A/N: hey. sorry for taking so long on this chapter. something went wrong and it wouldn't let me upload it. remember to review this chapter to tell me if you like the sneak peek idea or not. that's all i have to say really.
Disclaimer: I'm just an otaku. I don't own anything.
The Next Generation
Chapter 3
Anything But Ordinary
The alarm clock buzzed. For once, Daichii was actually glad to hear it. Smiling, he stretched and stroked the white rabbit sleeping on his chest. "Today's going to be a great day, With," Daichii said happily.
"Kyuuu," With yawned.
Daichii rolled his eyes and jumped down from his bed. He couldn't quite explain it, but he couldn't help but feel . . . confident. As if everything was going to go right. A quick shower and a change of clothes, and Daichii was heading downstairs, rubbing his wet hair with a towel. Before he made it, confetti exploded into the air. "Surprise! Happy Birthday!" his family shouted, suddenly appearing at the base of the stairs.
Daichii laughed as he brushed the colored paper bits out of his hair. "Thanks, but uh, what's with the confetti?" He skipped the last couple of steps and started walking towards the kitchen. Rikae caught up with him.
"Do you like it?" she asked innocently. And then, not so innocently, "I made it out of the pictures in your textbooks."
"WHAT!?!"
"Just kidding. Just kidding," Rikae replied when her brother rounded on her. The little girl stuck out her tongue and added quietly, "I wanted to, but Mom and Dad wouldn't let me." Daichii glared at her.
"Wait, honey. Don't you want to open your present before breakfast, Daichii?" Riku interrupted before her children could continue fighting.
Daichii glanced over his shoulder at the rectangular object his father was holding. He winced inside. Oh man, he thought, don't tell me that's a book! Ughhh. Is mom trying to get me to read more again? "Oh, uh . . . right." Daichii took the gift from his father. The boy ripped the shiny paper as fast as he could so he could fake his gratitude and get on with his life. It was a book alright, but it had no title on its milky, swirly cover. "Is this . . . ?" Daichii opened the book. Blank pages flipped past him. ". . . a sketchbook?"
"Well," Daisuke explained. "You always have your nose in those art encyclopedias. I figured that maybe you'd like to give it a try."
"B-but," Daichii stammered. He bowed his head in embarrassment. "I just look. I can't really draw well."
"Are you kidding!" Rikae exclaimed gleefully. "Daichii can't even sketch stickfigures right!"
"WHY YOU!"
"Rikae, stop pestering your brother," Riku ordered sternly. "It's his birthday after all." Riku turned to her son and ruffled his dripping hair. "It's alright, Daichii. Everything takes a little bit of practice. You should know that. Besides, since your Daisuke's son, I bet some of his tremendous abilities have been passed on to you."
"I wouldn't say tremendous," Daisuke chuckled modestly.
"Dad's an artist?" Daichii and Rikae said in unison.
"That's right." Their father let out a wistful sigh. "I could waste whole afternoons painting, especially by the fountain park. I've been too busy to do anything major these days. Maybe one of these days I could show you some of my old pictures."
Daichii gazed at the book, up at his father, and back to the sketchbook again. Then he smiled. "That'd be great, Dad. Thanks. I suppose I could give it a try. Besides, I could always get Ren to give me a few pointers," Daichii explained.
"Ren likes art too?" Daisuke asked curiously.
Daichii nodded excitedly. "She's really good at it! I only found out just yesterday. She made me a picture for my birthday."
Rikae elbowed Daichii in the ribs. "And then she gave you your special birthday kiss, right?" Rikae teased impishly.
"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU?!? SHE JUST GAVE ME A BOOK, OKAY? KEEP YOUR HUGE NOSE OUT OF MY BUSINESS!"
"Rikae, I told you not to pester your brother today," Riku reminded sternly.
"Yes, mom," Rikae muttered. When Riku wasn't looking, Rikae dropped the innocent act long enough to smirk evilly at Daichii. Daichii glared at her, wanting very much to grab a roll of duck tape and cover up that annoying little mouth. Before he could do so, however, his stomach growled loudly. Everyone stared at Daichii.
Daichii's face grew hot. "Uh . . ." he said sheepishly. "Haha, my stomach's all ready for that big, delicious breakfast you made, Mom."
Riku brightened and clapped her hands together. "Hooray! My boy's finally eating!" Riku grabbed her son's hand and pulled him into the kitchen. "Well, don't just stand there. Come on! I made all your favorites!"
Ren sighed. Come on, school bell. Hurry up and ring! All around her, people were having fun before the bell rung to let them in. Ren was sitting on a bench by herself, lost in thought. She squeezed her bag against her chest tighter. What's wrong with me? she wondered curiously. I feel . . . different. I've felt different ever since last night. Ren closed her eyes and tried to remember the creepy art building.
FLASHBACK
Ren just crouched in pain for a while. Her right cheek was resting on the smooth, cold floor. She just wanted to lay there forever, but wasn't the case.
"What was that noise?!?"
Ren got up wearily, shaking all over. Oh no! It's that man! I need to get out of here! She pushed herself to her feet, but she was too late. A burly man in a blue uniform stumbled through the canvas wall. Ren flattened herself against the wall, praying he wouldn't find her in the dark. With a small click, a light beam appeared out of no where. "I never knew there was a room in here," the man muttered to himself, shining the flashlight around. It took only a few seconds for the light to find the destroyed artwork. Ren's heart fluttered when she saw his expression turn stoney and angry.
The man walked around. Ren watched him pull a gun out of his holster. He got closer and closer until Ren couldn't take it anymore. She dashed behind a box near the entrance. The flashlight jerked in her direction, but she was already out of view. Ren glanced at the canvas wall in despair. How am I supposed to get past that without moving it? Nonetheless, Ren took a deep, silent breath and slipped out of the room. It only fluttered the canvas a little, but the man noticed anyway.
"STOP!"
At the sound of the gunshot, Ren ran for it. Her footsteps echoed loudly in the deserted hallways, making an easy path to follow. She skidded into a different corridor when another shot was heard. What do I do? What do I do?
Slowly, Ren began to realize there were small archways in the building. She stopped, thinking and breathing quickly. Just between the arch and the ceiling was the tiniest bit of space. Ren stared at it in dismay. How to get up there? A gunshot. Ren's head jerked to the right. It was just a bare wall with peeling paint. Ren backed up before charging. She jumped, pushed against the wall, and launched herself toward the arch. Another gunshot. Ren dangled helplessly from the archway in full view. Her arms weren't strong enough, and her backpack weighed her down. Ren swung from side to side until she could kick one leg up. She used that to lift her up, but her body wouldn't fit in the small space. The next gunshot made her suck in her breath in fear. That was all she needed.
So there Ren was, squished until she could barely breath, let alone move. She heard the man coming closer and closer. It never even occured to the man that Ren's noisy footfalls had disappeared. Ren held her breath, wishing the man would hurry up and leave. Several minutes later, she dared to sqeeze her way out of the arch. She collasped heavily on the ground, gasping and clutching her heart. Ren closed her eyes. Almost. I've almost made it. She smirked in satisfaction. I guess it does pay to be quiet sometimes.
She looked up wearily and spotted a dusty door a far corner. The battered girl hobbled over to it, still breathless. When she opened it, fresh air greeted her. She was on a fire escape, high above the ground. Ren hesitated. I should be going down as fast as possible, she told herself, but isn't that what they're expecting? Ren paused only a second longer before climbing the fire escape up instead of down. Huh. I never really thought about people using it both ways.
Ren made it to the roof. The wind, though not too strong, made it hard to find her balance. Before she could reconsider, Ren ran across the roof and jumped to the next building. I've always wanted to do this! Ren laughed in exhileration while in midair. It makes me feel like some sort of brave hero! She landed neatly and leaped for the next rooftop. Then again, I'm surprised I really AM doing this. It would have been so much easier to just explain to the guy that it was an accident. I've never wanted to be so secretive before. Why start now . . . ?
END OF FLASHBACK
"Ren?"
Ren's head shot up. She found herself face to face with Daichii. He blinked at her. "What are you doing here?"
Ren gave him an annoyed look and folded her arms. Daichii laughed. "Okay, I get it. Dumb question."
"Happy . . . Birthday," Ren muttered.
"Thanks. Hey, look what my parents got me!" Daichii tossed his bag on the bench Ren was sitting on. Curiously, Ren opened it and rummaged through its contents. There was nothing out of the ordinary until Ren spotted milky swirls. She pulled out a book she had never seen before. "It's a sketchbook," Daichii explained.
A sketchbook? Really? Ren flipped through the pages eagerly.
"Uh, it doesn't have anything in it yet," Daichii replied awkwardly. "I just got it this morning."
Ren examined the paper. Not too bad. Not too bad. It isn't thin enough to trace, but it is thick enough to keep most paints from bleeding through. And it's not a spiralbound. Those kind always seem to last the shortest. This is very high quality. I wonder where he got it. Ren handed the sketchbook and his bag back to Daichii.
"Thanks." Daichii hesitated a moment, a finger tapping the cover nervously. "I wanted to ask you--"
The bell rang. Ren stood up slowly and reached for her backpack. Daichii snatched it first. Holding it out, he asked, "Ren, I was wondering . . . would you like to have dinner with me tonight in celebration of my birthday? We can go anywhere you want, and I'll pay for all of it."
Ren smiled softly. "Backwards," she answered. She tried to get her bag from him, but Daichii pulled it back.
"Okay," Daichii admitted. "So tecnically you should be the one treating me to dinner. But I can do anything I want since it's my birthday, right? It's just for tonight." Daichii's morning confidence was beginning to disappear. He was afraid that if he asked Ren on a date flat out, she would refuse.
Ren's face fell. Avoiding his gaze, Ren whispered, "Can't. . . I'm . . . busy."
Ren managed to grab back her backpack. She stepped back a few paces before turning to run towards the school. "W-wait!" Daichii called. "If not tonight, then maybe tomorow?"
Ren stopped. Her hands gripped her backpack tightly, nervously. She looked at her feet. "Maybe!" Ren finally shouted before hurrying into the building.
Daichii watched her go glumly. Then he turned and kicked the bench over and over. "Shoot!" he hissed. "She knows I was trying to ask her out. Ren doesn't like me like that." Daichii sighed. "Now she's probably gonna feel awkward when she's around me." Daichii kicked the bench one last time before slinging his bag over his shoulder and limping to school.
PREVIEW
"What's a matter? Birthday not go as planned? It's okay. If I remember correctly, my fourteenth birthday was anything but ordinary."
"That was the day you first turned into Dark, wasn't it?"
"How could I be so stupid! Just because Rikae says a few things, I lose my head and ask Ren out on a date!"
"Wha--what's happening?"
"Whoa. Daichii's . . . hot."
ANYTHING BUT ORDINARY
