There was a girl. Of course, not many other things can separate friendships. The girl Amigone, one of pleasant beauty. She held on her head, hair, in the colour of a raven and in the length of a yard. She often had it in a braided ponytail, displaying her elegant face made of two eyes, one a crystal blue and the other a jade green. Her nose not small, but not big, and simply just right on her face. Her lips seemed naturally red as if painted always that red of roses. Her frame was not lanky, though her shirt's long sleeves often made it to appear as such. Her body was not perfect, she was only ten after all, but it was possible to tell that when she grew she would be a woman that was not perfect, but full of common beauty. She was not skinny, and not fat, but a size that lied between the two, remaining closer to being lean. There was such innocence in her ten-year old spirit, and that was what made the two boys, Jet and Norris take notice. She now, just a vague memory in Jet's mind. A memory of a girl that he loved once, a long time ago. However, there was the truth that he knew her grave was an empty one.
Chapter TwoThor woke one morning to find that, Mjollnir, the magic war-hammer made by the dwarves, Brokk and Eiti, had been stolen. In his search for it, he asked Loki for help. Loki went to the guardian, Freyja, to borrow her feather cloak, which enabled him to transform into a falcon, and allow him to fly. In this form, Loki flew to the realm of the demon, Jotunheim. There he found the demon, Thrym, who was the culprit who stole the Mjollnir. Thrym was the leader of the demons of the frost, and when Loki asked about the hammer, Thrym told him that the return of it would only come if he could marry Freyja.
Loki returned to Asgard, the home of the guardians, and spoke the news of the condition Thrym gave. Freyja, the promiscuous goddess among the Asynoir, having slept with guardians, elws, humans, and dwarves, was outraged about Thrym's demands. A rather amusing thing. Loki, however, being a clever demon that he is that lives among the guardian's, developed a plot to dress Thor up in a bridal gown, and pass him off as Freyja. Thor would go to Jotunheim, instead of Freyja. The guardian reluctantly agreed, since he had little choice if he wished to recover the Mjollnir. They put the dress and the veil on to cover his identity, and wore Freyja's necklace of gold to complete the disguise.
Loki accompanied Thor to Jotunheim, where Thrym welcomed his new bride to the kingdom. The demons prepared a great feast in honour of Freyja—who is really Thor. During this feast, Thrym and his fellow demons became astonished that his bride ate a whole ox, eight salmons, and drank three tankard of mead. Thrym angrily demanded an explanation for this unwomanly manner, and Loki, being the cunning being he is, explained that Freyja (Thor) was so excited about the marriage that she had not eaten in eight nights.
Thrym let it go, and wanted a kiss from his bride. When he peeped under the veil though, he was taken aback by his bride's intense red eyes. Again, Loki came up with an excuse—Freyja had not slept in eight nights since she was so eager about the marriage.
Thrym ordered his demons to bring the Mjollnir to show his soon-to-be wife, and the hammer made it into his bride's lap. When Thor recognized his hammer, the guardian was happy. He took his weapon and struck down Thrym, and then began to kill all the demons in the hall, like he has done so many others.
"So, what is it made of?" Jet wondered.
"Well, I figure that it is made up of the user's emotions, as well as the emotions that surround him." Adven shrugged with an explanation.
"Show it to me once more." The scarf wearing young man requested.
Adven stood up on the edge of the dock, as the morning's crisp air blew about him. He closed his eyes shut, and focused on his surroundings as he brought his arms to waist level. He let them raise upwards in a bent-L shape, as if he were showing off his muscles. His hands balling up. "Negative," An aura took his hands, and Jet swore he could see a purple glow to them. Adven lowered his arms to his waist again, as if ready to strike outwards with them. "Cannon," He stretched his arms forth and opened his palms. "Blast!" And with his outburst a purple beam emitted from his palms. The diameter of it being the same as the width of his waist. The blast soaring out over the water and parting the top of it as it went far out into the sea.
"So…what does it do if it connects?" Jet wondered as the attack left their sight.
Adven turned to the other man. "It cannot kill if that's what you're asking."
"So, then all it can do, is harm nature?"
"Well, no, it can hurt a person, but it can't directly kill them." Adven countered. "But, yes, if I fired this at a mountain that was right behind you, I could probably cause it to fall onto you and crush your body, and then indirectly kill you."
"And, this attack, you can use it as many times as you want?"
"Yep." Adven replied. "It's powered by negative emotions, and since those are unlimited, so is this attack." He explained. "Which makes me think…"
"Oh, and what about?"
"In this world there are always items that keep balance because other items exist, i.e. good and evil."
"What about that?" Jet asked in confusion.
"Well, if there is the Negative Cannon, there must be some opposite attack to counter it."
"Positive Cannon." Virginia remarked as she walked up to the two on the wooden dock.
"A Positive Cannon?" Jet wondered. "That sounds like a much better attack for me to have. I'm more positive than I am negative, so that will probably make the attack stronger."
"We've got to start right away on developing it!" Adven quickly exclaimed with an excited shout. Right before he did anything else though, a loud gurgle from his stomach sounded as it told the trio that it was empty. "Eh-heh-heh, Virginia?"
"I was about to tell you two that lunch was ready." She replied with a smile. Adven cheered and darted off for the boat nearby. Virginia looked to Jet. "Jet,"
"What's up?"
"Don't stress yourself."
"I'm not going to." He assured her. "Now, what was it you made for us?"
"You'll have to see for yourself." She teased with a laugh.
"Ah, c'mon, that's not fair!"
He moved in front of her, letting their breaths just grace the other's skin on their face as they stare into the other's eyes. "Jet, I—" She was stopped by one of his fingers on his lips.
"Shh, talk later." He suggested. "It's lunchtime." Jet moved away, nervously, on his way down the dock and for the boat. Virginia stared at his back. She wanted him to let himself open up to her more, but she could not just ask him. He does not want another person to fully be in his life again, because that would just bring him down. She could never be a burden for him. Still, she was not able to imagine a life without him at this point.
"Virginia." The woman with that name turned to the older man who stood behind her with the glasses and green hair.
"How'd you wind up here, Clive?" She spotted the dripping seawater that was becoming a shallow puddle on the wooden planks of the dock. "Were you in the water?"
"Where's Jet?"
"With Adven on the boat. It's time for lunch." Clive nodded, and stormed off leaving her in concern. She was unsure why Clive was so serious, but obviously it involved Jet, and that bothered her more. Shaking her head, she hurried off after the man, and soon all four were in the galley of the twenty-four foot long boat. "Clive," She sternly began, grabbing his attention. "What is it you wanted to tell Jet?"
"It's for Jet, and not you."
She tightened her fingers into a fist. "Like Hell it is! Whatever is his business is mine as well. We're a team after all." She argued as the men stared at her in shock. Virginia was never one to lash out at anyone with anger like that. She was typically the calm one of the group.
"Tell us all Clive, but," Jet smiled to break the tension. "Tell us after lunch. I'd rather be full when we talk about it."
Virginia went crimson in embarrassment as she darted to the counter to retrieve the food so none of them would see. She thought herself to be an idiot now for talking out like she had. She sucked in a breath of air to calm herself. "I made us soup today. I know you guys are getting tired of that, but, we really have no other choice."
"With the economy as it is, and how hard it is to get a well-paying job, it's thanks enough that we can even have soup." Clive noted, fixing his glasses. It was rather odd to hear words from him on meaningless subjects.
"How true." Adven agreed. "I spent two weeks with no food a month back. Five days without water. It was horrible."
"We can only hope that we can catch fish with no bait." Jet commented as he ate the empty soup Virginia put down for him. It really was mainly just a broth with a vegetable and some meat that turned up every so often in the liquid. "Clive, will what you have to say make meals any better?" He wondered. "I mean, will it bring any money our way?"
Clive froze and thought over his response as Virginia went about placing the rest of the bowls on the table for the people to eat. All eyes seemed to be on the glasses-wearing man, who sat with folded arms. "No, in fact, it may make us lose money."
"So, then it's not good news? Oh well, won't be much different than the usual." Jet lamented, before returning to his meal.
"I, I'm grateful you guys let me eat with you." Adven nervously mentioned. "I mean, you have little as it is, and you gave a bit of it to me."
Virginia gave him a warm smile. "Adven, you're just like a friend, and besides, we're the sort of people who are just gullible enough to believe that only good exists in this world." She began to eat, but the eyes that looked at her nerved her a bit. "We treat any person we meet with hospitality. You never know when that same person you helped will do the same in the future for you."
The three men nodded in agreement. "Jet," Everyone looked at Clive, once more. "That picture that you have by your bed."
All but Clive glanced towards the nearby bed where a photo frame could be seen. Within it two pictures. One small and in the foreground while the other was the size of the frame. The bigger picture being that of his family that he has kept from a long time ago in his life. The second photo was of him back when he was young—about ten—and on one side of him was a boy of the same age, and on the other side, a girl his age.
"What's your point? They're just pictures." Jet remarked.
"Who is that boy besides you in that photo?" Clive wondered. Jet raised and eyebrow. Clive had never wanted to know much about Jet's past before now.
"That was, that was Norris. He was my best friend when I was ten." Jet replied abruptly. "He's been dead now ever since I left this town."
"What id he wasn't dead, though?" Clive ventured.
Jet looked back with knowing eyes. "You saw him then?"
"I'm not sure. I tracked that man I bumped into yesterday. You seemed to be staring at him intently as if he were familiar." Clive explained. "At about midnight, I found him in an alleyway where he seemed to be having a discussion about you with someone."
"About me?" The gray-haired man wondered.
Virginia looked to Jet with a worried face. She just wants him to be safe, and she had the uncontrollable urge right now to cut Clive off and seal the young man away from danger. She just could never do that though. He was a grown man.
"The man who talked to that guy gave specific directions that sounded to me like one a bounty hunter would receive." Clive commented. "The thing was, he wanted to kill you, yet his boss wanted you alive."
"So, you think this guy was an enemy of mine?" Jet glanced at the photo frame again. "You think that it was Norris that is to catch me, correct?"
Clive nodded. "They each have this similar thing about them. After seeing that other guy, he reminds me of the person in that photo."
"Jet," The room looked at Adven. "If someone is out to kill you, I will stay here with you. I can't let anyone kill you that is not me."
"You want to kill me?" Jet remarked.
"Not really, but as rivals that's the sort of attitude that I have about these things. We rivals, don't want our rival to have any other rival."
"You have my strength as well." Clive noted, as he stood and walked out of the boat.
"Jet…" Virginia looked at Jet with a concerned look.
"I can count on you too, right?"
Virginia nodded tenfold. "Of course. I would help you do anything Jet."
Adven chuckled, seeing her all too devoted to Jet, her love, and he glanced at Jet. Jet had worn a face that he had never seen before; neither as a friend or rival. He knew Jet was just as in love with Virginia as she was with him. "Thanks again for the meal." Adven gave his regards and left the room as well.
The boat gently rocked back and forth as a gust of wind could be heard on the windowpane. Jet reached out his hand to take Jet's own. "Virginia, you wanted to tell me something outside?"
She gulped. "Y-ye-yeah, well, it's not so important."
"Everything you say tends to be important so let me hear it." Jet countered.
"Maybe later. You should get back to developing the Positive Cannon, remember?" Virginia replied standing up and gathering the bowls bringing them to the sink.
"Okay, but you'll have to tell me sooner or later." Jet sighed as he stood with a stretch before leaving the galley as well.
"Do you want to try to beat me again?" The young boy of ten questioned. His auburn hair ruffling in the wind as he stood by the sea.
"Of course." Jet remarked as he came to the water's edge. His youth still intact as he wore overalls. He swiped up a rock from the ground in his ten year old hands. Placing it between his thumb and pointer finger. "I bet my rock will skip more times and go farther than any one you ever threw."
"Oh-ho-ho! You think?"
"Of course, Norris." Jet replied with an overconfident tone of voice.
"Here goes!" Jet wound up and flung the rock outward into the sea skipping six times before sinking a house length out. "What was your best?"
"Eight skips."
"I'll beat you someday."
"Hey, you two!" A young girl's voice rang out, grabbing the attention of both boys. Amigone, the girl who had stolen each of the young boy's hearts. "Are you at that again?"
"Heh. Jet insists that he can beat me." Norris gloated.
"I will too beat you!" The gray-haired boy argued.
"Nuh-uh."
"Uh-huh."
"Nope."
"Stop that you two." Amigone demanded with worry. "You're good friends, so there is no reason to fight."
Jet chuckled. "I guess you're right. I'm just really competitive."
"Same here." Was Norris' only reply.
"Jet, would you like to come by for dinner tonight?" Amigone ventured.
Norris turned away in scorn as Jet grinned slightly. "Sounds good. You guys always make up such funny stories."
Norris felt hurt. Why was he left out? "Isn't your father at work, Jet?" Norris argued.
"That's why I asked Jet over. He shouldn't have to eat alone." Amigone remarked causing Norris to feel a bit better. At least she had not preferred Jet over him.
Jet lost his smile, remembering how alone he was most of the time. His mother died at his birth, and his father was busy all too often. He was often just left to his lonesome. "I'm going to go read the story about Thor when he had to dress up as a woman to get back his hammer." He waved and darted off.
Jet felt a cool air blow by him as he sat on the wooden deck of his, and the other's, boat. His manner of sitting being Indian style with folded legs. The evening sun overhead splintering about the ground colouring it violet, orange, a pinkish-red, and a golden yellow. Slowly raising his arm his hand blocked the sun from his eyes. With a soft motion he closed his palm into a fist as he captured the sun in his palm. He did not have the sun though. What need would he have for a sun anyway? And so his hands found his leg to rest upon.
Without a noise, Virginia took a seat besides the young man, before slowly leaning into his shoulder. Breathing in his smell as his scarves blew about at the ends. She placed her look on the horizon of the sea where the ocean met the sky. The sun had made it so many colours, and she found them beautiful.
"Virginia," Jet spoke. "Is this art?"
"You mean, like a photo of a sunset, or something like that?"
"No, this is nature's work." He lowered his head at an angle until it rested upon hers'. "I have never seen a professional painting, but it's my impression that art looks like this sunset now."
"You're right." Virginia informed him. "It does."
"The sunsets here," he closed his eyes tight, "They aren't that pretty are they?" He stated. "The one we see today seems to be the worst one ever. It's not pretty at all."
"Jet?" The brunette woman held a face of puzzlement.
"The truth is, that art is not beauty at all, Virginia. It's a feeling and this sunset is an ominous one. Art only tried to fake beauty."
"Every person, sees art in a different light."
"I suppose." The man let out a sigh. "Amigone, she painted for me once a sunset not unlike this one on canvas."
"Amigone?" Virginia had heard this name before just the previous day. When Jet had been talking about the past. He told her, that he had loved a girl once. "Was Amigone…the girl you told me you loved? You and your friend?"
Jet snapped his neck so he could see her eyes. "Virginia…"
She looked forward and away from him. "You said that you did not love that girl, but you can't seem to forget her."
"I don't love her. Not any more." Jet argued. "But that doesn't mean that I can just go and forget her."
"So, Amigone is that girl?"
He nodded. "WAS that girl."
"I'm sorry. I'm rather selfish." Virginia muttered. "I made you bring up bad memories just because I was curious."
"You really don't have anything to apologize for."
"I feel I owe you. My life, before we met, was not very exciting. Nothing like it is with you an Clive." Virginia quietly commented. "I grew up with six brothers. Can you imagine that many kids?" She scoffed. "I was the second child too. The second oldest. My mother having died at my youngest brother's birth."
"I'm sorry."
"Do you know how hard it is to replace a mother at age ten?"
"No, but I can imagine that it would be hard." In a more comfortable position, with their head once more touching, Jet placed his hand on her far shoulder. "You don't have to talk about this."
"I'd like to tell you a bit more." She waited, and when he gave no response, she decided to continue. "My brother sent me to University in the Ark of Destiny. They told me I deserved the best, and that I should no longer fret about them. They could finally take care of themselves." She gave a warm smile. "I went to University, and I learned many things."
"And that's why I wanted you to help me. I suck at all of those things you're good at."
"Right, and when I met you that day. You tried to steal from me."
"And I've apologized for that." He argued.
"I'm not mad about it now." She comforted him. "It's funny, that we'd be here now all because you stole an empty bag from me in a marketplace."
"Well, I didn't know that it was empty."
"The truth is, after University, I had no where to go. No one needed me. My brothers were fine without me. So who could I be a mother to?" Virginia sighed. "Jet, you said to me yesterday that you would like to stay with me for much longer. I'd like to offer the same to you."
"In all of this, I think we've forgotten about poor Clive. That man deserves to have us too, y'know."
She turned to look to his face with a warm smile on her pink lips. "He does. He has saved your butt enough times."
"I'm not THAT bad in a fight." He lamented.
Her giggle echoed about the waters. She looked to his face, and suddenly as her cheeks grew red, she realized what has been bothering her about him. About why she wanted to be with him as long as she could. Why she was jealous about Amigone. She loved Jet. Knowing that, she could only look away quickly from him with a blush. How could she be so stupid and fall in love with him?
"Are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine! Goodnight, Jet." In a flash, Virginia hurried off to bed, and never even gave Jet a second look.
"Did, I say something wrong?" Jet wondered to himself in the silence.
"Enduro."
Jet's eyes went wide. He looked about the boat's deck for the voice that called out his surname moments ago. "Who's there?"
The blade of a sickle weapon touched his neck, but never did it cut. It was just a hair width away from it though. "Long time, no see."
"Heh, is this how you greet me of all people?" Jet wondered, now over his initial shock, as a large smirk formed on his lips.
"This is how I greet traitors. The ones' that hold the lowest place in Hell." The other male spat.
"A traitor?" Jet muttered. "I've never."
"We will talk about that later."
"Hey!" Clive burst onto the deck, with Adven and Sakura soon following. Only Clive understanding and knowing what was going on. He had been the one who felt something amiss and got the others to follow him up. "You're that man…"
"Two hours, Jet." The man spoke to the gray-haired one. "I think you know where you will find me."
"The place I left you."
"Good boy." With that, the man of shadows who snuck up on Jet was gone just as easily as he appeared.
No one spoke, but Clive did sheathe the sword he carried on his person. "That was the same man who I followed last nigh." Clive confirmed as an unfazed Jet made his way to the cabin. Clive flung his scabbard between the young man and the door, and Jet stopped to look the older man's way. "That was the same man from that picture tonight. That was the man you called Norris."
"I'm aware of that." Jet calmly replied.
Virginia had no idea what was going on, and wanted to ask him so many questioned. Why was Jet's best friend from childhood come back and do such things? Why was he even here? And most importantly, why was he alive? She had assumed that Norris died long ago.
"You won't be going to him alone." Adven smirked. "I will accompany you. No doubt, so will Clive here."
Jet showed a face he did not show often. He had furrowed his brow and clenched his teeth. "You two will not!" He roared, taking everyone by surprise.
Virginia was frightened of this Jet. "Jet, you sh—"
"No, Virginia." He came back down to a calm visage. "This will no doubt be something that is just between the two of us. What it's about, I have no idea. I just know that I am no traitor. I never betrayed her."
Her? He meant Amigone. She was still his love. She had to be even after so long. Does she not?