Hey guys, I know a few of you might be a little ticked at how far behind I am on my personal deadline for 'Pieces of Yesterday', and while you do have my apologies, please trust that I had run into unavoidable circumstances and was put under a great deal of stress for a few months. Writing for pleasure was far from my immediate concern at the time. Thankfully, that time is drawing to a close, and things will be getting back on track for me once again. I'd like you all to know that I *have* started writing everything at the very least, and already have the first few pages down. I hope to have more for it soon as well, so let's just hope my muse is feeling generous.
Anyway, onto this tiny fic I cranked out in an effort to revive said picky muse ^^
This fic was my second attempt at something between Kurz and Mao, as I love them just as much as I do all other FMP characters, but have had some trouble getting their chemistry right. Zachary 'Zack' Mao Weber is the son of Kurz and Melissa, and an O.C. of my own creation. He was created as a compliment to my best friend's (Crystal Okamino) O.C. Shizuko Sagara on the Jindai High Role Playing forums. He was literally thought up in under ten minutes, but has so much depth to him that you'd swear it took me a few hours ^^ Zack looks almost identical to his Father, except he has his Mother's black hair, and his eyes are a darker shade of blue. Normally he'd appear as a fourteen year old, but for today, he's still a toddler. Crystal has been very generous in allowing me to reference Shizuko, so be sure to thank her by checking out her stuff. I promise it's awesome ^^
Hope you all enjoy!
Love, Mika
Every muscle seemed to be screaming as soon as he realized he still had them. His mouth and throat were both dry as the desert air, and his neck hurt from how he'd been sleeping on it. Fuck it, everything seemed to hurt. Carefully cracking open one eye, Kurz immediately shut it again with a wince as the sun poured cruelly into their hotel room from the large windows overlooking the famous Vegas strip. "Aw...shit..." Coughing after his attempt at speaking, he tried sitting up, finding Melissa passed out across him. Well, she had been, until his coughing had started to wake her up as well. Finally able to sit up, though even just that simple movement was proving difficult, Kurz rubbed his eyes with one hand, the other running through his hair as he tried to stretch out his apparently abused muscles.
Melissa seemed to be in somewhat the same state, as it had taken her about three tries to sit up as well. Watching as she rubbed her temples at the edge of the bed, their gazes met, and both of them seemed to agree. Never again would they goad each other into having a drinking contest involving Long Island Iced Teas. Making just enough movements to let Melissa know that she could have the bathroom first, she nodded in understanding as Kurz laid back down across the bed, trying to remember just how much they had drank last night. It had started out fine, a shot here and there, a beer or two...then those Long Islands had come out and...well it got kind of fuzzy after that. He couldn't really even say for sure that they were in their correct hotel room at the moment, but at least they hadn't passed out on the street. Regardless of how drunk either of them could get, the last thing they would ever do was make Zack sleep out-...
Sitting up far too quickly for his head to continue thinking, he had to force himself to keep going as he looked around the room. Except for the sound of Melissa brushing her teeth, it was dead silent all around. There had been no such thing as 'silence' since Zack had been born. Getting up as quickly as his protesting muscles would allow, Kurz somehow managed to make it to the bathroom while running into every possible object he could on his way to there. Once finally there, he held tightly to the doorframe as the world around him tried to catch up, Melissa stopping mid-brush as a small glop of toothpaste fell into the sink. "M-Mel, I-..."
That was about as far as he got before he felt his stomach demanding that he reacquaint himself with the toilet. Nearly falling on his face once more, he landed hard on his knees as the entire contents of his stomach came up, stopping just long enough for him to whine about the painful bodily acids burning the back of his throat. Melissa just looked on as she continued brushing her teeth, her face reflecting openly that though she had admitted that she did indeed love this man, that he was one of the biggest fucking idiots she had ever met. "Dat's wad you ghet for rudding arowd wit a hankover..."
Wiping off his face with one of the nearby hand towels, Kurz stood and shot back an incredulous look, already speaking through the lingering acidic pain in his throat. "I know what happens when you run with a hangover, but right now we have a freaking crisis Melissa!"
"Crisis? What in the world could be so damn important that you risk puking your ass off at mach-freaking-five?" Despite his rather urgent words, he simply stood there for a moment, his arms out and a look on his face that said she should be realizing the obvious without him having to say a word. Still, it wasn't often he went out of his way to say her full name unless he was either serious or apologizing for something. Leaning up against the counter for a moment, Melissa rubbed at her temple in thought, the silence in the room helping to...
Her eyes widening, Kurz nodded from across the small but expansive bathroom, their moment ending with a dash back out into the main rooms. Checking everywhere and anywhere they could, both of them were practically tearing up the poor hotel room to the point that an eighties metal band would be impressed at the extreme level devastation. "ZACK! ZACK! BABY! COME OUT SWEETHEART!"
"COME ON ZACKY BOY! HIDE AND SEEK IS OVER! COME OUT NOW!"
"ZACK IF YOU DON'T COME OUT RIGHT NOW YOU ARE GROUNDED FOR LIFE! YOU HEAR ME!"
"ZACK! GET YOUR BUTT OUT HERE BUDDY! DADDY'S NOT JOKING!" Curtains were hanging on by the threads that had sewn them, mattresses were overturned, sheets, pillows, and comforters were strewn about the room in such a fashion that it almost appeared as though it was supposed to replace the carpeting. The bed frames and dressers had been pushed away from the walls, their drawers pulled out completely and piled into any available corner. All of their clothes that had been put up in the small closet had been torn down and tossed anywhere, and even the poor shower curtain had been nearly ripped off its hooks in their attempts to eliminate anywhere possible that their son might have thought as a good hiding spot in an effort to pull one over on his worried parents. With every available option within their hotel room eliminated, Melissa sat heavily onto one of the chairs near the window, tears already beginning to cloud her eyes at the horrible thoughts of what might have become of their son.
"I-I can't believe this is happening..."
"Keep it together Melissa...where was the last place we know he was with us last night?"
"LIKE I FUCKING KNOW!
"Jesus Melissa, think for a fucking second! We know for sure he was with us when we left Treasure Island, right? I mean, I even remember he was on my shoulders for the Pirate show in front of it..."
"Yeah, then we went over to the Mirage so he could see the white tigers, and you in all of your fucking infinite wisdom decided to buy us the biggest fucking Long Island Iced Teas in the history of alcohol!"
"Hey! Don't go blaming this all on me! You were the one who challenged me to who could finish first!"
"AND YOU LISTENED!"
"CAUSE YOU CALLED ME A LIGHTWEIGHT!"
"With how you just puked, you're worse than a fucking lightweight!"
"CAN YOU LEAVE THE INSULTS UNTIL AFTER WE'VE FOUND OUR FUCKING CHILD!" Wincing as he stubbed his toe on the edge of the dresser, Kurz turned as a knocking came through from the front door. His shoulders slumping, he ran a hand through his hair as he fell to sit on the edge of the bed, Melissa standing up with a huff and making her way to the door.
"Oh who the fuck would be here at this hour?"
"It's ten thirty in the morning Melissa..."
"Fuck off Weber." Running a slightly shaking hand through her hair, Melissa checked the peephole in the door, her blood running cold when she recognized the face on the other side. Bolting back in, she grabbed Kurz's shoulders and turned him around, her eyes wide as she spoke in loud whispers. "Fucking hell it's Sousuke! What the hell are we gonna do!"
"Oh fuck me...if he finds out about this he'll never let me forget it!"
"So do something!"
"What?"
"Call fucking Penn and Teller for all I care, but just fucking do something so he doesn't find out! We can call the police and tear this damn city apart after that!" Quickly looking around the disheveled hotel room, Kurz got an idea. Grabbing a few pillows, some blankets, and one of Zack's souvenir hats that they had gotten him at the New York, New York Hotel, Kurz quickly fashioned it to look as though a small figure was still sleeping peacefully beneath the sheets of the other queen sized bed that was in their room. It wasn't the greatest, nor the most intelligent idea in the world, but as long as Sousuke didn't stay very long, then he would probably never notice that his adopted nephew wasn't actually sleeping under the covers. Giving Melissa the go ahead to open the door, she went back over and grasped the handle, hoping that their long time friend wouldn't notice her distress. "Morning Sousuke, what's up-"
"Mommy!" The second the door opened wide enough, the small body of their five year old son practically flew, grabbing hold of Melissa's knees and holding tightly. "I missed you Mommy! I had fun with Uncle though. We had breakfast, and he said you'd take me and Shizu to see the dolphins, and the tigers, and the arcade!"
Her eyes still wide with disbelief, Melissa lifted her head to see the slightly amused, yet still serious expression playing across Sousuke's face. How he managed to be both at the same time she would never know, but he was obviously more than enjoying himself at their expense. She didn't have to turn around to know that Kurz now stood behind her, confident that he wore the same expression she now sported at the immediate situation. Looking down at the ear-to-ear smile that now sat on their sons face, Melissa kneeled down and hugged her boy properly, glad beyond words that he was alive and safe. "...I-Is that right sweetheart?"
"Uh-huh!"
"What...how...?" Kurz was still very confused. Relieved as all hell because of how well his son had obviously been taken care of, but still very confused.
"He knocked at the door to our room at approximately twenty-two-thirty hours. Kaname and Shizuko were already asleep, so you can imagine my surprise when I answered the door, weapon in hand, and found him by himself. He stated that he was tired, and that Mommy and Daddy were, and I quote, 'singing Cheap Trick's Mighty Wings on top of the bar,' and he didn't want to bother them 'cause it looked like they were having fun'. I asked him where he had last seen you two, and when he said that he had come all the way from the Hard Rock Hotel by himself-"
"YOU WHAT!"
"Yup! I was tired so I found a security man, and he got me a taxi to Uncle's hotel so I could go to sleep, and you and Daddy could keep having fun!"
"..."
"..."
"W-Was I bad Mommy...? I'm sorry, okay? Please don't be mad at me!" The growing distress on Zack's small face was enough to make their already cracking defenses crumble. It had been all their fault for putting him in such a position, especially when he was so young. Standing up and handing Zack over so that Kurz could reassure the boy, Melissa stepped outside, pulling the door jamb so that she could get back in after speaking with her one time subordinate, and now adopted relative. Grabbing him in a quick hug, Melissa felt the tears she had been holding back let loose. She couldn't have been more relieved that her only son had been in such good hands, and had managed to accomplish such a feat at only five years old.
"Thank you so much, Sousuke. I'm so sorry for putting you in that position. We didn't mean for-"
"I know, Mao. You would have done the same for my daughter...if for some reason I ever drank again. I was merely acting as any good Uncle would."
"You always sell yourself short, you know that?"
"Kaname has told me this, yes. Now would you please let me go before my wife gets jealous? She is not one who enjoys sharing me." Laughing at his ridiculous joke, and still surprised that he actually had developed a sense of humor, Melissa let him go. Wiping the tears from her face, she folded her arms across her chest, watching the smirk that still resided on his normally serious face.
"So, apparently we promised to take Shizuko with us to the arcade and the amusement park today?"
"Affirmative. I have promised both of them that you will treat them to these places, and in return, I will not divulge what has happened to Kaname."
"Sousuke... are you blackmailing us?"
"Not at all. I would consider it a trade based on mutual interests. You would not want me to speak to Kaname of this incident for fear of never-ending ridicule, so I agree to keep silent on the matter if you treat the children to a day of entertainment, while I have some alone time with my wife."
"Yeah...hate to break it to you, Sousuke, but that's blackmail."
"As an animated robotic man on an American television show that Kaname often watches says, 'I prefer the word extortion. The 'X' makes it sound...cool'."