INTERMISSION

Touya noticed an incoherent murmur rise from the audience. Fellow peers gazed upon Naomi with open curiosity, a glint of suspicious wonder in their eyes. After all, what insight could this petite, peculiar woman give to ever straight-laced Touya?

" Most of them know my mom's dead ," thought Touya, " They could have tipped her off ."

Lady Naomi paused for a moment before directly addressing Touya. "Hmm…yes, dear. Your mother says you don't want to be here."

This alone elicited laughter from the crowd.

The woman walked closer to the table. "Let me see, now….Ah, here's your father! How are you doing, sir?" She grabbed both Fujitaka's hands and shook them firmly. "This is your wife that's passed, yes? Alright, that much we know." She looked around at Sakura, and Yuki, too. "This is your family," she stated. She looked at Fujitaka. "Yes. These are your children," she said, gesturing to Touya, Sakura, and Yukito.

Touya heard his sister shift next to him, "Well…" she began.

"This young man isn't blood related." Lady Naomi held her palm out to Yukito. She continued to address Fujitaka. "But he has become your son."

Out of the corner of his eye, Touya saw Yukito look towards his father. Touya studied the woman as he heard Fujitaka confirm, "Yes, he is like my second son."

" Speculation ," continued Touya to himself, "she sees the three of us together, it can just be good insight ."

"What a beautiful family," Lady Naomi announced. "Your wife is so happy – for all of you. You were young when she died, yes?" She directed the question to Sakura.

"Y-yes, ma'am," agreed Sakura, her voice trembling. Touya stole a peak at his sister, and, with frustration, saw her hungry eyes take in the medium.

"Oh, dear, don't be so formal!" Naomi continued, now placing a hand on Touya's shoulder, "And your brother here was young when she died, too.."

Touya froze underneath the warm, delicate touch. He coolly stared the woman down, hoping his stoicism would chase her away. Lady Naomi cocked her head in a bird-like fashion, studying him with her wide, spectacled vision. "Did you use to play piano with your mother?" she asked. Touya bit down on his tongue, and lazily blinked his eyes. Naomi continued. "I'm seeing you and your mother, sitting down and helping each other play the notes. Do you still have this piano?"

"How do you know about that?!" he heard his sister chime in.

" Damn, kaiju," the elder Kinomoto thought furiously . "Stop feeding into this woman's garbage ."

Naomi shook her head vigorously in agreement. "I feel like I'm walking through your house now. The piano is still there, but beyond that lies the rest of the living room, and the kitchen. And in the kitchen, there is a picture of your mother when she was younger, and I feel like…" Naomi paused for a moment, as if to collect her thoughts.

"There's a picture of her on the table, isn't there?"

Sakura gasped. "I say good morning to that picture every day!" she verified.

Touya could have smacked himself, but the woman was leaning heavily on his shoulder, so he settled for staring her down blankly.

"See?" Lady Naomi fluidly responded. "Just know that every time you look at that picture, you're sharing a piece of your mother's soul."

Another murmur arose from the crowd, and Touya saw his father place a comforting hand on his sister. Touya noticed that Yukito was giving him that 'don't ruin for her, To-ya' smile, so the young man just sat back and fumed.

Finally, Naomi took her hand from Touya's shoulder. She held up one finger, as if scolding a child during an elementary lesson. "Your mother just told me – again! – that you're not buying this," said the woman, tut-tut-tutting her tongue. But then Naomi bustled into a hearty laughter. "Listen, I know I'm hard to take – sparkle shoes and all – and I'm not here to make you believe in me, sweetheart. I just deliver the message that Spirit wishes to bring us."

" Go torture someone else ," thought Touya furiously, and Naomi went into her next spell of self-motivating speeches. She was babbling about the 'spirit train' and 'piggybacking' or some foreign mumble-jumble that was probably made up and not backed by logic at all. Naomi turned her attention away from Touya, who breathed a sigh of relief, and began tuning the woman out. He checked the overhead clock by the cafeteria door – this spectacle would be over in a matter of minutes.

"Who's the father figure that's departed?" he then heard Naomi say. Touya turned his body to face this next poor soul. He was shocked when Lady Naomi was face-to-face with none other than Yuki.

" Yuki doesn't have any parents ," Touya thought, with just a twinge of guilt.

Yukito, too polite to outright disagree, seemed to be at a loss for words. "Um…I don't think…"

Naomi held up another finger to silence the man, and shook her head once again, this time in disagreement. "Nope, I'm definitely speaking with you, dear." She closed her eyes and focused. "Their mom – the mother of your surrogate family – and your dad are hanging out in the spirit would, and he just stepped forward, and quite forcefully too. You're saying 'no' and he's telling me 'yes,' from the other side." She checked off her fingers for emphasis. "Now keep in mind a 'father figure' could be a grandfather, an uncle, or even a mentor."

Yukito looked around the table, still unable to process what this woman was saying.

Lady Naomi sighed gustily. She brought a fist to her lips, and began biting down on her knuckles in thought. Then, like a light going off, she clapped her hands together and addressed Yuki again.

"What's the significance of the moon, honey?"