An Ordinary Day in the Life of Hikaru and Nova Shidou
A NonMagic Knight Rayearth Story
By: Sheo Darren
Magic Knight Rayearth is copyrighted by CLAMP, bless their homely little hearts save for CHOBITS. The author does not claim ownership on any of the Rayearth characters and ideas.
Chapter One: Ohayou, Ohayou!
The sun rose over the slumbering districts and suburbs of Tokyo, welcome warm sunlight washing over the still sleepy city. It was a chilly morning, not too much of an odd one to have been born in the midst of waning summer months. The cool morning air was a lure for all sleepers to extend their peaceful slumbers by just a little bit more.
In a nondescript apartment, sited in a quiet section of the city, a small drama was about to unfold.
"Ohayou, Hikaru! Wake up, onee-san!"
Hikaru Shidou sleepily stirred beneath the comfortable covers of her bed. "Leave me alone," she muttered, hugging her pillow tight. "I'm still trying to sleep."
"I said, wake up, sleepy-head!" the voice persisted. Hands shook the drowsy Hikaru, trying to rouse her from sleep. "We're going to be late for school if you don't wake up!"
"No."
"Oh, come on, Hikaru!"
"Shoo," muttered Hikaru, half-heartedly fighting off the hands that tried to bring her out of her slumber. She burrowed deeper into the comfortable covers of her bed, trying to go back to the world of dreams she had been frequenting.
The speaker was not to be defeated, having hit upon a brilliant way to wake the sleepy Hikaru. She brought her face down to a level beside Hikaru's visible ear, and whispered, "Lantis is here."
Immediately Hikaru bolted upright, wide-awake faster than one could blink. "What! Where? Where?"
The red-head scanned her bedroom in panic, searching for the tall, gaunt form of the kendo team captain. It took fully five seconds for the realization that she had been had to dawn upon her.
"Gotcha," the voice snickered at her side.
Nova Shidou grinned at the sight of her flustered twin sister all shook up, and still in her pajamas at that. "I can never understand," she commented, "How you manage to sleep through a war but the mere mention of Lantis' name gets you up in no time at all."
Hikaru glared at her. "That was a dirty trick, Nova! Why did you have to mention Lantis?"
"You just don't appreciate all the troubles I put up with to get you up every morning," Nova replied with mock seriousness.
Hikaru and Nova Shidou were identical twins, as alike as identical twins could be. Both were slim, petite and rather tomboyish young girls of fourteen years, packed to the brim with eternal cheerfulness and inexhaustible energy. They went to the same school, loved kendo and the color red and sweet ice cream (especially cherry ice cream), and shared the same dream of becoming guide dog trainers.
The siblings' main difference was that the elder Hikaru tied her crimson red hair into a pigtail, while Nova preferred to let her long candy-pink hair hang unrestrained. Also, Nova wore two red-gold clips on her head; these had been given to her by her favorite teacher (who was, ironically, Hikaru's terror professor) and had a sense of humor that mainly focused on getting the best out of her embarrassed targets, who often turned out to be Hikaru.
The origin of this little drama was that Hikaru had been finding it hard to rouse herself from her sleep during the past few weeks. After the twins had arrived late at school for three days running and had gotten scolded by their mother for their tardiness, Nova had taken the matter in her own hands, declaring that she would be the one to wake Hikaru up early in the morning. Hikaru would have appreciated the effort Nova exerted to fulfill her promise, except that her sister's perverse sense of humor was most irreverent. Nothing was sacred for Nova, not even Hikaru's love life, especially counting the fact that the word 'Lantis' was enough to get undivided attention.
And why not? Lantis, the kendo team captain of Hikaru and Nova's school, was the epitome of a heartthrob without him intentionally stressing any single point of it. His sternly handsome features were the stuff of every fantasy of all the girls in their school, from his somber attractive eyes of ebon marble to his low-key, calm and quiet persona. Hikaru had developed a major crush on him when she first saw him, blossoming to full-fledged adoration and liking over the years. For Hikaru, Lantis would be her first and only true love.
This was why she really hated Nova's light bantering way of treating her love life.
"Oh, knock it off, Nova! You don't have to keep hammering away at that!" Hikaru was becoming rather flustered with the irreverent use of Lantis' name.
"Oh, grow up, big sister." Nova had a way of sounding very much like their mother, a tone she used only to scold her elder twin. "You'd think that every time I mention Lantis' name, you'd get one inch closer to actually marrying the guy."
"Nova! Dame!"
"The name Lantis Shidou doesn't suit him! What can he see in a diminutive sweaty handed tomboy like you?"
"Stop it, I said!"
"And besides," Nova paused dramatically before dropping the ultimate bombshell. "He's much TALLER than you!"
"NOVA!"
Grinning unrepentantly, Nova began to sing an annoying ditty she had composed. "Hikaru and Lantis, sitting on a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Hikaru with a baby carriage!"
"That's it!" Hikaru grabbed the nearest weapon at hand -her pillow- and began clobbering Nova with it. The latter retaliated with another pillow but because Hikaru had the jump on her she was getting the worst of the encounter. Deciding to change her tactics, Nova ducked under a swiping pillow and tackled her sister. For the next minutes, the twins were so intent on wrestling each other that they failed to hear the footsteps approaching their room, or the door opening.
Hikaru had finally pinned the giggling Nova down on the mattress and was crowing her 'victory' when Hikari, the family dog, leapt onto the bed and subsequently on the twins. Although unprepared for the arrival of their pet, Hikaru took it all in stride. "Hey, Hikari!" she greeted, scratching the back of her Japanese Spitz's head. "Here to congratulate me, huh, girl?"
"How did she get in here?" Nova, despite being pinned beneath her sister's weight, was perplexed. "I thought the door was closed.
"Who did let you in here, girl?" the puzzled Hikaru wondered as well.
"I did."
Sheepishly, their nightclothes rumpled and worn, Hikaru's bed in a depressing state of repair, and Hikari wagging her tail madly, the two sisters looked up at the stern woman who had entered their room.
"Uh, hi, oka-san," Hikaru managed.
Izumi Shidou put her arms on her hips and regarded her two daughters. "And just what are the two of you doing, Hikaru and Nova Shidou?" The way she pronounced their full names signaled trouble and a sermon.
"We were just. er, wrestling," Nova lamely offered.
"Wrestling, huh?" Izumi was not amused by her daughter's attempt at humor. "And you suppose that the local TV channel would like to shoot a special episode with the two of you as contestants, is that it?"
The two girls blushed in embarrassment, the remark having hit home.
"Well, then." Their mother crossed her arms and looked at them sternly. "When the two of you are ready to act like mature young women of your age, you'd better have the room fixed and take a bath and get ready for school."
"Yes, Mama."
"Good." Izumi paused before stepping out of the room completely. "And by the way, breakfast is nearly ready. It's your favorite, so better hurry up or you won't have any left on the table."
Hikaru and Nova brightened. "Yes, Mama!"
Izumi let a smile permeate her face. "Hurry along, now." Her footsteps receded from the room.
Sheo's Thoughts: Pardon if the chapter's a bit short; I'm trying to keep things simple and uncluttered. You know a simple fresh perspective? Anyway, Nova and Hikaru here are twin sisters, MKR never happened, and all the characters have been integrated into our real world and given real lives. But this story focuses more on Hikaru and Nova's relationship as sisters. The next Chapter will deal with their friends Umi and Fuu, so wait for it!
Magic Knight Rayearth is copyrighted by CLAMP, bless their homely little hearts save for CHOBITS. The author does not claim ownership on any of the Rayearth characters and ideas.
Chapter One: Ohayou, Ohayou!
The sun rose over the slumbering districts and suburbs of Tokyo, welcome warm sunlight washing over the still sleepy city. It was a chilly morning, not too much of an odd one to have been born in the midst of waning summer months. The cool morning air was a lure for all sleepers to extend their peaceful slumbers by just a little bit more.
In a nondescript apartment, sited in a quiet section of the city, a small drama was about to unfold.
"Ohayou, Hikaru! Wake up, onee-san!"
Hikaru Shidou sleepily stirred beneath the comfortable covers of her bed. "Leave me alone," she muttered, hugging her pillow tight. "I'm still trying to sleep."
"I said, wake up, sleepy-head!" the voice persisted. Hands shook the drowsy Hikaru, trying to rouse her from sleep. "We're going to be late for school if you don't wake up!"
"No."
"Oh, come on, Hikaru!"
"Shoo," muttered Hikaru, half-heartedly fighting off the hands that tried to bring her out of her slumber. She burrowed deeper into the comfortable covers of her bed, trying to go back to the world of dreams she had been frequenting.
The speaker was not to be defeated, having hit upon a brilliant way to wake the sleepy Hikaru. She brought her face down to a level beside Hikaru's visible ear, and whispered, "Lantis is here."
Immediately Hikaru bolted upright, wide-awake faster than one could blink. "What! Where? Where?"
The red-head scanned her bedroom in panic, searching for the tall, gaunt form of the kendo team captain. It took fully five seconds for the realization that she had been had to dawn upon her.
"Gotcha," the voice snickered at her side.
Nova Shidou grinned at the sight of her flustered twin sister all shook up, and still in her pajamas at that. "I can never understand," she commented, "How you manage to sleep through a war but the mere mention of Lantis' name gets you up in no time at all."
Hikaru glared at her. "That was a dirty trick, Nova! Why did you have to mention Lantis?"
"You just don't appreciate all the troubles I put up with to get you up every morning," Nova replied with mock seriousness.
Hikaru and Nova Shidou were identical twins, as alike as identical twins could be. Both were slim, petite and rather tomboyish young girls of fourteen years, packed to the brim with eternal cheerfulness and inexhaustible energy. They went to the same school, loved kendo and the color red and sweet ice cream (especially cherry ice cream), and shared the same dream of becoming guide dog trainers.
The siblings' main difference was that the elder Hikaru tied her crimson red hair into a pigtail, while Nova preferred to let her long candy-pink hair hang unrestrained. Also, Nova wore two red-gold clips on her head; these had been given to her by her favorite teacher (who was, ironically, Hikaru's terror professor) and had a sense of humor that mainly focused on getting the best out of her embarrassed targets, who often turned out to be Hikaru.
The origin of this little drama was that Hikaru had been finding it hard to rouse herself from her sleep during the past few weeks. After the twins had arrived late at school for three days running and had gotten scolded by their mother for their tardiness, Nova had taken the matter in her own hands, declaring that she would be the one to wake Hikaru up early in the morning. Hikaru would have appreciated the effort Nova exerted to fulfill her promise, except that her sister's perverse sense of humor was most irreverent. Nothing was sacred for Nova, not even Hikaru's love life, especially counting the fact that the word 'Lantis' was enough to get undivided attention.
And why not? Lantis, the kendo team captain of Hikaru and Nova's school, was the epitome of a heartthrob without him intentionally stressing any single point of it. His sternly handsome features were the stuff of every fantasy of all the girls in their school, from his somber attractive eyes of ebon marble to his low-key, calm and quiet persona. Hikaru had developed a major crush on him when she first saw him, blossoming to full-fledged adoration and liking over the years. For Hikaru, Lantis would be her first and only true love.
This was why she really hated Nova's light bantering way of treating her love life.
"Oh, knock it off, Nova! You don't have to keep hammering away at that!" Hikaru was becoming rather flustered with the irreverent use of Lantis' name.
"Oh, grow up, big sister." Nova had a way of sounding very much like their mother, a tone she used only to scold her elder twin. "You'd think that every time I mention Lantis' name, you'd get one inch closer to actually marrying the guy."
"Nova! Dame!"
"The name Lantis Shidou doesn't suit him! What can he see in a diminutive sweaty handed tomboy like you?"
"Stop it, I said!"
"And besides," Nova paused dramatically before dropping the ultimate bombshell. "He's much TALLER than you!"
"NOVA!"
Grinning unrepentantly, Nova began to sing an annoying ditty she had composed. "Hikaru and Lantis, sitting on a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Hikaru with a baby carriage!"
"That's it!" Hikaru grabbed the nearest weapon at hand -her pillow- and began clobbering Nova with it. The latter retaliated with another pillow but because Hikaru had the jump on her she was getting the worst of the encounter. Deciding to change her tactics, Nova ducked under a swiping pillow and tackled her sister. For the next minutes, the twins were so intent on wrestling each other that they failed to hear the footsteps approaching their room, or the door opening.
Hikaru had finally pinned the giggling Nova down on the mattress and was crowing her 'victory' when Hikari, the family dog, leapt onto the bed and subsequently on the twins. Although unprepared for the arrival of their pet, Hikaru took it all in stride. "Hey, Hikari!" she greeted, scratching the back of her Japanese Spitz's head. "Here to congratulate me, huh, girl?"
"How did she get in here?" Nova, despite being pinned beneath her sister's weight, was perplexed. "I thought the door was closed.
"Who did let you in here, girl?" the puzzled Hikaru wondered as well.
"I did."
Sheepishly, their nightclothes rumpled and worn, Hikaru's bed in a depressing state of repair, and Hikari wagging her tail madly, the two sisters looked up at the stern woman who had entered their room.
"Uh, hi, oka-san," Hikaru managed.
Izumi Shidou put her arms on her hips and regarded her two daughters. "And just what are the two of you doing, Hikaru and Nova Shidou?" The way she pronounced their full names signaled trouble and a sermon.
"We were just. er, wrestling," Nova lamely offered.
"Wrestling, huh?" Izumi was not amused by her daughter's attempt at humor. "And you suppose that the local TV channel would like to shoot a special episode with the two of you as contestants, is that it?"
The two girls blushed in embarrassment, the remark having hit home.
"Well, then." Their mother crossed her arms and looked at them sternly. "When the two of you are ready to act like mature young women of your age, you'd better have the room fixed and take a bath and get ready for school."
"Yes, Mama."
"Good." Izumi paused before stepping out of the room completely. "And by the way, breakfast is nearly ready. It's your favorite, so better hurry up or you won't have any left on the table."
Hikaru and Nova brightened. "Yes, Mama!"
Izumi let a smile permeate her face. "Hurry along, now." Her footsteps receded from the room.
Sheo's Thoughts: Pardon if the chapter's a bit short; I'm trying to keep things simple and uncluttered. You know a simple fresh perspective? Anyway, Nova and Hikaru here are twin sisters, MKR never happened, and all the characters have been integrated into our real world and given real lives. But this story focuses more on Hikaru and Nova's relationship as sisters. The next Chapter will deal with their friends Umi and Fuu, so wait for it!