Hey! Long time no update!!! That's because I've been grounded. I just got off a week or so ago and I meant to post then, but I forgot. xD I've had some MAJOR writer's block with this, but I don't intend for that to take me. xD I'm about to get a Gamecube and the awesome Zelda and Sonic Games!!! So, be happy I'm updating. xD

Your Darling Tsuki Hikari.

|Kouta|

Icy rain poured from the sky, chilling me to the bone. All I could see were outlines, shadows of what should have been things. Miyako… Oh God, I have to protect her! The thought scrolled across my mind unexpectedly. "Kouta!!!" I heard her calling out to me, from behind me, panic lacing her voice. I wiped the rain from my eyes and ran towards her voice, into the forest. I pushed myself to sprint at my top speed, weaving through the trees, ignoring the rain that pelted down on me, trying to push me in the other direction. "Kouta!!! Help me!!!" She called out, sounding closer, yet farther at the same time. I veered right, the direction I had heard her calling from. My energy was depleting fast, partially from the icy rain and from the fact I was pressing myself to stay at top speed for so long - therefore, my body having to rely on not just the energy that it produced naturally, but also the magic of my ancestors that lay dormant in my blood.

The night would have exposed the full moon, if the clouds hadn't have been blocking it out. The red moon. Then, the trees ended abruptly and I slipped - falling on my ass and sliding in the mud - nearly sliding over the edge of the cliff. I sat there for a moment to catch my breath; not really wanting to because I knew Miyako was in danger. I cautiously crawled to my feet so that I wouldn't slip and fall off the edge. Straining my ears for any signs of my sister, I picked up on a soft, eerie voice. I spun, maybe a little too quickly, nearly falling over in the process, catching the figure of a girl in the distance, standing on the edge of the same cliff, only about 30 meters away from me. Curiosity enveloped me. I walked towards her, cautiously so as not to scare her or to slip.

As I got closer, I recognized the girl.

It was Kari, standing on the edge of the cliff, facing the forest. Her molten sapphire eyes appeared glazed over. She wore a black dress, which would have rippled and flowed in the wind if it wasn't drenched with water. It appeared to be a mourning dress. The color of the dress made her appear more pale than usual. Or maybe she was just more pale than usual… I wasn't too sure. The outer edge of her heels were hanging off the side of the cliff. Her hands she held behind her back. And her hair hung well below her waist in wet tresses. Water continued to rain down like tears from the hidden moon. She was humming an unidentifiably familiar yet strange tune, somehow louder than the pelting rain. "Kari-Chan!" I called out, worried. She directed her unnerving gaze towards me and beaconed for me to come closer. Ignoring all logic, I did. She stopped humming the moment I was close enough for her to speak without shouting in order to be heard. Lightning flashed behind her, thunder not far behind. Kari laughed hauntingly. I shivered, partially out of being cold, partially out of fear. I pushed past the cold and the fear, knowing that they were only weaknesses that could and would slow me down.

"Kari-Chan, what are you doing here? It's dangerous!" She smirked, an amused look entering her glazed-over eyes, countering my question with a question. "Then why are you out here?" This wasn't like Kari at all. Before I could speak, my sister screamed. I turned to run after her, but Kari grabbed my arm with a bruising force, as if she intended to hurt me. "Let go of me!" I shouted, about to pull away, but then realizing if I set her off balance, she would surely fall. All she did was tighten her grip. When she spoke again, her voice was ghostly. Terrifying.

'Your sister, she calls for you

Yet she is just fine.

Turns out, she's just the bait.

You, you're running out of time,

And all you can do is wait…

Unknowingly nearing the end,

In bed, with your true weakness,

you lie.

The Hikari will be your demise.

At your funeral, there will be no mourners left to cry…

Very soon, you shall fall.

Your death being truly in vain

Close behind, the others will follow you,

Down the path to the underworld.

On a night where the rain falls and your sister calls…'

Another chill went down my spine, this time out of pure and heavy fear. I couldn't speak. I was bereft of any and all words. She smirked crookedly and laughed again; this time it was a broken, mournful sound. My eyes focused on her face. I didn't remember it being so bruised before… Blood began to flow from the scar on her face, the crimson turning the water that streamed down her face a sickly pinkish color. I felt something warm ooze over the skin of my arm. I glanced down, the scar on her wrist also bled, along with several other, more minor, slices, the blood dripping onto my arm. Only then did I realize that they were no longer scars, but open wounds. Before I could jerk away, she released me. The look in her eyes held sadness before she closed them. "Heh. A life for a life." She whispered, appearing completely unaware of the bloody wounds. Relaxing her arms, they hung almost limply at her sides. She let herself fall backwards over the side of the cliff. My eyes widened. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't find my voice. I heard no thud. I peered over the edge and saw nothing. Just the rocks at the bottom. No body. No blood.

I began to back away, horrified. I stepped backwards until I was stopped by running into someone. I jumped, turning around in the process. I found myself facing Satoshi. He was wearing his glasses. He never wore them. "Your glasses…" He pulled me into a hug and I stiffened. I know he was trying to comfort me, but… I jerked away, breaking his embrace. Comfort wasn't what I needed. I needed my sister. I backed away a few steps, wary of the edge of the cliff. The expression on Satoshi's face went from pained to… Angry? I'm not really sure what it was. It scared me. He closed the space between us with one step and kissed me briefly, ending it before I even registered the fact it had happened. I felt his hands rest on my shoulders. "Why…" It was all I could say before I slipped. Satoshi didn't catch me like some part of my mind expected. I slid over the edge of the cliff, catching a root before I could fall too far. I clung to it with dear life. "Sa- Satoshi!" I called out to him. He was standing on the edge, looking down at me. "Help me!" I felt the tears I held back for so long spill over, mixing in with the rain water. But he just stood there. Watching with solemn eyes. Then the root broke free. I screamed as I fell as Kari had fallen, back first.

My eyes opened wide, and the first thing I saw was my sister. I instantly pulled her tight into a hug, before she could even speak. Then I grabbed the black book I kept on the bedside table and a pen, intending to write down my dream on paper, or at least that rhyme, before it faded so I could further analyze it, but it was gone… All I could remember was blurs. Running through the forest. My sister screaming. The bloody wounds that covered Kari. And Satoshi's glasses… And falling… I could hear Kari speaking the words, but I couldn't understand them. I shrieked slightly, flinging the book and pen away from me. "Damn it!" I hissed. "Kouta… Are you alright?" Miyako asked tentatively. I looked over at her and felt something drip from my chin. My eyes widened. I put my hand to my cheek and felt wetness. Am I seriously… Crying? "I- I'm fine." I was able to choke out. "Just a nightmare." She sat down beside me on the bed. "That much is obvious, Kouta. You were talking in your sleep. Crying more like it. I've never seen this happen to you… Tell me about it." I sighed, mostly in annoyance. It was worse than I had thought. Not only did I have a nightmare, but I cried. I lost control once again in front of my sister, even if I was asleep and I couldn't have complete control over my body. There was still no excuse. The other thing was that I couldn't remember enough of it! It was all so frustrating!

"I can't… I don't remember enough of it… It all just vanished when I woke." Miyako cocked her head. "Tell me what you do remember, then…" I chuckled to myself… Miyako. Not only my sister, but when the occasion calls for it, my own personal stubborn psychologist. "I remember sprinting through a forest, looking for you… I remember hearing you scream, and following the sound of it. I remember a cliff. Kari-Chan standing on the edge, facing the forest with her back to the edge. She was pale… and her hair was long. I mean, past her waist long. It seemed as if she had gone crazy. It was pouring down rain. Freezing rain. I remember hearing you scream again and wanting to go after you, but Kari-Chan grabbed my arm. She said something… In a creepy rhyme. I can't remember it or anything about it…" I paused for a moment, took a breath, noting that the tears had finally stopped, but still threatened to spill. "When I looked at her face again, it was covered in bruises and the scar had started bleeding immensely. Her arms were all cut up too. She let go of me, and said 'Heh. A life for a life' and fell off the side of the cliff…" I don't know why, but I left out the part about seeing Satoshi. It was all I remembered between Kari falling and the sensation of myself falling. "There is a blank spot after that. I can't remember it. But right before I woke up, I was falling from the edge of the cliff. I'd slipped…"

My sister sat there, contemplating for a moment. "Kouta… When did you start calling her Kari-Chan?" She inquired, speaking slowly. "Huh? I called her Kari-Chan? I didn't realize I had been doing so…" She looked at me strangely and then spoke again. "It would do a lot of help if you remembered that rhyme…" Then she sighed, lying down on my bed. "You know… It's started happening to me again… More frequently this time around…" I cocked my head at my sister. "What has?" I saw her smile solemnly. "I've been picking up on the others' thoughts again. I don't know what triggered it. I mean, I had it under complete control, so that I could use it only when I needed to but… I guess I was wrong…" She sighed again. I grew concerned. "When did this start, Miyako?" She looked over at me. "The first time it happened out of my control was when you almost filleted Dark." I smirked to myself. "Which time?" She chuckled slightly. "The first time. After you left the room. I knew his thoughts before he said them, and I told him what he was about to say. I've been picking up on Krad's, Dark's, Kari-San's, Niwa-Kun's, and even Hiwatari-Kun's stray thoughts…"

I cocked my head. "Not mine?" I questioned, jokingly. She snorted. "What about yours? You don't have stray thoughts to speak of! So tightly controlled. It can't be healthy…" I laughed. She always knew how to brighten up a situation. "Still. If your magic is acting up. It can't be a good sign. I mean. The last time it happened, our brother…" I shook my head, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall. "Kouta… That dream… Do you think it could be your magic acting up?" I shook my head. "Good God I hope not!" Miyako persisted. "Even if it was too unrealistic to relive, the rhyme could have been not just a random rhyme, but a prophecy… And if that's the case, you really do need to remember it somehow…" I exhaled sharply. Feeling a strong need to change the subject, I asked about the time. "Hey, do you have any idea of the time?" She looked at her watch. "Yeah. It's about twenty after six in the morning." I nodded, realizing that I really should get back to sleep. I hadn't been sleeping well. Like always. "How long have you been up?"

She sighed once again. "Around three. The phone woke me up. I picked up right after it finished ringing, hoping the call hadn't been missed. Instead, Kari-San had already picked up the phone. Man was she pissed about the fact someone woke her up at three in the morning with a phone call." I cocked my head. "Who was it?" Miyako sat up and looked down at the floor. "Mr. Butthead himself. He wanted to speak to one of us. I think he was in America or in some other time zone because he sounded perfectly awake. Their conversation was short but intense. Immediately after she hung up on him, he called back. I didn't pick up the phone this time because right after the first ring, I heard a loud crash downstairs. Multiple crashes to be exact." She paused for a moment. "Seriously though. Kari-San's thoughts were all over the place. It really messed her up to hear his voice. When I went downstairs to check on her though, she was gone and the phone was in a crumbled and broken heap underneath the table. I guess Krad got to her first." She shook her head. "Either way, we all need to be more alert. I'm getting a bad feeling about all of this…"

I nodded. "Me too… You know, we should try to get more sleep. We both need it…" Miyako nodded, crawling out of my bed and into her own. "Good night, Miyako." I whispered. 'Goodnight Kouta…' She whispered back, using her telepathy.