Chapter 2: Light-years Ahead



Tamue, gone restless again, poked Xel.

"D'you remember yet?" Xel must have been getting sick of this now, because his fur bristled.

"NO!" But Tamue wasn't going to wait for him. If he's going to be stubborn and stupid about it, she thought, Let him catch up with me. I'm already light-years ahead.

"Do I have to go without'cha?" she taunted.

"YES! YOU'RE COMPLETELY ANNOYING!" he screamed at her. Not hurt at all by this, she smiled.

"Okay!" Once more, she willed herself to disappear, and it was done. Watching his face for a minute, she turned and rushed off, teleporting towards the sky. It was New Years Eve, and she didn't want to spend it fighting with Xel. Rather, she'd be kicking Arlhox's butt about then. Things were getting way out of hand, as she had already had this dream for a whole week, and she was starting to feel weak herself. Whoever it was up there, they needed more help than she did. She was having mirror pains, no where near to the pains that the pet up there was having.

"Well…" Dream started, looking where Tamue had been a few seconds before. "That was… effective." Xel nodded. God, that insane zafara could REALLY grind his nerves! He was starting to get really, really sick of her. What was he supposed to be remembering? She was probably just leading him on again.

"Quite."

"No…" Rhena started off, looking grumpily towards him. Now she seemed to be having a problem too. Honestly! He thought. What is WRONG with these domestics? "..She's just tired of waiting for you." When he was silent, she went on. "Whoever's UP there, she just wants to help them before… oh, I dunno…" she looked at him suspiciously, then at Dream. "…she commits suicide or something like that." Before he even knew what to think, Dream had grabbed his arm, and they were both on the ship.

Tamue sat in the corridor. It was only a matter of time before they showed up, she knew they would. After all, knowing Rhena, she would tell them what was going on, or threaten them, and they would all come up, Derix bringing up the rear. It was to be expected. And, a minute later, they all stood there, staring at her.

"I knew you'd be here." She said with a grin.

"Yeah yeah…" Derix mumbled, who had, in truth, been the last to appear. "You know us too well." Not daring mention any more, she boasted to him.

"Are you kidding? I probably know more about you then you do, Derix." He fell silent. Everyone sat, waiting for something to happen, anything.

++Hello?++ Tamue called out through the darkness, focusing on hearing the voice.

++Are you the one who is to help me?++ The voice was very weak, and it had no sound, it existed in her head.

++I am.++ she answered, wondering how it could understand her. ++My friends and I are here, we need to know where you are.++

++I am not far from you, in a bubbleroom… do you know where that is?++ Searching her memory, Tamue found it in her mind.

++Yes, that's where I was. I'll ask about it, we'll find you fast.++ She replied, turning to Dream.

"Where's my bubbleroom?" she asked, not bothering to fill everyone in on the voices in her head. If they thought she was insane, that would end everything and she would be on her own. Dream thought this over.

"Down the ways, a little to the left. It's probably gone now." She answered, doubtful. Ker, though, shook her head.

"Doubt it." Feeling calmed and pleased by Xel's confused look, she turned triumphantly.

"That's where we need to go." She informed them. They began to walk, pointing and exclaiming about a few things.

"I wonder where my room is… oh, look, there's the window I used to look out of!"

"I wonder if my dad has my plush…?"

"That door's jammed open… ooh, the stuff in there must be worth millions…" Xel just kept walking, wonder what the girls were talking about.

++We're almost there.++ she reassured the voice.

++No! Stop!++ She froze.

++What's the matter?++

"What now?" Derix snapped.

++Someone's coming towards you… I suggest you freeze and not say a thing or move, just in case they find you.++

"Someone's coming." She answered.

"I don't hear-" Shushing him, she pointed to her long ears. She couldn't exactly hear footsteps that far away, but then again, how else to cover up that voice?

"Now shut up." They all shut their mouths obediently. Tamue felt a great satisfaction in finally being a leader. Ker hid herself behind Derix, who went red.

++Who do you think it is?++ she couldn't help question.

++Him, probably.++

++Who, Arlhox? Ah, I could beat him with 3 paws tied behind my back. I could whup his butt…you just tell us when he's gone, okay?++

++Of course, keishou Onee-San.++ Stunned by that, Tamue waited. Finally, the voice spoke to her once more.

++I can't hear anything. I suggest you begin to move before something happens.++

++Thanks.++ she thought. Outloud, she said "Okay." Letting out sighs, the group continued their walk. The voice was getting louder now.

++What will happen to me?++

++Hm?++

++Once I get out of here. What do you think will happen?++ Tamue thought over this.

++Whatever you want to do, I guess you have to go for that.++

++What did you do?++

++I tried my best to forget about all of it.++ she thought, a bit sharply. She didn't want to talk about her own experiences on the SSV, she had done a good job forgetting for the time being.

++Oh…I suppose that's a good idea.++ the voice answered. ++I am to kill you, you know… You and you're friends. He was training me for it.++

++Ah. Is that where that pain came from?++

++You felt it?++

++Of course I did. When you screamed, you would wake me up, and I would feel it.++

++Ashikarazu… I wasn't aware that the pain went through as well.++

++Yurushi.++

"I don't see it," she started to say after searching through most of the rooms.

"Maybe that's it," Derix pointed out a large doorway in the left wall. Tamue couldn't believe she had missed it, it was so big.

"Just a theory," she said dryly, "but that might be it." She started walking towards it, and then she heard the voice scream.

++AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!++ A pain shot through her, blanking her mind out. She screamed too, shaking hard. It was unbelievable pain.

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Oh… ouch. ((I'm not good at author notes. ))