Yashin & Jiyu's Ultimate Adventure!

A Temple of Shadows [1]

One foot in front of the other. The sparkling green grass flows in the wind along with every step. 

 Yashin, a maroon-haired girl with a small sense of adventure, wanders around the forest that is said to be dangerously mythological. As she steps over a large log, Her small ears twitch at the sound of rustling in the bushes. 

She looks to the side. To the other. And behind her. And when she looks forward again and takes her next step... The sound of the bushes rustling was heard once again. "W-Who's there?!" She screamed, terrified of who might've been following her. Or better yet, what had been following her. "I-I'm not gonna hurt you! Just... Show yourself!" She screamed once again, looking frantically from side to side. A pair of blonde cat-like ears slowly arose from the bushes behind her. Then blonde, messy hair, following a gold forehead band & piercing amber eyes. "Huh... Wait- Jiyu?! Is that you?" Yashin stuttered as she backed up slightly. "Haha, you got me! Yeah, it's your favourite cat girl, Jiyu! How you doin' Yashin?" Jiyu, Yashin's closest friend exclaimed, clearly more happy & excited than Yashin. 

"I'm good, Jiyu... But you scared me half to death! We're in a forest for crap's sake!" Yashin finally calmed down as she held out a hand to help Jiyu out of the spikey bushes. "Sorry! Nice to see ya though, Yashin! Hey, Are you here because of the secret temple?! Cause same! Do ya wanna find the temple of secrets with me?!" Jiyu exclaimed, no longer struggling to get out of the bushes. "Temple? I just came to explore-" As Yashin was cut off, Jiyu grabbed her arm & ran towards the direction they were both going. "-Great! If we find treasure, I'll let ya have half! Or if not then we could totally explore for more and make sandwiches later!",  "Wait! I didn't agree to this but I- uh- Okay!" Yashin rushed to say, in a confused yet kind of excited tone. "Yes! Haha! It'll be fun! Where's your sense of adventure, Yashy?" Yashin looked surprised as this was a new nickname. "It's Yashin...", "I know I know! But IT is also a nickname! I won't call you it if you don't want me to but we've been best friends for years now so it makes sense, right!" Jiyu kept running, this time letting go of Yashin's arm and letting her run by her side. "Right...! Well then, what do you know about this temple?" Yashin asked, curiously hoping that Jiyu would know most of the details. "Well, it's filled with mysterious artefacts! Some secretive, some valuable, and maybe some that lead to even more ADVENTURE!" She threw her hands in the air when saying that last word & with a huge smile, showing her cat-like fangs. 

 After a short run, which would most likely be a long walk, The two made their way to the temple's entrance. Its stone was so cracked, mossy & very old-looking. Inside was nothing but an old, beaten yet still functioning trapdoor. "There!" Jiyu said, pointing out the trapdoor. "Shouldn't we be careful of any traps?" Yashin exclaimed with concern in her tone. "Maybe we should..." Jiyu's tone went from excited to thoughtful as she began to think her plan through a little. After an awkward thinking moment, Jiyu finally got the trapdoor open and went down first, Yashin, slowly following behind. A dark... deep... dreary hallway filled with more cracks, moss & a cold... almost evil aura. Yashin shivered at the sight and Jiyu's once exciting smile dropped into a more regretful frown. They kept walking until they saw a pressure plate trap!— Wait... "It's already been set off...?" Yashin pointed out. "That means somebody might have gotten the treasure before us!" Jiyu's eyes widened and she started sprinting through the one-way hallway, making every corner. Yashin, Of course, followed and almost struggled to keep up. Yashin almost fell back at Jiyu's sudden stop. A sigh of relief exhaled from both of them as they stood in front of a pedestal, holding a crystal necklace, which sparkled off of every exposed corner. "Hey, what do ya know! Maybe it was just an animal that set off the last trap because the treasure is so-" Jiyu stopped as Yashin covered her mouth to shush her. "Sh... Do you hear that?" Yashin whispered. "Hear what? I don't hear any-" Footsteps echoed through the previous hallway. "Oh my god, someone's here!" Jiyu whisper-shouted in a shocked yet scared tone. Yashin dragged Jiyu over to the dark corner, behind a pile of large boulders and chunks of debris that had fallen from the exposed ceiling. Just as the footsteps became louder... and louder... and louder... They stopped as the two wide-eyed & jaw-dropped faces looked at a dark, shadowy figure standing in front of the pedestal. Red glowing eyes. Long black, shadowy hair draped over the dark body. 

A toothy, evil & scheming smile arose from this shadow as they took the crystal and said with a malicious tone, "Finally... Cloakskyne's Gem is mine!" Following a villainous cackle, The shadowy figure stopped in its tracks as it scans the room, looking for something of suspicion. As the shadow looked in the direction of Yashin & Jiyu's hiding spot, Jiyu fell back from her knelt stance, then covered her mouth & silently crawled behind Yashin in horror. The figure gave a surprised then evil smile. "Come out, young ones... I won't bite~" It laughed at its last line. Yashin slowly stood up & out from the boulders, as Jiyu followed behind. With fearful faces, Yashin said "Okay... W-We're here... But what do you want with that crystal?!" Yashin shouted at the figure, regretting every action in simple terror. Jiyu was holding to Yashin's shoulders & cowering behind her as though it didn't seem like it, Jiyu was scared easily. "My my, What brave adventurers we have... I do what I want with this crystal, And it's all mine now~" The figure gave its laugh of victory again as it held the crystal in a way of taunting the girls. "B-But that doesn't belong to you! We got here f-first!" Yashin tried to say but her fearful stutters stopped her from sounding brave. "We need to get out of here!" Jiyu whispered to Yashin as she agreed but still looked terrified. "Oh did you, now? Life isn't fair, sweetie-pies..." The figure laughed again as it went to leave. Jiyu, with her sense of justice, ran from behind Yashin, and as soon as she was about to grab the crystal, BAMM! The figure was able to stop Jiyu by restraining her to the ground with a weirdly heavy black cloud. "Jiyu!" Yashin cried out for her best friend.

As Jiyu struggled & Yashin ran to her aid to help her out, The shadowy figure had already made its way to the exit. "Don't worry, I'll get you out!" Yashin said as she reached out to her friend and tried to pull her out with all of her might. But to their surprise, it vanished soon after the shadow figure had left the temple. "Thanks..." Jiyu said as Yashin simply nodded and they both went silent to catch their breath after holding it in from fear. "We have to get that crystal back!" Jiyu exclaimed once again out of justice. "We can't! This is too dangerous a job for us!" Yashin reasoned, being realistic. But Jiyu wanted to know the secrets of that crystal and the evil that was the shadow figure. "Let's just go back to my place & try to research who the hell that person was and what the hell that crystal was. Then maybe we could make a plan from there, & have those sandwiches you wanted earlier..." Panting from exhaling her breath, Jiyu simply smiled and nodded with an "Mhm...".