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Post by Yuffie on Apr 25, 2006 17:40:32 GMT -5
(For Axael and Yuffie only)
There is a land of a lengthy distance from here, where darkness reigns. The sun never shines, and the people, are like lifeless zombies, doing the bidding of their evil master.
This land, many a mystic has written about, but one such mystic has journeyed there and back, and has accounts for every scar on his back. His son, born on when the twilight was full, inherited powers as great as his fathers, and now, it is his duty as shaman, to conquer the evils of this other land, seeping and deceiving its way into his.
His eyes opened as the pain in his head grew. "What the heck was that?" he shouted, sitting up almost immediately. He looked around, searching for the culprit who had dared to make him feel such pain. That's when he noticed them; two squirrels, angrily hording acorns, just to pelt in his direction.
"What did I ever do to you?" He asked angrily. His reply, another acorn to the cranium. Suddenly, he heard a bell ringing in the distance. That meant it was time for school, and the doors would be closing soon.
"Aw come on!!" He exclaimed, running down the hill, leaving the tree and the squirrels in his wake. The acorns still falling around him like rain. Suddenly, he lost his footing, and ended up tumbling down the hill like a small ball of half-elf.
"Watch out!!!" he managed to yell, as he rolled through the village market.
"What the hell is wrong with you you crazy kid!!" A villager yelled, from his new position on his derriere.
"Sorry!!" He called back, sheepishly, as he rolled right to the bottom step of his school, stopping him immediately.
Quickly, he hurried up hundreds of steps, to the martial arts institution. A school with a 5-story pagoda in the middle. The doors were just closing, he had reached just in time, when...'Slam!'. Dust blew up in his face.
He lay there panting on the ground, and feebly knocked the thick doors. "Master Wen...Master...please...open the door...." he tiredly pleaded.
"Open the door? For what reason??" a voice boomed gruffly in reply.
"I am a student of this school....I deserve an education..." He replied.
"Well...if I had had my way Alek, you wouldn't BE in this institution." Master Wen replied.
Alek whimpered softly.
"I don't know how to punish you anymore....I've done everything in the rulebook. You've cleaned the toilets, the steps, the pagoda, given the headmaster a bath, cleaned the weapons, spent nights in meditation," he sighed, and continued on with the long list of punishments Alek had gained, over the 11 years he'd been there.
"...And all of them for coming late repeatedly. I honestly don't see why we shouldn't expel you."
"Don't expel me Master!! Remember, I have potential." Alek defended.
"Thats what the headmaster thinks. Most other teachers believe that its because you're father is such a prominent shaman. They aren't even sure you're his son." Master Wen said thoughtfully.
"Please Master...I'll try next time. I promise."
Reluctantly, Master Wen opened the door a crack, and let the lanky boy slip through. "That's what you said the last 10,000 times.
"It can't have been that many." Alek said confidently as he headed for his class.
"Oh really? Why don't you check the records next time?" Master Wen replied, walking away from the stunned teen.
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Post by -Axael- on Apr 26, 2006 10:30:24 GMT -5
Out in the courtyard a crowd had gathered. Cheering and applause could be heard as two people stood in the center, moving about.
"You know you cant win little girl," said a young man, apparently in his late teens, as he danced around a frail looking child.
The girl, standing only 5'4" with fire red hair that was tied in a pony tail behind her head closed her eyes and placed both hands behind her, smiling confidently. Selene, a 16 year-old wearing light blue tank top, white sneakers, and a pair of green shorts, with an even shorter temper just stood there like a zombie and waited for the fool before her to move.
"Are you petrified already?" asked the young man in a mocking tone. "Dont worry, it'll all be over in a minute. I'll teach you to run your mouth."
He lunged forward at the girl from behind with a straight right at her head but she casually just stepped to the left and turned right then thrusted her left knee into the waiting rib cage of the stunned boy. She chuckled, still not opening her eyes, and took a step back from his hunched body then leapt into the air, bringing her right foot under his head to knock him over unto his back then landed with both legs together on the chest of his white shirt.
Laughing to herself, she stepped off the coughing boy's body and opened her eyes, staring into the stunned crowd around her.
"I didnt lie did I? I really did beat him with my eyes closed and my hands behind my back."
Turning right, the bent over and grabbed her pink bag from the ground and slung it over one shoulder and walked through a path created for her by the shocked students. She looked to her right and noticed Alek hurrying to class and shook her head.
"Hey Alek!!" she called while waving and smiling innocently. "Your late again? Havent you already been through every punishment the school has to offer?"
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Post by Yuffie on Apr 26, 2006 17:35:45 GMT -5
(character switch ^^)
She smiled at him as he stopped near her panting. Alek was possibly the best friend she ever had, and the only guy who she found worthwhile beating. Alek had an unknouwn sorce of power, almos seemingly unlimited...and he was always late for class.
"I don't know how you even get good grades. The rest of us are just barely scrapping through." She pretended to complain, knowing full well that her grades were just as good, her being the top girl of their martial arts class that is.
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Post by -Axael- on Apr 27, 2006 17:55:21 GMT -5
Alek slowed to a stop and bent over, placing his hands on his knees and huffing like an out of breath horse.
"What...do...you want...Selene?"
Of all the people for him to encounter in his hurry, it had to be that psycho who thought his face was just the cutest punching bag ever made. A prodigy, Selene was one of the few students that studied with a senior class and the only one who skipped ahead...three years!!
The boy looked back at the young man lying on the ground in the fetal position, hugging his rib cage a few feet away from where he had stopped.
"Whats the deal with him?"
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Post by Yuffie on Apr 28, 2006 22:48:48 GMT -5
"Nothing really, it was just some sort of fight. He thought he could hurt me," Selene replied slowly. She smiled cheerily at Alek, totally ignoring the funny look he returned.
"Anyway," She went on smoothly, lowering her voice, "I was hoping we could go to The Dark Market tonight. There are some healing herbs that i need to purchase urgently."
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Post by -Axael- on May 1, 2006 14:34:43 GMT -5
"Sure," he said quickly. "Thats only if you can convince the dean to let me off easily this time. If I'm lucky, I may only have to pick up the trash after school for 3 hours."
He straightened his body and looked into the pagoda ahead with a bit of fear. He was already late and yet he tarried and talked with this girl...this wasnt good. To make things worse, the class he feared and hated most was the one he was late for...Spirit Communication.
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Post by Yuffie on May 1, 2006 17:46:03 GMT -5
Selene watched him as he stared worriedly at the pagoda. He really does have pretty eyes like they said, she thought absently. "Wait! What am I thinking?? That's no way to think about a friend!!" she exclaimed loudly.
Alek immediately shot her a quizzical look, and she laughed uneasily as his mouth opened to make a statement.
"Ah...I've been...uh....practicing...yes practicing...for a...uh...play!" she quickly covered.
Alek shook his head and started toward the pagoda. "Uh, wait!! I'm coming with you!" she exclaimed, hurriedly running after him.
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Post by -Axael- on May 3, 2006 16:58:30 GMT -5
Alek ran as fast as he could, not noticing Selene behind him and stopped right at a door. He aligned his back to the wall and carefully peered in at a waiting class and a busy instructor. There at the front of the room stood a man, maybe 5 or 6 feet tall wearing a white long sleeved shirt and light brown pants with thinning hair and a pair of thin framed eyeglasses hanging from his nose.
"Ok now, who can explain why we use familiars when testing certain spells?" he asked turning to face the class. His eyes darted towards the large door in time to see it finnish closing and looked around the class with a raised eyebrow and turned back to the board before an answer to his question could be given.
Overhead, Alek hung upside down from the ceiling above his empty seat, suspended by a blue glow where hsi hands and feet touched the ceiling, and shook nervously as the man wrote on the board. His head torned down to look at a friend below who looked up and nodded then pulled his seat back enough for Alek to fall into. Releasing his hold on the ceiling, Alek fell suddenly and flips in mid air then landed in his seat silently. A quick sigh and a deep breath followed, then he placed his bag on the ground beside him and looked up only to feel a fist in the back of his head.
"Hey!" he screamed turning around. "Whats the deal?"
"Your late for class again Alek," replied the teacher, adjusting his falling glasses over his nose.
Alek's head swung around multiple times between the man behind him and the one at the board until the one at the front of the room slowly vanished.
"But how did you-?"
"Doesnt matter, you have detention again today. Now go see the dean."
Hanging his head, he slowly rose from his seat and walked out of the laughter filled room of students. He vanished out the door and walked past Selene without saying a word, heading for his least favorite place of all.
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Post by Yuffie on May 3, 2006 21:26:20 GMT -5
Selene stared at the open classroom door, and then at Alek slowly disappearing around the corner. "Bye!" she exclaimed, before turning and running after her friend.
"No worries!" she exclaimed. "The dean'll go easy on you this time. You were just in time for school weren't you? I'll just explain that it was my fault from keeping you from your class." she said smiling cheerfully, hoping it would lift his spirits. The downcast look he shot at her made her feel otherwise.
"Alek?" she asked, the happiness in her voice turning to the only other emotion she had ever shown, solemnity. He sat down in the chair next to the closed door, with the plaque "Dean" written on it. She sat beside him silently, and waited for the creaking of the door, to signify both their fates.
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Post by -Axael- on May 12, 2006 14:12:57 GMT -5
His wait was a short one as minutes after he sat down the door opened and the two walked in. A cold chill ran up his spine as he entered this dark room he was already so familiar with and took a seat on the mat behind the man facing away from the door.
"Alek. How nice to see you again."
The man addressing him wore a long dark blue kinono then folded at the sleeves to just reveal his wrist. On the back was the picture of a Sakura tree in full bloom and the petals gently falling into a pond below.
"M-Master Yu..." he replied sheepishly. "I can explain."
"No need Alek. Its the same as always."
Yu rose to his feet and walked over to a shelf suspended on the wall then retrieved a scroll and turned to face the boy. His face, emotionless and cold, was amplified by the dim light to make it seem much scarier than it really should.
"Do you know what this is?" he asked while holding the scroll up.
"Its a scr-"
"Its a record of all the punishments you've aquired over the years," he interrupted. "I started to keep track after the first dozen times we saw each other in the same month."
He unravelled the scroll and allowed its length to fall to the ground then started to read from the top downwards as he listed the various punishments and the number of times he has done each. He stopped after thre minutes of continued reading and looked over the object to see a half-asleep Alek collapse and start to snore.
"ALEK!" he screamed and stomped the ground to wake the boy.
The surprised boy jumped from his and sat straight up, then used his sleeve to wipe away the small amount of droll that had collected at the side of his mouth.
The Dean growled to himself and looked back down at the scroll then frowned even more.
"You've been through every punishment this school has to offer at least ten times. We've even had to invent new and innovative punishments just for you as a way of curbing your behavior."
Yu quickly rolled the scroll back up and held it in his palm while looking down at the frightened pair. His midnight black eyes pierced into their souls and released a sudden feeling of fear within them.
"This night. You will stay after detention and clean evry window on every floor of this pagoda....inside and out. Now get back to class."
Alek rose to his feet and turned towards the door, just happy he got off so easily and started a walk when Master Yu's voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Wait," he called out.
"Is there more?" Alek asked with a trembling voice.
"Selene," Yu started, "why are you here with this trouble maker?"
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Post by Yuffie on May 13, 2006 12:40:34 GMT -5
Selene stood up and looked the dean squarely in the eye. She had learned from training with him as a young child that only two emotions were necessary in life: happiness, and solemnity, and those were the ones she knew how to show, even in his prescence. While her best friend slowly turned to await another punishment, and possible blows to the head, she took a deep breath.
"I am here, to state that it was my fault for keeping Alek away from his class. He was not late at first, but I had stopped him with an important errand, and caused him to be innevitably late." She stated simply.
The dean's dark eyes probed her face for any hint that she was lying. He rubbed his chin, and finally sighed. "Alright then," he grunted, "it seems that you Alek, are off the hook for today. You Selene, you and I will have a little talk this evening when you get home after running your little....errand."
Selene gave a little bow and calmly, yet forcefully, pushed a stunned Alek out the door. She shut it behind them.
"Wow, I can't believe I got let off so easily," Alek breathed a belated sigh of relief. "This has never happened to me before Selene....Selene?" he looked around, but the fiery red-head had disappeared.
***
Selene sat in the Meditation Hall, not really meditating, but rather, letting her mind wander about things that were to come. She had to get those herbs from the Dark Market, and she had to get them tonight. She wasn't sure why, what was wrong, or what was going to happen, but she knew it was bad, and the herbs she saw in her dream were going to help in some way.
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Post by -Axael- on May 26, 2006 18:25:30 GMT -5
Walking back to class, his mind was troubled with what exactly it could have been that seemed to trouble the unshakable Selene. His wandering mind seemed to travel quite a bit away from its normal place, as soon...he found himself outside.
"Oh crap!" He shouted, and began a sprint back to his class.
The door opened and closed and several eyes fell on him, as well as the teacher's. Keeping his calm demeanor, he walked to his seat and ignored all the snickering and rude comments being made by his classmates. He pulled his chair out and bent over to take a seat but stopped and reached down to remove a piece of gum before he sat.
The teacher chuckled to himself from his place at the front of the room, then turned back around and continued his duties.
"Alek-sempai," A voice behind him whispered. "What did you get this time?"
"I got off easy," Alek replied. "Not too sure why..."
"Huh? Old man Yu went easy on you?"
"Yeah, I think it has to do with Selene..."
"Selene huh? I wonder what it could b-.."
"No talking you two!" Exclaimed the teacher at the front of the class, grabbing at his falling eyeglasses.
The two boys chuckled and sat up straight in their seats, Alek just waiting for the day to end already so he can go find his friend. His mind wandered once again and a question came into his mind.
'Healing herbs? Are those even sold at the Dark Market?'
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Post by Yuffie on May 26, 2006 18:53:09 GMT -5
Selene looked up from her bento box at the question Alek just blurted out infront of her. She chewed silently on a pickle and watched him flop down beside her, apple in hand. She swallowed slowly and went for another pickle.
"Selene come on, can't I atleast get an answer?" he asked.
Selene put down her chopsticks. "Not just any old healing herbs. The ones I need are very rare: Snowflower drops. They are very important because they are auspicious for the both of us."
"Aus-what?" Alek repeated.
"Auspicious. It means, lucky. If we get them at the auspicious time tonight...I'm sure whatever it was i dreamt last night can't possibly..." she trailed off. She had already said too much.
"What does that mean?" Alek questioned.
"It's nothing...eat your apple." She ordered silently chewing, while her mind brooded over her dream. This dream was not an ordinary one. Something terrible was going to happen...and it involved both her an Alek. She could clearly sense that some evil was encroaching on the village. She just didnt know how much longer it would take to appear.
"Selene?" The voice interupted her thoughts.
"What is it?"
"You just spilled soy sauce all over your uniform."
Selene looked down and sighed. "It was bound to happen." She simply uttered. Then, handing Alek her lunch she walked towards the bathrooms.
"What should I..."
"Eat it." She said, reading his mind quickly.
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