"Song of Lovers" by Ai Yuukan
Chapter 1
Samantha smiled wistfully, watching a couple walk by hand in hand, obviously in love with each other.
"Aaahh." Lilian sighed, voicing her sister's sentiments. Samantha smiled and looked at her sisters sitting with her on the park bench. Lilian looked downright miserable. Vivien looked frustrated, and Kathryn looked defeated. Samantha grinned. What a sorry sight they were. It was Valentine's Day, and they were all moving towards their expiration date, judging by their miserable countenances. Samantha knew her sisters all longed for a love life of their own, but personally, she could wait a few more years for her own. She was only sixteen, and much too young and busy to start having a love life at the moment. She looked at her sisters thoughtfully.
Her eldest sister, Lilian, was beautiful beyond words, but she seemed to prefer mature men compared to the young teenagers that always approached her. But Samantha knew she was really too shy to do really anything. Kathryn was also beautiful, but Samantha knew her argumentative nature tended to keep the guys at bay. Vivien, however, with her fiery beauty and spontaneous nature, looked to be a goodly boy magnet, but as soon as guys got to know her better, they soon discovered that she had a fiery and spontaneous temper to match.
Samantha sighed and stretched. But really, they should have all had boyfriends by now. She knew the problems her sisters had with boys, but she personally thought she had the worst problem. She knew she looked just average, but she also looked like everyone's baby sister. Though she had tried to prove it for years, that she was old and mature enough not to be everyone's baby sister, her round face and too-large eyes always tempted the most severe of people to pat her head.. like a puppy. Samantha's expression soured. Good grief, she was sixteen years old! Not six months!
Lilian noticed her sisters' downcast expressions and smiled brightly. "Hey, don't look so down." She chided them.
Kathryn, the sister with silky blond hair and silver eyes mumbled irritably, "We're single, we're crushless, we're miserable."
Lilian smiled. "That's not true, Kathryn. We have plenty of crushes!"
Vivien, with her red-gold head of curls and violet eyes, snorted. "Yeah, and the closest we can get to them is by pressing our faces up to the screen. Anime crushes don't count."
Samantha smiled and said mischievously. "But if they did, we'd be pretty shameless." She shook her head, bemused.
All of them chuckled deeply at that. Lilian thought of something. "Hey, do you all want to call Miaka?"
Samantha's eyes lit up. Yuuki, Miaka and her friends were all penpals with the Smith sisters and they all got along rather splendidly, Samantha thought.
Kathryn, the girl with blond hair, looked thoughtful. "Hey.. remember when father said we could pick a place to vacation this year? Why don't we go to Japan? And finally meet Miaka and her friends?"
Samantha brightened. Lilian was the only one who looked hesitant. She twirled silver strands of hair with her fingers. "I think we should ask Miaka if it's all right first. Don't you think?"
Samantha smiled in satisfaction. Vivien sighed happily. Kathryn looked cheered up. "I can't wait to meet Keisuke!" She exclaimed.
Samantha laughed along with her sisters. Everyone knew Kathryn loved talking with Miaka's brother, Keisuke, because she thought he was so much fun to argue with.
Samantha dimpled. "I can't wait to meet Taka and Tetsuya!" She smiled. "They're so sweet about Yui and Miaka! Maybe they'll introduce me to their friends who are just as sweet!" She said wistfully.
Vivien chuckled. "I hope Miaka eats as much as she says she does. I could use a new eating partner."
Everyone laughed. Lilian smiled. "Yui's very smart. I need a good study partner. All of you don't know zilch about astronomy!"
Samantha giggled. "Well, you don't have any musical aptitude whatsoever."
Vivien grinned. "You eat like a bird!"
Kathryn smiled. "And you hate reading!"
Lilian laughed. "Well, we all agree, we all need a partner. So should we call Miaka tonight?"
Kathryn smiled. 'Why not call her now? It's the right time."
Lilian frowned. "I am not using up all my minutes!"
"Aw, come on!" Everyone pleaded. "Please?" Lilian sighed.
"Fine! But that means you're buying me more minutes!"
"We promise!" Her sisters chirped.
Lilian smiled. "But I only have Yui's number."
Samantha's eyes sparkled as Vivien smiled. "I have Miaka's number!" She handed her address book to her sister cheerfully. She flipped over to Miaka's name and number.
"Are you sure it's the right time?" Lilian wanted to be sure.
"We're sure!"
"Dinner!" Samantha's uncle called out.
Samantha stood up quietly from her desk and stretched. Studying was a pain. She sighed. But if she wanted to lose the baby-sister reputation soon, she had to study to gain the college-level reputation she wanted so badly.
Samantha sighed again as she began to gather her studying material. As she tucked them away in her desk, she couldn't help but notice the severe neatness of her desk.. of her room. Everything was perfect. Disgustingly perfect. Samantha longed to throw a couple of clothes around to make her room look more homey, but couldn't bring herself to do so. She hadn't been raised that way, she told herself harshly.
With another little sigh, Samantha went to her closet and took out her beloved Humpty. Humpty was a stuffed egg she had gotten at a fair so long ago. He was the only stuffed animal she had left. She hugged him tight before replacing him on her shelf. He was all she had left of her childhood, and though she constantly reminded herself she was beyond the age of having stuffed creatures, she could never bring herself to give Humpty away. He was a reminder of her childhood.. and her past. Her eyes grew shadowed. She had been raised to be a responsible, disciplined girl, and such fanciful thoughts would never do. Thinking such, she closed her closet and marched outside her door. She was her father's daughter, after all.
Samantha walked into the kitchen, perusing a new music book she had found in the living-room table. "Uncle? Did this come in the mail today?"
"Mm-hm." Her uncle was busy trying to keep Vivien away from the food. "Vivi! Set the table first!"
Vivien frowned at that. "Uncle, don't call me Vivi!" She said, exasperated. "It sounds like a dog's name!"
Lilian walked into the kitchen and smiled when she heard her sister. "Now, now, Vivi. don't think like that."
Kathryn came into the kitchen, new romance book in hand. She grinned. "She's right you, know. Vivi does sound a lot like Fifi."
"Kate!" Vivien was frowning, but her eyes twinkled. She turned back to her uncle. "Hey, we've decided where to go for vacation already, uncle."
Her uncle only paused momentarily as he ladled the tomato sauce over the plates of spaghetti. "Oh? Where?"
Vivien's eyes were sparkling. "Japan! We want to see Miaka and her friends."
Her uncle did pause for a moment longer before he reached to place the large, scrumptious-looking meatballs on each plate. "Oh, really?" Washing his hands, he sighed. "I'm sorry girls, but something's come up."
Kathryn's eyes widened. "What?"
"I have. business. in the east. I'm afraid I can't join you on your vacation." He stuck a piece of parsley on each plate and two thick loaves of Italian bread to complete the tantalizing picture. Vivien's mouth watered.
"Oh?" Kathryn sighed sadly then shrugged. "Oh, well. We'll bring you back a souvenir, then, father."
Samantha sighed sadly. How was it that Kathryn persisted in calling their uncle, 'father', when he was truly their uncle?
Lilian sighed wearily. "This will be our first time traveling alone, dad. Are you sure you can't come?"
Lilian's father's eyes were shadowed. "It just. came up. This deal. is very important."
Samantha nodded with understanding. Lilian's father was a businessman. He had responsibilities. She smiled with approval. In many ways, her uncle was a very respectable man. "Of course it is, uncle. We understand."
Vivien smiled cheerfully for her sister's benefit. "Can we eat dinner now?" She begged her father and foster siblings, forcing a plaintive note in her voice. "My stomach's crying for nourishment, here!"
Everyone looked at each other for a moment before laughing at Vivien's discomfit. Vivien smiled sheepishly. The tension evaporated. "Oh, fine." Lilian said chuckling, reaching for the plates to set on the table.
Vivien smiled cheerfully. "Yay!"
"The Smith sisters are coming over next week! That's great!" Taka exclaimed.
Tetsuya nodded. "They're great! Samantha's a great listener." He thought highly of Samantha, and by the way she sounded on the internet, she seemed to be a very mature and sweet girl. It was hard to believe she was only sixteen. Well, she surely had the mind of a mature woman, he believed, remembering their past chats with the American girl.
Yui, for some reason, blushed. Miaka nodded enthusiastically. "And Vivien and I like to eat the same food! It's so cool!" Her eyes sparkled with anticipation. She was no doubt thinking of all the 'eating sprees' she would go on with Vivien Smith. Taka smiled affectionately at his girlfriend.
Yui smiled. "And Lilian's smart. You can't find too many people like her nowadays."
Everyone frowned at Yui when she said that. Yui giggled. "Well, it's true! How about you, Keisuke? Don't you think it's great?"
"Your penpals are great, maybe, but Kathryn's a pain." Miaka's brother grumbled.
Miaka laughed. "Yesterday, Kathryn said she bet Keisuke looks like a dog." Her eyes twinkled. Yesterday, she had caught her brother chatting to the Smith sister, Kathryn, online. He had been so caught up in the conversation, that he hadn't noticed his sister peering over his shoulder. Miaka smiled. She was sure she and Kathryn Smith would get on fine. They already had so much in common.
Taka laughed. "She sounds great!"
Keisuke glared at Miaka's boyfriend. "Well, I bet she looks like a goose." He mumbled, irritated.
Yui sighed. "It's good we found such good penpals like them. They've been a great help. getting us over." Yui couldn't continue.
Miaka nodded sadly. "Yeah." She felt tears rise in her eyes at the thought of Nuriko, Mitsukake, Chiriko, and Hotohori. A couple of months after the final battle with Nakago, Miaka had found Vivien on the internet as an email-penpal and had grown to be real friends with the American girl. Vivien had introduced her sisters to Miaka and her friends online, and now all of them had one of the Smith sisters as their penpal. She had told Vivian a lot of things. and she had also told her about the book. Miaka grew uneasy thinking what her friends would say if they had found out about it.
Yui looked down at her tea. Lilian had helped her get over the deaths of her own seishi, and her self-loathing. She had told Lilian everything. and Lilian had believed her. She couldn't wait to meet her. She dreaded the thought of any of her friends knowing what she had done.
Keisuke grimly remembered an argument he had once had with Kathryn. She had insulted his masculinity and in a burst of temper, he had blurted out what had happened to his sister by means of defending himself. Softening, he also remembered that Kathryn had believed him and what followed had been one of their rare truces of that time. He would never tell his friends what he had done.
Taka had immediately sensed a kindred spirit in Samantha and with little argument from Tetsuya, he had also told her of his adventures in the book as the Suzaku seishi Tamahome. Samantha had believed them and even in her quiet moments, offered a word of comfort to ease his pain at losing his fellow seishi. Taka and Tetsuya had agreed not to ever tell the others of their secret.
Giggling, two nyan-nyans disappeared in a poof of pink smoke in the friends' kitchen.
Samantha waited anxiously in the waiting area with Kathryn and Vivien. She knew that to her sisters, she appeared calm and collected, but her insides felt twisted and weak. What would Tetsuya and Taka think of her? She knew she sounded mature enough online, but what if, when they saw her, they would forget that instantly and treat her like a baby sister like everyone else did? She really hoped it wouldn't come to that. Lilian dragged Vivien's last suitcase out from the claiming area and was panting by the time she reached the waiting area where her sisters were waiting comfortably in their seats. "Are they here yet?" She asked cheerfully.
Vivien looked up at her sister, smiling. "No, not yet, but Miaka- chan called and they said they'd be here in a few minutes."
Lilian nodded. "Well, they're not that late." She muttered to herself.
Kathryn had heard her. She chuckled. "Nervous?"
Lilian shook her head. "Don't be silly."
Samantha nodded, convinced. "She's nervous." As the most silent of her sisters, she knew most of her sisters than they think they did by just observing them, and Lilian was definitely nervous. She had the feeling her eldest sister was about to break into a cold sweat.
"No, I'm not!" Lilian snapped.
"You're wrong, Sammy: she's petrified." Vivien said wryly.
Lilian scowled at her sister. "Well, for all you know Japanese people have this tendency to look upon foreigners with disdain. Of course, I'm nervous!" She exclaimed.
Vivien couldn't believe it. She rolled her eyes. "And we're supposed to care? For goodness' sake, Lily, we're Americans. Americans don't care what everyone says about us. For all we know, they could be admiring us for our boldness and individuality." She said confidently.
Kathryn nodded. "You said it, Vivi."
Samantha said softly, "Besides, do you really think our penpals are like that? I don't think Taka and Tetsuya would think like that." And she couldn't believe it of them, too. They sounded so nice and delightful on the internet.. she hoped she got that analysis right, for Lilian's sake.
Vivien nodded. "Exactly. We got along fine with our penpals via the internet, so what should be the difference face-to-face?" She said with supreme confidence.
"Speak for yourself, Vivi. Keisuke's probably furious that I'm here, anyway. He doesn't respond well to my argumentative nature." Kathryn mumbled.
"Ooh, do you think that's them?" Samantha stood up and began waving to a group of people headed their way.
"How do you know it's them?"
"I don't know. I just hope it's them."
"Great." Lilian grumbled.
"Oh, it is them! Aren't I lucky? They're waving back. at least four of them are."
Kathryn grinned. "I bet Keisuke's the one keeping his hand down."
"That's them?" Keisuke gaped. "Are you sure?"
Miaka looked slyly across at her brother. "Pretty much. Why?" She wondered at the horrified look on his face.
"They're not supposed to look like that!"
Yui chuckled. "Why not?"
"They're beautiful! All of them are horribly beautiful!"
"I think he was expecting Kathryn to be the ugly one." Tetsuya mumbled to Taka. Taka chuckled.
"Hi!" Vivien jumped up and went to greet their friends. Her red- gold curls bounced and her violet eyes sparkled. She looked at Yui and Miaka for a moment before grinning and pointing at Miaka. Her buns looked like meatballs. "You're Miaka, right?"
Miaka squealed happily, her eyes shining. "Bingo!" Miaka eyed Vivien's curls incredulously. They looked like macaroni. Yum. Her stomach grumbled.
Vivien's eyes were sparkling. "Yay!" Her stomach growled. She blushed. Then she heard Miaka's own stomach. Vivien and Miaka's face broke into grins.
Tetsuya and Taka went to the gentle-looking girl with brown hair and green eyes. "You're Samantha, right?" Tetsuya ventured. Samantha smiled nervously, praying they weren't surprised by what they saw. "Yes, I am. You're Tetsuya?" She said in perfect Japanese.
Keisuke stared at Lilian and Kathryn, trying to tell who was his penpal. The only problem was: he couldn't tell who was the uglier. Kathryn was bound to be the uglier, he had wagered. He was stumped.
Yui chuckled. She went to Lilian. "You're Lilian, right? You look like you have more intelligence than your sisters." She explained.
Lilian smiled. "Yes, I'm Lilian. This should be interesting."
Keisuke stared at Kathryn. "You're K-Kathryn?"
Kathryn grinned. "Hai! And you're Keisuke? Okay, I was wrong, you don't look like a dog. much." She said, also in perfect Japanese.
Keisuke relaxed and smiled. Yep, it was definitely Kathryn. Strange, her comment didn't sound as insulting as it did online. Maybe it had something to do with her smile. He hadn't pictured her as smiling when they chatted online. "Thank you. You're not as ugly as I thought you would be."
Kathryn chuckled. "You expected a hag?"
"Exactly."
"At least forty?"
"You read my mind."
Kathryn laughed. "This is so funny! I wish you could have seen your face when you saw me! I wish I had had a camera!"
Keisuke laughed, feeling much at ease with his new friend.
Three nyan-nyans giggled as they poofed out of view.
"Let's see.. where shall we go next?" Samantha mused aloud, perusing her guide-book.
Tetsuya laughed. "We knew you were a study-hog, Samantha, but we never expected this!"
"You said it." Taka chuckled wryly. Carrying bags of books, he was beginning to think Yui was mistaken when she said Lilian was the smartest Smith sister. With all the books Samantha read, she couldn't help but be a genius. Hell, he had never heard of half the titles of the books Samantha had bought.
Samantha smiled apologetically. "Well, why don't we take a break, then?" She didn't really enjoy reading, but after Taka had ruffled her hair in the morning eating breakfast in a café, she had become determined to reinforce her mature image. "Where should we eat?"
"Ne, why don't we go to that new café near the Tokyo Tower? After lunch, we could go look around there. We haven't been there yet." Taka suggested.
Samantha smiled. "That would be great." She followed to Tetsuya's shiny black car and nearly beamed as she sat up front with Tetsuya. She was in the passenger's seat. At least they were treating her as they should and not like her sisters did. As Tetsuya began to drive, she never stopped beaming.
"What're you smiling about?" Taka asked, smiling from the back seat.
Samantha laughed nervously. She might as well tell them. Maybe a direct approach would work. "I'm just happy you guys realize I'm old enough to sit in the passenger's seat."
Tetsuya arched a brow. "Come again?"
Samantha sighed. "Usually, people don't allow me to sit in the passenger's seat." She explained. "They think I'm still of the age where airbags would kill me."
Taka chuckled. "They're that protective of you?"
Samantha made a face. "Unbelievably protective. Just because I'm small doesn't mean I'm fragile."
Tetsuya agreed with her. "Of course not. I mean, of course, I have to admit, I would have assumed you were little more of a kid if I had just met you, but we know from our chats, that although you look it, your mind isn't that of a little kid's."
Samantha couldn't decide whether she should be pleased or dismayed. On one hand, Tetsuya had just admitted she still looked like a kid, but he had also just said as much that she had a mature mind. "Thanks.. I think?"
Taka laughed. "It was meant as a compliment, Samantha. Sure, you look puny, but you sound like Mrs. Yuuki when you put your mind to it."
Samantha couldn't help grinning. "Gee, thanks."
"No prob." Taka grinned.
Tetsuya chuckled. "Just out of curiosity, how tall are you?"
Samantha sighed. She got this from everbody. "I'm more than five feet tall, if that's what you want to know."
Taka's eyes twinkled. "Five foot one? Or two?"
Samantha blushed but smiled. "I'm five foot two."
"Just as I thought. Puny." Taka declared.
Samantha and Tetsuya laughed.
"So where do you want to go next?" Tetsuya asked Samantha.
"Aren't you guys tired of me, yet?" She teased.
"Not at all." Taka said cheerfully.
Samantha laughed. When she had offered to pay the lunch bill, Tetsuya and Taka had automatically agreed with her offer. And to her amusement, Tetsuya had even added an additional soda and French fries to her bill at the counter.
"Very well. Where do you think I should go?"
"My shoes are getting worn from all the sight-seeing." Taka told her. "Would you mind buying me a pair?"
"I need a new pair of sunglasses. Could I borrow some money from you?"
Samantha laughed. When she had paid their lunch bill, and they had seen all the cash stashed in her wallet, they had gotten the correct assumption that she was more than financially secure to sight-see for two months. And she was only staying for three weeks.
"Do you do this to everyone?"
Tetsuya shrugged. "Hey, Keisuke always owes me money. It's nice being the one treated for a change."
Taka nodded in agreement. "And I'm always broke from spending money on Miaka's food." He explained.
Samantha grinned. "Why am I getting the feeling you two only like me for my money?"
Taka looked offended. "No way! I like you for who you are, squirt! I've always wanted a baby sister."
Strangely enough, Samantha wasn't the least put out. She laughed. She knew he was only teasing.
Tetsuya grinned. "I agree. Say, why don't we treat you to Disneyland?" Then he pretended to suddenly remember something and look chagrined. "Oh, man, but I don't think you're tall enough to get on the best rides, baby girl."
Samantha laughed. "Stop it!"
"Stop what?" Tetsuya and Taka asked innocently.
Stop making a fool of yourself, daughter. You are embarrassing me. A cold voice vibrated in Samantha's head. Samantha immediately stopped laughing. "H-Huh?"
"Is everything all right, Samantha?" Tetsuya asked worriedly. She looked strange.
Say goodbye to your playmates, daughter.
"Hey, could you turn down the air conditioner, man?" Taka asked his friend. "It's kinda cold back here."
"W-Who are you?" Samantha whispered, shivering.
That is none of your business. Prepare yourself, daughter.
"Hey, Samantha, are you okay?" Taka asked worriedly. "Hey, Tetsuya, turn on the heat, will you? She's shivering."
Tetsuya looked over at Samantha and was shocked to see her shivering, her face pale and taut with fear. "Samantha? What's wrong?" She said nothing. He reached over to tap her to get her attention and yelped when he touched her skin. "Geez, you're as cold as an ice cube. Hold on, I'll turn on the heat."
It's time to go home. It's time to return to me.
"So cold.." Samantha's teeth were chattering.
Funny.
"Who are you?"
"Huh?" Suddenly, Taka's cell-phone rang. He picked it up. "Hello? Oh, hey Miaka. What's going on?" He sat up in his seat and frowned worriedly. "You sound terrible. What's wrong?"
Tetsuya frowned as he heard the sound of crying on Taka's phone. "Taka, is Miaka all right?"
Enjoy the ride.
Suddenly, frost appeared on Samantha's body before her eyes. "W- What's going on?" She said, scared.
"What do you mean, they're gone?! How could they just disappear like that? Yeah, Samantha's here.. Okay, hold on, we're on our way."
"What's up, Taka?" Tetsuya asked, keeping his eyes on the road.
"Lilian and Vivien Smith are gone. Miaka says they just disappeared.. vanished! How can this happen?!"
"They're gone?! How in the hell did that happen?! Where to?"
"The library. I dunno, but Miaka's going to find Kathryn and Keisuke now." Taka ran a hand through his hair. "Damn it, I don't know what's going on!"
Tetsuya was going past the speed limit. He didn't care. "Samantha, don't worry. We'll find your sisters."
Taka cursed and jumped from his seat. "Samantha's gone!"
"The hell you say!" Tetsuya slammed on the brakes and turned to the passenger's seat. All the color leached from his face. She was gone. And her seat was covered in frost.
Chapter 1
Samantha smiled wistfully, watching a couple walk by hand in hand, obviously in love with each other.
"Aaahh." Lilian sighed, voicing her sister's sentiments. Samantha smiled and looked at her sisters sitting with her on the park bench. Lilian looked downright miserable. Vivien looked frustrated, and Kathryn looked defeated. Samantha grinned. What a sorry sight they were. It was Valentine's Day, and they were all moving towards their expiration date, judging by their miserable countenances. Samantha knew her sisters all longed for a love life of their own, but personally, she could wait a few more years for her own. She was only sixteen, and much too young and busy to start having a love life at the moment. She looked at her sisters thoughtfully.
Her eldest sister, Lilian, was beautiful beyond words, but she seemed to prefer mature men compared to the young teenagers that always approached her. But Samantha knew she was really too shy to do really anything. Kathryn was also beautiful, but Samantha knew her argumentative nature tended to keep the guys at bay. Vivien, however, with her fiery beauty and spontaneous nature, looked to be a goodly boy magnet, but as soon as guys got to know her better, they soon discovered that she had a fiery and spontaneous temper to match.
Samantha sighed and stretched. But really, they should have all had boyfriends by now. She knew the problems her sisters had with boys, but she personally thought she had the worst problem. She knew she looked just average, but she also looked like everyone's baby sister. Though she had tried to prove it for years, that she was old and mature enough not to be everyone's baby sister, her round face and too-large eyes always tempted the most severe of people to pat her head.. like a puppy. Samantha's expression soured. Good grief, she was sixteen years old! Not six months!
Lilian noticed her sisters' downcast expressions and smiled brightly. "Hey, don't look so down." She chided them.
Kathryn, the sister with silky blond hair and silver eyes mumbled irritably, "We're single, we're crushless, we're miserable."
Lilian smiled. "That's not true, Kathryn. We have plenty of crushes!"
Vivien, with her red-gold head of curls and violet eyes, snorted. "Yeah, and the closest we can get to them is by pressing our faces up to the screen. Anime crushes don't count."
Samantha smiled and said mischievously. "But if they did, we'd be pretty shameless." She shook her head, bemused.
All of them chuckled deeply at that. Lilian thought of something. "Hey, do you all want to call Miaka?"
Samantha's eyes lit up. Yuuki, Miaka and her friends were all penpals with the Smith sisters and they all got along rather splendidly, Samantha thought.
Kathryn, the girl with blond hair, looked thoughtful. "Hey.. remember when father said we could pick a place to vacation this year? Why don't we go to Japan? And finally meet Miaka and her friends?"
Samantha brightened. Lilian was the only one who looked hesitant. She twirled silver strands of hair with her fingers. "I think we should ask Miaka if it's all right first. Don't you think?"
Samantha smiled in satisfaction. Vivien sighed happily. Kathryn looked cheered up. "I can't wait to meet Keisuke!" She exclaimed.
Samantha laughed along with her sisters. Everyone knew Kathryn loved talking with Miaka's brother, Keisuke, because she thought he was so much fun to argue with.
Samantha dimpled. "I can't wait to meet Taka and Tetsuya!" She smiled. "They're so sweet about Yui and Miaka! Maybe they'll introduce me to their friends who are just as sweet!" She said wistfully.
Vivien chuckled. "I hope Miaka eats as much as she says she does. I could use a new eating partner."
Everyone laughed. Lilian smiled. "Yui's very smart. I need a good study partner. All of you don't know zilch about astronomy!"
Samantha giggled. "Well, you don't have any musical aptitude whatsoever."
Vivien grinned. "You eat like a bird!"
Kathryn smiled. "And you hate reading!"
Lilian laughed. "Well, we all agree, we all need a partner. So should we call Miaka tonight?"
Kathryn smiled. 'Why not call her now? It's the right time."
Lilian frowned. "I am not using up all my minutes!"
"Aw, come on!" Everyone pleaded. "Please?" Lilian sighed.
"Fine! But that means you're buying me more minutes!"
"We promise!" Her sisters chirped.
Lilian smiled. "But I only have Yui's number."
Samantha's eyes sparkled as Vivien smiled. "I have Miaka's number!" She handed her address book to her sister cheerfully. She flipped over to Miaka's name and number.
"Are you sure it's the right time?" Lilian wanted to be sure.
"We're sure!"
"Dinner!" Samantha's uncle called out.
Samantha stood up quietly from her desk and stretched. Studying was a pain. She sighed. But if she wanted to lose the baby-sister reputation soon, she had to study to gain the college-level reputation she wanted so badly.
Samantha sighed again as she began to gather her studying material. As she tucked them away in her desk, she couldn't help but notice the severe neatness of her desk.. of her room. Everything was perfect. Disgustingly perfect. Samantha longed to throw a couple of clothes around to make her room look more homey, but couldn't bring herself to do so. She hadn't been raised that way, she told herself harshly.
With another little sigh, Samantha went to her closet and took out her beloved Humpty. Humpty was a stuffed egg she had gotten at a fair so long ago. He was the only stuffed animal she had left. She hugged him tight before replacing him on her shelf. He was all she had left of her childhood, and though she constantly reminded herself she was beyond the age of having stuffed creatures, she could never bring herself to give Humpty away. He was a reminder of her childhood.. and her past. Her eyes grew shadowed. She had been raised to be a responsible, disciplined girl, and such fanciful thoughts would never do. Thinking such, she closed her closet and marched outside her door. She was her father's daughter, after all.
Samantha walked into the kitchen, perusing a new music book she had found in the living-room table. "Uncle? Did this come in the mail today?"
"Mm-hm." Her uncle was busy trying to keep Vivien away from the food. "Vivi! Set the table first!"
Vivien frowned at that. "Uncle, don't call me Vivi!" She said, exasperated. "It sounds like a dog's name!"
Lilian walked into the kitchen and smiled when she heard her sister. "Now, now, Vivi. don't think like that."
Kathryn came into the kitchen, new romance book in hand. She grinned. "She's right you, know. Vivi does sound a lot like Fifi."
"Kate!" Vivien was frowning, but her eyes twinkled. She turned back to her uncle. "Hey, we've decided where to go for vacation already, uncle."
Her uncle only paused momentarily as he ladled the tomato sauce over the plates of spaghetti. "Oh? Where?"
Vivien's eyes were sparkling. "Japan! We want to see Miaka and her friends."
Her uncle did pause for a moment longer before he reached to place the large, scrumptious-looking meatballs on each plate. "Oh, really?" Washing his hands, he sighed. "I'm sorry girls, but something's come up."
Kathryn's eyes widened. "What?"
"I have. business. in the east. I'm afraid I can't join you on your vacation." He stuck a piece of parsley on each plate and two thick loaves of Italian bread to complete the tantalizing picture. Vivien's mouth watered.
"Oh?" Kathryn sighed sadly then shrugged. "Oh, well. We'll bring you back a souvenir, then, father."
Samantha sighed sadly. How was it that Kathryn persisted in calling their uncle, 'father', when he was truly their uncle?
Lilian sighed wearily. "This will be our first time traveling alone, dad. Are you sure you can't come?"
Lilian's father's eyes were shadowed. "It just. came up. This deal. is very important."
Samantha nodded with understanding. Lilian's father was a businessman. He had responsibilities. She smiled with approval. In many ways, her uncle was a very respectable man. "Of course it is, uncle. We understand."
Vivien smiled cheerfully for her sister's benefit. "Can we eat dinner now?" She begged her father and foster siblings, forcing a plaintive note in her voice. "My stomach's crying for nourishment, here!"
Everyone looked at each other for a moment before laughing at Vivien's discomfit. Vivien smiled sheepishly. The tension evaporated. "Oh, fine." Lilian said chuckling, reaching for the plates to set on the table.
Vivien smiled cheerfully. "Yay!"
"The Smith sisters are coming over next week! That's great!" Taka exclaimed.
Tetsuya nodded. "They're great! Samantha's a great listener." He thought highly of Samantha, and by the way she sounded on the internet, she seemed to be a very mature and sweet girl. It was hard to believe she was only sixteen. Well, she surely had the mind of a mature woman, he believed, remembering their past chats with the American girl.
Yui, for some reason, blushed. Miaka nodded enthusiastically. "And Vivien and I like to eat the same food! It's so cool!" Her eyes sparkled with anticipation. She was no doubt thinking of all the 'eating sprees' she would go on with Vivien Smith. Taka smiled affectionately at his girlfriend.
Yui smiled. "And Lilian's smart. You can't find too many people like her nowadays."
Everyone frowned at Yui when she said that. Yui giggled. "Well, it's true! How about you, Keisuke? Don't you think it's great?"
"Your penpals are great, maybe, but Kathryn's a pain." Miaka's brother grumbled.
Miaka laughed. "Yesterday, Kathryn said she bet Keisuke looks like a dog." Her eyes twinkled. Yesterday, she had caught her brother chatting to the Smith sister, Kathryn, online. He had been so caught up in the conversation, that he hadn't noticed his sister peering over his shoulder. Miaka smiled. She was sure she and Kathryn Smith would get on fine. They already had so much in common.
Taka laughed. "She sounds great!"
Keisuke glared at Miaka's boyfriend. "Well, I bet she looks like a goose." He mumbled, irritated.
Yui sighed. "It's good we found such good penpals like them. They've been a great help. getting us over." Yui couldn't continue.
Miaka nodded sadly. "Yeah." She felt tears rise in her eyes at the thought of Nuriko, Mitsukake, Chiriko, and Hotohori. A couple of months after the final battle with Nakago, Miaka had found Vivien on the internet as an email-penpal and had grown to be real friends with the American girl. Vivien had introduced her sisters to Miaka and her friends online, and now all of them had one of the Smith sisters as their penpal. She had told Vivian a lot of things. and she had also told her about the book. Miaka grew uneasy thinking what her friends would say if they had found out about it.
Yui looked down at her tea. Lilian had helped her get over the deaths of her own seishi, and her self-loathing. She had told Lilian everything. and Lilian had believed her. She couldn't wait to meet her. She dreaded the thought of any of her friends knowing what she had done.
Keisuke grimly remembered an argument he had once had with Kathryn. She had insulted his masculinity and in a burst of temper, he had blurted out what had happened to his sister by means of defending himself. Softening, he also remembered that Kathryn had believed him and what followed had been one of their rare truces of that time. He would never tell his friends what he had done.
Taka had immediately sensed a kindred spirit in Samantha and with little argument from Tetsuya, he had also told her of his adventures in the book as the Suzaku seishi Tamahome. Samantha had believed them and even in her quiet moments, offered a word of comfort to ease his pain at losing his fellow seishi. Taka and Tetsuya had agreed not to ever tell the others of their secret.
Giggling, two nyan-nyans disappeared in a poof of pink smoke in the friends' kitchen.
Samantha waited anxiously in the waiting area with Kathryn and Vivien. She knew that to her sisters, she appeared calm and collected, but her insides felt twisted and weak. What would Tetsuya and Taka think of her? She knew she sounded mature enough online, but what if, when they saw her, they would forget that instantly and treat her like a baby sister like everyone else did? She really hoped it wouldn't come to that. Lilian dragged Vivien's last suitcase out from the claiming area and was panting by the time she reached the waiting area where her sisters were waiting comfortably in their seats. "Are they here yet?" She asked cheerfully.
Vivien looked up at her sister, smiling. "No, not yet, but Miaka- chan called and they said they'd be here in a few minutes."
Lilian nodded. "Well, they're not that late." She muttered to herself.
Kathryn had heard her. She chuckled. "Nervous?"
Lilian shook her head. "Don't be silly."
Samantha nodded, convinced. "She's nervous." As the most silent of her sisters, she knew most of her sisters than they think they did by just observing them, and Lilian was definitely nervous. She had the feeling her eldest sister was about to break into a cold sweat.
"No, I'm not!" Lilian snapped.
"You're wrong, Sammy: she's petrified." Vivien said wryly.
Lilian scowled at her sister. "Well, for all you know Japanese people have this tendency to look upon foreigners with disdain. Of course, I'm nervous!" She exclaimed.
Vivien couldn't believe it. She rolled her eyes. "And we're supposed to care? For goodness' sake, Lily, we're Americans. Americans don't care what everyone says about us. For all we know, they could be admiring us for our boldness and individuality." She said confidently.
Kathryn nodded. "You said it, Vivi."
Samantha said softly, "Besides, do you really think our penpals are like that? I don't think Taka and Tetsuya would think like that." And she couldn't believe it of them, too. They sounded so nice and delightful on the internet.. she hoped she got that analysis right, for Lilian's sake.
Vivien nodded. "Exactly. We got along fine with our penpals via the internet, so what should be the difference face-to-face?" She said with supreme confidence.
"Speak for yourself, Vivi. Keisuke's probably furious that I'm here, anyway. He doesn't respond well to my argumentative nature." Kathryn mumbled.
"Ooh, do you think that's them?" Samantha stood up and began waving to a group of people headed their way.
"How do you know it's them?"
"I don't know. I just hope it's them."
"Great." Lilian grumbled.
"Oh, it is them! Aren't I lucky? They're waving back. at least four of them are."
Kathryn grinned. "I bet Keisuke's the one keeping his hand down."
"That's them?" Keisuke gaped. "Are you sure?"
Miaka looked slyly across at her brother. "Pretty much. Why?" She wondered at the horrified look on his face.
"They're not supposed to look like that!"
Yui chuckled. "Why not?"
"They're beautiful! All of them are horribly beautiful!"
"I think he was expecting Kathryn to be the ugly one." Tetsuya mumbled to Taka. Taka chuckled.
"Hi!" Vivien jumped up and went to greet their friends. Her red- gold curls bounced and her violet eyes sparkled. She looked at Yui and Miaka for a moment before grinning and pointing at Miaka. Her buns looked like meatballs. "You're Miaka, right?"
Miaka squealed happily, her eyes shining. "Bingo!" Miaka eyed Vivien's curls incredulously. They looked like macaroni. Yum. Her stomach grumbled.
Vivien's eyes were sparkling. "Yay!" Her stomach growled. She blushed. Then she heard Miaka's own stomach. Vivien and Miaka's face broke into grins.
Tetsuya and Taka went to the gentle-looking girl with brown hair and green eyes. "You're Samantha, right?" Tetsuya ventured. Samantha smiled nervously, praying they weren't surprised by what they saw. "Yes, I am. You're Tetsuya?" She said in perfect Japanese.
Keisuke stared at Lilian and Kathryn, trying to tell who was his penpal. The only problem was: he couldn't tell who was the uglier. Kathryn was bound to be the uglier, he had wagered. He was stumped.
Yui chuckled. She went to Lilian. "You're Lilian, right? You look like you have more intelligence than your sisters." She explained.
Lilian smiled. "Yes, I'm Lilian. This should be interesting."
Keisuke stared at Kathryn. "You're K-Kathryn?"
Kathryn grinned. "Hai! And you're Keisuke? Okay, I was wrong, you don't look like a dog. much." She said, also in perfect Japanese.
Keisuke relaxed and smiled. Yep, it was definitely Kathryn. Strange, her comment didn't sound as insulting as it did online. Maybe it had something to do with her smile. He hadn't pictured her as smiling when they chatted online. "Thank you. You're not as ugly as I thought you would be."
Kathryn chuckled. "You expected a hag?"
"Exactly."
"At least forty?"
"You read my mind."
Kathryn laughed. "This is so funny! I wish you could have seen your face when you saw me! I wish I had had a camera!"
Keisuke laughed, feeling much at ease with his new friend.
Three nyan-nyans giggled as they poofed out of view.
"Let's see.. where shall we go next?" Samantha mused aloud, perusing her guide-book.
Tetsuya laughed. "We knew you were a study-hog, Samantha, but we never expected this!"
"You said it." Taka chuckled wryly. Carrying bags of books, he was beginning to think Yui was mistaken when she said Lilian was the smartest Smith sister. With all the books Samantha read, she couldn't help but be a genius. Hell, he had never heard of half the titles of the books Samantha had bought.
Samantha smiled apologetically. "Well, why don't we take a break, then?" She didn't really enjoy reading, but after Taka had ruffled her hair in the morning eating breakfast in a café, she had become determined to reinforce her mature image. "Where should we eat?"
"Ne, why don't we go to that new café near the Tokyo Tower? After lunch, we could go look around there. We haven't been there yet." Taka suggested.
Samantha smiled. "That would be great." She followed to Tetsuya's shiny black car and nearly beamed as she sat up front with Tetsuya. She was in the passenger's seat. At least they were treating her as they should and not like her sisters did. As Tetsuya began to drive, she never stopped beaming.
"What're you smiling about?" Taka asked, smiling from the back seat.
Samantha laughed nervously. She might as well tell them. Maybe a direct approach would work. "I'm just happy you guys realize I'm old enough to sit in the passenger's seat."
Tetsuya arched a brow. "Come again?"
Samantha sighed. "Usually, people don't allow me to sit in the passenger's seat." She explained. "They think I'm still of the age where airbags would kill me."
Taka chuckled. "They're that protective of you?"
Samantha made a face. "Unbelievably protective. Just because I'm small doesn't mean I'm fragile."
Tetsuya agreed with her. "Of course not. I mean, of course, I have to admit, I would have assumed you were little more of a kid if I had just met you, but we know from our chats, that although you look it, your mind isn't that of a little kid's."
Samantha couldn't decide whether she should be pleased or dismayed. On one hand, Tetsuya had just admitted she still looked like a kid, but he had also just said as much that she had a mature mind. "Thanks.. I think?"
Taka laughed. "It was meant as a compliment, Samantha. Sure, you look puny, but you sound like Mrs. Yuuki when you put your mind to it."
Samantha couldn't help grinning. "Gee, thanks."
"No prob." Taka grinned.
Tetsuya chuckled. "Just out of curiosity, how tall are you?"
Samantha sighed. She got this from everbody. "I'm more than five feet tall, if that's what you want to know."
Taka's eyes twinkled. "Five foot one? Or two?"
Samantha blushed but smiled. "I'm five foot two."
"Just as I thought. Puny." Taka declared.
Samantha and Tetsuya laughed.
"So where do you want to go next?" Tetsuya asked Samantha.
"Aren't you guys tired of me, yet?" She teased.
"Not at all." Taka said cheerfully.
Samantha laughed. When she had offered to pay the lunch bill, Tetsuya and Taka had automatically agreed with her offer. And to her amusement, Tetsuya had even added an additional soda and French fries to her bill at the counter.
"Very well. Where do you think I should go?"
"My shoes are getting worn from all the sight-seeing." Taka told her. "Would you mind buying me a pair?"
"I need a new pair of sunglasses. Could I borrow some money from you?"
Samantha laughed. When she had paid their lunch bill, and they had seen all the cash stashed in her wallet, they had gotten the correct assumption that she was more than financially secure to sight-see for two months. And she was only staying for three weeks.
"Do you do this to everyone?"
Tetsuya shrugged. "Hey, Keisuke always owes me money. It's nice being the one treated for a change."
Taka nodded in agreement. "And I'm always broke from spending money on Miaka's food." He explained.
Samantha grinned. "Why am I getting the feeling you two only like me for my money?"
Taka looked offended. "No way! I like you for who you are, squirt! I've always wanted a baby sister."
Strangely enough, Samantha wasn't the least put out. She laughed. She knew he was only teasing.
Tetsuya grinned. "I agree. Say, why don't we treat you to Disneyland?" Then he pretended to suddenly remember something and look chagrined. "Oh, man, but I don't think you're tall enough to get on the best rides, baby girl."
Samantha laughed. "Stop it!"
"Stop what?" Tetsuya and Taka asked innocently.
Stop making a fool of yourself, daughter. You are embarrassing me. A cold voice vibrated in Samantha's head. Samantha immediately stopped laughing. "H-Huh?"
"Is everything all right, Samantha?" Tetsuya asked worriedly. She looked strange.
Say goodbye to your playmates, daughter.
"Hey, could you turn down the air conditioner, man?" Taka asked his friend. "It's kinda cold back here."
"W-Who are you?" Samantha whispered, shivering.
That is none of your business. Prepare yourself, daughter.
"Hey, Samantha, are you okay?" Taka asked worriedly. "Hey, Tetsuya, turn on the heat, will you? She's shivering."
Tetsuya looked over at Samantha and was shocked to see her shivering, her face pale and taut with fear. "Samantha? What's wrong?" She said nothing. He reached over to tap her to get her attention and yelped when he touched her skin. "Geez, you're as cold as an ice cube. Hold on, I'll turn on the heat."
It's time to go home. It's time to return to me.
"So cold.." Samantha's teeth were chattering.
Funny.
"Who are you?"
"Huh?" Suddenly, Taka's cell-phone rang. He picked it up. "Hello? Oh, hey Miaka. What's going on?" He sat up in his seat and frowned worriedly. "You sound terrible. What's wrong?"
Tetsuya frowned as he heard the sound of crying on Taka's phone. "Taka, is Miaka all right?"
Enjoy the ride.
Suddenly, frost appeared on Samantha's body before her eyes. "W- What's going on?" She said, scared.
"What do you mean, they're gone?! How could they just disappear like that? Yeah, Samantha's here.. Okay, hold on, we're on our way."
"What's up, Taka?" Tetsuya asked, keeping his eyes on the road.
"Lilian and Vivien Smith are gone. Miaka says they just disappeared.. vanished! How can this happen?!"
"They're gone?! How in the hell did that happen?! Where to?"
"The library. I dunno, but Miaka's going to find Kathryn and Keisuke now." Taka ran a hand through his hair. "Damn it, I don't know what's going on!"
Tetsuya was going past the speed limit. He didn't care. "Samantha, don't worry. We'll find your sisters."
Taka cursed and jumped from his seat. "Samantha's gone!"
"The hell you say!" Tetsuya slammed on the brakes and turned to the passenger's seat. All the color leached from his face. She was gone. And her seat was covered in frost.
