Chapter II
Guardians
Fifty years of waiting pass but still no sign of the ten guardians. The legend of the curse did not tell when and where these guardians would appear. They might come from another world.
On the other side of Abrazul is the civilized land of Konoha. It is a land where people are all commoners. They all live in their own simple lives, without even knowing about the curse and Abrazul.
There are five cousins. They spent their childhood together and are very close to each other. They shared secrets, laugh together and hang out together. No one can separate them; they are like brothers and sisters.
The girl with pearl eyes is Hinata. She would always be there to make people smile. The youngest girl is Ino; she is younger than the girls are by one year. Though she is the youngest, she talks like a woman. She always wants to let her long hair down and is always ready to lend a hand to anyone in need. In addition, the last girl is Sakura. Her hair is in the normal length. She is younger than Hinata by a few months. Sakura is the childish one and is a caring person. The tall young man is Shino while the chubby and youngest one is Chouji. Shino, Hinata and Chouji are siblings with Shino as the eldest. The five of them are always having a great adventure in every trouble they put themselves. However, will this new adventure also be that great?
One night the cousins had a sleepover…
"Hey, tell us already!" said the pleading Ino.
"Who is it?" asks Hinata.
"I can't, it's embarrassing." Sakura said timidly as she covered her face.
"Come on, say it before Shino and Chouji come and hear it." Said Hinata.
"Fine, the one I like is Neji. There I said it…don't tell to anyone." Sakura finally admitted.
"Neji! The son of the famous swordsman Hiashi!" Hinata and Ino said it both.
"Yes." She answered.
"Why?" Ino asked. "I mean he's a little older than you…"
"Umm…I liked him because he's smart and kind though he's older than me…" She said blushing.
Just then, the door opens, both Shino and Chouji came in. The girls were shocked and are very still at a moment.
"Hey, you three looked like you've seen a ghost!" exclaimed Chouji.
"Yeah! By the way, mom said that we should get to bed already." Said Shino.
"Sure then, goodnight!" the girls said on a chorus.
While they were sleeping, a bright scarlet light covered the room. Moreover, the moment they woke up, everything changed. They are no longer in the room they were last night. Their clothes are different. Everyone has the same question on his mind… What on earth happened? They are all alone in a forest that they do not know or maybe not.
"Where are we?" asks Chouji.
"I don't know…I thought that it was all a dream." Ino said seriously.
"What do you mean by that?" asks Sakura.
"These past few days…I've been having a dream…about a village in a forest." Ino replied.
"You also had a dream like that?" all said in a chorus.
Silence filled the place. They looked at each other.
Hinata broke the silence. "So we've been having the same dream all the time."
"We don't have any choice. We should go look for that village if we want to find answers." Said Shino.
They walked through the forest, hoping that they will reach that village in time and alive.
By night, Sakura saw something ahead. It was like a lighted torch.
"Look at that! Those might be hunters that are going back to the village." Sakura said excitedly.
"Hey! Can you hear us? We're lost, so…we would like to ask some help." Begged Chouji.
Just then, they heard a sound. It is fast and it seems like it is approaching them.
"What is that?" asked the terrified Hinata.
"Arrows! Everyone dock!" shouted Shino.
"What the…!" Chouji was arrowed to a tree.
"Aaaa!" An arrow almost hit Ino.
"SAKURA!" Hinata screams as she saw arrows heading towards Sakura. However, the surprised Sakura was not able to move. Then something or someone grabbed her. She closed her eyes thinking that she will not be able to find that village after all. She opens them again, and then she saw her savior. He was wearing a black cape and a mask covering his mouth. She stared at him; she is having this feeling that she already met him. When those who attacked them saw him, they quickly ran away.
"What's with those people? Why are they trying to attack us?" asks Shino as he was trying to get up.
"They are no ordinary people. They are bandits. There are still a lot of them, so be careful." The stranger calmly replied and disappeared.
"Sakura, are you alright?" Ino asks as she approaches Sakura.
"Yes, I'm fine. If the bandits are here, the village must be near. Moreover, they are trying to attack it. We must hurry." Replied Sakura.
Everyone agreed and moved on. However, Sakura still cannot forget the eyes of her savior. She knew that she saw those eyes before yet she cannot remember.
"Look guys! The village, we are here! We found it!" exclaimed Shino.
"Let's look around." Said Hinata.
They search the village for anyone that can help them. In addition, saw a lighted cottage. They knocked on it but no one seems to open it.
"There's no one in…," said Chouji.
"If there's no one here, then why would there be lights?" said Ino.
"Excuse me…" a voice from behind, said.
"Wah!" The voice frightened them.
"I'm sorry to scare you, but my grandma's the only person in there. She can't open the door so I'm really sorry to keep you waiting." Said the voice.
They turned around and saw a young man about their age. He is as tall as Shino. Everyone was speechless.
"Oh, my name's Lee, come on in." He invited.
"Lee, you're back. I thought I heard someone knocked on the door. Did you let them in?" Lee's grandmother asks.
"Grandma, you shouldn't get up. I've let them in already." Replied Lee.
"I want to see them." His grandmother said.
Lee accompanies his grandmother to where Shino and the others are waiting for him.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. This is my grandmother." Said Lee.
"Good evening, ma'am." They all greeted.
"Oh my! I've been waiting for years and now you're finally here." Said the old woman.
"I know that you're here to look for answers. Answers telling why and what are you doing in this place." Said the old woman.
"You know? Please tell us!" said Ino.
"I'll tell you everything you need to know my child. Now listen…"
The old woman told them about the legend of the curse, the medallion. She told them about the story about the Doll of Cosmos, Genma, Tsunade, Jiraiya, the mages and Abrazul. However, the five of them does not seem to believe all that she told them.
"How could you be so sure about it? It's just a legend anyway!" shouted Shino.
"Are you telling us that were one of the ten guardians destined to save Abrazul?" asks Sakura.
"Even if it's true, there is no proof that we're one of them." Said Hinata.
"It's true, because I AM TSUNADE. In addition, the proof that you are a guardian is that stone pendant you are wearing. Those are the stones that will regain the shine of the medallion." Explained Tsunade.
"I didn't notice that we were wearing these." Said Chouji.
"Lee here is also a guardian. It was not long before we discovered it, well that is because he hid the pendant. Oh, there is still another one maybe you will meet him in the morning. You guys can rest here, treat this home." Tsunade said with a smile.
"Come on, there are three rooms here so the girls will take the one on the left and the guys will take the one on the right." Lee explained.
"Lee, do you and your grandma live here alone?" asks the curious Ino.
"No, like grandma said there is another guardian, he also stays here. In addition, Jiraiya, he visited his friend with his granddaughter, Kin. They'll all be back by tomorrow, so just wait till you meet them." Said Lee smiling.
Inside the left room, the three girls are having a little chat with each other. They were talking about the other guardian, Jiraiya and Kin.
"What do you think Jiraiya look like?" asks Ino.
"Maybe he's like Tsunade." Answered Hinata.
"Umm…what about the guardian?" Sakura said shyly with a little shades of red on her cheeks.
"Huh? You're still thinking about your mysterious savior, aren't you?" teases Ino.
"Hey! Did you forget about Neji already?" Added Hinata.
"Of coarse not. I still like him… What do you think of Kin?" Sakura asks as she was obviously trying to change the topic.
"Maybe she's beautiful and nice."
"It's late already, let's just go to bed and see what they really are tomorrow." Said Ino.
They all agree and went to bed. While on the other room, the boys sleep soundly. They were all tired of the things that happened. They thought that they already knew everything about the medallion and Genma but there are still many secrets about to unfold.