~Chapter: 1~ |
Disclaimer: All characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, not me. I'm broke, remember (referring to "Webmistress")?! However, I do own everything on this chapter. ^-^
"...and finally, the results of your final exam, shuukyoku no shiken..."
Kizuna tilted her head across her arms, her eyes following the arrow-heads of her watch.
'3:40 p.m. Only two mintues left.'
It was early June and much too hot for Kizuna's comfort. The heat glued her cotton white sleeveless shirt to her skin. Sweat poured down her forehead, neck, and palms. Her throat felt parched dry, especially as she found her bottle of peach Snapple empty. It was all making her drowsy.
"...with the highest score of this class and grade at full points, Kizuna!"
She was startled out of her stupor, her head jerked up and eyes widened from suprise. Matsuzuki-sensei stood in front of her. Her ordinarily stern eyes softened with amusement and pursed lips relaxed in a smile. She pulled the top sheet of the pile she was holding in her left arm and placed it in front of Kizuna, whispering so only she could hear, "See me after class."
'Ring! C'mon, ring already!'
Shiao Qing was giddy at heart. It was the last day of school and she could feel the cool breeze from the windows. She could barely sit still anymore, her head was aching and her legs waiting to just jump rush out the door. She couldn't wait for summer vacation to begin. No stern, strict teachers over her shoulders, no homeworks, no projects, and most of all, no tests! She couldn't concentrate on her teacher's speech at all, never mind understanding it.
"...Shao Chin!" Shiao Qing jumped in her seat. Mrs Garcia, standing before her and smiling with pride, had mispronounced her name again but she was used to it. She understood.
"Come talk to me after class." The foreign language teacher said, handing the test paper to her best student. She nodded cautiously, having missed the previous announcements made her worry. 'What did I do now?'
All the way home, Kizuna was deep in thought and oblivious to everything around her. Her body seemed to be on automatic mode as she walked through the streets, punched in the codes at the gates, then continued on to her room. Closing the door behind her, she detached her keys, bag, and books before dropping to the floor.
'What should I do?' The question floated around her mind as she laid on her carpeted-floor. In the stillness of her room, she gazed at the ceiling where origami stars and cranes dangled from. After a few minutes, when she was sure her insanity was supressed and the papers had become a bore, she turned her head, where she caught sight of a red-maple wooden box.
However, before she could even decide to do anything, she was startled out her daze by the sound of someone knocking at her door. "Onee-sama, chichiue is calling for you."
"...Ok..." Kizuna absentmindedly answered, not taking her eyes off the small chest. When she heard her sister's footsteps diminish into silence, she got to her feet and moved to her desk.
It was a simple four-legged cubic object with a leaping tiger engraved into the lid. The deep crimson of the wood was fading from old age. It was the oldest and only plain property out of all that her family owned. Her father's great grandmother had passed it down to her other with her dying breath. And ever since, it had been in her mother's possession, until she herself passed away.
Kizuna gently lifted the lid and as always, memories flooded in like an avalanche. Her mother died when her sister was three and her nine, so Kumiko's memory only contained her face and singing voice. However, Kizuna had been close to her and coud remember far more.
She picked up the first item she saw, a photograph that lay at the top. It was a picture of all four of them at their family summer beach house, cleverly taken by one of her aunts. Her mother was knee deep in the water, glowing in the sunshine. Her long dark tresses and pale-blue dress flowed about her. She held onto a three year old Kumiko who was playing among the soft waves. Her father stood on the opposite side, with his sleeves and navy-blue pants rolled up, half facing the camera. He was smiling a barely visible smile as she dodged water pellets flying his way. In between was nine year old Kizuna in a frilly blue with pink cherry blossom petals swimming suit, happily splashing at her father.
All in all, they seemed like a happy family. After her mother died, her father stopped smiling the same tiny-but-content smile anymore.
Kizuna was once again jolted out her thoughts by a loud her door. She looked up just in time to see the door swung open, revealing an angry father. Mr. Aoshi Motsuyaku was fully prepared to berate his daughter of her manners, however, when he saw what she was doing her expression softened. Kizuna turned back to the box.
"Kizuna, I was caling for you, did you know?" He said, watching her drop the photo on her desk and pick up another one.
"...Hmn..."she mumbled, her attention on the picture rather than her father.
"Why didn't you come down?"
No answer.
"Your school called her." He began again, deciding to change the subject.It seems you have achieved quite a lot this year. You are offered a trip to any foreign country of your choice for two months."
He observed her closely, waiting for a reaction. However, she didnt make a sound or twitched an eye, simply reached inside the chest and took out a wrinkled envelope. He was beginning to loose his patience.
"Kizuna, do you care? Do you want this?"
"Wakari-masen." She replied softly and slowly.
Aoshi heaved a sigh. "Well, you think about it. On to another matter, this has been passed down from generation to generation in our family. I had originally planned to give this to you as a wedding present, but I have a feeling you're going to need this soon."
It took a minute or so for the words to sink in, and then, her pupils slowly came to view of the box her father held out to her. It was identical to the one she had: same wood, color, shape, size, and even the same leaping figure of a tiger. Her hands, as if drawn to it, reached foward and grabbed hold of the box.
"Shower and come down for dinner." She heard her father say as he left, leaving her along in her room again.
"Lai le!" Shiao Qing responded her mother, pulling her eyes from the computer screen. She could hear similar shouts, stomps of racing feet, and slams of doors closing. She hoped off her chair, stretching a bit before leaving for the dining room.
She was the last one down and last to sit, but it was always been that way. She didn't see any significance in arriving first to dinner. It wasn't, as the saying goes, "first come first serve".
"Qing Er, your school called, earlier." Her mother stated in her stern tone, used usually when something went wrong or not as expected. Shiao Qing peeked through her bangs to see a serious face and quickly looked back at her bowl of rice. "Qing Er, look at me when I'm speaking to you."
Her head immediately snapped up and, before she could stop herself, blurted out the first words of defense that came to her mind, "I didn't do it!" It was when her brother, cousins, and aunts began to giggle that she realized what she said. She could feel the blood rushing up to her cheeks, as she bowed her head in embarrassment. Her mother sighed, shaking her head.
"They told me of your accomplishiments and the chance for you to travel to a country of your desire. What do you think of this?" her mother's voice broke through the laughing and the room grew silent.
"Well...can-may I go? I mean, I would like to if I could."
"Where would you choose to go?"
"Well...Japan..."
"Japan?-"
We'll see what we can do about it." Her father seeing his daughter starting to tremble, interrupted, smiling reassuringly at her.
Shiao Qing exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
::Currently on chapter 1:: |