The gobôsei had always been a mysterious symbol… Monotheistic religions associated it with the polytheistic religions, thus viewing it as a symbol of darkness and evil. It later became the symbol of Wicca and the other so-called pagan religions. Perhaps this association was not so farfetched, given that those ancient polytheistic religions were widely known as the greatest users of magic. It is said that before documented history, the world was divided among five kings. Each of their kingdoms existed at one of the five corners of the earth… And hidden within those kingdoms, the powers of the gobôsei slept, awaiting their rebirth every one thousand years…

~~~~
Tickets had gone on sale…
The fans eagerly gobbled them up…
They learned all the words…
And they requested day and night…
The day was finally here…
MILLENNIUM.
~~~~

The stage loomed in the center of the stadium, its pentagon sides claimed to be “in the round.” The area, which at any other moment was covered in darkness with only the pyrotechnics and lighting systems to provide a clear image of its form, stood in plain sight equally gray amid the expanse of concrete surrounding its elevated walls. Pentagonal rows of hard folding chairs emanated from its sides, for those who were lucky enough to have scored the seats, or those who happened to pay a great sum for them. The equipment for the proceedings lay in clear view as well. Costumes rolled toward the stage on endless wheeled hangers. The floor was littered with technical staff testing microphones and roadies carrying large crates of water and food. The show would play that night; the scene was an utter fiasco. Amid the chaos, five men stood on top of the pentagonal stage, microphones in hand, staring at each other and the scene around them with ease. This was not the first time, nor the last, it was only an average day in their lives.

A blonde haired man with sparkling blue eyes turned his head slightly from the microphone in his hand. Though large in stature, his face was youthful and exuberant. He wore a short sleeved white t-shirt, emblazoned with a popular brand’s logo, that hung just below the waist of his jeans. His shirt proclaimed “just do it,” a reflection of his youthful exuberance. His blonde bangs fell into his eyes lightly; he brushed them away quickly with one sweep of his hand; “The contest winners should be here any minute, right?” he questioned, bringing the microphone back to its stand.

Another blonde haired man turned to the aforementioned blonde momentarily. His jaw was square, his hair slightly curled, and his blue eyes almost gray in appearance. His height seemed average, but of the five, he was on the shorter side. He wore a light blue t-shirt over jeans and a large silver watch covered his wrist. He studied it intently, following the hand as it passed each second in the round; “Yeah, they should be.”

Two others stood closely together. Both had brown hair and brown eyes, those one hid those eyes behind the rims of dark tinted sunglasses. The one in sunglasses spiked his short hair and wore a goatee on sharp jaw. His ears were covered with piercings, and his arms in tattoos. His tattoos were showcased by his black tank top, below which he wore jeans. He lifted a water bottle to his lips and proceeded to take a long swig. The other tied his brown hair back into a long, curled ponytail. He did, however, also wear facial hair, though his jaw was more rounded. He wore two piercings in his left ear. He wore a white t-shirt over a pair of jeans. He smiled back at the young blonde, almost looking up at his tall frame; “It’s always good to meet our fans.”

The final man on stage exuded wisdom. His years were not so far beyond the others, but his presence still gave off his superior intellect. His black hair was spiked and he also wore facial hair on his square jaw. His alert green eyes rested beneath his bushy black eyebrows, a sure sign of character. His height was close to that of the youngest. His green t-shirt reflected the coloring of his eyes, and his light wash jeans accented it nicely. He nodded to the last man to speak, “Definitely. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to do this.”

The other four men nodded and smiled in agreement. The day was finally there. The anticipation only mounted with time.

~~~~

The crowd outside the arena was growing in the crisp summer air of the afternoon. Each member of the crowd clutched their passes proudly as they dangled from their necks. This was their exclusive sign of superiority, it meant that they alone were destined to cross paths with the five superstars inside. The feeling was almost exhilarating. One group of four stood out in particular among this crowd; two girls and two boys. Perhaps it was because they were already paired off, or perhaps it was because one member among them had a large scowl on his face.

The scowling blonde boy put his hand to his face. His green-blue eyes seemed to reflect the grimace on his lips as his eyebrows narrowed toward them. His blue polo shirt and dark wash jeans reflected the blue coloring of his eyes, though they were encompassed by his menacing expression. “Honestly. Why did you make me come? I don’t like the Backstreet Boys.” Every other word seemed to snarl, though he put the deepest emphasis on the contraction.

The brunette girl put her hand to her hips, bringing attention to the skirt of her short blue dress. Framed by her long bangs, her face and brown eyes gained an annoyed quality as she looked at the blonde boy. “But you love me, right?” she asked, her expression reflected her annoyance, but her lips carried an almost arrogant smirk, knowing the answer.

The blonde boy turned his head, his bangs brushing against his eyes, “Not right now.”

The brunette pouted for a moment, then shrugged her shoulders. Her face seemed to laugh at his unfortunate situation. “Besides, I won this from Best Hits, so who else could I get to come on such short notice?” She began pulling the charm on her necklace across its chain; playing with the golden pentagram was an annoying habit.

The blonde boy crossed his arms and gave a smirk, “I would have paid someone else to go in my place.”

A black haired boy with almond colored eyes gave the blonde boy a smile. His ponytail hung below the collar of his black Chinese-style shirt, stitched with red embroidered accents. “It’s not so bad. Their music is really good.”

A second girl, a blonde with gray-blue eyes let out a loud giggle as she put her hands to her face. Her hair had been done up in buns tied with bright white bows. She wore a previous tour’s shirt, which seemed too large on her small body, over khaki pants. “They have such beautiful voices,” she nodded cheerfully, “And they’re cute too.”

The arena’s security guards opened the doors to the crowd. It seemed to be an ocean of people, continuously flowing through the open doors. They flowed through the empty halls toward the entrances to the arena. They seemed like beacons to Heaven, for most of the crowd at least. Upon entering the arena, they were filled with all kinds of emotions, their eyes welling up with tears or the sparkle on their faces growing with each moment as they parted their lips. Down the stairs, and to the concrete ground, these emotions continued to escalate. Down the center aisles of the rows of pentagonal folding chairs, they made their way to the center stage. From a distance, the top of the stage had held five blobs, but on closer examination, the faces of the five stars came into view. Whether standing or sitting, the moment they saw the excited faces of the crowd, their faces lit up also.

The blonde hair man with slightly curled hair and a square jaw smiled to the crowd, “Hi, welcome to the sound check.”

The girl with her blonde hair done up in buns clasped her hands tightly, “They’re even cuter in person… And so nice too…”

The blonde haired boy rolled his eyes and stepped away from her slowly, “Teenybopper…”

His snide comment passed over the blonde girl’s head; “Look at AJ with those shades… He’s so mysterious…”

The black haired boy with a ponytail laughed. He imitated the motion of pulling sunglasses down his nose and gave a flashy movie star smile, “If I wore sunglasses, would I be mysterious too?”

Again the comment went through one ear and out the other; “And all his tattoos are so sexy…”

The blonde haired boy had made his way over to the brunette, who was laughing cheerily, “You’re so cute Kiku-chan.”

The blonde put his hand to his head, which he shook lightly. “Weren’t you the one who won this contest?” His voice gained an exasperated tone, “So why is she acting this way?”

The blonde haired girl, Kiku, continued to ignore them. “And his facial hair is so hot…” She sighed wistfully.

In her moment of sheer oblivious bliss at seeing AJ, a hand reached for one of her white bows. The rolling laughter of a man’s voice followed the hand’s motion, “Bows. Beep, beep.” He pulled on one of the white bows playfully.

The sunglasses toting man named AJ appeared in the midst of the group. He put his hand to his head and tried to hide the laughter in his voice by exuding an annoyance with the other man’s stupidity. “Nick…” He shook his head sadly.

Unaware of Nick standing at her side, having since released her bow, Kiku’s face lit up at the sight of AJ before her. It was as though no one else was in the room but the rebel in sunglasses. She reached out her arms in her excitement and unwittingly hit Nick in the face. “AJ!!!!”

Nick whined and covered his face with his hands in an inflated fashion, attempting to bring attention to his misfortune. “Oww…” he sniffled, “She hit me in the face…”

Kiku, still unaware of Nick, began hopping up and down. She clasped her hands near her face once more, “OhmyGod! OhmyGod! OhmyGod!” She squealed excitedly, “Can I have a hug, AJ?”

AJ smiled slightly, “Sure…”

Nick continued to sniffle and pointed to himself, “She hit me in the face…”

AJ gave Kiku a tight hug and Kiku’s face lit up as though it was bathed in sunlight.

Nick blinked tearfully as he pulled on AJ’s shirt and continued to whine, “Listen…”

The man with the ponytail put his hand to his face, trying to muffle his laughter, “I think you deserved it Nick…”

Nick shook his head forcefully and continued to whine, “Did not, Howie…”

The brunette tiptoed up to him as he continued whining to his fellow singer and wrapped her arms around him tightly from behind.

Nick shifted his eyes in her direction, “Didn’t have to ask permission, did you?”

She shook her head and laughed cheerily, “No way. Us Nick fans know how to go after what we want.”

Nick began to laugh, her laughter was just so infectious. “And you are…”

She smiled, “Mariko, nice to finally meet you.”

She pointed to each of her friends in turn, the blonde-haired girl, the boy with the black ponytail, and the blonde haired boy; “That’s Kiku, the happy one is Yasuo, and the upset one is Makato.”

Makato clenched his fists and frowned, “I’m not upset!”

Yasuo turned away from him quickly and attempted to mumble, “Of course not… You’re just moping…”

Makato let out a low growl, “Listen you…”

Of the five singers, only the tall man with black hair and bushy eyebrows stood on stage. He smiled a little, “Who’s ready to get this sound check on?”

Nick gave him a quick thumbs up, “You bet, Kevin!” He and the other three boys trudged through the crowd toward the pentagonal stage.

Kiku hugged her arms as she watched them climb the steps to the stage; “Nothing like a hug from AJ…” she sighed, “Nope, nope, nope, nope.”

Yasuo snapped his fingers, “Darn it! I should have gotten a hug too!”

Makato raised an eyebrow suspiciously, “Why?”

Yasuo began to laugh a gestured toward Kiku and her long embrace with herself, “Nothing like instant happiness.”

Makato managed a weak smile.

~~~~

The stadium had filled to capacity since the sound check had ended. Every seat in each pentagonal row of seats had been filled. As far as the eye could see, there were brightly decorated signs with hearts and rows of posters and pin-ups. Near the center of one of the first pentagonal rows Makato, Mariko, Kiku, and Yasuo sat calmly in their seats. Mariko held a CD tightly in her hands, as though she was giving it a quick hug. “Finally… I got their autographs…” she smiled, “This is instant happiness… And a hug from Nick.” She laughed cheerily once more.

Kiku leaned back in her seat, “I’m gonna jump on stage and hug AJ again…”

Yasuo and Mariko turned to each other quickly, both shaking their heads. They each latched on to one of Kiku’s wrists, attempting to pin her to her chair.

“I got her arm!” Yasuo exclaimed.

“Me too!”

Kiku let out a whine, “Hey!”

As the lights began to dim, a shriek emerged from the crowd. In sync with each other, each person stood from their seats and began squealing and jumping with the music that began pouring from the sound system. From the rafters, the singing sensations appeared on boogey boards and the crowd continued to shriek in unison. The sound almost overpowered the system in place. The board of the last boy hit the stage and the pyrotechnics shot off, almost in unison with the shrieks of the crowd.

~~~~

Mariko stood outside the arena. The concert had long since ended and the crowd had left ages ago; aside from the few fans who still milled around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the singing sensations. Mariko’s friends had also left with the crowd, but something held her back. She had already met them face to face, so there was no need to wait for them afterward, however, something else pulled her toward the arena. She leaned her head against the concrete wall. Why did she still linger there?

The five members of the Backstreet Boys proceeded to walk from the arena. On most normal occasions, they had also long since left, usually before the show’s finale. But this time, something kept them here as well, but it had been so long, there was no reason for anyone else to be there anyway. Nick wore a baggy sweatshirt with jeans and tennis shoes. The other four wore jeans with jackets of various lengths over shirts; Kevin’s reached to his shins, the second blonde’s to his knees, AJ’s and Howie’s were both at the waist. Nick turned his head quickly, scanning the surrounding darkness for any surprises. Upon facing Mariko, his eyes grew wide and confused. He turned to the other blonde and gave his shoulder a quick pat, “I’ll be right back, okay Brian?” He began a light jog in the direction he had been looking.

The other four stopped their walk toward the bus and watched him head toward the girl in the blue dress leaning against the concrete wall.

Oblivious to this, Mariko shut her eyes, still wondering why she still stood outside the arena.

“Hey!” a male voice penetrated her thoughts, “Where are your friends?”

Mariko opened her eyes, slightly startled, and turned her head quickly, “Nick?”

She was met with the smiling face of the blonde heartthrob, “Of course. Did you enjoy the show?”

Mariko gave him a thumbs up, “It was awesome!” She clenched her pentagram tightly, quickly adding, “As usual, of course.”

Nick began laughing, “Thanks.”

Within her tight grasp, the golden pentagram began to glow.

“Does your necklace glow in the dark or something?” Nick’s face reflected his confusion. In this confusion, he also grabbed the glowing pentagram.

At that moment, a high pitched sound emanated through their ears. Mariko quickly released her grip on the necklace and grabbed her head tightly, covering her ears. She clenched her eyes shut. Nick kept his grip on the necklace, but put one hand to his head as he clenched his eyes shut as well, attempting to keep the sound out.

Mariko folded her fingers down against her head as she began screaming. Why? What is this?

Nick released his hold on her necklace and stepped away from her, covering his ears with his hands as he also began screaming. A bright light shot from within Mariko’s necklace and headed toward the sky.

Nick’s screaming continued as he realized that the only sound he could still hear was that of his own screaming. He removed his hands from his head and blinked bewilderedly, “Hey… It stopped…”

A feminine voice shattered his confusion, “Gobôsei power… It is very close…”

Nick turned toward the spot where Mariko had been standing, “What?”

Upon turning, he saw a woman, similar in height and build to Mariko, but with blonde hair, holding the pentagram necklace in her hand. As she wore the same blue dress that Mariko had worn. In his surprise at the blonde woman standing before him, he let out a scream.

She shut her eyes, “Even in the terror, the pure, clear voice laps the shore. It is the fluidity…”

Still consumed by the idea that her hair was now blonde, Nick ignored the words the came from her mouth. He pointed to her in his confusion, “Y-your hair changed color!”

She removed the necklace from around her neck and clasped its chain back together. She then proceeded to hand it to Nick. “Here.”

Nick took it from her hand and held it so the pentagram hung at eye-level. He watched it swing as it dangled from his hands. “Why?”

A glowing pentagram appeared at his feet, encased by swirling light. Nick grabbed his arms and began screaming in pain. It was as though he were being stabbed by hundreds of needles. Upon seeing this, the other Backstreet Boys let out a collective gasp and ran toward their ailing friend. “NICK!!!!!!”

The pain surging through his body became too grievous for Nick; he dropped to his knees and began to convulse violently. The necklace lay next to his knees.

“What did you do to him!?!?!” Brian yelled.

Mariko turned her head from the four men who now stood at her side. “This is not my doing. He is awakening.”

Howie stepped back in alarm, “Awakening?!?”

AJ grabbed on to Nick’s shoulder’s tightly, “Nick!”

At that moment, bright light began to burst from Nick. His screaming became more high pitched and carried a more agonizing feel to it. The other four men began to run toward him, to stop his screaming, but the light became too intense. They backed from him and shielded their eyes. The world was covered in the bright glow, as though the sun had consumed it.

The first motion seen from within this bright light was a darkened pair of hands set lightly on the ground. Only the fingers were visible through the light, the rest was clouded by darkness. Nick’s face began to come into view from within the light; he breathed heavily and put his hand to his head, trying to stabilize himself. “Wh-what happened?…”

The other members stared at Nick with wide eyes.

“Nick…?” Kevin started.

Nick looked down, following the eyes of the other four. Instead of his baggy sweatshirt and jeans, he now wore a navy blue armor with slate blue trim. The armor surrounded his neck with a large chest plate, which connected to a smaller stomach plate in the front, and continued down his back to his waist. The front and back were connected with iron bars. At his biceps, he wore metal bands that curved to a point and on his forearms he wore large metallic plates, which connected to the navy gloves he wore with plates on top. His arms were covered with a lightweight navy material. At his waist he wore a circular pattern of plates, and above that a navy ribbon, left to hang down the front. He wore navy tights beneath his armor and his navy knee-high boots. At his joints he wore circular plates emblazoned with a pentagram in the center, and attached with iron bands. A pair of navy goggles with red lenses rested on his forehead. And at his neck, he wore a large platinum circle with a pentagram insignia on a large chain. Nick’s surprised matched everyone else’s. He jumped from his kneeling position and began waving his arms frantically and screaming. Despite their surprise at Nick’s transformation, the other four men managed to gain annoyance from his reaction.

Mariko smiled slightly and looked to the sky, “To sleep one thousand years and reawaken…”

Her thought was interrupted by Nick running amongst them all while screaming. “WHAT’S GOING ON?!?!?”

In the midst of his running, AJ managed to hit Nick in the face.

Kevin put his hand to his face in relief, “Thank you…”

Mariko shut her eyes as she turned from the five men. “Very near by, I feel the serenity… The stability… The passion… And the malleability…” At that moment, her face seemed to light up with a realization and she smiled. “I see… All exist in harmony…” She crossed her arms and smirked, “However… This is quite surprising indeed…”

Brian narrowed his eyes, “What do you mean?”

Mariko turned toward Nick, “Nick… Is it?”

Nick shook his head in confusion, “I don’t know who else I would be…”

Mariko put out her hand, “My gobôsei.”

Nick nodded and put the pentagram in her palm.

Mariko placed the pentagram between her index and middle fingers and held it tightly between them as she turned to the other four men. “Since I know you are indeed who I sense, I will be brief.” Light began to spill from the center of the pentagram and shot toward the other four men. They, as well as Nick, shielded their eyes as the light encompassed them. Mariko’s expression remained solemn as she watched the light swallow them; it danced across her face and within her eyes. “To sleep one thousand years and reawaken, that is the destiny of those born under the gobôsei.”

The four men emerged from within the light in armor similar to Nick’s. Brian wore hunter green armor with light green trimming and a hunter green ribbon tied at his waist. He wore hunter green tights, boots, and gloves, but his arms were bare. At his joints he wore circular plates of similar fashion to Nick’s. AJ wore dark gray armor with light gray trimming and a dark gray ribbon tied at his waist. He wore dark gray tights, boots, and gloves, but very little of his armor could be seen through his black jacket. The circular plates could be seen at his knees only. Howie wore burgundy armor with red trimming and a burgundy ribbon tied at his waist. His boots, tights, gloves, and the lightweight material were all or burgundy coloring. The armor encasing his shoulders was turned upward and he wore circular pates at his joints as well as metal plates on his upper and lower arms. Kevin wore an outfit almost identical to Howie’s, except the armor encasing his shoulders turned downward and he wore no plates on his upper arms. His armor was dark brown with light brown trimming. Each of them wore a large platinum circle with a pentagram insignia on a large chain.

Nick began pulling on Howie’s waist ribbon, “Ooh…” He then moved to Kevin’s costume, “Cool boots…” He tapped on Brian’s chest, “That’s sturdy armor…” And pulled on AJ’s pentagram, “I like the necklace…” Nick began laughing cheerily as he crossed his arms, “I guess we’re super heroes then.”

AJ hit Nick once more with a greater amount of anger than before.

“Ouchie,” Nick cried quietly.

Mariko bowed to the five men.

The men responded to her with confused expressions. Nick put out his hand toward her, “Hey… You don’t have to do that…”

Mariko raised her head, still holding the necklace in her hand; “I am the guardian of the gobôsei. I have watched over its sleeping powers since before they slumbered.” Her expression grew serious, “The powers of the gobôsei are beyond human understanding. They may be used for good or evil,” her eyes began to narrow, “Many terrible beings will come in search of these powers, so you must protect them at all costs.”

“Why?” Nick questioned her in utter seriousness.

“Because many terrible beings will come after them. Weren’t you listening?” Kevin’s voice reflected his annoyed expression.

Nick put a hand to his face and the other with his index finger in the air as he attempted to explain his reasoning, though he experienced some difficulty. “Yeah, but in the comics, when super heroes awaken to their powers and are told to ensure their protection, there’s always some hidden reason… Like…”

Howie became annoyed as well; “This isn’t a comic book, Nick…”

His comment blew right past Nick as he continued his ceaseless chatter about Marvel comics, DC comics, Batman, Superman, Stan Lee, and the other greats.

Mariko shut her eyes quickly and turned her head.

Nick let out a gasp, “Howie you made her sad!” He quickly grabbed her shoulders, “Of course it’s a comic book!”

Brian put his hand to his head, “Nick… You’re enjoying this way too much…”

Mariko put her hand to her head and gave a weak smile, “It is alright. I only felt a little dizzy. It has been a long time…”

Kevin turned to her quickly, “You’ve been near these powers in bodies before?”

Mariko’s knees began to go out from under her. “Once… a very… long time… ago…” She expended the last of her energy holding her necklace tightly within her hands.

Nick grabbed on to Mariko tightly and managed to catch her before she fell to the ground. Her body was almost rag like in his arms. Nick looked her over with a great deal of concern.

AJ turned his head and crossed his arms, “What do you think this is? It sounds like some kind of bull shit.”

Howie shifted his eyes toward AJ and crossed his arms, “Yeah… Except we were glowing and now we’re dressed completely different.”

Brian laughed a little, “That’s a heck of a wardrobe change, pretty speedy too. We could use it at the shows for sure.”

Mariko continued to breathe heavily as she lay in Nick’s arms. He had since pulled her from the position he caught her in and she lay between his arms, nestled against his chest with her head against his. He had also taken a firm hold on her necklace. His feelings of anxiety reflected on his face; “She doesn’t look good, let’s get her back to the hotel.”

Kevin began walking toward Nick; in contrast, his expression was quite serious and showed very little concern. “Her body probably just gave out from all the excitement at the show.”

The other three men nodded in agreement and followed Kevin’s path toward Nick. Despite the overwhelming calm in their hearts, produced from their anxiety about their own position, Nick still felt his concern for Mariko and her limp body within his arms. The wind blew past them briskly, an ill omen.

~~~~

The darkness had settled on their path as the enormous black bus took the desolate street back toward the hotel. The silence was eerie; it was incomprehensible why there would be such vast amounts of emptiness in the middle of a city, where there should be such exuberant nightlife. The ride itself was calm, contrasting heavily with the turbulence within their hearts. In the back of the bus, the five men sat in the common area. Nick had lain Mariko on a bed in the back of the bus. Their expressions were solemn, and the air around them reflected this attitude.

Brian crossed his arms, “So, what do we do…?”

Nick looked toward him slightly, “About what?”

Brian turned his head from Nick, “I don’t know… The girl… Or the mysterious change…”

Howie put his hand to his chin; “What I want to know is, what are these powers exactly?” He pondered for a moment.

Kevin began to open his mouth in response, but the high pitched sound of shattering glass startled him, as well as the others. The five men quickly stood from their sitting positions and ran to the front of the bus. Through the darkness, they could only see a large silver railing. The door proved to be difficult at first, but Kevin and AJ managed to force it open together. The five men stepped off the bus and proceeded to survey the scene.

Nick looked around, “Did we crash into something?”

AJ puts his hand to his head, “The gate, Nick… The gate…”

Nick became confused, “Was the driver drunk?”

Brian rose his hand to his mouth and began shivering nervously, “Oh… my… God…”

The window of the bus had completely shattered and on the stark black hood lay a pale body. His pale form was accented by stripes of blood down his arms, legs, and cheeks. The rest of his body was also brutally mangled by the window. AJ and Howie turned their heads quickly from the sight of the bloody body.

Kevin clenched his fist tightly, “Damnit…”

A shadowed figure stood in front of the bus. The five men turned toward him in shock.

“Who the hell are you?” AJ demanded.

“Gobôsei…” the figure seemed to call in a masculine voice, as it began walking toward them, “Where is it?”

“‘Popinjay’?” Nick questioned, imitating a bird with his hands.

Howie put his hand to his head, trying to hide the annoyance in his voice, “He said, ‘gobôsei’.”

“What’s that?” Nick questioned quickly.

Howie held out the pentagram on his neck to Nick, “This.”

The figure began to move toward Howie, still seeming to call to the item, “You have the gobôsei…” His feet hit the pavement slowly. They could hear his breath coming closer to them. His shadowed form began to come into view. First his scuffed shoes, then his tattered pants whose rips and tears revealed streams of blood. His tattered shirt followed, stained red as well. His bloody hands also came into view. Then his face, his twisted, putrid face. He seemed to resemble a rotting corpse.

Nick let out a scream of terror and latched on to Brian quickly, trying to hide his tall form behind him. Nick shivered nervously.

The figure reached toward Howie, “Give it to me…”

Howie stepped back from the gruesome figure.

The figure spread his pale fingers, “Give it to me!” A blast emanated from his hand.

The blast hit Howie in the chest and thrust him against the front of the bus. He collapsed to the ground; his body seemed lifeless.

“HOWIE!” the other four cried.

There was no response.

AJ clenched his fists tightly, “Crap! What’ll we do?”

The remaining four members began to back away from the figure. Their footsteps were slow, but the beat of their hearts increased with each step. Nick nervously looked from side to side as they continued backing up.

“Mariko, she said something about my voice… was lapping against the shores. Fluidity… Or something…”

Brian nodded in agreement, “So maybe, our voices have some effect on the powers of the gobôsei.”

Nick became confused once more and jokingly held out his hand as though he were holding a skull, “‘Photoplay’?”

Kevin narrowed his eyes; the annoyance could be heard in his voice at Nick’s antics, “‘Gobôsei’! Stop messing around and start singing!”

Nick quickly ended his jokes and turned to Brian.

Brian quickly began singing, “Yeah…You are… My fire… The one… Desire… Believe… When I say… I want it that way…”

Nick began to sing as well, his body seemed to glow as though water flowed through his veins, “But we… Are two worlds apart… Can’t reach to… Your heart… When you say… That I want it that way…” Nick turned to the other two, “Tell me why…”

All four boys sang, “Ain’t nothing but a heartache…” Howie began to stand up as well.

“Tell me why…”

As Howie joined them, the power of the song grew stronger, “Ain’t nothing but a mistake… Tell me why…”

“I never wanna hear you say…”

“I want it that way…”

Nick opened his eyes slowly; they as well seemed to flow with water.

The figure shook with anger, “What nonsense are you pulling…?”

Nick’s eyes began to narrow as he thrust his hands toward the corpse, “MIZU BAKURASU HA!!!!!!!” A great stream of water shot from Nick’s hand and crashed against the abdomen of the figure.

Nick clenched his fist and let out a smile of victory, “Yeah! This is what I’m talking about!”

AJ turned to Nick and smirked, “It’s that simple, huh?”

He put out a hand and seemed to twirl it, “KINZOKU RYUUSE BAKUFUU!!!!!!!” Metal began to swirl around him and seemed to follow the beat of their song, their life force. They departed from their orbit around him and shot at the figure like bullets.

Brian held his hands over the ground; “CHI TATAKAIKOWASU GEKITOTSU!!!!!!!” The ground shot up around him and followed a path toward the now kneeling figure as though it was the split of an earthquake.

The figure shot into the air for a moment.

Howie put his hands together and aimed them at the figure, “HI SHOUMEI KA!!!!!!!” The fire wrapped around Howie like a snake, then shot toward the figure. It seemed to bite him as his corpse of a body lit with flames.

Kevin aimed his hands at the few trees on the block surrounding the area where their bush had crashed into the gate, “KI KAKOMU TSUMARU!!!!!!!” The trees encircled the figure as he fell back to the cold concrete.

The five men stretched their hands out to each other as they stood in a circle. The pentagrams around their necks glowed with bright light and encircled them completely.

“GOBOSEI NO GOGYOU!”

A pentagram surrounded the already half-dead shadow of a man.

“SHUUEKIHIKARI!!!!!!!”

The pentagram surrounding the figure as well as the light enclosing the five men shot toward the sky. Though the five men remained, the figure had vanished into the light.

Nick dropped to his knees, almost gasping for the air around him.

AJ looked at the spot where the corpse had just stood with utter shock, “What was that…?”

Howie nodded in agreement, the shock covered his face as well, “Hard to believe… Isn’t it?”

Brian placed his hand to his mouth as he turned to the bus, “What will we do about the bus driver?”

Kevin put his hand to his head in disbelief, “Wait… How is this happening…?”

Nick looked toward the sky, attempting to trace the path the figure had disappeared into, “She said it was our fate…”

To sleep one thousand years and reawaken, that is the destiny of those born under the gobôsei.

Here are my explanations!

~Gobosei: Pentagram (litterally Five Cross Star)

~The "This isn't a comic book"/"Of course it's a comic book" scene is a joke, since the original format of this story was a comic.-Thought I would explain that one. ^_^

~The "popinjay"/"photoplay" comments from Nick are jokes as well, because a common pun in Japanese comics (the style in which this was created) is for characters to get confused at certain words and repeat words that sound alike, but one small piece of pronunciation is changed or to write down a word that looks the same, but is pronounced differently than the original word. ("Popinjay" is a kind of jay bird, "Photoplay" is a filmed version of a play-think Romeo and Juliet starring Leonardo DiCaprio ^_^)

~Nick's skull is a reference to Hamlet (see explanation above)

~Mizu Bakurasu Ha: Hydro Backlash Wave (literally Water Backlash Wave)

~Kinzoku Ryuuse Bakufuu: Metallo Meteor Blast (literally Metal Meteor Blast)

~Chi Tatakikowasu Gekitotsu: Telluro Shatter Crash (littterally Earth Shatter Crash)

~Hi Shoumei Ka: Pyro Illumination Flash (literally Fire Illumination Flash)

~Ki Kakomu Tsukamaru: Dendro Encircle Grasp (litterally Wood/Tree Encircle Grasp)

~Gobosei no Gogyou: Pentagram of the elements (literally Five cross star of the five elements)

~Shuuekihikari: Photomancy (litterally divination by light)

~One last joke, if you think about the costumes and amulets thing, this story in its entirety pays homage to "The Backstreet Project", but I tweaked enough that you probably wouldn't know that unless you were reading this now. Let's just say that me and those toys spent many good hours together while I was originally designing the Boys' costumes. And yes, I do mean designing. Check out my Images page to see some. ^_^

The large room was brightly lit, there were no traces of the darkness from outside anywhere. Inside the common area sat two large leather chairs and a large leather couch, no doubt from the same set. The floor had bright cream carpet and bright white walls. A large television set sat in the room in front of the couch; colorful pictures danced across its screen. There was a click, and the screen went black. Opposite the television set, Nick leaned against one of the couch’s arms, the leather felt cool against his skin. Mariko lay against the opposite arm, her hair falling across her face. Nick watched her for a moment in silence as her low breathing settled.

Nick leaned back against the arm and let out a loud sigh, “I don’t like playing baby sitter…”

He narrowed his eyes, remembering how the other four men had primped their jackets and walked calmly out of the hotel room as though nothing had happened and there was not a teenage girl lying on their couch.

“Later!” they had called.

Nick had stuck his hand out toward them, “I wanna come too!”

Brian had given him a wink and a large smile, “You’re her favorite, she’d most likely want to wake up next to you.”

“Hey!” Nick had called after them again, but they had shut the door in his face.

Nick let out a low sigh. But thatwas beside the point… Nick imagined himself as superman, soaring across the sky with one fist thrust out. Sure, we get to be super heroes… But at what cost… The corpse-like shadow of a man stood before him in his memory; the battle had been bloody. Nick put his hand to his chin. What is a gobôsei? And why are people after it? He turned to Mariko and let out a small, disappointed laugh, “Her hair turned brown again. Too bad… She was a cute blonde.” He stood up from his seated position and walked over to her slowly. He leaned over her, examining her face. We’ve welcomed her openly, but… We know nothing about her… Nick began fingering her hair lightly, letting out a small laugh once more, “I don’t know which is more mysterious. The gobôsei… Or you…”

Upon hearing a blurred voice, Mariko slowly opened her eyes. A blurred face sat directly in hers; she could see the whites of the person’s eyes, and the waved peach of their skin. She reached her fingers to the ground and managed to weakly wrap them around a pillow that had fallen from the couch. She tightened her grip on it, and thrust it into the stranger’s face. “SPIKE!” she exclaimed.

The shock of the sudden attack thrust Nick to the floor. He sat on his butt with the pillow in his lap, looking up at Mariko in speechlessness, “I had no idea our fans were in the pro volleyball circuit…”

Mariko blinked, “Nick…?”

Nick put his hand to his head, giving her a brief smile, “The one and only,” his eyes grew serious as he removed his hand, “But… Which one are you?”

Minako leaned toward him, “Which… one…?” She began laughing, “There’s only one me, silly.”

Nick smiled with her, attempting to comfort her in a reaffirmation of his stupidity. No… There’s you… and… the other you… He imagined them both. The laughing, smiling eyes of the brunette before him. And, the serious eyes of the blonde who clenched her necklace tightly, afraid to release it. It hung around her neck now, and its brief gleam seemed to mock him.

“Hey… Where am I?” Mariko’s confusion roused him from his thoughts. She pondered, “I was at the concert with you… I blacked out… Then…” She gasped and raised her hands to her face, “You took advantage of me while I was unconscious… How icky…”

Nick attempted to defend himself with a shred of dignity, but his anger at the thought of the idea shifted his emotions, “I did not! I’m supposed to baby sit you!”

Mariko crossed her arms, and childishly yelled at him as well, “I’m not a little kid! I’m only one year younger than you!”

Nick blinked, “Only one, huh…?”

Mariko nodded, “Yes.”

Nick looked away quickly.

“Is… something wrong?”

He shook his head, “No…” He leaned back on his hands as he turned back to her slightly, “You know… I realized something today…” He began to smile, “No matter how we try to avoid our path, it catches up to us anyway. We can’t run away from what’s meant for us.”

She nodded, “Yup. If we did that, then everyone would be dreamers, not doers.” She smiled.

“What’s your dream?”

“I’d… like to be an idol… It sounds a little silly…” Her face flushed and her cheeks grew hot.

“No. I think it’s great,” he turned his head from her once more, “Everyone should be able to follow their dreams. No matter how silly they seem to everyone else.” He turned back with a wide grin, “Don’t you think so?”

“It’s coming…”

“What?” Nick asked. He was once again surprised to see the blonde sitting before him. He opened his mouth to let out another scream.

She quickly clapped her hand over his mouth. “Not a word…”

Nick wrestled his mouth free, “That’s fine for you to say! You don’t get to watch yourself pull a chameleon like a lamp!”

She clapped her hand over his mouth again, “Not another word…”

“I’ll talk as long as I want!” Nick yelled in a whisper, “What’s coming anyway?!”

Mariko’s eyes narrowed, “It’s here.”

“What’s here?!?” Nick yelled.

The door to the hotel room shattered to the ground. The dust rose from its shattered form and surrounded a dense figure in its wake.

Nick began to cough wildly. Was it the dust? No, it seemed to choke his very being, a rancid stench… It was unbearable. He clung to his side tightly with his hand and began to cough wildly. He put his own hand to his mouth and struggled to breathe as the putrid stench overtook his mind. His body convulsed violently against it. Nick took a deep breath in. He had to remember the number one rule of getting sick, if you just throw up, everything will get better… Nick took in another deep breath, but he could not let himself throw up in front of such a cute girl. He turned to her slowly.

She had since stood from her crouching position and was standing motionless, staring at the figure in the doorway. Through the smoke, her hair seemed to billow in an invisible wind.

Nick felt his body shaking again. It was no good… He clenched his eyes shut tightly and let the ranking stench take control of his stomach. At that moment, it took his entire strength of will not to collapse to the ground. He turned back to her.

Her expression remained unchanged for that moment. Her eyes began to narrow slowly. “What are you waiting for… Come!” The miasma of smoke began to clear away. She began to smirk, “There you are…”

Nick followed her gaze to the door. Unlike the first enemy he and the others had fought, this one was far different. True, the first one had seemed dead, and it was equally true that blood had been dripping down his face, arms, legs, and the rest of his body. But… This one was truly rotting. Parts of his body held only bones, others were dripping with flesh. Nick tried not to scream, and instead became sick at the sight.

The body of oozing flesh and bone began to laugh, “Mariko… After all these years, you choose weaklings who cannot hold their stomachs to hold the precious gobôsei…” His fleshless face smirked, “I expected more from you…”

Mariko clenched her fists, “Except that you know I cannot choose them. The gobôsei has, after one thousand years.”

“Surly you, most of all, must believe that it made a mistake… The evil aura clouds its judgement…”

“No! The gobôsei is not swayed by the feelings of man or beast. It refuses to be corrupted!”

“Hand the amulet to me…” the corpse reached out his bony fingers toward Mariko, “Then give me the others…”

Mariko turned her head quickly, “I do not know where they are.”

“Has your power grown that weak, Mariko, that you cannot find them?”

Mariko growled and clenched her fists, “Of course you know it is a sealing power!”

“Then why not seal yourself as well?”

Mariko curled into herself, “Do not question divine law!”

“Enough…”

Mariko rose her head slowly. Nick stood in front of her. His legs shook weakly as he attempted to stand. A stream of bile dripped down his chin.

The corpse began to laugh again, “So, he can stand?”

“Everything you’re saying means nothing to me… But I will not stand by and watch you torture someone else!” He turned back to Mariko, “Can I change without the song…”

Mariko nodded and gripped her necklace. She began chanting an inaudible spell as she glowed with bright light. Nick began to glow as well; he shut his eyes tightly.

“Mariko…” the corpse mused, “He cannot even stand on his own yet? He certainly is a shadow…”

Nick reappeared clad in his armor; the amulet hit against the metal. He clenched his gloved fists, “SHUT UP!!!!!!” He growled, “Say anything else and I’ll murder you!” Nick rose his hand toward the corpse, “MIZU BAKURASU HA!!!!!!!!”

There was silence.

“Where?” Nick stared at his hand.

The corpse began laughing, “Does he not even possess his power? A shadow indeed!”

Nick turned to Mariko, “Why?”

Mariko lowered her head, “Only with the others… That is the divine law of the elements…”

Nick clenched his fists again, “Then why have me…”

Mariko rose her hands to her face as she took in a breath, “Those born beneath the gobôsei are soldiers… True strength comes not from magic within them, but their belief in their heart and the weapon they wield…” She began chanting another inaudible spell.

“Since when are you a governess, Mariko?” the corpse continued to laugh.

A shining sword appeared before Nick’s eyes. The blade was notched at the top and curved into itself. The sides of the iron handle followed a similar pattern. “Weapon…” Nick paused.

Mariko opened her eyes slowly, “If you are truly the water warrior, then you will know how to wield it…”

Nick reached for the weapon as its glow subsided. Though he did not loose his grip on the blade, the weapon fell to the ground. “Which would be great if I could lift it!” Nick exclaimed.

The corpse began laughing again.

Mariko stepped back. “After all these years… Have its immense powers diminished?” Tears began rolling down her cheeks.

The sword pulsated. “The water flowing through my veins will see no evil!” The sword thrust into the side of the corpse. The tip twisted clockwise and then the sword was released.

“Mariko…”

Mariko put her hands to her face. That warm voice… That warm voice! She stepped forward, hoping to grasp it, “Ry—”

The corpse dropped to its knees. “You brought the devil back to this world, Mariko… The gobôsei…” The corpse collapsed on the floor.

At that moment, the sword fell to the ground as well. Nick put his hand to his head and took a breath, “This thing is heavy… I… think I passed out…” he turned to the corpse, “Is he dead?”

Mariko took a step back and narrowed her eyes, “No… He has not yet been sealed…”

“Then, what…” Nick started.

“More.” Shadow flashed across Mariko’s eyes. “We must find the others. Come.”

“The door?” Nick asked, pointing to it.

“It is far too great a risk,” Mariko answered. She stepped in front of Nick and grabbed his shoulders tightly, “Hold the sword as tightly as I hold you.”

Nick blushed and nodded.

Mariko tightened her grip on his shoulders and thrust him through the window behind him. The glass shattered into one hundred small pieces as Nick’s body flung into the air.

Nick began screaming, “If I wanted to fly I’d at least do it in an airplane where the walls are sturdy!!!!”

“Hold on to that sword!”

Nick saluted, “Yes ma’am!”

Mariko closed her eyes.

“What’s going on?”

“There!” Mariko pointed in the distance.

Nick followed her gaze, “Toward those lights?”

“Yes! We will find the others there!”

The two continued to fly toward the lights in the distance.

~~~~

Mariko landed softly on the ground. Nick clung to her as tightly as she had told him to cling to the sword. Mariko looked up at the sparkling lights and shielded her eyes.

“What is this?” she questioned.

“A nightclub,” Nick answered.

Mariko looked around, “Where are they?”

Nick motioned for her to follow him, and they stood in the line. It seemed endless. Everywhere they turned stood another person waiting to get into one of the hottest clubs in town.

“Hey you, in the crazy costume!” the bouncer called.

Nick pointed to himself, “Me?”

“Who else is in a crazy costume?”

Nick looked down and remembered that Mariko had transformed him. He nodded and walked toward the bouncer.

“What’s with the getup?” the bouncer questioned.

Nick searched his mind for a thought, “We’re going to a masquerade! But… Our friends are inside, so we have to get them.”

The bouncer pointed to Mariko, “Is she with you?”

Nick nodded.

The bouncer crossed his arms and unlatched the velvet rope, “You can go in, if she goes with you.”

“Of course!” Nick exclaimed, “Mariko! Let’s go!”

Mariko ran up to Nick and they proceeded to enter the club. The bouncer leaned toward Mariko, “Such a cute girl with a cute name…” he whispered.

Mariko grasped Nick’s hand tightly. Nick scanned the crowd of dancers. The floor was too full, the bar was even fuller, just where were they? Then he spied Brian sitting alone at a table laughing.

“BRIAN!!!!!” he called.

Brian looked up and fell backward in his chair laughing.

Nick ran over; Mariko followed closely at his heels. He stood over Brian with a worried expression on hi face, “Are you okay?”

Brian began laughing once more, “Why are you wearing that crazy getup?”

Nick offered him his hand, “It’s a long story, but we’d all better be dressed like this soon…”

There was a loud shriek. Nick clenched his fist tightly, “Damnit! I wasn’t quick enough!”

Mariko grabbed both their hands, “We have to get out of here! Get the others quickly!”

A flesh dripping hand grabbed Mariko’s neck tightly, “You were saying, Mariko… Where are the others?”

“I would rather die than tell you…” Mariko growled, “Let go of me!”

“Give me the amulets or die…”

Mariko struggled to breathe, “No… I won’t… I’ll never give them to you…”

“Mariko!” Nick cried.

“Nick…”

“Brian went to get them! We’ll all fight together soon! Just hang on!”

Blood trickled down Mariko’s cheek. His voice… His voice had been there… “Ry…” Mariko started.

“Run?” Nick questioned.

“GIVE ME THE AMULETS!!!!!!!!!!!” the corpse screamed.

“Ry…”

“Mariko!!!!!!!!!”

“GIVE THEM TO ME NOW!!!!!!!!!!!”

“Mariko…”

Mariko’s vision began going black. That voice again… That warm voice… “Ry…” she started.

“Don’t… Don’t say my name…”

She reached her hand out toward the voice, “Ry…”

“MARIKO!!!!!!!!” five voices cried into her darkness, yet she only heard the faint whisper, begging her not to reveal his name. The world around her faded, there was only darkness.

In his haste, Nick ripped the necklace from her and held it toward the other four. “God, let this work!” A bright blue light shone from him as the others shielded their eyes.

Please enjoy some clips of the original version of this story. ^_^

Sennenki Page 1

Sennenki Page 2

Sennenki Page 3

Sennenki Page 4

Nick Character Design

AJ Character Design