Part .25

happens before .5 and .75

-----------

(Sigh.)

It was pouring down rain the day we moved. Had to move.

Damn Chairo anyways.

As for me I was in the house already, sitting in my very empty room
listening to the rain pelt the house, and watch as the rest of my family
tried to help the one hired mover haul the stuff inside. Why we couldn't
hire a big moving crew was really making me wonder. I hated getting wet.
But. . .we had to move today, had to leave that town before news got
around. 

I really hated getting wet, and I didn't want to go outside in that. I'd
help and teleport something when no-one was looking, but I suck at
teleporting. I can't move much more than a box, and barely myself. And
not very far at that.

Besides, Dad already brought in his camera stuff, which was the only
stuff that absolutely couldn't get wet, and Mom her music also. Most of
it was tucked away in what was gonna be Chairo's closet, cause it was
close to the front steps.

Damn Chairo. I didn't want to be upstairs, why did he get a downstairs
room?

Said little brother was now hurrying out of the van with a big cardboard
box on his shoulder. The thing had to be three times bigger than him. He
was probably displacing its weight like he did whenever he changed. When
I lost site of him, I heard his steps on the hardwood entrance.

He was the reason we had to move. I didn't want to. I sure as hell
didn't want to.

Well, my empty bedroom was the only one with a window to the front of
the house, and it was one of those windows that stuck out and had a
bench to sit on, which was where I was sitting. That was nice, but the
condensation gathering on the window was getting annoying. My breathing
on it probably wasn't helping. Even in the bad weather, I could see one
of the main streets from here, and a bit of the shopping strip.

"How many more are there?" I heard Dad's voice pretty easily. My door
was open and very close to the stairs.

"About ten," another voice said. Probably the moving guy. "Unfortunate
weather," I think I heard him say. His thoughts weren't as formal as his
speech, and they we're practically shouting at me.

"I think it blows," I heard Mom say, her footfalls telling me she was
coming up the steps. "Kakami-chan!" I didn't bother looking back to her.
"Come on, if you don't want to get wet you could help us unpack." Her
voice was tentative, and I felt her mind put her hand on my shoulder
before she actually did. I really wasn't up to dealing with any of them
right now, let alone how annoying Mom got. "I know it's not easy, but we
have to start somewhere."

"I really didn't wanna go, Ka-san," I said a little weakly. Not my usual
tone of voice, but I didn't feel very usual right then.

"I know, dear, but some things have to be. If we want to live near the
city instead of in the mountains, then this is one of the risks we have
to take." I looked at her, her soft face, and long black hair slightly
frayed from exertion of moving. "I know I'm not ready to distance myself
so far from the city; mine and your father's work prevent that."

"But if it wasn't for Chairo. .," I started, but she cut me off.

"We already went over what your little brother did, Kakami-chan."

"But everyone knows dogs don't wear school uniforms! He didn't even
think when he shifted! And then everyone kept asking what happened to
him!" Mom's mouth turned a corner. She was snickering. How could she
laugh at this!? We had to get up and move to another part of the whole
country! She must've seen the face I was giving her, because she tried
to look guilty and put her hand over her mouth.

"I can't give you the answer, Kakami-chan. We're just going to have to
adjust. Besides, maybe when it dries up a bit you can go around town and
have a look." She hugged me a bit closer. "I'll give you some shopping
money," she offered, cheerily.

THUNK

"CHIKKKSHOU!!!"

Both of our heads turned to see Dad trying to haul a piece on my bed
through the door, but apparently he rammed his hand into the frame
`cause it was too narrow. 

My bed was hovering in the hall while Dad jammed his hand into his
armpit and did a little dance into my room. "Iteiteiteiteitie," he
stammered over and over again. Mom went over to him and coaxed him into
letting her see his hand. I saw the whole thing kinda detached, and
realised my bed was still floating there. What if the mover saw it? I
concentrated my power, tapping into Dad's a little, and urged the bed
into my room the rest of the way, avoiding my parents.

Why didn't he just float it in in the first place? Why did he try to
carry it?

I watched the two of them hold hands, Mom looking at his with a careful
scrutiny. Sometimes it bothered me how open they are with each other.
Other people don't act like they do.

Stupid me, we're not other people. We're espers.

"Nyyyreaoooom." Chairo came zooming in, making airplane noises and
carrying a box in my room. He smiled lightly and then set down the box
near me. "Here, Onee-chan. Thought you'd want this back."

Chairo started using his power, and the box top exploded. I shrieked as
whatever it was holding was flung at me. When I opened my eyes, I saw a
buncha hats aligned in rows on my bed. I must've visibly changed, cause
Chairo smiled and picked the box out of my way of the bed. I went over
and grabbed a sun-hat. My little brother followed in suite and grabbed a
panama-style hat. I could be said I got a hat fetish or something, but
so does Chairo.

We traded hats suddenly, both of us snickering.

Ball cap. Straw hat. Chairo found a top hat I hadn't seen in months.
Fedora. I dug up some bunny ears.

After about twenty minutes of time wasting, I ended up wearing a
ten-gallon cowboy hat with a big metal star on it, and Chairo wearing a
hat with sunglasses and little windshield wipers on them, both of us
failing to keep a straight face.

Mom walked by us and picked up one of the red hats. "Funny," she said,
her voice getting distant. "This looks familiar."

Dad coughed, and then began scratching the back of his head like he knew
something. Before I could give it much thought, Chairo grabbed my wrist.
"C'mon, Oneechan, lets go walk around before its too dark."

"It's raining, baka." I barely finished what I said before Chairo jammed
a pop-up umbrella in my face. With a weary sigh, I grabbed it. Chairo is
kinda hard to refuse when his interest in something is so genuine,
unlike most people who double-think.

With his hand over my wrist again, we headed out the front door. Gladly,
though, the raining had subsided. The clouds were still dark.

.
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____________________________________


.
.
.

Madoka was spinning the red hat on the end of her finger, sighing as her
daughter departed. After a moment, she turned to Kyosuke, who was still
scratching the back of his head.

She smiled knowingly at him. "Is it really the same?"

"Yeah."

She put it on her head. "My God, Kyosuke. You kept it the whole time?"
He only nodded, a light smile painted on his face. She walked up to him,
removing the hat and placing it on his head as she eased her body
against his. "I still say it looks better on you." His arms came to rest
on his wife's waist, the two sharing in a brief kiss. 

"Mmm," he exhaled softly as the kiss ended. He looked towards the door
his children had departed through only a moment before. "It's going to
be hard on her. We still don't understand her powers totally, let alone
Chairo's."

"Yes. I'm still not sure how much use I may be to you, anata," she said
grimly.

"Well, I'm feeling a little deja-vu to be honest with you." He kissed
her cheek briefly. "But trust me, Madoka. Just being here is more than I
had when changes hit me."

She sighed contentedly, embracing him slightly deeper. "I hope you're
right."

----



[ryougaecho@abraxis.com]
[C&C welcome]
[5-11-99]