Zenkai Power
Sister. A word like that is supposed to have meaning, is supposed to hold something special. But for Dib and Gaz, it meant nothing. The two never had anything more than occasional trips to Bloaty's Pizza Hog with their father. Gaz was always too obsessed with her video games, and Dib was too obsessed with the paranormal.
"I hate the sound of your voice," Gaz said, passing Dib by as he rambled about the paranormal again.
"Gaz! I know it! I know he's planning something with the neck-ties!" Dib yelled, keeping up with her. An empty soda can was chucked at his head, hitting him right in the forehead.
"Shut up and get me another soda!" Gaz ordered, taking a seat at the kitchen table, playing her game the whole time. Without really thinking, Dib did as he was told.
Other than insults and random yelling and occasional saving of lives, the two weren't very close, not as siblings, anyway. Constantly Dib would talk to Gaz, whether she was listening or not, and try to include her in his plans. And she would bring him along to certain midnight events, if only because their father made them, for her safety he always said, even if she was seventeen now. And the Anime Extreme Festival Doom Five Kill Rant Rave was no exception.
Everything in the room that night was either black or neon colored, even Dib. To fit in with the rest, at least somewhat, Gaz made Dib wear skinny jeans with hanging suspenders that glowed under the black lights. He didn't want to, but she forced eyeliner onto him and made him shed his tattered overcoat. She herself wore a lacy Lolita dress with a short apron and high pig-tails. Her long striped stockings glowed neon green and orange.
"This place is probably crawling with all sorts of aliens and creatures, Gaz," Dib whispered manically, glancing around at everyone dressed similarly to them.
"Yeah, sure," Gaz said, staring at a tall man she knew from the Call of Duty world. For once, he looked better offline. As Dib kept on his insane rambling, Gaz ditched him in the corner to join other gamers. Heavy music started blasting from the DJ and Dib was long forgotten.
"…and that woman over there…those can't possibly be faked!" Dib exclaimed in a whisper, he looked over at Gaz but found she wasn't there. "Huh, Gaz?" She wasn't anywhere near as the music got louder. "I hope this isn't like the zombie incident…" He mumbled, looking for a chair somewhere nearby.
After about ten minutes he successfully found a place to sit and something to eat, though he was paranoid that it had some kind of drug in it. "Hey, girls, look at the trash that wandered in here tonight," A girl said as she walked up to Dib. He looked up from the strange food to see an even stranger woman who looked much like a black-leather clad five-dollar whore. And she was surrounded by a group of women who looked much the same as she did, but the first woman seemed to have so much more…presence.
"He looks so clueless," Another commented. One, he had no idea which, threw empty wrappers at him.
"Um, I'm just here with my sister," Dib said lamely, wondering if these girls were actually sirens or furies.
"Oh, how cute. Tagging along with your sister," The leader said, "Lame." The rest of them burst out in giggles and laughs, mocking Dib. The leader just stood and stared down at him.
"Well, I am," Dib defended.
"How about we show you a real time, noobie," She said, grabbing Dib's shirt and dragging him up.
"How about you leave him alone, Black Mistress," Gaz spat, standing eerily behind the mob of girls. A weird tall guy hung to her back but said nothing, he seemed afraid of all the scary women present.
Back Mistress let go of Dib and turned to Gaz, all the women around that were laughing suddenly became quiet, watching the tension of the situation. "Oh? What do you think you're doing bringing this noob to a rave, Little Willow?" She asked, using Gaz's gamer name.
"None of your business. Only a troll goes around picking on noobs," Gaz said, glaring hatefully at the woman. The group gasped at Black Mistress being called such a word. Dib stood quietly to the side, not knowing what 'noobs' or 'trolls' were. He knew what trolls were, but this was just confusing.
After a moment of relative quiet, Black Mistress finally spoke up again. "Next time you wanna be lame and let little noobs join us, remember that you're no longer welcome at the Hell Guild," She said, leading her group of girls off to the party.
"T-Thanks, Gaz," Dib muttered, but Gaz couldn't hear him, she had a gamer's tongue down her throat. So he sat back down and waited for the whole thing to be over with so he could go back to stalk-…researching aliens.
-One Month Later-
Final exams were so soon, next week in fact. And he'd studied so much, he wasn't even researching the paranormal lately, which was okay because the paranormal was too busy with the same thing to bother him or anyone else. Dib's head thudded on the desk. At most places, Senior year was supposed to be the easiest, but here it was the exact opposite. Every week there was a huge exam on all their classes and at the end of the semester there were quizzes and tests and exams flying quite literally out the wazzoo, and after that there were battle royals. It was pretty hard.
In fact, Dib couldn't actually remember the last time he'd had sleep or a decent meal, due to all the cramming and explosive learning. There were food containers covering the floor in a thick coating and the ceiling was sticky with something that he didn't even want to begin thinking about. Books were scattered everywhere, he was pretty sure the books themselves had come to life and were sustaining their existence by eating random objects in his room. Of course, that could be the lack of sleep and surprising about of energy drinks talking.
Just as he was about to turn the page of the book he was laying on, trying to obsorb through osmosis, he was pulled upwards roughly. "It's dark outside and burglars are outside and I'm scared and you need to come downstairs with me right now," Gaz said in a hushed, bored tone that didn't sound at all scared.
"Um...I'm trying to study, Gaz," Dib said, trying to get out of her grasp.
"Nope, you're coming downstairs...you are my 'protector' aren't you?" Gaz asked almost sarcastically.
"Y-Yeah, of course," Dib said immediately, a strange energy-drink-fueled fantasy played in his head where Gaz sat downstairs innocently playing her Game Slave by the window when an alien saucer smashed through the window and beamed up the helpless Gaz. "I'll protect you!" Dib yelled, now holding onto Gaz by the arms.
"Good," Gaz said, seeming to expect this reaction. She dragged him down the stairs and sat him on the couch, flicking the TV to play the DVD she'd put in. What played had Dib curious, it was Dragon Ball Z, which they hadn't watched together since they were kids. "I can't believe how shitty Vegeta's voice is," Gaz commented.
"I know, right? And the colors are rediculously off, his hair's red," Dib pointed out, this was season one, possibly the best season to make fun of.
"The bug things are cool, though..." Gaz said, refering to the Arlians.
"Too bad they all die at the end," Dib sighed, he would've liked to discover suck cool looking aliens some day.
"Too bad...or too good?" Gaz asked, looking up from her Game Slave to peer at the TV.
"Well, the end is pretty cool," Dib said. "That moment when the two lovers reunite and almost embrace and then get vaporized before they can even touch...that is awesome..."
"Uh-huh," Gaz mumbled, but Dib knew it was her favorite part, too.
Before the disk even made it halfway through the episode, Dib was passed out on his side of the couch and in danger of falling off. Gaz smirked and pushed him back on, letting him take up the whole couch so he wouldn't roll off of it. Just before she left him to sleep with the sounds of DBZ to enlighten his dreams, she threw the afghan over him and shut off the light for her brother to get some much needed sleep.
-One Month Later-
The best part about getting stuff for college that he didn't have to pay for was getting new equipment. And this computer was freakishly amazing, it had all the space to store his paranormal files, even the vast, unorganized mess of alien files. It was fast and had tons of programs and wi-fi for miles. The only part that was bad at all...Doors Seven. Sure, it was the latest and high tech and all, but it didn't even come with MacroHard Office already on it, like most Doors stuff did. So Dib had to go online to download it.
And what was with the bar at the bottom? He had to click on the giant E and then select what tab he wanted to open...and the tabs were in a different spot than they were and he kept getting confused by misclicking on them. He sighed in aggravation after having accidentally deleting a very important file. Maybe not important to research...but it had videos of a certain alien stored there and now they were gone...he'd have to go stalk- researching again now.
"What's got your panties in a bunch?" Gaz asked from the doorway, sipping an apple juice box.
"Freaking Doors Seven..." Dib mumbled, ignoring the insult. Gaz strode over, saw what Dib had been trying to do and typed in a few commands, successfully completing the action more effectively than Dib ever could have. "H-How..."
"I'm awesome...duh..." Gaz said, rolling her eyes at Dib and continued to sip her juice box. Dib gaped at her, unable to believe it.
"...C-Can you...teach me...?" Dib asked, afraid of being told 'no' when he was so hopeless.
But gaz shrugged and found a chair, preparing herself for a long night. "Wanna see the snipping tool?" Gaz asked, pretty randomly.
"Uh...the what?" Dib asked.
"I take that as a yes," She said and reached for the mouse. Five minutes later Dib was amazed, holding this 'snipping tool' in high regards. "I knew you'd like it," Gaz said, watching Dib snip random pictures.
"Coooooooool..." Dib mumbled, so mystified.
...
Later That Night.
"I...guess Doors Seven isn't...so bad..." Dib said, hating to admit that he was now completely comfortable using it.
"It's really not...wanna see Doors Nine?" Gaz said, taking out her Japanese pocket computer and flipping the screen open, showing it to Dib.
"Noooooo!" Dib yelled, throwing his hands in front of him, "The awesomeness is too much! I only just got acquainted with Doors Seven!" Gaz took her computer back and got up to leave.
"Hey, Gaz," Dib called, as Gaz paused at the door, looking back just a bit. "...Thanks..."
"Whatever...whiner," She mumbled, striding out.
Dib just smiled, knowing Gaz didn't really mean that, it was just her way of showing she cared.
...
-Two Weeks Later-
"Dib!" Gaz yelled, "Hurry up!" She stormed around the house looking for him, finally finding him in his room. "What's taking so long, we need to hurry or we'll be in the back of the line again!"
"Your Game Slave convention can wait a few more minutes..." Dib sighed, looking through his files again. "I need to find this picture for the profile I'm sending to Mysterious Mysteries..."
"Find it QUICKLY," Gaz seethed. Dib just shook his head and kept searching. Observing from over his shoulder, Gaz noticed how disorganized his whole system was, nothing was where it should have been.
"Ugh...I'll find it later...let's just go..." Dib mumbled, getting up and leaving his work as it was.
...
Later that night, when Dib was watching his lame-ass show, Gaz snuck into his room. Well, more like walked right in. And sat at his computer, begining to open up file after file. The hardest part of the job was figuring out a system of organization that even a dumbass like Dib could understand. So, she created files as simple as she could and began to work.
That was when she stumbled upon Dib's gigantic collection of photos and research that never got to the Swollen Eyeball organization. It wasn't Big Foot or Loch Ness, no, it was all about a particular green boy with light blue eyes. It seemed that her brother was obsessed with the alien. She wondered vaguely when Dib would realize what this obsession really meant, rather than claiming it was research and for the good of the human race. But oh well, that was just her take on it, she would never confront Dib about.
She left those files alone entirely and went about the rest of the computer, not stopping until it was all squeaky clean. "Gaz...what are you doing here?" Dib asked, walking in on Gaz's 'spring cleaning'.
"Re-organizing the shit-pile you call a database," Gaz grunted, leaving the computer alone since her job was now done. Dib sat to figure out what damage she'd done and easily found the files he was looking for.
"Hm...that never happens..." He mumbled to himself, usually it took a longer amount of time than that. "...Guess she really did clean it out."
The next day when he sent off his profile, it was completely organized with all the photos he'd wanted it to have. He supposed having a computer savvy sister was pretty neat. She'd redone almost everything, making it a lot easier for him to find things. He was pretty impressed with her work. Now if only he could get her to organize the kitchen in such a way.
-One Month Later-
"Yeah, I need to talk to him," Dib muttered through the phone, "I'm his son! What, what clearance? …What password? Wait, hey, don't hang up!" Click. "Damn it…" His last day at home and he couldn't even get his father on the phone to say goodbye.
He didn't think any college would accept him, and was surprised when Touou University accepted him with open arms. He had a suspicion that his father made that happen though, with his money and power. And it was done discreetly, no one knew whom Dib was or that the Great Professor Membrane was his father or that he was connected to the University in any way.
Taking the last box to the car, Dib's only thought was that he was finally getting out of this town and somewhere better. Someplace with people like him, who weren't ignorant and wouldn't call him a freak. It put a smile back on his face and proud that he was getting away from so many years of being ignored and called insane.
"Here," Gaz grunted behind him. He turned around and saw her squinting up at him, her chocolate brown eyes glinting in the sunlight. "Take it," She said quickly, thrusting something square into his hands before storming back into the house. He watched her go before looking at what she'd given him.
It was a portable Game Slave. And not just any PGS, it was the newest model built with texting abilities and internet and pretty much everything the new EyeFone's had, but without the annoying touch screens. Dib thought it was so strange that she would give him something so valuable, but he passed it off as her throwing it out and somehow getting the latest, unreleased Game Slave from Japan. So he stashed it in the glove compartment and didn't think anything else of it.
The college was in a town that was a two hour drive from where they lived. Halfway to the new town, something in the glove compartment buzzed. He panicked and thought someone had placed an alien bugging device in his car until he stopped at a light and dug through the compartment. Oh...it was just the Game Slave, apparently he'd just gotten a message. Somehow the number for Gaz's Game Slave was stored in this one, because the message was from her.
'I'll miss you.'
It was definitely there, written plainly in English, but still Dib sat there staring at it in awe and wonder. Perhaps this gift was more than meets the eye. 'Miss you too' Dib texted back, still in a bit of shock. 'Whiner' Gaz texted, making Dib laugh out loud. At least someone would miss him, even if she still called him names.
...
'Whiner'. She didn't really mean to type that...it was habit. But Dib didn't seem to mind since he texted 'lol' right after. For the first time in too long, Gaz cracked a small smile as a quiet tear rolled down her cheek and landed on the Game Slave screen. As long as Dib was still there in the gamer universe, things would be okay. She never thought she'd miss him, of all people. She'd always wanted him to leave, to just go away and shut up. But as time had gotten closer and closer to when he was scheduled to leave, she couldn't help but feel heartache. Of course, she ignored this feeling entirely.
Dib was just a freak. This paranoid, paranormal exploring hippie. All he ever did was stalk that green kid and complain about other people or Dad, or just belly ache about everything. He was constantly finishing off the rest of her snacks and food, and he never even realized it. It was no wonder why no one was ever friends with him, because he simply pushed people away. And she would be damned if she ever cared about him.
And so she was damned.
The whole summer she told herself she didn't care, that it didn't bother her, that Dib leaving was good. But now that he was gone there was no denying it. Without the continually rambling boy around, there was a void in the house. Especially since their father was hardly ever home, and when he was he was working in the basement, too busy with science to bother noticing his children, one of which he created with science. But knowing that she'd been able to get this connection to Dib at the last second sort of...filled that void and made her heart hurt less. She wondered if Dib felt the same way...but she didn't wonder long because she realized she didn't care.
...
Wow. A connection...to his sister. For once, he could really feel comfortable calling her his sister. This was possibly the best thing she, or anyone else, had done for him. And he found that this thought filled him...filled some empty place inside that ached from lack of contentment. She really cared...
A car behind him honked and he realized he'd been sitting at the stop light too long and the light was already green. Setting the PGS on his lap, he continued driving again. This time though, he didn't think of his escape...he thought about the new friend he now had.
...
...
...
...
Been working on this for quite a while. Written for my own sister. You've been the best faux twin evah! This summer has been great and you've been more than helpful in ways I didn't know you could. :) I'll miss watching DBZ and Hellboy and random movies with you late at night. I'll txt you all the time, I promise! (heh, written just in the nick of time, I leave in like...what, two days and now I'm done. Smooth)
So yeah...this is a lot different than the type of stuff I usually write, but I hope even though it has no gore or people dying that it's still enjoyable.
Less than three- OMG- love computer fantasy- meet me here on irc- lolol! -M- stuck so far into my brain ever since I discovered the darn song.
Touou University – Death Note. for the love of Irk don't ask me what chapter...I have no idea...
Dragonball Z -episode 07, Trouble on Arlia, season one. Season one's da bomb -W-