Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Third Annual Mediaminer.org Big Fanfiction Contest/Award Ceremony/Oscars/Emmies/Golden Globes Thingie! ❯ Original ( Chapter 4 )

Special thanks to all of Mediaminer.org for helping in the contest.

Special thanks to the creators of anime for giving us inspiration for stories.

Special thanks to NBC for letting us borrow the auditorium.

No thanks to those responsible for censorship laws.

Special thanks to the makers of the movie Hudson Hawk.

No thanks to the people who keep misspelling my real name.

 

**

 

The lights flicked for a moment as the electrical crew quickly got everything back up and running for the next portion of the contest. A small green alien (dressed up rather poorly as a human boy) walked upon the stage and pulled over the stack of books that Strongbad had used to stand up on. He narrowed his eyes at the crowd and glared.

 

“Puny human anime characters! I shall forever make you slaves of the Mighty Irken Empire as we conquer your fleshy bags of-”

 

Zim realized he was eliciting stairs from the audience. He winced and faked a smile.

 

“Er, I mean, I am here to announce in my normal human voice about how this next contest is about Original stories. FOOLISH HUMANS! NONE OF THEM ARE ORIGINAL! THE IRKENS ALL- gah, I mean, yes, truly Original stories! Why Original stories are here in the middle of a Fanfiction contest kind of confuses my normal human brain, but please, slap your oily, clawless hands together for the Judge: Lady Macbeth. DEATH TO HUMANS!”

 

Seeing that Mr. T was eyeing him, Zim quickly ran off the stage as Lady Macbeth took the podium in a stunning green dress. A few catcalls were made from the audience and I, the author, quickly smacked each individual who did so.

 

“Original stories mean that although they may have been inspired by the work of others, they are ENTIRELY original in their plots, characters, etc. It's a pity that a great number of the entries I got weren't original. Anyway, the first award is the `Angel Armor Award' for Best Original story. In a shameless plug, Psy is trying to promote his book series Angel Armor, available on Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com. It should be noted that he made me say that without any of my consent. Thank you. Anyway, the winner of the Angel Armor Award is... Ars Daemonorum ~ The Demon Art by our very own hostess Fanilia!”

 

*Excerpt*

 

One night he grew particularly quiet, if quiet is a term applied to written text transferred from one cold machine to another. Then he sent my way a short story written a long time ago, about a time even older. The story unnerved me with its similarity to mine, to the circle of acquaintances that formed our group on the net and the ones that formed the central group in the tale. But it was a work of fiction after all and any resemblance was only due to my fanciful imagination increased by the art I'd seen and the words I'd read. The final ramblings of a man at the brink of madness stayed in my head. "It was a photograph from Real life."

"Did it frighten you?"

"Yes" was my simple reply; no truer word had I ever uttered.

"Good, well it should."

Again the silence stretched as the chat box stayed frozen and unmoving as I sat there in the small hours of the night, the time when most of my conversations with him seemed at their darkest.

My breath caught when suddenly a link appeared in the window and with it a password.

"What is this?" I asked as my heart thudded hard in my chest-a reaction a mere link should not have caused.

"Enter and be enlightened."

For days I kept off line, but in the end I couldn't contain my curiosity. I knew I would have to enter the site and find out what lies inside. The messenger's box would provide me with the link; I only had to bring up the history and then go to the site.

So late one night I as sat in front of my computer, firm in my resolve; and opened the net, his box, and then the history. There they were the last two things, the link and the password. Just one quick look to make the nagging feeling leave me and I would exit, my curiosity satisfied - and hopefully my obsession along with it. I had realized in these past few days that it was more than the art that had become my obsession; it was Him. He was the nameless, faceless companion of my nights. His face I conjured from my imagination, His name I refrained from using - it was more of a fright not to name Him. And it drew me to Him, like a moth to a flame. Would I allow my wings to be singed as I was consumed by His brilliance, by the flames of the hell He showed me? I must end this obsession lest it consume my waking hours as it had begun to do to my dreams.

A small sigh escaped me as I realized that I was again putting off entering the site, my mind wandering in an attempt to distract me from my set course of action.

*Click*

 

*End of Excerpt*

 

Fanilia's eyes dart around the room, looking for Him...She lets out a sigh of relief unable to spot the hooded red glow of THOSE EYES.

 

"Thank you for this award. It really is a work of fiction, really!" Fanilia calls before walking back offstage.

 

Lady Macbeth smiles and gets the next award ready. “Next we have `Screw You, Mary Sue Award.' The term `Mary Sue,' for those of you not familiar with fanfiction-speak, is referring to a self-insertion character that is adored by all within a series, original or not, and makes him or her self the central focus of everything, usually being perfect in every way. In this case, the award is for Best Character. The winner of `Screw You, Mary Sue' is... Kira from Betrayal of the Broken Heart, by Lady Pesh!”

 

*Excerpt*

 

Clean, white sunlight shined through open windows, making her long to lie in the grass with Aidan under the lilac sky. But, the empty, silent halls resigned her to reading a book in her room.

As she turned into the corridor in front of her room, Kira stopped. Leaning against the wall next to her door, with a handful of flowers, was Aidan. Trying to contain her giddy excitement, Kira managed to restrain herself to a quick trot down the hall. Aidan smiled, watching her energy bubble around her as he handed her the glowing white flowers.

"Amanelias? Where did you get these?"

"The garden."

"The garden! You could get into trouble for this!"

"I'll take my chances." He took her free hand as he spoke, tracing his thumb across her knuckles. "I have business to tend to today, but I want to meet you again before I leave tomorrow."

Kira nodded eagerly, "Yes, of course. The fountain again?"

"I'll meet you there at nightfall." He brought her hand up to his lips, gently kissing the slender appendage. Kira watched him leave, longing to demand that he stay by her side forever. She stood in the hallway long after he was out of sight, but staying felt like it would make the encounter last longer. When her door opened behind her, Kira nearly fell back into her room.

"Come now, dear. The boy has been gone long enough. You don't need to stand out here all day. Besides, your flowers are going to wilt." Mariam pulled her princess into the room to spend the day grooming her for her moonlight rendezvous.

Kira sat watching her flowers radiate their soft light above their vase as she waited for the sun to vanish. Mariam had done all she could to calm the halfling's nerves, but Kira had a knot in her stomach that refused to leave. With her brow furrowed in worry, Kira looked nothing like a young Kaern falling in love.

"What's the matter, sweetheart?" Mariam set a cup of tea in front of Kira.

"I've been thinking about how perfect this has been."

"You don't seem happy about it anymore," Mariam observed.

"I've never had anything this wonderful. The last time I was excited about something was when Daddy gave me that cute little mordock pup."

"I remember that, what happened to him? He ran away, right?"

"Toka and Kora said that he ran away, but I found his body in the woods. They had cut him to pieces." Mariam thought to suggest that perhaps an animal killed Kira's pet, but she knew as well as her charge that the twins butchered the pup.

"Kira, everything is going to be fine. If it makes you feel better, I overheard your father and Lord Mordan discussing a dowry this morning." Kira managed to smile, hearing that her father supported her blossoming relationship. "Well, I think it's time you should go, dear."

Kira looked out her window, seeing the sky cast in a deep maroon as the sun melted beyond the horizon. "Thank you, Mariam."

"You're welcome, Kira." The halfling hugged her nursemaid before lowering her veil and quietly leaving the room.

The halls were silent as the castle's occupants began to return to their normal routines. Only a few lamps burned, casting the corridors in wild shadows. Kira hurried toward the garden, rushing past the guards that ignored her as much as the other servants. She yelped loudly when she turned a corner and crashed into a shadowed figure. Knocked to her haunches, Kira stared at the Kaern in front of her until he stepped into the lamplight.

"Where do you think you're going at this hour?" Toka sneered at his older sister.

Knowing better than to expect help from Toka, Kira pulled herself from the floor, and straightened her veil. "I'm taking a walk."

"You're not meeting Aidan, are you?" His sneer twisted into a mocking smile, his eyes lighting with eagerness. She tried to step past him, but Toka anticipated her move and kept the hall blocked. "You realize he's a pureblood, don't you? If he sees your face, you'll be executed." Kira felt her face burn as her brother chuckled darkly. "What's wrong? Are you going to start crying already? Face it, Kira. You're a halfling; you shouldn't
even be standing here. Do you honestly think that you'll be allowed to have a family? Halflings are disgusting, but a halfling's child? That's intolerable." With his nose wrinkled at the thought of a second-generation halfling, Toka rammed his shoulder against Kira's as he disappeared down the hallway. Glaring hatefully at her brother, Kira inhaled deeply, pushing his words from her mind before she darted through the rest of the castle.

The garden was very dark with only the moon to light it now. The breeze had calmed, and the air had chilled, but various creatures chirped and squeaked in the shadows. Kira quickly wound her way through the twisted garden paths. The closer water tumbling in the fountain sounded, the harder her heart pounded. She tried hard to remember Aidan's laugh, attempting to drown out Kora and Toka's words of warning.

Finally, the last path, Kira forced herself to walk instead of running to her destination. The fountain splashed loudly beyond the tall hedges lining the trail. She felt the blood surge to her face, as she reached the final corner before meeting her suitor. When she stepped around the hedge, she stopped, and the blood in her face plummeted into the pit of her stomach.

On the bench directly in front of her lay Aidan, with his hands grasped firmly on Kora's shoulders, and his lips twisted against hers in a passionate kiss. "Aidan?" Kira barely realized she had spoken until Kora looked up and Aidan viciously shoved her to the ground.

"Kira!" He reached out for Kira as he quickly approached. "She must have overheard us. I was waiting for you then she came along and forced herself on me!" Kira felt her blood return to her veins and begin to boil. The twins were relentless trying to crush her heart and humiliate Aidan. "Kira, you have to believe me!" Aidan reached to embrace the halfling, but stopped, inhaling sharply.

"I believe you." Kira reached to accept his embrace, stopping only when a trail of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. "Aidan?" She stepped forward to help him, but Kora pushed him aside. Aidan dropped limply to the ground, and Kora knelt to wipe her claws clean on his jacket. Kira shoved her sister away, ripping away her veil to press it to Aidan's wound. "Aidan,
please hang on. You're going to be fine," she whispered as she felt his blood soak her veil.

"Did I tell how much better you look without your veil?" he managed weakly.

"What?" Her voice shuddered as she stared at him confusedly.

"Your veil. I hate it." He smiled then coughed, spattering blood over his cheek. "By any chance would your crystal have any healing magic?"

Kira shook her head, trying to summon words through a torrent of tears, and finally whispered, "My crystal doesn't work."

Aidan's hopeful look faded considerably. "Oh, that's a shame. At least your claws are perfect."

Aidan was trembling violently now. "I'm going to get Mariam. She can help. Just wait here. Please just wait." She tried to stand to sprint back to her rooms, but Aidan grabbed her hand and held tight with the last of his strength.

"Don't go. It's no use. Stay with me, Kira."

"Aidan, no. If I go right now, we can make it back and you'll be okay."

"No, princess, I'm not leaving this garden. Please, just kiss me goodbye." Shaking with doleful sobs, Kira pressed her lips to his. More sobs shuddered through her ribs, as Aidan's lips did not respond to hers. Before long, she realized the only trembling was hers. She tried again, her heart begging the goddesses to save him, but there was nothing. No smile to comfort her, no chuckle to make everything okay, and no sweet kiss to bid farewell, there was nothing left of the only man who dared to love her.

"We warned you, Kira. You never listen. Oh well, it's one less halfling breeder to worry about." Kora began to whistle as she stepped over Aidan and started back to the castle.

An unspeakable rage surged through Kira's veins, driving her trembles into a violent shudder before she sat completely still next to her fallen suitor. "I'm going to kill you," she growled through the tears shining in her eyes. Unable to hear Kira's vow, Kora's whistle echoed through the otherwise silent garden. Eerily calm, Kira pulled her veil away from Aidan's wound. As she had done every day of her life, she draped the fabric over her face,
securing it with a comb in her hair. With the garden cast in crimson, Kira made her way through the maze of trails.

"Kora!" The raven-haired female turned sharply when Kira barked her name. Kora stared nauseously at the halfling. The lavender veil over her face appeared dark red as it clung to her features and dripped Aidan's blood down her dress to the floor. Her fists clenched at her sides were coated in the morbid liquid, but the Kora could only stare.

Kira continued her path toward her sister, causing the twin to step back nervously. "What do you think you're doing, halfling? You should be running away. Mother will have you executed by morning for murdering a pureblood." Kira's approach remained undeterred, and Kora settled into a fighting stance. She summoned her claws ready to execute her sister herself, but Kira stopped suddenly. Kora's breath shuddered, as Kira slowly pulled the veil
from her hair. With her face drenched in blood, Kira glared at her sister.

Kora acted quickly, lunging forward to strike first and burying four claws in Kira's stomach. Kira stopped for only a second before she slashed her hand across Kora's throat. Stunned, Kora gaped at her sibling. Kira struck again, driving a handful of claws through her sister's heart. Within seconds, the soul drained from Kora's body, and she collapsed at the halfling's feet.

Now feeling the strain of her injury, Kira slumped over her stomach, and turned toward the fountain trail. Dizzy from blood loss, she stumbled through the garden. Tears streaked pale lines down her face as the hedges stretched forever. Growing in volume, the fountain beckoned her closer, and Kira forced her feet forward. Finally, the last corner before reaching her dear Aidan, Kira released a stuttering sob. Blood had pooled at the base of
the hedge and soaked his boots just in view on the path ahead. "Aidan," she whispered, just before the ground rushed at her face, and the world vanished from her eyes forever.

 

*End Excerpt*

 

Pesh smiled and gladly took the award, looking out into the audience. “Thank you, Psy, for bringing so much of Mediaminer together for this, our grandest annual event. Thank you, Lady M, for choosing my story out of all the others. I poured my heart into this, and seeing it chosen as one of the best, proves my efforts have not gone wasted. Thank you for that confirmation. And thank you, Becca Stareyes, for providing the review that brought to light the fatal flaws that this story originated with, and allowing me to polish it to a shine that every story deserves.”

 

Both Ladies walked off of the stage and Psy and Fan took the stage.

 

“BUY MY BOOKS!” Psy cried out into the microphone.

 

Fan thwapped him again.

 

“Time for a brief intermission, but after that, put in some Hamtaro for the kids as we move on to our next category - HENTAI!”

 

The horny nerds couldn't click `Next Chapter' fast enough.

 

**

 

“Yes, soon my plan will come into fruition. Wish I could see where I was going...”

 

To Be Continued...