Name: Aoyagi Age: 16 (in appearance), real age unknown Hair: Brown, medium length tied up in the back, long sideburns Eyes: Black when normal, gold when transformed Clothing: Short sleeved shirt, vest, pants accompanied by a fabric belt, boots, fingerless gloves Most Prized Possession: A charm his "mother" gave him when he was little Positive Characteristics: Happy-go-lucky, loyal, sensitive Negative Characteristics: Reckless, naive, selfish Blood Type: B
A nekohito (catperson). Although he has the appearance of a teenage boy, he is hundreds of years old. Cautious, laid back and thoughtful of others, he is his companion Saba's exact opposite. Aoyagi can shape shift from a human form to his cat form although in his human form, he still bears his cat ears and tail. He wants to obtain the Grail of Knowledge, Power and Wealth to help others.
Name: Saba Age: 21 Hair: Blonde, long Eyes: Blue Clothing: Sunglasses, long sleeved shirt with the collar up (unbuttoned at times), tie, pants, sneakers Most Prized Possession: A ring that he wears on a necklace Positive Characteristics: Confident, smart, caring Negative Characteristics: Strict on himself, moody, has a hard time expressing feelings Blood Type: AB
A lovely bishonen, Saba is a seemingly cocky, money grubbing, all for himself man. The only reason he wants to obtain the Grail of Knowledge, Power and Wealth is to make himself more popular with the ladies and the envy of all the men. The only thing he ever really did without wanting a reward was saving Aoyagi, in his cat form, from near death. Now the "owner" of Aoyagi, they are never far apart from each other, although Saba would rather have it any other way
The Grail of Knowledge, Power and Wealth. A relic of mythical legend. Its magic gives its keeper knowledge, all knowing; power, limitless; and wealth, unimaginable. Its resting place unknown to many and known to few. Two companions will attempt to find this legendary treasure...and try to obtain that which many have found unobtainable...And that few have actually come back to tell of their failure...
The Weird Adventure Story 1
"For Knowledge, Power and Wealth! Let the Journey Begin!"
By: Jade Beasley
A bright sun hung in a blue afternoon sky. Birds chirped beautiful songs from tree branches and flew in the sky.
"Such a pretty day. Nothing but blue sky and bright sun." said a teenage boy as he lay on the ground, soaking in the surroundings. "Sometimes I wish days like this would last forever. Even after living hundreds of years, these kind of days still fascinate me," the boy sat up, his ears, cat ears, twitching. "I wonder what Master Saba is up to on a day like this..." His stomach growled and he blushed, embarrassed. "I wonder if he has any food..." he thought to himself. The boy then got up and brushed himself off, looking toward the town in the distance. "Well, only one way to find out!"
A loud, roaring laugh filled a parlor. A laughing, blonde man sat playing cards with four other disappointed players. Some other people in the parlor not a part of the game surrounded the table.
"Silly me! Looks like I've won again! Sucks to be all of you!" the blonde man said to the rest of the players. The man then smiled a big, conceited grin. "Come on guys, I haven't lost once. You're not putting up a good fight."
"I've never been beaten like this before..." said the first player.
"He has to be cheating somehow..." said the second player.
"My whole earnings for the week...gone..." said the third player.
"This is a costly addiction indeed..." said the fourth player, adding up his losses on a calculator.
The blonde man, still sitting proud and surrounded by two beautiful, busty women, put his arms around both of them. "It's not my fault you don't have lady luck on your side, guys. Or in my case, ladies." Both women giggled and made comments.
The fourth player, not wanting to play anymore, got up from the table. "Well that's it for me today. No more."
The third player also got up, looking like his pride had been flattened with a steam roller. "Me too. I'll lose my dignity if I lose anything else."
The second player, angry, even seething, balled his fist. "How....How could he be able to win every time..." he said under his breath. "How?!"
The blonde man looked over at the first player, an old man. "So, you still want play, old man? Or are you ducking out like everyone else?" The first player, bag in hand, was ready to leave.
"I have nothing else to bet on. I'm out too."
A piece of paper sticking out of the old man's bag suddenly caught the blonde man's curious eye.
"Say, old man. What's that paper you have there?" the blonde man asked, pointing to the ragged piece of paper. The old man noticed and seemed to be a little reluctant in talking about the mystery paper.
"This? Just some old piece of paper. Nothing important. Really, I must be going." He tried to hurry to leave. The blonde man, with a certain flash in his eye, smirked, knowing exactly what it was.
"That wouldn't happen to be a treasure map would it?" the blonde man asked. The old man stopped, surprised. "I'll play you for it."
"No way! This map's very valuable to me!" said the old man. He then noticed what he had and grabbed up his bag, fiercely protecting it. Whatever the treasure he did not want anyone else to get it.
The blonde man smiled innocently as he waved his hand. "Come on old man. You're too old to be looking for treasure. Allow me to take it off your hands."
The old man became enraged at his words. "Too old?! No!"
"All or nothing," the blonde man said with a certain flash in his eye as he smirked. "And just to be fair. We'll play any game you pick." The old man looked interested in his offer.
"All....or nothing?"
The blonde man smiled as he directed the old man's attention to the insanely large bag of winnings he had gained during the card game. "Yep! All of this could be yours and that map if you win the game of your choice." The old man looked like he was trying hard to resist the temptation.
"Well..."
"And to make the winnings even better...I'll give you my nekohito companion as your eternal servant."
Suddenly, the parlor erupted in laughter. Everyone laughed at the blonde man's last statement as they made comments.
"Nekohito companion?" asked one person amidst the laughter.
"The nekohito don't exist anymore," said another person.
"This guy's crazy," said yet another.
"I wish I could see a nekohito," said a fourth.
"Master Saba, I'm hungry," said someone to the blonde man.
"Aoyagi, I'm in the middle of something," he replied.
Everyone in the parlor looked in astonishment as they saw the boy with the cat ears sitting on the card table in front of Saba. Aoyagi looked at them all and wondered what was going on and why was everyone staring at him the way they were.
"A n...nekohito," said one person.
"He must turn into a ferocious beast," said another.
"So rare....and he has one," said yet another.
"I must have one..." said a fourth
Aoyagi started to notice something and turned to Saba, a little suspicious. "Did you bet on me again?"
"Well..." said Saba.
"It's a deal!" screamed the old man, his voice shaking with excitement. Saba's face turned overjoyed, his eyes sparkling. Aoyagi started to lecture Saba when hurriedly, Saba pushed him off the table, uninterested in what he had to say. Aoyagi muttered under his breath as he lay on the floor, a little peeved.
"So what will it be, old man?"
The old man gave off a sure smirk. "One round Anandis."
"One round Anandis, huh? I've never heard of it," Saba said, a look of 'oh wow' on his face.
"The rules are simple. For starters, instead of a fifty-two card deck, we have a seventeen card deck. In Anandis only the Aces, face cards and one Joker are used. Each player is dealt 8 cards, while one card remains face down on the table. Players take turns drawing their cards. Whichever card your opponent draws, you must put down the corresponding suit and rank. The Joker can be used to skip a turn. However, whoever has one or none cards after their opponent goes, must guess what the face down card is."
"So it's basically a game of concentration. I think I get it."
"Good, but let me warn you. They call me the King of Anandis in my hometown," the old man said as he began to pass out the cards and look at his hand.
Saba gave off a smirk as he looked at his hand. "Well, I hate to tell you, but your reign ends today." The old man looked a little angered by Saba's words.
"Win the game first and then you can brag."
Saba narrowed his eyes a little, peeved at the old man's words. "People who are sure of their capabilities don't brag."
"We'll see about your 'capabilities' then."
Saba hmphed, pretty sure of himself. "You can go first. After all, it is your game."
"That cocky attitude of yours will be your downfall, boy."
Saba had put his finger in his ear, cleaning it and then blew whatever was on his finger off of it. "If my attitude bothers you so much, fix it."
The old man's eyes narrowed as he thought. "Maybe I will." The old man drew a card from his hand and placed on the table. "King of Spades," he said.
"Doesn't seem I have anything to offer." Saba drew one of his cards from his hand and also placed it on the table. "....Ace of Diamonds." The old man took out an Ace of Clubs and an Ace of Spades from his hand and placed them on the table.
"Only two cards. No big deal. I'm going to play the Queen of Diamonds." He also put that card on the table.
Saba's Queen of Hearts lay on the table. "Only one. Let's
see....Joker. I skip a turn."
The old man smiled smugly. "You should have used that as a last stand. How wasteful. I play the King of Clubs."
Saba's looked at his hand and his eyes widened.
The old man noticed the look in Saba's eyes. "What's wrong? You look a little worried there. Could it be the game's not going in your favor as usual?" Saba's King of Diamonds, King of Hearts, Jack of Clubs and Queen of Clubs lay on the table. "One card left. You have to pick what the lone card is." Saba put his hand up to his mouth, covering it, as he thought.
"The lone card..."
Saba continued to think as the old man looked over at Aoyagi with a smile. "Looks like you're coming home with me kitty if your master can't guess that card." The old man then gave off a laugh.
Aoyagi gave him a look and then turned away from him. "You wish..." he said under his breath.
"Three cards..." Saba thought as he looked at the old man's hand. "Jack of Clubs, Queen of Diamonds, King of Diamonds, Ace of Diamonds, Queen of Clubs, King of Hearts, Joker, King of Spades, Queen of Hearts, Ace of Spades, Ace of Clubs, King of Clubs..." thinking of the cards that had been played already. "Jack of Diamonds, Jack of Hearts, Queen of Spades, Ace of Hearts, Jack of Spades..." Saba's eyes then widened in realization as he thought about the cards that had not been played.
"All or nothing...and I'm about to get it all..." said the old man, happy at the thought of what was to come.
"I wouldn't count on it." The old man looked over at Saba. "Jack of Diamonds, Jack of Hearts, Ace of Hearts, Queen of Spades, Jack of Spades...I have the Jack of Diamonds which leaves the rest. Of those four other cards you possess three." But with so many combinations, which one is right? I could say that the face down card is the Queen of Spades...but maybe not. I could say it's the Jack of Hearts, but I'm not getting that feeling. I could also say it's the Jack of Spades, but I fear for you that it's not that either."
"It...It can't be..." the old man said, his eyes, wide with confusion and almost a state of fear.
Saba put on a smug smile. "You see, in your hometown, they call you the King of Anandis. But back in my hometown they call me the card that will be your downfall." He picked up the card, its face toward the old man. "...the Ace of Hearts."
It was later on in the day as Saba and Aoyagi walked the streets of the town. It was getting later on in the afternoon. Saba had won the game, but being a good sport he gave the man most of his bag of winnings anyway, leaving Saba with still enough money for himself. People walked the streets, conversing and buying things at open air markets among other activities. It was a very colorful and vibrant town. The people all seeming to be happy and full of life.
"Geez, Master Saba. I thought you were going to lose for a moment there," said Aoyagi, seeming a little angry.
"Me lose? When have I ever lost?" Saba then smiled. "I'm not called the 'King of Games' for nothing." Saba then gave off a hearty, victorious laugh as Aoyagi sighed.
"So what now?"
Just then, both of their stomachs growled, desperately needing food. The both of them blushed in embarrassment.
"I'm starving."
"Me too."
"Wow! Even in tights spots, my master comes through!" said Aoyagi. He and Saba sat at a bustling and noisy raamen-ya as they ate and talked. "How did you do it?! Did you know all along?! Tell me!"
"A scratch," said Saba eating some raamen.
"A scratch?" Aoyagi looked confused as he sat, eating a plate of taiyaki.
Saba began to think about the game as he explained to his companion. "While playing Poker, I noticed the Ace of Hearts had a scratch on its back. When I saw that the face down card had a scratch on it during the Anandis match, I just put two and two together. It was just pure luck I got it right!"
Aoyagi couldn't believe it. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped, noticing how close he came to becoming someone else's. Saba dug into his pocket and pulled out the map he had won from the old man. He looked at it with a smile.
"But I got what I wanted..."
"What is it?" asked Aoyagi as he looked at his master's win.
"I heard a story a long time ago about a legend..."Saba rested his chin on his hand, looking off into space. "The Grail of Knowledge, Power and Wealth they called it. A grail of mythical power that gives its keeper things one can only dream about." Aoyagi kept eating taiyaki as Saba continued. "Ever since I heard the story, it has been my dream to find it. But I've always wondered if it was just that, a legend, a farce. Now I know it's not." Saba suddenly got up, looking extremely happy, hands balled into tight fists. Wavy tears ran down his face in utter happiness. "With this treasure I'll have all the power, money and even babes I could ever imagine!"
Aoyagi gave Saba a look like he wasn't all quite there. "O....kay..." Saba looked at him, a happy gleam in his eye.
"It's decided!"
"What is?" Aoyagi was a little confused.
"Tomorrow, we set out to find the Grail of Knowledge, Power and Wealth!" Saba then cuddled his treasure map, so happy to have it. "Wait for me my treasure! Just think! All the genius, power and money all mine, mine mine! It gives me chills!"
"Master Saba..." Aoyagi sighed, embarrassed.