This chapter is a WHOLE lot better than the first 2...
Perhaps those caffeine ruses are just what I need...
they make me act more like Usagi...
Chapter 3
=========
Sundays. Sunday meant Hajime alone. Just him and his music. Or
perhaps someone else's music if he was as tired as he was today.
This someone else happened to be quite throughly dead. Mozart. He
is dead. Period.
Hajime hated periods.
Boring. Inadequate. Mozart is not quite thoroughly dead. It's
almost like saying "I finished my homework. Period." Why did you
finish your homework? In what manner did you finish your homework?
Who was affected in your finishing your homework?
"I am boring," he said to no one in particular.
He listened to a requiem as he worked out the details on his
inverse kinematics...must get out...do something normal people would
do...must talk...socialize...shop...must go to stores...once I
finish with physics model 7a...
Before he restarted his homework, he asked himself the question he
asked every day, "Why am I this type of person?"
- - -
"If I do one more, I will surely die," Nobuo stated to his son.
"Yes." was the only reply.
"Tell him that I do love him."
"Yes."
Slowly, Minoru came to his feet and inched toward the table that
his father was seated at. He picked up one of the sticks which was
on the table and placed it in an old and fragile hand. He could
imagine the hand saying something...perhaps it would say, "Dying with
creation; dying with my own creation." Or perhaps it would reject
it?
Fingers slowly came around the rod until it was clenched as
tightly as a nine hundred and seventy three year old hand could do.
Nobuo stood up and brought his yield to his breast; he cradled it
lovingly in his hands. Magic, life, power, energy. He made these.
"Evil and death as well," the pen seemed to say to him. Nobuo
shuddered at the thought. No more. Today is Sunday. My time to
rest.
He turned his head lovingly to his youngest son. With his eyes,
he beckoned he be outside. Minoru, with tears in his eyes, nodded
his head and moved slowly towards the door. "Today is Sunday,"
Minoru said as he turned and walked out the door.
"Hajime...I know you can hear me..."
- - -
"OH NO! I DIED AGAIN?!?!!?"
Guess who that was.
Ami was at Usagi's house to...er...help Usagi with homework. Or
so Usagi convinced her. Instead, she had filled up an hour of
otherwise useful time with watching Usagi struggle at, no, not the
SAILOR V video game, but the SAILOR MOON video game.
"Uhm...aren't you supposed to finish your math homework?"
"NOT NOW! I'VE ONLY HAD A TWENTY MINUTE BREA...ACK!!!" Usagi
watched helplessly as her electronic counterpart succumbed to yet
another youma; again, she had the privilege of watching herself cry
her eyes out.
"Okay...game over...come on! We have to..."
Usagi looked knowingly at Ami and said, "Tsk, tsk; thou doesn't
knowest the immense power of ye olde continue! For thou must only
do so much as press thine...ACK!"
Ami, quite thoroughly tired, reached over and pulled the the
Super Famicom plug out of the wall socket. "Give me reason, or give
me sign; for 'til I shalt see it, thou shalt not divine."
"Huh?"
Ami shook her head in exasperation, "Let me guess, you didn't
read the essay on Arakawa?"
Usagi stared at Ami for quite a long time, until finally: "...what
essay?"
Ami sighed as she pulled Usagi up to her feet. "Yes, your break
is definitely over..."
- - -
"Sakurauchi has a 1.90 ERA in his last 11 games...that MUST
account for SOME talent...neh?" Yasunori let a bright twang of sound
fly from his Stratocaster.
"Whatever," replied Fumiko, who didn't put down the book she was
engrossed in to do so. "And the combined win-loss percantage of the
teams he's faced is...what? .300? .350?"
"Uhm...lemme think...er, it's .336...yeah."
"Why ARE you talking to me about this?"
"Bored I guess," and another chord came through the amp. "What do
you think?"
"Think? About what?"
"You know...Hajime..."
"He's a total idiot."
Ya-chan stopped fiddling with the guitar and asked quite
plaintively, "Would you care to elaborate on that?
She let out a deep breath in preparation for the upcoming tummult.
"Hajime is an idiot. Hajime is a right-brained genious. Hajime has
powers that we cannot even being to comprehend. Hajime has IDEAS
we cannot even BEGIN to comprehend. Hajime is not human. Hajime is
one of the most incredible beings on this earth..." Fumiko put the
book down. "Would you care for me to go on?"
A sigh let out from Yasunori's tired mouth. "You haven't
mentioned anything about his correctness."
"He's always correct."
He looked at her quizzically.
She reiterated, "He is ALWAYS correct..."
- - -
Sundays are great days. Days to go to the park. Days to go and
listen to the sound of nothing in the vegetable garden. Days to
contemplate the essence of a single rock.
DAYS TO START SALES! BIG SALES! HUGES SALES! SALES SO GIGANTIC
THE ONLY SALE LARGER WILL BE THE ONE THAT COMES _NEXT_ WEEK!
Needless to say. it was this final call that Minako listened to
every first of the week. It was two in the afternoon and she was now
on her way to ransack the music stores (man...excuse me, woman cannot
live on bread, clothing, jewelry, movies, and manga alone.) Just as
she was about to enter the store, she saw Makoto waving at her out of
the corner of her eye.
Minako flung one bag laden with clothes over her shoulder and
smiled. "Hey! Where are you going?"
"Eh...no where in particular," came the reply. They went into the
store in tandem.
"Yeah...things are getting boring around here, ne?" Makoto picked
up a CD. "See this? "Sakura Taisen," battling monsters and mecha
everyday...1930s...now that's life..."
Minako looked at her with a more-than-strange look on her face.
"Yep," she started, "that's fun. And getting energy sucked out of
you and being slammed into metal doors is cool." She sighed and
picked up a CD...an old Rap single from some really old group named
Krush Posse. She held it up..."You like them?"
"They're still around? Bleh..."
"Naah...I used to like them...like...three years ago," she said.
Minako picked up another CD and held it up. "Now this is a really
good new CD...Tell Me...HEY!" she exclaimed as Makoto snatched the
CD out of her hand. "What's the big deal?"
Makoto stared at the picture on the back. Could it be...yeah,
it is him! She looked down and saw quite prominently the names of
the three producers of the album. She flipped it around again.
"Tell Me What You Dream" was the title. She handed it back to
Minako. "Cool..." she said.
"What's cool?"
"Oh...nothing...you like the songs on there?"
"Uhm, yeah," Minako said, "extremely...uh...wuh..." She stared
out at a point behind Makoto and beyond the entrance to the store.
She stared and stared until her eyes grew to what seemed like the
size of oranges. Makoto turned around and realized what she was
looking at...or who, rather. None other than Hajime.
Suddenly, in a remarkable feat of physics law breaking, they
were simultaneously climbing over themselves and running towards
an _extremely_ handsome Hajime. Not making the slightest bit of
forward movement, mind you. Seconds later, through the large cloud
of dust which they made, they could see Hajime turn and...GASP!...
acknowledge their presence! They simultaneously stopped, sighed,
and started again in simultaneous climbing over themselves. This
lasted until Makoto, obviously the stronger of the two, pushed
Minako and fell her with a sweep of the foot. Minako, who was at
that moment _very_ thankful for shag carpet, ran toward Makoto,
who was running toward Hajime at a speed that would have broken
Olympic sprint times.
- - -
Oh no, muttered Hajime as he saw the two girls. It was only
the seventh time this has happened, as he was nowhere near the
status of the major Japanese pop stars. But the first experience.
He did NOT want to remember the first experience. But that was
more for the fact that the girl wanted something from him, and it
most certainly was not music. Which didn't stop him from
associating this with that girl...
But this was important, he did need to know. This could be an
extremely important event...just this simple meeting. Or it might
not. Oh well, depends on how you handle...and I'll handle it like
this, he thought.
"Hold on," he said to noone in particular as Makoto came within
a foot of his face and proceeded to drone on, "Hi...I go to Juuban
High School with you...you're in some of my classes..."
He didn't regard the two when they finally came into speaking
distance. "Be gentle with them," he said to noone in particular.
Just have to make sure they are, he thought...
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Minako wince in pain.
She let out a slight groan as she went down onto one knee and put
her hand to the crown of her head.
"No, I'm doing it again," he said inaudibly as Makoto knelt to
help her up. He went down on one knee, as well, and made Minako
to sit up on the floor amid her continued iteration of "I'm fine.
Really. *groan* I'm fine..."
She wasn't listening very well as Hajime was also repeatedly
saying something to her: "Are you okay? I'm sorry, please forgive
me...are you okay? I'm sorry, please forgive me..." She faded
into subconsciousness, the last image she saw being her own
reflection in Hajime's glasses...
- - -
"Okay Usagi-chan...what did you get for...er...number 12?"
Luna and Artemis were sleeping on a pillow as the dialogue of
homework insued from opposite sides of the bed...no, perhaps
dialogue is a little too much. Because Usagi's statements mostly
consisted of "How long has it been"s and "I'm tired"s. Ami
truely envied them.
"Alright...last one..." Ami sighed. "you take...*yawn*...
this angle, and you take the sine of it..."
Usagi, for her part, was doing the usual. Hearing but not
listening. Math was, is, and always will be boring. School's
boring. Everything is too boring...too quiet. She thought to
herself, "I love being Sailor Moon..."
"...and you get?" Ami finished.
"Uh..." Usagi looked frantically at the problem. Oh, great;
the last problem...oh no! Oh what's the answer...too much Ami
and homework today! Ack...must get away...what's the answer...
She guessed, "Twelve?"
Ami was somewhat relieved at that point. "There's hope yet,"
she said, more jokingly than insultingly. She stretched her arms
up high, "UHHHHAAAAHHHHhhhhhhh...much too long...two o' clock...
well, I guess *yawn* I still have time to do that favor for Rei,"
"Oh YEAH!" exclaimed Usagi as she suddenly remembered what Rei
asked of her yesterday. "I'm supposed to meet her at the new
store that was opening up! I was...OH NO! That was HALF AN HOUR
AGO! ACK!"
The next thing one could see was a blur of white blouse, blue
skirt, and blonde hair flying through the air and out the door.
As Ami gaped at the all-too-short concert of speed, Artemis
whispered, "Just another typical day, ne?"
Luna sighed, "Another typical day..."
- - -
Okay, you can hear me okay?
Uh...who are you? thought a rather confused Minako.
It's...uh...me. Hajime.
Oh great...now I'm dreaming.
No you aren't...look, I know this sounds wierd but I just want you
to know...
Where am I?
That's not really important right now. I just want...
Hey! I want to know where I am!
Was it her or did she feel someone sigh?
Where am I?! Where...wha?
Immediately, she could see Makoto's figure pacing back and forth
in front of her. And then no more.
Oh god, she thought...what's going on?
I just opened one of your eyes.
WHO ARE YOU!
I told you who I am...
Then, tell me where we are!
Sailor Venus...please listen to me.
Did she feel someone cry?
I'm sorry about this...I wanted to tell all of you some other way,
but since this happened...well...I might as well tell you now. A
pause. I need your help. I want everyone to meet me, after school.
Monday. Please be prepared. I know I'm bringing you into something
I shouldn't...but...we really need you. I mean...someone is planning
to kill me...all of us. And then we'll all die...I...please let
Usagi know...please...it's extremely important she know this.
Please be prepared. Please.
He stopped.
How much do you know? thought Minako.
As much as you know...maybe more.
Where are we?
Well...that's somewhat hard to define. You want to rack your
brains over abstract multi dimensional concepts?
Uh, well, could you put it simple?
I'm inside your consciousness.
Er, that IS pretty deep...that's all I have to know.
Do you want me to get out now?
Well, she thought, if it would help me, uhm, wake up?
Alright...Makoto is wondering what I'm doing and I'm pretending
I'm asleep right now...so I better.
Should I tell the others?
Only if the time is right...and by the way?
Yes?
Shout out real loud to wake up.
Shout?
It's the fastest way...but, it's not always the most discrete...
- - -
"Things like this just have to happen to us, ne?" Makoto asked
herself as she paced for the seventh time into her room, where both
Minako and Hajime were; she was apparently sleeping on Makoto's bed,
while Hajime sat down and just leaned his head against the window
sill...
Suddenly, Hajime's bolted upright and looked straight into
Minako's prone body. Both he and Makoto saw Minako start to stir.
As her head started moving from side to side, both Makoto and
Hajime noticed that her lips were starting to move...forming words,
perhaps, or just...
"Uh...er...ano...Mako-chan?"
"..e?"
"Uhm...I'd advise you to cover your ears..."
"And...WHY?!"
"Just...uh oh..."
Hajime stopped as he noticed Minako's eyes flutter. With that, he
started a mad dash toward Makoto. Getting behind her, he cupped his
hands over her ears, preparing for the impending noise...
Makoto was about to exclaim quite loudly what the heck was he
doing, and was thinking seriously about throwing him...until it came.
- - -
One would probably imagine that Minako was a very social person.
Her voice had a lot of exercise. Her vocal chords were a force to
be reckoned with. With workouts consisting of talking and karaoke,
one could only imagine the sound. The pure sound which eminated from
the lips. That such a horrendous and incredible sound could come
from a person so beautiful...for a few seconds, the air was saturated
with the slam of air which came. People in houses blocks away could
hear the boom...some panicked at the thought that it was a sign of
earthquake...others were shaken, both physically and mentally. Still
others, the lucky few, were fortunate enough to have headphones.
The cacophonous jumble of noise, the rumble of sound, and only one
thought permeated Hajime's mind...
- - -
That hurts.
- - -
Oh, god, what WAS that? Makoto thought...thank god Hajime was
covering my ears...whoa...oh wow that was loud...
She turned around to thank him, but immediately decided to say
nothing as Hajime was wincing in pain and verbally reacting to it.
"Kyaaa...chikusho....AH...kami-sama, itaa...kuso..."
Since he wasn't exactly in the best of moods, Makoto turned to the
hyperventilating Minako which was sitting up on her bed..."Daijoubu
ka?"
She didn't pay attention to Makoto's statements...she was very
much what one would call, "out of it." All she did was sit there and
say to herself, "He was there? He was there? He was...here? He was
here?..."
"Who was here...or there? Or...what ARE you talking about?"
Makoto continued. But she just got the same reply...he was here?
"WHO was here? Who? Hajime?"
Minako finally snapped out of her spiel and looked up at Makoto.
"Ha...Hajime...he was here...he...Hajime..."
Makoto heard the clicking of a door and turned around. Hajime had
left...typical. Makoto let out a sigh..."What IS going on?"
"Mako-chan?"
"Eh?"
"Something BIG is going on..."
Chapter 4
=========
Within the space of darkness, there is no such thing as
nothingness; if that were the case...then call it "space" instead of
"space of darkness" Or if the "space" were nothingess, why call it
"space?" Why not simply "nothingness?" But that is something too...
Rei said silently to herself in a spiel of eloquence, "How
pitifully inadequte be our Japanese language..."
She cleared her head of this thought and knelt down on the
hardwood floor before the fire. The flame flickered as her mind
concentrated on the world. The people. The simple idea of "being."
The insanely complex idea of "being." The idea of a spirit which
flowed through "being" and within "beings."
Not that she really understood it, nor did she really bother with
the idea of needing such understanding. Simple faith was everything.
Faith in spirits. Faith in majic. Faith in herself...
That she would find what it was that's been bugging her the past
few days. Or who it was...which she thought was far more likely.
Whoever it was, he was touching her. Touching her mind in ways
which did not neccessarily feel awkward, as the word "touching" is
often referenced to. It hurt. Quite literally.
All she wanted was to stop the hurt. Such a simple task, really.
Find the cause. Stop the cause. Mission accomplished.
But nothing was ever that simple in her life, was it?
"I guess these things would happen at least a few times in a life
of more than a thousand years..."
- - -
Today is not a good day...whenever today is, it is a bad day...
"Life sucks..."
"Don't I know it, Eiji..."
They continued walking down the marble corridor, disregarding the
orange plastic strips strewn across the walkway. Through the plate
glass on their left, they saw one craft fixated in mid-space. A
small plate suddenly unfolded into the space in front of the ship.
It folded with extreme quickness back into the wall of the shaft and
suddenly, the ship was moving faster than the speed of sound...but
there was no sonic boom...for there was no air in the shaft.
"Technology," remarked Minoru. "...technology..."
"It has its uses..."
"Then, why does it take just as long to clean a house with
Eurekas and Electoluxes as it does without? Why does it cost the
same amount or more to travel from New York to Paris if information
is supposedly making the world smaller?"
"How about a reference which has to do with here and now?"
"Perhaps," Minoru continued as he peeled of an old Funk‰ngruv‰n
bumper sticker from the handrail, "you don't realize the biggest
evidence of this world...that people do not love life here."
"Thank you for reiterating that," Eiji said methodically. The
two turned into a room which contained a guard and small electronic
unit suspended from the cieling above the guard. "Good evening,
ma'am." She made no reply. "Well, this event has most decidedly
clinched the idea that this is indeed and extremely poor life."
"Colonel Noto Eiji, sir. Please enter the capsule," said the
young girl. "Hirasawa Minoru, please enter the capsule and take the
left most seat. Estimated time to Sapporro is 24.752 minutes."
She continued to drone on with statistics about Minoru's flight
experience and the various idiosyncracies of the craft, all without
making reference to anything but her own altered mind.
Eiji entered through the door which revealed itself in the marble.
Minoru soon followed afterward, but not before looking behind him at
the young guard dressed in the extremely tight fitting white suit
with short red skirt attached. He shook his head; "Majic," he
started, "majic...how thoroughly abused..."
The girl, perhaps no more that 18 years old closed the door with a
mere thought. She let her thoughts drift...but they had nowhere to
drift to. She tried to ask herself why? to every question she could
create, but she created not one. She had the want to cry, but she
had so perfectly forgotten how to shed tears.
As another craft replaced the one which Minoru had piloted down
the shaft, she turned to see a group of three come toward her.
Statistics piled up in her mind and she iterated them with accuracy.
Numbers flooded her sight and she stated them without hesitation.
That she thought nothing of people's humanity would be a stretch.
She thought nothing.
She had forgotten tears.
She had forgotten joy.
She had forgotten dreams.
Another group came toward her, statistics came into her mind and
she iterated them...
' ' ' ' ' ' ' '
From: jiro@achiral.net
Subject: Re: remember THIS?
To: diamante@cba.net
Date: Sat, 4 Oct 97 13:16:28 EDT
Whoa...I forgot all about this thing!
I sorta remember the intro you sent me,
but his is pretty good. Well, it's a little
slow, it's about time you got into the
meat of this thing. And this friend is
wondering what is the deal with the
cd. I Would type more but I've got
stuff to do, I'll give it a better run
through once the day is over. Ja ne.
Jiro