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-Untitled- (PURPOSE)
CHAPTER 1: The demented shadow
By: Yutsuki/Sabrina
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This is my first gatekeeper fic!!! Being a great fan of this series and of Ruriko (and Kageyama ^^) I decided to make this fic. It's a sort of "What if?" fanfic set in the middle of the series... What if Ruriko's reason for opening the Gate of Genocide was far deeper and graver than that of the series? How will her comrades (most especially Shun) get her out of her misery? Please comment! Constructive criticism is welcome but I'm not quite happy about receiving flames o_0 So anyway, have fun! ^_^ BTW, [ ] means thought.
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DISCLAIMERS/BLAH BLAH: I don't own Gatekeepers. Don't sue me please! No infringement intended!
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AT SHUN'S HOUSE:
Ukiya-taicho heaved a breath of relief. He gazes at the big teddy bear and smiles proudly. [All it needs now is a yellow ribbon on its head... Better go to the mall and look for one...] He sighs. [I hope Rurippe didn't suspect anything. This is one surprise I hope she'll never forget.]
[I'm sure about that, Ukiya Shun.] The same figure that was laughing grinned and disappeared in a flash. [Now to head to Mr. Ikusawa's factory…]
AT RURIKO'S HOUSE:
Ruriko plopped on her bed and sighed. Her eyes caught sight of the green dinosaur and she suddenly had a vision of the masked miracle in her younger years. [Ukiya-kun. You've always been there for me.] Realizing that thinking about him will do her no good, she decided to go downstairs and check up on her mother.
"Mother! Are you doing fine there with your cooking there? Do you want me to help you with the dishes?" "Oh thank you dear. Here please wash these plates for me. We're having Sukiyaki today." "Oh", Ruriko smiled, grabbed a sponge and started to scrub the grease out of the dishes. "Oh, mother? Will father be home in time for dinner today?" "Yes. He said he will." "Okay. That's great." Both of them smile at each other and got back to work.
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MEANWHILE…
[So this is where Ruriko's father works…] The boy looks at his watch. [Perfect. It's time for the workers to leave.] He puts on his shades and leans on a wall as he sees the workers smiling as they left the factory. "Hmph. Bugs. They smile and laugh with their fellow employees but they return to their homes and realize that their lives are so messed up and forget all about happiness. Then they return the next day, wearing their usual mask, grinning with all their strength not knowing that everyone of them was actually so frustrated already with their f***ed up life." With the last worker leaving, the boy grabbed something from his pocket looking a lot like a band-aid. He places the adhesive side on his nose, grins, and walks up to the only lit room left: Mr. Ikusawa's office.
Outside you could see the sudden shutting off of all lights as the shadow of the boy moved in… Then a loud bang is heard and a shrill cackle echoes through the empty factory.
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"Otosan's late again", Ruriko said as her burnished eyes gazed at the sukiyaki that was no longer a steaming hot pot of beef. Mrs. Ikusawa sighed. "I guess he had more work to do than he would have expected. He's a very busy man. He reminds me of you actually." The mother picked up the dishes and headed for the kitchen. Ruriko followed with the remaining dishes.
Suddenly, a phone call. "Is this Ikusawa's residence?" "Hai." "I'm afraid I have some bad news… Your husband… He's in the hospital right now… He was shot but…" The woman couldn't even end the phone call. The details to the incident didn't matter anymore. All that did was the fact that her spouse was lying down on a hospital bed, with an oxygen mask on his mouth and probably even a needle punctured deep down his arm with dextrose flowing into it… That vision was enough to give her the jitters and send her rushing straight to the sanitarium. "Ruriko-chan! Dress up quickly! We're going to the hospital right now." Ruriko's big round eyes shivered in shock just like always during situations like this. She quickly ran upstairs, adrenaline greatly pumping into her every vessel and nerve. [Otosan. Is that why you were late today? Please be all right…], Ruriko was deeply drowning in her worries for her father as she hysterically grabbed the first shirt and skirt she could find. She had always respected her father greatly and loved him. He was like her role model and just like her mother said, they were greatly alike in terms of the weight of their responsibilities and their abilities to carry them all out. In no time at all, Ruriko ran down the stairs to the car, where her mother was already sitting. In no time, the car disappeared and only a great puff of smoke could be seen in front of the Ikusawa's residence.
The conversation in the car was kept to a low minimum. Only the mother's occasional updates on how near they were to the hospital and the whirring of the engine and air conditioner was heard. Before long, the car stopped in front of the hospital's front gate and they quickly stepped out and rushed to reception. "Sumimasen! Where is Mr. Ikusawa's room?" The nurse browsed through the logbook with her finger and discontinued abruptly upon reading those exact words. "It's in Room 205. One floor up and at the far right." "Arigato Gozaimashita." The mother and child quickly rushed to the staircase realizing that the wait for the elevator would be too long. Before long, they read the exact three-digit number combination on the door and quietly but hastily opened the door.
"Otosan!" Ruriko gasped, seeing his state on the bed. He was feeling pain. You could see it in his eyes. Luckily, his heart rate was close to normal, just a little faster. The nurse softly left the room upon telling them not to worry and that "the bullet didn't hit any important regions of the body." This gave a short relief to the two ladies but the fact that he was still shot left them slightly agitated.
Both of them walked closely to the sleeping figure. There was a fresh, clean bandage wrapped neatly near his arm and his eyes were at peace. Soon enough, he struggled to open his eyes and saw the beautiful woman that he had married. He smiled and looked at the girl beside her, someone he had always treasured. "Gomen, I was late for dinner and I didn't keep my promise." "Now, now there. You shouldn't be talking at all, dear." "No. I'm okay. It would take more than that to get me tired. Being shot wasn't as exhausting as dealing with my colleagues." The family laughed a bit.
Ruriko's curiosity got the better of her. Knowing that he was safe made her feel calmer but the fact that someone would be cruel enough to do that still had some great effect to her nerves. She was certain that her mother felt the same way. "Ano, otosan? Do you know who did it?" The mother had a look of concern and a slight hint of curiosity, too.
Mr. Ikusawa closed his eyes and started to recall all that had happened…
[I was working… then a click. Then darkness. I couldn't see anything all except for that distinct feature on his nose… And then that deafening sound of his laughter…] The father of the family opened his eyes, now clearly knowing what had happened a few hours ago. "It… It was very dark so all I could see was the distinct feature on his nose…" Ruriko and her mother had a confused look and urged him to go on. "The feature was… a bandage. The boy had a bandage on his nose…"
Ruriko was held aghast at the recent revelation. She recalled someone saying that he was busy and everything made sense. "U… Ukiya… kun… you wouldn't… would you?"
TO BE CONTINUED…
Email me at sab_shob@yahoo.com. Go to Anime Cosmos: http://www.envy.nu/genroutasuki/anime.html I Hope the plot's getting more exciting now. ^_^ Anywayz, please review my fic! Bye! - Sabrina/Yutsuki :)
