[FFML] [FIC][R.5/MARVEL] Gosunkugi: The Amazing Spiderman Side Story

Hi, gang! Man, it's been awhile, but now I'm back! For those who've wondered where I've been, I was getting a little tired of anime fics. I felt I had to recharge the ol' batteries. As such, I went on a nostalgia trip and rediscovered ThunderCats. On finding a few web groups that wrote fanfics about it, and writing a few myself, I started to revitalize my drive to write fanfics on the FFML. Now that I've also started watching Ranma again (I'll be purchasing "Digital Dojo" on DVD by the end of this week) and reading the manga, I've finally gotten started again.
This little stint was my entry in a One Hour Challenge a long time ago. I pulled it up, dusted it off, and finished it. I hope you all like it!
For those who want the rest of the fic, Gary Kleppe has it (along with a great image he did) on http://www.garykleppe.org/hosted/spidey Also, Farzad Mansouri has it on his site with Bubblegum Chromosome.
Good to be back!

Knight Writer -- Who put the country in a Winnebago?

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This fic is set in Hikaru Gosunkugi: The Amazing Spiderman between
chapters twenty-one and twenty-two

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There are times when I have to ask myself one question: How the hell
did I get here? It's not a question of sequential events. Was it fate?
God? Destiny? Who knows? I sure as hell don't. Of all the things that
ran through my mind when I felt that spider bite me on the hand and the
powers it gave me, absolutely none of them happened.
Becoming popular: Nope.
Winning Akane Tendo's heart: Swing and a miss!
Finally defeating Ranma Saotome: No, sir.
At long last being respected: Are you kidding me?
That's not to say that life has been boring, though. Far from it.
Every time I put on this costume, I put my life on the line and I'm
still not really sure what for. I've won a few battles, sure, put out a
few fires, but it seems sometimes that no matter how hard I try to help,
I only make things worse.
And that brings me to another question: Is this all worth it? Being
Spiderman has given me a lot, but it's taken a lot away. It's funny,
really, that the things I've lost are the ones I never cherished enough.
I've lost my own family because of my alter-ego, because of that damn
lunatic Kraven the Hunter.
Well, I guess it's no surprise. When Mom confronted me in my own
room, I had no choice but to tell her. I still don't know if that was a
good idea, though. I know she worries every time Spiderman makes the
news. Even now that I've moved out, she still calls me from time to
time, and somehow Spiderman always creeps into the conversation. She
still wants me to give it all up, to come back home. Part of me wants to
do that.
So why don't I? I don't know. Aw, hell, let's be honest. Playing
superhero is how I get my kicks. It's what makes me feel alive.
It's like a drug. That thought surprises me a little. I'm addicted
to web-slinging and, just like a narcotic, it's destroying my life. I
want my family back. I want Miku back. I want my life back!
The spider sense comes to life. It's time to do that hero thing
again. I follow my spider sense as I drop from the ledge, homing in like
a guided missile. I wonder what it is as I swing out on a web. A
mugging? A rape? Maybe a robbery? Whatever it is, I swing towards it as
fast as I can go. The sooner I get this one over with, the better. I'm
freezing out here!
There, an apartment just ahead. A window is open, and my spider
sense is going ballistic. Yep, a robbery.
"Don't hurt him!"
Uh-oh. A robbery that went south.
"Shut up, bitch!"
I have the right angle... the guy's by the window with his back
turned... I release the web.
"Having a party and didn't invite me?" I quip as my feet hit the
man's back like a rocket. He flies forward and into the wall hard enough
to leave a man-shaped imprint. I'll bet that hurt...
"Holy jeez..."
I turn to the second guy, and my heart stops for a second.
"Listen, man," I say in my best reasoning voice. "Put the knife
down. Let the kid go." He's nervous. I can see the knife shaking in his
grip. If I've learned one thing, it's that nervous thugs can become
desperate thugs real quick.
"Why me?" he exclaims. "WHY ME?!"
"Spiderman... please..." I hear the boy's mother pleade from the
left. "Don't let him hurt my boy!"
"Let him go," I say to the man. Every nerve in my body is tingling
with anxiety and fear. All he has to do is move that knife just few
centimeters, and that kid won't have any hope.
"Don't fuck with me, Spiderman!"
"I'm not gonna move, okay! Let the kid go, and I'll let you walk
outta here!"
"NO! How do I know you won't make a move when I let him go?"
"I promise you, man. I won't stop you. Just don't hurt him!"
I can feel the situation spiralling out of control. The guy's
beginning to panic. He knows he's cornered, and this hysterical mother's
child is his only shield.
"HELP HIM! PLEASE!" She's screaming, now, and it's not helping one
bit.
"Listen to me, kid," I say. "He's not gonna hurt you." To him,
"Right?"
"Just don't fuck with me!"
"Okay, okay! Here, I'm backing off." I step away from him slowly,
careful to keep my hands in front of me.
"Good. That's real good, Spiderman!" He begins to sidle over to the
apartment door. He really thinks he can get out of here. By now the
neighbors have to have called the cops. Either Mister Rocket Scientist
doesn't know that, or doesn't care.
I look into the boy's eyes, wide and filled with terror, and I know that
there's no way in hell I'm gonna just let this thug walk out with him. I tune
out the mother's frantic yells, the muted sound of voices out in the hall. The
world for me condences into the knife at the kid's throat. I just hope nobody
notices me adjusting the aim of my right hand ever so slightly... This one has
to be perfect.
The strand of webbing lands true just behind the wrist with just enough pressure
to stick. Before the thug can yell, I've already wrenched his arm clear of the boy's
throat. With a twist, I reel him in and adhere him to the wall in what I'll probably
think is a rather stylish pose.
I can faintly hear the sirens below, the voices in the hall growing more frantic.
Looks like I've overstayed my welcome. I spare the mother a quick glance, and
can't help but smile. She's holding her son as if he would vanish if she let him go.
Speaking of vanishing, I do believe I should do the same. The cops are still after
me.
"Spiderman!"
"You two okay?" I ask. Dumb question, I know, but it seemed like the right one.
"Thank you!"
"You're so cool!"
"Hey, what else is a Spiderman for?" They're both looking at me, not afraid, not
angry, but grateful. I don't bother with another quip before leaping out the window and
firing a web out toward a nearby skyscraper.
As I swing above the streets - good thing I'm not scared of heights - I feel myself
smile a little. I still can't say for certain if all I've given up is worth what I have, but
the knowledge that the little boy still has a future and that his mother still has him
to tuck in at night kinda puts it in perspective.
I'm not gonna rant about the path of a hero, or the trials of doing what's right, I'm
not that melodramatic, but at least I think I have some kind of answer.
Who cares why I do this? Justice, fame, glory, none of that really matters. I just
do. And - for now, anyway - that's enough.