Well. Here we are at Chapter 23. I am so mood-swing prone that one day I can be elated, another I can be so depressed that I feel like committing suicide. I am not kidding you, seriously. But you would too, if you got sacked after two days at your new job, wouldn't you (Maybe not. But I'm just trying to illustrate my violent mood swings)? Damn those old farts. I could care less about it. One really good consolation is that I have finally gotten my FF8 game that I fantasized about for as long as I can remember! Yippee!! But from what my friend tells me, I am still very far from the ending. Bummer. I bought the game to see the graphics, looks like I have mucho long to wait.
Enough about this. Last chapter, I promised to find out about the relevant parties who should be credited for **The Ring** movie etc etc, right? Well, **The Ring** was based on a novel written by Mr Koji Suzuki and it was made into a movie, directed by Hideo Nakata and screenplay by Hiroshi Takahashi. Plus other relevant parties I failed to mention. After which, a few Drama series and a manga was spanned from the movie itself. I personally own one of the Drama series, and it was absolutely fascinating! Wonderful! So touching that I cried even after watching it for the third time!! Wahaha!! I also promised you a great site to the movie. I have found a very good review to it, but I have yet to get permission from the web master to post up the link here. But when I do, please feel free to visit it if you have the time and interest… Please do. I took a lot of time to search for the best site I could find. By the way, if I failed to acknowledge or misrepresented anyone who owns rights to this film, I apologize with a thousand kowtows.
Okay then, let us return to where we stopped off in the story. Eva had once again wounded Arian. Now aren't you curious which part of him?
"STOP THIS NONSENSE RIGHT THIS MOMENT!" A magnetic male voice bellowed.
Arian turned around, distracted from his attack.
At the same second, Eva attacked him with a Fire-Chi ball, and succeeded in wounding him once more. This time, the wound was more serious than the last, for it not only burnt Arian's skin; it burnt deep into the marrow of his bone as well.
Arian stared down, horrified, at what had once been his left chest. A charred hole replaced the original substance there.
He had been unable to deflect the attack this time round, for he was totally distracted by the intruder.
True to his word, Mariteus had rushed to rescue his damsel in distress, repeating the history of his Yisheigain life for infinite times. This storyteller is almost nauseous at the thought of recalling the huge number. In fact, so nauseous that it seemed to be transmitted to Eva as well.
"Auuugh...augggh!!!!" Eva gagged and vomited, bringing up the whole of today and yesterday's meals out of her mouth onto the shiny, polished floor.
Mikamiko looked worriedly at her with enquiring eyes, but she just shook her head and muttered that it was a bad case of morning sickness. (Even though it was already evening).
"Hmmph. Stop pretending to be invincible. Don't think I don't know that your insides are churning like a tornado. That's what you deserve for attacking me while you are carrying my baby! It's a sign of its protest against the attack!" Arian spat out contemptuously while holding painfully at his left chest, to prevent his heart from falling out. At the same time, he transmitted strong waves of chi to his chest to aid its already very rapid healing process. Such is the marvel of being the villian of the story, and a God some more. What a disappointment. Why doesn't he just die?
Mariteus, on hearing the news, was shocked beyond words and could only stare open-mouthed at Eva. This was the first time that he had heard about Eva's pregnancy. Of course, if he had known that Eva was carrying his baby as well, he would have foamed at the mouth.
Eva, appearing cool and calm on the surface, could not stop the internal war going on in her heart and mind. How she wanted to shout and scream at the bastard for divulging that fact to Mariteus! She knew that he purposely wanted to hurt her, to torture her. And thus he gleefully spilt out that she was pregnant with his child, while cunningly withholding the other half of the truth! Because he knew very well that she would not tell Mariteus herself! Ooh, how she wished she had used more energy on that attack! Then she would have gotten rid of this abominable pest forever! If not for the unborn child...
At the same time, Eva's organs were at war as well. After channelling much of her energy into her attack, she was haplessly weak inside, and had to sag against the wall to prevent her body from falling.
Mikamiko, who had an extremely accurate sixth sense at times, nudged softly at Mariteus.
"Ming, we should get out of here. She doesn't look too good to me..." She urged softly.
"Alright." Mariteus replied shortly, for he too was worried about Eva. Any resolve or determination he had earlier to cut off ties with his sister was dissolved in no time, for he had a kindest heart, which some would deem as stupid.
Plus the fact that Mikamiko was no longer angry at him. Yay!! He thought secretly, but could not stop himself from grinning.
"What's so funny, Ming? If we do not hurry up, she’s going to die!!" Eva was almost angry at him for grinning at such an inappropriate time, but was too worried to chide him for it.
"If you think that I am going to let you escape, you must have tofu for brains!" Arian emerged menacingly in front of the three, blocking all their paths of escape.
Hmmph, even if they could break walls, it would take them some time. And I can take the chance to kill that silly girl, and that meddlesome goddess as well! He thought with a maniacal glee.
"I wouldn't say that if I were you." A new voice emerged from behind them.
All of them stared goggle-eyed at the new inclusion, as well as the hole in the wall behind them. When had he appeared, and made that hole without any of us detecting his motions? They wondered.
"You must be wondering when had I appeared and made that hole without any of you detecting my motions, right?'
They nodded vigorously, eager to know the reason.
"Well, since you were so engrossed in Eva's so-called morning sickness, it was easy to sneak in, especially for Arian, who's got a hole in his chest, wahaha!"
A wolf-like growl emitted through Arian's clenched teeth. He did not like being teased like that. Worse still, he could not bear to know and think that this... this inferior being could get by him undetected. Why, he was once his sidekick... when had he gotten so arrogant as to make a fool out of him?
He started to reach for his favorite instrument of torture i.e. the lightning whip......
"I think you're the one with tofu for a brain!" Mariteus threw his insult right back at him.
Arian stopped reaching and whipped his head towards Mariteus' direction.
"And why is that so, pray tell?"
"Just do your Math! Even if you were always hopeless at it! Count the number of us. And look at yourself. How can you think for one moment that you can beat all of us? I not even sure if you can withstand a single blow from me! Go dunk your head into a tank of cold water or something! That should wake you up!"
Arian contemplated his options and decided that what Mariteus said was annoyingly true. And he knew that he could never beat Mariteus no matter when he tried or what he tried. However, since his need to inflate his ego was bigger than the hunger of all the orphans in the world put together, he just could not leave quietly and willingly. He had to put on a show of how reluctant he was to leave the battleground.
"What a wondrous lot you are! To pick on me in large numbers! Just you wait and see! I will kill every single one of you yet! Mark my words! You will come to regret this when the day comes!"
He fled the scene faster than you could say "For Yisheigai’s Sake!"
Mariteus turned back to Eva, regarding the extent of her injuries (all of which are internal, thus he had to stare at her belly for an extra long minute.)
" think..." Eva sputtered with much difficulty "...that I am going to deliver any second now..."
"WHAT? Why didn't you say so earlier? Should I get someone to help, like a mid-wife or something? I am not sure if I can be of any help to you!!" Mariteus panicked, so unlike his usual cool and calm self.
"I can manage by myself, I think..." Eva was trying too hard, as usual. She was most unwilling to let Mariteus see her babies, even if one of them was his flesh-and-blood. What an irony. She couldn't help thinking to her self, as spasms of pain shot through her ripe belly, her body jerking spasmodically along with it.
"How can you say that? Just because you are a goddess doesn't mean that you can do everything by yourself! Let me help you!" Mikamiko, displaying an amazingly new strength unseen before in her, chided the Fire Goddess sternly like a matron. Both Eva and Mariteus were flabbergasted. Eva could only nod obediently at her, for she was unused to this new, take-charge attitude that Mikamiko had undertaken.
In the meantime, Mariteus could only look dumbly at the two of them preparing for the impending childbirth.
"Ming, what are you standing there like a statue for? Get me some hot water, for Heaven's sake! And some clean towels as well! Go! Go! Go!" Mikamiko instructed him like an experienced mid-wife. Thank Heavens I had learnt this during my uniform-grouped days in the Red-Cross Brigade! Mikamiko thought secretly, while silently laughing at the abominably funny expression on Mariteus' face.
"Uh...yes, Mika! Right away!" Mariteus did not dare to delay for a single second, even though he did not know how to boil hot water.
He almost bumped into two persons walking into the room.
"Hey, hey! Watch out! I will never forgive you if you caused my wife to miscarry!" One of the persons spoke out in mock annoyance.
"Uh...sorry... gotta rush" Mariteus could only mutter this while glancing disbelievingly at the speaker's female companion. He was embarrassingly ill informed on what was happening to his siblings.
"You need my help?" Fabian shouted after his running figure.
"Yes! How do you boil water?!!" Mariteus called out helplessly.
"Oh dear. He might be great as a Sea God but when it comes to chores..." Fabian shook his head at the three women (actually, it should be four, but the Creator doesn't count), creating quite a comedic effect on the whole situation.
Mariteus, who had already reached the cooking area, could hear strains of the melodic laughter coming from the ladies. Why must I become the joke of the day like this? Someday, I will make that Fabian pay! But first, let him teach me the art of boiling water...... He smiled smugly at the plan, thinking of himself as very clever indeed.
"What's there to smile about, Dear Brother? Are you thinking about making me pay after stealing my art of boiling water, or something to that effect? Creator knows why you are so relaxed, when your baby is about to be born? Even though it isn't from the girl you love? But she is, after all, your favorite sister!"
Mariteus turned pale. Deathly white, in fact.
Fabian gasped. He had unwittingly divulged the secret to Mariteus, who did not know about this baby... He didn't know that it was suppossed to be a secret.... He had assumed that everyone knew about it, since he had heard it from Skylar when she came to said goodbye... what had he done?!!!
"Fabian... Let us just pretend that I have never heard that. We will carry on as usual." Mariteus said gravely, after much careful consideration.
"What? A little heartless, aren't you? After what Eva had done for you? Do you know that she could not run to you for help, even after being tortured by Arian? Just because she could not forgive herself for betraying you? And this is the thanks she gets? I could never understand that about you, Mariteus! How you..."
"I KNOW! I know it too well, how much she has done for me! Which is why I must pretend to be ignorant of the fact that she has a baby by me! She must have her painful reasons why she kept this from me! I think that if I were to barge in there now, and tell her that I know that the child is mine, I would hurt her more!" Mariteus cut off his preaching in a hurt voice, for he would rather die than act like a cold-hearted beast towards his favorite sister.
"I am already so remorseful for being unable to reciprocate her feelings towards me... now the only thing I can do is wait for her to come to me, for help, for anything that I might be able to do! Can you ever understand my dilemma? Can you?" Mariteus shouted at Fabian. He didn't want to vent his anger on Fabian, but there was nothing else he can do to ease up on his darkening, negative feelings... And at the same time, his conscience weighs heavily on him for involving an innocent person.
"I am sorry. I never thought deeply about the complications involved, and yet I acted like I knew it all." Fabian put his hand on Mariteus' shoulder, in a weak effort to comfort and sooth the tumultuous feelings in him.
"Never mind... let's just bring the hot water and towels to them. We have been gone too long. Mika will be screaming 'What took him so long!!' right about now!" Mariteus grinned wryly, struggling to put a cap on his raging emotions.
"WHAT’S TAKING HIM SO LONG?!!!" Mikamiko screamed, true to Mariteus' anticipation (I fully intended the use of that word).
The Creator (wails loudly): Why, we have been perfectly cut off from this chapter! This is an unfair intrusion of rights! I demand free action and free speech!!
Mikamiko (in a bored tone of voice): As if we had any rights in the first place. We aren't legal entities in anyone's book, do you realise that? You can wail all you want, but at the end of the day, we are nothing but thought up characters of some selfish person called "The Author" who thinks of herself as the greatest writing genius of all time! Phooey!
The Author: I do not! You really shouldn't misrepresent me, or who knows, one day you might never be seen on the face of the Earth again!
Mikamiko: Hmmph, are you threatening me? Well, it doesn't work, cos I would luuuurve for that to happen. At least I won't have to act out your dullish and unimaginative little skits, like this one!
The Author: Alright, you asked for it yourself. Don't blame me if it happens. Well, even if you do blame me, I couldn't care less, like what has happened with Mysterious...
Mikamiko: Oh, so that's what happened to him! Or is it her? No wonder I feel enormously bored today. One less moron to pick on.
The Creator: I doe wannnnn!!! I doe wann Mikamiko to vanish! If she vanishes then I would be left all by myself...(sniffle) It is scary to be left all by myself, with a psychotic torturer-cum-murderer like The Author after my heels...
The Author: Now you get the point. Clever girl.
The Creator: You... you... truly belong to the Woodbridge Hospital! I hope you have enough money for a permanent stay there, cos you will need it!
The Author (in a dangerously calm voice): My dear girl. In case you didn't notice just now, today is Don't-Mess-With-Me Day. Not only am I suicidal, I am also looking for someone to vent my frustrations on. So... since both of you are part of me as well, it would be mightily fun to write off any one of you, wouldn't it? Now who should it be...?
The Creator (stares at her, horrified beyond words): ......!!!
Mikamiko (still in a bored tone of voice): ~~~End of Transmission. Di.di.di.di~~~
Doe wannnn: Singaporean version of don't want. Saves on the t's, isn't it convenient?
Woodbridge Hospital: The one and only mental hospital in Singapore. Very exclusive admission criteria. Like real.
Added comments on September 10th 2001
I am truly on the verge of getting a stroke. I have already given myself a nosebleed, so it shouldn't be far away. What happened is that my many days and nights of hard work on my Homepage and New Chapter 24 plus this Chapter and Chapter 22 and yishegai knows what else has been completely wiped off! All that remains is a blank html page! What has happened to it!!! I suspect it is either the work of a hacker or a virus, or the server was down. Now if it is the due to the former two circumstances, I hope that the culprit or mastermind gets cursed and will never have any sons or daughters etc to succeed him/her and their vile, dangerous, website harming ways!! It will be peace to the Internet way, I say! This is what the chinese call "duan zhi jue soon". I won't explain the meaning now. I will do so after I finish wiping off all the blood from the nose bleed. Which is, maybe the next millenium. Goodday.
Not once, not twice, but six times the fun! Gotta read 'em all!
The Yisheigai Intro
Chapter 22
Chapter 24
The Yisheigai Gallery
The Storyteller's Tent
The Cursed Living Doll
