"You must be more of a genius than I thought because I can't understand any of this.", Yomi said, ruffling the pages of one of Chiyo's books.
"Yea, I don't get this at all.", Kagura agreed, scratching her head.
Chiyo heard none of these comments. She was engrossed in her own text, flipping the pages searching for any way to reverse what she had done. She gasped when she came across a formula that would return the user to his or her proper dimensional plane.
"What? Did you find something!?", Kaorin asked, rushing over to Chiyo.
"Sort of. Only problem is that Sakaki and Tomo would have to posess this formula to get back here."
"But you said...", Kagura began.
"I know!", shouted Chiyo. "I know I said we can't go in! I know we can't help!", Chiyo began to cry and slumped to the floor, defeated.
"It's ok, Chiyo. I'm sure if we keep looking we'll find a way.", Yomi said comfortingly.
"No... We've been through all my books...it's taken hours. This is really our only chance.", Chiyo answered, sniffling.
"Hey...didn't 'cha say that the math sends ya to a dimension based on the person?", Osaka asked.
Chiyo nodded, tears still falling.
"Well, what if we just think like Tomo and Sakaki do. Won't we end up where they are if we do?", suggested Osaka with a glazed expression.
In sublime terror and amazement everyone was quite speechless.
"That...might work...", Chiyo said.
"Osaka...why are you always smart when we need you to be?", Yomi exclaimed.
"I dunno...I just do a lotta thinkin'..."
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Tomo had lost count of how long she had been wandering towards the far off spires. The sun hadn't moved from the sky, but it had felt like hours since her trek began. The intense heat and lack of hydration caused images before her to blur together as if underwater.
'I need water badly!', she thought as she lumbered over the crest of a dune. To her dismay the vantage point didn't make the spires seem any closer.
Shuffling down the other side, her legs gave way and she fell onto the gritty ground cover. Sand sprayed into her hair and covered her clothing. The sand seemed to swirl moments before she blacked out.
"She's lucky..."
"Look at her eyes..and her skin. Must be from very far away."
Tomo's eyes slowly opened to find two amorphous blobs standing over her. The blobs focused as her eyes cleared into two men. Each wore a white head wrapping, not unlike the turbans she had seen on TV, and a long, loose white shirt with matching pants that billowed just above the ankles. They looked very much like native Arabians.
That portion was not so strange to her, what was odd was when the men spoke it was not in Japanese but Tomo could understand every word they said.
"Ah! You're awake.", the man on the left said.
"Holy crap!", Tomo exclaimed when she realized that she was lying on a bed woven from reeds covered by a thin woolen blanket inside a mudbrick building with two strange men.
She quickly got to her feet, but her head began to swim once more and she fell back onto the bed.
"Now, now. Just lay down and get some rest. We won't hurt you.", one of the men said in a soothing tone.
"Yes, we found you nearly on death's door! You have to still drink more.", the other man said, bringing a clay jug of water to her.
They watched as Tomo quickly downed the drink and followed that up with a needless, undignified belch.
"Thanks guys!", she said.
"You are welcome. But I would like to know...what is a foreigner like you doing so far out into the desert alone?", one asked.
"And a child at that.", the other chirped in.
"Hey! I'm not a child! I'm a young adult, thank you very much!", Tomo exclaimed, feeling much better.
"You should not be wandering the desert alone, no matter what your age!", the man countered.
"Who are you? My mom?", Tomo chided.
"We saved your life, girl! You ungrateful bitch!", the other man spat.
It hit Tomo right there. They HAD saved her gods forsaken LIFE. She should at least show a bit more thanks.
"Thank you...", she whispered.
The two men nodded.
"But I'm sure I could have done it myself anyhow!", she couldn't resist saying.
"Fiesty I see.", the one man said with a smile. "What is your name?"
"Tomo Takino...how about you?"
"I am Atta.", the man on the right said.
"I'm Cyrus.", the other man responded.
"Nice to meet ya!", Tomo said before looking around the room. The room was quite bare save for a few sleeping mats, clay jugs of food and water and a few ancient looking tools.
"Where is this?", she asked.
"Poor girl.", Cyrus shook his head. "Did you forget your destination?"
"Destination? I came here by accident!", Tomo gestured as she spoke.
"No one comes to Persepolis by accident.", Atta anwered.
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"I have an idea.", Chiyo proposed.
The others looked at her expectantly.
She tore a page from the book she was holding and handed it to Kaorin along with a blank sheet as well.
"I think we should split up. Kaorin-san and Kagura-san can look for Sakaki while Yomi-san and I can look for Tomo.", she said and walked up to Osaka.
"Osaka-san you have a very importnat job. You need to stay here and make sure this opening doesn't close until we're back ok?", Chiyo said to the spacey girl.
"Gotcha!", Osaka said with a salute.
They four other girls regarded the portal sullenly.
"So what do I do with this?", Kaorin asked, motioning to the paper Chiyo had handed her.
"When you find Sakaki simply copy that formula onto the other piece and it should send you all back here safe and sound.", Chiyo explained.
"Are we ready now?", Kagura asked.
"Yes, but please be careful! You never know where they might have ended up.", Chiyo answered.
"Ok! I'll make sure to save Sakaki!", Kaorin exclaimed.
"You mean 'we'll' right?", Kagura said, eyes narrowed.
"I guess we have to think like Sakaki, right?", Kaorin said.
"Yes, simply think about what she would think about and step in.", Chiyo answered.
'Think cool, Kaorin! Think cool!', Kaorin thought to herself. She filled her mind with images of Sakaki running and beating everyone in volleyball.
'Kick ass stuff! Cool and collected like Sakaki', thought Kagura who filled her mind with sports and flaming car crashes.
The girls nodded to one another, and with locked arms, stepped through the portal and quickly disappeared.
"Be careful.", Chiyo whispered, wringing her hands.
"Ok, Chiyo. Our turn.", Yomi said, staring intently at the wispy opening.
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"Emperor!", the armoured man said while kneeling before the silver throne. "We have brought the captive."
"Bring him foward.", the emperor commanded, his voice bored from the daily chore of asessing prisoners. His attention perked though when he saw the person being pushed to the front. One guard hit the black haired girl with the butt of his halberd which sent her sprawling before his throne. She kept her eyes facing the ground, which heavily annoyed the emperor.
"Look at me, girl!", he commanded.
The girl slowly lifted her face to meet his gaze with her deep blue eyes. The emperor was aghast, although outwardly he would not show it. He clenched his fingers and spoke.
"Send her back to the dungeons, I wish to interrogate her later."
As she was lead away he had time to contemplate the frescos that emblazoned the inner walls of his throne room. Images that show a woman with long black hair victorious over the Demmu.
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Jay: So how's it feel to be a hero?
Kaorin: When I find Sakaki...I'll save her! Not Kagura! (swoons)
Jay: Yes, the important word there is 'when'.
Kaorin: (cocks her pistol) and I WILL find her...RIGHT!?
Jay: Now, now. We'll see about that.
Extra points to anyone who knows where Tomo is!