A WildHalf fanfic by Yucca. Characters are properties of Yuko Asami used without permission. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Wish upon the Silver Star ==================== "Bye sweetheart," said Kaoru's mother as she gave the boy a quick peck on the cheek. Then the beautiful pianist gathered her music notes on the ground and hurried to the car. Her husband stumbled behind her carrying documents and files piled up high above his head. "Now, be a good boy, Kaoru. Once we're off, we won't be back for a while. So you're the man of this house for now. YOU ARE in CHARGE!" "Yes, sweetheart. But we promised to be home for your 8th birthday. That's next week, right? We won't miss it!" his mother called out from the car. She had had the engine running. The boy gave both his parents a bright smiled. "Yes papa, mama. I'll be very good!" His father laughed. "That's my son!" He leaned over to hug him, forgetting about the pile in his hands. His important documents began to tilt impossibly forward. "Err... papa-" Kaoru was unable to finish his sentence as the pile crashed down on him. "Yaahhh!" he cried and dropped to the ground with papers scattered around him. A file hit him on the head. "Ouch!" "OH NO!!!" He heard his mother screamed. "Sweetheart, are you all right? Are you hurt? Tell mummy! Oh Karasuma, how could you!" She rushed out of the car worried. "Mama! It's okay! I'm fine really." Kaoru got up easily. He jumped up and down to reassure his mother. "See?" His mother gave a loud sigh of relief. "My, I'm sorry son. Here let's finish the hug. HUG!!" Kaoru laughed happily as his father gave him a big bear hug. He hugged back with all his heart. "Oh papa... Can't you come back sooner?" he asked in a hopeful plead. "Kaoru..." His father gently placed him down on his feet. He brushed the boy's head lightly. "You must understand... your mother's job, my business, they are both very important. If we don't work hard, we won't have enough for our daily needs..." The boy nodded and patted his father on the shoulder. "Hey! Don't worry about it, pa! I understand!" He flashed him a bright understanding smile. "You guys better go or you'll be late!" "Oh no! He's right! Come on we got to go!" yelled his father in panic as the boy's words hit reality and began running to the car. "Oh! Karasuma, you forgot your documents!" cried his wife desperately trailing after him. "What?!" He whirled around and ran back, tripping along the way. "Kaoru! Help me with these! Quick!" "Oh dear, how careless you are, I hope our son don't learn that from you." Kaoru looked up at his mother's words and his eyes widen in horror. Behind her, the car began to slid backwards, by ITSELF!! "Oh no! The brakes! I forgot about them!" she screamed, running after the runaway car. "Look at who's talking!" his father chuckled. "The car! Karasuma! Help me!!!" "Kaoru! My documents!!!" "Good car... come to mummy- AGHHH!" "Now what is this footprint doing on this paper?!" * * * * * "Bye boy!" "Bye! Sweetheart!" Kaoru stood at the car poach waving both his hands to his parents. "Bye papa! Bye mama!" he yelled cheerfully. He watched as the car went out of the gate, into the open road, smiling with all his might. As soon as the car disappeared from sight, Kaoru's smile faded from his face and gazed longingly at direction where his parents had went. "Bye..." he whispered softly giving a tiny wave to no one in particular. Then he slowly turned back to the house and closed the door quietly behind him. "Ha! I'm the man of the house now!" He said loudly to himself and tried to smile. But he could not. It's just no fun to be the man of the house when the only people around were just the housemaid and him. He sighed and walked sadly to his room. His parents had just came back yesterday night, and they had to go today. He's going to miss them, he knew. In fact, he was already missing them now. He understood his parents' situation of course, but it's also true that every child longed their parents love and attention- something that he could not always have. His parents had to work all day and went for trips, which may be for days like this one. Even if they did came home, it's usually late at night when he was asleep. He turned the doorknob and went into his bedroom. A lot of children envied his room for it was big and in their saying- totally cool! His mother had made extra efforts for his room to be perfect. It was filled with lot of toys and everything a boy would want. {Yeah, except a mother to sing me to sleep and a father who comfort me whenever I'm terrified in the middle of the night.} Kaoru thought as he flopped down on his bed. Now with his parents gone, the house seemed empty and quiet. He was lonely. He stared up to the ceiling. The evening sunset had filled his room with orange red. The warm colour comforted him a little. Kaoru got up and slid open the corridor door. He leaned forward on the railing and watched with interest as the sunset was engulfed by darkness bit by bit. The boy was still there when the early stars first made its appearance. They shined and twinkled as if trying to communicate with him. Soon more of them came into view. He began to join them together to form images of his parents and him. Then he noticed a lone star among them. It's big and silver, twice as shinny as the others, twinkling brightly at him. "The Silver Star..." Kaoru whispered in awe. Grandpa had told him about the star. His words rang into his mind... * Only when the time is right, one shall see the Silver Star. A star brighter a bigger than all the stars, which seems to twinkle at it's own will. If you ever get to see it my child, make a wish upon it. It's mystical. Who knows, it may do miracles. * Kaoru gazed at the star, it twinkled back at him. {Maybe,} he thought. A lit of hope arose within him. He looked up into the starlit night, closed his eyes and wished with all his heart... Up above the Silver Star twinkled brilliantly at it's own will. * * * * * Two days later... Kaoru quicken his pace, his schoolbag swaying to and fro behind his back. The dark clouds above him seemed to forecast a heavy downpour. He got to get home soon or would be caught in the rain. As he ran passed a field, the rain began to sizzle down. "Great! I'm too late!" he mumbled, glancing around for shelter. Then his eye caught something among the tall grass in the field. A dog, lying motionlessly still with its eye closed. Kaoru approached it, ignoring the rain. There were scratches, mud and blood all over its silver coat. {It's dead!} he thought, but dismissed the concept as he saw slight movements on the hurt dog's chest. Kaoru bend down and slowly raised his hand to touch the dog on the head. The dog's eye suddenly shot open. They widen in surprised at Kaoru sight. The boy smiled in relief. "Are you ok?..." he asked kindly. The dog just stared at him through its silver eyes. Then it growled and pushed Kaoru away with its paw. "Ouch!" cried Kaoru as he landed on the ground. He looked up at the dog, eye-wide. It tried to move away from him but couldn't for it was fatigued from those wounds. It just lay there shivering in the cold waiting for its fate. Seeing that Kaoru was still there staring at him, the dog growled again, warning him not to come any closer. But Kaoru acted the opposite. He had seen the troubled expression within the dog's eyes. He knew. A bright smile formed on his little face and he tried to approach it again. "Don't worry. Don't be afraid" The dog barked in return. "Trust me! It's okay!" Stretching out his hands he touched it again. {I won't hurt you, I promise.} It was as if he could see though the dog's mind. Although it was barking and growling, although it had attacked him, he somehow knew what the dog longed most. He had seen it in its eyes. Love. Kaoru gently rounded his arms around it and gave it a hug. {Trust me, you don't need to fear.} The dog stared at him in disbelieve. This time it did not lashed out at the boy... * * * * * "There!" exclaimed Kaoru as soon as he finished tending the dog's wound. But he frowned when the dog toppled over the bandages around it. It lifted its paw and looked confusedly at the tangled bandages. "Guess I'm not a good doctor huh?" He untangled some of them and retied them back in yet another odd angle. "Oh well! At least you can walk now!" He grinned and patted the dog. "Come on doggie, I'll introduce you to my family-" Kaoru stopped in mid sentence as he remembered. "Uh... let's just show you to auntie." The silver dog gazed back him and followed. "Auntie! Auntie! Look!" shouted Kaoru as he entered the kitchen. "What?" The housemaid looked right towards the boy, carefully balancing a pile of dishes with both her arms. "This!" Kaoru shoved the dog in front of him for the maid's full view. The housemaid's eyes widen in horror. "IT'S A WALKING MUMMY!!!!!" she screamed. The dishes in her hands crashed to the floor breaking into tiny unless pieces. The maid scampered towards the kitchen cupboard and began to search, throwing out the unneeded objects. "Where is it?! WHERE?!" "Auntie-" began Kaoru and stopped in mid-sentence as a fork flew passed him, missing him by mere inches. The housemaid was throwing forks and spoons! Then right before his eyes, a knife was charging directly at him. Kaoru froze in horror. At that moment he couldn't move, all he could do was to scream. "AIII!!!!" {I'm a goner!} Suddenly he was pushed to the floor. Something soft landed on him, covering him from harm. At the corner of his eyes, he saw the knife stuck through the wall right at where he had been standing. He sighed in relieved. The knife missed him. Saved by the silver dog. "WHERE IS IT?!" The maid yelled, oblivious to the near death incident. "What are you looking for?" Kaoru shouted back. He had carefully crawled out of the dangerous kitchen with the dog beside him. "The CROSS! That JESUS CROSS! You know, to get rid of that ... that MUMMY!!" "But crosses are for vampires!" "Oh!" realized the maid. Then the desperate woman backed herself to a corner into a hiding position and held the nose in a ridiculous way. "Kaoru! Come here with me quickly! And -DON'T BREATH-! Then it can't find you!" "That's for the -Chinese- vampires!" said Kaoru running to her before she could do anything even more silly. "Auntie! It's only a dog! Just a -dog-!" "A dog?" The maid finally calmed down and looked suspiciously at the bandaged animal. "Oh! For a moment I thought..." "That it was a mummy, I know, I know," said Kaoru grinning sheepishly at her. "It's hurt so I bandaged it up!" "Oh!" The housemaid nodded. "And I suppose -you- want to keep it?" she asked. There was displeasure in her tone. "Why not? It doesn't have a collar!" answered the boy hugging the dog. "And it protected me when -someone- was throwing knives..." "What!? Who was throwing knives?!" exclaimed the maid in horror. A blurred expression appeared on her face as Kaoru and the dog sighed and shook their heads. She shuddered in confuse. "Well, you could keep it if the mistress allow you to." She finally said in the end after finding no reason to oppose Kaoru. "Mama won't!" stated Kaoru happily. "Hear that doggie! This is great! Hei, I can't keep on calling you 'doggie'." The excited boy turned the maid. "What do you think I should name him?" "What about 'Mummy'?" "Forget that I asked," groaned the boy. "I'm going upstairs. It's almost bedtime." Kaoru yawned. "Uhh... hold on young master," began the housemaid stopping him. Kaoru turned around and looked at her. She waved her hands around her indicating her surroundings. "How did this kitchen get so messed up?" * * * * * Kaoru sat on his bed and looked out through the window into the darkened sky. He could not see the Silver Star he had seen two days ago. {Where had it gone?} He thought, wondering if it had granted his wish. Just then, he saw the figure standing beside his bed. He has the form of a human body but slightly different. His arms and body below his waist were covered with silver fur. He has long silver hair and eyes. Among his long hair, Kaoru could make out its canine ears and a bushy silver tail just like his new dog. "Doggie?" Kaoru whispered in amazement. It was a strange sight yet he was not afraid. It was, after all, his dog; the dog that had protected him from harm that evening, the one that made him felt warm and happy inside. The dog in human form leaned down beside him. "You're the first human to show so much feelings to me," he said in a quiet, gentle voice. "You gave me something that I was afraid to ask for, but I can't promise to stay, although for now... this is my home. You won't be lonely anymore, I promise." * * * * * Kaoru woke up. The morning sunlight had seeped into his bedroom lighting up the place. {A dream,} he thought glancing at the silver dog sleeping beside him. The dog stirred, disturbed by his movements and opened an eye. The boy smiled. Suddenly he knew the exact name for the dog. "Ginsei," he whispered and tickled the dog's ear. Ginsei wagged his tail and licked the boy's face. Kaoru laughed, somehow he knew that they would go a long way together. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yeah, my first fanfic. I've seen comments that we should start from short fanfics first before going for long ones. So TATAA! Hey! I'm still trying you know, don't expect much from me! And I don't know how it got so long! Anyway, here I'm not focusing on the main characters here just the... how do you say it... the sub-characters like Shampoo in Ranma1/2. It's a side story about Kaoru Karasuma when he was young and how Ginsei got his name. 'Ginsei' means 'Silver Star'. You see, in Chinese (Mandarin) 'Silver Star' is pronounced as 'Yin Xing' which is written the same way in Japanese (Kanji) pronounced as 'Ginsei' That means they have the same meaning! Still it has a very small chance not to be correct since I don't know Japanese, but Mandarin is very similar to it -if- it's written in Kanji. I like the name 'Yin Xing' and I have been playing this RPG game call 'Lunar the Silver Star' so that's how this story came out! Yucca Homepage:http://www.geocities.com/wildhalf_99/ Sorry to advertise the homepage like this but how am I going to get it known otherwise? ~_~