Tears of the Phoenix Chapter 1: The Searcher
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction; the characters depicted do not
belong to Platinum Dragon or War-Ouki with exception of the following:
Megumi (Platinum Dragon), Jay (Platinum Dragon). Please do not sue us; we
have no money in any case.
Comments, Criticism, Insults, Flames and/or Death Threats should be
directed to Platinum_Dragon@usinternet.com and Kawaii_Death@hotmail.com.
Author's Note: This story arc is set in the same 'universe' as Bonds
of Trust by Platinum Dragon (Shameless plug, I know); some of the
references made here won't make sense if you haven't read that story, such
as the 'bond' between Genki and Pixie.
Author's Note 2: This story arc takes place roughly seven and a half
years after the events in Bonds of Trust.
*****
"I am Moo! I am Hatred! Nothing you can do will ever fully destroy
me!" raged the titanic beast, as he struggled to move. Genki and Pixie
began to summon the power for their strongest spells, secure in the
knowledge that he was held by the light Holly's Stone gave off. Around
them, Genki heard the sounds of Tiger, Hare, Golem, Big Blue, Moochi and
Suezo holding off Moo's legions, trying to give them time to finish off
Moo.
Together, they finished the spell; the blasts of power raced toward
Moo, joining into a sphere of energy. They shielded their eyes, as the
spells became one, blazing into a single, painfully bright light, and then
suddenly exploded apart, the Phoenix appearing from the center of the
explosion. The sounds of battle faded away, as the firebird screamed her
birth and began to spread her wings. The light began to grow still
brighter, as Moo roared in pain.
"I will not be defeated by the likes of you!" he shouted in defiance,
struggling as best he could, but the Magic Stone held him tight. Almost
contemptuously, the Phoenix swept her wing over him, and with a final,
echoing scream of pain, Moo's entire body caught fire. As if his fur was
dry tinder, the flames raged higher impossibly fast; in only a few moments,
what had been Moo was only a small, smoldering pile of ashes. The Phoenix
issued a cry of triumph, and then her feathers of fire began to burn even
brighter than before, until they were so dazzling Genki had to cover his
eyes with his arm�
His alarm clock went off, and Genki groaned as he sleepily swatted at
the off button, finally managing to hit it on his fourth try. "Man� That
same stupid dream again�" he muttered. An almost painfully bright 5:30AM
blazed at him from the alarm clock, and for a moment he tried to remember
why on earth he'd wanted to get up so early today. His mind slowly began
to click into gear, though offering no insights about why he'd set his
alarm for so early in the morning, and he sat up. As he did, he felt a
slight tug at his neck, as the Magic Stone fell to the bottom of its
leather cord.
For a moment, he paused, quiet in the darkness of his room,
remembering what had happened after the dream ended. The Phoenix restored
the Lost Disks, and washed away the hatred that had turned so many monsters
into Baddies. Then she had told him that if they - Holly, Genki, and the
others - returned to the place where he'd been pulled into that world, the
Magic Stone would be able to re-open the portal back to his world. There
had been a catch, though: Genki had to wear the Stone as he stepped
through, else without it he might become lost in the limbo between their
worlds.
When he'd asked why he'd been able to come through the first time
without wearing it, the Phoenix had explained that the Stone had simply
pulled him to it, which was easier for it - the Stone could do that without
needing to physically touch him. Unfortunately, though, since they were in
the same world, and trying to reach another this time, it had to guide him,
and to do that it had to be in contact with his body. Then the Phoenix had
said good bye, and vanished in a puff of flames.
He had been willing to try without the stone, not wanting to take away
Holly's last link to her village, but she had refused to let him. She'd
told him that she'd rather lose the Stone than chance him becoming Lost
himself. Besides, she'd reasoned, the Stone had already done all it could
to help them; if it could now help him, then she would give it up without
reservation. He'd argued against it, but in the end, even he had found
himself admitting that it was just a foolish risk to take the chance of not
having it, as the Phoenix had instructed.
Genki smiled sadly. He missed her; he missed all his friends from
that world. Holly, Tiger, Hare, Golem, Moochi, Suezo, Big Blue� Pixie�
He sighed. Returning to his world had broken their bond again, and he
could still remember his last sense of her, before the portal had closed
all the way. Though she'd been smiling, Pixie's sense had been very�
lonely. He sighed again, and lightly touched the Magic Stone; it flickered
slightly, just as it always did when he thought of his friends. It seemed
sometimes that it could sense the sadness he felt over not seeing them
again.
"Genki! You better get up, you don't want to be late for your last
day of school!" came his mother's call. Blinking, he stood and flicked on
his bedroom light, glancing at his calendar.
"Oh yeah� Man, I can't believe it's already Graduation day," he said
in surprise. He could still remember when every day at school felt like a
hundred years. Genki grinned slightly, and wondered when he had decided
that he liked school enough that time went by too fast to notice. And next
week was his nineteenth birthday, too. He paused, blinking; it had been
seven and a half years since he'd come home�
"Mom says hurry and get cleaned up so we can go to breakfast before
the Graduation ceremony." Genki started as his door swung open, and his
baby sister stepped in. Frowning, he lobbed a small pillow from his bed at
her; she batted it away and stuck her tongue out at him.
"Outta my room twip. Tell her that I'll be down in fifteen minutes,"
he said. Megumi grinned at him innocently.
"Dunno what all the fuss is about. They don't graduate half-wit
brothers from school anyway, only smart sisters," she told him, and then
dove away, giggling, as a second, larger pillow flew through the space that
she'd just inhabited. Genki sighed, shaking his head with a wry grin.
Only thirteen, she reminded him too much of himself at that age. Way, way
too much energy, and never enough forethought. With the same black hair
and brown eyes that he had, she looked a lot like a too-pretty younger
version of him too. Shaking his head again, he grabbed a change of clothes
and crossed the hall to the bathroom.
His mother had given birth to Megumi when he was only six. Born a
month premature, she'd still turned out to be surprisingly healthy. She was
a tough little brat, and a real tomboy too; taller than a lot of the boys
in her class and skinny as a reed, she could also out-play most boys in
every kind of sport, from football to hockey. It still caught him
off-guard sometimes when she could actually knock him down with one of her
tackling hugs, because tall as she was, she was still only half as tall as
him. "Too much like me at that age," he muttered wryly, laughing.
Washing off the soap, he dressed quickly and ducked into his room long
enough to snag his graduation cap and gown and his rollerblades. Then he
went down the stairs, grinning as a Polaroid flash went off. "Mom!" he
complained. She gave him a wide smile.
"Can't a mother be proud of her son?" she asked, handing him the photo
as it started to develop. Megumi snickered, and Genki glanced at her.
"Keep laughing twip. Your day will come," he said, glancing down at
the photo. A grinning young man looked back up at him� but his eyes seemed
a bit lonely, too. Genki sighed, losing some of his grin. Pixie, he
realized, hadn't been the only one feeling lonely that day. I hope you
found somebody to keep you company, Pixie� I sure haven't, he thought to
himself.
"What's wrong, Genki?" asked his mother, proving once again that she,
like all mothers, really could read his thoughts.
"Nothing, Mom. I was just� thinking of some old friends I wish could
be here today," he replied. She nodded, and squeezed his shoulder.
"What, you mean you actually have friends?" asked Megumi, in a
mock-shocked tone. He favored her with a scowl for that one, and even his
mother raised an questioning eyebrow at her. The problem was that she was
a little too close to the truth for his tastes with that quip. He hadn't
made many friends, and the small number that he did have weren't as close
as they could have been, save a select few. For some reason, since getting
back, he'd just had problems relating to other humans. Megumi grinned
apologetically - which was a surprise in itself; usually she just shrugged,
expecting him to get her back some other time - as his mother turned back
to him, smiling gently.
"Where ever they are, Genki, I'm sure that they are proud of you," she
told him, "because they are your friends." After a moment, Genki smiled,
and nodded.
"Yeah Mom, I know," he said. She smiled at him.
"Are you ready to graduate?" she asked him. He nodded again.
"Been ready for years," he told her, grinning. "But first, how about
that breakfast you sent Megumi up to tell me about?"
Pixie dove, as a fire blast flew by just over her head, and risked a
glance behind her. Close on her tail, the Pirate Dragon began to inhale
for another shot. Rolling over to fly backwards, she launched a salvo of
lightning at him. Most of the blasts went high, but one clipped him on the
snout. Startled, he reflexively snapped his mouth shut, swallowing back
his attack. In spite of herself and the situation, she laughed as he got
an ill look on his muzzle, and smoke started streaming out of his mouth.
Then she fired again, this time hitting his wing; the dragon plummeted from
the air.
Dropping low, she glided just above Holly, who was riding Tiger of the
Wind, and the others. "We're almost there, but I'm getting kinda tired
here. I'm not sure I'll be able to hold off another attack like that!" she
called. Hare, running not far behind Tiger, nodded.
"Once we reach the ruins, Golem and Big Blue should be able to hold
off the dragons while we're inside!" he replied. Pixie nodded, and then
scowled as more roars sounded behind them.
"Persistent, aren't they?" shouted Tiger. Pixie didn't reply, as she
let a thermal carry her back up. Two more Pirate Dragons had caught up to
them; groaning, she wearily began to charge up another salvo of lightning.
Even this relatively untaxing spell began to take its toll after fighting
off over two dozen dragons. Before either of them could attack, though,
three red-scaled dragons flew up from behind her, two of them darting
forward to engage the pirates. The third dropped in beside her, and looked
at her; she grinned in relief as she recognized Falcon.
"We've got these scavengers Pixie, get to the ruins!" he said. She
nodded.
"Thanks Falcon. That's two I owe you now," she said. He grinned
slightly.
"Just find the kid, and we'll call it even," he told her. A roar
announced the arrival of still another dragon, and he growled. "Go! We'll
hold them here as best we can!" he said, before flashing forward to
intercept it. She watched him go, and then swooped back down to Holly and
the others.
"Falcon has us covered for now," she said.
"Let's just hope that the Oracle was right, and that the Gateway
really is still open," replied Tiger.
"If it isn't, we'll be up a creek without a paddle, Tiger," Hare
reminded them. They raced on, to the ancient ruins where, years before,
Genki had first been pulled into their world, and then returned home. She
shook her head. Had that really only been seven years ago that he'd gone?
It felt� far longer. Far, far longer than any other period of her life,
even her time being a slave. Pixie sighed. She never would have thought
back then that she'd miss him as much as she had. She hadn't just lost her
bondmate� she'd lost one of the closest friends she'd had, no matter how
hard she had fought at first to keep him from becoming just that.
"There are the Ruins!" shouted Holly, pointing ahead. Irritably,
Pixie berated herself for not paying more attention; if one of Nightstorm's
minions had attacked right then, she'd have been done for. Dropping to a
light landing and folding her wings, she followed Holly, Tiger and Hare
inside. Golem and Big Blue took up defensive stances before the door, eyes
probing for any dragons. Holly slid off Tiger's back, and ran over to the
control pad, pressing buttons quickly. Even so it would take her a few
moments to start it running and open the Gateway. If it was still there.
She thought back, to their short visit with the Oracle.
"The one with clear eyes� that one will end Hatred's reign forever.
Seek the Gateway; it remains open for Hatred's bane." That was what the
Oracle, an ancient triumvirate of Monol, had told them. It had been Golem
that had remembered them and taken their small group to them. It had to be
Genki they had spoken off; almost the first thing most people had always
said about him was that he had clear eyes. They had also had another thing
to say, something that had caught Pixie off guard. "You must go to the
human world, Pixie. There are lessons you must learn that can be learned
only there." She didn't understand that; though she no longer had the
burning hatred of humans she'd once held, before Genki had shown her that
not all humans were evil. What lessons could she learn in the human world,
and what lessons must she learn? She sighed, and shook her head; why
couldn't Oracles just say straight out what they meant?
"Cross your fingers, everybody!" called Holly, before beginning to
enter the final sequence. A hum began to fill the air as she did, and then
the ruins began to shake. "Unlock!" Holly pressed the final key. The
shaking redoubled; a few stones fell from the already damaged ceiling. But
in the center of the room, the device that usually unlocked Mystery Disks
activated. With a flare of brilliance, a shimmering portal began to open,
into what looked like a back alley.
Before it had even finished forming, Holly started around the control
panel toward it. They'd agreed on this; there were no monsters in Genki's
world, and since she was the only human in their group, she'd have to go.
Pixie didn't like it; she knew that she could track Genki down faster alone
than with Holly tagging along. Abruptly she winced. She knew very well
that Holly was surprisingly capable for her somewhat slight frame, and that
she was quite able to defend herself, but she didn't see the need for her
to go. They'd both be stepping into a completely unknown situation, and
Pixie was simply better equipped to deal with any problems. She wasn't
alone in her opinion; Tiger absolutely hated the idea of Holly going, but
then, Tiger had always been protective of her, and had grown even more so
over the last seven years. Pixie suspected that a good deal of his
displeasure was that while Holly would fit in, and Pixie could pass off as
a human if she hid her wings, tail and horns, there was absolutely no way
to disguise the fact that Tiger was a monster, so there was no way he could
go.
The portal finished opening, and Pixie turned toward it as Holly
reached it. Tentatively, the young woman reached out to touch it; the
surface rippled like water, but her hand went through without resistance.
Holly pulled back a moment, opening her mouth to speak, but as she did, the
ruins tolled like a gong. The ground leapt under them as a massive
explosion went off from outside, and a large rock, loosened by the earlier
shaking, fell, hitting Holly on the head. She toppled bonelessly to the
ground. Tiger was at her side so fast that it seemed he hadn't even
bothered with the space in between, Pixie only a split second later.
"Holly!" he exclaimed. Pixie knelt beside Holly's still form, gently
reaching out to check the wound.
"It's not that bad," she said, and Tiger relaxed visibly. "She's out
cold though. I'll heal her, but I don't think we have the time to wait for
her to wake up, so I'll go through alone," she finished, looking at them.
"But-" began Hare. Tiger growled, cutting him off.
"But nothing Hare. You know she's right. She can pass off as a human
if she's careful, but somehow I doubt they'd miss a six-foot tall rabbit,"
he said. Hare frowned, but then sighed.
"Translation, you don't want her going anymore than I do, and this is
a good excuse to keep her here," he agreed quietly. Pixie shook her head;
apparently Oracles weren't the only ones that didn't understand how to just
come out and say what they thought. Drawing up some of her energy
reserves, she cast her healing spell. Holly groaned, but the wound
vanished and now she seemed to be only sleeping, if very deeply.
"Holly should wake up before too long, and I'll be back with Genki as
soon as possible," Pixie told them, rising. Tiger nodded, as he lay down
beside Holly so that he was between her and the golem-guarded entrance.
"We'll be waiting here for you to get back� And Pixie�" he said. She
glanced at him.
"Yeah?"
"Take care," he told her. She smiled slightly. Who would believe
that the first time they'd met, they'd been mortal enemies?
"Yeah, you too," she replied, before raising her voice. "Keep'em
outta trouble, Blue!" she called. If he replied, she didn't hear him,
because she immediately pivoted and jumped through the gateway. A strange,
tingling sensation passed through her as she did, one that left her feeling
very odd.
She touched down on the other side, and automatically turned around to
be sure that nobody was behind her. All she found was a tall, blank,
red-brick wall; above her some clothes hung on a line strung between the
two buildings that formed the alley. Curious, she reached out to touch it;
her nail tapped solid brick. "I hope that the Gate reopens when we're
ready to go back through," she said, her words sounding just a trifle
nervous to her ears. The Oracle had told her that she needed to come to
this world, but she hadn't been planning on an extended stay.
Pixie turned back around, and took a step forward - and then
staggered, as her bond to Genki suddenly snapped into a sharp, bright
focus. For a long moment, she was so startled that she could scarcely
breath, much less move. A sense of him washed over her; she couldn't help
but notice that he seemed as healthy as ever, and in a good mood. He
seemed quite proud of himself, in fact, and Pixie wondered what he was
doing. After a few seconds had gone by, the bond dimmed back a little,
until it rested, nestled in the back corner of her mind. A moment later, a
sudden understanding came to her. Pixie had always thought that, when he
returned to his own world, their bond had been severed. To the contrary
though, she should have known by what the Oracle had said - the Gateway had
never closed, never fully sealing off their link. It must have gone
dormant, the bond strong enough to keep them linked even though they were
in different worlds, but not enough to continue to sense each other.
Slowly, she started to notice something else too, though. Genki
didn't seem to have noticed the reemergence of the bond. She was sure that
he would have tried to contact her through it, or at the very least felt
surprise, but all that she could sense was that same strong feeling of
pride in himself.
-Genki!- she called. But there was no answer. That didn't surprise
her too much; most bonded could only speak telepathically over a short
distance; little more than two hundred feet, usually, though sometimes
especially strongly bonded pairs could be much farther apart. Her
grandmother and bondmate had been one such pair, and she and Genki had been
beginning to develop a good range when he had had to return to his world.
Instead, she tried to send a surge of emotions over the link; that at least
he should sense. Bonded could sense what their bondmate was feeling no
matter how far away they were. But once again, there was only that
self-satisfied pride. She frowned, confused. Could he be blocking it, as
she had once done? Or was there some other reason?
Shaking her head, she reminded herself that it didn't matter if he
knew she was coming or not. Even if he couldn't sense her, she could sense
him - and what direction his was in. She could follow that sense right to
him. Nodding slightly, she spread her wings, and received her second major
shock of the day.
Her wings were gone.
Stretching, she felt frantically at her back, but all she could feel
was smooth, unbroken skin. For a moment, she felt the blood drain from her
face, and then, slowly, a lurking suspicion began to form. She patted her
head, and found that her horns were missing as well, and she knew that if
she checked her tail would be gone too. Pixie thought again of that odd,
tingling sensation that had passed through her as she'd gone through the
Gateway, how it had left her feeling so odd.
Had the Gate, in addition to sending her to the human world, turned
her into a human? Was this part of the lessons that she could only learn
here? Quite suddenly, Pixie found herself shivering, abruptly feeling very
afraid. She was alone, in the human world, without the ability to fly, and
apparently no way back to her world. The only thing she had was her bond
to Genki, and even that seemed to be not fully working. Pixie looked
around, and then firmed her expression. She'd been in worse messes than
this, and it certainly wasn't the first time she'd ever been alone.
Centering on Genki's direction, Pixie moved in the only direction she
could; down the alley to where another building formed an intersection.
Like the two that formed the alley she was already in, this one was tall
enough that it blocked out the sun, throwing the alleyway into deep shadow;
she could see perfectly, but humans wouldn't be able to see her unless they
were practically on top of her. Reaching the intersection, she looked
around; to the left was a dead end, but to the right was a patch of bright
sunlight; she angled for it, sticking to the deepest shadows.
As she reached the end of the alley, she slowed, and stared in pure
disbelief. When Genki had described his world to her, she hadn't really
believed some of the things he'd told her. Buildings that towered so high
they touched the clouds? Iron Birds big enough to carry hundreds of people
at a time? Machines called cars, that moved faster than chariots pulled by
the strongest, swiftest horses. Surely, she'd thought, he was
exaggerating; after all, he was just a kid.
Now, as she got her first real look at the human world, she realized
that, if anything, he'd been holding back. What Genki had described as
'cars' filled the street, flashing by almost faster than she could follow,
and humans packed the sidewalk, some walking, others wearing rollerblades
like Genki, still others riding short boards that rested on wheels. Across
the street, a steel and glass titan of a building soared into the sky, the
top vanishing in its own reflected sunlight. She caught herself backing
up, craning her neck to try to see it's top, and shook her head. She
didn't think she could have flown to it's roof even if she did have her
wings; it was just too high, and the air there would have been too thin,
even for her. "Pixie," she said weakly, "you are in way, way over your
head."
Ducking back into the alley to be sure none of the humans caught sight
of her, she frowned. They had all been wearing considerably more clothing
than she was. She had been planning to fold her wings forward around her
like a cloak, but she could see now that wouldn't work here. Not only was
the style of clothing far different than in her world, it seemed to vary
from person to person, one wearing a formal looking suit, another looking
like they'd just stepped out of a windstorm. Pixie sighed. Humans� she'd
never understand why they chose to wear such restrictive garments. They'd
be far more comfortable if they wore less. Then again, she thought to
herself, they also didn't have wings or tails to get in the way of their
clothing - and neither did she, for the moment. Frowning again, she
suddenly remembered the human clothing that had been hanging out to dry
near where she'd appeared.
"It's a start; I have to stay inconspicuous enough to find Genki," she
said to herself, as she moved back to where she'd seen the clothes.
Genki got out of the car, rubbing his temples. Earlier that morning,
he'd gotten a headache, and had taken some Tylenol. It had gone away for a
few hours, but now it was back, and with a vengeance. His skull was filled
with a pounding, painfully loud buzz that had been getting worse and worse
since about an hour ago. It felt like his head was trying to split clean
apart - and he was starting to wonder if that might not make it feel
better! Shaking his head, he reached back in and grabbed his gown and cap,
glancing at his mother as she stood up.
"Is that headache back, Genki?" she asked, from the other side of the
car. "Do you want some more Tylenol?" Genki shook his head again.
"No, I'll be fine Mom. It's probably just a last minute case of the
jitters," he said, grinning slightly. "I gotta get to the gym and meet up
with the rest of my class. I'll see you in just a little bit, ok?"
"If you don't get lost on your way onto the stage, that is," agreed
Megumi, grinning.
"Yeah, yeah. Like I said, your day will come, twip," he told her.
Their mother forestalled any further comments.
"We'll see you on the stage," she said, smiling. Genki nodded, and,
tucking his cap and gown under his arm, walked into the school. Inside,
people bustled about; teachers directing students toward the gym or
chatting with those that had been in their classes. Other students spoke
to one another, some already wearing the cap and gown, others in shirts and
pants, their graduation wear held like Genki's. Signs and posters hung
everywhere, some congratulating the students, some directing them toward
the gym, and still others thanking the teachers for a job well done.
"Hey Genki, wait up!" He turned, and grinned slightly as he saw
Jayson Carlton coming toward him. Jay was an exchange student, here on a
sponsorship from some company or other in the US. Shorter than Genki, he
also had a stockier build, dirty blond hair and green eyes. He was also
one of the few that Genki considered a good friend. His grin faded. In a
week, Jay would be returning home; another friend that he'd likely not see
again because he came from a different world than Genki. At least he could
write Jay, though. Pixie and the others were out of reach forever.
"Hey Jay," he replied, as he came to stand beside Genki, grinning
mischievously.
"Man, have I got a story for you. You know that snot Chisa, from
class 4-C?" he asked. Genki nodded; she was a snobbish, stuck up,
obnoxious little spoiled brat, but she was also one of the hottest girls in
the senior class. Every girl knew her and hated her; every guy knew her
and laughed about her behind her back. She was petite, but the rumor mill
had it that she actually bought her clothes two sizes too small so that she
had a good excuse to get out of them when she was on dates - which were
practically nightly. Genki could almost believe it, too; she always looked
like she'd been poured into her outfits. He'd never really looked at her
twice, though, figuring that if he wanted to talk to a rude girl, all he
had to do was go home and knock on Megumi's door.
"Yeah, who doesn't?" he replied. Jay grinned again.
"I'm in the office, picking up my graduation stuff. Chisa comes in,
all snobbish and whiney, and says that somebody stole the clothes she'd
been planning on wearing and her graduation gown. She's in there right
now, trying on the spares, but I gotta tell you man, they all hang off her
like burlap sacks - they're way too big," he laughed. Genki laughed in
spite of himself.
"Stole them? Who'd want to try to squeeze into that stuff anyway?
They'd be a tight fit for Megumi!" he said. Jay smirked.
"Hey, you never know. Maybe it was a homeless midget that grabbed
them. I heard her saying something about seeing a flash of really bright
red hair going around the corner of the alley just before I left the
office," he said. Genki shook his head, feeling guilty for laughing over
it, but unable to resist none the less. He didn't particularly like Chisa;
she was the kind of person that always had a little in-crowd bustling
around her, regardless of her personality.
"I feel sorry for who ever stole them; it wasn't worth their time," he
said. Jay smirked again.
"What, no sympathy for poor Chisa?" he asked, affecting a mock-stunned
face. Genki held up his hand, thumb and forefinger so close together a
sheet of paper wouldn't have fit between them.
"About this much," he replied.
"Going a little overboard, aren't you Genki? Ah, you always were the
sentimental one," laughed Jay. Genki gave him a dry grin. "So, are you
going to the all night party after the graduation ceremony?" he asked.
Genki shook his head.
"Naw, I got a really bad headache, I don't think I could take a whole
night of party. I was thinking about blading home through the park, see if
some fresh air would help clear my head," he replied, and then paused as an
announcement came over the speakers.
"All students, please assemble in the gymnasium for the commencement
march." He looked at Jay, as he unfolded his robe and pulled it on over
his head.
"Well, here we go, finally," said Jay, pulling on his own gown. Genki
nodded.
"Yeah," he agreed. They filed down the stairs, and into the gym,
along with the rest of the senior class. Out of the corner of his eye,
Genki noticed Chisa, wearing a gown that looked to be about two sizes too
big, and shook his head, hiding a smile. Jay split off to his row, while
Genki walked a bit farther up. The vice principal bustled in, wearing the
black and gold trimmed faculty version of the cap and robe, checking to
make sure they all had their tassels on the right side and their gowns on
straight. From outside, Genki heard the school orchestra begin to play;
the vice principal, satisfied that everything was ready, led them outside.
As the first rows of parents came into view, they erupted into
thunderous applause. Genki grinned; it was almost louder than the pounding
in his head. Actually, he realized, his headache had begun to subside a
little. Maybe skating home through the park wouldn't be such a bad idea;
he didn't get out like that very often anymore. As the class made their
way past the bleachers, Genki saw Megumi and his mother waving. He smiled
at them, and kept moving.
They were led to theirs seats, and then the speeches began. Genki
sighed in boredom, and idly fished out the Magic Stone as they droned on.
Challenges� he'd forgotten who they introduced the current speaker as,
some sort of city official, he thought, but he was talking about
challenges. Genki stared deep into the stone, remembering the challenges
he'd faced. He remembered first appearing in their world, and saving Holly
and Suezo. He remembered meeting Tiger, and managing to slowly win his
trust and friendship. He remembered the loss he'd suffered at Pixie's
hands the first time they met, and he remembered throwing himself over her
in what would have been a vain attempt to protect her as the ruins began to
collapse above them, had Big Blue not been there. He remembered when the
Phoenix had first shown herself, through him and the Magic Stone,
resurrecting Pixie, Tiger and Big Blue. Challenges� Yes, he'd faced
challenges in his life, challenges nobody else could have.
He was spooked from his reverie as the student beside him tapped his
shoulder. With a start, he realized it was his row's turn to get their
diplomas. Standing, he followed them up, smiling widely, and proudly. It
had been a different sort of battle than the one he'd fought against Moo to
earn this, but by far, it had been the more difficult. Walking up the
steps, Genki accepted his diploma, and shook hands with the vice principal
and principal.
As he sat back down in his seat, grinning at the diploma - his
diploma! - he saw the Magic Stone abruptly flicker, albeit very weakly. He
blinked; it glowed faintly now and then, when he thought of his friends,
but never when he wasn't actually touching it. But at the moment, he was
leaning forward slightly; the Stone was hanging freely on it's cord, away
from his body. After a moment, it flickered again, this time a little
stronger, and for a split second, it almost looked like the Phoenix had
been starting to appear, before the light guttered out again. Startled,
Genki quickly hid the Stone under his shirt, not wanting it to flare to
life with so many people to see. The stone was warm against his skin,
almost hot, rather than its usually cool touch.
The ceremony ended; Genki removed the tassel from his hat, and joined
his class in flinging it into the air. Grinning and feeling quite proud,
and quite satisfied with himself, he none the less wondered what was up
with the Stone. The class began to disperse, and Genki made his way over
to the bleachers, to where his mother and sister were waiting. Putting a
hand on the guard railing, he vaulted over it to them, landing lightly.
"I'm impressed, you actually managed to keep from tripping over your
robes and falling on your face!" said Megumi, grinning and daring him with
her eyes to make a come back. His mother tapped her nose.
"Let's just hope for your sake you're as graceful as Genki when it's
your turn to graduate, brat," she said, smiling to take the sting out of
her words. Megumi blushed slightly, as his mother turned back to him.
"Congratulations Genki." She laughed, and hugged him tightly. "I'm so
proud of you!" she gushed. Genki grinned again as they started making
their way toward the car, and was about to speak when her beeper went off.
She blinked, and pulled it out of her purse. "I told them not to page me
unless it was an emergency," she said, frowning and scrolling through the
message. Genki and Megumi looked at each other, as her eyes widened. "Oh,
dear�"
"Emergency," they said together. Genki looked back at her. "What
happened?"
"One of the managers at the main headquarters had a heart attack, I'm
needed there," she said. Genki grinned, and nodded.
"No worries Mom. We can celebrate when you get back," he said. She
smiled at him, as she unlocked the car door.
"I'll take you home, and then I have to leave; I'm sure that they
already have me booked on the next Skimmer over to Tokyo," she said. "It
could be a couple of days," she said, in an apologetic voice. Genki
grinned.
"Don't worry, I'll have the girls out of the house and Megumi back
from the pound before you get home," he said, winking at her. She laughed,
nodding; Megumi sniffed loudly and looked pointedly away from Genki.
"Get in," she said. He shook his head.
"Just take Megumi home, I wanted to blade home through the park. I
was thinking some fresh air would get rid of that headache," he replied,
taking off his gown, and exchanging it for his rollerblades. She gave him
a concerned look.
"Are you sure, Genki?" she asked. He nodded.
"Yeah. For awhile there it was getting better during the ceremony.
My head only felt like it was coming apart at the seams, instead of
exploding from inside," he replied. She gave him a doubtful look, but
finally nodded.
"Alright, but don't be out too late. I'll put Megumi to bed before I
go," she said, as he tugged off his boots and put on the blades.
"Awww, Mom! It's summer, why can't I stay up?" complained Megumi from
the backseat of the car. His mother sat down in the driver's seat.
"Because you were up early this morning�" Her voice was cut off, as
he tossed in his boots and closed the door. She waved as she pulled out of
the parking space, and then drove away. Looking around to make sure nobody
was near, Genki pulled out the Stone. For a moment, it was dark, and then,
slowly, a weak, flickering Phoenix appeared. It flapped its wings a
moment, and then became an arrow, pointing, to his surprise, toward the
park. Genki frowned, as he slowly tucked it away. The park� well, he had
to go that way to get home in any case, and as long as he did�
"So, decided to blade home through the park after all, eh Genki?"
asked Jay, as he brought his skateboard to a stop beside him. Genki
grinned at his friend.
"I thought you'd already left; I didn't see you after the ceremony,"
he said in surprise. Jay shrugged.
"I figured a ride through the park might not be a bad idea, and I had
my board in the Ausakura's trunk, so I figured what the heck," he told him.
"Mind the company?" Genki paused a moment, thinking. It seemed something
had awoken the Stone� The problem was, most of the time when it had
pointed the way in their world, it had also pointed them straight into
trouble. Somebody to watch his back might be a good idea.
"Yeah, sure. Just try and keep up on that rusty old thing you call a
skateboard," he said finally, grinning. Jay smirked at him, but didn't
comment. Shifting his weight, Genki took off toward the park, Jay close
behind.
He noticed, as he did, an odd, strangely familiar sensation in the
back of his head, but with the pounding of his headache, he just dismissed
it as imagination.
"Master Nightstorm. We have sent Holly and her friends to the ruins
as you ordered," said the nearest of the three Monol. They had been known
collectively as the Oracle, once; now they were simply another pawn for him
to play or discard as he pleased.
"And the portal? You have altered it as I requested?" he asked.
"Yes, Master Nightstorm. When Pixie passes through it, she will
become human, but only so long as she remains there, in that world," they
replied. He nodded.
"Once she passes through it, it will close. Only the Stone can
re-open it, but they will not find the boy in time. By the time that they
do, we will be ready to step into the human world," he said.
"What of their friends?" asked one of the Monol.
"What of them? Without Holly or Pixie to direct them, they will be
lost. Leave them alone for now, let them think that they have gotten
ahead. Then send the Pirate Dragons tomorrow to destroy the ruins. They
will scatter, believing that Holly and Pixie can not return," he told them.
"As you wish, Master Nightstorm."
----
The Platinum Dragon
"'When the devil finished, Johnny said, 'Well you're pretty good old son!
But sit down in that chair right there and let me show you how it's done!'"
Dragon's Masaki Shrine of Tenchi Muyo - http://dragonsanime.com