"Hurry up Karen, or you'll be late!"
-Who is that....?-
"All right, all right, I'm coming!"
-She...looks familiar....-
Karen emerged from her room, slinging her book bag over her shoulder and running
down the stairs, two at a time. "Bye ma." She kissed her mothers cheek and dashed
out the door after her little brother. "Wait up Billy!" she called after him.
-Wait...this isn't Japan....this is.....America?-
"Hey Karen, looking good." Kyle said, coming up behind her and planting a kiss on her
cheek. Karen rolled her eyes and turned around to peck his lips and smile.
"You weirdo, you were supposed to come hang out with us yesterday at the mall." She
pushed his shoulder playfully. "Why'd you ditch us, huh?" Kyle ducked behind her and
circled his arms around her waist, tickling her. She laughed and bent over trying to pry
loose of his hold.
"Good God, don't you two ever quit?" Melanie asked, slamming her locker shut. Kyle pouted
playfully at her.
"Aww come on Melee, you're just jealous." He smirked, planting a kiss by Karen's ear. Melanie
rolled her eyes.
"As if. Go ahead and carry on being a playvert Kyle, but if you break Karen's heart, you're
getting a kick to the groin." She scoffed, walking away from them. Karen frowned after her.
"Ah, she's jealous." Kyle reassured, kissing her neck, then releasing her. Karen sighed and chewed
the inside of her lip, then grabbed Kyle's hand and walked to class.
-Kyle...? But that's the name of......-
"Hey babe, what movie we gonna catch tonight?" Kyle asked, sliding his tray up next to Karen's.
Karen flashed him a playful glare and grabbed an apple from the top of the fruit basket.
"You call me babe again and there will be no movie." She said, kissing his nose as she moved on down
the line. Kyle flashed her a half-grin. She paused and turned back to him. "Any movie will do, just be
there this time." She said, pecking his lips before finding a seat next to Melanie.
-Melanie is........it can't be....-
Karen sighed and flipped another page of the history book. She was seated in a massive library,
studying up for an exam on Chinese writing. She hated the tests, but if she ever wanted to become
a translator, it was necessary. Dropping her pencil on her paper in frustration, she leaned back in
her chair and stared at the ceiling. It was richly decorated with carvings of angels. Leaning forward
again she stood up, and grabbed her book. As she was placing it on the shelf, a door set off to the
side and hidden by a rack of books caught her eye. She tilted her head curiously and walked towards
it. A mischievous grin crossing her face, she glanced around for Library personnel, then moved the rack
aside and entered the door.
There were stairs behind the door, which led to a storage basement. Karen cautiously walked down
the stairs, wincing as they creaked under her weight. Reaching the bottom, she reached blindly along
the wall until she reached a switch. The light that came after she flipped the switch was just from a
small bulb in the corner, casting dim shadows around the rest of the basement. The floor as a whole was
filled with bookshelves, which were filled with dusty and torn books.
"This is kind of neat..." Karen said, a smile touching the corners of her mouth. She wandered along the isles,
blowing the dust off of the bookbindings, trying to make out some of the writing. She stopped in front of
one shelf, a massive book of Chinese characters catching her eye, and pulled it out. From behind it, a
small, dusty black scroll fell onto the floor. Holding the book to her side, Karen leaned down and picked
it up, blowing some of the dust off of it. She squinted again as she tried to make out the syllables, absent-
mindedly placing the book back on the shelf and walking into the light.
"The....World....no.....Galaxy....no...." Karen mumbled to herself, sitting down on a stool under the single bulb.
Her eyes lit up as she made it out. "Universe! The Universe of the Four Beast-Gods!" she proclaimed to
herself happily. Untying the rotting string that held it shut, she pulled the scroll open and began to read.
Almost instantly a light flared up from the page, blinding her momentarily and causing her to drop the scroll.
She got the sensation that she were flying, and hit the ground on her stomach. Blinking groggily, she lifted
her head and stood up, brushing off her skirt. Her eyes widened and she lost her breath.
She was on the outskirts of a small farming village. She took a few steps forward, dazed. "Where...am I?" she
breathed in shock. She pinched her arm and hit her head with the palm of her hand, then looked up again.
The world remained the same.
"Who's there?" a young mans voice came. Karen spun around to face a young man who appeared her
age, with long brown hair tied back in a loose ponytail, and wore clothes that looked like they were out
of ancient China. Karen took a step away from him.
"Where am I?" she asked, her voice quivering with fright. The young man put down the bow he held in
one hand and cast her a confused sidelong glance.
"You're at the base of Mount Raikoku in the Konan Empire..." he said, his brows knitting together. "Are
you ok?" Karen took another step back.
"What are you, some sort of weirdo? I was just in the library a moment ago, and I've never heard of
a "Konan" before...." she said, letting out a few hysterical laughs. Where was she?! Where was Kyle?
Why wasn't he here? Karen took another step back and bumped into something solid. Turning, she came
face to face with a large man carrying a sickle. Her eyes rolled up into her head and she fainted dead
away.
-She's in the world that I'm in now.....but she's not a priestess...why was she brought here? Was she
supposed to be Taits-kun?-
-That is incorrect. -
-Taits-kun!-
-She was brought here out of mistake. It has happened in the past before, but the traveler most often
falls into bad company, or kills themselves out of grief and confusion.-
-But what happened to Karen?-
-That boy you saw....she stayed with his family for several years and then married him.-
-But what about Kyle?-
-She soon forgot about the feelings she felt for him, and felt them for Sukoru.-
-Sukoru...that sounds familiar...-
-It should. It's one you heard since you were born.-
-Since I was.......?-
"Ame plays well with my daughters." Futan smiled. "You must be proud of how outgoing she
is, Ka."
The woman who was once the girl known as Karen smiled back. "Yes, I am proud. She takes
after me with that I suppose." She continued scrubbing a stain out a tunic of Sukoru's.
"Leave me alone Aidou!" a young boy cried, running past the two women. Futan sighed and
lowered her head.
"Come on Kou, it's time to play catch!!" Aidou shouted. There was a whoosh, then a thud as a
log went sailing past the women and landed behind the small boy. Futan raised her head wearily.
"Aidou, stop throwing such heavy things at your brother!" she snapped. Kou stood behind her and
stuck out his tongue. "Kou, stop being such a girl and stick up for yourself!" she continued, not
looking behind her.
"Kou's got a flame-head, Kou's got a flame-head!" Ame taunted, hopping back and forth from one
leg to the other. Ka looked up at her and frowned.
"Ame, don't taunt poor Kou." She called out to her. A little girl with brown hair done back into a
ponytail like her fathers dropped her head and pouted.
"I'm sorry mommy." She said, digging her toe into the dirt. Ka smiled at her.
"No you're not!" Kou proclaimed, rubbing dirt into his bright red hair to discolor it. Ame turned to
him and stuck her tongue out.
"Yes I am!" Ame shouted back to him.
"No you're not!'
"Yes I am!'
"No you're not!"
"Yes I am!"
"No you're-"
"KOU! STOP THAT AT ONCE!" Futan proclaimed, standing up and pulling him up by his arm. She
shook him roughly, the dirt tumbling out of his hair in a shower of soil.
-Kou....that's not....Tasuki...is it?-
-What do you think. -
-And that little girl.....is that......-
"All girls get a kiss from a boy at festival!' Ame proclaimed, stomping a foot. Kou scoffed
and kicked a rock.
"No way, girls got germs." He snorted, folding his arms across his chest and turning away
from her. Ame stuck her lip out in an angry pout.
"C'mon Kou! All the other girls got a kiss!" she pouted, folding her own arms.
"No way, you're gross." Ame clenched her fists and spun him around.
"If you don't kiss me, I'll punch you in the nose!" she threatened. Kou's eyes widened, as past
threats that had been carried through resurfaced.
"Fine." He said sullenly. Ame's face lit up in a smile and she shut her eyes, pushing out her lips
in an exaggerated pucker. Kou hesitated and glanced downwards. Ame opened one eye and glared
at him. He sighed and leaned forward, quickly pecking her on the lips.
"Ooooh! Fire brain's got a girlfriend!!" Aidou snickered from around the building Ame had pulled
Kou behind. Kou's other sisters peeked around, one head below the other, and continued the taunt.
-It's gotten dark there now....where did everyone go?-
-Sukoru and Ka moved to another village, closer to Kutou, so they could get better work.-
-Why is there all that smoke?-
-The emperor learned of who Ka was...and that there was a child, and wanted her killed. He was
afraid she would become a priestess.-
-What happened to Sukoru?-
-He was killed in the fight. -
-Wait...the emperor destroyed that entire village just for Ka?-
-That is correct. -
"Mommy, you're choking me!' Ame protested, trying to push away from her mother's chest for
air. Ka ran as fast as she could from the village, the fire from it lighting the forest in a garish
red light.
"Why....after all these years...why is this happening now?" Ka sobbed breathlessly. Ame blinked
up at her mother.
"What's wrong mommy? Did you and daddy have a fight?" she asked curiously. Ka didn't answer
her, but continued to run. She stumbled, falling to the ground on her side. There was a black
light bubbling in the air before her. Ka scrambled to her knees and covered her daughter. Ame
squirmed and tried to get free.
"Leave her alone! She's just a baby!" Ka shouted at the light. It elongated into the form of a teen
boy sporting long black hair and empty gold eyes. He narrowed his eyes and raised his hand.
"She has a mark on her foot...but she is not a celestial warrior." He said in a velvety smooth voice.
Ka sobbed once.
"Leave her be! Take my life instead of hers!" she pleaded. Nazo scoffed, a black light forming around
his hand.
"She will know nothing but grief, I am giving her mercy." He glowered. The light flew from his
hand in a beam.
"NO!" Ka screamed, turning her back, the beam hitting her instead of Ame.
"MOMMY!" Ame screamed, then began to wail. Ka smiled weakly at her as she fell to the ground.
"Mommy!" Ame sobbed. Nazo slowly approached them and kicked Ka's body to her side, revealing the
wailing Ame below her. He knelt down in front of her and brushed some tears from her face.
"Shh...it's all right little one." He said softly. He held up one finger, a small, pill-sized black light
forming on the edge of his fingertip. Ame blinked tearfully at it and sobbed. Nazo stroked her cheek.
"See this? It'll help you sleep and make everything go away. It'll bring your mommy back to you." He
purred.
"Mommy?" Ame asked uncertainly. Nazo shut his eyes.
"Yes. Now....all you have to do is open your mouth..." Looking up at him with all the innocence of a
trusting child, Ame opened her mouth obediently, and Nazo brought his finger towards it, the light
growing bigger.
A white light engulfed Nazo suddenly, causing him to freeze and raise into the air, choking. Ame
screamed and kicked away from him, backing herself into a tree. Behind him were two dark figures
of squat people, one with white eyes, one with red, their hands clasped in front of them as they
worked the spell that kept Nazo in the air.
"She is not safe." A deep voice said.
"Indeed she is not. We must send her to the place of her mother." A gravely voice said. The owner
of it floated towards her and hovered right above her. Ame continued to cry. "What is your name?"
the person asked.
"Ame Rose." She whimpered, cowering away. The person began moving their fingers in a strange
hypnotic way.
"What's that mean?" the voice asked again. Ame began to feel drowsy, then felt as if she were
falling through air.
"Oh my God, Kyle! There's a kid back here!" Melanie cried, dropping her umbrella and running
through the puddle-soaked ally. She was at the mud-soaked little girls side in a second, lifting her
gently from the muck.
"Good Lord....first there was that light, now a kid...what happened?" he asked, running up behind her.
His eyes widened behind his glasses and his breath caught in his throat as he laid eyes upon her.
"Oh my God...she looks just like..."
".....Karen..." Melanie finished, looking up into his face. The girl stirred and made a noise, drawing
Melanie's attention back to her. "Hey sweetie, can you tell me what your name is?" she asked gently,
wiping some of the rain from her eyes.
"....Rain..." she finished, opening and shutting her eyes weakly.
-No. NO! That....I'm not.....That's not true! Melanie and Kyle said that I lived most of my life on the
street and they found me unconscious after a car hit me! -
-That is a lie. You are half of this world and half of their world. Your body holds the strength to
become Taits-kun Yin, which is why Nazo wished to kill you. He wants to be Taits-kun, light and
dark together. -
-No......it's not true! IT'S NOT TRUE!-
-Now...why...why would you choose such a man.....-
-Choose? What do you mean, choose?-
-....why would you choose such a man...to share the power with.....-
-I...I don't understand what you're saying to me.....-
"Tasuki, what are you doing?! Don't! Taka will be angry if...." Tasuki silenced her by roughly
pinning her arms down onto the bed. He hovered above her, not quite glaring, and the symbol
on his arm glowing brightly.
"Didn't you know, Miaka....couldn't you see...? I'm a man too....."
-Oh God...Tasuki....you didn't....-
"No please! Stop it Tasuki!!! STOP!"
-Do you understand...that the Celestial Warrior Tasuki...he is not worthy to become Yang.
You must pick another.-
-Worthy to become Yang....? How does one become Yang?! I thought that I had both powers!-
-It is impossible for you to have both powers. I said you were chosen to replace me. The Yin part,
not Yang. Do you really think Tasuki will be able to hold the power of Yang in the final battle?
He was not even able to handle the possession of a demon.-
-Of course not! No one can handle that!-
-That is incorrect.-
-What?!-
-You...would be able to handle it. -
-But....I'm.....not like the others....-
-Then have Tasuki prove his worth.-
-Prove his worth? How could he do that?-
-Have Tasuki prove his worth, and the power of Yang shall be bestowed upon him, as
you have chosen him to become your counterpart. -
----------------------------------------
Rain opened her eyes slowly and let them gradually focus. She had been crying in her
sleep, her face felt flaky from the tears. She let out a shaky sigh and sat up, staring into
space. Nyan-Nyan looked at her from her seat next to the bed.
"Taits-kun need sleep helper again?" she asked in a small voice. Rain looked at her blankly.
The small girl looked as if she needed rest, but sat watching her instead.
"No....I'm fine, thank you." She attempted, smiling weakly. "Why don't you go get some rest....I'm
going to take a little walk." She pushed herself from the covers and onto the floor. Her ankles
wobbled beneath her and she put a hand out to steady herself on the bedpost. Nyan-Nyan stood
up, alarmed, but Rain turned and smiled at her. She sighed and walked out slowly.
Rain walked aimlessly through the dark halls of the palace. She paused by the door to Houki's
chamber, Houki and Hotohori sleeping on the same bed, cuddling their baby son. A wistful smile passed
her lips, and she moved on. As she passed Miaka and Taka's room, she thought she heard some suspicious
noises coming from within, but decided to leave it alone.
She wandered out onto the balcony that she had tried to jump from before, and found Tasuki staring
out into the palace garden, his hands leaning heavily on the railing. His shirt was half-unbuttoned, and
his hair blew slightly in a gentle breeze. Rain clenched her hand on the sleeve of the robe she had been
dressed in, as her heart unexpectedly quickened its pace.
As if sensing her there, Tasuki turned and looked at her, their eyes locking. Rain could feel her cheeks
warming, and she turned away.
"How do you feel?" he asked, startling her. Rain turned back and smiled, shutting her eyes.
"I'm doing better. How about you?" she asked. She hated how nervous her voice sounded. Tasuki
tilted his head slightly at the tone of her voice, then turned back.
"I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd get some air." He said. Rain walked forward and stood in front
of the railing, spacing a distance between them.
"Thanks...for saving me....again." she started, staring straight ahead and clenching her jaw. Tasuki
turned and looked at her in surprise, then turned away.
"Heh...like I said, someone's gotta watch out for a troublemaker like you." He grinned. When no
retaliation came from Rain, he glanced at her again to find her staring at him.
"Yeah....I guess I do cause people a lot of trouble, don't I?" she stated more than asked, her
voice tinged with tears. Tasuki faced her fully and wandered closer to her.
"Hey...what's wrong?" he asked, concerned. He was trying to be nice for once...did he go and
screw it up? Rain lifted her head and faced him, trying to suppress her tears. She smiled weakly,
despite her sad look.
"If you don't kiss me, I'll punch you in the nose." She said in a half-whisper. Tasuki's eyes widened
in shock and his breath caught in his chest. Rain smiled again, then turned away. Baka. Stupid.
Idiot. She thought.
"Ame." Tasuki said in a tone of voice that was very unfamiliar to her. She turned in surprise.
Tasuki leaned forward as she turned, and kissed her. But unlike before, it deepened, and Rain
unconsciously raised her arms around his neck to hug him closer.
-------------------------------------------------
The rest of the night was like a dream to Rain, and maybe even to Tasuki. The kiss never seemed to
end, only grow, and they found themselves in each other's arms, in Tasuki's chamber. Clothes were
shed and strewn about. Kisses multiplied and were not restricted to only the lips.
"Is this right" Tasuki suddenly asked, raising himself so he could look down at her. His wings symbol
upon his arm was glowing like a small warm light, not bright like it did in battle, but not dim either.
Rain smiled up to him and pressed a hand against his cheek. Images of what Taits-kun showed her of
the event that had passed between he and Miaka flashed briefly behind her eyes, but she shut her
eyes against it.
"Yes." She said, raising her head up to kiss him again. Tasuki relaxed into her embrace once more.
----------------------------------------
The more I see of them, the more of their souls I acquire.
Rain bolted upright, panting from the nightmare she had just seen. Tasuki laid next to her, asleep.
She smiled wistfully at him and brushed a lock of hair from his face. She was just laying back down
when she heard voices outside of the door.
Getting up and pulling on her robe, she tiptoed to the door and cracked it open to peek out. Soi,
Miboshi and Mitsukake stood outside, conversing in low voices.
"It's strange, but I've noticed it too." Soi was saying. Rain blinked, then frowned.
"No kidding, we were first spirits, then we were solid, now it seems we're going back to being
spirits again." Miboshi commented, holding up his hand. Sure enough, the light filtered through it,
making his flesh look cloudy. Rain's eyes widened.
The more I see of them, the more of their souls I acquire.
She turned and looked behind her at Tasuki, then back out the door. The three had moved on, their
voices fading. Rain shut the door and her eyes again, and slowly walked back over to the bed. She
stared down at Tasuki for a moment, then leaned down and lightly kissed his temple. He stirred, but
did not wake up.
Wandering silently out of his room, she went back into hers and shut the door. Nyan-Nyan opened her
eyes from where she was curled up on the side of Rain's bed and jumped to her feet.
"Nyan-Nyan sorry!" she exclaimed, bowing deeply. Rain smiled weakly at her.
"It's all right Nyan-Nyan...can you make me some new clothes?" she asked softly. Nyan-Nyan blinked at
her, then formed a bubble in her hands. It popped, revealing a new set of clothing for Rain, identical to
the clothes she had before Nazo's electricity had ruined them. After she dressed behind the screen in
her room and emerged, she found Nyan-Nyan staring at her in shock "What....what is it?"
"You......mastered all powers...now...." she gasped, taking a step forward. Rain frowned at her.
"No I didn't..." she looked in the mirror just to be sure. "There aren't any more symbols on me that weren't
there before..." Nyan-Nyan came up and closed a small hand around hers.
"Nyan-Nyan can sense it...you almost ready to become Taits-kun now." She said in an awed voice.
The more I see of them, the more of their souls I acquire.
Rain stumbled, a hand against her head. Nyan-Nyan gasped and put her hands out as if to steady
her.
"Taits-kun! What matter?!" Nyan-Nyan proclaimed. Rain put a hand on the dressing screen to right
herself.
"Nyan-Nyan....tell me where Nazo is...." she rasped. Nyan-Nyan tilted her head at her.
"Why? Is not time to go yet...no other people awake to travel..." Rain put a hand up to silence her.
"We're going alone."
-------------------------------------------
She will soon be mine.
Tasuki bolted to a sit, wide-awake.
"Rain?!" he exclaimed, running down the hall. After not finding her next to him, he had quickly
dressed and dashed out of his room. He saw Miaka and Taka ahead of him. "Hey! Have you seen
Rain?"
Rain slowly walked out of Konan and into a craggy mountain range. Dried thorn bushes reached
for her, and her hair got caught on several tried tree twigs. Nyan-Nyan turned from ahead of her,
and hopped lightly on the thorn bushes until she reached her. Thunder and lightning boomed across
the sky, the clouds churning like mad.
"I can't believe she'd do something like this! Especially with the weather getting nasty again!" Nuriko
exclaimed, buttoning up his shirt. Miaka gasped suddenly, and he turned to face her.
"Nuriko...you're...getting all see-through again!" she exclaimed, putting a hand on his arm. He raised a
hand and stared. Sure enough, like Miboshi, Soi and Mitsukake, he was cloudy.
"He's slowly absorbing us." Tomo said darkly, coming up with Yui, the rest of the Seiryuu and the
Genbu children. "Soon we won't even be here to reincarnate into new bodies."
"That's why she left....." Tasuki suddenly said, his eyes wide. Everyone turned to stare at him.
"And what would make you the expert?" Taka challenged. Tasuki's face turned red instantly and he
cleared his throat.
"I just know....she's headed off for Nazo as we speak." He finished quickly. Several faces stared
at him blankly, while several others whited out.
"But we don't know how to get there." Hikitsu commented, shattering the clueless/shocked silence.
"I show way!" a familiar voice said. A pink bubble suddenly floated out of Rain's vacated room and
popped into a Nyan-Nyan.
Rain pulled herself into Nazo's palace-like home, bleeding from several scratches, which Nyan-
Nyan proceeded to heal. She came face to face with a familiar woman.
"Nazo isn't here Ame." Aidou said. Rain's eyes widened.
-Who is that....?-
"All right, all right, I'm coming!"
-She...looks familiar....-
Karen emerged from her room, slinging her book bag over her shoulder and running
down the stairs, two at a time. "Bye ma." She kissed her mothers cheek and dashed
out the door after her little brother. "Wait up Billy!" she called after him.
-Wait...this isn't Japan....this is.....America?-
"Hey Karen, looking good." Kyle said, coming up behind her and planting a kiss on her
cheek. Karen rolled her eyes and turned around to peck his lips and smile.
"You weirdo, you were supposed to come hang out with us yesterday at the mall." She
pushed his shoulder playfully. "Why'd you ditch us, huh?" Kyle ducked behind her and
circled his arms around her waist, tickling her. She laughed and bent over trying to pry
loose of his hold.
"Good God, don't you two ever quit?" Melanie asked, slamming her locker shut. Kyle pouted
playfully at her.
"Aww come on Melee, you're just jealous." He smirked, planting a kiss by Karen's ear. Melanie
rolled her eyes.
"As if. Go ahead and carry on being a playvert Kyle, but if you break Karen's heart, you're
getting a kick to the groin." She scoffed, walking away from them. Karen frowned after her.
"Ah, she's jealous." Kyle reassured, kissing her neck, then releasing her. Karen sighed and chewed
the inside of her lip, then grabbed Kyle's hand and walked to class.
-Kyle...? But that's the name of......-
"Hey babe, what movie we gonna catch tonight?" Kyle asked, sliding his tray up next to Karen's.
Karen flashed him a playful glare and grabbed an apple from the top of the fruit basket.
"You call me babe again and there will be no movie." She said, kissing his nose as she moved on down
the line. Kyle flashed her a half-grin. She paused and turned back to him. "Any movie will do, just be
there this time." She said, pecking his lips before finding a seat next to Melanie.
-Melanie is........it can't be....-
Karen sighed and flipped another page of the history book. She was seated in a massive library,
studying up for an exam on Chinese writing. She hated the tests, but if she ever wanted to become
a translator, it was necessary. Dropping her pencil on her paper in frustration, she leaned back in
her chair and stared at the ceiling. It was richly decorated with carvings of angels. Leaning forward
again she stood up, and grabbed her book. As she was placing it on the shelf, a door set off to the
side and hidden by a rack of books caught her eye. She tilted her head curiously and walked towards
it. A mischievous grin crossing her face, she glanced around for Library personnel, then moved the rack
aside and entered the door.
There were stairs behind the door, which led to a storage basement. Karen cautiously walked down
the stairs, wincing as they creaked under her weight. Reaching the bottom, she reached blindly along
the wall until she reached a switch. The light that came after she flipped the switch was just from a
small bulb in the corner, casting dim shadows around the rest of the basement. The floor as a whole was
filled with bookshelves, which were filled with dusty and torn books.
"This is kind of neat..." Karen said, a smile touching the corners of her mouth. She wandered along the isles,
blowing the dust off of the bookbindings, trying to make out some of the writing. She stopped in front of
one shelf, a massive book of Chinese characters catching her eye, and pulled it out. From behind it, a
small, dusty black scroll fell onto the floor. Holding the book to her side, Karen leaned down and picked
it up, blowing some of the dust off of it. She squinted again as she tried to make out the syllables, absent-
mindedly placing the book back on the shelf and walking into the light.
"The....World....no.....Galaxy....no...." Karen mumbled to herself, sitting down on a stool under the single bulb.
Her eyes lit up as she made it out. "Universe! The Universe of the Four Beast-Gods!" she proclaimed to
herself happily. Untying the rotting string that held it shut, she pulled the scroll open and began to read.
Almost instantly a light flared up from the page, blinding her momentarily and causing her to drop the scroll.
She got the sensation that she were flying, and hit the ground on her stomach. Blinking groggily, she lifted
her head and stood up, brushing off her skirt. Her eyes widened and she lost her breath.
She was on the outskirts of a small farming village. She took a few steps forward, dazed. "Where...am I?" she
breathed in shock. She pinched her arm and hit her head with the palm of her hand, then looked up again.
The world remained the same.
"Who's there?" a young mans voice came. Karen spun around to face a young man who appeared her
age, with long brown hair tied back in a loose ponytail, and wore clothes that looked like they were out
of ancient China. Karen took a step away from him.
"Where am I?" she asked, her voice quivering with fright. The young man put down the bow he held in
one hand and cast her a confused sidelong glance.
"You're at the base of Mount Raikoku in the Konan Empire..." he said, his brows knitting together. "Are
you ok?" Karen took another step back.
"What are you, some sort of weirdo? I was just in the library a moment ago, and I've never heard of
a "Konan" before...." she said, letting out a few hysterical laughs. Where was she?! Where was Kyle?
Why wasn't he here? Karen took another step back and bumped into something solid. Turning, she came
face to face with a large man carrying a sickle. Her eyes rolled up into her head and she fainted dead
away.
-She's in the world that I'm in now.....but she's not a priestess...why was she brought here? Was she
supposed to be Taits-kun?-
-That is incorrect. -
-Taits-kun!-
-She was brought here out of mistake. It has happened in the past before, but the traveler most often
falls into bad company, or kills themselves out of grief and confusion.-
-But what happened to Karen?-
-That boy you saw....she stayed with his family for several years and then married him.-
-But what about Kyle?-
-She soon forgot about the feelings she felt for him, and felt them for Sukoru.-
-Sukoru...that sounds familiar...-
-It should. It's one you heard since you were born.-
-Since I was.......?-
"Ame plays well with my daughters." Futan smiled. "You must be proud of how outgoing she
is, Ka."
The woman who was once the girl known as Karen smiled back. "Yes, I am proud. She takes
after me with that I suppose." She continued scrubbing a stain out a tunic of Sukoru's.
"Leave me alone Aidou!" a young boy cried, running past the two women. Futan sighed and
lowered her head.
"Come on Kou, it's time to play catch!!" Aidou shouted. There was a whoosh, then a thud as a
log went sailing past the women and landed behind the small boy. Futan raised her head wearily.
"Aidou, stop throwing such heavy things at your brother!" she snapped. Kou stood behind her and
stuck out his tongue. "Kou, stop being such a girl and stick up for yourself!" she continued, not
looking behind her.
"Kou's got a flame-head, Kou's got a flame-head!" Ame taunted, hopping back and forth from one
leg to the other. Ka looked up at her and frowned.
"Ame, don't taunt poor Kou." She called out to her. A little girl with brown hair done back into a
ponytail like her fathers dropped her head and pouted.
"I'm sorry mommy." She said, digging her toe into the dirt. Ka smiled at her.
"No you're not!" Kou proclaimed, rubbing dirt into his bright red hair to discolor it. Ame turned to
him and stuck her tongue out.
"Yes I am!" Ame shouted back to him.
"No you're not!'
"Yes I am!'
"No you're not!"
"Yes I am!"
"No you're-"
"KOU! STOP THAT AT ONCE!" Futan proclaimed, standing up and pulling him up by his arm. She
shook him roughly, the dirt tumbling out of his hair in a shower of soil.
-Kou....that's not....Tasuki...is it?-
-What do you think. -
-And that little girl.....is that......-
"All girls get a kiss from a boy at festival!' Ame proclaimed, stomping a foot. Kou scoffed
and kicked a rock.
"No way, girls got germs." He snorted, folding his arms across his chest and turning away
from her. Ame stuck her lip out in an angry pout.
"C'mon Kou! All the other girls got a kiss!" she pouted, folding her own arms.
"No way, you're gross." Ame clenched her fists and spun him around.
"If you don't kiss me, I'll punch you in the nose!" she threatened. Kou's eyes widened, as past
threats that had been carried through resurfaced.
"Fine." He said sullenly. Ame's face lit up in a smile and she shut her eyes, pushing out her lips
in an exaggerated pucker. Kou hesitated and glanced downwards. Ame opened one eye and glared
at him. He sighed and leaned forward, quickly pecking her on the lips.
"Ooooh! Fire brain's got a girlfriend!!" Aidou snickered from around the building Ame had pulled
Kou behind. Kou's other sisters peeked around, one head below the other, and continued the taunt.
-It's gotten dark there now....where did everyone go?-
-Sukoru and Ka moved to another village, closer to Kutou, so they could get better work.-
-Why is there all that smoke?-
-The emperor learned of who Ka was...and that there was a child, and wanted her killed. He was
afraid she would become a priestess.-
-What happened to Sukoru?-
-He was killed in the fight. -
-Wait...the emperor destroyed that entire village just for Ka?-
-That is correct. -
"Mommy, you're choking me!' Ame protested, trying to push away from her mother's chest for
air. Ka ran as fast as she could from the village, the fire from it lighting the forest in a garish
red light.
"Why....after all these years...why is this happening now?" Ka sobbed breathlessly. Ame blinked
up at her mother.
"What's wrong mommy? Did you and daddy have a fight?" she asked curiously. Ka didn't answer
her, but continued to run. She stumbled, falling to the ground on her side. There was a black
light bubbling in the air before her. Ka scrambled to her knees and covered her daughter. Ame
squirmed and tried to get free.
"Leave her alone! She's just a baby!" Ka shouted at the light. It elongated into the form of a teen
boy sporting long black hair and empty gold eyes. He narrowed his eyes and raised his hand.
"She has a mark on her foot...but she is not a celestial warrior." He said in a velvety smooth voice.
Ka sobbed once.
"Leave her be! Take my life instead of hers!" she pleaded. Nazo scoffed, a black light forming around
his hand.
"She will know nothing but grief, I am giving her mercy." He glowered. The light flew from his
hand in a beam.
"NO!" Ka screamed, turning her back, the beam hitting her instead of Ame.
"MOMMY!" Ame screamed, then began to wail. Ka smiled weakly at her as she fell to the ground.
"Mommy!" Ame sobbed. Nazo slowly approached them and kicked Ka's body to her side, revealing the
wailing Ame below her. He knelt down in front of her and brushed some tears from her face.
"Shh...it's all right little one." He said softly. He held up one finger, a small, pill-sized black light
forming on the edge of his fingertip. Ame blinked tearfully at it and sobbed. Nazo stroked her cheek.
"See this? It'll help you sleep and make everything go away. It'll bring your mommy back to you." He
purred.
"Mommy?" Ame asked uncertainly. Nazo shut his eyes.
"Yes. Now....all you have to do is open your mouth..." Looking up at him with all the innocence of a
trusting child, Ame opened her mouth obediently, and Nazo brought his finger towards it, the light
growing bigger.
A white light engulfed Nazo suddenly, causing him to freeze and raise into the air, choking. Ame
screamed and kicked away from him, backing herself into a tree. Behind him were two dark figures
of squat people, one with white eyes, one with red, their hands clasped in front of them as they
worked the spell that kept Nazo in the air.
"She is not safe." A deep voice said.
"Indeed she is not. We must send her to the place of her mother." A gravely voice said. The owner
of it floated towards her and hovered right above her. Ame continued to cry. "What is your name?"
the person asked.
"Ame Rose." She whimpered, cowering away. The person began moving their fingers in a strange
hypnotic way.
"What's that mean?" the voice asked again. Ame began to feel drowsy, then felt as if she were
falling through air.
"Oh my God, Kyle! There's a kid back here!" Melanie cried, dropping her umbrella and running
through the puddle-soaked ally. She was at the mud-soaked little girls side in a second, lifting her
gently from the muck.
"Good Lord....first there was that light, now a kid...what happened?" he asked, running up behind her.
His eyes widened behind his glasses and his breath caught in his throat as he laid eyes upon her.
"Oh my God...she looks just like..."
".....Karen..." Melanie finished, looking up into his face. The girl stirred and made a noise, drawing
Melanie's attention back to her. "Hey sweetie, can you tell me what your name is?" she asked gently,
wiping some of the rain from her eyes.
"....Rain..." she finished, opening and shutting her eyes weakly.
-No. NO! That....I'm not.....That's not true! Melanie and Kyle said that I lived most of my life on the
street and they found me unconscious after a car hit me! -
-That is a lie. You are half of this world and half of their world. Your body holds the strength to
become Taits-kun Yin, which is why Nazo wished to kill you. He wants to be Taits-kun, light and
dark together. -
-No......it's not true! IT'S NOT TRUE!-
-Now...why...why would you choose such a man.....-
-Choose? What do you mean, choose?-
-....why would you choose such a man...to share the power with.....-
-I...I don't understand what you're saying to me.....-
"Tasuki, what are you doing?! Don't! Taka will be angry if...." Tasuki silenced her by roughly
pinning her arms down onto the bed. He hovered above her, not quite glaring, and the symbol
on his arm glowing brightly.
"Didn't you know, Miaka....couldn't you see...? I'm a man too....."
-Oh God...Tasuki....you didn't....-
"No please! Stop it Tasuki!!! STOP!"
-Do you understand...that the Celestial Warrior Tasuki...he is not worthy to become Yang.
You must pick another.-
-Worthy to become Yang....? How does one become Yang?! I thought that I had both powers!-
-It is impossible for you to have both powers. I said you were chosen to replace me. The Yin part,
not Yang. Do you really think Tasuki will be able to hold the power of Yang in the final battle?
He was not even able to handle the possession of a demon.-
-Of course not! No one can handle that!-
-That is incorrect.-
-What?!-
-You...would be able to handle it. -
-But....I'm.....not like the others....-
-Then have Tasuki prove his worth.-
-Prove his worth? How could he do that?-
-Have Tasuki prove his worth, and the power of Yang shall be bestowed upon him, as
you have chosen him to become your counterpart. -
----------------------------------------
Rain opened her eyes slowly and let them gradually focus. She had been crying in her
sleep, her face felt flaky from the tears. She let out a shaky sigh and sat up, staring into
space. Nyan-Nyan looked at her from her seat next to the bed.
"Taits-kun need sleep helper again?" she asked in a small voice. Rain looked at her blankly.
The small girl looked as if she needed rest, but sat watching her instead.
"No....I'm fine, thank you." She attempted, smiling weakly. "Why don't you go get some rest....I'm
going to take a little walk." She pushed herself from the covers and onto the floor. Her ankles
wobbled beneath her and she put a hand out to steady herself on the bedpost. Nyan-Nyan stood
up, alarmed, but Rain turned and smiled at her. She sighed and walked out slowly.
Rain walked aimlessly through the dark halls of the palace. She paused by the door to Houki's
chamber, Houki and Hotohori sleeping on the same bed, cuddling their baby son. A wistful smile passed
her lips, and she moved on. As she passed Miaka and Taka's room, she thought she heard some suspicious
noises coming from within, but decided to leave it alone.
She wandered out onto the balcony that she had tried to jump from before, and found Tasuki staring
out into the palace garden, his hands leaning heavily on the railing. His shirt was half-unbuttoned, and
his hair blew slightly in a gentle breeze. Rain clenched her hand on the sleeve of the robe she had been
dressed in, as her heart unexpectedly quickened its pace.
As if sensing her there, Tasuki turned and looked at her, their eyes locking. Rain could feel her cheeks
warming, and she turned away.
"How do you feel?" he asked, startling her. Rain turned back and smiled, shutting her eyes.
"I'm doing better. How about you?" she asked. She hated how nervous her voice sounded. Tasuki
tilted his head slightly at the tone of her voice, then turned back.
"I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd get some air." He said. Rain walked forward and stood in front
of the railing, spacing a distance between them.
"Thanks...for saving me....again." she started, staring straight ahead and clenching her jaw. Tasuki
turned and looked at her in surprise, then turned away.
"Heh...like I said, someone's gotta watch out for a troublemaker like you." He grinned. When no
retaliation came from Rain, he glanced at her again to find her staring at him.
"Yeah....I guess I do cause people a lot of trouble, don't I?" she stated more than asked, her
voice tinged with tears. Tasuki faced her fully and wandered closer to her.
"Hey...what's wrong?" he asked, concerned. He was trying to be nice for once...did he go and
screw it up? Rain lifted her head and faced him, trying to suppress her tears. She smiled weakly,
despite her sad look.
"If you don't kiss me, I'll punch you in the nose." She said in a half-whisper. Tasuki's eyes widened
in shock and his breath caught in his chest. Rain smiled again, then turned away. Baka. Stupid.
Idiot. She thought.
"Ame." Tasuki said in a tone of voice that was very unfamiliar to her. She turned in surprise.
Tasuki leaned forward as she turned, and kissed her. But unlike before, it deepened, and Rain
unconsciously raised her arms around his neck to hug him closer.
-------------------------------------------------
The rest of the night was like a dream to Rain, and maybe even to Tasuki. The kiss never seemed to
end, only grow, and they found themselves in each other's arms, in Tasuki's chamber. Clothes were
shed and strewn about. Kisses multiplied and were not restricted to only the lips.
"Is this right" Tasuki suddenly asked, raising himself so he could look down at her. His wings symbol
upon his arm was glowing like a small warm light, not bright like it did in battle, but not dim either.
Rain smiled up to him and pressed a hand against his cheek. Images of what Taits-kun showed her of
the event that had passed between he and Miaka flashed briefly behind her eyes, but she shut her
eyes against it.
"Yes." She said, raising her head up to kiss him again. Tasuki relaxed into her embrace once more.
----------------------------------------
The more I see of them, the more of their souls I acquire.
Rain bolted upright, panting from the nightmare she had just seen. Tasuki laid next to her, asleep.
She smiled wistfully at him and brushed a lock of hair from his face. She was just laying back down
when she heard voices outside of the door.
Getting up and pulling on her robe, she tiptoed to the door and cracked it open to peek out. Soi,
Miboshi and Mitsukake stood outside, conversing in low voices.
"It's strange, but I've noticed it too." Soi was saying. Rain blinked, then frowned.
"No kidding, we were first spirits, then we were solid, now it seems we're going back to being
spirits again." Miboshi commented, holding up his hand. Sure enough, the light filtered through it,
making his flesh look cloudy. Rain's eyes widened.
The more I see of them, the more of their souls I acquire.
She turned and looked behind her at Tasuki, then back out the door. The three had moved on, their
voices fading. Rain shut the door and her eyes again, and slowly walked back over to the bed. She
stared down at Tasuki for a moment, then leaned down and lightly kissed his temple. He stirred, but
did not wake up.
Wandering silently out of his room, she went back into hers and shut the door. Nyan-Nyan opened her
eyes from where she was curled up on the side of Rain's bed and jumped to her feet.
"Nyan-Nyan sorry!" she exclaimed, bowing deeply. Rain smiled weakly at her.
"It's all right Nyan-Nyan...can you make me some new clothes?" she asked softly. Nyan-Nyan blinked at
her, then formed a bubble in her hands. It popped, revealing a new set of clothing for Rain, identical to
the clothes she had before Nazo's electricity had ruined them. After she dressed behind the screen in
her room and emerged, she found Nyan-Nyan staring at her in shock "What....what is it?"
"You......mastered all powers...now...." she gasped, taking a step forward. Rain frowned at her.
"No I didn't..." she looked in the mirror just to be sure. "There aren't any more symbols on me that weren't
there before..." Nyan-Nyan came up and closed a small hand around hers.
"Nyan-Nyan can sense it...you almost ready to become Taits-kun now." She said in an awed voice.
The more I see of them, the more of their souls I acquire.
Rain stumbled, a hand against her head. Nyan-Nyan gasped and put her hands out as if to steady
her.
"Taits-kun! What matter?!" Nyan-Nyan proclaimed. Rain put a hand on the dressing screen to right
herself.
"Nyan-Nyan....tell me where Nazo is...." she rasped. Nyan-Nyan tilted her head at her.
"Why? Is not time to go yet...no other people awake to travel..." Rain put a hand up to silence her.
"We're going alone."
-------------------------------------------
She will soon be mine.
Tasuki bolted to a sit, wide-awake.
"Rain?!" he exclaimed, running down the hall. After not finding her next to him, he had quickly
dressed and dashed out of his room. He saw Miaka and Taka ahead of him. "Hey! Have you seen
Rain?"
Rain slowly walked out of Konan and into a craggy mountain range. Dried thorn bushes reached
for her, and her hair got caught on several tried tree twigs. Nyan-Nyan turned from ahead of her,
and hopped lightly on the thorn bushes until she reached her. Thunder and lightning boomed across
the sky, the clouds churning like mad.
"I can't believe she'd do something like this! Especially with the weather getting nasty again!" Nuriko
exclaimed, buttoning up his shirt. Miaka gasped suddenly, and he turned to face her.
"Nuriko...you're...getting all see-through again!" she exclaimed, putting a hand on his arm. He raised a
hand and stared. Sure enough, like Miboshi, Soi and Mitsukake, he was cloudy.
"He's slowly absorbing us." Tomo said darkly, coming up with Yui, the rest of the Seiryuu and the
Genbu children. "Soon we won't even be here to reincarnate into new bodies."
"That's why she left....." Tasuki suddenly said, his eyes wide. Everyone turned to stare at him.
"And what would make you the expert?" Taka challenged. Tasuki's face turned red instantly and he
cleared his throat.
"I just know....she's headed off for Nazo as we speak." He finished quickly. Several faces stared
at him blankly, while several others whited out.
"But we don't know how to get there." Hikitsu commented, shattering the clueless/shocked silence.
"I show way!" a familiar voice said. A pink bubble suddenly floated out of Rain's vacated room and
popped into a Nyan-Nyan.
Rain pulled herself into Nazo's palace-like home, bleeding from several scratches, which Nyan-
Nyan proceeded to heal. She came face to face with a familiar woman.
"Nazo isn't here Ame." Aidou said. Rain's eyes widened.