http://clampfix.fanworks.net/ccd-fix/family5.txt </head><body><pre>I do promise to finish this. Beta version warning. ------------------------------------------------------------ Family Stage 5: Proceed by miai ________________________________________________________________ This is a fanfic. That means that no money was made off using characters that belong to talented people. I wrote this because I wanted to. I didn't ask to use any name's likenesses or anything else. CLAMP holds copy write on all the characters that originate on CLAMP Campus, Hisaya Nakajo owns all the denizens of Ohsaka Academy. Also, This would work better in Japanese, since a person can easily get around using gender specific pronouns, but since this is English I will use "he" when people talk to "Mizuki," UNLESS they know she is masquerading as a boy or if it's from Mizuki's point of vie, because as far as the general population of Mizuki's school is concerned, she is a he. Thanks for reading this disclaimer. ________________________________________________________________ Nokoru remembered the hurt in Akira's eyes. He had dismissed the dream in Akira's presence, and would never mention it to the younger student. The blond walked the grounds of Ohsaka Academy. He looked at the trees without really seeing them. Every early morning butterfly reminded him of the previous night's dream. It was so quiet. So ready to go wrong. Nokoru changed direction. He needed to return the compress before classes. Troubled blue eyes scanned the scenery again. He realized he was approaching the school gates. The doctor's office was the middle of campus. He was heading off campus without even realizing it. The school was peaceful. Only a few students were walking the lawns. Most of those people Nokoru did see were heading towards the buildings with a purpose. Nokoru folded and smoothed the compress in his hand. He had told Akira everything was fine. "It's only a nightmare." How many times had he said that? He had never spoken of his dreams with his friends, even those pertaining to CLAMP campus had only been alluded to when he discussed his plans for the future of the campus. But this time Akira had woken him. What may have happened if Nokoru had been alone? Would he have woken, or would he have seen the horse fall to the monster? Would the horse have prevailed? He smiled at himself and forced his emotions down. Of course he was over analyzing. There was no reason to spend so much time going over a dream. Nokoru found the main walk way to the school buildings. For the first time in a day he thought of the project he was here to complete. Suoh had mentioned in a letter that he wanted to discuss the project. Communication was a very difficult thing at the moment. [Suoh had found a way to talk to Nokoru through Mizuki-chan. Mizuki-kun... Right.] Nokoru entered the main buildings and turned left. He couldn't believe the number of times he had been to the school health room already. At home the health office was abstract. It was a place to visit other students, not to be treated himself. "It hurts!" A voice that seemed unwilling to complain was raised as Nokoru entered. An underclassman was sitting on an examining table. His face showed his pain, but Umeda-sensei was moving around the room seemingly oblivious to the boy's complaint. The doctor took the student by the foot. He pushed the boy's back to the examination table and adjusted the foot in his hand. "Sometimes pain is good for you." The school doctor took out a scalpel and spoke quietly, "Look the other way. It's worse when you can see it happening." Nokoru turned his head when he saw the procedure that was underway. He took the student's hand. "Don't worry. It'll turn into a callus." He looked at Dr. Umeda as the man worked. Nokoru didn't think about the procedure, but about the Umeda family. Umeda-sensei did look like his family. Except his glasses were on. Rio-chan, Io-san and Minami-san didn't seem to need glasses. Dr. Umeda nodded, "Right." He looked at Nokoru quickly then turned his attention back to the foot. Somehow his voice had compassion though his face was bored. "It's just a blister that became infected. Happens all the time. Just need to lance it." He moved his hands as he spoke. "Quicker it's done, faster it's better." The doctor moved slightly and ducked his head for a better view. "And the stronger you are for it in the end. A callus." His face wasn't quite a reassuring smile, more like a bitter contortion of the mouth with a bit of a smirk added. From the student's stiffening, Nokoru thought the lancing must be done and the draining had begun. Nokoru looked at the posters in the room. Actually the doctor's office was much smaller than Nokoru remembered. He smoothed the compress in his other hand with is thumb as the student began to relax. The doctor went to a sink and washed his hands. He came back with bandages. "Just keep it cleaned out. Anytime the infection comes back, clean it out." Nokoru watched the student leave, and waited politely as the doctor cleaned his instruments. For a moment Nokoru believed the tall man had forgotten him, then the doctor spoke, "You have the compress." "Yes," Nokoru held it out. "Thank you again for your help." Umeda-sensei took the offered item and threw it into a washer, then went back to the sink and lathered his hands. "I need a favor." He dried his hands on a cloth. He shuddered. "My elder sister's current project involves getting pictures drawn by the school's 'bishounen.' You qualify, and I only have until Friday." Nokoru looked at the sketch pad the thin hand proffered. "Is this common?" Dr. Umeda looked disinterestedly out the window, but shook the pad a bit. "For her." Nokoru smiled and took the pad. "Does your sister like penguins?" * * * Suoh sat at his desk looking through Himejima's poetry book. He felt confident he could complete his assignment for the decathlon without embarrassing himself. But he wanted to go for something more traditional. Something he could understand on a personal level. Over the past few days personal understanding had become very important to him. Previously he had always assumed there were forms of art in this world he would never be able to appreciate in any way other than aesthetically. But last night, he had watched Nagisa's face as she viewed the statues, then the images in the drawing competition. As she moved from one piece of art to another, she took them into herself. It was very personal for her to look at an image. He had seen her unfocus her eyes as she listened to a piece of music. Sometimes the internal reflection of her eyes as she played was frightening. There were times when he wondered if he could retrieve her from that world she entered when art became a part of her. Nokoru did the same occasionally. He was rarely as relaxed as he appeared, but sometimes an image or a piece of music could cause relaxation. He wanted to write something that would make them both understand what he was thinking and feeling as he was on this project. Few times in his life had he felt so many things at once. It was difficult for him to express, much less to explain it in a given form. He had seen strain in Nokoru at the mathematics competition. Surely the problems themselves hadn't caused it. At least Akira was enjoying himself now that Utako's safety at St. Blossom had been established. A voice whispered in his ear, "Always glum." Suoh swung around, "What do you want?" "Such a response!" Himejima pushed his long hair behind his shoulders. "As the dorm leader it is my job to council those students who do not seem to be doing well in a dorm environment." He smiled sweetly at Suoh. "Perhaps it would have been best to leave you in Dorm 2 with that pretty boy friend of yours. But the girl you were with last night may not have liked it." Suoh stood. "There's nothing you can do for me." He picked up his books and prepared to leave for the day. "Where you in a dorm at your other school? Maybe you miss your family?" "See you at the competition this evening." On his way out the door, Suoh could hear Himejima talking to himself about ungrateful lower classmen. He went down the halls and took the stairs quickly to the ground floor. The campus was quiet. Most people were busy between classes and the Decathlon. The only rushing group Suoh could see was the line heading for the dining hall. It seemed that Suoh's whole life at this school revolved around the dining hall. It was the only time he could safely see his friends. Even if he could not talk to them, he could see them. The smallest things made him happy now. He was beginning to understand how privileged he had been at CLAMP School. "Takamura-sempai!" Mizuki was waving from a table. The boy was surrounded by his usual group, with Akira added in. Suoh nodded his head. The line for breakfast was not too long. He got a full meal and was back at the table before Nakatsu was done with his second bowl of rice. Minami Nanba was talking, "With so many women on campus, and only three competitions this evening, there will be plenty of time to get to know the girls." Sekime spoke, "But so many clubs have stands set up tonight. The people who have to work right after competitions don't get any time with the girls without another guy right there." Nakatsu laughed and said in broken English, "The early worm has the bird." For a moment the table fell silent. Then everyone spoke at once. Kayashima shook his head and looked around the table. His eyes focused on Akira, and he whispered something to himself before looking directly at Suoh. When his brown eyes met Suoh's golden ones, he realized Suoh had been watching. Kayashima spoke directly to Suoh, "You three came just in time. All the half days and none of the exams." Akira laughed, "This school seems like so much fun." Nakao said, "There are usually events every month to keep us all happy while living here. I think it keeps moral up." Suoh made a mental note to add that to the list of things to discuss with Nokoru for the project. CLAMP Campus had plenty to offer the average student on any day, so he put the thought away. There was no reason to go searching for reasons to speak with his friends. "Injuin, you have history tonight, right?" Akira's face had changed only slightly from when he was younger. He still had a happy visage, with smiling eyes. "Kayashima are our dorm's representatives." Suoh looked back across at the slight Kayashima. [My imagination is getting the best of me here.] "That's great." Kayashima nodded. "Your dorm and Dorm One have the school's top scorers." Nakatsu forcefully patted Kayashima on the back, "He's too modest! He's got this down. With all the studying he does for pleasure, he's absorbing history as well. Now it just comes naturally to him." Heads around the table nodded. But Mizuki didn't move. He seemed lost in his own world. Suoh took a few seconds to try to form the thought that kept flitting on the periphery of his mind. * * * Mizuki watched Takamura-sempai. It wasn't in her nature to keep anything inside. The only secret she kept was the obvious one about not being male. That and that she really liked Sano. Maybe she was better at keeping secrets than she realized. Still, the letter from Nokoru was burning in her pocket. It felt less like a secret and more like intrigue. She briefly imagined herself getting involved in an international operation. Could she be a spy passing secrets from one group to another? The vision had her so caught up she missed her glass when she reached for it. She hit the tall glass with the back of her fingers and knocked it over. As it fell she yelled, "Oopsies!" She tried to catch it, but found two hands already on it. Akira and Suoh had both caught the glass. Akira was involved in righting it, but Suoh's eyes were on her face as he retrieved his hand across the table. He seemed startled. [Maybe he's surprised he could move that fast.] Mizuki laughed nervously in the silence. Nakao clapped. Nakatsu joined in, "What a great save! Are you interested in joining the baseball team? Or maybe ping-pong! I recommend table tennis. There's less physical training." He put his hand on his chin, "But maybe you two would do well at physical training. Wow that was great!" Akira demurred when Mizuki thanked him. She didn't want to look at the other CLAMP refugee. The conversation earlier in the week still left her a little shaken. Then she heard staggered breathing under the conversation around the table. She searched for it's source. "Takamura-sempai. Are you alright?" The dark skinned student moved his hand from his face. For the first time since meeting the older student, Mizuki saw him smile. His face wasn't smiling the way Akira-kun's did, only the sides of his lips turned up. He put up a hand as his breathing changed. She finally understood. Suoh was attempting to control a laugh. A huge laugh. "I'm sorry." Suoh laughed again. He looked at Akira, "Everything makes sense." As though these were magic words, he put the mask of calm back over his face, only to have his lips twitch again. "Are you alright?" Mizuki frowned. "I'm fine." Then she realized that he was making sure she wasn't too startled from the glass. "Oh, yeah. I 'm just clumsy like that. Daydreaming my life away." Sano nodded. "Sometimes it's a wonder he makes it to class." Mizuki bristled, "Hey, I'm sitting right here!" Nakatsu took up the cry, "Show respect for your roommate! If I was Mizuki's roommate, I wouldn't say such things." * After breakfast Mizuki extracted herself from her friends and approached Suoh. "I was wondering if you could explain something about the Karate match last night." She directed him away from the group and spoke in an unnaturally loud voice. "So when you fell the first time, did you..." She trailed off and whispered when she felt they were far enough away from the group. Mizuki pulled the letter from her pocket and then took her class notes from her book bag. On a blank page she drew a few stick figures of someone being hit by a knee in the back of their own knee. At least she tried to draw it. Really the images made no sense. She put the letter on top of the image. "Nokoru-kun wanted me to give you this," She whispered. Suoh nodded. He added a couple of lines to the image on the page, then picked up the note. "Can you wait for a response?" Mizuki looked over at breakfast group as they broke up to start the day. Sano, Nakatsu, and Kayashima were waiting for her. "Maybe. It looks like they're talking." Suoh looked up in the direction of Mizuki's friends. He nodded and spoke softly. "I wouldn't have known you were a woman, myself." Mizuki felt the blood drain from her face. Suoh had finished the letter and was turning a page in her notebook. "It's not obvious." He indicated the blank page. "May I?" Mizuki nodded numbly. "Feel free." Suoh nodded again and began writing on the blank page. "Don't take this out until you are in class and it looks like you are keeping a note in your pocket or bag." Mizuki watched his face. "You won't tell anyone?" Suoh looked up. "Of course not. I only know because you said 'oopsies' that and Nokoru-san has a knack for finding a lady in any situation. Even a boy's boarding school." Hearing Suoh's voice say "oopsies" made her realize just how non- boyish it sounded. She would have to watch that in the future. Suoh looked at Mizuki in the way she was now starting to fear less. "He didn't tell me. You can trust him with anything." He folded the note, but left part of it attached at the top of the page. Mizuki knew she was blushing. "Thanks." She took the notebook back and put it in her bag. "I think I should..." She couldn't find any words. "We're trusting you with everything." Suoh seemed to be speaking to her heart. "Takamura-sempai...I" Mizuki felt faint. "I'll take care of your letters. Don't worry." * * * Nokoru walked quickly back to the dorm room. He had not realized there was a fourth class. He had only prepared for three. He took the stairs faster than usual and crossed his room to his desk. With one hand he checked his phone as the other pulled his book out of the top drawer. He stopped moving. She had called again. [No. These haven't been calls I've missed.] The number was unlisted, and there was no name. But Nokoru was certain it was a woman. [It's a tally of where my calls are coming from. Surely Rijichou would have left a message. Or will call tonight if it's very important.] There was no message on his phone, but there was only one person who knew the number. [No time to think about it. Call her with a status report tonight.] He held his book to his chest as he left the room. He didn't have time to put his book into the bag on his shoulder. He ran part of the way across campus. When he reached the building he slowed his pace and controlled his breathing. By the time he slid into his seat behind Sano in homeroom, he was calm. The teacher spoke about the events for the day and congratulated all the people in class. Nokoru stood and bowed when his time came, but his thoughts were far away. Mizuki looked back at him a few times. He would have to find a way to thank her for delivering his letters. Nothing came to mind immediately, but something would. When it came to gifts, something always did. [The CD. Suoh needs it.] Nokoru knew instinctively that the CD was what they both needed. Nokoru had a similar CD himself, but Suoh's had always been more personal. They were told to bring nothing that identified them, not phones or photos. But the CD had appeared on campus. [And what it brought with it. Maybe a no personal item policy would have been best after all.] * At lunch everyone talked about the competitions for that evening. To see the archery team in action and the watercolor projects the selected people had been working on was very exciting. "And it draws women like you wouldn't believe." Noe was saying. Nokoru looked at Minami. "How is the history competition judged?" Minami put one hand through his long bangs, "The best students in history at St. Blossom's are given the question before hand. Then, yesterday, they were given the factual answers. This way they know what they would have answered, if they had time to study, and they know what the instructors are looking for." Nokoru nodded, "But the participants don't know the questions before hand." Minami leaned on his elbow and winked, "It's all about style." Nokoru looked over at Kayashima. "Are you ready for the question?" Kayashima nodded. "I had a dream last night that told me the question we will be asked." Nakatsu rolled his eyes dramatically. "I know." "A dream told you what will happen?" Nokoru sat forward a little. Kayashima nodded, looking directly into Nokoru's eyes. "Dreams are very important. If people just pay attention." Nakatsu gulped juice from a can. "I had a dream last night! It was-" A communal groan cut him off. Nokoru spoke over the low voices. "At our school we have some people who are very spiritual." He looked down at his hands. "They agree with you." Akira sat across from Nokoru, down the line. "Dreams have always been seen as a gateway to the soul and future." He looked at Nokoru, brief pain in his eyes. Minami stood. "The tone has become far to serious for a Decathlon day!" He flipped his hair and left towards the dorm, Nakoa trailing him. Nokoru smiled. "I thought that all the events today start at the same time. I can't wait to see today's art exhibition." The conversation turned, and Nokoru was left to his own thoughts. * Nokoru changed into casual clothing while Akira and Kayashima exchanged ideas about the upcoming history essay contest. Nokoru would only be able to attend one event, or part of both. He checked his phone. [No calls.] He put the phone back in his drawer and covered it with his books. He sighed and laid back on his bed. Akira's competition would be best to go to first. Then he could think about the question while watching the archery event. It would be better to think of something specific during that contest. When Suoh was involved, archery could become an all-afternoon event. Then everyone could head over to the end of the history event. He knew Akira would be interested in seeing the watercolors. His family had a great collection of art, and Akira was very knowledgeable. Nokoru picked a hair off his sheet. [Maybe Akira's been painting.] He looked up at the sun the younger student had made for their room. It wouldn't have surprised Nokoru at all. Akira came in and produced a fresh shirt from his drawers. "Where you waiting for me?" At Nokoru's nod, Akira looked up at the clock. "I'm running a little late. I think Utako-san was supposed to meet me at the main entrance in three minuets. Do you mind going to escort the ladies?" Nokoru nodded, "I never mind keeping ladies from disappointment." Akira's smile was radiant. "Thank you. I will clean up quickly and meet you at the auditorium." Nokoru picked up a spare handkerchief and closed the door softly on his way out. Nakatsu and Kayashima were in the hallway. They looked up at Nokoru's footsteps. "Akira's on his way out. I'm going to the main gate. Did you want to come?" Kayashima answered, "No we're waiting for Injuin. But Sano and Sekime went with Mizuki to the gate . They're meeting up with Rio-chan and the rest from St. Blossom." "I'd better hurry, then. See you later." For the second time that day Nokoru rushed from his dorm. He'd meet the ladies and take Utako to the opening of the history event, then go to archery with Nagisa. He took a deep breath. Things were looking up. * * * "Akira-kun's meeting you here?" Mizuki looked back in the direction she had come from. Nagisa was watching the path towards Dorm Three, then turning her eyes to Dorm Two. Mizuki understood. "I think we will have to wait to see Takamura-sempai. He has to be ready for completion." Rio was talking with Sekime and Sano while Utako paced little away from the group. Nagisa smiled gently. "It does take a great deal of preparation." She inhaled and a look of delight appeared on her face. "Oh look! It's Nokoru-sama!" Rio turned and waved. Utako put her handkerchief into Nagisa's purse. "I didn't bring a purse, do you mind?" "No, not at all." Nagisa closed her handbag while Utako turned her attention to Sano and Sekime. Mizuki smiled, "We're almost all here." She looked at her large blue plastic watch, "Just in time." Nokoru beamed, "It looks like it's just us for a while." Nagisa and Utako curtsied to Nokoru when he walked near them. "I'm afraid you will have to do with my poor company until after today's events." Utako answered, "We'd be delighted." Nokoru held out a hand, motioning the walkway. They moved along the path to the auditorium. Mizuki walked with her large group of friends. She was so happy in their company. She patted the pocket of her cargo pants. She needed to find a private moment with Nokoru to give him Suoh's letter. She blushed remembering the way Suoh had spoken to her. He had confided in her, and she would not betray his trust. Out of the corner of her eye, Mizuki watched Rio swish her skirt around her legs at something Nokoru had said. [For Rio's sake I had better find out if Nokoru-kun has a girlfriend.] Somehow she didn't think he did. The other CLAMP students definitely did. Akira and Utako had a secret understanding of some sort. They were not demonstrative, but they were willing to allow each other into their minds. And something about how they looked at one another made Mizuki turn away each time she saw them look into each other's eyes. The same was true for Suoh and Nagisa. The few times she had seen them together, she had felt that she was intruding on a private moment. There was hardly any space in the large room when they arrived. Utako and Sekime separated themselves. There was an echo of many voices and nothing any one person said carried easily. "We're going to stay here," Sekime explained loudly. "We'll meet you at the watercolor exhibit." Utako smiled at Mizuki as she sat next to Sekime. Rio interrupted her thoughts. "Do you think that the question will be very difficult?" Nokoru whispered as the auditorium darkened. "I think that they don't want a question that just anyone could answer. But it must also be in a class focus that all participants would have studied. Not in a specific area." The rijichou stood in the same position on stage that he had the previous afternoon. He welcomed the audience and at each student's name, they walked from offstage to a desk. They bowed in turn, and then in unison as they took their seats. The rijichou and an instructor handed out blank books and pens, then crossed the sides of the room for a piece of paper. When the academia were settled and each had the appropriate papers, the school's rijichou returned to the microphone and turned pressed a button on the podium. Above the students, a square of light appeared. In bold black letters the question materialized. Explain how the decline of the samurai class lead to the creation of the first railway in Japan. Nokoru laughed. Mizuki looked at him questioningly. "It's a trick question. They must show a great knowledge of Meiji Restoration history to be able to answer that. We have all studied the period, but to compress the many reasons of so many different areas of society into a small essay would be impossible. They have to choose and prove only a few, important points." Mizuki turned to Nokoru, "That's amazing!" She remembered the folded paper in her pocket. Looking guiltily around herself, she passed him the note, never lifting her hand above her waist. She looked around again and saw Sano watching her. She smiled, but could feel the blood rise to her face. Hopefully he would not see it in the dark. [I was not holding his hand! I wasn't doing anything!] They watched for a few moments as the contestants began hurriedly jotting ideas on the paper they had been given. Then, by mutual consent, they left for the archery exhibition. * The rijichou stood before the assemblage. "Welcome to the second day of our mixed dorm Decathlon. Standing before you are the archers chosen from each dorm. They represent the strong will and sure ability of their dorms." The participants stood patiently behind him as he introduced them. Mizuki had not been in Japan long enough to fully appreciate Japanese archery. But she knew that the men competing today must be wonderful. Like the previous day's events, there was only one chance to win. If your arrow missed, you were out. They all wore looks of absolute concentration. They went through their motions with calm ritualistic movements. Each held the same pose, and each released the arrow at the same time. "The first doesn't seem to be a disqualifying round with this group." Nokoru stood behind Mizuki, with Nagisa at his side. His voice was reverent. "No matter how many times I see it, I envy their focus." Suoh stood fifth in a line of six archers. They each seemed to know what to do. There were no announcements. They kneeled and stood when their individual turns came, and made no motion of the head or face to indicate they had seen their competition shoot. She watched Dorm One's competitors. It was amazing that she had never noticed these students before. [Could they be so different when they walk across campus?] She could easily believe Suoh was with the group. She watched him take the same stance individually that the group had taken before. He didn't seem to even see the bow, his concentration was so focused at the distant target. As she expected, the shot hit well in the middle. He stepped back just as she had seen the others do. Everyone held their breath as the last archer's arrow missed the red center. The contestant bowed and left what Mizuki thought of as the stage. Perhaps seeing one of his peers fail caused Minami's next arrow to miss the target entirely. Mizuki had not seen his head turn, but was certain that the dorm leader must have seen the boy at the end of the line leave the raised platform. Next was Tsuzuki, a fourth year student. He had been in Japanese archery since he was in junior high. He was well known to posses the ability to win this competition. Even Dorm One was concerned about Tsuzuki's ability. When his arrow hit the mark, there was a small gasp of appreciation through the crowd. Mizuki didn't think she had she patience to even watch the whole competition without screaming from tension. She couldn't imagine participating. She felt something on her fingers and looked down to discover she had dug her nails into Sano's arm. She quickly put her hands behind her back. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "Can you imagine being up there?" Izumi Sano shook his head. He flinched a little at Aoki's arrow missed its mark. "One from each dorm now. This is a tough one." Mizuki nodded. "It had all the stress that yesterday's swimming competition possessed, but it was drawn out over a longer period of time." In the end, only Tsuzuki and Suoh remained. They continued until the muscles in Tsuzuki's forearm visibly trembled as he pulled back the bow. * * * Suoh put his borrowed equipment back into its locker. He had not expected to need his archery set during his stay at Ohsaka. Wearing a borrowed glove seemed faintly distasteful, but by not using it, he had left his arm open to the sting of the bow's string. He looked down at his reddened forearm. He made a fist and released it. The soreness went away with movement. Repeating the action helped. He checked himself in a mirror, then walked out flexing his fingers. The poetry section of the decathlon was constantly on his mind. He needed to think of how to put the thoughts that had come to him in the archery tournament into words. The act of putting the arrow to the bow, then of seeing it hit the target was simple and compressed. The thoughts flee, but the action remains. That was the way he wanted to express his feelings. He wanted Nagisa to understand exactly how he felt when he was in motion but not moving. He passed several people before realizing he was in a crowd. He looked around. Wataru Nihonbashi was doing very good business. And he was looking right at Suoh. Suoh flexed his hand one more time. He took in his stance and saw how menacing he must look reflected in the photographer's eyes. [As long as he has nothing to feel guilty about, he has nothing to fear from me.] Suoh walked to the blanket Nihonbashi was using as a sales floor and looked down at the images. There were a few more than before. Many of them were from the competitions the day before, a few Polaroid's and i-Zone stickies were of the current day's events. But Suoh knew that where those existed, there must be more. He picked up a stack of images. Akira's smiling face beamed with a slight distortion near the edge. The image was taken from the vantage point of a bush or tree. Suoh gathered other images, profiles mostly, of his younger friend. Then he looked up at the board behind Nihonbashi. Suoh felt his eyes tighten. Images of himself, some together with Nokoru, and a many more of Nokoru were displayed across the backboard. He looked at Nihonbashi. The thin student put his hands in front of his face, palms out. The girls around seemed oblivious to the exchange as they poured over the pictures and went through stacks. Some of the girls simply left money on the cloth and walked away. Suoh tilted his chin up. Nihonbashi pulled out a couple of folders and handed it to Suoh with a shaking hand. He pulled the images of Nokoru off the board, then with a hesitant glance, pulled the few of Suoh down as well. "Wait!" One of the women in the group pulled an image of Nokoru off the top of the photo's in Nihonbashi's hand. "I saw him, just a few days ago! He's why I'm here! Imonoyama-san, right?" She looked back and forth between Suoh and Nihonbashi. Another woman to the right tugged the first one's sleeve, "Come on Lidia, we have to get going if we're going to see the watercolor awards before getting on to the movie." Lidia seemed distracted as she looked at Suoh. "Right. I'll be right there." She put two five hundred yen coins in Nihonbashi's hand and grabbed another photo. Turning to Suoh, "Hey, haven't I seen you before?" Suoh pulled the remainder of the images out of the photographer's hand. "I doubt it." He shook his head, "Please enjoy your evening." He stepped closer to Nihonbashi and spoke quietly, "The negatives." The bespectacled boy stepped back. "But they're mine!" Lidia tapped Suoh on the shoulder, "I've seen you in the magazines! With Imonoyama!" She bowed with both hands on her thighs. "Wow! I could never have dreamed it. I've met two celebrities at this school!" Suoh shook his head. He internally counted from five to one. His hand reached out for Nihonbashi's arm, but he spoke to Lidia. "It is very nice to meet you." Out of the corner of his mouth he spoke to the Ohsaka student, "Which envelope?" Nihonbashi yelled, "I don't have them here!" He looked ready to run. Suoh felt the arm in his hand tense and flex as though the owner meant to pull it back and then thought better of the movement. Suoh casually turned his full attention to the slimmer boy. "You know where I room?" Without waiting for an answer he continued. "I want them by eight tonight." He released the arm. "And no more pictures." Suoh bowed quickly to Lidia and her companion who were staring at him. He controlled his stride as he walked to the dorm. In those women, his worst fears were realized. They had been recognized. And they still had several days before leaving the campus. * * * "Takamura! Congratulations!" Nakatsu was about to pat Suoh on the back, but seemed to change his mind at the last minuet. They were standing outside the exhibition hall, waiting for their group to re-form. Mizuki could barely contain her excitement to see him after the competition. "I can't believe how tense it was. And you both doing so well until the last two shots. I didn't know Tsuzuki could be beat by anyone!" Suoh accepted the congratulations in stride. His eyes moved over the crowd until he found Nokoru's. They looked at each other for a moment with complete understanding, then returned their thoughts to the people with them. Nokoru was relieved to see Suoh and Nagisa together. It seemed that as long as there was a means of communication, they would be fine. "Rio-san, does your school have a similar competition." Rio put one finger to her chin. She tapped it a few times, then spoke quietly. "My school has been getting smaller. When my mother attended, there were many girls. Now we need boys to fill in at the winter dance. I don't think that girls are as interested in the traditional arts that we offer." Nokoru nodded, "The world is moving in such a way that men and women must both act equally for a common life." Rio smiled shyly, "Of course there are many women who have benefited the world through their hard work and superior education and the child of a woman who has been through a good school will surely do better than the child of an uneducated woman." Sano looked around. "The history portion finished a while ago. Do you think they are waiting for us inside?" In the art exhibit the group ran into Minami and Nakoa. A few of St. Blossom's representatives were nearby, exclaiming over the images. Utako, Kayashima, Akira and Sekime where on the far side of the exhibit. Nokoru crossed the room to visit with them. "I was sorry to miss the final reading." Akira smiled, "Luckily the winner was from our dorm." He gestured to Kayashima. "He took the question from the social point of view, where I focused on politics. It was a very unique way of looking at the changes." Kayashima bowed his head slightly at Nokoru's congratulations. "I was very fortunate to have found an unusual answer. I think that is what caught the judges attention." "He's too modest. It was a wonderful essay." Utako laughed delicately. Nokoru watched the group on the far side of the room with one eye. Because his attention was divided, Nokoru felt Akira's eyes follow. Mizuki and Suoh were standing next to one another. Nokoru felt he heart constrict for a moment. When nothing passed between their hands, Nokoru returned his breathing and felt his heart beat again. "Now that we all know, there is a family resemblance." Nokoru turned his head. The student he had met in the doctor's office that morning was looking at the same image Nokoru's head was facing. But he had mistaken where the blond was actually looking. "Nanba-sempai looks a lot like Rio-chan, now that we know they are related. I just never put it together before, you know? And she's so pretty." "I suppose you're right." Nokoru laughed. Perhaps he was showing a little too much favor towards one girl. [But it's hard to be rude when the lady pays so much attention to you.] The boy turned to him, "I wanted to thank you." He looked at his shoes. "For this morning. It does feel better now that I've gotten it over with. I let it go for days before I gave in and went to see the doctor. He can just be so frightening sometimes. I heard that his policy of 'hurting to heal' has gotten a few fakers in trouble during college test season." The student bowed, "I'm Naoki Tominaga." Nokoru smiled and introduced himself. "I think I saw you at the decathlon assignments." Tominaga nodded. "I am in Dorm Two." Nokoru steered the student across the room. "Have you ever met Rio Umeda? She is a kind young lady." Rio was standing in front of a revival watercolor. It had been made by Akai, of their dorm. He depicted two women in layered robes standing in an abstract grove of sakura. the colors were varying shades of pinks with the ladies in gold and purple. It had gotten second place in the competition. "Rio Umeda, may I introduce my dorm mate, Naoki Tominaga. We were just admiring the winning painting together a moment ago." He turned his full attention to Rio. "Have you seen the winning painting?" She shook her head. "I would love to." She expected Nokoru to lead her, but Nokoru put pressure on Tominaga's back. "I would love to show you. Himejima-sempai from Dorm Three took the prize. It is truly a worthy image." Nokoru sighed inwardly. He made a mental note to have the boys and girls' dorms mix more often to avoid such awkward exchanges. He smiled and waived good luck to Tominaga. Nokoru excused himself to the remainder of the group, begging the combination of poetry and physics as his reason for leaving. He went to the cafeteria and settled in for a quiet evening. He pulled Suoh's note out of his pocket. Kaichou, It is good to hear that the bruise was of your own making rather than a cause for concern. Thank you also for your promise not to repeat the performance. Nokoru smiled at the letter. Of course he would be happy to hear Nokoru had not intention of sliding down ladders again. To Suoh's thinking, Nokoru should be kept in a padded one story house where sharp implements never enter. "He's not that bad." Nokoru continued reading. The feeling that I am watching life but unable to grasp it, that I can see my objective, but not reach it, is fading in the face of our current understanding. Warmly, S Nokoru looked around. He didn't expect anyone to be reading over his shoulder, but he had never expected to see such words from his taciturn friend. And to think that the entrusted such words to a virtual stranger was even more surprising. It could only mean that Suoh was suffering far worse than Nokoru had suspected. He doubted the matter would ever be raised again. Nokoru thought of his dream. Of course Suoh was worried. He could see shadows where even Nokoru, who searched the landscape eagerly, was oblivious. Nokoru put the note away and finished his dinner. On his way to his room, he thought he saw something behind a tree. He stopped to watch it, but the yard was still. Nokoru continued on to the dorm, and planned to do nothing more than his physics studying with Sano that evening. It would be a while before the rest of the group got around to the dorm, so Nokoru knew he had time to rest. He checked the phone. There had been one call while he was gone. It no longer surprised him. He thought for a moment he should tell Suoh. But there was no reason to worry him when Suoh had only just begun to relax. [And how much he's relaxed.] Nokoru could not remember the last time he had seen or heard such words from Suoh. Nokoru sat in Akira's chair and looked out the window. The president of CLAMP's student body stuck Suoh's home-burnt CD into a personal CD player and adjusted the earphones. [If I'm right. Someone will appear outside the window.] Nokoru wasn't sure who was watching him yet, but he would find out soon enough. Of one thing he was positive. The person outside was related to the phone calls. * * * Mizuki watched Nokoru leave. She looked back at the painting before her. It was a snow scene. It almost looked three-dimensional. Sano caught her hand. She pulled back sheepishly. "It's so lovely." Shimizu-sempai of Dorm Three had made the painting. He used the blank page to its greatest advantage. The only colors where brown and black. To Mizuki it looked just like an old drawing. She laughed a little. "The drawings looked like paintings, and the paintings look like drawings." Sano stood transfixed. "It's through minimal use that that the image reaches it's fullness. Like ..." He laughed a little. Mizuki could almost feel her eyes fill with tears. "No please. You haven't spoken like that for at least a month." She rubbed her eyes. "I was going to say, it's like the high jump." His smile was self- depreciating. "The less exaggerated the movement, the more graceful and effective it is." He pointed to the painting. "You see the lack of definition? How it causes us to form the picture in our minds? There--is that a rabbit and a fox in chase? Or is it a snow drift? And here-" Mizuki stared at his face. She watched his eyes and mouth as he spoke, and missed the last part of his words. Sano turned to look at her. He took a step back. "I guess you see for yourself." Mizuki recovered, "Yes. I think of all the pieces here today, this is my favorite." They looked at the image again. Nakatsu grabbed them both around the neck. "Time for dinner. It's pasta night!" He rubbed his hands together, "Or maybe we should eat at the booths out front? Mizuki jumped. "Oh, I forgot, did you have to work at your teams' booths tonight?" Both Sano and Nakatsu shook their heads. Sano spoke first, "I got drawn for first thing after classes tomorrow. Then it's onto physics." Nakatsu nodded, "And I have to miss the poetry section. But since to me all poems sound the same, it's no big loss. I'll still be around for the art project." "Great. I can't wait." Mizuki turned to Noe. "Everyone is being so secretive." She squinted her eyes at Noe as though she could see into his room through his face. "Some people don't even let others into their rooms anymore." Noe put up his hands, "You'll have to hang on until tomorrow like everyone else. We can't let anything out." Nanba joined the group. "Besides Dorm One is starting to grumble about out newest additions being unfair." He looked around the group, "Did I hear that we're going for dinner?" * * * Suoh returned to his dorm room at seven-thirty. It had been hard to leave Nagisa so early, but she had been feeling the effects of the heat all day and had to go back to the coolness of her dorm early. He found two manila envelops on the flowered welcome mat. Both had his name on front. He entered the room and checked the envelopes quickly. One was another set of images. Nokoru whispering to Akira and images from after the math competition when Nokoru and Suoh were making amends leaped forward. Most of them were the same views he had already confiscated. A few down he found pictures of Akira and Utako. It was from the garden. They were looking at a map. Akira had mentioned they wanted to go out at the end of the week and have a look around town. A second stack within the envelope revealed pictures of Nagisa and Suoh and a few of Suoh at the archery competition. The second envelope had negatives and i-Zone images. Suoh did not take the time to ensure there was a negative for every image. He could hear the voices of many boys who had returned to the dorm. He satisfied himself with the weight of the envelope when he hefted it and the knowledge they would soon be back at CLAMP School. He sat at his desk and breathed the smell of books. Suoh wrinkled his nose. "Potpourri." Suoh sat with a paper. In less than five minuet he composed the poem he would present the following day. A few more minuets and the lines were perfected. He stood at the window and watched the orange of sunset leave the clouds. Once he was sure it was dark, he left the dorm for his nightly check on Nokoru. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Comments, criticism and corrections always welcome. 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