Disclaimer:
Ranma 1/2 is Owned by Rumiko Takahashi.
Sailor Moon is owend by Naoko Takeuchi.
Ah! Megami-Sama! is Owned by Kosuke Fujishima.
Not Another SI Fic!
By; Taiteki Kagato
After acquiring a small meal (I'd managed to produce enough money to order a
couple pizzas from Dominos) we debated what movie we'd be watching, and in the end,
it boiled down to Mara, wanting to watch Resident Evil, While Nabiki and Makoto
wanted to watch Ghostbusters. I looked at my clock, Decided we had enough time for
both, if they could handle it, and popped in Ghostbusters.
Nabiki and Makoto seemed interested enough, Makoto sometimes commenting
about the technology displayed, and how Ami'd love to get her hands on it, and Mara
laughing at the possessed Dana, while Nabiki just watched with rapt fascination as the
Ghostbusters monopolized an industry nobody else could enter. I just drank Coke and
watched a movie I hadn't seen in a couple weeks.
When the movie was over, I switched out the DVDs, and we watched Resident
Evil. The girls jumped a couple times (I'd seen it too many times to be surprised,
unfortunately) and Mara seemed a bit disappointed when it ended and she realized there
was no spiritual "evil" in the movie whatsoever.
I turned to Nabiki with a smirk, and asked her, "So! You were interested in the
ever-growing field of bioresearch, right? Want to name your corporation 'Umbrella'
when you start up?"
The glare I got, and the somewhat sick look on her face shut me up, and I tossed the
empty Pizza boxes away. It was pretty late, but I wasn't tired yet, so I decided it was time
to have our 'going home' talk.
"So," I started, unsure where, actually, to start, "You all are kinda.. stuck here, at the
moment. Mara-"
"Already thought of that. Not a trace."
"... What was he going to ask?" Makoto questioned, frowning at Mara."
"Probably if there's any link between us and our home universes." Nabiki replied.
I just nodded. "Yeah. Okay, then. Do you all remember what you were doing right before
you arrived?"
"I was sleeping, actually. Then I found myself in front of your door, and my hand was
raised up like I was about to knock." Mara said, holding her hand up in demonstration, "I
thought I was still dreaming till we started talking and you showed me that Book."
"Ahh... okay. That's... weird." I turned to Makoto, quirking a brow.
"I was on my way to Rei's Temple for a Senshi meeting... when..." she trailed off, and I
stared at her. She frowned, and then reached into the bag she'd taken to store the stuff
she'd arrived in, and pulled out a watch.
"I didn't even think to try this!" She cried, flipping it open. I moved over to look in it,
but she pulled it away.
"If it does work, the others might wonder why you're staring over my shoulder," she
explained, pushing a couple buttons.
The sound of static emanated from the things hidden speaker, and she frowned, before up in
thought momentarily, muttering.
"How was it Ami said I could boost the power?"
she looked at it again, then pressed a few more buttons, a small
beep punctuating each button press, and suddenly it started to glow green.
"Ahh... that feels weird." Makoto said. The Communicator appeared absorb a
greenish light that gently flowed off Makoto for a moment, before shooting a white light
up a foot or so that abruptly disappeared into thin air. The static faded, the sound
changing into the whine of a radio with bad reception, and then silence. Makoto's eyes
widened.
"Moon?"
"Mako-chan? Mako-chan! Where are you! We waited and waited and you never showed
up and then Ami couldn't find you and so we went out looking and-"
"It's nice to see you too, Usagi. I'm okay, but kind of stuck. Do you think Ami can figure
out where I am now that we're connected?"
There was a pause, and I wondered if the connection broke, but suddenly a new voice,
softer, spoke up.
"You know, we tried calling you when you failed to arrive, Makoto. I suppose wherever
you are, you can call out, but we can't reach you."
She looked down, guiltily. "I didn't even think of using the communicator until just now.
I had to boost the power like you showed us."
"Ah. I'm glad you thought of that. The Computer's just about done extrapolating and
compiling."
"It's been a weird couple of days, here. I hope you can find a way to bring me home."
Makoto looked up at me, before smiling. "Not that it's been terrible here, or anything." I
just nodded, thinking about Makoto, and the rest of the Senshi.
"Okay. The Mercury Computer says... Oh my!"
Nabiki snorted at this, and Mara frowned, while Makoto looked worried.
"Oh my, What, Ami-chan?" Makoto asked, when Ami didn't say anything else.
"Uhh... this... can't be right..." her sentence interposed with rapid electronic sounds as
she typed more into her computer, rapidly.
"What's it saying, Ami?" Makoto asked.
"Well... it says... it's saying..." Ami seemed hesitant to say anymore, but someone
reading over her shoulder seemed more than willing to tell the world.
"WHAT DOES THAT THING MEAN, SHE'S DEAD?!?" A new voice shouted.
"WHAT?" I shouted.
"NANI?" Makoto screamed.
"DEAD?" Nabiki asked, loudly.
"... We're not dead, that's for sure. I'm no Angel, but I know this isn't Asgard, and it's
too damn clean... most of the time, to be Nifelheim."
"... Who's with you, Mako-chan?" a rather worried sounding Usagi asked over the
communicator.
"Nabiki, Mara, and Kyle." She said, offhandedly.
"One of them is... not good." Ami said, a little more quietly. Makoto just chuckled.
"Mara. Yeah. She's a Demoness, first class. Apparently a second-string character from a
Manga called 'Ah! My Goddess!' She's being well behaved for now, though, because at
the moment... she.. ahh.. Why aren't you acting demonic, Mara?" Makoto asked, staring
at Mara with a puzzled look on her face.
Mara frowned at everyone staring at her, and shrugged. "Why should I tell you all?"
"You don't have any power here, do you?" Nabiki asked, grinning slightly.
Mara scowled, and floated off the ground, an aura of flames surrounding her. "No Power
have I?" She asked, floating towards Nabiki.
"Don't!" I shouted. Too late. The smoke detector went off, then, surprising everyone but
me (Who expected it) and causing Mara to drop to the floor, her Flaming Aura
disappearing in her surprise. A moment later, the beeping stopped, and I glared at her.
"Fire and inside equals bad." I said, emphasizing the word 'bad.' Mara just scowled,
crossed her arms, and picked up my Game Boy. I sighed, and looked at Makoto, who was
staring at Mara uneasily. Finally, she realized someone was talking to her, no, shouting at
her from her communicator, and she looked down to see a worried Ami onscreen.
"The Mercury Computer picked up a burst of Evil Energy. Is everything okay there?"
Ami asked.
Makoto blinked, then nodded, slowly. I decided that, like it or not, Makoto needed help.
Sitting beside Makoto, I turned the Communicator to look at he, and Ami gasped, before
frowning.
"Who're you?" She asked, suspiciously.
"I'm Kyle. I own the apartment Makoto is staying in while she's here. Do you know how
to get her back there?" I asked, jumping to the point quickly.
"Oh.. you... did you Kidnap her?" Ami asked, with a frown.
"... Not that she's bad or anything, but I can't afford to live on my own, much less with
three other people living off me. Kidnapping someone right now is not the wisest of
moves. No, she appeared at my door, and I let her in, because it was cold out, and she
looked familiar."
"She looked familiar?" Ami asked, suspiciously. Usagi's face appeared behind Ami's,
and she stared at me curiously. I decided to have a little fun.
"She looked just like my old girlfriend!" I said, trying for the starry-eyed look Makoto
got whenever she said that about her old Sempai.
"HA!" Nabiki said, recognizing the paraphrased line. Mara chuckled, and Makoto
blushed before shoving me out of the way. I climbed back onto the couch, and then
peered over her shoulder, much like Usagi was doing with Ami.
"Can you retrieve your fellow Senshi, Sailor Mercury?" I asked, seriously.
"Who?" Ami asked, looking surprised.
"He knows, Ami-chan. Don't worry, he's known for a long time. And there's no danger
in that." Makoto said, Ami nodded, then looked at me.
"Right now? No. The Mercury Computer will have to figure out a way to break whatever
Barriers lie between us to get her home. I hope you can handle her for a few more days,
Kyle-San."
"Ehhh... Just Kyle, please." I asked, frowning slightly.
"Oh. Kyle, then. Just be glad it's Makoto, and not Usagi." Ami said with a small smile.
"Ami-chan!" Usagi said, falling away from the screen. I nodded, then walked away.
Nabiki, sitting at my computer, seemed interested in my web browser, and I moved over
to see what she was looking at.
"This... never happened." She said, pointing. I looked closely, then laughed.
"Thank god, eh?" This is a fan-fiction. Where people continue a story in ways that don't
happen according to what the original creator intended." Nabiki stared at the screen, then
backed out of the fic.
"That was... disturbing." She said, shuddering.
"Yes, well... a rape scene isn't the best way to be introduced to Fan-fiction.. Especially if
it turns out to be your own." I said, hoping Nabiki didn't think I'd written it.
"Did you-" She started, staring at the screen.
"No!" I interrupted her.
"Oh. Any particular reason someone would write that?" she asked, seemingly curious,
and not at all the superior-acting Nabiki I'd gotten used to.
"Umm. Some people just don't like you. And then, there are some that don't like your
sister. Or Ranma. Or Principal Kuno." I shrugged. "Some people think Ranma should
hook up with Kodachi, and forget everyone else. Personally, I think the most deserving
Fiancée is Ukyo," I shrugged, "That's my opinion, though. People are just weird like that,
I suppose."
"..." She stared at me, and I sighed, reaching out to take the mouse. I navigated the web
quickly, finally coming to a search engine I could use to find the Fic I wanted.
"Here. This is the first real Fan-Fic I ever read." I said, clicking on the link. Zen's "The
Bitter End" popped up onscreen, and I went to get a Coke from the fridge. It was going to
be another weird night, and another weird day.
I awoke to two things. Actually, it was because someone was kicking me, though I could
tell they were trying to be gentile about it. They were failing, too. The other thing was my
back. I'm not used to sleeping on something quite as hard as the floor, so it wasn't much
of a surprise to hear my spine audibly pop itself back in to place. Probably along every
vertebra I had. Makoto, who'd been kicking me widened her eyes in surprise, then
frowned again at me.
"... what's up?" I asked, staring up at her.
"Mara's gone." That woke me up. Typically, I'm a light sleeper, so the sound of my door
opening (and the subsequent slam which is a requirement for closing the door) would
have awakened me, if the chill from outside hadn't first.
I glanced around, confirming her statement, before turning to her. "How'd she leave? Did
she leave a note?" Part of me was hoping she'd gone back home, and a bigger part of me
was afraid she'd gone out on the town. Denver's not all that, but it has it's spots.
Makoto just shrugged, but waited. I was afraid to ask what she was going to add.
"Umm.. is there something else you want to tell me?"
"Your car is gone, too."
"..." My head hit the pillow again. "Right, then. I'll wake up in a few minutes, and this
will all be resolved." I hoped to awaken to an empty apartment, with a bunch of empty
Coke cans, and Pizza Boxes signaling this was just a bizarre acid-reflux dream.
The resumed kicking broke that delusion rather quickly. I rolled over and grabbed the
foot, surprising Makoto. Then I stood, and checked my apartment. Watch? Check. Keys
Gone. Wallet.... Moved. I sighed, and reached for it, hoping it had been moved by the
keys, and not... No such luck. I was broke again. Well, so much for making the power
bill on time.
"What are you doing that for?" Makoto asked as I began crawling around on the floor. A
minute later I stood, a handful of pennies (and the occasional nickel) held out to her.
"Your rations." I said, dryly. Makoto stared at me, then looked at the coins.
"Umm... Keep it." She said, finally, pushing the hand away. "Maybe if we pool our..."
Makoto started, before trailing off.
"Yeah. Well. We will have resources. Tomorrow, you apply at work with me. Maybe the
addition of a cute girl can bring in enough to help keep us afloat."
"..."Makoto blinked, and I assumed my 'cute girl' comment was to blame. Fortunately,
She asked the question I'd hope shed respond with.
"Why isn't Nabiki working, too?" There wasn't much malice behind it, but She did seem
confused.
"As good as Nabiki is at talking people out of their money, She's even better at balancing
the books... and with my backlog of bills, my disastrous need for random objects, and
inability to look at budget foods, She's going to be handling the money."
Opening one of the larger books on my bookshelf, I slid out a Twenty, sighing.
"We'll live off this until we get back from work." I glanced at the clock, and sighed,
reaching over to stop the alarm from going off in 20 minutes. I thought about it for a
moment, and sighed again.
Makoto'd gotten a couple items of clothing, as had Nabiki, but now, I'd have to get her
some black shoes and socks. A tough thing made tougher by the twenty-dollar price limit.
I glanced over at Nabiki sprawled out on the futon, and suppressed a chuckle. As serious
as she was awake, seeing her sprawled out on my bed, snoring softly killed that image,
rather quickly. The shimmer of drool also detracted from her seriousness.
... Drool? On my down Pillow? My eyelid twitched slightly (A habit Id' started doing
consciously because it was kinda funny but I had ended up doing so much, it now
happened on it's own) and I moved towards the bed, only to be tripped by Makoto.
Falling, I had a moment to figure out how to land not only to keep from smacking the
metal bars, but also from crushing Nabiki. Of course, it was inevitable I'd wake her, but
hopefully, I wouldn't break her as well. If I intended to trust my money to her, it'd be
best not to have her first purchase be a cast.
I landed with my hands on both sides of her, and realized my mistake as they sank
between the bars of the futon, the thin mattress going with them. The unfortunate effect
of this was that Nabiki's head shot up, amplified by Nabiki jerking awake at that
moment. The following crack of our foreheads smacking each other was enough to make
me see stars, and my shaking arms gave out. Fortunately, I'd slowed enough to only
slightly crush Nabiki, and in her dazed state, she didn't complain much after an initial
groan.
Summoning the strength to roll off my guest, I yelped softly as I also rolled off the Futon,
and onto my TV remote. Too lightheaded to move it out from under me, I just signed, and
waited for the strobe light to power down.
"What just happened?" Nabiki asked a minute later. She sounded tired (not surprisingly)
and angry (also unsurprisingly) and I took a deep breath before answering her.
"I... um... tripped?"
Makoto chose this time to start giggling softly, and I resisted the urge to glare at her,
mostly because I'd probably end up crossing my eyes at her. Rubbing my head, I felt a
sore spot, and a bump starting to form above my eyebrow. How keen.
"Is this how you treat all the girls? Morning kisses gone awry, and insincere
explanations?" Nabiki asked.
"I..." I didn't really know how to respond to that. Makoto quirked a brow at me, and I
felt my face reddening. "I.. it's.. I wasn't trying to kiss you!" I finally said.
"Oh." Nabiki responded, sounding rather sad. I cringed, not wanting that, either.
"No! I mean. I wasn't. but that doesn't.. Umm.. I mean. You're really pretty, but I don't
know you.. for real.. well enough.. or something." I finished lamely. Glancing at Makoto,
I hoped to see a look of amused relief, but instead, she looked almost hurt, and I groaned
inside again. 'Not her, too!' I thought.
"Oh.. Makoto.. I mean.. you're both really pretty. I.. ahh... " I trailed off, then, my head
trying to balance the two, and overloading, a rather strong headache also starting to make
itself known. Then I heard Nabiki chuckling.
Sitting up, I tried to glare at her, before falling back in pain. Slowly sitting back up again,
I looked at where she lay on her side, head propped up, as she stared at me with a Nabiki-
esque grin on her face.
"Just about as bad as Ranma." She said with a grin. She reached up and rubbed a red spot
on her forehead, then, frowning slightly.
"Sorry." I muttered, unhappy with having caused it, even though it wasn't my fault. I
turned to look at Makoto, who finally seemed to look apologetic, and sighed.
Then I crawled to the kitchen, and grabbed a bottle of Painkillers and a can of Coke.
Much later (or so it felt) I walked into Applebee's on Tamarac, panting heavily. Makoto
and I had raced across the parking lot, and though it was close, she'd beaten me. I cursed
my lethargic lifestyle once again, and waited for the blood to stop pounding in my ears
long enough to hear what she was trying to tell me.
"-running."
"What?" I squeezed out.
"When we get time, you and I are going to start running. You are really out of shape."
I frowned at her, but said nothing, leaning against the door. As she passed, I threw her a
rather cocky grin, and said "I kept up with you pretty well, didn't I?"
She looked at me, and I stopped panting, acting like I was fine. She frowned, and waited,
and finally, broke down, and leaned back against the wall, trying to get the air I'd just
tried to pretend I didn't need. She snorted disdainfully, and walked inside. I sighed, and
followed.
"Hey, Kyle. Can I talk to you for a moment?" my manager asked from the Kitchen. I
knew I wasn't late, but he'd looked serious about something behind the obvious smile of
his, and I made my way back, a soft smile hiding my worry.
"I know she's new to the area, and all, but your friend can't stay here while you work
every day." He said, matter-of-factly. I nodded, looking over my shoulder at Makoto,
who looked around curiously.
"Actually... Well.. She's not just my friend.." he just waited for me to finish, so I started,
hoping this seemed believable enough. "She came here after loosing all her family in a
plane crash in Japan a couple years ago. We'd kept in touch, and, while she's
independent, I guess she didn't like living alone in the apartment she'd had.. so she came
here, only, she hasn't got the credit established to Rent an apartment or anything, so she's
staying with me until she can make it on her own. I brought her here today because She
needs a job, and we're hiring, soo.." I trailed off, letting that hang in the air as I
contemplated. Typically, conversations don't allow for such long-winded speeches, and I
worried slightly that their anime nature might be rubbing off. Too bad Sherra wasn't here
with that Mazoku-making sword.
I was waiting for my Managers response when I heard a rather funny thug behind me.
Turning around, I spotted Mara, passed out, with a bottle of liquor in one hand and my
steering wheel in the other. Today was really going to suck.
Ranma 1/2 is Owned by Rumiko Takahashi.
Sailor Moon is owend by Naoko Takeuchi.
Ah! Megami-Sama! is Owned by Kosuke Fujishima.
Not Another SI Fic!
By; Taiteki Kagato
After acquiring a small meal (I'd managed to produce enough money to order a
couple pizzas from Dominos) we debated what movie we'd be watching, and in the end,
it boiled down to Mara, wanting to watch Resident Evil, While Nabiki and Makoto
wanted to watch Ghostbusters. I looked at my clock, Decided we had enough time for
both, if they could handle it, and popped in Ghostbusters.
Nabiki and Makoto seemed interested enough, Makoto sometimes commenting
about the technology displayed, and how Ami'd love to get her hands on it, and Mara
laughing at the possessed Dana, while Nabiki just watched with rapt fascination as the
Ghostbusters monopolized an industry nobody else could enter. I just drank Coke and
watched a movie I hadn't seen in a couple weeks.
When the movie was over, I switched out the DVDs, and we watched Resident
Evil. The girls jumped a couple times (I'd seen it too many times to be surprised,
unfortunately) and Mara seemed a bit disappointed when it ended and she realized there
was no spiritual "evil" in the movie whatsoever.
I turned to Nabiki with a smirk, and asked her, "So! You were interested in the
ever-growing field of bioresearch, right? Want to name your corporation 'Umbrella'
when you start up?"
The glare I got, and the somewhat sick look on her face shut me up, and I tossed the
empty Pizza boxes away. It was pretty late, but I wasn't tired yet, so I decided it was time
to have our 'going home' talk.
"So," I started, unsure where, actually, to start, "You all are kinda.. stuck here, at the
moment. Mara-"
"Already thought of that. Not a trace."
"... What was he going to ask?" Makoto questioned, frowning at Mara."
"Probably if there's any link between us and our home universes." Nabiki replied.
I just nodded. "Yeah. Okay, then. Do you all remember what you were doing right before
you arrived?"
"I was sleeping, actually. Then I found myself in front of your door, and my hand was
raised up like I was about to knock." Mara said, holding her hand up in demonstration, "I
thought I was still dreaming till we started talking and you showed me that Book."
"Ahh... okay. That's... weird." I turned to Makoto, quirking a brow.
"I was on my way to Rei's Temple for a Senshi meeting... when..." she trailed off, and I
stared at her. She frowned, and then reached into the bag she'd taken to store the stuff
she'd arrived in, and pulled out a watch.
"I didn't even think to try this!" She cried, flipping it open. I moved over to look in it,
but she pulled it away.
"If it does work, the others might wonder why you're staring over my shoulder," she
explained, pushing a couple buttons.
The sound of static emanated from the things hidden speaker, and she frowned, before up in
thought momentarily, muttering.
"How was it Ami said I could boost the power?"
she looked at it again, then pressed a few more buttons, a small
beep punctuating each button press, and suddenly it started to glow green.
"Ahh... that feels weird." Makoto said. The Communicator appeared absorb a
greenish light that gently flowed off Makoto for a moment, before shooting a white light
up a foot or so that abruptly disappeared into thin air. The static faded, the sound
changing into the whine of a radio with bad reception, and then silence. Makoto's eyes
widened.
"Moon?"
"Mako-chan? Mako-chan! Where are you! We waited and waited and you never showed
up and then Ami couldn't find you and so we went out looking and-"
"It's nice to see you too, Usagi. I'm okay, but kind of stuck. Do you think Ami can figure
out where I am now that we're connected?"
There was a pause, and I wondered if the connection broke, but suddenly a new voice,
softer, spoke up.
"You know, we tried calling you when you failed to arrive, Makoto. I suppose wherever
you are, you can call out, but we can't reach you."
She looked down, guiltily. "I didn't even think of using the communicator until just now.
I had to boost the power like you showed us."
"Ah. I'm glad you thought of that. The Computer's just about done extrapolating and
compiling."
"It's been a weird couple of days, here. I hope you can find a way to bring me home."
Makoto looked up at me, before smiling. "Not that it's been terrible here, or anything." I
just nodded, thinking about Makoto, and the rest of the Senshi.
"Okay. The Mercury Computer says... Oh my!"
Nabiki snorted at this, and Mara frowned, while Makoto looked worried.
"Oh my, What, Ami-chan?" Makoto asked, when Ami didn't say anything else.
"Uhh... this... can't be right..." her sentence interposed with rapid electronic sounds as
she typed more into her computer, rapidly.
"What's it saying, Ami?" Makoto asked.
"Well... it says... it's saying..." Ami seemed hesitant to say anymore, but someone
reading over her shoulder seemed more than willing to tell the world.
"WHAT DOES THAT THING MEAN, SHE'S DEAD?!?" A new voice shouted.
"WHAT?" I shouted.
"NANI?" Makoto screamed.
"DEAD?" Nabiki asked, loudly.
"... We're not dead, that's for sure. I'm no Angel, but I know this isn't Asgard, and it's
too damn clean... most of the time, to be Nifelheim."
"... Who's with you, Mako-chan?" a rather worried sounding Usagi asked over the
communicator.
"Nabiki, Mara, and Kyle." She said, offhandedly.
"One of them is... not good." Ami said, a little more quietly. Makoto just chuckled.
"Mara. Yeah. She's a Demoness, first class. Apparently a second-string character from a
Manga called 'Ah! My Goddess!' She's being well behaved for now, though, because at
the moment... she.. ahh.. Why aren't you acting demonic, Mara?" Makoto asked, staring
at Mara with a puzzled look on her face.
Mara frowned at everyone staring at her, and shrugged. "Why should I tell you all?"
"You don't have any power here, do you?" Nabiki asked, grinning slightly.
Mara scowled, and floated off the ground, an aura of flames surrounding her. "No Power
have I?" She asked, floating towards Nabiki.
"Don't!" I shouted. Too late. The smoke detector went off, then, surprising everyone but
me (Who expected it) and causing Mara to drop to the floor, her Flaming Aura
disappearing in her surprise. A moment later, the beeping stopped, and I glared at her.
"Fire and inside equals bad." I said, emphasizing the word 'bad.' Mara just scowled,
crossed her arms, and picked up my Game Boy. I sighed, and looked at Makoto, who was
staring at Mara uneasily. Finally, she realized someone was talking to her, no, shouting at
her from her communicator, and she looked down to see a worried Ami onscreen.
"The Mercury Computer picked up a burst of Evil Energy. Is everything okay there?"
Ami asked.
Makoto blinked, then nodded, slowly. I decided that, like it or not, Makoto needed help.
Sitting beside Makoto, I turned the Communicator to look at he, and Ami gasped, before
frowning.
"Who're you?" She asked, suspiciously.
"I'm Kyle. I own the apartment Makoto is staying in while she's here. Do you know how
to get her back there?" I asked, jumping to the point quickly.
"Oh.. you... did you Kidnap her?" Ami asked, with a frown.
"... Not that she's bad or anything, but I can't afford to live on my own, much less with
three other people living off me. Kidnapping someone right now is not the wisest of
moves. No, she appeared at my door, and I let her in, because it was cold out, and she
looked familiar."
"She looked familiar?" Ami asked, suspiciously. Usagi's face appeared behind Ami's,
and she stared at me curiously. I decided to have a little fun.
"She looked just like my old girlfriend!" I said, trying for the starry-eyed look Makoto
got whenever she said that about her old Sempai.
"HA!" Nabiki said, recognizing the paraphrased line. Mara chuckled, and Makoto
blushed before shoving me out of the way. I climbed back onto the couch, and then
peered over her shoulder, much like Usagi was doing with Ami.
"Can you retrieve your fellow Senshi, Sailor Mercury?" I asked, seriously.
"Who?" Ami asked, looking surprised.
"He knows, Ami-chan. Don't worry, he's known for a long time. And there's no danger
in that." Makoto said, Ami nodded, then looked at me.
"Right now? No. The Mercury Computer will have to figure out a way to break whatever
Barriers lie between us to get her home. I hope you can handle her for a few more days,
Kyle-San."
"Ehhh... Just Kyle, please." I asked, frowning slightly.
"Oh. Kyle, then. Just be glad it's Makoto, and not Usagi." Ami said with a small smile.
"Ami-chan!" Usagi said, falling away from the screen. I nodded, then walked away.
Nabiki, sitting at my computer, seemed interested in my web browser, and I moved over
to see what she was looking at.
"This... never happened." She said, pointing. I looked closely, then laughed.
"Thank god, eh?" This is a fan-fiction. Where people continue a story in ways that don't
happen according to what the original creator intended." Nabiki stared at the screen, then
backed out of the fic.
"That was... disturbing." She said, shuddering.
"Yes, well... a rape scene isn't the best way to be introduced to Fan-fiction.. Especially if
it turns out to be your own." I said, hoping Nabiki didn't think I'd written it.
"Did you-" She started, staring at the screen.
"No!" I interrupted her.
"Oh. Any particular reason someone would write that?" she asked, seemingly curious,
and not at all the superior-acting Nabiki I'd gotten used to.
"Umm. Some people just don't like you. And then, there are some that don't like your
sister. Or Ranma. Or Principal Kuno." I shrugged. "Some people think Ranma should
hook up with Kodachi, and forget everyone else. Personally, I think the most deserving
Fiancée is Ukyo," I shrugged, "That's my opinion, though. People are just weird like that,
I suppose."
"..." She stared at me, and I sighed, reaching out to take the mouse. I navigated the web
quickly, finally coming to a search engine I could use to find the Fic I wanted.
"Here. This is the first real Fan-Fic I ever read." I said, clicking on the link. Zen's "The
Bitter End" popped up onscreen, and I went to get a Coke from the fridge. It was going to
be another weird night, and another weird day.
I awoke to two things. Actually, it was because someone was kicking me, though I could
tell they were trying to be gentile about it. They were failing, too. The other thing was my
back. I'm not used to sleeping on something quite as hard as the floor, so it wasn't much
of a surprise to hear my spine audibly pop itself back in to place. Probably along every
vertebra I had. Makoto, who'd been kicking me widened her eyes in surprise, then
frowned again at me.
"... what's up?" I asked, staring up at her.
"Mara's gone." That woke me up. Typically, I'm a light sleeper, so the sound of my door
opening (and the subsequent slam which is a requirement for closing the door) would
have awakened me, if the chill from outside hadn't first.
I glanced around, confirming her statement, before turning to her. "How'd she leave? Did
she leave a note?" Part of me was hoping she'd gone back home, and a bigger part of me
was afraid she'd gone out on the town. Denver's not all that, but it has it's spots.
Makoto just shrugged, but waited. I was afraid to ask what she was going to add.
"Umm.. is there something else you want to tell me?"
"Your car is gone, too."
"..." My head hit the pillow again. "Right, then. I'll wake up in a few minutes, and this
will all be resolved." I hoped to awaken to an empty apartment, with a bunch of empty
Coke cans, and Pizza Boxes signaling this was just a bizarre acid-reflux dream.
The resumed kicking broke that delusion rather quickly. I rolled over and grabbed the
foot, surprising Makoto. Then I stood, and checked my apartment. Watch? Check. Keys
Gone. Wallet.... Moved. I sighed, and reached for it, hoping it had been moved by the
keys, and not... No such luck. I was broke again. Well, so much for making the power
bill on time.
"What are you doing that for?" Makoto asked as I began crawling around on the floor. A
minute later I stood, a handful of pennies (and the occasional nickel) held out to her.
"Your rations." I said, dryly. Makoto stared at me, then looked at the coins.
"Umm... Keep it." She said, finally, pushing the hand away. "Maybe if we pool our..."
Makoto started, before trailing off.
"Yeah. Well. We will have resources. Tomorrow, you apply at work with me. Maybe the
addition of a cute girl can bring in enough to help keep us afloat."
"..."Makoto blinked, and I assumed my 'cute girl' comment was to blame. Fortunately,
She asked the question I'd hope shed respond with.
"Why isn't Nabiki working, too?" There wasn't much malice behind it, but She did seem
confused.
"As good as Nabiki is at talking people out of their money, She's even better at balancing
the books... and with my backlog of bills, my disastrous need for random objects, and
inability to look at budget foods, She's going to be handling the money."
Opening one of the larger books on my bookshelf, I slid out a Twenty, sighing.
"We'll live off this until we get back from work." I glanced at the clock, and sighed,
reaching over to stop the alarm from going off in 20 minutes. I thought about it for a
moment, and sighed again.
Makoto'd gotten a couple items of clothing, as had Nabiki, but now, I'd have to get her
some black shoes and socks. A tough thing made tougher by the twenty-dollar price limit.
I glanced over at Nabiki sprawled out on the futon, and suppressed a chuckle. As serious
as she was awake, seeing her sprawled out on my bed, snoring softly killed that image,
rather quickly. The shimmer of drool also detracted from her seriousness.
... Drool? On my down Pillow? My eyelid twitched slightly (A habit Id' started doing
consciously because it was kinda funny but I had ended up doing so much, it now
happened on it's own) and I moved towards the bed, only to be tripped by Makoto.
Falling, I had a moment to figure out how to land not only to keep from smacking the
metal bars, but also from crushing Nabiki. Of course, it was inevitable I'd wake her, but
hopefully, I wouldn't break her as well. If I intended to trust my money to her, it'd be
best not to have her first purchase be a cast.
I landed with my hands on both sides of her, and realized my mistake as they sank
between the bars of the futon, the thin mattress going with them. The unfortunate effect
of this was that Nabiki's head shot up, amplified by Nabiki jerking awake at that
moment. The following crack of our foreheads smacking each other was enough to make
me see stars, and my shaking arms gave out. Fortunately, I'd slowed enough to only
slightly crush Nabiki, and in her dazed state, she didn't complain much after an initial
groan.
Summoning the strength to roll off my guest, I yelped softly as I also rolled off the Futon,
and onto my TV remote. Too lightheaded to move it out from under me, I just signed, and
waited for the strobe light to power down.
"What just happened?" Nabiki asked a minute later. She sounded tired (not surprisingly)
and angry (also unsurprisingly) and I took a deep breath before answering her.
"I... um... tripped?"
Makoto chose this time to start giggling softly, and I resisted the urge to glare at her,
mostly because I'd probably end up crossing my eyes at her. Rubbing my head, I felt a
sore spot, and a bump starting to form above my eyebrow. How keen.
"Is this how you treat all the girls? Morning kisses gone awry, and insincere
explanations?" Nabiki asked.
"I..." I didn't really know how to respond to that. Makoto quirked a brow at me, and I
felt my face reddening. "I.. it's.. I wasn't trying to kiss you!" I finally said.
"Oh." Nabiki responded, sounding rather sad. I cringed, not wanting that, either.
"No! I mean. I wasn't. but that doesn't.. Umm.. I mean. You're really pretty, but I don't
know you.. for real.. well enough.. or something." I finished lamely. Glancing at Makoto,
I hoped to see a look of amused relief, but instead, she looked almost hurt, and I groaned
inside again. 'Not her, too!' I thought.
"Oh.. Makoto.. I mean.. you're both really pretty. I.. ahh... " I trailed off, then, my head
trying to balance the two, and overloading, a rather strong headache also starting to make
itself known. Then I heard Nabiki chuckling.
Sitting up, I tried to glare at her, before falling back in pain. Slowly sitting back up again,
I looked at where she lay on her side, head propped up, as she stared at me with a Nabiki-
esque grin on her face.
"Just about as bad as Ranma." She said with a grin. She reached up and rubbed a red spot
on her forehead, then, frowning slightly.
"Sorry." I muttered, unhappy with having caused it, even though it wasn't my fault. I
turned to look at Makoto, who finally seemed to look apologetic, and sighed.
Then I crawled to the kitchen, and grabbed a bottle of Painkillers and a can of Coke.
Much later (or so it felt) I walked into Applebee's on Tamarac, panting heavily. Makoto
and I had raced across the parking lot, and though it was close, she'd beaten me. I cursed
my lethargic lifestyle once again, and waited for the blood to stop pounding in my ears
long enough to hear what she was trying to tell me.
"-running."
"What?" I squeezed out.
"When we get time, you and I are going to start running. You are really out of shape."
I frowned at her, but said nothing, leaning against the door. As she passed, I threw her a
rather cocky grin, and said "I kept up with you pretty well, didn't I?"
She looked at me, and I stopped panting, acting like I was fine. She frowned, and waited,
and finally, broke down, and leaned back against the wall, trying to get the air I'd just
tried to pretend I didn't need. She snorted disdainfully, and walked inside. I sighed, and
followed.
"Hey, Kyle. Can I talk to you for a moment?" my manager asked from the Kitchen. I
knew I wasn't late, but he'd looked serious about something behind the obvious smile of
his, and I made my way back, a soft smile hiding my worry.
"I know she's new to the area, and all, but your friend can't stay here while you work
every day." He said, matter-of-factly. I nodded, looking over my shoulder at Makoto,
who looked around curiously.
"Actually... Well.. She's not just my friend.." he just waited for me to finish, so I started,
hoping this seemed believable enough. "She came here after loosing all her family in a
plane crash in Japan a couple years ago. We'd kept in touch, and, while she's
independent, I guess she didn't like living alone in the apartment she'd had.. so she came
here, only, she hasn't got the credit established to Rent an apartment or anything, so she's
staying with me until she can make it on her own. I brought her here today because She
needs a job, and we're hiring, soo.." I trailed off, letting that hang in the air as I
contemplated. Typically, conversations don't allow for such long-winded speeches, and I
worried slightly that their anime nature might be rubbing off. Too bad Sherra wasn't here
with that Mazoku-making sword.
I was waiting for my Managers response when I heard a rather funny thug behind me.
Turning around, I spotted Mara, passed out, with a bottle of liquor in one hand and my
steering wheel in the other. Today was really going to suck.