Happy (early) birthday, precious Chii! You were the one to say I could upload the story whenever I wanted, so I'm doing it now. :D

You've written me two beautiful joumis already and I wanted to show my gratitude by writing you a story about one of your most beloved otps: mishiro. It's my first romantic mishiro, I hope it's not bad. You're precious!

Egress

In a day of 2004, Miyako and her friends had returned from the Digital World bringing news that interested Koushiro. They had opened the gate in the redhead's computer and were all reunited in his bedroom: Daisuke with Chibimon, Iori with Upamon, Hikari with Tailmon, Takeru with Patamon, Ken with Wormmon and Miyako with Poromon.

"We found an abandoned house that seemed to have belonged to a researcher!" Miyako informed, excitedly, holding a book in her right hand. "It's filled with books like this one."

Koushiro grabbed the book and leafed through it. It was filled with formulas and illustrations of an inter-dimensional portal. A few notes next to the drawings called his attention.

"God's realm?" The older boy inquired.

"To get there seemed to be the goal of the digimon who wrote all those books." Hikari said.

"There was a suspicious wooden door standing alone in the middle of a room in the second floor." Takeru pointed out. "We tried to move it but it just stayed in the same position no matter what we did."

"It was only a piece of wood standing there, connected to nothing?" Koushiro asked.

"It had a jamb around it." Iori told him.

"And there was no sign of anyone in that place?" Koushiro inquired.

"The place was already in a state of decay." Ken answered. "There was mold and plants growing in the structure and most of the books were in really bad shape."

"The lone door in the middle of the room was as good as new, though." Patamon mentioned.

"Intriguing!" Koushiro beamed.

"We went to a village nearby and asked some questions." Poromon continued the narrative. "The digimon there were wary of the place. They said that the researcher had opened a door to God's realm and was punished for it."

"Maybe it's the door in the second floor…" Koushiro wondered. "It could be a gate to a different dimension! If we could open it and have access to-"

"Did you pay attention to the part where God punished the researcher?" Wormmon was startled. "We're not supposed to open that door!"

"But…" Koushiro had the heartbroken tone of voice of a child that had been denied candy. "It was probably just a story! And it might not be a deity at the other side! It could be a new creature that nobody understands yet!"

"I know that you're curious, Izumi-sempai." Miyako adopted a comforting tone. "But maybe you shouldn't go looking for a deity that likes to punish those that go look for it."

"I see your point." Koushiro sighed. "Could I at least take a look at the door?"

"Right now?" Daisuke did not sound happy. "We just came back from there!"

"Oh, right! Sorry." Koushiro apologized.

"I could go there with you." Miyako offered. "What do you think, Poromon?"

"I'm fine with it." Poromon replied.

"Are you sure?" Koushiro felt anxious. "I don't want anyone to feel obliged-"

"It's alright, Izumi-sempai!" Miyako smiled largely at him.

"Wormmon and I could go with you." Ken suggested.

"You live far from here; you should get home before night time." Miyako told him. "The three of us are going to be okay. Plus, I'd like to take another look on those books."

In the end, the other children agreed to let Miyako and her partner go alone with Koushiro to the abandoned house and left. Not long after that, a surprise visitor came.

"Koushiro-kun!" Mimi called, opening the unlocked door of the apartment and inviting herself in.

"MIMI-ONEE-SAMA!" Miyako yelled out of happiness and ran to where Mimi's voice had come. Koushiro and Poromon followed her and they saw both girls hugging each other.

"When did you come to Japan?" Miyako asked. "If I knew it, I would've gone to the airport to-"

"It was supposed to be a surprise!" Mimi laughed. "I'm just coming from the hotel where my parents are. We're going to stay for a couple of weeks."

"YAY!" Miyako jumped, enthusiastically.

"Mimi-san, hello!" Koushiro greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"What kind of rude question is that?" The older girl pouted. "Can't I visit my childhood friend?"

"I didn't mean to be rude." He had an apologetic tone.

"Well, I have something to discuss with you." Mimi told the boy, glancing quickly at Miyako. "I'll tell you what it is when we're alone."

"Oh! You two have secrets?" The younger girl giggled. "Are you guys like secret lovers or something?"

"O-Of course not!" Koushiro blushed intensely, which amused Mimi. "We would never… that could never…"

"Koushiro-kun and I are just good friends." Mimi smirked. The idea of her and the redhead boy dating was absurd to her. What common interests did they share? What would they talk about? They would most likely be an incompatible couple. "You should go home already, Miyako-chan, while it's still afternoon."

"Actually, Miyako-kun is going to show me something in the Digital World." The boy informed her.

"What? Now?" Mimi was shocked. "Is it an emergency?"

"No, Izumi-sempai just wants to see an abandoned house." Miyako explained.

"Why would he want to do that?!" The other could not understand. "Koushiro-kun," Mimi turned to the boy, "why do you want to drag Miyako-chan to a boring house?"

"It's not boring!" He sounded offend on behalf of the house. "There's a really interesting story behind that place and I want to investigate it!"

"Why don't you come with us, Mimi-onee-sama?" Miyako had sparkling eyes.

"Ahhh…" The other hesitated but could not say no to someone making that expression. "Alright! I'll go with you!"

After Koushiro picked his white coat, the younger girl opened the gate and they all went to the Digital World. After a few minutes of walking in a forest (which was not easy in the high heels Mimi was wearing) and explanations, they reached the abandoned house illuminated by the sunset. It had two floors and only one entrance on its front, with no windows anywhere. The facade was covered by plants that had grown on it. The three humans and Hawkmon crossed the rectangular hole in the wall and entered a room covered in mold. There were two rotten bookshelves there, one across from the entrance and another on the right wall. Beside the left wall, there was a flight of stairs with a handrail.

"This place is gross!" Mimi stated, not wanting to touch anything.

"I'm going to take a look at the mysterious door in the second floor!" Koushiro said, running to the stairs.

"I'll go with you!" Mimi hurried after him.

"Are you going after them, Miyako-san?" Hawkmon asked.

"Nah." She smiled, maliciously. "Let the two love birds have their secret talk."


"Koushiro-kun, I have a mission for you!" Mimi announced once they had arrived on the second floor. "You are going to help me to buy a birthday gift for Miyako-chan."

"Right… her birthday is this weekend…" Koushiro murmured, walking straight to the lone door in the middle of the room. There were no bookshelves or other furniture there; only mold covering the floor, the walls and the ceiling. The wooden door disconnected with everything seemed brand new.

"Now you've seen the door you wanted. Let's hurry up and go to the Mall to buy her present!" Mimi told him.

"She's going to find out about the surprise if you keep speaking loudly while she's downstairs." The boy observed, continuing to examine the strange door that stood alone, in its jamb, in the middle of the room.

"Koushiro-kun!" Mimi raised her voice. "Why are you examining that door, anyway? It's just a piece of wood standing up! How can that be interesting?!"

"I don't think this is simply a door, like the ones we see every day." The boy was pressing both his hands on one side of the wood but it did not move even slightly. "It could be a portal to another dimension. The God realm the book Miyako-kun found had mentioned. Maybe the researcher went to a different world."

"A portal to God?" Mimi asked. She went to the other side of the door, across from Koushiro. "Do you really think it could be something like that?"

"It would be incredible if that was the case!" Koushiro's voice was filled with enthusiasm. "It could be a pocket dimension or a completely different universe! That 'God' could actually be a super computer or a unique life form or something that could accumulate information! There are so many possibilities!"

"What if it's nothing like what you're imagining? It could very well be just a door like all the others." Mimi commented.

"It doesn't hurt to think positively." Koushiro murmured.

"You get too excited sometimes!" She complained. "We might be wasting time that we could be using to find the perfect gift for Miyako-chan!"

"You didn't have to come with us." Koushiro pointed out. "Besides, you don't need my help to get her something she would like."

"Yes, I do!" Mimi protested. "You were her sempai! You know her better than I do!"

"Miyako-kun is going to treasure anything you give her." Koushiro assured.

"Why does it sound like you don't want to spend time with me?" Mimi pouted.

"It's not like that, Mimi-san." Koushiro sighed. "I just want to know what is there at the other side of this door."

A click was heard and the door opened, sliding to the side. Now, Mimi could see the boy standing a few steps in her front. He had a marveled expression and walked in her direction, crossing the open passage under the jamb.

"Incredible!" The boy was grinning.

"What?" Mimi was confused. "Are you noticing my cute green dress just now?"

"MIMI-SAN!" He shouted, excited, passing by Mimi's side without glancing at her. "Come see this! It's amazing!"

"I'm right here, Koushiro-kun!" Mimi thought he was mocking her. "Don't act as if I'm not!"

"Mimi-san, come on!" Koushiro called again, keeping his eyes on something at his front.

"Stop with this game already!" Mimi felt anger boiling in her, turning to the door at her side and slamming it with all her force, which made the door return to its previous position. "It's not funny to ignore people!"

When she turned to Koushiro again, intending to scold him for his insensitivity, she did not see the boy anywhere in the room.

Where did he go? Mimi wondered, looking at the entrance at the other side of the room. He couldn't have crossed all the way there without being noticed by me.


Mimi decided to go downstairs to check if Koushiro was there. She only found Miyako and Hawkmon leafing through books.

"Did Koushiro-kun come here?" Mimi inquired.

"No." Miyako replied. "Isn't he upstairs anymore?"

"He… vanished from the room…" Mimi was starting to get nervous. "He was pretending that he couldn't see me and I got mad… I-I don't understand… where did he go?"

Miyako and Hawkmon accompanied Mimi upstairs and the older girl explained everything that had happened. Miyako was getting intensively pale.

"What did Izumi-sempai say to open the door?" Miyako asked, pressing the wood piece. "Was it 'I want to see what's at the other side'?"

A click was heard and the door slid open. In front of them there was a rectangular passage to a wide and completely white place.

"It really was a portal!" Mimi was astonished. "Then, Koushiro-kun is in there?"

"God's realm?" Hawkmon was concerned. "We told him not to go in there!"

"The dimensions must've been juxtaposed while the door was open." Miyako theorized. "You could see and listen to Izumi-sempai from the outside but he couldn't see nor hear you from the inside."

"He wasn't making fun of me, then…" Mimi felt guilty.

"Miyako-san," Hawkmon had a concerned voice, "Koushiro-san was disconnected from this side once the door was closed?"

"Yes." Miyako confirmed. "I wonder if he would be able to open the door from the inside… the old owner of this house never came back…"

"I need to find him!" Mimi affirmed, running to the white world. Miyako was about to follow her but Hawkmon stopped his partner.

"Miyako-san, it's dangerous!" The digimon said.

"But Izumi-sempai and Mimi-" She began to protest.

"Let's wait for them here, with the door open."

"What if they need our help? They're not with their partners!" Miyako insisted.

"If we get separated, we would be more vulnerable to attacks." Hawkmon pointed out. "If the two of us go inside, the door could be closed and we all would be trapped."

"What if there really is a maleficent deity in there?" Miyako inquired.

"We don't know if there really is something dangerous in there… it could be just a story." Hawkmon pondered. "Besides," He added, "I don't want you to go into harm's way!"

"Are they going to be okay by themselves?" Miyako questioned.

"Let's trust them." Hawkmon told her. "It's all we can do now."

"Alright." Miyako gave in, hoping that Mimi would find the boy soon.


"KOUSHIRO-KUN!" Mimi called, shouting the loudest she could. "COME ON! WHERE ARE YOU?"

The girl was starting to shake. This happened because I closed the door… why did I do that? I was angry! I thought he was being insensitive… but Koushiro-kun never made mean jokes like that… I should've known that there was something off. If something happened to him… NO! He has to be okay! He has to!

She spotted someone at the distance. As Mimi walked in that direction, she devised the back of the redhead boy. Koushiro was sitting on the floor, without moving.

"Koushiro-kun!" Mimi called, touching his right shoulder. "Thank goodness!"

Koushiro slowly moved his head to her direction. He had a blank expression on his face.

"Koushiro-kun…?" Mimi had a bad feeling.

"Tachikawa Mimi." A malicious grin appeared in his lips. "The holder of the crest of purity, born in the 27th day of July of the year 1989, blood type B positive… it's lovely to see you again."

A cold sensation crossed her body. The boy was smiling but his eyes were ice-cold.

"Koushiro-kun, let's get out of here!" Mimi urged, holding the boy by both shoulders.

"You think you're talking to Izumi Koushiro, the holder of the crest of knowledge, born in the 29th day of January of 1990, blood type O negative." He sounded amused. "Too bad that person hasn't existed in this universe for a few hours now." The boy smirked. "Different time lapses in separate dimensions sure are fun."

"What kind of joke is this? It's not funny!" Mimi interjected. However, she knew better than to think that her friend would do something cruel like that.

"I am not Izumi Koushiro." The other informed, dropping the grin. "That boy is dead."

"D-Dead?" Mimi could feel her heart skipping a beat. "T-That's ridiculous!" She stated, taking both her trembling hands to touch his face. "You're warm! You're breathing!"

"Oh, his body is still alive." The boy clarified. "It's his mind that is destroyed." He smiled. "I broke it apart to little pieces and possessed his body."

"Koushiro-kun…" Mimi felt tears coming to her eyes.

"I've told you already that I am not Izumi Koushiro!" The other stated, getting up.

Unconsciously, Mimi took two steps back, shaking from head to toes.

"W-Who are you?" She muttered.

"I have different names, depending on the universe." He informed. "Names are such boring things, aren't they? I guess I could say that I'm worshiped as a deity in different worlds."

"A deity?" Mimi was starting to understand. "You're the deity the previous owner of the house was looking for!"

"Oh, that Gaomon…" A diabolic smile seemed to deform his face. "That creature's screams were adorable!"

Fear like she had never felt before was spreading inside her. What kind of demon was she dealing with? What had it done to the redhead boy?

"Did you hurt Koushiro-kun…?" She asked in a whisper.

"What if I did?" He questioned in defiance.

Involuntarily, she imagined Koushiro being tortured by that creature. The image of him crying and screaming overwhelmed her with clashing chaotic emotions. Mimi begged mentally that she could have gotten to him sooner. That she could have protected him. However, it was pointless to think about that now. She had to worry about what to do from that moment on.

"Bring him back!" The girl ordered.

"There's no Izumi Koushiro anymore." The other affirmed. "He can't come back."

"LIAR!" Mimi felt the tears falling from her eyes. "Koushiro-kun wouldn't just-"

"He wouldn't die?!" The other chuckled. "I could show you his final moments if you want. They're hilarious!"

Mimi felt her knees getting weak. What was that maleficent deity saying? He enjoyed killing Koushiro? How could he? That could not be true!

"Why are you looking at me with so much horror?" The boy asked, taking a large step in her direction. "That human came to my dimension uninvited. It's normal for deities to punish those who deserve it."

"HE DIDN'T DESERVE THAT!"Mimi roared. "Koushiro-kun has always been a good person…" She had difficulty in stopping her shaking. "We didn't understand each other every time… I got annoyed at him but…"

Koushiro always treated everybody with respect and did everything in his power to help people. He was hard-working and dedicated his whole being to what he believed to be the greater good. Sometimes he did not comprehend the feelings of other people. Sometimes, he was insensitive. But he always apologized sincerely. He always looked into her eyes while doing it. And when Mimi forgave him, his smile was always so beautiful. Almost as luminous as the one he had when he was learning something new.

His marvel at the unknown… his kindness… were those things lost forever? Was he really dead? Betrayed by his own curiosity? Killed by the being he was so excited to find? That was not fair! It was not right! How could a horrible reality like that be accepted?

"Don't be upset like that, Tachikawa Mimi." The other told her, getting so close to the girl that she could feel his breath. "You have better friends than him. People who always listen to you, who always pay attention, who do everything you want." He lifted his right hand and placed a string of her hair behind her ear. "Izumi Koushiro was nothing but a flea, a disgusting little thing that deserved to be crushed. You should thank me for freeing you from that lowly existence."

Those words lit fire in Mimi's heart. Without thinking twice, she slapped the other with all her might, causing him to nearly lose his balance.

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT KOUSHIRO-KUN!" She spoke with ferocity, grabbing the boy by the collar of his white jacket. "I DON'T GIVE A DAMN IF YOU'RE A GOD OR WHATEVER! YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO SPIT THAT NONSENSE! YOU'RE NOTHING COMPARED TO HIM!"

"It's unwise to talk to me with so much disrespect." His voice became lower. "I wonder if you deserve to be punished as well."

The boy raised his hand in her direction but suddenly stopped. His face was filled with confusion.

"What's this?" He muttered, glaring at his trembling arm.

What is happening? Mimi wondered, still holding him by the collar and watching the boy's other arm grabbing the suspended one and forcibly putting it down.

"Run…" He suddenly looked at Mimi with pleading eyes. "Mimi-san… run… please…"

"Koushiro-kun?" The girl could not believe her ears. "Is that really you?" A smile made its way to her lips. "You're alive?"

"Pitiful!" He hissed in a cold tone, looking down. "Do you think you can oppose me, Izumi Koushiro? You're such a fool!"

"Koushiro-kun!" Mimi grabbed both his hands and brought them together. "You can fight this thing! I know you can defeat it!"

"Mimi-san…" Koushiro looked up to her with small tears at the corners of his eyes. "I can't… he's too powerful… you need to run…"

"I'm not going anywhere without you!" She put more force in her grip. "I believe in you! You can beat this monster!"

Koushiro shouted as if he was in pain and his knees gave in to his weight. Mimi tried to sustain him but fell to her knees as well. The girl had no time to worry for herself because the boy was trembling and crying profusely while screaming.

"RUN, MIMI-SAN!" He begged.

"NO!"

"I can't hold on for too long!" He urged, looking into her eyes. "It's all my fault for wanting to come here! I brought this to myself! But you can still escape!"

"I've said already that I'm not going anywhere without you!" She took her right hand to his face and wiped one of his tears.

"I don't w-want you to get hurt…" Koushiro sobbed. "I'm not s-strong enough to stop him…"

"What do you mean by not being strong enough?" Mimi inquired, squeezing one of his hands with her left one. "This demon said that he had destroyed your mind. That you were dead! But you came back! You overpowered a god with will power! You're fighting him right now with nothing more than your courage!"

"It was just because you were in danger!" He interjected. "I couldn't let him hurt you, Mimi-san… if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here any longer…"

Because of me? He's resisting because of me? Mimi took those words to her heart. Despite her being the person who had locked him in that dimension, despite her pestering him ever since she had returned to Japan, she was the one motivation he had to fight? Her well-being was so important to him that he had forged his consciousness back and was defying a god just so he could give her a chance to escape?

The depth of Koushiro's feelings for her encouraged Mimi to fight as well. She knew what she had to do.

"If you want to protect me, you need to save yourself." Mimi told him.

"I don't have the power…" Koushiro protested, weakly.

"You have me!" Mimi stated, gazing into his eyes with intensity. "If you need more courage, if you need more power, you can borrow mine! I'm here for you! I believe in you! So, believe in me as well, Koushiro-kun! Believe in my faith in you!" She brought his face closer to hers, with her right hand. "Believe in my feelings for you."

Koushiro stopped trembling.

"My curiosity put us in this situation…" He muttered. "It was my fault…"

"I misunderstood things, I got mad and closed the door to you." She said back.

"I was lost the moment I crossed over here…" Koushiro told her.

"I was lost the moment I lost you." Mimi let a couple of tears escape her eyes. "That's why I came to find you. That's why I'm not leaving without you. It took me so long to realize…" She smiled largely, approaching her lips to his. "You belong with me, Koushiro-kun."

She kissed him, softly. Any and all doubts Mimi ever had about beginning a relationship with that person seemed so ridiculous now. So what if they were different? So what if it was hard to find interests in common with him? Mimi and Koushiro were each other's strength and cared deeply for one another. What else did they need?

Suddenly, the boy broke the kiss and forcibly got away from her. He fell on his back and covered his eyes with both his hands.

"Tachikawa Mimi, you are as impressive as always!" He laughed. "Your capacity to bring people up and your unbreakable spirit are things I've admired in countless universes." His voice was full of malice. "I'll enjoy testing how far your inner strength can take you, girl."

"GO AWAY!" Koushiro ordered. "YOU WON'T TORMENT MIMI-SAN AGAIN!"

"This resistance is such a nuisance." His voice became colder.

"I won't stop fighting!" Koushiro swore.

"You can't overpower me!" The other stated.

"Then, I will tire you!" Koushiro vowed. "I won't give you one second of peace! I'll make you give up!"

"Because Tachikawa Mimi believes in you?" He inquired in a taunting tone.

"Because I believe in Mimi-san." Koushiro replied. "She's not the type of person who says things she doesn't mean." The boy added. "If she says that I'm capable of defeating you, it must be true!"

"Nuisance." The other bit his lower lip. "Alright, then. I can grant you the illusion of safety if you're that desperate for that. But remember," He smiled wickedly, "in the end you'll always be insects subjected to the whims of Fate."

"Disappear already!" Mimi shouted. Small white luminous particles emerged from the boy's skin and flew away. Koushiro uncovered his eyes and looked at Mimi.

"He's gone." The redhead murmured. "I'm free… thanks to you…"

Mimi gave him a wide smile and offered a hand to help him to get up.

"Let's get out of this place, Koushiro-kun."


Miyako was able to see Mimi in the room until the older girl had moved to a distance greater than the room's length. She waited for the return of the older girl and Koushiro with impatience. The sigh of relief was immediate when she saw the two of them approaching the door. They were walking arm in arm.

Mimi was the one who explained what had happened during their way to the closest television, ending the narration in the boy's bedroom. Koushiro seemed to be too mentally exhausted to comment much. Miyako criticized him for his recklessness, cried a little thinking about what had happened and what could have happened, profusely thanked Mimi for saving him (and for being an outstanding person in general) and cried again, this time accompanied by Mimi.

"We should do something to stop anyone else from getting close to that place." Poromon suggested, after the girls had calmed down.

"You're right." Miyako agreed. "I'll message the others and discuss action plans." She turned to Koushiro. "Be ready to even more tongue lashes tomorrow!"

"I think I deserve them." The boy said in a weak voice.

"It's over 6 pm now. Poromon and I should get going." Miyako excused herself. "Are you coming along, Mimi-onee-sama?"

"I'm going to stay a little bit more." The older girl replied with a smile.

Left alone with Koushiro, she asked about his parents while they both sat on his bed. He replied that his father was still in the office and his mother was teaching piano in a music school. They shared an awkward silence that lasted a couple of minutes, until the boy decided to speak again:

"About that kiss…" He murmured, looking away from her.

"I've wanted to do that for a really long time." She admitted, blushing. "But I always talked myself out of it… convincing myself that it would never work between us… because we're too different…"

"You did that too?" Koushiro sounded surprised, turning to look at her.

"What is this? We had a mutual crush on each other?" Mimi was amused. "You could've told me that."

"I was afraid." He confessed.

"I wouldn't have turned you down." She let him know.

"I wasn't afraid of that." Koushiro clarified. "I thought that…" He gulped. "I was afraid that if we dated I would ruin everything… and then you wouldn't want to be my friend anymore."

"Hey." Mimi placed one of her hands over one of his. "Even if a romantic relationship between us didn't work, I wouldn't want to stop being your friend." She smiled. "You're far too precious to me, Koushiro-kun. I never want to lose you…"

Her grip on his hand became stronger.

"Thank you for bringing me back." His voice was almost inaudible.

"Thank you for coming back to me." Her voice was a little louder than his.

"I wonder if my concerns sound silly now." He forced a laugh. "A-After I was… after all that…"

"Your concerns make more sense than mine." She said. "I was worried about incompatible personalities... there's also the fact that we live in different countries."

"There's internet for that last concern." He pointed out. "And I think we've gotten used to each other's personalities by now."

"Are you saying that…?" Mimi hesitated. "Would you like to try it?"

"It'd be honor." Koushiro showed her a smile he used to reserve for moments of excitement for the unknown. Despite him just returning from a traumatic experience caused by his thirst for knowledge, there he was, letting his curiosity lead him and pushing the fear away. Before that day, Mimi had never noticed how much she loved that side of him.

"Let's plan our first date, then!" She suggested. "I'd like to go out with you a lot while I'm in Japan. But the first date must be special!"

"We already have first date plans." Koushiro informed her. "We need to buy Miyako-kun's birthday gift."

"That's true." Mimi felt warm on the inside. "If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have been able to find you."

"Whatever we choose for her, let's pour all of our feelings on it." Koushiro added, smiling.

After their talk, the boy accompanied the girl to her hotel, where they said their goodbyes. The feelings that had been occulted for so many years had emerged and become completely visible, like a celestial body after an eclipse. The future was unknown for the two of them. Nevertheless, they chose to leap forward, together.

They chose to embrace what was to come, not allowing Fate to decide for them.

Thank you for reading. This story takes place in an alternative universe, but not a particular one that I've used before. The antagonist is a character that crosses universes, which I've used in two or three other fics (but you don't need to read them to understand this story). I hope you liked this fic. Please, review.