Legal Disclaimer- All of the characters named- with the exception of Sandra and Dale- belong to their respective companies. We lay no claim to owning them. Dale did write himself in this as a female character along with Sandra as modeled by the co-author- and you need our permission to use them.

        Anime Beginnings
        By Dale Speer & Angela Brown

        It was early in the morning, and SANDRA BROWN was up with the sun. She had plenty of packing to be done before her flight the next morning. But first, she had to do her early morning workout and have breakfast. By noontime, she was finished packing for her trip.

        Sandra was heading to Tokyo for Comiket, the biggest anime convention, held in the home of anime, Japan- and she was one of the wealthiest people in Baltimore. Yet of all the people who had what she just got, she chose to live in simple apartments for security reasons... her former husband was abusive, and she didn't want him finding her- especially when she had an inheritance of over 11 figures to worry about.

        Placing her bags next to the door of her apartment so they would be easily accessed, she grabbed her wallet and keys and headed to the mall to pick up a few last minute items.

        While at the mall, she stopped by Suncoast to see about some new anime DVDs to watch while on the plane ride over to Tokyo. As she walked into the store, her sandy blonde hair was up in a high ponytail that reached the middle of her back. The ponytail swung quickly as she headed to the anime section of the store. As she browsed the anime section, her blue eyes sparkled with joy through the pain she still felt.

        It was at the same time that DALE SPEER was up and milling about her home. She had just moved there after her aunt left her the grand mansion, and she was not content. She didn't have many friends, and so felt alone there.

        If anyone who was interested in Anime looked at this young woman, they would have mistaken her for Rei Hino of Sailor Moon... her long black hair stretching to her knees and her body with a beautiful curve to it. Originally from Seattle Washington, she was one of those who didn't know what to do in her new home.

        Asking one of her servants what she should do, he suggested that she drive out to the shopping center for some quiet moments... perhaps get some dinner from one of the many restaurants in that general area. So she took his advice and got into her station wagon- one of the few things she kept from her old residence- and drove there herself.

        When she got there, she first found the food court and got herself some lunch... which, if you looked at her figure, you would think she didn't have a midday meal. But she figured that today she would be alone.

        But all of that was about to change...

        After buying the latest releases of Cardcaptor Sakura, Sailor Moon, Saint Tail, Fushigi Yugi, and Princess Nine, Sandra then decided to grab herself a bite to eat from the food court before she headed home. She bought herself a footlong sub from Subway and then proceded to find somewhere to sit.

        "Great," she thought, "the place is packed." Scanning the tables, she found a girl sitting by herself with a somber look on her face- and walked over to the pretty raven haired girl. "Hello!" she said cheerfully, "Would you terribly mind if I joined you?"

        "Not at all, miss," she replied while waving her to a chair, "I can use the company." Smiling, Sandra placed her tray at the empty seat, then sat across from the girl. "Thank you," she replied. Dale was having herself just a salad bought at the same place the young woman bought her sub. "You've got an incredible figure, miss," she remarked.

        Sandra briefly glanced at her 5 foot 4 inch frame. "It does me just fine," she replied, "Your figure isn't that bad, either. You remind me of Rei-chan." She then took a bite of her sub as Dale's eyebrows suddenly perked up. "What name did you say I remind you of?" she asked.

        Sandra looked up. "Rei-chan... Rei Hino, from the series Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon. It's my favorite anime." She took the Sailor Moon DVD out of her bag and handed it to the girl. On it's cover was Rei and Mars. "This is Rei-chan." she answered.

        Dale then took a look at the cover and was amazed. "I do look like this woman," she said, "yet I've not even heard of this series. How come you know so much about it?"

        Sandra grinned broadly. "I am what most people would call obsessed with the anime art form, Sailor Moon in particular. Once I start talking about it, I don't stop." "Obsessed?" Dale asked her. She was intrigued with this woman- and she never stopped listening to her.

        "But as much as I am obsessed with Sailor Moon," Sandra continued, "I love all types of shoujo, or girls', anime." Dale giggled. She never knew a person who could bring this much happiness to her life, and asked if she would tell her more about this form... while thinking, 'This woman's joy is contagious- I may like hanging around her.'

        Sandra's joy knew no bounds. Here was someone who wanted to learn more about her love. She would surely enjoy teaching her all about anime. "Sure." Sandra then replied. "Where to start though. You want to hear about the background and types of anime, or perhaps see some anime firsthand? Or both?"

        "Well surely you can't show me some Anime here," Dale replied, "We would have to go to one of our homes... and it would have to be yours, because I don't have a DVD player in my home." "Alright." Sandra said. "Then after we finish eating here, we'll head over to my apartment."

        As they ate, Dale said that she drove herself over here. "And I don't know the way to your home," she added. "No problem." Sandra replied, "You can follow me in your car back to my apartment." "Actually," Dale asked in an apologetic manner, "would you mind driving me over, and I'll pick up my car later?" "Sure." So the girls soon finished up their meals, gathered their belongings, and headed to Sandra's car.

        As they drove to Sandra's apartment, Dale asked if she could explain the different types of Anime... and Sandra was about to explain when something struck her. She laughed as she said, "We've had yet to introduce ourselves. I'm Sandra Brown." "Dale Speer," the other person replied while laughing, "You were right... we did forget to introduce ourselves."

        Sandra then laughed again. "Nice to meet you, Dale-chan! So, now on with my explanation." Sandra then told Dale of the various types of anime with a detailed explanation of each. By the time she had finished, they had reached her apartment.

        Once Sandra ushered her inside, Dale was amazed at what she saw... all sorts of posters of characters on them, a bookcase featuring Anime-based Games and books on the shelves and a bookcase dedicated to just Anime on video and DVD. "You've got to be a fanatic when it comes to Anime," Dale said in amazement. "I guess you could say that." Sandra said with a smile.

        Looking down toward the bottom of the Anime Videos, she saw suitcases packed. "It looks like you're packed to go on vacation," Dale said, "Where are you going? "Oh, I'm leaving tomorrow morning for the home of anime, Japan. I'm attending the biggest and most famous convention there, Comiket, which is held in Tokyo." "Comiket?" Dale asked, "What's that?"

        "It stands for comic market," Sandra answered, "It's where anime fans, like myself, gather, to talk about and collect existing anime, hear news about new animes being released, and the best part is the Masquerade and Cosplay!"

        Dale was suddenly without words. She didn't know Japanese Animation had such a large fanbase.. and when Sandra spoke of Cosplay & Masquerade, she was shocked that people would dress in costumes on a day outside of Halloween.

        Sandra then went to a shelf next to the TV and took out 2 large DVD cases. She handed them to Dale. "This is what I have in terms of anime. Not much now, but I'm working on it. Take your pick of series to watch."

        Perusing the titles Sandra had, one caught Dale's eye because it didn't have a drawing, but a photo of a character. "Sandra," she said while showing her the title, "what's this?"

        Sandra looked where Dale was looking at. "Oh," she replied, "That's Cosplay Encyclopedia. It showcases different anime costumes worn by cosplayers in Japan. Also has some tips on making your own costume as well. Want to watch it?" Dale was suddenly interested. "Please?" she asked, and Sandra took the DVD and popped it into the DVD player. "I'm going to grab a drink. Would you care for anything?" "Whatever you're having is great with me," Dale said.

        So Sandra went to the kitchen and grabbed 2 Cokes. She handed one to Dale, then sat down on the couch and started the DVD. Once started, Dale was amazed at all of the characters depicted... and it showed. "If you have any questions, let me know. I'll try my best to answer them." Sandra told her friend. Dale only nodded her head... but she didn't remove her eyes from what was on the disc. She was mesmerized by the characters depicted on there.

        In the middle of the DVD, Sandra decided to give Dale a treat and see her in her favorite costume. Getting up and grabbing her garment bag, she headed back to her room unnoticed by Dale and changed into her favorite costume. After she had finished dressing, she waited by her bedroom door for the DVD to end and for Dale to wonder where she had gone.

        Dale was looking around for Sandra when the DVD went back to the title screen- but didn't find her. "Now where did Sandra disappear off to?" she asked herself aloud.

        Hearing that question was her cue. Sandra then proceded to the living room, stood within sight of Dale, and waited for her reaction. Dale looked around... and within minutes, found someone else in the room. But this person wasn't who she expected to find. "Now who might you be?" she asked.

        Sandra decided to really throw her friend for a loop. "Ai to seigi no sailor bishoujo senshi. Sailor Moon!! Tsukini kawatte oshioki yo!" she did, with all the required motions. Watching her, Dale was amazed... until she found a wall scroll of this exact character behind her... and was shocked. 'If this is Sandra,' she thought, 'she did a perfect imitation of the character I see behind her.' She then treaded the waters by asking, "Sandra?"

        Sandra watched Dale's amazed reaction and couldn't help but to break character. "Yes, It's me." she said. She then did a complete circle. "So what do you think?" "You threw me for a loop," Dale remarked, "it's a remarkable reproduction of the character I see behind you."

        Sandra blushed slightly. "It's not that good. This was my first attempt at making a costume. My other one is much better. But still nothing compared to the ones you saw on the DVD." "I wouldn't think so," Dale said, "You made a good one... so good, I'm jealous of you."

        Sandra just smiled. "Feel up to watching some anime?" she asked. Rapidly nodding her head, Dale let her pick what they were to watch next, and Sandra decided to break Dale into the world of anime with the same series she started with: Sailor Moon. She popped in the 1st DVD of the uncut subtitled 1st season of the series, then sat down on the couch. "Again, if you have any questions, feel free to ask." she said, before beginning the DVD. "Okay," Dale answers.

        So the 2 girls then sat and watched the first 6 episodes of the original Sailor Moon- and during this time, Sandra was amazed at Dale and how her interest in anime was growing. She could see the same spark in Dale that her friend Angela had once seen in her- and all she had to do was fan the spark into a roaring blaze. Sandra then smiled and shook her head as she thought, 'I can't believe that only a few hours ago, we had just met. It's truly amazing how anime can bring people together.'

        "Sandra," Dale said after the DVD finished, "How come you got interested in Anime with this series?"

        "I'll try to make it brief." Sandra said, taking the completed DVD and put it back in the case. She then explained to Dale how it was the storyline that got her into the show at first. Then, after watching it, she saw how the charaters matured, and faced various problems. That got her hooked onto Sailor Moon. Then her friend introduced her to other shoujo anime, and she saw how the themes were the same, even though the plotlines were different. "That got me hooked on shoujo anime." she said, finishing her explanation. "I didn't know it was that interesting," Dale said.

        She then changed the subject by saying, "You said that you had a second costume- could I see it?" "Sure." Sandra replied, and went to her bedroom to gather the 2nd costume up. She brought it in on it's hangar. "This is the finalStage armor worn by Fuu Hououji in Magic Knight Rayearth." Sandra told her.

        One look at the costume told Dale that she took great care in making them... and she wanted to know more. "You said that you was leaving tomorrow for Japan, correct?" she asked. Sandra nodded her head as she replied, "Yes, that is correct."

        Even though she had gotten her passport the year before, Dale had never used it except for identification purposes. "Could I go with you?" she asked... Dale was so turned on to Anime, she wanted in on what Sandra was experiencing... and Sandra couldn't help but let out a joyous squeal when Dale asked to come along. "Sure! I'd LOVE to have you come along!"

        "Then I need to get my car and head back home to do some packing," Dale replied. "Before we head out, let me change out of this first." Sandra said, and made quick work of changing into normal clothes. "Ready to go?" she asked her new friend.

        "Yep," Dale replied. So the two of them left the apartment and drove back to the mall. After they arrived, Sandra parked her car next to Dale's. She quickly wrote her number on a piece of paper. "Give me a call at home when you finish packing." she said, handing the paper to Dale. "Okay," Dale replied, then drove home with joy running through her being.

        Once there, she talked with her servants about her journey to Japan then went upstairs to pack whatever she needed. Once finished, she dialed up Sandra from her homephone.

        After dropping Dale off, Sandra drove back to her apartment. Getting on her computer, she checked her e-mail and posts in her various groups. Seeing nothing new, she left a message on her website, telling everyone that she was going to Comiket in Tokyo, and would relay all info and pics after she returned. She then went to check her regular mail, and found something disturbing.

        It was a note from her ex-husband, saying that he was going to come and get her. Fear sinking in her again, she placed the note on the table and went to answer the phone. "Hello?" she said into the phone, hoping it wasn't him. "Sandra?" Dale asked.

        Sandra let out a sigh when she realized that it was Dale. "Hello, Dale! You finished packing already?" she asked. "How fast can you be out at 25538 Peachtree Blvd?" she asked. "With the way traffic is around this time, I'm guessing around 30 minutes, tops." Sandra told her.

        "Then start driving when you're ready," Dale said, "I'll be waiting." "Hai." she replied and hung up the phone.

        Gathering all her items, she took them to her car and put them in the backseat and trunk. Going back to her apartment, she made sure everything was secure for when she was gone. Confident that it was alright, she locked her apartment up and drove straight to Dale's residence.

        When she got a glimpse of it, she was shocked. "WOW." she said as she pulled into the drive. Dale saw her pulling up from the study and went out onto the front porch to greet her. "So what do you think of the manor?" she asked.

        "Sugoi." she said under her breath before hearing Dale's question. "It is truly amazing. I didn't know you had this kind of money." "Actually," Dale said, "I inherited this from my aunt who just died recently. In fact, all of the rest of my living relations died due to gunmen... and some from the attacks on 9/11. But I wasn't responsible- as the courts determined."

        "I'm sorry to hear that you lost your entire family." Sandra said. "And with the exception of the servants and the manager of the farm," Dale said, "I'm lonely here... but enough of that! Let's get going!"

        "Sure!" Sandra said, grinning as she thought to herself, 'Steve will neve find me in Tokyo.'

        Dale then asked Sandra if they could be late for a few days, because she was so intrigued by Cosplay & Masquerade that she wanted a costume of her own. "But it's also about something else," she added. "What's that?" Sandra asked her.

        "My parents made me color my hair black," Dale replied, "because they didn't want me becoming popular in school and attracting the wrong kind of crowd. Originally, I was a beautiful strawberry blonde." "So you want to head to a salon to change your hair back to its original color?" she asked. "Yes," Dale replied, "It's something I've always wanted."

        "And as for your costume," Sandra said, "I know of a shop in Tokyo that is quite popular with cosplayers. We can take care of your costume there." "Is it that one shop we saw in COSPLAY ENCYCLOPEDIA?" Dale asked her.

        Sandra nods her head as she replied, "Yep. And I've got a few friends there that you might like to meet as well." "Then what are we waiting for?" Dale asked her, "Let's head to a salon and change this dull head of hair!"

        She then asked which salons in town were good to their customers- because she didn't want to complain afterwards. So Sandra then told her of her own salon, and gave directions to it.

        "Would you mind driving me there?" Dale asked. And she surprised her friend even further by asking her to stay at the manor until they left. Smiling after her initial shock, Sandra replied, "I'd love to, on both questions. After we finish at the salon, we'll head by my apartment to pick up my gear." So Sandra and Dale then got in her car and drove straight to the salon.

        Once inside, the receptionist greeted Sandra warmly and asked what they could do for them- that made Sandra smile warmly. "Good afternoon to you as well, Cassandra," she said, "My friend Dale would like to lose the black hair and go to her original color. And while I'm here, I'd like a trim and styling. Heading to Tokyo tomorrow, finally!"

        "And what is your natural color, Dale?" the receptionist asked. "Strawberry blonde," Dale replied. "There are 4 stylists on duty," the receptionist replied, "since you're a new client, you get to choose one for yourself."

        "Who do you think I should choose?" Dale asked her new friend. "I usually go with Marie myself," Sandra replied, "For you, I would suggest Joan. She's awesome."

        "Then I'll take Joan," Dale said. "She has a client right now but she'll be finished in 30 minutes," the receptionist said, "and we need to get some info from you for our records."

        "How long til til Marie is free?" Sandra askd her. "She's available now," the receptionist replied, "but if you and Dale want to go in together, there's another halfhour appointment who wants her." "I'll go ahead and wait." Sandra told her.

        So the receptionist gave Dale the clipboard with the information form and she started filling it out. "Your salon goes to please its clients," Dale replied, "I never believed they would ask for so much information on your preferences." "That's why I like it so much," Sandra told her as she filed out the form, "They are very personal. And expensive, which is why I only come here on paydays."

        "Ah," the receptionist replied, "You mean to say that you haven't taken advantage of our first time offer?" She then explained that when you refer a client to them on your first visit, both get their treatments for half off. She then showed the new chart of prices to them... and Dale's socks were knocked off!

        "You mean to say that a haircoloring session, with shampoo and style, is only $59.99?" Dale asked, and the receptionist nodded her head. "When I lived in Seattle," Dale replied, "the same haircoloring session was $100.00! This is reasonable!"

        So Dale picked up the tab for the session... which gave her the same long hair but back in its beautiful color while having it styled in the same manner as Usagi's hairdo.

        They then drove to the apartment complex Sandra stayed at and got some of her possessions... and it was there that Dale found a letter from Sandra's ex-husband, although she didn't know. Sandra put the last of her stuff in her car, then headed back to her apartment, to gather Dale and her last minute items.

        "Sandra," Dale said, "what's this letter doing here?" Sandra looked at the letter Dale held then looked down as she said, "Oh, that. It's just a note from my ex. He is still pissed off that I demanded a divorce." "And he's coming here to hurt you worse than he did before?" Dale asked, "That's way too extreme... but did you say that you was going on vacation?"

        "I never told him, no," she replied, "I only told my anime-loving friends in my clubs." "Does he have access to them?" Dale asked her.

        Sandra thought about it for a moment, then said, "Not that I know of. I know all of the members of my clubs. He's not a member of any of them." She then went silent when something hit her. "But he does know of my pet website, Warrior Angels. And I posted my trip there as well. Kuso." she said under her breath.

        "What date did you put you were leaving?" Dale asked. "I said that I was leaving sometime tomorow." Sandra replied. "Perhaps I should erase the statement off my site, just in case he hasn't seen it yet." "No," Dale said, "it works if you leave it there... because it helps set a trap for him."

        "A trap?" she asked. Dale then asked if she had a no-contact order with the Baltimore County courts... for if they notified Tokyo of this, it would force him to leave. "No," Sandra answered, "because Steve is in Texas right now. Didn't think it was necessary." "Ah," Dale said, "If he's as violent as his letters indicate, a no-contact order is in order for your protection."

        "I suppose you're right," she replied.

        "I was an attorney with the Washington State Bar," Dale said, "And I've applied to the Maryland State Bar for admission. But working with someone Pro Bono works for my admission." "Wow, you must be really smart!" Sandra said, amazed. "And you would be willing to help me for free?"

        "You're the one who would have to argue it before the Magistrate," Dale said, "But I'd work with you for free to bring this guy to his knees. But the first thing we have to do is get a no-contact order against him before you depart." Sandra nodded her head as she said, "Then let's head over and get it done then."

        "Let's wait until morning," Dale said, "It would work to our advantage to get an appointment with a Magistrate and cover the ends of the No-Contact Order." "That'll work as our flight doesn't leave until noon," Sandra replied, then grabbed her keys and purse, "I've got everything down in the car, so I'm ready to go."

        "Bring the letter with you," Dale said, "It works as evidence against him for the order." So Sandra grabbed the letter, along with a stack of letters and e-mails he had sent her, and the two of them headed back to Dale's mansion. As soon as they had arrived, Sandra grabbed her 2 cases of DVDs and then followed her new friend inside.

        The 2 of them spent 3 hours covering the essentials of the no-contact order, including the paperwork. They then settled in and had the pleasure of each other's company for the night.

        TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT STORY...

        Points Of No Contact & No Return

        Take Me Home