Notes

Another story so soon? ...and a happy one⁇ Believe it or not folks, lol.

Certain parties (you know who you are, Jojo) have asked/challenged me to write a happy Athena story for months. Problem was, I literally could not think of one that sounded interesting to write...or read, for that matter. Finally I asked around for ideas, and I got a good one from illyrilex that turned into this concept. So you can thank her for this one; she was the yin to my horror/angst yang, lol.

Not much else to say, so hope you enjoy!

Inspiration

"And there...you...go. Good to see you again!"

"Y-yes! You, too, Asamiya-sama!"

Smiling, Athena gave the man his now-signed copy of her latest CD. He took it with about a thousand bows, grinning and gushing as always. He actually backed out of the tent like that, making her giggle as she waved goodbye to him.

She had seen this man before. Quite a few times actually. In fact, this was the third copy of that CD she'd signed for him. This had become a common occurence; many of her fans were diehards now, young women and middle-aged men that had followed her for years. Her younger fans, meanwhile, were dwindling...as was her fanbase in general.

Could it be time to retire...? she pondered as she waited for the next autograph-seeker. It would hardly be the death of her, after all. She'd still have tournament battles; she'd still train with the Master to fight evil. But maybe to inspire people, she should try something new. Preferably something that would still let her write and perform, since those seemed like the parts of the job she'd miss most.

She was already wondering what that could be when the next fan entered the tent. It was another young woman, but at least not one she recognized. Granted, she was pretty nondescript; short black hair, faded t-shirt and jeans. But even if she was another diehard, it was nice to see an unfamiliar face right now.

"Hi there!" she greeted cheerfully, bowing her head. "Thank you for coming today! What's your name?"

"Keiko Takashi," the woman said with a shy smile.

"Nice to meet you!" Athena replied by rote. "So, what would you like me to sign?"

"Well...umm..."

"A CD, perhaps?"

"Oh no," Keiko answered, shaking her head. "I'm, ah...I'm not a J-Pop fan."

"Oh," said Athena simply, her eyebrows raised. "Then, maybe a tourney souvenir?"

"...not big on martial arts, either," Keiko admitted, scratching the back of her neck.

"Huh." Inside, Athena was dumbfounded - but outside she kept her cool. "Alright, then...how can I help you?" she asked, folding her arms in front of her.

"I came to give you this."

Keiko finally approached, reaching into a small satchel she carried behind her back. Athena tensed a bit, her guard raised - but what the woman produced wasn't much of a weapon. It was basically a kind of spike, worn-looking and fairly dull at the end. Moreover it was pointed away from Athena, a pretty poor position to wield it from.

She came to Athena's desk slowly, placed it on the table reverently. Given that, Athena hated to ask, but... "What is this?"

"The pick," Keiko intoned, her eyes gleaming.

"The pick for...?"

"I'm sorry - let me start over," she pleaded (as if she had started to begin with). "I'm an archaeologist. I've mostly worked digs so far. For the last two years our team's been in Western Europe, looking for new fossils. It's been the community's best guess for a while now on where we'd find the LCA."

"LCA?"

"Oh, sorry - 'last common ancestor'. The missing link between humans and primates."

"I see," Athena replied, though she didn't see at all.

"The dig was going poorly," Keiko went on. "In two years we'd found two things: a finger bone from an identified species and what turned out to be a movie prop. When the chief decided to leave, most people were thrilled...but I had always had a hunch. There was an area, half a mile from camp, that was deemed off-limits. I still don't know why. But the minute I saw it, I knew in my heart something was there.

"The chief said we'd leave in a week. The next night, I was trying to sleep at the camp...but my bunkmate was listening to one of your concert CDs. I was trying to cover my ears with my pillow - "

She clapped her hands over her mouth, as she realized what she'd said.

"It's alright," Athena told her, smirking. "Please, go on."

"S-sorry. Th...thank you," Keiko sputtered, her face flushed. "Anyway, the pillow was small, so I couldn't - get it over both ears. I was about to ask her to turn it off, but then the show ended anyway.

"...and then I heard it."

"It...?"

"Yes," said Keiko, nodding. "What you said, at the end of that concert. ...'follow your heart, wherever it leads. It's the only way you'll find..."

"...what you're looking for,'" Athena quietly finished with her. It was one of her newer lines, something she'd only closed out concerts with for about a year. She believed in it, though; she'd probably do just that if she did end up changing careers.

"It's like you were talking right to me," Keiko said with a grin. "I hadn't followed my heart, and soon I wouldn't have the chance. So later that night I snuck out, went to the area and dug by flashlight. I didn't find anything, but I did it again the next night...and right before dawn, I hit it."

"Hit what?" Athena pressed, invested now.

"The top of a primate skull," Keiko responded in delight. "Fully formed, eighty-seven percent complete. By the time they found me, I'd already dug up enough to show them. Once we got it out, we sent it to the lab and they confirmed: an undiscovered species from the correct timeframe. By now they're almost certain it's the LCA."

"Oh my goodness! That's wonderful!" Athena exclaimed, clapping her hands. (Not that she personally cared - but she knew other people would.)

"Everybody was really happy for me...except for the chief. I wasn't supposed to be out there, after all. ...I actually wound up getting fired," Keiko laughed nervously.

"What!? That's ridiculous!"

"I thought so too," she admitted, smirking. "I'm doing enough interviews now that I'll be set for a while, though. But since I was mad, I snuck something out before I left. ...it was the pick I used to uncover the fossil."

She didn't have to explain where that pick was now.

Athena looked down at it and paled, her jaw hanging open. "...what...but this is - I can't accept this‼"

"Please do," Keiko begged. "It's not worth much to the museums, and it's worth more to me if you have it. You're the one that made me use it. You were my inspiration."

Immediately, Athena's eyes filled with tears. "...oh my god..." she whispered, her lip quivering. She then surprised the hell out of Keiko by hopping over the desk, running up to her and giving her a great big hug.

"O-oh! ...ummm... I'm sorry?" Keiko faltered.

"You don't know what this means to me," Athena murmured. "You really, really don't. Thank you so...so much."

"...ah heh. You're welcome...?"

She pulled back from her grinning, the tears now running down her cheeks. "I'll take it. And I will treasure it, always. I mean it." Then she blinked, and started to look around the tent. "I don't know how I can repay you..."

"You've given me enough," Keiko assured her.

"No. I want to give you something. ...I want you to have something of mine."

A few seconds later she had it, her eyes lighting up. She dashed to her purse, rummaged through it - and pulled out a small bottle. "Is that...perfume?" Keiko asked as she returned, putting it in Keiko's hands and clasping them.

"It's my perfume," Athena clarified, beaming. "It's my own secret scent. I have it specially made. ...one of my indulgences," she added, blushing a bit. "I know it's a bit silly, but it's the most personal thing I have here."

"Oh no, it's not silly!" Keiko insisted. "It smells wonderful! Like...like strawberry jasmine...!"

Athena blinked. "...that's a lot of what's in it, actually! How did you know?"

"You, uh...you hugged me pretty tight," said Keiko, her cheeks turning cherry red.

But Athena just giggled. "Well I'm glad you like it," she told her. "It's yours too now, so wear it well. And whenever you need more, just call me."

"I'll be sure to," her new friend agreed with a smile.

With that, Athena turned to the tent's entrance, eyeing the crowd. They were getting pretty restless; she really couldn't keep ignoring them. With no time to write down a number, she whipped out one of her business cards, giving Keiko a way to reach her indirectly at least.

"Thanks again, Keiko," she told her, hugging her again. "Take care of yourself. And keep following your heart."

"Always," Keiko promised.

After she left, another diehard came in, an unkempt older man with an uncomfortable leer. Athena greeted him like an old friend, bowing and shaking his hand. She signed his pinup poster with a whole paragraph, turning his leer into a delighted grin. After he left, she grabbed some spare paper and started writing her next album, all thoughts of quitting flown from her mind.

It seemed when fate needed her to inspire, she'd do it no matter what.

End Notes

Full disclosure: I couldn't find any evidence of autograph tents being used in Japan. For all I know they're not, lol.

Thanks again go to illy, who was my inspiration. (Ah, god, that sounds so sappy. Football! Monster trucks! Etc.) Also thanks to BlueIndigoColor, who came up with the beautiful idea of Athena having her perfume specially made. Go read her fic, darnit XD It's tons of fun, especially for all you Athena fanboys out there.

See you next time!