Magic Knight Rayearth Fan Fiction ❯ Yozora no Mukou ❯ Tomorrow is Waiting ( Chapter 3 )

Yozora no Mukou: Chapter Three: Tomorrow is Waiting

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There were two things Kyousuke was absolutely certain about every time he brought Satoru downtown. One, Satoru was nervous in very large crowds; and two, he felt very uncomfortable in casual wear.

Kyousuke almost pitied him, but seeing the normally solemn man's eyes jittering from side to side and his hands subconsciously tugging on his jeans as if it were clinging to his legs was too much for Kyousuke to take seriously. He snickered to himself and urged Satoru out of the elevator lightly with the six others who had accompanied them.

Satoru's heavy breathing indicated to Kyousuke that he ought to grab a seat in the theater somewhere secluded, where nobody else would sit. While that would mean they would have to be in the worst seats in the auditorium, Kyousuke knew that Satoru would enjoy the movie far more if they did sit in a place where sound was horrible and they could barely see the subtitles on the American-made movie rather than among teenagers who were very hyperactive right before the previews began.

After all, Kyousuke dragged Satoru to the movie theaters to enjoy himself more than for getting him a social life this time. He wanted to teach him the pleasures of technology.

At least they wouldn't have to worry about getting a good seat, especially when already, half an hour before the movie was scheduled to air, it looked like that there would not be an empty seat in the theater. Kyousuke glanced behind his shoulder and saw that there were already three other groups aligning themselves within the velvet ropes behind him.

"See, Satoru?" said Kyousuke as he turned back to his friend. "You know that this has to be a good movie if there are this many people here already."

Satoru looked at Kyousuke suspiciously for a moment, although his eyes still danced with discomfort. "This is the second of a three-movie series, isn't it?"

"Actually, it's based on the books. This one is based on the second of those books."

"But they made a movie on the first."

"Of course."

Satoru narrowed his eyes. "Why are you making me see a movie in which I haven't even seen the prequel for?"

Kyousuke sighed. "How many people do you know have watched the Star Wars prequels before the sequels?"

"As I remember it, they had no choice. The prequels were made after the sequels," Satoru pointed out. Kyousuke, startled for a moment, slowly nodded. "I am not as incompetent as you may think about the pop cultural world."

Kyousuke shook his head. "Well, I guess that's basic information. Anybody who hasn't lived in a hole for the past twenty, thirty years probably know that."

"Can't you give me a little bit of credit?"

"Well, it's not like you get into these things enough that I'm free to talk about them to you," Kyousuke said with a small pout. "Do you even know the answer to: 'Who is Gandalf?'"

"A wizard," answered Satoru immediately and nonchalantly.

Kyousuke stared. "Okay. Bad example. I think everybody knows that, too. Harder question, then!"

He hesitated for a moment. Satoru probably knew more about Star Wars than he would expect, especially if he knew one of the most popular characters from Lord of the Rings. The funny thing was that only people who were interested in foreign culture would know what they were, and Satoru never seemed to be that type of person. Of course, the only thing Kyousuke ever knew about Satoru's hobbies was that he had none, but what if that had been a false front?

He wouldn't have been surprised.

"All right, who is the main character of One Piece?" he asked.

Satoru turned to him, bewildered. "Is that an anime?"

Kyousuke nodded.

"I am neither Masaru nor Kakeru. You are asking the wrong person," he retorted, but the indignant look on his face was enough for Kyousuke to crack up.

"Okay, I think everybody in Japan knows that! It's a more popular anime than the one your brother is in!"

Satoru glared at Kyousuke. Kyousuke made a mental note that Satoru was more interested in foreign culture than he was in Japan's, which he found to be rather odd for a person such as him. Growing up in a kendo dojo and teaching the basics of Japan's history almost every week since he was fourteen must have had him turn to other cultures.

He had to check Satoru's bookshelf someday. Kyousuke only wondered why he had never done so before.

"If I remember correctly, the main character of One Piece is a man named Luffy, isn't it?" a feminine voice said from behind the two men.

Kyousuke and Satoru simultaneously turned their attentions to the woman, who was a beautiful one with long, wavy brown hair and dark emerald eyes. Kyousuke blinked, and Satoru must have done likewise.

"Kuu?"

"Kuu-san?"

She smiled. "Am I right?"

Kyousuke chuckled. "Yeah, but I wouldn't imagine that a girl like you would be interested in that sort of show."

"I'm not. My neighbor's niece and nephew watch it all the time, and I often overhear them talk about it," she answered. "I didn't recognize you at first, especially you, Satoru-san. Bright red and dark blue jeans really look good on you."

From the corner of his eye, Kyousuke saw Satoru shift uncomfortably. "Thank you," he said.

Kyousuke smirked. Perfect.

"And what's your excuse for not recognizing me?" he asked.

"Your hair was tied back. I'm used to seeing it down and loose."

He laughed. "Not very attentive to details, are you?"

Kuu replied with a small giggle, "Not physical ones, at least. So, Satoru-san, I would never have figured that you liked these sorts of movies. Has your fascination with magic been awakened with the knowledge of Cephiro?"

"Eh, I dragged him here, though I wouldn't be surprised if he actually liked this movie," replied Kyousuke. "I think he's secretly into this sort of stuff."

"Kyousuke-san," Satoru hissed.

Kuu laughed again. "It's nothing to be ashamed of! It does seem a little out of place considering how little I know about your character, but you don't have to take it too harshly."

"Yeah, Kuu doesn't seem to mind so much, either. You don't have to hide anything from her," Kyousuke whispered, half-hoping that Kuu did not hear.

This time, Satoru's voice was threatening. "Kyousuke-san..."

"So," Kyousuke said, calmly waving off Satoru's threat, "are you here by yourself, Kuu?"

She nodded. "None of my friends are really into this sort of movie."

"Well, that's surprising. Considering how many people are here, I would have guessed that at least one or two of your friends would be interested," said Kyousuke as he noticed that the line was finally starting to move; the doors to the theater were now opened. He looked at Satoru and gave a quick nod towards Kuu, and Satoru glared at Kyousuke, asking why he couldn't do it. He raised his eyebrows in a fashion that indicated that he refused to do so, so Satoru finally gave in.

"Would you like to sit with us instead, Kuu-san?"

She blinked. "Are you sure?"

Satoru hesitated. "Yes. Why not? I have no objections to it, and I'm certain that Kyousuke-san won't mind either."

"Nah, it's fine," said Kyousuke casually as he took a step forward to move with the line. "Besides, you'll enjoy the movie more if you're with somebody you know."

"I guess that's true. Thank you."

Satoru nodded as the line sped up, and Kyousuke was more than pleased.

This was more than he had expected for this day. He just wanted Satoru to enjoy himself, and, knowing that he would, felt more at ease with the task for that day. However, to have a potential girl be with them was delightfully surprising, for if things headed in the right direction, Satoru would no longer need Kyousuke's guidance on how to have fun.

The only problem that danced in the back of Kyousuke's mind was: what would he do once he no longer had Satoru to worry about and take care of?

Would he be able to leave his best friend?

***

"I hate delayed flights," Fumiko muttered as she waited in front of the customs gate at the bustling Narita International Airport, checking her watch and the arrivals sign every thirty seconds. As she noticed the time again, being only an hour after the time the flight from Houston was supposed to have come in, she sighed and wondered in the back of her mind if something horrible had happened to her friend's flight and fear slowly settled into her.

She sighed. Why me, of all people? She's Fuu's cousin, for crying out loud; why couldn't someone from the Hououji family take care of this?

"I wouldn't be worried so much..."

"Fu! Mi! Ko!" a chirpy voice rang past the bustling crowds of passengers. A hand shot up past a couple of heads, and Fumiko tilted her head to the side and finally saw her short-haired friend squeezing past the many bags and luggage of the other people with a trailing, thick olive bag behind her.

Fumiko sighed in relief and yet groaned irritably. "You idiot, Sera!" she hissed. "You lied to me! You said that you were going to take a flight from Texas--"

"I never lied; I did take a flight from Houston," Sera Araki pointed out as she finally caught up to Fumiko. The two headed away from the gate to make room for more passengers to meet up with their families and friends and headed for the car garage.

Fumiko scoffed as they walked along, "Yeah? Then why did it say for the longest time that the flight from Houston was delayed and there was no indication of an arrival?"

"Fumiko, you need to learn how to pay attention more," Sera said with a slight, amused sigh. "I said that I was going to take a flight from Houston to Los Angeles and then catch a flight there to here. And I wasn't even using a cell phone when I told you this, either!"

She scowled. "Oh. Still."

Sera grinned widely as the two stepped onto a moving walkway. "It's great to see how little you've changed."

"I'd like to say the same."

"I couldn't have changed that much!"

"That's not what I meant. I meant that you haven't changed, and that isn't a good thing."

Sera laughed. "Either we've both matured to the point where we haven't noticed changes in each other, or our relationship will never change as long as we don't have anything dramatic happening between or to us. So, how is your life holding up?"

"Simple. And dull," said Fumiko. "Some things have been happening in Cephiro, and I've only told Kakeru about them--"

Sera raised an eyebrow, and the two stepped off the walkway and reached a nearby elevator. "Oh? You've been in touch with Kakeru, I see?"

Fumiko groaned and pressed the down button. "It's nothing like that, you idiot. It's just his reactions to the new happenings in Cephiro would be so much more amusing for me to watch then it would be for anybody else in Cephiro. Oh, and by the way, your leave came at the perfect time. In about three days or so all of us are going to head over to Cephiro for Hikaru's birthday. You'll find out the new news then."

"Is Rei going to be there?"

"She agreed to it. Hidehiro is coming for sure because Rei isn't giving him any other choice; Masaru's entire family will be there, and I think Satoru and Kyousuke and Mitsuru-san and Shidou-san will definitely be there," said Fumiko. The elevator doors opened and the two stepped inside. "Nobody knows for quite sure whether or not Yuujirou will make it, but you know him..."

Sera grinned mischievously. "And Kakeru?" she sneered.

"You thought otherwise? Yes, of course he'll be there! Sheesh!" said Fumiko. "Umi's back from England now, and she knows about the party idea, so she and Masaru are going to be there for a couple of days to pass the idea on."

"Will it be a surprise?"

"I don't think a surprise party would be a good idea, and neither does Kakeru. We forced Masaru to give in to our protests," Fumiko explained. "You'll find out why in a couple of days. You are coming, right?"

Sera laughed. "Of course, a party is what I need to get myself a little relaxation! I just need to get rid of my jet lag, and I'll be all set! How long are we planning on being in Cephiro?"

"A couple of days, I guess. Hikaru will be happy to see you again, what with you being in America working on that space station for who knows how long."

"How is my cousin doing?"

"Which one?"

"The pregnant one."

"They have a name for the kid now, but I'm not telling you what it is; you'll just have to wait and find out for yourself."

Sera narrowed her eyes as the elevator doors swung open. "I'm just in for a great deal of surprises, aren't I?"

This time, Fumiko was the one who laughed menacingly. "Oh, you have NO idea."

However, her grin was wiped away with Sera's taunt of, "A great deal of surprises including your developing relationship with Kakeru? When I left Japan, you still were on the verge of killing each other, and now..." She laughed.

"That was Umi who I was on the verge of killing. Now shut up or I'm stranding you here."

***

"So... sound good?" asked Masaru to the small amounts of people who were there. Which, in essence, wasn't very much, considering that many people had started their own lives outside of the palace, so essentially it was only Clef, Ferio, Fuu, and Umi who were there.

Politics had to be handled in Chizeta and Fahren; according to Eagle and Geo, Autozam's government hardly ever left time open for its military to have free time to themselves regardless of it being a time of peace. Presea had a business to run, Ascot was out running errands, Masaru really didn't want to know where Lafarga and Caldina were, and Lantis and Hikaru were visiting a village some ways from the palace. Eagle, still being in his coma, was not in the throne room and therefore oblivious to what was going on.

So, Masaru decided to work with what he had.

"The only thing I don't understand," said Umi with narrowed eyes, "is why you only get pumped up about something special for Hikaru. I mean, sure, you're her brother and everything, but..."

"I think it's a splendid idea," Fuu said.

Umi sighed. "You would."

Ferio laughed. "Actually, I just think Masaru would do anything for a party."

Masaru's eyebrow twitched and his hands balled into fists. He didn't want a conversation to be brought up because of his idea--he just wanted an answer and then the conversation. "Look, it's a simple yes or no answer. And regardless of your reply, Hikaru's friends and family will be here on August eighth. Cephiro people, in three days. Maybe not for a party, but just to be here since it's about the only excuse we can find to get away from our jobs to come here."

"I don't know anything about your world," Ferio said slowly, "but I think that a wedding is a better excuse than a birthday party."

"Hey..."

"And," Umi piped up, "don't you think we've been having enough parties for the past few months?"

Masaru blinked and then snapped, "Traitor. You thought it was a good idea earlier!"

"I rethought my opinion."

"Well," Clef piped up, "if all of Hikaru's loved ones from Earth will be here, and if it's about the time that everyone would be returning to the palace or to Cephiro for one reason or another, I think that a party would have been called in the end. You probably hadn't thought of it that way."

Masaru hesitated. "Well... come to think of it, no. But why would the people from the other three countries be here? Not that it's anything bad..."

Clef smiled. "They have their reasons. It's not what you think; it's just a coincidence, but it would be nice if they had a warning."

"Oh, it would be very nice," Umi muttered. Masaru turned to say something to her, but his words were stifled by a very mischievous grin plastered on her face. He blinked as she said. "Oh, yes. Very nice. I take it back, Masaru. This party thing would be a great idea. Bring all of Hikaru's family members and friends. Especially your brothers."

Fuu laughed uneasily, and Ferio sighed.

"That woman is pure evil," he muttered.

Masaru stole a glance at Fuu. "Do you know what she's talking about?"

Fuu smiled but didn't answer. Masaru turned to Clef, but he coughed and averted his gaze elsewhere. He looked at Ferio who wasn't even paying attention to him, and Umi still had a very sinister grin.

"What's going on?"

"You'll see... in three days," said Umi. "There are two bits of news, and you'll love them both to death!"

"We could tell him one of them," Ferio pointed out, to which Umi shrugged.

"Yeah, but it'll be cuter if they tell everyone themselves."

"In your own sadistic way."

"I'm serious! It'll be just as cute as the news you and Fuu gave about a year or so back!"

"See? Sadistic. That wasn't a very comfortable situation at first."

"At first, see? At first."

Masaru raised an eyebrow and turned to Fuu and Clef, and neither gave off any hints about what Ferio and Umi were discussing. He searched his memory, and he only remembered one piece of news that Ferio and Fuu had shared with every single person affiliated in some way with Cephiro: that they were getting married. But who else was going to be wedded? Certainly not Lafarga and Caldina since Lafarga wanted to stick to Cephiro's traditions, but who else could there be?

"What?" he asked, and Clef sighed.

"Apparently, you have no choice to find out what they're talking about until three days from now," he replied. "Likewise with the other piece of news that would be announced."

"Which," said Fuu, turning away from her husband's and her friend's argument, seemingly awkwardly cheerful, "is not what those two are discussing, and it's by far the biggest news you're going to hear that day. It'll be unfair for me to say what it is because she told us that she wanted to tell you herself."

Masaru blinked. "Huh?"

Fuu giggled and Clef managed a weak smile.

"You'll see," they simultaneously replied.

"Er... sure... so... we're all okay with the party idea? If so, then I'm going home... Umi, you're going to be baking a cake, right? Umi? Hey, Umi. OI!"

Umi snapped her head to Masaru irritably. "What?"

"You're going to be making a cake, right?"

"Why did you think otherwise?"

Masaru rolled his eyes. "Okay, good. I'm going home. See you all in three days."

** To Be Continued **