Storm

X/1999 fanfiction. My standard disclaimers apply.

Storm

by Lady Aria (writersblock@edsamail.com.ph)

"Are you sure you'll be able to get home alright?"

"Yes, I'll be fine. I just need some rest."

"At least let me get you a taxi. You're in no condition to be moving about especially in this weather."

"No, it's okay. I don't want to inconvenience you…."

"Oh, alright. Just promise that you'll call me as soon as you get home."

"I will, I promise."

Karen watched as the door to Soapland Hana closed. Beyond the shop's awning, the rain obscured the world in a gray haze. It'd already been raining for a week and didn't look like it would let up anytime soon. The disagreeable weather was taking its toll on Karen's body in the form of a gradually worsening fever. It was a good thing the owner was kind and understanding enough to let her have the rest of the day off, despite the sudden influx of customers.

It was ironic that the Seal with the power over fire should come down with a condition that had a rise in body temperature as a symptom.

<Baka, you're human, too, after all,> she scolded herself as she wrapped the coat closer around her body. As tempted as she was to use her powers, they left her exhausted in her weakened condition. Bed rest was definitely in order.

Opening an umbrella, she made her way through the early evening crowd, humming a tune to keep her mind off the general feeling of being sick. She pictured in her mind what awaited her back home:

A warm apartment.

A nice hot bath.

A delivery of nice, hot noodles.

And most of all, a nice warm bed. With no one else in it.

She had to laugh at the last thought. It was not that she didn't appreciate the company, goodness knows that she got enough of that at work. There are just some times when she wanted to be alone for the sake of being alone. It's comforting, it its own way.

A sudden lightness came to Karen's step then. By now, she couldn't wait to get home and rest. Maybe she'd even give Aoki a call at the office. He's sure to still be there, him being the workaholic that he was. Or she could even give the others at the Imonoyama Estate a call just to say hi. It'd be nice to talk to the others under less dire circumstances….

Karen's growing smile disappeared as soon as she turned the next corner. The place was an alley. Despite its small size, it was well lit and was one of the shortcuts many people used to avoid the crowds that favored the main streets. It was empty now, though she was hardly surprised. Most people would be avoiding the rain, probably staying in the shops, browsing, or in one of the many ramen houses that lined the area, eating. Yet it wasn't the absence of people that caught her attention.

It was the rain.

Somehow the rain didn't seem right to her. She didn't know if it was just her imagination or her fever playing tricks on her eyes, but she could have sworn that the rain appeared to be lighter in some areas while it poured freely in others…. Almost like light rain clouds were dancing with heavy ones, creating the watery illusion.

And then there was the cold.

It was downright unnatural, almost freezing. But rain wouldn't be falling at all if it was as cold as she thought it was….

<No…. Not now!>

"Do you like what you see, Dragon of Heaven?"

Karen's visage turned grim as she watched the rain part like a curtain to reveal the water master Dragon of Earth.

Yuuto Kigai.

Almost immediately, Karen's kekkai was in place, shutting away the rain and the outside world, leaving just the two of them trapped inside.

"My, my, my, I guess you couldn't wait, can you?" Yuuto said as he crossed the distance between them.

"I don't need to hear you out," Karen whispered as balls of fire began to dance around her. Normally, this would've been a one-sided fight to her favor because fire needed only oxygen from the atmosphere to work, while Yuuto would've needed to find a place with a good supply of water to fight efficiently. But given her present condition and the rains….

It'd be a miracle if she'd make it out of this fight alive.

Yuuto began to chuckle as a water dragon formed behind him. He'd just come off work and was using the walk home to exercise his powers. He never expected to run into one of the Seals, let alone one who'd be the most disadvantaged under the circumstances. Waving his hand, he ordered the dragon forward and watched in amusement as Karen practically ran away from it, her tiny fireballs fizzing harmlessly on the dragon's skin. Yuuto skipped upward, using the fire escapes as footholds, until he was above the alley and he watched as Karen desperately dodged and sought places to hide from the rampaging water beast.

<This is no fun,> Yuuto thought, as he saw his dragon get caught between two fallen crates, which Karen, then, set ablaze. With a snap of his fingers, the dragon looped upon itself and, after another snap, divided into four smaller dragons.

<Kisama!> Karen thought as the four wyrms renewed their chase. She was already feeling the strain of the use of her powers, but stopping to rest could cost her her life. She began running until she reached the end of the alley, and turned right into the larger street. It was empty, as it should be, but at least it was less confining than the previous one.

She planted her feet firmly on the ground and waited for the dragons and their master to come. She saw Yuuto skipping on top of one of the buildings as the dragons were just rounding the corner near the ground. It was almost like she was a rat in a maze, and the maze was one that she'd unwittingly created herself. By summoning her kekkai, she managed to protect the innocent people from her fight, but at the same time, closed off her avenues for escape.

Something that the Angel was using much to his advantage.

"Though this has been interesting so far," Yuuto shouted from above, "I'm afraid that I'll have to end this here!" A wave of his hand sent the dragons flying towards Karen, ready to tear her apart.

"If I'm to die now, I'm taking you with me!"

Karen directed her powers into the earth. An instant later, she was thrown several meters back as the gas in the underground pipes exploded, consuming the dragons. She could see the look of utter disbelief on Yuuto's face as he saw his minions disperse into harmless steam. Using his momentary lapse of attention, she fashioned a spear of flame and hurled it. A smile came to her at the sound of a scream coming from his direction.

<Just goes to show that you shouldn't mess with me,> she thought as she dispelled her kekkai. Sometime during the confrontation, she'd lost her umbrella, and now, the rain hit her in full force, making her even more aware of her weakened condition. The rain and the dispersing of adrenaline in her system left her with nothing to go on, and Karen collapsed onto the street.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

<Damn woman,> Yuuto thought as he shook off the effects of Karen's spell. If he hadn't managed to summon a water shield when he did, he would've been dead, instead of walking away from the fight with just a few singed locks.

One of the first things he felt was the welcome coldness of water on his face. Looking up, he noticed that the kekkai was gone. Since the streets still looked normal, he guessed that she must've dispelled it on her own.

Shrugging in annoyance, he jumped off the building and let a cushion of water lower him to the ground. This was not turning out to be his day.

As he rounded the corner, however, he came upon the unconscious Karen lying on the pavement.

<Maybe I could still salvage something from this mess,> he thought wickedly as the water parted above them, as though hitting an invisible umbrella. Yuuto cradled the unconscious Seal in his arms and the first thing he noticed was her labored breathing and feverish skin.

She'd fought him while in the throes of a high fever and had actually won.

"You are some woman," he whispered as he wiped away several damp strands of hair from her face.

She no longer looked menacing. In fact, she was… beautiful. Not beautiful in the way he found Satsuki beautiful, nor in the seductive manner that Kanoe was beautiful either. Her beauty spoke of sunshine and bubbling waters, yet laced somehow with a melancholy that he couldn't begin to comprehend… almost as though she experienced some sadness that she never quite recovered from. An irony was the fact that this woman/girl wore the clothes of someone who worked at a soapland. In his mind, he could almost see her wearing a white dress, standing in a field of flowers, under a spring morning… smiling… for him.

<Thank goodness you wouldn't remember this,> Yuuto thought as he lowered his lips to steal a kiss from her.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"Hmmm…?"

Karen rolled over and found herself in a nice warm bed, covered with several layers of blankets, all of which smelled as though they were just brought out of the dryer, and they were also warm enough to have. Blinking several times to clear her vision, she saw that she was in a hotel room and her clothes were spread over the chairs to dry.

"Miss, are you awake?"

She looked up in time to see a maid bringing in a tray of food and a silver tea set.

"Excuse me, but how did I get here?"

"Oh," the maid said in surprise and blushed. "Well, a man brought you in a few hours earlier. I mean, the both of you were soaked to the skin. Anyway, he asked me to get you out of your wet clothes and into bed. You don't have to worry about the bill, too, miss. He already paid for everything in advance."

Karen was more than a little shocked at the girl's story. "This man… what did he look like?"

"Hmmm… he was quite good looking. Tall, with blonde hair and a nice smile…."

<Yuuto,> Karen thought, though she had to wonder why he didn’t finish her off. As the girl continued to ramble on about him, Karen found a note tucked under the phone beside the bed. It contained a short message, a name, and a phone number.

Call me some time. I can't wait to see you again. Yuuto Kigai.

Karen just smiled as she snuggled into the pillows, letting the girl ramble on about the handsome man who'd brought her there.

<Yes, you definitely are an odd one.>

********** The End **********