Matthew Johnston <matthew@kingdomofmel.com> wrote:
Public (and private) C&C is welcomed with open arms
In that case here goes with some *late* C&C... ^_^;;
"It's A Rainy Day Sunshine Girl" (c) 1999-2001 Matthew Johnston.
All Rights Reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters
to any persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Laughter was the first memory to resurface...
Graduation Night
March, 1975
"Well, ladies," Enchant announced, an unusual amount of cheer in
her voice. "Tonight's our last night."
Focus and Cynic nodded, the latter more slowly than the
former.
The school courtyard, decorated in crepe paper and balloons,
waved to the rhythm of the warm spring breeze that seemed to make
the celebration around them more ethereal than simply another
human celebration. Cynic inhaled, trying to absorb Enchant's rare
smile, and the floating laughter and jubilant voices around them.
She exhaled slowly, trying not to sigh, but not quite succeeding.
I like the way you set a stage. ^_^
Focus put her hand on Cynic's shoulder. "Don't feel bad,
Cynic." She paused as a group of giggling girls from classroom 3C
strolled by, well within earshot of the conversation. "It's
normal to feel this way when it's time to leave."
"I shouldn't have come here," Cynic murmured. "What if Takeo
sees me?"
Enchant's chuckle floated above the rest of the happy din.
"By the time he shows up, we may already be gone."
"It's not like can choose our time to leave,"
Perhaps a 'we' between 'like' and 'choose'?
> Slowly, Cynic and Enchant backed away, keeping their venomous
gazes on one another.
Catfights are always fun! ^_^
"Good." Focus cracked her knuckles pleasantly, eliciting a
shiver from her sisters. "Now, let's see if we can have a little
fun before we have to say goodbye."
With a small, dark glance to Cynic, Enchant followed. A few
moments later, and a few steps behind, Cynic followed her sisters
into the happily mingling crowd of new high school graduates. She
did not try to catch up.
* * * *
After a long moment, the woman met her gaze, her eyes
reflecting the same sympathy as Kasumi's last memory.
"I need you to remember."
"Why?" Nabiki was surprised by how calm she sounded.
"Because something very dire is going to happen, and we need
your help stopping it."
"What you think is dire doesn't concern me. I'm not a muse
anymore." The details of her newly surfaced memories shook
themselves clean. "I gave Takeo the gift of Clearlight. After
that, I stopped being a muse."
Focus stood, and stepped behind her chair. She leaned on it,
an action Nabiki found instantly familiar. Her stance seemed to
characterize her so well: relaxed, authoritative, motherly.
"Under normal circumstances, you'd be right."
Cynic: In other words, I've just been drafted?
Focus: Yup!
* * * *
Sister Majesty motioned with her hand, and Cynic cut herself
short. "You are young, Cynic." She stepped to Cynic's bed, and
sat on the edge. "You will heal."
"You mean...?"
"You will inspire again. With time, and effort, you will
return to your abilities." Cynic's elder leaned in close, and
kissed her gently on the forehead. For a moment, her pain
subsided. "Sleep now."
"Sister Majesty," Cynic managed, her involuntary sobs finally
subsiding. "I don't want to heal."
The words made Sister Focus pause. "I do not mean to be
cruel, child, but Takeo has forgotten you. Please do not carry a
burden for a memory you too should leave behind."
Cynic inhaled as if to speak, but did not.
"Sleep now, my lovely Cynic." Sister Majesty's voice, her
smile, put Cynic at ease, just a little. "You are destined for
greater things."
Cynic nodded slowly. "Yes, Sister Majesty." She closed her
eyes before her teacher stood.
Cynic was asleep before she heard the last of Sister
Majesty's footsteps echoing in the hall.
It was early in the morning, a full hour before the waking knell,
when Cynic roused Focus from her sleep.
"What is it?" Focus whispered, her voice equal parts concern
and annoyance.
"I need your help."
Focus sat up, the depth of Cynic's voice drawing her fully
>from sleep. "Help with what?"
"I'm going back."
"You're delirious, Cynic." Focus muttered. "Go back to bed."
"I'm serious." Cynic scarcely raised her voice. "I'm going
back and I want you to make me forget."
"I can't do that." Focus looked past Cynic to the hall. If
any of the older sisters heard them...
"Yes you can, Focus. We took the same lesson from Sister
Traffic..."
"No, Cynic." Focus crossed her arms, and attempted a stern
expression. "I won't do it."
"Why not?"
"You're..." Focus sighed. "Remember when you and I played
like we were mach-speed racers?"
Cynic nodded. "By the forest." There a small pause. "I'm
sorry, Focus."
"It's okay." Focus's expression softened when she heard the
first small sob. "Come here." She wrapped her arms around her
sister. On her shoulder, she heard a whimper, and felt tears. "I
don't want to lose what *we've* had. The memories *we* made
together."
Cynic pulled away from the hug, and wiped her eyes. "I'm
sorry. I shouldn't have asked you."
"It's okay, really." Focus tilted her head slightly, and
smiled. "Now, get back to bed. You'll feel better after some
more rest."
Cynic nodded. "Okay..."
With that, she stood, and tiptoed out of her sister's room.
Hmmm, I've the impression that she'd've planned a way back even if Copia
hadn't made her offer. I wonder what her backup would've been?
It wasn't until she was well out of earshot of the room that she
heard a voice behind her.
"I heard what Focus told you."
Cynic spun around, the life nearly shocked out of her. "Co-
Copia?"
The young muse nodded. "You enjoy the memories you have of
your childhood here, don't you?"
"Yes..."
"...but?" Copia prompted.
"But... I don't know, Copia." She shook her head. "I really
fell in love down there."
Copia smiled, so softly and so kindly, Cynic felt suddenly
warmed. "I know, Cynic. I'm here to help you."
I kinda heard some ominous organ music with that last phrase. ^_~
* * * *
"You were betrayed, Cynic." Focus sounded so distant, even though
she was so close. "Copia gave you what you wanted, but for her
own gains."
"I don't regret the decision," Cynic managed hoarsely.
"With you gone, she moved to the head of the class quickly.
She and I were both nominated for positions as teachers, a
position I would have shared with you, Cynic."
"That's all? That's Copia's big betrayal?" Cynic shrugged
her shoulders, and Focus removed her hands in response. "If
that's what you came to remind me of, that's hardly worth the
trip."
Focus returned to her seat, and sighed as she sat. "I wish
it were that, Cynic, but it's much worse. Kenji?"
From the stairwell, Cynic heard a crash and a yelp, then a
meek, strained, "Yes, ma'am?"
"Go fetch Caravan for me, please. What I have to say
concerns her as well."
Suddenly reminded of her humanity, Cynic turned to Focus with
a withering look. "You've involved my son and his friend in
this?"
Focus took a sip of the coffee. "I did not involve your son
in this. I respected your privacy for 25 years, Cynic, even when
it hurt me to do so."
"Then who--"
"--Copia."
* * * *
"Caravan, wake up!"
The lump underneath Kenji's comforter rolled a little and
groaned. "Wha..?"
"A strange woman just kissed my mom and made her cry and my
mom called her Focus and they kissed and the woman told me to get
you because this really bad thing she made my mom remember
concerns you too and MY MOM KISSED ANOTHER WOMAN!"
Heh.
"Sister Focus is here?!" Caravan jumped out of bed, the
sheets sliding off her skin as she stood, fully naked, in front of
Kenji.
"Oh god, my nose!" Kenji ran out of the room. A moment
later, Caravan heard the bathroom door slam shut.
With a sigh, Caravan found her pile of clothes on the floor,
and dressed. "What a pervert." She did smile when she caught a
glimpse of herself dressing in the darkened window's reflection.
"Though, who could blame him?"
A nice touch of feminine vanity. ^_^
With a wink to her reflection, Caravan trotted out of the
bedroom. When she got to the stairwell, she heard the voices in
the dining room and remembered why she got dressed.
"Caravan, in the meantime, I want to introduce you to someone
you may have heard of."
"Oh?" Caravan squinted at Kenji's mother, wondering who she
could possibly be.
Kenji's mother gave Caravan an embarrassed smile.
"This is Sister Cynic, a contemporary of mine when I was your
age."
Caravan's eyes grew wide, and her jaw went a little slack.
"*THE* Sister Cynic?"
Cynic blushed deeply. "You've been talking about me, Focus?"
"Sister Focus used to tell us stories about you and how you
sacrificed everything you had to live on Earth."
"Really now..." Cynic murmured, turning her eyes to Focus.
"I would think a story like that wouldn't be good material for a
young muse to hear."
But I could just picture her inwardly preening all the same.
"Oh no, ma'am." Caravan's voice dripped sincerity. "Sister
Focus said we should never be so stupid as to give up what we do
just for a human."
Whoops! @_@
Caravan blinked suddenly, and went flush.
"That is... wait a second."
Looks like the 'tact circuits' kicked in a second too late. ^o^
Cynic rapped her fist lightly on the table. "Did she, now?"
Caravan was no longer listening, instead staring past the two
older sisters at the refrigerator. The back of her head began to
throb, almost painfully, and she rubbed instinctively. "Sister
Focus?"
"Yes, dear?" the older muse grumbled through gritted teeth.
"This is kind of hard to explain, but I think Sister Enchant
wants to talk to you."
Focus cocked her head. "You're in contact with her?"
"Yes, ma'am." In the back of her head, she felt the pressing
again. "Oh. Here she is, ma'am."
"Umm, okay." Focus shook her head, but kept her eyes on
Caravan as her eyes went glassy, and her expression blank. The
girl's posture went stiff, and she stood suddenly, knocking the
chair to its back on the floor. A sudden inhale, and she began to
glow from the inside, a dull blue light that flowed from her eyes
and off her skin like a thick haze.
Focus stood slowly and leaned forward. "Enchant? What's
wrong?"
"IT HAS STARTED." Though Caravan had opened her mouth, her
lips did not move, and the voice booming from her came less from
her mouth than from the center of her being. "FURY ATTACKED.
NEED NEW HOST. IT HAS STARTED IT HAS STARTED IT HAS STARTED."
As the final words left Caravan's lips, the glow faded
slowly. Her eyes closed, and her body went limp. Before she fell
to the floor, she managed to catch herself on the table.
Unsteadily, she rose from her knees to her feet, her breathing
ragged.
"S-sister Focus...?" Caravan lifted her head, trying to keep
steady. "I don't feel so good." With that, she finally collapsed
in a heap. Cynic slid out of her chair and knelt beside the girl.
"Poor thing," she murmured. "Focus, what's going on?"
"This is sooner than I had expected."
"What do you mean, 'sooner than you'd expected?'" Kenji asked
>from the bottom of the stairwell.
"Come here, Kenji, and help us move Caravan to the couch."
Focus sighed. "I blame myself. If I'd had the power to remove
Copia earlier, this never would have happened."
"Umm, the couch might be a bad place to put her." Kenji
grinned sheepishly. "See, Ichiro's sleeping there right now."
Kenji's mother frowned. "Kenji, what have I told you about
asking permission before inviting friends over?"
"I'm sorry mom, but he's actually kind of unconscious. See,
Caravan kissed him and--"
"She WHAT?!" Both women screamed in unison.
"She said it was because he was being a pervert, and she just
wanted to put him out of commission for a little bit. But he's
still alive, so don't worry."
Focus shook her head. "Okay then, let's get her to the
carpet at least. She's not going to feel very good when she wakes
up."
Kenji sighed as he walked to Caravan and kneeled by her
shoulders. "A high school kid shouldn't be moving his friends'
bodies around like this," he huffed. He grunted a little as he
and Focus lifted Caravan and began to move her to the living room
carpet. "I feel like an undertaker."
"Don't complain in front of our guest, Kenji," Cynic chided.
"It's rude."
heh.
"Sorry, Mom."
Cynic smiled proudly. "That's my boy."
Focus and Kenji laid Caravan on the floor in front of the
couch, where the carpet was softest.
"Hope Ichiro doesn't roll over," Focus commented.
Kenji stifled a laugh.
Focus turned to the small family and frowned. "I shouldn't
be so glib," she apologized. "Kenji, Cynic, I will tell you why I
came for you, but this will change the course of your lives
irrecoverably."
That sounds so...Final! ^_^;
Cynic stepped behind Kenji, and put her hands on her son's
shoulders. "We're ready."
Kenji nodded hesitantly.
Focus cleared her throat. "Enchant's words tonight can mean
only one thing. Invasion."
Kenji: Oh, I'm so glad you were able to interpret her cryptic words. I thought phrases like "Fury attacked." and a threefold repetition of "It has
started" meant something *friendly* had occurred!
* * * *
"What fate I was given is not mine to see, but to
create with my own hands. I suppose that is the
nature of inspiration."
--Takeo Terada's Diary
April, 1975.
Forty-five minutes of class, with one hundred students all
scribbling in their notebooks. The first term of the new school
year. So any possibilities. So many opportunities, if one was
disciplined enough to take advantage of them.
Takeo sighed. Even though it was Intro to Engineering, he
knew he should be paying more attention to class than this. This
early into the term, and he was already losing his disciplined
nature. He looked down at his notebook. Another doodle. This
time, it was a pair of eyes. Before that, a girl's hand. Before
that, he'd written a poem. A poem! He'd never written a poem in
his life.
But why now? He'd never shown any signs of being anything
but level-headed. No stray daydreams that he couldn't build later
on, no walking around with his head in the clouds. He had a
certain pride in his feet of clay, even if it did make him a
little less flashy.
But now... he was losing it, and he didn't know why. 'Maybe
after class,' he thought, 'I'll call Rumiko up and ask her
opinion.' Rumiko was an artist; maybe she could tell him why he
was being tortured with these strange flashes of... inspiration?
As class let out, Takeo walked slowly, preoccupied with the
pair of eyes he'd drawn. Who could they belong to? Why on earth
was he drawing random body parts of a girl he'd never met?
Takeo shook his head. "There has to be a logical
explanation."
"Far be it from me to be so bold," a voice responded from
beside him. "But talking to yourself could be considered a sign
of madness."
Takeo: Only if I'm not getting intelligent answers!
Takeo looked over, face flushed with embarrassment. "I'm
sorry, I--" He saw them instantly.
Her eyes.
Takeo nearly fell over trying to reach into his backpack to
take out his notebook. When he finally had wrestled it from the
pack, he tore open to the page. "Please, hold still for a
moment."
The girl stood still, looking curiously at Takeo as he held
the notebook beside her face, comparing his drawings with the
strange girl.
"This is incredible!" he shouted, to no one in particular.
"Can I see your hand?"
Before the girl could answer, he grabbed her hand and placed
it on the page. She looked down, and saw what Takeo was seeing.
It was a perfect match.
"I assume you have a glass slipper for me now?" the girl
smirked.
"I... huh? No, sorry, miss. This is incredible. What's
your name?"
"Nabiki Akato. What's yours?"
"This is amazing! I'm psychic!"
The girl's smirk grew to a grin. "If you're so psychic," she
replied. "How come you didn't know my name?"
"Uhh..." Takeo flushed again, and rubbed his neck
instinctively. "Maybe you're right. But you have to admit, this
is a pretty amazing coincidence."
"True enough," she nodded. "But you still haven't answered
my question."
"Oh, yes. I'm sorry." Takeo grinned sheepishly. "My name
is Takeo Terada."
Nabiki nodded slowly, as if the name had some great
importance to her. "Takeo..." there was a long pause as she
considered the name. "That's a nice name."
Before Takeo could respond, she spoke again. "I'm walking
back to my dorm. Care to join me?"
Takeo nodded dumbly.
"Wonderful!" Nabiki beamed, and grabbed Takeo's hand. "It's
this way."
Takeo wondered as he half-ran, half stumbled behind the girl
he'd just if perhaps fate was playing some strange joke on him.
Hmmm, I suppose true love *could* be described like that. Perhaps that's why it fun to see in action. ^_^
A lovely chapter overall. In any event I'll be looking forward to chapter 8 with a burning curiousity as to just how high the bodies will get stacked! ^_~
- S.P.M.