cheers- Hooray! An alternate universe fiction! I've never successfully finished one of these, but I did! I do not own rights RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE TSUBASA, any CLAMP works or stuff like that. Heck, the only CLAMP works I have read is some Chobits, TSUBASA and this watercolor thing. Curses for not owning such glorious works. Curses…
Charred Memories
Toya Clow looked around the empty restaurant and sighed. It would be the re-opening of the Modoki Restaurant since the fire that burned it to the ground. Toya part-owned the Modoki Restaurant and in turn, found it his duty to be the host for the place. He stood at the podium by the door, his black suit and hair both cleanly cut and impeccable to match the elegance of the establishment.
"Toya-san, would you like me to set the extra tables in the back?"
Toya looked behind him to see one of the waiters, Fai D. Flowright, smiling brightly in his waiter's garb and with silverware in his hand.
"If you wish Fai-kun. We should be expecting a full house tonight," Toya said as he nodded. The blonde man then happily walked off to the very back of the place and started to set the silverware down on the tables next to the kitchen doors. He was wondering why Fai would still address him as "Sir", even though they had both known each other for years.
Then, a man with black hair, just slightly taller than Toya walked in through the front door, soaked from the rain outside. It was Kurogane Ginryu, the other waiter. He took off his coat, revealing that he was already dressed in his uniform of black pants and vest, white shirt and red bowtie, which was conveniently loose unlike Fai's.
"Where have you been?" Toya asked as Kurogane hung up his coat. "You were supposed to be here an hour ago! Fai, Yukito and I have been here all this time and you just now show up?"
"Had to wait for another train," Kurogane growled. "Twice." He mumbled some more and went through the kitchen doors to go help Yukito, the chef and other part-owner, prepare food. It was exactly a year ago when the restaurant had first opened. A year ago on that very day. Toya stared off into the distance, gazing upon a place only he could see.
"Is anything wrong Toya-san?" Fai asked.
"Oh, no," Toya said, coming back quickly. Fai was looking at him with concern.
"Is it about… you know…?"
"Yeah," Toya said. "It is."
-One year earlier-
Toya heard his alarm clock go off, buzzing shrilly. He fumbled to turn on the snooze alarm, but he couldn't find it. He fumbled through the things on his nightstand blindly, trying not to remove the blanket from his face.
"Oniisan! Big brother! Wake up!" a soft voice called out. Toya peeked out from beneath the covers to see his seventeen year old younger sister, Sakura. She was already dressed in some jeans and a pink t-shirt and had laid Toya's clothes out for him too.
"Sakura," he moaned, stretching deeply. "Do you know what time it is?"
"Yes I do," she sighed, opening up the curtain and letting the blinding sunlight pour in. "One in the afternoon. We have to be at the restaurant in a half hour in order to get it ready for six." She walked out the door to Toya's messy bedroom and went to wait for him by the front door.
"Damn sun," Toya growled as he dressed into his blue jeans and white t-shirt. "Things would be a lot better if that scare-ball wasn't hanging in the sky like that." He went and brushed his hair, got his suit and he and Sakura walked to what was going to be the Modoki Restaurant on the other side of the city.
"Toya! Sakura-chan! Thank kami you two have arrived!" yelped Toya's best friend Yukito as they walked in. Yukito was not as tall as Toya, had messy brown hair and eyeglasses. His front was covered in food and he seemed in a panic.
"What is it Yukito?" Toya asked.
"I need you to help me decide on the menu for tonight! Come!" He dragged Toya into the kitchen to taste-test all the different foods he had prepared.
Sakura laughed as she hung up her jacket. She knew that ever since Yukito and Toya were small, they had dreamed of operating their own restaurant. Now they had their dream.
"Excuse me," said a voice. Sakura turned around to see a boy about her age. He had brown hair and a kind expression on his face.
"I am sorry, we do not open for hours," Sakura said.
"I know. I came to answer your advertisement." He held the job listings in the newspaper in front of her. "You need a busboy, right?"
"Oh, yes!" Sakura grabbed onto the boy's hand and dragged him into the kitchen. Toya had put an advertisement in the paper to get someone who would be a busboy.
Before Sakura could say or do anything, she and the boy were hit in the face with some chow mien noodles. The whole kitchen was in complete disarray. Apparently, both Fai and Kurogane were in there and had started a food fight which had left Yukito in absolute tears.
"Come on and hit me Kuro-rin!" Fai giggled as he gracefully dodged a strawberry torte.
"Stop calling me those stupid names!" Kurogane yelled. He became very red in the face and threw the makings for okonomiyaki towards Fai, but missed and ended up hitting Toya.
"Out of the kitchen!" Toya screamed. Fai happily went out of the kitchen and Kurogane grumped off after him.
"Toya," Sakura said softly.
"What?" Toya spat. He saw Sakura standing next to the boy, both covered in noodles and looking a tad bit frightened.
"Umm… I came for the job…?" The boy held up the now soggy newspaper and laughed nervously.
"Ah, I see. Well, clean off and get ready to help us prepare for tonight," Toya said, examining the newspaper. "Wait, what is your name?"
"Syaoran."
"Welcome to the Modoki Restaurant family Syaoran-kun," Toya sighed. He then walked out of the kitchen to go yell at his waiting staff.
"My work… ruined…" Yukito cried, observing the food based carnage.
"There, there Yukito-san," Sakura said, patting him on the back. "It is alright." She noticed some sauce on the white wall, took some and tasted it. "It was still really good."
"I guess I have to make everything all over again," Yukito sighed, tears still welled up in his eyes. Sakura smiled and started to pick the chow mien noodles off of her.
"So," Syaoran said, picking the noodles from his own person. "Was that Clow-san, the owner?"
"Part-owner and my brother," Sakura said. She laughed as Syaoran tried to look at himself in the reflection of a pan to see if all the noodles were gone. "Here, let me get them." She went and picked a noodle from the back of his head.
"Thanks," he blushed. "Oh, you have some too." Syaoran laughed slightly as he got a noodle from Sakura's shoulder. "What is your name?"
"I am Sakura."
"Glad to meet you Sakura-chan."
"As am I to meet you Syaoran-kun."
Time went on, days and weeks passed and after a few months everything was going fine. Modoki Restaurant became very popular and the Modoki Restaurant had a full house almost every night. Word spread all over Japan about the elegant food, wonderful service and delicate atmosphere. Very important persons started coming to the restaurant. The Modoki Restaurant was soon the talk of the Land of the Rising Sun.
Little known though, was something that was happening between the staff. Yukito and Toya were still squabbling over the menu every night and Fai eventually learned the most opportune times to give his pet names to Kurogane, who learned how to control his temper better, yet even they did not know that something was going on between Sakura and Syaoran. Sakura made Syaoran promise to never tell her brother they were dating, for he was too protective and she would never get a boyfriend if he knew of it. Most of the time though, they were out in the morning, when Toya was still asleep. Their jobs also favored them, being the busboy and dessert girl did not need to be back at the restaurant with the others so early. Toya never knew any better until her noticed that they were walking in together a lot.
Then, one night before closing up, Toya pulled Syaoran aside.
"We need to talk," he said.
"What is it? Did someone complain about me? Tell me what it was I did wrong and I won't do it again." Syaoran was thinking Toya was going to yell at him for when he dropped some dishes earlier that evening in the main room.
"Stay away from my sister," Toya said.
"What…?"
"I've noticed the two of you are walking into work together every day. You give each other looks, the things you say. Stay away from my little sister, you hear?"
Syaoran looked at Toya with a mixture of resentment and fear.
"Can I go home for the night?" he said finally, looking down at the ground.
"Yes. Go," Toya sneered. Syaoran put his busboy's apron on its hook in the kitchen and went out the front door.
"Oniisan," Sakura asked Toya. "Why did Syaoran-kun leave? He doesn't have to go home yet."
"I told him to. I also told him to stay away from you. If you know what's good for you, stay away from him too."
"Toya!"
"Stay away from that… brat!"
"Syaoran-kun is not a brat!"
"Yes he his!"
"Prove it!"
"I… uh…"
"I love him Toya!" Sakura yelled. She turned quickly on her heel and went off into the girl's bathroom, leaving Toya positively speechless.
"Feminine troubles?"
Toya looked behind him to see Yukito, Kurogane and Fai, who had just spoken. All three had seen the whole thing.
"This is none of your business."
"Yes it is," Yukito said.
"Toya, we have all known each other since high school," Kurogane said. "Anything that is your business is our business, especially if it involves our work environment."
"Kuro-tan is right," Fai said. "I think we should leave it to you though, considering it is your imouto."
"Yes, my younger sister," Toya sighed. With that, the other three left, Yukito trying to prevent Kurogane from beating up Fai.
Frustrated beyond all reason, Toya went over to the girl's bathroom door and knocked lightly on it.
"Go away!" Sakura yelled, her words chocked with tears.
"Sakura…"
"I SAID GO AWAY!"
Toya sighed and leaned up against the wall.
Why does she have to be so difficult? he thought.
Suddenly, Toya heard the sound of glass breaking out in the main room. He stopped for a moment and listened. He could hear something else too…
Fire
Running out into the main room, Toya could see that a gang of punks had thrown some rocks through the front window. Attached to the rocks were some flaming cloth. It caught fire to the decorations, especially the paper lanterns which quickly spread the flames throughout the place. With the sprinkler system jammed up like it was, the whole restaurant would go up in smoke within minutes.
"SAKURA!" Toya yelled, rushing back towards the bathroom door. He was cut off though, for a beam fell in front of him, blocking off the small hallway.
Shit! I have to save her! Toya thought. He went to go and charge through when someone grabbed his arm. He turned to see it was a firefighter. The firefighter dragged him out into the street where the whole neighborhood was gathered along with the fire department. The whole building was in absolute flames.
"No! My sister is still in there!" Toya screamed.
"Someone is still in that mess!" the firefighter asked, a slight bit surprised. He was about to go back in when a blur streaked past him and into the inferno.
"Toya!"
Toya looked around to see Yukito, Kurogane and Fai, all trying to fight through the crowd.
"Guys! Thank kami you are all alright!"
"Get Syaoran-kun!" Yukito yelled.
"What?"
"He ran into the building! Sakura-chan is still there, right?"
Toya's eyes went wide. He turned around to see the doorway collapse, blocking the firefighters from entering.
No…
"Toya-san…? Hello?"
Toya shook his head and saw he was back in the Modoki Restaurant. Fai was standing next to him, looking very worried.
"Oh, sorry. I went back again."
"Going back will never change anything. We have rebuilt the best we can and all any of us have to do from here on out is to go forward," Kurogane said. Toya looked over towards the kitchen doors to see him and Yukito standing there.
"I know we can rebuild the restaurant, but never my sister," Toya said morosely.
"How was it that they found her again?" Kurogane asked.
"Kuro-pipi! Don't say that!" Fai scolded. Kurogane went red in the face and glared at Fai.
"She was still in the bathroom," Toya said. "Syaoran-san in her arms. Both died of smoke inhalation before the flames nearly consumed them." Tears started to well up in his eyes.
"Its hard, I know," Yukito sighed, patting Toya on the back. "We all loved her, Syaoran-san and you most of all."
"I guess…" Toya sniffled. "I guess all we can do is do what Kurogane-kun said and move forward." He wiped the tears from his face and went with Yukito to the kitchen to decide the night's menu. It was going to be a long re-opening night.
wakes up- Oh, it's over already? Alright. Yes, there it was. I seem to have this obsessive-compulsive thing about constantly working on multiple projects for and that is what this sprang forth from. I can't update a one shot so, please review. I accept praise, flame -chuckles- and everything in between. -bows- Domo Arigato.