Previously on Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness...

"Wait a minute. How do you know us?" Nick decided to ask. "I'm pretty sure we've never seen you before, Utau-chan."

Before Utau could answer that, a loud crash resounded from the front doors, causing the crowd to scatter in random directions.

When the crowd dispersed enough, Nick was the first to notice who was standing in the clear doorway: a man who was hunched over...

...and had sharp claws and glowing red eyes.

"WILD ANIMAL!!!" Utau screamed.

"Oh, no, not again," Nick groaned, shifting into fighting stance.

"This is getting ridiculous!!" Yuki exclaimed, ready to fight.

"We'll take care of this," Akemi stated, joining hands with Nick.

"Spirits of the earth..." Nick chanted, his hand tightening around Akemi's.

"Spirits of the stars...."Akemi continued, glowing with a silver aura.

"Lend us your wills and give up the power to grant a miracle!! Our beautiful souls shall crush your dark heart!!" they both exclaimed, the force around them becoming tense.

"Double Ojamajo Sparkle Screw!!"

The massive beam of silver light knocked the cursed man for a loop, but he just stood up, ready for more.

"Okay, I'm getting REAL sick of this!!" Nick exclaimed, materializing Hanyou Hikari. "It's time I put an end to this!!"

(Footage: As the opening begins, we can see a crystal-colored bird flying across the screen.)

Habata itara modoranai to ittte

(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)

(Footage: Nick and Akemi can be seen walking towards the beach, staring towards the sun.)

Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora

(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)

(Footage: Akemi smiles brightly, leading Nick to do the same. During the instrumental, we pan into the sky as the Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness logo appears on the screen.)

"Kanashimi" wa mada oboerarezu "setsunasa" wa ima tsukami hajimeta

(You've yet to remember "sadness", just now began to grasp "pain")

(Footage: Yuki and Doremi can be seen strolling down the city streets, just happy to be with each other.)

Anata e to daku kono kanjou mo ima "kotoba" ni kawatte iku

(Even the feelings I held onto for you are just now turning into words)

(Footage: Something knocks Doremi to the ground, and Yuki spins around, only to gasp in shock at what she sees.)

Michi naru sekai no yume kara mezamete

(As you awaken from the dream of an unknown world)

(Footage: A tanuki hops off of a nearby building, crossing great distances with very little effort, as if it's looking for someone...)

Kono hane wo hiroge tobitatsu

(Spread your wings and take off)

(Footage: The tanuki sees something and its face lights up. It charges forward, hopping into the arms of a girl. We can't see her features, as her upper half is obscured by the camera.)

Habata itara modoranai to ittte

(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)

(Footage: Nick and Akemi hop away from an energy attack, both holding each other's hands. They stare at each other for a second and nod.)

Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora

(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)

(Footage: A quick flash of the mysterious girl, then cut back to Nick and Akemi, both glowing with a powerful aura. After about a second, they thrust their hands forward and perform the Double Ojamajo Sparkle Screw, the silver beam of light blinding the screen.)

Tsukinuketara mitsukaru to shitte

(If you break through, you know you'll find it)

(Footage: Yuki pulls Doremi close to her to avoid a barrage of dark energy beams, nodding to the pink witch. The two join hands and begin chanting.)

Furikiru hodo aoi, aoi ano sora

(So try until you break free to that blue, blue sky)

(Footage: A quick flash of another mysterious girl, this one holding a microphone, then cut back to Yuki and Doremi, who thrust their hands into the sky to perform the Double Ojamajo Rewritten Masquerade, the massive collection of energy once again blinding the camera.)

Aoi, aoi ano sora

(That blue, blue sky)

(Footage: Quick flashes of the rest of the Ojamajos in spirit form.)

Aoi, aoi ano sora

(That blue, blue sky)

(Footage: A very familiar pair of blood-red eyes opens, the light covering the screen. When the light clears, we cut to Nick and Akemi at the beach, only this time, they're joined by Yuki and Doremi. Both couples are smiling brightly as the summer sun shines down on them.)

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(Even in the brightest light, there is always a little bit of darkness.)

YukiShinoya444 and S.P.D. Gold Ranger present:

Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness

Story Created: November 9th, 2008

Summary: AU. In the end, there is only a new beginning. The story continues as Nick and his friends go through another set of experiences... And what of the others?

On Today's Episode: As the battle with the cursed man continues, Nick and the girls meet the owner of the mysterious tanuki, who seems to have been pursuing the cursed man. But when a sneak attack is pulled on the six, and they wake up in a world that's clearly not their own, they realize that this story isn't over yet...

Authoress' Notes: This time, I will do the odds and Nick-kun will do the evens! Wai~

Disclaimer: ...Shouldn't it be obvious by now we don't own anything? (by S.P.D. Gold Ranger: EXACTLY, Yuki-chan.)

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Phase 3: Time Waits For No One (written by YukiShinoya444)

A sound a bell's jingle rang through the streets, as a girl stopped, her features above the white skirt unknown.

The tanuki from earlier can be seen running towards the girl...

...only to hop straight into her arms.

"Naughty Torikki-kun." the girl giggled, scratching the back of the tanuki's ear, who licked her face in response.

"You should have known better..."

Torikki's ears folded back as he began growling in the distance. The girl looked over, her bright brown hair falling over her shoulder.

"So... What we're looking for is over there, eh?"

A smile curved along her lips.

"Perfect."

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"The bow and string of a determined boy, take this!! Ojamajo Arrow of Light!!"

The cursed man dodged, growling. Yuki's eyes sparkled, and she huffed.

"What's going on here, anyway? I thought Doerai was dead..."

"Backup?" Doremi suggested, shrugging. Yuki shook her head.

"I dunno... But still!" She held out her hand. Doremi nodded, placing her own in the black witch's.

"Spirits of mother nature..."

"Spirits of father time..."

The two pulled each other close, glowing with a bright aura.

"Together, with enough will and determination to shape our future, we'll overcome the differences set through our past!!"

The two of them drew their hands back, glowing with a bright light.

"Double Ojamajo Supernova Serenade!!"

The man took the attack, pushed back as he soon rushed out, Nick quickly following after.

"Oh no, ya don't!!" he exclaimed, clearly angry.

"Nick!!" Akemi and Utau yelled, earning the crystal witch's confusion. She stared at Utau, blinking.

What...?

Utau quickly blushed. "Uh, nothing!!"

Akemi shrugged and bolted after Nick. Yuki, on the other hand, began thinking.

That sure is... strange...

"Utau-chan, stay here." Doremi instructed, tightening her grip on the black witch's hand. "Yuki-chan... Let's go!"

Yuki nodded and the two rushed after the couple.

Utau stood there for a whole two minutes before throwing a fit.

"No way in hell am I getting left out!!" she exclaimed before running after them as well.

"NICK!!! AKEMI!!! WAIT FOR ME!!!"

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Nick bolted around the people as the chase continued.

Aw man! Where did that guy go?!

He swung around one couple, nearly running straight into the wall, but stopped when he heard a roar of pure agony, followed by something else...

The ringing of bells.

The green witch stopped dead in his tracks, huffing quietly as he looked down at the floor.

What... was... that?

He heard a light bark and looked up, only to meet the eyes of a tanuki. Nick blinked.

His eyes... They're different colors... Red.... and... Green?

The tanuki growled very lightly, and then scampered off in the opposite direction.

Nick's fists clenched and he followed after the creature, the growing feeling of unease.

Maybe... This is the tanuki from all those homicides... Where is he going?

Nick nearly tripped over the body of a man and recognized it from the cursed man from earlier, though he was normal, not to mention unconscious.

He heard rumbling, and looked up again. This time, the tanuki seemed to be laughing at the sight.

"Pitiful humans..." he growled, his thoughts coming through Nick's mind. "So easily daunted... fooled... manipulated... It's too easy to kill them... To trick them..."

Nick took caution.

"Don't get defensive all of a sudden, boy. You're the one who followed."

"Who... What are you?" Nick huffed in response, his eyes never leaving the tanuki. "Did you cause all those homicides?"

"The hell with humanity,"the tanuki barked, closing the eye that was a shade of green, the shade of red glistening furiously. "You're just like the rest of 'em."

With that, the creature turned around, and looked over his shoulder.

"No way in heck am I letting you near my master..."

Master...?

Nick blinked and took a step closer. "So... is he the one...?"

The tanuki appeared to sigh at this. "Damn it, boy... You're really getting on my nerves... Let me see your hand."

Nick obeyed, holding out his hand... Only for the tanuki to bite it with all the force he hand, causing the green witch to snatch it back, hissing in pain.

"What'd you do that for?!" he demanded, looking down at the crimson red blood running down from the teeth marks.

"Those stupid myths... Does my kind really, reallylook like a kind who spend their time clubbing old ladies to death and serving them to their unsuspecting husbands as 'old lady soup'... I mean, what the hell? I HAVE my pride... And even the most evil tanuki wouldn't do something so pointless... So many ways to kill humans..."

The tanuki shook its head. Nick shuddered at the memory of one of the fearful tales he'd heard as a child.

"She puts you all to shame... That girl..." he howled. "If there were more people like her... Maybe..."

Nick perked up. "Her?"

The tanuki blinked, and there was a sound of ringing bells again. The green witch perked up, confused.

"Kid, that would be her... See ya."

"Huh... Wait!" Nick called out, surprised as the tanuki ran off, bolting like a meteor through the crowd.

What was that all about?

"NICK!!!" Akemi exclaimed behind him, latching onto his arm. "Don't run so fast! I could barely keep up!!"

Her boyfriend smiled instinctively and shrugged. Yuki, Doremi, and Utau soon showed up.

"Weird... Where'd the wild animal go?" Utau asked, looking around. Nick blinked, shrugging again.

"The tanuki took care of it... I guess."

"The tanuki... Oh, no! You're bleeding!" the crystal witch yelped, taking in the sight of the bite. "What happened?"

"He bit me."

"That's what happens when you mess with wild animals." Yuki scolded, sighing. "But seriously, a tanuki?"

"He obviously wasn't wild... Seemed pretty tame to me..." Nick muttered, remembering how the tanuki could actually use telepathy to let him know exactly what went on in its mind... Even though it was anything but pleasant. "Something about a master..."

"A talking tanuki?!" Doremi gasped, not appearing to believe it. "Kellysi-chan, did you hit your head or something?"

The boy glared at the red head in response. Utau giggled.

"Nick probably wasn't..."

Nick turned his glare on her.

"And you haven't answered my question, Utau-chan."

Utau flushed.

"O-Oh, you know..." she trailed off. "B-But, don't we need to chase after our talking tanuki first? Ahaha..."

Nick raised an eyebrow, and thought for a moment.

She actually has a point... I'm really curious, too.. What was that tanuki talking about? A master? What's he... or she... like? Could that ringing of bells I heard earlier... What was that? I don't understand this at all...

"Nick?"

"Akemi, we should go."

Akemi blinked and frowned, but nodded. "Whatever you say..."

Yuki began thinking as well.

This is just weird... A tanuki? I remember the myths Saiki-kun...

Her hand curled around her heart, which threatened shattering into a million pieces.

...used to tell me. Of course he said they were all untrue... That the tanuki was actually a smart and noble kind... Huh...

She shook her head, her hand tightening around Doremi's.

No... Don't remember... Don't even think about him... she repeated in her head, wincing. Don't... Don't... Doremi-chan...

"Yuki-chan, something wrong?" her best friend asked, concern lit up in her bright magenta eyes.

Yuki quickly shook her head.

"N-No... I'm fine... Don't worry Doremi-chan."

The pink witch shrugged and they all began walking.

Moments of silence passed.

"... So..." Utau started, twiddling with her fingers. "How was the talk with the tanuki? Did it tell you anything interesting?"

"He apparently hates humanity... But he didn't commit the homicides... Seems to love his master..." Nick shook his head, sighing. "But... he actually had a point."

Akemi made a "huh" noise and they continued.

Finally, Nick stopped.

"...How are we supposed to find the tanuki anyway?"

"How many tanuki do you know?" Yuki shot back. "We'll find him, no problem."

A light growl registered Nick's ears.

"Damn... You actually had the nerve to follow..."

"You...!!" Nick was cut off by musical laughter, a sound that made them all flinch.

"Torikki-kun... Torikki-kun... You brought me the five..." a figure dropped down, making the group nearly jump.

"...and a half. Nice work."

Utau looked insulted and growled under her breath.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Me?" the angelic voice responded, giggling. The dust cleared, and everyone got a good look at her.

She was around Yuki's age, take a month or two. The top of her brown hair held two buns, only a little smaller than Doremi's, held with two ribbons and sparkling bells, which seemed to jingle as she got up. Her hair also seemed to fall beneath her shoulders, having a fluffy texture. The attire she wore seemed pretty simple: A dark brown vest over an almost just as dark green shirt, complimented by a snow white skirt and a pair of tennis shoes. Her eyes were also a strange, but not as strange as Utau's, shade of color: a bright bubblegum pink.

The girl laughed again, holding up her hand.

"Say something! Are you so distracted by my beauty that you got no words left?

Yuki blinked.

"You got that from..."

"Yes, yes, I know." she sighed, shaking her head. "Torikki-kun told me about you... And I need to warn you, anyway."

Within moments, her eyecolor shifted from pink to a bright ruby red.

"I want you to back off. All the homicides... That's my business, not yours."

Nick flinched. "It's OUR city!! What makes you think..."

The girl was shaking her head before he finished.

"Mind your own business... Mm.. kay?"

The tanuki walked out, the mystery girl picking him up. "Anyway... Torikki-kun and I... We have some business to take care of."

"At least tell us what your name is..." Utau suggested, sighing a bit.

The girl blinked.

Just then, she flinched and jumped.

"Abunai, kiddo!" she exclaimed to Nick. Nick took caution and looked around.

"W-Wha..."

And then, it went black.

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"Urgh..."

Doremi's eyes fluttered open as she got up, shivering.

"Hey... Guys...?"

Yuki got up as well, yawning. "Morning, Doremi-chan."

Akemi shook Nick and Utau. "Nick... Utau-chan... Urrr... Get up!"

"See what I mean?"

"Huh?" Yuki and Doremi looked up to see the girl again, her arms folded.

"Now look here, princess... We're not in Misora anymore. So... I'm gonna find a way back... And I warned you."

She turned heel and proceeded to walk out on them.

"H-Hey!!" Nick exclaimed, getting up. "Who do you think you are?!"

Torikki growled, but she lifted her hand.

"No business of yours."

And just like that, she was gone.

Akemi helped Nick up, and Utau groaned.

"Wow! She's more stubborn than ever... That..." she suddenly stopped, blushing like crazy. "I-I mean... she appears stubborn..."

Yuki and Doremi looked at each other.

"Still..." Yuki started. "She walked out on us. Who was she?"

Doremi shrugged.

Nick just shook his head.

"No... What we need to think about first..."

Akemi sighed, and her boyfriend's eyes gleamed.

"...is a way to get the heck out of here."

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Next time:

Phase 4: As The Stars Vanish One By One

As Nick and friends try to find a way out of the strange world they're in, they find more troubles, and more difficulties... And every so often, their thoughts would drift to the mysterious tanuki girl...