After the utter and dismal failure of Hikari's experiment, Koyomi Mizuhara and her camera crew led the way back to Osaka's house to film the secret underground laboratory and prepare a live report on the rescue of Chiyo Mihama. Along with Yomi and Chiyo, the participants and interviewees included Kagura, Sakaki, Osaka, and, of course, Tomo. Later on, as various officials from the local police and Interpol arrived on the scene, she managed to get interviews with them as well. And of course, when Mr. Kimura came by, he gave Yomi and her camera crew one of the best interviews of the day. After she had concluded her report, and her cameraman had removed the television camera from his tired shoulder, Yomi sat down on the house's front step, positively beaming. This was, without a doubt, the best day of her still nascent career as a television news reporter, and she felt confident in the thought that her future was secure.
       And indeed it was. Her breaking coverage on the Mihama kidnapping story won the Tokyo News Network numerous awards, and about six months later, she was offered a promotion to junior anchor, which she promptly took. Though her new job kept her busier than ever, she still found time to worry about her weight—even more now than previously, since she was on TV a lot more—as well as keep in touch with her old friends from Miss Yukari's class. Of course, she remained closest to Tomo, and upon the latter's departure from Tokyo, they promised to meet up with each other again sometime soon.

       Hikari Kimura herself was eventually found along the outskirts of Osaka, walking along the train tracks and furiously shoving the hem of her skirt between her legs every time a train rushed by, threatening to raise the hem and expose her underwear to the world. Her invention—the pair of Kasuka-Kimura Portable Emergency Pigtails—had been destroyed, as Hikari had unclipped them from her head and set them down on the tracks, where they were quickly squashed to bits by the next bullet train that came by.
       The person who found her was a man riding his bicycle nearby; he had seen Yomi's news report earlier that day and recognized Hikari's face from the photo that Mr. Kimura held up to the camera during his interview. Before Hikari could stop him, the man called the local police station and had her picked up. Her father was at the station when she arrived, as were Tomo, Chiyo, and their friends. Feeling utterly defeated and miserable, Hikari burst out into tears and rushed into her father's arms, promising that she'd never run away from home again.
       Hikari and her father departed for Tokyo the next morning, and reunited with Hikari's mother at the train station. A good deal of negotiation between the Kimura family, the Osaka police department, and Interpol followed, as together they negotiated on Hikari's punishment. There were various counts of conspiracy, kidnapping, and violations of building and construction codes that she had been charged with, but in the end, all she got was house arrest for two years.
       Through special arrangements, Hikari was able to complete her schooling at home, and once the house arrest was over, she applied for and was accepted into one of Japan's top engineering colleges. After graduation, she went to work for an upstart consumer electronics company, where she designed wearable gadgets.

       Mr. Kimura himself continued teaching classical literature at the same high school that he had taught at for years. Not long after he and his daughter returned to Tokyo from Osaka, a position opened up in the humanities department at the college that Miss Kurosawa taught at. Although he was one of the college's top choices for this new position, Mr. Kimura turned it down, citing "personal reasons". As one might have guessed, these "personal reasons" have entirely to do with high school girls and gym shorts.

       Out of the six reunited high school friends, Kagura was the first to leave Osaka that evening, since she had to go back to work the next morning. After wrapping things up in the underground lair and at the police station, the six of them—along with Yomi's cameraman and production assistant—went to a restaurant to celebrate the rescue of Chiyo and the conclusion of their adventure. Unlike past outings, the friends didn't discuss the past so much as the future—covering plans both immediate and long-term. When Tomo asked Kagura what she wanted to do with her life, the latter shrugged and replied, "I'm not really sure yet. I'm just happy right now teaching high school."
       "Aw, come on! Is that really all you want to do? You don't want to go on to coach for Japan's Olympic team or anything?"
       Kagura laughed. "Nah, not right now. Though that Olympic thing isn't a bad idea. I wonder why I never thought of something like that?"
       "It's because you don't think big, like I do."
       Chiyo cut in with, "Not that that's a bad thing!"
       "Hey!" exclaimed Tomo. "What do you mean by that?"
       Smiling, Chiyo replied, "Well, there's nothing wrong with thinking big, but you just have to be careful with how you go about it."
       "Whatever," said Tomo. "The way I see it, as long as you have your friends with you, you can do anything."
       "Wow, Tomo," Kagura said admiringly. "That's really profound." Chiyo nodded in agreement.
       Tomo struck a proud pose; her eyes were closed, she wore a huge smirk, and her chin stuck up in the air. "But of course! Would you expect anything less from me?'
       Kagura and Chiyo simply exchanged amused glances.
       After they had all eaten together, Kagura and the others made her way back to the hotel, where she packed up her luggage. Afterwards, the group headed to the train station. Kagura purchased her ticket, then wrote her address and phone number five times on a piece of paper, which she then carefully folded and tore into strips. She gave each of her friends a strip of paper, and asked them to please keep in touch. As Kagura's train arrived in the station, she exchanged hugs with them all—Chiyo, Tomo, Yomi, Sakaki, and Osaka. It was after hugging this last friend of hers—who was, in a way, the very reason why all of them came together—she felt something wet in her eye and sniffed.
       "Hey, are you okay, Kagura?" Osaka asked.
       A little choked up, Kagura replied, "Y—yeah. It was just so good to see all of you again, you know?"
       "Ahh, we'll see each other again someday!"
       "Yeah, but it won't be the same."
       "Thank goodness!" Yomi declared, which caused everyone to burst out in laughter.
       The final boarding call was made for the train headed to Tokyo. Hastily, Kagura wiped at her eyes with the back of her sleeve, then, with a deep breath and a smile, she bid farewell to her friends, until the next time they should meet.
       Upon returning to Tokyo, Kagura made her way home, ready to settle back into her regular routine. The very next day, practically her entire class drilled her with questions about her adventure in Osaka; it turns out that a good number of her students had seen Yomi's report on TV. Not wanting to go into too much detail, she answered their questions as candidly as she could, then diverted their attention away from her adventure and onto the day's instruction.
       Kagura continued to teach at the high school for a few years, and did manage to keep in touch with her old friends a lot better than she had been able to during her college years. She never did end up coaching for Japan's Olympic team, but when one of her former students made it onto the Olympic diving team, he sent her tickets to that year's games. She ended up having a blast at that year's Olympics, and ended up meeting quite a few people, including a sports enthusiast from Kobe whom she later became engaged to.

       Chiyo, Tomo, Sakaki, and Yomi spent another night in the hotel, then met up with Osaka the following morning for breakfast; Yomi's camera crew departed for Tokyo with the crack of dawn, as they were due back at the Tokyo News Network for other assignments. The visitors were planning on leaving the city of Osaka an hour before noon, so they only had a few more hours to spend with their crackpot friend.
       Ayumu "Osaka" Kasuga was in a calm, somber mood when her friends arrived at her house that morning. She was pleased with the way things turned out in the end—especially since she was the one responsible for a lot of this craziness—but, like Kagura, she didn't want to see it wrap up. Numbers and addresses were exchanged over breakfast that morning, held in the dining room of Osaka's house, which she had cleaned up the previous night for this very occasion. They didn't talk as much as they had the day before; there just didn't seem to be as much to talk about. It was during one particularly heavy silence that Chiyo suddenly asked, "So, what are you going to do with the underground laboratory, Osaka?"
       "I dunno," Osaka replied. "I haven't given much thought to it…"
       Yomi swallowed a mouthful of juice, then said, "Well, the cops did say there were some zoning issues with the lab, right? Won't that mean that they'll force you to fill it in?"
       "I hope not, especially since we went through all the trouble to build it in the first place."
       "How did you build that place, anyway?" Tomo asked. "You and Hikari couldn't have possibly built that place on your own!"
       "Not to mention place an entire house down there!" Chiyo added.
       Osaka replied, "Well, we had some help."
       "From who?" asked Sakaki.
       "Gnomes."
       Yomi, Tomo, Sakaki, and Chiyo all stared at Osaka, who wore a staid expression. After a moment or two, Tomo hesitantly said, "You… you aren't serious, are you?"
       Osaka smiled. "Gotcha."
       After finishing up their breakfast, Osaka joined her friends on their trip back to the hotel, and once again to the train station. Once more, hugs were shared, as were promises to see each other again. After their train was announced as having arrived and ready for boarding, Tomo picked up her bags and hosted them over her shoulder. Pointing a finger at Osaka, she warned, "Listen. I went easy on you this time, but you better watch yourself! If Chiyo-chan ever gets kidnapped again, I'm coming straight for ya!"
       Osaka replied, "Don't worry, Tomo. I've leaned my lesson."
       "Sure hope so!" Chiyo said. "No hard feelings or anything just… be careful, Osaka!"
       "Will do, Chiyo-chan!"
       As the four Tokyo-bound women boarded the train, they waved out to Osaka one last time.
       In the weeks that followed, Osaka cleaned her house a bit more thoroughly, taking a break from her work whenever a news crew came by to peek in her underground lair. As it turned out, the lair was kept intact afterward, thanks mostly to the presence of the old Japanese house. Once local historians had heard of the house, they successfully petitioned the local zoning committee to allow the lair to stay as is. In return for their help, Osaka allowed the historians and other scientists to make use of the space, with Osaka herself as its informal caretaker.
       On the rare occasions that she was able to get away from her duties, she took trips to Tokyo and Kyoto to see her old friends. During her first couple trips to Tokyo, she even attempted to get back in touch with Hikari, but found that she wasn't able to. However, a few years later, both Osaka and Hikari made the news again, as the former was being sued by the latter for unauthorized use of her invention; it seems that Osaka took her old "pigtail wings" idea and, with it, launched a wildly successful line of "flying dolls". Though the idea was Osaka's, Hikari claimed that the technology the toys were based on was her own; eventually, the case was settled out of court.

       Kaorin met Chiyo, Yomi, Tomo, and Sakaki at the station upon their arrival into Tokyo. At the other travelers' insistence, Sakaki had phoned Kaorin while they were on the train, and asked her to meet them there. Naturally, being Sakaki's biggest fan, and not wanting to let her down, Kaorin worked extra hard that day in order to leave her office early enough to get to the train station in time.
       She got there just as the train from Osaka arrived in the station, and waited patiently for her friends to disembark. Eventually, the stream of people coming off of the train turned into a crowd, and Kaorin found herself pushing past various businessmen and weekend travelers to reach the four young women who had gotten off last. By the time she reached them, she was panting slightly from her effort; yet it was all worth it to see Sakaki, her schoolgirl object of admiration and affection, once more.
       "So, how was your trip?" asked Kaorin. "I see that you were able to bring Chiyo-chan back, safe and sound."
       Tomo sighed wearily, "Yeah, but you wouldn't believe what we had to go through to bring her back!"
       Glancing over at Kaorin with a questioning expression, Sakaki asked, "You didn't see any of Yomi's news reports?"
       "I heard a little about what was going on up there, but I wasn't able to watch any news shows. The company's been working me non-stop this weekend, since we had that unexpected layover in Australia. I fell behind in my work and have only just now begun to catch up."
       "I'm sorry to hear that," Yomi replied. "At any rate, we can give you all the sordid details over dinner tonight."
       Chiyo spoke up with, "Speaking of dinner, where are we going to go this evening? Is anyone in the mood for anything in particular?"
       Tomo shrugged, while Yomi shook her head and Sakaki remained silent, giving her answer by way of not answering. Kaorin pursed her lips and held a finger to them, her eyes raised to the ceiling in thought. Then, she came up with a brilliant idea.
       "Why don't you all come over to my place for dinner? I don't have guests over too often, but I'm sure it'll be fun."
       Sakaki nodded and said, "Sounds good to me," a reply that caused Kaorin's face to flush pink with ecstasy. Yes, this was a brilliant idea indeed.
       The others echoed Sakaki's sentiments, so shortly afterwards, the group left the train station and headed for the subway. After a crowded, rush hour subway ride, Kaorin led the way to the high-rise apartment building where she lived. This building was taller than the one Yomi lived in, and its lobby was more extravagant to boot, which gave all of Kaorin's visitors pause. Kaorin checked Sasaki, Tomo, Yomi, and Chiyo in with the front desk, then led them to a bank of elevators, an area where both the walls and the floor were lined with marble. One elevator ride later, they were up on the twenty-second floor of the building; and with a short walk down the right side of the hallway, they arrived at the door to Kaorin's apartment. Kaorin promptly dug out her keys, unlocked the door, and pushed it open. As she led the way inside her suite, she could hear her guests gasp, seemingly in awe.
       Yomi's apartment was certainly spacious and nice, but not nearly as much as Kaorin's was. Of course, considering the nature of Kaorin's jet-setting job, one might expect her to have luxurious digs, but envisioning such an apartment and actually stepping foot in one were two entirely different things. Kaorin's apartment had high ceilings, with clear windows that were just as high; a balcony, upon which were a couple of folding chairs and a small potted tree; a spacious living room which, in addition to your typical living room furniture, featured a bookcase with glass doors, inside of which were a few entertainment industry awards; a slightly cluttered bedroom, with a waterbed in the midst of it all; and of course the prerequisite closets, bathroom, and kitchen, all of which were slightly larger and nicer than the ones in Yomi's place.
       "This is… a very nice place, Kaorin," Sakaki said admiringly.
       Doing her best to keep her composure, Kaorin clasped her hands behind her back and put on a sheepish grin. "You—you really think so?"
       "Yeah. Not really my style, but still very nice."
       Kaorin nearly crumbled into pieces upon hearing this. Not really my style. Trembling nervously, she asked the obvious question; "So, wha—what is your style, Sakaki?"
       "Hey!" Tomo interrupted. "We can talk about 'style' and other stuff later! I don't know about you guys, but my stomach's growling over here! Now how about we start fixing some dinner, huh?"
       Snapping back into reality and remembering her place as hostess, Kaorin nodded and led the way into the kitchen, where she, Yomi, and Chiyo prepared dinner for them all, using whatever they happened to come across in the cabinets and refrigerator.
       Seated around the coffee table in the living room, the five friends ate and talked well into the evening. Tomo, Yomi, Chiyo, and Sakaki told Kaorin the tale of their trip to Osaka, each one interrupting the other, picking up where one would leave off, or simply embellishing the story, adding little details which the prior storyteller had missed. The guests didn't get up to leave for another few hours, long after all the food had been eaten, and the dishes washed and put away. Business cards were exchanged for pieces of paper with addresses and phone numbers, and soon, Kaorin found herself reluctantly escorting her guests to her front door. Everyone hugged her goodbye; last of all was Sakaki, much to her nervous joy.
       "So, uhh… you'll keep in touch with me once you return to Kyoto?"
       Sakaki nodded. "My job keeps me pretty busy, but I'll do my best."
       "Y—yeah. Same here. Well, I'm glad I got to see you again."
       "And what are we," Tomo quipped, "chopped herring?"
       Kaorin smiled. "I'm glad that I got to see all of you, really! It's been a blast!"
       "Yeah, I guess it has been, hasn't it," Tomo said; an obvious understatement. "Well, if you're ever back in the United States, be sure to look me up!"
       "And me too!" Chiyo added, eyeing Tomo. "I'm not chopped herring either, you know!"
       An exhausted Yomi yawned. "No one here is chopped anything. At any rate, thanks for the wonderful evening Kaorin, and we'll see you around!"
       "Absolutely!" Kaorin replied. "Good night, everyone!" Her four former classmates gave her their own good nights and farewells, then took leave of her, and she watched as they walked down the hallway, rounded a corner, and disappeared.
       Kaorin went to work the next morning, yet another day in what ended up being a long and illustrious career. She did not receive huge promotions like some of her peers, but for what she did, she was widely regarded as the best in Tokyo, a worthy and honorable distinction, to say the least. She did manage to keep in touch with her old friends; primarily Kagura and Yomi, since they lived in Tokyo as well, but also Sakaki, whom she always admired.

       Sakaki had to make whole new reservations for a flight back to her adopted hometown of Kyoto, but fortunately, she had few problems in doing so. The one final member of the Kyoto Zoo's expedition team was coming in to Nagisa the day after Sakaki and her friends' return from Osaka, and from there, it would only be an hour until their flight back home was to depart. It had been a long, strange trip, and Sakaki was both glad to see it finally end, and a little saddened that it had to. Still, she couldn't gallivant around with her friends for too much longer, as her cousin and their coworkers awaited her back in Kyoto.
       She stayed at Yomi's the night before her departure, along with Tomo and Chiyo, who were due to meet with some Interpol officials shortly after her flight left Nagisa International. Yomi herself couldn't stay up too late, and began to get ready for bed almost as soon as they got in from their dinner at Kaorin's beautiful apartment. After Yomi bid good night to her friends, shutting the bedroom door behind her, Sakaki, Tomo, and Chiyo continued to stay up for a little while, watching some late night television and chatting. During a commercial break, all of a sudden, Chiyo asked, "Hey, whatever happened to that stuffed orange cat? You know, the one that you guys told me was left in my place when I was kidnapped."
       "We brought it back from Osaka with us, didn't we?" Tomo asked.
       Sakaki nodded. "I think I saw its garbage bag piled up with some of the other luggage. If I remember, we checked it in last time."
       Tomo stood up and went over to the corner of the living room where they were currently keeping their suitcases and other bags. From behind an oblong rolling suitcase, she spotted a black trash bag tied up with a paper luggage tag bearing Yomi's address. "Yeah, it's here. Why do you ask, Chiyo-chan?"
       "Well, I want Sakaki to have it, since she was the one who figured out that Osaka was involved with this whole mess."
       Sakaki found herself a little shocked by this kind gesture, to say the least. "W—what? Me?"
       "Yes Sakaki, you!" Chiyo replied, smiling. "I can't think of a better way to thank you for all your help—and not only with your educated guess about Osaka, bur also for your assistance in Australia!"
       "Yeah, really!" Tomo added. "I don't know what we would've done if you hadn't been there to help us get away from that nosy Interpol inspector!"
       "I kind of wish I had something to give everyone," Chiyo said, "but I can't think of anything to give, and besides, I don't think any of us are gonna have any use for a stuffed cat nowadays. You still like cats, right?"
       Sakaki paused, remembering the dream where Chiyo's dad—who, coincidentally, looked exactly like the stuffed cat Chiyo was now offering her—told her the secret of why cats hate her so much. It was hard to accept, but maybe he was right. Perhaps most cats didn't like her because of her association with certain other types of animals; but of course, that was not to say that she could just turn her back on all members of the feline race. No way in hell. "Yeah. I still like them, for the most part."
       Tomo replied, "Well then, you wouldn't mind taking that big orange thing off our hands, would ya?"
       "No, not at all."
       "Looks like it's decided," said Chiyo. "The big orange cat is going with Sakaki to Kyoto."
       Sakaki nodded. Indeed, it was a done deal.
       The following morning, Yomi bid farewell to Sakaki and left for work. Afterwards, Sakaki, Chiyo, and Tomo piled into a cab and told the driver to head for Nagisa International Airport. It was a long ride, fraught with the usual frustrations of morning rush hour traffic, but they made it to the airport in time, where they checked in and found their way to the right terminal with few problems. Sakaki, carrying her canvas shoulder bag and the stuffed cat—now out of its garbage bag trappings and wearing a luggage tag around its left ear—asked Tomo and Chiyo if they were hungry. They all had only had a light breakfast, and Sakaki still had a bit of time before she had to go through the security checkpoints and find her flight.
       "Sure," Tomo replied with a shrug. "I could go for something."
       "Same here," added Chiyo, with a single nod for emphasis.
       They headed to a small coffee shop located not far away from the security gates to the terminal from which Sakaki's flight would be boarding. After getting some pastries and coffee, they sat down at the small bar which lined the coffee shop's right wall.
       "It was really good to see you guys again, though the circumstances were a bit… out of the ordinary…" Sakaki said, echoing the sentiments that they'd all heard for the past couple days, from Osaka, Kagura, and, most recently, Kaorin.
       "I think everyone feels the same way," Chiyo replied.
       Tomo said, "Be sure to keep in touch with us, okay?"
       Sakaki nodded, and pulled out her address book for Tomo and Chiyo to write in their own listings. "It was tough to do so, with so much going on—college followed by medical school. But I should have more time to write these days."
       "Great!" said Chiyo, as she took the book from Sakaki. "And as we've been saying to everyone else, feel free to visit us any time!"
       "I don't know if I'll ever be in the United States in the near future, but I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."
       Chiyo finished writing in her contact information, then handed the address book over to Tomo, who followed suit. Sakaki finished her snack and, sipping some coffee to wash it down, glanced over at the clock that hung above the cash register. It was getting late, and she still had to wait in line at the security checkpoint before getting to her gate.
       "I have to get going," she said, setting her nearly-empty cup down and packing her address book back in her bag, but not without first giving Chiyo and Tomo each a business card. Upon hoisting her bag over her shoulder, and picking up the stuffed cat, Sakaki said, "Hope your meeting with Inspector Peterson goes well."
       They all got off their stools, and Chiyo and Tomo took turns in giving Sakaki farewell hugs. "I'm sure we'll be fine," Chiyo replied. "And I hope that you have a good flight!"
       "Thanks." They walked out of the coffee shop and headed to the security area where Sakaki needed to go. As she got in line, she suddenly thought of something she had forgotten to tell them in all the excitement. "Oh, do you remember Sarah, Jessica and Florence's mother?"
       "Yes, of course," Tomo replied.
       "How is she doing?" Chiyo asked. "Is she gonna make it?"
       Sakaki smiled and nodded. "Yes. Her injuries are rather serious, but she's going to pull through."
       "Whew! That's good to hear!"
       "There's also one other thing," Sakaki said, starring a little ways into space. "Can you please apologize to Inspector Peterson for me? Me and my dingo friends caused him quite a bit of trouble back in Australia, as you know."
       "Well, before we do that, we must first see how today's meeting goes," Tomo sighed, her voice tinged with a bit of weariness, and lined with a touch of dread.
       Sakaki replied, "Again, I hope it goes well… good luck."
       "Thanks," said Tomo. "Well, guess this is it. Take care!"
       "You too!"
       Chiyo and Tomo started walking down the concourse, toward their meeting place deeper in the heart of the airport, turning back once to wave to Sakaki. She returned the wave and watched them go, then turned her attention back to the line in front of her, where she idly wondered just how she was going to explain the stuffed cat—Chiyo's dad—to the security personnel.
       Sakaki's flight did go well; she had found her colleague waiting by the gate with little trouble, and the plane took off and landed relatively on time. She returned to work the next day, quietly enduring the barrage of questions that some of her news—and gossip—savvy coworkers plied upon her. The only person in Kyoto she ever told the entire story to—excluding the dreams that featured Chiyo's dad, of course—was her cousin Sasume, and that was only because she had been there for part of it.
       The rest of the year was a productive one; the Kyoto Zoo ended up acquiring a number of animals from Australia, including—by Sakaki's special request—a certain adult female dingo and her two cubs. Sakaki continued to work at the zoo for a few more years as one of its staff veterinarians, then later got a research grant to study the local wildlife of Okinawa, where she could be comfortable in the knowledge that there was at least one kind of cat there—the type that lived on Iriomote island—that would not give her a lot of trouble.
       Like the others, she managed to keep in touch with all her high school friends, and even happened to run into Kaorin during a trip to San Diego, California. However, there was one person from her past who ceased seeing her altogether after their adventure: Chiyo's dad. The dream where he had given Sakaki the secret about her relationship to cats turned out to be the last one she would ever have. However, the absence of Chiyo's dad in her dreaming life did not bug her in the least; not only because she had the stuffed Chiyo's dad she obtained from Chiyo herself, but also because of the revelation he had bestowed upon her. She no longer bore any ill will toward housecats for all the mistreatment and headaches they gave her over the years, and she ended up much better for it.

*****

       Tomo Takino and Chiyo Mihama met Inspector Peterson at the designated place: outside of a beef bowl restaurant somewhere in the middle of the airport. Although they were early in arriving, the Inspector was there, idly skimming through a New York Times that he had evidently picked up at a nearby newsstand that specialized in international publications. Chiyo approached him first, with a, "Mr. Peterson?" that cause him to lower his newspaper and look in the direction of the two women; he grimaced slightly once he saw them.
       "I know that this is an unpleasant bit of business for you," Chiyo continued, "as it is for us, so let's get it over and done with as soon as possible."
       "Right," Peterson replied. "Do you two have any preferences for where you want to go to talk?"
       "Well, we just ate… don't know if you're hungry though."
       "I'm fine. There's a small lounge not too far from here. Will that suffice?"
       Chiyo turned back to Tomo, who nodded once. "Yeah, that's fine with us."
       "Very well. Come with me."

       It seemed that Peterson just could not get comfortable, despite having sat down in one of the lounge's stylish ergonomic armchairs. Before him, Tomo and Chiyo sat, the bright sparks in their eyes serving as further indications of their hopeful youth. The middle aged Peterson crossed his legs for the fifth time since their arrival, and folded his hands atop his lap.
       "…So that's the situation," he concluded. "The International Criminal Police Organization wishes to suspend Ms. Takino's internship for six months, but will not press any charges, nor will they cancel her internship altogether. Ms. Mihama, of course, may return to work at the United Nations at any time, as long as she does so within two weeks. Can you two live with those terms?"
       "They aren't ideal, but realistically, it's probably the best I could hope for," Tomo sighed.
       Chiyo nodded. "Sounds reasonable, and yeah, they are quite good considering the circumstances. May I ask how the ICPO came to its decision?"
       "I don't know how much of the news you've been following lately," Peterson replied, "but it seems like various social and charitable organizations within Japan were instrumental in petitioning Interpol to go easy with Ms. Takino's punishment. Many of them cited the safe return of Miss Kimura to her parents as the reasoning behind their protests. Very few of them said a word regarding Ms. Mihama's kidnapping, which strikes me as rather odd…" He trailed off, staring off to the side as if lost in thought. "No matter. What's done is done, and you two are free to go. However, Ms. Takino, the head of the New York City-based office of the ICPO would still like to talk to you. If you two do plan to return to the United States, as you told me when we first came here, I suggest you do so at your earliest convenience."
       "Yes sir!" Tomo replied.
       "Is there anything else you need to talk to us about?" asked Chiyo.
       "No, that's all," Peterson replied. "You're free to leave, if you wish."
       Chiyo stood up and bowed before him, in a gesture of gratitude; Tomo followed her lead. "There's just one more thing before we leave," said Chiyo.
       The Inspector crossed his legs yet again and gave Chiyo a curious look. "Which is…?"
       "Our friend Sakaki, the researcher whom we ran into in Australia, wanted to apologize for any trouble that she caused."
       "Trouble?"
       "Yes. The dingoes that attacked you were some of her research subjects. Anyway, she wasn't able to apologize in person because she had to catch a flight back to Kyoto this morning."
       Inspector Peterson squirmed slightly in his chair. "Well, if you ever talk to her again, let her know that I accept her apology." Then, he muttered, "I should've known better than to shoot that dingo anyway. Got me in more trouble than it was worth…"
       "Did you say something?" Tomo asked.
       "No, nothing."
       "Thought so," she smirked. "Well Chiyo, you ready to get out of here and head back to Yomi's?"
       "Sure thing!" Chiyo replied. They started toward of the door of the lounge, and turned back to wave to Peterson. "Thanks for everything, Inspector!"
       Peterson returned the wave only briefly before pulling out his newspaper once more. Chiyo turned back around and accompanied Tomo out of the lounge, and soon, out of the airport.

       "So, this is it, huh? You guys are finally leaving here tomorrow."
       Yomi sat in front of her desk, her eyes glued to her computer screen; in the meantime, she typed furiously at the keyboard. Seated in a couple of chairs in front of her desk were Tomo and Chiyo, both a little worn out after having to travel all the way to the airport and back.
       "Yeah," said Chiyo, leaning back in her chair. "It's been an unbelievable trip, and it was a pleasant surprise to get to see everyone, but we both have lives we have to get back to in New York."
       "I understand," Yomi replied. "So, what time are you guys leaving tomorrow?"
       Tomo said, "Around two in the afternoon. Would you be able to come with us to the airport?"
       "Shouldn't be a problem," said Yomi. Then, she looked over at Tomo and Chiyo and gave them a knowing smile. "In fact, it would make for a good news story: 'Ms. Chiyo Mihama, assistant to Japan's Ambassador to the U.N., and her rescuer, Ms. Tomo Takino, the brave girl intern from Interpol, left Tokyo today with great fanfare and all the well-wishes of the nation!' Doesn't sound half bad, eh?"
       Chiyo chuckled a little nervously. "Heh, and I was hoping for a nice, uneventful departure from Tokyo!"
       "Not a chance!" Tomo smirked, having obviously picked up on Yomi's vibe. "That sounds great, Yomi! So, we gonna do it?"
       Yomi smiled. "Well, I certainly can't arrange a big sendoff for you two at such short notice, but a little news story should be no problem. Is that fine with you two?"
       "Well, as long as it's little, I can't really object," Chiyo said.
       Tomo shrugged. "Sure. It's better than nothing."
       Yomi nodded and turned her attention away from the computer, and to the phone on her desk. "All right. Just let me give the program director a quick call to ask for his approval."

       Tomo and Chiyo left Yomi to her work a few minutes later, and spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out in Tokyo. After Yomi got out of work, she gave Tomo a call on her cell, and they arranged to meet at her apartment building. Once there, they ordered some takeout food, and spent the rest of the evening talking and packing up Tomo and Chiyo's things, in preparation for the next day's flight.
       Upon leaving Yomi's building the following day, Tomo and Chiyo noticed that the cameraman and production assistant who had come to Osaka with them had been waiting patiently for them. Parked behind Yomi's crewmen was a black limousine. The luxury car's chauffer stood next to one of the back doors, and opened it as the three women approached.
       "Whoa!" Tomo exclaimed. "You mean this here sweet ride's for us? Awesome!"
       Calmly, Yomi folded her hands across her chest and asked her cameraman, "The network arranged for this, didn't they," to which the latter replied with a nod.
       "Well, I guess it would give Yomi's guys more room to spread out while they're filming us," Chiyo said as she and Tomo entered the back of the limo.
       "What? You mean Yomi's going to do her piece on the way to the airport?"
       "That wasn't the original plan, but it looks like it is now. When my program director called this morning, he said there wouldn't be time for a report done at the airport, and that if I wanted to do this piece at all, it had to be shot earlier."
       Chiyo nodded. "Makes sense. Now, let's go!"

       On this day's final ride out to Narita International, Tomo and Chiyo were drilled by a very professional Yomi about a variety of subjects, including Chiyo's recovery from her ordeal, their plans for the immediate future, and any advice they would have for students wanting to work abroad. Yomi signed off shortly before they reached the entrance to the airport, and sank back in her seat, overly satisfied with her last report on this story. They all rode the rest of the way into the airport, not saying much between each other; in fact, not knowing what to say.
       The limo dropped them off at the gate for Japan Air; this time, Chiyo had taken care of the reservations, and in doing so, she made damned sure that they were going to fly on anything but a cut-rate airline. As the limo pulled away, carrying Yomi's camera crew with it, the three women headed inside, where Tomo and Chiyo picked up their tickets and checked in their luggage. Then, as they all made their way to the terminal from which the flight would be leaving, they were all surprised to see a large group of people gathered at the other end of the concourse, some of them bearing bouquets of flowers.
       "Wonder what they're there for?" Tomo asked.
       Chiyo mused, "They aren't waiting for us, are they?"
       "I wouldn't be so sure about that," Yomi replied, pointing to a sign one of the people was carrying, which had only just now come into view, and read, "Good Luck Takino and Mihama!"
       As they came closer to the group, one of its members pointed the three women out to his fellows, and they all burst into a round of applause. The woman who had done the pointing, along with the man standing next to him, broke away from the crowd, and approached the trio. She stopped and bowed deeply before them, a kind smile on her face.
       "Ms. Takino, Ms. Mihama, Ms. Mizuhara, we're here on behalf of the Greater Tokyo Concerned Parents Group. The people you see behind me are from a number of other civil and charitable organizations. Ms. Takino, we heard that your punishment from Interpol was given to you yesterday, and that it was a fair one. We're glad that our hard work and petitioning paid off, and that you, a true hero, was given a fair deal."
       "Oh, um… thank you very much!" Tomo replied, giving her unexpected supporters a gracious bow. Chiyo and Yomi followed Tomo's lead, bowing as well.
       "No need to thank us! It's the actions of upstanding young women like yourselves which we truly have to be thankful for."
       "Is that so?" the man said. "What about all the money that Kimura donates to our organizations? I mean, when he heard that his daughter had been rescued, and by one of his former students—"
       The man was cut off which a sharp blow to his stomach, courtesy of the smiling woman. Tomo, Chiyo, and Yomi all gasped in horror at the action, but her smile never wavered. She held up a finger and beckoned for three teenage girls, all holding elaborate bouquets, to come forward.
       "We want you to have these flowers," the woman said, "as our way of hoping you have a safe flight."
       "Thanks, but you might as well give 'em all to Yomi," Tomo replied.
       Yomi was flattered and aghast at the same time. "What? What would I need that many flowers for?"
       "I think I know where Tomo's going with this," Chiyo said. "It's a long trip back to New York, and the bouquets might not last until then."
       "You woudn't mind, would you?" Tomo asked. "Think of it as me and Chiyo's way of saying thanks for your help and hospitality."
       "Oh… Okay… if you put it like that…"
       Chiyo glanced down at her watch. "Hey, Tomo? We have to get going."
       "Right," Tomo replied, before turning back to Yomi. "Well, we have your contact info, and you have ours, so be sure to stay in touch, okay?"
       "Will do!"
       They exchanged hugs, and as the teenagers piled three massive bunches of flowers into her arms, Yomi watched as Tomo and Chiyo made their way to the security gates. Both her and the crowd of people continued to stay there, until they had made it through the metal detectors and waved back to them one last time before disappearing down the terminal's concourse, toward their gate.

       Upon their return to New York, Chiyo took a week off to recover from their long, strange trip. She returned to Ambassador Tadakichi's office the following Monday, and continued to serve him until his retirement. She received a few promotions within that time, and some years later, became Japan's Ambassador to the United States.

       Tomo's probation began as soon as she returned to Manhattan and visited the very irate head of New York City's Interpol headquarters. Needing a source of cash in the meantime, she took on a job as a wealthy industrialist's personal bodyguard; it seems that news of her antics had spread to North America, and as a result, this billionaire had sought her down for the position. Eventually, she was allowed to resume her internship with Interpol, but she turned it down, and applied for a full-time position instead. Much to her shock and delight, and partially thanks to an unexpected—yet much appreciated—letter of recommendation from Ambassador Tadakichi, she was accepted this time around.
       What followed after she actually started work as a full-fledged member of Interpol is a tale for another time…

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Written November 2004 | Copyright 2004, Reeve.

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