The Book of Magic ? Shinigami's Story
By: Kearin Maxwell
12/26/00
Disclaimer: I do not own the g-boys, and I never
will?
Pairings: None? so far
Warnings: None
Kearin: I may not have
any warnings for once, but I do have a note? This is for my muse of good things,
who was very upset when she found out about Blood Binds All and Blood Queens. So
this story is for Amaris.
Amaris: See I'm the special muse! ^^
Kearin:
heh ::sweatdrops::
*** Crossover with Diadem by John Peel
***
*******************************************
The Diadem holds us
together with thin threads.
If the Diadem dies, we follow its path through
death.
Now it is in danger?.
And only the chosen three can save
us.
*******************************************
Diadem
Prologue
{Book 1: Book of Magic}
By: Kearin Maxwell
The
shadows loomed together, like wolves in a pack. They had found their prey? They
had chosen their targets? And? they were almost to the Outer Rim Worlds?
Sure, they knew they would not have much power there? They *were* made
up of magic. And magic only worked so well on the Rim Worlds, much less the ones
they were headed to. They were the farthest and most remote of all the Rim
Worlds. There, at the most, the only things people would see of them would be a
lean shadow and a flicker of claws. But no matter? they had a mission? and their
prey had been selected? they were following their master's orders?
Their
mission was to find the 3 chosen ones, and to send them on their way to Treen.
There they'd fend for themselves, until they found Dublim. Until then they were
theirs to play with.
Yet, Dublim might get impatient and send his
minions [1] to help them. That would be a nuisance yet, it might become useful
in a way. It's not every day that you get to see a changeling, they were so
rare? although Dublim had his own village of them, he could get rather?
overprotective of them, so time would tell if they would get to see one. They
weren't very powerful magic-wise, yet they had an eerie sense of elemental
powers, and could change from beast to man, with will alone?
Enough
dawdling they had to concentrate on the mission. Success was essential, their
master would not hear them out if they were to return with news of failure.
Now they had reached the limit between the Outer Circuit and the Rim
Worlds. Their first destination would be Earth [2], then Calomir [3], and then
finally to Ordin [4].
And they moved, silently as a pack, as organized as
a single magnificent creature [5], as their hunt continued, and they pursued
their prey. Now far from home, they singled out their victim's world? The Outer
Rim's small and delicate Earth?
It was there that the Earth's sacrifice
lay. Their first prey?? [6] + [7]
~*End of Prologue*~
[1] Nika not
*those* minions?
[2] It will be present day Earth?
[3] It will be a
version of Earth in the Past, but a completely different world.
[4] Same for
Ordin, as Calomir is the Past, Ordin is a version of Earth in the future.
[5]
The shadows are separate creatures, they just move as if they were all
connected, as if one.
[6] I'm writing this because I just recently found my
books? ^.~ But I've changed and modified LOTs of things in the story. ((And
Amaris really wanted this?))
[7] This isn't really a prologue? I just won't
have Part 1 finished until a few days more, and I wanted to post something up
for this, and *try* and get people interested. So consider this a
teaser.
P.S. There will be actual GW material, in the next part.
*****XXX*****
12/26/00
Disclaimer: I do not own the
g-boys, and I never will?
Pairings: None? so far
Warnings: So far, or at
least in this Chapter, only language & very brief gang scene.
Note: Duo and
Solo DO NOT get along very well? And Helen IS his real mother in this story.
Father Maxwell isn't in here, and is never directly mentioned?. Also I'm sorry,
but I will be switching around with the point of view of everyone? Anymore notes
that I should give them, Amaris?
Amaris: anou? There are 3 time settings
throughout the story, and then you'll be pulled into Treen's time? but I don't
think that Kearin will stick those parts of the fic in this part..
Kearin:
Yea! You'll see the story set first into the present, then it'll go to a land in
the past, and then to a land in the future, before then finally staying in a
world with one time setting. Kk? I hope that's not too confusing? ^.^; But it'll
happen gradually?.
Greyn: You made as much sense as mud.
Kearin:
::glare:: And exactly who let you come into the writing of this story? I thought
I left you inside of Blood Binds All and Blood Queens?
Greyn: I came here to
torture her ::points at Amaris::
Amaris: ::Pales:: Onto the story? ::thinks
to herself:: Now I'll have to watch out for violent scenes?
*** Crossover
with Diadem, the book serie
***
*******************************************
The Diadem holds
us together with thin threads.
If the Diadem dies, we follow its path through
death.
Now it is in danger.
And only the chosen three can save
us.
*******************************************
Diadem Chapter
1
Book 1: Book of Magic
By: Kearin
Maxwell
*****
Earth
*****
'I've got to get out of here,
especially now that Solo's in jail.' Duo thought to himself. 'I'm glad he's
there? it's about time they caught him? but it's not surprising they toke this
long to catch him. Solo's a good criminal. And I mean good in the worst possible
way. It took the ENTIRE city's police force, to catch him. And now he'll be out
of my way for at least a few years or so. But I'll be gone by the time he
returns? long gone, I never want to see him again. How could he! I trusted him,
he was my best friend, and what does he do!? He kills my mother? well you'll
never allow yourself to confide in someone else again, look what it brought you
this time? Mom's death.'
Duo looked around the small apartment, that he
and his mom used to live in. 'Well *we* no longer exists' He thought ruefully
'It'll be just *me* from now on.' And with that last thought, he picked himself
up from the floor of the room and began to look around for anything that might
be useful, on the streets.
As he looked around, his eyes caught on a
floorboard in the room. It had been torn loose, as if someone else had been in a
hurry to conceal or find something. He quickly moved over to the floor panel,
and looked inside.
Inside the space made by the board, he found a
letter, with his name on it.
'Odd handwriting though, wonder who
could've written it ? oh? my god.. its mom's handwriting!'
His hands
shaking with wonder and excitement, he lifted the letter out, and quickly opened
it, taking out the folded letter within the envelope. He then unfolded it, and
attempted to read it, but it made absolutely no sense at all.
It was a
paper with shapes, objects, and phrases all over. 'I mean? some of it does
*seem* to make sense, but over all? it doesn't. like the wole thing off 111
being greater than 1 plus 1 plus 1. That's completely obvious! And then the
whole thing with the phrase that Treen is the start? Who the hell or what the
hell *is* Treen?'
Duo gave up in confusion as he began to go through the
possible reasons why his mother would want him to see this. Was he supposed to
understand it? But then why else would he given this?
As he kept rambling
on in his mind he noticed a small piece of paper with the words, "You'll
understand later on Treen with the others?" on it.
'What will I
understand later? I want to know what the hell this means now! And how the hell
do I get to Treen!? What others?' He thought as he angrily stuffed the paper
into his pocket, along with all the money he'd found in the apartment.
The weird paper was really giving him the creeps. 'That paper had a
great sense of timing? I've been having that weird dream, and then find a note
from my mother? Well, Solo said once that he'd known my mother, before she and
Dad got married. He told me that she was? different? almost a psychic. And he
said that she told him that I was special. Yea well, I seem to only cause
disasters and bring tragedy. But that dream? it was so? weird.. and I keep
having it? a tune, with no end, that you'd never hear if you could choose to,
but was just there. Slow, with an almost mournful edge in it. The dream always
had a violet light to it, a shade slightly brighter than his own eyes. But then,
every time I have the dream? I wake up disoriented, I used to believe, when I
first started getting the dreams, that if I could reach the light before I woke
up, I'd be able to be happy forever?' Disrupting his thoughts was his stomach,
which was announcing it's will to be fed. 'So much for that thought?'
And
with that as his cue, he left the bedroom, and apartment and headed down to the
street. From a distance, he cast the old apartment a farewell, he'd never
return. Then he turned and headed down the street, sticking close to the walls
and shadows. 'Now to concentrate on getting more money...and the easiest way
being, scamming the scam artists.'
*****
As Duo screened the
streets for an unsuspecting dealer, his eyes finally settled on a young and
hyper street dealer, who had managed to attract a small group of tourists.
Smiling to himself he slowly made his way over to him, wishing to remain as
unnoticeable as possible until he had reached the crowd, yet all the while happy
he had found a 3 card Monte dealer. But still, now that Solo was in jail, he
could still, easily, have people looking for him. After all, they would want to
put Duo in an orphanage now that his mother was dead. And he just knew that if
the police got a hold of him, he'd eventually end up with Solo.
The
police had taken Solo as a suspect really? He was guilty, but with all the
connections that Solo had around the city, he'd be able to bribe someone enough
to get out of jail, or even have all the charges dropped, declaring him
innocent. Solo would then take that opportunity to say he was the closest thing
Duo had to a next of kin. He'd end up with the murderer.
With those
thoughts going through his head, he barely suppressed a shudder, and stuck even
closer to the shadows of the street, thanking god over a few times that it was a
cloudy afternoon.
*****
He finally reached the crowd, amusing
himself as he watched the tourists lose, again and again. Only to watch as the
dealer, would purposely allow a tourist every once in a while to win. Duo kept
watching him until he thought he knew the dealer's pattern. Little did he know
that it was no pattern?
"C'mon everyone!" The dealer practically begged
the crowd. "It's so easy! All you have to do is pick out which one of the three
cards is the Queen of Spades! Only 5 dollars to try! C'mon people, I'll give you
twenty dollars if you can choose the Queen!"
"Hey! Mister!" Duo yelled
to the dealer. "I'll give it a try!"
"All right!" He then placed out the
cards, and then waited for Duo
Seeing that he was waiting for proof he
had the money, Duo confidently placed his last five onto the table. He then
smirked at the dealer as he watched him shuffle the cards.
"Ok, here we
go" He told Duo as he quickly shuffled the cards. "Watch the cards carefully"
And with those last few words, his hands flew shuffling the cards together
quickly, in a flutter of white and black. Smiling to himself, thinking he had
gotten a sucker.
Duo didn't even bother to pay attention to the dealer's
hands, he'd never lost at this game before, and he was sure he'd win this time
just like all the other times before. He didn't know how he did it, but every
single time he picked the right card. It was if whatever card he chose became
whatever he wanted it to be, but that was impossible? It could never happen.
Yet, he always did pick the right card, and if you got a dealer who did the game
correctly, the dealer would always either pocket the card and replace it with
another somehow, while he distracted you, or he never really had it in the deck
to begin with. However, that never seemed to happen with Duo.
The sound
of the dealer announcing, that he'd never pick the right card, brought him out
of his reflection.
"Now, boy, which one is it?" The dealer
taunted.
Duo lifted his hand over the table and then felt a force? Some
sort of sense? made him feel that the one on the far left was the Queen. How he
knew, he couldn't tell you, but he was sure that *that* was the queen. Then with
one quick fluid movent, he flipped it over, and there on the table lay the Queen
of Spades.
The crowd that had gathered, while Duo had been plying cheered
for him, and Duo laughed as he watched the shocked expression on the dealer's
face deepen, and then slightly tinge with anger.
Before Duo could get his
money, the dealer reclaimed the cards "Double or quits..
mister??"
"Shinigami's the name"
"Ah, So Shinigami, Double or
Quits?"
With a wicked smile, Duo told him "Double"
'That means
I'll get 60 dollars instead of 20 in the long run'
Then the dealer once a
gain shuffled the cards, yet this time he went much faster, trying to outsmart
'Shinigami'. Then after a minute or so of shuffling, the dealer stopped and put
the cards, face down on the table, like before. "So Shinigami, take your pick"
speaking with the false confidence that there was no way he could pick the Queen
of Spades. Now grinning widely, as he knew that no matter which card 'Shinigami'
picked, it'd be the wrong one.
Duo smiled at the dealers confidence a
flipped over the card on the right?. only to reveal the Queen of Spades once
more.
The shocked expression on the dealer's face threw both Duo and the
crowd into peals of laughter.
As the dealer wondered over and over how
the hell this kid could be winning, he began to get angry. Somehow this kid was
cheating him, someway somehow.
Duo held out the card to the street
dealer, laughter still shining brightly in his eyes as he gave the card back to
the dealer. "That'll be sixty" Duo told him.
With a scowl the dealer once
more attempted to gather his dignity and faced the crowd. "Anyone else here
think that Shinigami here should give it another try?"
A cheer from the
crowd answered his question and he settled his gaze onto Duo. "Well once more or
quits?" He asked him, with a large smirk across his face.
"I'll play
again." Duo replied with a happy go lucky grin, across his elfin features.
Firmly convinced that this time no matter how good this kid was, he
wasn't going to be conned at his own game again, the dealer let his hands fly
across the table. Shuffling the cards with the speed of a whirlwind. Then with
the abruptness with which he had started, he stopped and arranged the cards onto
a final formation on the table. "Pick the Queen and win another
twenty"
"Yosh. If you say so." Duo was about to pick the card in the
middle, when he felt the presence of someone behind him. Their gaze burning into
his back, with slight annoyance he turned around, to see?.
A woman,
standing about two feet behind him. She stood there cloaked in black, and what
bothered Duo the most was that she was smiling, and it was a creepy smile at
that.
"Who the hell are you!?"
The woman smile widens and she
looks up, her bright green eyes, burning into Duo's soft violet
ones.
"Call me LeCora if you will?"
"I asked who you are, not for
a name, those don't tell me much about you do they."
Lecora started to
laugh, when she was still giggling, she pointed over to the dealer who was now
trembling with barely suppressed anger.
"Hey, Shini-whatever, get back
over here and finish!"
At hearing the dealer's voice Duo turned around,
and was about to pick up the middle card when the dealer, quickly intercepted
the move, and flipped it over for himself? ' This time, this kid, wasn't gonna
con him', but as he turned the card over, he saw? The queen of spades once more.
The crowd cheered for Duo while the dealer grabbed the sleeve of his
shirt and pulled him down. "Just how the hell are you doing this,
kid!?"
Duo smiled and told him luck.
"Whatever kid, I don't
believe in luck."
Then LeCora moved forward, calmly taking the dealer's
hand off Duo. Then she threw back her long, black hair with a shake of her head
and continued?
"It is not luck, but skill.
You change the card with
your will"
"What do you mean skill!?" The dealer practically growled.
"There is no fucking way that he could win this game out of skill. He just
can't."
"Surely I jest not.
Take a look for yourself.
All three
cards will be the same.
They'll all be the Queen of Spades."
With that
said she reached for the cards on the table, and just before she flipped them
over, she looked Duo in the eyes.
"What you see will be true.
But you
must remember
That with magic on your side.
You'll never
lose"
"Nani?"
With a smile she flipped all the cards over to
reveal? As she had said three Queens of Spades. Duo just couldn't believe it and
while he wondered about what the hell was going on, he twirled the card he had
picked up and stared at it. 'How?'
LeCora watching him with her green
eyes, replied to his thought.
"Your magic allows you to change
things.
On Earth they will be small?
Yet on Treen they'll be
large."
"How do you know about Treen?"
"Enough, but I suggest you
get moving?"
"Huh?" He finally saw that the dealer was angry enough to
kill him there and then. 'Screw all the witnesses, I'm going to kill him! He
completely cheated me!'
With that Duo broke into a run, clutching his 60
dollars, which he quickly stuffed into his pockets. Blissfully unaware of the
danger that waited him at his next turn?
Duo walked along a long
alleyway, long since he'd lost the card dealer inside the crowd. As he walked,
he reflected on the things that had happened prior to his running away. That
woman had said he could change things. He hadn't completely bought what she
said, yet it all added up. There was no other way to explain the cards changing
like that.
As he thought about it, an idea struck him. Why not test it
out to be sure? So he dug into his pockets, looking for something small to
change. Yet with his luck he only found the money he'd just earned. Suddenly it
dawned on him that if he could change the cards, why couldn't he change the
money he'd just won.
Smoothing the bill unconsciously, he closed his eyes
and pictured the bill in his hand changing to a hundred instead of a twenty. As
he opened his eyes once more, he saw that he'd been able to change the bill to a
hundred. Just as he had imagined.
'Well if I had known I had this
ability, I would have used it ages ago and made sure that me and mom lived in a
house. Far from the clutches of Solo.'
With that unpleasant thought he
continued to make his way down the alley. Completely unaware of the evil that
loomed directly above him.
*****
That was their victim. It was
there alone, and ripe for the picking. It'd only be a matter of time now that
they'd found their victim, their prey, their chosen one.
They laughed at
the sight of their prey. That weedy child was the chosen one?! The universe must
be playing a joke. Here they were sent to capture a powerful magician. Poor
child, he will soon meet his end?
With a snicker the Shadows dropped
down and found the perfect human hosts, not even a block away. Quickly and as
one they entered the bodies of the gang members they'd found, and quickly and
efficiently informed their hosts of a small boy with money, merely down the
street.
Without a word the gang group moved down the street with the
cover of silence. Towards the small figure in the alleyway, which had yet to
notice their presence.
*****
Just as he turned the corner of the
alley, he realized what trouble he'd just gotten himself into. He'd been so
distracted testing his powers, that he'd just run into the local gang district.
And the particular territory he'd just entered was home to a very violent and
territorial gang as well. He'd seen them kill full grown men, and then get away
with it clean. Their victims never even saw them coming.
'Shit?' Duo
thought as he noticed the figures moving towards him. 'Today's just not my
day?'
As some of the figures walked, flashes of silver could be seen.
'They're armed with knives' Duo realized with a start.
"Anou? hey?." Duo
called out to the gang. Yet they did absolutely nothing. Duo thought they were
ignoring him till they came close enough for him to see their eyes. They were
cold. He'd never seen eyes like that. As if they one-sided mirrors? only
allowing one side to look out while the other was trapped inside. And their
faces looked as if they had been wiped of any expressions or emotions. Very
chilling to see them advance him like that. Under normal circumstances, they'd
mock and taunt him while they took whatever he had.
And today he had
something very worth their while. He had more money in his pocket than he could
ever recall having at any point in his life.
Yet with another look at
them, he realized that they may not only be after his money, but his life. They
were going to kill him.
With no choice, Duo spun around and ran. He
didn't care where he went as long as it was in the opposite direction of where
the gang was headed.
At the first alley he saw, he turned and ran in
there. Following every street and alley he could find. Knowing that he still
hadn't lost the gang. They were still in deep pursuit of him. He could hear
their footsteps, and he was tiring.
As he was running through the short
street, he noticed it was a dead end. With a river behind it, and the fence that
was blocking it was topped with barbed wire. There was no way around it.
'Shit! They'll get me for sure now'.
Just then the gang arrived
into the street, looking as pissed off as they could without expressions.
It made Duo's hair crawl to see them like that, almost as if they had
auras of evil surround in them. And all that Duo could do was watch them as they
advanced on him with their knives ready, and a murderous glare in their eyes.
*****
Fear?.
Fear everywhere. The shadows laughed, their
little prey was scared of them, well that pleased them. It was no fun to chase
their prey when it wasn't scared. It made them almost want to give it a reward
for making this hunt so enjoyable. After all, he was cooperating, and he made
all the fuss they'd wanted him to.
Their goal was to get him the river,
they could already feel the energy coming. Well, no matter to them, they were
never told they couldn't play with their prey?
*****
The gang was
advancing on him, only a matter of time before they'd rip him piece from piece
and laugh as the blood soaked the ground.
Just then a wave of water
splashed all over him and the gang, knocking them all to the ground. As Duo
fell, he saw something explode under the water and then rise into the air in a
beautiful display of golden lights. From his position on the ground he could see
that a large golden colored lion, with sparkling bright emerald eyes, had caused
the explosion.
Now, as to what lion was doing in New York, much less in a
river outside of a zoo, was beyond him.
As if it had control of it's
speed while landing, it landed with ultimate grace and balance. Making it look
as if it had floated down.
As soon as it's four feet were on the ground,
it started to change. It began to look more human than lion, and soon there was
a young boy, with weird bang, emerald colored eyes, and in a tunic, which looked
as if it had been made from the hide of a lion.
"If you value your life,
you'll get over here." The boy said to Duo.
With a slight nod, Duo tried
to get up and over to the boy. Yet with all the water that had fallen
everywhere, he slipped and fell, just as a knife flew through the air and had
nearly gotten him in the head.
With a growl, the mysterious boy had the
gang member on the floor of the alley, with his neck broken.
The rest of
the gang moved away in awe, making sure as they moved not to attract the
attention on the boy.
*****
The shadows snickered. That fool. He
couldn't kill them. Well, their host bodies were expendable, yet their job here
was done. Time to let their hosts fend for themselves.
As one, they
moved. Slowly fading out of their hosts, allowing them to deal with the
changeling. They themselves had more to prey to hunt, and he was merely delaying
them.
Together, they moved as one to the next
planet.
*****
"All of you shall die" The boy told the gang, who
were now looking around as if they'd just woken up. Noticing the boy, they
brought up their knives. Yet that was before they noticed their dead member,
upon seeing him they all fled. Leaving the changeling with Duo. All except one
that is. Obviously the leader, for he drew a large silver pistol, which he aimed
directly at Duo.
"Tactical retreat"
"Nani?"
"We are
leaving"
"We?"
Not answering Duo, the boy picked up Duo with one
hand and simply leaped over the fence, falling towards the watery depth of the
river, lined with jagged rocks?.
-END OF CHAPTER 1-
{1} For all of
you who have read this before in Diadem, I wanted to make LeCora a girl. Doesn't
it work out nicely? I think it makes more sense for 'him' t be a woman? Also, I
didn't make her speak in rhymes, just now it'll be riddles or she'll skirt about
whatever she is trying to tell them. Works better for me. Sorry for all you fans
out there, he will remain a she?
[[****]] I just put all of Duo's parts
together to make one large chapter and I am going to do the same for Wufei who
is next... Everybody please review. I want to know what you think.
To Chapter 2
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