Writers Corner- I have being thinking about this new Idea for a little while so I hope you like it. Thanks and remember to review after you're done reading.

Disclaimer- i do not own

Warning- this is a mature reading, although it won't get into the smut it will be reading for a mature (over 16) read... so you have been warned.

"The way to read a fairy tale is to throw yourself in."

W. H. Auden

Thru the Stories

Chapter 1-

The woods were deep, deep enough that no light could pass through their depths. Deep enough so that no living sound could be heard from the core. The living heart of this moving breathing mass of trees.

This was where nightmares were created, this was where dreams were eaten by those evil beings of the night. Of the dark. Lillian stood where the last light could touch her body. In front of her lay the darkness, her time had come. She must choose if she would continue into the woods or if she would stay in the world of light and live in peace.

But her grandmother's locket had been taken by that imp and she needed it back. She must have it back! So with no look over her shoulder Lillian stepped into the thick darkness.

As she walked Lillian could feel eyes boring into her head but she did not want to see the horrible sights that she knew that she would see. So she continued walking never stumbling, never worrying. Just thinking of her mission and why she must save that locket. Sooner or later- though she thought it was probably later- Lillian found herself at the edge of the heart of the forest, why she stopped there she only knew was because of three things.

The first thing was a bold light encircled the entire field. The light was so bold that Lillian had to look away from time to time. She could tell that this protected whatever lay in this circle of magic.

The second thing that she noticed was a man laying in a tree branch of the gigantic tree in the middle of this field of red roses. She thought at first that he was dead but he couldn't be. His chest still rose and fell with breaths. His silver hair gleamed in the sunlight as his red streaks glinted. But although he looked quite human she knew he was not, since he seemed to have perched on his head a pair of dog ears instead of human ones.

And the third thing, the one thing that made her step into the circle of ethereal light was something she had been searching for. Her locket. The gold necklace swung in the breeze from the being's hand as if he mocked her into losing the locket.

Lillian moved up to the hand quickly looking up at the man and seeing him still asleep she tried to pull the locket from his hand. Yet he held on, and the locket still swung in his hold after ten minutes of trying to pull it out.

She could feel desperation coming to grasp a hold of her as she stared at the gold locket. As she got a better look she could see the red rose that her grandmother had painted on it when she herself had married. And Lillian felt her resolve harden.

She needed that!!!

And so with on last breath inward she reached up into the branches... grabbed a hold of the locket... and pulled with all her strength.

The locket came free! But along with it came the man with dog ears, fully awake now and growling with malice in his voice.

And he spoke one thing...

"How dare you take what is mine! You shall pay!"

Lillian felt fear settle into...

"Hey! Miss space cadet, what're you reading now?" One of the snobbish brats that Kagome had known since 2nd grade now yelled into her ear.

Kagome looked up into the eyes of Nasaq and although inside she was beginning to feel sick from the attention she let none of it show as she stared the vice president of the senior class down.

Kagome sat the book down on her desk and held her place with her thumb in between pages, and she cleared her throat.

"I'm reading Beauty and the beast." Kagome said in her quiet murmur of a voice and everyone that was watching the two began to snicker behind their hands as if they knew some secret joke that Kagome did not.

'What are they up to?' She thought as her palms became sticky from the sweat gathering. Kagome couldn't remember the first time the other kids began to pester her about being such a recluse, she couldn't remember a time when she had ever played with another human being. She had always been the dummy in all that they did. She wouldn't let them get her now. She wouldn't!

"Oh really... could you please allow me to ask you a question, your highness?" A small junior asked that hung out with Nasaq now and then.

Kagome felt like she was going to throw up, they hadn't said that nick name in forever. She had thought that they had forgotten all about that name, about how Kagome talked, since she didn't talk that much now, except when someone asked her a question. But when she had been little and still spoke to the kids still believing that she had a chance in having them as friends, they had all figured out that Kagome had a very sophisticated way in talking. It wasn't her fault that she talked like that, her mother had always taught her to be courteous to those around her and that was how she spoke and held her posture.

The other kids hadn't liked that. The first time Kagome had been beaten up was because of her way of talking. Just because they thought she had been mocking this boy. Of course she hadn't! She hadn't even known how to mock at age six. But they hadn't cared and even though she screamed they didn't stop. That was when the nickname had started circling around the kids.

Kagome ground her teeth together as the memory left her willing herself not to cry or to flinch from the others beginning to lean closer to her desk.

"Bookworm!" A loudmouth jock whispered from behind her and flipped up her long unruly hair.

Another nickname.

"Freak!"

Where was the teacher when she needed him?

"Snob!"

Why did they do this to her? Just because she was different and didn't talk and jabber like them? Just because she read a book in one day? Just because she dreamed of far off places and handsome men coming to rescue her? Just because she dreamed of... love?

"BITCH!"

That one struck her as if she had been hit in the head by a shovel. Her mind seemed to have slowed down under the onslaught.

'What?'

The kids started laughing and slapping each others hands as if they had one a prize. As if they were the best of the best. Just because they had brought down one lone girl.

Kagome didn't notice that she was crying until one of the girls whispered with laughter in her voice at what they had done. She quickly ducked her head in shame as she felt the tears running down her cheeks and sniffed quietly as her hair shielded her from the world.

But yet Nasaq was not done yet. When the bell rang for all students to leave the campus and before Kagome could gather her things, she grabbed a hold of the book that Kagome had been reading and sending a grin to Kagome who sat stunned at the action. Deliberately she opened the window and flung the book out into the woods next to the school.

Kagome's first instinct was to scream and shriek with outrage and run to the woods to capture the book but Kagome knew that only made it worse in so many ways so she just sat there watching as Nasaq left with her giggling girls.

After the room was cleared out and Kagome was the only one left in the room she shot from her chair quickly knocking the desk over as she clenched her fists until her nails bit into her palms. As she waited for her anger to cool down she sat down to pick up the desk and all of her things that had fallen in the process. All the while she kept a rapid mantra going through her head.

'Don't let them get you down. Don't let them get you done.'

Over and over again it played through her head. She carefully lifter herself from the floor smoothing her hair back and holding her things in one hand and her quick silver blue eyes shoot up to eye level to meet a pair of old crinkly eyes.

"AHHHHHHHH!"

Kagome fell backwards again and knocked the desk over once more. The old coot looked down at her distraught position and began to chuckle warmly. Kagome began to feel more anger boil up inside her at the thought that even old men would laugh at her now. When she felt his wrinkly, yet warm hand settle around hers to help her to her feet.

"I'm sorry young lady. I didn't mean to laugh at you. It's just your face had such a look of pure shock at not being alone anymore that I couldn't help it!" His gravely voice made her feel like her own gramps was alive again.

"It's alright sir. I'm just having a bad day and I'm not in my right mind right now."

"Nonsense!" he shouted so loud that she was blown over a little bit. "You're perfectly fine! Now I've come a long distance to tell you something so you must listen before you enter the woods beside your school to find your book, do you understand?" The old man was suddenly perfectly serious with no humor left in his eyes and no warmth left in his hands.

"What?" Kagome whispered as she stared into his now dark eyes.

"You heard me!" The old man snapped. "Before you enter the woods I must tell you this story that was passed down from elder to elder to tell to the next scripter to fall into the world."

Kagome couldn't believe what she was hearing. 'I'm having the worst day ever... first the kids then this crazy old coot that has lost all his marbles except for one... the ability to speak. Dear lord, why?'

"Mister... whoever you are... I think you ought to let me go so that I can get home now would you excuse..."

The old man ignored her and began his story. "The stories have a story of their own... though not many know of it. And it is in the land Arithath that they live..."

And as with any story or book, Kagome seemed to seep into the telling as if she was part of the book itself, she had become one with the book and could do anything.

As in any land this land had many beautiful things as well as many evil things. It was pure yet at the same time it was impure. But together it was the most beautiful land in all the world. Story book characters and legendary conquers, novel classics also mythical creatures. They all lived together in peace and followed there own beat. The helped the land flourish under their care. It was green rolling hills, it was deep dank forests with tall, tall trees. It was rocky mountains with snow glistening on the surface. Deep blue lakes, and sparkling green oceans.

Creatures lived in abundance and every day more came, more lived in peace. For no one stops writing once they stop and since they never stop their characters never need to slow and once a story is done where are the characters to go. And so as the earliest characters flowed in the air over our heads they began to quilt together their lands to make their own world, to live once they were no longer needed in our world.

It was a beautiful land.

But as anyone knows underneath great beauty is great evil for the other can not stay away from the next. The old characters could not keep out the villains and evil beings from stories and so the evil beings built their own land and stitched it to the characters land.

The villains and heroes made a pact to never trespass onto another's land so that no war should ever have to break out and ruin their perfect utopia. And so they agreed and many years passed in peace. Children were born and they were taken to use in books then given back and yet more children were born. Kings and queens never lost their money, mermaids had all the water that they need and all humans had all the land they need to harvest and live in comfort on.

After three hundred years or so a discomfort began to run through the land and all who lived their could feel it, the good and the bad. They didn't know what this feeling was so they left it be until it either worsened or died away forever. But yet after another three hundred years they noticed something else. Characters began to die away or fade away from existence as though they were no longer being remembered.

The elders didn't know what this meant since they had forgotten what was meant to be held in the old world of humans and mortals in order to keep this realm as well. Balance. And the balance had been overturned.

Heroes began to leave this world in order to see what was happening in the other realm in order to see what was making the characters disappear. Many were lost and never heard from again. And others were seen running off into the wilderness to live far away from other characters with fear in their eyes.

After fifty years one hero was left in the real world. And all characters were losing hope in ever finding out what was happening. And more and more characters continued to fade away into nothingness.

Yet one day (when no one expected it) a bright light shot through the land and the hero came back to Arithath, his face held no happiness yet it held no sadness either. It held no anger and no love. It was as though his emotion had been drained away.

The remaining elders came together in front of the young hero and asked him to speak.

He did not.

The pleaded with him to speak.

He still did not.

The ordered him to speak.

He did not open his mouth.

Then as the elders began to loose heart in ever hearing what the hero had to say the hero opened his mouth and his voice- though cracked over years of no use- sounded out.

"All of my fellow Arithathans, I have news to tell you. And yet you will not be happy for this news which I bring to you. If you do not want to sadden yourselves leave at once for I will not be the cause for your sadness."

No one moved from their spots around him.

"I have traveled to the old world, the world where mortals live. And what I see there is unbelievable yet real." The words seemed to come out of a long tunnel echoing around the people. "The mortals are all alive and doing well, in fact they have wonderful doctors and things they call electronics. Yet they do not have one thing that they have had for a very long time. Books and stories. Teenagers become sick of them and throw them away not bothering to read the old stories that were written ages ago. Very few people read now and when they do they read slowly and seem to loose interest rather quickly. The world is ruled by a thing called television and internet. Yet the humans don't seem to know that. But yet I know why our people are fading. I do! I searched far and wide and found the answer! Most of my brethren died but I found the answer yet we do not have the cure.

"Since people do not read anymore the books of our ancestors are fading to dust and no one realizes it. They have burned books they believe to be evil, they have killed our people by losing their memories of our world and our fellow people!"

The creatures around him mourned with loss, what was to become of them. What? The hero waited for them to cease so he may continue.

"The only way that I know of to cure this problem is to make a few of our creatures return to the old world yet not as themselves but as young infants that have no memory of the stories that they have lived in. But yet they love the books and have the ability to read. That may save our people."

The people gathered moaned with horror as they hugged their daughters and sons, husbands and wives. And began to speak altogether. The elders surged on one another to try and solve the problem and seemed to come up with a solution.

"Dear people! We have thought of a solution that will make you all feel much better about this. With the children being sent to the old world when they have reached their 18th birthday they could come back to this place and live as they wish. Though they would have no remembrance of their story itself they would still be by you and not be in danger, besides that they would be saving our land from eternal destruction."

And so, the people agreed sadly and began to send their babies into the old world and watched over them as they grew into young children full of shyness and a love of the books. Though most of them were treated badly by their pears the parents knew that someday they would be back in their world where they belonged.

"And so, with that in mind I leave you for today... thank you for your time..." And with shining eyes the old man left while he rested his hand on her face.

"I love you." He whispered.

Kagome shook herself out of her revere and looked around quickly seeing that the man had disappeared leaving her alone once again. Kagome shook her head to clear her thoughts and quickly picked up her stuff leaving the room far behind and walking through the hallways.

'What a crazy old man? But his story was beautiful! I wish I could find the book of it. But no time for dilly dalling around I've got to find that book!'

And with that Kagome ran out into the woods. As she walked through the woods glancing around the ground trying to find her lost book she began to feel very sleepy. She didn't know if she had been walking for 5 minutes or 5 hours. She soon found herself in the heart of the woods and fell against the tallest tree in the area. Resting her head against the bark feeling herself begin to fall asleep.

Before she could fall asleep though a thud sounded on the ground beside her and Kagome opened her eyes to find a book laying beside her. She picked up, noticing the torn cover and shabby pages and then she turned the page. And she gasped at what she saw.

The stories have a story of their own...

It was the same as the old man had said... it was the same story! Kagome looked through the pages noticing that most were empty and began to read the story again, but before long she was feeling very sleepy and lay down on the grass with the book as a pillow and closed her eyes. Breathing in deeply.

And soon she was fast asleep.

Kagome's body began to shimmer with a red light and the wind whipped around her, stories lines and voices came around her and Kagome smiled a real smile that day and while she slept the words comforted her and then Kagome was pulled into the light with the book left laying on the ground where she had left it.

Kagome was gone.