The Silver Mirror's Wonderland
Chapter 1
Once upon a time there was a girl named Rane Mitsukai who was walking home from school. The town Rane lived it was bordered by a thin, yet extensive forest on three sides. On one side of the town, the forest was unusually thick and rich with oak and maple trees, which refused to grow anywhere else. Rane was taking her time going home, dreading a long night of homework and chores, and decided to take the long way to her house, on the path that went through the dense area of the forest.
When Rane was a bit less than halfway home, she happened to come across a stream that she had never seen before. She was certain it'd never been there before, from many years of wandering this path, and she decided to find the source of the water.
As luck would have it, Rane found the mouth of a hot spring in practically no time at all after following the stream. She could hardly resist the temptation to jump into the hot and refreshing water, but she forced herself to keep walking.
After walking for a few minutes, Rane noticed a few women bathing in the hot spring at the opposite bank. One had on what looked like silk robes, and the others were wearing cotton garments. Struck with even more curiosity, she ventured closer to the women. As Rane got closer, she realized that the silk robes the woman was wearing were no silk robes at all. "A harogomo*?!" Rane gasped. "That means she must be an angel! And angels usually have…" Ka-ching! Ka-Ching! Cash register sounds went off in Rane's mind. "What am I? Insane?! I'm not going to steal gold and jewelry from an Angel! But these rings certainly are beautiful…" Rane found herself standing over a pile of gold and silver jewelry, as well as a small silver mirror and a silk kimono. "I'll just try it on." She nodded as she slipped on several rings and bracelets, picking up the silver mirror and gazing at it curiously. "WHO GOES THERE?!" Came a booming voice. Rane yelped, dropping the mirror, which landed in her skirt pocket. She blinked as she was lifted by one of the women in cotton robes and dropped at the feet of the angel. "What's the meaning of this?!" Demanded the angel.
"How dare you steal from me while I bathe, thief!" Rane scrambled to her feet, throwing off all of the jewelry as quickly as she could. "I'm not a thief!" She whimpered, taking several steps back. "I do not believe you, but it is only proper to call you by your given name, unless you like the name thief" Muttered the angel. "Yes! My name is Rane Mitsukai, I'm not a thief, I just wanted to try on some jewelry and- YIKES!" She squealed as one of the women produced a katana. "I'm not a thief!" Rane yelled, as she ran in the other direction.
Chapter 2
"Where the heck am I?" Rane looked around her current surroundings. "This defiantly isn't home!" She was in what looked to be a village, with huge buildings with marble walls and sandstone streets, and in the center was a huge house. "A palace?" Rane shrugged. Maybe the Angel lived there, and she defiantly didn't want to see HER right now. She walked around a bit, gazing in to the shop windows and looking towards the sky. "Dusk already? Oh no! Where'm I gonna stay?"
Again, she had that incredible timing that pretty much saved her. "An inn!" She cried with relief, skipping happily into the 3 story building.
It was warm and brightly lit inside, which was enough to relieve Rane of her hunger all together. Although, her stomach wasn't quite so agreeable. "Um...where's the restaurant?" She turned to the old man sitting behind a desk in the middle of the room. "Ah, hungry? You can get food for free if you rent a room." Rane shrugged "Alright, I'll take a room then, I guess." She dug in her pocket and produced a 20 dollar bill. The man looked at the paper money curiously. "I am sorry; miss, but I can't accept this." She gawked "Huh? That should be enough for one measly little room!" "I do not know what kind of currency this is, but I can't accept this." The man repeated. Rane bit her lip, digging in her pockets "Alright, can we trade? Here" She dropped a silver cross on a chain onto the desk, she didn't really like that necklace anyhow, if it could get her some food, all the better. The man picked it up and examined the chain. He smiled and nodded with approval, handing her a key. "Please, you may use room C 25, and help yourself to some food, tell the barkeep that Gouji said it was alright."
Rane stuck the key in her jacket pocket and walked in to the restaurant, seating herself at the bar. "Excuse me," She called to the barkeep. The barkeep, a stalky guy with huge muscles and several tattoos, turned to her. "What do you want?" "Um… I'll take a rice bowl with fried pork." Said Rane, looking around the room as the bartender went in to the back to get her food. "Come to think of it, all the guys look like that" she thought to herself. Sure enough, seated about the room were tough-looking guys clad in black tattoos, bandanas, wife beaters and smug looks on their faces. Needless to say, she ate as quickly as she could and hurried to her room on the third floor.
Thump, knock, thud, crash! Rane opened her eyes slowly and sat up. She looked out the window, it was still dark. A knock came from the other side of the door. Rane stood and checked her watch. "3 AM?" She sighed grimly, shuffling to the door lazily and opening it enough to peer out. "Who is it?" "Well, you don't know me, but my name's Bo, and I think we need to talk for a second." Rane opened the door farther to be greeted by an attractive boy with dirty blond hair and intensely golden eyes. He walked in and shut the door behind him, flipping the lock. "What are you doing?" Asked Rane, still groggy and watching the boy with her eyes half open. "Are you the one who stole the mirror from the Angel?" "Mirror?" "The Wishing Mirror" Rane shook her head. "I didn't steal a mirror." Bo blinked "Well, I dunno why those bounty hunters are after you, but we better leave now" "Bounty hunters?!" "Hurry! We can go out the window; I promise I won't drop you." "Gee, that's comforting." Rane scoffed as she pulled on her shoes as quickly as she could. Bo picked her up and slung her over his shoulder, throwing open the window and jumping out. "But it's a THREE STORY JUMP!" Rane protested as they fell to the ground.
"OOF!" They chorused as they hit the ground. Rane sat up, looking over her arms and legs. "Amazing! I'm not hurt at all!" Bo sat up as well. "Good, now we gotta go" He stood and pulled Rane up, leading her by the hand around to the side of the inn. "Can you ride bareback?" "Can I what?" Asked Rane. Bo shook his head, motioning to the stables. "Oh! Uh... never tried before, honestly." "Alright, you can ride with me then." Bo disappeared into the shadows for a moment, coming back with a rather large and intimidating white horse. "Need help up?" Rane nodded. Bo directed the horse toward her and pulled her up. "Oi! I don't like riding horses! And this is my first time doing it!" Rane clung helplessly to Bo, who didn't seem the least bit afraid of being six feet in the air. "So, Miss Being Chased by Bounty Hunters, what should I really call you?" he asked, one hand resting on Rane's arms, and the other helping guide the horse. "Um, my name is Rane Mitsukai, I guess Rane is good enough." Bo nodded. "Okay, you can call me Bo, or Koutoku, whatever you want." "Okay, I'll just call you Bo then."
After about half an hour of riding, Bo finally called his horse to a halt in front of a small house off to the far west side of the village. Rane, still extremely sleepy, had to be dragged off of the horse and helped inside. "So this is your house?" "Yep, you can sleep in the bed, I'm not tired anyway." Bo set her down on the extremely cushioned bed and pulled a blanket over her. Rane opened her mouth to protest, but fell asleep before she could say anything.
Chapter 3
The next morning, Rane woke up to see Bo, asleep in an armchair in the corner of the room. She shrugged, getting up and exploring the house. By this time, Rane had decided this place, wherever it was, had no electricity, and thus, no running water. She groaned, regretting that she hadn't taken the opportunity to bathe in the hot spring while she'd had the chance.
She sat down on the floor, emptying all of the junk that would prove useless in this "other world". A couple pieces of gum, a compact mirror, $20, a couple rubber bands, a pen, and a comb. Rane blinked, picking up the mirror. "Where'd this come from? Could this be that mirror that the Angel and Bo were talking about?"
"That is correct-o!" Bo chimed, plopping on the floor next to her. "Eek! Bo! Don't do that! I didn't even know you were awake!" Bo grinned, taking the mirror from her and looking it over. "This mirror has great power, it can give you anything you wish for." Rane's eyes widened. "Really? So let's use it" Bo shook his head "It's not that easy." "Huh? What do you mean?" "Only the Angel knows how to use it." Rane groaned and took the mirror back, examining her reflection. "I guess I'm never getting out of here then." Bo looked at Rane curiously. "Get out?" She nodded "I'm not from…around here, shall we say. I'm from a different world." He shrugged it off "aren't we all." Rane laughed a little, putting the mirror back in her pocket. "Not exactly the response I was expecting, but I guess it makes it easier for the both of us.
Chapter 1
Once upon a time there was a girl named Rane Mitsukai who was walking home from school. The town Rane lived it was bordered by a thin, yet extensive forest on three sides. On one side of the town, the forest was unusually thick and rich with oak and maple trees, which refused to grow anywhere else. Rane was taking her time going home, dreading a long night of homework and chores, and decided to take the long way to her house, on the path that went through the dense area of the forest.
When Rane was a bit less than halfway home, she happened to come across a stream that she had never seen before. She was certain it'd never been there before, from many years of wandering this path, and she decided to find the source of the water.
As luck would have it, Rane found the mouth of a hot spring in practically no time at all after following the stream. She could hardly resist the temptation to jump into the hot and refreshing water, but she forced herself to keep walking.
After walking for a few minutes, Rane noticed a few women bathing in the hot spring at the opposite bank. One had on what looked like silk robes, and the others were wearing cotton garments. Struck with even more curiosity, she ventured closer to the women. As Rane got closer, she realized that the silk robes the woman was wearing were no silk robes at all. "A harogomo*?!" Rane gasped. "That means she must be an angel! And angels usually have…" Ka-ching! Ka-Ching! Cash register sounds went off in Rane's mind. "What am I? Insane?! I'm not going to steal gold and jewelry from an Angel! But these rings certainly are beautiful…" Rane found herself standing over a pile of gold and silver jewelry, as well as a small silver mirror and a silk kimono. "I'll just try it on." She nodded as she slipped on several rings and bracelets, picking up the silver mirror and gazing at it curiously. "WHO GOES THERE?!" Came a booming voice. Rane yelped, dropping the mirror, which landed in her skirt pocket. She blinked as she was lifted by one of the women in cotton robes and dropped at the feet of the angel. "What's the meaning of this?!" Demanded the angel.
"How dare you steal from me while I bathe, thief!" Rane scrambled to her feet, throwing off all of the jewelry as quickly as she could. "I'm not a thief!" She whimpered, taking several steps back. "I do not believe you, but it is only proper to call you by your given name, unless you like the name thief" Muttered the angel. "Yes! My name is Rane Mitsukai, I'm not a thief, I just wanted to try on some jewelry and- YIKES!" She squealed as one of the women produced a katana. "I'm not a thief!" Rane yelled, as she ran in the other direction.
Chapter 2
"Where the heck am I?" Rane looked around her current surroundings. "This defiantly isn't home!" She was in what looked to be a village, with huge buildings with marble walls and sandstone streets, and in the center was a huge house. "A palace?" Rane shrugged. Maybe the Angel lived there, and she defiantly didn't want to see HER right now. She walked around a bit, gazing in to the shop windows and looking towards the sky. "Dusk already? Oh no! Where'm I gonna stay?"
Again, she had that incredible timing that pretty much saved her. "An inn!" She cried with relief, skipping happily into the 3 story building.
It was warm and brightly lit inside, which was enough to relieve Rane of her hunger all together. Although, her stomach wasn't quite so agreeable. "Um...where's the restaurant?" She turned to the old man sitting behind a desk in the middle of the room. "Ah, hungry? You can get food for free if you rent a room." Rane shrugged "Alright, I'll take a room then, I guess." She dug in her pocket and produced a 20 dollar bill. The man looked at the paper money curiously. "I am sorry; miss, but I can't accept this." She gawked "Huh? That should be enough for one measly little room!" "I do not know what kind of currency this is, but I can't accept this." The man repeated. Rane bit her lip, digging in her pockets "Alright, can we trade? Here" She dropped a silver cross on a chain onto the desk, she didn't really like that necklace anyhow, if it could get her some food, all the better. The man picked it up and examined the chain. He smiled and nodded with approval, handing her a key. "Please, you may use room C 25, and help yourself to some food, tell the barkeep that Gouji said it was alright."
Rane stuck the key in her jacket pocket and walked in to the restaurant, seating herself at the bar. "Excuse me," She called to the barkeep. The barkeep, a stalky guy with huge muscles and several tattoos, turned to her. "What do you want?" "Um… I'll take a rice bowl with fried pork." Said Rane, looking around the room as the bartender went in to the back to get her food. "Come to think of it, all the guys look like that" she thought to herself. Sure enough, seated about the room were tough-looking guys clad in black tattoos, bandanas, wife beaters and smug looks on their faces. Needless to say, she ate as quickly as she could and hurried to her room on the third floor.
Thump, knock, thud, crash! Rane opened her eyes slowly and sat up. She looked out the window, it was still dark. A knock came from the other side of the door. Rane stood and checked her watch. "3 AM?" She sighed grimly, shuffling to the door lazily and opening it enough to peer out. "Who is it?" "Well, you don't know me, but my name's Bo, and I think we need to talk for a second." Rane opened the door farther to be greeted by an attractive boy with dirty blond hair and intensely golden eyes. He walked in and shut the door behind him, flipping the lock. "What are you doing?" Asked Rane, still groggy and watching the boy with her eyes half open. "Are you the one who stole the mirror from the Angel?" "Mirror?" "The Wishing Mirror" Rane shook her head. "I didn't steal a mirror." Bo blinked "Well, I dunno why those bounty hunters are after you, but we better leave now" "Bounty hunters?!" "Hurry! We can go out the window; I promise I won't drop you." "Gee, that's comforting." Rane scoffed as she pulled on her shoes as quickly as she could. Bo picked her up and slung her over his shoulder, throwing open the window and jumping out. "But it's a THREE STORY JUMP!" Rane protested as they fell to the ground.
"OOF!" They chorused as they hit the ground. Rane sat up, looking over her arms and legs. "Amazing! I'm not hurt at all!" Bo sat up as well. "Good, now we gotta go" He stood and pulled Rane up, leading her by the hand around to the side of the inn. "Can you ride bareback?" "Can I what?" Asked Rane. Bo shook his head, motioning to the stables. "Oh! Uh... never tried before, honestly." "Alright, you can ride with me then." Bo disappeared into the shadows for a moment, coming back with a rather large and intimidating white horse. "Need help up?" Rane nodded. Bo directed the horse toward her and pulled her up. "Oi! I don't like riding horses! And this is my first time doing it!" Rane clung helplessly to Bo, who didn't seem the least bit afraid of being six feet in the air. "So, Miss Being Chased by Bounty Hunters, what should I really call you?" he asked, one hand resting on Rane's arms, and the other helping guide the horse. "Um, my name is Rane Mitsukai, I guess Rane is good enough." Bo nodded. "Okay, you can call me Bo, or Koutoku, whatever you want." "Okay, I'll just call you Bo then."
After about half an hour of riding, Bo finally called his horse to a halt in front of a small house off to the far west side of the village. Rane, still extremely sleepy, had to be dragged off of the horse and helped inside. "So this is your house?" "Yep, you can sleep in the bed, I'm not tired anyway." Bo set her down on the extremely cushioned bed and pulled a blanket over her. Rane opened her mouth to protest, but fell asleep before she could say anything.
Chapter 3
The next morning, Rane woke up to see Bo, asleep in an armchair in the corner of the room. She shrugged, getting up and exploring the house. By this time, Rane had decided this place, wherever it was, had no electricity, and thus, no running water. She groaned, regretting that she hadn't taken the opportunity to bathe in the hot spring while she'd had the chance.
She sat down on the floor, emptying all of the junk that would prove useless in this "other world". A couple pieces of gum, a compact mirror, $20, a couple rubber bands, a pen, and a comb. Rane blinked, picking up the mirror. "Where'd this come from? Could this be that mirror that the Angel and Bo were talking about?"
"That is correct-o!" Bo chimed, plopping on the floor next to her. "Eek! Bo! Don't do that! I didn't even know you were awake!" Bo grinned, taking the mirror from her and looking it over. "This mirror has great power, it can give you anything you wish for." Rane's eyes widened. "Really? So let's use it" Bo shook his head "It's not that easy." "Huh? What do you mean?" "Only the Angel knows how to use it." Rane groaned and took the mirror back, examining her reflection. "I guess I'm never getting out of here then." Bo looked at Rane curiously. "Get out?" She nodded "I'm not from…around here, shall we say. I'm from a different world." He shrugged it off "aren't we all." Rane laughed a little, putting the mirror back in her pocket. "Not exactly the response I was expecting, but I guess it makes it easier for the both of us.