M for Manga

Definition: Manga; Japanese graphic novels

Word Count: 920

"Who was the first to classify the nine criteria of a Poltergeist?" Martin's booming voice seeped through the walls of his lecture room and into the hall where the twins sat. Neither of them were pleased to be there, but they hadn't really been given a choice. Ever since the first day of break when the boys' had turned the Davis living room into a glorified war-zone (complete with man-made couch trenches and Nerf Gun's they'd gotten for Christmas), Luella had all but forbid them to be left alone again.

Which is how they found themselves at Cambridge University on their last day of break, halfheartedly listening to their adoptive dad's lecture on the paranormal. It was only an hour into the class and they had already made a game out of the Professors rambling; taking turns answering his proposed questions, if they got them right, they were rewarded with a Doritos chip from the bag that sat between them.

Safe to say, they were running out of chips.

Gene stretched out on his back. "E Tisane," He mumbled and expertly reaching behind his head for the bag as a second later a shout could be heard from within the class proclaiming the same answer. Noll didn't say anything but lifted his pen from his notebook for a brief moment to make sure that his brother was, in fact, only taking one.

With the knowledge that Noll had gotten his last question wrong, Gene made a big show of stuffing the entire chip into his mouth and relishing in the resounding crunch it made as he chewed. His twin grimaced, turning back to his notebook. "That was an easy one."

"Sure, sure." Gene waved him off, dusting his hands off on his jean's before returning to his book. It was a manga, one still written in the original Japanese, with a title that Noll couldn't read. They sat in silence before it was apparent Martin wasn't about to speak again. Gene cleared his throat and turned another page, admiring the artwork. "I wish someone would make a manga of us. Imagine the possibilities!"

Noll scoffed, folding his legs into a more comfortable position. "Good idea. Why don't you make it yourself?"

"Wait," he said, unsure if he heard right or if the boredom was finally getting to him. He turned himself over to properly face Noll. "For real? You mean that?"

The younger twin shrugged, expression as stony as it had been he realized that a spirit's most profound sense is, indeed, their sense of smell. "Would I have said it if I didn't?"

Gene frowned. "Yes."

A grin teased the edges of Noll's lips. "Then there's your answer."

"Why do you have to be so mean?"

"I'm not mean," he defended, "I'm-"

"Callous?" Gene offered, rolling back onto his side. He held the manga over his head, flipping the page but not really readying. "Unpleasant?"

"Brusque."

The older twin rolled his eyes but didn't retort. They lapsed back into silence as Martin called out "When are spirits the most active?" to which Noll quickly answered, "At night," and secured a Doritos chip before anyone could stop him.

"It could be about SPR," Gene said thoughtfully, he peeked up at his twin, "about Ghost Hunting."

"And what would you call it?" Noll inquired. A full smile crossed his lips as he adopted an over-the-top Japanese accent, "Gōsuto Hanto?"

Gene chuckled, "No." He paused to think, tapping his finger to his chin. "How about, Akuryō?"

Noll's blue eyes lit in amusement. "'Evil Spirits'?" He laughed, "I think I like Ghost Hunt better."

"Well, it's my manga."

"Whatever you say,"

Another question reverberated through the wall. Gene answered slowly, pulling the last chip from the bag. He considered eating it before eventually breaking it in two and handing half to his twin. "I think I'll name the main character... hmmm... Kazuya."

Noll snorted, licking the excess cheese off his fingers. "Why Kazuya? Kazuto sounds better. Or Yuuta."

"Kazuya means 'peace' and 'harmony'."

The younger twin quirked an eyebrow. "And?"

"Oliver means 'peace'. Eugene means 'good' or 'well'."

"And?"

"I think it would be easier to have one main character instead of two. So Kazuya would be a combination of the two of us. Kind, gentle, and charming, like me." Gene batted his eyes in exaggeration, "And smart, egotistical, and narcissistic like you. He's, like, the perfect anti-hero."

Noll opened his mouth to object when the classroom suddenly burst open, startling them both. The crowd of college students ignored them as they passed, waiting on Martin, who was the last out of the room. He smiled as he locked the door behind him. "You boys' ready to go?"

Gene scrambled off the floor, dusting himself off with a wide grin. "Let's go!"

The professor watched the elder twin start down the hall ahead of them, raising an eyebrow at the remaining twin. "What's that all about?"

Noll just shrugged.

A/N: Since finishing the manga, I've always wondered why Noll picked Kazuya of all the name he could have picked. It bothered me soooo bad for sooo long and now, upon researching some facts for this one-shot, I realized that Kazuya was the 5th most popular name in Japan in 1885 (the year the twins were born). It makes sense that Noll would choose a popular name as to not draw attention to himself.

Mystery solved. ^.^

Read, relax, review!

ELV