My friends affiliate me with strangeness, some even called me an oddball. Few jokes from my colleagues reached my ears, 'An interrogator covert.' I merely raised one of my eyebrow on that remark.

To 'The Triad Philosophy' reviewers, I present you this. You know who you are.

No owning Marimite, that's the rules.

Best viewed in 3/4 or 1/2 width; and yeah, I'm so in need of beta for this.

Reviews makes my day.

-constructively, that is.

Narita International Airport was bustling with crowds, even when blazing fluorocent written '4 a.m' hanging around the corner. None of duty free shops seemed to open among these busy men and women, save for a few cafe and 24 hours food kiosk. Shiro for the obvious reason suddenly aware for the lack of choices in his thinking list. You see, Shiro here had been waiting for god know how long in this blasted waiting lounge. Again, the obvious choice of word pointed the obvious voice of reason. Let's picked the word 'waiting' here.

In adjective, in an expression of words that meant to attribute something, he was meant to be and remained available to use. Shiro other half sniggered as his pocketed palm revealed itself into the whole world a silver metal zippo. Not exactly dispensable, knowing when and where and how the lighter chose its owner. Nah…his zippo had more history to that.

Now, where was he - before rambling about some unexplainable flame source… Oh, the waiting.

For some and other reasons, his eyes roamed over his surrounding. Benches, bins, signs, people, more benches…the smell of bread and coffee… Was it why his mind seemed so deprived from his neuron cells? Shiro shook his head as he grabbed his leather coat from the seat next to him and lifted his suitcase into somewhat magically opened starbucks like shop in this early morning.

He needed the caffeine, badly.

"And I think you'll need this, nee-san," a familiar smell, sound, interrupted her from behind as her line of vision directed her toward a cardboard cup. A cup of-

…the greatest creation of humanity…

-steaming espresso. Mild black with one teaspoon of fresh cream, just as she liked it.

"Thanks, Yuki," Yumi took it with delight. Her eyes still trained to the blank screen in front of her, with her left forefinger unconsciously tapping an empty space beside her Q-Tech notebook. Her mind was obviously elsewhere though-

"Already preparing for the next volume?" Pique Yuki who sat right in front of her.

-despite her keyboard finger dancing performance for the past fifteen minutes. She sipped the rest black liquid slowly, savoring the taste. The immediate effect rushed as her focus became sharper and she was able to think clearer. Already she could hear Kenneth scolding from the back of her mind regarding her addictive habit.

Yumi nodded.

"And you're going to use that for your book?"

She needed ten seconds longer to mull the answer, "Yes. No. Perhaps," she shrugged, "I'm just bored."

Yuki hummed.

"It could, actually," he pique again.

"It could," Yumi remarked nonchalantly, "A…possibility."

"Prospect," came Yuki immediate response.

"Supposition," Yumi complemented. Yuki seemed to be in thesaurus mode, she dully noted.

"Outlook."

"Express?" Yuki laughed at this. "Surmisal," and she added.

Yuki halted as he tilted his head to the side as if searching for something popped in the mid air. He slowly said, "...conjecture?"

She grinned and sipped her cup dry.

Yuki stared at an empty cup warily before speaking his mind, "Je vous ressers?"

Yumi fingered the rim of cardboard cup and gave Yuki a half smile, "Actually, no."

"Vraiment?"

She sighed and threw it into the nearby bin, "Non ma petite."

"If you say so," Yuki shrugged and laid his neck on the back rest, watching the remaining passerby, "Yumi…"

"What is it, Yuki?" She was back into her notebook, pausing and typing in different interval.

Yuki watched as the light seeped behind the cloud and red like freckles appeared in the horizon from the corner of his eyes, "…No, never mind."

Yumi shifted a gaze to her twin and paused for a moment before she typed again. They both went silent. The only sound surrounded them was soft clicks. Crowds from before had reduced into a few people.

The arrival gate before them was almost empty, save for few people sitting several feet away. There would be no arrival for several hours unless for different flights several gates away from them.

Yumi paused in her typing and reached her cell. She looked at the ridiculously large beetle shape phone in hesitation and before she could say 'Yuki', Beethoven Violin Sonata No. 1 in D major, 3rd movement tune resounded in the air. She waited and took a look at the sender number and when it didn't identify anyone from her private contact, she pressed a green button and lifted the speaker up to her ear.

"Fukuzawa here," Yumi watched as Yuki grunted in his light slumber.

000

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Mockingbird Labyrinth

Chapter 1 - Bologna Sandwich

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000

A blond with shoulder past length hair sat on the window sill. Her eyes was a bit unfocused as she stared pass the window, almost in a trance state like. If she didn't know better she could have become a statue herself. A soft sigh escaped from her lips, forming a tiny fog on the glass pane as she leaned the side of her head to the window. She was restless.

"You look like a drown cat."

Satou Sei tilted her head to the side. In front of just opening door to the Yamayurikai main common room was a brunette with shoulder length hair, in her hand was something Sei didn't expect to see.

"Goronta."

Hearing familiar voice, the black cat leaped from brunette hand and walked toward Sei in a slow walk. Goronta made it to Sei's leg and enclosed his tails playfully. He blinked when he no longer felt ground on his feet. Sei had lifted him into a mid-air.

"Youko is being meannnnn! But we do have a lot in common. Neh, Goronta?" Sei's cheshire grin stretched from ear to ear while Goronta blinked for the umpteenth times, emitting a soft purr as Sei scratched between his ear.

Without further ado, Mizuno Youko joined the petting festive and Goronta could feel a gentle stroke on his head.

They shared a simple silence. No one bother to start anyway, not until Goronta slipped away and their fingers intertwined. Sei wasn't as surprised as she supposed to be and she stared at Youko hand instead. She gently flipped Youko palm to the other side and looked at it, as if examining for something.

Meanwhile, Youko paid her attention into others, Sei's face for one. She noticed Sei's knitted eyebrows, of how muscle around her lips were tightened, and how seemingly the grin was away. She noticed Sei's simple silence, of the blankness in the blond gaze, because it made Sei looked like an empty oyster.

She didn't like it. I wasn't just right and she felt suffocating already.

"Where were you?"

Sei stared at the lines in Youko's palm a minute longer before slowly met the other's eyes and smiled a small smile. "I'm here," she said, almost too smooth.

Youko didn't wear her usual smirk. She gave her a crooked smile.

"You weren't," She pointed at where Sei's heart is with her free hand, "And I don't know if you are."

Sei smiled more genuine this time. They both know Youko didn't only mean her absence in her morning class. She somehow made it sitting in the window sill for hours. She suddenly felt like being in her second year all over again.

"Say, Youko," said Sei as her eyebrow raised a few notch.

"Yes, Sei?"

"You're plotting again, aren't you?" Sei threw her a curious glance.

"Me? And what's that suppose to mean?" Youko cast an incredulous look.

Sei felt like rolling her eyes, but for some reason she didn't and she gave her own grin instead, only wider. She didn't squat for long though, as she stood up with as much elegance she could muster.

Youko watched as Sei poured tap water into electric kettle and took out two brown mugs.

000

"I've got migraine," was Yumi response as four eyes peered curiously from mirror reflection in second storey bathroom.

Four eyes didn't actually saying anything since they met side by side in front of bathroom mirror, but Yumi could feel the curious stare directed to her almost instantly. They didn't talk at all.

At least her answer was partially true.

In her grasp was a small translucent bottle of gray liquid pills and just in less than ten seconds ago she swallowed a couple of them. She grimaced at the residual aftertaste and washed her throat with tap water.

"Is that tylenol?' Four eyes asked her, still peering curiously.

"Umm, yes. Sort of," Yumi said after drying her lips with nearby paper towel roll, and dumped them unceremoniously in garbage can.

Yumi lack of assurance made four eyes more curious than before, as Yumi saw her tilting head from mirror reflection which she smiled back at. She inwardly cursed in seven different languages, having to encounter some troublesome explanation to a total sranger.

"Are you not feeling well?" Four eyes actually looked concerned, big surprise.

"I'm quite alright," Yumi shook her head and chuckled as she pointed her temple, "Just a small disturbance in the head." She meant it to be a sarcastic humor, but four eyes did not seem to understand so she added slightly, "I had too much coffee this morning."

Four eyes tipped her head to the side once again, seemed to be interested, "You're caffeine addict?"

"Almost quite actually," Yumi stiffled a laugh at four eyes bluntness. Had it to be Suguru, she would retort back. But in front of her was a total stranger with curiousity and concern plainly hidden in the face. Besides, there was something about four eyes she could not quite catch. It could be the way her eyes looked stilled as if guarding a hidden message. Or simply because she looked oddly fit with camera strap hanging around her neck.

Yumi was about to exit when four eyes called her name.

"Yumi-san," So she looked back, "Would you like to have lunch together?" But more than that, she was intrigued that someone knew her name. In her first day no less.

A normal freshman response would be, 'Sure. Why not?' But again..., she was not exactly normal.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I had a grand scale breakfast this morning," Yumi patted her stomach, "Still metabolizing all the calories intact, you see." It was a polite, but refusal was a refusal nonetheless.

"Alright. Have a good day," Four eyes gave a casual smile. "The infirmary is in the first floor, just across from counselor office," she added in a light tone.

"You too, Takeshima-san." Yumi waved and stepped into the school hallway, leaving Lillian Kawaraban photographer in ladies toilet, alone.

000

Professor Fukuzawa Yumi. I graduated from Hemmington Ernst Institue in my early thirteen. Personal information is classified. I don't have a normal life so if you're normal, get out of my way. If anyone here is a papermaster, Mithril coworkers, i-jin researcher, British library agent or an ability holder, come and find me. That is all.

In essence, her bad mood almost drove her saying that. So she pushed it deep with a shovel of consciousness into her holy mind of doom. A new reminder: reading scientific light novel to chill her temper is bad for health, look for tranquilizer next time. Putting it differently, she didn't bring any liquor that day so she picked the first thing she saw from a newsagent stand in the way.

In a meditative state she learned to reach years ago, she spoke with natural tranquility, "My name is Fukuzawa Yumi. I graduated from Eitoku Middle School in Hokkaido," in my early ten, "three months ago. Due to technical related matter, I was delayed and accepted three days ago," insert personal joke, "And just like a common freshman, my age," is seventeen, "is ranging between fourteen to fifteen and a half."

No response.

So to speak, she managed it in five sentences in front of thirty nine female students plus one female teacher. Small class…not to mention shy and polite.

"Is that all you have to say?" The teacher questioned.

"Yes, Ma'am," There's no name tag on her blouse.

"Does anyone have any question for Fukuzawa-san?"

Take back the compliment.

One of the girls rose her hand, "Hai, sensei!"

"Why yes, Emi-kun. You may proceed."

"Where do you come from?" A spiky haired brunette, glasses, wait…was it tattoo on her collarbone?

"I'm a nomadic in a term, traveled to many places." Next.

"Traveler? Mind to share with us of places you've traveled?" A pig tailed, brown silky almost red hair, and she thought bleach weren't allowed in Japanese school. Should have known nuns had sense of humour…

"London, Serbia, Paris, Persia, Russia, South Africa, Iran, basically around Middle East and Europe, few in Asia," couldn't hurt if just a bit. Then again dropping jaws wasn't a concern. Next.

"Ended up in Japan?" Ebony thin, short hair. Eyes wide in curiosity.

"Traveler," cut the butterfly effect. Next.

"What are your hobbies?" Loose purple hair. Black…innocent eyes.

Firearms, ancient runes, ruins, books… "Book."

"What books?" And one thing led to another.

"…"

"Fukuzawa-san?"

She merely stared at her.

"Just mention one of them then. One that you like for example," Sensei smiled, not before she covered that nervous laugh. Nice teeth…

Students followed her gaze as she stared into the horizon, and she muttered in low whisper, " 'die 'unsterbliche Liebe...' "

"French?" Brownish blue eyes, tranquilized by her stare.

She didn't have to answer to that quite apparently.

"Immortal Beloved," gray to almost silvery eyes, brown curly past shoulder length hair, rosy lips.

"How about music?" Intercepted curvy green hair.

"Vltava The Moldau."

"Lava?"

"Bedrich Smetana," brunette, warm brown eyes, long single braided hair almost grinning; a dreamy expression on her face.

Thus, the clapping sound.

"Just one more question before we started the lesson."

One hand rose from the back, Ms. Braided hair, "Yomi-sensei."

And so her nod, "Shimazu-san."

"We've asked you many question. So, anything you wanted to ask from us. Questions…or…request?" And grinning…

Where was sake when you need them? She merely raised her one eyebrow.

"Call me Yumi."