CHAPTER 5

So unmistakable was the man that I did not think before I spoke.

"You!" I said, a finger outstretched in his direction, failing to realize until after I had spoken that he did not yet know who I was. It would be difficult to tell him now in his spooked state; I remembered in that second that all of my guests so far were given orders to steer clear of suspecting people.

"Uh-oh!" he mumbled, but before he could taste sweet escape from what appeared to be a stealthy fan, he halted with an apprehension that made me wonder. Then I saw it: his bicycle lay in the grass nearest me, and he'd have to run my way to get it.

Opportunity!

"No, wait!" he shouted as I reached his bike before he did.

"Will do."

"Really? You're not going to chase me with it or anything?"

"Why would I, when you're clearly not going anywhere without it?"

"Well, it's happened." He lowered his steely eyes and pressed his lips together, recalling a not-so-distant memory with distaste while strands of his snow-white hair lifted up to meet the breeze. As I walked the bike back to him and offered him the handlebars, his features went blank – literally.

"You're just gonna let me go?"

"It doesn't matter in the end, because I think your destination and my house are one and the same."

With surprise, he examined me closely for the first time. "Your name wouldn't happen to be Alyssa, would it?"

My face acquired a flush of pink, partly because of the excitement of meeting him, and partly because of the embarrassment of confusing Hatsuharu Sohma for someone else from behind. "That would be me."

"Huh, that's comforting," he said, placing a hand on his stomach after both of us witnessed it growl. "I've been looking for you since yesterday morning. How did you find me out here?"

While explaining to him that I took a walk to get away from the empty house, the tale began to sound increasingly foreign to my own ears. Usually, I took walks to get away from people or to clear my mind, but this time, I wanted to be with Kyo, Ayame and Satoshi on a level I didn't comprehend. This feeling of concern to the point of restlessness was entirely new to me. At least now, my evening wouldn't be spent alone.

Haru had spent two days searching for me on orders from someone neither of us knew, but wanted to know – on the walk home, he informed me that his creator, like Ayame's, was the man named Dave. When he uttered the name, more frustration rose within me. I concluded that I had to put that matter behind me, since there wasn't much I could do for the time being but to introduce Hatsuharu to the real world.

"Here we are," Hannah spoke sharply, waking Kyo and Ayame out of their near-sleepwalking states. Ever since the ceremony, Kyo had barely spoken, being overwhelmed by thoughts of freedom. On the other hand, Ayame had chatted himself silly, wearing out his voice and subsequently, to Kyo's relief, choosing to let it rest. The serenity of summer dusk had accompanied them as they walked to my house, and they had arrived under a still darker sky. Careful to follow Dave's commands, they shed their cloaks and mentally prepared themselves for the act they would need to perform from that moment on.

"So what are you gonna do now?" Kyo asked Hannah before taking the front walk to the house.

"I'll see you later on," she answered. "For now, I'll be going back to the office. Be careful. Dave seems to be up to something."

Her cloaked fanned out as she spun around to walk the other way.

"This is absolutely amazing, don't you think, Kyon-kyon?"

"Hey! What'd I sa-"

"Though tough on the outside, Hannah's got a heart of gold, I think! Oh, the mystery is killing me! What ever shall the context of our next meeting with her be, I wonder? But worse yet, our princess has been without us for the whole day! Rush onward, Kyo, and save her!"

By this time, Kyo was at the front door with a finger jammed in the ear closest to Ayame while his free hand knocked on the wood. The next time he met Dave, he'd give him a not-so-nice punch to the face for bringing Ayame to life, if that is what truly happened. The man annoyed him to no end.

Mid-knock, the door opened, and Kyo jumped in surprise. "Hatsuharu?"

Ayame leaned on Kyo's shoulder and poked his head around him. "We have a newcomer? Life just keeps getting better!"

Hatsuharu, decked out in various dangling necklaces and a tank top, stood to the side to allow them in with a very monotone greeting: "Hello."

"H-hey, fancy meeting you here." Kyo, eyebrows twitching, fought the urge to make a sarcastic remark and noted mentally that one more injury needed to be dealt to Dave. He helped himself into the house, kicked off his shoes and grabbed himself some water, while Ayame skipped to the nearest mirror to smooth his hair back into beautiful, twisted perfection.

The escalating noise of footsteps could be heard.

"Haru, who is it?" I asked before rounding the corner. The sight that awaited me brought a tremendous flood of relief. "Ayame! Kyo! You're back!"

Kyo gave a quick wave while he was still gulping down water; however, swiftly kneeling to the floor, Ayame had already secured my attention by taking my hand and gazing up at me with glittering, watery eyes. "Do forgive me for deserting you! I'm a horrible person…on the inside, that is, because the outside is flawless, but you get my point, don't you?"

Before Ayame could continue on about anything too stupid, Kyo put down his glass and interjected. "Did Satoshi magically transform into Haru or what? Where is he?"

Ayame stood up, scanned the house, and praised Kyo for his good question. All attention on me now, I replied frankly that Satoshi had left hours ago, and that he hadn't said when he would return. The feather in my pocket suddenly seemed heavy, and I fingered it nervously. "Which brings me to this: who was that lady? Where did you go? What happened?"

Their eyes wandered to the floor. "We really can't say."

"How-ever," Ayame winked and attached his hand to my shoulder, "everything will be alright! I shall make up for this incident! I have a project I want to work on, yes, a project, and it's going to involve you and a tape measure and beautiful lace and curved lines and things!"

Ayame snatched my wrist and stampeded with me down the hall, never to be seen for the rest of the evening. When Kyo tried to imagine what he might have been planning, he shivered. "I would thank him for switching the subject, but he's…he's…"

"A mystery," Hatsuharu whispered.

"Not a mystery, a pervert," Kyo retorted. "Did you hear about what he did this morning?"

"I don't think so," Haru said as he traced a circle on the wall with his finger, sifting through all the information he acquired over recent hours. "But I can easily guess."

"Tonight, we're camping out in the basement and takin' him with us. The stairs are creaky – there's no freakin' way he can escape without us hearing."

"But what if he transforms in the cold and slithers up the stairs?"

Kyo paused a moment before answering. "No worries. It won't happen." Then, he let out a huge yawn. "I think I'll go get some rest. You should, too. You look exhausted."

"Yeah, walking around for two days in this heat really kills."

He put the pieces together: "Hold on a sec, you've been here as long as I have? You got lost again, didn't you?"

Haru bluntly nodded.

"Idiot. You really haven't changed since back then, huh?"

Dave shut off his computer, turned off the lamp beside it, and sauntered over to one of the windows in his office. Night was creeping through the city streets, and the moon was becoming quite pronounced. Equally as pronounced was his grin: everything was going his way, and he couldn't contain himself. He had ordered Hannah to escort Kyo and Ayame home so that he could relax alone. Lena wasn't butting in to any of his business so far, and as long as she was good, he was good – and now he couldn't wait for the show to begin.

To his dismay, it would be difficult to watch the action without someone reporting it back to him. To allow Lena the freedom to tell him these things also meant giving her the freedom to demand things from him – limit him – so he'd go by way of his assistant, sending her to Alyssa's house to stay. It would get her off his hands, something he'd wanted to do ever since they were created. He couldn't make any rash decisions if he was to manipulate everybody just right, but he was confident in his reasoning. He leaned his shoulder against the wall to the side of the window, gazing at an angle to the moon, mentally giving himself a pat on the back for his own work.

Luring him out of his moment, a winged silhouette appeared in front of the moon, increasing in size, and after a short time it flew directly above his window.

Alarmed, Dave shut the blinds and backed into his chair – it was certainly not a bird. Which one was he?

He waited patiently in the darkness, looking toward the office door for some sign that somebody was coming up the stairs. Nothing but his own breathing could be heard.

Jolting the silence was a tired, raspy laugh. "Haha! So it was you, Master! What a surprise!"

Dave quickly flicked his lamp on and swiveled around speedily to find Krad propped up against the same spot that he himself had been leaning on before.

"How did you know I was here?" he asked, keeping a calm composure.

"I was out flying and caught sight of two familiar people leaving this building…a building I had already sensed a certain magic in."

Krad's appearance astonished him: his wings were ruffled and dirty, his shoulders were stained with blood, his hair was hanging all over his face, and his voice was weary when it came out between steadying gasps for air. Seeing him in such a state, Dave rose up to stand in front of him without any fear of his powers. "What happened?"

"Oh, just a small bout between Master Satoshi and I." He coughed, resumed. "After making him unconscious once in a day, it is very difficult to repeat. His willpower is both astonishing and physically detrimental."

"Hmmm?" Dave's curiosity was aroused. "Feuding with each other again, are you? What have you to fight over when the Niwa family doesn't exist?"

"Exactly that," Krad answered. "They don't, and through any means necessary, I will not allow them to – one member in particular."

"Your thoughts are remarkably similar to the ones I experienced just this morning." He walked around a bit with his hands behind his back, keeping his gaze on the battered angel, thinking deeply through another idea. "What do you say we team up on the effort?"

A wry smile formed on Krad's dry lips. "Just like old times?"

But a sinister smile formed on Dave's. "Yes, my servant. We face our enemy yet again, and he won't win this time."

A faint chuckle followed these words.

Dave raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"It's not that simple. Tell me, 'Dave': who is Lena? What do you know about her, and will she get in our way?"

"Getting serious now, are you? I must say, I'm not surprised that you already know her name." Dave rapped on the screen of his computer. "I can't tell you much about her other than how foolish she is. She created a boulder too big for her to lift, so to speak. I control her now, through this."

"I need to know why we're here and why Dark isn't, if we're to cooperate on this. I take it she created you, too? Who is to say she does not possess the power to stop us?"

"I am." Dave looked deep into Krad's eyes with absolute amusement, an amusement far beyond the matter of Lena. "She hasn't intervened in anything I've done so far."

"Is that so?" Krad gripped his shoulders and winced. "Then I shall let things be, for now. It would be in my best interest to allow Satoshi some rest." He turned for the window and held a feather up to it, suppressing his own anticipation with his best effort. "Rest assured that a plan will be put into action…tonight."

With much struggle, he flew away, leaving Dave alone again in his office to think to himself. He has a plan, as well? My, my, which of us will come out on top?

Landing without a sound, Krad helped himself into my house, taking extra care not to wake anybody up. Step after painful step, he found my room and entered. The feather he had given me was sitting on my dresser, amidst several pins, strips of tissue paper and measuring devices laid out by Ayame.

He reached his hand toward the feather at a distance, spanning his fingers out, activating it. A golden glow ensued, and then its magic floated across the room to where I was peacefully sleeping.

Good night, miss. Enjoy your rest.

This pain…searing pain…

Satoshi came to consciousness with a most unpleasant sensation. On the couch, he opened his eyelids languidly, taking into account all the soreness in his body. His neck felt stiff. His arms burned. There was a perpetual sting in his back, and he didn't dare to move his shoulders. His head throbbed. Krad had gone all out to keep him unconscious, and he could only reason that it was because something unfortunate had begun.

Aside from all of the negative sensations, there was one that stood out. It wasn't pain or burning, but agreeable warmth. Looking to observe what it was, and grimacing at the pain that ensued, he discovered that there was a person pressed up against him.

"Alyssa?" his voice came out weak and shaky. Considering that it was early in the morning – deep red-orange rays colored the ceiling of the living room – he decided against waking her up. For her own sake, he thought about moving her back into her own room, if he could. He was too tired to make sense of it.

Ignoring the pain as best he could, he willed his arms to lift her over a little ways – when he did, however, a surge of pain flowed through his shoulders, and something completely unexpected happened: a cloud of smoke appeared, and then Satoshi was no longer Satoshi.

Kyo woke up naturally early and spent his time stretching and training in the space of the basement. Hatsuharu was still passed out on the floor in a tangle of blankets and wouldn't wake up for a while; Ayame would remain in his cushy land of nod for even longer. At least they didn't snore. It was easy for Kyo to pretend that they weren't there and focus on himself.

Thoughtlessly performing rhythmic stretches, he utilized the blessed silence to think through some things. He wouldn't transform into a cat anymore, thanks to Mr. Creepy Smile and Ms. Whatserface, nor would he have to safeguard his special bracelet. The ceremony had really worked, as Hannah had proven to him, so now he could seriously consider confronting Alyssa about Tohru. If she couldn't do anything about it, he'd go to the roof and wait until he saw the first star or until the voice of that weird lady sounded again. His determination grew stronger: something told him that Dave wouldn't, or couldn't, honor his request, and he probably didn't have much time. In light of this, he couldn't help thinking that life could be fun if he didn't have to worry about it suddenly ending.

His ears, still possessing their catlike sensitivity, picked up a soft whisper from upstairs. Alyssa was the only one up there, so maybe she was awake. Erasing his doubt was a larger sound that followed the whisper, but he couldn't identify what it was. After he cooled down, he wandered up to investigate. The sooner he could put his plan into action, the better.

I woke up when my face slammed down into a couch cushion. Dazed, I inspected my surroundings and found only a crumpled blanket beneath me. It looked like I fell asleep on the couch, even though I clearly remembered falling asleep in my own bed. Life already showed the signs of being as odd as it had been the previous two days. Was that smoke in the living room, too? Rubbing my eyes open and finding the air clear again, I reasoned that it must have been my imagination.

To the side of my head, a small lump underneath the blanket wriggled. I froze and examined it apprehensively, looking for signs that would tell me what it was. With extremely cautious movements, I lifted the edge of the blanket back. A small white kitten with sparkling yellow-green eyes looked back at me. I didn't know where the kitten came from, who it belonged to, how it got in my house or why I was almost on top of it, but there it was, and it was adorable.

"Hello there," I said aloud, carefully stroking its head, trying to pass the situation off as normal. The kitten trembled slightly.

Satoshi! Krad's thoughts boomed, What in the world is going on?

I don't understand! Satoshi thought. I have fur! A tail! Paws! And I'm being petted! What did you do, Krad?

I did nothing. Nothing!

That's hard to believe! I don't recall being part cat in our past life!

The quivering stopped when he realized that my gentle stroking had eased some of his pain, and a purr erupted against his will.

I sat back onto my heels, bringing the kitten with me and placing it on my lap; I noted that its eyes bore uncanny resemblance to Ayame's. I continued to talk to it and stroke it, letting all of my questions get lost in its fluffiness.

I think I get it now, Satoshi thought. I've acquired some kind of Sohma curse, it seems. I heard that they transform when they become weak. The bad part is, they transform back when they feel better. I can't do that to her!

With clumsy movements, it pounced back underneath the blanket. As I lay back down to see the seemingly playful animal underneath it, I saw something that looked like denim, and then something white clouded my vision.

Satoshi abruptly appeared underneath me, so close that our noses were touching. I didn't know what to think, what to say, what to do. Those icy eyes reminded me of the previous afternoon, and before I had the chance to identify what I was feeling and correct it, my heart thumped ruthlessly. Nothing made sense. Creaks in the basement stairs made the matter worse – my mind filled up with so many thoughts and worries that it was the same as being blank.

"Hey, Alyssa, are you up?" said Kyo, about to turn into the hallway until he saw the scene in the living room.

He was mortified. Alyssa and...Satoshi? Suddenly, he was staring at what he expected the least and feared the most, and it happened so fast, too! They were obviously all over each other before, because they were freaking out now that he was present, and from what he could see, Satoshi even bore a few bruises here and there. Since when was Satoshi back home, anyway? Thinking quickly, he remembered that he heard the sound of furtive footsteps in the middle of the night but was too sleepy to care. So they spent the whole night together, did they? Here he was finally going to begin the quest for Tohru, only to find that the chances of seeing her again were even slimmer than ever. Some faith Alyssa had in Dark! She was just like any other girl. It looked like he'd have to make his move on his own, and fast, too.

My eyes followed Kyo as he stormed out the back door and hopped effortlessly onto the roof. The only choice I had was to solve one issue at a time until this awkward mess cleared up.

"Satoshi?" I asked, backing my head up and quickly removing my hands from his bare shoulders. "You're…back."

"Somehow. My apologies," he said, remaining still. I noticed the bruising on his shoulders and how one side of his forehead was deeply cut.

"What happened to you?"

"A demon is what happened. What about you? Why were you…?" As I tried to process the implication, he glanced at the couch and back up again. "You slept here last night. I tried moving you, but I transformed into…well, you saw. I have no explanations for that."

I blinked repeatedly, finding it necessary to remind myself that I was indeed awake. Why did I do that? I asked myself, searching for the answer. A thought too distant to be put into words surfaced, but nothing else, because I felt a minor headache coming on.

"I don't know. I fell asleep in my own bed, and I woke up here. But you – you're hurt! Are you injured anywhere else?"

"My back…" he muttered. Helping him to sit up, I walked around to examine his back. Dried blood stuck to his skin around two long scars over his shoulder blades where his wings would've sprouted. "Krad must've flown for hours yesterday to beat me up this bad. He was really pushing it – we share all the same injuries. Something was this important to him. He didn't do anything to you, did he?"

My headache worsened at the sound of Krad's name. "No, I'm fine. I guess I'll go get Hatsuharu to come help out with your injuries, because I have an angry kitty to talk to." I started to walk across the living room.

"Hatsuharu? Who's he?"

"A relation of Kyo and Ayame's whom I found yesterday while searching for you."

When I left for the basement, Krad's laughter flooded Satoshi's mind. You know something, Satoshi thought. Tell me what it is.

That odd incident worked to our favor. Did you happen to see the look on her face this time? It was convincing enough to cause a commotion with Kyo.

I did, and I don't understand it.

Even if the reason is not clear, think of the result, Master Satoshi. You could claim this life for yourself and rise above her petty emotions.

Satoshi closed his eyes and sighed.

So that's how you truly feel? Krad asked. You side with Dark on the basis that he can end my life? Wrong answer. You must have poor memory – I said that there was something I would do if you refused to side with me, and I've already begun to do it.

In the process of waking Hatsuharu up in the basement, I brought my hand up to my head in the hopes of relieving a sudden, incessant pounding. Thankfully, it died down within a few minutes, but it never fully went away.

No, Satoshi thought. No. Please, don't do whatever it is you're doing! Don't torture her with magic!

Too late.

Satoshi's eyes popped open and widened with immeasurable worry.

"So this is the guy who went missing yesterday?" Hatsuharu asked sleepily as he stepped down into the living room.

I followed him with various first-aid supplies. "Yes. If you don't mind, I need your help getting him patched up." I could have done it on my own, but I wasn't feeling too well. It wasn't often that I experienced headaches for no apparent reason.

"It's not a problem."

We got to work on Satoshi's back. To take his focus off of the pain, he started up conversation: "So, Hatsuharu, do you transform into an animal like the other two?"

"Yeah. When we're done here, maybe I can show you."

I received a mischievous look from Hatsuharu, but I was in the middle of making the first connection of the day. "The other two," Satoshi had said. I remembered thinking that the kitten's eyes looked like Ayame's, and the fact that it was a kitten…It was as if Kyo and Ayame's zodiac spirits had combined onto Satoshi. The theory was too bizarre to believe.

"And we're done!" Haru later exclaimed, happy with the neat bandaging work he'd done.

He's pretty good, I thought.

"Thank you," Satoshi said, grateful to be able to sit up and stand with less pain. Hatsuharu motioned us to follow him, and he led us out to the back yard where the morning air had yet to obtain its full summer heat. Satoshi forced a small grin in response to my nervous laughter – we both knew what was coming.

"Now c'm'ere, you!"

With a tug of my arm, Hatsuharu drew me in for a hug. Kyo peeked over the edge of the roof with disgust when he heard us come out. They act like nothing happened, he thought as he watched me and Satoshi venture to pet the small ox that stood in a clearing of smoke.

"Hey, Haru," I whispered into his large ear, "Kyo should come join us. Look up - see that?"

Finding the object of note, he proceeded to yell at the tuft of orange hair that he saw on top of the house. "Hey, Kyo! Are you all rested up?"

"Sure am," he yelled back.

"Get the hell down here so we can finish our fight!"

He moved his head over the ledge. "Huh? You're a cow! I can't fight a cow!"

"Scaredy-cat!"

"I'm not scared, I'm smart, and you're stupid, you hear me?"

Uh-oh, I thought. Things have gotten personal. All I wanted was for Kyo to come down so that I could explain things.

The ox's eyes turned black with fury. "LOUD AND CLEAR! But there's one thing you need to learn, and that's that I'm not stupid!"

"Prove it, cow!"

"I can't until you –"

In the middle of his exclamation, Haru transformed back into a human, wearing nothing but his earrings and the one necklace that managed to fit around his temporary cow-neck. "Until you get down here!"

Kyo leapt down from the roof with a visible aura of fire. "Fine, I'll fight you, but put some clothes on, first!"

Hatsuharu scrambled for his clothes that were lying in the grass and dressed himself. "Ready now?"

"You bet!"

The first rounds of fists began to fly, followed by feet, knees, elbows, and assorted expletives.

Watching the display of strength with interest, Satoshi and I sat on the steps near the door. My head pounded again, and I drew my fingers up to my temples to help soothe the ache.

"Are you feeling alright?" Satoshi asked.

"Oh, it's nothing – it'll probably go away in a little bit."

He continued to look at me with concern, but decidedly turned his attention back to the fight. "If you say so."

An hour later, Hatsuharu collapsed onto the ground, and Kyo proudly proclaimed himself the victor right before he himself collapsed.

"Good fight," Kyo heaved.

"Kudos," Hatsuharu sighed and wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

"Have some water," I offered, kneeling down and holding out two large glasses filled to the rim to each of them. Hatsuharu gladly accepted, but I received a cold glare from Kyo. Because he looked too fatigued to escape me, I simply began to speak my mind.

"All I have to say, Kyo, is that it wasn't what you thought. I don't understand what happened either. Krad injured him yesterday while they were out, and he returned to find that he could transform into a cat. Neither of us knows why. I thought the cat was cute, so I held it close, but then he transformed back, and that's what you saw." I guessed that his anger was aimed at me looking pathetic and weak for talking so much about Dark and then suddenly changing my mind. "You can count on the fact that I'll hold out for Dark."

Though Hatsuharu fell into a pit of bewilderment, Kyo's face lit up with understanding. That's where my animal spirit went? he thought. I'm sorry, Satoshi. I didn't know that it would… "So there's nothing going on between you two?"

"Nothing at all!"

"So you've settled your intense drama?" Haru asked, even though he obviously didn't get it.

"Yeah, I guess." Pink lines appeared on Kyo's face when he stood up. "Sorry."

"Kyo? Apologizing? What has this world done to him?" Hatsuharu pondered, and we laughed when Kyo snapped back at him.

Satoshi was reminded of Krad's plans when I blatantly professed my hope for Dark, and when he looked at my smile, he could only wonder how long it would last.

Stirring carefree and relaxed, Ayame pushed the blankets that covered him aside and stretched upward. "Kyon-kyooon, good morning…?" he greeted, but the room yielded no response. He stood up to investigate the two piles of blankets on the floor and did not find anyone. Looking to the clock, he learned that it was already the afternoon. Oops, I slept in! Hahaha! I think I may have stayed up too late planning out Alyssa's present!

Filled with excitement, he zoomed up the stairs, skipped through the kitchen, spun into the hallway and then seized his paper of measurements from my room. I need to go buy the fabric!

He zoomed around the whole house, searching for me. Alas, everyone was outside acquainting themselves with one another over lemonade. Shoving the patio door aside, he announced his presence and afterward brought forth his demands.

"Alyssa, I need to go out and find a fabric store so that I can finish your thing!"

Overcoming the stunned feeling that came around when Ayame strutted through the door without warning, I figured that he wouldn't take no for an answer. "Ok, go put your hair up in a feminine way and find some make-up in one of the bathrooms. Report back to me and I'll tell you if I can recognize you."

He dashed back inside the house without further ado.

"Come to think of it," Satoshi said, "I wouldn't mind going into town myself. I'd like to paint something, but I lack the supplies."

I was all for the idea of getting to see a painting of Satoshi's, so a quick disguise of sunglasses and one of Kyo's hooded jackets was put together. Ayame passed the "woman" test with flying colors, so soon enough, the three of us made our way to town and found the things we were looking for. The whole way home, Ayame kept his purchases hidden from me, which made me fear his project more than words could say.

Later on in the day, when Ayame had been holed up with his sewing project for a few hours already and I had finished explaining several things to a curious Haru, Satoshi ventured to the garage to find a ladder. The sunset was stunning, and he realized that it was the scene he wanted to paint, but the forest surrounding the house partially blocked his view, so he decided to climb up to the roof. An old metal ladder with rusty rungs was all that he could find, but it proved sturdy enough to get him safely to the top.

Kyo was spread out on the shingles, enjoying the weather, until he heard the clamor of the ladder and the sound of Satoshi's new leather-bound package of art supplies hitting the rooftop.

Satoshi got everything organized and then spoke up: "Kyo, I want to ask you something."

"What is it?" he responded lazily.

"What really went on yesterday?"

Reasoning that Alyssa wouldn't be able to hear from inside the house, Kyo gave him the answer. "I met Dave."

"As I predicted." Satoshi brought out his canvas and readied some brushes and tubes of paint. "Who was the girl that led you to him?"

"She told us to call her Hannah."

"Not Lena?"

"Who's that?"

"The name of our creator."

"Then she really wasn't Lena, because Dave ordered her around like a dog."

Beginning the first strokes of the painting, Satoshi asked what else had happened.

"That's what I've been meaning to tell you about, Satoshi. Dave granted each of us one request, and we both asked him to get rid of our animal spirits. It looks to me like he sent them to you somehow."

Satoshi lowered his hand from the canvas and creased his eyebrows. "So that's what that was. Why, I wonder? What is there to gain from this but twisted joy?"

"Well, he looked like a twisted kinda guy, and now we know that he is."

"What did he look like?"

Kyo pointed to the top of the ladder. I had found it propped up against the house, so I climbed to the top. "Hey, guys." Whatever expressions they wore before had melted into neutrality. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything, but I've never seen my roof before."

"Not at all," Satoshi said. "By the way, I'm really starting to feel better now." He resumed dipping his brush in numerous pigments of reds and oranges and pinks, blending them with professional skill.

"May I watch you?" I gingerly worked my way across the slanted surface and sat beside the artist at work. Kyo watched from afar.

"Sure, I don't mind."

As I watched each individual stroke slide across the canvas, I lifted my head periodically to compare his work to the sky. Each time I did, however, my head throbbed more and more. It had been fine all afternoon until now.

An abrupt, merciless throb and I momentarily blacked out.

"Alyssa?" Kyo asked when my head drooped forward. Satoshi glanced over to find me falling head-first down the roof.

"Alyssa!"

The frantic shouts alerted me to a blurred view of the earth coming ever closer.