Nijuusei

Chapter 2: A Change of Plans

By Kaen

Yui stared out the window of her classroom, her chin propped on her left hand. She gazed intently, even though it was too dark to see anything. She continued to ignore the rambling teacher, whose lecture she might have found quite interesting had she cared at the moment. Her mind was elsewhere and that was probably painfully obvious to anyone who may have looked.

But she didn't care. There were more important matters at hand. Like Suboshi… Or rather, Kokuei. Although Kokuei didn't know it, he was probably the reincarnation of Suboshi. Yui sighed heavily at the thought. It had been impossible for her to be comfortable around Suboshi, and she had never truly appreciated or missed him until he had died for her. That poor boy had died twice for her and the second time Yui couldn't bear it. But was she really so selfish to truly only appreciate him after he had died the first time?

He died trying to defend me… No, hardly defending me, more like defending my pride. Yui scowled. If it weren't for her stupid jealousy, he would probably still be alive and living peacefully with his brother back in the book. Suboshi was most definitely dead and the odds of him ever being reincarnated without his twin, in Yui's world, at the age as what he should be had he not died, and remembering her on top of all that was… zero to none.

Yui leaned further over her desk as she slouched lower. Kokuei was way too much like Suboshi to not be his reincarnation. It was so easy to see from the way he looked and acted, especially around her, but Yui found herself being skeptical. Suboshi had died over two years ago and in her world.  All the other seishi who'd been reincarnated had all died in the Universe of the Four Gods world were reincarnated, or at least, Miaka's seishi had been. She didn't know about Tatara… She still felt terrible about what she did to him… But could it really be possible that Suboshi had been reborn though?

No, she had to stop thinking that! If she allowed herself to believe that the no-name boy was Suboshi then she'd just be let down. And how could it even be even possible that Suboshi was reborn without his brother? Without Amiboshi, Suboshi was incomplete and vice versa… Suboshi and Amiboshi were always together when they could be, and Kokuei had made no reference to an "Aniki" or even any family at all. And besides, miracles didn't happen to her. Only Miaka had been that lucky, but then again she had been the one who deserved it.

Miaka had been blessed with receiving Tamahome in the form of Taka, but Yui knew how hard it had been to go back to where they were when he was just a character in a book. She still secretly envied their loving relationship for a while, but eventually accepted the fact that she'd probably never have anyone to love her unconditionally like that. Well, for a while there, she thought she had found someone, but it turned out to be the biggest mistake of her life.

Nakago had deceived her and played on her emotions while pretending to love her and she had let him do so. She wanted so desperately to belong to someone the way Miaka did, in a tender relationship, so Yui had readily accepted Nakago's "love" without realizing that he was merely using her as his pawn. Actually, she had realized that at some point, but she didn't want to hear it. That was right, wasn't it? She had been told that Nakago was deceiving her, but she wouldn't listen. Suboshi had tried so hard to warn her, and yet she wouldn't listen. What an idiot she was…

Sighing heavily at her own foolishness Yui tore her gaze from the window, letting it rest on a particularly interesting mark on the desk. Well, maybe not all that interesting, but she just couldn't focus. On top of all her conflicting feelings she was homesick. Not just for home itself, but for the people who lived there. Miaka could have easily graduated this year with Yui but Miaka had chosen to throw all her hard work away in this last year of high school in order to be married to Taka. Yui couldn't help but be disappointed at that. She had been so proud of Miaka when she made it into the same high school as herself, and now she just let it all mount to nothing. At least Miaka was happy, though. After the incident in the Universe of the Four Gods, Yui had tried so hard to do nothing to upset Miaka. She has caused her so much pain already, and yet Miaka had taken her back. Although she didn't often show it, she was eternally grateful for Miaka's forgiveness and Yui truly believed that Miaka deserved all the happiness that could ever come in life.

Yui's attention was forced back to the present as she noticed her classmates standing up and preparing to leave. Class was over and it was time for her to make her way home. No shortcuts this time, though. She shuddered to think what could have happened if Suboshi, no Kokuei, hadn't shown up when he did. Standing up, Yui closed her blank notebook and shoved it into her already stuffed backpack. Her mind continued to drift as she left the campus and began the eleven-block walk home, being particularly careful to stay in the light of the street lamps.

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"What do you mean, 'we're moving'?" exclaimed Hiashi.

"Hiashi, your father lost his job a month ago… He needed to find new work and well…" Hiashi hardly heard a word after being told his father had lost his job. He father was the main provider for the family and had never even mentioned trouble at work.

Interrupting his mother, Hiashi asked, "Why didn't you tell me? I could have handled it!"

His mother's dark brown eyes shone with pain. It was obvious that she was just as upset as he was at this sudden turn of events. Hiashi knew his mother loved the ocean, which was the primary reason they lived as close to the beach as they did. They lived in a rather large house, more like a manor than anything else, and Hiashi was very fond of it. The thought had never crossed his mind that he might have to leave it all…

"Son, we're very sorry... We know how much you like it here, but we can't stay here much longer. The payments on this house have caught up with us after only a month and if we continue to live here, we could go bankrupt. Actually, we should have been expecting a situation like this! You know how unstable the job of Chief Financial Officer is, and with this recession…" Hiashi's father continued rambling trying to make the situation not as bad as it was.  It was evident that no one in the family wanted to leave the beautiful place where they lived, but there truly was no choice. It was either to leave California and stay in budget or stay and go bankrupt. Hiashi didn't like either idea, but he knew how arduous it would be to get out of debt even if his father were offered another job nearby.

 Biting his lower lip, trying to hide his disappointment, Hiashi asked, "So… where to?"

His mother flinched as she turned away from him and gently urged the father to tell the news.

"I've been offered a job in… New York City." He explained. Seeing his son's eyes widen, he continued quickly, " It's a good job! I'll actually being making more than I was before and there would be no problem supporting us, even during the move… I can't change my mind now. I've already accepted the position."

Hiashi felt as though his entire world was being turned upside-down. And in a way, it was. He really hated the idea of leaving his beautiful home in California for some cold, overpopulated city on the other side of the nation. Noticing that his parents were staring at him and waiting patiently for his reply, he said, "We should do what we have to, then. If it's in our better interest, I will move with no further complaint."

His parents were relieved at his understanding response and Hiashi felt a little better. He truly did love this place and despised the thought of leaving, but the choice was not his and he would change nothing by fighting it. Standing up from the comfy sofa he was sitting on, Hiashi walked over and hugged his mother to comfort her. Returning her son's embrace, she couldn't help but feel grateful for the beautiful boy that she had been blessed with. Surely there was no one else like him in this entire world, so warm and understanding…

Breaking off the hug, Hiashi placed his hands on his mother's shoulder and smiled reassuringly, attempting to ease back the tears that were threatening to overflow. She smiled back, though it was only half-heartedly, and silently thanked him for his understanding. Removing his hands, he turned to his father and gave him a nod, signifying that he sincerely did understand. When Hiashi felt that both his parents were at ease, he excused himself from the room.

Climbing up the steps Hiashi entered his bedroom and closed the door. Making no effort to turn on a light, he set a chair in front of his window and pulled open the curtains. He opened his window all the way, feeling the cool and humid breeze that lazily drifted in. Turning his midnight blue eyes to the matching sky Hiashi gazed silently at the heavens. The full moon shone brightly down on the ocean, seemingly to illuminate the night with its pale silver rays. The stars were twinkling and amidst the constellations, Hiashi caught sight of an unusually bright star. Looking at it more closely Hiashi realized that is wasn't just one star, but rather two. They were so close together that it was difficult to distinguish the difference. Recognizing the rarity of this condition, Hiashi climbed out of his window and sat on the overhang directly beneath to see better. Leaning back lazily again the outside wall Hiashi made a wish upon the bright double star.

"Nijuusei, please let this move be best for my family…"

Hiashi stayed on that ledge the entire night, returning inside only when the rising sun marked the beginning of a new day.

Yay! Chapter 1 is done!! It's hard to come up with a plot after the initial brainstorming, so hopefully this wasn't too disappointing. ^^ Please review! I've actually had one whole review so far, but I still would love to get more! Thanks for you feedback! Bye!

-Kaen