Hi,
Happy Valentine's Day, all! Here's a fic based upon a
romantic tale from Greek mythology. (What more needs to
be said? ^_^)
Shunsuke
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"House Guests"
A Maison Ikkoku shortfic
by Shunsuke -|||
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"Unwanted house guests," Yusaku humphed to himself as he
fought off the stupor his college instructor seemed intent
on inducing. "That's all they were."
Godai's class in Classical History was a core course for his
degree, so it's not like he could get out of it despite how
useless and irrelevant it seemed to him. At least it was
easy, requiring only a good memory and note taking.
"...And so we come to the story of the Greek gods roaming
the Earth. In many of these stories, the gods were depicted
as falling in love with humans, or lusting after them and
having sex with mortals and producing supernatural humans
such as Bellerophon. However, one story told of the time
that Zeus, Apollo, and Hermes travelled through the
Peloponnesian peninsula...."
* * * * * *
What had been a hot afternoon was becoming muggy as Yusaku
walked home from the university; most likely is was going to
rain heavily that night.
So why the heck, Godai thought, was Mr. Yotsuya heading out
right now?
"Greetings, Young Godai. I see you have returned from the
hallowed halls of higher education to grace us with your
prescence for this evening's revelry. I look forward to
your gracious hospitality."
"Hey, wait a second!" Godai started as Yotsuya walked past
him, "I've got an exam tomorrow! There's no way you're
having a party in my room tonight!" He looked at his watch,
and said "I have to be up in 12 hours to be on time."
"Twelve hours, you say?" asked Yotsuya. "Oh, you must mean
the entertainment begins at midnight. What a splendid host
you are," he said before walking away as the sun set.
Godai began to protest with a series of "Hold ons!" and
"You can't justs" before realizing the futility of it. So
much for a peaceful and quiet evening, thought Yusaku.
* * * * * *
"...The three entered a small village, disguised as normal
men and called upon the householders of the village to give
them shelter for the evening. As Hermes, Zeus, and Apollo
knocked on each house's door, they were met with rebuke, the
people not showing charity of wanting to let strangers into
their homes."
The instructor walked around the table at the front of the
room, surprising some of the half asleep students with
small pieces of chalk; one pegged Yusaku in the centre of
his forehead. Several students laughed at the situation;
after a few seconds, the instructor continued:
"Come the evening, they finally found a house where the
people would let them in. It was an old couple, one that
the three gods could see loved each other very much...."
* * * * * *
Yusaku opened the front door to come in and take off his
shoes, thankful that for once he was not pounced upon by
Soichiro. But Godai would rather face that dog than what he
did face.
"Hey, kid, how's it going?" came Mrs. Ichinose's nosy voice
as she greeted him in the hall holding a laundry basket, a
towel draped over her shoulder, looking something like a
toga. "I see you've got a heavy workload tonight. Better
hurry or you might not get it finished."
"Hey, no one is partying in my room tonight!" Godai turned
to face her, fists clenched and arms held straight down his
sides. "Do I make myself clear?"
"A party in your room? Sounds like a great idea!" she said
with a laugh while walking away. In contrast, Godai stood
still, hanging his head.
"Maybe the manager will listen if I complain," he thought
to himself.
"Oh yeah, by the way," Mrs. Ichinose called as she propped
open the door for herself, "I think the manager wants to
see you. That's what you get for peeping at girls, kid."
The door closed with her laugh echoing in the halls.
* * * * * *
"...In the morning, the gods revealed themselves to their
hosts, the old couple. Once they did, they called forth a
great flood from Poseidon and wiped out all the houses and
killed all the people in the village."
"The couple were shocked at this," continued the instructor,
"But the gods told them they had been spared because of
their kindness and charity to strangers. For this, the
three would grant them any request they had."
By now, Godai had dozed off like most of his classmates and
missed the rest of the story. The number who managed to
stay awake and interested were few. Luckily for Godai and
the others, the material was in their course books and they
could read it later.
* * * * * *
Godai trudged upstairs, his pack banging on each step as he
climbed. He had knocked on Kyoko's door without answer,
either because she wasn't home, or Mrs. Ichinose lied (most
likely, he thought), or he was *really* in trouble. Either
way, he knew he was going to lose.
As he reached his door, Godai heard and saw Akemi's door
open. Despite his feelings for Kyoko, a nubile and near
naked female will turn anybody's head, and Yusaku was no
exception.
"Looks like you just got home in time, kid," Akemi said
as lightning struck outside. "Wouldn't want to get caught
outside in this. Couldn't imagine being without a place
to live," she spoke while looking out the window at the
end of the hall, her arms crossed under her breasts, her
body just slightly shivering.
"Perfect night to stay home and have a party," she finished
with a wicked grin before walking back into her room and
closing the door. Godai walked over quickly to pound on her
door to make it clear there would not be a party. Despite
his pounding, however he knew his shouts fell on deaf ears.
Well, not all ears were closed.
"Godai, please keep it down! You're being a nuisance to the
other tenants!"
In silent frustration, Yusaku stopped pounding and fell
against the door.
"Godai!" came Kyoko's voice again; on Akemi's door, his head
sounded exactly the same as his fist had.
Resigned to his fate, Yusaku dragged himself back to his own
room and prayed he could get his studying done in time. In
the rare and short-lived silence of his room, Godai sat and
studied before making himself dinner. He pulled out the
book on Greek myths and continued on with the section he had
read before on the story of the gods travelling.
* * * * * *
"...Granted any wish they wanted, the two were unselfish,
unconcerned for miraculous or material things; instead, they
made a wish that befit who they were and how they lived. It
was fulfilled, and after they died, two trees grew in the
place their house was to celebrate them. It is said in
Greek myth that those trees took and contained their souls,
and still stand today, living together for eternity."
The teacher walked over to the window and looked out
wistfully, the ring his hand shining around the room.
"It's not proven or known, but I personally believe this myth
to be the start of the tradition of carving your own and a
loved one's initials into a tree."
* * * * * *
Despite his further reading, frustrated at not getting the
moral of the story, Godai closed the book and lay back on
the floor arms behind his head. The only thing he got out
of it was something he wished for himself with whomever he
married, preferably Kyoko: that the two people wouldn't
outlive each other, they'd die at the same time.
Some people in this world never really know when the gods
shine on them.
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End
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