Legal Disclaimer is on Chapter 1... this is the 2nd. Chapter of Dale's Rebirth- Anime Fascination.

          Points Of No Contact & No Return
          By Dale Speer & Angela Brown

          Sandra was having the time of her life with her new-found friend, Dale- who, just yesterday, gave her a styling treatment as her treat, then offered to help her divorce her abusive ex-husband.

          As a gesture of thanks and friendship, she woke up early and headed downstairs. After 5 minutes of searching, she finally found the room she was looking for. With her mp3 player, filled with her favorite japanese anime songs, strapped to her belt and headphones to her ears, she got down to work, unable to hear anything anyone might say to her as she was singing along with one of her most favorite songs... "Donna PINCH i no toki mo zetti akiramenie." she sang while moving her hips to the beat and flipping pancakes.

          Dale was still sleeping when Sandra went downstairs and into the kitchen. But after an hour of her cooking, she woke up when she smelled the wonderful food coming from that place in the house. Walking down in her bathrobe, she saw Sandra listening to music on her MP3 Player as she prepared a large breakfast for them. Dale was silent as she poured herself a mug of coffee and went into her office to do some calling and her other officework.

          Dale knew of one magistrate in the Baltimore courts, the person who sponsored her to the state bar. Calling her up, she told the case of Sandra and explained that she was departing to Tokyo for an extended stay. "But she does need a No-Contact Order before she departs," Dale explained, "and the Japanese Consulate needs to know so that they can notify the police of the order... she thinks that he'll attack her while in Tokyo." "Get her into the office at 9am sharp," the judge said, "if she's got enough written evidence in favor of her getting the no-contact order, we'll have it ready for when she departs."

          While Dale was in the office, Sandra was just about finished with the cooking. All she had to do was make the toast.

          Once she was off of the phone, Dale went through the e-mail that accumulated overnight in her POP3 Address. She knew most of it was junk... so she deleted it and did what she had to do while keeping her computer on. After a half hour, she went into the kitchen and tapped Sandra on the shoulder after getting a mug of coffee.

          Sandra was buttering the toast when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She quicky turned around, and let her guard down when she saw who it was. "Dale-chan" Sandra said with a smile on her face, "Good morning!!" "Good morning, Sandra," she replied, hugging her after she set her coffee on the counter, "There's good news this morning- I talked to the judge who sponsored me to the Maryland Bar and she'll hear your case in chambers at 9am sharp. So once I'm dressed, we're headed to the county courthouse to settle the issue of the No-Contact Order."

          "That is good news." Sandra said. "But not til after we eat though, right?" "That's correct," Dale replied, "And with it being 7:30am, we're looking at 90min. to get ready." "Good. I just hope you like what I've made." she said, gesturing at the counter full of breakfast foods.

          "You did some wonderful cooking this morning, Sandra," Dale replied. After filling their plates with food, they sat down to eat. "Sandra," Dale said, "you was calling me 'Dale-chan' and I don't know what that means. Could you tell me?"

          Sandra smiled as they began taking the food to the dining room. "Oh, that's a Japanese thing. -chan is a suffix put on the end of the names of your friends or those younger than you." "You must know Japanese to speak it like that," Dale replied, "I didn't take it in High School or College because it wasn't offered."

          "I took it in both high school and college." Sandra told her after they had brought the food to the table and sat down. "It was in college that I began to take interest in anime, though. It is quite an interesting language." "That's awesome," Dale said, "I wish it was offered when I went to College... it would be a wonderful language to learn how to speak & read."

          "I know I'm not good at teaching such a complex language," Sandra told her, "so I can't teach it all to you. But I can tell you a few key words that are useful in everyday life."

          "There's maybe something better that you can do for me," Dale said, "Could you act as an interpreter while there?" "Sure." Sandra answered.

          Once they were dressed, Dale drove them to the county courthouse for their date with her sposoring judge. Once in chambers, she asked Dale for the forms and the evidence... which she presented quickly.

          "I understand that you're advising this client Pro Bono," she said, and Dale nodded her head. "That's good, counselor," the judge said.

          Looking through the documents presented, the judge asked Sandra if she had anything to say on her behalf. Sandra then nodded and told the judge of the abuse she went through while they had been married, and other important details that she deemed important.

          Signing her name on the document, she said, "Then this warrants immediate approval. You have proved the necessity of this document, and it's approved immediately. I'll have the document faxed over to the Japanese Consulate and have it sent to Tokyo immediately." "Thank you, your honor," Sandra told the judge.

          "Thank you, your honor," Dale said, "I owe you a debt of gratitude for what you have done." "It is not a problem, Dale," she replied, "I figured you needed a booster shot in your efforts to join the Bar here." "Still," Dale said, "It's appreciative of you to do this for me."

          Leaving the presence of the judge, Dale drove them back to the manor.

          "What airline are you flying on?" Dale asked her once they were back- so Sandra told her the airline, along with her flight number and seat number. "Why don't you get us some toast and milk from the kitchen and come back into the office while I call up the local Northwest Terminal?" Dale asked her politely, and Sandra nodded her head as she said, "Sure. I'll be right back." Sandra then left the room, closing the door behind her.

          Dialing up Northwest's terminal at the airport, Dale asked about the noon flight to Tokyo- and they responded that there were a few seats open in First Class, with 2 together in the righthand side of the plane. "I would like to get those 2 seats," Dale said, "and one of them is a passenger upgrade for one person- Sandra Brown."

          The person brought up her seat and confirmed the upgrade from Coach. Once costs were hammered out, Dale then paid for it using her credit card and hung up the phone. A few minutes later, Sandra knocked on the door of the office and walked in with the toast and milk. "Were you able to get a seat on my flight?" she asked.

          "There were a few seats open," Dale said, "but they were in the First Class Section. So yes, I was able to do that." But Dale didn't let her know of what she did for her new friend. "Cool. We're on the same flight!" Sandra said happily, then looked at her watch. "And if we're going to make the flight, you had better hurry and pack so we can get over there."

          "Oh, I've already packed my gear together," Dale replied, "and my servants are loading it into the limousine's trunk. I suggest that you travel with me as well in that it will save you some money for parking the car that you drive." "Good idea," Sandra replied, "I'll move my stuff from my trunk to yours then." "Actually," Dale said, "go ahead and open your trunk up and let my staff take care of the rest."

          "Hai." she replied, and left the office yet again to open her car trunk for Dale's servants, who got their orders to move the luggage to the limo. A few minutes later, she came back to the office.

          "So what do you think of the manor now?" Dale asked her. "It's awesome." Sandra replied with a grin, "I think I can halfway find my way around now."

          "Oddly enough," Dale said after approving Sandra's statement, "I was still willing to pay the staff for their jobs here but they agreed, in writing, that they didn't want to be paid. So I try to make life as comfortable for them as possible. But they like having a mistress in the manor once again." "Looks like a win-win situation there," Sandra replied, "It's nice that you treat them good."

          The butler then knocked as he entered and said that the luggage was in the trunk and awaiting their departure. "Thank you, Robert," Dale said, "I leave you in charge of the manor until I return from Tokyo." "Very well, madame," he replied.

          Dale then picked up her leather computer case next to the desk and walked with Sandra out to the waiting limousine.

          "I only use my computer for when I'm in the courtroom," Dale replied, "so I'm wondering why I packed it with me for this journey." "Does it have a DVD player on it?" Sandra asked.

          "Yes," Dale replied, "and it supports DVD-ROM features." "I'll lend you some of my DVDs to watch on the trip over. Your pick." Sandra told her as the limo drove off to the airport.

          Dale was looking through her collection, and picked Cosplay Encyclopedia again... but one other series caught her eye and she asked about it- MAGIC KNIGHT RAYEARTH. "That is an awesome series," Sandra said after Dale had found it. She then explained the storyline...of three girls transported to another world in order to save it. "The armor I showed you yesterday...that was the final armor used by one of the girls in this series."

          "Yes," Dale said, "Fuu Hououji, if I remember well." Sandra nodded her head as she said, "Hai, that is correct."

          The limo arrived at the airport and a Skycap helped them unload their baggage and took it to the security checkpoint while Dale and Sandra found an empty line at the Northwest Terminal. Saying her name, the attendant got Dale's ticket up and printed it and the necessary passes then asked for Sandra's ticket, printing her a new one and gave it back to her.

          "That's one First Class ticket and one upgrade from Coach to First Class," the attendant said, "and you paid for it with your credit card, so you're all set to go."

          Sandra looked at her ticket with curiosity, the her gaze landed on Dale. "You upgraded my ticket?" she asked. "Call it my treat, Sandra," Dale replied, "Besides, I hate sitting alone on a plane."

          Sandra gave Dale a large hug. "Thanks!" she said with a large grin on her face.

          Once they were cleared Security-wise, Dale and Sandra were already onboard and ready for takeoff. "I've never been to Tokyo in my life," Dale replied, "This should be great for us." "I've been there once before," Sandra told her, "But that was many years ago. That's where I made my friends, whom I still keep in contact with to this day."

          Once the plane was off of the ground, Dale then got her computer out and plugged it into the airplane's powersupply. Once it was powered up, they got out the first volume of RAYEARTH and watched it with headphones.

          The long trip went rather smoothly, and they arrived at Tokyo International without incident. After clearing through customs, the 2 girls then gathered their luggage from the luggage claim. Seeing a man holding a sign that said "Angel-chan", Sandra told Dale that that was their ride to the hotel. They then took the car provided to a lavish hotel, and were soon settling into their suite.

          "You must have some pretty powerful friends here to get this kind of service," Dale said to her friend. Sandra just smiled as she unpacked and said, "I suppose you could say that."

          After unpacking, Sandra let out a huge yawn. "Tomorrow morning, we can head over to the costume shop and get you some costumes made for you. And since Comiket doesn't start for another week, we'll have them in time for the convention." she yawned again. "But right now, I'm going to hit the sack." "I'm going to do the same," Dale replied, "the Jet Lag is definitely catching up to me." So both girls went to their beds.

          The next morning, Sandra was up with the birds, and went to work out in the hotel gym. She hated missing a workout. What Sandra wasn't aware of was a young man in the gym, in black sweats. His black hair was covered in sweat, and his eyes were trained only on her. 'So she is here,' he thought to himself, 'I'll let her change and when I see her in the lobby, I'll convince her to come home with me.'

          Unaware of the man's gaze or thoughts, Sandra finished her workout and headed back to her suite, where she then showered and changed for the day. 15min. after Sandra went to the gym, Dale was up and showered, ready for the day. "Good morning, Sandra," Dale said.

          Sandra smiled at Dale as she said, "Ohayo gozaimasu, Dale-chan!" Forgetting herself, she then explained to Dale what it was that she had said when she heard her cell phone ring. "Excuse me." she said, and answered it. "Moshi Moshi?" she said, then a large grin came onto her face as she began conversing in fluent Japanese with one of her dearest Japanese friends- and Dale was wondering who Sandra was speaking to as she didn't completely understand what was being said.

          After about 5 minutes, Sandra ended the call and turned to Dale. "Sorry about that. That was one of my good friends." "Well, from the conversation you were having," Dale remarked, "you must have been having a good time." Sandra nodded her head as she said, "You got that right. Ready to head over to the costume shop?"

          "Yes," Dale said. She looked forward to this for a long time. So the two of them took a taxi over to Chacott, arriving 10 minutes later.

          Walking upstairs, Dale saw all of the inventory there... including some costumes on display- and was amazed at what she saw. "I never realized that this is a big thing here in Tokyo," she said. "Oh, it is," Sandra said, then found the head costume designer. Doing a traditional Japanese Greeting, Sandra told her of why they were there.

          "So Dale-chan wants some costumes done up?" the woman- Tomoko Yamashita- asked her friend. "Hai." she replied, then turned to Dale and asked, "What kind of costumes do you have in mind?" "I'll let you decide for me," Dale told her. In this move, she completely trusted her new friend to give the woman what she would consider to be the best set of costumes possible.

          Sandra nodded her head and studied her friend for a moment. Deciding, she turned to Tomoko and told her that she thought that the 1st season SM costume would be perfect for her. "And I suggest that the costume you offered up be in the style of the very first Sera Myu," Tomoko suggested, "And that you get the Venus one done in the same manner."

          Sandra grinned. "Sounds great to me." "Sera Myu?" Dale asked her friend. She didn't know what that meant, so Sandra explained to her that Sera Myu were the live musicals based on Sailor Moon here in Japan. She then grinned as she remembered Dale's fascination with Hikaru Shidou from Magic Knight Rayearth, and told Tomoko make Hikaru's final stage armor for her friend as well.

          "Is it possible?" Dale asked. With her hair being strawberry blonde, she didn't know if the armor of someone with flaming red hair would work for her. But Sandra nodded her head as she said, "We'll get you a wig. No problem." She then told Tomoko that she would like to get Belldandy's battle clothes from the Ah! Megumi-sama movie for herself as well as Dale was thinking of what was happening to her... in the space of half a week, she had gone from being an Anime unknown into a fan that didn't want to stop learning.

          The costumes being decided, Tomoko took both girls into the back room and got their measurements. When it was time to pay, Sandra was pleasantly surprised to find that a 'mysterious benefactor' had already taken care of the bill. She had a good idea of who had done it, and planned to thank her later on that day. After all was taken care of, Dale and Sandra headed back to the hotel in a taxicab.

          Waiting inside the lobby was the same man, in black leather, sitting in the waiting area, his back to the door so neither girl could see him. Dale was saying that she looked forward to getting their costumes when she saw the man approach them. From what he wore, she knew he was trouble.

          When she heard Dale clam up, Sandra saw where her gaze had landed and cursed under her breath. She then explained to Dale that the person approaching them was Steve, her ex-husband.

          The man walked up to the 2 girls. "Ready to go home, dear?" he addressed toward Sandra. Scared, she shook her head 'No' rapidly. It was Dale who took charge and said, "I suggest that you step away from her this instant." She already had her hand ready to move inside her coat and get the document that was on record here out.

          Steve just laughed. "Don't meddle," he said, "This is between husband and wife. You stay away." But it was then that Dale presented the man with his copy of the No-Contact Order secured the previous day. "I think this warrants my intervention," she said.

          "I don't care about any stupid paperwork." Steve said, tearing the paper and moved toward Sandra, who was behind Dale- and she was moving around, protecting her new friend. "She told me she was seeking Divorce from you for spousal abuse," Dale said, "and that's a No-Contact order- which is on record here in Tokyo as with the American Embassy. You're the one who has to back off, or the police officer behind you will have legal authority to arrest you." But Steve laughed in her face. "No darn orders or cops are going to keep me from her," he said- then he pushed Dale out of his way.

          But Dale surprised him... by delivering a palm-strike to his chest, acting in defense of her new friend.

          Anger in his eyes, Steve threw a punch to Dale's chest. But Dale caught it by dodging and grabbing his wrist, flinging him to their opposite side. The hotel manager, knowing that trouble ensued, called the police and paramedics to the hotel should anything happen to the woman Dale protected.

          The fight between the two lasted for over 15 minutes, the combatants countering the other's attacks easily. The police, who were standing by, were impressed by the skill that Dale had. Finally, Steve did a leg sweep to the back of Dale's legs, which caused her to fall to the ground. Seeing the chance, Steve then went over to Sandra, who was in the corner, trying to stay away from him. "If I can't have you," he said to her, pulling a long knife out of his jacket pocket, "No one will." He then stabbed her twice in the chest. She slumped to the ground. Before he could raise the knife a 3rd time, the police had moved in and had grabbed him, taking him away.

          Paramedics then moved in and stabilized Sandra before transporting both of them to Tokyo General. Dale's situation was a bad one in itself, as she had gone into shock from when she hit the floor- so Doctors kept her warm and on 6 liters of oxygen. 3 hours later, Sandra was in the recovery ward after surgery to repair the damage caused by Steve in his attack. Dale was still in her room, being kept warm although she was breathing normally because she was still in traumatic shock... and Sandra had a visitor in her room, keeping watch over her.

          Meanwhile, back at the hotel, the crowd that had gathered at the fight was waning down until 2 girls were left. "Man, that was scary." the girl with long red hair told the girl beside her as they watched the investigators work in the lobby. "I'll say," the other, a shoulder length brunette, remarked. She then went to the desk and asked why there were so many investigators crawling there.

          "You didn't hear the buzz?" the manager asked them. When the one shook her head no, he said that there was an attack at that spot. "Both of them were transported to Tokyo General," the manager added, "ask for Sandra Brown or Dale Speer." The redhead looked over at her companion and asked, "Want to head over there?" "Let's get a taxi," she replied. Together, they hailed a cab and went to the specified hospital, asking for Sandra Brown or Dale Speer.

          "Sandra's in the SRW for the next couple of days," the nurse said, "Dale's in 223 on the same floor as her." "I say we visit Dale, Kathleen," the brunette replied. "Sounds good to me, Colleen." the redhead replied. Both girls then headed to room 223, where Dale, who was reading something, entered. Greeting them, she asked why they visited her.

          "We heard that you and Sandra were attacked in the hotel lobby this morning," Colleen said, "And felt that you needed some visitors to brighten your day." "It's appreciative of you to do this for us," Dale said. The redhead smiled. "Us Americans have to stick together," she said, "Looks like you are feeling better. Have you heard anything about Sandra's condition?"

          "The surgeons who worked on her said that she had wounds close to vital organs," Dale said, "and that if she hadn't arrived at the O.R. in time, she would have been dead. As it is, it's a definite 2 day recovery in the Recovery Ward for her." The one redhead grimaced- then replied, "That bites. Oh, My name is Kathleen Riley. This is my sister Colleen." "And you already know who I am," Dale replied, "It's nice to meet you."

          "So what brought you and Sandra to Tokyo?" Kathleen asked Dale. "Well," Dale said, "Sandra came for Comiket and she taught me most of what I know in Anime. I only came to tag along... but now, I'm quickly becoming interested in Anime and Cosplay."

          Dale then said that most of her life was spent in her practice... she was an attorney who just moved from Seattle Washington to Baltimore, where Sandra was from, to live and she was seeking her appointment to the Bar for practicing law there. "You're a lawyer? Sweet!" Kathleen said.

          "And my first case in Maryland, in fact," Dale said, "involved Sandra and her abusive ex-husband. She's seeking divorce and before coming here, we got a no-contact order against him... but it didn't deter him from attacking and wounding her critically." "Man," Colleen said, "and I thought we had it worse. She's got one bad case on her hands. But you're charging her for services?" "No," Dale replied, "I'm working with her Pro Bono." "That's kind of you," Kathleen said, then explained to Colleen that what Dale said in Latin meant 'For Free'.

          While Dale was talking with her two visitors, Sandra was in her room on the SRW. She slowly opened her eyes, letting them focus before looking around. It was then that she saw she had a visitor. "Naoko-chan?" she whispered. "Hai, Sandora-chan," she replied, "I'm here. Your family was concerned and asked me to be here for you."

          Sandra smiled weakly as she said, "Arigatou, Naoko-chan. This was not how I wanted to see you for the first time on my visit here." "But Steven made it inevitable," her friend replied, "Dale-san is resting comfortably in one of the other rooms on this floor- she was in shock when you both arrived, and they also warranted that she needed to stay here as well." "I'm glad she's feeling alright," Sandra then said, "We were arriving back from Chacott, where you had that unexpected gift for us."

          "I'm glad it was appreciated," Naoko said, "So you're looking at another day here unless the doctor warrants you can leave... why don't I see if I can have you discharged to my care, and Dale can also stay with you." "That would be very kind of you," Sandra replied. She then closed her eyes as she said, "I'll just take a nap while you do that." She was instantly asleep, drowsy from the medications and exaustion.

          Naoko then left and found Sandra's doctor, asking if she could be released into her care with a checkup in 2 days time- and was told that she could, once the medications wore off. "She has a remarkable constitution," the doctor said, "and so she could be released to your care, Takeuchi-san." "Arigatou, Doctor," the mangaka replied, "Sandora-san will be staying with me as well as Deru-san. Both will have the best of care." "I know, Naoko-san," the Dr. replied.

          While Sandra dressed for her departure, Naoko then went and visited her new friend. Dale was awake and sitting comfortably when she saw her walk in, but didn't know who she was. When Naoko introduced herself, Dale immediately felt at ease about having her in the room, and expressed her gratitude for the gift of the costumes being paid for.

          "You will be my honored guest along with Sandora-chan," Naoko told her, "I felt that you 2 should stay together while she recovered at my residence." "You are too kind, Naoko-san," Dale replied, "I feel I will never have fully repaid the debt I have to you." "Do not think of it as a debt," the woman said, "Think of it as my gift to you."

          "Thank you, Naoko-san," Dale replied.

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