"Shinichi, sit down."
	
	Shinichi turned and pouted at her, "But neechan," he whined, "the seat's
all dirty."  
	
	"It wouldn't be all dirty if you weren't standing in it."  
	
	"But..."
	
	"Sit down and behave yourself." Yumeko glared at him out of the corner of
her eye, "we're almost there."
	
	Shinichi stood and pouted at his sister but finally relented, "Mommy
wouldn't make me sit down," he muttered as he finally sat down.
	
	Yumeko let the last remark slide and tried to get back to her studies. 
Not that she needed to study, but it was the best way she had to pass the time
without thinking too long about the events from earlier today.

Beware the Radish Presents 
A Studio Turnip Production 
Nightmare Fighter Yumeko 
Chapter 6: Pushing Away 
By: Ian Heafer 
Original Concept by: John Evans

	Yumeko awoke with the sun that morning.  It was early, the house was
silent. Carefully, she made her way across the hall to the bathroom.  The
swelling in her ankle had lessened, but it still screamed at her when ever she
put weight on it, forcing her to limp.  "Don't worry about it." She told
herself, and started into her morning routine.

	After washing and dressing, she made her way downstairs.  She slowed as
she passed through the living room.  Her father lay sprawled out on the couch,
his head lying back over the arm rest.  His mouth hung open, he was breathing
heavily, snoring occasionally. Empty beer cans and snack food wrappers were
thrown in a little pile on the floor about him.  "Worthless pig" Yumeko
grumbled under his breath, and bent down to clean up.

	This close to him the smell was almost unbearable, Yumeko wanted to
retch.  The alcohol oozed from his clammy skin.  Working as quickly and
quietly as she could she went about picking up what she could of the mess. She
froze as Masaro seemed to stir for a moment.  He leaned forward for a moment,
scratched himself and grumbled something that Yumeko couldn't make out, then
fell back to his prone position on the couch, snoring even louder now.  Yumeko
sighed and scowled at her father, then went back to picking up his garbage.

	Making her way into the kitchen, Yumeko started on breakfast.  She was
frying eggs when Shinichi made his way into the kitchen.  "Morning," she
called over her shoulder, "go ahead and sit down, I'll have your eggs ready in
a minute."

	Shinichi did as he was told, and Yumeko set a plate of eggs in front of
him. "Neechan," he asked, "is Daddy okay?

	Yumeko rolled her eyes, "I guess he wanted to sleep on the couch." She
sat down across from her brother and started into her own plate of eggs.

	"Why does he smell funny?"

	Yumeko tried not to be angry with her brother, right now she just wanted
to forget about the drunkard in the other room, "Maybe he worked too hard."
she lied.  "It's been a long week after all."

	Shinichi smiled, "But it's the weekend now, right?"  Yumeko nodded, "That
means we get to go see Mommy!"

	"Uh-huh.  After school."  Yumeko smiled for her brothers sake, but her
heart wasn't really in it.  Truth be told she wasn't looking forward to going
to visit her mother any more than she relished the thought of staying here
another night.  At least it was a few nights that she wouldn't have to worry
about her father.  Yumeko took Shinichi's empty plate over to the sink, "Now
go get ready for school, we have to leave in a few minutes.  And don't forget
to pack what you want to bring with you to Mom's."

	"Haiiiiiii." Shinichi hopped out of his chair and ran towards the steps.

	"Quietly! Don't wake Dad.  He needs his sleep.  Please?"  She was almost
pleading by the time she finished.  Shinichi looked back at her, then walked
slowly through the living room and up the stairs.

	Yumeko quickly finished cleaning the kitchen.  She took a quick look into
the living room, Masaro still had not stirred.  Good.  He was usually in an
especially foul mood on the days that she and Shinichi went off to visit their
mother.  If he stayed out for just a few more minutes, she wouldn't have to
deal with him at all.  She quickly went through her own bag to make sure she
had everything.  Money for the train, her Dad was supposed to pay for their
train ride, but it was usually more trouble than it was worth to get it out of
him.  She'd get it back from him eventually. A few personal items that she
didn't keep at her mother's, her dream notebook, a change of clothes.  If she
forgot anything, she could manage.

	Shinichi came bounding into the entryway as Yumeko finished putting on
her shoes.  "Neechan, when does school get out?  How long till we can go see
mommy?"

	"The same time it does every day.  Don't worry, we'll get there in time
for supper." Yumeko was having trouble getting him to sit still while she
helped him with his shoes.  It was going to be a long day, having to watch
Shinichi on the train all afternoon was going to be a exercise in patience.
The little boy was a bundle of energy today, but then he was always like this
on days that they went to visit their mother.  At times Yumeko wished that she
could share her brother's enthusiasm.  Ah, the joys of childhood innocence...
to be blissfully ignorant, at times she missed not knowing the truth about the
world.  "Come on, let's get going."

	The two came out of the house at the same time that Misako came up the
walk.  She walked with a slight limp, though not quite as severe as Yumeko's.
"Morning," she said as she stopped and rubbed her side.

	"Morning Misako," Yumeko replied, "What are you doing here?"

	Misako put a hand behind her head, "I know we usually meet at school, but
I wanted to make sure you were coming today."

	"Hurry Neechan!"  Shinichi called, all ready outside the gate, "The
sooner we get to school, the sooner it'll be over!"

	Yumeko and Misako trailed along behind Shinichi as he bounded down the
street.  After they had watched him leave with his friends, they backtracked
and made their way to their own school.  "Thanks again for keeping an eye on
Shinichi last night."

	"Huh?  Oh yeah, no problem."

	Yumeko tried to ignore the pain in her leg and walk normally, "So what
happened to you?  You're limping pretty bad."

	"This?" Misako stopped and gestured to her bandaged leg, "Yeah, I guess
I'm about limping about as bad as you.  I owe Seiko for this," she lifted her
shirt up a bit, revealing the other bandages, "and this."  Yumeko winced a
little at the sight.  "She couldn't find you, so she decided to take her
frustrations out on me."

	Yumeko frowned at Misako's wounds a little longer, shaking her head.
"When you beat her," Misako said glancing at Yumeko's clenched fist, "Be sure
to let me get a swing or two in, okay?"

	Yumeko finally realized what she was doing, she sighed as she relaxed her
arm.  "I'm trying not to let her get to me, but she's starting to take things
a little too far."

	"Just what exactly did you do to her anyway?"  Misako asked.
	
	Yumeko shrugged, "To hell if I know."
	
	"Let's start with what you did to my brother."
	
	 The two turned to see Seiko standing behind them, "It's about time you
showed up Kobayashi."  She glared at them through narrow eyes.

	Misako took a half a step behind Yumeko, who tried to hide the worried
look on her face.  "Seiko."  She flashed what she hoped would be a convincing
smirk.  "I didn't realize that you missed your morning beating so badly."

	"Watch your mouth Kobayashi," Seiko nodded in Misako's direction, "or
I'll leave you like your little friend there."  

	"Just give me another excuse," Yumeko muttered as she glared back at her.
"So, are you here to just bark threats or do you have a reason for taking out
time this morning?  We need to get to school, you know."

	"I want some answers," Seiko walked towards the two again, "and I want
you to give them to me, Kobayashi."  There was a pleading look hovering just
behind the rage in her eyes.  "Where's my brother?  What did you do with
Seiji!?"  

	"Se...Seiji."  Yumeko could feel herself going pale.
	
	"I knew it, I knew you knew something!"  She grabbed Yumeko by the collar.
"He's been gone since the fight with you!  You know something, tell me!"

	"N--no!"  Yumeko was finding it harder and harder to keep her cool.  "I
don't know what you're talking about."

	"Don't play games with me Kobayashi!  You know something!  Tell me!!"
	
	"Leave her alone Seiko," Misako tried as hard as she could to look tough
in her bandages, "Why would Yumeko have anything to do with what happened to
your brother?"

	"Shut up, girl," Seiko snapped.
	
	"Leave her out of this," Yumeko growled, "Whatever your problem with me
is Seiko, it's just that, with me."

	Seiko grinned.  "She's your friend, that makes it her problem."
	
	Yumeko glared at Seiko.  She wasn't sure how well she'd hold up in a fight
with her ankle the way it was, but Seiko was all but asking for a beating
right now."

	"Sakurobi!"  The three turned, Keiji was standing behind them, Takuya
next to them.  "I thought we told you to leave them alone." 

	Seiko turned and glared at the two, then back at Yumeko and Misako.  After
a few moments, she clenched her fist.  "Hmph.  I know you know something,
Kobayashi.  I'll deal with you later."  She stomped off.

	"Are you two all right?" Keiji asked as he and Takuya walked up to the
two girls.

	"Fine," Misako answered.  Yumeko turned the same glare she had used on
Seiko toward Keiji.  He looked back at her, confused.  "What?"

	Her eyes narrowed.  "Just what do you think you were doing?"
	
	"What?" Keiji asked again.  "We were just trying to..."
	
	"Trying to what?" Yumeko snapped.  "Rush in and rescue us?"  Keiji didn't
answer.  "Look, we're big girls, we can take care of ourselves."

	"But..."
	
	"But nothing!" she interrupted again.  "Find someone else to use to live
out your little fantasies of saving the damsel in distress."  Takuya made a
little mock wince.

	 "Fine!" Keiji yelled, which got everyone's attention.  Even Yumeko was
caught off guard, she'd never known Keiji to ever raise his voice.  He walked
up to her and got right in her face.  "If you can't get it through your thick
skull that someone's worried about you, then fine!"

	Yumeko almost took a step back.  She'd never seen Keiji act like this
before.  "I, I never asked for you to worry about me," she said, some of the
edge gone from her voice.

	"Well, I do, alright!"  He walked past her.  "Think about it."  Takuya
stood there for a moment, looking rather out of place, then hurried off after
his friend.

	Yumeko stood stock still as he left.  She tried to steel her face, to hide
her surprise, but her face wouldn't cooperate.  Misako tapped her on the
shoulder.  "Yumeko?  Yumeko?"
	 
* * * 

	A tugging on her hand brought her out of her reverie.  "Neechan! 
Neechan!"  Shinichi was standing up and trying to pull her into the aisle.
"We're almost there, the train's pulling into the station!"

	The train slowed as it pulled into the Sendai station and came to a stop.
As the two of them made their way off the train Yumeko tried to hold
Shinichi's hand, but he quickly wriggled free and ran ahead.  "Hurry neechan!"
he called back, "I bet mommy's waiting for us outside the gate."  Yumeko
picked up her pace a little, just enough to keep him in sight.  For a moment,
she lost him in the crowd as they filed through the turnstiles at the gate.
She stood on her toes trying to find him again.  
	
	With a cry of "Mommy!!!" Shinichi bolted out of the far side of the crowd.
With a sigh, Yumeko made her way through the gate.

	By the time Yumeko reached the pair, Shinichi had wrapped his small arms
around his mother.  "I missed you so much, Mommy."

	Natsukashii gave her son a warm, motherly smile.  "I missed you too,
Shinichi."  She turned to Yumeko as she approached.  "And you too, Yumeko."

	Yumeko did not smile.  With a nod she said, "Afternoon mother, it's good
to see you're doing well."  There was an edge to Yumeko's voice that she made
no attempt to hide.

	Natsukashii's smile faltered for a moment.  Carefully moving out of her
son's grip, she took his hand and started towards another gate.  "Come along,
we need to get moving."

	Yumeko's mother didn't live in Sendai proper.  Currently, she was renting
out a small apartment close to the edge of the town.  "So how are you doing in
school?" Natsukashii asked as they boarded another, smaller train.

	Shinichi replied almost immediately, "My teacher says she's real proud of
me!" He grinned a wide, toothy grin.  "I got a star on my kanji test!"

	His mother smiled and gave him a hug.  "Wonderful Shin-chan, I'm proud of
you too."  She turned to her daughter.  "And how about you Yumeko?"

	Yumeko shrugged, not turning away from the window. "Same old same old,
passed a test."  She looked at the Sendai cityscape as it rushed by.  She
scowled at the sky.  It had been overcast back at home, but up here it was
clear and sunny.  The weather seemed to enjoy refusing to match her mood, and
she hated it.

* * *

	"So who's this friend of yours again?"  Yumeko leaned back on the lawn
and stared up at the clouds in the sky, trying to ignore the din of the other
students as they filed into school.

	"Miwako."  Misako was scanning the crowd as it came through the front
gate.  "I want to see if we can catch her so I can introduce you."

	Yumeko wasn't in a friend making mood this morning.  "So we're showing the
new girl around, huh?"

	Misako turned and glared.  "What was that for?"  She sighed.  "What's been
with you recently, anyway?  You've been acting real odd lately."  Yumeko just
chose to analyze the clouds some more.  Misako gave her a nudge.  "It's not
Keiji..."

	"No!" Yumeko shot up.  "Why the hell should I know or care about what his
problem is?"

	Misako seemed to flinch back.  "Whoa, hey, easy!  Sorry I asked."  Under
her breath she added, "He's only your friend."

	Yumeko could see the pain in her friends eyes.  "Sorry, Misako, it's
just... just that this week has been... different.  That's all, just a real
long week."

	"It's... it's okay."  Misako smiled weakly.  "I guess it's just that, for
as long as we've known each other, we've always told each other everything."
She paused for a moment, hoping that Yumeko would jump in.  "But recently,
you've been disappearing, you even left Shinichi home alone yesterday.  When
you come back, you're hurt but you say it's nothing."  Another pause.  "You're
my friend, my best friend, I'm worried about you."

	Yumeko found herself having trouble looking Misako in the eye.  "There's
nothing going on," she said weakly.  "I know it may look weird to you, but it's
nothing... really."  She was lying, and she knew that Misako wasn't buying it.
She was right, Yumeko had almost kept nothing from her friend.  She just
sighed and looked back up towards the clouds.

	This wasn't going quite the way that Misako had hoped it would.  Had
things gone as planned, Yumeko would have decided to tell her what was wrong
by now.  "Hey, you want to try and finish our shopping excursion this
weekend?"

	"Can't," Yumeko said flatly.  "I have to go visit my Mom."  Another sigh,
"I'll be gone till Sunday evening."

	"Oh."  Misako kept her eyes on the crowd.  "That's too bad."

	Yumeko snorted, "Tell me about it."  She scowled at the clouds again.
Misako was right, the two of them had been friends for years.  She didn't want
to lie to her, or keep her in the dark about things.  Part of her wanted to
tell Misako about everything.  But was it something that Misako would be able
to understand?  Yumeko wasn't sure that she even understood what was happening
herself.  She rolled her eyes and glared upward.  "As soon as you think you're
back in control," she said to herself, "life has to go and throw you another
curve."

	Another nudge from Misako brought her back.  "There she is!"  Misako
stood up and started to wave her hands.  "Miwako!!"  A red haired girl stopped
and turned in their direction.  She waved back and headed towards them.

	There was something about this girl, something that gnawed at the back of
Yumeko's mind.  Some strange haunting feeling that put her on edge.  It wasn't
until she was almost upon them that it hit her.  She had to look twice, but
there was not doubt.  It was her.  The Dream Warrior.  And she was here at
school.

	From the look on her face, Miwako was having a similar reaction.  Her
cheery face had dropped into a worried, more cautious look.  Her pace had
slowed, her eyes darted about as she tried to look elsewhere, but she kept
drifting back to Yumeko's icy glare.

	Misako's attitude seemed to falter along with Miwako's.  "Are you okay?"
she asked.

	Miwako nodded and smiled weakly.  "Yeah... I'm fine."

	Misako followed Miwako's eyes back to Yumeko's glare.  She shot a
confused, angry glance Yumeko's way.  "Right, well then."  She adjusted the
collar of her blouse a bit, "Miwako, this is Yumeko.  Yumeko, Miwako."  Her
eyes shot back and forth between them.  "You guys haven't met before or
something, have you?"

	"N... no no," Miwako said after a moment.  "I... she looked familiar, like
someone I knew from my old school, it's nothing."

	Misako frowned.  Hearing "it's nothing" from everyone was starting to get
old.  She looked at Yumeko, waiting for her to say something.  Yumeko was
silent, her glare didn't waver for a moment as she stared straight at Miwako.

	"Anyway," Miwako said, "It's nice to finally meet you, Yumeko."  She tried
another weak smile.  "Misako's told me a lot about you."

	"Yeah, I'll bet she has."

	Even Misako reeled a bit from the venom in Yumeko's voice, "Yumeko!" she
whispered, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

	The tardy bell rang.  "Gotta get to class."  Yumeko started to walk off.
	
	"What the--Yumeko!"  Misako started after her, then turned back to Miwako.
"I'm sorry, she's just been... real weird lately."

	"It's... okay.  I hope I didn't cause any trouble."
	
	Misako glared in Yumeko's direction, "No, it's nothing that you did."
	
	Yumeko shook her head as she walked alone to class.  "Stupid, stupid,
stupid," she said to herself.  Today was not going right at all.  She leaned
back against the side of the hall for a moment.  Of all the places that she
could have run into the Dream Warrior, it had to have been here.

	"Yumeko!" 

	Yumeko turned, Misako was walking up the emptying hall.  She winced when
she saw Misako's glare.  "All right, spill it. what the hell is going on with
you?"

	"I, I'm sorry Misako."
	
	"You're sorry." Misako rolled her eyes, "Yumeko, what did Miwako do to
you to make you act like that?  It's not like you to act that way to someone
you've never met."  Yumeko just looked at the ground.  "Yumeko, tell me,
please, what's going on, I don't know what but something's not right."  No
answer.  "Yumeko, please, I'm your friend."

	"Hey, you two."  Yumeko turned up to see the vice-principal coming down
the hall.  "Didn't you hear the bell?  Get to class."

	The two apologized and headed off to class.  Misako was silent.  Yumeko
looked and saw her best friend's face a mixture of confusion and anger, and
knew it was her fault.  

* * *
 
	"Yumeko?"  Her mother's voice broke her concentration.  "Yumeko, are you
listening?"

	"No."
	
	"I said, have you been studying for entrance exams?"
	
	Yumeko rolled her eyes, still not turning to face her mother.  "That's
still over a year off, I have better things to worry about right now."

	"That's not a good attitude to have," Natsukashii's voice was more stern.
"Those exams are important, it's not something you can afford to just slide
through."

	"Right right right," Yumeko sighed, "I've heard it all before.  If you
don't get into a good college, you won't be able to get a good job and you'll
end up having to depend on somebody else."  She said mockingly, "Just like
you, huh?"

	Her mother frowned.  "That was uncalled for, young lady.  You know I keep
telling you that because I worry about you."

	Yumeko turned and glared at her mother.  "Sure you do."
	
* * *

	Yumeko didn't say another word all the way back home.  She went through
the rest of the night mechanically, interacting with her mother as little as
possible.  She hurried through dinner and went to the room her mother had
prepared for her, forcing herself into her studies.

	Some time later, her mother knocked on her door.  "Yumeko?  Yumeko, could
you go and tell Shinichi to come inside, it's getting late."

	Yumeko sighed.  When she got up she tried to look at her mother as little
as possible, hurrying out the door and down the stairs to the yard in front of
the apartment building.  She found Shinichi sitting on the swing set. 
"Shinichi, it's late, time to come in."  There was no answer.  A little
worried, she walked up and knelt down in front of him.  "Shinichi, didn't you
hear me?"

	Shinichi pouted and looked at the ground.  "I hate you."
	
	Again, Yumeko was taken aback.  "What?"
	
	"I hate you Neechan."
	
	Yumeko frowned.  "Shinichi," she scolded, "that's not a nice thing to say
to someone, especially to your sister."

	"I hate you."
	
	She sighed.  "Okay, why do you hate me?"
	
	"Cause you made mommy cry."
	
	"Mommy's made both of us cry too, a lot.  Do you hate her too?"
	
	Shinichi shook his head.  "Mommy loves us.  Besides, she didn't mean to
make us cry.  She loves us."  Shinichi kicked the dirt.  "But the way you talk
to mommy, it's mean, it makes her cry Neechan."

	"So what do you want me to do Shinichi?"
	
	"Don't make mommy cry anymore."
	
	"If I try, you won't hate me anymore?"  Shinichi nodded.  "If I try not to
make mommy cry anymore, will you be a good boy and come inside like I asked?"

	"Okay."  Shinichi got up from the swing and ran up the stairs to the
apartment.

	Yumeko sat down on the swings and sat for a moment, she looked up at the
stars and sighed.

	"The sky's pretty tonight, isn't it."  Yumeko didn't answer as her mother
sat down next to her. "The lights from the city aren't as bright here so the
stars are clearer."

	"Where's Shinichi?"
	
	"He's inside getting ready for bed."  
	
	"Did he say anything to you?"
	
	"Like what?"
	
	Yumeko finally turned to look at her mother.  Natsukashii still wore that
same motherly smile that she always had.   That smile used to always make
Yumeko feel safe, but now she had trouble feeling anything but contempt for
the person who wore it.  "Nothing."  She got up and walked towards the stairs.

	"Yumeko."  She stopped for a moment.  "Won't you stay and talk with me for
a while?"

	Yumeko paused for a second.  "Not tonight, mother."  Then she continued up
the stairs.

* * *
	
	Yumeko struggled to fight it off, her eyes clenched shut as she fought to
get up.  It held her fast, gripping her firmly, pinning her down.  She
resisted the urge to scream out as its weight smothered her.  One of her eyes
strayed open but she quickly forced it shut, afraid of what she might see. She
writhed and struggled under its weight for a few moments longer, until finally
she thought she felt it weaken.  She fought back harder, putting all of her
strength into one last push to get loose.

	Yumeko fell to the floor in a tangle of sheets.  She sat up, slowly at
first, and took a tentative look around.  Everything looked normal, the way it
should.  She winced as she folded her legs underneath her, wiped her eyes, and
tried to relax.

	After a few moments, she had gotten her breathing under control, but she
could still feel her heart pounding in her throat.  Slowly, she got up and
made her way over to the desk.  Squinting in the harsh light of the desk lamp,
Yumeko pulled out her notebook and flipped to an empty page.  Her hand floated
over the blank page of a moment. The room was silent.  There was an almost
unsettling stillness to the room, like something was missing.

	Her father.  Yumeko tensed at the thought of him.  Usually, when Yumeko
awoke in the middle of the night like this, it was because of him.  There were
many nights when he would wonder around the house grunting and grumbling in a
drunken stupor.  She turned to the door half expecting to hear him shuffling
down the hall or smell the alcohol that seemed to drift from his skin and
permeate the air.  Yumeko had learned to leave her father alone when he was
like that.

	It was a strangely uncomfortable relief to realize that he was not the
cause of her waking tonight.  With a sigh, she leaned back in her chair and
stared at the ceiling for a moment.  She looked back to her desk.  She was
already starting to forget the dream that had woken her.  Instead of turning
back to her notebook, her eyes lingered on her pendant.  The Dream Scepter.

	The pendant was cold as ice as she picked it up, but it was comforting to
her nonetheless.  She was tempted to use it again, to lose herself in the
darkness, the power.  Being the Nightmare Fighter felt right, it felt right in
a way that nothing had felt before.  The power wasn't something new to her as
much as it was something, something like a part of her that had been missing. 
Her eyes floated back to her door.  Maybe, with her power she could...

	No.  She had to stop that thought before it got too far.  She couldn't do
that again.  Seiji's disappearance was still in the news, it still chilled her
to think about it.  No, never again, not if she could help it.

	Yumeko finally looked back to her notebook.  With another sigh she
slammed it shut.  Putting the pendant around her neck, she picked up the ball
of sheets from the floor and laid back down, waiting for sleep to take her
again.

* * *

	There is a place that is consistently at the edge of consciousness.  A
place that only a few people, and only with great effort, can even even catch
a glimpse of.  It was here, in that brief moment between consciousness and
dreams that Fable hid while he watched her.

	Fable began to snicker.  His snicker quickly grew into a laugh.  He
laughed long and hard, shaking his head, never in his wildest fantasies had he
expected it to be this easy.  He scribbled something on his hand with a
chuckle. He almost wanted to stay and watch as she began to dream again, but
there were other people to watch, other secrets to learn.  "Another night, my
Yumeko, you have much to tell me yet."

* * *

Authors stuff:

	And it is done, I hope.  What you see here has changed many time since I
started writing it.  Some of what I wrote or planned to write was omitted
because I decided to focus on Yumeko and only Yumeko and writing about some of
the others I felt would detract from this focus.
	Lessee, other stuff, well thanks to my prereaders and everyone on the ML
for your comments and suggestions, espically to John, Ardweden, Phoebe and
Clint.  Thanks to Nine Inch Nails and Strauss for the music I wrote this to.
	As always constructive comments or suggestions are welcome at
asimh@uaa.alaska.edu, most anything else will be given a once over, laughed
at, and filed in my trash can.  Later all, here's hoping this was worth the
wait.

Ian


Beware the Radish
http://www.mit.edu/~johne/btr/
5/7/00