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Paradise Is... Ep. 20 Prt 1

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This is to catch me up on my time-line :) London-based episode this time, next episode's going to be Kirere (yay!! She's one of a couple of characters I find I have to pace myself with--I just love writing for her so much, though, hehe). After that, I have it narrowed down to a few choices ^_~

Urm, so, yeah. I updated. Surprise? XD


Episode 20:

Fujuju: Spend the Birthday Ringing in Terror!

Part 1:

Another hit with the hammer, and the metal device in the plastic bag was in tiny bits. Fujuju lifted this up and looked at it with a relieved grin, then tossed it over his shoulder and into the trash, "A ray that turns everyday life into a musical… Worst idea I've had in quite some time." He then turned his attention to the golden staff laid out in two separate pieces, and pulled open a drawer, looking down at another, smaller gold piece; five minutes of welding, he'd have the job done, and the staff fixed. Instead, it'd laid in the drawer for weeks, even gathering a fine film of dust.

Instead he gave a sigh and shut the drawer again, and shook his head, "…But what's stopping me…?" he wondered aloud. He nearly fell off of the tall stool he stood on as he heard the door swing wide open, and Maggie and Oliver walked in, Oliver carrying a large brown wrapped box with a familiar peach insignia on its front.

"We stopped by the post office for you!" Maggie called up, and Fujuju began the climb down to the bottom story of the home. Oliver allowed the box to fall onto the coffee table, and it came down with a heavy thud.

"You got any clue what it is? It feels like it weighs a ton!" Oliver rubbed the back of his neck and stretched a bit, and took a seat on the old worn couch.

"Yes-I was talking with Tama-chan recently about some foods I missed that were on Keron, and he was thoughtful enough to send a care package to me. Oh, wait until you children try some of the food I can make with this!" he pulled off the tape and revealed a clear mason jar, with a still-squirming purple squid-like monster writhing in it.

"T-That's all right, we'd much rather prefer a curry," Maggie chuckled, holding up her hands and taking a step back. "Oh? Did you make this place bigger since last?"

"Well… Not exactly… Botan has… Been cleaning more," he cleared his throat. "…Apparently I've got another guest room I'd completely forgotten about."

"Hey, less worries when you start a family, right?" Oliver shrugged, and Maggie shot her brother a death glare in response, while Fujuju only listened to this, puzzled.

"Where is she at, anyway?" Maggie craned her head, attempting to catch a glimpse of the silver-haired Time Bender.

"Mags, you know where she is, we sent her out to get a ca-OW!" he gave a yelp as Maggie tossed a pillow directly at his face, and he tossed it aside with a huff.

"…I'm not sure, honestly," Fujuju admitted, "She left quite early this morning, though… Before I could even make breakfast!"

"Maybe she's getting some fireworks together!" Oliver said with a happy gasp.

"…You make an art out of saying the wrong thing at the best of times…" Maggie placed a hand over her forehead and sighed, and took a seat beside her brother. "So do you have any plans for today?"

"Well… Perhaps planning for this weekend with you both. Any idea where we're off to next?"

"No can do, mate," Fujuju shot his head back, surprised by this news from Oliver. "Got that school dance Saturday, remember? And I actually managed to get a date!"

"There was a rare aligning in the planets," Maggie muttered wearily. "That, or he paid someone."

"Oh. Well… You'll both have a good time then with your dates, I hope."

"Eh, I will. Maggie ain't got one," Oliver replied, pointing to his sister, who looked at him darkly, but her expression shifted as she looked to Fujuju.

"It's no big deal; I go for the punch and the music, anyway!" Maggie giggled, waving this off flippantly. Fujuju was about to answer, when the door opened, and Botan walked in, her stern expression clashing sharply with the balloons and cake she held.

"Merry Christmas," she said plainly, and both of the twins laughed nervously.

"…You've got the right idea at least," Maggie laughed. "Here, let me help you with that."

She walked over to Botan, as did Oliver, and Fujuju watched in stunned silence, his back turned to the care package; focused more on the twins and Time Bender, he failed to notice the small white envelope fall from the box and underneath the coffee table. The small white, spider-like creature also failed to catch the attention of anyone as it quickly climbed out of the same box, and it scuttled away into an unnoticed crack after surveying its area for a little while.




"You sure you're all right to have candles on it?" Maggie asked worriedly as the four now sat at the dining room table, and Fujuju merely nodded, and she drew in a breath, lighting a few candles atop the cake.

"So, now you make a wish… And don't make it for more fire," Oliver chuckled worriedly. Fujuju looked down at flames for a moment, then across the table at Botan. He quickly averted his eyes and blew out the candles, then cleared his throat.

"I'll get plates!" Maggie chirped, and hopped out of her seat. Oliver took this opportunity to lean in and whisper to Fujuju, giving his tutor a nudge.

"I'd ask you what you wished for, but I think I know," Oliver whispered, and Fujuju's face flushed.

"Back!" Maggie slid back into her chair, and Fujuju recovered, but not without looking across to Botan one more time while she glanced toward the front door.

"…Something the matter?" Maggie asked aloud.

"No. I thought I heard something," she answered, and poked at the cake she was given with a fork.

The small spider-like creature scuttled across the front door, then took hiding in another crack in the wall. It watched quietly as the small party continued, and then the twins stood up, ready to leave.

"Margaret," Fujuju called out to the girl as she was about ready to step out the front door, and Maggie turned back around to him, and looked down at him. "If… If you need an escort for tomorrow, I wouldn't mind-"

"What?" Maggie gasped, and lifted him up. "You'd do that?... For me?... Honest?"

"Well, of course. For you or your brother, I'd-" he was cut off by the tight hug Maggie delivered him, and he heard a crack, which could have only been his spine.

"I… We can come by around seven, perhaps a little earlier. We'll be ready by then!" she lifted him back down, and he stumbled around, a bit dazed. "You… You'll be in your human form, right?"

"What? S-Sure," he nodded, rubbing his head.

"Right. We'll see you then. C'mon, Ollie," Maggie grinned, and led Oliver out of the home happily.

"…What did I just agree to?" he wondered aloud, now coming back to his senses.

"You told Margaret Martin you'd accompany her and her brother to a function," Botan replied.

"Me? I was going to send her along with that boy who delivers the papers on the corner!" Fujuju yelped, then stood. "….I don't even know where I put my suit!"

Panic in his voice set in, and he hurried off for his room.



"How's this look?" he walked out in his human form, and Botan looked up from her place on the couch; she'd taken a seat, reading one of the many books in the home, while he rushed around, looking in vain in his room. "I… I couldn't find the shoes to it…" he admitted, kicking at the ground with a pair of old red sneakers he wore. Botan shut the book and stood, and walked over to him, until she was but a few inches from him. She looked down at his tie, and adjusted it.

"Thank you," he said shakily, and she nodded, and sat back down on the couch, in the same position as before.

"Have you finished my staff?" she asked as he continued to fidget with the shirt sleeves, and Fujuju looked up to her, surprised.

"Finally bored of this place?"

"I have work to get back to," Botan answered sternly. "It's been months."

"I… You're absolutely right, it has… Give me one more night, it should be done," he said quietly with a small nod. "In fact… I'll go work on it now…" he shuffled up the stairs, and Botan returned to her reading.

He removed the piece from the drawer, and then the hammer from the table, and looked down at both, then out to the bottom level. He had a good view of her from the couch, and he took a seat on the stool, and sighed in frustration, allowing his forehead to rest on the edge of the workbench.

"You could always beg. That works…. Every one out of a million times," he grumbled in disdain, and raised his head again. She was gone from the couch, and he frowned. "…There's nothing wrong with just you and the children. It's better that way. This was always temporary, you knew that.  Not like she'd really see anything, anyway. She could spend a thousand months here and not see anything. And, you're out of practice on top of it.... Pathetic."

"What are you going to do with that?" he jumped at the sound of a voice from behind him, and he recovered, and spun around on the stool to face Botan.

"How'd you… So quickly… I… This?" he glanced at the hammer in his hand, and then back to her, and she nodded. "Well, fix your staff, just as promised… Just because it's someone's birthday doesn't mean they don't work!"

"Can I borrow it?" she asked abruptly, and he jerked his head back, then laughed.

"I'm afraid not. It's much, much too powerful for most, I don't even trust myself with it most of the time!" he chuckled lightly. He nearly dropped it as Botan leaned in and kissed him, and she pulled it away from his hand gently as she broke away from him. "I… This isn't anything I couldn't do with a welding machine….Be careful with it…." he squeaked, and she nodded, and turned away from him, a dark smile growing on her face as she walked away from him and down the steps of the lab.

A smile slowly grew on his face, and he spun back around in his chair, only to once again nearly fall out as he saw Botan standing in front of him, a puzzled look on her face.

"I… How did you… Again…?"

"I found one of your shoes. It was in my closet," her tone was even, and her expression calm as usual, as if nothing had happened. He nodded numbly, dazed, and she turned and walked away from him without another word.

"….What just happened?" he shook his head, but then whispered to himself. "…She just must be embarrassed. Poor girl," he concluded, and continued work. "…Who would've thought it, though?... There must be something scientific about wishing, something I didn't realize."

As he did this, the spider-creature took up residency in one of the spare rooms, shooting out and stringing up a glistening web on the ceiling; wrapped in the middle of the webbing was the very hammer "Botan" had walked away with moments ago.




"Your tutor's going with you?" Frannie repeated, and Oliver and Maggie both nodded. Frannie thought this over for a minute, and took another bite of her bagel. "Well, that's a little unusual."

"Oh, he's very unusual," Oliver nodded and snorted.

"So, is Mr. Tutor single?" Frannie asked with a wink. "It's been forever since I've had a decent date, and he seems nice."

"Fran, trust us, you and he are from completely different planets," Maggie said with a knowing giggle.

"Well, I-Oh, no! Work starts in ten minutes!" Frannie caught sight of the clock and jumped up from the kitchen table. "Have a good time, take lots of pictures!" she grabbed an apron she had hanging by the front door, and was gone.

"We should go visit him early, make sure he doesn't try to bail on you," Oliver stood up, and Maggie shot him a glare. "What? I certainly would! You're scary!"

"Come on," she grumbled, and both were out of the house moments after Frannie left.

When they arrived, they were nearly bowled over as something flew past them, and then back again.

"What's going on with you?!" Oliver laughed as Fujuju stopped in front of them, now back to his small Keronian form, and rushing about the house at a dizzying pace.

"Oh, my apologies. Just cleaning a bit is all," Fujuju shrugged.

"You? I don't believe it!" Oliver closed the door behind them, and Maggie noticed from the kitchen counter Botan's staff, completed, and next to the staff a bouquet of flowers.

"She's not up yet, but I thought it'd be a nice surprise," he said in answer to the quiet, inquiring looks the children gave him on the flowers. Oliver tilted his head to a side, and Fujuju's grin only grew, and he walked toward the kitchen, not saying anything, but whistling cheerily to himself.

"All right, we have to know what happened," Maggie looked at the flowers and shook her head. "You're never like this!"

"Yeah, it's scary. Go back to being all naggy and mothery, please," Oliver added. "Normal cheery is acceptable. This overly cheery you is just odd…. Something happened with her, didn't it? You finally said something to her, didn't you?"

"You don't think these are overkill, do you?" he hopped up worriedly on one of the kitchen chairs, and looked up to the twins.

"No, they're gorgeous!" Maggie said confidently. "She's sure to love them!"

"That's an admittance if I ever heard one," Oliver folded his arms and looked critically.

"Well, I… Let's just say that there is definitely something to being yourself. It's amazing the things that will come to you if you allow it to happen," Fujuju answered brightly, and Maggie laughed.

"So this is you in love. It's sort of funny…" she giggled.

"It's sort of disturbing," Oliver replied flatly, and Maggie nudged him sharply. "Ow! What did I do now!?"

And Botan walked out, and at that moment Maggie tugged Oliver's jacket sleeve, and pulled him out of the kitchen, leaving the two aliens alone.

"Come on, let's go keep cleaning for a bit, or at least pretend to while we listen in!" Maggie whispered to her brother, pulling him along toward another room.

Botan seemingly ignored the flowers, and instead lifted up her staff, studying the craftsmanship, "…This will do." she said with an affirming nod. "Thank you. I'll pack my things now."

"Pack?" Fujuju choked. "But, I… You don't have to, not on account of me! Let's talk about this, first. If it's about last night-"

Botan's answer was cut off by a high-pitched scream echoing from another room, and both went off running, stopping in front of what the twins stood staring at, paralyzed by horror.

"Get back from that!" Fujuju called out to them, stepping in front of them and looking at the ornate spider web that covered the ceiling of the room. "Bloody hell…"

"Please tell me it's Sylvia out of her cage again!" Oliver pleaded, and Fujuju was silent, watching instead as the pale spider descended from a web on the ceiling. Botan's eyes went wide upon recognizing the creature.

"You know what it is?" Maggie asked, and Botan gave a firm nod.

"Memory-catchers," she answered. "…Some of the most powerful aliens known throughout space."

"A-And they're friendly, too, right?" Oliver suggested.

"Far from," Fujuju muttered. "They're the unfortunate result of one particular brand of vegetable, one that takes this form after it expires. It takes memories and manipulates their victims…. They're also shape-shifters, so that doesn't help us much."

"You… You're telling me that's what happens to leftovers!?" Maggie yelped.

"Only some. Nothing really as horrible as this thing, though," Fujuju replied.

"Heh, and what's worse, it's got your hammer," Oliver gulped, and looked up to the dim blue light sticking out of the webbing.

"Must've been stolen while you were borrowing it," Fujuju glanced up at Botan, then up to the webbing.

"Borrowing it?" Botan repeated.

"Yes, last night, when you and I--…." he stopped himself, and slowly brought a hand to his mouth, and paled. "….Oh, dear…. I…. I think I'm going to be ill." He started to go back, as though he were preparing to faint, and Oliver quickly righted up again.

The spider detached itself from its thread, and all four backed away from it. Slowly it morphed on the ground, until it stood up and smiled at them, now an identical clone of Botan, save for the dark, twisted smile on its face.

All had a sick, sick feeling of dread from the grin the impostor gave them.
Episode 20

Fujuju: Spend the Birthday Ringing in Terror!

Part 1
© 2009 - 2024 jlucydaisuke
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Poppun's avatar
Pity, a gun to create musical number sounds great to me [link]

Te-he, well I guess it wouldn't look that different from Frannie's food (speaking of which, does she still have the ber suit job?)

Oh god....spider....
(I always thought when space food expired it literally keeled over and died....but it turns into that....yeek)