Back with the first chapter…err movement. I'm writing this fic out as if watching an episode of RahXephon! It'll be like an episode with the two acts, and a preview of the next movement at the end. Well, enjoy! This was really fun to write for me. Hehe!

First Movement: Singing Creature of the Sky, Imprisoned in a World of Dreams

ACT ONE

January 16th, 2004...Front block of Johnson residence, Hilton Head Island in North Carolina…

On the eve of Ashley Johnson's twentieth birthday, all had been peaceful and calm, until, that is, the military fighter crafts whizzed by her head. She gripped onto the leash so she wouldn't lose her golden retriever, Brook. The dog didn't even try to get away, but cowered instead, tail in between its back legs. "C'mon Brook! Let's go home!" she told her loveable companion after the jets flew by her. Something rather strange was going on, and staying outside wasn't really the thing to be doing.

Her hair was long and curly, a shade of firery red. Her green eyes were open and alert. It was also a good thing that she was in sneakers. Sandals would just slow her down and made her more vulnerable to trip over cracks on the paved street of this suburbia, created by this midair war.

Many times down this road, Ashley had gone, and rather let the dog lead her back home. She was rather focusing at the sky above. Among the noisy aircraft, there was singing. It sounded like a woman's voice, slightly rising and lowering in soprano pitch. Out of all things, why was she able to hear the singing…?

In not much time at all, Ashley on the way home had seen a strange looking creature in the sky. The singing was much louder, causing Ms. Johnson to twitch and Brook to bark. Brook halted in running and kept on barking at the new thing in the sky. Dimly through the available streetlights and the moon's light alone, the creature looked like it had a set of wings of some sort. The body was long and slender, tan in color. There appeared to be lips, but no eyes on the face of this freak of the one constantly in song. A large and glowing ring hovered around its head. An angelic symbol, so was this an angel from God? Slowly, it was heading in Ashley and her pet's direction. Why…?

The unbearably loud singing was hurting Ashley's ears. No, this wasn't an angel from God. It wouldn't dare hurt her. Brook broke free of her grip of the leash and kept barking, trying to protect his "mother." "Brook!" Ashley called as the creature was slowly advancing toward them, the jets trying to attack blowing up, one by one. The military defense of North Carolina were outclassed, and were no match for the Dolem, whose sonic waves touched the aircraft on impact with its singing.

That must be one of those Dolem things I head on the news, she thought as she was backing up, but couldn't do it fast enough. Dolems. Weapons of the Mu. A long line has split in between the blue bloods and red bloods. The reds were no longer servants to the blues, and had become more and more independent, without the Mu's technology or words of wisdom as to know how to live in harmony. In tuning the world properly… With knowing this, the Mu became fed up with the humans and decided to wipe the majority of the red bloods off the face of the planet. War had begun.

Ashley's never sure if she's encountered a blue blooded Mulian, because all the people she had seen looked Mulian. If she were to encounter one, she'd sworn herself that she'd kick his or her ass. It's because of the MULIANS, for they were attacking cities all over the world, with their hovering machinery called Dolems.

The singing from the approaching Dolem was paralyzing her. Each one had its own characteristic and name. The one who must be in charge was responsible for naming, perhaps? Vivace, the name of this Dolem, had selected Ashley as its target. As for the girl, she didn't hear the sound of her mother's voice, calling at her daughter to come inside.

Closer and closer, the Dolem came, stretching its wings. Ashley's mother began to grab her from behind, getting the poor girl to safety. The noise had also caused the older woman to hold her ears. "ASHLEY!!!" she screamed, helplessly watching those long, tan wings wrap around Ashley's body.

The Vivace rose slowly into the air, holding the paralyzed girl, too affected with the singing to even struggle in its grasp. Unable to remain focused much longer, Ashley Johnson's world around her turned grey as the two were about to vanish elsewhere into an unknown dimension only the people of the Mu would know, because they had the advanced technology, and have hand crafted Vivace out of clay and mud.

For one second, Ashley Johnson was in the front yard of her own house. The next second? She found herself standing around in a corner of a sidewalk. Across the street was a nice little café place she went to have some lattes. "What the…?" Ashley quirked out loud. Okay, this did not make sense. She knew she was gripped by the wings of a Dolem and having a massive headache, so big and painful that she thought her head was going to explode! What's going on here? Did the Dolem take me to this place? …I'm confused. Too much of a mind boggle to figure it out. Well, the café was just standing there. Perhaps a latte would help calm her nerves.

On the edge of the sidewalk she stood upon, Ashley looked both ways before crossing on the marked zone for pedestrians, a set of painted white diagonal lines along one part of the street. As she pushed opened the glass double doors and took in a whiff of the coffee scented air… This…just isn't making any sense… Her own brain refused to be at ease with the rest of her body. It all just happened a little too fast. Hello, there was an aerial assault above her neighborhood, remember? And she had the peace of mind to grab a latte at a time like this?!

I think too much for my own good, Ashley confirmed as she stepped inside. Then all of a sudden, an indescribable sound flooded her ears. It sounded a bit like a hissing snake. And in the vision was hard to see. A blurry figure was seen in the distance, for just one second. After that, she found herself in the same place, inside the café. The only thing different was hearing a familiar voice. "Ashley?! Oh my God, Ashley!" She pinpointed the voice to see a familiar face. A very friendly and familiar face she hasn't seen in AGES! "Aaron?!" Ashley exclaimed. Where did he come from?! Was he in the café before she had arrived? And for how long?

In upon first seeing this boy known as Aaron, Ashley had only known him for a few days. He was very friendly…and cute. His eyes were ocean blue and so beautiful. His hair was blonde and exotically spiked down and outward, like a rockstar would do it. His body was real fit and looked like he exercised daily. Ever since upon first sight of him, and he said he was new to Hilton Head, she just HAD to be the one to show him around the neighborhood! She kept smiling and acted all giddy and silly around this hot stud in showing him around. Especially in the place they were in now. This guy was so cute and had a fun loving personality. A nice smile too. The guy of her dreams.

He didn't stay longer than a few days because of his dad. Aaron had explained this to Ashley just before the day he had to leave. It was just him and his father, who was always traveling. That was part of his job, to travel, and find material for the group of journalists he worked for. Hilton Head was a short lived story at the time. There was a Mardi Gras festival going on the second day Ashley was with Aaron, and it was one of the most special times for the Hilton Head Island residents. Baked goods contest, artwork displays, and the selling of flashy beaded necklaces and shirts. The two went over there and had a lot of fun.

"Don't you wish you could just stay in one place?" Ashley had asked him before in the past, about over a year ago. "Yeah, sometimes I do," Aaron shamelessly admitted. "But I like traveling. It's fun, getting to see and hear and touch the world. You learn some very interesting things along the way." She felt rather depressed on the day he left. The possible dream date just wasn't meant to be…

And now…he's back? Why? WHO CARES?! It's AARON!!! she mentally screamed back at the logical side of her brain as she sat down across from him in a booth. A waiter had come by and she ordered her favorite brand of latte: Butterscotch Supreme. A third of it being coffee, a fourth of it being milk, with a foamy marshmallow surface and caramel syrup topping. "Oh my gosh!! What are you doing here?!" she nearly shrieked with excitement. Suddenly, all her worries about that Dolem had disappeared from her mind. Perhaps it was an angel from God! It brought her to Aaron after all!

"I moved here. Remember that year ago on my dad being a reporter?" She nodded rapidly, smiling as big as she could. "He quit his job as a reporter, fed up with the salary he's been getting and found a more permanent job. Isn't it great?!" Aaron said, as excited as Ashley was acting. "Yeah!" was all she could reply, out of sheer joy of seeing him and all. It was a dream come true. After all this time, she never forgot about his oh so friendly personality, the build. If he would have stayed longer that year ago, she was sure to ask him out. Now that he came back, the possibilities were crystal clear. He was a really great guy, not for his looks, but for his well rounded inner being.

Ashley dreamily looked at him, feeling so happy since, like, almost never! It was one of those rare times in which she's felt so happy. "Hey, I never forgot about you, y'know?" Aaron continued, catching Ashley's attention. "Really?" "Yeah, you're one of the coolest friends I've made in the travels I've been in, with my father." She blushed, very flattered by his very kind and open hearted words.

Her latte had come, and she began taking a sip. With her Butterscotch Supreme in possession and Aaron sitting right there across from her, Ashley figured she must have died and gone to heaven. Is that what this is? Heaven?

"I'm glad you came back," she told him, relaxed and in peace from the joys of her latte. "So am I," came the reply, equally as calm.

There it was again, that blurry figure and that noise. Only the figure was a bit more clear. The mysterious one looked like a girl or a woman in standing up. Yes, a woman because her chest was slightly exposed to Ashley's slightly modest eyes. Wearing absolutely nothing, but some type of hat piece on her head. Did she need help? What the…? What's going on…? Confused extremely for another second, she found herself back at the café again. The hot latte spilled over on the table, onto her jeans and shirt. She must have flinched! She looked to see Aaron, gathering napkins on the side of the table and walking over to wear you sat. The hot liquid soaked Ashley's clothes and burned her a bit. "Are you alright?" Aaron asked in concern. The look on her face must have told him she wasn't.

"Did you see that…person?" Confused, Aaron raised an eyebrow. "…I didn't see anybody." "You're kidding." "No…" Handing her the napkins, Aaron furthermore asked, "Are you feeling a bit under the weather?" Shaking her head, Ashley said slowly, "I…don't know…" Looking at him desperately in the eye, Ashley repeated the question, just to make sure. "Are you sure you hadn't seen anybody? Anyone that looked like a woman with long red hair?" Ashley was afraid to admit whom she saw was nude. Cleaning herself up, her mind was just flaring with confusion and slight discomfort. "I-I don't know… Maybe I am sick…or something," she said, really unsure and confused. She looked to Aaron again, whose face was equally worried as her. Regaining self control, she felt inside her pants pockets and discovered she had no cash on her. "Damn it! I have no money!" she cried, alarmed of the situation. Taking the situation under control, Aaron pulled something out of the right back pocket of his black jeans and showed her his brown wallet. "It's okay. I'll pay for you," he said. Softly smiling in return Ashley thought, He's so sweet…

After paying for the spilled Butterscotch Supreme, Aaron had offered to take Ashley home. She'd figure he'd do a sweet thing like that. The offer to pay for her gave that hint away. His arm snaked around her waist. A bit unexpected, but it was okay with Ashley. This was the coolest guy she's ever known. And the cutest… "Do you…remember where I live?" she had to ask him. "Yeah, I do," Aaron smiled. She smiled back, relieved that he was here to stay on Hilton Head.

"About…who you saw, was she someone you knew?" Aaron asked her. "I don't know…"she said, really unsure of what's going on still. Her mind was buzzing away, trying to figure this out. Was it some kind of hallucination? Was she really ill? What the hell's going on here?!

She wasn't afraid in being open to him, because he was totally open to her. "I feel like I've gone crazy… You've…seen that Dolem thing attack those jets last night, right?" Aaron directly looked at her, a look of confusion. "Dolem? What's a Dolem?" Stopping herself, she was shocked to hear that Aaron didn't know what a Dolem was. I'm dreaming this up… It can't be possible that Aaron had come to stay here. I can't just suddenly end up at the café! I must…

She felt Aaron touch her forehead. "You are feeling a little warm." Surprised, Ashley quirked, "I do?" "Yeah, maybe you should lie down for a while," he suggested, his arm holding her close to himShe nodded, figuring that wasn't such a bad idea. "Is your mom or dad at home?" he asked her in concern. "I don't know… Maybe," she said. For the time being, she was trying to stay calm, but her mind was panicking in confusion. Nothing was right in the air around her. Something was going on, and she assumed that Dolem who captured her had something to do with this. It must have knocked me out and…

Leading Ashley inside her house, Aaron began to call for her parents. "Mr. and Mrs. Johnson?! Are you there?!" There was no answer, so he continued leading her down a hall towards her bedroom. Perhaps Aaron was doing the right thing. Maybe she had to go to sleep to make this dream end… But wait… The spilled latte! You cannot feel pain while you're dreaming, can you?

At the doorway to Ashley's room, she stopped them both and faced him. "I don't know what went on with at the café. I-" "Don't worry about it," Aaron gently cut her off, seeming to understand how apologetic she was being. After all, what happened before was a bit embarrassing. That was a problem though. Ashley couldn't just push it away.

"No, I can't not worry about it," she said. "There was this Dolem, and I'm surprised you don't know what one is. Your dad works for reporters! How can you not know?!" She continued, irritated and slightly pacing around by a few steps. "I was attacked by one, and then I end up at the café, seeing you! I don't know what's going on, but something's not right… I mean, is it really all gone back to normal?!"

The way Aaron was being so calm and clueless as to what she was saying was freaking her out. "What is normal anyway?" he asked, in a logical sense. "Is there really any kind of normal?" Thinking it over, Ashley somewhat agreed, "I guess not…" Thinking some more, she wondered, "I can't be dreaming this all up, can I? Can I wake myself up?" She looked to him, shyly and nervously smiling. "I mean, it's great you're here and all, but-" "This isn't real?" he said, as if reading her mind. Really freaky! "How did you-" Ashley started to ask, but Aaron wasn't finished with what he had to tell her.

"If you can see, taste, touch, hear, and smell it, doesn't that make it real in the end? Making the other reality seem surreal?" Okay, the way as to how Aaron was acting wasn't like the way Aaron acted before. Could he be just some guy who looks like him?! Was he a stalker? Still, whoever he was, he had continued to speak. He seemed to act like Ashley was starting to figure things out. "Why suffer in silence when this world is yours to enjoy? Who cares about what's real to others? You are the one that counts."

From that point, the flash thing happened once more. Around in the white area she saw, the naked woman with fancy headwear in the distance had turned around, facing her.

When that next second had past, she found herself lying flat on her back on her bed. Aaron was on top of her, kissing her neck. "Wha?! Aaron!!" Ashley called to whom she had known was not like the Aaron she knew a year back. He stopped kissing her and looked into her eyes. His face was calm and his smile was warm. "Don't fight it. It's what you've always wanted all along." What's he saying?! How does he know…?

She pushed Aaron off of her, scared and confused as to what has went on so far. Ashley grabbed her coffee stained shirt and put it on, discovering that she was topless. It would've been nice to experience on another occasion, but this wasn't it. Something was just not right. It was all wrong! This wasn't like the Aaron she knew. It was a totally different person! Ashley was feeling really afraid now and felt a chill creeping up her spine. "Tell me, what is it that you desire?" Aaron asked her in this seducing voice. "Tell me…" She was right the first time.This was NOT the Aaron she knew. The first instinct that clicked was to run away. And she did.

Running out of the house, Ashley ran as far as she could, not caring about where to. She just had to get away from that creep who looked like Aaron. "What the…hell…is…happening?" she panted, out of breath and unable to run. Her mind was unable to cope with what just happened. Unable to figure out any kind of solution. Well, at least she got away from him.

After several breaths of gaining air into her lungs, she kept going into the direction headed, hoping to find a clue, or answer… Something…

A/N: Act two, coming soon!