ACK! Omg, I'm SO sorry for the delay. Not that anyone really cares anyway,
since NO ONE IS REVIEWING THIS FIC!!! *sigh* well, I'm having too much fun
writing this to stop anyway, but it would be really nice to see some input.
Plus, if no one reviews this chapter, I will be less tempted to keep my
deadlines. Like I did this chapter XP. So please review and remind me!
Now, I could be nice and put up the next 2 chapters today, since I forgot last time, but I won't, partly to be mean and partly because chapter 9 has writer's block and I want the full 4 weeks to finish it ^^;;;
And by the way, I love this chapter. This is all about Korimo, and I've started to really connect with her as a character. This chapter also clears a couple things up about her, which I think will help the story along later
***********
"Where do I start..." Korimo thought back. There was no need for her to remember her parents; she'd dismissed them from her mind as soon as they were gone. The only adult she'd ever respected was her teacher. "Well Yume," she picked the cat up and sat down. "I'll start with that first day I met my Sensei."
"Stop that kid! She's a thief!" Korimo looked behind her, a pearl necklace in her hand. The 13-year-old knew enough to run and sell it somewhere else, along with another pathetic story, to get a few handouts and enough cash to live a few more days.
She ran on amid the angry cries of the shopkeeper she'd stolen from, keeping her eyes on the road ahead. The few times she stopped to look back, she tried to make sure she wouldn't run into anyone who would slow her down. However, an old woman stepped out of the shop in front of her, and Korimo crashed into her and fell to the ground.
"Now what's this?" the woman asked herself softly, looking at the girl's glittering violet eyes. Korimo pushed herself off the floor and started to run again. Before she knew what had happened, the old woman's hand had a tight grip on Korimo's forearm, and the girl was stopped short.
"Let go of me!" Korimo tried and failed to pull away.
"What's the hurry, child?"
"Just lemme go!"
The woman took her hand away. Korimo turned to run, but to her great surprise found herself unable to.
"Why are you running?" the woman's voice was soft, yet carrying, and authoritive and kind, a combination Korimo didn't accept. "Where is your caretaker?"
"You mean my mom?" Korimo pulled out her pity story. "I dunno." She looked at the floor, even calling a few tears to her cold eyes. "She left home a long time ago...I dunno where she went..." Suddenly, a patch of her skin the woman had touched began to glow faintly red. Korimo managed to hold back a shriek. "What was that?" she asked, once the glow faded.
The woman tapped Korimo's arm. "It's a simple truth spell. And that my dear, was a lie." She smirked slightly at the girl's suspicious look.
"What are you?"
"I'm a sorceress. And I'm only telling you this because unless I'm mistaken, so are you."
Korimo and the woman stood in silence for a moment.
"...what?"
"Well come along dear," the woman turned, and began to walk away. "Come with me and I think you'll find something in yourself you'll enjoy."
Korimo, still suspicious, followed the woman out of the marketplace and to a secluded home in a clearing in the woods.
"What do they call you, dear?"
Korimo kicked a pebble on the ground. "Name's Korimo. Same question?"
"You should be more polite to your elders, Korimo. But you're right, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Shinju, and should you pass a test of mine, I shall be your teacher."
"Well then see ya. I'm not sticking around just to take orders from you." Korimo began to walk away. Shinju muttered something softly, and Korimo turned back around to look at her. "What are you-"her words were cut off by a gasp as she found herself again unable to move.
"Wouldn't you like to learn that, dear? It stops your enemies right in their tracks until you want them to move again." Shinju released her invisible hold on the younger girl.
Korimo looked at her, still suspicious but interested. "What kind of test?"
"Follow me inside. If I'm correct, you should have no problem." Shinju led Korimo into her simple house, and lifted a small ball of glass, about the size of an orange, off of a shelf in the back of the first room. "Just hold this in your hands, and see what happens."
Korimo took the object from Shinju, and for a few moments, nothing happened. Then suddenly a huge burst of violet light exploded from the ball, sending up enough force to blow the girl's long hair all the way back. She screamed in surprise, and even in fear before she could stop herself. Then as quickly as the light had appeared, it vanished and the wind died down. Korimo stood still, thrown into shock by the force of the energy that had come out of the glass.
Shinju took the ball from Korimo's still hands, placing it carefully back on its shelf. "Such power," she muttered to herself. "but purple energy; dark and passionate."
"What...what is that thing?" Korimo asked, once she'd gotten her voice back.
"That was your test dear. I enchanted this item myself to measure my own magical energy, and that of my pupils. You've passed, and with flying colors. You'll make a wonderful sorceress, given the chance. Will you take it, Korimo?"
Korimo looked down at her hands, her body still trembling from the force of the magic she'd never known she had. ~so much power...~ she thought. ~all mine...I could do anything...~
"Well?"
Korimo looked up and smiled sincerely. "Of course Sensei!"
Shinju allowed a grin to spread across her ageing, pretty features. She bent down to hug the girl before her. "I think you'll be just fine now, Korimo dear."
Korimo smirked when her new teacher couldn't see her face. ~poor fool.~
Training to become a sorcerer is long and hard work. Almost a year and a half later, Korimo had finally mastered the basics, healing spells, potions and spells to slow down or incapacitate an enemy, nothing that could do much real damage.
During that year, Korimo had somewhat unwillingly shared her history with her teacher, careful to manipulate the truth and not to give details while under the truth spell. She told Shinju about her childhood, in a poor city, with an alcoholic father and a mother who was never around. She left out how much she had despised her parents for all they did wrong. She only told Shinju that they had died, not that she had caused their death. She said that she was able to fend for herself, not mentioning the long list of petty crimes that allowed her to do so. Shinju sighed hearing all this. There was a lot of darkness in such a young girl.
Finally, the day came Korimo had been waiting for since she discovered her powers. Shinju led her to a clearing in the forest. "Now, you're finally ready to learn more complicated magic," she said. Korimo's violet eyes twinkled happily. "Up until now, The spells I've taught you haven't been able to do any damage, only help to yourself and others. So I have something very important to teach you before we go on."
"Teach me Sensei! I've been waiting so long to use attack spells."
Shinju sighed. "Korimo, I know what you've been through, and I fear it will have a negative effect on you. Now look up." Korimo complied, shielding her eyes to the bright sunlight. "The day is when my powers are at their strongest. The sunlight restores my energy and grants me strength. This is because I am a good person. I've never once used an attack spell for anything but defense. And no matter how strong you grow, I hope I never have that as an advantage over you."
"What do you mean Sensei?"
"those who are ill-intentioned, those who take pleasure in another's pain, those with warped souls and hearts grow dark. They gain power from the moon and the night. I hope that never happens to you." Shinju answered gravely. "It's all too easy for someone as young as you to stray off the path of goodness, and onto that of evil. Before I begin to teach you magic that can cause harm to another, promise me that you will not lose your path."
"Don't worry Sensei, I'll always be on the good side," Korimo promised.
With her fingers crossed behind her back.
It wasn't long after that that Korimo began to see her own joy in having magic. During the daytime, nothing changed. But at night, Korimo routinely cast a spell on herself to keep her awake, and she traveled the woods alone. At first, it was enough just to feel the currents of power flowing beneath her skin in the moonlight, but Korimo soon grew impatient. She started testing her magic, using freeze charms to stop hungry forest creatures inches from their food, inventing spells Shinju never would have learned herself, just to cause pain.
It became clear to Shinju that Korimo's power was weaker than it should have been while they were training. She followed Korimo one night, shielding herself with an invisibility charm, and saw all the girl did. By now Korimo was 16, and her knowledge of sorcery was as large as Shinju could have hoped years ago. But her motives were unclear, her goals petty and small, her power becoming more and more evil with each passing night. Hearing Korimo's laughter at torturing a tiny mouse, Shinju had no doubt that the girl had to be stopped.
She tried to plan everything out so that her grim duty would be done smoothly and painlessly. As cold-hearted and vile as Korimo was becoming, Shinju had a deep affection for her student. She told Korimo to go to bed early for some special training activity in the morning, slipping a sleeping powder into the girl's drink at dinner. Long after the moon had risen, Shinju crept into Korimo's bedroom with a small bag of powder, poisonous if ingested. It was the only amount of any type of poison she had ever made. She stepped quietly to Korimo's bed to find the girl deeply asleep.
"I'm sorry young one," she whispered. "But it had to be done." Carefully, she sprinkled a pinch of the poison into Korimo's open mouth. She stirred slightly, then disappeared.
Shinju gasped, feeling a light hand on her shoulder. She stood instantly and distanced herself from the real Korimo as much as she could. "A doppelganger, Korimo? Where did you learn that? I never taught it to you."
"Oh, is it something you know then? Pity," Korimo looked at her long nails, "I love making unique spells. I just made that one up a few days ago. I thought it would be useful with you trying to murder me and all." She glared at her former teacher. "But no matter, I still have plenty of spells that are all mine. Like this one, for example." Korimo threw her hand out in front of her, extending her arm and shooting a burst of vivid green magic that engulfed Shinju. The woman screamed as the agonizing pain Korimo had trained the spell to inflict took its toll.
Korimo leaned down beside the older woman on the floor, grinning sadistically. "Well, I don't think you'll be killing me after all, right Shinju-chan?"
"I am still your teacher Korimo," Shinju stood up with difficulty. "You will continue to address me as such."
Korimo greeted her teacher's attempt to control her with another dose of her new spell. "The way I see it, I'm stronger than you. And that means I've graduated. No need to hang around here anymore."
"What happened to you Korimo?" Shinju asked, despair showing in her eyes. "You were so excited and happy to learn only a few years ago."
"Hm. You still haven't caught on, have you?" Korimo threw her head back and laughed. "It was all an act. Even from the beginning you wouldn't have been useful to me once I'd learned what I wanted to know."
"You promised me...you promised you'd never stray from light, never turn to the dark..."
Korimo crossed the first two fingers on her left hand, holding it up for Shinju to see. "I lied." She explained pleasantly. "But it's no matter, you'll die now anyway."
"You could have been great, Korimo. You could have done wonderful things. Now you'll never be anything. You'll never have true strength, not from the darkness."
Korimo sent another blast of her magic in Shinju's direction, then left the small house. She looked at it and cupped her hands, focusing her energy on the first destructive spell she'd been taught.
"Goodbye Sensei, and good riddance. And when you see my parents, tell them I'm not sorry." A tiny ball of red light gathered in her hands, blossoming into a fireball, which she launched at the cottage. She then walked out of the woods, enjoying the luxuriant feel of the light of a full moon against her skin, never once looking back.
***
"She said I'd never be anything the way I was, Yume." Korimo looked at the screens behind her, noting what Fukamito was doing. "I'll prove her wrong. I'll be the strongest there is once I beat Yugi and his friends. So come on Yume," she put the cat down and he trotted obediently beside her legs as she walked. "We can't keep little Tea waiting for too long, now can we?" she smirked, and walked out of her home
Now, I could be nice and put up the next 2 chapters today, since I forgot last time, but I won't, partly to be mean and partly because chapter 9 has writer's block and I want the full 4 weeks to finish it ^^;;;
And by the way, I love this chapter. This is all about Korimo, and I've started to really connect with her as a character. This chapter also clears a couple things up about her, which I think will help the story along later
***********
"Where do I start..." Korimo thought back. There was no need for her to remember her parents; she'd dismissed them from her mind as soon as they were gone. The only adult she'd ever respected was her teacher. "Well Yume," she picked the cat up and sat down. "I'll start with that first day I met my Sensei."
"Stop that kid! She's a thief!" Korimo looked behind her, a pearl necklace in her hand. The 13-year-old knew enough to run and sell it somewhere else, along with another pathetic story, to get a few handouts and enough cash to live a few more days.
She ran on amid the angry cries of the shopkeeper she'd stolen from, keeping her eyes on the road ahead. The few times she stopped to look back, she tried to make sure she wouldn't run into anyone who would slow her down. However, an old woman stepped out of the shop in front of her, and Korimo crashed into her and fell to the ground.
"Now what's this?" the woman asked herself softly, looking at the girl's glittering violet eyes. Korimo pushed herself off the floor and started to run again. Before she knew what had happened, the old woman's hand had a tight grip on Korimo's forearm, and the girl was stopped short.
"Let go of me!" Korimo tried and failed to pull away.
"What's the hurry, child?"
"Just lemme go!"
The woman took her hand away. Korimo turned to run, but to her great surprise found herself unable to.
"Why are you running?" the woman's voice was soft, yet carrying, and authoritive and kind, a combination Korimo didn't accept. "Where is your caretaker?"
"You mean my mom?" Korimo pulled out her pity story. "I dunno." She looked at the floor, even calling a few tears to her cold eyes. "She left home a long time ago...I dunno where she went..." Suddenly, a patch of her skin the woman had touched began to glow faintly red. Korimo managed to hold back a shriek. "What was that?" she asked, once the glow faded.
The woman tapped Korimo's arm. "It's a simple truth spell. And that my dear, was a lie." She smirked slightly at the girl's suspicious look.
"What are you?"
"I'm a sorceress. And I'm only telling you this because unless I'm mistaken, so are you."
Korimo and the woman stood in silence for a moment.
"...what?"
"Well come along dear," the woman turned, and began to walk away. "Come with me and I think you'll find something in yourself you'll enjoy."
Korimo, still suspicious, followed the woman out of the marketplace and to a secluded home in a clearing in the woods.
"What do they call you, dear?"
Korimo kicked a pebble on the ground. "Name's Korimo. Same question?"
"You should be more polite to your elders, Korimo. But you're right, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Shinju, and should you pass a test of mine, I shall be your teacher."
"Well then see ya. I'm not sticking around just to take orders from you." Korimo began to walk away. Shinju muttered something softly, and Korimo turned back around to look at her. "What are you-"her words were cut off by a gasp as she found herself again unable to move.
"Wouldn't you like to learn that, dear? It stops your enemies right in their tracks until you want them to move again." Shinju released her invisible hold on the younger girl.
Korimo looked at her, still suspicious but interested. "What kind of test?"
"Follow me inside. If I'm correct, you should have no problem." Shinju led Korimo into her simple house, and lifted a small ball of glass, about the size of an orange, off of a shelf in the back of the first room. "Just hold this in your hands, and see what happens."
Korimo took the object from Shinju, and for a few moments, nothing happened. Then suddenly a huge burst of violet light exploded from the ball, sending up enough force to blow the girl's long hair all the way back. She screamed in surprise, and even in fear before she could stop herself. Then as quickly as the light had appeared, it vanished and the wind died down. Korimo stood still, thrown into shock by the force of the energy that had come out of the glass.
Shinju took the ball from Korimo's still hands, placing it carefully back on its shelf. "Such power," she muttered to herself. "but purple energy; dark and passionate."
"What...what is that thing?" Korimo asked, once she'd gotten her voice back.
"That was your test dear. I enchanted this item myself to measure my own magical energy, and that of my pupils. You've passed, and with flying colors. You'll make a wonderful sorceress, given the chance. Will you take it, Korimo?"
Korimo looked down at her hands, her body still trembling from the force of the magic she'd never known she had. ~so much power...~ she thought. ~all mine...I could do anything...~
"Well?"
Korimo looked up and smiled sincerely. "Of course Sensei!"
Shinju allowed a grin to spread across her ageing, pretty features. She bent down to hug the girl before her. "I think you'll be just fine now, Korimo dear."
Korimo smirked when her new teacher couldn't see her face. ~poor fool.~
Training to become a sorcerer is long and hard work. Almost a year and a half later, Korimo had finally mastered the basics, healing spells, potions and spells to slow down or incapacitate an enemy, nothing that could do much real damage.
During that year, Korimo had somewhat unwillingly shared her history with her teacher, careful to manipulate the truth and not to give details while under the truth spell. She told Shinju about her childhood, in a poor city, with an alcoholic father and a mother who was never around. She left out how much she had despised her parents for all they did wrong. She only told Shinju that they had died, not that she had caused their death. She said that she was able to fend for herself, not mentioning the long list of petty crimes that allowed her to do so. Shinju sighed hearing all this. There was a lot of darkness in such a young girl.
Finally, the day came Korimo had been waiting for since she discovered her powers. Shinju led her to a clearing in the forest. "Now, you're finally ready to learn more complicated magic," she said. Korimo's violet eyes twinkled happily. "Up until now, The spells I've taught you haven't been able to do any damage, only help to yourself and others. So I have something very important to teach you before we go on."
"Teach me Sensei! I've been waiting so long to use attack spells."
Shinju sighed. "Korimo, I know what you've been through, and I fear it will have a negative effect on you. Now look up." Korimo complied, shielding her eyes to the bright sunlight. "The day is when my powers are at their strongest. The sunlight restores my energy and grants me strength. This is because I am a good person. I've never once used an attack spell for anything but defense. And no matter how strong you grow, I hope I never have that as an advantage over you."
"What do you mean Sensei?"
"those who are ill-intentioned, those who take pleasure in another's pain, those with warped souls and hearts grow dark. They gain power from the moon and the night. I hope that never happens to you." Shinju answered gravely. "It's all too easy for someone as young as you to stray off the path of goodness, and onto that of evil. Before I begin to teach you magic that can cause harm to another, promise me that you will not lose your path."
"Don't worry Sensei, I'll always be on the good side," Korimo promised.
With her fingers crossed behind her back.
It wasn't long after that that Korimo began to see her own joy in having magic. During the daytime, nothing changed. But at night, Korimo routinely cast a spell on herself to keep her awake, and she traveled the woods alone. At first, it was enough just to feel the currents of power flowing beneath her skin in the moonlight, but Korimo soon grew impatient. She started testing her magic, using freeze charms to stop hungry forest creatures inches from their food, inventing spells Shinju never would have learned herself, just to cause pain.
It became clear to Shinju that Korimo's power was weaker than it should have been while they were training. She followed Korimo one night, shielding herself with an invisibility charm, and saw all the girl did. By now Korimo was 16, and her knowledge of sorcery was as large as Shinju could have hoped years ago. But her motives were unclear, her goals petty and small, her power becoming more and more evil with each passing night. Hearing Korimo's laughter at torturing a tiny mouse, Shinju had no doubt that the girl had to be stopped.
She tried to plan everything out so that her grim duty would be done smoothly and painlessly. As cold-hearted and vile as Korimo was becoming, Shinju had a deep affection for her student. She told Korimo to go to bed early for some special training activity in the morning, slipping a sleeping powder into the girl's drink at dinner. Long after the moon had risen, Shinju crept into Korimo's bedroom with a small bag of powder, poisonous if ingested. It was the only amount of any type of poison she had ever made. She stepped quietly to Korimo's bed to find the girl deeply asleep.
"I'm sorry young one," she whispered. "But it had to be done." Carefully, she sprinkled a pinch of the poison into Korimo's open mouth. She stirred slightly, then disappeared.
Shinju gasped, feeling a light hand on her shoulder. She stood instantly and distanced herself from the real Korimo as much as she could. "A doppelganger, Korimo? Where did you learn that? I never taught it to you."
"Oh, is it something you know then? Pity," Korimo looked at her long nails, "I love making unique spells. I just made that one up a few days ago. I thought it would be useful with you trying to murder me and all." She glared at her former teacher. "But no matter, I still have plenty of spells that are all mine. Like this one, for example." Korimo threw her hand out in front of her, extending her arm and shooting a burst of vivid green magic that engulfed Shinju. The woman screamed as the agonizing pain Korimo had trained the spell to inflict took its toll.
Korimo leaned down beside the older woman on the floor, grinning sadistically. "Well, I don't think you'll be killing me after all, right Shinju-chan?"
"I am still your teacher Korimo," Shinju stood up with difficulty. "You will continue to address me as such."
Korimo greeted her teacher's attempt to control her with another dose of her new spell. "The way I see it, I'm stronger than you. And that means I've graduated. No need to hang around here anymore."
"What happened to you Korimo?" Shinju asked, despair showing in her eyes. "You were so excited and happy to learn only a few years ago."
"Hm. You still haven't caught on, have you?" Korimo threw her head back and laughed. "It was all an act. Even from the beginning you wouldn't have been useful to me once I'd learned what I wanted to know."
"You promised me...you promised you'd never stray from light, never turn to the dark..."
Korimo crossed the first two fingers on her left hand, holding it up for Shinju to see. "I lied." She explained pleasantly. "But it's no matter, you'll die now anyway."
"You could have been great, Korimo. You could have done wonderful things. Now you'll never be anything. You'll never have true strength, not from the darkness."
Korimo sent another blast of her magic in Shinju's direction, then left the small house. She looked at it and cupped her hands, focusing her energy on the first destructive spell she'd been taught.
"Goodbye Sensei, and good riddance. And when you see my parents, tell them I'm not sorry." A tiny ball of red light gathered in her hands, blossoming into a fireball, which she launched at the cottage. She then walked out of the woods, enjoying the luxuriant feel of the light of a full moon against her skin, never once looking back.
***
"She said I'd never be anything the way I was, Yume." Korimo looked at the screens behind her, noting what Fukamito was doing. "I'll prove her wrong. I'll be the strongest there is once I beat Yugi and his friends. So come on Yume," she put the cat down and he trotted obediently beside her legs as she walked. "We can't keep little Tea waiting for too long, now can we?" she smirked, and walked out of her home
