The Mighty Ducks and all related characters are the property of Walt 
Disney Corporations. No copyright infringement is intended.

There is *no plot*! You have *been warned!* This is just a quick 
little character piece I wrote last New Year's. I was bored. It was 
about eleven-thirty and my friends and I had rented a really bad movie 
and I just wanted to kill time for a half hour so I wrote this.
________

New Year's Eve



There were easily a hundred shouting, laughing teenaged human 
beings crammed into the relatively small space of the Anaheim Teen 
Nightclub. Music pounded from hidden speakers at volumes that 
almost guaranteed hearing loss and on the stage at the front of the 
club a band of unknown rock-and-roll would-bes screamed into their 
microphones words that were probably the lyrics to whatever music 
was being played. No would could actually make those words out, 
though. To be totally  honest, the lighting was so dim that few people 
could even tell that there *were* people at the front of the room 
singing.

It was loud, dark and confusing.

And every teenager for blocks had shown up for it.

Again.

"So what exactly is this?" From the balcony at the far back of the 
room, three teenagers looked down on the party. But they weren't 
quite like the others in the room.

The first was a young man, with long auburn hair, the second a young 
woman, purple hair cut into a mohawk. But it was the third that really 
caused them to stand out.

He wasn't quite human.

Far from it, actually.

An entire universe from it.

"It's a New Year's Party!" the young woman explained excitedly. "Ken 
- the guy who owns the club - throws it every year."

"New Year's?" he asked skeptically. "Humans throw a party because 
you need a new calendar?"

"Nosedive!" the young woman scolded teasingly. "It's the beginning of 
a new year! New hopes! New dreams!"

Nosedive smiled at his friend's enthusiasm. "Duke was right. Humans 
*will* throw a party for anything."

The girl snorted. "And you're so different."

Dive grinned. "Okay, so explain this to me, Mook. What does one 
*do* at a New Year's party?"

Mook smiled, glad her friend was getting into the spirit of things. "It's 
simple. You eat, drink, dance, party and go home late."

"That's it?"

"Mmm-hmm."

"What happened to 'New Hopes! New Dreams!'?"

"You're starting to sound like your brother."

Nosedive faked a gasp of horror and clapped a hand to his mouth. 
Mook laughed and tugged at the sleeve of the auburn-haired boy. 
"Thrash! Grab me a soda, will you?"

"Me too," Nosedive added.

"What am I?" Thrash objected. "A waiter?"

Nosedive examined his friend with a critical eye. "Not dressed like 
that."

Thrash gave them both a mock glare as he began to push his way 
through the crowd toward the food. He was back in a minute, 
somehow managing to balance three cups of soda, despite being 
constantly jostled by the crowd. Nosedive and Mook each reached to 
grab one as he sat. "Thanks," they said.

"Basically it's just, like, a party," Mook explained. She waved a hand 
expansively, taking in the whole room. "All this will keep up until 
just before midnight when the countdown starts. Then, at the stroke 
of midnight, everyone throws confetti and stuff and Ken sets of some 
fireworks on the roof. Nothing big. But it's a great excuse to party."

"So like I said," Dive said smoothly. "Humans will throw a party for 
anything."

"You're hopeless, you know that?"

Dive laughed as he took another drink of the soda and glanced 
around. Whatever the reasons behind it, it *was* a good party and so 
far showed no signs of slowing down. "What time is it anyway?" he 
asked Thrash.

"Ten-thirty."

"Plenty of time until midnight," Mook added.

"Well, in that case," Dive set down his drink and stood, offering a 
hand to help Mook up as well. "Let's dance."

***

"This is the best part," Thrash said excitedly. "Every year Ken sets of 
a few fireworks. It's illegal, of course," he added off-hand, "but the 
cops look the other way and none of us are going to report him."

They had headed up to the roof immediately after the countdown - 
Mook still giggling at Nosedive's surprised reaction to the traditional 
'New Year's Kiss' - and taken seats at the edge of the roof. Half the 
other celebrators crowded onto the roof with them, while the rest 
gathered out in the parking lot.

"What are fireworks?" Nosedive started to ask, but a flash of light in 
the sky abruptly answered his question.

"Cool, huh?" Mook asked. "You should wait until the Fourth of 
July."

'Fourth of July? Humans will throw a party for anything...'

But even as he thought it, he didn’t believe it. What Mook had said 
before, about celebrating a new year of hopes and possibilities rang 
very true with him. After four months on Earth fighting a loosing 
battle against Dragaunus, the chance for a new start was too appealing 
to let go of. 

He watched the fireworks with his friends and wished for new 
possibilities. 
________




End