Les Jeux Mystèrieux: The Mysterious Games
BOTH TOKAKI AND ANNE'S BIOGRAPHIES HAVE BEEN REVISED.
Episode 21: Nakigami no uta (Song of the Fallen God)
(The view opens up on a book with Chinese characters on the front. It opens slowly, turning page by page, scattering white sparkles everywhere. An old woman's voice begins to narrate)
Old Woman: This is the story of a girl who gathered the seven Stars of Byakko. She obtained omnipotent power and made her dreams come true. The story itself is an incantation. Whoever finishes reading it will receive that power. As soon as the first page is turned, the story will become real and begin…
(Suddenly, the view pulls off to the side, to a museum. Anne and the other seven enter the Chinese exhibit room.)
Old Woman: (still narrating) Once upon a time, there was a girl named Anne. This girl had many friends, and was generally happy. Her life was nice and normal until she was sucked into a book at a museum.
(The view shifts to Anne and the others clustered around the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho. The book glows white, and the view dissolves. When it reappears, there is a picture of Anne next to some vital statistics and a short paragraph below it.)
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Name: Anne
Celestial Warrior Name: None.
Celestial Symbol Location: N/A
Blood Type: B
Zodiac Sign: Virgo
Height: 5'9"
Hair: Blond, waist-length
Eyes: Steel Blue
Likes: Learning Languages, Lord of the Rings
Dislikes: Being helpless, occasionally Nick
A normal girl whose life is completely changed when she is sucked into a magical book at a museum. Inside the book, she became the Priestess of Byakko. Usually a courageous, self-sufficient girl, she has moments of helplessness and depression. She cares a lot about her friends, and will go to great lengths to see that they aren't hurt. She has three younger siblings; her sister Berit, who is one year younger than her, her brother Jon, who is four years younger than her, and Ingrid, who is ten years younger than her. Her faith in God is a large part of her personality, and before the summoning of Byakko, she was skeptical about Byakko's existence in view of the mutual exclusivity of God. Because she is the Priestess of Byakko, she does not have any Celestial Powers.
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(The writing and picture disappears, to show Anne laying on the ground west of Shijuen. She sits up quickly and looks around)
Old Woman: The book was in fact magical, and sucked the girl into a world she never knew about; the Universe of the Four Gods.
(The view shifts to Anne walking through the crowded streets of Shijuen. She looks incredibly out of place in her American clothes, white skin and blonde hair.)
Old Woman: The girl was confused, and more than a little scared. She didn't know where she was, or what happened to her. It was only by pure luck that she found her way to the Emperor's throne room.
(Anne stands in front of the Emperor, still not quite at home. The Emperor speaks, and then stands up)
Old Woman: The Emperor told the girl that she was the Priestess of Byakko, and it was her destiny to summon the god Byakko and bring peace to Sailo.
(The view moves to Kutou's throne room, where three blue-clad soldiers kneel in front of the Emperor. The old man speaks, and then motions for the soldiers to leave)
Old Woman: The country of Kutou, the most powerful militarily, was currently waging war against the country of Sailo. Sailo had no chance against Kutou's strength, and its only hope was the girl gathering the seven Stars of Byakko and summoning the god, using Byakko's mystical power to bring peace to Sailo.
(The view returns to Anne in the throne room, listening to the Emperor talk. He presents her with a white scroll.)
Old Woman: The Emperor gave the girl a magical scroll and told her to visit Taiitsu-kun, the creator of the world. As the girl was about to leave the palace, a commotion was heard at the door.
(Anne turns around to look at the large door to the throne room. Chris is tugged through the door by two soldiers, who hold him by his arms)
Old Woman: The intruder was none other than one of her friends from her world. Apparently, he had also been brought to the other world. Even more amazing than that, her friend was found to be the first Star of Byakko, Tokaki.
(The view once again fades to white, and then to the info screen. A picture is shown of Tokaki, along with his stats)
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Name: Chris
Celestial Warrior Name: Tokaki
Celestial Symbol Location: Left cheek
Blood Type: B
Zodiac Sign: Aries
Height: 6'0"
Hair: Black, very very very curly
Eyes: Deep Green
Likes: Video Games, the color Red
Dislikes: Children, occasionally Nick
An energetic young man that cares very deeply about his friends and their welfare. He is very passionate when it comes to his feelings, and does not hesitate to express them. However, he can also be rather reckless and headstrong when it comes to decision-making, especially when the decisions directly pertain to his friends. After the battle with Master Kung, he gained a good amount of wisdom and experience. His Celestial Power is that of unarmed fighting and teleportation. His relatively low chi prevents him from teleporting over long distances.
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(The info fades, leaving Anne and Tokaki riding out of Shijuen, watched by the Emperor.)
Old Woman: The girl left the capital of Sailo, riding east for the mountain in the center of the world. Pretty quickly on their journey, the pair was accosted by far-ranging soldiers from Kutou.
(Anne stands behind Tokaki, as the three soldiers leer at them. A large white symbol for "stride" appears, and Tokaki is shown punching and kicking the three soldiers in slow-motion. When he finishes, Anne buckles to the ground.)
Old Woman: Tokaki managed to defeat the soldiers. But the girl was wounded in the battle, and she collapsed. Tokaki brought her to a nearby town, where the pair stayed at the home of an old couple.
(Anne lies on a bed in a traditional Chinese house. Tokaki sits next to her, clearly worried.)
Old Woman: The girl's condition did not improve. Tokaki waited by her side, worried, but soon his fears were alleviated with the arrival of another friend from their world; the Celestial Warrior Subaru.
(Subaru is shown standing triumphantly on a random hill. There is another fade to white, and then to the stats screen.)
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Name: Luna
Celestial Warrior Name: Subaru
Celestial Symbol: Left Breast
Blood Type: O
Zodiac Sign: Cancer
Height: 5'9"
Hair: Black, shoulder-length
Eyes: Light Hazel
Likes: Orlando Bloom, Johnny Depp
Dislikes: Sexual Innuendos, occasionally Nick
A girl with an unrelenting personality. Never one to give up, she keeps her drive even in the most unbearable situations. Her feelings for her friends are very strong, even though her outward behavior does not suggest this conclusion. Her Celestial Power is manipulation of time in respect to a person's body; i.e., she can age somebody or return them to a previous them. Although she can now age people hundreds of years forwards, it is hard for her to make them even two weeks younger, due to how much easier it is to age somebody.
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(Subaru kneels over Anne's prone body, eyes closed. Her hands rest over Anne, glowing white.)
Old Woman: Subaru used her powers over time to restore the girl's body to its normal, healthy state. The girl was amazed to find that the second Star of Byakko was another one of her friends. The pair postulated that the other five Stars might be their friends.
(Subaru, Tokaki and Anne ride horses away from the tiny village, heading east. They reach an inn, and take two separate rooms)
Old Woman: The girl rode east, now in the company of two Stars. The trio stayed at an inn for the night, not knowing that mysterious strangers were plotting their death.
(The view shifts to the dark cult chambers)
Old Woman: In Kutou, a small but powerful cult schemed against the Priestess of Byakko. Their goals, mysterious and unknown, somehow were mutually exclusive with the goals of the Priestess of Byakko. Their power allowed them to send out assassins to Sailo in the hopes of killing the Priestess. That night, the assassins struck out at the girl and her friends.
(Anne sleeps, peacefully, in her bed. There is a noise from the window, but she does not stir. Subaru, in the bed next to her, hesitantly opens her eyes. When she sees the dark shape bending over Anne, her eyes widen and she jumps out of bed. The dark shape turns, and slashes at Subaru. Luckily, it misses, and Subaru is able to grab the assassin's arm. There is a bright flash of light, waking Anne up, and then what sounds like a loud, disgusting pop. The screen fades to red, punctuated by Anne's scream.)
Old Woman: Subaru used her powers over aging to protect the girl. Unfortunately, this caused her to overuse her powers and faint. In the morning, she awoke, and the trio resumed their journey. However, they were soon to wander into danger far more dangerous than the dangerous danger of the dangerous assassins.
(The word "Danger" flashes on the screen in red. Instead of showing something dangerous, Tokaki rows a boat on a calm lake. Anne and Subaru sit next to him, clearly not having as much fun as he is.)
Old Woman: Tokaki wanted to go for a boat ride. Unfortunately for the group, the Tsejian lake that they currently were boating upon was inhabited by a robust sea monster.
(The water ripples, and a huge serpentine head emerges in a shower of water. Tokaki, Subaru and Anne stare at the huge snake with mouths agape, and then they all start paddling backwards as quickly as they can.)
Old Woman: The sea monster was too much for the trio; the girl was defenseless, and Subaru's powers were too weak to make a mark on the monster. Their only hope was Tokaki, but all he could do was hope to pummel the beast into submission. Sadly, this approach did not work very well.
(Tokaki clings onto the serpent's neck, holding on for dear life as the serpent bucks wildly. He gets thrown off, and the serpent smashes into the boat, throwing Anne and Subaru into the sea. Anne holds onto a piece of flotsam, looking around the foggy lake. Suddenly, the serpent's head surfaces, and dives at Anne. She screams…)
Old Woman: Miraculously, the girl survived, thanks to a mysterious white light that came from the sky and destroyed the serpent.
(A huge white beam of light comes from the sky, enveloping the serpent and the entire screen. When the white light clears, Anne is lying on a beach, with Tokaki standing over her.)
Old Woman: So the trio continued on their way, completely oblivious of the importance of the events around them.
(The trio reaches a small town. As they enter, a large, comical mob of people run up to them.)
Old Woman: Thus began the girl's work as the Priestess of Byakko. Everywhere she went, the people of the towns asked her to bless their temples.
(The mob forcibily picks up Anne and carts her away to the temple, leaving Tokaki and Subaru in the dust, sweatdropping.)
Old Woman: After passing through several of these towns, the girl heard a rumor of a Celestial Warrior in a town north of there. When the girl and her protectors entered the temple, they met the third Star of Byakko, Tatara.
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Name: Nick
Celestial Warrior Name: Tatara
Celestial Symbol Location: Top of Right Hand
Blood Type: O
Zodiac Sign: Gemini
Height: 5'10"
Hair: Black, shoulder-length
Eyes: Mahogany
Likes: RPG's with plot, anime
Dislikes: …not much
A perpetually happy and energetic young man, almost to the point of annoying. Beneath his hyper exterior, there is actually a calm, thoughtful person underneath…maybe. His Celestial Powers govern plants.
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(Tatara kneels in the temple garden, tending the flowers. When Anne, Tokaki and Subaru enter, he looks up in surprise.)
Old Woman: Tatara agreed to go with the girl on her journey, but he didn't want to leave until the next day. The girl and her two guardians spent the night in the inn, planning to leave the next day.
(The trio peacefully sleeps in a new inn. At the window, a shadowed figure peers in. In Tatara's temple, he looks up in confusion. Back in the inn, the window to Tokaki's room slides open silently. A shadowed figure climbs in stealthily)
Old Woman: Little did they know that the mysterious assassins were back. Tokaki woke up this time, but was powerless against the assassins, who moved too fast for him to attack. In the other room, Subaru and the girl were even more powerless; they quickly were immobilized by the assassins.
(Tatara peers into Tokaki's window curiously. When he sees the dark shape darting around, his eyes widen. He holds up his hand, and it glows white. Small vines grow out of his hand, winding around the assassin's ankles and upwards. Soon, the assassin has become a virtual cocoon.)
Old Woman: Luckily, Tatara was there to save them. With the help of his powers, he was able to rescue the girl and her guardians. The group, now four, continued on their way, more wary of assassin attack.
(The group reaches a bluff overlooking a forest and, past that, mountains. One single mountain stands out as far bigger than the rest.)
Old Woman: But the group's troubles were not over. In the distance, they sighted Mt. Taikyoku, their first goal. But upon entering the forest, a violent storm appeared, showering rain upon them. As they ran for cover, a stray lightning bolt struck in their vicinity…
(The group rides through the woods, buffeted by rain. There is a huge flash of light, and there is a fade to white.)
Old Woman: What the girl and her friends didn't know was that the storm was not natural; it and the events to come were simply a test, put forth by the creator of the world, Taiitsu-kun.
(Taiitsu-kun sits in her room, which is completely dark. She peers through a mirror, which shows Anne lying on the ground as rain pours down atop her prone body. Taiitsu-kun speaks some mystical-sounding words, and the mirror's image expands to only show Anne.)
Old Woman: When the girl awoke, she was separated from her friends, in the middle of a foggy forest in a cloudburst. She called out, hoping that her friends would hear her.
(Anne opens her eyes slowly, and then gets up, wide-eyed. She starts yelling in no apparent direction.)
Old Woman: Luckily, her friends heard her. But when they found her, a horrible sight met their eyes.
(Anne stands a ways away from the other three. Tokaki, Subaru and Tatara stare at Anne in horror, as she looks at them in confusion.)
Old Woman: To their eyes, the girl appeared to be a hideous monster. When the girl tried to protest, they only thought that the monster was trying some sort of ploy to set them off her guard.
(Anne, still looking normal, holds her arms akimbo in utter confusion and fear. A dark bolt of energy flies at Subaru, sending her flying. As Anne begins to speak, Tokaki and Tatara hold their hands over their ears.)
Old Woman: By trying to reason with them, the girl only hurt her friends. She decided that the only way out was to give in to them; it was preferable to hurting them.
(Tokaki stands over Anne, one foot pushing down on her back. He pulls her hair upwards, and bends over her. Anne says a few words, coughing up blood, and Tokaki's eyes widen.)
Old Woman: The Celestial Warriors finally understood that the monster they were fighting was really the Priestess, but it was too late. She was losing blood at an alarming rate, and Subaru could not help her.
(In a dark flash, Taiitsu-kun appears near the group. She motions, and a carpet descends from the sky.)
Old Woman: But the girl had passed the test; Taiitsu-kun appeared and took all four of them to the sacred Mt. Taikyoku, where their wounds were healed and much was explained. It took the Nyan-Nyans, Taiitsu-kun's helpers, a whole night to heal the girl. But she was healed, and after some advice from Taiitsu-kun, the girl and her protectors set upon their way.
(The cult's dark room. The five cultists talk in their usual mysterious tone.)
Old Woman: But far away, in distant Kutou, a mysterious and obscure cult planned the downfall of the girl and her friends. The cult's assassins had already been sent out, and moved faster than the girl did. Their plans had already been set in motion…
(Anne and the other three ride into a small town built in a grove of trees. They enter the inn.)
Old Woman: But the girl and her friends were oblivious to this, mercifully. They, in fact, had found the fourth Star of Byakko.
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Name: Max
Celestial Warrior Name: Karasuki
Celestial Symbol Location: Nape of Neck
Blood Type: AB
Zodiac Sign: Pisces
Height: 6'1"
Hair: Brown, shaggy
Eyes: Brown
Likes: MMORPG's without plot
Dislikes: Stupid people, therefore Nick
A guy who's slow to anger but quick to retort. He enjoys making fun of others in a joking manner, but would never insult somebody for real. His Celestial Powers govern sight through time and space.
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(Tokaki presses his ear against a wooden door as the other three watch him with baited breath. Karasuki opens the door abruptly, causing Tokaki to fall into the door.)
Old Woman: The girl's friend turned out to be the fourth Star of Byakko. He had been observing them for a long time, and knew exactly what had been happening with them. Before the group, now made up of five people, could reminisce too much, there was an assassin attack during the night.
(Two assassins jump through the open inn window, only to be accosted by Tokaki.)
Old Woman: These assassins, sent with only the power to dispatch Karasuki, were vanquished easily by Tokaki and Tatara working in Tandem.
(The group rides westwards at a brisk pace. Eventually, Karasuki stops to scry. In his mirror, a brief vision of Amefuri shows up.)
Old Woman: Karasuki power was that of scrying; he could see the next Star of Byakko, and she was in a bad situation. It took the girl a few days to find her friend's location, but once she did, a frightening sight met her eyes.
(Amefuri lays on her altar, in her temporal stasis coma. Anne and the others run through the door, and once they see her, their eyes collectively widen.)
Old Woman: Their friend from the other world was the fifth Star of Byakko, Amefuri. But she had been poisoned by the cult assassins, and had used what remained of her chi to preserve her body. One of the girls at the temple, a one Jie Da, had an uncle named Jie Quan who was supposedly a master healer. The girl decided that she would journey north to find Quan and save her friend.
(The group rides north to Xizhou. Upon getting near it, they can see that it is very obviously occupied by Kutou's soldiers.)
Old Woman: Unfortunately, Xizhou, the town where Quan lived, was currently occupied by Kutou, and the town was placed under martial law. The girl and her Stars managed to sneak into the city and meet Da's mother and father. They told the girl that Quan was currently imprisoned in the center of the city. In order to save their friend, the group would have to infiltrate the enemy stronghold.
(Tatara, Subaru and Tokaki run down the hallway of Xizhou's palace. They run down the stairs, only to be met by several guards)
Old Woman: The group of guards should have been easy targets for Tokaki, Subaru and Tatara. But, they had a hidden weapon up their sleeve. The soldiers were able to seal Tokaki and Tatara's powers. Luckily, Subaru demonstrated her growing potential, and the trio found themselves outside Quan's cell.
(Quan sits inside the cell, busying himself with his potions. He looks up at Tatara, Tokaki and Subaru, who are speaking at him quite loudly. Quan stands up, and throws something at the bars. They dissolve into small molten puddles.)
Old Woman: Quan, despite being rather absentminded, was quite helpful in escaping the complex. Tokaki dealt with the remaining guards, and the group smuggled Quan out of Xizhou.
(A ray of moonlight illuminates Amefuri as the group returns to the temple. Quan looks her over for a few moments, then nods to himself.)
Old Woman: With Subaru's help, Quan was able to heal the body of the fifth Celestial Warrior. When she woke up, she was rather surprised to see the girl and her friends.
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Name: Janna
Celestial Warrior Name: Amefuri
Celestial Symbol Location: Center of chest, just below "tip" of collarbone
Blood Type: B
Zodiac Sign: Aries
Height: 5'11"
Hair: Black, shoulder-length and permed straight
Eyes: Kelly Green
Likes: Singing
Dislikes: People who get in her way, occasionally Nick
A girl with enough personality to go around. She has an opinion about most anything, and is not afraid to show it. She usually keeps herself calm and down to earth, but every once and a while her inner fire will come out and burn people. Her Celestial Power encompasses various ways to use chi, but she specializes in shields against almost anything.
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(Amefuri stands up from the altar, brushing herself off. She looks up at Anne with a mix of relief and astonishment.)
Old Woman: The fifth Star of Byakko was named Amefuri, and was also from the girl's world. The group, now six, journeyed south to find the next Star of Byakko. Unfortunately, this journey would soon be halted. In the middle of the night, soldiers from Kutou took the girl, Subaru and Tatara captive with the help of the mysterious seals on their powers.
(Amefuri walks sleepily into the girl's room in the inn. The two beds are empty, there are signs of a struggle, and the window is open.)
Old Woman: Amefuri, Karasuki and Tokaki quickly pursued the soldiers on horseback, after Karasuki scryed for their location and Amefuri communicated telepathically with the girl.
(The sun rises over a carriage, a campfire and three soldiers. Suddenly, Tokaki and Amefuri run onto the scene, surprising the soldiers.)
Old Woman: The battle was over before it even began. Even though the soldiers sealed Tokaki's powers, Amefuri proved her worth by evoking a killing ball of chi energy. After rescuing the other three members of their group, the six rode back southwest, towards the next Star of Byakko.
(The group stops in front of the Sailan Battle Arena in all its majesty.)
Old Woman: The next Star was located in the Battle Arena of Sailo. Not only was he located there, he had ascended to the position of Guanjun, or the Grand Champion of the Battle Arena. The only way to make contact with him was to enter the battling tournament, and win. And the only one who could…was Tokaki.
(An SD Tokaki stands in front of a swirling red backround, with his fingers making a "victory" sign. The rest of the group stands behind him, also SD, heads in their hands.)
Old Woman: Needless to say, Tokaki managed to get through all four rounds, and faced off against the Guanjun in round five of the championship.
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Name: Jeff
Celestial Warrior Name: Toroki
Celestial Symbol Location: Forehead
Blood Type: A
Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
Height: 6'0"
Hair: Black, short
Eyes: Navy Blue
Likes: Girls next door, Computers
Dislikes: Calculus, occasionally Nick
A stoic guy who doesn't often tell what's on his mind. He's a very focused warrior, allowing very few things to distract him at any time. Once he starts talking, however, it's next to impossible to shut him up. His Celestial Power is proficiency with several weapons, namely a wooden bo staff, sai, straight swords (both one and two at a time) and a katana.
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(Tokaki steps backwards into a defensive stance as he faces Toroki in the center of the Sailan Battle Arena. As the crowd cheers, Toroki shakes his head. He pivots around completely and raises his hand for quiet.)
Old Woman: Luckily, Toroki wasn't interested in fighting Tokaki. He understood that to fight would only mean wasted time and energy. He told the audience that he was to step down from the position of Guanjun and go with the Priestess of Byakko on her journey.
(Toroki calmly rides Schnoogums, trailing the rest of the group. Soon, they stop and set up camp.)
Old Woman: But an unknown adversary was in fact trailing Toroki, bent on defeating him at any cost. This adversary was named Sitao; he had been the Guanjun before Toroki, and was unhappy at being unseated from his position. In the night, he kidnapped the Priestess and made a demand; Toroki had to face him in battle or he would kill the girl.
(Toroki stands opposite Sitao in a small clearing. Anne lays on the ground behind Sitao, and the rest of the group watches in fear as Sitao draws his sword and springs to attack.)
Old Woman: After a long, tiring fight, Toroki finally bested Sitao and saved the Priestess. After burying Sitao, the group continued on their way east. Sadly, they had no idea where they were going. When the Priestess checked the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho to see where to go next, the text horrified her.
(Anne reads the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho in horror, and then lowers it down slowly, mouth agape and eyes wide.)
Old Woman: The final Star of Byakko was not near them; in fact, she was not even in Sailo. She was in Kutou, a prisoner of their armies. The girl realized a horrible thought; the entire time they had been searching in Sailo, her friend had been captured and tortured. And now, she was trapped in Kutou, weeks of travel away, set to be executed three days in the future.
(Anne sits against a tree, quietly crying. Tatara sits next to her, silent)
Old Woman: The girl was distraught; there was no apparent way to save her friend. They could not reach Kutou in three days. There seemed to be nothing to do. Besides that, she was having a small crisis of faith; how could she be true to her own religion while being the Priestess of a different god?
(Karasuki sleeps quietly, undisturbed. Above him, a shadowed figure appears in the corner of the tent, and reaches down towards his head. A purple glow suffuses his body, and the shadowed figure disappears.)
Old Woman: But during the night, Karasuki had a dream. The dream told him the answer to their predicament. By combining the powers of Tokaki and Amefuri, teleportation over long distances could be achieved. The girl's fears were ameliorated, and the group traveled back to Shijuen in the space of seconds.
(The group sits in Sailo's Palace's Waiting Room. Anne enters the room.)
Old Woman: The Priestess met with the Emperor of Sailo, to find allies in Kutou. A man named Ye Pan was a Sailan national, living in the capital of Kutou. The Emperor told the girl to seek him out. The next day, the girl and her six protectors left for Kutou, with only a day before the execution.
(The group stands around Tokaki and Amefuri. Amefuri places her hand on Tokaki's cheek, and then the group disappears in a flash of light, to reappear in a foreign-looking street)
Old Woman: In Kutou, the girl sought out Ye Pan's help. He was very helpful, suggesting that some of the group dress up as soldiers and the others as prisoners. Karasuki and Amefuri stayed behind with Ye Pan, to relay information through telepathy and aid the group's progress by scrying. When night fell, Tatara, Subaru and Toroki dressed up as soldiers and infiltrated the castle.
(Tatara, Subaru and Toroki, as soldiers, haul a cart through the back gates of the Imperial Residence.)
Old Woman: As soon as they got in, they let the girl and Tokaki out of the cart. The resistance leading down to the cell was minimal. Once the five reached the cell where the seventh Star was kept imprisoned, a horrible sight met their eyes.
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Name: Katherine
Celestial Warrior Name: Kokie
Celestial Symbol Location: Above belly button
Blood Type: A
Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
Height: 5'10"
Hair: Brown, waist-length
Eyes: Sky Blue, occasionally White
Likes: Fantasy Novels
Dislikes: Nick
A smart, sassy and cynical girl. While on the outside she seems to have a sarcastic, even offensive personality, her inside personality is that of a caring friend. However, after her experience in Kutou, this inside personality does not come out very often. Also due to that experience, she does not wish to have any further dealings with the book. Her Celestial Powers are primarily air-based.
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(Kokie lies in the cell, brutally broken and scarred and blindfolded to boot. Tatara looks into her cell, and instantly steps back in horror.)
Old Woman: The soldiers of Kutou had horribly tortured the final Star of Byakko. Her entire body was covered with scars and welts. Subaru was able to restore her body, but Kokie was too weak to walk on her own. As the Priestess prepared to escape the Imperial City, a huge boom knocked all six of them to their feet.
(A huge dark globe appears over the Imperial City. It is in fact not black, but incredibly dark purple, so dark that it almost looks black. Amefuri and Karasuki gape at it from Ye Pan's window.)
Old Woman: Someone had invoked an enormous seal of chi energy over the entire Imperial City, taking so much chi to do, it caused a veritable sonic boom for any chi users inside the globe. When the Stars of Byakko recovered, they found that they could not use their chi. At least, none but Kokie could use their chi.
(Kokie floats next to Tatara, eyes white. She extends her hands, and chants some words. The soldiers in front of them spontaneously burst into showers of blood.)
Old Woman: Because of that, getting out of the Imperial City was slightly harder. But eventually, the group made their way to Ye Pan's barbershop. They quickly teleported to Mt. Taikyoku to recover.
(Taiitsu-kun speaks to Anne from her ornate seat.)
Old Woman: The Priestess of Byakko found all the necessary information needed to summon Byakko, and the seven Stars recuperated. The next day, the completed group teleported back to Shijuen, and commenced the summoning ceremony.
(Anne, dressed in her Priestess dress, throws the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho into the fire and begins chanting the summoning incantation.)
Old Woman: The girl successfully summoned Byakko, and wished for peace between Kutou and Sailo. The eight returned to their own world, finishing their quest within the book.
(The group stands up inside the Chinese exhibit room, and then leave the room. The Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho glows a red color, sparkles red, shimmers red, and then disappears.)
Old Woman: But the book was not finished with the girl. Evil still threatened the book. And because the book needed to be saved, it would bring the girl and the Stars of Byakko back into the book in the most unexpected way possible…
Nick: Wow! What an amazing chapter!
Jeff: I was bored.
Janna: Nothing happened. Face it.
Kat: God, I hope something important happens next chapter.
Chris: Maybe we should take a stand, as characters, against useless chapters.
Max: Yes! Rise up against the oppressor!
Luna: Well…you know what they say about biting the hand that feeds you…
Anne: Whatever happens next episode, we're back in action! The next chapter is called "Nikutai no naka no shinigami."
Nick: Or, "The Spirit of Death within the body."
AN: Yes, I fixed Anne and Tokaki's biographies. And I added the names and ages (as I see them; they aren't correct and I know it) of Anne's siblings….yeah. Now for the previous Author's Note.
Sorry this episode took so long to write! School's been tough lately, between Math, normal homework, Fencing and trying to keep my social life together…but it's finally done! Yes!
Unfortunately, nothing new happened in this chapter. I know, I know; but it's exactly like the corresponding episode in FY. Don't like it? Sue Watase-sama. As a side note, you should have guessed the narrator in this chapter is Taiitsu-kun. She's always the narrator in FY. Duh!
If nothing else, you would be able to entertain yourselves with the new opening and ending sequences…if they existed. But they don't. If you want to know, the opening song would be ExDream from X/1999 and the ending would be Heart of Sword by T.M. Revolution from Rurouni Kenshin.
I was actually thinking about making Season 2 prose instead of the script-like form of Season 1…but then I realized that the entire story's flow and continuity would not be preserved. Besides, the style of the story would not directly lend itself to prose. Oh well. I promise my next story will not be script-form; it feels like such a pitiful format sometimes…
A bit of Japanese for you: Nakigami could be translated as either "Fallen/Dead God" or "Crying God". The interesting thing is that either translation fits. Another note: One of the titles in Season 1 was DELIBERATELY mistranslated. Why? Because I enjoy messing with your minds ^_^ But seriously, even though I don't expect you to find which one it is, the real translation may be subtly important to the story…hm…but it might not be. Who can say? ^_^
One thing that I'm sure a bunch of people will get mad at me for; the character's stats. By now, you readers should have guessed that the eight main characters are based on real people. Based is the key word here. They aren't the same as the people they're based off of, and hence the blood types, zodiac signs, heights and eye colors do NOT correlate (and should not!). Why did I pick these? Because in Japan, blood type supposedly determines your personality. Zodiac signs are supposed to do the same thing (even though I have a sneaking suspicion that neither of them determine personality ._.). I changed the height, because I changed the ages of the characters (from what to what? Think on that!). And the eye colors…Are wa himitsu desu!!! I'll give you a hint: it measures something, but trust me, you won't get what it is.
I was originally going to put all sorts of inane info, like head circumference, shoe size, ring size, face width, etc., but I decided it would just be stupid (and too much work to make up!). So, if you complain to me that something's not right, I will point and laugh.
And, as a side note, I found the Chinese names for the four gods: Suzaku is Zu Que, Seiryuu is Qing Long, Byakko is Bai Hu, and Genbu is Xuan Wu. Still don't know the country names…grr. I know all but Sailo (which just happens to be the most important! AARRGH!!). Oh well. It's not like I'm gonna use these names anyways; they're…um…inferior? Yeah…
Sorry about the rambling Author's Note…I'm done now. The next note like this will most likely be once the story's done.