CHAPTER 4

The thing called for me, didn't it? It wasn't fair for it to disappear on me like that! It was supposed to reside in the shadows that I had just made my way through, and I wouldn't be able to find it now, because I couldn't go back. This place was empty, and shadows were impossible.

I looked back to find the soldiers missing, while brilliant barrenness took their place. At the sight, my heart's rhythm sped up. How could I be lost?

Light was before me, behind me, around me, light so sickeningly clean and painfully vivid. This world was not just bathed in light, it was made of light, and I wanted to retreat as fast as I could, or else that lonely being would be as far from me as I was from sanity here.

Startling me, a patch of darkness intruded upon the flawless scene. I was going to get out of this prison... Running as fast as I could, I took off for the shadow, but – however much I willed to reach it – the distance never shortened. Struggling now with an overwhelming sinking feeling and a sense of limited movement, I willed my legs to go even faster, but I was still getting nowhere. Where did that shadow go? Was it even there to begin with? If it wasn't, why was I running so hard for nothing?

"Relax," a soothing voice whispered into my ear, no sooner than my little shadow of hope had disappeared. "Whatever was plaguing you, it's over now. I've got you."

I turned my head, and found it. I finally found him. Or, rather, he found me.

"It's you?" I asked, taking in the sensation of his steady breathing, his hair tickling my face. His jet-black wings shielded us both from the storm of light and became all the evidence I needed. "It is. You finally came."

"I've been with you the whole time," he said with a tilt of his fine face, and somehow, his hair remained in perfect, gravity-defying order. "Though if you meant here" – his hands secured their grip on my shoulders, and he brought his head in closer while keeping a peculiar distance – "I didn't keep you waiting too long, did I?"

"No, not at all." I turned to face him, noticing just how much space he kept between us. I walked a step closer, but then he walked a step back. "Why do you…?"

He was silent, as if he had realized something he didn't want me to know.

Consciousness faded in as I became aware of the brightness of my room, but I was still in the state where dream was meshed with reality. Dark had come. He was looking at me so warmly that I couldn't understand why he backed away.

I spoke aloud unconsciously. "Please, don't go…don't do this to me…come closer…!"

"Oh? My pleasure," his calm voice said.

Now his arms were around me...
His arms were actually around me? Dark was…here?

More awake now, I forced my eyes open and felt for my side. The image of the dream gave way to my real surroundings, and my senses returned. There was, indeed, an arm there that wasn't mine, attempting to caress me. This alerted me to full mental clarity: someone was there, in my bed.

Lastly, logic and common sense took over my subconscious: What am I supposed to do?

Before I could panic, the memories of the previous day played through my head, and all of my thoughts and expectations surfaced from the blank slate of sleep. I went completely still. Were those real memories, or part of a dream like the one I just came out of? They were so beyond possible that I questioned my sanity. Whether anime characters really came to my house yesterday, I couldn't yet be sure. Not until I rolled over.

"I have a job for you to do," Dave Irata said with a facial expression his female assistant couldn't quite interpret. Here in this place, she was only under the guise of being his assistant; the man actually had life-and-death authority over her, being more her lord than her employer. He had a penchant for odd, twisted expressions, and the one he wore now was a cross between annoyance, evil, triumph, and hesitation. She could only imagine what he was going to ask her to do.

"What is it?" she responded when her mental guesswork proved fruitless.

"I've been given permission from Lena to ask you to do this."

This caused her to ignore his expression and listen intently. When Dave saw how serious she became, he felt a thrill of victory go through him. Cheap lies go far, he thought, I even have power over Lena herself. She didn't know what she was doing when she created me. This plan is entirely mine, and there's almost nothing she can do about it until Alyssa wishes me dead.

"You're to go out to her residence, and bring back her Furuba guests. Then…" He handed his assistant a small object. "You have a ceremony to perform."

"Ceremony?" the girl turned the object over in her hands, feeling a twinge of nostalgia and guilt. "And what if more Furuba guests arrive?"

"We'll only need the two currently in existence. Trust Lena…and trust me. This will be beneficial to everyone. Grab your cloak, now, and go on. And keep Lena's words in mind - we can't go giving away our identities yet, so keep your mouth shut as much as possible."

The girl liked his expression even less, but she obeyed.

My life in this world will be secured, thought Irata as he moved leisurely to turn off his computer. Mere child's play.

"Kyo," Satoshi muttered with his eyes still closed, disrupting the absolute stillness of the living room.

Kyo started visibly. "What the hell, you scared me!"

"I didn't wake you up, so how can that be?"

"I was hoping you died!" Kyo took a defensive stance where he was previously stretching and pointed furiously at Satoshi. "You ruined my happy moment, you!"

"So sorry to disappoint." Satoshi stretched his arm back over his head to the side table for his glasses, and pushed them on with a hint of a smile.

"IT'S BECAUSE OF –"

"Shhhh," Satoshi held a finger to his lips, and gestured toward the hallway.

"Oh. Right. She's still sleeping." Kyo sat down and gave Satoshi a long, hard look, letting his anger subside. "What did you want?"

Messy strands of ice-blue hair fell in Satoshi's face when he sat up. "I was thinking that, when Miss Alyssa awakens, we should go say good morning. She'll be questioning the events of yesterday, so we should prove that we're actually here before she has time to enter a panic."

"I guess you're right." Cat ears materialized on Kyo's head and twitched in tired boredom. "But it's too early in the morning for caring. Are you always thinking ahead like that?"

"It's how I am. If I can't wake up without a busy mind, I'd like to make sure that she can."

"Think about food or something!"

"I have already mentally reviewed the inventory of the kitchen and have planned out every possible combination of foods that could be deemed both palatable and culturally acceptable for the time of day. Unfortunately, I lack the skill necessary to prepare them all. When I wasn't in the mood to taste the consequences of my own cooking, I ordered take-out." His glasses gleamed brightly in the sunlight.

The hair on Kyo's head was on end by the time Satoshi had finished speaking. "No kidding. Don't cook anything. Please."

"Can you cook?"

"I…could cook a few things, but I left cooking mostly up to the…er, my…a friend, who lived where I did."

He relaxed onto the couch opposite the teenage prodigy, and his thoughts wandered to memories of Tohru making breakfast every morning. She'd be smiling her usual stupid smile, failing to realize that Shigure's compliments were suggestive or that the dang rat was plotting another creative way to use her food as a weapon against the pervert. But every day the food would just get better and better. She even made leeks taste good.

Kyo wanted to see that stupid smile of hers again, here, in the real world. Fact was, she'd get along great with Alyssa. Why, the two of them could probably cook up awesome food and serve it with stupid carefree smiles together. What mattered was that the chance to see Tohru was at hand, and as long as it was, he'd do anything to keep from revisiting the death that awaited him with Dark's arrival. How to tell Alyssa? She'd have to be the one to wish for Tohru, and she wasn't going to wish for anyone else until Thief-Boy came along and doomed them all.

Even so, Kyo would go to all lengths to prevent anyone from winning Alyssa's heart until he got to see Tohru one more time.

A worrisome observation made by Satoshi snapped him back to the present.

"By the way, did you notice that Ayame is missing?"

Seconds later, a terrible shriek pierced through the house.

"There he is," the two muttered as they dashed through the hallway to my room as fast as their feet would take them.

"Ayame! Get off me! Why didn't you transform?" I hopped out of bed with such speed that I amazed even myself.

"I wasn't actually hugging you, that's why! Genius, right?"

"Get out of my bed!"

Ayame sat up and placed the back of his hand on his forehead, as if feeling faint. "My dear, how your bold words stab my fragile heart! Was it not you, my delicate flower, who asked me to come hold you? It was a challenging request, but I did the best that I could!"

My mind blanked for an instant. "I was still dreaming. My words were aimed at –"

Before I could finish, Kyo had stormed past me and thrown Ayame out of the room with a force that could have knocked the snake right out of him. I noticed that Satoshi was right inside the doorway, cocking his head.

"I don't know why!" I protested in reply to the implication of his gesture, feeling dazed by the sudden mayhem.

Fire itself looked at me from beneath untidy orange hair and deeply creased eyebrows. "You don't know? It took you until just now to realize that a pervert was in your bed? He was probably there all night! What's wrong with you, you idiot? Is there something going on that we need to know about?"

Without my knowing, and without each other's knowledge, Satoshi and Kyo were extremely concerned: it appeared to them that Ayame, too, was trying to achieve the very thing they were aiming to prevent.

I fell to my bed with nothing more to say, the combination of disappointment, confusion, and joy shutting my mouth up tight. Dark was only a part of a dream, and Ayame made this morning awkward beyond words, but I got to wake up to a shouting cat and a charming genius like I wanted to in the end.

When Kyo had stewed in his anger long enough, Satoshi set a hand on his shoulder, guardedly. "Wait for an explanation before you shout at our hostess next time."

"Then what happened, huh?"

Ayame crawled in the door with bandages all over and put on a pitiful display. "It got so cold last night! I had to get warm somehow, what with my cold-blooded fingers getting numb!"

Is this because I turned up the air conditioning last night? I thought.

"Yeah right!" Kyo scoffed.

"No, really, they're so cold that they could fall off at any minute! Feel my skin!"

"No way!"

"But Kyonkichi!"

Ayame chased after Kyo, who withdrew his fists in fear of accidentally honoring the man's request. Soon enough, they were gone out of the room.

"So much for a 'good morning'," Satoshi said, walking further into the room. His tiny, riddling smile broke out as I abruptly fell into a laughing fit.

"You're all still here, and that makes this so much better than just a good morning."

"Is that so?"

I looked down at my feet. "Yeah. I was beginning to think that yesterday was too good to be true, and that I'd find you all gone today. I'm glad, Satoshi!"

"As am I. I was able to sleep last night for the very first time, and have never felt so alive." He gazed at his hands, moving them with appreciation, until they unexpectedly clenched into fists.

That little gift was only because you are so necessary to satisfying my own wishes right now, Krad told him at that moment. Tell me, when are you going to obey, dear Satoshi? Ayame's very first attempt failed, which leaves the mission to one of us. It's you or me, and I'm feeling gracious enough to let you decide.

Kyo sprinted for the solid front door, and as he opened it, he readied himself to dash forward and slam the door shut at the same time. His plan backfired, however, when he, mid-momentum, caught sight of a figure standing on the other side of it. Tripping through the threshold with surprise, Kyo ended up face-down on the steps with Ayame right behind him while the visitor scooted to the wayside.

The door shut behind them.

"Who the heck're you?" came the muffled voice of Kyo, who was miraculously unscathed.

He looked up to find a small figure in a black cloak, her face shaded by a hood. From what he could see, she was young and beautiful, but her voice was grave and serious.

"I have come to invite the two of you back to the quarters of your creator."

"Already?" Ayame asked in disbelief, "We get to see Dave so soon?"

"I don't know anything about any Dave!" Kyo protested.

"Then he'll just have to introduce himself. No worries. He won't keep you long, and he promises that you'll leave the meeting happier than you came. This is not optional for either of you."

Kyo arose to dust himself off, Ayame straightened his coat, and the girl handed each a cloak similar to her own.

By that time, I had heard their voices and made for the door with Satoshi to investigate.

"What's going on?" I tried pushing the door open, but it was somehow locked from the outside. After accepting that the door was indeed stuck, I scurried to the front window to catch a glimpse of the stranger on the front walk. The girl turned her face away before I could have a chance to see it.

"Come, we must go," she urged the men. Twisting her head to the side so that it remained concealed, she lifted her voice for me to hear through the window. "Do not follow us, Alyssa. They'll be back soon enough." She walked away at a brisk pace, causing her cloak to billow softly behind her.

Satoshi watched them leave. "There's something familiar about her," he mused. "Something I cannot quite place. Her voice, it was…"

Some underlying authority in her command was enough to make me resist the urge to knock the door down.

"Satoshi, was that…Lena?"

"So, lady, what gives? How do you know who we are?"

The girl scarcely turned her head in Kyo's direction. "I work for Dave – I'm his assistant. He's a busy man, so he sends me on his errands. He wants to see both of you."

"And for what purpose might this be?" Ayame asked with increasing excitement. Kyo, wondering how Ayame recovered from his injuries so quickly, waited for the answer as well.

The girl looked back and forth to make sure that no one was following them along the edge of the road where they walked. With quick, almost nervous movements, she motioned them closer, and her whisper sent a few strands of short hair out beyond the safety of her hood.

"He's giving each of you a wish."

Kyo looked to Ayame, bemused, and then back to the girl. "What kind of person is this guy?"

Her shoulders stiffened and she fell reticent.

"Look, can we at least know your name?"

No answer.

"Sheesh! Why won't you answer me? Sometimes I like to know things!"

Kyo stomped in front of her to block her path. She instantly halted and shied her face away from his determined fury; Ayame trotted ahead of Kyo so that he could watch all the action safely.

"Look, I can't say much," the girl said as calmly as she could, obviously hiding some sort of disappointment. "All I can let you know is that I'm like you. And if you must call me something, call me…Hannah. I can't let you know my real name."

She tilted her face upward to take on Kyo. "Get a move-on. Don't make me hug you."

He slid out of her way, and they resumed walking. It would take another fifteen minutes before they reached Dave's office, which was located in a complex beyond the hilly and forested land where Alyssa resided. Contrary to the country-like feel of the residential area, the central part of town was a modern and bustling place, with some well-known companies set up there.

Along the way, while striding along in silence at the edge of a glittering pond, the two Sohmas thought carefully about what Hannah told them. Ayame already knew what he wanted to ask for, but Kyo, on the other hand, was torn between several options.

Could he somehow wish for Dark to never show up? No, he thought; that would be taking away Alyssa's one and only wish. He remembered that he, Satoshi and Ayame were completely unrelated to it. Unwanted. How selfish and pointless would it be, then, to take Dark away from her so that he could live on without a purpose? He'd let Dark appear; he just wouldn't let the two of them get close. Placing that idea aside, Kyo settled on another option and thought it through.

When they had finally made it to the complex – after several reminders to cover up their faces from the public – they cautiously followed Hannah's petite frame through the front door of what appeared to be an insurance company. Their cloaked guide opened a door in the side wall to reveal a grayish staircase, which the three of them ascended. At the top was a plain wooden door with a small brass plaque that read "Dave Irata", which Ayame looked upon in distaste. It wasn't grand enough for a savior like Dave.

Hannah lifted her hand to knock, but right before she did, the door opened. Dave stood on the other side.

"Hello, there! Please, come in. I've been expecting you two."

He greeted the men with a kind smile and led them into the room, offering them each a chair, and taking a seat in his own behind his desk. He had the blinds completely retracted behind him, allowing the mid-morning light to brighten the mood of his office, and he wore a cheery tie that made Hannah seriously consider how he could have had such a change of heart in the amount of time she was gone.

She shut the door behind her and joined them, not knowing what Dave had planned.

"So tell me, Kyo, Ayame," he nodded to each as he said their names, "did my lovely assistant tell you anything about this little meeting?"

Ayame extended his hand across the desk with delight. "Why yes, yes she did! I must first say, Mr. Dave Irata, it's a pleasure to see you again! I owe you so much, and I think I know just what you'd like!"

Dave took his hand slowly, and his features lit up with amusement while Ayame rambled on.

"You see, I only make my one-of-a-kind specialty tea for a certain few people (who aren't alive at this moment, but does that matter?), and they are the few who are dearest to my heart! Because those slots need filling in this world as well (oh, how lonely I become when I cannot share my tea) I have officially given Miss Alyssa the first slot and you the second! That is my gift to you, for being the reviver of my life, my soul, my beauty! My tea! Oh, for Kyonkichi to comprehend the glory of this moment!"

Kyo could've sworn that he heard obnoxious, fast-paced music sound from somewhere while Ayame was speaking.

"I am so very, very honored with your gift," Dave said with a soft, smooth chuckle, retracting his hand and adjusting his collar. He turned to Kyo. "Is there anything you'd like to say before we get down to business? It's only fair."

Without a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Who are you?"

"Does it matter? I'm granting you two a freebie, and that's all you need to worry about."

"Yes, it does matter!" Kyo slammed his hand on the desk.

Dave's chin was rested atop his folded hands now, and his tone was stern. "I am the one who created you."

Kyo stared in disbelief. It was what Ayame and Hannah were saying, but what happened to the female voice he heard when he awoke for the first time? He didn't dare ask the man now; he'd tell Satoshi about it later.

"One wish. I'm not up to creating more people right now, so make it pertain to your own needs." Lena's going to kill me if I tamper that much with her authority right now.

Oh man, I can't wish for Tohru? Kyo thought. Come on! This is just perfect. Well, if I can't wish for her, I have another idea. I really don't want to be a cat like this if she ever does come. Considering how clumsy she is, it's unfair for her to have to deal with me transforming all the time. It's the only other thing I could possibly want.

Ayame reasoned again with himself to make absolutely certain that his decision would be worthwhile. Miss Alyssa is a most beautiful young maiden, and oh, how I want to capture her heart and live! Women cannot function without the touch of others, and I simply cannot be turning into a wretched snake when one Dark-less day she again requests my closer proximity! No! I vow to satisfy her deepest desires, to fulfill her unvoiced longings, with this wish!

"Take away my Zodiac spirit!" both Sohmas asked with such resolve that they failed to see how they both said the same thing.

Dave grinned, for he knew with reasonable certainty that this would be their request. "Very well."

He gestured for Hannah and had her hold out the item that he had given her earlier. It was a small glass cube that glistened in the streaming light.

"Look into it," he instructed the boys. "This will take a while, so make yourselves comfortable."

Hannah sat herself between the two, allowing them to gaze comfortably into the glass. The things Kyo and Ayame thought in relation to their wishes played audibly in their minds, and a glowing energy seeped from them into the cube. They felt freer, more relaxed, more tranquil by the minute, as they sleepily viewed the reflections of their animal spirits appearing gradually in the cube's nearest face.

The magic put them into a deep trance, and they wouldn't wake up for hours to come.

Later, after freshening up and allowing ourselves time to think, Satoshi and I, locked in the house, shared our ideas over a bite to eat. He took up a chair across from me at the table when the food was ready.

"This place feels really empty without the other two around," I commented with a note of worry. To be separated from any one of these irregular people caused me anxiety.

"That, it does." Satoshi leaned back casually, tea in hand. "Did I hear you right when they left – was it 'Lena' you said?"

"Yes, actually. I found out that it's the name of your creator." I sipped away at my own cup of tea.

He sat forward with curiosity, as this was news to him. "And how exactly did you discover that?"

"Via computer connection – she sent me a message hours before you and Kyo arrived, telling me to expect you. When you told me about your creator, I got curious, so I asked this person outright who she was."

"What proof do you have that she is who she claims?"

"She was able to tell me everything that happened yesterday."

"Interesting." Satoshi took a stab at his rice with chopsticks. "Ayame doesn't fit the trend, though. There's another person whom we don't know anything about."

I placed my hand on my chin and frowned. "If only I could find him."

"He could very well be the one that the cloaked girl was leading the others to. Who else would do this? Our only option, with the way the house is sealed up, is to question them when they return."

As Satoshi lowered his gaze thoughtfully, I looked at him warmly, admiring his will to settle the issue. Just the fact that he shared my curiosity eased my worries – being the incredibly talented chief commander of the police force in his world, I knew he'd figure something out – and I was able to think about how much I was enjoying this time alone with him. At first, I didn't think he'd be this easy to converse with. Our personalities were more similar than I imagined.

His eyes wandered to random points during his short moment of thought; I was surprised to find them suddenly looking into my own. The light was catching his in such a way that I fell unaware of my staring at them, and he, too, remained where he was.

"It looks like things are more complicated than you want them to be. I don't know why I'm alive, but…" he glanced sidelong, then back, "as long as I am, I want to help you."

What was this, and how did it happen so suddenly? He wasn't just looking at me anymore, but gazing so gently that I didn't want him to stop. The other side of his personality was showing through, much different from the aloof, mysterious type he usually was. His family history, his own past, and the one who lived within him were contributing factors to that, but he fought past them for the time being. All I could see was the true Satoshi.

"Stay still," I said, and stretched my hand across the table, causing him to draw back slightly. Touching the corner of his glasses, I asked "May I?", and, after receiving a tentative nod, slowly took them off of him to set them down. Again, I experienced a rush of warmth come to my face. I knew that he did not need them, and he looked so good without them…

"Thank you," I smiled. He might not have been the person I wished for in the beginning, but I was grateful for his presence.

My, my, that was so marvelously quick, Krad said to him, and Satoshi jerked his head to the side with a shiver of disgust.

When I saw him do this, I knew Krad was up to something, for he was the only one who could make Satoshi look so tormented. I felt sorry for his sake – when he miraculously gets to experience real life, he has to do it with Krad and his full powers around? Was I the one responsible for his pain? I didn't want this for him! If he was now going to help me, I wanted to make sure that I could someday return the favor.

It's nothing, Krad, so let it go, Satoshi retorted. I'm not the one she wants, and we both know it.

Oh, you'd be surprised at how fickle the heart of a girl can be. And anyhow, you don't have a choice. For now, because things are moving along in my favor, I'll let you in on a secret: there is a magic seal on the doors of this house that looks familiar. If you let me out, I will be able to open them and track down the source for you. You must understand that you are nothing without my power, Master Satoshi. You can only help the girl with my assistance. Let me out.

Satoshi paused. It would certainly help bring in some answers, like how magic was even cast on the house in the first place – but Krad was Krad. He refused him outright.

"What is it?" I asked, setting down my tea. This was more than Satoshi returning to his icy self; he looked genuinely distraught over something.

"Alyssa, Krad senses that magic is the force locking us in. Our visitor was that unwilling to let us follow her – she's definitely a special person, and could be related to either Lena or Dave. Krad is offering to track her down…but it means releasing him."

I didn't know what to say.

No time to think this over, Krad said, his voice audible from Satoshi. A glow filled the room, and the terror in Satoshi's countenance grew along with it. He shot up from his chair and stood back near the patio door, pressing his hand to one eye.

"Don't come out!" he yelled above the rising volume of the surrounding magical energy. Various papers and dust swirled about in the air.

"Too late." Krad's voice emerged from Satoshi's body, signifying that the transformation had begun.

The last thing Satoshi could be heard saying was "Don't hurt her!"

The tall, angelic being was again in my presence, with his huge white wings folded at his sides. His aura gave me chills all over again.

"We meet again, miss. What a pleasure."

He folded his gloved hands behind his back and turned to examine the door. "Oh, poor Satoshi. I accidentally knocked him out. He's so weak…but do not worry, he shall recover in due time."

Upon hearing this, a protest rose in my throat but never found its way out. I didn't dare to put up a fight with someone so powerful. All I could manage to say was, "What have you found?"

"Hmm, I recognize this magic. It is similar to my own. A simple barrier has been put up, just strong enough to keep you inside."

He pulled a single feather from his gold-edged sleeve and applied it to the door. I inched closer and watched with interest as a white sphere engulfed the handle and caused the door to open. The magic didn't send off a red "impossible" flag in my head. I was beginning to grow accustomed to the impossible.

Certainly, Krad thought with no one to overhear, this magic belongs to him. Why, of all people, is he alive? Heh, I do believe I must pay him a visit; it has been such a long time. Then we shall fight for the same cause once again.

One of his feet stepped through the opening, but he soon pulled it back inside.

"Come to think of it, I have a little time, so how about I stay and chat? It would be cruel to leave you here all alone."

I hesitated. "We can always chat after you've found the cloaked girl…"

"Ah, Miss Alyssa, there is no need for you feel so uncomfortable." He took three leisurely steps in my direction with a crooked smirk on his face, and I made every effort to read his movements so as to avoid any danger. I forced myself to look relaxed, and aimed to avoid his hypnotizing eyes.

He quietly laughed when he noticed me looking at his wings again. "Mesmerized, are you?"

One of them extended out halfway to lightly brush my cheek, and I stiffened up. However, it was so amazingly soft that I eventually reached out to stroke it.

"Wow," I said, in awe of the wing's size, even though it wasn't fully outstretched. "I've always wondered what wings like yours would feel like."

"Hmhmhm, how glad I am to be of service to you." Krad extended it completely, venturing to curve it around my shoulders. I tensed up again, and he grew to be thoroughly amused by this. "Are you sure about this?" his already-smooth voice softened even further. "Do you really want me to go?"

"What do you mean?"

The monstrous wing around me, with unexpected strength, pulled me close to him as he lightly tucked a hand under my jaw. "Will you be alright without me? All alone, in the same solitude you endured before me? I say 'me', for I have a bigger part in your happiness than you think. Do you know that at any moment, should I will it, I can kill anyone I choose – apart from Satoshi, whom I still have complete control over? The existences of your new friends, or rather, the answer to your problems, depend on my mood."

His grip tightened, and his serpent-like gaze froze me like cornered prey.

"I shall leave you to think about this," he relaxed his hand, "but in the meantime, I have something for you."

He pulled one of his special feathers out of his sleeve and offered it to me. I didn't know what to do. To refuse it felt rude, but I could just imagine Satoshi yelling at me to refrain from taking it, especially after what Krad had just said. I quickly found out that I had no choice when Krad's hands pried mine open and placed the feather into it.

"Consider it a gift. And do not fear, my dear master," his silky voice had a hint of playfulness to it, "for what good are these feathers when I am not wielding them, hm?"

I nodded, and turned the feather over in my hands. It had such a perfect shape and softness, quite unlike anything I'd ever held before. Before long, Krad had vanished out the door and took off into the sky. I watched as the glistening angel lifted high enough to appear as a bird, and then I could no longer see him. It was a relief to see him go, but at the same time, I became uneasy when it sunk in that I was completely alone. What could I do now?

Lena wasn't online.

That was funny… In the past when I had tried to contact her, she popped up the moment that her name ran through my mind. Well, it ran through my head about ten times, and she was nowhere to be found.

I hiked up the stairs with deliberate languor, knowing that I would probably have a while longer to wait before being able to see everyone again. I had already waited for several hours. There was no way of knowing when to expect their return. They could come back in a few more hours, or a few days, or not at all….

Please, don't let it come to that!

When I arrived on the main floor, I shuffled my feet over to the front window in the living room, imagining the three walking along the road with the late afternoon sky behind them. Maybe they were already on their way? There was nothing for me to do in the house, so I thought that I would take a walk to town to meet up with them if they were.

So, slipping on some comfortable shoes, I opened the front door and set out along the paved sidewalk. I followed it leisurely, taking in the summer air, looking around at the forests and the darkening shapes on the horizon. The heat had died down a little bit from its prior rage, and the sun took on a deeper tone of gold. A sunset would be visible in about an hour.

I couldn't remember exactly when I stopped taking in the scenery and got lost in my thoughts. Without warning, the image of Satoshi came to mind. What was he thinking about before, when he looked at me like that? Absorbed in that thought, I no longer paid attention to how each crack in the sidewalk dragged by, or how delightful the mild wind was, or how a smile was creeping onto my face.

Something felt wrong, though. My heart thudded in recognition of its betrayal – Why are you thinking of Satoshi like this? What's wrong with you? I thought, and replaced the image of Satoshi with Dark's face. That's more like it. I must hold out for him! Lena's real, and one of these days she'll grant my wish. Just hold on. He'll be alive soon!

I strolled along, now preoccupied with the thought of Dark, until I came to a little pond partially surrounded by dense woods; it reflected golden light that drew me to its edge a short ways off of the path. It had been a while since I really stopped to look at it, and I had forgotten just how beautiful it was. With a seemingly infinite amount of time to kill, I sat down by its edge.

Nearby movement caught my eye, and I turned my head to see a person kneeling at the pond's edge, splashing his face with water. It struck me as odd – was the water clean enough for that? I knelt down and secretively scooped up a handful to find it quite pristine. I watched him carefully from my vantage point as he stood up, facing away from me. That was when I noted the unusual apparel he was wearing: a black trench coat, giving a shine characteristic of leather, decorated with various straps and belts and a stand-up collar that hid most of the back of his head. I was made immediately suspicious of the man. After pulling black gloves onto his hands, he laced his fingers together and stretched them skyward.

"Agh, how come I can't find her house?" he said. "This search is taking forever!"

The water I scooped up spilled noisily out of my hands and startled him. He tilted his face over his shoulder and spotted me with eyes far too large to be human.

It's you?