New Year Tricks: Chapter Five

Stuck in China: part 2- The Great Wall

The shafts of sunlight escaped through the blinds, in the living room window. The rooster was crowing, in the back yard, while people scurried back and forth, doing the morning chores. The Wong residence was located on Fortune Avenue, in the sleepy suburbs of Beijing. It was six in the morning, and Mei-Li Wong, the matriarch of the Wong family, was in the dining room, quietly sipping from a porcelain teacup. The woman was in her nineties, but was still strong. She had withstood many years of hard work and family crises, throughout her life. Now, her mind was on the visitors from Japan, slumbering in the Living room, at this very moment.

Kouji propped himself up, on the edge of the couch, thinking quietly to himself, and appreciating the early morning atmosphere, before it disappeared. Leaning against the soft cushions, the boy sighed to himself, while staring at the ceiling. His blue eyes ran over the ornate lamps, the delicate porcelain. Everything in this house seemed centuries old, except the children tormenting the living room, the other day. Kouji chuckled quietly, remembering the unexpected pillow fight, which had ensued, the day before.

A yawn escaped someone's lips, diverting Kouji's attention to his sleeping friends. It was Takuya. He watched, as the goggle-boy got up sleepily, rubbing his eyes, and staring into the dim surroundings. He instinctively reached for his cap, which was carefully laid beside the sleeping bag.

"Aaah." Said Takuya, stretching his arms skyward. He gave a big yawn, and looked at Kouji sleepily.

The loner just raised an eyebrow, and waited for his friend to say something.

"What's for breakfast?"

Somewhere, in the backyard, a hen clucked loudly.

~~

Mei-li ate her breakfast of rice porridge quickly, then put the bowl in the sink. She walked over to the part of the wall where her old cane was propped on. Curling her withered, but sturdy hands around the rough-hewn handle, the woman hobbled to the front door, opened it, and walked out, into the morning sunlight. It was time to join the other elders, for a lively game of checkers.

The porcelain plates clanked and clattered, as the maid put them down, wordlessly, on the table in front of the guests. The first few minutes of breakfast were dead silent, except for the woman. Kouji stared blankly at every inanimate object in the room, his eyes half-closed. It was a bore to wait for the maid. Izumi's head was rocking back and forth, slightly, as her mind went back and forth, between the dream world, and reality. Tommy was still hanging on to that battered digicam, like it was the once source of power for him. In a way, it was.

Takuya sighed, tapping his fingers absently at the wooden table. The air was heavy with expectation of breakfast. Waiting for it was killing him. The goggle head was about to fall asleep, when another maid entered from the kitchen, carrying a large circular tray, on which several bowls of rice porridge with steamed ginger chicken were placed. He laughed slightly, upon seeing Junpei rub his hands in anticipation of a good meal. That guy was a regular gourmet. When the porcelain bowl was laid in front of him, Takuya grabbed the spoon, and began eating ravenously. For a brief moment, all eyes were laid on the one boy seated beside Henry, slopping noisily. Takuya, aware that he was being observed, looked up expectantly. Pai just laughed, winked at the bewildered boy, and proceeded to eating her own breakfast. Whatever ice was formed at first, between the guests and the mother was now shattered into a thousand pieces.

~~

Mei Li opened the creaky door gingerly. Patches of sunlight shone through Guo Chu's little house, where many of the elders stayed all day, playing Chinese checkers. The small, wiry man gave a crooked half-smile, as he saw the Wong matriarch enter. He motioned to a seat near the window. It was Mei Li's favourite spot. The old woman nodded, then noticed that there was an empty chair, beside a checkerboard. Upon looking at Guo quizzically, she knew immediately that he had gone out. The old merchant Zhou Yap. To the great wall.

"Hmm, how 'bout doing a little sightseeing today?" asked Henry, handing Junpei an old, battered map.

"Sounds good." Said Takuya, walking out from the guestroom. He had just changed.

"Okay, where do we go?" asked Izumi, looking over Junpei's shoulder.

"How about here?" suggested the older boy, pointing a finger at a spot, clearly labeled 'The Great Wall'.

"The Great Wall it is." Nodded Henry, making a quick mental note.

"Yay! When?" questioned Tommy, replacing the digicam's memory card.

"Hmmm, how about three?" suggested Henry, checking his watch.

"I can take you."

Izumi smiled and nodded, cheerfully.

"Thanks, Henry. That would be great."

Henry bowed.

"My Pleasure. Now, I think that you should change Izumi, because mother wants the house empty by ten. Mass cleaning." He explained.

"Wait-change.NOW?" asked Kouji, shakily.

Henry nodded, with an amused look in his eye.

"Yes, now. It's 9:45. The maids are coming to clean out the house, soon."

"Right." Muttered Kouji, reaching for a blue handkerchief, and tying it over his eyes.

Izumi giggled, and nudged her friend in the ribs.

"Thanks, Kouji-kun."

"Whatever. Just make it quick, okay?" retorted Kouji, ignoring the attachment to his name.

"Right." Laughed Izumi, rolling her eyes, and taking out a set of clothes from her bag.

The crisp, cool wind blew at the faces of people, as they made their way through the small bazaars, surrounding the world-famous Great Wall of China. Block upon block of rock and brick, spiraled through the Chinese border, truly an awesome feat for any man. Today was a good day for selling, since there were many tourists. The old, but strong merchant searched for faces in the crowd. His eyes were like a hawk's, and there was no one he could not see, from here. A man in his late thirties approached the merchant, carrying a box. The older man nodded to him, pointing to a corner of his stall. He averted his gaze from the box, and began searching the crowd, again. They were not here yet. But they were coming.

It was a 40-kilometer ride from Beijing to the Great Wall.

Outside the Wong residence, the five friends stood, beside the muddy road. Several puddles dotted the streets, from last night's drizzle. Kneeling on the ground, Tommy was watching some chickens avidly, while Takuya tried to talk to several passer-byes, asking them what exactly was going on in the neighborhood. Of course, he really couldn't understand, since they all spoke in rapid Chinese. Junpei was reading a historian's documentary about the Great Wall, just in case Mr. Wasabe demanded an extensive report on where they had been, for the past three weeks. Izumi was holding her cellphone, sending overseas text messages, to Hannah, Kouichi or Kirschey. The girl laughed at the responses she had received from each f her friends, back home.

Izumi, dnt 4get 2 tel Tomy that iyl b w8tng 4 his pics via email. Pls tel hm 2 use or borw Takis laptop. Got 2 go, kochis rily mad at d mes I made in hs ktchn. Hs moms cmng home soon. Bye. -Hana

Tel Kouji dat hanas got mor pics of hm, w/c she gav 2 svral of hs fangrls. Hws d vcaxn so far? Hana told me u guys wer havn fun. Keep my bro safe. -Kochi

Hey Izumi! Krshee hr. tel taki dat my moms snding a cr8 of cukis 4 u guys. I myt folow. Am leavn 4 china on d 5th. C ya! :)

Izumi laughed, quickly replying to each of their messages.

Hey guyz. Its bin fun hr so far. Wer goin 2 d gr8 wal 2day. Krshees famly is rily nice, bt I thnk dat hr cousns r beatn up d othr guys. Iyl try 2 snd a postcrd soon. Wsh u wr hr. l8r.:)

After punching in the last few punctuation marks, Izumi looked up. The guys were making two chickens fight with each other. Kouji was looking on, interested. The Italian girl shook her head, knowingly. Guys. They could be so brutal sometimes.

Takuya was poking one chicken with the stick he had picked up. When the farm animal looked at him questioningly, the boy just pointed to the other chicken, who was eating some chicken feed. The first bird began pecking the other chicken, which led to a fight. Junpei and Tommy watched, captivated by the action.

"Look at them go!"

"I'll bet the first chicken's gonna win."

"No way. The second is waaay stronger."

"Yeah right."

"Who cares! Look, he's really angry now!"

"Ooh man, that other chicken's in big trouble now!"

"Speed, strength. They count. The second chicken is going to win."

"I'll bet you a hundred yen, that the first wins."

"You're on."

"Guys, it looks like Junpei's gonna lose the bet."

"I am? No way!"

"Told you the second is going to win."

"Wait, what a comeback!"

At that moment, when it seemed that all was lost for the second chicken, a big, blue, and expensive-looking SUV dashed by, splattering mud and grime onto the bystanders, on the road side. Izumi looked down, horrified, at her clothes. They were all covered in mud. Even the chickens, who now looked like sewer rats, seemed dazed, at the sudden splash of dirt and water. Kouji, who had a really ticked-off look on his face, whipped of his muddy bandanna (it got soiled, for the third time, in this story) and walked off into the house, dragging Izumi with him. Sighing, the boy made for the entrance of the house, while the girl followed. It turned out to be a bad idea. A VERY bad idea. Henry wasn't kidding, when he had said that Pai always liked to keep the house clean. Clouds of dust floated from the living room, once Kouji and Izumi got in. The girl coughed, looking into the brown haze. Kouji could just make out the silhouette of a busy maid, vacuuming the rug. Whatever dust particles were there, immediately clung to the muddy clothes of the two. Izumi coughed again. Trying to find the entrance to the kitchen, so that she could wash the mud off her face, she accidentally tripped over a piece of furniture. Izumi fell on the bare floor, with enough force to drag Kouji down, also.

"coughcough Ow! I can't see!"

"."

"Kouji are you there?"

".uh.yeah."

"Why can't I see?"

As a response, Kouji tried to get up. This was not and easy task, since he was under a heavy wooden table, which seemed to be there at the right time. Then, Izumi could see again. What did she see? The Black cloth of his shirt. Aside from his breathing, she could hear the hum of the vacuum cleaner, getting louder. This new revelation wasn't a very comforting one.

"Kouji?"

"Yeah. What?"

"Please please please try to get up before the maid comes."

"Right, wait."

Izumi could hear the sound of a table, scraping against the floor-tiles. Pretty soon, they were back on their own two feet, and headed to the kitchen. Kouji kept silent all the way. Apparently, there was something else going on in that brain of his. The loner watched, as Izumi washed her face in the sink.

~~

Outside, three boys remained. Standing in their mud-caked clothes and shoes, they were absolutely speechless. Maybe it was the shock that came with getting splashed in mud all of a sudden. Maybe it was the dazzling blue of the vehicle that passed by. Or maybe it was something else. Takuya's eyes followed the blue vehicle that had passed by a while ago. After reaching the end of the street, it seemed to veer off course, and turn back, headed for the Wong residence. The goggle-head's eyes widened, as he saw the SUV coming towards them. He motioned frantically to the other two.

"Guys! Get out of there you'll be-"

'splat'

".splashed."

Takuya now looked up at the side of the blue vehicle, angrily. The guy who drove that thing had some nerve. It seemed that he hadn't seen them. But who wouldn't have seen several Japanese teenagers, standing by the roadside?

He watched, as the door opened, and a guy stepped out. All seemed to have been taken aback, at the sight of him. He wasn't a mean, cruel guy, who had splattered them on purpose, or a rich snob who didn't care. In fact, the very being that had stepped out of the vehicle, was their own age.

He had black hair, and brown eyes, which were slightly chinky. Flawless, pale skin and a quizzical look, finished his expression. The boy walked towards Takuya, and asked a single question, his accent and pronounciation, perfect.

"Where is Kirschey?"

Junpei could have sworn that a nuclear bomb had gone off then and there, and had hit Takuya, because the guy certainly looked like one had hit him. Uncertain silence ensued, after the Chinese guy asked the question for the second time. He was now looking at then suspiciously, like they didn't belong here. Tommy, sensing the building tension, answered it himself.

"She's in Japan, she's coming here on the 5th."

The guy acknowledged with a nod, and, with a slight bow, reentered the blue vehicle. The engine revved up, and soon, it had pulled out of the street, and into the broad sunshine, that brightened the streets of Beijing. Takuya stood there, stiffly, as if he was planted to the ground. The guy didn't say a word, but inside, his brain was exploding with questions. 'Who?' 'Why?' 'How?' but worst of all. 'He's looking for KIRSCHEY?'

Izumi and Kouji had since left the dust-cloud infected house, and were making their way to the gate. As the two stepped over chickens and past piles of droppings, Kouji began to sense that something was wrong. The sight that greeted them outside was expectable, but nonetheless strange, to the untrained eye. The remaining guy were splattered in several layers of mud and who-knows-what, while Takuya looked like he was concentrating on something hard, or was really really constipated. The remains of their meeting with the boy still lingered in the humid air, and his clear voice rang in Takuya's ears, despite the loud clucking of hens.

'Where is Kirschey?'

'Do you know her?'

'Who are you?'

These questions popped up in Takuya's mind, one after the other. But the worst thought of all was yet to come.

'Are you her boyfriend?'

03:25:09:28 p.m., Henry's car.

So far, things were going pretty well, after the 'blue car' incident. The guests were at the back of Henry's car, on their way to the great wall, while the good-natured man hummed to himself, as he made his way through the road leading to the great wall. The teenagers were dozing off at the back, save Kouji. He was staring out the window, at the scenery rushing past. Farmers, carabaos. Children. Fathers. Sighing, the boy slumped in his seat, while Henry hummed on. This allowed the somewhat introverted loner to reflect on his present thoughts.

Right now, he was thinking about the present situation: yes, his feelings, however small, for Izumi were there. The only problem now was whether she would return those feelings, or reject them. That was, if he ever had the guts to actually tell her. Kouji sighed, inwardly. This crush business was confusing. There were a pile of books at the back of his closet that described love as dizziness, sweaty palms, and pimples. As far as those things were concerned, Kouji wouldn't like to have been in love. But this, this was different. Was it love? Nah.

What had seemed like just minutes, was actually an hour. Soon, the towering gateway of the Great Wall of China was visible, from afar. Kouji's eyes widened slightly because of the magnificent sight. A grand archway, with stone carvings on either side, and a plaza, where a throng of tourists were, buying and haggling with the merchants present. Kouji turned, and gently shook Izumi, waking her up. The fair-haired girl gave a small yawn, then smiled, upon seeing her friend. Her sight them fell upon the wondrous gateway, and Izumi let out a small gasp. Henry heard this, and chuckled.

"Pretty amazing, huh?"

"Yeah. Nice gate."

"There's more. Much more. The great wall extends for 7,400 kilometers, each piece was built bit by bit, by the orders of a Chinese emperor, long ago." Explained Henry, maneuvering around another car.

Izumi sighed, and nodded, taking in the sight. Beside her, Kouji shifted positions, uncomfortably. He had a feeling that something peculiar was going to happen. Yes, very peculiar indeed.

The old man turned his withered gaze, in the direction of the wind. To the south, he could see a black car, weaving its way through the traffic. They were inside. They were coming. The man closed his eyes, and mumbled a prayer to his ancestors. He only hoped that his donkey of a son would get everything right.

~~

Skadi:

Yes, liked it? Artemis is currently on vacation in the desert, so I will be taking over for now. Suggestions are welcome. The sequel to this story's plot is in the making, so please read it when it comes, and when this story is finally done. Don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: artemis owns not, digimon. Only the charracters whom she has created.