?  She
hesitated.  "You're aware how we're to be your temporary guardians,
until we determine where you'll be going?  What would you say if...
if Kenichi and I were to become your parents?"
     Minako's eyes widened.  "Y-you want to... adopt me?"
     Terumi cocked her head at a slight angle, finally allowing her
smile and a wink to show.  "Actually, we already have.  We're on our
way to have your picture taken for your ID card and passport, and
then the stores to pick up some clothes and other things.  How does
that sound to you... Aino Minako?"
     Minako repeated the name a few times to herself.  Aino Minako.
She had a name.  A family name - one that told the world she was the
daughter of Terumi and Kenichi Aino.
     A feeling of giddiness rose in her.  This feels so weird.  Do I
want this?  She shoved the thought to the rear of her mind.  Yeah, I
do.  Her only other choice was to be an orphan, wishing for someone
to take her in as Mr. and Mrs. Aino had done, regretting that she
hadn't let them adopt her.
     "I like it," she grinned, even as parts of her body felt as
though they were going numb for some reason.  "Thank you... Mom, Dad."

     [...And that's how I came to be Aino Minako.]
     Minako let herself fall backward onto her bed, her golden hair
billowing all about her in the process, and raised her journal high
above her head with both hands.
     The idea that she truly was someone's daughter now still felt
somewhat strange to her.  She had gone from being a nameless amnesiac
orphan to Aino Minako - though whatever memories she may have had were
now gone, with little hope of their return.
     She did look the part now, as well.  Her mother had bought her a
few more clothes to supplement the coveralls which had already become
her favorite, promising to help her put together a better wardrobe
once they returned to their home in Japan.
     Minako had wondered for a second if visiting Japan would somehow
cause her to remember anything.  Everyone had told her she was
Japanese, and had been speaking Japanese when they admitted her into
the hospital.  What would happen if she did recall something, or
met someone who had known her previous self, now that she was Minako?
     Terumi had assured her that if anything did happen, the three of
them would deal with it together, as a family - a vow which had set
the young girl at ease.
     They'd bought a handful of things other than clothes - mostly
for her to keep herself well-groomed, but her journal and a small
Chinese-to-Japanese dictionary numbered among those items.  She had
even tried to talk her new mother and father into allowing her to
have her ears pierced while they were at it, but Terumi had refused,
telling her to wait another two or three years.  "There's no need to
rush.  You look beautiful with or without earrings," Terumi had
attempted to guide her pouting daughter away from the subject.
     None of what they had bought her was enough to keep her busy for
long, to Minako's disappointment.  She didn't have much to offer the
pages of her journal, and the process of trying to learn the Chinese
language by way of staring at the pages of a dictionary was
dramatically dull.
     Whatever it was her parents did at work kept them out for quite
a bit of the day, leaving her to stay by herself in their hotel room.
There was supposed to be someone down the hall, watching her, whom
she could call if she needed help... but Minako didn't think her
mother and father would appreciate her pestering him simply because
she was extremely bored.
     Watching television wasn't too much of an option unless she
could somehow understand what was being said.  She did not have much
patience to stare at the screen for long, otherwise.  Minako had even
given a slight bit of thought to snooping or possibly finding some
kind of game to play on her father's laptop - though she had no idea
how to get it running and use it, much less open the set of locks on
the case in which the laptop was stored.
     She shut her journal and, carefully locking it, pushed the book
under her pillow before rearranging herself on the bed.
     "So," Minako exhaled.  "Now, all I have t'do is make it through
the next seventy-two hours, and..."
     She sighed, then shook her head.  "Remind me not to say anything
like that when I've got nothing to do."
     A sudden knock at the hotel room's door saved her from having to
dwell on her boredom.  Minako bounced off the bed and made her way to
the door, grabbing a chair for the express purpose of peering through
the spyglass near the top of the door.
     There were only three people whom Kenichi had instructed her she
could talk to through the door, much less for whom she could open the
door; her parents counted for two of those people.  The third was a
man younger than her father, whom Minako knew only as 'Scout.'
     It was Scout who stood on the opposite side of the door.
     To be sure, Minako raised her voice.  "Who is it?"
     "It's me," Scout answered, fully aware that she was watching him
through the small lens.  Both he and the young girl knew better than
to trust only sight in a situation like this, though Minako wasn't
sure why she needed to bother with the checks.
     Minako hopped off the chair, once satisfied that there was
nobody waiting to force their way into the room, and quickly shoved
the chair to the side.  She unlatched the deadbolt - which,
thankfully, she could reach without needing to stand on a chair -
opening the door long enough to allow Scout in.
     In her opinion, the man seemed intent on making himself blend in
with the background or a crowd, intentionally trying to be fully
inconspicuous whenever possible.  He was mildly handsome, after a
roguish fashion... Scout tended to act somewhat shy and apologetic
around her, for some reason Minako couldn't discern and which the man
refused to discuss.
     "I brought lunch," Scout said, holding up a pair of small paper
bags from a nearby fast-food outlet, one whose food Minako had come
to love.  Minako was establishing herself as a 'stereotypical
teenager' in that sense, her face lighting up whenever she was given
the chance to eat french fries and cheeseburgers.
     She took the bag he offered and peered into it.  Everything she
expected to find was there, including... "A hot-fudge sundae?" 
Minako exclaimed, glancing up from the plastic container that held
the ice cream, to the man's face.
     Scout nodded.  "Yeah.  I saw how you liked the last one, so I
thought I'd get you another.  Just don't tell your Mom and Dad
I'm getting you all this ice cream, okay?  Terumi'll think I'm trying
to spoil you."
     Minako plopped onto the bed nearest the door and began pulling
her food out of the bag.  "I won't.  Thank you," she said, recalling
her manners.
     They ate in silence for the better part of five minutes, Scout
having taken the chair to the far side of the room's only television.
Finally, Minako decided to risk asking Scout a question.  "Is there a
way I can get something else in here to do?  All I've got t'do is
write in my journal or sleep, and I'm bored!"
     Scout raised an eyebrow.  "You haven't tried watching the TV?"
     "Yeah, but why?  I don't understand any of the language..."
     "It never hurts to learn a second language."
     Minako considered that idea.  "Well... maybe.  But I don't think
I'm gonna learn all the language in a few days.  Mom did say that's
how long we're gonna stay here before going home..."
     That was true; now that the Ainos had an innocent daughter
accompanying them, their superiors had decided that if there were no
notable developments in their assignment by the end of the week,
Terumi and Kenichi would be allowed to take Minako home.  Once they
had Minako situated there, they could return - they were the field
agents in charge of the assignment, after all - and attempt to wrap
everything up.
     She sat back on the bed.  "What do Mom and Dad do that keep them
out all day?"  Minako asked, meeting Scout's gaze.  "They said
they're out checking out all the businesses in the area t'see what
all of them are like, and if there are any places where their bosses
can open up a new branch, whatever that means.  But we've all been
here about, what?  Four weeks?  Surely, business trips don't take a
month.  And Mom and Dad don't even go out in dress clothes."
     Scout had to make an effort to hide his surprise.  Minako was
remarkably observant - with time and some training, the girl might
become a good agent... though Terumi had made it quite clear that she
didn't want her daughter following in her footsteps, much less risk
entering the field of law enforcement.  After having been on far too
many assignments to count, Scout could understand Terumi wanting to
keep Minako from having to live that sort of life.  He himself shared
part of the blame for the girl who had become Aino Minako being
caught in a landslide triggered by Kenichi's demolition charges...
     Realizing he was letting his thoughts drift, Scout recalled the
part of their cover story that applied to Minako's questions. 
"Well... don't tell anyone I told you this, either, but we're also
taking a slight vacation while we're here."
     "Then why can't I go with Mom and Dad?"
     He laughed.  "We have to keep up the illusion that we're
actually working."
     "Oh.  Why are you sitting around in a room a few doors down?"
     Pause.  "Someone has to keep an eye on you."
     "Then you'd be sitting around here, not there."
     Yes, she was observant, wasn't she?  "Umm..." Scout hemmed, and
immediately regretted it - hesitation while working out the
subtleties of a cover story usually wasn't a good thing.  "Your mom
knew we might have to stick around here for a while, and she didn't
want you to feel like you were being kept under guard, or anything
like that."
     "Oh, okay."  Privately, however, Minako was hardly convinced. 
What she knew of her mother told her that Terumi would insist on
protecting her as much as possible, if she could help it.  Therefore,
it didn't quite make sense for Scout to keep his distance from her,
if he was indeed her babysitter.  She made a mental note to try
investigating the whole confusing matter on her own - in secret. 
Assuming she could figure out how to make such an investigation, of
course.
     Scout seized the chance to change the subject.  "I'll tell you
what - if your Mom doesn't mind, maybe we can go out and have some
fun for a few hours.  You know, like at that arcade near here, or
something."
     Minako blinked.  "Really?"  She paused.  "Arcade?  What's an
arcade?"
     "Oops."  Scout ran a hand through the hair at the back of his
head, sheepishly.  "I forgot... you probably don't remember what an
arcade is."  
     Minako gave him a glare of mock indifference in response, hands
on hips.  "I could've not known what an arcade was before I lost my
mind."
     She blinked.  "Um... I don't think that's what I meant to say."

     The phone resting on the small would-be nightstand next to
Terumi's side of the bed began to ring.
     Her eyes slowly bleared open after the third ring; Terumi stared
blankly at the phone until her mind registered what the phone was and
what it was doing.
     "I know this place doesn't have wake-up calls," she muttered,
reaching out a hand to pick up the receiver.  That the room was still
rather dark meant the sun obviously had yet to rise.  Kenichi had a
digital travel alarm clock, but that lay on his nightstand, well out
of her sight.  
     An image of her daughter asleep in the other bedroom flashed for
an instant through her thoughts.  With luck, the noise wouldn't
bother Minako.  Better for Minako to sleep, not troubled by phone
calls from Control at odd times throughout the night.
     Scout and their superiors at Control were the only people who
had the telephone number to their hotel room, more so after they'd
moved to a larger room for Minako's sake, and it stood to reason that
Control was the more likely of the two to bother them at an obscure
hour such as this.  At least Scout knew better than to interrupt
their sleep unless he had something truly and unavoidably crucial to
report.
     "...mmm... hello...?"
     Terumi's eyes widened as she listened to the voice at the other
end of the line.  "You have?"  she exclaimed, promptly wincing as she
heard her raised voice crack.  She hadn't disturbed Kenichi - or
worse, Minako - with that outburst, had she?
     The voice wasn't about to give her much of an opportunity to
check.  "Right," Terumi said, barely keeping the irritation out of
her words.  "It'll be the first thing on our agenda this morning." 
Not the best response to give a superior who wanted you to start
working on a priority assignment in the middle of the night, Terumi
supposed, but if they seriously thought they could get her to start
her morning this early...
     "So, what did they say?"  Kenichi murmured, not bothering to
lift his head from his own pillow as Terumi dropped the phone's
receiver back onto its hook.
     Terumi started.  "How long have you been awake?"
     "Since the phone began ringing," came her husband's muffled
reply.
     She fell silent for a handful of seconds.  "Do you think it woke
Minako-chan?"
     "You aren't going to wake her up that easily," Kenichi chuckled.
He turned underneath the covers to face her.  "Believe me - she's a
really sound sleeper."
     Terumi felt a touch of jealousy for a moment at the thought
Kenichi might know something about their little girl that she didn't.
Hopefully, if both she and Kenichi completed the day's assignment
without problem, they would have far more time to spend with Minako.
     She exhaled.  Minako would undoubtedly learn the truth about
what her parents did for a living sooner or later, but Terumi had
resolved to keep her daughter innocent of the world of espionage as
long as she could.  Minako should have the opportunity to live her
life without having to worry about finding food or clothes - or
whether or not someone might want to threaten her life.
     Terumi was grateful for the fact that she definitely could do
something to make the world in which her daughter lived more of a
safe place.  "They said they've found it.  We're supposed to go there
today."
     She saw what she took to be surprise manifest for a brief moment
on Kenichi's face, while her eyes continued to adjust to the
darkness.  Kenichi quietly snorted a laugh.  "Really?  Well, I'm not
surprised... we've cleared most of the other locations, after all."
     They fell silent for a few minutes as they heard Minako give a
low groan from her bed, shifting within her covers.
     "Well," Terumi took the opportunity to change the subject. 
"What time is it?"
     Kenichi glanced at his clock.  "Uh... four fifty-two."
     "Figures they'd call us now, instead of later in the morning." 
Terumi dropped her pillow over her head.
     "You know they just want us to get out there as soon as
possible."
     That idea earned a snort from Terumi.  "Right.  After all, the
bad guys have to sleep, too.  We might as well get going while
they're all still in bed."
     Kenichi shook his head, grateful that his wife couldn't see his
face at the moment.  Terumi was by far not what some people had come
to describe as a 'morning person,' and from all appearances, it
seemed that Minako would follow in her mother's footsteps in that
regard.
     He could argue the point with Terumi all he wanted, going so far
as to quote rules, policies or common sense - but she wouldn't drag
herself out of bed until she was ready.
     With a sigh, Kenichi pushed his covers to the side and sat on
the edge of the bed.  "I'm going to take a bath."
     Terumi's only response was a mumble that sounded suspiciously
like, "Have fun."

     "Minako-chan...?"
     Kenichi's right, Terumi thought with a slight smile as she
took a moment to watch her daughter sleep.  Minako, it seemed, could
sleep through almost anything; not even the small commotion she and
Kenichi made each morning while they prepared to leave bothered the
girl.
     She wondered if an alarm clock would be able to wake Minako...
An image of a teenaged Minako missing her classes because she
couldn't even escape her bedcovers crossed Terumi's thoughts.
     "Well, I'll just have to have Kenichi wake her up every day,"
she muttered to herself after a pause, before carefully brushing
Minako's golden bangs away from her forehead in order to give her a
quick kiss.  What was it about little Minako-chan that inspired the
image of a beautiful angel in her mind, particularly when Minako
slept?
     Terumi smiled again as she straightened.  I'm her mother, now. 
I'm supposed to believe she's more precious than anything in the
entire universe.
     She took a step back, preparing to leave Minako's impromptu
bedroom, then hesitated.  Of course, she IS more precious than
anything in the entire universe.
     "I do hope you're awake by the time we return later this
afternoon, young lady," Terumi told her, unable to keep a chuckle
from breaking through her words.  "We'll pick up some food on the
way back - maybe even one of those ice cream sundaes I know Scout's
been buying for you."

     "I... love you."
     Minako felt a wave of euphoria rise inside her at the sound of
the words.
     Love.
     Such a wonderful emotion.  Love had become very important to her.
     She'd managed to find an American movie on television that had
been redubbed into Japanese, and was now being shown with Chinese
subtitles.  The movie was a 'Western' produced in recent times, with
all that cool stuff about fighting and honor.  Minako had spent some
time playing a gunslinger against one or two of the characters as
their shootouts unfolded in the movie... and had wound up dodging a
lot of bullets.  
     But the scenes showing a romance between the lead and the woman
who owned the town's saloon... those were intriguing, too.  They had
hated each other after they'd met, but now...
     Minako lay on her stomach on her parents' bed, watching intently
as the pair shared a deep kiss.  Her eyes widened.  "Whoa..."
     Love, she surmised, was a strong emotion that could end
conflicts.  Even merely watching someone in love could make others
feel wonderful.
     And what about the friend who'd seen that the pair in the movie
were in love - whether or not they were willing to admit it, or even
recognized it - a 'matchmaker,' the movie had called him?
     A person, a friend, who... helped love.  Brought people
together, at that.  Now, wasn't that an interesting idea?
     Minako pushed herself up, standing atop the bed - and allowed
herself the pleasure of a quick bounce before striking a pose.  "Aino
Minako, Goddess of Love.  In the name of love..." 
     Her voice trailed away.  She fell backward onto the bed,
breaking into a short fit of giggles.  Where had that come from?
     The ringing of the phone ended that line of thought.  Minako
quickly rolled toward the nightstand, grabbing the phone.  "Hello?"
     "Are you Aino Minako?"  A man, speaking in semi-broken
Japanese.  Someone whose voice she didn't recognize.
     "...Yes," Minako said, slowly.  "Who is this?"  Her parents had
insisted - though she still found it curious - she not speak to
anyone except them or Scout, without permission.
     A pause.  "You're alone."
     "No, I'm not."
     "You are," the man assured her.  "Your... babysitter is in his
room, right now.  You are definitely alone, little Minako.  We have
been watching all of you for a few days.  Would you... like to know
the truth about your parents?"
     "What d'you mean, 'the truth about my parents?'"  she demanded,
alarms beginning to blare in her mind.  That rule about not speaking
to strangers was making more sense.  
     "Would you not like to know, little girl?  You can ask them all
about it.  We have them both... and we will get you and your adult
friend very soon.  To join them."
     Minako barely heard the click that gave way to a dial tone;
whoever the man was who claimed to know all about her and her parents
had hung up.  He could be on one of those portable phones her father
and mother used, waiting outside the door to their hotel room this
very moment.  Around the corner of the building.  In the parking lot.
"We have been watching all of you for a few days," he'd said, and
that implied he had to be somewhere nearby, didn't it?  How else
would he be able to "get you and your adult friend very soon?"
     I'm scared, she thought, as she set the phone's receiver back
into its cradle.  Or am I?  Minako couldn't tell; she was indeed
frightened, yet another fragment of her mind was urging her to storm
outside, find whoever was threatening her and her family, and... beat
them up, or something like that.
     Just as she was beginning to wonder if that line of thought was
also an indication of the sort of person she had been, the phone rang
again, causing her to nearly leap away from it in surprise.
     She made an effort to regain her breath.  "H-hello?"
     "Mina-chan?"  Scout's familiar greeting quickly set her at
ease - though only for a moment.  "I tried to call you a couple of
minutes ago, but you were on the line.  Was that your mom and dad
calling?"
     "No," Minako answered, after trying to determine what she should
say.  How was she supposed to tell him that a stranger had called to
announce there were people out to get her and Scout - a gang or even
an entire army of bad guys, for all she knew?
     Ultimately, her anxiety and fear pushed aside every other
concern; she blurted out her account of the phone call in nearly a
single breath.
     Minako sensed a distinct shift in her guardian's demeanor -
though she wasn't quite sure how she had, as Scout had yet to say
anything.  "What... are we gonna do?"  If only Mom and Dad had given
her a phone number for them as well as Scout, she might have called
them to see if there was any truth to the bad guys' claim.
     "Don't go anywhere," Scout instructed her, "and don't answer the
phone if it rings.  I want you to stay away from the windows, lock
the door, and only open it if I'm on the other side telling you to
open it.  Do you understand?"
     "Uh... y-yes.  But..."
     "Minako, this is important.  Extremely.  I don't think whoever
called you was doing it to play a joke."
     Again, she heard the click that indicated Scout had ended the
call, then the dial tone.  "But that's kinda what I wanted to ask
about," Minako muttered to herself.  She couldn't imagine why anyone
might think telling her they'd kidnapped her parents and were soon
coming for her was a good joke to make.  Rather, she wanted to know
the reasons why someone believed she, her parents and Scout were
important enough to watch for a few days before kidnapping the lot of
them.

     Minako struggled to make some measure of sense out of the number
of thoughts demanding attention in her mind, from where Scout had
tightly buckled her into the passenger seat of his jeep.  To her
annoyance, unfortunately, the sounds of the blasted thing's engine
and the wind tossing her long hair in almost every direction about
her face were not making it any easier for her to concentrate.
     Scout had barely given her time to dress before rushing her away
from the hotel, only pausing long enough for the man to thoroughly
check his car for 'explosive devices,' as he called them.  Bombs? 
she again wondered.  Were the bad guys willing to use that kind of
tactic against them?
     The telephone call seemed to have indicated that they wanted her
and Scout alive, at least until she was reunited with her parents. 
Then again, they could have called just to scare her and force her
into the jeep...
     She shook her head.  Why was someone making a big deal over
three adults who were reportedly in China on a business trip?
     "Would you... like to know the truth about your parents?"
     Okay, so she hadn't yet gotten around to asking her new family
exactly what sort of stuff they did in the name of work.  Was she
supposed to ask anyone who adopted her whether or not they had any
shameful, dark secrets that might somehow put her life at risk, then?
     Not that a bit of danger or other excitement every once in a
while was a bad thing...
     A sharp turn sent another round of blond hair flying up, into
her face. She wished she'd had a chance to tie her hair back, or even
pull on a hat; Scout didn't seem at all bothered by it - maybe he'd
say he had more important stuff on his mind - but it wasn't his
super-long hair whipping everywhere without any restraint.  What was
that saying or phrase?  Driving her over the wall?
     Whatever.  Wasn't the jeep doing something like that, anyway? 
Why couldn't he have gotten something with a roof?
     Minako reached back to gather her hair and attempt to hold it
again for a while.  The whole fall was long and thick enough that she
supposed she could sit on it - not that she wanted to do that to her
hair.  Mom had taught her to care for it, take pride in it, as it was
an important part of her beauty...
     Mom... Dad...  She tried not to let her imagination run loose,
imagining one terrible possibility after another.  What in the world
were the bad guys doing to her mother and father?  And why bother her
family?  Terumi and Kenichi had been extremely nice to her, as far as
she was aware; they'd adopted her, taken her away from an assuredly
terrible life she couldn't remember.
     She was Aino Minako, and if anyone thought they would make her
hide somewhere while who knew what was happening or being done to her
parents... Minako was hardly sure what actions she might take, but
that could wait.  Her instinct seemed to be telling her to react, not
think.
     Fine.  I'm not scared.  She cast a peripheral glance at Scout.
If something HAS happened, he'd better hope he's not gonna try to
'keep me safe,' either.  I'm going wherever he's going, no matter
what!  It was her Mom and Dad the bad guys were threatening...
     "Okay, Minako-chan," Scout said without looking away from the
road.  "I know your mom and dad'll be upset with me for telling you
this... and I suppose you might not believe me at all, but... I want
you to listen to all of it, first.  Okay?"
     Minako took a brief moment to consider everything.  "I... guess
so..."
     "Even your mother knew you would discover the truth about us at
some point in the future," he admitted.  "She hoped to keep you
innocent of all this as long as she could, but she hadn't expected
you to deduce as much as you have by now, or... that this might
happen."
     "Eh...?  Oh."  She blushed, staring into her lap.  "But..."
     "You want to know why she wanted to keep you unaware, right?"
     Her resolve returned.  "...Yes."
     "The three of us - your Mom, Dad and I - we're 'spies,' I guess
you can call us.  Intelligence agents."
     Minako blinked.  "Oh, okay."
     This time, Scout risked studying her through a sidelong glance. 
That wasn't the reaction he had expected from the young girl.  Had
she managed to make that deduction, as well?
     He felt another twinge of guilt; Minako might well grow up to
become a wonderful agent - but despite having been wandering deep
within China as an orphan, what sort of person would she have become
before his mistake helped to erase her memory?
     "Umm... what are spies and intelligence agents?"
     Scout's hands nearly slipped from the steering wheel.  Darn it!  I 
keep forgetting...  She was too young and innocent to know much about the 
world of espionage - except for what she might have seen while watching 
television in her room, after all.  And now, the young woman was being 
introduced to that world in one of the worst possible ways... especially 
considering her life was now just as much at risk as anyone else in the 
group. 
     "Well..." He paused once more, wondering how best to explain the 
complex concepts to the girl.  "What kind of shows have you been watching
on the TV?"
     Minako gave him a dubious look.

(...to be continued...)