Chapter One: Five Guys Falling Through a Wormhole
Instructor Azuma Hijikata adjusted his pince-nez spectacles, watching the upper 80's run laps in the gymnasium at GOA.
Candidates 88 and 87---Zero Enna and Hiead Gner---headed the pack, vying for prime position here as they did in everything else. Zero's skin glistened from perspiration and exertion; dark mocha hair flew in all directions, spiky and wild. Hiead's pale skin was flushed from the exercise; his silvery hair clung to the nape of his neck.
Candidate 89, Clay Cliff Fortran, ran behind the other two. His glasses began to fog over, forcing him to slow down and wipe off the lenses with a handkerchief. Golden-brown hair swayed, as he covered his caramel eyes with the glasses again.
Candidates 86 and 85---Yamagi Kushida and Roose Sawamura---brought up the rear. Azuma frowned, looking over the short, violet-haired Candidate and his teal-haired shadow.
"All right, ladies, ten more minutes. Let's pick up the pace!" Azuma barked. "You will spend the rest of the period engaged in hand-to-hand combat."
Zero felt the burn spreading up his legs, reaching out for his lungs. No way am I about to lose to that sociopath.
Hiead's lungs threatened to burst, as he speeded up to meet his rival. Enna, you have two chances of besting me: slim and none. Do not imagine for one moment that I'm going to give out.
Clay had fallen behind Yamagi and Roose, slowing his pace in the process. It's not like we can grab a shower and some lunch; why risk leg cramps if we have to stay active, anyhow?
Roose stole a glance at Yamagi. Chibi-chan, you know you'll make it to the Pilot ranks. Stop stressing about it so much.
Yamagi glared at Roose, then flashed a gruff smile. Roose, man, why do you look so sad? Is there something you want to tell me?
"All right, ladies! Start cooling down!"
The Candidates began slowing, first to a jog, and then to a brisk walk. When Azuma blew his whistle, they spent ten minutes doing stretches.
He left the gym, as they began sparring.
The fighting mirrored the track: Hiead duking it out with Zero, Yamagi sparring with Roose, and Clay taking swings at the punching bag.
Just as Hiead was blocking another of Zero's kicks, a tremor shook the gym, throwing the Candidates to the floor.
"Is everyone okay?" Zero called out.
"No, I am not. Moron! Get your ass off me," Hiead muttered beneath him. Roose was shaking Yamagi, who pushed him away.
Zero sprang to his feet, running toward a wall. "Whoa, dude, what is that?"
Clay walked over, adjusting his glasses. "It appears that we are experiencing a warp in the space-time continuum, which has opened up a trans-dimensional portal. There's no telling how long this will last, or how it will affect the flow of time."
"Could you maybe explain that?" Yamagi piped up.
Clay sighed. "What we have here is a wormhole. I advise that we stay away, as we don't know where it will take us, or if we'll even make the journey alive."
Zero stepped closer. "This is so freaking cool. What's it like on the other side?"
Hiead smacked his head. "Idiot. Get away from there."
Zero struck back. "You dickweed, I was just looking, I wasn't going to---" he lost his footing, and pitched forward, into the wormhole.
"Get back here, Enna!" Hiead shouted, leaping in after him.
"Hiead-kun! Zero-kun!" Roose cried out, running in, followed by Yamagi.
Clay stood there a moment, and said, "Oh well, I guess I'm going in."
He ran to the wormhole, jumping in as it began to close.
Colors spun and screamed around him, as he fell.
He landed on his bottom, with the other four, who stood gaping at mountains.
Zero was the first to speak. "Where are we? Is this Zion?"
"Highly doubtful," Clay replied. "I think we're on Earth."
Yamagi whistled. "I always wondered what Earth looked like."
Hiead snorted, looking at the lettering of a road sign. "Looks pretty backward to me."
"No, wait," Zero said, inspecting the sign. "That's Chinese calligraphy. The kanji characters of Old Japan were modeled on this. Let me see if I can decipher it." He read the characters, one by one, sounding them as he went. "This sign leads to a town, and I think we're not too far."
Roose got excited. "A town? Which town is that?"
"I think it's called Jusenkyo. Hope the people are nice."
Hiead spoke up. "You can go to this Jusenkyo if you want. Count me out."
Zero smiled. "That's okay, Hiead. I'm pretty sure you can make it here--- on your own---no food or water, no place to stay---but you're a pretty outdoorsy type, so I think you'll do all right."
"Fine, I'll come with you. Besides, someone needs to make sure you don't get swindled."
Zero grinned. Enna one, Gner zip. Damn, I'm good.
So five youths set out for the town of Jusenkyo.
Author's Notes
Look out, Jusenkyo---the Candidates are on their way!
I welcome comments of every stripe. Thank you.
Antoinette (poetisa)
Instructor Azuma Hijikata adjusted his pince-nez spectacles, watching the upper 80's run laps in the gymnasium at GOA.
Candidates 88 and 87---Zero Enna and Hiead Gner---headed the pack, vying for prime position here as they did in everything else. Zero's skin glistened from perspiration and exertion; dark mocha hair flew in all directions, spiky and wild. Hiead's pale skin was flushed from the exercise; his silvery hair clung to the nape of his neck.
Candidate 89, Clay Cliff Fortran, ran behind the other two. His glasses began to fog over, forcing him to slow down and wipe off the lenses with a handkerchief. Golden-brown hair swayed, as he covered his caramel eyes with the glasses again.
Candidates 86 and 85---Yamagi Kushida and Roose Sawamura---brought up the rear. Azuma frowned, looking over the short, violet-haired Candidate and his teal-haired shadow.
"All right, ladies, ten more minutes. Let's pick up the pace!" Azuma barked. "You will spend the rest of the period engaged in hand-to-hand combat."
Zero felt the burn spreading up his legs, reaching out for his lungs. No way am I about to lose to that sociopath.
Hiead's lungs threatened to burst, as he speeded up to meet his rival. Enna, you have two chances of besting me: slim and none. Do not imagine for one moment that I'm going to give out.
Clay had fallen behind Yamagi and Roose, slowing his pace in the process. It's not like we can grab a shower and some lunch; why risk leg cramps if we have to stay active, anyhow?
Roose stole a glance at Yamagi. Chibi-chan, you know you'll make it to the Pilot ranks. Stop stressing about it so much.
Yamagi glared at Roose, then flashed a gruff smile. Roose, man, why do you look so sad? Is there something you want to tell me?
"All right, ladies! Start cooling down!"
The Candidates began slowing, first to a jog, and then to a brisk walk. When Azuma blew his whistle, they spent ten minutes doing stretches.
He left the gym, as they began sparring.
The fighting mirrored the track: Hiead duking it out with Zero, Yamagi sparring with Roose, and Clay taking swings at the punching bag.
Just as Hiead was blocking another of Zero's kicks, a tremor shook the gym, throwing the Candidates to the floor.
"Is everyone okay?" Zero called out.
"No, I am not. Moron! Get your ass off me," Hiead muttered beneath him. Roose was shaking Yamagi, who pushed him away.
Zero sprang to his feet, running toward a wall. "Whoa, dude, what is that?"
Clay walked over, adjusting his glasses. "It appears that we are experiencing a warp in the space-time continuum, which has opened up a trans-dimensional portal. There's no telling how long this will last, or how it will affect the flow of time."
"Could you maybe explain that?" Yamagi piped up.
Clay sighed. "What we have here is a wormhole. I advise that we stay away, as we don't know where it will take us, or if we'll even make the journey alive."
Zero stepped closer. "This is so freaking cool. What's it like on the other side?"
Hiead smacked his head. "Idiot. Get away from there."
Zero struck back. "You dickweed, I was just looking, I wasn't going to---" he lost his footing, and pitched forward, into the wormhole.
"Get back here, Enna!" Hiead shouted, leaping in after him.
"Hiead-kun! Zero-kun!" Roose cried out, running in, followed by Yamagi.
Clay stood there a moment, and said, "Oh well, I guess I'm going in."
He ran to the wormhole, jumping in as it began to close.
Colors spun and screamed around him, as he fell.
He landed on his bottom, with the other four, who stood gaping at mountains.
Zero was the first to speak. "Where are we? Is this Zion?"
"Highly doubtful," Clay replied. "I think we're on Earth."
Yamagi whistled. "I always wondered what Earth looked like."
Hiead snorted, looking at the lettering of a road sign. "Looks pretty backward to me."
"No, wait," Zero said, inspecting the sign. "That's Chinese calligraphy. The kanji characters of Old Japan were modeled on this. Let me see if I can decipher it." He read the characters, one by one, sounding them as he went. "This sign leads to a town, and I think we're not too far."
Roose got excited. "A town? Which town is that?"
"I think it's called Jusenkyo. Hope the people are nice."
Hiead spoke up. "You can go to this Jusenkyo if you want. Count me out."
Zero smiled. "That's okay, Hiead. I'm pretty sure you can make it here--- on your own---no food or water, no place to stay---but you're a pretty outdoorsy type, so I think you'll do all right."
"Fine, I'll come with you. Besides, someone needs to make sure you don't get swindled."
Zero grinned. Enna one, Gner zip. Damn, I'm good.
So five youths set out for the town of Jusenkyo.
Author's Notes
Look out, Jusenkyo---the Candidates are on their way!
I welcome comments of every stripe. Thank you.
Antoinette (poetisa)