The Search
Seiryuu Girl: Uh.. Chibigreenwizardmon, in answer to your question, they learnt of their identities in the six month gap between this story and the other one. About Akira... well, it's all going to be revealed eventually. Zettai, you're right, it is a little more serious that his parents simply forbidding him to speak to Tobias. Disclaimer: Today, I added to my dead Gameboy battery collection (right after defeating a difficult boss and not saving the game, I might add). I found five cents under the couch. I even rediscovered the joys of those weird thick grey-lead pencils I used to use in Prep. However, one thing I did not do was buy Fushigi Yuugi.
"You did WHAT?" Mia asked incredulously. She was staring at Tobias in a way that made him feel as if he'd just grown an extra head. "You idiot."
"I know I'm an idiot," Tobias said. He started to pace around Mia's untidy room, nearly tripping over a pile of NQD clothing (this was Mia's term, an abbreviation that stood for Not Quite Dirty, meaning clothes that had been worn once, but were still relatively clean). "But... I just got so angry..."
Mia slapped a hand to her forehead, flattening a few strands of crimson hair. "So you yelled at someone you love? Someone who called to say sorry?"
"I... yes. I did... Well, at first I was really shocked... and then I yelled. Then when he tried to explain I... hung up," Tobias clarified. He sat down on a chair and started staring at the floor.
Mia sighed. "Look, at least you know he cares. I mean, if he was using you or he hates you, why should he contact you?" she asked. Her level- headedness was useful in situations of strong emotion. Unlike her twin brother's highly strung and dreamy 'artist's personality', Mia was, as she herself professed, 'a girl who doesn't let her heart rule her head'.
"I suppose that's true..." Tobias said. "Hey, Mia, it is tomorrow that's our birthday, right?"
"Yes, that's right. How could you forget?"
"You only remember because people give you stuff," her brother commented.
"So? Free stuff is good... except when it's from Auntie Edith," joked Mia. She still hadn't forgiven her great-aunt for giving her what she called 'granny undies' in size twenty-six when she was thirteen.
"She could hardly give you anything, seeing as she died a year ago," Tobias said, rolling his eyes.
"Nah, she's going to haunt me from the grave by getting into the minds of all those stupid people who give me money every year and force them to send me barbie dolls and fluoro pink teddy bears," Mia said as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. "I mean, if you were an evil old woman who hated her niece, you couldn't let her actually get *good* stuff, now could you?"
"Of course not," laughed Tobias.
At that moment, Mrs Henderson walked in, "Now, I advise you to go and get ready," she said. "We're going to Grandma's house, she wants you to stay overnight for your birthday."
"Oh, why me?" Mia asked in a tone that suggested all the world's evils had suddenly been thrown upon her. "Grandma's almost as evil as Auntie Edith, Mum."
"Your Auntie Edith wasn't that bad. She just had an underwear obsession," Liza said. "Hey, at least she didn't give you a dominatrix outfit for when you turned sixteen."
"Oh GROSS, Mum!" Mia yelled. "The images!"
"It wasn't funny at the time," Mrs Henderson said, sounding a little miffed. "I still have, it actually..." she mused.
"Do us a favour and keep it under lock and key in case you get really drunk, Mum," Tobias said.
"I've never gotten *that* drunk... except maybe at Christmas in 1990... that was when I vomited all over Auntie Edith's husband Norbert," groaned the twins' mother.
"Oooh, I've never heard this story Mum. What happened?" Mia inquired.
"Yeah, tell us Mum," added Tobias.
"Well... you two were five at the time... it was about ten o'clock, and everyone was about to go home. Then Liam and Ray came, this was before they got together... and they brought what they told me was a flask of water. I drank the lot, because it was quite small, and I was thirsty.... turned out they'd given me an entire bottle of vodka."
Tobias cracked up laughing. "Reminds me of a story Thompson-sensei told us. Apparently she went to Japan once, and she was at a party with a few Japanese friends. She was sitting there, sipping at her sake, and didn't notice that someone kept filling the little cup when she wasn't looking. She ended up so drunk she couldn't walk straight. Someone had to carry her to her hotel room."
"Somehow, I can't imagine that woman drunk," Mia commented.
"Neither can I," Tobias said. "I have to admit, I'd be very funny though."
"Look, as interesting as drunk Japanese teachers are, you have to get ready. Hurry up," Mr Henderson said through the door.
"Oh hello Mark," his wife said. "You heard that conversation, did you?"
"Well, I heard from the bit about Christmas. That was a good year, actually," Mr Henderson said. "Remember Mia vomited too? She ate too much Pavlova."
"The international year of puke..." Tobias said, testing the words. "I like it."
"You would," said Mia dryly. "I remember that. I felt so sick." She grimaced at the memory
"Eating seven pieces of meringue generally does that to a person," said Mr Henderson, grinning.
"I was *five*, Dad. How could I have known any better?" Mia asked defensively.
"Anyway, get moving," Mark said. "You have to be ready by eight."
The doorbell rang loudly, and Tobias ran to get it. He was in his best suit, and his charcoal hair was tied back neatly. Ryuuen stood on the threshold, with a bunch of flowers and a neatly wrapped present.
"Um... who died?" he asked, looking Tobias up and down.
"Eh? Oh, the clothes. No one died. I'm off to my Grandma's for my birthday... come to think of it, you'd better plan my funeral," Tobias said.
"Why?" Ryuuen asked, confused. He handed Tobias the roses and the present, and allowed himself in.
"My Grandma is deadly, trust me. She thinks that there's a limit to the amount of fun you can have in one day. Nothing over two hours," joked Tobias, putting the red flowers into a vase.
"I suppose her house is rather boring then," commented Ryuuen.
"Boring doesn't even describe it properly. More like mind-numbingly dull," Tobias said. "After a few days there you'd think the Late Night Home Shopping Show was wonderful."
Ryuuen made a face. "I'm glad I caught you then. I was going to give this to you on your birthday, but I though you'd probably be doing something," he said. "Go on, open the present."
Tobias carefully peeled off the sticky tape from the shiny gold paper the present was wrapped in. He loved opening gifts, in his opinion it was the best part. He slowly pulled off the wrappings, making sure the paper was intact. His mother enjoyed recycling it.
A box, covered in Chinese characters, was underneath. It was a rectangular one, quite large, and thin. Tobias knew Ryuuen was very good at shopping, his major passion, and would buy a very pleasing gift. He opened the box, and saw what looked like red and black fabric underneath. He pulled it out, and saw a full Ching costume, exactly like the one Tomo had worn.
"Wow, Ryuuen," Tobias gasped. "That's much better than the one I made."
"I thought so," agreed Ryuuen. "This one is made for you."
"Made for me?" Tobias asked, amazed.
"Yup. I got a woman I know who sews to do it for me," Ryuuen said proudly. "Mia drew Tomo, and your mother gave me your measurements."
Tobias smiled, although the expression didn't reach his yellow eyes, which were looking, as always, dreamy. "Thank you Ryuuen."
"Well, I think it's a special gift for a special person," Ryuuen said. He kissed Tobias on the cheek. "Anyway, I'd better go."
"Oh... goodbye," Tobias said, trying to conceal the relief he felt. He had been worried he would be forced to mention Japan. Tobias knew that doing what he wanted to do meant dumping Ryuuen, the purple-haired teenager would think it a little odd if his boyfriend took him to Japan to look for someone that he knew Tobias still cared for.
Ryuuen waved, and left through the opened door. Tobias watched for a little while as the former harem "girl's" striking amethyst hair was blown about in the strong wind, wondering why everything was so wrong.
Seiryuu Girl: Uh.. Chibigreenwizardmon, in answer to your question, they learnt of their identities in the six month gap between this story and the other one. About Akira... well, it's all going to be revealed eventually. Zettai, you're right, it is a little more serious that his parents simply forbidding him to speak to Tobias. Disclaimer: Today, I added to my dead Gameboy battery collection (right after defeating a difficult boss and not saving the game, I might add). I found five cents under the couch. I even rediscovered the joys of those weird thick grey-lead pencils I used to use in Prep. However, one thing I did not do was buy Fushigi Yuugi.
"You did WHAT?" Mia asked incredulously. She was staring at Tobias in a way that made him feel as if he'd just grown an extra head. "You idiot."
"I know I'm an idiot," Tobias said. He started to pace around Mia's untidy room, nearly tripping over a pile of NQD clothing (this was Mia's term, an abbreviation that stood for Not Quite Dirty, meaning clothes that had been worn once, but were still relatively clean). "But... I just got so angry..."
Mia slapped a hand to her forehead, flattening a few strands of crimson hair. "So you yelled at someone you love? Someone who called to say sorry?"
"I... yes. I did... Well, at first I was really shocked... and then I yelled. Then when he tried to explain I... hung up," Tobias clarified. He sat down on a chair and started staring at the floor.
Mia sighed. "Look, at least you know he cares. I mean, if he was using you or he hates you, why should he contact you?" she asked. Her level- headedness was useful in situations of strong emotion. Unlike her twin brother's highly strung and dreamy 'artist's personality', Mia was, as she herself professed, 'a girl who doesn't let her heart rule her head'.
"I suppose that's true..." Tobias said. "Hey, Mia, it is tomorrow that's our birthday, right?"
"Yes, that's right. How could you forget?"
"You only remember because people give you stuff," her brother commented.
"So? Free stuff is good... except when it's from Auntie Edith," joked Mia. She still hadn't forgiven her great-aunt for giving her what she called 'granny undies' in size twenty-six when she was thirteen.
"She could hardly give you anything, seeing as she died a year ago," Tobias said, rolling his eyes.
"Nah, she's going to haunt me from the grave by getting into the minds of all those stupid people who give me money every year and force them to send me barbie dolls and fluoro pink teddy bears," Mia said as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. "I mean, if you were an evil old woman who hated her niece, you couldn't let her actually get *good* stuff, now could you?"
"Of course not," laughed Tobias.
At that moment, Mrs Henderson walked in, "Now, I advise you to go and get ready," she said. "We're going to Grandma's house, she wants you to stay overnight for your birthday."
"Oh, why me?" Mia asked in a tone that suggested all the world's evils had suddenly been thrown upon her. "Grandma's almost as evil as Auntie Edith, Mum."
"Your Auntie Edith wasn't that bad. She just had an underwear obsession," Liza said. "Hey, at least she didn't give you a dominatrix outfit for when you turned sixteen."
"Oh GROSS, Mum!" Mia yelled. "The images!"
"It wasn't funny at the time," Mrs Henderson said, sounding a little miffed. "I still have, it actually..." she mused.
"Do us a favour and keep it under lock and key in case you get really drunk, Mum," Tobias said.
"I've never gotten *that* drunk... except maybe at Christmas in 1990... that was when I vomited all over Auntie Edith's husband Norbert," groaned the twins' mother.
"Oooh, I've never heard this story Mum. What happened?" Mia inquired.
"Yeah, tell us Mum," added Tobias.
"Well... you two were five at the time... it was about ten o'clock, and everyone was about to go home. Then Liam and Ray came, this was before they got together... and they brought what they told me was a flask of water. I drank the lot, because it was quite small, and I was thirsty.... turned out they'd given me an entire bottle of vodka."
Tobias cracked up laughing. "Reminds me of a story Thompson-sensei told us. Apparently she went to Japan once, and she was at a party with a few Japanese friends. She was sitting there, sipping at her sake, and didn't notice that someone kept filling the little cup when she wasn't looking. She ended up so drunk she couldn't walk straight. Someone had to carry her to her hotel room."
"Somehow, I can't imagine that woman drunk," Mia commented.
"Neither can I," Tobias said. "I have to admit, I'd be very funny though."
"Look, as interesting as drunk Japanese teachers are, you have to get ready. Hurry up," Mr Henderson said through the door.
"Oh hello Mark," his wife said. "You heard that conversation, did you?"
"Well, I heard from the bit about Christmas. That was a good year, actually," Mr Henderson said. "Remember Mia vomited too? She ate too much Pavlova."
"The international year of puke..." Tobias said, testing the words. "I like it."
"You would," said Mia dryly. "I remember that. I felt so sick." She grimaced at the memory
"Eating seven pieces of meringue generally does that to a person," said Mr Henderson, grinning.
"I was *five*, Dad. How could I have known any better?" Mia asked defensively.
"Anyway, get moving," Mark said. "You have to be ready by eight."
The doorbell rang loudly, and Tobias ran to get it. He was in his best suit, and his charcoal hair was tied back neatly. Ryuuen stood on the threshold, with a bunch of flowers and a neatly wrapped present.
"Um... who died?" he asked, looking Tobias up and down.
"Eh? Oh, the clothes. No one died. I'm off to my Grandma's for my birthday... come to think of it, you'd better plan my funeral," Tobias said.
"Why?" Ryuuen asked, confused. He handed Tobias the roses and the present, and allowed himself in.
"My Grandma is deadly, trust me. She thinks that there's a limit to the amount of fun you can have in one day. Nothing over two hours," joked Tobias, putting the red flowers into a vase.
"I suppose her house is rather boring then," commented Ryuuen.
"Boring doesn't even describe it properly. More like mind-numbingly dull," Tobias said. "After a few days there you'd think the Late Night Home Shopping Show was wonderful."
Ryuuen made a face. "I'm glad I caught you then. I was going to give this to you on your birthday, but I though you'd probably be doing something," he said. "Go on, open the present."
Tobias carefully peeled off the sticky tape from the shiny gold paper the present was wrapped in. He loved opening gifts, in his opinion it was the best part. He slowly pulled off the wrappings, making sure the paper was intact. His mother enjoyed recycling it.
A box, covered in Chinese characters, was underneath. It was a rectangular one, quite large, and thin. Tobias knew Ryuuen was very good at shopping, his major passion, and would buy a very pleasing gift. He opened the box, and saw what looked like red and black fabric underneath. He pulled it out, and saw a full Ching costume, exactly like the one Tomo had worn.
"Wow, Ryuuen," Tobias gasped. "That's much better than the one I made."
"I thought so," agreed Ryuuen. "This one is made for you."
"Made for me?" Tobias asked, amazed.
"Yup. I got a woman I know who sews to do it for me," Ryuuen said proudly. "Mia drew Tomo, and your mother gave me your measurements."
Tobias smiled, although the expression didn't reach his yellow eyes, which were looking, as always, dreamy. "Thank you Ryuuen."
"Well, I think it's a special gift for a special person," Ryuuen said. He kissed Tobias on the cheek. "Anyway, I'd better go."
"Oh... goodbye," Tobias said, trying to conceal the relief he felt. He had been worried he would be forced to mention Japan. Tobias knew that doing what he wanted to do meant dumping Ryuuen, the purple-haired teenager would think it a little odd if his boyfriend took him to Japan to look for someone that he knew Tobias still cared for.
Ryuuen waved, and left through the opened door. Tobias watched for a little while as the former harem "girl's" striking amethyst hair was blown about in the strong wind, wondering why everything was so wrong.