Destiny's Net
Chapter 2: Makoto in Danger!
By Charles Duncan
Kaysiki woke up one morning as Fall settled on Abarivi to see the sun. She looked out
her window and saw it slowly rise and felt wonderful the world was sane. At least,
today it was... but things change fast. Especially since Makoto came running
to the house and fell into a 4-foot tall hole in front of her window below...
She heard an EEP and looked down.
Makoto was upset to no end......
"Mom? Why did you do this instead of HER?", he screamed as he tried to climb
to the surface.
Kaysiki screamed as she went down the stairs rapidly.
Her dad, single for far too long, tried to drink day-old coffee to stimulate himself
and noted her speed.
"Raisin? Why the rush to school? Is that principal ordering earlier hours?"
"No, dad, I have a problem with a boy."
He grinned and came alert. "May I then teach you about the Birds and Bees?"
"NO. They taught that LAST year, Dad. Laterrr!"
"My goodness. She's so young to drink COFFEE!", he said sarcastically as he
looked in his coffee. He saw the reflection of a huge old man looking over his
shoulder in the window outside.
"Aaaannnnd... maybe I'm too old", he said as he threw the coffee cup into
the trash along with a dozen others from past days.
He hid underneath the table for a minute.
"Makoto why are you even near my house? And do you know that's tresspassing? Why
I could just have you...."
"Nice of you to be alive... My mom must have forgotten to slay you in combat last
night. Too bad.... So sad... Even when she came to my window at 10 last night
to tuck me in after the CLONE did so, and I asked, and she let you live. She must
be forgetful in her old age."
"WILL YOU GET OUT OF THAT HOLE THIS INSTANT? THAT HOLE'S FOR AN, AN...."
"Oh, jealous boyfriend? Like anyone wants to date a woman who does not like violent
men."
"OR BULLIES", she said as she reached down and lifted him out of the hole. "And
leave Okkaido alone or it's going to be bad for YOU!"
"Like I'm shaking. We have to go to class. I'll walk you to jail on the way so
my mom can sneak you some poison."
"Get AWAY!", she said as she punted Makoto away. "And don't go near my house again!"
Kaysiki walked off hurriedly.
Makoto got up 50 yards away from the house and ran to the school. "Well, Mom will
go and send you an pizza or something to make you choke. I'll ask Mom today! MOM! MOM!
Unaware he was being watched, Makoto felt rather mean.
Dark Frog looked into the Mirror of Spy Sattell, a scrying glass that allowed him
to look upon the people of AbaRivi. He saw Makoto vow his mom this, his mom that
to the world. And he was getting an idea about Makoto's mom.
"This Makoto has a mother."
"Which one", said Steel Reef, the Rat with eight swords who stood at the Frog's
side.
"The Only Makoto."
"I meant which MOTHER, not which Makoto!"
"Yes, she intrigues me. Something familiar about what Makoto's mom does for
a living. I must interrogate this Makoto on the details of his mom. Get Makoto and
hold him until his MOM really does show up. Then interrogate Makoto's MOM when
you catch her. NOW!"
"I shall not fail you."
"Yes you will."
"No I WON'T".
"Yes you will, will."
"No I WON'T, WON'T, WON'T!"
"Yes you will... will...."
"Dark Frog, you do little to inspire morale in your troops you know?"
Then Steel Reef launched himself from the Dark Ranges to the valley of AbaRivi.
"At least I have better teeth.", Dark Frog said as he grinned a mouth of scimitar teeth.
Makoto made it to homeroom in time as the principal started taking the school
row for the school. It took a hour or so so most of the students finished their
studies. It wasn't his homeroom, though, but until Kaysiki's name was called
he could try to insult Kaysiki in her own class. He snuck inbetween Kivara and
a new girl student who had just entered the realm as the kids filed in. The new
girl pushed him from behind.
"Hey! Stop shoving ME!", he said as he saw the girl look at him. She was barely
11 years old but well through puberty and adolescence somehow. She was only a foot
taller than Makoto and turned him on.
"My goodness! A dream come true! The woman my mom said I could marry whether I
gained positive karma or NOT! WOW WOW WOW WOW!", he said as he tapped his feet, shoving
Kivara to the floor as he jumped backwards. He then made a lot of twitches as his
eyes turned bright yellow.
"Teacher! Make this kid take some Insulin, he's in shock!", she said.
"He is not in shock", the teacher muttered quietly, "He's evil incarnate. And he
should have dentention!"
"Evil or not it's embarrasing to himself to act this way. Someone hit him with a
desk! Hmph!"
She took a seat after lifting Kivara by the waist and Kivara screamed. Then the
new kid threw Kivara into the seat next to her and began scribbling.
Kivara blushed blue as she noticed the new kid whip paper out of her satchel and
began scribbling more and more. Papers flew like mad. Pencils were worn thin.
Kaysiki noticed the new kid's activity from afar as papers whirled. "My oh my,
she really's behind on her homework." Kaysiki crawled between the seats to not get
the teacher's attention as she looked from behind.
"Cheaters never prosper", the new kid said as she grabbed Kaysiki underneath the chin,
noogied her so fast Kaysiki's hair went out of space, leaving Kaysiki to wander
back in a daze to her desk.
"Well, forgive me for trying to make new friends", Kaysiki said as she fell down with
her feet in the air.
A mile underneath the sewers, Steel Reef doggie paddled to where the school was and
began making himself melt down into the pipes. Laughing, he fused with the pipes
and slowly crawled through the metal, climbing up to the water fountains as
two swords watched and jumped nervously. As the gold in the rat vanished through
the floor, the two swords waiting climbed up too.
"Makoto I shall have YOU!", he said.
---Later
Makoto danced tiptoe through the lunch room trying to get a gaze on the new kid,
who was having five breakfasts at the same time. He saw Kaysiki try to sit beside
the kid and hid behind a trash can, sticking his feet out to try to trip underclassmen
who tried to wander too close.
He laughed once as Kaysiki tried to speak.
"Um, I don't know why you're eating so much or so strong or so rude but when the
Principal called for the new students you didn't even tell me your name. "
"No and I don't have time for this. Go bug the school team or something I'm not
going on a date with your brother?"
"Well, actually I don't have a brother. I just have a father who's never learned
housekeeping."
"WELL don't ask me to date HIM alright! Where I come from... Well Why should I
tell you that? Go bug the Principal's son and ask him.". Then the new kid kept on
eating.
"But I just want to ask about your... Name?"
"Well why should I give that out, old woman?"
"Old", she said as she felt lightening go off and for a split second, she seemed
to flash into her older self. She flashed back and stared.
"I'm not... old", Kaysiki said sarcastically. Then Kivara came to the table.
"Is this seat taken", Kivara said.
"No, it's not, save for this person who's very hyper."
Kivara waved her hand in front of the new kid's face as she ate. The new kid
bit her hand and Kivara screamed in pain.
"Don't get to close. She's acting very wierd. I am trying to make friends.", Kaysiki
said.
"Well, I'm surprised you're even trying. She seems like a force of nature. Even
the Teacher couldn't talk to her before being handed an entire month's schoolwork
at the end of Homeroom.", Kivara moaned as she tended to her throbbing hand.
"I'm surprised, too. But my curiosity is turned on by her somehow, as If I'm attracted
to her."
"Are you going to see the shrink about that?"
"I mean MAGNETICALLY!", Kaysiki yelled.
Then Okkaido walked to the table after setting his plate down.
"Um, I should thank you for talking to Makoto the other day, Kaysiki. I haven't been
stuffed into a locker at all today. What did you tell him?"
"Okkaido", Kivara said, "I was the one who did the telling. And you didn't see
an old man by the way did you not?"
"No but I saw a Rat in the mirror and drank too much of the flourided water from
the sink in shock and I was out of it for 2 minutes after slipping and falling down
on the pool...."
"Oh, really", Kaysiki said. "Really."
Kivara then said, "You saw a rat but not an old man taller than the High Mount
in the mainland?"
"No old men save the Principal and he was making contractors run very quick to
rebuild the gym."
"I bet that old man I saw is luckier not to be like the new kid here", Kivara said
as she pointed to the new kid eating another plate of lunch.
Okkaido and Kaysiki nodded. Especially Kaysiki.
Makoto hmphed from afar as he walked off.
"Mom will probably have to destroy Okkaido, he's too close to the love of my life!"
---- later
At the open field across the village, Kaysiki sat in gym clothes as she watched the
the team play on the field. The coach was busy looking under the seats for
rats as the Principal hovered near to help him.
"We ought to call an exterminator", the Principal said behind Kaysiki.
"Or the police rat control unit.", the coach said. "I do not want rats to
infest our playfield what with the valley finals coming up next week and
homecoming too."
"They will not handle rats bigger than four feet tall", the Principal said.
"They must! My team cannot handle losing the chance to eightpeat this year!"
The two continued their search as Makoto sat down, tired after 21 minutes of
practice. He grabbed Kaysiki's hand and Kaysiki jumped 5 feet.
"What are you thinking, Parasite? You will not have MY HAND!"
"My mom didn't poison the cafeteria food? She's not very responsive."
"Well, for your information".... Kaysiki said sarcastically cheerful.
"YOUR MOM IS NOT EVEN A NINJA!", she then yelled in Makoto's ear.
"Well, I'm shocked. I'll write her a nice little note when she gets off patroling
the streets at night to finish you off.", Makoto said, blushing blue.
"Will you stop saying 'mom kill me' or something? THAT IS TWISTED and you'll
be GROUNDED by your Dad."
"Dad died in a mining accident when I was a kid.", Makoto said very seriously all
of a sudden. "I let him die because I didn't want him off work to come see me
in peewee hockey. Now I must pay.... forever."
Makoto looked around but saw Kaysiki suddenly gone.
"RUDE!", Makoto said and walked over to the fountain. But just as he was about
to take a drink, he saw the New Kid pass by.
Suddenly two big arms grabbed him from behind, put two swords close to Makoto's neck
that were held in two other arms, and Makoto was pulled into nothingness, still
screaming "RUDER!" over and over again mixed with metallic laughter.
Raysiki, walking over to the new girl, turned just in time to see Makoto vanish.
"Now what", Raysiki said as she blushed blue herself.
There was silence around her even as the team went to fight itself in practice.
Somewhere, in a forest close to the village, Makoto woke up and found himself tied.
Instinctively, he went for the ropes and tried to bite through them but then
he was slapped in the face.
"Well, Makoto. Hello to doom.", the vile Steel Reef said as he stood above
his kidnappee. "Not feeling so well since you became briefly one with the
pipe, did you, organic."
"Mom?", Makoto said.
"Yes. Call for your mom. Call for her. She NEEDS to hear you and save your sorry
life. You greedy violent toad. Gives frogs like Dark Frog a bad name. Call for
your mom or I will dice you with six swords of GOLD.", said Steel Reef as he bent down
to stare into Makoto's face. "Yell for her and tell me about her life!"
"Why should I?", Makoto moaned. "She's busy at her dojo trying to interrogate
the one who cloned her."
"Because your death is imminent. Tell me about your mom and I'll let you go. Your mom comes,
you'll go, and alive instead of dead."
"Hmph. My mom don't have time to talk to you, she's busy looking for rival
ninja clans to disturb."
"She will when she sees her boy endangered. Believe me, she will.... HAHHHHAAHAHHAHAHA!"
Then Steel Reef spewed rotten fish smell into Makoto's face.
Makoto gagged as he had no choice to smell and the noise reverbed throughout
the forest for just 500 yards or so.
--- later.
Kaysiki stared at the empty space that Makoto once occupied for a little bit before
Kivara suddenly noticed something missing, too and walked over as the
team was too involved in itself to actually practice at the time.
"Funny, I feel a lot better right now", Kivara said. "Where did Makoto vanish
to? "
"I wish I could explain but something took him?"
"The opposing team we play saturday needs talent that BAD?"
"I wish I was sure. Really, Really sure that was the case. But I don't feel so
good he went..... I think I ought to find him."
"Um, how did he go?"
"I think he went through the pipe", Kaysiki said.
"Yeah, sure, like he loves exploring sewers for ancient anime scripts to add
to his collection within the ruins underneath the city."
"I meant through the PIPE! I must find out how."
"Take all day.", Kivara said. "Like anyone needs him."
"Like anyone should keep him, either, Kivara.", Kaysiki said as she began running off
in a strange direction out of sight.
Suddenly, the new kid appeared out of nowhere.
Kivara screetched as she practically ran into Kivara.
"Well, would you care to introduce yourself now or do you have a train to catch?"
"My name's Kivan..Kivara Euiki...", Kivara said as she could not see Kaysiki anywhere
in sight.
"Well, I'd have to write my name down, it's rather unpronouncable", the new kid said
as she scribbled her name on a piece of paper. "And sorry I was so rude, I was
trying to make a good first impression on the teacher until I realized this school
wasn't as strict or needy as the one I was from."
"Yeah... sorry...", Kaysiki said as she read the paper.
"So anyway where did Kaysiki go to?", the new kid chimed.
"Um.. well......", Kivara said, unsure Kaysiki wasn't kidnapped herself.
Out of the bushes, Kaysiki felt the costume emerge from herself as the net
flew to her side from across town. It stitched itself around her, aged her, and
she took a good look at herself. This was no dream if this happened again, she
wondered....
-----
The old man suddenly heard a rumble from below as Kaysiki emerged from nowhere.
Already older and wearing honor garb, she was pretty upset about something.
"I sense it is Makoto who has caused your dismay."
"How could you think I'd care anything about Makoto?"
"You sense something in yourself in him somehow and do not wish to..."
"Yeah, sure! I really would have to save a fool like him! Well, I'd like a
better explanation of why I should save him."
"And If I did that right now, would he be saved? Think about what took him. Think
about the robot model named Steel Reef, chief kidnapper for the Dark Frog. He can
become one with metal, and one with his swords."
"Wait a minute... Swords?"
"Yes, Reef has swords. Not very confident in himself, he must instill fear
to win...And he has Makoto, in a forest close to the border of the Dark Frog's land."
"And you expect me to save him after all his threats?"
"He isn't as mean as the Dark Frog. Almost, but not quite."
"Just tell me why.", Kaysiki said.
"Only one more clue and it'll start being too late. Makoto holds the key to
your past."
Kaysiki said, "Like I have one he could blab about to the Dark Frog!"
"In a way, yes."
"Old Man, this had better be worth it!", she said as she plunged into the ground
"For Makoto, he'll be happier in the land of the living", the Old Man yelled.
Then he was alone again. Save for a picture left face down and years dusty, far
in a corner. He sighed. Life was good, when he could keep the picture up....
----
In the forest, Steel Reef waited impatiently for Makoto to say just one thing
about his mom.
"Well? Anything I should know you haven't told anyone else?
"No, and I don't think you'd care to know... mister....."
"Steel Reef. You have been given an offer to tell me the truth about your mom.
I think you'd love to live the rest of your life alive!"
"I don't want to tell you!", Makoto said. "For the 11th time."
"Good. On the twelth, you die as I make you and this tree into toothpicks. Dark Frog
has such bad teeth they need picking, and he don't care how they're flavored."
Makoto moaned as Steel Reef reared his swords. Something then came from beneath
Reef's feet and pushed the metal monster off onto the ground.
Makoto's mouth dropped as he saw a much older Kaysiki than expected, but no
recognition was filtering just then.
"Alright, what have you done with my mom? Is she holed up somewhere?", Makoto accused
Kaysiki."
"I have done nothing. I have come forth to save you despite my hating your guts
and thinking you don't have a life. I just... think it might be a worse place
if you weren't around for some strange reason."
"You're not going to be around", Makoto said as he screamed.
"Why? Ohhhh......", Kaysiki said as she barely ducked under the blades of
Steel Reef. They slammed into the ground, carving the dirt badly.
"So you are the holder of the Destiny Net! I get to meet you!", Steel Reef said,
"But you are a new one I have not faced before."
"I think you'll enjoy losing, Steel Reef. I have this net that has some skills of
its own."
"How can a mere net possibly beat skilled swords that are a part of me?"
"Well.. I suppose my net is a part of ME!"
"Oh, prove it already. I don't have all day."
"Yeah, my mom and Kaysiki has a fatal date with destiny tonight at her...."
"CAN IT!", both said as they charged each other. Swords clashed with net as
the two pushed each other back and forth for half a minute, with Makoto watching
as suddenly... he felt himself drop to the ground. Suddenly he was free. Some
blackness had danced around him and was gone after it undid the ropes. Makoto looked
up and thanked his mom, but strangely it started to rain on him only.
"Wha....", Makoto said as the darkness danced across the trees. "You aren't my MOM?
or her clone?", he said as a pair of eyes blinked at him in front of nowhere and
vanished. Makoto fainted, having taken too much shock in one day.
Soon Steel Reef had the upper hand as he tried to carve through the Net with
Kaysiki pinned to the ground, but nothing was cutting Kaysiki as the Net held.
"No! Fall, net, Fall", Steel Reef screamed as Kaysiki looked less and less worried. "I
dare you to not be Invunerable and in Pieces."
"I wish you wouldn't do that", she said as Steel Reef kept trying to cut through
the net, glowing red now. "It has a mind of its own."
"So do my swords... Hey! Your stupid Net is smarter than My Swords!", Steel Reef
exclaimed.
"I'm afraid so.", she said. "Give this to the Dark Frog for his attempt on Makoto."
She grinned as the Net glowed sun-red, and a burst of light exploded from it. A burst
Steel Reef could not escape, and was melted by quickly. His screams were
too brief to scare even the overhead seagulls.
Kaysiki's net returned to normal as she saw Makoto stare at her.
"Are you related to anyone I know?"
"I'm not sure, why?"
"Because something wierd is going on here and I need to talk to my mom about it.
You didn't see my mom about here, did you?"
"No, I don't think I've seen your mom, Makoto."
"And I don't know you from somewhere?", Makoto said, "Nor do you have eyes
that come out of nowhere?"
"No.", Kaysiki said.
"Good.". Then Makoto fell unconscious as Kaysiki reverted to her younger self and
the net went home to roost.
Suddenly she fell unconscious all of a sudden as the darkness enveloped her.
Then the eyes appeared out of nowhere and picked up the both of them and carried them
home.
----Later
The Old man was waiting for Kaysiki to wake up, and when Kaysiki did she almost
screamed.
"What am I doing here at home?", Kaysiki said. "And where's Makoto?"
"Both home, thank goodness. I am very happy you are safe, I thought the Shadow of
Hope had lost its way."
"Now I have to deal with a shadow of something?"
"Funny thing, I thought I wouldn't ever see one after the last bearer of the
Destiny Net retired suddenly. I'm glad they are still on the border helping
me and you resist the Dark Frog."
"Um... what is this shadow again?"
"I'd better not tell you now. Kivara is coming. I don't know why she's so
scared of me, I'm just big, not evil like the Dark Frog. Well, take care..."
"Yeah, you too...."
Kivara ran around the house just as the Old Man dug into the ground.
"Oh, there you are", she said.... "Um.. well ,the New Kid was worried about you
and went looking for you."
"The new kid? I didn't see her around here."
"Well, she's coming over later to check on you now you're home safe. She was looking
all over for you and wanted to let you know you aren't alone."
"Alone in what? I wish someone would explain something once in a while."
"Well, Got to go... Makoto needs someone to be with him when he sees a shrink tonight.
He's been having visions of a adult wearing a kimono, a rat and a pair of eyes
out of nowhere and he needs to know if that means his mom don't want to do anything
to you for some reason. Well, Later..."
"Yeah.... Later", Kaysiki said.
Kaysiki looked out to the setting sun.
And sighed.
"Things couldn't get wierder if the New kid was my mom."
"Actually, your mom hates her line of work, and I'm not your mom!", said a voice in
the wind as the Eyes appeared beside Kaysiki, and vanished giggling as a shadow
floated away from her. "And don't let the net out of your sight! HEHEHEHEHE"
Kaysiki stood perfectly still for a moment.
"That almost sounded like the new kid.", she said. "Nah....", she laughed as the sun set.
----A little later
In a distant forest, the shadow congregated in a clearing. It took form as it
touched the ground.
And it was indeed the New Kid, who dropped a piece of paper that opened the
earth for her to sink into that simply said "Azalea June" on the front.
Pretty much unpronouncable by people of the far future... not so in modern eras..
--- end
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Charles Duncan, 74 Sunburst, Brownsville, TX 78521
