Darkness. She was immersed in it, like a fly in amber. She could see nothing, hear nothing, feel nothing...alone, emptiness...And-- Everyone had left her. Nothing but the cold wind of an empty world blowing through her, cutting to the bone. But that had to be wrong. There had to be someone else. She had always had someone-- Fatigue draped over her like a blanket, sapping her being. She fell to her knees except there wasn't anything to fall onto, weren't any knees to fall with, just blackness engulfing her... But still something inside her fought back. She had a heart, it said, a big muscle in her chest. Pumping blood to her arms and legs...her muscles were clenching, straining. She remembered. She couldn't give up-- Constricting in on her, dark chains wrapping around her soul. Dragging her down, down deep into the dead sea, cold and crushing lifeless depths... And yet still she fought. She would not--she had never given up. It was the mind that was important. She had to think--what was going on? Where was she? Pain lashing at her from all sides. Jeering laughs, futility, the stink of chemicals, the taste of blood, the sickness of scabs pulled off-- No! She didn't have to take this! Despair, hate, pain-- Forcing her down, holding her head underwater, breaking-- NO! And Yumeko screamed-- Suddenly her voice filled her ears. Yumeko stared wildly at grayness. Roiling mists--shards of blackness falling away from her. And a faint impression of structure-- She was dreaming. The realization filled her with shock...and then she sensed a force ahead of her. A black pit in the fabric of thought and memory that made up this world. A convulsion, then a crackling sphere of utter darkness shot through the mists. Without thinking she leaped to the side and it detonated--a sharp tug of despair, but weak-- It was attacking her. Yumeko was dreaming and something was attacking her. The realization broke something inside her. A last restraint was gone, Yumeko's being was wracked with anger, her entire spirit clenching as a white-hot, blood-red fire filled her mind. She screamed again and struck out with her scepter, the whip of her soul arcing wildly through the ether. An inhuman howl shook the firmament, and another spark of despair flickered towards her. Yumeko sprang forward, twisting to let the darkness flash past her, hurling her whip forward again to lash at the shadows. The mists were torn to ragged chunks, gray skin glistened as something scrabbled away from her. Its sides glowed vibrant blue and the thing raised a snout to point at her--its body shook as it ejected a black sphere at her. Yumeko dodged almost contemptously and struck once more, putting all her strength into the swing. Her weapon impacted the squirming creature and blasted it backward. Its body skittered through the grayness, finally coming to a halt several meters away. Yumeko stepped forward, a feral smile on her face. She felt alive, like the first time she had taken the scepter and said the words. The first time she had experienced a power no one else possessed. Her high heels tapped on the surface of the dream as she approached the huddled monster. It shuddered, pushed itself to its stubby feet as Yumeko raised her arm-- The creature bowed its head to her. Yumeko stared. The monster did not move. Its head was unmistakably lowered, its eyes--all three of them--closed. She lowered her hand slightly, then raised it again, frowning. The thing began to shuffle its feet, turning in place. In a few moments it was facing away from her. Yumeko tightened her grasp on the scepter. The whip vibrated in readiness. And yet...it wasn't fair to attack a defeated opponent. Was it? But it had attacked *her*... The thing began to walk, moving away from her. Yumeko lowered her hand. After several moments, the mists began to flow in around it. Soon, it was gone. Yumeko stood there, her mind racing. She realized with slight surprise that she had entered the dream fully outfitted as the Nightmare Fighter. But before she could reflect further the mists had begun to swirl harder, her thoughts slowed...the deeper, dreamless depths of sleep approached. Yumeko closed her eyes and her awareness faded. But just before sleep overtook her once more...she smiled. ===== Nightmare Fighter Yumeko Chapter 13: Family ===== Masaro fumbled on his nightstand. A glass fled his groping hand and fell to the floor with a dull cracking sound. His fingers finally found a bottle, and he took a solid gulp before falling back to the bed. Almost immediately he coughed, eyes springing open completely in the dimness. The fire filtered into his veins, a welcome haze spreading over his thoughts. In a few minutes, much to his relief, he'd almost completely forgotten the dream. ===== "This is the best part!" Takuya fairly bounced in his seat as he pointed at the television. Two figures swirled through the air on the screen, frozen in time. "Hm, I see," his companion replied, reaching for more popcorn. "Wait-- what's happening now?" "Ah, well, he's finally reached his apotheosis after facing down the oppressive father figure, right?" Takuya chuckled as the scene dissolved into a blur of green numbers. "That Joseph Campbell, what a nut, huh?" the other viewer mused. "You know about Campbell?" Takuya watched the sped-up martial arts raptly. "I know many things." The popcorn bucket was shaken, the unpopped kernels filtering to the bottom. "So, why is the world all green like that?" "Well, it's all a computer program, see." Takuya blinked as he felt his mind growing hazy, the screen fading. "He's trapped inside a computer program like everyone else," he continued, unsure of his train of thought. "That's why the whole thing is numbers." "The whole world is numbers, huh? That's interesting. That's VERY interesting." The voice chuckled as Takuya faded from view, mists rolling in to fill the space he had occupied. "What WILL they think of next..." A hand gloved in multicolored scraps of fabric dug in the bucket of popcorn. ===== Yumeko put down her pen and closed the notebook, then sat and looked at it for several moments. A bird chirped outside, startling her; she shook her head and stood, walking to the door. As she stepped into the hall, her father opened his door as well. The two stared at each other in surprise...then, he looked away. "Bad dream," Masaro muttered. Yumeko started. "What?" Her father shook his head. "I just--I still have them. Like my father." He looked off into space, unseeing. "He never told me, but sometimes...he would wake up and--and sometimes I--" Masaro drew in a long, shuddering breath and let it out. Then he looked directly at his daughter, and she took a step back. "Don't let them scare you, Yumeko," he mumbled. "They're just dreams." Yumeko stared back at her father, seeing a confusing roil of emotions in his eyes. "Yes, father," she replied softly. Masaro looked away, then moved down the hall. After a moment, Yumeko shook herself from her thoughts and headed for the bathroom. ===== "I'm leaving," Misako called, trying to stuff books and lunch into her schoolbag while simultaneously opening the front door. "Have fun!" her mother's voice called back. Mrs. Tanaka stuck her blond head out from the kitchen. "Be brilliant!" She smiled. Misako managed a rueful smile in return. "Right, mother," she replied, pulling open the door. "See you later." She finally got the door open and slipped outside. It was always hard to be depressed around her mother. Tanaka Midori was a schoolteacher of sunny disposition; her eight-year-old students adored her. Misako was usually just as bright and cheerful...but everyone had an off day. Especially when neither of your best friends would talk to you...and you had such a horrible dream...Misako looked up at the cloudless morning sky and tried to let it dispel her dark mood. She'd been obsessing about this for too long! It was time to just confront Yumeko and--well, perhaps not. Maybe she should just not worry any more-- "Hey, where you running off to?" Misako jumped at the voice behind her, whirling to see a young man waiting with a rueful smile. She'd walked right past him. Misako smiled sheepishly. "Keiji! I'm sorry, I, um, didn't see you there." Keiji grinned, an expression which she returned with a grateful feeling. "It's all right," he said. "I know you've been, well..." He trailed off, suddenly looking unsure of himself. "Preoccupied," Misako finished. "Yeah. Um..." She looked blankly at him, as everything she wanted to say piled up in her mind. "Uh, come on, let's walk to school," she said finally. "Oh! Sure," Keiji said, and he stepped into place beside her. They fell into step at an easy walking pace, tracing the familiar path to the school. Misako smiled at her companion, then looked around. The morning already seemed a little brighter. And if she could tell anyone about what was happening, it would be Keiji. Yumeko and Miwako were her best friends, but Keiji was her *other* best friend. "Um--" she began. "Say--" Keiji said at the same time. They stopped and looked at each other, then Misako laughed. Keiji joined in, hesitantly, after a moment. "You first," Misako giggled. "Oh. Okay, well..." Keiji rubbed the back of his head. "I just wanted to say that, you know...if something's bothering you, you can tell me." He looked at her nervously. After a moment, Misako smiled once again, the most genuine smile from her since--weeks ago, it felt like. "Thank you, Keiji," she replied. They begin to walk again, footsteps unconsciously keeping time with each other. ===== After seeing Shinichi safely to the care of his childishly happy little friends, Yumeko began the walk to her high school. She looked up at the gray clouds filling the sky. "Rain," she said aloud. She liked rain, for some reason. "Yumeko!" Yumeko stopped...and, after a moment, turned to regard the girl who had had accosted her. She blinked in surprise. "Miwako?" Miwako stepped forward, looking directly at her. Yumeko leaned back slightly, startled by the intensity of the gaze. "We need to talk," Miwako said in a low voice. "Well, make it quick, school's about to start." Something was definitely odd about Miwako today, but Yumeko couldn't quite pin it down. "And you know how Horikawa-sensei is when--" "Hiro's gone." Yumeko trailed off. Miwako looked away. Yumeko suddenly realized that her eyes were red. "He's--gone?" Yumeko asked, her mind frozen. "You mean like..." Miwako shook her head. "He was--he--off to Hel, or something. Whatever *that* means." Yumeko remembered monsters disappearing into dark holes to--to somewhere. Monsters, and someone else...she shook her head, pushing the shock away, retreating to her natural cynicism. "I guess I'm sorry," she said, "but it's not really my problem--" Miwako's head snapped up, and Yumeko stepped back--but there was no anger in the other girl's eyes. Only pain, and...fear? "I don't know what happened with you two," Miwako said, voice trembling just slightly. "I don't understand--I don't understand any of this! But now I don't have, have anyone that I know..." She sighed and turned to look at the school, unconsciously smoothing out her uniform. "You're the only other person I know who's involved with this." Her words were level and controlled. "I just, I thought you should know." Miwako stood there, watching students walk past the large sculpture dominating the school courtyard--a few adventurous souls actually passing under the stone arch. Yumeko hesitated. She hadn't known much about Hiro, but he had never given an impression of sanity. She still didn't know anything about him, other than that weird monsters and strange women followed him around (herself and Miwako included). And now he was dead, or close to it. Miwako, on the other hand, was surprisingly sane. But trusting her might mean Yumeko was digging herself deeper into this whole crazy mess. "Look," Yumeko said finally, "what is it you want from me?" Miwako started and looked back at her. "What do *I* want? Well...I just wanted to talk to you." She shrugged and glanced at the school, then back at Yumeko. "I just--I mean, I think those monsters may come back and attack you. So, if they do..." "I see. I'll keep that in mind." Yumeko hoisted her bag up again and turned toward the school, before giving one final look to the other girl. "Uh--thank you." Yumeko turned and walked quickly away from Miwako's smile, scowling to herself. ===== Miwako slipped into her seat and looked around the room. Nearly all the students were there already. Yumeko was gazing out of the window, and Keiji and Misako were chatting in low voices, the boy standing near her desk. Miwako smiled, but then recalled the fight on Wednesday. She hadn't been able to tell Misako...As Miwako reflected, Misako happened to glance over and see her. Before Miwako could open her mouth Misako had turned to face the other direction--which put her staring at the back of Yumeko's head. Misako frowned as she faced the front of the class. Miwako saw Keiji trail off, looking helplessly at Misako. He turned and saw her, and Miwako gave him a small but sincere smile as he walked helplessly back to his seat. Too bad boys were rarely smart enough to figure out female social interactions. Miwako turned back in her seat to face Keiji, and at that moment Takuya slid into the desk behind her. "Hey there!" he said with a smile. Miwako looked back at him and raised an eyebrow. "Good morning," she replied, and managed a smile of her own. "Don't give up, do you?" "Why should I?" Takuya shrugged. Keiji, next to him, snickered, and Miwako actually laughed. Then her smile faded. "Well...I guess class will start soon," she said, and turned back. She sighed. "Hey," the voice behind her said. "Is--is anything wrong?" "No." Miwako shook her head. Then she turned and looked back at Takuya. "Actually...I mean, I just don't want to talk about it," she murmured. "That's okay," came the soft reply. "We all have off days." Takuya shrugged again, philosophically. "Lots of strange things have been happening lately, everyone's on edge." Something tickled at the edge of Miwako's mind. "Really?" she asked, turning back. "Strange things?" Takuya blinked at her for a moment, mouth open. Then his brain got back into gear. "Well, yeah. There was that power outage, for one thing. And the weird reports of attacks, and disappearances," he continued, gathering speed. "On Kuzunoha, there's lots of talk about connections between the things that happen, and--" He trailed off. "Um, Kuzunoha is this website I go to..." Miwako stared at him with mock horror. "Why, Kaito-san--are you a *geek*?" Keiji snorted explosively. Takuya stared back. "Oh no!" he cried. "My cover's blown!" The three of them dissolved into laughter, drawing several odd stares. Then Horikawa-sensei clapped her hands. "All right, class, settle down. Settle DOWN." A few of her notorious glares and the noise subsided. "MUCH better. Now, then..." As the teacher read off the roll, Miwako sat straight in her seat. She smiled as she blinked her bright eyes. ===== Yumeko's pen slid slowly across the paper. She'd heard somewhere that visualization was the key to art. She had never been good at drawing, but today... A squat creature, with a long snout...and, elsewhere on the page, a bracelet. ===== Repetitive electronic buzzing emanated from the receiver. Masuda Kouji sighed, took the phone from his ear and set it carefully back in its cradle. His brow furrowed as he studied the pages on his desk. Takeda Hiro's file had little information in it. Grade reports from some school he'd transferred from, but only in summary form. No comments from teachers or counselors, just rows of mute numbers. There was very little biographical information--even the parent-or-guardians' names were missing. No file could get into the school without that, and yet...here it was. The principal sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. A sense of unreality had been growing in the back of his mind since the fall term had started. And now the disappearances...the Sakurobi boy, and Takeda, and...in fact there was another girl he remembered, another strange situation. She'd apparently moved away, or something of the sort, but... The door opened and he looked up, startled. A secretary bustled in with files held loosly in her arms. "Sorry to intrude, sir," she said, making short, quick bows as she handed the papers off to him. "The faculty recommendation files you were asking about, and--" "Yes, yes of course." Masuda waved at her. "That'll be all for now." "Are you sure, sir?" The secretary leaned down over the desk, smiling, the skin of her face pinched. "You don't need...anything else?" The principal stared at her, then closed his eyes and shook his head, feeling a twinge from his aching joints. "No--wait. Actually, could you get me a file for one Miyamae Kyoko?" Miyamae, that was her name. His old memory still worked. "A student who transferred away this year, so she won't be filed in the usual stacks." "Oh, of course, sir." The office lady straightened up, then bowed again. "I'll be back before you know it!" She turned and stepped out of the office, heels clacking on the hard floor as her hips swayed just slightly. Masuda took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Then he frowned at the corner of his desk. Maybe his memory wasn't that great after all. He *still* couldn't remember where those two vases had come from. ===== Miwako stepped into the lunch room and looked around. The massed students were still unfamiliar to her, and there were few empty tables. Her gaze picked out Yumeko sitting near the other wall--the other girl noticed her as well, gazing levelly back. Miwako gave a slight, nervous smile and looked away. She managed to spy Misako and Keiji sitting down at a table together, but they didn't seem like they wanted company. A few other students passed by, and then one stopped near her. Miwako glanced at him and her eyes widened as she saw Takuya looking back at her. He smiled. "Hi again." "Hi," Miwako replied. She hesitated, then spoke quickly. "Um, is there somewhere here that--people don't usually go? Like, somewhere someone could be alone for lunch?" Takuya stared at her. Miwako felt her heart sink a little, but then he nodded. "There's the roof, I guess," he said. "That should probably work." Miwako gave him a quick smile. "Thanks, Takuya." She turned and walked out of the room. Takuya watched her go. Then he sighed and turned to study the lunch room. In a few moments he had made the same discoveries Miwako had--Yumeko, Misako and Keiji. "Aiyah," he muttered under his breath. ===== Yumeko sighed as she walked through the school courtyard, looking up at the sky. Swirling gray from horizon to horizon, a chill wind blowing through her. Shinichi would be home soon...and her father wouldn't. She frowned. There was an odd feeling in the air, a tension, as of a string vibrating on the edge of hearing, an incomprehensibly tight and strained cord...She broke into a run. "Kobayashi!" A strange thrill ran through Yumeko as she saw Seiko standing near the entrance to the school courtyard. The other girl moved forward but Yumeko dodged quickly. "Not today, Seiko!" she called as she ran past. Seiko turned to watch her run. A girl with silvery hair leaned up behind her. "That wasn't very nice," she whispered. Seiko's fist clenched, the bracelet shifting around it. ===== Gray mists swirled. "We are ready." "And so are 'we'. 'We' have prepared the site. 'We' have even made progress on that other little sticking point that was giving us trouble." Fable laughed. "Oh, 'we' are going to *love* this one!" ===== Masaro stared into his drink. All day he'd been under the cloud of the dark dream, and the drinks weren't having their usual effect. He blinked blearily and looked around. He wasn't in his usual bar--that woman had given him an uneasy feeling. This bar was strange; there was very little decoration on the gray walls, and what touches were in evidence were uniformly...out of the ordinary. Over to his right was a yellowing paper of some kind, in a frame. It was covered with cramped black writing. He turned to look at the other side of the room and saw a small tree--a bonsai, with purplish-red leaves. All the tables were of unadorned dark wood, as was the bar itself. He tried to focus his gaze on the bottles behind the bar and saw a sword mounted above them. Well, maybe the bartender took a hands-on approach to rowdy customers. "Another, sir?" Masaro held out his glass to the man. "Please." He studied the eyepatch visible behind the brown hair. There was a symbol he couldn't make out, though it didn't look like a kanji, or kana, or even Hangeul. The bartender turned and regarded him calmly. Realizing he was staring, Masaro leaned back and tossed down his drink. He tensed himself, resisting the urge to cough as the fiery liquid slid down his throat. "Hello again." Now Masaro coughed. A woman slid into the seat on his right, a woman he recognized. He set down the glass and took a deep breath. "Hello...Helen," he replied. She smiled. "Why, you remember my name. I'm flattered," she purred. "Not your usual name," he muttered, pushing his glass forward again. Helen laughed, a musical sound sending a thrill down his spine. "How odd," she said. "Usually men say something like 'Oh, I could never forget someone as beautiful as you!'." Masaro shrugged, still not facing her. "I guess I'm not a usual man." "Oh, I knew that the moment I saw you." She reached out and laid two fingers on his arm for just a moment, then withdrew them. Masaro stared at his arm. Then he lurched off the stool, spilling his drink before he remembered to let go of it. "I gotta--I gotta be going," he mumbled, stumbling away. Helen pouted as she watched the man navigate the tables and pull open the door, disappearing into the gathering darkness. "What a pity," she said. "I was looking forward to getting to know him better..." "He has a daughter," Tsugi commented, wiping the bar with a ragged cloth. "Yes, of course he does," Helen replied, waving one hand at him as she delicately slid from the bar stool. "There's always a wife or child or *something*. But in the end it doesn't matter." She turned to walk away-- then paused to smile back over her shoulder at the bartender. "Nice to see you again, dear." Tsugi folded his arms. He watched until the door closed behind her, and only then did he resume cleaning. ===== Yumeko closed the door behind her, wincing at the loud noise. "Shinichi?" she called. "Shinichi, are you here?" "Neechan?" Yumeko followed the sound to Shinichi's room, where he was sitting on the floor. He looked up at her and smiled. "Hi, neechan." "Hi, Shinichi," Yumeko replied, exhaling. She smiled back, feeling the tension draining from her. She knelt down on the floor and tousled Shinichi's hair, making him laugh. "What are you up to?" "I've got some dice," Shinichi said, holding up two six-sided dice. They were colored an odd mix of primary and pastel shades. "Um...I see," Yumeko replied, blinking. "Why?" "The teacher said I was good at them," he replied, rolling the dice on the floor. "Seven!" He laughed. "Really?" Yumeko looked at him blankly, then spied an envelope on the floor. Picking it up, she realized it was from the school, addressed to 'Parent or Guardian'. "She said to give that to mommy or daddy," Shinichi said, watching her. "I think it would be okay if I took a look," Yumeko replied, frowning as she slipped one finger beneath the flap and tore through. Taking out the precisely trifolded letter, she began to read. "Shinichi," she said after a few moments, "it wasn't dice she was talking about." "It wasn't?" Shinichi looked up at her with large eyes. "But I like dice." "Well, that's fine, but," Yumeko set down the letter and looked at him, "she was talking about daisuu, algebra. You know, math." "Oh..." "It's okay, Shinichi." Yumeko reached out and stroked his hair gently, watching him play with the dice. She'd had letters like this herself. "I think there's six different ways to get seven," Shinichi said. Yumeko started. She pictured a table in her head--yes, there were obviously six different ways. "You're right, Shinichi," she replied. "Good job." The boy smiled up at her, and she remembered bringing the letters home, the slow realization of how she was different from everyone else... What was she thinking? Shinichi obviously wasn't going to have a problem fitting in at school. He already had legions of little friends that walked with him to school and back. Yumeko shook her head. No, he had it much easier than she'd ever had. The front door slammed. Yumeko felt her stomach clench a little. She stood up. "You can play with the dice if you want, Shinichi," she said. "The letter just said you were smart. Like me, and daddy. Speaking of which, I probably need to go see him..." She sighed as she turned away, straightening her clothes. "Where did you get those dice, anyway?" "A friend gave them to me," came the bright reply. "Ah. Okay, then." "Bye, neechan!" Shinichi waved as Yumeko left, then went back to playing with his multicolored dice. ===== Masaro leaned back on the door, trying not to stumble. His vision swam, no matter how many times he blinked. He breathed heavily, exhaling a tainted miasma into the entranceway. His smell filled the room...The entire apartment was polluted by his habitation, the stench of his soul... Masaro shook his head. He knew these thoughts, the dark predators waiting for his guard to slip. All his life he'd fought them, tricked them, struggled for control. His wife had helped, sometimes, for a few years... He stepped forward, slowly. He raised his heavy head--and stared at the vision in front of him. His wife, serene and beautiful as when they'd first met...her face unlined, unbruised, looking at him with not fear and hate but pity and anger. He had never seen her anger this bright, this clear. Masaro cowered in his heart, tears falling from his eyes as he watched her, he wanted to fall to his knees in front of this icon of beauty and beg his forgiveness... "Natsukashii," he croaked. "Father?" Masaro stared. The anger was replaced by uncertainty--the face was his! His...but no, it was *her* cheeks, her jaw, but his eyes, the black of his hair. His daughter, his sweet Yume-chan, staring at him with such hate. "Father, are you all right?" She stepped forward. Masaro slid along the wall, shaking his head. "Beautiful," he murmured. "So...Yume-ch--Yumeko, you look so much like your mother." He staggered around his daughter and began to slowly climb the steps. "Beautiful..." Yumeko watched him climb the stairs and enter his room. ===== A chill wind blew around her, through her, cutting to the bone. She shivered, clasping her arms around her, staring wildly at the scene. Blank gray--nothing but grayness as far as she could see. But a dark horizon in the distance...She spun, and heard a dull crack at her feet. Bones. She had looked down before even realizing it, had seen the dull white panoply of skulls and fingers and jaws and unrecognizable, inhuman shapes packed together like sardines stretching off into infinity, mangled and stripped of life, millions, billions of them-- She shut her eyes and fell to her knees. The sight was too much, it crowded everything out of her mind. Everything except the noises... And now she could hear them, thumps and crunches, the hiss of scaly slithering...drawing ever closer. And now she could feel presences approaching her, surrounding-- "Do not be afraid." She rocked back and forth, whimpering softly. "You are safe," the voice continued, a soft booming in dark cavernous depths. It was right in front of her. "We would never harm you. We never wished to harm you." Her short breaths slowed slightly. There was still a palpable fear in the air, pressing down on her. Yet, the voice...It had spoken to her, directly and politely. And there was something familiar... "Please?" Without quite knowing why she opened her eyes. In front of her was a clawed and fanged monstrosity, fur surmounted by gleaming, chitinous plates, a ravening, horrible beast-- "Thank you." Its mouth moved in time with the words--it was speaking. She stared, frozen. "We never wished to harm you," it repeated. "Any of us." She hesitantly raised her head...and saw more monsters. All of them were familiar to her. The hulking gray brute, the hazy frog-thing, the wheeling flock of dark birds, the sleek anteater-monster, the tree that creaked when it walked, a dozen others she knew from her-- Her dreams? Mio stared as the things all leaned toward her, bending over...bowing. The motion was unmistakable. A little of her fear finally drained away as she watched the assembled menagerie holding themselves still in a stance of respect. "You...aren't going to hurt me?" she asked hesitantly. "Never," said the 'spokesman', the word echoed by voices all around her. Mio looked around. "None of you? You say you...never did?" "Never," repeated the creature, echoed again by its fellows. "You dreamed us--created us, Mother." Murmurs of assent from the crowd. "We love you." Slowly, Mio reached out a hand to the head of the crouching animal in front of her. She ran her fingers along the smooth armor, the warm fur--the creature growled softly, nuzzling at her head. The rest of the creatures made pleased noises. She looked around again. "Created," she whispered. The idea was beyond her. Her mind recoiled to more immediate concerns. "Wh--where am I?" Mio asked, hesitantly looking around again. "What's going on?" "Somewhere between life and death," the armored wolf-thing replied. The other creatures began to shuffle around, repositioning themselves. "We do not understand, ourselves. But we have learned that it is our destiny to break free. And...it is your destiny as well." And then the thing moved to one side, and Mio's vision was finally unobstructed. And she saw, lying on the ground, a great humanoid figure formed entirely of bones. Even as she watched, the other creatures placed more bones against the thing, filling in gaps in its form. "This is why we are here," the wolf-creature rumbled. "This is what we are here...to create." ===== Seiko stared at the arch. "What the hell am I doing here?" she muttered. "Don't worry," Chie whispered. "Just a little longer. Something will happen, oh yes, Chie knows. And then she will come." "She..." Seiko rubbed at her wrist. "Yes." Chie's voice sank even lower, almost below Seiko's hearing. "She will be here, and she is what matters the most. You have always known this. It was her lies, her betrayal, her darkness that took what was most precious to you..." "Yes..." Seiko's gaze was unfocused as she stared into the night. Chie stepped back, murmuring to herself. "And my Hiro shall be with her. My Hiro, I haven't seen you in so long...the voices haven't told me where you are...where have you gone, my Hiro?..." ===== -=MasterThief has joined channel #Kuzunoha=- evening Hi all. Greetings, program! hi Fresh meat, eh? back off, Takuya. he's with me. Oh, by all means, my lady. * MasterThief was only teasing anyway, really. ^_^; heh * DoSuiKaFuTen nods. Takuya's harmless. hehe Thanks for the vote of confidence, DSKFT. Anyway, nice to meet you, stchplum13. You're a puro fan? thats right * Ravenhair grins. I Mark For Dangerous K. how do u type so fast * version3.0 snickers. it's all in the wrist! Years of practice. * MasterThief grins. Go easy on him, guys. I told you, Takuya's harmless. -=#Kuzunoha Kick: DoSuiKaFuTen kicked MasterThief (I, however, am not. This should teach you not to abbreviate my name.) -=MasterThief has left channel #Kuzunoha=- -=MasterThief has joined channel #Kuzunoha=- Yes, thank you, you've made your point. lol * Ravenhair LOL. Heh. hehe Anyway...anything new happen? nah. all quiet on the eastern front. nothing weirder than the usual muggings and pr0n filmings today. Heh. Well...when I got to school today, another student was missing. cool Ooh, do tell. something is about to happen. hello? uh, okay then. you got some inside info, TK? uhoh, gotta idle guys. * MasterThief goes IDLE (ThiefScript3.2--the choice of career criminals) Takuya rubbed the back of his neck with one hand as he reached for the ringing phone with the other, frowning at his computer screen. ===== "So...you don't know where he is either?" Misako wound a strand of hair around her finger as she pressed the phone to her ear. "Okay...well, I'm sorry to bother you," she said. "Yeah. No, it's okay. Oh, and thanks for your help with that question." Papers were strewn over the bed. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll see you...she did? Well, say hi to her for me." Misako smiled. "Okay, then. Goodnight." She pressed a button on her phone, leaned back, and sighed. There was a soft knock at the door. "Sweetie?" Misako looked up quickly, pulling her legs up to her chest. "Um, yes? Come in..." The door opened just a bit and a blond head poked into the room. Misako's mother smiled. "Got a moment, dear?" "What? Of course, mom." Misako scooted over on the bed and patted the space next to her. Tanaka Midori stepped quietly into the room, seating herself on the bed. She leaned back with a sigh, stretching out her legs. Then she smiled down at her daughter. Misako tried to return the smile. "What is it, mom?" "Dear..." Her mother's eyes were probing. Misako suddenly felt the urge to fidget, like a student who'd failed a test. "I know, I mean I understand that you have to create your own identity." Her mother was smiling, with a sadness that surprised Misako. "And I know I can't do everything for you. It's just..." She reached out, then hesitated. "It's just, I wish I could help. You know, I can give advice on things. Especially about boys." She winked. "I know a lot about boys." To her great surprise, Misako blushed. "Mother, what makes you think I'm upset about boys?" she protested. "Only a guess, of course." She stroked Misako's hair. "Misa-chan..." Misako ducked her head away, then felt her cheeks burn. She avoided her mother's eyes. "Mom...thank you, I..." She shook her head. "I think I can deal with things, though. I mean, one of my, friends..." Misako hesitated, but realized part of her was aching to get the words out. "One of my friends, we, haven't been getting along so well, recently." Misako bit her lip. Her mother watched her, hands in her lap. "I see," she said finally. "Well, you know, dear, a lot of times people say things and then after they've thought about--" "No!" Misako swallowed. "I mean, no. It's because..." Misako started to reach up to her hair, then stopped herself. "I've known this person for so long. For years, you know. And now...and now she suddenly seems different." She looked down. "I dunno, it sounds stupid..." "No, no it doesn't." Misako's mother reached out to put her arm around her daughter's shoulders, pulling her close. "You know people always change," she murmured. "Especially around your age. And sometimes it's...not possible to continue a relationship." She hugged Misako tightly. "You and I, we love being around people, having friends. It's a blessing, and a curse, in a way." Misako relaxed against her mother's warmth, blinking. It scared her how much emotion was welling up in her. "Thanks, mom," she whispered. ===== Miwako quietly closed her locker, listening to the voices of the other girls fading. She slowly pulled on her jacket and retrieved her schoolbag, then finally turned to walk to the door. Turning out the lights behind her, Miwako made her way through the darkened halls of the school. The autumn weather had brought night on early. While the rain had stopped, the sky was still choked with clouds. The city's lights seemed feeble. Every tree and telephone pole was swallowed in the gloom, each alone in its foggy coccoon. Miwako sighed as she stepped through the school door, idly running her free hand through her hair. Then she halted, eyes widening. Keiji was loitering in front of the school. His face lit up as he saw her. "Arai-san," he said with a smile. "Kanamori-kun," Miwako said, returning the warm expression. "Listen, uh..." Keiji clasped his hands nervously. "Um, have you..." Miwako suddenly realized why he was there, and felt a slight clench in her stomach. "Um, Misako wasn't at practice today," she said. "Oh." Keiji tried to keep his face calm. "Oh, well, okay then." "I'm sorry, I..." Miwako blinked as something beyond Keiji caught her eye. It was--a light? "No, it's okay. My fault for staying here." Keiji managed a laugh and turned away. A light shone through the fog, centered on the arch-like sculpture in the school courtyard. And Keiji was walking right towards it. "Keiji!" Miwako cried. Keiji turned quickly. "Uh--what? Arai-san?" Miwako stared. Keiji hadn't seen the glow, even though it was getting stronger--and then the *sensation* hit her, a tickling at her mind, a subconscious shudder. "I--" Miwako shook her head. This was no time to panic, but what could she do? "I--" "Is something wrong?" Keiji was quickly by her side. "What, what is it? Can I do anything?" Miwako tried to focus on him. There was something reaching out from him, an energy, but something wholly part of him...He was trying to help. But he didn't have any idea of what she had been facing! Only one person did. "Keiji, I need a favor," Miwako said, forcing herself to breathe slowly. "I need Yumeko's phone number." Keiji looked at her. The turmoil in his mind was obvious, and it made her ache to see it. But then he nodded. "All right," Keiji replied. "But you have to do something for me in return." Miwako gazed at him, trying to understand. "Yes, what is it?" "I want you to talk to Misako." Miwako flinched. "I--" She turned away, but knew Keiji was still looking at her. She swallowed. "I, I guess you're right." "Okay, then." Miwako looked back to see him smiling, sadly. He set down his schoolbag and got out a bit of paper, quickly scribbling on it and handing it to Miwako. She took it and saw two phone numbers--Yumeko's, and Misako's. "Thank you, Keiji," she murmured as he slung his schoolbag over his shoulder. "You're a good person." To her surprise, a slight blush appeared on the young man's face. "Um...well, thank you," he replied. Then he stood there, hesitating. "I have to make an urgent phone call," Miwako said. "See you at school tomorrow?" "Oh. Yes." Keiji straightened up, and nodded to her. "Take care, okay?" "Thanks, I will." Miwako smiled and turned to leave, trying to remember where the nearest phone booth was. "And if you ever need anyone to talk to," Keiji called after her. "Well, you know. Everyone does, sometimes." Miwako stopped in her tracks. Then she nodded, facing away from him. "I know," she said, and began to run. "I do," she whispered, blinking several times. But right now only Yumeko could help...if she was willing. ===== Meika crept into the room, sliding the door shut behind her. She moved silently to the futon in the center of the room, knelt, and gazed down at the figure in front of her. Pale fragility. The girl was so thin, so lifeless, hands folded as if on a bier. She still breathed--Meika had used a mirror to check--but so slowly that it was almost undetectable. Meika hadn't been able to find a pulse. The priestess had said the girl would sleep. And Meika had no reason to disbelieve her. There was no reason to think she would suddenly wake up and-- and what? Need to be cared for? Or...comforted? Meika knew this was foolish. All she knew about the girl was her name, Mio. It was idiotic to keep coming here in the hope that she would wake...in the hope... Mio opened her mouth and screamed. ===== Yumeko crept quickly along the street, keeping a safe distance from the street lamps. A feeling of unease still gnawed at her. It was stupid to be out this late, even for someone with supernatural powers. But Miwako had been too insistent on the phone. Yumeko had almost thought she had detected an edge of fear in the other girl's voice--but that was foolish, Miwako hadn't seemed like the type of person to be afraid of things. Miwako had never experienced anything to be TRULY afraid of. Approaching the school, Yumeko slowed. There was something happening in the courtyard, yes, some filaments of energy weaving themselves around the stone arch...and Miwako was standing right THERE, right in the open, gawking! The Nightmare Fighter bared her teeth in frustration, and quickly darted forward to catch the brightly glowing girl and haul her back to the shadows. "Wh--EEEK!" Miwako shrieked, before Yumeko clamped a hand around her mouth. "QUIET!" Yumeko hissed in the other girl's ear. "Do you WANT to let them know where we are?" As if the blinding white uniform wasn't giveaway enough! Miwako ceased her struggles, and Yumeko loosened her grip. The Dream Warrior slipped away and turned, pressing her back against the wall. She was breathing heavily, eyes white. "Wh--what--Yumeko! You--you grabbed me!" she stammered. Yumeko scowled. "You were standing where anyone could see you!" she hissed. "Don't you know anything about concealment?" "Well, you could have, have tapped me on the shoulder or something!" Miwako whispered. "Instead of GRABBING me from behind like--like some mugger!" Yumeko turned away from Miwako to study the school courtyard, trying unsuccessfully to hide a smirk. "So what's up?" she murmured, letting her eyes unfocus slightly in an attempt to see the filaments she'd glimpsed earlier. She knew there was *something*, she could *feel* the Dream Realm pressing urgently against 'normal' reality... "It's turned dark," Miwako murmured. Yumeko glanced at her. "What?" "It's like it's--sucking the light out..." Her face was clenched, like she was going to cry. Yumeko stared, baffled, then a motion at the arch caught her attention. The filaments *were* there--a delicate tracery revealing the underlying structure of...what? Space? Reality? A tracery of threads that were, Yumeko realized, under tremendous strain. And slowly parting. "Wait, there's a light!" Miwako stepped forward and Yumeko grabbed her arm. "Are you *nuts*?" Yumeko pulled the girl back, but Miwako struggled free. "We have to DO something!" she cried. "And what do you intend to--" A grimy white shaft speared out of the air. Both girls stared at the arch, transfixed. Something had come *through*--was reaching into the world from somewhere else. The shaft squirmed like a maggot, separating into two, then four, then myriad phalanges that spread apart, widening the hole in reality. "This isn't RIGHT!" Miwako cried, and ran forward before Yumeko could react. Her glowing weapon slashed out of nowhere, slicing through one of the shafts with a jagged squeal. "Miwako!" Yumeko yelled, stepping out of the shadows. A blunt white cylinder shot through the hole. Miwako somehow caught the blow on her shield but was still thrown backward, landing on hands and knees. Yumeko readied her whip but the other girl was already on her feet, charging back into the fray. The Nightmare Fighter dashed forward, cursing time for its slowness. The hole was already larger than she was tall; beyond it she could see a bright grayness, the color you saw if you stared at the sun. And more of the ugly shafts were thrusting through. They were mottled somehow, like they were made of hundreds of tiny objects--Yumeko's stomach clenched with recognition. Whatever they were, she knew they didn't belong here. Miwako was trying to hack off the things pulling at the fabric of space, with surprising success. Unfortunately, more slipped through as fast as she destroyed them. Miwako was attacking on the right, so Yumeko struck out with her scepter on the left. The bone tentacles shrank back, black energy coursing over them. Yumeko smiled. A grayish spark flashed backward along her painfeardarksadness --Yumeko staggered backward and reoriented. Her eyes narrowed and she lashed out again, ebon energy blasting shards from the invading appendages, her whip avoiding the scurrying flashes. "We're doing it!" Miwako yelled as she impaled another shaft. Yumeko grinned in reply. Then she saw the bones beyond the rift moving, shuffling among themselves. Dark openings appeared, two above, two slits, a large one below, filled with white energy-- Yumeko was halfway to the ground in a diving roll before she remembered Miwako. "Look OUT--" A grinding screech and the ground around her was momentarily bright as day. There was a metallic clang, then a thump. Yumeko pushed herself and turned, shivering, her heart pounding. But Miwako was there, groping for her shield. "Yumeko!" the girl cried. "Don't let it get through!" Yumeko looked back. It towered over her, an impossible confusion of limbs and spikes, all smooth, dull bone. The face flowed through the center section, favoring her with a skull's grin. Yumeko's eyes widened as she scrabbled backward, stumbling to her feet. The thing moved, with an obscene grace. Yumeko almost cried out in the instant it took to reach Miwako--who jumped up, shield raised, and crashed headlong into the thing. The monster actually rocked backward, and Yumeko knew she had to strike. With one beat of her heart anger flooded her, and Yumeko shoved her scepter forward. Power screamed at the monstrosity, scorching its essence. It let out an insane squeal and slithered away blasphemously. Yumeko staggered up. "That's RIGHT!" she yelled, drunk on the red haze before her. The monster fled her rage. A wordless battle cry and she brought her weapon down-- A metal rod intercepted her swing. Gray eyes pierced her vision. The staff slipped around and swung, Yumeko danced back and swept her whip to force the attacker back. She saw a gray jacket and short skirt as her opponent pressed the advantage with a low swing. Yumeko jumped and started a lunge but already the staff was flashing overhead. Her whip leaped into her hands and she held it taut, catching the attack. The black energy coiled but the other girl slid the rod down, and it was a SPEAR on the end, cutting through and slicing at her--Yumeko dodged and had to dodge AGAIN, she struck but the lash was flicked away with contempt. The weapon moved faster than she could see, sheer instinct keeping her from being skewered as Yumeko tried to roll away but a foot tripped her, she sprawled on the pavement with the twin prongs descending toward her FACE-- A shield appeared, a screech of metal on metal as the attack was blocked. The attacker leapt nimbly back as Yumeko sprang to her feet. Seiko's eyes were hard. Yumeko felt sick. The other girl turned and slipped away. Yumeko lost sight of her almost immediately. "The thing left," Miwako said quietly. Yumeko stared into the night. "What?" She couldn't think. Why couldn't she think? She knew she wasn't surprised. "I couldn't stop it. I'm sorry." Miwako hesitated. "Was that...Why is she after you? What did you do?" Yumeko shook her head. "I..." She couldn't find any words. Miwako looked at her. "Come on, I'll walk you home." Yumeko pushed the arm away. Miwako watched her walk off into the streets. ===== To be continued... ===== Author's note This chapter's been a long time in coming. That sentence has several meanings. Thanks to Nick Eckert for prereading and suggestions. Also many thanks to Ardweden for prereading, editing suggestions, brainstorming, encouragement and general cuteness. John Evans jevans@alum.mit.edu 2/14/03 #55 Beware the Radish http://www.chaoseed.com/btr