Disclaimer: I do not own X. Clamp does. Sue me not.
Many great thanks to my beta, Cait-hime-sama
Conversations
"Knock, knock, I'm coming in, okay?"
"…You're already in…what's the point of asking for my permission if you're already halfway in?"
"….Uh….to warn you that I'm coming in."
"Then don't phrase it as a question."
"Okay."
"Besides, what's to warn me from, no, wait; why should I be warned?"
"I don't know, maybe you were doing something you don't want people to walk into."
"But you were already halfway in when you warned me…"
"Ah, okay; my bad."
Sorata looks around the small room in search of something to do or somewhere to sit. The only chair is by Kamui's worktable and is already occupied by its owner.
Sorata sits on the bed, bouncing up and down a little as if testing the mattress' springs.
Kamui turns around to resume his work at the table.
"Say, what'cha doing there Kamui?"
"Homework."
"Oh? Anything I can help with?"
"No, thank you."
Sorata bounces up and down a little more, scanning the room and the boy on the chair.
"Oh wait! You had a test in calculus last week, didn't you? How did it go? You got the results back yet?"
Kamui sighs and answers, very, very quietly, "I failed."
Sorata leaps off the bed and stands beside Kamui, bending towards the boy, palm to his ear, "What? I couldn't hear you?"
Kamui looks at Sorata coldly, speaking louder now, "I said I failed."
Sorata straightens his back, "Oh….wow….uh….but we crammed until three in the morning for that test…."
Kamui sighs and tries to resume homework.
"Must be because you didn't sleep enough the night before, yes, must be that."
"….."
"Next time no too much cramming, okay, Kamui?"
Kamui runs his hand through his hair and leans his head on it, trying to block the sight of Sorata with his arm. "Sure, fine, whatever."
Sorata taps his foot on the floor, looking around the room again in search of something to do. "Say, Kamui, never knew you were in a baseball team. Which one are you in, the Penguins or the Pandas?"
"The bat is not mine."
"Oh? Whose is it then?"
"……Hey, don't touch it!'
"Why? It's just a baseball bat; it's not made of glass."
"No it's not made of glass, but I like my room the way it is and you're holding the bat…"
Sorata blinks at Kamui and tries to understand what the younger teen's talking about. He looks at the shelf from which he snatched the bat, "Hey, whose basketball is it?"
"Do not touch anything around my room, Sorata!"
"Geez Louis, okay, okay." He places the bat back on the shelf and sits himself on the bed again, glancing at the forbidden shelf from time to time like an abused puppy.
Kamui throws his pencil on the table and covers his face with his hands, "History sucks."
"Why? I love history!"
"What's there to love! It's all dead people and a gazillion dates to remember."
"Yeah, but it's important to know your nation's history, you know, you might learn something about the present day from what happened in the past."
"We're currently studying Britain's colonization policy during the Victorian age…"
"….Uh….wow….why are they making you learn all that stuff?"
"Why? Because half the class is filled with super-duper genius kids and the other half is super-duper good at something else so failing history can be excused for them."
"That does suck."
Kamui spins his chair around to face Sorata, "You don't have the same problem in your class?"
Sorata shrugs, "I don't know, maybe I do."
"What do you mean, maybe!"
"I mean I don't notice it, or that I don't care. If something's too hard to learn I cram a little. I never thought the level of the stuff we learn has anything to do with how smart the kids are or something."
Kamui stares at Sorata, furrowing a bit, "You mean you've never noticed that everyone around you gets A after A after A while all you get are C+ and the rare B?"
Sorata stared back, "….Now that you've mentioned it…." For a moment he stares off with a worried look, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "But I always thought I just need to get my act together and start studying for real, you know?"
"…."
Sorata rubs the back of his neck awkwardly and tries not to make eye contact with Kamui, "Because most of the time I'm daydreaming in class, you know…."
"Yeah, I know what you mean…"
Awkward silence.
Sorata's shuffling his foot on the parquet floor and keeps slipping his foot out of his slipper.
Kamui's staring at his pile of laundry and makes a mental note to re-starch and iron his school uniform sets.
"So….uh…I went to meet Aoki-san…" Sorata breaks the silence after a few minutes.
"Really? What for?"
"I was looking for date tips, ha ha ha, sounds stupid doesn't it?"
"….Uh….I don't know….what did you ask him?"
"I had to go meet him at work. Man his office is hectic! It's like a bee hive over there, but they sure got some cute secretaries, ha ha ha!"
"What date tips did he offer?"
"Oh, uh, you know, 'be yourself, buy her flowers, take her somewhere nice, don't stress the whole first kiss thing if you see she's reluctant, wear clean underwear…'"
"What's underwear got to do with it?"
Sorata stares at Kamui for a while, brows high with wonder. "….Never mind, it was a joke."
"I didn't get it."
"Never mind. He told me about his first date with his wife. They're kind of dorky those two, seriously. They met during class in college and had their first date on the campus lawn revising for a literature test they had…."
"Is that even a proper date?"
Sorata shrugs, "I don't know, Aoki-san seems to think it is."
"Well Aoki-san's a geek, so I guess to him it's an exciting and exotic date."
"Such a cold-hearted cynic, Kamui, that's not healthy."
Kamui shrugs and turns halfway back to his desk, glaring at the history homework still fanned out on it.
"Oh, you would never guess who asked me for date tips!"
"Such a cold-hearted gossiper Sorata, that's not healthy."
Sorata waves his hand dismissively, "Guess who asked me for date tips."
Kamui sighs, "Do I have to?"
Sorata sits on the very edge of the bed excitedly, "Saiki-san!"
Kamui, who was trying to ignore Sorata by pretending to try and work on his homework again, shoots his eyes to Sorata and stares at the man for a while waiting to be told it was a prank, "You're kidding, right?"
Sorata shakes his head with a big silly smile.
"….Who does he want to date?"
"Take a wild guess."
"What're their names? The two lady workers for Hinoto-hime?"
"What! No! Though he'd be one lucky punk if he'd get that going for him."
"So, who is it?"
"Guess."
Kamui scratches his table's surface with impatience, trying to glare the answer out of Sorata and fails miserably. "….Uh…..okay, I give up, who does he want to date?"
Sorata winks. "He didn't tell me, but my money's on our little doggy mistress."
"Yuzuriha-chan? Seriously? No way!"
"Way. I saw him blush this one time when she offered him pocky."
"Dude…."
"I know, I say he's got a good chance with her."
"Well, I say he's going to fail."
"Oh? Why's that?"
"She's far too lively for him and he's far too anal for her."
"…..!"
"He's not going to make it, nope, not going to make it."
"Kamui….you're not hoping he'll fail because of those little frictions you've had with Saiki-san when you guys first met, right?"
Kamui blinks at Sorata and immediately looks away, "N-no…."
"Aw, c'mon Kamui cut the boy some slack. He needs someone as warm and lively as Yuzuriha-chan to melt all the strictness out of him. Besides, they look cute together."
"Ugh, spare me the mushy details, please."
"You really are a cold-hearted cynic, you know."
"Whatever."
Sorata rubs his chin thoughtfully, trying to say something to keep their conversation going. Instead he speaks without thinking, "Damn, I need to shave again…"
"….."
"It's a pain to shave often, you know, especially with me not very good with the blade and everything…"
"……"
"Ne, Kamui, have you started to shave yet?"
"Get out, Sorata; get out now!"
"What? Hey!"
"I'm trying to study for god's sake, now get out!"
"Tssk, still touchy as ever, eh?"
"Get out!"
"Fine, fine, I'm out, I'm out. Geez."
Kamui leans back on his chair, folds his arms on his chest and kicks his table's leg irritably for a while.
"Good day."
"Ah, hello Sakurazuka-san, how may I be of assistance to you?"
"I received this funny little parking ticket yesterday; I thought you might be able to help me with it. You see, I was parking fairly legally and I can't see why I'd get a parking ticket for….what?"
"Oh, I'm really sorry, but parking tickets are not my department. If you want to get married or divorce from your spouse you can come to me anytime. That and registering a newborn child, or changing you name. Parking tickets, etc. is three doors down from this room."
"Ah, I see. I just thought you might be able to help me, you know, inside connections and all."
"Ah ha ha, I'm afraid my hands are tied. We're all being watched very carefully for things like that. If I help you it's my job at risk, you see."
"I see," Seishiro shrugs casually, "oh well."
"Eh, Sakurazuka-san…"
"Yes?"
"I was just wondering, you know, pure curiosity here…."
"….?"
"What car are you driving?"
Seishiro smirks, "A 550 Barchetta Ferrari, a black one."
Yuuto gapes, his jaw hanging loosely for a moment. He tries blinking but that didn't help to wear the shock away either.
Seishiro just stands there and smirks, waiting for the blond to say something.
"W-well I'll be damned…." He tries to arrange some forms on his table to avoid eye contact with the awfully smug assassin before him.
"What car do you drive, if I may ask?"
"Oh, I don't bother with cars really, I never go out of Tokyo these days and public transportation is good enough for me."
"You're lucky, really."
"…!"
"You're saving yourself the trouble of this." Seishiro waves his parking ticket a bit.
"Why do I feel like I'm being patronized?"
"Where did you say I need to go?"
"Three doors down from this office. Oh, and Sakurazuka-san?"
"Yes, Kigai-san?"
"Please don't snarl at the girls working there, okay?"
"I never snarl, Kigai-san; I sneak up from behind and bite."
"…..Well don't do that either, okay? The girls there are really cute."
Seishiro looks at Yuuto funny, a little amused and a little surprised.
"What?"
"Nothing. It's just that from what I recall from our first meeting at the bottom of this very building it seemed to me that you already have your hands full."
Yuuto blinks at Seishiro a little more. "You're awfully observant, Sakurazuka-san."
"Being awfully observant is in my job's requirements. Well, I'm off then."
He turns to leave and stops right by the door, turning to Yuuto again, "And don't worry about the whole car thing; I'm sure that if you'd cut your wardrobe expenses in half you'd be able to save enough money to buy yourself a nice Fiat or something." He leaves the office.
Yuuto seethes after him, rearranging papers and forms on his desk while mumbling to himself, "'Cut my wardrobe expenses in half' tssk, look who's talking now mister Armani…'Buy myself a Fiat'….and a Fiat no less! Bastard….The gym's what's taking half my paycheck every month, yeah, and I bet my biceps are bigger than yours…..bastard…"
"Karen-san! Oh…Arashi-san….you're here too, oh well, I guess it can't do any harm."
Arashi straightens her back with a jolt, "Was I not supposed to be here?"
"No, no, actually I could use the extra advice." Yuzuriha beams at the shrine maiden and sits on the third chair around the ice cream parlor's charming pink table.
Karen leans forward on the table a bit and beams a disarming smile at the younger of two teens sitting with her, "So, what is it you need to know, Yuzuriha-chan?"
Yuzuriha scanned the menu on the table before her and gestured for the waiter to pay them a visit.
All three girls order: chocolate flake, strawberry and milk jam for Yuzuriha, strawberry and chocolate for Arashi, kiwi, lemon and French vanilla for Karen. Yuzuriha turns to the women before her with hunched shoulders of slight awkwardness.
"I asked you to meet me because I need to know where….well….where I can get bras for a good price…"
Karen and Arashi blink at the girl and stay silent.
"It's just that I only have this one bra and I bought it back home which I'm starting to outgrow and from what I recall of what grandma paid there the prices here are horrid."
Karen leans forward eagerly, "Seriously? It's actually that much cheaper in rural areas?"
Yuzuriha shoots aggravated eyes to the redhead, "By a few thousand yens or so!"
"Really? My god…"
Arashi pokes the ice cream in the fancy glass cup the waiter placed before her a few minutes earlier and fidgets about a bit, biting her lower lip before daring to speak, "I've noticed it too, it's infuriating what some stores charge for the simplest items."
Karen glances from one girl to the other, furrowing a bit, "Hang on a second, where is it exactly that you go shopping?"
Yuzuriha blinks at Karen innocently, "I-I was looking around Shibuya…"
Arashi does the same, "I was looking around Ginza and Shinjuku."
Karen slaps the table and bursts into a roar of laughter.
When she calms down she covers her mouth politely and takes a large spoonful of her kiwi ice cream ball, "It's obvious that you are new in Tokyo. Girls, you chose some pretty expensive places to shop in. The secret is not to go to high fashion stores but to the retail stores in the suburban areas where sane, average citizens live."
"So, basically we've been looking in all the wrong places?" Yuzuriha grumbles as she stabs her chocolate flake ball.
"Honey," Karen places a soft hand on the girl's arm, "just because it says 'shopping district' on the map and it's in areas you know, doesn't mean it's the place to go shopping in. The places we, or to be precise, you know, are all kekkais and that means it's in the center of town. If it's in the center of town it's expensive."
Arashi and Yuzuriha focus on eating their ice cream to wear off the air of stupidity hovering above them.
"How about going shopping together in this cute little mall I know of? It's got a huge retail shop with great prices and the sales there are to die for." Karen suggests when she senses the girls are starting to resent her for her superior knowledge of Tokyo's shopping offers.
Yuzuriha jumps in her seat, "Really? You'll go with me?"
Karen beams at the girl and affectionately squeezes her arm a little, "Sure I will, that's what I'm here for! And you can count on me for anything else you'll ever need, okay? If you're ever confused about anything, just come and ask me, alright?"
Arashi understands the understatement and tries harder to focus all her attention on her ice cream and block away the conversation from her.
Yuzuriha gapes at Karen, confused, "What do you mean, Karen-san?"
Karen readjusts her sitting position and leans a little backwards, hanging wise motherly eyes at the young girl, "I mean if you want to consult with me about any other girlie business."
It takes a while for Yuzuriha to understand what Karen's on about. When she does it takes her some more time to overcome the slight embarrassment. "I know what you're talking about."
Arashi starts moving awkwardly in her seat. Her ice cream is quickly running out and she's going to have a hard time pretending to be busy with something else as an excuse to not participate in the conversation.
"You know what I'm talking about and you have nothing you want to ask me?" Karen's smile softens, "That's good to hear. When I was your age I didn't have anyone around me to turn to; I was very confused. I'm glad you're not facing the same problems."
Yuzuriha, her cone empty by now, places her spoon on the napkin by the glass cup and focuses her attention on Karen. "Actually, I do have something to ask."
Karen remains silent, waiting for the girl to be prepared and willing to talk rather than pushing her into the subject.
"You see, all the girls in class already got it…I did too, that's not what it's about, it's just that….well…" she's carving little 'inuki's and 'Kusanagi's into her napkin with her thumb's nail, her eyes focused on it to try and hide the fact that she's blushing a little.
"I was just wondering what's better; pads or tampons…" she keeps her voice down so the other patrons won't hear it.
Karen leans her chin on her palm and muses for a moment, "Hmmm, that depends on what you feel comfortable with. Generally, it's a question of what you do during those days, what you wear and what you feel most comfortable with. It varies between one woman and another you see, each of us have our own physique, so some like pads and some prefer tampons."
Arashi tries very hard to pretend she's not there. She busies herself by using a piece of paper she found in her purse and folded its corner to clean under her fingernails.
Yuzuriha stares at Karen somewhat disappointedly. She expected the fire master to have the answers for everything, which is a bit silly when you think about it, but still… "So….how am I supposed to know what to use?"
"What have you been using so far?"
Arashi cringes and starts thinking about kendo maneuvers.
"Pads? That's what I found in the bathroom cabinet…oh wait! Oh no! Arashi-san, were those yours?"
Arashi jerks with slight terror when she hears her name mentioned. Shaken, she stares at Yuzuriha miserably, "W-what?"
"I'm sorry; I think I used some of your pads…"
"A-ah…that's okay, I have plenty of them. I brought a few packs with me from home."
"You have?" Karen gapes at the maiden, "Why?"
"T-the women in my shrine warned me about the prices in Tokyo…?"
Karen stifles a giggle and nods reassuringly.
"Are they high for those things as well? Oh kami-sama" Yuzuriha whines, covering her eyes with her hand.
"Girls," Karen's voice is suddenly deeper, more mature than the lightheaded humorous tone she used earlier, "how are the boys in that department?"
The girls blink at her. "What boys?" Yuzuriha asks finally.
"Sorata-san, Kamui-san and Subaru-san, they're not too nosy are they?"
Yuzuriha giggles so hard people around her start staring at her funny.
Arashi tries to look uncomfortable enough to get the message through to the inugami mistress and fails.
"Too nosy about those things!" Yuzuriha blurts between hysterical giggles, "Kamui-san and Subaru-san! You're kidding right?"
"No, why?"
"Well first of all Subaru-san doesn't live with us, he only drops by the campus to pay Kamui a visit and correct all the damage Sorata-san's done to his calculus abilities. Kamui's so ignorant about girls he probably doesn't know we even have ovaries!"
Yuzuriha realizes she talked a bit too loudly only when she hears the whispers she started around them in the parlor.
Karen has to bite her tongue to keep herself from laughing too hard. Instead, she covers her mouth to minimize the damage.
When she calms down again she wipes at her teary eyes gently so as not to smear her makeup and gives Yuzuriha a tight hug.
"You're so adorable I could just eat you sometimes."
"But it's true!"
"I'm sure it is. How about Sorata-san? He's not too nosy, is he?"
Arashi fumbles with her spoon, glaring down at it, "He annoyed me very much one evening and after I made my mood clear to him he went off to whine about it to Kamui. I heard him call it 'This time of the month for my babe', that…..that…..little…."
"Idiot?" Yuzuriha suggests as soon as she calms down from another wild giggling fit.
"Pig?" Karen chimes in, smiling knowingly.
Arashi chooses to remain silent for the moment.
"Sorata-san might be a bit misguided, but he's definitely not nosy or anything. Besides we have our own set of bathroom and toilet so there's no chance the boys will ever see anything they're not supposed to see."
"I don't know about that." Arashi mumbles before she realizes the mistake she's made.
"Oh?" Karen edges closer to the table and leans forward, curious.
Arashi needs to be pleaded with before she finally gives in and completes what she started, "He insists on doing everyone's laundry all the time."
"He does!" Yuzuriha yelps, covering her flushing face with her hands, "Oh no!"
"I hope you're not letting him Arashi-san, it's a very grave mistake to make." Karen chuckles, gesturing for the waiter and ordering the three of them a round of milkshakes at her expense (strawberry for Arashi, chocolate for Yuzuriha and coconut coffee for Karen).
"At first I was ignorant and allowed him access, but then I realized the consequences and denied him of it."
"Oh, Arashi-san! How could you!"
Arashi almost glares at Yuzuriha, grabbing her spoon so hard it could have been her sword in battle, "I was unaware of his intentions, I was naive…I am used to living in a women only environment. No one ever warned me about young men's whimsies. And it was only once anyway."
Karen waits for the waiter to finish placing their respectful milkshakes on the table before she speaks again, "No, they only warned you about prices in Tokyo…"
Arashi leans back on her chair and folds her arms on her chest, defeated and resentful.
Trying to appease the priestess, Yuzuriha leans towards her and coos, "It's okay Arashi-san, I bet he only wanted to do our laundry because he was trying to be nice."
"I agree." Karen joins her after a hefty sip of her milkshake, "He was probably trying to show you what a potentially devoted and obedient husband he could one day be…"
Arashi looks away through the parlor's window and swears to keep herself out of the conversation for good.
"Aw, come on Arashi-san, this is a girl's talk, we're supposed to tease each other like this."
Arashi stays determined about her silence. The only move she makes other than blinking at the street outside the window is to reach for her glass and sip her milkshake.
"So, Karen-san, when will we go shopping?"
Karen gives up on trying to pry Arashi out of her silent treatment and fishes her journal out of her small handbag.
Yuzuriha pulls her school journal assignment book out of her bag, showing it off to Karen. "Isn't it cute? It's Hello Kitty!"
Karen takes the book by the very tips of her fingers as if full contact will infect her with the awful pink fluffy cuteness of the object. She flips it from side to side a bit, uncomfortable. "I-it's adorable…"
"I found it at Piffle Princess, they have great stuff there. Ne, Karen-san, when we go shopping can we drop by there? I want to try on a few things from their fashion line, okay?"
"Sure, where's the closest Piffle Princess depot?"
"In Shibuya, it's a three floors store!"
Karen ogles a bit, feeling shudders of faint fear and discomfiture running up and down her spine, "T-three floors you say? My...that's a lot of space to fill with pink and fluffy things…."
Yuzuriha giggles with joy and starts looking for dates for her and Karen's shopping spree.
Arashi still stares out through the window, thinking about the lovely calm lake near Ise shrine, about combing her hair and about Kendo.
"What on earth is that!" Kanoe screams as she's thrown off her thrown at the metropolitan building's secret basement due to the horrid earthquake raking through the entire building.
She scrambles to her feet and struggles to remain standing through the violent shakes and her high heeled shoes on the smooth marble floor, "Who the fuck's doing that! Who's the idiot who's doing it!"
Yuuto slides on the floor from the kitchen, where he was fixing them a cup of tea, and grabs Kanoe by the legs, bringing her down into his lap.
"Please calm down Kanoe, this basement is more fortified than a nuclear bunker."
Kanoe remains unconvinced in her rage and tries squirming out of his arms, "Have you gone completely stupid, Yuuto! Earthquakes don't just happen in Tokyo this year; one of us is responsible for it and if they are they're just as stupid for forgetting we're here as well!"
Yuuto swallows the insult and tries to caress Kanoe into composure.
Kanoe slaps his hands away with a snarl.
They struggle for a while as Kanoe tries to crawl to the phone in the floor's living room so she can call every harbinger one after the other and give them a right good shouting.
After an excruciating fifteen minutes of struggle, curses, some hair pulling and scratches (all from Kanoe's side), the earth calms down and the shakes cease.
Kanoe, lying on the floor with the water master above her (pinning her to the floor was his last resort), blinks at the man above her and realizes the damage she caused him.
She sits up with a jerk and immediately wraps her arms around his pink clad shoulders.
"Oh god, Yuuto! Look at what I've done to you! I'm so careless. I'm so sorry, I'm so very sorry sweetie."
Yuuto smiles through the blood dripping from his left temple where Kanoe carved four lines all the way down to his cheek, "It's okay honey, you were panicking, I understand. It's okay, I was just as frightened as you; I nearly pissed in my pants, ha ha."
Kanoe snuggles up to him and rains kisses on the bleeding cuts before dragging the blond to the bathroom to get his wounds cleaned and treated. She never stops apologizing and kissing him.
Yuuto uses the opportunity to steal a few less therapeutic kisses from her and to fondle her behinds.
"Naughty! Are you trying to take advantage of the frail nerves of a lady in distress?"
Yuuto wraps his arms tighter around her and winks playfully, "Are you complaining?"
Kanoe smears the last dose of antiseptic balm on Yuuto's wound and pushes him away gently.
He whimpers in complaint.
"I still need to find the asshole who tried to bring the roof down on our heads." Kanoe shoots across her shoulder as she leaves the bathroom to Satsuki's Beast chamber.
"Satsuki-chan?"
"Hello Kanoe-san," the girl's cold voice rings across the huge hall's freezing air, "would you like to see the results of my latest game?"
Kanoe opens her mouth to say something but finds that her rage is impossible to be put into words at the moment. After a moment of opening her mouth, closing it again and blinking a lot, she screams, "Are you the one responsible for the earthquake we've just had!"
Satsuki sits up in her cockpit, dangling her legs above the abyss below and stares down at the half crazed small woman, "You felt it here?"
Kanoe considered asking her Kamui to kill the girl. That or arranging Satsuki with a Japanese themed burial. By 'Japanese themed' she meant 'under a blooming cherry tree'.
"Satsuki-chan, where was that earthquake?"
"Shinjuku high-rises."
"Ah, the high-rises which are a vital part of Shinjuku as a whole?"
"Correct."
"As vital as the metropolitan building Satsuki-chan….?"
"That is also correct. Are you trying to tell me something I don't know?"
"Satsuki-chan…"
"Yes Kanoe?"
"We are in the Metropolitan building…."
"….."