Battle Hymn of the Republic

(( OOC: Due to the inability of online translators to translate their own stuff, I have had to write a translation the hard way, which is posted below, in case you don't know Japanese.))

Kagami Miyuki leaned back on the little grassy hill near the middle of the local park in her Osakan neighborhood, relaxing in the shade of one of the larger trees. The 15-year old middle schooler was tired from the day at school, and soaked in the gentle breeze and calm air of the park, trying to clear her mind of all the worries of passing her classes so she could get into a good high school, like her parents wanted her to. Miyuki was about as average as it got, except for her lanky frame, and her relative tallness for a middle school age Japanese girl. Two of her friends were playing on the playground below the short hill, looking much too large for the toddler-sized equipment, but Miyuki didn't really care, and neither did anyone else. It was fun, and a nice way to relieve stress. As drowsiness swept over Miyuki, she leaned all the way back, ignoring the likely effects of grass on her mostly white school uniform. The ground was slightly damp, but dry enough that all this served to do was cool the girl while she closed her eyes.
"Tasukete kure!" a voice called from nowhere.
"Nani?" Miyuki asked, sitting up quickly, shocked to have heard something. It almost sounded as if it were in her mind.
"E eto, aru daredesu ka?" she called into the thicket of trees behind her. It had come from this direction, right? she thought. After walking a few meters, she could barely see her friends behind her, but up ahead was a blue light, pulsating slowly.
"Tasukete!" the voice called again. it was definitely in her head. Yet that light looked so real...
"Watashi wa koko yo!" Miyuki called back, but she only got the same call for help as an answer.

As the hairs prickled on the back of Miyuki's neck, she felt that it might be a bad idea to go any further, but some thrill running up her spine made the teen continue walking towards the mysterious source of light. And, as if on cue, right when Miyuki had had enough and was about to turn and return to her friends, she saw it. Lying on the ground was what looked to be a gemstone, a sapphire, to be exact, and next to it was a powder blue cat... or at least it was probably a cat. Its fur reminded Miyuki of waves, flowing up to rough, white-capped peaks along the small animal's back. The animal, however, did not move, it acted as if it were weak, perhaps injured. A wave of Sympathy washed over Miyuki, and she stepped forward, to see if there was anything she could do to help. Miyuki had never had a pet before, but was sure she could take care of one. This had to be a cat, right? People did do strange things to their pets' fur, and this one had obviously been abandoned.

While Miyuki approached the creature, it seemed to stir, coming back to life. one eye, and then the other opened, and the stared up at Miyuki, looking like two, cold, blue, ice crystals. Miyuki paused for a moment, suddenly afraid. What IS this thing? she thought, but then its voice filled her mind again.

"Kagami Miyuki. Boku wa anata no kokoro no yobidashi-ji ni koko ni iru yo. Anata wa, shiken ni gōkaku shi, Boku to issho ni shizen-kai no kodai no mahō o motte junbi ga dekite iru?" The blue creature asked, getting up and staring Miyuki in the eyes.
Miyuki wanted to run, but found she could not, spellbound by this small thing. "E eto, e eto... Nani?"
"Anata wa shizen no chikara o katsuyō shite yoroshiidesu ka?" it asked, insistent.
Miyuki could not think of any way to get out of this, but, as she sat there, frozen, she seemed to have ages to think. Harnessing the power of nature? it was true that Japan had a strong mythology, and many ties to the occult, but magic? Magic was for children's shows, not the real world. Still...
Miyuki steeled herself. "Hai." she answered simply, determined to see the outcome of this.

Suddenly, the world went quiet. the thicket darkened, then disappeared altogether. There was no ground, no sky, nothing, just blackness. And then it lit. First came the gem, the blue, diamond-shaped sapphire, from which four lines grew, curving and bending into a script Miyuki could not recognize, before coalescing into a circle, forming a magic ring of light around them. The creature stood in front of Miyuki, still looking straight into her eyes. Suddenly, the girl found the strength to rise, and stood tall, but her eyes remained locked with that of the creature.

"Boku no namae wa Saph, watashi wa babironsafaia no shugo-juudesu. Kon, anata ga ore ni atae rareta mahō de, ore wa sakusei shinakereba naranai koto to no ma no keiyaku o shīru, Boku o, shizen." the blue creature, now identified as Saph, told Miyuki.

"Watashi no namae wa Kagami Miyuki, watashi wa babironsafaia no keiyaku-shadesu. Sate, watashi ga anata ni atae rareta mahō de, watashi wa sakusei shinakereba naranai koto to no ma no keiyaku o shīru, watashi o, shizen." The girl answered, not understanding how she knew what to say.

The Sapphire rose, coming to a rest at the same height as the base of Miyuki's throat, and then two objects emerged from it. The first was a small key, golden in color, with the same runes as the magic circle etched all over its surface. The second was a small brooch, shaped perfectly to receive the Sapphire, it too, appeared to be made of gold. Unwittingly, Miyuki held out her hand, and the key came to rest within her palm, while the brooch made its way to her neck, and came to rest there, a blue band snaking its way around the neck and turning the brooch into a choker. Miyuki then closed her fist around the Key, and the sapphire disappeared, reappearing within the brooch. The key, too, seemed to have disappeared, replaced with a deep blue staff, the bottom end which was shaped like an icicle, the top of which was an orb that appeared to be filled with a roiling ocean.

The world around Miyuki was now no longer dark- instead multiple colors of lights were flashing past, none staying long enough to tint the pair any specific color, but bringing a light by which they could now see much better. However, Miyuki wasn't paying attention to that, instead, she noticed that she was suddenly no longer clothed (though thankfully her bra and panties did not disappear) and now a wave of blue light was crashing along her skin, originating from the choker, and forming into a long-sleeved blouse, which fit her frame nicely. The mid-length skirt that formed along with it was puffy, and was once again reminiscent of the ocean, moving with a gentle grace that spoke of an underwater current, while her hair was blown up as with a sea wind. Gloves, and then boots, formed last, matching her outfit and providing her with protection for her hands and feet. However, Miyuki's attention was once more drawn away from her body, and to her right hand, in which the staff was now spinning swiftly yet gracefully. Once the entire outfit was fully formed and felt corporeal, however, Miyuki involuntarily stopped, jamming the icicle end into the ground.

"UEEEHHH? Nani ga okita nda?" Miyuki exclaimed, as the whole transformation sequence ended.
"Keiyaku ga mitasa rete iru, anata wa, watashi no atarashii masutādearu hōseki wa, sorera o mitsukeru tame ni hitotsu toshite anata o sentaku shite iru!" Saph answered, happily.
"Watashi wa kore o setsumei suru hazude wanaidesu ka...?" Miyuki asked, almost dejectedly.
"Sore wa jibun dake ga seijō ni modotte iku sōzō, kantandashi, hitsuyō ni narimasu." Saph answered. And he was right. Moments later, Miyuki was back to normal, though now with the sapphire choker, and an extra key on her keyring.

Kagami Miyuki leaned back on the little grassy hill near the middle of the local park in her Osakan neighborhood, relaxing in the shade of one of the larger trees. The 15-year old middle schooler was tired from the day at school, and soaked in the gentle breeze and calm air of the park, trying to clear her mind of all the worries of passing her classes so she could get into a good high school, like her parents wanted her to. Miyuki was about as average as it got, except for her lanky frame, and her relative tallness for a middle school age Japanese girl. Two of her friends were playing on the playground below the short hill, looking much too large for the toddler-sized equipment, but Miyuki didn't really care, and neither did anyone else. It was fun, and a nice way to relieve stress. As drowsiness swept over Miyuki, she leaned all the way back, ignoring the likely effects of grass on her mostly white school uniform. The ground was slightly damp, but dry enough that all this served to do was cool the girl while she closed her eyes.
"help me!" a voice called from nowhere.
"Huh?" Miyuki asked, sitting up quickly, shocked to have heard something. It almost sounded as if it were in her mind.
"Uh, is somebody there?" she called into the thicket of trees behind her. It had come from this direction, right? she thought. After walking a few meters, she could barely see her friends behind her, but up ahead was a blue light, pulsating slowly.
"Help!" the voice called again. it was definitely in her head. Yet that light looked so real...
"I'm coming!" Miyuki called back, but she only got the same call for help as an answer.

As the hairs prickled on the back of Miyuki's neck, she felt that it might be a bad idea to go any further, but some thrill running up her spine made the teen continue walking towards the mysterious source of light. And, as if on cue, right when Miyuki had had enough and was about to turn and return to her friends, she saw it. Lying on the ground was what looked to be a gemstone, a sapphire, to be exact, and next to it was a powder blue cat... or at least it was probably a cat. Its fur reminded Miyuki of waves, flowing up to rough, white-capped peaks along the small animal's back. The animal, however, did not move, it acted as if it were weak, perhaps injured. A wave of Sympathy washed over Miyuki, and she stepped forward, to see if there was anything she could do to help. Miyuki had never had a pet before, but was sure she could take care of one. This had to be a cat, right? People did do strange things to their pets' fur, and this one had obviously been abandoned.

While Miyuki approached the creature, it seemed to stir, coming back to life. one eye, and then the other opened, and the stared up at Miyuki, looking like two, cold, blue, ice crystals. Miyuki paused for a moment, suddenly afraid. What IS this thing? she thought, but then its voice filled her mind again.

"Kagami Miyuki. I am the guardian beast of the babylon sapphire, whom you have awoken through the magic hidden within yourself. Will you take the responsibility of controlling a force of nature" The blue creature asked, getting up and staring Miyuki in the eyes.
Miyuki wanted to run, but found she could not, spellbound by this small thing. "Uhh.. umm... What?"
"Do you want to harness the power of nature?" it asked, insistent.
Miyuki could not think of any way to get out of this, but, as she sat there, frozen, she seemed to have ages to think. Harnessing the power of nature? it was true that Japan had a strong mythology, and many ties to the occult, but magic? Magic was for children's shows, not the real world. Still...
Miyuki steeled herself. "Yes." she answered simply, determined to see the outcome of this.

Suddenly, the world went quiet. the thicket darkened, then disappeared altogether. There was no ground, no sky, nothing, just blackness. And then it lit. First came the gem, the blue, diamond-shaped sapphire, from which four lines grew, curving and bending into a script Miyuki could not recognize, before coalescing into a circle, forming a magic ring of light around them. The creature stood in front of Miyuki, still looking straight into her eyes. Suddenly, the girl found the strength to rise, and stood tall, but her eyes remained locked with that of the creature.

"My name is Saph, Guardian beast of the babylon Sapphire. With the power given to me by you, I will seal a contract between you, I and nature." the blue creature, now identified as Saph, told Miyuki.

"My name is Kagami Miyuki, I am the keeper of the Babylon Sapphire. With the power given to you by me, I will seal a contract between you, I and nature." The girl answered, not understanding how she knew what to say.

The Sapphire rose, coming to a rest at the same height as the base of Miyuki's throat, and then two objects emerged from it. The first was a small key, golden in color, with the same runes as the magic circle etched all over its surface. The second was a small brooch, shaped perfectly to receive the Sapphire, it too, appeared to be made of gold. Unwittingly, Miyuki held out her hand, and the key came to rest within her palm, while the brooch made its way to her neck, and came to rest there, a blue band snaking its way around the neck and turning the brooch into a choker. Miyuki then closed her fist around the Key, and the sapphire disappeared, reappearing within the brooch. The key, too, seemed to have disappeared, replaced with a deep blue staff, the bottom end which was shaped like an icicle, the top of which was an orb that appeared to be filled with a roiling ocean.

The world around Miyuki was now no longer dark- instead multiple colors of lights were flashing past, none staying long enough to tint the pair any specific color, but bringing a light by which they could now see much better. However, Miyuki wasn't paying attention to that, instead, she noticed that she was suddenly no longer clothed (though thankfully her bra and panties did not disappear) and now a wave of blue light was crashing along her skin, originating from the choker, and forming into a long-sleeved blouse, which fit her frame nicely. The mid-length skirt that formed along with it was puffy, and was once again reminiscent of the ocean, moving with a gentle grace that spoke of an underwater current, while her hair was blown up as with a sea wind. Gloves, and then boots, formed last, matching her outfit and providing her with protection for her hands and feet. However, Miyuki's attention was once more drawn away from her body, and to her right hand, in which the staff was now spinning swiftly yet gracefully. Once the entire outfit was fully formed and felt corporeal, however, Miyuki involuntarily stopped, jamming the icicle end into the ground.

"UEEEHHH? what just happened?" Miyuki exclaimed, as the whole transformation sequence ended.
"You have sealed a contract with me, and are the new guardian of the babylon Sapphire. you have also been chosen as the one to bring all the Babylon Gems together as their master!" Saph answered, happily.
"How am I supposed to explain this to everyone...?" Miyuki asked, almost dejectedly, referring to her new getup
"Simply imagine yourself returning to normal, and you will." Saph answered. And he was right. Moments later, Miyuki was back to normal, though now with the sapphire choker, and an extra key on her keyring.

Several hours later, Miyuki was at home, locked in her room, with Saph. The creature had managed to turn itself into a rather thin looking 'russian blue' cat, but the disguise was effective, and somehow, Miyuki had been granted permission to keep him, at least for a few days to see if he could behave himself as a cat. The dark-haired girl stared at the creature for now, as if trying to drill through it with her eyes. Just what was this thing?

"I am a guardian beast." Saph plainly answered Miyuki's unasked question, in her head, as usual.

Miyuki blinked in response, startled. "okaaaay..... And why were you lying in the middle of the park?"

"I'm not sure. Guardian beasts are not created until their masters are found. Somebody must have put the sapphire there, and you just happened to be the one who could awaken the stone." Saph responded, stretching out, yawning, and then plopping down to rest on Miyuki's desk. The girl could only stare, trying to think of something else.

"So... What's a guardian beast? and the Babylon Sapphire? I was taught in school that Babylon was destroyed many thousands of years ago." Miyuki questioned.

"I guard the Sapphire, to keep people who aren't supposed to have it from stealing it. However, if I'm defeated, then the stone gets a new owner..." Saph began, looking out the window for a moment, before returning to the other question. "The Sapphire itself is a magical gemstone. there are Eight altogether, but I can't remember what they all are. Each of us gives its owner different powers of nature. As for Babylon, I'm a couple hours old, I have no idea what's happened to it."

Miyuki stared at the cat. Saph stared back at the girl.

"Well... what am I supposed to do with this magic? find the other seven gemstones? fight crime? take over the world?" Miyuki listed off a few ideas, though one was obviously a joke.

"That's for you to decide. But I do know that if the gemstones are left in nature long enough their Guardian beasts will come out and cause problems, so we should probably do something about it." Saph responded, rolling onto his back, acting like a lazy cat.

"great..." Miyuki muttered, knowing she had enough on her plate with school. Finding seven magical gemstones was a bit beyond what she thought she could do.
However...

The night air stirred. A ways away, a glow could be seen, bright orange, as if from a fire. Miyuki stood, Saph next to her, once again clothed in the strange blue outfit granted her by the Babylon sapphire, staff in hand. She could feel the magic power this time, she knew it was another one of the gemstones. The 15 year old took a deep breath, and broke into a run, sprinting toward the fire, knowing that she had to be the one to subdue it. It was a magical fire, and though the firemen could contain it, only she could stop the guardian beast from rampaging and causing a lot of destruction.
"So which gemstone is this one again? It's obviously fire magic, but that's all I can figure out." Miyuki asked Saph, as the cat-like creature ran next to her, closer to the glowing conflagration that was ahead of her.
"It's the Babylon Ruby, and I think the old guardian beast might have lost control. Usually they lie dormant, but it seems that this one's been placed in a bad spot." Saph answered, watching the young girl as they dashed past the safety barrier put up by the firemen, towards the heart of the fire. Once there, they quickly found their quarry, a large dog, with orange fur, but sporting a mane of fire. it seemed vicious, but also lost and confused, barking bouts of flame as it tried to keep strangers away, however, all that most managed to see was the flame.
"Do, do they know it's here?" Miyuki asked
"Probably not, it usually only appears to magic users, unless it specifically wants to be seen." Saph explained, as they finally stopped their run. It was quite hot, and Miyuki knew she needed to do something.

Determined, the girl gripped the staff in her hand, and pointed it at the flaming dog, imagining a stream of water like a fire hose. the staff responded, opening one side of the orb and unleashing an enormous spray of water, which began immediately steaming up, but did indeed help quench some of the flames. Still, it wasn't quite enough, one hose in the middle of a raging inferno was only the beginning of what they would need here. The dog, however, had noticed them, and now charged, angry that its element was being subdued. Miyuki screamed, falling back and just barely managing to stay underneath a great leap. From the corner of her eye, she saw Saph grow to nearly the same size as the dog, and begin wrestling with it, the two beasts evenly matched, but at least it wasn't attacking Miyuki anymore. The black haired girl scrambled to her feet, seeing that what she was doing was ineffective, even if water was the counter to fire. She decided to try attacking the guardian beast more directly, and this time charged at the battling creatures, bringing her staff down like a club over the dog's head, at which the orb shattered, and suddenly an immense amount of water gushed forth, spraying powerfullyin in all directions, like a tidal wave centered around the orb.

Miyuki, at this blow, however, suddenly felt herself draining of energy, her strength giving way and finally she could no longer fight the waters, and was swept away- but before she could go anywhere, she felt something grab the back collar of her outfit- it was Saph, and he was treading water, Keeping Miyuki safe.
"I need you to imagine the orb back to it's normal condition! if you don't you'll drain us both!" he urged her, mentally.
"o.. Okay.." Miyuki responded, drowsily, her mind imagining the orb returning to its normal state, though the image was hazy. Still, she could feel the staff reforming, and the immense drain of energy stopped, as did the flow of water. Miyuki and Saph came to rest on solid ground, and before them, they could see the beast lying in front of them, unconscious. Saph urged Miyuki up, and she stood, weakly. Without thinking, she began chanting "Rubeh, guardian of the fire gem, Come forth, Byakko, be gone, your time is over, Babylon Ruby, come to my call, Seal the contract between you, I, and nature!" She pointed her staff, and at her behest, the creature before her disappeared, causing a single, diamond-shaped ruby to form, and next to it, a small creature like Saph, a reddish cat whose fur looked like fire, sleeping gently. Miyuki's outfit and staff disappeared, leaving her clothed normally, and she held out her hand, the ruby appearing suddenly in her hand. She looked it over for a moment, and then stuffed it in her pocket, and She and Saph walked up to the sleeping cat.

"Let's see if I can convince my parents to let me have another cat..." Miyuki quipped, chuckling nervously.

"You may not have to..." Saph began, stopping Miyuki short as she bent down to pick up this second guardian beast which was apparently named 'Rubeh'.
"Ehhh?" The girl asked, looking over the blue cat, a feeling of exasperation coming to join the exhaustion she felt.
"Well, you can recall the guardian beasts into their stones..." Saph began, somewhat sheepishly. Obviously, Saph didn't seem to want to be recalled, and had omitted this information beforehand.
"Oh really now?" Miyuki quipped, quirking an eyebrow at Saph.
"Ju... just imagine him and the stone as one, and he will be recalled to it, no matter where on your person it is." Saph instructed, hoping that he was safe from the same fate. Luckily for him, Miyuki chose to recall the new cat, and it disappeared, a reddish-orange orb of light making its way into the same pocket as the Ruby. Next, she returned to her normal state, the blue outfit turning into a normal blouse and skirt, allowing Miyuki to blend in with society. Behind, the sounds of firemen and other emergency crews could be heard, battling the remains of the fire, but with its source and heart taken away, they now had the upper hand.

******

As Miyuki and Saph walked home, the middle-schooler turned the ruby red stone over and over in her hands, inspecting it.
"What am I supposed to do with it?" she asked, looking to the now familiar blue cat for advice.
"Well, you can put it in your Brooch and change your outfit, or you can put it in the key and change your staff. When it's in your Brooch, it augments your physical powers and lets you emit fire from your hands and feet, just like the sapphire allows you to emit water from your hands and feet." Saph began, before being interrupted by Miyuki.
"I can do that?" she demanded, stopping mid-stride
"Yeah.. I probably should have told you. Anyway, when you put it in your key, it will change your staff, and allow it to use fire-based attacks, just like you were using the staff for water. magic performed with the staff is stronger than that which you emit from your body, usually, until you learn to properly channel it, but that's something I can't just tell you, it has to be learned over time."
"Aww man, and you've been so helpful up to now..."
"Now now, this is still quite a bit more information than you had before, and it's obvious you need some more practice..."
'Hey!"
"Just being truthful! Geeze don't get mad" Saph defended, beginning to explain something else. "As far as I know, Equipping the sapphire in your brooch increases your ability to absorb damage and also your rate of healing, but it doesn't make you any stronger, physically. Equipping the ruby in the same place should give you greater speed and striking power, but you won't be able to take as much damage, and it will drain you even more quickly."
"Even more quickly?? But I could barely handle a couple of minutes!"
"Exactly, so you should probably be more careful. Smashing the staff wasn't the best of ideas, even if it was effective."
"Shut up, I'm new"
"Not criticizing you, just telling the facts" Saph sighed.
"The how about the staff, what effects do the stones have on that?" Miyuki inquired.
"The Sapphire gives the staff the ability to direct high-powered streams of water, summon rain, snow, hail, and even fog, or it can be used to direct existing bodies of water. As for the effects of the ruby, I'm not certain, I don't know everything, so you'll have to ask Rubeh later."
"Alright, alright. We're about home now, so you've got to go into hiding mode. remember, you're a normal cat."
"Of course." Saph answered, already looking once again like the slightly underfed Russian blue he was masquerading as.

It was graduation day. Middle school was over, and Miyuki had managed to pass all her classes, no small part in thanks to Hisoka's help kicking her into studying and doing all her homework. The rest of the semester had been easy enough, and Miyuki hadn't had any late nights since subduing the Ruby, as no more of the Babylon Gemstones had awakened. Guilt had eventually caused Miyuki to release Rubeh, and so, she had a second 'cat' now, a nice fiery orange and yellow Tabby, whom had turned out to be slightly more knowledgeable than Saph. Still, Miyuki felt like her life hadn't really changed much at all since she became a magical girl. There wasn't anything for her to do as one, and so she got to be herself, just a regular girl.

Miyuki thought back on the time that had passed, and was looking forward to the start of High school. She'd be a freshman now, and the learning would start all over again. Still, just as she had wanted, she'd gotten into the Academy with her friends Hana and Hisoka, and so the girl was overjoyed with her luck. it was a year to look forward to. New and old things coming together always excited the girl, and this was going to be, once again, a new thing, with old friends. Miyuki felt somewhat awkward, dressed up as she was in a Kimono for the overly formal and traditional graduation. She smiled, pretending to be happy about the outfit, as the principal announced the names of the graduates while they passed by, many looking very sour. The black-haired (like everyone else) girl looked around for her friends, whom, due to their names and the alphabetical order they had been organized in were elsewhere in the line, but was unable to find them. She would speak to them afterward.

Miyuki felt good. This graduation signaled something more than just a transition from middle school into High school, though there was a bit of a difference to it. It felt somehow more magical, and she knew that this year, it wasn't just a figure of speech.