oh no! the dreaded two-chapters-in-one-night! how could i? you ask? well, i'm notsure how much longer my computerwill last, so i'm doing as much updating as i possibly can.... enjoy the overflow, i might not be doing this for a while!
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Yuki was kneeling at the table, his homework spread out on the top, before he realized that for the first time in his life he could care less about his studies.
"What the hell is Kyo thinking?" he asked himself, and set his forehead on the table with a thud.
"About what?" Kyo poked his head around the corner with an irritating smile, knowing exactly what put that pained expression on his cousins face.
"Telling those people!" Yuki hissed, then looked around for signs of Shigure.
"He's at the main house." Kyo commented, and sat opposite Yuki, "listen, do you want to hear this from me? Or do you want to talk to someone who knows what he's talking about?"
"What ARE you talking about?"
"Here, we'll make it easy for you Yuki-san." Li leaned against the door jamb and bowed his head politely, "it should cut down on the confusion."
"All right then." Yuki watched as Li looked at Kyo, a nod passed between them, Kyo stood and left the room.
"If he stayed you'd only end up fighting." Li answered the question written plainly on Yuki's face. "Now, do you want the whole story, or the condensed version?"
"So what you're telling me is that you and Kyo switched bodys for a day?"
"Yes."
"And that this CHANGE card of Sakura's was responsible for it?"
"Sounds right."
"And that you're a wizard?"
"I come from a long line of them." Li nodded.
"Pull the other one."
"Excuse me?"
"You're insane."
"You turn into a mouse when a girl hugs you and you're having trouble believing this?" Li chuckled, "You're a case."
"I may be cursed but that doesn't mean I'm gullible."
"You know what? I really want to hit you right now. But I'll restrain myself and let you in on a little secret."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. Wizards are notorious for short tempers. Luckily for you I'm controlled to the extreme." Li held out his left hand, palm up, and whispered the incantation, "Force, know my plight, release the light." Yuki jumped back as the hand began to glow and a small circle of energy was etched into the table under it.
"What the-?" he scrambled back until his spine touched the wall.
"Fire, know thy master, flame within, bound to its caster." A tiny flame danced over the palm, not touching, but happily burning just the same. "Now do you believe me?"
Yuki could only nod dumbly as Li extinguished the flame with a thought, and shook the remaining influence from his fingertips, letting the energy sink back into his skin with a sigh.
"And that was so small a thing compared to what we can and will do." He paused as the front door opened, and they could hear Kyo's voice welcoming Shigure home. "Now are you going to be reasonable and keep this between us for the time being?" Yuki could only nod as Shigure opened the sliding door and stepped into the room. Seeing Yuki's homework spread out and another boy at the table Shigure naturally assumed a study group.
"Ahh, friends at the new school already, how fun." He smiled at Li, who nodded politely back. "How absolutely magnificent! Kyo!" he sung out, "why aren't you in here making friends?"
"Actually, Shigure, Li is my friend, I've known the guy for a while." Kyo smiled smugly as Yuki was still trying to find his voice.
"Oh, well good for you." Shigure patted Kyo's head and moved away, back into his office as Kyo began to yell about how his cousin always treated him like a baby.
"Anyway, it was nice talking with you." Li nodded to Yuki before getting to his feet, "and I hope we can be friends." Li grabbed Kyo's elbow, "you can show me out Kyo."
"Right." Kyo sighed and slid back the hall door.
"I think he'll be able to talk in a bit," Li shrugged into his light jacket, "and try to remember how you felt the first time you were hit by magic, and maybe not rag on him until he's up to it?"
"Fat chance." Kyo snorted. Li rolled his eyes, at least he tried.
"We'll see you at school tomorrow." Li waved his hand before settling it in his jacket pocket.
"Yeah." Kyo grinned, "Tomorrow."
Yuki was still a little shell-shocked as he prepared for bed. Luckily Shigure just thought he was in a mood, and Tohru was preoccupied with completing all her homework after Kyo walked her home. And Kyo just watched him, with a smug smile on his face.
"I can't believe this is happening." He shook his head as he pulled his shirt off. He glanced toward the mirror and sighed. "I don't know why I think the image will ever change." He chided himself, and fingered the scars that crept up his left side, before turning away. And once again he marveled at the fact that the long thin lines caused by a cherry blossom branch had scarred over, but the great gaps he'd made in his wrists had healed without a trace. "Hatori." He muttered before pulling on his pajama pants and sliding into his bed. As he turned out the light and settled himself in, he prayed that he could sleep just one night, without the dreams.
'I guess tonight's not the night.' The young boy was huddled in the corner of the dim room, the only light came from a window across from him. He shivered in the cold, and prayed that the punishment would soon be over.
"Just like a rat, to hide in a corner." The voice was full of conceit, arrogance that only the young or very powerful could feel. This boy, standing in the doorway with an ugly sneer, was both. "I told you this would happen, if you disobeyed me again." He stepped into the room and closed the door with a swish. The other boy, his gray eyes wide as he watched the shadow moved across the room, tried to curl into himself. He tried to wish himself away, but he couldn't move for the fear of it.
"I told you not to talk to them, but you did it anyway, Yuki." He placed his hand gently on the boys hair and stroked down, pleased to see the fear as a tear escaped. "Why do you make me punish you?"
"NO!" Yuki woke with a shout, and as in the dream, wrapped his arms around his knees and shivered in the pale morning light. His body was drenched with sweat, his blanket kicked off during the night, and his eyes he shut to keep the room from spinning. He ordered his breath to steady, his hands to unclamp, and his shoulders to stop shaking. Slowly his body obeyed, and he could sit on the side of his bed with a steady heartbeat.
He calmly went to his dresser and started to pull out his clothes for the day. He only had to pause once, to remind himself that he was not that child anymore, that he would get ready for the day, and that no stupid dream was going to dictate his life. He got a towel from the stack in the corner and made his way to the bathroom, beating Kyo there by a scant minute.
"Oi!" Kyo complained as he beat his fist against the wooden frame. "Rat-boy! I need to shower before school!"
"You can use it when I'm done." Yuki snapped.
"Shit!" Kyo thumped against the frame again before turning back. "I guess I can train a bit more." He jogged back downstairs and into the courtyard.
"Kyo? I thought you were done?" Tohru was at the kitchen window, setting out strawberry tarts to cool.
"Yuki got to the shower before me." Kyo complained, "Stupid Rat-boy is being all grouchy." He punched the air a few times before leaping up to kick an imaginary opponent in the face. All his imaginary opponents looked like Yuki.
"He was quiet last night. Do you think he's not happy with the new school?" Tohru worried, "Or maybe I did something…"
"You didn't do anything Tohru, Yuki's pissed because of something I told him. So don't worry your head any."
"Oh Kyo, can't you two be nice to each other for two seconds?" Tohru asked quietly.
"If we were you'd probably freak and think we had head colds or something." Kyo scoffed, making Tohru laugh. He stopped his kata for a moment just to listen. Tohru smiled a lot, but the sound of her laugh was still something he found to be rare.
"Oh! Yuki-kun, hi." Tohru smiled as he walked into the kitchen to pour himself some orange juice.
"Showers free!" Kyo jumped, and ran up the stairs.
"Stupid cat, like he has to rush after I'm done with it." Yuki muttered after taking a sip. "Good morning Tohru, did you get all your homework done?"
"Yes, I think I did all right." Tohru offered Yuki a tart, "Would you mind…"
"I'll check it over before we leave."
"Thanks Yuki-kun," she smiled gently, Yuki found himself smiling back.
"Its not a problem." He looked over as a knock sounded on the door.
Tohru went to the door and slid it open, "Oh! Tomoyo-san!" the smile left Yuki's face as the girl stepped into the hallway.
"I'm sorry to barge in like this, but I was walking this morning and I realized this was the house Li told me you all lived in. I couldn't resist thinking you might all want to walk to school with me." she smiled broadly as Tohru nodded her head, "Besides, I love filming people in their natural meilu!" Tomoyo whipped a camera out from behind her back and focused on Tohru as she blushed. "Oh you are soooo cute!"
"Oi!" Kyo jumped down the stairs and laughed at the wide confusion on Yuki's face. "Tomoyo, is that thing glued to your hand?"
"Every moment of ones life should be documented." Tomoyo returned seriously, but that evil glint was still in her eye, "but on the other side, Tohru really is cute! I can't wait to make her a dress!" Tohru's eyes grew as big as dinner plates.
"You should meet Yuki's brother…"
"NO!" Yuki shouted, "No one should EVER meet my brother. I'm going to get my things, and we can leave for school immediately, and Kyo…" he paused half way up the stairs, "if you mention that again, I'll send you flying to the moon."
The silence was palatable until Tomoyo heard Yuki's door close.
"So what does his brother do?" she whispered.
"He makes dresses for stewardesses and maids and nurses!" Tohru proclaimed proudly. Tomoyo blinked, then shifted her attention to Kyo.
"Seriously?" Kyo was having a hard time keeping a straight face. That was what decided her. "I think I should meet this man… he seems like the type I'd be most comfortable with." That was what did it. Tohru just blinked as Kyo burst out in an uncontrollable fit of laughter.
"I'll arrange it then." Tomoyo felt very proud of herself. Not only did she capture Tohru's cuteness on her screen, but she got an upset Yuki and a laughing Kyo.
Her morning was complete.
YESSSSS!! and i know you were all thinking about that awesome link of character interests... trust me, Tomoyo's trip to Ayame's sop will be nonstop hilarity!
