Summary: A trick of the trade in obtaining the present you want. Written for the challenge in the LJ SDK community in honor of Fubuki's birthday (Nov.1).
Disclaimer: I do not own Samurai Deeper Kyo anime, manga, or any of the characters. Kamijyo Akimine is the true legal and spiritual owner.
Neko still lives! And I haven't given up on my other fics... Really.
Bidding War
A crimson band clad Taishirou came ambling through the Metropolitan Mibu Library as he stopped to greet a white haired figure mumbling disconcertedly in the computer lab.
"Yo Shinrei, what's up?"
The figure turned away from the computer screen to greet the visitor, "Oh, hello Yuan. I was just placing a bid."
Not one for surfing on the Mibu Wide Web, Yuan replied with a confused, "Huh?
"Well, Fubuki-sama's birthday is approaching soon and I finally found the perfect gift on miBay."
"Mi- what?"
"miBay. Mibu's biggest and most popular on-line auction site."
Shinrei's computer screen stated in bold, colorful letters:
miBay
Serving your online auction needs since the beginning of time!
"I found this item on miBay a few days ago and I thought about how Fubuki-sama would really like this." Shinrei went on excitedly to verbally describe to the blind soul stealer of the gift of his choice.
Impressed, Yuan whistled in admiration, "Wow, that's pretty good thinking. Tokito and I are going in together on a carton of hairspray and some styling gel."
Shinrei smiled, "There's always room for quality hair products."
Yuan shrugged at the comment. He for one could care less about the art of hair maintenance. But he knew he couldn't ignore his leader's big day and had decided to team up with the newbie Taishirou to get it over with. "You guys are going through a lot of trouble just for a birthday gift. I think Hishigi is even making him a new outfit."
Shinrei nodded, "I saw him working on it in his lab the other day. He said he was creating a more durable, water resistant kimono that didn't skimp on style."
Yuan smirked, "Ch, Hishigi should just give him some of that leather outfit of his."
Quick to anger when it came to the topic of his revered mentor, Shinrei ranted, "Fubuki-sama would never wear such a thing as leather! Although it might be suitable for Hishigi-san's needs, the powerful leader of the Taishirou deserves nothing but the most traditionally regal kimono that this land can offer!"
Yuan's smirk remained as he lifted his hands up in mock defense, "Chill out Shinrei, I was just kidding." He then thought for a moment before changing the topic, "So if you did find that 'perfect gift,' why are you so frustrated?"
Shinrei's eyes darkened an ominous deep blue at the inquiry. He then proceeded to left click to the bidding page. "The problem isn't the item itself, it's just that there are others bidders that want it. I've been able to keep most of them at bay with the exception of this annoying bidder named, WS."
Yuan cocked his head, "What kind of a name is that?"
Shinrei scoffed back, "How should I know? All I know is that obstacle keeps getting in my way of acquiring the perfect gift."
Proving his point, the water user started typing, "You see, every time I enter a new price, I get outbid." The new price that Shinrei entered was immediately cued with the following message,
WaterDragon, you have been outbid by WS.
Shinrei slammed his hands on the desk in frustration. "Ugh! There he goes again! I must win this auction if not for Fubuki-sama then for my pride and honor! I will beat this cretin if it's the last thing I ever do!"
A soft, yet a distinct snicker traveled from the other side of the computer lab, "What a moron."
Both heads shot up in surprise at the realization of a presence of a very familiar chi.
"Keikoku, what are you doing here! You're supposed to be training this morning!"
"Yeah, I was looking for you, blondie," Yuan smirked.
Hotaru expressed a ghost of a smile, "I had something very important to do."
Not one to accept any deviation from the training regimen, Shinrei demanded, "And what could be more important than training?"
"Annoying you."
It took all of three seconds for the light of epiphany to hit Shinrei as he rushed over to the other side of the room to see his fear realized in the form of big, bold letters on his computer screen,
WS, you are the current highest bidder!
"You jerk! I'm bidding on this for Fubuki-sama's birthday!"
Hotaru lifted an eyebrow in a faux surprise, "Oh, it's his birthday?"
"You know it is! And how did you know I was bidding on this?"
Hotaru yawned in boredom and replied dryly, "Oh no, I wouldn't have connected such an original username like WaterDragon with you at all."
Shinrei sputtered back, "S…so what if I like that name. And what kind of a name is WS? What does it stand for anyway?"
Hotaru's eyes flickered slightly at the inquiry, "I'm not telling. It's a secret."
Observing the argument bordering on warfare, Yuan attempted to step in to placate the siblings. "Hey Keikoku, it's not like you're going to use that thing. The price is high enough as it is. Do you even have the money to pay for it?"
Shinrei looked gratefully in Yuan's direction, "That's right! I know how much you earn on the Goyousei payroll. And most of that goes towards buying and maintaining that noisy animal farm you've got in your room!"
"What I have in my room is none of your business. And besides, I do have the means of paying for it."
Feeling a sense of uneasiness, Shinrei asked the inevitable question the inquirers want to know, "How are you paying for it?"
"I stored your Mibu Gold Card number in my miBay account."
Shinrei gawked in undefined rage and disbelief, "You.Did.What?"
And with a hint of unchecked jealousy playing behind the teasings for the amount of attention his older brother paid the overly coiffed man, the sadistic fire user followed through with the ultimate verbal blow.
"And by the way Shinrei, WS stands for Water. Sucks."
An exhausted sound of Yuan breathing out, "Ah hell, here we go again," was all that was heard before the elements commenced their warfare.
Chairs, desks, and various computer equipment being scorched and drowned were strewn about like Tokito's deck of cards as the siblings battled with all their might until Yuan somehow managed to pry them apart.
Hours later, the three figures sat dejectedly outside the Mibu Council following a formal reprimand from the director of the library and Aka-no-Ou himself. Yuan looked irritatingly at the two fellow culprits, one who hung his head in undisguised shame, the other who looked on blankly, unaffected by the whole event.
The only comfort Shinrei took was the fact his revered mentor was away on urgent business and that he did not have to face him with the guilt of succumbing to what he now considered was a childish reaction on his part.
The group now faced the task of cleaning up as well as taking a hefty pay cut from their Goyousei salary (and garnished to a lesser extent, Yuan's Taishirou paycheck as well) to offset the damage caused in the computer lab.
"Come on you idiots. We may as well as start the clean up." And with a sudden thought of the item that had been the center of this fiasco, Yuan added, "By the way, after all this crap, did one of you at least win the auction?"
The three Mibu warriors looked blankly amongst themselves and started hastily towards the pile of rubble in hopes of finding a working computer.
-o-o-o-
High up the near pinnacle of the Mibu tower, a contented figure sat comfortably on his chair as he gently stroked a purring cat.
As if fully comprehending the mechanics of feline communication, the owner nodded and responded in a rarely excited tone, "The specially crafted neck pillow will be perfect for preserving my hairstyle when I sleep."
And the said four legged mammal and the Taishirou leader looked on in smug silence as the magical words displayed themselves on the computer screen:
Congratulations AquaNet! You have won the auction Item #16040000!
-The End-
Aqua Net is a virtually industrial strength hairspray (made in the U.S.) very popular in the 80's for helping to create anti-gravity hairstyles. This product apparently is still pretty popular today.
Disclaimer 2: I am in no way affiliated with nor profiting from eBay. Or Aqua Net. Or the neck pillow (if such a thing exists).