NEXUS PART 1

By: Melinda

11/27/05

She sighed deeply. Sitting in the train station, waiting for her friend to arrive her thoughts drifted. She was happy her associate was coming to visit her, but she was almost disappointed she didn't have more to show Melinda. Mel and her had been friends for a few years and Melinda's one dream had always been to live in New York City. Yet somehow, she, Lea had ended up there instead. It had almost been by accident. Her work had offered her a promotion and a transfer and it had been to the city. She had hesitated. Urban life at times did not suit her, but a change sounded so wonderful, she could hardly turn it down.

Yet sometimes she felt like she had nothing at all to show for it. Her life in the city, which she had always pictured, to be exciting and adventurous was at times even more plain and boring then her life back in her rustic hometown had been. Yes there was more to do here, but she seemed to find herself simply becoming more of a loner. She didn't get along with the fast paced people of this world. She longed for something more.

She glanced at the time, brushing strands of hair from her eyes. She wanted something; she felt her life lacked and much to her displeasure she couldn't place what was missing. What her very soul at times seemed to cry for. She sighed again.

"Lea?" Her eyes lifted and a genuine smile crossed her face. Melinda was walking across the station towards her, dragging her baggage behind her. She stood, nearly leaping to her toes out of pure excitement to see her friend. It felt like eons sense they had last seen each other.
"How was your trip?" Lea closed the space between Mel and herself quickly, giving her friend a small hug. She watched Melinda make a face and she giggled.

"I was stuck next to the MOST annoying guy on the train. He wouldn't leave me alone and to add insult to injury, he smelled funny." Mel groaned, rolling her eyes. Her expression just made Lea laugh harder in spite of her friend.

"Well its done now and you can enjoy the rest of the city in peace." She shook her head, her vision glancing down to Melinda's shoulder bag. "Hey Sis is that yours?" She was surprised by an odd looking object hanging from one of the front zippers. It almost appeared like a charm. It was bright red and had a somewhat oriental appearance. What caught Lea's attention was a jewel in the middle of it; it almost seemed to give off a pulsing glow.

"Huh?" Melinda looked down following her gaze. "Gah! No!" She tugs on the medallion pulling it off her bag. "This was on that creepy guys stuff, somehow when I was pushing to get off it must have attached." Melinda moved as if to toss it away.

"Wait Mel!" Lea reached out swiftly, grasping her friend's hand. Melinda looked at her surprised. "Don't just throw it out. It looks valuable. Well at least the stone in the center does. Do you think we should turn it in somewhere?" She peered closer to examine it.

"I guess we could, even though that seems like a lot of work to help someone who I doubt is even going to look for it." Melinda frowned kind of rolling her eyes. Lea stood nearly transfixed by the object in her gaze. Something warm ran up her spine and she shivered.

"I think we should keep it." Her tone was odd and Melinda stopped fussing to turn and stare at her friend.

"Are you alright Lea, you seem kind of possessed." Mel raised a brow at her friend's rather intense expression.

"I don't know, I just feel like somehow this is important. That we were destined to find this charm." Melinda's expression became even more concerned.

"Sis you sure your alright. Maybe we should take this to a security counter." She pulled the medallion away from Lea's gaze.

"No Sis, please can't we keep it! I just know we should!" She pleaded with her friend. Melinda frowned. Lea was always the level headed of the two of them. She simply wasn't used to her acting like this, so impulsive.

"Well I guess, but I am going to hold on to it." She slipped the charm into her jacket pocket. "It just seems safer to me that way." Lea seemed pleased by this. Inside her heart was racing and she wasn't even sure why. She had never felt like this before. Just something about that stone pulled to her, almost like it had a voice and she could hear its call.

"So are we going to get out of here?" Melinda's voice still sounded troubled. She wasn't certain what was going on with her friend but she had never seen her this out of sorts about something so unimportant.

"Yeah! I figured we could drop your stuff off at my place then go grab something to eat?" With the medallion out of sight Lea seemed to calm and become more of her normal self. She still felt odd, but decided she was acting silly and tried to push it away.

"Sounds great Sis! I can't wait a whole week in New York City. It's like a dream! I am so happy you invited me to come. Your too awesome!" Melinda just about glowed as the two girls walked out of the station and Lea went to hail a cab.

"Its nothing Mel. You don't have to say that. I am just happy you could get the time off to come down. It will be nice to have someone to take around and show everything to." Lea felt a familiar tug at her heart. She was very pleased to have her friend visit. She had been so lonely the last few weeks.

The two girls got a cab and helping Melinda with her bag Lea hopped inside. She turned before closing the door and paused. Maybe it was her imagination but she felt like something was watching them. Whatever it was it felt powerful. She shook her feelings off and shut the door, wondering if maybe she was losing it.

"Wow Sis that restaurant was outstanding." The two girls were taking a short cut through a small park back to Lea's apartment. It was just getting dark and with the lights from the city, the trees seemed to glow around them.

"Yeah I discovered it by chance a few weeks ago. I order from there all the time, great, cheap food is hard to come by." Lea had her hands in her jacket pockets, she was watching ahead of them thoughtful.

Her and Mel had been making a lot of small talk at the restaurant and Lea could tell her friend was trying to avoid the subject of the charm. She wasn't sure what it was about it that drew her too it, but the feeling had been so strong. Maybe she really was losing her mind.
"Earth to Lea?" Mel was chuckling as she called to her friend. "The path goes two ways, which do we turn?" Lea was drawn back to reality and smirked, feeling foolish for allowing her mind to wander so much.

"Sorry Sis, we are turning left…" Lea paused in her step, it was that feeling of being watched again, only this time it was so strong it was almost choking her. "Melinda?" Lea started to turn and had to stifle a scream.

Floating behind them was a being that almost appeared human. It seemed male; in brightly colored clothes that looked like they belonged to a member of an Imperial Japanese court. Next to her Lea witnessed her friend also turn and start. Both of them stared drop mouthed at the figure.

"Chosen beings, I have been sent by my Lord Daimyo. The time has come for me to retrieve you for your appearance at our games." The thing continued floating staring the two girls with a calm almost indifferent expression. Lea and Melinda exchanged completely shocked looks.

"Chosen… come again?" Lea spoke first. She was trying to assess how the creature in front of them was maintaining his position in the air.

"Yes, you two are the chosen, you bear the marker of the Witnesses. Attendees chosen from each plane to represent your dimension in the Battle Nexus. People from your realm are fighting which means someone much witness the bouts for it to be deemed fair." The being floated talking in a non-chalant way. "I the Kyoji have been sent to summon you both."

Silence, both Melinda and Lea were struck speechless. Neither knew what to say or do. The Kyoji stared at them, waiting for some sort of reaction. When none was issued he continued.

"Hopefully you are both prepared as I was sent to collect all Witnesses at this time." The being pulled out something that almost looked like a paddle with string attached and little balls at the ends of the strings. It was then Melinda found her voice.

"What do you mean prepared, Witnesses, and marks? How can you tell us we are suppose to do this when we don't even know what you are talking about?" Her fists clenched, beside her Lea stood up taller, some of her own fear melting away.

"You carry the mark in your left pocket there, that means you two are Witnesses and are to be brought before my Lord Daimyo for the Big Brawl." He lifted his paddle, still calmly floating.

"Left pocket?" Lea's face turned pale. "Mel, the charm from earlier, which pocket is it in?" Sudden guilt hit her. She had caused her friend to save the item that may now be there undoing.
Melinda reached into her left pocket and held the medallion out for Lea to see, only now the jewel in the center was glowing fiercely, her expression fell. "This is what you mean isn't it?" Melinda's voice was soft.

"That is the marker of the Witness, now please prepare, travel may be a bit rough." The Kyoji started to spin his paddle in his hands, chanting lightly.

"WAIT!" Lea called out! "This is a mistake! We weren't meant to have this charm, we found it! You have the wrong…" She never finished her desperate plea. The water beneath the two girls rose around them, they both screamed as they were sucked into a puddle at their feet and disappeared.

As their usually world almost seemed to dissolve around them a new dimension slowly melted into view. Lea lost her balance as they found firm ground again and with a soft thud fell on her rump. Looking around she groaned as pain shot up her spin.
Melinda looked as wide eyed as she did. Where they were was most defiantly NOT New York City any longer. Within seconds the Kyoji also appeared and still floating looked down the two girls, gliding nearer it peered at Lea.

"Were you injured during your travel?" Lea flushed quickly pushing herself off the ground feeling foolish for appearing so obviously weak.

"No, I just got a little dizzy. Where did you bring us?" She wrapped her arms around herself, gazing at Melinda with worry.

"I told you I was going to bring you to the Battle Nexus, you are to witness the Big Brawl." The Kyoji's voice was plain, as if he was speaking to children.

"Yeah, but none of that means anything to us. We don't know where this Nexus thing is or what this game you keep telling us is all about. I mean you might as well be speaking gibberish!" Melinda's temper flared, as she felt slightly fearful. The eerie calm of this being was really starting to grate on her already frazzled nerves.

"Dear Ladies, I am most apologetic if my servant has done a poor job in explaining your position to you, perhaps I could do better?" Both girls turned to the sound of a strange male voice. Approaching behind them was a young man, most likely somewhere in his twenties with long red hair tied in a high ponytail. His clothes were old fashioned and he wore double katana's strapped to his back. Across his face, hiding all his features but his eyes was a mask, wearing it; it almost made him look like a monster.

"So this is YOUR servant? So does that mean you're the reason we were brought here?" While Lea was still holding her tongue assessing the situation Melinda dove head long into it. Mel was feeling fearful and she didn't like it. She wanted answers. This whole situation just seemed a bit to crazy too her.

"Yes the Kyoji serves both myself and my Father. That does not mean we are the reason you were brought to our home. The reason you were brought here was because you bare the mark of one that is meant to witness the games. You two choose to come here." The young man's voice stayed even, clam, but somewhere in his tone Lea could hear him holding back his real emotions. She considered him as he spoke to them. She wasn't certain what to make if his words and the fact he hid his expression made him even harder to understand.

"That was what we tried to explain to your servant Sir…" Lea spoke up, uncertain how to address him. "We came across the charm by accident. It wasn't meant for the two of us." The man across from them seemed to consider this for a moment.

"But that makes no sense, because you see, it reacted to both of your presences, which means it was meant to find you. The both of you must just be special." Lea watched his eyes linger on Melinda as he spoke and she shifted uncertain how she felt about this mans attention to her best friend.

"Yes well, we can't stay here. We will have people looking for us back home. We have obligations." Lea suddenly felt like she was talking to deaf ears. The man and Melinda were smiling at one another. Both seemed fairly unconcerned with her complaints. She sighed slightly annoyed.

"Perhaps it would be best if you breeched this subject with my Lord Daimyo himself. He would have the final say on the matter either way." Lea had nearly forgotten the Kyoji and turned as it spoke. She saw Melinda give her a hopeful look and she shrugged.

"Fine, yes please take us to him."

"It would be my pleasure to escort the two of you. Please call me Ve-sama." The young man bowed. "I take great pride in serving my father." Lea looked at him slightly puzzled by his tone.

"I would really like that." Melinda seemed to have not caught it; she just smiled widely at the man who was now offering her his arm.

They both turned to look at Lea, awaiting her respond. "I would rather like to speak to your father, so yes please take us."

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