Disclaimer- I do not and will never own Shinzo or it's characters. The only ones I have a claim to are Ravinder, Keon, Asteria, Lorelei, Amara, Hanai, Jamila, Amira and Karayan, Solita and Nigritia (though the last 3 havent appeared yet).
Comments- Contains no pairings as of yet, slight swearing in the later part. R&R please! Flames and constructive criticism welcome. It's my first fic so please realize I have no clue what I'm doing.
Mushra was gazing out over the desolate tract that once was a thriving metropolis, filled with humans and Enterrans living together in relative harmony. All that had changed with the arrival of an even more powerful force, one that could have squashed Lanancuras with one finger. The buildings before him were utterly destroyed, buried in feet of sand, windows gaping like a mouth ready to scream but silenced at the last second. Even more dreadful was the mangled bodies strewn around like broken toys. Their eyes stared at him blankly, almost as if they were pleading for him to restore their souls. Mixed among them were tattered, and sometimes whole, Enterran cards. Not a creature in this place had survived, giving the city an almost menacing aura, one that warned travelers to stay away or die like the citizens of the once-city.
Mushra's gaze flickered to the West, always to the West his timeless journey continued, and so it would continue until he had fulfilled his promise made centuries ago, a promise that could finally be kept. His head snapped up, his enemy's minions knew he was here, and they were coming. Unknown to Mushra, a small girl with tangled, chocolaty brown hair and mournful emerald eyes had been watching him the entire time.
"Run Binka, run!" Sago shouted, "They're right behind us!"
"I'm going, I'm going!" She shouted angrily back. That anger gave her the boost she needed and ran faster than ever, the things that had been chasing them beginning to catch up after nearly an hour of flight. She crashed through bushes and low-hanging branches, the twigs reaching out like fingers trying to hold her back. Desperately Binka pushed them aside, feeling a growing pit of fear rising to engulf her. She had no clue what these things were after, knowing instinctively that they were not Enterrans, humans or Cadrians. Probably more of Lanancuras's lackeys, she thought. Still she kept running. Ahead was a break in the trees, a perfect place for a fight. "Sago!" she shouted. The Enterran looked ahead, and, seeing the break, grinned.
"Perfect, okay get ready!" he yelled. "Kutal where are you, we're going to need your help!"
"I'm right here." Kutal's voice drifted to them from ahead.
"Perfect. Do you think you could have told us that sooner?!" Sago screeched heatedly.
"You would have gotten mad at me, I'm sure of it." Kutal retorted.
"Now is not the time you two!" Binka gasped, reaching for her bazooka and watching in pleasure as Sago and Kutal's faces visibly paled. "I'm not going to shoot you, at least not if you keep quiet." She snapped. The companions took up their paces and readied themselves for the assault they knew was moments behind them.
The creatures burst from the trees, short swords going into overdrive. Larger ones came second, monstrous creatures that towered over the trees themselves, wielding massive triple-ball and spiked-ball maces. The fight began, Binka's bazooka taking out one of the smaller creatures, while Kutal and Sago Hyper formed to work on the big guys. Sago's water attacks were defeated with little difficulty and Kutal's earth attacks fared no better.
"This isn't good." Sago said as he dropped back to help Binka.
"You said it." Kutal muttered as he too came to stand with Binka.
"Well what do we do now?" Binka asked.
"We run." Sago answered. Turning he darted away from the things a few steps than stopped. "Well, we won't be going that way." He commented dryly. Apparently Kutal's attacks had cut away the earth, leaving the companions stranded on a very small piece of cliff.
"Now what?" Binka asked tensely, "We're cornered, outnumbered, and outfought."
"Now you negotiate." A new voice answered, coming to stand in front of the army of hideous creatures she commanded. She looked very much like a human, with short blue hair and brilliant purple eyes. An air of commanding and superiority wafted from her, as cruel and confident as Lanancuras had been, maybe even more so. Well, whatever her looks she must be very powerful to direct such an army.
"What do you want? Who are you and where's your master?" Binka asked cautiously.
"Why me?" she looked surprised by the question. "Apparently that brat Mushra has not told you. Where is he?" her eyes scanned the group for the short Enterran. "Why he's not here. Pity, my master would have been saved the energy of looking for him."
"Who's your master and what are you?" Binka repeated her questions.
"Me? I am Amara, General of the pathetic army you see before you."
"What are they?" Sago asked gesturing to the army behind Amara.
"Why they are your fellows I believe, Enterrans and humans whose souls have been taken, leaving their bodies as puppets under my master's control." Binka looked in horror at the one casualty and, sure enough, a card lay on the ground.
"Who's your master? And answer it this time." Kutal warned, not able to keep all of the revulsion he was feeling from showing.
"You have asked, now it is my turn. Such are the nature of negotiations." Amara spat. "Where is the brat?"
"Mushra? We don't know." Binka replied honestly. "Why do you want him?"
"That I cannot say. However, the name of my master is Lorelei, hear her name and tremble in fear, weak Enterrans and humans." She waved a hand neglectantly. "You have no useful information." She turned to her troops, "Kill them and bring me the jewels."
"Get ready, here they come." Sago muttered. The troops dashed forward, so intent on their targets that they did not notice the small figures until it was too late. With a great swipe of staff and swords, the intruders broke into the troops' ranks, causing them to recoil in absolute terror. With a speed that defied the eye, the figures cut through the ranks of the smaller beings, coming to a rest before the companions.
"Are you okay?" the leader of the group asked Binka, not bothering to turn around and see for himself. She nodded in mute astonishment. Before her were five Celestial Guardians.
"What are you doing here? I thought Guardians were not allowed to interfere in our affairs." Binka stammered, relief flooding her.
"Just stay right there, we'll take care of everything." The Guardian answered and he leaped back into the fray. In a matter of minutes Amara's troops were in full retreat, Amara herself cursing at her retreating army, all the while realizing she couldn't possibly win against five Guardians all by herself. So it was with greatest satisfaction that Binka watched her disappear into the forest in pursuit of her wayward troops.
"You may have won this battle, but the war has just begun. One from which you will not escape unharmed." She spat back maliciously.
"We'll just have to see about that." The lead Guardian rejoined to Amara's fading back. He turned to the stunned companions and smiled genially. "Before you ask, my name's Ravinder." He had blond hair with reddish streaks in it and deep red eyes. He pointed to another Guardian with long hair that looked like a patch of star-studded sky and sky-blue eyes. "That's Asteria." She nodded to them in greeting.
"I'm Keon." Another greeted with mousy brown hair and violet eyes. "And I must say you've got a rather lovely planet." he continued.
"Don't listen to him, he's always been a strange one. My name's Hanai." the girl acknowledged them. She had green hair like a clover with gleaming golden highlights and affectionate eyes the same color as her hair. The last Guardian introduced herself as Jamila. She had pure black hair and golden eyes that shined like the sun.
"Why don't you tell us what's going on?" Binka inquired as soon as the greetings had ended. The Guardians exchanged looks among themselves, not sure how much to tell them.
"Well, as you know a new force has replaced Lanancuras as the ultimate evil. Unfortunately she's way more powerful that Lanancuras, which is why we were sent to help you. We're also here to make sure that, at no cost, Lorelei captures Mushra. If that happens we're doomed, Guardians, humans and Enterrans alike."
"Why Mushra?" Kutal asked. The Guardians shared another look.
"If we're going to have a team here, we need to know everything, so please tell us." Binka pleaded. Ravinder took a deep breath before continuing.
"Lorelei is a former Guardian, just as Lanancuras was, but years ago she forged a crown from the souls of the people on her own planet. This crown gives her more power than all the Guardians combined. But Mushra's the only one who can possibly stop her. Why Mushra? I have no idea, but we're going to need help to find him because, for some reason, we can't. Apparently neither can Lorelei, which is a stroke of good luck."
"So why do you need us?" Sago wondered.
"Because you are his friends, and he needs you to help him."
"What he really needs is Yakumo, not us." Sago muttered sourly. Keon looked surprised by this comment.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked quietly. "You, his best friend, believe that you are worthless in Mushra's eyes? He deserves better friends than you." Keon stood and stormed from the clearing, Jamila's eyes following him.
"You wouldn't understand." She told Sago softly, reading the expression on Sago's face. He blushed, than tried to retort, but Jamila cut him off.
"How much do you know about Mushra?" she asked him seriously.
"Well, not much really. He never talked about his past much, only saying that he couldn't remember a lot."
"Mushra was an outcast to the other Guardians. They disliked him for his temper and the fact that he was always right, sometimes uncannily so. Even more they hated him for his power, fearing him. We," she glanced at Asteria and Ravinder before continuing, "were his only friends, even his family refused to speak to him. That is, before he gave up his immortality to seal Lanancuras in the meteor. He lost all his memory in the process. Keon was Mushra's best friend when he was a Guardian. He was the one who felt Mushra's departure the most. Losing your best friend is not easy, but then again, you don't know what it feels like." She stood abruptly and departed in the direction Keon had gone. Sago, suitably shamed, was quiet for a long moment before standing to prepare dinner. Kutal went to help, being the official cook as it were. Later that night, Sago sought out Keon.
"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"That is no excuse."
"I know. But you aren't the only one who lost him. When he flew away with Lanancuras….I lost him then and I'll be damned if I lose him again!" Keon's gaze flickered to Sago with newfound respect and mutual understanding.
"Than let's go get him! When I get my hands on that little shrimp…"
"I wouldn't suggest calling him that. He gets very angry." Sago advised.
"I guess you're right, calling him small is not conductive to a long life." Keon chuckled.
"Well aren't you two getting along." Hanai laughed merrily from behind them. Both jumped at the sudden sound, unconsciously slipping into a fighting stance. "Now, now you two. I don't want to hurt you so why don't you back down?" she laughed even harder as Sago and Keon backed down almost instantly.
"Beware," Keon warned Sago dryly, "she's much fiercer than she looks." Poor Hanai was almost howling with delight, she was laughing so hard.
After taking a few minutes to calm down she said, "Shouldn't you be in bed? We have a long day tomorrow and a very special person to pick up on the way." With that she turned and scampered back to camp before Sago could ask any questions.
The next day they set out, the Guardians flying low to the ground with the others on their respective hover vehicles. The scenery didn't change, they still traveled through the forest but by midday the trees had thinned considerably and the small group found themselves on the edge of a large lake. On the opposite side was a tiny cottage with smoke wafting from its stone chimney.
"Looks like someone's home." Asteria commented. "Shall we go and see who it is?" She jumped into the air, doing a complete spin before heading out across the water.
"Excuse me, but what does this have to do with finding Mushra?" Binka asked Jamila, the two were the only ones not moving.
"You'll see, and believe me, she's the key to the whole puzzle." And with that she started after the others, Binka following close behind. The somewhat confused companions entered the cottage, to find a young woman sitting at a small table sipping tea.
"Yakumo!" Binka exclaimed, running over to hug her dear friend. Sago and Kutal could only stand in the doorway in sheer amazement, but that moment passed and they ran over to see her.
"I told you that there was a special person we had to pick up." Hanai said playfully.
"Well that's all nice and good, but right now we have amore pressing matter on hand." Asteria remarked stormily. Ravinder
"First I think you two need to tell us why you need to find Mushra so badly." Kutal overrode Ravinder's comment, "And don't tell me all about how we need him to save the world. It's more personal than that." Ravinder looked down and studied the floor intently.
"Well, as we didn't tell you Asteria's my sister." This brought a collective gasp from the assembled group.
"And you didn't think this was important enough to tell us?!" Sago exclaimed angrily.
"You should wait to hear the whole story before you judge us." Asteria said frostily. That shut Sago up real quickly.
"Well we used to have another brother. We didn't like him at all so we refused to speak to him and when he was gone, we realized how much we really missed his irrational temper and sly tricks." Ravinder continued, not able to meet his companions' eyes.
"What was your brother's name, Asteria?" Binka asked, seeing as Ravinder was not able to continue. Than Asteria said the one word that shocked all her human companions, since the other Guardians already knew.
"Mushra." She stated simply, looking at Sago's increasingly reddening face. "We've come to make amends for the treatment we gave him. Not that he remembers anything anyway, after he hit that meteor I'll be surprised if he remembered his own name." There was absolute silence following her blunt observation.
"Well this bickering won't solve anything. I suggest we start on our way." Yakumo, ever the diplomat, said in a firm voice. And with that unyielding proposal they all filed out of the house and began a long week of ineffective searching.
Mushra had been traveling for a week at least, watching eyes following his every move. Finally growing weary of the constant sensation of being stared at, he decided to do something about it.
"Alright, come out of hiding and show yourself!" he called in annoyance. Solemnly a small girl, no more seven years old, came from the sand dune to his left. She had on a tattered white robe, now stained a grayish white, and had tangled chocolate brown hair. Her green eyes were filled with the sorrow and pain of countless centuries and now they gazed at him in something akin to sympathy. "Don't give me that look!" Mushra yelled angrily, half expecting the girl to run in fear, but all she did was stand there with that strange look in her eyes. Seeing as this was not getting him anywhere, Mushra tried a new tactic. "So what's your name?" he asked. Still the girl did not stir. Growing weary of the non-existent conversation he said, "Look kid, I'm going now. See ya' latter."
"You don't want to do that Mushra." The girl spoke, calmly watching him scamper onto his hover disk. That statement made him stop abruptly, almost throwing from his perch.
"How do I know you?"
"I have been with you from the beginning, you just didn't notice me."
"Do you have something I can call you?"
"Some have called me the Specter of the Crown, but it is my master that ultimately names me."
"Okay, I have no clue what you just said. Who is your master?"
"I cannot say, it will call attention to my actions." The girl was fairly quaking in fear, her emerald eyes wide with alarm and a terrible knowledge that she would have to tell him eventually. "She does not know, and if I am caught it could be the end of this world." Mushra, by now utterly lost, was watching her in apprehension, wondering what could be so powerful to destroy the entire planet.
"Let's start simple, what's my name?"
"Mushra, you must remember. The fate of a thousand souls rests on your shoulders." The girl was practically bursting into tears. Mushra threw up his hands in exasperation.
"Do you think I'm not trying? My memory consists of the events of this week in which I have learned; my name, the planet name, the names of the two dominant species, that I shouldn't be here and I have to remember everything because the fate of souls are resting on my shoulders, the bulk of which I found out in the last few minutes! Be a little more specific, what do I have to remember?"
The girl listened to his tirade and had said nothing, when he was finally done she replied with a sentence of her own, "Shinzo and I are one and the same."
"Now what the heck is Shinzo?"
"Shinzo is different for every person. For one it could be a distant galaxy, for another the home across the street."
"That's not much of an answer." Mushra grumbled. "So what are you doing here?"
"I am here to help you on your journey as much as possible."
"What journey?"
"To Shinzo."
"Perfect. You give me a vague answer and expect me to get it in a second, go there and save the world apparently! Great, just perfect!" Mushra whirled around.
"Mushra, I must go. I have stayed too long as it is."
"Hey wait, will you come back?"
"Yes, as often as you need me." And with that, she simply faded away.
Damn ghost. I wonder what I should call her? he wondered absently as he started on his way.
"Man, we've got nothing! It's been a week, do you think that jerk could at least have sent a message or left a trail!" Asteria was by now extraordinarily vexed and she was ahead of the group, ranting and raving to no one in particular.
"She knows that he probably has no clue we exist doesn't she?" Kutal asked seriously.
Ravinder laughed. "It's her way of expressing concern. Not very affectionate, is it?" Kutal shook his head in wonder.
"It amazes me how similar she is to Mushra." He confessed. Ravinder looked at his sister shrewdly.
"I never really noticed, now that you mention it." He mused thoughtfully. Kutal flickered a perturbed gaze at him.
"Your little brother has been waiting for you. Maybe it's not too late, eh?"
"You are sensible, my big yellow friend." Ravinder replied in his most philosophical voice. His face softened. "Maybe not. We shall see." And with that he flew to the head of the column to try and calm his wayward sister down.
In the meantime Yakumo and Hanai were having a friendly discussion on the importance of luck in life, with occasional comments from Jamila, but mostly the dark-haired Guardian stayed close to Binka. The two had formed a fast friendship, never really letting the other from her sight, while Keon and Sago were talking near the head of the line. That left Kutal alone in the back, and it was at times like these he missed the kittens and Mushra most of all. Thus he was the only one who noticed the sensation of eyes on them.
"Guys, we have company." Kutal said as he brought his hovercraft to a halt. "Whose there?" A small girl crept from the bushes, no more than seven human years. She had ageless emerald eyes and tangled chocolate brown hair. "Who are you, my dear?" Kutal asked in his gentlest voice, afraid of scaring the child. The kid however, just stared up at him calmly.
"I need to speak to you. All of you." She demanded.
"Why?" Sago asked. The girl glared at him.
"I do not have time for meaningless questions." She snapped. "The one you are seeking is looking for his memories and you are going the wrong way." She pointed West. "Go always to the West, and if you are deemed worthy, you may find him. The road is long, are you sure this is what you want? Because once you start you can never go back."
The girl had taken them all by surprise, and it was Asteria who inquired first, "How do we know we can trust you?" But the girl had not finished speaking and she ignored Asteria's useless inquiry.
"The truth of Shinzo is at the end." She whispered, eyes roving until they locked upon Yakumo. The human girl gazed at the small girl in calm astonishment.
"What is your name?"
"My master names me. Some however, call me the Specter of the Crown." At her last comment, the Guardians gasped. "Go to the desert, Yakumo. He does not have much time."
"Wait 'much time'? Do you mean he's going to die again?" The girl glanced at Yakumo sadly.
"The truth will set him free, but I cannot guarantee that truth to be a happy one. However you will be pleased to know that Mushra is in procession of the Crown. My master calls for me, I must go. Take care and believe in the unseen." With that the Specter turned and dashed into the forest, her body fading little by little as she went.
"So, do you know anything about the Specter?" Yakumo asked that night around the fire.
"She's very powerful, but can only operate within the limits set by her master. So either Lorelei wants us to know where Mushra is so she can follow us to him, or the Specter has a new master." Ravinder explained.
"And that's bad?" Sago questioned slowly.
"Well, the Master of the Crown can do pretty much what he or she wants. The limits are that as soon as you die you become a wandering soul in the Crown. Since the Crown was forged on Lorelei's home planet, we can safely assume that the people there are trapped in the Crown, because the power of the artifact comes from the souls of the people in the Crown itself." Keon said.
"As soon as the souls are released, it is said that the universe begins a new era of peace and prosperity. The problem is that as soon as anyone has touched and is not the Crown's master, they become trapped in the Crown. Lorelei has kept the Crown out of our reach for centuries, not allowing us to understand how to free the souls." Hanai clarified.
"If it is indeed true that Mushra now possess the Crown, that means he is the Master. He can free the souls, but first we need him to help defeat Lorelei. Even though she is weakened with the loss of the Crown, her power is still great. We must hurry." Asteria raged. "If the Crown or the Master falls to Lorelei, we have lost." With that dire consequence hovering over their heads, the companions fell asleep.