First Memory
God, this chapter was hard to write. I mean, it's almost 10,000 words WITHOUT the beginning and ending commentary! I have writer's crap... Anyway, this chapter's so freaking long because it's my Valentine's Day present to you, my readers! I love when I get reviews and encouragements. It means the world to me. I love you guys very much for reading and reviewing. Those who don't review should be ashamed. *wags finger*
Tomoyo: Disclaimer: Tsubasa belongs to CLAMP. Only Selena-chan and any original story plot belong to Icy-chan.
Recap
"So, what happens if we find out the Ryanban does have one of the feathers?" Fai asked.
"We take it back."Syaoran replied, his face set in a serious mask. I hope we find one of my shards. If we don't, I'm dead. Literally.
---------------------------------------------------
"So, they've come." the Ryanban said as he observed the travelers in his looking pool.
"Let them come, those fools!" the son said.
"I wonder what that child has..." the Ryanban murmured to himself. "I sense he's hiding a strong power."
"Don't worry aboji! Not one can stand against your magic!" the son said, though he seems a bit nervous.
"That's true of course." the Ryanban said as he glanced behind his shoulder. The orb that held Sakura's feather glowed softly. Unknown to everyone but Storyteller, another magic source was softly thrumming in response to the feather and the closeness of its owner. A crystalline shard that the son had found, and was now in his pocket, was the other magic source.
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Nihon Counry
The young woman woke with a start, her heart pounding. Her night guard, Soma, had herd her scream and rushed in
"Are you alright Tsukoyomi-sama? Is someone hurting you?" The female shinobi was on high alert. Ever since Kurogane had been sent away 2 weeks ago, her mistress's sister had been sleeping restlessly.
"Y-Yes, Soma. I'm fine. I simply had a nightmare, nothing more." the young woman soothed. "Thank you for rushing in so quickly." Soma bowed and exited. The young woman had long, wavy black hair that reached her waist. Her eyes were an unusual shade of dark lavender. She was of slight frame and with snowy skin. Despite her height, she was 20 years old, and Princess of Nihon. Her birth name was Tomoyo. Tomoyo now went to her vanity and looked at herself in the mirror. Bright, rose-gold eyes stared back at her
We had made it to the castle. It was huge and docile-looking. You never would have guessed its occupant was so cruel. "We're here..." I said.
"Not waiting time, let's get in there." Syaoran said. Kurogane walked forward and opened the large doors.
"It's useless to open the gate that way." Fai commented as the doors swung open. Instead of a hallway, we faced an illusion of the town upside-down.
"Holy-!" Kurogane yelled.
"Weird! The clouds are below the ground!" Mokona thrilled from its perch on Fai's head.
"Chu'nyan did say that the castle was protected by magic." I said.
"You're too impatient Kuro-min!" Fai said.
"Shut up." Kurogane growled.
"It won't be just the gates. The whole inside of the castle is probably protected too." Fai explained. "So thisis the time we use the item the Dimensional Witch gave us!" Fai announced with an exaggerated sweep of his hand. I giggled a bit at the silliness of it. I could tell he was trying to distract me from the pain radiating from all over my body. Syaoran pulled out a brown-green pall that seemed to swirl within itself.
"So how's this thing work? It looks like a mudball." Kurogane muttered.
"You throw it!" Mokona explained, while jumping into Syaoran's palm. "You throw it as hard as you can; hard enough to hit the castle!"
"Aa?" Kurogane uttered in confusion.
"Mokona, if it has to go that far, can I.....?" Syaoran began, but soon his words faded in my hearing. Another spasm of pain went through me.
"Yha, that'll work!" Mokona answered.
"What are they planning?" Fai smiled, amusement in his voice. "Are you sure you should have come?" Fai asked me quietly while Syaoran and Mokona were distracted. He must have seen my face.
"It's getting worse, isn't it." Kurogane said. I nodded.
"It hurts to even think." I managed to say. Fai's normally smiling mouth was now set in a gimance. Suddenly, Syaoran threw the sphere and kicked it straight at the castle. When the ball made contact with something in the air, is spread, reveling the dome of magic. The dome cracked and shattered around us.
"Let's go." Kurogane said, his face as unreadable as ever.
A force emitted from the globe that held the feather. Finite cracks began to spider out on the globe. The looking pool showed the group entering the castle.
"Aboji! They've broken through the magic barrier!" the son said.
"Don't panic! My magic's just getting started." the Ryanban reassured, though looking a bit unnerved himself. The crystal in the son's pocket began to thrum with more vigor at sensing its owner close by.
It felt like we'd been walking the corridor for eternity. I groaned in pain and frustration. "How far isthis hallway!?" I exclaimed.
"For once, I agree with her." Kurogane said.
"Well, we've been walking only this hallway. And there aren't any doors..." Fai said.
"Kurogane's lazy!" Mokona exclaimed from atop Fai's head.
"Well you'reonly walking on people's heads!" Kurogane shot back. I took another step and stumbled in quickly grabbed my before I could fall. My vision was tilted and hazy now.
"I don't think I'll survive much longer." I whispered, tears coming to my eyes. Oh God, I don't want to die. But this pain is making me want to die.
"You have to. Toughen up." Kurogane replied.
"We're back where we started." Syaoran suddenly said. He knelt down and picked up a pebble.
"Hm?" Fai said.
"I know it looks the same, but we never turned around!" Kurogane countered.
"It's been a one-way trip." Fai added.
"I dropped this near the entrance when we entered." Syaoran explained. (A/N: Kuro - "How come we didn't see you do it?" Syaoran - "Hey man, what I do in my spare time is none of your business" XD Not mine, taken from an Abridged on YouTube)
"Hyuu~! Syaoran-kun, you're good." Fai praised.
"That's one of the game pieces from the game Fai and Kurogane were playing at Chu'nyan's house!" Mokona exclaimed.
"You said 'Hyuu'. Why didn't you just whistle?" Kurogane asked, obviously annoyed.
"Well, I can't whistle!" Fai replied happily. I was now standing on my own, silent and trying not to fall off the edged of the floor even though the floor had no edge.
"So all that walked for nothing!?" I exploded, angry. Fai walked to the wall I leaned against.
"Well I don't want to walk any more." Fai declared.
"Walking tires you out." Mokona said. Kurogane grabbed Mokona and started to stretch it out.
"You didn't walk a step!" Kurogane yelled. Fai closed his eyes in thought. Then;
"It's here I think." he murmured.
"Did something tip you off?" Syuaoran asked.
"For this kind of magic, the source of power is usually where the magic is the strongest."
"I wonder if that means the Ryanban is behind this wall." Kurogane said.
"Who care!" I groaned, "Let's just kill the wall and go." Syaoran looked at me in confusion.
"I don't know." Fai continued. "But there's strong magic from this direction. Now Kuro-chi might be able to relieve some of his stress by knocking it down."
"You're not going to use your great magic powers?" Kurogane asked.
"I wouldn't call it magic. It's more like intuition." Fai smiled. Everyone backed away from the wall. Kurogane made a fist and smashed the wall down like it way nothing. I felt my jaw drop.
"Bull's eye!" Mokona exclaimed. As the dust cleared, the room was reveled. Everything was cream stone. No patterns on the tiles or walls, no decorations, nothing. Except for a tall, gazy canopy in the center of the room that was filled with soft, plush velvet pillows. And there was someone sitting on the cushions.
"Somebody's there." Syaoran said. The person turned to us. It was a woman. She had dark green eyes that were severely narrow. There was no pupil, only a wash of dark green. Her skin was pale, her lips blood red. Her hair was long and pale violet, done in an elaborate style. She wore a complex headpiece and long black drees. The dress had long sleeves and was off-the-shoulders. It was edged in spikes of white, the end of the skirt done in a handkerchief hem. A wide, white sash circled her narrow waist. A black jewel adorned her forehead. What was scary were her long fingernails, sharp like razors and painted crimson.
"I welcome you...little worms." she said.
"Aboji! They figured out the spell on the hall!" the son exclaimed, getting more and more unsettled by the second.
"Exactly as I intended." the Ryanban replied coolly. "That is the Queen of the Kiishim. She is the strongest of her kind. She killed the famous shinban, Chu'nyan's mother. The power of the feather allowed my to trap her here. And there isn't anyone alive who can oppose her!"
"Who the hell are you?" Kurogane asked, stepping forward.
"You humans- pathetic creatures who barly live 100 years- you are no better then worms. Such creatures should watch there tongue or I shall have to scold you. But...I haven't had company for so long, so I'll let it pass." the woman said.
"What is she spouting?" Kurogane muttered. "Whatever. Just tell us where the Ryanban is."
"Kuro-bun, you temper's too quick here." Fai chided.
"Both short-tempered and Shy. The combo's pretty cute!" Mokona squealed.
"Shut up!" Kurogane barked. The woman chuckled.
"What amusing children."
"What a nice complement!" Fai exclaimed happily.
"She called us kids!" Kurogane yelled. Syaoran stepped forward.
"I think something I'm searching for is in the castle. Will you please tell me where the Ryanban is?" Syaoran asked politely. The woman lifted her hand and observed Syaoran through the gap of her nails.
"You have nice eyes, child." she said quietly before standing up. "However...I must deny your request. Nor may I allow you to pass."
"Excuse me." Fai spoke, "Are we to assume that if we try to press further you may get...violent?"
"Exactly." she the scenery changed. The woman was not standing in a gazebo that was surrounded by a lake. We were on pillars that shot out of the lake. The water was pale green, steam rising out of it. There were globes of the same liquid floating lazily around.
"An illusion." Kurogane observed. I struggled to balance on my pillar. Everything seemed to tilt and I couldn't really contol my body.
"No." the woman responded. "Illusions are ment to dazzel the eye. My arts are so much more then that." She flicked her figures and a globe rushed towards Syaoran. He blocked with his harm. As the liquid hit his sleeve, it began to smoke and disintegrate. WHAT?!
"It's melting?!" Syaoran whispered in shock.
"Any injury cause by my arts are all painfully real." I was beginning to slip, no limb responding to my brain.
"So if we're wounded severly enough..." Fai began. My foot left the rock pillar...
"You die." the woman finished. I was falling into the acid lake where I would disintegrate to nothing. I blacked out just as someone shouted my name and I hit something painfully hard.
"Selena-chan!" I yelled. Kuro-tan quickly jumped to try to catch her. The pillar suddenly moved and caught her before moving her body to where the woman was.
"It would be unfair for this child to die without the battle even beginning." she said. "So I shall keep her hostage." Now we had 2 objectives; get the feather and free Selena-chan.
Nihon
It had been 5 days since Tomoyo had had her dream. Ever since then it had haunted her every moment. She had been losing sleep and appetite. Nothing could pull her out of her stupor. Her sister, Amaratsu and the entire staff in the castle were worried. News had leaked out to the commoners about her disposition and they feared for their beloved princess. What does it mean?she thought in despair. On the 6th day, she could take no more and set off to find her answers.
Tomoyo was currently wearing a dark -almost black- purple cloak, the hood covering her face in the shadows. She wore a plain white kimono with simple designs of flowers in black. Her raven hair was down with no ornaments. It was twilight. The princess-in-disguise walked to the edge of the woods where a circle of caravans sat, a bright fire in the middle. Men played drums, flutes and stringed instruments while other men, women and children danced in the middle, around the fire. Some were of the group while others were citizens of Nihon, come to dance the night away with the traveling caravan of gypsies. There was young woman sitting on the steps of on of the caravans, smiling as she watched the festivities. She had pale blond hair and dark blue, sagely eyes. Tomoyo walked over to her.
"Ah! So you've come, as my sister and I have foreseen. She told me of your arrival. Why don't we step inside. Or would you prefer to stay here?" the woman asked Tomoyo. The Dimentional Witch, Yuko, told her that her answers would be with this woman. The young princess trusted Yuko, but she still felt aprehensive of this other woman. "So, we stay." the woman smiled, not seeming offended. She moved over to let Tomoyo sit. Tomoyo threw back the hood and pulled her long hair out of hiding, letting it cascade along her back, and sat.
I was walking on snow-and-ice-covered ground. I knew I was looking for someone, but not sure who. All I knew is that I'd know them when I saw them. I also felt much younger then I was before. As I came to the entrance of an ally, I herd a commotion. I peered in to see 3 boys cornering a 4th boy. The 4th boy cowered in fear, his hands up in a defensive position. The other 3 boys held several sharp-looking rocks. The 4th boy had a thread-bare shirt and pants covered in grime and soot. He was a street kid, the bullies obviously spoiled sons of nobles.
"You won't get away this time witch-boy!" one snarled.
"No one to hear you beg for your pathetic life." said the second.
"And no one to care if you're dead. You'll just be one less pathetic mouth the government has to feed." the third finished. They lifted their arms in sync to throw the rocks at the 4th boy. He cowered ever more, trying to sink into the cold, rough bricks behind him.
"STOP!!!" I yelled. The 3 attackers turned.
"Well lookit here; a little girl" said the middle one.
"Why don't you go play with your dolls girly." said the one on my left.
"Yha." agreed the one on the right. Anger rose up inside me. I lifted my hand and the snow and ice beneath their feet began to shift. They were then lifted up and thrown out of the ally to the wall of the store across from it. They weren't hurt, but were seriously freaked.
"She's a witch too!" one yelled.
"We'll get you, you little bitch! You won't have protection next time. And your little girlfriend's dead too, you prise." the leader spat before running. I turned to the boy cowering in the corner. I walked towards him.
"Don't worry; they're gone." I soothed.
"You only made it worse; next time they really will kill me." the boy muttered.
"Let me see your face." I said, pushing down his hands.
"NO!" he yelled as I grabbed his soot-covered face and made him turn to me. Behind greasy, dirty stings of hair, beautiful icy-blue eyes looked back at me in terror.
Orbs of acid came flying at the adventurers. All three of us dodged the liquid. As Syaoran-kun landed on his next pillar, it disappeared and his right foot stepped into the acid. He yelped in surprise and jumped to another, higher pillar.
"My leg!" Syaoran-kun exclaimed.
"Not everything you see is as it appears. And the lake water is filled with the same acid as within the spheres." the woman said.
"You're telling me that if I fall, I'll melt?!" Kuro-pin shouted. I umped back and landed on top of the light post that I'd seen.
"Kuro-min! Break this for me!"I shouted.
"Huh?" He looked up. "Why?"
"Well, you can't dodged these things without any weapon for much longer. And I'm not strong enough to break it. Breaking things is more your specialty!" I finished cheerfully. The last part pushed him over as I intended.
"DO IT YOURSELF, YOU BASTARD!!!" he raged, punching the pole of the streetlight.I landed on another rock pillar and quickly grabbed a long pole. Kuro-myu did the same.
"Now we can destroy the balls without touching them." I said with satisfaction. More spheres came at use and I hit them away, as did Kuro-chan. (A/N: I'll be honest; I'm enjoying not having to spell Kuro's full name all the time. XD ) "Hyuu~! Kuro-sama, your so good at this!" I exclaimed.
"Shut up! And stop sayingthat!" he yelled back. I began to spin my pole piece in front of me, making a barrier in front of myself so that the acid wouldn't touch me. I herd Syaoran-kun land behind me.
"Syaoran-kun. Take Mokona and go on ahead." I called.
"But we're not finished here!" Syaoran-kun protested.
"True." I agreed, "But numbers won't help in this battle. Also, you'd better move forward while your leg still works. You have unfinished business, right?" I smiled. Syaoran-kun nodded. "Never fear! Kuro-pii will save the day!"
"Meagain?!" Kuro-kun exclaimed, exasperated.
"Thank you." Syaoran-kun said.
"The magic is thinnest above." I pointed, "No doubt you'll be able to leave that way."
"It's really high! Syaoran, will you be able to get there?" Mokona asked, popping out from Syaoran's shirt. (A/N: Look; Mokona's like something from 'Alien'!)
"Is thatwhere you've been hiding, you lazy fuzzball!?" Kuro-pan exclaimed. (A/N: Kuro's making me abuse the '1' key...)
" have a plan for that too. Listen..." I explained.
"I have no idea what you children are up to, but I am perilous when I'm bored." the woman said.
"Sorry! We're almost done! I replied politely. (A/N: Come to think of it, Fai's making me abuse it too...)
"Why me?" Kuro-chi complained. I simply waved him off. Syaoran-kun had gone to a higher pillar.
"Here I go!" he shouted. (A/N: Not you too Syaoran!? Kuro: QUIT PUTTING USELESS CRAP IN HERE!!! Icy: And now the Caps Lock has been raped. Thanks Kuro...) Syaoran-kun jumped onto the end of Kuro-tin's pole. Kuro-hime flung- (Kuro: YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE!!! Icy: Hey! Only I get to write in here! Hence 'Author's Note', not 'Kuro's Note'. Fai: Umm...you're both getting off topic...) -Syaoran-kun to the ceiling. He smashed through with his good right leg and disappeared.
"Hyuu~! You're both so cool!" I cheered.
"Will you cut that out?!" Kuro-tan yelled.
"One managed to escape." the woman said. "No matter. I shall have to treat the remaining two children with moxibustion." She lifted her arms and the spheres of acid that hung suspended in the aid burst and started to drench Kuro-puu and I in acid rain. Out cloths began to smolder and disintegrate. I could feel the acid burning my neck, face and hands, drops of the acid dripping off my hair and falling down my shirt collar, burning my back in rivulets.
"I'd say out situation looks serious." I said, turning to Kuro-pan who was behind me. Kuro-kun just smirked in response.
Syaoran landed on the floor of the upper level and stood up.
"Syaoran, are you okay?" Mokona asked.
"I'm fine."
"If that's the case, I'm gonna have to make sure you never stand again!" a voice said from behind them. It was the Ryanban's son. He smirked and showed off his arms. The muscles were unnaturally large, a powerhouse. "This time I'll bury you with my own hands!" the son yelled.
"I sense that weird power coming from him." Mokona warned from its perch on the boy's shoulder.
"The Secret Arts, huh?" Syaoran asked.
"That's right! My aboji gave me this body!"
"Mokona, stay here." Syaoran requested, setting the little plush-like creatur down on a piece of rubble from when he kicked through from the Kishim.
"Why you upstart little brat!" the son yelled, lunging forward. The fist he aimed for Syaoran's head missed but left a devastating crater in the wall behind him, just where his head had been. Syaoran could tell this wouldn't be an easy battle, especially with an injured ankle. The young man prepared to fight for his life.
The acidic rain continued to burn my cloths and skin. "This water...hurts...doesn't it?" I asked Kuro-chi.
"That's cause it melts whatever it hits. Rock...cloths...skin...hair..." he replied nonchalantly.
"You will not escape as that previous child did." the woman said. She flicked her wrist and sent a large orb of acid at us. I hit it with my pole but to my surprise, it curved around my makeshift weapon. I was so shocked, I forgot to move. Kuro-pin pushed his pole into my stomach, moving me to another pillar and moved himself at the same time. The acidic water melted the pillar where we had stood moments before. I clutched my stomach.
"Kuro-myu! That was mean!" I exclaimed, acting offended when I was actually greatful. At the same time, I had a disturbing sense that this had happened before when that just wasn't possible.
"If I hadn't you would've been melted."
"True. But next time you move me, could you be a bit nicer about it." I asked.
"Sure. And after that we can have tea. I DON'T GIVE A DAMN!" he yelled at me at the end.
"You have some skill, children." the woman said. "It's been a long time since I've had so much fun." she sighed.
Syaoran skillfully dodged the Ryanban's son's blows. As he send a kick to his head, the son grabbed his leg and threw Syaoran across the room, hard, into a wall.
"Syaoran!" Mokona exclaimed, horrified.
"What is this?!" the Ryanban's son asked. "Is this the most power you can muster? So it's true! My aboji's magic can'tbe beaten!" the Ryanban's son laughed. Syaoran was silent.
Warmth spread through my chest. I knew I had found him; my special person. Someone who would always be my best friend and would care about me no matter what. And I would do the same for him. That was what my older sisters had said.
'Are you going to kill me?" he whispered. i looked at him in shock.
"Of course not!" I exclaimed. "I would never do that!"
"Then...why'd you save me?" he asked, looking at me in curiosity.
"How would you like to leave here? Leave this world and never return?" He looked at me open-mouthed. "There are other worlds out I can take you to them."
"But...where would I go? I have no home...."
"You'd live with me."
"Live? With you?" I nodded.
"You'd be my Guardian."
"Guardian..." He gasped. "Then you're...the Goddess of Magic?" he asked. I nodded, smiling.
"Thought I'd be older, right?' He nodded, gobsmacked. "I'm not. So, would you like to be my Guardian?"
"B-But-" he protested, "Only Angels can be Guardians! A-And I'm only human! I'm not even very religious, and-" I cut him off with a finger to his lips. They were chapped from the cold, but still soft and warm.
"My sister told me that I should try to find my special person; someone who will always care about me, no matter what. And that's you I can tell. I don't care that you're human." I smiled, "I only care about the fact that my special person is sad and alone." He looked at me in silence, his hypnotic icy-blue eyes wide as I spoke. "So, will you be my Guardian? And live with me?"
"Forever?" he asked, whispering. I had taken my fingure off his lips.
"Forever." I smiled. "I will give you magic that no one can surpass except the Goddesses themselves."
"I would only be second to you, my mistress?" he asked. I shook my head.
"I'm not your mistress, I wouldn't own you. If you don't want to, you don't have to." I added at the end, fear that he would stay here and not come with me filling my with bitter cold.
"NO!" he exclaimed, jolting forward, grabbing my arms. "I-I want to go with you." He looked down shyly. "More then anything..." I smiled, the warmth in my chest returning.
"Then let's go."
Nihon
Tomoyo silently processed the information she'd been given. "I'm...the Goddess of Souls?" she finally asked, her mind not quite wrapping around it. The gypsy nodded.
"Something has woken up your powers. Now you are beginning to remember your past life. One of your sister's magic must have activated. And the fact that it's been activated means that great danger is soon to come."
"Is there anything I can do?" Tomoyo asked, not wanting to be unprepared.
"It's not my place to give a princess advice." The woman paused. "But...if you tried to learn to defend yourself, you may be better off." the woman said, choosing her words carefully. Her sister had told her that she couldn't interfere; it would be stepping over the boundaries. The princess nodded, the plan already forming in her head.
"Aww! They're moving faster! But what really gets me is how that change size." I said.
"You mean how that blob out big and small?" Kuro-tap said. The acid balls were coming at us at alarming speeds now.
"There was only one child who held out as long as you two. A female shinban from the town of Ryonfi." the woman commented.
"That would be Chu'nyan's mother?" I surmised.(A/N: A vocab word from English! My teacher would be so proud! XD )
"She did mention a daughter by that name, yes." the woman replied. "Perhaps what this country truly needs are not that foolish Ryanban and his son...but you two children and that femal shinban." She paused. "I do not have the ability to leave this place. And I must follow the orders of that incompetent Ryanban. And although this pains me greatly children..." she raked her long crimson nails across the ornaments of her headdress, causing a large wave of the acid water to rise up. "...it is time to say farewell." The waves here huge, reaching up to the ceiling, with no way to dodge them.
"Wha! I'd say it looks bad for our heros!" I joked. But in reality, my mind was racing, trying to find out a way to save ourselves. Adrenalin coursed through my veins.
"The minute we're caught in that, we're dead." Kuro-chin agreed.
"Umm...that doesn't work for me." I smiled. "You see, I don't die easily."
"I don't want to die either. Look what's going on. Can't you use a little of your magic?" Kuro-pin complained.
"Nope. Sorry."
"I've go nothing to do with this." he sighed. That's a lie. I felt my eyes go wide. What was that?!
"What now Kuro-min?" I asked, gaining my composure, pushing aside the strange voice in my head from a moment ago.
"I ain't dying here. I've got to get home." And we can't go anywhere until we get the princess's feather back. Or that girl's shard." By 'girl', he must have meant Selena-chan. "So we'd better step up our game." The rain continued to fall, the waves coming closed each second.
"Personally, I don't like staying in one place." I said.
"Why's that?"
"Because the person sleeping underwater might wake up and come looking for me." I smiled. "So I need to run to as many worlds as I can." Kuro-pa looked at me with an unreadable expression. I glanced at where Selena-chan was in the gazebo. The roting had climbed to her shoulders, the white bones exposed, and was slowly approaching her neck, the muscles and nerves already showing, blood pouring out. If this goes on much longer, she's dead.
"Have you finished your final words?" the woman asked.
"Now...what to do? Desperate times, as the saying goes."
"Hey." Kuro-ino said. (Kuro:INO?! Icy: I'm running out of nicknames here!) I glanced at him.
"Then...Farewell." the woman said, flicking her finger. The waves closed in. Following the plan, I jumped towards the woman.
"You hurry to your death?" she asked me. I smiled in response. Kuro jumped from the pillar and the, using my back as a platform, jumped from my back to the gazebo, pipe at the ready.
"WHAT?!" she exclaimed. As Kuro-pipi lifted his pole, the woman stabbed at him in the stomach. It looked like we'd lost.
Mokona quickly jumped to Syaoran. "Syaoran!" it exclaimed in fright. The son grabbed the magical creature by the ears.
"What the hell is this thing? Did you create it by magic?" the stupid son asked.
"Kyaa!" Mokona exclaimed in fright.
"The rumors talk about people in Amen'osa who can do magic. But you guys don't really call yourselves that, do you?" No response. "Then I'll end your noise right here!" the Ryanban's son yelled, about to smash Mokona into the ground, killing it. Syaoran suddenly moved, kicking Mokona out of the son's hand with his bad right leg, stopping just before the son's head.
"Stop it." he said, his voice dangerously.
"The Kiishim wounded you in this leg, didn't she?" the son asked, grabbing hold of Syaoran's injured ankle. "Well? Does it hurt?! Is it agonizing?!!" the son yelled, holding the ankle hard and squeezing it. Blood began to drip down Syaoran's leg. Blood was already pouring down his face and neck from the injuries. "You like to use kicks when you fight. You're not gonna beat someone like me by putting up an injured leg as a guard!"
"It isn't a guard." Syaoran said quietly, his voice strained from the pain.
"What was that?"
"I don't care where I'm injured. It makes no difference. When I decide to do something, I do it" Syaoran spun and gave the son a staggering roundhouse kick to the face, sending him out cold into the ground. "And that's all."
The two of use walked down the snow-covered street, hand in hand, His feet were bare and he winced every time we stepped. "Just a bit farther." I reassured. He nodded eagerly. When we arived at the portal, my younger sister's magic swirled around use, bringing us home. the scene was changed now. My two sisters waited for me on the other side.
"You found him?!" my older sister exclaimed in joy, her long black hair swirling around her, her rose-gold eyes bright with excitement. I nodded happily. "That's great!" She ran over and hugged me. She then turned to my new Guardian. "But before I give you a hug too, you need a bath." She pinched her nose delicately. "You smell." The boy blushed in embarrassment. Servants came and took him away to be cleaned and fed.
A few hours latter, he came to my room as I prepared for bed. He had on a white nightshirt and black pajama bottoms. His previously long black hair was actually chestnut and was now cut short to the nape of his neck. It was slightly wavy. His skin was pale with a golden undertone. And his icy blue eyes were no less bright. I squealed in delight.
"Did you come here to sleep with me?" I asked,excited.
"Umm..." the boy said, frazzled. "I actually came to say good-" I cut him off by charging at him and jumping/hugging him. He fell backwards to the floor. "G-Goddess!" he exclaimed, his cheeks flushed.
"I want you to sleep with me tonight." I said firmly, my forehead pressed against his, the tips of out noses barley touching. "I want my Guardian to keep me safe.
"O-Okay." he said, obviously not wanting to offend me.
"Yay!" I exclaimed, jumping off him and dragging him to the large bed. I easily fit us both. "Usually I have my sister's sleep with me so I won't feel so lonely." I added at the end, embarrassed. We ere laying near each other, facing each other. He reached out and took my hand in his.
"I won't leave you. Promise." he said, a small smile on his face. I smiled back, closed my eyes, and fell asleep........And then it felt as if I was back to my age. I felt warm arms wrap around me.
"Good night Goddess." a voice softly said. And for some reason, I thought of Fai.
"You're quite the little tactician...aren't you?" the Kishim smiled. Pulling her sharp, long crimson nails from Kuro-fin's stomach, she pulled out the manga magazine he'd gotten in Hanshin.
"I just don't like the rain. So...turn it off!" Kuro-pen lifted the pipe once more and hit the jewel on the woman's forehead. The lake and gazebo vanished and we were in the plane, un-decorated room again. I landed On solid ground. Selena-can was resting on some of the numerous pillows the Kishim had. "If you try any more of your tricks-" The kishim stood up and kissed Kuro-puu on the lips. (A/N: I know it was really on the cheek, but I though on the lips was better :P ) I felt my mouth fall open in shock. Kuro's crimson eyes widened. And then it was over and I was giggling my head off. He had acted as if he's never been kissed before.
"What magic are you trying on me now?" he asked, trying to conceal his light blush.
"That was a thank you." The woman pulled away. "The magics withing that stone are what kept me here."
"I see!" I said, walking towards them. "So when Kuro-pin smashed the stone-"
"I was finally set free. Had I a choice, I never would have served that brainless Ryanban and his son. You wished to know his location; he resides on the top floor. However, it seems that the smallest of you children has arrived. And that Ryanban cur is attempting to attack with yet another cowardly trick." She turned to Selena-chan. "I knew of the little girl's condition, so I took her out of the battle. You must hurry and collect her shard. It resides within the castle. In fact, it is very close by. Hurry." She stepped aside. Kuro-rin stepped foward, glancing at the Kishim, to make sure she did nothing else, and picked up Selena-chan. The rotting was now up to her jaw, its bone beginning to show. And Kuro picked her up, blood, pus, and other fluids began to pour down his back and chest.
"Uhh!!" he exclaimed in disgust. I didn't blame him.
"We've gotta hurry Kuro-run!" I called before setting off. Kuro-pen was right behind me. The corridors flew by me one by one. Soon steps appeared. The only clue we had was up, so that is where we went. As the wnt down the new corridor on the second floor, I stopped. I could feel something tugging at me, pulling me to the right. I turned.
"The stairs are down this way." Kuro-chip said, pointing down the hall we were in.
"I know. I just...sense some...thing." I trailed off. I followed the pull on my magic, until I was in a room. there was a decent-sized hole in the floor off the the left. Holes in the wall were randomly scattered. There were thin lines of blood on the walls and floor. The Ryanban's son lay out cold in the middle of the room. The pull on my magic was coming from him. I could feel myself falling into a trance.
"Oi! Mage!" Kuro called, "The hell're you doing?" I could barley hear him. The pull was great now. I slowly followed it, wanting to find the source of it. When I approached the son, I knelt down and put my hand in his pocket. I felt something warm and slick meet my touch. It seemed to hum under my fingures in greeting. I pulled my hand out and saw a small, crystaline shard in my hand, it was small and cut in a seemingly-random way. But I knew what this was; it was Selena-chan's shard. The magic withing it thrummed and then released, plunging into my magical system. I gasped. Normally, when forgine magic invades a magician, it hurts and the magician's magical system will fight it off, like white blood cells fought a virus. By my magic didn't push Selena-chan's magic away, it felt as if it was making room for it. The magic came into me, and I could feel something trying to break free from my memory I simply stared at the crystal.
"Hey." I felt a hand clamp onto my shoulder.I turned abruptly to see Kuro-re. "Is that it?" he asked. I nodded silently. He lowered Selena-chan to the ground, still supporting her head. "So how's this work?" he asked.
"No idea." I replied. I was still a bit shaken from my trance. I looked at her necklace and found that the shard fit the bottom tip of the moon. I carefully placed it there and pressed down to snap it in place. When I did, light shone from it and Selene-chan's body began to float. Her eyes opened half-way. But they weren't their stormy gray-blue; they were icy silver. And then she settled back into Kuro-ink's arms. The rot on her face began to recede slowly as did the rot on her hands.
We had saved her.
A man was watching through a large looking mirror. The mirror showed the Princess of Clow resting the arms of her knight; Syaoran. A blond magician was nearby with a small white creature in the shape of a manju bun on his shoulder. A very tall man with crimson was standing nearby as well. He seemed to be holding something over his shoulder, but the observer only saw thin air. In which dimension this observer was in, no one currently knew.
"Those with the power to cross dimensions already exist." he said to no one in particular. "However, the power that lays buried deep within the ruins in Clow Country exceeds them all!" The man stepped forward, closer to the looking mirror. He had black-and-white hair in a strange V-shape. On his chest was the crest of a bat. Her wore a monocle on his right eyes. The man seemed middle aged, but in reality, he was much, much older. "The power that is rising is the power to change the universes! I have waited a long time to obtain it. And, even better, it has coincided with the rebirth of the Goddesses! These powers shall be mine." He clenched his fist as the looking mirror zoomed in on the princess and her knight.
In another room, in the same dimension, a young woman stood. Her hair was very curly, to the point of unruliness. In front of her was a pod-like structure. Within the pod floated a young man. Markings were tattooed on his arms and legs, reaching to his hands and feet. "In the future, your time will come." the woman said, looking to the captured boy. She too, had the symbol of the bat in her hair as a clip. "But...we still don't know if the awakening is for your sake or not. Or...if you will help or hinder the Goddesses."
I felt disoriented and dizzy. Where am I?I felt strange, more complete then before. That was the best way to describe it. I hadn't ever realized that I had felt incomplete. I opened my eyes and looked to my left. Sakura was sitting next to me. She smiled, seeing that I was awake.
"Where are-?"
"At Chu'nyan-chan's house." she said quietly. "Syaoran-kun, Fai-san, and Kurogane-san were able to stop the Ryanban."
"So...I missed everything again...huh?" I muttered. Sakura giggled. I sat up, groaning. My whole body felt sore. "I found out what our dream meant." I said, remembering.
"What does it mean?" Sakura asked eagerly.
"I found out that..." I hesitated. I wasn't sure how to say it, so I just did it bluntly. "We're Goddesses. Your the Goddess of Dimensions reincarnated and I'm the Goddess of Magic reincarnated." I said in a rush. Silence. "You don't believe me?"
"No. It sounds...incredable, but...I trust you Selena-chan." she smiled at the end.
"Hey, could I call you just 'Sakura'? I'm not very good at keigo." I asked.
"Only if I can call you 'Selena'."
"Deal." Just then there was a soft tap on the door. "Come in." I called. The boys entered. They were all bandaged up.
"Umm...Sakura-hime...Chu'nyan-chan wants us to help make the lunch." Syaoran said, nervous.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, standing up. "We'll talk a little later, okay?" she said to me.
"Sure." The couple left the room, leaving me with Kurogane, Fai, and Mokona. "Thanks." I told them. I played with my necklace, which now had a piece of the missing facet in it. "If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead. I'm really sorry that I've been getting in the way. I'll try to not be such a hindrance next time."
"Selena-chan, I told you:" Fai said, kneeling to be at my level, "you're not alone. Kuro-run and I will help you."
"Speek for yourself." Kurogane muttered.
"He's just shy!" Mokona squealed. Fai laughed.
"Kuro-chu has a soft spot for the ladies." Fai added, teasing the ninja.
"SHUT UP!!" he roared before stomping away.
"You really should prod him so much." I chided. Fai smiled.
"But he's so easy, don't you think?"
"True." I grinned. Then I remembered something about my dream. "Hey Fai?"
"Hm?"
"I had a dream. In it, there was a little boy. Do you have a brother?" Fai seemed to pale.
"Why...do you ask?" he asked slowly.
"Well...it's just that the little boy had the same eyes as you. His hair was defiantly a different color though." Fai seemed to relax.
"It was probably just a dream." Fai reasured, casting away my concern.
"Yha, you right. I also want to asked something else; do you worship the Goddess of Magic?" His eyebrows raised.
"Well, yes. She is the one who decides who may use magic and who does not." A small smile appeared on his face. "I'd really like to meet her some day, if I could."
"I think you will." I said quietly. He looked at me in confusion. I said nothing.
"Thank you." Chu'nyan said as we all stood outside. We were about to depart from this dimension. The whole town was out there to say goodbye. We had all changed back into our travel cloths. Chu'nyan had been nice enough to clean them for us. "You defeated the Ryanban for us."
"We did nothing of the sort." Syaoran protested. Mokona was playing around Kurogane and now Kurogane had grabbed it and was trying to pull the small creature off his face.
"No! Kurogane's picking on Mokona!" it exclaimed in delight. Sakura seemed to be getting sleepy again.
"If you hadn't removed the spell around the castle, we never could have stopped that man from terrorizing us! So it isthanks to you." Chu'nyan countered.
"No, really. We didn't do-"
"We should be thanking you. The salve you gave us for our injuries worked wonders!" Fai interrupted.
"Mokona wants to read the magazine too!" Mokona exclaimed in the background, clinging onto Kurogane's boot now.
"Mu omoni made that salve!I can't do anything nearly as good, but I'll keep trying my best. I want to be a shinban that she'd be proud of." Chu'nyan explained with a smile. She truly seemed happy.
"You will be." Sakura said, clasping Chu'nyan's hands in hers. "I'm sure of it."
"But don't forget, talent alone isn't enough!" I added.
"Yeah..." Mokona spread out its wings and floated above us.
"Shall we be going?" Fai called up to Mokona.
"We shall!" it rreplied.
"What the heck?!" Chu'nyan exclaimed when she saw Mokona. "Where are you guys going? And why'd that thing grow wing?!" Mokona opened its mouth and began to pull us in, the magic circle under us. "You just got here!"
"We have something we have to do." Syaoran called over his shoulder.
"Good luck!" I called over my shoulder. he town of Ryonfi disappeared and the dark swallowed our group.
Modern Japan
4 beings were gathered in a traditional-style house. 3 were human, 1 was not. One of the humans was a young-looking woman. She had pale white skin, an elegant build, jet-black hair and unusual ruby eyes. To all of those with no magic, they appeared to be a reddish-hazel. She wore a black top with no sleeves and a piece that connected the top to her neck and long white pants. The second of the humans was a young boy of about 16. He also had jet-black hair and pale skin. His eyes were a deep sapphire. Many could have mistaken the two for relatives. But in reality, the elegant woman was the boy's employer. He wore a traditional Japanese school uniform. The final of the humans in the party of 4 was an old woman. Her hair was silvery-white, her face worn with wrinkles. But she was not unpleasing to look at. The non-human member was a small creature of purest black. It had a blue jewel on its forehead and a blue-jeweled earring on the left of its long, rabbit-like ears. The old woman and the boy were sitting opposite each other. In between them was an ornate, gold plate filled with sand. A thin arm came from the side of the plate and held a string with a pointed silver crystal above the sand. Balanced precariously on the arm was a long handle, perpendicular to the arm. It extended evenly on each side, to that were it was attached to the arm, that was the middle. The black creature was munching a rice cake happily while its creater, the mysterious woman, sat by the table that all three humans were around, making a triangle. The sand-plate was in the middle of the table.
"I'm sorry, would you tell me your name?" the old woman asked.
"W-Watanuki Kimihiro." the schoolboy replied nervously.
"All right, Kimihiro-kun."
"So you're asking my name as a piece of data for your divination?" the boy, Watanuki, asked excitedly.
"No. It's just easier to talk to you if I know your name." the old woman replied.
"That's all?" Watanuki said, disappointed. The younger woman and black creature laughed.
"But it is a nice name. Given to you by your mother, right?"
"Ah!" Watanuki was surprised. Then he noticed the plate. "What is that?"
"A 'Sanban' sand plate." the younger woman replied.
"I use it for my divination." the older woman added. "Now, put your hand here." She guided the hand of the boy to one of the handles sticking out and then placed her own hand on the other side. Her eyes closed.
"Um..don't you want to know my concerns?" Watanuki asked.
"She already knows." the younger woman said. The black creature was on her shoulder, softly singing to itself happily. "Watanuki, the fact that you're here is hitsuzen. There is something here that you want to see. So she already knows what you most want to ask." The crystal on the plate was moving on its own, drawing something in the sand. "A true fortune teller knows exactly what you want foretold. And only that will be the fortune told. What you need to hear is what you will hear. It is such a simple thing, but in truth, it is very difficult to accomplish. The diviner both sees and feels the urge to tell the client. But...it is forbidden." Watanuki looked at her.
"But why?"
"Because a fortune is a contract. A fortune is an exchange between the teller and the one being told."
"What exactly is being exchanged?"
"Plenty of things. Money is the most common. Other goods of services. Sometimes even luck."
"Luck? You're saying you can hand over your luck?"
"Yes. Even a person's soul."
"But when a soul is exchanged, the fortuneteller's soul is also in jeopardy. Depending of the results of the divination." The young woman sipped her tea.
"Wait, that sounds a lot like the system in your shop Yuko-san." Watanuki said.
"Yes. They are quite similar." the younger woman, Yuko, replied. Weather or not 'Yuko' was her real name, no one knew. Some more knowledge was exchanged between worker and employer before the old woman opened her eyes, ready.
"Be at ease. You parents have passed on to the was a terrible accident that took your parents. It took their lives in the act to save you. But now they feel no pain; they are both at peace. And they are happy that you've grown up into such a resourceful, kind young man." Watanuki looked down.
"I-Is that right? ...I'm glad." Yuko smiled sadly.
Ah! The fact that you can see spirits doesconcern them. And you've been meeting someone recently...I get it. This is what you followed to find me." Watanuki looked to the plate to find the ornate outline of a butterfly in the sand. "Butterflies are a symbol of a journey, an omen of change. You are due to be transformed. And the start of that change..." the old woman opened her eyes. "has already begun." she smiled. "What else...there's a girl in school that you like. But you don'twant me to tell you the future of that subject, so I'll hold my tongue."
"Eh?!"
"And...there's a friend whom you get into fights with. The two of you will be thrown together more and more."
"Uhh..."
"And...there is another young woman. You have only met her briefly, but she is very important to you. Your lineage and hers are interwoven. She will bring your great happiness as well as a large battle in the future."
"What...?" Watanuki murmered. Yuko stiffened.
"That should cover everything that you want to hear." the old woman concluded.
"And more and you wouldn't be able to afford it." Yuko smirked.
"Umm..how much do I have to pay you. You know I'm poor, right?"
"Watanuki-kun, you are a wonderful cook, so some food to go with the liquor brought will be perfect."
"The moment I've been waiting for!" Yuko exclaimed in delight. The black creature pulled out the bottle.
"If you can make do with whatever you find in the kitchen, that would be wonderful."
"But are you sure it will be enough?"
"If you put your heart into cooking, I'm sure it will be enough. After all, your father was an exceptional chef himself." Watanuki smiled, reassured.
"I'll put everything I've got into it!"
"Mokona will go too!" the black creature, Mokona, exclaimed, climbing onto Watanuki's shoulder. This Mokona was the twin of the white Mokona that was traveling through time and space.
"A butterfly." the old woman said. "That's your signature, isn't it? It's you, Yuko-chan, who has started Watanuki-kun's transformation. And what he transforms into...will be interesting to see." the women gazed into the kitchen, watching the boy and the creature cook together.
"I shouldn't take all the credit. His meeting with the Goddess will help as well. They will both help each other transform and grow." Yuko was now thoughtful for a moment. "One question: What will the weather be like tonight?"
"Rain I would say." the old woman eplied, picking up her tool of divination to store it away. Suddenly, rain began to pour down from the once-clear sky.
"Huh?" Watanuki said, confused at what he saw outside. "It's raining! But it was clear a few seconds ago!" The women looked to each other smiling. And while he set down the tray laden with plates, glasses and food, Watanuki couldn't help but once again think of the girl with dirty-blond hair that had fallen from the sky into the shop a week ago. It feels...like we've met before...Watanuki looked up to the rainy sky and wondered where the dimension-traveling group was now.
Ta-da! *jazz hands* You made it! Pretty exhausting, right? Wouldn't be surprised if it took you 2-3 sittings to read it. The next chapter will be unbelievably short in comparison to this one. There will never be another chapter exceeding 6,000 words, promise. Preview time!
Mokona: Puu! We're in a new world! But all there is is forest and a HUGE lake! When the group splits, what happens to Selena? And what was Sakura's memory? And who is that boy with glasses that Selena meets? And is their meeting real or a dream? Find out next time on Tsubasa: Frozen Reflection in Chapter 10: Meeting the Witch's Apprentice. Mokona can't wait to read it!
Don't forget to review and Happy Valentine's Day!