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Sincerity
An I's/Something Positive fic
By Chester Casta�eda
gab_ab@edsamail.com.ph
http://www.geocities.com/gabriel_abdiel/fanfiction.htm

Not just an I's oneshot... an I's/Something Positive 
crossover... can you believe it? Warning... there are 
some spoilers ahead.

A few more notes before proceeding:

< > indicates character thoughts
" " indicates character speech


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     "Congratulations, It-chan! You have achieved your dreams!"

     Itsuki Akiba smiled wondrously for the digital camera for one last 
time before turning it off, making use of a 'fade-out' special effect in
the device to finish her special video letter for a certain special 
someone. She briefly considered editing the footage further before 
burning it on a dvd for something even more special... she was the 
talented artist, after all... but those thoughts were for another day... 
or not. Who knew? 

     She sighed once. "The things I do for that guy..." she murmured to
herself in Japanese before packing-up the tripod with the various other 
sophisticated equipment she 'borrowed' from the set where she was 
currently working as a props designer. 

     She shrugged in spite of herself. <They won't miss it... and 
Miller-san said that he'll cover for me if ever the moody-wussy props
department manager gets wind of this,> she reassured herself. 

     "I wonder if he liked my new hair? Geez, I wonder if he let his 
own hair grow into that spiky mess it once was?  He should go to the 
barber more often... I mean, a haircut's cheap and all, right? Besides, 
that hair doesn't look good on him at all... I wonder if Iori-san's the 
one cutting his hair nowadays?" Itsuki mused to herself in her native 
tongue, talking to no one in particular and as she idly looked around 
for any sign of trouble in the set. 

     She breathed a sigh of relief. As always, the movie set was near
empty, with only a few crewmen and stagehands hanging around, having
some idle chit-chat and some such. Such was the notoriety of the typical
Hollywood film set... it was usually composed of irate directors, 
prima-donna actors and long intervals of free time. 

     "Hey, what are you doing here in all your lonesome?" was what she
wanted to hear after making such an exaggerated show of emotions in her
monologue. To which she would reply, "Oh nothing much... just hanging 
around... talking to non-existent people in Japanese while scaring the 
bejeezus out of all the gaijin folk... oh, and sending a childhood 
friend/un-ex-boyfriend a dvd letter... what's up with you?" 
    
     "Oh, I'm still a soulless, no good son-of-a-bitch who's out to ruin
Christmas by murdering Santa Claus. Care to join me for lunch? I'm 
ordering a fetus soup with a small salad side-dish," was what greeted 
Itsuki out of her reverie instead.

     "Auugh! Don't startle me like that! Being such a 'what-a-face'
like you, it's such an awful punishment to befall an innocent girl like
myself," Itsuki said in mock distaste as she teased the gangly, 
bespectacled young man before her. 

     "Point one... you knew I was coming here. Point two... I applaud
your ability to create catch-phrases reminiscent of things heard in a 
Kindergarten playground fight." 

     "I doubt you could survive one," Itsuki cheerily countered as she 
gave him the finger.  "I see you're still your cheerful, happy self,
Davan-kun."

     The one identified as Davan shrugged. "I was going easy on you. It 
could have gone much worse... I could have brought a camera. Imagine 
that... a picture of a young nubile Chinese girl and a digicam setup 
equals a profitable hot webcam feed sex site rumor... which means 
there'll be more blackmail fodder for me." 

     Itsuki regarded the lanky man with half-lidded eyes. "Cut the 
bullshit already. You're one of the reasons why I'm having second 
thoughts about learning English as a second language. Besides that, 
I'm Japanese, not Chinese, you asshole! Japanese!" She none-to-lightly
whapped the errant cynic on the head. "So much for your supposed stand
against prejudices, you half-wit hypocrite!" 

     As her attention typically shifted faster than a five-year-old 
tot's, she again looked around the mostly empty lot reflexively. She 
gave a satisfied nod as she hugged the aforementioned black leather bag
containing her precious digicam protectively.

     "You're acting like you have pot stashed in that black bag of yours.
What gives, Itchy?" Davan insinuated as he gently rubbed the forming lump
at the back of his head, calling Itsuki by the pet name given to her by
their mutual little 'group'. "Geez, that hurts... are you ovulating or 
something?"

     She mostly ignored the snide remark directed at her as she hastily 
left the packed-up equipment nearby the other stacks for the set 
custodian, Matthews-san, to pick up later. She smiled sinisterly at 
Davan. "Sooo... you came here after all. You do have your redeeming 
points."  
  
     "Whatever. I'm mostly doing this as a favor to PeeJee," Davan said
as he tried to resist his urge to shudder at Itsuki's malicious smirk. 
"So cut to the chase, kid... what sort of crime do you want me to 
commit? Let me remind you, this won't come cheap." 

     Itsuki giggled nervously. "Well, since the movie set is kind of 
quiet and all, and all the actors are either playing golf or going out 
for lunch as we speak... I was kind of wondering...."

     Davan raised an eyebrow. "You're not... oh, not again..." he 
whined as he slapped his hand over his face, shaking his head. 

     "Man... I should have known that there was a reason why you and 
PeeJee are friends... you both suffer from temporary insanity from 
time to time. No... on second thought, no amount of money could pay for 
the manipulations you'll be administering to my person... you can't 
make me do it." 

     Itsuki pouted cutely as she shifted from one foot to the other. 
"But Davan-kun... this is important to me! I figured I could probably 
edit this video in an actual store for a few hundred bucks, but if we 
already have the sophisticated equipment needed to edit it _here_, then
I don't see the problem at all... please, Davan-kun? Consider it an 
unofficial date of sorts."

     Davan rubbed his temples in irritation. He knew it was ultimately 
futile to reason with or to resist the girl, but goddammit, he was going
to try. "The problem you don't immediately see is called 'Breaking and
Entering', among many other things I couldn't remember for the life of 
me... and stop the 'I'm a cute Asian girl' act, I'm not falling for it.
No way in hell you're going to convince me to do that."




***




     <I hate myself... I really do,> Davan reasoned to himself as he and
Itsuki discreetly tiptoed toward the video editing room a few yards from
the set.

     "This is where they make the impromptu snipping and editing of 
footage before they ship the film out for some major editing... what's 
so cool is that they even have equipment here for digital videos and 
stuff...." Itsuki rattled on as she did the same thing on the 
doorknob.

     "Ah... the door's locked. This situation is just like before... 
eh, Itchy?" Davan sighed loudly. <Actually, it's _exactly_ like 
before... with the door locked and her forgetting about the keys. 
Again.> 

     Itsuki stuck her tongue out. "Shows how much you know. I have the
keys right here!" The keys jingled as she fished them out from her left 
pocket. "See? Now stop being a worryfart so that we could get this over
with."

     "It's 'worrywart,' Itchy," Davan deadpanned, wondering to himself
why he even bothered saying it. Besides that, other thoughts occupied 
his mind... like the fact that he still couldn't take away the feeling 
of dread he had in the pits of his stomach... he still braced himself, 
waiting for the other shoe to drop.

     "But Aubrey-chan said..." Itsuki started, as if she momentarily 
forgot her supposed important task at hand.

     "'Aubrey-chan' says a lot of things... things best not remembered,
especially if you're in the receiving end of it," Davan said, nodding
sagely. 

     "Oh! Oh! Like the story she told me about the time she drank bad
coffee in a coffee shop where she said 'I could menstruate a better
cup of coffee than this'?" Itsuki giggled. "That was funny... it's 
a... what do you Americans call it? A 'Classic?'"

     Davan reflexively winced as he finally made his way in the dark 
room... more because of what Itsuki said than anything else. 
Switchboards, panels and television monitors greeted the odd couple
as they entered. "So you've been hanging out with Aubrey too, eh?"  

     Itsuki nodded, grinning carelessly. "I like her. She's funny.
She even offered to give me a Sarcasm and Cynicism Seminar... for
a small fee, of course."

     "Of course." Davan raised an eyebrow at that. "I'm guessing that, 
knowing Aubrey, it somehow involves extended conversations with me?" 

     "As a matter of fact, yes," Itsuki affirmed. "But then I thought,
'Why should I pay anyone for long, depressing chats with Davan-kun?'
That's just not right... so I declined." She then beamed ceaselessly at 
him.

     Davan, for his part, groaned. <I wonder what she's taking?> he
idly wondered to himself as his discomfort rose to phenomenal rates.
<How could a girl be so incessantly happy every single day?> He then 
wondered why he was there. After remembering the reason and berating 
himself for his stupidity because of said reason, Davan spoke.

     "Hey, Itchy... aren't you supposed to edit that video you made 
for your ex?" Davan reminded, as nonchalantly as possible since he 
didn't want to get involved in the obviously personal, touchy subject. 
He had his fair share of break-up horror stories, after all. 

     Itsuki nodded mutely as she unzipped her black bag. While
her back was turned as she fit each plug to its respective socket,
she spoke... trying to sound nonchalant but failing. "What are you
and Aubrey, Davan-kun?"

     "Begging your pardon?" Davan didn't even seem fazed as he asked
the question, apparently feigning innocence. "That doesn't even vaguely 
sound grammatically correct."

     But the Japanese girl was too curious to be embarrassed. "I
was wondering... are you two girlfriend-boyfriend? Lovers? Or is it
like that show 'Will and Grace' where...."  

     "I'd appreciate it if you discontinued that train of thought," 
Davan growled, not acknowledging the irritating fact that his own jibe 
backfired on him. "For an ethnic minority, you're well and good on 
stereotyping. So I don't suppose you'd mind my asking if dog meat 
really is a delicacy over your side of the world?"

     Itsuki waved him off as she finished setting-up the device,
giggling in apparent delight. "Joudan, joudan! Oh, excuse my lingual
slip-up... I was just joking, Davan-kun! No need to be so defensive!"

     "I suddenly found those long, black cables you're handling to
be quite interesting... I don't suppose you know what the word 'lynch'
means... eh, Itchy?" Davan retorted. Itsuki just hummed a little ditty
in response.
 
     "There! All done!" Itsuki cheered. She then began flipping 
switches and pressing buttons in proper sequence with practiced ease.

     "Finally... let's get this over with," Davan bemoaned.  He then 
watched listlessly as a video monitor flickered to life, finally
showing the contents of the digicam. "If I wanted to watch a foreign 
language flick with a chick in it, there'd better be some stripping."

    Itsuki didn't even notice the acerbic barb as the video played
in the television screen, lost in her thoughts and memories.

        



***      




     "Why does Davan-kun hate me so much, PeeJee-chan?" Itsuki asked 
straightforwardly at PeeJee, not so much as fazing the purple-haired
girl. "I mean... not to brag or anything, but I can usually get along
with all the people I meet... why is he so... so...?"     

     "Anal?" PeeJee offered.

     "Ass-holic," Itsuki concluded.

     "Oh... don't tell me. You've been hanging out with Aubrey, haven't
you?" PeeJee nodded in understanding. A word that uniquely bad could
only come from the bespectacled wide-eyed girl and the unfortunate ones
who were exposed to her presence for too long.

     Itsuki shrugged. "I like her choice of words. They're... creative, 
for lack of a better term." She then idly tapped insistently on the 
bar's wooden counter as she said, "Getting back to the situation at 
hand...."

     PeeJee mirrored Itsuki's shrug. "Don't feel so special. Davan's 
ass-holic with everyone and everything. There are a few exceptions of
course, but there's a reason why they're called exceptions... mostly 
because they're not in the majority. There's an ethnic minority of 
people that Davan's nice to, and they're rarer than Mohicans or
Aztec people."

     "But why do I get the feeling that Davan-kun is going out of his 
way to be mean to me?" Itsuki insisted, pouting.

     "Waitasec... 'Davan is going out of his way to be mean'? If that
isn't an oxymoron, then I don't know what is," PeeJee said, sighing.
She then took another swig of her drink before speaking.

     "Look, kid... you're nice and all, disregarding the fact that we 
became acquaintances through Jason, bless that fat guy's soul... but 
what I'm trying to say is that Davan doesn't really like having 
'acquaintances,'" PeeJee said while emphasizing the last word by 
gesturing impromptu quotation marks with the first two fingers of both 
her hands.

     "The exact same thing happened to Anna, another one of Jason's
theater acquaintances," PeeJee continued to her rapt audience. "When
Davan first met her, he summarily snapped at her. Y'know why? Y'know
what's the main similarity between you and Anna?"

     Itsuki tilted her head in her curiosity. "What is it?"

     PeeJee gave Itsuki a friendly slap on the shoulder. "Other than
the obvious youngness, you're both so goddamn frickin' happy... and 
Davan just can't stand it." Itsuki simply blinked at the last statement, 
not fully understanding what PeeJee was trying to say.

     The Canadian girl gave the Japanese girl an impish grin, the smell 
of alcohol all-apparent in her breath. "I hate to tell you this since 
you can somehow get along with _nearly_ every one of us... me, Jhim, 
Aubrey, Jason, Kim... it's amazing. But you, to be quite frank about it, 
stick out of this group like a sore thumb."

     More confusion crossed Itsuki's face. "Why's that, PeeJee-chan?"
 
     PeeJee motioned at Itsuki's statement. "That's why! It's... your
generic well-being, I think. The way you put in '-chan' or '-san' or 
'-kun' after every other people's names... the way you cheerfully 
saunter into a conversation without letting other people feel like 
you're 'butting-in' or anything... you have a natural talent to blend 
in everywhere, like some sort of freakish Japanese chameleon. Davan, 
to put it tersely, does not. Face it, you're a living, stereotypical 
Anime girl."

     "You're just too damn... I don't know... well-adjusted to hang out
with a maladjusted crowd." PeeJee pressed her finger over Itsuki's 
forehead, grinning like a demented hyena. "You, my friend, are too 
nice, too kind, too sweet, too cute and just too freakin' happy to be
liked by the likes of Davan McIntyre. Just accept the facts and go on 
with your life."

     Itsuki seemed to consider PeeJee's words carefully. She then 
looked determinedly at her, making the other Asian girl feel wary. 
The light-haired girl suddenly did an enthusiastic pose. "Ok, fine! 
If that's the way it is, then I will _make_ Davan-kun like me!"

     "Come again?" PeeJee said, blinking and sobering up a little.
"You must have a problem with translating your thoughts to English... 
I used to have the very same dilemma when I first came to Canada."

     Itsuki shook her head resolutely. "You heard me right... I will
make Davan-kun like me! Even if takes hanging out with him extended
periods of time! Even if it takes talking to him altogether! Even if 
I have to pet his naked, pink pussy!"

     PeeJee quirked an eyebrow up, thankful she was only half-sober
at the time. "That last statement was referring to Choo-Choo bear,
his pet cat, right?"

     "Of course!" Itsuki affirmed, before adding, "But you have to 
admit, that was a decent, half-hearted poke at Davan-kun's dubious 
manhood."

     "True," PeeJee acquiesced. "But Itchy... isn't stalking a bit 
much for dear ol' 'Davan-kun'? Besides... you may be biting off more
than you can chew. Remember, this is the guy that masturbates in 
front of Mormon missionaries just to shoo them away."  

     Itsuki shrugged. "I guess that's the perks." She grinned.

     PeeJee suddenly shifted in her unease, the last vestiges of 
drunkenness leaving her. "Itchy!"

     Itsuki laughed gaily. "I was just kidding, PeeJee-chan! It's just
a joke! I thought you Americans could take jokes better than the
Japanese!"

     "I'm Canadian," PeeJee deadpanned.

     "Point," Itsuki agreed.
     
     PeeJee sighed. "So, I've finally experienced the infamous 'Itchy
Psyche attack' Jason told me so much about. It's really... something,
considering it literally sobered me up... let me congratulate you on 
your abilities."

     "Psyche attack... hm, so that's what it's called in English," 
Itsuki mused to herself before again addressing PeeJee. "You're 
right... Davan-kun is a tricky one. So I'm going to need your help."

     "You gonna need my whaaa?" PeeJee articulated. "I thought that
it was all a joke! The stalking thing, I mean!"

     "I wasn't going to stalk Davan-kun," Itsuki scoffed. "I'm just 
going to need your help to convince him to hang out with me." 

     Itsuki thought for a bit before she altogether brightened. "I know!
He could help me edit the video I'm sending to Japan! Tell him to meet 
me at Lincoln lot, Studio 2! It's near... no, let me just write that
down...." She then hastily scribbled an address on a table 
napkin after borrowing a pen from the bartender.

     "Number one... this is a bad idea, Itchy. I suggest you don't go
through with it," PeeJee pleaded, all for Davan's sake. She just _knew_
that her antisocial nut for a friend wasn't going to like this... she
also knew that this train of thought of hers could earn her the 
'Understatement of the Year' award. "Number two... what makes you think
that I'd help you?"

     "PeeJee-chan... you know as well as I that you owe me," Itsuki said
nonchalantly as she ended her furious scribbles with a flourish. "Here 
you go!" she said cheerfully. As if on cue, the lanky, stoic young adult
that was the topic of the two girls general interest suddenly waltzed in
the bar. 

     "Hey, Peej... hey... Itchy," Davan said as he ambled toward the 
couple, a twitch of unease crossing his face as he addressed the Japanese 
girl. "What's up?"

     "We're just fine, Davan-kun... sorry to seem so rude, but I was just
leaving," Itsuki said as she smiled at Davan, winking. "See you later."

     Davan just stared languidly at the diminishing figure of the young
girl before turning to PeeJee, asking, "What was that all about? She 
looked as happy as Monette would be in a petting zoo."

     PeeJee laughed nervously as Davan raised an eyebrow. "Yeah... 
fancy that?" 


 

***




     Itsuki laughed heartily at the memory, making Davan wince in 
unease. To distract himself, he tried to blankly stare at the flickering
image on the TV. <Hmph... more unintelligible drivel from Itchy... well,
more than usual.>

     "Hm... there's a problem with the playback. I think it'll take me
awhile to fix it. Will you be a dear and close the door?" Itsuki 
requested to the brooding adult, too distracted to hear his incessant
grumbling.

     He glared... or made a near facsimile of a glare as he demonstrated
to Itsuki his own pokerfaced version of it... while the light-haired 
girl's back was turned. But he still did as he was told, shutting the
door tight. 

     <Why am I doing this again?> he asked, mostly rhetorically, but 
nonetheless his brain began processing his query as memories began 
flooding his psyche, the feeling of being somehow duped and kowtowed 
never leaving him as he reminisced.




***




     "She asked you to tell me WHAT?" 

     "She requested you to go to this address so you could help her edit 
some sort of special video," PeeJee sheepishly said, not looking 
directly at the... rather irate Davan. 

     "Oh, and why would I do that?!" Davan further ranted. "She's 
just a stranger that suddenly waltzed into our group anyway! Besides, 
the last time I did her a favor, I was almost fined for trespassing, 
among many other things. She's a trouble magnet. No. Tell her no. I
don't owe her anything."

     "But I did owe her something," PeeJee said quietly as she bit her 
lip. "So this is a favor for a favor, Davan. Please... do it as a favor 
for me." Her eyes pleaded in unison with her tone of voice. 

     Davan inwardly groaned as he began his own pleading. "But sweetie!
I don't understand why all you people could get along with that...
that... her! She's like Scrappy Doo of the Scoobies! She just doesn't 
belong in our group, no way, no how!"

     PeeJee shrugged. "Gee, you're really getting into this 'screw the
happy Japanese girl' shtick you have. Well, I think Itchy is okay... 
sure, she does act goofy at times, maybe even a bit crazy with her 
'psyche attack' and weird jokes... but I don't see her as anywhere near 
irritating as freaky Mike or bitchy Kharisma. I can't speak for everyone 
in our little group, but I think that's the general consensus."       

     "I still say she doesn't quite belong," Davan insisted, crossing
his arms amidst his deadpanned gaze. "She's just too--"

     "Happy? Itchy and me were just discussing that very topic. But I'm
still curious, Davan," PeeJee wondered before she drank the mug of beer
like it was water... she was offered a lifetime supply of all the
alcoholic beverages she could drink and all. "What's the real reason
why you hate Itchy so much? You weren't nearly this mean to Anna, and 
you did apologize to her after nearly biting her head off the first time
you met... what's so special about Itchy?"

     "Other than the fact that she nearly got me jailed?" Davan 
grumbled.

     "Other than that," PeeJee affirmed.

     Davan breathed a deep sigh. "I dunno exactly why she just rubs me 
wrong, but I do know that I just couldn't help it. I usually don't go 
out my way to be nice to people, so I guess I don't even bother with 
her. It's just that... well...."

     "Well?" PeeJee insisted, curiosity getting the better of her.

     "Well... she's the poster girl of everything that is good and 
pleasant in the world. Anna is sweet, but Itchy is saccharine sweet... 
like the bastard child of Willy Wonka and Hello Kitty. There isn't one
thing that bugs her... not any of my quips, not one of our group's
numerous depressing life stories. Hell, she could even get along with 
freaky Mike. She's just too unmarred, too... perfect for
me to get along. She's a flat character that doesn't have any angst
in her at all. All she does is be... happy. You understand how much
that irks me, Peej. So does that answer your question?" 
   
     "More or less... oh well, I already had an inkling about that,"
PeeJee admitted while wishing that she'd get really, really wasted 
right about now. Something about the atmosphere being 'too fucking
depressing,' but that was natural when hanging out with Davan.
            
     "But let me ask you something," Davan said, shaking PeeJee out of 
her stupor. "What's the big favor you owe Itchy that got you in such a 
bind, Peej?" 

     PeeJee just smirked. "Would you believe, 'anime collection 
translation purposes'?"

     "Whuzzat?" Davan elucidated, confused as hell.

     "Just last week, I had her over my place to watch a raw, 
un-subtitled Japanese version of 'Grave of the Fireflies,' acting as my 
impromptu translator of sorts. I know that the anime was mostly 
self-explanatory in terms of plot, but the way she cutely and 
cheerfully narrated the story during the climactic death scenes... now
that's some freaky stuff there, let me tell you."

     Davan was silent for a bit. After PeeJee finished her drink, he
said, "This from the girl who called me at 3:00 in the morning because
she couldn't stand knowing the awful fact that there are people who 
have sex while wearing costumes of their favorite cartoon characters?   
 
     PeeJee shrugged. "I'll just feign innocence, since I have none 
left," she quipped.




***




     "There! I fixed it," Itsuki cheered as she took a piece of acetate 
and markers from her bag and began scrawling some writings on it. 
"Davan-kun, help me prop the camera on this here seat while I finish
this."

     "So this is state-of-the-art stuff they got here," Davan idly 
noted as he did what he was told. <There, there now... Davan McIntyre 
can surely talk in a civilized manner. Maybe if I continue talking like
this, she'll let me out for good behavior,> he desperately reasoned
to himself as boredom soon got the better of him. 

     "I bet you're going to use all these sophisticated equipment to 
create some nifty title art and some such... right, Itchy?" Boy, did he 
sound stilted and sarcastic... but that was the best Davan could come 
up with on such short notice. 

     "Actually... this is it," Itsuki cheerfully said as she showed the
bespectacled cynic her little artwork... composed of hastily scribbled
chicken scratch where the only word he could decipher was 'warning.'
<Oh wait... it's in Japanese.>

     "Er... rather low tech, considering that we have so much 
sophisticated equipment right here," Davan said as he patted a nearby
console. "Heck, there are so many monitors here, I thought this was a
security guard's watch post."  

     Itsuki crumpled some pink felt paper then smoothed it out again as 
she put it against the colorful acetate. "I only came here for the editing
facilities... besides, I intend to send this out before Christmas this
year and getting some 3-D title art for a letter is a bit on the overkill
side, even for my tastes." 

     Davan mutely nodded as he yawned. <Boy, would this day get any more
boring... oh well, at least she's not irritating me with her incessant 
cheerfulness instead.>

     "Now, hold the camera for me while I hold our little 'title art' 
over... here. Now, turn on the record button," Itsuki directed as she
carefully placed her labor of love over the camera lens, switching on a
flashlight above it. "I wanted to do this earlier, but since it took me
awhile to setup the perfect location for the shooting. Since you got
here so late, I just decided we'd do it here with the rest of the
editing."

     Davan jadedly smacked his lips, not really listening to what Itsuki
was saying. But he did have insight to Itsuki's general disposition. 
<Hm... this video really is important to Itchy. Not that I care, but I
might as well ask... all this boredom isn't worth the fifty bucks she's 
paying me.>

     "So... what does the warning say, Itchy?" Davan nonchalantly
inquired as he looked at the highlighted title art. "'Warning: Not 
suitable for audiences eighteen years and below? There are some nudity
and profanity present?' I must have missed a lot when I got here." 

     <Actually, it says, 'In case you don't succeed with Iori and got
dumped, watching this is forbidden. Stop at once!'> Itsuki automatically
translated in her head, while saying to Davan, "Yup. You missed a lot.
I planned to do a striptease, which is why I had so much trouble finding
a private place to shoot. Don't you feel lucky helping me edit this 
video?"

     <As usual, nothing fazes her,> Davan dolefully thought, not even 
bothering to retort. He just sulked there, holding the camera still.

     <Ah... he seems even angrier than before,> Itsuki thought. <But 
it's hard to tell with that poker face of his. He's not a very cheerful
person... not at all.> She sighed as she slowly put away the acetate and
felt paper. "We're done. Domo arigato, Davan-kun."

     Davan listlessly nodded, fidgeting as if something was bothering
him. Itsuki gave him a token smile of encouragement, but the 
misanthropist didn't even seem to notice. 

     The Japanese girl growled inwardly. <What is his problem?!> She
turned her back in a huff as she began playing the video on the monitor, 
intending to already start with the editing process.

     But as soon as Itsuki sat down on the swivel chair, she saw a sign
of movement in the corner of her eye. "Davan-kun, where are you going?"

     "Somewhere else. Look, while I'm flattered with all the attention 
you've been showering me lately, I don't want anything to do with it. 
You seem convinced that you could turn my friends and me into the pod 
people of happiness, but that won't be the case now. I know it's mean,
but I have to ask you politely to stay the hell away from me. It's for 
the best, believe me."
    
     Itsuki suddenly turned her swivel chair, stunning Davan somewhat
with the expression on her face... it was an expression which he hasn't 
seen on her perennially smiling face since the fateful day they met. 
   
     There it was... just a brief flash... of a sad, lonely expression
before it melted into a smile... but it was unlike all the cheerful 
faces she had worn before. It wasn't even a forced smile. 

     It was a sad, haunted melancholic smile.

     It was even enough to make the eternally stoic Davan wince. After
all, only a person wearing a mask would understand how painful it was 
to take it off.

     So, Davan did what was typical of him when confronted with 
emotional situations... well, his first instinct anyway.

     Run the hell away.

     He headed straight for the shut door, his hand mere inches from 
the slick, slightly ajar doorknob. 

     He was about to find out just how much God loved him... not very
much.

     He rattled on the doorknob... pulled on it desperately, 
near-pleadingly. Typically, there was no response.

     <Oh shit,> Davan thought as realization struck him like a hundred
PMS-ed Aubreys.

     Amidst the silent couple, the video played in contrasting 
cheerfulness and optimism. 




***




    "Hey, you all better, It-chan?" a feminine voice inquired in cheerful 
Japanese. The video showed, in crystal clarity, a quite bright and happy 
Itsuki wearing a denim jacket and black tank top. 

    "Y'know... today, something really cool happened. I wanted to tell 
you so bad that I sent this video!"  
 
    The Itsuki in the video waved a two-fingered peace sign, smiling
toothily. "I found a new dream, instead of modeling!" She giggled gaily,
as if she hadn't a care in the world. "I'm, like, so happy right now!"




***




     "Aubrey-chan... I mean, Aubrey and PeeJee hinted that you were a 
little... miffed at me," Itsuki said, still smiling her sad, melancholic 
smile. "I didn't realized I irritated you this much, Davan-ku-- Davan."  

     Davan could retort a hundred ways with that statement, but instead
he chose the simplest, most uncomplicated approach... staying quiet. 
As Itsuki continued, he lifted his head politely to listen.

     "I tried... I really did... to open up with your group. But you're 
right... I didn't fit in. I didn't quite belong. You all have your angst
and your experience and your deep bonds... I just butted-in on all of 
you," Itsuki said, looking away for a bit as tried to put herself 
together. 

     Davan, for his part, felt like a first class heel... or rather, he
wanted to feel like a first class heel, but couldn't for the life of 
him. After all, he did agree with most of what Itsuki was confessing.
So, inner conscience, he felt vindicated and justified with Itsuki's 
outburst just like the cold-hearted bastard he was. <And damn proud
of it, too!> 

     "I bet you hated me all this time," Itsuki said as she fought an
oncoming sob.




***




     "I found a new dream instead of modeling!" the Itsuki in the video
cheered. "Can you guess what it is?"

     The video image of Itsuki smiled mischievously. "Can you guess what 
it is?" There was a slight pause. "Truth is...."

     Finally, Itsuki blurted, "There's someone I'm in _love_ with!"

     Itsuki screamed, holding her burning cheeks in a mixture of 
excitement and embarrassment. She then chatted idly about her being 
radiant and something about a teacher named Takezawa, but the previous
statement from the video clip still echoed in the enclosed room.

     "There's someone I'm in _love_ with!"




***




     "I bet you hated me for always acting so cheerful and happy, like 
it was Christmas Day everyday or something," Itsuki added, smirking a 
little as the sides of her eyes shimmered.

     <No shit,> Davan concurred, though feeling a bit anxious with 
the early signs of waterworks in Itsuki's eyes. <She's supposed to just
tell me that I'm totally right and change for the better... it wasn't 
supposed to involve crying! That's cheating!>

     "But the reason why I did all this is... was because of the way
I had acted when I was still in Japan," she laughed humorlessly. "Don't
worry, Davan... I'll make this as brief as possible." 

     "It's alright," Davan said, surprising himself with the honesty of
his voice.

     "Y'see... I've lived in America for quite a while... since I was
just a child... but then I wanted to go back to Japan. Because of one
person... a childhood crush, if you will. So I went and tried to seek
him, even though I already had a suspicion that he may already have
someone he likes," Itsuki said, not even pausing for breath. She then
rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. 

     "Gomen, gomen... I mean, sorry... my head's not on straight... or
something. Hehe... I promised to keep it short, yet I ended up telling 
my entire life story."

     "So what happened to the guy?" Davan said, prodding the young girl
to continue, the expression on his face unreadable.

     "Well, what else? He did already find somebody he liked." There was 
a pause. "But I wasn't very honest with myself at the time... even
though I did adopt some of the bullheaded attitude Americans had... no
offense," she said, giggling halfheartedly. "I was still, deep in my
heart, Japanese. Ah... but when one thinks about it, cultural backdrops 
had nothing to do with my attitude back then, ne?"

     Itsuki's expression suddenly turned pensive, all hesitation in
her voice and demeanor disappearing in an instant. "I was indecisive and 
insecure. I didn't know how to act around him... I was so confused with
what I felt for him and what he felt for me. I could probably have his
own childishness to blame... but it was I who was actually childish."

     She smoothed her long, silvery hair. "I went back here in America,
to grow up. I was really hurt with what happened... that in itself is a
long, long story I don't want to get into... but in its gist, I 
discovered that I don't want a repeat of the events. I wanted everything
to be different. I wanted to find a new dream."




***




     The camera suddenly zoomed-in, giving Itsuki a nice close-up. "So
here's the question: What's my new dream?" She wagged her finger
playfully as she grinned. "Can't guess? Then I'll give you a hint!"

     "It's the same as your dream, It-chan!"




***




     She checked if Davan was still listening... she wasn't completely
sure if that blank look on his face was a look of boredom or... something
else. It was the only look Davan ever wore on his face. Unlike her
It-chan, who's emotions and feelings were an open book to her. She shook
her head as she struggled to continue.

     "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I wanted things to be 
completely different this time. In Japan, I wore my heart in my 
sleeve... I was too sensitive, too hesitant," Itsuki said, a feeling of
nostalgia inside of her. 

     "Here in America, I tried to be more assertive like the rest of 
the Americans... I made this persona that was somehow able to blend in 
with the crowd. I was able to somehow be something for everyone... but,
to myself, I was no one... ah, I'm not even making sense anymore!"

     She looked impishly at Davan. "I guess, in retrospect, I became the
anti-Davan." Davan only huffed in response.

     


***




     "Just maybe..." the Itsuki in the digital video clip shyly started,
her eyes darting back and forth. "Just maybe, you haven't achieved your
dream, It-chan."

     She smiled nervously as she continued. "So maybe there's no point
if I try to say this... but my weakness for Ichitaka the dummy... it was
caused by that dream, y'see."

     "It-chan, you always... for Iori's sake... for her sake... gave it
the most effort. It's, you know...."




***




     "That's the story of my life. I can't apologize for myself and my
subsequent attitude anymore," Itsuki said, her head bowed low. "It's not 
as if I'm trying to plead my case to you. I'm just... trying to make 
sense with my life."

     The tears came, unbidden. Itsuki hastily wiped the hot salty 
droplets streaming on her cheeks. 

     <Cheater,> Davan sullenly thought as he worriedly looked at 
Itsuki's distraught state. 
  
     "It looks like I was working on a wrong assumption of you." 

     Davan's eyebrows creased in apprehension. <What did she mean by
that?>  
 
     She sniffled a bit before continuing. "I thought that somehow it
would work out... you and me. I didn't know what to make of you. Your 
feelings weren't so painfully apparent as... as It-chan's was... so, 
with my newfound sense of assertiveness, I tried to take a chance with
you."

     Davan's eyes widened, not quite sure what to make of Itsuki's last
statement.

     She smiled amidst her tears... the smile that unnerved Davan 
before... the melancholic smile. She then spoke to herself in Japanese.

     "But it looks like it was just a shattered dream after all."




***




     "Making the one you love happy... wanting to be with the person you
love... that sort of thing."

     "A dream where you think only of your partner, not just yourself.
It's not something you can just pick up, y'know?"

     "Because I'm so very happy, you see! Because I've become just like
you, It-chan!"




***
     



     Itsuki wondered if she should just shatter the digicam on the floor,
as the words she said earlier came back to haunt her. <I didn't become
like It-chan... it was a short-sighted thing to say. A short-sighted 
thing to say.>

     Davan then coughed once to get Itsuki's attention. 

     "Hai?" she queried.

     Discomfort was apparent in Davan's eyes as he spoke in a careful 
manner, as if anticipating some sort of retribution if he said the
words wrong. "I don't want to presume and all, so I have to ask... what
did you mean by 'I thought that somehow it would work out... you and me,'
and 'I tried to take a chance with you'?"
     
     Itsuki boggled at Davan as if a halo suddenly appeared above his head
as he sprouted dove wings. <Could it be... that I hadn't said that last
statement in Japanese?!>

 
   

***




     "Anyhow... thanks for staying as friends till the end. Speaking of
which... watching till the very end... was pretty good."
     
     "Congratulations, It-chan! You have achieved your dreams!"
  
     Itsuki then pressed the stop button, saying, "And so did I."




***




     "I'm sorry, Davan-kun... I guess I wasn't able to edit the video in
here after all," Itsuki said as she pouted. 

     "For good or for ill, I suddenly had this vision of Jason, saying to
us, 'Maybe you two should make a video of your own later,'" Davan said in
monotone.

     Itsuki nodded. "Yep, I could imagine Jason-san say that."

     A pause... there was absolute silence between them.

     "Davan no baka! Say something! You're ruining the moment!"

     "I didn't realize that your hair color was natural until the last 
couple of minutes?"

     There was another pause.

     "Somehow, I'd say that I asked for that."

     "Qui."

     Itsuki looked at Davan worriedly. "What's the matter, Davan-kun? 
You have one of those anxious looks of yours again.

     Davan shrugged helplessly. "I'm just waiting for the other shoe to
drop, Itchy... I figured there was a catch in this sudden good luck."

     Just then, the door to the editing room opened, giving both Itsuki
and Davan a non-paying audience.

     Davan heaved a sigh. "Yep... that's about right."




***     


     

They said it couldn't be done... actually, no one said that, 
since, for the most part, nobody even thought of doing it...
an I's/Something Positive oneshot crossover, I mean.

I's itself isn't a very popular manga series to turn into a 
fanfic... what more Something Positive, which is in another
genre altogether? But somehow, they meshed... albeit in
a contrived manner, they still meshed.

Oh yeah, for those of you who haven't even heard of Something 
Positive (Heathens! A pox on your lot!), it's a webcomic created 
by the genius Randy Millholand... and it's really, really cool. 
Don't believe me? Check it out for yourself:

http://www.somethingpositive.net

A note of dedication goes to Eric "Azhrael" James, for letting 
me download his I's manga scan collection... needless to say, I 
wouldn't be writing I's fics without his help.

Disclaimer: I's is copyrighted to Masakazu Katsura and Studio
K2R. Something Positive is the property of R.K. Millholand.
 
Don't sue me please, I'm very poor.

Ja ne!
C. Casta�eda








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