Hey guys! I'm back!
Anyways *clears throat* I'm sure you people are wondering what my update schedule is. My plan is to update every other week, but if i I can't it's because I might be busy with other things.
Oh! And to Arcane Charmcaster who noticed my mistake, thank you! I hadn't even realized I typed it backwards until you pointed it out.
(P.S, she might do seal work in the near future )
This chapter is dedicated to someones who's reviews really brighten up my day! Thank you mariana Fan! You've followed my stories for a while and I'm really grateful!
And to the people who took the time to read, review, favorite, and heart this fic!
With that out of the way, onto the story!
(I don't own Naruto or any other references in this story)
O.o.O
Seeing black for so long was just dreary.
She had thought it would have been different.
Y'know, the whole dying thing.
In reality?
Dying felt just plain... strange.
She felt... blank. Nothing. No feeling, no anything. She had believed in afterlife, and judgement and all that crap only to end up in a place that was neither Hell or heaven.
...Okay she took that back. Crap seem justified but not in this context, it was just... different? No, it was uncomfortable and painful.
To some, it would feel like sleep paralysis. The nagging feeling of being half-awake but not being able to move? The sensation was foreign, and it was like she was paralyzed. She couldn't see. She couldn't breathe. (Did the dead need to breathe? She didn't know). She couldn't feel her clothing and most of all she couldn't move. She felt awake, but her body wasn't catching up to her mind. Her eyelids were closed, like when she was dying only when she tried to muster the energy to do something, she just failed.
She wanted to scream.
What the hell? Reina had no clue what time it was or the day. It was like time had completely stilled for her, like her body was...
In a form of Stasis, she realized in contemplation. But how? Oh wait, she recalled sarcastically, who ever ruled the afterlife decided she wasn't good enough for any of that and instead chose to stick her in a place that she was now dubbing purgatory. Irritation over took her rapidly as she tried to do something. She hated it, the feeling of being in the same place for so long. It was bubbling inside her, coursing beneath her skin.
Move ...
I hate this...
"-ime for her to wake up." Reina felt the sudden urge to open her eyes and yell at the person. Who the hell..?
"You don't mean me, do you? Because you're a little late." She rasped, not realizing her mouthed had moved until she voiced her thought's aloud. Her mouth was dry and her tongue felt like sandpaper.
"Cheeky aren't you, darling."
Her eye twitched at the honorific. What did they just call me?
Her body was heavier and drowsed, like she had woken up from a long drug induced sleep. More like a god-damned nightmare. She let out a strangled cough, feeling everything jolt back to her at once. She twitched her ears, and slowly tried to flex her fingers.
She next tilted her head back and forth, loosening up the aching in her neck. She lifted her arms, reaching up to rub the cricks out of her neck. That's better, a sigh escaped her lips before she touched her throat that was oddly bare. Reina winced, that hurt.
Wait, the collar! Her eyes snapped open in an instant. She was on the ground, feeling a smooth, cold, surface against her neck. Her eyes trailed to the ground before her amber eyes took in the area around her, swallowing roughly in muted shock. What...what is this? Her body jolted forward, sitting her upright.
A crystal, glassy, misshaped, object was encasing her inside, glowing a faint sheen of blue, containg hints of bright yellow on the lower area's. The enormity of it stunned her as her amber irises took in the sight of the gold ring circling the platform situated at the edges, more like a thick band then anything else. The surface, she noted, was clouded, like a hazy fog or breath on a mirror. It's like mist is inside it. It was like a mirror on the inside, but not visible on the outside.
Reina hadn't even looked at her appearance, and she meant really looked. She gingerly observed with growing horror the state of her head. Her black hair was still the same, only red flowed from the sides of her bangs. Blood, but it wasn't dripping down her head from her wound; instead it was stunted, just frozen in a dripping state. She felt no pain, as her fingertips brushed her right temple. Her hand pulled away, red not showing on her fingers. It's still warm, but it's not moving? Because I'm dead? Or what? She squinted into the foggy surface, seeing her boldened features. And what's with the makeup?
Her eyes were lined with a heavier black, she noticed, and dusted with bronze glitter. No other alterations were made to her, to her relief. Her body copied the mirrored version of herself touching the white dress on her, a ringed silver belt hanging off her hips. Shoes weren't present on her feet, only showing off her bare ankles and tanned feet.
She turned her head to the side, gazing at everything at once. She stopped, gaining control of herself. Her hand itched to touch the glassy surface cautiously before drawing it back. "I shouldn't." The excitement within her died down quickly as she narrowed her eyes.
"Actually if you don't, I have a feeling you'll never get out." A voice suddenly echoed around her, vibrating from the sides.
Who is that? She coughed into her fist in an attempt to erase the dryness. "Oh? So are you the one who put me in here, whoever you are?" It was plausible. No one else was around, but she wouldn't point fingers yet. Better yet, how is it they can see me?
The person let out a small chuckle. A low, soft, melodic sound that made her purse her lips. "Sorry, but you did this to yourself. I can't help you if you can't try first."
Reina's lips thinned, before her teeth dug into her lower one, drawing blood. "I beg your pardon?" All awe disappeared from her face as she narrowed her eyes. This person was telling her she put herself in here? This may have been the afterlife or whatever (she still wasn't sure) but she couldn't put herself in such a state even if she could move. "Why should I believe you?" She cringed at the way she talked. A small thread of doubt was starting to weave through her mind.
A sigh, and then: "The choice is yours in the end, I tried." The dejected tone didn't mask the slight mischievous note in the strangers voice.
Her eyes narrowed into slits, right eye twitching. Guilt tripping..Her scowl deepened as she stood up shakily from her sitting position. Her hands rested on her knees as she tried to hobble forward. At this point, one of her hands was on her knee and the other just barely grazing the glass. I don't know what I'm doing... she sighed at the opaque surface, face softening from its anger, but...
Poke! Her action was quick and barely there as she drew her hand back with lightning speed. She hesitantly rapped her fist on the crystal glass as nothing happened. Pulling back once more, she looked at her fist curiously. Huh? She knitted her brows. Nothing happened?
Reina seemed to have spoken to soon because the slightest crack started to weave deftly across the crystal. Her feet instinctively moved back at the small sound. Gold eyes darted around at the sound, searching for the noises location. Shattering? The sound of a mirror being broken rang in her ears. The cracks quickly became spider-webbed across the misted surface, breaking into larger and larger sections. Click, clack! It was like tiny shards of glass were falling to the ground and echoing in the small space. Reina reached to touch it again to speed up the process, but this time, it completely dissipated at her grazing fingers.
It thrummed under her touch, white sparks dancing across her vision until-
Boom!
She instinctively brought her arms up to shield her face, ice cold wind blasting her as the crystal blew backwards, hitting her as she barely stood. Stunned, she looked at the palm of her hand with wide eyes. Knees buckling, her body lurched at the throbbing sensation at the back of her head. Hissing, Reina stumbled at the stirring feeling in her mind. What the... immediately she yelped at the feeling of something warm dripping down her neck and someone catching it with a single finger,causing her to squeak.
(That never happened. Period.)
"Nicely done." A voice cheered loudly in her ear, drawing her closer, adding: "y'know, for a second there, I didn't think you would listen to me." The male's tone was teasing, catching her as she sunk against him. Her head was pressed against something warm, light purples, blues, and golds flooding her line of vision. "Hurts!" She choked out at the feeling of her aching head pushed against his chest.
"Sorry," A hand grasped her forearm gently, pulling her up. She shrugged the arm off, turning her head to the side to avoid red streaming down her eyes. She spun around quickly, causing blood to splatter down her dress and face with an irritated look.
It was a boy, he appeared to be in his late teens, having rather... bright features. His hair was a dark indigo,(dyed or real, she had no clue) swept up into a messy high ponytail with stray locks brushing his face. Eyes of bright purple captivated her placed on pale, alabaster toned skin. He was tall, his lean body crossing his arms and flexing mildly. What he was wearing was peculiar to her. Donning his lithe body was a half-open indigo kimono top he was wearing, only it was covering the right side of his body, tied off with a white sash hanging off his waist. It had a white underlayer, lined with a thick line of black followed by a thin one near it.
Shades of blue and purple weaved across the top, hints of intricate gold spreading around the edges in a vine-like pattern. Bandages were wrapped around his torso like a shirt, stopping just above his pectorals. On his arms were long, black, fingerless gloves that stopped before his biceps. Hanging on his neck was black corded necklace, a light blue gemstone clinging to it. He was wearing black baggy pants and had a similar set of bandages tied around his ankles accompanied by dark red platform sandals.
In short, he was attractive and she didn't like it one bit.
"Water?" He cheerfully handed her the glass, not paying attention to her annoyance.
Pressing a finger to her temple and downing the cup with the other, Reina scowled. "Who...who are you?" She asked clearer, not hiding the edge in her voice.
At this point, she didn't even care if she was being rude. Her head hurt, her vision was blurry, and she felt exhausted. Like she was still the same after drowning. Drowning, she furrowed her brows, if I drowned, why aren't I wet? And what exactly is this place? And where is the cat from before?
"Me?" Unkowing of her racing thoughts, the teenager pointed at himself in surprise, giving her a wide smile. "My name is Akihiko!" He glanced at the girl, tilting his head when her body began to sway. "But are you alright?" He eyed the bloody girl with concern. "Maybe you should sit down," But then again, he sweat dropped, it's not like she can die of blood loss again. Didn't she see the room? I think Chrono made this place with the sole intent of standing out.
The room was ballroom styled, most of the walls donning a rich, silver colour. Large looming pillars of a similar colour accented the corners of the lavish room, curling along the edges. Ancient text lined the walls, some naming elements or scriptures of previous battle, the walls were descripted of information in different languages.
On one wall made completely of stone, each corresponding element was split up into four sections above the other, in overlapping circles near them. A sea blue (water), crimson red (fire), deep forest green (earth), and a light, sky blue (air). The subsections held lighter or darker shades of the previous ones; (ice, lightning, sand, energy, and metal etc..) and a lot moreTwo sets of tables were strangely set across from the other, as if deliberately meant to be separated stood, chairs next to them innocently. In the center of the room, two doors stood with no backing, just a frame. One was a dark ebony, carved of obsidian with a faded white chipped etched hourglass in the center. The other was a pure white crystal, a similar marking in black on it, a fresher colour.
Akihiko watched as she looked at him with confusion, eyes half-lidded. He did a double take at her 'look'. It was full of exasperation, wariness, and confusion, a combination he had yet to see before. "Sit? There aren't any chairs in here."
... What? Akihiko frowned, bewildered at her sentence. Peering closer, he tapped his chin with his index finger. Nodding to himself, he stepped forward, placing a hand over her eyes and scouring the room. He ignored the small yell of "hey!" before leading her around the room. Making her feel around for objects, hearing her yes', he stopped, scratching his cheek. Then he trailed his palm down the wall, no illusions, he noted with a deepening frown.
"You really can't see?" It's like she can see close up things, and not out of her peripherals.
"The only thing I saw was you," As blankly as those words were said, he let out a snicker.
"Aww," he cooed, plopping her down in a gold chair studded with diamonds. He patted her head with cheeky smile, trying to distract himself. "That's the nicest thing I've heard all day!~" More like all decade. Now then...Removing his hand, he pulled on her upper lid, scanning for veins and redness. "Your eyes are fine, but..." The coloring is off, weren't her eyes gold? He wondered, now one is on the verge of being green-ish. Flecks of gold remained closer to her pupil before completely fading out.
"What." She said flatly, slapping his hand away from her dry eyes.
"What the hell?"she muttered lowly, grimacing at the pain shooting through her eyes. "What is wrong with me?" She asked, tilting her head up for him to see her dulled eyes.
When Akihiko let out a curse, her gaze shot up to him alarmed at his language. "What is it?"
Her appearance was completely off now, the second eye bleeding into the same minty green-blue. "Reina," he started seriously. "Did you touch any of the crystal shards after you tapped the mirror?"
She cringed, remembering the rush of sparks that occured. Like electricity. "Yes, but- wait what do you mean mirror?" It was just crystal that looked like a mirror, even not counting the glass flooring.
He groaned, running a hand through his hair. Don't tell me she's already started the merging process. "Give me your arm." He received her arm with a curious glance. Shaking her head, she sighed when she realized she would receive no answer. Reina slowly slid her eyes shut.
"So... can I ask something?" He paused to meet her irises, amethyst eyes inspecting her before nodding minutely. It was the least he could do for what she went through.
"What is this place? And who are you? Wait no, what's wrong with me?" She asked calmly leaning back against the chair, seeing as he didn't want to hurt her. His hand hovered over the vein in her wrist, before a pulse of white energy traveled over her arm before sinking in. She tensed, opening her eyes at the foreign sensation.
"What are you doing?" He switched arms this time, a dark grey seeping in. There. Now he would know if she really was the next one. A diagnostic spell should do the trick.
Reina felt a spark of annoyance run through her. Was he even going to answer her question? She stood up, feeling the chair fall back with a clatter. "Are you going to answer me?" Darkness and warmth invaded her eyes as she blinked in surprise, pushing the hand away. "Can you stop that?" She thought she heard muttering, but ignored it. Why did he keep covering her eyes?!? She blinked, feeling it settle in her eyes. They slowly shifted into focus, light finally gathering in the darkened parts of her vision. My eyesight... it's better now?
"C'mon Hisui-chan," What did he call her? "Let's dance!"
She froze. "What?" A dance? At a time like this? Why is he dodging my questions? Suspicion started to fill her mind along with paranoia. I may be dead, but that doesn't mean I can't be sentenced to eternal pain or something.
He tiltes his head innocently. "Do you not know how?"
"I...do." Reina said grudgingly, but what kind did he mean? There were many types, ballroom, waltz, salsa, club, freestyle. She liked dancing, but only of her free will. She agreed, albeit hesitantly. "If I dance with you, will you answer my questions?" To her slight surprise, he nodded excitedly.
"As a matter of fact, we'll be playing a question game!" Dancing and a game? Be still my beating heart, she thought sarcastically.
"...Question game?"
"Yup! We take turns asking each other questions, but you can only take three passes on questions. And as an added note, this game of ours will last seven minutes" She felt herself nod. Seven and three? "Why three?"
"One is too little, two is the same, three is a... delicate number, and four stands for death," Akihiko said, the room starting to gather up an odd chill. "Please, remember that."
Death for four? She almost let out a snort at that particular thought. She sounded like a demonic waitress after someone's soul. Shaking her head, she did vaguely recalled hearing that somewhere before. Japanese culture? Chinese? She didn't remember.
He lightly grasped her arm, leading her to the far corner of the beautiful room. He spun her around, sliding her hand to his shoulder and his to her waist. Their hands were connected as a slow, bell-like rhythm started to chime throughout the desolate hall along with the click-clack of his shoes. He was humming, as nostalgia rippled through her as he twirled her around on the cold flooring.
"So, can you explain who you are? And what this place is?" She didn't know what type of dance this was, only trying to flow with his movements. Like water. He kept surprising her, always careful to avoid the two opposing doors of the center. He looked down at her 5'3 frame, eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Hmm? Little ol' me? I'll answer the first question, but not the second seeing as we're supposed to take turns."
She gave him a sheepish look before he sidestepped them away from the tables. "Well, my 'official' title is the guardian of chaos, but most just call me Akihiko around here." At her confusion, he spun her around, drawing her back and gliding across the ground wih the same repeating steps.
"A guardian?" Her unspoken: of what? was visible on her face.
Akihiko winked at her roguishly, drumming his fingertips along her waist. She glared at him, daring him to overstep his boundaries. "Ah, ah, ah. Only one question. But anyways, my turn!" Tricky little... She frowned, nodded, then schooled her features in preparation. She would have to word her questions better then. But what would he ask me?
What came next was completely unexpected.
"...So Hisui-chan, what's your favorite color?"
She ended up tripping at that, but was stopped by the teenager from hitting the ground. "M-my favorite color?" Of all things...
She straightened, taking the lead and continuing their odd dance. "I don't have one," She muttered, left, right, sidestep forward, her eyes flitting upwards meeting her partners. His eyebrows had shot up, disappearing behind his fringe.
"You don't?!?" his tone was aghast and she couldn't quite put her finger as to why. "Yeah? So?" she said back with confusion.
"I'll tell you why in a few minutes." She really didn't need to know that her magic signature was partly based off color. If she didn't have one... I really hope she doesn't end up with something crazy.
And as for her other question...
"There is heaven and hell, it's just..." He paused, seemingly trying to find the right word. "Not this place? No that's not right, it's more of a boundary line between the two places."
The dance continued but was more icy, the wind chime sounds becoming higher in pitch. Akihiko looked down, catching the unreadable glint flashing through her eyes. Her bare feet slowed to a stop, standing still as she slid her arms off the boy. The girl in white tensed, stepping away from him.
"...But then... what am I doing here?"
"I have a feeling, but I'm not sure if I'm completely accurate" Akihiko said, the fairy-like music stopping. His eyes widened, seeing the white frame behind her glow dimly with a blue tint. Bingo, I totally knew it. Though I could have pegged her for chaos, what, with the girls personality.
Amethyst trailed up to the marker. She has 60 minutes. He grimaced, that was barely enough time to construct her weapon and teach her the basics. The black hourglass had slight carvings on the side, marking time for the newest guardian. When it completed the time specification, it flipped over, starting again to wait for the next one.
"..." She was giving him an unimpressed look.
"Take a seat, this is going to take a while to explain." He guided her to sit down, this time near the doors. I need to have a close eye on the time limit, or else the hell-hounds will show up.
Hell-hounds. They made sure people entered the gate at the right time, because it was only open for five minutes at a time. 'Chrono sure as hell didn't waste time, so you shouldn't either', was a saying he immediately thought of when he jumped in the gate for the first time. You didn't get in at the allotted slot, they dragged you into the depths of hell, regardless of who you are and what status you have. He himself was almost sent to hell by the skin of his ankles. Literally. He still had a lingering bite mark that was just scarred over flesh the past few years.
"You really shouldn't be all that offended," He started off, watching her sit down albeit a bit angrily. "I mean, it's not really a bad thing if you think about it."
"Explain, for the love of all that's holy." Reina stressed as she sat down, crossing her legs on the cold chair.
"Let's start at the beginning of it all," he suggested with a placating smile. Akihiko then snapped his fingers, a dark blue book falling out mid-air. It was clearly old, what with the faded yellow pages and loose leaflets of papers falling out of it's thick binding. Engravings in black were strewn across the cover along with a bright golden yellow hue. G...r...f? No that's an i..then m, o, another i and an r..e? She arched a brow. A grimoire
He opened it, starting at the very first page. One? She peered over the book and read the dark, gothic lettering backwards. He wasn't kidding about the beginning was he? But then again, weren't all beginnings important? They had to start from somewhere after all.
Akihiko cleared his throat, face morphing into complete seriousness. His face was devoid of the playful demeanor he once held. "Subsection One, Chaos and hope, two very distinctive elements that must be kept in balance. They are the yin and the yang and the earth to the heavens. It was not always like this however. Soon, chaos started to rule in some places, and all peace in others. One day, The Fates decreed that for every unbalanced world or universe, there should be one and one alone to fix the mess by switching places with their 'fractured' soul piece. They are ultimately tasked with protecting the ones who will bring about world change, receiving a symbol to represent them. In turn, they receive a chance at new life." The book suddenly snapped shut and he let out a sigh.
"The rest I'll tell you myself." He elaborated at her bewilderment. "When they say 'fractured soul piece', they legitimately mean an actual portion of your soul. We have souls that have been split, so for examples sakes let's say half of you is here and the other isn't. Eventually the split part would have to merge with the other halves at some point. Now, for the record, as a gatekeeper, souls are rather tricky business."
"Huh?" She asked, propping her face on her hand. "Why's that?"
"For the people who die, it's my current job to judge their souls and make sure they get to the right place. Be it heaven or hell, they have to end up somewhere. And let me tell you the fuss they put up when I confirm where." Akihiko shaked his head with a sigh.
"And then there's me," she drawled out.
"And then there's you." He affirmed. "But as you can tell, if you were going to end up in either of those places, I would have done that and sent you on your merry way." The sarcasm didn't slip past her as she let out a laugh.
"So what? I'm just an irregularity? Not right for either place?" Immediately after she said it, Reina instantly felt wary of the smirk twitching on his lip.
"Funny you should say that, because that's the term for people like us."
"People like us?"
The smirk widened. "You know, the people with split souls?"
Her blood ran cold. "Excuse me?" I swear to god, if he actually means...
He slid the book over to her, and flipped it over, revealing a small mirrored surface in a jewel shape. "Our appearances always have the habit of changing in this place, to initiate the cycle of our next rebirth." His hand gestured to the glass, "go on, take a look Hisui-chan."
Reina glanced the side and was glad her skin and hair were the same. But... what could have...?
She gingerly picked up the book, feeling the smooth leather cover. When she peered up at her appearance, a single look was enough as the book slipped from her frozen fingers and dropped to the table with a thump. What the hell..
Her eyes were a teal mix of jade. Like a mesh of sea-blue and green.
"Freaky right? I used to have green eyes, but now look at me," Akihiko interjected as she sat there gapping like a fish out of water.
"How- that shouldn't- huh?!?" She was utterly flabbergasted. Her eyes were gold, not blue-green. "This doesn't look right," she admitted. No wonder my eyes hurt, it was because the color was changing quickly. Right?
"As I was saying, you my dear-" He pointed at her. "Are the next guardian of peace and hope."
Her heart dropped to the pits of her stomach at the weight of his words. Hairs raising on the back of her neck, she frowned. "But... that's not what I want." Wouldn't it be better to stay dead? Besides, babysitting some kids/teens and aiding them?
"Isn't it? We only receive this chance because we didn't live our lives to the fullest or died prematurely, and as a result, slowly overtime our souls fracture off into two halves." He gave her a genial smile. "All things come at a price, and life is a pretty big thing to restart, after all " Akihiko knew he was slowly changing her mind by the way she pursed her lips. "Oh and no pressure, but if you decide to say no, you'll be stuck here with me as a co- gatekeeper. That is, until the next guardian arrives and who knows how long that will take. And then after all that I'll have to judge your soul and stuff."
That was the last straw for her. She was not about to stay with some playboy gaurdian and wait for a long time to get a ticket to heaven. Or hell. Maybe it could be nice.
"Fine," She muttered. "Alright, alright, I'll do it, no thanks to your guilt tripping." She gave him a heated glare that he paid no mind to.
"Perfect!" Akihiko clapped his hands. "Now, listen closely. We only have fourty minutes until the hell hounds come and close the gate and seal it shut."
"Umm question, what gate?" She had scanned the room twice, and she didn't exactly think the two hollow door frames counted as a gate.
He only shook his head again, turning away. "I'll show you later, we don't have time for that. For now, we're going to get your weapon situated and constructed." Already he was striding away to the wall in the far right.
"Weapon?" She said exasperated. What's next, magic powers? She caught up with him quickly, feet padding against the clear flooring. When she reached the wall, she saw him reach for her hand to only place her palm against the strange wall. It had a bunch of circles of... elements?
Beside her, Akihiko started to quietly chant, tighting on her wrist. His eyelids were tightly screwed shut in concentration. He shifted her hand to each of the circles, grazing over the overlapping ones quickly. He turned to face her with eyes still closed, she stiffened when she felt his hand brush the side of her face, as if searching for something.
He pressed his thumb to her temple, quickly removed his hand as she gaped at the substance on his fingers, seeing him swipe the dark sangria over the wall in a wide arc.
Reina touched the side of her head, flinching at the feel of warm blood on her forehead and the sizzling noise occuring on the stone. It was weird to think about, with all the blood on her yet she was dead but still felt like she wasn't. What a strange notion. Her gaze drifted back to the chanting teen, hearing his voice slow to a stop. When he stepped back and let go of her wrist, he opened his eyes once more. "Finished," he muttered, throat dry of speaking for so long in ages.
She looked at the circles quizically, was her weapon just supposed to magically pop out? It may have absorbed her blood, but what would that achieve? An activation of some sort?
She turned to Akihiko but he had the biggest grin on his face, like he knew something he didn't. "I called it," He crowed silently, looking at the carved lightning bolt within the circle glowing a pale blue.
"Lightning? Is that my affiliation or something?" Asked Reina.
"Wait for it.." He said ominously but it only served to confuse her further.
"Wait for what..." She trailed off, leaning forward to try and inspect the marking. She stood still as something started to emerge from the ash grey surface. She hesitantly stuck her hand underneath it, waiting for something to fall out. When it did, a misty blue triangular gem popped out on her palm.
She picked it up between her thumb and index finger, feeling the crystal ridges. "What is this?" She gave it a quizical look, wondering how on earth was she supposed to protect herself with this triangle shaped thing.
"Oooh, nice!" Akihiko snapped his fingers with a grin. "It's not some outrageous color like I thought it would be!"
Color? Her eyes flashed with realization at the familiar words. "Wait... that's why you asked what my favorite color was?! I didn't even say yes to being a guardian at the time!" What, so he just automatically knew she would agree?
"Somehow, I had a feeling you would, Hisui-chan."
"What does that even mean?!" She shouted, throwing her hands up in defeat.
"Hisui, you mean?" He laughed at her surrender, following her back to sit down and explain what the carving and the diamond shaped weapon meant. "'Hisui' means jade, in japanese with the combination of two characters. 'Hi' meaning 'Kingfisher' and 'sui' in this case meaning midori or kawasemi, or green. But it's a pretty rare name, so most people don't typically name their kids that anymore. I called you that because of the sea-jade tone in your eyes."
"Oh," She calmed down, pulling out a chair to sit down, placing the crystal near the old tome. "Hi..sui, it sounds kind of nice," she mumbled with a small smile. She didn't know it was because of her eyes, but it felt nice to have a nickname of some sort. "Thank you,"
He waved a hand. "No need to thank me yet, darling, we still have to register you for a weapon."
"Yeah, uh, what exactly is this actually?" She plucked it from the table with a raised brow. "Unless you want me to take someone's eye out then..." The point had a dangerous gleam to it, starting to crackle lightly.
"No,no! Don't do anything yet!" He shrieked, before sighing at his frayed nerves. "Most guardians have a weapon that also doubles as an A.I, their primary job is to guide, assist, and defend you."
"How?" Artificial intelligence? How did that work? He didn't exactly explain how she could defend herself with some pointy triangle.
"With magic of course!"
"...Your joking, right?" She jinxed herself clearly, why did she have to die so early? Magic? Guardians? Spirits and souls?
"Nope, everyone on planet earth has mana, a source of energy that comes from will power and the combination of physical and spiritual energy. Anyway, not every planet or world has this energy, some are just different sources, like chakra or chi." He explained. "Except, mana has a distinct condition, you must be close to death but still on the brink of survival. People long ago use to do this to awaken their power, some succeeded and others died early from attempts. Well, that or you could force it, but that's not a good idea."
"Why not?" This was interesting to her, as she had never actually seen actual magic before.
"Your linker core, the place mana circluates around will become strained, and you will suffer something similar to a heart attack, which means you may or may not survive. But take a look at this," Akihiko was unclasping his necklace, the dark blue spherical bead. He slid the cord of it, leaving just the jewelry. He grinned, calling out to it. "Wake up, Ren!" The gem shot up into the air and glowed with a dark blue sheen, blinding her momentarily.
Yes master, a low, male voice sounded softly.
The gem fell into his hand, only not as a bead, as a weapon. It was a long metallic staff with a wickedly sharp blade at the front that curved and had a slight light blue glow around it. The gem hadn't disappeared, it had instead been suspended in mid air inside the curved blade. The staff itself had a black ribbon tied at the end, signifiying his affliation.
He caught the weapon and twirled it, giving it a test swing and creating a large gust of air. He gave her a broad smirk at her stunned face, beckoning his head to the weapon. "Pretty cool, right Hisui-chan?"
She swallowed, casting her eyes down at the innocent looking item. "Yeah." She was at a loss for words. One minute it was a small charm, and the next it's an actual weapon with a real blade. How unnerving. She met Akihiko's eyes, "How can I activate this? You told him to 'wake up', but does that apply to my weapon as well?"
Akihiko swung Ren around again, stopping at her question. "Not necessarily, you still haven't registered." He unwillingly frowned at the hourglass and the time. Fifteen minutes left.
"Register?" Oh yeah, he mentioned that before.
"Repeat after me and hold onto your gem tightly. It's imperative that you don't miss a single word of what I say, understood" He watched as she did it, nodding and drawing the jewel close to her chest. "Next?"
Akihiko inhaled, then let out a breath. "Repeat starting now; 'I am the one who has been given a mission."
"I am the one who has been given a mission," she repeated.
"Under this contract, release these powers onto me."
"Under this contract, release these powers onto me."
"Winds to the sky, stars to the heavens!" Akihiko said, watching the start of a magic circle appear underneath herand her new device glow. The circle was small, but it was gradually unfurling, runes and faint traces of symbols on them. Good, the contract is almost complete.
"Winds to t-the sky, stars to the heavens!" She struggled to get out the words, hearing her heartbeats continuous thump grow louder in her ears. Reina had to fight the urge to clap her hands above her ears. She looked down to distract herself, only to gasp at the larger magic circle. Doing a double-take, she barely heard the next words.
"-nd the unyielding soul, to this heart! Magic to these hands-" He stopped, giving her the gesture to continue
N and d? "And the unyielding soul," She supplied, catching on to his train of thought. Her heart rate finally seemed to quiet, if by a bit. Now I can focus. "To this heart! Magic to these hands.." She faltered, the complex circle beneath her starting to waver.
What do I say now? Didn't Akihiko's weapon have a name? So then what's yours then? Reina glanced at the gem. If he/she could talk, then couldn't they say their name? Her eyes tore from the gem to Akihiko, who was biting his lip hard enough ti draw blood in anxiety.
'Bardiche.' She almost jumped, looking at the dimly glowing jewel. Did you just... A male, british accent just spoke within her mind. Sir, he interrupted as she felt her lower lid twitched, did she look male to him?! 'Activation code- 764322, registration *1. Requesting a new activation call!'
"Activation call?" Now she was panicking. what am I supposed to say?
"Think of a password Hisui-chan! Your magic circle is starting to fade! Hurry!" He called out nervously.
Lightning causes chaos, and disarray, right? But it also causes something beautiful when watching from faraway. Her mouth opened with a small smile. "Bardiche, strike and assemble!" She held him out in front of her, watching as sparks of blue light emitted from it. 'Activation password complete'. The intricate circle reassembled, more smaller circles blooming out of it.
'Stand-by ready, set-up.'
Bardiche shot up in the air like ren, twisting and slowly expanding in the pale light. When the light cleared, Bardiche was slowly falling from the air and her hand reached upwards to grab the weapon.
Bardiche was a silver metallic color, similar to Ren's tone. It was shaped somewhat like an axe, only there was no actual blade and it was curved into an angular shape. The gem had instead shaped into an orb, taking place inside the middle of the blade section that was a teal blue color. The staffs bottom was the same silver, only a bit darker. Wrapped around the end of it was a pure white ribbon, also marking her affiliation.
"Okay," she twirled it around and watched in excitement the way the small lightning bolts ricocheted of each other. "Now this is cool!"
"Careful Hisui-chan, you don't know any spells yet so I would recommend you-" Akihiko dodged the bolt, a magic circle with a wave symbol springing up before him. He wrinkled his nose at the scent of ozone and sea-water. "Not do that." He sighed and waved his hand to remove the shield.
"Oops?" She brought down the weapon and held it to her chest with both arms, giving him an apologetic look at his slightly frizzed hair.
"Anyways, it's time for you to get going," He had walked off to return a minute later with the tattered book, the grimoire. "Here," he nodded to the book in his right hand. "I want you to have this. Inside is basically a helpers guide to potions, spells and general information about magic and such."
"I- thank you," she took it and ran her thumb over gold inscription. The name slowly faded and was replace with hers in fancy script. Two names, actually. "It's yours to keep now, I can also make another one."
And how long would that take? She smiled but it quickly faded at the second name. "Reina Santiago, and Haruno Sakura?" Why did that sound so familiar? She trailed after Akihiko who started to walk after him to the farthest wall, just north of them. Sakura..Sakura, why does that sound familiar? It shouldn't, because she had never heard of that name before. What a flowery name.
"We're here!" They had reached the wall, only to see it draped over with a dark brown cloth. He tore it off, showing off the bright gate. Similar to the door frames, it was split into black and white, joining in the center to create a fade gray color. It was enormous, stretching out high above them to loom with a large shadow. Above and on the lock was a clock and bronze chains, decorating it with a sort of steampunk vibe to her.
"-eal it?"
She snaped out of it,hearing a buzz in her ears. "What?"
He explained, noticing her zoned out look. "I said, would you like to seal it? The grimoire, I mean." He knew she couldn't carry that around with her if she was being reborn.
"How?" Where would it even go?
"Repeat after me: Bardiche, sealing mode." He was turned away, busying himelf with the lock and copious amount of chains.
"Bardiche, sealing mode?" It came more along the lines of a question, but Bardiche understood nonetheless. The axe head flipped up 180 degrees and extended away from the handle, releasing four mana fins/blades (in an X-shape) at the neck, looking like a spear.
'Sealing mode complete'
She placed the book on the floor, pointing the battle-axe at the object. The book glowed a dark blue, streaming into the orb of her weapon. She gratefully smirked, tilting her head. "Thank you, Bardiche."
'No problem.' The A.I responded.
"Alright, c'mon Hisui-chan! I finally manged to open the god-damned thing!" Reina blinked at the sight before her. Akihiko was on the floor, practically covered with the dark chains and the silver clock shaped lock was mysteriously halfway across the room. She bent down, trying to unravel the chains and hold back her laughter.
He pouted. "Hisui-chan you're so mean! If your going to laugh, laugh." With those words he opened the floodgates, snickers bubbling out of her.
After a few laughs and sealed weapons later, they stepped infront of the now opened gate, clock hands and numbers floating within a white, blank, abyss.
"Welp, this is it!" Reina was standing at the very edge now, the triangular gem hanging on a dark grey cord. Her feet were just barely on the glass flooring and the chill of the white blankness creeped her out.
"Yeah.." She moved her head to look at him, but she saw him gaze at her with a softness. "Hey are you alright?" She inquired.
"Yeah, I just feel bad for you"
"Why's that?"
He lost the soft look and it was instantly replaced with a a cheshire grin that she squinted at. "Because-" he seemed to be refraining from laughter, slight chuckles. "You, pfff! Have to become a baby again! Hahahah!" Now that the shoe was in the other foot, he was going to enjoy this. Immensely.
She, on the hand didn't find this funny, instead spluttering. And I though he was going to say something nice! "Oh screw you!"
"Anytime dear! You can always come back if you miss me~" He ducked under the right hook she gave him, peeking up at the slight redness of her face, showing only because of her paling skin color.
"Shut up," the teal eyed girl crossed her arms and scrunched up her nose in disdain. "It would be ten years too soon to see you again." she muttered.
"Aww, your no fun!" He grinned, standing closer to her. "Anyways, you better get going!"
See, there was a reason she never let people stand behind her. She was a lot more vulnerable there, seeing as she didn't have eyes at the back of her head.
But the moment he pushed her off the edge of the gate, she was thinking up all curse words known to man.
Oh boy... he was so dead."Akihiko!" she shouted upwards, seeing white cloud her vision, making the only thing visible the oddly colored gate and a blurry purple figure. Her body was sinking more and more, trembling with rage as she free fell with her white dress billowing around her. "You are so dead the next time I see you!"
There were too many contradictions in that sentence alone, but she was too angry to reword it properly.
Before she lost consciousness, she could have sworn she heard two voices.
Good luck, she who bears the mark of lightning and hope. Old and gravelly, a dark ancientness to it. It made her shudder
I'm looking forward to it, Hisui-chan~ Akihiko...
End.