I hereby present to thee the sadder ending to the story. Probably the saddest thing I've ever written (even sadder than killing Kagura in 'The Battle of Thermopylae'). A real tearjerker, made me sad even while writing it.

Anyhow, I present what was originally going to be the ending.

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As quoted in the Mathematica Obscura:

"Thus closing the passage prematurely, by any means, leads to a dangerous tear in the fabric of the universal matrix that must be repaired only through the sacrifice of that who created it"
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They rushed from the room with the first few tremors. The ground heaved, making moving difficult. Although difficult for everyone, it seemed escpecially harsh on Chiyo. The poor girl couldn't seem to move steadily. As the others ran a few metres ahead, Sakaki stayed back to steady the girl as she tried to run, but even then Chiyo fell with nearly every step.

"Chiyo-chan! We have to run!", she shouted.

Sakaki managed to yank the smaller girl behind her. This was not the time to be worrying about if she was hurting her or not. The ceiling cracked and the girls were forced to dodge falling rock, wood and plaster. Sakaki noticed that up ahead Chiyo's father was escorting the other girls down the stairway and waiting at the top to make sure his little girl made it out alright.

The rumbles continued, Sakaki was struck in the small of her back by a large piece of falling stonework. The pain siezed her and caused her to tumble to her knees. In falling, she had released her grip on Chiyo's hand, it was none of her own fault; it was simply reflexes.

She saw as Chiyo's father rushed towards the girls.

That was when Chiyo began to scream.

"They want me! They need me!! They want me back!", her voice screetched louder than any of the rumbles of shaking earth or the falling of heavy masonry.

Sakaki turned, joining Chiyo's father in his mantra.

"Chiyo! CHIYO!"

They reached for her, stumbling, but she backed away from them holding her head and shutting her eyes tight as if protecting them from a sight far more sinister than anyone could imagine.

"AH! AH! They want me!". she screamed.

With a resounding 'crack' a large portion of the stone ceiling broke away, revealing the blue, cloudless sky above. The massive stone tumbled with amazing speed, crashing to the ground and covering Chiyo's entire form. Not a bit was left.

Chiyo's father screamed in terror and rushed to the rock, trying to pry it up yet no one on the face of the planet could ever hope to lift it. He wept bitterly, his tears staining the stone a deeper shade.

Sakaki simply tore the man to his feet as she heard the first cracks of the failing foundation.

"We have to leave or we are all going to die!", she reprimanded sternly.

Chiyo's father followed, his eyes glazed in disbelief.

Sakaki knew she would have time to cry later.

The two exited the door to see the other girls waiting beyond the courtyard wall. Upon reaching that position Sakaki and Mr. Mihama fell to their knees. He cried as Sakaki panted, catching her breath.

"Where's Chiyo-chan!?", Yomi asked in a panic, the sweat of terror visable on her skin.

All Sakaki needed to do was look into Yomi's eyes. The sadness exchanged between the two was evident. It seemed to spread to the others as well.

Each turned as a massive fissure opened below the foundation of the house. A small crowd had gathered to watch the Mihama compound fold in two, lengthwise, and dip into the vast pit in a stream of dust and debris.

As soon as the house passed from view, the rumbling stopped. The only sounds now were tears and sirens in the distance.

Sakaki took this moment to cry. The others followed suit. Even Tomo, the woman of no emotion besides happiness, broke down in tears. What was good to see though was how the group comforted one another amongst the rubble. Kaorin had knelt down to weep with Sakaki in a deep embrace that neither broke for quite a long time. Tomo and Yomi cried standing and leaning on one another for physical and moral support. Kagura and Osaka shared their tears with Mr. Mihama, who had obviously taken the loss the hardest.

Between sobs he repeated the girl's name.

"Chiyo..Chiyo..."

Upon one repetition he screamed the name and broke from Kagura's grip. He rushed to the edge of the pit and yelled into it, his voice heavily laden with grief.

"CHIYO! I'M COMING!"

Kagura had to bodily drag him back from the precipice where he once more broke down in tears.

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Each and every girl chose not to be around when the police dragged Chiyo-chan's body from the wreckage. Rumours abounded how terribly grief stricken the parents' were when they saw the cold, broken corpse of their once-bright daughter. Some even said that the body came up in pieces, that parts were crushed or missing. None of this mattered to the girls. They simply greived in their own personal manner.

Since school had been cancelled until further notice due to the quake, the girls had much time to spend together. And thus they did. No matter what distractions they tried or how cheerful they were at one moment, the next inevitably turned to discussion about Chiyo and what she meant to them.

"She cared about me...Like..", Yomi sniffled. "..when you all went to Magical Land..she was so concerned over my sickness..."

"She always cheered me up...no matter what mistakes I made.", Kagura expounded, her face flush with tears.

"Man..she was even nice to me after all I did to her. How can one person be so nice?", Tomo said, her eyes filling with tears which she blinked back to keep them from being obvious.

"She was mah best friend...", was all Osaka said, crying like no one had ever seen her cry.

"She remembered me every year when she went to her summer home. Even when I said I had camp...she would still call and see if I could go.", Kaorin sniffled, wishing she could lie her head on Sakaki's shoulder once more.

Sakaki stayed in silent grief. The death had hit her hard. She had realized that Chiyo stood out to her as something far more than just a friend. She was her little sister. Not by blood, but instead by soul. She bonded easily with Chiyo, the one person that fully understood the 'true Sakaki'. And appreciated her, no matter what she did. There was no breaking that bond, Sakaki had definately lost someone she loved.

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The Mihama family had found an apartment in a small complex very near the school Chiyo had once gone to. It brought tears of bitter grief, but it was all they could afford on a tight budget.

The girls had come to the decision five days after the 'incident' to visit the Mihama family in their new homestead. They walked together, not wanting to seperate due to an irrational fear of losing another member of the group.

Yomi knocked lightly upon the door to room 206.

A man in a suit answered, his eyes haggard but with a smile he invited them in.

"Please come inside.", Mr. Mihama said.

He escorted the girls to the small living room where they managed to fit themselves on the couch. Mr. and Mrs. Mihama sat across from them, ragged smiles plastered on their faces.

Yomi was the first to speak after minutes of strained silence.

"We just want you to know...that this is as painful for us as it is for you. I'm sorry.", she bowed her head.

Mr. Mihama shook his head.

"No, it's not."

The girls stood agape.

"What?", Tomo said.

"Even though I'm sure it's tough for you girls, you lost a friend, we lost a daughter. It's not quite the same.", he responded.

"Hey, now wait just a minute!", Tomo argued.

"Enough...", Yomi said halfheartedly.

"Chiyo was an awesome friend! She was like family. She brightened my day and I would damn well hate to see what high school would have been like for me if she wasn't around. She kept me sane.", Tomo said.

Yomi was aghast at Tomo being honest and 'making sense'.

"Yes, Chiyo was more than just a simple 'friend'. She meant more to each of us than you could possibly imagine.", Yomi explained.

"She always remembered me, no matter what! She was the first person to ever see me as important!", Kaorin said with watery eyes.

Mr. and Mrs. Mihama simply sat in awe and let the girls talk.

"She inspired me to be a better person! To do something with myself.", Kagura said.

At that moment Osaka broke into tears and seemed to switch to an Osaka that no one had really ever seen.

"I loved her...I really loved her.", she continued to repeat.

Sakaki also took the oppertunity to explain her true feelings.

"She was my sister. I took care of her as my sister and she did the same for me. She saw me as myself and not as some creature to be gawked at..."

Whether Kaorin ignored or did not hear the last part, no one will ever know, but she did not make any retort then or ever.

The Mihama's joined the girls by their sides with comforting embraces.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.", Mr. Mihama repeated.

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Life for everyone eventually moved on. Chiyo, although not forgotten, was accepted as not being amongst the living any longer. Humanity presses through past many tough times and everyone handles grief in a different manner. Chiyo-chan will be remembered fondly by those whom she showed love.

In reality though, Chiyo is not dead as we know it. The universe punishes those whom 'play god'. By opening the rift between worlds, as accidental as it may seem, the universe is not merciful. So, to this day Chiyo's spirit wanders within the endless abyss between worlds. Possibly someday to be seen by another illicit traveller.

Chiyo Mihama

Died prematurely at the age of twelve October 15 in the earthquake that shook all of Japan.

She will be missed by her friends and family. She was a sweet girl, liked by many. Gifted with intelligence at her young age she entered high school and was in her second year when she was taken from this Earth. Her friends describe her as a loving girl with a lust for knowledge and helping others. She one day hoped to be a social worker, to help as many people as she could. She will be missed.

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...And that's why I don't write obituaries.