S@n-ch@n: Hi everyone! I'm back for another story with my brother! And this time it's not gonna be one-shot. No my dear peoples, it's gonna be LONG… I guess.
Sn@ke: And then I must be her bro. Lill' sis-chan here will be the one who will steal the keyboard from me when I am just busy making a great plot so she will screw it up again. THAT's the way how to make a long story…
S@n-ch@n: *whispers* Geez, if you'd just stop harassing the keyboard… It's crying in agony you know… *cries* WHY'D YOU HAVE TO HIT IT THAT HARD!!!
Sn@ke: I am just making sure the characters are appearing on the screen… But let us begin with the story. I suggest we begin with some battle with a lot of blood and gore. Like it?
S@n-ch@n: Ehm… Not exactly… ^^;; I'd like to start of with… Kagome's birthday!! ^_^
Sn@ke: That's soft, we're not making a shojo here. I want a battle with a lot of gore and blood!
S@n-ch@n: And I want to begin with Kagome's birthday!
Sn@ke: We're beginning with a battle!
S@n-ch@n: Birthday! *beats her brother unconscious and locks him up in the cupboard* Ok finally we have some peace and quiet here… *sighs* Ok back to the story. First of… The title!
The Evil Garden Gnome (yes I know it says Tuinkabouter above but I'll explain that later on…)
Chapter 1
S@n-ch@n: So… I'll start off with Kagome's birthday!
~*~
"Happy Birthday Kagome!" had resounded early in the morning at Higurashi residence. Shouting at a grumpy Kagome who had been asleep 5 seconds ago…
Her family went downstairs, preparing breakfast. She had almost forgot the importance of this day… Her birthday! Forgetting about her early awakening she dressed herself and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.
Kagome hopped downstairs and saw her family sitting around the table… PRESENTS!
"Oh, my sweet Kagome is growing up…" her mother said and she looked up at Kagome, who had looked away as if she were mad…
"Mo~om… You told me that last year… And the year before that… And before… And it's getting annoying, I feel like I'm becoming a friggin' grandma!"
"Oh dear, it's just that you're growing up so fast… It feels like just yesterday you were just a little baby…"
Kagome sighed, but didn't say anything. After all, that's the way mothers are supposed to act, ne? She sat down at the table and brushed her hair behind her ear. Yes, it was her sixteenth birthday. Sweet sixteen…
"Sis! I got you a present all by myself! I hope you like it…" Souta said, eagerly handing her a little package.
"Of course I'll like it Souta! You're the sweetest brother on earth…" Kagome replied, trying to unwrap the present. After a little fight with the sticky-tape she opened it.
"Oh Souta! That's so cool!" Kagome said happily. In the package was a photo-frame, the photo in it being one of Inuyasha and her. "Though I wonder when you took that picture…" she mumbled…
"I took it a few days ago, when Inuyasha came to get you!" Souta said innocently…
"Kya!! I didn't even know you were awake at that time!" she said, shocked of her little brother's sneakiness… She remembered all too well Inuyasha came for her 4 days ago, all hyped up about some shard rumor… Man, he sure knows to pick the right time… She was sleeping happily in her cozy bed and Inuyasha had come through her window screaming about shard hunts and that she should've been back the evening before.
Apparently Inuyasha had awakened Souta and he had taken a picture of them when she was either too sleepy or thinking of different ways to yell at Inuyasha… Souta really should be a photographer, the picture was beautiful.
"Thank you, Souta! You're the best!" Kagome exclaimed happily, almost hugging her brother to death.
"O…Kay… Sis… Glad… You… Like… It… Can… You… Please… Let… Me… BREATH… NOW?!" Souta huffed while being suffocated by Kagome.
"OOPS! Sorry…" Kagome blushed three different shades of red and let go of Souta in an instant.
~*~
S@n-ch@n: I thought I heard some noise coming from a certain cupboard… Oh well… Moving on!
~*~
"Kagome, my dear, I have something for you that I got from my mother on my sixteenth birthday. It's been in the family for a very long time and now I want you to have it!" her mother said happily, while she got a little box from beneath her chair.
Kagome looked at the box and wondered what it could be. Sort of a family inheritance, right? She took of the lit of the box and between wads of cotton wool she saw something glitter. She gasped in awe when she took out a beautiful necklace. She had seen it lots of times, being worn by her mother. It was a simple silver collier with a rose-pendant, the rose being made of little glittering stones. It was simple, but gracious. Kagome had loved it the first time she saw it worn by her mom. And now… It was hers.
"Thanks mom…" she said, silenced by the beauty of the pendant.
"It's all yours, dear. Cherish it and pass it on to your daughter when she turns sixteen…"
~*~
S@n-ch@n: Now I definitely heard something coming from that cupboard…*turns around*
Chips of wood fly through the air and the green hair of S@n-ch@n's bro becomes visible between the floating dust. The doorknob is stuck between his teeth and with a splinter Sn@ke removes it with a graceful move.
Sn@ke: THAT WAS THE LAST TIME YOU PUT ME IN THE CUPBOARD!!!!!!!
S@n-ch@n: *looks terrified* What the… I though I beat you up enough for another half-hour!
Sn@ke: Think again, sis! Now hand over that keyboard! *Keyboard cries for help* Now lemme see, where's the story going? *reads the story* Oh boy… *sweatdrop* MAN, you've really screwed up the plot already. Do you really think that necklace will make any difference to the story?
S@n-ch@n: *laughs maniacally* Of course it will make any difference…It will make ALL the difference… Just wait and see… MUAHAHAHHAAA… *looks around cautiously* Ehm… Forget that laugh. I just promise that the necklace will have something to do with… Something you don't know. Would you promise me you treat the keyboard right? *glare*
Sn@ke: *sweatdrop* sometimes you scare me, sis. But to answer your question: no! *laughs maniacally also* You're not the only devil in here!!!
S@n-ch@n: Aaaaah! What are you going to do with me???!!!! And more importantly: what are you gonna do with the KEYBOARD??!!
Sn@ke: *being quiet and self-controlled* Nothing… let me finish this chapter…
~*~
"Move away, Kagome's mother (how the hell does that grandpa call Kagome's mom?)", Kagome's grandpa yelled with his old voice (if he could), "Nobody will think that necklace will make any difference to any plot whatsoever. I've got something more important that will make a weird change to some plot of hell-do-I-know-which story."
~*~
S@n-ch@n: Ehm… Bro… I don't think that's the way Kagome's grandpa would talk… I mean unless YOU'RE her grandpa… Which I strongly doubt.
Sn@ke: Allright, allright. I just wanted to exaggerate something to change the plot a bit. But let me continue, the fans are waiting for a joke or something, you're writing way to serious for a humor story.
S@n-ch@n: *sulks* I just wanted this to be decent literature for all of these children that are getting spoiled by stupid anime's like Pokémon!!
Sn@ke: Enfin…
~*~
"Here you go, Kagome", Kagome's grandpa handed her a rather shabby package in some weird shape.
"Eh? Nani yo?"
"Just open it and you'll see."
Kagome went into a fight with the sticky-tape again. This time it was a lot worse, because the packager had wrapped the thing all over with it, like he wanted to keep it from getting free…or he just had a bad sense of humor.
"Ehm…Ojiichan? Could you hand me some scissors?"
"Here you are, Kagome. *Kagome takes the scissors* The thing you are about to see is something very old and has a history that goes back to even before my grandfather's birth. *paper with sticky tape starts flying through the air* It's an artefact from the Netherlands which possesses great power to those who want to use it for good purposes. *a big chunk of sticky-tape and paper smacks in grandpa's face* mbl… as I was saying, these things are often used by the Dutch and are found almost everywhere. It brings good fortune in economics and so. It might be good for your economy-class syndrome."
Kagome took the object from the packaging and looked at it very closely.
"Ojiichan? What the hell is it?
"Ah, I'm glad you asked, it's a garden gnome. In Dutch known as a TUINKABOUTER!"
~*~
Sn@ke: Moto-chan? How the hell are we gonna explain that 'ui' sound in the word 'tuinkabouter'?
S@n-ch@n: Good question, I have no idea. Give it your best shot.
Sn@ke: Okay, here we go. Ahem: This is a small course in pronouncing the word 'tuinkabouter':
Step1: The part 'Tuin', meaning 'garden. the T and the N are pronounced like you would do in languages as English, Dutch, German and even Japanese. The UI-sound is much more difficult. The first mistake most people make is to pronounce it like 'youwee'. You can compare it with the german Ü but even then you're far from the real pronunciation.
Step2: The part 'kabouter', meaning 'gnome'. Say 'ka' like you'll always do in English. 'Bou' is comparable with a sound you'll often hear in chinese, romanised as 'bao'. Sis here says you can also use the 'ou' as in 'ouch', you know, when you're in pain… The 'ter' is pronounced as 'ter' in 'terminator'.
If this doesn't help you can also download a wave-file from:
http:// www. squadron. web1000. com/ tuinkabouter. Wav
S@n-ch@n: Remove the spaces (FF.net doesn't allow links) and download… You'll hear my sweet brother say "tuinkabouter".
~*~
"Ah, a tuinkabouter. He looks nice with that pointy hat on his head."
"Yes, in Dutch that hat is called a 'puntmuts' (Just keep it like you say it the English way, I think it will be OK)"
"Puntmuts? Ehm… OK. So this is a kabouter with a puntmuts. And…where do I put it?"
"The Dutch put them in their garden."
"I think it will look very nice next to the pond", Kagome's mother said.
"I will put him there", Kagome said while she took the tuinkabouter outside…
~*~
S@n-ch@n: Ok I guess we should end the chapter here. It's been nice enough, don't you think? Ok just leave us a review and we'll continue ^_^
Sn@ke: Hey? WTF? I didn't even get the chance to put Inuyasha in the story! How the hell do I put a good fight in this story?
S@n-ch@n: I TOLD you the first chapter would be Kagome's birthday…
Sn@ke: OK, but the next chapter will be a big fight with blood and gore. So leave me a review and tell us there should be more fighting so I can get the satisfaction I need. MUAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
End of part 1