Chapter Two
The next day, the sky was blanketed with thick clouds. Kamui didn't mind, as it suited his mood perfectly. His neighbor's dog had kept him up all night, and the dog looked a bit too wolf-like for his comfort. How the middle school girl who owned it took care of the beast was a mystery to him. He certainly didn't dare to try and shut it up. Also, he had to stay up late anyway to grade the essays on the first act of Romeo and Juliet, most of them turning out to be redundant pieces of rubbish. It was his first year teaching, and he wasn't sure if it was his teaching or the result of the modern students' mind that made them so bad.
He also knew that he would have to put up with more of that idiot Fuuma's sexual harassment again. If he knew what was good for him, the nurse should stay far away from him. Though Kamui had to smile a bit at the man's persistence of his delusional joke.
He had just opened the door to his classroom as his cell phone rang. He flicked it open absently.
"Hello?" His face melted into a smile as a familiar voice answered. "Hi Subaru! How are you?...Great, thanks…Something to tell me? Okay, how about lunch on Saturday, at the usual restaurant?...Alright, see you then. Love you…Bye." As he hung up the phone, a voice came from the open doorway.
"That was probably the softest look I've seen from you. Tell me, do I have a rival?" Kamui looked up to see Fuuma leaning against the doorframe, perpetual grin in place. He snorted.
"If you did have a so-called rival, I don't see what business it would be of yours." He had looked back down at the papers on his desk, and so missed the flash of jealousy, then surprise, travel through the tall man's eyes.
"So is it a significant other?" Kamui sighed.
"For your information, it was my twin brother." Fuuma's smile was back full force.
"I see. Obviously you two have a good relationship, which is more than I can say."
"You have a brother?"
"Yes, an…interesting person to say the least." On hearing this from Fuuma, of all people, Kamui made a mental vow to never meet that man's brother. The first of Kamui's students entered the room, interrupting with eager questions about her essay. As hers was actually one of the good ones, Kamui smiled and gave her the paper, a 92% on top. Fuuma realized that Kamui really seemed to love his job, purple eyes softening from their usual cold expression, watching as he greeted the students.
When there was a break between the students, Fuuma said, just loud enough for the teacher to hear, "Have a good day, Kamui." Kamui looked up, small frown on his face as he detected something…different in the nurse's voice. But he looked the same, grinning amicably.
"Okay…" he replied, giving him an odd look. "You too, I guess." Fuuma turned to go.
"I love you," he tossed over his shoulder.
"No you don't," came the absent reply. Fuuma continued on his way back to his often empty station at the medical office. He opened the door, and found that it was not as empty as he expected
"Why, hello, Fuuma," came a pleasant voice.
"Ah, Seishirou. Isn't this a surprise." The man frowned mockingly.
"What a way to greet your own brother." They both gave the same rather disturbing smile.
"So what do I owe the pleasure, brother dear, for you to visit me at work?"
"Oh, no special reason, just socializing and such that will make me appear that much more civil." Fuuma raised an eyebrow.
"My, my. Such effort. Tell me, have you finally lost the bet?" Seishirou only smiled.
"Ah, forgive me for noticing, but as you walked in, it appeared as if you found yourself the butt of someone's joke." Fuuma smiled.
"Indeed I am. And the joke was my own." He would say no more on the subject.
(...)
At midmorning, the threatening clouds finally broke, forcing those who usually ate lunch outside to scramble for tables in the crowded cafeteria. Luckily for the group, Fai had an uncanny ability to find what he wanted, and a table was procured for them. It also helped that he was very fast.
"So," he asked once they were all seated. "How did your first day at work go, Watanuki?" The boy paled.
"That woman is a slave driver!" he wailed. "She is the most insane person I have ever met!" Everyone present looked at Fai, then back at Watanuki. "Yes, even crazier than Fai."
"If that's not enough to scare the crap out of anyone," Kurogane grumbled.
"Crazy how?" Sakura asked.
"Ugh," he groaned. "She keeps going on about the inevitable and destiny, drinks like a fish, has a plush…thing…called a Mokona, sells the strangest things to stranger people-" He would have gone on if Doumeki hadn't chosen that moment to shove a piece of food into his mouth, effectively cutting off that particular rant, though it led to another one immediately after. Doumeki merely plugged an ear and ignored him.
When he finally paused to take a breath, Doumeki said, "So it turns out that my grandfather knows Yuuko," he said. "They used to be drinking buddies a while back, it seems." Watanuki looked disturbed.
"Just how old is she? No, never mind, I do not want to know." Tomoyo giggled.
"We might have to visit you at work sometime, then," she said. Watanuki frantically shook his head.
"Believe me, you do not want to do that. She will trap you in her clutches!"
"Her clutches…? Brother, you are losing it," Syaoran said, laughing.
"Oh, that happened long ago," Watanuki said dismissively. "And are you taking thirds, you great oaf!" Doumeki shrugged and continued eating.
"Speaking of big eaters, does Yukito still come over often?" Tomoyo asked Sakura. She nodded.
"Yeah, he and Touya are actually having one of their study marathons this afternoon, if you want to come over and say hi." Touya was Sakura's (very overprotective) big brother, a second year in college. Yukito was his best friend since high school, though Sakura would swear up and down that they were more than friends. No one could really contradict her once they saw how gentle the usually prickly Touya got around his "friend".
"I'd love to come over," Tomoyo said, then glanced at Syaoran out of the corner of her eye. "I'm sure Syaoran would like to come as well, since we could join them and study for our math test while we're there, don't you think?" Syaoran blushed brightly as Sakura beamed.
"That's a great idea! But, does he have kendo practice after school?" Syaoran looked beseechingly at Kurogane.
"Tch. I've got things to study for, so not today, kid," he said, not looking to see the gratefulness in the kid's eyes. He had it bad for the girl, that much was obvious to anyone with eyes, and he wasn't that cruel.
"Aw, Kuro-softy's such a pushover," Fai crooned in his ear. He took a swing at the blonde, knowing that he would just avoid it. He had been right in his assumption: the idiot had that fake smile plastered on bigger than ever. Fai was smart, one of the smartest people Kurogane knew, but if he was stupid enough to think that smile fooled everyone, he was very much mistaken. And it was only a matter of time before the lie he wore would shatter into a thousand pieces.
(...)
After school, Watanuki waited impatiently for Doumeki to catch up. The rain had stopped sometime in the afternoon, but clouds still lay low in the sky. The often silent teen had noticed his loud companion's preoccupation with the clock, and knew that he wanted to see if that girl was going to be at the same place today as well. Sure enough, as they approached the elementary school, Watanuki started to turn his head, obviously looking for someone. His eyes lit up.
"Kohane!" The girl turned, smiling shyly as she saw them. "I wanted to properly apologize for yesterday," Watanuki continued once she was near them.
"That's fine," she replied quietly. "You don't have to."
"Just because I don't have to doesn't mean I don't want to. You seem like a nice girl, and I'd hate to have caused you any trouble." He dug around in his pack for a moment before pulling something out. "I started to work in an antique shop yesterday, and my boss gave me this. She said she couldn't sell it, but I could give it to a friend who I though could properly appreciate it, and I thought of you." He pulled out a small glass butterfly, colored black and red. Kohane gasped in delight, but immediately bit her lip.
"I couldn't take that. Really I couldn't." Watanuki grinned.
"Of course you can. It doesn't suit any of my other friends, and you know you love it." Still she hesitated.
"Wouldn't your mother like it?" The smile on Watanuki's face fell and Doumeki took a step closer as if he could offer some kind of support.
"My parents are dead," he said quietly, "and I've no memory of them, or most of my past." Kohane gasped, immediately contrite.
"I'm sorry," she said. Watanuki smiled, if a bit less brightly than before.
"It's no trouble. You couldn't have known. Anyway, I insist that you have it, with the only requirement being that we be friends. Would that suit?" Kohane nodded, more eagerly than before. The clouds chose that moment to begin to spill down water onto all those outside. Noticing a lack of an umbrella in the girl's hand, Watanuki immediately offered his own for her to borrow.
"I insist," he said. "This way, we are sure to meet again when you have to return it to me."
"But what about you?" she asked.
"I'm more resilient than you, and my work is only a street or so over." She accepted the umbrella along with his answer as the rain started to come down harder.
"Thank you," she said, before she started towards the parking lot where her mother would soon be to pick her up.
"Idiot," Doumeki grumbled, holding his umbrella over them both.
"Not an idiot," he answered, though without his usual heat. Due to the lack of umbrellas and the general downpour, Doumeki accompanied Watanuki to the antique shop, so that the other wouldn't get sick, and to satisfy the curiosity he felt to see just how odd this shopkeeper was.
The shop was in an older style of architecture, and the word "Hitsuzen" was on a sign hanging from the eaves, decorated with a moon and a butterfly. They walked into the shop.
"Welcome!" Two girls walked in, both carrying boxes. Doumeki raised an eyebrow in silent question.
"Her adopted nieces…?" came the rather vague reply.
"Please, invite your friend in," came a different voice. Watanuki frowned, but beckoned Doumeki further into the shop. A tall woman appeared from the back, dressed in a rather outlandish outfit that she still managed to pull off, however low cut it was. Long black hair framed a pale face sporting a secretive smile. It was as if she knew something that no one else did. Doumeki was somehow certain that she and Tomoyo would get along famously.
"You must be Doumeki," she said. He glanced at Watanuki, whose expression was perplexed. "No, he did not tell me, you just bear remarkable resemblance to your grandfather. Please tell him to stop by soon." Doumeki nodded, taking her commanding and knowing attitude in stride.
"Oh, but this is perfect!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together gleefully. Watanuki immediately went on guard, knowing already never to expect anything good whenever his boss was that cheerful. She was looking at Doumeki, a rather evil glint in her eye.
"Your friend is just the person who can help you run a particular errand I need done…"
…and Doumeki suddenly knew that he was going to be "helping" quite often, if that grin was anything to go by.
A/N: Yay! Another chapter! Anyways, fair warning, I am going to nationals for a club, so I won't be able to post for at least a week. Also, this is where my written parts end, so it's all unplanned from here o.O