It's amazing what bad criticism will do to a author and his ideas. Take
this story, for example. This is probally my longest one yet. <shrugs> Oh
well, enjoy!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
<Brian drops out of Authorspace>
Brian: And now...the final part...the answer to...everything. <The
lights brighten>
Ford Perfect: 42
Brian: <facefaults>: What?
Ford <coming out on stage with Arthur Dent in tow>: 42. That's the
answer.
Brian: No, it isn't.
Ford: Yes, it is.
Brian: NO, IT ISN'T!!
Ford: YES, IT IS!!
Brian: Look, two reasons why the answer isn't 42: One, I spent way too
long on this fanfic just to chalk it all up to some stupid little number,
and the second reason-could you two stand over here, please?
<Arthur and Ford are standing on a pair of X's>
Brian: The second reason is, I designed this studio, so I know where all
the traps are. <Pulls on a rope>
<CRASH!!>
Brian: <As Arthur and Ford are crushed under giant plushies of
Chibi-Moon, Ryo-o-ki, and Pretty Sammy> I rest my case. Oh, this part may
have a little lime in it. Read the author's notes for more details.
<Brian jumps back into Authorspace. A groan is heard from the plushie
pile.>
Arthur: Well, this is another fine mess you've gotten us into, Ford.
Where my bloody asprin?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
**El Hazard, The Land of Adventure**
It was a big hole.
In fact, as Shayla-Shayla stood on the edge of the aforementioned hole,
it was a BIG hole. You could easily fit the Royal Palace in it and have a
little room to spare. The hole was that big.
She, the other two Priestesses, Makoto, Sailor Hazard, and their usual
group had noticed some fireworks nearby as they were heading to the Palace.
When they got closer, the source appeared to be...two ghostly forms-one in
what appeared to be armor, and the other one covered in metallic
parts-duking it out. Nearby was another ghostly form, lying unconscious.
The fight had ended with a large explosion, for which Sailor Hazard had to
create a Light Shield to protect them from. The explsion had left the
crater, and nothing else.
Now, as Shayla-Shayla looked over the edge of the crater to the center
of the supposed blast, one thought was running through her mind.
<What the hell happened??>
*************************************************
Knight Productions present...
An Iczer Girl Iczelion fanfic
Where Does My Heart Beat Now?- Part 4
*************************************************
**Somewhere else**
Nagisa Kai floated unconscious in a bright void, her armor having gone
back to it's standard configuration. As she floated, a disc of light
formed at her feet and went up her body. In the disc's passage, her armor
was changed once again. When the disc reached Nagisa's head and
disappeared, her Iczelion armor was flatter, more streamlined to fit her
shape. Twin two-foot long blades were attached to her forearm armor. Her
chest armor covered a larger area and seemed to have a more solid
connection to the lower area of her armor. On her helmet, a single
rectangular silver line appeared in the center of the armor.
Once all that was finished, Nagisa disappeared in a spray of light.
- -<3- -
Darkness.
That was the first thing Nagisa saw when she opened her eyes. Focusing
her eyes and standing up, she could see that the darkness wasn't the total
inky blackness she had thought it was. In fact, the whole area seemed to
be lit by an unknown source. Around her floated hundreds of black
monoliths.
<Gee, someone likes the Odyssey novels.> she thought, then she realized
one thing.
<I'm supposed to be dead. Iczel!>
"Uhhh....Nagisa? Are you all right?" her Iczel repsonded.
<Yes, I'm all right, for one who's supposed to be dead. What happened?>
She then noticed the new armor. <Iczel, this is the armor we had before.
The first time we defeated Chaos.>
"I noticed that, Nagisa." Her Iczel responded, hoping that she wouldn't
notice one more thing before he had a chance to confirm it.
<Well then...why did we have a different armor just now...> she trailed
off her thought as she realized something. "Kawai..." she breathed.
<Iczel, where's Kawai?>
Her Iczel took it's time in reporting, which did not bode well for
Nagisa. "Nagisa, I can't detect her or her Iczel. I have to assume that
they have both...perished. I...I'm sorry, Nagisa."
Nagisa's knees gave out, and she sat down hard. Tears started to stream
from her eyes as she thought about the woman she had fallen in love
with...the woman who was quite possibly dead. This was all too much for
Nagisa as she hugged herself and started to sob openly. "Kawai..."
"You know, I always wondered what would happen to me if I lost someone
close to me again." A new voice sounded in the darkness. "Now, I pray that
I don't." A voice strangely familiar to Nagisa...
"Who's there?" Nagisa shouted as she sprang back up. <If whoever's
there is unfriendly,> she thought, <they came at the *worst* time!>
A figure slowly appeared out of the darkness near her. Dressed in a
forest green bodysuit and black armor, the figure turned towards Nagisa and
swept back her hair, colored the same as the bodysuit.
"Hi cousin." Nagisa Kano said. "How are things?"
Nagisa Kai fainted.
"Okay, that might have gone better." Nagisa Kano muttered as she bent
down to revive her cousin.
- -<3- -
After Nagisa had revived her cousin, she told her of the invasion, of
the being known as Iczer-1, and of their victory over Big Gold. After she
was done, her Iczelion cousin's head was swimming.
"I never knew. An invasion like that. Why haven't we heard anything
about it. Hell, I don't remember any invasion!" Nagisa Kai said.
The older Nagisa chuckled a bit. "No, I guess you wouldn't. No one
will remember the invasion for one simple reason. To them, it never
happened."
The younger Nagisa blinked. "What?"
"It's a...little complicated." Nagisa Kano took a breath and continued.
"After Iczer-1 defeated Big Gold with our combined strength, she wanted to
give me a final gift. That gift was a peaceful Earth, which had never
known the horror of the invasion. To do that, she reversed the flow of
time and brought the Earth back to the time just before the invasion
happened. I understand it gave Sailor Pluto quite a case of heartburn, but
she was able to balance it out."
"Balance it? How?"
In response, Nagisa Kano held out her hand. A energy ball formed above
it.
"Over the years, I grew up as a normal girl. Graduating high school and
going to college. Having friends. Spending time with family. I think I
saw you at the last family reunion, right?"
"Actually, it was the one five years ago. Everyone was wondering what
happened to you." Nagisa Kai said.
"I'll get to that. Anyway, while I was growing up, a time limit was
running out. Turns out that Sailor Pluto, with the help of several
goddesses-don't ask-, had managed to put my memories of the invasion and of
Iczer-1 on a time lock, which incidentally ran out on my 22nd birthday."
She stopped for a moment and shook her head. "When my memories were
released, it was like...God...it was like having a book with a chapter you
knew nothing about suddenly thrown open in your face." She smirked. "And
there was one other thing that came with the memories."
"What?" Nagisa Kai asked.
"Well..." Nagisa Kano said. "Let's just say that I'm the only
Iczer-human hybrid on record."
"Huh?"
"It's true. I had been given the abilities of an Iczer, in a human
body. At first, I couldn't believe it. I thought I was going crazy. But
then I thought about Iczer-1. I called her, though our bond. Sure enough,
she answered. Therefore, I thought, if she existed, then the memories were
real. That was a real eye opening experience, let me tell you."
Nagisa was confused on one things. "Uhh...What bond?"
"I'll get to that in a second. Anyway, when Iczer-1 visited, I found
out that the Cthuwulf had found a home suprisingly close to the Earth.
They had established a colony on one of the worlds orbiting Alpha Centauri
and were leading the fight against the evil forces in the universe-androids
like Chaos and Cross, and beings like them."
"Then what happened?" Nagisa asked.
"After I had that little reunion with Iczer-1, she asked me to come back
with her. I had to talk it over with my parents, who were a little
reluctant-with good reason. In the end, I went with Iczer-1 back to Alpha
Centauri."
"Why?" Nagisa wanted to know. "I mean, you could have remained on Earth.
Why would you go to another planet just because someone asked you to?"
Nagisa Kano smiled. "Because I love her."
It's a well known fact that you cannot facefault while sitting, so
Nagisa settled for looking at her cousin with wide eyes. "Nani?"
Nagisa looked at her younger cousin. "It's true. I love her. Do you
know why Iczer-1 picked me to be her partner? Out of millions of people on
Earth, why did she pick me, an ordinary schoolgirl?"
When Nagisa Kai shook her head, Nagisa Kano continued. "I asked her
that, after we defeated the Delios Theta. She said 'Because, I love you.'
Later, I found out that she lacked emotions, that she needed to know what
she was fighting for. In the end, I guess we ended up falling in love with
each other." She sighed. "And Bonding."
"Bonding?"
Nagisa Kano smiled. "Yes. We formed a Soul Bond on that day. And it
was that that allowed Pluto and the goddesses to set the limit on my
memories. And it was the Bond that led me to her again."
Nagisa Kai blinked. "Okay, now I'm still confused."
Nagisa Kano chuckled. Then she turned towards her cousin. "Nagisa, how
do you feel about Kawai?"
Nagisa Kai looked up in surprise as her cousin asked that. Then she
closed her eyes for a second, searching her heart for the answer. Then she
opened her eyes and answered her. "I love her. I don't understand, but I
know in my heart, that I love her."
"Just as I thought, a Soul Bond." Nagisa Kano said, then laughed at the
preplexed and annoyed look her cousin was flashing at her. "Nagisa, in all
of life, in all the millions of worlds and universes out there beyond what
we know, there is one constant. That constant is love." Nagisa took a
breath, then continued. "Sometimes, when the love between two persons is
deep and everlasting, a Soul Bond is formed. A Bond of deep understanding
and love. You...you just know that this is the person you want to spend
the rest of you life with. It's supposed to be rare, but Earth has a large
number of Soul Bonded persons. Anyway, sometimes, when a Bond is strong
enough, you can actually feel that other person's thoughts and communicate
with them. Sometimes, other psychic abilities can result from such a
bond." She paused and looked at her younger cousin. "Nagisa, I have such
a bond with Iczer-1. And so do you and Kawai."
Nagisa looked at her older cousin in shock. "You're...you're kidding,
right?"
Nagisa Kano shook her head. "Nope. Try to feel for the Bond. You'll
know when you've hit it. Go ahead."
Nagisa Kai was a little unnerved by this, but she closed her eyes and
concentrated. Soon, she could feel a...presence at the back of her mind.
Concentrating on that, she focused that presence and tried to make it
clearer.
When she did, the shock was enough to send Nagisa back a few feet.
The presence...had been Kawai. Her emotions, her thoughts, her...love.
Nagisa had felt all that through the Bond that they somehow shared. And if
that was true, then...
"She's alive." Nagisa Kai sobbed, trying to wipe her face with her hand.
She managed to cut her forehead with the Iczelion's arm blade instead.
"Ouch!" Nagisa Kai turned to her cousin. "Okay, then. Explain what
happened here? What happened to my armor?"
Nagisa Kano stood up. "Your Iczel, is one of four prototypes Iczel
types that we're starting to create on Alpha Centauri. Basically, it's a
self-evolving armor, able to evolve and grow more powerful with the
maturity of it's wielder. In your case, your Bond with Kawai unlocked the
power necessary to transform you into the Iczelion Plus, the most powerful
form available to the Iczelions."
"I thought this was the Iczelion Plus!" Nagisa Kai said, showing off the
armor.
"No, it isn't." Nagisa Kano said. "That form is the Iczelion Alpha, a
sort of inbetween configuration between normal form and Plus form. The
other Iczelions are capable of reaching Alpha form now, but you are the
only one who can activate the Plus form for now."
"Okay, that I can understand." Nagisa Kai said. "But why me? Why
entrust me with this weapon?"
Nagisa Kano looked at her cousin sadly. "Before the Iczels launched
from Alpha Cantauri for Earth, I directed the Normal Type Iczel to
specifically seek you out."
Nagisa Kai looked at her cousin in shock. "You did? Why?"
"I needed someone I could trust with the Iczelion armor. You were the
only one I could trust with that kind of power. I realize that it had
changed your life forever..."
"No argument there." Nagisa Kai said.
"But you were the only one I could trust. Nagisa, look at what you
accomplished with the Iczelion armor. Chaos, Cross and all their Geas are
defeated. You've joined with the other defenders of Earth to keep it safe.
And you've fallen in love. I'd say that's a fair tradeoff."
"I'll grant you that." Nagisa Kai said.
"But in the long run," Nagisa Kano continued, "I guess it's out family's
destiny to help protect the Earth with the Iczers. That's why Chaos saw an
Iczer spirit before he was killed. And we'll be doing it for a long time."
"What are you talking about?" Nagisa Kai asked.
"Nagisa, because of the changes in me, I can live a long time now. How
long exactly hasn't been measured. But I guess I'll be around a long
while." She paused. "And so will you and the other Iczelions."
"What?"
"Because of the Iczelion armor, you four will live very long lives."
"That's not what I meant."
Nagisa Kano blinked. "Huh?"
Nagisa Kai looked at her cousin. "Aren't I dead?"
Nagisa Kano blinked again, then figured it out. "Oh, that's right.
Chaos's attack. Easy enough explaination there. You were fighting Chao's
spirit body, which had escaped into subspace when you killed him the first
time."
"You mean he pulled the same trick as his sister did?" Nagisa Kai asked.
Nagisa Kano nodded.
"Wait, if we were fighting his spirit body back there..." Nagisa Kai
thought for a moment. "Then...this is all a...?"
"Yep." Nagisa Kano said.
"Then...then I still have a chance..." Nagisa Kai said.
"Yes, Nagisa you still have a chance to tell Kawai your feelings." A
new voice said as a tall blonde haired woman wearing a red bodysuit with
silver armor appeared in their midst. Nagisa Kano smiled and embraced the
woman, who embraced her back. Nagisa Kano then turned towards her cousin.
"Nagisa, this is Iczer-1, my soulmate, partner, and beloved."
Nagisa was at a loss. "Uhh...hi."
"Nagisa, we have to go." Iczer-1 said to her mate.
Nagisa nodded and turned to her cousin. "Well, cousin, I guess this is
it. I'll try to come to Earth to visit. Nagisa it's now up to you and the
other defenders of Earth to defend your home. Dark forces are approaching.
We're not sure where they are, but one thing is certain, Earth is in for
some troubled times. Please defend Earth to your best ability."
Nagisa Kai nodded. "I will. We all will. Goodbye."
Nagisa Kano nodded. "Goodbye." She and Iczer-1 started to fade out.
"Wait!"
Nagisa and Iczer-1 faded back in. "What?" Nagisa said.
"Thank you."
Nagisa Kano smiled. "You're welcome. Now go tell her how you feel."
Nagisa Kai nodded, and watched as her cousin and beloved fade out.
After they left, the dimension she was in disappeared in a blaze of light.
<What the?>
<}Nagisa.{>
<}Kawai?{>
Kawai appeared before Nagisa. She appeared to be floating without any
support, like she was underwater. There was one other detail that must be
noted.
Kawai was quite naked.
In fact, as this fact registered on Nagisa's already addled brain, she
realized that she to was naked. This caused a bit of embarassment as the
two of them found this fact out quite fast. But then, the two of them felt
the Bond between them, felt the love they had, and it was enough to
overcome any embarassment at their nakedness.
In fact, if truth be told, they were feeling quite warm at the moment.
This fact went unnoticed as Nagisa caressed Kawai's face and drew her in
close. Kawai hugged her close, which caused certain feelings to skyrocket.
Nagisa noticed this as she looked into Kawai's eyes and realized that her
cousin was right: this was the person-screw the gender issue-she wanted to
spend the rest of her life with. And looking into Kawai's eyes, Nagisa
could tell that she felt the same.
They moved in to kiss, the heat of the moment overriding their senses,
and...
- -<3- -
Nagisa Kai woke up in her sweat soaked bed.
<A dream. It was all a dream...> she thought. She then looked up as
she detected a presence.
"Kawai..." she said, and then took off like a rocket.
Breaking all speed records for the region (which, incidentally, were
held by one Usagi Tuskino), Nagisa managed to get dressed and grabbed a
coat on her way out of her apartment door. She flew down the stairs and
out the front doors of her building, heading across the street to Kawai's
apartment building.
Up on the roof of Nagisa's building, someone chuckled. <All according
to plan. Now, if they only have the courage to admit it...>
- -<3- -
**Same time, different place**
Battle.
Confession.
Love.
Pain.
Darkness.
Revelation.
Love...love...love...Nagisa!
***************************************
Kawai Kawai woke up in bed with a start.
<It was a dream. My God, it was a dream.> she thought. She then felt
something in the back of her mind.
"Nagisa..." she said, and then grabbed her robe and a coat on the way
out of her apartment.
- -<3- -
Kawai got off the elevators and ran down the hall to the lobby just as
Nagisa came running through the front doors.
Now as anyone would tell you, running in an enclosed space is not a
smart thing to do. This is especially true if two people are involved, and
the destination for both parties lies around a common corner. Murphy's Law
would say that a collision was possible. When you're dealing with anime
characters and the particular laws of physics which seem to govern their
actions, the possibility of a collision rises to about 100%.
Such is what happened when Kawai came around the corner heading for the
front door at about the same time Nagisa came around the same corner
heading for the elevator.
<CRASH!!> "Ouch!" The collision sent the two women flying back towards
the elevators.
When the dust settled, Nagisa wound up on top of Kawai, their legs
somehow getting entangled in each other.
When Nagisa managed to open her eyes, she found herself looking at
another side effect of the collision.
The impact has loosened Kawai's bathrobe, worn underneath her coat, so
her...uhh..."talent" was showing.
The effects of this view, coupled with Nagisa's feeling from the dream,
brought a blush to her cheeks.
This was also a mutal feeling, for Kawai's position allowed her to have
a nice view down the tank top Nagisa had hurridly put on before leaving her
apartment.
This mutual talent appreciation continued for about ten minutes, while
the feeling of the two girls rushed at high speed. Fortunately, there was
no one in the lobby at this hour, so no lechers were nearby.
Finally, Nagisa spoke. "Uhh...hi."
"Hi." Kawai said.
"We need to talk." they both said at the same time, causing them to
break out in laughter for a few seconds.
Finally, Kawai got her breath. "Come on, we can talk in my apartment.
I think I still have some drinks in the fridge." Silence for a few
seconds. "Err...Nagisa? Come on, get off, I want to get up."
"Well, I was enjoying the view." Nagisa joked.
"Well, I'm getting a better view from here, but could you get up,
please?"
"Oh, alright" Nagisa said, and got up and reached down to Kawai to help
her up.
When their hands touched, both girls gasped as they felt *something*
flow between them. Nagisa managed, despite the momentary shock, to help
Kawai up. They stared at each other for a second, then headed for the
elevators.
- -<3- -
Later, with coffee in hand, the two Iczelions recalled the mutual dream
that they had had.
"Wow, it...it seemed so real." Kawai said, still a little amazed at what
had happened. She turned to Nagisa. "And you're sure that Chaos is dead
for good."
"Yes, " Nagisa said, "It's a good bet that he's dead for good now.
Remember, we killed his sister's spirit body, and we haven't seen her
since, so I guess he's dead for good."
"Good, I would hate to go through that again." Kawai said. "And you met
your cousin?"
"Yeah, appearantly it was her who directed my Iczel to find me when it
was searching for a partner." Nagisa took a breath. "And it was also her
who told me about the Soul Bond we share."
Kawai blinked. "Nani?"
Nagisa took a few minutes to explain the concept of Soul Bonds, as
related to her by her cousin.
Kawai took a few minutes to digest all this, then turned to Nagisa. "I
thought I felt a...it's a little hard to explain, but it was like a felt a
presence in my head when I woke up, and for some reason, I just knew it was
you."
Nagisa nodded. "Same thing for me. It happened as well while I was
talking with my cousin."
Kawai nodded. "So," she said, "where does that leave us?"
Nagisa got up and paced around to the back of the kitchen. "Kawai, I
have something to say."
"Nagisa, so do I..."
"No, please don't interrupt. It's hard enough as it is." Nagisa took a
breath and continued. "For the past couple of weeks, while we were having
that horrible dream, I started to have...certain feelings towards you,
Kawai. At first, I didn't know what it was all about. I guess in some
aspects, I'm still a confused little girl." She laughed, and then looked
out the balcony window towards her own apartment. "But, a few days ago, it
all started to become clear. I was attracted to you, Kawai, and I didn't
know why. I guess Nami and Kiiro noticed, and they pulled that little
stunt at the theater."
"Nagisa..." Kawai began.
"Kawai, please let me finish." Tears were starting to stream down
Nagisa's cheeks. "When we were in that dream, fighting Chaos, and you were
injured, I could feel my heart breaking, and when I thought you had died, I
felt so alone, like I didn't have a friend in the world. My God, I never
felt that way before."
Kawai got up and crossed over to where Nagisa was standing.
"The point is, Kawai..." Nagisa continued, and then turned around to
face Kawai. "The point of all of this is: I love you, Kawai. With all of
my heart."
Kawai was a little stunned by Nagisa's declaration, but she took the
green haired woman's hand in her own.
Nagisa waited for Kawai to say something, anything so she wouldn't have
poured her heart out for nothing.
Finally Kawai spoke.
"When I saw you the first time, standing at your school's entrance," she
began, "I could feel...something happen between the two of us. And it
wasn't just that you had just been chosen as an Iczelion-somewhat
reluctantly, I might add." Nagisa laughed at that. Kawai continued.
"Like you, I've been feeling something when I was near you for the past few
weeks, and I guess it took Chaos's attack to make me realize that..." she
looked up at Kawai with eyes shimmering with unreleased tears, "I love you,
Nagisa."
Nagisa gasped and reached out for the brunette and hugged her. The two
of them could feel the mutual heat that the contact between their two
bodies generated.
"So, what do we do now?" Kawai asked.
"I think I have an idea." Nagisa replied, looking into Kawai's eyes.
Slowly, they moved towards each other. Closer...closer...until the
moment when their lips touched. Like in the dream, it was the sweetest
thing in the whole world for the both of them. And in that moment, the
Soul Bond between them was forever sealed with their love. Their kiss
gradually became deeper and deeper until...
"Hold it," Kawai said, pulling back a bit and breaking the kiss.
"Nagisa are you sure you want to do this? I...I mean...it's all so fast
and all..?!?"
In response, Nagisa lifted off her shirt and tossed it on the back of
one of the kitchen chairs. "I thought I lost you, back there in the dream.
I don't want to lose you again." she said, looking at Kawai.
"Yes, but..." Kawai looked nervous. "Well...it's just that, well...I've
never done this before." she finished, sounding embarassed.
In response, Nagisa laughed. "Well, I haven't either. I guess we'll
have to learn as we go." She sobered up. "Kawai. I love you. Please,
let's have a happy dream for once." she finished softly.
In response, Kawai took Nagisa by the hand and led her over to her
bedroom. There, with Nagisa's help, she undid the robe and stood in front
of Nagisa, who had taken off her shorts.
There, looking at each other, both of them had the same thought.
"Kirei..." they breathed. They smiled, kissed again, and lowered
themselves on the bed...
- -<3- -
**One floor down, 15 minutes later**
The door to Makoto Kino's apartment opened, and the tired brunette
trudged in, muttering several curses about demons in general and how they
didn't keep a schedule convenient to her. She undressed and went to the
bed...and stopped. Voices were coming down from the ceiling. Or rather,
from directly one floor up.
"Ohhh...I could stay like this forever..."
"Hmmm...I know. Now, what's down here...ha! I knew it!"
"What?"
"Heh, green is your natural color!"
"Ha, ha."
"Hmm...now, let's see what's behind there..."
"Hmmm....oh god...oh, Kawai, ohhhhh...
And it got incoherent from there. Muttering something about people not
having the decency to let others have a peaceful sleep, Makoto went to her
CD shelf and grabbed an Emi Shinohara CD. Walking back to her bed with the
CD and a portable CD player, she put the CD in, and put the headphones on,
and promptly tried to go to sleep. While above, the noise went on...
- -<3- -
**Four hours(three bottles of sake, two cans of whipped cream, and one
container of chocolate frosting) later**
Nagisa woke with a start, wondering where she was. She felt something
pressed up against her, and Nagisa looked to see what it was. Kawai was
snuggled up against her, still sound asleep. Nagisa smiled as the memories
of last night came back to her. <Guess we got a little out of control last
night,> she thought, looking around at the mess they had made of Kawai's
bedroom. <But it was worth it.> She smiled and decided to try something.
She leaned down next to Kawai's sleeping form and concentrated.
<}Kawai?{>
<}Wha...?{>
<}Kawai, love, come on. Time to wake up.{>
Kawai woke up and looked at Nagisa blearly. "That's going to take some
getting used to." she said.
"But was it worth it?" Nagisa asked with a smile.
Kawai smiled. "Yes, it was defintely worth it." she said, and then
kissed Nagisa.
Sitting up, she noticed the state of the bedroom. "Jeez, we really were
going at it, weren't we?" she said.
"Yeah, I guess we did." Nagisa said. She looked down at herself. "You
know, we could have done without the chocolate frosting."
"But why?" Kawai said while throwing a sly wink at her lover. "It
tasted sooo good on you."
"Yeah, but it made quite a mess." Nagisa responded.
"That's true." Kawai said. She got out of the bed and tiptoed around
the mess. "Tell you what, Nagisa. You get a shower, and I'll see about
getting us some breakfast. Then we can try to clean this up."
"Are you sure? I mean, this is you place..." Nagisa said.
"And you're the guest, so it's only right you should get first dibs.
Now get!" Kawai sent Nagisa over to the shower with a pat on her backside,
then went to the kitchen.
"Kawai?" Nagisa said.
"Yes."
"Ai shiteru, Kawai-chan." Nagisa said softly.
Kawai smiled. "I love you too."
- -<3- -
Five minutes later, Kawai nearly had the kitchen straightened out when a
thought came into her head.
<}Nagisa?{>
A few seconds later, the reply came. <} Kawai? Anything wrong?{>
<}Oh nothing, just getting the feel for this telepathy. Your cousin
said it was through this Bond we have?{>
Nagisa: <}Yeah, though I think she was either fibbing or else she didn't
know everything.{>
Kawai: <}Oh, why?{>
Nagisa: <}I got the feeling she wasn't telling me everything.{>
Kawai: <}Maybe not everything is known about the Bond.{>
Nagisa: <}Yeah, you may be right....{>
There was a knock at the door.
<}Hold that thought, Nagisa.{> Kawai said, smirking at the telepathic
groan coming from Nagisa as she went to the door. Looking out the
peephole, she could see Nami and Kiiro arguing over something. A smile
appeared on Kawai's face as she thought of something. <}Nagisa?{>
<}Yes?{> Nagisa sent back.
<}Kiiro and Nami are at the door. How about we get back at them for
last night?{> Kawai sent to her lover.
<}Oh? what exactly did you have in mind?{> Nagisa replied smirking
mentally. Kawai told her.
<}Oh, that's evil.{>
<}I know.{>
<}Okay, let's do it.{>
- -<3- -
At the same time, Nami and Kiiro were arguing over what to do about
their friends.
"Okay, so we just go straight out and tell her. How hard is that?" Nami
was saying.
"Nami, coming out as blunt as that won't work! We need something
subtle, something romantic..." Kiiro said.
"Oh yeah, like your movie idea. That worked *real* good." Nami said
sarcastically.
"Grr...I thought it was a good idea at the time." Kiiro huffed. "Okay,
we'll try your idea. But don't be suprised if it doesn't work."
Their...uh..."disscussion" was interrupted when Kawai opened the door.
"Nami, Kiiro! Nice to see you. Come in, please!" Kawai said as the two
girls entered Kawai's apartment. Nami and Kiiro immeadiately noticed the
general mess of the place.
"Sorry about the mess!" Kawai said. "Had a little party in here, and it
got a little wild."
"A little wild?" Kiiro said, not believing her eyes. "Kawai, it looks
like a tornado hit this place!"
<Yeah, a tornado named Nagisa.> Kawai thought, smirking. She brought
out a couple cups of coffee for Nami and Kiiro. "Here you go, freshly made
coffee. Be careful, it's hot."
"Thanks." Nami and Kiiro said.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" Kawai asked, edging closer to the
bedroom door.
"Well," Nami began, "it's about your lovelife. Or rather, your lack of
one."
"Oh, and why should you be concerned about that?" Kawai asked.
"Because we're your friends!" Kiiro said. "And besides, we have someone
great in mind."
"Oh, you're going to play matchmaker?" Kawai said.
"Yep, and you have no choice in the matter. You're going to get a date
even if it kills us!" Nami said with a grin on her face. Kiiro gained a
sweatdrop as she looked at Nami.
"Oh? Well, that's too bad then." Kawai answered.
The two girls stared at her. "WHAT!?!?"
"It's too bad for that, since I'm already involved with someone." Kawai
said, standing in the open door to her bedroom.
This was appearantly too much for Nami, as she lost it. "WHAT? We put
our neck on the line for you two, spent countless hours rehearsing every
step of the plan, and even followed you home to see if you two would take
the hint, and you say you're already involved?!?!?"
"Yep." Kawai replied. <}Get ready.{>
"Oh come on!" Kiiro said. "I bet the person isn't as half as good as
the one we have in mind?"
"Oh really?" Kawai said. <}Now!{>
"Yeah, really, I mean, you even know her and..." Kiiro stopped as a pair
of female arms came from behind Kawai and embraced her.
"Koibito? We seem to be out of soap, so I opened a fresh container..."
Nagisa said.
Both Nami and Kiiro were giving the two of them the "eyes the size of TV
screens" look.
Both Nagisa and Kawai turned to the other two Iczelions. "What makes you
think we wouldn't get the hint on our own time?" Nagisa asked, and then
joined Kawai in a long and soulful kiss.
Nami and Kiiro facefaulted. Since they were still carrying cups of
coffee, this resulted in several interesting burns and a trip to the ER.
The doctors chalked it up to Tokyo's strangeness.
- -<3- -
Meanwhile, on the rooftop of Nagisa's apartment building, two women were
watching the little spectacle play out using senses no human had. The
first turned to the other.
"Well, that's that. Nice work there." the first woman said.
"Thanks," the other replied, "I wasn't sure if they would get the point
after the first dream, but I'm glad they eventually got the point." She
sighed. "So little time, for something so important..."
"I know." the first replied. "The Great War is nearly upon us, and the
more Warriors of Light we can gather, the better. That is why we were
chosen for this mission." The woman got up from were she was sitting.
"Now, let's go to the temple. I want you to compare notes with Urd..."
"While you flirt with Keiichi?" the second replied.
The first sighed. "I quit that a long time ago. He's clearly in love
with Belldandy, and nothing I do will change that." She paused. "Can I
get a lift?"
The second blinked. "Excuse me, Peroth? Don't you have your own means
of transportation?"
"Aeris, do you see any camera lenses around here?" Peroth replied.
"Come on, please?"
Aeris Gainsborough-Second Class Goddess, Unlimited Licence- sighed.
"Okay, just remind me to pack a camera lense next time, okay?" She raised
her staff into the air. "Gospel Ascension." she whispered.
A gentle wind picked up around the two, and they disappeared,
transported to the temple.
- -<3- -
In a park a few blocks from the two apartment buildings, two women sat
on a bench.
"So, do you think they'll be all right?" Nagisa Kano asked.
Her partner, Iczer-1, thought for a moment. "Well, they just needed to
get the courage to say what they felt to each other. In the long
run...yes, I think they'll be fine." she said.
"I'm glad." Nagisa Kano said, and then hugged Iczer-1. "The Earth is so
beautiful, I wish we could stay longer." she said.
"I know. Prehaps, someday, we can stay longer. But now, we need to go
back. Sister Grey is expecting us." Iczer-1 said.
"Okay." Nagisa Kano said. The two of them stood up. <Good luck,
Nagisa, Kawai. May your love last for all time.> Nagisa thought. Iczer-1
smiled at her. Nagisa smiled back, then took her hand.
The two warriors dissolved into yellow and green streaks of light that
rapidly shot into space, leaving the Earth far behind...
- -<3- -
**Crystal Tokyo**
Nagisa Kai leaned back in her chair as she looked out at the Crystal
Tokyo skyline. <Even after 50 years, I never get tired of this view.> she
thought. She jumped as a pair of arms embraced her, and a thought came
into her head.
<}Credit for your thoughts, anata?{> Kawai asked.
<}I'm just remembering when we met.{> Nagisa sent back.
Kawai laughed. "Yes, those were the days." She leaned down and put her
head on Nagisa's shoulder. <}And I love you as much now as I did back
then, Nagisa.{> she sent to her wife.
The two of them were about to kiss when...
"Mom? Mama? I'm home!" A woman with short brown hair came into the
home they shared. "Where are you two?"
"We're out on the porch, Natsumi." Nagisa replied. Natsumi Kai, their
daughter, came out to join them.
"What're you doing?" she asked her parents.
"Just remembering the past, dear." Nagisa replied. The family looked
out at the sun, setting behind the Crystal Place, causing rainbows to
appear everywhere. Nagisa and Kawai, both veterans of a long and brutal
war looked at each other, and said the same thing at the same time,
expressing what they felt for each other in three simple words.
"I love you."
- -<3- -
**2015**
Nagisa and Kawai, along with the other two Iczelion Alphas, and Mayuka
Masaki, raced towards the struggling Eva-00, locked in combat with the 16th
Angel. No more will be said here, since it will be written later.
- -<3- -
Closing Credits: "Where Does My Heart Beat Now?" Originally by Celine
Dion and written by R. W. Johnson/T. Rhodes. Originally from the album
"Unison", released in 1990.
Songfic version preformed by Kiiro Ijima. Songfic produced by Knight
Productions.
[Open on a concert hall. Kiiro is on stage.
Kiiro: This next song is dedicated to two friends of mine who have found
love. I hope I can do justice to Ms. Dion's work. Fade out.]
[Fade in on a river running through a forest. Kiiro is there, sitting
on a rock as the song begins]
"So much to believe in, we were lost in time."
"Everything I needed I feel into your eyes."
"Always thought of keepin'- Your heart next to mine."
[As Kiiro is looking into the water, images of some of anime's more
prolific couples form in the ripples, ending up with Nagisa and Kawai
facing each other]
"But now that seems so far away."
"Don't know how love could leave without a trace."
"Where do silent hearts go?"
[Kiiro gets up and walks across the riverbank as the chorus begins]
"Where does my heart beat now?"
"Where is the sound..."
"That only echoes through the night."
"Where does my heart beat now?"
"I can't live without..."
"Without feeling it inside."
"Where do all the lonely hearts go?"
[As Kiiro is walking, images float by (dissolves and such) of Nagisa and
Kawai fighting as Iczelions]
"Candle in the water-Drifting helplessly."
"Hiding from the thunder-Come and rescue me."
[Images of the fight against Chaos]
"Driven by hunger-of the endless dream."
[Two-shot of Nagisa and Kawai awakening from dreams]
"I'm searching for the hand that I can hold."
"I'm reaching for the arms that let me know."
[Shot of Nagisa and Kawai holding hands]
"Where do silent hearts go?"
[Cut to a concert hall. Kiiro is on stage singing.]
"Where does my heart beat now?"
"Where is the sound..."
"That only echoes through the night."
"Where does my heart beat now?"
"I can't live without..."
"Without feeling it inside."
"Where do all the lonely hearts go?"
[Shot of Nagisa and Kawai with their backs to each other. Their shadows
reveal their Iczelion Alpha forms.]
"Then one touch overcomes the silence."
"Love still survives."
"Two hearts needing one another."
"Give me wings to fly."
[Shot of Nagisa and Kawai dancing slowly. Glowing wings sprout out of
their backs]
"Where does my heart beat now?"
"Where is the sound..."
"That only echoes through the night."
"Where does my heart beat now?"
"I can't live without..."
"Without feeling it inside."
"Where do all the lonely hearts go?"
[As Kiiro is singing this, she notices someone in the crowd. She
motions a spotlight over to their position, where Nagisa and Kawai are
sitting, watching the concert, arms draped around each other's shoulder.
Kiiro winks at them, then launches into the final few lines.]
"I've got someone to give my heart to."
"Feel it getting stronger and stronger and stronger."
[In the rafters above, Aeris is watching the couple with a smile on her
face. She disappears, and the scene swtiches to Nagisa and Kawai kissing
as Kiiro sings the last few lines.]
"Hearts are made to last..."
"Till the end of time."
[Shot of Nagisa and Kawai watching the sunset from Kawai's apartment. A
scene is shown against the sunset of Nagisa and Kawai in the future
enjoying a Crystal Tokyo sunset. In the present time, the two of them move
in to kiss. Cut to Kiiro finishing her song to wild applause. Fade to
black.]
*************************************************
End of Where Does My Heart Beat Now?
*************************************************
**Author's Notes**
<Cut to a riotous cast/crew party going on at Knight Productions. Catty
is doing gymnastics on one of the tables, Atsuko is pouring the drinks,
Nami is wowing the male crew members with her dancing (and causing some
nosebleeds at the same time), Kiiro is at the Kareoke machine singing,
Erica and Julia are making out in one corner, and in another
corner...well...Nagisa and Kawai are doing the same. Brian steps out of
the crowd, wearing a party hat.>
Dang. I say again, Dang!
I *never* expected it to be this long! And I even did a song fic too!
Tell you a lot about criticism, it can certainly inspire you to insane
heights! <grin>
Okay, seriously, I truly hope I pace the relationship of Nagisa and
Kawai right. And I mean throughout the fic, not just this piece. This
part just ensured that some parts were tied up after the battle scene.
Sailor Hazard? <V,VEG> Just a little something I'm thinking of
writing. Trust me, you'll want to kill me for this.
Anyone spot the seyiuu joke in Makoto's apartment? I find it a little
ironic that Jupiter's seyiuu also was in Iczelion. (She was the Iczelion
woman killed by Cross in the beginning)
Whipped cream and chocolate??!? What can I say? They were feeling very
experimental that night.
Okay, about that scene: I am seriously thinking about writing a lemon
for that scene. If I do, it will be either released in the finished
version for RAAC, or stored on a separate section on my website (soon to
undergo a major facelift). Any comments?
If anyone noticed, I was sumrising that the Iczelion suits were the same
as the armor worn by the Magical Knights in MKR, that is, that they evolve
with the maturity of the user.
Yes, trying to write a conservation between two women named Nagisa can
be confusing. Any suggestions?
Any problems with the way Nagisa Kano regained her memories and her
reunion with Iczer-1? I'm still in the process of thinking this out, and
any suggestions may be helpful.
You'll see more about the Soul Bond in Destiny's Path. Suffice it to
say, it's still a developing concept, and not much is known about it yet.
In case you didn't notice, telepathic conservation was bracketed like
this: <}**{>. What other powers will they have by themselves and through
the Bond? Only time will tell.
Yes, you'll be seeing Peroth and Aeris again. I think Aeris got a raw
deal in FF7, so I turned I her into a goddess on a mission in my story, and
Peroth, well...too little panel time in OMG, and besides...well...look at
her! :-)
Yes, the infamous "talent" joke was used. For an explaination, ask any
Sailor Moon fan who knows the differences between the dub and original.
The "natural hair color" thing can be blamed on Chris Angel. That joke
was in his Turn The Page megacrossover, and I was...inspired by it, so to
speak. :-)
Ouick Japanese translations:
Anata: darling
Ai shiteru: I love you. (I think that's what it is.)
Koibito: lover, girlfriend/boyfriend
Kirei: beautiful (What? Did you think I was going to use Kawaii? Give
me a break!)
Nani: What? (Possibly the most overused Japanese word in fanfics.)
Thank yous go out to:
-Alissa Braggins and Meridth Wurzbach, two friends at work who are about
as crazy about anime as I am!
-My parents, who don't (usually) raise an eyebrow at the thought of me
writing fanfiction.
-Archen's Iczelion Page and Legend of the Iczers, for the tremendous
information on Iczer-1 and Iczelion.
-Celine Dion, for the beautiful song that is also the title of this
story.
-Andrew Dynon and Tim Miller, for all the MSTings and information.
-Coutuva, whose stories provided part of the inspiration for these
stories.
-All of you, thank you, and stay tuned for Destiny's Path. Coming soon!
(No joke!)
<Jumps back into the crowd.>
Disclaimers:
Iczelion and Iczer-1 were created by Hirano Toshihiro and released in
North America by US Renditions (Iczer-1) and AD Vision (Iczelion).
Oh My Goddess! was created by Kosuke Fujishima and was released in North
America by Animeigo (anime-pretty good dub, too!), and Dark Horse Comics
(Manga).
Final Fantasy 7 (Aeris) was created by Squaresoft for the Playstation
system and released in North America by the same.
Sailor Moon was created by Naoko Takeuchi and is released in North
America by DiC Entertainment (anime-no comments) and Mixxzine Entertainment
(manga).
El Hazard was created by Hiroki Hayashi and released in North America by
Pioneer Entertainment.
The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy was written by Douglas Adams.
This story is copyright by me and is an original fan story based on the
above shows. It isn't meant to be a copyright infringement, just one
person's way of saying he/she liked the show.
Please don't sue me.
Brian Yaple
Knight Productions
BYapes@erie.net
webpage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Pagoda/8768
MoonieCode (0.8.1)
SM:5+(m-) F:SInSa O:d S=?o P:a22 S|+:eBrDg:hBrD:y--+|+
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------
Mekton Zeta-Babylon 5-Macross-Grapejam-The Spot-BGCrisis-
Evangelion-Iczer-Iczelion-Buffy-Ranma 1/2-Sailor Moon-Tenchi Muyo!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------
"No box is big enough to contain our imaginations."
Tara Hartwick (RIP)- The Spot (www.thespot.com)- June 6th, 1995
"Tuski ni kawatte, oshioki yo!" - Sailor Moon
"Call me Iczelion!" - Nagisa Kai - Iczelion