4.5 Rope
"Amy."
"Yes Taylor?"
"I don't want to offend you Amy, but after that kiss I think I'm justified in asking, why the HELL are you tying me up!?"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry! Please don't hate me!" Amy said as she finished binding my hands behind my back.
"Where did you even learn how to hogtie someone?!"
"I didn't! I'm making this up as I go!" Amy said in a panicked squeak.
Hearing that a massive bead of sweat formed along the side… of my… face…
"Alright stop!" I shouted. "What the hell is with this universe, and all the weird effects?! So far I've cried a river of tears, fought of the impulse to go sit in a corner drawing circles on the floor, seen a rocket nosebleed caused by nudity, and now I've had a ball of sweat materialize on the side of my head! What the hell is all of that?!"
The change of topic seemed to help calm Amy down a bit, though she was still nervously fidgeting as she tied my legs together…
"WHY ARE YOU STILL TYING ME UP?!"
"I'm sorry! I have to! That's what the scene calls for."
My initial response was to start banging my head against the floor, out of habit and common sense I started to reject that reaction. Then I stopped for a moment, and thought about it. This wasn't my real body, so I couldn't do any permanent damage to myself, and more to the point the only one around was Amy so there really wasn't any one around to judge me anyway.
I immediately proceeded to bang my head against the floor.
"Amy, let's try this again. First question what is going on with all the weird reactions?"
There start with the least confusing question, and give both of us time to calm down. That is the smart thing to do, I think. Amy, who was now finished tying me up, propped me against a wall, and sat down cross legged in front of me.
"Well, it's an anime thing I guess. Over the top reactions, and facial expressions, make things more amusing, and with manga it clearly projects the emotions of the character." Amy paused for a moment like she was considering something. "It might be to make sure little kids don't misread facial expressions, or it could be that they make things seem happier."
There, I had an answer for one of many questions, and Amy was at least a tiny bit calmer… right? I mean sure she was dejectedly staring at the floor with spiky… blond? hair covering her eyes… and she looked like she expected me to start cursing her out… Oh hell what am I supposed to do with this situation?
"OK next question. Why did you tie me up?"
"Supposed to, Naruto here has a crush on one of Sasuke's fan girls, the loud girl from before their both teemed with."
"OK, but how does that explain tying me up?" I said trying not to snap at my friend. Judging by how she winced I was not completely successful.
"Naruto ties Sasuke up, and uses a henge to impersonate him. Then he hunts down Sakura and while impersonating Sasuke asks how Sakura truly feels about him. Then he tries to get kiss from her." Amy mumbled. "It almost works to, accept he gets sick at the last second… Shit" Amy hung her head dejectedly in anticipation of the coming unpleasantness.
That actually made me pause for a second. Before I could even run through the implications I found my mouth opening, and spitting out the first thing to come to mind.
"Isn't the author worried about having a pair of twelve year olds in a situation that sounds so… I don't want to say rape like over a kiss, but it certainly opens the door for that possibility you know? You know especially given the fact that they're twelve."
Amy's jaw dropped, before swinging open and closed several times as she tried to process my response. Actually it was pretty amusing to watch, just not amusing enough to take my mind off of the fact that I was tied up, and Amy had kissed me… a little more enthusiastically, than was strictly necessary.
Oh hell, did she know that kiss was going to happen? She must have. She went through and reread a good portion of the series so she must have known. Did she… want to kiss me? My thoughts started to spiral out of control confusion being the primary element, a smaller portion made up of indignation, and a tiny bit of betrayal that she might intentionally have lead me into that kiss.
I shook my head to clear it.
"Amy," her jaw instantly snapped shut as she gave me her undivided attention, "did you plan on that kiss happening?" I was proud of myself that I managed to keep my voice calm and level. Despite only knowing each other briefly, Amy was quickly becoming my best friend, and the person I trusted the most aside from Dad. I needed to know what her intentions were, but I also knew what she had been through over the past few years. If nothing else I refused to do anything to add to her previous suffering.
Slowly she nodded her head a pained expression on her face. "I knew." Amy's voice came out barely a whisper. "I wanted to kiss you. I was hoping I could play it off as just part of the story. Stupid, got carried away, blew it." Amy was starting to sniffle, and cry. Not the stupid fake rivers of tears I dealt with not too long ago, no, real tears.
My mind started grinding to a halt.
Here is Amy, stuck in the body of a dopey looking preteen boy, having a bit of a breakdown because she thought she might have offended me, and ruined our friendship, or maybe over the idea that she had ruined the chance at more than a friendship.
With me.
Amy is turning into a wreck because she thinks she ruined her current, or potential future relationship, with… me.
That's nuts, but it is clearly happening. Who could possibly hold it against her when clearly, for the moment at least, I'm all she has? Wishing more than anything that I was not currently bound hand and foot I do my best to rock myself forward, and sideways. I manage to kick my legs out to the side bringing my upper body forward towards Amy. The result is not exactly what I had intended.
"Ow." Amy rubs at a growing bump from my unintentional head but.
"You're not stupid." I say as I do my best to roll over. I briefly pray it is possible to sound convincing while bound and lying on the floor. "For what it's worth I'm not all that mad… I just didn't see that coming." I mumbled, trying to fight off a bit of a blush. I'm not sure what it says that Amy being so attached to me is making me blush, but, it's a good feeling, whatever it is.
Amy sniffled one last time and rubbed at her eyes. "You're really not mad?"
Fuck this universe and its massive eyeballs! That has to be the single most overpowering display of puppy dog eyes I have ever seen! How could anyone stay angry when faced with that!
Sighing I admitted defeat. "No, I'm not mad. Though we should really talk about this don't you think?"
Amy chewed at her lip for a moment before shaking her head. "I'd rather have this sort of conversation face to face, our real faces, that is. Having an emotional conversation with your current looks is really starting to creep me out, and the view isn't half as nice."
The last part of Amy response took a moment to fully register before a blush started to work its way fully up my cheeks.
"Um, view?"
Now it was Amy's turn to blush furiously. "I ughh, really like your legs, and your eyes are beautiful." She mumbled out.
I could feel my entire face turning red. Amy likes my legs? She thinks my eyes are beautiful? I, wow that, no one ever said anything like that to me before…
Suddenly everything started to fade to black and I felt myself start to slump over fainting.
{}{}{}{}
Grumbling I ripped away the last of the ropes, and the tape that covered my mouth before leaving in search of Amy. I'm really starting to hate the over the top reactions to everything in this universe. Someone tells me that I have nice legs, and eyes and I feint! The hell is wrong with the Japanese? This is all so ridiculous. Meanwhile in the background is the fact that the series is about twelve and thirteen year old assassins, so really it's a story about child soldiers except for the fact that apparently none of them are traumatized or even worried about the idea of killing.
Amy mentioned that it was an Earth Alph series. One of thousands that Dragon oversaw the transfer of, so I couldn't really cross dimensions to tell the author I think his story is flawed… Maybe I could find out if he exists in earth Bet and send him a list of things he could do better. Maybe get him to try writing a more serious competing series. Something to ask Amy about, or maybe Dragon, speaking of whom I still owed her a tinker power or two so she could satisfy her curiosity.
Not that I was in a rush to start tinkering, I knew almost beyond any shadow of a doubt that once I did I would have even less free time. Well hopefully this new clone power would help to solve that little issue.
Walking through a courtyard the loud shrill girl from earlier all but latched onto me.
"OH Sasuke-kun you're so shy! I hope you are ready now? I sure am!"
Ready? Ready for what exactly? Oh well not worth worrying about I needed to find Amy.
"I have to go. Where's Naruto?"
"HEHE, don't change the subject. Who cares about Naruto? All he does is cause fights with you."
Really? This girl is supposed to be part of a three person team and she just dismisses the third member like it's nothing? This could only end badly.
"Well he doesn't have a normal childhood… so…" The Girl continued to rant. "He doesn't have parents! He can do whatever he wants. If I acted like he does my parents would ground me for months. He's so lucky, all alone, parents never say what to do and what not to do. That's why he always makes trouble."
Jeez, who the hell is this idiotic pretty princess? Was she dropped on her oversized head as a kid? Even at twelve could kids really be that stupid? Or was she trying to impress the character I was playing by belittling and bullying the other boy? Or, maybe the author was just using her as a poorly veiled way to introduce this 'Sasuke's' baggage. Taking a quick glance at my upcoming lines I decided last seemed the most likely. Grinning internally I decided to enjoy my next few lines. Giving some bully a reality check was something I had always dreamed of doing in person.
"All alone…" I said trailing off as dramatically as possible.
"Huh?"
"The feeling of a parent yelling at you is nowhere near what he felt…"
The panicked look on the girls face was unbelievably cathartic. "What's wrong Sasuke-kun?"
"Your annoying…" I said pumping as much cold indifference into the lines as I could. Slowly I turned, and walked away from the bully. Inwardly I was patting myself on the back from turning the tables on that kind of person even if I was following a script.
Now where oh where had Amy gone?
As if to answer my question a small dust cloud raced toward me before resolving itself into Amy skidding to a halt in front of me. Funnily enough she still looked rather green. I guess she really hadn't been sick since she got her powers.
"Eh heh heh What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Real Shinobi can untie ropes." I decided to skip the next few lines. Following a script or not I did not feel comfortable insulting Amy right now, not when things between us were so awkward. "Come on Amy, we should at least try to talk a little before we have Jeff or Eugene hanging around don't you think?"
"No! Really Taylor, I don't want to have this conversation in these bodies!"
Dragging Amy along behind me I headed toward the classroom.
"Amy," I took a second to glance through the script for upcoming scenes. "we have one last time skip we can drag out to talk before either Jeff or Eugene shows up as this team instructor with the one eye."
"Kakashi." Amy supplied.
"Right, him. So this is our last chance to talk in private before we can get out of here." I said closing the door behind us. Amusingly enough I got to slam it in the face of the aggravating girl from before. Sadly she just opened the door before going to sulk and lean against one of the desks. Annoying, I'd have preferred her stay outside, automaton or not having a private conversation with someone else in the room just felt… wrong. Though I suppose my power coming with an autopilot for events that happen off screen or between described moments is a necessity.
Amy just ran straight for the blackboard. "Really Taylor this is not a conversation I want to have when we look like this." She said gesticulating wildly. "Besides I'd really appreciate the chance to get my thoughts in order. So please can we just put this off, for a little while? Give me a chance to get my head on straight, please."
What could I say to that? Given what her last crush, although that wasn't really a strong enough word for it, had been like this had to be as confusing for her as it was for me. I had already established I wasn't angry. I could push the issue with her now and clear the air, or I could let her collect her thoughts and try to think this through myself a bit. Better still I could try and loose myself in the story and let the whole thing sit in the back of my mind where it would hopefully untangle itself for me by the time we got out.
"OK Amy, we can put this off for a little while, but not forever. You're basically my best friend, I lost my last one, still don't know why, but I'm not ready to lose another. So promise me once were out we sit down and talk this out. Because one way or another I want you to stick around, OK?"
Amy gave me a hesitant smile. "OK Taylor, I promise. Once were finished here we'll talk."
"Oh Amy?"
"Yeah"
"You know how you said all those weird responses are supposed to mean something right?"
"Mhm"
"What's fainting supposed to mean?"
Amy tripped over what seemed to be nothing face planting on the ground. The chalkboard eraser in her hand went flying. At that moment the door slid open and a tall man who had all of his face save for one eye covered, and with gravity defying hair walked in… and was promptly hit in the face by the flying eraser.
The masked man simply sighed. "Hey guys. My first impression of this place is I've been cheated."
Once more the annoying body effects took over as I felt a sweat drop form on the back of my head. "Um what are you talking about? And are you Jeff or Eugene? You two both took off without even telling us who you grabbed as your roles."
"Oh it's me, Jeff. What I meant was Kakashi's famous orange book is in Japanese, so I can't actually read it like I was hoping to." The now identified Jeff explained.
Amy, now sporting some kind of tick mark over her head mumbled something about perverted bastards before following Jeff's retreating form.
Momentarily admitting defeat in the face of overwhelming insanity I hung my head, and walked after them.