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The Pen is Mightier than the Sword

ryurei

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  • Birthday 02/06/1983

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    anything that can help me to improve my writing, Useing the scale in the story weavers guild(located here: http://www.themightypen.net/index.php?showtopic=15333) posting i would say between a 5-6
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    vast intrests that cross many diverse spectrums........ask for details!

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  1. Lovers craving the sweet caress of your lips as fine sake I approach the door With shinobi like stealth As the latch gives way No sound is heard It is as if a kami Had silenced all in it’s courts I slip through the threshold Like a ghost unseen My breath catches In unexpressed hunger As your form appears You lay lazily with Only a grin covering you To see you now the lotus Would weep in shame of your beauty I slide to your side Avoiding disturbing the covers We lay side by side With touch and taste the ritual begins On old as time And young as the lovers Their souls merging and separating As their bodies move in a sensuous flow Each craving the touch And the end But wanting it to never end Finally when they can take it no more Senses expand encompassing the others feelings With shrieks of ecstasy and joy They collapse onto one another With pants and sweat dripping They lay close and drift off To a sated slumber (if this is in the wrong place, sorry dear elders. Would you mind moving it to an appropriate place, if that should be the case?)
  2. is undergoing life changing changes.

  3. well another long absence and i'm back. its been an eventful time since i wrote last. i am now married to my finance' and am working at my church in various areas. been fired twice and still looking for work. anyway its great to be back here; it still feels like home.
  4. Naru looked at her twin with an angry look, " the hell do we need for a giant, magenta shield?" maki looked innosent as hell in her nurses outfit, "for the spiked, fucia mace coming our way," she said as she moved away from it. "And the plunger?" naru asked as she blocked it. "sneasing on the controler." was the reply as she threw it. falcon dhampire amulet Queen
  5. Requiem for the Nameless First Movement “Who am I?” the thought voiced itself as a flood of responses flowed to the one who asked. “You are Hume, the hero of the ten-day War!” was one, while another insisted, “You are the Undying Master!” “You are a deserter!” accused another. One voice that sounded familiar, gently insisted, “You are yourself and no one else.” “So I am myself, am I?” the asker questioned the gentle voice, “And who is that?” “My beloved, ….” Yue sat up with a start. The same Nightmare had been bothering her since she could remember. In it she was locked in a void of some sort asking questions and something was happening. She could never quite remember what was happening upon waking. She stood and walked half-asleep into the commons area and got herself some milk from a fridge. She walked back down the hall, opened the door and got back into the futon, quickly falling back to sleep. “Yue! Get to your own room! NOW!” Kenshiro was yelling as he yanked the futon out from under her. “Hmm? Oh morning, Kenshiro. Why are you in my room?” Yue asked half asleep. “Your room, my foot! You are in my room, stupid!” Kenshiro shouted. “Oh, so you dragged me in last night? So did we get around to IT yet?” Yue asked as she tried to snuggle with his arm. As he turned bright red, Kenshiro shouted, “Get your mind out of the gutter, you stupid brat!” With this he threw her into the hall and slammed the door shut behind her. “She coulda said it nicer!” Yue pouted as she went next door to her room. “Fighting with Kenshiro again, Yue?” her roommate asked as she rummaged through her piles of clothes to find something to wear. “Yeah, she seems to be in a bad mood today…more so than usual that is,” Yue said gloomily as she also dug out some clean clothes. “So tell me again why you call him a ‘her’,” her roommate said as they headed down the hall to the showers. “Cause it fits her best, Kimiko! Just like your name fits you so well” Yue said as she opened the door to the girls changing room. “Well, whatever floats your boat,” Kimiko said as she went to her locker and pulled out her soap and shampoo before taking her clothes off. “By the way, is he taking you to the Halloween party tonight?” “She refuses to go with me,” Yue said sadly as she put her dirty clothes into the bottom of her locker. “For some reason, she’s seemed so distant since I got this amulet this spring.” “So you’re not going, then?” Kimiko asked as they walked into the wash area and filled wooden tubs to rinse off. “No. I’ll probably go and try to get some extra hours at work,” Yue said as she climbed into the tub. “So why don’t you come to the party that Konako is having? She invited me and said you can come if you don’t have any plans,” Kimiko said as she leaned back in the tub. “Sure, why not? What time is it?” Yue said as she relaxed. “It’s at 8:00 and don’t be late. She wants to try something from some old book she found and is going to lock the door after that,” Kimiko said as she got up to leave. “Ok, see ya there. Oh! What’s the dress code? Costume or no?” Yue asked as she reached over to grab a folded towel and handed it to her. “Just casual,” Kimiko said as she left. Several hours later “I’m back Boss!” Yue shouted as she entered the store. “Can I head out yet?” “You got the dishes done?” asked the man from the office. “Yup and the dough is all put up as well,” Yue said as she entered the room. “Alright let’s get you cash counted up,” he said as he opened a cash box and closed the door. “No bother, 2,895 yen including the extra for my lates,” Yue said as she handed over her bag. The man rose an eyebrow and double checked the count then nodded slightly, “Your right as usual, Yue-san. How can you do that by just the weight?” “I just do sir,” Yue said as she rose to get her time-card. She left the office and punched out, then headed out the door of the store. In minutes she was back at the dorm room and gathering some fresh clothes from her clothes pile. She quickly jumped in the showers and hurried out. Dumping her dirty clothes in the room she hurried out the front of the dorms and walked down the street to her friend Konako’s house. The House was a traditional Japanese building surrounded with the obligatory rock garden and tall, drab fence surrounding it all. As she knocked on the traditional door she felt a wave of nausea pass over her as she heard them moving in the building. Inside she heard a muttered curse and something about someone interrupting a spell. As the door opened a short dishwater-blond stepped out looking upset and reeking of herbs. “Who the hell is….Yue? What are you doing here?? I thought you and Kenshiro would be going out tonight?” The girl asked as she stepped back to let Yue in. “No. She’s being cold again and not talking,” Yue said with a sad sigh as she stepped in. “His loss and my gain!” the girl replied happily as she closed the door behind them. “You know my spells are more effective when you’re around.” “So you claim. But let’s not try that floatation spell tonight,” Yue said with a smile as they entered the main room that had been set up for spell casting. “I don’t feel like sleeping on the ceiling tonight.” “Actually I was hoping to try a few new ones, I found a spell book entitled ‘Power of the Seventh’. It’s entirely in Japanese so I don’t need to translate it,” Konako said as she led Yue into the main hall. As they went into the door that lead into what had been a large dining hall but was now converted into a spell casting chamber. “So you’re using the dining room this time Konako?” Yue asked as she greeted the girls inside the room. “Yes I thought it would work as long as we don’t destroy any walls,” Konako replied as she motioned towards the others.
  6. Requiem for the Nameless Prelude Three weeks after Ryu vanished. Megumi strolled through Heavens Courts to the Towering stone prisons and then down to the cell in which Keiko was being held. With a wave of her hand, she dismissed the guards who were standing watch. With a relieved sigh, the Guards quickly moved back down the hall to a table on which a small meal had been set out. Megumi approached the cell door and leaned her back against it as she folded her arms. With a small smile she started, “Anything I have to say is strictly to myself, so pay it no mind. Okay?” Keiko had a quizzical look as he nodded. After looking down the hall to make sure the guards weren’t listening in she continued, “I hear there has appeared a great oriental warrior, equal to a certain Oni, on the plane of Earth.” Keiko’s eyes widened as he sat up with a start. “This warrior fights with two silver Katanas, has silver hair and copper eyes….” Before Megumi could finish, reality warped around her as Keiko’s power started to flow out into the surroundings. Keiko stood, turned and walked through the new opening his power ripped in the back of the cell. That lying jerk! He told me that he was dead and couldn’t return! Then again, he would say something just like that to keep me from following. I need to catch up with him, NOW! Keiko thought as the guards rushed at him. Without a motion or word, Keiko caused a hail of swords to rain from the sky; forcing the guards to pull back as he continued towards the Gate of planes. When Keiko arrived at the gate, he paused for a moment to reflect on his course of action before stepping through the enormous stone portal. As he stepped through the gate, he found himself emerging from a pool into a forest with an infinite number of similar pools at the base of the trees. As he stepped out on to the forest floor, he was instantly dry. A sultry voice came to him from behind a tree, “So you’re going to chase Ryu also??” Reality again warped as Keiko’s power rushed out of the earth to form tentacles of earth that grabbed and ensnared the speaker. “Don’t mess with me now, Mesuinu, I could kill you with but half a thought,” Keiko said as he recognized the silver haired, voluptuous woman who struggled against the tentacles. Mesuinu’s liquid copper eyes flashed as she replied, “No duh! I kinda got that point when you did this. I really don’t want anything to do with you, but I won’t be able to find Ryu without you. I have to call a truce with you if I wish to get anywhere in my search for him.” Keiko thought a moment before replying. “Fine, Princess. I’m the body guard for now. You won’t carry weapons ‘til necessary. Agreed??” Damn! I hoped to try to get the upper hand. Mesuinu thought as she nodded consent. “Good. Then, let’s go,” Keiko said as he had the tentacles drop her into a nearby pool and jumped in after her.
  7. this is the finally of the Sonnet of T'hera. see the next song here.
  8. Bridge It was the final show down. Ragna stood alone having absorbed the essence of Creation, Chaos, Time, and the Seven. Against him stood Dani the possessor and first master of the Ultimate power, and against them all stood Yue the incarnation of the Oni Prince/Lord Kage Ryu Rei, aka The Undying Lord. The three constantly traded blows faster than could be seen for what seemed like an eternity. Finally they jumped back and stood panting fiercely. With movements faster than before, Dani moved over and struck the Blood Ruby in Yue’s amulet. “Go for help,” he whispered to her as the gem formed huge cracks and Dani charged back out to fight. As the gem cracked further Yue found glowing cracks forming on her skin. And then she was falling into herself. She fell through her mind to a glowing platform in her mind. There she found a book made of chains and an old-fashioned quill and inkwell sitting in the middle of the platform. As she approached it she found the book was opened and words were filling the blank pages as if they were only able to be seen by reading the book from first to last. With a sudden calm she turned to the beginning and began reading. The story was of the Oni Lord Kage Ryu born to the then Prince of the ninth hell. As it continued on it told of the blood-strewn path he had made to follow the prophecy that told him how to find ‘the one who could complete him’. When he finally found her she was nearly killed by the Oni Chaos-mage who hunted him. Time marched on as the two started to influence each other as they continued meeting each other on various missions. Finally they began to realize the feelings they held for each other. About the time his fiancé from one of the larger kingdoms of hell arrived to take his hand in marriage. After years of being near ‘the one who could complete him’ his nature had changed; he no longer desired to be used in the politics of hell. He refused the marriage and was subsequently banished from the realms of hell after turning on all their leaders, who had tried to force him into submission. He returned to the mortal plain after killing hundreds of his kin in his escape. About this time the seed of Chaos began to bloom inside him. With this he rewrote his lifesong allowing himself to exist outside of time while still being able to affect it. He also made it possible for him to resist the effects of the Chaos power that had started to ravage him by reaching into the essence of Time and forging a single amulet that limited all the power he wielded to the strength of his enemies. He then sought out his chosen woman and finally found her entering the realm of the heavens. He chased after her to find she was one of the elemental masters of the heavens. They decided to leave together and fled to earth. Many years passed and again tribulation struck them as the Tenchi tracked them down and took them to heaven for sentencing. The court decided to set them against each other in hopes that without their memories of each other they would kill each other outright. Instead they fought as had been planned then vanished from the plains leaving their pursuers cursing their underestimation of their powers. The couple had promptly rebirthed them-selves into bodies she made to hold and control their powers. When the pursuers caught up to them again she was in his body and he had vanished entirely. As she read the book the words started to fill the pages faster and faster till the last page that remained blank. On this page were the glowing words: “the reincarnation sat faced with two possibilities. One was to become one with her power and go berserk. Or she could release the mask that made Yue and bring out the True Kage Ryu Rei.” Without hesitation she grabbed the Quill and jabbed it into her skin. With the blood on the tip she wrote in plain, large print, “She released all the masks she had ever owned and uninhibitedly let out the truth.” Ragna and Dani suddenly froze in mid strike as hands grabbed them and threw them to the floor. They saw and person standing nearly 6 foot tall standing with head bowed between them. His pitch black hair fell to the middle of his back from which two silver wings sprouted. As he raised his face revealing eyes the color of fresh, pure snow that glared at them both he said, “I’m Back.”
  9. Arigato to all who read or replied. Just an update for all out there i have finished the hands on training and sprayed today (this morning to be exact). Anyway me and my fiance (who i am trying to convence to make an aperance) are looking for inexpencive living arangments together now and will be out after a few more classes (classes to help us find jobs). anyway good to hear from all you out there and will soon be talking more often to all you. Sincerly, Mai Takekaze
  10. Hey guys! sorry for not talking to you all for so long! I've been at a bording school getting trained for police work. Let me just say The training is fun while sucking horribly at the same time. However in all the chaos out here I have found my soul mate. we're working hard to get complete our classes so that we can finish paying off varrious bills and tie the knot. also have been promoted to a position of leadership twice (two differant positions). Been quite stressed out due to this, however I'm enjoying the time. Ok well I am happy to have the time to post and 'see' you all again. See Ya Soon! Mai Takekaze
  11. “HEY! What did she mean by, ‘The Place with no Bounds’?” Keiko demanded with a look of annoyance. “It’s a myth,” answered a deep, soothing voice from behind her. Keiko whirled around as her ribbon-club transformed into a miniature katana. She paused with the blade at the throat of a tall muscular man. His knee length blond hair was held back in a que by six white ties evenly spaced down the length of his hair, effectively keeping his hair neat. As his grey eyes grew wide with surprise, he raised his hands to reveal the hilts of two sai tucked into the belt of his battle-worn, black hakama. “Who are you?” Keiko asked, as Ryu added his blades to the man’s vital points. “He is Faust in the service of Tsukuyomi. I am the head monk Miroku in the service of the Lord of no Elements,” said an old man as he appeared at Keiko’s side and touched her arm. “These five are my apprentices,” Miroku said as he motioned to the other monks. “Is he a friend of yours, Master Miroku?” Sensei asked as he maneuvered around Sukoshi and the huge battle ax he had strapped, blade down, to his back. “Yes, he comes by from time to time with various bits and pieces we need around here,” the old monk said with a smile. “And please don’t call me master, it’s so formal.” “How about Miroku-Kun?” asked the dual voiced, adult formed Youchi as she released her Sakura blade. “If you must, it will do, miss,” the monk said as he nodded his consent to her. “I’m sorry for the late introductions on our part. I’m Sensei, the man with the silver katanas is Ryu, the girl with the blade at Faust’s throat is Keiko, and the young lady here is Youchi,” he said as he motioned to a normal-looking Youchi as she released the spirit she had been channeling. “The man that the Elementals couldn’t touch is Koun, the young mage is Ryu’s apprentice Kazia, this giant with the ax..” he continued. “Her name is Betty,” Sukoshi corrected as he patted his ax. “Sorry, this giant with ‘Betty’ the ax is Sukoshi, the woman tending to the injured is our doctor Megumi, and the one skulking in the shadows is Kyoshin. And the one who chased after the Elementals is Ken,” Sensei finished with a frown at Sukoshi. “While my apprentices also have names, we all have long since forgotten them. Besides that they have taken a vow of silence until the elementals are finished off, so they won’t be answering any questions.” Miroku said as he motioned for the group to follow him. As Ryu followed Miroku and the others into the ancient stone building, he realized that he was standing at the edge of a huge bundle of free floating magic. “A Jordan?” he asked aloud. “What’s that, Master?” Kazia asked as he stopped with Ryu. “We’re standing next to a Jordan, Boy. Surely you learned about it in your studies?” Ryu asked as he reached out to touch it. “Um… let’s see. I believe it is a natural point on the planet where all the threads of magic converge and form a huge bundle,” Kazia said as he dug through his mind for information on it. “Yes, and what’s more they tend to be areas of high tension that makes it difficult to cast magic around… unless you have at the least mastered an element or two. So what does this tell you about our enemy?” Ryu lectured as they followed the monks into the building. “We have, at the very least, a Master or Mistress fighting against us in an area where magic is readily available.” Kazia started as he examined the walls of the corridor. “And due to the attackers, I would venture to say it’s an air master that is against us. That leaves a total of eight possible suspects.” “Good! And I can narrow the list down to two and possibly one--the Oni mistress of the wind is the one leading the attacks,” Ryu replied as he stared at Keiko, who had started to giggle about something that had been said. “And where she is, her Lady is close behind.” “Master, I’m sure you have noticed this by now, but would the aura the temple seems to be emanating have anything to do with the situation? The aura is not holy but it’s not evil, either.” Kazia said more to himself than Ryu, while Ryu followed Keiko with his eyes. “Very good, Kazia,” Ryu said as he handed Kazia his bag. “Go and find my room, I’ll be right back.” With this Ryu followed Keiko down the hall. What is she doing with that Faust guy? Ryu thought as he walked fast in their direction. “Ryu, are you done with that lesson yet?” Keiko asked as she saw him approach. “Um… yeah, so what are you discussing?” Ryu asked pushing between Keiko and Faust. “Well, Faust was telling me about some of the legends of people trying to get to the Place with no Bounds,” Keiko said as she followed Miroku and the others down to the main hall. “A powerful litch tried to access it by removing everything, magic, essence, dirt, trees, grass, absolutely everything from an area to open a door to it. Supposedly he only removed his immortality, and died from the lack of air and sudden aging.” “Idiot, trying to do it that way,” Ryu said as he frowned at Faust. “Might I ask for a sparring match with you later, Keiko?” Faust said as he tried to get around Ryu. As Ryu and Faust stepped into the hall, Ryu saw that the walls stretched up all the way to the roof. Hanging down from the ceiling were several wooden rings on which were several magically powered lights that illuminated the room. The room had several large cedar tables that were scattered around. In the middle of the far wall was a huge fireplace that lay dormant. In the center of the room was a large circular black stone surrounded by runes that seemed to shimmer ever so slightly. “Please have a seat where ever you like,” Miroku said as he sat at a table near the fireplace. “We are used to many mages and monks training here, so we have plenty of space for them to eat, study and relax in when they aren’t in the library or the training hall.” About this time, Ken stumbled in, leaning on Kyoshin. “Sensei, the elementals have stopped about half a mile out and have set up barricades to prevent any more help from reaching us.” Megumi hurried over to tend his wounds as Ken continued. “They caught me in an ambush on the way back, although it would seem that their main fighting force is a severely diminished.” “Good job, Ken. At least we have an idea of what we’re up against the next time,” Sensei said as the monk’s apprentices came in with food. “Please help yourselves to the food. It’s not much, but I fear we can offer little else on such short notice,” Miroku said as bowls filled with bread and various dried foods were placed in the middle of the large table along with tankards of water to wash it down. After eating, Faust, Keiko, Ryu and one of the apprentices went to the training hall a few doors down the hall. As they entered the huge, hallowed room and took a deep breath of the still air. Kieko and Faust stepped out into the middle of the room where a small ring had been set up and took up simple fighting poses. They launched into a series of simple but effective maneuvers striking at each other and seeming to always miss, ‘til Faust ended it with a halted death blow just above her throat. “I surrender,” Kieko said as she stepped back and bowed. “Thank you for the match.” “My turn,” Ryu said as he stood. He stepped into the middle of the room and the circle with his arms at his sides. “Come and get it, Faust.” Ryu demanded as he spat out the name as if in disgust. Faust charged at Ryu in a rush. With simple movements, Ryu lightly side stepped all of them. Finally, Faust seemed to speed up and almost hit Ryu’s face. Ryu quickly grabbed the fist and frowned as Faust pressed in close. “You haven’t even tasted her yet have you, Oni Lord Kage Ryu?” “Ryu Rei is my name, Faust! And what do you mean by that, Bastard?” Ryu asked as he shoved Faust back and appeared behind him. As Ryu grappled with Faust again, he heard Faust replied, “Sex, of course! Did she taste good or did you only pleasure yourself?” “Don’t you dare talk like that! Of course I haven’t had sex with her!” Ryu said as he was thrown near the edge of the circle. “Oh really?” Faust asked as he grabbed Ryu’s fists tightly. “Then maybe I’ll do her myself, I mean, it’ll be a shame if she dies without being a true woman.” In an instant, Ryu’s eyes glowed red as he quickly removed his fists from Faust’s grip, then single handedly choke-slammed Faust into the far wall and held him up with his feet dangling. “Ryu, don’t you dare kill him!” Ryu heard Keiko shout. Everything went dark as a heavy hand grabbed his arm and tugged, “Hurry your needed Lord,” Ryu heard as he felt a change. As Ryu fell through the darkness he heard the sound of someone crying. He opened his eyes to see a small girl sitting near him. “Don’t worry, Keiko. I’m only sealing some of our memories and your power so the pursuers won’t find us,” he heard himself saying. “But then they will hone in on your power and I can’t back you up,” the girl said as she touched his arm lightly. “My power resides mainly in my memories; so by sealing some of them, there won’t be enough power to track. Besides, I will still have the Seven to guard over us. Anyway, I have hid from the Tenchi for 53,000 years so far with just these Seven. It will be fine,” Ryu said as he reached for the power within himself, and began sealing their memories. As he did so, he felt a sudden rush of power from deep within rush out and force Ryu out of his body. As he looked on at the scene unfolding before him, his body suddenly started laughing manically. His body looked at something near him saying, “Too bad, Kage Ryu!! I am the one to control the power I hid in you! So be gone!” With this and a sudden motion of his hand, a blast of raw chaos struck at the half hidden image floating to his left. Ryu turned to look at the image, and saw an astral form of himself being struck by the energy. The astral body dropped like a rag doll and lay unmoving. Keiko screamed and then passed out from the sudden increase in spirit pressure, as Ryu moved between his body and the astral body. A second blast ripped away from his body and struck him squarely in the chest and was fully absorbed in an instant. The surroundings solidified and his body looked terrified. “What the hell?!? I thought I was the only one who could pass through those borders like that! Who the hell are you, you mother fucker?!?” “I am Ryu Rei and you must be that bastard who has been tormenting me!” Ryu shouted as he cut his chest and drew his blood sword. With a vicious back hand Ryu’s body shouted, “To hell with you and your insolence, boy! I am Ragna--the pure essence of Chaos! Why the hell would I mess with such an insignificant ant like you?!?” Ryu had shifted to the left and the back hand passed through where he had been standing, causing Ragna to lose his balance and start to fall. “The hell?” “Give me my body back! Hikari to kurayami bunri in/on kizuato!” Ryu shouted as he touched his wrists together and a glowing ball shot forth and removed Ragna from the body. In an instant, Ryu’s astral body attacked Ragna before he could do anything else. Ryu felt a light and sensual touch on his arm and found himself lying on his back and hearing a small voice saying, “You did well master. Now you must go to the current fight.” Ryu opened his eyes to see Kieko over him with a raised hand. “You idiot! Wake up! They’re coming!” Keiko shouted as she swung down. “What? What’s going on, Keiko?” Ryu asked as he sat up, dodging the blow. “You’ve been out for a week talking about The One Who Lost and in the mean time the elementals have returned!” Keiko said as she drew both ribbon-club and katanna. “So get off your lazy but and help out, before we get killed!” As she left the room, he heard a Ragna’s voice happily saying, “Not much longer!” Ryu spun around looking for him. Not seeing anyone in the room and not feeling any increase in power, he shrugged and hurried out the door. As he opened the door, he felt a sudden rise in power as if a spell had been used, and saw an inscription on the far wall. “Wake up, Darling!” he heard as a magic arrow pierced his chest from behind. Ryu felt time slow as his body hit the far wall. The wall seemed to suddenly vanish and Ryu found himself standing in the middle of a forest that had pools of water at the base of the trees. The forest stretched as far as the eye could see and had a timeless feel to it. Ryu looked around feeling a strange sense of déjà vu as he took a few steps to what he thought was the north. He stumbled on some thing buried in the fallen leaves and stopped to pick it up. He saw in his hand an ebony, unsheathed katana that seemed to fade into the shadows with ease. “Damn! He found it!” he heard a voice say as a dark haired girl appeared. Ryu recognized her as the one who had attacked Keiko with the shadow kunai, as she still wore her grimy t-shirt, and her hair was still unkempt. “Fine! I will follow you as I promised, Master.” “Who thu hell are you?!? And where am I?!? and for that matter: WHAT THE HELL!” Ryu shouted as he pointed the sword at her. “You haven’t truly forgotten, have you, Master?” the girl asked as she reached for him. “So be it! I am Taura, the True Guardian of the power of Darkness, the Shadows are where my power resides! Seek me there in your time of need!” With this, she shoved him, and he felt himself falling into a pool of water. As he fell, a shining katana appeared and fell towards him. “Remember that we both await the return of your memories, Lord Kage Ryu,” he heard as he grabbed it’s hilt. Suddenly found himself scanning the room where Keiko woke him up just a few minutes earlier. “So this is where you are, Darling!” a voice came from above him. “So will you come away with me, Kage Darling?” Ryu looked up and saw a woman coming through the solid stone above him. With a jump, he spun around into a crouching Iai position and reached for the Ebony Katana that instantly materialized there. The woman sighed, “So this is what it comes to yet again?” She spun around and landed feet first on the bed. She stood a little shorter than Ryu with pure metallic silver hair and liquid copper eyes. Her oriental features beamed as she smiled at Ryu. She wore a sheer low cut t-shirt with form fitting leather jeans. She tried to take a step as her high heels caught in the sheets. “Who the Hell do you think you’re calling ‘Darling’,” Ryu shouted as he started to blush fiercely. “Have you truly forgotten about your fiancé since you started to live in this ‘life’?” she demanded as she reached out and grabbed him from the side in a crushing embrace. As he tried to pull away from her massive breasts, she continued, “You can’t tell me you have forgotten the Daughter of the Oni King, Mesuinu Sora, can you?” Ryu stopped struggling and jabbed his elbow into her gut, effectively breaking her embrace, and lifting the lower half of her body off the bed, into the air. Quickly bringing his hands together, he followed up with a double fisted blow down onto her back which forced her to the floor. “Akuma maku suji kyuju kyu! Kusari tamashii!” Instantly steel grey chains grabbed her and held her down. As the chains constricted, faint glowing bits of red appeared along the links as she tried to escape. “You always did like to tie me up… so what now? Do I get my spanking?” she said with a smile. Ryu vanished from the room as he sought out Keiko. There had been a gnawing feeling that she was in danger since Mesuinu had appeared. *********** Onisama was wading through a rush of elementals that shied away from him. Thu hell is this fuckin Bitch of a general thinking letting me this damn close to her? he thought as he came into the sight of the woman leading the army. She stood clothed in a translucent light blue robe. Her hair was the color of fire and her eyes were like the emeralds on her necklace. “Mmmmm… You’re almost as cute as that man Mesuinu has working for her. Faust, I believe it was,” she said as he approached. “You…Gabriel, I guess? You say Faust is working for Mesuinu?” Onisama asked as he began calling on his Chi. “What’s it to you?” Gabriel asked with a motion as her robes became flying blades that struck at him. He appeared behind her and put his fist through her chest, “I have to protect my Lord’s woman. If Faust is in league with Mesuinu, then I must be moving to defend her,” As he removed his arm from her, he felt Cerubus approaching tentatively. “Are you alright, Musuko?” Cerubus’s deep voice questioned. A sudden wave of raw anger and power passed through them that overwhelmed Onisama. Cerubus grew another 35 feet or so as his other heads grew out. They stood listening to an unheard voice and paled. “No, the master…” Cerubus started as he vanished into thin air. Onisama rushed to where he felt the power explode and saw Keiko’s aura lying prone in front of him. He whirled around as a vaguely familiar aura appeared behind him. “Easy, Musuko, I’m not here for you; I need to tend to Keiko before Ryu’s seal kills her,” Megumi said as she placed a tri-sealed scroll on the bodies chest. “What do you mean ‘before Ryu’s seal kills her’?” Onisama asked. “Ryu messed up yet another spell, resulting in his soul in her body and her soul in his. His body has 21 ultra strong seals restraining his power,” Megumi said as she started to activate the scroll. “The individual seals are equal to a thousand normal seals. Right now, her power is so restrained that she is unable to move or think straight.” As the seals were broken by the power in the scroll, an unearthly, demonic howl came to their ears. Keiko in Ryu’s body stood with eyes closed. The hair on Ryu’s body shimmered as it turned midnight blue, indicating that Keiko’s spirit was truly inhabiting his body. Keiko opened his eyes, revealing the symbols of fire and light in his eyes. “Darling, is it that time already?” she asked as a hole opened in space and time revealing Ryu in Keiko’s body shoving his blood sword into the dirt. “Ano Kodai Nanatsu soshite Mittsu Eien Kenryoku Watashi o tosotsu suru! Nozoku ano Saku aida ni Sekai! Sekai Hitotsu ni Naru/Suru!” Ryu shouted as their surroundings seemed to overlap with many other semi-transparent images. The overlapping images were of other places and times, the people revealed in them seemed oblivious to what was actually happening. “Ken no Ragna Kaeru e/ni watashi anata no Kacho!” as Ryu shouted this incantation, he ripped the sword from the ground revealing that the blade had transformed. The blade was broken off about 8 inches out and it was a color that changed as quickly as they could be named. “NO!” Keiko screamed as Ryu swung the sword and the entirety of everything in a 10 mile area vanished into nothingness. Keiko reached out his hand and twisted with it and instantly the semi-transparent images and the sword vanished. Stepping through the hole, Keiko extended his hand and instantly his ribbon-club materialized. “Give him back, you FUCKING BASTARD!” and with this he slammed the weapon into Ryu’s head. Ryu grabbed the ribbon-club as glowing cracks started to form on her body. “Keiko, it hurts, the power being released is too great to contain. I’m dying, the power is over-powering my…reincarnation abilities…Please…don’t…cry…I’ll…” Ryu said as her body exploded into millions of Chaos filled pieces that scattered into the many dimensions of time and space. As Keiko dropped to her knees sobbing, an adult-formed Yuichi cautiously approached and touched her shoulder. As she did, the area Ryu had just leveled filled with millions of Tenchi who all pointed their weapons at Keiko. “Oni Prince, Lord Kage Ryu. You are hereby, under the authority of Supreme Tenchi Kenzuma, are under arrest and to await trial upon the finding of Fire Mistress Kaji Kieko.”
  12. SONETT OF T'HERA: Finale “Get your guard up, boy!” Ryu shouted as he struck Kazia’s left side. Ever since Ryu’s hair and eyes permanently changed colors two days earlier, he and Kazia had been sparring every morning and evening before they did anything else. A sudden furry of blows from Kazia showed his rising rage. In a swift move, Ryu was sitting on Kazia who was pinned to the ground. “Musuko, come here for a moment,” Ryu said getting up. Kazia stood and frowned at Ryu as Onisama approached. “Musuko, spar with Kazia for a bit. I want him to see something,” Ryu said as he sat next to the fire, facing it. Onisama vanished, to appear behind Kazia. As he struck at Kazia’s side, only to find Kazia had in turn vanished. As Onisama felt a burning sensation in his back, Ryu called out, “Thanks, Musuko. Kazia front and center.” Kazia extinguished the flames in his hand and went to Ryu’s side. “Kazia, what was the point I wanted to make?” “You wanted me to see how much I’ve grown in the last two days, right?” Kazia said as he took a seat. “No, what I wanted to show you was how much you depend on magic when you fight. You teleported the instant you saw Musuko move, and then you called on the fire element to power your punch,” Ryu said with a disappointed look on his face. “Well,… since you insist on using magic let’s see you summon Cilpheed to take us the rest of the way to the temple.” Kazia stood and went to the middle of the clearing and drew the necessary magics to himself, “I call to the plain of darkness beyond life and death, to the dwelling place of the spirits that neither live nor die: I ask for Cilpheed, guardian of flight, keeper of Oni and Tenchi wings. Allow flight to me and my companions!” As the power finished its’ crescendo, a sudden flurry of feathers proved that Kazia had failed. “What the hell!” Kazia shouted in a frustrated outburst. “Your mistake was asking Cilpheed,” Ryu said as he grabbed some of the feathers and approaching Kazia’s position. Taking the pointed end he jabbed one into his arm to make his blood come to the surface. Ryu then touched each feather to his blood allowing a bit of it to smear on it. Throwing them into the ground to form a dotted summoning circle, a rush of raw magic came to Ryu’s gentle tug. Magic has come so easy recently and I can see the treads of magic floating free rather than just feeling them… What’s happening to me? Ryu thought for a moment as the power swelled around him. “Guardian of Flight; Show yourself to me from the darkness beyond life and death. Reveal yourself now, Cilpheed!” As the power that had gathered instantly vanished, a semitransparent image appeared within the circle. The image was dressed in a soldier’s uniform of a long forgotten race. The image had six wings two of which covered his feet; another pair was folded behind him. The last pair flapped seeming to try to break him free from the collar and chain that kept it firmly bound to the earth. The chain that held the image down seemed to be anchored deep in the ground. An ethereal voice echoed out as it turned to face Ryu, “What does the Lord Kageryu demand of me?” “Grant flight to my companions,” Ryu shouted as he drew on a second swell of magic. “As you command,” the image said as it bowed low. Everyone with the exception of Kyon sprouted wings as the image vanished. “Wings of the heart, become the wings of my flesh, Spirit Materialization,” Ryu cast as a black wing and a white wing grew from his back. He reached down and picked up a rope attached to a large stone bowl Keiko had made moments before, “You ready to go, Kyon?” “If I must be,” Kyon said with a frown. “I still think we should walk the rest of the way.” “Keiko’s future sight is never wrong!” Ryu replied angrily as he took to the air. “If we don’t get there today we won’t make it in time.” The next ten to fifteen minutes of the flight were silent, until they came into sight of the temple. They saw thousands of elementals approaching the walls. With a burst of speed, Ryu crossed the last of the distance to find seven monks standing in a circle from which they were casting a shielding spell. “Get ready to protect those people, Kyon!” Ryu called down as he flew close to the monks and released the rope. “Damn you, jerk!” Kyon shouted as he jumped towards the middle of the circle of men. Keiko, Sensei, and the others arrived and started to fight the elementals. Ryu dived into a mess of elementals that had penetrated the walls. As he landed, his blood sword was instantly out and slashing through several nearby elementals. Feeling a swell of familiar elemental power nearby, Ryu rushed in the direction of the swell shouting, “Cilpheed!” The elementals drew back as Cilpheed appeared before Ryu. He still wore his uniform but his collar and chain were missing. “Yes, Master?” he asked in a mocking tone. “Or should I say Traitor?” Ryu’s sword vanished as his right hand grabbed Cilpheed around the throat and held him off the ground. “What are you doing here?!? Obviously I haven’t summoned you here, so who has?” “L…Lady G..Gabriel,” Cilpheed gasped as he tried to breath. “Gabriel! Is SHE here as well??” Ryu demanded as he loosened his grip. “Why should I tell you, you who have been condemned to Die!” Cilpheed said with a portion of his previous arrogance. “Let’s see,” Ryu started in a razor edged voice. “I would think the fact your life is in my hand would be reason enough.” And with this Ryu’s grip tightened again. “I…do not…know,” Cilpheed strained to say as he grasped at Ryu’s hand. “Hmm… If that is so, and I don’t believe you, then you are truly useless. So the only remaining problem is your insolence towards me, your rightful master,” Ryu started as his eyes started to glow and magic poured into him. “Gates of the second element; hear my voice and open for me! Take this traitor and hold him for a time!” As Ryu cast the spell a ball of magic gathered in his left hand. He dropped the ball to the ground and it seemed to spread into a foot and a half black smear. From the smear came a small, gravelly voice, “Something must be held until the time is up.” “Hold my arm till he is released!” Ryu shouted as he released Cilpheed into the smear. As he did so his right arm turned to stone. “You Idiot!” Keiko shouted as she ran up. “I forbid you to use that spell!” as she shouted she drew her ribbon club and swung it at his head. As she did a sudden wave of darkness rose in between the two and held her club. The darkness changed in form to reveal a small girl dressed in an off white t-shirt that hung down around her knees was holding the club still. Her skin was pale as if from a lack of sun and Keiko could see her finger nails were torn and had been recently bleeding. The girls black hair hung down to her waist and her bangs mostly covered coal black globes that served for her eyes. As she glared angrily at Keiko, a voice that seemed to come from the depths of the abyss intoned, “You attacked the Master and will pay for this with your life! Watashi Taura, Kanshisha no Yami, chikau sore!” As she shouted this, shadows solidified and formed kunai that shot unaided at Keiko. They got within an inch of her when Ryu’s scar glowed and the dark kunai dissolved. The Girl saw this and became even paler and turned to bow low before Ryu. “Forgive me, Master! I did not recognize your Mistress!” The fear in her voice was plain to hear as she continued to apologize. “Who the hell are you?!?” Ryu demanded as he prepared to fight if necessary. “Master, surely you haven’t forgot your servant? Unless…you’re not him….but your spirit is identical…and you have the mark….I don’t get it.” The girl started and then stopped and sat down cross-legged on the ground. She folded her arms and seemed to be contemplating the situation. The monks and the others approached as she stood and pointed at Ryu, “If you are truly my master then find my sword in the Place with no Bounds! It should be easy enough for you the Lord of No Element!” With this she sank into the shadows and vanished.
  13. Final Interlude Mai made it to the Battle dome, to relax after she dodged cleaning duties. Damn but that Dani-sensei is fast!, she thought as the crowd started to cheer loudly. Turning to see who they were cheering for she saw a one of her ‘classmates’ step out to fight with the arena champ Mathew ‘the Crusher’ Ripley. The young girl looked only to be six or seven years old but she carried herself like an experienced adult. I wonder if she’s got a growth problem like mine? Mai absently thought. As the girl stood there seemingly trying to find a way out of the ring, the bell rang and The Crusher was on her. The girl was slammed into the wall with enough force that everyone believed she was done for. As she lay there everyone thought the match was over. And then a sound emanated throughout the arena. Soft lights filled the building as the girl stood up abruptly. The champ turned and charged at her while a dark disc appeared before her. From the darkness appeared a being wrapped tightly in strips of cloth like a mummy. He wore two swords on his right and left hips with another two over his right shoulder. A seventh sword could be seen over his left shoulder as he drew it revealing the blade was missing. “Command me, Mistress,” the mummy man said in a voice that reverberated throughout the building. “My powers are at your disposal!” “Stop that man!” the girl shouted pointing at the champ. “As you command!” the mummy said as he pointed the bladeless hilt at the now still champ. “Damned!” the mummy intoned as magic forces shot forth in the form of multi-colored orbs that hit the champ’s legs and instantly dissolved them. “Mercy!” begged the man as he lay bleeding from the waist where his legs had once been connected. Suddenly the girl passed out, and starting to fall as the mummy sheathed his sword and caught her. In a flash they vanished from the coliseum. “Find her and get a contract from her, Musuko!” Mai commanded as she spun around. “I need her to fight for me!” Why didn’t I remember her name! If nothing else I could get a contract tomorrow morning at class. But I can’t wait to get it, Mai thought as she left her seat and rushed out into the night looking for the girl. The next day Yue sat up with a start. She was in a strange room that was filled with shelves covered in books and half filled bottles. As she quietly got up to leave she realized she was wearing a nightgown. The next realization to occur to her was she had a splitting headache. “Naru it seems our guest is awake now,” said a friendly sounding voice from behind her. “Ok! I’ll get some tea going..unless she would like some coffee. Check for me would you, Maki?” a second voice called in as Yue spun around to see a woman of twenty or so standing in the door way. The woman wore a light blue tee shirt and faded blue jeans. Her blond hair was pulled up into a bun and Yue could feel the woman’s ice blue eyes bore deep into her soul. “Do you want coffee or tea?” the woman asked after looking into Yue’s soul for a moment longer. “Um…do you have some sake I could have instead?” Yue asked hesitantly. With a huge grin the woman turned to call down the hall, “Scratch both! Get the pearl sake out of the cellar.” “She’s more like Him than we thought, huh?” came the reply. “Um…can I have my clothes back?” Yue asked as she sat on the edge of the bed. Pointing to an overlooked night table the woman said, “They are in there. And I’m Maki, pleased to meet you.” Yue got dressed and came out into the hall to see it was filled with more bookcases and various bits of furniture making it barely navigable. When she got to the end of the hall it opened up into a large room filled with even more furniture and various barrels filled with various pickled foods. There was a shelf filled with various nick-knacks and to Yue’s left was an old antique liquor bar at which Maki and another woman now sat. “Thank you for letting me stay the night,” Yue said as she bowed low in front of them. “Don’t mention it,” said the second woman as she adjusted her glasses as if unaccustomed to them. She wore her red hair in a pony tail, with a white oversized sweater and blue jeans. “We couldn’t exactly let you sleep on the sidewalk; you’d probably be carted off to jail.” “So what were you doing here, anyway?” Maki asked as she downed a shot glass of Saki. “I don’t know! I didn’t do anything!” Yue shouted as the memories started to dislodge and swirl through her mind. As the memories awoke, Yue’s power started to stir within her. Feeling a touch on her shoulder everything returned to normal. “Relax, Yue,” the girl wearing the sweat shirt said. “Here, take this Amulet. It’ll help control the enormous power I sense within you.” She held out an arm bracer that had a large, dark red gem set into it. Yue looked at the amulet with a look of confusion. “That… I’ve dreamt of that thing for years.” “Naru was holding on to it till It’s master returned,” Maki said as she clamped it on Yue’s arm. Before Yue could say a word, she was escorted out the front door. Yue spun around to find a brick wall where she had just come from. When she got to school, she found Dani-sensei and Mai-san also had similar amulets on their arms.
  14. Ryumise: out-of-the-shop day. Welcome to Ryumise! In this shop dreams take flight and live, Legends and wishes can be made real, And anything can be found for the right price. But take care, For nightmares are also dreams, Wishes do not always bring happiness, And sometimes. . .the price is simply too high. Unless the store is closed….. It was a hot summer day; Maki was sitting in the front of the store, wearing her blue jean cutoffs and a white tee shirt. Naru was in the back, changing into an Arabian princess costume. “Tell me again why we needed to move the pickled food barrels,” Maki asked. “They were spoiling,” Naru called back. “So why did we take them through the store?” Maki questioned, sounding irritated. “Because the trash guys won’t pick it up,” Naru said as she changed her hair color to a dishwater blond. “And who was it that insisted on carrying the barrel that spilled that putrid liquid on the AC?” Maki pressed yet again. “Ok it’s my fault I spilled the brine on the AC and killed it! Happy now?!?” Naru said as she came in, looking angry. “Well, the repair man should be here soon. Let’s lock up the magics for now,” Maki said as she stood and drew some stray magic to herself. “All that resonates with this I touch vanish to the plane of old, sealed till we call again,” the girls chanted, as all the magic items in the room vanished from sight, leaving the room suddenly half empty. The door chimed as a gruff, “Hello?” called out. “Over here!” Naru called as she headed to the door. The repair man’s jaw dropped as he saw Naru running up to him. “Um, I’m here to fix an AC unit,” he said eyes glued to Naru. “It’s back here,” Naru said with a grin as she led the man to the AC unit in the back of the store. “Phew, what happened?” the man said as he held his nose. “Well, we had a mishap with a barrel of rotten, pickled daikons,” Maki said as she walked up. “It spilled and we need the unit replaced ASAP. Otherwise our business will take a hit.” “Alright, I’ll have this replaced by this evening, although I will have to charge overtime for the rush,” the man said as he looked it over. “Okay that’s fine,” Maki turned and looked at Naru. “So, what do we do in the meantime? If we stay here, you’re going to distract him from his job.” “I know! Let’s go see the twins and Kaname!” Naru said with an excited grin. “We haven’t been over since the statue incident.” “You know Kaname will probably find a way to make us pay for that,” Maki said as she headed to the front of the store. “So? At least there will be AC!” Naru said with a wistful look on her face. “Alright, let’s go then,” Maki said as she grabbed some sun-block and put some on. “Mister Repairman, we’ll be back this evening. Leave the bill on the bar if you get done early, or if we’re late and we’ll take care of it tomorrow,” Naru said as she too put on some sun-block. The girls went to a deserted street and touched an open doorway, opening a portal. They stepped into the portal and were instantly whisked into an abandoned building just outside of Chinatown. They walked about two blocks into Chinatown and stopped in front of a building with a weathered sign hanging over the door stating “Antique Shop of Dreams.” As they entered, Satsuki and Nadeshiko turned and cried out “Hey, guys!!” as they waved cheerfully. Kaname was seated in front of the air-conditioner, dressed in her tank top and cut-offs. She looked like she had just come in from the heat recently as sweat was still clinging to her forehead. Satsuki was dressed in a yukata decorated with Chinese dragons, and Nadeshiko’s yukata was decorated with birds. A wind chime could be heard from somewhere near the AC. “What are you doing here, Naru, Maki?” Kaname asked, turning to look at them with an extremely annoyed look. “Our air-conditioning broke,” Maki said as she stepped closer to the AC. “So we hoped to hang out here until it’s replaced. The repairman said it would be done this evening.” Naru and the twins sat in the corner, complimenting each other on their outfits while the cat dozed on the counter. “So why should I let you stay here again?” Kaname asked, slowly standing up. “Last time you were here, you broke a statue.” “Yeah, about that. . .” Maki started, as she reached into her pocket. “And that statue had a demon, who wanted to destroy Earth, sealed in it, and two of the Guardians had to come here to help with it. And it still took three hours for all of us to seal him away again. You still haven’t repaid me for that,” Kaname went on, staring at the two visitors, as if she hadn’t heard them. “We said we were sorry, and we even tried to help,” Naru said, sounding irritated with the conversation. “It’s not our fault the Oni feed off of chaos magic.” “Hey, Kaname! Calm down!” Satsuki said. “How about we play a game of Rich Man, Poor Man?” Nadeshiko said, hastily. Ten minutes later, Kaname was the King, Nadeshiko and Satsuki were the Noble (Wo)Men, and Naru and Maki were the Poor (Wo)Men. “Yay!! We won!!” Nadeshiko and Satsuki jumped up and down happily. “So what’s the penalty game?” Maki asked, looking disappointed. “You’ll be running a delivery for me,” Kaname said suddenly, in a voice that left no room for argument. “I need you to go to Subaras to deliver something to Alexis for me.” “What are we delivering?” Naru asked. “Come upstairs and you’ll see.” Kaname replied with a grin that made Maki and Naru’s hearts sink a little. The procession filed upstairs and into the Portal Room. The portal flipped through several places before stopping on a door made of black metal. Kaname touched it and it rippled, as if it was a pool of water. Her hand went in, and withdrew with a small flat, round package. She handed it to Maki and said, “That’s what you’re delivering. And I’ll be keeping an eye on you, so don’t you dare try to look at it. And this might help a little.” She handed Naru a small item, which looked like a rolled up carpet, hanging from a short chain. “Where’s Subaras, and who’s Alexis?” Naru asked. “Alexis is one of the Guardians. I would suggest that you stay on his good side. And Subaras is. . .” Kaname said as she circled around behind Maki and Naru. When she got behind them, she suddenly shoved them through the portal, just as it showed a desert. As the girls tumbled through the portal, they suddenly felt heat radiating at them. As they landed in a sea of sand, Maki said something unintelligible, quickly casting a small spell that caused ice to appear below her and Naru. “That jerk Kaname! Leaving us in the middle of a desert without any directions as to where we’re going!” Naru complained. “And no wind to cool us!” “Perfect,” Maki said as she reached down and grabbed a handful of sand. Tugging on the magic in the area, she chanted. “Which way will we find Alexis? Will you tell me sands?” She let the sand trickle through her fingers and it started to look as if a wind was blowing, even though there was none. “Let’s hurry, so we can get into the AC,” Naru moaned as they headed in the direction the sand indicated. “Hey, what about the item Kaname sent with us?” she asked after several minutes. “We’re not going to use it. She’d probably charge us a rental fee for the use of it,” Maki said as she took it from her. After several hours, they found a small oasis that they stopped at and cooled off. After another few hours, they found a small hut sitting in the middle of the desert. They approached it to find that it was built in front of an oasis, and housed camels to trade for tired camels of the travelers in a hurry. As they approached the building, they saw a camel approaching at a fast clip. They knocked on the door as the camel slowed to a stop. A tall, gloomy sort of guy wearing jeans, worn boots and a large light colored cloak over it climbed off the camel. His black hair was pulled into a short ponytail, and his black eyes seemed to glare at them. He had a jagged scar on his right cheek from cheekbone to jaw line and the large, worn sword strapped on his back seemed to show he was capable of dealing with anything that came his way. “Who are you two? You don’t work here, do you?” the man said coldly. “No, we’re just looking for someone,” Maki said with a sigh. “You wouldn’t know someone named Alexis, would you?” The man sighed and glared at Naru who was trying to cool off in the oasis, “Well, you found him.” He turned and took the package Maki offered while he muttered something about never seeing Kaname anymore. He turned and got on the camel and left. “Naru, I’m leaving now. Are you coming?” Instantly Naru was over next to Maki, helping with a portal to go back to the shop. Naru and Maki came jumping through the portal, looking very haggard and tired. Sweat and sand was plastered to them as they glared at Kaname. “Kaname, you jerk!! You sent us to a desert!!” Maki complained. “Why did you do that to us!? It totally ruined my look!” Naru demanded as she motioned to her tattered outfit. Kaname didn’t bother to look up from the newspaper she was reading. “1: you’ve sufficiently repaid me for breaking that statue. 2: none of the rest of us wanted to go to the desert, so you were kind enough to go. Right?” she asked with a pointed glance. “And 3: the girls and I are going to a summer festival this evening over in Japan. Do you want to come?” Naru and Maki sank to the floor exhausted, while Satsuki and Nadeshiko got them some iced tea. Yue was on the counter still dozing away, seemingly indifferent to the visitors. FIN  
  15. Ryumise side story: the birthday Welcome to Ryumise! In this shop dreams take flight and live, Legends and wishes can be made real, And anything can be found for the right price. But take care, For nightmares are also dreams, Wishes do not always bring happiness, And sometimes. . .the price is simply too high. “Hey, Naru! What are you doing in there??” asked a tall woman as she carried a small grandfather clock through a nearly hidden path through the mess in the storeroom. She wore a black t-shirt with a pair of faded blue jeans. As her ice blue eyes glanced around the area for any unknown obstacle, the calendar captured her attention. The calendar announced with bold print and big letters: August 12. Next to the date was a small drawing of a cake. “I’m making some toast and goat cheese sandwiches. You want one, Maki??” asked a girl as she popped her head around the corner, revealing an identical face. This woman wore a ‘sailor scout’ school uniform, her dark red hair was pulled back into pigtails. “Never mind that! We’re late! Today is his birthday!” Maki said as she dropped the clock, rushed further back in the storage area and started to frantically dig through things looking for something. Naru rushed to the door and switched the sign to say ‘Closed’. Then she hurriedly locked the door and rushed back to start digging through things, trying to find something. “How about the ‘Unending cup of tea’?” Naru asked as she pulled a large plastic gas station mug up. “No, we had that last year. How about this one? A ticket to the Country Stampede?” Maki asked as she held up a piece of paper. “When would he go??” Naru asked as she caught sight of a large recliner sitting in the back of the area. Pointing to it she asked, “How about the Lazy-man supreme comfort chair?” “Then when would we see him?” Maki said with an exasperated look. “Seriously, we only see him once a year as it is.” “Sorry! If someone had kept a closer eye on the date, this wouldn’t be happening in the first place.” Naru said as she cleared off a trunk and started to dig through it. “How about this pocket watch?” “He’s turning 3,242 years old! You think he wants a reminder of how much time has passed?” Maki asked as she continued searching, ignoring her sister’s complaints. “How about the Ghost Rider’s motorcycle??” “Like we’d even be able to track him down, let alone get him to part with it. How about the endless gas can?” Naru asked, growing more and more frustrated. “No, it’ll run out. The enchantment wore out after the latest price hike, remember?” Maki said as she turned to catch a glimpse of the perfect gift. “You don’t think…” she started as she touched Naru’s shoulder. “You’re right! It’s perfect!” Naru said as she saw what Maki was indicating. “Then let’s go!” Maki said as she grabbed it. She stepped over to a chest of drawers, opened the top drawer and pulled out a pair of rings. They put them on and instantly their surroundings vanished and they reappeared in front of a large abandoned castle. The countryside was covered with blackened grass and there were dried and dead vines and bushes surrounding the walls. Naru came up to the gates and with a touch they swung inward. The inside was as dead and desolate as the outside. The once beautiful rose bushes and ivy that grew up the walls were dead and faded, only a single delicate pink blossom clung to a branch of the Sakura tree in the main courtyard. “It seems he’s not forgotten after all these years,” Maki said as they approached the main entrance. “Of course not. She’d never let him live it down,” Naru said as they opened this door with the same amount of ease as last time. As they approached the audience chamber, they slowed slightly, making sure to avoid the traps set to discourage intruders. When they arrived at the doors, they stopped and set their hands against the huge splintery doors. With a small tug on the magic in the room they said in unison, “I ask for passage through these unsettled mists to the palace of our fathers and to pay our respects there.” With a small sigh and groan, the doors opened to reveal an elaborate throne room filled with every color imaginable. As they stepped through the yawning gates and into the room, a ripple flowed out, instantly rejuvenating everything in the area. The throne was a simple ‘Spartan’ like affair--two blocks of solid granite with a small indentation for the comfort of who ever sat there. As they approached the throne, they could see tables set out with their gifts from previous years for all to see. They drew nearer and nearer as a semi-transparent image started to take form on the throne. “Happy birthday, Father,” the women said as they handed the box they had hastily put the present into to the figure on the throne. “Thank you my ‘daughters’,” the man said as he took the box and opened it. With a chuckle, he took out the book they had packaged and opened the cover. “A photo album with pictures of me and her. Thank you for the gift, Naru and Maki.” He began fading as they stood there smiling at each other. “It seems that Yue is waking. I must go now, but enjoy the sake and stay as long as you like.” “Sure thing, Dad!” Maki said with an energetic smile. As he vanished with a wisp of smoke, the castle was once again in its desolate and empty shape. “Too bad he had to leave,” Maki said with a sigh. “Don’t expect him to remember that he is the life-blood of the palace. After all he turned 3,242 years old today,” Naru said as they made their way out and back to the shop via the rings. “I know, let’s go to a restaurant and celebrate for him!” As they left the building, they caught sight of a young girl approaching. She wore a pair of cut off shorts and a red shirt bearing the logo of a local pizza chain. In her hand was a large pizza bag and she moved very quickly as if to make up for lost time. Her black hair was pulled back into a braid that went down to the middle of her back. “Excuse me, is the intersection of Ichi and Kage near here?” she asked in flawless Japanese as she looked at them through her copper colored eyes. “Sorry, it’s about twenty blocks that way,” Maki answered, pointing down the street. “Okay, thanks,” the girl said as she took off. “Happy birthday, Father,” the girls muttered as they watched her speed off. OOC: a birthday present that turned out better than intended.
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