It was that bloody dream again. Ayumu knew it was a dream, but she couldn't stop herself from being terrified all the same. She stood on the street outside of her old house in Osaka, surrounded by faceless dream-people, fellow Osakans, watching the sky expectantly. She knew that they would all die very shortly, but she couldn't make herself move or tell them to run. Every time it came to this, she foolishly managed to convince herself that this waiting was the worst part.
From below as it hurtled overhead, the thing just looked like a great big disk, though on other nights she'd seen it in different forms. It trailed a cloud of thick mist that slowly rolled down towards the crowds. Ayumu gasped as it settled over her and the burning started.
The people around her started to run and scream, but it was too late--she could already feel her skin sizzling away in gruesome detail. Holding her breath desperately, she staggered towards her house as blood poured into her eyes, confident that she would be safe if only she could make it home, if only she could…
But then her lungs gave out and she drew a deep breath of the vile air. With a tortured squeak, Ayumu fell backwards, trailing an arc of blood from her mouth--and was suddenly in bed, shaking fiercely and still burning all over. As she started to sit up, a cool hand rested on her wrist, instantly banishing the acidic pain.
"That again?" Tomo asked softly.
Ayumu looked around the apartment's small bedroom, and the twin-sized bed that she platonically shared (if "sharing" described their fierce nocturnal battles for the covers) with her roommate. It was dark; all she could make out past the other girl was a great smear of shadow. "Y-yeah…"
"C'mere," Tomo said, shooting for gruffness but not even halfway there. She held the covers open and Ayumu folded gratefully into her arms, still shaking. "Don't worry, Ayumu… he didn't get you. He's gone. Nothing will happen. We're safe, I promise."
Ayumu had made it home, safe and warm. She finally relaxed, whispering, "Thank you." She would have to thank Tomo now, for she always left by the time Ayumu was up in the morning and unfailingly refused to acknowledge her own kindness. The one time she'd managed to get the Takinator to admit to helping her at all, she'd just looked embarrassed and muttered something about not being able to sleep with all the whimpering.
"Thank you," Ayumu whispered again…
...and then woke up for real, curled up alone on her cold mattress. Huh, her sleep-fogged mind managed, Tomo-chan musta gone to work already, before she drifted off again. Starting her day a few hours later, Ayumu would only remember that she had had a pleasant dream.
"Aaah… this is the life, isn't it?" Kazuki sighed happily. He wore a pair of green jeans and a charcoal gray T-shirt, leaning back on a lawn-chair with his knees drawn up and a sketch pad resting across them. Above, the early-morning sky matched his shirt, misty, cool and promising rain as a butterscotch light grew over the ocean.
"Too early," Sanada forced out through a massive yawn, sitting heavily on his own lawn chair. He wore a red sweater against the morning chill. The young men were on the roof of a tall apartment building in Chiba, looking out over the city as it slowly lightened. "You do this every morning?"
"I do my best work before I'm fully awake."
"Huh." Sanada leaned back. "I guess it is pretty nice up here. Feels like we're above the smog, doesn't it?"
"Yeah," Kazuki tore his drawing off and crumpled it up. "Oh, my. This seems to be an off-day for me. Maybe I should have let Osamu have this one…"
"Tough commission?" the taller boy asked, unwrapping a sandwich and taking up a bottle of cola. It was his day off; he wasn't quite sure why he wasn't still in bed.
"Not too. I could give them a dozen logos they'd take, but I can't think of anything that would be right for them."
"Osamu doesn't seem to worry about stuff like that."
"Oh, Osamu, Osamu," Kazuki chuckled, pencil whipping all over the page, "He's not in it for the art. Just something to pay the bills while he's chasing those theories of his…"
"Nn…" Sanada took a bite of his sandwich and grunted distastefully. "The scary part is, he's usually right."
"Well, he was wrong about Dr. Mifune and his dinosaur mind-control."
"I don't remember that one."
"Really? Osamu left no stone unturned in his search for Truth that time. He accused the guy's daughter of being a cyborg and everything! I was very proud of him." Kazuki's mouth snapped shut as a sweet-smelling breeze rolled over them. "Oh…! Is that…?"
"Jasmine?" Sanada asked as something softly scraped the roof between them. The sweet smell grew stronger as he was thrown into the shadow of what appeared to be a canvas or kite. After that impression, his brain sort of froze for a few seconds until the whatever-it-was had passed and the sun fell on him again.
"That was his leg, wasn't it?" Kazuki asked calmly. "On the roof, there."
"Wha… huh?" Sanada snapped out of his stupor and finally saw what had flown over their heads. Some kind of… it was shaped like a moth (colossal, of course… weren't there any small monsters anymore?), but its body was covered by ugly, angular armor, with narrow, bright-green eyes glaring over a mosquito-like proboscis. Its great, jagged wings were edged with the same poisonous green, but on the inside they were painted in pretty twilight colors, a festive pattern in somber hues. "That's the--! He's--! We almost--!"
Kazuki looked at him dryly. "Sanada needs to learn what to freak out over."
"But it just… he…!" Sanada pointed at the long scuff mark between them, apparently left by one of its terrible claws. "We coulda been killed!"
"No, no, no, it's not his time."
"Huh? His--?"
"Osamu told me about that guy," Kazuki was looking after the beast, but his hands kept on drawing. "They're calling him Gigamoth or something stupid like that. He only attacks the aliens, and it's on a schedule…"
"A schedule…?"
"Yep. He just appears and disappears… look, he's doing it now…" Sanada looked again, but the creature had already faded away. "Just a few days ago he picked a fight with one of their monsters, and he always waits, like, half a month, maybe three weeks before he attacks again. Nobody knows why."
Sanada nearly laughed in disbelief. What a crazy place the world had become.
"Looked like he was searching for something, didn't it? I always wonder why he flies around like that… it's kinda sad, really."
Sanada stood up, still shaken. "Heartbreaking. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to finish my breakfast downstairs…"
Chiyo made a brief, unsuccessful foray into wakefulness around the time Sakaki rose for work. She didn't even really manage to get eyes open before she realized that this one was a no-go, but as she lay there waiting to fall asleep, she heard a series of deep thumps working their way across the floor nearby. She knew that it was somebody walking in sneakers, but she couldn't help but be reminded of the distinctive kettle-drum sound of Godzilla's awesome tread.
"They're beautiful, Mr. Takeda," she heard Sakaki say.
"Takeshi, please," a deep voice responded. "We're on a first-name basis by now, aren't we?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I guess I should let you get to work. Just thought I'd stop by and bring you these. See ya 'round, little lady."
"See you, Takeshi," Sakaki's voice seemed as level as ever, but Chiyo could pick out in it how absurdly pleased she was at being called 'little lady.' The Godzilla-like footsteps picked their way lightly over the prodigy where she lay, and their owner was gone. I'm gonna have to ask about that guy, she mused before Morpheus took her once more.
And across Tokyo at exactly 7:23, an alarm bleated to life and was instantly pounded into submission. Fortunately, its owner showed a bit more willpower than Chiyo, rising and starting her shower before 7:25. Her expression suggested that she was done with being a young woman, but her face and figure begged to differ.
With the speed of long practice, she tied her unruly mane of brown hair up into a neat bun and donned a sharp green suit with heels. On her way out she snatched up a pair of glasses from the nightstand and rubbed them on her suit-jacket absently. It was going to be another long and busy day…
But when she opened her front door to leave, a friend stood on the door step, hand raised on the verge of knocking. "You've got to be kidding me," she said flatly, making to shut the door again.
"What?" Kagura asked innocently. "What kind of greeting is that, Yomi?"
"You don't want to go on another run, do you?"
Kagura looked down at herself, as if just realizing that she was wearing windpants and a running jacket. Her jagged hair was in the same style as it had been in high school, now held back from her face by a sweatband. "Oh, no. I wasn't gonna drag you along. I just thought I'd stop by and see ya before work."
"Well, I was just leaving…"
"Oh, c'mon, Yomi. I know you don't have to be there for another hour. I'll bet you haven't eaten breakfast yet, either."
"Well, I…"
Kagura crossed her arms and looked at her severely. "Come on, now."
"Well…" Yomi pursed her lips. She'd been so caught up in her routine that she hadn't noticed her own hunger. "Fine, you win. Want some waffles?"
"Uh, sure," Kagura agreed, acting for all the world as if that hadn't been her ulterior motive all along. And who knows, perhaps it wasn't; certain other friends had made Yomi a little cynical about these things. "That'd be great, thanks."
"Well, come on in, then…" Yomi said resignedly.
Kagura casually kicked off her shoes and wandered in. "Hey, you redecorated, eh? Nice, nice." In truth, the place was just barely shy of seeming like a prison cell of some kind, but she knew that her friend was almost never here anyway. "Got some good Fung Shui goin' on here, I see…"
Yomi knew sarcasm when she heard it. Oh, but she'd get yelled at enough later, so rather than getting snippy, she chose to change the subject. "It's been a while, Kagura. Is something on your mind?"
"Well, yeah, actually…" Kagura looked hesitant.
As long as her schedule was screwed up, Yomi decided to outdo herself. While the instant waffles were being pressed, she tossed down some scrambled eggs and bacon as well. If Koyomi Mizuhara would be forced to eat breakfast, then by God it would be a feast! And… perhaps she was just a little happy to have a guest again after so long, too. "So what is it, then?"
"It's, uh… do you remember Chiyo-chan?"
"Of course I do! How could I forget her?"
"Well… I know how you've been sorta trying to leave the rest of us behind since, well…" Kagura stumbled over herself. "Since…"
"Since Tomo?" Yomi asked frostily. "You're being stupid."
Kagura winced, but pressed on. "You can't deny it. Sakaki hardly hears from you either, and you never write Ayumu, and…" Her tirade was cut off by a plate slamming down on the table before her. Ah, yes. Prepared with love, that.
"You don't understand," Yomi said. "I haven't been seeing anyone lately, not just you guys. I've been busy as all hell, and… and for the love of mike, do you have to do that?"
Kagura looked up from spreading catsup over her waffle. "What? I like it." She blorted another dollop onto her scrambled eggs and started stirring it in with her fork.
"Well, I've been busy," Yomi finished weakly.
"Busy…" Kagura shook her head sharply. "You've been making yourself busy, Yomi, I can see it from here. Well, I was going to try and arrange to get together with Chiyo-chan while she's here, but it looks like you're too…"
"Chiyo-chan's here?" Yomi gasped. "The little imbecile! Is she trying to get herself killed? I'm amazed she didn't get shot the instant she stepped off of the plane!"
"What?" Not the reaction Kagura was expecting. "No, look, things aren't as tense with the aliens as they used to be…"
"No, they're worse!" Yomi set her own plate down and promptly forgot it. "I work with Those Bastards every day! Do you have any idea what's going on in that crazy bureaucracy of theirs? There are factions, Kagura, and you don't want to know what some of them are out for! I've met at least four people this week that would love to have her head on a platter! And that's not counting the ones that would just want her for a hostage!"
Kagura blinked at her. "Well, look, she's not dead yet. I just…"
Yomi sat down heavily. "Damn, damn, damn… so what did she come back for, anyway? What was so important that she had to risk turning up in a ditch somewhere?"
"Dunno, Sakaki didn't tell me. But if I can swing it, do you want to see if we can all have dinner or something?"
"I…" Yomi waved helplessly. "Sure."
"I think you're overreacting, Yomi."
"I wish I was, too."
Sakaki only had to work for a few hours that day, so her guest was still sleeping when she returned. Chiyo, having apparently managed to change at some point and fallen off the couch at some other, was strewn artlessly across the living room floor in a blue T-shirt and heart-printed boxers, snoring quietly, stringy limbs sprawling all over the place and the covers Sakaki had given her twisted around her legs.
Maya padded up to the young prodigy, looked her over, then gave his master a look that said, "I've been putting up with this crap all day," before heading out into the backyard to hunt for mice.
Sakaki sat down and considered. She looked so peaceful lying there, and it would be a shame to disturb her… but then again, it was almost 4 pm. Chiyo probably wouldn't be happy to lose a whole day, regardless of how well she slept. And so, reluctantly, the giantess knelt and shook her shoulder gently. "Chiyo-chan?"
Chiyo swatted drowsily at her and said something in English, then tried to roll away, which didn't work since one of her legs was still up on the couch.
"Chiyo-chan, you should probably get up."
One light brown eye half-opened… then suddenly she jerked awake, lunging to her knees awkwardly. "Ack! I'm--I'm sorry, Ms. Sakaki!" she cried anxiously, "That was so rude of me!"
Sakaki gave a faint, reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I didn't understand."
"Oh…" Chiyo sagged so far with relief that it looked like she was going to collapse again. "I just… I thought you were my roommate for a moment, and…" the rest of her explanation was lost in a jaw-creaking yawn. She still wasn't rested, the poor thing… what had she been doing to herself in the States?
"Take this," Sakaki offered her a small can. "I think you'll need it."
"Thank you." Chiyo accepted the can, cracked it and took a small sip without looking. "YOW! Great Scott! Wh-what the heck is this?" She held it out to read its label, but her hands were shaking too badly. "My heart is racing!"
Keeping her amusement carefully hidden (though Chiyo saw it anyway), Sakaki answered, "Energy drink."
"Oh…" Chiyo swallowed a few times. "It's pretty p-potent."
"Sorry."
"No, I think I needed it. Thank you, Ms. Sakaki." She stood and stretched, her joints cracking and popping so excruciatingly that Sakaki had to look away, in spite of the fact that she'd unflinchingly helped to set a large dog's broken leg not an hour before. Chiyo didn't even seem to notice them, though. "What time is it?"
"About four." Seeing her immediate reaction, Sakaki moved to head off any self-recrimination. "I can tell you needed the sleep. You're still fatigued."
Chiyo lowered her head and smiled tiredly. "I've just been a mess lately…"
"I understand."
It was then that Chiyo noticed something odd. She had expected to be boiling over at this point, desperately eager to tell Sakaki every little detail of her life in the States and to hear of hers in return, but actually standing here with her friend was an entirely different experience. Something of the other woman's mellow quiet seemed to be wafting into her; no doubt their stories would be told in good time, but there was no rush.
For her part, Sakaki was interested in learning what sort of young woman Chiyo had become, but she found that she could wait as well. At first she'd worried; their meeting the night before had been less than heartening. But now Chiyo was looking more and more like her old self… if quite a bit bigger.
"Kagura called me at work," Sakaki said. "Would you like to have dinner with her and Yomi tonight?"
"Oh, that would be great!" Chiyo chirped. "I haven't heard from those two for months! But what about To…?" Memory returned. "…oh."
Sakaki bit her lip, but otherwise her expression was as placid as ever. At this point, most people would probably have tried to explain what had happened, make a lame attempt to change the subject or launch into some kind of meaningless platitude meant to comfort her. Almost anybody would have said something in spite of the fact that there was nothing to be said that would be welcome.
As ever, though, Sakaki offered nothing more than her presence. And as ever, Chiyo was more than glad to accept.
The Black Hole People was quite a ridiculous title, in truth. When the world was done being traumatized by their invasion, there would probably be a lot of jokes at their expense… history students in a hundred years would remember these dark days as the time when the world had lived a B-Movie.
Still, the name was fitting enough. They had migrated here after their world was consumed by the black hole that had been an object of worship there for hundreds of years… but the vast, Star Trek-ian epic of their history is completely irrelevant to this story. They only became important to our heroines and Earth at large when it started raining giant monsters.
However, once their dominion had spread over most of Asia, the BHP's advance halted for reasons unknown. Now their Supreme Commander was even speaking of "balance" with the Earthmen, and sharing the world in peaceful coexistence. His second-in-command, however, did not agree with this policy.
He stood on the observation deck of the Black Hole mothership, which had hung ominously over Downtown Tokyo until it had become a fixture in the sky and not quite so ominous anymore, staring down at the city in contempt. To the profound relief of his staff, he was long past making "just look at them down there" speeches, though.
Like the rest of his people, he could have passed for a human if his eyes were covered. They were darker than a human's eyes… rather than whites, they had light-grays, and his irises were so deeply green as to be almost black. He was tall and athletic; perhaps he would have been handsome had his features not been so cruel. This was Masema, Lord Captain Commander of the Black Hole Armada.
"You're not content with it, are you, Masema?" a soft, melodious voice commented.
He turned sharply; how did Yukia manage to sneak up on him like that? She was a small woman, standing barely to his chest, with long dark hair that mostly hid her face. No great loss, as far as he was concerned; her countenance was unremarkable except for her huge, luminous eyes. They were darkly violet, which was an oddity among the Black Hole People, not that it was the strangest thing about her.
"Filthy roaches…" Masema agreed, sneering down at the scurrying population below. "I'm sure the Earth would thank us for sweeping them away, and yet our wonderful Supreme Commander natters on and on about how we have to share it with them."
"You hope for war, then?" Yukia asked, leaning on the pane beside him.
"I would go down there with a knife and start the work myself," the Lord Captain Commander affirmed. "If I had some way of countering this mythical superweapon the Earthmen have. Even if this… 'Dimension Tide' doesn't exist, the belief in it could poison our people and cripple us anyway."
"What if I were to tell you that I had a way to start your war with the Earthmen… and win it?"
"What do you have in mind?"
"I'll tell you soon enough. Before we do anything, I need to go to the surface for a bit." Yukia started away again, "I have someone to see down there before I'll know if we can pull this off or not."
"Oh?" Masema was too intrigued to be annoyed at the delay.
"Yes, it's a…" she turned back and gave him a guarded little smirk. "A family matter."
