AGOL
2008-11-09 21:41:55 UTC
Disclaimer: The usual.
Immediate sequel to story currently titled "Eastward Ho!"
posted on FanFiction.net
NB: Crossover of Buffy with Azumanga Daioh.
_________________________________
'Welcome Committees'
by
A Gentleman Of Leisure.
_______
Early September 2003.
_______
1.
Giles twisted round in his seat as the car pulled up at the double gates at
the end of the long drive, to look over his shoulder at the school.
"Well, it's beginning to look all right, isn't it?"
The Buffybot glanced in the rear view mirror as she waited for one of the
girls to swing the gates open.
A good two hundred yards back up the gentle slope, the building looked quite
impressive in the early morning autumn sun. It had started life as a large
country house a couple of centuries ago, but now the ivy growing across the
broad frontage helped to conceal the poor state of the stonework - the
cracks, crumbling bricks, peeling paintwork - the whole overall shabby
condition of the exterior. Half of it was covered in scaffolding to allow
access for repairs. Inside there was still a huge amount of work to be done
as well, but at least some of it was now habitable, and the first intake of
the new Young Slayers was now resident and in training.
True, most of them were taking turns working as builder's labourers under
Xander's supervision, as part of the Watchers' Council workforce, but it was
all good experience, and they were under proper instruction from Buffy,
Willow and Giles himself as well. Hod carrying, and training as bricklayers
in the mornings, followed by swordplay and unarmed combat among other
things, in the afternoons, was going to make them very fit in a relatively
short time, prevent any risk of boredom, and at the same time get a lot of
the essential basic repair work done on the new Watcher's Headquarters. At
the end of a relatively short but concentrated period of training they would
be dispatched back to their home countries again with their own Watchers, to
operate as part of the new worldwide Slayer network. The intention was that
it would, as before, remain a secret organization, but would now be properly
organized and funded, functioning as a sort of emergency service, with 'Hot
Squads' ready to be dispatched at short notice to quell any outbreaks of
vampire or monstrous activity, before the general public could possibly
become aware of them.
"Looking good, Headmaster," she said, turning the steering wheel to the
right and gently pressing the accelerator. "Just like the real thing."
"That's the idea, Bibi. To the outside world we want to look just like a
proper Training College. There is one thing I still wish, though," he added.
"Yes, Headmaster? What's that?"
"That you'd stop calling me that. I still can't get used to it."
The Buffybot centered the wheel, and the Jaguar sped off down the narrow
country road, heading for the motorway to London.
"What? 'Headmaster'? A bit late now, sir. Everyone calls you that, now,
don't they?"
"Yes, I know, but I really don't like it much. I really miss being just
plain 'Giles'. And I absolutely refuse to allow anyone to call me 'sir'. Not
even you!" he added firmly.
The Buffybot smiled. "You know what they've started calling the school,
don't you?"
Giles sighed. He'd decided on the official name Sutton Place, in memory of
his own preparatory school long ago. Of course, other people had had other
ideas.
"Yes, I heard Dawn at breakfast the other morning - St Trinian's!" He shook
his head, resignedly. "Really! I don't know."
The Buffybot grinned to herself. "I'll try to remember to call you Giles, in
future" she offered.
"I won't hold my breath," Giles muttered, knowing perfectly well that with
her perfect memory she could if she actually wanted to. He tightened his
seatbelt a trifle, settled back, and closed his eyes.
"Let me know when we come off the motorway and join the North Circular,
please. That'll give me time to wake up properly before we collect the
welcoming committee from the house in Owl Street."
This was the terraced house in North London, which had once been the home of
his late Great Uncle and Great Aunt. When she had died, aged 96, he had
inherited the place. [1]
"OK, Giles." Bibi knew that the real reason he preferred to sleep when she
was driving was that he couldn't bear to be driven fast, especially not at
the sort of speed she enjoyed. She'd had the Jaguar saloon tuned up
considerably, and it was now easily capable of a hundred and fifty miles an
hour. It was only the problem of police patrols that kept her from
approaching this speed very often. Naturally they couldn't dare risk being
caught - not if they wanted to maintain their anonymity as an organization.
She'd been spotted once by a motorway patrol, when she and Dawn had been out
for a test run very early one morning, and she'd had do some very fancy
driving, hastily getting off at the next motorway exit and losing them in a
wild chase through narrow, winding country roads. That had been good fun,
but all a bit close, and Giles had used some rather strong language when he
found out about it.
"And remember, we're in plenty of time," he added without opening his eyes,
so she knew he'd been thinking about exactly that same thing.
"Yes, Headmaster."
"Hmph!" said Giles, and settled himself more comfortably for the long drive.
It would take all of an hour to get to Owl Street at Bibi's usual cruising
speed. With her special abilities she could detect the approach of police
patrols before they were even within visual range. Very useful. He yawned,
and almost immediately he was asleep. Bibi very gently pressed the
accelerator just a little harder.
2.
"Miss Chiyo Mihama? Juvenile passenger travelling unaccompanied from Tokyo,
Narita to London, Heathrow? You will be the first to disembark. I'll just
get your hand luggage down for you, shall I?" the stewardess said, reaching
up to the overhead locker.
Chiyo, surprised, but obedient by nature, unfastened her seatbelt and stood
up.
"Now, would you like to follow me, miss? This way. Please make sure you have
your passport and all your other documents ready."
Chiyo just had time for a last quick look out of the window at the view of
Heathrow's terminal buildings, and then she was being escorted down the
aisle to the front exit. She was acutely conscious that all the other
passengers in First Class were staring at her with intense curiosity, while
they were still sitting waiting for the announcement that they could
unfasten their own seatbelts. Everyone was obviously wondering who she might
be, and why the special treatment, and she tried to ignore all the eyes
following her down the aisle towards the exit.
The passenger steps were just being rolled up to the doorway as it was being
opened, and as soon as they were in position she and the stewardess trotted
down to the tarmac. As they did so, a black Mercedes with tinted windows and
flying a small Japanese flag, came sweeping up to the foot of the steps,
closely followed by a Land Rover marked Airport Police, which contained two
large police officers. A slim young Japanese man jumped out from beside the
chauffeur of the Mercedes, bowed, and opened the passenger door for her.
"Mihama-sama, desu ka?" he asked in Japanese. "Good morning. I hope you had
a good journey. My name is Miyazaki. I am from the Japanese Embassy. We are
going to the VIP Lounge, where His Excellency the Ambassador himself is
waiting to welcome you to Britain."
Chiyo stood looking at him in astonishment. She opened her mouth and tried
to speak, but nothing would come out, and for a moment she could only stand
there dumbstruck.
"The Ambassador? Waiting for me? But... why?" she managed eventually.
"Mihama-sama, your honourable father is highly regarded by the government as
a very important person. Perhaps you don't realize how important. Therefore
his Excellency has offered to be responsible for your safety and well-being
while you are studying here at Cambridge. Did you not know that?"
"No, I didn't," said Chiyo, shaking her head, thoroughly confused. "Forgive
me, Miyazaki-san, but there must be some mistake. I am going to be met by
friends who live here in England. It was arranged with my father after we
met them in America," she said.
"I'm afraid I know nothing about that," said the young man. "I just have
instructions to collect you and take you to the Ambassador. Please don't
worry - I'm sure that any confusions will be sorted out right away."
Unable to do anything but acquiesce, Chiyo could only bow politely, and
obediently get into the Mercedes, to be whisked away across the tarmac,
escorted in turn by the Airport Police.
3.
"We're going to be late," said Giles, checking his watch.
"No, we're not," Bibi said. "Look, the girls from the Owl Street house have
already parked their minibus. They'll be in the Arrivals Hall in plenty of
time."
She checked her own watch, although it was only for show; she knew to the
millisecond what the time was.
"The plane will only just have landed. You know what airports are like these
days - it'll take Chiyo ages to get through Customs and Immigration, and
Security."
"Good. I'm glad at least someone will be there in time to meet her. We
promised her father she'd be in our care from the moment she stepped off the
plane," Giles reminded the Buffybot.
She stamped on the brakes and the Jaguar pulled up abruptly, perfectly
aligned in its space in the Short Stay car park.
"I wish you'd warn me when you're going to do that," said Giles plaintively,
unfastening his seatbelt and reaching down to rescue his jacket from the
footwell, where it had suddenly been projected.
"Oops!" said the Buffybot with a wicked little grin. "Sorry, Head!"
She was out in a flash and over at the ticket machine, pushing coins in as
fast as they would go. Then she stood tapping her foot impatiently as the
ticket slowly emerged.
Giles finally unfolded himself and got out. By the time he had stretched to
ease the stiffness of being seated for the duration of the long journey, and
slipped his jacket on, Bibi had put the ticket on the dashboard where it
could be seen by the parking inspectors, and was round at the car's boot.
"Come on, Bibi. What have you forgotten?" Giles asked a trifle grumpily.
"I never forget anything, Giles. You know that," she reminded him. "I'm just
getting something to welcome Chiyo."
She pulled out a bag and slung it over her shoulder, slammed the boot shut
and locked the car. Giles had already started out across the vast car park,
heading for the Arrivals Hall in the distance, and she ran to catch him up,
and tucked her arm in his.
"Well, Boss," she said, "here we are at the beginning of the next stage of
the development of the New Watchers' Council. Our new asset doesn't know
what she's getting into yet. Let's just hope it works out."
"Well, it's as much your idea as mine and Willow's," Giles reminded her with
a smile. "I must say, the next few years look like being very interesting
indeed!"
4.
It only took a few minutes for Chiyo to go through VIP Customs and
Immigration, and Security, where her passport and visa were thoroughly
examined and then stamped, her student's permit to stay for the duration of
her studies checked, and her hand luggage examined. She explained that the
rest of her bags had not yet been unloaded from the plane on which she'd
just arrived. Miyazaki-san said it would be brought to the VIP Suite for
checking directly from the plane, where it was stowed separately from the
First Class baggage so it could be accessed first of all. This surprised her
as she'd had no part in making her travel arrangements - that had all been
managed by her father's company Head Office. The bags would be examined and
after which a junior member of the Embassy staff would bring them through to
her.
Then Miyazaki-san led her through into the VIP Arrivals Lounge itself where
a small number of her fellow countrymen were standing around in a group. As
she entered, they all turned to look at her, and she heard several subdued
murmurs of "Kawaii", and "Isn't she young!" Chiyo blushed and sighed. In the
three months back in Japan since finishing her year's college in the USA,
she had forgotten what it was like to still have people staring at her all
the time, even though she had grown several centimetres in the year and a
half since graduating from Azuma Highschool. She supposed she would have to
get used to it again until she'd settled in at Cambridge, and her fellow
students had got used to her extremely youthful appearance.
"Here is Mihama-san, Ambassador-Sensei," Miyazaki-san announced, leading her
up to a grey haired, middle aged man at the centre of the waiting group. He
was perhaps half a generation older than her father, she thought as she
folded her hands formally in front of her and bowed deeply.
"Mihama-sama, I have the honour to present you to His Excellency
Saegusa-Sensei, Ambassador to Britain," said young Miyazaki.
"Your Excellency, I am honoured," said Chiyo, her surprise still obvious for
everyone to see. "My father told me I should call at the Embassy as soon as
I arrived, and make my presence known to you. It is an unexpected honour
that you should have come to meet me."
To her great surprise, the Ambassador made a deep bow to her in his turn.
"Welcome to Britain, Mihama-san. I hope you had a good journey."
Chiyo bowed again, and said she had been very comfortable, thank you.
Puzzled by the official welcome, she had no idea why all these people were
there, and all she could do was wait politely to see what would happen next.
"It is a real pleasure to meet you," the Ambassador said. "Your father has
told me of your educational achievments, and I think I can safely say our
country is very proud of your progress."
Chiyo blushed with embarrassment.
"The Ambassador-sensei does me great honour." She paused for a few seconds
trying to gather her thoughts, covering her uncertainly with another bow. "I
had no idea my education was of interest to anyone outside my family."
"The nation is always interested in its most intelligent students. They are
the future - you are a part of that future. Japan has great hopes for its
young people, you understand?"
Chiyo bowed yet again. "I hope I will be able to fulfil the hopes of my
parents for me," she said. "You do my father and the whole family great
honour by your interest in my progress."
"It is my pleasure to oblige your parents, Mihama-san. When I heard you were
transferring to a university in Britain, I spoke to your father and promised
him I would keep a special eye on you."
He gestured for her to sit down with him, and someone appeared with a tray
of English tea and toast, placing it on the low table between them.
"I imagine you haven't felt much like eating during your flight," he said.
"I never do, myself. Please..."
He gestured for her to help herself, and Chiyo suddenly realized how hungry
she felt. Apart from the obvious fact that it was daylight, she'd lost track
of whether it was morning or afternoon here. However, whatever time it
really was, her stomach said it was time to eat, though which meal it might
be she could only guess.
"You see, it's a curious country, this," the Ambassador continued. "In some
ways it is quite like ours, with long traditions reaching back many
centuries into the past, just as we have in our own history, but it is also
a place where you have to be careful. For instance, it's better to avoid
talking about certain things. History, for instance. Particularly the
relatively recent past, you understand? You must remember that memories are
long here, especially among older people, even now."
Chiyo thought of her history lessons with Sato-sensei, back in high school,
with their curious, unexplained vagueness on certain subjects, and she
nodded.
"Also, it's not nearly as safe a country as Japan. Some parts of the big
cities can be unsuitable for inexperienced young people to visit - there is
a lot of violence, and crime of all sorts. You must be careful. We want to
be sure you are safe, and that nothing will happen to you."
"Your Excellency means perhaps that the daughter of a rich and important
person could be a target for kidnapping and ransom?" Chiyo bowed again, a
smile suddenly coming to her face. The Ambassador nodded.
"Your Excellency, I can assure you I shall be as safe in England as if I
were shopping at the Mitsukoshi department store in the Nihombashi district
of Tokyo," she said confidently. "Possibly more so, since there are probably
no Yakuza here. I am being met by friends - very special friends - people I
met when I was studying in Amerika earlier this year. It has all been
arranged with my father. You see, these friends, they saved my life when I
was attacked by... er... some sort of wild animal there. Now, our family has
a debt to pay - giri, - 'a debt of honour' I think they call it in English,"
she explained. "My father has placed me in their care. I am sure you
understand," she added politely.
"Yes, of course I see," Ambassador Saegusa replied. "We are aware of all
this. I do understand very well what you say," he continued, "but
Mihama-san, since your father's work is so important to our nation's economy
and future, we of the Diplomatic Service feel we have an obvious
responsibility for your safety as well. We know all about your misadventure
in Amerika, though since it was a wild animal it does not really concern the
government, as such, but your personal safety while in Britain does."
"Because of who my father is?" Chiyo said thoughtfully, trying to remember
not to talk with her mouth full, a bad habit she'd picked up at College in
Amerika, where if you didn't interrupt, you never got a word in. "My parents
have always tried to let me live like any other young girl of my age, in
order to give me self-confidence. Though now I'm older of course I can see
that I had advantages I was much too young to recognize or appreciate at the
time."
"Don't be surprised, Mihama-san - your father obviously realized that the
more normal life you could lead, the better. If I may, I would say you have
already shown his choices for you were correct."
Chiyo nodded slowly, considering this.
"Thank you, Excellency. Ordinary friends, an ordinary life, and my personal
independence. Naturally, I can see that these would be very good reasons to
send me to ordinary state schools, and not an exclusive private boarding
school. I suppose he intended that in this way I would not grow up to be a
spoiled little rich girl. I never really thought too much about it before."
"I imagine you were never really supposed to," said the Ambassador. Then he
added thoughtfully, "Perhaps I should not have taken it into my head to
intrude. Truly I have only done so because I was concerned for you, and your
safety and well-being."
Chiyo bowed deeply to him once again.
"Your Excellency, I am highly honoured, and most grateful you have come."
The Ambassador smiled. "Good. We understand each other, entirely. Excellent.
Now, I imagine your friends are probably waiting patiently for you. I wonder
if you would do me the honour of introducing me? It would ease my mind.
Shall we go and find them? I suspect they might be wondering where you've
got to."
Chiyo eagerly scrambled to her feet. "Of course, your Excellency! Mr. Giles,
and Miss Buffy and Miss Bibi would be delighted to meet you, I am certain.
It would be my honour and pleasure to introduce them."
5.
"Hey, is that her?" one of the young New Slayers called out, pointing at a
group of Japanese coming out from the VIP Arrivals Lounge, accompanied by
two armed police officers. "Looks like she's with a load of bigwigs."
"I think it is..." said Giles uncertainly, removing his glasses in order to
give them a quick polish.
Bibi said "Yes," firmly, and nodded to the others in the group. There were
six girls, and three of them immediately clambered onto the shoulders of the
other three.
"What are you doing?" Giles said, as Bibi opened her shoulder bag and passed
up a large roll of white cloth to the pair at one end, but she ignored his
question. Hastily they began to unroll it as Bibi turned back to watch the
approach of the VIP party, and started to wave both arms vigorously. Giles
too waved, but rather more decorously, just in a reserved, English sort of
way, with the one hand, casually, as if he was a bit embarrassed about even
doing so in the first place.
"Hurry up!" he heard someone say behind him, and glanced round to find that
the six girls had unfurled a long banner with Japanese calligraphy on it,
and moved apart to stretch it out to its fullest extent.
"Chi-yo! Chi-yo! Chi-yo!" they started chanting, and Bibi joined in, her
clear voice, though not loud, easily penetrating the background noise in the
Arrivals Hall. One of the Japanese pointed, and the group changed direction
towards the British welcoming committee. They could see Chiyo walking beside
a grey-haired, middle-aged man in a formal suit.
"Someone pretty special, by the looks of it," Giles said.
"Embassy, I'd guess," said Bibi, waving even harder. As they approached she
was surprised to see that Chiyo was trying really hard not to laugh at
something - she had both her hands over her mouth and had gone pink. Sudden
suspicion made her look round to check the banner was fully extended and
could be read clearly. Horrified, she realized what was wrong.
"Other way up, you idiots!" she yelled at her team. "Other way up! Have you
any idea how long it took me to write that? It's bloody upside down!"
6.
Chiyo came to a momentary halt at the strange scene that presented itself,
wondering how to react in front of the Ambassador.
"Your friends?" he asked gently. "It seems they care greatly for you. That
banner is a nice piece of work."
The team of six were hurriedly turning the twelve-foot strip of white cloth
end over end, and stretching it out again so that the calligraphy could be
seen properly. The banner could now be seen to read 'Mihama Chiyo welcome to
our family'.
"I had no idea any of them knew kanji well enough to do something like
this," Chiyo said, dreadfully embarrassed.
"Someone has made a lot of effort for a Westerner," the Ambassador said. "He
is to be congratulated."
"Actually, Excellency, I rather think it's probably done by the woman in
front. She is the one who saved my life."
The Ambassador's eyebrows lifted slightly in well-controlled surprise. He
saw an attractive, brown haired Western woman in her early twenties, barely
any taller than the average Japanese, leaping up and down, waving excitedly,
and calling Chiyo's name. With her in front of the banner-waving team of six
girls was a classic tweed jacket wearing Englishman, looking perhaps a
little embarrassed by the antics of his companions, also waving, but
discreetly.
"Ambassador-Sensei, please excuse me a moment," Chiyo said, and before he
could answer she had dropped her bag and run towards the group to fling her
arms round the woman, who responded by hugging her tightly in return. The
Ambassador watched as she then turned and bowed as deeply to the Englishman
as she had to him. To his surprise the Englishman took both her hands and
they spoke together for a moment. When she turned back towards the Japanese
group he was surprised to see her wiping tears from her eyes, but a big
happy smile on her face.
Sedately she walked back to him and bowed.
"Ambassador-Sensei. Please accept my apologies. Would you please now allow
me to introduce my Amerikan and English friends," and she escorted him
forwards, as they advanced to meet them. To his surprise she introduced the
woman first, though this was not proper Japanese etiquette, but when she
spoke, in English now, he quickly understood why.
"Mr. Ambassador, please may I introduce Miss Bibi Summers from the town of
Sunnydale, in California, USA. She saved my life when I was attacked by a
wild animal in the spring of this year while I was in college in the USA.
She fought it off barehanded, until friends arrived and helped to kill it.
She was very badly injured. My family owes her my life - a debt which can
hardly be repaid in a lifetime," she said quietly in a formal manner.
The Ambassador bowed to Bibi, who very correctly folded her hands in front
of her as Chiyo had, and bowed in return. Then he shook her hand. "We
greatly appreciate what you did for this young lady, Miss Summers. I hope
you have recovered from your injuries."
Bibi smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Ambassador, It is a great honour to meet you.
As you can see, I'm as fit as a fiddle again." She switched to Japanese. "It
has been a privilege to have helped young Chiyo. She is now a very special
friend to us."
"As I can see by your banner," the diplomat said, also reverting to his own
language. "Where did you find such a good calligrapher to make it for you?"
He was surprised when Bibi actually blushed, something that surprised even
Giles, and said she was honoured by his approval.
"You wrote this yourself? It is very good, Summers-san. You must have been
learning Japanese for a long time - you speak it almost like a native."
Chiyo bit her tongue to stop herself blurting out that it had actually only
been about four months, and she caught sight of Giles' worried expression,
even though he couldn't understand the last exchange between the two.
Bibi just bowed, and thanked him, so Chiyo hastily jumped in and turned to
Giles.
"Excellency, may I now introduce Mr. Rupert Giles? He is the Headmaster of
'Sutton Place' Ladies College. He was leading the group Miss Summers was
with when we met in America. It is he who has been able to arrange for me to
enter Cambridge University as a special undergraduate to study Ancient
Languages. It was his own speciality when he used to work in the Western
Asiatic Antiquities Department at The British Museum."
"An honour to meet you, Mr. Giles," said the Ambassador and the two shook
hands.
"And for me to meet you, Mr. Ambassador. The school is a new venture. Miss
Summers is now my Bursar and Deputy Head, and these energetic young people
are a few of our first intake," Giles told him. He waved vaguely at the six
girls behind him, who had the good sense to bow politely to the Japanese
group in general.
"We hope that Chiyo, Miss Mihama, will be happy to spend time with us
whenever she wishes. We intend to be a home away from home for her while
she's studying in England, for as long as she wants. Her father has greatly
honoured us - letting us accept responsibility for her by putting her in our
care whenever she is in Britain."
"You are aware, I'm sure, that he is a very important man, Mr. Giles. To do
this he must feel the greatest trust in you that a father possibly can,"
Ambassador Saegusa said.
"Please be assured, Ambassador, we understand this. You may be certain we do
indeed," Giles said, looking him straight in the eye. Then he added, "And
please feel yourself welcome to visit us whenever you wish. Just have your
secretary phone us up so we can prepare for your arrival."
"Though I'd give it a few weeks yet, Mr. Ambassador," Bibi put in, also in
English. "You see, we're still in the middle of renovating the school
buildings. They needed rather a lot of work doing to them when we acquired
them. This was only recently, and we haven't nearly finished yet."
"Excuse me, Mr. Giles," Chiyo said a little diffidently. "Perhaps the
Ambassador might send like to someone with me now, to see the school? Would
that be possible?"
Giles realized that Chiyo had just put her finger on something that could
have been extremely awkward and embarrassing for the ultra-polite Japanese
to ask. If one of their staff accompanied her, the Embassy could be
reassured that things were precisely as they should be, and that her father
believed they would be, and that Chiyo was perfectly safe and comfortable,
and most of all, happy to be with her Western friends.
"This sounds ideal," he said. "Would that please you, Mr. Ambassador?"
The representative of the Imperial Government of Japan smiled delightedly.
Awkwardness was avoided, and young Mihama Chiyo had just demonstrated her
intelligence and diplomacy to him, as had her Western friends. He smiled
broadly with pleasure and bowed.
"What an excellent idea, Mr. Giles. I wonder if perhaps our young Mr.
Miyazaki would like to undertake this?"
Miyazaki was of course utterly delighted. It wasn't necessary for him to be
told to take on the commission; anything the Ambassador thought would be a
good idea could be considered as an instruction carved in stone.
Only one thing remained to do before they could start - collecting Chiyo's
luggage. The Ambassador waited politely while young Miyazaki cheerfully went
back to the VIP Lounge to see if it had arrived. After ten or fifteen
minutes he returned looking angry and severely embarrassed. He bowed deeply
to the Ambassador and to Chiyo and apologized most humbly. There was no
trace of her bags, despite them supposedly receiving special VIP treatment.
It seemed that the airline had somehow mislaid them. There was no sign of
them anywhere in the hold, and it looked as if, due to some mix up at
Narita, they'd not been loaded onto the plane at all. He'd made several
furious calls to Japan already, and the airline had made a hurried search,
but with no result. As everyone knows, there is a special sort of Bermuda
Triangle, of infinite size, specifically designed for air passengers'
luggage, and it looked as though that was where they'd gone.
After a short while, in which everyone stood around, disconcerted, uncertain
what to say or do, the Ambassador said he most deeply regretted not being
able to stay any longer, but an official function later in the morning had
to be prepared for, and unfortunately he must depart. He assured Chiyo that
Mr. Miyazaki would eventually track down her bags, however long it took.
Mutual best wishes were exchanged all round, and the Slayers' party were
left forlornly standing in the Baggage Claim Hall watching an empty carousel
going round, while at others people rushed forward to eagerly claim their
own bags and depart happy.
Bibi stood there with her arm reassuringly round Chiyo as they wondered what
to do. Chiyo wondered sadly if all those nice new clothes she'd spent time
and effort buying had just vanished, never to be seen again, or if they
would eventually turn up, apologizing for having gone for a round the world
trip on their own.
"Enough," said Bibi firmly. "We're all wasting the day. I propose we abandon
the luggage for now. The Embassy can keep looking for it - they've got a
much better chance than we have - right, Mr. Miyazaki?"
He nodded eagerly, anxious to make amends for the loss of face. This was
perfectly true, he said.
"We'll borrow clothes for you to wear from the other girls for now, and if
your stuff doesn't turn up, we'll go shopping! Fancy that, Chiyo?"
Chiyo looked up, smiled, and nodded. That sounded good. Though she felt sad
that all her nice new belongings had seemingly gone for ever, like every
young woman, an excuse to shop for clothes was never something to be turned
down out-of-hand. And at least all the most important things she owned had
been in her hand luggage, including her little laptop, so she could still
keep in touch with everyone back at home.
"Let's go then. At the speed I drive we can be back in time for lunch!" Bibi
said.
"Ahem," said Giles gently. He had noticed that Chiyo's face had suddenly
gone quite pale at Bibi's enthusiastic remark. "I think perhaps Chiyo would
prefer to go in Mr. Miyazaki's car. Bibi drives a little fast for my, and
most other peoples' taste," he explained quietly to her.
She gulped, and nodded gratefully. She'd been instantly reminded of her form
teacher, Miss Yukari, and the infamous Yukarimobile.
"Oh, our chauffeur has been trained in special security escape and evasion
driving techniques," said Miyazaki confidently. "We won't lose you, so long
as you don't break the speed limit."
"You're on!" exclaimed Bibi. "Last one there's a sissy!"
_______
END.
[1: This features in the story 'What I Did In My Holidays']
_______
Immediate sequel to story currently titled "Eastward Ho!"
posted on FanFiction.net
NB: Crossover of Buffy with Azumanga Daioh.
_________________________________
'Welcome Committees'
by
A Gentleman Of Leisure.
_______
Early September 2003.
_______
1.
Giles twisted round in his seat as the car pulled up at the double gates at
the end of the long drive, to look over his shoulder at the school.
"Well, it's beginning to look all right, isn't it?"
The Buffybot glanced in the rear view mirror as she waited for one of the
girls to swing the gates open.
A good two hundred yards back up the gentle slope, the building looked quite
impressive in the early morning autumn sun. It had started life as a large
country house a couple of centuries ago, but now the ivy growing across the
broad frontage helped to conceal the poor state of the stonework - the
cracks, crumbling bricks, peeling paintwork - the whole overall shabby
condition of the exterior. Half of it was covered in scaffolding to allow
access for repairs. Inside there was still a huge amount of work to be done
as well, but at least some of it was now habitable, and the first intake of
the new Young Slayers was now resident and in training.
True, most of them were taking turns working as builder's labourers under
Xander's supervision, as part of the Watchers' Council workforce, but it was
all good experience, and they were under proper instruction from Buffy,
Willow and Giles himself as well. Hod carrying, and training as bricklayers
in the mornings, followed by swordplay and unarmed combat among other
things, in the afternoons, was going to make them very fit in a relatively
short time, prevent any risk of boredom, and at the same time get a lot of
the essential basic repair work done on the new Watcher's Headquarters. At
the end of a relatively short but concentrated period of training they would
be dispatched back to their home countries again with their own Watchers, to
operate as part of the new worldwide Slayer network. The intention was that
it would, as before, remain a secret organization, but would now be properly
organized and funded, functioning as a sort of emergency service, with 'Hot
Squads' ready to be dispatched at short notice to quell any outbreaks of
vampire or monstrous activity, before the general public could possibly
become aware of them.
"Looking good, Headmaster," she said, turning the steering wheel to the
right and gently pressing the accelerator. "Just like the real thing."
"That's the idea, Bibi. To the outside world we want to look just like a
proper Training College. There is one thing I still wish, though," he added.
"Yes, Headmaster? What's that?"
"That you'd stop calling me that. I still can't get used to it."
The Buffybot centered the wheel, and the Jaguar sped off down the narrow
country road, heading for the motorway to London.
"What? 'Headmaster'? A bit late now, sir. Everyone calls you that, now,
don't they?"
"Yes, I know, but I really don't like it much. I really miss being just
plain 'Giles'. And I absolutely refuse to allow anyone to call me 'sir'. Not
even you!" he added firmly.
The Buffybot smiled. "You know what they've started calling the school,
don't you?"
Giles sighed. He'd decided on the official name Sutton Place, in memory of
his own preparatory school long ago. Of course, other people had had other
ideas.
"Yes, I heard Dawn at breakfast the other morning - St Trinian's!" He shook
his head, resignedly. "Really! I don't know."
The Buffybot grinned to herself. "I'll try to remember to call you Giles, in
future" she offered.
"I won't hold my breath," Giles muttered, knowing perfectly well that with
her perfect memory she could if she actually wanted to. He tightened his
seatbelt a trifle, settled back, and closed his eyes.
"Let me know when we come off the motorway and join the North Circular,
please. That'll give me time to wake up properly before we collect the
welcoming committee from the house in Owl Street."
This was the terraced house in North London, which had once been the home of
his late Great Uncle and Great Aunt. When she had died, aged 96, he had
inherited the place. [1]
"OK, Giles." Bibi knew that the real reason he preferred to sleep when she
was driving was that he couldn't bear to be driven fast, especially not at
the sort of speed she enjoyed. She'd had the Jaguar saloon tuned up
considerably, and it was now easily capable of a hundred and fifty miles an
hour. It was only the problem of police patrols that kept her from
approaching this speed very often. Naturally they couldn't dare risk being
caught - not if they wanted to maintain their anonymity as an organization.
She'd been spotted once by a motorway patrol, when she and Dawn had been out
for a test run very early one morning, and she'd had do some very fancy
driving, hastily getting off at the next motorway exit and losing them in a
wild chase through narrow, winding country roads. That had been good fun,
but all a bit close, and Giles had used some rather strong language when he
found out about it.
"And remember, we're in plenty of time," he added without opening his eyes,
so she knew he'd been thinking about exactly that same thing.
"Yes, Headmaster."
"Hmph!" said Giles, and settled himself more comfortably for the long drive.
It would take all of an hour to get to Owl Street at Bibi's usual cruising
speed. With her special abilities she could detect the approach of police
patrols before they were even within visual range. Very useful. He yawned,
and almost immediately he was asleep. Bibi very gently pressed the
accelerator just a little harder.
2.
"Miss Chiyo Mihama? Juvenile passenger travelling unaccompanied from Tokyo,
Narita to London, Heathrow? You will be the first to disembark. I'll just
get your hand luggage down for you, shall I?" the stewardess said, reaching
up to the overhead locker.
Chiyo, surprised, but obedient by nature, unfastened her seatbelt and stood
up.
"Now, would you like to follow me, miss? This way. Please make sure you have
your passport and all your other documents ready."
Chiyo just had time for a last quick look out of the window at the view of
Heathrow's terminal buildings, and then she was being escorted down the
aisle to the front exit. She was acutely conscious that all the other
passengers in First Class were staring at her with intense curiosity, while
they were still sitting waiting for the announcement that they could
unfasten their own seatbelts. Everyone was obviously wondering who she might
be, and why the special treatment, and she tried to ignore all the eyes
following her down the aisle towards the exit.
The passenger steps were just being rolled up to the doorway as it was being
opened, and as soon as they were in position she and the stewardess trotted
down to the tarmac. As they did so, a black Mercedes with tinted windows and
flying a small Japanese flag, came sweeping up to the foot of the steps,
closely followed by a Land Rover marked Airport Police, which contained two
large police officers. A slim young Japanese man jumped out from beside the
chauffeur of the Mercedes, bowed, and opened the passenger door for her.
"Mihama-sama, desu ka?" he asked in Japanese. "Good morning. I hope you had
a good journey. My name is Miyazaki. I am from the Japanese Embassy. We are
going to the VIP Lounge, where His Excellency the Ambassador himself is
waiting to welcome you to Britain."
Chiyo stood looking at him in astonishment. She opened her mouth and tried
to speak, but nothing would come out, and for a moment she could only stand
there dumbstruck.
"The Ambassador? Waiting for me? But... why?" she managed eventually.
"Mihama-sama, your honourable father is highly regarded by the government as
a very important person. Perhaps you don't realize how important. Therefore
his Excellency has offered to be responsible for your safety and well-being
while you are studying here at Cambridge. Did you not know that?"
"No, I didn't," said Chiyo, shaking her head, thoroughly confused. "Forgive
me, Miyazaki-san, but there must be some mistake. I am going to be met by
friends who live here in England. It was arranged with my father after we
met them in America," she said.
"I'm afraid I know nothing about that," said the young man. "I just have
instructions to collect you and take you to the Ambassador. Please don't
worry - I'm sure that any confusions will be sorted out right away."
Unable to do anything but acquiesce, Chiyo could only bow politely, and
obediently get into the Mercedes, to be whisked away across the tarmac,
escorted in turn by the Airport Police.
3.
"We're going to be late," said Giles, checking his watch.
"No, we're not," Bibi said. "Look, the girls from the Owl Street house have
already parked their minibus. They'll be in the Arrivals Hall in plenty of
time."
She checked her own watch, although it was only for show; she knew to the
millisecond what the time was.
"The plane will only just have landed. You know what airports are like these
days - it'll take Chiyo ages to get through Customs and Immigration, and
Security."
"Good. I'm glad at least someone will be there in time to meet her. We
promised her father she'd be in our care from the moment she stepped off the
plane," Giles reminded the Buffybot.
She stamped on the brakes and the Jaguar pulled up abruptly, perfectly
aligned in its space in the Short Stay car park.
"I wish you'd warn me when you're going to do that," said Giles plaintively,
unfastening his seatbelt and reaching down to rescue his jacket from the
footwell, where it had suddenly been projected.
"Oops!" said the Buffybot with a wicked little grin. "Sorry, Head!"
She was out in a flash and over at the ticket machine, pushing coins in as
fast as they would go. Then she stood tapping her foot impatiently as the
ticket slowly emerged.
Giles finally unfolded himself and got out. By the time he had stretched to
ease the stiffness of being seated for the duration of the long journey, and
slipped his jacket on, Bibi had put the ticket on the dashboard where it
could be seen by the parking inspectors, and was round at the car's boot.
"Come on, Bibi. What have you forgotten?" Giles asked a trifle grumpily.
"I never forget anything, Giles. You know that," she reminded him. "I'm just
getting something to welcome Chiyo."
She pulled out a bag and slung it over her shoulder, slammed the boot shut
and locked the car. Giles had already started out across the vast car park,
heading for the Arrivals Hall in the distance, and she ran to catch him up,
and tucked her arm in his.
"Well, Boss," she said, "here we are at the beginning of the next stage of
the development of the New Watchers' Council. Our new asset doesn't know
what she's getting into yet. Let's just hope it works out."
"Well, it's as much your idea as mine and Willow's," Giles reminded her with
a smile. "I must say, the next few years look like being very interesting
indeed!"
4.
It only took a few minutes for Chiyo to go through VIP Customs and
Immigration, and Security, where her passport and visa were thoroughly
examined and then stamped, her student's permit to stay for the duration of
her studies checked, and her hand luggage examined. She explained that the
rest of her bags had not yet been unloaded from the plane on which she'd
just arrived. Miyazaki-san said it would be brought to the VIP Suite for
checking directly from the plane, where it was stowed separately from the
First Class baggage so it could be accessed first of all. This surprised her
as she'd had no part in making her travel arrangements - that had all been
managed by her father's company Head Office. The bags would be examined and
after which a junior member of the Embassy staff would bring them through to
her.
Then Miyazaki-san led her through into the VIP Arrivals Lounge itself where
a small number of her fellow countrymen were standing around in a group. As
she entered, they all turned to look at her, and she heard several subdued
murmurs of "Kawaii", and "Isn't she young!" Chiyo blushed and sighed. In the
three months back in Japan since finishing her year's college in the USA,
she had forgotten what it was like to still have people staring at her all
the time, even though she had grown several centimetres in the year and a
half since graduating from Azuma Highschool. She supposed she would have to
get used to it again until she'd settled in at Cambridge, and her fellow
students had got used to her extremely youthful appearance.
"Here is Mihama-san, Ambassador-Sensei," Miyazaki-san announced, leading her
up to a grey haired, middle aged man at the centre of the waiting group. He
was perhaps half a generation older than her father, she thought as she
folded her hands formally in front of her and bowed deeply.
"Mihama-sama, I have the honour to present you to His Excellency
Saegusa-Sensei, Ambassador to Britain," said young Miyazaki.
"Your Excellency, I am honoured," said Chiyo, her surprise still obvious for
everyone to see. "My father told me I should call at the Embassy as soon as
I arrived, and make my presence known to you. It is an unexpected honour
that you should have come to meet me."
To her great surprise, the Ambassador made a deep bow to her in his turn.
"Welcome to Britain, Mihama-san. I hope you had a good journey."
Chiyo bowed again, and said she had been very comfortable, thank you.
Puzzled by the official welcome, she had no idea why all these people were
there, and all she could do was wait politely to see what would happen next.
"It is a real pleasure to meet you," the Ambassador said. "Your father has
told me of your educational achievments, and I think I can safely say our
country is very proud of your progress."
Chiyo blushed with embarrassment.
"The Ambassador-sensei does me great honour." She paused for a few seconds
trying to gather her thoughts, covering her uncertainly with another bow. "I
had no idea my education was of interest to anyone outside my family."
"The nation is always interested in its most intelligent students. They are
the future - you are a part of that future. Japan has great hopes for its
young people, you understand?"
Chiyo bowed yet again. "I hope I will be able to fulfil the hopes of my
parents for me," she said. "You do my father and the whole family great
honour by your interest in my progress."
"It is my pleasure to oblige your parents, Mihama-san. When I heard you were
transferring to a university in Britain, I spoke to your father and promised
him I would keep a special eye on you."
He gestured for her to sit down with him, and someone appeared with a tray
of English tea and toast, placing it on the low table between them.
"I imagine you haven't felt much like eating during your flight," he said.
"I never do, myself. Please..."
He gestured for her to help herself, and Chiyo suddenly realized how hungry
she felt. Apart from the obvious fact that it was daylight, she'd lost track
of whether it was morning or afternoon here. However, whatever time it
really was, her stomach said it was time to eat, though which meal it might
be she could only guess.
"You see, it's a curious country, this," the Ambassador continued. "In some
ways it is quite like ours, with long traditions reaching back many
centuries into the past, just as we have in our own history, but it is also
a place where you have to be careful. For instance, it's better to avoid
talking about certain things. History, for instance. Particularly the
relatively recent past, you understand? You must remember that memories are
long here, especially among older people, even now."
Chiyo thought of her history lessons with Sato-sensei, back in high school,
with their curious, unexplained vagueness on certain subjects, and she
nodded.
"Also, it's not nearly as safe a country as Japan. Some parts of the big
cities can be unsuitable for inexperienced young people to visit - there is
a lot of violence, and crime of all sorts. You must be careful. We want to
be sure you are safe, and that nothing will happen to you."
"Your Excellency means perhaps that the daughter of a rich and important
person could be a target for kidnapping and ransom?" Chiyo bowed again, a
smile suddenly coming to her face. The Ambassador nodded.
"Your Excellency, I can assure you I shall be as safe in England as if I
were shopping at the Mitsukoshi department store in the Nihombashi district
of Tokyo," she said confidently. "Possibly more so, since there are probably
no Yakuza here. I am being met by friends - very special friends - people I
met when I was studying in Amerika earlier this year. It has all been
arranged with my father. You see, these friends, they saved my life when I
was attacked by... er... some sort of wild animal there. Now, our family has
a debt to pay - giri, - 'a debt of honour' I think they call it in English,"
she explained. "My father has placed me in their care. I am sure you
understand," she added politely.
"Yes, of course I see," Ambassador Saegusa replied. "We are aware of all
this. I do understand very well what you say," he continued, "but
Mihama-san, since your father's work is so important to our nation's economy
and future, we of the Diplomatic Service feel we have an obvious
responsibility for your safety as well. We know all about your misadventure
in Amerika, though since it was a wild animal it does not really concern the
government, as such, but your personal safety while in Britain does."
"Because of who my father is?" Chiyo said thoughtfully, trying to remember
not to talk with her mouth full, a bad habit she'd picked up at College in
Amerika, where if you didn't interrupt, you never got a word in. "My parents
have always tried to let me live like any other young girl of my age, in
order to give me self-confidence. Though now I'm older of course I can see
that I had advantages I was much too young to recognize or appreciate at the
time."
"Don't be surprised, Mihama-san - your father obviously realized that the
more normal life you could lead, the better. If I may, I would say you have
already shown his choices for you were correct."
Chiyo nodded slowly, considering this.
"Thank you, Excellency. Ordinary friends, an ordinary life, and my personal
independence. Naturally, I can see that these would be very good reasons to
send me to ordinary state schools, and not an exclusive private boarding
school. I suppose he intended that in this way I would not grow up to be a
spoiled little rich girl. I never really thought too much about it before."
"I imagine you were never really supposed to," said the Ambassador. Then he
added thoughtfully, "Perhaps I should not have taken it into my head to
intrude. Truly I have only done so because I was concerned for you, and your
safety and well-being."
Chiyo bowed deeply to him once again.
"Your Excellency, I am highly honoured, and most grateful you have come."
The Ambassador smiled. "Good. We understand each other, entirely. Excellent.
Now, I imagine your friends are probably waiting patiently for you. I wonder
if you would do me the honour of introducing me? It would ease my mind.
Shall we go and find them? I suspect they might be wondering where you've
got to."
Chiyo eagerly scrambled to her feet. "Of course, your Excellency! Mr. Giles,
and Miss Buffy and Miss Bibi would be delighted to meet you, I am certain.
It would be my honour and pleasure to introduce them."
5.
"Hey, is that her?" one of the young New Slayers called out, pointing at a
group of Japanese coming out from the VIP Arrivals Lounge, accompanied by
two armed police officers. "Looks like she's with a load of bigwigs."
"I think it is..." said Giles uncertainly, removing his glasses in order to
give them a quick polish.
Bibi said "Yes," firmly, and nodded to the others in the group. There were
six girls, and three of them immediately clambered onto the shoulders of the
other three.
"What are you doing?" Giles said, as Bibi opened her shoulder bag and passed
up a large roll of white cloth to the pair at one end, but she ignored his
question. Hastily they began to unroll it as Bibi turned back to watch the
approach of the VIP party, and started to wave both arms vigorously. Giles
too waved, but rather more decorously, just in a reserved, English sort of
way, with the one hand, casually, as if he was a bit embarrassed about even
doing so in the first place.
"Hurry up!" he heard someone say behind him, and glanced round to find that
the six girls had unfurled a long banner with Japanese calligraphy on it,
and moved apart to stretch it out to its fullest extent.
"Chi-yo! Chi-yo! Chi-yo!" they started chanting, and Bibi joined in, her
clear voice, though not loud, easily penetrating the background noise in the
Arrivals Hall. One of the Japanese pointed, and the group changed direction
towards the British welcoming committee. They could see Chiyo walking beside
a grey-haired, middle-aged man in a formal suit.
"Someone pretty special, by the looks of it," Giles said.
"Embassy, I'd guess," said Bibi, waving even harder. As they approached she
was surprised to see that Chiyo was trying really hard not to laugh at
something - she had both her hands over her mouth and had gone pink. Sudden
suspicion made her look round to check the banner was fully extended and
could be read clearly. Horrified, she realized what was wrong.
"Other way up, you idiots!" she yelled at her team. "Other way up! Have you
any idea how long it took me to write that? It's bloody upside down!"
6.
Chiyo came to a momentary halt at the strange scene that presented itself,
wondering how to react in front of the Ambassador.
"Your friends?" he asked gently. "It seems they care greatly for you. That
banner is a nice piece of work."
The team of six were hurriedly turning the twelve-foot strip of white cloth
end over end, and stretching it out again so that the calligraphy could be
seen properly. The banner could now be seen to read 'Mihama Chiyo welcome to
our family'.
"I had no idea any of them knew kanji well enough to do something like
this," Chiyo said, dreadfully embarrassed.
"Someone has made a lot of effort for a Westerner," the Ambassador said. "He
is to be congratulated."
"Actually, Excellency, I rather think it's probably done by the woman in
front. She is the one who saved my life."
The Ambassador's eyebrows lifted slightly in well-controlled surprise. He
saw an attractive, brown haired Western woman in her early twenties, barely
any taller than the average Japanese, leaping up and down, waving excitedly,
and calling Chiyo's name. With her in front of the banner-waving team of six
girls was a classic tweed jacket wearing Englishman, looking perhaps a
little embarrassed by the antics of his companions, also waving, but
discreetly.
"Ambassador-Sensei, please excuse me a moment," Chiyo said, and before he
could answer she had dropped her bag and run towards the group to fling her
arms round the woman, who responded by hugging her tightly in return. The
Ambassador watched as she then turned and bowed as deeply to the Englishman
as she had to him. To his surprise the Englishman took both her hands and
they spoke together for a moment. When she turned back towards the Japanese
group he was surprised to see her wiping tears from her eyes, but a big
happy smile on her face.
Sedately she walked back to him and bowed.
"Ambassador-Sensei. Please accept my apologies. Would you please now allow
me to introduce my Amerikan and English friends," and she escorted him
forwards, as they advanced to meet them. To his surprise she introduced the
woman first, though this was not proper Japanese etiquette, but when she
spoke, in English now, he quickly understood why.
"Mr. Ambassador, please may I introduce Miss Bibi Summers from the town of
Sunnydale, in California, USA. She saved my life when I was attacked by a
wild animal in the spring of this year while I was in college in the USA.
She fought it off barehanded, until friends arrived and helped to kill it.
She was very badly injured. My family owes her my life - a debt which can
hardly be repaid in a lifetime," she said quietly in a formal manner.
The Ambassador bowed to Bibi, who very correctly folded her hands in front
of her as Chiyo had, and bowed in return. Then he shook her hand. "We
greatly appreciate what you did for this young lady, Miss Summers. I hope
you have recovered from your injuries."
Bibi smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Ambassador, It is a great honour to meet you.
As you can see, I'm as fit as a fiddle again." She switched to Japanese. "It
has been a privilege to have helped young Chiyo. She is now a very special
friend to us."
"As I can see by your banner," the diplomat said, also reverting to his own
language. "Where did you find such a good calligrapher to make it for you?"
He was surprised when Bibi actually blushed, something that surprised even
Giles, and said she was honoured by his approval.
"You wrote this yourself? It is very good, Summers-san. You must have been
learning Japanese for a long time - you speak it almost like a native."
Chiyo bit her tongue to stop herself blurting out that it had actually only
been about four months, and she caught sight of Giles' worried expression,
even though he couldn't understand the last exchange between the two.
Bibi just bowed, and thanked him, so Chiyo hastily jumped in and turned to
Giles.
"Excellency, may I now introduce Mr. Rupert Giles? He is the Headmaster of
'Sutton Place' Ladies College. He was leading the group Miss Summers was
with when we met in America. It is he who has been able to arrange for me to
enter Cambridge University as a special undergraduate to study Ancient
Languages. It was his own speciality when he used to work in the Western
Asiatic Antiquities Department at The British Museum."
"An honour to meet you, Mr. Giles," said the Ambassador and the two shook
hands.
"And for me to meet you, Mr. Ambassador. The school is a new venture. Miss
Summers is now my Bursar and Deputy Head, and these energetic young people
are a few of our first intake," Giles told him. He waved vaguely at the six
girls behind him, who had the good sense to bow politely to the Japanese
group in general.
"We hope that Chiyo, Miss Mihama, will be happy to spend time with us
whenever she wishes. We intend to be a home away from home for her while
she's studying in England, for as long as she wants. Her father has greatly
honoured us - letting us accept responsibility for her by putting her in our
care whenever she is in Britain."
"You are aware, I'm sure, that he is a very important man, Mr. Giles. To do
this he must feel the greatest trust in you that a father possibly can,"
Ambassador Saegusa said.
"Please be assured, Ambassador, we understand this. You may be certain we do
indeed," Giles said, looking him straight in the eye. Then he added, "And
please feel yourself welcome to visit us whenever you wish. Just have your
secretary phone us up so we can prepare for your arrival."
"Though I'd give it a few weeks yet, Mr. Ambassador," Bibi put in, also in
English. "You see, we're still in the middle of renovating the school
buildings. They needed rather a lot of work doing to them when we acquired
them. This was only recently, and we haven't nearly finished yet."
"Excuse me, Mr. Giles," Chiyo said a little diffidently. "Perhaps the
Ambassador might send like to someone with me now, to see the school? Would
that be possible?"
Giles realized that Chiyo had just put her finger on something that could
have been extremely awkward and embarrassing for the ultra-polite Japanese
to ask. If one of their staff accompanied her, the Embassy could be
reassured that things were precisely as they should be, and that her father
believed they would be, and that Chiyo was perfectly safe and comfortable,
and most of all, happy to be with her Western friends.
"This sounds ideal," he said. "Would that please you, Mr. Ambassador?"
The representative of the Imperial Government of Japan smiled delightedly.
Awkwardness was avoided, and young Mihama Chiyo had just demonstrated her
intelligence and diplomacy to him, as had her Western friends. He smiled
broadly with pleasure and bowed.
"What an excellent idea, Mr. Giles. I wonder if perhaps our young Mr.
Miyazaki would like to undertake this?"
Miyazaki was of course utterly delighted. It wasn't necessary for him to be
told to take on the commission; anything the Ambassador thought would be a
good idea could be considered as an instruction carved in stone.
Only one thing remained to do before they could start - collecting Chiyo's
luggage. The Ambassador waited politely while young Miyazaki cheerfully went
back to the VIP Lounge to see if it had arrived. After ten or fifteen
minutes he returned looking angry and severely embarrassed. He bowed deeply
to the Ambassador and to Chiyo and apologized most humbly. There was no
trace of her bags, despite them supposedly receiving special VIP treatment.
It seemed that the airline had somehow mislaid them. There was no sign of
them anywhere in the hold, and it looked as if, due to some mix up at
Narita, they'd not been loaded onto the plane at all. He'd made several
furious calls to Japan already, and the airline had made a hurried search,
but with no result. As everyone knows, there is a special sort of Bermuda
Triangle, of infinite size, specifically designed for air passengers'
luggage, and it looked as though that was where they'd gone.
After a short while, in which everyone stood around, disconcerted, uncertain
what to say or do, the Ambassador said he most deeply regretted not being
able to stay any longer, but an official function later in the morning had
to be prepared for, and unfortunately he must depart. He assured Chiyo that
Mr. Miyazaki would eventually track down her bags, however long it took.
Mutual best wishes were exchanged all round, and the Slayers' party were
left forlornly standing in the Baggage Claim Hall watching an empty carousel
going round, while at others people rushed forward to eagerly claim their
own bags and depart happy.
Bibi stood there with her arm reassuringly round Chiyo as they wondered what
to do. Chiyo wondered sadly if all those nice new clothes she'd spent time
and effort buying had just vanished, never to be seen again, or if they
would eventually turn up, apologizing for having gone for a round the world
trip on their own.
"Enough," said Bibi firmly. "We're all wasting the day. I propose we abandon
the luggage for now. The Embassy can keep looking for it - they've got a
much better chance than we have - right, Mr. Miyazaki?"
He nodded eagerly, anxious to make amends for the loss of face. This was
perfectly true, he said.
"We'll borrow clothes for you to wear from the other girls for now, and if
your stuff doesn't turn up, we'll go shopping! Fancy that, Chiyo?"
Chiyo looked up, smiled, and nodded. That sounded good. Though she felt sad
that all her nice new belongings had seemingly gone for ever, like every
young woman, an excuse to shop for clothes was never something to be turned
down out-of-hand. And at least all the most important things she owned had
been in her hand luggage, including her little laptop, so she could still
keep in touch with everyone back at home.
"Let's go then. At the speed I drive we can be back in time for lunch!" Bibi
said.
"Ahem," said Giles gently. He had noticed that Chiyo's face had suddenly
gone quite pale at Bibi's enthusiastic remark. "I think perhaps Chiyo would
prefer to go in Mr. Miyazaki's car. Bibi drives a little fast for my, and
most other peoples' taste," he explained quietly to her.
She gulped, and nodded gratefully. She'd been instantly reminded of her form
teacher, Miss Yukari, and the infamous Yukarimobile.
"Oh, our chauffeur has been trained in special security escape and evasion
driving techniques," said Miyazaki confidently. "We won't lose you, so long
as you don't break the speed limit."
"You're on!" exclaimed Bibi. "Last one there's a sissy!"
_______
END.
[1: This features in the story 'What I Did In My Holidays']
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