Last Dance With Shinobu-Chan
By Project Pegasus
Chapter 7, Part I: Perestroika
"Shinobu, you didn't have you hide out this whole time. It's been three days already," Naru said, putting her hand on Shinobu's shoulder. "I understand perfectly. You did what you felt you had to do to make those kids leave you alone. That's fine. Thank you for explaining everything to me. You didn't have to, but I really appreciate the fact that you did." Naru gave Shinobu a sisterly smile as they arose from the floor. "You're going to be coming out of your room from now on, right Shinobu?" Naru asked as they walked to the door.
"Yes Narusegawa-sempai," Shinobu said while nodding her head.
"We'd love to stay, Naru," Keitaro told her, "but we still have to talk to everyone else. Goodbye."
"Goodbye," Naru said amiably as she slid her door close. When the door was shut, Naru continued to smile to herself. She opened the door and peeked down the hall. Both Shinobu and Keitaro had already turned the corner and were out of sight. She closed the door as the smile ran away from her face. Outside, she could still see Motoko's silhouette outlined against the blood red sunset, tilting, parrying, and thrusting furiously against an unseen foe. Alone and determined, it was as though she prowled Hinata Sou like a lion, and was foreboding like a wronged god on the verge of exacting a terrible revenge. Naru clenched her fist and slammed it against the wall. The books and pens on her desk were startled by her outburst and gave a slight jump. She held her fist there, relishing the sensation of deadened nerve cells as the shock reverberated through her hand and lower arm. She stared forward, her teeth gritted and her body trembling with insuppressible wrath and jealousy.
*
* *
Shinobu sat at her desk, poring over her books in preparation for her finals when there came a knock at her door. "Urashima-san?" Shinobu asked.
"Hello Shinobu it's me," replied Haruka from beyond the door, "And how many times do I have to tell you, just call me Haruka."
Shinobu rose from her chair and slid open the door for Aunt Haruka, who was carrying a black garment bag.
"Hello Urashima . . ." Shinobu corrected herself before continuing, "Hello Haruka. Thank you very much I really am grateful for this," Shinobu said cordially.
"Shinobu don't worry about it," Haruka replied, "I'm going out to lunch with Naru, Mitsune, Motoko, and Mutsumi this afternoon anyway so it's not out of my way. You're still invited too, you know?"
Shinobu shook her head and politely declined. "No thank you," she said. Shinobu was still wary of the other girls even though both Keitaro and she had spoken to them all.
"Well, suit yourself. Here's what I promised you," she said. She unzipped the black bag and removed a dark green prom dress from it. The dress was a bit dated in style, but Shinobu wasn't at all concerned about that. "This is my old prom dress from my junior high school days. Days so young, then they're gone," Haruka reflected as she looked wistfully at Shinobu. "Would you like me to leave the room while you change?" she asked
Shinobu nodded her head, "Yes please, if that would be ok with you."
"Sure, I need to take a smoke break anyway," Haruka, said while taking out her pack of unfiltered Lucky Strike cigarettes. "I know you've probably heard this a million times, but never live waste your youth, Shinobu." She paused and put a cigarette in her mouth before continuing, "But don't things that you'll regret later. If I were your age again, I never would take up smoking. I would also have looked elsewhere for a prospective husband."
"I didn't know you had a boyfriend, Haruka," Shinobu said, trying not to sound too intrusive.
"Oh never mind," Haruka said brusquely, "Oh well, I guess things just never measure up like they're supposed to," Haruka said regretfully. "I can't believe I'm starting to feel my age already! Don't tell anyone I'm talking like this. It's just between us girls, right?" she chucked ruefully as she left the room and closed the door behind her.
Shinobu shed her school uniform and slipped on Haruka's prom dress. Even while she was pulling the dress up, Shinobu noticed that it did not seem to feel right. The upper body area of the dress was too loose, especially in the chest area. When she had pulled the dress up as far as it could have gone, she was dismayed to find that much of the hem remained crumpled on the ground. She struggle to walk across her floor but could hardly step without nearly tripping on the portion of the full skirt that trailed on the ground. Shinobu was careful not to trip, though, for fear of landing on the injury Motoko had given her. As she shifted, she couldn't keep the top of her dress from sliding down her front. She gazed at herself in the mirror. She was almost comically pathetic. Haruka was such a confident woman and was probably very mature physically and emotionally when she was just a junior high school student, Shinobu thought to herself. She simply couldn't compete with Haruka. The shadow of Haruka's prom dress was more than enough to humble Shinobu. Meekly, she stripped off the gown and put on her favorite "Cabot" sweatshirt and a skirt. She replaced the gown into the garment bag and laid it on her bed. A while later, Haruka knocked on Shinobu's door. "Shinobu, are you ready?" she called out.
"Yes," Shinobu said somberly as Haruka entered.
Haruka wore a confused expression when she saw that Shinobu wasn't wearing the dress. "Shinobu, is everything all right? You didn't like the dress?"
"No, no Haruka, it isn't that. The dress was lovely, but it didn't fit me. That's all."
"Oh, Shinobu, I'm so sorry about that. Is there anything I can do for you?" Haruka asked sympathetically.
"I'll be ok; don't worry. You've already been too kind to me. Thank you so much Haruka." Shinobu said. She gave a small bow to Haruka.
"Well, if there is anything I can do, just say the word, o.k. Shinobu? I have such fond memories of my junior high school graduation prom. I felt so grown-up that night, like I had become a woman. I just want to make sure you have a good time too."
"Thank you, Haruka." Shinobu said once more.
*
* *
Later that afternoon, Shinobu had poured herself a glass of water and was on her way back to her room when Koalla and Sara stopped her in the hall.
"Hello Koalla, Sara," Shinobu said cheerfully, "Is something wrong?"
"No nothing is wrong," Koalla said, "We'd just like to show you something that you may be interested in. Come on."
Koalla led Shinobu to her room. Along the way she spoke to Shinobu, careful not to betray the fact that Haruka had revealed Shinobu's inadequacy. "I have a little 'accessory' that you may find desirable. Think of this as my little contribution to your date with Keitaro," she said slyly. Koalla felt sorry that Shinobu had always felt lacking in her womanhood, and she knew that after the disastrous and ill-fated Announcement, Shinobu was feeling depressed or at least exhausted. The incident with Haruka's dress was no doubt a harsh blow after so much strife. Koalla had gone to middle school with Shinobu and remembered that her classmates had always gives her a tough time. When Shinobu and Koalla had gone to the same junior high school, she constantly had to defend Shinobu from her tormenters. But now that Koalla had graduated from junior high school, Shinobu was on her own. Shinobu's other friends were eerily inexpressive and detached, and there was no way any of them would stand up for themselves, let alone Shinobu. Not only that, but in addition, Koalla had spent so much time being mischievous with Sara or hanging on Keitaro that she had largely stopped spending time with Shinobu. She felt a twinge of guilt as she continued to speak. "So how's Hotaru? Does she still have those fainting spells?" she asked.
"She still has them," Shinobu said, "But other than that, she has been fine."
"Wasn't there another girl you used to hang around?" Koalla asked, "What was her name again? Lain?"
"Who is Lain?" Sara piped in.
"Yes, her name was Lain," Shinobu confirmed.
"What happened to her anyway?" Koalla asked.
"It's kind of a long story," Shinobu said. They fell into an uneasy silence, but by that time they had reached Koalla's room. She slid the door open and invited Shinobu inside.
In the middle of Koalla's room rested the bust of a mannequin clad with only a black bra. Koalla unsnapped the bra from the mannequin and walked up to Shinobu.
"Shinobu," Koalla said holding the bra out to her, "Put this on. Sara and I'll leave the room and wait for you."
"Koalla, I don't think that a push-up . . ." Shinobu began to object fretfully before being interrupted.
"Trust me Shinobu," Koalla assured her, "This will change your life." Koalla and Sara exited the room and slid the door close.
Shinobu unbuttoned her shirt while examining the bra. At first, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, but then she noticed that the lining of it was rather odd. It seemed stronger than any fabric she had ever felt and the padding seemed stiff and brittle. Nevertheless, she followed Koalla's commands, though not without some reservations. While putting it on, Shinobu once again noticed the tender bruise that Motoko had given her. After she had buttoned her shirt, she called to Koalla and Sara.
Koalla reentered the room with a broad gin on her face. She held a remote control and pointed it at Shinobu's chest.
"Watch this!" she said, making no attempt to conceal her excitement. She pushed a button and suddenly, Shinobu's bra began to rumble. Shinobu gave a small scream as Koalla began to explain. "You see Shinobu, this bra is the answer to your problems! I made it just this morning!"
Shinobu noticed that the cups of her bra began to grow.
"Koalla, what is going in?" Shinobu said, frightened.
"Located in the padding are tiny microprocessors that produce certain chemicals when instructed by this remote control. The chemicals combine to produce a substance that bounces and seems natural to the touch! Plus, now you can fit into any dress you want!"
"Why don't I just stuff my bra with socks!?" Shinobu screamed as the bra continued to rumble and her chest began to bulge from beneath her shirt.
"I just told you," Koalla said, "Socks don't bounce and they don't feel natural to the touch. Besides they could fall out!"
"Bounce?! Fell natural to the touch?! Who is going to be staring at my chest, let alone touching . . ." Shinobu broke off before finishing her sentence. She stared indignantly at Koalla, who had a sheepish grim on her face. "No," Shinobu said when she apprehended whom Koalla had in mind, "No, Koalla! Sempai is not like that! We told you yesterday, we're just going as friends! Nothing more!" Shinobu gaped at her expanding bosom with apprehension as Koalla answered her.
"Oh come on Shinobu," Koalla said while smiling, "You know that even when men say that, they only want one thing. Look at the facts, Keitaro drools all over Naru and she's at least a C cup. With my invention you'll be in a Double E league of your own! You know, I would be overjoyed if you and Keitaro were to . . ." But just then, a button from Shinobu's bulging shirt exploded from its place and collided viciously with Koalla's forehead. Koalla crumpled to the floor as the remote control slid from her hand. Sara knelt to check on Koalla as Shinobu rushed to her side.
"She seems ok," Shinobu said, "just stunned." She picked up the remote from nearby Koalla's hand and read the buttons. "I don't know how this thing works," Shinobu said in a panic. Sara swiped the remote from Shinobu's hands.
"Let me try," she said.
"No don't!" But Shinobu's protestation came too late as Sara began to press the buttons as fast as she could in rapid succession.
"What are you doing?!" Shinobu cried.
"Well if I press the buttons as fast as possible, one of them is sure to work, right?" Sara chuckled with a devious look on her face. Suddenly, Shinobu's bra began to grow at dangerous levels, bursting from her shirt.
"Sara, stop it right now! Do you hear me?" Sara had been intent on the remote, but at Shinobu's outburst, she looked up.
At the same time, though, Shinobu had swiveled to face Sara. The tip of Shinobu's bra caught Sara in the wrong way and she screamed, "Owww! My eye." Sara dropped the remote and it shattered when it made contact with the ground.
While Koalla lie unconscious on the ground and while Sara stumbled around holding her eye, Shinobu yelled, "How do we stop this thing?!" It was then that Shinobu noticed that her eyes were beginning to water and she smelled something burning. She peered down at her bra only to see that it had begun to smoke and that the internal computer had begun to sizzle and malfunction. Quickly, she unfastened the bra, opened a window and hurled it as far as she could. She had just breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed that Keitaro, who had been sweeping nearby, had gone to examine the smoking, short-circuiting bra.
"Sempai, no! Get away! It's dangerous!" Shinobu hollered to Keitaro.
Keitaro heard Shinobu but was too far to comprehend what she was saying. He simply looked up at Shinobu and waved to her with a smile on his face before returning his attention to the hazardously malfunctioning bra.
Suddenly, the bra began to glow and vibrate. This only further intrigued Keitaro who had a puzzled look on his face as he continued to scrutinize it. There was a flash of heat and light as Shinobu ducked down and leapt away from the window. Shinobu could fell the explosion through the wall as it rocked the rest of Hinata Sou. She ducked and covered her head as she heard books falling from Koalla's bookshelf and items falling from her desk. The glass from the window shattered and fell to the floor in a rain of glittering shards. After the bra had detonated and when Shinobu was sure it was safe, she hurried to the window only to see Keitaro sailing into the distance.
Shinobu put her shirt back on and buttoned it as best she could before leaving the room. She went to the kitchen and filled two bags with ice before returning to Koalla's room. By this time, Sara was still covering her eye with her hand and staggering blindly around the room. Shinobu took her by the hand, and sat her down next to Koalla. She placed the bag of ice on Koalla's head where the button had made its impact. She then turned to Sara. "Lay down," she said gently to her. She did as she was told and rested her head on Shinobu's lap.
Shinobu placed the bag of ice over Sara's eye. When the bag first touched her eye, she flinched and she tensed up her body. But soon her body was put to rest and her muscles no longer fought the raw throb of the bag of ice. Sara, usually so resistant to sitting still for any length of time, gave no resistance to Shinobu, not even when the ice began to sting and numb the area around her eye.
It was then that Sara felt like crying but couldn't figure out why. Had the explosion frightened her? No, it wasn't that. She then remembered what she had struggled so hard to repress. Sara had lived so long without a mother. She had her father who had a good heart, but he was absent-minded and cared more for thousand-year-old artifacts than for his own daughter. Sara reminded herself of how he had unceremoniously dumped her at Hinata Sou without discussing it with her or even mentioning it to her before hand. Who was her mother anyway and what was she like? Her father didn't even respect her enough to discuss it with her. Perhaps Shinobu would make a good mother someday, Sara thought to herself as Shinobu's lap and the bitter chill of the ice brought their own sort of peace and solitude.
End of Chapter 7, Part I.
Disclaimer: All concepts, characters, and other copyrighted materials used in the fan fiction, "Last Dance with Shinobu-Chan" are property of their respective owners. This is to be used for non-lucrative purposes only.