<b>05.02.11.____________________________</b>
She sat with her back to the wall; her head on her arms. It was dark. Again. <I>Shut up.</i> She shook her head, feeling the fabric of the sweatshirt over her arms as she did it. "This sucks," she whispered tearfully into the silence of the room. "<I>This sucks.</i>"
That was all it took for her to break, and begin crying harder. She could hear and feel herself doing it, and wanted to tell herself to shut up. She wanted to shake herself by the shoulders or slap herself around a few times. She thought the images for such punishment over in her head, blinking her wet eyes into the damp fabric. <i>Maybe that wouldn't be enough to snap me out of it.</i>
Yeah. Of course it wouldn't be. Nothing ever snapped her out of it when she got like this. She was so stupid for thinking something would.
Tears stung her sore eyes as she thought things over in her head. She shouldn't be sitting on the floor of her apartment, somewhat balled up, crying her eyes out. But ********, she <I>felt like crying her eyes out</i>. Such a horrible sadness and frustration and confusion was wrapped around her head, throat, and heart, that she couldn't do anything else. She didn't <i>feel like doing anything else.</i>
"Damn assholes," she muttered, peeking wearily over the edge of her wet sweatshirt sleeves. The carpeting of the living room looked blankly back at her. She continued to stare at it, silently cursing faceless people in her mind who might love to see her broken like this. Anyone. Anyone who lived to stand in front of someone in a state like hers, and point at her, laughing.
<I>"Attention whore!"
"People like you should just kill themselves and do society a favor!"
"******** like you should overdose on acid and make the world a better place!"
"Attention whore!"</i>
Nearly growling, she retreated back into the folds of her sweatshirt. Assholes. All of them. They were all such assholes.
Kuraino picked her head up for a moment, wiping her eyes roughly with the back of her hand. She sighed softly to herself, looking around the room in a kind of ashamed way, as if it were watching her. She was in the living room, with the back of the couch nearby. The TV was angled for the best view from the couch, and fireplace set into the wall was mostly just for show. She'd never need it here. But so many rooms at home had a fireplace...just having it there was of some comfort to her.
<I>Too bad I can't use it,</i> came the wistful thought.
There was more, of course. The small stereo on the shelf near the TV. Some books. Her eyes flicked towards the kitchen, painful from all the crying. She could see it easily as it connected to the room she was in, and there on her right inside was the table, cabinets, and the rest of it. Only two bedrooms. One considerably small bathroom. And a nice little ladder near the front door that went up to the roof.
She felt a pang of loneliness thinking about it. Auron-oniisan had always gone up with her to the roof, to look at the city.
"I miss Auron-oniisan," she whispered softly, mostly to herself. She brushed a few stray strands of hair out of her eyes, trying not to think about him. Yeah, this was stupid. Here she was on Earth again. Chilling. No, she had another grand idea this time...really! Somehow she always got back down here, and nearly went crazy with the need to go home. It always started with the weather. Too hot! Too bright! Then people. I'm lonely! I hate this! I'm leaving! It was always that way. But then again, her situation was unique; not everyone roaming around Earth sounding like the typical whiner had a home that was over 6 billion miles away from the rock they were currently standing on.
Kuraino's eyes narrowed. Sometimes she <i>really</i> hated it here.
She sighed again, toying with a chain around her neck. It made her think of Papa. She always wore it now. Ever since her first "grand plan" she had had it on. Papa wouldn't let her go without it. And then all sorts of people started showing up, to check on her, probably because there were rumors that the sun had melted her into some kind of puddle and that she was as good as dead. When so many people had come, Kuraino had just gone with them back home. But not this time. Nobody was here right now.
She sighed heavily, dropping her head carefully back onto the wall. This sucked. This just...sucked.
<I>I hate my stupid moments like this.</i>
Suddenly, she heard something. A kind of faint tap, or click. Pausing, Kuraino tilted her head, listening to it. It sounded close, but she had no idea in the world was it was.
Getting up slowly from the floor, she stood silently, listening. There it was again.
<I>Click. ... Click.</i>
A thought came to her. She didn't really pay attention to it. Walking in bare feet just a foot or two along the wall, she stopped at the door to the "guest" bedroom. She laid her hand on the handle, and carefully opened the door, peeking inside.
...And there was the culprit.
On the floor was an egg, light blue in color, and somewhat shiney. Its fairy-like wings were only slightly motionless, as it rocked back and forth...trying to knock lightly on the door that was no longer there.
"Oh, Itsuki-kun," whispered Kuraino, feeling an instant pang of guilt. Her sore eyes felt teary again.
At the sound of her voice, the egg reacted immediately, its pixie-like wings flicking into action. It rose a few inches off the floor, bobbing around a bit. Kuraino quickly reached out her hands, scooping up the egg by the bottom, and bringing it close against her sweatshirt. She closed the bedroom door as quietly as she could.
The egg's wings <i>buzzed</i> a little while she held it, walking over the carpeting and around to the front of the couch. There she let herself sink into the soft cushions, pulling a blanket nearby onto herself and the egg, who was now in her lap.
She felt so guilty. She'd put him in the spare bedroom, pulling the covers up for him in the bed, even though he'd made it quite plain he didn't want to be alone. But she didn't want to be in the same room, bawling, with him right there. She thought it might do something bad to him, or just make him upset. And then he'd resorted to knocking carefully on the door, trying to get out.
"Sorry," was all Kuraino could get out, her voice cracking slightly, as she pulled the blanket around the egg and over her lap. The egg rocked from side to side, and flicked its wings a little. Even in the dim light, they had a faint, beautiful glow to them.
A small crossed Kuraino's weary face. She patted the top of the egg gently, holding up a finger as if she was saying something important. "You don't have to worry now. Kuraino got over her moment for right now. See?"
The egg tilted to one side, then to the other. It fanned its wings. Kuraino sighed, having no idea what the fanning of wings signified, exactly. It was pretty hard to talk to an egg, but she was getting the hang of it for the most part. It was kind of hard not to, being stuck in the house all day with one, and all. Not that she actually minded taking care of him...sometimes she just had the crazy itch to run out the front door into the...rock fields that weren't there.
Damn.
She sighed again, leaning back into the couch. The weight of the egg in her lap wasn't so bad. And he seemed content, wrapped up in the fuzzy blanket. Kuraino smiled faintly. It was late. Her worst stupid moments always happened in the late hours...but surely it was past <i>this</i> egg's bedtime.
"Itsuki," Kuraino said quietly, "want neesan to tell you a bedtime story?"
The egg nearly hopped in her lap, its wings buzzing. Then it quickly calmed and rocked back and forth.
Kuraino smiled, wrapping the blanket closer around Itsuki-eggu. She was careful not to hurt his wings. What kind of story should she tell? It should be...a really good story. She should make it something crazy.
The thought of such a thing animated her a little more, and she nearly grinned to herself, noticeably thinking hard. Okay... there it was...something was coming to her...yes! She had a plan, and no idea where to go with it. Who cared? She shrugged inwardly, and leaned back on the couch again, thinking of how to start.
"...Now pay attention, Itsuki. Once upon a time...there was a guy...named Frodo. He lived on...Tatooine, and hated it, because it was so damn hot. His uncle and aunt were really boring, too, and his uncle wouldn't let him go to university with Sam! But one day, a bunch of Jawas showed up, and they sold Frodo this weird ring-thing, because it was supposed to help with dusting crops. Well, little did Frodo know that...Delphine, this chick who was the head of the Empire, was after his ring! (Remember, he had no idea.)
"Now, Frodo's ring was stolen by a mynock, and Frodo had to go run out into the middle of nowhere to track it down. He was attacked by some orcs with cattle prods, who were in turn chased off by none other than...er, Gandalf Kenobi. The ring lit up and showed Gandalf Kenobi this weird message from Lavie, who was this princess in the Rebel Alliance, and she was pleading for his help! The ring had the plans to the Death Star in it! She needed them delivered to her home planet of Alderaan ASAP..."
Itsuki shivered worriedly at the peril that Frofo and Gandalf Kenobi were in. Kuraino continued : "At first Frodo is all 'I won't go,' and stuff, until he runs back home and finds out that the Empire torched his house and...and kidnapped his aunt and uncle. So he sets out with Gandalf Kenobi, and they go to Mos Eisley, the only cool place on Tatooine.
"Meanwhile, Delphine and her, er, top henchmen...Sadako (pissed because Frodo stole her "ring" wink are hot on their tails.
"Gandalf Kenobi does some slick negotiating and gets them a pilot, Alex Rowe, who's going to pilot the ship they're skipping town on. They almost all get caught, but Alex hauls ship out of there, and they set course to Alderaan.
"But, oh no, Princess Lavie's been captured!"
Itsuki shivered again, and Kuraino could almost imagine the look on his face...had he not been an egg. She put her hand on his "head" -- the top of the egg -- reassuringly. She spoke seriously : "I know, it sounds bad. And it is, I'm afraid. Sadako can't get Lavie to talk and tell where the rebels are, so they do a really bad thing...and take out Alderaan."
Itsuki's wings drooped slightly in sadness. Kuraino bit her lip. "Gandalf Kenobi felt like that too! Through the Force. Which he was trying to teach Frodo how to use. And Alex got them to Alderaan, and of course it wasn't there! They were like, 'What the hell?' (even the ring, Itsuki). It was then that they saw a Bad Guy's Ship, and it blasted right past them. Alex went to blow it up, but then...he saw something looming in the distance."
Itsuki almost seemed to lean forward, as if in anticipation of what Alex Rowe was seeing. Kuraino spread out her arms for the right effect.
"It was a huge gray ball...it looked like a moon. Frodo pointed to the Bad Guy's Ship and said, 'It's heading for that small moon!'
"And then, it was Gandalf Kenobi who realized what it really was...and he barely got out, 'That's no moon...it's a space station.' Alex tried to tell the old guy off, but even he eventually saw it was true. They were pulled in by the Death Star's tractor beam, and had to hide in the floor so they wouldn't get caught!
"Sadako was outside, in all her freaky glory. She sent some dudes into the ship to scan it for lifeforms and went off being vague and mysterious (and scary). Alex and company jump the scan guys, and then lure in more Baddies, and then steal their outfits! Safe undercover, they sneak upstairs to a control room, and break in! They punch a bunch of Bad Guys out!"
Itsuki hopped a little and fanned his wings. Kuraino took it as rightful applause, and nodded. "Exactly.
"Now, I almost forgot to mention that Alex's best friend was...Animal, this thing from the Muppets. Now, Gandalf had to split, because he said he could take care of the tractor beam. Meanwhile, Frodo uses the ring to bust into the Empire's computer, and he finds that Princess Lavie is on the detention level! Oh, my god! She's scheduled to be executed!"
Itsuki burrowed in the blanket, shivering, as if to say, 'oh no!' Kuraino nodded grimly, caught up in the story completely. "I know. And Frodo wanted to save her. Alex was like, 'Forget it.' But then Frodo pointed out Lavie was filthy rich, and so they hatched a plan to pretend Animal was a prisoner that needed to go up to the detention level.
"It went good until they got up there. One guy asked too many questions, and so Alex ripped off Animal's cuffs and shouted, 'He's loose!' Then Frodo and Alex opened fire on the Baddies! It was bad. They shot Baddies and Bad Guy Cameras and yet someone, of course, still heard them. Frodo went off to block AA23 to get Lavie, while Alex tried to tell the people on the intercom that the situation was cool. No go. Bad Guys show up in the elevator, just as Frodo drags Princess Lavie out, saying he has Gandalf Kenobi with him, and that he's here to rescue her!
"They're trapped! They shoot some Baddies, but there's no way out. Lavie grabs a blaster and blasts a hole in this grate, and they all jump in, and it's a garbage shoot! They almost get squished! But, Frodo uses the ring to save them. They get out and run around like crazy, trying to get away from Baddies.
"Gandalf is busy having a showdown with Sadako, after getting the tractor beam out of commission. It's crazy! They go at it with their lightsabers! 'Your powers are weak, old man,' hisses Sadako. 'You shouldn't have come back.'
"Frodo and crew get out to the Silvana, Alex's ship, just in time to see Gandalf and Sadako duking it out! Gandalf knows that Frodo must go on without him, and he lets Sadako win. Frodo shouts 'NO!' but he can't stop anything...he barely blasts the blast doors closed in time. He skitters onto the Silvana and they all run away very fast."
Kuraino paused, taking a deep breath and fanning herself for a moment. Itsuki leaned back slightly, as if looking up at her, and expecting more. She nodded at him, holding up a hand. <i>Gimmie a minute.</i> She fanned herself a little longer, before launching into the rest of the story.
"So they get away. That's good. They go chill on the current rebel base, and analyze the Death Star plans in the ring. They find a weakness so that they can blow it up! Everybody's real happy. They start organizing to blow it up. But Alex says he won't stay, and that he and Animal have their money and so they're going...Frodo is sad about this. But he can't do anything to stop Alex. Meanwhile, he gets into an X-Wing, and wouldn't you know that his ole pal Sam is in his squad! It's just like old times, lemme tell ya. So anyway, they move out.
"It's crazy. A lotta people get hit and stuff. Some guys go down. But Frodo's still there, and even Sadako runs out in her own personal Bad Guy Ship to try to take out the Good Guys. To no avail! Right before Frodo gets hit, Alex shows up in the Silvana, with Animal!"
Itsuki buzzed his wings.
"They send Sadako careening off into space until the next movie! Meanwhile, Frodo shoots the target spot, and they all run away, as the Death Star blows up, right before it blows up the rebels' base!
"Then there's a big party! Frodo and Alex get medals, and they get a standing ovation from everyone! Everybody is happy, and then John Williams blasts the theme music, and the credits come on."
Kuraino sighed, dropping back against the couch. She looked down at Itsuki's egg, which leaned back a little to meet her gaze. "Now wasn't that a good story?" Kuraino asked.
Itsuki buzzed his wings and rocked back adn forth.
"I know," sighed Kuraino. She wrapped the blanket around Itsuki a little tighter, and slowly laid down on her side, peeking over some of the blanket at Itsuki-eggu. He did nothing, but Kuraino liked to pretend he was looking back at her. She sighed again, softly, and pulled some of the blanket over herself too. She held Itsuki closer to herself, making sure his main wings were free. He seemed to snuggle into it. She patted him, sighing again, and closed her eyes, seeing Frodo running around in an X-wing fighter in her head. Damn, where had she come up with that, anyway...
She yawned a little, and snuggled into the blanket as best she could. Her eyes closed, she let some pictures play in her head, while she held Itsuki to herself. <i>Gandalf and...mm...ah...Sadako. She's crazy...</i>
A few minutes more. Itsuki seemed to be asleep. She opened a heavy eye, looking at him. Then her eyes fluttered shut, and she played some more pictures in her head. Her eyes and head were sore from crying before. It made her more tired.
...Tired...<i>sleepy.</i>
...
...Darkness.
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