Sorry it's so short. I've been trying to work out ideas for my next fic. I've been thinking of writing a 'super-fic'. i.e. a story far longer and complex than any of my other ones. It'll essentially be the tale of a class trip gone wrong. Either that story or a sequel to "The Battle of Thermopylae". One or the other (maybe both!). Anyhow, this one isn't over yet so...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As quoted in the Mathematica Obscura:

"Thus closing the passage prematurely, by any means, leads to a dangerous tear in the fabric of the universal matrix that must be repaired only through the sacrifice of that who created it."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As they ran from the rumbling house, they met Chiyo's father at the bottom landing of the main stairway. He grabbed young Chiyo-chan and hurried the girls outside so as not to have the house collapse upon them.

Even outside the world shattered. They watched as houses tumbled to rubble and people screamed and cried for loved ones and their treasured posessions. As the group reached the road one of the massive trees in the front yard tumbled into the surrounding brick wall with a resounding crash that sent pieces of rock dangerously close to the heads of the girls.

They turned in time to watch the trimmed yard crack and fall. A ravenous sinkhole dragged down the entire Mihama compound in one fell swoop. The once beautiful house seemed to fold in half lengthwise as the ground dropped beneath it. The foundation was nothing but a nusance for the terrible quake. Chiyo clutched her father and wept as the house was dragged into the depths of the hole, taking all their posessions with it. The only things the Mihamas had any longer was Mr. Tadakichi and the clothes on their backs.

In terror, they all watched the debris fall. The quake stopped. All was eerily still as the group stared in disbelief. Even Tomo was speechless.

Tears began to well up in the eyes of Mr. Mihama as Chiyo continued to cry feverishly into his shoulder.

"All gone...", he stated simply.

"All gone."

Tomo walked slowly over to the pit.

"Wow...you can't even see the bottom. I wonder if the Molemen took your house, Chiyo-chan.", she stated.

"Shut the hell up!", Yomi screamed, applying her well known uppercut liberally to Tomo's face at that moment.

A small crowd had gathered around the once proud home. The only sounds were Chiyo-chan's weeping and sirens in the distance.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Much changed during the following months. The Mihama family moved into a temporary residence in an upscale apartment complex nearer to the center of Tokyo, yet still close enough to school so Chiyo could walk. Although none of the girls mentioned to Chiyo the events that had transpired, (this is an untrue statement. Tomo did mention it once, in the context of treasure hunting, but any further examples were quieted quite violently by Yomi's fist.) Chiyo-chan's once bubbly demeanor had quickly plummeted. She moped around, carrying her feelings of guilt as if it was the world. To her though, it was the world. She had been a destroyer. She had allowed for the destruction to happen. She knew that she was the sole actor behind the terrible events and deaths of many people.

Only those present knew of what had occured. Chiyo-chan hadn't even told her father that she was the cause of the loss of their house and the destruction of many buildings and people in Japan.

"Chiyo-chan always looks so sad nowadays..", Osaka mused during lunch.

"Well, she did break the universe.", Tomo pointed out.

"Oh, shut up!", Yomi said, smacking the back of Tomo's head. "We should cheer her up."

"Why...? She DID break the universe.", Tomo countered.

"It's not her fault! She didn't know what would happen. You should be happy she even tried to save you. Putting her life on the line like she did.", Yomi said.

"Pfft...fine then. What do you want to do?", Tomo asked.

"Throw a party?", Osaka suggested through a mouthful of noodles.

"No, I have a better idea.", Yomi said.

"And...?", Tomo asked impatiently.

"How about we get as much of Chiyo-chan's posessions back as we can? You know, from where her house used to be."

Tomo sat, shocked that her friend would suggest such a daring plan. Her chopsticks clattered to the table.

"ALL RIGHT!!!", she screamed.

"What do they call that again? Spunkin'? Or...was that spoonking?...", asked Osaka, her eyes becoming misty.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------