AN: Ah, the all famous re-editing process that everyone goes through...I don't know..I kinda went through the entire fic and chopped up everything. Sigh. Is it still readable? I've tried to improve it as much as possible. Not too much plot change though, my focus was mainly on the language of this piece. ^^. Well, read one read all! Tell me what you think! (Mind you, this is STILL my first fic ever since my return to the manga world) Any comments welcome! Thanks again

All Standard Disclaimers apply


Prologue: The Oncomming

Darkness enveloped her. She reached out to for anything but encountered Nothing. Dark. Empty. Lost. Shreds of memories from the distant past clung onto her as she tried to ease her way out of this black hole. Her only resistance from being eaten up completely by this new emotion was something...What was it again? She forgot its name. It was some sensory perception that evoked a response. Emotion? She wondered what it was. Anyway, longing for or thinking about something was better than this nothingness. She felt powerless against it. What happened? Why is she here? All of a sudden, she couldn't remember a thing. Ever so slowly, she melted into the backdrop of this lifeless reality.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

A lazy arm slapped the button of the alarm clock drowsidly. Fuuko's eyes fluttered open slowly. 6:45am. She tried to shake it off her mind. She had it again, that dream of nothingness. Why won't it leave her? Droplets of sweat rolled off her forehead as she dragged herself into her uniform.

Why did she feel this way? The aftershock of the dream had not left yet. The ordeal of USB and Heaven and Hell had been over for quite some time now and life had resumed normality. Was this lack of excitement the reason why she felt so incomplete? Nope, she shook her head furiously. I'm glad I'm just your average high school student. She clutched her chest tightly and fond it hard to admit to herself that she was unhappy (though she tried to be otherwise, it really didn't work that well). It was as if that once the adventures with Hokage were over and she was left to herself, there was nothing to distract her from thinking about herself...its was as if a gapping hole occupied the middle of her chest. Empty. She sighed, how I resent that feeling. She glanced ober at her alarm again, 7:15am. Oh great, she exclaimed sarcastically, if I don't hurry, I won't make it to school on time. School is the only thing that sustained her through her silent battle with emptiness. Perhaps I think too much, she chuckled silently, perhaps. She hoisted the leather school bag onto her shoulder and left her apartment.

"Fuuko! Oi. Fuuko! Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuko, where are you?" Recca's jest-ful greeting jolted her back into reality.

"Huh what? Oh. Ohiyo Recca" Fuuko mumbled.

"Hey!" protested Recca "Where's my genki beating?" Fuuko frowned.Was it that obvious she wasn't feeling normal?

"I'm just tired is all" Fuuko faked a yawn, "didn't get much sleep last night"

"Were you by any chance..." Recca's eyes widened as a mischevious grin spread across his face "Studying!?? That's not the Kirisawa Fuuko I know"

"Oh shove those words up your..." Fuuko accompained her unfinished insult with a relentless punch that sent Recca flying into the sky. "My my" she snorted, "your skills have certainly devolved since our last battle" Last battle, Fuuko paused, last...goodness, since when have I developed this forlorn personality? She tried again to shake off the emptiness that kept seeping back into her mind. Normally, when she was with the Hokage, she could avoid slipping back into her trances by laughing and joking with them. But lately...lately, her defense against this Nothing dwindled.

"Fuuko?" She felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. She turned sharply and was greeted with an encouraging smile.

"Yanagi! Ohiyo!" Fuuko twisted her countenance into a wide grin on her face as she greeted her best friend. My only female friend, Fuuko pondered, only...only...

"Hime!" Recca cried with happiness as he charged towards Yanagi, forgetting his present conflict with Fuuko.

The encounter between the three friends was interrupted by a large rumbling noise.

"I sense a large object heading directly at us," whispered Recca, his body poised, ready to face combat. "We must protect Hime"

"Leave it up to me" Fuuko bragged as she and Recca spread into battle formation.

"Fuuko-sama, Fuuko my darling, my honey...Have you missed me?" The giant rumbling ceased as Fuuko pummeled a blushing Domon onto the ground.

"Fey! And for a moment I was threatened..." Recca grinned "But it was only a gorilla in heat." Before Domon could rebuke that statement, Recca followed elbowed Domon's head.

"Monkeys create much racket wherever they go..." a nonchalant smirk interrupted the energetic and chaotic scene.

"Mikagami sempai!" exclaimed Yanagi "Ohiyogozaemasu!" Yanagi bowed slightly as Tokiya ruffled her hair gently.

"Keep your hands off my Hime!" yelled Recca as he scampered towards Yanagi and clutched her protectively.

"Che, stupid monkey" remarked Tokiya as he silently sulked away from them only to be interrupted by the usual mob scene of blushing girls.

"I wonder what goes through that head of his?" murmured Fuuko to herself and she shook her head. This is another ordinary day, she reassured herself, just another. But why does something feel so wrong? So out of place? I can't put my finger on it...

"Fuuko! Haiyaku! We're going be late otherwise" Yanagi chirped as she jolted Fuuko away from her silent contemplation.

"Coming...Comming" yelled Fuuko barged through the gate of the school behind her friends. Nothing is wrong Fuuko, she told herself, you're just being paranoid. But, she knew one thing, even though the day seemed ordinary everything in place...she couldn't help but feel that she was experiencing the oncoming of darkness.


AN: So here I am again. Thank you so much for reading this rewrite, um, re-edition...ha. I hope its better and most grammatical mistakes are fixed. Well, till the next chapter (which will be 14...or the next rewrite of chapter 2) I'll see yah! Thanks for reading.