When You Least Expect It
*prologue
By Sakata Ri Houjun
AN: This was spawned the other nigt during an online chat between Hikari and myself, starting out as a joke, but slowly evolving into a full flung fic surround three of our favorite characters. This is not meant to be taken seriously, nor is it to be a complete PWP. This is just something for fun that we did. But I'd appreciate your reviews nonetheless.
~***~
~Life is a tragedy for those who feel and a comedy for those who think~
~***~
The early morning sunlight poured in through the high open window, spangling the relaxed and flawless features of a young, raven-haired man. Slowly, his blue eyes blinked open, trying to clear the last of sleep and focus. He rubbed one pale hand across his face before reaching over to the nightstand and groping for his glasses.
Once they were situated properly upon his face could Mousse truly focus his vision accurately. He sighed upon hearing the noises coming from downstairs, of his beloved Shampoo and her ancestor Cologne beginning breakfast. He was expected to join them shortly to eat and then clean up while they opened the Nekohanten for the day.
He pulled himself out of his comfortable bed, his bare feet hitting the wooden planks if his floor with an echoing thump that would announce to the other two Amazons that he was awake. He opened up the small dresser that housed what little possessions he owned, retrieving a clean pair of pants and robe to wear.
It wasn't that the Amazon didn't want to look forward to another day. Quite the contrary, his optimistic nature was the only drive he had left; each day spent laboring on the hope that Shampoo would show him favor over Ranma.
But still, optimism could only keep you going for so long. And today just felt so different from all the others. For once, he wanted to just stay in bed and not have to face the monotonous repentance of his existence. Shampoo would still refuse his advances, Ranma would always best him in combat, and Cologne would find some excuse to douse him with cold water to get him out of the way.
Just once, Mousse wanted something to change all that. What he wouldn't give to have something just pop into his life to show that he wasn't doomed to a boring monotonous life that was destined to repeat itself until the day he died.
Running a comb quickly through his long tresses, Mousse hurried out his bedroom to begin a new day.
*~~~*
The bright copper rings jangled brightly on what was otherwise an overcastted and dreary day. Thunder rolled quietly in the distance and Chichiri pulled his kasa up over his head, not looking forward to the impending downpour that would surely soak him straight to the bone.
It was monsoon season again, the worst time of year for travelers like himself with no place to stay warm and dry. Well, there was always Mount Leikaku, but the monk's old friend was currently too busy with a rival gang at the moment, and Chichiri was certain that he'd only get in the way.
It seems I have no where to go, no da, he murmured to himself as he picked up the pace, hoping to reach the next town before the rain started.
*plop*
Chichiri looked up at that initial drop of wetness hit his hand and was rewarded with another in his eye.
*plop*
It was too late. He had no choice but to draw upon his powers if he didn't want to catch cold out here in the wet weather. The rain started to fall faster and lightning began to lash through the heavy thick clouds. The cerulean-haired man quickly unclasped his kesa, spreading the shimmering blue material on the ground. He recited the incantation under his breath before striking the cloth with his shakujo, a white light imbuing the material completely.
With a final nod of his head, Chichiri then prepared himself to sink into the glowing fabric knowing that he would arrive safely at his destination, when suddenly a bolt of lightning streaked out from the heavens, striking the headpiece of his shakujo. Unable to let go of his staff due to the mixture of his surprise and the electricity, the cerulean-haired seishi felt himself being pulled into the glowing vortex created by his teleportation spell.
He tried to dissipate the magic with his will, but it was too late. The servant of Suzaku was suddenly tumbling forward, drawn not into the normal limbo he found himself in when teleporting, but a spinning tunnel of darkness and light.
The monk closed his eye in fear, sending out a quick prayer to Suzaku for his safety.
*~~~*
I am the king of video games, deshi! You cannot beat me! Alexander O. Howell cried out triumphantly as he blew away another contingent of Sea Reapers during his latest round of Giants: Citizen Kabuto.
The blonde scientist's fingers flew like a blur over his keyboard, occasionally moving towards the mouse to adjust his trajectory and aim, but never missing a beat. The electronic images reflected off his spectacles but his amethyst eyes rarely blinked lest he should make a fatal mistake and lose one of his many precious lives.
The rapid shots of gunfire could not drown out the sudden and loud beeping coming from the console off to his right. Alex ignored it for as long as he dared, but could not find any way to disregard the shrill noise and snuck a glance over at the monitor.
It was then that the beeping stopped, making Alex roll his eyes in annoyance as he was forced to pause the game. The computer that had given off its unwelcome interruption was one specifically running with a program he proudly designed, one that was devised to monitor and track unusually strong activity throughout Japan. Extremely useful for locating possible C Genomes.
Hitting a key, the computer backtracked through its recordings, and Alex located that one short-lived surge that had caused the alarm to go off. Hmmm... An instantaneous spurt of unrecognized energy signature with a power level that was almost off the scales, lasting only 15 seconds, he noted aloud. No activity now, must have been a glitch, deshi.
With that decision in mind, Alex shrugged and returned to vanquishing his loathed enemies.