NOTE: Okay, I know what ye all are thinking. WTF? Now, just click on back to the REAL chapter 5 and I'll explain in a small, annoying little note... -- waves by the way. This was supposed to be chap 6....
Xantcha: Gotta post this up quick so I can get going, so I'm just gonna post it without much hassle...
Kai: Riight. Anyways, Xantcha doesn't own anything but herself, her necklace and bitbeast...
Xantcha: All characters, etc. Belong to their owners. Now, read!
Open Your Soul, Open Your Mind
Chapter 6: Let's go bitbeasts! And a childish game...
The group stared as they saw Riyo. This time, it wasn't that her heart was made of gold... Her body was made of stone. "And I forgot the Remedy we bought just in case back at the save point! We're in trouble now..." Kai looked over to her and blinked as she finished, and sighed. "What does that mean?" "That we can't cure Riyo, and none of us can get stoned, literally. Well, at least until we have time to use a spell." Tala gaped as Acirimik placed her left hand on the sword on her back. "Looks like I'll need both for this one."
"Hey! Guys, over here!" The group of four turned to see the White Tigers running up. "She was trying to show us how to fight and got careless..."
Almost on cue, a large snake, about 10 meters in length, slithered out. "Oh Ra. It's..." Xantcha finished the Heavy Blade swordstress. "a Basilisk." Looking over gently at the two boys and team, she drew her weapons. "Stay here. We can't afford you getting caught in this." Without letting any captains get a word edgewise, Xantcha rushed in with Tiamut by her side. Acirimik stood for a moment, and unsaid words hung in the air. "Take care." "I will, Tala."
The platinum haired girl swiftly attacked the reptile, only to find that it's scales blocked her weapons. "Acirimik! Get Takashie over here!" The golden wolf ran forward and stood almost completely silent except for some chanting. "Ice storm." Almost immediately, the area around turned cold, and Dranzer began to complain. "Why can't she cast a warmer spell?!" Kai smirked as his bitbeast complained and Tala shifted uncomfortably. "Chill, Ivanov. Not literally, of course. I'm sure the girls will take care of it." "Not while I'm here." Before Kai could say another word, Tala had whipped out and twirled his guns. "It's about time these got used." Aiming at the monster, he muttered a small prayer to whatever deity in that 'world' and pulled the trigger. A small bullet covered in fire burst out and exploded when it hit the enemy as the two Russian boys stared. "You..." "I sure as heck didn't put the exploding ammo in, Hiwatari. Holy..." "Crap."
Acirimik and Xantcha both smirked as the creature wailed in pain for a moment, giving them some clear shots. That was, until, they realized it was blind. "I can't get near it, Ojanen! It's flailing everywhere!" "I know!" Tiamut was soon knocked backwards by the Basilisk's tail, and Takashie recieved some minor poison in a wound. "Kuso! Our bitbeasts are getting..." "I know Kiavnov, but I can't do anything..." Xantcha looked up and gasped as the creature stopped flailing and listened as she spoke. 'I'm trapped!' "Iie..." The large snake suddenly looked staright at her as she backed up. Terrified, and frozen in one place, the singer slowly sat down against the tree behind her, eyes wide with fear. The snake made it's way slowly to her and almost hissed in delight as she placed her hands to her sides. Suddenly, a sharp cry was heard and a fireball appeared, hitting the opponent on the side of it's face and knocking it backwards slightly. Enraged at the humiliation, it turned to where it came from. "Xantcha!" She looked up, startled, and gasped. Kai had commanded Dranzer to attack, and it had saved her just in time. "Thank Ra..." Slowly getting up, she winced at a sharp pain in her left leg. "Kuso.."
The creature was now as mad as hell, and had made it's way over to unknowing Acirimik, who was busy chanting a spell to change Riyo back to flesh and blood. "Not so fast, bud." Without even flinching at the crunch of it's scales, the red head shot a fire bullet right into the creatures body. The magenta haired teen jumped in fright, staring wide eyed as the creature cried out and slithered into the forest, fatally wounded. Running up to his 'sensei', he laughed. "Knew I'd come in handy sooner or later! Daijoubou?" As Kai helped Xantcha up, to everyone's surprise, Acirimik stood up and gave him a hug. "Arigato..." Xantcha giggled and watched the scene, grinning until Acirimik turned and glared at her. "Tch, if looks could kill, you coulda used that on that stupid overgrown snake." "Very funny." Kai sighed as he helped Xantcha over to where the other two were. "Well? Are you going to cure her?" Xantcha laughed as Acirimik stopped in the middle of the chant to death glare the slate haired boy. "If you'll let me finish the spell, yes." Tala rolled his eyes as his fellow captain was scolded by the Egyptian about how you have to chant to cast a spell. "So, you can't interrupt her, got it?" Glowering, Kai nodded and turned to where the Demolition Boy's teacher was. She had completed the spell and was standing back.
A small flash insued, and Riyo stood there, Sword drawn and looking frantic. "Where is it? I'll give it a piece of my-..." "Riyo?" "...Yeah Xantch?" "It's gone." Gaping for one moment, she grinned. "Ha! It turned and ran, didn't it? Good thing, you found me, or else I woulda been stuck!" Tala, smirked as he twirled his gun in his right hand and blew across the opening. "It was a piece of cake, really." The girls laughed as Kai punched Tala lightly in the arm.
"Well, thank Ra that's over. I was afraid that I was toast." The group of three Russians and a Egyptian were once again sitting in the living room, and it was almost 1 in the morning. Even the snow that was blowing earlier had died down. "Yeah, you owe Hiwatari for that now, don't ya?" Xantcha glared at Acirimik as she spoke. "Feh, whatever." The room went silent once more, before Xantcha spoke. "I suppose I should thank you, ne?" "Hn." Acirimik died laughing as Kai replied. Then she thought about the most weird thing. "Hey Xantcha? You know that anime with that guy named Hiei in it? He acts just like him!" Xantcha froze in thought for a moment before laughing. "That's right! He always says hn! And that guy in Yugioh! ...Um, it was Seto Kaiba, right?" The two girls laughed at the looks on the two boy's faces before settling down. " ...Ne, Acirimik? I'm borrreeed...." Tala and Kai looked at each other in confusion before one of the girls got a odd glint in their eye. Turning to her right and to Tala, the female Russian grinned. "Truth or Dare?"
Xantcha's jaw dropped as she glared at Kivanov. "Nooo, way. Not even Ra himself could force me to play that." Kai's eye twitched before smirking. Remembering how at the dance Xantcha provoked him, it was payback time. "Oh really? You'll fight any monster and yet you are afraid of playing a simple child's game?" Crimson eyes locked onto his as he spoke. "Is that a challenge, Kai Hiwatari?" "If that's what you think." the three Russians waited as Xantcha went to the kitchen, got 4 cans of coke and sat back down in a chair across from Kai. "Tala, you heard her. Truth of Dare?" Sitting back in his chair, satisfied, Kai closed his eyes as he listened to the blader's response. "...Truth." Xantcha started to giggle as she sipped her pop. "Awwww, you're no fun." Acirimik grinned as she reached for a bowl of candy in the middle of the table in front of her and popped a few orange candies in her mouth. "Well..." "Oh, I've got one! Can I, can I?" "You sound like a two year old, Xantcha. Fine." "Yay!" She noticed how Kai stared at her like she was a lunatic and she grinned. "Ne, ne! Why are you and Acirimik getting along so well? You two were at each other's throats before, what happened?" Tala sighed as he crossed his arms and smirked. "We set aside our differences. That, and I recognize her from the..." "Okay, okay. That's all." Acirimik was glowering at Xantcha in the most hostile way, so Xantcha halted him right there. Laughing nervously at how Kai listened intently, she smiled. "Your turn."
The Russian Bladebreaker closed his eyes in concentration, then smirked as he looked straight at Xantcha. Gulping, she looked at the other two as she waited for him to ask. "Xantcha." "Ummmmmm.... Tr... oh, what the heck. Go on, dare me!" Kai got the most malicious smile Tala had ever seen, and for good reason too.
Looking out the window, he let a small smile onto his face. He had talked to Acirimik before, and the one thing that Xantcha hated the most was... 'Ice.' "Alright, Xantcha. Get your coat on. We're going outside. I'll explain afterwards." Looking frantically at the door, she frowned as the others got their coats. Grabbing hers, (it was extra warm) she walked outside.
When the group walked out, the first person to notice the cold was... "Xantcha, you never liked cold weather, ne?" Wrapping her arms around herself, she glared. "No. Or snow, or ice..." Walking up to her, Kai smirked. Using a small piece of fabric he got to blind Tyson, he tied it around her eyes. "Mou, Kai! What're you doing?!" "Blinding you, what does it... well, not really look like, but you get the picture." "Why?!" "You'll see." Making sure it was secure enough, he picked her up over his shoulder and grinned. "To the skating rink." "!...IIE!!!!" The four walked for awhile as Xantcha continued to scream anything like, 'You are sooo dead', or 'No!'. "Quiet, will you? It'll help to get rid of your fear of ice anyways." "Hiwatari, you are dead! I'll first let Tyson and Ian... oh, and Max go super hyper on you, and then..." She continued to ramble for a moment before Kai walked out onto the rink. Placing her down on the ice, getting rid of her blindfold and backing up, his eyes widened when she gave him the most evil glare and looked down, only to squeak. Acirimik was standing on the side with Tala, sighing as she muttered. "As soon as she gets to proper ground, he's dead." Tala shook his head sadly.
Xantcha POV
'Okay, he's dead. I mean, more dead than just normal dead. I WILL bring him back as undead then kill him again, multiple times... After those three weirdos maul him, of course.' Looking down, I sigh. 'There goes my dignity.' I notice how that jerk is just watching, waiting for me to do something. Well, it's not gonna happen.
"Xantcha, just move slowly. You'll..." "QUIET HIWATARI!" "..." I see him wince as I yell at him. 'Serves him right.'
Normal POV
After five minutes, the magenta haired teen laughed as she yelled out to her friend. "Xantcha! Just do as he says! Walk off the ice!" "...no." Tala sweatdropped as he watched the scene. 'Poor Xantcha.' The Egyptian was standing there, freezing, and not budging. She refused to move, at all, until someone helped her off. Finding himself in a position, Kai sighed. "Fine. Xantcha, just take my hand, and I'll...." "NEVER! I'll rip your arm off!" The trio of Russians went wide eyed as Xantcha screamed at Kai. Frowning, the captain tried again, only to get a similar response. "GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!" This time, it wasn't just wide eyed, it was gaping. Noticing how Xantcha continued to scowl at Kai, Tala walked onto the ice and smiled. "Here, Xantcha. I'll help." Sighing, she accepted the red head's help. "Arigato..." Acirimik laughed as Kai slowly shook his head, and walked back to the house.
Back inside the warm, cozy house, Xantcha was pretty much ticked at Kai. She was sitting the opposite side of the table, away from him."You asked for a dare, Xantcha." "Stop calling me that. I'm Ojanen, to you." The two that weren't arguing sighed. "She's mad, ne Acirimik?" "You're right there, Tala." Kai mumbled as he looked over to Acirimik. "Your turn now." Nodding, she glanced over to her friend. "Xantcha, cool down that temper of yours." "... He didn't even say sorry." Kai's mouth dropped as the other two laughed. "That's all I had to do? And you're... -sigh- Fine. Gomen ne." Xantcha crossed her arms for a moment and finally relaxed. "... Apology accepted. Don't think I won't get back at you though." "... Hn." Xantcha sighed as she turned to Kivanov. "It's your turn, you know." Convinced that the two had stopped arguing, she glanced over at Kai. "Well, well... Looks like I have a few...ideas. Xantcha?" The platinum haired teen thought for a moment, before smirking. "Dare." "Okay..." Looking over at Kai, she grinned. "You two make up. Now." Xantcha looked over at her quizzicaly. "We already did, right Kai?" Hiwatari nodded as Acirmik grinned. "No. Not in my book. Go on, you know." Blinking twice, Xantcha growled. "Kivanov, don't even think that I..." "Your dare has been placed." "... Kuso." Kai looked between the two in confusion, before Xantcha gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Muttering evil pranks that she could pull on Acirmik, Xantcha sat back down.
Kai was in between a state of shock and amusement. "Ne, Tala? Your turn." Tala smiled nervously as Xantcha gave his room mate a glare. "Alright..."
After about 20 minutes of Truth or Dare, these were the standings.
Kai: Got kissed on the cheek by Xantcha, dyed his hair green, dared Xantcha to walk on ice, dared Tala to kiss Acirimik, ran away from angry Tala and Acirimik, had to answer to the name 'bird brain' and almost killed Xantcha, and had to eat the worst food to him. Tapioca... It was afully salty though... (A/N: XD I HATE that stuff...)
Tala: Kissed Acirmik, tried to kill Kai, dared Xantcha to dye her hair purple, dared Kai to eat Tapioca.
Acirmik: Got kissed by Tala, tried to kill Kai, dared Kai to dye his hair green, dared Xantcha to kiss Kai on the cheek, and put salt in the Tapioca behind Kai's back.
Xantcha: Was dared to walk on ice, kissed Kai on the cheek, laughed at how mad Tala and Acirmik were, dyed her hair purple, gave Tala the idea of Tapioca. Oh, and dared Kai to answer to 'bird brain' and almost got killed by Kai.
Xantcha was busy writing everything that happened and was laughing when Kai walked into their room. Xantcha had decided to turn in after the 'Truth or Dare' game, but the Russians decided to stay up a bit longer. "Ne, that was actually quite funny. Except for the ice and dying my hair purple." Looking over Xantcha's shoulder at the paper, he growled. "So you were the one who gave Tala the idea of tapioca." "Anou, sorta..." She grinned as Kai glared at her. "Awwww, c'mon! You were talking about it in your sleep one night! I was laughing so hard, I almost woke you up!" She giggled as Kai walked to the bathroom to get changed. "That counts as getting me back then." "...Nah, I'll do something even worse, wait and see!"
The next morning would be a big one, because the 3 teams would be taught properly how to fight and make their characters for the world Gaia. "I'm gonna be an elf!" "Tyson, that's sorta weird for you...." "I know, but elves are cool, man!" "..." Ray was trying to talk Tyson out of being an elf, and Xantcha was encouraging him at the same time. "Xantcha, stop that." "...Well, I suppose-... No." Kai was upset with her too, but had been more laid back about it after Xantcha appealed to him that he could blackmail Tyson.
Meanwhile, Acirimik and Tala were trying to get sugar high. "IAN, don't go near that!" "Wheee, buttons!" "...Tala? Help me out here!" Tala just chuckled as he grabbed the bouncing sugar-ball by the neck. Looking into his eyes with the deadliest glare, Tala growled. "Stop. Now. Or you will. Permenatly." Gulping, he obeyed, except for behind his captain's back. Bryan had choose to be a Black Mage, to everybody's surprise. Walking up to her 'student' with Tala, Acirimik smirked at him. "Why a mage, Bryan?" "... Death spells." ..." Her face was similar to Tala's, oo. "O-kay...." Ian?" " A white mage!" "... Weird, but fine. Spencer? Oh boy..." Looking over at the captain's face, she could tell he was horrified. "I'm a Thief!" Swinging a plastic dagger, he grinned. "Mwuahaha!" Stealing Tyson's donut, he ran. "Mine!" "MY DONUT!"
Riyo sweatdropped and grinned slowly while watching the scenes unfold. The whole team had chose 'Cat' races, so it was easy to program her team. She had chosen to program the team's instead of Xantcha and Acirmik because the two were... busy calming down their teams. "Okay, here's the standings..."
-Bladebreakers- (Race, then Class)
Xantcha - Hanyou Black Wolf; Twin swordswoman. Special: Knows magic.
Kai - Human; Chaos Paladin. Special: Can use some dark magic.
Tyson - Elf; Nature mystic/Archer. Special: Can use herbs to make potions.
Max - Human; Archer. Special: Can use 'Assassin' Techniques.
Ray - Hanyou Siberian Tiger; Elementalist. Special: Can damage and cause status change on an enemy.
-Demolition Boys-
Acirimik - Human; Swordswoman/Gunner. Special: Uses two weapons.
Tala - Human; Gunner . Special: Uses elemental ammo.
Bryan - Half-elf; Black Mage/Gunner. Special: Uses deadly 'Death' Spells that instantly kills an opponent.
Spencer - Elf; Thief. Special: Steals Items from enemies.
Ian - Elf; White mage. Special: Uses nature's aura to heal allies.
-White Tigers-
Riyo - Hanyou Panther; Weapons Expert Special: Can blend with the night to stay invisible.
Mariah - Hanyou Tiger; Nature Mystic Special: Can summon a Tiger spirit to fight.
- Hanyou Lion; Knuckles Expert Special: Can create a mirror image to confuse the enemy.
- Hanyou Leopard; Swordsman Special: Uses elemental weapons.
- Hanyou Cheetah; Light swords. Special: Speed is increased with each level.
After everything was properly recorded, Riyo pushed a button and it was all stored in a computer drive. Giving everyone instructions on how to get into Gaia, the sensei laid in her pod. "Ready? Xan? Acirimik?" The two answered at the same time, closing their eyes. "Hai."
Not soon after, the now large group appeared in the world of Gaia. Tyson was excitedly bouncing around with Ian and Spencer, looking at the flowers and such. "What keywords did you put in, Riyo?" Looking up, Acirimik grinned. "One of my favorites in Xenosaga. 'Restored Kukai Foundation'." Xantcha looked at her friend like she had multiple heads. "Whhaaaa?" "It's a place in a game, it's like a large city enclosed in a barrier. I really like it, personally." "Well, it looks pretty." As the two were talking, Kai and Tala also had a conversation. "So, we're here. Now what? Didn't they say something like shopping for armor and items?" "Hai, but they're busy talking, Hiwatari. Just be patient." "..." Suddenly, a girl caught Kai's eye.
She was a blue eyed blonde, and was running towards the group yelling Xantcha's name. "Lone wolf Xantchaaaaa!" Hugging the Hanyou wolf, she grinned. "How have you been? Isn't this awesome? I finally signed up, I got time from all of my dancing lessons." Xantcha was just as excited as she greeted the newcomer. "Kurry, that's great! We just brought the teams here to teach them some stuff. What about you?" "Just hanging with Precis and Hilary!" "Where are they?" "... I dunno." Laughing with a sweatdrop, Xantcha grinned. Turning to each of the people in the teams, she took out a small computer like device while introducing the blonde. "This is Kurry Kurishi, a friend of ours. Oh, and this is a tool that you all have. It's a palm device for messaging people and storing items." A few seconds later, some bags the size of a fist appeared on the ground. Giving each person a bag, she grinned.
"Go and find some proper weapons and armor. Even though some of you have weapons, they are only basic. Oh, and get some potions and herbs, Tyson. Tala, Bryan? Get some good ammo. Max and Tyson, you both have to get some proper bows and arrows. Now, we'll all meet here in this garden at 5, a few hours from now. Comprendo?" The group nodded, and Xantcha continued. "Now, south of here is a ruins. Don't go in there without Acirimik, Riyo or me. North is the town, and West is a small village. East is the docks, where there is a friend of mine. He will teach you all you need to know about spells and a few combat techniques. Well, that's it! Go on!" The garden quickly emptied of people, except for Tala, Acirimik, Kai, Xantcha, Riyo and Kurry. Turning to Kurry, Riyo clapped her hands. "Let's go find them!" Kurry nodded before looking over at Tala and Kai, then Acirimik and Xantcha. "Oh, you got boyf-..." Slapping a hand over her friend's mouth and silencing her, the Egyptian shook her head. "No! I mean, we're just..." Backing up and grinning, she turned to the two boys. "Riiight, whatever you say, Xan! I'd better get going, Riyo's gonna keep going! Ja ne minna! Moo, Xantcha!" With that, she whirled around and bolted through the trees. Waving, Xantcha called out. "Moo!"
"What an odd girl. and what's with moo?" "Not really odd, Tala. I've never seen her that hyper though. Maybe she had some sugar before logging in?" Xantcha nodded to affirm Acirimik's question. "Yeah. She's cool though! And the moo thing is just something that was started a while ago. Sometimes we just say it for fun." Kai was once again contemplating if Xantcha was sane before she jumped up and yelled. "Kawaii! Look!" Showing Acirimik her computer thing, Xantcha grinned. "We're in luck! Guys, the weapon store I always go to has got a new stock! Let's go!" Before the slate haired Russian could speak, Xantcha grabbed his hand and tore down the road, leaving Acirimik laughing and Tala scratching his head. "Wow, that was fast." "Yeah, well let's go, Ivanov. We're in for a looong day with Xantcha looking at weapons."
After about 15 minutes of walking through the town, the magenta haired and crimson haired Russians heard Xantcha. "Look! They've got Lotus Eater twin swords!" "That's nice, Xantcha, but..." "Ooh, come over here, they've got cool looking swords! And..." Acirimik walked in completely unfazed with the Demolition Boys captain right behind as the platinum haired girl continued to ramble. The shopkeeper, however, was enjoying it. He had already put up a bunch of items and the Lotus Eater's Twin Swords up for Xantcha to buy. Wondering over to where the guns were, Tala and Acirimik choose new ones. "How've you been today, Aciri-san?" "Fine, you Utaru?" "Fine, fine. At least, now that Xan-ra-san(1) is here. You and her both always draw customers, being legends that made the game and all." Tala looked over and laughed when Xantcha picked up a sword that Kai was looking at and put it in 'her' pile. "Ne, now you need armor! C'mere, Kai!" Dragging the poor boy again, she picked up some mithril armor. "Now go try it on, and hurry up! We need to customize your weapons and armor!" "But, Xa-..." "Hurry up!"
Tala smirked as he walked over and picked some armor himself, before trying it on. Finding that if fit him, he also took that to the counter. "This too, onegai. Oh, and she said something about customizing?" Utaru laughed as he rang the armor through. "Yes, you can make yourself strong against certain elements. Or, you can increase your defense again them." "Can I?" "Of course! Here..." Taking out a small box with a bunch of precious stones in it, he chuckled. "Each stone has a strength and weakness against an element. Choose, andI I'll equip it to your armor or weapon." "Hmmm..." Looking over at Acirimik's eyes, he grinned. "Sapphire...And Aquamarine on the armor. Amethyst on both of my guns." "Alright, I'll be back in five minutes with your armor and weapons."
Glancing up at Tala, Acirimik blinked. "Why those colors?" "... Do you really want to know?" "Hai." "Well... Aquamarine and Sapphire for your eyes, Amethyst for your hair." "!..." Acirimik was sure her cheeks were tinted pink when she looked down at the other stones, trying to find something to say. "Tala...." "Kawaii!!" Kai slapped his forehead as Xantcha put a hand on the two gunner's shoulders. "That's sooooooo cute! What a line!" Looking over at Acirimik's glare, she grinned. "Whaaat? Uh oh...." Yelling, she hid behind Kai as he went up to the counter. Tala was holding Acirimik back as best as he could, and she was livid. Kai was busy finding what stones he wanted, and picked up a couple of pearls and rubies. "What elements are these?"
Acirimik grinned evilly as she walked up and picked up the stones out of Kai's hands. "Oooh, white and red, huh? Hmmm... I thought you'd be getting silver, but since there's no silver stone..." Kai went slightly red in embarassment as Xantcha propped her elbow on the desk, hiding her head in her hands. "... That's fire, that's white magic. White would be good for defense, but get some black for defense also." Xantcha went even more red when she remembered that she had black in her hair. Just one stripe down the left side... "And fire for attack. Then, you should be done. Tala chose water, Aquamarine, and ice, Sapphire. Oh, and Amethyst, which is like dark energy, for his weapons." Nodding Kai placed the stones beside the weapons and armor he was getting. Once the group got new weapons, armor and items, they wondered out of the store. "Ne, Acirimik, where next? I'm hungry, but there's also the possibility of getting new spells for us at the shop across the street."
Tala's stomach grumbled as he grinned sheepishly. "I can go for awhile without food. I'd like to see what spells I could learn, Ciri." Blushing at the pet name, she sighed. "Well, let's..."
Xantcha: Where will we go? Okay, reviewer poll! To food, or to the magic shop? I really haveta get going soon, so I'm not really putting much effort into this blog-bit of meh chappie... R&R, onegai!
