Fandoms 6, 7 and 8
Fandom 6 - Digimon
Title Small People
Rating G
Summary Ken listens to the gossips and judges accordingly.
He could hear them whispering behind the shelves. They had to know he could hear them. The shop wasn’t big, nor was it crowded. Anyone who wasn’t deaf could hear someone gossiping when they were practically within arms reach.
But then, Ken was rapidly becoming more and more aware of how stupid people were.
“I’m just saying, it’s not quite normal.”
“People react in different ways, there’s no normal about it.”
“He saw his brother die in front of him. That would traumatise anyone, not just a child. And I’m just saying, trauma for a child that young normally sends them into themselves, not out.”
“Oh, that’s what you know. Stop ‘just saying’ and leave other people’s business alone!”
“He has come out of himself though, you can’t deny that. He’s like a different boy.”
Ken closed his eyes for a moment, trying not to grind his teeth. What did they know? What did any of them know? They were so stupid. Come out of himself? What was that meant to mean? It was one of those meaningless phrases people used when they didn’t really know what they were talking about at all.
Not that they weren’t entirely right. Ken allowed himself a private smile. Oh, he’d come out of himself all right. Come out of himself so far that he practically wasn’t the same person any more.
But what could they possibly know about that? They were so small compared to him. Small and unimportant and pathetic. Worthless. He was destined for more than them.
Ken paid for the groceries and left the shop. Really, he didn’t see why he should bother running errands for his mother any more. He had better things to do.
Fandom 7 - Tokyo Babylon
Title: Left Behind
Rating G
Summary: Hokoto plans for her brother's future, unaware that events have already been set in motion.
Hokoto was cooking when the phone rang. She was in a good mood for the most part. Seishiro was getting better from the attack and Subaru was improving too. She had a feeling that he’d finally, just finally worked out how he felt about the man that had been helping them for what had to be about a year now. True, things seemed a little odd right now but she was sure that once Subaru actually talked to Sei-chan, a conclusion would be reached. Something sensible. And Seishiro would be discharged soon, which was why she was making fruit pies. She was sure Sei-chan would like fruit pies. And then … well, maybe if Subaru had actually confessed his feelings, Sei-chan could live here. That would be adorable. And Subaru would finally have someone special. Someone who really meant something to him. Besides her of course. Subaru needed someone that wasn’t her. Someone who could love him in a different way from a sister.
“I’m coming!” she called fruitlessly at the phone, trying to turn the heat on the pan down and put down her spoon at the same moment. This almost resulted in her spilling hot water on her feet but a couple of corrections and she was able to wipe her hands and grab the still ringing phone.
“Hello!” she sang down it brightly, deciding that the only people who would be ringing her brother’s flat must want his services and trying to sound as though she was a friendly and polite secretary - or at least, not hot, frustrated and trying to work out how to make a fruit pie.
“Is this Sumeragi-san?”
“This is Hokoto Sumeragi,” Hokoto said brightly, wondering if this was a client. “I’m Subaru Sumeragi’s sister, can I help you?”
“My name is Doctor Yoshi, Sumeragi-san,” the voice said. “I’m calling from the hospital. It’s about your brother.”
“Subaru?” Hokoto said blankly. “What about Subaru?”
“I’m afraid there’s been … an accident,” the voice said, calm, smooth, totally emotionless. “Your brother has been badly hurt.”
Hokoto didn’t wait for any more. She’d hung up the phone and was out of the door without even bothering to turn off the cooking or to grab a coat. But somehow, as she ran, she knew it was already too late to reach Subaru.
He’d already gone far, far beyond her reach.
Famdom 8 - Willard Price's Adventure Series
Title First Words
Rating G
Summary Hal isn't originally very impressed by his new brother
Four year old Hal Hunt was not overly impressed with his new baby brother. Roger was very small, wrinkled and was making a ridiculous amount of noise.
“We’re not taking him home are we?”
“Of course we are!” his mother said. “He’s your brother!”
“He’ll upset the animals, making that noise,” Hal said firmly. “We should leave him here.”
“The animals are quite used to a lot of noise,” his father said, equally firmly. “Your brother won’t disturb them at all.”
Hal went back on tip-toe and peered at the screwed up red face. Roger continued to shriek.
“You promised I could play with him,” Hal grumbled. “He’s too small.”
“He’ll grow,” his father promised.
* * * *
Three months later, Hal inspected his brother again.
“Baby gorillas can crawl at two months,” he announced, poking Roger to see if he’d do anything. Roger gurgled and refused to move.
“He’s not a gorilla,” his mother informed him.
Hal gave her a withering look.
“I know,” he said.
* * * *
Roger cried all through Hal’s fifth birthday. Loudly and with great lung capacity. Nothing their mother could do seemed able to shut him up. Hal finally wriggled out of his father’s grip and marched into his little brother’s room. Roger lay in the cot, screaming with great enthusiasm. Hal peered down at him, then picked him up, remembering the various baby animals his father had let him help with.
“Shush,” he ordered Roger. “Bad baby. If you’re quiet, I’ll tell you about the animals.”
By the time his father got there, Hal was walking up and down, explaining in a serious voice to Roger about the general breeding habits of wild dogs. Roger had stopped screaming.
The next day, when Mrs Hunt tried to find her youngest son to feed him, she discovered that he had been removed from his cot. Upon investigation, she discovered Hal helpfully holding Roger up to the gate bars and introducing him to the hyena. She firmly informed Hal that Roger was too young to play with the animals and tried to take Roger off him.
Roger started screaming again.
* * * *
Hal was out at school when Roger said his first word.
“’al.”
Mrs Hunt looked at the child in her arms. Roger looked back with big mutinous eyes.
“’al,” he said, more insistently.
Mrs Hunt looked at her husband.
“Aren’t their first words normally Mummy or Daddy?” she asked.
Title Small People
Rating G
Summary Ken listens to the gossips and judges accordingly.
He could hear them whispering behind the shelves. They had to know he could hear them. The shop wasn’t big, nor was it crowded. Anyone who wasn’t deaf could hear someone gossiping when they were practically within arms reach.
But then, Ken was rapidly becoming more and more aware of how stupid people were.
“I’m just saying, it’s not quite normal.”
“People react in different ways, there’s no normal about it.”
“He saw his brother die in front of him. That would traumatise anyone, not just a child. And I’m just saying, trauma for a child that young normally sends them into themselves, not out.”
“Oh, that’s what you know. Stop ‘just saying’ and leave other people’s business alone!”
“He has come out of himself though, you can’t deny that. He’s like a different boy.”
Ken closed his eyes for a moment, trying not to grind his teeth. What did they know? What did any of them know? They were so stupid. Come out of himself? What was that meant to mean? It was one of those meaningless phrases people used when they didn’t really know what they were talking about at all.
Not that they weren’t entirely right. Ken allowed himself a private smile. Oh, he’d come out of himself all right. Come out of himself so far that he practically wasn’t the same person any more.
But what could they possibly know about that? They were so small compared to him. Small and unimportant and pathetic. Worthless. He was destined for more than them.
Ken paid for the groceries and left the shop. Really, he didn’t see why he should bother running errands for his mother any more. He had better things to do.
Fandom 7 - Tokyo Babylon
Title: Left Behind
Rating G
Summary: Hokoto plans for her brother's future, unaware that events have already been set in motion.
Hokoto was cooking when the phone rang. She was in a good mood for the most part. Seishiro was getting better from the attack and Subaru was improving too. She had a feeling that he’d finally, just finally worked out how he felt about the man that had been helping them for what had to be about a year now. True, things seemed a little odd right now but she was sure that once Subaru actually talked to Sei-chan, a conclusion would be reached. Something sensible. And Seishiro would be discharged soon, which was why she was making fruit pies. She was sure Sei-chan would like fruit pies. And then … well, maybe if Subaru had actually confessed his feelings, Sei-chan could live here. That would be adorable. And Subaru would finally have someone special. Someone who really meant something to him. Besides her of course. Subaru needed someone that wasn’t her. Someone who could love him in a different way from a sister.
“I’m coming!” she called fruitlessly at the phone, trying to turn the heat on the pan down and put down her spoon at the same moment. This almost resulted in her spilling hot water on her feet but a couple of corrections and she was able to wipe her hands and grab the still ringing phone.
“Hello!” she sang down it brightly, deciding that the only people who would be ringing her brother’s flat must want his services and trying to sound as though she was a friendly and polite secretary - or at least, not hot, frustrated and trying to work out how to make a fruit pie.
“Is this Sumeragi-san?”
“This is Hokoto Sumeragi,” Hokoto said brightly, wondering if this was a client. “I’m Subaru Sumeragi’s sister, can I help you?”
“My name is Doctor Yoshi, Sumeragi-san,” the voice said. “I’m calling from the hospital. It’s about your brother.”
“Subaru?” Hokoto said blankly. “What about Subaru?”
“I’m afraid there’s been … an accident,” the voice said, calm, smooth, totally emotionless. “Your brother has been badly hurt.”
Hokoto didn’t wait for any more. She’d hung up the phone and was out of the door without even bothering to turn off the cooking or to grab a coat. But somehow, as she ran, she knew it was already too late to reach Subaru.
He’d already gone far, far beyond her reach.
Famdom 8 - Willard Price's Adventure Series
Title First Words
Rating G
Summary Hal isn't originally very impressed by his new brother
Four year old Hal Hunt was not overly impressed with his new baby brother. Roger was very small, wrinkled and was making a ridiculous amount of noise.
“We’re not taking him home are we?”
“Of course we are!” his mother said. “He’s your brother!”
“He’ll upset the animals, making that noise,” Hal said firmly. “We should leave him here.”
“The animals are quite used to a lot of noise,” his father said, equally firmly. “Your brother won’t disturb them at all.”
Hal went back on tip-toe and peered at the screwed up red face. Roger continued to shriek.
“You promised I could play with him,” Hal grumbled. “He’s too small.”
“He’ll grow,” his father promised.
* * * *
Three months later, Hal inspected his brother again.
“Baby gorillas can crawl at two months,” he announced, poking Roger to see if he’d do anything. Roger gurgled and refused to move.
“He’s not a gorilla,” his mother informed him.
Hal gave her a withering look.
“I know,” he said.
* * * *
Roger cried all through Hal’s fifth birthday. Loudly and with great lung capacity. Nothing their mother could do seemed able to shut him up. Hal finally wriggled out of his father’s grip and marched into his little brother’s room. Roger lay in the cot, screaming with great enthusiasm. Hal peered down at him, then picked him up, remembering the various baby animals his father had let him help with.
“Shush,” he ordered Roger. “Bad baby. If you’re quiet, I’ll tell you about the animals.”
By the time his father got there, Hal was walking up and down, explaining in a serious voice to Roger about the general breeding habits of wild dogs. Roger had stopped screaming.
The next day, when Mrs Hunt tried to find her youngest son to feed him, she discovered that he had been removed from his cot. Upon investigation, she discovered Hal helpfully holding Roger up to the gate bars and introducing him to the hyena. She firmly informed Hal that Roger was too young to play with the animals and tried to take Roger off him.
Roger started screaming again.
* * * *
Hal was out at school when Roger said his first word.
“’al.”
Mrs Hunt looked at the child in her arms. Roger looked back with big mutinous eyes.
“’al,” he said, more insistently.
Mrs Hunt looked at her husband.
“Aren’t their first words normally Mummy or Daddy?” she asked.