Nightmare Fighter Yumeko, also called NFY or simply Yumeko, is a dark magical girl story. This document contains information about the characters, and summaries of the existing chapters. In other words, it contains spoilers. You have been warned.
Chapter 1 opens with Pretty Dream Fighter Kyoko, along with her talking bird mascot, fighting a demonic warrior in a black mask. However, the warrior proves much for Kyoko, and defeats her...After this opening, we are introduced to Yumeko, a high school girl. After awakening, Yumeko records a dream (in this case, a nightmare) in a notebook. At breakfast, we are introduced to her younger brother Shinichi, and her father Masaro. It seems there is some tension within the Kobayashi family, perhaps having something to do with Yumeko's mother. After breakfast, Yumeko walks to school and is attacked by a trio of girls, led by Seiko. With a bit of assistance from Yumeko's friend Misako, she beats the girls up, then is yelled at by Seiko's sister Seiji. In class, Yumeko's longtime friend Keiji expresses concern for her, then invites her to see End of Evangelion the next day. Yumeko invites Misako along as well. During school, it is revealed that Kyoko has "moved away", and that she was dating Hiro. Not only that, but when exams are handed out Yumeko has a very high score, though she doesn't let anyone else know. Afterwards, Masuda, the principal, takes a moment to yell at Yumeko for her delinquent behavior. A bit later, Keiji finds Yumeko at the Red Eye, a bar tended by Tsugi and his two ravens, Shisaku and Kioku. Keiji convinces Yumeko to go home, and the next day they go see the movie with Misako. After the movie, Hiro suddenly comes up and asks to speak to Yumeko alone. When Yumeko agrees, he reveals that he needs Yumeko to become a magical girl like Kyoko was, and defend the Dream Realm from the Loki Cult. After the masked warrior attacks, Yumeko does indeed transform into Nightmare Fighter Yumeko, and proceeds to lay the smack down on her opponent with her nightmarish powers. Hiro (revealed to be the same talking bird) is shocked...and he'd probably be even more shocked if he heard that the masked warrior, minion of Shigin, was actually Seiji. Shigin admonishes Seiji to work harder to capture Yumeko, while in his bar, Tsugi discusses with his ravens how the world needs a new Dark Guardian...
Chapter 2 opens with Hiro fearful of the dark power Yumeko is able to draw from the Dream Scepter he gave her. He asks for it back, but Yumeko refuses, even using her power to prevent him from taking it back. Hiro flies off, vowing to get the Scepter back. Yumeko, confused, walks back to find Keiji waiting for her. He tells her that Misako is being checked out by a nurse, but seems to be all right. Relieved, Yuemko says her goodbyes and goes home. That night, Yumeko is awakened by a nightmare which includes unfamiliar images that seem like they might be important somehow. (Astute readers will recognize them from Norse legends.) The next morning, Yumeko is once again attacked by Seiko and her cronies. She defeats them, but is then attacked by Seiji. While not as skilled as Yumeko, he has a size and strength advantage. They brawl away from school to a park, where there are no witnesses. Seiji then takes the opportunity to transform into his demonic identity, and begins to attack relentlessly, not even giving Yumeko a chance to transform. Things look bleak until Seiji's obsidian sword, his main weapon, is suddenly stolen by Fable, who has appeared out of nowhere. Yumeko is then able to transform and drain Seiji's power, at which point he is consumed by gray and black energy, and vanishes. Yumeko then tries to find out who Fable is and what's going on, but he mockingly refuses to answer, and disappears after destroying the obsidian sword and letting drop a few cryptic hints. Meanwhile, Hiro has found another girl, Miwako, and convinces her to take up the Dream Shield and become a Dream Warrior. Hiro maintains that stopping the Loki Cult is of primary importance, but reclaiming the Dream Scepter from the "corrupted" Dream Fighter is also important. In the final scene, Helen visits Tsugi at his bar, asking if he knows anything about Fable. He does not, but promises to keep her informed. She disappears.
Chapter 3 opens with Yumeko, strangely enough, doing homework. She hears a news report about the disappearance of Seiji, and tries not to think about it. Then Misako calls on the telephone, asking Yumeko if everything is all right. Yumeko tries to assure Misako that she's fine, and then suggests they go shopping. Misako agrees, as long as Yumeko helps her with her studying afterwards. Next we see Misako traveling on a train to the shopping district. Misako thinks about Yumeko, wondering what is really bothering her. Then a pervert on the train tries to cop a feel, so she breaks his nose. (This is a wonderful characterization scene for Misako which doesn't lend itself well to summarization.) Next, Keiji calls Yumeko's house, but Shinichi answers, telling him that Yumeko is out. Keiji asks Shinichi to tell Yumeko he called, and then decides to see if Yumeko is at Tsugi's bar. At the shopping district, Yumeko and Misako are shopping and discussing dream-related plotlines in X. Suddenly Yumeko is thrown into a dream, where she relives the day her mother walked out on her father. This time, however, she can see emotional auras around herself and her family, which show her a new way of looking at what happened. The dream ends, and Yumeko collapses. Misako and Keiji decide to take her to the Red Eye bar. Helen is already at the bar, and is intrigued by the three, but Tsugi stops her from investigating. Seeing as the bar is his territory, Helen concedes to his authority. As she leaves, however, she sends a probe at Yumeko, subtle enough that Tsugi will hopefully not sense it. The information she receives from this probe, whatever it is, seems to surprise her, and the chapter ends with her rhetorically asking "Father, what are you doing?"...
Chapter 4 opens with Miwako facing a demon in her dreams. Using her Dream Warrior powers, she is able to defeat it. However, after she does, Fable appears and acts flagrantly mysterious towards her. After a scene change, we see Yumeko waking up. It's the first time in three years that Yumeko has had a dreamless night. Her father's drunkenness and the sunny weather serve to bring Yumeko's mood down, so she decides to cut school. Next, Misako is running to school but is stopped by Seiko, who wants to know where Yumeko is. They end up fighting, and Misako gets the worst of it. She is hurt and dazed, but then realizes that Keiji and Takuya have driven Seiko off and are taking her to the nurse. Watching them, Seiko is approached by a mysterious girl who offers the aid of the Loki Cult in Seiko's quest for revenge. In yet another viewpoint change, Miwako goes to nurse, after having been knocked over in the hall by Takuya (he apologized, though). At the nurse's office she meets Misako, and they chat for a bit. Then Hiro comes to check on Miwako, who tells Misako that he is her cousin and that she's staying at his house. Meanwhile, Yumeko is watching ships at the harbor. After a while, she decides to go home to look after Shinichi, but on the way there she comes across a demonic cloud of shadow hovering around a sleeping man. She transforms into Nightmare Fighter, and chases it. After school, Misako and Miwako go to visit Yumeko, but don't find her at home. Hiro runs up and tells Miwako that they have urgent business to attend to, so they go off, leaving Misako at Yumeko's house with Shinichi. Miwako transforms into Dream Warrior, and somewhere Fable smiles.
Chapter 5 opens with Seiko considering the Loki Cult's offer. She opens the envelope given her by the mysterious girl, and a disguised Loki Cult agent appears. The agent offers her power to defeat Yumeko, and gives her a bracelet of grayish-red metal. Then the agent disappears, and Seiko has a vision of herself as a magical girl. Meanwhile, Yumeko and Miwako are both chasing the demon, separately. Miwako is puzzled by the fact that a drunk man doesn't seem able to see her. Hiro then reveals that one of her powers is to create light, which helps her find her way around the darkened park. At this point Yumeko is not faring well against the monster. Miwako comes upon her, and chooses to help Yumeko at the expense of a clear shot at the monster. The two magical girls decide to team up, and eventually defeat the demon, though Yumeko's ankle is badly hurt. Miwako then leaves Yumeko in peace, despite Hiro's urgings to finish her off now. Yumeko goes home to find her father drunk, and Misako waiting up with Shinichi. After inconclusive conversation, Misako leaves and everyone goes to sleep. A dream sequence closes out the chapter, with Seiko experiencing visions of fighting Yumeko and Miwako, her bracelet transforming into a long spear and finally being pulled on puppet strings.
Chapter 6 opens with Yumeko and Shinichi traveling by train to meet their mother. Then the story moves into a flashback to that morning. Yumeko wakes early, her ankle still bothering her, and finds her father passed out on the couch. She cleans up a bit and makes breakfast for Shinichi, who is excited about spending the weekend with their mother. Yumeko, however, is not looking forward to the trip. They leave without waking Masaro and find Misako waiting for them. After seeing Shinichi off, the girls walk to school together. Misako tells Yumeko about her fight with Seiko. As if summoned by name, Seiko appears to once again confront Yumeko about her brother. After several tense moments, Keiji and Takuya appear and Seiko leaves. Yumeko takes out her frustrations on Keiji, who suddenly gets angry and yells back at her. Back to the frame story, the train arrives and Yumeko and Shinichi meet Natsukashii, their mother. The three board another train bound for Natsukashii's apartment. Shinichi is happy to see his mother, but Yumeko is noncommittal. Back to the flashback, Misako wants to introduce Yumeko to Miwako. While they wait, Miwako asks Yumeko why she's been acting so strange recently, pressing her for an explanation. Yuemko weakly avers that nothing's going on, knowing that Misako doesn't believe her. Then Miwako comes by, and she and Yumeko recognize each other as Nightmare Fighter and Dream Warrior. After another moment of tension, Yumeko stalks off, refusing to explain her actions to Misako, lost in her own emotions. Back finally to the present time, Yumeko's mother asks her about entrance exams, but Yumeko notes that they're more than a year away. They get to the apartment and have dinner, and afterwards Yumeko goes outside to find Shinichi alone on a swing. Shinichi suddenly says that he hates Yumeko, because her actions are hurting their mother. Yumeko apologizes and says she'll try not to hurt her any more, at which point Shinichi goes inside to bed and Natsukashii comes out to talk to Yumeko. She asks to talk to Yumeko, but Yumeko refuses and goes inside to sleep. That night she dreams of an unknown weight pinning and smothering her. She wakes and considers her dream notebook, and considers the dream pendant, before lying down and trying to sleep once again. And in the Dream Realm, Fable laughs at what he saw in Yumeko's dream.
Chapters 7 and on coming soon.
If these descriptions seem vague...it's because the characters haven't been explored much yet. Also, all these names are in Japanese order, family name first. If there is no "first appearance" given, the character was introduced in #1. This list is current up to #5.
Many, many years ago, stories say, the world was ruled by the Aesir. The leader of the Aesir was Odin, a dark and mysterious god. Many strange tales were told about Odin; he was a god of madness, death and wisdom, worshipped more out of fear than reverence. Storytellers said he hung himself on Yggdrassil, the World Tree, as a sacrifice to himself. At the end of nine days and nights he realized that the fallen branches of the tree spelled out symbols, which he brought back to gods and men as the runic alphabet. Another tale relates how he plucked out one of his eyes in payment for a drink from a well of wisdom. The glowing eye, at the bottom of the well, is reflected in the sky during the night, to this day. Odin also commanded the Valkyries, riding on his eight-legged horse Sleipnir, choosing the souls of brave warriors to bring to Valhalla. He was faithfully attended by two ravens named Huginn and Munin ("Thought" and "Memory"), that spied out events in every corner of the world for him.
Another prominent figure of Norse mythology is the trickster god, Loki. Loki was a cunning jotun (giant) whom Odin swore as his blood-brother, because he could see the usefulness of Loki's devious mind. Loki performed many services for the Aesir, but caused much pain and suffering as well, until the gods finally couldn't stand him any longer, and imprisoned him deep beneath the earth. He was bound under a snake which continually dripped poison from its fangs into his eyes. Loki's faithful wife, Sigyn, held a bowl over him to catch the venom, but when the bowl was full she had to empty it. At such times Loki screamed and writhed in pain, and shook the ground itself with his convulsions.
Loki also had a mistress, Angrboda, who bore him several monstrous children: Fenris, the giant wolf who would swallow the sun at Ragnarok; Jormungandr, the Midgard Serpent, which encircled the world; and Hel, ruler of the underworld, said to be a beautiful woman from the waist up, but a rotting corpse below.
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