Merry Christmas!

December 25, 2009

Everyone groaned as they woke up from whatever dream state they were in. All the boys minus Ryoma and Atobe were sore as they woke up. They weren't used to the sitting in a strange chair and being drugged for hours. Ryoma and Atobe were sore but were more used to meditation and their bodies were not as surprised at the others. Ajian stood up and stretched like the cat that she was before leading them out of the shabby building. Ignoring the groans and moans of the males behind her, Ajian walked back to the house in complete silence. She didn't seem to be paying attention to anything while walking and she walked right past a group of Dryins without acknowledging them. Ryoma, who was explaining what they had just gone through, paled and abruptly stopped speaking as the group of Dryins stared in shock after the girl.

"Ryoma? What's wrong?" Fuji asked quietly. He noticed that Atobe and Jirou had gone silent as well, staring after Ajian with pale faces.

"It's never good when Ajian doesn't pay attention. I wouldn't be surprised if she is completely useless for the rest of the day. She gets into one of these moods every now and then but it generally only lasts a few hours. If we had an attack right now, we probably wouldn't survive. Ajian is the key to the war, not us. Only she doesn't believe that and that is why we have to pretend that it is really the twelve stars that will end the battle. You see, Ajian is the next ruler and I think that she's scared and doesn't want the Royalty. It's not common to have the Royal blood. They were wiped out long before Farlor showed up. There were rumors that some of the Royalty survived, but they went into hiding and never came out to claim the throne back. The people got used to it and now that we are at war with an Emperor, if word gets out that the person in highest command is a descendant of the Royalty, then there could be another war unless she swears that neither she nor any of her descendants will try to claim the throne in the future. She doesn't want to limit her descendants if it's not for the best." Ryoma explained softly. The boys continued down the path to the house as they asked questions.

"So if Ajian is sworn to not let her descendants claim the throne in the future, then the country could get worse?" Eiji asked. It was Atobe who answered.

"Yes, without some kind of leader, there is only chaos. Farlor tried to unite all of Arienai. Before that, there was the Royal family, though they were really nothing more than a rich figure head. The Royal family went into hiding and the world got worse. It settled down eventually with each village, town, or city creating their own rules. Then Farlor came in and brought them back into unity from a civil war. But many years had passed between Farlor's rule and the Royal family's rule. Too many new generations didn't like the idea of going under one ruler, especially one who had no regard for the rules of the gods. Even the older generations that remembered the Royal family was better than the new ruler and the time in between. While, yes, there could have been some rules and changes that should have been made by the Royal family, they were still better than anything else. The way America works is a good example of what can never be here even though it might seem like it would work here. There are too many treaties between the races that a democracy would violate too many ideas and the races are happy with the treaties they have now."

The group entered the house in a somber silence as the new information digested. Lonnie was putting dinner on the table as the regulars sat down, decidedly ignoring that Ajian's chair was empty. They ate quickly and headed to bed as soon as they could, as all of the boys were falling asleep on their feet.

The next day, Ajian woke the boys with a gentle alarm.

"OI! GET YOUR ASSES OUT OF BED! WE'VE GOT LEVEL 2 TO GET THROUGH TODAY!" Ajian yelled at each door. The boys rolled out of the bed and got dressed in more medieval-styled clothes that were set out for them. Ajian watched as the boys stumbled down the stairs and to the table. She rolled her eyes as Ryoma seemed to fall asleep in his food, Fuji and Tezuka trying to wake him enough to eat. Ajian chuckled as Tezuka shook his head and turned to his own food and Fuji threw up his hands in defeat. Ryoma snuggled against Fuji's side.

Ajian smiled bitterly as she watched the boys walk down the path to the training building. She acknowledged the other Dryins and Elves she passed as they acknowledged her. But she didn't want the Royalty and the power that came with the title of being Royalty. She refused to force her children to make the vow she knew the people would want her to make. She didn't mind promising through a blood oath to never take the throne. But she would not make that choice for her children. If they wanted to try and take the throne, then let them make their choices. Perhaps, when her children were old enough to make the choice of chasing the throne, Arienai might actually need the Royalty again. But she knew that the people would want her to promise that her children would not try for the throne and that was something she refused to do.

"Ajian?" She looked up as Fuji stood in front of her looking concerned. "Are you alright?" He asked. Ajian nodded.

"Yes, I was just thinking of some depressing matters. Come; let us get this over with." Ajian walked through the group to get to the door. After everyone was in their pods, she spoke up again.

"Level 2 is where you will fight in groups. Ryoma needs to practice, so it will be three on three in each set of pods. Fuji, Tezuka, and Eiji are against Inui, Oishi, and Kaidoh in the first set. In the second set: Atobe, Jirou, and Ryoga are against Ryoma, Taka, and Momo." Ajian explained.

"How exactly are we going to fight? With our powers?" Fuji asked. Ajian nodded. "The first hour will be meditation. Then you will be put through a series of exercises which will allow you to work with your power. Then you will be pitted against each other. While Ryoma may be fighting, he will be able to call a time out for healing and rest in that circle of pods. He will be able to stop any wild bursts of magic as well so you don't need to worry about injury or accidents." They all sat down in the pods. Ajian made sure that they were settled before saying the key words.

"Portal Simulation: Start up." The low whirring sound began to fill the room.

"Portal Simulation: Close and Inject." Everyone felt the prick of the needle before falling into yet another world.

The boys opened their eyes to see themselves in a field nestled in between a forest and a lake. Ajian was standing in front of the lake with her arms held out. The guys could see the wynd swirling around her. It danced around her, pulling gently at her hair and lifting her plain white dress. The regulars noticed they were all barefoot and in white pants and shirts. The wynd picked Ajian up and carried her over to the middle of the lake. The wynd seemed to disperse out from under the Dryin, letting her laughter echo as she plummeted down to the watre.

The boys were surprised when Ryoma stepped out in front of them and waved his arms in a swift motion with a soft look in his eyes. Ajian smiled in surprise as the watre Ryoma controlled swirled around her to slither around her arms and legs and lead her to the jets of watre that acted as steps to the shore. Once she touched the ground the watre steps fell back into the lake but the tendrils around her arms and legs did not. Ajian looked up into the smirking visage of a mischievous Ryoma.

"So, we are fighting already?" Ajian asked with a slight grin. The watre evaporated letting Ajian settle softly on the grass of the field. Ryoma bowed to her with a grin on his face. "Oh, I see. Trying to playfully mock me are you?" Ajian asked with a devious smirk as she waved her arms in a complicated motion and made the aire around Ryoma move spectacularly fast, swinging the rookie upside down and a good fifty feet into the aire to leave him dangling by one leg.

"No fair!" Ryoma cried as he commanded the watre to jump from the lake and form a sheet underneath him so he could lay flat in the air on his back while his leg was still under the control of Ajian's wynd. Ajian smirked as she froze the watre and the dissolved it into snow right out from under Ryoma. Back to dangling in midair, Ryoma threw up (down) his hands and conceded.

"I give; this isn't about how we fight. It's teaching them. Just drop me gently." Ryoma said with a grin. Ajian rolled her eyes. She waved her hand in a shooing gesture and Ryoma floated to the ground. They turned to each other and bowed, then turned to the others.

"Now that was a bad display of power and control but sparring is necessary in some cases, which is why we come here to do so. This way we don't ruin anything and can practice without taking elements from other creatures. Now, sit in a circle with each set next to each other." Ajian said as she watched the guys sit in the circle around her. She sat in the middle of the circle facing Ryoma. Next to him on the right was, Taka, then Momo, Ryoga, Atobe, Jirou, Tezuka, Fuji, Eiji, Inui, Oishi, and last Kaidoh on Ryoma's left completed the circle. Ajian nodded in approval before closing her eyes and relaxing her hands in her lap. She sat there and opened her mind to her surroundings and the guys.

"I am speaking to you all in your minds in this simulation. If you opened your eyes, my mouth would not be moving. This is possible out in real world but it would take years to master and too much energy to do so with more than one person at one time with a back and forth connection. Here is how you meditate your powers. When you close your eyes, picture your mind and the object or place that has your magic. Whatever your power is located in will be right in front of you. Go on through it or do whatever it is to release your powers. Let your power fill you up and surround you. Don't try to control it but let it control your mind and not your body. Let it teach you how it works and how it doesn't. Let it teach you how to control it and how to let it work in its own boundaries. Control is not forcing something to bend to your will when you want it to bend but more of an agreement between you and your power. An agreement that you will direct its power at your will but not try to control the power itself. You will understand your power better through your power more than if I taught you about it. Once you know and understand this, open your eyes and see your power surround you." Ajian said mentally. She watched as first Ryoma was instantly enveloped by a dark blue flowing light. Soon, watre droplets started swirl around his as a soft smile flitted across his face. Ajian smiled at him knowingly when he opened his eyes to stare straight into hers.

Atobe was next, as he had been trained a little before now; a soft purple glow surrounded him as he meditated, the giddy grin worming its way onto his face. After Atobe, it was like a chain reaction. Jirou came next with a soft brown glow and the glow seemed to take on a wood-like pattern. Then Fuji was next with an ice blue glow and the air around him seemed to drop in temperature, followed almost immediately by Tezuka with a white glow. Inui was up with a metallic-like glow, then Taka with a white-hot yellow glow that seemed to flicker at first and then little shocks of lytening licked at his skin without harming him, then Oishi with a red glow. Kaidoh had a dark green glow with swirling leaves and Momo had an orange glow that seemed to dance like fyre across his skin. Ryoga had a silver glow that pulsed around him while Eiji had a golden glow. After everyone had opened their eyes with the giddy looks on their faces, Ajian put her hand out in the air.

"Don't speak. Just hold out your hand and connect with your power. What your powers are will appear in a small version above your hand. As you can see, mine is aire. You can see the swirls as it spins in a small, tight ball of speeding aire. Ryoma's is watre, as is portrayed by the small ball of watre floating above his hand. But sometimes, the object is not the actual power, but more what embodies the power. Ryoga's is ekolokatyon, and as you can see, it is a dolphin, which use ekolokatyon to survive. Now that you have made your agreement with your power, you should be able to use it pretty well. Your power has a voice that you must listen to. I will not be your teacher in these next two levels. Your power will. Let it teach you quickly and efficiently. Do not try to make moves with it like you do in tennis. That will limit it and make it unchangeable; all powers have rules that they must follow so as not to hinder the rules of the other powers. For example, Watre is always moving, it cannot stop and stand still and you cannot ask it to hit someone over the head to knock them out. Watre will move against and around and object as it is too small chemically to have enough power to hurt someone. For Ryoma to knock someone out with Watre, he must swirl the watre around them with enough pressure to lift them and throw them into something like a cliff that would knock someone out. Fuji, however, is ice, so he can freeze Ryoma's watre and together they can knock someone out. Yet, Fuji needs the watre in the first place. Ryoma can draw the watre from the ground or from people's bodies. Fuji has to have the watre on the surface to work or the ice has to already be there. This is what Level 2 is about. You have been separated into four sets. Each set will fight against each other. Level 3 will be an all out tournament." Ajian said as she stood up. The others followed her lead silently.

"To keep the meditative state, I will continue speaking like this, but you will have to speak out loud. First is Set 1 against Set 2. Stand in the field and I will pull a protective barrier around Sets 3 and 4 while you fight. Begin!" Ajian said as the silvery-clear barrier went up around the other 2 sets of competitors.

Fuji, Tezuka, Eiji vs. Oishi, Inui, Kaidoh

Fuji started off by calling some watre from the lake, hardening it in midair. He broke it off into very sharp pieces which he left floating threateningly around him. Tezuka merely stood next to him, playing with his little ball of lyte named Ryo. Eiji did nothing but start bouncing around. Oishi stood there worrying about everyone as he normally did. Inui glared at Ajian as he pulled out his cell phone and transformed it into a gun of some sorts. Kaidoh looked to the forest and back at his opponents.

"Well, if no one else wants to make the first move…" Fuji said, just before he threw a couple of icicles at Kaidoh. Kaidoh ducked at first but then the icicles turned around as if they had a homing device. Kaidoh punched the ground while glaring at Fuji. With a loud slam, a wall of Eyrth shot up behind Kaidoh and the icicles crashed into it. Inui used his transformed gun to shoot at Tezuka, but it stopped just before his face, and then flew over in front of Eiji who seemed to examine it with a good personating of 'Inui'. He shrugged and shot it into Oishi with a sly grin. Oishi stood shocked that Eiji would throw something at him but then the bullet seemed to work its way out of Oishi's body and his wound closed up perfectly.

"Mou…" Eiji pouted. Fuji chuckled slightly. Tezuka nodded at Fuji and Eiji, who nodded back, agreeing to some unspoken plan. Fuji hardened a larger section of Watre from the lake and threw it at Kaidoh. Both the new wall of Eyrth and block of Ice shattered upon impact. Fuji melted the Ice with a smirk. Eiji levitated them in front of the other three guys. Oishi, Kaidoh and Inui looked on warily. Suddenly, Tezuka threw his ball of lyte at the other set, which burst at their feet. Once everyone's eyes cleared from the burst, they saw that Set 2 was flat on the ground unconscious.

"Good job, boys. Next is Set 3 and 4. Begin!" Ajian said as Set 1 revived Set 2 and brought them over to the barrier. Tezuka and Fuji were pleasantly surprised to each receive a kiss of congratulations from Ryoma as he passed them on his way to the field. They sat down to watch Ryoma wipe the floor with the other team.

Atobe, Jirou, Ryoga vs. Ryoma, Taka, Momo

Ryoma instantly called Watre to him and wrapped it around his body like a blanket. Taka started to rub his hands together very fast, causing static to run through him. Ryoma pulled a bit of watre from his wrap and slid it gently under Taka's feet, letting the lytening multiply without going into the ground. Momo pulled out a lighter and lit it catching the flame in his hand and multiplying it into a small bonfire hovering above his hand.

Jirou pulled up a tree from the ground that pushed him pretty high and fell into a nap. Atobe watched him and rolled his eyes. He knew the point of this level. They were supposed to work on teamwork. Ryoga started making clicking noises that seemed to be distracting the other team. Atobe decided to try and get into Momo's mind. He got in way too easily.

Just waitin' for Ryoma's call on this one. Not sure what Atobe's up to. I'm hungry… Atobe pulled out of Momo's mind and glanced at Ryoma, who wasn't paying attention to Atobe.

"You should shock Ryoga first, Taka-san. I'll get him wet first." Ryoma whispered, knowing his brother probably heard anyway. Ryoga's glare only confirmed it. Ryoma smiled and just pointed at him and Ryoga's body contorted in pain. By the time Ryoma stopped, Ryoga was sweaty and slightly confused. Taka took that chance to shock him a little. Ryoga passed out from sensory overload. Atobe sniffed in disdain before turning to Ryoma. Ryoma was looking up at Jirou with a contemplating face. Atobe decided to take that chance to try to get into Ryoma's mind.

Instantly, Atobe found a wall of solid watre. Remembering what Ajian said about watre not being solid, Atobe tried to push through. He was surprised and scared when he started to drown in Ryoma's defensive wall. Ryoma seemed to notice and instantly touched Taka, shocking them both in the process. Ryoma, wrapped in the watre, had his personal shock multiplied. Atobe's shock, however since he was drowning, was twice as fast, passing out and leaving Ryoma's mind. Ryoma lay on the ground panting, while Momo stood over him protectively. He threw his fyre at the tree that Jirou was in and watched it burn out from under him. Ryoma had enough energy to throw some watre under Jirou so he didn't crash into the ground. Taka gave a small shock which merely sent Jirou back to dreamland.

"Set 4 wins. Good job guys. Looks like you guys have passed Level 2! Time to go back." Ajian said, standing up with a smile, dispersing the barrier, allowing Tezuka and Fuji to run over to Ryoma.

"I'm fine guys. Taka didn't know I was going to touch him so I got the full blast. I'll be fine with bed rest and food. I promise. You can baby me when we get back." Ryoma said as he tried to stay awake.

"Let's go back guys."

Sorry if it seems a little short. i hope i didn't miss anything that needs to be explained. If any of the words seem misspelled, THAT'S BECAUSE THEY ARE! IT IS ON PURPOSE! sorry, i'm a grammar freak and it was hard for me to write naturally. I kept having to go back and spell it the Arienian way. I'll post a list of who has what power and what colours match and some translations.

Apples and Starlings and CSI: JAPAN have also been updated finally. THe next update should be on New Years, but if you don't see anything, it will be up on January 28.

Please read and review!

Lovishnesses, Lonely Rain.