Chapter Two: Reflect
Fuu admired the sword from her bed as it hung on the wall. It was
so generous of her father to get it for her coming of age, yet it made her
feel uneasy, for reasons she could not begin to formulate. Even though it
was winter, she still slept with her bedroom window open. She marveled at
the tiny flakes of dancing crystalline water flutter in and slightly moisten
the carpeting. Yuu would have a little bit more work the next day after Fuu
left for class.
She didn't notice the green gem in the hilt stare at her like a hawk
seeking it's prey.
Hikaru Shidou wrapped herself tight in a worn and tattered old
comforter. It had long since ceased to be a source of physical warmth.
Instead, she sought something more elusive: memories of her father. It had
seemed strange to her that even though she was old enough to remember, she
barely recalled anything about him. Almost as his shadow and footprints had
vanished from the face of the earth.
{This doesn't look good}, thought Kakeru Shidou. He knew Hikaru to
cuddle up in that old rag only when she was depressed. And he couldn't
possibly imagine why she would be at this time of year.
In Osaka, the pair that was Satoru and Manami Shidou was
experiencing a slight problem with their first child. She absolutely
refused to eat anything. Not even her favorite, chocolate fudge sundaes.
"Perhaps we should see Dr. Tezuka," Manami voiced in decidedly
concerned tones.
"Well, if she still doesn't eat abything, I don't see what else we
should do. I wonder how Hikaru is doing."
"I'm sure my cute little sister-in-law is just fine. Kakeru can
take care of your old home just fine while Masaru is studying abroad.
"I suppose, but..."
"Anata, you have your own family to worry about now. Please don't
worry yourself to death over whether or not you've been a good son. If you
keep this up, I guess I'll have to hold out on certain...conjugal
intimacies," she mentioned with a slightly seductive tone.
"You wouldn't."
"Try me," she laughed softly.
Yukari stared at them with a puzzled face, having no idea what they
meant by "conjugal intimacies."
Fuu's first class for the day was computer programming. Naturally
this meant having to hear her classmates rant about Professor Takahashi.
"All right you slackers, how does this procedure affect the output
of the given program?"
No response, save Fuu's readily raised hand.
"Anyone _other_ than Hououji know the answer?" Scanning the room
she found no sign of the desired show of hands. "As I thought.
"Just great. A class of one genius and twenty-nine MORONS!!"
They didn't even blink at this outburst; they were used to it.
"Hey, Hououji, wanna go for a drink tonight?"
"I appreciate the offer, Takahashi-sensei, but--"
"But what? You've been studying too damn hard lately. You need a
little internal lubrication, if you know what I mean."
Hikaru insisted she felt well enough to attend her veterinary
classes. Kakeru wasn't so sure.
"Hikaru-chan, I'm sure Dr. Sakurazuka will understand if you miss
just _one_ class."
"But I--"
"Oh, all right. But promise me, if you feel the slightest bit
unusual today, you'll come straight home."
"I promise, Kakeru-niisama."
Umi was sleeping soundly in bed. She rather liked not having to
wake up at the crack of dawn, like some of her friends. She needed her
beauty sleep, after all.
She didn't really plan to work. All she wanted to do was perhaps
work for a while as a restaurant or hotel manager. HRM wasn't an especially
tough course for her. So when the right guy came along, she could quit
without much fuss and get married. Too bad the right guy didn't seem to
exist. At least, not on Earth.
A lone figure stepped into the temple's main hall. He lit a few
candles, burnt some incense, and proceeded to engage in a deep, meditative
trance. As the wind tore in, shattering the wooden oak shutters and
plunging the room into darkness, he stood up and said, "The time has come."
Johann Chua -- HP: http://www.geocities.com/fuuma_1999/
CLAMP Fan Fiction: http://members.xoom.com/fuuma_monou/clampfix5.0/
"Many strange things are done in the name of love. People drink poison,
hurl themselves off tall buildings, get expensive implants and commit
murder, among other acts. These may strike the casual observer as insane,
but to the person in love, they make perfect sense." --Jessica Zafra