Author's Note:: The main purpose of this chapter is to give you a basic introduction to the majority of the characters. While I have information on the characters at my website, I encourage you to find out about the characters here. Ja ne!
::Kyuuketsuki Musume::

Legacy
Chapter 1: The Basics

"I'm leaving!" Kiyami Maruyama shouted to her family as she stepped out the door of her house.

It was a sunny April Thursday in Tokyo, Japan. Fairly early in the morning, oh, let's say... seven forty-five?

Damn, I'm late, Kiyami thought as she checked her watch. Just as she moved to take another step forward, her mother, Tsuya, called back.

"Hold on, Kiyami, you forgot..."

"Mom, I didn't forget anything, and if you hold me up any longer, I'll be late!" Kiyami said, before dashing off.

"We're going to Egypt this weekend, don't forget to p-"

"I know!"

Kiyami ran at top speed, even though she knew she was already late. As she arrived at school, she saw a few people hanging around in front of the school.

"Hey, Maruyama, you're late!" One of the boys shouted. Kiyami stopped, and cast a surly look over at them.

"You're one to talk," She panted.

"I have a free period now, baka," The boy sneered.

Kiyami snarled, then set off at a run again. She made quite an entrance, flinging the door of her classroom open, and standing there, panting, angry blotches of red on her face.

"Maruyama?"

Kiyami looked up at her teacher, a harsh-looking woman in her mid-forties.

"Yes, Hasekura-san?"

"Why are you late?"

"Eh... slept in. Gomen."

"Well, go take a seat, then."

Kiyami nodded, and moved over to a seat in the back of the room. Ms. Hasekura moved back over to the blackboard and began teaching the lesson.

Kiyami sighed. She hated school. The only reason she put up with it so she could see her friends.

"Maruyama-san?"

Kiyami started, then looked over to her left, where the voice had come from. It was Arata Deguchi. He was a scrawny boy, with short brown hair and silvery gray eyes. He hung around with Kiyami and her friends, but he rarely spoke to her.

"Hi, Arata," Kiyami said, sighing.

"You okay?" Arata asked, sounding concerned.

"Yeah. Just tired. And bored."

"Ah. Hasekura-sensei can do that."

"She can't make you tired," Kiyami replied, resting her chin on her hand.

"Hai, but she can be boring."

"True."

"Deguchi, Maruyama! Pay attention!" Ms. Hasekura snapped.

"Gomen, Hasekura-sensei," Both replied, sighing.

There was a long silence(in which neither of them paid attention to Hasekura). After a while, Arata spoke again. "Kiyami-chan, I was wondering..."

The bell rang.

"... Okay, perhaps now is not the time..." Arata said as he watched Kiyami rush out the door. He got up and left, heading in the opposite direction as Kiyami.

"Kiyami! Over here!" Fumuki Mizuno shouted down the hallway, waving at her silver-haired friend. Kiyami dashed over to her.

"Hey," she said, somewhat tiredly.

"Kiyami-kun, Miyoko found a really great shopping center. We're gonna go there this weekend. Wanna come?"

Kiyami sighed. "Gomen, Fumuki-chan, but I can't. Mom and Dad insisted on taking me and Hyosuke to Egypt, and we're leaving tomorrow."

"What?! Why do they want you to go to Egypt?"

"History," Kiyami said, sighing again. "She wants us to learn something."

Fumuki sighed as well. She tossed her shoulder-length black hair out of her eyes. "Great. Your parents just love to ruin our fun, don't they?"

Hai ," Kiyami responded, miserably.

()()

By the end of the day, Kiyami was as tired as ever. Nevertheless, she hung around with her friends for awhile.

Kiyami's group consisted of seven people, herself included. There were six girls and one boy. Arata Deguchi, whom Kiyami had been speaking to in class, was that one boy. He was rather shy, and didn't like talking unless it was absolutely necessary.

Next was Fumuki Mizuno, a hyperactive, overly-energetic girl who loved shopping and movies. She had blue eyes and her black hair fell down to her shoulders. She arranged all of the group gatherings.

Miyoko and Ryoko Ozaki were twins. They were very nosey, and loved butting into other people's business. On top of that, they were noisy and rambunctious. For some time now, they'd been trying to get Kiyami and Arata together, though, mostly because of Arata's shyness and Kiyami's stubborness, they had yet to succeed. They both had very dark brown hair to their chin, and green eyes.

Suzuko Ryusaki was very shy, even more so than Arata, and she loved reading. She was also an avid artist. Arata often insisted that should could be a manga-ka if she really wanted to. Her jet-black hair was cropped short and kept out of her eyes, and her chocolate brown eyes always carried a sad, mournful look.

Tadako Senmatsu, the last member in the group, was the group's techie. She loved anything electronic(which made her fairly easy to shop for for Christmas and her birthday). Her most recent gadget was a digital video camera. She'd brought it to school to show off. She had light brown hair which went down to her waist, and eyes the same color as her hair.

Kiyami herself was, under normal circumstances, very fiesty, and she tended to back-talk. Her hair was silver-white, which was rather abnormal, as all her family members had black hair. Her eyes were the color of amethyst. She usually hung around with her friends for a few hours before going home to start her homework. Today, however, she had to go home early, so she only stayed about half an hour, saying she needed to pack for her trip.

"Egypt?" Suzuko had said. "I'm jealous. I really want to go there."

"Wish you could trade places with me," Kiyami said, miserably. She picked up her backpack. "See you guys later." She dashed home, where she was greeted by her brother, Hyosuke.

"Why're you home so late?" He said, with a smirk.

"You know why," Kiyami snapped. "I was hanging out with my friends."

"Uh HUH. SURE."

Kiyami sighed, exasperatedly, and went upstairs to pack.

()()

Next Chapter Kiyami takes her trip and meets someone who changes her life forever...

Review Responses

Cristal/Aikuchi Hey! Thanks fer reading! All people who use Khemetian Magick carry staffs. There are two other types of Magick that require staffs, but they're both FanFiction Magick types-- Dark Chi, from Jackie Chan Adventures, and a made-up type of Magick for CardCaptor Sakura called Immortal Realm magic. Khemetian is the adjective for Khemet, which is Egypt's original name. It's used to denote the nationality of Ancient Egyptians. Khemetic is for their language, some of which will appear in this. Oh, by the way... shakes yer hand Yeh've go' a deal!

Ghost I spell Magick that way for a reason. Magic is often used to describe simple parlor tricks, while Magick is used to describe the real deal.

Darkened Moon Light Why thank you. Yes, I LOVE studying ancient Egypt. I make up most of the spells I use myself. I haven't been able to find a book full of Egyptian spells, so I write my own. If the story is "Gem Of Time", I did read it, but I can't really see the connection. If I'm missing something, tell me, okay?

That's it from me! Look forward to my next chapter! Ja ne!
Banpaia Shojo