My first semi-serious fic! This came very easily for me to write, and I enjoy writing it. Lenne is so much fun. Okay, no one's probably reading this part anyway...CHEESE SHOULD BE LAUNCHED FROM BAZOOKAS TO DESROY SCHOOLS AND EVIL STATE TESTS! Did that catch your attention? On with the ficcy!
Disclaimer: Yeah, that's right! I own Fruits Basket! notices strange glances Grrr, you caught me. I only own one DVD and volumes 1-8. Happy? jerks...
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"RYOKO!" My little sister gave me my usual morning wake-up. We discovered alarm clocks were a bad idea after I smashed my fifth alarm clock into pieces. I always was strong for a girl. Beat up the toughest guys in school, and proud of it.
But that's still no reason I have to have COLD water thrown on me, every morning. If we could find an alarm clock that wasn't possesed by an evil radio man bent on making my life hell, we wouldn't have this problem. The guy at the electronics store gave me a weird look when I asked about one. He must have been new.
It's not that I mind weird looks. I get them all the time, along with wolf whistles and cat calls. I'll leave you to guess what happened to them.
I have black hair down to my lower back, and what I think is a nicely proportioned body. I'm not as curvey as other girls my age, which is 15 in case you didn't know. Which I guess you wouldn't unless you were a psyshic or a stalker. I have two long bangs that come to my shoulder, I usually keep them in braids so their not in my face. I know your probably thinking, that doesn't sound like anything to get weird looks for, well SCREW YOU!
It's my eyes. One is a light violet, and the other is a light grey. The reason I don't give any clarification which eye is which color, they enjoy changing from time to time. Sometimes when I'm in a conversation, they feel like changing, which really creeps people out. I love it.
Getting dressed quickly, I wolfed down a bowl of cereal, made sure Ryoko ate, then locked the apartment and left. School. I'm skipping for joy. Can't you see? You can't, can you. Unless your a stalker.
I always walked my little sister to school. She got teased by kids from school with nothing better to do because their lives are a bloody boring mess. She is such an adorable little kid. Twelve years old, black hair to her shoulders kept in a half-ponytail, same eyes with the same tendencies. She looks like a mini version of me, but much cuter. And the assholes at her school didn't appreciate her. She's smart enough to be in eighth grade, but she said she'd rather be with kids her own age, and she didn't want to look like anymore of a freak. Poor kid needs a self-esteem boost.
We were suddenly surrounded by thugs from my school. I think they enjoy having there face pounded into the concrete every so often, usually around the time a brain cell is starting to form, only to have it knocked out of them again. I'm happy to oblige.
"Well, good morning, senpai. Lovely to see you. Need something? Like a pedicure, a book reference, your face slammed into the ground? I'm ever so helpful."
"Cut the chatter, bitch. You know why we're here."
"Don't use language like that in front of little kids! Didn't your mother teach you any better?" Using the stupid act makes them mad. Then they think something along the lines of 'Last time was a fluke, we'll get her this time. She's such an idiot, she can't be a good fighter.' Tsk, tsk.
"We're here to play a game. So stay still like a good girl, or you might get hurt worse."
"I enjoy games. Let's play my favorite." Dropping the smile, I moved towards one of the guys and used an uppercut straight in the stomach, knocking the breath out of him. "Tag, your it."
They all rushed at me, hoping to overpower me, but I jumped over one of them, punching him in the back of his head. Turning as I landed, I faced them ready to fight. Dodge, kick, flip the kid into someone else, punch, kick, punch, and lookie there! All done!
Looking around for Ryoko, I got a chill up my spine. Fifteen feet away, she was being held by her hair with a knife to her throat. The guy who held her wasn't from my school. Wait, wait, wait! He had horns. That freaked me out then, not so much now.
"M'lord has been looking for you, wench. Come nice and easy, and this girlie won't suffer too much when she dies." The dude had greasy hair, yellow teeth, and horns. Like hell I'm going anywhere with him. But...
"Why would you even want to kill my sister? She hasn't done anything!"
"Her stench annoys me." What the hell? She took a shower last night! I think this dude has some serious issues.
"You will leave her alone, you will leave, and you will tell this 'lord' of yours to go screw himself. 'Cause I'm not going anywhere."
His grin got wider. "Fiesty, aren't we? Well then, I guess you need a little persuasion." He suddenly pushed her in front of an on-coming car.
"NO!" I shouted, even though I knew it was useless. Reaching out would do nothing. 'I'm sorry I failed, Ryoko. I broke my promise...' Then a blue light formed in my hand and knocked into the car, rolling it over and away several feet. The greasy guy just stared wide eyed before stepping back into a swirling purple thing. "It begins." He stated before fading. 'What begins?' I thought before my vision went black.
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I awoke to the smell of flowers. 'Ryoko sprayed me with perfume in my sleep again.' I was going to get up and take a shower when what happened flooded my mind. 'He said "It begins". Then he brought up that freaky thing about his lord or whatever. Is it possible he's in a yaio relationship...? That's so freaky, messed-up, whatever other adjectives, I so gotta stop thinking about it.'
Opening my eyes slowly, I was greeted by two big pairs of blue eyes hovering over me. "KYAAAAHHHH!" I was suddenly ten feet away from the owner of the eyes, my heart pounding. I usually have pretty good instincts if someone is that close to me.
The owner of the eyes was a woman who looked to be in her early twenties or so, but her eyes made her look child-like. She had tanned skin and long chestnut hair. I felt sort of plain next to her, but pushed those feelings away. It was much more important to find out why I was in the middle of a clearing, when I was walking with my sister through the park on our way to school on a seemingly normal day. I should of stayed on bed. Who cares if I was wet and cold.
"Excuse me, hi. I'm sorry for screaming and, um, where am I?" I'm polite when I want to be. I figured it would be a bad idea to freak her out in case she ran away or pulled out a weapon or something. Or that... big silver stag over there charges because it picked up negative vibes.
She giggled. "Currently, your body is on Earth, Japan, Niigata, in Sakura Park. Your spirit, however, is here on Olympus in Artemis' private garden." The nicest girl's are always the ones on drugs, aren't they?
"You are on an acid trip, aren't you. One, the only possible way for my spirit and body to be seperated is if I was dead. Then I would be headed towards the Spirit World. Or Hell. Or whatever. Two, Mount Olympus is for the gods. No mortal is allowed to go there."
"You mean, come here." Said a voice behind me. "Sadi, didn't I tell you to explain things a little better? Really, she's probably just more confused now." The woman looked like a model. She had green hair pulled up in a high ponytail and a white headband with blue and green designs on it. She was wearing a really short dress, indecent really. Then a picture from my Greek Mythology class popped up. 'She's wearing a tunic. A deerskin tunic. She must be a really big fan of Artemis to dress like her. She even carries a longbow like her.' The bow was as tall as the woman and looked heavy, but she carried it with the ease of someone who had practiced a long time. 'Like thousands of years... Stop it! Your probably stressed out by whatever happened who knows how long ago. I'm dreaming or hallucinating. Yeah, that's probably some transvestite and I conked my head so now he looks like a woman.'
"And who are you?" She smiled.
"I am Artemis, goddess of the moon and the hunt. You are in my private garden on Olympus." She looked at me like she half suspected I would fall on my knees and worship her. Nutjob. The only nutjob I'd ever bow down to would be myself. "Yeah, okay. Your on an acid trip, too. Look, don't know where I am but I want answers and I want them now!" She just smiled again, like she knew that would be my reaction. That was so pissing me off.
"Come with me and I will show you I'm not lying." While she made it seem like a request, there was an undertone of a command that she expected obeyed. Even if I don't like to be commanded about, I obeyed anyway. She led me to a pond and muttered something. The pond surface shimmered, then was replaced by a reflection of my body. Lying in the park with Ryoko shaking me. So I said the only intelligble thing I could decipher from my thoughts. "What the hell?"
"Right now, I have seperated your soul from your body so you could come here. I would of brought your body, but you had passed out, and due to my...punishment...I'm not allowed on Earth for a little while."
"But if my soul is seperate from my body, doesn't that mean I'm dead! I can't be dead! I need to take care of Ryoko, I'm the only family she's got!"
"Relax. There is a strand of your spirit that currently links your soul to your body, so it will only seem you are in a coma. I'll return you when I'm done explaining. Please, sit." That was probably all I could do in my current state. "You are able to be on Olympus because you are a spirit, and that is all gods are here. Only when they go to Earth can they maintain a solid body."
"Or else Zeus wouldn't of been able to be such a player." She briefly smiled at my choice of words.
"I'll admit, Father is somewhat active on Earth. But that hasn't been for a long time. There were already too many demi-gods and such, so the gods were forbidden to mate with humans. But enough of that, I should tell you why you are here. Things on Earth are not perfect, as you may very well see. But in some instances, there are things that must be fixed. Emotional problems, demons breaking through the barrier, humans making deals with demons, that sort of thing."
"Demons exist?"
"Yes. They can look human either because they have enough spirit energy, or there are some who use illusions. But those with a powerful sixth sense or high spirit energy can see past weak illusions."
"So that guy I saw in the park, he was a demon? That horn thing freaked me out." Artemis looked at me sharply.
"What did this demon look like," she demanded.
"Greasy blond hair, yellowing teeth, pockmarks, long and pointy nose, horns on his head, looked like he was around his thirties or so. From the look on your face, you either know him or you're purposefully trying to make your face as screwed up as possible."
"I had to get a mouthy one," she muttered. If she thought I was mouthy now... "I know him alright. His name is Gemini. My uncle, Hades, used to deal with his master, Lord Aki. I hope you never have to meet him."
"I'll remember that."
"I'm serious. If you ever see him again, tell me immediatly."
"I'm going to be doing this often? Gee, I must be the luckiest girl in Japan. How about tea next week?" She smiled at my sarcasm.
"I won't call you here again unless it's extremely urgent, because you will be reporting to me. You're my new assistant." My jaw dropped open. "Every thousand years or so, Hera makes me get an assistant. Something about trying to make me more of a people person, or needing to do it. I usually don't listen, I'm thinking about my next hunt instead. It's your job to take care of any special assignments I give you. Think of it as a way to socialize. You don't do that very much, you know."
"Yeah, but if you need to be more of a people person, shouldn't you be doing all the emotional problem cases?"
"I handle the ones in different countries. I can't have my assistant running all over the world, can I? Your internal clock would soon hinder your abilities."
"Yes, but still... Ryoko needs me around. I'm her only family. And I do have my jobs I need to go to, for rent money and food and stuff. How can I juggle another job, that might come up at any time!"
"Don't worry about it. But I must tell you, I need to transfer you to Tokyo. Something big is going to happen, and I need you there when the turning point arises."
"The turning point?"
"The event that will change things in the four realms. Whatever that is, you must be there to make sure Aki will not use this to shape things to his design." I was quiet as I absorbed this. Up until this morning, the biggest things I had to worry about were Ryoko, school, and work. Now it was my job to save the world? The four realms?
"What are the four realms?"
"Ningenkai, where humans reside. Makai, the demons realm. Reikai, where spirits go after there body has perished, also the location of Hades domain. And Olympus, the realm of the ancient gods. There are other gods, though, who do not live here. You will learn of them eventually, but now I need to start your training." I did not like the sound of this.
"Training? This isn't going to be some evil boot camp, is it?" She just smiled. "I have to take care of Ryoko, you know! I can't just go around, doing whatever!"
"Sadi." The girl stepped forward. "Go get Ryoko Aoyama and Lenne Aoyama's body, and bring them to my training grounds." She turned to me, a dismissal for Sadi. "You are a good street fighter, but we're going to refine and fine-tune that. We need to work on your spiritual awareness, raising the level of it, and you need work on controlling it so it doesn't go out of control with your emotions. Your training will start once I put you back in your body. Normally, we'd have to give you a life energy transfer to reconnect your soul and body. But since your soul is still linked to your physical form, it's a simple matter. Don't worry." The scenery started melting together and swirling over to the right. As it unmelted, I could make out a small temple.
"Don't ever do that again. I feel like I'm going to be sick!" I knelt on the ground, taking deep breaths to calm my somersaulting stomach.
"It was the quickest way to get her," she said with an innocent face.
"Innocent as a murderer pointing a loaded gun at someone they despise!"
"That's silly! I have a longbow, I hate guns, and I don't despise you."
"I can fix that if you want." Artemis suddenly started laughing. "I knew it, you're on crack."
"I'm sorry!" She gasped, trying to control her outburst. "I just haven't been able to talk to anyone but my brother and Hermes like this. We're going to get along just fine. Remind me to introduce you to them."
"Okay, remember that you need to introduce them to me." Sadi appeared holding my body and Ryoko. As soon as my sister regained her balance, she ran up to me.
"Nee-chan! I was so scared when you collapsed like that! Then the hospital workers came and said you were in a coma, and I was afraid you'd never wake up!" She was close to tears. I wished I could of hugged her, but my arms would probably pass through her, making her feel worse that I couldn't touch her.
"It's okay, Ryoko. Just let all your fears and worries out with your tears." It was something I always said to her when she was scared. She said crying helped her feel better and more clearheaded. "Remember that promise I made you when Mom died? That I'd always take care of you, no matter what. And I'll be damned if I'm going to let something simple like being seperated from my body stop me from keeping it." She grinned. "But things are going to get more complicated after this, so you have to be ready, okay?"
"If it's something you have to do, you have to do it." I love having her for a sister. She can be more mature than me at times.
"Well Artemis, lets get started. The sooner I get my body back, the sooner I can start taking care of Ryoko and start these missions."
"Alright, go kneel next to your body. The link between your body and you needs to be reconnected. Concentrate until you can see it the line. It should be glowing with your spirit energy." I looked until I finally noticed a silvery blue strand coming from 'my' mouth, which still freaked me out, and went to my mouth.
"That's strange, I never noticed it except for a little tingle."
"That's okay, you still need training to sense it easily. So, we need a mouth connection."
"Which consists of what, pray tell."
"Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation."
"WHAT THE HELL! I have to kiss myself! Do you realize how wrong that is on so many levels?" Her mouth was quivering, obviously wanting to laugh at me. "I think you're enjoying torturing me like this. That's so cold."
"I'm sorry, but that's how to reconnect your soul. Just a small kiss on the lips, perhaps only five seconds, tops."
"Only, you say. Only five seconds, tops. I swear, once I have my body, I am going to kick your ass." Blocking all the objections my mind came up with about how wrong this was, I leaned over and gave 'me' a light kiss. When I opened my eyes, I was staring up at a pair of gray and purple eyes. "Kyaaaaahhhhhhh!" Ryoko blinked. "Don't scare me like that ever again. I thought something went wrong for a second."
"Sorry, nee-chan." She spoke with an innocent tone, but her grin gave her away. Ooh, I so wanted to get her back for that. But... I would've done the exact same thing if the situation was reversed.
Artemis grinned openly. "It's time to train! Aren't you so lucky, only a select few train with me. Don't worry, be happy!"
"Did you know you're acting more and more childish?"
"Only because you're here, my little assistant. Come, the training awaits!"
"Joy. I am so happy. Who wouldn't love the oppurtunity to train with someone who forces you to kiss yourself? I'm skipping like a little schoolgirl."
"When I'm done with you, you should be glad if you can skip even a week after."
4 months later ----
"Haru!" Momiji yelled, drawing the white-haired boys attention. "Come on, come on! I heard there's a new student!"
"Doesn't Tohru-san usually greet new students?"
"Ja, but Tohru doesn't know about the new student, and she's in our class, so we should greet her!"
"Class, settle down, settle down. We have a new student joining us in our expedition to learn more, reach higher, and better ourselves!" Higurashi-sensei was always eager to teach. She looked to the door. "She should be here any second." There was a rumbling noise from the hallways, then the door was thrown open and a figure came to an abrupt halt with its back to Higurashi-sensei. She was attractive, with long black hair, and a slightly muscular figure. They couldn't really tell from their distance, but one eye looked to be a lighter color than the other.
"Sweet, I'm not late! I got here before the teacher."
"Think again, Aoyama-san." The girl meeped as she looked back at the teacher. "I will forgive it just this once because it's your first day. But if you don't stop this habit of being late, I might have to report this to your 'big sister'." The girl paled.
"But it wasn't my fault! I'm sure I could give you a perfectly believable excuse I haven't used before. It shall be perfectly believable. Shouldn't it be perfect?" Higurashi-sensei shook her head.
"Just introduce yourself."
"Righto, O Mighty Sensei Higurashi. We all bow down to your superiority. My name is Aoyama Lenne. I come bringing ill tidings, the screams of the doomed, and the will of making you all suffer. I hope we can be friends!" She told them with a polite bow. The class sweatdropped. She was certainly...interesting.
"Sit down next to Sohma Momiji-kun." The hyper-active rabbit was bouncing in his chair and waving his arms. Lenne grinned and skipped down the aisle. "And Lenne-san...please don't break another one of my windows this time."
"I'm innocent! I would never even think of doing such a horrendous crime. Your accusations wound me!" She had a mock-hurt look on her face.
"Of all the people, why did she heve to be in my class." Higurashi-sensei muttered. The class looked to the innocent looking Lenne, and knew this year would certainly be interesting.
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AN: So, like it? Hate it? WTF, man? I want reviews, dammit!
I don't use Japanese terms that much, because I haven't learned that much. If I misuse something, please tell me. Praise to whoever guesses where Higurashi is from.
And if you didn't notice, I'm not good at fight scenes. I'll try to get better, but I can't promise any masterpieces.
And about the all caps divider thing? All my extra spaces and dashes have been dissapering. I'm trying to solve this mystery, but this was all I could come up with.