Never the Same
Author's Notes: We're back again for Chapter Six! Whoo! Glad that you decided to return. *sounds like a gameshow host* ^_^; Well, since she won the contest (the song was "Yoru no Uta" from CardCaptor Sakura), here's dana-chan with the intro!
Eee! I never know what to say when I'm given something important to do like this.
Why don't you, oh, introduce the fic?
You're just bitter because you're not the center of attention!
Oh, and you are?
Attention hog!
Prima donna!
Eee, Hiroshi! *glomps him as he passes on by*
*sweatdrop* Uh, Dana-chan, that isn't what you're supposed to be doing.
Oh, true. *clears throat, doesn't let go of Hiroshi* It is my honor to present Chapter Six of Never the Same! Cue the fanfare.
*dry clap*
Hiroshi: *turning blue* I think you did great…
Oh, Hiro-chan! *stops suffocating him and cuddles him instead*
Fangirls!
Oh, as if Akuma doesn't have the same effect on you!
*drifts, though not literally* Akuma-koi…
Never the Same
Chapter Six-
Life's Like This
I woke up to a strange emptiness. I knew I had been up late the last night, but most of the night was a blank. My groggy eyes focused and I noticed something unusual- I was seeing everything in shades of purple!
Quickly covering my lavender-tinted eyes, I yelled in thought, TENSHI! She stepped out from under my bed, smiling nervously. Yes, Mistress? Tenshi isn't one to bow to anyone, so when she calls me "Mistress," you know she's guilty of something. And I knew just what she was guilty of…
Why, in the name of Serebii, did you use that technique on me?!? I yelled angrily to her. Tenshi shrunk back. Eh… I was walking past your room last night, and you weren't there, so I searched your memory this morning. Sorry… I smacked my forehead with my free hand, letting my face sink into my palms. When I was younger, Tenshi and I created our own special technique. We nicknamed it "Lavender Flash." When used correctly, it could allow you to view other's memories at will, and even copy or erase some of them by transferring them to your own brain. Also, it effected your victim's psychic abilities, and tinted their eyes violet. It was a strong technique, especially when used incorrectly.
Hey, Tenshi said, The electricity is back on. Let's call Natsume-sama. Maybe she can help us. I nodded, and followed her to the vid-phone.
The phone rang for a while, and I was thinking of hanging up, when a tousled Sabrina ran to the phone. "Hello?" she gasped, panting. I waved, and she sighed. "Hey, Kasumi. How are things going there?" she asked, catching her breath. I rolled my eyes. "Oh, gee, well, how do you think they're going? I'm snowed in at a Pokemon Center, Shigeru is being Shigeru, and Tenshi used Lavender Flash on me!"
I heard a dim voice in the background ask, "Who is it, 'Sume-chan?" Sabrina mumbled something quickly in return, and I grinned. "Ah… So Erika-chan stayed the night again, eh?" I asked playfully, and the Celadon Gym Leader ran to the phone. "Kasumi? That you? Long time no see! How are you?" Tenshi stood at my side, her face a mirror of Sabrina's as we chatted over the little things happening in our lives. Erika often stayed with us, and had clued me in on her relationship with Sabrina. We were very close, almost like sisters.
Ahem, Tenshi butted in, Don't you think there's something more important to talk about here, Kasumi? I paused mid-sentence, and sighed. "Yeah… Well, Sabrina, I just wanted to know how long you think the effects will last." She paused, in thought, then said, "I don't know. Could be three minutes to three years. How recent were the memories?" I told her that they were only from last night, and she said, "Eh… then that might take a while." I nodded, and smiled. Closing my eyes, I concentrated. Soon the violet tint was replaced by a bright crimson glow.
Sabrina shivered. "Could you not do that?" she asked. "It's freaky when they glow like that." I smirked. "Oh, and it wasn't freaky when you had a crazed doll on your lap all the time?" Just then, Shigeru walked in. And promptly screamed like a little girl.
"Gah! Don't surprise me like that! You know it's freaky when you do that…" I sweatdropped. Tenshi giggled, and I let my eyes go back to the purple shade before glaring at her.
Ahh! Kasumi, don't do that! It's freaky! That color is scary… I looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Tenshi, it's purple. You're purple." She shook her head. Nuh-uh. I'm, er… She stopped, looking at herself. Oh my god! Sweet Serebii! AKUMA, I'M PURPLE!!! The black and gold moonlight Pokemon walked in slowly, yawning. You've ALWAYS been purple, Tenshi dear.
Tenshi calmed down. Oh, yeah… Say, do you think this place has any tuna? Akuma sighed, his head dropping. Then he looked at me. Ah... You know, Kasumi, I think you should change to a color similar to your usual one. Don't want anyone getting freaked out, now, do we? I sighed, sweatdropping. "Akuma, you seem to be the only one whose on my side anymore." He smiled, projecting a message to my mind privately. But we're all always beside you, Kasumi. Every step of the way. Remember that. Every step of the way... I smiled at him gently. Thanks, Akuma, I whispered to his mind. He gestured to Tenshi and she followed him into another room.
I concentrated and turned my eyes back to their normal color. Satoshi walked out of the main hallway, and I blushed, looking down. He was only wearing his jeans. I looked at myself, and saw that I was only wearing a short white nightgown. Sabrina looked at me, and at him, and then back at me. "Ah… I see now." She winked. "Well, good luck!"
At the sound of the Saffron Gym Leader, Satoshi ran over. "Hey, Natsume! Long time, no battle! How're you?" She smiled. "Ah… Satoshi. Good to see you. I've been fine. Haven't faced many challengers quite as good as you yet." He smiled, and I shot her a questioning look. "Satoshi here is the one who helped me lose my other self. He beat me with a borrowed Haunter." The two returned to talking, and I sighed. Scrat walked out of our room, scratching her fiery hair sleepily. Her green-blue eyes similar to mine sparkled in the bright Center lights.
"I'm gonna go get changed, okay Scrat?" She nodded sleepily, and I headed to the room. I passed Hiroshi in the hall. "Ohayo, Hiroshi. How're you this morning?" He smiled, lifting up the Raichu's egg.
"I'm good. I just went to pick up the egg from Pikachu for you and Satoshi." I nodded, taking the egg from him gently. "Thanks. Can you come tell me when breakfast is out? I wanna get some things done." He nodded, and I walked into my room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jab, cross, hook, back-fist, palm strike, turn. Snap, round, shuffle side, land. Fighting stance, bow.
I opened my eyes and wiped the sweat off my forehead. Right before I left Saffron, the nearby Fighting Gym started giving me lessons. The fear of meeting him again drove me to practice. I grabbed a towel and my clothes, and walked into the bathroom.
The feel of hot water against my skin was soothing. I got to wash my hair again, which felt good. Soon Hiroshi was knocking on the door, letting me know that breakfast was ready. I hurriedly dried my hair and followed him to the lobby.
Upon me entering, Takeshi got a nosebleed. Satoshi turned blood red and fell out of his seat. Shigeru smirked, and Hiroshi slapped the back of his head playfully.
Er, Kasumi… Tenshi whispered, although I was the only one who could hear her, Are you aware that you are only wearing a towel? I looked down at myself, and blushed. Trying to keep my dignity, I waltzed over to the table confidently. Satoshi quickly looked away, still crimson-faced. Scrat had slapped Takeshi out of it.
Nurse Joy walked in with the meal. "Ah…" Shigeru said, grinning, "I finally get those eggs I planned to make before you interrupted. Why would you want toast for breakfast, anyway?" I rolled my eyes. "I can't believe you still remember that!"
We started eating after that, chatting in between bites. Tenshi was curled up around the egg protectively, and Akuma was sitting next to her. Satoshi was still red-faced as we talked, and kept shooting glances at me. Nurse Joy stood up, gathering the finished dishes.
"I received a call earlier. They're sending out a troop to dig us out." I looked at her. "Dig us out? Exactly how deep under are we?" She looked out the covered window.
"Er… We're covered in about three feet of snow above." I sweatdropped. Back in Saffron, it never snowed… I felt a sudden urge to run outside giggling like a little child. I probably would have, too, had we not been completely snowed in.
Satoshi looked at me, and I wondered if his face would always be that crimson. "Ah… 'Sumi, don't you think you should get changed…?" I nodded, and turned to my clothes. They were conveniently under Tenshi. Tenshi, get off my clothes, I said to her privately, Now.
She grinned, and winked at me. Ah… But you don't want to damage the egg now, do you? The Espeon snuggled closer to it as if to prove her point, and pretended to be asleep. Borrow something from Satoshi…
I looked at him, blushing mildly. "Erm… Once that fluffball goes to sleep, she's practically immovable. Sato-chan, do you think I can borrow some of your clothes?" He blushed, too, and said, "Okay… Erm, take what you need…"
Thanking him, we walked to his room awkwardly. "Don't worry," I said, "I have my underclothes." He sighed thankfully. Then he gestured to himself. "Take your pick of clothes. It's not much, but…" I smiled. Might as well make this somewhat fashionable...
I took his hands in mine, removing his gloves and slipping them on. Then I grabbed the matching jacket, tee-shirt, belt, and, just to spice it up… I stood on my tip-toes and reached on top of his head, grabbing his hat. "Hey!" he exclaimed.
"You said I could take my pick, so…" I winked at him, walking back to my room. He looked kind of cute with his hair ruffled like that… I shook my head, reminding myself to ask Sabrina about this disease. I stopped, and blinked. Didn't I already solve this...? I thought to myself. Silently cursing Tenshi's ability to use Lavender Flash, I started to change.
The end result didn't look half bad. His black shirt was long, so it went down to mid-thigh level, and the jacket went lower to cover more in the back. His Poke-belt (which I had detached his pokeballs from) held the shirt loosely around my waist, showing off some of my figure. The green-blue gloves added a whole Sato-chan look-alike theme to it, and the worn hat topped it off nicely. Content, I walked back into the lobby where the others sat, waiting for rescue.
Tenshi had gotten off my clothes, but Takeshi had decided to use them to wrap up the egg. I sat down in the circle of chairs, and was surrounded by an uncomfortable silence.
"Okay, I'm bored as hell now," Shigeru said in his usual gruff voice. I looked at him tiredly. "Is Hell really boring? I wouldn't think so. I mean, you probably aren't too bored while you are burning in eternal unhappiness." The others stared at me, surprised by my gloominess. I realized that the had no clue about my past, and therefore had no clue that I could be so dark at times. I sweatdropped.
"Er… So, what do you guys wanna do this week while we're off?" I asked, trying to break the silence. Scrat cheered up a little, and Shigeru still looked unfazed.
"Ooh… I wanna go Christmas shopping soon! November's almost over…" I nodded. November was coming to an end soon. I had barely noticed. I guess with all the things that were happening, I couldn't worry about dates…
Suddenly, I heard a Charizard roar and some voices from the outside. We all stood up, and walked towards the door. Just as Satoshi was about to open the door, a bouncy blonde came running in.
"Oh, Takeshi! Are you okay? Once I heard the news, I came right to the Center! I was so worried you were hurt, especially spending the night trapped with idiots like them…" She was hugging him tightly, and he sweatdropped.
"Er, Domino, I'm fine, really…" Very soon, others rushed in. I recognized Ookido-hakase rush up to Shigeru, an auburn-haired woman run up and squeeze Satoshi, and a tall man, about seventeen with brown hair and blue eyes, walk up to Scrat. They were all excited to see what I guessed was their children, or some sort of family member. I looked to Hiroshi. "Say… Where's your family?"
He looked at me, smiling sadly. "I'm orphaned. My parents died in a car crash when I was little. So I've been on my own since." I nodded, knowingly. We were both alone. There was suddenly a strong sense of understanding between us as we watched the happy reunions.
I stuck my hands in the borrowed belt around my waist and walked out of the Center slowly. It was true- we were deep under. I had to walk up a slope to get to the "ground." As soon as I reached the ground, however, I was greeted by a handful of reporters.
"What was it like, being trapped in a Center overnight?"
"Was anyone injured?"
"Can I have a close-up?"
Snap, flash.
"Why are you dressed like that?"
"Who are you?"
"Are you Satoshi Ketchum?"
"Did you get mysterious changed into a female in the middle of the night?"
I blinked at the last two questions. Last time I faced the armies of reporters was when I "came out" -- when I first appeared as a Cerulean Sister. And those reporters were no where as weird as these…
A short girl about my age, with long auburn hair and blue-gray eyes, ran past. I heard Hiroshi scream lightly inside, and ran in. However, there was nothing to worry about that I could see. The girl was just hugging him. "Er… Dana-chan… Do you mind loosening on your hold a little?"
She nodded, instead just glomping him. The girl rubbed her cheek against his, her glasses moving slightly. It was odd, seeing everyone have their families and friends there to greet them, and me? I had no family. I plodded slowly through the snow and ignored the reporters before I walked into something tall and somewhat hard. I looked up.
"Sabrina?" I asked quietly. She nodded, smiling slightly. I was surprised. "But… how?" Erika stood next to her, holding an umbrella to the last of the snow. I wondered exactly how much snow could fall on one place at a time. "A lot, actually… Ecruteak gets the most out of Johto, except when compared to Mt. Silver or Blackthorn. And I had Alakazam teleport us for a short while. We'll only be here for the rest of the day." I nodded, smiling, and we walked through the snow.
Erika looked up at the sky, and I did, too. It was dark and gloomy, but we didn't mind. Sabrina was leading us somewhere, most likely Shigeru's house. I let my body take control and closed my eyes, relaxing. Tenshi scampered up next to me. She was complaining to Erika about the weather. I shut it all out.
I felt my body lighten and grow distant. My pace slowed down slightly, and my body loosened. The blackness exploded into a blur of colors and shapes, each different from the next. I looked at each of them until a few familiar ones appeared. Everything spread out into blankness and then erupted into a scene, each detail perfect and precise. I found myself looking back into the Center.
Satoshi was standing there, his jeans drooping thanks to the fact that I had his belt. The woman, obviously his mother, was still hugging him. She stopped abruptly, looking at him. "Satoshi… Where's your hat? And the rest of your clothes?" He sweatdropped.
"Er… I loaned them to Kasumi, Mom." She raised an eyebrow. "Kasumi? Kasumi Yawa?" He nodded, confused, and she smiled. "Ookido-hakase told me about her. I'd love to meet her! Say, Satoshi, why don't you invite her over for dinner someday? You don't have many girls over…" She winked, and Satoshi sighed. "Mom…" he whined. His mother just giggled, and walked over to talk to Ookido-hakase. The kids, including Domino, the Hiroshi-glomper, and the guy who walked up to Scrat earlier, gathered and regrouped. "Say… Where's Kasumi?" Scrat asked, looking at the others.
The guy shrugged. He had a hat that said "Got Narf?" and his blue eyes shined. "Dunno. Who's Kasumi?" Scrat smacked him on the back of the head playfully, grinning. "Tempral-kun… You are such a baka…" He nodded, grinning.
Satoshi looked worried. "Maybe we should look for her. She's new, and doesn't know her way around…" Shigeru rolled his eyes. "Stop worrying. She's Kasumi. The worst thing that could happen is her getting trapped by bug Pokemon…"
He nodded, and they walked out of the Center. I opened my eyes, refocusing on the world around me. Tenshi was staring up at me. What were you lookin' at, Kasumi? I reached down, picked up a handful of snow, and flung it at her. "Nothing!" I yelled giddily as I started spinning in the snow. Sabrina stared at me, and Erika giggled. Tenshi scooped up a clump of snow in her tail, and flung it. I dodged, and it hit Sabrina head on. She growled, scooped some up, and was about to throw it when she was hit from behind. Turning, she came face-to-face with Erika. The Celadon Gym Leader kissed her briefly, then swung down and pelted her with more snow. Erika giggled, and an all-out snowball fight erupted.
I dodged a flurry from Tenshi, rolling and tossing a clump at Sabrina. She countered with a pile she had lifted with her mind. I saw this, and Erika and I rolled to the side. We formed our own teams; Tenshi and Sabrina versus Erika and I. Everyone was having fun, and even Sabrina was giggling, which was remotely scary. I sensed a familiar presence approaching from behind, and I grinned. The others had their backs turned to it, like I did, so I sent a message to them.
Okay, everyone, on the count of three, we nail 'im. Got it? They nodded, and scooped up their own snow. One... I readied myself, pivoting my feet. Two... The snow in my hand formed a sphere. Our bodies turned in unison as we flung the snowballs. "Three!"
Shigeru fell over under the assault of snow. As soon as he lifted his head, another snowball hit him in the mouth. We eventually let him sit up, sputtering and spitting. He glared, and I laughed.
"Not funny…" he grumbled, glaring, and I grinned. "Yes, it was. Now get over it, Geru-chan." Shigeru grumbled more, and I laughed. Sticking out a hand, I grabbed him and yanked him up. He brushed himself off, and then glared at Sabrina. She glared back.
"You just had to go and ruin the fun, didn't you, Shigeru?" she said, surprising me. Was that a hint of a pout I heard in Ms. Emotionless's voice? Surely not. I saw Tenshi with a mischievous grin behind Shigeru, and smiled slightly. I concentrated, my eyes glowing slightly, then stared at him. He let out a startled scream, and we all started laughing, me the loudest.
Cool, suave Shigeru had gone from his trademark purple shirt and strange pants to a, well… "A bunny suit?!?" he yelled, horrified, sending us into a new uproar of laughter. He looked at himself, his fluffy white tail bobbing as he did. His pink ears flopped, and the pink feet sunk into the snow. "My, Shigeru, that color is just perfect for you!" Erika joked, and we laughed on. Shigeru's face was beginning to match his outfit. We calmed down gradually, but it was still funny. It became even funnier when Aesta, Scrat's Flareon, wandered over and attempted to eat his tail.
I turned his clothes back, and apologized laughingly. He pouted, which made me want to laugh more. A pout doesn't quite fit Shigeru…
Suddenly, a wind blew by, and Shigeru was left in only his boxers. Gah! Kasumi, put them back! It's scary! Tenshi covered her eyes with her paws, digging her nose into the snow. Sabrina and Erika looked away. I sweatdropped, yelling back at them, "It wasn't me!" A laugh echoed, and I stiffened. The man from the Center came running over.
"Kokkeinakamo, get down here! And give him back his clothes! There are some things people don't need to see…" Shigeru grumbled, covering himself the best he could, and a Ghastly appeared. It looked disappointed. *Aww... You're no fun, Tempral.* The man rolled his eyes. "Shut up and put them back, Kokamo, or I'll send Aesta after you." The ghost sweatdropped as the Flareon grinned evilly. *All right...* Shigeru's clothes appeared again.
The man tapped his foot impatiently. "What do you say, Kokamo?" Said ghost turned to Shigeru and smiled slightly. *At least it wasn't a bunny suit...* All of us, including Tenshi, sweatdropped together. The guy turned to me.
"Hey. I'm Tempral Kaji, Scrat's brother. You're Kasumi, right? Scrat's told me a lot about you." I nodded. Tenshi looked up at him. "Ah… And this must be the crazed fluffball. Scrat's told me a lot about you, too." She looked somewhat annoyed at being called a crazed fluffball, but Tempral solved that easily. He bent down, and started to gently pet her under the chin. Tenshi purred, rubbing her neck along his hand.
From behind me, Sabrina and Erika stood. Shigeru walked next to them, still grumbling. Suddenly, the Ghastly sped off. *C'mon, Tempral! Let's go make the Olivine Beach showers spit mud instead of water again!* Tempral grinned, and ran off waving to us. "Nice to meet you, Kasumi! Talk to you later! Have a narfy day!"
I blinked, then turned to the others. "Well… That was unusual…" Sabrina said, and we started walking again. Erika resumed talking to Tenshi about the weather and perfume. Shigeru was still grumbling as we trudged through the snow to his house.
Suddenly, Sabrina said, "Oh, Kasumi, your 'sisters' sent you a gift from Cerulean." As we reached the outside of the house, she reached into the crimson top of her uniform and took out a paper. "You keep things in there?" I asked playfully, grinning. "Oh, shut up," she grumbled, handing it to me. It read:
Like, Dear Misty,
How are, like, you doing? We're sooo totally fine. Ooo, except Sakura had a horrible knot in her hair yesterday! It took, like, thirty minutes to get it out! Like, she might have damaged it! And Ayame is taking REAL good care of your Pokemon for you. Like, we took them out from Ookido-hakase's place to use them in the show. Hope you don't care. Seel says hi. And, uh... Like, a bunch of other stuff happened, but I forgot! Well, we like all chipped in and like bought this for you! Hope the bad man doesn't get you!
With love,
Your, like, sisters!
Ayame, Botan, and Sakura
PS: Don't die on us, and, like, write us back! We miss you! Oooh, and if you meet a guy, tell us! That Shigeru guy is sooo not right for you. Ja ne, lil' sis!
I sweatdropped, before trying to shove the note in my pocket. Unfortunately, I was still wearing Satoshi's clothes, which had no pocket. Blushing, I stuck the note in my shirt like Sabrina had, and walked inside.
The first sight I was greeted with was a shiny red bike. Tenshi's violet eyes glittered. Ooh… Shiny… I glared at her. "No. Way. In. Hell," I said to the Espeon. I knew about her obsession with shiny objects, and was not about to take any chances. This was my bike, the one I had wanted since I was eight. She was not going to destroy it. I would not let anything touch that bike. Not even a crazed flock of Spearows…
Sabrina smiled slightly. "Once the snow melts, you can ride it to school. But not now. It's winter. Oh, and consider that your Christmas gift from them. Knowing the Cerulean Sisters, they'll be broke and begging me for money by next week…" She sighed.
"Oh, why do I deal with those bakas?" Erika grinned. "Because you're sweet, kind, loving, and helpful, 'Sume-chan." Sabrina sighed again. "It's because you force me to, isn't it?"
Erika smiled, giggling. "Yup!" She kissed her on the cheek. Shigeru made a gagging noise. "I'm gonna walk away now, because your sweet sappiness makes me want to vomit. Ja!" With that, he walked into the kitchen. Sabrina and Erika continued to joke and talk in the living room, so I walked up to my room.
Thinking for a second, I picked up a piece of paper and a pen. Tenshi curled around the egg next to me as I started to write. I paused momentarily, then wrote more.
I looked at my work. It wasn't much, but it would do. I scanned my eyes over the paper. They might not have been the best people in the world, but the Yawas weren't that bad. After all, everyone has their pros and cons. They couldn't help it if they were annoying as hell…
Dear Botan, Ayame, and Sakura,
Thanks for the bike. Once the snow melts and the cold weather passes, I'll ride it. Everything here in Ecruteak is pretty good. I've met a few people that I have become friends with.
I'm sorry to hear about your hair, Sakura. That must have been a pain. It's probably from all the time you spend in the water. I promise I'll help with the shows on my next visit, okay? Other than the shows, how is the gym? Reforming the reputation? I hope so. Try not to seem like pushovers, okay? I hate how people talk about you being so easy. Don't want to lose the respect of any guys, now, do you? Be careful with Togepi. I don't want her getting out and wreaking havoc on the town again. Never underestimate the dangers of that egg... Tenshi says hi. Well, actually, she yawns and mumbles about Akuma, but that's almost the same thing. And I hope Horsea is okay. She looked kind of sick when I last saw her.
The people here are pretty nice, but VERY weird. Take Takeshi, for example. He's a girl-crazy lunatic, yet doesn't seem to notice that Scrat likes him. Oh, who's Scrat? She's obsessed with Takeshi for reasons currently unknown. Her brother scares me... Hiroshi's this quiet guy who is a good friend of Shigeru's. Oh, and by the way, I would NEVER go out with the egotistical jerk. He's freaky...
That leads us to Satoshi. He's funny, and kinda cute. His Pikachu is a prima donna, but that fact aside, they're good friends. After Takeshi used my clothes to warm the egg, Sato-chan lent me his. Oh, the egg is the baby of a Raichu that Sato-chan and I delivered. We're raising it together. Tenshi is currently curled around it.
Last night, we got trapped in the Pokemon Center. I know some important things happened, but I can't remember. The stupid fluffball used Lavender Flash on me. I got to cuddle with Sato-chan under a blanket, though... Whoa. That did NOT come out right. Never mind that last sentence. Oh, this is the last time I write in non-erasable ink...
Well, I'm gonna go now. Tenshi wants me to walk down to the PokeMart on the other side of town, dig down into the snow, get to the door, and buy her tuna. And don't worry, I'll keep an eye out for that bastard. Keep in touch, okay? I miss you, too. And remember my warnings about the egg.
Love, light, and snowball fights,
Kasumi
PS: I just realized that I'm still wearing Sato-chan's clothes... Don't worry, it matches. I'll send along a picture. And now Tenshi's tail is twitching... I'm gonna go dig up the PokeMart now before she tries to kill me. Sayonara!
I quickly snapped a picture, sealed the envelope, and grabbed the shovel. Tenshi was sparking. Come on! I'm hungry! I sighed. "Spoiled brat…" The Espeon did not look pleased at this name. Pulling down my lower eyelid and sticking out my tongue, I ran out of the house. "Can't catch me!"
She growled. Wanna bet, Kasumi? And so the race was on. While turning a corner, I stuck the envelope in a mailbox. Tenshi knocked over an old woman while running towards me. I sweatdropped, and ran faster. Dodging an old man with a flute, I jumped and used my shovel to make it to the group of diggers already there. Unfortunately, the man's Snorlax rolled over, trapping my foot. Tenshi ran ahead, beating me.
I dragged my body to the spot where the PokeMart was. Tenshi was doing a victory dance, and I sighed. Dig, Kasumi, dig! I want this snow to go down by six feet by the time I come back! Now, what do you say? I sighed. Note to self: Never let Tenshi see a musical again.
I coughed. "I love you, Tenshi-chan," I said in a sing-song voice. Good… Now get to work! She started humming a song to herself, and I rolled my eyes. The Cerulean Sisters put on a play a while ago. It was about a little orphan girl (guess who played the lead?) who met this millionaire. I have no clue how they got it to be an under-water show, but they did. Tenshi played the part of her pet, and had been obsessed with it since.
"Look, Fluffy, if you don't stop it soon, I'm gonna rip the whiskers from your chin and make you drink a 'Mickey Finn,' whatever the hell that is." She quickly shut up, and I continued digging. Soon, I felt warm hands on my cold shoulders.
"You're still wearing that, 'Sumi?" Satoshi asked, appearing next to me. He stuck his shovel in the snow and started digging. "Yes, I am, Sato-chan. The furball didn't give me a chance to change. Stupid tuna-obsessed purple fluff…" I glared at her, and he laughed.
I looked around. "Say… Why are you here? More volunteer work already?" He smiled as an older woman, the same from the Center approached. "Mom made me come…" The woman behind him coughed, and nudged him aside. Smiling, she turned to me.
"Hi! You must be Kasumi. Satoshi's told me a lot about you…" She winked, and Satoshi blushed. "I'm his mother. Call me Hanako. Well, Satoshi and I were wondering if you would come to our Christmas party this year. All the others come. It'll be a lot of fun." She smiled again, and I nodded.
"Great! Well, I'll leave you two alone now. Bye!" She ran off, and I blinked. Satoshi sweatdropped. "Eh… Sorry 'bout that. Mom's a little… enthusiastic." I smiled, and we continued to talk.
As it got late, everyone took a break. We gathered around fires, talking and relaxing. I leaned back and looked at the stars. Satoshi did the same. "They're beautiful, aren't they?" I whispered to him. He looked at me. "Just like you…" I sat up, and looked at him.
"What'd you say?" I asked, surprised. He couldn't have said that. It just wasn't possible. He blushed. "N-Nothing!" he stuttered, looking back up. I sighed, following his gaze.
Stars are amazing things. Each is unique, and bright. They say that, if you look at them right, you can see the constellations of the ancient wonders. Gazing up, I saw something move. Only it didn't look like a star… In fact, it was glowing pink. I rubbed my eyes, looking harder. It wasn't there anymore. Must be my imagination...
Satoshi moved closer to me. I closed my eyes. Stars… I searched my mind for the words to a song I had known well. When I was young, I used to sing to pass the time. My father wouldn't let me out much, so I had to do something. I remembered the words, and sung quietly.
"KANARIA no ORUGO-RU
Sotto FEIDO AUTO
Doushiyou mune ga mune ga tsumaru no
NAMIDA ga hoshi ni natte mo
Kaiten mokuba kiete mo
Onegai yo KISU wo yamenaide…"
I opened my eyes. Satoshi was looking at me. "You have a beautiful voice, 'Sumi," he whispered, and I blushed. "Where did you learn that song?" I looked up, feeling tears cloud my eyes. I blinked them back.
"My mother taught me the song… Before she was killed." That was mostly the truth. My bastard of a father had killed her after he saw that she could report him for abuse. He never loved her in the first place.
"Mother loved that song… She would sing it all the time before I went to sleep." That was a lie. I had made up the song myself. I barely knew my mother. She was murdered shortly after I was born. But I wrote that song while thinking of her…
Satoshi frowned. "I'm sorry I brought it up…" I smiled at him, a tint of sadness on my face. "Consider it pay back for mentioning your father…" He nodded.
The song played through my head as we continued to gaze at the stars. The translation of the verse flowed through my mind. The canary music box softly fades out, What should I do? My heart is, my heart is all choked up, Even if these tears turn into stars, Even if our merry-go-round disappears, I beg you, please don't stop your kisses...
I looked up, wondering if those stars were really tears. If so, how many were mine? My eyes trailed to Satoshi next to me. "I hope this merry-go-round never disappears, Sato-chan…" He looked at me, slightly confused, then smiled.
"I hope it doesn't, too, 'Sumi. I hope it never ends…"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Phew. That was only, what, eleven pages? ^_^ And I finished before my birthday! Yay! Yup, I'll officially be twelve on June 3rd. *feels special* Well, wasn't this a lovely random chapter? Funny, fluffy, hopefully a tad angsty, and just a bit of Japanese lyrics. Oh, those lyrics? "Takishi-do Mira-ju," or "Tuxedo Mirage," from Sailor Moon. This chapter is dedicated to Tempral Bouncer and Scrat with a G for helping me, and for the narfy gift I got from them. Special thanks also go to dana-chan for introducing the chapter, and for cameo-ing. ^_^
Questions:
1) What do you think of the cameo characters? (Scrat, Tempral, Dana…)
2) Tempral asks: Do you have a spare apricot?
Well, I'm gonna eat some human food now… *has been glued to the computer working on this all day* ^_^ If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or just wanna chat, my email is KuroiTenshi36@msn.com. Have a narfy day! (I swear, Tempral's rubbing off on me…)