Author's Rant
Lady A: And so it begins. Here is Chapter 1: Mirror, Mirror. Now if you didn't read Chapter 1: Duplicity for The Legend of Nightwish then go read it now. The events of this chapter incorporates the ending of that chapter, so off you go. Now if you have read Duplicity then continue on to Mirror, Mirror.
Artimes: You're still evil.
Night: Indeed.
Lady A: Will you two give it a rest?
Artimes and Night: No.
Lady A: *scowls at both of them* Onto Chapter 1 of Omega Stigma.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or The Legend of the Legendary Heroes. That is still a mouthful.
Chapter One: Mirror, Mirror
"Get back here, you little brat!" An irate shop owner shouted chasing after the crimson haired Artimes.
If he thought she was going to slow down then he was sadly mistaken. She was not going to be yelled at for something that was clearly an accident.
"I said I was sorry and I'm not little!" She shouted back picking up speed as she raced away from the shopping district.
"You're going to pay for every last mirror you broke!" He yelled lagging behind a bit.
They had been running for a little over two hours and he had chased her all the way across the entire shopping district which was several miles long. She wasn't particularly tired, but she was tired of the moron yelling at her. She thanked whatever Kami who had their ears on that she was so athletic. Anyone else trying to outrun this guy would have certainly given in and would have been captured by the idiotic shop keeper.
Artimes zigzagged around the few pedestrians that were on the outskirts of the shopping district and managed to duck into an alleyway without the jerk noticing. She dived behind a dumpster to avoid being seen as he ran past, still uttering profanities about her. Who knew shop owners knew such foul language? Some of things he said were rather colorful and most definitely not meant to be heard by the younger generation.
She waited for several minutes before breathing a sigh of relief. She stood, swept her braid back, and dusted off her clothes. She wore tight, dark blue jeans which accented her lean and powerful legs, a fitted, v neck white shirt that hugged her curves, a crimson leather jacket that by some miracle did not clash with her exotic hair coloring, and a set of black boots giving her an extra two inches to her dismal five foot, three and half inches of height.
"Stupid jerk, he shouldn't stack mirrors like that. It wasn't my fault that him bumping into a single mirror would cause all seventeen to collide like dominos and shatter to hell. He wasn't asking for trouble, he was demanding it." She complained walking further into the alleyway.
She picked up what appeared to be a crowbar from the ground and flipped it lazily with her right hand.
"I am never going out into the city on Friday the Thirteenth ever again. It takes way too much energy to tango with Lady Luck. My life freaking stinks!" She whined holding onto the crowbar like it was a weapon.
Her shoulders slumped and her royal blue eyes filled with sadness and loneliness. She wasn't far off from the truth with that last statement. Her entire past was just one long string of bad luck; abandoned by her birth parents at four, her foster family treating her like a punching bag and living test subject for ten years, feared and shunned by all who lay eyes on her, the constant nagging feeling like she was out of step with the rest of the world, and always, always alone.
Artimes was never accepted or welcomed by anyone. Not a single person cared if she lived or died and yet she cared for them, all of them. She just wanted someplace to belong to, for someone to need and want her. Was it really too much to ask for just a single friend? She wasn't a greedy person and she wasn't selfish either. All she needed was just one person to her acknowledge her existence, to care for her, to love her and she would be the happiest person in the world.
For twenty four years, not one person had showed her any true compassion. She often wondered what the hell she was doing. Her life was bland, ordinary, and the epitome of normalcy. She often thought about just letting it all slip away, to curl up in a ball and just die, but she was far too stubborn for such a ridiculous notion. She couldn't just give up. It was against her nature to do so and if she ever truly wanted to die then it would on her terms and no one else's.
Now normally, Artimes was a very keen observer and was usually aware of her surroundings, but she was so deep into her introspection that she didn't pay attention to where her feet were taking her. Reality came crashing in and her senses turned outward as she was flung with incredible force off her feet and into a nearby wall. She gasped for breath as a sharp pain in her upper right leg made itself known, giving her the clarity she needed.
'What the hell?!' She thought as she took in the appearance of her attackers.
Standing before were seven…men? Could they even be considered men? They had claws, fangs, greenish scales for skin, and inhuman, almost reptilian yellow eyes. She had absolutely no idea what they were, but she wasn't about to stick around to ask for clarification. Did she look suicidal? She bolted away from them, ignoring the hot sticky fluid that soaked through her jeans from her injured leg, and ran down another alleyway. She needed to get away and fast. Only she decided who had the privilege of taking her life and it certainly wasn't these jokers.
"Get back here, little human!" One of them yelled as they ran after her.
Human? What the hell? If they weren't human then what the hell were they, fucking demons or some other stupid shit like that?
"I am not little!" She yelled in outrage, throwing the crowbar she had somehow held onto.
It embedded into the skull of the one closest to her and he fell to the ground dead. She turned and began running again. She feel guilty for killing him…it...whatever…later. She was, however, slightly annoyed that she didn't think about holding onto to her only offensive weapon rather than throwing it like an idiot. She increased speed and the pain in her leg intensified causing her vision to blur, but there was no way she was going to stop just to check her leg; that was the surest route to a quick demise.
Unfortunately, it seemed Lady Luck was still being a bitch to her and she was hit by some sort of light ball. It didn't do any real damage but it did send her to meet the ground fairly quickly. She turned over and backed up against the wall as they approached. Their eyes were glinting evilly and she knew her luck had just run out.
"Nowhere to run, human. We'll make you suffer for killing our brother; slowly, painfully. Go and ahead and scream. We want to hear you cry for mercy as we rip you apart." The one in front said.
Was this really how she was going to die? Murdered by freaks that grew up too close to a nuclear reactor? It was so stupid. Her entire body began to quiver in fear and she couldn't stop it. She was damn close to crying, but she wouldn't give them the pleasure of seeing her tears. There was nothing she could do. She was completely helpless.
'Help me…please…I don't want to die.' She thought frantically, her heart crying out in terror and desperation.
Something deep within herself began to pulse and her eyes widened a fraction. The pulsing grew stronger and before the moment was through, it was joined by another pulsing, resonating with her own.
'There is another.' A voice drifted through her mind.
The voice sounded like hers, but it was different somehow; colder, harder, but tinged in loneliness, a loneliness that felt like her own. Instinctually, she reached out to this mysterious person, her heart pleading for help. The pulsing grew even stronger as her soon-to-be executioners began to inch forward slowly. She pressed herself firmly against the wall behind her in a vain attempt to distance herself. Her soul pulsed once more and it was so strong that it temporarily blocked her fear and a sense of peace enveloped her.
Suddenly, a crimson haired woman landed in front of her. Where the hell did she come from? She just dropped out of the sky. The woman was wearing dark blue, fitted armor and there was a three and half foot sword strapped to her back. What was she…some sort of Amazon warrior or perhaps a modern day Xena? She looked to be as tall as she was though she had an extra inch on Artimes because of the boots she was wearing. Her crimson hair flowed freely down her back and seemed to shine with an almost ethereal light that couldn't possibly be accomplished through modern hair products.
Artimes watched in confusion, mild fascination, and a great deal of amazement as the woman raised her right hand and vaporized all six of her remaining attackers at once with a single blast of…energy…light…something. Whatever it was, she was silently thanking every Kami under the sun for being rescued from those weirdos.
The woman turned around and Artimes's mouth fell open in her surprise as her eyes widened to the size of saucers in shock. There, standing before her was…herself. With the exception of hair styles and clothing preferences notwithstanding, the woman was her exact duplicate. Fate had a twisted sense of humor. She breaks seventeen mirrors and she's confronted with her own reflection. What the hell was going on?
The woman knelt down and examined her leg, careful not to make it hurt any worse than it already did. Artimes simply stared, her mind trying to make rational sense of this situation. Finally her brain awoke from its stupor and she found her voice.
"This may sound like a dumb question, but why do you look like me?" Artimes asked dumbfounded.
When in doubt, seek answers directly from the source.
"I am uncertain, but I am not of this world but another." The woman answered looking up at her.
Okay, not the answer she was looking for. Wait, another, as in another world…like a parallel world? It would certainly explain their current situation, but was such a thing even possible? Stupid question, because she had a very real example of that very possibility.
"Like a parallel world?" Artimes asked seeking clarification in any form to support this outlandish hypothesis of hers.
The woman's eyes filled with confusion.
"I know not of what you speak." She answered.
Did all people talk like she did or was it just her? She sounded like she was from the sixteenth century or something.
"Think of it this way: you throw a stone into a pond, the ripples spread out becoming wider. The point of impact is the world you come from. The ripples are worlds that exist alongside your world. The farther the ripples go, the more different that world is from your own." Artimes explained trying to simplify spatial mechanics into an understandable form.
The woman frowned slightly. After a few moments, her face returned to its original impassiveness.
"I understand. What is your name?" The woman asked.
"Artimes Okuda. You?" She answered automatically.
Oh yes, just volunteer her name to a complete stranger who just disintegrated six creepy jerks intent on murdering her, but for some reason, she just couldn't seem to care about it.
"I am Nightwish." The woman answered.
Okay, very weird name. She had never heard someone called that before though she was certain that a band had that name if memory served her correctly, but still it was just plain weird.
"Can I call you Night?" Artimes asked.
"If that is what you wish. Where is your dwelling? I must tend to your injuries before they become infected." Night answered while gesturing to Artimes's right leg.
Artimes glanced down and noticed four distinct gashes running diagonally across her upper thigh like she had been attacked by a lion. She remembered that those things…creatures…jerks had claws on their hands. It must have happened when she was initially thrown into the wall.
"Um…I'm not certain. I got a bit turned around when those things were chasing me." She answered.
She had no clue what part of town she was in. Did she run towards the shopping district or away from it? She didn't have the foggiest clue on where her apartment building might be. She also had no idea how she was going to explain Night to her landlord or her injuries. She honestly didn't know what to do.
Night lifted Artimes into her arms effortlessly, making the confused woman go a little bug eyed. No one had ever gotten close enough to physically touch her before. They were too afraid, but Night seemed to be completely free from everyone else's fear. This feeling was warm and oddly peaceful.
Her peace was shattered when Night jumped towards the wall of a building, only to bounce off it and over to the opposite wall. This pattern continued until they had made it to the roof and were firmly situated on its surface. She stared at Night with a bewildered expression on her face.
"What troubles you, Artimes?" Night asked slightly confused.
Did she really just ask that? Was it normal for people to do such gravity defying spectacles where she comes from?
"You just leap frogged between two buildings while carrying someone, and made it look as easy as breathing." Artimes said slightly stunned.
She really hated stating the obvious, but for this strange woman, she would gladly do it no matter how irritating it was.
"Leap frogged?" Night echoed.
Was she serious? How could she not know such a simple expression? She had to admit that it was a more modern saying, but still, shouldn't common sense come into play at some point? She wracked her brain trying to come up with a simple explanation.
"Jump from place to place like a frog." Artimes explained trying to word it right.
She, personally, thought that was the worst explanation in the history of mankind, but after a moment, Night nodded in understanding. Artimes sighed inwardly.
"Can you see your dwelling from here?" Night asked readjusting her hold to avoid her injuries better.
Night had a funny way of talking. Artimes looked around and gathered her bearings. She was just outside the shopping district. She had apparently run towards civilization but was still half a mile from the outskirts. This location would explain why no one took notice of her little skirmish earlier. Most of the buildings near the shopping district were either empty or used for storage. It was obviously the perfect hunting ground for those things. It was a sparsely populated area with no type of video surveillance or traffic cameras, meaning no witnesses.
Artimes quickly located her apartment complex. It was a few miles away and it would take about thirty to forty minutes to walk there. She was fortunate that her building was the tallest one in the area, making it easily recognizable.
"Ah! There it is!" She informed pointing towards her building, "We can get into my place from the roof."
Well that was stupid. There was absolutely no point in telling Night about the roof entrance since they would be walking via the streets. Man, she felt really dumb at that moment.
"Very well. Please hold tight and refrain from screaming." Night ordered.
"What are you…?" Artimes started but words failed her once Night started running and jumping across rooftops.
For heaven's sake, this was insane. First her string of bad luck, then being chased into an alleyway, attacked by scaly, clawed freaks, then saved by her mirror image, and now leaping across buildings! When did her life become like a badly written fantasy novel?!
After what seemed like an eternity, they finally landed on the roof of her apartment complex. Artimes directed Night to the roof entrance and her savior carried her inside. Night carried her to her room and set her gently on the bed. She quickly tore open Artimes's blood soaked jeans to allow better access to her wounds. Well there went her favorite jeans.
Artimes studied the crimson haired warrior while her leg was being bandaged. Night seemed so foreign in this setting and probably knew next to nothing about how her world operates. Artimes quickly decided that she would teach Night about her world…like how not to get arrested for carrying an incredibly large sword in public. The red head also decided that she was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. No matter how odd she acts or how strangely she talks, Night was in her life now and Artimes wasn't about to let her go. Night wasn't afraid of her and didn't seem to mind being close to her. Right then and there, Artimes decided to protect Night no matter the cost, because she had a nagging feeling that this was only the beginning of the whacky roller coaster her life had turned into and she didn't want to lose her new friend.
Author's Rant
Lady A: There you have it. Chapter 1: Mirror, Mirror is complete. Be prepared for Chapter Two: Learning Curve which will be arriving soon.
Artimes: Yay! I finally have a friend!
Lady A: What am I…chopped liver?
Night: Why would you compare yourself to an internal organ that has been rendered useless?
Artimes: It's an expression, Night. She was being sarcastic.
Night: I do not understand your modern phrases, Artimes.
Artimes: I know, but don't worry. You'll get the hang of it soon enough, I promise.
Night: *smiles warmly at her charge* Very well. I will continue to be patient and learn more about your world.
Lady A: *is thoroughly annoyed at being annoyed by her characters* Ahem!
Artimes: Why don't I introduce you to something I call sweet snow!
Night: Sweet snow? Are you referring to ice cream?
Artimes: Bingo! There's this great place on 2nd Street that you'll just love.
Night: Then perhaps we should visit this establishment.
Artimes: My thoughts exactly. *takes Night's hand and leads her away*
Lady A: *sits on the floor in a dejected state*
Artimes: *drags Lady A along too* Come on, you're coming too. After all, you did a great job with the chapter.
Lady A: *perks up instantly and joins them for ice cream*