Faith

by Ace7688

A gifted teen arrives at a tournament to test his valor in combat when he is presented with the challenge of a life time. While still dealing with his troubled past, Griffin Motomiya must contend with fearsome beasts and powerful warriors as he seeks to b

"Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark."
--Rabindranath Tagore

Chapter one-Beginnings

"Maybe if you didn't eat so much you would…," the teen breathed out before he had a chance to take it back. He groaned after realizing what he had just said. "I didn't mean that. Honestly." He stared into the bosom of this mountain of man that stood before him, wondering why he always blurted things out without thinking about them first.

It had only been ten minutes since he had arrived at this tournament and he couldn't keep quiet long enough to even register for it. He was walking with his head turning in every which a way smiling at any girls whose gaze he caught. He didn't even notice when he bumped into this huge mammoth of a man.

"Hey! Watch it shrimp!" the man exclaimed with a strong country droll about him.

"Who you callin' shrimp?" the teen countered smirking. "Are you hungry or something?"
Why did I just say that? he thought as he smacked his forehead at his stupidity.

"You talk big for such a young person. How old are you boy?" the wide-bodied man demanded.

"Seventeen, what's it to ya'?"

"Just figuring out whether I need to send a letter home to yo' mama when I squash you like a bug," he said chuckling. He looked towards the crowd that had started to gather around the two for approval. The onlookers looked on expectantly, hoping that the huge man would crush this young cocky jerk.

"Tear out his heart!" one onlooker yelled.

"Leave a little of him for the ring!" another shouted.

"You can do it!" yet another yelled.

All the shouting stopped as every person present turned to view who had blurted out this overly used cliché. The short man of Indian descent looked around with a puzzled look on his face wondering what was wrong with everyone else. Feeling rather awkward he slowly sneaked away, laughing nervously.

"Look at all the women cheering for me," the towering man pointed out to his opponent. Then barely audible under his breath, "I sure wish I could get with one though…"

"Maybe if you didn't eat so m...The two squared off, sizing each other up. They both waited for the other to make a move, a mistake, a folly. Perhaps even a fatal one. The crowd continued to buzz behind them as they waited to see the first non-sanctioned fight of the tournament. The teen was taken aback by the blood thirstiness of the crowd. They were like vultures waiting for a fresh kill, ready to pounce within a moment's notice.

Is this what the tournament's going to be like? I'm surprised so many people showed up just to see an amateur tournament anyway he thought as he watched his enemy carefully.

The big man straightened up a bit and tipped his hat. "What's your name boy?" he called across the crowd made ring.

"Why do you wanna' know?"

"I like to know the names of my opponents, that's all."

"Fair enough," the teen said smirking. "Name's Griffin. Griffin Motomiya."

"Japanese huh? Looks like we're playing on your home court then. My name's Bear. Just Bear." Well, he certainly was built like a bear, that's for sure. He wore a red leather jacket that barely fit over his bulging body which he coupled with a pair of red leather pants that he had somehow magically squeezed into.

"Nice boots," Griffin commented laughingly. He had never seen so much leather on a person in his whole life. This sight definitely amused him. He also noticed that Bear wore the same type of leather around his hands as his cowboy boots were made of.

"Thanks," Bear responded squinting his eyes and scratching his grisly beard. He took off his hat and swabbed his sweaty bald head with a handkerchief he had recently produced from his pocket. He wiped off the sweat slowly from the front to the back, stopping just above a swastika that was etched into the back of his head.

"Isn't all that a bit hot though?" Griffin pondered remembering that it was supposed to reach at least 96 degrees that day.

Bear smiled, simply stating, "Not if you're a bear like me."

The crowd had begun to disperse when they realized that the real fighting wouldn't begin for quite sometime. Bear replaced his hat on his head and pointed out to Griffin in an almost friendly manner. "You must be hot though. You're not a bear like me."

Griffin wasn't exactly dressed for the forecast today either. He wore a white draw-string hoodie with a golden line running up and down the lining of it. On the pouch in the front there was a golden Japanese kanji symbol that read Seigi or in English, justice. On the back of the hoodie was an elaborate drawing of an immense majestic phoenix. In random spots below the bird, there were golden feathers that seemed to fall from its glorious wings. Underneath his hoodie was a black shirt that remained barely visible. He wore baggy white sweat pants that flowed majestically as a river would when he walked. Running up his left pant leg was a golden barbed wire trail of sorts that wove its way around. Griffin wore golden cotton biker gloves upon his hands with platinum studs centered at his knuckles. His sneakers also had a white and gold thing going on as well.

"You won't be so pretty when I'm done with you." Bear growled. To say the least, Griffin was a very attractive man. His tanned face beamed with confidence and exuded cheer. The mere thought of him could make many a girl sigh with happiness. The odd thing that set him apart from other guys was the fact that he had almost perfectly white hair. It was offset by little strands of golden hair here and there, but not enough to throw off the white hair's full effect. A white head band embroidered with the same symbol as his pouch held his bangs out of his eyes; his eyes were a whole other story. His left eye was a shade of sea-foam green while his right eye was a shade of sparkling blue. I would be an albino mutt if I was a dog would be what he usually said when someone brought up his unique coloration.

For another moment the two stared each other down, still waiting for that mistake that would start things up. Then, Bear blinked and Griffin flew into action.

"STOP!" a voice yelled halting the attack. "Move another inch and you're out of the tournament!"

Griffin had stopped within inches of Bears face with his arm fully outstretched, fist balled. Bear reopened his eyes and fell backwards to the ground, no doubt startled by the teen's incredible speed. He looked around slowly, then stood back up brushing himself off as he did so.

Griffin, still frozen with his arm stretched out, turned to look over his shoulder and spotted an odd peach colored man wearing a mushroom hat. He wore a red shirt that was opened revealing a barren pink chest. He also wore puffy white pants and what appeared to Griffin as ballet shoes.

Griffin brought his face close to the being trying to confirm his suspicion.
"Holy…..that's not a hat is it!" he remarked stepping back a bit. "That….that's your head!"

"Yes, and?" the odd mushroom headed man said. "I am the grand commissioner of this tournament. You can call me commissioner Toad." He rocked forward and back from his toes to his heels as he finished the sentence.

Bear rushed towards griffin as the commissioner frowned heavily at him. "You got…lucky kid," Bear muttered oblivious to the frowning Toad besides him. "Next time we meet, I'll fix your face for ya'. And that's a promise boy!" He pointed a fat finger into Griffin's face before storming off towards his bag.

"That guy's already getting on my nerves," Toad whispered watching the brute push a pink Yoshi out of his way. Griffin didn't hear him because he was far too busy looking around trying to figure out exactly what kind of tournament he had gotten himself into. He noticed two men jumping over each other wearing what seemed to be complimentary hats of red and green. He looked to his left and found what seemed to be a round tuft of cotton candy sucking up all the food from a vendor's cart without chewing or swallowing. He watched as a talking humanoid dog and duck followed a boy dressed in black clothes into a restaurant across the way. He glanced about him until his eyes settled on a group of individuals garbed in hooded cloaks of various colors. He noticed that he couldn't see any of their faces, or their feet for that matter. Hmm, must be the bad-asses of this tournament eh?

"Ahem, are you sure you're supposed to be here?" Toad questioned breaking Griffin's train of thought.

"Huh? Yeah. Here's my invite," he replied, taking a rolled up piece of parchment out of his duffel bag. He handed the official looking document over to Toad's waiting hands and skeptic eyes.

Toad carefully unrolled the invite and read it over. His eyes suddenly lit up when he recognized who stood before him. "It's an honor to meet you Mr. Motomiya. I've heard about your many feats. Was it not you who saved those many people in Kyoto?"

Griffin shrugged looking down as his honey dew colored shoes. "It was nothing really…."

"There, you're safe now."

"Wait….What are you doing! How could you? ...Let me go, let me go!"

"I saved you! You should be grateful!"

"Anyway, it says here that you're an S-class warrior. Do you know what that means? Or what kind of tournament this is?" Toad waited for an answer but was met by an obviously dumbfounded look. "How about what the rules are? Are you even listening to me?"

He wasn't. He watched as a group of teenage girls passed behind Toad as he spoke. After realizing that he had still been talking, Griffin apologized for not paying attention and promised to listen intently from then on.

Toad grumbled and proceeded to walk towards the wall behind him. Griffin hadn't noticed it yet, but when he did all he could say was "wow". Toad walked a couple steps then stopped abruptly to look back at Griffin who stood in the same place that he had left him.

"Stop gaping. Let's go! I'll explain everything as we walk, ok?" Toad snapped tapping his foot impatiently.

Griffin broke out of his daze slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Sounds good to me."

When Griffin had caught up, Toad began to walk again and started to explain Griffin's future ordeal. "I'll start at the beginning. The tournament that stands before you will push your mind, body, and soul to their very limits. The greatest warriors from all over have been invited to participate in this prestigious tournament….We have no prejudice against the forces of evil, so we sent invitations to all warriors whether they're considered to be 'good' or 'bad'," Toad explained in an obviously rehearsed paragraph. He straightened up his jacket before continuing. "Since there are always warriors that are slightly more powerful than others, we developed a class system to try and insure a fair battlefield. There are four classes in total. A, B, C, and S. The A-class warriors have the power to match that of an armed force. B class warriors are one of two things. They either match the power of the A-class but lack the experience to use their powers fully or they have the experience but lack the power to match. C-class warriors don't possess the forms of strength that the A or B-classes have, but they do have enough experience to battle fiercely and efficiently. S-class warriors are a whole different matter all together. To say the least, S-class warriors are…." Toad was cut off before he could finish.

"Weak in both power and experience," Griffin said thinking he had found a pattern in the classes.

Toad threw a puzzled look at Griffin. He cleared his throat and then slowly and carefully proclaimed, "As I was saying…S-class warriors are probably all capable of …..Well, destroying the very Earth you and I are standing on right now if they wanted to. That's why there are so few of them invited to this tournament." Griffin stared in amazement as the words hit him. Toad looked into Griffin's blue and green eyes and nodded slowly, telling him that he had heard correctly.

"Well, we're here now. As soon as you're registered, you'll be ready," Toad stopped suddenly in front of the registration window embedded in the wall. He looked around like a prairie hound that sensed danger approaching. "Uh….where's the rest of your team?"

"Team?" Griffin asked incredulous to the topic. "What team?"

"Well, this is a team tournament after all. Did you not know that either? All entrants must be a part of a team. Every team has a three person minimum that should not exceed five people. On any one team you are limited to having up to and no more than: 2 S-class members, three A-class warriors, 4 B-class warriors, and 5 C-class warriors. I'm sorry but until you form a team, you won't be able to enter this tournament. It is 12:23 now and the entry deadline is six o'clock. With that, I'll let you begin your search. Good luck Griffin."

"No worries. I'll be back soon," Griffin boasted as he set off to begin his quest.

Toad smiled as he watched the snow-haired teen walk away. "That boy sure can talk big. I only hope he has enough strength to match."

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After checking his watch, Griffin decided that he had more than enough time to get something to eat before he had to begin his search for a team. It was about 12:37 when he arrived at the "Iron Dragon" café that was placed on the eastern side of the massive wall. It wasn't a big place and didn't look like it made very much money. However with the traffic from the tournament flowing in, business sure was booming. Griffin left the low murmur of the outside into the noisy chaotic ambiance of the restaurant. Waiters and waitresses rushed around taking orders and delivering food to yelling fans and warriors alike. Griffin wondered where all these fans came from if the tournament was invitation only. The thought left his mind quickly when he heard a loud cheery voice yell over the noise saying "Bring me some more of that!"

Griffin glanced over to see where the source of the yell was seated. He noticed a huge pile of plates on a table that was surrounded by cheering onlookers amused by some spectacle. He set his bag down and set off to the wooden table amidst all the madness. A waiter brushed past him with yet another portion for the already plate filled table.

"THANKS!" the voice from before cheerfully called to the waiter as he rushed back to the kitchen for another order. Griffin finally reached the table and stood amazed at the feat that stood before him. The man who sat at the table ate bowl after bowl of rice, steamed vegetables, noodles, and various other foods coming up only to swallow a glass of iced tea before continuing to chow down. The man was dressed in what looked like an orange and blue ghi from head to toe. He wore black boots tied on by a simple string. Yet this man could consume so much food Griffin was amazed at how powerful a build he had. All that could be seen of his head was his hair since the bowls would cover his face at all times. He had messy black hair of seemingly long length. Griffin watched him, intrigued by this man's amazing aura and even more amazing appetite.

"Oh….that's right," Griffin mumbled as his stomach growled at him angrily. He turned away from the table and made his way to the counter, hoping that he would be served quicker there than he would at a table. He took a seat and began to order something from a smiling brunette waitress. She blushed trying to avoid locking eyes with him and set off to fulfill Griffin's order.

"Hey boy. Ready to finish what we started?" a voice growled behind him.

"Bear, how nice of you to show up again," Griffin sighed without turning around to face him. Bear stared at the back of his head for a few seconds then he spun Griffin around angrily.

"You can't ignore me boy!" Bear spat lifting the youth off of the chair roughly. Griffin looked down into the man's beet red face balling up his fists.

"Put him down," a voice said calmly. Bear looked around for where the voice was and turned around to face the man in the orange and blue ghi Griffin had seen earlier. Bear took Griffin into his right hand as he used his left hand to taunt the black-haired man. The guy simply stared at Bear, unblinking. Bear grimaced at the man's confidence, a sign of recognition crossing his face. He set Griffin down and stormed out muttering curses as he went.

"Are you okay guy?" the man asked watching Griffin carefully.

"Yeah, thanks for the help... My name's Griffin," he said offering his hand.

The man took his hand and shook it smiling. "I'm Goku. It's nice to meet you Griffin." He began to scratch the back of his head with his other hand while stopping the hand shake.

"It's nice to meet you as well," Griffin said returning Goku's smile.

"I take it you're part of the tournament. What class are you?" Goku asked looking at the symbol on Griffin's headband.

"S-class," the teen muttered still not sure if he belonged in the elite class.

Goku's eyes lit up as he looked into the warrior's peaceful green and blue eyes. "Wow! Really! SO AM I!" He bounced a bit with the excitement of a kindergartner. "You must be really powerful! I can't wait for our teams to meet." At such a young age, he's already in my range of power. There must be something special about him. Definitely, I'm sure of it now. I can hardly wait to see him in action.

"Yeah, well…," Griffin paused for a bit, feeling a bit better about his rank in the tournament. "We can still be friends...Right? Even if we should meet in the ring?"

Goku looked at him and smiled his warm smile. He quickly assured him that they would and began to walk towards the double doors leading out of the café. He stopped at the door and turned back to meet Griffin's gaze with a serious demeanor about him. "I want you to do me a favor."

Griffin gave him a puzzled look, nodding slowly.

"Great... Even though we're friends, it doesn't mean I'll go easy on you if we face each other. I need you to promise me that you'll do the same. If you don't, I won't be able to learn anything from you," Goku said slightly softening his expression.

Griffin made an effort to put the same amount of seriousness into his expression. "I don't know what you'll learn from me but, I promise I won't hold back either."

"Thanks. That's all I wanted. Catch ya' later Griff," Goku said turning around and walking briskly out of the double doors.

He waved back smiling. Goku seemed to have that affect on people, Griffin couldn't remember another time in his life where he felt so comfortable smiling so much. But what can I teach him? He thought as he stopped smiling. He was interrupted by the clank of a porcelain plate setting down beside him.

"Here you are sweetie," the waitress called out to him.

"Thank you," Griffin replied smiling as he looked upon the double-decker bacon cheese burger he had ordered. I'll learn something from you as well friend he thought as he took a warm savory bite from the cheese burger.

He would indeed, sooner than he expected.
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After eating five more of the same kind of cheeseburger, Griffin finally had his fill and left the belly of the "Iron Dragon" to the warm outside world. He checked his watch and groaned realizing that he had only 3 hours left to begin and hopefully complete his mission. I know I shouldn't have flirted with that waitress he sighed looking around for possible candidates for his team. He saw the jumping guys from before, but decided that they must already be on a team together. He scanned the rest of the horizon noticing that everyone seemed to be on a team already as well. He was distracted when he noticed a beautiful sword that was settled on the back of a young man. The sword's design was clearly defined even from where Griffin was standing. It appeared to be a claymore of sorts and by the looks of it, the owner had to be very strong to wield it effectively. Close to the hilt of this magnificent sword lay what seemed to be a large music note emblazoned into it.

"Hmm, he's all alone…," Griffin thought aloud. He began to approach the sword wielding teen in front of him. The wielder turned around causing Griffin to smile knowing this guy would not only be a great asset to his team, but also make him look good at the same time. After all, image is important…sometimes.

He had a fairly attractive face adorned with silver hair and silver eyes. He wore a black jacket with a sliver cross on either arm that settled just below his shoulder and his elbow. He wore a white shirt underneath with a necklace made of 3 silver pieces wrapped around his neck by a slender string. He also wore baggy gray pants and brown shoes. Connected to his belt was a set of beads that extended into his pocket. On his left wrist, hung a silver bracelet which matched a rather large silver ring on his middle finger.

Griffin could feel that they would make a good team, he knew they would, he wanted them to…..

"Hey! Been looking for you all over," a taller teenage guy said walking up to the sword wielder. He wore a brown jacket with white pants, which he coupled with black shoes and a skull necklace that draped over his maroon under shirt. His hair was black and messy and hardly covered the four silver studs embedded above his left eyebrow. In his right ear was an earring that was composed of two silver orbs.

"Yeah!" a girl chirped in wrapping her arm around the black jacketed teen. The girl wore a simple outfit but pulled it off wonderfully. She wore tall calf length boots that accentuated her long flashy legs. Her legs were cut off by a short denim skirt that stopped at the top of her thigh. A mid-drift tank top that revealed a lot of her cleavage caressed her voluptuous top. A cross similar to the one on the sword wielder's jacket sleeves was placed in the middle of the shirt. She wore a silver arm band just below her shoulder and a silver bracelet as well. A round object suspended by a simple string fell upon her bosom and wrapped around her neck. She wore her brown hair fairly short, barely covering her pleasant face.

"Where have you guys been?" the black jacketed warrior asked as they walked in Griffin's direction smiling. Griffin sighed as he passed the happy team slowly, not lifting his eyes to meet the group's gaze.

"Well, time to start again," Griffin huffed as he watched his hopes fade away quietly.

A little while later, Griffin was seated a t a bench under a conveniently placed tree in the middle of the grounds in front of the great wall. He searched around, waiting for something to click. His eyes stopped again as he noticed a girl being harassed by two persistent and seemingly grabby men. She was refusing, brushing off the comments and pleas for her affection.

"C'mon baby…you know I'm good for you," the taller man exploded grabbing her arm gently.

"Please," the teen girl responded rolling her eyes. For the first time since he had noticed her, he got a look at her beautiful face. Time seemed to stand still as her large sapphire eyes glowed warmly in the sun's powerful rays. Golden hair fell into her face, stopping just above her eyes. The hair was held in what seemed to be pigtails that descended from what appeared to be two balls on the top of her head. It fell all the way to the bottom of her short skirt. She wore a peculiar school uniform that reminded Griffin of an old time sailor. The top of the uniform was a simple blouse garnished with a huge blue bow with a golden heart on its center. Pink trimmed the sleeves of the blouse as well as the collar. Griffin noticed that the bottom of the blouse revealed some of her stomach, more than likely lifted up by this girl's……"talents". Her skirt was like any typical school girl's, except it had been modified so that the blue skirt stopped just above the middle of her thighs. The sight of such a pretty girl excited Griffin greatly. "I'd never go out with someone like you."

The other man began to laugh as his partner was shot down. Griffin decided to go and help her out, get those guys off her back. Half of him wanted to help the beautiful 18 year old. His other half just wanted to have a turn to talk to her. He made his way over calmly and quickly trying not to attract attention to himself. Just before he was within five feet of her, he froze at what he saw next.

One guy made the mistake of grabbing something he shouldn't have. The girl spun around to face the man who had just grabbed her backside, her eyes flaring with anger. She quickly threw a knee into the perv's stomach, then leapfrogged over him and landed a flying snap kick to the other's temple…all in about six seconds flat! She brushed her hands together giving a 'humph' as she walked away.

"Serves you right," she whispered heading towards the wall briskly. Griffin stared on in disbelief at what he had just seen. It took a few moments until he could call out to her.
"Hey...wait up! Are you in the tournament?" He ran after her as she turned around to face her pursuer. She sighed heavily, stretching her tight shoulder muscles slowly.
"I'm getting tired of you guys. I'm pretty, I have a perfect body, and I should be with you….blah, blah, blah….. I GET IT ALREADY! How many of you do I have to hurt until you all will just leave me alone!"

Griffin threw his hands up in defense as the girl encroached upon him menacingly. "No, it's not that……I….I was just wondering. I'm in the tournament too!"

Her body slowly began to un-tense as she ran her fingers through her long sunshine-colored hair. "Oh…well. I'm really sorry about that then…It's just that….Never mind. I'm in the tournament too," her eyes shined brightly as she said these words.

Griffin returned to his regular relaxed position and extended his hand. "My name's Griffin Motomiya. May I ask for yours?"

"Well," she grinned accepting his hand. "Since you asked so very politely. My name's Serena Tsukino."

"Serena, that's a pretty name," he proclaimed shaking her hand gingerly. He stopped shaking her hand as a batch of fresh word vomit began to spew from his mouth. "This is great. What class are you? Are you ready to begin? What kind of powers do you have? Why are you wearing a sailor's outfit? How old are you? What's your favorite food? Do you have a team yet?" Griffin panted after he finished, knowing he must've said at least one stupid thing in the process.

Serena stared back at him with a puzzled look on her face, holding her hands in front of her waving them as if to try and absorb all the albino haired boy had just said. "Whoa. Calm down….this isn't a race ya' know." The puzzled look turned into a graceful thinking face. Griffin noticed the change immediately and admitted that this new face was definitely cuter. "Let's see. Uhm, I'm an A-class. I think I'm just about ready. I'm not really sure how to describe them…I feel pretty good when I'm wearing these….18 as of June 30th. I enjoy ice cream…that counts right? I don't have a team yet. And I think that's it….yeah."

"Really? You don't have a team?" Griffin's excitement peaked as he watched Serena shake her head solemnly. "I don't either, uhm…want to join my team then?"

"No," Serena answered dryly. Griffin's head sank at the word, dismayed by the utter extent of his awful luck.

"Oh….." he breathed out. "Okay" He began to walk away slowly, but was stopped by a hand on his back. He turned around to stare at the face of a sweetly smiling Serena.

"Buuuuuuut…I will join OUR team."

Griffin laughed greatly. "Thank you so much!" He leaped forward and embraced her, lifting her off of her feet and swinging her around in circles. He stopped suddenly and put her down. "Uhm…uh….sorry…," the blushing boy said shoving his hands into his pockets.

Serena said nothing, turning away to block his view of her newly reddened cheeks.

"Well partner, shall we go?" she said finally breaking the moment of awkward silence.

"Yeah, let's," Griffin exclaimed as he walked towards the tree where his bag was.

"Uhm, we still need another teammate to enter, right? Serena asked following closely behind her new partner.

"Yeah, but that shouldn't be too hard. With the both of us, it shouldn't take any time at all," Griffin explained as he turned back giving her a confident smile. "Don't worry about it."

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"I can't believe this is so ed hard! Even with the both of us, we still haven't found anyone. On top of that it's already 5:50," Griffin grumbled as they sat back down on the bench in front of the tree.

"Yeah," Serena said as she watched her dreams of the tournament float away. She looked in the distance as she spoke. "At least we tried….right?"

"Yeah, and it hasn't really been a total bust I guess. I mean we did get to know each other better," Griffin commented. As they were walking from person to person looking for a teammate, they played a game Griffin was quite found of. He called it the question game to get to know each other better. They went back and forth, asking each other questions and they were required to answer all of them no matter how intimate or vulgar they may seem.

"Have you ever been in love?" Griffin asked gently as he weaved in and out of groups of people.

Serena stopped and stared at him with her deep wondrous blue eyes. "Yea…I was…"

"Really? Who was it?"

"I…I…don't want to say," she whispered looking down at her school girl shoes.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…," Griffin looked at her with an apologetic demeanor. "Well…it's your turn," He suggested trying to get off the subject."

"What about you?"

"Yeah…. I suppose…I kinda' still am."

"Did she come to watch you?" Serena asked even though she didn't really want to know the answer.

Griffin swallowed heavily as a lump began to quell up in his throat. He began to scratch his left elbow, "I suppose."

"You don't know?"

"I'm just not sure…last time I saw her was about five years ago," Griffin whispered back. He wondered why he was able to tell her things that he hadn't been able to tell even the closest of his friends, and they had just only met a few hours ago. Why was that?

"May I…Can I ask what happened to her?" Serena probed with a small frown on her face. Griffin wheeled around stopping her dead in her tracks. He locked eyes with hers then darted his eyes to the sky above them. He swallowed heavily again, then whispered hoarsely.

"She was killed."

"Yeah, I guess," Serena responded cheerfully. The resentment in her voice was still clear though. It was a feigned cheer that she showed and Griffin knew it. He felt his conscious began to weigh down on him, feeling that he had kept her back from entering the tournament. He looked at Serena and struggled to say the words that he thought were right for the moment.

"Uhm, well. I'm sorry you won't be in this tourney all because of me….you still have enough time to go and join another team if you hurry."

Serena looked into his sullen face and smiled. "No, I'm not gonna' just up and leave you like that." She stopped as she watched a leaf float by her sweet face. "We can at least watch it together though."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Griffin responded taken aback by the teenage girl's suggestion. He smiled as he leaned back against the tree. Even though he didn't get to show off his moves, at least he had made some new friends. Too bad he wouldn't have the chance to face Goku. That was his only regret.

"DAMNIT!" a male voiced yelled out from behind the tree startling Griffin." I can't believe you guys can't compete on my team! Why didn't you get invitations anyways?

"I don't know. Guess they only wanted one member of our crew or something," another guy's relaxed voice answered back.

"I only have three minutes till the deadline….hmph…Oh well, guess I'll just have to sit this one out then," the first voice sighed heavily. By this time Griffin had made his way around the tree to see who this voice belonged to. To his surprise, he spotted the silver haired sword wielder from before.

"Wait….what did you just say?" Griffin interjected into their conversation. The silver haired kid turned around perplexed as to what he was talking about.

"What do you me….wait? Were you eavesdropping on us!" He stood up quietly, an angry look spread over his face.

"No! I mean yeah…I mean…Never mind! Did you just say that you don't have a team anymore?" Griffin exploded unable to contain his excitement any longer.

The boy stepped back a bit with a fearful expression plastered on his face. "Well, yeah…I don't."

"That's great! Then you can join ours," Serena chirped in pushing Griffin out of her way.

"Uhm, I would but….to be honest…you guys are freaking me out." He stepped back again looking into Serena and Griffin's eager and hopeful eyes.

"We don't mean to scare you. We just really need a third person. That's all. Please, will ya'?" Griffin pleaded.

The tall black haired companion of the boy grabbed his shoulder looking at Serena. "Sure he will….ain't that right Haru?"

Haru looked up at the black haired guy and yelled roughly. "What are you doing Musica? I didn't agree to that! Besides, I'm sure Elie wouldn't like me running off with another group, would ya?"

The girl who had been quiet for this whole conversation stepped forward, placing her hand on Haru's right shoulder. "I think you should do it. I'll be cheering for you with all my heart." She gave him a goofy smile as he cringed at the words.

"Well, it's settled then!" Serena exclaimed. "Welcome to our team."

Haru glared back at his companions, and then shrugged. He had finally given in. "Yeah, I'm honored."

"We'll meet you guys inside. It was nice to meet you two. Take good care of Haru for us," Musica said walking away with Elie in tow.

"Wait up guys…you can't just….," Haru trailed off as he watched his friends sprint away laughing.

"Welcome to the team," Griffin said giving a big toothy grin. "My name's Griffin Motomiya and this is Serena Tsukino." Serena gave a small wave as Haru sized her up.

"I'm Haru Glory. But most people just call me the Rave Master," Haru said smiling broadly. "Shall we register then?"

The newly formed trio began to make their way to the registration booth embedded in the gigantic wall.

"Rave Master? He must be really into techno, or something." Serena whispered into Griffin's ear. Griffin quickly nodded his head as he followed this dancing king.

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"But…it's only 6: 03! Why won't you just let us slide this one time?" Haru screeched as Griffin and Serena hung their heads in discontent. They had taken up a lot of time trying to convince Haru to join them earlier. They stood there, facing off against a smug looking pudgy pale guy with an enormous amount of freckles and glasses stuck to his sweaty head.

"The rules clearly state that the deadline is six o'clock," the man said stopping to take a breath before continuing. "No exceptions."

"Argh!" Haru bellowed with that teenage angst of defiance. He stomped away from the window towards his newly acquired teammates' waiting faces.

"Any luck?" Serena asked hopefully.

"Nothing. That guy won't budge off of his high horse." Haru shot a glare over his shoulder at the man who had began to scarf down a bag of newly opened potato chips. Griffin rubbed his chin trying to think up a way. He continued to look around for a solution to their current dilemma.

"I'll be right back." He said with a smile on his face. He walked up to the window leaving his teammates behind, befuddled.

"What's he up to?" Haru questioned watching as Griffin waved his arms around wildly at the man. Griffin turned around to look past Haru towards Serena. He nodded slightly, and then turned back around.

"Why did he just look at me?" Serena asked pulling her hand to her bosom. She watched the fat man's eyes light up as listened intently to Griffin's words. Suddenly Griffin turned around and beckoned the two to come over.

"He did it!" Haru said with amazement in his tone. They dashed towards their white headed comrade eager to hear what he wanted.

"Okay, please tell me your names. And your classes as well," the pudgy man said wiping the grease on his plaid shirt.
"Haru Glory. A-class," Haru said slowly and clearly.

The man typed away at his computer entering the info as quickly as it was given.

"Serena Tsukino. Also an A-class," Serena submitted with a twinkle in her eyes.

"And I'm Griffin Motomiya. S-class," Griffin declared causing Haru to swivel his head towards him.
S-Class? he thought.

"Very good, you all seem to check out. Okay one more detail before you're fully registered. What are you going to call yourselves, your team's name I mean," the man said in an obviously indifferent tone.

"Hmm?" Griffin questioned confused by the notion.

"We get to name it?" Haru exclaimed excited by the fact. "How bout Team Haru, that has a nice ring to it right?" He looked at Serena smiling brightly.

"Puhlease, you're so full of yourself. We need a strong name, one that shows what we're about…what we stand for. Like Team Destiny."

Haru looked at her cocking an eyebrow. "Team Destiny? What kind of name is that? We may as well call ourselves the Power Rangers or something like that. Now team Rave that has a ring to it as well."

"What! I hate that more than I do Team Haru!"

"So you like team Haru then?" Haru said smirking at her.

"No, they're both stupid. How about something simple? Like team moon?" she sad tapping her chin thoughtfully with her index finger.

Griffin watched as the two continued to argue the matter. When slowly he spoke saying, "Faith, that's what we should call it." Haru and Serena stopped and looked at him with an awed look glazed over their faces.

"What kind of crap is that?" Haru questioned beginning to laugh heartily. Griffin grimaced at the stinging words and shrunk away from the conversation lowering his head. Serena looked at Griffin's hurt expression and smiled warmly.

"That's a great name. I vote for the name to be team faith."

Griffin grinned at the words. It was rare that he got to make a decision, so it felt really good to be able to for once.

"What! Two against one huh? Well, I guess it does have a certain ring to it as well. Not as much as Team Haru….but, it'll have to do," Haru said with reluctance in his eyes.

The chubby man handed them three ids that showed what class they were and what team they were on printed on their laminated surfaces. "Cool," was all Haru could muster.

"These ids are of extreme importance to you in this tournament. They are not only proof of your entry, but also the keys to your hotel rooms and notices for your matches," the man said. He pointed to the blank spot where a picture would usually sit and continued. "This is a digital viewing screen. It will flash and show you who your next opponents are. It gives you the info exactly a day before the match, giving you time to prepare for it. You lose these and you'll be in the dark from then on. Welcome team faith, to the 37th annual tournament of twilight." An electronic beep was heard followed by the sound of the door unlocking besides the booth.

"Thank you," Griffin said gratefully.

The trio approached the door as Serena questioned Griffin on how he had gotten the man to change his mind.

"I'll…..explain later," Griffin responded nervously.

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Much to the surprise of the trio, a beautiful sight lay just behind the towering wall. They looked about them in awe, their mouths agape as they took in their surroundings. The wall extended around the place that they stood in forming a square around them. Vegetation crept up the side of the 20 foot high wall. There were all sorts of plant life within the place including trees and flowers made into a stylistic pattern. Griffin looked about as if he were a child in a candy shop. He pointed at anything that caught his eye and dragged his team along with him to investigate it.

"It's so pretty!" he exclaimed as the three surrounded a fountain situated at the center of the compound. The fountain was composed of three levels with a varying number of jets on each. Serena watched as the water seemed to dance gracefully in the wind. In the western direction from the fountain was a large orange colored building with many windows, which seemed to be the place where a lot of people were gathering to talk. From the look of it, it was more than likely the hotel they would stay in that night. To the east of the fountain was a wide open meadow of sorts. Filled with plenty of grassy space for anything you wanted to do outside. To the south was the entrance and to the north was a large Romanesque coliseum where Haru guessed the battles would take place.

"This place is so great," Serena said as her eyes lit up more and more. "I bet even Luna wouldn't be able to complain here."

The three proceeded to walk towards the looming stadium ahead to hopefully get a better look at their future battle site.

"So….," Serena began, tugging at Griffin's sleeve. "How did you get us in?"

"Oh….that," Griffin said throwing his hands behind his head. "Well, we got to talking and we….made a deal. That's all."

Haru and Serena gave each other a puzzled look. "What…kind of deal?" Haru finally spoke up.

"Well…," Griffin began, looking at Serena. "I kind of told him that you would go out on a date with him tomorrow night. No big deal." He laughed a nervous laugh as Haru began to laugh hysterically.

"NO BIG DEAL!" Serena blasted leaning forward. "I've only known you for three hours and you're already trying to pimp me out? You…You…..JERK!"

"Well, we got in didn't we?" Griffin returned increasing his speed towards the coliseum. Serena glared at Griffin intensely, wondering what she had seen in him before. She imagined him popping like a balloon in front of her eyes. At that moment, it would definitely please her. Griffin caught the malicious glare and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"I'll make it up to you. I promise." Serena shrugged his arm off muttering to herself. The group halted suddenly when a familiar voice called out to them.

"Hey, wait up!"

"Goku!" Griffin exclaimed turning around to face him. "Nice to see you again."

Goku nodded smiling his friendly smile. "Is this your team?"

"Yeah, it's my…."

"OUR team," Serena cut him off casting another angry glare.

"Sorry. Our team," Griffin said looking at Serena as she brushed her blonde bangs out of her eyes. "This is Serena and that guy over there watching the squirrel is Haru." Haru stopped watching his yellow "karate" squirrel as he called it, and looked back to see why someone had mentioned his name. When no one said anything else he returned to watching the squirrel fight off the pigeons trying to still its food.

"I'm very pleased to meet you Serena. And your friend over there as well. I'm Goku by the way," He exclaimed shaking her hand. "So, have you gone in yet?"

Griffin looked at Goku and followed his gaze to the coliseum behind them. "No, not yet. We were just heading there though. Want to join us?"

"Sure, why not," Goku said beginning to walk forward a little. "How bout we race there?"

"Race there?" Griffin repeated wondering why this man would suggest something that seemed so juvenile to other people his age.

"Sure, the last one there buys dinner!" Goku chimed beginning to stretch.

Haru walked over to Goku and nodded his head. "I'll take you on."

"Great!" Goku beamed already tasting his free dinner.

"Serena and I will judge then," Griffin volunteered beginning to jog over to the stadium. Serena, reluctantly, followed his lead and proceeded to jog after him.

It took about 30 seconds for them to reach the stadium at a jog, allowing Goku and Haru time to stretch. Upon reaching there Griffin told Serena that she could be the one to count down the race.

"Why are you always volunteering me? Are you some kind of control freak or something?" Serena demanded firmly. She put her hands on her hips waiting for the answer.

Griffin stared at her for a while before he figured out what he wanted to say. "Well, I just thought you'd like to be the one to do the countdown." He watched as her expression grew even sourer. ""This is about what I did earlier, isn't it? I said I'd make up for it."
Serena remained quiet as she crossed her arms over her chest. , I've already pissed her off man. Way to go Griff. "I'm really sorry Serena. I should've talked it over with you first." Griffin said grasping both of her shoulders. "I know I'm a jerk sometimes…but I don't mean to be... I don't want us to start off like this. I'm really sorry... Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Serena removed his hands away from her shoulders and turned to where Goku and Haru were standing. "Whatever Griffin…..Okay guys! Are you ready?"

Goku turned to Haru, rotating his arm. "Ready? Won't that sword slow you down a bit?" Haru merely shrugged bending down to tie his shoe. Goku didn't notice when Haru slipped a small object into his left sock……

"Okay! On your marks!" Serena yelled across to them. Goku stood straight up as Haru got into a racer's stance. "Get set….GO!"

Haru sped off the line as his legs began to glow with an odd blue light. In a mere seven seconds, he had crossed the finish line and won the race. Or so he thought. As Haru began to get close to the finish, he stopped suddenly as Goku appeared before him grinning. "Sushi's always good."

Haru fell backwards to the ground. "H…How did you?" he stammered.

"Instant transmission," Goku proclaimed as the teens watched him stride towards the door to the coliseum. "I picked it up on Yardrat. They had some good food there as well."

The three gaped for a while until Goku broke them out of their zombie-fied sates telling them to hurry up. They made their way for the entrance as a group. Griffin went ahead of his teammates and told Goku something that they weren't able to hear.

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A few minutes later they had reached the front desk where a red haired lady told them they couldn't go in yet. The group, dismayed, slowly began making their way out when a voice greeted them.

"Leaving so soon?" Toad questioned the warriors. "Don't you at least want to look around a bit?"

"Would I!" Goku exclaimed as he proceeded to follow the mushroom headed commissioner.

Toad led them down bleak corridor after bleak corridor until they reached one that had many doors on either side.

"These are the team locker rooms. Each team is assigned its own personal locker room to be kept tidy or you will lose your locker room privileges." Toad explained sternly. They continued to walk until they reached a set of double doors at the end of the hallway that had two star shaped windows on either side. "And this, lady and gentlemen, is where all the action takes place." He swung upon the doors revealing a square platform surrounded by a multitude of seats. They proceeded to step into the ring as Toad rambled on.

"It can easily seat up to a thousand people comfortably. The stadium's architecture allows any and all onlookers to see the matches clearly. To assure this, we've installed monitors after row F, so those unfortunate fans seated in the nose-bleed section are able to see the action up close."

"How is it possible to have so many powerful warriors compete without worry of any buildings being destroyed? Or loss of life for that matter?" Haru asked examining the large square.

"Excellent question. There are five magicians that are in undisclosed locations within in the compound. They each keep up an incantation to keep the tournament a friendly one. One incantation to protect all the buildings and structures from destruction, another to prevent any fatal blows being dealt to the warriors, and another to prevent the audience from being harmed at all. On top of that, there is also an incantation to keep the skies clear and sunny, so that the matches will be at their best. The final incantation protects all of the other magicians from receiving any harm."

"Wow!" Goku exclaimed. "How old is this tournament? How did it get started?"

"Another good question. Follow me and I'll tell you all you want to hear." Toad proceeded to lead the group out of the stadium, opposite the direction they had entered from. "The tournament of twilight was formed to make it possible for warriors from all over to compete and prove how strong they are. The original tournament awarded its winner with the twilight pendant. The pendant was a sign of leadership and strength. However, the victor of the first tournament was corrupted by this symbol. He went on a rampage, murdering everyone and everything that stood in his wake, believing that no one, divine or otherwise, could ever defeat him. His destruction continued for quite some time...until one day……he just disappeared, never to be heard from or seen again. That's why we made the tournament a team tournament. This way, they can all share the victory together, uncorrupted by their thoughts of ultimate power."

Griffin tuned him out as he dropped back to try and talk with Serena. He looked over at her, his eyes hopeful. Finally he breathed out, "Are you okay?"

Serena looked back at him, her expression pensive. "Yeah….just a little nervous…that's all."

"About what?"

"I'm just not sure I can be as strong as I think I am. I entered this tourney to prove to someone……..that I've changed……I trained for a year straight to reach the level I'm at now." She looked away, feeling as if she'd said too much. Darien…. she thought bitterly I'll show you I'm not a cry baby anymore….I swear….

"Don't stop. I'd like to hear more." His blue and green eyes sparkled as he looked at her intently. Serna caught his gaze but quietly turned away to look at Haru and Goku questioning Toad continuously. "That's it I guess. Why did you enter?"

Griffin though for a while before finding an answer. "I suppose……to prove something to myself…" He looked at the back of his right hand as Serena questioned him further.

"To prove what?" Serena asked as her curiosity began to peak.

Griffin thought the question over. "I guess…..to prove….."

"And here are the practice rooms," Toad interjected as they approached a golden door. The lay out of the room was like a massive cubicle cross-sected by a huge wall type cross that split the room into four smaller rooms. There were doors in each wall that led to the other practice sections. "You are allowed to train here at anytime you wish. This is also the place where you can hold unsanctioned matches, if you feel so compelled to do so." Toad left out of the golden door with his guests close behind him. They continued for a while, until they reached a small door with a red cross embroidered on its smooth surface. "Here's the medical supply room and the end of our tour," Toad stated brushing himself off.

"Uhm, about our accommodations? I thnk you only gave us one hotel room….meaning that I'll have to share one with these two," Serena said looking at Haru. "Maybe you didn't mean to do that or maybe you just haven't noticed that I'm a girl!"

"Yes, I noticed. Believe me, I noticed. But that's the only room available since the others were all taken by the fans and the other competitors."

"Just great," Serena griped, thinking about how awkward their stay would be.

"Do…we have to pay for room service?" Haru asked rubbing his empty stomach.

"Not at all. Room service is complimentary. Any other……" Toad paused after being interrupted by an electronic beeping.

The warriors quickly whipped out their ids and looked at the details of their first match. The screen gave off a soft glow as it displayed that their first match would be against Team bear the following day.

"Team Bear eh?" Haru smirked scrolling through the members of the team.

Serena suddenly jerked her head up from the tiny monitor, looking about her with a panicked expression emblazoned on her face. "Wait. Where's Griffin?"

Haru looked up as well. "Yeah, Goku's gone as well….I'm sure Griffin got the message though."

Meanwhile, back in the practice room, Goku congratulated Griffin on mastering the technique so quickly.

"No, thank you. I wouldn't have been able to do it without such an amazing teacher," Griffin said modestly as he sized up his future opponents.

"I'm really amazed at your incredible skill. It took me a whole lot longer to learn it, and it only took you 7 minutes."

Griffin rubbed the back of his head. "Well, we should probably go now. They're probably wondering where I am by now. You're coming to watch tomorrow, right?"

"Of course, I'll cheer you on all the way!" Goku proclaimed proudly. "You go ahead, I'm gonna' work off that lunch I had."

Griffin nodded slightly, and then darted out of the golden door rushing to meet up with his companions. He's got a lot of potential, but he won't allow himself to release it all……there's definitely something special about him. Reminds me of…..well…..me! Goku thought as he turned to a group of practice dummies. "Okay then. Let's get sweaty! KAH…MEH…"

Chap1fin