Andrew Joshua Talon, with many thanks to Kanako Urashima
DISCLAIMER: Love Hina is not mine. I'm not making any profit off this fanwork, and the authors used own themselves. "The Love Hina Fan Boy War!" is the property of Kanako Himekazi-Urashima, which she gave me permission a while ago back to write a prequel to.
Therefore…
(This interlude was written entirely by Lance Waymire, aka NachoManLance. This is just a brief break from the Kebinu Saga. Don't worry, Kebinu, your contribution will be uploaded soon!
In the meantime, anyone who wishes to write an interlude like this is more than
welcome to. However, the time setting must be twelve years after the Cataclysm.
You can do a flashback to how you started in the Catalcysm, but that' all.
Writing how you meet one of the Goddesses (or another character of Love Hina)
is preferable. Thank you.)
***~''~***
"May 12, 2003
Dear Mom,
Well, I can't say that camp is all that fun. In fact it's very boring and quiet here. Still, just a couple more days and I'm just an hour drive from home and freedom.
How's everyone else? From the last letter I got from Dad, Melanie got a lead role in her class play. Be sure to tell her my congratulations. And he also wrote that Billy would be staying over for a few weeks. I can't wait to see him when I get back, it's been too long! Hopefully he has a few souvenirs from San Francisco for me.
Well I gotta go, they want me to start getting ready for dinner. Tell everyone I said hi!
Love,
Lance."
The fourteen-year-old boy put the letter in an envelope, licked it shut, and put on the stamp. In his small cabin fitting four in a remote camp just beyond the mountains in San Diego, CA, he squished his way through backpacks and sleeping bags until he found his way out. He stuck the envelope inside the mail carrier just outside the cabin door, and walked down the short steps and toward the mess hall.
Lance Waymire found it hard to realize why he had been sent to here in the first place, even when his own mother refused to let him go. Stupid high school, their policies are really screwed up. At heart all Lance wanted was some peace, quiet, and the thing he wanted most: family. It was too bad none of them were there now, only three hundred kids and a handful of exhausted camp staff.
After a five-minute peaceful walk, he arrived at the mess hall, which thrived with activity. when he first stepped into the large building he felt a wave of cool air, which relaxed him from the humid outside. He sat at a far table next to his lifelong friend, Travis.
"Why ar' oo' ate'?" he said, mouth full of mashed potato.
Travis has been with Lance ever since kindergarten, back in the days when you could take naps after lunch. Now they spend much of their time together, and were well known to others as the 'inseparable' guys. They also had the feeling they shared the same wavelength, given their same opinion to everything. Camp, for instance. Neither of them like it.
"I was sending a letter to my folks and lost track of time." Lance simply stated, scooting in.
Travis chuckled and swallowed his food, "You sent a letter to your mom?"
Lance shot him a fearful glare. "You should know her by now, if she doesn't get one word out of me while I'm out, she'll totally freak."
"All right, all right..." Travis laughed again, "Still, you can't help but think of it as pathetic for her to worry so much."
"I guess you're right about that. If there was one-"
Suddenly the whole building flashed a brilliant white, and the building shook and rattled until a huge explosion took place.
BOOM!
Lance was sent flying into the air like a paper plane, and landed hard on his back against a tree. He slumped to the ground and cried in pain. The white light was long gone, but it still left him temporarily blinded for a good while. He felt the rush of wind fly against his face, forcing him into the tree and left him motionless with the amount of pressure added. The sound was near deafening, and he struggled to remain on the ground. Finally the earth stopped shaking, the sound was gone, and all that remained conscious was Lance.
Ten minutes passed before he could pull himself up from the ground. Rubbing his eyes he finally caught the look of hat surrounded him.
He wish he hadn't.
Strewn around the clearing were splinters of wood and debris of what was the mess hall. Small bushes and trees were on fire, and many bodies were lying motionless on the ground. Lance grew a sudden sickness and fear inside him, unable to breath. Some of these people he knew for a long time. More like friends than anything.
Lance couldn't hold the sick feeling inside him. He fell to his knees and vomited, praying to God that this was only a nightmare. He stood took another look around him. Surely this wasn't a nightmare, his head was throbbing in pain and dizziness.
He regained full vision and began to walk toward the center of the clearing, dodging body parts and debris. He cried as he walked, looking at the scared and blank faces of people he once knew. The whole clearing seemed like a giant landfill, full of trash an pieces of once whole things. He needed to find Travis. If there was one person he cared for more, it was him.
He stood at the area where the table once was where he sat at only moments before. He looked around desperately for any sign of him. He searched through the rubble around the area, only to find nothing.
Lance was just about to give up all hope, when he heard a soft cough.
"Travis...TRAVIS!?!?"
"Lance...is that you?"
Lance turned around sharply and faced a completely bent tree. Just at the crack, five feet above him, sat Travis with a look of pure relief spread across his face.
Lance too was glad. "You're alive, I don't believe it!"
"Just help me down there, I think I broke my wrist."
Lance helped Travis down from the tree and soon they were both wandering the camp grounds in search for any life. They stopped in front of the staff cabin, which had barely stood.
"What the hell happened here?" Travis said in a blank tone.
"I don't know. But we have to get out of here, there's nothing left for us here." replied Lance. He pointed toward the staff building. "Look, there's a couple of bikes that look like they're fine."
Travis nodded, "First I have to call my parents, to see if they're all right."
They both walked inside the building, being careful not to trip over the broken glass and wood that scattered the floor. Travis picked up the phone nearby - only to find the line completely dead.
"This is great," said Travis, dropping the phone, "There's no way we can call for help. How're we going to get all the way back home?"
"The bikes," said Lance, "We need to stock up on supplies and put a splint on your wrist, then we'll ride out."
Travis nodded in agreement, and searched the building. Lance found two backpacks that were still together, and put in as much snacks and soda that the refrigerator had to offer. Travis found the first aide kit and began wrapping his wrist with bandages, with the help of Lance. Finally they hopped onto the only working bikes and pedaled down the dirt road leading out of the camp.
***~''~***
After a frustrating three hours of bike riding, they finally made it to the outskirts of El Cajon, in San Diego County.
It was in worse condition than the camp.
Besides the rubble and debris from the buildings, bodies of what once held 200,000 citizens strewn across the city as far as the eye could see. Lance and Travis knew some of these people from childhood. Their coming was grievous and they regretting stepping foot into such hell.
"We have to find our parents!" Travis exclaimed, tears forming in his eyes.
"We'll go to your house first," said Lance, "We can't get separated now."
They tore down Main Street and turned on Chambers. All of the houses lined along that street were either flat or half of it was gone. They dodged the debris on the ground and stopped at an apartment building, which was surprisingly still up. They both dropped their bikes and ran as fast as they could.
Thankfully Travis lived in a ground level apartment, so there was no difficulty once they reached the door. Travis flung open the door and peered inside.
No one was there. Not even a body.
Confused, Travis and Lance wandered around the house, looking for any sign of life. The only reliable source they found was a note attached to the refridgerator, and it was written for Travis. Lance grabbed the note and read it aloud:
"Travis,
We're sorry we couldn't pick you up from camp. Your mother and I had an emergency call to Colorado and we left as soon as we could. We won't be gone for too long, and I already called Lance's parents and they have agreed to have you with them during our absence.
Love,
Mom and Dad."
Travis re-read the note two more times before a reaction finally set in. He had tears in his eyes, but they were tears of hope.
"Maybe they lived after all. Maybe we're not the only ones who lived!"
"Not too fast," said Lance, "We need to go to my house, if my folks are there they should know for sure."
Travis nodded and set down the note. Before leaving he packed some clothes and a first aide kit in the bathroom. Minutes later they walked back outside, only to find their bikes missing.
"They were here just a minute ago!" Lance exclaimed.
"This only proves we're not alone here," said Travis, "But we gotta be careful, these guys won't be so courteous next time."
Fortunately, Lance's house was only a short distance away. They walked down Chambers and turned on Compton. Down Compton they approached a large apartment complex. It too was nearly destroyed, but Lance's apartment home was just propping up, so far able to stand. The two of them ran inside, hoping to find answers.
But there was nothing.
Hoping for the worst, Lance and Travis searched for bodies, but were amazed to find none. Wherever they might be, at least they knew they were alive. But there were two things that were missing. Almost all the food was gone, and the motorcycle that his Dad used to work on was not parked in the garage. Confused they looked for signs of theft. All they found was another note on Lance's bedroom door.
"Another note?" Travis asked. Lance ripped it off the door and read it aloud:
"Lance
I don't know exactly what happened, I don't know why, but either way there's no place for me here. Mom and Dad are dead, Melanie is no where to be found. I buried Mom and Dad outside just past the playground, if you want to go there.
I know you're alive because,...because for some reason, I can sense your presence. It's like a buzz in my head, and it's telling me that you're alive and so far, well. I took Dad's motorcycle, and I'm heading towards Colorado to find Travis' parents. I would've waited for you, but gangs are on the loose after the disaster, and if I were you I'd get out of there too. Go to Colorado and find me at Colorado Springs. I'll be there waiting, and hopefully with answers.
Be safe,
Billy"
"Lance...." Travis whispered. But he paid no attention.
Lance dropped the letter, tears flowing down his cheeks. He was almost unable to breath. His parents were dead, and now all he had left was Billy. His older brother was still alive. At least that was comforting news.
"Lance, I'm....sorry."
Lance turned to Travis, and gave him a small yet sad smile. "It's alright, Travis. I'll have to deal with this for a long time."
They both stood silent for a long moment. Finally Lance cleared his throat and spoke clearly. "But like Billy said, we have to get out of here. We have to go to Colorado Springs, and fast."
"But how will we get there? Our bikes are gone and I bet there's no one who would want to drive us all the way to Colorado." Travis protested.
Lance thought about this for a few minutes, unable to reply immediately.
"And what about those gangs? If we stay here, yes we'll die. But it's not like walking 2,000 miles will be a cinch either." Travis continued.
"You're right," said Lance, "But we have to give it a try. Maybe we'll find something to quicken our pace on our way there. But now we just have to worry about getting out of here."
***~''~***
That's just too damn sad… Anyway.
NEXT TIME: Kebinu comes to Colorado, and just as quickly is banished…
R&R!