Sorry for the delay and I hope I'm not causing any problems with this
one. It does have an anime-like theme and it does discuss anime
sometimes...I hope I'm not doing anything wrong by posting my story here!
If I am, just tell me and I'll stop sending it. Mou, gomen nasai for
any problems that arise! Oh, and the WordWrap program on my computer
went haywire and it won't let me word wrap anymore. If anyone has any
suggestions to help me with this, I'd be most grateful!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Into the Mist
Chapter Two
The Game Begins
"What do you mean?!" the pretty feminine voice was frantic as she
spoke into the receiver.
"I�m sorry, ma�am, but we can�t find anything," the man on the other
end of the phone line replied.
"You c-can�t be serious�" the phone clattered to the floor.
"Hazuo�where are you?"
* * * * * * *
"Listen, ojisan, either you tell us what you saw, or we�ll book you
on obstruction of justice!" the policeman slammed his big hands down onto
the table.
"I-I�they disappeared into the book!" the old bookstore owner cried
out.
"Tell us the truth, ojisan!" the officer ordered. "We�ll let you go
then. Where is Hazuo Komori and Tokiko Tsurumi?"
"I don�t know! It has a mind of its own I tell you!" the storekeeper
yelled from behind his hands. "It took them away! Like all the others!
It took them!! I told them not to touch it, I swear!!"
* * * * * * *
"Tokiko! Where�s my little girl!?" another frantic mother came
running into the police station. "Where�s my daughter?!"
"Ma�am, we�ve been informed that she has been reported missing," the
police clerk handed her a form. "If you�d fill this-erk!"
"THE HELL I�LL FILL THAT OUT!! WHERE�S MY DAUGHTER?!" Tokiko�s
mother grabbed the smaller man by the collar and hefted him up off his
chair.
"We don�t know, ma�am, but we�ll keep you posted," he squeaked.
Mrs. Tsurumi dropped the man and ran a hand through her light brown
hair. It would be okay, she reassured herself. Tokiko had just been out
a bit longer than she had intended.
"Please, ma�am, take a seat over there and we�ll have the
investigator out to see you in a moment," the clerk picked himself up
apprehensively and sat down in the swivel chair as he picked up the small
pager phone.
As Tokiko�s mother took her seat she turned to the man and hissed,
"Call me ma�am once more and so help me�"
She let it hang, the guy had seen her aggressiveness and knew that
she wasn�t one to pick you a bouquet of flowers to settle a dispute. He
spoke briefly on the phone and waved the woman in.
"Norutaki-san will see you now, ma-" he gulped as her eyes turned to
blue ice. "Tsurumi-san."
He breathed a sigh of relief as the tall woman stalked off into the
adjoining office. Soon screams of anger were heard through the
partition. The officer lowered his head and filled out another report.
* * * * * * * *
"Moshi-moshi, is this the Makino residence? Hai, I�d like to speak
to Hinako please. Hello, Hinako? Did you hear? Yeah�just vanished.
Tokiko and that other girl�No, I heard it on the news. Yeah, the police
said some guy said it has happened four or five times now. No, the
police denied it. They said they�ve only had this one case. Weird,
isn�t it? Yeah, that guy must�ve been crazy or something. Hey, I�m
going down there to see if I can help find Tokiko, wanna come? Okay,
meet you at Shinpishugisha Books at three o�clock. Make sure to bring a
flashlight. Yeah, in the morning. You think I wanna be caught by the
police?!"
Mariko dropped the phone back into place and set her alarm. No way
would her father keep her out of an investigation like this! A sudden
knock at the door sent her flying under the sheets. She had barely
covered herself up when her father, Ajo Norutaki, opened the door.
"Get some sleep, Mariko. You have to go to school tomorrow." Just
before he shut the door he called out to her softly, "Please don�t go
near the crime site tomorrow. My officers are still searching it for
clues."
"But, Dad-!" the young Japanese girl sat up and tried to protest.
"No, you�ve been hanging around us too much already. Police work
isn�t fit for a young girl like you. Go to sleep." With that he closed
the door and turned the hall light out.
Mariko snuggled under the sheets and closed her eyes, "You aren�t
keeping me from what I love�"
* * * * * * * *
"WHAT?!" A fiery young sorceress jumped up out of her seat and flew
down the hallway. "KARANTH!! KARANTH!! DID YOU HEAR?!"
She burst into a small living quarters and practically pushed over
her partner whose name she had been screaming. He sidestepped the door
as it slammed open and caught her as she fell in. The tall, dark-haired
man stared down at his companion with mild amusement. As the blue haired
youth straightened herself, she began to let out all the information she
had.
"Another disturbance!" she shouted.
Karanth sat down and began to tighten the string on his bow, "Another
one?"
"Yes! Only this one was HUGE!" she cried out happily.
"Timia, why does this concern me?" he sighed and tested the tension
on the bow.
"Because Mandain said that something came _through_ the anomaly this
time!" she waved her hand out towards the woods. "And it happened out
there!"
"Mandain isn�t always right," he replied with a certain degree of
irritation.
"Yeah, but I picked up on it too. Come on, humor me, Karanth," Timia
pleaded with him, looking up at him with big bluish purple eyes. "We
might find something this time!"
The archer sighed and nodded his head, "If we find a rock again, I�m
using you as target practice."
"Let�s go!" Timia grabbed his hand and pulled him out into the hall.
"Be careful."
"You know we will, Mandain-sama!" she smiled and dragged her partner
down the corridor.
The old mage smiled as they left. They�d find a lot more than they
expected out there�
* * * * * * * *
"Tokiko-san?"
Tokiko opened her blue eyes slowly and looked up into the sky above
her. She focused in on the origin of the voice and saw a strange girl
staring down at her.
"Daijoubu, Tokiko-san?" the maiden knew her�but who was she?
"W-who are you?" she sat up and looked at this new person. She was
roughly 5�8 with deep green eyes and short green hair. She seemed
familiar enough�
"Tokiko-san�it�s me, Hazuo."
Tokiko�s eyes narrowed and she sat up. "You�re lying. You�re not
Hazuo."
"No! Tokiko-san, it really is me!" the strange girl cried and
grabbed Tokiko�s hand.
"Tell me something then, �Hazuo,� where do we go to school and why is
it that you look so different?"
"I�don�t need my glasses anymore and when I awoke my hair was like
this. We go to Tomoe High School and we're both second year students.
You have to believe me, Tokiko-san!" Hazuo handed Tokiko a mirror. "It
isn�t just me, Tokiko�"
"What the-!" Tokiko stared at a reflection that wasn�t her own. A
hand reached up and played with a long strand of bluish hair. "What
happened?!"
"Like I said, we changed�I don�t know how though. Do you believe me
now?" Hazuo looked up at her friend and saw her nod slowly, still unsure.
"Hazuo-chan, where are-"
"I knew we�d find something!!" Tokiko looked up and saw two people
come crashing through the underbrush of the forest.
A tall girl with blue hair, not unlike Tokiko�s, was first to emerge.
Tokiko noticed that she wore a long broad sword by her side along with
black shorts, thigh boots, and a magenta overcoat and shirt. Her
companion, a dark, brooding young man with deep purple hair tied into a
braid, followed after her. A bow and quiver of arrows slung over his
shoulder were the same greenish brown as the rest of his suit, perfect
for camouflage.
"Yeah, great."
His cold scarlet eyes sized them up before he fully entered the
clearing.
"Uh, hello," Tokiko backed away from his gaze and smiled nervously.
"Oh, forget Karanth. My name�s Timia Orlandie, sorceress in
training. Who are you?" This other person was bubbly and very happy to
see them.
"Tokiko Tsurumi, second year high school student," she directed her
attention towards Timia, leaving the moody young man to himself.
"Hazuo Komori, second year high school student," the latter girl
replied. "Could you please tell us where we are?"
"Oh, that�s easy. You�re on the borders of Taron and Teade," the
sorceress offered.
"We�re from out of town�could you tell us exactly what those two
places are?" Tokiko looked watched Karanth out of the corner of her eye.
He seemed uncomfortable for some reason�she wondered what it was.
"Taron is where we�re from over there," Timia pointed to the west and
smiled. "Teade is our rival city�they�re bad news all around. Teade�
people have raided our city for hundreds of years and only recently have
we been able to beat them back. They�re over in the east."
Hazuo soaked up all this knowledge and watched Tokiko nod her head.
"Well, I guess you can�t stay in this forest, now can you? You guys
can come with us," Timia yelled and marched off into the forest. "Let�s
go, Karanth!"
"Okay, you two follow me and stay close. I don�t want to have to
chase you down," he growled and lead the way into the thick underbrush.
* * * * * * * *
The huge throne room was barely lit with the small torches lined up
against the stone walls. Two men, one slightly taller than the other,
stood in the middle staring down into a crystal ball. Both men wore
identical light gray tunics and black boots. The taller of the duo spoke
first.
"So�they�ve brought in another pair of lackeys, huh?"
"It appears to be that way, Tashian. We will recover what was lost
though�at any cost."
"Yes, it will come back to us. Saveran, do you think they�ll ever
get out of that forest alive?"
Tashian Kuraido laughed, "Oh, I don�t expect so. Send Domina after
them�it�d be interesting to see what she does. Entertainment is hard to
find nowadays."
His twin brother smiled. Both lords enjoyed causing the other city�s
discomfort, it was the only source of pleasure in their bleak lives.
"I�ll call her," Saveran Kuraido turned and walked out of the
chambers, his footsteps echoing in the empty room. As he entered a
smaller room, a bright magic circle appeared in the center and he took
his place by the edge in the middle of a second smaller circle of
protection. "Dark lords above, evils below, heed this benighted soul.
Submit to my will, be my thrall. Hearken to my door, obey my call."
A black ball of energy appeared in his hands and he threw it up
towards the ceiling.
"Come forth, demon of the night! Helveti seranto inncante murkou
Domina!" he summoned the demon from the Netherworld and watched as the
demon took her place within the circle. Domina�s black wings spread out
behind her and her glowing red eyes illuminated her sharp features. A
small growl escaped her lips as she was forced to bow before a new
master.
"You called, Saveran," the monster sneered.
"Yes, attack the travelers on the borders. Your friend is there.
I�m sure she�d love a visit from you," he said as his thin lips curled
into a sort of evil grin.
"A second chance to get back at her?" Domina smiled at the thought
and nodded her head. "As long as you don�t go against _our_ contract,
Saveran."
He released Domina and she disappeared from sight in a bright flash
of black light. Saveran dropped the spell of protection and smiled.
"Well�let�s play then, shall we?" he whispered to no one and stepped
out of the summoning room.
* * * * * * * *
"Mariko, are you sure we�re allowed to be here?" Hinako Makino ducked
under the yellow caution tape and glanced around her nervously. "Did
your dad say it was okay?"
"Hina-chan, if you really think Daddy said it was okay that I would
be out here at THREE A.M.?" Mariko turned to her meek friend and lowered
her voice before continuing. "Besides, I want to be a police woman and I
_need_ experience in the field."
"Why do you want me here then?"
"I�m not going in there alone, it�s creepy!"
The door to the shop protested loudly to its invaders as they opened
it. Hinako winced and looked over her shoulder again.
"Let�s go," Mariko snuck inside and locked the door from the inside
as her friend slipped through. "I heard it was some sort of book without
a title�gotta find it�"
"You mean this one?" Hinako pointed to a thick volume on the counter.
"Uh, yeah. Good work, Hina-chan!" the junior investigator grabbed
the book and turned it over in her hands. "Hey, this has a title!"
"It didn�t a minute ago." Hinako looked over the elder girl�s
shoulder and read the title aloud, "Into the Mist. Interesting.."
"Yeah, let�s read it! Maybe it has a clue!" Before Hinako could
protest Mariko pulled the cover back and began to read it. The yellowed
pages were so brittle to the touch and the words were faint, but still
legible. Mariko read the words with great difficulty. "Let�s see what
it says. �What?!� A fiery young sorceress jumped up out of her seat and
flew down the hallway�."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, tell me what you think! C&C, MSTs, and
any kind of help are appreciated and welcome.
Please send them to <muteki@juno.com>
So, until we meet again, farewell!
MurasakiKaze
---------
You can't stop it or hide from it. The Camcorder
Mokushiroku is coming...and you will all bend to
its power....
Sorry for the delay and I hope I'm not causing any problems with this
one. It does have an anime-like theme and it does discuss anime
sometimes...I hope I'm not doing anything wrong by posting my story here!
If I am, just tell me and I'll stop sending it. Mou, gomen nasai for
any problems that arise!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Into the Mist
Chapter Two
The Game Begins
"What do you mean?!" the pretty feminine voice was frantic as she
spoke into the receiver.
"I�m sorry, ma�am, but we can�t find anything," the man on the other
end of the phone line replied.
"You c-can�t be serious�" the phone clattered to the floor.
"Hazuo�where are you?"
* * * * * * *
"Listen, ojisan, either you tell us what you saw, or we�ll book you
on obstruction of justice!" the policeman slammed his big hands down onto
the table.
"I-I�they disappeared into the book!" the old bookstore owner cried
out.
"Tell us the truth, ojisan!" the officer ordered. "We�ll let you go
then. Where is Hazuo Komori and Tokiko Tsurumi?"
"I don�t know! It has a mind of its own I tell you!" the storekeeper
yelled from behind his hands. "It took them away! Like all the others!
It took them!! I told them not to touch it, I swear!!"
* * * * * * *
"Tokiko! Where�s my little girl!?" another frantic mother came
running into the police station. "Where�s my daughter?!"
"Ma�am, we�ve been informed that she has been reported missing," the
police clerk handed her a form. "If you�d fill this-erk!"
"THE HELL I�LL FILL THAT OUT!! WHERE�S MY DAUGHTER?!" Tokiko�s
mother grabbed the smaller man by the collar and hefted him up off his
chair.
"We don�t know, ma�am, but we�ll keep you posted," he squeaked.
Mrs. Tsurumi dropped the man and ran a hand through her light brown
hair. It would be okay, she reassured herself. Tokiko had just been out
a bit longer than she had intended.
"Please, ma�am, take a seat over there and we�ll have the
investigator out to see you in a moment," the clerk picked himself up
apprehensively and sat down in the swivel chair as he picked up the small
pager phone.
As Tokiko�s mother took her seat she turned to the man and hissed,
"Call me ma�am once more and so help me�"
She let it hang, the guy had seen her aggressiveness and knew that
she wasn�t one to pick you a bouquet of flowers to settle a dispute. He
spoke briefly on the phone and waved the woman in.
"Norutaki-san will see you now, ma-" he gulped as her eyes turned to
blue ice. "Tsurumi-san."
He breathed a sigh of relief as the tall woman stalked off into the
adjoining office. Soon screams of anger were heard through the
partition. The officer lowered his head and filled out another report.
* * * * * * * *
"Moshi-moshi, is this the Makino residence? Hai, I�d like to speak
to Hinako please. Hello, Hinako? Did you hear? Yeah�just vanished.
Tokiko and that other girl�No, I heard it on the news. Yeah, the police
said some guy said it has happened four or five times now. No, the
police denied it. They said they�ve only had this one case. Weird,
isn�t it? Yeah, that guy must�ve been crazy or something. Hey, I�m
going down there to see if I can help find Tokiko, wanna come? Okay,
meet you at Shinpishugisha Books at three o�clock. Make sure to bring a
flashlight. Yeah, in the morning. You think I wanna be caught by the
police?!"
Mariko dropped the phone back into place and set her alarm. No way
would her father keep her out of an investigation like this! A sudden
knock at the door sent her flying under the sheets. She had barely
covered herself up when her father, Ajo Norutaki, opened the door.
"Get some sleep, Mariko. You have to go to school tomorrow." Just
before he shut the door he called out to her softly, "Please don�t go
near the crime site tomorrow. My officers are still searching it for
clues."
"But, Dad-!" the young Japanese girl sat up and tried to protest.
"No, you�ve been hanging around us too much already. Police work
isn�t fit for a young girl like you. Go to sleep." With that he closed
the door and turned the hall light out.
Mariko snuggled under the sheets and closed her eyes, "You aren�t
keeping me from what I love�"
* * * * * * * *
"WHAT?!" A fiery young sorceress jumped up out of her seat and flew
down the hallway. "KARANTH!! KARANTH!! DID YOU HEAR?!"
She burst into a small living quarters and practically pushed over
her partner whose name she had been screaming. He sidestepped the door
as it slammed open and caught her as she fell in. The tall, dark-haired
man stared down at his companion with mild amusement. As the blue haired
youth straightened herself, she began to let out all the information she
had.
"Another disturbance!" she shouted.
Karanth sat down and began to tighten the string on his bow, "Another
one?"
"Yes! Only this one was HUGE!" she cried out happily.
"Timia, why does this concern me?" he sighed and tested the tension
on the bow.
"Because Mandain said that something came _through_ the anomaly this
time!" she waved her hand out towards the woods. "And it happened out
there!"
"Mandain isn�t always right," he replied with a certain degree of
irritation.
"Yeah, but I picked up on it too. Come on, humor me, Karanth," Timia
pleaded with him, looking up at him with big bluish purple eyes. "We
might find something this time!"
The archer sighed and nodded his head, "If we find a rock again, I�m
using you as target practice."
"Let�s go!" Timia grabbed his hand and pulled him out into the hall.
"Be careful."
"You know we will, Mandain-sama!" she smiled and dragged her partner
down the corridor.
The old mage smiled as they left. They�d find a lot more than they
expected out there�
* * * * * * * *
"Tokiko-san?"
Tokiko opened her blue eyes slowly and looked up into the sky above
her. She focused in on the origin of the voice and saw a strange girl
staring down at her.
"Daijoubu, Tokiko-san?" the maiden knew her�but who was she?
"W-who are you?" she sat up and looked at this new person. She was
roughly 5�8 with deep green eyes and short green hair. She seemed
familiar enough�
"Tokiko-san�it�s me, Hazuo."
Tokiko�s eyes narrowed and she sat up. "You�re lying. You�re not
Hazuo."
"No! Tokiko-san, it really is me!" the strange girl cried and
grabbed Tokiko�s hand.
"Tell me something then, �Hazuo,� where do we go to school and why is
it that you look so different?"
"I�don�t need my glasses anymore and when I awoke my hair was like
this. We go to Tomoe High School and we're both second year students.
You have to believe me, Tokiko-san!" Hazuo handed Tokiko a mirror. "It
isn�t just me, Tokiko�"
"What the-!" Tokiko stared at a reflection that wasn�t her own. A
hand reached up and played with a long strand of bluish hair. "What
happened?!"
"Like I said, we changed�I don�t know how though. Do you believe me
now?" Hazuo looked up at her friend and saw her nod slowly, still unsure.
"Hazuo-chan, where are-"
"I knew we�d find something!!" Tokiko looked up and saw two people
come crashing through the underbrush of the forest.
A tall girl with blue hair, not unlike Tokiko�s, was first to emerge.
Tokiko noticed that she wore a long broad sword by her side along with
black shorts, thigh boots, and a magenta overcoat and shirt. Her
companion, a dark, brooding young man with deep purple hair tied into a
braid, followed after her. A bow and quiver of arrows slung over his
shoulder were the same greenish brown as the rest of his suit, perfect
for camouflage.
"Yeah, great."
His cold scarlet eyes sized them up before he fully entered the
clearing.
"Uh, hello," Tokiko backed away from his gaze and smiled nervously.
"Oh, forget Karanth. My name�s Timia Orlandie, sorceress in
training. Who are you?" This other person was bubbly and very happy to
see them.
"Tokiko Tsurumi, second year high school student," she directed her
attention towards Timia, leaving the moody young man to himself.
"Hazuo Komori, second year high school student," the latter girl
replied. "Could you please tell us where we are?"
"Oh, that�s easy. You�re on the borders of Taron and Teade," the
sorceress offered.
"We�re from out of town�could you tell us exactly what those two
places are?" Tokiko looked watched Karanth out of the corner of her eye.
He seemed uncomfortable for some reason�she wondered what it was.
"Taron is where we�re from over there," Timia pointed to the west and
smiled. "Teade is our rival city�they�re bad news all around. Teade�
people have raided our city for hundreds of years and only recently have
we been able to beat them back. They�re over in the east."
Hazuo soaked up all this knowledge and watched Tokiko nod her head.
"Well, I guess you can�t stay in this forest, now can you? You guys
can come with us," Timia yelled and marched off into the forest. "Let�s
go, Karanth!"
"Okay, you two follow me and stay close. I don�t want to have to
chase you down," he growled and lead the way into the thick underbrush.
* * * * * * * *
The huge throne room was barely lit with the small torches lined up
against the stone walls. Two men, one slightly taller than the other,
stood in the middle staring down into a crystal ball. Both men wore
identical light gray tunics and black boots. The taller of the duo spoke
first.
"So�they�ve brought in another pair of lackeys, huh?"
"It appears to be that way, Tashian. We will recover what was lost
though�at any cost."
"Yes, it will come back to us. Saveran, do you think they�ll ever
get out of that forest alive?"
Tashian Kuraido laughed, "Oh, I don�t expect so. Send Domina after
them�it�d be interesting to see what she does. Entertainment is hard to
find nowadays."
His twin brother smiled. Both lords enjoyed causing the other city�s
discomfort, it was the only source of pleasure in their bleak lives.
"I�ll call her," Saveran Kuraido turned and walked out of the
chambers, his footsteps echoing in the empty room. As he entered a
smaller room, a bright magic circle appeared in the center and he took
his place by the edge in the middle of a second smaller circle of
protection. "Dark lords above, evils below, heed this benighted soul.
Submit to my will, be my thrall. Hearken to my door, obey my call."
A black ball of energy appeared in his hands and he threw it up
towards the ceiling.
"Come forth, demon of the night! Helveti seranto inncante murkou
Domina!" he summoned the demon from the Netherworld and watched as the
demon took her place within the circle. Domina�s black wings spread out
behind her and her glowing red eyes illuminated her sharp features. A
small growl escaped her lips as she was forced to bow before a new
master.
"You called, Saveran," the monster sneered.
"Yes, attack the travelers on the borders. Your friend is there.
I�m sure she�d love a visit from you," he said as his thin lips curled
into a sort of evil grin.
"A second chance to get back at her?" Domina smiled at the thought
and nodded her head. "As long as you don�t go against _our_ contract,
Saveran."
He released Domina and she disappeared from sight in a bright flash
of black light. Saveran dropped the spell of protection and smiled.
"Well�let�s play then, shall we?" he whispered to no one and stepped
out of the summoning room.
* * * * * * * *
"Mariko, are you sure we�re allowed to be here?" Hinako Makino ducked
under the yellow caution tape and glanced around her nervously. "Did
your dad say it was okay?"
"Hina-chan, if you really think Daddy said it was okay that I would
be out here at THREE A.M.?" Mariko turned to her meek friend and lowered
her voice before continuing. "Besides, I want to be a police woman and I
_need_ experience in the field."
"Why do you want me here then?"
"I�m not going in there alone, it�s creepy!"
The door to the shop protested loudly to its invaders as they opened
it. Hinako winced and looked over her shoulder again.
"Let�s go," Mariko snuck inside and locked the door from the inside
as her friend slipped through. "I heard it was some sort of book without
a title�gotta find it�"
"You mean this one?" Hinako pointed to a thick volume on the counter.
"Uh, yeah. Good work, Hina-chan!" the junior investigator grabbed
the book and turned it over in her hands. "Hey, this has a title!"
"It didn�t a minute ago." Hinako looked over the elder girl�s
shoulder and read the title aloud, "Into the Mist. Interesting.."
"Yeah, let�s read it! Maybe it has a clue!" Before Hinako could
protest Mariko pulled the cover back and began to read it. The yellowed
pages were so brittle to the touch and the words were faint, but still
legible. Mariko read the words with great difficulty. "Let�s see what
it says. �What?!� A fiery young sorceress jumped up out of her seat and
flew down the hallway�."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, tell me what you think! C&C, MSTs, and
any kind of help are appreciated and welcome.
Please send them to <muteki@juno.com>
So, until we meet again, farewell!
MurasakiKaze
---------
You can't stop it or hide from it. The Camcorder
Mokushiroku is coming...and you will all bend to
its power....
___________________________________________________________________
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