The time train DenLiner. Will its next station be in the past or the future? Travelion, the Magical Express. Which dimension will it cross over next? These two trains, one sent from the heavens and the past, the other from the earth and the future, frequently breached into the Sands of Time, a desert-like Marudeyouna World where the skies are alight in rainbow colors, cliffs and crevasses are possibly around every turn, and creatures known as Imagin lie beneath the sands, waiting to come out and change the world for their own purposes. They appear to be gathering in the year 2007, but some of them wish to break out earlier…they cannot remain constrained by time forever. It is here that our story begins…

Another set of tracks was laying themselves out across the desert. These were illuminated by a golden light, one that protected everything beneath it from harm for a moment as the train rolled past. Beneath the sands, an unidentified figure rose. Its head was vaguely froglike in shape, as were its legs. Except the head and legs weren't together; the creature's upper body lay in the sands while the lower half walked on the air, staying directly above its other half the whole time. This half-formed beast watched as the incoming train rolled past. The whistle sounded.

It was a steam whistle. The beast didn't have to hide. The Magical Express Travelion, after journeying across space, had to cruise briefly through time before landing where it would. This was the last leg of its journey. Voices spoke from inside Travelion. Only three of them; the beast listened closely to see if it was anything of importance to him.

"More power to the engines, Master!" Smoky , a white cat dressed in the robes of a genie, a red feather protruding from his head, said to the Master in question. "Should I shovel more MagiCoals?"

"Smoky," Hikaru, wearing his golden conductor's uniform, directed at the cat as he flipped his brown hair back before pulling on the levers, "This is supposed to be a peaceful train ride. We don't need to be going any faster than we already are. Now, go tell Urara that we're about to arrive."

"Nyao!" Smoky meowed, leaving the train's engine. The figure watched Travelion roll past him, following Smoky. The magical cat arrived in the car immediately behind the coal carrier, stepping into a hallway with four large seating compartments a side. This same design was repeated in the remaining three cars. Urara, at the moment, was in the third compartment on the left, a large bag set on the chair nearby. Smoky peered in.

Urara was dressed in a blue bikini with her mermaid symbol on the bottom. A wave pattern was present on the whole outfit, and a light green cover was tied at her waist. She stepped into her sandals and walked out with her bag. "Smoky, what is it?"

"Miss Urara," Smoky answered, "We're arriving at our destination."

"Thank you, Smoky," Urara patted him on the head and began walking towards the front of the train. When she neared the door that led to the main engine of Travelion, Hikaru's voice echoed all the way to the back of the train.

"LULUDO!"

Urara grabbed the golden handle and opened the door. When she walked into the heated room where Travelion was piloted, she saw her husband wearing a blue pair of swim trunks, trimmed with gold, and sandals to match. A T-shirt bearing his "S" symbol was on top of that. Smoky had not changed into beach wear, and doubted Urara would want him to.

"We've moved across space and time…we're almost there!" Hikaru pulled on one of Travelion's many levers, letting the steam whistle sound again. Urara saw the golden tracks stop suddenly as a radiating golden portal appeared at the end. She looked into the light. It was as though something had hit her hard in the stomach and on the back at the same time, causing her to lunge forward into Hikaru's arms. He wrapped his shoulder around her, and Travelion passed through the portal.

The froglike creature once in the sands was nowhere to be seen. Another whistle, this one a technological hum, screeched through the desert landscape and came to a stop. This train had two red "eyes" on the main engine with a gold display in between. It came to a halt in the middle of the Sands of Time, watching as the caboose of Travelion vanished into the shining light to the Marudeyouna World. From the window of this train, a young man stopped at the window and stared.

"How long are we going to wait here?" he nodded his head.

"We're in the middle of the sands of time, Ryotaro," replied a red, demon-like creature to his right, "for all we know, they could come back in a second…the clock has no effect on us here…"

The Marudeyouna World was an alternate dimension filled with several smaller dimensions, containing anything from ancient Japan to a cretaceous jungle. For this particular trip, Hikaru had decided on a tropical beach, known as the "Sunshine Solace", for his and Urara's honeymoon. Smoky immediately set off to build a sandcastle – cats hate water – while Hikaru looked to his wife. He removed his shirt and Urara her cover. It was only them here.

"Lujuna," Hikaru called for a pair of beach chairs and an umbrella in turquoise and dark blue. He directed the sun's glare away from them. Smoky, at the moment, was building a miniature version of Magitopia's Great Hall out of sand. Hikaru and Urara lay down. Urara still felt something jerking around inside her body. She decided to ignore it and enjoy the day. This was their honeymoon – a romantic lighthouse on the distance waited for them. She rested for hours on end…entering into a world of dreams.

"Urara," a voice croaked in the back of her mind, "Urara."

"Who are you?" asked the Blue Mage, "I'm trying to sleep at the beach."

"You are asleep. This is why I'm in your dreams."

"What sort of creature are you?"

"The kind that can grant you a wish."

"I have a cat genie around the house, I don't need you."

"My wishes are of a greater magic than that foolish Smoky. They have the power to change the world."

"…the world?"

"To make it a better place for you. For me."

"What kind of wish?"

"Tell me your deepest desire."

"I barely know who you are!"

"Tell it to me!"

"Okay…" Urara winced, "I want…I want to be a mother. Like my mother. To raise the next generation of Saints and Magicians to show the world true courage."

"Thank you, Urara" the creature answered, "Your wish…is my…command…"

Urara awoke with a start to find sand pouring out of her bikini – she hadn't frolicked on the beach that much. Where was it coming from? Once the flow of the sands of time came to a stop, a sudden wet glow surrounded her body. Hikaru, the light shining in his eyes, woke up and saw Urara. "Urara…" he gasped, "You look beautiful."

"I feel itchy," she scratched her back, some of the sand stuck between her straps, "I need to change."

"Let me help you with that."

Hikaru and Urara kissed passionately as he slid his hand down her back, and she did the same. Smoky could tell something was going on. "I'll leave you lovebirds alone." He exited out of the lighthouse and closed the door, only to meet with the most disturbing creature he'd seen since N. Ma. A whip-like tongue was in its mouth, and its slimy green skin dripped away water, creating soggy wet footprints in the beach. Blue spots covered its body, yellow eyes glowing in the darkness. Webbed hands and feet, three fingers and toes apiece, were held out in Smoky's direction.

"What kind of demon are you?" Smoky stuttered, "Why did N. Ma send you?"

"Yes…N. Ma," the Frog Imagin croaked, his voice deep and bellowing, "I saw him while I was in the Blue Mage's mind. Such a creature of power, but not very bright. Perhaps I should assist him with that…"

"Are you a Hades Beast?" asked Smoky.

"No," replied the creature, "I'm an Imagin. And you're about to be erased from history!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it, nyao!" Smoky leapt into the air, performing a bicycle kick with his feline paws. The Frog Imagin absorbed the blows with his slimy hide, opening his mouth to fire a torrent of water at Smoky. The magical cat was propelled back into the ocean, a cloud of steam rising. The steam reformed into Smoky, except giant-sized. His tail billowed behind him as a giant, golden-clawed paw slammed down onto the beach, attempting to squash the Frog Imagin. He missed. Smoky returned to normal size, launching into a fury of scratches. Again and again, nothing worked.

Inside the lighthouse, Hikaru and Urara were spooning, enjoying the aftermath of their frenzied passion. The door burst open as the Frog Imagin glared at Urara. Suddenly, her body appeared to split vertically, a green, spiraling vortex holding her together. The Frog Imagin leapt through the vortex as Urara returned to normal. Hikaru held her close. Her heart was still beating, but she wasn't moving. He grabbed her in his arms and chanted "Luludo!" Both of them transformed into their magician's outfits as Hikaru called for Travelion. Smoky joined his master's side.

"Master! I know what he is!"

"Not now, Smoky!" Hikaru pulled the cat genie back into his lamp, "Urara's in trouble!"

Hikaru leapt into Travelion and pulled down on one of the levers. The steam whistle roared the engines began to heat up. Smoky carried Urara to one of the benches in the back of the train, letting her rest motionlessly. Travelion's golden tracks lay themselves down across the beach landscape before a portal opened on the other end of the line. Travelion's wheels were set a-rolling, and through the sands of time and the space of dimensions it passed, back to Japan.

In the Sands of Time, the red-and-white train that had been at a standstill set course for Japan as well. The demon-like creature sitting at the window spoke up.

"Finally, we're moving!"

"Yes, Momotaros," replied Ryotaro, the boy, "Our journey's about to begin."

DenLiner followed the trail of Travelion's caboose, following its path into a familiar place…an unfamiliar time.