Adventures In Parodyverse: Falling Star Part 1 (UT#264+ tie-in)

Adventures In Parodyverse - Falling Star Part 1 (UT#264 tie-in)

    Liu Xi felt as if she was in a dream still...no, a nightmare perhaps...as she shuffled to her room at the Lair Mansion. She felt no true emotion - no fear, no sadness, no anger. She was numb to all of that, craving a few hours' sleep.

    She didn't even remember closing the door behind her, but she did. She didn't remember taking a shower first because she felt 'icky'. She didn't remember changing her filthy clothing, leaving it on the floor, and crawling into bed. She pulled as many covers as she had over her and curled up, shivering beneath the sheets. Not because the room was all that cold - her body was nearly in shock from exhaustion.

    It only seemed like a few minutes before she awoke again, but in reality it was several hours later. Not enough to get a full night's sleep, but given the fact that she arrived at around breakfast time, sufficient sleep would have been too much to ask for. Especially with the mansion so overcrowded with people.

    She listened to see what had awakened her. The loud noise was gone and didn't repeat itself. She laid down and curled under the covers to sleep again. That's when the sound chose to repeat, and this time, she heard what it was. She was hearing a distant argument, and occasionally Yuki said something loudly enough to be heard down the hall.

    Liu Xi exited her room, still wearing socks with old jeans and an untucked sweatshirt. She moved quickly down the hall, following the sound of the voices...

    ...and she nearly collided with Yuki, storming angrily in her direction. Al B Harper seemed embarrassed as he raced off in the opposite direction, along with that unusually happy blonde he picked up during the last mission. Kinki, her name was.

    "Sorry," Yuki mumbled as she navigated her way past Liu Xi.

    "What's the matter?" Liu Xi asked in heavily accented English and nearly silent tones.

    "I...asked...Al politely to remove his...stuff...from my room," Yuki gritted her teeth as she spoke. She was obviously very angry. "I want him to keep his distance from me from now on. Him and that girl who could serve as a life raft in an emergency."

    Liu Xi giggled at that, at first. Yuki always had a special way of insulting people. But then her smile disappeared when she became unsure if Yuki was trying only to express anger. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

    But Yuki didn't pay attention to a word Liu Xi said. "So he brings her with him. To my room. And guess what they do in there?"

    "I think I can guess." Liu Xi replied softly.

    Yuki slammed her fist hard into a wooden decorative column. It split violently and cracked, crumbling some plaster around it. Her facial expression softened after that. "Damn," she whispered, her voice wavering slightly. "I'm going to have to pay to fix that."

    "No, you don't." Liu Xi touched the wood gently, and it repaired itself before their eyes, as well as the plaster behind it.

    "Oh sure," Yuki continued venting, "You're here to fix a wall but when we're under threat from meta hunters and the government you disappear for days."

    Liu Xi turned pale and looked down sadly, but didn't say anything.

    "I'm sorry." Yuki sounded subdued all of a sudden, even a little sad. She gave Liu Xi a slight nod. "Thanks for fixing the wall. I guess I didn't think about what you might have been through. Tell you what...when you find a guy someday...someone you really like...make sure he has the same feelings for you." Her voice nearly broke at the end of that sentence, so she quickly retreated into her room.

    "Is Yuki okay?" Jay Boaz asked. He had just approached behind Liu Xi, just as Yuki disappeared behind her closed door. "I heard about the screaming match. Since I'm temporary leader--"

    "You're better off not knowing," Liu Xi told him calmly as she shook her head. She smiled at him after that.

    "Come on, I know you two are friends and I'm...an outsider. But we have to talk things out so--"

    "Al B Harper had sex with Kinki in Yuki's room." Liu Xi stared at him after dropping that, looking at him as if to ask if it was worth his time to know.

    "Oh." Jay shuffled nervously a bit upon hearing that, and suddenly seemed out of place standing in the hallway.

    Liu Xi began to realize that it was because Jay was a little uneasy around her. "Is this because of the kiss?" she asked. He didn't seem to comprehend, so she elaborated. "In the back of the police car. When Yuki was driving." She shook her head slightly. "I'm sorry, I'm not speaking well--"

    "No, you're okay. You still remember that?"

    She nodded. "I do. It was nice. But I...regret it a little. I'm afraid I may have frightened you." She shook her head again and waved her hands as if to say 'never mind'. "I'm just...saying things because I'm tired, and I thought I would never return. I thought about all sorts of things I would have said...should have said."

    Jay simply stood there, listening. Liu Xi appreciated the fact that he was someone who listened.

    "I thought about what you would think if I were gone. That I was a sweet, misguided child." Liu Xi frowned as she said that, and looked down. "I'm the farthest thing from a child, Jay. I lived a whole life already--" She stopped herself suddenly and backed away a little. "I'm sorry, you're busy. I'll stop talking now." She turned and headed back to her room.

    She didn't realize at first that Jay was right behind her at a polite distance. "Liu Xi," he told her as she reached her door, "I wouldn't mind hearing more about you. But you probably should sleep a little more first."

    "I wouldn't be able to sleep now," she whispered. That sounded a little rude as it came out, so she quickly apologized. "I'm sorry. My head is spinning with thoughts. If you can spare a moment I'd like you to come in and listen."

    "Sure." Jay smiled and opened the door first, holding it open for her to enter. It was the furthest she'd seen anyone go for modern day chivalry.

---

    "What do you two think you're doing?"

    Al B Harper and Kinki looked up from their giggling fest in the Lair Legion kitchen. A blonde in dark blue jeans and a CFSB! branded sweatshirt was there trying to make a sandwich.

    "And you are?" Al B asked.

    "Lara Night," she introduced herself. "Look, I don't mind if you two...y'know...but I'm trying to make a late lunch here. Could you please take it somewhere else?"

    "But this is the only room on this floor we haven't--" Al B stopped himself in mid-sentence and relented. "Okay, fine. We can come back later." He squinted at Lara and noted the sweatshirt. "What's with the shirt?"

    She looked down at herself and shrugged. "Dream's mom got me one. It's kind of neat, with all the glitter on it. Glows in the dark, too." She took a plate out of the cabinet and collected her lunch.

    "Why doesn't that surprise me?" Al B asked, without really expecting an answer.

    "Anyway...kitchen's yours. I'll just take my lunch to go." Lara waved and picked up everything on a baking tray for convenience, headed to the underused Lair Legion dining room.

    "Maybe we should invite her for a threesome," Kinki suggested to Al B.

    He shook his head. "No," he replied. "I think she had enough of that."

---


    Liu Xi watched him close the door and sit in a plush chair next to the door. He seemed to marvel at the size of the room and the contents Liu Xi somehow got ahold of. "That kiss...I meant it. I like you. You're the first person I haven't been afraid to kiss."

    "Afraid?" Jay asked. He asked out of curiosity, expecting something like shyness to be the answer.

    "I lived in China until I was about...sixteen," Liu Xi began. "I lived in a house with two families. One family had me and a boy as children. The other family had one boy. I grew up with two boys and me in one room."

    "I heard that living spaces are usually more cramped in other countries," Jay noted.

    "We didn't have much money," she pointed out. "The house had three rooms. Two bedrooms and a...entry room? It was the size of a large bathroom in this country, and it had a small kitchen."

    Jay couldn't help but smile at the comparison. He hoped that she wouldn't be offended by that.

    "I'm not a delicate girl," she continued as she sat on the edge of the bed. "I grew up with two brothers. I learned to punch hard." She chuckled, but then saddened a little as she continued the story. "Families in China are only allowed one child each. A male child is preferred. I had to be given away...so I was taken to this country by a...false family. I was trained to be a perfect wife. I was to be sold to a man...he...took advantage of me and then sent me away--"

    "Took advantage?" Jay turned pale when he heard that.

    "Yes." She sighed. "He treated me like a prostitute, or like I was made of plastic. I'm not afraid of sex because he hurt me. It's because I feel...unsure. Because the way he did it...felt wrong. I'm afraid if it feels wrong again...how will I stop it? What if I'm not good enough?"

    "You can always wait till you get married," Jay suggested. "Find someone you trust implicitly so you don't have to fear trying anything with him."

    Liu Xi tilted her head and looked at him sideways. "You didn't," she pointed out. "You're quite experienced, in fact."

    Jay blushed and squirmed a little in the chair.

    "I'm sorry. That makes you uncomfortable." She sighed. "I didn't mean to embarrass you."

    "No, it's okay." Jay waved away her apology. "I guess I'm...not really proud of myself on that account."

    "You should be," Liu Xi pressed further. "You are a man who feels deeply," she said. "I see you around Chiaki, how heartsick you are that it didn't work out. I saw you cry when Zdenka went home, and I watched your heart break."

    Jay watched Liu Xi, noting that she still sat at a respectable distance, on the edge of the bed, rather than trying to move closer. "You pay attention to me? Why?"

    "As I said, I like you," Liu Xi repeated. "I feel...a closeness to you. I can't explain it well, I'm sorry. I just know I want to be...friendly with you. That's why I'm telling you all about me. I want you to know me. And while I was gone...I realized I waited too long to let you know me."

    "So how did you get from the...incident to here?" Jay asked, trying to continue the original topic.

    "Oh. I--" She stopped herself short of telling Jay just what she did with the man who took advantage of her. She felt guilty for that, and Jay had enough on his mind already. "I needed to escape. I couldn't go back to the place that sold me. I found Manga Shoggoth and Ebony by accident...it was the oddest site I had ever seen. He told me he wanted to take me somewhere safe...I wanted to be safe. He spent two years teaching me to speak English, and helping me discover my power."

    "You didn't know how to use it until then?"

    Liu Xi was almost caught with the part she omitted, but she tried to squeak past. "I...accidentally discovered it before. Manga Shoggoth helped me learn it...to control it. At one point it became more important for me to...socialize. He left me with Yuki and Al B." She shrugged and smiled for a second. "And here I am."

    Jay couldn't help but smile too. "You have a fascinating story," he told her.

    "You lifted a weight from me by listening." Liu Xi finally slid off the bed and stood. "I wish to return the favor." She gave a slight shrug. "I'm not sure how. Maybe when you feel alone with your thoughts and you want to talk to someone..."

    "I'll keep you in mind," Jay promised. "And Liu Xi?"

    "Yes?"

    "Thanks for giving me a break from my busy day. You've helped me a lot already." With that, Jay smiled and left her room.

    Liu Xi smiled as she watched him leave and close the door. She looked at the bed and figured she might be able to catch another refreshing hour nap.

---

    ManMan sulked while Knifey laughed at him. His first day of training and Yuki showed up in a bad mood. She hoisted him in the air by his waistband, both embarrassing him and frightening him, and leaving him helpless to defend himself. She explained only then, referring to him as 'tubby', that she would do that daily until he lost enough weight to be able to reach around and straighten his own underwear without taking off his pants.

    So his first task was to run a circle around the entire Lair Mansion. He was sweating and panting, and wishing he could sneak off to straighten his underwear, but with the sheer number of people wandering around the mansion that wasn't likely.

    "She's gonna kill me," he complained to knifey.

    "No, the double-bacon burger sandwiches are going to kill you," Knifey scolded.

    He finally stumbled wheezing into the Lair Mansion's kitchen, and looked around suspiciously, wondering why everything seemed to be scattered around and disturbed. He shrugged and dug through the refrigerator to find a cold beer to quench his thirst. Before he lifted it out of the fridge, a familiar hand snatched it from him like lightning and replaced it with a bottle of water.

    "No more beer for you," Yuki told him firmly. She watched him open the bottle of water as he carried a sour look. "Look, I'm sorry if I treated you a little rough and called you names. I had a very bad day. I still need to motivate you though, so...if you have a problem with the way I'm motivating you just tell me and I'll lay off."

    "No," ManMan shook his head between gasps. "No, I'm okay."

    Yuki nodded. "Good," she said. "Then we start tomorrow after breakfast."

    Knifey waited for Yuki to leave the room before commenting. "You're a sucker," he said.

    "I am not."

    "Yes, you are. Cause she's hot, and you can't say 'no' to a girl."

    "Shut up." ManMan tossed the empty bottle toward the trash can. He missed, it bounced off the edge...

    ...and was caught in the air by a blonde he remembered seeing in the Mansion before. She quickly threw away the bottle and then started cleaning off dishes she brought with her. "Hi," she briefly said as she turned on the water.

    "I'm sorry, I don't remember your name."

    "Lara," she replied. "I like the talking knife, by the way. Is he right? Can you say 'no' to a girl?"

    "Yes," ManMan replied.

    "See?" Knifey interrupted.

    "You know what I meant! Yes as in...oh, never mind." He shook his head in frustration and sat down at the table to rest.

    Lara laughed as she headed out of the kitchen. She paused on the way out. "Good luck with your partner," she said. "And with your training."

TO BE CONTINUED?

-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2006 by Jason Froikin, and may not be
-- reprinted without permission.
-- Yuki Shiro designed by Jason Froikin, based on designs by Masamune Shirow
-- Liu Xi Xian and the Psychic Samurai are original design by Jason Froikin
-- Lara Night is an original creation by Jason Froikin

Post By Anime Jason Wed Mar 22, 2006 at 01:23:50 pm EST	Subject Adventures In Parodyverse: Falling Star Part 1 (UT#264+ tie-in)

	[Reply] [New] [Edit] [Email] [Print] [RSS] [Tales of the Parodyverse]	Next In Thread >>