"Frank-kun?" Katie said, tugging on Frank's pant leg. He glanced down at her and blinked. "What is it, Katie?" "Can...we go to a mall?" Frank blanched, remembering what day it was. The mall would be all decorated, hearts and flowers...he'd probably get depressed... But if Katie was asking...he couldn't say no. "Yeah, okay." The girl gave an unenthused wai and went to get her things. Frank watched her walk into her temporary room in the Ramsey household, then hunted for his keys. ----------------------------- PROJECT CHIBIFICATION Chapter 24: My Chibi Valentine Fansubbed by Lady Brick This part mangled by James Bard Retsu Go! ----------------------------- "..You know what you doing," Deedee mumbled, eyelids fluttering. Finally, the vacant look on her face melted away, and she suddenly became less occupied with absorbing Sakura Diaries and more with edging away from Brett, who was thrashing about in his semicoma, even though his spacy eyes were focused on the television. "Hm? Oh, good, you're back to normal," Anna said, glancing at the bluehaired girl. "Untie her, would you, Ceece?" Cecil nodded in response, approaching the All-Things-Kawaii expert warily. "What's my name, Deedee?" he said tentatively, eyeing her as he began to work one of the knots. "...Puuchuu?" she chirped, tilting her head to one side. Cecil groaned. "It's good enough. She's at least quoting something that hasn't been dubbed." Cecil glanced back at Anna, then sighed and undid the final knot on the ropes. They slid down Deedee's body, and she stood up shakily. Glancing around, she let her eyes settle on the hogtied and gagged Brett. "Why the gag?" she whispered. "He was...um..." Cecil blushed fiercely. "Well, you know, he was quoting things like the La Blue Girl dub and--" "Never mind," grumbled Deedee, rubbing her forehead. "Agh, how much ADV did we watch.." "Mmmph," Brett started, eyelids fluttering. Shaking his head, he spat out the crumpled doujinshi stuffed in his mouth (much to Jennifer's chagrin, Cecil had borrowed one of her yaoi mags for the purpose). "Thirteen hours," he rasped, struggling against the rope. "Can you untie me now?" Anna sighed and motioned for Cecil to untie him. Then, she went back to staring at Jennifer's monitor. "You're telling me these files have been here ever since the first chibification?" she demanded, glaring at the secretary. The Lum-dressed girl nodded in response, fingers flying over the keys. "Yeah. As you can see, they're not complete solutions, but--" "What's..." Anna whispered, eyes going wide. She pointed to a bit of text. "Subject Y? Jennifer, what's subject Y?" "I'm not sure," she replied, frowning and typing a bit more. "But shouldn't you worry about the transformations, first?" Anna nodded, cutting off the curiousity before it made her investigate further. She didn't have time to worry about anyone except Katie, Cecil, and Rosa. ---------- Mrs. Harrison paced around the living room, an anger vein bulging on her forehead. Her apron was perfectly starched, the house cleaner than it had ever been, and the lawn was looking beautiful. And yet all was not right. "He thinks he can just snap his fingers and fix everything, and then that will be the end of it?" She muttered, eyeing the spic-n-span house. "Well, dear, that _is_ what he did," Dad said gently. He puffed on his pipe contentedly. "Now, if only he'd find Commander Fuzz..." "It's that Annie-May!" Mom snapped. "I think it's changed him! He doesn't do what he's told anymore, without arguing, and... doesn't he seem...different to you?" "Not at all, dear," Dad replied, picking up the Maplecrest Journal, "why, should he?" "...he wasn't eight feet tall and sporting horns when we left, dear!" Mom chided, pulling the paper away from his face. "But, dear, he has a girlfriend, now! Maybe he just needed a change in style." "I don't know. Something seems...off about those two. Suspicious." She frowned. An inkling was coming to her. "They seem so...distant! I don't think..." Dad looked up from his paper. "Hm?" "I don't think their relationship is going well!" she announced. "We should talk to--" *ding dong.* Both parents blinked. Who on earth would be visiting this late at night? Mom started for the door, but Mr. Harrison intercepted her. "You stay here, dear, mind your headache. I'll get it." He strolled into the front hall, unlocked the massive door (Eugene had resized it after his horn smashed into the threshhold one too many times), and swung it open, smiling pleasantly. "Hello!" he said cheerily. "konbonwa," the girl on the step replied. Her bodysuit gleamed underneath the porch light, and she looked up at Dad with gray eyes. That suddenly became brown ones. There was a long silence. A breeze whipped her long, dark locks over her eyes. "Uh...what can I do for you?" Dad finally asked. The girl stood silently for another moment before responding. "i am here to see eugene." ----------- "...What do you mean, am I cheating on Josie?" Eugene stood in the kitchen with his mother, eyes wide. He'd completely forgotten about the ruse Josh had used...any thoughts on the subject were abruptly cut short as his mother glared at him. "You know exactly what I mean! Are you two-timing that sweet, innocent Josie for someone who dresses in skin-tight clothing and dyes their hair?" She put her hands on her hips. Josh tried to look over her shoulder and out the kitchen door, hoping to get a glimpse of this mystery girl, but Mom had a knack for being large when she wanted to be. No matter how tall she was. But wait...sweet and innocent...had Mom even TALKED to Josh? To think, that hulking, stupid... And who was she talking about? He briefly imagined Rosa in skin-tight clothing and shivered. "Mom, I've got no idea what you're talking about, and--" He stopped short as a vision of anime loveliness stepped into the kitchen, then calmly sidestepped his mother and approached him, a slight smile on her gorgeous face. She was a bit tall, and her outfit was indeed tight. It clung like a second skin to her arms, her shoulders--- He gulped. Her breasts. And hips. And legs. Red mixed with green as he unconsciously leered at this new girl. A brilliant mane of blue hair completed the look, contrasting with the black of the bodysuit nicely and hanging down to her hips. She had bangs, and one slim hand came up to delicately brush them out of her eyes. "eugene," she said softly, reaching out to stroke his cheek. "I _knew_ it!" sputtered Mom, folding her arms. "How dare you cheat on Josie with this girl! And invite them both over on a day like today! I---" The girl turned and smiled up at the taller woman. "go to sleep," she whispered, then languidly turned to face Eugene again. Mom, bewildered, slowly sank to her knees and then to the floor. Dad followed. "i am here to take you to AIEOU headquarters," she lilted. "please, do not try to fight." Eugene's reptilian eyes narrowed. "So you're another AIEOU goon?" he snarled. "Unless you want to see the power of the world's only SUPERYOUMAGENERAL--" ------- Sam Perlus blinked as, in the middle of a choreographed number, Chichiri, Keichi, Ataru, Shingo and Katsuhito all flashed in unison. "Hold it!" he barked. "That isn't part of the routine!" The lamps swiveled to face their producer and blinked apologetically. ------- "--I'd suggest you get out, now!" He folded his arms against his scaly chest and let out an ear-grating sinister laugh, expecting her to flee in terror. After all, she wasn't some DBZ character in disguise, now, was she? The girl's eyes went from gray to brown again. And her hair shifted colors, now a dark, dark brown. It hurt to look at it; the color seemed to be shifting hues constantly. "gomen nasai, but you must come with me." Her voice had not changed, but there was an almost...eager...tone to it now. "Who are you?" Eugene growled, hunting for the only bottle of the Sauce in the house. It had been out on the sink when he'd come into the kitchen--- Explosively, the paper-wrapped bottle shattered against the 'fridge. Blinking, he whirled to face the ruined Sauce, watching in horror as it trickled down the refridgerator door and pooled on the floor. His Sauce! Enraged, he turned and leapt at the girl. She sharly exhaled through puckered lips, her eyes wide and distant. Eugene's world went black. ======== Josh-chan blinked as the house shuddered. "Huh?" Rosa groaned, trying to sit up, then cried out sharply and fell back against the carpeting again. Her chest heaved, and the redheaded DBZ fan looked down at her somewhat worriedly. Somewhat, of course, because she was more focused on the second reverberating thud that shook the building. Frowning, the peered around the corner, down the stairs... ...just in time to see Eugene sliding across the ground and towards the front door. His breathing was shallow, and his eyes were shut. 'you are next,' something whispered to Josh-chan. She jumped. -------- Frank stared out at the ocean of mediocrity that was the Orange County Mall. The Gap People that Rosa and Cecil had breifly become were _nothing_ compared to these folk. Khakis. T-shirts. Shoulder bags. Kate Spade. Spaghetti string tank top. Jeans. It was almost as if the shoppers were wearing uniforms. Tag after tag flew by as teenagers--a seemingly endless supply of them--rushed about. And, to worsen it all, all those awful hallmark Valentine's decorations were up. And blindingly pink. He sighed. It was a goddamned depressing Valentine's Day. Normally, on the 14th, he'd just try not to think about the disastrous relationship that had changed his life forever. Go bowling, write an article, something that dulled his wits enough to keep him from feeling down. In Orange County, there was nothing. And plus, Katie's constant presence was reminding him of his own half-chibi state, thus reminding him of...her. Karmen. Why was he thinking about Karmen? He had other people. 'Who?' he asked himself. 'Rosa? Are you kidding? Those AIEOU girls? No way.' "I have Katie," he said softly. But did he, really? She wasn't too much younger than him, and certainly was affectionate, but...how did he feel about her? Speaking of Katie, where was that girl? Frank looked around slowly, realizing that in his melancholy he'd forgotten to keep an eye on her. "Oh, no," he groaned. Lonely, depressed, and confused, he stood and started towards a Fannie May. If a chibi was headed anywhere in this mall, he could bet it'd be somewhere with chocolate. As he walked, another sigh escaped his lips. Yep. Definitely a depressing Valentine's. "...Frank-kun?" "Huh?" the tall man spun in place, and looked down. Katie blushed up at him, and shoved forward a heart-shaped box. "...I...uh...happy Valentine's, Frank-kun!" Frank smiled. "Katie..." His smile vanished as she leapt up and flung her arms around his neck. Suddenly, he was less concerned with romance and more concerned with oxygen. "WAAAAAI! Thankyouthankyou for all your help I was gonna giveyou chocolatebutIateitbuttheboxisprettyisn'titIthinkthesugarmademekind ofhyperI--" He smiled again. Then tried to breathe. "H---*gack.* Happy Valentine's day, Katie...Agh...AIR..." ----- "Father?" she slid the shoji door open slowly. Tentatively. Sitting carefully, she gazed at her father, who appeared lost in thought. "Hai, Keiko." Lenny's eyes slid away from the exquisitely-done calligraphy on his desk, and onto his daughter. "I...wonder...about Cecil's friends. Are you sure we should keep them here?" Lenny nodded a bit. "Very sure, Keiko." His eyes returned to the kanji on his desk, and narrowed. Below the writing were the roman letters... A I E O U "...Very sure, indeed." ----- Anna's eyes went wide, her hands gripping Jennifer's shoulder tightly. She read the page, over and over again, her mouth working, but could not accept what she saw. "No..." she whispered. "No. It can't be. It just...can't..." "I know!" cried Jennifer. "I never expected it to be like this!" Cecil rushed over from his conversation with Brett and Deedee. "What? WHAT?" He peered over Jennifer's right shoulder and felt the gorge rise up in his throat. A very...very...well-drawn picture of Heero Yuui locked in a passionate embrace with Duo Maxwell was on the monitor. In the picture's background, a weeping Wu Fei watched in horror. The mecha otaku shuddered and turned away, hissing. "Shouldn't you two keep reading the chibification files?" "Oh, right," Anna muttered, minimizing the window and peering once more at the solution files. "Guess we got a little caught up, there.." "Brett?" Deedee asked, almost gently, looking at the Hentai Expert inquisitively. "What's wrong? You look kind of...nervous..." Indeed, Brett's normally perfect hair was rumpled as he tried to calmly watch the end of Sakura Diaries, and a bead of sweat rolled down his neck. He'd been exposed to so much awful dubbing...even he'd been shaken. "Ne...Brett?" Deedee said softly. "Hm?" he snapped out of his ponderings. "...Happy Valentine's Day, you pervert," she whispered good-naturedly, then stood and walked to Anna. Brett smiled a bit. Maybe for a moment he could stop worrying about the phone report. He was sure the Boss wouldn't mind. ------- "i have him," the voice whispered out of the reciever's earpeice. "i am on my way back right now." "Excellent, Yuri," the head council member said. "Make sure no one sees you." "hai." The phone clicked. Dead. ------------------------------- Man. I had a lot of plot twists in mind for this. Originally, I wanted Brett to be part of a sort of conspiracy; had an M. Bison-esque figure in mind as well, pulling strings, being responsible for Brett's treachery and the AIEOU's efforts to rub out Anna, Brett, and Deedee. It didn't work. Mainly because I was sick and overworked and had no time. If I didn't have to finish this tonight, and could have run the ideas past a few more people, I would have been sure of what I was going to do. But, I don't want to throw in plot twists that don't make sense, so the most vague thing in here is the mysterious kanji letter in the Ramsey house. I wanted to do more, honest, but sickness and college visits and rehearsals and---gah. Ah well. I like what I have written. And I suggest, nay, plead, that someone use Chichiri, Keichi, Ataru, Shingo and Katsuhito in another chapter. "The Lights Fantastic", anyone? ~_^ Bye now! I go to bed, then Boston tomorrow morning. -Bard