Hello my most dear readers. i apologize for the pause in updates and new stories. fear not; i havn't abandoned any of them, but am taking a much needed break. this will be another multi-chapter story, though most likely not as long as some of my others.

i hope you all enjoy.


Komui Lee smiled and took another sip of his tea. It felt so good to be home. He had been away to study for months and finally managed to break away for his little sister's birthday. She was a treasure to him. Leaving home for school was one of the hardest things he'd ever done.

Mother was nearly past child bearing age when she bore Lenalee. It was lucky that they both survived. Lenalee was the joy of his parents' lives. If Komui didn't feel the same way, he would have been jealous. His own childhood had been one of strict upbringing and tradition. Many times he found himself on the receiving end of Father's walking cane. Though he loved them dearly, Komui was happy to be away. Mother and Father seemed to have mellowed by the time sweet little Lenalee had made her entrance into the world.

Mother had always wanted a daughter. So great was her desire for a little girl, she took to dressing Komui as one when he was too young to object. He didn't mind suffering such indignations; as soon as he was old enough to oppose it, she stopped. They laughed about it now.

Lenalee was sitting on the floor nearby, playing with the doll he brought her. He couldn't hold back the delighted grin as she danced the little toy around the floor where she sat. The girl wore a soft pink tunic over her little pants and tiny pink slippers. Mother had embroidered a series of flowers in bright colors over the left side of the fabric. Her long black hair was pinned into buns on either side of her head and decorated with cheerful ribbons. She noticed him looking at her and smiled back.

The toddler climbed to her feet and bounced over to her brother. "Big Brother!" she squealed. Komui lifted her onto his lap. She reached for his teacup with tiny uncoordinated hands and nearly sent it crashing to the floor. With a little yelp, he caught it and the girl giggled and clapped.

"Son…" Father called from inside the house. Komui turned towards the sound in time to see the man lean against the doorway. "I need you to go into town tomorrow… your Mother wants another bolt of that silk she likes and I'm out of the herbs for my stomach." Father was a bit overworked and his stomach suffered for it.

"Papa…" the toddler whined. "I wanna go too…" she bounced and accidentally kneed her brother in the groin. He groaned in distress while his father laughed madly. "What? Koomuuiii! What?"

He winced and removed the wiggly little body from his lap. "I'll leave in the morning, if that's alright, Father…" Lenalee whined again and tugged his shirt. "You can come with me little sister."

She squealed with glee and he pat her head. Komui turned his attention back to his book. His teacher expected a paper outlining his reactions to the reading when he returned. It was the same school his Father went to when he was young and like his father, Komui was heading toward a life as a professional astronomer and astrologer. He liked the mathematics and science in his lessons, but he didn't particularly care for the more mythical elements that came with it. It seems silly…

"Big Brother…" Lenalee tugged on his clothing again. "Come play with me…"

"Sorry Sister." He sighed. "I need to finish reading this." Her bright eyes seemed to water. She looked like she was going to cry. Oh don't do that… Komui buckled under the slight pressure; he didn't want to see her upset. "Fine. Let's go over to the field… you can play and I'll bring my book, alright?"

"Yay!" she grabbed his hand with both her tiny ones and pulled him up. He let her lead him to the yard. Komui scooped his little sister and held her on his shoulders and walked down the long foot path towards the field near the woods.

It was a beautiful day; the afternoon sun was shining brightly and the entire world seemed alive with color. The grass was tall and green; there were wild flowers of all hues growing throughout. He set his sister down to play among them. Komui took a seat in the shade of a large tree at the edge of the woods. He smiled and stared up at the sky. It was almost painfully blue, not a cloud in sight.

He wished he could stay like this forever. It was so pleasant. He opened his book to the place he had marked and began reading about how the position of planets at the time of one's birth determined temperament. He didn't believe it; something about it just didn't seem to fit. The more he read, the more it just didn't seem logical. The future isn't written in the stars… we have a choice. I just know we do… He stretched his slender legs out and frowned.

Komui had been having increasing doubts about the subjects he was studying. He wanted to change his focus. He liked the purity of mathematics; there was beauty in numbers. They were solid, the basis of all sciences. Komui felt that through science everything could be explained; somewhere was one perfect equation that could explain everything. He was also interested in medicine, not the potion sellers and herbalists, but real medicine. He sighed and tried to put such ambitions out of his head. Father would kill me… I would be a dishonor to my family. I can't shame them like that just because I'm unhappy with my schoolwork…

He looked out to where his sister was braiding a wreath of flowers and, for a moment, felt terribly envious. She's so carefree… He was only sixteen but he felt so much older. He was the firstborn and only son; it was his destiny to follow the path of his Father and of his Father and his Father before that. The weight of the Lee family name was on his shoulders. Lenalee was free. The only thing she would ever have to worry about is how good a husband Mother and Father will choose for her.

The next morning, Komui woke early to start the long walk through town. He washed in the basin in his room and squinted at his reflection in the little mirror. It was blurred. He needed spectacles, but he dared not tell his parents. Instead he just held his books closer. Glasses were too much a western invention; Father wouldn't allow such things.

He braided his long hair tightly into a neat queue. It hung down to the small of his back and drove him mad. It was one more thing he wanted to change about himself but refrained from doing. Tradition was a heavy thing to carry. He was grateful that his parents were progressive enough that Lenalee's feet had escaped binding.

"Come on Sister…" he fetched her from her bed. "We have a long trip today…" Mother was still asleep, so he brushed her hair and secured it with ribbons. "There we are! Who's the most beautiful girl in the world?" She turned and looked at him with wide eyes. "You are!" The girl's face split with a huge smile as she beamed at her brother.

They walked hand in hand down the dirt path to town. It was midmorning by the time they reached the market. Komui always loved the market; it was like another world. It was a unique experience every time. Bright bolts of silk, linen and cotton fabrics were laid out along with readymade clothing and shoes. The air was filled with the sounds of merchants advertising their wares and the smell of freshly harvested produce and herbs.

Lenalee tugged his hand and tried to pull him to a vendor selling toys. "Later, alright?" he pulled her back to his side to prevent her from being lost in the crowd. "We need to get Father's medicine first. Then we can go look at toys… I might just buy you something…" he bribed with a grin.

Komui threaded his way through the bustling crowd to the medicine shop. He liked the building. It was dark inside, musty; the air was thick and stuffy with the combined scents of medicines and drying herbs. It made him a little dizzy, but he still breathed deeply. In a place like this it was easy to imagine yourself back a thousand years in time. The medicine man wore rich traditional clothes.

In a place like this, Komui could believe that the planets affected temperament and that dragons really did soar among the clouds. The modern world didn't exist in this place.

"I need medicine for my Father's stomach…" he told the medicine man. He followed him around the tall shelves of the shop as the man gathered ingredients into a bag.

Lenalee's tiny hand slipped away from his and she darted around like a pink silk hummingbird. Komui only half paid attentions to her as he listened to the stooped man explain the uses of each ingredient. With a squeak of dismay she knocked into a barrel of some noxious liquid. Komui dove and caught it before it could spill too completely. Despite his best efforts there was still a big puddle on the floor.

Enraged, the medicine seller chased them both out of the shop before they could do further damage. Squinting in the bright sun, Komui glanced around to regain his bearings. It was then that he saw something that would change his life forever.

Komui pulled his little sister's hand and carefully threaded his way through the bustling crowd. A small score of people were gathering around a wagon where a man was talking loud and fast.

"Look Lenanlee…" he pointed. "An Englishman… they don't come here that often." Komui worked his way over to the man's makeshift stage. He strutted and gestured like an actor and Komui wished desperately that he could understand English.

There were mechanical objects whirling and whistling. Toys that seemed to move under their own power and miniature steam engines that buzzed back and forth. It was mechanics! Machines; science at work. Komui was utterly entranced. Sure they were only toys, only novelties but the principles that drove them were the same no matter the size. There was potential there. His fingers itched to touch them, to take them apart and see how they worked.

The man was selling western remedies as well. No superstitions, but studied and tested formulas. He had books as well and from the images on the covers Komui could guess they covered every topic from medicine and anatomy to engineering and physics.

His heart jumped. This is what I want to learn… science… my science! Lenalee tugged his hand and instantly brought him back to reality. His good mood evaporated. The world the man was selling was one he could never be a part of.

Suddenly Lenalee's hand jerked away from his and she hauled her awkward little body onto the wagon. The Englishman laughed and smiled when Komui grabbed for her and started stammering out apologizes.

He shot a wink a Komui's panicked face. The man sat on the floor and showed the toddler how to wind the key on a toy monkey. He actually lowered himself down as if she was of equal status. Komui wasn't sure if he knew what that implied. She imitated him the best she could and squealed with delight as the toy monkey clashed its tiny cymbals together.

The man glanced around until he caught Komui's eye. He beckoned him over with a gesture and spoke quickly in English. Koumi flushed with embarrassment; Father would not allow such a vulgar language to be spoken by his only son. He didn't understand a word and wanted to sink into the ground.

The Englishman seemed to understand the problem. He called to another European, who quickly took his place selling their wares. He hopped off the side of the makeshift stage and held out his hand to Lenalee. She giggled and daintily took it and followed him down. The man clapped a friendly hand on Komui's shoulder and led them both away from the crowd.

The man had blue eyes; Komui had never seen that color before. He wondered if that made them sensitive to bright light. The man kept talking and smiling; he didn't seem to care if they understood him or not. He took the toy back from Lenalee and showed it to Komui. "Gears." He said and pantomimed the turning of the mechanisms that powered the toy.

"Gears…" Komui repeated with some difficulty. He took a stick and sketched a simple diagram in the dirt. The Englishman laughed and nodded happily. He took the stick and added to the drawing, with a raised eyebrow he offered it back.

Komui stared at the image. It was a problem. He realized the man was testing him, seeing how well he could understand the way simple machines worked. Komui's heart jumped into his throat and he filled in the missing piece. Then he smiled; he drew another set. With a big grin he handed the stick back. The man solved it with ease.

For an hour they sat in silence, working out a code for numbers and testing each other with equations. Lenalee played happily with the monkey toy.

The other Englishman wandered over; the two foreigners exchanged words. The second man turned to Komui and said hello in Chinese. Komui grinned and returned the greeting and bowed low. Through the other man, Mr. Blue Eyes asked Komui his name and started a somewhat stilted discussion of science.

Mr. Blue Eyes told him that he had a natural aptitude for the physical sciences; he was a progeny. That he was gifted in mathematics and seemed to have an innate understanding of mechanics. Through the translator he told Komui that he had books to give him, things to help him learn further. The teen's heart nearly burst; already he was planning a way to study his own interests on the side.

The European piled volume after volume of anatomy and medical texts, physics, engineering and mechanics into Komui's eager arms. As an after thought, the Blue Eyed man added in a Mandarin/Chinese to English phrase book. Komui bowed again and again, unable to fully express his gratitude. He bought Lenalee the little wind up monkey and tucked the treasured books into a travel bag to hide them till he could reach the safety of his room.

He quickly stopped at the clothe sellers to pick up the bolt of silk for Mother and half dragged Lenalee from the market. She complained her legs were tired so he carried her. With her little head resting on his shoulder she dozed off, little toy monkey still clutched in her hand.

Komui rushed inside, depositing his purchases on the low table and carrying his precious new books to his room. "Father, Mother… I'm home. I'll be in my room studying." He slid the door shut to his little room and collapsed onto his futon, shoving his texts on astronomy and astrology away.

His heart pounded furiously as he pulled the first book open. Just having these books in his Father's house was taboo and somehow that made it all the sweeter. He couldn't read a word, but he nearly worshiped the images on the pages.

First a book on anatomy; there were actual photographs! The book must have cost a fortune to print; and the strange man just gave it to him, all because he thought Komui was clever. He rolled onto his stomach and slowly flipped the pages.

He choked; there was a photo of a dead body. A series of pages showed its dissection. It was a desecration of a human corpse. Komui was horrified and slammed the book shut. How could someone do something like that to a body?! He sat and wrapped his slender arms around his knees and tried to process what he had just seen. He gasped and with a trembling hand reached for the book again. He knew there had to be a reason.

Breathing deeply, Komui forced himself to look back at the disturbing images. It was a man. A long set of diagonal cuts ran from each shoulder to sternum and connected with a vertical slice down to the groin. This is the first part… he though. He must have been dead for a while; seems like there would be more blood… His stomach turned a little, but he still felt compelled to turn the page.

Komui gagged. The second page revealed how the flesh was pulled back into long flaps revealing the internal organs. He leaned in close to look. He examined the membrane that covered the ribs and viscera. The next photo showed it removed; the intestines and muscles were clearly exposed. Absently, Komui unfastened the buttons on the side of his tunic and slid his hand inside. He counted his ribs as he counted those of the corpse.

His mind worked furiously to make connections as he identified the parts of his body with those exposed on the pages before him. This is what we all look like inside… that's how you learn! Take apart… see how it works. If you can learn how it works… then you can fix it if it breaks!

The sheer possibility of it all was staggering. "The pictures aren't enough…" he mused softly. "I need to learn to read them…" Komui rummaged around for the translation book; it was heavy. This is going to take a lot of time… he sighed and opened the book. Luckily Komui was a devoted student.