Wolf: Me is extremely sorry about the long wait. Going back to school and the pressure of finals is killin' me. That and the homework. Who was the creep that invented homework! Oh and I've been busy with another new piece I wrote. Which is strangely quite popular. But anyway, I was also wondering what to do in this chapter. I got the first part figured out, but I guess the rest will follow.

LM: And we're really sorry about the long wait. Wolf was lazy.

Wolf: 'Ey!

DM: (snickers)

Wolf: (glares) Disclaimer?

DM: (grumbles) Wolf from the Hidden Flames does not own Baten Kaitos or any of it's characters.

Wolf: Great! Now on with the fic!

Through My Eyes

Chapter 4 The Other Side

Katana walked along the vastness. It was dark. The darkness swirled around her. It wrapped around her small figure, pulling her in. She didn't resist though. Her autumn eyes were glazed over, open but unseeing. She kept walking, leisurely and calm as the darkness whispered to her. Soothing words echoed in her mind, telling of something beautiful and great. Black arms curled around her form, hugging and comforting her. She wriggled away. She must keep walking. There was something magnificent at the end of this ebony ocean. As if her wish was granted, a form appeared out of the dark mist.

Like her, this person was walking. Unlike her, this person was in a hurry. And headed right toward.

Katana eyes brightened. She quickened her pace. The figure seemed to notice her urgency and set into a slow run. Suddenly, the sound of thunder stopped her in her tracks. She glanced over her shoulder and her eyes widened. A large white beast was headed toward her. Its milky white coat gleamed as its ruby eyes flashed with murder. Rage whirled in its bloody orbs and it gave a thunderous roar as it charged at her, ebony horns flashing dangerously.

For a moment, Katana couldn't move. Her eyes merely stared, horrorstricken, as the beast loomed toward her. Her eyes glazed over briefly before she gasped. The beast was several yards, but it was almost reaching her. Her mind snapped back and she kicked forward, legs pumping to distance herself from the creature. She could hear its hooves pounding across the black floor as she and it played cat and mouse. Katana wheezed as she ran, desperately trying to escape the blindingly white threat. Fear grasped her heart with an icy grip as she realized the full extent of the situation she was in. Cries tore from her throat as she felt hot, steaming breath on her nape. Her legs sped up until they melded into a blur. Tears blurred her vision as she sobbed aguishly. She didn't even know why she was crying. All she knew was that she had to get away from this monster. That and a dull pain throbbed in her chest, in her heart.

She looked up and noticed that her running had taken her farther into the darkness, but a light flashed in its endless depths. Katana gaped in awe as she ran toward the light. A figure stood in the shining essence and she realized with a start that it was the person she'd been walking toward earlier on. For a reason unknown to her, she felt trickles of safety seeping into her heart, squeezing through the fear and tears. Katana smiled through her tears. Blue, the person had blue hair and startling cerulean eyes. She knew of only one person with that combination.

As she neared the figure, Katana outstretched her arms. She could feel the cloth of the person's shirt as she reached them. Safety echoed in her heart as she gave a heart warming smile. Safe. She was safe.

A pain in her right side caused her to wail in agony as razor sharp horns dug into her flesh. She realized with terror that the beast had caught up. It buried its horns into her flesh again and again as she cried in the horror of it. It dragged her away from the light, back into the shadows as it dug its horns deeper. She tried weakly to crawl away, ruby liquid streaming away from her body, her very life essence. Tears flowed from her face like silver drops as the beast raised its horns again. Katana noticed that she could barely make out the soft glimmer of light, surrounded by total shadow. As the creature rained its horns down to give the finishing blow, she gave one last inhumane wail that echoed to the figure in the light.

"KAAAAAALLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAAASSSSS!"

A scream erupted from Katana's throat as her eyes snapped open. Her body raised itself off her bed as her eyes gazed sightlessly to the ceiling. The long wail bellowed off the walls as its sound shook the house to its very roots. Katana's eyes matched the emotion behind the haunted howl, full of fear and anguish. Her mouth gaped open like a red hollow, the noise emitting from it not unlike that of a dying animal.

The bedroom door burst open with a slam as Ayumi and Rich clambered in. Their eyes were wide as they saw the state their sister was in. Rich felt a shiver run down his spine at the sound of the unearthly wail. His emerald eyes rounded to their full extent as Katana screamed her horror to the skies that lay above the ceiling.

Ayumi watched with something akin to cold hatred as her ears protested in agony to the ghostly shriek. She growled low in her throat as she stepped closer to the bed. Forcefully, she snagged the collar of her sister's shirt. Katana was still screaming as she gaped. Her breath came in ragged gasps and wheezes that only seemed to fuel the hunted yowl. Ayumi growled again and shook her sister, wanting to get rid of the pained shrieks. Her eyes hardened even more when the action had no effect. She shook her sister again and the only effect was that it seemed to heighten Katana's screeching wails. Finally the redhead could take it no more. She raised her hand and slapped it across the brunette's face. She yelled, "Wake up Katana!"

Katana gasped, eyes focusing as she came back down, back to earth. The brunette looked around in a daze, wondering momentarily where she was. She coughed as she sat up, eyes still wild with fear. Icy cold sweat trickled down the sides of her head and her sheets were soaked with it. She turned to Ayumi and Rich, blinking in confusion at their expressions. Rich had a look of fear on his face and Ayumi looked like a mother dragon that had its whelp stolen. The former spirit croaked, "Where am I?"

Rich gasped slightly, "Sis, you're at home. Where else would you be?"

Katana blinked in confusion, "I am? W-what happened? Why are you guys staring at me like that?"

Ayumi's eyes hardened again, "Is this the price we have to pay? Is this the debt we owe? Our sister plagued with nightmares? I'll have their heads!"

Rich stared at her in surprise, "Ayumi, calm down. It was probably just a regular nightmare. Maybe it was the one with the marshmallows in it."

Ayumi growled, "Marshmallows don't have our sister wailing like a dying dog! It's them! I know it is. We never should have agreed to their deal! We should have left as soon as we could! This is all their fault! I knew something was up when she came back! I knew they'd done something to her! I'll make them pay if it's the last thing I do!" she roared.

Her brother shook slightly, "C'mon Ayumi. Calm down, you're only making our sister worse."

The two now turned to look at the small brunette, whom had been watching with a mixture of bewilderment, anger, fear, and exhaustion. She stared at them, autumn orbs reflected by moonlight and turned to bright gold. White beams shined in her hair, the soft brown locks changed to plumes of cream. Her pink lips glimmered silver and the hollow of her mouth was like a gaping hole of blood. Eyes wide and full of terror, she croaked, "C-can someone please tell me what's going on? What're you guys talking about and who are 'they'?"

Ayumi gave a choked sob and wrapped her arms around her sister's still trembling form. Tears streaked down her cheeks and soaked Katana's nightshirt. The redhead cradled Katana as if she thought that if she let go she might disappear. Just like she did a little while ago. I thought I'd lost her then and now that she's back, I'm still losing her. Just like I lost Althea (1), she thought morosely. I won't lose Katana. No, nothing's going to take her away from me. Nothing!

Katana blinked as her sister continued to hold her and cry. She'd never seen her sister look so torn. Not since she'd come back and the only time she'd seen her cry was when…when….that accident happened. She merely gazed up at the ceiling as Ayumi sobbed into her shoulder. She noticed out of the corner of her eye Rich staring at them, a look of utter lost in his green orbs. She turned away from him though and just stared at the ceiling, eyes glazing over with pain and sorrow, half her mind not knowing where she was and the other half screaming unheard wails to the heavens. She was only vaguely aware when she put her arms around her crying sister and even less so when the crying stopped. She was still gazing at the ceiling by the time Rich and Ayumi left, tucking her in and whispering about how it was just a nightmare. What was just a nightmare? When did I wake up? Was I even asleep before? If so, what was I dreaming about? Dark. Everything was dark before. It's still dark. And empty. Why? Why do I feel so empty?

"Well done Aeron (2). Well done. The guardian spirit has started to doubt herself. Soon, soon she will succumb to the darkness that is ready to embrace her. And ready to engulf her," the dark lord said with his maniacal grin.

Aeron shivered but didn't comment on his master's supposed insanity. Instead, he accepted the praise, "Thank you master. I live only to serve you, but it was no trouble at all to invade the spirit's dreams. Especially when she and I have met before. Even if she doesn't remember."

The dark lord grinned, "Yes. However, her sister may prove difficult for us to get near her physically. We cannot destroy a spirit that has regained its body just by its dreams. We need to get closer. Close enough to crush her." He said the last part with a low, meaning growl.

Aeron blinked, "What did you have in mind master?"

The cloaked figure smirked. His ruby eyes gleamed with the familiar glint of bloodlust. He whispered, "Acantha (3)."

Aeron blinked again. Puzzled, he looked to where his master was peering to. Aeron gasped. Horror gripped his heart with an icy cold grasp. He screamed, for the sight that met his own blood-colored orbs were a pair of deathly glowing red eyes. Red eyes filled with the same gleam of murder like the dark lord. Only, mixed with the glint of hatred.

Wolf: Sorry about the excruciatingly long time period waiting for an update. I just finished finals last Friday, but my sister wouldn't let me on the computer long enough for me to update. I had to do it piece by piece. This chapter was longer as an apology. Oh, as you all probably noticed, there were numbers next to the names. Two reasons. One, I was going in a pattern and, if anybody noticed, the names are Greek. Two, the definitions.

LM: Which, here they are.

DM: There's also another pattern. See if you can guess.

1-healing

2-battle, slaughter

3-thorn, prickle

Wolf: Oh and Trite's name means frayed or worn out. The reason will become clear in later chapters.

LM&DM: Leave a review!