Commanding Officer Mel
Disclaimer: I still don't own the company that made Advance Wars but I do own a copy of the game as usual.
Author's note – And anything in it is in Romanji or Pinyin and base Cantonese. Read And Review! And due to request of one of the many reviewers . . .Sweat-drop and Face-fault are anime terms that will appear throughout my story . . .and let's see . . .
Sweat-drop: def.1 A drop of sweat 'magically' appears on the person's head from the left or right side. Like so ; .
; = Sweatdrop.
Face-fault: Eh . . .a facial expression that conveys extreme shock or surprise . . .00
Time: I'd say around . . .7 ish . . . OST that is!
Place: A plane heading to Yellow Comet, what else?
"Mel!!!"
"Huh?"
"This is so fun!"
". . .we haven't even moved yet though Sami."
". . .Oh. What is there to do on this thing? There's not many people . . ."
"It's a company jet. It's got all the conveniences that normal planes don't have."
". . .oh! That's neat!"
"It's even got a battle simulator!" Gary piped up.
"Yep. That and a TV, video games and movies." Gabe finished.
"Cool! But I don't wanna fight you anymore."
"We'll fight him, 2 on 1!" Gary said. "That way, we'll see who's better."
"Isn't it kinda one-sided?" Mel asked.
"For you maybe!" Gabe replied.
"Grr . . ."
"Hmm . . .how about 3 on 1 then? I'll help if you two are going up against him!" Sami said.
"Et tu Sami?" Mel asked with an amused expression.
"Yep. Me too." She said smugly. "With the help of these two, we might just beat you!"
". . .right . . ." Mel shook his head and took a seat. "Anyhow, we're taking off . . .now!" He snickered as everyone else had just lost their footing and fell down onto the floor of the plane.
"Gowch!"
"Aiya!"
"Eek!"
"Ara!?"
"Nani!?" The confusion lasted for a few minutes until the plane had straightened its flight and was level again.
"Heh."
"Mel! Why didn't
you tell us the plane was gonna take off so soon?" Sami screeched
at him.
"Hmm . . .didn't occur to me."
"Argh! Mel!!!"
"What?"
"Hmph!" Sami and the rest of them finally managed to regain their footing.
"Ah well. I'll make preparations later, but first, drinks anyone?" He asked, as he walked to the back of the plane.
"Groan . . ." Was the unanimous response.
"Right . . .never mind then . . ." He wandered off to pour his cola and took his seat at the head of the simulator. "Whatever. I'm still White Sun, the rest of you sort it out among yourselves."
"Fine, Orange Star's all mine." Gary said, taking the first seat.
"Yellow Comet . ." Was all Gabe said, as he plunked down at the end.
"Green Earth is mine!" Sami said, sitting next to Mel.
"Works for me guys, bring it on!" Mel said, initiating the program. "This is gonna be tough. I might not be able to get a good rating against you guys."
"Don't count on winning boss, you haven't fought against the two of us before, only with us. And Sami's here for back up. You might have some difficulty." Gary said.
"Hmm . . ." 'At least this won't count against my record. The pins aren't being used to record stats, just CO skills and Intel. Soo . . . either way, I don't think I can win this. Great . . .' He thought.
"Having second thoughts Mel?" Sami asked.
". . .never!" He said, grinning at her. "I am not gonna lose to you three!"
"Yeah sure, Mel. Let's go!" Gary said.
"All right! Move out!"
It's War! (all over again)
It was probably the fifteenth turn, and Mel had uploaded a 3 VS 1 map. He was of course at the center of the carnage. "Grr . . .I hate these gang beatings . . ." He grumbled as he started his assault on Gabe's units. "Why won't you guys die!?"
"Because of this!" Gary said, activating his power. "You can't touch this! Ultimate Maintenance!" Gary snickered as all his teammates and himself were healed.
"Aiya! I forgot about that skill . . ." Mel felt a vein popping out of his forehead.
"Don't forget this one then . . ." Gabe said evilly, "Pain is all you get . . .X-Cut!" In a single move, all of Mel's units had their HP cut in half.
". . ."
"Wow, heck I don't think I even need to be here, you two could probably take out Mel by yourselves."
"Not so." Mel interrupted, "You've left me no choice but to do this . . .Armageddon!"
"What!?" Sami shrieked.
"Huh!?" Gabe looked shaken.
"No way!?" Gary said, "This is inconceivable! He's never had the chance or force to pull this off! Destructive En Readings are off the scale! And this is just a sim battle too!"
". . .Destruction sees no end, ARMAGEDDON!" As Mel shouted out the name of his ultimate strike, there was so much force that shook the earth, the pilots felt it as well and thought that it was just turbulence. As Alice and Allison struggled to stand straight as the plane shook, the others fell off their chairs and onto their butts.
"Ow!!! Mel!" Sami pouted.
"Mmph! Mmph!" Gary yelled as he tried to get his face out of the seat.
"Gah!!! What on earth was that!?"
"Nani!? Nani!? Gabe!"
"Gary!!! What was that!?" As the rest struggled to get up, Mel sat calmly and planned to decide which of his foes he'd destroy.
"All right . . .Orange Star is going down." They all tentatively watched the battle animation, as a shock wave traveled across the terrain and bursting flames erupted from under each of the orange units. However, 20 white units had just . . .melted away. ". . .great . . .heavy damage to me too . . .ah well."
"Noo!!! I'm toast! !!" Gary groaned.
"One down, two to go." Mel said dusting off his hands.
"Eh!? How did you do that?" Sami asked, shocked that Mel could just toast an entire army in one turn.
". . .he used Armageddon and now Gary's gone, but it cost him twenty of his own units to pull off, but as he might say, 'It was worth it.', now that we don't have a repair function, we're gonna take some heavy damage."
"Great . . ."
"Yeah . . .my turn's done, you're up Sami."
". . .Hey! Where's my CO meter? It's empty!"
"Mel drained it while he blasted me to the next country."
"TWO METERS? That's crazy!" Sami was freaked.
"Heh. But I'm not sure I can pull another one of those anytime soon. It's a one per battle type thing, it really drains me."
"Mel, that's no fair, blasting one of our allies and taking out my CO bar!"
"Hmm . . .he deserved it. And now you're gonna pay for that X-cutter Gabe!"
"Hmm . . .that's what you think! Oh wait . . .you're using indirect aren't you?"
"No, really? Fire!" Mel had his remaining units fire and he started to rebuild his troops.
"Ack! Not if I can help it!"
"All right, I'll take Gary's bases, then we might have an advantage." Sami said, moving her units southward."
"Hey! That's my hard earned cash!" Mel said, as he watched Sami take a few of the bases.
"Nyah, nyah!" She taunted as she pulled down an eyelid.
"Grr!"
"Ah, ah, ah. Not your turn." Gabe said, sending units to hammer Mel's air force.
"Not smart Gabe. Retaliate my troops! Haha!"
"Huh? 50% counter damage!? Crazy!"
"No, just sheer power! Despite that, your attack is actually higher than mine, it's just there's a hole in your defense."
"Dammit . . .forgot about that . . ." Gabe muttered as he started to regroup. "Be careful Sami. He can waste you."
"Hmm . . .gotcha!" Sami headed carefully through the south, and as Mel watched her units move, he tried to think of a plan. Currently, the Status screen showed that he couldn't pull another Armageddon for the rest of the match, and that his meter was only one third full. Gabe's was flashing just as he had finished his turn and Sami's was half full.
'Great . . .' He thought to himself. 'How am I gonna win this? Even I haven't seen all of Gabe's moves. Hmm . . .'
"Heehee! This is good! I've got the bases in the area secured! We can pull a full-frontal assault on Mel!"
"Really? Wow, I guess you guys didn't need my help after all . . ." Gary said looking at the screen. Alice and Allison just sighed at Gary's ignorance and returned to watching intently at the screen.
"Wha!? 5 units lost already!?" Sami shrieked. Apparently Mel was gonna go down fighting.
"Bye-bye! Heh." Mel said, as he then finished his turn by building more units.
"Well, it's my turn to say 'Bye' now. Painful Death! Rain upon my enemies!"
"Huh? What's that?"
"His last technique." Gary said bluntly.
"Oh . . .huh? It didn't do squat!" Mel said with an air of annoyance.
"You'll see . . ." Gabe said darkly.
"Hmm . . .trippy . . ." Mel stated, looking at the annoying flash emitting from Gabe's units. However he failed to notice a dimming emitting from his own units.
"Uh . . .while you two were talking, I finished my turn . . .your go Mel." Sami said.
"Okay . . .then I'll take you out first Sami. Because you asked so nicely."
". . .I didn't ask though . . ." she said pouting.
"Oh well." He moved all his units over to blast Sami and Gabe out of the sky, but then, when he attacked, each of his units had lost around more than half of their life and then were destroyed by the counterattack. "What the!? How!? What was that?" Mel said shocked. "I'm left with . . .one unit!"
"A simple basis of causing damage per move made and cutting enemy defenses by half. That's what." Gabe answered, snickering.
"You will burn!!!"
"Nope . . .you will. And with that, Gabe decided to hunt down Mel's last troop.
"Hey . . .hey . . .let's not be hasty . . ."
"Too late. Boom." Gabe said with a sneer.
". . .damn it . . .I lost." Mel groaned as he let his head fall and clunk on the table.
"Haha!!! Yes!!! Beat you! Beat you!" Gabe said pulling a victory dance. "Urk!"
". . .shut up." Mel said jabbing Gabe with his sword butt.
"Gah . . .yes sir . . .oof . . ."
"Good." Mel mumbled something as he went off to look out the window. 'Whoop dee doo . . .I lost . . .ah well. I'll get them back later.'
"Mel!"
"Hmm?"
"Are you okay?"
". . .I'm fine. This isn't the first time I lost you know."
"Really?"
"I lost a very, very long time ago, in the Castle Academy. It's cuz I lost track of my HQ and it got captured . . .haha."
"You lost that way?"
"Yeah, it's kinda lame. Wanna hear about it?"
". . .sure. It might pass the time. How much longer?"
". . .10 hours . . .that fight only took two."
"Wha . . .aww . . .that's just great . . ." She moaned.
"Well, do you wanna hear my story or no?" He asked taking a seat.
". . .I got nothing better to do, why not?" She said plunking down on a cushy seat and resting her head on his shoulder.
"Hmm . . .all right . . .well . . .it all started when . . ."
Time: Meanwhile . . .
Place: ???
"How goes the process doctor?"
"Very well commander. The cells are reacting and the specimens are near completion. Very soon we will have one up and running."
"Excellent. We shall assume that he is a functioning member of Orange Star after his training is complete. Then when the time has passed, we will mass produce him and have him lead sorties all over the world, having all suspicion point to Orange Star. It is flawless! As well, Blue Moon seems restless, perhaps with some coaxing, they will join with us and as well, the large, fat man . . .he shall do well as a puppet. I sense a strong sense of hunger for power in him, despite our earlier attempts to get rid of him. He may prove useful . . ."
". . .yes commander."
"I shall convince him as well . . .as we shall need someone to command Blue Moon's troops . . ."
". . .of course sir."
"Muhahahahaha! This is of course the greatest thing we have accomplished . . .now, it is time to wait . . ." The commander then glided off to his quarters to lie in wait of his greatest weapon.
Time: A few hours later . . .
Place: OS Plane flying
to YC (Mel's)
Sami had fallen asleep in her seat, her feet
resting hanging over the arm rest. Even the rest of them were bored
out of their minds and had fallen asleep in the various chairs in the
plane. Even Mel had collapsed onto a seat and had a dazed focus on
the window outside.
"Ugh . . .how many more hours?"
"Too many . . ."
"Really . . .?"
"I didn't remember home being so far away . . ." Allison moaned.
"Urf . . .I can't remember how long I've been on a plane . . .I feel like . . .crap . . ." Gary groaned.
". . .Gabe-kun . . .How much longer?" Alice whined.
". . .(thud)" Gabe had fallen over due to exhaustion and boredom.
". . .mumble, mumble . . .stupid plane . . ." Mel started talking in his 'semi-conscious' sleep.
". . .mmm . . ." came from Sami's corner of the plane. Apparently the bunch of them couldn't take it anymore . . .
". . .huh?" Mel struggled to get up as he heard Sami whine. After working his way out of the chair, he managed to half crawl, half drag himself over to her.
". . .yawn . . .are we there yet?"
". . .nope . . .why?"
". . .this stinks. It's been a while since I've been on a plane, but . . .I never remembered it being this . . .long."
"What? . . .hmm . . .wait a sec." Mel walked over to the cockpit. "Captain, which route are we taking?"
"Across Blue Moon skies sir."
". . .!? WHAT!!?? Are you crazy!? That's suicide! We are in enemy air space and you decide to fly through that route instead of going West!?"
". . .uh . . .sorry?"
"you! We're gonna get shot down! And this is probably why the trip is taking so long! Argh!" Mel stormed off and decided to warn the others. "Wake up! Now!!!"
". . .eh?"
"Huh . . ."
". . .(yawn)"
"What's the matter Mel?"
"We're in BLUE MOON airspace! And even if we're civilians, we're not friendlies! There's a chance of us getting targeted for just trespassing!"
". . .!!!" Sami was the first to freak. "WHAT!? We're in enemy air space!?"
"(sigh) Yes . . ."
". . .Umm . . .that means . . .we're dead meat." Gary stated bluntly.
"Not if I can help it." Gabe said walking up to the cockpit. "This is a jet-type plane and if I'm not mistaken, it should be easy enough to dodge most missile based attacks, considering the speed and altitude we're at. Also, we're in cloud cover so we have a good chance in making it there . . .and since we haven't been attacked in the last few hours, we're still good to go, unless they're going to intercept us. And if they do, the radar-jammers on the plane should be good enough to deter them from finding us. But if they do . . .we'll be forced to fight back."
"On a civilian plane, Gabe-kun? Are you sure?"
"Don't worry, I don't forget to stock weapons on my planes before flying. If I didn't, we'd all be dead." Mel said grinning smugly. That gave Sami a shock.
"This plane is armed!?"
"Of course it is, if it wasn't, we'd be screwed."
". . .then why are you making such a big fuss over being in Blue Moon airspace?"
". . .because . . .that's the long way to Yellow Comet." He sighed.
". . .that was IT!?" They all said jaws gaping at him.
". . .yes. It takes . . .14 hours to get across from Blue Moon . . .whereas it takes . . .4 to go across the Terra Oceans."
". . .(exhale) . . ."
"Yep. Oh well . . .we've been here for . . .13 and a half hours now . . .I think . . ."
'Blam!' An explosion shook the plane.
"Guess they found us . . ." Mel said. "Captain!"
"Sir . . .we're being fired at!"
"I noticed Captain!
Now move!"
". . .Oh right!"
". . .ah crap. I wonder . . .Captain. Fire at them."
". . .of course!" The pilot, then hit a button sending air to air missiles at the enemy jets. Not knowing that a civilian plane would carry missiles, the fighters were blasted out of the sky.
". . .how bothersome. Now how much longer will it take for us to get to Comet?"
"Considering the damages . . .we won't need long since its only half an hour or so away. However . . .we may need to deal with more Blue Moon forces if they are alerted."
". . .ready the air to surface missiles then . . ." Mel said with a hushed tone.
Time: Meanwhile
Place: Just outside the cockpit
The girls were standing huddled around the door, wondering what the three guys were doing.
"What was that all about?" Sami said straining to hear.
"I felt that explosion . . .but the plane is still moving . . .that means we're okay right?" Allison said, her back to the door.
". . .I hope so." Alice whined, as she started fidgeting with her long brown hair.
"Shhh . . .the guys will hear us."
". . . gomen . . ."
". . .Alli-chan . . .hush . . .someone's coming." Sami hushed the second girl.
". . .eh? Really?" Just then the door opened and the three guys stepped out.
". . .!? Sami? Allison? Alice? What're you three doin' here?" Mel asked, somewhat surprised. "Were you eavesdropping?"
". . .umm . . .sort of." Sami admitted. "We were wondering what was going on in there after the attack on the plane . . ."
". . .we're currently trying to plot the course of action we're taking." Gary said. "There seems to be only a matter of minutes before we reach our destination . . .however, Blue Moon might attack again. Those ruffians don't have anything better to do than try to shoot down civilian planes."
"Heh . . .at least we gave them something to remember us by. Namely five shot down fighters. And a bit more." Gabe gave a laugh. "Serves them right. Trying to shoot down Orange Star civilians."
". . .it's not completely their fault. Our pilot just so happened to decide to fly through the wrong area . . .so yeah." Mel said rubbing his neck.
". . .oh right."
". . .well . . .we're almost there. If we're lucky, we'll be there in the next twenty minutes . . ." Mel said with a sigh of relief. "Finally . . .I wonder how Sonja and Kanbei are . . ."
Time: 10 minutes later . . .about . . .5 p.m. YCST
Place: Sonja's house
"DADDY!!!" Sonja yelled at her father, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor reading the newspaper.
"What is it dear?" He said without looking up.
"Mel-oniichan and his friends are coming soon! We need to pick them up!"
". . .of course darling . . ." He contained to leaf through the pages and then drank his tea.
". . .grr . . .daddy!!! Please! Now!!! Mel radioed me and said that they were attacked because their pilot took the wrong course here! The plane is damaged!!!"
". . .of course Sonja . . ."
". . .daddy? Are you even listening to me?"
". . ." Apparently Kanbei had fallen asleep.
"Daddy?"
". . .hmm? I'm up. I'm up." He gave a half-hearted yawn and headed for the door. "Are we going or not Sonja?" He said not looking back at his fuming daughter.
". . . Otou-san!!!"
"Hmm . . .?"
". . .you never listen to me . . ." Sonja pouted and followed her father to the garage.
Time: 5:15 p.m. YCST
Place: Yellow Comet Airport Hideoki Region
". . .ahh . . .Hideoki . . .the Capital of Yellow Comet . . . I haven't been here for . . .years." Mel said taking a deep breath.
". . .the air seems so clean. It's been a while since I've been here . . ." Sami said looking around.
". . .hmm? You've been to Comet?"
". . .you forgot already?" She said looking hurt.
". . .sorry . . .ignorance is bliss after all!" Mel replied grinning.
"Ah . . .home." Alice simply stated as she clutched loosely onto Gary's hand.
". . .home? I thought you . . ."
"Hush. I lived here for a while. My house still is here. It's near Sonja's home. My family had descended from a line of advisors that had served the emperor before Kanbei."
". . .oh! Really! Wow!" Gary was astounded.
". . .so what did you're family do Alli?"
". . .hmm? Oh! My family . . .hmm . . .they were landlords that used to be under the command of the emperor. They had aided in past feudal wars and stuff. But neh . . .I personally don't care. It's all ancient history."
". . .interesting. Yellow Comet history is most intriguing." Gabe started to mumble to himself about the greatness of Yellow Cometan Culture. The rest of them continued on to the airport itself and they finally arrived to the exit of their private gate. Mel had however stayed behind momentarily to deal with the repairs on the plane and finish some errands.
A bit later . . .Mel had returned and found them standing around at the ramen noodle stand. However . . .Gabe and Sami had gotten into an argument about which sauce for food was better.
"Soy sauce is better!"
". . .no! The teriyaki is better!"
"Soy!"
"Teriyaki!"
"What!? Are you stupid? Soy!"
"Grr! No one calls me stupid! . . .well except Alli-chan . . ."
". . . baka!" Sami said with the limited Japanese she knew.
". . .!!! Argh!!! I'm stupid? No . . .you are!"
". . .could you two shut up?" Mel asked trying to remember how to order a coffee. "I am cranky and I NEED my CAFFEINE."
". . .but Mel . . .caffeine zonks you out." Sami said pouting sheepishly.
"Exactly. I am in need of a very short nap." He said. "Or else I will kill someone."
"Eep."
". . .Mel!!! That's not nice!" Sami whined.
"Just a sec . . . one coffee please."
". . . that will be 140 G, sir." The girl at the shop said as she turned to make the drink.
"Here." Mel said tossing the money on the counter.
"Thank you sir."
"Hmm . . .thanks." Mel took the Yellow Cometan coffee and took a sip. "Hmm, not bad . . ." He walked back over to where the rest of them were.
". . .sniff . . .sniff . . .chocolate?" Sami said quickly creeping next to him.
". . .no baby. Not chocolate . . ." He replied with a sing-song voice. "Coffee."
". . .aww . . .no fun." She pouted and decided to cling onto his back. "Hmph."
". . .gah . . .Sami."
"Mmm . . ." She snuggled onto his back. "Warm."
". . .I hope you two aren't making a scene in public in front of the Emperor and his daughter now." Came a familiar voice.
"Eh!?" Sami turned and found herself face to face with Sonja, while Mel had his back turned to them.
". . .(sigh)"
". . .oops . . ." Sami said turning red. "Hi Sonja. Hi uncle Kanbei . . ."
". . .uncle?"
". . .it's a pet name."
". . .I see."
". . .Hmm? Oh hello Sami. Hello Mel. I see you've made it here safely. Even Narumoto and Hinanoki-chan are here." His eyes then went to where Gabe and Gary were sitting. "And who might these two be?"
". . .Chang Gabe-kun." Gabe said bowing respectfully at the Emperor.
". . .Uh . . .Gary . . .hi." He said putting his hand out.
". . .I see . . .Gary . . .and Gabe." Kanbei then shook Gary's hand. "It is good that you two have joined Mel."
". . .right." Gary was slightly confused. He personally had little or no clue about Yellow Comet culture, except that they fight with swords, made video games and spoke Japanese.
"Confused, huh?" Mel asked.
". . .yep." Gary shrugged.
"Anyway . . .are we ready to go yet?" Mel said, as he walked over to Sami and helped her with the bags that they had.
". . .just a sec." She replied, as she checked that everything was there. "Okay."
". . .hmm . . .Sami-chan, how are you?" Sonja asked, as she took one of the bags Sami was carrying.
". . .huh? Sonja! I'm fine. But why'd you have to go and embarrass me in front of everyone?" She asked, slightly miffed.
"Oh, nothing really. It's just that you and Mel get along so well. I wish it was that way with Andy . . ."
". . .? What's wrong with Andy?"
". . .well . . .it's that . . .I can't let daddy know or I'm in trouble. I'm not supposed to be dating until I'm twenty something . . ." She sighed.
"Geh!? What!?" Mel kind of 'freaked' when he heard that. "Nani? Whaddya mean twenty something!?"
"Since mom was killed . . .daddy's been really . . .really . . .(sobs)" Sonja grabbed onto Mel's shoulder and started crying.
". . .shhh . . . imouto-chan . . ." Mel patted her back and tried to get her to feel better. "Don't worry . . .it's been a while." He sighed as he realized she was the only one that had a parent alive. He envied her, but also felt sorry.
". . .sniff . . .sniff."
"It's all right Sonja. We all know how it feels." Sami said placing a comforting hand onto Sonja's shoulder.
". . .mmm hmm . . ."
"C'mon, let's go! I've brought you some things from Orange Star!" Mel said trying to lighten the mood. "I can't believe she'd burst out in tears the moment we'd get here . . ." He said aside to Sami who was currently holding Sonja's hand gently. She was making sure that Sonja wouldn't freak again. Surprisingly, Kanbei failed to notice his daughter's outburst, as he was too engaged in helping with the bags.
"She'll be all right . . .I hope." Sami said, she looked alongside at her friend and she wrapped her arm around Sonja's shoulder. "It's okay . . ."
". . .hmm . . ." Then Sonja noticed something. "Where's Andy?"
". . .uh oh."
". . .well?"
". . .umm . . ."
". . .Mel? Sami?"
". . ."
"Well? Where is Andy?"
". . .I uh . . .remember . . .umm . . ." Mel stammered.
". . .hmm? Well . . .? Where is Andy?"
". . .Ah . . .ah . . ."
". . .Err . . .Sonja . . .(whisper)(point)(nudge)" Sami said to Sonja. Then Sonja had a sudden realization.
". . .right. I forgot about that!" She said, smilingly sheepishly.
"Forgot what dear?" Her father asked from behind her.
"Yipe! Daddy! Don't do that to me! It's nothing though . . .never mind."
"All right then dear. We're here. Now all aboard!" Kanbei had an APC unit ready for all of their stuff and them.
". . .APC . . ." Sami shuddered slightly at the gruesome memories she had last time she was in one.
Time: Flashback
Place: Orange Star
She sat next to Andy, the cold metal of the seat not comforting her. She just wanted to die. The pain in her shoulder was subsiding, so was the bleeding. Andy had wrapped his shirt around her shoulder and in the dim light of the carrier, she saw the white fabric go into a sanguineous red. Shuddering, she started to weep into her hands and wondered what she could do . . .
Time: Back in the present
Place: On the road, in an APCSami rested her head against Mel's shoulder as she tried to keep her tortured mind off things like that. Fortunately Mel gave her a sense of security and she moved in closer.
". . .hmm? What are you doing?"
". . .trying to forget bad memories . . ." She sighed.
"Poor you." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and let her move in closer.
"Mmm . . ." She whined a little and curled up next to him clutching his arm, unfortunately causing him to freeze slightly.
". . ."
". . .mmm . . ." Just then, the APC hit a bump. "Gah!"
"Whoa!" Mel and Sami, who had forgotten about fastening themselves in, fell on top of each other.
". . .dude. That's not right." Gabe said with a wry smile. "Haven't you ever heard of the public display of affection clause?"
"Shut up you idiot." Mel said aiming his foot at Gabe's head.
"Hmm. Whatcha gonna do? You're tangled up there with Sami on top of you." He said pointing to Sami, who was currently blushing furiously.
"Damn . . .could you please?" He said, pushing her off of him.
". . .sorry." She said, as she sat back up.
". . .it's all right. Now where was I?" Mel cracked his knuckles and walked over to Gabe.
". . .oh crap . . ." was the last thing he said before they drove off into the horizon.
Time: 4:28 p.m. OST
Place: Mel's house
Andy was laying upside down on the couch holding a picture of Sonja. He gave a half-hearted sigh and tried to sit back up. But he fell back down. Sighing he flicked on the TV to see what was happening.
'In later news . . .'
' . . .there is reportedly . . .'
' . . .baka Shin-'
' . . .Orange Star is current-'
' . . .you are . . .my-"
'soo . . .what's happening? I'm-'
'drink Orange Cola . . .it's great!-'
"What the hell is up with this crap they have on TV?" Andy grumbled as he flicked the TV off. He walked off to the kitchen and pulled an Orange Cola out of the fridge. "Better than nothing . . .(glug, glug)" He wiped his hand on his sleeve and flopped back on the couch. "Aw man . . .maybe I should fix something . . .naw . . ." He lay there and stared blankly at the ceiling. "This really sucks . . .I wanted to go to Yellow Comet and visit Sonja . . .but Mel's right . . .if I go, I'm a dead man." Blinking he downed the rest of his drink and wandered off to look at schematics he found sitting in the Orange Star library.
Time: Technically 'the next day' in Yellow Comet
Place: Sonja and Kanbei's Palace/Home
Sami just took one look at where they were and realized something. They were at Sonja's home.
"I can't believe it . . ."
"Believe what?" Mel asked as he lugged their bags into the driveway.
"I'm back . . ."
". . .oh right . . ." Mel shook his head and grinned. "It's good to be back. I think my 'quarters' still exist here."
"Hmm?"
"I have a room here in the palace. I've been a long time guest for quite a while."
"Oh . . .I see."
"This way Sami!" He pulled out a key from his pocket and unlocked a gate. Going through, they walked past a garden, and headed North. Sami just gazed at all the native flora and fauna that she had missed in the past few years. "C'mon!"
"Hmm . . .I'm coming, I'm coming." She tore her gaze away from the various statues in the garden and rushed after Mel. She ran over to him and saw a rather large ancient Yellow Cometan styled house. "Is this . . .your quarters?"
"Yep. Welcome to my home away from home." He pulled out a different key and unlocked the sliding panels, and slid it open. "Just like I kept it . . .clean . . .sort of . . ." He peered inside and more or less, everything was untouched and spotless.
"Weird . . .how long haven't you been here Mel?"
"Two years . . .I think. I left when I was 16."
"Oh wow . . .so did I . . ."
"That's a strange coincidence. Anyway . . .I'm gonna be staying here. If you want, you can choose whether or not if you wanna be with Sonja or me. Ha." He laughed dryly. "The others are gonna stay at Allison and Alice's houses."
"Hmm . . .I'll think about it . . ." Then she noted a glint in his eye.
"Oh." But he realized she was just teasing.
". . .but of course I will silly!" She hugged him. "It's quieter this way. And I can snarf all the chocolate I want without Sonja saying things."
". . .but I will." He said grinning mischievously.
"You're no fun." She pouted as she leaned on his shoulder. ". . .but a nap would be nice about now."
"You're right . . .(yawn) . . .excuse me . . ." He had to agree with that. After taking the long way there, and suffering from a 14 hour time difference, some sleep would be in order.
"Well we should unpack first, right?"
"I guess so . . ." Feeling somewhat semi-conscious, Mel then managed to drag all his and Sami's stuff into his room and he started transferring it into the drawers and closets. "Sami . . .where do you want this?"
"Over there . . .(yawn) . . . sorry." She rubbed at her eyes. "I'm getting sleepy . . ."
"So am I . . ." He stretched and he headed to the washroom to change. "You can change in here."
"Okay . . ." She grabbed her pajamas, slowly started to change out of the slightly too warm clothes she had on. Tossing the clothes aside, she pulled on the baggy T-shirt and placed her glasses on the nightstand. She sat on the edge of the bed, and looked outside . . .then at her clock, 10:00 p.m. . . .she watched as Mel walked by and he just smiled and spread out a futon and fell asleep there. "Mel?"
"Hmm . . .?"
"Why are you on the floor?"
"Because you stole my bed . . ."
". . .oh sorry . . ." She felt kind of bad, realizing that Mel had only one bed. "You sure you wanna sleep on the floor?"
"It doesn't matter . . ." He said.
"Aww . . ."
"Go ahead . . .you can sleep there. Good night Sami."
". . .good night Mel . . ." She lay down on the fresh sheets and stared at yet another unfamiliar ceiling . . .
Time: The next morning; 8:00 am
Place: Mel's quarters
Mel was half awake, when he felt something warm curling up to him.
"Huh?" He turned over in his futon and saw Sami cuddled up next to him.
". . .mmm . . ." She snuggled closer as Mel was wondering what to do. Sighing, he tried to pry her loose, but he was still exhausted.
"Sami . . ."
". . .hmm?" She blinked.
"What are . . .you . . .doing?"
"Hmm?" She said still blinking.
". . .why are you here?"
". . .sleeping . . ." She mumbled as she rubbed her eyes.
"You have a bed . . ."
"Cold . . ."
"Right . . ."
". . .you . . .warm." She said hugging tightly onto him.
". . .great." He sighed, and proceeded to attempt to get up off the floor with Sami clinging onto him. "Sami . . .please let go . . ."
"No . . .don't wanna." She was acting a bit more immature than usual at the moment.
"Sami . . ." He sighed.
". . .no."
"Ugh . . .don't make me use unnecessary methods 'mi."
"Uh-uh . . ." She shook her head as she hid behind his shoulder.
". . .that does it." He turned around just so abruptly and started to tickle her tummy.
"Hee! Hee! Stop it!!!" She squirmed as he continued his unrelenting tickle attack.
"Not 'til you decide to wake up!"
"Teehee!!! Fine! Fine! I'm up! I'm up!" She raised her hands in surrender, as he dusted off his hands and helped her back up. "Meanie . . ." She said sticking out her tongue.
"Your own fault." He said poking her nose.
"Hmph." She walked over to the nightstand and took her glasses from it and peered through them. "What are we doing today?"
"That really depends Sami. What do you wanna do?"
"Sleep!"
"Sami . . ."
"But I wanna. I'm still tired."
"Silly girl."
"Hmph." She pouted and hugged him. "All right, I wanna go to the beach. I heard it's nice around this time."
". . .the . . .beach . . .?" Mel started to pale slightly. One thing about girls was how they liked to be such teases, especially at beaches.
"Yep!"
". . .(gulp) . . ."
". . .what's the matter?"
". . .nothing."
"All right then! I'm gonna tell Sonja and the rest of them."
". . .okay . . ." Mel walked off and abruptly smacked into all wall. ". . .ow . . ."
Time: 10:00 am
Place: Imperial Palace
Mel stood wearing a pair of baggy shorts and a white shirt, his sunglasses tucked into one of the pockets.
". . .I don't know why I let her talk me into this . . ." He sighed, dragging a cooler to Sonja's car.
"Because you always have to listen to your girlfriend no matter what, pal." Gabe said, lugging a picnic basket full of god knows what.
"Yeah, anyway, a day at the beach isn't that bad." Gary piped up, his discman sitting in his pocket. He was far too busy listening to music as Mel's expression started to change.
". . .why me?" Mel groaned, as he saw Sami chatting with Sonja. The other girls were there too, wearing T-shirts over their swimsuits. Mel tilted his head to the side, a slight cracking noise sounding, and he dunked his head into the pond at the side of the garden.
". . .Mel, what are you doing?"
' . . .who's there?'
". . .Mel?" Sami tapped him on the shoulder.
"WHA!?" Mel leapt up at least three feet and turned 180° degrees and stared straight at Sami.
". . .what were you doing?"
". . .um . . .ah . . ."
". . .never mind." She sighed and dragged him over to the car. "We're gonna go now. And you're driving."
". . .why me?" Mel asked.
"Because your insane driving skills will get us there faster."
"That's not true. I have good driving skills . . ."
"Whatever Mel. Go!" She pushed him into the driver's seat.
"(groan) . . ." 'I knew this was a bad idea . . .' He thought to himself. Why? Because . . .
1. Sami is such a tease.
2. Sonja is also such a tease.
3. God knows if the other two girls were also teases as well.
4. Mel didn't like sitting under the sun that much.
5. The only thing that he liked about the beach was beach volleyball and he had no idea if the others liked it either.
6. Girls wearing skimpy bathing suits made him uneasy.
7. Who knows what else?
'Ah well, at least she's cute . . .' He thought to himself as Sami took the front seat next to his.
"Where's the beach Sonja?"
"Just go off and follow the ocean, it's not that far from here."
"All right." Mel stepped onto the gas of Sonja's car. "Hmm . . .nice acceleration, good handling . . ."
". . .what are you mumbling about?"
". . .just the car." He said dully, as he followed the road and was humming to himself.
"Are we there yet?"
". . .how should I know?"
". . .because?"
". . .nope."
". . .fooey . . ." Random bits of conversations played out behind Mel and Sami as Sonja peered out the window.
"Mel! We're almost there!"
". . .huh?"
"Turn left!"
"'Kay." Mel swerved around and nearly sideswiped a Yellow Comet lawyer on vacation. "Dammit . . .I missed . . ."
'Thunk!'
". . .what was that?"
"You missed the lawyer Mel, but I smoked him with the door." Gabe said laughing.
". . .TT . . .right . . ." Mel just sighed and did his trademark skidding park right into the closest spot park.
". . .eep . . ." Was what everyone else had to say.
"Hmm . . .everybody out!" Mel sighed and guessed that it couldn't be that bad. "Well? Are you guys gonna move or what?" He said staring at the still shocked occupants of the car.
". . ."
"All right guys, move out! NOW!"
". . .oh right! Yeah! Let's go!" They all dashed out and onto the beach.
Time: Later . . .
Place: Beach
"This is awfully empty for a beach in a populated area guys." Mel said, staring out at the white sands and the crystal clear waters. "But that's okay . . ."
"Looks peaceful though Mel." Sami said, carrying a large beach umbrella and towels.
". . .yeah, I guess . . ."
"Ooh volleyball nets!" Sonja said, as she helped the other two girls lift up the cooler that Mel should had taken. "Mel-niichan!"
". . .eh? What?"
". . .take this stupid heavy thing. I don't understand why daddy insisted on making us so much food . . ." She said, the three of them struggling to move it.
". . .is a cooler really that heavy?" He said, bending over and lifting it with one arm.
". . .wah . . .how did you do that?"
". . .I'll leave you with your computer games Sonja-chan. You sure you can play volleyball though?" He asked teasingly.
". . .onii-chan!!!" She whined at him, "I can play it very well. It's just that I'm a bit short . . ."
"Hmm." He gave her a grin and walked over to where Sami was.
"Hi. Well . . .what are we gonna do now? Just sit?" She asked, pulling off her T-shirt and tossing it onto the beach towel. She was wearing a light green bikini . . .
". . .eh . . ." Mel just kinda stood there stunned.
"Hmm? What's the matter?"
". . ." He still stood there in a state of who knows what . . .
"Too weird. C'mon Sonja, maybe a game of volleyball will do us some good!"
"All right Sami! Three on three! Gabe and Gary come on!" A dull thud sounded as Mel promptly regained his state of mind and flopped onto the beach towel.
"Aiya . . ." He groaned. Personally, he didn't mind being around cute girls, but if one of the cute girls was your girlfriend, it changes completely. Grabbing his sunglasses, he put them on and stared blankly at the blue sky.
Time: Yesterday . . .sort of
Place: Orange Star, Mel's house
Andy sat down bored to tears. Every so often Nell would stop by, he'd ask her about being an officer, and she'd talk, then tend to some things, take a break, then talk and then leave. It was like this for the past few days. Sitting in front of the TV and playing video games didn't help either. Andy had gone and beat them each at least three times. It was boring. He even wandered around the entire house and helped do some cleaning just to kill time. He needed something to do with someone, anyone . . .fast. He was gonna go nuts. Perhaps . . .the sound of the phone ringing would prove to be some form of distraction.
". . .hello?" Andy answered as he picked up.
". . ."
"Mel?"
". . ."
"Take a look at what?"
". . ."
"Your car?"
". . ."
"Why?"
". . ."
"Okay . . .I see . . ."
". . ."
"You want me to what?"
". . ."
"Uhh . . .okay . . .I'll see what I can do. It's been a while. I'm outta practice."
". . .!!!"
". . .okay, okay! I won't hurt it I swear!"
". . ."
"What? Sonja's doing what?"
". . ."
". . .noooo . . .what did I do to deserve not being able to come?"
". . ."
". . .absolutely nothing?"
". . ."
"Except being me? What the heck does that mean?"
". . ."
"Uh . . .wha? Okay . . .but still . . ."
". . .!!!"
"Oh . . .fine. I know, I know, I'm dead if I went . . ."
". . ."
". . .can I talk to her though?"
". . ."
"Whaddya mean she's busy? Playing . . .volley . . .ball . . .what!?"
". . ."
"Who are you calling a perv!?"
". . ."
"Urgh!!!"
". . ."
"Whatever then, bye. Yeah, uh huh . . .all right." Andy hung up and headed towards the garage where the Dragon resided . . .
Time: Back to 'today'
Place: Yellow Comet beach
"Sami! Get it!" Sonja yelled as she bumped it upwards.
"All right! All right! She leapt up and spiked it . . .in the wrong direction. In which case landed inches away from Mel's face. "Oh . . .crap . . ."
". . .hn?" Mel turned his head slightly over and saw the projectile resting way too close near his head.
". . .Mel?"
"(yawn) Yeah? What?"
". . .did that hit you?"
". . .nope."
"Can you toss it back?"
". . .nope."
"Why?"
"Don't feel like it right now." He muttered as he closed his eyes.
". . .Mel?"
". . .not now Sami."
". . .great, he's really either just lazy, or maybe he learned to relax . . .I'm gonna find out." She walked over to where he was lying and stood over him, peering at him, her hair barely touching his face. And in one swift motion she whipped the sunglasses right off his face. "Mel Mah! Stupid idiot boyfriend! Get up!"
"Gah!!! It burns!!! I see only red!!!" He abruptly sat up, and her long red locks covered his face.
". . .that's my hair sweetie. Now get up, you're not just gonna lay there all day, play volleyball with us."
". . .okay . . .just gimme back my sunglasses, the I can't see a thing without them right now."
"All right. As long as you play. New game! Guys against girls!"
"You sure Sami?" Mel asked, noting the other two's skills at volleyball.
"We out number you, so there!"
". . .okay then. Serving!" Mel took the ball and smacked it across the net.
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Place: Still at the beach
Sami had finally forced Mel to loosen up a bit and with that, she snuck up behind him and dumped a bucket of water right on him. Sighing, he picked her up and dunked her in.
"Mel! You're not playing fair!" She yelped as she flailed around and landed on her butt in the water.
"And your point is?"
". . .I'm all wet now."
"Well you're at a beach, you're 'supposed' to get wet."
". . .but I didn't wanna." She said pouting as she crossed her arms, still sitting in the water.
"Uh huh . . .right. Either way . . .we done yet? I feel that we've been here way too long . . ."
". . .but I don't wanna go home yet."
"Neither do we!" Everyone else said.
". . .great . . ." 'Why do they insist on tormenting me?' He sighed.
"Onii-chan!"
"Eh?"
"Would you mind if I used your phone to call Andy?" She asked, pouting cutely.
". . .uh . . .um . . .okay . . ." He never could resist that look. He handed her his cell and she just pressed in the numbers.
"Hello! Andy?"
". . .!!!"
"Hii! Uh huh. Yeah. Really?"
". . .!!!"
"Of course I miss you! Mm hmm. Okay. We're at the beach. Uh, what?"
". . ."
"Oh! Yeah. Right . . .sure."
". . ."
"Mm hmm . . .uh huh . . .yeah, all right, love you. Bye!" She then abruptly hung up on him, and she handed the phone back to Mel. "Andy said you called earlier?"
"I did. But you were busy, so I didn't wanna interrupt you."
"Oh. Okay! Thanks."
". . .can we please leave now Sonja-chan? I'm getting really . . .bored." Mel said, sighing, wishing he was either listening to music, or playing a game or even studying!
"Aw . . .can we go shopping after?"
". . .uhh . . .you guys can go. I need a break from the world . . ." He said, heading towards the car. Mel felt a slight shock run through him. ". . .ack . . .what the heck?" Shrugging it off as a static charge . . . 'Waitaminute . . .there's no static on a beach . . .ah well.' He walked off towards the car as Sami decided to dump water on Sonja and everyone else. In which ensued into a water fight, as they managed to hit Mel again. Giving them a grin, he leapt back into the fray and joined them . . .
Time: Later . . .much, much later . . .7:00 p.m.
Place: Imperial Palace
Sami stood facing the mirror in Sonja's room. Alice and Allison stood alongside her with Sonja, trying to help her figure out how to get the kimono Sonja made for her on. It was made of red and green silk, with white patterns embroidered in it. The sash was a bright red and it matched her hair.
"Ack! What's with this thing?" she gasped as the two girls pulled it tightly against her waist.
"Hold still!" Sonja said, struggling to keep Sami from flailing around.
"It's too tight!"
"If you stopped squirming, then it wouldn't squash your waist then!" Alice said, as she tried to hold Sami still.
"Yeah! Now stop it! There!" Allison said, finally getting the thing on correctly.
". . .owie . . .my waist hurts . . ."
"Aw quit whining Sami-chan, it's your own fault. Anyway . . .we're going soon."
"But . . ."
"Oh quit griping. It'll be fun."
"But I don't know if he'll like it." Sami moaned.
"Don't worry, he will."
"Yeah, now hold . . .still! There!" Sonja said finally managing to tie up the last knots on the kimono.
". . .mmm . . .I
dunno. You sure this is it?"
"Trust me Sami, you look
good." Sonja said, busying herself with folding back the remaining
clothes on the floor and attempting to fix her hair at the same time.
"Hey! Stay right here! We're not totally done with you yet!"
Sonja said, yanking viciously on Sami's ponytail.
"OW!!!" Sami yelped, as she started to whimper holding her head.
"We need to set your
hair. Sorry about that."
". . .you didn't have to pull
so hard . . ." She said, wincing as Sonja and the rest of the girls
started brushing out her hair and making various Yellow Cometan style
knots and braids in it.
"It won't take
that long. Just a few more minutes and we'll be done."
"
. . .I hope so." Sami said, watching as they slowly finished her
hair.
"It's nothing special, but it looks better than that drab ponytail." Alice said, admiring her handiwork.
". . .oh wow . . ."
Sami stared back into the mirror and was amazed how a little
hairstyling and a change of wardrobe could do to someone.
"Okay!
Time to go!" Sonja said cheerfully as she herded Sami and the rest
of them out of her room.
Mel and the rest of the guys were walking by, just as Sami and Sonja walked out.
"Hey girls." Mel said, as he headed towards them. Wearing traditional robes, the guys looked like old-fashioned samurai warriors. Especially Mel and Gabe as the two of them carried swords. "Looking good!" He said, as he rested his arm over Sami's shoulder. She blushed slightly and turned to him saying,
"So where are we going then? What's so special?"
"Oh, nothing really, I decided to come just when the National Yellow Comet Day kicked in. Big festival, food, games, drums and all that stuff. Personally, I just like it, because then I can go around dressed like this." He laughed.
"That sounds interesting."
"Well, it really depends. But if you want, I can try and catch you a goldfish."
"What are you
talking about?"
"They have goldfish catching booths. It's
fun. I think I've got a couple at home too."
". . .ooh. Well,
how long does this last?"
"Till midnight, then there are
fireworks. I'll bet they're gonna be pretty good this
year."
"Daddy said it will." Sonja said piping in. "But
I really wish Andy was here to see it with me."
". .
.don't worry, when we come back you'll see him plenty." Mel
said, loosely clasping his hand over Sami's. Let's go!" He ran
off towards the Palace gate and into the main town square where all
the festivities we're being held. "Come on! You can't let me
beat you guys there!"
"All right! A challenge!" Gabe said as he leapt up onto the parapets of the palace and ran after Mel.
"We'll see. Gary said, following after Gabe.
"Boys . . ." the girls said at the same time as they shook their heads and slowly walked over. Kanbei himself had waited for them to leave first, as he walked leisurely after them.
"Ah, the energy of the youth. It is such a great gift. And the joy of the youth. It makes it much greater as the world itself is in peace." He smiled and headed off towards the center to start the festival.
Sami had managed to coax Mel into buying her shaved ice with red bean sauce.
"This might not be chocolate, but it's really yummy!" She said, eating it.
"Careful now, not too fast, you'll get a brain freeze." Mel said trying to get her to slow down.
"Don't worry, I don't eat that fast." She said, slowing down just ever so slightly.
"If you insist Sami." Mel sat down next to her on the fountain as they watched the townspeople go about playing the games and chatting amiably. "What a world we live in. It's been quite a while, but it's actually peaceful now." He noted, as he drew his sword and examined it. The blade itself was of a bright silver and the hilt guard was a finely worked gold with dragons and other mythic creatures etched into the tempered metal. "I wonder, what good are weapons for, if they only lead to destruction and death?" He sighed as he sheathed it and turned back to Sami.
". . .I don't
know. But it's nice to know that there are people being trained in
order to protect the world and maintain the peace."
"You
mean us." He said looking at the stars. "I wonder . . .why was
this place called Yellow Comet?"
"I don't know. Maybe it's that . . ." She was interrupted as Sonja took a seat next to her.
"Some old story that a golden comet had flown across the skies only visible in this region, at this time of the year, every 10 or so years. Maybe this year it might happen."
"Hmm, old legends. Gotta love them." Mel said thoughtfully rubbing his chin as he stared at the starlit sky.
"Say Mel . . .what do you think of legends and how each country got it's name?"
"That really depends. Some of them are a bunch of BS and then some . . .but some might be true. I remember once I saw some weird black vortex around the sky on my birthday here . . .but I don't know what it was. It was then I had a more proper control over my powers . . ."
"Really? I had to train and practice to maintain those. You are different. . ." She said staring into the sky. "Hey . . .what's that?" She asked, pointing at celestial body flying by.
". . .I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it with my own eyes. It's the Yellow Comet . . ." Mel said, watching it.
". . .wow. It's pretty."
". . .well, I should've known. What a lucky year . . ." Sonja said, just as she was abruptly smacked in the back of the head by a flying goldfish. "Owie!"
". . . . . ." was all Mel and Sami could say, as they say Gabe slowly sneaking off with Gary, as they were the guilty party.
". . . . . .heh . . .heh . . .RUN!!!"
"Mel?"
"Uh
huh?"
". . .is there any chocolate? I'm hungry."
". . .uh . . .lemme check." Mel got up from his seat, and he was dodging past the townspeople, all intently watching the sky, staring at the comet.
". . .hmm. Quite a
sight, isn't my boy?"
". . .huh?" Mel turned around
and saw Kanbei resting his hand on his shoulder. "Oh it's you
sir."
"Of course it's me. Don't think that you might
be so young, that no one can sneak up on you. I'm still able
to."
"Yes sir. I wouldn't surely underestimate you."
"That's good. You
are like a son to me. However, we must discuss something
tomorrow."
". . .Oh?"
"You have been loyal
to the cause of Yellow Comet and keeping it sacred, as well, you are
loyal to your own country Orange Star. I will give you further
details in the morning. But for now . . .are you searching for
something for that red haired goddess of yours?"
"Uh . .
." Mel turned slightly red. "Yeah . . .she wants some . .
.chocolate."
"The candy booth is
right there to your right."
". . .all right. Thank you."
He bowed and headed off towards the stand.
"Such a strange boy. Yet he is a good fighter. I don't know what to do with him . . . but at least he has managed to tame that Sami. She was quite . . .vicious." Kanbei leaned on his sword as he reminisced on how Sami had managed to beat the heck out of all the boys that tried to win her heart. "Ah, the good old days of peace. Tensions are nigh, but that must just be me . . ."
Mel came back to where Sami was and handed her a tube.
"What're
these?"
"Something new. Chocolate covered jellybeans . .
."
"Oh! Thanks!" She gave his a small peck on the cheek
as she pulled it open and poured some into her open palm. "Want
some?"
"I thought you'd never give anyone else your
chocolate." He said teasingly.
"Hey! I'm not that selfish! Here."
"Thanks Sami." He
said. "Say where'd Sonja go?"
"She went with the
other girls to hunt down Gabe."
". . .lovely." Mel
sighed, as he stared off into space and wondered what Kanbei
meant.
"Mel?"
"Yeah?"
". . .what
we gonna do tomorrow?"
"I dunno."
". . .some
help you are . . ." She sighed as she looked at her watch.
"Eleven."
"Sorry Sami. I don't
know. Not yet anyway." Mel said, placing his arm around her
shoulder. "It doesn't matter now, just as long as you're
sitting here right now with me. It's all good."
". .
.hmm. It's getting awfully late."
"Yeah, I guess so.
Wanna go home then?"
"'kay . . ." She said,
following him back towards the palace. "Eh . . .should we tell them
we're off?" She asked looking back at their friends.
"Nah.
They'll probably figure it out." Mel said unlocking the door and
heading down the stone pathway. "C'mon, it's open."
"Okay."
She said, kicking off her sandals. "Hmm . . .this really is a nice
place." She said to herself as she headed to her room and changed
to her pajamas. "Night Mel."
"G'night Sami." He
said as he went to sleep on the couch. Again. "Man, I don't know
why I end up on the couch so often . . ." He sighed and tossed his
glasses onto the table top and soon fell asleep . . .
gomen: Sorry
Otou-san: Dad
Imouto-chan: Little sister; as Sonja really isn't Mel's little sister, but the way they grew up together . . .it seemed like it.
Author's Rant: Yahoo! Sami, Andy, Max and the rest of the gang are back in AW2: Black Hole Rising! However . . .this has squat to do with one of the later chapters in this Story called White Sun Rising. I swear! It was my idea first! That and the volleyball one . . .well maybe second from the one from . . . that . . .fic before the one that Kyle wrote . . . Oh yeah! It's by Rocket Darkness or something like that . . . Anyway . . .it's been a while, but I'm still alive and kicking, so don't try anything funny. And don't even think twice about going and copying my ideas! I'll get you! (That or at least gimme some credit that it was my idea)