*Author's note: Okay, just to warn you, this is VERY long. Nikki, if you haven't clued in yet, is ME, so I take full responsibility for her actions. Just to clarify, when Miaka and Yui end up in the book world, by the power of Suzaku, Nikki arrives AFTER. This contains major spoilers, so beware. Enjoy!!!
It was a sunny day. Too sunny. And hot. Nikki ran a hand through her short, blonde hair. She thought to herself, `Geez! If I don't cool off somewhere, I'll melt!' She unzipped her jacket, adjusted her backpack and kept walking.
After a moment, she stopped. She had been so lost in her thoughts, she hadn't noticed that the National Library was just ahead. They had air conditioning there, right? It would at least give her a place to rest for a while. She ran up the steps, two at a time.
She walked inside and felt the refreshing blast of cold air. She looked around. There was only a few people inside. She saw a vending machine off to her right.
Almost on cue, her stomach started growling. `How long has it been since I ate?' she thought. `Well, I guess I could spare a coin or two,' She searched through her bag for some change. Finally, she found a few coins, punched in the code, and her candy bar dropped.
As she bent down to pick it up, she heard a noise over her shoulder. She turned around, but no-one was there. The noise seemed to have come from upstairs. She quickly pocketed the chocolate and ran up the stairwell behind her. She followed the sound down a dark hallway. It sounded like two girls talking. The voices were coming from a room marked `Reference Documents'. "What kind of person would be in here?" she whispered, "It's just a dark, musty room full of boring, dusty old books that nobody's seen in four hundred years." Overcome by curiosity, she opened the door.
She nearly tripped over the two girls sitting on the other side. They looked to be about fifteen, and wore the same junior-high uniforms. One girl had long brown hair tied up in two buns at the sides of her head, the other looked stunningly like Nikki. She had the same short blonde hair, blue eyes, and a round face. The two girls were reading an old Chinese book of some sort. Nikki stood frozen to the spot. A bright, red light was coming from the book and surrounded them. Stunned, Nikki could do nothing but stand there as the light closed in around her. She couldn't move. Then everything went black.
When Nikki woke up, it was light. She opened her eyes, but was almost blinded by the bright sunlight. Sunlight? `How did I get outside?' she wondered.
She rolled onto her side, but was jolted by the sharp pain in her right shoulder. She cried out and quickly sat up.
She opened her eyes again, and looked around. She was surrounded by nothingness. No sign of the two girls, or the Library. No sign of anything.
Nikki quickly thought to herself, `Am I dead?' She touched her shoulder. `Ow! No way, it hurts too much for me to be dead. So, if I'm not dead, then where am I?' She looked around. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, for as far as she could see.
Clutching her shoulder, Nikki slowly got to her feet. Wherever she was, she had landed on a sharp rock. Her shoulder was throbbing. She could feel something warm and sticky on the back of her arm. She pulled her hand away. It was covered in blood.
"Great," she muttered, "That's just what I needed. Not only am I lost without food or water, but now I'm going to bleed to death. Well, I might as well die happy," She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out the candy bar. She stared at it for a moment, and then put it back into her pocket.
"Fine," she said, " So maybe I'm not going to bleed to death. Who cares? I'll never find my way out of here. I don't even know where `here' is." She looked around again for a sign of where she might be. Still nothing.
Nikki looked down to where her backpack was lying on the ground beside her. She bent down and gingerly put it on. "Ok," she said, "Think, Nikki, think. You're lost. What's the first thing you do? Look for a road. There's got to be a road around here somewhere,"
She scanned the horizon, but could see no sign of any roads. She saw no sign of civilization anywhere. "Well, we'll just have to find a road." She set off, walking in the direction she hoped would lead her somewhere.
Nikki had no idea how long she'd been walking, but she seemed to have made no progress at all. She couldn't see any sign of civilization, and she still had no idea of where she was or how she got there.
She thought to herself, `I wonder what happened to those two girls. Maybe they're here, too. But I haven't seen them anywhere. What was that light coming out of that old book? Maybe that's how I'm here. It had to have been something supernatural, like a spell of some kind. Or maybe I was abducted by aliens. Or maybe...'
Nikki stopped. Up ahead, she could see something on the horizon. It was too far away to see clearly, and she was already dizzy from dehydration, but it looked like a mountain. And a forest. And where there were trees, there had to be water. Nikki set off again, more determined. Finally, she had a definite direction to go in. She kept walking, even though she was exhausted. She urged herself on. "Come on, Nikki! You can't give up now! You can make it. Oh, who am I kidding."
She sat down on a nearby rock and carefully took off her jacket. She rolled it up and shoved it into her bag. She peered over her shoulder to see how bad the damage was. The back of her white T-shirt was stained red with blood. She ripped a strip off the bottom of her shirt and wrapped it around the wound to try and keep it clean and stop the bleeding.
She shielded her eyes from the glare of the sun and peered off into the distance. The mountain seemed no closer than it was before. She yelled out in frustration.
"At this rate I'll never get anywhere! I could have been enjoying the nice, air-conditioned Library right now, but no, I had to get lost in the middle of nowhere! If it weren't for that weird light coming out of that stupid book, I...wait a minute. Maybe I'm actually IN the book, like the light sucked me in or something. No. That sounds too crazy. I must be hallucinating or something. This heat's going to my head."
She lay down on the rock, put her bag under her head, and fell asleep.
It was a sunny day. Too sunny. And hot. Nikki ran a hand through her short, blonde hair. She thought to herself, `Geez! If I don't cool off somewhere, I'll melt!' She unzipped her jacket, adjusted her backpack and kept walking.
After a moment, she stopped. She had been so lost in her thoughts, she hadn't noticed that the National Library was just ahead. They had air conditioning there, right? It would at least give her a place to rest for a while. She ran up the steps, two at a time.
She walked inside and felt the refreshing blast of cold air. She looked around. There was only a few people inside. She saw a vending machine off to her right.
Almost on cue, her stomach started growling. `How long has it been since I ate?' she thought. `Well, I guess I could spare a coin or two,' She searched through her bag for some change. Finally, she found a few coins, punched in the code, and her candy bar dropped.
As she bent down to pick it up, she heard a noise over her shoulder. She turned around, but no-one was there. The noise seemed to have come from upstairs. She quickly pocketed the chocolate and ran up the stairwell behind her. She followed the sound down a dark hallway. It sounded like two girls talking. The voices were coming from a room marked `Reference Documents'. "What kind of person would be in here?" she whispered, "It's just a dark, musty room full of boring, dusty old books that nobody's seen in four hundred years." Overcome by curiosity, she opened the door.
She nearly tripped over the two girls sitting on the other side. They looked to be about fifteen, and wore the same junior-high uniforms. One girl had long brown hair tied up in two buns at the sides of her head, the other looked stunningly like Nikki. She had the same short blonde hair, blue eyes, and a round face. The two girls were reading an old Chinese book of some sort. Nikki stood frozen to the spot. A bright, red light was coming from the book and surrounded them. Stunned, Nikki could do nothing but stand there as the light closed in around her. She couldn't move. Then everything went black.
When Nikki woke up, it was light. She opened her eyes, but was almost blinded by the bright sunlight. Sunlight? `How did I get outside?' she wondered.
She rolled onto her side, but was jolted by the sharp pain in her right shoulder. She cried out and quickly sat up.
She opened her eyes again, and looked around. She was surrounded by nothingness. No sign of the two girls, or the Library. No sign of anything.
Nikki quickly thought to herself, `Am I dead?' She touched her shoulder. `Ow! No way, it hurts too much for me to be dead. So, if I'm not dead, then where am I?' She looked around. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, for as far as she could see.
Clutching her shoulder, Nikki slowly got to her feet. Wherever she was, she had landed on a sharp rock. Her shoulder was throbbing. She could feel something warm and sticky on the back of her arm. She pulled her hand away. It was covered in blood.
"Great," she muttered, "That's just what I needed. Not only am I lost without food or water, but now I'm going to bleed to death. Well, I might as well die happy," She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out the candy bar. She stared at it for a moment, and then put it back into her pocket.
"Fine," she said, " So maybe I'm not going to bleed to death. Who cares? I'll never find my way out of here. I don't even know where `here' is." She looked around again for a sign of where she might be. Still nothing.
Nikki looked down to where her backpack was lying on the ground beside her. She bent down and gingerly put it on. "Ok," she said, "Think, Nikki, think. You're lost. What's the first thing you do? Look for a road. There's got to be a road around here somewhere,"
She scanned the horizon, but could see no sign of any roads. She saw no sign of civilization anywhere. "Well, we'll just have to find a road." She set off, walking in the direction she hoped would lead her somewhere.
Nikki had no idea how long she'd been walking, but she seemed to have made no progress at all. She couldn't see any sign of civilization, and she still had no idea of where she was or how she got there.
She thought to herself, `I wonder what happened to those two girls. Maybe they're here, too. But I haven't seen them anywhere. What was that light coming out of that old book? Maybe that's how I'm here. It had to have been something supernatural, like a spell of some kind. Or maybe I was abducted by aliens. Or maybe...'
Nikki stopped. Up ahead, she could see something on the horizon. It was too far away to see clearly, and she was already dizzy from dehydration, but it looked like a mountain. And a forest. And where there were trees, there had to be water. Nikki set off again, more determined. Finally, she had a definite direction to go in. She kept walking, even though she was exhausted. She urged herself on. "Come on, Nikki! You can't give up now! You can make it. Oh, who am I kidding."
She sat down on a nearby rock and carefully took off her jacket. She rolled it up and shoved it into her bag. She peered over her shoulder to see how bad the damage was. The back of her white T-shirt was stained red with blood. She ripped a strip off the bottom of her shirt and wrapped it around the wound to try and keep it clean and stop the bleeding.
She shielded her eyes from the glare of the sun and peered off into the distance. The mountain seemed no closer than it was before. She yelled out in frustration.
"At this rate I'll never get anywhere! I could have been enjoying the nice, air-conditioned Library right now, but no, I had to get lost in the middle of nowhere! If it weren't for that weird light coming out of that stupid book, I...wait a minute. Maybe I'm actually IN the book, like the light sucked me in or something. No. That sounds too crazy. I must be hallucinating or something. This heat's going to my head."
She lay down on the rock, put her bag under her head, and fell asleep.