Chapter Seven: Yggdrasil
Night fell and TJ still sat by the stone in Aoich's eerie silence. A small key on a key chain rested by him but he did not get his attention. The words of his ally were still fresh in his mind, but did not faze him in the slightest. "TJ, we'll be staying a while here in Aoich in the Bar over there." Amu had said placing a key beside him. "When you're ready to come in ,just use this key to unlock the door. The room is separate from ours just in case you preferred being alone." Though she smiled, the fact that she was worried was still very obvious. "Hope you feel better in the morning TJ. We'll meet in the lobby once we're all awake." She gently rubbed her arm with her other hand as she turned away. "Goodnight."
TJ shuffled slightly and looked up at the moon and thought. The chirping of the crickets and the sound of the riverbed swaying to and from filled the night air. He sighed quietly and shook his head again burying it in his arms as he muttered, "I don't remember any of it...that damn stone! I feel like I'm being mocked by these memories!" He sighed again. "What made me want to attack Trini? And who was that gunslinger in my memory? Why did he destroy that village...city...thing? What the hell does all of this have to do with me anyway? I'm not like them! I don't have wings or crazy powers! I'm just-I'm just..." He sighed again and muttered something inaudible into his sleeve.
In the midst of TJ's depression quiet footsteps echoed from the sound of the rooftops and fell silent as TJ stopped muttering. Within seconds, a pair of cloth shoes were pressed against TJ's face causing him to fall to the ground while the sound of his keys jingling slowly faded away from him.
"Who's there?" TJ shouted to the darkness jumping to his feet and rubbing his cheek.
Though it was difficult to see, a figure stood amidst the darkness and seemed to be reaching towards it's face. "Like a bolt from the blue, snatching things from you! Commoner, my name is Su!" A young female voice answered him.
"Enough with the rhymes! The hell do you want from me? Show yourself!"
The sound of light footsteps against the cobblestone path gave way to a young ninja emerging from the darkness. She was relatively short, wearing a green cloth ninja garb which was wide around the shoulders and tight around the wrists, fingerless gloves courteously attached to the sleeves. The leggings were baggy around the thighs but tight around the ankles, alike to the upper half. She wore a pair of grey tabi and thong sandals. A blank band was tied across the chest, likely to hold her weapon's case, and a black belt around the waist. She wore a matching green cloth mask that covered her entire head, and a dark green muffler around her neck. As she slowly approached she pulled the upper half of her mask revealing long blonde hair, bright green eyes and rosy pink cheeks.
TJ's frown turned into a slightly amused, somewhat annoyed smile, as he said, "alright listen, Halloween is still a while away. That isn't candy either, so fork it over."She shook her head and pulled the lower half of her mask down slightly. TJ could clearly see her grin which made him a little more angry, as he made his request once more. "Just...hand over the keys...okay?" She laughed and jingled the keys at him.
TJ leapt at her in an attempt to get them but she dodged aside and said, "Tell you what, I'll give you ten minutes to catch me. If you do, I'll return the keys to you. If you don't, I'll be staying in your room tonight."
TJ could feel his blood coming to a boil when she said that, but kept his cool and replied, "Five minutes is all I need."
She smiled devilishly. "Ten minutes it is."
"Alright you know the rules, so on the count of three we'll start." Su said. The two faced each other as she started the countdown. "Three..." TJ took a stance readying himself to tackle her. "Two..." Su jingled the keys and grinned once more. "One..." TJ cracked his knuckles and grinned slyly. "Go!" TJ dashed into a head-on sprint and leapt at her again, missing as she jumped away from him and as a last attempt TJ attempted to grab her by the legs but failed. She jumped straight up after TJ slid across the ground landing on his shoulders and leapt again towards the bar quickly climbing up the sign.
"You think you could stop me so easily?" TJ yelled immediately searching for a way to where she was. A pole similar to those TJ had seen in Cherry Lake stood by the bar and he scrambled up it as quickly as he could. He jumped onto the platform where the bar's sign rested and searched for Su finding her on the roof of the bar. "Damn it..." He began climbing up the tiles and Su watched him with a grin on her face. He carefully walked towards her step by step as she casually walked backwards to the edge of the room. "Got you now..."
"Do you now?" She asked turning around as TJ steadily approached. She readied to jump and jumped from the bar to the pole, swinging with one hand up to the dojo.
"What the-think that's funny? I can do that too!" TJ carefully stepped back, taking a deep breath and swallowing hard while closing his eyes, then finally getting a running start and jumping from the bar to the pole. He collided with it and wrapped his arms around it tightly in a very awkward fashion. "O-oww..." He muttered adjusting himself so he could climb it.
"Stuuupid! Idiot!" Su mocked him while making faces.
"You're gonna be eating dirt soon, so keep up your stupidness! You're just gonna eat those words!"
"Let's see you try and make me."
TJ climbed onto the dojo and sighed gently. He solidified his resolved and ran at her again with careful steps quickly approaching her and making attempts at taking back his keys. She dodged each and every attempt and laughed as he failed increasing TJ's agitation. He pushed her back to the edge of the dojo and on his last attempt he made a triumphant laugh. As TJ made his winning swing, Su back flipped off of the building and landed perfectly on the ground beneath, beside a tree.
"What the helll..." TJ said looking down at her with scorn. "Damn ninjas...and their crap." TJ swallowed hard and slowly climbed down hanging on the edge of the building, letting go and following but immediately grabbing on to the closest ledge. He let go again attempting to grab another ledge and hit the ground, shuddering in place for a few moments until he stood up. "Never again..." He muttered.
"If you want your keys back, you're gonna have to do better than that. For an adventurer, you're pretty damn slow."
"Shut up! Watch, I'm gonna put you in your place!" TJ started chasing after her again and she had stopped climbing up onto buildings. Rather, she ran through the streets like a normal person, but proved to be much faster than TJ. As they passed the Iris Stone, she quickly turned in the direction of the river and ran across a bridge above the river. "Never been there before...If I lose her I'll get lost in Aoich."
TJ quickly followed after her into an unfamiliar part of the city. The area was mostly made of tall houses, but very few shops. It seemed where the entrance was, was the market of Aoich. TJ kept on her trail as best as he could, occasionally getting tricked by Su because of her ability to reach places he could not. She used disguises like blending into the scenery of buildings or trees using a camouflage sheet. From rooftop to rooftop and through alleyways scattered around Aoich TJ chased Su but still was not able to keep up with her.
Time was running out and TJ was becoming unsure if he was able to catch her. The two ran out from another alleyway and started running back towards Aoich's market. Su led him past Dark Moon Castle and the mailman as he muttered, "They never let me rest" and further towards the entrance TJ and co. came in. The two ran past the small fashion shop stall and towards the weapon shop, Su finally coming to a halt and leaping into a tree.
"Got you now!" TJ said jumping onto a small ledge protruding from the weapon shop and shifting the branches of the trees aside. He caught a glimpse of Su jumping out from the tree above his head and grabbing onto a ladder behind him hanging from behind a sign with a sword. TJ sighed and quickly scrambled up the ladder after her towards the roof of the weapon shop.
"This is it TJ. You've got about thirty seconds so it's now or never! Still think you can catch me?" Su said in a condescending tone.
TJ slowly crept words her huffing and puffing as he mumbled, "The next attack will have to be the last. I really don't have the time, or the energy, to make anymore." He took a deep breath, ran towards her and jumped spinning around once, he landed and leapt at her legs once more. She grabbed his arms and fell back, placing both of her feet onto his chest and using his momentum to kick him off and over the 'Beckoning Cat' hanging from the side of the building. TJ plummeted downwards past the ground beneath him and into the river.
She dusted off her clothes and said "Nighty-night!" She laughed heartily as she spun the key ring around her finger and made her way to the bar.
Morning had rolled around but TJ had not moved from where he lay at all. Su walked down the street from the Traveller's Bar while stretching as she said, "Mmm...I slept well. How about-" She froze for a few moments. She glanced around where TJ should have landed but did not find him. "Where did he go? Should have been out cold right here." She glanced around the building and finally into the river noticing TJ gently floating in it on his side, like a corpse. "Did I kill him?" She laid down to get a better look, and it was obvious his eyes were still open. "Yup...he's dead. Better run before someone sees me-" Just as Su got up and turned to run away Amu and Trini walked by and spotted Su.
"Hey Amu, check it out! There's a ninja over there! He must be from Dark Moon Castle! Let's go ask him some questions!" Trini exclaimed.
"Shit!" Su muttered rather loudly. She pulled up her mask and carefully thought of what she could do. I can't let them see that corpse or I'm gonna be knee deep in it! But they probably won't let me just walk away...I need a distraction! Her eyes wandered around the area but it was still very early so few people were outside. She rummaged through her pockets in an attempt to find some of her tools but did not seem successful. Come on...come on...I need something...something to get away with...what do I have? A lemon...got my dagger...pocket change...damn it! Why am I carrying a lemon anyway? The dagger is no good. If Tamori finds out about that first guy...or girl, or whatever, I'll lose my job! If these two got killed he'd have my head! Whatever! Here goes!
Su drew her dagger from it's case and the lemon from her pocket, tossing the fruit into the air and cutting it in two as it fell back to the ground. Her eyes opened as wide as they possibly could as she screamed, "N-Ninja Arts! Lemon Squeezing Jutsu!"
Just as Trini reached a reasonable distance to greet her he said, "Hey there, mind if we-" He fell back and started shouting as lemon juice was squirted into his eyes. "God damn it! Bitch! When I get this shit out of my eyes I'm gonna make you regret that!" He violently rubbed his eyes trying to get the acidic juices out while Amu attempted to offer him a handkerchief. Su glanced at the corpse for a moment but decided to forget about it and run back into the streets.
"Hold it!" Amu shouted to her, but only received a raspberry from the young ninja.
"Too slow!" Su shouted running into the street and bumping into someone, causing her to fall off of her feet.
A tall man with chestnut hair that extended to his lower back, and matching eyes behind a pair of circular-framed glasses. He wore a long white jacket with a popped collar and a white t-shirt visible beneath the coat; he also wore a dark green checkered hakama, a pair of traditional geta, and a brown sash holding up a wooden sword.
"Uh oh...busted." Su groaned.
He shook his head. "Tsk tsk tsk...I am ashamed of you Trainee Suuba. You have failed to uphold the Ninja code. I'll have to repossess your uniform." Tamori told her. "You know the rules."
Su groaned and walked back towards the Inn to change back into the castle.
"I must apologize for your friend's...untimely end. Though I'm unsure of how we can atone for this, I'd like to extend my deepest apologies to you two for witnessing this, and for what my student has done to you."
"What do you mean?" Amu asked fairly surprised. "I understand that Trini was...attacked, but which of our alli-oh my gosh."
"Wha?" Trini asked struggling to open his eyes.
"It's TJ! That's why he wasn't in the lobby when we woke up! He'd usually be the first one to get up. But...where is he?"
At that moment a hand reached up and grabbed onto the ledge, and another following shortly after. Amu and Trini looked fairly terrified. Soon after slowly TJ pulled himself onto the ledge they stood on and huffed as he coughed.
"Zombie?" Trini asked. Amu slapped him and made a 'that's not funny' face.
"Hmm...seems he survived after all. Quite the durable adventurer. Nevertheless, all is well. I shall take my leave." He raised his hand and between his fingers rested a black ball. He tossed it to the ground and smoke was immediately emitted from it. As it began to fade there was not a trace of Tamori left.
"That was pretty cool." Trini said somewhat awestruck.
TJ coughed a few more times and wiped his mouth as he glanced up at the two. His bangs covered his eyes and his clothes were sopping wet, along with himself. "I can still taste the Koi fish." He muttered to them.
"Rough night huh? You should tell us about it." Trini said with a grin.
As the three walked and TJ explained what had happened, somebody ran towards them and immediately grabbed TJ by the collar and violently shook him. A girl with long blonde hair, bright emerald eyes and a furious face stood before him. She wore a white cap with two red stripes running down the right side, large golden hoop earrings, a green sleeveless hoodie, blue denim shorts and navy blue sandals. She also had a bandage placed on her cheek.
"Happy now asshole? I lost my job 'cause of you! And why are you back anyway? I killed you! If you're dead than just lay down and die, douchenozzle." She shouted at him.
"Who said anything about me dying? I'm tired though...I still wanna sleep. Anyway can you...put me down? I dunno if I know you 'cause your face doesn't look very familiar..." TJ said in an exhausted tone.
She tossed him aside without any restraint. "You're gonna pay for this...I lost my job and I got kicked out of the castle. Wasn't even done my training..." She glared into TJ's puzzled eyes. "I'm gonna stick to you like glue until you make it up to me! Got it?"
TJ sat up and turned around while wiping the blood from his nose as he said, "Huh?"
"You heard me. Wherever you go, I go. I'll be in your care." She said impatiently tapping her fingers on her crossed arms.
TJ sighed. "I'm way in over my head."
Amu laughed and Trini began to sing, "TJ's got a girlfriend..." resulting in TJ telling him to shut up every time.
The four sat down in the lobby of the Aoich Traveller's Bar. The area had many comfortable couches around the room, and light wooden chairs with comfortable cushions on the seats.
"Alright let's get this meeting started!" Trini said enthusiastically.
"Meeting?" Su asked.
"We're gonna be discussing what we're gonna do for the next...maybe month or so. Depends."
"I see."
"Anyway! What TJ and I had done during our time in Young Gyoung was good ol' fashioned hard labour. We worked, we saved up money, and we set out for Aoich."
"Right." TJ said with a nod. "We were questing and travelling a fair bit, but we always stayed in the Young Gyoung region. We managed to save up quite a bit of Ely, which lasted our trip from there to here, and there might be a bit left."
Trini nodded. "TJ and I had done enough tasks for the people of Young Gyoung to save up enough to make the trip and afford enough supplies for three people. But we're gonna need a lot more than we did before. There's four of us now which means we're all gonna have to work and contribute. I'm gonna take a wild guess here, but I'd say we'd need about sixty million Ely. Making the trip through the Desert is gonna be really tough, and food in Elfa isn't cheap either." Trini explained. TJ and Amu nodded. Su crossed her arms, looking fairly agitated. "What's your problem?"
"My name's Su. Remember that. And I'm not some craptastic adventurer. I'm a freakin' ninja! I don't do hard labour, I kill people!" Su retorted.
"Not in this party. If you're going to be joining us then you're gonna work. You don't have to do quests...you can take up a normal job."
"Normal job?If you're looking for a fight, you just earned yourself one assclown." Su got onto to her feet.
"Bring it." Trini followed suit.
"Now, now you two..." Amu said gesturing for them to sit back down. "No need to fight."
"I'm sure there's enough tasks in Aoich for all of us to do, and that appeal to all of our...umm...talents." TJ said nervously.
"Speaking of tasks..." The voice of a woman said. TJ looked around the seat he was in and noticed a beautiful woman with black hair and dark green eyes. She wore a golden ornament in her hair, a maroon kimono and a pair of geta. Her kimono had leaves and flowers of all sorts of colours that were reminiscent of fall. "I have some tasks for you to do to pay your lodging fee, honoured guest. It appears...that you will have to pay with your body."
"Huh? Wha?" TJ uttered confusedly as he was raised from his chair and dragged away. "Trini! Amu! You've got some explaining to do!"
"Sucks to be him. Kay's pretty hardcore." Su said with a smirk.
"Doesn't it?" Trini said chuckling. "But let's get serious. We don't have forever. We have to get this over with and through the Desert before Winter comes around, or we'll die out there. Although it's a desert, the days might still have some warmth to them, but even without the snow the desert will still be friggin' cold. I don't want any of that so we're gonna get this over with and leave for Elfa as soon as possible."
"Elfa huh? What are you looking for in that city?"
"What we do isn't any of your business. How do I know that we can trust you? Right now you're nothing more than a stranger to us."
"Trini...you don't have to be so bitter. Give her a chance." Amu said.
"Trust huh? I'll show you what I can do. Hell, I'll be so good at everything we won't even need you anymore! Whatever you do." Su snorted.
"We'll see about that. Let's get going Amu, we don't have time to waste." Trini stood up and Amu followed afterwards glancing back at Su but still following Trini. Without turning around, Trini stopped and said, "At the end of every day TJ and I would pool our money together into a joint bank account. When you're ready to add your earnings for the day, just give them to one of us." Afterwards the two continued to walk until they left the Bar.
"I'll show him what I'm capable of." Su muttered. "Just not today."
TJ stumbled down the hall looking exhausted and worn out. The evening sky shone through the windows as the cherry blossoms rode a passing gust of wind. TJ stopped and lifted up the windowsill. It gently inched open and TJ leaned on it, sticking his head out the window. A gust of wind blew his hat off and the cherry blossoms gently brushed against his face. He sighed with relief and admiration for the sight before him.
He shut the window and picked up his hat, placing it on his head and shifting it into the proper position as he walked down the hall smiling. As he entered the lobby, he saw Su slouching in one of the couches.
"What...are you doing?" TJ asked slightly puzzled.
"Shut up. I'm meditating." Su retorted.
"If that's meditating than I'm crazy."
Su blew air upwards to get the hair out of her face but only succeeded in pushing it upwards. She continued to do so but did not change her methods. It started to seem as if it was purposely, possibly out of boredom.
TJ watched her for a few minutes, possibly entranced, until the entrance gates opened and Trini and Amu entered. Trini had bruises and bites all over his skin.
"Looks like you had a rough day...what happened?" TJ asked.
"Ever seen an axe beak? I have. Damn over sized flamingos! They peck and bite mercilessly..."
"They outnumbered us quite a bit..." Amu said with an uneasy laugh. "How was your day TJ? And you too Su?"
"I was forced to work in the kitchen of the Traveller's Bar. The owner of this place...Kay, merciless doesn't even define her! She can make a demon quiver in it's boots! Talk about a slave driver..." TJ explained shivering.
"Me? Meh. Just did this and that." Su said coolly.
"What exactly is this and that?" TJ asked impatiently.
Su's gaze was fixed on her nails. She ignored the comment completely.
"In other words nothing...? Useless!"
Trini 'face-palmed' and Amu laughed uneasily again.
"Ahh whatever...I'm going to bed. I don't get my paycheck until the end of the week so when that happens I'll leave it to you Trini." As TJ walked up the stairs he stopped and turned around. "Ah...almost forgot. I have to apologize for yesterday...I dunno what came over me. Just kind of acted without even thinking...heck, without even realizing it. It was almost like it was on instinct. And you got caught up in it...so...sorry."
Trini shrugged and said, "It's alright. Stuff happens. I'm over it now anyway. Let's just try and make sure something like that doesn't happen again. I like to know that my friends aren't more dangerous to me than my enemies are."
TJ smiled. "Yeah...got it. See you in the morning." He walked up the stairs and disappeared into the darkness.
"As for us, we should grab some grub and get some rest. We've got a busy month ahead of us." Trini said.
"Right...it's been a long time since I had to use this." Amu replied. She tightly held onto a small dagger with a brown hilt. "I've gotta work hard to be useful."
"As for you..." Trini said pointing at Su.
"Hm?" She said carelessly.
"You need to step it up. We're not gonna be lugging around dead weight for this entire adventure. Let's go Amu."
The two walked off and Su continued to do what she had when TJ arrived. "Whatever." She retorted and continued.
TJ woke up the next morning and leapt out of bed, clumsily stumbling around in search of his glasses. He put his glasses on and flipped his hat onto his head, missing the first throw but managing to get it to stay on his head the second. After washing his face and approving of his look, he set out once more to meet his friends in the Bar's dining room.
The dining room was a fairly large area, skillfully decorated with chairs and tables for different amount of guests. Chairs exactly alike to those seen in the dining room were placed around the tables made of the same sturdy material. Kay came to their tables and placed down three menus, and walked away.
"I have to admit, for a demon, she's pretty graceful." TJ said quietly for his allies to hear. For a moment it seemed that Kay glanced in his direction with a glint in her eye. TJ shuddered uneasily.
"She's probably not as bad as you make her out to be." Trini said glancing through the menu.
"She looks nice to me." Amu told them.
"If only you knew." TJ said laughing slightly. "Still, can't help but laugh when I think of all these people talking about me being a hero, and here I am working in a kitchen in Aoich. Even the people I saw in those Iris Stones think that." TJ laughed again. "The world is a crazy place. The best I can do is take up my spoon and spatula in hand and fight hunger."
"Maybe you do have what it takes to be a hero. Just need to find your calling and bam! You'll know." Trini told him.
TJ smiled. "Maybe someday. But I'll never be able to be Iris. Still, the heroics will have to wait. I've gotta stuff my face and get back to the kitchen or Kay will have my head! I don't like the sound of that...at all." Kay soon returned and the three made their order, enjoying their meal and departing on their various missions.
After work, again TJ emerged from the kitchen looking worn out. "She must have heard that comment I made earlier. She worked me like a dog today." He muttered shuddering again at the thought of it. "But it'll pay off later. Gotta keep at it. For now I'll go rest." TJ walked up the stairs and down the hall again to his room. He opened the door, removed his shoes and walked down the hall yawning. "Ahh nap time, nap time..." He sang happily looking towards his bed. "Someday slept in my bed..."
TJ walked over and pulled the covers off revealing a sleeping Su.
"NEET! Super NEET! If you wanna be useless that's all fine and dandy, but don't do it in my bed! How did you even get in?"
Su sat up revealing her bed hair as she stared at TJ looking fairly exhausted. "I told you I'm a ninja you douchetaco. Now go away. I'm tired." She then laid back down.
"I don't even know what that is! And that doesn't change the fact that you're not working and making any sort of income, and costing me money! Kay told me that you've been eating at the Bar and requesting that all your bills be put on my 'tab'. She also told me what a NEET is, and that describes you perfectly. So get a job or get out."
She sat up again, her cowlick perfectly maintained. "TJ...your name is TJ right? What if I told you that we were destined to meet each other? What if I said you can't...find S...Iris, without me? What would you say?"
TJ froze and thought it over. "Wait a second...what do you...how do you...how did you know I was looking for Iris? Did Trini or Amu tell you?"
"Your buddies don't tell me anything. But they're not important right now. I know who you are, what you want, and how to get it. You wanna know don't you?"
TJ swallowed hard. "Y-yeah...yeah I do."
"Ahh...what a shame it is..." Su said stretching and standing up. "You told me to leave though, so I guess you'll never know."
"Wait! I could make an exception! J-just this one time..."
Su chuckled slyly. "We're talking about destiny here TJ. Did you really think that a single night in an Inn could convince me to tell you the secrets of the world? Idiot! Try again."
TJ frowned. "Mm...I dunno...what exactly do you want?"
Su smiled as she turned and faced him. "We've already decided that I would be joining you on your adventure, so we're gonna need to negotiate something else. Let's say, you pay for my food and lodging, and I'll tell you what you wanna know."
"In other words what we're doing now, except I actually get something out of it?"
"You could say that." Her smile turned to a grin.
"Fine. Now lemme-"
"Whoa there TJ, going against our contract already? Why don't you take a walk and cool your head? While you're at it, go get me some food." Su pushed the puzzled TJ out of the room and shut the door, then laughed. "It's like taking candy from a baby! Or a ton of them."
As TJ walked out of his room he uneasily rubbed the back of his neck. "What exactly did I get myself into?" He asked himself.
As the days went on TJ fulfilled his end of the bargain, and Amu and Trini had no objections since TJ agreed to it. TJ started to work overtime to make up for the decrease in his paychecks and little by little the group steadily approached their goal of sixty million Ely. As the days went on the four continued doing their tasks. Trini and Amu had often stayed out in the field for days on end which made TJ feel uneasy, but always returned with good news and explanations of their most recent escapades.
On a windy early Autumn evening Trini gathered them all in the lobby and said, "well guys, we've done it. We've finally reached our goal!"
TJ and Amu whooped and cheered while Su sat and stared blankly at Trini, who glared back.
"Anyway, with this we should be able to afford enough supplies to last us until we get through the next few cities, and we already got a tent big enough to fit six people, so that's out of the way. Today we just need to buy a few more of the supplies and we should be ready to set out tommorow, or the day after."
TJ looked puzzled for a few moments, then asked, "wait...how did we save up sixty mill, and get some of the stuff we needed for our adventure?"
Trini grinned. "I already bought some of the things obviously, but I've been keeping track of our earnings in my notebook." He waved a small notebook at them. "Besides, if we tried to buy everything in one day, there wouldn't be enough supplies available to us and we'd just be delayed further."
"Ohh..." TJ said somewhat astonished.
"You did a fantastic job planning this out Trini. I knew we could count on you." Amu said smiling.
Trini laughed haughtily and said, "Of course, of course! Anyone could count on the reliable Trinidell!"
Su scoffed. "So lame..." She muttered.
"You wanna go?" Trini said leaping to his feet.
"I'll kick your ass anywhere, anytime!" Su said following suit.
"Now now you two.." Amu said getting to her feet and gesturing the two to sit down.
TJ smiled and laughed. "Some things never change huh?"
The next day the four of them were packed up and all set to go. They carried a lot more than everyone except for Trini had expected, but they still managed perfectly fine. They all stood in the lobby of the Inn as they discussed last minute 'to-do' objectives.
"You guys didn't forget anything did you?" Trini asked glancing among them.
"All set." Amu chimed.
"I'm pretty sure I've got everything. I think...but I should go say goodbye to Kay before we go..." TJ said nervously.
"Meh." Su said crossing her arms. "I'd say goodbye to Tamori if I could find him, but he can't sit still for two seconds. That asshat..."
"Whatever needs to be done go and do it now. We don't have all day." Trini told them.
"Right. I'll be right back guys!" TJ said quickly running off.
"Make it quick!" Trini called back to him.
TJ ran through the halls and slowed down as he saw Kay walking towards him. Though he smiled he could feel a bit of sentimentality creeping over him.
"It is time, isn't it Mr. TJ?" She asked him.
"Yeah...yeah it is. Thanks for everything Kay. I dunno where me and the guys would be if this Inn didn't take us in." TJ said nervously, laughing and rubbing the back of his neck. "But we're still adventurers so we can't stay still."
Kay laughed. "Of course of course. It was a pleasure to have you working under us Mr. TJ. Should you ever need a place to rest or work, you will always be welcome to this humble Aoich Inn."
TJ smiled while his face flushed. "Thanks a lot...I'm sure someday I'll come back to Aoich. This place is so peaceful...maybe when my adventure is over I'll take up residence here." The two of them laughed. "But anyway, I should get going. My friends are waiting for me. Hope we meet again someday Kay." TJ waved as he turned and dashed down the hallway.
Kay waved to him as he ran and said, "May we meet again."
TJ met up with his friends as they scolded him for taking so long but let it pass as they set out again. Walking into the sunlight of Aoich, Su looked back but Tamori was not in sight. She sighed quietly while the others discussed how they would be getting through the Desert. As the four left Tamori emerged from the shadows of the dojo and watched as they walked away. He shifted his glasses and smiled slightly.
"It seems destiny has finally found her. I hope that I've prepared her for the world she's yet to know." He said.
The four set down the path of Aoich towards the Desert. As they walked the familiar view of the Cherry trees and beautiful houses disappeared over the horizon and the ground became more barren. They continued to walk and the heat from the sun seemed to become more intense. For hours they walked and the immense heat continued to increase by the minute.
"It's hot..." TJ muttered fanning himself with his hat..
"Deal with it." Trini said. He was awfully sweaty himself.
They continued to walk and grains of sand started to appear beneath their feet occasionally slowly increasing the further they walked. The dirt path faded as the ground started to disappear beneath the sand, a clear sight of the desert came into view.
"That's the Desert huh..." TJ said.
"I don't think we'd be seeing a mirage of a desert." Amu answered laughing. "As long as we're one step closer to Elfa, I'll continue on."
"That means we're one step closer to Iris." Trini stated.
"You're right." TJ said placing his hat on his head. "Can't be beat by the Desert if I wanna find Iris."
They continued on through the boiling heat of the Desert, every step seeming to be an eternity. Their goal seemed further and further away the further into the desert they travelled. As they continued on a set of Pyramids came into view and strong gusts of wind blew, blurring their vision.
"This sucks." Su said shielding her eyes with her arm.
"Deal with i-ow! Little bastard!" Trini fired a shot downwards at what seemed to be his foot causing the three of them to jump.
"The hell are you doing? Are you trying to blow your own foot off? You idiot!" TJ shouted at him.
Trini stopped, reached down and picked something up. TJ covered his eyes with his arm like Su had to get a better look, and upon closer inspection he realized it was an Agasura. It had the same size and shape as a Priring, but it was purple and had longer ears with thin dark lines in the fur on the ears. It had smaller eyes too, and this one particularly, had a gunshot wound in the center of it's head.
TJ placed one hand to his mouth and said, "Throw that thing away! I never needed a close-up of that."
"You asked, I delivered. The Prispings are the Prirings of the desert. Some stupid sub-species of the damn creature, not that there isn't enough of them as it is. Every sub-species is more vicious than the last too." Trini explained.
"Whatever...stupid Agasuras. Stuff sucks man...I'm tired of the desert."
"We'll make it to Elfa soon guys. Stay positive." Amu told them. She was the only one who seemed to have a positive attitude.
Su constantly glared at TJ viciously whispering, "I'll have my revenge," every few minutes.
As they continued on they could see the Desert Birds in the distance and a couple adventurers fighting them. The four began to approach one of the pyramids and Trini pointed to it.
"We can rest there for the night. It should block out most of the wind so our tent won't get blown away."
The area was infested with strange cactus creatures wearing cowboy hats and belts with gourds on the end. They were awfully small, about the size of a Priring, with small thin round arms. Naturally prickly, the top of the hat was torn by the creature and a small pink flower rested on the head.
Along with those stood tall creatures made of sand. They had a body shaped like a human's, their legs only a pile of sand that moved as they did. They wore a green turban with a small oval gem in the front covering the top of their heads and faces, a veil that covered the lower half, a thin purple vest, black wristbands and a loin cloth. They wielded a scimitar and had a large red gem embedded in their chests.
Amongst a slew of these creatures stood a single girl wielding a spear which appeared to have a mo. She had short icy blue hair and wore a gold tiara along with a pair of yellow frame-less glasses in front of her sapphire blue eyes. She wore a kilt with a gold ring around the waist and light, light blue material for the kilt. She had matching boots, a pink sports bra and silk wings resting on her back. She wore a pair of earrings with a short gold hear and a long red heart also.
"She's beautiful..." TJ said astonished.
"She's...not dressed to battle." Trini said bluntly.
"She's in trouble!" Amu cried.
"Then why don't we go take out the Agasuras?" Su asked.
The three nodded in agreement on that comment and quickly dashed towards the scene at the pyramid. As they approached a young boy jumped into the fray of the battle and the sound of gunshots emerged form where the two were. One by one the enemies quickly fell to him, and in a matter of moments all that stood were the the boy and girl.
"Guess our help wasn't needed after all." TJ said.
The boy wore a leather jacket, unbuttoned, with a white shirt beneath it. He also wore matching leather pants and shoes, and earring shaped like stars. His hair wasn't very long, but it did rise high and seemed to be brushed or blown to one side, and his eyes were two different colours, red and blue. He wielded guns with a knife beneath the barrel.
"Too easy." He chuckled blowing the smoke from his guns.
TJ stared intensely at him but did not see any similarities between him and the gunslinger he saw in his memories. Had I been able to get a clear view of the gunslinger finding him would be a lot easier, but I couldn't see anything through all that smoke and fire. That really puts me in a situation...there's a lot of gunslingers on Jienda. It could be anyone! But if they recognize me, maybe they're the one I saw in my memory. Trini is a possibility, but he heard about me from other people. He didn't mention meeting me in the past...as for this guy though...
The girl before them did not seem very pleased. As the four of them climbed up onto one of the ledges protruding form the pyramid they could hear her saying, "I did not need your help. And I did not need help from any of you."
"Harsh..." TJ said.
"Yeeeep." Trini agreed.
"I can take care of myself perfectly fine." She continued.
Nobody asked! TJ thought.
She sighed. "You are here now, so introduce yourselves." She told them staring at her nails.
TJ and Trini were muttering something about ignoring her and moving on so Amu took the initiative.
"My name is Amu. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." She glanced at the other two and they sighed.
TJ stepped forward and said, "I'm TJ. It's a pleasure...I guess. Don't really remember anything since I set off, and that's about it." He looked slightly puzzled. She walked over to him and grabbed him by the cheeks, turning his head in every direction and looking at him from varying angles. "excushe me but what are you doing?" She let go of his face and started examining the rest of his body from other angles. She stared at the guitar and stared intensely at his face for a few more moments.
"Just as I expected..." She said.
"Just as you expected...do you know something about me?"
She smiled daringly. "But of course."
"Then what is it?" A fair amount of impatience became audible in TJ's voice.
"You are but another peon. And you?" She pointed at Trini. TJ slowly reached for his guitar but Amu grabbed his arm and shook her head.
Trini shrugged and said, "You already know me boss. I'm Trini."
She seemed to disregard the comment and focused her sights on Su.
"Suuba. Don't call me that. Su will do. I'm just keeping an eye on this guy until I decide to kill him." Su explained pointing her thumb towards TJ.
TJ took a deep breath and said, "Didn't need to know that, thanks!"
"I will kill you." She muttered glaring at him. TJ shuddered and looked away.
"So we've all introduced ourselves. Who's this kid?" Trini asked.
The boy flipped his hair away from his face and cocked his guns as he said, "Yuta, fastest guns in all of Jienda. You can call me Yu."
Trini seemed agitated by what Yuta said. "Is that a challenge?"
The girl placed her hand in Trini's face and said, "Hush peon! Allow me to introduce myself, and do not fight in my presence!" She cleared her throat. "My name is Peorth, pr-leader,of Yggdrasil. You may address me as such." TJ didn't react but most of those around them did not seem amused.
Yggdrasil...Yggdrasil...the name sounds familiar but...I don't remember where I heard it. "Umm...Peorth, what is Yggdrasil?" TJ asked.
Peorth scoffed and began to laugh.
"She sounds like Pandora when she laughs." Trini whispered to Amu. "Never did laugh much though."
"Yggdrasil is one of the most renown guilds in all of Jienda! Something must be loose if you have not heard of it."
TJ disregarded the comment and continued on. "A guild huh...if we wanted to join it, what would we have to do?"
She smiled. "You must swear your undying loyalty to me at once."
TJ stifled a laugh. "Excuse me?"
Trini patted TJ on the shoulder and gestured him to come closer. "She'scompletelyserious." He whispered in his ear.
TJ turned to him and whispered, "Seriously?" Trini nodded. "Huh...sorry about that...pri-princess!" TJ burst out into laughter and fell to the ground nearly in tears. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" He got to his feet and wiped his eyes. "Moment of weakness." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then knelt down on one knee with one fist clenched to his chest and the other on the ground, then said, "I swear my undying loyalty to you Peorth."
She brushed a few stray hairs from her eyes and said, "Hmph. You are forgiven." She reached into one of the pockets in her skirt and hold something within a clenched fist. "Your oath needs improvement, but it will suffice. Raise your head." She opened his hand and placed a small badge on his palm. It was a small green square badge, with a leaf on the inside.
"What's this for?" TJ asked.
She scoffed once more and pinned the badge to his outfit. She tapped it twice, and within seconds TJ could hear the voices of all sorts of people talking and welcoming him to the guild.
"That's so awesome!" TJ exclaimed. "Who are these people that are talking?"
"Why Yggdrasil, of course."
The others started discussing the matter and all agreed to join the guild. Even Yuta joined it. By the end of the day Yggdrasil had four new members, and Peorth had four more people swear their loyalty to her.
