"Time Traveler"
 
Usual disclaimers, though, naturally, I wish I did own these characters!

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CHAPTER ONE

Mina fairly bounced all the way from her hotel to the lawyer's office, overjoyed that she was finally going to see her parents. She clutched at the crumpled and slightly sweaty telegram in her hands. She didn't even have to check the address of the corporate office, having read the telegram often enough to know it by heart.

Miss Aino:

Please be at the New York branch of our office no later than 5 p.m. of the 23rd of September. Your parents have important news for you.

Sincerely,

Joshua McMann

She stopped in front of a large, white building that seemed terribly oppressive to her ageless eyes. She slipped inside and headed for the information desk. "Hi!" she chirped in English to the young man behind the desk. "I have an appointment with Joshua McMann. Can you tell me which floor he's on, please?"

The young man seemed to be having trouble breathing. Mina didn't notice, since this was a fairly common reaction to her classic good looks. "F- fourteenth f-f-floor," he stuttered.

"Thank you." She smiled at him as she left, and he almost stopped breathing altogether.

She took the elevator to the correct floor, quickly finding the office with McMann's name engraved in large black letters across the window. Her sharp knock on the door was answered by Mr. McMann himself.  She smiled warmly at him but couldn't help looking immediately around for her parents. All she saw was a richly decorated office devoid of people. Her smile died and the light left her eyes. "My parents aren't here, are they?" she asked in a wooden voice.

The lawyer frowned, obviously hoping she wouldn't start to cry. "No, Miss Aino, I'm afraid they couldn't make it. Monsoon season where they are, you know. Did they not tell you what our meeting was for?" He sounded incredulous.

"Have you actually met my parents?" she scoffed. "I haven't seen or heard from them since I was four." She sighed and threw herself into the nearest chair. "What did you want to tell me?" she asked wearily.

The lawyer cleared his throat nervously. He opened his mouth to speak, but soon closed it again. "You're twenty-one now," he finally said.

Mina cocked an eyebrow. "I'm aware of that, Mr. McMann. How exactly, does my age affect our current discussion? Are my parents cutting me off or something?" Her voice remained cool, though a twinge of bitterness could just barely be heard. The lawyer winced slightly, and Mina sighed again. So they are cutting me off. Oh well, its not like I ever used any of their money, anyway.

"Not exactly," coughed the lawyer. "My information is more along the lines of how not to get cut off financially. You see," he clarified, pulling a manila folder from his desk drawers, "Your parents always planned to choose a suitable spouse for you, one who could protect both your money and their interests. Since you've now turned twenty-one, they figured that the time is appropriate for you to meet him."

He handed the folder to her, and she pulled out a document, which clearly stated that she would not receive her inheritance unless she married one Malachite Dresner. "They've really crossed the line this time," she fumed, re-reading the name with narrowed eyes. "Do they honestly think that I'd sell myself out like this for money? I haven't relied on them since I was ten, and I certainly don't need to now. I won't do it."

The lawyer hung his hands together nervously. "Won't you at least meet him?" She shook her head violently. He started to protest, but was interrupted as the phone rang insistently.

"That'll be for me," Mina said, rubbing her fingers against her suddenly aching temple. The lawyer answered the phone, and then handed it questioningly to Mina.

"Hi, Raye." Mina greeted her psychic friend in Japanese, knowing as she did that the lawyer was not bi-lingual. She knew that her friend had sensed her emotional turmoil.

"Hey, Meens. Who's the guy?"

Mina blinked, surprised. "What guy?"

"The guy I saw with you in the sacred flames. The tall one with the silver hair. I couldn't see his face, though. Is he the reason why you had to meet your parents?"

Mina shrugged, though of course she knew that not even Raye could see the movement. "My parents didn't show, and I don't recognize the guy you're talking about. Whoever he is, I haven't met him yet. Did the sacred flames tell you anything?"

She could hear the doubt in Raye's voice. "Only that it's important that you go with him. Wherever he goes, you have to follow."

"That's moronic. Still, it hardly matters. I haven't even met him yet. Listen, I've got to wrap things up here, then catch the red-eye back to Tokyo. I'll see you tomorrow, Raye-chan." She hung up, then turned to the lawyer. "If we have no further business, I've got a flight to catch." She bowed slightly in the Japanese custom, then started for the door, which opened to admit...

Mina cursed silently to herself. It figures. The tall, silver- haired man stood in the doorway. She should have known that she couldn't get away from fate that easily. I'll bet anything that this guy is my 'chosen spouse', too. Sometimes I really hate those flames of Raye's.  She stood and glumly bowed to the man. "I assume that you're Malachite? I'm Mina, your future wife," she quipped facetiously.

The man's jaw dropped along with the lawyer's. "B-but I thought that you didn't want to do it," the lawyer stuttered inarticulately.

"So did I," Mina shrugged. "But my psychic friend just told me that I have to follow a tall, silver-haired man. I can only assume that it's you," she said, looking him over properly for the first time.  He was certainly handsome, though Mina didn't usually go for guys with hair longer than her own. He looked to be about ten years older than she, with surprisingly tanned skin and piercing silver eyes. He stared back, taking in her delicate features and silky blonde hair. "What do you get out of marrying me?" she asked as her blue eyes finished her sweep of his strong features and excellent physique.

He seemed to snap out of his own reverie and answered in a smooth voice, "Your father's company, of course."

"My father has a company? What does he do?"

He blinked at her, though his expression hadn't changed much since he'd walked in the door. "You...don't know?"

"Of course not. I've barely even met my father. For all I know, he could be a Mafia hit man."

Malachite chuckled, and some of the extra years left his handsome face. "Nothing so mundane, I'm afraid. Your father designed military software. From what I've seen of his work so far, he's quite the genius."

Mina cocked her head to one side. "What kind of software? Missiles and bombs?"

Malachite mimicked her, cocking his own head mockingly. "Among other things," he said.

Mina told herself that she shouldn't feel so...betrayed. She barely knew her father, had only seen him a handful of times, in fact, but the idea that he was designing the missiles used to kill so many people hurt her. She turned away so that her future husband wouldn't see the sudden tears in her eyes. "When's the wedding?" she asked instead. "I'd like to have it soon, before I lose my nerve, if it's alright with you."

Malachite paused, then said, "We can have it now, if you like. I believe that Mr. McMann has taken the liberty of procuring the license and the justice of the peace. We just need to get a quick blood test."

Mina turned back around. "Sounds good," she said, smiling weakly. He just nodded and pulled the door open for her. They were silent as they took the elevator back to the main floor. Mina found that she could not look at him. She felt almost ashamed of what she was doing, even though she'd only agreed to marry him because of Raye's somewhat vague vision. At least I can blame her if I'm miserable, she mused as she waved at the receptionist on her way out.

Malachite led her to a sleek, silver Mercedes parked in front of the building. He opened the door for her again, then hopped around to the driver's side of the vehicle. They drove in a silence so oppressive that she wanted to scream. Finally, Mina broke it, saying, "Where are we going to live? I assume that we have to stay in America for whatever job you have."

He glanced over at her, his knuckles white against the steering wheel. "I have a house on a beach near Los Angeles. We can stay there if you like. What about you, though? Can you leave school in the middle of the semester?"

Her head whipped around and she glared at him. "Mr. McMann told me that you were a student at a university in Tokyo," he said defensively.

"Oh," she said diffidently. "That'll save me a sentence or two, anyway."

His knuckles tightened even more, and he abruptly pulled into an empty parking lot. She stared at him, surprised. "Listen," he said fiercely. "I'm not much happier about this arrangement than you are, and I willingly admit that this will be a marriage of convenience only. I don't expect you to love me, but I don't want you to hate me, either. We can at least try to be friends, can't we?"

She continued to stare at him, but finally she smiled. "Friends, huh. I can always use more friends." She turned serious. "But to me, friendship doesn't necessarily mean that I have to tell you everything that I do. I have secrets, and I'd rather keep certain aspects of my life private. I will never betray any trust that you place in me, but I need to know that you're not going to pry into my life, either."

He leaned back into his seat, and then quickly put the car back into drive. "I can respect that, for now, anyway. Still, it would help our relationship if I knew the basics. Where were you born?"

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Mina never did catch that late night flight. Instead, she went with a near stranger to the city hall, where they were married by a fossil of a judge in an emotionally detached ceremony. Malachite pecked her cheek at the end of it, then drove her silently back to her hotel. To her surprise, he picked her up the next morning and drove to them both to the airport. They barely caught their plane to Japan on time.

When the plane landed, they took a rental car to her apartment, though he politely offered to find a hotel for himself. Once they had unpacked their few belongings, he announced that he had a few errands to run. She just shrugged and asked him to meet her at the Cherry Hill Temple when he was done. She wondered when he'd been to Tokyo before. He certainly seemed to know where he was going. She'd have to remember not to use Japanese around him in case he actually understood it.

She ran the entire way to the temple, knowing that Raye had already arranged a meeting between all of the others in their group. By the time Mina arrived, panting and out of breath, five people and two cats were already waiting for her. "Artemis!" Mina cried happily, and one of the cats jumped into her arms. She hugged him tightly, her fingers digging into his white fur until he started gasping from the pain of her hold. "Sorry, Artemis," she apologized meekly. "I just missed you, I guess." She followed the little cat back to the group, where she was repeatedly embraced by her friends. When the hugs finally stopped, the questions began. Thankfully, Raye had already informed the others of her marriage.

"So you're really married? What's it like?" queried Lita, green eyes sparkling under wavy brown hair.

Mina started to shrug, but stopped when she realized just how much she'd been doing that in the last few days. "It's polite, mostly. I don't know the guy well enough to like or dislike him."

"What now, then?" Amy asked, tossing short blue hair from her deep blue eyes. "Are you going to America now?"

Mina did shrug this time, not knowing any other way to express her confused feelings. "I suppose so. My 'husband' has some kind of job that he can't, or won't, leave. Besides, it's not like I can't go to school in America just as well as in Japan." She slumped onto the ground. "I think that I'm only going to be in Tokyo for a few days."

"A few days!" Serena shrieked, tears welling up in her cornflower blue eyes.

Darien wrapped his arms around her and laid his black head against her blonde one. "It'll be all right, love," he murmured softly. "I'm sure she'll be able to visit."

Mina's shoulders fell even more. "That's just it, though. Being able to visit occasionally won't let me help you guys fight youma. I'll me able to pop in for the big things via Setsuna Express, but I'm essentially going to be leaving the scouts."

"Look at it as a vacation," interjected Raye before Serena could start crying again. "If that doesn't help, at least consider yourself the first member of the American branch of our group."

Luna, the second, purple cat joined in the conversation. "It's not like we can't use our communicators to chat once in a while. What?" she asked when they turned to stare at her in shock. "It's not like we're using our equipment improperly. Sailor Venus will need to be kept up to date, that's all."

Lita jumped to her feet, instantly sensing the need for lighter conversation. "So, where's the farewell party going to be?"

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Malachite mounted the stairs to the temple, quickly spotting Mina and a group of her friends at the top. She was chattering enthusiastically with another blonde girl in a lively manner quite unlike the serious, almost morose young woman he'd married. Mina looked up, spotted his tall frame, and waved slightly. Her companions turned to see whom she'd greeted, and even from this distance Malachite could see the color drain from their faces. The tall, dark-haired young man started to pull something from his green jacket, but Mina stopped him by laying an insistent hand on his arm. She murmured something quietly in Japanese, and all five people turned to gape at her in shock. A tall girl with brown hair leaped to her feet and started to yell at the top of her voice. "Do you know who that is?! He repeatedly tried to kill us, and you go out and marry him?! What's wrong with you?!"

Malachite stopped in his tracks. What?!

Mina's golden voice was loud enough for him to hear her words clearly this time. "It's not him, Lita," she said, her voice full of hidden meanings.

The brunette didn't listen, jerking away from the group violently. She started to charge with a speed that seemed almost sub-human. "Makato!" Mina suddenly yelled in fury. The girl stopped short, turning to face Mina with outrage. She started to yell again, using a clipped, foreign language that Malachite didn't recognize as Japanese. Mina yelled back in the same tongue, and soon all of the others had joined in, with the exception of the man, who just watched Malachite with suspicious familiarity and anger. Malachite didn't know what was going on, but he wisely decided not to intervene.

After several moments of heated argument, the raven-haired girl barked out in Japanese, "This man is not our enemy. That general is dead. Let. It. Go."

The arguments did not start up again, so Malachite walked hesitantly over to Mina's side. She was still exchanging death looks with the brunette, but she took Malachite's arm in a protective gesture. Ignoring his surprise, she pulled him back towards the temple stairs. "We're leaving. I'll see you guys tomorrow at the party," she said coldly. She pulled insistently on his arm, and they left. As they walked back to her apartment, he noticed that a small white cat followed closely at Mina's heels.