Yeah, I know, Mr. Speedy-writer I ain't. This should have been
ready in the middle of december, and should have been twice this size.
It's just going to take more chapters to finish the entire story. At
this point, I expect around fifteen chapters, possibly less. It all
depends on how much I manage to cram into each chapter.
My webpage,
http://lavender.fortunecity.com/clockwork/416/index.html
will recieve an update next week to add everything I've written since
the last one, then I'll completely rework it to make it look better
later. Pics, links, and a thanks page will be added then.
C&C please, as it makes the hands work faster. Comments are always
replied to, and even flames are welcome. Sometimes I wonder if anyone
even reads past chapter one.
-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: apcscgrp3.txt
All Purpose Culture-Shocked Cyborg Girl Ryunosuke
Chapter Three.
Ryunosuke awoke slowly the morning after her great battle. Slowly for
her, anyway. Once again the first thing she was aware of was something fuzzy
pressed into the hollow of her neck. An involuntary check of the temperature
informed her that it was also warm, but that didn�t really matter.
She slowly stretched, a habit that old wasn�t about to be stopped by such
a trivial thing as an artificial body. She brought one hand up to pet her cat,
which purred in response.
Ryunosuke sighed contentedly. She was happy, all was right with the
world, and that damned bird outside her window was gonna die if it didn�t shut
the hell up right now.
The bird continued it�s chirping, oblivious to the mental threat. The
window was far to close to her head, allowing the early morning light to spill
across her upper body. She turned and looked at the bird fluttering and
chirping two feet away, perched on the little flower box hung on the windowsill.
Her cat sat up and growled, also annoyed at being disturbed.
With the sort of anticipatory threat people that hate mornings are known
for, she thought, (Come on. Chirp one more time you little bastard. I dare
ya.)
The bird preened its feathers and stretched its wings, then dove off the
edge of the box.
Ryunosuke sighed and laid back down, absentmindedly scratching the cat�s
back.
*chirp* *chirp*
Quicker than conscious thought, her hand snapped out through the window
pane and snatched the newest landee.
The cat yowled and streaked across the room, startled by the sudden
movement and the breaking glass.
A few moments passed before a voice penetrated the door. �Ryunosuke!
What was that noise?�
�Just the window, Dad,� she replied.
�Window?�
�Don�t worry about it.�
�Okay, hurry up. Breakfast will be ready soon.�
�Okay.�
(Breakfast,) she mused, turning to look at the cat. �Howabout it kit?
You want some breakfast?� she asked it out loud.
It looked back at her impassively, tracking her movements as she rose out
of the bed and walked over with the struggling bird in her hand. She bent down
and petted the cat gently, then turned and stroked the top of the birds head
with one finger.
The cat sniffed at the bird interestedly.
Ryunosuke released the bird, all except for one wing which she kept
trapped between two fingers. It flapped franticly, struggling to get away,
until the cat lunged forward and sank its teeth into the bird�s neck.
Ryunosuke grinned. �Good kitty! Enjoy.� She gave it one last pet and
then stood up to get dressed. The cat growled and retreated to a corner to eat
in private.
Breakfast was less eventful, with Ryunosuke eating slowly and Kyusaku
dividing his attention between a cigarette, a cup of coffee, and the latest
issue
of his favorite scientific journal.
Finally, Kyusaku glanced at his watch. �Well, it�s about time for me to
go. Do you want a ride to school?�
Ryunosuke wiped her mouth and shook her head. �Nah, thanks Dad. I�m
going to ride my bike today.�
Kyusaku nodded assent and left after grabbing his briefcase.
Ryunosuke lingered long enough to set out fresh water and dry cat food,
then gathered her books and her bicycle. She looked around as she locked the
door, hoping to see Akemi, but she wasn�t around this morning. Shrugging, she
walked down the stairs, easily carrying the bike in one hand.
She arrived on the street in the middle of a large crowd of people walking
in all directions. She�d caught the early morning rush hour. That was just
fine with her, because she liked the rush hour.
Positioning her backpack on her back, she hopped on the bike and proceeded
to ride out into the traffic, easily keeping pace with the cars. And when the
cars slowed down, she simply drove between them, waving at the people inside.
Ryunosuke knew herself to be easily capable of going faster, but wanted to
keep a fairly low profile. There were people capable of doing forty miles an
hour on a bicycle. Not for that long maybe, but she didn�t care that much.
She was slightly surprised when she got to school. She hadn�t been
expecting the small army of construction workers in powered worksuits, all of
which bore the Mishima Heavy Industries logo.
She slid to a halt in front of a large sign and read it aloud to herself.
�We care about our children�s futures! This school expansion project is
brought to you by Mishima Heavy Industries.� Ryunosuke shook her head and
continued on.
�Aww, hell. Now what am I gonna do?� she complained as she arrived at the
bike racks. Row after row of bicycles stretched in front of her, all of them
chained and locked to the racks. And there wasn�t any room for any more bikes
either, as the construction had made some of the other racks unavailable and
everyone had tried to cram their bikes into the few available.
Even as Ryunosuke stood there more students were pulling up on bikes and
trying to find a place to put them.
Suddenly, the answer came to her. She got off her bike and walked over to
a stack of steel construction rods at the edge of the construction.
Appropriating one for her personal use, Ryunosuke wrapped a double turn of steel
around the frame and then pounded a few leftover feet of it into the concrete.
Everyone else just stared. As she passed, she heard one of them mutter,
�Sheesh! And I thought �I� was worried about having my bike stolen.�
Ryunosuke just ignored him and left in search of Yoshimi.
Finding Yoshimi didn�t take long, not with advanced sensors scanning the
crowd. In retrospect though, maybe sneaking up behind her, grabbing her and
yelling �There you are!� in her ear was a bad idea.
Ryunosuke looked down at the comatose girl and scratched the back of her
head. (Oops.)
Sighing, Ryunosuke picked her up and carried her to a nearby bench,
setting her down gently. She did her best to ignore the stares directed her
way.
A fountain provided water to dribble on her face, causing Yoshimi to sit
up sputtering.
Upon seeing Ryunosuke she involuntarily scooted away from her.
Ryunosuke wasn�t able to contain the hurt expression that appeared on her
face. �I�m sorry. It used to be funny you know,� she apologized.
Yoshimi berated herself for acting so insensitively. �It�s not your fault
Atsuko, you just surprised me is all. I mean, after yesterday and all...�
Ryunosuke sat down beside her and gave her books back. �Sorry I didn�t
tell you before, but this ain�t the kind of thing you just go around telling to
everyone.�
Yoshimi nodded thoughtfully. �I suppose. So how did your dad make you?�
Ryunosuke�s face darkened at the memory. �I got shot by the same people
that showed up yesterday. That was my mom that nearly got shot then, by those
two girls. They shot me, but...�
�They were the ones that killed your body?� interrupted Yoshimi. �Why
didn�t you carry them to the police?�
Ryunosuke shook his head. �You don�t know Mom. She�d have killed them
for hurting me. She was always a bit overprotective, and they didn�t mean to.
It was an accident, and they don�t deserve that.�
�Oh, come on, she wouldn�t have killed them. Fired them maybe, but not
killed them. You were the one ready to kill.�
Ryunosuke blushed. �I really didn�t want to kill her, I don�t know what
came over me. And don�t forget, my Mom was the one that sent them in a heavily
armed attack plane to stop Dad from running away.�
Yoshimi had to concede the point. �So why did you get so angry? You
really scared me.�
�I don�t know, Dad did something in my head to fix it, or so he says.�
Yoshimi patted her on the arm. �Well don�t do it again.�
�I won�t.�
They sat there for a few more moments, Ryunosuke automatically keeping
track of the time till their class, until something occurred to Yoshimi.
�Why did your Mom attack you if she�s so protective?�
(Oh no, can�t tell her about that. Quick, make something up!) �Um, Mom
doesn�t know I�m me. Dad changed how I look so Mom couldn�t find me, but she
did anyway.� (Boy, that�s an understatement.)
�Why didn�t you tell her when she found you?�
�Because then she�d know I was hurt and I don�t think that would be a good
idea.�
�Oh. I see�� Yoshimi fell silent once more. She spoke up, �Hey, did you
hear? We get out at dinner today because of the construction.�
Ryunosuke smiled. �So, I guess yesterday wasn�t all bad. It got us outta
class.�
�And a new building, and renovations, and a huge donation to the school
labs!�
Ryunosuke laughed. �Yeah, I saw the sign out there. They�re really going
all out to make sure no one complains about Mom�s rampage.�
****************
Akiko sat alone in a darkened office, only her face illuminated by the
flickering light of a screen built into the wall. Scenes of her husband and her
son flashed by like missed chances.
Ryunosuke�s first birthday, when her husband had built a four legged
walker that would work the same as a regular walker except that regular walkers
wouldn�t climb walls. He hadn�t considered a few details though, and she had
gotten very upset when the grasping claws had punctured a very expensive 18th
century watercolor.
(Poor Ryunosuke, he didn�t know...) she thought, reaching for a tissue.
(And I made him cry.)
More videos came and went, then there was a video of Ryunosuke and Arisa,
playing a shoot�em up with little toy mecha MHI had released that year.
Ryunosuke�s titanium armored version was more than a match for Arisa though.
Akiko smiled in remembrance. She�d bought that toy and Kyusaku had done
the modifications.
And then there were the later years. Ryunosuke�s seventh birthday, she�d
had to miss that one. Father had wanted her to speak with a business client and
she�d been across town at the time.
And then there was the Christmas she�d spent half of in Taiwan. She�d
just barely made it in time to eat dinner with her family. A whole list of
missed events flashed before her, and the tears rolled down her cheeks.
Why, even the one she�d been present for had been marred by trouble.
(Damnit, I tried. But we�d get into a fight and that would upset Ryunosuke, and
then we�d both feel worse...) She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. (Where did
it all go wrong?)
Akiko watched the home videos until she couldn�t stand it anymore. �DAMN
THAT MAN!� she screamed, pounding her hand on the desk. �And damn his
mechanical slut too!�
She breathed heavily, trying to regain control. Then she chuckled.
�Father always said, �Don�t get mad, get even.� Well, we�ll see how much
Kyusaku likes it when I dump that bitch over his desk one part at a time.�
****************
Across Tokyo, John was working very hard to make sure there were no
adverse effects from the incident. And part of that work was to make sure it
didn�t happen again.
�FORE!� *thwock*
�Nice swing,� commented the elderly gentleman behind him.
�My humble skills are as nothing compared to your mastery of the sport,
Mr. Mishima.� replied John modestly.
�Please, please. Enough with the formalities, we�ve got a game to play,�
said Mr. Mishima. He set his own ball up and carefully selected a beautiful
golf club made of some gleaming metal.
�FORE!� *thwock*
�Hole in one,� reported the Caddy.
�I didn�t say it as a formality, it was simply a statement of fact,�
replied John dryly.
Mr. Mishima shrugged. �So what�s this about my baby girl?�
(Hmm, how to approach this carefully�) John climbed into the golf cart
beside his boss and drove them down the green. �You heard about the cost of the
incident.� It was not a question.
�Yes, I have already talked to my daughter. She apologized and has
promised me that it won�t happen again.�
�Then did you know about her requests to the motor pool?�
Mr. Mishima leveled a serious gaze at his subordinate. �Are you saying my
daughter has broken her promise?�
�No, no, nothing like that. But there may be an, intent, to continue her
pursuit of her estranged husband and the android.�
Mr. Mishima relaxed, allowing John to relax as well. �She is very
determined to punish her husband. That is and admirable trait. I for one wish
to acquire the android her husband promised to build for me. His genius is
unrivaled, but I wish he would have remained true to my daughter.�
�Truly. That android is something else.�
Mr. Mishima perked up. �In fact, lets see just how good that android is.
We can have another built from the remains if this one gets damaged, but I think
we should really test it�s abilities.�
Although he already suspected, he knew what his next line was. �What do
you mean, Mr. Mishima?�
�It�s obvious! We simply get my daughter to cooperate with us and set up
a battleground beforehand! That way we don�t have to worry about expensive
cover-ups like the school. I think we can test a few of our production models,
some of our latest test types, and I�ll see that our technicians finish work on
the new prototypes for the occasion. We�ll get the android one way or the
other, this way we can see how powerful it is.�
(That would be very expensive, not to mention risky. It could weaken his
position with the shareholders. I like it.) John thought quickly, considering
the idea. �But Sir, this would be very costly. Does the potential gain warrant
the risk?�
�It is my decision to make, and I have made it. With proper arrangements
beforehand the risk will be minimal,� declared Mr. Mishima.
�The shareholders should be informed of this,� John pointed out.
Mr. Mishima nodded. �I�ll leave it up to you to put the best spin on it.
I�ll inform my daughter.�
�Leave it to me, Mr. Mishima.�
****************
�Arisa! Kyoko!� Akiko snapped. �Come here!�
Both came running. �Yes, Ma�am!� they chorused.
Akiko tapped on her keyboard and brought up a set of plans for a huge
mecha, shaped vaguely like a spider but armed with huge pincers and lasers.
Arisa�s eyes lit up at the sight and she clapped her hands together.
�Oooh, I think I�m in love...�
�Calm yourself,� Akiko said dryly. �This is the mech that will destroy
that android slut. I had the modifications made myself.�
�But Lady, what about your father?� Kyoko protested. �We can�t be
battling in public again!�
Akiko nodded in her direction. �I�m glad you asked, Kyoko. We�re not
going to be doing this in public. I�ve done some research through the school
network, even to the point of having the thing followed. It�s funny, it
apparently thinks it�s a real girl. It goes to school, does homework, even
seems to have a few �friends�. In public it acts just like a normal girl. So
we bring its friends to us with a bait of some kind, and it�s bound to follow.
After that it will be a simple matter to isolate it from the girls and destroy
it.�
Arisa shrugged. �Fine with me.� Then she clenched her fist. �Just give
me another chance at that android, I�ll make it pay.�
�I had also hoped you would say that.� She gestured at the diagram. �Take
a look at this.�
They obediently leaned closer.
�These are heavy lasers, powerful enough to go through the android�s flesh
armor if they are trained on it for more than a second. Due to the obvious
problems there, these are backup weapons only, good for close to midrange.
These are the main cannons, independently mounted 70mm gattling guns firing high
velocity, armor piercing, explosive rounds. Yes, Arisa?�
Arisa lowered her hand. �Um, begging your pardon Ma�am, why didn�t you
use some of the new depleted uranium railguns the engineers have created?�
Akiko snorted. �And are you volunteering to pay for them? Do you have
any clue as to how much this has already cost me?� She shook her head.
�Anyway, back to the specs. There are two missile clusters, each containing
five large homing missiles, each is equipped with a combination fragmentation
and incendiary head. They�re not likely to severely damage the android, unless
it is stupid enough to stand in the flame.�
They both shook their heads.
�Their main advantage is to flush the android out into the open where it
can be shot at, and to possibly knock it into range of these, the most powerful
weapon on the machine.�
They both oohed and ahhed appreciatively.
�Two extremely strong grasping claws. Grab that android in one, use the
other to rip it�s arms and legs off. The armor on that android is very tough,
as you�ve seen, and it is also immensely strong in it�s own right, but this is
stronger. It won�t stand a chance.�
Arisa agreed it was a very brilliant idea, but felt the need to voice
something that had been bothering her. �Um, that�s great Ma�am, but what about
defense?�
Akiko studied her face. �Scared?�
�No, no, no, just, um...�
�Concerned for her partner�s safety,� Kyoko volunteered.
�Yeah, that�s it. I�m just worried about Kyoko here. What happens if the
android jumps on and starts ripping through the armor again?�
Akiko smiled. �It gets a rather nasty shock. About twenty thousand
volts, unless I miss my guess. Enough to temporarily shut down most of the
android�s systems and allow it to be grabbed by the front claws.� She hit a few
more keys, making the image disappear.
�Okay girls,� she continued. �The modifications are being done in machine
shop five. Go take a look at it in person.�
�Yes, Ma�am!� They quickly left.
****************
�So you see, President Mishima is very determined to acquire that
invention, even if it means risking manpower and several prototype machines.�
�This venture is a bit risky for my tastes,� replied Mr. Aida, one of many
investors in Mishima Heavy Industries. �Have you told him of our concerns?�
John nodded. �Indeed I have, but as he said, it is his decision to make,
after all. To his credit, if it pays off MHI will have a valuable new product
to market.�
�But if it doesn�t pay off the repercussions could be damaging. MHI has
already had to deal with several lawsuits by families of workers injured. Some
of those were expensive.�
�Yes, some of those were paid off in stock weren�t they?� John asked.
�Yes, they were. I know one woman in particular who should be notified,
I�ll call her myself. Every operation involves some risk, but we can�t just go
around spending lives like cash.�
�I agree. I felt that the smaller investors should be notified, so I have
made it my duty to inform.�
�Thank you for the thought, Mr. Smith. If there�s anything else?�
John shook his head. �No thanks necessary, just doing my duty. I will
take no more of your valuable time.�
Mr. Aida shook his hand as he stood. �My secretary will show you the way
out. Good day.�
�Good day to you, Sir.�
As he left, John mentally ticked one more name off his list. It was
promising to be a busy day.
****************
�Ahhhh! Finally, I thought I was going to go crazy from boredom in that
class.�
�That�s not funny.�
�Oh, sorry about that, Yoshimi. Didn�t mean to touch a nerve there,�
Ryunosuke apologized. Then she yelped and skipped nimbly out of the way as
Yoshimi swiped her bookbag at her.
�Sure you are,� she grumbled. �I don�t see why you�re complaining about
the class, you seem so good at math.�
�Yep, that�s me. The human computer.�
�Oh.�
They walked on in silence, Ryunosuke leading the way toward her bicycle.
Yoshimi stretched and yawned. �At least we got out early today, but what
am I going to do for the next few hours? It�s too far to walk home, and I don�t
want to hand around here for that long. The gymnastics club is meeting today.�
Ryunosuke shrugged.
�Hey, why aren�t you in any clubs?�
She shrugged again. �None of them really appealed to me. It�s not fair
pitting this body against someone in any kind of contest. I didn�t work for
these muscles, winning would be pointless.�
Yoshimi ahhed. �Well, what about one of the other clubs? You like
building things right? I saw that little drawing you did of a mechanical arm in
class.�
Ryunosuke smirked. �It kind of comes with the territory you know? My dad
is a hotshot inventor, my grandfather owns MHI, my mom works there...� she
trailed off into thought, then shook her head and continued. �I looked at the
engineering club, but all the boys kept staring at me.�
Yoshimi looked at her friend�s measurements and nodded understandingly.
She wished she was built that well.
They got to the bike racks, Yoshimi staring in mild shock as Ryunosuke
casually unwrapped the steel bar and freed her bike. Ryunosuke looked at her,
smiled, and patted the bike�s seat invitingly.
�What? You can�t be serious,� she said, backing away.
�Oh, come on. Don�t be afraid, I won�t hurt you.�
�I don�t know...�
�Come on, we can make it to your house in ten minutes,� pleaded Ryunosuke
as she hauled Yoshimi on the bike with her.
�Ten minutes? There�s no wa-AAHHHH!� The rest of her protests were lost
in her shriek of absolute terror as Ryunosuke accelerated like a motorcycle.
****************
Mr. Mishima sat in his chair and keyed the video phone for his daughter�s
office.
�Hello,� she answered.
�Akiko dear, it�s your father.�
She unconsciously sat up straighter. �Hello, Father. What can I do for
you?�
Mr. Mishima projected a concerned attitude, trying to convey his sorrow
for his daughters loss. �I know how your husband�s transgression with the
prototype android has caused you distress. As your father, I want to help.�
Akiko leaned forward, intrigued despite herself. �What are you planning?
I will obey your wishes regarding the android as you have asked, but I have
already planned a way to exact my revenge.�
Mr. Mishima raised one eyebrow but continued. �I wish to capture the
android. With the android gone you will have no trouble approaching your
husband.�
�Ex-husband,� clarified Akiko. �I had the divorce papers filed shortly
after the incident.�
�Hmm, anyway, I also wish to test some of our newer models, ones that have
never been field tested before. The engineers are speeding up production so
that we may field a few prototypes as well.�
�A mass attack?� she asked. �I thought you didn�t want a repeat of the
failure at the school.�
�In a manner of speaking, but it will be on a battleground of our
choosing. The units will be sent in in groups or alone, depending on what they
are most likely to be used as in combat. We aren�t just trying to capture the
android, we also want to test both it and our own mecha.�
�I see,� she said thoughtfully. �And I know how to make it come to us.�
�Really? Tell your Father all about it.�
Akiko pressed some keys on her keyboard and brought up a series of short
videos showing Ryunosuke in everyday activities. �According to my research, my
ex-husband has designed it to fit in in everyday life. When surrounded by other
people it acts just like a normal girl. We simply invite it along with a few of
its friends to the place of our choosing.� The videos disappeared from the
screen.
Mr. Mishima sat back and considered it for a few moments. �You�ve already
worked this much out, have you? Let me see what you were planning on using
against it.�
Akiko sighed, reluctantly punching the design up on the screen in her
place. �My two office ladies, Arisa and Kyoko, are its pilots.�
He studied the design intently, looking for flaws and noting the
strengths. �Looks good, one of your creations?�
�The basic frame is a modified HT 34 heavy constructor, extensively used
in the construction in the bay. The armor and additional weapons were added at
my request.�
�Very nice, it looks like that husband of yours rubbed off on you.�
Her face tightened.
�Oh, sorry, Dear. Didn�t mean to upset you.�
�Is there anything else?�
�Well, since you have so much invested in this already, I�ll let you make
the final arrangements to get the girls. I�ve already arranged for several
square kilometers of land on the coast to be used, one of our own testing
areas.�
�The coast huh? Girls love to swim, with any luck the android will drown
anyway. I�ll get to work on it.�
�Good. I�ll call when we�re ready.�
�Okay, goodbye, Father.�
�Goodbye.� He disconnected and sat back to review.
Just as he was buzzing his secretary for a cup of coffee his video phone
beeped for his attention.
�What? Again?� he sighed as he reached for the receive button.
John Smith�s face appeared on his screen, brow lined with concern.
Mr. Mishima sighed again, feeling his age. �Don�t tell me, bad news?�
John both shook his head and nodded to indicate the severity. �A few of
the investors are concerned about the cost in personnel. Some of those lawsuits
were costly enough to make the investors worried.�
�Hmm, yes, those were... Unfortunate. Let them know that I am thinking of
things like that and have had the personnel replaced by ones without families.�
John sighed. (Sometimes, ah... Sometimes you make it so easy.)
�President Mishima, I�ll let them know, but I don�t think that�s going to help
matters.�
After accepting a cup of coffee from his secretary, he took a sip and
returned his attention to John. �John, John, John. You worry too much, sit
back, take it all in stride. All things in their own time.�
�Yes, President Mishima. You are very correct. I will take more time to
do things correctly,� John said sincerely. (Old man�s got a point, after all.)
�Well then,� Mr. Mishima beamed, happy to give an underling some useful
advice. �I�m glad you feel that way. I�ve already had my daughter make
arrangements for luring the android in, my engineers are stepping up production,
you�re taking care of the public front, and I think I�ll go play another game of
golf. You see, one of the most important things about being president is
learning to delegate responsibility.�
�Yes, President Mishima. Thank you, and I will continue. Have a nice
day.�
�Goodbye.�
****************
Far across Tokyo, Yoshimi slowly screeched to a halt. Ryunosuke had long
since stopped the bicycle, but Yoshimi had been hitting the higher ranges of
Ryunosuke�s hearing for several minutes after.
�DON�T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN!�
�Sorry,� she apologized.
�We could have been killed!�
Ryunosuke just looked at her.
Yoshimi took a second to consider what she had said, then changed it.
�Okay, scratch that, I could have been killed! Don�t you have any consideration
for me? I�m only human!�
Ryunosuke�s whole demeanor changed in that instant. Leaving the bicycle
to fall where it was she turned and looked the other way. �Oh, so I�m not? I
have a brain just like you do.�
�Sorry,� Yoshimi replied contritely. �But you�re stronger than I am! We
nearly crashed into that car!�
Ryunosuke turned back around and mentally reviewed the trip, a process
that didn�t take long, even considering her slightly faster thought processes.
�Um, which car?�
�Any of them! All of them! And what about that bridge?�
�What about it?�
�You were in the wrong lane for half the time!�
Ryunosuke brightened. �Yeah, jumping those cars was kind of fun.�
Suddenly Yoshimi giggled. �Yeah, I�ll admit, that was kind of fun.
Almost like a rollercoaster.�
�And the looks on those people faces... Priceless,� laughed Ryunosuke as
she picked up her bike and stuck it in a bike rack.
Yoshimi lead her up to her parent�s apartment. �Yeah, I wish I had a
camera at the time. I would have loved a picture.�
�Oh? I�ll bring you a printout tomorrow.�
�Printout? How? Oh...� she said as Ryunosuke tapped her head.
Inside the apartment Yoshimi put aside her shoes and called for her mom as
Ryunosuke was doing the same. �Mom? I�m home! And I brought a friend.�
They met her mother as they were walking farther into the room.
�Hello Dear, you�re home early today,� greeted her mom. �And who is your
friend?�
�Mom, this is Atsuko Natsume. Atsuko, this is my mother.�
�Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Kagewara,� said Ryunosuke as she carefully
memorized her looks.
Yoshimi�s mother was apparently very traditional in many ways, wearing a
good kimono and leaving her hair in a very outdated style typical of a
housewife. She smiled warmly, accepting Ryunosuke without question. Yoshimi,
however, was subject to a full interrogation about her activities that day.
Fending them off as well as she could, Yoshimi grabbed Ryunosuke�s arm and
retreated to the relative safety of her bedroom. Once there, she shut the door
and leaned against it, breathing heavily.
Ryunosuke looked around with interest, mentally cataloging the posters,
books, small personal computer, clothes, and small mountain of stuffed animals.
The last she regarded with some caution, as it appeared to be rather
precariously stacked on top of the bed.
Yoshimi sighed. �You�d think I�d never came home early before. I swear,
she gets worse every day.�
Ryunosuke just nodded sympathetically. She could relate. �Yeah, you
should see my dad. He�s always been a little eccentric, but lately I think he�s
gone a little far.�
Yoshimi cocked her head sideways. �You mean like turning you into a
robot?�
She smiled wryly. �Yeah, something like that.� Picking up a plush kitty,
Ryunosuke waved it at the pile on the bed. �Lemme guess. You like stuffed
animals.�
Yoshimi blushed slightly. �Yeah, well, people just keep giving them to
me, especially after they see I have so many. That one you�re holding was from
and old boyfriend.�
�Really? What happened?�
That served to keep the two occupied for the next several hours, as
Yoshimi related her dating adventures.
****************
�Oh, come on. You�ve got to join some type of club. We�ve already nixed
the rest of them, this is the only one that�s left.�
�I don�t get it. Why do I have to join a club at all? Can�t I just, I
dunno, not?� Ryunosuke complained. They sat beside each other on a bench,
watching the ongoing construction. The sun had already gone down behind some
buildings, casting long shadows in front of them.
Yoshimi shook her head at her friend sadly. �Not join a club? That�d be
like not dating or something. Besides, I think it�s a rule.�
Ryunosuke snorted softly at the dating comment. �Well, I suppose I could just
get into gymnastics like you.�
Yoshimi lightly punched her friend in the arm. �Yeah, go ahead. Destroy
my chances of becoming team captain. You know as well as I do that no one can
really compete with you physically. It�s got to be something else.�
Ryunosuke pulled her shirt away from her body and looked down for a
second, then let it drop. �If it wasn�t for these, I�d do it in a nanosecond.
Damnit, I hate being a girl!�
Yoshimi looked at her friend a long while in silence, thinking. She
finally shook her head and spoke. �Since when have you been scared off by
something? Come on, if any of them trys something you could break him in half.�
Ryunosuke flexed her arms, pantomiming tying a pretzel. �You betcha I
could. Just let one of them touch me, I�ll knot his arms behind his head and
use him as a football!�
�That�s the stuff!� Yoshimi cheered. �So it�s settled. Tomorrow, you see
about joining the Engineering club!�
�Yay,� replied Ryunosuke.
�Oh, come on. Show a little enthusiasm. There are only a couple of weeks
left before we get out on our summer break, you can afford to be a little
happy.�
�Yeah, I suppose.� Ryunosuke jumped to her feet and held out her hand.
�Come on, I�ll drop you off. It�s getting late and you don�t need to be walking
around.�
Yoshimi demurely took her hand and stood up. �Ah, Atsuko, last of the
true gentlemen, to go out of her way to escort this fair maiden home.�
Ryunosuke blushed. �It�s not like that!�
Yoshimi laughed.
�Just for that, I�m going to go faster this time.�
Ryunosuke smiled at that, for her vision was easily sharp enough to see
Yoshimi pale in the fading light.
Ragun P. Moody
AKA Kichigai
ICQ# 37606443
Visit my site! http://lavender.fortunecity.com/clockwork/416/index.html
I smile because I have no clue what is going on.