Twin Strangers
Written by: Ciuline Ihmenjo
Cardcaptor Sakura does not belong to me. The characters in Cardcaptor Sakura do not belong to me. CLAMP owns CCS. Besides, even if you do try and sue me, I have no money.
I got this great idea during vacation so I decided to write a prequel to Twin Strangers! Thanks for your continuing support! And I'm redoing much of the Fallen series, because, as a friend of mine pointed out: it's getting a little repetitive
Italicized words are thoughts. Bold words are emphasis. CAPS WORDS are shouting.
= = Ground Zero-One = =
It sits on the shelf stuck to the wall, attempting to look somewhat inconspicuous. It fails for I notice it immediately. A bottle of shampoo. It's something that would seem so trivial to most people. To me, it is anything but simple. And my vision begins to blur.
The label reads "jasmine." Two pictures of jasmine sprigs surround the fancy gold print. The lavender gel, visible through the clear but foggy plastic bottle, almost speaks to me. Almost… The mixture of feelings coursing through my body threatens to overcome me. To control my every move. And I almost surrender to it, those emotions that I can find no way to put into words.
And suddenly I feel cold against my palm. I open my eyes and can see my hand flat against the yellow tiles lining the wall of the combination shower/bath. I sink to my knees in a slow, jittery motion. And I begin sobbing harder. My voice finally emerges from my mouth. It is a garbled wail, more animalistic cry than human noise. My whole arm flops to my side opposite its twin. So, I sit in the tub just barely conscious of the rising water level. I turn the faucet off and let the water envelop me. I sigh as the heat works into my muscles, completely forgetting about the towel still wrapped around me.
And then I sit up again, reaching out to grab the bottle. My tears have finally slowed to a trickle. And then, I wipe them away with the back of my hand. My eyes settle on the print on the shelf. And I begin to cry again. My name is written there in permanent marker. A piece of thick, transparent packaging tape is stuck over the letters, making them completely waterproof.
I can only sit with the water up to my waist and stare at my name. The towel slides into the water, just floating there. And the tears mingle with sweat.
My sobbing must attract your attention, because you burst into the room. Then you begin to apologize.
"Oh my god… I'm sorry! I didn't know you were there."
I stay silent.
"You aren't mad at me or anything."
"How long did this take you?" I turn to you and flash a weak smile.
"Huh?" The confusion is evident on your face.
"The shelf… the shampoo… how long…?" I try not to sound upset – because I'm not. But the tears of joy keep flowing. I look like a wreck and probably sound like one too.
"That?" You shrug and scratch the back of your head. "It took me about five minutes… Do you want me to take it down or something?"
Suddenly, you are bombarded with a soaking wet projectile. Namely… me. I throw my arms around your neck. Luckily, you are still standing in the doorway, so you fall backwards through it. And I begin to kiss every inch of exposed skin my lips can find.
"I love it." I finally stop to take a few gasping breaths. "It's perfect, absolutely wonderful." I look down at you, letting myself get lost in the dark puddles of your eyes.
"You're all excited over a shelf?" you raise an eyebrow.
"Yes… I mean no…. I mean…" I manage to sputter, "It's just that no one has ever done something like this for me."
"It's just a shelf."
"But it's a wonderful shelf."
You smile and pick me up. Placing me beside you, you roll into a sitting position. "I'll make you another one if you're so giddy about it."
If you only knew… "No, that's alright. It wouldn't mean as much." I give you another rare smile.
"Promise you aren't mad at me or anything?"
"Touya, you see me naked all the time. We sleep together." I jab you in the forehead with my index finger.
"That's good, I don't know what I'd do without you."
I slowly rise to my feet and walk toward the bathroom. "I think I'm going to regret doing that." I feel a slight ache from where I landed on you.
"Don't 'cause I liked it." You smile. "I'm going to work though, so stay out of trouble. And Sakura's with your brat… so she'll be home sometime around midnight." You walk to your closet and begin rooting around in the forest of hangers for your work uniform. You pause and turn your head to the clothes don't muffle your voice. "So, are you going to be staying the night more often?"
The door is still slightly ajar, so I respond through the small opening. "Yeah, I think I am now."
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And out strings of fate became tied together that wonderful day. That day where I became a part of you…
= = Closing remarks = =
I'm in the process of writing a lot of one-shot type stories for the Twin Strangers universe. So, be on the lookout for them!
That's all for now, see you in the future!
Ja ne! Ciuline Ihmenjo