The House of Tsukishiro

Chapter 1

Okawa rubbed his nose as he looked around in Tomoeda. It was in ruins, of course. He sighed. He remembered the last time he was here, and everything was bright and gay and pleasant.
" Odd, isn't it?" One man muttered. " Things have changed so much these days."
" Hai." Okawa agreed. He shook his head. " Pity."
" Looking for lost relatives?" The man asked.
" Iie. I don't have any relations here, really. Friends, but they're pretty much alright. I'm here on business."
" What business?" The man asked curiously. He was a nice looking man, tall and strong with a look of royalty about him.
" Oh, you know. Are you a resident here?"
" You can say that. I lived here a long time ago." The man answered.
" I'm just here because I'm an archaeologist." Okawa shrugged. " Don't know why they sent me on a detective's job, but, you see, there's this house-"
" Oh, I see. You mean the house that stood during the earthquake, eh? You'll find a lot of things in there." The man chuckled. " What is your name?"
" Daidouji Okawa."

The young man looked surprise. " Daidouji, eh? Don't they have that company before?"
" Oh, that's my aunt. She owns a company right now." Okawa was pleased. " She's Daidouji Kekori."
" Ah, hai. And it was Daidouji Sonomi who started it, eh?" The young man blinked. " Didn't expect a family of business people to push an archaeologist out into the world. That's mighty special, I'll reckon!"

Okawa was liking the young man more and more, even though they've only met briefly. " What is your name?" He asked.
" My name is Li." The young man answered. " Most people just call me that. It's easier."
" I see." Okawa nodded. " Do you know any hotels around?"
" No need for hotels." Okawa shook his head. " The nearest ones had all burned down with the earthquake. My apartment is very empty right now. You can stay there. How long will you be staying?"
" Not too long, I hope." Okawa answered. His mind was turning on other things all of the sudden. " But it depends on how long I take to answer the mystery of that house."
" Well, come. You'll have lunch with me. The Li's and the Daidouji's had long been great friends."
" You're from the Li clan?" Okawa blinked.
" Ah, I nearly forgot! Hai, I'm from Hong Kong, the very clan you speak of. Come along, let's not waste time here. This is such a miserable place!"



The apartment was a huge apartment and it was kept rather clean. Although Okawa could help but feel uneasy, for the apartment looked old, and it looked so green, even though there are not a lot of green things in it. The place looked as uncomfortable as the house that he was to discover, although Okawa tried his best not to show it, for Li appeared friendly and cheerful enough to drive away all uneasiness.

In this part of the town everything seemed rather normal, although the sidewalks cracked severely, but the buildings were fine if just a little bit scorched. Okawa had his own room in the guestroom where he arranged all of his belongings in a neat order so he wouldn't take long in packing when he left. He had a nice view over the park where many flowers were growing.

The room was nicely furnished. The bed was between the doorway and the window with a table to the side facing the window. It was covered with gray and white bedsheets. On the table next to it there was a lamp, nicely designed, a telephone with a picture of a young boy and girl, and an empty picture frame. The boy on the phone had brown hair the color of polished wood, and eyes like amber seen in jewelry stores. He was rather pale in that picture-white, almost, in Okawa's eyes, as if he had no blood in his veins, and if he had it wasn't red. He was very thin but he seemed very happy in a sad way. His eyes were filled with knowledge and wisdom beyond his years but also filled with sorrow, as if he was sympathizing for something. His smile was happy though, graceful and honest. Okawa liked that smile.

Next to him, there was a more cheerful looking girl. She had large emerald eyes and shoulder-length auburn hair, part of it tied up with a hair accessory that Okawa couldn't quite tell. Was it a bow? But it wasn't. It looked more round.

She was smiling sweetly at the camera. In her hand she held a cute little teddy bear, which was, in turn, holding an odd card. Okawa briefly wondered what the card was. Was it a card that the boy gave her? What did it say?



Okawa found it odd that his host wouldn't tell him his first name despite the careless way he acts. Is it possible for a Cantonese to be named Li Li? Perhaps Okawa was no Chinese. But he couldn't help but feel that ' Li' was his last name, and that this man was purposely keeping his true identity from him, or as vague as possible. And he also found quite odd that this boy in the phone did not look like Li. Wouldn't it be more reasonable to put his own picture into his own belongings?

Shrugging it off, Okawa made himself as comfortable as he could. After lunch he returned to his room and sorted out his papers. He prepared the camera and started to refill its batteries. Then he began taking notes.

The house was built around a hundred and eighty somewhat years ago. The first person to live in that house was a Wakashi couple. They were old then, and had children who left, so soon they moved out. It turned out that Tsukishiro moved in right after them.

Chewing on his pen, Okawa nodded to himself and read on.

Tsukishiro was seven then, and had claimed to move in with his grandparents. The problem was...

There were no grandparents.

Okawa found this quite odd. What would a seven-year-old be doing all alone then? Without support?

This Tsukishiro lived in that house for around eighty years before dying. No one else lived in that house.

Nowhere did it mention anything of his son.

" Well." Okawa said out loud. Then he took another document.

Ten years after Tsukishiro moved in Tomoeda experienced some odd incidents-the first one being a big windstorm. Some of the more remarkable ones were a teenage girl who defeated all martial artists; the Penguin Slide tilted upside down; an odd rainstorm; an earthquake which ended without any damage although the quake itself was ferocious.

" Li Jingxi has won the International Cello Competition for Young Artists" Said the headlines of a very old newspaper. Aha! This is the first time Okawa had seen any signs of this Jingxi person. But that was when he was very young and still in Hong Kong. He didn't come to Tomoeda yet, if he came at all.

Okawa looked up. He had worked for about half an hour.

Standing up and stretching, he went out of his room. Li was in his room, doing whatever he was doing. Okawa knocked politely. Li opened the door.
" I was wondering if you know any libraries that are not destroyed yet." Okawa smiled humorlessly.

Li laughed however. " I see. There is one two blocks from here. I'll take you there."
" No need. I'll go myself." Okawa blushed. " Arigatou for your trouble, Li-san."
" No problem!" Li smiled cheerfully. " Always willing to help someone, especially someone like a Daidouji!"



Okawa blinked. People refer to the House of Tsukishiro as a horrible house, filled with ghosts and such. There were rumors that spectres walked about the back yard, and that when one reaches near the house, there was always a sound of a cello playing, sometimes alone, sometimes with a violin, or another cello. It was also said that for three years an angel kept appearing at night or sometimes during the day. Okawa snorted. So ridiculous.

But now that he had all the information he could get without going directly to the house, he would now have to act.

Actually...

Maybe Kekori could help. After all, she lives near the House of Tsukishiro.



" Well George?" Li asked, sitting down on his couch while George sat in the sofa. " Sonomi's husband had a great deal of brothers. Do you think I should help him?"
" Depends." George answered. He was tall, more manly, though he kept a lot of his features. " Yukito's house was abandoned for a long time, and no one went near it because of everything it held. Are you willing to reveal such a secret?"

Li pondered silently.
" You must consider some things," George began after a pause. " If you wish for Jingxi's memory to survive without being interfered, or if you wish for him to be known worldwide."
" If Daidouji understands the meaning of what lies in the house," Li finally answered, " He will not reveal it to anyone."
" And what will he tell his superiors?"

Li paused. " He will tell what he may. It is not my concern." He stood up. " I feel it is best that Jingxi remain secret. As a secret it becomes more precious and neutral. Once it is let out, people begin forming opinions about his story. The memory becomes tainted with falsehood."
" Very wise." George answered. " After all, fame comes in many forms. Sometimes such forms are better let alone."

The other man sighed. " Sometimes I wish Jingxi didn't die." He said sadly. " He suffered so much."
" Be content." The wizard answered. " He died happily, though young. At least he departed without regrets."
" He left others with many." Li answered. " That time everyone seemed to feel that the end will come."
" And correctly." George answered. " Do you see him?"
" Iie." Li frowned. " It is strange. I never saw him."
" He must have gone to someplace better." George smiled. " There is only one other world besides this and yours that still existed when he died."
" Paradise." Li's face relaxed dramatically. " A suitable environment for a child such as he."
" But let us not talk of the past." George interrupted. " You came here for a reason. You called me for a reason. I did not take Byung, Mimi or Sarah with me; they were unable to make it. But whatever reason you called us it must have distressed you much. Is there anything wrong?"

Li sat down slowly. " The time has come for the new master of the Sakura Cards." He said. " They are not to be held by the blood of a Kinomoto, unfortunately. This time, it is a Daidouji."
" And you believe it is Okawa."
" It would be best, after all," Li rubbed his temples, " He is very intelligent. He is much more mature and old then Sakura was. But things have gotten complicated now. Yue had his son Syaoran die in front of his eyes, however peaceful it might be. We both know that Yue suffered greatly afterwards, and when Sakura died, he did not go back into the book. Instead, he disappeared to a place even I don't know where. It may be well that Kerberus can assist the new card captor when the cards are released, but what then? If there is no judge, no one to appoint the new master, how will the cards be contained?"

George gripped his staff tightly for a moment in thought. He sighed.

" We have two options." He answered. Li nodded.
" I know." Li answered. " Both are not the best and I hesitate to choose either. One is to search for Yue, which may take too long, for the world is large and there are many corners to search. The other is to appoint a new judge, either myself or some other. However, none of us know the standards that Yue knows. We may well appoint the wrong master."

George agreed. " We have another option though." He hesitated. " Perhaps bring one of them back from the dead?"
" We have Eriol, Sakura, and Kaho. Which?"
" That is for you to decide." George answered. " Sakura died bitter. Kaho died bitter. Eriol died bitter. All of them would be hard on the new master. Sakura may be a good choice-she went through the Final Judgment herself. Yet Kaho knows the rules, she may be a good judge. And yet again, Eriol has the memories of Clow Reed. He created the rules himself. So of those three, Kaho and Eriol are the best choices, and of those two, Kaho suffered the most because Eriol neglected her. Eriol suffered because Tomoyo neglected him. But anyway, it rules out one, and you are left with two spirits that may help you with the judgement."

Li was silent. Outside, it was beginning to rain again.



" Yukito Tsukishiro?" Kekori blinked at her nephew. " Hai, your great great grand aunt knew him well. In fact, there were talks of how she was best friends with your other aunt Kinomoto Sakura, who it was rumored to be that she was a Mistress of Cards, and that Yukito Tsukishiro was her guardian."
" Her guardian?"
" Hai. Although I don't think it's true though. Would be interesting if it was, but it doesn't seem logical. I never believed in magic." She smiled warmly.
" Why do they have these stories?" Okawa wondered out loud.
" Amusement, probably." Kekori answered. " Although there are many elaborate details on how Sakura found a Book of Clow when she was ten and opened it to let all the cards free. Very much like the story of Pandora's Box, if you ask me."

Okawa found it odd that there will be rumors of magic with both Tsukishiro and Kinomoto. So he decided that the first step would be to find out of this Book of Clow really exists. And to do that, he must go to the Kinomotos, who undoubtedly would bear the story if it ever existed.