Hi there!! I think I started this story... umm... sometime in 1999... But, anyway, be afraid, since it's basically my first slightly serious fan fic!! Have fun and stuff or whatever and e-mail me to tell me what you think!!!
<<Notes from myself shall be portayed like this, understand?? Good puppy!!>>
<<Well, while I'm just starting here, you should know that I have a few nicknames. In this story, you will see that, in the beginning, I'm referred to as both Susan and Hop/Hoppi/etc. Yes, just to clear up confusion, these names are all myself. Later, though, I must warn you... they might all be me, but they won't all be me anymore!! They'll be like me clones and- oh, I'm just confusing you more. Well, just start readin', damn it!!>>
“Time to get up!” rang out the annoying bell of Hop’s mother. She slapped a lump of multi-colored blanket, which just happened to be Hop’s thigh. “Out of bed! Time for school! We’re late!” The housewife was too loud for such a lazy morning. Why’d she have to push Hop into the cruel reality outside her bed?
“Five more minutes, “ the comforter moaned in an annoyed voice.
“Time to get up,” Hop's mother repeated loudly, then finally turned out of the room without bothering to close the door. Perhaps she was aware of how strategically annoying that was. Hop slowly got up and closed the door, for she could never stand having cold air rush into her nice, warm room. Her eyes groggily found an outfit that she would complain about later. She always complained about her clothes… especially in the mornings.
<<I mean, seriously, dudes... who the hell complains about their clothes in the mornings?! I mean, who's that awake at 6:30 am?!>>
A while later, Hop found herself stumbling sleepily up the main stairs to the evil high school. As she looked up wearily, one word described the picture through her eyes… well, okay, a couple of words ran through her mind: Prison, undone homework, torture, more imprisonment, Xelloss in a monkey suit…
“Ack! I’m tired… I don’t want to be here,” complained a quiet voice beside her.
Hop made a face at Jean and started to walk like Egore. “Master,” she said in a strange accent, “I seem to have eaten my homewo- I mean- my pet lobster ate my hibachi grill-homework! My pet ate my homework,” Hop finally got out in a weird act… half out of lack of sleep and half out of trying to make Jean laugh. It worked. Jean giggled. Hop grinned, feeling victorious. “What period do we start with, do you know?” she asked in her regular tone as they trudged up more stairs.
Jean made a decent attempt to remember… and failed. “I have no clue.”
Hop grinned, remembering something that would drive Jean crazy. She didn’t leave a trace of hesitation as she started with a chorus of, “Do you know? Do you know? Do you really know?”
<<That was in reference to the anime "Revolutionary Girl Utena". If you want more info, e-mail me!>>
“Oh, God, no!” Jean made a face. “Evil!”
“Hey, those girls are cool,” Hop disagreed.
Jean took a deep breath. “Well, they were cute at first, but after a while, they just get annoying.”
“Well, yea, I guess so…”
It turned out that Jean and Hop both had French that first period and that there was a substitute. In other words: free day.
Toby came up to Hop. “Hi, Susan. Tell Jean I say ‘hi’, okay?”
<<Oh, Toby? He's my invisable friend!!>>
“Hey, Jean,” Hop said with a tap on Jean’s shoulder. “Toby says ‘hi’.”
“Toby’s here?” Jean asked, getting wide-eyed. Hop simply nodded. Jean looked around, twitching a little, secretly asking Hop where Toby was at that moment. “He’s next to my desk,” Hop said, gesturing.
Jean waved her hand around that area… unsuspecting the chuckling Toby sitting on Hop’s desk. Hop had to hold back a chuckle. “It’s fun being invisible, huh, Toby?” she asked him.
Toby sighed. “It has its moments…” Toby became thoughtful, and Hop knew exactly what about. Toby didn’t really want to be invisible all the time; it sometimes made him depressed thinking about it.
“Oh, God,” Jean said suddenly, her voice and face cringed, “I have PE next.” Her voice lightened. “Well, I don’t feel like changing today anyway…”
“You forgot your PE clothes again, huh?” Hop asked, knowing she was right.
Jean looked around fidgety. “Uh…y-no… no…” It was evident that she was jokingly trying to act it off.
Hop smirked. “Right,” she said sardonically.
The school day passed slowly, as any other. Hop trudged through the hall after the bell rang, kids milling everywhere in the start of the lunch period. Jean tugged at her sleeve. “Did we have any homework in French?” she asked, now seeming more awake.
Hop shrugged. “How should I know? Even if there is, I won’t do it!”
Jean chuckled. “Yea, me neither…” Hop performed her famous clown act- not to be confused as her famous mime act. Jean giggled and squirmed, really getting into Hop’s performance until she plopped into place in the corner.
“I think I have peanut butter again today,” Hop said, rummaging through her bright sea green bag. She suddenly looked up at Jean with a grin and a plot of some sort in her eyes. The bag zipped abruptly. “Hey, Jean… we’re not eating in the hall today!”
Jean looked confused. “We’re not?” she asked in a performed slow tone.
Hop shook her head slowly, then got up, snickering psychotically. “I have an idea!” she said, again in a crazed tone.
Jean jumped. “What is it Hoppi? What is it??”
Hop stopped suddenly, causing Jean to bump into her. “But first, we must find Azusa!”
Hop and Jean turned just in time to jam their faces into Azusa. “Jean! Hoppi! I missed you guys!” Azusa said with a big group hug. “Where were you going?”
Hop put on her insane face and voice again. “Come, we will explore untamed lands!”
Azusa looked at Jean. “Too much cream cheese on her bagel this morning,” Jean whispered loudly; Azusa nodded with a satisfied smile. Hop lead the way upstairs to the third floor. The three marched across to another hallway and to the stairway across the hall.
When they entered they came to the door that lead to the stairs, Hop stopped and gave a “Shhh!” She opened the door slowly and the three crept in. To their left was another set of double doors, mysterious in all their peachiness. To their direct right was another door, which was locked. And to their diagonal right was… (Bum bum BUMMM!!!!) the stairs. (Oooo!!) Hop turned slowly to her left, then looked behind her at her friends. “What d’ya guys think? Should we go in?”
“You first!” Azusa said quickly. “I don’t wanna be the one to get captured if aliens took over that room!” Hop gave Azusa a look. “I’m used to my sister by now, thank you very much.”
“Maybe there’s an old book in there that’s magical and… Can anyone here read Chinese?” Jean asked. Hop and Azusa looked at her, knowing she’d have to add in her two cents sooner or later.
<<The book thing was in reference to "Fushigi Yuugi"... Again, just e-mail if you have questions.>>
Hop took a deep breath. “Okay… let’s do this.” She put her hand on the cold doorknob, then made a face. “I think I just grabbed a piece of gum…” Azusa and Jean giggled. “Man, I feel like the twit of the group,” Hop mumbled, making the two laugh even harder. She opened the door at last, then poked her head inside. She screamed as her body twitched and convulsed violently and she jumped into the room, the door shutting behind her.
“Oh, what a fake,” Jean said, frowning slightly.
Azusa grabbed the doorknob. “Well, we might as well see what’s in here.” She opened the door and suddenly jumped in the room, not even having time to utter a cry.
Jean was now left alone in the quiet room. “Um, you guys?” There was no answer. “Do I have to go in there and get you guys out?” Again, there was no reply. Jean whimpered a final, pathetic “Hello?” and finally gave in to her curiosity, taking the doorknob and giving it a twist, opening the door meticulously. She uttered a cry as the bright light hit her face, a wind flinging back her dark hair and a mysterious force grabbing her into the blinding light.
“Oof,” Jean exhaled as she landed directly into someone’s arms. She looked up at a handsome face, with a mouth that she could’ve sworn was in a smile and two enchanting ice blue eyes. Light, stringy dirty-blond hair fell over certain parts of his face, but the rest was apparently pulled up. She felt the balls of her feet reach the ground as the guy let her down. She blushed and looked down, uttering a, “Thank you.” The guy nodded with a smile. Jean’s eyes pried off the guy to notice Hop and Azusa. But this wasn’t normal… the three of them were changed in a minor sort of way. They were now Japanese cartoons in an animated world!
“Forget it, Jean. He’s mine!” Azusa said quickly, grabbing the strange young man’s arm.
Jean grabbed the other arm. “But he’s too cute!”
“Grrr… No! Mine! You can’t have him!” Azusa barked, yanking on the poor guy’s arm.
“Uhhh… guys?” Hop mumbled in, her eyes glued to the picture ahead.
The fighting girls didn’t pay attention to her. “We can cuddle!” Jean said excitedly.
“Guys?”
“I saw him first!” Azusa responded, having another tug.
Hop spazzed out, screaming, “Listen to me, you monkeys!!!” This made Azusa, Jean, and that guy pause in their (uncomfortable-looking) positions. Hop smiled. “Thank you. As I was trying to tell you, there’s a big golden coach coming along… and I’m guessing it’s someone important.”
“Is it the ice cream man?” Jean asked excitedly.
“Is it a meat monkey?” Azusa asked fearfully.
Hop shook her head. “No… I think it’s royalty…” Hop looked around. “Alright, who wants to play Miaka?” Azusa shrugged. Jean looked confused. The strange guy… was not the type to play Miaka. Hop didn’t really want to play Miaka. Suddenly, Hop got an idea. “I have an idea!!!” Hop said excitedly, the mouse in her head running in the wheel in place of her brain.
She took out a brush and started to brush her hair, carefully keeping her part in its normal place. She suddenly brushed back, losing the part, and started to glow with a light yellow aura. Jean and Azusa were stumped; they had no idea what was going on. Well, okay, neither did that guy, but still… Hop parted her hair straight down the middle and, as the brush went down the left side, a clone stumbled out. As the brush went through the right side, another clone somersaulted out. Both clones stood and looked at Jean, Azusa, and the guy. Hop’s hair returned to normal quickly, the two clones glowing still with the aura. The aura around the clone on the left faded into a green aura. The clone on the right glowed with a light lavender aura. The auras faded, leaving the group with three slightly-different-looking Hops.
The original Hop giggled. “Remember those many alter-egos of mine? Well, here’s the three basic forms!” She pointed to the one on the left. “This one is Susan! She’s mean… stay away!”
Susan whipped the hair out of her face. “Am not!” she denied.
Hop ran over and pointed to the other clone on the right. “And this is Hoppi! She’s the good one,” Hop explained. Hoppi had a spiral of lavender hair tied up in a ponytail. Both she and Susan looked rather different from the original Hop.
<<This goes with my different personalities... Hoppi's my lovable, bubbly side, Susan id my bitchy evil side, and Hop is... I dunno.. In between... yeah...>>
“That was neato!” Hoppi exclaimed, smiling. The group of them headed toward a crowd where the chariot had stopped for a moment. “Now we should have a Miaka between us!” Hop said, looking at her clones. She stared at Hoppi. “Susan would be a pretty bitchy Miaka, so that leaves you, Hoppi… have fun!”
Hoppi blinked, not knowing what to do at that moment. When she saw the chariot, however, it was blessed instinct. The chariot began moving again. “I know! We’ll need money, right? For food and stuff… ‘cause we’re probably gonna be staying a while… so I’ll just ask that person for some money! Be right back!” Hoppi ran over to the slow-moving horse-drawn chariot. She jogged alongside of the curtained window. “Excuse me, but can I have some money or a jewel or something? Even just a little gem off of this chariot would be worth much, much more than what half of these people here own altogether!” The person behind the curtain said nothing. Hoppi continued with the smile on her face. “Can’t we just have a little teenie, tiny jewel? Please?” Again, no response. Hoppi started becoming frustrated. “Come on! You’re a healthy, wealthy human being! (I think…) So why can’t you just spare a little bit of-“
“Hey, you!” yelled a guard from in back of Hoppi.
She turned to him with a surprised face. “Uh oh…”
Azusa quickly ran to Hoppi’s rescue. She grabbed Hoppi’s arm and started to pull her back away from the carriage. “Sorry, Sir,” Azusa apologized to the guard. “She’s a little wacko… she hasn’t had any peanut butter for a few days now and-“
“Silence!” barked the guard. “Take them away! Both of them!” More guards came out, surrounding Hoppi and Azusa.
“Stop!” shouted an elegant voice from the golden carriage. Just the sound of the voice made the guards halt in their places.
“Your Majesty,” said the main guard, bowing down low to the ground. The whole crowd, including the rest of the guards, also bowed down low. Even the strange guy was bowing down. After exchanging looks, Hop and Jean bowed as well.
Susan folded her arms. “I will not bow to anyone! This is a silk dress, and I am not ruining it for some lady in a carriage!”
Hop grabbed the corner of Susan’s skirt and yanked her down to bow. “Bow, you stubborn clone!”
“Believe me,” the strange guy said to Susan, “you wouldn’t want that pretty head of yours cut off just because of a silk dress.”
Susan glared at the young man. “You’re lucky I’m bowing, or else I’d be kicking.”
The carriage door glittered as it slowly opened up. An intricately decorated high heel slowly stepped out, followed by its mate. Her whole dress glittered enchantingly as the queen stepped out onto a rolled-out red velvet carpet. The young woman gracefully moved toward Hoppi and Azusa… the only two commoners not bowing down. The queen looked down upon the two. “Not only are you strangers,” said the queen, “but you are not educated enough to see you are to bow to me out of respect to the queen of the seven-hundredth generation? How dare you!”
“We’re sorry!” Hoppi said quickly, shaking under the feeling of power. She dropped to her knees and began worshipping the queen. Azusa bowed.
“Foolish!” yelled the queen. “Guards! Take these two-“
Before the queen could finish, a bright golden light caught every eye. An aura surrounded Hop as she jumped up. “What the-?! No! Don’t make me go back! I don’t wanna play Yui! I can’t read old Chinese! Don’t take me back!” She disappeared with a final, echoing, “No!”
Hoppi and Azusa took advantage of the proceeding blinding light to run toward Jean, Susan, and the strange guy. “C’mon, let’s get out of here!” Azusa said, leading the way to town.
“’The five remaining ran and ran,’” Hop read in an exasperated tone, now back in the original world and back to her normal self. “’They soon found a street leading to,’ conveniently enough, ‘five small allies.’”
<<This is in reference to "Fushigi Yuugi"... The book thing, remember?>>
“Let’s split up,” Jean suggested.
Susan glared at her. “Why?! We’re not chasing anyone and we’re not looking for anything, so there’s no reason to!”
“Susan’s right,” Hoppi agreed. “I mean, what if we get hurt or something? I don’t like boo-boos…”
“We should explore!” Azusa said enthusiastically.
“Yea,” Jean backed up, “that’s what we should do! Then, if anyone finds anything good, we could all go there… or something…”
The strange guy nodded. “I have nothing against splitting up and all, but I’ve lived here for a long time now and I’ve seen those allies. Not too interesting unless you like tattoo parlors, prostitutes, candy stores, and a potato factory.” The rest of the group stared at the stranger. He shrugged. “Well, there goes your idea of exploring.”
“As I said before, there’s no reason to split up,” Susan said, a hand on her hip.
Azusa went up to the strange boy. “And who are you to agree with someone like that?!” she asked, poking his nose.
“Oh? Have I forgotten to introduce myself? I’m sure you and Jean should know me, Azusa,” he responded.
Azusa stumbled back. “H-Hey! How’d you know-?”
“How do you know my name?” Jean asked.
“’Tobias Hazel introduced himself as a citizen of Czerhakaneeickpaanawachuelle Kii Yaao, evidently the city they were standing in.’” Hop paused her reading. “Czerhakaneeickpaanawachuelle Kii Yaao?!”
<<Heh heh... the question is how many of you saps really did try to pronounce that...? <Evil grin>>>
“Czerhaka-what?!” Azusa asked, lifting an eyebrow.
“The city’s name… Czerhakaneeickpaanawachuelle Kii Yaao,” Tobias repeated, the name sliding off his tongue like blue Jell-O pudding off a machete.
“I bet that tongue could be put to real good use, huh?” Jean commented, her eyes gleaming with her natural kinkiness.
Tobias laughed. “You don’t look like the type who’d say something like that,” he responded.
Azusa thought for a while. “Wait a second…” She started freaking out. “Hopster’s invisible boyfriend is named Toby!” she burst out.
Tobias looked at her. “Huh?”
“’Jean took a tight grip onto Tobias’s left arm. Tobias didn’t make a move to get away from her. Azusa could not tell if this handsome young man could actually be the same Toby as Hop’s invisible friend. For the moment, she decided it was not in fact the same character, for this Tobias did not seem to be invisible. Also, he didn’t seem to know anything about an invisible friend of Hop’s. To top it all off, he didn’t push back from Jean’s tiny-but-inescapable little cling like the devoted invisible Toby would. So how could this be the same Toby she knew?’ Toby…I bet he really is Toby, but just forgot about me since I’m not there.” Hop’s teardrops smeared the ink in the old book.
“Is it raining?” asked Azusa, lifting a hand to feel a couple of cold raindrops splatter against her palm.
“We’ve gotta find shelter,” Susan said quickly, “before my hair gets all messy!”
Tobias nodded. “She’s right… to an extent…we’ve gotta find shelter.”
More to come!!!
