Subject: [FFML] [Orig]It's A Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl Episode 01
From: Matt Johnston
Date: 5/3/1999, 3:14 PM
To: ffml@fanfic.com

Here it is...
...If you want to C&C, please consider doing it on the list -- good public
C&C is so hard to find these days, and I need the exposure.  ^_^;;

Thanks,
--Matt Johnston

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Feel free to go to http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~matt2518/
There, you'll find episodes of this and my other fanfic series, 
the well-received "Boku No Marie: Music-Box Angel".

     "You need to get in touch with your muse.  Do you know how
     to do that?"  Mr. Motojima cleaned his glasses.
     "No sir."
     "Here's what I do.  Write something about your dream girl. 
     Your perfect companion.  It doesn't have to be a good 
     paragraph,  just something to get you started.  Then, fold
     the paper, put it under your pillow, and take a nap."
     "A nap, sir?"
     "Yes.  A good hour or so.  Really sleep it off."  He smiled 
     kindly, the wrinkles around his eyes nearly pinching them 
     shut.  "When you wake up, you'll be inspired again."

Kenji Terada had writer's block.  When his teacher offered him a 
solution, he tried it immediately.  Only, his teacher never told 
him what really happens when you wake up...

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                         *    *    *    *

                   I T ' S  A  R A I N Y  D A Y
                     S U N S H I N E  G I R L

                            Episode 01
                      "...It Happened Today"

                              *    *

   "It's A Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl" (c) 1999 Matthew Johnston.
                       All Rights Reserved.

  This is a work of fiction.  Any resemblance of the characters
     to any persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.  

                         *    *    *    *

------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday, April 19th
3:23 PM

     "Kenji Terada."  Mr. Motojima held the graded paper with a 
casual antagonism.  Kenji knew it wasn't his best work, but he 
didn't think it was that bad.  He took hold of the paper with the 
same anxiety he had when he had given it to his teacher.
     "Thank you, sir."  The words came before his eyes reached the 
large red mark, but after Mr. Motojima had already moved to the 
next student's desk.  The buzz of conversations and scribbling of 
pencils faded into obscurity.  The whole of the classroom seemed 
to implode into blackness, leaving only the glowing red words:

     Please See Me.

     Kenji flinched.  He was in high school, and a junior no less.  
Only grade-schoolers and delinquents got a 'Please See Me'.  He 
wanted to scream; his hands were already shaking, ready to ball 
into defiant fists of rage.  But he held himself back a moment to 
collect ammo for his defense. 
     "This isn't a bad story," he muttered as he began reading his 
work.  "Maybe a little forced here and there, but..."  He stared 
at his words, and the anger dissipated quickly, only to be 
replaced with disappointment.  Looking again at the three red 
words, he shook his head in reluctant defeat. 
     "I guess the truth isn't kind," he grumbled. 
     "Hey, Kenji," Ichiro snickered from behind.  Kenji again 
shook his head and blinked forcefully.
     "Still, I can't believe it."
     "Can't believe what?" 
     "Huh?  Sorry, what were you saying?"
     "Actually, you were saying.  You can't believe what?"
     "Nothing."  Kenji took an objective look at his friend.  The 
face-wide grin showed most of his teeth, and was too deliberate to 
be ignored.
     "Why are you grinning like that?"
     "Oh, just happy, I guess."
     Kenji played along, though less enthusiastically than on 
other days.  "And why are you happy today?"
     "You know, it's a funny thing, that.  Happiness can take so 
many forms."
     "Really?  Which form did it take this time?"
     Ichiro looked like he was about to explode, but announced his 
source of happiness with little concern.  "I got an eighty."  The 
grin somehow widened, despite his indifferent tone.  "I guess Mr. 
Motojima really does like Star Wars after all."  He tried to peek 
at Kenji's paper, but the boy yanked it from his view.
	"Oh, c'mon," he coaxed.  "I know you did better than me 
anyways.  Why all the forced humility?"  Ichiro punched Kenji in 
the shoulder playfully.  Not that he could have really hurt Kenji 
with a deliberate blow.  Ichiro liked to think he was a Star Wars 
hero, a real Han Solo type.  But in reality, he was more like C-
3PO. 
     "An eighty, huh?  That's pretty impressive."  Kenji returned 
the grin, keeping the paper well out of Ichiro's view.  "Really 
impressive for a computer guy."  He chuckled, a high-pitched 
cackle of nervousness.  Ichiro raised an eyebrow.  "But, you know, 
writers like me don't really care whether one critic likes a story 
or not." 
     "What did you get?" 
     "As long as it reaches its audience, that's all that counts." 
     "What did you get?" 
     "I think that, in time, this story will be looked upon 
favorably." 
     "That bad, huh?" 
     Kenji shook his head, wondering if he could will the sweat 
from his brow.  "Bad?  Bad?  Oh, come on, Ichiro.  I'm going to be 
a writer.  It's what I do." 
     Ichiro crossed his arms over his chest. 
     "He got a 'Please See Me'!"  A voice chimed from Kenji's 
left.  He turned in horror to see that he had kept his paper from 
Ichiro, only to put it in direct sight of the remainder of the 
class. 
     "Kenji got a 'Please See Me'?"  The class gasped in unison, 
and immediately set into a blaze of wild chatter, involving 
failure and burning out and careers dead before they started.  
Kenji crumpled over his desk as a dozen sighs of pity chorused 
around him, spreading from the depths of the back all the way to 
the front. 
     "Now, now class..."  Mr. Motojima began, but did not finish 
his sentence.  "Tanako Yamada?" 
     "Yes?"  The voice was angelic.  A few weeks ago, Kenji might 
have been able to conjure more evocative words to describe the 
notes Tanako emitted in even the simplest of words.  Hearing her 
speak was the only gift he received in class. 
     "Your paper." 
     A small gasp of delight accompanied the rustle of paper in 
her hands.  Kenji had focused in on her sounds, stripping the 
noise of the class once again, until he heard only her movements.  
He could almost see her shifting in her seat, beaming as she 
prepared to announce her perfect grade to Yumiko.  Everything even 
remotely associated with her seemed perfect. 
     "I got an eighty-five!"  The perfect voice. 
     "Congratulations!"  The perfect best friend. 
     "Do you think I should tell Masao?"  The perfect boy to have 
a crush on. 
     "Why can't I be her crush?"  Kenji lifted his head long 
enough to mouth the words to the ceiling, then let his head fall 
as Ichiro sang near his right ear: 
     "I did better than Kenji.  I did better than Kenji." 
     "Ichiro?" 
     "Yeah, buddy?" 
     "I'm your best friend, right?" 
     "Yep."
     "This is a well-established fact, correct?" 
     "Correct."
     "Then, why are you reveling in my failure?"
     Kenji paused to inhale.  "Because, my down-trodden companion, 
my superior mental acumen has finally won the day.  With your 
literary demise, I can now seize the power I've always wished to 
hold, but never thought possible before.  You see, your failure 
and my subsequent success has taught me that, well, miracles can 
happen, and they can happen to me."
	"How long did it take you to come up with that?"
	"About a week, why?"
	"No reason.  So, miracles can happen, eh?"  Kenji wished for 
one harder than anything he had wished for that week.  "Like you 
keeping quiet for a change?" 
     "Stranger things have happened," Ichiro smirked, and fell 
into a comfortable silence as the class filed chaotically from the 
room. 
     "Kenji?"  Again, the crystal notes of Tanako's voice lifted 
Kenji's head. 
     "Yeah?" 
     "Don't worry about the note.  Mr. Motojima probably just 
wants to take more time with the serious writer here." 
     Kenji wanted to agree verbally, but all he could manage was a 
crooked smile and a stiff nod.  The smile remained well after 
Tanako had left. 
     "Don't get a big head," Ichiro muttered as he stood.  He 
walked to the door after a stretch and waved his paper 
triumphantly.  "Eighty percent, baby," he snickered, hitting the 
paper with his free hand.  "Read it and weep." 

                         *    *    *    *

     Kenji remained in the classroom for a number of silent 
minutes, shuffling his things into and out of his backpack.  He 
arranged his pencils, and, after they were sorted for length and 
relative hardness, he sorted them again for eraser length.  All 
the while, Mr. Motojima seemed to do the same at his desk, though 
he seemed much less nervous than his student.
     Finally, and without warning, the teacher spoke.  His voice 
was like gravel pouring into Kenji's head, but it was almost as 
comforting as Tanako's bell-voice.
     "It seems like you have writer's block," the old man 
announced from his desk.  Kenji stood immediately with a protest 
ready, but the teacher shook his head.  "I'm not here to admonish 
you, Kenji.  Have a seat."
     Kenji returned to his desk.
     "Now, I've been told in the past that I'm a rather 
progressive teacher."
     "Yessir."  
     "Not too many classes spend time writing creatively on 
European classics."
     "No sir."
     "But I'm not a pushover."
     "No sir."
     "That paper is worth a seventy percent.  No more, no less."
     "Yessir."
     "But, I know where your problems are coming from.  I've had 
writer's block before.  I know it's frustrating, especially if 
you're a budding author."  Mr. Motojima arranged some papers on 
his desk and pushed them into his attache case.
     "Yessir."
     "You need to get in touch with your muse.  Do you know how to 
do that?"
     "No sir."
     "Here's what I do.  Write a paragraph."
     "A paragraph about what?"
     "Anything.  Try writing about your perfect companion.  Your 
dream girl.  It doesn't have to be a good paragraph, just 
something to get you started.  Write about how she looks, what she 
sounds like, feels like, smells like..."  The old man paused to 
clean his tiny wire framed glasses.  Kenji cringed, preparing for 
words he never thought his literature teacher would say.  
     Mr. Motojima grinned.  "Et cetera."
     The student exhaled with relief.
     "Then, fold the piece of paper, put it under your pillow, and 
take a nap."
     "A nap, sir?"
     "Yes.  A good hour or two.  Really sleep it off."  He smiled 
kindly, the wrinkles around his eyes nearly pinching them shut.  
"When you wake up, she'll be there, and you'll be inspired."
     "Really?"
     "Of course.  It worked for me thirty years ago.  Things don't 
change much with inspiration, son.  It's all pretty much 
universal."
     "I see."  Kenji got up, but a question nagged him.  "Do I 
give her a name?"
     "What?"
     Kenji flushed.  "Do I name my dream girl?"
     "No.  She'll tell you her name."  He winked; it was almost 
imperceptible.  "Give it a try tonight, okay?"
     "Yessir."
     Kenji walked home alone, silently considering his teacher's 
words.  When he finally arrived, he ran straight upstairs and sat 
at his desk.  Taking out a piece of paper, he wrote his paragraph, 
being careful not to put down Tanako's name.
     When he finished, he felt exhausted.  The paragraph had 
stretched into two, and then three, taking up both sides of his 
sheet of notebook paper.  When he read it over, it sounded 
horribly trite.  He wanted to rip it up, but instead, he folded 
it, and placed it under his pillow.
     "Good night," he mumbled to the folded words.
     Sleep came surprisingly easy.  A dream followed soon after, 
though by then, Kenji's slumbering brain had shed the concept of 
time.

     Fog dominated his view, obscuring the trees, muffling the 
birds and crickets.  It stuck to his skin like it was trying to 
possess him.  He shivered, and walked inexplicably forward; he 
knew only that something was ahead.
     "Don't be afraid," the voice ahead whispered.  Even through 
meters of fog, the silhouette appearing before him sounded as 
clear as someone only a step away.  "Tell the fog to lift, and it 
will."
     "What?"  Kenji shook his head.  "What are you talking about?"
     "Tell the fog to lift."  The voice was young, yet peaceful 
and mature.
     "I don't think that I--"
     "Tell the fog to lift."  The voice was still young, but now 
neither peaceful nor mature.
     "But--"
     "It won't work if you don't tell it, okay?"  The voice had 
fallen to an exasperated growl.
     Kenji took a step back in shock.  "Umm, okay."  
     The voice recovered some of its composure.  "Now, tell it to 
lift."
     Kenji rolled his eyes.  "Lift," he mumbled at the fog.  A 
sliver of daylight appeared on his shoes.
     "Say it again," the voice coaxed.
     "Lift," he attempted.  The fog responded in kind with his 
increased intensity, rising to his knees.
     "Once more," the voice sang, "and you'll be free."
     "Lift!"  Kenji pushed his arms above his head dramatically.
     The fog lifted.  The scene around him faded from a somber 
gray into a vista more intense than any he had seen before.  Trees 
bloomed, instantly shedding their petaled blossoms.  They floated 
effortlessly across his view, sparkling blues around pink and 
white edges.  The sky was eternally blue, and one glance seemed to 
invite infinite pondering.  Mountains stood like sonnets, orderly, 
yet somehow unique and chaotic within themselves.  Kenji wanted 
desperately to write.
     And then he saw the girl.
     Kenji had assumed he would be looking at Tanako.  He was 
almost right.  She looked a little like her, only her hair was 
red, short, wavy, and she was a little shorter.  And her skin was 
a little darker.  And her voice wasn't as melodic.
     Kenji realized that the girl actually looked nothing like 
Tanako, and felt suddenly disappointed.  They were standing 
farther apart than he had thought, which kept some of the smaller 
features from his eyes.  But even when he squinted to purposefully 
blur his view, she still looked nothing like the vision of his 
perfect companion.
     "Maybe I should have written her name."
     The girl treaded the mossy ground softly, confidently.  She 
held out her hand and spoke quietly, "You're free now."
     There was something about her that tugged gently at the 
nerves in Kenji's stomach.  He took a tentative step forward, and 
instinctively reached for her.
     The girl's next step was actually a stumble, as she tripped 
over a tree root.  When she hit the ground, the dreamscape melted.

     Kenji blinked awake.  He felt warm, numb, like he was still 
wearing the cloak of an old lucid vision.  He lay there for a 
moment considering the dream, and wondering if he really saw his 
muse take a tumble at the end.
     From behind him, a tiny waking sigh alerted him that his 
cloak was more lucid than dream.  A petite arm lifted itself from 
his shoulders briefly entering his wide-eyed view, disappearing 
behind him.
     Movement became suddenly difficult for Kenji, but he managed 
to wiggle himself off the bed, and successfully fell face-first to 
the carpeted floor.  As he spat out bits of lint, he peeked up 
over the edge of the bed.
     "Good morning," she whispered.
     She lay there, half-asleep, her eyes glittering as she opened 
them.  Her mouth curled perfectly into a smile, and she lifted her 
petite arm again to brush her disheveled red hair from her 
forehead.
     "You're... oh boy."  Kenji gulped for air and sane recourse.  
"You're..."
     "Caravan."
     "Yeah, you're... huh?"
     "That's my name.  Caravan."  She sat up and stretched.  Kenji 
turned before his eye completely filled with the view.
     "Why are you looking away?"  She looked down, and for a 
moment seemed confused.  "Oh," she chuckled as she covered herself 
with his sheet.  "Okay, you can look now."
     Kenji peeked through parted fingers; she was blushing.  "As I 
was saying," she continued.  "I'm Caravan."
     "I got that part," Kenji muttered.
     "What did you say?"  Her smile deteriorated quickly.  Kenji 
gazed at his carpet.  "No wonder you're uninspired all the time."
     "Sorry."
     "You cynic."
     "I said I was sorry!"
     "Did you mean it?"  Caravan's gaze muttered quiet skepticism.
     "Yes."  Kenji's voice softened.  "Really, I mean it.  I'm... 
I apologize."
     "Well, then."  She shifted to the edge of the bed, letting 
her feet dangle next to Kenji's head.  "Apology accepted.  Now, 
let me introduce myself properly.  I'm..."  She looked at Kenji, 
who managed to keep from rolling his eyes.  "...I'm your muse."

                         *    *    *    *

     The curtains rustled as a light spring wind blew in through 
the west-facing windows.  For a long minute, that was the only 
sound either person in the room heard.  Kenji hadn't expected 
Caravan's words to be quite so powerful as they were.  It wasn't 
like he didn't know she was going to say them.  But, as the 
silence continued and Kenji thought more, he realized that the 
very act of saying the words must have something more attached.
     "Well?"  Caravan sounded expectant.
     "You're my muse?"
     Caravan nodded with a smile.
     "Really?"
     Caravan nodded again, her smile growing a little wider.
     "My muse?"
     "Your muse.  Your goddess of inspiration.  The one who gave 
you all those great ideas the one who--"
     "--I'm hallucinating, then."
     Caravan shook her head with the same smile.  "Not at all."  
She winked.  "I'm very real."
     "Then I've finally done it."
     "Done what?"
     "I've taken a dive off the deep end."
     "Cliche."
     "What?"
     "You should avoid cliches like the plague," she recited 
solemnly.
     "Very funny," Kenji grumbled.  "Well then, how's 'I've lost 
my mind' sound?"
     Caravan wrinkled her nose.  "Blech.  Too bland."
     Kenji stood up.  "Well then, what would you suggest, your 
great goddess of inspirationness?"  He leaned on his desk and 
crossed his arms.  "I'm waiting."
     "Let's see.  You've lost your mind, eh?"  She closed her 
eyes, humming so softly, Kenji wasn't sure he really heard her.  
When she opened her eyes, she suggested, "How about, 'Reality and 
I are now at irreconcilable odds'?"
     Kenji frowned.  "Not bad.  A little wordy, though."
     "Okay then, how about this?"  She thrashed wildly under the 
sheets, and screeched, "My head!  Oh, my head... Look at the 
shapes!  Aren't they beautiful?  My brain!"
     "Oh, get off it."  Kenji tried to fight back a chuckle, but 
failed.
     Caravan emerged huffing from the sheets and flexed an arm 
heroically.  "That's what I'm here for."
     "To correct my grammar?"  Kenji offered.
     "No, silly."  The girl wrapped Kenji's sheet around her and 
tried to stand.  "To inspire you."  She took a couple of cautious 
steps, trying to keep her balance as she approached the closet.
     "I see."  Kenji watched her with bemusement.  He considered 
the situation aloud.  "On one hand, I could be mad, and all this 
is merely me projecting my demented wishes onto the real world."  
The blue cotton sheet draped tantalizingly low around Caravan's 
back, exposing it to the small.  He grinned and shook his head.
     "Or, I could be real, and you're just too cynical to realize 
it."  She yanked a tee-shirt and a pair of denim shorts from his 
dresser.
     "Could be."
     Caravan tossed the clothes on the bed and smiled.  "Could 
be."  She twirled her finger, motioning for Kenji to turn around.  
Kenji complied, turning again to his desk.  As she dressed, he 
readied a sheet of paper.
     "Okay, then," he challenged.  "Inspire me."
     "Sure thing.  Do you have a belt?"
     "Hanging on the right side of the shirt rack."
     "Thanks.  How do you want to be inspired?"
     "I don't know," Kenji munched on the end of his pencil.  "I 
just need a good idea.  You know, something to get me started."
     "Isn't that what the paragraph was for?  You can look now."
     "You know about the paragraph?"  Kenji turned in his office 
chair.  Caravan was digging under his pillow.  In his clothes, she 
looked as much like a boy as a girl.
     "Of course.  I've been around since your first story, 
remember?  First grade, the two-page epic about the Antarctic 
explorer?"
     Kenji grinned bashfully.  "Ah yes, the halcyon days of 
youth."
     "Nice phrase."
     "Thanks.  You were there the whole time?"
     "Yep."  She began reading the folded sheet.
     "Then why do I have this writer's block?"
     "Oh boy," she muttered.  "You really do need my help."
     "Yes," Kenji started.  "Yes I do.  But, why do I need your 
help?  Where were you a month ago?  How about a week ago, when I 
had to write that C-minus paper I got back today?  Where were you 
then?"  Kenji's voice rose quickly, his fists balled.  Before he 
knew it, he was standing over Caravan, growling, ready to yell at 
any answer she could give.
     "I'm--"
     "--Kenji!  Dinner!"
     "Coming, Mom!"  Kenji turned towards the door.  "You wait 
here."
     Caravan hung her head.  "I'm sorry, Kenji."
     The words halted Kenji at the door.  He turned slowly, for 
the sniffling sound he heard could mean only one thing.  "Oh no."
     She was crying.
     "I wasn't there for you," she sobbed.
     "Kenji!"
     "Coming, Mom!"  Kenji yelled anxiously out the door.  He 
turned hurriedly to the weeping girl sitting on his bed.  "I'm... 
I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to yell like that.  I just--"
     "--I'm hungry," she managed.  "Can I eat with you?"
     "Umm..." Kenji looked to the door.  His mother's footsteps 
grew closer.  "Sure.  You're a friend from class, 'kay?"
     Caravan nodded and stood.  After she wiped the tears from her 
cheeks, she seemed remarkably normal.  Kenji took a deep breath as 
his mother knocked on the door.
     "Kenji?"
     "Coming!"  
     "Okay.  But hurry up, or the chicken will get cold."  The 
stairs creaked as his mother descended them again.
     Kenji offered his hand.  "My mom's a decent cook, if you like 
spicy stuff."
     "I love spicy stuff."  She took his hand.  It felt softer 
than any he had held before.  Almost immediately the boy shook the 
stray thought from his mind.
     "I haven't held Tanako's yet," he repeated under his breath.  
He opened the door, letting her hand go as soon as he stepped into 
the hallway.
     "Tanako's what?"  Caravan whispered as they descended the 
stairs.
     "Never mind," Kenji muttered.
     "And who's Tanako?"
     "I said, never mind."
     "Is she the subject of that... note of yours?"  She frowned 
at the thought of the note.
     "I said, never mind!"
     "Never mind what?"  Kenji's mother called from the kitchen.
     "Nothing, Mom."  Kenji turned to his companion at the bottom 
of the stairs.  "Now, don't ask any strange questions, okay?"
     The girl crossed her heart.  "I wouldn't think of it."
     "Oh, you've brought a friend to dinner!"  Kenji's mother 
sounded a little too pleased as Kenji and Caravan entered the 
dining room.  "I hope I made enough.  He didn't tell me we'd be 
having a guest."
     The girl smiled and nodded.  "I hope it isn't too much 
trouble," she half-whispered.
     "It's never any trouble, dear."  The middle-aged woman stood 
and went to the kitchen.  "Let me get another plate for you."
     "How am I doing?" Caravan whispered.
     Kenji nodded seriously.  "Just don't say anything weird."
     "I don't think Kenji's mentioned you much.  What did you say 
your name was?"
     "Caravan."
     "That's an... interesting name," Kenji's mother set a plain 
white plate in front of the guest.  "Where are you from?"
     "She just moved in from Hokkaido.  Her parents were hippies.  
Too much LSD in the 60's.  That explains the name and all, right?  
Right."  Kenji answered in hurried staccato.
     "Yes, I suppose it does," both women mused simultaneously.  
Kenji's mother continued.  "I spent a few summers in Hokkaido 
before Kenji was born.  It was beautiful--"
     "Aww, Mom.  Not the Hokkaido story again."
     Caravan shot Kenji a withering look, but Kenji's mother 
simply laughed.  "It's true.  He's heard it a number of times.  I 
always seem to tell it when he has company over."
     "Now you know why I never bring people over."  Kenji's remark 
earned him another look from Caravan.
     "I guess I'm just trying to show off for my son.  He thinks 
it's embarrassing though.  I don't blame him."
     "Mrs. Terada, I'd love to hear the story."
     "Why, thank you, dear.  You're so kind to humor an old 
woman."
     "Not at all," the girl grinned.  "I like listening to 
stories."

                         *    *    *    *

     "Your mother's quite a storyteller," Caravan noted cheerfully 
once they were back in Kenji's room.  "I can see where you get 
your talent."
     "Thanks," the boy mumbled.  "And thanks for not asking any 
weird questions."  He smiled honestly, but it faded quickly.
     "I told you I wouldn't."  She flopped on the bed and sighed.  
"There's something wrong, isn't there?"
     "Nothing's wrong.  I'm just tired."
     "Come on, Kenji.  I know a little bit about you.  Whatever 
you've written, I've read it.  Well, most of it, anyway.  I did 
skip that paragraph earlier today, but you can hardly blame--"
     "--Stop it."  The words were weaker than even he had 
expected.  "Please."
     "Sorry."  She rolled over and looked Kenji.  He was hunched 
over his desk, scribbling something down.  "There's something 
wrong, though."
     Kenji sighed.  "I'd never heard the story told like that 
before."  Kenji continued writing.  "I guess I feel a little 
guilty about yelling at her."
     "But you're getting something out of it, right?"
     She could hear Kenji smiling.  "Yeah, I guess so.  Not much, 
but it's a start.  Thanks."
     "Like I said, that's why I'm here."  She kicked her legs and 
looked at his note again.  "So, who is Tanako, anyway?"
     "I thought you knew all about me."
     "I only get to see you while you're writing."  She snickered 
as she skimmed the page.  "Hoo boy, that's a doozy.  Do you have a 
red pen?"
     "Nope, sorry.  Here's a pencil."  He tossed his pencil over 
his shoulder; it landed eraser first on her back. 
     "Oww.  Thanks."
     Kenji grunted a reply and rummaged in his desk drawer for a 
new pencil.
     "You don't seem to write about her.  Tanako, I mean."
     Kenji raised his head from his work and paused.  "I guess 
not," he considered.  "Not directly, anyway."
     "I see.  One of those 'everything I write is about her' 
things, right?"  Caravan giggled.  "You're such a romantic."
     "Whatever."  Kenji hunched back over his desk.  Caravan could 
see his ears turning bright red, though.
     "Are you always this surly when you're inspired?"
     "Yes."
     Caravan shook her head.  "You weren't this surly when you got 
the idea for 'The Case of the Crafty Cat'."
     "That was in third grade."
     "I always liked that one," she reminisced.  "You wrote the 
cat so... well, crafty."
     "Yeah, well," Kenji sighed.  "The Crafty Cat just isn't 
enough anymore."
     "I know."  Caravan sat up on the edge of the bed.  "You want 
better than that, don't you?"
     "Of course I do.  I should want better than that.  I am 
better than that."
     Caravan stood and wrapped her arms around Kenji.  He could 
feel her pressing against his back as she hugged him.
     "Yes," she murmured.  "Yes you are.  You just need some help 
every once in a while."
     "Let me guess, you're the person to help me."
     "Of course," she whispered into his right ear.
     "You know," she continued, "what you're writing now is pretty 
decent.  You should keep going with it."
     "Th... thanks."  The boy smiled as his muse let go.  They 
each returned to their previous tasks, Kenji to his work, and 
Caravan to watching from edge of the bed.
     "I hope you aren't bored," he eventually apologized.
     "Not at all," she smiled.  "Not at all.  I like watching you 
write."
     "Suit yourself."
     "You know," Caravan added after a comfortable pause, "I can 
help you.  With Tanako, I mean."
     Kenji stopped.  "How?"
     "I'm a muse.  I give you an idea, and you implement it.  It's 
how this whole thing is supposed to work, you know."
     "I can handle that." Kenji turned and faced her.  She was 
staring at the ceiling, absently twisting a lock of hair.  "So, 
what's your idea?"
     "I don't know yet.  But it'll come to me."  She glanced at 
him and smiled.  "For now, just keep writing.  You seem to be on a 
roll."
     "Yes, boss," Kenji hissed jovially.  Caravan returned a 
chuckle and turned her gaze back to the bare white ceiling.
     "Our heart is open," she sang at the edge of his hearing, 
"our reason to be here..."
     Nearly an hour passed without words.  Caravan hummed a 
strange tune softly from the bed, and Kenji wrote.  After ten or 
twelve pages, and three or four pencils, everything fell silent 
except for the scribbling and the crickets.  Soon, even the 
crickets grew taciturn.
     Had Kenji not been so engrossed in his work, he would have 
noticed the sharp inhaling sound and the flash of light behind 
him.  As it stood, he was lucky to even notice when his mother 
entered the room and set a tray of milk and cookies down next to 
him.
     "Oh dear, " she commented with polite disappointment.  "Your 
friend has left."
     "What?"  Kenji whipped around.  Indeed, Caravan was gone.
     "She was such a nice girl," Kenji's mother commented.  
"You'll have to invite her over again some time."

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AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Welcome to "It's A Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl".  With luck, I'll be 
posting this on a weekly schedule to the FFML and my own web page 
(listed at the top of the post).  If you read the story, please 
send me a comment or two -- I live for feedback.  And feel free to 
publicly C&C on the FFML if you wish.

The story's inspirations are a fairly obvious, but I think that 
the combination is original enough.  Plus, it's a blast to write, 
and the first thing of quality I've written in two months.

Okay, enough of the chit-chat.  On to the references:

The Title:  "It's a Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl" is the title of a 
song by an old band named Faust.  The song really doesn't have too 
much to do with the story, but it sounds good. (grin)

Other Tidbits:  In fact, there are a number of old rock band and 
title references stuffed throughout this and all the other 
episodes, so bone up on your ancient music history.  Bonus points 
if you can find all of them.