I forgot to mention some stuff in my first lil' AN thingie. Numero Uno: I
have officially slashed Tenna as the same height as Devi, and although I
myself have never read IFS, I have been led to believe that Tenna is
actually shorter. Well in this, she isn't. Pbbbt!! *blows raspberry*
Anyway, onto Numer Deux: I'm not sure of Devi's and Nny's /exact/ ages, but
in this fic, Devi's 22 and Nny's 21. Why? Because I said so. Tenna's also
22, Rinsa is 17 (duh, that should be obvious by now) and if Squee appears,
which he /might/ (hint hint...), he'll be six. Yeah, that sounds about
right... If any other significant characters come in in later chapters,
I'll list their ages then. Number-three-in-Afrikaans: I am very well aware
that Johnny's "blue" hair on the front cover of JtHM issue one is merely
the illustrator showing the light reflecting off his hair, which is normal
with black hair in rather dim light. However, I am going to say his hair is
blue (at least in this fic), simply because blue is my favourite colour, I
have always wanted blue hair, myself, and this is /my/ goddamn story, and
there's nothing you can do about it!! MWAH-HA-HA-HA-herk!! *hack hack*
Number Four: this AN is for this chapter. As you'll find out from the first
sentence, Rinsa obviously doesn't realize that Johnny is /the/ Johnny, from
Devi's near-death experience. Yes, she was thinking about pounding him a
mere few hours earlier, but may I remind you she was distracted by a would-
be raper, plus, her mind tends to wander when she takes her walks...
Umm.... however-you-say-number-five-in-German: As of this chapter, I will
be outlining words with slashes when I mean for them to be /italicized/,
because I am writing this on the old-ass computer in my room which only has
Microsoft Works, and when I convert it to our internet-accessible
computer's Works, which is newer, it pretty much does away with
italicizing, and I'd rather not go through the entire story and re-
italicize every word /again/. Live long and prosper, and have a nice time
reading!!
"Nice to meet you, Johnny," Rinsa replied nonchalantly. She scratched her cheek, discreetly looking him up and down. He had dark blue hair and a gaunt figure, almost as thin as Rinsa herself, who never ate more than a light meal or a snack once every other day, not because of self-loathing or some such thing, but merely because she was never hungry. Intriguing eyes, like pools of amber, mesmerized her, secrets wallowing in their depths. He was about the same height as Devi, only an inch or so taller than Rinsa herself. He wore a shirt reading "Gone the way of my sanity" and black pants down to his shoes, his trench coat and strange-toed boots almost mirroring Rinsa's own. His hair was different. He didn't have the full head of spikes expected of one who dressed like him, but rather two single spikes on an otherwise bald head, hanging down almost to his eyes. They rather resembled antennae, and Rinsa was sure if he had been standing between her and a bright light, his silhouette would have looked exactly like that of a humanoid mosquito. *Still,* she thought to herself. *a rather /cute/ mosquito.* Rubbing her chin thoughtfully, she blinked, thinking. *He is /damn/ fine. I wonder what he's doing out here and why the hell he's applauding me knocking some asshole unconscious...* She let her hand drop to her side, the other hand straddling her waist.
"Why didn't you kill him?"
Rinsa took a step back, startled back into reality. "What? Why would I kill him? I mean, he may have been a perverted asshole, but that gives me no right to take his life." She blinked, looking strangely at Johnny. "Besides, why the hell would I be willing to give up the hopefully-long life I have ahead of me just for one moron? I may be a minor, but the police will still stick me in prison- either for life, or until I'm old enough for the death sentence, most likely." One eye squinted, the other wide open, she looked expectantly at Johnny, waiting for a reply.
"A minor?" He sounded surprised. "Just how old are you?"
She narrowed her eyes, brow furrowed. "Seventeen. Which, may I add, is none of your business." She was starting to get rather suspicious. Why did he seem so startled? And, more importantly, why was he asking her these questions?
Ignoring her distrust, he changed the subject. "May I see your scimitars?"
She blinked. *Ooooo/kay/...* she thought, visibly confused. Pulling out her scimitars, she handed them handle first to Johnny, ready to slice his hands with the short sword at her waist should he try anything.
He squatted, examining them with great interest. Then, he pulled a similar scimitar out of a pocket on the inside of his trench coat. Comparing his blade with one of hers, he smiled. He replaced his scimitar, handing Rinsa back hers. "Mm... peculiar Egyptian design... You use them often?"
Startled at the strange question yet respectful of his obvious expertise in blades, she merely nodded.
He stood up, stretching with the languorous ease of a cat. "Well, I really must be going. Until later, then, Rinsa." And with that, he picked up his Brain Freezey and vanished, melting into the shadows.
Shuddering at his sudden disappearance, Rinsa tucked her scimitars safely into their proper pockets and dug out a handful of change. Counting a little more than three dollars, she decided she would get a Brain Freezey, after all.
A little while later, Rinsa leaned against the wall of the 24/7, happily slurping her Cherry Doom Brain Freezey. Looking at her watch, which read 11:24, she decided she wanted to do something. For some reason, she was in a mood to go to a club. Tossing her now-empty cup in the waste bin, she headed for the nearest source of pounding "music" she could hear.
Thrashing shapes and blaring music flooded her senses as Rinsa stepped onto the dance floor. Wriggling bodies pressed in on her from all sides. She worked her way through, pushing and shoving, to take a seat by the bar while she looked for a less-crowded spot to dance in later. A rather dejected-looking smiley face stamp declared her as under legal drinking age, 18, so the bartender asked would she prefer soda or water? A glass was filled with mineral water at her request and she sat, sipping slowly, her eyes scanning the heavily-crowded room. A tap on her arm made her whip to one side.
"Fancy seeing you here," Johnny said quietly, and yet somehow, his voice reached her ears over the throbbing euphony.
Nearly choking on her water, Rinsa coughed. "Damn, Johnny, don't sneak up on me when I'm drinking something! Just about choked, I did!" she said, only half-serious. "God! I know you for less than an hour and you're already scaring the shit out of me?"
He looked genuinely sorry as he apologized for startling her, but she stopped him in mid-sentence.
"Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal," she said, setting down the remains of her water. Johnny looked relieved. He seemed to be about to ask her something, but hesitated. Trying again, he almost got something out- but not quite. Rinsa asked the bartender for a refill, letting Johnny work up his nerve. Finally, he turned to her, asking "Would you like to dance?"
Rinsa nodded, concealing her surprise with a smile. "Sure."
They walked onto the dance floor, and, just as they started thrashing in time with the beat, the song ended, giving way to a slow melody.
As Johnny tried to dart away upon hearing the unhurried tune, Rinsa grabbed his arm. "Oh, no. You're not going anywhere. You asked me to dance, and dance we will," she told him firmly, placing his hands around her waist and resting her own hands on his shoulders. Obviously not a shy one, Rinsa took no heed at Johnny's tension.
They had just met, and were already slow dancing. What would Devi think? *Ah, I don't give a shit what Devi thinks.* Rinsa thought to herself decidedly. *He asked for a dance, and that's what he's getting, whether it be slow or fast.*
After a while Johnny relaxed, letting his strained, almost unwilling grip on her ease to a comfortable hold. His eyes softened, the nervous look in them melting. Rinsa let herself go in their unfathomable amber depths, not even attempting to guess what secret they held. She found herself trusting him, for whatever reason, as he eased her closer, gently, slowly. Soon they were pressed against each other, and could have easily been mistaken for one of the many long-time couples swaying on the much-less-crowded dance floor.
The song came to a gradual end, and Johnny leaned forward to kiss her tenderly on the lips. She met him in the middle (AN: and for those of you who are either shuddering or reading eagerly because of those last few words, by "middle" I mean the middle of the space between their faces, NOT /their/ middles. Good lord, people. Get a prescription or something. Anything to cure that dirty mind or yours!), pressing her lips against his as lightly as she could bear, and then pulled back a bit, allowing herself no more. She could see that he struggled to do the same. Blinking once, she stepped away, hesitant to release herself from his grasp, saying "I'd better go now, Johnny. My sister's probably wondering where I am. It is 12:36, after all."
He nodded, still looking into her eyes.
"Here," she said, pulling a pen and small pad of paper from one of the numerous pockets of her coat. "What's your phone number?"
He blinked, then told her the number.
"Mm-hmm... mm-hmm... okay. I'll call you sometime tomorrow, I guess. I'd give you my phone number, too, but my sister's a little paranoid." Smiling, she took a few steps back, gave him a little wave, then turned around, walking off of the dance floor, which was steadily being filled to the maximum occupancy as another fast song started, and leaving the club.
Once she was out of sight, Johnny allowed himself a rather silly-looking smile. Then, noticing the people around him, he snapped back into reality and replaced his smile with a blank expression, although this was rather hard to do. He made his way to the back door, shoving people out of his way, and slipped out into the alley. Leaning against a wall, he sighed. He had thought he would never find someone right for him again, but he had! Rinsa was by far a superior being compared to the masses of other girls out there, whether they be preppy or gothic. *She reminds me of De- NO!!* he shouted at himself, forbidding the mere thought of the name. *I'm with /Rinsa/ now, and that /name/* he spat mentally, *will never cross my mind again!!* Shuddering, he sank to the ground, clutching his legs, willing his thoughts to return to his and Rinsa's kiss. A smile lit up his face as he became happy once more, sinking blissfully into thoughts of earlier that evening.
You like? Good. Then review. You don't like? Goo-well, not really, but still- review. I hunger for reviews- and suggestions are always welcome, too! Reviews... reviews... *stalks off zombie-style, looking for reviews to munch on*
"Nice to meet you, Johnny," Rinsa replied nonchalantly. She scratched her cheek, discreetly looking him up and down. He had dark blue hair and a gaunt figure, almost as thin as Rinsa herself, who never ate more than a light meal or a snack once every other day, not because of self-loathing or some such thing, but merely because she was never hungry. Intriguing eyes, like pools of amber, mesmerized her, secrets wallowing in their depths. He was about the same height as Devi, only an inch or so taller than Rinsa herself. He wore a shirt reading "Gone the way of my sanity" and black pants down to his shoes, his trench coat and strange-toed boots almost mirroring Rinsa's own. His hair was different. He didn't have the full head of spikes expected of one who dressed like him, but rather two single spikes on an otherwise bald head, hanging down almost to his eyes. They rather resembled antennae, and Rinsa was sure if he had been standing between her and a bright light, his silhouette would have looked exactly like that of a humanoid mosquito. *Still,* she thought to herself. *a rather /cute/ mosquito.* Rubbing her chin thoughtfully, she blinked, thinking. *He is /damn/ fine. I wonder what he's doing out here and why the hell he's applauding me knocking some asshole unconscious...* She let her hand drop to her side, the other hand straddling her waist.
"Why didn't you kill him?"
Rinsa took a step back, startled back into reality. "What? Why would I kill him? I mean, he may have been a perverted asshole, but that gives me no right to take his life." She blinked, looking strangely at Johnny. "Besides, why the hell would I be willing to give up the hopefully-long life I have ahead of me just for one moron? I may be a minor, but the police will still stick me in prison- either for life, or until I'm old enough for the death sentence, most likely." One eye squinted, the other wide open, she looked expectantly at Johnny, waiting for a reply.
"A minor?" He sounded surprised. "Just how old are you?"
She narrowed her eyes, brow furrowed. "Seventeen. Which, may I add, is none of your business." She was starting to get rather suspicious. Why did he seem so startled? And, more importantly, why was he asking her these questions?
Ignoring her distrust, he changed the subject. "May I see your scimitars?"
She blinked. *Ooooo/kay/...* she thought, visibly confused. Pulling out her scimitars, she handed them handle first to Johnny, ready to slice his hands with the short sword at her waist should he try anything.
He squatted, examining them with great interest. Then, he pulled a similar scimitar out of a pocket on the inside of his trench coat. Comparing his blade with one of hers, he smiled. He replaced his scimitar, handing Rinsa back hers. "Mm... peculiar Egyptian design... You use them often?"
Startled at the strange question yet respectful of his obvious expertise in blades, she merely nodded.
He stood up, stretching with the languorous ease of a cat. "Well, I really must be going. Until later, then, Rinsa." And with that, he picked up his Brain Freezey and vanished, melting into the shadows.
Shuddering at his sudden disappearance, Rinsa tucked her scimitars safely into their proper pockets and dug out a handful of change. Counting a little more than three dollars, she decided she would get a Brain Freezey, after all.
A little while later, Rinsa leaned against the wall of the 24/7, happily slurping her Cherry Doom Brain Freezey. Looking at her watch, which read 11:24, she decided she wanted to do something. For some reason, she was in a mood to go to a club. Tossing her now-empty cup in the waste bin, she headed for the nearest source of pounding "music" she could hear.
Thrashing shapes and blaring music flooded her senses as Rinsa stepped onto the dance floor. Wriggling bodies pressed in on her from all sides. She worked her way through, pushing and shoving, to take a seat by the bar while she looked for a less-crowded spot to dance in later. A rather dejected-looking smiley face stamp declared her as under legal drinking age, 18, so the bartender asked would she prefer soda or water? A glass was filled with mineral water at her request and she sat, sipping slowly, her eyes scanning the heavily-crowded room. A tap on her arm made her whip to one side.
"Fancy seeing you here," Johnny said quietly, and yet somehow, his voice reached her ears over the throbbing euphony.
Nearly choking on her water, Rinsa coughed. "Damn, Johnny, don't sneak up on me when I'm drinking something! Just about choked, I did!" she said, only half-serious. "God! I know you for less than an hour and you're already scaring the shit out of me?"
He looked genuinely sorry as he apologized for startling her, but she stopped him in mid-sentence.
"Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal," she said, setting down the remains of her water. Johnny looked relieved. He seemed to be about to ask her something, but hesitated. Trying again, he almost got something out- but not quite. Rinsa asked the bartender for a refill, letting Johnny work up his nerve. Finally, he turned to her, asking "Would you like to dance?"
Rinsa nodded, concealing her surprise with a smile. "Sure."
They walked onto the dance floor, and, just as they started thrashing in time with the beat, the song ended, giving way to a slow melody.
As Johnny tried to dart away upon hearing the unhurried tune, Rinsa grabbed his arm. "Oh, no. You're not going anywhere. You asked me to dance, and dance we will," she told him firmly, placing his hands around her waist and resting her own hands on his shoulders. Obviously not a shy one, Rinsa took no heed at Johnny's tension.
They had just met, and were already slow dancing. What would Devi think? *Ah, I don't give a shit what Devi thinks.* Rinsa thought to herself decidedly. *He asked for a dance, and that's what he's getting, whether it be slow or fast.*
After a while Johnny relaxed, letting his strained, almost unwilling grip on her ease to a comfortable hold. His eyes softened, the nervous look in them melting. Rinsa let herself go in their unfathomable amber depths, not even attempting to guess what secret they held. She found herself trusting him, for whatever reason, as he eased her closer, gently, slowly. Soon they were pressed against each other, and could have easily been mistaken for one of the many long-time couples swaying on the much-less-crowded dance floor.
The song came to a gradual end, and Johnny leaned forward to kiss her tenderly on the lips. She met him in the middle (AN: and for those of you who are either shuddering or reading eagerly because of those last few words, by "middle" I mean the middle of the space between their faces, NOT /their/ middles. Good lord, people. Get a prescription or something. Anything to cure that dirty mind or yours!), pressing her lips against his as lightly as she could bear, and then pulled back a bit, allowing herself no more. She could see that he struggled to do the same. Blinking once, she stepped away, hesitant to release herself from his grasp, saying "I'd better go now, Johnny. My sister's probably wondering where I am. It is 12:36, after all."
He nodded, still looking into her eyes.
"Here," she said, pulling a pen and small pad of paper from one of the numerous pockets of her coat. "What's your phone number?"
He blinked, then told her the number.
"Mm-hmm... mm-hmm... okay. I'll call you sometime tomorrow, I guess. I'd give you my phone number, too, but my sister's a little paranoid." Smiling, she took a few steps back, gave him a little wave, then turned around, walking off of the dance floor, which was steadily being filled to the maximum occupancy as another fast song started, and leaving the club.
Once she was out of sight, Johnny allowed himself a rather silly-looking smile. Then, noticing the people around him, he snapped back into reality and replaced his smile with a blank expression, although this was rather hard to do. He made his way to the back door, shoving people out of his way, and slipped out into the alley. Leaning against a wall, he sighed. He had thought he would never find someone right for him again, but he had! Rinsa was by far a superior being compared to the masses of other girls out there, whether they be preppy or gothic. *She reminds me of De- NO!!* he shouted at himself, forbidding the mere thought of the name. *I'm with /Rinsa/ now, and that /name/* he spat mentally, *will never cross my mind again!!* Shuddering, he sank to the ground, clutching his legs, willing his thoughts to return to his and Rinsa's kiss. A smile lit up his face as he became happy once more, sinking blissfully into thoughts of earlier that evening.
You like? Good. Then review. You don't like? Goo-well, not really, but still- review. I hunger for reviews- and suggestions are always welcome, too! Reviews... reviews... *stalks off zombie-style, looking for reviews to munch on*