Thanks for coming back everyone. I also finally got all of our character's zodiac signs figured out. I posted the list in the discussion thread. The reason why I wanted that list is so when our characters encounter more zodiac stones in the future we'll know which stone reacts to which person.)Ren
Ren was laying on his bed, reflecting on what Index had told him as he looked at the orb that sat on his table. A power conduit that enhances an esper's powers, was such a thing even possible? It had to be, otherwise Takeo wouldn't have become so strong so quickly. Ren let out a sigh. Too bad the orb didn't work on everyone. If it did, maybe then he could feel what it's like to be something more than a Level 2.
That's when he remembered something else Index had told him. There were twelve stones in total, one for each zodiac sign. That meant there had to be a Virgo stone out there somewhere. But considering his luck, it was probably on the other side of the planet.
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock at his front door, followed by the sound of Cait's voice. What was she doing here? He started to get up and head for the door when he remembered the orb. He didn't want her to get caught up into whatever was going on, so he had to hide it. He grabbed the stone and tossed it under his bed. Once it was out of sight he went to answer the front door.
When he opened the door he found Cait trying to catch her breath. "Cait, are you okay?" he asked.
"I should be asking you that. Why didn't you show up at school today?"
"I... just needed some personal time," Ren said.
She frowned a little. "That's not like you, Ren. You always show up at school, no matter what."
She had him there. Ever since he was a kid he always tried to make it to school on time, even if he was sick. Punctuality was one of the traits his parents had beaten into his skull since day one. The only time he would ever try to skip a day of school was if he was puking-his-guts-out sick, and Cait knew it.
Ren quickly tried to think up an excuse. "Well, I was feeling pretty bad this morning, but I started getting better in the afternoon. I figured, since I already missed half of my classes what would be the point in trying to get to the last ones if I'm just going to end up being late?"
Cait's frown deepened. "You're hiding something," she told him bluntly.
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Sky
Sky stopped in front of a round glass stone on one of the shelves with many other artefacts. The glass had a light blue tint to it, and the zodiac sign of Virgo was carved into the surface. The clean, bright looking orb easily stood out amongst the rest of the dirty earth-coloured statues that occupied the shelf.
"It's just a glass ball," Bianca said.
"That's no ordinary glass ball," The shopkeeper said as he approached the two girls.
"What do you mean?" Sky asked.
"About ten years ago a man in white robes came into my store and gave it to me. He wouldn't tell me exactly what it was, only that it was an object of great power if held in the hands of a certain person."
"Really...?" Sky said as she turned back toward the orb. She felt a little mystified by the object.
The old man added, "If you're interested, I'll let you have it for 1500 yen."
Bianca and Sky both stared at him for a moment. "If this thing is so powerful, why are you selling it so cheaply?" Bianca asked.
"This is a business I'm running here. I can't fill my stomach with pretty statues. Besides, the stone does nothing when I hold it, so what use would I have for it?"
"But still, it seems like such a low price for something you made sound so important," Sky said.
"The stone only works for a certain person. Maybe that person is one of you two? If not, maybe you can find the person it does react to..."
(By the way, 1500 yen is around $15.00)
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Takeo
The woman frowned hard as she watched Takeo come after her again. "You're starting to get on my nerves, kid." She released Lena's arm for a moment to sheath her sword. When Taki was within reaching distance she slammed her knee into his stomach. Takeo fell to the ground in a cringing heap. He clutched his stomach as he struggled to breathe. He tried to move, but he was paralyzed by the pain.
The woman turned back to Lena and grabbed her arm again. She looked at Ayaka and Jordan and said, "Walk where I can see you." The two of them hesitantly moved so they were in front of the woman with their backs turned. She shoved Lena forward a bit and said, "Lead the way."
"What about my friend?" She asked, looked over her shoulder to where Taki was laying.
"You have more pressing matters to be worried about right now. Move!" She pushed her forward again, a little hard this time.
Takeo could do nothing but watch as the group walked down the street. The sound of cars and voices started to pick up the further they went. By the time they were out of sight, the streets were bustling with people and vehicles once again.
Taki felt someone helping him to his feet. "Hey kid, are you all right?" the stranger asked.
"I-I'll be fine," he said as he tried to walk on his own feet, staggering a little as he went.
"Are you sure? The I could take you to the hospital, it's not that far from here."
Takeo ignored him, his mind was set on more important matters. How could Lena lead that woman to the orb so willingly? Weren't they trying to keep it out of the hands of those people? And what about Ren, was she planning on betraying him, too?
Takeo shook his head, he wouldn't let this happen. The orb was given to him, it belonged to him! If Lena was going to lead that woman to the orb, he would just have to get there first and hide it somewhere else. He rushed off down the street, taking as many shortcuts as he could to get to Ren's house. He had to get there first.
(Hey Undertaker, can you have Lena lead the woman to an empty park somewhere?)
