Waiting, that's all they were doing. Waiting to arrive at the Academy. Waiting for the greatest battle of all.
Mako sat in between Hoshi and Ryuko. She examined the faces of both girls, and saw the most serious expressions. She looked around and saw that everyone had that solemn expression, except everytime Inumuta let his eyes wander to the Girl of Spirits, the look would soften, until he looked away.
"How did you get all those scars, Hoshi-chan?" Mako exclaimed, catching everyone's attention.
They all look up at the girl, who gives a soft smile to her friend, and drags her fingers across the scars on her arms, legs and face. A bite mark and scratches on her left arm. Scratches on her right arm. Scratches on her legs. A claw mark over her eye. The scars underneath her piercings, bite marks.
"These are what connects me to my Spirits. It's what binds me to them."
Everyone started walking towards the three, becoming curious. Inumuta closed his laptop and sat down in front of her, looking at her with interest.
"They attacked me with the intention to scare me off, but it wasn't until they realized that what they were doing to me did not affect me like it would a normal human." Hoshi continued.
"Did they not realize who you are?" Mako asked.
"Not at first. I don't know what made them realize, but the scars they left were odd. My skin had turned a dark color, almost as if I had dyed it. Scars like mine are one of the markings of those in tune with Spirits."
"Who did you find first?" Nonon coughed, trying to hide the excited tone in her voice. "Not that I care, or anything."
"Are we actually asking this at a time like this?" Tsumugu asks. Ignoring him, Hoshi answers Nonon's question.
"Chikyuu. Guardian of the East."
A seven year old girl stumbles around a magical forest, in the search of something, anything. She's been alone for too long, but there is still so much forest. Would she ever escape?
She watches as glowing bunnies run past her and jump over cracks in the ground. It was such a usual sight. Spirits were everywhere, after all. Seeing all the fleeting animals was so familiar, but she hadn't seen any predators, it worried her a bit. What was out there?
She froze as she heard the chatter of Spirits. They did talk, but it was such a rare thing to hear. She listened carefully to the birds flying overhead.
"Chikyuu is moving into Mizu's territory." One bird cawed.
"What's that bear trying to do? Get herself killed? She only has a certain portion of the forest she owns. Moving onto another Guardian's territory is trespassing." The other bird replied. "Sora will be furious."
"Shh. She's coming this way." The first bird caws.
The young girl feels warm air down the back of her neck, making the hairs stand up, as she turned around. Craning her neck, she looked up at the glowing green bear that towered over her. She staggered back, completely shocked.
The bear growled before pouncing on her. The young girl held up her arm, and the bear bit into it. Baring her teeth, the girl hissed in pain, but didn't strike. Spirits are sacred.
The bear clawed at her arms, blood dribbling down the girl's arms. She tried to remain calm and not lash out at the magical creature. Her eyes flickering magenta and violet, as she locked eyes with the bear.
The bear immediately released her arm, and bowed before her. The bite mark and scratches closed, but left thick lines behind.
"What odd scars." The girl mumbled to herself, before looking at the bear. "Do you know if there are any other people like me in this forest? I haven't eaten anything but berries for the past two years."
Chikyuu nods, and her eyes wander to her back. She jerks her head in the direction, and it dawns on the human girl that she's telling her to climb on to her back. As soon as she climbs on, and gets a good grip on the fur of the bear, Chikyuu begins to run.
"That's how you got scars on your arms? And Chikyuu bit your arm while she scratched you? You're tough as nails." Sanageyama exclaims.
"Wait. How did you get your scarf?" Iori asks, as Hoshi begins to play with said fabric.
"Chikyuu brought me to her." Hoshi vaguely replied.
Chikyuu stops in front of a small wooden hut. She let's out a loud growl, that makes the ground tremble.
"Chikyuu?" An elderly woman's muffled voice makes the little girl's ears perk up. "Why are you here?"
The elderly woman gasps, as she see the young child atop the bear's back. She takes in the scars left by the bear and her violet eyes. Smiling, the woman reaches out her hands to catch the girl.
"Come, little one. I'll catch you."
Jumping, the black haired child prepares herself. Caught in the sturdy arms of the old woman, she looks up, eyes wide with curiosity.
"What is your name, young one?"
"Hoshi Seishinshi." The girl replies, confidence suddenly filling her tiny form.
"You must be whom the crows are gossiping about. I never know if they're telling the truth, but here you are. Why are you here?" The elderly woman asks, running her fingers through the girl's tangled hair. "The forest is not safe for a small girl."
"They made me leave the village. I was too dangerous according to them." The young girl replied.
"How long have you been away?"
"If I have been counting correctly, two years." She may have lived in the forest for two years, but her pronunciation and intelligence was quite impressive.
"I see. You've been eating what, these past couple years?" The woman asked, bringing the child into her home.
"Berries." Is all the little girl said, as the woman placed her in a chair.
"That is why you're so skinny. You can stay here for the next couple of days. I have much to teach you about your powers." The old woman said, as she poured the soup into a small bowl.
"You know about what I can do?" The little girl asked curiously.
"Of course. You're more in tune with nature than any other child I've ever seen. It's obvious that you are the one meant for the sacred items." The woman presented shards of metal, and a violet scarf.
The young child wrapped the scarf around her neck, and then watched as Chikyuu formed into a light and enter her scarf.
"What's this made of?" The child asked in wonder.
"Spiritually-altered Life Fibers." The old woman said. "You also need them to fix this pendant. Once you do, you will become very powerful. You will help humanity."
"Really?" The child asked, eyes sparkling with innocence.
"Yes. You are the Girl of Spirits, after all."
"So some old hag gave you the pendant and scarf?" Tsumugu asks.
"She was not an old hag! She was the kind Lady of The Forest." Hoshi argued.
"And what happened to her?" Inumuta asked, making Hoshi purse her lips.
"I don't know. As soon as we left, her hut was gone." Hoshi muttered, eyebrows furrowing as she thought harder. She scrunched her nose as she thought longer.
"The second Spirit you found?" Aikuro asked.
"Kaze. Guardian of the North."
Leaving to go on a patrol, Chikyuu left the black haired child alone to roam the forest. The girl, being the loudest thing in the forest, would be easy to find.
Maybe leaving her alone wasn't such a good idea, though. Chikyuu couldn't see if Hoshi would wander farther than she should, maybe into another Guardian's territory.
A Guardian such as Kaze to find her is not good at all. A very possessive and protective Spirit. The stench of the green bear filling the mountain air infuriated the jaguar.
Hoshi climbed up the mountain, flicking her hair out of her face whenever the wind would blow it into it. She sighed as she watched the sun set. Chikyuu probably had another delayed patrol. It happened the two days she had stayed at the hut of the old woman.
On the outside of the border, Chikyuu paced back and forth. She could not cross the border and follow Hoshi. Chikyuu prayed that Kaze would have mercy on the girl, but like the past two days, luck was not on the bear's side.
Hoshi scrambled to climb up the cliff, a growling noise underneath her as the glowing white Spirit clawed at her. It jumped, scratching her legs.
Hissing in pain, Hoshi grabbed a ledge. She hoisted herself up, grunting with effort. She rid herself of her sweater, minding her scarf, and dabbed at the blood on her legs. Suddenly, the scratches closed, leaving thick scars behind.
"Look at what you did!" Hoshi screeched, peering down at the Spirit below her. She swung her leg over the ledge and pointed at it. "Why do you Spirits hurt me in this way?"
The jaguar froze as it thought the situation over for a few minutes.
First of all, the little girl can see her. Second of all, she scratched her and the little girl isn't crying. Third of all the little girl's scars closed. Fourth of all, the small child has scars caused by another Spirit.
Letting out a pitiful whine, the jaguar bowed it's head. Hesitantly, Hoshi climbed down the walls, before settling herself right in front of the jaguar. Smiling, she ran a hand through the translucent fur.
"Ah, it's okay. I'm sorry for shouting. Do you know where Chikyuu went? I seemed to have gotten myself lost in this big forest. Hm. That's something I haven't said before. I've always wandered the forest."
A rumble emerged from the Spirit feline's throat. Hoshi assumed that the jaguar was laughing at her.
"That isn't very nice you know, laughing at me. The Lady of The Forest said I was the Girl of Spirits and that I should be respected by you." The small child huffed.
The jaguar let a playful purr out, and nudged the small child with her head. The girl climbed a top her back and they began to run to the base of the forest.
"How very interesting. A child yelling at Spirits? I thought you said that Spirits should be respected." Inumuta teased.
"I was seven, get over it." Hoshi sneered, narrowing her eyes at his sly ones.
"Oi! Love birds! If you could just let her get on with her stories instead of being all mushy-mushy, that'd be great." Sanageyama groaned.
"You're just jealous that someone actually loves me." Hoshi smiled, poking her finger at the greenette.
"Just get on with the story! Next Spirit?" Tsumugu exclaimed.
"I thought you weren't interested in the stories of my Spirits?" Hoshi grinned.
"I am, okay? Now just continue. Next Spirit." Hoshi opened her mouth to add something. "Please?"
"Since you asked so kindly." Hoshi giggled. "Mizu, Guardian of the West."
After a year, the two Spirits decided that Hoshi could not be left alone. They had just barely stopped her from wandering too far into the forest away from their boundaries. So, they decided that she had to be with one of them at all times.
The two were thankful that Sora hadn't caught on yet. The male wolf did not take too kindly to humans, especially strangers. If he found out that some little girl was taking patrol time from the two Spirits he'd be down right furious.
Of course, that didn't mean that the wolf wasn't getting suspicious. Eventually, he called for the two to meet him at the base of the mountain, where their two territories met.
"Hoshi, promise us you won't wander too far?" Chikyuu asked. This is one of the rare times where the Spirits talked to the child. Usually, she was the one who was talking to them all the time.
"I would say I do promise, but I don't think I could? So maybe." The young eight year old girl shrugged her shoulders.
The two Spirits sighed. The small girl was a trouble child. Chikyuu referred to her as "the walking entity of sass."
"I can see that hasn't changed." Inumuta laughed.
"I am not the walking entity of sass. I have matured greatly, for your data." Hoshi said, crossing her arms.
"'For his data?'" Gamagoori questioned.
"He likes to collect data, so instead of saying "information," I used his preferred term for it. The word seems to please him greatly." Hoshi replied.
"I knew you didn't change." Inumuta smiled, as his collar opened up, as he spoke.
"Excuse me?" Hoshi raised an eyebrow. "Just because you know a lot doesn't mean that you're right. I am not sassy in any way."
"Wait. When did you meet Ryuko?" Satsuki interrupts, to everyone's surprise.
"Five years back, when I was thirteen." Hoshi smiled, wrapping an arm around her cousin's shoulders. "You were such a delinquent. I mean, you still are really."
"Just continue on with your story." Ryuko rolled her eyes, shaking off her cousin's arm.
"So mean." Hoshi pouted.
As the meeting went on, Hoshi travelled farther than she was supposed to. She hopped over a fence, and into the Western territory, while smelling of the two Guardians. As she looked around, she noticed that there was a lot of water.
She heard the hissing of a snake, and just as she turned around, a larger figure snapped at her. She fell onto her back, and felt pressure on all of her body.
The fangs dug into small child's skin, drawing blood. The wound would not close for the snake stayed on top of the girl, top fangs piercing the skin.
Venom attempted to flow into the blood stream, but the blood that seeped out of the bite made the venom stay out of her body. The snake hissed, and looked at her eyes.
"Blood. You drew blood." Hoshi muttered.
He was surprised by the magenta. Mizu thought that they were violet. His eyes trailed down her arms and he spotted the dark scars. He stopped biting and slithered away from the girl.
"Ow!" The girl whined as she noticed that the bite marks weren't closing. "Why aren't they closing?"
The giant snake tilted his head and looked at her in confusion. Finally he wrapped his tail around her small torso and lifted her up. He would bring her with him, to the human he knew.
Hoshi sighed as the Spirit carried her off. She leaned her head back and groaned in frustration. Letting herself relax, the girl began to scratch behind her ear.
"Just bring me back to the Eastern territory by sunset." The little girl yawned.
"So, some snake picks you up and brings you to some unknown place and you're that apathetic about it?" Nonon giggles.
"What can I say? I really seem to be able to trust snakes. Maybe that's why I decided I wouldn't kill you. It must be the venomous words of the Jakuzure's." Hoshi smiles smugly.
"You and Doggy are so alike." Nonon huffs. "Just continue on with your dumb Spirit stories."
"Kasai, my stallion, is how my hair turned red." Hoshi giggled, as she curled a strand around her finger.
"You mean it's not dyed?" Sanageyama exclaims.
"What do you mean by that? What about your hair?" Hoshi counters.
"Touché."
Three Spirits would be able to handle a ten year old girl, right? Wrong.
Unless that girl wasn't going through her rebellious stage, she'd be easy to handle, but Hoshi Seishinshi was not easy. Rebellious or not.
Of course, her piercing made her feel even more rebellious. She refused to listen to the Spirits and had threatened to cross the Southern border into the fire Spirit's Territory.
That Spirit was one of the most lethal Spirits, but if you think about it, all Spirits are lethal. No one knows why they don't particularly like humans. Spirits didn't hate humans enough to kill them though. Souls were their main concern. Souls are number one on their "to kill list."
As Hoshi ran away from her Spirits, giggling she didn't notice the sudden change of climate or surroundings. She ran through the burnt trees and ashes, running past Southern Spirits, reeking of three Guardians, awakening the anger of another Guardian.
Then she heard the sound of galloping and she turned to the left so that she could see what was following her.
A glowing red horse glared at her, snorting and whinnying. It's mane was like a fire. Everytime it snorted, small flames would shoot out of it's nostrils.
Hoshi stopped running and hopped to the right to avoid the horse. The two seemed to be dancing through the flames produce by the Guardian. After her encounter with the woman Mizu introduced to her, she had started studying movement while in battle. The woman had stated that being able to see everything while in the field was very vital.
Kasai charged again, snorting in frustration. The flames caught half of Hoshi's long black hair, but the flames did not spread in a way it would a normal human.
Half of the young girl's hair turned red as the fire burnt it's way to the very tips of her hair. Hoshi stared in awe at her hair and looked up at the Spirit that tilted it's head in other confusion.
Not only did this small girl evade his attacks but she made the fire turn her hair red. Kasai frowned and began to sniff the girl. Maybe it was the smell of the three other Guardians? Maybe she was possessed by a Soul? Maybe-
The horse stopped wondering after hearing the giggles of said girl filled the air. He stopped sniffing and looked at her with curiosity. Hoshi opened one eye to look at the horse before she stopped laughing, and gave him a wide grin.
"I like you. Wanna join my team of Spirits?" The young girl asked, extending her hand to the horse.
The horse whinnied in response, before leaning his head down into her hand, and Hoshi began to stroke the side of his head. Hoshi stopped and grabbed the horse's mane. She pulled herself up onto his back and held onto his neck.
"You wouldn't mind coming with me to the Northern Territory right?" Hoshi asked the horse, who let out a playful snort, and he began to run.
"So that's how half of your head turned red?" Inumuta asked, as he sat behind Hoshi.
"Yeah." Hoshi leaned against him, and played with said hair.
"And the last Spirit is Sora, but what did he protect? The North, South, West and East were all taken by other Guardians." Sanageyama pointed out.
"The skies, thus his name. Spirits name themselves, and when he was chosen to protect the skies of the forest, he named himself after them." Hoshi said, violet eyes twinkling. "Of course, our first meeting was probably the most brutal meeting he ever went through."
"What do you mean by that?" Inumuta asked.
Sora had finally discovered why the other Guardians were always late during their patrol. It's when he watched from above, that he discovered her. The four lights all met at the place where all four territories met. As he looked closer, he saw a small human girl. How was it that some small girl has all the attention of the four Guardians?
With further inspection, he noticed that they disappeared into her scarf. He narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth at the human that was taking his fellow Guardians. How could a human with the gift to see Spirits use it like this?
With a loud thud, he landed on the ground, growling at the much smaller human, who looked up at him, but not in fear. It infuriated him even more, and he went to pounce on her.
The girl stepped to the left and watched him fly past her at a speed no other human should be able to see. The Four Spirits emerged from the scarf to watch Sora go tumbling into some trees.
"I thought you said he was graceful?" Hoshi turned to look at the other Spirits, causing them to widen their eyes.
Turning around, she noticed the wolf running towards her. He jumped again, but came in contact with a rock wall. He growled and peered around at the glowing bear, who shook her head as if saying it wasn't her.
The wolf looked at the girl who sat atop the rock wall and growled at her. He jumped up to her, but she flipped back and ran through the air, making the wolf's head snap at the jaguar, who shrugged her shoulders.
"Cool, right?" Hoshi said, as the wolf swiped at her, and she leaned back. "I guess you don't think so."
Lightning struck down between the two, making Sora jump back in fear. He ruled the skies, and this girl was controlling it? It confused him to no end and he shook his head.
It didn't matter if she could control his territory, he'd make sure that she'd pay for imprisoning the other Guardians. So he swiped again to the girl's surprise, and she was sent flying back.
The other Guardians eyes widened in surprise. That blow must of ruined her eye. They all stood up, getting ready to intervene, but through the dust, a hand was raised.
"No. This is my fight." Hoshi muttered, opening her eye, though the claw marks were bleeding profusely.
The cut went though the middle of her eye. They all shivered in disgust, until they watched red seep through the cut, healing it. The red met her iris and both of her irises turned red.
The girl emitted an aura unlike any other the wolf had encountered. The cuts closed up, leaving behind thick lines on the girl's face. Sora bowed his head in shame, making Hoshi's eyes turn violet.
"Huh? You're sorry?" Hoshi asked, and the wolf let out a pitiful whine. Hoshi walked up to him and ran a hand through his fur. "It's alright. They've all given me a scar, but yours is possibly the most brutal I went through."
The wolf looked up at Hoshi, and watched as the other Guardians merge into her scarf. She climbed onto his back. She grasped the fur tightly, before she asked something.
"You wouldn't mind taking me back to her? She lives in the Western territory."
Sora nodded his head, and climbed up into the sky, and ran to the west, where she lived. He had seen Mizu visit her every now and then. He saw her as no threat, so he left her be.
"You're stories are great and all, but who did Mizu bring you to?" Ryuko asked. "You never told me about any other woman except for the Lady of the Forest."
"Ah, Rei. My dear old mentor." Hoshi sighed happily, leaning back and supporting herself up with her hands.
"You had a mentor?" Gamagoori asked her.
"She wasn't really a mentor. She was more than that, actually. She didn't teach me anything, all she did was give me tips and take care of me."
Returning to the shack, Hoshi found Rei sitting behind a fire. The woman poked at the wood with her katana, before she dug it into the dirt to stop the metal from overheating.
Rei's eyes flickered from the fire to the small girl on the wolf's back. Letting out a small chuckle, the woman looked at the young girl.
"Another Spirit? Already?" Rei asked the young girl, as she grabbed the bag of marshmallows.
"It's been five since I've acquired my first Spirit. Five Spirits in five years should not be a big deal." Hoshi replied, as she slid off the wolf, who merged into her scarf.
"The Lady of the Forest told me that you would be very strong willed and productive. I did not think that she meant you would be this productive. How do you make Spirits like you so fast? It took me years to get Mizu to warm up to me." Rei whined as she stabbed a stick through a marshmallow, and placed it over the fire.
"Maybe your hot blood wasn't enough to warm Mizu's cold blood." Hoshi shrugged her shoulders as she grabbed her own stick for her marshmallows.
Rei stared at her in shock for a good few minutes. Her eyebrows furrowed as her marshmallow caught on fire. She blew on it before taking a bite out of it.
"For a twelve year old, you're pretty sassy." Rei grumbled.
"I know. So is my katana done yet?" Hoshi brought her perfectly toasted marshmallow out of the fire.
"Almost. It should be ready in two days." Rei replied, as Hoshi sat down beside her.
"So you're not going to question why half my hair is red? Or my new scar?" Hoshi grinned, as she flicked the curly red hair over her shoulder.
"No, but I'm gonna shave the half of your hair that's black. Trust me, it'll look great." Rei smiled, as she ran a hand through the smooth curly hair of the young girl.
"You don't have to tell me to trust you when I already trust you with my life."
"I know, sis. I know."
"You had a sister?" Everyone exclaimed. Sadness filled Hoshi's eyes before she answered.
"Yes. She's dead now." Hoshi sighed.
"What happened?" Nonon asked, voice soft.
"Ragyo happened."
The two girls stared in horror as trees were pulled out of the ground. Life Fibers consumed the trees, not noticing the Spirits. Ragyo didn't see them either.
Someone had told her that a girl who could see Spirits would be able to stop her plan to cover the world in Life Fibers. Some old woman had told her that. When she visited the village that she had attacked, all the villagers said she had been exiled to the forest.
Ragyo remembered seeing glowing beings attacking her soldiers whom had been dressed in Goku Uniforms. It was unbelievable that a small child could stop her from attacking the village that refused to wear REVOCs clothes.
The two girls gasped when they realized that their shack was now in a clearing. Rei grabbed Hoshi's arm and pulled her to the window. Rei cupped Hoshi's face in her hands.
"I'm going to go outside, and get Ragyo to focus on me. I'm going to say that I'm the Girl of Spirits. Tell the Spirits that when I say "go" they attack her. As soon as she gets me, tell them to flee." Rei instructed, running her hand through her younger sister's locks of hair.
"But, that's going to get you killed." Hoshi protested, tears pooling in her eyes.
"I know, kid. Just do as I say. You're survival is what's important." Rei stated.
"But-"
"No! Hoshi, I have to do this. All I remember is the Lady of the Forest told me I had to flee the village two years after you were born. I had to acquaint myself with the Spirits and be prepared to see you. She told me I had to befriend one of the Guardians, and once they left their mark on you, they'd bring you to me." Rei exclaimed. She flinched when she heard banging on the door.
"Open up, girl! I know you're in there." Ragyo yelled.
"This is what I was meant to do, Hoshi. I love you." Kissing her forehead, Rei gave her a small smile, before running to the back door.
Hoshi watched her older sister run outside, and telepathically explained the plan to the Spirits still in the forest. They seemed okay with it, and apologized for Hoshi's loss.
"Go!"
Hoshi shut her eyes, before grabbing her katana into her hand. She heard the sounds of Spirits fighting. The swinging of a blade rang through the air and silence was all that could be heard.
Hoshi opened her eye a crack, and saw her sister's head in the hands of Ragyo. Her sister's decapitated head. Gasping in shock, Hoshi ducked down and covered her head.
"Looks likes she's gone. No one to foil my plans now." Ragyo giggled, before she disappeared in the ruined forest.
That was the day Rei Seishinshi died. That was the day she gave up her life for the Girl of Spirits. That was the day that Hoshi Seishinshi vowed revenge.
"I promised myself that I would never be the reason my family died. I made a Spiritual promise, where if broken, my life is taken away." Hoshi announced, making everyone gasp.
Inumuta's grip tightened around her waist and he closed his eyes. He wouldn't let her die. Hoshi had to stay alive. It was high on his priority list, after all.
"We're here." Aikuro announced, as the Academy loomed over them, casting a shadow down upon the students of said Academy.