Can't.....find....time.....to.....write!!!! I am SO SOOO SORRY to all of
my readers! I can't believe it's been nearly 3 or 4 months since I've
updated, and it's all because of the evil thing that the parental units
like to call an education!!! You all must want to throw banana meringue
pies in my face or something......So, to atone for my grave sin, I promise
to make this chapter extra long!!
~bunniehoney
RANDOM NOTES: Email me at tinyhoshiko@hotmail.com if you want to get email notifications for whenever I update this fic! I changed the last two chapters a little bit, and stuck in a few more cameos...^_^ [You might just want to skim for any unfamiliar parts, since, the appearances might be referred to in this chapter!] Oh, just to make it a little more clear, this fic is primarily based on Magic Knight Rayearth, although characters from many other CLAMP series will make special appearances!
DISCLAIMER: All of these wonderful characters belong to the fabulous ladies of CLAMP!
************************************************************************
Chapter 3
Hikaru stared blankly ahead of her as she and her two friends Umi and Fuu walked to the auditorium for a movie. She had a lot on her mind....mainly the class that they would be attending next.
It was the infamous joint philosophy class, taught by the one person other than Suoh who had beat her in hand to hand combat. Last time she had gone he picked on her all throughout the period. Lantis even held her back late after class to tease her about her defeat. What's worse, another girl named Primera had shunned her friendship. Hikaru could remember the painful words as they echoed in her head.
"It's not fair that Lantis pays so much attention to you!" Primera had yelled at her a day after that very first class. "And for all the time I've known him, he's never even looked at me, let alone crack a smile! But noooo, he'll talk to the spunky redhead anytime he wants!! Well, you can have him, you.....you....whore!!"
The poor little girl had been blown away by those words, and shivered at the thought of having to sit next to a hostile seat partner. She didn't even comprehend what Primera meant....after all, Hikaru wanted nothing to do with that mean old Lantis!
"Karu, are you alright?" a gentle voice crooned. Hikaru was shaken out of her thoughts and brought back to the real world. She looked behind her, to where Fuu and Umi were standing. They both had looks of sympathy on their faces. "You know it breaks our hearts to see our little sis so broken up inside," continued Fuu.
"Ah, is it a boy problem?" Umi said, moving forward to give her a hug. "Did one of those unfeeling jerks break your heart?"
Hikaru's eyes opened in surprise. "Oh no guys, I'll be fine!! I have a strong will!"
"If you say so," said the cook of the trio, letting her go. "Just take care of yourself, okay?"
"Okie dokie!" Hikaru said with a salute.
Umi and Fuu giggled and were about to continue walking when a young girl with short dark brown hair burst out of some nearby bushes. She screamed in terrible fright, looking at the bushes in horror. The bushes shook violently. Umi and Fuu backed up, equally as afraid as the young girl.
Hikaru, on the other hand, approached the bush with a sense of wonder. She was curious as to what exactly was shaking the bush......when out popped a dog! The dog quickly jumped on Hikaru and started licking her, wagging its tail. "Aww," she said, gushing. "What a cute puppy! He's just like my doggie back home!"
"Inuki!" exclaimed a familiar voice. In came charging the two boys from earlier, Kentaro and Takeshi. Inuki, the dog, ran towards Kentaro, who subdued him, while Takeshi took Hikaru's hand and kissed it. "Thank you indeed for you services to Duklyon!" Superhero music started playing once again, and before the girls knew it, the boys and dog were gone.
"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" squealed the once terrified girl. She bowed many times to Hikaru, who looked on in confusion. "I, Misaki of the CLAMP Elementary Division owe you much gratitude for saving my life!"
"Ehh, no problem!" Hikaru replied.
Misaki stopped bowing rapidly to look up. "You'll be my hero FOREVER!!" She said, her eyes glowing with the radiance of admiration. Then she too dashed off.
"What was THAT about?" Umi said, looking sideways at the dust cloud that Misaki left behind.
"No idea...." Fuu said, scratching her head. They both looked at Hikaru, who shrugged her shoulders.
"Let's get to the auditorium before the movie starts!" Hikaru exclaimed, beginning to skip away. She started hopping backwards, yelling to her two friends, "I heard it was a good one! Something called X something or other!"
Then, BAM! She fell like a rock. "You shouldn't walk backward, Ms. Shidou," a familiar voice said as the owner stumbled back a bit himself.
"Heh, what?" Hikaru answered back groggily. She stumbled back and forth, and started walking forward again before she fell down a deep hole that had somehow appeared out of nowhere. Somewhere in the shadows, a young girl with short auburn hair gasped.
"Ohmigosh!" she said sadly. "I can't believe a Clow card would do such a horrible thing!" She quickly rollerbladed off to catch the culprit who made the hole.
Meanwhile, Umi and Fuu rushed right over to where their friend had dropped down, only to find that their teacher had hopped down the hole himself and brought her back up. They gazed flabbergasted at the unconscious Hikaru in his arms.
"Lantis sempai!" gasped Fuu. Both she and Umi immediately bowed to him. "We are so sorry that Hikaru was so rude to bump into you like that!"
"It's ok girls," he said with a warm smile. "I will take her to the hospital building. You two should be heading for the movie. It's about to start, whether you are present or not!"
"Sure thing, Mr. Lantis!" Umi said, pulling Fuu away.
Lantis nodded, and started walking in the opposite direction.
Hikaru felt like she was in a dream. She was the Princess of some faraway place, being whisked away by a handsome knight in shining armor. He carried her in her arms to some place with four white walls and laid her on a soft white bed. Hikaru looked up into the handsome face of her tall and dashing savior. Her eyes met his as he bent down slowly for a kiss.....
.....When Hikaru woke up to find herself on that same white bed. She sat straight up and looked around her at the four white walls of her hospital room. Had she dreamt all of that, or was it for real? It probably was, since now her head throbbed with an immense pain. She reached up to try and decipher what was wrong, and encountered bandages on her forehead. Something else was strange.....she couldn't move her left arm.
Before she could figure out what was wrong with her, a man in his twenties wearing a stethoscope walked in. He looked sternly at her, expressing no emotion, the consulted the clipboard he was carrying. "Miss Hikaru Shidou, 14 years old, suffering from a minor concussion and what seems to be a broken arm," he read in a monotone voice.
"Broken arm?!" Hikaru gasped, her jaw dropping to the ground.
"Yes indeed," the doctor continued, addressing her directly. "You may call me Doctor Shuichiro."
"Oh me, oh my!" squeaked a blonde girl in a nurse's outfit. Hikaru squinted her eyes, instantly recognizing the features of the young woman. It was, in fact, Kohaku, Lantis's teaching assistant. Kohaku bustled about, trying to make Hikaru as comfortable as she could. "You must have had quite a fall, Ms. Shidou! When I saw Mr. Sol bring you in, I knew something was up!"
Hikaru nodded enthusiastically, then stopped because it hurt her head too much. She grabbed her cranium in pain. "So," the redhead said slowly. "You're a nurse too?"
Kohaku blushed. "I'm sort of training to be an all around assistant.....when I graduate, I'll be able to work as a secretary, a nurse, a teacher's aide, a maid....."
"Oh, I see," Hikaru replied, smiling warmly at her. Kohaku smiled back.
"Well, Ms. Shidou," interrupted Dr. Shuichiro. "We would much like it if you stayed overnight, just in case there are any complications to your condition. Nurse Kohaku will be your aide throughout the night should you need anything."
"Thank you, Doctor!" beamed the small redhead.
"You can count on me to take care of her!" the blonde girl said, making a peace sign with her fingers.
"Oh geez, did you see poor Hikaru?" Umi said as she and Fuu walked to their bus stop.
"I know! She was unconscious in her bed when we went to visit her...." groaned a worried Fuu. "But, the doctor said she would be okay by tomorrow....."
"Yeah...." There was silence as they reached the bench and sat down side by side, two friends who were worried about their adopted little sister.
Fuu tried to lighten up the situation. "What did you think of that movie?"
"Oh, X/1999?" Umi asked. "Very good, but a little too dramatic for me. Also gory....blech...."
"Tell me about it.....so many people dying.... You think that's how the world will end?"
"Hopefully, we'll have a Kamui to save us....."
Fuu nodded, then had that funny feeling again. Her senses tingled with excitement whenever she had this feeling. It was like she had a sixth sense which told her that somehow, she was being watched. She looked all about her at the various trees that seemed to bear cherry blossoms year round.
Umi noticed her friend's nervousness, and immediately knew what was up. She cleared her throat, then yelled at the top of her lungs, "FERIO, YOU GET DOWN FROM THAT TREE THIS INSTANT!!"
Down dropped the green-haired mischief maker. He had been hanging in the tree above them the whole time! Umi stared him down. "Just what were you doing spying on us again?!"
Poor Ferio rubbed his sore rear end. "I was trying to get that hat!" He pointed to a stray straw hat in the tree where he originally was.
"Oh," Umi said, feeling let down. "For a moment there, I thought you were doing something else...."
"What are you implying?!"
"Oh nothing...."
"Eww, you have a dirty mind!"
"It runs in the family, oh perverted one!" Umi stuck her tongue out at her cousin, while Ferio just turned his back on her begrudgingly. Fuu, feeling like the mediator, attempted once again to lighten up the conversation.
"Erm, so Umi! You're starting that babysitting job today, aren't you?"
Umi's face did in fact lighten up with glee. "Yes! 1000 yen a month just to take care of some brats! This'll be piece of cake!"
"Oh, I wouldn't say that...." Fuu warned. "I heard the Li children are out of control!"
"Where do you get all this information, Fuu?" Umi asked in curiosity. "I mean, it's like your CLAMP school's official gossiper!"
"Oh, leave it up to my big sister to figure out what's going on around campus!" Fuu exclaimed, trying to take the blame off of herself. "I mean, she's the one that's nosy and all that!"
"Oh, suuuure Fuu," the blue-haired beauty replied, nudging the blonde playfully in the ribs.
"I mean it! Just the other day, my sister found out from her boss, Icchan, that Chii was stolen by the Man of Many Faces?"
"The who of many what?" asked Umi.
Fuu adjusted her glasses in a know-it-all sort of way, then began to explain. "The Man of Many Faces is the local con artist here at CLAMP. He is a gentleman thief who always leaves a warning of what he is going to steal next. This latest crime, though, was quite different..... The note left by the thief was signed the Man of Many Faces, but the handwriting was atrocious and the grammar was grossly incorrect."
"What's a Chii?" Ferio inquired.
Fuu sighed and once again launched into another explanation. "Chii is the robot, or what some may term 'persocom,' that my sister, along with many other young female scientists, were working on with the lead genius, Icchan. She is a Chobit, or a persocom that can actually feel."
"Oh, I see," said a now informed Umi. "Say, what other rumors do you have up your sleeve?" She smiled mischieviously. Ferio gulped nervously, as if he were afraid that Fuu would have a story to tell about him.
"Oh, nothing else...." Fuu said, seeing the bus down the road. Ferio breathed a sigh of relief.
"Uh oh," Umi said, clapping her hand to the side of her face. "I forgot! I have to take a different bus now, and Hikaru can't walk you back home! You have to go by yourself!"
"Don't worry!" her blonde friend replied. "Ferio will protect me, won't you Ferio?" Fuu turned to the green-haired boy, who turned a bright red.
Umi smiled. "You two have fun then!" Fuu nodded and pulled a frozen stiff Ferio on board the bus by his necktie.
Umi rolled her eyes at the sight, and sat back down to await the next bus that would take her to her next destination: the Li household.
She felt strange standing in front of the big house a few minutes later. It seemed to empty and desolate. The house was also in a weird spot: right in the middle of the city, next to some shabby apartment buildings and a place called the Duklyon Cafe.
The girl shrugged her shoulders and walked up to the front door. She only had to ring the doorbell once to get an answer. The enormous slab of wood creaked open, revealing a short man with lavender hair.
"Oh, you must be one of the dear little children!" bubbled Umi.
The male stared her down. "I AM THE MASTER OF THIS HOUSE, NOT A LITLE BOY!" He bopped her on the head with an umbrella.
"Oh my, don't mind Clef!" came Presea's voice. She quickly came to the front door and pushed her angry little husband out of the way. "He gets angered very easily." Umi nodded nervously, rubbing the spot where Clef had bonked her on the head. "Welcome to our home!" Presea said, taking pride in her house.
Presea looked at her watch and panicked, picking up all of the luggage and bustling about. At the same time, she was instructing Umi.
"Syaoran and Meilin always have after school activities to attend to, while Ascot tends to lock himself in his room right after school. He shouldn't be that much of a bother to you. If the children so wish, and if your parents grant you permission, you may stay in the guestroom, so that way you may keep a closer watch on the little angels! Oh, and be careful, the two younger ones tend to sneak out a lot for who knows what!"
Umi nodded her head, trying to take mental notes of all that was being told to her.
"Oh, you mustn't let the children have too many sweets before bedtime! And no video games or internet while we are gone! If you need us, there are emergency phone numbers posted on the refrigerator. And there's extra money should you need it in my room in the dresser! We'll pay you when we get back! Goodbye dear Ms. Ryuuzaki!" Before she knew it, both Presea and Clef were out of the house and on their way to their vacation in the United States of America.
The teenage girl felt too dazed and confused to think, and plopped down her schoolbag on a nearby couch. Then she commenced to do the thing that brought her the most delight, as well as the most relaxation: cooking.
She whipped up a fine after school snack of chocolate chip cookies in a short period of time, and then laid them out on a plate in the middle of the kitchen table. The heavenly smell permeated throughout the whole household.
Smiling at her work, Umi left the kitchen to go fetch some homework to do. When she got back with some geometry worksheets, the cookies had disappeared! All that was left were a few stray crumbs. The girl grew fearful and looked all around her for traces of another living, or perhaps nonliving, creature in the premises. Seeing no clues, she set about to baking another batch of cookies.
After a few minutes, those too were finished. As she was pulling them out of the oven, she backed up into something large and warm. It growled hungrily, forcing Umi to shiver in fear uncontrollably. She was shaking so badly that the cookies starting falling to the ground.
Umi bent down to pick them up, only to find that a long tongue was already doing that for her. She looked behind her to see the owner of the long tongue: a huge ghastly monster with numerous sharp teeth, petals around its head like a flower, and the number 1 on its forehead. It smiled at her and used its tongue to remove the whole plate from Umi's hand and empty it into its mouth.
At that exact moment, Umi fainted. ************************************************************************
Thank you to my dear, and hopefully, patient reviewers!!
Momentum~ I'll be trying to stick in any CLAMP character I can into this fic, that yes that includes the wonderful WISH!
Repori~ Oh, don't worry about Angelic Layer not being included....Currently, I've read enough of it to stick some in, so watch out for Misaki, Icchan, and the Angel Hikaru!
Lady of Genesis~ Eagle and the others from Autozam will show up soon, along with the people from Fahren! And I'm sorry, I don't know what "suikoden" is... (
Anima Mouse~ You'll see what happens with Umi's babysitting job, and how Primera will react to Lantis's doting on Hikaru!
Kyaa Kyaff~ You want bows, ribbons, and polka? DONE! Muahah, I'll try and fit those in somehow....^_^
Goddess LD~ Updating right now....hehehe
Miemu Akari~ Oh no, it was her birthday?! Oh sorry about that.....but don't worry, life for Hikaru and the others will definitely improve!
Destiny~ Like I said to Repori, Angelic Layer WILL be in this fic now!
Mossygirl~ Glad you like it! Stay tuned for more!
Hagane~ Lantis is not in character for a reason....and you'll see that reason soon enough k hun? ^_^
Twin-ascot~ Awww, you love me! You really love me!!
Animechick~ Yes, I am indeed the author of How to Lose a Guy, and I hope I didn't make the identities of the three Li kids THAT obvious....hahaha
Meli~ Oooh, I like the little cheer! Thanks!!
Sarah Harvey~ I love all the MKR couples, including Ferio and Fuu!! They're all so adorable!
Neko-chan~ Thanks for the compliment!! It's not everyday that a girl gets such a nice comment!! And keep on writing....that's how I got where I am! Practice Practice Practice!!!
Mischief Monkey~ Oh don't you worry, I'll keep writing until this fic is done!!
Nessa~ HAH!!! I finally found time to update!!! ^_^
Kitty Hanyou~ I love WISH and just had to stick it in! This is a CLAMP fic after all....but I can't tell you whether or not I'll pair Kohaku with Shuichiro or Koryuu....
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Stay tuned for more! I'll definitely try and update sooner!!
With love, bunniehoney
~bunniehoney
RANDOM NOTES: Email me at tinyhoshiko@hotmail.com if you want to get email notifications for whenever I update this fic! I changed the last two chapters a little bit, and stuck in a few more cameos...^_^ [You might just want to skim for any unfamiliar parts, since, the appearances might be referred to in this chapter!] Oh, just to make it a little more clear, this fic is primarily based on Magic Knight Rayearth, although characters from many other CLAMP series will make special appearances!
DISCLAIMER: All of these wonderful characters belong to the fabulous ladies of CLAMP!
************************************************************************
Chapter 3
Hikaru stared blankly ahead of her as she and her two friends Umi and Fuu walked to the auditorium for a movie. She had a lot on her mind....mainly the class that they would be attending next.
It was the infamous joint philosophy class, taught by the one person other than Suoh who had beat her in hand to hand combat. Last time she had gone he picked on her all throughout the period. Lantis even held her back late after class to tease her about her defeat. What's worse, another girl named Primera had shunned her friendship. Hikaru could remember the painful words as they echoed in her head.
"It's not fair that Lantis pays so much attention to you!" Primera had yelled at her a day after that very first class. "And for all the time I've known him, he's never even looked at me, let alone crack a smile! But noooo, he'll talk to the spunky redhead anytime he wants!! Well, you can have him, you.....you....whore!!"
The poor little girl had been blown away by those words, and shivered at the thought of having to sit next to a hostile seat partner. She didn't even comprehend what Primera meant....after all, Hikaru wanted nothing to do with that mean old Lantis!
"Karu, are you alright?" a gentle voice crooned. Hikaru was shaken out of her thoughts and brought back to the real world. She looked behind her, to where Fuu and Umi were standing. They both had looks of sympathy on their faces. "You know it breaks our hearts to see our little sis so broken up inside," continued Fuu.
"Ah, is it a boy problem?" Umi said, moving forward to give her a hug. "Did one of those unfeeling jerks break your heart?"
Hikaru's eyes opened in surprise. "Oh no guys, I'll be fine!! I have a strong will!"
"If you say so," said the cook of the trio, letting her go. "Just take care of yourself, okay?"
"Okie dokie!" Hikaru said with a salute.
Umi and Fuu giggled and were about to continue walking when a young girl with short dark brown hair burst out of some nearby bushes. She screamed in terrible fright, looking at the bushes in horror. The bushes shook violently. Umi and Fuu backed up, equally as afraid as the young girl.
Hikaru, on the other hand, approached the bush with a sense of wonder. She was curious as to what exactly was shaking the bush......when out popped a dog! The dog quickly jumped on Hikaru and started licking her, wagging its tail. "Aww," she said, gushing. "What a cute puppy! He's just like my doggie back home!"
"Inuki!" exclaimed a familiar voice. In came charging the two boys from earlier, Kentaro and Takeshi. Inuki, the dog, ran towards Kentaro, who subdued him, while Takeshi took Hikaru's hand and kissed it. "Thank you indeed for you services to Duklyon!" Superhero music started playing once again, and before the girls knew it, the boys and dog were gone.
"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" squealed the once terrified girl. She bowed many times to Hikaru, who looked on in confusion. "I, Misaki of the CLAMP Elementary Division owe you much gratitude for saving my life!"
"Ehh, no problem!" Hikaru replied.
Misaki stopped bowing rapidly to look up. "You'll be my hero FOREVER!!" She said, her eyes glowing with the radiance of admiration. Then she too dashed off.
"What was THAT about?" Umi said, looking sideways at the dust cloud that Misaki left behind.
"No idea...." Fuu said, scratching her head. They both looked at Hikaru, who shrugged her shoulders.
"Let's get to the auditorium before the movie starts!" Hikaru exclaimed, beginning to skip away. She started hopping backwards, yelling to her two friends, "I heard it was a good one! Something called X something or other!"
Then, BAM! She fell like a rock. "You shouldn't walk backward, Ms. Shidou," a familiar voice said as the owner stumbled back a bit himself.
"Heh, what?" Hikaru answered back groggily. She stumbled back and forth, and started walking forward again before she fell down a deep hole that had somehow appeared out of nowhere. Somewhere in the shadows, a young girl with short auburn hair gasped.
"Ohmigosh!" she said sadly. "I can't believe a Clow card would do such a horrible thing!" She quickly rollerbladed off to catch the culprit who made the hole.
Meanwhile, Umi and Fuu rushed right over to where their friend had dropped down, only to find that their teacher had hopped down the hole himself and brought her back up. They gazed flabbergasted at the unconscious Hikaru in his arms.
"Lantis sempai!" gasped Fuu. Both she and Umi immediately bowed to him. "We are so sorry that Hikaru was so rude to bump into you like that!"
"It's ok girls," he said with a warm smile. "I will take her to the hospital building. You two should be heading for the movie. It's about to start, whether you are present or not!"
"Sure thing, Mr. Lantis!" Umi said, pulling Fuu away.
Lantis nodded, and started walking in the opposite direction.
Hikaru felt like she was in a dream. She was the Princess of some faraway place, being whisked away by a handsome knight in shining armor. He carried her in her arms to some place with four white walls and laid her on a soft white bed. Hikaru looked up into the handsome face of her tall and dashing savior. Her eyes met his as he bent down slowly for a kiss.....
.....When Hikaru woke up to find herself on that same white bed. She sat straight up and looked around her at the four white walls of her hospital room. Had she dreamt all of that, or was it for real? It probably was, since now her head throbbed with an immense pain. She reached up to try and decipher what was wrong, and encountered bandages on her forehead. Something else was strange.....she couldn't move her left arm.
Before she could figure out what was wrong with her, a man in his twenties wearing a stethoscope walked in. He looked sternly at her, expressing no emotion, the consulted the clipboard he was carrying. "Miss Hikaru Shidou, 14 years old, suffering from a minor concussion and what seems to be a broken arm," he read in a monotone voice.
"Broken arm?!" Hikaru gasped, her jaw dropping to the ground.
"Yes indeed," the doctor continued, addressing her directly. "You may call me Doctor Shuichiro."
"Oh me, oh my!" squeaked a blonde girl in a nurse's outfit. Hikaru squinted her eyes, instantly recognizing the features of the young woman. It was, in fact, Kohaku, Lantis's teaching assistant. Kohaku bustled about, trying to make Hikaru as comfortable as she could. "You must have had quite a fall, Ms. Shidou! When I saw Mr. Sol bring you in, I knew something was up!"
Hikaru nodded enthusiastically, then stopped because it hurt her head too much. She grabbed her cranium in pain. "So," the redhead said slowly. "You're a nurse too?"
Kohaku blushed. "I'm sort of training to be an all around assistant.....when I graduate, I'll be able to work as a secretary, a nurse, a teacher's aide, a maid....."
"Oh, I see," Hikaru replied, smiling warmly at her. Kohaku smiled back.
"Well, Ms. Shidou," interrupted Dr. Shuichiro. "We would much like it if you stayed overnight, just in case there are any complications to your condition. Nurse Kohaku will be your aide throughout the night should you need anything."
"Thank you, Doctor!" beamed the small redhead.
"You can count on me to take care of her!" the blonde girl said, making a peace sign with her fingers.
"Oh geez, did you see poor Hikaru?" Umi said as she and Fuu walked to their bus stop.
"I know! She was unconscious in her bed when we went to visit her...." groaned a worried Fuu. "But, the doctor said she would be okay by tomorrow....."
"Yeah...." There was silence as they reached the bench and sat down side by side, two friends who were worried about their adopted little sister.
Fuu tried to lighten up the situation. "What did you think of that movie?"
"Oh, X/1999?" Umi asked. "Very good, but a little too dramatic for me. Also gory....blech...."
"Tell me about it.....so many people dying.... You think that's how the world will end?"
"Hopefully, we'll have a Kamui to save us....."
Fuu nodded, then had that funny feeling again. Her senses tingled with excitement whenever she had this feeling. It was like she had a sixth sense which told her that somehow, she was being watched. She looked all about her at the various trees that seemed to bear cherry blossoms year round.
Umi noticed her friend's nervousness, and immediately knew what was up. She cleared her throat, then yelled at the top of her lungs, "FERIO, YOU GET DOWN FROM THAT TREE THIS INSTANT!!"
Down dropped the green-haired mischief maker. He had been hanging in the tree above them the whole time! Umi stared him down. "Just what were you doing spying on us again?!"
Poor Ferio rubbed his sore rear end. "I was trying to get that hat!" He pointed to a stray straw hat in the tree where he originally was.
"Oh," Umi said, feeling let down. "For a moment there, I thought you were doing something else...."
"What are you implying?!"
"Oh nothing...."
"Eww, you have a dirty mind!"
"It runs in the family, oh perverted one!" Umi stuck her tongue out at her cousin, while Ferio just turned his back on her begrudgingly. Fuu, feeling like the mediator, attempted once again to lighten up the conversation.
"Erm, so Umi! You're starting that babysitting job today, aren't you?"
Umi's face did in fact lighten up with glee. "Yes! 1000 yen a month just to take care of some brats! This'll be piece of cake!"
"Oh, I wouldn't say that...." Fuu warned. "I heard the Li children are out of control!"
"Where do you get all this information, Fuu?" Umi asked in curiosity. "I mean, it's like your CLAMP school's official gossiper!"
"Oh, leave it up to my big sister to figure out what's going on around campus!" Fuu exclaimed, trying to take the blame off of herself. "I mean, she's the one that's nosy and all that!"
"Oh, suuuure Fuu," the blue-haired beauty replied, nudging the blonde playfully in the ribs.
"I mean it! Just the other day, my sister found out from her boss, Icchan, that Chii was stolen by the Man of Many Faces?"
"The who of many what?" asked Umi.
Fuu adjusted her glasses in a know-it-all sort of way, then began to explain. "The Man of Many Faces is the local con artist here at CLAMP. He is a gentleman thief who always leaves a warning of what he is going to steal next. This latest crime, though, was quite different..... The note left by the thief was signed the Man of Many Faces, but the handwriting was atrocious and the grammar was grossly incorrect."
"What's a Chii?" Ferio inquired.
Fuu sighed and once again launched into another explanation. "Chii is the robot, or what some may term 'persocom,' that my sister, along with many other young female scientists, were working on with the lead genius, Icchan. She is a Chobit, or a persocom that can actually feel."
"Oh, I see," said a now informed Umi. "Say, what other rumors do you have up your sleeve?" She smiled mischieviously. Ferio gulped nervously, as if he were afraid that Fuu would have a story to tell about him.
"Oh, nothing else...." Fuu said, seeing the bus down the road. Ferio breathed a sigh of relief.
"Uh oh," Umi said, clapping her hand to the side of her face. "I forgot! I have to take a different bus now, and Hikaru can't walk you back home! You have to go by yourself!"
"Don't worry!" her blonde friend replied. "Ferio will protect me, won't you Ferio?" Fuu turned to the green-haired boy, who turned a bright red.
Umi smiled. "You two have fun then!" Fuu nodded and pulled a frozen stiff Ferio on board the bus by his necktie.
Umi rolled her eyes at the sight, and sat back down to await the next bus that would take her to her next destination: the Li household.
She felt strange standing in front of the big house a few minutes later. It seemed to empty and desolate. The house was also in a weird spot: right in the middle of the city, next to some shabby apartment buildings and a place called the Duklyon Cafe.
The girl shrugged her shoulders and walked up to the front door. She only had to ring the doorbell once to get an answer. The enormous slab of wood creaked open, revealing a short man with lavender hair.
"Oh, you must be one of the dear little children!" bubbled Umi.
The male stared her down. "I AM THE MASTER OF THIS HOUSE, NOT A LITLE BOY!" He bopped her on the head with an umbrella.
"Oh my, don't mind Clef!" came Presea's voice. She quickly came to the front door and pushed her angry little husband out of the way. "He gets angered very easily." Umi nodded nervously, rubbing the spot where Clef had bonked her on the head. "Welcome to our home!" Presea said, taking pride in her house.
Presea looked at her watch and panicked, picking up all of the luggage and bustling about. At the same time, she was instructing Umi.
"Syaoran and Meilin always have after school activities to attend to, while Ascot tends to lock himself in his room right after school. He shouldn't be that much of a bother to you. If the children so wish, and if your parents grant you permission, you may stay in the guestroom, so that way you may keep a closer watch on the little angels! Oh, and be careful, the two younger ones tend to sneak out a lot for who knows what!"
Umi nodded her head, trying to take mental notes of all that was being told to her.
"Oh, you mustn't let the children have too many sweets before bedtime! And no video games or internet while we are gone! If you need us, there are emergency phone numbers posted on the refrigerator. And there's extra money should you need it in my room in the dresser! We'll pay you when we get back! Goodbye dear Ms. Ryuuzaki!" Before she knew it, both Presea and Clef were out of the house and on their way to their vacation in the United States of America.
The teenage girl felt too dazed and confused to think, and plopped down her schoolbag on a nearby couch. Then she commenced to do the thing that brought her the most delight, as well as the most relaxation: cooking.
She whipped up a fine after school snack of chocolate chip cookies in a short period of time, and then laid them out on a plate in the middle of the kitchen table. The heavenly smell permeated throughout the whole household.
Smiling at her work, Umi left the kitchen to go fetch some homework to do. When she got back with some geometry worksheets, the cookies had disappeared! All that was left were a few stray crumbs. The girl grew fearful and looked all around her for traces of another living, or perhaps nonliving, creature in the premises. Seeing no clues, she set about to baking another batch of cookies.
After a few minutes, those too were finished. As she was pulling them out of the oven, she backed up into something large and warm. It growled hungrily, forcing Umi to shiver in fear uncontrollably. She was shaking so badly that the cookies starting falling to the ground.
Umi bent down to pick them up, only to find that a long tongue was already doing that for her. She looked behind her to see the owner of the long tongue: a huge ghastly monster with numerous sharp teeth, petals around its head like a flower, and the number 1 on its forehead. It smiled at her and used its tongue to remove the whole plate from Umi's hand and empty it into its mouth.
At that exact moment, Umi fainted. ************************************************************************
Thank you to my dear, and hopefully, patient reviewers!!
Momentum~ I'll be trying to stick in any CLAMP character I can into this fic, that yes that includes the wonderful WISH!
Repori~ Oh, don't worry about Angelic Layer not being included....Currently, I've read enough of it to stick some in, so watch out for Misaki, Icchan, and the Angel Hikaru!
Lady of Genesis~ Eagle and the others from Autozam will show up soon, along with the people from Fahren! And I'm sorry, I don't know what "suikoden" is... (
Anima Mouse~ You'll see what happens with Umi's babysitting job, and how Primera will react to Lantis's doting on Hikaru!
Kyaa Kyaff~ You want bows, ribbons, and polka? DONE! Muahah, I'll try and fit those in somehow....^_^
Goddess LD~ Updating right now....hehehe
Miemu Akari~ Oh no, it was her birthday?! Oh sorry about that.....but don't worry, life for Hikaru and the others will definitely improve!
Destiny~ Like I said to Repori, Angelic Layer WILL be in this fic now!
Mossygirl~ Glad you like it! Stay tuned for more!
Hagane~ Lantis is not in character for a reason....and you'll see that reason soon enough k hun? ^_^
Twin-ascot~ Awww, you love me! You really love me!!
Animechick~ Yes, I am indeed the author of How to Lose a Guy, and I hope I didn't make the identities of the three Li kids THAT obvious....hahaha
Meli~ Oooh, I like the little cheer! Thanks!!
Sarah Harvey~ I love all the MKR couples, including Ferio and Fuu!! They're all so adorable!
Neko-chan~ Thanks for the compliment!! It's not everyday that a girl gets such a nice comment!! And keep on writing....that's how I got where I am! Practice Practice Practice!!!
Mischief Monkey~ Oh don't you worry, I'll keep writing until this fic is done!!
Nessa~ HAH!!! I finally found time to update!!! ^_^
Kitty Hanyou~ I love WISH and just had to stick it in! This is a CLAMP fic after all....but I can't tell you whether or not I'll pair Kohaku with Shuichiro or Koryuu....
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Stay tuned for more! I'll definitely try and update sooner!!
With love, bunniehoney