Name: Yukimi the Ice Goddess

Title: Lost and Found Part 3

Konnichiwa! This is Yukimi again with my new chapter, Lost and Found Part 3! I hope you enjoy it!

CCS does not belong to me; all rights belong to CLAMP and Kodansha. However, although it says in volume 1 of CCS manga that Chiharu has an older sister, I made up the name as it was never mentioned.

"Chiharu? Chiharu, wake up. You have to get to school."

Chiharu snuggled deeper into her blankets. "Come on, just a few more minutes..." she thought tiredly. "I need my sleep..."

"All right then, I'll have to resort to drastic measures...Haruko!" Chiharu's mother called.

Haruko was the name of Chiharu's older sister. "What is it, Okaa-san?" she said, stepping into her little sister's bedroom.

"I need you to wake her up," her mother said,pointing at the still form of Chiharu.

The older girl grinned. "Gladly," she said, smirking. She stepped over to Chiharu's bed and bent over to whisper into her ear.

"Hey, Chiharu-chan, you don't have to go to school. I'm sure mom can give you all sorts of things to do, like cleaning my gym clothes..."

Chiharu bolted out of bed. "That's not funny, Onee-san! Stop laughing!"

Haruko was doubled over in helpless laughter. "Gomen, gomen!" She started to speak again but laughed again. Chiharu glared at her older sister.

"You have to go, Chiharu! If you don't eat, you can still make it on time," her mother said, forcing her into her uniform.

Chiharu sighed. "I don't want to go, mom."

"Don't be silly, of course you do! What about all of your friends?" her mother protested.

Chiharu didn't answer. She wanted to see all of her friends, of course, but there was also one person she did not want to see.

"If I go to school, then that Yamazaki-kun will be there," she thought stubbornly. "And I definitely don't want to see him!" However, she still remembered the flowers that he had given her. They were hidden under her bed. If anyone saw them, she'd never hear the end of it.

She also remembered the way she felt when he smiled: sort of light and happy...

The confusion she felt must have showed on her face because Haruko stared at her worriedly. "Hey, are you all right?"

Chiharu snapped out of her reverie. "I'm fine!" She quickly started to get her clothes on. She knew that she could never persuade her mother to let her skip school. "Goodbye!" Chiharu left the house in a rush, trying to make it on time.

"Wow, Chiharu-chan, Sakura-chan is usually the one who is late," Naoko noted with amusement.

"I...got up a bit late." Chiharu was panting heavily from all of her running.

"That's strange of you, Chiharu-chan. Do you have something on your mind?" Naoko asked innocently.

The truth was that Chiharu did have something on her mind, but she was inclined not to share it with Naoko. However, if she didn't, it would stay pent up inside her and that wasn't good either. She had to tell someone or else she would go crazy!

"Well, there is something...but..."she stammered, "Can I tell you at lunch?"

Naoko blinked. "Of course," she said, confused. Chiharu never talked like this.

At that moment, Yamazaki came through the door. "Ohaiyo." He caught sight of Chiharu and smiled, sending her emotions off the hook.

Angry and embarrassed at the same time, she shouted in his face, "Why are you smiling?! Why?"

"Well, I was thinking if maybe you wanted to tell me why you dislike me today."

Chiharu stopped yelling. There was something about his demeanor that told her he wouldn't leave her alone until he got an answer.

"At lunch, north field. Be there, or I won't tell you."

His smile returned, bigger than ever. "All right."

Later:

"So what's on your mind, Chiharu-chan?"

Chiharu was silent for a few seconds. When she did speak, she sounded alone and confused.

"Naoko...what is love?"

"Love?" Naoko pondered that for a moment. "Well, I've never been in love myself. You should ask Sakura-chan." She leaned over. "Why?"

Chiharu didn't answer. She didn't know why she had asked in the first place. At least, that's what she told herself.

At last, Naoko caught on. "Chiharu-chan...Are you in love with Yamazaki-kun?"

Immediately, Chiharu turned red and started toyell at her friend. "OF COURSE NOT! I'm NOT in love with Yamazaki-kun and I never WILL be in love with Yamazaki-kun! What made you think that in the first place?!"

Naoko was unfazed. "Well, for starters, you are all red." This made Chiharu blush even more.

"Hey, don't you have to meet him too?" Naoko commented.

Chiharusnapped to attention. "That's right! Why did I want tomeet both of you at the same time?"

Naoko grinned. "The question is why you wanted to meet with him at all."

Chiharu turned deep crimson and ran away to find Yamazaki.

"You are late. That's unusual." Yamazaki was grinning watching Chiharu sweat.

"Quiet, I've heard it already," she gasped out.

"So, what is it? Are you going to tell me?"

Chiharu stiffened. She knew she had to tell someone. Everybody thought she was eccentric for not liking boys. But, why tell this BOY something she wouldn't even tell Naoko?

"Are you sure? I still don't think you'll understand."

Yamazaki nodded. "Hai, I'm sure."

Chiharu sighed. "All right. I've never told anyone this before. You're the first."

"Mommy, what's wrong?"

A girl no more than ten years old stood beside her mother who was weeping with sorrow. "Why are you crying, mommy?"

The woman tried to wipe her tears. "It's nothing, Chiharu. Go back to bed."

"Where's daddy?" When her mother didn't answer, the girl knew something was wrong.

Her sister stood beside her mother, her fists clenched. "I can't believe he would do something like that! Did you know about this, Okaa-san?"

The woman nodded.

"Why on Earth would he run away with another woman?" Hanako growled.

"I don't know, Hanako," her mother said sadly.

"That scum!"

"Don't speak about your father like that, Hanako."

"He is no father of mine!" Hanako was livid with rage.

"Sister, why did Otou-san leave?" Chiharu was still confused. How could her kind father run away from his family? With another woman? Why would he make mother cry? Her mother held her close, not answering her question.

"So that's it. My father ran off with another woman when I was ten. Once I knew what that meant, I was as angry as my sister. I joined a private girls' school and would have done the same this year..." She swallowed. "But Sakura-chan asked me to come."

Yamazaki was still a little confused. "I can understand that, but why would that turn you off men completely?"

Chiharu was close to tears. He didn't understand at all. "Because I didn't want to be like my mother and place my trust in an untrustworthy person. I would hate to give my heart to somebody and have them take it away and rip it apart."

Yamazaki shook his head. He moved close to her an put his hand on her shoulder. "You know, not every boy is like that," he said. "I'm not like that. You know that."

"I know," Chiharu sobbed. "I just didn't want to believe it. I thought maybe you would turn out just like my father." The words were out before she even knew she had said them.

Yamazaki sat beside her. She was crying now, unrestrained tears pouring down her cheeks. He put his arms around her shoulders and let her cry. She didn't object. But she had no idea that it would feel so comforting to be in his arms...