Destiny's Net
Chapter 3 "Mis-Taken Identity!`
By Charles Duncan
Ponakko was walking home alone from school alone, as usual. He had little
friends in his world where he believed his mom was a ninja sent to slay his
enemies, and did not want to talk to the girls Kaysiki and Kivara or anyone
else that day because they gave him the creeps somehow. Suddenly, Azaelea
appeared right behind him.
"Wha.... ". Ponakko said as he screamed.
"It seems you've been taking an interest in me", she said. "I'm not surprised,
where I come from I've been married elev.... well, never mind, you were
definently looking like you were in love."
"Oh, it's you, the new girl that came to school last week. Um.... Well, um..."
"I see your attitude gets you little friends."
"So what? My mom's my only friend."
"Really? Why can't you have at least two? I know i seem to be too hyper at times,
but I can adjust to a less urgent lifestyle and I've been doing so....."
"Well, I don't think my mom wants me dating underclassgirls or something."
"So what? Um.... I'm not exactly an Underclassgirl or how you rank them, I am well
past 'birds and bees'... really."
"You still look kinda childish but I may like you if mom lets me. Till then..."
"<Sayonara>", Azaelea said.
"Wha...."
"Um, <Goodbye>?"
"What? I didn't understand it either?"
"Farewell?", Azaelea said finally.
"Yeah. Mom! Mom! Can I date her? Can I love her?", Ponakko said as he waved his
arms in the air and ran screaming all the way home.
"Has language evolved so far from the golden years I can't even say <Adios> in the old
tounge anymore?", Azaelea said as she vanished.
Save for a pair of eyes and a shadowy rush of dark wind.
--- later
The Old man crawled up out of the ground not far from where Kaysiki was hanging
out with her friends at a local eaterie to look within as Kaysiki and Kivara
discussed one topic... Ponakko.
"I think it is very strange that Ponakko would have any interest in girls, Kaysiki.
I mean he is very unattractive and has a bad manner, yet he keeps trying to see
Aza... Zaell... Az... Oh, I wish I knew what language she was saying her
name in."
"Yeah. I tried to ask the archaeologist at school what language she said her name in
and he was clueless. But he almost tried to demonstrate how to make a blender
process food."
"Must be a exchange student then. Somehow the principal must have exchanged her
for one of the students."
"Actually, Kaysiki, I don't think we have anyone who was going out of school to
get her. I mean she seems like she is in her own world where things as we know
them are very different, where everyone can lift people over their head and
can do things a hundred miles per hour....."
"Well, I ought to find out if anyone's missing. And if they aren't, maybe Ponakko
could be sent in exchange."
"Yeah, right, Kaysiki, nobody wants Ponakko. I doubt even his fictictious mom
wants him."
"Well, I have my doubts. How bad Ponakko could be if even his mom didn't want him?
That doesn't make sense."
"Neither does Ponakko."
Both sighed.
Okkaido passed by and kept looking, darting here and there.
"Have you seen Ponakko?", he said, nervous as heck.
"Today?"
"Yes, and around here. I swear he told me If I reported his latest shenanigans
to the principal he'd send his crazy mom after me. His mom the ninja."
"Has Ponakko been spreading lies about his mom to you, too?", Kaysiki said,
stunned.
"He claims since his mom's got you under the shadow of death itself, he might
as well include me in the bargain since you defended me. He says If I don't
submit to his bullying I'll be slain."
"Calm down, Ponakko's 'mom' isn't going to hurt you. He's just a bully and a liar.
I've never seen Ponakko's mom anywhere! He said I would encounter his mom and I've
yet to see her anywhere, much less dressed like a ninja!"
"Are you sure?", Okkaido said.
"Yes.", Kaysiki said.
Kivara looked at Okkaido. "Well, I've never seen Ponakko's mom, Okkaido, but I can
assure you nobody mean and mysterious will ever be after you. Calm down."
"Calm?", Okkaido said. "You mean before the storm?"
Both Kivara and Kaysiki sighed. So did the old man. Kaysiki turned for a moment but
the old man was digging already in the ground and out of sight.
--- later
Later that night, Dark Frog was busy working on the remains of his latest warrior,
recently destroyed by the Net. A rat named Aro Boro, who carried with him a massive
hammer, looked in on the mutant monstrosity.
"I suppose you want your turn", Dark Frog said. "You who have broken the very seal
of Gancei that doubled my power a century ago with the hammer of Mayhem."
"And what a sweet hammer it is, causing pain."
"NO."
"What do you mean, NO?"
"I have someone else sent, namely this mess that was once a warrior. I believe he
came close to defeating Kaysiki and her net."
"That mess did NOT defeat her, Otherwise it could NOT have been a mess."
"My technosorcery will fix this warrior and this time it won't fail."
"Well, I cannot fail you either so I will go!"
"I didn't order you to go, Aro...."
But the rat was gone already. Vanished through the ground with its boring arms.
"Jealous machine. This would be much more powerful if he didn't distract me with
him worrying me."
Dark Frog noticed the metal puddle on his table start to boil.
"This one will be so disappointed...." Dark Frog sighed.
---- later
At about 7 the rat had burrowed up through the earth to what it had
thought was Kaysiki's house as it felt it should, since Kaysiki was
likeliest to be home at night. But after bouncing off a buried tower
that once towered above tokyo, Aro was actually near Ponakko's house. It
hid in the bushes and watched as a woman came up to the door.
"Ponakko! Let me in! I'm home from work!"
"No!", said Ponakko from within. "I'm not letting a clone of my mom come
in this house when I know my real mom is out there hoping to kill my
enemies!"
"For the heavens I am your mom, and Mister Ponakko, if you don't let me
in this instant I'll charge the door and ground you!"
"Ground? I never even go anywhere but from sports to here. You grounded me
for life last year, remember, vile clone?"
"Ponakko I will charge the door", said the woman as she pulled at the
door handle.
"Good break the door, my REAL mom will have to pay for it since I don't have
even an allowance! And as a ninja she must live off the land, so bug off
and stop messing her son's mind! You Clone!"
"Okay, Ponakko... ARRRRR!!!!", she said as she ran to the door. Ponakko
threw the door open and from the speed, Ponakko's 'mom' kept running,
slipped on the carpet and slid into the kitchen where she smashed into
the fridge, and fell unconscious.
Ponakko laughed as he whipped out his hockey stick.
"Now, vile clone, I will go out and let you fend for yourself, stealing
my mom's food supplies. But do not worry, my mom will avenge the way you
treat me. Later tonight I hope, she has been worried as of late. And
since you're out I may as well look for Azaelea's home somewhere and
ask her if she wants to date now and then since my REAL mom said so in
an afternoon nap I took."
Aro cane up to the door as Ponakko swung his hockey stick nonchalantly,
hitting Aro just as he was about to grab the first person to come out of
hte house. The stick actually jarred the CPU of the rat enough to shut
him down for a little while, making him fall as Ponakko blindly stepped
over him.
"Mom! The imposter's doing it again!", Ponakko said annoyedly as he
walked out, leaving the door open.
For a moment, Aro laid there, as his CPU tried rebooting. But somehow,
its CPU was scrambled by the shocking force the stick put into the
machine. And Aro, unaware his target had changed to another person
entirely, moaned.
"Now I shall encounter the good one Kac.. Kam... Kim..... Kia.....
Kina.... ", it muttered as it tried to recall its target. It staggered
off, beginning to spark now as it wandered aimlessly, into the small
traffic going by Ponakko's home, bouncing off cars and being even more
damaged needlessly. Its hammer didn't make the cars any healthier.
"Ponakko! You come back here right now! Or I'll abandon you in the
forest! Ponakko! MAKOTO!"
Ponakko was well on his way through town, wondering where Azaelea lived
anyway. And well out of his mom's earshot, and ignorant Aro was out of
control behind him smashing things left and right.
----- later
That night, Kivara and Kaysiki were walking home when they saw the
wreckage in the street and a woman wearing police garb trying to
organize the cleanup. And right in the mess they saw the principal
crawling out of his own car.
"What's he doing past seven at night?", Kivara said. "I thought he slept
all night long, so the upperclass kids say."
"He must be driving home", Kaysiki said, "but how did he end up in a
wreck?"
"Well, maybe he isn't such a good driver", Kivara said.
"Or maybe worse", Kaysiki thought. "Maybe the Dark Frog wanted him now
that he couldn't get to Ponakko."
Kivara looked as the principal walked to the woman.
"Excuse me but did you notice the rat who did this? I saw a giant rat
with a hammer run through traffic a few minutes ago going nuts out
here."
"No", the cop said, "You're obviously hallucinating. You just had a
wreck and you're injured. You ought to go to the clinic downtown."
"Are you kidding? I saw a huge rat, with my own eyes, wander aimlessly
and punch a hole through my engine! I saw his silvery hair and saw the
look of death in his eyes. "
"Oh, you need the glassworker to give you a set of glasses."
"No, No, No?"
"Then I think you need psychological help."
"Listen, I see others in this wreck. I'm sure they can vouch for my
story. Ask them. Oh, by the way, Are you Ponakko's mom?"
"Y...es.", the cop said.
"Well, you owe me a meeting with me and your son. He needs to get more
involved since he's using his idle time bullying other kids."
"I can't right now, I have duty. Are you sure this was a rat?", the cop
said.
"Argh!", the principal said and walked off....
The cop then walked on to the next accident victim.
"Is that Ponakko's mom? ", Kivara said.
"I guess Ponakko has been making up all this stuff about his mom being a
ninja......", Kaysiki said, "Because she claims to be a cop?"
"Would it hurt to ask her if she was a ninja?"
"I'm not going to ask her right now. I think she's too busy.", Kaysiki
said. "But if we ever meet again....", Kaysiki then thought, "I will ask
her."
----Later.
Kaysiki reached her home as Kivara waved farewell.
"Least I can think right now Ponakko's mom isn't a ninja.", she thought
as she opened the door.
Suddenly, through the step the old man drilled through, knocking Kaysiki
aside.
"Hey... hey... be careful,", Kaysiki said as the old man dusted himself
off.... "My dad might be suspicious."
The old man looked at the step of concrete balanced on his head and set
it down after kicking the dirt he uprooted back in the hole.
"I express my great sorrow, but there is a disaster brewing.
Aro, one of the strongest rats the Dark Frog has brought into existence,
has entered the valley and is on a bizarre rampage not quite his style.
He is going bezerk and has caused the devastation your principal
encountered."
"But why wasn't he believed by Ponakko's mom? Even I could see something
heavy hit the car from above, not in front."
"I wish I had more time to explain the details of police procedure and
all, but still the threat must be neutral... I mean, RECYCLED, and
quickly. His chaos may cause the village's...."
"Well, then I suppose I should stop it, But I wish you'd be more help on
these things, because sometimes I have my doubts still about this 'life'
of adventure you've given me being so easy."
Kaysiki reached up high above her head to call on the net.
The net did come out of her room upstairs, but strangely, it wasn't
going to her. Instead, it flew straight out towards the center of town.
The old Man's huge jaw dropped. "Hey! Come back here! I thought you
wanted her!"
The net pointed down at Kaysiki and then floated close to the ground.
Then it took off again.
"This is wierd. Isn't it supposed to be loyal to me?"
"Yes, Indeed. You do have the heart and soul to handle the Destiny Net,
but why is it going away? COME BACK YOU NET!"
"Well, I still have to fight this menace. Will the 'garb' transform on
its own wi....WHAAAAA"
And then the transformation began. Once again the clothes fitted
themselved indeed on her as quickly as before, flapping in the wind. And
she grew older. But the net was not turning back.
"That works okay", the old man said when the transformation was
finished.
"But the net's still not coming this way. Was it something I said?"
"Or I?", the old man mused.
---- later
Kivara was nearly home herself, walking slowly when she heard cars
being smashed and screams echoing from the cars. She turned around and
saw something come forth. It was Aro.
"Kivara, you shall find ruin for your possessance of the Net!"
"Oh nooooooo!", Kivara screamed as the rat jumped at her.
----- not much later and elsewhere
Meanwhile, Ponakko was busy looking for the house of Azaelea, asking around for
where Azaelea lived, but did not have much sucess due to his karma and his
vandalizing 'makoto rules' on most of the houses in his youth. After being thrown
off the property of someone who wouldn't care either, Ponakko picked himself off and
turned around. Azaelea was there right behind him.
"Um, Hi..... I was looking for your house so we could go on a date..."
"Ponakko, I don't know how to tell you this but.... Well, I live in the suburbs...
", Azaelea said.
"Oh, where in the suburbs then? I tried following the directions you gave me but it's
mostly rivers I've been following...."
"Those are streets, Ponakko, on the map. These dark lines are the RIVERS...."
"Some map. I've been following the wrong lines.... Did your dad give you a map that
was wrong to have me avoid you?"
"No, my dad isn't really able to do things like that...", Azaelea sighed....
"Oh, good. Um, then where do we go out?"
"Maybe you should close your eyes first before we go there....."
"Why?"
"Because we are going to imagine a place to go first.", Azaelea said.
Ponakko closed his eyes.....
And both of them vanished and reappeared just outside the restaurant where Kaysiki
was earlier.
"How did we get here?", Ponakko said. "Did you take me here in your car? And did I
fall asleep or something?"
"Well, you did fall asleep for a moment.... must be very late. And I don't mind staying
up late, Ponakko, if you want."
"You carried me here while I was asleep? How?"
Azaelea put out her hands straight forward, with open palms facing upward.
"I carried you."
"Oh, never mind, let's get the date started, Azaelea. I'll buy dinner, it's on me,
anything you want."
"Sounds wonderful. I am pretty hungry.". Azaelea said.
----- meanwhile
Kaysiki and the Old Man kept burrowing under the earth, poking their heads out and looking
for the net.
The old man cried out once, "All is forgiven, Destiny Net, show me the wrong I have done
against you and I shall more than show my sorrow!"
Kaysiki then replied, "Come back! I know I've grudgingly accepted you around... I'll
make it up! Just come back!"
They went under again.
Only briefly, in the shadows, did the Custodian, during his evening walk, see the
two emerge from and dive into the ground.
"My goodness, the rats in this town are getting wierder. I'm just glad the school
isn't the only one with this problem.
Two miles away, the Old man resurfaced through a fire hydrant, propelling himself
through the ground and falling, just as Kaysiki surfaced for air herself.
The old man almost fell on top of Kaysiki and Kaysiki barely got out of the way.
"Funny thing is, I think we are getting close to the Net, but it is constantly moving."
, the old man said.
"Well, where is it now?"
"It is trying not to contact me psionically in any way, maybe I really have offended it.
"
"If it's technology how can you offend it?", Kaysiki said.
"It has its own soul.", the old man said, as both dug into the ground..
----- meanwhile...
Kivara barely had time to duck as Aro swung the hammer at her head.
"Now, Kivara, you will experience the joy a nail feels when it becomes one with the board.
Sweet and beautiful will you feel."
"Um, no thanks, I DON'T WANT TO BE A NAIL!"
"Well, what you have decided to become has hammered your way into my heart. I will
show my love", Aro said as he swung his hammer again, with Kivara barely ducking it.
"Are you insane?"
"For you, my dead Kivara... um, I mean, DEAR! My CPU is on the fritz, but the mission
will be finished for the dark chicken... um, toadstool... um... well, someone
you'd not like MUCH!"
And Aro swung his hammer, breaking apart cement and concrete.
Suddenly the net appeared out of nowhere and began flying towards Kivara.
Aro saw it and tried to hit the net with the hammer but it flew right past him and
flew up to Kivara.
"Maybe now I'm insane...", Kivara said as she reached out to touch it...
Aro said... "Not tonight, dear, I have a Cpu stack error and out of memory and too
many errors.... love is what I spread.... no, no, no, no, no....."
Suddenly, Kivara grabbed it as the net sent energies into her. Kivara thought she
blacked out for a moment and fell to the ground, still holding the net.
Aro looked down at the unconscious Kivara.
"Love, you are the chosen one, and for that I will show my love for you. Sweet Dreams!
", said Aro as he reared his hammer behind his head to smack Kivara.
Suddenly, Kivara was yanked high in the air, still with her eyes closed and the net in
her hands. Aro just missed hitting Kivara and turned up. Suddenly, almost puppetlike,
Kivara lifted the net above her head, and from within her home, something glowing
and bright came from her home, its outline looking like Kivara's hockey getup.
Kivara started to glow very brightly and became a shaft of light, almost blinding
Aro's sensors and also Kaysiki and the old man, who just jumped straight out of the ground.
"Is that Kivara", Kaysiki said in shock.
"I hope it's not a living meteor come looking for my hideout, to usurp my secrets
and kidnap the shadows of the forest."
"No, it is Kivara", Kaysiki said. "But what is she doing with my net?"
"What the net is doing with HER, you mean", the Old Man groaned.
Suddenly it became clear as the hockey stick Kivara owned then floated out
of the window, made a beeline for the Net and passed through it, itself then
starting to glow. Then the Net went back to Kaysiki's hands, slowly floating,
as the hockey stick was now grabbed by the glowing Kivara, who became recognizable..
but changed somehow.
Aro said... "I was right... you are the chosen one....... this will make my
love for you harder to reach you now!"
"She's one too?", Kaysiki said as the old man, seeing Aro suddenly turn around
and gaze on the old man, dig without explanation into the ground.
Then Kaysiki held her Net towards Aro and Kivara, suddenly opening her eyes, tried
to look at herself wearing her hockey gear, but now totally white instead of
the dark red of her school colors.
"Um.... hi?", Kivara said as she saw Kaysiki look towards her. "Am I dreaming again?"
"Um....", Kaysiki said as Aro kept turning around to see both of them.... "I hope
I'm not having a nightmare."
"Is it me or am I going insane?", Kivara said.
"Don't ask me, let's see if we can do something about this clown trying to hurt you."
"Well.... I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try.", Kivara said. She held her hockey stick
towards Aro as Kaysiki held her net, and while the Net's netting streamed forth
to hold Aro who's head began spinning around faster and faster while he made
garbled noises, Kivara pulled back her stick, glowing as bright as the sun, and
hit Aro with it...
And Kaysiki saw Aro suddenly collapse into a puddle within mere moments
of Kivara's attack. Then, Kivara, unsure of herself, simply ducked into
the ground and vanished, leaving Kaysiki unsure why the net would give
Kivara a share of its power.... or whether Kivara even knew what Kaysiki
had become....
---- Later
Kaysiki, after returning herself to the teenager she'd been used to
being, stayed in the restauraunt and sat, thinking on the day's events.
And wondering what to say to Kivara... who probably would think the
event was just a dream.. but would Kivara become like her somehow again?
Only time would tell....
Ponakko yelled from within the kitchen....
Kaysiki got up to hear.
"What are you still doing here? I thought you had a boyfriend or
something?"
"I should ask how can you work at this late hour?"
"Because I can't pay the bill. I treated Azaelea to whatever she wanted
on the menu, and it turns out she wanted all-you-can-eat, problem is her
definition of it is to pay one price for each plate! I have to do these
dishes all weeknights for a week to cover the tab, and you know what the
worst part is? I had a wonderful time until I got the bill. She's pretty
knowledgable on love and a lot of things....."
"Um, where is Azaelea?"
"Over there...."
Kaysiki looked over in the corner where Ponakko pointed....
And saw Azaelea, with a swollen belly almost bigger than Ponakko was...
Kaysiki, concerned, asked "Azaelea, are you all right?"
"Just stay away from the liver and onions.... It looks better than it
tastes...."
The resultant burp shook the entire restaurant.
----- later
Kivana, in her own home, finally got there in the dark, and climbed in
through the window.
"What a strange dream. At least things are back to normal...", she said
as she turned on the lights.
Then Kivana saw her hair was solid white and was still wearing hockey
gear.
Kivana scream's echoed long into the night as the old man emerged
outside, to listen..... hoping somehow he could explain what Kivana had
somehow called on.... and whether Kaysiki and Kivana would remain
friends.... once destiny was netting them...
the end
