Little Serenity

"No stop!!" Michiko ran in between the Genin and the elite Ninja. Everyone still held their weapons at the ready. "What are you doing?!" Ki yelled. "Get out of the way!" "Please Miss Michiko, we must defeat him!" Xion readied his weapon. "Finally some action!" Jiko grinned. "Move out of the way!" "I won't! Being killed isn't in his contract!" "WHAT?!!" All four genin yelled. "That's right. I hired this Chunin, Kakashi-sensei, to kidnap me and take me through the maze. Just to light a fire underneath you." Kakashi waved a little and winked, "You guys were good." "That... was low..." Ki sighed. "Yeah! I was getting ready to kill this guy!" Vince sat down in exasperation. "I knew something like this was going on..." "So... that's why you actually screamed when he cut your throat, and why he told you to cover your face when he threw the blinding powder." "Exactly. No harm was to come to me at all." "Sorry about your throat..." Kakashi mumbled. "It's alright. The bleeding's stopped. Well," Michiko sat down. "Now all we have to do is wait for the rest of the Genin to come out of the maze...."

Irima and Sariyah ate their breakfast quickly and began to break camp. Irima helped Sariyah pack up all of his things, considering that she didn't have anything. When they were ready, Irima kicked Monte awake. "We're going to see the King." Irima said flatly, "You're going to help us? Capiche?" "YOU are going to see the King?" "Got a problem with that?" Sariyah had his hand on the hilt of his sword. "No no... not at all, of course not. It's just..." A sly smile crept over Monte's lips. "Why would the Black Quessir want to see the King if she was not planning to kill him?" Sariyah took an angry step forward, but Irima got to Monte first. "You - take - that - back." Monte made some kind of noise between a whimper and a cough. "I am NOT the Black Quessir, I never intend to be, and I DO NOT KILL anyone. At least... anyone who doesn't threaten me." Another whimper/cough from Monte. "Alright, alright, I'll take you there! In two week's time, the King is holding a masked ball. You should be able to corner him there. Here," Monte handed Irima a ring with a black rose on it. "The King recognizes anyone who carries this symbol as his ally. Why do you want to see him anyway if you're NOT the Black Quessir?" "That's enough questions." Sariyah spoke before Irima could open her mouth. "Just lead us to the King, to repay us for our help." Monte turned away and began walking down the path. Irima shuddered, "I... I'm afraid of Monte." "What on Earth for?!" "He- he reminds me of someone, but I'm not sure who..." "Everyone you see reminds you of someone." "That's not true!" "Is so." "Is not." "Is so." "Is not..."

"Hey... Sariyah?" "Hm?" "I... really don't think we should trust Monte." "Tell me something I don't know." "When... when he was grovelling, I swear I saw him smile... It... really creeped me out. It was like I was back in that prison cell." Sariyah sat up suddenly, "He did something to you?!!" "No no... just threatened me. But... I was really scared that my old life had come back to haunt me." Sariyah leaned against the tree again. "Don't worry about it. We don't have anything that he'd want anymore. I hid the cash so he wouldn't find it." "Smart move." Sariyah nodded. With some difficulty, Irima got to her knees and faced Sariyah. She studied his face until he noticed her staring at him. "Wh- what? Why are you staring at me like that?" Irima shrugged, "It seemed... as though I've met you before. But, I don't remember seeing anyone like you when I was younger, and I know that you wouldn't have been on that caravan of theives." Irima winced with pain. "Lie back down. That wound is serious." He paused, "How did it happen?" Irima considered for a minute. If she said anything significant, Sariyah would leave her again and, even though irony was on her side, she might not see him again this time. "I- I just got lazy and some drunk guy shot me." There was a pause. "They know that the Black Quessir isn't dead." Sariyah's head leaned back on the tree as he looked at the sky and sighed, "What did you do?" "I didn't do anything. Okay... I forgot to unlock the jail cell, so it was empty and locked. It's... kind of my trademark." She smiled and leaned against Sariyah's shoulder. "Hey! What are you doing?!!" He jumped out of the spot and Irima slid onto the ground, bad shoulder first. "YIEEEE!! Thanks a heap!" Irima rolled over onto the ground. "You know... you're a heck of a lot softer than the ground." Sariyah sat back down. "Sorry. Just panicked." "It's okay. At least now I know I have to work on you more. You're too jumpy." She turned to grin at him and recieve some kind of retort, but Sariyah was asleep, head on his chest. Irima smiled, eyebrow arched. "Some guard you make."

Irima stood up, holding her shoulder. "I don't need you! I can get on by myself!" "What? You're barking! Hold still, you're bleeding very badly." Sariyah started bandaging her shoulder. She slapped him with the back of her hand. It wasn't the joking type of strike either. It was cold and angry. "What's your friggin' problem?!! Why aren't you home?!" "I DON'T HAVE A HOME!" Irima stood up. "I thought I had someone I could count on once, but I was seriously mistaken." She tackled Sariyah, sitting on his chest. "Heh, guess you're back to normal." She stared at him. Before Sariyah could blink, Irima was strangling him, or at least trying to. "I hate you... I HATE YOU..." "Ir-ima what's wrong?!!" Sariyah stared into her eyes, they were foggy and unfocused. "STOP!!" He executed a well-aimed punch into Irima's injured shoulder. She screamed in pain and fell away from him. He aimed his sword at her throat. "What is up with you?!!" "Sa-sariyah..." she moaned, covering her face. "Oh God... don't look at me... I could never hurt you... why, why did I try to?!" "Are you-?" He took a cautious step toward her. "Don't come near me! I don't want to hurt you again!" Sariyah kept coming. "I thought I told you to stay back!!" He sat down next to her and began bandaging her shoulder. "No... stop... I..." He finished fixing Irima's shoulder in silence. "I didn't know you never had a home. I'm sorry." Irima sat on the ground for a few seconds. "Are you going to leave me again...?" Sariyah looked over his shoulder, then sat down to tend the fire.

Heh, ^_^ thank you everyone! I'll fix the text. But I think that it's Il Palazzo... at least, it was in the manga... ^_^;; eeks!

Yanagi stepped forward, "Listen! They're all not androids and cyborgs! They- they're all human!" Ijimeru, Siaga, Kaira, and Jeffery looked at her. "Keep your faces covered! These are only the guys who were chasing me..." She stepped outside, arms raised. "You're not the Iron Maiden project! She had long black hair! KILL HER! She's protecting the renegades!" Yanagi collapsed on the ground, slowly crawling towards Ijimeru. Her hair had lengthened and her hands had sprouted claws. Her skin was flashing white and pale flesh color. "He- help m-m-me!!" she cried. I can't turn into this monster!"

Well, I got bored, so I decided: Hey, why not fool around with photoshop? Constructive criticism please. ^_^ (If anyone knows how to do a thinner border in Photoshop 7.0, please tell me... ^_^;; )

Irima sat there, stunned for a few seconds. Sariyah's food still had steam coming off of it, yet he was gone. Gone, probably forever. She reached over and started chugging cordial right out of the bottle. "Hey, you going to be okay missie?" The waiter came over to her. "Give me three more of these." "THREE?!" "I've got cash." "Alright..." For the next twenty minutes, Irima sat at the table drinking and crying her eyes out. A group of guys wearing leather everything entered the casino. The leader glanced over at Irima who was a mess. Her veil had been discarded, her hair hung askew and her face was very red indeed. The gang seated themselves strategically around Irima. "Whazzamatta honey?" "He.. he...(hiccup) He left me!" The leader smiled widely. "Don't worry, he won't bother you anymore. Did he knock you up and then leave you?" "Do-don't be shilly. He wouldn't have the (hiccup) the gutsh to do dat..." "Then why are you so blitzed out?" "Lishten, when you're a girl like me, when you find shomeone you can trusht, it's a lifeshaver. And..." She sobbed again, "He jusht left me! Without any regard for my feelingsh!" She started crying heavily again. The gang guffawed stupidly as the leader put his arm around Irima's waist. "Don't worry, we care about you. How much cash do you have on you, hon?" "Well," she giggled and hiccuped, "Dun tell dat waiter-guy ova dere... but... I'm flat broke! I just escaped from jail ya know!" "Really..." The gang started to get up. "Yep! Everyone thinks that Irima the Black Quessir is dead, but... heh heh heh, I know betta..." The leader sat down again. "What's your name honey?" She giggled again, "Weren't you listenin'? I'm Irima the Black Quessir!" The door of the casino suddenly burst open, "IRIMA THE BLACK QUESSIR ESCAPED!! HER CELL WAS LEFT LOCKED AND EMPTY!" "Oooops, maybe I shoulda unlocked it..." She giggled again and took another swig of wine. "GET HER BOYS!! She's worth a fortune!!" Irima giggled again. Everyone in the buffet room began scrambling to get their hands on Irima. She lept away from the gang leader and whacked him on the head playfully. "You're it!!" She giggled and swung from the low chandelier onto a balcony. Everyone watched her, ravenous. "Oh... you can all be it... well, okay!" Irima picked up her staff and began running through the room dodging people who were trying to tackle her. After a few minutes Irima passed out on the floor, a sleezy grin on her face. Everyone dogpiled on Irima trying to get her. Suddenly, the sky became very dark. People suddenly became panicked. "IT'S IRIMA!! SHE'S CALLING THE MIST!!" "Everyone run for your lives!!!" The entire casino started to run out of the door, however, a gray mist suddenly poured into the room, clouding everyone's vision. There were several screams of panic and stampedeing noises. Suddenly, all was quiet. Several figures stood over Irima. One held the other back. "Don't bother. She's dead already. She won't serve any purpose." The mist subsided. A few people lay dead, but most of the people were gone, as if they'd vanished into thin air... Irima blinked her eyes twice, waking up with a splitting headache. Everything seemed to be swimming. "Oh... my head... why did I get drunk...?" Suddenly, everything came flooding back. Sariyah leaving her and... something about a gang leader. She got up looking around. She gasped at what she saw. Everyone was either gone or dead. "It's... the Mists! Oh God!! SARIYAH!!" Irima grabbed her veil and staff and ran down the streets, frantically calling his name. [i]What if he didn't leave the city?! Everyone was either killed or taken by the mists![/i] Irima sunk to her knees in the middle of the abandoned city. [i]He's gone. The only person who ever cared about me and what happened to me is gone...[/i] [i]Besides, I'm sure you have a family somewhere that's worried sick.[/i] Sariyah's words rang in Irima's ears. "I... I don't have a family... I told you that Sariyah! Why did you leave me?!!" She used her staff to stand up, "I'll never forgive you! EVER!! I'll make sure you pay for what you've done to me! You're just like all the rest of them! Every last one who played with me as though I was a doll!" Irima searched the storehouses and finally found some red paint. Carefully, she climbed to the tower of the Fist of Five Casino and painted one word on the tower: [i]Sariyah.[/i] As she climbed down with the can, a single silent tear fell down her face. She looked at her work and tried her best to smile. It wouldn't come. She started sobbing. With a wave of her staff, the words now read: [i]The Mists of Aurocon.[/i] She walked toward the south, towards a river she could follow to another town. Maybe she could change her name to... Amiri. She repressed a sob. Teeth clenched she kept walking. A day later, Irima was still walking, not daring to sleep. When she did sleep, her dreams were haunted with her laughing face as Sariyah amused her. She would awake crying and beating the ground, screaming "I hate him! I hate him!". Irima finally had to stop to rest. She sat by the river and watched it flow north... oddly enough. The current was strong. She waded up to her knees, strapping her staff to her back. She let the wind caress her sweaty face. She didn't dare lift her veil though. Instead, Irima let down her hair so it fell across her shoulders. She heard shouts coming from the brush. "The tracks end here!" Three men with small crossbows entered the clearing. "It's her! The Black Quessir!" Irima turned to them and gave them what looked like a drugged look. Her eyes drooped, the corners of her mouth slightly turned up. "GET HER!!" "This is for my brother!" One of the men shouted. He took aim at Irima's shoulder. His aim was true. In a matter of seconds, Irima had a crossbow bolt in her shoulder. She looked down at it, then fell into the water. Her body was swept northward with the current.

Irima sat on her prison bench, readjusting her veil, and sulking. She hadn't thought that Sariyah would actually turn her in! And for only a miniscule FRACTION of what she was worth! "Some knight in shining armor he turned out to be." She sighed and stood up, waiting. Soon, a cloud passed over the moon. Irima got to work. She removed her shoe. Inside were several small pieces of silver. She dropped one into her mouth and swallowed. She shuddered as if she was cold. Slowly, from her stomach, her body disappeared. The bars of the cell were so far apart, that Irima simply slipped her slender form through them. On her way by Lumiere's desk, she took his pencil and put two thin lines through her name. She practically waltzed out of the prison, the guards never seeing a thing. She walked to the Fist of Five Casino, where the cloaked man Sariyah was staying. Irima found him sleeping in one of the best rooms. Shutting the door quietly behind her, she walked up to where Sariyah was sleeping. She placed her cold hands on his face. Sariyah jumped a foot, drawing his sword. "Guess who?" She smiled. "Irima?! Where... where are you?! Oh God, this woman haunts me even in my head!" "Don't be stupid, I've escaped from prison using Silverbane. It has special properties when ingested, such as... invisibility." She winked at him but he couldn't tell. "Why?! Why did you come back here...?!" Sariyah groaned. "Hmph! So you were just going to leave me in jail?" "I was thinking about it!" "You louse!" She raised her staff, then realized that he couldn't see her doing so, "I'm gonna hit you with my staff again!" "GAH!!! No don't!!" He ran around the room, trying to avoid an invisible Irima, covering his head. He stopped running. Nothing had happened. The room was silent. "Maybe... I'm just losing my mind..." Sariyah sighed and crawled back into his huge bed, sighing with relief. He was just tired, he wasn't hearing Irima's voice. She was all the way back at that jail, probably moaning in agony. He smiled and fell asleep. Hours later, sunlight streamed through Sariyah's window. He blinked awake and sighed, remembering last night. He now had /\300,000 and he was rid of Irima. He got up to get dressed, looking around for his clothes. He walked around the bed, kicking something to the side. It was leather armor... made for a woman. Sariyah stared at it in horror. His eyes then traveled to Irima's gloves, her veil, her sheer pants, and her staff, littered all over the ground. He turned his head slowly. Irima was sleeping on the other side of the bed, smiling to herself. "This is all a halucination... it can't be real..." Sariyah told himself. "Her clothes are not on my floor and she is not in my bed... nope, no she's not." He walked up to the other side of the bed and poked at Irima's shoulder. She cracked one eye open, yawned and sat up. "Morning Sariyah! I hope you found somewhere else to sleep." Sariyah's entire body felt like jello. "You... you slept... IN MY BED?!!!" "Yeah, I hope you didn't mind the floor." "[i]I[/I] SLEPT IN MY BED!!!" Irima looked at the other side of the bed, then back at Sariyah. "YOU HENTAI!!!!" She pulled the comforter over herself and got up, heading straight for her staff. "HEY!! I WASN'T THE ONE WHO WAS INVISIBLE, OKAY?!!" "GET OUT!!!" Irima pushed Sariyah out of the room and slammed the door shut. A few men passed by, taking note of the fact that a bounty hunter was standing in the hall in his underwear. Sariyah glared at them and they hurried away. "IR-" He growled in frustration, "AMIRI!" he pounded on the door, "OPEN THIS DOOR NOW!" "No!" "Amiriiiiii....!!" "Trouble with your wife, dear?" The Landlady smiled at Sariyah. "Get lost lady!" Sariyah ran at the door several times, trying to break it down. THAT'S IT!! YAAAAAAAAAAH!!" With new resolve, Sariyah rushed at the door, and would have broken it down, if Irima hadn't opened it for him. He went sprawling into the bed. "Such a racket Sariyah. You're liable to get us kicked out. I'll wait for you downstairs." Sariyah lay face down in the bed for a few seconds, "I... hate... her..."

OOC: Yeah, that's okay aYokano. ^_^ "What was that?" The Chunin stood up. "Sounded like someone fell into the basement..." Michiko sweatdropped. Suddenly, the door swung open and Ki stepped through, looking slightly dishevled. "Wait... this isn't the exit..." "Finally!" Michiko punched the air, "Someone here to rescue me!"

Name: Tyne Age: 16 Sex: Female Build: Light Description: Tyne has blonde hair that covers half her face so that only one of her green eyes shows. She wears a white tank top and blue jeans. Over it, she wears a red kimono that is pulled off her shoulders, yet tied at the waist. Race: human Bio: Tyne left her family when she was fifteen to try to escape Tokyo-ke. Unfortunately, that is the only thing she can remember now. She wanders the streets, sometimes refered to as the "Red Ghost" looking for her family, and hating the city of Tokyo-ke. 1. To defeat the enemy, you preferr: a. Skill 2. Love is the essence of: a. Inner strength 3. Your Friends mean to you: b. Sacrificing myself

Michiko and the Chunin sat there, looking positively bored. "Are they going to come anytime soon?" The elite ninja groaned. "They've only got around thirty minutes left." "Maybe they all died." Michiko mused. "Right. Genin of their caliber, don't die in petty situations like this." "Well, hopefully they'll figure out that they only have to turn right and go straight from where they were. Today's been so... tiring..." Michiko yawned. The Chunin rolled his eyes.

Irima and Sariyah both walked out of the Fist of Five Casino, both flat broke. Irima had her staff back and Sariyah was not in a good mood. "I- I'm sorry you had to give them all your cash..." Sariyah didn't respond. "Are you mad at-" "OF COURSE I'M ANGRY WITH YOU!!" Irima winced away. "I just blew all my money on you and that cheating loser! How are we supposed to get out of this place without any money?! We'll die before we even get halfway to the next town!" They walked in silence for a few minutes. "Heck, we can't even sleep somewhere decent!" "There... there is one way, that you could get your money back." "Really? How. I'm sure that that shifty-looking prison guard's already gambled it away." Irima held up the manacles that had bound her in the prison cell. "Where'd you get those?" "I pinched them from the casino." Irima looked up at him, "Turn me in."

Mei walked through the forest, coming to rest in a clearing. She needed time to think. Toya was gone, and so was Tobias. The raid on the school never happened... but Mei's dream of her drowning in mud still hadn't ceased. A silent tear fell down her face. [color=red]"What's wrong Mei?"[/color] Max sat down next to her. She smiled at him. [color=blue]"It's nothing. I don't know why I'm sad. I mean... I have you, right?"[/color] [color=red]"It's about Water isn't it?"[/color] Mei stared at the ground. She had been thinking about her brother, Water. She only found out about Water-sensei being Toya, her brother when the elements announced that they would be dead and gone. She had promised to find him again, but it seemed impossible. [color=blue]"I- I just... want to see him again. It felt weird loving a teacher like a brother but... now that I know..."[/color] [color=red]"It's okay. Everything's going to be fine, you know? The Black X are gone and..."[/color] [color=blue]"Max... I keep having the dream about... about him killing both of us."[/color] [color=red]"Who? Tobias?! You SAW him die!"[/color] [color=blue]"I know! But... It starts out with Tobias killing me then... everything's black. I come to on the floor, bleeding. You're standing there with phoenix tail and wings and... I have dragon fins. We... we were fighting each other Max! Just like Water and Fire said we would! They... they must have fought too!"[/color] [color=red]"Mei, we'll never fight each other!"[/color] [color=blue]"You promise me?"[/color] [color=red]"I promise."[/color]

Irima, Monte, and Sariyah walked for what seemed like days. Sure, Akubar was only an hour away, but that was if you made REALLY good time. Finally, the trio reached Akubar. "Wow, he wasn't kidding. This is gambling central..." Irima whispered. "Well, you both are here, so, I'll just go and get some supplies and be off. See you in the papers Amiri." Sariyah walked off. "Wait! Don't-!" Monte grabbed Irima's wrist. "He'll be fine. Don't worry, I can provide you with lodgings, food, and probably a job as a nice dealer." He smiled. One of his teeth was golden. Irima recoiled in disgust. "I'll just run after him. Thanks for... everything... Monte." Irima turned to go. "I don't think so- IRIMA!" Monte pulled her staff out of Irima's loose hand and whacked her with it. "Cruel... Irony..." were Irima's last words as she fell to the dirt. No one seemed to notice her limp form on the ground. Monte tossed aside her staff, picked her up and carried her off. "Ack. I forgot that the apothecary is..." Sariyah trailed off. He had almost tripped over something. Something that looked nastily like Irima's staff. "She wouldn't go anywhere without this... it's her entire power..." He picked it up, seeing that someone was staring it with dollar signs in their eyes. "It's mine, back off." The seedy looking guy ran off. "Where is she? Wait a minute, why do I even care?!!" [i]Back off, Monte.[/i] "Can't I rid myself of her?!!" With that, Sariyah ran down the street yelling, "Amiri!! Amiri! Where in hell are you?!!" About an hour later, Irima wasn't exactly feeling so great. She was sitting, her head aching, in a prison cell, her hands manacled. She opened her eyes slowly. "This must be what it's like to be Sariyah..." "Good morning, Black Quessir." Irima snapped to attention. Monte was sitting across from her, grinning widely. "Where am I?" "You're in the dungeons of the Fist of Five Casino. I didn't think it proper to bring you to the proper authorities until I've... taken my share." Irima shrank in her prison. "You wouldn't dare." She groped for her staff. It wasn't anywhere to be seen. "I'll kill you!" "Well, Miss Irima, I'm highly doubtful. I threw away your staff, but you didn't seem to have any other weapons on you." Monte walked up to the door and unlocked it, stepping inside. "I took all of your cash too. Once I'm finished with you, I'll find Sariyah. He was a sucker, I'll tell you that." "Get back!" Irima pulled out her veil and adjusted it over her face. "I can kill you!" Monte trapped her between his arms against the wall. "You can't." He smiled, "I'm about to become a very rich man... beautiful Irima."

"Kissing?!!! WHY YOU..." Irima stalked over to him. "Easy, easy! Don't kill him!" Sariyah restrained Irima. "Unfortunately I can't..." Irima grunted through her teeth. Monte hadn't taken one look at Irima since he woke up. "Hey," Sariyah started, "I think you'd best change your appearance a bit. So you don't look like-" "Okay." Irima stalked off into the forest with a blanket and a comb. When she returned, her legs were tied up in strips of blanket and her hair had been combed down. "The veil too." Irima hesitated, then removed it. Sariyah stared at her face for a bit. "What?! Stop looking at me!" "Sorry." Monte turned around. "Good Lord, who are you?!" "Er..." Irima stammered, "I'm... I'm Amiri!" Sariyah fell over. "You're cute. How about you come over here. You have a pretty face..." Irima gripped her staff closer to her. "Just, just leave her alone Monte. Don't come near her. She's a dreadful claustrophobic." "What was that....?!!" Irima growled under her breath. "Nyah!!" "Hmph! Shonen!" Irima turned away from him. [i]What was all that fairy dust about? And... Monte... waking up. Usually a Sleep Buster lasts at least three hours. Weird...[/i] "Well, we should get going into town. Come on... Amiri..." Sariyah snorted as he packed his bag.

Irima cracked her eye open. Sariyah was looking at the waterfall, seemingly unaware of her being awake. [i]Well, at least he hasn't dumped me on the highway yet.[/i] Her staff was still clutched in her hand. [i]Must have used too much power, to end up in a wreck like this.[/i] Quietly, Irima snuck up on Sariyah. He was absorbed in examining his sword. She stopped. "Hey I-" Quickly, Sariyah had his hand on Irima's back. He swung her over the river and poised his sword at her throat. "I knew you were trouble Mon- Oh, it's you." "YOU IDIOT, my armor's leather! If you don't have a good grip-!" She jolted violently. "GAHH!! Save me!!" She grabbed Sariyah's head and pulled him to her chest. "You're the idiot now!! We're gonna faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall!!" They both fell into the river. Irima surfaced first, treading water, then Sariyah, thrashing about. "Way to go." "Hey, you were the one who grabbed me first!" "BLACK QUESSIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIR!!!" Irima looked up. Monte was standing there holding a small revolver. Her eyes went wide. "Yo! Man put that down!!!" Irima sheilded herself with Sariyah. "Quick Sariyah! Grab her! Do you have any idea how much money she's worth?!" "Hey, back off! I caught her first!" Monte fired several times. Irima screamed and covered her head. Sariyah got a bit... angry. "YOU HAVE HAD ONE TOO MANY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT! Stop shooting at us!!" Irima folded her hands intricately, "SLEEP BUSTER!" Monte fell onto the bank, snoring. His gun fell out of his hand and into the river. Irima gave Monte a look of dislike. "Let's get out of here," she muttered, wading onto the bank.

"What should I do...?" Irima clutched her staff. "Use some kind of black magic on it! That'll kill it, right?" "Uh... sure..." Irima stepped forward. "You better not mess with me! That's the last thing you want to do! My name's Irima, the Black Quessir, and if you want to wake up tomorrow morning I suggest you get lost!" "You idiot!" Sariyah slapped his forehead, "You think THAT'S going to intimidate it?!" "It worked with everyone else..." The Blackelantern gave a hidious roar and began running after Sariyah and Irima. "What the?!! What do I do now?!!" "Use a spell! Kill it! You're the famed Black Quessir, you can do it!" "I- I can't!" "WHADDYA MEAN 'I CAN'T'?!!" "I'm not the Black Quessir! I'm a WHITE MAGE!" "Oh that's perfect!!" Irima turned around suddenly. "What are you doing?!! You'll be killed!" "I only know one offensive spell, and it's a doozy! Grab onto something!!" Irima brandished her staff. "Sure hope this thing's pure evil. Well, here goes... HOLY!!!" Sariyah shut his eyes, hanging on to a tree branch. He could feel a warmish wind blowing through the trail, and he could hear the beast roaring with fury. The wind started to pick up until Sariyah was sure that he was a goner but then it stopped. He regained his footing and opened his eyes. The Blackelantern was nowhere to be seen and Irima was lying in the middle of the path unconscious.

"Gah!!" She covered her face with her hands. "You idiot!! What was that for?!" "You said you'd remove it, so I did it for you." Irima seethed with anger, still covering her face with one hand and outstretching the other. "Give the veil back! I can mend it." "No way. I'm not giving this back until I see your face." "I can't show it to you." "Why not?" "I JUST CAN'T!" There was silence for a minute or two. "Something tells me this isn't just about the lineups." Irima sniffled, "Bingo." Her voice was unsteady. "Oh great..." Sariyah looked around nervously to see if anyone would come and beat him up for making her cry. "Hey, don't cry, I'm sure we can... work this out..." Irima pulled her knees to her face. "When I was only ten, I was captured by a band of theives. They killed everyone in my village." "Even your parents?" "I don't remember having any parents. I think that I've been an orphan my entire life... anyway, the theives captured me along with other women and forced us into a life of servitude. Many..." Irima found it difficult to talk about the next part, "Many of the men found me... attractive... I guess. They forced themselves on me, even though I was young. I was beaten by the women because their men thought I was pretty. But then..." Irima thought for a second. "Then I was cast out of the caravan. The women told me that if they ever saw my face again, they'd kill me. But... on the other hand, the men said that if they ever saw my face again, I'd be welcome back. And you can imagine how much I wanted THAT." Sariyah stood there stunned. [i]You... HENTAI!! Scum![/i] All that time, she hadn't said anything to him. She didn't scream out in terror or try to kill him. Irima was still sobbing softly and quivering. He looked at the torn veil in his hand. "Why did you tell me all this?" "I... I don't know... It just seemed like you'd understand..." He sighed, "Stand up." She did, still covering her face. "Will you give me back my veil now?" "There's no one around, believe me." He advanced on her and gripped her wrists in one hand. Irima couldn't move, her strength couldn't match his. Before she knew it, her hands were away from her face. Sariyah looked at her, brushing away her tears as he studied her face. "It makes it easier to see you, the real you." He tossed her the veil. Irima hastily readjusted it over her face. About a half an hour later, there was a fire going with breakfast cooking over it. Irima came back with more wood. Sariyah was stoking the fire. "So..." Irima started, "What did you think?" "About your face?" She nodded. "Feh, nothing special to me." "Why you...!!!" Irima smacked him across the face, leaving a throbbing red handprint. She crossed her arms indignantly, "Hmph!"

Irima and Sariyah sat in silence for a few minutes, both steaming mad. "I can't believe that I called you back." "Well, it's not like it's my fault that you did, yasha." "Y-you mean you don't like meeee?!!" Irima cried again. "Well, please, it's not like I could like someone who's face I've never seen! You kept that veil over your face the entire time! Even when you took it off, I was either unconscious or you didn't let me get a good look." "Helps prevent lineups, my friend." She adjusted it briefly. For a couple hours, they just sat there, facing off. Then, night fell. "Well, I guess we have to stay here. I don't want to travel at night." Irima shuddered. "Then, see you around." "NO!!! You can't just leave me!" "Why should I stay?" "I'll...." Irima searched for something, "I'll take off my veil in the morning." "Please, like I want to see what's under it." "Well, considering I'm supposed to be gorgeous, I'd think you'd want to see..." Irima winked at him. "But, whatever. Good night!" With that she fell asleep, seriously.

[i]I... I can't just leave him! He's...[/i] "Wait!" Sariyah stopped and looked at her, questioningly. "What is it? I have to look for the REAL Black Quessir." "You- You're standing right in front of her pal!" Sariyah stared at her. "That's right! Fooled ya didn't I?! Now I'll have to kill you!" She brandished the staff. "No, no, don't hit, don't hit... it only increases my sense of danger." "Okay, no staff." She tossed it aside. "HA!!" Sariyah tackled her again and sat on her lower chest area, holding his sword at her throat. "Gotcha." "Hey!! No fair! I wasn't ready!" "I still have you." "Lemme up or I'll- I'll..." "Use your power?" "That's right! I'll-" [i]Great. I've just agreed to do something that I can't...[/i] She paused, trying to breathe. She suddenly realized that Sariyah was cutting off all her air. "Sari-" She couldn't breathe. She passed out, her head hitting the ground. "Huh?" He poked at her with his index finger. "Hey... hey wake up! Oh great... now what?!" [i]I can't exactly leave her here... she'll be killed or enslaved by the next passer-by.[/i] He ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated. [i]Great, I'll just have to take her. Stupid woman!![/i] He hoisted Irima onto his shoulders and began to walk. Irima's eye cracked open, taking a sideways glance at the back of Sariyah's head.

About an hour later, Irima stopped to rest. Sariyah didn't look it, but he was heavy. She took a drink of water and wiped her mouth. She looked down at Sariyah. "He's not too bad, just... believes to heavily in rumors..." Irima poured some water down his throat. She wiped wet strands of hair away from his face. The bumps were beginning to bother her. She held his head in her hands and touched her forehead to his. A symbol of white light appeared on her forehead and the bumps receeded. His eyes fluttered open. "GYAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!" He smacked her across the face. "Don't scare me like that!!" "You..." Irima sniffed, "Meanie!!" She began to full out cry. "You- you h-hit m-m-me!! Maybe I shouldn't have healed you at all!" Sariyah felt the back of his head. The bumps were gone. Irima didn't have any potions or anything, so how had she healed him. "Where are you taking me?!" "To your home. Or someplace similar." "Well, I'm not leaving without you." "Gonna have to catch me first, hentai!!" Irima began to run, but then she stopped. A fog had surrounded her, blocking out the sun. She brandished her staff warily, as if daring something to come out at her. The mist passed. "Hah!!" Sariyah tackled Irima. She fell in a very compromising position. "You... SCUM!!" A few seconds later, Sariyah was left at the side of the road in considerable pain. "Find your own way home! Never mind me!" "I'M scum?!! Who just hit below the belt?!!" Irima gritted her teeth, then snapped her fingers. Sariyah wasn't in pain anymore. "What kind of a demon are you?!" "A pure one." Irima continued to walk away.

"Where did that infernal woman take Ryden?!" Hiei raved. "She ran out of sight. She was trying to spare Ryden from fighting..." Zo sighed. "Well, a lot of good that did! Xaru followed anyway!" "Hoshi... doesn't really understand that-" A bolt of lightning struck near Zo, "YOW! What the heck?!" "Look!" Hiei stared at the city in horror. Around seven of Hoshi's Curse of Thor attacks were skipping around the city. About a minute later, they disappeared. "What was that...?" Zo whispered. "I don't know. Something tells me that something is seriously wrong with Hoshi. She can't summon that much power to do seven of those things!" "We best get-" Zo turned and stopped, open mouthed. Hiei looked as well. There, floating slightly above the ground, was a transparent image of Hoshi in a flowing white dress with wings. "Hoshi!?! What- what's going on?!" Zo yelled. "You're dead aren't you!" The apparition laughed, "No, I'm not Hoshi. Although you're very close. My name is Hinotama, the Fallen Star of the Wind." "That sounds like Hoshi, the Star of the Lightning." Zo reasoned. "I am her mother. I died a long time ago." "Why are you here?" Hiei eyed the woman suspiciously. "Something has happened to Hoshi. A curse has been put upon her. She cannot stop casting the spell I gave her. Uncontrolled, it does severe damage." "But, it stopped a minute ago." "Ryden knocked Hoshi unconscious by her wish." "How do you know all this?" Hiei was still suspicious. "My dragoon spirit is around Ryden's neck. I have been trying to control his hatred for Xaru, but something is overriding my attempts." "Where is he?!" Zo demanded. Hinotama pointed down the street, "That way, then turn right. Hurry, Xaru might kill him!" With that, Hinotama disappeared. "I will protect him as long as Hoshi and my spirit can..."

Irima backed away from Sariyah. "Whaddya mean, there's more than one way...?" "Do I need to spell it out for you? I'm a bounty hunter, I hunt bounties, like you. You've got a lot of zeros swirling around your head. I don't need a sword to get you." "Look, how many times do I have to tell you, I'm not the Black Quessir." "But your name's Irima." "Oh look, so it is. I've known that for around sixteen years, pal." "Sixteen eh? Nice young age. But a bit too young to be a bounty, though." "You're a hentai, aren't you?!! Staring at me like that in the water, and now you're stalking me when I'm only sixteen!" "Stop changing the subject!!" Sariyah sighed, exasperated. "Look, in my book, you're Irima the Black Quessir, weilder of the mystic Mists, and all around femme fatale. I'm taking you in so I can be a very rich man, alright?" "Not alright! I won't go with you!" "Fine, then I'll just fight you!"

Irima woke up. After running for around twenty minutes, she had come to rest at a waterfall. She hoped that Sariyah was okay, but that he had given up on her. She needed to find somewhere that didn't know the legend of Irima the Black Quessir. "Jeez, I need to wake up." Irima removed her leather armor and most of her clothes. She dived into the pool the waterfall was making. The water was cool and refreshing. She lay there, thinking about her situation. "They all think I'm Irima the Black Quessir. What could have started that? I didn't do anything... irregular! Maybe Sariyah will clear my name. After all, he saw me use white magic! He MUST know that I'm Irima the White Quessir by now... hopefully..." Irima's ears perked. Someone was watching her.