Journal of N-fans: Lisa’s Mental Logs

Mission Two: N-Teams

Day Eleven

August 17, 2001

8:30AM

Mmmm…I make very good eggs and bacon! ^_^ Everyone else seems to enjoy it, too, since I haven’t seen—or heard—any complaints ‘bout my cooking.

“Wow! I never thought that capitalist food could taste almost as good as the kind back home among my fellow Commies!”

-_- …Well, almost no complaints…

“Well, who gets guard duty today?” Z asks.

“Ran, Bass, and I’ll do it.” Wha? This is a first from Pineapple.

“We will?”

“Yes, Ran, we will. After all, they’re as capitalistic as they come…”

Ran leaps to his feet. “I will make sure they don’t spread their corrupt, capitalistic ways to any part of VideoLand! This I swear by the great Marx himself!”

Well put, Ran.

“All right, then,” Web nods. “You three will keep an eye on Moore, Van, and Zabgoth. Doc, you and Mike will get to work on the Mansion.”

“No problem!” Mike gives a thumb’s up.

“What about the rest of us?”

N-finity shrugs. “Just do what you want. Oh, P-chan, you and I need to talk, er…privately.”

“Bring Moo-cow too?”

N sighs. “Yes, Moo-cow can come along.”

“Yay!!”

Huh…I wonder where they are going…

10:02AM

“Hey, Lisa!”

“Oh, hi, Z and D. What’s up?”

“Bass mentioned that you could sing pretty good. Could you sing a song for us?” Dynamo asks.

I shrug. “Why not? I don’t have anything better to do.” Let’s see…ah! Here we go… “We were strangers, starting out on a journey… Never dreaming what we have to go thru… Now, here we are, and I’m suddenly standing…at the beginning with you…

“No one told me I was going to find you. Unexpected, what you did to my heart. When I lost hope, you were there to remind me: This is the sta-ahrt!

“And life is a road that I wanna keep going. Love is a river I wanna keep flowing. Life is the road—now and forever. Won-der-ful journey… I’ll be there when the world stops turning. I’ll be there when the storm comes thru. In the end, I wanna be standing at the beginning with you…”

I always enjoy singing this song. It’s one of my all-time faves.

“We were strangers on a crazy adventure…never dreaming how our dreams would come true. Now, here we stand, unafraid of the future—at the beginning with you…

I can feel the music ringing in my mind…it’s coming not from my memories…but from my soul…

“I knew there’s somebody somewhere…like me alone in the dark. Now, I know my dreams will live on! I’ve been waiting so long! Nothing’s gonna tear us apart!

“Life is a road I wanna keep going. Love is a river I wanna keep going on…starting out on a journey. Life is a road I wanna keep going. Love is a river I wanna keep flowing. In the end I wanna be standing…with you…”

Sigh… I always enjoy singing “At the Beginning” from the animated movie Anastasia.

“Dude!!” Z’ eyes are wide with awe—as is D’s. “You’re awesome!”

“Yeah! Where did you learn to sing like that?”

“Uh…I didn’t learn it. It just…comes to me.”

“Get out!” Dynamo gasps.

“It’s true! Mom says that I’ve been singing on-key since I was 2, and my Mom never lies about anything like that.”

…I must be that good for them to be staring at me like that.

“Are you sure you’re not related to a famous musician?” Z asks.

“Nope, though my Mom used to live close to Santana’s old San Francisco apartment when she was my age, and she used to play piano pieces on a national level.”

“Woooooow…”

“You should go into show-biz!”

“Perhaps—after college.” Wait a sec… “I hope we can go home, soon. My new classes at LCC is gonna start this coming Wednesday.”

…I think I reminded them of their classes as well.

“Oh, damn!!”

“I almost forgot about school!!” Wow, for one who’s usually quiet, Dynamo can really swear up a storm!

“We have got to talk to Web ‘bout that!” Zero leaps to her feet. “C’mon, let’s go find him!”

Z’s right. Though it’s nice to finally meet our Internet friends in person—ah! Neil…I have to leave him to go to school…but I love him, and I don’t wanna leave him, not after all we’ve been thru…

“Lisa, you can daydream later!” Z yells from the bottom of the hill. “C’mon! Let’s go find Webster!”

Sigh… “Coming!”

10:04AM

“Ah, there you are, girls!” N seems rather happy to see us…especially since he’s gonna make us late for our classes if we don’t talk to him ‘bout it! “Er…is something wrong?”

“Actually, have you realized just how close we are to the beginning of the school year?” I tell him, putting my hands on my hips.

“Lisa here ain’t the only one who wants to get a degree, y’know!” Z adds.

“Yeah!” D agrees.

“Get degree here!” Phoenix smiles.

“Moo!”

“Phoenix, where exactly can we get a degree in VideoLand?” I ask him.

“MegaLand!”

~groan~ He would say something like that…

“Lisa, girls, please,” Doc-kun speaks up. “The Mansion’s about to be built.”

Hey…that huge red box’s got all those devices we used!

“Can you explain to us what’s gonna happen?” Zero asks.

“Sure. The devices are going to compile together. After that happens, there will be a chain reaction. The Mansion should be the result of it.”

Z nods. “Okay. That makes sense, I guess. Mike explained it earlier. He made the whole thing too complicated.”

“No problem.” Sigh… He’s so brilliant…

Hey…that light…

“Hold on!”

Whoah…what a rush!

And…WOW!!! What a Mansion!

“C’mon!” N-finity speaks up. “Let’s go!”

“Yeah!”

Hey, there are the others! They must’ve been on the other side of the area with Mike!

And speaking of our techie… “Good work, Doc.”

“Good work, Mike.”

“Yeah,” Red quips. “It’s really amazing.”

“Yay! Mansion!” Phoenix cheers.

“So, should we go through it together,” N-finity asks us, “or should we split up, or just go willy-nilly about it and run around chaotically until we find our rooms?”

“WILLY-NILLY!!”

“I guess that answers it,” Red sighs.

“Willy-nilly it is!”

“Yay!” Sometimes…I swear that Ran seems like a total innocent…

“So, who’s up for swimming in the pool?” Pool? What pool? No one, not even Pineapple mentioned any pool!

“Me!”

“You did set up the pool to not be used as the nuclear reactor’s cooling system…right, Doc?”

…Na-ni?

“Yes…I think so. I hope so.” Me, too! “Oh, yes, I did. It’s safe.”

“Psst! C’mon, Lisa!” Z whispers to me. “Let’s go find our rooms, ‘kay?”

“But—but—“

“You can go swim later! Now, come on!”

“Yerk!” Geeze, Z-chan! You don’t have to yank so hard! Besides, I wasn’t thinking about swimming at all!

12:05PM

About time we found the girls’ wing!

“Okay, now…which bedroom is for which person?” Zero opens a door. “Eh?”

“What’s wrong?” I peep into the room…

Oh, wow!! Anime posters all over the walls, shelves choked full of manga, tapes, and books, an entertainment center with surround system, DVD player, VCR, Sony 21” TV…and all my fave game consoles with my fave games!!!! O_O “SUGOI!!!!!”

“I think this belongs to Lisa.” You got that right, D-chan!

“I guess so…” Zero sighs. “Which means that the other two…” ~creak~ “Yep! This one’s mine! It’s got all my fave couples on the wall!”

Yep! X and the original Zero…Kurama and Hiei from Yu Yu Hakusho…and a few others that makes me blush just thinking about them! * ^_^ * It’s definitely Z-chan’s room, all right!

“Then, the third one’s my room! Er…which reminds me…” Huh? She’s closing the door behind her before we can get a good peek? Hmph! Well…!

“Look, Lisa! We got our own bathrooms! We can take showers all by ourselves!”

Shower…I can take a shower…without anyone barging in… And it’s been nearly 2 weeks…since my last shower…

“Er…Lisa? You okay?”

… “Wai!!! I get to bathe at last!!!” ~ZOOOOOM!!!~

Close the door—both of ‘em—and pull off all the clothes and armor! And the water…oh, yes! It’s so nice and warm! And just at the right temperature! And—Ooo! Herbal Essences Shampoo and Dove Body Wash!! “Hallelujah!”

1PM

Ahhhhhhhhhh…that felt soooo good! I feel much better now that the dirt of the road’s off of me!

Chris…I still miss him…but I know that he would want us to go on. Moore’s probably being led into the dungeon by now, and the others must be having fun around the pool. Neil…I should tell him how I feel about him…soon…

And college… Well, that can wait. I can always get a bachelor’s degree anytime, but to be in VideoLand…to be an N-fan…this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. It’s the ultimate adventure…and my destiny. I have finally found my calling—not as a singer, a writer, nor a Web Master…but as a warrior…a hero… This is why I was born—to help the original N-team bring peace to VideoLand…and to truly mature into a real woman. This I believe…in my heart…

“Well, seems like you really enjoy taking a bath!” Er…I guess I was a bit loud in there…

I chuckle. “Sou da na…”

“So, should we go talk to N-finity about our schooling?” Dynamo asks.

“You girls can. I’m not.”

“HUH?!”

“But you brought it up first!”

“True…but I’ve done some thinking while I was washing my hair. I don’t really need to go to college. My real place is here…with you guys. This is my path…my purpose in life. I’m destined to be here--to be an N-fan and help defeat the bad guys. I have finally found my vocation—as a warrior of Justice, and peace.” J

“You’re happy here?”

I nod. “True, there’ll be times of sorrow and pain…but it’s part of growing up…it’s part of becoming a real adult. Yes, I’m happy here, and I can’t imagine spending a lifetime kicking villains’ asses with anyone other than you guys. You’re my closest allies…and my new best friends.” My hands holds theirs as I gaze into my friends’ eyes with a smile.

Z smiles back. “Well, I’m glad that you’re happy.”

D nods.

“Ii da yo! Now, let’s go find the kitchen so that we could grab some lunch!”

“Yeah!”

8:20PM

I’m glad N-finity gave a device that let me return to my home to pick up any personal items that I might need—like my clothes and PJs. Plus, I was able to tell my family—and friends—about my ultimate decision for the next several years of my life.

Mom took my little announcement quite well—her only tears were those of joy and acceptance. She knows that I’m an adult now, and she understands and respects my decision. She even offered to pull me out of all of my classes and put the refunded money into my savings account. Mom’s always been there for me…it’s kinda creepy that she’s no longer by my side. And yet…she trusts me to take care of myself, and she knows that I’ll drop by to visit during the holidays—and on my lil bro’s b-day, of course!

Dad, however…I think he’s a lot like some other dads in the fact that he’s having trouble adjusting to having a grown woman for his daughter—and having that grown woman going off on very dangerous quests. I’m sure he’ll get over the shock—eventually.

Sis cried and hugged me, which caused me to cry a bit, too. I do love my lil sis, even though she tends to talk too much about her lil stories sometimes. Surprisingly, she gave me her entire NOW CD collection. “It’s to remind you about me.” ~sniff~ Oh, Sis…I’ll miss you a lot…

Lil bro was totally surprised about my choice, but would you believe that he asked to come along? Sheesh! I knew he was reckless, but really—

My two friends, Kei-chan and B-chan, were fairly surprised about my decision. Katie gave me her NightWorld collection, and B-chan handed me her spare pocket-knife—“Just in case,” the latter had stated. I told them that I would email as often as possible, and to take care while I was gone. To my greatest surprise, our local ‘God of Death’ actually cried and hugged me! I knew B-chan cared…but I didn’t know she did so that much! Katie cried, too, but I kinda expected that—she was the first best female friend I made in high school, after all! I’m glad to have two very good friends like them. I’ll never forget them as long as I live…

And now, I’m confortably settled in now. I’m a bit uneasy about my choice. It’s the very first time I’ve ever moved away from home before, so I guess it’s natural to feel this way. And yet…I feel that, for the first time in my life, I’m on the right path. I’m in control now…and yes, I do know that if I make any mistakes, it’s my fault. No one else is to blame.

A knock at my door… “Lisa? May I come in?”

“Sure!” I smile at Neil as he enters my room. “What’s up?”

“Well…are you really sure about staying here? I mean…”

“If you’re worried about my education, I can get that degree any other time. Right now, though, I really wanna be here…with you.”

A blush appears on his cheeks. “R-Really?”

“Really, really.”

“Is…is it because…we’re friends?”

~giggle~ “Part of it…we’ve been friends for a long time, Neil…but I feel different?”

“Oh?”

This is it…the big moment… “I…I love you, Neil. I’ve always loved you, and I always will.”

…He’s surprised; I expected as much. But…does he truly accept my feelings?

“Lisa…I…you really love me? I mean, more than a friend?”

“Yes…you’re my koibitou—my one true love. My heart belongs to you—and only for you. You helped me become the woman I am today. You saw the beauty inside of me…you inspired me to be more than I used to be. You’re my love and light, Neil Coleman…and I woud trade all of the Time-Space Continuum just to be with you to the end of days…” Tears in my eyes…

His hand…it’s touching my cheek, holding my chin… “I-I…I love you, too, Lisa.”

Gasp! “Y-You do?”

“Yes…I really do love you. I…I’ve been too scared to tell you before. You showed me what’s it like to live so free…you prooved that there is still good in the world, that hope still exists. You opened my heart to new joys, and opened my eyes to the true beauty around me…no, around us. I truly love you, Lisa, and I would rather die than hurt you in any way.”

“Oh, Neil…”

“Lisa…”

His lips…they’re so soft and gentle…like his warm embrace… My heart’s singing…beatining in rhythm with his heart… Pure joy…I don’t want this to end…not ever…

Now, I’m truly happy with my newfound life.