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Author's Chapter Notes:
So... This story is kind of interesting... Team fighting, magic powers, a hot babe with no past.... Heck yes! ^_~
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.