Listened to a lot of Death Note parodies (e.g. 'Death Note Parody - British Kid') on YouTube for this chapter. I couldn't stop laughing! Music used:
Barely any... sorry, just repeats of previous chapters.
I couldn't stop listening to 'British Kid' or 'Elevator'. They're too good. Enjoy and review - the next chapter's going to be good fun!
13 February 2023
It was today that made Slo wish he'd kept that gun – either to shoot Fall or end it all for himself. Damn Roger for confiscating it! He'd told him he could use it for target practice in the shooting range but would have to keep it only there, although technically it did still belong to him. M had been ecstatic about the gift, and had fought in his corner for his right to keep it.
After much insistence from Blu, M and Colt, Wammy's had agreed to hold what they called an 'Animal Awareness' day before Valentine's Day, which was basically a school day where each person at Wammy's House chose an animal to look after. Lessons were called off, though that was not the case for the day that followed, because it seemed unfair considering they were having a musical afternoon for performances on Valentine's Day, and then were heading out to the beach for the evening and day after.
Fall had picked out a Chihuahua named Daisy that she was happily parading in everyone's faces, something that was making Roger and most of Wammy's House regret that Roger had conceded to the Animal Awareness day. Star had picked the same type of animal: instead, a Yorkshire terrier she called Missy whose fur she kept tying in with red bows. Slo had picked a tiny grey dwarf bunny he called Magnet for obvious reasons, Leo a ginger tabby cat called Tiger, as ironic as it may seem. K was caring for a small Jack Russell aptly named Jump. By the look on her face, she wanted to throw the animal out of the window.
Slo severely regretted having asked Fall to sing the woman's half of a duet with him to Cobra Starship's 'Good Girls Go Bad'. Not only was her voice too high-pitched for the part, she also kept acting all diva-like. He wouldn't mind K throwing her out of a window.
C was leaning back against the wall. She'd offered to assist everyone with their music night performances, worried as she was about M choosing the songs. Noticing his frustration, she put a hand on his shoulder and smiled reassuringly.
"Go take a break and get some water," she sighed. "Go vent your anger to Magnet or something."
"Don't torture the poor rabbit," K muttered. "Go to Leo. He shares your pain."
"You coming?" he asked.
"I got some stuff to do," she shrugged. "I'll see you at lunch." She glanced at C. "Do you think he's all right?"
"I think," she answered, "that he's got a lot on his mind. You know, he's a clever young man, but there are some things he can't work through alone. He needs his friends. Just remind Leo to stick close."
K nodded warily. "Sometimes, friends can be a little too close."
"Heh, tell me about it," Ryuk grinned.
XXX
"You shouldn't have done it."
"Aw, aren't you happy for me? I finally found someone I can at least call a friend."
"With Kira on the loose, do you really think it's smart to be sending illegal weapons illegally to random people you haven't seen for ten years-?"
"Eleven."
"Whatever. It's stupid anyway."
"You're my big brother, not my mom, though you certainly act like it."
"I'm brotherly enough to know you're an idiot."
"Now, now, bro, what's your IQ?"
"Let's not bring that into-"
"That's right: one hundred and forty. Now, what's my IQ?"
"Listen-"
"Do I hear a one hundred and forty?"
"Seriously-"
"Nope. Do I hear a one hundred and fifty?"
"For God's sake-"
"Oh, no. How about upping the minimum-? One eighty? Ding, ding, ding! One hundred and eighty-three for the girl in the front row!"
"You fucking cheated on the IQ test! I have no idea how you did, but you did, and now you're rubbing that one in my face! You're sixteen! Christ!"
"Sixteen and smarter than you… yeesh, that's gotta hurt."
"How are you even aware of your IQ aside from that ridiculous test on the Internet? You haven't even been to kindergarten."
"Shove that in the educational system's pipe and smoke it."
"I hope you haven't been smoking."
"Smoking makes you unattractive. Besides, smoking should seem like a breeze after all the other stuff I've done. Need I remind you – illegal weapons, triple murder, GBH, the works?"
"Oh, come off it. You've killed more than three people."
"Yes, but the ones I recall in the triple murder were the ones that mattered most… right, big brother?"
"I suppose so, Ruby. I suppose so…"
XXX
K leant back against the wall of the dance studio, Jump cradled in her arms. The boys were currently all using the dance studio, disabling the girls' practice for the music night. C stood beside her, a pretty blue-grey eagle named Sherlock perched on her shoulder. Io (and her 'familiar' black cat Nix), Star (and Missy), Athena (and her Staffordshire terrier Bugsy), Cleo (and her Pharaoh hound Tut) and M (and a massive albino python named Albert) all hung about aimlessly, waiting with decreasing patience for a free rehearsal space. At the suggestion of the gym, the little ones had shuddered. After Combat, they'd developed awkward memories of the place.
"This is going to be a long wait, I'm afraid, girls," Mello called out. A fluffy white Persian cat just like one from a Bond movie was curled round his ankles, causing some giggles.
"Go get some lunch, everyone, and we'll reconvene for rehearsal in an hour and a half. For individual costumes, please go see Linda. For the group one, please speak to M-" C started.
"But nicely, because M has Albert the pretty snake," M added. C raised an eyebrow. "What? I was just putting the idea out there."
"Regardless, let's all relax a bit. No point getting worked up over something you can behind someone else for," she laughed. "On your individual pieces, you can speak to M again – with Albert – for a reminder of the song she's picked for you. I do apologize sincerely in advance for any trauma that may be inflicted upon you by this incorrigible woman."
"Don't worry," Athena told her. "She's traumatized us enough already. I don't think we can get any worse."
"Oi!" M snapped.
"Okay, let's go," C said quickly.
Once the crowd had dispersed, K stopped behind. "C," she mumbled. "Can I speak to you?"
"Of course. I'm here, aren't I?" she smiled. "Is there a problem? I know M's a little enthusiastic…"
"It's not that. It's just… Hamlet," she spluttered. "I'm really worried about him. He's been acting very distant lately, a little strange… he's been talking to himself."
"Oh, I-"
"It might be nothing; I just wanted to check."
"K, I'm sure your concern is unnecessary, but I will check in with Hamlet to see how he's doing." Her smile faded. "You know you can always come to me if you have any troubles, right?"
K gaped at her before recollecting herself. "I didn't. But thanks for the information. I promise I'll remember."
"Good." She looked down at Jump. "He seems to have taken to you very well."
"I don't like dogs," she admitted, "or animals in general. I'm not particularly skilled in that area, to be honest. I can't stand cats."
"I have no trouble with them," C shrugged. She stroked Sherlock's feathers contemplatively. "I like dogs better than cats, and birds better than dogs. Rodents tie with birds, I'm afraid. I can't decide which I like best. Sherlock's being very well-behaved considering I have to work with your rowdy lot. You're lucky he's not eaten you yet."
"Eagles don't eat people."
"But pissed off ones probably weigh up the pros and cons of it."
"Yeah." She found herself laughing derisively. "I don't know about you, but I feel like not having to deal with some people."
"You mean Fall?"
"Never assume," K said hastily.
"She's a sweet girl really. Annoying, and thick as shit partially, but sweet," C sighed. "Sometimes we judge a person too much by what others think. I prefer to not have a tainted view of someone because another has warned me of them. Instead I like to observe them myself and make judgments that way." She looked back at Sherlock, evading K's eyes. "It's the same with family. Just because your mother or your father or your siblings are bad doesn't make you identical. Trust me" – she pointed to herself – "twin."
"You're a twin?" K gasped. "That's sort of cool."
"We have several sets of twins here; it's not unusual," C pointed out. "Romeo and Hamlet, for example. Aries and Gemini. Jock and Hawk."
"Yeah, but you're a teacher. Sorry – you just don't expect teachers to have lives outside of school: families and outsider friends and whatnot. It's weird to think that you have a twin," K confessed.
"It's not that odd, though I get your point. I mean," she gestured around herself, "L had a sister. M has two little sisters. Roger has a younger brother and an older sister somewhere. The others are all mostly only children."
K cringed. "Sorry, it's so weird!"
"K, you're a product of a teacher having a sister, so maybe you'd better keep your opinions to yourself," C chuckled. "That pretty red dress you wore for the Tokyo broadcast celebration, that was your mother's. I think L very nearly strangled himself with his tie seeing you wear it."
"It's none of his business."
"No, it's not. What you wear is up to you. I had a word with him on that score."
K laughed. "You act like his wife or something."
The laughter of C's face immediately died. She lowered her head a little before looking K straight in the eyes.
"Go get some lunch, K," she said softly.
XXX
14 February 2023
K scanned the racks of clothes in front of her. Each garment had been labeled whilst the rest of the girls scurried around like headless chickens in a frenzy. As everyone desperately tried to find the clothes that M had sorted out for them, K leant back against the wall. Her stomach was churning at the thought of performing first with the rest of the girls, especially in the costume M had designed. It was the same for all of the girls, excepting the younger ones, who only had to perform their individual pieces.
Her own outfit for the song M had chosen: 'Dangerous Mind' by Within Temptation, no less – was not the worst anybody could have hoped for. Nope, poor Io snatched that award with a bright yellow frock (not from choice) for her mash-up rendition of 'Halo' and 'Walking on Sunshine'. C's rainbow-candy-colored dress for her, Matt and Mello's 'Lollipop' by MIKA was hurting K's eyes, if she was perfectly honest. That was not, however, the girls' most painful clothing. Fall and Star, for 'Barbie Girl' by Aqua, donned magenta-pink and bright turquoise dresses.
K grabbed her first garment, stepping into it as she prayed that it wouldn't make her look horrendously overweight. It was a wonder she could even breathe in it; the leather was so tight – wait, what, leather? Was this really hers?
"We all got one," Athena admitted shyly, holding up her own with the ruffled black skirt she had to wear. "It is Pussycat Dolls, after all."
"But I thought 'Don't Need A Man' wasn't quite as… bombastic… as their other songs!" K protested.
"We wish," Callie sighed, tying up Io's shirt at the back. "Just for the record, Linda made the rest of them."
"Don't go blaming me," Linda sighed. Pins were sticking out of her mouth. It didn't really make much difference to how much she spoke. If anything, it made her speak more.
As if Wammy's girls weren't going through enough hell already.
XXX
"Oh, God, please don't wear that."
"What? These are my normal clothes."
"Tony, if you wear those, I will disown you."
"Ruby, they're cool."
"They're cool if you're going to Las Vegas. We're going to LA."
"Sam's not in LA."
"I don't give a shit. LA is where we're going."
"We have nowhere to go in LA!"
"Need I repeat myself…? I don't give a shit."
"You're so immature."
"Immature and smarter than y-"
"Okay, okay, we're going to LA."