Oki, this is the final draft of a ficcy I posted sometimes before new years.
/Rina, currently on a 'Girl Days' high.
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: pathpro.txt
'Ello! ^.^ Just something I thought up a while ago and decided to
write down.
C&C are most welcome. ^.^
Claimers: Kazeno Koori, Kazeno Hana, Kazeno Isei, Kazeno Aka and
Hisakino Fushichouko are characters that I've created, they
are not to be used without my permission. (And if you _do_
ask, I'd probably say yes. ^.^)
Disclaimers: Umm, I _know_ there's something I should say here, but I
can't remember what it is, sorry. ^.^ Seriously, Slayers
and Oh My Goddess belong to their creators and I lay no
claim on them.
This story is dedicated to: Miss Nightfall, the Yami no Miko, cuz she
writes the best Xelloss stories there is and Harukami for her
excellent Xelloss/Zelgadiss couplings. ^.^
-------------------------------
| Paths best wandered |
| by: Arumu Rina |
| Prologue |
-------------------------------
*Stress*
'Nope.'
*Happiness*
'Nope.'
*Uneasiness*
'Maybe...'
*Love*
'They don't need any help.'
*Depression*
'Sometimes I hate this gift.'
*Malice*
'Hmmm...'
*Malice*
'Another one, eh?'
*Malice*
'Again?'
*Fear*
'Bingo!'
Movement. Three rather large men were closing in on a fourth one, who
was backed up against in a corner as far into an alley as he could
get.
'I'm going to die!', the fourth one thought, trying to will himself
through the wall. A few minutes he had run into the alley, thinking
that it led out onto one of the busier main streets, instead it was a
dead-end and he was trapped.
"You do know that you're watched, eh?" a female voice called from the
mouth of the alley.
*Surprise*
*Hope*
"So what, girlie!?" one of the thugs answered, casting a glance over
his shoulder.
*More surprise*
Instead of the little schoolgirl in seifuku the thug had expected, the
kami being the only ones knowing why he expected that, a girl in her
late teens nonchalantly leaned against a wall, showing no fear.
"Well, you do know that I could go tell the cops about," the girl
gestured into the alley, "this."
*Decision*
The three men turned, leaving the fourth trembling in the corner, and
now advanced on the girl who sank down into a martial arts stance that
allowed easy movement in whatever direction that was necessary.
The girl smirked slightly, although she wasn't all that confident that
she could take on all three of them at once. One, hell yes. Two,
maybe. Three, odds weren't in her favor. She pushed her fears into a
little box in the back of her mind, then glanced at her watch. 'I
better make this quick, Hana's going to be home soon and Isei's home
alone.'
The smallest of the three advanced towards the girl, a confident smile
plastered onto his face. Crouching down he threw a punch, aiming at
her stomach.
She easily dodged and retaliated with a roundhouse kick that sent him
crashing into the wall. 'Koori-1 thugs-0,' she thought, allowing her
smile to widen slightly as she waited for the next attack.
The second thug moved closed somewhat hesitantly but on his guard
now, he wouldn't let himself be caught like his friend. Trying to
sweep the obnoxious girl off her feet proved not to be a good idea as
she responded with a hard punch to his collarbone, somehow managing to
break through his defenses.
Koori followed up the punch with a leg-sweep of her own that landed
the thug flat on his back, bending down she took him out with a punch
in the solar plexus followed by a backhand to his right cheek.
*Hesitation*
The tall girl smirked as she felt the leaders apprehension to attack.
'Poor little thug,' she thought not the least bit sorry, 'going to wet
your pants?' She tucked a few powder blue strands of hair, that had
come loose from the ponytail she usually wore it in, behind her ear.
Waiting for him to attack she glanced at her watch again and frowned
slightly.
Finally the thug made his move, smirking lightly he pulled out a knife
from... Somewhere. Now feeling confident enough he lounged at the girl
trying to bury the knife in her chest.
Having about a seconds warning due to her unusual gift she managed to
duck under the blade, and instead of being quite thoroughly killed,
she got an about 14 cm cut on her right shoulder blade. Ignoring the
pain and the blood that was running down her back, she slugged the
last thug _hard_ in the stomach and the man went down trying to
inhale. "Say night-night!" The following punch broke the leaders nose.
The fourth man still stood in his corner but had ceased trembling, and
now he stared in awe at the girl that had took out the three thugs. A
heart-felt "Thank you!" made it's way over his lips.
Koori smiled at him, still ignoring the pain. "It's okey. Go home."
Then she turned and left, stumbling slightly.
The man paled as he saw the wound, wondering how anyone could stand
the pain and still be conscious.
Five minutes later Koori knocked on the door to a friends apartment,
the friend in question was Hisakino Fushichouko, a girl with a
somewhat bird like appearance. 'C'mon, please be home!' Koori thought
desperately.
The girl who opened had short flame-red hair and bright orange eyes,
she also was about 10 cms shorter than her friend. "Koori-chan!" she
exclaimed in delight. "How are you?"
Koori managed a pale smile. "Not so well I'm afraid... Could you help
me patch up a wound?"
Fushichouko nodded and gestured for the taller girl to enter.
"Anything for a friend," she mumbled as she went to get the first-aid
kit.
Koori stood in the hallway, swaying slightly as she waited for the
redhead to reemerge. "Fu-chan, could you hurry up a bit? I'm kinda in
a hurry..." she called to her friend, then she started to unbutton her
shirt so that her friend would be able to patch up the wound.
Fushichouko returned carrying a first-aid kit which she put down on a
chair that stood in the hallway. "Okey, Ko-chan, turn around." When
Koori did as she was told Fushichouko gasped. "Ko-chan, I know that
you have sadomasochistic tendencies but isn't this a bit much?" she
asked quietly as she began cleaning the gash.
The taller girl growled quietly, "I got it while saving another humans
life, Fu-chan!" She winced slightly as the flame-haired girl pressed a
wad of sterile gauze onto the wound.
The other girl shrugged. "It's not my business anyway," she said in
such a nonchalant voice it had to be faked.
In return Koori tried slap the other girl on the head, while smiling
since she knew that the other girl wasn't serious.
The smaller girl gently bopped her friend on the head then she turned
serious. "Ko-chan, you're going to need stitches for this,"
Fushichouko mumbled as she started to secure the gauze to the wound.
"I kinda figured that out, but it has to wait for now. I have to get
home to 'touchan before Hana-ijin do something to him."
"She still terrorizing him?!? I thought she stopped after you reported
her to the cops for child abuse?" Fushichouko muttered as she finished
securing the gauze.
"Nope, all she got was a warning. Then she went straight home and
tried to beat 'touchan up," Koori answered, sighing.
"Well, you're all done."
"Thanks Fu-chan." Koori quickly pulled on her shirt and buttoned it.
As she left the apartment she turned in the doorway and on a whim
mumbled: "Sayonara," though it was too quiet for Fushichouko to hear.
About 15 minutes later she was just a few minutes walk from the house
her parents owned. 'I hope I'm not too late,' she thought worriedly as
she checked the time once more.
*Terror*
"'touchan!" she exclaimed as she felt the emotions wash over her, then
she began running.
"Please oneesama don't!" a five year old boy cried as he backed into a
corner to get away from his older sister.
"Don't you want to play, Isei-chan?" the girl, who looked to be about
12 or 13, asked in a menacing voice, raising a fist, threatening the
boy.
"No Hana-oneesama, please let me go," Isei whispered, tears making
their way down his cheeks.
Right when Hana was about to begin hitting her brother Koori tore into
the room, surveying the two children. "Hana-chan. Out," she said in a
flat voice, the -chan suffix that ordinarily should have been a term
of endearment seemed to change to a degrading term.
With anger flashing in her eyes the dark haired girl stalked out of
the room. 'Just you wait 'neesan, one day...' Hana clenched her fist
and began scheming.
"'touchan, did she hurt you?" Koori asked softly as she knelt down
next to her brother. Gathering him into her arms she started to make
soft reassuring sounds.
"No, 'neechan, you stopped her," the little boy replied, clinging to
his sister.
"Good," Koori mumbled, standing up with the boy in her arms. She
entered her own room and closed the door, sighing slightly. After
putting down her brother on the bed she pulled out a set of clothes
from her wardrobe and began to get dressed. She had chosen a black
sleeveless, silk, halter top that left all of her upper back exposed
and was embroided with a pale blue dragon that made it's way up the
front with it's head situated just below her chin. To that she wore a
pair of leather pants. After donning her clothes she sat down in front
of her computer and started it.
Isei climbed of the bed and went over to stand next to the chair Koori
was sitting on. "'Neechan?" he mumbled and looked up at his sister.
Koori looked down and her green-blue eyes met the gaze of her brothers
pale blue, then she smiled and picked him up. "Wanna play with the
computer, 'touchan?"
Isei nodded enthusiastically.
The girl with waist long pale blue hair smiled as she opened one of
Iseis favorite games. Her smile faded as she thought about Hana. 'I
hope she won't do anything to Isei... Sometimes I feel so powerless
when it comes to dealing with her.'
In her room Hana was plotting out her revenge on her step sister and
brother. "This time, Koori, I'll not be turned of my path... I will
get rid of you and your little 'touchan'," the black haired girl
vowed smiling darkly as wrote down something on a sheet of paper. 'I
will make you pay, 'sister'! I will make you feel like you are the
adopted one, not me!' She chuckled darkly as she imagined her mothers
face when she stumbled out of her room, bleeding from a few artful
wounds, maybe a few bruises on her arms and face, and when she claimed
that Koori had done it, boy was her 'sister' going to get it.
A few hours later Isei was lying on Kooris bed fast asleep, with his
sister protectively watching. Hearing the front door open, Koori got
up and left her room, walking down the stairs. 'Hmm, I better start
making dinner or mother will be angry.'
*Disbelief*
Koori nearly stumbled as she felt the disbelief emitting from her
mother. 'What?'
"KOORI!" the girls mother screamed.
Koori hurried down the stairs and stopped, her jaw slackening. 'She-
she couldn't have,' she thought staring at Hana who was clinging to
her mother covered with bruises and wounds.
"Koori," her mothers voice was empty of emotion, "how _could_ you do
this to your sister?!?"
Hana shot a triumphant smile at Koori, carefully hiding it from their
mother, before hiding her face against Akas shoulder.
"But- I didn't!" Koori exclaimed after getting her jaw to work
properly again.
Aka narrowed her eyes, gazing at her oldest daughter then she looked
down at the bruised and bloody form of her beloved adoptive daughter,
she made her decision. "It seems that we filed a report against the
wrong family member," she said in flat voice, protectively hugging
Hana.
"_WHAT_?!?" Koori shrieked before stalking forward. She abruptly
stopped herself and spun around, leaving the two standing there as she
went up the stairs again. 'That's _it_! I'm moving and I'm taking
'touchan with me!' Slamming the door to her room shut she immediately
began packing some clothes. Leaving briefly she got some of Iseis
clothes and packed them as well.
Isei sleepily looked up at her. "'Neechan?"
"It's okey, 'touchan, we're going to go to Fushi-chan for a while.
Infact we'll go as soon as I've called her."
Isei slipped of the bed, and unnoticed by Koori, stuffed two of his
favorite teddy bears into the backpack.
Koori picked up the receiver and quickly dialed a number, waiting for
her friend to answer.
"Goddess Relief Office, a consultant have been sent to you."
"What?"
Click.
'What was that?' Koori thought, confused, not noting that the mirror
in her bedroom had begun glowing and soon a -well she didn't seem to
be much more than a Japanese housewife, excluding her powers over
mirrors- rather short woman with long straight auburn hair and kind
eyes stepped through.
"Excuse me," a pleasant voice said, startling Koori.
Spinning around she stared at the woman. 'I-I can't feel her! She's
not emitting any emotions!' she thought in disbelief. "Who are you?"
the pale haired girl managed to stutter.
"I'm Belldandy, goddess of the present. You have been chosen to
receive a wish, Kazeno Koori," the woman said in a soft voice before
she turned towards Isei. "I am sorry for the hurt your adoptive sister
have caused you, Isei-chan," Belldandy said quietly to the small boy.
Isei beamed at Belldandy before turning shy and hiding behind Kooris
legs.
Koori smiled at her brother. "A wish? What do you mean?" she wondered,
still trying to feel the woman's emotions. "Why can't I feel her
emotions?" the pale haired girl mumbled in a voice too low, or so she
thought, for the goddess to hear.
Belldandy looked slightly startled. "You are an empath?" she wondered.
The tall girl nodded. "Only a minor one," she answered then continued
in a lower voice, "whatever use it had in protecting 'touchan from
Hana-ijin."
Belldandy nodded as if clarifying something. "Have you decided on your
wish?" she suddenly asked, tilting her head slightly to the right.
Koori very nearly started as she remembered exactly why she had been
making the phone call in the first place and tears began to gather in
the corner of her eyes. She nodded as she thought of something. "I
have." She quickly put on a pair of light leather boots, she picked up
the backpack and put in on. She nearly winced as it pressed against
the knife-wound, put she ignored the pain and helped Isei put on a
pair of shoes as well. Then she picked him up and held him in her
arms. "I," she took a deep breath, "I wish I could protect Isei from
everyone that means to do him harm, even if it's the Master of Hell
himself."
The goddess nodded and then markings on her cheeks and forehead, that
until now had just been some kind of weird tattoos, began glowing.
Belldandy seemed to float up in the air as a beam of light shot from
her forehead towards the sky, somehow going through the roof tearing a
hole in the process. After what seemed like an eternity to Koori and
Isei Belldandy was lowered to the floor. "Your wish has been
approved," she said in a rather tired voice.
Koori started to move forward to help the goddess when some kind of
golden light sprung up around herself and Isei. "What?" she mumbled.
"It will help you to get to that 'somewhere'," Belldandy said quietly,
looking at the girl and her brother. "You might feel some pain but
that should end soon after the light disappears."
"Arigatou, Belldandy-sama," Koori whispered as she and Isei faded from
sight.
Belldandy silently wished them well before departing through the
mirror, leaving the room.
Koori barely kept from screaming in pain as she and Isei seemed to
float in some kind of void. While it was obvious that Isei felt little
or no pain, Koori felt as if someone had exchanged her blood with
fire. Suddenly the pain stopped and the pale haired girl sagged,
closing her eyes, but still holding onto her brother.
What A Lovely Element Of Chaos You Will Be, Kazeno Koori.
Kooris eyes snapped open and she stared at the golden being floating a
few meters infront of them. 'What?' she thought, unconsciously hugging
Isei closer, the boy in question seemed to be asleep.
So Lovely Indeed.
'Who?'
I.
A faint smile touched Kooris lips, she knew she should feel something
else than trust but she couldn't remember what that was. She felt
loved here, something she had not felt in a long time. 'Want to
stay...'
A laughter like golden bells filled her with contentment. Not Yet,
Child. You Have Much Chaos To Spread. Go. You Do Not Need To Remember
This, Kazeno Koori.
And the girl fell.
Koori gasped as she slammed into the ground, back first. Pain seemed
to explode in her whole body and she moaned. 'Where are we?' she
thought, trying to sit up.
*Curiosity*
Four humans were drawing closer to them. Koori sank back to the
ground, clearly in no condition to move just yet. Turning her head to
the side she noted that they were in some kind of clearing in a forest.
"'touchan, go hide in the bushes," she whispered to her brother.
Isei nodded and gave his big sister a quick hug before running over to
a dense shrubbery.
Koori only kept her eyes open long enough to see that he hid properly.
The pale haired girl couldn't believe how tired she was, it was as if
she had been up several days in a row. Suddenly a shadow fell across
her face, she slowly opened her eyes and looked straight into a pair
of catlike amethyst eyes. 'Kawaii...'
----
End Prologue
----
Authoress notes: Well, umm... This is the first fic I've posted this
millennium (though I sent out a draft for it during December). ^.^
I thought I should clarify something about Kooris wish, as you might
note she basically say that she want to be able to defend Isei from
the Devil, ne? The problem is, in her world to do that she would have
to be turned into Kami-sama or an entity above both Kami-sama and the
Devil. Now, note the phrasing of the name of the Devil: 'The Master of
Hell', that brings your thought to Phibrizio, the Hellmaster of
Slayers which means that all that had to be done is that Koori and
Isei are transported to the Slayers universe and Koori given enough
magical powers to cast the Giga Slave, simple, ne? Not.
Another thing, just in the end of the prologue Koori note that she
feel very tired, and she is. It took a fairly long time to 'infuse'
her with the magic.