She blinked in the early morning light that was streaming through the chink in the curtains. This was the last time that she would have to put up with the view from the window. It was the same every day, and her stay had been torture. When the roles were reversed it had never crossed her mind just how mind-shatteringly dull it was, lying in a lumpy bed all day with no company, excepting the nurse Michiyo and her sponge baths. She shuddered at the thought; funny how it had never seemed to bother her before. But now she would suffer no longer. Instead, the evil demon Dark Star would be ridden from the world. Nurse Himiko, demon hunter, smiled grimly. She may have been in hospital for a time, but now she was ready to wreak justice. ~-~ Dark Star Chapter XII: Time Changes Everything By Helen Stansfeld. Dark Star started by Chandra Rooney. An Improfanfic production. ~-~ "Milei!" a woman called calmly, sweeping her short brown hair behind her ears. She smiled as the child came running to her and she hugged him. "Neesan!" he cried as the woman swung him round her playfully. His face was lit up in a happy grin and his eyes sparkled. She sat him on her lap and stroked his hair. "What have you been up to today, then?" she inquired, the picture of innocence. "Me and Joodan were playing a game. He funny, neesan!" Milei reported. "That's nice," she replied dismissively. Milei didn't notice. "Were any of your big friends with you?" "Well, Mr. Zellar and Tenkou and Hitomi were talking when we were playing, but it was boring." The woman's eyes lit up at that information. "What were they talking about?" she probed, trying to conceal her excitement. "You can tell neesan," she added warmly, tickling him under his chin. "Something about stars and penta-, penta-, penta-somethings," Milei said, screwing his face up. "Silly stuff." "Yes, silly stuff," the woman agreed. "Can you remember anything else?" "They drew a penta of pentas in the air," he replied thoughtfully. "It was pretty!" "A pentagram of pentagrams, hey?" she murmured to herself. "That sounds important..." She looked thoughtful. "Milei, could you find out more about this penta for neesan? As a special favour for your best friend?" She put on her prettiest smile for him. "OK," he answered in the sing-song voice of a child. He swung his legs happily. "What have you been doing, neesan? I've missed you." "I'm sorry, Milei," she said sadly. "I haven't been able to see you due to my work. I haven't been able to contact, er, I mean get out here to play with you. My work is very important. You may be able to come and see me one of these days. Would you like that?" Milei nodded vigorously, an ear-to-ear grin on his face. "But now I have to go," she added. "I have a special present for you, though." She presented him with a small blue badge made of thick plastic. It had a black circle in the centre, slightly raised from the rest of it. It seemed to glint when the sun hit it, and Milei stared, mesmerised. "It's very nice, thank you," he thanked her distantly, looking intently at the badge. The woman smiled. She helped him pin it onto his shirt and patted him on the head. "Whenever you want someone to play with you, press the badge," she instructed him. "It's a magic badge! Isn't that wonderful?" "It is, it is, neesan!" Milei enthused, still directing his attention to the badge. "Goodbye, Milei. Have fun, and don't forget the pentas!" She waved as she walked away, out of the square. Milei waved back, but seemed to have no enthusiasm in the gesture. When she had disappeared from sight he sat down on the side of the fountain. An uncomfortable look spread across his face. He threw a few pebbles into the water, but it did nothing to stop the odd feeling inside. ~-~ Zellar stared straight ahead, occasionally blinking. Tenshi had returned to him, after all this time, and yet... He shook his head vigorously, as if fighting something off. He must stop thinking like that! The promise he had given her all that time ago, he had an obligation to her. Beautiful Tenshi. Her faith in him had never swayed even through the worst times. She had been through so much, and still she remained as she had always been. 'You have no proof to that,' Kurayamino reprimanded him. 'She was in Yasha's Realm for a long while. She may be different.' 'Tenshi is strong!' Zellar growled. 'Oh, no doubt about that,' Kurayamino replied passively. Zellar chose to ignore him. He couldn't wait to see her again. There came a knock at the door. "Yes?" Zellar queried hopefully. A girl with pink hair in pigtails peeped her head around the frame. "Tenshi!" He ran and hugged her. "It's been so long..." "Oh Zellar!" Tenshi exclaimed, tears of joy running down her face. "I was so scared... that evil man..." "It's OK now," Zellar said soothingly, stroking her hair. "I'm here and we're together again. That's all that matters." "Junta and Atsuri... they found me and brought me back... I must have fainted..." Zellar held her tight, smiling. She was as delightful as ever. "I always knew I'd find you again!" Tenshi said softly. "I never gave up hope, even when... when..." She sniffled. How could he have doubted her? Or, rather, how could Kurayamino have doubted her? Wonderful Tenshi... 'So her faith in you isn't swayed,' Kurayamino said. 'It doesn't mean that she isn't changed in other ways, you know. You're too trusting, Zell.' Looking into Tenshi's eyes, Zellar heard him. Her large eyes were as deep and shimmering as they were when he was sitting with her by the fountain years ago, but... was there something different about them, or was he just under Kurayamino's influence? He dismissed it. Tenshi was here; everything was going to be all right. ~-~ Something stirred. The surrounding air, if you could call it that, took on a different, unusual texture. It was only a matter of time now. It was almost frightening, the rapid way in which the process was progressing. Soon... soon, they would see. ~-~ The candle flickered as the two men hunched over a leather-bound, musty book. One was shaking as he turned over the pages. "So this is the book you wished me see..." breathed the other. Father Cloud turned to his friend and there was a faint hint of a smile. "Get a pen," he said, holding the book open. "This is important." The cover of the tome was of a jet-black leather, in almost perfect condition. No-one had touched it for centuries, and no creatures had laid their mark on it. Apart from the slightly yellowed pages it looked relatively new. First impressions can be so wrong. It had to be something special to excite the old men in the way it had. The book's title, printed in gold leaf on the front, read: "The Infinite Stars" ~-~ Footsteps sounded on the smooth cobbles of the square. A middle-aged woman with greying hair styled in a tight bun stood, grinning. Passers-by would have said that the sight was odd; not many normal women stopped in the middle of the square grinning inanely. But who said that she was a normal woman? "The Bright Star Hotel, hmm..." she mused to herself. "That's where he's hiding, is it?" Himiko congratulated herself silently on her brilliant detection work. The girl, Tenkou, was still with him. She would prove to be an asset to her plans of destroying the demon, Dark Star. It had been easy to find him - all she had done was inquire after Tenkou. She could have asked about the boy, but she was unsure if he still used his human guise. She adjusted her skirt, still scrutinising the run-down hotel. The fool didn't yet know of her release from hospital. She laughed. He would know soon enough, oh yes. Himiko, slayer of evil, demon hunter, fighter for good, was back. ~-~ "Tenshi, this is Tenkou Stone," Zellar introduced the two girls, in the reception area of the hotel. "Hello," Tenshi and Tenkou said quietly, in unison. "The Stars you know," he pointed to Atsuri, Junta and Hitomi. "It's nice to see you again," Hitomi smiled. "It's been a while... even longer than the last time I saw Zel-chan. And Kumi-chan," she added. "We're glad you're back," Junta said. At that moment, Joodan strolled in, holding his book. "Hello Joodan," Tenkou greeted him. "Hi, gang," Joodan replied, taking a seat. "This must be Tenshi," he remarked, looking at the sprite. "It's a pleasure. I'm Joodan." Tenshi smiled prettily. "Has anyone seen Milei?" Joodan asked suddenly. "He's normally up at the crack of dawn wanting to play." Various heads were shaken. "Milei?" queried Tenshi. "Small kid, about this high," Joodan informed her, using his hands. "Cute." "I found him in the forest before you escaped," Zellar said. "His parents... he's now an orphan. I couldn't leave him." "Oh, that's so sad," Tenshi's eyes grew large. "How kind you are, Zellar." Zellar looked at her, smiling. He was so glad that she was free of her stone prison, free from Yasha. But, what was that? He could feel Tenkou's eyes on him, and that de-railed his train of thought. 'Is it really Tenshi you want, though?' Kurayamino asked. 'When you proposed, you hadn't met Tenkou.' 'Of course I want Tenshi,' Zellar replied, somewhat uncertainly. 'She has waited so long. *I* have waited so long.' 'Time changes everything,' Kurayamino remarked. 'Instead of clinging to the past, you should move on. It is the only way forward.' Zellar was silent. The words rang true through his mind. ~-~ Kuroi Hoshi watched her children carefully. She was somewhat pleased with their progress. They had learnt well, and they still retained their characters of old. Things were still going smoothly for her children, but she did not know for how long that would last. Zellar seemed to be dominating presently, but she knew that Kurayamino would take over again in the near future. At some point they would have to become separate entities again, if there were truly to be five stars. But it was a good thing in the meantime - they balanced each other. ~-~ "Master Elcid?" Vincent called, in that voice that people use in order to let their host know that they are there, but they don't want to disturb whatever it is that they are doing. "It's me, Vincent." He entered the room, satisfied that it was all right to do so. There was no sign of life, save a potted plant on the desk. Vincent was about to leave, were it not for a document that caught his eye. Plucking it off the wood surface, he scanned it intently. He knew that it was wrong to look through other peoples' things, but it had... called to him. It appeared to be something about the Arts. It explained how to correctly focus the mind, how to receive things. He already knew that, though. It was natural for him, as it is natural for other people to breathe. What captivated him was a small paragraph near the bottom of the page. His eyes widened. He had had no idea that that was possible... It was almost as if Elcid had left the parchment on his desk to be found by him... ~-~ "Gyoshi," Yasha smiled. "I wish to speak to Tenshi again." "As you wish, my Queen," the demon bowed. He took out the black sphere for the second time, and then vanished into the shadows. Tenshi's spirit was summoned again, and the angel stood, looking around. Once again she spotted Yasha and ran to her. "Ah, Tenshi," the queen said softly. "I think I know a way in which we can bring Zellar here to be with us." "Really?" Tenshi asked hopefully, a pleading look in her eyes. "You can really bring him here? You, me and Zellar?" "It will be nice, won't it?" Yasha said, more as a statement than a question. "All I need is for you to do one trifling little thing for me..." "Oh yes, Yasha-sama!" Tenshi enthused, clasping her hands together. "I'd do anything!" ~-~ Tenkou was still looking at Zellar. Funny; she had never felt like this when Tenshi had not been around. She felt almost jealous, and she was really not sure why. Maybe she would have to re-evaluate her feelings about him. How she disliked being unsure about what she felt. She had to know her own mind, and what she truly thought. And then there was Atsuri. She was aware of how he looked at her every time she passed, and she was unsure what she wanted to do. He was so strong, and handsome... and yet there was a certain something that made her uneasy in his presence. Maybe it was the way he leered at her. She really didn't know anymore. She had to get out and do some serious soul-searching before she went crazy. "I'm going to look for Milei," she announced. "I'll be back soon." She got up and left the hotel, leaving Joodan chuckling at his book and the Stars in discussion. Atsuri watched her go. ~-~ Milei got up from the fountain and headed for the hotel to play with Joodan. He stopped, however, as he saw Tenkou exit. A woman stepped out of the shadows and took hold of the girl, covering her mouth with a hand. Tenkou tried to scream but no sound came out. Milei looked around for someone to help, but the square was vacated; unusual in the middle of the day. "NO!" he yelled at the top of his voice. He ran over to them and attempted to free Tenkou, but to no avail. He started to cry as Himiko pushed him roughly away. His calls brought the attention of the Stars. Zellar was the first one outside, and he coiled back as he recognised Himiko. "You," he intoned darkly. He motioned for the other Stars to stay back, where the nurse couldn't see them. "Leave Tenkou and Milei alone!" Himiko laughed. The sky darkened, and it made Zellar feel that he had somehow been set up. It didn't normally get that dark, even at night, and there were no other people in the vicinity. He also had a feeling of déjà vu; the scene felt very familiar. And then he remembered, and knew what would happen next. "I will let her go if you give yourself up to me, *demon*," she hissed. "Otherwise..." she left the sentence hanging ominously. Atsuri stepped forward. "I don't think that will be happening," he said, his arms crossed over his chest. This was where events did not follow their previous course. What happened was a blur to Himiko. Zellar, *Dark Star*, stood with three others, and there was an enormous black energy ball... she released Tenkou and summoned a new weapon. It was, again, in the shape of a golden cross, but instead of spiky shards, it possessed small orbs of pure white light. To look at it for too long was agony. She yelled something and swung the blade, letting the spheres fly towards the group. The female one *caught* them, Himiko noticed with rage, and seemed entirely unfazed. The last thing she saw was the dark energy heading for her, and *her own* light being returned. "Let that be a lesson to you," Hitomi said. "Don't mess with the Stars." At some unconscious level, Himiko clenched her fists in anger. So, Dark Star had some little friends, did he? She rose again determinedly, and fired off some more shots of light. It took the last of her strength, and she slumped once again to the ground. "Watch out!" cried Tenkou, who had been stealthily making her way over to them. The Stars turned as one and effortlessly plucked the orbs out of the air. Junta inspected one idly and laughed. "Pitiful woman," he scorned. "She seriously thought that we could be defeated with a puny light sphere!" "Don't bother with her, Zellar," Hitomi advised him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "She isn't worth it." "Are you all right, Tenkou?" Atsuri inquired as she rejoined them. "Yes, thank you," she replied. "Milei really helped, didn't you?" She asked the child, who had rushed to her side. "If he hadn't been so courageous and yelled for help who knows what would have happened!" She tousled Milei's hair and winked at the Stars. ~-~ Himiko slowly opened her eyes, ignoring the pain that shot through her like knives. It hurt too much to do anything else. She had... been beaten again. She attempted a groan, but even that she couldn't manage. It was all that dratted Dark Star's fault... him and his stupid companions. Thanks to him, she would be back in hospital... she mentally shuddered. 'No, not the sponge baths!' she cried to herself. All was quiet; the square was still vacant of life. Above her, some sort of portal opened up. It made an appropriate sound effect, and glowed a wavy green. Two young men and an older-looking woman appeared from out of it. They landed on the cobbles without noise, and surveyed their surroundings. The woman accidentally trod on Himiko. She made a gurgling sound. "Well," the woman sneered. "What do we have here then?" She kicked her viciously. "Looks to be a defenceless old woman," crooned one of the men. He had short blond hair and was dressed entirely in black. They all gave the impression of not being human at all; rather, they were assuming human form. The other man, tall, wiry and Japanese, cackled. As one, they kicked her again. "We can have some fun with her," the Japanese man grinned. "Yes!" the blond one laughed. "We will take her back to our mistress!" They all laughed mercilessly. Himiko screamed inside. Where were they taking her? Who was their mistress? A shiver ran down her spine. "Let's go, Miyami," the Japanese man said to the woman. "We can return later." "You two go on ahead," the blond said, "I want to stay here. One of us should." "All right, Yuji," Miyami nodded. "Naoto and I will take this pathetic human back to Mistress Shiko." They all laughed again. ~-~ A small teenage girl stumbled along the road, trying to run. She had short black hair and wore a pure white dress that dragged on the floor. She didn't know why the sky had darkened, or why she was even here, but the sensible thing at the time, to her, had been to run. Now it didn't seem such a great idea. She was lost, cold, and had no-where to go. She did not seem to be an especially bright girl, but many people do stupid things when they are panicked. The girl rounded the corner into the square. By the fountain she saw a young man with blond hair. "Excuse me," she called, waving at him to get his attention. "Can you tell me where I am, please? And where I could stay for tonight?" The man ignored her. She walked nearer and repeated her question. "Excuse-" The man lowered his sunglasses and glared at her piercingly. "I'm so sorry!" she gushed, clapping a hand over her mouth. "I didn't mean to bother you..." She began to back away. The girl gasped as she hit something as she reversed. She spun round. "Sorry," she apologised. Kyoku stared at her. "The place you want is over there," he pointed to the hotel. "Th- thank you, mister..." she said timidly. She walked over to the building with as much dignity as she could muster. "You idiot!" Yuji exclaimed once she was out of ear-shot. "What did you go and do that for?! We could have had another present for Mistress Shiko!" Kyoku yawned. "I don't *know* why I did it, OK? Sheesh, give me a break. It's not as if that girl is important, is it?" "And how would you know that?" Gyoshi asked casually, leaning against the fountain. He had appeared just as silently and quickly as Kyoku had. "Does she *look* important to you, Gyoshi?" "No, but looks can be deceiving. You should know that by now. Haven't you heard of the pentagram of pentagrams?" The look Kyoku gave him said it all. "Well, allow me to explain. There are five 'sides' in the 'battle', only there isn't exactly one just yet. There are five special people on each side. Five times five..." "So she could have been one of the missing people!" Yuji said, jumping up. "Exactly," Gyoshi replied dryly. "And you two have let her get away. Shiko will not be happy." "Shiko does not have to know," Kyoku said quietly. "Shiko knows everything, sooner or later," Gyoshi sighed. "There's nothing for it - we'll have to find her again. Hopefully that stupid old woman you found, Yuji, will help calm her down." ~-~ "Zellar," Tenshi began. "Yes, Tenshi?" "Can you do something for me, please?" "Yes, anything," Zellar replied. 'Careful,' Kurayamino warned. 'Look, it's *Tenshi*!' Zellar retorted. 'Why do you have to warn me about everything I do with her?' 'I'm just trying to help you out, that's all,' Kurayamino shrugged. "What is it you want me to do?" ~-~ Father Cloud and Master Elcid pored over the book in the church library. Their breathing was as one, such was their excitement and anticipation. Father Cloud put down his pen and a smile spread across his face. "We have it!" he cried joyously. "We have it!" ~-~ Author's Notes: I love cliff-hangers. ^_^ Well, all right, that was more of a tablehanger, but it'll do. ^_~ I hope I didn't mess this up too much. I sure had fun writing it. Many many thanks and hugs go to John Evans for pre-reading, loads of ideas and suggestions and generally being a nice person. =] More thanks go to Dan "Gourry" Wood and Martin Braid. You know why. ^_^ Also, thankies to my school for letting me print out the entire of Dark Star. They just don't know that yet. ^_~ I don't know much Japanese, which is why there wasn't much in there. "Miyami" doesn't mean anything, as far as I know. I just thought it sounded good. In fact, I'd like to go on holiday there. ;) As for "Yuji" and "Naoto", they are authentic Japanese names. Guess where I got them from. ^_^ Heh heh. I know at least one person will get the joke. Hopefully. ^_^ I hope you liked this. I also hope it didn't suck too much. ^_^ I had problems with a title for this. I considered "Star Wars", and my brother suggested "This is starting to get boring, isn't it?". Both were rejected, so I used the one you're seeing now. ^_^ Good luck to the next writer, KT Coope! Give her a big hand, people! ^_^ Comments, death threats, video games and candy can be sent to: amyrose@x-stream.co.uk Although death threats will be ignored and passed onto the President of Sony Corporation. You have been warned.