Yamato looked around at the dark world around him and listened. It was so quiet, almost completely silent. Where at the others, he wondered. He looked behind him and saw a wall of newspaper articles. Yamato walked over and started to read a few of the headlines- "Terrorist Attack Destroys Bridge... Electronics Fail... Local Band Tours America... What is this?"
"It's your life, silly," a voice said from behind the wall and a girl stepped into view. She was wearing a short yet elegant Chinese-style dress. She grinned and pointed to one of the articles, "Two Boys Murdered in Odaiba. Those are you friends."
"What are you talking about?" Yamato hissed and studied the girl. Her left ankle had a black-beaded bracelet around it and her feet were bare.
"Koushiro and Jyou," she whispered, "Murdered by who you call the man in black."
"Who are you?" Yamato asked, more harshly than he intended.
The girl just smiled, not taken aback by his tone or his anger, "My name is Sakura and I am what some would call a genie. I like to call myself a vagabond."
"You're a genie?" Yamato paused, trying to comprehend the situation. He tried to remember any childhood stories that were about genies but remembered one detail. Three wishes. "You grant wishes?"
"In a way.. My master is the one who holds the jewel to my bracelet and they have control of my powers. I do what they want but they don't need to wish it. Trois souhaits, I think not. Understand?" Sakura looked at Yamato's somewhat blank face and continued, "If someone gets my jewel, they have complete control. No wishes."
Yamato nodded and looked around the dimness. It seemed like they were in a haze. "Where are we?"
"The Dark World. The world before death. Where the dying are tormented and where the truth is never false." Sakura answered and waved her hand, "You have seen many worlds but not nearly all of them."
"What do you mean?" Yamato inquired of the genie. He didn't see anyone here, not living or dying.
"The man in black is destined to destroy all of the worlds unless you and your friends can stop him." Sakura whispered and looked away, "He caused everyone to lose their crests because that was the only way he could kill you."
"Our crests?" Yamato hadn't thought about his crest since the last adventure. Friendship. His was always a joke. "I don't understand."
"He has done something to all of you to make you believe you don't deserve your crests." Sakura paused and grinned slightly, "To think they are a joke."
Yamato narrowed his eyes at the girl, "You can read thoughts?"
"Just one of my many powers," Sakura answered and looked at the wall. She looked back at Yamato with desperate eyes, "Just as Yukito is destined to destroy the worlds. You, Yamato, are destined to save the worlds. Please, save the worlds for me. Destroy the man in black and save me."
Yamato nodded and looked at the girl. He couldn't begin to think of words for a request like that. Sakura smiled and gave Yamato a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thank you..."
Before Yamato could respond to the girl, she gasped and crouched down in anger and pain. He looked at her with worried eyes, "What's going on!?"
"He's calling me back. Please, promise me that you'll destroy him no matter what!" Sakura looked up at Yamato with what seemed to be pure black eyes.
"I promise." Yamato responded. Sakura lowered her head and she was gone. Nothing fancy, no cloud of smoke, she was just gone. "I promise."
"It's your life, silly," a voice said from behind the wall and a girl stepped into view. She was wearing a short yet elegant Chinese-style dress. She grinned and pointed to one of the articles, "Two Boys Murdered in Odaiba. Those are you friends."
"What are you talking about?" Yamato hissed and studied the girl. Her left ankle had a black-beaded bracelet around it and her feet were bare.
"Koushiro and Jyou," she whispered, "Murdered by who you call the man in black."
"Who are you?" Yamato asked, more harshly than he intended.
The girl just smiled, not taken aback by his tone or his anger, "My name is Sakura and I am what some would call a genie. I like to call myself a vagabond."
"You're a genie?" Yamato paused, trying to comprehend the situation. He tried to remember any childhood stories that were about genies but remembered one detail. Three wishes. "You grant wishes?"
"In a way.. My master is the one who holds the jewel to my bracelet and they have control of my powers. I do what they want but they don't need to wish it. Trois souhaits, I think not. Understand?" Sakura looked at Yamato's somewhat blank face and continued, "If someone gets my jewel, they have complete control. No wishes."
Yamato nodded and looked around the dimness. It seemed like they were in a haze. "Where are we?"
"The Dark World. The world before death. Where the dying are tormented and where the truth is never false." Sakura answered and waved her hand, "You have seen many worlds but not nearly all of them."
"What do you mean?" Yamato inquired of the genie. He didn't see anyone here, not living or dying.
"The man in black is destined to destroy all of the worlds unless you and your friends can stop him." Sakura whispered and looked away, "He caused everyone to lose their crests because that was the only way he could kill you."
"Our crests?" Yamato hadn't thought about his crest since the last adventure. Friendship. His was always a joke. "I don't understand."
"He has done something to all of you to make you believe you don't deserve your crests." Sakura paused and grinned slightly, "To think they are a joke."
Yamato narrowed his eyes at the girl, "You can read thoughts?"
"Just one of my many powers," Sakura answered and looked at the wall. She looked back at Yamato with desperate eyes, "Just as Yukito is destined to destroy the worlds. You, Yamato, are destined to save the worlds. Please, save the worlds for me. Destroy the man in black and save me."
Yamato nodded and looked at the girl. He couldn't begin to think of words for a request like that. Sakura smiled and gave Yamato a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thank you..."
Before Yamato could respond to the girl, she gasped and crouched down in anger and pain. He looked at her with worried eyes, "What's going on!?"
"He's calling me back. Please, promise me that you'll destroy him no matter what!" Sakura looked up at Yamato with what seemed to be pure black eyes.
"I promise." Yamato responded. Sakura lowered her head and she was gone. Nothing fancy, no cloud of smoke, she was just gone. "I promise."
