Part 19
Cleo takes Michiki, Chardae, Karia, Hilde, Sakura, and they all drag Kodomi with them to the mall.
"I dun wanna go!" Kodomi complains while kicking and wailing. "You people can't make me!"
"Oh, yes we can!" they all sing.
"Ugh," Kodomi groans. "You all suck."
"Of 'course' we do," Chardae says sarcastically while they enter the mall. "I know where I'M going first!"
All the other girls glare at Chardae.
"Not if WE get there first!" they all challenge.
Chardae and the girls make a mad dash all across the mall while running down people and pushing some people out of the way. Michiki, being so short, is able to slide under people's feet. Chardae, being taller than some, makes an effective maneuver of THROWING people out of the way. Somehow, the girls begin to screech to a stop at the same time as they reach the store. Unfortunately, they CONTINUE skidding all bunched up and land on a pile while knocking over a customer in the neighboring store.
"Oops!" they all apologize. "Sorry!" they yell in a rush to enter the store.
Once there, the girls sigh in content and awe.
"Animeeeeee," they squeak in delight as they rampage the anime store.
Sakura and Karia sneak to the back where the store sells video games and put quarters in a game at the same time while glaring competitively at each other. The game's tune begins and the girls pick their favorite characters for the first round. Hilde and Chardae look through the CD's and DVD's while Michiki gawks at the anime plushes. All the while, the beeps and taps of Karia and Sakura's gaming is heard in the background.
A few moments later, Cleo saunters into the store (at least SOMEONE took her time in getting there).
"Hey girls," Cleo says once caught up with them. "Pick anything you like, my treat." She adds with a wink.
The eyes of the girls enlarge and light up brightly.
"REALLY?" they ask in synchronicity.
"Really," Cleo replies with a chuckle.
And people stare and gawk at the piled boxes that are walking themselves across the mall. No, seriously! Each of the girls has her pile of bags and boxes from buying over half of the anime store thanks to Cleo!
After somehow fitting all of the purchases into Cleo's car, the girls are off to Cleo's place.
The girls step out of the car. Michiki and Chardae walk behind Cleo while the others stare at Cleo's mansion. Sakura starts to look from the mansion's foundation to the mansion's roof and falls back by accident. Hilde goes back to help Sakura up and they all enter.
"I'm home sweetie!" Cleo calls. "I brought the girls over!"
"Ok," Brett calls after her. "I'm Cleo's husband, Brett."
The girls' eyes go heart-shaped as they drool at the sight of Cleo's husband.
"Uh…oh, I'm Sakura," Sakura begins.
"I'M Karia!" Karia chirps.
"My name's Hilde," Hilde nods in Brett's direction.
"And I'm anything you want me to be," Michiki drawls with little hearts surrounding her.
Chardae sweatdrops.
"Hey Cleo, how is it that you're living in a mansion when you only make sex ed. Videos?" Hilde asks.
"What makes you think that I only do sex ed. Videos?" Cleo counters. "Besides, I know how to save my money. Running an Internet company brings in a lot of money too!"
After a while, Cleo drops the girls off at their homes.
~*~
In the meanwhile, Shane is seen sneaking around behind Rodan within the main streets of the city. Rodan turns a corner and she sneakily follows (very, very anime-like). Rodan and Shane pass by a famous restaurant's window-
IN that restaurant, we find Jhonen reading a magazine and sipping a beverage. Mosiom sits down across from him. The two begin to have a very interesting conversation about homicidal maniacs and suicide (NOT that THEY would kill people or themselves!).
All of a sudden, a creepy guy puts an arm around Mosiom and tries to pick her up. Jhonen flippantly throws the magazine at the stranger. The magazine lands perfectly centered across the stranger's forehead.
"She's with me," Jhonen calmly states. "Now, leave us be before you do something you'll regret." He adds with a low growl.
The stranger and his friends scamper out of the restaurant with fear written across their faces. Mosiom follows them with her gaze.
"Now, where were we?" Jhonen asks as if nothing happened. "Ah yes, you say you study art?"
Mosiom turns back around at the sound of Jhonen's voice. She sweatdrops slightly and gives him a little crooked smile. "Uh, yeah-"
Back to Shane-
Everywhere that Rodan goes, Shane goes. Rodan enters a building and goes to the tenth floor to talk to an executive when a rope is seen dangling from the full-paned windows of the office. Shane slides down the rope and peeks in at Rodan. Rodan, sensing that someone was watching him, turns around and Shane disappears.
Rodan goes to the Library to find a specific book. Shane is seen peeking from the top of a bookshelf. Rodan, once again sensing that someone is watching him, looks around at the next row of books and sees no one.
Rodan walks back to his car, turns another corner, and Shane follows inconspicuously. She takes a few more steps when, suddenly, a firm hand rests on her mouth and she is pulled into an alley by the waist.
"Why are you following me?" Rodan questions Shane.
Shane almost falls nervously. She mumbles into Rodan's hand until he removes it.
"Who said anything about following you?" she lies.
"It's obvious that you were," Rodan's eyes narrow. "What do you want from me?"
"Everything," Shane mumbles to herself.
"What was that?" Rodan asks.
"Oh, nothing!" Shane states. "Anyway, I gotta go!"
Shane does a few back flips and disappears. Rodan rests his head back on the wall and sighs. "What is going on?" he wonders aloud.
Cleo takes Michiki, Chardae, Karia, Hilde, Sakura, and they all drag Kodomi with them to the mall.
"I dun wanna go!" Kodomi complains while kicking and wailing. "You people can't make me!"
"Oh, yes we can!" they all sing.
"Ugh," Kodomi groans. "You all suck."
"Of 'course' we do," Chardae says sarcastically while they enter the mall. "I know where I'M going first!"
All the other girls glare at Chardae.
"Not if WE get there first!" they all challenge.
Chardae and the girls make a mad dash all across the mall while running down people and pushing some people out of the way. Michiki, being so short, is able to slide under people's feet. Chardae, being taller than some, makes an effective maneuver of THROWING people out of the way. Somehow, the girls begin to screech to a stop at the same time as they reach the store. Unfortunately, they CONTINUE skidding all bunched up and land on a pile while knocking over a customer in the neighboring store.
"Oops!" they all apologize. "Sorry!" they yell in a rush to enter the store.
Once there, the girls sigh in content and awe.
"Animeeeeee," they squeak in delight as they rampage the anime store.
Sakura and Karia sneak to the back where the store sells video games and put quarters in a game at the same time while glaring competitively at each other. The game's tune begins and the girls pick their favorite characters for the first round. Hilde and Chardae look through the CD's and DVD's while Michiki gawks at the anime plushes. All the while, the beeps and taps of Karia and Sakura's gaming is heard in the background.
A few moments later, Cleo saunters into the store (at least SOMEONE took her time in getting there).
"Hey girls," Cleo says once caught up with them. "Pick anything you like, my treat." She adds with a wink.
The eyes of the girls enlarge and light up brightly.
"REALLY?" they ask in synchronicity.
"Really," Cleo replies with a chuckle.
And people stare and gawk at the piled boxes that are walking themselves across the mall. No, seriously! Each of the girls has her pile of bags and boxes from buying over half of the anime store thanks to Cleo!
After somehow fitting all of the purchases into Cleo's car, the girls are off to Cleo's place.
The girls step out of the car. Michiki and Chardae walk behind Cleo while the others stare at Cleo's mansion. Sakura starts to look from the mansion's foundation to the mansion's roof and falls back by accident. Hilde goes back to help Sakura up and they all enter.
"I'm home sweetie!" Cleo calls. "I brought the girls over!"
"Ok," Brett calls after her. "I'm Cleo's husband, Brett."
The girls' eyes go heart-shaped as they drool at the sight of Cleo's husband.
"Uh…oh, I'm Sakura," Sakura begins.
"I'M Karia!" Karia chirps.
"My name's Hilde," Hilde nods in Brett's direction.
"And I'm anything you want me to be," Michiki drawls with little hearts surrounding her.
Chardae sweatdrops.
"Hey Cleo, how is it that you're living in a mansion when you only make sex ed. Videos?" Hilde asks.
"What makes you think that I only do sex ed. Videos?" Cleo counters. "Besides, I know how to save my money. Running an Internet company brings in a lot of money too!"
After a while, Cleo drops the girls off at their homes.
~*~
In the meanwhile, Shane is seen sneaking around behind Rodan within the main streets of the city. Rodan turns a corner and she sneakily follows (very, very anime-like). Rodan and Shane pass by a famous restaurant's window-
IN that restaurant, we find Jhonen reading a magazine and sipping a beverage. Mosiom sits down across from him. The two begin to have a very interesting conversation about homicidal maniacs and suicide (NOT that THEY would kill people or themselves!).
All of a sudden, a creepy guy puts an arm around Mosiom and tries to pick her up. Jhonen flippantly throws the magazine at the stranger. The magazine lands perfectly centered across the stranger's forehead.
"She's with me," Jhonen calmly states. "Now, leave us be before you do something you'll regret." He adds with a low growl.
The stranger and his friends scamper out of the restaurant with fear written across their faces. Mosiom follows them with her gaze.
"Now, where were we?" Jhonen asks as if nothing happened. "Ah yes, you say you study art?"
Mosiom turns back around at the sound of Jhonen's voice. She sweatdrops slightly and gives him a little crooked smile. "Uh, yeah-"
Back to Shane-
Everywhere that Rodan goes, Shane goes. Rodan enters a building and goes to the tenth floor to talk to an executive when a rope is seen dangling from the full-paned windows of the office. Shane slides down the rope and peeks in at Rodan. Rodan, sensing that someone was watching him, turns around and Shane disappears.
Rodan goes to the Library to find a specific book. Shane is seen peeking from the top of a bookshelf. Rodan, once again sensing that someone is watching him, looks around at the next row of books and sees no one.
Rodan walks back to his car, turns another corner, and Shane follows inconspicuously. She takes a few more steps when, suddenly, a firm hand rests on her mouth and she is pulled into an alley by the waist.
"Why are you following me?" Rodan questions Shane.
Shane almost falls nervously. She mumbles into Rodan's hand until he removes it.
"Who said anything about following you?" she lies.
"It's obvious that you were," Rodan's eyes narrow. "What do you want from me?"
"Everything," Shane mumbles to herself.
"What was that?" Rodan asks.
"Oh, nothing!" Shane states. "Anyway, I gotta go!"
Shane does a few back flips and disappears. Rodan rests his head back on the wall and sighs. "What is going on?" he wonders aloud.