Greetings, one and everyone! This is Yonder, a gi-normus epic that i've been working on for god knows how long. It has this, a second part to this, a sequel, and now I've been asked by my personal, erm, 'Yonder manager' to write another...in fact, she's writing one herself...Now, this one at least, was originally written as a book for school (publishing our own books blah blah blah blah; also explains why this is so inocent and the sequel is so...not ") So if you don't like dirty language, and you end up liking this and want to read the follow ups and they're horridly innapropriate, don't say I didn't warn you. anyhoo, here's chapter one!
Two girls stood at the top of a hill overlooking an enormous valley.
"We have to get back to the village. The people will be in despair of the weather," one said.
"I know, but I at least want to enjoy a few seconds of peace, at least until the riot starts," said the other. A flash of lightning lighted the sky. A thunderous roar filled the air. A raindrop fell on the second girl's upturned face, followed by several more, then hundreds. Soon it was a downpour.
The first girl wiped some rain drops that had collected on her face, then looked to the other girl. "Ahh..."she sighed in relief as she was standing there, arms limp, and drooling out of the corner of her mouth. The other girl sweat-dropped and said, "You know, sometimes I truly worry about you..."
"Lady Yuumei, Lady Sayori!" some random man yelled as he ran up the hill. The girls turned around, the second snapping out of her childish daze. "The people's fires are going out, and their stock is getting wet!" he said urgently.
"Well, we can work around that. As long as the council's stock is high and dry, we have nothing to fear," the second girl named Yuumei said with a huge smile on her face.
Sayori looked hard out on the village beneath the hill. Her eyes went wide as she spotted something. She turned around and tugged on the girl's sleeve, and in getting her attention pointed out to a building with a huge pile of stuff next to a large pit lit by a dying fire. Yuumei eyes went so huge it was possibly against the laws of physics, and proceeded to tear down the hill, the other girl and guy struggling to keep up with her.
2.5 seconds later...
Yuumei sat on her knees with a bundle of soaked straw, her eyes over-dramatically teary with her lip quivering more than Jello in an earthquake.
Sayori and three other girls stood behind her. "It's okay Yuumei, we'll be able to replace it," one said.
"All my hard earned harvesting...gone..." she said clenching the straw tightly, "Would you hold me?" she asked to some random passerby, who ran away frightened.
"We can save the stuff that's underneath the majority of the pile," said Sayori, trying to comfort the unstable humanoid.
"I know. And it's okay, we can fix it, we can fix it!" she said, starting to break up again as she held up a hand, balled it into a fist and repeated, "Strong Yuumei, strong Yuumei!" while her eyes were watering.
The other girls sweat-dropped and walked into the street, one of them saying, "Hey, at least the people should be more calm than her, right?"
They all stopped in horror as people either ran around aimlessly or were kneeling, holding up their hands and telling themselves they were strong.
Sayori shook her head saying, "We have GOT to get better subjects."
The land of Yonder. Surrounded by gargantuan sand dunes that are surrounded by dry and fruitless wastelands themselves, the valley holds within its heart a village. Now this village was full of people. Where they came from or how they got there was unknown. But what was known is that at some point, foreigners came to the village, seeking a place to reside. These foreigners were later called the council. They were soon chosen to lead the village. They taught one important concept: fire. This became the central point of ceremonies and daily life.
For centuries to come, their descendants followed in their steps, continuing until five girls now reigned, each in their younger years (their true age is discussed later in the story). All of the descendants in their line possesses 'extra' senses. The first is shared among all of them and applies to everything in general; it works so good, they realize that this is a story! How's that for a plot twist? The second varies between each descendant, and enables each council member to preside over their chosen strength.
The girls that currently preside over the village were as follows: Sayori, chief of ceremonies and rituals; Yuumei, nomadic herder extraordinaire (she's in charge of agriculture and harvesting stock); Mackenzie, tender to the flames; Uma Amaya, torch lady; and Kurokami, the guardian. And now that our little background are done, back to where we left our story!
The people of the village were carrying fresh stock and helping each other out like good people do. Sayori and Mackenzie stood at the foot of the road with hands on their hips overlooking the progress in the aftermath of last night's storm. Uma and Kurokami walked by with huge piles of stock in the direction of the council house's stock pile.
"Wow, you two are actually working together, are you alright?" Sayori asked, surprised at the two who were usually at each other's throat.
"And isn't that normally Yuumei's job?" Mackenzie added, confused.
"Normally, yes, but she's still in shock..." Kurokami said.
Meanwhile, Yuumei was in a corner of her room in a fetal position, sucking her thumb, saying, "So...much...soggy-ness!"
"I see you're point," said Mackenzie, sweat-dropping at the visual.
"But you are accepting your differences to help a fallen comrade! Now your ancestors will smile upon you!" Sayori said enthusiastically.
Uma turned to Kurokami, "Bet you I can replenish the stock faster than you, you sorry excuse for a guardian!" she said daringly.
"You're on, torch-etta!" Kurokami said, chasing Uma .
"No! Betting and name calling? Now your ancestors are shamed again," Sayori said solemnly.
"Aren't we all..." Mackenzie said as Uma and Kurokami were racing back and forth with bundles of stock.
"Ah..!" Yuumei sighed as she stretched, walking out into the parlor, "Nothing like a night of peace and quiet to get you through an episode."
"Well you sound optimistic..." Sayori said, flipping a page in her book.
"Quite a change from yesterday..." Uma said, sipping some tea with Mackenzie.
Yuumei shrugged, "We all have our bad days. So how did you make out with the stock?" she asked, concerned.
"Fine, it's right outside. You can check if you like," Kurokami said, polishing a sword out of the pile weapons owned by the girls.
Yuumei promptly sprinted outside to observe.
Mackenzie counted quietly to herself, "3, 2, 1..."
Yuumei ran back inside, her mouth scrunched and eyes widened with obvious annoyance, breathing heavily through her nose. "You call that fine! That's pitiful-you did it all wrong! UGH!" she fumed and ran outside, distributing the stock Kurokami and Uma had collected to the villagers. Then she was running back and forth with stock she collected herself, mumbling, "Didn't I teach them better?" "Even the village children collect better than that..." "Sayori should've done it; at least she does it right." She stopped the door way and said to Uma and Kurokami, "You're ancestors are now doubly ashamed of you," and continued.
Uma and Kurokami pouted, then glared at each other, braking it abruptly; Kurokami started rubbing the rag harder and Uma drank her tea more vigorously...if it's possible. Sayori got up and walked outside. Mackenzie looked up and wanted to follow, but then she had to duck a random piece of furniture now being thrown between the other two. She sighed and went off to play peace-maker.
Sayori walked up to the entrance to the stock fields. She looked around, scanning the area, and spotted Yuumei and walked in her direction.
Yuumei was collecting stock a little...over-vehemently if you will. She was using her normal method, but when she'd normally step on the base of the stock, she stomped, and when she'd normally pull it firmly but gently after bending it back and forth to loosen it, she's yank.
"They should've waited until I'd gotten over the shock. It was horrible; the pile wasn't even neat, it was all thrown together..." she was saying to herself angrily, bending the stock back and forth at every word she stressed, "Bend at the BASE-not the middle! Quarter field of stock WASTED! This is PATHETIC!" The last word, she pulled out the stock as she went to hold her hands in an angry gesture---after only two bends, which is very hard. She looked at the stock now in her hand in surprise.
"So this is what you do when you're angry," Sayori said walking up. Yuumei turned around and rubbed the back of her neck sweat-dropping, "Either this, or I take my staff to those innocent bushes by the lake...and occasionally the water." Sayori shook her head and proceeded to collect a section of stock, doing it correctly, and giving Yuumei a bit of relief. "Those three just can't get it through their heads that I have a system which must be followed," Yuumei said, also going at a bush. "Yeah Mackenzie can collect right, but she isn't a real 'hands-on' person," Sayori said, using her hands for quotations.
"It's not just the collecting though..." Yuumei said, her eyes frowning...wait, what?
"What do you mean?" Sayori asked.
"They don't follow my methods at all; they don't respect me that way! Why doesn't anyone take me seriously!" she asked to no one in particular, then started crying, her tears flowing much like waterfalls.
"Well, first of all, you have the makes of someone with split personalities," Sayori said, putting the stock in the piled and starting on another.
"Wha' d'ya mean?" Yuumei asked, wiping her eyes.
"Well, one second, you're serious; an awesome fighter, leader and you think about the deeper things in life," she said, with many hints of sarcasm that Yuumei ad happened not to catch, "And the next, you're..not so much; i.e. breaking down, crying excessively, being an idiot...need I go on?" Sayori simplified.
Yuumei drooled a bit, trying to comprehend what Sayori said. "My point exactly..." Sayori said flatly, then added, "The problem is, you're an idiot the majority of the time."
"Well, what do you suggest I do? It's not like I can control my stupidity...or attention span...hey look! An ant!" she said, now focusing on the little insect crawling on the ground.
"Hm...well, next time they don't listen to you, take you're staff, bing bam boom, you have instant respect!" Sayori said proudly.
"You know, that just might work!" Yuumei said, picking up half the pile of stock and got ready to head back. Sayori nodded and picked up the other half. They both walked back, on the way Yuumei getting distracted at random things and Sayori whacking her over the head to get her back on track.
"We're back!" Sayori and Yuumei said after putting away the stock, but were left dumbfounded at the sight they beheld. "..eh-heh?"
There apparently had been a bit of a 'tiff' while they had been gone. There was over-turned furniture everywhere, papers and books littered the floor, and Uma was at the top of a tall, large bureau with Kurokami at the bottom trying to shake her down and Mackenzie prepared with a cushion from the sofa to catch her.
"Let it go, and let me get down!" Uma said, holding on for dear life. Kurokami continued to shake saying, "Let it go? You called me 'the village idiot', a 'cretin', and above all, a 'suck-up'!" Mackenzie sighed and continued to stand by.
"Uh, did we miss something?" Sayori asked, still in shock.
The group in the parlor looked at the two, then continued what they were doing.
Sayori sweat-dropped then turned to Yuumei, "I'm bored...wanna train?" she asked, hopeful.
"Okay! When do you have an opening?" Yuumei asked, whipping our a mini-planner.
Sayori took hers out too. "Well, how 'bout 6?"
"No, I have to teach the children how to fertilize the crops; how about tomorrow morning around 9?"
"No, I have to get my hair done..."
"Uh, isn't this supposed to take place before all of that was invented?"
Sayori shifted her eyes, then said in a loud, audible whisper, "Shh...the reader doesn't have to know that..."
"Ok, well...how about right now?" Yuumei asked.
"Okay!" Sayori said enthusiastically.
The other three stopped what they were doing and looked to the two who skipped off, then ran after them yelling, "WAIT!"
Yuumei and Sayori stood on a flexible, rebounding platform that was raised about three feet off the ground (to use big words to hide the fact that it's a trampoline). Sayori held a katana, but it had a dull blade. Yuumei held a long wooden staff, but it had a foamy material covering. These were so nobody would be seriously wounded in a training battle.
"We're here at the training grounds where Yuumei and Sayori will dish it out!" said Mackenzie at a seat at a bench. "Yes, this is certainly spur of the moment," Uma said, who was sitting next to Mackenzie. Kurokami was holding up a sign that said 'Go Sayori' on one side and 'Go Yuumei' on the other..
"You ready?" Sayori asked Yuumei.
"Oh it is on." she replied, pronouncing the 'on' like 'own'.
"Ready...Fight!" Uma yelled.
Yuumei and Sayori ran at each other. Weapons clashed, both bounced back, and landed gracefully. They hit at it several times. Sayori tripped Yuumei. Yuumei landed on her back. Sayori came down with a strike. Yuumei blocked and kicked Sayori to the other side. Both got up quickly and ran at each other again. Yuumei hit Saku in the back with the side of her staff. Sayori recovered and slashed at Yuumei's stomach. The blade, being dull, didn't scratch, but it will leave a nasty bruise. Several more blows ensued.
While they were fighting, two figures stood watching from the shadows of the trees, one with a rather large object on it's shoulder's that could easily be as tall as the trees they hid in.
Sayori let out a cry and hit Yuumei with the handle of the katana. Yuumei fell to her knees, the wind having been knocked out of her. Sayori kicked her on her back and went for a final blow. Yuumei blocked with the staff and rolled so that she was on top of Jackie. She held her staff in such a way that if she were to put pressure on it, it would choke her opponent. Sayori held her katana in such a manner that if she were to strike and the blade were sharpened, it would go through Yuumei's chest.
"Draw!" Mackenzie sounded, as Yuumei got up and helped Sayori to her feet. They hopped down, about to comment on each other's performance, when they heard someone clapping.
"Very good. You must train very hard and often. You two are brilliant fighters, that you are," said a red haired boy (or at least looked like a boy) with a cross shaped scar on his cheek, previously known as Figure #1. Figure #2 stepped out as well, a spiky brown haired guy (or at least looked like a guy in terms of age) with the enormous weapon.
"Eh?" The two girls muttered, confused. "Who are you?" Uma asked.
"My name is Kenshin, that it is. This guy, you can call him Sano," said the red-head. Sano waved and said, "How ya doin'?"
The girls faces looked something like this: O.o?
Sayori turned to Yuumei and whispered, "Hey, these guys look pretty good-looking, which one do you want?"
Yuumei thought a moment. "Well, I've always had a thing for guys with brown hair," she whispered back after racking her brain.
"Good 'cause I'll take anything," Sayori replied, then turned to the new-comers. "You two! Come on, you're coming to our place!" she said, thrusting her finger inches away from Kenshin's nose. Kenshin could only reply with an "Eh!" before he and Sano were being dragged back to the council house.
The group was sitting at the dining room table as Kurokami brought out tea for everyone except for Yuumei. She gets water; she hasn't been allowed near sugar or caffeine in any shape, way, or form since the incident with the fruit punch and the mongoose last year.
"So, how'd you people get here anyway? It's pretty hard to get across the sands without turning back or dying," Uma asked.
"I'm not entirely sure. All we were doing was wandering, that we were, and then we stumbled upon this place," Kenshin said, then chugged his tea, adding afterwards, "and an extreme endurance in thirst."
"I see..." Uma said, then pouted as her tea disappeared. Sano was stealing everyone's tea and drinking it down.
"I'll go get some more," Kurokami said sweat-dropping and going out to the kitchen for more. Kenshin sighed at Sano's lack of manners, politely tapped on Sayori's shoulder and pointed slightly to her tea that she hadn't even touched. Sayori nodded as Kenshin proceeded to chug it down as well. Sano has gone through the rest of everyone's drinks except for Yuumei's. He started twitching then went to reach for it, but Yuumei snatched it away and snarled. "Mine..." she said and she drank it quickly.
Kurokami came in with double the amount of tea as the first time and had barely put it on the table when both Kenshin and Sano started downing them.
Yuumei sighed and sipped the second cup of water Kurokami had brought her saying, "I'd keep them away from fruit punch or mongooses for the next few hours."
An hour later...
Kenshin was in a corner, giggling quietly, then cackling maniacally, then giggling quietly again. Sano was running around with some random weapons with Mackenzie, Kurokami, and Uma chasing after him. Yuumei and Sayori were sitting quietly and sipping their tea, trying to ignore the two who were caffeinated beyond all recognition.
Kenshin started to run around with Sano. Sayori and Yuumei started twitching slightly. Sayori started twitching more violently, then smashed down her cup in frustration and went to yell at them, "STOP FOOLING-!" but then stopped a the sound of two bodies collapsing, "-around?"
Kenshin and Sano were passed out on the floor, snoring a bit. "I think their wasteful depletion of their energy finally caught up with them," Yuumei said, pinching Sano's nose with no response except drooling.
"I guess they're gonna have to stay here for at lest the night," Mackenzie said monotonously, Kurokami and Uma sighing. Yuumei and Sayori turned away and made elated gestures and started victory dancing.
"Okay, Uma , Kurokami, help me move them to their new rooms," Mackenzie said, the three, not noticing the dancing of the two girls, proceeded to pick up the bodies.
"NO!" Yuumei and Sayori yelled. Everyone else looked at them funny. "Uh...I mean, we'll put them in their rooms," Sayori said nervously, picking up Kenshin underneath his arms and pulled him a foot, then waited for Yuumei. "Yeah, nothing to worry you're pretty little hearts about," Yuumei said, picking up Sano in a similar fashion and dragged him with Jackie dragging Kenshin.
'Perhaps we should take the liberty of changing them into more comfortable clothes," Sayori said mischievously, both her and Yuumei sniggering. "No!" the other three said, pulling Sayori and Yuumei away from the two guests and asking two male villagers to get them prepared for bed. "I think those two boys would sleep better knowing that men put them to bed, yes?" Kurokami said as the unconscious ones were dragged off to bed.
Sayori and Yuumei smiled, but cried on the inside.
Kenshin stirred and opened his eyes. From the window he could hear a bird singing. He turned to his side to see Sayori making the bed which Sano had slept in the night before. Sayori looked over at spotted his new-found consciousness. "Oops. Did I wake you up?" she asked rubbing the back of her neck nervously.
Kenshin sat up and shook his head, "No, that you didn't." Sayori gave a big smile, "Good, because I was being really loud." Kenshin sweat-dropped. Sayori started putting clean sheets from the laundry on the top shelf of the closet, saying over her shoulder, "Yuumei's making breakfast. You, me, her, and Sano are the only ones awake, so don't wake the others up; they'll bite your head off if you do, trust me." Kenshin sweat-dropped again, then got up.
Sayori stood on her tip-toes and was struggling to get the sheets up there. Kenshin cocked his head to one side, then walked over to the closet, pushing the sheets in the rest of the way on the shelf with the handle of his katana. Sayori blinked and turned to Kenshin, who replied with a smile. She smiled back, then walked out with a basket of dirty laundry to put in front of Kurokami's room (laundry was her job).
Kenshin walked out into the hall and down to the kitchen. He walked in and sat down next to Sano at the island. "But that's just the way things are," Sano said, drinking some...drink. "Yeah, yeah, I know what you mean," Yuumei responded, then flipped an egg in the pan without a spatula.
"Oh-ho, showing off, are we?" Sayori said as she walked in and took a cup of...drink (I don't know what it is; it's some kind of juice, let's leave it at that). Yuumei circled another egg-pan behind her back without spilling or touching the hot part and said, "Hey, don't hate the player, hate the game." She flung two eggs on each of the six plates on the table with the pan, then turned off the oven. Then she 'frisbee-d' two pieces of toast on each of the plates.
Sayori raised her eyebrows and shrugged, her version of applause. Yuumei cleared her throat, then went out with a pan of home-fries and scooped a bit on everyone's plate. "How come there are only 6 plates when there are seven of us?" Kenshin asked after counting the plates.
A toaster-I mean, magic, square, and shiny contraption-popped up two halves of a bagel-I mean two halves of an oval shaped piece of short bread with a hole in the middle and pieces of onion inside it. Yuumei quickly buttered it and stuck one half in her mouth and put the other in her hand so that it wouldn't get all buttery, "Ok, gotta go, bye!" she said through the bagel and ran out the door.
Sano had a puzzled look on his face as he, Kenshin, Sayori, and the late-risers sat for breakfast. "What was that all about?" he asked, trying some of the home-fries, then stuffing his face with them. "She has to get up early most days to help out the villagers with farming and harvesting and other farming stuff," Sayori said, taking a bite out of her toast.
"I see," Kenshin said, then also took a bite of the home-fries and was shocked at their taste, "These are really good!"
Kurokami took a bite and shrugged, "It's not different from any other day." The other girls nodded. Mackenzie elaborated, "She's always been the cook; she over does it a lot too."
Uma nodded again, "Yes, I asked her once why she made such complicated meals for just breakfast, but all she told me was that this was the least complicated thing she could make. I don't mind; I like having gourmet quality meals without paying or thanking!" She finished with a big bite of egg.
"I wish Kaoru could cook like this..." Kenshin said, then adding after the confused faces he got as a response, "She was the girl who took care of us where we used to live. She was a horrible cook, no offense to her."
A group 'oh' ensued, then breakfast was consumed normally. The late-risers went back to bed (they only get up to eat before it gets too cold). Kenshin returned to his room to change, him having not had time before breakfast, and proceeded to do so. He was almost finished and about to put on his shirt, when Sayori waltzed in, humming to herself, with an empty laundry basket to put in the dirty sheets from Kenshin's bed and remake it.
Both made eye contact. Sayori stopped humming; Kenshin sweat-dropped and blushed. "Gah! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't see anything!" she said quickly turning around and covering her eyes. Kenshin finished getting dressed and tapped her shoulder. "Ahh!" she yelped as she jumped in surprise, "I'm sorry, I should learn to knock," she said and laughed nervously.
"No, it's okay, I should've changed earlier this morning," said Kenshin with his distinctive smile. He then noticed himself in the mirror, "Eh?"
"Hmm?" Sayori asked. "I have bed-head!" Kenshin said, falling backwards in despair. "Here, lemme see that," Sayori said. She sat him on the floor in front of the bedside and sat herself behind him. She whipped out her handy-dandy-hairbrush, took out his ponytail, and started to brush out his hair. All was going fine until she caught a snug in his hair and yanked at it. "EH!" Kenshin muttered painfully as his head was dragged to one side by the hairbrush.
A few minutes later...
"Ok, one more second...and...there!" Sayori said proudly. Kenshin got up and looked in the mirror. His hair was much neater and his ponytail was high up on his head. "Well, my hair certainly hasn't looked like that in a while...not since those years" Kenshin said, closing his eyes remembering. "What do you mean?" Sayori asked, although she already knew (extra senses have perks).
"14 years ago, I was the most efficient assassin in our country. After the war, I took a vow never to shed blood again. And to make sure I held to it, my sword has a reversed blade," he said and unsheathed his sakabato. The side which is normally the blade of the sword was dull, and the opposite side was sharp. "This was how I wore my hair back then..." Kenshin said solemnly as he reached back and touched it.
Sayori's eyes went wide. She'd known about his past, but not his hair. "I'm, sorry, I'll put it back," she said an reached for his ponytail. He turned it away from her and said, "No, it's fine. I always liked it this way," he said smiling again. "Good, because it would've broken my heart if you did," Sayori said smiling, "Now then, I have to plan tonight's ceremony, so...bye!" she concluded hyperly and skipped out to the ceremony building and pit.
Next chapter: Fire and insane girls do not mix
Please Review, thank ya kindly
