Not a Mario Reference:
The Triforce Goddess
Vampire
Joined: 26 May 2007
Posts: 21
HP: 94 MP: 10 Lives: 0
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 Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 12:50 pm
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In a Hyrule ruled by a cruel dictator with no heroes and a royal family diminshed to nothing, the people of the kingdom must take matters into their own hands to defeat an evil only heard of in legends long forgotten. Love, betrayal, and death intertwine, and everyone is not who they seem to be. Individuals have tried to stir up a rebellion in the past years, but none have lived to succeed; even the kingdom officials have prepared for the complete destruction of the kingdom. And thus, in a small village on the Hyrule frontier, our story begins...
Okay, there's an intro. The story is based off of a roleplay that I've been participating in on another forum, and I really like the way that it's turned out.
This fic has elements of Zelda (Post OoT, AU TP), Tales of Symphonia, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and many other small franchises. The most part of this story, however, is original. But on with it.
This fic, in later chapters, has SOME MATURE ELEMENTS. Whee. Okay, on with the story.
Angel X
The Novel
Act 1: The War of Illusions
Chapter 1
The Beginnings of a Pointless Adventure
It was a beautiful day in the small town of Toaru Village. Birds chirped high in the trees, innocent children played in the backyards of houses in their soot-filled clothing in the warm afternoon sun, and the townspeople were merrily going about their business. Shopkeepers called out to random passerby for them to look at their wares. Things were bliss, and it seemed like there could be no wrongs. However, things were not so peaceful in the Village Square. Two people- a man and a woman by the names of Jing, the male, and Rose', the female, were arguing over a trivial little thing that most people would not be troubled by- talking to an attractive fruit seller. Rose' was currently dominating Jing in a battle of words.
"You're cheating me, aren't you?!"
"No, I wasn't, Rose'! She was a merchant!" He suddenly got sidetracked because Rose's foot came in contact with his left cheek. "OW! What the hell was that for, you-" He was distracted again by the slap that now injured his right cheek.
"Stop lying to me, Jing!" She yelled even louder for the whole village to hear. Jing was on the ground, holding his face. He got up angrily and locked eyes with her. A ring of townspeople was starting to form around the distressed couple, muttering to each other. Some looked worried- others only seemed amused at this small tussle.
"Please, don't fight on my account…" A girl with a smock came out from one of the fruit vendors, holding a bag of assorted fruit. Both of them instantly turned around.
"Stay out of this!" They both yelled in unison, scaring the woman half to death and sending her scurrying through the crowd back to the tent where she had put up shop. Jing and Rose' then looked at each other with venomous looks, deciding to end the small fight there. Rose' brushed her long brown hair out of her face.
"Meet me at the inn… and don't talk to any women, you hear me?" She yelled at him, walking away. Jing waved his hand, turning around to go see who he could steal money from. His philosophy was that cash meant booze- the more, the better.
~*~
Three people- a man and two women by- walked in the shadowy alleys of the village, trying not to draw attention to themselves. The way they dressed didn't really help them- the girls had their hands on their weapons. The red-head had a pair of knives on her back, whilst the blue-haired woman had a lethal looking lance at her side. The man in the middle had two long swords at his waist- from what they were talking about, they seemed to be bounty hunters.
The red-head's name was Asuka Langely, and the bluenette went by Rei Ayanami. The black-haired man in the middle simply got by as Shadowfox, telling no one his actual name. They came to a stop and decided to rest at a nearby brick wall- they had just arrived in Toaru Village. Their business was somewhat slow, especially when the country of Hyrule was about to go to war. Criminals instantly joined the armies and select militias- dual identities can spell disaster for the job of a bounty hunter. Asuka sighed.
"We haven't had business in forever…" She complained to no one in particular. Shadow reluctantly nodded.
"You have a point, Asuka… times are tough." He said in a somewhat tired way. Just then, Jing passed by the group, and they locked eyes. After a few moments of awkward silence, Shadow spoke. Although he didn't really like bounty hunters, Jing was an acquaintance of the three mercenaries.
"Well, well… it has been far too long, Jing…" Shadow stated, a small smirk on his face. Jing sighed, grinning in reply.
"You haven't really changed much, Shadow." He said conversationally, looking at the trio of people. Asuka smiled.
"You haven't either, Jing. How are things?" The red-headed firebrand said, looking straight at the thief.
"Oh, pretty well. Are you going to fight in the war?" He asked. Solemn looks instantly blanketed the trio's faces.
"The higher-ups aren't too fond of us… for reasons we choose not to say." Rei stated. Shadow nodded in reply to her sentence.
"If we do end up fighting in the war… we shall be freelancers, and nothing more." The male bounty hunter said sagely. Jing had a disappointed look on his face.
"That's a shame. I was looking forward to fighting alongside you." He said, a bit of a down note in his voice. He instantly cheered up, in spite of the news. "Are you going to stay in Toaru for long?"
Rei nodded. "We heard of some bounties in this area, so we're looking around here for some hits. So far, there hasn't been one. We're staying at the Green Dragon." She informed him. Jing's eyes widened.
"Really? So are we! I've heard of a pub that's not too far from the inn, and they get some hits over there. Maybe we can get together for a couple of drinks later on, yeah?" Jing asked happily. Shadow smiled.
"Well, we're not busy… what the hell." He said with a small shrug…
~*~
Jing, Shadow, Asuka, and Rei approached the pub the thief had spoken of. It was getting rather dark- around the perfect time to start asking some questions. As they chatted of the coming war and their present relations over a couple of drinks, a shouting match could be heard near the bar.
"You're far too young to be here, kid!" The female bartender said angrily, looking at a small silver-haired boy. He had an annoyed look on his face.
"I'm a customer, not a kid, dammit!" He shouted at the woman. She pointed at a sign that rested on the wall.
"Look. You have to be older than seventeen to drink. Now beat it, kid!" She protested. The boy jumped on the bar, grabbing her by the collar of her shirt.
"I'm a half-elf… My name is Yotuza, and I'm 485 years old! Now you're going to give me a drink, or pay the price yourself!" He hissed, right hand glowing ominously. The woman let herself go of Yotuza's grasp and got him a beer from under the bar. Jing approached him, head buzzing slightly from the drinks he had previously.
"Yo, kid…" He said drunkenly, "You've -hic- got guts. I -hic- like you!" He said, holding out his right hand. Yotuza looked at him strangely. Shadow broke the awkward moment as Jing passed out on the floor.
"Look… Yotuza, I'll make you a bet. You sign up for the Toaru militia and fight in the war. You do so and survive, I'll give you one thousand Rupees." He said, a little out of his wits due to the drinks. He wasn't nearly as intoxicated as Jing, however. "But if you chicken out… you'll never show your face in this town again."
"Shadow- that's the majority of our bounty money!" Asuka exclaimed. Shadow and Yotuza didn't hear her, however. The two then shook hands.
"I'll take your bet… but you're gonna lose a lot of Rupees." Yotuza said, a devilish smile on his face. The five then walked to the Green Dragon Inn, Shadow carrying the unconscious Jing on his shoulders.
~*~
"Jing…"
Jing could hear a small voice calling to him in his sleep.
"Jing… Jing, wake up! Wake up, Jing!"
He opened his eyes to see Rose' and his good friend Rena standing over him. They both had worried looks on their faces. He got up to see that Yotuza, Shadow, Asuka, and Rei were in the room. He was still in the clothing from yesterday.
"Jing, you shouldn't drink so much! You know you can't hold your liquor for long!" Rose' said, more worried than critical. Rena sighed.
"You're lucky that Shadow was there. This is his room." Rena said, looking over at the mercenary. He nodded.
"I thought it was a good payment for the entertainment you provided last night…" He muttered, looking at the wooden floor. Jing laughed, eyes blinking in the bright sunlight.
"Thanks for letting me stay, Shadow. Let me pay you by buying breakfast…"
"No need, Jing. Yotuza already cooked something. You may be a formidable warrior, but even Asuka can hold her liquor better than you can, and she's the party animal of us three." Shadow stated while Asuka beamed with joy. Rei sighed disapprovingly at Shadow's words, thinking of past times when Asuka was drunk. Jing looked around, confused.
"So… how many drinks did I have last night? Everything is really fuzzy…"
"We lost count at ten, Jing." Asuka stated. Jing sweatdropped hastily.
"Uh… yeah. So, is there any leftovers from what Yotuza cooked…?" Jing said hastily, wanting to change the topic. The group laughed at his attempts. "Anyway, I think I'll be going out now..."
"What? You just woke up, Jing!" Rena said, surprised. Jing gave her the thumbs-up sign.
"I'm just going to do what I do best." He said, walking out and closing the door behind him…
~*~
A woman dressed in shades of black, gray, white, and red walked into the Green Dragon Inn. Although it was only one in the afternoon, she went to the keeper of the inn, requesting a room for two nights. She kept a long Zanbatou on her back, almost ready to attack at the slightest procavation. However, she seemed to have a happy look on her face.
"Excuse me… but I'll be needing your name." The old woman said timidly to the girl.
"…Calista Haruno." She said gaily, tying her hair up in a long ponytail. Her black hair gleamed in the soft sunlight.
"Excuse me… I didn't hear you." The innkeeper said again. Calista looked at her, a patient look on her face.
"My name is Calista Haruno." Calista said once again, looking straight at the innkeeper. "How much Rupees will it cost for two days?"
"…Forty." The woman said quickly. Calista put two red rupees on the table in exchange for a pair of keys, and she began to proceed to her room. She walked upstairs and finally found her room- it was lowly furnished, but it would do just fine for now. Although Calista was a little easy to please, she wasn't very satisfied with the quality of the walls- she could hear a gale of laughter from the room to her left. She sighed and put her Zanbatou down, looking out the two-story window into the Square. It seemed like the villagers were just waking up, due to the slight absence of the usually large crowds. Calista sighed.
"I wonder… should I really do this?" She stated out loud to no one in particular. Just then, she heard the door open. Whipping around, she saw a boy in his late teens- a bit older than she- dressed in a ripped black shirt and matching bottoms. His jet-black hair- the same color as his eyes- glinted softly in the light. He looked happy to see Calista.
"Found you, sis." He said, a sheepish smile on his face. Calista was smiling as well.
"Kai. I wasn’t expecting you to follow me…" She said, walking over to him. Kai laughed.
"It's a funny story… but I'll tell you about it later. Anyway, I know you're signing up for the militia here…" He said in a more business-like tone. Calista sighed.
"It's not like I have a choice… brother." The last word of her sentence just seemed to come out of her mouth randomly. Kai smiled, closing his eyes.
"Don't worry. I'm signing up for that too." He said, thumb pointing proudly to his chest. Calista looked up at him, a grin on her face.
"I'm… glad." She said happily. Kai, smiling as widely as ever, put his katana down next to Calista's Zanbatou.
~*~
"Damn him! DAMN HIM!!"
Shouts could be heard from quite a distance- it sounded like a girl's voice. Jing's ears picked up the sound, and he went to see what was the matter. After quite a bit of pushing through random shoppers and stealing a few wallets, Jing found a rather wealthy-looking man surveying a woman on the ground, burning a bush. She had on a loose blue tanktop with orange capris covering her pale skin. Her long blonde hair was fanning out over her body, giving her a somewhat forlorn look. The only thing that was really odd about her was the sword she carried on her hip- it wasn't of the best quality, but it was a sword nonetheless- a rather odd thing for a girl to carry, but interesting all the same. The man scurried off, much to Jing's amusement, to find law enforcement. After the man had disappeared into the milling townspeople, Jing approached the blonde girl. She looked up at the thief, a stick of fire in her right hand.
"What're you looking at?" She said, seeming a little annoyed at Jing's standing behind her. Jing only shrugged, a sheepish smile on his face.
"Nothing much." He said conversationally. "And you?" He said, turning his eyes to the branch aflame. The girl's face hardened.
"Go away, now. I don't have time to play games with you." She said, a little too firm for her stature. Jing pulled a mildly surprised look on his face.
"Really. There must be more time than you appear to have, looking at the bush you seem to have a grudge against." He said. The girl's face reddened slightly at his words. Just then, the wealthy man came back with what seemed to be the local law enforcement.
"There she is! There's the little hoodlum!" The gray-haired man shouted, pointing a weathered finger at her. The tall police officer then walked over to the two, eyes hidden by his knightly-looking helmet.
"Woman, please come with me. You've been violating property of Toaru Village, and must be punished." He said rather methodically. She stuck her tongue out at him.
"No way!" She yelled at him. The officer made for his sword, and Jing decided to step in.
"She's my little sister. She… doesn't know any better." He said, making up an excuse for her behavior on the spot while stepping between the officer and the girl. The blonde opened her mouth to contradict Jing, but he put his left hand behind him, giving her the thumbs-up sign. The officer looked at both of them skeptically. After a few moments, he made his decision.
"Fine. I'll let her off with a warning… this time." He said, walking away. The old man decided to follow after him. Jing then turned around.
"You're lucky I was here, kid. By the way… my name's Jing." He said, getting a coin out of his pocket and flipping it in the air. He caught it without blinking. The girl only sighed.
"Fine… my name is Tetora." She muttered softly so only the thief could hear. Jing smiled.
"Right then, Tetora… We're having a party soon. You're coming, whether you like it or not."
Tetora had a genuinely surprised look on her face. "I- uh-"
You don't have anywhere else to stay, do you? He said, bowing down slightly so his eyes were level with hers. Tetora rolled her eyes again.
"… Fine. It's not like I have any other choice." She said, sighing slightly. "And… thanks for helping me back there."
"It's no problem, little Tetora." Jing said airily, waving his hand. Tetora smiled.
"Oh, just so you know… that was my first offense to this village, but my offenses in total to this country? About twenty-something, counting that one." She said, seeming to be proud of her record. Jing laughed.
"I think we're going to get along pretty well, Tetora… just you wait." He said, leading her to the inn they were staying at…
~*~
Calista and Kai had decided to get some drinks at the local pub that night. They were discussing things of their past over some mead when Jing, Tetora, Shadowfox, Yotuza, Rena, Rose', Asuka, and Rei walked in. They looked up, and Calista instantly recognized Shadow and his girls.
"Kai… Let's say hello to an old friend." Calista said, grabbing Kai by his forearm and getting up out of her seat. Kai protested slightly, not really wanting to get up from his perch at the bar, but he then saw Shadow's face. A small smile formed as they approached the band of eight at a table.
"Who are you?" Yotuza asked accusingly to the pair. Kai looked at the boy, scanning the rest of the group quickly as Calista introduced them.
"Shadow! It has been too long." Calista said happily, shaking Shadow's hand. A smirk rose on his face.
"Calista… it has been a while since we last saw each other." Shadow said, gesturing at a nearby pair of seats. Calista and Kai occupied them quickly, Calista introducing herself to the rest of the group. They each greeted themselves properly, and soon enough Jing bought them drinks with the day's 'earnings'.
Rena looked at Jing as he swaggered over to the bar, looking very pleased with himself as he ordered the whole group drinks. Soon enough, laugher was heard throughout the small pub as everyone started drinking, with the exception of Calista, Shadow, and Rei.
"So… why have you come to the village of Toaru, Shadow?" Calista asked as Asuka giggled at one of Kai's jokes. Shadow gazed at Tetora and Yotuza as they walked out, mischievous looks on their faces. He closed his eyes.
"We came to Toaru looking only for bounties. Times have been tough, what with this war coming. Criminals always hide away in far-off corners of Hyrule, or they join the army under a different name. It's sickening…" He sighed, nodding slightly. But that is the way this world works.
Just then, Kai came up to the group, his left arm linked with Jing's right. They both had a drink in their hands, and both were singing a song of alcohol.
"Ninety-nine bottles -hic- of beer on the wall!" They shouted drunkenly, smiling widely. Rose' then walked over, tripping slightly on a chair leg.
"J- Jing! I -hic- really like you..." She said, kissing him on the cheek. Jing, unblushingly, forced her into a nearby booth, kissing her deeply. Rose' only giggled at this display- seeing as they were both under the influence of alcohol, they would hardly remember it in the morning. Kai looked at Calista- he seemed to have an almost hungry look on his face. Calista shook her head as he passed out on the floor, partially from disappointment. Asuka smiled widely.
"I think your brother needs a little help there…" She said, pointing at him as he slept on the floor. "Baka." Calista sighed disapprovingly.
"I best get him up to bed. She said, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. Kai woke with a start.
"Ey, Ca-hic-lista!" He said, laughing at his own behavior. Calista shook her head once more.
"Kai… I think it's time for you to get to bed." She said, putting his arm over her shoulders. The two walked somewhat lopsidedly out of the pub doors and to the Green Dragon down the street, where they had found lodgings…
~*~
Yotuza and Tetora absentmindedly sat on the outer edge of Toaru Village under the velvet night sky, talking of times past. It was a slightly chilly night, seeing as how it was the end of September. Yotuza sighed.
"I have a little sister… her name is Raine." The half-elf boy said happily, playing with his long silver hair. Tetora sighed, watching the stars twinkle at them overhead.
"It must be nice to have a sibling. I've always been alone." She said quietly.
"Really, Tetora? Did you ever know your parents?" Yotuza asked curiously. Tetora shook her head.
"My mother died about seven years ago… our village had been attacked. My three elder brothers died protecting my village… I'm the only survivor." She said. "I can barely remember anything about my mother… let alone my father."
"Well, my parents were killed nine years ago." Yotuza said. "They were killed by three bounty hunters. One of them had long red hair with knives. The man in the middle had a sword…" Yotuza's eyes tightened. "It was horrible."
"I'm sorry." Tetora said, closing her eyes and laying back on the long grass, nearly losing herself in the fresh scent. "You know… this may be the last night that will be so… pretty."
"That's right… it's wartime. You're going to sign up for the war, aren't you?" Yotuza asked the blonde. Tetora nodded, sighing softly. "Stupid war," Yotuza muttered under his breath. After a few moments of subdued silence, Yotuza got up, stretching his arms.
"I'm gonna go back. We have a big day tomorrow." He said. Tetora stayed down.
"I'll… catch up to you. She said, still staring up at the purplish night sky. Yotuza shrugged as he walked away.
"Suit yourself. I'll see you in the morning." He said, striding away. After Yotuza was long gone, Tetora sat up in the grass, fumbling around in her shirt. She then pulled out a yellow stone- it didn't seem to be worth that much.
"Tomorrow… we finally go to war… She muttered to herself, gazing intently at the yellow stone. She then pulled out her sword. It was slightly tarnished from age, and the hilt was in poor condition. Still, a sword was a sword, and it seemed to glow softly in the light of the moon. "But why? Why do these people have to fight?" She said, speaking to no one but the meadow around her. "And… so many are going to die… Is there even a purpose?" She asked the night sky. The wind only whispered in reply. She sighed, put both her sword and pendant back, and got up to walk back to the inn.
Hope… She thought, walking through the meadows back into the Green Dragon…
~*~
Whee. Chapter 2 coming soon, please review? <3? |
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