September 3, 1994

North Hope Memorial Hospital, Room 214

Berkeley, California

Time.

She never thought much about it before. She wasn't one to think deep thoughts about how her life would impact others or the world around her. She was always content to be Seina Hakuzuki. Maybe the rest of the world worried about how things would end up in a hundred years, but not her. She lived in the moment, constantly pushing forward her deepest desires, and not caring who she stepped on.

Or who she crushed.

On that cold, rainy afternoon in Berkeley, she was driving her old black Honda Accord down the ancient rain-slicked roads of the old-style part of the city. She remember she was playing one of the New Age/Metal bands that was popular among her and her friends at the time, and singing along.

There is no way to tell if that moment could have been stopped. Should she have had the music off? Should she have been going 30 instead of 40? Or maybe the problem lay with the dark haired male driver of the silver Lexus.

But she remember the loud sound of crunching and the bitter smell of burnt rubber. The screeching of tires drowned it out as she cramped up her leg, begging her car to stop short. But no such luck.

she felt her stomach rise into her throat as the airbag deployed, crushing her lungs and tearing the light from her vision. Her last thoughts were, Please let her die and not the other driver. Please.

Don't think of her as noble, because she's not. But she also would rather be dead then live with the weight of a man's life on her back. Every breath stolen from him. No, she would rather death take her. she welcomed it.

Xxx

"Welcome back, Serenity of the moon."

That voice, she had no idea why, but it sounded so familiar. Like that sound you hear just before falling asleep, and again, just before waking. The sound of tinkling bells.

"I am Diana, your guardian."

Slowly a picture formed before her eyes. she sat up. What was I just doing? Did I...die? This place is so bright, I can't see a thing.

Everything was white. It was as if the world was now a coloring book that had yet to be colored. But somehow, it seemed right this way. There were parts of it that seemed to borrow from every great historical civilization: Greek columns and arches, a Roman colosseum, an Egyptian pyramid taller then those at Giza, and smaller Mayan ones surrounding it. There was even a perfected Stone Henge. Only everything was white.

she turned and saw that the speaker was only the size of her hand, with small wings.

She and she were clad in white as well. "Am I dead?"

This can't be Heaven, she thought. Heaven wouldn't copy life...would it?

"No," she smiled. "You are just sleeping while I wake you up."

"Look, Diana," she muttered. "I just want to know...the other car...were they killed?"

"On impact."

The blow was devastating. She sat down on the white grass. Suddenly this place looked like just what she deserved. Sorrowful and colorless. She had killed somebody. And even worse, she hadn't managed to die properly.

"This isn't purgatory," Diana said, landing on her left knee. "This place is your spirit home. You don't remember, but long ago, you were the guardian of this place. You are a Yosei."

"Really," sarcasm seeped from her voice. "Cuz I believe I was born to humans and I am pretty sure a spectacular goddess wouldn't have died in a stupid car crash. Or killed someone. Some great goddess."

"You aren't listening!" Diana fluttered up level to her face and glared at her. "Yosei attach themselves to a location. But in your case, there was a cataclysm that banished all magical creatures early in time. You foresaw it, and sealed yourself away, to be reborn when humans would be ready to live among magic again."

Seina sighed, catching the little Fae. "Ok, you've got her attention. What happened to the other creatures?"

Diana shrugged. "Trapped behind a powerful barrier. No one can break it. It is said that it was created by Chaos, and only the Queen can break it."

"That's weird," she said slowly. "So I have to find some mysterious person, also having powers, and hope they will help. But...Diana?"

"What is it?"

"Can't I do anything for the man in the car crash?" she knew she was grasping at straws here, but if there was a chance she was right, then she was a goddess. "Don't I have powers?"

"You do," Diana said. "But only you can discover your goddess powers."

"Well that s-" a strong wind gripped at her, pulling her away.

Xxx

"Hey look she's coming around," her mother's voice came in clear as a bell. "You had us worried sick."

"How long?" she asked her straight out. "How long was I out?"

"It was three days," her dad said. "The doctor says you are extremely lucky. You were only bruised. The concussion knocked you out this long."

But I was dead! I know! I felt her body die! she wanted to scream the words, but they looked so relieved. She couldn't do it. "How is the other driver? Can I see him? I wanna apologize!"

They looked at each other, troubled.

"He's on life support. Technically dead...but kept alive by a mysterious benefactor." The new speaker was a clipboard toting nurse. "I will take you to his room if you promise to stay quiet. I think you deserve this much."

The blonde nurse helped her into a wheelchair and wheeled her down the hall. We were close, two doors down from each other, probably because we came in at around the same time.

The nurse nodded and shut the door, and she slowly stood, clutching the bedpost. Bruises really do hurt, but she was barely touched in comparison to him. "You can't die..."

A tear fell down her cheek and hit her hand. In that instant, her hand glowed that silver color from the dream. She knew it sounded nuts. But it happened. And she held that whitened hand on his wrapped up fractured chest, and then...the machines whirred and buzzed and beeped. All saying the same thing: this guy's alive!

She drew back, hopping into her wheelchair as fast as her bruises would allow, and smiled, eying the name on the chart. 'Yusuke Urameshi'. I'll keep tabs on you, I promise. But first I gotta roll outta here before I get noticed!

So she slipped out of his room, down the hall, and back to her room, just as the nurses from the third hall were rushing in to check on what would soon be known as their miracle patient.