New Beginnings

NEW BEGINNINGS

By

Debra A.  Soles

© copyright by Debra A.  Soles,  July 2011

Cover Art by Eliza Black, July 2011

ISBN 978-1-60394-509-7

New Concepts Publishing

Lake Park, GA 31636

www.newconceptspublishing.com

This is a work of fiction.  All characters, events, and places are of the author’s imagination and not to be confused with fact.  Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.

When Natsuki opened the door to Ryuu's insistent knocking, Natsuki's whole face lit up in a grin. Laughing he threw his arms around Ryuu in a tight almost strangling hug.

"Jeez Ryuu, I've been trying to get in touch with you for months. You'll never in a million years believe what has happened."

"What happened to Megumi? The gang girls don't even know who she is. I busted in there and she is just gone." Ryuu grabbed Natsuki's arms and tried to breath.

"Come on and I'll explain on the way to Tamayama's new place." Natsuki kept grinning, grabbed his keys and pulled Ryuu out of the apartment behind him.

"She is okay right?" Ryuu couldn't hold back from asking the question.

"Still hung up on my cousin I see." Natsuki laughed.

"I'll never not be Natsuki, but you already knew that." Ryuu plainly stated.

"True, I just like teasing you. From what Tama says she is better than okay. He swears the old Megumi is back."

"How did she manage to get away from the gang? And an even better question, why don't they know who she is?" Ryuu started in on his endless questions as they drove the ten minutes to Megumi's brother Tama's apartment.

"Tama actually got her out with the help of some new friends." Natsuki waved his hand over the steering wheel in front of him as he explained.

"How by mind molding all those girls like some wacky episode of Star Track?" Ryuu snorted.

"You would be surprised how close you are to the truth. I will leave that to Tama to explain. Jeez, you can't even imagine the changes in that family. First of all, Aunt Yui has been completely healed by these new friends."

Ryuu's head snapped sideways to gawk at Natsuki. "What? She has been completely healed?"

Natsuki nodded with a huge grin. "Completely, it's amazing. She is perfectly healthy now. If I didn't know she had been sick, I would never have guessed."

"But she was so close to death's door for years. How can she be miraculously healed?" Ryuu asked in a state of confoundment.

"How can a whole group of girls magically forget another person's existence?" Natsuki shot back. "These friends are… let's say special."

Dodging traffic, Natsuki slid into a parking space and killed the engine. "Come on, I'll let Tama explain everything."

* * * *

Seeing Akland stationed at the door, Megumi spoke to him first not knowing if she would be killed or tortured for entering without permission. "I would like to speak to Queen Shiva for a moment if I may."

Sighing as if she were the universe's worst bother, Akland opened the door then stepped in. "Your majesty the Earth alien would like a word."

Shiva was stretched out on her back, laying on her platform, playing with a teddy bear. She kept throwing the bear up in the air and catching it in-between all four of her paws. With a grin, she caught it one more time, this time with her mouth, giving it one violent shake, before rolling over on her belly and dropping it between her front paws.

"Perfect timing, I'm bored, so come entertain me."

Grimacing, Megumi, then Dragunter stepped into the room, she remembered to bow respectfully as Akland hurried back out, closing the door behind him. "Your majesty, if I may, I would like to ask you about another guest…" She tripped over the word not knowing a politer way to ask. "Another guest you have visiting you here."

Cheeks spreading wide, showing a sharp row of teeth, Shiva grinned saucily and spoke to Megumi in a rhyming singsong. "You found an Oda in the garden, didn't you?"

Heart pounding and hoping this meant not only did Shiva know about Earth, but would be able to send them there, nodded excitedly. "Yes and I'd love to know how he got there or rather why if you don't mind my asking."

"Didn't Mr. Oda tell you I stole him from the battle field?"

"Honestly he said he was too ashamed to explain why he was there. If I wanted to know the truth I would have to ask you." Megumi explained.

Laughing Shiva crinkled her nose at Megumi. "Mr. Oda was a gift for my granny. One second…." Shiva held up one claw as if she were a human beckoning for a moment, then turned her head sideways, opened her mouth and actually let off a few high, "Meooooow, Meooooows."

The one raised claw bobbed up and down to a silent beat only Shiva could hear, but in moments, there was an answering, "Meow," outside the throne room's doors.

Akland opened the door a crack, nodded to Shiva, then looked at the floor. "Grandmother." Then shut the door back again.

Glancing at the floor too, Megumi could feel her jaw drop as, ' Grandmother,' walked across the room and leaped up onto the platform in front of Shiva. "Granny, this is Megumi and Dragunter. They are visitor staying with us for a while. This is my Granny cat."

All Megumi could do was bow her head politely as she had been taught, so far her mouth had refused to close. The visitor who had waltzed across the room like she owned the place, the 'person' responsible for the kidnapping of Oda Nobunaga, a Japanese legend, was an ancient tabby house cat. A black, grey, blue, greenish and white mesh of colors in one tiny, though fat happy house cat. She was not even huge like Shiva; in fact, she was small enough that Shiva easily scooped her up on her paw and tucked her under her armpit comfortably.

"Why is one of the greatest Japanese heroes ever, a gift for your Granny cat?" Megumi couldn't stop the words from charging out of her mouth, then cringed waiting to be slapped down for them.

Shiva looked at her like she had just asked the most absurd question ever. "Granny cat like Japanese, so I looked through Japan's history and found the loudest, most fierce person I could find."

"So you stole Oda Nobunaga so she could listen to him talk?"

"Well yes… It was either him or Anne Tsuchiya. Mr. Oda yelled more, so he won." Shaking her head, Shiva added. "Give me one minute and you'll understand."

Waving the paw she was not using to hug the cat, Shiva pulled up a screen in the air in front of them. Straight away Megumi recognized Nobunaga as he charged across the screen on his giant black horse, once again yelling instructions to an invisible army. Within seconds, Megumi was jerking her head back toward Shiva. She could literally hear the cat purring so loudly, she could be heard plainly over Nobunaga's yells.

Lifting her thin shoulders in a semblance of a shrug, Shiva said. "Granny loves listening to him as you can tell. Mr. Oda makes her happy. That is his mission and he does it so well."

"What? Then he… she…" Dragunter started to argue, flustered, but Megumi held up a hand to stop him.

"Then you must let him know this is the greatest honor you have offered him. Let him know how great he is doing, making your most beloved happy. Maybe you could even bring him in the castle and introduce them. You never know they could become the best of friends." Megumi added, trying to find some small thread of hope for Nobunaga.

"I'll have to remember to pass that on. Now if you don't mind, Granny cat and I are going to spend some time together. Maybe even catch a catnap together." Shiva grinned again, slightly laughing at her own joke.

Letting themselves out, Megumi and Dragunter shut the door having to pull hard on it to get it to close, then Dragunter turned toward Megumi. "You know what this means right?"

"Yep, we are screwed." Megumi agreed.