A/N:

Hello! So, remember how I said this next chapter would be back to Ju Lan's story? Well, not exactly, haha! For now, we are still in the present I assure you. But we're checking in on one specific person!

I hope you enjoy this chapter~

Between Movements: It's Better That Way

Ju Lan can do it. I know she can.

Li An whistled as she cleaned one of the elegant bathrooms of the dark palace, a happy tune coming through her mouth. It had been hours since Ju Lan left with Shadow Black and White. As she walked back to the room to clean up the mess of what they had discovered, she heard the insults flying out like trash falling out of a dumpster.

Slut. Whore. Bitch.

But the girl's heart never wavered. She knew her best friend better than anyone else did. Even those girls at school who whispered about how strange she was...

"Ju Lan, do your best," she whispered a prayer as she started to mop the floors. "You can do it...!"

An eerie giggle sounded through the corridor, and Li An looked around.

"Master?" She asked a little cautiously. "Is that you? I'm taking over for Ju Lan for now...I'll be back to serve dinner I promise!"

"Girls, have you ever seen a girl who looks so incredibly stupid? She probably has no friends at all."

Li An blinked for a moment before looking up from her work. She jumped back, seeing 5 girls in front of her with muddied outfits of red, yellow, green, blue and purple respectively.

The red head sneered at her.

"As of this day, Aqua, I don't think I have. Pathetic." She grinned.

Hurt, Li An hugged herself while she retorted with a whine.

"I'm not...pathetic...and I have friends! Uhm..Ju Lan is my friend!"

The blonde of the group laughed shortly. "Ha! You're not? That's really rich, kid. In fact, you don't look rich at all. You look like someone who works in the slaughterhouse!"

"I don't work! I'm a student!" Li An said with tears in her eyes.

"Oh, really? What school do you go to?" The woman with wilted roses in her hair snorted. "The 'Academy For The Dumb Little Shits'?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if she did go there." The woman with forest green hair turned up her nose.

"You're probably an alumna, Mint."

There was a heavy pause before the Shadow in question glared right at Aqua, who had a shit-eating grin.

"What did you say...?"

"You heard me. You're an alumna of the Academy. Practically the top student." Aqua innocently bat her eyes.

"Oh, really? Top student? Riddle me this then, Miss 'I'm-So-Rich-I-Can-Say-Whatever-I-Want!" Mint spat. "How in the world can you say that this little shit," She briefly pointed at a shaking Li An. "Has no friends when your only friend is your goddamn sheet music!"

"You take that back immediately, Reading Rainbow." Aqua growled. "Had I friends, I would have shot myself a long time ago. Who needs them?!"

"Apparently you." Rouge mumbled. "They'd probably put you in your place once and for all. Just an ATM! That's what you are!"

Aqua took a good look at Rouge before growling. "You have some nerve, Rouge...!"

"And you know what? I'll use that nerve all I want." She approached Aqua with a seething expression. "It would be better than letting a Karen like you walk all over me!"

Aqua briefly stopped breathing.

"Please, stop that...!" Li An was about to burst into tears at the foul language, starting to back up until she hit the curtains. What she didn't know, was that in between the curtains and window, an artifact wobbled dangerously.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Before she could cry though, she blinked her tears back as she - and the other Shadows around her - stared or glared viciously at who was at the door. Li An kept her gaze on her while she steadied the object, the sound of beads steadying themselves in her ear.

It would be best not to break anything...

A woman with a muddied pink outfit stood with a threatening expression, her hands firmly into fists at her sides.

"I leave you all alone for ONE hour and this is what you do? Act like toddlers at a nursery?!"

"She started it, Dream." Rouge pointed at Li An, who raised her hands in confused defense. "You're free to blame her."

"Me?!" She frantically defended herself. "What did I do?!"

"Be pathetic." She said simply. "Why else would we all be here?"

The being known as Shadow Dream never put her gaze on Li An, though. It stayed on Rouge the entire time as she approached her, menacingly, glaring straight through her.

RYN...CQAN...

"If anyone here is pathetic, it is you, Shadow Rouge." She coldly sneered. "I can honestly leave you to rot. You are dismissed."

Rouge took a good, long look at Dream before starting to exit the bathroom.

"What a nightmare."

Shadow Lemonade yawned with a bored look before smirking at Li An, waving as she and the remaining Shadows - save for their leader - filed out as well.

"See you at dinner, Miss Waiter~..."

Li An was now staring at the woman in black and pink, whose shadowy expression stared at her dead on this time. Yet somehow, the malice in it seemed to relax just a tiny bit.

"Did they harm you?"

...

"N-No!" Li An shook her head frantically as she rambled. "Well, okay. Their words did hurt me bad, but I didn't get physically injured! The worst thing was being called a dumb...a dumb..."

"-Dumb Little Shit? Yeah. I heard." She said as she approached her. "You can say that word, you know. It's not going to kill you."

"But I don't like it." She pouted.

Dream raised an eyebrow. "Why? It's just one syllable. Shit. See? I said it, and i'm still breathing."

"That's just you, though...you..." Li An stumbled with her words before looking up at her in curiosity. "Who are you?"

Li An placed the mop in the bucket, and approached Dream as well, getting a better look at her reddened eyes.

"If you want the logical answer, Shadow Dream." She said confidently. "I'm the one who's supposed to be those bitches' babysitter. At least, Master says so. If you want my answer...

She stopped before closing her eyes.

"I'm not too sure."

However, at that proposition, Li An's eyes widened.

"Really? Me neither!"

"E-Eh?" Before the Shadow could react, Li An squealed as she shook her hand.

"You must have amnesia then! Where have you been in Ju Lan and I's lives?! Allow me to introduce myself, Madame Dream! I am Li An, and I have amnesia too! See, the doctors said that we hit our heads many years ago! And i'm sure I was 5 at the time! Or 4...or 3...I don't know. I don't remember." She said bluntly before smiling again. "I still have the scar, do you want to see?!" She beamed.

"Wha-? Uhm, no, I don't..." Dream stammered.

But she showed her anyway. The brunette moved her hair out the way to show a good sized faded gash across the top of her forehead. Dream physically winced at it.

"Kid...that's...oh wow, that's bad..."

"I know, right?!" The teen bounced up and down. "You have amnesia too, i'm sure of it, if you don't know who you are! Do you have a scar too~?"

Though she was still processing her outlandish exclamation and hideous scar on her head, Dream thought about it.

That would explain things...

Thus, Dream searched her own forehead. She moved pink hair strands to the side, gazing into the bathroom mirror before humming in confusion.

Nothing.

"I...no, I don't."

"Eeh?!" Li An whined in disappointment. "But it doesn't make sense! As far as I remember, aren't head injuries a common cause of amnesia? How then, don't you know who you are?"

Shadow Dream looked out the door with a light growl of suspicion. "That's what I intend to find out..."

At least this child here had reason. Dream herself couldn't begin to think of one. Neither could anyone else.

This child knew too much, she was sure. If Tenebris or the other Shadows found out about her "amnesia"...

Dream offered her hand to Li An emotionlessly. "Come."

"Eh? D-Dream, I need to serve dinner..."

"Those other Shadows amuck will definitely use you to their advantage at the table. Just stay with me."

Gulping a bit at her dark tone, the girl took the Shadow's hand. "Does this mean the others will call me...dumb little-"

"Yes, absolutely. Shadow Sunny is bound to call you even worse."

"Ah, shit."

Gasping, she clasped her mouth shut and Dream grinned in evil victory.

"Bloom. Egret. Give your evening reports."

A presence sneakily gazed over the throne room, overseeing Shadow Bloom and Egret standing in front of their Master.

"Certainly, Madam." The former spoke coldly. "As of right now, everyone is on schedule as discussed earlier this week."

"That's right." Egret said right after her with a firm nod. "Though we have received complaints. The Shadows are constantly bickering over what to do about the Princess of Hope. Fairies aren't so easy to break."

"And they certainly aren't." Tenebris scoffed. "You know how difficult it is to get the power from that Princess? Even when I destroy that so called 'Chosen Warrior' in her mind thousands of time, little fairy won't give up a fight. What gives?"

Bloom mumbled as she looked to the side. "Maybe if you stopped resetting her memory every time you do, she would notice something."

"What did you just say to me, you shriveled up seed?"

"I'm only telling the truth." She looked her dead in the eyes. "I see what you're going for with killing him in her dreams again and again, but the fact that you wipe her memory every single time is doing nothing."

"You dare question me again, and I will cut that sharp-ass tongue of yours out." Tenebris narrowed her eyes like a hawk.

"Are you sure? It might cut your fingers off when you do."

"You little...!"

"In other news," Egret interrupted. "How fares Black and White in their task?"

The Queen grit her teeth, trying not to get up from her throne and strangle Bloom. "Honestly, I have no damn clue. So far they're not back, and they had a night." She swore underneath her breath. "I shouldn't have sent that little intern with them..."

"Which one?"

"Ju Lan, of course, that midget." She said in a blunt voice. "She offered." She studied the two before smirking to herself. "Speaking of Burnt toast and White chalk, you two don't argue half as much as they do. Though, this in particular makes you a little more boring."

"What, you get a kick out of them cussing each other out?" Egret crossed her arms.

"You could say it's better for the universe that they do. Trust me, it's better that way." She smiled wickedly, waving her hand. "Away with you now."

Bloom, now taken a bit aback, spoke out of turn. "Wait, what do you mean 'better for the'-"

"Away. Don't make me say it again."

As the two Shadows reluctantly bowed and started to leave, the young presence watching let out a little noise of worry.

Better for the universe...?

Oooh! Who could that be? :0 Leave your guess in a review!

Also, what are your predictions for what could happen next? Let me know!

I hope you enjoyed this little break between movements~.

- Sweet