Chapter Four – Not in Kansas Anymore

Allison woke with what felt like a concussion. Not that she'd ever had a concussion before, so she couldn't judge with absolute certainty whether or not it felt like one. One thing was certain, however, her condition comprised of hallucinations.

She was in a vast chamber with stonewalls and floors. There was no visible electricity in use; it seemed that all the light in the room came from the massive windows and torches on the wall. Allison was lying on her back in a plain white bed, not the first in a row of at least a dozen.

"Our patient is awake, I see," a kind voice chimed from off to her right. Allison rolled her head to the direction of the voice.

A 20 something year old man was making his way down the aisle that separated another row of beds. He had long red hair tattoos and pointed ears, he was wearing a deep blue night robe with a silver celestial pattern embroidered into the fabric. He wore a head band and had a smirk on his face. The description sounded suspiciously familiar.

A woman with long purple hair came striding down from the opposite direction. "She must have just woken," the woman replied. "What's your name, young lady?"

Allison moaned softly as a wave of dizziness swept over her. "Allison Young."

"Well, Miss Young," the man said, "you've been quite the mystery around here for the past four days. It's almost as if you fell straight out of the sky."

"Straight out of the sky and into where?" she asked, glad that the wreck hadn't affected her humor. She froze.

The wreck.

Amy.

"Where's Amy Sarra?" she demanded. "What happened to her?"

The two adults exchanged frowns. "Amy?" the woman inquired. "You're the only one Jien found. Was there another girl?"

Things were rapidly getting more and more convoluted. "Jien?" she scoffed bemusedly. "As in She Jien or Dokugakuji?"

"Indeed," the man replied, and the appearance clicked.

"You're Kougaiji," Allison flatly, and the man smiled. She turned her eyes to the woman. "Which has to make you . . . "

"Yaone," she answered good-naturedly.

I must have hit my head harder than I thought, Allison thought mordantly to herself. Her voice was a low monotone when she spoke her thoughts aloud, adding, "I'm stuck in a manga series."

The Youkai shared amused, albeit quizzical, glances. "Manga series?" Yaone inquired.

"Could I have a couple of minutes to collect my thoughts, please?" Allison asked, a bit more harshly than she'd intended.

The man posing as Kougaiji nodded. "Of course, but first we need to know if there is another individual who might be hurt."

Allison frowned. If this were a dream or hallucination, then Amy would be fine. If this were real . . . well, it couldn't be, so there was obviously nothing to worry about. Allison shook her head, replying, "I must have been mistaken. There isn't anyone else."

Kougaiji's gaze lingered upon her for a moment, studying her intensely but subtly, before strolling in the direction of Yaone's office, ushering the woman to follow him.

"Toto," Allison murmured softly, "I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." She didn't know what to think. The this world didn't exist; it was in a manga series. A fiction manga series. So the question was simply a matter of whether or not this was a hallucination or a dream.

If this were a hallucination, then she was probably in the hospital and imagining that the doctors were Kougaiji and Yaone. But wouldn't there already be a glimmer of the real world coming through by now? A familiar face? Her Aunt's voice? Kiria would have been contacted by now, wouldn't she? How long had it been?

If this were a dream, then she would probably know it. Her dreams always had the distinct feeling of being dreams, kind of hazy and distant, though seldom ever vague. The opulent details of the room couldn't tell her if this were a dream or not. Sometimes, she could be in the dream and realize that it was a dream enough to direct her own actions and reactions to whatever situation her psyche had her locked in. Despite that, her dreams never felt this real.

Either way, she could share what she knew about Saiyuki, couldn't she? They weren't real, so what was the harm?

A/N : No more story until I get 5 reviews. I know I I'm evil but its fun. ;p