Magic Knight Rayearth Fan Fiction ❯ The Man Who Fell to Earth ❯ Say Cheese! ( Chapter 5 )

CHAPTER 5:

Say Cheese!

 

 

“Coffee?” Jessie asked everyone in the sweetest voice imaginable.

 

Behind her Steve made a weary expression at her tactics. She was definitely trying to put on the charm. The little hip sway she added as she walked closer to the table with the pot could have come right out of one of the old Mae West movies.

 

As she poured for her friends and coworkers, she made sure to generally get in Harry's way by having her arms around or near him. She bumped into him lightly once, to which she apologized.

 

After coffee was served, Jessie asked, “Is anyone going to introduce me? I don't even know our new guest's name.”

 

“He doesn't either,” Scott supplied before the other man could introduce himself as “Harry.”

 

“So it's John Doe then?” she asked with an exaggerated smile and look to him.

 

“Bond,” Harry replied, straight-faced. “James Bond.”

 

Jessie's eyebrow shot up. “Oh? Do you have all Mr. Bond's skills?”

 

“Only a few, but right now I'm undercover,” he said and then raised his finger to his lips to indicate secrecy. “While I'm here, you can call me Harry.”

 

“Very pleased to meet you,” she said leaning over to offer her hand. “My name's Jessica Walter. My friends call me Jessie, and I do hope we can become close friends.”

 

He took her hand and replied with a smile of his own.

 

From behind his coffee cup, Steve muttered, “And the fly has just stepped into the spider's web.”

 

“What was that?” Umi asked with a laugh because she wasn't sure she heard correctly.

 

“Nothing important,” Steve said as he looked at Umi and Scott sitting together.

 

They'd been holding hands at the table. While they had not been trying to draw attention to themselves, he had sympathy for what Jessie had said about too much Umi and Scott love making everything else seem dull in comparison.

 

“When's your big day?” he asked the couple.

 

“June!” Scott immediately chorused. “I know it's only three months away, but I think Umi would make a beautiful June bride.”

 

“Scott,” Richard lightly chastised his son, “the woman you love would make a beautiful bride any time of year.”

 

“Hear! Hear!” Scott agreed with a salute of the coffee cup before placing a kiss on Umi's blushing cheek.

 

“If your friends Hikaru and Fuu come from Japan for the wedding, Joan will be in an absolute tizzy,” Patricia said.

 

“Hikaru? Fuu?” Harry asked an expression of deepest thought. “Fuu… Fuu… Puu?” He looked to Umi for help.

 

Her mouth was agape, but she closed it quickly. Swallowing heavily, she answered, “Those were my friends that went traveling with me when I was younger.”

 

“Speaking of traveling, it is time to leave lunch,” Richard said as he stood up from the table. “I do hope you will enjoy your stay with us, Harry.”

 

“Thank you,” he said politely.

 

He looked at the gifts that were around him on the table, and back in his room were pieces of the fruit Umi had brought him yesterday. It seemed from all he could tell so far that these people were kind and really did want to help.

 

“I need to bring these back to my room,” he said to the others.

 

“I can help you!” Umi volunteered promptly. She reached for Fyula so quickly that it was as if she was protecting the poor fish from the little boy how'd stolen it from her before.

 

“I'll take your book,” Jessie said with true altruistic intentions as opposed to the flirting she had done when she brought the coffee.

 

The group of four walked slowly back to Harry's new room while the Templetons went their separate ways for afternoon work.

 

-&-

 

Having safely deposited Harry in his room, Umi left. With Jessie and Steve visiting, she didn't want to overwhelm him. She didn't want to overwhelm herself, either.

 

What was that with him saying “Puu”? There was only one creature she knew who only said puu, and it was Mokona. Perhaps he'd had a memory of his former self.

 

And what if he really is Clef? What then? Umi had to ask herself. She'd told Harry that she'd been in love with Clef. If he was really the Master Mage as she thought, he would know. It might not change anything between them at all. She also had Scott to consider.

 

Umi put her head in her hands because the thoughts that came to her were too confusing.

 

“What's wrong, Umi?” asked Joan as she stopped by Umi's small office.

 

“I have a headache,” she replied truthfully. All the thinking of what might or might not be happening surely was a source of a headache.

 

“Would you like some aspirin?” she asked with concern.

 

“No. Thank you,” she added with a smile. “There is something you can do for me, though, if you have time,” Umi said as an idea came to her.

 

“I have a few minutes before my next class,” Joan replied.

 

“Would you please go take a picture of Harry?” Umi handed Joan a digital camera and explained, “Maybe if we put his picture up somewhere, someone might be able to identify him.”

 

“Who's Harry?” the woman asked as she wrinkled her nose.

 

“That's the man from the hospital. He doesn't know who he is,” even though I do, “but he said he wants to be called Harry.”

 

She gave a satisfied nod as she played with the camera. “Fun! I'll go right now. Have you spoken with him? What kind of person is he?”

 

Powerful. Clef. Mine, she mentally sighed. Shaking her head as if to clear it, Umi said aloud, “He's polite.”

 

Joan shrugged as if it wasn't bad but also not the most interesting way to be. “I'll bring you this back later.”

 

“Thank you, Joan.”

 

“Absolutely!” the woman said as she left with a photographic mission.

 

-&-

 

Back in his room, Harry sat at the edge of his bed juggling pieces of fruit again. Because he was so successful at doing it, he felt like the repetitive motion put him into a trance. He made a mental note to ask Steve to give him something to juggle besides fruit.

 

A knock at the door didn't break his concentration. Without losing the rhythm of his passes, he called out, “Come!”

 

A tall woman with short, curly dark brown hair entered. “Oh!” she gasped as she watched him throw the pieces of fruit. “You're good at that.”

 

“Thank you,” he said tossing the pieces a few more times before stopping.

 

“I'm Joan Carter,” she said as she held out her hand for him to shake. “Umi sent me to take your photograph.”

 

“Nice to meet you, Joan. I think I heard your name already, but I'm not sure,” he said with an apologetic look.

 

“That's okay. I was at the hospital a few times with Umi, but this is my first time to meet you, too.”

 

“Why do you need my photograph?” He wasn't afraid to have his picture taken, but the fact that Umi had asked for it made him wonder.

 

“Umi had the idea that we could use it to put up with missing persons information. Maybe there's someone out there who knows who you are,” she said.

 

“That's entirely logical, but why didn't Umi come herself?” he asked in a tone he hoped wouldn't offend Joan.

 

“Headache,” she said simply, gesturing to her own head. “Well, sit up straight and let me get a few head shots.”

 

He did and sat politely through a few takes with the camera. As Joan played with it, he decided to be silly and started making a few random faces. She laughed from behind the lens.

 

“So you're not shy. Why don't you juggle again so I can get a few of those, too,” she suggested.

 

He obliged and started making the fruit dance in the air. The look on his face as he did it was pure delight, and Joan took several pictures from a variety of angles.

 

“You're a natural showman,” she observed. “Where did you learn that?”

 

“I don't really know,” he said with a chuckle and a conspiratory look. “I have amnesia,” he winked.

 

“Well, at least you're a man in good spirits,” she laughed back.

 

“Oh, I save my fear and monsters for the times when I'm alone,” he answered flippantly.

 

“I have an idea. Do you think you know any other tricks?” Seeing his shoulder shrug, she continued, “I could get some books on magic tricks for you from the library. The kids would love that. We try to keep a positive atmosphere here, but that could be a real treat.”

 

“Sure. I'm willing to learn,” he said with a smile of approval. “It sounds like fun, actually.”

 

“Do you have any other interests? Oh, silly question, right? You don't know yet,” Joan said with a wink.

 

“That about sums it up for now.”

 

“I rather like movies, especially foreign films. In a few weeks the art house in the city will be showing The Returner in Japanese. I've been wanting to see that one for a while,” she said with a happy light in her eyes. “If you're still here with us, you're most welcome to come.”

 

“I think I'd like that. Are the movies subtitled?” he inquired.

 

“Yes. We've managed to get a few prints of better foreign films with subtitles in English. I'm rather proud of it. We've seen films from France, China, Germany, and I even remember one from Finland. I always get a special treat from the Japanese ones, though.”

 

He nodded in understanding. “Have you ever been to Japan?”

 

“Yes, a few times, but only for short visits. I'd like to go back there sometime and stay longer,” she said wistfully. “Maybe I'll take a sabbatical from here and go teach with the Department of Defense Schools for a while. The only problem with that plan is that I like it here and wouldn't want to leave forever.”

 

“Where there is a strong will and a true desire,” he said sagely, “one finds a way to make even the impossible happen.”

 

“That's true!” Joan answered him with a big smile. After checking the time, she excused herself so she could go teach her next scheduled class.

 

-&-

 

Umi was late in her office finishing the work that she'd missed earlier in the morning when she'd been baking the cake. She took a stack of files to the cabinet to put away when suddenly a pair of hands covered her eyes. Turning around, she saw that it was Scott smiling down lovingly at her.

 

“Had a good day?” he asked sweetly as he stroked the hair at her temple. Though she'd tried to fix it, her hair was still in pleasant disarray as it had been after she'd baked the cake.

 

“Yes,” she said with a tired smile.

 

He pulled her close and gave her a kiss on the lips. When she'd put her arms around his neck to kiss him again, they both heard a throat clearing.

 

“I'm sorry to interrupt you two, but I'm just dropping off the camera,” Joan said as she placed it on Umi's desk.

 

“Did you get the photos?” Umi asked with interest.

 

“Quite a few. That man's got presence. I told him I'd go get him some books on tricks. Maybe he can put on a show for us,” she said with a shrug and smile.

 

“Are you talking about Harry?” Scott asked in surprise.

 

“Yes! Take a look at a few of these shots,” Joan said as she turned on the digital camera.

 

She showed them the obligatory head shots, but when she got to the poses of him juggling, she stopped on one frame. In the photo, Harry was looking slightly over his shoulder so that the lilac tresses were falling into his sapphire blue eyes on one side of his face. The twinkle in his other blue eye and smug smile suggested he knew something covert. One hand was higher than the other in the act of throwing the fruit, but at the moment the photo was taken, all pieces were in the air.

 

“Wow,” Umi said, feeling like she'd lost her breath.

 

“Nice photograph, Joan!” Scott said. “Is that another one of your secret hobbies?”

 

While Joan and Scott discussed the photographs, Umi deftly retrieved the camera from her and saved the pictures from the camera to the hard drive of her computer. When the other two continued to talk without wanting her immediate attention, she sent out an email to the attention of Hikaru Shidou.

 

Hikaru,

Take a look at the photograph and tell me who you think that is.

-Umi

 

She attached the photograph to the email, and turned off the computer quickly after it was sent. “Shall we go?” she quickly asked the other two who were still talking.