http://clampfix.fanworks.net/ccd-fix/silence2.txt </head><body><pre>{{strictly continuation ~ I can't chapter worth a darn, so the whole thing is one part. One looooong part. ^_^;; Disclaimers, ratings, etc appear in part 1a}} ~ ~ = thoughts, memories, letters { } = conversational written notes # # = sign language * * = emphasis *** = scene change *** Takamura Suoh and Ijyuin Akira glanced nervously at one another, unsure quite what to say. When they arrived in the Council Room, Nokoru had apparently been there a while, and been busy. The approved stack of documents looked ready to tumble, while those still needing his stamp made barely a handful. "Takamura-sempai? Is Kaichou all right?" The Treasurer bit his lower lip, unsure whether the proper response to Nokoru's impressive show of initiative was elation or terror. The Secretary was not so indecisive. There were few things that could motivate his One to action quite as adamantly, and only one conclusion to which he came. "It certainly has to do with some lady," he replied sotto voce. "Though I will not complain one bit that he's worked through four days of paperwork in less than an hour. I wouldn't want to stop him now." The bright head bobbed up, as if only now sensing their presence. "Aa, Suoh, Akira. What wonderful timing; I just finished." With a flourish, he stamped the last document and set it aside. "Now, shall we have some tea?" "Of course." Breathing a sigh of relief, Akira trotted off to prepare their afternoon snacks. His curious silver-grey eyes peeked back in a few moments later. "Anou, Kaichou? You set out another cup?" "Hai. We're having a guest for tea today." Nokoru neatly sat down on the sofa and flicked open his fan, which read "For the sake of a lady's happiness." Glancing over at Akira, Suoh raised an eyebrow in a clear 'I told you so' manner. He took a seat next to Kaichou, arms and legs crossing in synchronization. "No wonder you attacked your paperwork today." Golden eyes roamed reproachfully over the blonde's face. Nokoru laughed nervously, but patted Suoh on the head. "Daijoubu, Suoh. The important thing is, it's done, not why it was done, ne?" Suoh glowered silently but didn't deign to reply. "The truth is, there's a new lady in my class and I'm at somewhat of a loss as to how to adequately solve her problem. I wanted you two to meet her and then together I believe we can formulate a plan." "What kind of problem, Kaichou?" Though he still tried, Suoh knew his charge well enough to realize there was often no stopping his defense of women's happiness, but damage control was essential. Best to gather all the facts up front and set up roadblocks in the paths which could cause Nokoru harm. A timid knock at the door interrupted Nokoru's reply. "Come in," he automatically replied. The door didn't budge. Smacking his forehead, Kaichou bounded up off the couch to open the door. "Good afternoon, Kellie-san," he greeted her, ushering her into the room. She bowed twice, misery on her face as she held out her slate. {I'm so sorry I took so long. I couldn't find it, and I had trouble asking for directions. But finally this nice lady in a red kimono said that she would show me the way.} When Nokoru had finished reading, she turned the slate over in his hands for the rest. {I couldn't see much of her face, she held a bamboo fan in front of it, but I didn't have trouble understanding her. It was like she knew I couldn't hear her. Strange, isn't it?} "Sou da ne," Nokoru replied, guiding her inside and seating her next to Suoh. "Kennedy Kellie, this is Takamura Suoh. He serves as Student Council Secretary. Suoh, this is Kellie-san. She is a transfer student from America, and she can read lips in two languages." The girl covered her mouth and her shoulders shook in what appeared to be laughter. She cleaned off the slate in her lap and wrote on it quickly. {Nokoru-san is too polite to say directly that I am deaf. But as long as I can see your lips when you speak, I should be able to understand you.} Unsure quite what to say, Suoh managed only a very soft "Wakarimashita." [7] Nokoru dramatically pointed at Suoh with his fan. "Suoh does not often speak, but it is rare that he has nothing to say." Flicking open the fan, it read "Congratulations!" Kellie and Nokoru laughed. Suoh just sighed. "Kaichou, what kind of cookies would you like...oh!" Akira's eyes went wide; having been out of the room, he had missed the conversation. Nokoru quickly introduced Kellie in much the same manner and she displayed her slate message again. "How amazing!" the exuberant Treasurer exclaimed. "So you could understand me in Japanese or English?" She nodded. "Subarashi na," [8] Akira said, placing the tray on the table and pouring tea for everyone. Despite himself, Nokoru smiled. He knew he could count on his friends to welcome Kellie-san. Now, there was just the matter of facilitating communication. Akira eagerly awaited her responses, practically bouncing out of his seat with excitement, and even Suoh showed active interest, standing up when asked to demonstrate various karate and judo positions, but there had to be an easier way. Did she communicate this way with her parents, too? But people weren't born knowing how to write. The edge of his fan tickled below his lower lip as he thought. The time passed far too quickly, and Kellie-san excused herself to go home. Even if it was her first day, there was still a lot of homework. The Council invited her to join them again, and she agreed, lunches and after-school teas becoming a ritual for the next few weeks. They learned that Kellie's father was the current attaché to the American ambassador to Japan and her mother was a journalist. She didn't have any brothers or sisters, and her best subject was history and her worst was science. Her type of deafness was congenital and she wasn't a good candidate for aids such as a cochlear implant. [9] In turn, she learned about Utako-san and Nagisa-san--the look on Suoh's face when she turned around her slate with {How is Nagisa-san?} neatly printed on it had all of them (except, of course, for the blushing, stammering Suoh) rolling with laughter. Akira's cooking drew elaborate compliments and Nokoru's staggering popularity with all females of CLAMP Gakuen drew much teasing. Eventually, Kellie-san confided that she could speak, just a little, but remained terribly self-conscious about her voice. {Hearing people always look at me awkwardly when I've spoken before, as though they're uncomfortable with it. I know I shouldn't let it bother me, that the only way I'm going to get better at it is to keep trying, but...being stared at is intimidating. I get that enough, and I don't even have a very visible disability. Some of the kids from my school back home were in wheelchairs, and no one would look them in the eye, like they weren't real people. I guess if normal people pretend they don't see them, then they don't have to acknowledge them. Or like they think their disability is contagious. I still haven't figured that out. Do you know why people do that?} Even the brilliant mind of Imonoyama Nokoru couldn't quite answer that question. *** The day before Golden Week began, though, Kellie-san slipped Nokoru a note after class that she was sorry, she couldn't make it to tea. The festival came and went, and none of the Council saw her at any of the events, even on Sunday. She was in class Monday, but sidestepped any attempt by Nokoru to start up conversation. When the school day concluded, she bolted from the classroom, Nokoru hot on her heels, shouting at her to wait even though he knew she couldn't hear him. He caught up with her near the front of Gamera Hall and turned her around to face him. "Kellie-san, what's wrong? What can I do?" Wide blue eyes searched hers for a clue as to what was hurting her. She dropped her bag and waved her hands in a negating gesture, punctuated by several other, frustrated ones. Her whole body seemed animated with the movements, and instinctively Nokoru knew she was trying to explain herself. He had his communication answer. Carefully, he caught her hands and stilled them, squelching the pain that bloomed inside when he noticed argent traces leaking from her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Kellie-san," he whispered, feeling like an utter failure. "I don't understand." Slowly, she pulled her hands away, wiping her face with them and taking a few deep breaths. Undoing the top of her bag, she tugged out the slate and scribbled on it. {I have to go study. I'm sorry.} Kellie pulled a folded piece of paper out of her uniform's skirt pocket and handed it to Nokoru, pointing at it and then to him, indicating he was to read it. Stuffing the chalkboard back in her bag, she picked it up. One hand made a fist and she rubbed it over her heart, cyan eyes sad, before dashing off again. [10] Conflict warred within Nokoru--chase her or not--but something in the way she had looked at him hinted that it might upset her more if he did. Scratching the back of his neck in confusion, he plunked down on the Hall's steps to read her note. ~Nokoru-san-- I'm sorry about not having tea with you and Suoh-san and Akira-san any longer. I really enjoyed it, because it was nice to feel so normal. But, truthfully, keeping up in school is harder than I thought. I don't want to disappoint my parents after they persuaded the Rijichou to let me attend CLAMP Gakuen. And yet, I'm struggling terribly to follow everything without an interpreter. I'm going to do my best, because the last thing I want is any special treatment, but I have to prove that I'm worthy to stay in the school. I asked Suoh-san about you, and he said I was right, that you would probably do some big, extravagant thing to make me happy if I told you. He also told me that protecting women's happiness is like breathing to you, it's something you have to do. Please believe me when I say I'd be happier if you didn't do anything, Nokoru-san. I appreciate your being my friend and your willingness to go to great lengths more than you know, but I don't want extra attention being drawn to me. That is hard enough to avoid as it is. One person can't change the entire world. But thank you for trying for me. Kellie~ By the time he glanced up from her note, she was long gone, not even a uniformed speck at the far reaches of his damsel-in-distress vision. Puzzled, he sat and thought for several long minutes about exactly what to do--or not do, as the case might be. Everything in him itched for action, but she had asked him to restrain. For her happiness, he would do just that, but there had to be something that wouldn't involve his normal public displays. Nokoru's thoughts drifted to images of Kellie's face, screwed up in concentration as she transferred Abe-sensei's words to paper. Apparently, in American schools there were trained interpreters who could transfer words into those wild gestures she'd used when upset. Of course! Bouncing up, Nokoru set off for the library at a run. It was there, in one of the A/V rooms, that Suoh found him two hours later. Nokoru never questioned exactly how the Takamura bond eventually led Suoh to him, and he knew it peeved the ninja to no end that it didn't instantly point like a compass towards magnetic Nokoru. Still, he was intensely focused on watching a videotape in fast-forward. "Kaichou. Isn't it a little too early to be cramming in your summer homework in one night?" Suoh crossed his arms and leaned in the doorway. "Besides, I think Ijyuin's feelings are hurt that both you and Kellie-san weren't present for tea." "I'm doing research, Suoh." Nokoru absently waved away his friend's words. He ran the tape with the sound at superspeed, too, and the speakers crackled with rapid, high-pitched words. "A personal project." His indigo-haired companion snorted. "A female project, you mean." "Sou da ne. However, thanks to you, it's one that requires more indirect than direct action." There was no reprimand in his words; if anything, there was a subtle acknowledgment of the inherent protection Suoh gave to him with his explanation to Kellie-san. He clicked the stop button on the remote control and shut off the video equipment. "She said that one person can't change the world," Nokoru mused distractedly, his mind carefully filing away the contents of his research. "I don't know about that." Bright blue eyes looked up into serious amber ones. "You certainly changed mine." A silent moment passed between the two of them, an acknowledgment of the depth of the unique bond they shared. Strength given, strength received. Nokoru smiled gently as he flicked off the lights and preceded Suoh through the door. "Has Akira gone home yet?" Suoh thought for a moment, then shook his head. "His mothers are on a day trip to Hiroshima." The fey smile widened. "Shall we see if he has any ice candy in the freezer?" Golden eyes returned the smile. "Hai." *** Suoh-san had warned her that Nokoru-san could be very persistent when it came to women in need, and Kellie was nervous when she slid into class the next morning. She hadn't wanted to risk hurting his feelings, but it meant a great deal to her own self-worth to conquer this obstacle alone. But how to explain that to someone to whom brilliance and charm, not to mention an uncontrollable urge to help women, came naturally? To her surprise, Nokoru-san didn't approach her until lunch and he politely asked if she would eat outside with Suoh, Akira, and him. After studying endlessly last night, she felt a little more confident about school today, so she agreed. Bento boxes in hand, they strolled over towards a glade of trees, their normal meeting spot for lunch. As they walked, Nokoru shifted his box to one hand and tapped Kellie on the shoulder. %Isn't the weather nice today?% he gestured with his free hand. She stumbled and nearly dropped her slate and bento box, blue-green eyes stunned. %That's ASL,% she shot back, her numb fingers clumsy over the signs. Nokoru gave her that maddeningly cute closed-eyes smile and nodded firmly. %As long as you were dedicating yourself to studying, I thought I should do the same.% Her fingers twitched but formed no words, as though she were stuttering in surprise. %You're telling me you learned ASL--in English, no less--in one night?% %Yes, for the most part.% Strangely enough, with him it was perfectly plausible. My English isn't perfect, and it is hard to remember the proper word order.% Nokoru took the bento box from her hand and spread out a blanket on the ground for them. He spotted Suoh and Akira about thirty meters away, walking towards them. Kellie's knees felt weak; she was glad for the sudden presence of the ground under her backside. %Amazing,% she signed weakly. %No more so amazing that you knowing Japanese and English. Don't sell your accomplishments short, Kellie...Kellie...% His hands floundered, and a slight flush colored his face. "Is there a sign for '-san' in ASL? Or should I just spell it?" %Spelling it is fine.% She tapped what looked to him like the signed letter N to her forehead and then to her heart. %I don't know that one. Do it again, and tell me what it means.% This was exciting! Now it was Kellie's turn to blush. %I made that one up. It's how I say Nokoru. Because he has a big head,% she tapped the letter to her forehead and rolled her eyes teasingly, %but an even bigger heart.% The blonde's face split into a huge smile. %That's so cool! Does this mean I get to make up your name?% She gave him that tilted-head look of consideration. %Well, I have one in America already, but perhaps a new one for Japan would be fine.% "Yoshi!" He leaned forward, cradling his chin in his hands and propping his elbows up on his knees, brow furrowed in thought. Suoh and Akira joined them on the blanket, the latter spreading out tea for everyone. "Has Kaichou been entertaining you today?" Suoh asked, cracking open his bento and picking up a piece of eel with his chopsticks. {You have no idea,} Kellie wrote wryly, studying the Takamura's angular face. {Or, then again, perhaps you do,} she amended. {You always watch him very carefully, don't you?} Suoh nodded in acknowledgment and accepted a cup of tea from Akira. {It must be a difficult job at times.} A diffident shrug was the ninja's reply. "It is the one I was born to do," he mouthed, still a little uncomfortable with anyone else outside of family knowing his relationship to Nokoru. Most people only saw what they wished to see when they observed them together, the golden, glowing monarch and his most loyal and trusted knight. Kennedy Kellie-san, Suoh reminded himself, wasn't most people. In order to make up for the absence of sound in her life, her alert eyes missed very little. Including a Takamura bond. "I made American black tea today, Kellie-san." Akira tapped her elbow and waited for her attention before speaking and offering her a cup. "I'm not familiar enough with it to know if it's good..." She quickly waved a hand and smiled brightly, then pointed first to Akira, then the tea, and last her smile. If Akira made the tea, then she would definitely be happy with it. "I've got it!" Nokoru jumped to his feet with a wild exclamation, startling everyone. To Suoh's amusement and Akira's confusion, he held up his index and middle finger with his thumb pressed between them and then tapped the thumb side of his hand to either corner of his mouth, nodding brightly as if he'd solved a very difficult puzzle. "Anou, Takamura-sempai?" Sometimes Akira felt there were a great many things for which he wouldn't acquire the wisdom to understand until he was at least in fifth grade. "Just Kaichou being Kaichou, Ijyuin," Suoh reassured him softly. "He learned her language." Bewilderment etched into Akira's brow, silvered eyes unsure. "But I thought Kaichou already knew English." Suoh chuckled softly. Ijyuin was often so literal in his thinking. "He did. But he learned the deaf language. It's spoken with gestures and expressions instead of words. Watch them." Indeed, what looked like a conversation seemed to be flying between the two of them, which ended with a furiously blushing lady. For his friends' benefit, Nokoru repeated what Kellie signed and then his own. "I made up a sign name for her, like she did for me, and she wanted to know what it meant." He demonstrated again, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "I said it was a letter K, and it shows where she has her dimples when she smiles, because I always want to see that smile." Kellie blushed harder and tucked her head down on top of her knees. "I think you've just been snubbed, Kaichou. She's not 'listening' to you any more." Suoh twirled another piece of eel in his chopsticks before placing it in his mouth. "Suoh?" Nokoru asked meekly. The Secretary carefully chewed and swallowed. "Yes?" "How is Nagisa-san?" *THUD* Tsuzuku~~~just one more part, I promise! Notes: [7] Wakarimashita means "I understand" [8] Subarashi na here means "It really is wonderful." [9] A cochlear implant replaces the inner ear's damaged hair cells in the cochlea and provides the electrical stimulation to transmit sounds to the brain. An external microphone is fitted behind the ear and a speech processor is worn on the body. More info at www.cochlear.com [10] Sign language for "I'm sorry." ~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~ Kea ("It rhymes with Princess Leia...") ImonoyamaGroup@aol.com AIM: Nokoru Rijichou Slave to a chibi Nokoru muse and worshipper of Evil Genki™ Images and Words ~ located at www.dreamscapestudios.net ~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~</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>