Author's note: I have been busy lately tackling essays and other mundane stuff for graduate applications. This chapter was lucky to be completed because I had the plot figured out already. However, for the next chapter to come out, it will take quite a while. I decided that I won't touch it till I finish the application process for once and all which will take a week or two. I request patience from all my readers till then. Arigatou.
Disclaimer: All the characters in this story belong to CLAMP. Also, this story is purely a work of fiction and bears no resemblance to any characters living or dead. Amen.
Agbekor. Before you start questioning my sanity, it is neither a swear word nor a vague physics terminology. No, not the translation of 'I love you' in Mongolian either. It is a warrior dance form of the West African people. The so very wild dance in which you can pucker up your face, stick ostrich and emu feathers in your hair, smear blood (Use tar or soot in case of shortage of blood.) in long stripes across the forehead and dress down in the finest quality animal skin as well as green leaves to jump up and down around the ceremonial fire where your human victim is being boiled in vegetable stock. You also enjoy the privilege to poke your victim with your spear occasionally, shouting Afrikaans profanities like "Gaan vlieg in jou moer!", "Skop, skiet en boom klim!" or "Jou ou naai!"
Which is what I am doing right now, around my desk in the staff quarters. Well, it is minus the blood, gore and shaggy feathers naturally, unless the two pens stuck in my knotted and tied up hair serve as a substitute for feathers. The animal skin or the leaves are missing too. What with me being a PETA as well as Greenpeace activist, the possibility of hopping around in my office half naked isn't happening anytime. (Also, I don't happen to be a fan of nudity of any degree either.) But I so wish my imagination transcended into reality, partially atleast to provide me with a spear and a human victim to enjoy the primal sadistic urges of mine. Who the hapless victim would be, you may ask. For that, I would cackle gleefully, rub my hands in the most sinisterly way possible and declare ominously as 'Syaoran Li'.
Why?
Because. 'nuff said.
Also because that effing moron kissed me.
One minute I was telling him off and the other minute his lips are on mine. Gross. It was wet and soft, like a slimy snake slithering up and down. Oh, maybe it wasn't so bad. Maybe he kissed good. He would too, with all the practice he must have had. But when you realize the person whose mouth descended on yours was the obnoxious Li, you would prefer to puke and throw up till all the saliva is out of your system. Exactly what I did, outside the west gates of the university after trying and failing miserably to dent his ostentatious Porsche with a stone.
Failing because I happen to have a very unnatural sense of direction. Miserable because I managed to knock of the rear window of the Dean's car parked nearby. Hoping he wouldn't notice, I hurried back to the faculty block of the campus. My uncle would be home and I had to hurry before Touya was delayed for his date. The boy can get really whiny when he is held up, I tell you. He has, by his own admission, a reputation to protect. Yeah, being a womanizer is such a demanding and a noble avocation. Bless Touya, for making every dumb blond in England feel wanted, even if it is only for a day or two. One of the reasons why I never bother to censure his pointless dates is that obviously, no sane woman would fall for his charms. The other being he wouldn't listen to me anyways.
So when I reached the Kinomoto's residence, I heard the usual grumble of my good natured uncle while preparing dinner. They usually revolve around Touya. Sometimes Touya and finally, Touya. He looked at me and gave a brief smile before he continued doling out the chicken casserole into the serving dish. I took an apron hanging to the closet and hurried into the kitchen to make the salad. Also to be ready to hold them apart in case they decided to go for each other's throats. Not that it would happen. My uncle, regardless of all his complaints is quite fond of his son. And for all the departments Touya lacks, he's got me. The grumbling is merely a fad he's picked up after coming to London. We, i.e. me and Touya, call it the "Dean Effect" Grumbling old fool must have passed some of his grumpy genes to my dearest uncle too.
Fujitaka Kinomoto, My uncle. A genius when it comes to the world of particle physics. He has numerous publications and research papers to his credit. He belongs to the crème de la crème of the physicists in the world who are working toward the conclusive evidence for the *Supersymmetry of elementary particles. He is one of the revered and idolized professors in the academia, known for his famed lectures which are always packed with students. Also, he is my only family ever since mine were killed in an accident when I was 9 years old.
The uncle, who decided through dinner that we needed to change the track in our research. This meant we had to simply toss out the mountains of statistics and findings accumulated over a month. This also meant his assistant (me) had to start afresh and begin exploring the densities of the *heavy particles.
This also meant that I would have a reorganized schedule where in all my teaching hours would be allocated to research alone.
Implies I wouldn't have to teach the undergraduate physics jocks and their king, Syaoran Li.
And so the warrior dance.
I was thumping my way across the gap between the chair and desk when there was a knock on the door. I slipped into my geek-don't-disturb expression before opening the door. It was my uncle who was back from his afternoon session with a really goofy grin on his face. Now, we Kinomotos are sure eccentric but I failed to understand what could have triggered my uncle's funny bone when all he did was to teach a boring group of seniors. I mean, he usually complained how it seemed that their nerve cells have been traumatized to death, explaining their technically unseen brain activity and abysmal grades as a side-effect.
I stared at him quizzically and shrugged. He must given a particularly complex query for them to think about and reveled in the misery of those chunks. That must be it. Although it was very unlike him to be masochistic, I could attribute no other reason to his uncanny grin, stretching from ear to ear. Old age must be getting to him.
I reached out for the handle with the intention to close the door. Instead I felt something hard, covered with fabric. What on earth-Holy cow! The Satan was standing in front of me grinning as smugly as ever. Li, who happened to be my personal and fully customized devil, has only one purpose in his life: To stalk and torture me. And wow, He takes his job quite seriously.
I glare at him as viciously I could and attempt to bang the door on his face. Why did I not have that swine flu mask on? I glanced around the office apprehensively to see it dangling from the lamp stand. I must have flung it away in a frenzied fit of the warrior dance earlier. If only it were in my hand now, It could probably save me from getting a forceful CPR or prevent the gooey bimbo saliva from getting transferred to my lips again and also have saved me from going to the prison eventually, for murdering him on the grounds sexual assault.
So without my defense I realize offense is the only way now. I aim a calculated kick directed at the said man's weakest area. Almost. Because, before I could swing my leg my uncle interrupts the staring contest and leads him in for a cup of tea. And it is then I comprehend that he has sold his soul to the devil. Li accepts the offer graciously (bet he learnt it only after dozens of rehearsals in the acting class.) and they sit down for an afternoon tea with cheesecakes. Oh, don't mind me. I am invisible. Go on with the praising of the so-called genius you find in this fool of a- Wait. My uncle is praising my nemesis? Betrayal of the worst kind. The guy is supposed to be brilliant in- ah, He's praising Li's role as the mentally challenged teen in a movie. And for a moment, my heart skipped a beat wondering if it was his talent in physics that gave my uncle his indulging grin. Cheh. For a fact, there happens to be nothing remotely brilliant to his acting prowess. He is mentally redundant. All he did in that movie was to be himself and presto, we have suckers who declare it was very moving performance. Manipulative freak, that's what he is.
1,2,3,4,…… 33 minutes later, I get tired of leaning across the door, waiting for the idiot to go. I also get tired of my uncle's boyish face light up like a bulb whenever he is dished out praises by the same idiot. Hell, they have been at it since half an hour, acting like a bunch of dunderheads. I stalk out of the office angrily; muttering that how the devil seems to be intent in taking over my family, one by one. Walking across the cubicles and the patio, I cross the rose garden to reach home. A large sinful cup of black currant ice cream should help me to reign in my volatile temper.
I jerk the door open and bang it shut to stomp towards the kitchen. Scooping a dollop of ice cream from the tub into a cup, I walk into the living room only to freeze and quickly turn away. An embarrassing blush creeps up to my cheeks as I try to muster some dignity and walk away.
Apparently I seem to have interrupted one of the heavy make-out sessions of Touya and some nameless woman. Believe me when I say the couch is a forbidden place when you see your own cousin brother half naked with some girl on it. I am about to leave when he interrupts hesitantly. While I debate to risk watching an almost frontal nudity scene again, he declares that it is safe for me to turn. I gulp and turn towards them.
The girl is standing beside him, holding his hand lightly. She gives me a shy smile and I acknowledge it tentatively. She looks sensible to me unlike the other dates of my cousin. Wondering what she is doing with a guy like him, I look at Touya questioningly. The ice cream in my cup is melting and I don't like it at all when it gets gooey and sticky. Also I would have to get on with study I was supposed to do today in the library. I also curse Li, which is becoming a habitual occurrence since two weeks. If not for him, I would not have been scarred lifelong with the image of Touya's hands roaming over the girl's- Stop! I scream to myself inwardly.
On seeing the tortured expression I put up, Touya mistakes it as something else and proceeds hastily to explain that it is not what I think. Hah, As if. What else were they supposedly doing on the couch? Touch-me-if-you-can dare?
He looks at me urgently and goes on to say that it's not just another fling of his and that they are quite serious about each other. He goes on to tell how they have been seeing each other since a month and how, he stammers, they are in love with each other, looking at the girl cautiously. The said girl nods shyly and looks at me smilingly again. Considering the sickly sweet glances they have been giving each other all this while, I deduce as much and ease up a bit. The library seems to be thrown out of my schedule today as we sit down to talk, the love birds on their EMO (Extreme-action Make-Out) couch and me cross-legged on the coffee table in front of it. Touya introduces me to the girl. Her name is Shiefa. She is an artist and jewelry designer. They first met when she was working on one of his movies. We chat about things in general for a while when I realize that this woman with a shy and gentle disposition is also unusually intelligent. A perfect choice for my neuron-less cousin. She also seems to have familiar brown eyes. Warm and chocolate-y. Very familiar indeed. Now where did I see-The door slammed shut again. Why was uncle home when he was supposed to be video conferencing with his colleagues in America?
"Kinomoto, there you are. I was hoping your uncle was right when he said I would find you in-"
Not the uncle. It was the devil who walked in with a grin. The grin however vanished in a split second and turned into a scowl when it saw-
"What are you doing here, Shiefa?! And why the hell are you in Touya's arms!?"
That's right. Li, of course. He had the same familiar brown eyes. And also quite a degree of possessiveness when it came to his sister sitting in someone's lap.
Shiefa Li, My cousin's girlfriend is Syaoran Li's sister who is my stalker since the last three weeks. With today, there is no place I can hide from him, not even my own home.
Oh, did I mention that Touya and Li are serious rivals when it comes to movies? That's right. It is this whole rising phenomenon (Touya) vs. the established star (Li) issue. So yeah, they pretty much hate each other.
And people say physics is complicated.
Terminology:
Supersymmetry: A theory in the world of particle physics which says that an elementary particle is supposed to have another particle which is its supplementary pair. (An extremely simplified definition, which is all I can give)
Heavy particles: Particles formed by coalescing sub atomic particles together.
Author says: I love you all. And your reviews too (grins). Review anything, what you liked, what you are looking for, what you want to clarify, just anything! So after you have finished reading the chapter, please don't forget to click the review button you see below?
Cielito lindo: Syaoran will definitely be a dead man walking, but not yet. I'll play with him for a while before that. (Grins evilly) Thank you for your reviews. They mean a lot to me
Paladin3056: Aah, The Last will of Syaoran Li. I think I will make it into a chapter title for this story at a later stage. I have got some funny ideas to go with it. Thank you for your reviews and please keep reading.
AngelEmCuti: Thank you dear. Please keep reading and reviewing!
Puasluoma: And I am glad you liked it. Could it be because we had lesser physics and more of chemistry in it? … (Winks) .Thank you for reviewing.
Mrs. Radcliffe 13: The dream scene is my favorite too, you know. And rationality is really a moot point when it comes to my characters, usually. Lol. Oh no, I don't happen to study in UK, yet. In fact if everything goes as planned, I will be going to a university there next year.
The descriptions are mostly because I was there on a vacation the last Christmas and fell in love with it. Thank you for reviewing.
