Ah, a new fic. I was supposed to finish a chapter of another story but... I got distracted. Besides, after watching the live-action movie I just.. needed to write this out. It'll be a fun story, I think. As usual, disclaimer: Characters are not mine, belong to Sunrise, Konno Oyuki etc.
Made some changes to the start of this story – been thinking about it for a while!
Graduation had come and gone. Her third year flew by so quickly that she barely grasped the sensation as she was, for that brief spark in time- Rosa Chinensis of the Yamayurikai.
You think it's going to last forever, but it won't. The young, popular, lovable Rosa Chinensis, Yumi Fukuzawa. Now we step out of school, and into the bright, young future promised us. How can something so bright be so scary at the same time?
Here she stood, with her friends. Tsutako at the camera, snapping away. Shimako, sharing a secret smile with Noriko as they stood slightly away from everyone. Yoshino challenging Nana to a game of 'who-could-spot-more-girls-in-tears'. The second year student went along gamely with her onee-sama's slightly eccentric game.
Touko by her side, always. Yumi smiled as she embraced her last day in Lillian's Private Academy for Women. The full length of her school's name never failed to make her wonder. As she gazed at the girls around her, taking in the sight of her beloved school and the Rose Mansion in front of her, she felt the tell-tale signs of a bout of tears coming. Scrunching up her nose she tried to step away from feeling just so much.
Of course, Touko was the first to notice. The girl nudged Yumi, whispering, "Onee-sama, shall we go into the Rose Mansion? Nana, Noriko and I spent so much time preparing, Onee-sama, so if you…"
"Sure, Touko."
As Yumi and Touko stepped into the cool dimness of the Mansion's first floor, the others followed suit not long after. Over the past year, Yumi had matured into the leader of the Yamayurikai. A stable leader with lots of heart and zest. That was Yumi-san for you.
And then there was Sachiko. Blue eyes, looking piercingly at her, with such intensity and heat that Yumi…
... Yumi woke up. She rubbed her eyes, the wisps of the dream clinging to the edges of her mind. Some nostalgic feeling about being a leader among her peers, a familiarity with people she'd never met, but knew that they were her friends, and the only image she could recall was that of a beautiful lady with oh-so-blue eyes. And as the seconds slipped by, only the memory of her blue eyes remained, the rest of her face fading away. Yumi sighed. Once again she was left grasping to remember more of the dream... and yet she never could. Even though she'd been dreaming the same dream for the past three months, waking up with the gaze of the blue-eyed lady seared into her mind. Always her name escaped her, being just on the tip of her tongue.
The following night, Yumi did not dream the same dream. In fact, she did not dream at all.
When she woke up, she found a letter, addressed to her- "Yumi Fukuzawa" written in a flowing script with dark green ink. It was sealed with dark red wax and the a familiar crest. Yumi sat up hurriedly and touched the letter cautiously.
"My invite! Oh, I was so worried that I wouldn't receive one!" It was the invitation letter to the Lillian Women's Academy of Magic.
Grinning, Yumi picked up the letter and left her room. She knew the rest of her family was awake and already waiting for her. They always made it a point to breakfast together on the weekends. Entering the dining room, Yumi greeted her family.
"Someone's finally received her letter!" She waved the envelope at them cheerily.
Her parents looked up from the papers. "Yumi, congratulations! Your brother's received his letter for Hanandera too. Ah, it will be so quiet with the both of you away in boarding school." Her father looked slightly put out.
Yumi bit her lip. "Ah, Father, we'll be home for summer! You won't miss us a bit!"
Her father nodded. His face grew serious. "There's something I have to tell the both of you, Yumi, Yuuki." Her mother poured some milk for her and placed a plate of warm pancakes at her usual seat. Yumi sat down. Mother looked serious- which was pretty unusual. Her mother sat down, the four of them were now sitting in a circle. Her father held her mother's hand in reassurance. Yet the silence in the room remained. Yumi could hear the clock's second hand ticking away. It seemed so loud and it was getting unbearable.
Yuuki broke the silence. "What's wrong? It is expected, isn't it? All magical children who meet the requirements of Lillian and Hanandera will be invited to join the schools. The exams were tough, but you don't have to worry. If Yumi and I passed, then we will do fine in school."
Her mother sighed. "Yuuki, you are correct."
Yumi broke in. "Then, what's wrong? Is it because we're from a small school in the mountains? I know we haven't met many other magical children of the sort that go to Lillian and Hanandera because we aren't from families as prestigious and rich as theirs…" Her voice trailed off. She felt small.
"One's magical ability isn't dependent on the families we come from. You must always remember this." Said her father.
He continued. "I just want the both of you to be careful with who you befriend. When the time comes you will understand why."
She looked at her letter. Ran her fingers down the edge. Felt an answering shiver of a familiar sensation. Something like what she'd felt in her dreams.
Her mother said, "We would prefer you both stay with us in the safety of these mountains – didn't your friend Yuuichi become Old Man Sato's apprentice last week? There are other ways to learn magic. But we can shelter you no longer now that you are sixteen and have received your Lillian and Hanandera invites. This decision is yours to make."
"I want to go." Yumi said. She toyed with the envelope, and finally broke the seal, pulling out the thick piece of parchment in it.
"Follow your heart." Her mother smiled at her. "We'll be fine here up in the mountains."
"I…" Yumi sighed. When she touched the envelope she had, for a brief moment, felt the same familiar feeling of her dreams. "I would like to go. And if Yuuki is with me, it'll be okay. Right?"
Her father leaned forward. "If Yuuki chooses to go. But even if he doesn't, if you choose to go, we'll be fine with it. When I first met your mother she said her time at school was one of the best experiences of her life."
Yuuki swallowed the mouthful of pancake he'd been eating. "Of course I'll go, Yumi. It'll be great."
"Okay then." Yumi ran her fingers down the words in the letter.
"We'll like to welcome you to the Lillian Women's Academy of Magic. If you choose to accept, these are the arrangements to make. Your school supplies…"
Yuuki grinned. "The Hanandera Academy of Magicis only down the road from yours. We won't be too far apart."
"All right then. We'll get your school supplies tomorrow. There's a place in the middle of Shibuya that will have all of it. We've never brought the both of you, but it's about time."
Their father resumed reading the papers. Saturday morning returned to its usual routine of a typical family breakfast.
Yet Yumi felt a growing excitement within her. Her eyes kept returning to the letter next to her.
Blue eyes, her mind helpfully supplied. Yumi felt her face warming up.
Blue eyes. She groaned and tried to think of other things.
Blue eyes.
Oh ho ho ho. Can you guess where this is going? ;) Now, this magical academy is going to be something like Hogwarts. But you know, in Japan, so there's actually no crossover with Harry Potter. Well, more in the next chapter!