--A Chance Meeting--
"Like a flower grown lonely,
I look downwards a little bit, and
Like a star grown lonely
I bathe in the setting sun.
Yet now, after all this, with a composed face,
I murmur too often to someone
That I'm not lonely."
~Tomokazu Seki; "Yuugao" (Moonflower)~
"Daaaaaa!"
The masked monk's yawn echoed gently through the small glade he had picked as a resting spot, bouncing off the surrounding trees and bushes before finally being absorbed by the forest. The middle-aged man stretched luxuriously, spreading his kesa on the brown grass and plopping down on top of it. His cheerful face frowned a little; the dead grass of winter wasn't nearly as comfortable as the green grass of summer.
"Maybe I should have found an inn to stay at no da," he thought aloud to himself, even though he knew the idea was a useless one. He had spent most of the small bit of cash he had paying that delivery boy, and the rest had gone to supplies. "Tasuki-kun had better realize what I'm giving up for this no da."
What Chichiri had given up, he thought wistfully, was some easy work helping an old landlady for the exchange of a free bed all winter, as well as some of the finest cooking Kutou - and probably Konan - had ever tasted. Well, it was no use crying over it now; he'd made his decision two months ago, after he'd gotten his seishi companion's letter, and had started this long commute from the far regions of the Kutou empire to the bandit stronghold on Mount Reikaku.
That letter. Chichiri couldn't help but smile when he thought about it. The delivery boy had shown up at his door looking half dead, waving a beaten-up and water-logged parchment that had come from halfway across the land. "Message for Chichiri-san-" the boy's tired smile dropped. "Oh."
"Doshita no [What's the matter] no da?" Chichiri had asked with concern.
"It's just... sorry, but you're a monk, ain'tcha?"
"That's right no da."
"Well..." the boy kicked the ground unhappily. "I been trekkin' all 'cross Kutou lookin' for you, wore the soles of my shoes out an' everythin'... I was hopin' for a nice tip, but everyone knows monks hardly ever got any cash..."
Chichiri smiled. "Is that it, no da?" He dug around in his kesa until he pulled out ten ryo. Inwardly, he sighed; there went most of his money. It was just a good thing he knew how to get most of his food off the land, even during the middle of winter. "Here you go no da. You must be tired. Do you want to come in and rest na no da? Fuyutsuki-san has dinner going..."
He shook his head hurriedly. "No, that's okay, oji-san! I've got to head back home - I've been away for a while, ya know. Here," he shoved the letter hurriedly into the monk's hands. "Jaa ne, oji-san."
Chichiri remembered watching the boy leave, frowning thoughtfully. 'Am I an "oji-san [uncle; mister]" already no da?'
Looking back on the memory as he sat in the somewhat chilly clearing, Chichiri had to say "yes" to his question from before. He'd found two silver hairs that morning - he'd plucked them out immediately; Tasuki wouldn't have stopped calling him "ojii-chan [grandpa]" if he hadn't - and like it or not they were clear evidence of a fact the monk had been denying recently: he was most definitely not getting any younger.
"Time goes too fast no da," Chichiri said to himself; he was used to talking out loud, nowadays. "A month ago would have been the fifteenth year since Hotohori-sama's death no da... Daaa, that makes me almost forty no da!" The monk turned blue and chibi, hugging his knees to his chest. "Tasuki-kun's going to give me hell about that no da!"
Thinking about Tasuki reminded the traveling seishi about his purpose; he dug around in his kesa, searching for a muddy letter that he'd been hanging on to for nearly two months. Chichiri pulled out the grimy piece of parchment, brushing off some of the grit that refused to be brushed off. The monk skimmed through the letter again; he couldn't help but smile everytime he read it. If someone else had seen the invitation, they would have thought Tasuki was being unbearably rude; Chichiri was glad he knew his old Suzaku friend well enough to know that sometimes you had to translate what Tasuki was saying to understand what he was really saying. The monk carefully unrolled the scroll, which was entitled, "Reikaku Banzai mon ya!" (it still amused him that Tasuki even wrote in a kansai accent) and read it quietly to himself, "translating" as he went:
"Oi, Chichiri! Long time no see, na? Hai, long time no see no da! It's been a couple years, ain't it? Sure has no da! Hah, I been hangin' around Koji too long, answerin' my own questions like that. Listen, I dunno what the hell we were thinkin' before, spendin' nearly ten years not even talkin' t'each other, but I say we break that streak now or the next place we see each other'll be the afterlife (Translation: Tasuki missed his seishi companion)!
"Anyway, jus' 'cause Taka-tachi ain't around don't mean we can't have a little seishi reunion, ne? So how 'bout ya come up t'Reikaku this New Year's? Ya never been t'a Reikaku party, an' no one can really live without comin' t'one of our New Year's bashes! So whadda ya say, huh? I'm settin' a place fer ya at the table, so ya'd better be there! Ya know I wouldn't mind huntin' ya down an' draggin' yer ass here if ya didn't show up (Translation: Tasuki really wanted him to come)! So I'll see ya on New Year's, okay?
"Hope this letter reaches ya in time! I paid the damn delivery boy twenty-five ryo, so it'd better get to ya or there'll be someone t'fry!
"Tasuki (his name was followed by a chibi drawing of a fanged bandit), Reikaku's kickass leader!
"Oh yeah, an' I kinda told th' rest-a th' gang that you'd do some 'seishi' tricks fer 'em. Ya don't mind, do ya? Knew ya wouldn't! Thanks pal!"
Chichiri folded the letter up again, still chuckling slightly; it never failed to remind him of his loud-mouthed friend and seishi companion. Chichiri had been only too happy when he'd received the letter; despite giving up his free room and board, he had to admit he was pleased to have an invitation to a New Year's party, especially since it had come from one of his few close companions.
Being with his fellow seishi two years ago had reminded him of what it was like to be around people who he really cared for, and who cared about him; and unlike he'd been able to do fifteen years ago, after the seishi had first broken up, he couldn't get back to enjoying traveling by himself. He missed his seishi friends, even those he had never really known that well; he missed Kouran and Hikou, too, even after - no, especially after all these years.
Chichiri sighed; maybe he'd retire from wandering and settle down in one of the towns around Reikaku's base. 'Not that I'm that lonely no da...' he thought to himself. 'It's just, I'm getting tired of running around all the time, and I bet Tasuki-kun would like it if I was nearby no da...' the monk yawned again. 'Kouran, Hikou... minna [everyone]... I bet you never get lonely, with so many people you love nearby, no da...'
Chichiri shook his head; he couldn't let those kind of thoughts get to him. Those were the kinds of things that crazy old men muttered about, they weren't things he should be thinking... at any rate, it didn't matter anymore. He'd be back with Tasuki soon, and even though Chichiri wasn't as close with the bandit as he'd been with his childhood friends or some of the other seishi, the two had a mutual understanding of each other. 'Or, at the very least,' he thought with a smile, 'A mutual puzzlement over how in the hell the other one's mind works, no da...'
That was enough soul-searching for one day. The monk lay back on the chilly ground again, pulling his kasa over his eyes and trying to get in a short nap before he started the final few days' travel to Reikaku.
Chichiri had just dozed off when he felt the life force of another person nearby. The monk didn't bother moving - the ki didn't feel threatening - but inwardly tensed just in case they turned out to be dangerous. A few moments later, a female voice singing a light-hearted tune reached his ears. Chichiri relaxed further, convinced now that whoever it was certainly wasn't a threat.
The monk found himself drifting into a lazy sleep, lulled by the soft, gentle voice of the unknown singer. He had nearly fallen asleep when he heard a rustle in the foliage to his left, followed by an: "Oh!"
Chichiri opened his single eye slowly, reluctant to leave the pleasant haze he'd been in. Quietly, he asked, "Is everything all right na no da?"
The woman's voice rushed back to him in melodic, embarassed tones. "Oh, yes, everything's all right, oji-san... gomen nasai, I was just startled... I didn't expect to find anyone here, and, well, you scared me a little... thought you were dead for a second, actually... er, sumimasen [pardon me], I didn't mean to disturb you."
The monk sat up, tipping his hat off his face and letting it fall to the nape of his neck so he could look at the woman. Chichiri had to admit he was caught a bit off-guard. The new arrival was young, probably in her mid-twenties, and was stunningly attractive. Her raven-blue hair flowed almost like water down her back and to her waist; it framed a face of mature beauty, including the most intriguing, gentle green eyes the monk had ever seen. She had a small, embarassed smile playng on her lips, which made her look almost mysterious. Everything about her held an air of mysteriousness, in fact, from her well-shaped figure to her simple yet complimenting dress. The woman blushed a little. "Ah... oji-san?"
Chichiri smiled, trying to shake off his intrigue. "Oh, sorry about that. I guess I was just a little surprised no da. I don't see many women these days, and I haven't seen one in a while as pretty as you no da."
The young lady blushed, looking down quickly. "Oji-san is teasing me." She looked back up again somewhat shyly. "Or flirting with me, maybe...?"
Chichiri held up his hands. "Nothing like that no da. I'm just telling the truth, that's all." He looked back at her, then around the clearing. "You look tired. Do you want to have a seat na no da?"
"Mm!" she bowed quickly. "Arigatou, if it isn't too much trouble..." the woman took a seat on the part of the kesa Chichiri offered, folding her legs gently underneath her. "Oh, forgive me, you're being so kind and I haven't even told you my name yet! I'm Asatenshi Hikaru."
The monk smiled again. "Morning-Angel Shine. The name fits you no da."
Hikaru looked away, muttering, "Oji-san is flirting again."
He laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm Chichiri, a traveler no da."
"Chichiri?" Asatenshi turned around, eyes widening in surprise. "As in, the Suzaku seishi Chichiri?" the monk nodded somewhat reluctantly. Hikaru smiled in near disbelief. "Mm, then the legends are true after all. Won't Obaa-chan [Grandmother] be surprised when I tell her...?"
The seishi had been reaching into his kasa for something to snack on, and her words caught him by surprise. "Excuse me na no da?"
"Oh, I apologize once again, Chichiri-san. You see, I'm from a country that's, well..." she pointed to the west, "pretty far that way, I guess you could say. I work with my family at a shrine to the Mother." She rubbed the back of her head. "I'm something of a Priestess to the Mother."
Chichiri pulled out a couple of apples, handing one to his new guest. "The Mother, no da?"
Hikaru nodded, accepting the fruit graciously. "Hai. Where I'm from, that's who we worship. The One Mother, the Creator of the World. To us, the gods you know are, sa..." she blushed. "Meaning no offense Chichiri-san, but the gods are more like servants to the Mother. We think of the seishi legends as good bedtime stories, but not much else." Hikaru smiled. "Though, now that I've met you, I'll have to think of them as a lot more than just stories, won't I?"
"I suppose so no da."
"Like I said, I'm a Priestess there, though not in the sense you think of them. I guess you could call me a Disciple to the Shrine, something of a monkess, haha. I've been trained since I was born on how to guard the temple, ward off demons, all sorts of things. I have to admit I'm pretty handy with Holy Spells..." Hikaru rubbed the back of her head. "Oops! There I go, rambling away. I do that sometimes. I apologize for boring you."
"I wasn't bored. It's interesting to hear about a different culture no da." Chichiri munched his snack, chewing thoughtfully before asking his next question. "What are you doing so far from home na no da?"
"Ah figuhed 'oo'd ashk 'at," she said around a mouthful of apple. Hikaru blushed and swallowed quickly. "My younger sister lives in Konan, studying religion in a Suzaku temple not too far from here. I haven't seen her in a while, and we decided to meet on Mount Reikaku, since it'd be the easiest location for me to find seeing as how I'm new to the area and all."
Chichiri blinked in surprise. "You said you're going to Mount Reikaku na no da?" Hikaru nodded; the monk laughed. "I think Fate must have planned this no da. That's where I'm heading too, believe it or not no da."
"Fate?" Hikaru looked away and chuckled a little. "Now I know Chichiri-san is flirting with me... next thing I know he'll be asking to accompany me to the mountain..."
Chichiri smiled. "Well, it does seem silly to go all that way by yourself no da. You're new to the land, and you might run into trouble no da. Konan's a pretty decent country if you know the right places, but it can still be dangerous. Besides, I could use a companion no da. To be honest, with the way I move around I'm alone a lot, probably too much no da." The monk stood, offering Hikaru a hand up. "So how about it na no da? I'll protect you, and you can keep me company no da. I'd love to learn that song you were singing earlier - it's very catchy no da."
The Asatenshi woman smiled, accepting the hand and rising to her feet. "I don't know how I could ever turn down an offer like that. Very well, Chichiri-san," Hikaru turned and pointed towards the north, "we'll go to Reikaku together!"
Chichiri watched his new companion march off. "Eh, that's great no da... eto... Hikaru-san?"
"Eh?"
"Mount Reikaku..." a chibi Chichiri pointed the opposite direction she was going. "Is that way no da."
Hikaru face-vaulted.
"Chichiri-san, may I ask you a question?" Hikaru queried as she helped her new companion set camp for the evening.
"I told you already, you don't have to say that everytime you want to know something no da," Chichiri reminded her. The two had been traveling together for most of the afternoon and had become fast friends, but Hikaru was still almost unbearably polite. "Go ahead; what's your question no da?"
"Well, I feel a little silly, not asking this sooner," she began, spreading one of her own blankets on the ground to use as a makeshift bed, "but you never told me why you were going to Mount Reikaku. Are you meeting someone there as well?"
"You could say that no da," he remarked, rummaging in his kasa until he pulled out his own blankets. "My friend Tasuki-kun, another Suzaku seishi, invited me to a New Year's party no da. He's a, well, he's the leader of the Reikaku bandits no da."
"Hontou ni [Really]?" Hikaru looked up, smiling excitedly. "Another seishi? That's really amazing! Do you think it would be all right if I met him? I know that must sound foolish, but meeting you servants to the gods has been a little like having a fairytale come to life." The young woman, having finished making her bed for the night, stood and started to walk over to help her companion gather firewood.
"It's all right with me if you met him no da," Chichiri agreed, dumping some dry leaves into the center of the clearing. The monk smiled a little. "Although, I can't promise you a warm welcome. Tasuki-kun doesn't like girls very much no da."
"Eh!?" Hikaru had been halfway between her bed and where Chichiri was sitting; at his announcement, she froze. The young woman's unusual green eyes widened, and she blushed violently. "Y-you mean... T-Tasuki-san l-l-likes... other... g... guys...?"
Chichiri laughed at her reaction, holding up his hands. "No, it's nothing like that no da! Tasuki-kun doesn't prefer men, women just annoy him no da. I think it has something to do with his sisters... you'd have to ask him no da."
The monk's traveling companion breathed a sigh of relief. "Yokatta [Thank goodness]. I was nervous for a moment there." Hikaru watched curiously as Chichiri dug around in his kasa. "What are you looking for, Chichiri-san?"
"Some flint no da. I want to get a fire going, so we can have a hot meal no da." He made a face of disgust as his hand touched something squishy. Chichiri held up his find, revealing a bunch of smashed berries. "Daa... I really need to clean this out more often no da..."
Hikaru hid a giggle behind her sleeve. "Chichiri-san is going about that an awfully primal way."
"Primal no da?"
"Mm-hm!" she nodded, taking a seat across from the monk and next to the unlit fire. "Here, I'll take care of it. Just watch." Hikaru closed her eyes, cupping her hands under her chin; had Chichiri known about the Western style of praying, he would have compared it to that action. The young woman took a deep breath, then slowly spread her hands, palms-down, over the pile of dry leaves and sticks. "Holy Mother, who's love burns like a crimson flame for all eternity, grant me the warmth of your compassion, the blaze of your tenderness, and the light of your hope. Eternal truth shine through."
Chichiri mouth dropped open in astonishment as the twigs sparked and flared, a fire silently roaring into life. In moments the clearing was filled with the warm light of the magical creation. "Suge [Amazing] no da. How in the world did you do that no da?"
Hikaru giggled, waving a hand as if to brush away the compliment. "Chichiri-san is too kind. Disciples to the Mother are taught Holy Magic from birth, and conjuring a little fire is one of the simpler spells."
"Well, it's certainly impressive to me no da." The monk rubbed the back of his head. "Now I'm the one who feels silly no da. Here I was offering to protect you when you can obviously take care of yourself no da." A teasing smile tugged on the side of his face; he just couldn't resist. "Maybe Hikaru-san is the one flirting with me, agreeing to accompany me like that na no da?"
The Disciple giggled, turning her back on Chichiri and hurrying over to her bag. "Or maybe she just wanted the company as much as Chichiri-san did." Hikaru dug around in her sack, sifting through the contents until she found some supplies for a meal. "I'll get dinner started in a minute."
Chichiri half-stood. "That's all right, you started the fire so I'll get the meal no da. I don't want to feel completely useless after all, no da."
Hikaru waved a dismissive hand. "I told you, that fire was an easy trick. I'm in the mood to cook tonight, anyway, and I know just what I want." She looked over, knowing that the monk wouldn't feel right having her do everything, and smiled. "We'll compromise, okay? Tonight, you can build a protection barrier around camp, and I'll take care of the cooking. Tomorrow we'll switch duties."
He nodded, settling back on his makeshift bed. "Good idea no da." Chichiri was just about to start the protection spell, when he had a thought. He glanced over his shoulder at Hikaru, a curious look on his masked face. "Hikaru-san... how did you know I could make barriers na no da?"
The young woman didn't look up, and her voice was as calm and matter-of-fact as ever, but Chichiri noticed that she had nearly dropped her cooking supplies when he'd asked his question. "Oh... well, like I said before, the seishi are like bedtime stories where I'm from. We don't believe in them, but we sure know a lot about them, including what their gifts from Suzaku were. You're a sorceror, of sorts, so I assumed you knew a basic protection spell."
Chichiri didn't believe her answer for a second, but he decided not to push the matter. Maybe his new companion had some psychic abilities she was embarassed about; who knew when it came to "Disciples of the Mother"? "That makes sense no da. Let me know when dinner's ready no da."
The monk turned his back to Hikaru again, and the camp sank into comfortable silence. Chichiri completed the barrier swiftly, then dropped into a light meditation; something he had neglected doing for a few days. His companion completed her own tasks, then roused the monk for the simple but good meal. The two ate quietly, until Hikaru finally sighed wistfully, voicing her thoughts. "I can't wait to meet Tasuki-san. I wonder what he's like?"
"Loud," Chichiri said with a chuckle, "and ill-tempered no da. But he makes up for it by being brave, and about as loyal as they come no da. That's one of the best traits to have: loyalty, I mean no da."
"Bravery too," Hikaru remarked.
"I suppose," Chichiri halfway agreed. "But I've known brave people who weren't loyal, and I've never known a loyal person who wasn't brave no da. Loyalty - the desire to protect, help, and always stand by those you care about - creates bravery, I think no da."
Hikaru smiled in admiration at her friend. "Chichiri-san is very wise."
"Not really no da. Just experienced no da."
"Isn't that the same thing?"
"Maybe no da," he shrugged, chuckling a little. "I guess I must not be that wise, or I would have been able to answer that no da."
The young woman frowned, chopsticks halfway to her mouth. "Now Chichiri-san is just confusing!" she grumbled.
He laughed, finishing off his small dinner. "That's because I don't make sense when I'm this tired no da. Why don't we clean up and go to bed, and tomorrow I'll try to be wiser and not as confusing no da."
"Mm!" Hikaru picked up his bowl and her own. "There's a stream nearby; I'll go clean these off."
"I'll help you no da."
Chichiri started to stand, but his companion pushed him back to the ground with a light shove to the chest. "I'll take care of it, Chichiri-san; it was my food that got them dirty after all. Besides, I know how tiring it can be to build those protection barriers. If it makes you feel better you can take dish duty tomorrow."
The monk wasn't used to having someone around to help him with the daily chores; it was a nice feeling, if not a strange one. "If you really don't mind no da..."
"No problem," she assured him, standing with the two bowls and cooking pot. "I'll be back in a few minutes, but just in case you're asleep by then, oyasumi [good night]."
"Oyasumi, Hikaru-san no da."
The Disciple to the Mother walked quickly out of the clearing and to the nearby stream. She knelt over the water, long raven-blue hair falling across her face, and started the task of scrubbing out the dishware. Once she was done, she knelt back on her haunches and pulled her hair back over her shoulders, turning her eyes to the bright, full moon above. "Another meeting? Oh, all right."
Hikaru closed her eyes, soul slipping away from her physical body and back onto the spiritual plane. She looked across the black void, watching as a pinion of light appeared, melding and taking shape into another woman. Two pairs of green eyes met across the darkness; one pair narrowed angrily, while the other glared back with a look of defiance in the mystic pools.
"So, I see you've found one."
"So have you. That makes us tied right now, I suppose. Don't worry, I'll break that tie soon enough."
"Don't underestimate me, Nee-san. I can be very dangerous when I have a mind to be."
"Haha, threatening me? Not very ladylike, or angelic of you, is it?"
"You're a frivolous fool, laughing at a time like this. But we'll see who gets the last laugh."
"Don't think that just because I'm laughing I'm not serious about this. You may be my sister, but that doesn't mean I'm going to hold back."
"Now who's threatening whom, Nee-san?"
"Tease me if you will, but don't take what I said lightly. The lives of two men are at stake. I won't lose."
"That's one thing we have in common, then, because neither will I."
"I'll see you soon, I suppose?"
"Very soon. Oyasumi, Nee-san."
"Oh, being polite now, are we? Very well, I'll play your little game. Oyasumi, Nee-san."
Hikaru opened her physical eyes, which were still fixed on the bright moon above. The woman set her lips in a grim frown of determination. "You don't know what you're getting into, Nee-san," she breathed quietly. "You had better watch your step."
"Hikaru-san, no da?"
"Eep!" The young woman whirled, peering towards the edge of the forest and into a familiar masked face. She put a hand to her heart. "Oh, Chichiri-san! You scared me half to death."
"Gomen no da," his eyebrows were bunched together in a look of obvious concern. "You were taking a long time, and I guess I got worried no da. Daijoubu na no da?"
"Mm!" she assured him, holding up one of the clean bowls. "I didn't mean to worry you, I'm just a stickler for clean dishes. It's the perfectionist in me, heh. Go on and head back to camp, I'll be there in a second."
"Okay no da," Chichiri sent her one last small, concerned look, then turned his back on the young lady. "Don't take too long no da. I want to get an early start tomorrow so we can be at Reikaku before sundown no da."
"I won't! Oyasumi again!"
Hikaru watched him disappear into the surrounding trees; her green eyes softened slightly as she set her stubborn jaw in a tight line. Her tone was full of foreboding as she whispered quietly to the night air: "You had better watch your step as well, Chichiri-san."
**********
*Springs from the woodwork, flashing a victory sign* Kon-wa, minna-san [Evening, everyone]! It's great to be back in the ficcing world, and the good Lord knows I've missed it these past few months! But nevermind about all that! I decided to pounce these little notes on you at the end of chapters, mostly because I noticed that some other authors did it and it seems like a good way to communicate with the readers. So, here I am!
Random Chapter Comments
Well, let's see, this was mostly an introduction chapter, so not a whole lot to say. You've met one of the Asatenshi sisters in the flesh - but is she the good one or the bad one? You'll just have to wait to find out! *Evil cackling* And for those of you wondering where Tasuki and Koji are, fear not, for I will have them delivered to you shortly, as promised.
Well, as I'm sure you've noticed, this puppy takes place quite a bit into the future, making all of our heroes well out of our age range (well, mine anyway). **Warning, you are entering The Making the Fic Zone** I gotta admit, that was a little weird for me at first, just because I've never written a story where my main characters were over thirty, but I got used to it pretty easy. Let's face it, Tasuki and Chichiri aren't going to really change, other than maturing a little bit. But they're like fine wine, doncha know, just getting better with age. ^_~ Come to think of it, the youngest character in this story is nineteen - though he acts a lot younger - making this, on average, the oldest cast of characters I've ever dealt with! Crazy stuff.
Answering Reviews
Spectrum made a good point in their review about my amount of Japanese. Sometimes I remember that not everyone has as firm (well, moderately firm) grip on the language as I do... and sometimes I forget. *Sweatdrop* So here it is, ladies and gents, a quick crash course in Japanese!
--"Wa" - a particle used after the subject in the sentence. It doesn't really have a translation, but when subbed it usually translated to "is, are, was," etc... you get the idea.
--"Deshou?" - don't know why I didn't translate this in the text. It basically means "right?/isn't that so?"
--The Japanese language, unlike English, goes "subject + object + verb," instead of "subject + verb + object." So, instead of saying, "Kiss my ass" it would be "Watashi no ketsu ga kisu" - directly translated to "My ass kiss." ^.~ Not too tricky, right?
--Particles like "ga" and "na" don't really translate. "Ga" just typically follows an object, and "na" will - on some occasions - follow an adjective. Such as "Kirei na" (Beautiful, pretty) or "Shizuku na" (Quiet, silent).
*Glances up, sweatdropping* Somewhere along the way on this, I went a little overboard, ne? Prob'ly ought to stop now... well, I'll cover other things with the chapters as they come! Hey, if I keep this up I'll have half my readers understanding Japanese (er, to an extent)... wouldn't that be nice...?
Oh, and yes, Val-chan, I can believe that you would dislike Umbridge more. Umbridge is, after all, the devil incarnate. Who else wants to punch in her piggy face? Show of hands? Anybody?
Random Story #1: The Chichiri Computer
Okay, I can't resist, I just have to tell everyone about this. The other day I got bored, right, so I decided to make a theme for my computer. Understand that this is the family computer, and not everyone is as... hm... "tolerant" of animé as I am. Well, just to make things fun, I decided to theme my computer in a way that would annoy everyone except myself. I give you... the Chichiri Theme! *Angels sing*
First, we have the "Giant Chichiri Face" desktop background, which is exactly what it says - it's that enlarged picture of his chibi little face, taking up my entire desktop. Adorable to me, somewhat spooky to my family. Next we've got the irritating sound effects: everytime you do something wrong, or the computer asks you a question, or pretty much anytime a window comes up, you get "Daaaa!"'d at. Personally, I think it's hilarious, but I'm sure nobody else will. ^_^ Top it off with a Phoenix-shaped comet cursor and a screensaver with the scrolling words "Na No Da!", and there you have it! A "Chichiri No Da" Theme that's sure to have your relatives tearing out their hair! I just can't wait for my stepsibs to come over...
And Finally... Verse Preview?
Hm, I guess that's everything I could possibly cover in this chapter. So what's coming next? Well, I want to be as discreet as possible, but here's the basic lineup for next week: Three bandits, two Asatenshi sisters, a monk, punch-drunk love, and a closet. ^_^ Also, you'll get to meet my favorite original character in the next verse (look for the green-haired bandit with the hand-me-downs), so look forward to that!
Looks like that's all! I'll be back next week, same time, same place! Jaa ne! *Flies away*
Your Friendly Neighborhood Otaku,
Dee ~_^