The Beginning
Tsukiko awoke early the following morning, thinking to herself about the events of
the previous day. Only one day! She had went to the park to meet with a girl whom she had
just only met the day before, and an object from another dimension comes crashing down to
earth, and sends her and her new friend to Atlas, where she met a man named Tsubasa and
"Orb", who trained them in combat. If all that could happen so quickly, then what was
waiting in her near future? She decided to think on this later. It was far too overwhelming
this early in the morning, and this early in her new life. New Life?
Tsukiko and Yumi both headed downstairs after having woken up, ate a relatively small
breakfast, and then went back outside, into the training yard, where 'Orb' and Tsubasa were
waiting.
"Good morning, girls. We're still going to keep things light obviously, but we have a busy
schedule, so I must increase the training as much as possible. Therefore, we will start
immediately with magic." 'Orb' calmly stated.
Tsukiko's face lit up with amazement at the words she just heard. She was actually
about to learn magic! Yumi seemed significantly more calm, having expected to learn it
soon, but at the same time quite surprised at the earliness of the teaching.
'Orb' had begun his instruction by sitting with his legs crossed, told the girls to
do the same, and then close their eyes. "Focus on the world around you, but keep clear
thoughts. Do not, under any condition, void your mind, only remove any unnecessary
thoughts." After a brief pause, he continued. "Magic is the application of physical energy
to achieve a metaphysical means. Be it to lift water into a cup, or to create a ball of
fire, it generally defies standard laws of physics." He paused to let the students continue
focusing. "By now, perhaps, you see a light. This light, although faint, represents what we
call mana. It is the source of all magic, and comes from the body naturally. Each person
possesses a limited pool of mana, yet it will eventually replenish, so long as they do not
exhaust all of it."
Tsukiko began to wonder something, which she pointed out to "Orb". "Orubu-sensei, do all
humans have this power?"
"Of course they do. Well, not all, of course. Most humans have an incredibly small
amount, which they aren't even aware of. Others have entirely dry beds."
Yumi was the first to open one eye and ask, "Why do you keep using water terms?"
"Simple, isn't it? Look at your mana. It flows in much the same fashion that water
does. Tell me, what do your mana reservoirs look like?"
They had thought on it for a short while, before answering, "It seems to flow, almost
like a small stream." responded Tsukiko.
Tsukiko grew curious. If most humans have mana, then what exactly makes them special?
"I would say more like a deep puddle, or large cup." answered Yumi. "Why are they
different?"
"They are different forms, because no two people have the same mana, nor the same
amount. Training is the easiest way to change its form, and deepen your pools, as well as
make better use of them. You will get used to it eventually, and become more adept without
even really noticing it. Just bare in mind, your body naturally makes use of the mana as a
form of energy, and using up your magical energy will physically drain you as well."
As they focused on their mana pools, Yumi started to notice a small movement, which
manifested as a ball of static forming in her hands, shooting off small amounts of
electricity in every direction, alerting the attention of both her teacher and her fellow
student.
"Control is the key, here, Yumi. Never let your energy activate unintentionally. I'm
not expecting you to be perfect, but you should not use any mana until you can handle it!"
"Orb" responded mostly out of surprise at the ability of the spell accidentally casted,
which was a far higher level than he expected her to pull off.
"I'm sorry, sensei! I didn't... I didn't mean to... I mean, I don't even know how
that happened!" Yumi apologized, fearful something bad had happened due to a slight loss of
control for such a small time.
This mistake, however, seemed to be rather beneficial, as it gave the girls a first
hand view at what magic is, and can do, and what can happen if misused or mishandled. They
had the key to a miraculous power other people could only dream of.
They had finished their lesson on magic, and returned to normal fighting training.
After several hours, they withdrew into the Hidden Hall where they had been forced to stay,
as it was where they trained and where their teachers had lived for a large part of their
lives.
After they had eaten lunch, and later, dinner, Yumi had tried to pass a few hours
before going to sleep for the night. She had decided to look for 'Orb' in order to try to
get some information out of him. It had been bugging her ever since this started, exactly
why it was happening. The questions that her and Tsukiko both could not stopped asking
themselves had to be voiced some time.
"Hey. Can I ask something?" she asked, looking in her teacher's direction.
He turned to look at her, puzzled. "Ask me something? Like what?"
"Like, what is your real name, and why are you hiding it?"
"My real name is irrelevant, though I cannot blame you for wanting to know what it is. You
see, I do not have the right to explain to you what my real name is, nor can I say why I am
not allowed to do so. That kind of information must be given when ready, you see, and I
must wait until you need to know before I can tell you. My deepest apologies, it wasn't my
idea." explained a reluctant 'Orb'. He knew more questions were waiting inside of the
girl's head, like who was ordering him, and why did they choose such a name. Those
questions, however, must not be asked, so he hushed Yumi for now, and casually left the
room, returning to whatever business he was conducting at the given moment.
Yumi accepted his response and held off any questions for later, and then decided to
call it a night, since Tsubasa had hinted at early morning training every day. Her mind was
surprisingly calm, having accepted her fate, even if she did not even know what it was yet.
However, sleep was still quite difficult, but came upon her eventually.
Tsukiko awoke early dawn to a very loud crashing noise. She had gotten half-up to
look out the window by her bed to see what the noise was. A brilliant orange flash covered
the sky, along with a high-pitch unique sound a second or two later. She could hear heavy
footsteps down the hall, followed by a loud knocking and Yumi yelling through the door.
"What was that noise?! Can I come in to see?" Tsukiko agreed, and they stared out of her
window as a large, brown, monster came into view. The monster roared violently as it seemed
to fight something much smaller, and too far away to be seen.
An incredible distance away, 'Orb' sat fighting a behemoth, dodging its ferocious
claws as best as he could, while focusing on casting counter-spells to wear it down. A rush
of wind came from behind the behemoth. Tsubasa had hurried from the Hidden Hall to aid in
slaying it, covered in thick, but flexible armor and wielding a large spear, a foot or so
taller than himself, with a point on both ends, and a sharp blade extending outward near
the top. He drew the attention of the monster for a brief few seconds, just long enough for
'Orb' to finish casting a very temporary invulnerability spell on Tsubasa, who was already
in the process of seemingly flying towards the behemoth's mouth, pointing the weapon
directly at its teeth. It opened its gargantuan mouth to try and swallow Tsubasa, who
waited for that chance to send his spear through its jaw, and then escaping its mouth just
before the invulnerability wore off. The puncture not only inflicted a deadly wound, it
also placed a spell that had activated at 'Orb's command, covering most of the behemoth's
face aflame. It burned tremendously, being fed both off of a large expense of Mana, as well
as the beast's fur. It slowly began to fade away, being vanquished out of existence.
Yumi and Tsukiko had watched the battle take place, and became far too intrigued in
the world around them to not ask the instant they could. They rushed downstairs and waited
for 'Orb' to return home, so they could force him to tell them his real name.
When the door finally opened after what seemed to be one of the longest ten minutes
ever, both girls pounced on 'Orb', taking him in their arms so he couldn't leave, and
pleading to know his real name. They mentioned how amazed they were to watch his battle,
even from a fairly long distance, and how they yearned to learn to fight like that (namely
Tsukiko). Their enthusiasm, as well as witnessing such a potentially bloody fight much
earlier than anticipated, convinced him to give them the answer they had wanted so bad.
"Alright, alright!" he said. "Just... let... go of me, please. Your... crushing
my...." The girls appeared to be hugging him so fiercely that he could hardly even breathe,
let alone run away.
Tsukiko had let out a giggle as her master was begging to be let go, and promptly
granted his request, since he had granted theirs.
"I, as I have mentioned before, have my own master who orders me and Tsubasa, and I
didn't have any say in the matter. He told me to call myself by a name of his in case he
himself became your... guardian of sorts. My real name is Komoku Akimoto. You can call me
Komoku-sensei from this point forward.
The girls nodded, and then went with their masters to the kitchen of the Hidden Hall
and got their breakfast, skillfully prepared by Tsubasa. After they had eaten, their
masters had left for a short rest, then started the delayed morning training shortly before
noon. They started with the wooden dummies, then moved on to aiming at an imaginary target,
giving them more freedom to learn the feel of their weapons. Their weapon training
continued for almost two or three full hours, before they took a small snack break, and
back to magic practice.
They repeated the procedures they performed yesterday, with Yumi taking extra care
not to expel any magic this time. They had learned that magic can better be controlled much
like physical energy, through proper breathing techniques and exercises, although different
from ones typically learned. After another fifteen to twenty minutes of this, the girls
were allowed to do as they pleased for the rest of the day.
Tsukiko had decided to take a small nap, while Yumi fixed herself a larger lunch than
the one she had eaten before her training, as she was left rather hungry, especially after
the effort she put into her practice.
After Yumi had finished eating her lunch, she had ventured upstairs, and passed by
the door to Tsukiko's bedroom.
She slowly opened the door, and peeked inside. Tsukiko was staring out of the
windows. It just feels so..." Tsukiko spins around rapidly when she noticed Yumi watching
her. "Yumi-chan! Knock will ya?"
"Uh, sure. Sorry, I wasn't really thinking." she quickly apologized.
"It's alright. What did you come in for, though?"
Yumi stared into Tsukiko's eyes with a look of curiosity and confusion. What she saw
seemed to reflect an emptiness in Tsukiko's heart, but what was causing such depression she
could not imagine. She had seemed such a happy, young girl until now. "I was just wondering
what you were up to. I mean, we are both alone on this planet. Well, that is, we're the
only ones from Earth, so I figured...."
"Do you miss home?" Tsukiko interrupted.
The sudden question startled Yumi. It was the question she had been planning to ask.
The melancholy look on Tsukiko's face was growing darker, and it was starting to worry
Yumi. "Of course I do. What about you? Did you leave anyone behind? Friends? Family? A
boyfriend... ?"
"Well, yeah. I had a few close friends, though not very many, and I love my parents
dearly. I don't see much of the rest of my family often, but of course I miss them, too.
But, I think there.... there are also plenty of people here to meet." The tone in Tsukiko's
voice only made Yumi's fears for her friend grow.
Yumi had forced herself to look away, though without letting Tsukiko notice. She couldn't
bear to look into Tsukiko's dark face anymore. "So in other words, you have no real reason
to leave here, do you?"
Tsukiko turned her head, and stared at the afternoon sky, the sun still declining,
dusk yet to arrive. "Remember what Komoku had said? We we're chosen to save this world from
something. Although I don't know what, it gives me plenty of reason to stay here. This
planet needs us, Yumi."
Yumi became infuriated at this comment, and began yelling. "Your family needs you
home!" Tsukiko ignored this remark, and simply continued to stare blankly. Yumi had fled
Tsukiko's room, crying out of anger.
She continued to yell to herself once she got to her own room. "What is wrong with
her? The day we met, she was returning home to her mother. She should be trying to do that
now. She won't even be sixteen for a few more days. Why doesn't she want to return home? I
can't understand her. I have to get to know her better."
Yumi had grabbed a piece of paper, and the first thing she could find to write with.
She quickly wrote down a short message, addressed it to Tsukiko, and then snuck back over
to her door. She placed the the paper in front of her door, knocked on it, and then ran
back to her own room before Tsukiko could answer. Tsukiko found the letter, picked it up,
and read it.
"Holy... crap. I.... This is a..." The content of the note surprises her, and after
finishing it, she heads to Yumi's room, and opens her door without knocking. "Excuse me,
your letter said to go to your...." Tsukiko had tried to explain herself, but was still
rather shocked, and stuttered a little.
Yumi abruptly spoke as Tsukiko entered the room. "Tsu-chan, I cannot pretend to know
how you feel or think. You are a very weird girl, that's for sure. I want to know you
better. I kind of want you to get to know me better, too...." She had said the last
sentence with a bit of embarrassment.
"But, why did you give me the letter?" Tsukiko feverishly asked Yumi, who had
definitely developed plans of her own.
"It's true. Every last word of it. I...."
The letter read:
Tsu-chan,
Come to my room. I want to talk to you. I don't know you very well, and I am fully
aware of how stupid this may sound to you, yet I still think I love you. You have no idea
how hard that was for me to write, do you? Have you ever loved somebody? Forget it. Just
hurry on by.
~Your new best friend,~
Hamano Yumi
"I... I'm sorry. I just... I just.... When I asked if you loved anyone back home, I
asked you had a boyfriend. You seemed to dodge the question." Yumi could hardly breathe.
She felt so strange. The air was getting uncomfortable.
"It's okay. I want someone to love in this world, and if it happens to be you, I don't
seem to mind. Don't worry about it, alright?" Tsukiko's words lifted the heavy atmosphere,
returning a smile to Yumi's depressed face. Tsukiko's own expression brightened, but she
was still stunned by the letter she read a few moments ago. She was not against it in
anyway, but the idea seemed so abstract to her, she could hardly even comprehend the
message of it. She had never felt love before, and did not know how to feel or how to
handle her situation, especially since it involves another girl. She reacted the only way
she knew how, the only thing she knew she could do. She stared Yumi in the eyes, and
swiftly moved toward her and wrapped her arms around her. She held Yumi in her arms for as
long as she felt comfortable, drowning away her worry and replacing it with hope and
happiness.
Overwhelmed with the recent events and the emotions, they fell onto Yumi's bed, and
slowly fell asleep.
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