Rave Mistress
Chapter 1:
The Journey Begins
Location: Hip Hop City. Date: February 1st, 0117
Kōriko Luca (Kōri for short) lived her life with one goal in mind: TAKE CARE OF TORU. Her little brother, Toru Luca, was of failing health so she dedicated herself to caring for him. They needed money so she got work as a delivery girl and used the money for his prescriptions and treatments. Walking her bike along the city sidewalk, Kōri checked the delivery receipt for the address before noticing the client's store across the street. Quickly, she mounted her bike and pushed off to glide over. She made her delivery and got paid before leaving for home.
"Oh, Plue, poyo... it's been so long... I don't think we'll ever find Kōriko, poyo,"
Kōri froze as she mounted her bike and looked for the person who had said her name. Why was someone looking for her? Her amber eyes locked onto a pink bird-like creature who was accompanied by a white creature with a cone on its face. The pink one suddenly jumped and reached into his pocket.
"Kōriko, poyo?" he said and began looking around.
Kōri felt herself tense up and she pushed off.
"Puu!" the white one said.
"What's that, poyo? That was Kōriko, poyo?!" the pink one exclaimed "Wait, poyo! Kōriko, poyo!"
Kōri sped through the streets on her bike when rain began to fall. Who - or what - were those guys? How did they know her name and why were they looking for her? She could only hope they didn't know where she and Toru lived.
By the time Kōri got to the old rundown apartment building she and her brother lived, a full-on storm was driving the residents of Hip Hop Town indoors. She padlocked her bike beneath the stairs and avoided the landlord since she was late with the rent (again). She entered their one-room apartment and saw her brother in his little nest of blankets, pillows and futons as he looked through one of his books.
"Hi, Toru, I'm back,"
"Welcome home, Kōri, it's really rainy outside, isn't it?" Toru said, closing his book "Did you... get any... money for..."
He was interrupted by a coughing fit and his sister gently patted his back.
"How 'bout I make us some dinner, yeah?" Kōri asked "We've got some chicken bones left... how about some broth?"
Toru nodded and began looking over his book again as she got to preparing their dinner. The broth was boiling over their little stove when there was a knock on the door. Kōri put her fingers to her lips to ensure silence from her brother as she approached the door. Keeping a kitchen knife in hand, she looked through the peep hole but saw nothing.
"Hello?" she called.
There was still nothing through the peep hole and Kōri tightened her grip on the knife hilt. Everything was perfectly still when there was suddenly another knock on the door.
"Excuse me, poyo? The landlord says Kōriko lives here, poyo, can we talk?"
That poyo... it was that bird thing again. How did he find her? Kōri gestured for her brother to hide amongst his blankets before opening the door with the knife hidden behind her back. The bird thing now wore a wizard's cloak and hat with a staff in one flipper. The cone-nosed thing came walking in on its hind legs and made a beeline for Toru's blankets.
"Listen, duck, what do you want? How'd you find me?" Kōri demanded, remaining in the creature's way of entering.
"You really are Kōriko, poyo? We've been searching so long, poyo!" the duck exclaimed "We have much to discuss, can I come in?"
Before Kōri could object, they heard giggling and they looked back to see the white creature had sniffed Toru out. He giggled and got up to play with the creature. With a sigh, Kōri put the kitchen knife down and stepped away for the duck thing to enter.
With a bowl of chicken broth each, they sat around the low table as they ate and their guest began to explain. He slurped up the broth before looking directly at Kōri. He put a cross-shaped charm on the table and she looked at it past her bowl as she drank her dinner.
"First, I'm not a duck, I'm a penguin, poyo. My friend is a dog named Plue," the duck began "My name is Ruby, poyo, and I'm a member of the Rave Warriors, poyo. This is the Rave,"
"The Rave Warriors? I thought they died 10 years ago?" Kōri asked.
"Nope, poyo. Actually, poyo, they each took a Rave Stone and went into hiding to protect the Power of the Rave from the new evil that's appeared, poyo," Ruby explained.
"Then why are you and Plue here?" Toru asked.
"Unlike the other Rave Warriors, poyo, Haru gave me a different mission. We're all too old to fight anymore, poyo, so... He asked me to find the next Rave Master,"
"Who's Haru?" Kōri asked.
"The previous Rave Master, Haru Glory, poyo," Ruby continued "He told me one thing about the third Rave Master, poyo, and one thing only..."
"What?" Toru asked, completely immersed in the story.
"Their name, poyo," Ruby said.
He helped Kōri gather the used bowls and spoons and they put them in the sink. Kōri lifted the table and put it up against the wall in the corner. She took out a root beer from the fridge and sat down on the floor mats as she took a slurp.
"What's the next Rave Master's name, Mr. Ruby?" Toru excitedly asked as Plue sat in his lap with a lollipop in his mouth.
Ruby stood in front of Kōri and held the Rave out to her. She took it and a short spark crackled between it and her fingertips.
"Kōriko... The third Rave Master is named Kōriko, poyo. I've met other Kōrikoes throughout my journey, poyo, but neither Plue nor the Rave responded to them," Ruby explained, he hit his staff against the floor and a sword dropped out of nowhere into his arms "Kōriko Luca... you are the third Rave Master, poyo, the Rave Mistress!"
Kōri stared at the sword Ruby presented her before looking back down at the Rave. Plue hopped out of Toru's lap and waddled over to her. He looked up at her and nudged her with his nose.
"Puu,"
Kōri looked at Plue, then at Ruby, then at Toru before looking back at the Rave. Her stunned expression turned to one of apathy and she tossed the Rave back to the pink penguin.
"Nah... I don't want to be the Rave Master or Mistress or whatever," she said "Sorry but that's not for me. Thank you and goodbye,"
With a shocked expression on his face, Ruby was pushed out of the one-room apartment by Kōri before she dropped Plue outside too.
Toru stared at his sister as she nonchalantly began doing the dishes. Utter disbelief was on his face as he followed her with his eyes. Kōri put the dishes on the rack to dry before going over to the wall closet. She slid the door back and took out her futon. Cautiously, she sniffed it to see if it was still clean and she found it smelt of an array of different things she had spilled onto it since its last wash. Kōri tossed it to the washing basket before taking out the spare futon.
"KŌRI!" Toru exclaimed "WHAT THE HECK?!"
"What?" Kōri asked as she took off her jacket and rolled out the futon.
"A wizard tells you your the third Rave Master, the Rave Mistress, and you kick 'em out?!" Toru exclaimed.
"I don't want to be the Rave Mistress," she said.
Kōri saw the look of disappointment on her brother's face. She sighed and tucked a loose strand of her navy blue hair behind her ear before walking over to him. Toru looked up as she sat down next to him and ruffled his mop of soft blonde hair.
"I can't be the Rave Mistress, Toru, 'cause then I'd have to go find the Rave and I can't leave you alone," Kōri explained "Besides, me? The third Rave Master? As if! I'm just a Hip Hop City street rat. No way I'd be the Kōriko he's looking for... Now, go to sleep,"
She gave him a hug before getting up and turning off the lights. As she walked back over to her futon, her bare foot stepped on something sharp and metallic. Kōri looked down to see the Rave discarded in the middle of the floor. Dang penguin must have dropped it. She picked it up and again felt a spark between herself and it. Shaking her head, Kōri lay down in bed and put the Rave on the floor by her head. It was relatively early to be going to sleep but she had to get to work early and she had to get up even earlier to make breakfast for Toru and count out his medication for him.
"Y'know, Kōri," Toru said into the darkness as he yawned "I think you'd make a great Rave Mistress..."
He curled up amongst his blankets and fell asleep. Kōri thought about his words and looked at the Rave. A golden spark flickered in her amber eyes as she stared at it. It was pretty and keeping it loose seemed reckless. Maybe she'd turn it into a pendant? Nah, if it really was the Rave then Ruby would be back for it. Unless he purposely left it to try to inspire her into becoming the Rave Mistress.
"Lame..." she yawned.
It was the middle of the night when Kōri was woken up by the sound of scuffling. Her heavy eyelids lazily opened and she slumped onto her side. It was probably just one of the neighbours coming home late. With a groggy mind, Kōri pushed herself up and scratched the back of her head. She rubbed her eye as she surveyed the room. Nothing but her brother's nest of blankets, pillows and futons.
"Hey, Toru, you awake?" she whispered but got no reply "Must have been *yawn* my imaginat- MMH!"
Out of nowhere, a hand shot out from behind her and covered her mouth. Kōri clawed at the person's hand and shrieked against them when even more intruders appeared out of the shadows. They were silent like the night and melted into the darkness as if it was their home. One of them looked ready to grab her brother and with all her might, she ripped away from the one restraining her.
"TORU!"
He jolted upright at his sister's scream and was about to shriek at the presence of the intruders when one grabbed him from behind. Kōri was pushed faced down against the floor with her hands behind her back.
"Kōri!" Toru cried.
"It's gonna be okay, Toru," she comforted before turning to look at the intruders "Whoever the heck you are, you're gonna be sorry for messing with us!" she yelled.
One of them crouched down before her and got into her face. With a broken hiss of a voice, it spoke.
"Raaaaaave... Mis-treeeeesssss..."
Kōri's eyes widened but she clenched her jaw and threw her head forward, headbutting the one in front of her. With all of her strength, she lifted the one on her back that was restraining her hands and she threw it off. Seizing the moment, she instinctively turned around and grabbed the Rave from where it lay discarded on the floor. The moment Kōri's fingers closed around it, light began to shine through the cracks in between her fingers and she shot round to punch an intruder in the face. The intruder was thrown right through the wall and she was left stunned.
"Kōri! You're the third Rave Master, the Rave Mistress!" Toru yelled over the outside storm as if to remind her.
Kōri stared down at the shining Rave in her palm before gulping down her fears. She clenched her fist again and got to her feet, taking a fighting stance. She kept her fists in close by her face and narrowed her amber eyes, the red glint flickering in them like an angry flame.
"Let. Go. Of. My. Brother..." Kōri warned.
Lightning cracked outside of the hole in the wall and the silence was replaced by a high-speed attack. Kōri's fist flew out and made solid contact with the intruders' faces as she steadily stepped nearer to her brother. Toru watched in amazement. His sister had always been an amazing fighter but this speed and strength... it was inhuman!
With a yell, Kōri swung her fist that clutched the Rave at the intruder that held her brother hostage and sent it flying through the roof. Toru dropped to the floor, stumbled on his feet and fell to his knees. Kōri immediately began looking over him for injuries when she felt the presence of even more intruders shiver up her spine. With the Rave tightly in her fist, she turned around to face them with her fist reeled back.
"Light Magic: A Dozen Suns!"
A bright light shone from the doorway and the intruders scattered into the shadows. Kōri grabbed Toru and held him to her as they squeezed their eyes shut at the blinding light. As it dimmed, she looked to the doorway to see Ruby standing there with the top of his staff shining like a lantern.
"C'mon, poyo! They'll be back, poyo!"
Without hesitation or question, Kōri pulled Toru onto her back and ran with him as she followed Ruby out of their wrecked apartment and into the night.
The storm was still going strong and they were drenched within a moment of stepping outside. Toru buried his face into his sister's back as she carried him away. He could hear her harsh breathing and racing heartbeat. Not to mention she had left her jacket behind, meaning she was out in a storm with nothing but a cap-sleeved t-shirt.
Kōri's footsteps echoed around as she followed Ruby to the boarding house he was staying at. He let her in and she immediately put her little brother down in front of the fireplace. It was so cold that she tossed some logs in and got it going. Plue came walking over holding neatly folded towels over his head. Kōri took them from the little dog and wrapped her brother up in them, completely ignoring herself.
When Toru was sufficiently bundled up, she turned to Ruby and grabbed him by his cloak collar.
"What the heck was that?!" she yelled "What were those things? Why'd they come after us?!"
Kōri was seething through her teeth in rage when she suddenly let go and curled up on the floor. From her toes to her head, everything felt frozen like a block of ice but her cheeks burned as blood rushed to them. Everything seemed dizzy and her head was spinning.
"Kōri!" Toru exclaimed in fright.
Ruby got her wrapped up in towels and blankets on the sofa and put a warm flannel to her forehead. Her face was flushed as she took slight gasps for breath. Toru looked at her worriedly. He'd never seen her sick before. Even when she was, Kōri would laugh and tell him she was fine then go out for work. She had never let him see her so weak.
"Mr. Ruby, you said my sister is the Rave Mistress?" Toru asked.
"Yes, poyo," Ruby responded.
"Who were those guys?"
"Shadows from the Dark Army, poyo,"
"Dark Army?"
"The evil that appeared 10 years ago was the Dark Army, poyo... no one knows about them because they haven't made a public move yet, poyo... but, they're reviving Dark Brings so they have to be stopped, poyo," Ruby explained.
"And that's the job of the third Rave Master?" Toru asked.
"Yes, poyo. Darkness is only one part of the world and it is the Rave Master's job to make sure that darkness doesn't overrun the light, poyo,"
Toru looked at his sister as she slept. The Rave was still clutched in her hand from the previous fight. The world needed her... it needed the Rave Mistress.
Chapter 1 done, son! Okay, that was terrible. What do you guys think? Hope ya liked it! Please review and stick around for Chapter 2! Terrible rhymes all the times...