Iuvenes 1x1: The Zodiac Circle (Yuuki_Tatsunohi and Utsuho)

[Yuuki_Tatsunohi]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Yuzuki Hamasaki jumped in her seat as she felt her ring pulse. Her cheeks burned at the sudden movement but luckily no one had noticed her, all attention on the teacher up front as she recited lecture. Yuzuki pulled her folder closer and looked at her ring under the paper. The dark blue jewel in the center glowed softly, a faint swirl in the jewel. To a regular person, the radiance of the gem would seem as if it were reflecting the lights from the classroom, but to Yuzuki that meant a Specter was nearby. Duty calls and she'd have to go hunt for it or else it would cause disaster for all those around it, at least that is what Kyuubey had told her.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]It seemed luck was on her side today as the bell chose to ring a minute later, signaling the end of the school day. Immediately, Yuzuki sprang out of her seat and ran for the door, her backpack haphazardly banging against her side. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Oh, I forgot. Hey can one of you sign me out? Please and thank you!" she called to her friends, winking at their perplexed faces as she bounced on the balls of her feet. She didn't wait to hear a reply nor answer their question if they were going to eat out later. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]I'll catch up,[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] she promised to herself. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]She ran through the hallway and stairs, almost jumping down whole flights to get to the bottom. Once outside, she ran through the school field, past athletic sports clubs who used the field for practice. One club, the football team, was hauling tackling dummies towards the center, crossing paths with Yuzuki. She was going very fast, it looked like she wouldn't be able to stop in time and one player stepped in front of the dummies to catch her before she hurt herself. Yet, whether it was by some hidden athletic talent or a miracle of God Himself, the football player didn't know, Yuzuki leaped over him and the tackle dummies, flipping in the air once before landing on the other side with such agility the players' jaws dropped.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Sorry about that!" Yuzuki said, waving at them, her ring glowing a little brighter. She continued running, watching her jewel for any signs of the specter. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Your Soul Gem is your best tool for finding Specters[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent], Kyuubey's words echoed in her mind. The glow of her Soul Gem reached its peak when she found herself standing before a shack in the middle of an old baseball field. This field was abandoned years ago by the school in favor of building a brand new one, one that was a better sight on the eyes and upheld the school's looks. The old field was still used, mostly by people wanting to play a leisurely game or kids needing a hidden place to smoke. The shack was closed permanently, yellow tape in an X and a restriction notice posted on the door. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Yuzuki stared at the door, her ring pulsing madly. In fine details that could only be seen by Magi such as her, strange letters covered the door; the Specter's mark. She looked around her, seeing no one before turning back to the door. "Okay, let's do this," she said. Her body was engulfed in a bright light and emerged with her entire outfit changed to her Magi costume. With a deep breath, Yuzuki stepped right through the door, as if it were made of nothing, and into the Specter's labyrinth. [/BCOLOR]

 

[Flame]

Eiji had been spending his time skipping class on that fateful day. Nobody ever bothered checking to see if he was attending class, because half the time he wasn't, and when he was, he caused trouble. How anybody respected him was a mystery, along with how he managed to ace the finals every time they rolled around. Maybe it was the latter that caused the former... there were rumors he cheated, but nobody ever got enough solid evidence. His eyes never wandered, and he was the first to finish... such things were baffling to the other students in class. But Eiji knew the content. He just didn't enjoy sitting in class. It was boring. The only times he showed up were when it rained, or when he was in danger of getting his credits taken away.

But there he was, relaxing behind the shed that Yuzuki was nearing... he heard running footsteps, and leapt up from his nap. Was the jig up? He stealthily got out of sight and around the shed... an underclassmen was near the shed. She was in his homeroom wasn't she? He had seen her at lunch a couple times as well... She didn't seem the type to cause trouble... what was her angle? He wanted to call out to her, but he recalled that he himself would get into trouble if she saw him. He just observed, as she seemed not to notice him. She stepped toward the shed, and it looked like she was going to walk into it, and she did, but... not how he expected. She walked in. "What n' the holy flyin' fuck is that?", the delinquent exclaimed. He walked up to the door, and put his hand in... He walked the rest of the way in, and what he saw next was crazier... what was this world? He looked behind him. There was no way out. He called out to the girl. "H-hey! What the hell's goin' on around here, dammit?", he called out, and chased her down, the school coat on his shoulders flapped about like a cape, because, like all good delinquents, his arms weren't in the sleeves. Underneath was a short sleeved black t-shirt.

 

[Yuuki_Tatsunohi]

"H-hey! What the hell's goin' on around here, dammit?"

Yuzuki started and spun around, seeing a boy behind her. He looked familiar, from her class most likely based on the uniform hanging from his shoulders, but she couldn't remember his name. Ebi? Eishi? He wasn't around much anyways for her to remember who this kid was.

"What are you doing here? It's not safe!"

She jumped towards the boy, flying past floating popcorn, hotdogs, drinks and a baseball bat. This was not good. Not good at all. Kyuubey said only Magi could see Specter labyrinths, not regular people like him! And she wasn't even good at this yet, what if something happened to him? What if he died? She wasn't ready to fight Specters and protect people at the same time.

"You need to leave. You can't be here, it's too dangerous!" she grabbed the boy's arm, pulling him back along the way they came from, but the exit was gone, sealed in and trapping them both. Once you enter a dungeon, the only way to get out is by killing the specter, Kyuubey said. She looked back at the boy, frightened that not only was her secret exposed, but an innocent person was in danger.

"I-I'll do my best to get you out of here," she said, drawing a rune circle in the air and pulling out her scepter."But you have to stick close to me. You're in a Specter's Dungeon and anything could happen here."

 

[Flame]

"What sort of nonsense are you spoutin'?", he said, and looked around... various baseball-related items were floating around as if they were monsters, the gloves opening and shutting like mouths, the ball fluttering about on leather wings... "This is... a dungeon? Stupid name. Look kid, I don't know what the hell is goin' on, but if you're gonna help me get out of this weird ass place, then I'll follow your lead. Don't worry about me, I'm smart and strong enough to take care of myself.", he grinned, and put his fists on his sides. "Yeah, I'll stick close to you if that's what I need to do... this feels like some crazy dream, but, I don't see a reason why I shouldn't listen to you. You seem to know more about it than me. Thanks a lot, kid.", he gave her shoulder a pat, and walked beside her, his arms folded. "By the way, the name's Eiji. You're in my homeroom aren't you? Aren't you an underclassmen? What's your name? I doubt you like getting called kid."

 

[Yuuki_Tatsunohi]

Yuzuki clutched her scepter tighter and turned around, leading the boy named Eiji further into the dungeon. The deformed baseball items floated around them, slowly turning into other sports related items from a football to tennis rackets. A bright red cape floated by. A few more items attempted to get close to Yuzuki and Eiji, mouths opening and closing as if to eat them, but Yuzuki burned them away with a small sun created by her scepter.

"Yes I do have a name and no I don't like to be called 'kid,'" she huffed in annoyance. "I'm Yuzuki and I guess we are in the same homeroom? It's rather mixed and I happen to be in the youngest set, but I've never really seen you in class to be honest." The school had a system in which younger students were mixed with older students. The goal was older kids like Eiji would help younger ones like Yuzuki navigate and deal with the changes of high school. It worked most of the time until everyone went their separate ways to be with people their own age. A large, decorated hat whizzed by, speaking a language Yuzuki vaguely recognized as Spanish; a faint sound of trumpets could be heard, getting louder the further they walked on. "Why were you at the field anyways?"

 

[Flame]

"Your name's Yuzuki, huh? Fitting for a c-...", he cut himself off. "An endearin' underclassmen.", he shifted his gaze away. "I'll stop callin' you kid now.", he told her, and followed her... the sports equipment changed types and began speaking... spanish... "We're in Japan, dammit! What are Spanish pieces of equipment doin' here?", he said, and shook his fist at the sports equipment. "Yeah, I don't often see you in class either...", he said, and scratched his head nervously. "Why was I at the field?", he had heard the bell ring soon before she had came close. "I was... I had just left class recently... The bell rang, and... I was gonna watch.... baseball.", he lied. The baseball team didn't play that day, and, in fact, he wasn't even facing the baseball field. "Anyway, this place is pretty spooky..."

He walked even farther in with her, and then something large showed up... A large bull like creature with three horns... It was massive, and stood on it's hind legs... could it me a Minotaur? "I-It's so damn big! How the hell do you face that?", he backed up, and fell backwards, the school blazer falling off of his shoulders. Multiple matador-like creatures approached, and one began to draw it's sword at him...

 

[Yuuki_Tatsunohi]

"Oh. Okay, uh, yeah I'm an endearing underclassman." Yuzuki wasn't too sure how to respond and chose to leave it at that.

"We're in Japan, dammit! What are Spanish pieces of equipment doin' here?"

"H-How am I supposed to know? Like I said, anything is possible in a Specter's dungeon." This was only her second time being in a dungeon, but it was still a shock to her how such a place looked. It was nothing like she had ever seen, the sky full of bright colors that would otherwise be impossible in real life. Strange things occupying the dungeon other than the Specter itself. None of the dungeons were similar to each other and each dungeon housed a different Specter. It wouldn't do to be careless anytime she enters one.

"I was . . . I had just left class recently . . . The bell rang, and . . . I was gonna watch . . . baseball."

She raised her eyebrows at his reasoning for not being in class. "That, for some reason, doesn't add up." She was pretty sure she didn't hear anything about a baseball game in the announcements today nor would they use the old field either. It seemed the dungeon had snagged some truant. Who wore a cape-coat of all things too.

The trumpets grew louder and soon they were in the middle of a large ring surrounded by shadowy faces, all of them cheering. In the middle of the ring was a bull about half the size of a sky scraper, its body covered in colorful decorations and three horns on its head. Surrounding the bull were decorated figures, dressed in matador-fashion. Some carried swords, others rode horse-back and had javelins with them. The bull snorted a toxic looking gas and two swordsmen charged at Yuzuki and Eiji, one aiming his sword at the unarmed boy. Yuzuki wrapped a circle around the two swordsmen, forcing them to collide into each other and binding them in place. She threw another circle a distance away from the ring and created another one at her feet before pulling Eiji in and reappearing in the first one.

"That—" she pointed at the bull "—is a Specter, the very thing creating this dungeon. It is my job as a Magi to destroy it so it doesn't hurt people like you." She adjusted her hat and grinned at Eiji. "Stay here, okay? I got this."

She jumped back in the circle, returning to the last place she and Eiji were. The two horsemen were already on their way, javelins aimed at her. Their javelins pierced her clothing, digging into her skin until her body disappeared. They looked back to see Yuzuki running towards the bull, no trace or sign of damage from the javelins on her. She waved her scepter and a red cape appeared, flying next to Yuzuki. The bull became noticeably more agressive and charged at Yuzuki, all three horns aimed at her. She and the cape evaded the bull and the cape continued to fly around the bull, almost teasing it. It roared once more and charge. At the last second, the cape flew away to reveal a large sun heading towards the bull, engulfing it whole in flames.

After a few minutes the sun dissipated, leaving no trace of the bull. At the same time, the dungeon disappeared too, replaced by the dusty, rotting wood of the old snack shack.

Yuzuki collapsed to her knees, shaking. "That was so scary," she said. A black shard clinked next to her, bearing a Taurus symbol. But I did it! I defeated the Specter and saved someone too. She picked up the shard, looking at Eiji with a grin on her face.

 

[Flame]

For a person who was seeking this sort of place out, she didn't seem very familiar with these sorts of places, at least, her stammering and lack of knowledge of such a place revealed that she might be fresh to this line of work... The phrases she used, magi, specter, dungeon... he didn't understand what she meant, but he didn't question her at the moment... He didn't feel like right now was the appropriate time for such things. He watched her dispatch the two bullfighters, and recovered his blazer, putting it back on his shoulders. "A specter? Isn't that just like, a ghost or somethin'? That's a friggin' crazy bull, man!", he sighed. "Well, I dunno what's happenin', but if you're gonna take care of it, go ahead... 's not like I have any way of doin' it myself.", he nodded to her, his arms crossed. She charged the enemies, and he stayed out of her way.

"Give 'em hell, Yuzuki!", he shouted, pumping his fist in the air. He gasped as a spear hit her, but she disappeared, appearing behind them from a circle. "The hell..?", his eyes widened, and he saw her fly around the bull and drop a sun on it. "D-damn! What's goin' on? This must be a dream...", he muttered, as he saw the bull get vaporized by the astral body. He covered his eyes as the light engulfed the area, and the world faded around them. He smelled the dusty old snack shack again... they were locked inside... rusty chains barred the entryway to the empty, web-filled shack. It was dark, but he could see Yuzuki on her knees, shivering. He knelt beside her, and gave her a pat on the back. "Yeah, it was, but you were damn brave, kouhai. You saved my life too. I guess that means I'm in your debt, huh?", he laughed, and gave her a pat on the back, then draped the blazer around her shoulders. She picked up some sort of black fragment, and smiled at him. "Let's get the hell outta here, Yuzuki!", he said confidently, and faced the barred door. One kick, and the rusty chains gave way, snapping, and the door flew out of it's doorway, tape and all. It fell into the dirt with a thump, the wood had splintered. He had an admirable amount of power inside him, but he still admired Yuzuki's magi powers.

 

[Yuuki_Tatsunohi]

"No biggie. I'm glad I got you out safe," she laughed, turning red when Eiji draped his blazer around her shoulders. She stood up as Eiji kicked the door, the rotten wood and rusty chains giving way to one hard kick from the boy. The door flopped on the ground with pieces of wood scattered all over and the chains and CAUTION tape dangling around the frame.

"Whoa! You're pretty strong, aren't you?" she pointed at the wreck Eiji caused. She figured they should fix it, but with how dilapidated it already was to begin with, she doubted it would be possible.

She stepped outside, immediately pulling Eiji's blazer tighter around her. Nobody was on the abandoned field except for her and Eiji so her secret was still safe, if she could convince the older boy to keep her Magi identity a secret.

"Hey, Eiji. I know this is all new to you, but um, could you keep what you saw today a secret?" A blue light engulfed her Magi outfit, dispersing into her school uniform. "I'm not doing anything wrong, I promise. Magi and Specters are just . . . a weird concept to regular people like you." Magic itself was weird, even she had trouble understanding it sometimes. She could create circles, suns, illusions. That was just what she had discovered so far. It was pretty awesome, even Eiji thought so too. Still, it wouldn't do to have her secret exposed to everyone in the school.

"Aah there you are, Yuzuki," said a voice.

Yuzuki looked at the roof of the shack where the voice came from to see a small, white, cat-like creature with a bushy tail and a pair of long appendages hanging from its ears. The creature jumped to the ground and cutely scratched its ears.

"Kyuubey!" she said, approaching the creature with a smile on her face.

"I'm glad you made it out alright, and you managed to defeat the Specter on your own too. Good job on your second Specter." He then looked to Eiji, waving his tail back and forth. "And who might you be?"

 

[Flame]

"Strong? Yeah, I guess, for a normal person that is. But I'm nothin' compared to you. You kicked some serious ass in there, Kouhai. I'd be mincemeat if I hadn't been with you. Stumbling in there without you woulda sucked... I didn't even know that thing was there! I coulda fell in at any time! Anyway, if you need some normal guy strength, you can call me up anytime. I wouldn't mind providin' ya with any sort of help I can provide.", he replied. He laid his hand on her shoulder, giving her enthusiastic pats as they walked away from the dilapidated storage shed. Her costume changed back to the school uniform, and she pulled his blazer around herself tighter. "A secret? Yeah, I guess tellin' the others this kinda thing would put 'em into a lot of danger wouldn't it? They'd call me crazy anyway. Rest assured, my lips are sealed. I never planned on tellin' a soul anyway."

They continued walking, but soon enough a weird cat-like thing approached... it spoke, but it's mouth never moved. Something about that was incredibly unsettling to him... maybe it was the pink eyes or the way it seemed to smile, but whatever the case, he was on edge just looking at it. He piped down and remained close behind Yuzuki. She approached it with a smile, and he felt a little more comfortable now. "This a friend of yours, Kouhai?", he asked, and stared down at the creature. "Name's Eiji. Your name's Kyuubey, huh? Well if you're a friend to Yuzuki, I haven't got a problem with ya..."

 

[Yuuki_Tatsunohi]

Yuzuki nodded, picking up Kyuubey in her arms. She scratched the odd pink circle on his back and Kyuubey in turned arched his back like a cat enjoying the back rub.

"He's the one who gave me my powers and has been teaching me how to be a proper Magi." She stopped scratching him once he jumped onto her shoulder and perched himself carefully, wrapping one tail loosely around her neck in case he fell off. His fluffy tail tickled and she giggled a little. "He's an odd looking creature, but he's not so bad. Cute too."

Kyuubey tilted his head to the side as he continued to regard Eiji. The rings around his ear-appendages stayed in place, despite no indication or anything visible holding them in place. "Did he see the specter, Yuzuki?"