For those of you reading this for the first time, I thank you for taking interest in my work. I think I explained it decently in the summary (and my profile, if you looked), so I won't do it here. Call me lazy, if you like; I prefer the term "time-efficient." The bulk of these charcters are actual people with psuedonoms, so if their personalities seem very round, that's why. Don't worry about saying something about them in the reviews: I won't tell if you won't.

This chapter has been updated. As in, this ain't the original. It was posted on Apr. 20, 2007.

For those of you checking out the update, I kept most of the things in it, with a few symbolism type-dealies in there to make it seem like I'm one of those big-time authors who put things into stories so LA teachers can say, "Now, Skittles, what is the message or hint that the author gives us when he gives his charcter the name Huckleberry?"

"... His parents really didn't like him?" F for Skittles.

Enjoy Owari!

The power of friendship…

The strength that one can endure when held strong by this strange power…

The miracles that this magic can bring to life…

The unbreakable bond, the eternal promises,

The memories that last throughout time…

This is our tale, my friends' and mine…

Don't ever forget…

A teenage boy tossed in his bed, his breathing coming out in short gasps. The voice in his dreams echoed strangely.

Don't forget me…

A form appeared before him, reaching out with a cold, pale hand, crying out to him…

Help me… Save me…

The form disappeared into the darkness, and the boy felt it eating away at him as well. He let loose a scream. It was lost to the mist. A strange mist that filled his vision and pressed in on him from all sides.. It crept into his head, slowing his mind, making the ground beneath him spin out of contorl.. He fell into the dark clouds around him, slowly drowning in the void-

"NO!"

Suchuwa Sukotto attacked his alarm clock, clutching it to his chest as though his life depended on it. "Don't let me-" He opened his eyes, slowly coming to the realisation that he was safe in his small bedroom, away from the terrifying darkness from his dream. Regaining his senses, he suddenly became aware of a loud ringing sound. He looked at his clock, which he had inadvertently fell on and crushed. Oops.

He checked himself over. His blond hair was in a tangled mess, his fifteen-year-old body lightly frosted with sweat, his toes cold from having left his window open all night. In front of him, a smaller form stirred, starting to awaken. And Bobi's up, too. He glanced to the remains of his alarm clock. Well, it was broken anyway- the alarm wasn't supposed to ring for another hour.

Knowing that any attempt to sleep was futile at this point, he prepared himself for another day at school. He prepared himself a big breakfast, figuring he'd need the energy for what was sure to be a long day. He ran back to his room and fitted his scarlet school blazer over a white T-shirt and grey dress pants, leaving the front unbuttoned to his preference. Finally attacking his hair with a comb and his teeth with a brush, he smiled at his reflection. He turned and walked out of the bathroom-

Straight into a short, black-haired monster. Sukotto screamed for the second time that morning, but stopped when he recognised the "monster" to be his younger brother, Suchuwa Bobi.

"Sorry about the clock, Bobi." Sukotto bonked him on the head and ruffled his hair. "There's still some oatmeal downstairs, if you want it." Bobi mumbled something inaudible, and slowly lurched his way downstairs into the kitchen. Needless to say, he wasn't much of a morning person.

Sukotto grabbed his backpack, said a quick good-bye to his groggy brother, and set off to the bus stop, plugging his headphones into his iPod and whistling his favourite songs. A light layer of mist clung to the road, giving the area a mysterious, magical look to it. The leaves of all the trees and all the neighbouring lawns were a beautiful green colour, and many buds and blossoms littered their bushes and flowerbeds. Yes, after a cold, boring, white winter, the exciting new spring was into full bloom. Sukotto hated the cold, and the changing of the seasons found him in a very good mood.

By the time he had reached his half-way point, his earlier nightmare had faded away to a mere shadow of a memory.

---

As he hummed a particularly upbeat song, Sukotto admired the mist around him. He sighed happily. I love mornings like this! It's like I'm in a video game! He squealed with delight. I might even run into a monster! He laughed, his good mood now a warm fire in his chest. He looked up to the sky, admiring the seemingly extra-fluffy clouds that littered it. He returned his gaze to the road in front of him, and then quickly did a double-take. Something had glinted above him.

He saw the glint again. Something was in the sky, and as Sukotto shielded his eyes against the sun, he realised that this "something" was falling down to Earth... It almost looks like it's headed this way...

He screamed and dove out of the way. The object slammed into the ground, marking the exact spot he had been standing only seconds before. A charred crater remained of the impact, smoke rising from the broken concrete. Sukotto gulped. It... it almost hit me!

Cautiously walking over to the smouldering hole, Sukotto peered inside it. The same glint from before was now visible from inside the hole. Feeling slightly braver, Sukotto slowly craweled towards the crater. He reached inside and pulled out the object.

It was a small figurine, no bigger than a cigarette lighter. The statue itself depicted an intricate gargoyle standing on a small base, carved flawlessly out of amethyst. The eyes of the miniature giant were its most captivating feature; for some reason, its unmoving gaze seemed to pierce right through Sukotto. Feeling a little uneasy, Sukotto turned the statue around. He noticed a small symbol carved into the bottom of the base; two circles, the smaller inside of the larger.

Sukotto thought for a moment. This thing must be worth a fortune… but I'd have a little trouble telling any buyer that it fell from the sky… and my parents would probably notice if I was suddenly a millionaire. If I told them where I got it, they'd probably lock me up in a rubber room…

Sukotto shrugged. Well, I guess it could've gotten caught by a gust of wind or something. I'll just keep it safe until someone puts up a poster. He pocketed the figurine and turned back to the crash site. That should make for an interesting news story. With that thought, Sukotto continued his walk. A walk which quickly changed to a full-out dash when he checked his watch and found himself late.

---

He arrived at the bus stop just in time, huffing as he fiddled in his backpack for his pass. With a tired "Ah-HAH!", he flashed the card to the driver, who nodded him on the bus. Shoving the pass back into a random pocket of his pack, he walked to the back of the bus and sat down.

After a breif rustling of papers, the boy (with a slightly darker skin tone) next to him handed him a folded piece of paper. "Check it out!" Sukotto unfolded the paper. Two detailed swords had been drawn and coloured on the sheet, a red rapier and a large blue broadsword.

"What do you think?"Guran Saimon indicated to the drawing. "The red one's got the sun on its hilt, there. It's so sharp, you wouldn't even feel the cut." He pointed to the other. "This one has the moon, and it can crush any shield with a single swing!" He puffed out his chest, placing his hands behind his head, onto his short red hair. "They're my MASTERPIECES!"

"How long did these take you to draw?" Sukotto asked, a hint of admiration in his voice.

"All of Math class."

Sukotto groaned, handing the drawing back to Saimon. "You know, you really should start paying more attention in class. All your masterpieces are going to get you in trouble one day."

"Ah..." Saimon hung his head. "Actually, I'm probably gonna get a detention from Natsuki-san today. I forgot to do my homework, and my she's starting to get a little fed up over it."

Sukotto rolled his eyes. "See?"

Saimon rolled his scarlet eyes. "Well, sorry that I can draw, Stickman-san"

Sukotto gave him a punch on the arm. "I happen to be very attached to my stickmen, thank you." He laughed. "So, are we still going to meet at the park after dinner?"

"Yeah, I'll be free by then. Unless my mom grounds me."

Sukotto laughed again, and then rang the bell for the next stop. The two boys got off the bus and began the rest of the walk to school. Saimon started talking about his new Kingdom Hearts strategy, but Sukotto wasn't paying attention. It was a Monday, and there were no holidays until April, but something in his gut told him it would be a while before he set foot on this rod again.

---

What do you think? Brilliant? Inspiring? Everything the original wasn't?

I wonder how many people will notice the symbolism things I put in... My LA teacher for sure, she's has a shinigami's eyes. Except these ones see the meaning of every word and phrase floating above the page, not my lifespan and real name (of course, they might work that way too... OMG MY LA TEACHER HAS A DEATH NOTE!)

I'll be updating the second chapter too (and probably all the chapters that have the script format, I'm told that wasn't too popular ("WHAT?! MY HITS DROP FROM 800 TO 40 IN THREE CHAPTERS?! PEOPLE HAVE NO PATIENCE!" "Skittles, no one wants to read the script format. It's dumb." "But writing all the tags and descriptions is boring!" "What a hypocrite..."). In there, you'll also see which series (is the plural of "series" "serieses?" "Serii? "Sheep?") I'll be referecning for in Owari, so then you can decide if you know enough of them to move on. XD. I'll try my best to explain everything for those who haven't read so-and-so manga, but I may forget to add a few details. So let me know when I do, 'k??? (Desperate for hits and reviews XD (I may have accidentally started a contest with my friend... SO HELP ME WIN!!)

No, I'm joking. I think... (Don't worry about apologizing, they've long since gone to the next chapter by now. No one wants to read my post-chapter drivel.)

And now, after a very long foreword and afterword, I release you to future chapters.

Happy Reading!