Heritage

Family Ties

Soramaru was power napping on the couch when his cellphone started making noise. It took a moment for the sound to filter through enough to wake him up. As a manager for two very busy classical musicians he was a bit over-worked and had to get his sleep where and when he could. Still, that was Keioh Michiru's ringtone...
He blindly groped around for his phone. When his questing hand didn't find it he gave an annoyed sigh and peeled his eyes open long enough to grab the phone and hit the answer button.
Holding the phone to his ear, his eyes closed again he said groggily, "Hello?"
"Ah! Did I wake you?" Michiru asked worriedly.
"What is it Michiru-san?" He answered.
"Well, you see... I set up a blind date for around 1:30 today for an over-worked friend of mine, but the guy just bailed on her. I don't suppose that you happen to know anyone who could fill in for him? I seem to recall you mentioning an older brother once or twice... I'm really sorry to be bothering you with this Sora-san, but it really is important to her mental well-being. It's at the Rose and Dove Resturant."
When did he mention Tenka?
Soramaru took a deep breath. He really didn't want to do anything except sleep. Still, it was her friend's mental health and he could think of any number of people who would be worse company to someone who's depressed than his older brother.
"Give me ten minutes, I'll call you back." He sighed tiredly.
"Thank-you! You're always such a life-saver!" She replied with genuine relief.
"Yup. Bye."
"Bye."
Both of them hung up. Soramaru pulled the phone away from his ear and searched through his contacts. He went right past his brother's number three times before finding it. He hit the call button and hoped that Tenka picked up. In this day and age everyone had cellphones... Except or his brother, who didn't even have caller ID for his land-line. He really needed to get up to date on communications technology. Well, actually, that might have changed... Hopefully his phone number hadn't.
"Hello? This is Kumoh Tenka."
It was amazing how normal he sounded on the phone.
"Hi big brother." Soramaru answered.
A beat of silence, followed by his brother's very irate answer.
"YOU FINALLY BOTHER TO CALL AND THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?" Tenka demanded at full volume.
Over a century and a half had done nothing to cool his brother's fire. As for how the two of them were still alive... They only had one working theory; a side effect of the Orochi cells.
"Sorry."
"SORRY?" Tenka demanded hotly, "It's been almost ninteen years. That's almost two decades Soramaru! Almost two decades of ignoring your big brother who was your mom and dad growing up!"
Soramaru wincd, both at the yelling and because of guilt... Well, that and a couple of unfortunate memories. They'd had a falling out when Tenka fell in love with a married woman and wouldn't call the affair off. Soramaru was still a bit angry at him for it, but it didn't really seem all that important now that he could her his brother's voice again. Even if it was Tenka chewing him out. It made him feel even guiltier that he was calling to ask for a favour.
"Um, big brother... About why I called..."
"It had better not have been only to ask me for a favour."
Shit.
"If I promise to visit once a week will you do it?"
"Depends. What is?"
Soramaru took a deep breath and then explained. At the end Tenka had only one thing to say to that and it was in an annoyed I'm-going-to-hit-you-through-the phone tone of voice.
"I don't need a date."
"I know, but Michiru-san's friend does."
"Who is this Michiru person anyway?"
"Um, Keioh Michiru. The violinist."
"...Get me an autographed CD in addition to the visits - which I am going to hold you to - and you've got a deal."
"You're a fan of her's?" Soramaru asked, surprised.
"Yeah, so what?"
"Uh, just didn't realize that you like Western classical music..."
"Meh. It depends on the quality of the music."
"Oh. Fair enough. I'll see what I can do. Um, by the way... Can you be there by 1:30 today?"
"Depends on where it is."
"The Rose and Dove."
"...I should smack you. Yeah, I can make it, but I might be a bit late."
"Good. Thank-you. I'll let Michiru-san know."
"The first visit better be some time this week!"
"Yes big brother."
They said their good byes and hung up. Soramaru phone Michiru back and relayed the message. He didn't even notice he was smiling.

Meioh Setsuna stared at her aqua-haired friend, unmoved by her pleading expression. She had just gotten back from running errands with Haruka - who was now staring at her violin-playing lover in surprise - when Michiru came rushing up to them babbling at ninety miles an hour about ChibiUsa making certain something that's supposed to happen does and a blind date.
After getting a better explanation from the normally calm and reserved Michiru the two women were left to stare at her at a loss for words.
"'Blind date'?" They asked in unison
"Yes. Like I said ChibiUsa came to this era to ensure that something happens."
"And why does it have to be me?"
"Because the other girls are too young for my manager's older brother. Besides," She added in a pointedly dismissive manner, "I'm not letting Haruka go on a date with someone other than me."
That was a fair enough.
"Who exactly," Setsuna sighed, "Is this person I'm supposed to be going on a date with in," She paused long enough to check the clock, "An hour?"
"Kumo Tenka. And it's at the- Setsuna, are you okay?"
"You want me to go on a date with the reincarnation of the king of the Silver Millennium?" Setsuna demanded incredulously.
"Oh, is that who he is?" Michiru asked, more than a little startled herself.
"Is that who-?" Setsuna started, flabbergasted, only to stop herself short and gather her diginity back together, "Yes, that's who he was back then."
"Odd... ChibiUsa showed me a picture of him and he looks nothing like the princess..."
"Well, the princess does look like a shorter carbon copy of Queen Serenity." Haruka interjected, getting over her shock.
"That's true. Still, he looks like he's more closely related to Rei-chan."
Setsuna sighed and decided that there was no harm in explaining.
"That's because he was Princess Mars' father before politics forced him to leave the woman he was in love with to marry Queen Serenity."
The other two stared at her wide-eyed at the implications.
"The Queen was already pregnant by then by her lover, so, no, Princess Mars and Princess Serenity were not half sisters... Although Venus is - technically speaking - Princess Serenity's aunt."
"Her aunt?" Haruka asked, her sandy-blond eyebrows somewhere up near her like-colored hairline.
"Venus had several older siblings. Her eldest brother was the Queen's lover and Princess Serenity's biological father. However, the Princess and the public only knew Queen Serenity's father to be the Queen's husband. The princess was engineered to look like her mother to hide her parantage. As for why Venus looks so much like the princess the Queen and her lover were already cousins from about three generations back."
"Wait, wait - hold up!" Haruka interrupted, "I thought the White Moon family could only have one child. The heir."
"Yes and no." Setsuna answered, "They can only get pregnant once. Which has it's own problems, but we'll not get into those right now. Suffice it to say twins occassionaly, though rarely, do happen. The Queen herself was a twin. She had a brother."
Setsuna stopped there to let the other two women try to absorb all of that. Lineages and politics were always complicated.
"Anyway," Setsuna sighed, "I'm going to go get ready. Tell ChibiUsa that I'd like a decent explanation for why I'm going on a blind date with the reincarnation of her grandfather."
"So do we!" The lovers exclaimed.