Chapter Fifteen: Link through Dreams

Hikari stared out of her window as she woke up, she was thinking about her river and of a time in the past when Keiko had been her friend. She relived a journey, back to the cave to retrieve the opal through a memory. The journey was only imagined though; her river was in no condition to be swimming in. Thoughts and memories raced around in her mind, chasing each other. She searched for clues, for secrets long hidden by spells, freeing memories chained by magic. Her eyes didn't sparkle; she had fallen into a trance. Though she didn't know it, Keiko too had also fallen into a strange trance. Their breathing stopped as did their heartbeats, any signs of life disappeared. The signs of death were too great to mistaken, and they were thought to be dead.

It was Chihiro who found Hikari in this state, tears streamed out of her eyes as she saw she believed had happened to her friend. It was Chihiro who first mistaken Hikari for dead. Meanwhile, Haku woke to see Keiko; her body slumped against the wall. A single drop of blood hanging from her lips, not a single movement was witnessed though he shouted and cried as loud as he could. It was Haku who first mistaken Keiko for dead.

Meanwhile, in their trance Keiko and Hikari found a hidden link that they had not known had existed.

"Keiko!" Hikari shouted when she saw her friend.

"Hikari! I thought you were dead!" Keiko shouted back truly amazed.

"No I forgot to tell you, I was going to visit Haku for some time. Where are you anyway? There are people looking for my brothers and Natsuko, though I am surprised no one mentioned you."

"You know, in a dungeon. If anyone should know where we are it should be you. After all you did leave us."

Hikari sadly shook her head, "A spell was cast on the dungeon; I couldn't see it from outside." She looked around and instantly recognized where they were, it was her river. A small white cross could be seen by the edge.

"For my dragon friend Hikari," she read, "may you rest in peace." Keiko grinned sheepishly when she saw the cross.

"Oh I forgot I put that there when you stopped visiting me, I thought that you were dead." Keiko explained, embarrassed.

"Ah I see," Hikari said. The river water sparkled like her emerald eyes, flowing ever downward until it joined its brother, the Kohaku. Small waves and crests could be seen above the water, from above it seemed gentle enough to go swimming it. From below you would know that in the center of the river there was an especially strong current that would carry you away before you knew what was happening. Weakened fish and other animals knew to swim closer to the center, and men were always chasing after them only to be swept away by the river. Hikari would do nothing to help them, until the screams became frantic shouts for mercy, then she would carry them to the shores of her river. Keiko looked at her friend, her emerald eyes were looking over her river, she understood how it must feel to be able to see it in such a perfect condition again untainted by humans. A milky light started to emerge from the river, the two friends felt no surprise they knew what was happening unconsciously.

"Hikari, Hikari, why have you gone." Chihiro sobbed. The thought of her friend dead was too horrific for her. Rin and Zeniba looked at each other; everyone present was in a somber mood, except for Sora. Even though she did not show it, she felt a great sadness that was shared by all and wanted to mourn the passing of her sister though her pride would not allow her to.

"Someone's going to have to tell Haku that his sister died." Zeniba told her. Chihiro looked at her with saddened eyes.

"I'll do it if no one else will." Sora volunteered. "I am not saddened by this event; I'll tell him the news."

"No I will, she was his sister, I think his favorite one. I'll tell him." Chihiro said decisively.

She gently touched her bracelet and thought about Haku. He appeared to be saddened greatly when he replied. Hello, if you don't mind I am mourning the death of a friend.

Chihiro hesitated, did Haku know about what happened to his sister? So you know then? That Hikari is dead?

Hikari is dead? No I was talking about Keiko! What happened?

I don't know, I just walked into her room and found her, she didn't respond to my touch or word.

Same thing happened to Keiko.

Wait Keiko's dead! She was my friend ever since fifth grade, when I just moved! We've been especially close friends ever since!

I guess it's a sad day for both of us. Haku finally managed to say.

Yes I guess you're right, well um bye then.

Bye Chihiro. Chihiro stroked her bracelet, it instantly stopped glowing. A tear fell out of her eyes as they passed over an unconscious Hikari. The Dragon King was overcome with grief when he saw his daughter; his wife felt the same way.

"Oh Hikari, please let this be some sort of prank! Please wake up soon." He cried and shook Hikari. Not a single faint movement could be seen, not a single faint whisper could be heard. Hikari's face was as pale as the moon; it appeared her life-force had left her. Only a body was left, a desolate empty shell of what had been Hikari, a young and friendly dragon. Her mind though was racing with thoughts, as she traveled through a memory and a dream. Keiko shared the same fate, despite Yoshiro and Haku's reckless shouting, nothing would wake her. Natsuko found a stone in her cell and threw it at Keiko, even that didn't wake her. "Keiko you have got to wake up!" Yoshiro shouted. "Keiko you are needed now arise!"

Even the spell that he had just cast had no effect on her, the trance was too powerful. She was trapped in her own mind, in her own thoughts, in her own dreams. "She really is gone." Haku finally managed to whisper. "Oh Chihiro, I have failed you. I was powerless against the force that took your friend, I am sorry." There was silence as Yoshiro sadly watched his depressed brother, tears fell out of his emerald eyes his mind on his beloved.

"I am sorry Chihiro, if I could not protect Keiko then how can I protect you? It would be better if you chose to be with someone else." He said quietly to himself. Despite the tears that they had caused through falling into the trance, they did not wake. Though they could sense the sadness, they would not arise from their trance and break the link. There was something that had to be done first, something that would ensure the future would be happy. That the darkness would be defeated, and the Evil One trapped again.

The milky light parted to reveal a silvery dragon, its cherry-pink mane billowing in the mane. Keiko and Hikari instantly knew it to be Sakura, ancestor of Chihiro daughter of the first Dragon of Nature, even though nether knew what she looked like. Its golden eyes stared wisely at them; it dived back into the water. It was apparent that she wanted them to follow her. Hikari quickly changed into her dragon form and waited for Keiko to mount her before diving into the icy waters of her river.

"I am glad that you decided to come, Chihiro is in great danger. I will show you the means in which to protect her with." Sakura told them. Hikari nodded, Keiko grimly stared ahead. Sakura roared loudly, a barrier was broken and a cave glowed brightly, from it emerged Hikari's opal.

"See this opal," she told them, "it will guide you to the opal pendent, I am glad that you created a powerful barrier around the opal, but it will not protect it from the Evil One. His powers are too great, you must find the opal before he does, but that time is not now. When the opal decides to activate its hidden powers, for like the pendent it too is very powerful, then you must search for it."

She showed them two more items, it was a glowing ruby and a glowing emerald, "The ruby is the Ruby of Phoenixes; the emerald is the Emerald of Dragons. Both are in their purest forms, you will be able to use them in the upcoming battle. I must leave as I am needed elsewhere. Protect Chihiro, if she dies than the darkness will rule." Sakura swam away, leaving Hikari and Keiko staring after her. They rose to the surface, so that Keiko could breathe. Her clothes were damp when they arrived at the riverbank; strangely Hikari's clothes were also wet. A bright light flashed between them and they could fell something pulling them back, back to their friends.

Hikari's eyes suddenly opened, no one noticed when she pulled herself into a sitting position. Her emerald eyes looked around her, and found that all her friends were with her. Silently she walked past her crying friends and outside into the hallway, where her teacher was waiting for her. "Ah Hikari, I am glad to see that you are okay." His voice startled her.

She quickly found herself staring into the eyes of her teacher, "Ah… oh you scared me sensei."

"Did I? Then you are easily surprised."

Hikari became instantly suspicious, "Why are you here?"

"I heard rumors that you were dead and wanted to see for myself whether you were really dead. Guess you weren't, perhaps a trance then. Well then, there are other things I must do good-bye." Hikari watched as her teacher left, she sighed in relief. She was always very nervous for some reason when he was around. Something about him made her uncomfortable.

"Oh Hikari you really aren't dead." Chihiro shouted behind her, she hugged her friend. "I was so worried!"

"I know you were crying really hard." Hikari said.

"Oh Hikari, I am glad that you are alive." Her father told her. "Please, do not scare me like that again."

"Okay then, I'll try to warn you when I think I am going to go into a trance." Her father nodded happily.

"Oh great, so you really weren't dead after all I was hoping you were." Sora said disappointed. She stopped after her father glared at her. Bowing she left.

Meanwhile in the dungeon, Yoshiro shouted ecstatically, "Keiko! You're awake!"

Keiko glared at him angrily, "Of course I am, since when did you start caring if I awakened or not."

"We thought you were dead," Natsuko calmly explained, "you didn't react to our shouts or even flinched when I threw a rock at you."

"You did what!" Keiko looked at her arm; there was a small bruise where the rock had hit her, "Why in the world would you throw a rock at me?"

"You weren't responding to our shouts, I just wanted to see if you were really dead."

"Well I'm not; I had just fallen into a trance that revealed some very important information. I saw Hikari, and Sakura. Sakura's the first Dragon of Nature's favorite daughter in case you didn't know."

Haku frowned, "Chihiro mentioned that Hikari too was in a state very similar to yours. I suppose you both slipped into a trance at the very same time. Was she with you when you learned this information?" Keiko nodded enthusiastically.

"Then she would have seen the things you did and know the things that you know now." Yoshiro said thoughtfully. "Whatever you saw, you are in great danger. They will want to learn what you saw in your trance."

Keiko sighed, "I think they might already know some things, I believe that they were able to look inside one of my memories. It was one of when I was little; Hikari and I went to the Spirit World to find out about the Dragon of Nature. They must have learned what I read and the things that we discussed." Her friends turned silent as they considered what she said. Darkness surrounded them as the flames flickered on the walls, casting eerie shadows and visions of darkness and hatred. They looked at each other, all of their eyes fearful of what laid ahead in their futures.