I am reaching the dreamlike stage, floating, perusing-oh, sorry, you guys. I was just alking in my sleep. Anyway, as you know, I am also working on a GALS!/Chobits crossover, hope you like it. Simply called "Eyes Without A Face," and it focuses on the Yuuya/Mamirin couple. Now, I know very few people care about this hit-and-miss couple, and with good reason. Yuuya's lecherous nature has made him a slave to Mamirin, in my opinion. I will be working on that piece again later. Right now, ho boy, the scenario on Ran is pretty scary. Adopted!? That just brings chills to my spine. Nothing like some surrogate parents to rub salt in the wounds in…I'm talking too much. Enjoy.
*********
The Platform Surfers
Chapter 9:
17 sai
Something's calling me
Who are you?
I am lost
On this beach
Where enemies become
Brothers,
Friends become
Sisters,
And parties at 4AM
Never end
All of a sudden
My eyes open…
And I love you, too.
"Where…am I?" said Ran, waking up from a trance that found her in an Armageddon-like quandary. The tear streaks were still on her face.
"Ran!" said Miyu. "Thank God, you're alive!"
"Ran, we were worried about you," said Aya. "Are you okay?"
"Ran-chan…" said Yuuya.
"Minna…I…found the truth about my parents," she said, trembling.
"Your…parents?" asked Rei.
"They…I…can't say it…"
"Ran-pyon, just tell us," said Tatsuki. He was caressing Ran's face, causing more tears to flow. "What is it?"
"My parents…are…" She tried to get the words out, but she started to choke a bit. "They are…"
"Ran!" cried Yamato, mom and dad following.
"Aniki…"
"Are you okay?"
"We got here as soon as possible," said Kiyoka, panting a bit.
"We have something important to tell you," said Taizou, maintaining his composure, while at the same time, showing signs of regret.
"Okay," said Ran. "Everyone, can you leave for a moment?" The others nodded their head, and they went back to the lobby, leaving Ran, Sayo, Yamato, Taizou, and Kiyoka.
"Ran, we…I know you will be angry when we say this," said Taizou, "but…we are not your true parents."
"What?" gasped Ran, slightly shocked, slightly expectant. "Dad…"
"We are your adopted parents," said Kiyoka, her head bowed down.
"This was what you were hiding from me all along?!" screamed Ran to both of them, the tears flowing from her eyes like rivers. She started to sob again, like she was from her dream.
"Mom, Dad, what are you saying?" shouted Yamato to the two of them. "Ran's not really a member of our…!?"
"No way! Ran's adopted? My older sister?" asked Sayo. "You're lying! Mom and Dad never lie! Liars! Liars! LIARS!!" She kept repeating that until she fell on her knees in despair, and cried.
"Mom, Dad, I am 18 years old. I thought my parents were the best I had. And now you tell me you're not my real parents!? Bastards!! What you've taught me, what I learned, is all a MOHERFUCKING LIE!? YOU FUCKING SONS OF BITCHES!!! GET OUT OF HERE!! GET THE FUCKING HELL OUT OF HERE!!!" She didn't have the punch the she usually had, because she was still sobbing as she yelled. He energy, or what was left of it, became drained to the point where it couldn't be seen.
"Ran, don't say that to them," said Yamato.
"Aniki, do you realize what they fucking SAID!!? GET OUT!!" she directed the two ex-parents.
"Ran, please, let us explain," pleaded Kiyoka.
"You're not my mom," Ran said.
"Ran, don't be like this," said Taizou.
"AND YOU'RE NOT MY FATHER EITHER!! GET OUT OF HERE!! YOU BASTARD PARENTS HAVE RUINED MY LIFE AS I KNOW IT!!! GET THE MOTHERFUCKING HELL OUT! NOW!!! NOW!!!! NOW!!!!!!!!!" When Ran saw they wouldn't move, she became desperate. "NURSE! WHERE THE HELL IS THE NURSE!!!?" When Taizou and Kiyoka heard this, they trudged out, dejected and ashamed.
"Ran, it's okay," said Yamato, hugging Ran. Sayo also hugged her, as well. Ran, as though on the edge of losing her genki saneliness, began to calm down, then sleep, tears still coming down. "Do you want me to tell you everything, instead of Mom and Dad?"
"Aniki…I'm sorry…"
"Do you want me to tell you? Ran?"
"I…O…okay." She still sobbed a bit, but her energy began to come back.
"When you were born, you were in an adoption center. I don't know about your real parents, but, from what I can recall from them, when I was a little kid, they said that…your parents were from…a place called Queensland. I don't know where that is, but they say your real parents were born there."
"Queensland?" Ran scratched her head. "Where's that?"
"Queensland, eh?" said Ayumi in her head. "Ran, did you take geography while at Kounan?"
"Eh? Um, yeah. But how the hell should I know where that place is!?"
"Are you talking to yourself, Ran?" asked Sayo quizzically.
"Uruse, Sayo!" Sayo only giggled.
Yamato looked all over the room. In a blank, decrepit corner lay an old atlas, dated 1993, but still good, though polluted with dust from the room. He picked it up and looked at the contents. "Now, let's see," he said, thumbing to the index, "Queensland, ah! Here it is, on page 123." Yamato went to that page, and scanned the map. "Oh my. Ran, Queensland is part of…Australia…so that means…"
All of a sudden, Ran went from gloom to super-genki ecstasy in a split second. "I'M AUSTRALIAN!!? Yay! I love that country, and now my real parents are from Australia!? Oh my God, on my God, oh my God!!? I'm from Australia! I'm from Australia, I'm from Australia…wait a minute. Aniki, what's their official language? Is it Japanese?"
"No, Ran, according to this atlas, Australia's official language is…English."
Just like that, Ran's energy became rock-bottom, if enraged. Waving her arms, she cried, "What the…they speak English!? I don't even know English! I can't speak it!! WAAAAAHHHH!!!"
"Well, just because their main language is English doesn't mean there are nobody who knows how to speak Japanese…" said Yamato, trailing off.
"I heard that the people in that place speak English the wrong way," bragged Sayo, hand on her hips, striking a pose. "They say things like 'mate', and 'grog', and 'g'day'…they are weird people, those people. Why don't they speak it like the Americans? They speak it the right way!"
"Maybe Australia's English has an accent, a dialect."
"What's a dialect?"
"Another way of speaking the same language. In Japan, Osaka has a dialect of Japanese, Nagoya has a dialect, Sapporo has one, Kobe has one, every region has one…We have one too."
"Oh! That's why the people in Osaka say 'no da' sometimes! It's their dialect!" (author: I had to add Fushigi Yuugi, just for laughs…)
Yamato rolled his eyes. "Well, I wonder where we go from here-AH! Ran, what are you doing?" He saw Ran standing on her bed, striking a pose.
"Aniki, we are going to find my parents. My AUSTRALIAN parents." She had an evil sneer, and she threw her head back, laughing in joy and a return to the sanity that became so familiar, maybe too familiar, with her.
"Ran, there's another problem."
"Hah?"
"We don't have the money to go there."
"Na…NANI!? WAAAAHHH! I wanna go so baaaadlyyyy!" She sat down, pouting. Just then, Kiyoka and Taizou reentered.
"Well, Ran, I believe you feeling better-AH!" He found Ran hugging him.
"Daddy, Mommy…I'm sorry about what I said to you…BUT I WANNA GO TO AUSTRALIA!!!"
"Uh…Kiyoka, honey, I think she found out…"
"Yeah, and she's feeling happy about it," she said, sweating a bit. "I thought she was still mad at us."
"I think she's okay. Ran, you can let go now." She wouldn't. "Let go." Still, she wouldn't. "Let go! LET GO!"
"No! I wanna go to Australia! Please, Daddy, pleasey, pleasey pleeeeeaaaase!"
"Sayo wants to go too!" she said.
"We'll find a way, you two." said Kiyoka, rather wearily. "We'll find a way. Ran, let's take you home."
"Hold on! I have to talk with my friends first! Can I, Mom?" asked Ran, still feeling genki.
"Sure, sunshine, you can."
*****
"Hmm, I wonder what's taking Ran this long," said Miyu, looking out the window.
"She hasn't come back for an hour now," said Aya.
"…" said Yuuya.
"Sayo-chan…" mumbled Masato.
Out of nowhere, a very happy Ran, burst out of the room, and hugged and kissed everyone, Sayo following with the others.
"Kotobuki?" exclaimed Mami. "What the hell…!?"
"Ran-pyon, you're fine," said Tatsuki, who hugged Ran so tight, she almost choked. "Ran-pyon, Ran-pyon, Ran-pyon…ooooh, you look adorable when you're genkiiiiiiiii…yaaaaayyyyy!!!"
"Tatsukichi…" she said, "…get off…" He did so accordingly, leaving her to gasp for air. "Damn, Tatsukichi…ack…"
"We heard everything," said Rei.
"What?" asked everyone else.
"Um, at least I heard everything…"
"What? What about her?" asked Naoki, eyes sparking.
"Ran's an Aussie," he said, rather straightforward, like the orchid gal. Everyone dropped their jaws. "Her parents are from Queensland."
"That's supposed to be a secret!" shouted Yamato, Taizou and Kiyoka, waving their arms insanely.
"So that's what explains your natural paleness," said Miyu to Ran. "That's why you're paler than the other members of your family. Naturally paler. Because you're from the land down under! Wow!"
"Shut up Miyu!" Ran smacked her on the head again.
"Itaiiiii!"
"Kotobuki, how the hell did you…you bastard!" shouted Mami, "I can't believe you're an Australian! I hate Australians! They speak English alright, but baby, they can't talk it! Grrr!!!" (author: haute en herre…)
"Hey, you're just like me!" said Sayo, pointing at Mami.
"Don't point at my gal," said Yuuya. "She's my galfriend, you have no right to point at her like she's a criminal!"
All of a sudden, everyone except the Kotobuki clan began to argue with one another, causing an obviously omnipresent, yet noticeable ruckus, getting everyone else's attention.
"Aniki, Mom, Dad, Sayo, right. Let's go home," said Ran, clearly disgusted at the chaos. She could only whisper a sigh, shaking her head as they left.
*****
Upside down
If you fall into the ground
Coo Coo is the movie
Coo Coo is the city
Upside down
Now we are running all around
Coo Coo, are you dancing?
Coo Coo, are you feeling?
Picking up together
Growing up your fever
So you're never feeling blue
Oh come and get it, baby
Hear the people saying
Everybody take your hand
The next day, Ran, Miyu, and Aya sat down next to Hachiko, munching on some takoyaki. Obviously, the crowd was sparse, since this was a Tuesday, and everyone was at work. Rei and Yuuya were busy with their jobs, Tatsuki was working at his bar in Akasaka, Mom and Dad were at the koban filing some documents, and Yamato was off that day. Sayo, Masato, and Naoki were at class that time as well, leaving the three to themselves…
"So, Ran," said the blond gal with red-orange highlights, "I heard that your parents aren't…your parents?"
"Hmm?"
"Yeah," said Aya. "They said you were from…"
"Australia," she hummed. "I've never been there, you guys. I heard though that the people there are so nice, and they've got good tans (though those guys are nowhere compared to Tatsukichi). But, why is it that my parents are from Australia, and I was born in Japan? I can't speak English well, and I don't know much about Australia, except for koala bears, kangaroos, and that building that looks like a bunch of shells."
"Ran?"
"Look, you guys, I don't know about you, but…I want to know who my real parents are. Are they Japanese, or are they of some different origin? I'm lost. Really, I am."
*****
"Chief Kotobuki, sir."
"Ah, Senator Tetsuo Kobayashi. Glad you could join me. What brings you here?"
"Sir, you have done well, with 40 years of work at the Shibuya Koban. The Prime Minister has assigned me to honorably discharge you for your accomplishments."
"This is unexpected. Tetsuo, I feel I can work for another 10 or more. You must be joking, my friend," Taizou said with a laugh.
"Since you are 60 years old, sir, that is the retiring age. You have done a remarkable job, Chief. As a reward, Prime Minister Koizumi, along with members of the Diet, have decided to give you a pension plan of 120 million yen, paid over 15 years."
Taizou's smile turned to admittance and acceptance. "Tetsuo, I really don't want to retire. As one of the most respected police officers in all of Tokyo, I feel that it's not my time yet."
"Sir, I know how you feel, but the government believes that you have done enough. Your first installment will arrive tomorrow. In addition, your wife, who is also a leading officer here, has been given a 3-year leave, with pay. Congratulations, sir."
"I guess I'll take it. Thank you, Tetsuo," he said, as the man left the koban.
"By the way," said Tetsuo. "Your son will also have a 5-year leave, with pay. A triple blessing, so please you." He laughed as he rushed out back to his work. Five minutes late, and counting.
"Dad?" asked Yamato. "Congratulations, Dad!"
"Wow…" He only scratched his head at his dumb luck. "Was I that good?" And so, old Taizou Kotobuki, a 60-year old officer, completed his mission. Seems as if it gave new meaning to "every dog having its day."
Rolling on the ceiling
Rolling by your feelings
Rolling on the ceiling again
Oh, Juju told me, Clover,
He could be your lover
All this thought for losing your head
Oh, I want to see your body twisting again
Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah
*****
I believe in miracles
I believe in miracles
I believe in miracles, don't you?
The young man paced the sands of the beach, white zinc sunscreen on his nose. His long black hair tied back into a ponytail, wearing a green body suit with green trim, and holding a 15-foot long board, he watched as the younger boys paddled endlessly, perhaps in utter vain, for a wave. He didn't find any to his suit, preferring to watch the kids ride on 1-foot waves, rather than 4 or 5-foot waves. He sighed, and went back to his seat, with a couple of friends watching by. One had a pair of green board shorts on, had a good build, and had blond spikes. His partner wore a modestly suggestive, yet compromising orange pastel string bikini decorated with white orchid print. She had long blond hair, and had a shiny, pale complexion that ran all over her, as if she was a bombshell off the radar.
"That's the fifth straight day it has happened, Stevo," said the guy with the ponytail. "Mild ones. Damn."
"Don't worry, Hayama," he replied. "There will be one soon, don't worry."
"Oh, Steven," said the girl. "You make me feel so good whenever we are together." The two kissed.
"Alisa," said Steven, "You're a wonder woman. Where's your golden whip? I want you to whip me right…" He pointed to a spot in his chest. "…here."
"Oh, Steven!" At that instant, Steven and Alisa wrapped themselves in a rather pg-17 erotic game, the others minding their own business. Hayama nodded his head in agreement. They were engaged, and their wedding was due in 3 months, in April. At that time, the sakuras would be blooming.
*****
Hayama Kobayashi could remember a year ago, on this day, when John Howard, the current Prime Minister (and a tolerator of all races), signed a historic and landmark Japan-Australia friendship bill that would require every major city in Australia to have at least 500 cherry-blossom trees lining streets and parks. With more and more Japanese coming to Australia, more than any other country, even the United States, it was clear that the Japanese would rival the Greeks within 5 years as the most largest minority. Sydney would have the largest number of trees, with 100,000 or more, Melbourne naturally next with 85,000 up, and then Brisbane, with 71,000. Adelaide and Perth had 40,000, while Darwin and Hobart had 10,000.
But what Hayama could render out from his mind was that his mother Sana, his father Kenta, and his corporation, GCS International (the GCS stood for Gold Coast Sakura), which specialized in making kotos, shamisens, shakuhachis, and other unique Japanese instruments and trinkets, as well as karaoke machines and unique kimonos and yukatas, spearheaded the movement for Australia to become "another Japan." Though there was a great deal of opposition who feared repercussions favoring the old guard, it was only a whisper among a crowd of shouters, who have declared Japan to be a better friend (or at least as good a friend) as America. The bill passed, without much protest. Now most every Australian would see cherry blossoms lining the streets. At the same time, sales for kimonos and yukatas went over the roof. It seemed now that in Australia, popular rumors had it that you could even see a Koori in ocher paint wearing a modest yukata and geta shoes. This trend would continue up until this point.
Almost every Australian didn't mind the sakura trees, and for every coffee shops, there popped an izakaya, though it served Foster's and Toohey's, as well as Kirin, Yebisu, Asahi, and sake. Many children were investigating Dance Dance Revolution and Para Para Paradise machines almost every day, with pressure by the private schools to install one or two per campus, much to the chagrin of the older teachers. It was not surprising for some children to wear yukatas to school. One school adopted a uniform change, in which the uniforms were similar to Japan's. Some newspaper journalists were up in arms in disbelief at the "Japanization of Australian culture." Oddly enough, the favor wasn't returned as well in Japan, though boomerang sales became steady and rising. But it was evident that Prime Minister Koizumi was flattered by the overwhelming popularity of Japanese ideals in Australia. Time Magazine also did an article reporting the phenomenon.
Hayama started to grin at his luck. Little did he know that he did have a younger sister, one different from his 2 younger brothers, and 2 older sisters. He continued to watch the waves, Alisa and Steven making love, the kids frolicking on their boogie boards, well into the afternoon. It was summer, after all. And it seemed it would never end.
All alone upon the shore,
We sit together in the calm of the summer breeze.
I movie in a little closer
And I slip my arm in yours.
The sun shines bright upon the ocean waters,
There until the glow of the evening
Sweep me up like the waves and hold me tight in your arms.
Tell me that you love me too.
Knowing that you care
Makes me feel alive
Underneath the summer sky
We sit in silence in the warmth of the midday sun.
With my head upon your shoulder
I melt into your embrace.
The birds fly high above the ocean waters,
There until the hush of the evening
Take me up like the tide, I'll always stay by your side,
Love me the way I love you.
Knowing that you care
Makes me feel alive
Our love is deeper than the ocean waters,
Kiss me till the turn of the evening,
Like the sand needs the sea, your heart belongs here with me.
Love me like I love you.
Knowing that you love me
I feel so alive
*****
END Chapter 9
Whew! This took me a while to comprehend. I wonder if Australia had Japanese as their second official language? I think Mihona should start a family there, though she has second thoughts…naturally. I added more poetry, just because I wanna. Review, please. Man, I need to learn how to accept Vegemite as a staple…@_@v