"Hearts Aflame" by Ai Yuukan
Chapter 1
Vivien sighed as she beheld yet another couple walk by, hand in hand, obviously in love with each other.
"Aaahh." Lilian sighed, echoing her sister's sentiments. Vivien smiled and looked at her sisters sitting with her on the park bench. Lilian looked downright miserable. Vivien leaned back and looked up at the blue sky, wondering how she and her sisters had come to this dilemma. It was Valentine's Day, and she was sixteen, and she still didn't have a boyfriend. Neither did her sisters, but Vivien felt old despite the fact. Of all her sisters, everyone expected her to be the first to land a boyfriend, because of her rather open nature.
She smiled. Lilian was beautiful beyond words, but she rather preferred mature men, compared to the silly teenagers that always hit on her. Unfortunately, she was too shy to do really anything. Kathryn was also beautiful, but her argumentative nature tended to chase guys away from her. Samantha was also lovely, in a cute sort of way, with short light brown hair and soft green eyes, but she tended to be more of a close confidante to guys rather than an opportune love interest. Vivien's problem was: she was too impulsive and temperamental. At least that's what her sisters always said.
Vivien leaned forward on the bench, her red-gold curls swinging off her shoulders. She looked sideways at her sisters and smiled at their sulky expressions. She exchanged smiles with her sister Lilian. Their eyes twinkled.
"Hey, don't look so down." Lilian said brightly. Vivien smiled. Lilian always took it upon herself to look after them.
"We're single, we're crushless, we're miserable." Her sister with silky blond hair and silver eyes mumbled.
Lilian smiled. "That's not true, Kathryn. We have plenty of crushes!"
Vivien snorted. "Yeah, and the closest we can get to them is by pressing our faces up to the screen. Anime crushes don't count."
The youngest sister, a pretty girl with light brown hair and soft green eyes, shook her head, amused. "But if they did, we'd be pretty shameless."
All of them chuckled deeply at that. Lilian thought of something. "Hey, do you all want to call Miaka?"
Vivien smiled at that. Yuuki Miaka and her friends were all penpals with the Smith sisters, and they all got along splendidly.
Kathryn, the girl with blond hair, looked thoughtful. "Hey. remember when father said we could pick a place to vacation this year? Why don't we go to Japan? And finally meet Miaka and her friends?"
Everyone brightened at the idea. Lilian was the only one who looked hesitant. She twirled silver strands of hair with her fingers. "I think we should ask Miaka if it's all right, first. Don't you think?"
Vivien sighed happily. Kathryn looked considerably happier. "I can't wait to meet Keisuke!" She exclaimed. Vivien laughed along with her sisters. Everyone knew Kathryn loved talking with Miaka's brother, Keisuke, because she thought he was so much fun to argue with.
Samantha, the girl with light brown hair and green eyes, dimpled. "I can't wait to meet Taka and Tetsuya!" She smiled. "They're so sweet about Yui and Miaka! Maybe they'll introduce me to their friends who are just as sweet!" She said hopefully.
Vivien chuckled. "I hope Miaka eats as much as she says she does. I could use a new eating partner." Her stomach growled at the thought of food.
Everyone laughed. Lilian smiled. "Yui's very smart. I need a good study partner. All of you don't know zilch about astronomy!"
Samantha giggled. "Well, you don't have any musical aptitude whatsoever."
Vivien grinned. "You eat like a bird!"
Kathryn smiled. "And you hate reading!"
Lilian laughed. "Well, we all agree, we all need a partner. So should we call Miaka tonight?"
Kathryn smiled. 'Why not call her now? It's the right time."
Lilian frowned. "I am not using up all my minutes!"
"Aw, come on!" Everyone pleaded. "Please?" Lilian sighed.
"Fine! But that means you're buying me more minutes!"
"We promise!" Her sisters chirped.
Lilian smiled. "But I only have Yui's number."
Vivien smiled. "I have Miaka's number!" She handed her address book to her sister cheerfully. She flipped over to Miaka's name and number. Lilian was frowning, but Vivien knew she was just as hopeful as all of them were.
"Are you sure it's the right time?" Lilian wanted to be sure.
"We're sure!"
As soon as they got home, Vivien immediately sniffed something in the air. Her eyes lit up. Spaghetti with tomato sauce and meatballs. baked potatoes. and extra thick slices of Italian bread on the side! Vivien's stomach growled with delight. "Yay!!" Vivien ran into the kitchen. She rushed over to the counter where her uncle was placing the spaghetti on five plates. "Hi uncle!" She sniffed the food hungrily. Her stomach rumbled. "What's for desert?" She asked eagerly, drooling with hunger.
Vivien's uncle smiled. "Chocolate ice cream."
Vivien's eyes sparkled. "Chocolate? With marshmallows?"
The uncle's eyes twinkled. "And chocolate chips."
"Wow!!"
Samantha walked into the kitchen, perusing a new music book. "Uncle? Did this come in the mail today?"
"Mm-hm." The uncle was busy trying to keep Vivien away from the food. "Vivi! Set the table first!"
Vivien frowned at that. "Uncle, don't call me Vivi!" She said, exasperated. "It sounds like a dog's name!"
Lilian walked into the kitchen and smiled when she heard her sister. "Now, now, Vivi. don't think like that."
Kathryn came into the kitchen, new romance book in hand. She grinned. "She's right you, know. Vivi does sound a lot like Fifi."
"Kate!" Vivien was frowning, but her eyes twinkled. She turned back to her uncle. "Hey, we've decided where to go for vacation already, uncle."
Her uncle only paused momentarily as he ladled the tomato sauce over the plates of spaghetti. "Oh? Where?"
Vivien's eyes were sparkling. "Japan! We want to see Miaka and her friends."
Her uncle did pause for a moment longer before he reached to place the large, scrumptious-looking meatballs on each plate. "Oh, really?" Washing his hands, he sighed. "I'm sorry girls, but something's come up."
Kathryn's eyes widened. "What?"
"I have. business. in the east. I'm afraid I can't join you on your vacation." He stuck a piece of parsley on each plate and two thick loaves of Italian bread to complete the tantalizing picture. Vivien's mouth watered.
"Oh?" Kathryn sighed sadly then shrugged. "Oh, well. We'll bring you back a souvenir, then, father."
Vivien's eyes dimmed. Father. Kathryn always called their uncle her father, while Lilian was his only real daughter. Their own fathers had disappeared years ago. and Kathryn had easily adapted to having their uncle as their foster father. It was. disturbing. Why couldn't she bring herself to do the same?
Lilian sighed wearily. "This will be our first time traveling alone, dad. Are you sure you can't come?"
Lilian's father's eyes were shadowed. "It just. came up. This deal. is very important."
Samantha nodded with understanding. "Of course it is, uncle. We understand."
Vivien stared at Samantha with a small smile on her face. Samantha also couldn't bring herself to call their uncle their father. She wasn't alone. She smiled cheerfully for her sister's benefit. "Can we eat dinner now?" She begged her father and foster siblings, forcing a plaintive note in her voice. "My stomach's crying for nourishment, here!"
Everyone looked at each other for a moment before laughing at Vivien's apparent discomfit. Vivien smiled. It worked. The tension evaporated. "Oh, fine." Lilian said chuckling, reaching for the plates to set on the table.
Vivien smiled cheerfully. "Yay!"
"The Smith sisters are coming over next week! That's great!" Taka exclaimed.
Tetsuya nodded. "They're great! Samantha's a great listener."
Yui, for some reason, blushed. Miaka nodded enthusiastically. "And Vivien and I like to eat the same food! It's so cool!" She eyes sparkled at the thought of the good times they could share together. she wondered if Vivien was partial to spaghetti.
Yui smiled. "And Lilian's smart. You can't find too many people like her nowadays."
Everyone frowned at Yui when she said that. Yui giggled. "Well, it's true! How about you, Keisuke? Don't you think it's great?"
"Your penpals are great, maybe, but Kathryn's a pain." Miaka's brother grumbled.
Miaka laughed. "Yesterday, Kathryn said she bet Keisuke looks like a dog." Her eyes twinkled. Yesterday, she had caught her brother chatting to the Smith sister, Kathryn, online. He had been so caught up in the conversation, that he hadn't noticed his sister peering over his shoulder. Miaka smiled. Kathryn would indeed be interesting.
Taka laughed. "She sounds great!"
Keisuke glared at Miaka's boyfriend. "Well, I bet she looks like a goose." He mumbled, irritated.
Yui sighed. "It's good we found such good penpals like them. They've been a great help. getting us over." Yui couldn't continue.
Miaka nodded sadly. "Yeah." She felt tears rise in her eyes at the thought of Nuriko, Mitsukake, Chiriko, and Hotohori. A couple of months after the final battle with Nakago, Miaka had found Vivien on the internet as an email-penpal and had grown to be real friends with the American girl. Vivien had introduced her sisters to Miaka and her friends online, and now all of them had one of the Smith sisters as their penpal. She had told Vivian a lot of things. and she had also told her about the book. Miaka grew uneasy thinking what her friends would say if they had found out about it.
Yui looked down at her tea. Lilian had helped her get over the deaths of her own seishi, and her self-loathing. She had told Lilian everything. and Lilian had believed her. She couldn't wait to meet her. She dreaded the thought of any of her friends knowing what she had done.
Keisuke grimly remembered an argument he had once had with Kathryn. She had insulted his masculinity and in a burst of temper, he had blurted out what had happened to his sister by means of defending himself. Softening, he also remembered that Kathryn had believed him and what followed had been one of their rare truces of that time. He would never tell his friends what he had done.
Taka had immediately sensed a kindred spirit in Samantha and with little argument from Tetsuya, he had also told her of his adventures in the book as the Suzaku seishi Tamahome. Samantha had believed them and even in her quiet moments, offered a word of comfort to ease his pain at losing his fellow seishi. Taka and Tetsuya had agreed not to ever tell the others of their secret.
Giggling, two nyan-nyans disappeared in a poof of pink smoke in the friends' kitchen.
Vivien waited anxiously in the waiting area with Kathryn and Samantha. Once again, she checked her jeans pocket for her money. Good. That should be enough. She hoped it was enough for food. She needed nourishment. now. but she had to wait until Miaka came. for propriety's sake. Vivien caught her train of thought just in time. Since when had she cared about propriety? Lilian dragged Vivien's last suitcase out from the claiming area and was panting by the time she reached the waiting area where her sisters were waiting comfortably in their seats. "Are they here yet?" She asked cheerfully.
Vivien looked up at her sister, smiling. "No, not yet, but Miaka- chan called and they said they'd be here in a few minutes." Suddenly, reminded of something, she reached into her carry-on to take out the Japanese-language book. She really needed to brush up on her Japanese. how else could she talk to Miaka without the convenient aid of an internet translator?
Lilian nodded. "Well, they're not that late." She muttered to herself.
Kathryn had heard her. She chuckled. "Nervous?"
Lilian shook her head. "Don't be silly."
Samantha nodded, convinced. "She's nervous."
"No, I'm not!" Lilian snapped.
"You're wrong, Sammy: she's petrified." Vivien said wryly.
Lilian scowled at her sister. "Well, for all you know Japanese people have this tendency to look upon foreigners with disdain. Of course, I'm nervous!" She exclaimed.
Vivien couldn't believe it. She rolled her eyes. "And we're supposed to care? For goodness' sake, Lily, we're Americans. Americans don't care what everyone says about us. For all we know, they could be admiring us for our boldness and individuality." She said confidently.
Kathryn nodded. "You said it, Vivi."
Samantha said softly, "Besides, do you really think our penpals are like that? I don't think Taka and Tetsuya would think like that."
Vivien nodded. "Exactly. We got along fine with our penpals via the internet, so what should be the difference face-to-face." She said, hoping she was right.
"Speak for yourself, Vivi. Keisuke's probably furious that I'm here, anyway. He doesn't respond well to my argumentative nature." Kathryn mumbled.
"Ooh, do you think that's them?" Samantha stood up and began waving to a group of people headed their way.
"How do you know it's them?"
"I don't know. I just hope it's them."
"Great." Lilian grumbled.
"Oh, it is them! Aren't I lucky? They're waving back. at least four of them are."
Kathryn grinned. "I bet Keisuke's the one keeping his hand down."
"That's them?" Keisuke gaped. "Are you sure?"
Miaka looked slyly across at her brother. "Pretty much. Why?" She wondered at the horrified look on his face.
"They're not supposed to look like that!"
Yui chuckled. "Why not?"
"They're beautiful! All of them are horribly beautiful!"
"I think he was expecting Kathryn to be the ugly one." Tetsuya mumbled to Taka. Taka chuckled.
"Hi!" Vivien jumped up and went to greet their friends. Her red- gold curls bounced and her violet eyes sparkled. She looked at Yui and Miaka for a moment before grinning and pointing at Miaka. Her buns looked like meatballs. "You're Miaka, right?"
Miaka squealed happily, her eyes shining. "Bingo!" Miaka eyed Vivien's curls incredulously. They looked like macaroni. Yum. Her stomach grumbled.
Vivien's eyes were sparkling. "Yay!" Her stomach growled. She blushed. Then she heard Miaka's own stomach. Vivien and Miaka's face broke into grins.
Tetsuya and Taka went to the gentle-looking girl with brown hair and green eyes. "You're Samantha, right?" Tetsuya ventured.
Samantha smiled prettily. "Yes, I am. You're Tetsuya?" She said in perfect Japanese.
Keisuke stared at Lilian and Kathryn, trying to tell who was his penpal. The only problem was: he couldn't tell who was the uglier. Kathryn was bound to be the uglier, he had wagered. He was stumped.
Yui chuckled. She went to Lilian. "You're Lilian, right? You look like you have more intelligence than your sisters." She explained.
Lilian smiled. "Yes, I'm Lilian. This should be interesting."
Keisuke stared at Kathryn. "You're K-Kathryn?"
Kathryn grinned. "Hai! And you're Keisuke? Okay, I was wrong, you don't look like a dog. much." She said, also in perfect Japanese.
Keisuke relaxed and smiled. Yep, it was definitely Kathryn. Strange, her comment didn't sound as insulting as it did online. Maybe it had something to do with her smile. He hadn't pictured her as smiling when they chatted online. "Thank you. You're not as ugly as I thought you would be."
Kathryn chuckled. "You expected a hag?"
"Exactly."
"At least forty?"
"You read my mind."
Kathryn laughed. "This is so funny! I wish you could have seen your face when you saw me! I wish I had had a camera!"
Keisuke laughed, feeling much at ease with his new friend.
Three nyan-nyans giggled as they poofed out of view.
Vivien woke up early in her friends' house. Someone was shaking her awake. She opened her eyes sleepily. Frowning, she sat up. "Miaka?"
Miaka smiled. "Hai! Hey, I prepared breakfast!"
Vivien frowned. "What?" Only understanding the 'hai' part.
Miaka's smile slipped. Oh, dear. They were definitely going to have a communication problem. Vivien obviously didn't know much Japanese and Miaka was failing her English class. She sighed and took out a mini- translator.
Vivien's eyes brightened. Oh, good. A translator. That would definitely come in handy. Miaka tapped in a sentence, pressed 'translate' and handed the translator to Vivien.
Vivien stared at the sentence. Breakfast? She should have understood that. The language of food was well-known to her. Vivien jumped out of the bed and ran to her suitcase with the translator. These things were pretty expensive. She typed in a sentence, asking how she could afford the thing, and handed the translator back to Miaka.
Miaka smiled, reading the sentence. 'Yui said I might need one. She told Tetsuya about it and he buggered Keisuke about it. My brother finally caved in and bought me one.'
Vivien smiled and typed in, 'I'm going to take a shower, okay?'
Miaka nodded and sat back down on the bed with her translator. She wished she could just talk to Vivien outright. She was fast enough at typing, but she bet Vivien typed at least seventy words per minute. Suddenly, she had an idea. She pressed some buttons, cranked the volume up, and asked, 'Where do you want to go today?' in Japanese.
The translator immediately repeated Miaka's question in English. She heard Vivien bang her head against the showerhead in surprise and giggled.
Vivien was impressed. "How much was that translator, exactly, Miaka?"
Miaka was relieved when her machine picked up the question. She smiled. "Enough to make me promise not to expect birthday presents from him for twenty years."
Vivien chuckled. "Ne, Miaka, could you make the translator voice female? I feel uncomfortable hearing a male voice while I'm taking a shower, you know?"
Miaka laughed. "Sure thing! So what do you want for breakfast? I think by now, oniichan's thrown it out already. He isn't exactly partial to my cooking."
Vivien smiled and reached for the shampoo. "How about pancakes?"
"With strawberries!"
"And blueberry sauce!"
"Orange juice!"
"Rice!"
"Ham!"
"Sushi!"
"Milk!"
".eew."
Vivien slumped in her seat. Twelve empty plates were piled in front of her, like the leaning tower of Pisa. Thirteen glasses of orange juice were drained. Miaka had a similar expression on her face. They were bloated. "I. cannot possibly eat another bite." She moaned, in pain already.
The waiter came to their table, carrying yet another tray of food. "Dessert? Two Black Forest cakes with extra chocolate and whipped cream?" The tray was loaded with two whole cakes. The waiter looked like hell. He was worn out, serving the two insatiable girls.
Vivien and Miaka sat up, forks in hand. "YAY!!"
"Wah. That was gooood." Vivien moaned, patting her still-flat stomach with satisfaction.
The translator smoothly translated her remark to Miaka, who smiled, her stomach also satiated beyond belief. "Wow. you really do eat like me, Vivi."
"Call me Vi."
Miaka smiled. "Okay, then. Vi. Where do you want to go next?" She spotted another restaurant and licked her lips. "Shall we go at it again. in, let's say. half an hour?"
"Make it twenty minutes." Vivien agreed. She suddenly looked in the distance, at the National Library. "Ne, Miaka. let's go to the library."
Miaka's eyes immediately became shadowed. "I don't think that's a good idea, Vivi."
"It's Vi. And it's really about time you conquer your demons, Miaka." She said sternly, suddenly thinking of all those times Miaka had told her about the book. and of all the times Miaka had had to leave the computer to get the tissue box for her tears. She had believed Miaka. for some unknown reason. and when they had formed a bond overseas. Vivien had long decided that when they would finally meet, she would help Miaka get over her fear.
Miaka was constantly on her toes ever since her story had ended, worried that the book might try to take Taka away from her. Vivien wanted, more than anything, to help Miaka get through her fears and truly live happily ever after with the reincarnated Tamahome. She deserved it.
Miaka was hesitating. when, suddenly, her cellphone rang. Flustered, she fumbled as she tried to pick up her phone from her purse. The phone fell from her hands, and Vivien caught it and handed it back to her. "Arigatou." She closed her eyes. "Hello?"
"Miaka. something terrible's happened." It was Yui.
Miaka paled, her fears resurfacing. "Nani? What happened, Yui- chan?"
"It's Lily. she's gone, Miaka."
"Gone?"
Vivien saw the color leach from Miaka's face and grew worried. What had happened to Yui? Suddenly, a warm wind rushed at her face, somehow causing her to look in the direction of the library. Something red flitted in front of Vivien's face. Vivien caught the thing reflexively and looked down at her hand. It was a feather. A red feather. It suddenly burst into flame. Startled, Vivien's hand jumped, and the ashes scattered. Fire. She quickly turned. away from Miaka.
The warm wind rushed again at her as she continued to stare in the direction of the library. The air was warm. even toasty. Helplessly drawn toward the library, Vivien began to walk. As she walked down the sidewalk, she could only think of fire.
"Hai. I'll tell Vivi right away. We'll be right there." Miaka hung up on Yui and dropped her cellphone in her purse. She turned. "Ne, Vivi. Something's happened. Lily's."
Vivien was gone. Miaka stared. She was gone. She looked around, searching for a red-gold head of hair among the pedestrians. She had vanished. Miaka started to worry. She stepped on some ashes and tried to call out for her friend. "Vivi! Vivi, where are you?!"
"Oh, what's that?" Someone asked, pointing.
Miaka whirled around. Further along the sidewalk, in front of the library, something flashed with a red light. Miaka's heart froze. "Vivi." As the light disappeared, Miaka began to run.
Chapter 1
Vivien sighed as she beheld yet another couple walk by, hand in hand, obviously in love with each other.
"Aaahh." Lilian sighed, echoing her sister's sentiments. Vivien smiled and looked at her sisters sitting with her on the park bench. Lilian looked downright miserable. Vivien leaned back and looked up at the blue sky, wondering how she and her sisters had come to this dilemma. It was Valentine's Day, and she was sixteen, and she still didn't have a boyfriend. Neither did her sisters, but Vivien felt old despite the fact. Of all her sisters, everyone expected her to be the first to land a boyfriend, because of her rather open nature.
She smiled. Lilian was beautiful beyond words, but she rather preferred mature men, compared to the silly teenagers that always hit on her. Unfortunately, she was too shy to do really anything. Kathryn was also beautiful, but her argumentative nature tended to chase guys away from her. Samantha was also lovely, in a cute sort of way, with short light brown hair and soft green eyes, but she tended to be more of a close confidante to guys rather than an opportune love interest. Vivien's problem was: she was too impulsive and temperamental. At least that's what her sisters always said.
Vivien leaned forward on the bench, her red-gold curls swinging off her shoulders. She looked sideways at her sisters and smiled at their sulky expressions. She exchanged smiles with her sister Lilian. Their eyes twinkled.
"Hey, don't look so down." Lilian said brightly. Vivien smiled. Lilian always took it upon herself to look after them.
"We're single, we're crushless, we're miserable." Her sister with silky blond hair and silver eyes mumbled.
Lilian smiled. "That's not true, Kathryn. We have plenty of crushes!"
Vivien snorted. "Yeah, and the closest we can get to them is by pressing our faces up to the screen. Anime crushes don't count."
The youngest sister, a pretty girl with light brown hair and soft green eyes, shook her head, amused. "But if they did, we'd be pretty shameless."
All of them chuckled deeply at that. Lilian thought of something. "Hey, do you all want to call Miaka?"
Vivien smiled at that. Yuuki Miaka and her friends were all penpals with the Smith sisters, and they all got along splendidly.
Kathryn, the girl with blond hair, looked thoughtful. "Hey. remember when father said we could pick a place to vacation this year? Why don't we go to Japan? And finally meet Miaka and her friends?"
Everyone brightened at the idea. Lilian was the only one who looked hesitant. She twirled silver strands of hair with her fingers. "I think we should ask Miaka if it's all right, first. Don't you think?"
Vivien sighed happily. Kathryn looked considerably happier. "I can't wait to meet Keisuke!" She exclaimed. Vivien laughed along with her sisters. Everyone knew Kathryn loved talking with Miaka's brother, Keisuke, because she thought he was so much fun to argue with.
Samantha, the girl with light brown hair and green eyes, dimpled. "I can't wait to meet Taka and Tetsuya!" She smiled. "They're so sweet about Yui and Miaka! Maybe they'll introduce me to their friends who are just as sweet!" She said hopefully.
Vivien chuckled. "I hope Miaka eats as much as she says she does. I could use a new eating partner." Her stomach growled at the thought of food.
Everyone laughed. Lilian smiled. "Yui's very smart. I need a good study partner. All of you don't know zilch about astronomy!"
Samantha giggled. "Well, you don't have any musical aptitude whatsoever."
Vivien grinned. "You eat like a bird!"
Kathryn smiled. "And you hate reading!"
Lilian laughed. "Well, we all agree, we all need a partner. So should we call Miaka tonight?"
Kathryn smiled. 'Why not call her now? It's the right time."
Lilian frowned. "I am not using up all my minutes!"
"Aw, come on!" Everyone pleaded. "Please?" Lilian sighed.
"Fine! But that means you're buying me more minutes!"
"We promise!" Her sisters chirped.
Lilian smiled. "But I only have Yui's number."
Vivien smiled. "I have Miaka's number!" She handed her address book to her sister cheerfully. She flipped over to Miaka's name and number. Lilian was frowning, but Vivien knew she was just as hopeful as all of them were.
"Are you sure it's the right time?" Lilian wanted to be sure.
"We're sure!"
As soon as they got home, Vivien immediately sniffed something in the air. Her eyes lit up. Spaghetti with tomato sauce and meatballs. baked potatoes. and extra thick slices of Italian bread on the side! Vivien's stomach growled with delight. "Yay!!" Vivien ran into the kitchen. She rushed over to the counter where her uncle was placing the spaghetti on five plates. "Hi uncle!" She sniffed the food hungrily. Her stomach rumbled. "What's for desert?" She asked eagerly, drooling with hunger.
Vivien's uncle smiled. "Chocolate ice cream."
Vivien's eyes sparkled. "Chocolate? With marshmallows?"
The uncle's eyes twinkled. "And chocolate chips."
"Wow!!"
Samantha walked into the kitchen, perusing a new music book. "Uncle? Did this come in the mail today?"
"Mm-hm." The uncle was busy trying to keep Vivien away from the food. "Vivi! Set the table first!"
Vivien frowned at that. "Uncle, don't call me Vivi!" She said, exasperated. "It sounds like a dog's name!"
Lilian walked into the kitchen and smiled when she heard her sister. "Now, now, Vivi. don't think like that."
Kathryn came into the kitchen, new romance book in hand. She grinned. "She's right you, know. Vivi does sound a lot like Fifi."
"Kate!" Vivien was frowning, but her eyes twinkled. She turned back to her uncle. "Hey, we've decided where to go for vacation already, uncle."
Her uncle only paused momentarily as he ladled the tomato sauce over the plates of spaghetti. "Oh? Where?"
Vivien's eyes were sparkling. "Japan! We want to see Miaka and her friends."
Her uncle did pause for a moment longer before he reached to place the large, scrumptious-looking meatballs on each plate. "Oh, really?" Washing his hands, he sighed. "I'm sorry girls, but something's come up."
Kathryn's eyes widened. "What?"
"I have. business. in the east. I'm afraid I can't join you on your vacation." He stuck a piece of parsley on each plate and two thick loaves of Italian bread to complete the tantalizing picture. Vivien's mouth watered.
"Oh?" Kathryn sighed sadly then shrugged. "Oh, well. We'll bring you back a souvenir, then, father."
Vivien's eyes dimmed. Father. Kathryn always called their uncle her father, while Lilian was his only real daughter. Their own fathers had disappeared years ago. and Kathryn had easily adapted to having their uncle as their foster father. It was. disturbing. Why couldn't she bring herself to do the same?
Lilian sighed wearily. "This will be our first time traveling alone, dad. Are you sure you can't come?"
Lilian's father's eyes were shadowed. "It just. came up. This deal. is very important."
Samantha nodded with understanding. "Of course it is, uncle. We understand."
Vivien stared at Samantha with a small smile on her face. Samantha also couldn't bring herself to call their uncle their father. She wasn't alone. She smiled cheerfully for her sister's benefit. "Can we eat dinner now?" She begged her father and foster siblings, forcing a plaintive note in her voice. "My stomach's crying for nourishment, here!"
Everyone looked at each other for a moment before laughing at Vivien's apparent discomfit. Vivien smiled. It worked. The tension evaporated. "Oh, fine." Lilian said chuckling, reaching for the plates to set on the table.
Vivien smiled cheerfully. "Yay!"
"The Smith sisters are coming over next week! That's great!" Taka exclaimed.
Tetsuya nodded. "They're great! Samantha's a great listener."
Yui, for some reason, blushed. Miaka nodded enthusiastically. "And Vivien and I like to eat the same food! It's so cool!" She eyes sparkled at the thought of the good times they could share together. she wondered if Vivien was partial to spaghetti.
Yui smiled. "And Lilian's smart. You can't find too many people like her nowadays."
Everyone frowned at Yui when she said that. Yui giggled. "Well, it's true! How about you, Keisuke? Don't you think it's great?"
"Your penpals are great, maybe, but Kathryn's a pain." Miaka's brother grumbled.
Miaka laughed. "Yesterday, Kathryn said she bet Keisuke looks like a dog." Her eyes twinkled. Yesterday, she had caught her brother chatting to the Smith sister, Kathryn, online. He had been so caught up in the conversation, that he hadn't noticed his sister peering over his shoulder. Miaka smiled. Kathryn would indeed be interesting.
Taka laughed. "She sounds great!"
Keisuke glared at Miaka's boyfriend. "Well, I bet she looks like a goose." He mumbled, irritated.
Yui sighed. "It's good we found such good penpals like them. They've been a great help. getting us over." Yui couldn't continue.
Miaka nodded sadly. "Yeah." She felt tears rise in her eyes at the thought of Nuriko, Mitsukake, Chiriko, and Hotohori. A couple of months after the final battle with Nakago, Miaka had found Vivien on the internet as an email-penpal and had grown to be real friends with the American girl. Vivien had introduced her sisters to Miaka and her friends online, and now all of them had one of the Smith sisters as their penpal. She had told Vivian a lot of things. and she had also told her about the book. Miaka grew uneasy thinking what her friends would say if they had found out about it.
Yui looked down at her tea. Lilian had helped her get over the deaths of her own seishi, and her self-loathing. She had told Lilian everything. and Lilian had believed her. She couldn't wait to meet her. She dreaded the thought of any of her friends knowing what she had done.
Keisuke grimly remembered an argument he had once had with Kathryn. She had insulted his masculinity and in a burst of temper, he had blurted out what had happened to his sister by means of defending himself. Softening, he also remembered that Kathryn had believed him and what followed had been one of their rare truces of that time. He would never tell his friends what he had done.
Taka had immediately sensed a kindred spirit in Samantha and with little argument from Tetsuya, he had also told her of his adventures in the book as the Suzaku seishi Tamahome. Samantha had believed them and even in her quiet moments, offered a word of comfort to ease his pain at losing his fellow seishi. Taka and Tetsuya had agreed not to ever tell the others of their secret.
Giggling, two nyan-nyans disappeared in a poof of pink smoke in the friends' kitchen.
Vivien waited anxiously in the waiting area with Kathryn and Samantha. Once again, she checked her jeans pocket for her money. Good. That should be enough. She hoped it was enough for food. She needed nourishment. now. but she had to wait until Miaka came. for propriety's sake. Vivien caught her train of thought just in time. Since when had she cared about propriety? Lilian dragged Vivien's last suitcase out from the claiming area and was panting by the time she reached the waiting area where her sisters were waiting comfortably in their seats. "Are they here yet?" She asked cheerfully.
Vivien looked up at her sister, smiling. "No, not yet, but Miaka- chan called and they said they'd be here in a few minutes." Suddenly, reminded of something, she reached into her carry-on to take out the Japanese-language book. She really needed to brush up on her Japanese. how else could she talk to Miaka without the convenient aid of an internet translator?
Lilian nodded. "Well, they're not that late." She muttered to herself.
Kathryn had heard her. She chuckled. "Nervous?"
Lilian shook her head. "Don't be silly."
Samantha nodded, convinced. "She's nervous."
"No, I'm not!" Lilian snapped.
"You're wrong, Sammy: she's petrified." Vivien said wryly.
Lilian scowled at her sister. "Well, for all you know Japanese people have this tendency to look upon foreigners with disdain. Of course, I'm nervous!" She exclaimed.
Vivien couldn't believe it. She rolled her eyes. "And we're supposed to care? For goodness' sake, Lily, we're Americans. Americans don't care what everyone says about us. For all we know, they could be admiring us for our boldness and individuality." She said confidently.
Kathryn nodded. "You said it, Vivi."
Samantha said softly, "Besides, do you really think our penpals are like that? I don't think Taka and Tetsuya would think like that."
Vivien nodded. "Exactly. We got along fine with our penpals via the internet, so what should be the difference face-to-face." She said, hoping she was right.
"Speak for yourself, Vivi. Keisuke's probably furious that I'm here, anyway. He doesn't respond well to my argumentative nature." Kathryn mumbled.
"Ooh, do you think that's them?" Samantha stood up and began waving to a group of people headed their way.
"How do you know it's them?"
"I don't know. I just hope it's them."
"Great." Lilian grumbled.
"Oh, it is them! Aren't I lucky? They're waving back. at least four of them are."
Kathryn grinned. "I bet Keisuke's the one keeping his hand down."
"That's them?" Keisuke gaped. "Are you sure?"
Miaka looked slyly across at her brother. "Pretty much. Why?" She wondered at the horrified look on his face.
"They're not supposed to look like that!"
Yui chuckled. "Why not?"
"They're beautiful! All of them are horribly beautiful!"
"I think he was expecting Kathryn to be the ugly one." Tetsuya mumbled to Taka. Taka chuckled.
"Hi!" Vivien jumped up and went to greet their friends. Her red- gold curls bounced and her violet eyes sparkled. She looked at Yui and Miaka for a moment before grinning and pointing at Miaka. Her buns looked like meatballs. "You're Miaka, right?"
Miaka squealed happily, her eyes shining. "Bingo!" Miaka eyed Vivien's curls incredulously. They looked like macaroni. Yum. Her stomach grumbled.
Vivien's eyes were sparkling. "Yay!" Her stomach growled. She blushed. Then she heard Miaka's own stomach. Vivien and Miaka's face broke into grins.
Tetsuya and Taka went to the gentle-looking girl with brown hair and green eyes. "You're Samantha, right?" Tetsuya ventured.
Samantha smiled prettily. "Yes, I am. You're Tetsuya?" She said in perfect Japanese.
Keisuke stared at Lilian and Kathryn, trying to tell who was his penpal. The only problem was: he couldn't tell who was the uglier. Kathryn was bound to be the uglier, he had wagered. He was stumped.
Yui chuckled. She went to Lilian. "You're Lilian, right? You look like you have more intelligence than your sisters." She explained.
Lilian smiled. "Yes, I'm Lilian. This should be interesting."
Keisuke stared at Kathryn. "You're K-Kathryn?"
Kathryn grinned. "Hai! And you're Keisuke? Okay, I was wrong, you don't look like a dog. much." She said, also in perfect Japanese.
Keisuke relaxed and smiled. Yep, it was definitely Kathryn. Strange, her comment didn't sound as insulting as it did online. Maybe it had something to do with her smile. He hadn't pictured her as smiling when they chatted online. "Thank you. You're not as ugly as I thought you would be."
Kathryn chuckled. "You expected a hag?"
"Exactly."
"At least forty?"
"You read my mind."
Kathryn laughed. "This is so funny! I wish you could have seen your face when you saw me! I wish I had had a camera!"
Keisuke laughed, feeling much at ease with his new friend.
Three nyan-nyans giggled as they poofed out of view.
Vivien woke up early in her friends' house. Someone was shaking her awake. She opened her eyes sleepily. Frowning, she sat up. "Miaka?"
Miaka smiled. "Hai! Hey, I prepared breakfast!"
Vivien frowned. "What?" Only understanding the 'hai' part.
Miaka's smile slipped. Oh, dear. They were definitely going to have a communication problem. Vivien obviously didn't know much Japanese and Miaka was failing her English class. She sighed and took out a mini- translator.
Vivien's eyes brightened. Oh, good. A translator. That would definitely come in handy. Miaka tapped in a sentence, pressed 'translate' and handed the translator to Vivien.
Vivien stared at the sentence. Breakfast? She should have understood that. The language of food was well-known to her. Vivien jumped out of the bed and ran to her suitcase with the translator. These things were pretty expensive. She typed in a sentence, asking how she could afford the thing, and handed the translator back to Miaka.
Miaka smiled, reading the sentence. 'Yui said I might need one. She told Tetsuya about it and he buggered Keisuke about it. My brother finally caved in and bought me one.'
Vivien smiled and typed in, 'I'm going to take a shower, okay?'
Miaka nodded and sat back down on the bed with her translator. She wished she could just talk to Vivien outright. She was fast enough at typing, but she bet Vivien typed at least seventy words per minute. Suddenly, she had an idea. She pressed some buttons, cranked the volume up, and asked, 'Where do you want to go today?' in Japanese.
The translator immediately repeated Miaka's question in English. She heard Vivien bang her head against the showerhead in surprise and giggled.
Vivien was impressed. "How much was that translator, exactly, Miaka?"
Miaka was relieved when her machine picked up the question. She smiled. "Enough to make me promise not to expect birthday presents from him for twenty years."
Vivien chuckled. "Ne, Miaka, could you make the translator voice female? I feel uncomfortable hearing a male voice while I'm taking a shower, you know?"
Miaka laughed. "Sure thing! So what do you want for breakfast? I think by now, oniichan's thrown it out already. He isn't exactly partial to my cooking."
Vivien smiled and reached for the shampoo. "How about pancakes?"
"With strawberries!"
"And blueberry sauce!"
"Orange juice!"
"Rice!"
"Ham!"
"Sushi!"
"Milk!"
".eew."
Vivien slumped in her seat. Twelve empty plates were piled in front of her, like the leaning tower of Pisa. Thirteen glasses of orange juice were drained. Miaka had a similar expression on her face. They were bloated. "I. cannot possibly eat another bite." She moaned, in pain already.
The waiter came to their table, carrying yet another tray of food. "Dessert? Two Black Forest cakes with extra chocolate and whipped cream?" The tray was loaded with two whole cakes. The waiter looked like hell. He was worn out, serving the two insatiable girls.
Vivien and Miaka sat up, forks in hand. "YAY!!"
"Wah. That was gooood." Vivien moaned, patting her still-flat stomach with satisfaction.
The translator smoothly translated her remark to Miaka, who smiled, her stomach also satiated beyond belief. "Wow. you really do eat like me, Vivi."
"Call me Vi."
Miaka smiled. "Okay, then. Vi. Where do you want to go next?" She spotted another restaurant and licked her lips. "Shall we go at it again. in, let's say. half an hour?"
"Make it twenty minutes." Vivien agreed. She suddenly looked in the distance, at the National Library. "Ne, Miaka. let's go to the library."
Miaka's eyes immediately became shadowed. "I don't think that's a good idea, Vivi."
"It's Vi. And it's really about time you conquer your demons, Miaka." She said sternly, suddenly thinking of all those times Miaka had told her about the book. and of all the times Miaka had had to leave the computer to get the tissue box for her tears. She had believed Miaka. for some unknown reason. and when they had formed a bond overseas. Vivien had long decided that when they would finally meet, she would help Miaka get over her fear.
Miaka was constantly on her toes ever since her story had ended, worried that the book might try to take Taka away from her. Vivien wanted, more than anything, to help Miaka get through her fears and truly live happily ever after with the reincarnated Tamahome. She deserved it.
Miaka was hesitating. when, suddenly, her cellphone rang. Flustered, she fumbled as she tried to pick up her phone from her purse. The phone fell from her hands, and Vivien caught it and handed it back to her. "Arigatou." She closed her eyes. "Hello?"
"Miaka. something terrible's happened." It was Yui.
Miaka paled, her fears resurfacing. "Nani? What happened, Yui- chan?"
"It's Lily. she's gone, Miaka."
"Gone?"
Vivien saw the color leach from Miaka's face and grew worried. What had happened to Yui? Suddenly, a warm wind rushed at her face, somehow causing her to look in the direction of the library. Something red flitted in front of Vivien's face. Vivien caught the thing reflexively and looked down at her hand. It was a feather. A red feather. It suddenly burst into flame. Startled, Vivien's hand jumped, and the ashes scattered. Fire. She quickly turned. away from Miaka.
The warm wind rushed again at her as she continued to stare in the direction of the library. The air was warm. even toasty. Helplessly drawn toward the library, Vivien began to walk. As she walked down the sidewalk, she could only think of fire.
"Hai. I'll tell Vivi right away. We'll be right there." Miaka hung up on Yui and dropped her cellphone in her purse. She turned. "Ne, Vivi. Something's happened. Lily's."
Vivien was gone. Miaka stared. She was gone. She looked around, searching for a red-gold head of hair among the pedestrians. She had vanished. Miaka started to worry. She stepped on some ashes and tried to call out for her friend. "Vivi! Vivi, where are you?!"
"Oh, what's that?" Someone asked, pointing.
Miaka whirled around. Further along the sidewalk, in front of the library, something flashed with a red light. Miaka's heart froze. "Vivi." As the light disappeared, Miaka began to run.