Echoes of the Past
Echoes of the Past
Started By: Perfume
In the early morning Nerima hours, Perfume was sleeping in her bed. A smile of contentment on her sleeping face. She was having a pleasant dream.
She dreamed of a few years back, when she was still in the village, not scarred and still Shampoo's best friend. The two of them were like sisters, nothing would ever come between them, or so it seemed.
Perfume was remembering the day that the elders discovered that Amber, another amazon about Perfume and Shampoo's age was dabbling in forbidden magic.
Amber was already a competent mage, but the darker arts she was studying had been forbidden for 2000 years. Amber had been Banished from the village.
After she went off on her own, it was discovered that a powerful book of necromancy had been stolen. The logical culprit was amber.
Because of Amber's age, Shampoo and Perfume were chosen to track her down and return the book. It would be a good test for the Daughter of the Tribal Enforcer and the great Granddaughter of the matriarch.
The two worked together to track down Amber. The fight was fierce, no one knew how powerful the forbidden magic had made the young mage. In the end Amber escaped, but the two brought back the book. That was all the tribe wanted back.
Amber had sworn revenge. She had sworn to kill both Shampoo and Perfume.
******
Perfume awoke. She wasn't sure what had caused her to dream about that. She hadn't thought about Amber or the great team she and Shampoo made in 2 years now.
******
Atop Ucchan's a black robed figure sat. Her cloak was pulled up to conceal her face but the wind blew the robes about enough to tell that she was a shapely female.
"I've found the first one. " The stranger whispered to herself. "Now I need to find Shampoo and I can kill them both at once. "
******
Silk was up early, for some reason she'd had trouble sleeping. Kept having dreams of Walruses and Chibis dancing and playing strip poker with jabberwockies. Hardly restful. She found her old flute and her new guitar and went to sit on the front step.
She blinked at the figure atop the restaurant across the street. It seemed familiar, but only vaguely so. Probably someone she'd known from the village, she decided. If they wanted to say anything to her, they could come down themselves. She'd learned that most of the village amazons still considered her a valid target for abuse, and she didn't enjoy inviting it on herself.
The healer sat on the front step of the shop and played, oblivious to the doings of said Mysterious Figure.
*****
Shampoo was already up, humming a Chinese melody to herself as she put her shirt on and finished preparing for a new wonderful day that was bound to be the one when Airen finally married her.
Happy at this prospect, she when out of her room and down to the kitchen to get some breakfast.
*****
The normally sound asleep Fujiko was also awake and had been for sometime. She had been involved in another round of what her old boyfriend had sarcastically called "spook painting" although she called it "Zen painting." Either way, it didn't matter. She still was up all night painting like a person possessed with no idea of what she was painting or why.
That was last night. This morning she was examining her handiwork and sipping some raspberry tea. Normally, this sort of thing happens only when Fujiko had some personal crisis and needed some clarity. The kicker is, that Fujiko's life was just fine and that left the redhead very confused.
*******
The cloaked figure peered into the Kitchen window of the Nekohanten. She smiled evilly to herself. She now knew where both of her most hated enemies were.
The figure stepped back and summoned two wraiths from the Abyss. They would do the job nicely.
"You, go to Perfume and tell her that I am issuing a challenge. Then test her, and you." Pointing to the other wraith. "You do the same with the purple haired one. "
As Acknowledgment both wraiths vanished from sight and reappeared near their targets.
*******
The first appeared next to Perfume, as she was drinking a cup of coffee.
"Amber has returned for a challenge. She wishes to fight you in the park at midnight tonight. Prepare for your death."
Then the creature attacked her.
Perfume knew exactly what this was, having faced Amber before. Now she had a new trick in her arsenal. Happi had taught both Silk and her how to summon wraiths. An important part of that lesson was sending them back to where they came from.
With a few quick words of Magic she sent the wraith back to the abyss.
"If amber is back, that means she will be after Shampoo also. She probably expects us to be a team also.. what a wonderful way to start the day!"
The Nekohanten
The second wraith appeared right behind Shampoo. His voice echoed in the kitchen.
"Amber has returned for a challenge. She wishes to fight you in the park at midnight tonight. Prepare for your death."
Then the creature attacked her.
Let's just say that it was a big mistake to do that. Being Cologne's Great-granddaughter had some perks. After dispatching with the spook Shampoo began thinking about what the thing actually had said.
So she was back. Probably after Scar Girl also. As long as she didn't think they was going to work together.
*****
Shampoo arrived at the park in question half an hour early in order to get a look at the surroundings. Not much people around, so no-one to hear you scream. Or anyone else scream, for that matter.
She was dressed in a nice red Chinese dragon lady dress (yes, for those of you who don't know that's the same sort of dresses Chun Li wears ) and on her bike rested her bonbori's a nasty looking sword and a ramen delivery box.
Downtown in an office building, Alex felt the arrival of Amber, and the wraiths. The two wraiths soon vanished, destroyed. He decided unless he was called, he would just stay and get some business done at work.
*****
Perfume had gathered her weapons and changed into some appropriate clothing. She knew that this was going to be the toughest fight she had been involved with in a while. she also knew that she and Shampoo had to fight Amber on their own. She challenged them and no one else. Honor demanded that they fight as they were challenged.
After spending a few hours in meditation to prepare. She was ready to fight.
"I'm going to the park, I'll be back in a few hours Silk-Chan." Perfume shouted as she left Curses and Cures.
Perfume arrived at the park a short time later. She saw that Shampoo was already there. She leapt into a tree landing on a branch looking down at Shampoo.
"So It seems that Amber has challenged you also?"
"No, Shampoo like stand in park midnight when workday day after," Shampoo snapped, disgusted with her company. "What Scar Girl think?"
Fujiko sat above them in another tree altogether. Personally, she *liked* coming into the park late at night and looking at the moon and stars. It gave her inspiration at painting. This time, though it was the painting that gave her the inspiration to be at the park. Not saying a word and being as quiet as possibly, she listened to the two Amazons.
--Welcome to the Tree of Silence.-- A voice said in Fujiko's mind as Silk tapped her on the shoulder. The healer had known what was going on with Perfume all day today. The pink-haired historian had loud thoughts, especially when she was meditating. --I've got the whole tree shielded so that they can't hear or see us. though I wonder what you're doing here in the middle of the night.--
Fujiko showed Silk a painting she had painted. It showed Shampoo and Perfume with a lot of weapons near the tree they were at. Also on the painting was a clock face that said midnight. "In a roundabout way, I knew about this meeting since about 4 AM yesterday. What I don't know is why I painted that during an all night session. I normally don't do that and never paint like that unless it effects me in a major way."
Perfume gave shampoo a dirty look. "Hanging out in the park at Midnight may be the only way you'll get a date, Shampoo."
Amber, meanwhile had been in the park for a bit. She was not more than a few meters away hidden within an invisibility spell. This was intriguing. The two were not the good team they once were, it seemed like they hated each other.
Did it have something to do with Perfume's hairstyle, there had to be a reason it covered one side of her face.
She would wait just a little longer before making her move. This might be easier than she thought.
Shampoo placed her hands on her hips and glared at Perfume.
"Shampoo at least be able pick up boy," she said with a dangerous tone to her voice. "Scar Girl no get boy if so flaunt shirt-open, with ugly skin."
Perfume was about two steps from killing Shampoo at this point. "You keep that up and you won't have to worry about Amber killing you, You'll just have to worry about coming back as one of her undead minions."
Better sense caught Perfume before she went to far. "We need to put this behind us Shampoo, Amber will kill us both if we don't cooperate."
Shampoo, who had been ready to strangle Perfume to death by now calmed down a little. "Scar Girl got point," she conceded. "No point let Amber win default."
She was silent for five seconds.
"Undead minion Shampoo still have better chance get boy than Scar Girl any day."
"you just can't let it go for a minute can you Shampoo?!" Perfume was getting angry now. Fighting Shampoo and then Amber was the last thing she wanted to do today.
That's when she felt the dark presence nearby. Actually 'Divine Retribution' felt it and informed Perfume.
"Amber's here Shampoo, she just watching us make fools of ourselves. "
Shampoo looked around, seeing no-one.
"Scar Girl no need help look fool," she snapped before drawing one of her bonboris, awaiting Amber's return.
Perfume moved to a back to back position with Shampoo. She had Divine Retribution up and at the ready.
Amber smiled and dropped her invisibility spell. This would be so easy, it was Shampoo and Perfume's teamwork that beat her before, there would be no repeat of that.
Amber's cloak was down revealing her beautiful angelic face to all. Only the dark pools of her eyes revealed the evil in her soul. There was a blue magical mark over her left eye. Her long blonde hair whipped about in the moonlight.
She had both hands out of her cloak. Yes both hands, Perfume was sure that she had taken the girl's right hand the last time they fought.
Looking closer she could see that Amber's right hand was a demonic looking claw. She had used magic to replace it.
"Aiya," Shampoo said, staring at the claw that once was a hand. Then she got her act together and got into a ready pose. "Amber go. We beat last time, and do again."
"and this time you might not be lucky enough to only lose a hand." Perfume chimed in.
Amber merely laughed at the pairs bravado. today would be a different ending than last time.
"I will not be the one to lose this time. Once I kill the both of you, you will make great lieutenants in my undead army. "
"Excuse? Defeat Shampoo?" Shampoo asked. "Amber for real? No drunk?"
Amber smiled evilly. "I won't even have to kill you myself." She snapped her fingers on her demonic hand. Shampoo and Perfume were surrounded by undead Zombies.
"My minions will feast on your bodies, before I feast on your souls."
Shampoo glanced at Perfume out of the corner of her eye. As much as it bothered her, it seemed that she had to work with her again.
"Scar Girl ready?" she asked. "Better be, smelly body dangerous."
Perfume moved to the ready position. "You remember the pattern Shampoo?"
"Of course Shampoo remember! Think Shampoo stupid?" Shampoo said, taking a deep breath. "On three?"
"Okay.. one... two... three." Perfume intoned as the fight began. Suddenly the pair leapt into action. Anyone who knew shampoo and Perfume would be surprised that the two operated with so much coordination. Where one left an opening in her defense the other blocked it.
It was no wonder the two could never beat each other in a fight, they knew each others moves way to well.
"It's there challenge, let them handle it."
"There's monsters. It's my job."
"No interfering!"
"Oh shut up."
Silk catapulted out of the tree where she'd been watching and started to systematically kill zombies. Her sword was glowing with a black aura and everything it touched died (or the zombie equivalent). She didn't interfere with what Perfume and Shampoo were doing, but she wasn't letting any of the zombies in her reach escape, either.
Shampoo noticed that Silk was in the fight also now. Great. More freaks.
Not really caring, she began a macabre dance of death that struck down several zombies.
Perfume kept pace with Shampoo's dance. The two were in perfect coordination with each other as the crushed the zombie opposition. The cleared a path all the way to amber before they stopped in front of her.
Amber was surprised to say the least, she didn't expect the duo to be as good as they were. She also didn't expect Silk to interfere. That was an unforeseen complication, but it seemed as though she was going to let Amber fight Shampoo and Perfume.
She wasn't pleased but at least it would work.
She launched a paralysis spell at Silk and she turned to defend herself from the deadly duo.
Shampoo adjusted her grip on her bonbori's.
"Amber give up now, yes?" she smirked. "Or Shampoo forced kill."
She held her attack in case Amber would choose to run.
Amber laughed insanely, almost like Kodachi's laugh. "It is you who should give up amazons." Amber drew her serrated scimitars. one in each hand.
"Now it's time to die." She attacked Shampoo with a flurry of blows.
It didn't last long, Perfume jumped into the fray and forced amber back. Perfume put her hatreds behind her and tried to make a good team member.
Shampoo and Perfume drove Amber back, but something was missing. The last time they was in perfect sync, this time they had only almost perfect sync. But that was enough to keep Amber at bay at least.
Silk was almost finished with the remaining Zombies when she noticed Amber launching a spell against her. Silk turned her back on it, exposing the gleaming black of another sword that was strapped to her back. The defensive one. It was packed with enough defensive enchantments to turn a dragon slave into a bruise spell. This time it chose to 'Reflect' the spell back onto it's caster.
Amber smiled as she was forced back, she would have the duo shortly. That's when her paralysis spell came back on her. She fought it off, but it cost her a precious few seconds while she dealt with it.
Fujiko smirked as she hurled several exploding compacts, moving from tree to tree. Dark Warlock witch-types were one thing, but undead Zombie-type dudes were just simply un-cool. Fujiko also kept an eye on Silk's back as well.
--Thanks Fujiko.-- Silk said as she saw a nasty gunning for her back suddenly have it's head explode.
--Anytime. Warriors are a dime a dozen. A good healer is worth her weight in gold.-- Fujiko thought back. The thespian knew her lines and more importantly, her role. She wouldn't face Amber unless Amber directly attacked her. The glory of Amber's defeat would belong to the Heir and the Enforcer. No one else.
Fujiko didn't allow her thoughts to wander too long. There were reinforcements gunning for her.
The few seconds that Amber paused were more than enough for Perfume and Shampoo.
Perfume moved in low with her Naginata, knowing that Shampoo was going in high. Amber dodged back but Perfume's Naginata skewered her bag of spell components, the blade's magical absorbing ability drain them of all magical potential.
Amber was desperately defending from both Amazons at once. It was not an easy task. Both of her serrated blades were flashing as fast as she could block with them.
She would have had some of her undead minions attack the duo but Silk and Fujiko had them occupied. If she didn't try something soon she was going to lose.
"Fog" was all she said activating one of her minor spells. Causing a deep fog to cover the combatants. Since she and her minions could see just fine in this mess, she might gain her advantage back.
Shampoo looked around in the fog. Not seeing meant that she didn't know where Perfume was. In the old days they could have sensed each other, but now... sight was the most important sense. She backed three steps until she bumped into someone. She didn't know who it was.
Perfume was also cut off from her routine with Shampoo. She had long ago lost the ability to sense the other amazon. She backed up as the blade of her Naginata began to glow letting her see a little bit.
She backed up a bit and bumped into someone. She surely hoped that it was Shampoo she backed into. "Shamps is that you?"
Shampoo nodded. After a few seconds she realized that no-one would have seen it.
"Is," she said, "Where Spook-girl at? Shampoo no see much."
Amber meanwhile had backed off. She had stopped the unstoppable juggernaut of Perfume and Shampoo, at least temporarily. She smiled and prepared a spell. She was horrified to find that her spell components powerless. She had no idea how Perfume had done that.
No matter, she brought out the wand of Orcus. It would still work. She prepared to start a "drain Life" spell from the wand.
Perfume made sure she was back to back with Shampoo in a good position to fight again. "I don't know.. She's hiding in the fog, she'll make herself known soon enough, be ready."
Perfume was a pretty good fortune teller. Amber completed her spell and send a beam of dark magical energy at the duo. She was going to drain them both dry.
'Divine Retribution' was absorbing most of the magical spell, Amber was not able to drain anything from Perfume. Shampoo was not so lucky, she could feel her life-force being drained.
Perfume looked back and noticed Shampoo's dilemma. Thinking quickly she stepped between shampoo and the spell, holding 'Divine retribution' aloft to absorb all the magic.
She was so busy stopping the spell and protecting her and Shampoo that she did not notice the Zombie coming up on her right. but Shampoo saw him....
Shampoo was weakened, but still in action. Within a second, she was at the zombies side, pummeling it with her bonboris, stopping it dead (?) in its tracks. She then threw a look at Perfume and then threw one of her bonboris at Amber, hoping to hit her in the noggin while she was distracted.
Fujiko frowned at the fog for a second, then came up with a battle-plan to clear things up. She grabbed one of her flash compacts and altered the rate of burn so the light and heat would last longer. She put them on the ground in an attempt to warm them up.
One wouldn't do much, but Fujiko had a lot of flash compacts. If the compacts didn't work, maybe burning some chi would. Either way, that fog needed to be history.
Amber glanced up and saw the bon bori at the last second, but that wasn't swift enough. The weapon nailed her right between the yes, knocking her backwards. It also caused the necromancer to drop the wand of Orcus.
"Yes!" Shampoo exclaimed as she saw the weapon hit. "Scar Girl follow up, is okay?"
Waiting for the reply, she kicked down a few of the remaining zombies, foul and smell as they were. Rather like Dust Girl, she absentmindedly thought.
Perfume didn't need to be told twice. She rushed Amber's position and nailed her with the butt end of her Naginata, knocking the sorceress out.
As Amber lost consciousness the zombies stopped dead in their tracks and the fog dissipated.
Perfume was stripping magical items from the other girl, just in case.
Shampoo looked down at the necromancer.
"Shampoo say tie to log and push down river," she suggested. "Make Crazy Magic Girl go away long while. Or dip in bamboo and feed panda."
"I like the second idea, Shampoo, but we might give my Saotome indigestion. " She piled all the items off to the side, every time Amber tried to wake back up Perfume smacked her with the Naginata again.
"She needs to be brought before the counsel and executed for her crimes. Raising the dead is just plain wrong."
"Agreed. Normally I would just do it myself, but she's your prisoner, your laws." 'Dust girl' said as she moved through the now unmoving zombies. Cutting them down, them sprinkling them with a liquid that sparked and smoked when it made contact. Silk tossed Shampoo a set of ropes and looked in Perfume's pile of stuff for some more Holy water. She found a bottle and started about her task again. "Nice fight, you two. Still the best team, both of you."
Fujiko looked at the ground. She didn't care for Amber, but the idea of executions made her sick. "Sometimes I think the Amazon Culture is just too quick to kill and to exile. I won't prevent it, but I wonder what would of happened if the council remembered to temper justice with compassion once in a while." she said to no one in particular, but in a way that everyone heard it.
Silk looked at Fujiko with a tilt to her head, "And sometimes western culture is to kind to criminals, letting them kill again and again before punishing them." she sprinkled water on another zombie. "You see these Zombies? They aren't just some graveyard she dug up. Zombies have to killed in a very special way and then raised immediately to be this coherent and mobile." Silk motioned at the pile of parts at her feet, which they now noticed came in many sizes, from child to adult. "I'd put this in as a small village worth of dead. And in China, who will miss them? That's what some sorcerers say. And that's why they must be stopped permanently. Because you don't try to heal a mad dog, you shoot it before it bites you and those you love."
Fujiko shook her head. "You missed the point. Amber is evil and will have to be destroyed. On that we agree. I don't have to like it. I can even feel some guilt about it. I'm not a cold blooded killer, and Kami-Sama willing, I never will be. All I'm wondering is just how many mad dogs are out there, courtesy of Amazon Law. I know you disagree with me on this and I respect that, but at the same time, I felt it needed to be said."
Perfume finished her task, and knocked Amber upside the head once more for good measure. She smiled at Silk's compliment, but wasn't very sure if she agreed with what Fujiko was getting at.
"I'm no cold blooded killer either, That's why she goes back to stand trial." Perfume dusted off her hands and stood up. She glanced at Shampoo, she wasn't sure how this new chain of events would affect their relationship, but for the first time in a long time Perfume didn't immediately want to kill the purple haired amazon.
Shampoo stared down at Amber.
"How?" she then said. "How take Dead-body Girl Village without she run? Carry across China on back?"
Perfume smiled, as a plan grew within her head. "Alex has a private jet, I'm sure he wouldn't mind helping us bring her to justice."
Shampoo thought about it for a second. Then she nodded in silence.
Perfume glanced at the zombies that Silk was finishing off. This girl's evil ends here and now.
"Silk-Chan are you and Fujiko alright?"
"I'd be glad to help out, Perfume." All the females looked around for a few moments, then Alex appeared in front of them, with a Predator-style effect. "Nice moves, by the way. You and Shampoo make a good team."
Silk finished the last of the zombies, then looked at the others. "I'm no Amazon, Fujiko. I don't hold with most of their laws, but on this we agree. I'm sorry that it happened, and I wish it could have been prevented, but I won't shirk what has to be done just because it's not my fault. I don't relish it, but I can't ignore it. The ones who create these should have to deal with the results, but the world seldom allows that to happen. But I won't bloody my hands on this one. Let the Amazon elders deal with her. They created the monster." The Chinese girl turned and left the park without looking back.
Fujiko walked out of the park in a different direction than the others. There were going to be a few questions of why and why now. None of these questions Fujiko could explain. All of the paintings she painted had scenes of various cruelty, minus the one with Shampoo and Perfume. Right now, she still wasn't sure how to deal with it. That would have to be another day, though.
Perfume forced the bound Amber to her feet, quite roughly. It was time for the necromancer to answer for her crimes.
"Shampoo, You will have to bring her to the counsel, I am not an amazon either.."
Shampoo looked at Perfume. Silently, she nodded and took a hold of Amber with one hand.
"Shampoo think great-grandmother have way send back," she said. "great-grandmother go roof if hear work with Scar Girl."
Perfume became quiet momentarily, being outcast was still rough on her. "yes I understand, Shampoo." She paused for a couple of seconds. "we really do make a good team sometimes, thank you."
Shampoo looked as she was about to say something, but decided against it.
Wordlessly, she herded the comatose Amber towards the Nekohanten.
Perfume stood alone in the park turned battlefield. She had a thoughtful look on her face as she bent down to pick up her Naginata. Tonight had been most interesting.
She had fought a terrible enemy, teamed up with a girl she had once sworn to kill. A girl who was once her best and dearest friend. It was amazing how one day could change everything.
Perfume glanced up at Shampoo's retreating form. She knew the purple haired amazon couldn't hear her. "Perhaps it's time." Perfume whispered. "Perhaps it's time for us to stop hating each other."
Perfume turned away from Shampoo, with a look of regret. Regret over the friendship they had both lost. She walked back toward Curses and Cures, her heart heavy with emotions and her mind awash with thoughts. Perhaps tonight was a turning point?
~End~