Hi again, have you missed me? Sounding by the reviews, some of you seemed to want me to update right this instant! I am sorry guys, I cannot write, do homework and study for exams at one go. And so, also spend time with friends and such, including finding a job for the summer.

Still, I hope you haven't waited too long, and tardiness stands for the same things School, homework, exams, and such. My, my, we have arrived somewhere in this story, and yet there is so much more I would want to add. Why not continue and see where this goes.

And thanks all wonderful reviewers who makes this so much more fun to write. I am so happy.

Now better get going. Last time, Takuya changed into a Dragon, and fought Takeru. He's currently in coma, or is he? I bet you all wondered what he saw... but first, the introduction and facts.

LOL Shitza

Ps: (SQUEAL) The title of today's chapter has to be a favourite, right? I am too giggled writing night-time And the Intro is a favourite as well... (Authors note: Don't drink anything sweet during writing, especially if you find it easy to be effected by hyperness.)

Chapter 12

I Love You, Don't you leave me Again

Love, love has many meanings.

For some, it became the oath to be devoted to each other, never to let go.

For some, it is a curse you want to break.

For them, it is something you cannot break or love, no matter how hard you try it.

For in Nemorisa, love can be use as a curse as well as the words of Heaven.

Aquilas and Werewolves, Vampires and Trolls. They are really the same in the question of love, a simple state of wanting and needing. Most creatures simply mates and then leaves to never see each other again. Some uses it to their own purposes and some few really believes in it. But whatever you choose to do, it is really the same er... so to say... trouble...

There is a main rule around Nemorisa. Always keep your love-life in the bed room. But of course, not everyone follows the rules, and many of these suffers from consequences. For example, pranks, bullying and more. Love isn't taken for granted and many creatures never experience love. Hundreds of years of fighting puts the line between and during those periods hate rose between families. You can say, that there are two reasons why creatures are truly on their way towards extinction, and those aren't just humans. That was several hundred of years ago. No, todays main reason is none less then 1, war or 2, incredible lack of reproduction.

So, all these pranks and such bases upon jealousy, and yet some pairs manage to keep their love profile high, with others knowing. The most famous examples are at this present time Taichi and Yamato, Jenrya and Takato as well as the newcomers Daisuke and Ken. There is also Taichi and Yamato's siblings Hikari and Takeru, yet the two of them obtain a lower profile as known.

Weird, weird, isn't it. If you kept daily news about love-problems over Nemorisa then the list for an hour would reach the length of an English mile. Love is a blessing as well as a curse. It was actually here it was invented.

"Takuya?"

Kouji stared at the shadow before him. Light shone around, so he couldn't distinguish who it really was, but it looked like him. He could be sure he could sense some blood, but this blood was different from his lover. If he would not have been much mistaken he could have sworn it was human blood, but he might be wrong as well. After all, heartbroken vampires are not to trust.

"KOUJI!" he heard someone call after him. The vampire looked back to see Kouichi hovering back by the tent, calling after him. The vampire looked back at the shadow, or whatever it had been. But it was gone. Strange... yet not completely surprising. This was Nemorisa, a world where your own shadow could betray you.

Kouji took a deep breath to calm his nerves, walking back to the others. The snow continued to dance before him, looking so peaceful. But this vampire was nowhere near peace. As he arrived beside his brother, he saw that Kouichi had changed somehow, but his misty mind couldn't sort out what.

"Kouichi, you should really see this. You will not believe it!" Kouichi said dragging his brother with him. Kouji almost stumbled as Kouichi dragged him back to Takuya's tenth. Izumi was also inside sitting beside the bed, checking on the brunette. The girl smiled, standing up.

"I guess we'll leave the two of you alone." she said tiredly taking the herbs and some unused bandages with her. Kouji blinked, had something happened?

Kouichi dropped the sleeve of his brother and proceeded with walking out through the walls of the tenth. Izumi almost followed his movement, until she remembered that she wasn't a ghost and could not walk through fabrics. Instead she took the entrance out.

Kouji walked up to the bed, tears stinging behind his eyes. This was a reason why he needed some fresh air, he couldn't stand watching Takuya like this. The vampire sat down beside his love, holding the warm hand. Two tears fell down from his cheeks. One to the dirt floor and the other wetting the skin of his lover's hand.

Kouji was crying, tears falling. He didn't even notice it. He didn't even notice when Takuya gripped back. He didn't notice the brunette watching him, hugging him close. Not until he spoke.

"Kouji, please don't cry. Everything will be alright now."

Kouji stiffened, his brain slowly registering everything that happened. Now Takuya was crying on his shoulder, wings folded around them protectingly. Kouji didn't know why, but he liked it; he liked it very much.

"Takuya, I never thought you would be back." Kouji sniffed.

"I know... I know... I never thought I would wake up. I know how you feel. I love you!"

"Love you too Takuya... Don't you ever leave me alone again!"

By the entrance of the tenth Tomoki watched them, smiling. Everything seemed to be back to normal, and hopefully it would be allowed to stay like that for a while.

The days continued and with each day Takuya got even better and better. The first two days were all spent in bed, the following three random between bed and outdoors. But soon the dragon was healthy as ever, currently sitting with a bunch of werewolves trying to understand the growling accent that seemed to be common with this race. Another thing to note was that Takeru was rarely seen after his cure, in mortal fright that Takuya would plan something against what he had done.

Of course the brunette had no such plans, mistakes can be mistakes and people can regret things. Also, Izumi told him about how much the werewolf cared and helped while he was still knocked-out. Yet however, as the snow continued falling, it seemed it would never stop, the werewolves had to leave. Takeru promised, as he shook hands with Kouji, Takuya and Kouichi (who sort of had a little special handshake for a small revenge of what had happened), to try to clear out as much of their names as possible. Now, as they knew the truth, or the main truth, the werewolves had no reason to continue their chase. Takuya took this as great news, tired of thinking that they had more then just evil creatures chasing them.

The travellers also had to continue their journey, thanks to the incident with the werewolves they were really late out. The snow was falling in thick storms, clouding their visions. This time they choose Tomoki to lead the way. The MistHimi knew more about snow than any of them, so it was simply natural.

The beautiful snow they had now turned to something incredible more grey. Black snow started to fall, and with this their mood changed yet again. But unusually enough, Kouichi stayed as happy as ever. Happy that he soon would have reasons to pass the Land of the Dead without fearing for the little life he had left.

Indeed they soon saw a great mass of tombs and a graveyard big enough to fit the smaller states of America in it. The land of the dead was a land that grew every year due to the death of creatures. You never came here unless you were to bury someone. Here the ghosts, phantoms and poltergeists resided with the Ghost Community, or parts of it. (The main Community resided in Monster City with everything else.) Soon they all could see ghosts and at night time even one phantom or two. Unlike everything else they had seen, the ghosts greeted them passing, some even helped them with directions and others simply wondered what a group of such unusual travellers did in their land? As if that wasn't enough, words had travelled far within the community, so practically everyone knew that Kouichi was innocent from all the talk about humans, for Takuya wasn't really a human deep inside, which seemed to bend the rules around his friends. This wasn't all over.

"This doesn't seem to be so bad, does it?" Izumi said watching some children ghosts play with a flock of huge spiders. Tomoki nodded enthusiastically, wanting to join into the game. The MistHimi wore the fur over himself making him look like a small Yeti. Yet the name Yeti was a human invention. Really, he didn't grow that much hair.

It was night, yet what did time matter for a ghost. Song and dance still echoed towards the universe and no one seemed to mind. The travellers sat in one of the three tents they had brought, cramped together with Kouichi sitting both outside and inside body parts. Takuya and Kouji sat, like always together, the brunette's head resting on the vampire's shoulder. It was late, and Junpei was slowly falling asleep where he was sitting, which Izumi told him off since this was her and Tomoki's tent and she did not allow him to fall asleep, since that would mean they wouldn't be able to get him out of there. Junpei had some really heavy weight.

Soon people left to get some rest, Kouji carrying the sleeping dragon in his arms. Takuya had fallen asleep during it all, it was probably the cold that made him use too much heat energy. The two of them headed towards their tent. Kouichi watched them leave, smiling. However as each day passed the older twin couldn't help feeling a bit more alone. After all, Kouji, his little brother, had truly grown up now almost mated. The ghost, knowing everyone needed their rest and wouldn't like him to disturb their sleep, also left, together with Junpei. The two of them said good night at the Raiki's tent, yet Kouichi wouldn't go to sleep. At least now he would find a reason to party the whole night. But his reasons left through the window by a sudden enchanted trap in his way. A net over his head.

'Not again' he thought trying to struggle from it. However all his attempts failed and he got even more and more ensnarled in this clever thing. But really, was it a trap when he could hear playful laughter in the background, and he recognised that voice.

"My, my, I was hoping on catching a thief and it looks like jackpot. Long time, no see... Kouichi!"

Kouichi blinked. "Hirokazu... is that really you?" he asked.

The laughter continued. "Surprised to see me?" Hirokazu asked. Kouichi blinked when he said see because he could not see a thing. He looked around, dead sure he heard the voice. And dead sure there wasn't anyone there.

Kouichi, even though he was a ghost, found this very frightening. Hirokazu was a famous ghost-hunter, one of the few who lived to complete the extinction of ghosts. If he was in his trap then he was sure enough as good as dead.

As he was replaying various memories of old attempts where he had barely managed to survive. The famous ghost-hunter had destroyed half the community including the head leader. He was so caught in his thoughts, he didn't notice at first that the hunter appeared before him. But when he did, his eyes widened of shock.

"Surprised to see me, like this?" Hirokazu asked. Kouichi choked at his words.

"Y-you are... y-you are... you are a phantom?"

Indeed, the ex-hunter was dead. A tragic, but not none deserved death to be told, however Hirokazu could be glad that it hadn't been by the hands of his enemies and instead a trunk falling on top of him by a mere accident. Now, the days had changed for him and he helped the same kind of creatures he once had tried to kill, with this also repaying some well deserved debts.

Kouichi couldn't take his eyes from him. The terrible image of the gun and garlic loaded hunter completely crashed for him, for all eternity. Instead the picture of a sole and black phantom took its place, worked to a new death thanks to the extreme energy it took hiding from these things. Kouichi was happy he had his brother, who managed to save him many times from things like that. The ghost rarely went anywhere without his brother close by. The one and only time he had done so had landed to a catastrophe. Well, not entirely. The catastrophe became that he was sucked into a magical twister that took him to Takuya's roof. If he hadn't decided to haunt that sweet girl, who knew what could have happened to everything.

It was creepy, but the very same person who once tried to kill him had probably saved history.

Hirokazu however didn't seem that pleased over what he was, even though he would never be able to change this. Perhaps fate had something in store for him as well. When Kouichi had been younger, before he turned to a ghost, his old teacher Boko had taught him that every Destiny had its purpose, even if so just to breath. If any of these purposes would be destroyed then all balance of the world would be ruined and chaos would appear. It was this sort of that originally gave birth to the Universe.

"There are many forces in this world that can be counted for, don't ever forget that Kouichi my friend." Boko said under that feathery had he always wore.

Kouichi wouldn't be able to forget that. Not after all this. The ghost agreed to accompany Hirokazu for a while, until the sun would awaken his friends from their sleep. The ghost would help guarding the camp, so he didn't believe that anything drastic would happen too soon. Hirokazu still had many things to learn about ghosts and phantoms, and as there was yet some time, Kouichi decided this may be a better time for forgiveness and some time to teach the phantom what he was and what kind of powers it would supply him with.

The sun slowly rose over the dead land and the travellers got up. Outside Kouichi sat by the almost dead fire, waiting for everyone else to wake up. This morning it was Tomoki who ran out, half dressed since Izumi wanted time to dress alone. The little boy rain into Junpei's warm tent, waking him as well. No one dared to touch Takuya and Kouji when they were asleep, except for Kouichi since neither of them would be able to kill Kouichi anyway. Yet from what Kouichi could tell, they were yet asleep. But due to Junpei oversleeping his own cycle, they would still have to wait before continuing.

Two hours later the camp was packed and they could all continue. The snow lay thick before them, ghost never did anything to this so the travellers had to rely either on their wings or on Junpei who made the trail before them. It ended up that Junpei solemnly did one trail while the rest of them took other ways travelling. Izumi, Kouji and Takuya all knew how to fly. Kouichi floated above the snow, or in the snow, it didn't really matter and Tomoki... well he was walking. For that was yet another power he had, to walk on the snow. He lived on it, honestly.

The weather got colder as they walked. Soon they could see a great forest at the end, with no snow, how lovely. Maybe Takuya, Tomoki and Kouichi were mainly unaffected by the cold, even if Takuya could feel it yet not mind, the others cursed it. Izumi complained every minute that she could not feel her wings any more.

"No pain, no stain. We are almost there!" Kouichi cheered them on. Tomoki sighed running forward. Takuya flew closer to share some of his warm energy to Kouji. The two of them flew hand in hand. Izumi glared at him when he did this, wanting some warmth of her own. The Aquila landed standing on Junpei's shoulder and Junpei didn't notice her landing in return. He was too busy to fight his way through the snow.

They didn't see that someone did expect them. Five shadows, waiting in the dark.

"They are here. Let's get over with this, for Him. Go get them... Mortog!" a hissing male voice said.

Pincers clicked enthusiastically. A black shadow moved towards them. Eight legs, hairy and more eyes then you can count.

Mortog...

For it came as a surprise for them all when the snow blew up before them and a giant spider appeared. All eyes went wide when they could find this description in their worst nightmare. With a strike of his legs, all six were thrown away, scattered into heap all around. Takuya and Kouji were the first ones to get up, ready to fight, closely followed by Izumi and Kouichi. Tomoki summoned ice to his palms, trying to freeze the creatures, Junpei's hands glowed of sparks and electricity.

This would be a fight fit for a legend.

Six warriors and a Dark Demon Spider...

TBC

Wohoho... suspense is killing you, right? Sorry to stop here, but I have to. I hope you guys don't tear me apart now, and please review. They cheer me up and spurt me to continue.

Shitza