THEN AND NOW
By: Miguel Artadi
Disclaimer: I don't own GTO and any of the characters in it. I'd be rich if I did. Ditto with the MechWarrior franchise.
[ ] = Kikuchi's thoughts
( ) = Kanzaki's thoughts
Keyser Soze = Kikuchi's online game handle
Yojimbo = Yoshikawa's online game handle
Chapter V - Rationalizing Desire
Earlier that same night, Kikuchi found himself playing online with another old friend from Seirin whom he regularly touched base with: Yoshikawa. This evening, his friend had convinced him to play the latest MechWarrior title that had hit the game shelves. As they always did when playing together, Yoshito and Noboru had attached hands-free headsets to their phones, doing away with the game's slow and tedious built-in typed team command interface.
"You hear me all right Kikuchi? I'm Yojimbo okay? Make sure you join in under Delta lance, that's my command."
Yoshito adjusted the mike piece on his headset.
"Got it Yoshikawa, I'm logging in as Keyser Soze. Now joining Delta team. There. I'm in. Which Mech do you want me to use?"
"Use the YN Longbow variant I set up just for you; let's have you play long-range support and spotter on this one. Let me and the two others in the group jump right into the battle while you hang back and keep an eye on the bigger picture, then rain in the LRMs when you can. Oh, and don't worry about our teammates, they're friends who're sitting with their own PCs right beside me, so they'll follow my lead."
Kikuchi selected the assault battlemech that Noboru had set up and checked the stats. He couldn't believe his eyes. According to the armor and weapons loadout on the screen, this machine was too heavy to even move, yet the speed rating was clocked at a maximum of 64.4kph, quite fast for a behemoth supposedly weighing in at 85-plus tons. He laughed at his friend's design.
"Hah, you cheater. Seventy tons of armor plating and ten 20-pack long-range missile launchers in addition to the backup large lasers? I can take on one or two entire lances with all this firepower! Not to mention that I've got about two hundred salvos per launcher. Won't this thing melt like butter in a frying pan with all the heat it's going to make?
"Quit complaining and play already, I just wanted to make sure that you don't get your ass handed to you since most of the people playing here are regulars. The guy who runs the server is our teammate, not to mention he works for me, so the tweaks won't be a problem. Besides, everybody else will be busy trying to kill each other, so no one will really notice. So just blast away and have fun, no use getting all stressed out right?"
"Whatever you say. Launching now."
"That's the spirit. So while we're waiting for the whole thing to load up, tell me, how was it? The lunch date? You and Kanzaki met up, right?"
"Yeah, it was pretty good. We talked about stuff; old stuff, new stuff, what we've basically been up to these years. Nothing really out of the ordinary if you ask me." Yoshito replied, omitting the hot coffee reference for now.
"So do you still dig her?"
Kikuchi paused.
[You know you do.]
"Hey, talk to me here. Spill the beans, man. Do you?"
[What the hell.]
"Yeah. 'Guess I still do." He finally admitted, watching the launch progress bar inch up to 40 percent.
"Nice. So what's stopping you from going for date number two?"
"To be honest I'm not that sure. Could be the old issues, old memories. Or, don't forget she was pretty unbalanced back then, even after Oni got through to her."
"Screw that. Everybody was whacked to a certain degree. Remember the crap I pulled? It's called teenage angst; most everyone I know went through that phase, well... 'cept maybe for you, mister poker face."
"Quit blowing smoke up my ass. I just don't want anybody else to get hurt. Oh finally. Pay attention, game's starting." Kikuchi readied himself.
"Anybody else as in anybody? Or anybody else as in yourself?" Yoshikawa countered.
"Smart ass. Are we playing or what?"
"Hey you just worry about getting your missiles in there; me and the guys do this everyday. And besides, I'm just trying to give something back. You know I still owe you and the big O huge, for what you guys did for me in junior high, and when the shit hit the fan big time after that."
Kikuchi remembered the older days before his friend's physical and mental growth spurt. Yoshikawa Noboru was the class runt, bullied and pushed around by girls, not a shred of self-confidence in him. Who would've thought that he'd become the man he is today: a much sought-after game development consultant and a free diver in his own time, among other things. In some ways, an exception to the old French adage, 'the more things change, the more they stay the same.'
"And I keep telling you. It's all good. Wait, Yojimbo? I see you and the other two in front of me. You're in the Kodiak right?"
"Copy that Keyser Soze, that's me. We're all using assault class tonight: you in the Longbow, me in the Kodiak plus an Atlas and a Masakari to round things out. So as I was trying to say, you can't blame a guy who's just looking out for his friends." He added.
"Psh. You getting sappy on me boy? Heads up, we got our first target. Timberwolf class. Locking on now... there! Launching missiles." Kikuchi said as he triggered the Mech's LRMs. It took about a handful of seconds for them to reach the target, peppering it with explosions and causing it to limp and stagger. He was sort of disappointed he couldn't destroy it with one salvo.
"Asshole. Sappy my ass. Thanks for softening him up. Finishing him off now." Kikuchi heard Yoshikawa say over the headset. Yoshito promptly saw the Kodiak his friend was piloting pummel the enemy Mech into oblivion. A nifty little explosion soon followed.
"Right back at you. Oy, there's the rest of them coming from the same vector. Looks like two lances combined, minus the one we just took out; mostly heavy class and some mediums from what I can tell."
Yoshikawa and the rest of his team did exactly what he said they would: plunge right into the mess of it, resulting in a cascading display of laser blasts, missile explosions and the occasional PPC discharge. Noboru spoke up again, not a hint of stress in his voice.
"I told you, I do this everyday, so quit changing the subject. Ask her out already. You know you want to."
"For what? Dinner? Isn't that too... well, ordinary?" Yoshito answered, directing more of his missiles into the thickest of the fighting.
"Aww shit I don't know. I'll leave the specifics to you genius. You're supposed to be the creative one remember?" his friend countered, his voice absolutely dripping with sarcasm.
"Bastard."
Kikuchi heard his friend laugh at this through his earpiece, all the while taking on three opponents all by himself.
[Well he DOES play this practically every day.]
"Haha, I haven't seen you this off your rocker since we were all panicking trying to find anything about teacher Saito with the mess Miyabi got herself into. Come to think of it, do you remember that time?"
"Of course. Which part? HEY! Someone's taking potshots at me! Gauss rifle! I can't see him; he's coming from your general direction."
"Don't worry I got him. Anyway when we were all in your room, just before I found Saito's website with his explanation, remember Murai getting all hyped up and telling everyone to hurry and do something? Remember when he tried rapping on you too? Who spoke up for you?"
Yoshito saw another brief explosion, then narrowed his eyes and went back to the moment a decade ago.
[Kanzaki.]
"Urumi did, didn't she? Great. More pressure on me." Kikuchi said dryly.
"Hah. What're friends for? Look man, just ask yourself if you like her enough to actually ask her out on a REAL date this time. What've you got to lose? It ain't like you're proposing to her or anything." Yoshikawa said as Kikuchi watched him take out two more enemies with a steady barrage of lasers and missiles.
"She did that you know; asked me to marry her on our lunch out." Yoshito retorted in a slightly amused tone.
"Holy crap! Then what?"
"I was drinking coffee. Spilled it all over myself. Crap was hot, too."
He heard his friend hoot hysterically on the other end.
"Sounds like she got you good! Man, that was classic Kanzaki for you."
"She started laughing like crazy after that though, a real honest laugh. The way she always did when she wasn't so guarded. Got to admit, she was cute as hell." Kikuchi said into his mike piece, enjoying the memory of Urumi looking absolutely adorable in the restaurant.
With all his missile launchers still reloading, Yoshito relied on his twin large lasers for the meantime. Tracking a single enemy Mech that was flanking his teammate in the Atlas, he thumbed the fire button again and again, shooting every time the crosshairs would indicate a solid lock and turn red. His diligence paid off when he saw his target stumble and fall, followed by the ever-welcome pyrotechnics that signaled its demise.
[Got one.]
"Nice shot. Kikuchi, listen to yourself. You've got a schoolboy crush on her. Sure you're mister laidback poker face outside but under all of that, you're still a human being with human wants and needs. Hormones or love or whatever. Keeping that in mind, I'm sure she is too."
"She's real good at hiding it."
"You're one to talk."
"Ugh. So what should I do? Just give it a go? What about, you know? The old issues?" Yoshito responded, slightly annoyed at the way he was acting, blindly firing missile salvo after salvo.
"Everybody has issues my friend. What matters is how you deal with them."
"What a very Onizuka-like thing to say."
"Jackass. Can you blame me?"
"Nah, not really. Lets hope she doesn't shoot me down."
"For what it's worth, I don't think she will. So when're you going to ask her?"
"Soon. Don't worry I really will I promise. Okay, can we focus on the game now? Armor's down to 72 percent." As if on cue, Kikuchi saw twin shafts of blue PPC lightning hit his viewscreen head on. The next thing his monitor displayed was a slow-motion replay of his machine staggering to the ground, thick black smoke billowing where the cockpit should have been.
[Great. A twin PPC headshot.]
"I'm dead. Headshot. Dammit."
"Aww crap. I must've forgotten to tweak the head armor when I did everything else. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. Just give me a minute to mop-up the rest of these bozos."
[You mean you were just toying with everyone else? Sheesh. Time to change the subject.]
"So how're things there in Okinawa?"
"Everything's great. How can I complain? Water, sun and a pace a lot less hectic than Tokyo."
"Cool. Touchy subject Yoshikawa, but I have to ask. Heard from Anko yet?"
Noboru sighed and took a few seconds to respond.
"Nah. Nothing really substantial aside from the letters I get on birthdays and holidays. My gut's telling me something's going to happen soon though. I can feel it."
They had talked about this often. Uehara Anko and her self-imposed 'exile.' To be completely honest, Kikuchi thought that his friend deserved much better, and made it a point to tell him. Yoshikawa however insisted that he wasn't putting the rest of his romantic life on hold, and that in a manner of speaking, his waiting was more of a 'passive' nature.
"How long has it been again buddy? Five, six years since she left? That's a long time to wait my friend." [You poor bastard.]
"I know. But a man has to follow what his gut tells him to, know what I mean?"
"Of course."
"Anyway it's getting late Kikuchi, not to mention that there's no one left to fight. I got to split. I have a 9am dive."
Yoshito checked the time: 3:10 AM
"You're right. Have fun, great talking with you again."
"Thanks. Same here. Ask her out okay? Let me know what happens. 'Night."
"Yeah, will do. G'night Yoshikawa." Kikuchi replied one last time before thumbing his mobile to disconnect the call. He then logged off the game server, exited the program and shut his PC off. He glanced at the time again.
"I wonder if she's awake."
[Nah. 'Sides, real smooth move you're thinking of there, Don Juan. Wake 'em up in the middle of the night and ask 'em for a date. She'll definitely love that.]
"Tomorrow then, or the day after that." Yoshito told himself before heading downstairs to get a snack.
Meanwhile, back at the hotel, Urumi was still livid from her just-concluded nocturnal experience.
"Stupid dream. I owe HIM?!??"
Kanzaki, still shaken from the allusions her dream had just given her, turned to her best friend: rationale.
(Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate.)*
"Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily."
(Oh quit showing off, no one's around to hear you anyway.)
She continued talking to herself.
"All things being equal, the simplest explanation tends to be the right one."
(Yeah, yeah. Ockham's Razor by William of Ockham, 14th Century. Most recently made popular by Carl Sagan in the film 'Contact.' Blah, blah, blah-blah.)
"Ugh. Whose side are you on anyway?"
(Spare me. You know whose. The only difference between you and me is that I'm not afraid to face up to facts.)
"Facts?? What facts? All I have are non-proven hypotheses. I need more tangibles... less unknowns." She rambled.
(Oh for fuck's sake. Don't waste OUR time with procrastinating arguments. Just what exactly are you looking for?)
"Substantiation." An idea formed in her mind.
(Go. Call him if you want. One less variable in the equation.)
"Fine!! I will! Hold on. What time is it?"
She groped for her watch on the bedside table.
3:16 AM
"What the hell. Let's see if he's home."
She swung her legs over to the side of the bed and reached for the phone. Her fingers dialed the number effortlessly, the same way as if they had been doing so all these years. She pulled the receiver to her ear.
Ring.
"Answer the damn phone already. I just need to ask you something."
Ring.
"Hello? Onizuka residence." was the groggy response from the other end.
"Hey teach, it's me."
"Eh? Kanzaki? The hell?!? Do you know what time it is?" Onizuka growled.
"Oh c'mon. You never complained before."
"Idiot. That's because I knew you were in a different time zone."
"I just wanted to ask you something."
"Can't this wait 'till tomorrow? I might still be able to get back to my dream; I was in the middle of a threesome with two Azusas! Got it? Two!! One had a catwoman suit on, while the other was dressed like a French maid!"
"Please? I need to know right now."
She could hear him exaggerate a groan.
"So much for that idea. Fine. Ask already. I swear I can't have any peace... the price of being such a great teacher..." he sighed.
"Okay, I'll get straight to the point. Is Kikuchi... is he the kind of man who'd jump after me if I fell off the ledge of a building? Or a highway ramp?"
Urumi heard her old teacher cough in surprise.
"What kind of stupid question is that? You're losing your touch, Kanzaki. You woke me up for this crap? I'm in no mood for your pranks dammit..."
"I just need to know right now if he's that kind of man." Urumi said half-asserting, half-pleading; clutching the receiver tightly as she spoke the words.
Onizuka's change of tone signaled that she had successfully roused his interest.
"Ooooohhh do I smell love in the air? So did you two finally go out? Did he give you a piece of the madness?" he asked lecherously.
"Teacher, please. This is important to me. I have to know."
Eikichi recognized the earnestness in his old student's voice. He went silent for a few seconds, then sighed.
"You're actually serious about this, aren't you, Urumi?
"I am."
"Very well. Yes and no."
"Huh? What do you mean, yes and no?"
"Yes, if you fell off the edge of a building, or ramp, or whatever, he would most certainly risk his life and jump after you. ESPECIALLY after YOU, Kanzaki Urumi. And no, because he's also the kind of man who'd make sure that you'd never fall off or jump in the first place. He'd never allow it to get that far."
Kanzaki was silent.
(He would...)
"Urumi? Did I answer your question?"
"Yes... you did. Thank you, teacher."
"Hmph. Hah, anytime for an old student. Damn crazy kids, you two should've just hooked up years ago and spared me the drama. Anything else you wanna know? Porno favorites? Lingerie preferences? Weird fetishes?"
She couldn't help but giggle.
(Could be useful.)
"No thanks. I think I'll pass on those for the moment 'teach."
"Good. Now go get some sleep, miss genius. G'night."
"Thanks again. 'Night."
Click.
Kanzaki replaced the receiver and clung to her pillow once more, tighter this time. She still had trouble accepting what had just transpired, which in this case resulted in her maintaining her reactionary self-denial.
"Stupid dream."
(You already said that.)
"So what the hell am I supposed to do now?"
(Psh. Supposed to do my ass. You know what you WANT to do Urumi.)
"Bitch."
(Ah, degenerative name-calling. Quite the mark of the uber genius I see.)
Kanzaki buried her face in her pillow again.
"Argh. I hate you."
(Yeah sure, whatever. What about him?)
"Nngggrrrfff."
(That was in what language? Definitely not French, nor Latin neither, nor Manda...)
"All right!!! Shut up already! I'll mull it over the morning!"
(Good girl.)
"Now let me sleep already." Urumi said, exasperated as she sprawled face-up on her bed and smothered herself with her pillow.
(Of course. Sweet dreams, Kanzaki Urumi.)
Her last thought before drifting off to sleep was the recollection of Kikuchi leaving after their recent lunch date.
"Hey now, when did I ever let you down?"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N:
Yojimbo: non-playable, summon-able character in Squaresoft's Final Fantasy series
Keyser Soze: Kevin Spacey's character in "The Usual Suspects"
MechWarrior: a popular game series set in the 31st century BattleTech universe, with huge humanoid war machines called BattleMechs (or for short, Mechs) set as the preferred method of warfare. Several Mechwarrior titles have already been out as of 2003.
LRMs: Long-Range Missiles
Gauss Rifle: A large long-ranged weapon used by BattleMechs to kick the crap out of each other. Theoretically uses magnets placed along the inside of the gun's barrel to accelerate the projectile. I COULD be mistaken, but I heard that the smallest Gauss Rifle-type weapons we have today are mounted on battleships. Like I said, I could be wrong.
PPC: Particle Projection Cannon. Technically not a laser, but more or less used and shoots like one. Always described as shooting "blue lightning" in the MechWarrior universe.
Assault Class: 85-100 ton Mechs.
Heavy Class: 60-80 ton Mechs.
Medium Class: 40-60 ton Mechs.
Longbow, Kodiak, Atlas and Masakari: All assault-class BatleMechs.
TimberWolf: Popular heavy-class Mech.
To all of you who aren't familiar with the MechWarrior games, apologies if the story got a little too technical. And to those who are familiar with it, sorry if I didn't get technical enough. =P
* Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate = Original latin version of "Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily." "All things being equal, the simplest explanation tends to be the right one." is the simple, layman's version of it. =)
Again, thanks to everyone who took the time out to R&R: Cattleya Glory, Prizz, Chris Lightfellow, Allence of the Weed, Scarlet, mikethebigW, Seth7, GreatLight432, Darkfusion, and Luna Stop Swearing.
Cattleya Glory, Chris Lightfellow, Allence of the Weed, Seth7 and DarkFusion: I really appreciate the comments!! I watch and re-watch the referred episodes of GTO just to make sure I get the facts right. I'd love to get my hands on the manga since I've only read summaries of it on the net, but they cost a pretty penny. So I'll stick to the anime for the time being =)
Prizz and Scarlet: Sorry about that, couldn't help it. In my own limited experience, dreams are seldom, if ever crystal clear in their own vague "wisdom." I'm sure practically everyone has had a vivid one where everything was so easily followed and understood while in it but confusing once thought up again awake. Glad you liked it anyway!
Greatlight432 and mikethebigW: The damn midnight oil's been burning I tell ya. Let's see what else sleep deprivation can contribute for the next few chapters, heh. Thanks again for the props!
Luna Stop Swearing: Domo! But seriously now, we all got our own writing styles, I doubt I could ever come up with half the fun stuff you do =) Have fun in Beijing!
'Till the next chapter!
** 21 April 2004 - Chapter5 redone and A/N updated so as to comply with fanfiction.net's content guidelines regarding chat or keyboard dialogues.
-MA-
By: Miguel Artadi
Disclaimer: I don't own GTO and any of the characters in it. I'd be rich if I did. Ditto with the MechWarrior franchise.
[ ] = Kikuchi's thoughts
( ) = Kanzaki's thoughts
Keyser Soze = Kikuchi's online game handle
Yojimbo = Yoshikawa's online game handle
Chapter V - Rationalizing Desire
Earlier that same night, Kikuchi found himself playing online with another old friend from Seirin whom he regularly touched base with: Yoshikawa. This evening, his friend had convinced him to play the latest MechWarrior title that had hit the game shelves. As they always did when playing together, Yoshito and Noboru had attached hands-free headsets to their phones, doing away with the game's slow and tedious built-in typed team command interface.
"You hear me all right Kikuchi? I'm Yojimbo okay? Make sure you join in under Delta lance, that's my command."
Yoshito adjusted the mike piece on his headset.
"Got it Yoshikawa, I'm logging in as Keyser Soze. Now joining Delta team. There. I'm in. Which Mech do you want me to use?"
"Use the YN Longbow variant I set up just for you; let's have you play long-range support and spotter on this one. Let me and the two others in the group jump right into the battle while you hang back and keep an eye on the bigger picture, then rain in the LRMs when you can. Oh, and don't worry about our teammates, they're friends who're sitting with their own PCs right beside me, so they'll follow my lead."
Kikuchi selected the assault battlemech that Noboru had set up and checked the stats. He couldn't believe his eyes. According to the armor and weapons loadout on the screen, this machine was too heavy to even move, yet the speed rating was clocked at a maximum of 64.4kph, quite fast for a behemoth supposedly weighing in at 85-plus tons. He laughed at his friend's design.
"Hah, you cheater. Seventy tons of armor plating and ten 20-pack long-range missile launchers in addition to the backup large lasers? I can take on one or two entire lances with all this firepower! Not to mention that I've got about two hundred salvos per launcher. Won't this thing melt like butter in a frying pan with all the heat it's going to make?
"Quit complaining and play already, I just wanted to make sure that you don't get your ass handed to you since most of the people playing here are regulars. The guy who runs the server is our teammate, not to mention he works for me, so the tweaks won't be a problem. Besides, everybody else will be busy trying to kill each other, so no one will really notice. So just blast away and have fun, no use getting all stressed out right?"
"Whatever you say. Launching now."
"That's the spirit. So while we're waiting for the whole thing to load up, tell me, how was it? The lunch date? You and Kanzaki met up, right?"
"Yeah, it was pretty good. We talked about stuff; old stuff, new stuff, what we've basically been up to these years. Nothing really out of the ordinary if you ask me." Yoshito replied, omitting the hot coffee reference for now.
"So do you still dig her?"
Kikuchi paused.
[You know you do.]
"Hey, talk to me here. Spill the beans, man. Do you?"
[What the hell.]
"Yeah. 'Guess I still do." He finally admitted, watching the launch progress bar inch up to 40 percent.
"Nice. So what's stopping you from going for date number two?"
"To be honest I'm not that sure. Could be the old issues, old memories. Or, don't forget she was pretty unbalanced back then, even after Oni got through to her."
"Screw that. Everybody was whacked to a certain degree. Remember the crap I pulled? It's called teenage angst; most everyone I know went through that phase, well... 'cept maybe for you, mister poker face."
"Quit blowing smoke up my ass. I just don't want anybody else to get hurt. Oh finally. Pay attention, game's starting." Kikuchi readied himself.
"Anybody else as in anybody? Or anybody else as in yourself?" Yoshikawa countered.
"Smart ass. Are we playing or what?"
"Hey you just worry about getting your missiles in there; me and the guys do this everyday. And besides, I'm just trying to give something back. You know I still owe you and the big O huge, for what you guys did for me in junior high, and when the shit hit the fan big time after that."
Kikuchi remembered the older days before his friend's physical and mental growth spurt. Yoshikawa Noboru was the class runt, bullied and pushed around by girls, not a shred of self-confidence in him. Who would've thought that he'd become the man he is today: a much sought-after game development consultant and a free diver in his own time, among other things. In some ways, an exception to the old French adage, 'the more things change, the more they stay the same.'
"And I keep telling you. It's all good. Wait, Yojimbo? I see you and the other two in front of me. You're in the Kodiak right?"
"Copy that Keyser Soze, that's me. We're all using assault class tonight: you in the Longbow, me in the Kodiak plus an Atlas and a Masakari to round things out. So as I was trying to say, you can't blame a guy who's just looking out for his friends." He added.
"Psh. You getting sappy on me boy? Heads up, we got our first target. Timberwolf class. Locking on now... there! Launching missiles." Kikuchi said as he triggered the Mech's LRMs. It took about a handful of seconds for them to reach the target, peppering it with explosions and causing it to limp and stagger. He was sort of disappointed he couldn't destroy it with one salvo.
"Asshole. Sappy my ass. Thanks for softening him up. Finishing him off now." Kikuchi heard Yoshikawa say over the headset. Yoshito promptly saw the Kodiak his friend was piloting pummel the enemy Mech into oblivion. A nifty little explosion soon followed.
"Right back at you. Oy, there's the rest of them coming from the same vector. Looks like two lances combined, minus the one we just took out; mostly heavy class and some mediums from what I can tell."
Yoshikawa and the rest of his team did exactly what he said they would: plunge right into the mess of it, resulting in a cascading display of laser blasts, missile explosions and the occasional PPC discharge. Noboru spoke up again, not a hint of stress in his voice.
"I told you, I do this everyday, so quit changing the subject. Ask her out already. You know you want to."
"For what? Dinner? Isn't that too... well, ordinary?" Yoshito answered, directing more of his missiles into the thickest of the fighting.
"Aww shit I don't know. I'll leave the specifics to you genius. You're supposed to be the creative one remember?" his friend countered, his voice absolutely dripping with sarcasm.
"Bastard."
Kikuchi heard his friend laugh at this through his earpiece, all the while taking on three opponents all by himself.
[Well he DOES play this practically every day.]
"Haha, I haven't seen you this off your rocker since we were all panicking trying to find anything about teacher Saito with the mess Miyabi got herself into. Come to think of it, do you remember that time?"
"Of course. Which part? HEY! Someone's taking potshots at me! Gauss rifle! I can't see him; he's coming from your general direction."
"Don't worry I got him. Anyway when we were all in your room, just before I found Saito's website with his explanation, remember Murai getting all hyped up and telling everyone to hurry and do something? Remember when he tried rapping on you too? Who spoke up for you?"
Yoshito saw another brief explosion, then narrowed his eyes and went back to the moment a decade ago.
[Kanzaki.]
"Urumi did, didn't she? Great. More pressure on me." Kikuchi said dryly.
"Hah. What're friends for? Look man, just ask yourself if you like her enough to actually ask her out on a REAL date this time. What've you got to lose? It ain't like you're proposing to her or anything." Yoshikawa said as Kikuchi watched him take out two more enemies with a steady barrage of lasers and missiles.
"She did that you know; asked me to marry her on our lunch out." Yoshito retorted in a slightly amused tone.
"Holy crap! Then what?"
"I was drinking coffee. Spilled it all over myself. Crap was hot, too."
He heard his friend hoot hysterically on the other end.
"Sounds like she got you good! Man, that was classic Kanzaki for you."
"She started laughing like crazy after that though, a real honest laugh. The way she always did when she wasn't so guarded. Got to admit, she was cute as hell." Kikuchi said into his mike piece, enjoying the memory of Urumi looking absolutely adorable in the restaurant.
With all his missile launchers still reloading, Yoshito relied on his twin large lasers for the meantime. Tracking a single enemy Mech that was flanking his teammate in the Atlas, he thumbed the fire button again and again, shooting every time the crosshairs would indicate a solid lock and turn red. His diligence paid off when he saw his target stumble and fall, followed by the ever-welcome pyrotechnics that signaled its demise.
[Got one.]
"Nice shot. Kikuchi, listen to yourself. You've got a schoolboy crush on her. Sure you're mister laidback poker face outside but under all of that, you're still a human being with human wants and needs. Hormones or love or whatever. Keeping that in mind, I'm sure she is too."
"She's real good at hiding it."
"You're one to talk."
"Ugh. So what should I do? Just give it a go? What about, you know? The old issues?" Yoshito responded, slightly annoyed at the way he was acting, blindly firing missile salvo after salvo.
"Everybody has issues my friend. What matters is how you deal with them."
"What a very Onizuka-like thing to say."
"Jackass. Can you blame me?"
"Nah, not really. Lets hope she doesn't shoot me down."
"For what it's worth, I don't think she will. So when're you going to ask her?"
"Soon. Don't worry I really will I promise. Okay, can we focus on the game now? Armor's down to 72 percent." As if on cue, Kikuchi saw twin shafts of blue PPC lightning hit his viewscreen head on. The next thing his monitor displayed was a slow-motion replay of his machine staggering to the ground, thick black smoke billowing where the cockpit should have been.
[Great. A twin PPC headshot.]
"I'm dead. Headshot. Dammit."
"Aww crap. I must've forgotten to tweak the head armor when I did everything else. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. Just give me a minute to mop-up the rest of these bozos."
[You mean you were just toying with everyone else? Sheesh. Time to change the subject.]
"So how're things there in Okinawa?"
"Everything's great. How can I complain? Water, sun and a pace a lot less hectic than Tokyo."
"Cool. Touchy subject Yoshikawa, but I have to ask. Heard from Anko yet?"
Noboru sighed and took a few seconds to respond.
"Nah. Nothing really substantial aside from the letters I get on birthdays and holidays. My gut's telling me something's going to happen soon though. I can feel it."
They had talked about this often. Uehara Anko and her self-imposed 'exile.' To be completely honest, Kikuchi thought that his friend deserved much better, and made it a point to tell him. Yoshikawa however insisted that he wasn't putting the rest of his romantic life on hold, and that in a manner of speaking, his waiting was more of a 'passive' nature.
"How long has it been again buddy? Five, six years since she left? That's a long time to wait my friend." [You poor bastard.]
"I know. But a man has to follow what his gut tells him to, know what I mean?"
"Of course."
"Anyway it's getting late Kikuchi, not to mention that there's no one left to fight. I got to split. I have a 9am dive."
Yoshito checked the time: 3:10 AM
"You're right. Have fun, great talking with you again."
"Thanks. Same here. Ask her out okay? Let me know what happens. 'Night."
"Yeah, will do. G'night Yoshikawa." Kikuchi replied one last time before thumbing his mobile to disconnect the call. He then logged off the game server, exited the program and shut his PC off. He glanced at the time again.
"I wonder if she's awake."
[Nah. 'Sides, real smooth move you're thinking of there, Don Juan. Wake 'em up in the middle of the night and ask 'em for a date. She'll definitely love that.]
"Tomorrow then, or the day after that." Yoshito told himself before heading downstairs to get a snack.
Meanwhile, back at the hotel, Urumi was still livid from her just-concluded nocturnal experience.
"Stupid dream. I owe HIM?!??"
Kanzaki, still shaken from the allusions her dream had just given her, turned to her best friend: rationale.
(Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate.)*
"Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily."
(Oh quit showing off, no one's around to hear you anyway.)
She continued talking to herself.
"All things being equal, the simplest explanation tends to be the right one."
(Yeah, yeah. Ockham's Razor by William of Ockham, 14th Century. Most recently made popular by Carl Sagan in the film 'Contact.' Blah, blah, blah-blah.)
"Ugh. Whose side are you on anyway?"
(Spare me. You know whose. The only difference between you and me is that I'm not afraid to face up to facts.)
"Facts?? What facts? All I have are non-proven hypotheses. I need more tangibles... less unknowns." She rambled.
(Oh for fuck's sake. Don't waste OUR time with procrastinating arguments. Just what exactly are you looking for?)
"Substantiation." An idea formed in her mind.
(Go. Call him if you want. One less variable in the equation.)
"Fine!! I will! Hold on. What time is it?"
She groped for her watch on the bedside table.
3:16 AM
"What the hell. Let's see if he's home."
She swung her legs over to the side of the bed and reached for the phone. Her fingers dialed the number effortlessly, the same way as if they had been doing so all these years. She pulled the receiver to her ear.
Ring.
"Answer the damn phone already. I just need to ask you something."
Ring.
"Hello? Onizuka residence." was the groggy response from the other end.
"Hey teach, it's me."
"Eh? Kanzaki? The hell?!? Do you know what time it is?" Onizuka growled.
"Oh c'mon. You never complained before."
"Idiot. That's because I knew you were in a different time zone."
"I just wanted to ask you something."
"Can't this wait 'till tomorrow? I might still be able to get back to my dream; I was in the middle of a threesome with two Azusas! Got it? Two!! One had a catwoman suit on, while the other was dressed like a French maid!"
"Please? I need to know right now."
She could hear him exaggerate a groan.
"So much for that idea. Fine. Ask already. I swear I can't have any peace... the price of being such a great teacher..." he sighed.
"Okay, I'll get straight to the point. Is Kikuchi... is he the kind of man who'd jump after me if I fell off the ledge of a building? Or a highway ramp?"
Urumi heard her old teacher cough in surprise.
"What kind of stupid question is that? You're losing your touch, Kanzaki. You woke me up for this crap? I'm in no mood for your pranks dammit..."
"I just need to know right now if he's that kind of man." Urumi said half-asserting, half-pleading; clutching the receiver tightly as she spoke the words.
Onizuka's change of tone signaled that she had successfully roused his interest.
"Ooooohhh do I smell love in the air? So did you two finally go out? Did he give you a piece of the madness?" he asked lecherously.
"Teacher, please. This is important to me. I have to know."
Eikichi recognized the earnestness in his old student's voice. He went silent for a few seconds, then sighed.
"You're actually serious about this, aren't you, Urumi?
"I am."
"Very well. Yes and no."
"Huh? What do you mean, yes and no?"
"Yes, if you fell off the edge of a building, or ramp, or whatever, he would most certainly risk his life and jump after you. ESPECIALLY after YOU, Kanzaki Urumi. And no, because he's also the kind of man who'd make sure that you'd never fall off or jump in the first place. He'd never allow it to get that far."
Kanzaki was silent.
(He would...)
"Urumi? Did I answer your question?"
"Yes... you did. Thank you, teacher."
"Hmph. Hah, anytime for an old student. Damn crazy kids, you two should've just hooked up years ago and spared me the drama. Anything else you wanna know? Porno favorites? Lingerie preferences? Weird fetishes?"
She couldn't help but giggle.
(Could be useful.)
"No thanks. I think I'll pass on those for the moment 'teach."
"Good. Now go get some sleep, miss genius. G'night."
"Thanks again. 'Night."
Click.
Kanzaki replaced the receiver and clung to her pillow once more, tighter this time. She still had trouble accepting what had just transpired, which in this case resulted in her maintaining her reactionary self-denial.
"Stupid dream."
(You already said that.)
"So what the hell am I supposed to do now?"
(Psh. Supposed to do my ass. You know what you WANT to do Urumi.)
"Bitch."
(Ah, degenerative name-calling. Quite the mark of the uber genius I see.)
Kanzaki buried her face in her pillow again.
"Argh. I hate you."
(Yeah sure, whatever. What about him?)
"Nngggrrrfff."
(That was in what language? Definitely not French, nor Latin neither, nor Manda...)
"All right!!! Shut up already! I'll mull it over the morning!"
(Good girl.)
"Now let me sleep already." Urumi said, exasperated as she sprawled face-up on her bed and smothered herself with her pillow.
(Of course. Sweet dreams, Kanzaki Urumi.)
Her last thought before drifting off to sleep was the recollection of Kikuchi leaving after their recent lunch date.
"Hey now, when did I ever let you down?"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N:
Yojimbo: non-playable, summon-able character in Squaresoft's Final Fantasy series
Keyser Soze: Kevin Spacey's character in "The Usual Suspects"
MechWarrior: a popular game series set in the 31st century BattleTech universe, with huge humanoid war machines called BattleMechs (or for short, Mechs) set as the preferred method of warfare. Several Mechwarrior titles have already been out as of 2003.
LRMs: Long-Range Missiles
Gauss Rifle: A large long-ranged weapon used by BattleMechs to kick the crap out of each other. Theoretically uses magnets placed along the inside of the gun's barrel to accelerate the projectile. I COULD be mistaken, but I heard that the smallest Gauss Rifle-type weapons we have today are mounted on battleships. Like I said, I could be wrong.
PPC: Particle Projection Cannon. Technically not a laser, but more or less used and shoots like one. Always described as shooting "blue lightning" in the MechWarrior universe.
Assault Class: 85-100 ton Mechs.
Heavy Class: 60-80 ton Mechs.
Medium Class: 40-60 ton Mechs.
Longbow, Kodiak, Atlas and Masakari: All assault-class BatleMechs.
TimberWolf: Popular heavy-class Mech.
To all of you who aren't familiar with the MechWarrior games, apologies if the story got a little too technical. And to those who are familiar with it, sorry if I didn't get technical enough. =P
* Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate = Original latin version of "Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily." "All things being equal, the simplest explanation tends to be the right one." is the simple, layman's version of it. =)
Again, thanks to everyone who took the time out to R&R: Cattleya Glory, Prizz, Chris Lightfellow, Allence of the Weed, Scarlet, mikethebigW, Seth7, GreatLight432, Darkfusion, and Luna Stop Swearing.
Cattleya Glory, Chris Lightfellow, Allence of the Weed, Seth7 and DarkFusion: I really appreciate the comments!! I watch and re-watch the referred episodes of GTO just to make sure I get the facts right. I'd love to get my hands on the manga since I've only read summaries of it on the net, but they cost a pretty penny. So I'll stick to the anime for the time being =)
Prizz and Scarlet: Sorry about that, couldn't help it. In my own limited experience, dreams are seldom, if ever crystal clear in their own vague "wisdom." I'm sure practically everyone has had a vivid one where everything was so easily followed and understood while in it but confusing once thought up again awake. Glad you liked it anyway!
Greatlight432 and mikethebigW: The damn midnight oil's been burning I tell ya. Let's see what else sleep deprivation can contribute for the next few chapters, heh. Thanks again for the props!
Luna Stop Swearing: Domo! But seriously now, we all got our own writing styles, I doubt I could ever come up with half the fun stuff you do =) Have fun in Beijing!
'Till the next chapter!
** 21 April 2004 - Chapter5 redone and A/N updated so as to comply with fanfiction.net's content guidelines regarding chat or keyboard dialogues.
-MA-