Gradually things mellowed down again at the Carry mansion. With all the drama of Marilyn and Memori coming out of the closet, they had all temporarily forgot about coming back from the competition as losers. After Marilyn and Memori’s relationship became old news, however, everyone had to face facts.
‘Actually,’ Marilyn thought to herself as she finished her shower, ‘It was more that they all had to figure out what to do next. What was the next bright horizon to shoot for?’
She stepped out of the stall and slowly padded her body dry with a small white towel. She rubbed the scar on her otherwise unblemished skin and sighed. The mark would heal she was sure, but the memory of what had happened would always sting.
Ueki was right though – Marilyn had spent her whole life trying to become the best that she hadn’t even noticed the actual GOOD she had done. She knew she had taken four orphans of the street and trained them. She also knew that she had gotten them to fight for her. However, she didn’t realize why they had really fought for her.
She didn’t realize they had loved her – unconditionally and with the love reserved for a Princess. Marilyn hadn’t deserved it one bit – but the four had felt differently.
As she slipped her panties and bra on, Marilyn looked in the mirror and tried to smile a bit.
Her promise to Matthew as they left the Heavens had been that she would smile at least once a day for them – a real smile of happiness. She so much wanted to keep that promise. It was small price to pay for what they had given up for her.
It was hard though. A fake smile was easy, but a genuine smile and true laughter … all this was much more difficult lately. Even with knowing what her true pain had come from, and forcing herself to come to terms with the truth her uncles’ deaths, all of this had just caused new pain.
Years of waste, no childhood, no honesty. She found out that the person she really hated the most now, was herself. And that was terrible, since others did not feel the same way.
Furthermore, she had started something new. It had felt so right to her…but, was it a mistake to mix poor Memori up more by becoming her lover?
Her mind gently faded to Memori’s face as Marilyn lowered her dress over her body. Her smiles, her soft eyes, the look on her face when they kissed and the way Memori had moaned as Marilyn made love to her. Marilyn remembered the other morning, waking up in Memori’s arms and seeing her sister looking down at her with love and tenderness in her eyes.
It HAD been right. The memory of Memori’s love woke Marilyn up and reminded her of reality.
Marilyn smacked her own face a few times. She had almost fallen into self-pity again. She had to be a leader and not wallow in self pity. She would not ever let herself fall into self-doubt again. The team loved her…and she loved them, every single one of them - Baron, Matthew, Pudding and of course Memori.
They would have a new path, and she – Marilyn Carry – would set it again, even if it killed all five of them. Because that’s what Team Marilyn was all about. An idea was floating at the tip of her mind - but it hadn’t quite floated to the top of her consciousness. The Princess would see her people through.
Marilyn gracefully pulled her hair back and tied it again in her regular bouncy style then walked out of her room. Two maids were outside her room waiting. Dressed in elegant blue trim and lace, the two were the ultimate fusion of style, grace and sterility. And if they were any more straight-laced and rigid in their postures Marilyn would have to file class-action suits against the manufacturers of starch sprays. She was so tempted to shout. “At ease!” to them.
“Will you be dining here or with your friends again?” One said softly, her head still bowed.
“I’ll be with them.” Marilyn smiled. “Please tell Dad I’ll catch up with him later.”
Both ladies nodded and rushed into her room to clean the place up and make the beds.
Marilyn softly hummed a tune to herself. It was a song from her childhood, and like her next plan, floated just above her current consciousness.
She slowly made her way through her home and then through the regular corridor to the servants’ quarters. Her smile quickly warmed to her face as she smelt the familiar smells of the simple breakfast fare and heard the standard bantering of her friends; Matthew and Memori.
“OH!?!? Suddenly someone is Miss Fashion Consultant, is she? Have you noticed the ‘Anne of Green Gables’ look went out when our grandparents were kids? Who are you emulating now – Kasumi from Pokemon? ”
“Oh hohohohoho… thou wit has slayed me, old One Eye! Avast me matey!!! I be looking for Booty and rum..yo ho ho!! Sixteen men and a dead man’s chest!”
“WHY YOU LITTLE…”
Ah…the joys of breakfast with Matthew and Memori. It may not be quiet – in fact it was always lively.
“Good morning everyone!” Marilyn’s sunny voice rang out as she entered the room, interrupting Memori as she got Matthew in a headlock over the table.
All four stood straightened up and bowed slightly.
“Good Morning Lady Marilyn.” They all said together.
“Okay everyone, sit down and let’s eat.” She smiled lovingly.
The four took their seats and Marilyn sat down too. As they began their breakfast, Pudding began to read out Marilyn’s agenda for the day while Marilyn stole a small glance at Memori. Memori gave her a small, knowing look back and both of them blushed slightly.
They then quietly finished their meal while discussing different plans they had for what they could do.
“We should take on contracts.” Matthew said. “We’d be lethally effective. I have a contact, and we could choose the contract we want.”
“I’m nervous about continuing without powers.” Memori sighed, as she buttered a slice of bread. “I’m just not as sure of our effectiveness now.”
Matthew smiled, waving his fork. “Don’t worry; we just need to train more. We don’t need our powers to do well in guerrilla operations, just brains and discipline.”
“I WANNA OPEN A DANCE STUDIO!” Baron yelled.
The whole room went quiet, and the room was still. The large man stared straight ahead, while the other four looked at him and blinked in shock and confusion.
After about ten minutes of silence, Marilyn smiled “Well, um, that’s good Baron-san.”
Pudding nodded “Yes…Yes… It’s good to have a dream.”
“Yes, brilliant plan.” Memori sighed. “It’s nearly perfect!”
“Really?!?!” Baron said excitedly. “This will be a first for me. I never had a good plan before. WE MUST CELEBRATE THIS!”
“Just one small thing before we do.” Memori continued. “You can’t dance. Your foot work is about as soft and graceful as a rhino having an epileptic fit.”
“Hmmm… I hadn’t considered that.” The large man replied. “What about bonsai?”
“Don’t quit your day job.” Pudding smiled, and patted the large man’s shoulder.
Then the loudspeaker in the room buzzed in.
“Excuse me, is Lady Marilyn there?” The Head Maid’s voice crackled.
“Present and accounted for.” Marilyn smiled.
“You have guests to see you. “ The Maid replied.
“Oh? Who is it?”
“The ladies have introduced themselves as Ai-san and Gerard-san.”
Memori was shocked. “Huh? Why are they here?”
Marilyn smiled and winked. “Oh dear…I forgot I invited them over for tea. It will be nice to get to know Ms. Rinko, considering we didn’t talk much before.”
The two afore-mentioned girls, Ai Mori and Rinko Gerard were the two female members of Team Ueki. During the fight, Rinko had been the first to fall, getting punched out by a palm to the throat by Marilyn herself. For that reason, Team Marilyn never actually got to know much about Rinko, and the glass-wearing lass was still a bit sore over her quick removal from the competition.
Ai Mori, a girl who kept glasses on her head – but never wore them – was the girl who had defeated Memori. It was quite by accident that she found out her power was to turn people into “Eye-glass Girl lovers”. However, once she caught Memori under her power, it was easy to force the helpless girl to smash her head into a wall.
Yet, Ai – like her boyfriend, Ueki - was a very gregarious girl and Marilyn and her had written each other several times since the end of the tournament. Now, Ai-chan wanted to help ease any negativity between her two best female friends, Rinko and Marilyn.
Marilyn got up and put her napkin on the table. “Memori-chan, would you like to join me for the tea?”
Memori said. “Um…no thanks.”
“We should put this in our past.”
“I know….but, I ..can’t today. Please send them my regards and tell them I promise to see them next time.” Memori looked down embarrassedly.
Marilyn smiled and nodded. “I’ll go now…Please keep Baron from killing them, while I go to talk to them.”
“What do you mean?” Baron said. “Who are these ladies anyways? Do I know them?”
As soon as Pudding reminded the large man who the girls were, Baron went spastic and started to pull out guns. “They’re here to ambush us! We must kill them and then interrogate them later!”
As Marilyn walked away smiling, Pudding, Memori and Matthew had to fight to hold down Baron.
“I’ll get you for this…” Memori shouted as Marilyn left.
When Marilyn reached her family sitting room, the two ladies were already there. Ai was still the cute school girl with green hair. Her face reminded Marilyn a lot of Memori’s actually, and she wished the two could mend their fences. Rinko was slightly taller with long red hair done in braids. She wore fairly exotic clothing today, which was odd considering her usual conservative tastes in clothing.
“Morning girls.” Marilyn smiled as she walked in. “It’s fabulous to see you.”
The girls stood up and bowed a little.
Rinko held out her hand and Marilyn shook it.
“Nice to meet you, again, Ms. Gerard.”
“Yeah…” Rinko laughed nervously.
“Don’t worry. I don’t bite anymore.” Marilyn winked.
She then looked towards Ai and the two just hugged each other tightly.
“I’d say it’s been a while, but we just IM’ed a few evenings ago, hmm?” Marilyn smiled.
“Too true! Although it can be difficult to get the computer some evenings as Dad uses that time to work sometimes.” Ai smirked and winked.
The three ladies sat down and Marilyn served them some tea.
The ladies chatted for hours about the competition, and what they had heard about the fate of others after the competition. Some was funny, some was sad, and some was just down right strange.
Rinko sighed. “Well…I tracked down Robert and confessed my love to him, again.”
Marilyn smiled. “How did that go?”
“He talked about that as failures we had no right to consider ourselves ready for romance. And that I should at least realize that fact, if I couldn’t figure anything else out in my life.”
Marilyn and Ai grimaced.
“So what did you do then?” Ai asked.
“I’m a grown woman now.” Rinko smiled. “Something small like that won’t destroy me anymore.”
“That’s good to hear.” Marilyn quipped in. “So what did you say?”
“Nothing.” Rinko said, “I KICKED THE HELL OUT OF THAT JERK!!!! WOHOHO!”
“How the HELL is that grown up?!?” Ai shouted back at her.
Marilyn laughed. “You’ll love this, then. Daddy recommended him to me as a potential beau.”
The other two looked back shocked. “What?!!?”
“I told Daddy straight, not my type. And I also explained he didn’t know the boy. He needs a lot more help before he can settle down with a girl.”
“That’s for sure!” Rinko said. “But it won’t be me. I’m over him.”
“By the way, Marilyn, you seemed a little occupied recently.” Ai said conspiringly, “Is there someone in your life?”
Marilyn drank a little from her cup and nodded.
“I’m not good at lying. Yes, there is someone. We’ve kind of…well…gotten closer. It’s getting serious, although there’s no official engagement.”
The other two’s eyes filled with hearts and they both rushed over.
“WWWHHHHOOOOOOOOO!??!?!?”
Marilyn was almost knocked over by their enthusiasm.
“Um…Well…it’s someone I’ve known for a while…”
“Is it…one of your team?” Ai said, her eyes full of interest.
“I bet it is!” Rinko grinned. “What did Matthew hijack a truck load of flowers one day for you?”
Marilyn laughed. “Nothing like that I assure you. As for who, well, I’m not quite sure…”
“It’s okay.” Rinko said, much to the disappointment of the Ai, “You’ll tell us when you’re ready. Are you two doing your own things apart from the group?”
Marilyn opened her mouth to say ‘yes’, but…she stopped. Truth was, she hadn’t.
Ai noticed the hesitation. “What? Why not?”
“It’s not so easy, Ai. I have four members on my team, all of whom I love very much. As much as I’d love to spend time with just this one some times, it’s not fair to leave the others behind. I have been trying to ensure I spend lots of time with all of them but…”
“That’s your problem Marilyn!” Rinko exclaimed. “You’re always thinking about things in the past.”
“It’s not about the past. I just want to spend time with them all.”
“Sure, but you need plan strategically for relationships. Stop running things as a military team. If you want to spend time with all four, fine – do so. But do family/friend things. Don’t sit there and say, ‘Let’s bond by chatting and doing some military drills.’ Sure they may appreciate the time, but it’s just the same old same old. Go somewhere with all four, and for once, don’t train. Find out what their side hobbies are and get them to focus on them, then make note of those strengths.”
Marilyn went silent and just listened.
“And most importantly, your beloved is no longer JUST your team mate! You need to show him you mean that, not just by kisses and hugs and a few well placed words. Go on real dates like the rest of us!!! It’s called ‘getting it right’ Marilyn, and it’s about going to movies, having quiet romantic dinners and even getting him to take you to the fair grounds. Those kind of times are priceless, and there’s a reason why all the other couples do it. Show him your heart, dress in some actual common, in-fashion clothing and act like a girl. He knows your one side, now let him see the rest of you!!!”
Marilyn laughed nervously. “I guess you’re right, Oneechan!!”
“And people said I lecture too much.” Ai sighed, glancing at Rinko. “But hey, Marilyn, have you gone anywhere like the movies with your beau?”
“No…um…not actually. It’s not, quite as easy as that… In public I mean…” Marilyn blushed a bit.
“Why not?” Memori asked confused, while a strange look came over Rinko’s face.
Rinko seemed about to say something, changed her mind and took Marilyn’s hand. “Look, whoever your love is, they’ll want to see you in other forms. Go out and spend your time with your love. Spoil yourselves and make sure they know that you will be theirs forever. Make it passionate, make it spontaneous, and for GOD’S sakes, don’t bloody go on a date in your combat fatigues. You’ll end up filming ‘Lovers in Apocalypse Now!’ ”
All three ladies laughed, and the conversation soon turned to other matters, including how to stop Ueki from picking his nose, falling asleep in class, and many other negative traits he seemed to collect at random.
As the afternoon became late, the two girls excused themselves and bid farewell to their hostess, making several promises to keep in touch more often. Several hugs later, the two girls happily departed from the Carry Mansion.
As they walked down the drive way to the bus station, Ai smiled.
“That went great. I knew you and Marilyn would hit it off! She’s such a cool lady.”
Rinko smiled and agreed. “Yeah...it’s nice to get to know her ‘out of’ the ring. She’s so cool. I hope we can see the others next time. I want to meet them again all now”
Ai hmm’ed. “Her love, I’m betting it’s Pudding. He is a bit short, but it’d be just like Marilyn to choose him. You know, the underdog thing and all that.”
Rinko sweat-balled a little. “Ai-san, about Marilyn’s…partner. I think you should know who… it really is.”
“Huh? What do you mean Rinko?”
After Rinko shared her thoughts, Ai’s face went red. “WWHHHAAAATTTT!!!?!??!”
