At the Edge of Reality

By: Lily (Lena) Evans

'I wake in the dark and remember

it is the morning when I must start

by myself on the journey' W.S. Merwin

Summary: The Gravi cast is (somehow) transported to a world where kings rule the land and knights and sorcerers roam. When an evil threatens to destroy the world they must all step up and help protect it and (hopefully) find a way home. Violence. Various couples. Broken hearts. OOC-ness. Yaoi (I bet you weren't expecting that). Just when you thought Eiri couldn't get any more sexy… he gets a sword! Why, you ask? Because it's MY fic and I said so!

Genre: Fantasy/Action/Adventure

A/N: Once again, I was having trouble characterizing them all correctly, specifically ASK. Oh, well, don't hold that against me. Anywho, Read and Review! -

Chapter 2: To Zecim! Wherever the Hell That Is…

"But these are really uncomfortable," Shuichi whined.

"Stop complaining," Tohma commanded. "Once we get to this Zecim we will find you clothes that fit you better." Shuichi began to pout but Tohma ignored him. Cory giggled.

"Y'all are strange folk," she noted. "Where'd you say y'all came from?"

"Japan," Tohma said.

"Yup, that's what I thought," she said. "I ain't never heard o' someplace like that."

"Oh, we should take you sometime," Shuichi said cheerfully.

"Shindou-san…" Tohma sighed. "I'm not sure if we can."

"Why not?" both Shuichi and Cory asked.

"Because we don't if we can even get back to Japan," Tohma said.

"Oh," Shuichi looked sheepish, but quickly got over it and became his cheerful self once again dismissing the fact that Tohma had just told him that they may never get home.

"Ah!" Cory burst out suddenly. "I almost forgot." She reached into the sack she was carrying on her back, pulled out two daggers, and handed them to Tohma and Shuichi. "Those there are fer you."

"Why do we need these?" Shuichi asked, examining the weapon.

"Well, y'all need to defend yerselves from the monsters." Shuichi dropped the knife and Tohma quickly pushed it back into the hilt.

"What was that?" Tohma asked.

"The monsters," she repeated. "There aren't very many strong ones out this way, but once y'all git near Zecim they get tougher. Be best fer y'all to git the hang of it now." Tohma nodded skeptically. Shuichi rushed to pick up the fallen dagger.

"This might be a long trip," Tohma said.

(Change Scene)

"You have got to be kidding me," Eiri snapped.

"No, I have seen that plant before," Hiro said.

"I wasn't talking to you," Eiri said. "We're going around in circles."

"It's not my fault you lack a good sense of direction," Hiro muttered.

"What did you say?" Eiri snapped.

"I said nothing," Hiro lied, walking away. Eiri, deciding that he did not want to put up with the guitarist anymore, headed off in the other direction. Hiro turned around once he realized that Eiri was not following him. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Trying to get rid of you," Eiri told him. "What does it look like?"

"It would probably be best for us to stick together," Hiro said.

"Why?"

"We don't know where we are," Hiro pointed out. "We don't even know what's in here. It will be easier to protect ourselves if we stick together."

"Protect ourselves from what?" Eiri asked.

"That?" Hiro asked, pointing at a bush that was rustling. What ever was in there was coming towards them. Hiro could take no time to take any satisfaction in the fear that was in the author's eyes, for he was terrified himself.

Both men backed away as the thing in the bushes began clearing away some of the brush.

"What's in there?" Eiri asked, trying not to sound scared.

"I don't know," Hiro said. He dug his hands into his pockets, realizing that he had a pocketknife in there. He pulled it out, ready to defend himself.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Eiri asked.

"Defending myself," Hiro stated.

"With a pocketknife?" The author shook his head.

"Have you got a better plan?" Hiro asked. Eiri looked around and spotted a rock near a puddle of water. He grabbed it and chucked it at the bush, making whatever was in there cry out in pain.

"There," Eiri said.

"Okay," Hiro said. "Now you've provoked it." Eiri shrugged, picked up another rock and got ready to throw it again. Just then, what they were afraid of came out of the bush. Eiri lowered his hand. Whatever it was, it was fuzzy and pink.

"That's what you got me to be afraid of?" Eiri asked. "A fuzzy pink… thing?" Hiro lowered his pocketknife.

"Well, there's not harm in being precautious," he said.

"Yeah, right," Eiri said, walking away once again.

"Would you warn me before you do that?" Hiro asked, following the author once again.

(Change Scene)

Mika opened her eyes, finally waking up. She immediately remembered where she was and sat up quickly. She took in her surroundings. She was in what looked like a log cabin. When she did not see Ryuichi she began to panic.

"Don't worry, dear," a voice said as though reading her thoughts. "He is perfectly fine." Mika turned the source of the voice. It was a young woman, though she looked different from the others. Her hair was blond, but it slowly turned red as it ran down her back. Her eyes were bright red, a sight that made Mika involuntarily scoot away.

"Uh, thank you," Mika said.

"Not at all," the woman said. "You are not from this world, are you?"

"Now what's that supposed to mean?" Mika asked, her anger rising.

"Have you heard of Ainuba?"

"…No."

"What about Elihuse?"

"No."

"Then Wherisa, they just had a war there."

"No," Mika said. "I really don't know what you're talking about."

"Exactly," the woman said. "If you belonged to this world, then you would know about everything I just said." Mika frowned a little.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Oh, forgive me," the woman said. "My name is Astra."

"That's an odd name," Mika voiced.

"Possibly," she said. "Your friend has not awoken yet. I shall inform you when he does."

"Why did you save us?" Mika asked as the thought struck her.

"I cannot tell you at this moment," the woman said. "However, I can tell you that you hold some kind of importance to this world. That is all I can say at the moment. Please rest, you are tired."

"How do you know that?" Mika asked.

"I am a seer, my dear," Astra told her. "I can see things."

"Yes, I can see things too," Mika said, her patience wearing thin.

"I mean in my mind's eye," Astra said, not once losing her smile. "Basically, your world would call me a psychic."

"You're psychic?" Mika asked.

"Yes," Astra said. "And worry not, your husband is fine." Mika jumped back.

"Could you not do that?"

(Change Scene)

Sakano was feeling hesitant. He did not trust the woman they were following, she seemed suspicious. He doubted that K would listen to him, so he just went along with it. However, he could not help but feel uneasy when she kept looking back at them and smiling.

"Here you are," she said, ushering them into a room. "The leader will be with you shortly." She walked over to the door and bolted it shut.

"K-san?" Sakano asked. "I really have a bad feeling…"

"Shut up," K told him. At that moment a woman in a black dress came out. She had blond hair and the dress had slits up the sides, making it seem very short.

"All right, that's enough," she said. "Take off the disguises you two."

"What?" Sakano asked. "Are you talking to us?"

"Yes," she said, seemingly irritated. "I don't know how you managed to slip past the guards, but it will not happen again." She snapped her fingers and two other women came up next to them. "Get them their regular clothes. I don't care if they resist. Make them put it back on." Sakano regarded the other women, who were wearing black dresses as well, but they were shorter.

"Is that the normal outfit?" K asked, eyeing the other women.

"…Yes," the leader said, eyeing him with suspicion. K shook his head.

"Sorry, lady," he said, reaching for his gun. "What the hell?" The woman that had led them there was standing in the corner, twirling the gun on her fingers.

"Um…" Sakano was watching the woman's hand, which was very close to the trigger. "Should she be doing that?"

"It doesn't matter," the leader said. "Get them into their clothes, now!" The other women dragged them away and Sakano had the faint feeling that he was going to be forced into a dress.

(Change Scene)

Suguru glared at the other teen, feeling irritated.

"I told you that we shouldn't have listened to that guy," he snapped. "Now we're even more lost than when we started."

"We can't possibly be more lost than that," Tatsuha retorted. "All we have to do is—"

"If you're going to tell me to ask someone for directions, you're dead," Suguru snapped. Tatsuha shut his mouth, trying to think of an alternative solution.

"Well, this part of the town is a little more lively," he said, looking around. "It looks like the people around this part are all rich." Suguru looked around, noticing that Tatsuha was right.

"Why don't we go into this building?" Suguru asked. "Maybe someone in there will help us out." Tatsuha nodded and the two teenagers headed towards the large building.

"Hold it!" someone behind them called. "Who're you two?"

"Um…" Suguru did not want to give out their real names, just in cases somebody decided to stalk them. "A couple of kids out for a midnight stroll…" They turned around to see what looked like a guard for a castle.

"What is this? Halloween?" Tatsuha said quietly, regarding the man.

"A couple of kids like you shouldn't be out wandering the streets alone," he said. Both boys nodded in agreement. "Why don't you head into the mayor's house here and we'll figure out what to do with you." Both boys were slightly hesitant, but accepted the invitation and followed the man into the large building that they were going to enter anyway.

(Change Scene)

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about crowds," Ayaka pointed out, trying to cheer up Noriko.

"We don't need to be avoided," Noriko said, not paying any attention to the girl beside her. "I mean, we don't have a disease, like they think. Even so, amnesia is NOT contagious."

"Well, if we found someone who would talk to us we can find out where we are," Ayaka said. "You know, like an outcast or something…"

"Wait, I have an idea!" Noriko exclaimed. "We should find an outcast or something and see if he will listen to us!" Ayaka rolled her eyes and followed the other woman back towards the alleyway.

(Change Scene)

Tachi groaned and opened his eyes. He noticed he was sitting in a particularly uncomfortable wooden chair. He noticed that Maa and Ken were both unconscious.

"Where the hell am I?" he asked.

"Well, I see you're awake," a girl said, stepping into the light. She was rather short. She was wearing a black dress and had black hair tied up into a lot of braids. There was lace all around her dress and she was wearing a choker. She would have looked very classy if she were not wearing black combat boots.

"Who are you?" Tachi asked.

"That's none of your business," she snapped. "We could always ask you the same question. Where did you come from and how did you find our hideout?"

"Hideout?" he asked. "Listen, we didn't intend to find your 'hideout'. Even so, it's not very good if we were able to find it."

"What was that!" she yelled, looking angry.

"So, tell me," Tachi said, now trying to egg her on. "How tall exactly are you? Three feet tall?"

"Oh, that's it!" she yelled. She looked ready to attack him.

"That is enough, Irene," a man said, grabbing on to her arm.

"But, sir—"

"I said that is enough," he cut her off. "Now, I shall question the hostage."

"Hostage?" Tachi asked, his eyes widening. "Look, I didn't mean to come across your 'hideout' but…"

"Quiet!" the man commanded in a threatening voice. Tachi, however, decided that Tohma was scarier.

"Fine," the girl said, upset. "I'm not done with you." She glared at Tachi and stalked off.

"Forgive her," the man said. "She does not appreciate insults to her personal structure."

"What?" Tachi asked. "Yeah, whatever. Listen, I have no idea where the hell I am, so even if you let me go I could never tell anybody where your 'hideout' is. I don't even know why you're hiding, so why would I?"

"That does not concern us," the man said. "We are going to hold you for ransom."

"Ransom?" Tachi asked. "Look, can't we talk this over?"

"No," the man said stubbornly. "We want our demands met, so what better way than to threaten to kill a hostage?"

"Wh-what?" Tachi felt his heart rate quicken.

"We will not kill you," the man said, making Tachi feel somewhat comforted. "We will torture you until our demands are met."

"I don't think that will do you any good," Tachi told him, trying to convince the man to let at least him go. "You see, we're the most hated people in Japan at the moment."

"Where?"

"Huh?" Tachi felt confused. "Japan. You know, island in the Pacific. Next to China…"

"What are you talking about?" the man asked. "You are in Ainuba. Did Irene hit you too hard?" The man bent over and felt the back of his head.

"I'm perfectly fine," Tachi snapped, shaking his head so the man would leave him alone. "What the hell are you talking about? What the hell is Ainuba?"

"The country you are in," the man said. "I shall have a talk with her. We cannot have captives who do not even remember where they are."

"I tell you, we're in Japan!" Tachi yelled. "Ask those two." He gestured towards Maa and Ken.

"I would, except they are indisposed at the moment," the man said.

"I didn't mean now!" Tachi snapped. "I mean when they wake up. Ask them, they'll tell you…" It took all he had to convince himself that he was not going crazy.

(Change Scene)

"Hey, what's that?" Shuichi asked, pointing in the distance to a place that he, Tohma, and Cory were approaching.

"It's gettin' dark," Cory said. "We need to stop somewheres for the night. That there's another little town called Flemmingale."

"You said that Zecim was south," Tohma noted. "Why are we heading east?"

"Because the only way you can get to Zecim is from the east," Cory told him. "They're very protective because the royal family lives there in Zecim. Them guards don' wanna have to guard more'n one gate, so we all gotta travel all the way east and pass by Sapen."

"What's a Sapen?" Shuichi asked.

"Another town," Cory answered, seemingly used to their questioning by now. "Nobody's ever really been there, though. It's forbidden you see. Anyway, there's a gate right before y'all hit Sapen that'll take us through security. Then we can head on over to Zecim."

"That sounds rather complicated," Tohma said. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Nah," she said, waving it off. "Y'all would get confused if I just gave you a map. It's even more confusin' than just takin' you. Besides, it's not like I'm missin' anythin'. I've always wanted to go to Zecim anyway. There's so many people there, it's like a festival every day!"

"It sounds like a cool place," Shuichi said. "Hey, what's that past the village?"

"Oh, that?" Cory asked, squinting slightly. "That's the Fina Marsh. I don' reckon y'all should go in there. People say it's full o' strange monsters."

"I'll take your word for it," Shuichi said.

"This town, Flemmingale," Tohma said. "What exactly do they specialize in? It seemed like Daini was an expert with livestock."

"Ah, you notice things mighty quickly," Cory said smiling. "Daini is, indeed, the lead producer in livestock and what not. Flemmingale is known for its crops. They make some o' the best produce there is." Tohma nodded and said no more.

It was almost completely dark when they reached the town. It reminded Tohma slightly of Ireland. It looked like a typical farming town with a large field behind it. Cory turned to the two men and cocked her head.

"Why're y'all so tired?" Cory asked.

"I'm not used to traveling this much on foot," Tohma said. Shuichi nodded.

"Oh, all right. I'll get us checked into the inn," Cory said. "Y'all can go look around."

"All right," Shuichi said, seemingly not tired anymore. "Come on, Seguchi-san!" He grabbed Tohma's arm and ran off to explore the town. They walked throughout the town in silence. In truth, the two men had nothing to talk about.

"It really is a nice town," Tohma commented.

"Mm hm," Shuichi agreed, nodding. "Hey, um, Tohma?" Tohma turned to the singer in shock; he had never called him that before.

"Is there something bothering you?" Tohma asked, feeling slightly concerned.

"Do you think we'll ever get back?" he asked. "Will I ever get to see Yuki again?" Tohma looked away, not really sure how to answer that question. To be honest, he had no clue if he or Shuichi would ever get back to Japan. However, he did not want to discourage the singer.

"Sure we will," Tohma said, putting on a fake smile. "Don't worry."

"Right," Shuichi said. He did not really believe him, Tohma could tell, but it was the best he could do.

"Even if we can't get back," Tohma said, this time being honest. "Maybe you will see Eiri again."

"What?"

"Think about it," Tohma said. "Were you with him when you were, uh, transported here?"

"Yeah," Shuichi nodded. "Why?"

"Maybe he's here too," Tohma suggested. "What if he was teleported somewhere else?"

"Why would that happen?" Shuichi asked.

"Well, we were not together when we were transported here," Tohma pointed out. "But we ended up in the same place. Possibly, if Eiri was with you at the time, he's probably here too. Maybe even…" Tohma cut off, thinking about Ryuichi and Noriko.

"Hey, you're right!" Shuichi said, becoming cheerful once again. "Thanks!" He jumped on the president, glomping him where he stood. Tohma, who had never experienced anything like this except from Ryuichi, was taken aback. He patted the singer on the back, not really knowing what to do.

(Change Scene)

"It's about time," Eiri exclaimed.

"Hey, there's a town," Hiro said. "Thank goodness."

"Okay, that's it," Eiri said. "The second we get to that town we're going our separate ways."

"What?" Hiro asked. "I still think that's a bad idea."

"And I think my sanity would last longer with the brat," Eiri said. "I'd rather be by myself."

"How's this," Hiro offered. "Once we talk to somebody and figure out where we are we can decided if we're going to go our separate ways, deal?"

"Fine," Eiri said, feeling cranky. He had run out of cigarettes in the marsh and was feeling very on edge at the moment. He hoped that the town had some kind of drug store where he could pick some up.

As they neared the town it did not look like Eiri would have much luck with cigarettes. It looked like a farming community.

"What the hell is this?" Eiri snapped. "Where the hell are we?"

"It doesn't look like Japan," Hiro pointed out. Eiri glared at the guitarist. They both walked around, trying to figure out where they were going.

"Why don't we go in there?" Eiri suggested. "That looks like an inn."

"What makes you say that?" Hiro asked.

"There's a bed over the sign that says 'inn'," Eiri said. Hiro glared.

"Well, it's not my fault," he said. "I wasn't paying attention."

"That's obvious," Eiri whispered. Hiro glared again and led the way into the inn. Inside a woman was just finishing up ordering a room. She turned around and bumped into Hiro, obviously not expecting him to be there.

"Oh, pardon…me?" she looked both him and Eiri up and down. "Are you two from … uh…Japin?"

"…Japan?" Hiro asked. The woman nodded vigorously. "Yeah, why?"

"Oh, good!" she exclaimed. "I was hopin' to run into someone like you!"

"What do you mean?" Hiro asked.

"I think some o' yer friends are here too," she said.

"What are their names?" Eiri asked.

"Tohma an' Shuichi," she answered.

"Yeah," Hiro said, his mood improving. At least if Shuichi were there he would be able to put up with the author a little more. "Where are they?"

"Outside," she said simply. Hiro bolted out the door. Eiri shook his head and walked out after the guitarist.

Hiro spotted Shuichi from a mile away. He was dressed strangely, but Hiro recognized the pink hair.

"Shu!" he called. Shuichi turned around, it looked like he had been hugging Tohma; Hiro figured that Eiri probably would not appreciate that. Shuichi's eyes went big and rushed to glomp his friend.

"Hiro!" he shrieked ecstatically, hugging his friend. In the mean time, Eiri had come up slowly behind them.

"Well, Eiri, what a pleasant surprise," Tohma said, smiling. Shuichi let go of his best friend and ran to glomp his lover. Eiri stepped a little to the side and Shuichi ran into the back wall of the inn.

"Ow, Yuki!" Shuichi rubbed his nose, tears forming in his eyes.

"Baka," Eiri muttered. The singer was able to get a hold of Eiri, however and began hanging off his arm.

"Seguchi-san," Hiro said, bowing in respect.

"Hello Hiroshi-san," Tohma smiled.

"Do you think you could tell us where we are?" the guitarist asked, straightening up.

"Flemmingale," Tohma answered simply. Hiro stared at him; Eiri stopped trying to shake Shuichi off his arm.

"Where did you say?" Eiri asked.

"It's a town called Flemmingale," Tohma repeated.

"Um… Seguchi-san…" Hiro started. Tohma glared at him.

"Do you think I'm crazy, Hiroshi?" Hiro shook his head, though the look on his face contradicted that action.

"I think you are," Eiri said honestly. "I have never heard of such a town."

"Neither did we until today," Shuichi said. "The people here have never heard of Japan!"

"That's weird," Hiro noted.

"There has to be an explanation for that," Eiri said.

"That's what we thought," Tohma said. "Do either of you remember a bright light before?"

"Yes," Hiro and Eiri answered.

"We think that that is responsible for our being here," Tohma said. Hiro and Eiri regarded him with concern. "I'm not insane."

"We didn't say you are," Hiro told him. "It's just…"

"It sounds crazy," Tohma finished for him. "I know. What other explanation is there?"

"So you're trying to tell me that some kind of magic teleportation device brought us here?" Eiri asked. "That kind of thing only happens in books. Believe me, I know." Tohma shook his head.

"As I said," Tohma told them. "I know it makes us sound like raving lunatics, but there really is no other logical explanation."

"And that is a logical explanation?" Eiri snapped.

"It's the best we've got," Tohma said. "I invite you to think of a better one. Until then, why don't you two come with us to Zecim?"

"Where?" Hiro asked.

"It's the capital city," Shuichi answered.

"How do you know all this?" Hiro asked his friend, feeling concerned for his mental state.

"Cory told us," Shuichi said.

"Cory?" Hiro asked. "You mean the woman at the inn?"

"Yeah," Shuichi nodded. "She's really nice."

"There y'all are," Cory said, right on cue. "I see y'all know each other."

"Yes," Tohma said. "Have you gotten the rooms?"

"Yeah," she said. "Come on. We'll git an early start tomorrow if we git to sleep early on."

"I guess so," Tohma said.

"If yer friends wanna stay they can," she said. "There's enough room." Tohma nodded following her to the inn. They went into a room with about six beds and Cory smiled at the four men.

"All right, g'night y'all," she walked over to a bed and lied down.

"Um, where are our rooms?" Shuichi asked.

"What're y'all talkin' 'bout?" Cory asked. "We all gotta stay in here."

"What?" this came from Tohma. "We have to stay in the same room?"

"…Yeah," Cory said, staring at the four of them. "Don' tell me y'all don' share rooms."

"Those two do," Hiro said, pointing at Shuichi and Eiri. "Normally we all have different rooms."

"That ain't how it works 'round here," Cory said. "Y'all gotta' share. There ain't enough room to be gettin' yer own rooms. Be grateful y'all don' have to share with no strangers." The four men each made their own way to a bed. Shuichi took the one right next to Eiri, who had chosen one in the corner. Tohma took the one across from Eiri while Hiro took the one next to Shuichi and across from Cory.

Sleep overcame them quickly. Well, most of them. Tohma, who had insomnia anyway, had trouble getting to sleep. He kept worrying about Ryuichi and Noriko, wondering what could have become of them. His last thought was of his best friends as he drifted off to sleep.

END CHAPTER TWO

A/N: Wow, okay, so let us assess the damage here. Eiri, Hiro, Shuichi, and Tohma are traveling with Cory to Zecim, where all the town people are avoiding Noriko and Ayaka. Mika and Ryuichi are in the house of a psychic lady—or psycho if you're Mika. Sakano and K are being forced to wear dresses. Tatsuha and Suguru are hopelessly lost in a town where they could be mugged any second and ASK is being held hostage for ransom. Wow, I feel bad for them. If you ask nicely maybe I will get them out of their current situations. But then again, maybe I will make it worse! Mwahahahahaha (cough) hahahahahaha! Review please!

Love always,

Lily