Howdy. How's it been? I know I've been away for… a long time now. Sorry about that. Anyway, I think it's about time we start something new for once. I've had this idea for a while, thinking about different realities, multiple dimensions and such. There's the main anime/movie/book world and then there's all of the "non-canon" and all. Like a tree. So, I decided to make like a Victreebel and use Vine Whip to link a large amount of "trees". Similar to SSBU:UO, but I'm taking a slightly different path this time. And I guess this is it. Welcome to the tale "Light With The Dark".

Chapter 1) Crowns and Tiaras

There is a legend that is handed down throughout time of a single being that defies all rules of existence. The being is only known as R. Not much is known about R. He is said to have made acquaintance of all gods and demons in the universe, and has lived for millions of years. However, one day he disappeared. It is unknown where he went, why he left, or if he will return. But recent discoveries have led to the theory that R may have already made his reappearance in this plane of existence… What is thought to be his home is located at the Seventh Head of Millennium. One day, two friends had decided to sneak into the believed to be deserted home. This is where it all begins. "What begins?", you may be asking. The adventures of ultimate salvation and destruction, and the final desperate plea for equality.

"Come on, Qing! No time to waste!" Lan yelled back to her best friend, who was still climbing the hill, slowly and carefully, contrary to Lan's pace.

"Lan, we shouldn't even be doing this! You know it's forbidden to step on sacred ground!" Qing shouted in response. Even though she said this, Qing knew Lan didn't care.

"So? This is barely what I'd call sacred ground! It's a broken down building and no one lives there. It'll be alright!" the reply was. "Besides, we can see the fireworks much clearer from the roof!" Seeing the fireworks was a front that Lan put up to try and fool Qing into going into the old home with her. Honestly, Lan was afraid to go into the deserted building alone, but with her best friend she felt safe. Qing caught up and the two had finally arrived at the Seventh Head of Millennium. The building at the summit was truly a spectacle of olden times. Pillars of marble held up the roof of the palace. The outer part of the building was made purely of tiles. There was a large courtyard in the front used for multiple purposes. The building had a color scheme of reds, yellows, and purples. It was a perfect representation of what a Chinese palace would look like. A large Yin Yang symbol was painted on the large iron doors.

"Now that I look at it, it kinda looks like your palace, doesn't it?" Qing pointed out.

"Yeah, a little bit. Just without the symbol," Lan replied. "Well, shall we?"

"Are you sure Lan? We don't know if there's someone inside!"

"Look, it'll be fine. There's no one in there!" and the two pushed open the front doors. What they had expected was a dusty, old mess. However, they were greeted by a very tidily kept garden, complete with a small fountain, bird feeder, and birdbath. It seemed that the path was lined out by an intricate order of rocks, indicating a rock garden area. Lan and Qing look at each other with surprise and confusion, however continued on through to the rest of the courtyard. At the other side of the garden, there was a large open space with multiple training dummies and an open door to the inside. The two girls shrugged and walked in, clearly too shocked to conform to common sense. The inside seemed larger than possible, with a minimum of twenty floors, even though the outer view only gave view of four at most. The first floor was what (of course) drew their eyes first. A throne sat at the back of the room. The throne itself was made of stone and cushioned by several layers of cloth, all colored gray with that same Yin Yang crest. The inner room was completely made of jade. However, this was expected. The part that caught their attention was that there was not a speck of dust on the first floor. It was as if someone had very recently cleaned the building. "Uhhhh, we should keep going. This is a bit weird but we came here for a reason."

"Yeah, I guess. Then we should head up to the roof right?" Qing inquired. After hearing the affirmative, the two moved up floor by floor, having to drag themselves away from looking into each and every room. Suddenly, they both heard a soft noise. It was the faintest of sounds, yet the girls both felt it resonate. "Do you hear that?"

"Yeah. Should we investigate it?" Lan asked. She was filled with the youthful curiosity of a child, and did a very bad job of suppressing it. Qing thought about it for a bit.

"It'd be nice to know where that sound came from, but then again, we could get in trouble if we were found…" After a soft bit of pondering, she made up her mind. "We'll keep going, but if we hear it again and we can tell what it is, we'll ignore it, okay?"

"Okay!"

"Wait. Lan, follow the plan this time. You're really… spontaneous, so try not to do that this time," Qing shook her as she mentioned this.

"Look, I'll follow it perfectly, okay? It'll be fine," she replied with a smile. They continued their journey up the stairs. In a couple of seconds, the noise played again. But, this sound was now recognizable as a violin. Lan blasted up the steps in a heartbeat.

"Lan! God damn it! Wait up!" Qing rushed after her, catching up when Lan had reached a door that was slightly ajar. Lan stared intensely into the room. Someone had caught her attention.

The only person in that room was a young boy. Probably around the age of the two girls. He was playing a violin. It was the saddest and most somber tune that the two had ever heard. The boy's back faced the girls, so his face was still a mystery. He faced a window, large and encompassing an entire wall. Before Qing could stop her, Lan quietly tiptoed to the piano a short distance behind the boy. She began to play along to the violin, following the tune and playing as back up and as main in certain parts. The boy straightened up for a moment, and then relaxed. He continued to play, clearer than ever. Qing had decided to just go with the flow and picked up a viola by the entrance, playing in as well. The boy noticed this as well and had decided just to keep going. The song went on for a couple minutes and ended the same moment the fireworks began. The light show lit up the room. Besides the echoes from the fireworks, not a sound was heard in the room. The boy slowly turned around, facing the two girls. Tears ran down his face, yet a soft, kind smile showed that these tears were not of sorrow. Not completely. "Thank you… for playing with me. I'm surprised anyone was in here, but still, thanks."

"Thank her. She dragged me along to watch the fireworks with her and we heard you, then suddenly boom! We're playing a trio with you," Qing replied, after a short (yet long feeling) silence. "Oh, and by the way, I'm Qing Zhang, the princess's assistant and best friend.'

"Well then, thank you, young miss. Pleased to make your acquaintance," the boy said, facing Lan. Qing thought she was being surprisingly quiet, so she looked over and saw her blushing softly. Lan was not used to being around the male gendered people. She had seen the palace guards, but were disgusted by their choice of disgusting behavior, trying to court one woman after another. But this one was… different. She had never seen a man play an instrument before. Nor cry neither.

"And yours. I am Lan Shenryu, princess of the Shenryu empire and heiress to the imperial throne. What might your name be?" Lan asked, with a steady voice but a shaking heart.

"I am Rin Shiranui. I am king of time and space. I believe here I am known as R. I have been destined to meet the both of you for a long time now."

So, how was it? Tell me if you wish. There will be more to come sometime. Well, until then. Laters!