[Standard Disclaimer applies] I, a poor, penniless, study-stressed student,
do not own any of the characters in the story - with the exception of
Shizumi the housekeeper. Nor did I come up with all the study techniques
introduced - most are credits to Kay Yasugi, who created the 'Weird and
Unusual Study Techniques' section in my yearbook (though she probably
wouldn't even know I have mentioned her ^^;;). I only own the plot - which
I'm putting dear Kamui-chan through because I am suffering, and I feel like
dragging a 2D person down with me :-P
Author's Notes:
Big hugs to everyone who wrote a review; thank you so much ~~~!!! It's the most replies I have got for a fic! Those lovely comments meant the world to me. You guys have no idea how happy you've made me! Doumo arigato gozaimasu~~!!! I am glad that there are people out there who like this fic. All those reviews really motivated me to write more (hence the update ^o^). I have actually written individual responses to each of your comments, so if any of you are interested, just scroll down to Free-talk and look for your name. You will find my reply to your review next to your name :-)
My deepest apologies, though, for not updating in such a long time! First year uni. involves a lot more work than I thought! Not to mention I was too caught up with the clubs and societies' activities ^^;; Anyhow, I hope this chapter is worth the wait.
On with the show ~!!
X - Study Times!
Chapter 2 - Smellification
By Apus000
When the next morning came, Kamui was greeted by the delicious smell of breakfast. Only.
Kamui sniffed the air. And frowned. Strange. Is that an underlying tone of Casablanca (1)? And is that a haze of lavender? *sniff sniff* And roses don't bloom at this time of the year, does it? (Though with the geniuses in CLAMP Campus, it's hard to tell.) It's true that there are more than over a few hundred vases of fresh flowers in this mansion, and today _is_ the day when the maids come in to clean and rearrange new flowers, but the young boy certainly don't remember flowers smelling _this_ strong before! Curious, yet cautious, he got dressed, before moving out into the hall. He was about five steps away from the kitchen, when a spiky blur suddenly glomped him from behind, startling him.
"Eeeeepppp~~~!!!" came Kamui's uncharacteristic cry. He blushed, before schooling is features into a scowl and turned to face his 'attacker', certain of who it was anyway.
Sure enough, he was greeted by the overly-cheery smile of Arisugawa Sorata, the Kansai monk. And said monk was currently having a hearty laugh at his expense. Kamui narrowed his eyes even further.
"Mou, Kamui," Sorata laughed, "you really are too much of a bishonen. You even squeak like a girl!" Kamui would have liked to correct that last comment, but the elder boy merely continued on, "Hey, come to the living room with me. Your notes are waiting for you ~~~ ^o^" The last sentence was said in a sing-song voice.
And just like that, the saviour of the world was helplessly dragged behind an exuberant monk, wondering which one of the mansion's many living rooms his friend - no, comrade - was referring to.
@_@_@_@_@_@_@
As they turned around corners and walked through corridors, getting closer to their destination, Kamui could not help but notice that the smell of flowers seem to be getting stronger. His eyebrow twitched. His face felt strained. His senses alerted him. Every fibre of his whole being screamed out that one word, as it usually does with anything related to Sorata:
{SUSPICIOUS!!}
His instincts kicked in, and his brain quickly tried to make the connections: Sorata was dragging him to his study notes. Right. Study notes. Now, exactly how can you create chaos with a stack of paper? It's not as if his study notes were anything like the paper mountains stacked in the Rijichou's office.
And then it clicked.
Rijichou --- Imonoyama Nokoru --- Women..
A heavy sense of foreboding gradually slivered into his head. "Oh, Gods, please don't tell me." Kamui muttered fearfully. If it is as he thought, then the Dragons of Earth won't have much trouble wiping them out - they would have died in a battle between themselves!
Eventually, the doors to one of the entertainment-living rooms were dramatically flung open. A rush of heady fragrance immediately rushed forth, beating at his senses. He staggered a bit as Sorata dragged him inside.
"I hope you'll find my technique helpful," Sorata said sincerely, "These 'special' notes took a whole night for me to prepare!"
Kamui could only force a smile, his brain beginning to shut down, the over- riding floral fragrance leaving only one of his five senses functioning: smell, and even _that_ seemed to be fading. Back then, in his room, the smell was tantilising, and he had at least being able to distinguish a few of the scents. But now! Now, he nearly fainted from the fleet of aroma that slaughtered his senses!
There was still that suspicion though.
He made a last ditch of effort to glance around the room.
Not a good sign.
That was the younger Dragon's thought as the took in the sight of labeled bottles upon labeled bottles of Christian Dior, Tommy Girl, Kelvin Klein, and other designer labels that were spread carelessly over the room. He groaned, lamenting his and the girls' hesitance last night, missing their chance at stopping Sorata .
Last night, over a delicious dinner (courtesy of Ijyuin-san), Kamui had relayed his studying problems to his friends. Being firm supporters of Kamui, they had all readily agreed to try and help the poor boy with his studies.
Surprisingly, the first person to come up with a plan was Sorata.
But of course, with Sorata, everything tends to get a bit. 'unusual'.
* Technique 1: Smellification *
"Back at Kansai, the old man used to force me to memorise all sorts of prayers." Sorata began.
The others listened intently. Afterall, they do not know much about each other, not to mention they rarely talk about their past.
"Of course, I was still just a child then, and so had lots of trouble in the process," the young monk continued. "If I ever said a prayer wrong, I would not be allowed any dinner that night."
The others blinked. That explains the black-hole in Sorata's stomach.
"Later on, one of the old man's older apprentices took pity on me, and taught me a trick. He said, 'When I memorise prayers, I used to smear the scrolls with different incenses. That way, you can remember them by scent. It's suppose to work, because smell is the strongest sense in the human body. Of course, I'm not sure if it works with everybody, but there's no harm in trying, right?'
"Like he said, there's no harm in trying, so I did as he said. Trying to find different incenses and stealing them was hard, but I managed to acquire quite a collection. To cut a long story short, the technique worked wonders, and thus managed to memorise most of the prayers in no time." Sorata grinned, and directed his attention to Kamui, "So, would you like to try it?"
That was the great technique?? The others could only sweatdrop (or, in the case of Yuzu and Inuki, face-faulted). Kamui, meanwhile, tried to be polite and said, "That's a good suggestion, Sorata, but I doubt we have any incense here, so -"
"Oh don't worry," Sorata cut in, still wearing that triumphant grin, "I'm sure that we can always find a substitute for the smell." At that, his grin began to get impossibly wider, "Yes, some very good substitute too. I'm pretty sure there's quite a variety in that collection. and they are not that hard to 'acquire' - not as hard as the incenses anyway. hmmm."
Once again, having no idea what the hell Sorata was rattling on about, the others quietly moved to clear the remains of dinner, leaving the still grinning and pondering monk at the table.
What a big mistake.
@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@
Kamui broke out of that flashback with a loud groan, finally realising that the over-powering fragrance in the room came _not_ from flowers, but perfume, and that the 'collection' Sorata had been muttering about last night was -
"MY PERFUME COLLECTION~~~!!!!"
The two boys in the room winced at that uncharacteristic scream. They turned around and came face to face an enraged Karen-san, the fire-mistress and soap-land girl.
The instinct cultivated by seeing Nokoru dealing with emotionally- distressed women (aka. damsels-in-distress) wisely told Kamui to keep quiet and stay put in his unseen corner. His companion though, was not so wise.
"Aww, Karen-san," Sorata clapped a hand onto the attractive woman's shoulder, "don't be so shocked! It's to help Kamui-kun with his- "
"D-Don't be s-s-so." the red-head stuttered, before she saw rage, "Young man! I will have you know what it means to get on the wrong side of Karen Kazumi!!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The sun is shinning, the sky is blue, the birds are singing, the kids are laughing, there are no Dragons of Earth roaming about, and humanity is still surviving yet another day. Kishuu Arashi was quietly (calmly? -.-;;) enjoying all these small comforts as she took her morning walk. She made her way to the Campus Memorial Garden, where she meditated for a while, then went back to the Imonoyama mansion. Just as she got to the entrance though, the front door burst open. The priestess had to jump aside hastily as two figures came dashing out of the house, one chasing after the other.
"Heeeeellllllppppp~~~!!!!" shouted the first figure.
"Stop right there, you brat!!" screamed the second figure.
"Oh, Arashi-san, I'm so glad that you've come back!"
Arashi, who had been watching the two escaping figures, abruptly turned to the voice behind her. It was the young inugami mistress with her spirit guardian at her heels.
"Thank goodness you're back, Arashi-san!" Yuzuriha, still in her triple- decked-ice-cream-sundae patterned pyjama repeated, "You're probably the only one who can stop them!"
"What-" Arashi began, when another voice interrupted her.
"Remember the study technique that Sorata had suggested yesterday?" Kamui asked. At Arashi's nod, he continued, "Well, he decided to try it out by spraying my notes with all the perfume from Karen-san's precious collection."
This can't be good, the priestess of Isle thought. The three students watched Sorata and Karen disappear into the distance. Their guilty conscience nagged at them to go and separate the fight between members of their own group - but that was just a fleeting idea.
Perhaps once in a while, someone ought to put Sorata out of his mischievous ways.
A little bark caught their attention, and the turned to find that inuki was already back at the front door steps, wagging its tail, patiently waiting for them to follow. The wonderful smell of breakfast floated through the air, and they all smilingly made their way back to their delicious morning meal.
* Notes: Technique 1 - Smellification (aka the perfume technique), is suggested only to people with expensive tastes. Of course, one can always try using food smells (e.g. salt and vinegar, chocolates, gravy, etc) if they wish, but it should be noted that this has never being tested. Other possible substitutions include incense, aroma therapy, and deodorant. However, before executing this technique, the participant is strongly advised to check-up on any allergies they might possibly have. In addition, please remember that if you are borrowing someone else's fragrances, it is better to ask for their permission first. *
End Chapter 2.
* (1) Those of you who watched/read CCD probably still remember Casablanca- san, right? *giggles* I just couldn't resist putting the 'Queen of Lilies' here ^o^
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Free-talk:
In truth, I am suppose to be studying for next Monday's exam, but I'm not yet motivated to do so :-P The study-stress has merely encouraged me to turn away from studying in and put all of my frustration into words - hence this new update ^o^ (perhaps my honoured readers should start wishing that I have more exams? ^^;)
Do any of you actually find this chapter a little rough, or maybe too short? If you do, I really do apologise. I have to confess that I did not spend as much time on this chapter as I do with my other fics. I did a really rough prove-read, corrected a few grammatical and spelling errors, and that was about it. I was just so worried about people forgetting the existence of this fic, that I was anxious to get it updated ASAP! ;_; You guys out there still remember this little fanfic and its writer, don't you? *sobs* ;__; (How many of you can tell that this is a blatant attempt to fish for more reviews? ^^;;)
But naturally, the main reason is because I don't want to keep my readers waiting too long ^____^ A lot of you have said in your reviews that you want the next chapter up ASAP, so here it is! If you find this chapter a little rough, could you please leave a note on what the mistakes are, and I will fix them ASAP :-)
Actually, scratch that. Why don't you all just pretend that this is the 2nd draft, and that I will be revising it again soon. err. Consider this a 'quick-view'? ^^;;;
Now, perhaps some of you are waiting for a sneak preview? *twiddling me thumbs -.-;;* I'm sorry, I don't have it ready yet :-( All I can say is that it involves the terms 'Stickerous' and 'Gravitation'. *winks* Those are the two techniques in the following chapter! (yes, two techniques in one chapter, 'cause I don't think a chapter with only one of them is long enough -.-;;) Go ponder those two words for a bit, and try to guess what I have in store; the first one shouldn't be too hard, although the second one may really leave a bit of pondering. ^___^
One quick survey, too: Do you people want the CCD boys and Shizumi the housekeeper to appear in the upcoming chapters, or do you want them erased? Either way can be easily arranged. It won't really change the plot that much anyway - I'm just curious as to their popularity, that's all :-)
And at last, the responses to your reviews! (Please note that for unknown reasons, some of your reviews are not showing up on the review board, so I have reposted you comments here as well ^^;;) In order from earliest to latest sent:
Ashes of Death: Crazy...I like it! ^^; (Though I didn't know all of the characters...) Apus: Forgive me for not contacting you earlier! I kept forgetting that I have, at first, put this fic into the wrong category/series! It's no wonder that you didn't know all of the characters!! *smacks myself on the forehead* -.-;; Thank you very much for reading the last chapter and persevering until the end of it, even though you didn't know the characters. In any case, I hope you've found the fic interesting enough to continue reading, and that you've enjoyed this chapter! (Although I don't know if you've read it ^^;;)
Kamitra: I appreciate the comment you gave about English not being your first language. Trust me, after seeing a few people's writing who are, It makes me wonder sometimes. In any case, I think it's very well written. There's a *gasp* plot, a good background for the new character, and the phrasing is not as bad as you think. Still, I'm not in any position to give more than encouragement, so please continue writing to get better. ^^ (* I hate do break it to you, but for most of my life, a 59% has been one step below failing. -_-;;) Apus: Waaaaahhhh~! Kaaaamiiiiiitrrrrra-saaaaan~~~!!!! *glomps* How are you? I haven't posted _anything_ on CLAMPesque for such a long time (*whinges* Uni. life involves so much work *pouts*), but not to worry, I'm occasionally on lurkers-mode, so I still have a vague idea of what's going on ^o^ Thanx for the review, comments, and encouragement! I hope you've enjoyed reading this chapter :-) Hmm.. a plot? Oh dear. I hope this chapter is still in the 'contains a plot' category... It's not a disappointment though, is it? *frets* Please~~! Continue to give feedback - guidance is much appreciated! Yes, yes, I will continue writing to get better! (* The only failed mark I've got so far - not that I have any intention of failing anything again, mind you - was a 49% for Year 7 P.E.! :-P But just that one incident has already placed a stigma on me for life. ;_;)
Yuki Kitsu: hehehehehehe! FUNNY! continue, please. Apus: And continue I did ^o^ How did you find the latest chapter? Good enough to fish another review from you? *winks* I hope you've had an enjoyable read, and will continue to give me feedbacks, so as to help me improve my writing :-)
Kandra: This is very interesting! If only because I am suffering exams as well... Arg! It can't be fair to poor Kamui... who has to deal with this kind of trouble even when the world is at the brink of destruction ^^;; Write more! Please! Apus: Well, then, here you go! A whole chapter written in one single day, one of the reasons being the encouraging requests for more! Yes, yes, I will definitely write more - I've still got quite a few more techniques to go after all ^o^ I hope you've enjoyed reading this chapter! Good luck for your exams (even though you've probably gotten the results back by now ^^;;)! Please, keep up with the reviews, for I need to know what my readers are expecting! Oh, and just a friendly word of advice though: please, _please_ don't use any of the techniques mentioned in this fic; seriously, they're all just for fun!!!
Pink Leopard: XD that was great! I can't wait until the next chapter (-_-; poor Sora-chan...). Apus: *giggles* I guess I'm just a typical writer - like most others, I like torturing our genki Kansai boy ^o^V Here's the new chapter, written because of readers who encouraged me to write more ^o^ Don't worry, I have every intention of finishing this fic, as there are still some techniques waiting to be written! Thanx for the review and encouragement! Please continue to give feedbacks - I need to know what my audience wants! *grabbing at reviews like mad*)
And as always, C&C are welcome, so please leave a review, or email me at Apus000@yahoo.com.au, to let me know how I am going and/or leave suggestions for the fic. I know a lot of you out there can show me the rooms for improvement!
Really hard-pressed to get back to studying now, Apus000 ^^
Author's Notes:
Big hugs to everyone who wrote a review; thank you so much ~~~!!! It's the most replies I have got for a fic! Those lovely comments meant the world to me. You guys have no idea how happy you've made me! Doumo arigato gozaimasu~~!!! I am glad that there are people out there who like this fic. All those reviews really motivated me to write more (hence the update ^o^). I have actually written individual responses to each of your comments, so if any of you are interested, just scroll down to Free-talk and look for your name. You will find my reply to your review next to your name :-)
My deepest apologies, though, for not updating in such a long time! First year uni. involves a lot more work than I thought! Not to mention I was too caught up with the clubs and societies' activities ^^;; Anyhow, I hope this chapter is worth the wait.
On with the show ~!!
X - Study Times!
Chapter 2 - Smellification
By Apus000
When the next morning came, Kamui was greeted by the delicious smell of breakfast. Only.
Kamui sniffed the air. And frowned. Strange. Is that an underlying tone of Casablanca (1)? And is that a haze of lavender? *sniff sniff* And roses don't bloom at this time of the year, does it? (Though with the geniuses in CLAMP Campus, it's hard to tell.) It's true that there are more than over a few hundred vases of fresh flowers in this mansion, and today _is_ the day when the maids come in to clean and rearrange new flowers, but the young boy certainly don't remember flowers smelling _this_ strong before! Curious, yet cautious, he got dressed, before moving out into the hall. He was about five steps away from the kitchen, when a spiky blur suddenly glomped him from behind, startling him.
"Eeeeepppp~~~!!!" came Kamui's uncharacteristic cry. He blushed, before schooling is features into a scowl and turned to face his 'attacker', certain of who it was anyway.
Sure enough, he was greeted by the overly-cheery smile of Arisugawa Sorata, the Kansai monk. And said monk was currently having a hearty laugh at his expense. Kamui narrowed his eyes even further.
"Mou, Kamui," Sorata laughed, "you really are too much of a bishonen. You even squeak like a girl!" Kamui would have liked to correct that last comment, but the elder boy merely continued on, "Hey, come to the living room with me. Your notes are waiting for you ~~~ ^o^" The last sentence was said in a sing-song voice.
And just like that, the saviour of the world was helplessly dragged behind an exuberant monk, wondering which one of the mansion's many living rooms his friend - no, comrade - was referring to.
@_@_@_@_@_@_@
As they turned around corners and walked through corridors, getting closer to their destination, Kamui could not help but notice that the smell of flowers seem to be getting stronger. His eyebrow twitched. His face felt strained. His senses alerted him. Every fibre of his whole being screamed out that one word, as it usually does with anything related to Sorata:
{SUSPICIOUS!!}
His instincts kicked in, and his brain quickly tried to make the connections: Sorata was dragging him to his study notes. Right. Study notes. Now, exactly how can you create chaos with a stack of paper? It's not as if his study notes were anything like the paper mountains stacked in the Rijichou's office.
And then it clicked.
Rijichou --- Imonoyama Nokoru --- Women..
A heavy sense of foreboding gradually slivered into his head. "Oh, Gods, please don't tell me." Kamui muttered fearfully. If it is as he thought, then the Dragons of Earth won't have much trouble wiping them out - they would have died in a battle between themselves!
Eventually, the doors to one of the entertainment-living rooms were dramatically flung open. A rush of heady fragrance immediately rushed forth, beating at his senses. He staggered a bit as Sorata dragged him inside.
"I hope you'll find my technique helpful," Sorata said sincerely, "These 'special' notes took a whole night for me to prepare!"
Kamui could only force a smile, his brain beginning to shut down, the over- riding floral fragrance leaving only one of his five senses functioning: smell, and even _that_ seemed to be fading. Back then, in his room, the smell was tantilising, and he had at least being able to distinguish a few of the scents. But now! Now, he nearly fainted from the fleet of aroma that slaughtered his senses!
There was still that suspicion though.
He made a last ditch of effort to glance around the room.
Not a good sign.
That was the younger Dragon's thought as the took in the sight of labeled bottles upon labeled bottles of Christian Dior, Tommy Girl, Kelvin Klein, and other designer labels that were spread carelessly over the room. He groaned, lamenting his and the girls' hesitance last night, missing their chance at stopping Sorata .
Last night, over a delicious dinner (courtesy of Ijyuin-san), Kamui had relayed his studying problems to his friends. Being firm supporters of Kamui, they had all readily agreed to try and help the poor boy with his studies.
Surprisingly, the first person to come up with a plan was Sorata.
But of course, with Sorata, everything tends to get a bit. 'unusual'.
* Technique 1: Smellification *
"Back at Kansai, the old man used to force me to memorise all sorts of prayers." Sorata began.
The others listened intently. Afterall, they do not know much about each other, not to mention they rarely talk about their past.
"Of course, I was still just a child then, and so had lots of trouble in the process," the young monk continued. "If I ever said a prayer wrong, I would not be allowed any dinner that night."
The others blinked. That explains the black-hole in Sorata's stomach.
"Later on, one of the old man's older apprentices took pity on me, and taught me a trick. He said, 'When I memorise prayers, I used to smear the scrolls with different incenses. That way, you can remember them by scent. It's suppose to work, because smell is the strongest sense in the human body. Of course, I'm not sure if it works with everybody, but there's no harm in trying, right?'
"Like he said, there's no harm in trying, so I did as he said. Trying to find different incenses and stealing them was hard, but I managed to acquire quite a collection. To cut a long story short, the technique worked wonders, and thus managed to memorise most of the prayers in no time." Sorata grinned, and directed his attention to Kamui, "So, would you like to try it?"
That was the great technique?? The others could only sweatdrop (or, in the case of Yuzu and Inuki, face-faulted). Kamui, meanwhile, tried to be polite and said, "That's a good suggestion, Sorata, but I doubt we have any incense here, so -"
"Oh don't worry," Sorata cut in, still wearing that triumphant grin, "I'm sure that we can always find a substitute for the smell." At that, his grin began to get impossibly wider, "Yes, some very good substitute too. I'm pretty sure there's quite a variety in that collection. and they are not that hard to 'acquire' - not as hard as the incenses anyway. hmmm."
Once again, having no idea what the hell Sorata was rattling on about, the others quietly moved to clear the remains of dinner, leaving the still grinning and pondering monk at the table.
What a big mistake.
@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@
Kamui broke out of that flashback with a loud groan, finally realising that the over-powering fragrance in the room came _not_ from flowers, but perfume, and that the 'collection' Sorata had been muttering about last night was -
"MY PERFUME COLLECTION~~~!!!!"
The two boys in the room winced at that uncharacteristic scream. They turned around and came face to face an enraged Karen-san, the fire-mistress and soap-land girl.
The instinct cultivated by seeing Nokoru dealing with emotionally- distressed women (aka. damsels-in-distress) wisely told Kamui to keep quiet and stay put in his unseen corner. His companion though, was not so wise.
"Aww, Karen-san," Sorata clapped a hand onto the attractive woman's shoulder, "don't be so shocked! It's to help Kamui-kun with his- "
"D-Don't be s-s-so." the red-head stuttered, before she saw rage, "Young man! I will have you know what it means to get on the wrong side of Karen Kazumi!!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The sun is shinning, the sky is blue, the birds are singing, the kids are laughing, there are no Dragons of Earth roaming about, and humanity is still surviving yet another day. Kishuu Arashi was quietly (calmly? -.-;;) enjoying all these small comforts as she took her morning walk. She made her way to the Campus Memorial Garden, where she meditated for a while, then went back to the Imonoyama mansion. Just as she got to the entrance though, the front door burst open. The priestess had to jump aside hastily as two figures came dashing out of the house, one chasing after the other.
"Heeeeellllllppppp~~~!!!!" shouted the first figure.
"Stop right there, you brat!!" screamed the second figure.
"Oh, Arashi-san, I'm so glad that you've come back!"
Arashi, who had been watching the two escaping figures, abruptly turned to the voice behind her. It was the young inugami mistress with her spirit guardian at her heels.
"Thank goodness you're back, Arashi-san!" Yuzuriha, still in her triple- decked-ice-cream-sundae patterned pyjama repeated, "You're probably the only one who can stop them!"
"What-" Arashi began, when another voice interrupted her.
"Remember the study technique that Sorata had suggested yesterday?" Kamui asked. At Arashi's nod, he continued, "Well, he decided to try it out by spraying my notes with all the perfume from Karen-san's precious collection."
This can't be good, the priestess of Isle thought. The three students watched Sorata and Karen disappear into the distance. Their guilty conscience nagged at them to go and separate the fight between members of their own group - but that was just a fleeting idea.
Perhaps once in a while, someone ought to put Sorata out of his mischievous ways.
A little bark caught their attention, and the turned to find that inuki was already back at the front door steps, wagging its tail, patiently waiting for them to follow. The wonderful smell of breakfast floated through the air, and they all smilingly made their way back to their delicious morning meal.
* Notes: Technique 1 - Smellification (aka the perfume technique), is suggested only to people with expensive tastes. Of course, one can always try using food smells (e.g. salt and vinegar, chocolates, gravy, etc) if they wish, but it should be noted that this has never being tested. Other possible substitutions include incense, aroma therapy, and deodorant. However, before executing this technique, the participant is strongly advised to check-up on any allergies they might possibly have. In addition, please remember that if you are borrowing someone else's fragrances, it is better to ask for their permission first. *
End Chapter 2.
* (1) Those of you who watched/read CCD probably still remember Casablanca- san, right? *giggles* I just couldn't resist putting the 'Queen of Lilies' here ^o^
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Free-talk:
In truth, I am suppose to be studying for next Monday's exam, but I'm not yet motivated to do so :-P The study-stress has merely encouraged me to turn away from studying in and put all of my frustration into words - hence this new update ^o^ (perhaps my honoured readers should start wishing that I have more exams? ^^;)
Do any of you actually find this chapter a little rough, or maybe too short? If you do, I really do apologise. I have to confess that I did not spend as much time on this chapter as I do with my other fics. I did a really rough prove-read, corrected a few grammatical and spelling errors, and that was about it. I was just so worried about people forgetting the existence of this fic, that I was anxious to get it updated ASAP! ;_; You guys out there still remember this little fanfic and its writer, don't you? *sobs* ;__; (How many of you can tell that this is a blatant attempt to fish for more reviews? ^^;;)
But naturally, the main reason is because I don't want to keep my readers waiting too long ^____^ A lot of you have said in your reviews that you want the next chapter up ASAP, so here it is! If you find this chapter a little rough, could you please leave a note on what the mistakes are, and I will fix them ASAP :-)
Actually, scratch that. Why don't you all just pretend that this is the 2nd draft, and that I will be revising it again soon. err. Consider this a 'quick-view'? ^^;;;
Now, perhaps some of you are waiting for a sneak preview? *twiddling me thumbs -.-;;* I'm sorry, I don't have it ready yet :-( All I can say is that it involves the terms 'Stickerous' and 'Gravitation'. *winks* Those are the two techniques in the following chapter! (yes, two techniques in one chapter, 'cause I don't think a chapter with only one of them is long enough -.-;;) Go ponder those two words for a bit, and try to guess what I have in store; the first one shouldn't be too hard, although the second one may really leave a bit of pondering. ^___^
One quick survey, too: Do you people want the CCD boys and Shizumi the housekeeper to appear in the upcoming chapters, or do you want them erased? Either way can be easily arranged. It won't really change the plot that much anyway - I'm just curious as to their popularity, that's all :-)
And at last, the responses to your reviews! (Please note that for unknown reasons, some of your reviews are not showing up on the review board, so I have reposted you comments here as well ^^;;) In order from earliest to latest sent:
Ashes of Death: Crazy...I like it! ^^; (Though I didn't know all of the characters...) Apus: Forgive me for not contacting you earlier! I kept forgetting that I have, at first, put this fic into the wrong category/series! It's no wonder that you didn't know all of the characters!! *smacks myself on the forehead* -.-;; Thank you very much for reading the last chapter and persevering until the end of it, even though you didn't know the characters. In any case, I hope you've found the fic interesting enough to continue reading, and that you've enjoyed this chapter! (Although I don't know if you've read it ^^;;)
Kamitra: I appreciate the comment you gave about English not being your first language. Trust me, after seeing a few people's writing who are, It makes me wonder sometimes. In any case, I think it's very well written. There's a *gasp* plot, a good background for the new character, and the phrasing is not as bad as you think. Still, I'm not in any position to give more than encouragement, so please continue writing to get better. ^^ (* I hate do break it to you, but for most of my life, a 59% has been one step below failing. -_-;;) Apus: Waaaaahhhh~! Kaaaamiiiiiitrrrrra-saaaaan~~~!!!! *glomps* How are you? I haven't posted _anything_ on CLAMPesque for such a long time (*whinges* Uni. life involves so much work *pouts*), but not to worry, I'm occasionally on lurkers-mode, so I still have a vague idea of what's going on ^o^ Thanx for the review, comments, and encouragement! I hope you've enjoyed reading this chapter :-) Hmm.. a plot? Oh dear. I hope this chapter is still in the 'contains a plot' category... It's not a disappointment though, is it? *frets* Please~~! Continue to give feedback - guidance is much appreciated! Yes, yes, I will continue writing to get better! (* The only failed mark I've got so far - not that I have any intention of failing anything again, mind you - was a 49% for Year 7 P.E.! :-P But just that one incident has already placed a stigma on me for life. ;_;)
Yuki Kitsu: hehehehehehe! FUNNY! continue, please. Apus: And continue I did ^o^ How did you find the latest chapter? Good enough to fish another review from you? *winks* I hope you've had an enjoyable read, and will continue to give me feedbacks, so as to help me improve my writing :-)
Kandra: This is very interesting! If only because I am suffering exams as well... Arg! It can't be fair to poor Kamui... who has to deal with this kind of trouble even when the world is at the brink of destruction ^^;; Write more! Please! Apus: Well, then, here you go! A whole chapter written in one single day, one of the reasons being the encouraging requests for more! Yes, yes, I will definitely write more - I've still got quite a few more techniques to go after all ^o^ I hope you've enjoyed reading this chapter! Good luck for your exams (even though you've probably gotten the results back by now ^^;;)! Please, keep up with the reviews, for I need to know what my readers are expecting! Oh, and just a friendly word of advice though: please, _please_ don't use any of the techniques mentioned in this fic; seriously, they're all just for fun!!!
Pink Leopard: XD that was great! I can't wait until the next chapter (-_-; poor Sora-chan...). Apus: *giggles* I guess I'm just a typical writer - like most others, I like torturing our genki Kansai boy ^o^V Here's the new chapter, written because of readers who encouraged me to write more ^o^ Don't worry, I have every intention of finishing this fic, as there are still some techniques waiting to be written! Thanx for the review and encouragement! Please continue to give feedbacks - I need to know what my audience wants! *grabbing at reviews like mad*)
And as always, C&C are welcome, so please leave a review, or email me at Apus000@yahoo.com.au, to let me know how I am going and/or leave suggestions for the fic. I know a lot of you out there can show me the rooms for improvement!
Really hard-pressed to get back to studying now, Apus000 ^^