Chapter 1 - In Which the Tables Turn
Notes-
A/N: Welcome to a brand new fanfiction in the RC9GN universe! I will do my best to keep the characters in character, but this is my first time writing for these shoobs, so I guess we'll have to see, eh? Also, I am completely new to the RC9GN fandom, so this may be a super short or long chapter compared to most fics here. I'm not sure. X]
Genres: Romance, Adventure, Angst, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort
Characters: Randy, Howard, Theresa, Heidi, Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham, The Sorcerer, and Julian.
Pairings: There will be Randy x Theresa and Randy x Howard. Also, some one sided Julian x Heidi.
Warnings: Some yaoi, violence, mild language, character death.
Other: I reaaaalllllyyyy reaaaalllllyyyy need a cover for this story. Does anybody make covers, know of somebody who does, or have any tips for a sucky artist like me who might try to make her own? Any which one appreciated. ;D
***First day of summer***
Ah, 10th grade. Sophomore year. It couldn't come sooner, in Randy's opinion. But for now, he had a long fun-filled summer ahead of him. Of course, since he was the ninja, he did need to keep up with the Stankings. Recently, they had been going further and further from the school. The sorcerer was getting stronger, Randy suspected.
The teen had just finished 9th grade... He had passed with okay grades. Obviously, he didn't have a whole lot of time to study, but he was naturally pretty smart, and the subjects had come easily to him. All except math... Which had never been a good subject for him.
His life seemed to be taking a turn for the better, otherwise. He had started dating Theresa around two weeks ago. They had been close friends for awhile, but hadn't been actually 'dating' until recently. Besides that, he had been perfecting his ninja skills. And what could be better then summer break? Randy only had one problem, however; Howard.
The two best friends fought a lot. It was common knowledge. But lately Howard had been... More irritable then usual. He had been moody, temperamental, and really seemed... Depressed. Randy tried to help out or talk to his friend, but Howard would just get all snappy. Which was odd. Even when Howard got angry, they would always make up. The next day, Howard would be back to his cheerful and selfish self again. But that hadn't been happening. Howard had been like this for nearly two weeks. Randy could only hope it would end soon.
Until then, he would keep on enjoying his summer. Nothing could spoil these few magic months. Nothing... Or so he thought...
"Huh," Theresa said softly, "I thought he was looking forward to summer vacation?" She glanced at Randy, raising an eyebrow curiously.
"I know!" Randy said, spreading his hands out in an exasperated manner, "It doesn't make any sense! And he won't talk to me about it, either!"
The two sat on a bench in the park by the school, discussing Randy's current... Predicament. Usually, Randy would be playing Grave Punchers with Howard on the first day of summer. But since his best friend refused, he had decided to just meet with his girlfriend. He thought she might be of help. She wasn't. But Theresa was always ready to listen to Randy vent, even if she didn't particularly care about what he was going off about.
Theresa was wearing a light blue tank top and denim capris, in contrast to her usual baton-twirling team uniform. Blue looked rather good on her... In Randy's mind, at least. Her dark violet hair had grown a little longer and was pulled back into a pony tail, except for her purple-streaked bangs that hung just above her eyes. She wore blue sneakers and her signature spiky eye make up, but overall looked a little older and mature then she had when starting High school.
Randy wasn't so different then who he was in 9th grade. He wore his usual red shirt, but with no jacket, and shorts instead of pants. His hair was still the same, dark purple, and his figure not much different. He may have gained a little muscle from his duty as the ninja, but nothing very noticeable.
"Well I'm not sure how I can help, Randy," Theresa said in a firm voice. It was no secret that she and Howard... Well... They weren't too fond of each other. Randy wished they were, but alas... Each wanted to spend time with Randy, and each often prevented each other from doing so.
Randy sighed quietly. "We can't just stop being friends, we've know each other for... forever," he said in a sad voice.
"But it might come to that," Theresa said softly, "You never know." She looked at Randy, who was gazing at the ground in thought. Suddenly, there was a loud crash that caused Theresa to jump in her seat. "What the juice?!" Theresa cried.
Randy had a similar reaction, glancing around wildly. They were by the school... He glanced towards it doubtfully. Surely enough, he could see stank for just a second as it took hold of its victim. "Theresa, I have to go," Randy said, "I'm really super sorry." He looked at her apologetically before running off. "Go home!" He called over his shoulder, knowing she needed to get to a safe place. But he couldn't help with that.
Randy sighed as he ran for a secluded place to put the ninja suit on. He wished that Theresa knew he was the ninja. He honestly wasn't sure how she hadn't figure it out already... It would make things so much easier. No lying, or running off, or hiding. He needed to tell her soon, it was just... The Nomicon told him.. Pushing the book to the back of his mind, Randy jumped into a corner behind the school. Glancing around to make sure nobody was watching, he slid the mask over his head. Black and red fabric began to whip around his entire body, and he felt a thrilling pulse of energy.
Theresa crossed her arms with an irritated sigh. Gosh. She loved Randy, but hated when he did his whole 'running off' thing. She turned and began walking home, in no hurry. She wouldn't get in trouble. And even if she did, the ninja always saved everyone... Right? Theresa stayed on the sidewalk as she headed to her neighborhood.
Randy ran towards the sounds of the stanked monster, eyes narrowed. His ninja feet pounded the concrete around the school. His scarf billowed behind him in a streak of red. He skidded to a stop as he saw the stanked monster. His eyes widened. "Howard?!"
Randy blinked his eyes open slowly, a wave of pain washing over him. A groan escaped his lips as he tried to sit up, looking around with confusion. He was in a white room, in a bed. He was covered in thin white sheets. He had a huge bandage around his middle, and no shirt on. His mind and vision felt... Fuzzy. As the purple-haired teen glanced around the room, raising a hand to his aching head, he barely noticed his best friend sitting next to him.
Howard, however, had his full attention on his friend, eyes full of concern. "Hey," he said, in a guilty voice. That was the only word that came out of his mouth. He felt ashamed. Not just for almost killing his best friend, but much more. For ignoring and not talking to Randy. Letting it get so bad, that he got stanked... And then this...
Randy glanced at Howard, blue eyes wavering with confusion. "Howard?" He asked, surprised with how hoarse his voice sounded. "Am I... In a hospital?" His heart sank. Oh no. How was he going to explain this to everyone? How he was at school, getting mauled by a stanked monster? Howard, no less. How would he explain it all this to his parents? To Theresa?
The ginger could see the worry on his friends's face. "Yeah," Howard replied, tone still guilty. "You are. I brought you a bag of things... Since the doc says you'll be here overnight. Heidi's coming to pick me up soon.." He didn't know what else to say, so left it at that. It was almost awkward to talk to Randy now. An awkward conversation? It'd happened before. But not often.
Randy ran a hand over his face, letting out a long breath. "How am I going to explain this?" he wondered aloud, sinking into the pillows behind him. He sent a glare at Howard. "What the juice, Howard? What were you even doing by the school?"
Howard's gaze fell to the floor. "I-"
"And how on earth did you get stanked?" Randy cut in, "What could be that bad? You've been hiding something for weeks now, Howard, we need to talk." He crossed his arms over his bare chest expectantly, scowling. Howard paused, making sure his friend was done talking so he didn't get cut off again.
"I was going to school to pick up my backpack, I left it on Friday," Howard explained, "Look, Cunningham..." He hesitated. "I'm sorry I've been so distant, I don't really feel like talking about it." He scratched the back of his own neck awkwardly, glancing over at Randy.
"Howard," Randy said, "We're best buds, why can't you talk about this?" He spreads his hands exasperatedly. Howard just shook his head, looking back at the floor and not saying another word. What the juice is wrong with Howard?
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Randy called hesitantly, sharing a worried glance with Howard. Regardless of who it was, they had a lot of explaining to do. But Howard would never give out Randy's secret, if anything, he would help.
The door opened, two worried-looking people coming in. The first one was a woman, with curly, dark purple hair and amber eyes. She was curvy with some meat on her bones, and wore a white shirt and black pencil skirt. She flew across the room on tip-tapping heels as fast as she could to her injured son.
"Randolph Cunningham," she said in a stern but worried voice, looking over her boy with worried eyes. "What the juice happened?" Normally Howard would snicker at Randy's full name, that not even Theresa knew, but today he stayed quiet.
The other visitor, a tall man with black hair and intensely blue eyes, followed in, looking concerned. He followed slowly, eyes looking over his son and then drifting to Howard. He walked over behind his wife, placing his hands soothingly on her shoulders as she fawned over their injured boy.
"Mom," Randy said hesitantly, looking at his mother and then his father behind her. His dad said nothing. Randy and his father had never gotten along so well... "I, well.. I got... Attacked!" His mother gasped, one dainty hand flying over her mouth. "Yeah! By a... a...um..."
"Dog!" Howard cut in, grinning sheepishly. Randy glanced at Howard, silently thanking him. Randy's mother didn't notice their phycological exchange, still grasping the idea.
"Oh dear!" Mrs. Cunningham said in a worried voice, "The doctor said on your left side? Three huge gashes, he said! Oh me, that must have been a huge dog, yes!" She cried, "How did you escape?"
"Uh, well, I found him," Howard blurted, knowing he had to have some connection to the story in order to have been the one bringing Randy to the hospital in the first place. Randy's mother and father looked at Howard.
"Oh, goodness," Mrs. Cunningham huffed, "Thank goodness for you, Howard dear," she said genuinely. She looked back at Randy. "Are you feeling alright? Do you need anything, Randy?"
"I'm fine, mom," Randy assured awkwardly, "Just... Some rest would be nice." He wanted his parents to leave the room... His dad's intense, judgmental stare and his mother's nagging was a bit unnerving. And really, he wanted some time to talk alone with Howard... They needed it.
Mrs. Cunningham nodded briskly. "We'll go then, dear," she said quickly, "I'll be back soon. We need to talk with the doctor anyway. Come on," she said, grabbing her husband's arm and heading to the door. "Get well soon, Randolph!" She called, opening the door. The two went out, and the door clicked shut.
"Randolph," Howard finally snickered, now that Randy's parents were gone.
"Shut up, Howard," Randy growled, a small smile betraying him. He somehow had the feeling that everything would be alright between them. "But really," he said seriously, "Howard, why were you stanked? Is something going on?"
Howard hesitated. Yes, something was going on. He liked Randy, and Randy, being his usual oblivious self, cared nothing about it. He was dating Theresa, for juice's sake. But Howard couldn't tell Randy that. He could... but... He had to say something else. A.. Half-lie, essentially. Not the full truth, but not a lie.
"It's just... You've been spending so much time with Theresa lately. I thought you'd prefer hanging with her," Howard shrugged, feeling a twinge of guilt for not telling Randy the full truth. Oh, well...
"Howard, buddy," the purple-haired teen said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder, "Guys before gals, remember?" Howard smiled weakly. "Theresa will never take your place," Randy added for good measure. There was another knock at the door, causing Randy to groan internally and turn towards the door. "Come in," Randy called in an irritated tone, putting his hand back beside himself on the bed. But it wasn't his parents.
It was Heidi. "Come on, Howard," she hissed, "We need to get home." Of course. She had come to pick him up. Randy and Howard exchanged glances. Then the ginger stood up, walking towards the door.
"Bye, Cunningham," he said, before following Heidi out. The door clicked closed again, leaving Randy alone in the white room. He glanced to the side of the bed, looking for the bag Howard had told him he brought. Randy picked it up, hoisting it unto the bed. It was pretty nice of Howard to bring this stuff... He must have been pretty guilty, since he never really does nice stuff like that, Randy thought as he opened the bag.
Inside, were some simple things for the overnight stay. Clothes. Toothbrush. Nothing out of the ordinary. But a red glow escaped the bag as Randy moved some of the fabric. Grinning, the purple-haired teen pulled out a big black and red book, the source of the glow. The nomicon. Thankful that Howard had brought it, Randy put the bag back on the floor beside the bed. Sitting up straight, he opened the book, and flopped over as he was sucked into it.
The car drove down the road smoothly with a soft hum. Hanging idly in the sky, clouds drifted along slowly. The summer sun was bright in the midst of the blue, making Heidi and Howard squint as they drove towards their neighborhood. Their home was quiet a ways away from the hospital. Heidi held the steering wheel gently with scarlet-painted finger nails, clear blue eyes set on the road ahead.
"Did you tell him?" Heidi asked suddenly out of the blue, causing Howard to glance at her with confusion. Of course, she knew about his little 'crush'. And despite her reputation as the 'gossip queen', she could keep a secret for her younger brother. Howard closed his eyes as the afternoon sun flicked at his eyes through the windshield.
"No," Howard replied simply.
Heidi let out a soft sigh. This was one of the rare moments... When both were toughing it out and not being obnoxious to one-another. "Andy's going to find out sooner or later," Heidi said with a shrug, "That's all I mean. You know that, right?"
"It's Randy... And yeah," Howard said, opening his eyes and looking out the window. "I know." It would eventually come out, it couldn't stay a secret forever. And if it did, their friendship would never be... Honest, and undivided like it had been before. But it's not like there was a chance Cunningham felt the same way...
"You don't want your friendship to be ruined just 'cause you're such a shoob," Heidi snapped, in a caring, not-caring kind of way. With that, she turned up the radio and drummed her fingernails on the steering wheel as her favorite, and Howard's least-favorite song blared in the car. The fact that her brother hated it only made it more enjoyable.
Howard rolled his eyes.
When they finally pulled into their driveway, a flustered looking Theresa was waiting. Getting out of the car, Howard walked to meet her. "What do you want, Theresa?" Howard grumbled, glaring at the girl. He crossed his wide arms expectantly.
"Randy ran off earlier, and he's not answering his phone," Theresa said,narrowing her eyes, "His parents aren't answering the home phone, either! Do you know where he is?"
Randy sat up slowly, closing the book and shaking his head slightly. "Wha. The juice Nomicon? I didn't even-" there was a knock on the door. "Oh," Randy whispered. "Uh, thanks." He closed the book and tucked it under the sheets. "Come in!" He called. The door swung open, a very irritated/annoyed/concerned/tired-looking Theresa walking in, the door slamming behind her. Oh no. Could Randy really lie face-to-face to his girlfriend?
"Randy!" Theresa blurted out in a flustered voice, "What the heck happened?"
A/N: I sincerely hoped you enjoyed this chapter. I had lots of fun writing it. However, Reviews are my life source! If I don't get reviews, this story will die. You don't want that, do you? Or maybe you do, haha. But long story short, I most likely won't continue UNLESS I get reviews! [Even bad ones.] :)
Also! I will respond in future chapters to each and every review! So... Yeah. Feel free to give suggestions, ask questions, and be awesome! Once again, thanks for reading and have a good week, yeah?