0Hi, Silverwolf986 here! This is my third fan fiction for . My idiotic friend had me start this fic so I could finally write about the adventures of Shriana and her magical friends, so here's a little bit about them! Shriana is a fledgling mage who's four unique companions are an impulsive boy who's personality is even more unusual than his name - Odd, a hyperactive demon kitsune called Chaos, a lazy but loyal dragon named Amethyst, and a mysterious master of magic known only as Madam Kailuu. The foursome's adventures around the world of Amour are filled with humor, drama, and cookies. So enjoy the fic!

- Silverwolf986

This is crash lareau, and apparently I'm the idiotic friend. I became interested in writing the history of Silverwolf986's fan characters when I saw some fan art she had drawn of Shriana Raexena, the demon Chaos, and the dragon Amethyst. I asked: "So, did you write the fan fic yet?" and she said: "No." And since I'm a very impatient person, I had to do something to get this story speeding along. And this is the result! Enjoy the fanfic! : 3

- crash lareau

Claimer: The plotline of Shriana and the world of Amour, as well as the characters Shriana Raexena, the demon Chaos, Amethyst the dragon, and Madam Kailuu belong to Silverwolf986.

Claimer: Orpheus aka 'Odd' belongs to crash lareau.

Dedicated to the term 'friendship' for obvious, corny reasons. : 3

Shriana by Silverwolf986 and crash lareau

Chapter One - Nightmare

"Promise that we'll stay for the sunset,
And when the moon shines through the darkness,
We can find the path that leads us home,
And on the way you'll...
...maybe...
...sing me a song.

Promise that you always will be there,
Hold my hand if ever I'm real scared,
Help me stand up tall if I fall down,

Make me laugh away all my bluest days!

How could you promise you always would be there?

Why'd you have to go away somewhere?

Every morning into every night,

Do you watch over me like the sun in the sky?

Am I all alone, or standing in your light?

I wish that I could...
...maybe...
...sing you a song...
...tonight.

You promised me we'd stay for the sunset-"

The girl stopped abruptly, startled by the sudden, violent shaking of the forest trees. Slowly she stood, her large violet eyes scanning the dense woods surrounding the sweet-grass plain. A soft wind blew, gently rustling the tall grass, but otherwise it was quiet.

Too quite.

The girl shifted uncomfortably. Where were the birds? What had happened to their songs that had drifted across the meadow, so joyful, a few minutes ago?

In a small voice, the girl asked, "Hello?"

Again the trees began to sway, as if to answer her with a malicious retort. A long, loud CRACK erupted from the forest, making the girl jump as a large oak tumbled over as if it was simply brushed off like a pesky bug on a child's arm.

CRACK.

KABOOM.

CRACK.

KABOOM!

The girl took a step away from the line of trees that were still left standing. She was frightened – more frightened then she had ever been in her short eight years of life. She stiffened, expecting yet another great tree to fall, it's proud mass nothing now but wood to perhaps stoke a fire.

Silence.

A shiver crawled up the girl's spine, making her sharp ears twitch and her dark black hair ruffle.

Again she asked, her voice smaller than ever, "H-hello?"

There was an uneven silence, but it was quickly shattered by another tree suddenly snapping, cracking, and falling to the ground. The oak moaned as it bowed, low to the ground for whatever great being had forced its respect. Startled, the girl stumbled back a few paces, but she tripped over a root and collapsed in a heap on the ground.

Then IT came.

Bursting from what was left of the forest with a mighty roar, the monster charged toward the helpless girl, saliva slithering from it wide jaws filled with dagger-like black teeth. Its red eyes help no pupils, no whites, as if a fire scorched within the demon instead of a heart.

The girl took a deep breath and screamed-

Suddenly I woke up, screaming at the top of my lungs. And when I ran out of breath, I sucked in another lungful of air and screamed again. Sweat glistened on my forehead and neck, slithering down my spine, causing me to shiver violently. I clasped the sides of my head and squeezed my eyes shut.

"It was a dream… It was a dream…" I murmured, as if to convince myself.

But I wasn't sure. It was as if…I was really there. I could still feel the scorching breath of the demon on my face as its teeth wrapped around my throat and-

I slowly released my temples and placed a shaking hand against my heaving chest, trying to slow my breathing and calm my heart. I slowly scanned my room, taking in the present. There was a pale orange light outside – it was nearly sunrise. The air smelled of old wood and hay. My bed was cool and damp from my sweat. I was still shaking.

Again I closed my eyes, focusing on my breathing. In…out…in…out…

"OK," I said calmly, nodding. "OK… Get a grip, Shriana, it was a dream…"

But it was also…more…

I opened my eyes again and slowly rose to my feet, the cool floor reeling me back from the nightmare. I was here.

"OK," I said, placing my hands on my hips. My voice sounded more like my own -strong, confident - not shaking and weak.

I licked my dry lips thirstily, my parched tongue lying limply on the floor of my mouth.

"Milk," I murmured to myself, and trotted out of my room. As I was about to exit the door, I stopped suddenly, and quickly circled back. Sometimes it was as if she had already passed, and I had moved on. It was…strange how I kept forgetting. It was disturbing.

I entered her room quietly, avoiding the creaks and moans of the wooden floor out of habit as I made my way to the side of her bed. She was still asleep, her spindly frame barely noticeable against the thick, wool covers. I slipped my hand into one of her pale, stony ones. She felt like ice.

I blinked away a few tears that had started to form on the corners of my eyes.

"Hold on, Mama, I'll get you some milk, too."

The air outside was cool, and a thin mist hung over the dewed grass. I pulled my kimono a bit tighter around my chest and continued to the barn. After arriving at the wide brown building, I pushed open the large wooden door and sucked in the sweet smell of the hay and the earthy smell of the kull. It was a familiar smell, one I enjoyed probably a little too much. Manure wasn't meant to be a smell one should enjoy. With a small grin, I slipped into one of the stalls and crept up to one of the sleeping beasts. Giving her a sharp little swat on her haunches to wake her up, the kull tiredly rose to her feet, studying me with worn, yellow eyes.

"Hey, honey," I murmured to the kull, patting her side warmly. "Got some milk for me?"

All I received was a blank stare.

With a small sigh I pulled up a stool and bucket and set to work, squeezing the milk from the kull while I rested my head against her warm flank. I listened to her deep, slow breathing, to the sluggish beating of her three hearts, and to the small, playful growls of her stomachs. I gave her a small pat on her rump, a smile on my lips. What a hungry kull. She was like a bottomless pit. I grinned and sat up, grabbing the bucket handle filled with the cream-colored liquid as I exited the barn with a promise to the kull for some fresh, sweet hay as soon as I returned.

I paced up the gentle slope of the small hill between the barn and the house carefully, wary of the sloshing milk in the very full bucket. I heard a loud cawing above me, and glanced up quickly to spot the halcon in the pale orange and blue sky. Suddenly my foot slipped on the dewed grass, causing me to stumble a bit. Nearly a third of the milk flew out of the bucket, splashing to the ground before being soaking up by the grass.

I stared.

"Dammit!" I hissed, my knuckles turning white as I gripped the bucket handle so hard

I thought it would snap. "As if my morning hasn't been bad enough! Why do all of these bad things keep happening to me?"

"Lighten up."

Recognizing the voice, I grinned and looked over my shoulder. "Hey," I said, my tone a lot lighter than it was before, as if his carefree personality was contagious. "Morning, Odd."

Orpheus was his real name, but I never thought it suited him, so I nicknamed him 'Odd'. Because that's what he was: Odd was odd. We were pretty good friends, even though we lived miles apart and were exact opposites. He was a city boy, and I had lived in the country my whole life. His energy was boundless, and I always thought of myself as being mellow. He was impulsive, I was sensible. He jokes, I read. And yet, we're friends.

"What're you doing here?" I asked. I looked up at the house, frowning slightly, but decided it could wait a little while. I slowly, carefully placed the milk onto the ground and crossed my arms over my chest.

He shrugged. "Long time no see, I guess. How've you been, Shriana?"

"Pretty good," I said, but memories from my nightmare suddenly came slithering back into my head. I shivered. "But seriously, what are you doing here?"

He smirked. "I came to rescue you from your clumsiness. Need some help?"

"I can handle it," I said, a bit annoyed as I grabbed the milk pail.

Odd held up his hands in mock defeat. "If you say so. Wouldn't want you spilling anymore."

I aimed a sharp kick to his legs, but he dodged nimbly aside. That was one thing that annoyed me about him – he's too fast about everything. Sometimes I barely understood what he's saying, his tongue was so sharp.

My ears flicked suddenly as I heard a small 'splish'. I looked at the ground quickly enough to see a little bit of creamy milk get slurped into the dark soil.

"Odd!" I exclaimed.

"Whoops. I told you to be careful, Shriana."

"It's your fault and you know it!" I snapped, and sighed. My eyes wandered back up to the house.

There was a small silence. A gentle gust rustled the grass, reminding me.

"…How is she?"

"She's been getting worse," I said suddenly, surprising myself. "A lot worse…" My voice cracked close to the end of my sentence, and the tears started again. But they never left my eyes. I wouldn't let them.

"She'll get better," Odd said, but I wasn't convinced. I couldn't even convince myself.

I didn't answer him. My thoughts wandered to my dream. I remembered the girl again. And the beast. And the forest that had felt so familiar…

"Shriana?"

I blinked and looked up. Odd's round, cobalt eyes were studying me closely.

"What?" I asked, looking away.

Odd hesitated. "I… Well…" he scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. "Nothing. Never mind. Let's get this back to the house." He stepped forward and slipped the bucket out of my hand, but I was still a bit dazed, thinking. He poked me in the side.

"Stop it," I muttered, giving him a half-hearted shove.

"Hurry up," he retorted with a small smirk, and starting plodding up the hill.

With a small huff I followed him, frowning at the fact that he wasn't spilling a drop of the milk despite his pace. Sometimes I thought Odd was part cat: he was so well balanced, flexible, agile. But he'd be an alley cat, not a proud beast of the jungle. I thought of his name, Orpheus – it meant darkness, the color of ebony. It didn't suit him, despite his raven-colored hair and lightly tanned skin. But now that I think about it, like a black cat, Odd was bad luck. The thought amused me, and I smiled.

Odd caught my smirk. "What's so funny?"

I gave a shrug and shot him a mysterious look. "Oh, nothing."

He frowned and jiggled the handle to the door a bit before giving it a push. It was always a pain to get open, even I had trouble sometimes. But to Orpheus, it was like a second nature. The door popped right open, to spite me. "Come on, what is it?" he asked, hesitating at the opened door.

I slipped past him and entered the house, giving him a smug grin. "I'm not telling you."

Odd rolled his eyes, and kicked the door shut with the back of his heel. "Are you still mad at me or something?"

"Nope."

"Then why are you torturing me?"

"Because it's funny."

"…I'll bet there isn't a joke at all."

I shrugged again. "Your loss."

He paused. "Whatever. Your not funny, anyway." Again he hesitated. "Come on!"

"No," I said, and tugged on his arm. "This way, but be quiet. She's asleep."

He nodded and followed as we moved deeper into the house to a room next to my own. I quietly nudged the door open and gestured for Odd to follow. I stepped carefully around the floorboards, avoiding the ones that creaked. Odd didn't bother, but his footsteps were completely soundless, again spiting me. I rolled my eyes and took the milk bucket from him and the empty cup from her bedside table, carefully filling it. I turned back to her bed, but frowned at Odd.

"Actually, I think I want to be alone with her," I said in a low tone, careful of my voice.

"Oh. Right. Sorry," he said, and crept back out, shutting the door softly.

I sighed and sat down on the bed. I glanced out the window, at the sun. It was still a bit early, but she'd be waking up soon. But even when her eyes fluttered open, she would still be dead. Her pupils would be glassy, her body motionless as stone.

"Mama," I whispered. She didn't move, but, of course, I didn't expect her to. I sighed again, but my voice shook slightly. "I had the nightmare again. I wish I knew what it meant, but… Well, it feels a little more like a memory than a dream. And the girl looks like me, but I don't remember anything like that ever happening. I've never seen a demon before. And I've never been to that forest before. And I've never heard that song before, either. None of it makes sense. How can it be my memory if…"

She still didn't react, not to anything.

"…Mama?"

Nothing.

I felt the tears coming then. They felt like fire, burning the edges of my eyes. I slipped my hand into hers, ignoring the frostiness about them. "You'll get better," I reassured her. "I promise, you will."

But deep inside, I knew it was a lie.

Since I like to leave notes at the end of chapters hinting a little about what'll happen next, I'll go ahead and say that Shriana will meet a few more characters that are odder than Odd, if that's even possible, in the near future. And don't forget to review! : 3

-Silverwolf986

…Well, I guess that's that. Feel free to review, comment, and ask questions, and we'll answer them the best we can at the end of next chapter! : 3

-crash lareau

Disclaimer: "Yuuhi No Yakusoku" belongs to Digimon Tamers the Movie: Runaway Locomon.