Memories
Chapter 1
Have I been here before?
Clow Reed was waiting for the arrival of his niece in front of his house. It was a cold day and was slowly getting dark. This was not the happiest of circumstances for a family reunion for Clow Reed's brother and his wife had recently died a few days ago.
He attended a most elegant funeral with tears rolling down the faces from their friends. But Clow Reed was too busy observing their daughter. Her name was Talida, no more that eight years of age. She had the tell tale sign of a Reed from her aquatic blue hair. This went well with her green eyes that shone like emeralds in the sunlight. People were worried about her at the funeral when no tears left her face for her parents. People thought she was struck dumb by the shock of it when she didn't utter a word for two days. But then she started to speak after the silence that was hers alone but still she didn't cry.
The butler who worked for Talida's parents was deemed to old to look after her. He knew he was too old and thought it to be a suitable arrangement. But Talida was far from happy about this decision that she couldn't make for herself. "Winston, why can't I stay with you? I haven't even met my uncle." Winston looked awkward about something but Talida was too depressed to notice. "You did when you were little."
"But it's not fair! How comes anyone can run my life but me?" Winston sighed. "I'm sorry Talida, but I'm too old to look after you. You're very mature for your age, so I think you'll do fine."
"I'm only eight and everyone's leaving me." Winston put a bony arm around Talida which did very little to comfort her. "This is for the best you'll see. I'm not going to be around long enough to see you grow up."
"You shouldn't talk like that Winston. You're only as old as you feel." Winston smiled making the deep wrinkles in his face grow even deeper. "If I were twenty years younger Talida then I would take you without a second thought." Talida looked out of the window to see the coach pulling up to the house. "I know Winston I know."
Talida got out of the cab wondering why so much had been taken from her in so little time. She walked towards Clow Reed and looked at him curiously. He looked both sad and happy at the arrival of his niece on this unpredictable day.
"Take good care of her Mr. Reed, she's like a granddaughter to me." Clow took his eyes off Talida and looked at Winston who was saddened. The Reeds were like a family to him and had to part with the one he held most dear to his heart. "I'll care for her as if she were my own." Talida hugged Winston tightly before he went back in to the coach.
At first Talida and Clow didn't know what to say to each other so Clow decided to break the ice. "I know this isn't the happiest of circumstances but I am more than happy to have you here. Would you like to see your new room?" Clow gave Talida a kind smile which she didn't return. She looked around as a strange feeling invaded her spirit and she just couldn't see what it was. She looked back at Clow and a small smile appeared on her face. "That would be wonderful." Clow held out his hand and she took it. He picked up her suitcase and led Talida to her room.
When she entered his house the strange feeling intensified. It felt familiar somehow, but she just couldn't remember when she felt it last. They went down the hall and past the only room with a closed door. The feeling intensified until they passed it completely.
At the end of the hall they entered a room with a bed and window. It was covered in dark blue, yellow and black like the colours on Clow Reeds cloak. "We can change the colours if you don't like them. All girls like pink right?" Talida looked at her uncle with a look of disgust. "You change it to that then I'm moving out. No…the colours are great, I don't think I'll be changing anything." Clow smiled and placed her suitcase on the end of her bed. That's when Talida noticed the same strange feeling seemed to be flowing around him as well. Clow noticed this and his smile started to fade in to a thoughtful look. Did he know she suspected something? Talida ignored it again and just smiled a little.
"Would you like something to eat or drink?"
"No…I'd rather just go to bed." Clow smiled again. "Very well, I'll see you in the morning Talida." He left her alone and she sat at the end of her bed. These days Talida hardly ate or slept since her parents passed away. She just sat on her bed and stared out of the window for most of the night.
Later she could hear voices and put an ear against the wall.
"Is she trustworthy?" Talida didn't recognise this voice. "What harm can a child do to us?" Or this one. "I know she feels this place and I aren't like other things, but I do not believe she is a threat."
'Who's he talking to at this time of night? I thought he was on his own.' Talida lost interest in the conversation and went back to her bed. For hours she stared at the ceiling before finally falling asleep.
When she woke up Talida felt no different to yesterday. Spring was in the air and the weird feelings seemed to have disappeared overnight. She sat with Clow in the dining room for breakfast and just like the days before she didn't eat much. Clow had just noticed his niece was staring out the window with a half eaten plate before her. "Not hungry?"
"Not since…" Talida couldn't bring herself to say it and Clow immediately understood.
He decided to take his niece out to the garden hoping it would cheer her up. "You have a beautiful garden." Clow smiled and she had a weak on her lips. "Thank you."
Suddenly the tree standing all alone covered in cherry blossom caught her attention. She ran up to it and touched the bark. "I remember this tree." She ran her hand along the bark trying to remember. "How old was I when I last visited you?" Clow stepped towards her with a thoughtful look on his face. "Let's see…you must've been about six years old." Then his mood quickly changed from happy to curious. "Do you remember anything else?" Talida looked thoughtfully at the tree and remembered seeing white feathers. But white feathers hardly counted as anything important so she just shook her head. Clow wasn't so sure about this but decided to act as innocent as possible.
Talida looked over to a path that led into an overgrown and wild looking part of the garden. Clow saw this and put a hand on her shoulder. "I want you to promise not to go in there Talida."
"Why uncle?"
"It's not safe, there are animals in there that might cause you harm. So please don't go in there." Talida looked suspicious but nodded just the same.
Later Talida explored the rest of the garden on her own and Clow went back inside. She sat in a spot hidden by a weeping willow tree situated near a large pond. She watched the water boatmen propel themselves over the water. Talida sat there watching the sunlight flicker through the leaves and ripple on the water.
Then she a heard a rustling sound behind her and she turned very quickly in the direction of the noise. She got up and slowly walked to the location of where the sound had come from. "Hello?" She called but no one answered. She looked down to see a feather of the purest white had been left behind. Talida picked it up and was very curious. 'Must be some big birds around here this feathers huge. But, I haven't seen any white birds around here that big.'
Clow was in the locked room looking out of the window. He didn't take his eyes off the willow tree, and he wasn't alone. The door behind Clow opened and closed. "How is she Yue?" A man dressed in white approached Clow from the shadows. The only funny thing about this guy was that he had no shoes on and there were pure white wings situated on his back. "She's sitting near the pond master."
"Master, if she is anything like her father-"
"I know Kiro, but I have to keep her mind clear of the past. She is already in torment, if she remembers anything that has happened then her torture will increase. Keep the door locked at all times and take your temporary form. Yue try to keep you and your wings hidden when you are out of this room." Yue looked at Clow and frowned. "Yes master."
Meanwhile Talida kept running the feather through her fingers again and again. The strange feeling from yesterday had come back even stronger. 'How do I know this? I feel like I remember something, but when it comes to me it always vanishes at the last second. I remember coming here and leaving but what happened in the four months I stayed?'
A while later Clow came to the weeping willow and sat beside Talida. "This is a nice spot you've chosen, I sometimes come here to reflect on things." Talida smiled half heartedly. The feather in her hands seemed to be playing on her mind more than anything. Clow just noticed Talida running it through her fingers deep in thought. "What's that you've got there?"
"I found it behind that bush over there. It's strange really, you don't have any big white birds around here." Clow had to think fast. "Must have been blown here by the wind." Talida thought this sounded reasonable and took a closer look at the thing in her hands. This seemed innocent enough but her uncle didn't want to risk it. "May I have it?" Talida looked confused. "It's just that I collect all sorts of feathers." Talida didn't know what to think but handed it over. For some reason she felt she gave away something important but didn't think much of it.
A while later they went back to the house for lunch. Clow Reed made sure Talida was out of the house before going back in to the locked room. Yue and Kiro turned to look at their master who looked troubled. "Talida found this by a bush near the weeping willow." Clow held up the feather. Yue inspected his wings to see that a feather did indeed fall out. "If you happen to loose another one Yue do try to keep track of them. Talida is already suspicious and has pointed out the fact there are no white birds that big around here."
"Yes master."
Two weeks had passed since Talida arrived and Clow was thinking of giving her an education. But it was too dangerous to let her go to school. He was afraid the children might beat her again and end up injuring her permanently. Last time that happened she only had a few bruises and Clow managed to stop it before she was seriously hurt. The towns people a mile or two down the road didn't fear him but felt he didn't belong here. They felt the same way towards the rest of his family. But Clow Reed was in high society and wealthy enough to be tolerated by the adults but the children were afraid. Talida was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. She was small and easy prey to get their point across. A private tutor he didn't know was out of the question so that just left one more option.
He had been observing Yue without wings and a strange thought came to him. "A private tutor? Me?" Yue looked surprised at the mere thought of it and Clow just smiled in a mischievous sort of way. "Yes, you have human form after all. But you do need to be dressed down a bit, make you look more like an everyday teacher." Yue didn't like sound of this whereas Kiro loved the idea. He thought it was great that the powerful and dignified guardian would have to act like an everyday human.
Clow managed to find a plain white robe and a plain black robe to go over it. He had to buy Yue some shoes (none of Clow's fitted him). He looked ok but didn't have that tutor look so Clow found some old glasses and took out the glass. They tucked Yue's long hair in to his robes where it couldn't be seen. When they had finished Kiro took a look in his temporary form and burst out laughing. He had tears in his eyes and was on the floor. It was only when Yue gave Kiro an icy glare did he stop laughing and made a quick retreat to the room.
The next day Clow Reed woke Talida earlier than usual. After breakfast he introduced Talida to her…tutor. "Why can't I go to school like the other kids?" Clow's smile was still there as he tried to come up with a reason. "It's just easier this way."
They went in to the living room to see Yue was sitting on the chair. "Talida this is Rei, he'll be you tutor." Yue got up out of his seat and turned to face Talida. He hadn't seen here properly since she arrived and noticed she had grown a couple of feet. She wasn't the happy little child he remembered, in fact she seemed to be in a great deal of pain. "Pleasure to meet you sir." Clow looked over to Yue who came back to his senses. "Just call me Rei." Talida gave a weak smile and nodded.
For the next couple of hours he taught her about the history of Japan. Talida found this to be interesting and proved to be a very good student.
When lunch arrived there was a problem as Yue didn't eat. So they made a rule saying Rei doesn't eat with his students and he crept away for half an hour. When he came back he saw Talida had eaten very little. "A strong mind requires a strong body." Talida looked at her food and felt sick. Yue found it hard to see Talida like this but had to stick to the role of being her new tutor. "I…can't…"
"Why?"
"I don't know." Yue sat next to Talida and looked in to her eyes. "Your uncle told me why you are here and it's understandable not to eat." He saw her eyes were dull and were surrounded by deep, dark rings. "Not sleeping much?" Talida nodded. "With the death of your parents being such a big shock your energies are out of balance and disrupts your physical patterns. I can help you balance them out again but I need you to trust me." Talida nodded and Yue took her outside. He taught her Tai Chi and she looked a little better for it. "Do you feel more balanced?" Talida shrugged her shoulders. "I feel lighter, like something has been lifted from inside of me."
"That's good but it will take some time before you are back to your old self again."
Over the course of two months Yue taught Talida various subjects. Reading, writing, maths, and the list goes on.
He took part in an art lesson once. Yue was good at most things but art wasn't one of them. They were painting a picture of the garden and Yue had no problem getting the arts equipment set up but he had no talent. Talida however proved to have a talent when it came to art. Unfortunately Kiro got to look at the painting at the end of the day and was subdued by another fit of laughter again.
Yue was back in his original clothing and couldn't take much more of Kiro's laughing. So he threw a small ball of light at him. Kiro managed to dodge it but the ball left a burn mark in the wall. Clow wasn't happy and told both of them off. Kiro kept his laughter inside and Yue calmed down.
The Tai Chi classes were helping Talida a little. She actually ate and slept a little more but not a lot had changed.
"Today we are going to see your archery skills." Talida looked a bit confused. "Why archery?"
"It helps people to focus." Talida wasn't sure about this and neither was her uncle. But Clow allowed it and they went outside to start. Talida helped Rei to set up the targets and string the bows. But Rei had to step in and string the bows; Talida had the right motivation but was too small and weak to complete her task.
Once everything was finished Talida watched Yue shoot some arrows before having her turn. First she hit the ground before the target and felt angry. But after Rei showed her how to hit the target and hold the bow properly she hit the target every time. She got better as each day passed and even started to split Rei's arrows down the middle.
Clow Reed wasn't surprised but Yue and Kiro were wondering how she learnt this so quickly. "It runs in the blood. Her father was a great archer and won trophies in competitions. That's how her parents met, he beat Talida's mother and at first they didn't like each other. But after they saw their differences they married each other, it's true when they say opposites attract. Talida's parents couldn't have been more different even if they tried."
Yue moved from archery to fighting skills. He still taught her the usual subjects but thought she needed to be able to defend herself. If anything like last time were to happen in the town again.
"Stand firm but bend like the bamboo in the wind. Let your senses guide you if your eyes cannot." Talida knew a little about how to use the staff and sparred with Yue for an hour. She found it fun and enjoyed herself immensely. He half hoped she would remember the last time they did this but this seemed new to her. Yue came from behind and she blocked his attack. If he was her father then he would be proud to see how much she learnt over such a short space of time.
After two hours she didn't seem that tired until they started to walk back to the house. She suddenly felt dizzy and staggered. "Rei?" Yue turned just in time to see Talida pass out and start to fall to the ground. He caught her just before she hit the ground. He spoke her name and shook her slightly but she didn't come round. Yue ran back to the house with Talida in his arms.
He put her to bed before getting Clow Reed who was not happy. "Fighting skills? How could you be so careless Yue? The strain on her body was too great form lack of food and sleep." Yue looked frightened and ashamed at his ignorance. "I'm sorry master." Clow sat on Talida's bed and stroked her face. He sighed and looked back at Yue with very sad eyes. "I know Yue; I just hope she wakes up. I couldn't bare it if she were to die as well. She is after all the last of my family."
Later that night a voice sounded in Talida's head causing her to stir under the sheets. Then she saw an image of the man's voice standing at the far end of the garden. She came closer and closer until his face came clear. She immediately woke up and went to the window. She was half hoping it would be a dream and the other half just seem to cry out to her. She listened intently for the voice she knew so well. "Talida."
"Father?" She whispered breathing on the window so a mist mark appeared on the window.
Talida opened the window and landed on the ground beneath. She ran to the location in her dream with her heart pounding painfully against her rib cage. She ignored the cold as her toes slowly became numb and mist appeared on her every breath.
Clow also heard the voice and quickly ran to Talida's room to find her gone and the window open. He alerted the guardians and they immediately began to search the garden.
Talida had reached her destination to find herself at the far end of the garden and in the beginnings of a wood. She listened again and the voice came through the trees. She ran towards her father's voice to find him standing in the middle of a clearing beside a dead tree. "Daddy!" She called making her feather turn with a great big smile on his face. "I knew you would find me." She ran up to him and hugged him tight. For a moment they stood there in this loving embrace not daring to let go.
Clow and the guardians were still searching but found nothing of Talida in the garden. Yue heard a small cry that sounded like 'daddy' and he ran towards it.
Talida and her father were still in the loving embrace. "I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you too my little princess." Then he looked up and his smile started to fade. Talida looked at her fathers face as he kneeled down in front of her. "I'm sorry to leave you again but I can't stay long."
Silent tears started to roll down Talida's face. "No, no, no! This isn't fair! I've only just got you back again! Can I at least see mum?" Her father's eyes welled up with tears too and he looked as sad as his daughter. "Your mother will see you later. You have no idea how sorry I am but I have no choice. I came back to give you a couple of things and then I must leave you." Talida hated this but understood.
Her father took something off from around his neck. "First I give you my pendant, you'll need it." He handed Talida a blue pendant with black wings. In the middle was an odd looking circle. 'Sun on one side of the circle and the crescent moon on the other. Both joined as one?' Talida thought as he carefully closed her hand around it.
"My brother really didn't want me to give your memories back but you would have found out anyway." Talida looked deeply confused. "Found out what dad?"
"I'm going to give you back your memories from your last visit. I will be gone once that happens." Talida hugged her feather one last time and he hugged her back. She let go to receive her memories.
It started to rain and Haku Reed started to cry. Talida had stopped crying and he told her to close her eyes. Talida obeyed and lost sight of her beloved father. He placed a hand on her head and the images that were once lost sprang to life in her mind. The shock of it made her pass out again and her father carried her to the shelter of a nearby tree. The rain became heavier but Talida was sheltered by the flora and fauna so not one drop of rain hit her. Haku took one last look at his daughter before he disappeared in to the darkness of the night.
Yue found Talida safe under a tree sleeping peacefully. The night grew colder and her lips had turned blue. Yue touched her forehead and she felt surprisingly warm. He took off his outer white robe and wrapped it around Talida. He had her in his arms as they flew back to the house.
Halfway there Talida woke and saw herself flying through the air. She looked up to see Yue looking straight ahead. It was only when he looked down at his passenger did he see she was awake. At first he didn't know what to do and just looked back in to those gentle green eyes. "Hi Yue." She whispered and he looked a bit surprised that she remembered him. "You remember me?" He asked. "Mhmm." Talida mumbled, she found it hard work to talk and had a weak smile on her face. "Go back to sleep Talida. You've had a strange night." Talida closed her eyes and sleep quickly grabbed hold of her.
Her clothes were quite dry so Yue put Talida to bed still wrapped in his robe and lit a fire. He stayed by her side and waited for Clow to return. An hour later Clow and Kiro entered the room to see Talida safely back in her bed asleep. Clow Reed's heart stopped when he saw the pendant in Talida's hand. "She'll remember everything when she wakes. There's no point in hiding from her anymore." Talida's lips were no longer blue with cold and turned back to a healthy rose colour.
Yue had a small smile playing on his lips about this news and was caught by Clow. Yue tried to hide it but wasn't quick enough. Clow wasn't angry but started to smile as well. "I understand why you are happy Yue and I won't be erasing her mind again. But I wonder if she will be angry." Yue's smile vanished and Kiro looked concerned.