Weary cherry eyes fluttered open, partially blinded by the sun's rays seeping from the plush dark blue curtains in the circular library that winter morning.
Along stacks of paper and several creased and crumpled ones were burgundy stresses spread out being ruffled by the wind from the slightly open window.
By the glass cabinet situated near the door was a reflection of a pale woman in her early 30's slightly rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.
"I fell asleep," she said to herself, turning her gaze to her wrinkled black dress to the heap of papers before her.
She sighed.
Out of the corner of her eye she looked at the grandfather clock beside the glass cabinet.
It read a quarter past eight. If she cleans up fast enough she can still make it for her first class in the university.
Standing up, she stacked the papers into a neat pile atop her desk and walked to the bathroom by the second floor. The house was deafeningly quiet and she finds the atmosphere depressing than ever.
Unclothing herself, she mechanically took a shower, her thoughts drifting to some place far away.
"Baka…" she muttered under her breath, her eyes starting to swell with tears.
Even if my memory were to fail me
In the future, I would still be able to
Walk with certainty, the footsteps of
My soul…
Ye Si1948
Transcendence and Fax machine
"Mizuki-san?" a russet haired man said upon sight of the red-haired woman in the busy faculty room. "Aren't you on leave?"
"Terada-kun," Mizuki Kaho said turning to her colleague.
"Are you feeling better now? You should be resting," Terada Yoshiyuki said walking towards her.
Kaho meekly nodded and averted her gaze to the framed picture in her desk. "I need to forget… or at least distract myself – somehow… so I…" she said, lowering her head.
Owari
A 2-part ET fic by Akizuki Sai
Disclaimer: This is the first and last time I'll be saying this: I own no CCS, just my weird plot. Thank you.
"What are you doing here?" the usually chirpy Nakuru icily said upon sight of the red-haired woman by the front door of the Kinimoto residence.
"Nakuru-san, who's… Mizuki-sensei!" Sakura said appearing by the foyer with her one-year old Nadeshiko, an apron around her waist.
"Good afternoon," Kaho greeted quietly bowing down.
"It's chilly outside, please get in," Sakura said giving Nakuru a pleading look before widely opening the door to let her former teacher in.
The moon guardian then gave a careless shrug and walked out of the room.
"I'm…" Sakura started.
"It's okay, I understand. She has every reason to be mad at me," Kaho said dismissively.
"Please have a seat while I go get us some tea," Sakura said prompting Kaho to seat by the sofa.
"Let me help you," Kaho said standing up.
"It's okay, please watch over Na-chan for me, instead," Sakura said in her usual cheery voice leaving Kaho with her daughter before she could react.
Kaho smiled.
"Where are Li-kun and the others?" she asked eyeing the room. The Kinimoto residence hasn't changed that much since the last time she visit, save from the growing number of framed pictures all over the place.
It was warm and inviting as ever, unlike her abode.
"… Syao-kun's with Otousan buying things we'll need for Na-chan's birthday party tomorrow, Oniichan on the other hand has work… is green tea fine with you?" Sakura asked from the kitchen.
"Yes, please," Kaho said watching over little Nadeshiko fiddle with her toys. She looks every inch like her late grandmother except for her eyes which are flaming amber like her father's.
"You're staying here for the holidays?" Kaho asked.
"Yes, we spent it last year in Hong Kong, so this time we decided to have it here in Tomoeda," Sakura said entering the room with a tray of tea and cakes.
"Na-chan loves it here," she said taking a seat on an armchair accidentally knocking a mahogany music box by a side table.
On cue a lullaby played.
"Yasa sa Tane…" Nadeshiko cooed crawling to the box excitedly.
Sakura beamed with pride. "She meant Yasashisa no Tane… she still can't work on her shi's and ri's,"
"Tomoyo-chan always lulls her to sleep… Syao-kun and I are terrible singers so we sometimes use the Song card to do it,"
"Tomo-oba? 'kasan, Tomo-oba wa?" Nadeshiko asked around the room hearing her favorite aunt's name.
Kaho's eyes widened.
"No, Na-chan… Aunty Tomoyo's not here… she... she won't be around to sing from now, I thought mommy told you already," Sakura said carrying her daughter as her eyes starts to water.
"Doushite?" Nadeshiko asked innocently, tugging on her mother's sleeve.
"She's with your Obaasan, already," Sakura replied running a hand on Nadeshiko's wavy hair.
"In heaven?" Nadeshiko asked again.
"…Y-Yes… in heaven…" Sakura said finding it harder to find her voice.
"And Uncle Eliol?" Nadeshiko asked again,
"Y-yes… and Uncle Eriol," Sakura said a tear escaping her eye. Kaho looked down, tears wetting her clenched fists atop her skirt. She hastily wiped her eyes dry.
"I better go now, I just drop by to give my present to Nadeshiko-chan," she said standing up and handing a pink bunny with a big white ribbon to Nadeshiko and rushing to the door.
"Aren't you going to the party tomorrow?" Sakura asked walking after her.
"I'm afraid I can't," Kaho said. "Please give my regards to your family,"
Sakura nodded and was surprised to find her former teacher embrace her.
"Arigatou," she whispered letting her go and walking out of the house before Sakura could utter a word.
"Sensei…"
Dedicated to Bloody-Stiletto-chan: How are you? The whole fic is for you.
Come to me in the silence of the night
Come in the speaking silence of a dream
Come with soft rounded cheeks and eyes as bright
As sunlight on a stream
Come back in tears
O memory, hope, love of finished years…
Christina Rosetti 1830-1894
Echo
Date: December 7, 2011
Time: 11:45 pm
This is my first entry in this journal. A student gave it to me as a New Year's gift but my then journal still has a number of pages left and it was only till the other day when I got to fill it in with my writing.
I quiet had a hard time finding this one in my closet.
Things at the university are busier than usual today. Many things have to be done for the upcoming Winter Festival and there is very little time to do it. The students are ecstatic though and their chatter is overwhelming. I guess I got pretty much carried away I got home around eleven in the evening. A student drove me home.
I found Eriol sleeping by the sofa with Spinel Sun whose mouth was full of chocolate. Nakuru-san was snoring by the fireplace. I have a hunch they had another sugar attack. We always have one, about an average of three or five times a day. It can be quiet a handful. I told them to limit Spinel Sun with sweets but they don't seem to listen.
I didn't want to disturb their sleep but being the klutz that I am created a fiasco when I stepped on a candle by the door.
Eriol seemed pretty upset that I missed dinner and didn't seem interested at all to listen to my reasons.
It wasn't like I always miss dinner with him.
Men can be immature at times.
Oh, well.
Date: December 8, 2011
Time: 9:13 am
I feel miserable.
Yesterday was our anniversary and there I was lamenting about men's immaturity when I was the one at fault.
I can't believe I actually forgot.
I really feel guilty.
Earlier this morning he barely uttered a word to me.
Maybe I'll make it up to him by preparing a special dinner tonight.
Speaking of dinner, if I want to be home early I need to get back to my class. I'll write again.
I now know how it feels when someone stood you up.
Eriol did – well, not exactly anyway. He and his guardians went out for pizza. They thought I'd come home late again.
They made a note about it by the phone – which, I only noticed after I'm through cooking.
By the time they got home I was asleep by the sofa. Eriol woke me up.
I guess we're even now.
He told me he just got a letter from Sakura-chan. She and Li-kun are finally getting engaged. She sent in plane tickets and invitations for everyone. They wanted us to spend the holidays in Hong Kong with them.
It would be nice to spend the holidays with Sakura-chan and the others in Hong Kong. Unfortunately, the engagement party coincides with my class's presentation for the Winter Festival.
I miss Sakura-chan. Due to my piling work at the university I no longer get to exchange letters with her and the rest of my former students in Tomoeda.
Eriol's been keeping in touch with them since he left for England. He and Sakura-chan often exchange letters. He had communication with Daidouji-san till she's in Junior High but lose contact when her mother sent her to New York. And up to now Li-kun doesn't seem to be too happy hearing from him – apparently he still can't get over Eriol's teasing back then.
I kind of miss the good old days.
"I never was in love, yet the voice and image of a woman haunted me these days…"
John Keats 1795-1821
Letter to John Hamilton Reynolds
Date: December 8, 2011
Time: 9:13 pm
The house is as busy as the university. Nakuru and Spinel Sun literally turned the house upside down packing their things for their trip at the last minute.
They'll be leaving for Hong Kong this afternoon. I can't drive them to the airport as I have an important faculty meeting.
They'll be spending the holidays there. I'll stay at home and party with my colleagues.
Eriol seems a bit distracted. He's been like that for the last few days.
I've been asking him what's bothering him but he would always say he's okay and change the topic.
He hasn't been sleeping well too.
The other day, he got out of bed at around one in the morning and had half a bottle of wine. I didn't go after him as I thought he needs some time alone. I later found him by the throne of evil in the library buried in a heap of crumpled papers.
When I looked at each and one of them they all contain the same phrase: "I know those eyes. I know that image. But somehow… I can't seem to remember…"
It doesn't make any sense at all. I asked him about it later on during breakfast but he merely shrugged it off and said it was just a random thought.
I didn't know writing about something over and over in seventy-two pieces of paper can be considered a random thought.
Date: December 19, 2011
Time: 11:08 am
I've been very busy the last few days I didn't get to write at all.
Today is Sakura-chan and Li-kun's engagement party. Since I couldn't come I decided to give them a call during my vacant period at the university.
They all seem to be having fun. I could practically hear everyone's cheery chatter and the waltz playing.
I checked on Eriol through Sakura-chan and she told me that he's been pretty moody when he arrived. But is starting to be cheerful later that evening. She said he's chatting with Daidouji-san and the others and seems to be enjoying himself. She was to give the phone to Eriol but I needed to hang-up already. A couple of students had a fight across the hall.
Hearing Sakura-chan's report about Eriol relieves me. I'm glad he's starting to be cheery. I guess meeting his old friends after years of no contact from each other is really important to him.
Somehow… I can't help but feel a tinge of jealousy to those in Hong Kong. I feel useless being unable to comfort him at all.
But then again, there will always be gaps in his heart that I know I cannot fill – that I will never be able to fill…
Date: December 25, 2011
Time: 10:24 pm
This is my first Christmas without Eriol ever since we got together. Usually, we would celebrate Christmas with a simple dinner wither at the manor or at a first-class hotel and watch the fireworks display by the Big Ben.
Last year we spent Christmas in Paris. Eriol and I had dinner at a first-class hotel overlooking the Eiffel Tower. It was wonderful – not to mention, romantic.
I visited a friend earlier and didn't get to answer Eriol's phone call. They left a message on the answering machine instead. Eriol didn't get to say much as Nakuru-chan and the others are trying to snatch the phone from him and greet me as well.
Eriol's voice is happier than usual I could imagine him smiling that grin of his.
They all seem to be enjoying themselves and somehow I feel torn with emotions that of joy and jealousy.
I'm happy that Eriol's happy but I can't help to feel jealous thinking that – how can he be so happy without me?
To be continued…
Sai-chan: To those who have read Owari, I needed to edit some grammatical and typographical errors. I hope you don't mind. Also, I noticed some conflict with the year, considering Nadeshiko's age and changed it from 2012 to 2011. My apologies for my carelessness.
Most ET stories either use an omniscient point of view or that of Eriol's and Tomoyo's and I kind of thought – why not Kaho? Hopefully, she's not pretty much out of character here, it's just the way I see her and her relationship with Eriol.
Nevertheless, make my day and review, ne?