Round Robin Fic (Modern) ?

[zzzbeauty]

Hey guys, i'm still reading, i see that you've got new writers.

I"m still trying to catch up, i'm a few chapters behind; will comment as soon as i catch up.

Thanks for the update.

[Em]

Muahahahahahahaha.. time for me to shake things up a bit!
Hope this doesn't shock you too much!!



--------------------------------------------

Ethan sits on the side of his hospital bed whilst Grace and David pack up his things ready to go home. After a week in the ward nursing his injuries, he has finally been given the all clear to go home, but part of him wants to stay a little while longer. He stares wishfully at the door.
“You did tell her I was being discharged today, didn’t you?” he asks his mother.

“Yes, I called her and left her a message on her answering service.” Replies Grace, knowing exactly what is going through her son’s mind.
“Maybe she’s busy, you can’t expect her to be free all the time you know.”

“I know…” sighs Ethan disappointedly.
“Are you sure you don’t want another coffee before we go?”

“Come on son, you’ll get to see her again soon, I’m sure.” Says Grace reassuringly.
“Just give her a call when you get home. We need to head off, your dad has to go and get a flight back to Hong Kong later on today.”

Ethan looks at his father scornfully.
“Making sure I’m not dead and then going back to the nice life. Great father…” he sniffs as he hobbles off the side of the bed and grabs his crutches

David doesn’t reply but offers his hand to help Ethan stand up straight. Ethan turns away, insistent that he needs nothing from his father. David looks at Grace helplessly and growls:
“I’ll go ahead and hail a taxi…” before strolling briskly towards the door to the ward.

“Come on Ethan, let’s go.” Says Grace as she picks up the sports bag containing his things and puts her arm across his back to steady his three and a half legs.

They make their way out of the hospital and into a waiting taxi that David has prepared. As the car drives out of the hospital grounds and through the streets of Leeds, Grace nags David to look after himself after returning to Hong Kong and Ethan looks out of the window out of boredom. As they drive past a sweet-talking couple walking down the street arm in arm and deeply in love, Ethan recognises who he sees. To his despair, it is Yvonne and Danny.

*******
William pulls up in his Mercedes outside Janette’s offices as usual to pick her up from work. Protected from the world in his shades, he is his usual confidence self as he sits and listens to the music from his stereo and tapping to the rhythm against the top of his car door. Looking at his watch, he notices that she is a little bit later than usual, so he pulls out his mobile phone and tries to dial her number. It is engaged.

“She’s probably held up with a client,” he thinks to himself as he waits a little while longer in the street. Suddenly, his phone rings again.
“Hello.” He answers.

“William Chung?” comes the rather gruff voice on the other end of the line.

“Yes speaking, who is this?”

“You don’t know me, but you know my big brother - Monkey…”

William’s face suddenly goes pale. He certainly does know this name.
“Look… I’m sorry about what happened, but it isn’t my fault.”

“It never is… we give our lives so that some fat cat like you can reap the rewards…” the voice on the other end is cold and emotionless.

Meanwhile, William has broken out into a cold sweat and is desperately thinking of something to say.
“Of course not, I know Monkey worked hard for me and I really didn’t know this would happen. I will make it up to you, I lost money in the deal as well… but let me give you some money, some compensation.”

“How do you compensate me for a brother?” the voice has become agitated.
“How dare you put a price on a human’s life?”

“I.. er… what do you want from me?”

A chilling laugh can be heard on the other end of the line…
“Maybe I should take one of your brothers from you.”

William is shocked by what he hears.
“No, don’t – they don’t know what I have done. They are innocent… please don’t hurt them.” He begs, fearing that this desperate man who is seeking vengeance will do harm to Derek or Ryan.

The man laughs again, this time even more brashly and coldly than before with an undertone of deviousness running through.
“But wait, you don’t get on with your brothers, do you? Getting rid of them will just increase your inheritance…” he suggests.
“No, I have an even better idea.”

At the split second that the call ends, the sound of a gunshot can be heard that stuns everyone in the crowded streets outside the office block.

As confusion and shock sets in, people start to scream and run around hysterically as they try to take in what has happened. A crowd gathers near the door to the building where Monica and Janette’s offices are and William dives out of his car to take a closer look. As he pushes through to the front of the crowd, he flings off his shades and takes in the scene before him. His beloved Janette lies on the ground in a small pool of blood as the security guards and several other people try to revive her. William runs forward and pushes aside the guard, screaming at random people to call an ambulance for her.

Kneeling beside her petite body, William holds Janette as she breathes weakly. The bullet has hit her squarely in the chest and she struggles to take in the air as her lungs start to fill with fluid. William grasps her hand tightly, urging her to hold on to life.

“Come on Janny, you can’t leave me. Hold on, hold on…” he calls in between screaming to the other people to hurry up and get an ambulance.
Janette looks up at him dreamily as she slips in and out of consciousness.

******
As Kirsty is also ready to leave the hospital, Derek drives Monica to go and pick her up.
Monica is rather put out at having to sit in the scruffy van that Derek uses to move his stock around.
“Of all the times my car had to go for a service…” she moans.
“ I said we’d get a taxi, but you had to insist on taking this piece of scrap instead.”

Derek doesn’t respond, but chuckles to himself quietly as he finds her staged snobbishness quite amusing.

“I hope you cleaned these seats beforehand, if you get my suit dirty I will be sending you the bill for a new one and you know how many model kits you’ll have to sell to make that kind of money!” she continues to rant.

Derek pulls into the front of the hospital and stops to set Monica down.
“You go on in, I’ll park up and catch you up.” He says.
Monica jumps down from the raised cab of the van and grabs her designer handbag from the seat. Derek watches her walk off towards the entrance and smirks to himself as he admires her confidence, he seems to feel a very different attraction to her than he did for Janette. Her maturity, her conduct, her self-righteousness… it is all so alluring.

After dropping off the van in the parking lot, Derek hurries across back to the hospital buildings. As he reaches the main road towards casualty, he notices an ambulance speeding by towards the emergency entrance. Walking up the pathway towards Kirsty’s ward, his curiosity gets the better of him as he glances over to the big double doors where the same ambulance is being unloaded.

“Oh dear,” he thinks “Seems like another accident or seriously ill person perhaps.”
Then he sees a face of a man that makes him take a second look. He has just stepped out of the ambulance and is being ushered to one side as the medical staff take charge of the trolley.
“William!”

Derek rushes over and grasps hold of his shaken brother.
“Will… what happened. Who’s been hurt?” he asks desperately.
William sees the comforting familiar face of his big brother and breaks down in tears.
“Derek… it’s Janette. She’s been shot.” He wails.
“And it’s all my fault…”

[Eliar Swiftfire]

Aha, this is definitely giving me the traditional TVB feel. I feel high.

Gimme the signal and I'll kill off some characters too, okay? Can? I'll make sure their deaths will have something to do with plot or character development and not pointless.

[junny]

Erm. I think mine wouldn't be too long, so I'll leave Eliar to spin a few more surprises Eliar, you know who you mustn't kill

~

"What!" Derek is horrified. "How could this be? What happened? Will, tell me!" He begins shaking his brother by the shoulders.

William's normally cool, confident exterior is totally in shreds. "I don't... know... she was just there... he said he'd hurt someone... I didn't think... I don't know..." his blubbering confuses Derek, who is desperately trying to make sense of everything, praying that it has all been just a bad dream...

"Will, tell me what's going on!" Derek says sharply. But William tears away from Derek's grasp and runs inside the hospital buildings. Derek runs after him and crashes into Monica and Kirsty, who have just emerged from a corner.

"Watch it!" Monica snaps. She is about to rant when she notices Derek's wild expression. "What's going on?" she asks.

"Derek?" Kirsty looks equally confused.

Derek cranes his neck and finally notices William making a turn towards the operating theatres. "It's Janette," he says urgently, his face ashen. "She's been shot."

Monica gasps, covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh god."

Kirsty accosts a nurse and wrings the information out of her.

"OK, she's in Operating Theatre B," Kirsty says, pointing to the direction where William has disappeared. "Nurse says she's still in surgery. Looks pretty bad," she bites her lip.

Derek grabs Monica's hand and leads her hurriedly to the OT. Kirsty follows close behind. Monica is too shocked to protest, not even when the trio reach a distraught William pacing up and down the corridor outside the OT.

Derek pushes Monica down on a seat and storms up to William, grabbing his brother by the lapels. "Tell me what the hell is going on!"

William is stunned by the force of his brother's anger. The colour drains from his face. "I... it was an accident... I didn't think it was going to happen..."

"What is wrong with you!" Derek growls, shaking William hard. "She's inside, fighting for her life, and all you can offer is some crap, piecemeal explanation! She's your girlfriend, for Christ sake!"

"Yes, I know!" William yells back, upset. "Think I don't feel bad about this? It wasn't my fault! How the hell was I supposed to know that he'd shoot her..."

"So you knew! You bastard!" Derek floors William with a stunning punch! "You know who did this to her!"

Monica and Kirsty are roused into action, trying to pull Derek back from hitting William again.

William gets up slowly from the floor, wiping off a trickle of blood from the edge of his mouth. "No one feels worse than I do," he shouts back. "I love her, did you think I want this to happen?"

"You obviously didn't think at all!" Derek yells, ready to lunge forward again, only to be stopped by Monica's iron grip on his arm.

"Stop it, you two!" she says sharply. "Stop behaving like idiots! Janette is still in there." She exchanges glances with her sister, and Kirsty moves towards William, in part to keep him from lunging at Derek as well.

Monica pushes Derek down on the seat. "Be quiet, and show some sense," she says firmly. "Now isn't the time to panic. We sit here and wait for news," she adds, as she sits down beside Derek. Further down the row of seats, Kirsty and William settle down, and he buries his head in his hands while she looks on helplessly.

"What if..." Derek's hoarse voice trails off.

"She'll be fine," Monica says bracingly, although she herself isn't too certain. She sends a silent prayer for her best friend's safety.

Derek looks up at Monica, and is strangely touched by the sympathy in her eyes. She must be gutted too, he realises. Even though she is keeping a level head, he knows somehow that she must be feeling as terrible as he is, perhaps even worse. Impulsively, he draws her into a hug. Stunned, Monica doesn't think to push him away, but returns the hug. At this trying time, they need to draw strength from each other.

Nearby, Kirsty looks up and sees her sister and Derek embracing. She smiles slightly.

~

Seemingly hours later, the operating theatre's doors open and a doctor emerges wearily, pulling his mask off his face. Monica, Derek, William and Kirsty make a beeline for the doctor.

"How is she?" William asks urgently.

The doctor faces William with an apologetic expression on his face.

"I'm sorry," he says. "We've tried our best."

[Eliar Swiftfire]

Eliar, you know who you mustn't kill

Argh! But that's exactly whom I wanted to kill. Come on, lemme do it, too much characters are making this a messy confusion to the readers, we gotta add a dash of Korean soap in it. I can start planting the seeds of destruction, and see whether anyone wanted to grow it. Whaddaya think?

Anyway, don't be surprised by my writing style below. It's something I do when I hafta write sad scenes.

====================================

That day... all because of that horrible nightmarish day. Memory of that awful sight plaguing his fragile mind again and again. It never stops.

It is merciless.

Depression overcomes William for days, squeezing him dry. He is now nothing more than a husk. As he stares at the TV he realizes with some surprise that he is closing his eyes and is tired really tired. But will he sleep? Yes sleep he will, he will
sleep

He falls

asleep

And into the
Realm of Dreams... and... Nightmares...

A beautiful woman walks through the streets, a perpetual smile on her face. In her hand is a shopping bag... filled with clothes...

... Janny...

She loves him.

The sound of gunfire shattered the delusive illusions. Cold unforgiving bullet hits her squarely on her chest. Shock and pain replace smile and happiness.

... I'm sorry...

Time froze.

For an eternity.

The silence that followed is deafening.

White plastic bag turns to red. Life ebbing away. Hope extinguised.

He dives downwards… a freefall… a plunge... darkness rising up to envelope him…

... Janny...

She is...

Lifeless. Departed.

Dead.

She ceases to exist.

.... I'm sorry...

He loves her...

But he loses her.

Why?

... Janny...

Guilt, anger, frustration, dark emotions stirring within him, leaving him breathless.

He kneels before her grave... and covers his face.

Someone places a comforting hand on his shoulder...

... I'm sorry...

People around him cease to exist.

A teardrop falls…and the sunbeams shine through it as it hangs in eternity for a split second, casting a million rainbows which disappear as a tiny part of the world dies. It strikes the ground, erupting into a million precious droplets…a beautiful face…a beautiful smile…a beautiful memory in each one, in every one…then they, too, vanish.

... I'm sorry... Janny... Janny... Janny... Janny... Janny... Janny... Janny... Janny.... Janny... Janny... Janny... Janny... Janny... Janny... Janny... Janny.... Janny... Janny... Janny... Janny... Janny... Janny... Janny... Janny....

Like silence descending, darkness comes again. He is consumed...

Light came.

He jerks awake and sits up. Gasping and sweating.

==================================

More to come, of course. Wait. I have much to do. And I'm sure it's what y'all have expected too.

[junny]

Originally posted by Eliar Swiftfire
Argh! But that's exactly whom I wanted to kill. Come on, lemme do it, too much characters are making this a messy confusion to the readers, we gotta add a dash of Korean soap in it. I can start planting the seeds of destruction, and see whether anyone wanted to grow it. Whaddaya think?

Korean soap my ***. No Korean-ish drama. I know you can do better than that!

As for who to kill off... well, how about three of us getting on MSN or something so that we can work things out properly? I know this is round-robin, but... discussion may be worth it for once.

Em? Your thoughts?

[Eliar Swiftfire]

Ah, finally finished editing my stuff. Read through it again. How izzit?

Sure. Add me to your MSN. [email protected]

We're entertaining our readers too.

... we still have readers, right?

[junny]

I like. Bit drama, but not very Korean-ish I'm not too good at drama anyway, so I'll leave it up to you. More coming up?

Erm, I think we still have readers. They're at least nicer than the wankers I know

[Paradise]

I am still reading. In fact, I am always waiting for updates...sometime I get furious by the delays. I don't like to leave replies because I don't know what to say other than praises but it gets old.

[Eliar Swiftfire]

Oh well, guess I'll just move things forward a little.


==========================

2 weeks have passed.

It seemed like an eternity for Derek.

It had been hard to grasp the fact that she has died. Janette... Janny, so full of life, full of laughter. His own family were deeply saddened by the loss, his father flew back immediately to attend her funeral. Many was at the funeral. Family members, relatives, friends, co-workers. He couldn't remember much about it, his mind was reduced to a mindless stupour on that day.

He had not seen Monica and Kirsty since the funeral...

Monica lost her very best friend... perhaps it's time for Kirsty to look after her this time...

Derek walked out of his house, and into his car. He turned on the engines.

Even though this is sad. Life must goes on.

The future will be always still there. And every future is possible, every good future that someday will become a joyful present. The asseveration "no future" it's one of the most wrong things in the world. The past is tangible, but limited and impossible to change. The future is always there, and without limits for any human. So wait and fight for it. Society tends to only focus at the present and the material things, and that tends to think that life if it's not funny, it's not worth of it.

Whenever a person dies, everyone around her would be affected. People could leave us in a flash of an eye and you really never know when that will happen. Perhaps that is why we should cherish life and those who are around us. Keep them close to our hearts. Both those living and deceased.

The engine started roaring.

I'm glad William understood this... when it happened, he was devastated, I had never seen him like that before... yet now, he's back to work.

====================

The William scene's coming up soon.

[Eliar Swiftfire]

Darkness swallowed the alley as night descended upon Hong Kong. Wearing his trenchcoat, William waited within an alcove. A briefcase in his hand.

"At least you're smarter now. William Chung." Said a voice behind him.

William whirled around, startled. Standing before him was a bald man. While he stood a little shorter than the tall William, he was heavily-built, his muscular arms covered with tattoos. Worst of all, he was holding a gun.

He felt so afraid. So very afraid.

“What would you really like to do now?” asks William.

“I don’t know … it has been so wonderful already!” Janette thinks for a while...

“If only we could go out to sea now, that would be so peaceful. To go out where there is total darkness apart from the sparkling stars reflecting on the water and just appreciate their beauty like diamonds on a black silk.”

"You... you were the one who killed Janny." William whispered.

The bald man snarled. "And you, Monkey died because of you! Your little girlfriend paid for it! Do you know that Monkey was the only family I had in Hong Kong? You sick bastard! We worked so hard so that our little sister in China could... could finish her studies... and he DIED, because of YOU!" He pointed the gun on William's forehead.

"Please.... please don't kill me, I'll give you the money... just... just leave me alone." William said desperately.

“So lets do it!” laughs William.

He pulls her along to a mooring point on the side of the water and points over to a light slowly heading towards them.

A shocked Janette catches her breath and looks up towards a yacht heading in their direction. A hundred tiny lights spell out the words “Happy Birthday, Janette” along the front of the boat and it stops near to where the two lovers are stood.

"Kill you?" The bald man lowered his gun. "Maybe I won't... maybe I should expose all your little secrets to your old man. Tell him about all your shady dealings. Do you think he'll suffer a stroke and die immediately? Heart attack? Something? Like those TVB serials?"

"No... just take the money... please... I beg you... there are Five hundred thousand dollars in the briefcase."

"Yeah. Yeah. Papa's Little Boy." The bald man snorted. "Punks like you make me sick. Open the briefcase, you little fag."

“Welcome aboard!” says William as he jumps onto the side and offers his hand to Janette who is quite overcome with emotion.

She steps onto the boat and as it moves away, William leads her inside where there is champagne and strawberries laid out.

“I know you don’t like caviar, so I got your favourite instead.”

William raised the briefcase slowly and slowly, his hands visibly trembling...

"Quickly, you fag!" The bald man yelled impatiently.

William's reply was a smile, before he slammed the briefcase onto the bald man's face. Hard. There was a sickening crunch after the impact. The bald man lost balance and fell backwards with a thud. Blood started streaming out from his broken nose. He looked up at William dazedly, surprised by what had transpired.

"The fag just broke your nose." William said softly, a dangerous tone in his voice. He stomped his booted foot onto the bald man's hand.

The bald man opened his mouth to scream.

But William slammed the briefcase onto his face again.

Another loud crunch.

And another... and another... and another... as William bashed him repeatedly.

There were muffled screamings from the bald man, each softer than the last. Until in the end, he went silent completely...

"Oh William, this is just perfect… Thank you so much!”

Without a word, William pulls Janette towards him and with a gentle kiss, they hold each other close and begin to dance to the soft music that is slowly flooding the dimly lit cabin.

Blood splattered everywhere, covering his face. He felt happy, tears ran down his cheeks, but he felt happy. Are you seeing this now? My love? I avenged you!! He laughed. He laughed so much that he screamed.

[Eliar Swiftfire]

Originally posted by Paradise
I am still reading. In fact, I am always waiting for updates...sometime I get furious by the delays. I don't like to leave replies because I don't know what to say other than praises but it gets old.

Thanks man.

It's great to know that. Hehe, if ya wanna leave replies, ya can always tell us your opinions about the latest posts, what ya like about it, what ya no like about it. What ya feel about some characters etc etc. Constructive criticisms are fun!

[Em]

Sorry for the delay - major bout of inspiration blockage this week... this will be short, but didn't want to hold things up too much.
________________________________________________
Ethan sits in the bar, he’s left his crutches at home but he is able to hobble around without them. He’s bored, and he’s waiting…. For what, he isn’t sure.
Lighting up a cigarette, he signals to the barman for another drink and looks around for something to centre his senses on. Who should he notice wandering in through the door, but the person he least wants to see.

Danny notices him as he strolls in with his arms around a girl who isn’t Yvonne and surrounded by his little band of wannabes, all keen to get a share of the action and a piece of his father’s power in the community. Seeing Ethan’s bandaged leg, Danny takes the opportunity to throw some remarks at him and saunters over the where the disgruntled Ethan is sitting.

“Hey mummy’s boy – looks like you survived then? Hell didn’t want you did they?”
The girl at his side laughs falsely as his gang crowd round the stool where Ethan is sitting.
“Hey, if you didn’t know better, you’d think I intentionally got my bird to run over the loser…”
Danny boasts to his sidekicks, laughing in Ethan’s face that is growing redder and redder with each word.

Ethan tries to calm himself down. He has promised his mother he will not get into any more trouble, but he can feel his rage towards Danny roaring inside him.
“Just piss off will you!” he says.

“Ooooh! Looks like our little kid friend here has taught himself a swear word – are you getting scared now?” retorts Danny sarcastically.
He pats his chest and continues.
“I am so scared, what is he going to do next, throw his dummy at me?”
His band of merry followers grin and smirk and chuckle whilst he pulls a smirk at Ethan, he is looking for another fight that he knows he will win, Ethan is desperately trying not to give it to him.

“Oh… and you know what?” Danny directs the question to his sidekick.
“Yvonne tells me that he is head over heels in love with her…..”
He pinches Ethan hard on the cheeks.
“Look at how tough this skin is – doesn’t even know not to mess with my girls.”

Ethan pushes his hand away hard, unable to hold himself once Yvonne is mentioned.
“Well, you don’t treat her right! Look at you… you have no right to have a girlfriend like Yvonne!”

“Haha… who mentioned she is my girlfriend?” Danny laughs, his band laugh with him.
“She’s just head over heels in love with me… why pass up on such an opportunity? She’s loaded, she pays my way…”

Danny’s gloating and degradation of Yvonne is too much and Ethan stands up from his seat and forgetting the pain of his leg, swings for Danny.
“You animal!” he yells, but Danny with his two fit legs is too quick and unable to move his injured leg fast enough to support himself, Ethan falls to the floor in a little heap.
“Oww…”

At this pitiful sight, Danny can only laugh and call away his men.
“I’ve had enough – it’s no fun when they can’t defend themselves. Look at him, he’s worthless… like a puppy dog looking for it’s mother and when he can’t get anywhere he can only drop his head and cry… get out of my sight, doggy.”
Danny sends a hard kick straight into Ethan’s stomach that winds him.
“That’s for swinging at me, you know I always give back more than I receive.”

Ethan lies helplessly on the floor, asking himself what he has done to deserve this.
A helping hand appears to pick him up off the floor… it is Julian.

Julian helps Ethan back up onto the bar stool and sits down next to him. Ordering two beers, he asks Ethan if he is okay.

Ethan nods.
He seems upset, but he is plotting something irrational in his mind.
“How dare he… I have to tell Yvonne. I can’t let her stay with him…” he mutters to himself.
Absorbed in his own little world, he is oblivious to Julian’s personal traumas.

Julian sighs and gulps down his beer.
Suddenly Ethan looks over at Julian with a glint in his eye.
“Jules, I need you to help with something…”

[Eliar Swiftfire]

Well, I'll be taking Junny's turn. Gimme 2-3 days and I'll come up with something.

[junny]

Just don't do anything crazy to Julian, is all I ask

Thanks, Eliar.

[Eliar Swiftfire]

And since then, Julian started working as a stripper.... and Ethan was his pimp.

Just kidding, Junny, I ain't touching the story arc at UK. But who knows? I might give Julian the makeover I gave momma's boy William!

=========================

Derek yawned. He was bored. Business wasn't doing too good. But then, it was inevitable.

A month has passed since Janny's death. Memories of her haunt him sometimes, but he tried his best to tune them away.

He had not seen Monica for a month. In fact, he tried to look for her in her office last week, only to find out that she had already resigned...

He was worried. Very worried.

No one answered the phone at Monica and Kirsty's home, and a couple of times, he went to their apartments and pounded the door repeatedly, hoping to at least see their faces. All he got to achieve was waking up some grumpy old man who lived beside the sisters' and getting yelled at.

Days later, he received a postcard from Kirsty... informing him that she and Monica were on a vacation at Japan and Korea.

It was a great idea, Monica might need to take her mind off this sad scene for a while...

"Hey! Why the hell am I thinking of her all the time?" Derek wondered loudly to himself. Attracting glances from a child customer nearby. "Could this be it? That I am falling in love with her, and I don't know it? That all these years of witty bantering and cute bickering with her had acted merely as a courtship between her and me! Just like those cliched TVB serials, where the guy and the gal usually hates each other at first, yet through some strange quirk of fate, he was smitten with the gal instead."

"Excuse me, I would like to buy this Evangelion robot." The little boy said.

"Nah. It can't be. That would be ridiculously dumb. That gal's too hostile, too cold, I spent YEARS hearing her call me a loser and all kinds of names that are hurtful to one of my manly pride." Derek nodded to himself.

"Are you talking about Rei Ayanami? She's my favourite character in Evangelion!" The little boy said excitedly. "Are you a fan too? But she doesn't call others a loser! You must be thinking about Asuka! Can you give me a discount?"

"YES! THAT'S IT!" Derek snapped his own fingers.

The boy rummaged through his pocket and produced a couple of notes on the counter.

"Things are getting so much easier to understand now." Derek continued talking to himself, not even acknowledging the boy's existence. But he absently took the box from the boy's hands, placed it in a shopping bag and gave it back to him.

"Thank you!" The boy said cheerfully and scurried happily away.

"Uh huh..... WHAT?"

He noticed that the boy had left him $10.... for a toy that costed 7 times more than that.

"... if this goes on... this shop's definitely going DOWN." Derek grumbled as he took the money.

"Aww... don't be pessimistic." A voice said.

"WHAT? KIRSTY!!!" Derek gasped in surprise.

"Heya! D!" Kirsty waved cheerfully.

"You're back so soon?" Derek asked.

"Well, we ain't rich, you know. This one-week vacation almost emptied both of our pockets!"

"Ah. So, how was the vacation!"

"It was fun! We went to Korea first, then Japan. I know what your second question's going to be. Where's my big sis, yeah?"

"No, of course not. Bleh." Derek shook his head.

"Well, she enjoyed it very much, so she said she wanted to spend a few more days in Osaka. Oh, and she says she misses you and that if it weren't for you, she might want to stay in Osaka a bit longer."

"Really?" Derek's eyes widened.

"Nah."

"Oh."

"Wanna go see a movie? I'm bored. And it's obvious that no one's in your shop now. I wanna see Terminator 3." Kirsty said.

"Erm.... sure. I'll close the shop now." Derek said. "Since you're back, it's time for celebration. But I would rather go see Legally Blonde 2 or some other comedies."

"Sorry, D, dumb stuff like this ain't my cup of tea! Hey, it RHYMES!"

[Eliar Swiftfire]

Um... there might be more. Stay back first, lemme see what I wanna add. Hmm..

[Eliar Swiftfire]

Okay, this is pretty difficult. Tell me which character you want me to develop, which pairing you want me to do, and I'll do it in my next post. Please?

[Eliar Swiftfire]

Feel free to continue with the story, my dears. I'll wait for the next round.

[Eliar Swiftfire]

No continuation. Thus, I shall take over and end this thread. Yay.