(UNMEI) DESTINY
CHAPTER 3
Maya waited in the living room as Sakura went to retrieve some pencils and several sheets of paper upstairs. It was already their fifth meeting and they were supposed to discuss algebraic expressions.
She fiddled with the chain of her medallion. She felt at peace whenever she stayed at this house but there was something peculiar about it. She detected some kind of power dwelling within its walls.
Ever since she was a kid, she could sense things that other people normally couldn't. She had been gifted with an extraordinary ability and it had grown stronger through the years. Somehow, the magic in Kinomoto-sensei's home was similar to hers.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Touya who laid a tray of snacks on the coffee table.
"Arigatou," she smiled.
However, the young man didn't return her greeting. He simply shrugged before leaving her alone.
'I can't understand what's bothering him,' Maya pouted. He didn't seem to like her even from the beginning. Had she done something to offend him? Whatever it was, she couldn't remember.
"Sorry for taking so long," Sakura called, disrupting her musings for the second time. She flopped down on the sofa beside her. "I'm ready."
"Okay. Let's begin with constants and variables," Maya said, flipping through her old textbook.
"Anou…"
"Nani?" she prompted.
"How come you're taking lessons during vacation?"
"Well, I want to keep busy. I'm lucky to have gotten into your father's class. The slots usually get filled up very quickly," she answered.
"He's good, isn't he?" Sakura said proudly.
"Yup," she agreed. 'He's better than good,' she sighed dreamily.
"Daijoubu?"
"Huh? Oh…yeah. Now, where were we?"
"Constants and variables."
"Uh…right."
Tomoyo punched the doorbell of her best friend's house. She decided to stop by since they haven't seen each other for two days.
'I wonder how she's doing,' she thought. She'd been told that Sakura was taking advanced lessons in math and she knew her friend wasn't very fond of the subject.
The door opened, revealing a tall, brown-haired youth clad in an apron.
"Daidouji-san," Touya welcomed. "Did you come for Sakura?"
"Hai."
He stepped out of the way so she could enter. "She's in there," he said, flicking his thumb towards the living room. His expression turned sour as he added, "With the tutor."
Tomoyo thanked him before heading to Sakura's whereabouts. She was at the doorway when she noticed the young woman with luscious red hair sitting beside her friend.
The girl looked up and turned her purple eyes on Tomoyo. "Sakura-chan, you have a guest."
"Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura exclaimed.
But she didn't hear Sakura's squeal of delight. Her mind was focused on the stranger who was the exact replica of Yumi.
'Is this real?' she thought, recognizing the necklace, which had once belonged to her, hanging around the girl's neck.
Eriol discerned the silhouette of a girl through the second floor window of a red brick house. She was pacing back and forth as if something was troubling her.
"So you're Master Clow's descendant," he whispered. He felt a hint of magic within her, but it wasn't powerful enough to rival that of Sakura or Syaoran, let alone his.
'Maybe I'm reading too much into things,' he thought. 'Maybe there's no danger at all.'
He lowered his gaze and proceeded to Tomoyo's house. She was a bit shaken up when she told him about Sakura's tutor. He wanted so much to relieve some of her worries, especially those which he brought upon her.
Maya drew the curtains of her bedroom window and searched both sides of the street. There was nobody in sight. Still, she was a hundred percent certain that she was being watched. She closed the drapes and dropped on the cushion.
"What's happening to me?" she asked in a confused voice. During the past few days, she had been experiencing strange sensations: first, every time she visited the Kinomoto residence; second, when she met Sakura's friend; and lastly, just earlier that evening.
"What could all these mean?"
Tomoyo smiled as she remembered Eriol's outrageous stories. He passed by three hours ago to find out how she was feeling and to cheer her up as well. She was glad that he did because seeing him had lifted her spirits.
She took a mouthful of air and slowly released her breath. Something inside her was definitely changing. She could no longer consider Eriol as merely a friend, and it began when she learned about Clow and Yumi.
'Is it really possible to fall for someone you've already loved in another lifetime?' she questioned, though she wasn't quite ready to answer that yet.
Yue glided over the sunlit lawn and landed on a soft patch of grass. Moments later, a golden-eyed beast followed him.
"You're late," he told the creature.
"It's not exactly easy to sneak out of Sakura's room, you know," Keroberos grumbled.
A deep chuckle echoed throughout the garden.
The two of them turned around to face Eriol.
"Why did you call for us?" Keroberos demanded.
"Come inside," invited Eriol. "And you will know soon enough."
Syaoran stole a glance at Sakura who was walking beside him. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he realized how fortunate he was to have met her.
"How are your lessons coming along?" he asked.
"Fine," Sakura replied. "Maya-san is very nice."
"Anou…is it okay if I study with you?"
"Honto?!" she squeaked. "Of course it is! I'll have to inform Maya-san first, but I'm sure she won't mind."
"A-arigatou," Syaoran blurted as color rushed to his cheeks.
"Hoe!" Sakura yelled all of a sudden.
"What's the matter?"
"I forgot about our session this afternoon," she said, clasping a hand to her forehead.
"Nani?!" Kero shouted. "You and Tomoyo---I mean---Master Clow and Yumi…"
Eriol sighed and massaged his temples. "All of these happened before Master created you and the Clow Cards so I didn't see any reason to let you know, but I'm getting worried about Sakura and Tomoyo," he explained.
"What should we do?" spoke Yue.
"One of you should guard Sakura and Tomoyo while the other should watch over the girl."
"You said she was harmless," Kero interjected.
"She seemed harmless," Eriol restated. "We have to be careful in case anything goes wrong."
"I'll take care of the girl," Yue declared.
"That was quick," Kero commented, narrowing his eyes.
"It'll be easier to approach her as Yukito," Yue said flatly. "And you're always spending time with Sakura and Tomoyo anyway."
"Yare yare," Kero conceded.
"Everything's settled then," Eriol said.
Maya rose from the couch and examined the furniture in the living room. She had been waiting for over an hour, still, there was no sign of Sakura.
"I guess she didn't remember," she muttered under her breath.
She strolled to the corner where the piano was located. She lifted the lid that covered the keys and gently ran her fingers over them.
A string of memories rushed to her head, memories of a beautiful woman playing a graceful melody as her son listened in awe.
Automatically, her hands started remaking the tune. Music that mesmerized the senses filled the air. Maya was greatly surprised that she could play so well when she had never been trained to use a piano.
Touya heard the familiar melody in his bedroom. He closed the book he was reading and got up from his desk. He descended the stairs in a matter of seconds and peeked inside the living room from which the sound had come.
The sight of the girl performing the piece which his mother had composed left him feeling a web of different emotions. And the usual annoyance that he had towards her wasn't one of them.
He braced an arm against the doorframe and closed his eyes, letting the spell cast by the music sweep through his whole being.
"Gomen nasai," Sakura said as she matched her pace with that of her companion.
"It's all right," Maya laughed. "You've already apologized a thousand times. Besides, you promised to buy me an ice cream soda, right?"
"Um," Sakura nodded. "I know a place where they serve the best ice cream soda."
"Are you sure this is okay? I don't want you to spend all your allowance on me."
"It's fine," she assured. "Otousan gave me extra money."
They walked a couple of blocks more before reaching the ice cream parlor that Sakura was referring to. They were seated in a small booth at one end of the shop.
"May I take your order?"
"Yukito-san!" Sakura exclaimed. "Don't tell me, Oniichan is also working here, isn't he?"
"He is," Yukito replied as he identified Touya among a crowd of waiters. He grinned at Maya before leaving to process their orders.
When the ice cream soda arrived, it wasn't Yukito who brought them but Touya.
Maya fidgeted in her seat as he spared her a glance. To her amazement, he gave her a cocktail umbrella and smiled.
Maya stared at his retreating back. 'What just happened?' she asked bewilderedly.
"Hey, I want one too!" Sakura called after her brother.
Maya listened as Sakura talked about her friends on the way home. They seemed like a fun bunch from the young girl's accounts. What caught her attention, however, was the name Eriol. It left a distinct imprint in her mind. She couldn't explain it, but some part of her subconscious told her that she should know him though they've never met.
She didn't notice that Sakura had stopped in the middle of the street until she felt a weird sensation run down her spine. She looked around for the source of the strange power.
Suddenly, a column of air swirled beneath Sakura and raised her off the ground. Then, it disappeared as quickly as it had materialized.
Maya watched in horror as Sakura started falling. She concentrated with all her might, causing her medallion to glow. A symbol, which was exactly the same one on her necklace, appeared below her feet as she willed the wind to carry Sakura to safety.