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Disclaimer: All Adventure Iczer-3 characters are owned by AIC. All
original characters, and story, copyright author.
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Normality Squared - Why Me?
(C)1999 R. Alexander Spoerer
"Ms. Izumi, are you paying attention?"
Iczer-2 blinked, a moment had passed when she finally realized
that the professor had addressed her. Even after living on this
world for three years, she still had problems responding to her last
name. What a strange concept Humanity had. Why could they not
simply use one name?
"Ms. Izumi, did you hear me?"
Knocked out of her impromptu introspection, Iczer-2 straightened
up in her seat, keenly aware of the scrutiny that the professor
gave her. She looked directly into the brown eyes of the professor
who stood behind a desk at the bottom of the auditorium. It was not
unusual for most students to feel uncomfortable when he started
at them, but Iczer-2 would not let him have the satisfaction.
After all, she always held the upper hand.
A miniscule smirk crossed her lips as she answered him, her
voice steady.
"Yes I did, professor."
The professor arched his right eyebrow.
"Good. Then you will have no problem answering my question."
A line had been drawn in the sand in front of her, with him
daring her to cross it.
Warning bells went off within her mind. This was not a good
sign. Iczer-2, however, chose to ignore her innate danger sense,
and charged forward to meet the professor's challenge. She never
backed down from anything, and she would not back down from this...
Man.
She nodded her head toward him.
"Very well, ask your question."
He folded his hands behind his back, as he walked in front of
the long desk, and leaned against the edge.
"Tell me, Ms. Izumi. If you stood on the surface of the moon,
what would you see?"
She opened her mouth to answer the question, to set the
professor straight once and for all, when her brain reminded her of
an important piece of information she had overlooked: She was
supposed to be a normal Human being.
Which meant she would have never been on the moon. She would
have never seen the incredible spectacle of a lunar sunrise, nor how
beautiful Earth looked especially at night, when the lights from the
many cities cross the face of that world like a web of pure light.
If she said anything about these things, there would be
questions.
Questions she did not want to answer.
Reluctantly, Iczer-2 selected the only course of action she
could....
She closed her eyes, and sighed. This was not going to be easy.
"Well Ms. Izumi?"
Her eyes opened, and stared down at the professor. Iczer-2's
lips formed into a tiny snarl as she responded, which betrayed
her annoyance.
"I do not know, Professor..."
Now it was his turn to smirk. He then promptly turned his back
to her as he walked around the desk.
"As I thought, Ms. Izumi. Please do pay more attention to the
lesson at hand next time. You may sit back down."
Dark thoughts raced through her mind as she sat back down. How
dare he talk to her like that!
No one had ever done that to her and lived.
Iczer-2 briefly glanced at her hand under the desk, and noticed
the tips of her fingers crackled with faint yellow electricity.
She quickly closed her palm and her eyes in an attempt to bring
her anger under control. This was no longer a battleground,
and she could not lash out at anyone who insulted her.
It was not the Human thing to do.
Calm quickly replaced her anger as the sounds of closing books
and notebooks brought her out of her thoughts.
Her backpack saddled across her right shoulder, she made her way
to her next class.
******
"Each of you will be assigned a partner for this project."
Iczer-2 sat at her desk with her chin in her palm, trying not to
expose her utter lack of enthusiasm.
Why did she have to take these classes? None of them covered
anything that was of interest, or use, to her. She did not intend
to become a scientist, so why did she have to learn about these
subjects? Humans had very strange ideas about how they learned.
It would have been easier if she just learned what was needed, no
more or less.
Then again, Mother would have said the same thing, and she would
never have been given the choice.
A small price to pay for freedom....
"Ms. Izumi, your partner will be Mr. Takahashi."
Iczer-2 blinked her eyes, and looked around, caught off guard
again.
Not a very good trend for warrior....
"Mr. Takahashi?"
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a young man wave
slightly. She turned and considered him. He had short black hair,
and brown eyes. The normal clothing he wore complemented the
plainness of his appearance.
She breathed out, stood up from her desk with the rest of the
students, and made her way to the lab tables.
On the table was the subject of the dissection: a cat.
A couple of seconds later, she felt her lab partner sit down
beside her.
"Um... Hi there."
Iczer-2 looked to her right, and recognized the nervousness
in his eyes.
Mentally, Iczer-2 groaned. Every time a man was put into a
position that would put her close to him, they started to act
strangely. She remembered the night Yoriko had explained to her
because she was an attractive woman, men would act that way around
her.
She had thought it ridiculous, but Yoriko said it was the
punishment for being good-looking.
A smile played across her lips as memories of that night
resurfaced. Such a wonderful night it was, maybe when she arrived
home tonight....
"So... Do you want to cut it?"
Her blissful remembrance shattered, she glanced over at him, an
incredulous look decorated her face.
"Do you want to?"
He shook his head, and fidgeted in his seat.
"Not particularly."
Iczer-2 rolled her eyes, and picked up the scalpel.
"Very well, then I'll cut it, and you take notes... What's
your name, by the way?"
A small smile appeared across his lips, "I'm Akito."
She responded to his smile with a frown, as she returned her
attention to the project, "Nagisa."
Positioned in front of the cat, she studied the dead animal.
She was not too partial to cats. However, Yoriko loved them because
it reminded her of Iczer-2: fiercely independent, and headstrong.
They still looked like a waste of flesh to her....
After she donned a pair of latex gloves, she maneuvered
the scalpel in her hand, placing the edge of the blade on the cat's
chest.
It was ironic that once again she would have to cut into another
being, but this time in the name of science.
Strange....
The scalpel easily cut through the cat's outer pelt, and she
slid the blade down chest to the abdomen. She was greeted by the
none-to-pleasant smell of a liquid that pooled within the open gash
she had cut. Her nose cringed at the strength of the odor. She
never remembered something smelling this horrid when cut open
before..
"Ugh... That's disgusting."
She nodded in agreement with her lab partner.
"It is. It's probably because of this yellow liquid inside
of it. Strange, last time I checked, most living creatures usually
have blood flowing within them...."
"Um, they usually drain the blood before they fill it with
formaldehyde."
Iczer-2 felt a pang of embarrassment at her ignorance, before
covering it up with her usual smugness.
"I know that, smart-ass."
"But, you just sai....."
She growled at him, sticking the scalpel into the cat like a
stake.
"I know what I said!"
At this time her mind brought to her attention that everyone
in the class were staring at both of them. She threw a nasty look
at the others, and they promptly turned around.
Once again, she looked at the dead cat, and removed the scalpel
from it, but not before glancing at Akito.
"Are you ready?"
He emphatically nodded.
After placing the scalpel down, she reached into the carcass,
and began to gently remove the internal organs, reading down the
checklist the professor had given to them.
"Intestines, liver, lungs, stomach..."
She stopped when she had heard strange noises coming from Akito,
and turned to look at him. He looked pale and swayed slightly
on his stool.
She furrowed her brow. What happened to him?
Before she could ask, his eyes widened and his head shot down
into the middle of her lap where he promptly emptied the contents
of his stomach.
For what seemed like forever, she sat in shock. Nothing like
this had ever happened to her. She had fought innumerable battles
and opponents like no one could ever imagine.
But, never in the time she had been alive had anyone ever thrown
up on her.
That was the last straw.
Iczer-2 snapped back into reality, and looked at Akito who was
still leaned against her lap, mumbling.
"Get off me!"
She grabbed him by the shoulders and roughly pushed him off,
which sent him to the floor of the classroom.
The utterly revolting smell of vomit continued to fuel her anger
as she stood up and briefly looked at her jeans, which were now
covered, in beige ooze. She then looked at the hunched over form
that was her lab partner, and snarled.
Iczer-2 was going to enjoy sending him into orbit.
`Iczer-2, what's wrong?'
`I am going to give someone's head a tour of this system.'
`Stop!'
Like the eye of a hurricane, Yoriko's tranquil voice entered
her mind through their link, which helped to temper her fire.
`Why? Do you have *any* idea of what has happened to me!'
`No. So why don't you tell me?'
Gradually, her outward anger began to diminish as she mentally
spoke with Yoriko.
`This... This... Man threw up on my lap....'
Silence permeated the link as Iczer-2 waited for Yoriko to
reply. Then she was totally caught off guard as a blast of mirth
exploded from Yoriko.
`He threw up on you! Oh my God I can't believe it!'
More mental laughter came from Yoriko.
Iczer-2 found her anger being quickly replaced with annoyance.
`It's not funny!'
`Yes it is!'
She shot a look to the professor who was helping Akito up.
"I'll be in the bathroom."
Not waiting for an answer, she grabbed her backpack and walked
out of the science lab, trying to ignore Yoriko's laughter.
Eventually, she made it into the bathroom, began the process
of cleaning her jeans off.
Yoriko's laughter also died down.
`Are you ok, Ini-chan?'
`No, I'm not. I'm covered in this stuff, and it's not coming
off.'
Iczer-2 continued her vain attempts to wipe off Akito's lunch.
`Why don't you change?'
She stopped wiping, placed her hands against the edge of the
sink, and looked in the mirror.
`Because I don't have a spare change of clothes with me.'
`Then go home and get some.'
A sigh escaped her lips.
`That'll take me about an hour to get there in my stained jeans,
nauseating everyone on the way.'
`Only if you take the train.'
She arched an eyebrow.
`What happened to my trying to be Human?'
In the mirror, her mind's eye saw Yoriko smiling at her.
`I think we can make an exception this time.'
The last vestiges of anger and annoyance were swept away, as
Iczer-2 smiled warmly, and ran her hand against the mirror where
Yoriko's image was.
`Thanks Yori-chan. I'll see you tonight.'
`Wouldn't miss it for the world.'
A soft smile upon her lips, Iczer-2 grabbed her backpack,
walked into a stall and teleported away.
******
Away from the hassles of university and wearing a clean pair of
jeans, Iczer-2 arrived at her second home, better known as the
nightclub, Big City.
She walked in the door, and took in the sweetly pungent smell
of alcohol and cigarettes that was ingrained in the place even when
people were not there.
The club was nice, but it was not the reason for her elation
at being there. It represented the first of many steps for her in
musical career.
Three years ago if anyone had said to her that she would be
singing and playing a musical instrument in front of a crowd of
people, she would have called them insane.
But the first music class she took would change her forever....
When she listened to music, she felt herself transported
to different far-away places. However, when she played, she could
feel the fury within her lessen from the torrent it usually was to a
gentle wave, which crashed upon the shores of her consciousness.
And when she sung, she felt peace surround her, and engulf her in a
blanket of tranquility.
Music turned out to be the one thing that helped her calm her
turbulent self. A way to redirect her more destructive energies
into something that was not.
It also helped that she turned out to be damned good at it.
Yoriko kept telling her that it would be only a matter of time before
she was discovered.
But, until that day, Iczer-2 would keep singing and playing
as the lead guitarist and vocalist for Crimson Fury.
Definitely an appropriate name for her band....
A smile grew on her face as she made her way to the
stage where the band was. As she approached the stage, a long
black-haired girl holding a bass guitar looked up and waved.
"Hi Nagisa! How was class?"
Iczer-2 walked up the stairs, and hugged the woman.
"It could have been better, Sae. There was this whole situation
in anatomy and physiology that almost ruined my day. But, that can't
happen now since I'm here."
"Well, tonight we'll help you wash away those bad memories,
ne?"
"I'd like that, thanks."
Sae's mood sombered a bit, "But, there is some bad news
though...."
Iczer-2 sighed, "Alright, out with it."
"Kenji broken his arm."
Iczer-2's eyes widened, "What? How are we supposed to play
tonight without a drummer!"
"Don't worry, the club owner told us of a replacement drummer
that can fill in for tonight. He actually is pretty good, too."
"That's great! Where is he?"
Sae walked toward the back of the stage, "He's in the back,
com'on and I'll introduce you."
"Sure."
They both made their way backstage, and saw a man taking
something out of a box.
Sae walked right up to the man, and tapped him on the shoulder.
He turned around to face both Sae and Iczer-2.
"Nagisa, meet Akito Takahashi."
Akito's eyes widened upon seeing Iczer-2, as she felt hers
narrow. Both of them said the same word simultaneously,
although Iczer-2 said it with disdain, and Akito in a combination
of embarrassment and dismay.
"You...."
Sae looked between the two of them, and blinked her eyes, "You
know each other?"
Iczer-2 kept her gaze on Akito as she spoke, "Yes, we met
earlier today..."
"Listen, I, uh, I'm...."
She held up her hand to stop him from stuttering his apology,
and looked over at Sae.
"Are you absolutely positive that there are no other drummers
around?"
Sae nodded, a curious expression painted across her face, "He's
all we could find on short notice."
Figures....
She breathed out slowly, and closed her eyes, "Fine, fine, you
have the job."
Akito began to smile, but stopped when Iczer-2 poked him in the
chest with her index finger, exercising considerable restraint
in not sending him through the wall.
"Just don't get sick, again."
He nodded furiously.
"Ye, Ye, Yes!"
With that, Iczer-2 turned on her heal, and walked away. Sae
followed behind her, her mouth open about to ask a question when
Iczer-2 interrupted her before the first word came out.
"Don't ask, Sae."
"Ooookay...."
******
"Here she is! Nagisa Izumi, and Crimson Fury!"
The crowd roared as she walked onto stage, carrying her black
guitar. Images of what she looked like standing on stage ran through
her mind as she began her first song.
She must have seemed like a red-haired demon coming to take all
of them away. Clothed in a black, long, form fitting Chinese skirt,
with a red leather jacket and black ankle-high boots, her outfit
was the furthest thing from demure or innocent.
The crowds continued to resonate with all kinds of screams,
and cheers, only feeding back her energy making her play and sing
even more.
It was a large mess of people, writing back and forth to the
sound of her voice, and the band. She was the focus of their
excitement, the reason that everyone was enjoying themselves.
She loved it.
Everything that she was, all the bad memories and emotions
disappeared from her while she was on stage. She felt free to do
what she wished only limited by her own inhibitions.
Nothing could stop her or stand in her way....
In the way of finally becoming herself....
******
Iczer-2 waved to the crowd as she stepped-off stage, and made
her way to a booth in the corner of the club.
At the booth sat Yoriko and she clapped lightly as Iczer-2
approached.
She smiled as she sat in the booth, and gently kissed Yoriko.
"Mmmm, great as always Ini-chan."
Iczer-2 wiped off her brow with a towel her back against the
leather seat.
"Thanks. It always amazes me how tired I am after a
performance."
"Well, that's what happens when you're in the middle of an
maelstrom of energy."
She nodded in agreement, "You've got that right."
A strange sensation passed through her system, and brought
Iczer-2 out of her relaxed position. Her back now totally straight,
she scanned the crowd.
Someone... There was someone here....
Yoriko observed Iczer-2's reaction, and also became uneasy.
"What's wrong, Ini-chan?"
"I... I'm not sure...."
Her eyes then locked on someone in the crowd.
It was a woman. She made her way through the throng of people
to stand in front of their table.
Unable to do anything but stare, Iczer-2 could not help but
ingrain every detail about the person before her. Dressed in a blue,
knee-length skirt, and burgundy blouse, she did not look too
different from any regular cluber.
Except for her red eyes, and long, unruly blond hair....
Iczer-2 found her mouth open slowly, to utter a word that she
never thought she would say again.
"...Onesan?"
End
[Author's Notes]
Well, to be honest I never expected to write this, but I guess
I had some encouragement from the person who is hosting this fanfic.
You know who you are, Brian! ^_^
Anyways, I will more than likely write another fanfic with
Iczer-2, building on the new life that she has on Earth. Most of the
things in this fanfic were built upon what happened in the first of
this "series" (Normality Squared). If you'd like to read that
fanfic, you can find it on Sofaspud's Couch
(http://www.ior.com/~sofaspud) along with other great fics.
I'd also like to thank my friend Richard for helping to round
out some of the events that happened within this fanfic, and to Erin
and Alain, since they always end up pre-reading everything that I
write (curse or blessing, you decide! ^_^)
Also, in case some of your were wondering, the inspiration for
the club scene was brought on by waaaayyy too much Aikawa Nanase music.
She has a heavy rock style that I felt would match perfectly for Iczer-2.
Check her out, her stuff is pretty darn good!
And yes, I realize that it looks like a Priss scene, but no I
didn't intend to do that, honest! ^_^;;
Any comments/critique on this fanfic is both appreciated
and welcome, except for flames. Those will be sent to the circular
file for further storage. ^_^
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R. Alexander Spoerer |"Kancho also means spyyy.."
E-Mail: iczer2@generalagents.com | -Maki Izumi, Nadesico
WWW: When I get around to it... ^_^ |
Disclaimer: All Adventure Iczer-3 characters are owned by AIC. All
original characters, and story, copyright author.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Normality Squared - Why Me?
(C)1999 R. Alexander Spoerer
"Ms. Izumi, are you paying attention?"
Iczer-2 blinked, a moment had passed when she finally realized
that the professor had addressed her. Even after living on this
world for three years, she still had problems responding to her last
name. What a strange concept Humanity had. Why could they not
simply use one name?
"Ms. Izumi, did you hear me?"
Knocked out of her impromptu introspection, Iczer-2 straightened
up in her seat, keenly aware of the scrutiny that the professor
gave her. She looked directly into the brown eyes of the professor
who stood behind a desk at the bottom of the auditorium. It was not
unusual for most students to feel uncomfortable when he started
at them, but Iczer-2 would not let him have the satisfaction.
After all, she always held the upper hand.
A miniscule smirk crossed her lips as she answered him, her
voice steady.
"Yes I did, professor."
The professor arched his right eyebrow.
"Good. Then you will have no problem answering my question."
A line had been drawn in the sand in front of her, with him
daring her to cross it.
Warning bells went off within her mind. This was not a good
sign. Iczer-2, however, chose to ignore her innate danger sense,
and charged forward to meet the professor's challenge. She never
backed down from anything, and she would not back down from this...
Man.
She nodded her head toward him.
"Very well, ask your question."
He folded his hands behind his back, as he walked in front of
the long desk, and leaned against the edge.
"Tell me, Ms. Izumi. If you stood on the surface of the moon,
what would you see?"
She opened her mouth to answer the question, to set the
professor straight once and for all, when her brain reminded her of
an important piece of information she had overlooked: She was
supposed to be a normal Human being.
Which meant she would have never been on the moon. She would
have never seen the incredible spectacle of a lunar sunrise, nor how
beautiful Earth looked especially at night, when the lights from the
many cities cross the face of that world like a web of pure light.
If she said anything about these things, there would be
questions.
Questions she did not want to answer.
Reluctantly, Iczer-2 selected the only course of action she
could....
She closed her eyes, and sighed. This was not going to be easy.
"Well Ms. Izumi?"
Her eyes opened, and stared down at the professor. Iczer-2's
lips formed into a tiny snarl as she responded, which betrayed
her annoyance.
"I do not know, Professor..."
Now it was his turn to smirk. He then promptly turned his back
to her as he walked around the desk.
"As I thought, Ms. Izumi. Please do pay more attention to the
lesson at hand next time. You may sit back down."
Dark thoughts raced through her mind as she sat back down. How
dare he talk to her like that!
No one had ever done that to her and lived.
Iczer-2 briefly glanced at her hand under the desk, and noticed
the tips of her fingers crackled with faint yellow electricity.
She quickly closed her palm and her eyes in an attempt to bring
her anger under control. This was no longer a battleground,
and she could not lash out at anyone who insulted her.
It was not the Human thing to do.
Calm quickly replaced her anger as the sounds of closing books
and notebooks brought her out of her thoughts.
Her backpack saddled across her right shoulder, she made her way
to her next class.
******
"Each of you will be assigned a partner for this project."
Iczer-2 sat at her desk with her chin in her palm, trying not to
expose her utter lack of enthusiasm.
Why did she have to take these classes? None of them covered
anything that was of interest, or use, to her. She did not intend
to become a scientist, so why did she have to learn about these
subjects? Humans had very strange ideas about how they learned.
It would have been easier if she just learned what was needed, no
more or less.
Then again, Mother would have said the same thing, and she would
never have been given the choice.
A small price to pay for freedom....
"Ms. Izumi, your partner will be Mr. Takahashi."
Iczer-2 blinked her eyes, and looked around, caught off guard
again.
Not a very good trend for warrior....
"Mr. Takahashi?"
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a young man wave
slightly. She turned and considered him. He had short black hair,
and brown eyes. The normal clothing he wore complemented the
plainness of his appearance.
She breathed out, stood up from her desk with the rest of the
students, and made her way to the lab tables.
On the table was the subject of the dissection: a cat.
A couple of seconds later, she felt her lab partner sit down
beside her.
"Um... Hi there."
Iczer-2 looked to her right, and recognized the nervousness
in his eyes.
Mentally, Iczer-2 groaned. Every time a man was put into a
position that would put her close to him, they started to act
strangely. She remembered the night Yoriko had explained to her
because she was an attractive woman, men would act that way around
her.
She had thought it ridiculous, but Yoriko said it was the
punishment for being good-looking.
A smile played across her lips as memories of that night
resurfaced. Such a wonderful night it was, maybe when she arrived
home tonight....
"So... Do you want to cut it?"
Her blissful remembrance shattered, she glanced over at him, an
incredulous look decorated her face.
"Do you want to?"
He shook his head, and fidgeted in his seat.
"Not particularly."
Iczer-2 rolled her eyes, and picked up the scalpel.
"Very well, then I'll cut it, and you take notes... What's
your name, by the way?"
A small smile appeared across his lips, "I'm Akito."
She responded to his smile with a frown, as she returned her
attention to the project, "Nagisa."
Positioned in front of the cat, she studied the dead animal.
She was not too partial to cats. However, Yoriko loved them because
it reminded her of Iczer-2: fiercely independent, and headstrong.
They still looked like a waste of flesh to her....
After she donned a pair of latex gloves, she maneuvered
the scalpel in her hand, placing the edge of the blade on the cat's
chest.
It was ironic that once again she would have to cut into another
being, but this time in the name of science.
Strange....
The scalpel easily cut through the cat's outer pelt, and she
slid the blade down chest to the abdomen. She was greeted by the
none-to-pleasant smell of a liquid that pooled within the open gash
she had cut. Her nose cringed at the strength of the odor. She
never remembered something smelling this horrid when cut open
before..
"Ugh... That's disgusting."
She nodded in agreement with her lab partner.
"It is. It's probably because of this yellow liquid inside
of it. Strange, last time I checked, most living creatures usually
have blood flowing within them...."
"Um, they usually drain the blood before they fill it with
formaldehyde."
Iczer-2 felt a pang of embarrassment at her ignorance, before
covering it up with her usual smugness.
"I know that, smart-ass."
"But, you just sai....."
She growled at him, sticking the scalpel into the cat like a
stake.
"I know what I said!"
At this time her mind brought to her attention that everyone
in the class were staring at both of them. She threw a nasty look
at the others, and they promptly turned around.
Once again, she looked at the dead cat, and removed the scalpel
from it, but not before glancing at Akito.
"Are you ready?"
He emphatically nodded.
After placing the scalpel down, she reached into the carcass,
and began to gently remove the internal organs, reading down the
checklist the professor had given to them.
"Intestines, liver, lungs, stomach..."
She stopped when she had heard strange noises coming from Akito,
and turned to look at him. He looked pale and swayed slightly
on his stool.
She furrowed her brow. What happened to him?
Before she could ask, his eyes widened and his head shot down
into the middle of her lap where he promptly emptied the contents
of his stomach.
For what seemed like forever, she sat in shock. Nothing like
this had ever happened to her. She had fought innumerable battles
and opponents like no one could ever imagine.
But, never in the time she had been alive had anyone ever thrown
up on her.
That was the last straw.
Iczer-2 snapped back into reality, and looked at Akito who was
still leaned against her lap, mumbling.
"Get off me!"
She grabbed him by the shoulders and roughly pushed him off,
which sent him to the floor of the classroom.
The utterly revolting smell of vomit continued to fuel her anger
as she stood up and briefly looked at her jeans, which were now
covered, in beige ooze. She then looked at the hunched over form
that was her lab partner, and snarled.
Iczer-2 was going to enjoy sending him into orbit.
`Iczer-2, what's wrong?'
`I am going to give someone's head a tour of this system.'
`Stop!'
Like the eye of a hurricane, Yoriko's tranquil voice entered
her mind through their link, which helped to temper her fire.
`Why? Do you have *any* idea of what has happened to me!'
`No. So why don't you tell me?'
Gradually, her outward anger began to diminish as she mentally
spoke with Yoriko.
`This... This... Man threw up on my lap....'
Silence permeated the link as Iczer-2 waited for Yoriko to
reply. Then she was totally caught off guard as a blast of mirth
exploded from Yoriko.
`He threw up on you! Oh my God I can't believe it!'
More mental laughter came from Yoriko.
Iczer-2 found her anger being quickly replaced with annoyance.
`It's not funny!'
`Yes it is!'
She shot a look to the professor who was helping Akito up.
"I'll be in the bathroom."
Not waiting for an answer, she grabbed her backpack and walked
out of the science lab, trying to ignore Yoriko's laughter.
Eventually, she made it into the bathroom, began the process
of cleaning her jeans off.
Yoriko's laughter also died down.
`Are you ok, Ini-chan?'
`No, I'm not. I'm covered in this stuff, and it's not coming
off.'
Iczer-2 continued her vain attempts to wipe off Akito's lunch.
`Why don't you change?'
She stopped wiping, placed her hands against the edge of the
sink, and looked in the mirror.
`Because I don't have a spare change of clothes with me.'
`Then go home and get some.'
A sigh escaped her lips.
`That'll take me about an hour to get there in my stained jeans,
nauseating everyone on the way.'
`Only if you take the train.'
She arched an eyebrow.
`What happened to my trying to be Human?'
In the mirror, her mind's eye saw Yoriko smiling at her.
`I think we can make an exception this time.'
The last vestiges of anger and annoyance were swept away, as
Iczer-2 smiled warmly, and ran her hand against the mirror where
Yoriko's image was.
`Thanks Yori-chan. I'll see you tonight.'
`Wouldn't miss it for the world.'
A soft smile upon her lips, Iczer-2 grabbed her backpack,
walked into a stall and teleported away.
******
Away from the hassles of university and wearing a clean pair of
jeans, Iczer-2 arrived at her second home, better known as the
nightclub, Big City.
She walked in the door, and took in the sweetly pungent smell
of alcohol and cigarettes that was ingrained in the place even when
people were not there.
The club was nice, but it was not the reason for her elation
at being there. It represented the first of many steps for her in
musical career.
Three years ago if anyone had said to her that she would be
singing and playing a musical instrument in front of a crowd of
people, she would have called them insane.
But the first music class she took would change her forever....
When she listened to music, she felt herself transported
to different far-away places. However, when she played, she could
feel the fury within her lessen from the torrent it usually was to a
gentle wave, which crashed upon the shores of her consciousness.
And when she sung, she felt peace surround her, and engulf her in a
blanket of tranquility.
Music turned out to be the one thing that helped her calm her
turbulent self. A way to redirect her more destructive energies
into something that was not.
It also helped that she turned out to be damned good at it.
Yoriko kept telling her that it would be only a matter of time before
she was discovered.
But, until that day, Iczer-2 would keep singing and playing
as the lead guitarist and vocalist for Crimson Fury.
Definitely an appropriate name for her band....
A smile grew on her face as she made her way to the
stage where the band was. As she approached the stage, a long
black-haired girl holding a bass guitar looked up and waved.
"Hi Nagisa! How was class?"
Iczer-2 walked up the stairs, and hugged the woman.
"It could have been better, Sae. There was this whole situation
in anatomy and physiology that almost ruined my day. But, that can't
happen now since I'm here."
"Well, tonight we'll help you wash away those bad memories,
ne?"
"I'd like that, thanks."
Sae's mood sombered a bit, "But, there is some bad news
though...."
Iczer-2 sighed, "Alright, out with it."
"Kenji broken his arm."
Iczer-2's eyes widened, "What? How are we supposed to play
tonight without a drummer!"
"Don't worry, the club owner told us of a replacement drummer
that can fill in for tonight. He actually is pretty good, too."
"That's great! Where is he?"
Sae walked toward the back of the stage, "He's in the back,
com'on and I'll introduce you."
"Sure."
They both made their way backstage, and saw a man taking
something out of a box.
Sae walked right up to the man, and tapped him on the shoulder.
He turned around to face both Sae and Iczer-2.
"Nagisa, meet Akito Takahashi."
Akito's eyes widened upon seeing Iczer-2, as she felt hers
narrow. Both of them said the same word simultaneously,
although Iczer-2 said it with disdain, and Akito in a combination
of embarrassment and dismay.
"You...."
Sae looked between the two of them, and blinked her eyes, "You
know each other?"
Iczer-2 kept her gaze on Akito as she spoke, "Yes, we met
earlier today..."
"Listen, I, uh, I'm...."
She held up her hand to stop him from stuttering his apology,
and looked over at Sae.
"Are you absolutely positive that there are no other drummers
around?"
Sae nodded, a curious expression painted across her face, "He's
all we could find on short notice."
Figures....
She breathed out slowly, and closed her eyes, "Fine, fine, you
have the job."
Akito began to smile, but stopped when Iczer-2 poked him in the
chest with her index finger, exercising considerable restraint
in not sending him through the wall.
"Just don't get sick, again."
He nodded furiously.
"Ye, Ye, Yes!"
With that, Iczer-2 turned on her heal, and walked away. Sae
followed behind her, her mouth open about to ask a question when
Iczer-2 interrupted her before the first word came out.
"Don't ask, Sae."
"Ooookay...."
******
"Here she is! Nagisa Izumi, and Crimson Fury!"
The crowd roared as she walked onto stage, carrying her black
guitar. Images of what she looked like standing on stage ran through
her mind as she began her first song.
She must have seemed like a red-haired demon coming to take all
of them away. Clothed in a black, long, form fitting Chinese skirt,
with a red leather jacket and black ankle-high boots, her outfit
was the furthest thing from demure or innocent.
The crowds continued to resonate with all kinds of screams,
and cheers, only feeding back her energy making her play and sing
even more.
It was a large mess of people, writing back and forth to the
sound of her voice, and the band. She was the focus of their
excitement, the reason that everyone was enjoying themselves.
She loved it.
Everything that she was, all the bad memories and emotions
disappeared from her while she was on stage. She felt free to do
what she wished only limited by her own inhibitions.
Nothing could stop her or stand in her way....
In the way of finally becoming herself....
******
Iczer-2 waved to the crowd as she stepped-off stage, and made
her way to a booth in the corner of the club.
At the booth sat Yoriko and she clapped lightly as Iczer-2
approached.
She smiled as she sat in the booth, and gently kissed Yoriko.
"Mmmm, great as always Ini-chan."
Iczer-2 wiped off her brow with a towel her back against the
leather seat.
"Thanks. It always amazes me how tired I am after a
performance."
"Well, that's what happens when you're in the middle of an
maelstrom of energy."
She nodded in agreement, "You've got that right."
A strange sensation passed through her system, and brought
Iczer-2 out of her relaxed position. Her back now totally straight,
she scanned the crowd.
Someone... There was someone here....
Yoriko observed Iczer-2's reaction, and also became uneasy.
"What's wrong, Ini-chan?"
"I... I'm not sure...."
Her eyes then locked on someone in the crowd.
It was a woman. She made her way through the throng of people
to stand in front of their table.
Unable to do anything but stare, Iczer-2 could not help but
ingrain every detail about the person before her. Dressed in a blue,
knee-length skirt, and burgundy blouse, she did not look too
different from any regular cluber.
Except for her red eyes, and long, unruly blond hair....
Iczer-2 found her mouth open slowly, to utter a word that she
never thought she would say again.
"...Onesan?"
End
[Author's Notes]
Well, to be honest I never expected to write this, but I guess
I had some encouragement from the person who is hosting this fanfic.
You know who you are, Brian! ^_^
Anyways, I will more than likely write another fanfic with
Iczer-2, building on the new life that she has on Earth. Most of the
things in this fanfic were built upon what happened in the first of
this "series" (Normality Squared). If you'd like to read that
fanfic, you can find it on Sofaspud's Couch
(http://www.ior.com/~sofaspud) along with other great fics.
I'd also like to thank my friend Richard for helping to round
out some of the events that happened within this fanfic, and to Erin
and Alain, since they always end up pre-reading everything that I
write (curse or blessing, you decide! ^_^)
Also, in case some of your were wondering, the inspiration for
the club scene was brought on by waaaayyy too much Aikawa Nanase music.
She has a heavy rock style that I felt would match perfectly for Iczer-2.
Check her out, her stuff is pretty darn good!
And yes, I realize that it looks like a Priss scene, but no I
didn't intend to do that, honest! ^_^;;
Any comments/critique on this fanfic is both appreciated
and welcome, except for flames. Those will be sent to the circular
file for further storage. ^_^
----------------------------------------------------------------------
R. Alexander Spoerer |"Kancho also means spyyy.."
E-Mail: iczer2@generalagents.com | -Maki Izumi, Nadesico
WWW: When I get around to it... ^_^ |
