"Grandma!" Miles Tailor called out happily. Her squat grandmother bent down to hug the girl, and she beamed herself. As she finished the embrace with a big kiss on Miles' forehead, the rest of the Tailor troop joined them outside of the large, old, comfy house that stood stoically on the border of Central Neopia. Jon, the youngest, hoped around impatiently, waiting to go in and get at the goodies their Grandmother had undoubtedly made for the occasion. His hair, so like Miles strawberry blond, ruffled in the breeze, and his hazel eyes snapped at his sister.

"Can't we go in yet? I'm hungry!" Carl, the second eldest boy, then silently reprimanded him with a smack. His hair was just shade lighter than Jon's, and his thin frame belied his energetic nature. His eyes, green one moment and gray the next, bore into Jon's skull.

"Dude, we just got here! Calm down!" Jon turned to retort (and inevitably start a fight) when Zach intervened. As the eldest of the four (if you didn't count their big sister, on her own) he felt it was his duty to keep the younger ones in line. He came between them and pushed them apart. His own brunette hair was unkempt, and his gray eyes belied the hefty amount of sleeping he'd done on the trip up.

"Come on, you guys. Don't get Mom mad." The other two reluctantly backed away, and Jon huffed inside, followed closely by Carl. Zach sighed, and went in himself. But Mrs. Tailor stood outside to catch up with her mother a bit, and Miles went around the house to the front porch. She walked slowly up the steps, and then sat quietly on the swing, mounted to the side. She began to swing a slow waltz, her mind preoccupied. The joy of seeing her Grandmother temporarily overshadowed the other thoughts that crowded her mind. But when the feeling wore off, the thoughts returned.

"I'm Sailor Kacheek. This is unbelievable. This is . . . " Just a short time ago she had accepted the power of the Sailor Neopets, and had become the gray soldier of Justice, Sailor Kacheek. It hadn't sunk in really after the battle with Sailor Chia (her personal most hated enemy) what she had gotten herself into, but now she trembled with fear. Her family was at stake. Her friends were! Her own life was hanging in the balance as she tried to figure out what it all meant. It was quite a bit for a 14 year-old-girl to take in. And at that very moment, she wished her pets were with her. But Mrs. Tailor hadn't been able to afford a rented car with enough room for all their pets, so Miles' Kacheek, Lupe, Bruce, and Poogle were all left at home with the neighbors watching close. But now, so far away, Miles really wished MilesTails, her Kacheek (and her senshi namesake) could be there with her to give a kind paw. But he wasn't, and she sucked it up best she could. She stared off into space for a few moments and was only shocked from her reverie when she felt someone hit in the back of her head. She whipped around just in time to see Jon run off, laughing maniacally. She scowled, but didn't waste her breath with threats. He'd ignore them, and she'd get in trouble. She turned back and sighed. "Going to be one long visit."

~*~*~*~*~

"Pass the wieners, please." Carl snickered. Miles rolled her eyes and passed the franks, and continued to play with her food. She knew her mother wouldn't let her have desert if she didn't finish the food on her plate, but she really didn't have much appetite. Mrs. Tailor had commented on it a few days ago, but Miles had feigned illness. She couldn't very well tell her mother the truth.

"Oh yes, Mom. The reason I can't seem to eat is because I'm a soldier of justice against an evil force that wants to rule the world and kill everything kind and good. Pass the peas, please." She smirked mirthlessly to herself. If her mother even believed her (which was doubtful) she would directly attempt to stop Chia and her overlords herself, to spare her baby. The thought cheered Miles a little, but she felt even worse when she thought of what would happen if her mother ever did find Chia. It wasn't a good mental picture. She scooted her roll over, and built up her mashed potato walls, dotted with carrot bits and ham strips. Her mother was up getting a piece of cake luckily, otherwise she would have scolded Miles, much to her brothers' amusement. But at that point Miles didn't even care. She only looked up even when her Grandmother spoke to her directly.

"Miles honey, can I talk to you after dinner?" Miles smiled as best she could at her Grandmother, and hastily put down her fork.

"Sure, Grandma. I'm almost done anyway. I'll be on the porch, okay?" And with that, Miles quickly slipped into the kitchen to dump her mess. Her mother would have thrown a fit if she had seen her child wasting food, but once again fortune was with the girl, and her mother passed her back into the dining room with her cake. As she scraped, Miles wondered why her grandmother wanted to speak with her. She shrugged, and figured it had something to do with the reunion two days later. Her own family always came a day or two early for the get-togethers to spend more time with the family matriarch. Her aunt's family was due that very night, as well as her great uncle's. The rest of the huge Colger clan (being Mrs. Tailor's family) would show up all the next day until the big house was bursting at it's beams with family and love. But this year Miles just wanted to get it all over with and go home. The longer she was there, the longer she put all her extended family at risk. Besides, she didn't really feel like celebrating. But she put her best face forward as she once more took a perch on the porch swing. The sun had barely begun to go down, and the light cast a pink glow about the quiet hamlet. Miles was glad her grandmother had inherited the big house from her mother in that area, where everyone knew everyone else, crime was an unknown, and you were lucky if you saw a car every 30 minutes. But the lack of Neopian Fresh Foods (MilesTails and Miles' favorite restaurant/grocery store) sort of dampened the sentiment. She sighed and watched the front door creaked open, and her grandmother shuffle out. She was actually pretty graceful for someone as old as she was. She walked purposefully toward her granddaughter, and sat down beside her. She then smiled with love into the girl's eyes, and turned to give her a big hug. Miles was confused, but returned it with as much zest. Then Bonnie Colger pulled away. Her own hazel eyes (that matched her daughter's so well) shone with unshed tears, and her gray hair ruffled much like the children's had earlier that day. She then put a comfortable hand on Miles' arm.

"Honey, I know."

"What are you talking about, Grandma?" Miles was more than confused now (not that surprising). Bonnie sighed, and took her grandchild's hand.

"Honey, I know you're a senshi. I know you're Sailor Kacheek. And I know what you have to do." Miles gasped, her dark blue eyes went wide. No one knew she was a senshi. Well, Sailor JubJub knew, and she was pretty sure Sailor Chia did too, but how did her grandmother find out?

"How . . . how'd you guess?" Bonnie smiled a sad, gentle smile.

"I didn't have to guess. You see, I was Sailor Kacheek before you." Miles was even more perplexed. Her eyes took on a puzzled glaze, and she seemed to be speaking from within.

"You were Sailor Kacheek as well?" Bonnie nodded and turned to the gathering dusk.

"You see, I was chosen to be the very first Sailor Kacheek. The Faerie Queen gave me my powers directly when I was just your age. But my powers were infused within the seal we put on the Chaos Faerie, so I could no longer use my gift. Then, just a short time ago, I felt my power returning. My wand appeared in front of me, and I grasped it once more. I called out my power phrase, and once more I was a senshi of good and right. But then, as I stood in my kitchen, my transformation melted away, and my wand disappeared. So I knew someone else had inherited the power from me. I didn't think you're mother had, since she is much too old to be a senshi, and the only girl I knew about the right age with the strength to be one was you."

"But what about Emilei?" Emilei was Miles' young cousin, only ten.

"Emilei isn't of senshi stock, I'm afraid. She's much too practical, too disbelieving. If she were chosen, she would run from her destiny for as long as she could. But you believe. You knew, I'm guessing, exactly what was being asked of you. And you accepted. So I knew I had to talk to you." Miles' jumped from the swing, and went to the trellis. She rested her head on the ivy greens, and a few tears escaped her eye.

"But it's not fair, Grandma. I was all for it at the time, with the adrenaline, but now I'm scared. What have I gotten into? And it wasn't fair for you to have no choice either." Bonnie smiled and joined her.

"I suppose you're right. If I had been given the choice then, I might have chosen to remain sky, quiet me. But now I can tell it was for the best. I became strong and assertive, and I could protect the people I loved. And now, so can you."

"Really?"

"Of course! You don't understand as best as I do, since you've only been a senshi for a short time, but you have great power in you. You can stand up to evil and fight for justice, just as I did. And that's quite an honor." Miles turned and gave her grandmother another hug.

"I suppose you're right. But I'm still scared."

"Of course you are. You'd be crazy not to be. But I know you'll be fine. You know how to work with others, you have an intelligent mind, and you've got more spunk than you know. So you'll survive, and be better off for it." Miles smiled, and took Bonnie's hand. In her eyes shone a new determination, and whatever fear lurked in her heart was pushed aside for duty and love.

"Well then, I guess I'm glad the power passed."