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The Princess and The Shogun
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Act Three:
Changes
Dustin lazily tinkered on a dirt bike as he whistled a tune. Besides the occasional customer, Storm Chargers was pretty much vacant for the majority of the day. His hands were painted black from the oil and his yellow over shirt was stained with spots of grease.
The jingle of the door bell made his head pop up. He walked across the room after washing his hands and into the lobby, where Shane had just entered, a broad smile growing from ear to ear. "Get your stuff bro, we're already late."
"Did I miss a memo or something?" Dustin scratched the back of his head. "I don't remember making plans for today dude."
"That's because I just made them. In case you didn't notice, Tori's been in the slammer lately. She hasn't really been happy since Hunter and Blake left, so I figured we'd throw her a surprise beach party to lift her spirits."
"Hey, that's a really good idea dude!" Dustin's face lit up. "We'll invite Cam too!"
"Already a step ahead of you man."
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I can't not help but wonder the beauties of this planet. How lush the grass is and how deep the oceans are. Even the sky, so blue and heavenly exceeds anything that once hung over my home.
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"And what are you doing now?" Kapri asked, hands on hips.
Like too many times before, Marah was scheming something devious. Against her usual mirror rested a note, folded in half and placed carefully in the corner of the reflecting piece of glass.
"Executing part two of my plan," So saying so, she dropped the bathrobe that draped her body to reveal a slender shape covered up by a red and yellow bikini.
Placing her hand over her mouth, Kapri questioned, shocked. "What are you going to do in that?"
"Win Dustin over of course! That is my master plan after all." She replied, though mainly to the mirror in front of her. "Wow," she turned around, giving herself a better view. "This does look really good! I'm going to have to give those little ninja girls some credit for helping me picks this out."
"You're going to…" the image of her family member and the deed she was going to do made Kapri's stomach churn. "Ewww! Marah! That is wrong on so many levels!"
Catching on to her thoughts, Marah hesitantly barked. "I'm not wearing this for that!" Crossing her arms, she pointed her nose to the air. "Dustin and Shane are throwing a beach party of Tori this afternoon! That's why I wore this suit!"
Kapri stood back in awe. "And how did you know this?"
Marah picked the note from the mirror and playfully displayed it. "Cam made a list of things to get after he was invited about an hour ago. I found it on the floor and picked it up." Smiling at her skills, she began to walk off. "So, I guess I'll see you later, probably with a new boyfriend."
A few giggles were followed by footsteps and then the sliding of the door, signaling Marah's departure.
Leaning back into her chair, Kapri rolled her eyes. "I can't believe I'm related to her sometimes…"
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I want to touch the water! Oh my, how placid and tranquil is the water that washes across the sun-kissed shores. My eyes have never seen something so…majestically gorgeous. But I am weak, without energy I can't make my presence known. I must find a source of energy…somehow.
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"Where are we going guys?" Tori asked, her eyes covered by the hands of Shane and Dustin, who were following Cam as he trekked across the sandy shores of the local beach.
The afternoon sun hung high in the sky, its radiant presence dominating the pleasant temperature while silky clouds silhouetted the golden rays. Few patrons were at the beach leaving the majority of the area to be claimed by the group, whose footprints were slowly being washed away by the crashing waves.
Feeling the sand in between her toes, Tori said with enthusiasm. "Are we there yet? I can feel sand, and it feels good!"
"Here we are." Cam placed the bag down and quickly sat out the food and beach items.
Shane and Dustin pulled away their hands and allowed Tori to see a full view. Her mouth opened in delightful surprise at the selection of cupcakes and volleyballs. "You guys!" She beamed, tiny tears of happiness forming in her eyes, "I can't believe you did this for me!"
"We know you've been; well, kind of low recently, so we figured this would cheer you up." Shane, reaching for a soda, said.
"You guys know me too well!" Hands clasped in front of her, Tori gave each of them a hug before grabbing herself a beverage.
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Marah's flip-flop snapped as she walked over the rocks to get to the beach. Frowning at the broken sole, she found the obstacle didn't get in the way. "Just some stupid, cheap shoe," She tossed it behind her and smiled mischievously. "Good thing is was Kapri's!"
You…
The simple word wrapped inside the wind, blew across Marah's path.
As chills ran down her spine, she hugged herself, trying to generate heat. "I don't remember it being cold!" She complained out loud as another gust blew by, this one stronger than before.
You…
Her head jerked up at the call. Narrowing her eyes, she questioned back. "Who's there?" A gale much more powerful than the previous two, jetted across her way, causing her to dig her feet into the sandy ground, "What's going on!"
In sheer panic, Marah darted toward the opposite end of the beach. Tossing her bag aside, she continued to sprint but was caught off guard when a bright flash encompassed the whole area.
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Lovely is she! How my soul searched for something so…pure and angelic. This is the perfect energy I will need to fulfill my mission. Now slowly, I will make my way into the deepest corner of her mind.
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After an unknown amount of time, Marah's eyes sluggishly opened. The white of her pupils stained red from exhaustion while her hair was unruly and out of order. She jerked up and looked around, not recalling anything from the previous moments.
Blinking twice, she stood up and shook the sand from her body. "Where am I? And what happened?" Not finding an answer to either question, she decided to begin walking back to the Academy.
Before she took her first step, however, a golden flash snaked its way through her skull. Gripping her head, she fell to her knees and began to let out a painful scream. Her nails dug into her head as small tears escaped her wielded-closed eyes.
Then suddenly, without warning, the pain shifted to the opposite end of the spectrum. Where a throbbing light once blistered now a strange sensation of ecstasy bubbled up from inside. Pressing her hand against the ground as a prop, she came to her feet. Her eyes flashing a bright gold before settling back to normal.
Sparkles of black rung around Marah's wrist before mending into what appeared to be a morpher. Running her fingers over the item, Marah let out a yelp. A jolt of power climbed up her spine causing her to wince.
A growing burn stretched through out her throat before twisting into a sadistic pleasure. Beneath the surface, the blaze converted her once-cheerful voice into a more deep and womanly tone. As if by nature, Marah spread apart her feet and threw her hand over her morpher.
Roaring with pride, she activated the device.
"BLOSSOM STORM, SHOGUN FORM! HA!"
Swirling elegantly, loose petals of pink cheery blossoms crossed to and fro against Marah's bare maiden skin. In a vivid flicker of black wind, the petal shifted into a Ranger outfit similar to the ones the Wind Ninjas wore. With a visor stylized after a dragonfly and a black bodysuit that extended to a short skirt, which hosted a gallery of small, intricate white detailed cherry blossoms stenciled in.
The gloved hand reached out and wrapped fingers around a long and opulent staff, colored like a pearl with a midnight-black marble orb placed on top, crystalline wings spreading from either side. A small dragonfly made of gold was incased in the marble, its wings shinning against the backdrop.
Spinning her staff around, the newly formed Ranger cried out passionately, "MISTRESS OF THE FOREST!"
The newly transformed soldier clutched her fist together, the sound of the crunching leather rippling around the beach. Behind the helmet a grin dripping with venom, stood against Marah's lips.
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This body, it's so young and full of lush spirit, a perfect home for my soul. Alas, I will need more energy to continue my mission. The city across the beach is full of humans; I will attack in order to find the sufficient amount of energy needed. Then, I will strike the Princess!
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Sensei's composed posture was suddenly thrown off balance. His eyes jolted open with fear as the negative energy ran up his spine. As he walked across the school, he feared the worst, another glimmer of darkness barked at his psyche.
Halting in his steps, his worries evolved into words that barely rose above a hushed whisper. "That force…I've felt it before."
His eyes began to widen, the white of his eyes expanding out and making his pupil seem like a small diamond lost in a stark ocean. The tiny hairs on his arm began to stand up while his breath was caught in his throat.
"Can it be?" His gaze shifted towards the sky. In the horizon, against the azure backdrop, small claps of black lightning began to billow around. "The dark shogun is free to roam this galaxy again?"
With another step, he advised. "I must call the others back."
Finish
Sorry for the delayed update, I've been so busy with college work and such. I also apologize for the shortness of this chapter and ending it so up in the air. But, as you can tell, the story is about to start speeding up. Soon the title will make sense. I can't wait to write the next chapter, hopefully it won't take forever again. Thanks for your time.