Magic Knight Rayearth Fan Fiction ❯ The Man Who Fell to Earth ❯ New Friends and Wedding Plans ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter 8:

New Friends and Wedding Plans

 

 

“Hey, man!” one of the boys in the weight room shouted in greeting to Derrick.

 

Johnson looked in surprised at the kid who seemed happy that he came. It was a Korean boy named Will who was a year older than himself. As the two teenagers were assessing each other, Steve Ford walked over to them.

 

“Good to see you here,” the teacher said. “Do you have your gym clothes in your locker?”

 

Derrick nodded while keeping his eyes watching everyone in the room.

 

“Get changed, and when you come back I'll set you and Will up together as partners. Will can show you how everything is done,” Ford said, confidently putting his hand on the other boy's shoulder.

 

Harry watched Derrick when he came back from the locker room. Will seemed like a friendly boy who was actually happy to see Derrick. When they laughed while spotting each other for exercises, he thought he saw the foundations of friendship forming. Maybe his idea wasn't so bad after all.

 

Some time later the sound of a whistle cut through the sounds in the gym. “It's almost time to eat. Clean up and hit the showers, men!”

 

The boys, including Derrick and Will, did what they were told, but Harry stayed back from the showers to talk to Steve.

 

“So, do you think that went well?”

 

Steve looked at him knowingly. “You will get stronger, and it looks like Derrick did fine. I don't know how you convinced him to come here, but I'm glad you did.”

 

“I have a feeling Will wants to be his friend,” Harry offered.

 

“We all need friends,” the other man said with a teasing smile. “And my friend, you need a shower. You stink! Did you think I was talking just to the teenagers or something? Get yourself in the shower now, soldier!”

 

Harry laughed in return. “I think I've had enough water today, but… Permission to take a shower, sir!” He accompanied the statement with a mock military salute.

 

“Granted! Move out, cadet!” Steve barked as him.

 

 

~*~

 

In the days that followed, Harry and Derrick developed a routine that included Will, who against Johnson's protestations decided to fill to spot of friend. They would do weight lifting with Mr. Ford and the boys in the afternoons after school was over. After supper had been eaten, there would be rounds of homework and magic practice. Will, being the older of the two boys, was usually the one to help Derrick, and both stuck around to learn whatever tricks Harry was practicing.

 

One of the first tricks the trio learned was a card trick involving twenty-one cards. It was grounded firmly in numbers and the law of averages, but somehow the dealer always figured out the guesser's magic card. It was such a novelty that the boys practiced it with all their friends until almost everyone knew that trick themselves.

 

“You forgot the first law of the magic code,” Harry said to them one afternoon. It was one of the few days they weren't in the weight room, so they were sitting in the commons area. “You never tell others how the tricks work!”

 

Will laughed and poked Derrick in the ribs with his elbow. “I guess we'd better learn another trick.”

 

Taking up where the older boy had left off, Johnson said, “That's right. How else will he know if we can keep magic secrets?”

 

“Logical,” Harry commented as he put the finishing touches on the stick he and Derrick had found. He'd gotten all his supplies and ornamented it in a way that looked like something from a Plains Indian shaman.

 

“Medicine man have big ju ju!” Derrick joked when he watched Harry shake the stick.

 

Harry laughed in satisfaction, and then he declared, “I need a cape or something. All the traditional magicians have the tuxedos, and the other ones have their magical robes.”

 

“Mrs. Templeton has some choir robes,” Will said.

 

“That would work,” the man said in a plotting way.

 

“And maracas!” Derrick interjected. “It will look like you're raising the spirits of the dead. Let's go, Will!”

 

The boys ran off to get a suitable choir robe and maracas. Harry supposed shamans used noise makers. He wondered how an inner-city kid like Derrick would know, but it wasn't important. He did, and both he and Will were getting along like old friends.

 

When they came back with the robes, they were huge. Their size made them perfect for tricks of slight of hand. Harry decided to try it out immediately on some of the unsuspecting children gathered in the commons. He shook the maracas at one table of people to get their attention.

 

At first most of the people didn't notice the impromptu magic show. As Harry and the boys tried more tricks, the kids began to gather around to see what was happening. He did a card trick with one boy and made a rose seemingly appear out of nowhere for one of the girls. He also made several objects disappear and reappear in new places. The sounds of being impressed went in waves throughout the crowd.

 

It was that set of sounds that Umi heard. She had been asked to go find Scott, and she walked by the show in progress. When she realized what was happening, shock etched on her face. While Harry had been wearing the robe acting like a shaman, it was in that position close to the ground and with his staff decorated as it was that Umi thought she was watching Clef.

 

“I'm going mad,” she said softly out loud.

 

“What?” asked Jessie, who had come to stand beside her.

 

“Harry,” Umi mumbled.

 

“Yes! He's great with the kids, don't you think?”

 

“I would have never expected it,” she replied, but she was really referring to Clef and children. The mage did not interact with them the times she was in Cephiro. He was too busy with other tasks, but she couldn't imagine that he would have been very good with them. His temper was too big for such a small man.

 

When he finished his show, Harry bowed graciously and acknowledged Derrick and Will who were smiling widely and clearly loving the attention. He then saw Umi and Jessie standing beside each other, so he waved at them and shook his stick.

 

“It was very good,” Umi said as she shook the boys' hands. She saved Harry for last. “Joan would be proud of you,” was all she said to him as she held his hand, but she didn't let it go for a long time.

 

“I agree,” Jessie said happily, breaking Umi's trance.

 

“Excuse me,” the blue eyed woman said as she reluctantly took her hand out of Harry's grasp. “I have to go find Scott.”

 

“More lovey-dovey stuff?” teased Jessie.

 

“Something like that,” Umi replied. “His parents want to talk wedding plans.”

 

“Good luck!” her friend shouted before giving her attention to Harry. “I'm taking Diana and a few of the other girls to the mall. It's her birthday, and she wanted to get her ears pierced. I thought you might want to get out for a bit and come with us.”

 

He didn't know what to say at first, but the nudging of the boys beside him was a clue that he should say yes. “I have a feeling Derrick and Will want to go, too. Will that be all right?”

 

Jessie looked over his shoulder at the boys who had immediately sat up as piously as cherubs. “You can keep a handle on these two?” she asked about his magical accomplices.

 

Harry gave them a slow, meaningful look. “I believe I can. Isn't that right, boys?”

 

“Yes, Ms. Walter!” Will said, his head bobbing up and down.

 

“Do you boys have any money? We'll probably be eating at the food court instead of having something here.”

 

The interested look on their faces fell. “No,” Derrick said.

 

“I'll take care of it,” Harry said.

 

Derrick turned to him in surprise. “We're going to pay for this later, aren't we?”

 

“You know it,” the man said. “Extra homework, extra magic practice… there'll be something you can do to make it up.”

 

“That settles it,” Jessie said, clapping her hands together. “I'll get the girls, and you three clean up the remains of your show. We'll meet each other at the van in a half hour. See you then!”

 

~*~

 

Umi left Harry's magic show and walked into the stables where Scott was helping a pregnant mare. She watched him glide gentle hands over her heaving sides and whisper soft words of comfort to her. The brown mare responded as if they were having a conversation that only they understood.

 

While she was waiting, Umi sat down on a hay bale. She arranged her skirts, which were longer than the ones she wore in her school uniform, around her legs so the straw wouldn't scratch her. There she watched Scott in his element giving truly loving care to the animals in the barn.

 

Scott wore work jeans and a flannel shirt with leather gloves. His dark brown hair was in disarray, but he looked happy with green eyes gleaming. His love and concern for the animals was genuine, making him a natural to be a veterinarian.

 

As he was leaving the horse stall, one of the goats came behind him and bumped him in the rear. Umi let out a giggle at the sight while Scott turned to pet the animal.

 

“When did you sneak in here?” he asked with a smile as he played with the goat.

 

“Only a few minutes ago,” Umi said with the light of laughter still in her eyes.

 

He strode over to her and sat at her feet. Then he romantically took her hands in his gloved ones and asked, “To what do I owe this honor?”

 

“Your parents have invited us for supper to discuss wedding plans.”

 

“Excellent! This is going to be a great wedding, you know,” he said with a wink.

 

“It will be,” she said with a soft smile. “Of course, it wouldn't be the same without your parents' help. I just never thought about wedding details before.”

 

“Really?” he teased. “Most girls I've known have their weddings already dreamed and planned by the time they were thirteen or fourteen.”

 

Umi gave a non-convincing laugh. “When I was fourteen, I had different things on my mind.” Saving Cephiro would be one of those things. “My own parents, though, were really romantic. I am sure they would be so excited to make plans.”

 

“Does it hurt you that they can't be here?” he asked as he reached to stroke her face with a now gloveless hand.

 

“Sometimes,” she sighed. “I often wish that all the people I love or have ever loved could be together in one place, but that is only a dream.”

 

“It's a good dream,” he said as he held her hands again.

 

“Thank you,” she murmured before changing subjects. “Anyway, your mother said `Go ask, Scott.' So here I am.”

 

As he looked at her, Umi studied his face. He was boyishly handsome with dark hair and his long bangs falling in his green eyes. Here in the barn he had animals around him. She'd watched him play with the goat and take care of the horse that was certain to foal soon.

 

“Ascot,” she said with trembling realization.

 

She ran her fingers through the long bangs of his hair so she could see his bright eyes. Everything fit perfectly. How could she have not noticed before? Taking action, Umi did the one thing that she felt needed to be done. She leaned over and kissed Scott deeply, taking him completely by surprise.

 

“Oh,” he said in almost a whimper when their lips parted, “that was good. You'll scare the animals if you keep doing that.”

 

“I just wanted to make sure it was you,” she said breathlessly.

 

“Of course it's me!” he said with a shaky laugh. “I certainly hope you aren't kissing other men that way to figure out if it's really them.”

 

“No, Scott. I'm not kissing anyone else.”

 

“Then what's gotten into you? Is it preplanning jitters?”

 

“I guess so,” Umi said evasively. “Honestly, I don't care about ceremony. I just want to be with the man I love.”

 

“And that's me,” he said with a wide grin. “I'm the luckiest man alive.”

 

Scott moved to sit beside her on the hay and then pulled Umi into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple. She thought that this was the way love was supposed to be: simple and pure. A tear slid down her cheek.

 

“Umi? What's wrong?” he said as he wiped the tear away with his fingertip.

 

She shook her head in denial. “Nothing really. I'm being sentimental with all this talk of the wedding and family.”

 

“And pretty soon, we'll have to talk about making our own family,” he said with his arm wrapped around her and his hand patting significantly on her belly.

 

“Children,” Umi said with a whisper. She didn't think about that, either, even though it was logical for one to want to have children with her beloved.

 

“Later,” Scott laughed in her ear, “after we're married. You will excuse me if I am rather old-fashioned.”

 

She smiled and turned her face to him. “That's one of the things I like about you.”

 

“Good,” Scott said as he kissed her on her pert nose. “I will see you and my parents for supper. Let me finish here.”

 

“Of course,” she replied as the both got up from where they'd been sitting. Umi left the barn while Scott finished attending the animals.