Hi guys! Whew, I've had two weeks work experience, and now there's half term! But then there's a maths exam after that. AW! Anyway, number thirteen's up and running. Oh yeah! I've also opened up a poll on my profile. I've done my selections, so now it's your turn! Ah! It's already been two months since I've updated my fanfiction! GOMENASAI! (Note: For those of you who don't know Japanese that means I'm sorry)
Chapter 13
Charmcaster Battle
"So you're the one who saved him." Armstrong muttered. Daisy skipped into the centre of the clearing.
"The star comes in to save the day!" Daisy sang, waving her right hand holding three picks in the air. "Phew. I'm glad my picks worked."
"Should we do something?" Syrus asked Aster as he climbed back onto the ledge to the gang.
"Nah, she'll be okay. You'll never know what she can do."
"What's a charmcaster?" Aiko asked.
"Oh, you'll see." Aster said with a grin.
"Great, I can't believe my opponent is a girl." Armstrong grumbled. "Run along, girlie. If this is an act to impress your boyfriend, don't bother fighting. You'd still loose either way."
"WHY YOU LITTLE…" Daisy yelled, waving her arms in the air angrily. "THIS IS NOT A SET UP! HOW DARE YOU BE SO SEXIST?!" Catalina sweat dropped.
She's got an even hotter temper than Hiruko and Hannah…She thought.
"Suit yourself." Armstrong shrugged, clenching the chain to his giant morning star. Daisy's hand hovered over her bag. Armstrong tugged on the chain, lifting the spiked ball out of the ground almost effortlessly. Daisy dashed to her right.
"And they're off." Aster muttered.
"How can you be so calm?!" Hannah exclaimed. "Daisy's only just got those picks, and they're not enough to take down that iron ball!"
"You'll find out." Aster said patiently. "Those quills aren't the only weapon she possesses, y'know."
Armstrong watched as Daisy dashed around him in a circle so quickly she was almost a blur.
"Stop moving!" Armstrong grunted, hurling the ball towards Daisy. She jumped up into the air, planted a hand between two spikes and somersaulted over it before landing gracefully back onto the ground. Meanwhile, the spiked ball was heading straight towards the gang.
"EEEEEEK!" Aiko squealed.
"DUCK!" Aster yelled, jumping out of the way. Soon, everyone leapt out of the way of the spiked ball, some of them even crashing into trees. Jesse had jumped to his right, rolled across the ground and rammed straight into a tree head first. Suddenly, a passageway opened up in the trunk and Jesse fell inside it, before it closed behind him.
"Who the hell does he think he is lobbing that giant…er…thing over here?!" Jaden yelled. "Right Jesse?!" Jaden looked over his shoulder, but Jesse wasn't there. "Eh?"
"What's up?" Aster asked, noticing Jaden looking behind trees and whipping his head left and right. "Did you drop something?"
"Where's Jesse?" Jaden asked.
…
Somewhere else in the forest, Jesse sat up on his knees in front of a tree rubbing his head.
"Ow, god that hurt." He groaned. "First I had a poison attack, and now I'm hit on the head twice?!" Jesse stood up and turned around. "Uh…guys?" Jesse looked left and right. "Where'd that guy with the ball go? Wait a sec, it's not that they're not here, but more like I'm not there." Jesse sighed. "Great. I'm lost again. Oh, well. I guess I'll have to find my own way back." Jesse turned to his right and began to walk off when suddenly, he ran into something.
"OOF!" Jesse grunted, stumbling backwards. A firm grip caught him on his arm, preventing him from falling. Jesse looked up, and was met with the kind face of a man. This man had short messy raven black hair and bright green eyes, and he wore a red ninja outfit, complete with a headband tied around his head and a katana sword holder attached to a black tie belt. The man smiled.
"Are you alright young man?" He asked.
"Er…yeah. I'm fine I guess." Jesse answered.
"You're not from around here, are you? It's dangerous for you to be here on your own. There are warlocks about you know."
"Ah, don't worry about me. I can take care of myself." Jesse reassured. He realised the man still had a grip on his arm. "You can let go now, because your kinda hurting me."
"Oh, I'm sorry." The man apologised quickly, letting go of Jesse. "Why are you here?"
"I'm with my friends searching for someone who's gone missing. What about you? Do you live here?"
"No. I'm searching for someone as well."
"Like a ninja mission or something?" Jesse asked eagerly.
"You can call it that." The man looked closely at Jesse. "You remind me of someone."
"I do?" Jesse said, stepping backwards.
"Yes. My wife had an accent just like yours, and she was always insisting she could take care of herself."
"You have a family?"
"Not really. She passed away quite a long time ago."
"Oh…I'm sorry." Jesse apologised awkwardly.
"Don't be. It's not your fault. It happened many years ago. Thirteen I think. My town was invaded by rival ninjas, searching for an object. Then, just five minutes later, they left as quickly as they came. When I got back home, my wife was dead. And my son had found her dead before I did."
"You had a son?" The man nodded.
"He'd probably be your age by now. But I haven't seen him since that day, because, in order to protect him, I sent him to a city to live a life as a normal boy. I feared that the enemy would go after him as well, so I thought I should do what would be best. It's been so long, I doubt he even remembers me."
"You…haven't seen your son for thirteen years?" The man shook his head. "I know how you feel."
"What?"
"I…I never really grew up with a proper family, and about a year ago, I got some crystal beast cards from Industrial Illusions, and since I can see dual spirits, they became my family." The man stared at Jesse. "What is it this time?"
"It's your eyes." He grabbed Jesse's arm again and pulled Jesse closer to him; so close that their faces were just inches apart. "We're complete strangers, yet we opened up to each other as if we were good friends. Your eyes are so different, yet so similar to mine."
"I'm sure it's just a coincidence." Jesse said cheerfully. "Now I don't want to be rude, but I have to go and find my friends." The man let go of Jesse again.
"It's that tree there." The man pointed at an oak tree.
"How do you know?"
"I saw you fall out of it. You just pull that short branch down and you'll be back instantly."
"Thanks, partner." Jesse pulled down the short branch, and a doorway glowed yellow in the trunk. Just before he left, Jesse turned around to the samurai. "By the way, I'm Jesse."
"Alister," Jesse waved over his shoulder to Alister.
"Maybe we'll see each other again sometime." Jesse turned back around and as soon as he walked through the glowing doorway, it disappeared. Alister stared at the tree for several seconds.
That boy… He thought.
"Now now, don't go getting attached to him. You know what happened to Kai when HE got attached to that charmcaster girl, don't you?" A voice said. Alister looked over his shoulder, spotting a shadow standing behind him.
"Come now, he was just a boy."
"That boy is our enemy." The voice snapped. "Out of all the other brats, he is known to be one of the strongest except for that damn phoenix. He even defeated Catalina, who is one of the most cunning of us all. That's because he possesses the glove of Rai." Alister's eyes widened. "Oh, interested now, are we? You know fully about that weapon, and that the glove chooses its master. Isn't that the weapon those enemies of yours used to be after?" Alister looked down.
"Yes, you are right. And I understand your concerns about me, but I wasn't planning anything about favouritism…" The shadow stepped forward, showing a woman with light blue skin, cold eyes and long light blue hair, wearing a short split wrap around dress and knee high Greek sandals. "Miss Nevara."
"Good boy Alister." Nevara smiled. A black cloud appeared underneath her. "I'm going on lookout for a while. Remember our objective. Haru has to die."
"Right." Alister nodded. Nevara floated off on her cloud into the sky, and Alister watched her leave until he couldn't see her anymore.
Jesse… He thought. You're the next heir to the glove? Who'd have thought it? But my sole mission since that awful day was to find the heir. In my family, whoever possesses the glove of Rai may be the strongest warrior ever known. If only we weren't enemies. But nonetheless, I shall aid you whenever I can, because that is what a samurai does.
…
"Stupid soldiers making me go through the portal on my own." Hassleberry grumbled, stomping through the woods. "I knew we should've taken Meno. If she'd bring out that evil side, she'd get rid of the enemy easily." Hassleberry stopped walking. An old man was sitting cross legged against a tree, wearing a brown cloak and had a long white moustache. The hood on his cloak was pulled over his head. "You okay, old man?"
"Don't mind me. I'm just a forest guide."
"Forest guide?" Hassleberry repeated. "Then have you seen a guy around here that looks like a girl? He's got this outfit covered in belts."
"I see lots of things." The old man shrugged.
"Did you see that?"
"No."
"Dammit. Well in that case what about someone with a white suit and a goofy looking kid with a red jacket?"
"Over there." The old man pointed to his right. Hassleberry began to walk away. "Hold it."
"What now?" Hassleberry groaned. The old man stood up.
"There are evil people here hunting down stone wielders. You're not one of them, are you?"
"No, but I do know one."
"Shame. Oh well. You could do with some extra protection, because you don't look very strong."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Hassleberry snapped. The old man threw an object the size of a marble to Hassleberry, who caught it. It was a small grey sphere.
"What's this? It better not be a joke." Hassleberry asked.
"Like I said, it's extra protection." The old man began to walk away. "It's a talisman."
"What?!" Hassleberry exclaimed looking up, but the old man was gone. "Then what is it and how do I use it?!" Hassleberry yelled to nobody.
…
"Whoa that was close!" Daisy yelled. "You okay guys?"
"We've had better." Aster answered.
"Jesse where are you?" Jaden yelled.
"I'm right here." Jesse said, walking out from behind a tree.
"Why didn't you show up earlier? I thought someone might've kidnapped you."
"Well they haven't."
"Shut up already!" Armstrong snapped. "Don't you want to witness me crushing your girlfriend?!"
"Actually, she's my girlfriend." Aster said.
"Right then. Let's have some fun." Daisy said. She began to run again, but this time she was so fast she was barely even visible.
"How's she doing that?" Syrus asked. "None of us are that fast."
"Where are you?" Armstrong hissed. The purple blur leapt up in the air and Daisy landed on his head on one foot.
"Here I am!" She sang, performing a neat pirouette on his head.
She's having fun. Aster thought, almost sweat dropping. She's actually enjoying herself. Aster saw something shine on Daisy's feet and, looking closer, there was a yellow sphere attached to each foot.
"Oh, so you noticed Aster?" Daisy said. "These are charms that make me run faster than the speed of sound. They're just perfect for sneak attacks and confusing the enemy." Armstrong growled. Daisy bent over her waist until she was peering into Armstrong's eyes. "Aw, did I upset you?" Daisy teased. She flicked Armstrong's nose and jumped off his head with a giggle and a forward flip.
"BRAT!" Armstrong roared, hurling the morning star towards Daisy again, but she jumped over the chain.
"It's just like jump rope." Daisy said cheerfully, reaching into her purple bag and pulling out three green knifes. Armstrong threw the morning star once again towards Daisy. She smirked. When the spiked ball was inches from her, she jumped up into the air, throwing her knives into the steel ball and landed on the ground again as the morning star fell onto the ground. Silence. Suddenly, the ball fell into a pile, cut up into small cubes.
"Wow!" Syrus gasped.
"She destroyed it?!" Catalina yelled.
"Wind blades. Green knives that can cut through the hardest metal. Pretty neat huh?"
"How many weapons does she have?" Aiko wondered.
"Beats me." Jaden shrugged. "I bet there's some even Daisy doesn't know about." Aiko stared suspiciously at Aster, who was too fixed towards the fight to notice her.
His reaction to the search of the phoenix fire was bigger than anyone else's. She thought. I wonder what he knows about it.
"Aster. A word." Aiko said.
"Okay, but maybe later? I wanna watch this…" Aster trailed off. Aiko was staring at Aster with a look that told him that this was something very important. "Fine."
"This way." Aiko said, pointing into the hedges.
"Uh…okay." Aster said slowly. "Guys, me and Aiko are just nipping over here for a bit. If I miss the fight, let me know what's happened." Aster then disappeared into the hedges with Aiko.
"What did he say?" Jesse asked. Jaden shrugged, making an "I don't know" noise.
"Hmmm…what do these things do?" Daisy said thoughtfully, holding dark purple miniature bats in her hands. "Are they Crazy Bones or something?"
"What the…you don't even know what half these weapons are?!" Armstrong spluttered. Daisy grinned.
"Nope. I 'm clueless."
"I, however, know how to use mine." Armstrong pulled out a staff that had a smaller spiked ball on top and charged at Daisy.
"EEK!" Daisy squealed, throwing the small bats at Armstrong. In a puff of purple smoke, the metal bats transformed into real bats and flocked around Armstrong, stopping him in his tracks.
"What…where did these things come from?!"
"Oh, so that's what they do." Daisy said.
"OW! They bite!"
"Rookie, snap out of it! This is no time to loose a fight!" Catalina shouted.
"STOP CALLING ME ROOKIE!" Armstrong shouted back angrily. He swatted the bats into puffs of smoke once again with his staff. "I shall not be looked down upon, when I had looked down upon people my whole life."
"Then…why join some sorceress who will treat you like dirt?" Daisy asked. Slowly, Daisy's hand slipped into her purple bag.
"Because that brat with the crazy hair told me I could become stronger."
"What?!" Daisy gasped, eyes wide. "You mean…Magdala?"
"That's about right."
Flashback
Armstrong flicked a cigarette down onto the ground and crushed it with his foot. He leaned on a wall in a dark alleyway, glancing at his wristwatch.
"Midnight…" He muttered. He flexed the fingers on his left hand. He could still faintly hear the whirring of the machinery everytime his hand moved. "Damn bitch…"
"Excuse me…" Armstrong looked up from his robotic hand. A girl with long white hair, dark blue eyes and a yellow blouse and green skirt looked back at him.
"What do you want brat?" Armstrong grumbled.
"Why's your arm making funny noises? Are you a robot?"
"I'll tell you why! That bitch with this so called split personality did this to me." Armstrong yelled, clenching his fists.
"You mean Meno?"
"Oh, so you're her friend, are you?"
"That girl is not my friend!" Magdala cried. "She is a threat to momma, and she must die."
"Hmm…so my enemy's enemy is my ally. Fancy that. But how can you kill a Kishido like her? You're just a squirt."
"I'll show you." An arm made of her white hair reached out behind her and grabbed an empty can of coke, bringing it in front of Armstrong's face. "Momma gave me this power. Because of this, I can kill anyone, even you if I'm told I can." The hairy hand clenched into a fist, crushing the can. The hand disappeared and the hair fell back around Magdala's shoulders. "Come with me, and momma can make you stronger."
"Stronger than that Kishido?" Armstrong asked.
"Twice as strong as her." Armstrong thought for a moment.
"Alright, I'll play along."
"And so, here I am now." Armstrong finished.
"So basically you believed a squirt that was taught how to kill since she was created." Jesse said obnoxiously.
"That's beside the point. I only joined so I could finally beat that Kishido. But to do that, I have to destroy this girl."
"Don't sound so sure of yourself." Daisy said throwing a handful of small spheres at Armstrong's feet. They sunk into the ground, and seconds later thick green vines wriggled out of the ground like snakes and wrapped themselves around Armstrong. "That should hold you for a while." Daisy held three picks in her right hand. "Now for the coup de grace."
SMASH!
Mechanical parts scattered on the ground, and some of the vines fell onto the floor. Daisy's eyes widened. Armstrong's left arm was gone up to his elbow.
"AAAHHHHH!!! I'M SO SORRY! ARE YOU OKAY?! I DIDN'T MEAN TO BREAK YOUR ARM OFF, I SWEAR I DIDN'T! I WAS JUST PLANNING TO STOP YOU FROM MOVING FOR A WHILE! I SWEAR TO GOD IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" Daisy panicked, waving her arms up and down frantically. Armstrong sweat dropped.
I don't get this kid at all…He thought.
"Don't apologise for breaking his arm off!" Jaden shouted.
"Why did your arm break off? I thought the vines were to hold, not to snap." Daisy asked, still panicking. She suddenly stopped. "Wait a sec. There's no blood coming out."
"Weren't you listening to what I said? That bitch Meno did this to me."
Meno? Daisy thought. She'd really…cut someone's arm off? Armstrong's stump glowed white. "What's going on?"
"Miranda gave me more than just a bag of toys. And because you destroyed my arm, you're about to find out!" Suddenly, red octopus tentacles burst out of his stump, the suction cups oozing with ink. "She gave me a new arm. Now, let's see how you can defeat this!"
…
"Aiko, why are we heading all the way out here?" Aster asked, pulling apart grass twice his height. "Couldn't we wait?"
"No." Aiko answered without turning around and walked through more long grass, Aster following. "This is more important than a small fight." She stopped. Aster's foot got caught in some grass that wound around his ankle, and he landed flat on his face.
"Ow." Aster moaned, standing back up again. "I'm a phoenix warrior, but I'm still a bit clumsy. I'm sorry." Aster apologised grinning.
"I don't understand you." Aiko said.
"Eh?"
"Pardon me for intruding, but I read your mind when I saw you with Daisy. Your father went missing, along with your mother who had tried to kill you. You were bullied. You even wanted to die once. For ten years, you were an orphan, and your mother is your enemy. She sent enemies after you, and she tortured you physically and mentally." Aiko turned to face Aster. "Why? Why aren't you living under a dark cloud? How can you keep smiling like that?"
"You just spoke my mind. Because…those are questions even I can't answer. But…I think it's because I just got sick of being sad all the time. Sometimes, you have to focus on what you have rather than what you don't. Besides, if there's anyone who's living under a dark shadow, I'd say it's Haru." A gentle breeze blew through the grass as Aiko stared at Aster, amazed.
Haru... under a dark shadow? Aiko shrugged the thought off as she remembered why she wanted to talk to Aster.
"There's something else that bothers me." Aiko began. "When I mentioned the phoenix fire, you looked more shocked than anyone else. This has leaded me to believe that you know something about it."
"Well sorry, but I don't know a thing. I've heard of it, and our enemies keep calling me "boy of the phoenix" or something. Wait a minute. This is all because I'm a phoenix warrior." Aster slammed a fist into his palm. "That's it, isn't it? That must be why everyone's after me and not Hannah. Maybe it's because I'm linked to this phoenix fire somehow." Aiko looked down. "That explains why I'm-"
"That's not what I meant." Aiko grabbed Aster's right wrist. "Your connection with the phoenix fire is putting you and what could be the whole universe in danger. You and your friends have no idea how much power the phoenix fire has. In the wrong hands, the phoenix fire can be used for diabolical evil, and when that happens, there shall be eternal darkness."
"Aiko, cut it out, you're scaring me." Aster said. Quick as a flash, Aiko pulled off the manacle on Aster's wrist. "Hey! Give that back! This isn't funny!"
"I have to be sure if you really are linked to the phoenix fire. But there is no other way to check. That's why…I'm sorry."
"Huh?" Aiko turned away from Aster. Several seconds passed by before she spun around and pushed Aster through the grass behind him.
What's happening? Aster's eyes widened as he was forced to look down. Below him was a long cliff that was so deep, it seemed bottomless. And Aster was about to fall through it!
…
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Aiko looked down at the ground sadly. She really didn't want it to come to this, but it was the only way. She walked through the grass Aster was pushed through moments ago. Aiko stared down at the bottomless cliff.
Now we shall see if there really is a connection…
…
"Whoa!" Daisy yelled leaping into the air as a tentacle crashed into the ground. She landed on a tree branch. "I've already been trapped by tentacles once, and I'm not gonna let it happen again." She jumped off the tree branch as another tentacle destroyed the tree branch. A third grabbed her ankle, swung her around the air and let go, forcing her to ram straight into a tree.
"Daisy!" Syrus cried.
"Are you okay?" Jaden asked. Daisy sat up on her knees.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She threw her picks at Armstrong, but they were swatted away effortlessly by a tentacle, and the picks became jammed in a tree trunk.
"It'll take more than quills to harm me." Armstrong said, pulling out one of the picks in the tree with a tentacle and throwing it at Daisy. It whistled the air past Daisy's left arm and became jammed in another tree trunk. A scratch appeared on Daisy's shoulder, which she clutched.
"They've been at this for ten minutes." Jesse said, looking at his wristwatch.
"Where'd Aster and Aiko go?" Jaden asked, looking over his shoulder.
Shoot…Daisy thought, biting her knuckle. How am I gonna get around this? She stuffed her hand into her bag. C'mon, give me some luck. She pulled out her hand, and she held two silver objects shaped like wings. These'll do.
"Now to finish you off!" Armstrong yelled triumphantly. Daisy threw the silver charms into the air, and they immediately glowed white. "What now?" The charms fell down behind Daisy, and white wings appeared on her back, immediately lifting her off the ground.
"Unbelievable." Jesse gasped.
"She can fly?" Syrus said.
"These are some of my most powerful charms. I haven't used these before, so I'm just going to give 'em a little test drive." The wings began to flap frantically. After a few seconds, a powerful gust of wind blew through the clearing and part of the forest. "Wind element: GUST!" A tornado spun through the clearing, uprooting many trees and getting tem caught in the storm.
"What does she think she's doing?" Syrus yelled, clinging onto a tree.
"Quit hogging." Jaden said, clutching the same tree as Syrus.
"She's winning, that's what." Jesse answered. Armstrong made two of his tentacles cling onto a tree each that was still in the ground, but even they couldn't escape the powerful wind, and they too were uprooted, forcing Armstrong off the ground and into the centre of the tornado. Daisy was metres away from him.
"I'll sever those stupid tentacles off your arm." Daisy said. Two dozen feathers stood out on her wings. "FEATHER DARTS!" The wings shot out feathers and they sped towards Armstrong. A few of them successfully sliced off the tentacles like cheese.
"BRAT!" Armstrong roared.
"This is what happens when you're with the wrong people." Daisy shrugged. Six picks flashed in her hands. "But if you change your mind, don't come crying to me." She threw the picks at Armstrong, sticking straight into his chest.
"ARGH!" The wind died down, and Armstrong fell onto the ground, losing consciousness in the progress. Daisy floated down onto the ground, and the wings disappeared backs into their silver winged form. Daisy placed them back into her bag.
"Stay tuned for more of Daisy Portrait's fights, folks. Because there's plenty more where that came from." Daisy said happily.
"You did it!" Syrus cheered
"Awesome!" Jesse yelled
"Ha! Piece of cake." Daisy said, linking her hands behind her head.
"What about that scratch?" Hannah asked.
"Oh, right." Daisy reached into her bag, and in her hand she held a plaster. Daisy pulled off the wrapping and placed it over the scratch. "That should do. Hey Aster! Did you see how I…" She trailed off. "Where is he?"
…
"WHAT THE HELL IS SHE THINKING?!" Aster yelled, falling down the cliff.
I've gotta fly out of here… Aster reached towards his right wrist, but there was no manacle.
"Aw, hell! She took it off!" Aster remembered. "Right. I'll just have to grab onto something." Aster spotted a ledge coming closer towards him. "There!" Aster reached out to grab it, but as soon as he did, it crumbled, and Aster began to fall again. "Dammit!"
Looks like I'm dead. Sorry guys…
"It's almost time."
"Who said that?" Aster asked. The darkness suddenly glowed white, and Aster landed…on his feet. "Where am I? Wasn't I falling before?"
"We are inside your mind. It is now almost time for you to obtain my full power."
"Oh, yeah. You're that spirit that helped me out against that shape shifter, right?"
"I have some questions for you."
"Oh…kay." Aster said slowly. A glowing red person appeared floating behind Aster, but he didn't notice. "Why do I have this feeling someone's…AH!" The figure whooshed towards Aster, and he grabbed its wrists just as he turned around. He gasped.
"Mom?" The figure had morphed into a look alike of Miranda, her mouth curved into a thin smile.
"Answer me. Why do you fight? You know the enemy could be even stronger than you, and you know she is your mother. Aren't you afraid?"
"Heh. What a silly question." Aster started, struggling to hold the fake Miranda back. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared. But when I fight, I remember something that makes me forget my fear. I have friends to protect."
"Friends?" Miranda disappeared into red smoke, slipping through Aster's grasp. It danced into the air and morphed into another person. Daisy. "Is it this girl? Answer me. Is she the reason you fight? And what about you're other friends? They are fighting as well. Why do you want to protect them? Is it love for them, or self interest?"
"Hmmm…" Aster said thoughtfully. "That's a tough one." He was silent for a few seconds. Aster grinned cheerfully. "I don't want to see my friends cry. I don't want them to be sad or lonely." Fake Daisy stared at Aster, speechless.
"That's your reason?"
"I'm not sure if you'd call it love or friendship or whatever it is. I'm still new to that stuff." He gave the fake Daisy a peace sign. "But that's all I've got." Fake Daisy chuckled until she burst out laughing.
"HAHAHA! YOU'RE HILARIOUS MASTER! WHEN NAIVEITY REACHES THAT LEVEL, IT'S ALMOST A TREASURE! YOU'LL LIVE A LONG LIFE!" Fake Daisy calmed down eventually. "Well done. You have answered my questions well. So now, you can use my power. It may take a while to get used to it, but I'll aid you out of this cliff." The white light disappeared, and Aster was once again falling down the cliff.
"Son of a… huh?" Aster saw that the phoenix in his pocket was glowing. The glowing rose out of his pocket and became larger and larger, gradually taking shape of an orange bird with wings eleven metres long. It was a phoenix. It gave a shrill scream and dived down underneath Aster, catching him on its back and flying up towards the top of the cliff. "Whoa!" Aster yelled, clinging to the phoenix's feathers. "What's going on?" In seconds, the phoenix flew into the blue sky and out of the cliff. It dived down towards the ground and landed feet first gracefully. The phoenix disappeared, and Aster fell onto the ground on one knee. He stood up, confused.
"Er…what just happened?" Aster asked out loud. Aiko peered at the puzzled Aster through the long grass.
He doesn't even know what kind of power he has? She thought.
"Aiko I know you're there." Aster said. Aiko walked out of the grass.
"I'm sorry. I just wanted to be certain if you were linked."
"Well, you have a funny way of showing it." Aiko looked down at the ground.
"I'm sorry. I really am. I do like you Aster. Really I do."
"Pfft." Aster snorted behind his hand.
"What's so funny?"
"You really don't know a thing about friendship do you?" Aster smiled. "For starters, you don't push your friends off cliffs. If you do, you'll have a hard time gaining their trust."
"So that means…"
"Yeah, you're cool for now. Can I have my-"
"Oh, right." Aiko handed Aster the manacle, and he slipped it back onto his wrist.
"Should we head back? The others are probably wondering where we are."
"Okay." Aiko gasped.
"What's wrong?" Aster asked.
"There's a stone wielder nearby." Aiko answered.
"Haru's here?" Aster walked backwards slowly. He stopped after several paces. Suddenly, his right hand shot into some long grass.
"OW!"
"Ah ha! Gotcha!" Aster pulled out Haru by his ponytail.
"Get off! That hurts!" Aiko gasped.
"Haru… It's really you. I don't believe it. After so long, you're finally here."
"Aiko?"
"Er…you know each other then?" Aster asked.
"Yes. We were friends when we were just kids." Haru answered.
"Oh…anyway." Aster whacked Haru behind his head.
"OW! What was that for?" Haru snapped, rubbing his head.
"Running off without telling us. What were you thinking?"
"I asked you beforehand, and you all said no, so when that portal opened, I just had to go." Haru glanced down at the belts on his boots. "I want to talk to my sister. Maybe I can still get through to her somehow, even if it's just a little."
"Okay." Aster nodded.
"What?"
"I said okay. If that's all you want to do, then we'll do it. We'll help. It's what friends are for, right?" Haru's eyes widened.
"You really don't know a thing about friendship, do you?"
"Oh…okay." Haru said hesitantly.
"Well, let's go then!" Aster exclaimed, grabbing Haru's hair and walking back to the others.
"Ow! Cut it out! That hurts! I can walk myself there, y'know. I'm not going to run away again!" Aiko followed the two boys, deep in thought.
Why does he want to talk to his sister? She thought. Did something happen?
TA DA! Sorry that took so long. And just to warn you guys, I've got GCSE's coming up soon, so it might take a while to get the next chapter up. Anyways, hope you liked this chapter. See you l8r!