Adventures In Parodyverse: Hysterical Realm Part 3

Previously:
Al B has a small encounter with Epitome, and then he, Yuki, and Liu Xi thwart a bank robbery before meeting the Zoot Suit Gang and then Hatman again.

Links:
Hysterical Realm Part 1
Hysterical Realm Part 2

Adventures In Parodyverse - Hysterical Realm Part 3

    "It easy to understand," Liu Xi Xian told a somewhat fearful Al B Harper in his cabin.

    He was alone with the Chinese teenager, as Yuki had gone out to dinner with Hatman. He mad the mistake of pointing out that he doesn't think he could ever understand how things the Manga Shoggoth does could be possible.

    "Touch your nose," Liu Xi requested.

    Al B reached up with one finger and tapped the end of his nose. "Okay. Now what?"

    "How you know that your nose?" she asked.

    "Because I can feel it," he replied.

    "But you can not see it." She gestured, and like before, Al B Harper's small cabin became as big as a warehouse. "Follow me," she said, as she calmly walked into the vast yet impossible area.

    Al hesitated, but followed the Chinese teen slowly. "We're not going to get trapped in an alternate dimension or something, are we?" he asked. He was awed by the fact that even his voice echoed in the space.

    She stopped walking at the far end of the warehouse-like space and stopped. She grabbed his arm and turned him around suddenly. The room was once again the size of his own cabin, and he was at the other end of the living room.

    "How...?" Al B turned around in a circle, trying to figure out how he walked all that distance just in his living room.

    "When thing seem impossible," Liu Xi told him, "Don't ask. Just believe."

    "Liu Xi," Al B explained, "I'm a man of science. It's my job to ask, to try to explain things."

    Liu Xi sighed and looked down slightly, and then shrugged. "I...not know how to explain better. I am still learning."

    "How old are you?" Al B asked.

    She looked up for a moment, counting on her fingers as she silently mouthed translations from Chinese to English. "Seventeen," she finally responded.

    "Really?" Al B folded his arms. "When did these abilities of yours surface?"

    "I always know how to use a little fire, metal, water, wood, earth," she replied. "I learn void when I try escape from American who bring me here."

    "So it was brought on by stress?"

    Liu Xi nodded. "I fail escape, though. Shoggoth sense I try to use void and rescue me. He swallow American who bring me here. He then show me how to use void properly."

    "How did he do that?"

    "He send me to his lair through void," she explained, "So I know what it feel like. I meet Ebony there. He then have me take Ebony places through void for few days. I learn fast that way." She smiled and looked at Al B as a thought occurred to her. "I can help you learn fast that way. Perhaps you learn how to explain if you see."

    Al B shivered just thinking about that. But then he thought about what Yuki would tell him - she would lecture him on what would have happened to the space program if NASA's astronauts were all too afraid to see what would happen to them. "Sure," he replied hesitantly. "I'm not going to get killed, am I?"

    Liu Xi smiled warmly. "I am human like you, Al B Harper," she said. "If it not kill me, it not kill you."

---

    "I figured, what the hell, it won't kill me," Yuki Shiro told Jay Boaz when she arrived at his home on a motorcycle. She was dressed somewhat casually in black jeans and a leather jacket over a V-neck shirt.

    "It might kill me, though," Jay said, looking at the motorcycle warily. He too was dressed casually, both of them seeming as if they had read each other's minds.

    "I mean the dinner." She laughed. "You're pretty funny. Besides, if I give you the bike helmet you'll be able to drive this thing like a pro, won't you?"

    "Yeah," Jay replied. "Doesn't mean I want to, though."

    She tilted her head and smiled. "Okay. We'll take your car, then."

    "So what's with the purple hair?" Jay asked as soon as they got into the car. "Is it some kind of statement or just a color you like?"

    "Before I was...assembled...I was allowed to choose a few things like hair and eye color. I just wanted something different."

    "Different? What color was your hair before you got the synthetic body?"

    "Blonde." She smiled. "Like nearly every other girl in this town."

    "I understand now," Jay told her. "You drive pretty fast on that motorcycle, don't you?"

    She nodded. "I suppose I'm a little reckless because I can't break bones so easily."

    "If you don't mind me asking, what does it feel like to wake up one day and feel nearly invincible?"

    "Oh, I think you know," she said with a knowing smile. "Really, I didn't feel all that invincible. Sure, jumping twice my height and being able to fall several stories is a rush, but...I actually feel more vulnerable now."

    "Vulnerable? You?"

    "Yes." She nodded. "Because I'm unique now. I'm afraid to let anyone get too close to me only to freak out when they realize what I am."

    "I'm not freaking out," Jay told her. "And I'm not wearing a hat to prevent me from freaking out, either."

    She laughed at that one. "I believe that's the first time anyone has ever said that to me."

    A moment later they drove up to a small, casual restaurant near Mangatown in Paradopolis. Yuki stared out the passenger side window quietly as Jay parked on the street and turned off the car.

    "Liu Xi was probably found wandering somewhere near here," Yuki told him.

    "That kid I met?" Jay asked. "She was a little...strange."

    "She lives with Ebony and the Shoggoth," Yuki pointed out, "she's bound to be a little strange. Besides, I think that's why the Shoggoth wants her to spend some time with me and Al, so she can get used to interacting with normal people." She laughed. "Yes, I know how ironic that is."

    "Not at all," Jay said. "Aside from your synthetic body I'd say you're entirely normal."

    Yuki gave him a sad smile. "I believe that's the first time anyone has said that to me, too."

---

    "I don't feel so good," Al B Harper complained. He unceremoniously shoved all of the items on his couch to the floor and lay down immediately upon returning from passing through the Void, as Liu Xi claimed. It felt a lot like being dropped in an elevator from the world's tallest skyscraper.

    Liu Xi took a hand towel from the bathroom and dampened it slightly under the faucet. She approached Al B with it.

    "No, no," he urged her, "No cold water."

    Without saying anything Liu Xi dropped the towel on his forehead. It was soothingly warm. "Do you have...ginger..."

    "Ginger ale?" he finished. "In the fridge." He opened his eyes for a moment when Liu Xi handed him the can of ginger ale much too quickly for her to have gone to the kitchen for it. "I'm never doing that again," he groaned.

    "Anything painful when you try for first time," Liu Xi told him. "Next time will be easier."

    He sipped the ginger ale slowly through a straw Liu Xi added. "I don't like feeling sick, Liu Xi."

    "I am seventeen year old girl," Liu Xi taunted, "surely you stronger than me."

    "So how did you do it without getting sick?"

    "First time I get sick," Liu Xi admitted. "Second time I get dizzy. Third time I feel fine."

    Al B sat up finally. "I've been told that trying to understand the Shoggoth's method of travelling between dimensions could drive a human being insane."

    "I am not insane," Liu Xi told him.

    "I know." He wondered for a moment about that, especially after their trip through the Void, but nevertheless he stuck to the topic. "But Ebony seems to think you understand it. I'm curious as to how."

    "I...see difficulty in explaining," Liu Xi whispered.

    "I guess that's why the Shoggoth and Ebony are still training you."

    She nodded. "I would like to help Shoggoth," she said. "He wish me ultimately explain him to you and Sir Mumphrey."

    Al B curled up on the couch again and sipped some more ginger ale. "I look forward to it."

    "Al?" Liu Xi whispered.

    "Hmm?" Al responded, his eyes closing to try and regain his equilibrium.

    "I am sorry I frighten you," she said.

    Al opened his eyes again. "It's okay, Liu Xi. I'm used to it by now."

---

    "I like this place," Yuki spoke quietly, only barely enough to be heard over the light murmur of people talking around the restaurant. "It's very cozy. Especially with the fireplace."

    "Yeah," Jay took a piece of the flatbread they ordered as an appetizer and bit off a piece. "I only found it two days ago, I've been wanting to try it."

    "So," Yuki asked, "What's it like working for the Lair Legion?"

    "I don't really work for them," Jay corrected. "I'm a senior member. It's more like being a partner in a law firm."

    "Nice. What kind of benefits do you get?"

    "Not much, really. Just satisfaction from knowing I'm doing the right thing." He shrugged as he watched Yuki take a piece of flatbread as well. "I'm totally amazed at how you can eat."

    "I get full much more quickly than you would," she explained. "My body requires very little nutrition, and I can't store fat." She laughed as she added, "If I eat too much this evening I might not be able to eat again for a day or two."

    Jay shuddered. "Once in a while you just blurt out something that sounds a little shocking, and it reminds me of why you have purple hair."

    "I know." She shrugged. "Sorry. At least I don't blurt out shocking things all the time." She sat upright suddenly and tried looking around Jay's head. "Is that who I think it is?"

    Jay turned around for a moment and looked. "Akiko Masamune? Yes. Looks like she's celebrating with a few people. It's better if we pretend she's not here, she has a tendency to ask favors without warning."

    "It looks like a going away party," Yuki told him.

    "Does it?" Jay turned around again and looked. Akiko sat at the center of one side of the table, and next to her was a young woman who seemed embarrassed as the others lavished gifts and attention on her. One associate was giving some speech wishing her luck. "Hmm. Seems you're the detective you claim to be," he joked.

    "Akiko called her Chiaki," Yuki added. "Sorry, that doesn't mean I was ignoring you, Jay. I've been known to listen to two or three conversations at once."

    "As long as one of them was me I don't mind," he said. He looked up when the waitress arrived carrying the main course. "Thank you," he told her.

    When Jay was about to take his first bite, he could see one of the people from Akiko's table standing next to him dressed entirely in black. He was a little shocked to realize he didn't notice before that the young woman was carrying a samurai sword strapped to her belt.

    "Hello," the woman said in a calm, pleasant voice as she smiled. "I am Chiaki Bushido. Akiko Masamune would like you buy you two dessert in honor of my release day."

    "Sure, okay," Yuki replied quickly. "We'd be honored."

    "Release?" Jay asked.

    She nodded once. "I owed Akiko a rather large debt I repaid by remaining in her service. She has erased that debt." Chiaki leaned closer to Jay. "I know you were talking about her. She offered to buy you dessert as a friendly gesture to share the celebration with you."

    "Okay." Jay put on a fake smile and waved at Akiko. "Thank you, Chiaki."

    Chiaki took a quick bow and then retreated to Akiko's table to resume the party.

    "Wow. Dessert from Akiko," Yuki said. "This is becoming an interesting evening.

    "What's more interesting," Jay said, "I've been to Mangatown dozens of times. I don't remember seeing Chiaki around."

    "I hear that Akiko keeps her most elite closest to her. The general public doesn't even know they exist."

    Jay shrugged. "Well, she seems nice enough. I hope that means when Chiaki is released we'll have a force for good on our hands. Or at least not evil."

    Yuki laughed. "The Lair Legion makes you paranoid, eh? I'll have to remember that."

    "I'll have to remember not to say things like that out loud if I ever need to recruit a new member."

    "Unless you're recruiting someone who's paranoid by nature," Yuki pointed out.

    "Good point."

---

    "Al B, wake up," he heard a soft accented voice ask him. As Al B Harper's mind snapped back to reality he remembered Liu Xi who was kneeling next to the couch he was lying down on. He had fallen asleep after the Chinese teen tried to relieve his illness by switching on some music as he warmed under the blanket he wore. He remembered seeing her sitting on the floor next to the couch quietly watching television in silence.

    When he awoke, something was much different. Liu Xi was sitting on the carpeted floor cross-legged, facing the couch and shaking Al B gently to wake him. Behind her was Ebony and the Shoggoth. Ebony was carrying a bag full of DVD's from a local video store.

    "You seem ill," the Shoggoth said. "Would you like me to alter your biological system to correct the anomaly?"

    Liu Xi started to say something to the Shoggoth in Chinese, but then switched to English for Al B's benefit. "You still not understand human brain," she scolded the Shoggoth, "It more complicated than biological system."

    "If the problem is in his mind, perhaps I should consider altering that," the Shoggoth pointed out, much to the horror of Al B, who missed the first part of the conversation because it was in Chinese.

    Liu Xi shook her head. "You not understand as much you think," she accused him.

    "He lets her talk to him that way?" Al B asked Ebony.

    Ebony tapped her finger against her lips to urge Al B not to interrupt. "Just watch."

    "Then explain please, Liu Xi," the Shoggoth urged.

    Liu Xi took a deep breath. "If you change me so I never feel sad...I never feel happy again either. Because I cannot feel sad. Understand?"

    "Humans enjoy mastering their own feelings?" the Shoggoth asked.

    Liu Xi nodded.

    Al B looked at Ebony, still seeming confused.

    "I've always had difficulty explaining these things to the Shoggoth," Ebony told him. "Because I've been raised to always respect and revere him. Something about Liu Xi's fearlessness, childlike outlook on life...in between talking back to him and being a bit rude sometimes, she has a way of simplifying things. Liu Xi isn't just the Shoggoth's student, she's also his teacher. And vice versa."

    "Interesting," Al B replied. He looked at Liu Xi and smiled. "I guess I learned something from her today too."

    "So you don't mind looking after her from time to time?" Ebony asked. "She desperately needs someone to connect to outside the lair. Someone who's well grounded in the real world."

    "I agree," the Shoggoth added.

    They all turned around and looked as the front door opened and Yuki Shiro came in first, followed by Jay Boaz. Jay looked at little confused at what was happening.

    "Good evening," the Shoggoth greeted them both.

    Yuki nodded at the Shoggoth. "Got here just in time. I thought you might return to retrieve Liu Xi soon and I wanted to say goodbye." She looked at Liu Xi.

    The Chinese teen smiled. "Ebony say I return again later," she told Yuki. "If okay with you and Al B."

    "It's fine with me." Yuki looked over at Al B, who nodded as well.

    "Sorry to grab Liu Xi and run, but we have anime to catch up on," Ebony said. She looked at Liu Xi. "Will you do the honors?"

    "I do better." She gave Yuki and Al B a knowing smile, and the two knew somehow what was about to happen.

    In the blink of an eye, the interior of the walls of the cabin seemed to fade as if made of fluid semi transparent glass. Through the faded walls, the stone interior of the Shoggoth's lair was visible.

    Without hesitation, the Shoggoth slid through the transparent wall as if it didn't exist, followed by Ebony.

    "I look forward to see you again." Liu Xi gave Yuki, Al B, and Jay a quick bow before she vanished through the transparent wall as well. The cabin suddenly returned to normal.

    "That was...unusual," Jay commented.

    Yuki smiled. "I'm sure you and Al have seen much more unusual things."

    Al B and Jay looked at each other and shrugged.

    "Yuki," Jay turned his attention to the purple haired cyborg, "I had fun with you this evening. We really should do this again." He paused when flashbacks of CrazySugarFreakBoy!, pestering him about how his date went, ran through his head. "As, you know, friends, at least."

    "I look forward to it." Yuki gently patted Jay's shoulder. "I'll see you later."

    Jay gave her a quick nod and slipped out the door.

-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2005 by Jason Froikin, and may not be
-- reprinted without permission.
-- Yuki Shiro designed by Jason Froikin, based on designs by Masamune Shirow
-- Liu Xi Xian is an original design by Jason Froikin

Post By Anime Jason Sat Jan 15, 2005 at 11:54:58 pm EST	Subject Adventures In Parodyverse: Hysterical Realm Part 3

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