Fandom: Card Captor Sakura, the CLAMP series with all kinds of pairings.
Type: Emaciated oneshot.
Idea: It shocks me that a wonderful pairing like RxT isn't very common in the CCS fandom. But then again, I shouldn't be talking. (Of course, after I publish this fic, I can talk all I want : D.) Rika's family and private life really aren't elaborated upon much. Freedom!
x – x – x
Mirror, Mirror
Rika had always been scared of her reflection.
It was a phobia that, as all phobias went, she couldn't explain. Was it the fact that every time she looked into a mirror, she would be reminded of her juvenile appearance? Was it the fact that every time she passed a dark window on a bright sunny day, she would only see her own small form against the beautiful, open world?
Although very mature for the tender age of ten, Sasaki Rika had a very adolescent look to her. That would've been no problem at all…if the girl hadn't fallen for her teacher.
Terada Yoshiyuki…the tall, handsome man who was always more than kind to his students – the man whose hair turned a light shade of amber under the sunlight, and whose eyes reflected his knowledge and years.
Rika never told her friends about her situation with Terada-sensei – not even Sakura-chan or Tomoyo-chan, the most understanding girls she had ever met. (Though Rika somehow suspected that Tomoyo, who was always very vigilant, knew anyways.) Sometimes, she would become scared at the thought of liking – no, loving – Terada-sensei. Was it normal?
Then, she would see Tomoyo-chan's look of delight whenever she and Sakura were together. She would see Chiharu's pleasure in telling off Takashi for his lies. She would see Li-kun, the lonely new student from Hong Kong, trailing after Sakura and gradually becoming comfortable around her.
And she would stop doubting herself.
"You can love anyone, as long as you're given a chance," Rika's okaa-san had once told her. "There's no right or wrong way to love."
Rika bowed her head, looking back down at the plush bear she had been so carefully stitching.
"You're just like me, kuma-chan," she whispered, addressing the smiling bear. "I can see myself in you." Rika lightly fingered the ring Terada-sensei had given her. When it was on her hand like that, she could no longer doubt its authenticity. Yet... "You cannot bear to see your reflection either, can you? Because even if you try, you still see nothing…and you will only be reminded of your shortcomings." The barely-logical analogy satisfied Rika, and she put on an innocent smile.
And that was all that mattered – sitting on the beautiful earth, creating a token of love.
"Can I name this bear after Rika-chan, my hardest-working student?"
It would take time, but Sasaki Rika promised herself that one day, she would be able to look into a mirror…and no longer be alone in its reflection.
x – x – x
A/N: I don't own CCS, as much as I love Rika-chan.
Angst angst angst. Review review review ;D.
Hmm, expect next Broken Glass update tomorrow. I'll definitely get it up by Saturday though. It'll be super-long (:. I have about 8/12 scenes done, not including the preview.