Chapter Three: Coming Home Now
The snow came down in tiny flakes that floated above the slightly
heated air of a city in celebration. Traffic was heavy; usual for this time
of year, as people tried to take advantage of the latest bargains offered by
various merchants. Hikaru was trying to find something before Satoru came
over for Christmas. She wasn't quite sure what to get, since he had most
everything he needed already, mostly gifts from her and Manami.
Manami. Her beloved sister-in-law was only two years older than she
was, yet she seemed so much more worldly than herself. Maybe it was because
she had the protection of three loving older brothers hovering over her most
any hour of the day. Or could it be that fathers are supposed to teach
something to even their daughters as a rite of passage? She didn't know.
Umi wondered. Wondered why her parents only had her. That they did
not try until they had a son. Papa always told her that sons were overrated
and more often than not caused more trouble than they were worth.
Mama always said that they'd be happy with the son she would bring
to them when she married. Umi thought about it for a while. She was not
exactly a traditional Japanese girl. She spoke her mind. She drank. A
lot. Yet she seemed perfectly happy to get married and have children. She
joked that she thought of herself as, "a little weird," to her friends, but
she wasn't sure it was just a joke.
Fuu stared into the clouds above, counting snowflakes one by one.
It was a frustrating exercise at best, but she didn't mind. She thought of
Ferio; how wonderful it would if her family could only meet him. Then they
wouldn't worry so about her lovelife and marital prospects. But lest they
were able to reach Cephiro, or Ferio journeyed to Earth, it was highly
unlikely.
As each of them started to make their way home, a monk clad in
barely adequate winter garb, trudged along the highways on the outskirts of
the greater Tokyo metropolitan area. He paused, as if to recall some long-
forgotten pathway to his destination. It was not that he was unfamiliar
with the area; rather, he had been away for the longest time. I suppose
this was a homecoming of sorts, but not all such events are joyous. This
seemed to be leaning towards the latter.
He raised his staff and planted it firmly in the ground for support.
Making his way to the neighborhood policebox, he asked for directions to a
certain household in the area. Thanking the officer on duty, he continued
on his way.
He now stood in front of a traditionally constructed Japanese
dwelling. This particular house even had a dojo attached to rear end, where
the back entrance would normally be.
Our wanderer made his way up the path through the snow-covered rock
garden, imagining the exact position of each stone as he had remembered
them, from a long time ago.
He slowly walked back to the gate. It was coated in the past few
weeks' snowfall, and it seemed heavier than it actually was. He wiped off
the flakes covering the nameplate every Japanese house had. He marveled at
how well the wood had withstood the years of winter and summer since he had
been gone.
Walking up the path to the main entrance, he tapped on the frame of
the finely crafted sliding door. He had made it himself, with help from his
father. But he was destined for greater things than a mere craftsman. For
he found his calling early enough, that of a swordsman. To follow the
teachings of kendo. His children followed him as well. None was more
adept than his youngest. The thought of this brought a few brief tears to
his eyes, which were quickly frozen into sapphire crystals.
He had diligently cleared the front gate of obstruction, and the
name of this household was now readable: Shidou.
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