http://clampfix.fanworks.net/ccd-fix/hope.txt </head><body><pre>Giving Hope A CLAMP Gakuen fic for Seimei's Challenge by Truth Disclaimer: I do not own the characters portrayed in the anime CLAMP Campus Detectives. Warnings: Bait and switch. Drama, angst, inappropriate humor, etc etc. Gratuitous ninja baiting. Notes: This takes place during the early part of X. I hope the character ages came out correctly. This isn't what I set out to write, but Idomu bullied his way into the middle of it. Rating: G ** Idomu stared, unseeing, out the window of the car that was carrying him closer and closer to the CLAMP School Campus. He had two appointments to attend today. The first was set for mid-morning, and would be the more difficult of the two by far. Yudaiji Idomu had arrived in Japan last night, setting foot on the soil of his native country for only the second time in a decade. He was unsure whether he had arranged for these first two appointments right away because he was eager for them, or merely in order to prevent himself from getting cold feet. As the car passed through the enormous gates of the campus, Idomu could feel his breakfast becoming a rock solid lump in the pit of his stomach. He was not going to be able to simply slip everything that had happened during the past years past the new CLAMP Campus Rijichou, but perhaps he would be able to get through his pre- luncheon meeting without an interrogation. He doubted it. ** The first thing that Takamura Suoh noticed as he held the door of the car open for the Rijichou's guest was the way that he moved. Idomu's new height was the second. "Yudaiji." "Takamura." Idomu inclined his head deliberately, breaking the ninja's intense stare. He felt uncomfortable at finding himself suddenly taller than the Imonoyama's trusted bodyguard. "This way, please." Suoh motioned for Idomu to proceed him up the stairs. He wanted a chance to evaluate his old foe before allowing him into the presence of the man he had once tried to destroy. By the time they reached the terrace where Imonoyama Nokoru was waiting, Suoh was feeling more than a little confused. The two minute walk had revealed a mass of contradictions in their one-time nemesis, centering almost completely around the disturbing way that he moved. While it had been a very long time since Suoh had last been able to observe Idomu, he never forgot an adversary, particularly one as dangerous as Yudaiji Idomu. Idomu moved fluidly, every movement as controlled and rehearsed as a professional dancer. He was carefully aware of his surroundings, almost unconsciously measuring the exact distance between his own body and everything around it. His control and awareness were nearly as impressive as the ninja's own. But there was still that sense of something indefinably wrong. The contained tautness that marked a serious martial artist somehow absent and, truthfully, Idomu had never struck the younger man as the type to take up such a physical hobby in the first place. 'Why must Nokoru's friends _always_ bring mysteries?' Suoh wondered crossly, watching the other man glide down the corridor. 'What am I missing?' "Takamura?" Suoh jerked his head up, realizing that Idomu had come to a halt by the tall doors that led to the Rijichou's private terrace and was giving him a strange look. It was with a sense of deep humiliation that he realized he had been staring fixedly at the red head's backside for their entire journey. 'I knew I wouldn't be able to hide it from him,' Idomu thought tiredly. 'But I wanted to try.' He waited for Suoh to say something, but the other man was still searching to find a way to justify his apparent rudeness. Finding the self-contained ninja at a loss was a once in a lifetime event and Idomu's sense of humor came suddenly to his rescue. Reaching forward, he tapped his guide gently on the nose. "See something you like?" he asked softly, his smile wicked. ** Imonoyama Nokoru looked up from his comfortable seat on the terrace to see the wide doors practically flung open before his guest. Idomu, a familiar smirk gracing his features, sauntered toward his host, a glowering ninja in his wake. "Suoh, are you blushing?" Nokoru asked, his eyes wide with surprise as he rose to his feet to greet his guest. "No!" he snapped, glaring horribly at Idomu's back. This told the Rijichou that it was indeed a blush and that, once again, Yudaiji Idomu was indulging in his second favorite hobby; ninja-baiting. "I'm very pleased to see you," Nokoru told his guest, hiding a grin behind his ever-present fan. "But you promised not to tease Suoh anymore. In fact, he made it a pre-condition of your visit, as I recall." "It was all an innocent misunderstanding," Idomu told him earnestly. "Honest!" Suoh said something under his breath that was probably very rude, but the other men chose to ignore it as they bowed politely to each other. 'He upset me on purpose,' Suoh decided as Nokoru waved Idomu to a seat. 'He was trying to distract me and succeeded admirably. However, I _will_ find out what he's hiding.' "What finally brings you back to the Campus?" was Nokoru's first question. Idomu leaned back in his chair and regarded the tips of his shoes thoughtfully. "I wanted to visit a friend of mine who teaches here. It would have been impolite not to have stopped to see you as well." "You have friends here on Campus?" At Idomu's raised eyebrow, Nokoru flushed slightly, realizing that his tone had been a bit on the incredulous side. "That came out wrong." "It did." The redhead smiled at Suoh's deliberately deadpan expression. The blue-haired man had discreetly placed himself behind Nokoru and almost out of earshot, but Idomu knew that he was paying close attention to the conversation. There was a brief pause as Nokoru attempted to rephrase his rather tactless comment. Idomu turned his gaze toward the view, smiling slightly to see a couple of men about his own age trying to teach soccer to a group of children. "What I _meant_ to say, was that you didn't seem to have any close friends when you attended school here," Nokoru sighed. He was always a little off balance around Idomu and it didn't help that the feeling was definitely mutual. They had managed to regain their friendship after that disastrous incident in the sixth grade and corresponded more or less regularly, but things were still a little awkward. "I didn't," Idomu admitted. "He's someone I met in America the following summer. It was just a coincidence that he also attended school here. We struck up a friendship." "It's a small world," Nokoru smiled. "Coincidences abound." "I suppose." Idomu steepled his fingers. "He came to America to visit relatives for the summer. We became friends and have been corresponding ever since." "If it's been anything like your correspondence with me, it's a wonder that he remembers who you are." The redhead waved a hand dismissively. "You're different." "How?" Nokoru's eyes gleamed. "If you're fishing for compliments, you need to find new bait," Idomu informed him dryly. The Rijichou settled back in his chair, grinning. "Seriously. You've never really had friends. Our relationship should probably be termed 'best enemies' even now." "We have a lot in common," Idomu protested. "A propensity for neglecting your correspondence and getting into trouble, you mean?" Nokoru jerked upright, an aggrieved expression on his face. "Suoh!" "Sorry to intrude." He didn't look sorry at all, Idomu reflected wryly. "But Ijyuin is here with brunch." Akira had indeed brought brunch. Fresh fruit, tea and scones were wheeled in on a small cart and placed on the small table between Nokoru and his guest. After a few pleasantries, Akira left and Suoh withdrew again to a tactful distance. Idomu sipped his tea and ate a few grapes, his stomach letting him know on no uncertain terms that he shouldn't eat anything more than that. Nokoru waited for his friend to continue their conversation, but Idomu merely stared off into space, somewhere just above the blonde's head. "So, who is it?" "What?" Idomu blinked and refocused. Nokoru frowned slightly. "Who are you here to see?" "Yamashita Komoku." "What?" Idomu shrugged. "His father is a bit of a mythology nut . It could have been worse." "That's not what I meant. What on earth could you and Dr. Yamashita possibly have in common?" "He likes the way I play the piano?" Idomu guessed, his grin broadening. "Very funny." Nokoru finished his scone and reached for another. "Lots of people like the way I play the piano!" Idomu protested, his face twisted into an expression of comic hurt. "Dr. Yamashita is a brilliant neurologist," Nokoru pointed out. "He _lives_ for his career. I don't think I've ever actually met the man, he's so buried in his research. He is a legend on campus. His students swear that he must actually live somewhere in the hospital because he's never been seen anywhere else." Idomu choked down a laugh. "He's also only a bit over twenty years old. Talented, brilliant and dedicated he may be, but you make it sound like he's an elderly mad scientist, puttering away in his lab awaiting the perfect lightning storm." "So what could you possibly have in common?" Nokoru asked again. "We play chess," Idomu told him. "Poke fun at Takamura together, that sort of thing." "Idomu...." "Sorry. We're both rabid J-League fans. Does that help explain the mystery of why someone would voluntarily spend time developing a friendship with me? No? I must have hidden depths, then." "I always thought that Yamashita would go on to play professional soccer after he graduated," Suoh suddenly contributed. "What changed his mind?" "What?" Nokoru looked over his shoulder at the ninja. "Don't tell me that you know Dr. Yamashita?" "If he'd been an attractive female, _you_ would remember him as well," Suoh pointed out dryly. "He was on the soccer team during junior high school and he was an exceptional athlete." Nokoru was busy trying to superimpose the image of an exceptional athlete over his mental picture of a mad scientist and having little to no success. The sudden image of an elderly Einstein with a bolt through his neck puttering around a lab in soccer shorts floated through his imagination. He almost snorted his tea. Idomu, having no trouble divining the source of Nokoru's sudden strange expression, sighed. "Really, Nokoru. You're almost frighteningly brilliant at times and at others you're a complete lunatic. Get a grip." "I, I'm sorry," Nokoru protested, still struggling with the mental image. He waved one arm toward Suoh although whether the gesture was meant to encourage him to go on or to request aid was hard to tell. Suoh decided that it meant aid, and came forward to the table, pounding the blonde gently on the back until he stopped coughing. "Rijichou, tea is meant to be drunk, not inhaled." Once order had been restored, Nokoru turned back to his guest. "So Yamashita the prospective soccer player became Yamashita the famed neurologist. That's quite a switch." Idomu studied the scone in front of him, which he had quietly shredded down into little crumbs. "It would have been a crime to waste a brain like his on something like soccer. Well, that's what _he_ says." "I'd have to agree," Suoh said, looking mildly surprised that he was agreeing with the redhead. "The world must be coming to an end," Nokoru proclaimed, gaping at his ninja. Suoh's response was a forbidding scowl. "Yamashita has published a great many papers on the regeneration and repair of the human nervous system," Idomu explained. "Despite his age, he is one of the leaders in that particular field of research. He attributes most of his success to the facilities here at the CLAMP campus and the aid provided by the Imonoyama Research Foundation." Nokoru flipped open a fan which read 'To Further Knowledge', but didn't actually say anything. Suoh had been watching Idomu through narrowed eyes. Since settling back in his chair, the taller man had not moved his body once, even to shift his weight. Only his arms had been involved as he carried on the conversation, and even then, the movements had all been very deliberate. Something clicked in the back of Suoh's head. "Does it hurt very much?" he suddenly asked. Nokoru looked at his bodyguard with some surprise. "Pardon?" Idomu's lips tightened. So much for slipping this past the ninja. "No, as a matter of fact, it doesn't." "What am I missing?" Nokoru asked politely, looking from his seated guest to the man standing beside him. "Yudaiji is hiding something from us," Suoh informed him. "And I strongly suspect that he is here to see Dr. Yamashita in a professional capacity." "He was my friend before he became a neurologist," Idomu protested angrily. "And I have absolutely no obligation to discuss my personal life with you, Takamura!" "Calm down, both of you." Nokoru tapped his fan against the table top, narrowly missing dipping the tassels in his tea. "Is there something wrong, Idomu?" "Yes. You have a nosy ninja." Idomu's voice could have been used to chill Nokoru's favorite dessert. "Suoh?" Correctly interpreting the Rijichou's tone, Suoh bowed to Idomu. "I would like to apologize for my prying, Yudaiji." "You are forgiven," Idomu told him, his voice still unfriendly. "Please accept my apologies as well," Nokoru added, leaning forward to fix his oldest friend with an imploring gaze. "I am sorry if we made you uncomfortable." Idomu tried to hold onto his hurt feelings, but felt them sliding from his grasp. "Damn it, Nokoru. Don't give me that terrible 'lost puppy' look. I forgive you both, all right?" "Wonderful!" Nokoru flipped open his fan again to reveal the words 'Friends Forever'. "Now, tell me what's wrong." Idomu and Suoh exchanged identical looks of strained patience and a moment of total understanding. Now that the subject had been broached and a possible problem uncovered, Nokoru would not rest until he had the entire story. "You'll pay for this, Takamura," Idomu muttered. "I am _really_ sorry," Suoh apologized again. He sounded rather more sincere this time. Nokoru continued to gaze expectantly at the redhead. "Two summers after I moved to America, I was in an auto accident," Idomu told them slowly. "I was simply walking along, minding my own business. The driver had her brakes go out, and when she lost control of the car, it was my misfortune to be in the wrong place at the wrong time." "What happened?" Nokoru asked, his eyes wide. "Nothing." Idomu told them flatly. "I was fine. In fact, I was the lucky one. The car was still moving when it hit me and I was thrown clear. I had not, unfortunately, been walking alone. The driver was killed when her car crashed into a tree, and my companion was trapped between that tree and the car. His spinal cord was severed, and when an ambulance finally arrived, they thought he was already dead." Suoh traded concerned glances with Nokoru. Idomu's voice was very controlled, but the shreds of a second scone were joining the first on the plate in front of the redhead as he spoke. "He spent four weeks in a coma and most of the next four months in that same hospital. After that, he had to learn to adjust to life as a paraplegic. He was lost, depressed and desperately angry. I spent most of that year with him, keeping him company and helping him catch up with his schoolwork." "I'm not surprised." Nokoru was frowning unhappily. "What a terrible blow." Suoh was also frowning, although his appeared to contain more concentration than actual emotion. "That doesn't explain what I saw earlier." Idomu gave him a bitter smile. "Oh, my troubles didn't begin until almost six months later." "I thought you said you were fine?" Nokoru raised an eyebrow. "When confronted with the other injuries at the scene, apparently the check-over they gave me was a bit cursory, particularly as I was just sitting there repeating 'I'm fine, I'm fine' over and over again." Suoh grunted. "Shock." "Shock." Idomu agreed. "After that I started to have headaches. Over the months they grew steadily worse. Then I began to have problems with my vision. Things were always a little to the right of where I actually saw them. I ran into doorways and fell down the stairs a lot. I started to have problems playing the piano." Nokoru winced. With Idomu's estrangement from his family, his study of the piano was what he clung to for purpose. "Why didn't you let me know?" Idomu sighed heavily. "I thought I was going crazy. I went to doctor after doctor and through test after test and nothing actually seemed to be wrong. The headaches got worse and worse until it was torture to try to get up out of bed. Movement of any kind was enough to make me sick to my stomach. The pain was incredible." "How bad was it?" Suoh thought he had finally figured out exactly why Idomu's movements were off, but wanted to confirm his guess. "Bad enough. When they finally tried for full spinal x-rays, they found the problem. I had suffered a blow that rearranged my neck and spine to just this side of snapping. The original blow damaged the nerves and my spinal column enough that I did not feel any pain. It wasn't until my body completed healing itself that some of the nerves began to respond again. That's where the pain came from." "What did you do, then?" Nokoru asked. "They decided that surgery would only make matters worse." Idomu stared intently at his little mountain of scone crumbs. "I went through three years of intensive physical therapy and some rather brutal spinal manipulation. You see, the injury had healed totally, and they had to try to move my spine back to where it belonged, and it did not want to go." "And you had to learn to move and walk all over again." Suoh nodded, pleased with his deduction. "Yes. Walk, run, playing the piano.... Everything had to be learned again." "And that's where Dr. Yamashita comes in?" Nokoru guessed. Idomu choked back a laugh. "I keep forgetting how your deductive powers tend to erode when there aren't any females around. You forget, Nokoru, Komoku is only a year or so older than we are. He was still in high school then." Nokoru hid behind his fan. "In a way you are correct," Idomu told him, relenting slightly. "Komoku came back to America that following summer when they were just beginning my therapy. He was there for me through the worst three months of my life. He helped get me to and from my appointments, he fetched and carried for me when it hurt too much to move, he kept me from doing anything too terribly stupid...." As Idomu's voice trailed off, he stared down at the crumbs again. He had been carefully arranging them into little piles. "Sometimes it would have been so much easier just to give up, but he wouldn't let me do it." "And that is why he is Dr. Yamashita the neurologist as opposed to Yamashita the soccer star?" Nokoru asked gently. The blonde young man was beginning to nourish an active hatred for Idomu's father. It must have been torture for the young man to go through all of this without any sort of support from his family. Idomu nodded. "He told me that I had no excuse for giving up. That even though I would always have problems, I would be able to play the piano again some day. I would be able to walk and dance if I wanted to and eventually the pain would fade away." "But it hasn't," Suoh shook his head. "I can see it when you walk." "Oh, it doesn't hurt most of the time," Idomu told him. "The damage to my spine was permanent, and some of the nerves will probably never recover. I'm actually rather proud of the way I walk, although I prefer the term 'prowl'." "It just doesn't look right," Suoh protested. Idomu shrugged. "It's graceful and it draws eyes. Who cares if it isn't natural?" Nokoru grinned. "I had no idea that you were so fascinated with the way Idomu walks, Suoh." "RIJICHOU!" Idomu smirked. "See! It's not just me. You're an easy target, Suoh. That's _your_ problem." Turning hurriedly away from the steaming ninja, Nokoru focused again on the redhead. "But you are also here to see Dr. Yamashita on a professional basis?" Idomu nodded. "He's using me as a test case. He still comes to America every summer, and I have all my records sent here from the doctors and therapists that I see during the rest of the year. He has some brand new tests for me this time and wanted to administer them himself." "You've been living like this for almost twelve years and you never said anything to me?" Nokoru gave Idomu a hurt look. "It always sounds like whining," Idomu protested uncomfortably. "And it takes too long to explain. We've been sitting here discussing my medical history for almost an hour!" "I think you've been very brave," Nokoru protested stoutly. The expression Idomu turned on him was grim. "Hardly. The first few years were so difficult that I almost gave up completely. I was a self-pitying wreck." "You're here now, aren't you?" Suoh asked. "Thanks to Komoku," Idomu told them. "I have no idea how he managed to put up with me, or why he bothered. But if it weren't for his encouragement, I would have let them hospitalize me as a hopeless case. They tried that tactic twice." "He must be a very good friend," Suoh offered. "Better than you know." Idomu glanced at his watch, and then rose to his feet. Nokoru paid close attention as he friend moved to the edge of the terrace. Suoh had been right, as usual. Idomu moved gracefully, beautifully, even. However, upon closer examination it looked too practiced to be natural. "Why is everyone staring at my behind today?" Idomu inquired archly. Suoh blushed and spluttered. Nokoru simply grinned. "Lay off the ninja," he demanded. "Torturing Suoh is my job." "It's a game any number can play," Idomu insisted. "Tell me, Takamura, how is Nagisa?" As Suoh turned even redder, Idomu smiled at the Rijichou. "I ought to be going. I'm supposed to meet Komoku for lunch in just a few minutes." "How long will you be here?" "At least a week," Idomu smirked. "Long enough for some decent ninja- baiting at the very least." "Will you play for me?" Nokoru asked. Idomu nodded. "You can leave a message at the hospital. I'll be spending most of my time with Komoku in the lab." "He really did a lot for you, didn't he?" Nokoru's voice was soft. Idomu smiled wistfully. "Without his encouragement, I would probably be in a hospital somewhere right now, and I would never have walked properly or played the piano again." Nokoru waved as Idomu stepped off the terrace and passed the impromptu soccer game, heading for one of the main paths. Suoh, recovering from his fit of spluttering, joined the Rijichou there. As they watched Idomu leave, Akira reappeared to clear away the brucheon. After a moment or so, Nokoru gestured him to join them by the edge of the terrace. "He's changed," was the ninja's first comment. "More than we know, I think." Nokoru stared after the figure of his friend. "I think I'd like to meet Dr. Yamashita." "You _are_ his employer, you know," Suoh told him dryly. "It shouldn't be too difficult to arrange." "That's him over there," was Akira's contribution. The dark haired young man pointed across the lawn in the direction that Idomu had been heading. Seated beside one of the main paths was a handsome looking young man in a dark green pull-over. He waved cheerfully at Idomu, who swooped down on him for an enthusiastic hug. Nokoru, Suoh and Akira watched silently as the two men disappeared down the path. "Ijyuin," Suoh began. "How long has Dr. Yamashita been in a wheelchair?" "Since the summer before high school," Akira told him. "It was a car accident of some kind in America. He missed almost all of that first year at the high school." There was a long silence. "Akira, is there any sort of cure or therapy for Dr. Yamashita's condition?" Suoh finally asked. "No, Takamura-sempai." Akira returned to cleaning up Idomu's collection of crumbs. "His condition is permanent. Some of the students think that was why he took up neurology, to help people with similar problems." "I think it runs a little deeper than that," Suoh muttered. "Idomu is very fortunate in his friends." "How much strength he must have," Nokoru smiled wryly, "to give so freely after losing so much himself." "It sounds like someone else we know," Suoh said softly. "Look." Running helter-skelter across the lawn toward the terrace was a slender young man in a CLAMP Gakuen uniform. His slightly shaggy black hair was falling in his eyes, and he had a briefcase slung over one shoulder. Urging him on from near the corner of the building was a taller young man accompanied by a young woman and a petite girl of around the same age. As they all turned the corner and disappeared, Akira finished cleaning and turned to his friends. "It's a different kind of strength," he told them solemnly. "But I see what you mean." "Suoh?" "Yes, Rijichou?" "Be sure to call the hospital tomorrow morning and ask Idomu to come over for dinner and music. Please extend the invitation to Dr. Yamashita as well." "Yes, Rijichou." **end** I stink at endings. *sigh* I hope this is more or less what you were looking for, Seimei - mental and emotional strength exhibited by someone with a disability. And yes, the focus was meant to be Dr. Yamashita. I thought it would be interesting to look at him strictly through what Idomu was willing to share.</pre><p><a href="./">Back</a></p><p><a href=http://www.dreamhost.com/donate.cgi?id=216><img border=0 alt="Donate towards our web hosting bill!" src=https://secure.newdream.net/donate1.gif></a></p></body></html>