Categories > Games > Tales of Symphonia > Winds of Fate: A Thousand Needles
Chapter 3- Kagome
0 reviewsLloyd and Sheena discover a mysterious space craft and are thrown into combat with mysertious beings from another world. Along the way, they team up with a group of teens who call themselves Adepts...
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Winds of Fate: A Thousand Needles
Chapter 3: Kagome
The vast world of lush blues and green took up their entire area of sight. The mass was so large it was undescribable to them. They whizzed through its brisk atmosphere for about an hour, searching for these ruins. Scanning a planet was harder than one might think, after all.
They hadn't talked to each other for the majority of the trip. This was partially because they didn't really know what to talk about, and because they were feeling quite uncomfortable from riding at breakneck speed for so long. The environments were sprawled before them- lush forests, grand oceans, and great mountains. Tall, mystical towers could be seen every now and then, as well. It wasn't long in the atmosphere of this strange new world that they met a very suspicious sight- a huge blue vessel of metal. It wasn't terribly gigantic, but large enough to intimidate the two explorers. It was roughly the size of three football stadiums and about half as high. Mysterious dragon-like wings of silver jutted out from the sides, while the dark blue ship had a very advanced appearance about it technology-wise. Its smooth, curved bubble window in the front served as a shell to the cockpit of what seemed to be like an interplanetary ship of some sort. Painted on the side of the ship was a huge symbol in black- a rectangle with two slashes cut throught it- one horizonal and one diagonal. They crisscrossed in the bottom right corner.
"Wow..." was how Lloyd responded to such a sight, his jaw agape, his eyes sparkling with awe.
"...Yea," Sheena murmured in agreement, her eyes having trouble blinking. "...Amazing..."
"What IS it...?" Lloyd pondered incredulously.
"I-I don't know," Sheena replied as their Rheaird began to slow down up next to it. It was slowly heading out of the planet's gravitational pull.
"...It looks important," Lloyd noted in a whisper when their vehicle had come to a complete stop about ten meters in front of its side. Their heads slowly rolled upward to follow the path of the marvel as it slowly ascended. "...Let's check it out," he decided as he eased the Rheaird slowly toward it.
"Are you sh-sure, Lloyd?" Sheena asked, gripping him tightly. "I-I mean, we have no idea what this thing-"
"I've just got a feeling, Sheena."
Sheena's hands were firmly wrapped around his gut, and she could almost feel his confidence pouring out of it. Yes, there was certainly something drawing him to this bizarre goliath, and it was drawing her as well. It was some mysterious aura that seemed almost heavenly. But shortly after the ship's hatch doors opened to welcome them inside, that warm feeling was quickly replaced with worry. A phalanx of bizarre purple humanoids were standing in neat rows before them- about fifty or so in number.
"...Uhhhh..." Sheena gulped, her voice suddenly quite dry.
Lloyd's eyes dampened from the pain he was experiencing as Sheena's arms crushed his organs. He choked out a cough, and Sheena got the hint to loosen a little. Lloyd veered the Rheaird up a little and landed it on the shiny metal floor that was now exposed inside the ship. Lloyd and Sheena glanced around to see their environs. There was intricate wiring and pipes surrounding them, but other than that, the ship seemed rather dull and empty- aside from the army before them, of course.
Lloyd and Sheena exchanged nervous glances as they slowly slid themselves off of the mother-of-pearl Rheaird. Lloyd pulled a black pouch out of his pocket and held it before him. In a whisp of white smoke, the Rheaird had vanished, and the pouch was packed into a rectuangular shape.
"Hello?"
As he was doing this, Sheena had ventured off a little bit toward a line of these mysterious soldiers. They were like humans, but...They had no skin, no faces, no clothes...They looked like purple ghosts with white wires building their frames. These beings were appropiately called 'Wire Frames.' They were built identically and came in two types- a male set and a female set. To their left were the female models, and to the right were the males. Sheena slowly waved a palm before a male, lifting a brow, but it was motionless. There were odd symbols on their faces- the same as that which was on the machine itself.
"Sheena!!" Lloyd lunged at her and stuck out his hand in her face. "What are you doing?"
"I was just checking to see if these things are ALIVE," she whispered to him, her eyes darting around. "Ssh!" She quickly lifted an index finger to her lips as she gazed around in a slightly paranoid fashion.
"What is it?" Lloyd whispered.
Sheena's eyes bulged wide as she glared at him with a face that clearly said, (SOMEONE'S HERE!!)
Lloyd immediately silenced himself as he tried to locate whoever this was. Sheena was trained in the ways of the Mizuho- a ninja race, you could say- so she had senses that were more experienced than Lloyd's.
But it wasn't long before Irving could also pick up on what the girl was hearing. A clunking sound was growing louder by the minute. It sounded like lead crashing into the ground as it approached them from above, bit by bit. It had been quiet before, but within a few seconds it had grown.
"What...-?" Sheena whispered, confused.
"...A machine...?" Lloyd guessed quietly with a shrug.
"I am no machine," a voice bellowed from a bridge of blue industrial metal above them- the clanking noises had come to a stop, as had the movements of Lloyd and Sheena. "And I must ask what brings you to this vessel." He had a deep and threatening voice that intimidated the two warriors, chilling them to the bone. "What business do you have with the Squad of Malocution? Why have you approached my ship, the Metal Masher?"
The two startled teens blinked at each other, trembling. They had grabbed each other's hands to help ease their fright, and both could feel the other shaking.
"No answer...?" A small chuckle echoed through the cold space of the ship. In conjunction with the eery whirring the vehicle produced, the sound tickled goosebumps. "Oh, I'm sure you came here for SOMETHING..."
Sheena opened her mouth, but Lloyd stopped her, regaining his courage.
"We're here looking for someone," he answered boldly, balling his free hand into a fist.
A rather amused "Really?" came from the mysterious being. "Well, why didn't you say so in the first place?" The sound of steel smacking steel pierced through the air, cutting into the two heroes' ear drums ferociously. As they recovered from the slightly dizzying sound, they felt their insides churn- the phantom-like creatures around them all flung their arms upward in a salute, and all of them did so in perfect unison.
"Lead our guests to the girl..." commanded their superior as he paced away- thunk! thunk! thunk! But his footsteps could barly be heard over the clattering and clanging of the countless feet that marched as one, forming two lines on either side of the two 'guests' and a batch of soldiers to bring up the rear. Puzzled but confident that they were on the right path, Lloyd and Sheena paced with the dark creatures through a hallway that got narrow as they proceeded. It was only a few seconds until they reached what seemed to be their destination- a jail cell, about ten meters by eight, filled with other 'guests'- five in total. They didn't have much time to distinquish details of the prisoners- three girls, two boys...What seemed to capture their attention immediately was one of the girls was huddled in a corner of the cell, crying. But their sight into the cell was soon obscured by the bizarre army as it circled them.
Lloyd and Sheena quickly realized that they were about to be put into the cell, as well, and they didn't relish the notion. They drew their weapons as the violet ranks closed in on them.
"Be careful!" they heard a male voice shout out from within the cell.
"Yea, watch out for the red one!" warned a girl.
Lloyd made the first strike as he jabbed one with a Sonic Thrust in the gut, causing it to break apart. Clear liquid spilled onto the metal floor as its skin and skeleton collapsed.
A flurry of blows erupted from the two after that as they slashed and sliced the unnatural beings into oblivion, getting nicked here and there.
Both of them were frozen in shock for a moment or two as two more voice pierced through their skulls and into their minds- they used some type of mental communication.
(Keep your guard up,) a boy warned them in this strange manner. (He'll be coming soon...)
"What...?" Lloyd murmured, dumbfounded.
(Behind you!) a girl shouted at him quickly. He swiped his glowing red sword to his back and cut one in half. He took a glance to see Sheena carving a couple up with her magical cards. Seeing that she was fine, he continued his assault with a Super Sonic Thrust, rapidly shooting his sword out horizontally and punching holes in a few of these 'Wire Frame' creatures.
(He's coming!) (Don't let him hit you with his sword!)
Lloyd and Sheena pressed their backs to each other, baffled by these biazarre voices pulsing through their brains.
Sure enough, a crimson color could be seen through the masses of purple. It swooped in by jumping over its comrades and landing with a thud before the two. It clutched a mysterious sword in its right hand- it was pink, and it seemed to be made out of energy rather than steel.
It took a swip through the air at Lloyd, who stepped back nimbly to dodge the blow. As Sheena took to the small fry, Lloyd readied himself for the stronger one. He traded blows with it for about thirty seconds or so, but every toime he attacked, it would nimbly hop out of the way or guard with his blade. Lloyd would do the same in return as he pondered a way to break the quid pro quo.
(If you can get that sword out of its hand...) (Maybe you could parry...?)
(Who ARE you??) Lloyd asked by thinking as a loud zort rang through his ears from the collision of the electrical sword against his blade.
(Details later- kill that thing first.) (If you guys lose, we'll ALL be stuck in here...)
(What's so special about his sword that I need to avoid?)
(Are you familiar with the concept of paralysis?) the male voice asked him.
(Uhh...Well, yea...)
A cry shot through the room as Sheena was slammed into the air by a fierce kick from a male model, and Lloyd immediately spun around to check on her. As he watched her sail through the air, he realized she was about to slam into him.
(HE'S ABOUT TO-!)
A sharp jolt of pain surged through Lloyd's left leg and swiftly rushed through his whole body, numbing it instantly. With a groan, he slumped over on his face, unable to move. He couldn't feel Sheena's hands on him as she struggled to lift him up.
"Lloyd?! Are you-?!"
ZzZzZztt!!
Sheena yelped in agony as she met the same fate, feeling electricity course through her body from her right shoulder.
(...Yea...That was just GREAT...) the feminine one sarcastically congratulated Lloyd.
(We TRIED,) Lloyd informed her as he was dragged toward the cell.
(Now we're REALLY in a mess,) the male one told Sheena.
(You think??) Sheena snapped back mentally.
////////
The smooth, sturdy poles were very intimidating as they stood like sentries before them in the quiet cell. It had been quiet for about a half hour now, ever since the conflict had ended. The worn people within the prison seemed hopeless at the moment, especially the girl in the back corner.
"We TOLD you," the voice of a short blonde teen sighed to Lloyd, who had regained conciousness only moments before.
"...Yea..." he groaned, rubbing his head. He turned his head slowly to see Sheena leaning against him, her expression dispondent.
"Oh," she mumbled, noticing he was awake. She lifted her head off of his shoulder, avoiding his gaze for a moment. "Feeling OK?"
"Yea, I'm fine...You?"
"Mm," she nodded. Her eyes shifted to his and she mumbled, "Looks like we're getting a little rusty, huh?"
"...Heh..." Lloyd shrugged as his eyes began to absorb the sight around him.
"At least they TRIED," came the voice of another girl- not the one in the corner, and not the one who had been communicating with them earlier.
She looked to be in her late teens. She had hair that was the color of a robin's egg, and it ran down her back in a poofy ponytail, about halfway down. A set of puffy bangs hung over her forehead, with two long sideburns. A band shaped like a white butterfly held her ponytail together. It was a little dirty, though, due to what she'd been through so far that day. She wore a very baggy outfit of white and blue clothing with a roomy skirt covering her legs. Her eyes were warm, sharing the same shade as her hair.
"I know, Mia, but..." The small blonde boy shook his head. "NOW what are we supposed to do?" He was a fairly small boy with short yellow hair- a small cowlick poked from it. He wore a dull cloak of brown. His lonely eyes were a light shade of purple.
"We bust OUTTA here!" growled an agitated boy of burly stature who had his large hands gripped around the bars that trapped him. "There's gotta be a way out...There ALWAYS is..." This boy was thick and a bit tall, and he waore a leather vest of black and an reddish-orange shirt with thick blue pants. His strong hands were covered by brown gloves of leather. His hair was odd, sticking straight up like flames. The red hair on his head was even pointy, as if to portray fire, and his bangs shared the same quality, only going downward. His fierce eyes of brown burned with frustration. He shook his body around in an attempt to vent his anger.
"Garet, shaking those bars isn't going to do us any good," the small boy told him.
"I know, Ivan," he huffed. "Like we have something better to do..."
"We could calm down and try to put together a plan." The high pitched and stern voice came from a girl similar in appearence to Ivan. Her violet eyes were mysterious and a little cold. She wore a cloak like Ivan's, but hers was a dark shade of purple. Her hair was blond, as Ivan's was, but unlike his, hers had a very smoth texture to it, while his was thick and looked furrier. Small bangs almost interrupted her sight, while the rest was in a bowl cut of sorts, though it hung a couple inches from her head. Lloyd and Sheena recognized her as the girl who had been speaking to them during their fight.
"A plan?" Garet muttered, turning his head to her. "What, you have one, Sheba?"
"Ah..." She paused. "Well, no, but-..."
"My point exactly..."
Lloyd frowned and piped up. "Whoa, wait a minute...What's going on? Where are we?"
"Hello! We're stuck on this stupid ship!" Garet snapped at him with a sigh.
"We're the ones you were supposed to meet on the ruins of Mt. Aleph," Ivan informed them calmly. "But...Our plans got disrupted by the commandeer of this vehicle..."
"Now we're all trapped, or did you figure that out already?" Sheba sarcastically grumbled.
"But why did they capture us?" Sheena wondered as she shifted herself into a more comfortable position against the wall.
"It's because of me..." whispered a voice from the side of the room opposite Lloyd and Sheena. She was huddled in the corner, staring dully at the cold metal floor beneath her.
"What?" Lloyd asked quietly. "Because of YOU...?"
She appeared to be your average Japanese high school girl. She had on a school uniform, which had an odd nautica style to it. A white shirt and a green skirt made up the outfit, and the green skirt went halfway down her thighs. She wore long white stockings of sorts on her feet, and plain brown shoes. Her white shirt had a green collar and a red neckerchief that was tied in a knot on her chest. Her brown eyes were glazed and packed full of sorrow, and her soft hands trembled with fear as she sat shakily on the cold floor. Her black hair ran down, about three times as long as her head was. It was very thick, and a tuft of it popped up over her forehead, draping strands down.
"You're here because you came to find me," she rationalized, not moving her eyes an inch. "And I'm here because I didn't listen..."
"...What...?" Lloyd was completely clueless. Though this expression was shared by the whole group, no one dared to question her about it.
"...So stupid," she murmured with a sniffle. "...We always have to be so stubborn...And now-...What if he's dead...? I never got a chance to tell him..."
Lloyd and Sheena exchanged concerned glances as they both pondered what to say.
"I'm sure he's fine," Lloyd said in an effort to comfort the girl.
She cracked a small smile. "Mm...He's a glutton for abuse...Looking back, there's been plenty of times I thought for sure that he was gone, but...Nope," she giggled softly, but it was one of those nervous laughs. "Not InuYasha. You could stab him a hundred times and he'd keep on living..." Her face had grown a warmth to it now, though she was still clearly upset about the situation at hand. "...I wonder if he's on his way, coming to save me like he always does..."
"...Sure," Lloyd told her boldly. "Whoever your friend is, I'll bet he's coming here right now."
The girl sighed deeply, going back into a state of depression as reality sunk in. (How CAN he find us?) she wondered. (InuYasha may have a lot of tricks, but...I don't think that traveling in outer space in one of them...)
"...So...What's your name?" Sheena asked her softly. "Why did these creeps kidnap you?"
She gradually lifted her head to face her two new cellmates. With a sigh, she told them slowly, "I don't know why they took me...My name is Kagome Kigarashi...It's...nice to meet you...And I'm sorry for pulling all of you into this..."
"It's not your fault," Mia quickly interjected. It sounded as if she'd already tried to convince the girl a few times.
"..."
There was no response, and Mia sighed sadly.
"So who are you guys?" Garet asked them after a few tranquil moments as they slowly rose to their feet.
"I'm Lloyd. Lloyd Irving." He nodded his head to the group.
"Sheena." She placed her arms together so the hands touched the elbows, yet the arms didn't cross, and she bowed down- an eastern gesture, and one performed by the Mizuho.
Mia bowed down in return, while the others nodded or waved their hands.
"...Well, at least we met each other," she murmured, trying to be optimistic.
"Yea," Lloyd chuckled.
"Where are they taking us?" Sheena wondered. The whole group shook their heads or shrugged.
"We have no clue," Ivan told them. "I've tried to Mindread these weird purple creeps," he nodded his head to the ones guarding the cell- they stood as still as stone. "-but I can't. It's like...-"
"Like they don't HAVE minds," Sheba finished his sentence. "And that metal guy...I couldn't get a fix on him, either..."
Ivan nodded quickly in agreement.
"Wait- Mindread? Is THAT how I could hear you?" Lloyd asked them, amazed.
"You can read MINDS?" Sheena murmured in awe.
"Well, yea, when we try," Ivan said, blushing slightly.
"But it doesn't do us any good against these...THINGS..." She cringed in disgust at the Wire Frames that stood feet away from them.
"...Well, there's gotta be a way out of here," Lloyd deducted, as Garet had. He realized his swords had been taken from him, so there was no use in considering any options involving that. "Sheena, do you think you could summon someone to-?"
"I tried that already," she groaned, bobbing her head. "When you were still out...I couldn't get in touch with any of the Guardians...I think it's because we're not on our own planet anymore..."
"Where DO you guys come from, anyway?" Garet asked them, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned against a wall.
"Uhhh..." Sheena turned to Lloyd, confused about how to answer. Sheena used to live on Tethe'alla, and Lloyd used to live on Sylvarant, but...Now that the two worlds had merged into one...?
"Sylvaralla," Lloyd answered with a smirk.
"Oh...Never heard of it..."
(Your worlds combined into one?) Ivan asked him mentally. (That's fascinating...)
(Yea, really,) Sheba agreed. (But it doesn't really HAVE a name, does it?)
(I'm winging it,) Lloyd told them.
"Well, I had never heard of Weyward until last night," Lloyd spoke out loud to Garet.
"Shouldn't we be worrying about getting out of here?" Mia suggested. "Our home is in danger...Do we even know how much time we have left?"
Ivan bit his lip. "Well, the Wise One said we had aboutfive days..."
"Five days...?" Mia whispered in shock. "That little...? But, what if-...? Do we know where Eddy and Jenna are...?"
Sheba and Ivan both hung their heads.
"He didn't know the answer to that," Sheba told her. "We asked."
Mia took a deep breath, absorbing the thought in, while Garet shook his head in disbelief, wide-eyed.
"What if they try to return home, only to discover that it doesn't EXIST anymore...?" Mia murmured, pondering the idea. "What about everyone down there? Piers, Felix, and everyone else...Isn't there a way we could evacuate them, and-"
"Evacuate a PLANET??" Sheba incredulously asked her. "How do you plan on doing THAT?"
"...Wh..." Mia sighed, her eyes getting wet. "You're right...But, still...There's SOMETHING we can do, right?"
"Duh!" Garet snapped, smacking his head. "Why do you think the Wise One called us in the first place?"
"Yea," Ivan added.
Lloyd and Sheena glanced at each other, lost in this conversation. Then again, it wasn't them who were at risk of losing their home.
"We can't waste time worrying about everyone," Sheba pointed out sharply.
"She's right," Ivan put in. "I care about everyone as much as you do, Mia, but...Jenna and Eddy have their own duty to fulfill, as do we. We can't just drop it and go running home to try and get everyone out. There's no time."
"Yea," Garet grunted. "So what do we do now? We found the girl," he nodded his head to Kagome, who had hardly moved since she last spoke. "But it doesn't do us much good stuck in here. We can't break out with our Psynergy- this stupid cage has some weird wall or something..."
"Right," Mia muttered.
"So what's the call?" Garet asked her calmly. "You're in charge, remember?"
Mia's three companions all stared at her for an answer, so she thought deeply.
"I-I don't know," she cried out as a tear dripped down her cheeck and splattered on the metal floor. Garet realized how shook up she was about everything, and he stepped to her across the cell and grabbed her hand.
"Hey, don't sweat," he told her. "We'll figure all of this out...Somehow..."
The two had a personal conversation composed of whispers on one side of the small prison, while Ivan and Sheba sat down on the other, their eyes closed. They looked like they were meditating, and Lloyd and Sheena guessed they were talking to each other through their minds.
Lloyd sat down beside the bars, and Sheena joined him shortly thereafter. His face was sullen and regretful.
"Lloyd...?"
He shook his head. "See?" he said quietly.
"What?" she asked him, perplexed.
"...Was it really worth it...?" he asked the question again. Sheen remembered their conversation the day before, and after a few moments, she processed the connection. If the two worlds had never been re-united, Derris-Kharlan wouldn't be headed toward their planet. Sheena suddenly understood Lloyd's emotion as she herself began to feel guilty. In a way, it was her fault, as well as Lloyd's, that Weyward was in danger.
"...I don't know," she whispered solemnly in reply.
"OK," Garet bellowed, breaking everyone up and bringing them back together to focus on him. "I think we've got a plan."
"Are you sure you're up to this?" Mia asked Kagome sympathetically, who wasn't huddled up anymore.
"Mm..." The girl nodded slowly, her face now displayed some confidence as she crawled up on two legs. (I got myself into this, so I should get myself out...I just hope I CAN...)
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Chapter 3: Kagome
The vast world of lush blues and green took up their entire area of sight. The mass was so large it was undescribable to them. They whizzed through its brisk atmosphere for about an hour, searching for these ruins. Scanning a planet was harder than one might think, after all.
They hadn't talked to each other for the majority of the trip. This was partially because they didn't really know what to talk about, and because they were feeling quite uncomfortable from riding at breakneck speed for so long. The environments were sprawled before them- lush forests, grand oceans, and great mountains. Tall, mystical towers could be seen every now and then, as well. It wasn't long in the atmosphere of this strange new world that they met a very suspicious sight- a huge blue vessel of metal. It wasn't terribly gigantic, but large enough to intimidate the two explorers. It was roughly the size of three football stadiums and about half as high. Mysterious dragon-like wings of silver jutted out from the sides, while the dark blue ship had a very advanced appearance about it technology-wise. Its smooth, curved bubble window in the front served as a shell to the cockpit of what seemed to be like an interplanetary ship of some sort. Painted on the side of the ship was a huge symbol in black- a rectangle with two slashes cut throught it- one horizonal and one diagonal. They crisscrossed in the bottom right corner.
"Wow..." was how Lloyd responded to such a sight, his jaw agape, his eyes sparkling with awe.
"...Yea," Sheena murmured in agreement, her eyes having trouble blinking. "...Amazing..."
"What IS it...?" Lloyd pondered incredulously.
"I-I don't know," Sheena replied as their Rheaird began to slow down up next to it. It was slowly heading out of the planet's gravitational pull.
"...It looks important," Lloyd noted in a whisper when their vehicle had come to a complete stop about ten meters in front of its side. Their heads slowly rolled upward to follow the path of the marvel as it slowly ascended. "...Let's check it out," he decided as he eased the Rheaird slowly toward it.
"Are you sh-sure, Lloyd?" Sheena asked, gripping him tightly. "I-I mean, we have no idea what this thing-"
"I've just got a feeling, Sheena."
Sheena's hands were firmly wrapped around his gut, and she could almost feel his confidence pouring out of it. Yes, there was certainly something drawing him to this bizarre goliath, and it was drawing her as well. It was some mysterious aura that seemed almost heavenly. But shortly after the ship's hatch doors opened to welcome them inside, that warm feeling was quickly replaced with worry. A phalanx of bizarre purple humanoids were standing in neat rows before them- about fifty or so in number.
"...Uhhhh..." Sheena gulped, her voice suddenly quite dry.
Lloyd's eyes dampened from the pain he was experiencing as Sheena's arms crushed his organs. He choked out a cough, and Sheena got the hint to loosen a little. Lloyd veered the Rheaird up a little and landed it on the shiny metal floor that was now exposed inside the ship. Lloyd and Sheena glanced around to see their environs. There was intricate wiring and pipes surrounding them, but other than that, the ship seemed rather dull and empty- aside from the army before them, of course.
Lloyd and Sheena exchanged nervous glances as they slowly slid themselves off of the mother-of-pearl Rheaird. Lloyd pulled a black pouch out of his pocket and held it before him. In a whisp of white smoke, the Rheaird had vanished, and the pouch was packed into a rectuangular shape.
"Hello?"
As he was doing this, Sheena had ventured off a little bit toward a line of these mysterious soldiers. They were like humans, but...They had no skin, no faces, no clothes...They looked like purple ghosts with white wires building their frames. These beings were appropiately called 'Wire Frames.' They were built identically and came in two types- a male set and a female set. To their left were the female models, and to the right were the males. Sheena slowly waved a palm before a male, lifting a brow, but it was motionless. There were odd symbols on their faces- the same as that which was on the machine itself.
"Sheena!!" Lloyd lunged at her and stuck out his hand in her face. "What are you doing?"
"I was just checking to see if these things are ALIVE," she whispered to him, her eyes darting around. "Ssh!" She quickly lifted an index finger to her lips as she gazed around in a slightly paranoid fashion.
"What is it?" Lloyd whispered.
Sheena's eyes bulged wide as she glared at him with a face that clearly said, (SOMEONE'S HERE!!)
Lloyd immediately silenced himself as he tried to locate whoever this was. Sheena was trained in the ways of the Mizuho- a ninja race, you could say- so she had senses that were more experienced than Lloyd's.
But it wasn't long before Irving could also pick up on what the girl was hearing. A clunking sound was growing louder by the minute. It sounded like lead crashing into the ground as it approached them from above, bit by bit. It had been quiet before, but within a few seconds it had grown.
"What...-?" Sheena whispered, confused.
"...A machine...?" Lloyd guessed quietly with a shrug.
"I am no machine," a voice bellowed from a bridge of blue industrial metal above them- the clanking noises had come to a stop, as had the movements of Lloyd and Sheena. "And I must ask what brings you to this vessel." He had a deep and threatening voice that intimidated the two warriors, chilling them to the bone. "What business do you have with the Squad of Malocution? Why have you approached my ship, the Metal Masher?"
The two startled teens blinked at each other, trembling. They had grabbed each other's hands to help ease their fright, and both could feel the other shaking.
"No answer...?" A small chuckle echoed through the cold space of the ship. In conjunction with the eery whirring the vehicle produced, the sound tickled goosebumps. "Oh, I'm sure you came here for SOMETHING..."
Sheena opened her mouth, but Lloyd stopped her, regaining his courage.
"We're here looking for someone," he answered boldly, balling his free hand into a fist.
A rather amused "Really?" came from the mysterious being. "Well, why didn't you say so in the first place?" The sound of steel smacking steel pierced through the air, cutting into the two heroes' ear drums ferociously. As they recovered from the slightly dizzying sound, they felt their insides churn- the phantom-like creatures around them all flung their arms upward in a salute, and all of them did so in perfect unison.
"Lead our guests to the girl..." commanded their superior as he paced away- thunk! thunk! thunk! But his footsteps could barly be heard over the clattering and clanging of the countless feet that marched as one, forming two lines on either side of the two 'guests' and a batch of soldiers to bring up the rear. Puzzled but confident that they were on the right path, Lloyd and Sheena paced with the dark creatures through a hallway that got narrow as they proceeded. It was only a few seconds until they reached what seemed to be their destination- a jail cell, about ten meters by eight, filled with other 'guests'- five in total. They didn't have much time to distinquish details of the prisoners- three girls, two boys...What seemed to capture their attention immediately was one of the girls was huddled in a corner of the cell, crying. But their sight into the cell was soon obscured by the bizarre army as it circled them.
Lloyd and Sheena quickly realized that they were about to be put into the cell, as well, and they didn't relish the notion. They drew their weapons as the violet ranks closed in on them.
"Be careful!" they heard a male voice shout out from within the cell.
"Yea, watch out for the red one!" warned a girl.
Lloyd made the first strike as he jabbed one with a Sonic Thrust in the gut, causing it to break apart. Clear liquid spilled onto the metal floor as its skin and skeleton collapsed.
A flurry of blows erupted from the two after that as they slashed and sliced the unnatural beings into oblivion, getting nicked here and there.
Both of them were frozen in shock for a moment or two as two more voice pierced through their skulls and into their minds- they used some type of mental communication.
(Keep your guard up,) a boy warned them in this strange manner. (He'll be coming soon...)
"What...?" Lloyd murmured, dumbfounded.
(Behind you!) a girl shouted at him quickly. He swiped his glowing red sword to his back and cut one in half. He took a glance to see Sheena carving a couple up with her magical cards. Seeing that she was fine, he continued his assault with a Super Sonic Thrust, rapidly shooting his sword out horizontally and punching holes in a few of these 'Wire Frame' creatures.
(He's coming!) (Don't let him hit you with his sword!)
Lloyd and Sheena pressed their backs to each other, baffled by these biazarre voices pulsing through their brains.
Sure enough, a crimson color could be seen through the masses of purple. It swooped in by jumping over its comrades and landing with a thud before the two. It clutched a mysterious sword in its right hand- it was pink, and it seemed to be made out of energy rather than steel.
It took a swip through the air at Lloyd, who stepped back nimbly to dodge the blow. As Sheena took to the small fry, Lloyd readied himself for the stronger one. He traded blows with it for about thirty seconds or so, but every toime he attacked, it would nimbly hop out of the way or guard with his blade. Lloyd would do the same in return as he pondered a way to break the quid pro quo.
(If you can get that sword out of its hand...) (Maybe you could parry...?)
(Who ARE you??) Lloyd asked by thinking as a loud zort rang through his ears from the collision of the electrical sword against his blade.
(Details later- kill that thing first.) (If you guys lose, we'll ALL be stuck in here...)
(What's so special about his sword that I need to avoid?)
(Are you familiar with the concept of paralysis?) the male voice asked him.
(Uhh...Well, yea...)
A cry shot through the room as Sheena was slammed into the air by a fierce kick from a male model, and Lloyd immediately spun around to check on her. As he watched her sail through the air, he realized she was about to slam into him.
(HE'S ABOUT TO-!)
A sharp jolt of pain surged through Lloyd's left leg and swiftly rushed through his whole body, numbing it instantly. With a groan, he slumped over on his face, unable to move. He couldn't feel Sheena's hands on him as she struggled to lift him up.
"Lloyd?! Are you-?!"
ZzZzZztt!!
Sheena yelped in agony as she met the same fate, feeling electricity course through her body from her right shoulder.
(...Yea...That was just GREAT...) the feminine one sarcastically congratulated Lloyd.
(We TRIED,) Lloyd informed her as he was dragged toward the cell.
(Now we're REALLY in a mess,) the male one told Sheena.
(You think??) Sheena snapped back mentally.
////////
The smooth, sturdy poles were very intimidating as they stood like sentries before them in the quiet cell. It had been quiet for about a half hour now, ever since the conflict had ended. The worn people within the prison seemed hopeless at the moment, especially the girl in the back corner.
"We TOLD you," the voice of a short blonde teen sighed to Lloyd, who had regained conciousness only moments before.
"...Yea..." he groaned, rubbing his head. He turned his head slowly to see Sheena leaning against him, her expression dispondent.
"Oh," she mumbled, noticing he was awake. She lifted her head off of his shoulder, avoiding his gaze for a moment. "Feeling OK?"
"Yea, I'm fine...You?"
"Mm," she nodded. Her eyes shifted to his and she mumbled, "Looks like we're getting a little rusty, huh?"
"...Heh..." Lloyd shrugged as his eyes began to absorb the sight around him.
"At least they TRIED," came the voice of another girl- not the one in the corner, and not the one who had been communicating with them earlier.
She looked to be in her late teens. She had hair that was the color of a robin's egg, and it ran down her back in a poofy ponytail, about halfway down. A set of puffy bangs hung over her forehead, with two long sideburns. A band shaped like a white butterfly held her ponytail together. It was a little dirty, though, due to what she'd been through so far that day. She wore a very baggy outfit of white and blue clothing with a roomy skirt covering her legs. Her eyes were warm, sharing the same shade as her hair.
"I know, Mia, but..." The small blonde boy shook his head. "NOW what are we supposed to do?" He was a fairly small boy with short yellow hair- a small cowlick poked from it. He wore a dull cloak of brown. His lonely eyes were a light shade of purple.
"We bust OUTTA here!" growled an agitated boy of burly stature who had his large hands gripped around the bars that trapped him. "There's gotta be a way out...There ALWAYS is..." This boy was thick and a bit tall, and he waore a leather vest of black and an reddish-orange shirt with thick blue pants. His strong hands were covered by brown gloves of leather. His hair was odd, sticking straight up like flames. The red hair on his head was even pointy, as if to portray fire, and his bangs shared the same quality, only going downward. His fierce eyes of brown burned with frustration. He shook his body around in an attempt to vent his anger.
"Garet, shaking those bars isn't going to do us any good," the small boy told him.
"I know, Ivan," he huffed. "Like we have something better to do..."
"We could calm down and try to put together a plan." The high pitched and stern voice came from a girl similar in appearence to Ivan. Her violet eyes were mysterious and a little cold. She wore a cloak like Ivan's, but hers was a dark shade of purple. Her hair was blond, as Ivan's was, but unlike his, hers had a very smoth texture to it, while his was thick and looked furrier. Small bangs almost interrupted her sight, while the rest was in a bowl cut of sorts, though it hung a couple inches from her head. Lloyd and Sheena recognized her as the girl who had been speaking to them during their fight.
"A plan?" Garet muttered, turning his head to her. "What, you have one, Sheba?"
"Ah..." She paused. "Well, no, but-..."
"My point exactly..."
Lloyd frowned and piped up. "Whoa, wait a minute...What's going on? Where are we?"
"Hello! We're stuck on this stupid ship!" Garet snapped at him with a sigh.
"We're the ones you were supposed to meet on the ruins of Mt. Aleph," Ivan informed them calmly. "But...Our plans got disrupted by the commandeer of this vehicle..."
"Now we're all trapped, or did you figure that out already?" Sheba sarcastically grumbled.
"But why did they capture us?" Sheena wondered as she shifted herself into a more comfortable position against the wall.
"It's because of me..." whispered a voice from the side of the room opposite Lloyd and Sheena. She was huddled in the corner, staring dully at the cold metal floor beneath her.
"What?" Lloyd asked quietly. "Because of YOU...?"
She appeared to be your average Japanese high school girl. She had on a school uniform, which had an odd nautica style to it. A white shirt and a green skirt made up the outfit, and the green skirt went halfway down her thighs. She wore long white stockings of sorts on her feet, and plain brown shoes. Her white shirt had a green collar and a red neckerchief that was tied in a knot on her chest. Her brown eyes were glazed and packed full of sorrow, and her soft hands trembled with fear as she sat shakily on the cold floor. Her black hair ran down, about three times as long as her head was. It was very thick, and a tuft of it popped up over her forehead, draping strands down.
"You're here because you came to find me," she rationalized, not moving her eyes an inch. "And I'm here because I didn't listen..."
"...What...?" Lloyd was completely clueless. Though this expression was shared by the whole group, no one dared to question her about it.
"...So stupid," she murmured with a sniffle. "...We always have to be so stubborn...And now-...What if he's dead...? I never got a chance to tell him..."
Lloyd and Sheena exchanged concerned glances as they both pondered what to say.
"I'm sure he's fine," Lloyd said in an effort to comfort the girl.
She cracked a small smile. "Mm...He's a glutton for abuse...Looking back, there's been plenty of times I thought for sure that he was gone, but...Nope," she giggled softly, but it was one of those nervous laughs. "Not InuYasha. You could stab him a hundred times and he'd keep on living..." Her face had grown a warmth to it now, though she was still clearly upset about the situation at hand. "...I wonder if he's on his way, coming to save me like he always does..."
"...Sure," Lloyd told her boldly. "Whoever your friend is, I'll bet he's coming here right now."
The girl sighed deeply, going back into a state of depression as reality sunk in. (How CAN he find us?) she wondered. (InuYasha may have a lot of tricks, but...I don't think that traveling in outer space in one of them...)
"...So...What's your name?" Sheena asked her softly. "Why did these creeps kidnap you?"
She gradually lifted her head to face her two new cellmates. With a sigh, she told them slowly, "I don't know why they took me...My name is Kagome Kigarashi...It's...nice to meet you...And I'm sorry for pulling all of you into this..."
"It's not your fault," Mia quickly interjected. It sounded as if she'd already tried to convince the girl a few times.
"..."
There was no response, and Mia sighed sadly.
"So who are you guys?" Garet asked them after a few tranquil moments as they slowly rose to their feet.
"I'm Lloyd. Lloyd Irving." He nodded his head to the group.
"Sheena." She placed her arms together so the hands touched the elbows, yet the arms didn't cross, and she bowed down- an eastern gesture, and one performed by the Mizuho.
Mia bowed down in return, while the others nodded or waved their hands.
"...Well, at least we met each other," she murmured, trying to be optimistic.
"Yea," Lloyd chuckled.
"Where are they taking us?" Sheena wondered. The whole group shook their heads or shrugged.
"We have no clue," Ivan told them. "I've tried to Mindread these weird purple creeps," he nodded his head to the ones guarding the cell- they stood as still as stone. "-but I can't. It's like...-"
"Like they don't HAVE minds," Sheba finished his sentence. "And that metal guy...I couldn't get a fix on him, either..."
Ivan nodded quickly in agreement.
"Wait- Mindread? Is THAT how I could hear you?" Lloyd asked them, amazed.
"You can read MINDS?" Sheena murmured in awe.
"Well, yea, when we try," Ivan said, blushing slightly.
"But it doesn't do us any good against these...THINGS..." She cringed in disgust at the Wire Frames that stood feet away from them.
"...Well, there's gotta be a way out of here," Lloyd deducted, as Garet had. He realized his swords had been taken from him, so there was no use in considering any options involving that. "Sheena, do you think you could summon someone to-?"
"I tried that already," she groaned, bobbing her head. "When you were still out...I couldn't get in touch with any of the Guardians...I think it's because we're not on our own planet anymore..."
"Where DO you guys come from, anyway?" Garet asked them, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned against a wall.
"Uhhh..." Sheena turned to Lloyd, confused about how to answer. Sheena used to live on Tethe'alla, and Lloyd used to live on Sylvarant, but...Now that the two worlds had merged into one...?
"Sylvaralla," Lloyd answered with a smirk.
"Oh...Never heard of it..."
(Your worlds combined into one?) Ivan asked him mentally. (That's fascinating...)
(Yea, really,) Sheba agreed. (But it doesn't really HAVE a name, does it?)
(I'm winging it,) Lloyd told them.
"Well, I had never heard of Weyward until last night," Lloyd spoke out loud to Garet.
"Shouldn't we be worrying about getting out of here?" Mia suggested. "Our home is in danger...Do we even know how much time we have left?"
Ivan bit his lip. "Well, the Wise One said we had aboutfive days..."
"Five days...?" Mia whispered in shock. "That little...? But, what if-...? Do we know where Eddy and Jenna are...?"
Sheba and Ivan both hung their heads.
"He didn't know the answer to that," Sheba told her. "We asked."
Mia took a deep breath, absorbing the thought in, while Garet shook his head in disbelief, wide-eyed.
"What if they try to return home, only to discover that it doesn't EXIST anymore...?" Mia murmured, pondering the idea. "What about everyone down there? Piers, Felix, and everyone else...Isn't there a way we could evacuate them, and-"
"Evacuate a PLANET??" Sheba incredulously asked her. "How do you plan on doing THAT?"
"...Wh..." Mia sighed, her eyes getting wet. "You're right...But, still...There's SOMETHING we can do, right?"
"Duh!" Garet snapped, smacking his head. "Why do you think the Wise One called us in the first place?"
"Yea," Ivan added.
Lloyd and Sheena glanced at each other, lost in this conversation. Then again, it wasn't them who were at risk of losing their home.
"We can't waste time worrying about everyone," Sheba pointed out sharply.
"She's right," Ivan put in. "I care about everyone as much as you do, Mia, but...Jenna and Eddy have their own duty to fulfill, as do we. We can't just drop it and go running home to try and get everyone out. There's no time."
"Yea," Garet grunted. "So what do we do now? We found the girl," he nodded his head to Kagome, who had hardly moved since she last spoke. "But it doesn't do us much good stuck in here. We can't break out with our Psynergy- this stupid cage has some weird wall or something..."
"Right," Mia muttered.
"So what's the call?" Garet asked her calmly. "You're in charge, remember?"
Mia's three companions all stared at her for an answer, so she thought deeply.
"I-I don't know," she cried out as a tear dripped down her cheeck and splattered on the metal floor. Garet realized how shook up she was about everything, and he stepped to her across the cell and grabbed her hand.
"Hey, don't sweat," he told her. "We'll figure all of this out...Somehow..."
The two had a personal conversation composed of whispers on one side of the small prison, while Ivan and Sheba sat down on the other, their eyes closed. They looked like they were meditating, and Lloyd and Sheena guessed they were talking to each other through their minds.
Lloyd sat down beside the bars, and Sheena joined him shortly thereafter. His face was sullen and regretful.
"Lloyd...?"
He shook his head. "See?" he said quietly.
"What?" she asked him, perplexed.
"...Was it really worth it...?" he asked the question again. Sheen remembered their conversation the day before, and after a few moments, she processed the connection. If the two worlds had never been re-united, Derris-Kharlan wouldn't be headed toward their planet. Sheena suddenly understood Lloyd's emotion as she herself began to feel guilty. In a way, it was her fault, as well as Lloyd's, that Weyward was in danger.
"...I don't know," she whispered solemnly in reply.
"OK," Garet bellowed, breaking everyone up and bringing them back together to focus on him. "I think we've got a plan."
"Are you sure you're up to this?" Mia asked Kagome sympathetically, who wasn't huddled up anymore.
"Mm..." The girl nodded slowly, her face now displayed some confidence as she crawled up on two legs. (I got myself into this, so I should get myself out...I just hope I CAN...)
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