Utena, Revolutionary Girl Fan Fiction ❯ Arisugawa's Locket ❯ No Need for Juri ( Chapter 24 )

No Need For Juri!

"Juurrii!" a happy voice cried out, and Juri turned around to see a darker skinned blonde beaming at her.

"Mihoshi," Juri smiled at her, "where've you been?"

Mihoshi shrugged, "We got assigned to Galaxy Police headquarters for a while." She turned to wave wildly and yell, "Kiyone! I found her!"

The dark hared officer pushed her short black hair from her face as she walked over, "Hey, Juri. How have you been?"

"Pretty good. So what do you think of the Locket?" Juri asked with a smile.

"The descriptions I got didn't do it justice," Kiyone said admiringly.

Mihoshi tugged on Kiyone's arm gently to get her attention as she asked her, "Would you mind if I go see Sasami?"

"Sure," Kiyone smiled, and Mihoshi kissed her gently on the cheek before running off. A faint blush colored her cheeks as she noticed Juri's amused gaze.

Trip! "Owee!" Mihoshi wailed, just out of sight.

"Mihoshi doesn't change very much, does she," Juri made it a statement of fact, not really a question at all.

"No, not much," Kiyone agreed. They went up to the bar together, and Ryouko delivered a bottle of sake and bowl without being asked.

"Good to see you," a smiling Ryouko nodded before moving off to answer a drink request, her spiky long blue hair flowing behind her.

"This job must agree with her," Kiyone said quietly, "she actually seems happy, not continually pissed off like she was before."

"I think her being with Ayeka has helped, too," Juri shrugged.

Kiyone stopped with her drink halfway to her mouth as she asked, "Her and Ayeka?"

"You have been gone awhile, haven't you?" Juri smiled.

"And how have your dating prospects been going?" Kiyone asked quietly.

Juri looked just a bit embarrassed. "I'm seeing someone," she admitted, "and it's starting to get serious for me."

Kiyone pretended to look astonished, putting her hand to her chest and dramatically exclaiming, "Has someone actually managed to tame the infamous bachelor Arisugawa Juri? I'm deeply shocked!"

"I wouldn't go that far," Juri corrected her.

"Just don't take off on her, like you did back at the shrine," Kiyone said quietly, but there was a bit of anger in her voice.

Juri looked a bit startled. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"You didn't actually slip away into the night," Kiyone admitted, "but you sure left without much notice." She sipped at her drink, "I always wondered why."

Juri looked at her for a few moments, thinking back to all those years ago. "I had to go," Juri finally said quietly, "you see, I nearly fell in love with somebody there, even though I knew she was already taken."

"I'm sorry," Kiyone said softly. She looked up at Juri thoughtfully, "If you don't mind my asking, who was it?"

Juri softly sighed, obviously Kiyone hadn't taken the hint. She gazed at her wryly, "I'm looking at her."

Kiyone looked behind her to see if there was someone standing there a moment, then her eyes got wide. "Me?" she squeaked.

Juri gave Minagi a wave, "One of my specials, please." Ryouko's twin delivered it in moments, flashing a grin at Kiyone before teleporting to serve another customer. Juri took a sip of colored ginger-ale and noticed Kiyone still looking at her, stunned. "What?"

"I never even realized," Kiyone blinked. She had some of her drink before asking, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Juri shook her head, "Once I realized that you and Mihoshi were involved, I decided to back off." A smile, "I guess I've always had a weakness for the smart, serious type. The only boy I ever had a thing for was like that, you, Ami, and even Setsuna, too."

"So Setsuna's the girl who you're interested in?" Kiyone asked, deciding to change the subject. She was going to have to take some time to think about what Juri had said.

Juri smiled, "That's the lady." There was a disturbance moving through the crowd, and Juri's eyes widened, "Here she comes now."

Setsuna cut through the crowd easily, the patrons giving way to her powerful presence. She reached the two of them and smiled, "Sasami sent me. Apparently Mihoshi wants to help with the cooking, and Sasami needs a rescue."

Kiyone laughed, "I'll go save her." She took a few steps, turned, "I hope we can talk some more, Juri." With that, she disappeared into the crowd.

"An old friend?" Setsuna asked.

"And nearly something more," Juri said honestly. She smiled at Setsuna, "So what brings you here, tonight?"

Setsuna looked at her steadily, a slight smile teasing her lips. "You're honesty surprises me sometimes," she admitted. A breath, "Would you care to join me for dinner tonight?"

"I'd love to," Juri smiled back. She cautiously reached out, and Setsuna gently took her hand in her own.

The Staff: The bar's owner is Arisugawa Juri, from Revolutionary Girl Utena. Minagi, Ryouko and Sasami are from the series Tenchi Muyo.

Out Cast This Episode: Ayeka, Mihoshi, and Kiyone are from Tenchi Muyo and Setsuna is from Sailor Moon.

Author's Note: Waaay back in Juri's Tales #1, I revealed that Juri had trained at the Masaki shrine, where she first met the Tenchi Muyo cast of characters. When she was asked, Juri was rather evasive about why she left...