Nitoichi - Learning to Love Yourself (Story)
By
LeighB_EU,
Posted on: 2008-10-14 18:15 in Multi-Media Fan Creations
Awesome!
And not only because Shadowe's in it (even if only a little) 
I'm struggling to express how much I like it, actually. (Because I'm too tired to think, and I just started work, so my brain's not in gear.)
The wisdom of Shadowe: Ghostraptor: The Shadowe is wise ...; FFM: Shadowe is no longer wise.
; Techbot_Alpha: Also, what Shadowe said. It seems he is still somewhat wise 
; Bull Throttle: Shadowe was unwise in this instance...; Rock_Powerfist: in this instance Shadowe is wise.; Techbot_Alpha: Shadowe is very wise *nods*; Zortel: *Quotable line about Shadowe being wise goes here.* Trains are apparently good for my writing. The part written on th train needed more corrctions, but is better writing (IMHO). Have to see what I can come up with on the way home tomorrow night.
Disclaimer: The above may be humerous, or at least may be an attempt at humour. Try reading it that way.
Posts are OOC unless noted to be IC, or in an IC thread.
This is true, I wrote more on my train to London recently (and was hampered by my crappy laptop battery dying after an hour 
) on the Dinah story that's now 10 pages long and still needs more work. Ah well, can grab some time this weekend.
This is the joy of having a phone with a fold out QWERTY keyboard and Pocket Word. Though, as I said, you do tend to end up with a lot of errors to correct. 
Disclaimer: The above may be humerous, or at least may be an attempt at humour. Try reading it that way.
Posts are OOC unless noted to be IC, or in an IC thread.
A good intro' for a new character and another enjoyable read.
Nice one.
Not even sure Leonard will ever see daylight. Maybe when he's older.
Disclaimer: The above may be humerous, or at least may be an attempt at humour. Try reading it that way.
Posts are OOC unless noted to be IC, or in an IC thread.
October 14th, 2am, Unity Tower
Annette turned onto her back, basking in the afterglow of slow, passionate lovemaking. Beside her, Linda was already a dead weight. Physically tired, Annette could not sleep, something was nagging at her. Finally figuring it out, she closed her eyes and sank into the darkness.
---
Her mind was silent darkness. Normally Ni would materialise as she did, but tonight there was nothing. A pang of fear made her catch her breath and she ran forward into the shadows.
Earlier that night, Psyan had brought herself, the new girl, Krystal, and then Linda into into Ni and Annette's shared minds. It had been wonderful, the perfect opportunity for Linda to meet both sides of her girlfriend at once, but Ni had carried the weight of keeping all their memories away from the other three girls. It had taken its toll. Annette was now worried it had been too much.
Something appeared in the darkness. A small shape, lying on the floor. As Annette got closer she recognised it. Ni was curled into a ball, her black hair now loose and covering her face. Her boots were gone, and her costume had large, ragged holes in it. "Ni?" There was no response to the question, and Annete closed the distance quickly, picking Ni from the ground and turning her over.
She almost dropped her again almost instantly. Her face was... haggard, that was the only word Annette could think of. Her bright eyes were dull, and she seemed not to see Annette, though her body shifted slightly, weakly resisting being rolled over. Her skin, normally in the flush of youth despite the pounding it took, was lined and sallow. Some of the wounds Annette had soaked away in her bath earlier were showing as gashes and bruises. One scar marred her nose, another was a gash across one breast. Annette hugged her mental twin to her. "Oh gods, Ni, what did I let you do?"
"Jus' tired." The voice was thin and reedy, but it was there. "Need to sleep." Ni was thinning again, as she had done just before Linda and Psyan left the mindscape. The lines on her face grew more pronounced, and her body became less so, as though it was fading away.
Annette pulled Ni against her, tears forming in her eyes and anger in her heart. "No! You don't leave me, Ni. Not over something as stupid and trivial as this. Not ever!"
"Jus' a li'l sleep," Ni said. "Be fine 'morrow, 'nette."
"No," Annette's voice was tearful, but with a hard edge. "I'm not losing you." And Annette began to glow. Her skin shone, bathing Ni in a warm, golden light. Her eyes blazed and she pulled the fading body of her 'head mate' to her, sharing warmth and energy.
Ni looked up, smiling childishly, and weakly raised a hand to point at Annette. "Angel!" she said. Already she was looking more solid, her eyes were brightening, skin clearing.
Annette buried Ni's face against her shoulder. "Yes, hun, angel. Don't you ever scare me like that again, Ni, you hear me?" She didn't, she was sleeping peacefully.
As the glow faded, Annette shifted Ni to cradle her in her lap and sat watching over her, gently rocking the sleeping girl and singing the nursery lullabies she remembered her bother singing when she was a child.
---
For the first time in three years, Annette, who owned neither a wristwatch nor an alarm clock, was late for work. Linda had to physically shake her awake, and looked a little concerned, but Annette looked so annoyed to have her state of health questioned that Lin let it slide.
Her boss was actually more worried that something had happened to her, his star attraction, than her profuse apologised and statements that it would never happen again.
Which was all to the good, because Annette was in a foul mood, and knowing she was going to have to face what she was now calling the Spotty Perv Squad, was not helping. She felt as if she was about ready to skin someone.
Her mood lifted just before midday. She was watching a kid of about twelve in the comic section who clearly should have been in school, almost wiling him to try to steal something. I remember him, he won't, to scared to try. Ni?! The one and only. Well, unless you count you. I was worried... What, that you'd be stuck having to deal with all my mean attitude all day? No, that you'd... leave. And miss teasing Lin? Not likely.
Annette smiled brightly, and Herb, the manager, looked up from stock-checking dice. "That's more like the Anne I know," he said. "You've been under a cloud all morning."
"Just worried about a friend," she replied. "I just heard she was going to be okay."
Herb frowned. "I didn't hear a phone..." Then he grinned. "Ah, I bet it's some super-secret comm-implant that Mrs Rolando's cooked up. You heroes gotta have ways of talkin' without bein' heard, right?"
Ni grinned. "Something like that, Herb."
Herb tapped the side of his nose conspiratorially. "Hush hush, I get it." His expression shifted slightly. "You keeping an eye on that kid?"
I sure am... "Uh-huh, but he's okay. Too scared of getting caught." Actually, he's been coming in more and more lately. Never weekends, never after hours... "Just gonna check on him anyway," she said, a suspicion forming.
She wandered obliquely through the racks, circling the kid and letting Ni's superior sense analysis detect any movements he made. As planned, she came up behind him. He was reading an old issue of The Incredible Shadowe. Least the kid's got taste. Annette giggled and the boy spun around as though he had been shot. A pair of long, bony spines erupted from the backs of his hands and he dropped the comic, whimpering and hid his hands behind his back.
Annette raised an eyebrow, but smiled, and knelt down to pick up the comic. "Hey kid," she said.
"I wasn't gonna steal it!" The words came out in a rush. The boy's arms shuffled and he winced, but the hands stayed hidden.
"I didn't think you were. I'm..."
"You're Nitoichi. I've seen you. On the Internet." The kid blushed a little and Annette tried not to, she knew the picture he meant. "You're a hero."
"Yeah, some people call me that. So, you know me, but I don't know you..."
"Leonard... Leo, Leo Harrap." Oh, the school bullies would love a 'leonard'. Leo looked at Annette with a falling face. "You're gonna send me back to school, aren't you?"
Annette looked down at the comic she was holding, held it up to show Leonard. "I know this guy. Shadowe. I call him Richard. You ever seen him for real?" Leo shook his head. "He wears this black battle suit and he's all awesome and powerful, right?" Leo nodded, his face brightening as she talked about heroes. "Know what he does on the evenings?" Head shake. "He goes down to the big statue of Galaxy Girl and he sits there in a T-shirt and jeans and chats to his friends." Leo gawked a bit at that, he was still at the phase where he thought heroes slept in their costumes or something. "Know why he does that, Leo?"
Addressing him by name obviously demanded a vocal response. "No. I mean, that's not in the comics."
Annette grinned. "The licensing issues would be lethal. No, anyway... Richard does it to feel more human, less like some kind of freak. These days, I guess that's why I do it too."
Leo looked at her, frowning. "You're notta freak, not like this..." He brought his arms forward, rather timidly, showing her the spines.
"No," Annette replied, "I have my own bit of freakishness, but I also know a lady that can make spines, and vines, and all sorts of things grow out of her skin. Do your parents know about this?" Leo shook his head. "And you're scared you'll be bullied at school." Nod. "Okay, Leo, that lady I was talking about, she told me that you have to learn to love yourself before you can get very far. I think I know some people who can help you. Will you talk to them for me."
"O-okay," Leo said.
Annette took out her comm unit and thumbed a button. "BODI? I have a young man here I think Cindersnap and Alraune need to talk to..."
Disclaimer: The above may be humerous, or at least may be an attempt at humour. Try reading it that way.
Posts are OOC unless noted to be IC, or in an IC thread.