CHAPTER 7

This can't be it!

Mio suddenly lost her balance and fell to the forest floor. She observed with horror that her legs were not only becoming transparent, but were gradually disappearing altogether from the bottom up. Even so, she struggled to get a better view of Alyssa and Krad in the clearing, wincing as twigs and pine needles dug into her bare knees. Maybe she couldn't physically stop him, but she also refused to welcome her death with open arms. The only option left was to watch them hopefully, waiting for an opening, as her life disappeared with the last of the day's light.

Several of Krad's white feathers shot from his hands to the ground in the shape of a circle, glowing intensely upon impact. Within this circular region, he pinned the girl down with her arms straight out to her sides and stretched his wings upwards, amassing energy, chanting something Mio couldn't quite catch. A brutally heavy pressure abruptly weighed down on everything in that clearing, including her. The earth protested with violent convulsions. It had begun.

With a grunt of effort, he brought his wings down with immense force, creating a minor shockwave that Mio had to shield herself from with her invisible arms. At that moment, the entire circle emitted a soft golden light that illuminated the two figures; as it grew blindingly bright and swallowed them up, the girl arched her head backwards with a rising cry of agony. Little specks of red danced within the light, growing in numbers.

Mio lowered her gaze, allowing a tear that had welled up to trickle down her face. If Krad's power is uncomfortably painful even at this distance…she shuddered at the thought of what Alyssa was experiencing right then. Why did it have to happen this way? This was all needless, the game of a sinister angel who wasn't ever a part of the agenda. His magic was a terrifying thing, and even more terrifying was the fact that it was only going to get worse – yet somehow, that bone-chilling cry morphed into a laughing fit of pure ecstasy that demanded more. To Krad's ears, it was the theme song of paradise.

Mio's legs had vanished all the way up to the middle of her thighs by then. In order to retain her view, she battled the magic's pressure and dragged herself out of the forest with her arms; surely, they'd be so absorbed in the macabre ritual that they wouldn't notice her. There had to be something she could do.

So bright…Satoshi thought as he came to consciousness. Small batches of memories came to him here and there until he finally processed the scene ahead of him through Krad's eyes. All at once, everything hit him and began to make sense. To believe he didn't catch it the moment it started…

One of the things he learned on the force back in his own realm was to not let emotion cloud his judgment. He had failed this time: he thoroughly suppressed the thought of Krad ever being heartless enough to do something so inconceivable on his watch, and so he never took the proper precautions. Nevertheless, it was playing out right before his eyes – the girl who had so innocently wished to a star one night, who had smiled for him and welcomed him so warmly, was being dealt blow after merciless blow. As he so feared, Krad's intent was to kill her as soon as his goal was completed. Furthermore, with his twisted magic flowing through her, it'd be effortless.

In other words, she was as good as dead already.

A wave of anxiety washed over him, threatening to consume him, but then he remembered something important. What about the pact? he thought, recalling the resolve of the Sohmas. You can't give up. Fight. As long as she's still alive, as long as you're still alive…

KRAD!

Shouting at the top of his lungs, he rattled Krad's mind with all the volume he could muster. The action outside never stopped; Krad didn't even flinch. Excellent. There was a way, after all. That demon was so caught up in this decisive moment, enjoying it to such a great extent that he had let his guard down.

Satoshi pressed his fingers into the floor of the mental "room" that he occupied within Krad and began to draw a complex pattern. Even knowing that a whole new world of hurt was about to open up, he finished it with extraordinary efficiency and stumbled to the middle without second thought. Immediately, a band of light reached up to restrict his right arm by lacerating it all the way around. His heart raced. Would he make it in time?

He watched through Krad's eyes as another storm of light, so sickeningly clean and painfully vivid, tore through her. Unbeknownst to Krad, his own energized euphoria only served to strengthen Satoshi's restraints.

Come on. Come on!

More bands cut into Satoshi until, at last, one of them looped around his neck.

Krad's movements ceased. "What is this?" he shrieked hysterically, shuddering, choking a little bit. With his focus interrupted now, he became aware of sharp sensations all over his body. Those, he could care less about – but he couldn't breathe, and this was not good. He was so close!

Hang in there, Satoshi thought to himself, bombarded with so many sensations of pain that he couldn't feel anything anymore. It's working. We'll both be dead soon.

What's going on? Mio wondered when the pressure lessened and the pillar of light gave way to darkness. Allowing her eyes to adjust, she saw the dim form of Krad collapse on top of his victim and shakily try to rise up again. Two scarred arms, now released from his grip, wrapped around his neck and pulled him back down. How the girl could still move after all that, Mio didn't know.

At this point, Mio's torso was half missing and she was still disappearing.

You! Krad thought, gasping for air. How dare you try to stop me, Master Satoshi! Don't you get it? You and I, we are about to live!

Through sheer willpower, Krad commanded the strangling bands of light to be removed from his precious tamer. The sting persisted, but he could finally breathe again. Satoshi fought back with his own mental power: taking advantage of Krad's moment of weakness, he gained partial control of his arms and ordered the feathers in the ground to disintegrate, thereby deactivating the circle and preventing Krad from creating another.

Mio thought frantically about what to do. It dawned on her that Satoshi was working from within to stop Krad, and that he needed a boost. That's right! She inhaled sharply, feeling in her pocket for the glass cube that possessed a special power. This would mean the end of her, but if she didn't do it, it would mean the end for countless others. Taking the little cube in her hands, she awkwardly held it out toward Krad while she lay on her chest and focused her mind on what she needed to do. The cube absorbed her and shot her straight through Krad's head to Satoshi within.

She materialized in the mental room with a full body that was clothed in pure white.

Satoshi stared, wide-eyed. How did you…?

Please, let me help you, she winked at him with tears streaming freely down her face. The sight of him, covered in blood from head to toe from fighting so strongly to protect someone's life, it moved her. She had seen enough suffering in that short amount of time to last her a lifetime. It's the least I can do. You've been through so much. Plus, I totally think she's a keeper, don't you agree?

She smiled and knelt down beside Satoshi, shattering into a cloud of glitter that healed up his wounds as it fell around him. His strength was renewed, and a surge of energy pulsed through him.

Thank you.

Using this rush of strength, he took control of Krad's limbs, one by one. Krad's second mistake was expending so much energy without considering the possibility of disruption; his resistance wouldn't be as strong as it could be. Mustering up a huge amount of force, Satoshi overpowered Krad and forced him to transform.

How? Krad's voice faded into the background.

Satoshi fell to the grass in his own body, but he couldn't rest yet. He had to get up, to move despite the pain, and end this.

He was gone. My relief and my savior, he wasn't there anymore. Paradise, it left so suddenly. I needed it back. The blue-haired boy stole it from me. He was going to pay.

Thud…Thud…Thud…

"Give him back!" I whipped around fiercely and tried to shout the words, but they came out as a broken screech. It was all I could do. I wanted to grab him by the neck and demand he return Krad to me, but it sunk in that my damaged limbs could no longer move. My lungs took quick, shallow breaths that burned as if the air were made of fire. Something - no, everything - was broken. My mouth tasted like metal. Every cell in my body ignited with pain, and every beat of my heart felt like one gunshot after another. Krad was nowhere to be found. The pain was absolutely horrible, and only he could save me, but he was…he was…

"Alyssa!" Satoshi reached out to catch me as I passed out, and subsequently transformed into a little white kitten. He had forgotten all about that – now he was useless! Puddles of red pooled up around me, staining his fur; he had to retrieve the others as fast as he possibly could in order to save me.

When he dove into the forest, a tiny distant sparkle caught his eye. Turning to investigate, he found a small glass cube with a beautiful stone in the middle that still gave a faint glow. He knew exactly what it was: a Hikari artwork passed down through his ancestors.

This could only mean one thing.

However, he'd deal with that later. For now, he bent down to pick it up in his teeth and scurried back over to me, setting it beside my body. Mio was smart enough to keep a fraction of her life force in that cube: a cloud of glitter drifted from it and healed up all of my injuries. By laying down her life, she had saved the two of us from certain death, albeit temporarily.

Satoshi heaved a sigh of relief. She'd be safe now, sleeping peacefully in the forest. Krad's magic was still running through her veins, though; that feather in her room needed to be destroyed at once, and he had to find a way to take care of Krad permanently. Only then could everyone have peace of mind.

The kitten escaped into the woods to begin the long run home.

Dave stirred from his position on the floor of his office. Having disappeared from the waist down, he had toppled over to the carpet and, in anticipation of the end, had allowed his mind to fade to sleep. Shouldn't it be over by now?

What woke him up was returned sensation in his torso, legs and feet. By twitching and flexing all of those muscles and joints, he verified that they had indeed fully returned. He lifted his head up to take a look, and also found that they were visible again. However difficult it was to believe, something had stopped Krad.

Krad, that monster! They had a mutual agreement to work together on this! By default, it meant that plotting to win the girl's heart was out of the question. Granted that she was just a girl, he figured that he should probably avoid slaughtering everybody, too.

It was as simple as causing enough chaos to keep any one person from getting too close to her. Instead, he went ahead and tried to take the prize for himself! His fist met the floor with a soft thud. It is evident now that I cannot trust him. In that case, if he is now my enemy…I will kill him.

This was suddenly a more serious matter than playing games with little girls. He couldn't rely on using Mio anymore – the time had come for direct action, no matter what Lena decided to do to him for it. Without it, his death was guaranteed. Thankfully, he had prepared for this moment.

Dave shrugged out of his suit jacket and blindly flung it into a far corner. Loosening his tie along the way, he dashed out the door and leapt down the stairs two at a time. There was no way of knowing how much or how little time he had before he'd start disappearing again, so he had to find the girl, but not without care. It was equally important to locate Krad and devise a sturdy plan, should they cross paths.

When he slid into his sleek, black Lexus, he tugged his tie off and fumbled at the top button of his shirt to allow himself full range of movement; then, he unclipped his keys from his belt and dug around in his pants pocket for the one object he always kept on his person. It was the most valuable work of art he owned: a hand-crafted, intricately carved crystal pocket watch on a silver chain that was decorated with various precious stones. Within it was a small mirror that reacted to magic, and the multiple hands of the watch indicated not only the time, but the general direction of magic vessels and the exact locations of any magical works of art that had come into contact with it. Right then, it told him that there were three locations within a certain radius that housed magic vessels, and the one that held the most was in the direction of the girl's house, as expected. However, one of his magic objects was located in a forgotten forest a good distance away, and there was a magic vessel that had begun to move away from it. This stroked his curiosity, and he decided to scout that area first.

He started the car in motion and reached for his cell phone after he had left the parking lot. A voice picked up on the other end: "Hello-o?"

"Ayame, I presume? It's Dave."

Ayame gasped in surprise and double-checked the caller-ID on the home phone. The number was listed as private.

"Mr. Irata!" As soon as he said the name, Kyo and Hatsuharu huddled around him. "What a pleasure to speak to you again! Say, did it happen to you, too? I'm so glad that my precious legs are back, as well as m-"

"I don't have time for chit-chatting. Give it to her. The box."

"But I am afraid to say, my good sir, that she has gone missing."

He wasn't surprised. "Is that so?"

"Yes – in fact, Satoshi and Mio went missing along with her. We just got our bodies back a few minutes ago and were about to go out searching for them."

"I see. I'll leave you to that, then. If you ever do find her, make sure you give her the box. That is all. Farewell."

When he snapped his cell phone shut, he found himself having to slow to a stop at an intersection with a short line of cars ahead of him. He tapped his fingers on the wheel impatiently, sighed, and then sensed somebody in the car beside him looking his way. Dave observed that in the passenger seat of the vehicle was a pretty brunette woman, illuminated gently by the street lights – she was close to his age, around late-twenties, and giving him an interested look. Using the arm that was already hanging out of her open window, she waved at him playfully and then discreetly nudged her female friend in the driver's seat to take a look at him, too. That one raised her eyebrows and allowed her jaw to hang open a little bit.

Ah, I almost forgot, Dave mused, pushing his glasses up and facing straight forward again. He purposefully narrowed his eyes to make them appear more human. Your features are remarkably different from ordinary men in this world. Be careful. It could make for unwanted attention.

A flash of white in his peripheral vision caused him to look over again. The girl had written her phone number on a piece of paper and was holding it out to him, waiting for him to roll down his window and take it. The light was still red, so he did.

"Hey there, what's your name?" she inquired with a wink.

"Dave," he replied, glancing to the light and back.

She bit her lip excitedly when she heard his voice. "Well, Dave, my name is Sam, and –"

"And I'm Jessica!" her friend quickly called out from the driver's seat, causing the girls to giggle.

The light turned green, and the cars ahead of them inched forward. "And I would love to hook up sometime," the first one continued. She gestured with her hand for him to call her as he drove off, leaving them behind in their turn lane.

A light chuckle sounded throughout his car. I guess a few contacts can't hurt.

He continued on to his destination, passing through the town and finally finding himself on the empty roads of a heavily forested area. There, he switched on his brights and stepped on the gas. Consulting his pocket watch again after a few minutes, he followed it until he arrived as close to the most distant magic vessel as he could. He parked the car off to the side of the road and dodged through the trees, watch in hand.

Eventually, he stumbled upon a dark clearing that was devoid of almost any natural debris common to the rest of the woods. For some reason, large piles of twigs, leaves, pine needles, and even fresh branches were heaped around the very edges, making the area look as though a storm had passed through. In the middle of the clearing, moonlight blanketed a figure that lay on the ground as well as the spatters of dark liquid surrounding it.

"Alright, guys, let's go find her!" Kyo threw his fist up high and exited the house with the others into the night.

"Where do you suppose we start looking?" Ayame asked.

"Uhh..." He scratched his head with a nervous laugh. "Beats me."

"How about the three of us split up and meet here at a certain time, Kyonkichi?"

"Wouldja stop with the nicknames already?"

A large drop of sweat adorned Hatsuharu's head. "If we're splitting up, it should only be two ways, not three."

"Oh yeah. Cowboy here's gonna get lost again." It didn't take Kyo very long to decide upon whom Haru would tag along with. "How about you two search down that way, and I'll head up this way? We meet back here in two hours. Oh, n' make sure you don't get seen by anybody. Sound good?"

They both nodded and started on their way. Ayame and Kyo, though free from their animal spirits, still possessed the sensitive eyes of the snake and the cat respectively; as such, they were just fine navigating in the dark. Haru, however, was left entirely at the mercy of Ayame and the occasional street light.

Kyo ventured along the sidewalk that bordered the same forest my house did, keeping an eye out for any signs of my passing. Several minutes and a house or two later, he found the pond that I had met Haru at, now a smooth sheet of glass that reflected the quarter moon perfectly. He scanned the area thoroughly, but found nothing of interest, so he kept following the path. There were only trees along this particular stretch; he could afford running without missing very much.

It felt so good to run, to feel that familiar rush of warmth through the limbs that he had witnessed disappear from underneath him just a short while ago. Thinking about that scary brush with death, he took a moment to inhale deeply, feel the warm night air kiss his face as he ran, and appreciate being alive. His focus returned in full and he resumed searching as he went along.

After about ten minutes, he spotted some small animal running full speed in his direction. He swerved to the side, giving the animal space to run around him, but it swerved in the same manner and continued leaping his way.

What is that thing and what does it want with me? Kyo thought, slowing down and putting up his guard. The animal, now resembling a calico kitten, slowed also as it neared him. If Kyo's animal spirit was gone, why would cats still be following him around?

"Kyo," it choked, startling him. The kitten gasped for breath, looking ready to collapse at any moment. "Its…me. Sato…"

He bent down to pick it up. The animal, mostly white, had familiar snake-like eyes and an abnormally long tail. "Satoshi?"

"Give me…a minute…"

The little ball of fur curled up in one of his elbows, trembling and wheezing with exhaustion. Kyo realized that the spots of color were actually crusty splotches of brownish-red. "Hey, you're not hurt, are you?" he asked without expecting an immediate answer. While waiting for Satoshi to catch his breath, he decided to sit on the ground and catch his own while checking him for injuries. Fortunately, he seemed alright.

"I'm not hurt," the kitten finally squeaked. "That's Alyssa's, but she's…she's safe now, as long as you keep an eye on me. It was Krad's doing. And Mio is…gone."

Kyo was shocked. What in the world had happened?

Satoshi was weakening fast, and his voice lowered to a whisper. "Head home. Destroy the feather. I'm begging you."

"What feather?"

"It's…in her room…"

He fell silent and rested the full weight of his small head down on Kyo's arm.

He's out. I guess I'd better head home, then. Once he's feeling better, he'll be able to tell us where she is. Still, blood? I sure hope everything's alright.

Because Kyo would not run with Satoshi in such a fragile condition, the return trip took much more time. Despite this, the others still wouldn't be meeting up in front of the house for a while longer. When he walked in the door, he carefully set Satoshi down on a couch and then made for my room, where indeed there was a white feather; he obediently mutilated it by crushing it in his hands and bending it in all directions. Soon enough, it dissolved into thin air. Having nothing more to do while he waited for the appointed time to meet with Haru and Ayame again, he took Satoshi to a sink and cleaned off all of the blood, then returned him to the couch. As he covered the weak form with a blanket, he felt an ounce of pity – whatever had gone down, he wanted to make sure it never happened again.

Dave stepped over to the figure in the clearing. Supposedly, one of his artworks was in the immediate area, but he didn't see it. At this point, he didn't much care. Who was that person?

He bent down, touched some of the liquid, sniffed it, and shriveled his nose in disgust. Fearing that the person may not even be alive anymore, he pulled the body away from the pools of blood and rolled it over to feel the neck for a pulse. When he found one, strong and steady, he relaxed and paid more attention to the person's features. She matched up perfectly with the description Lena had given him of Alyssa.

So, Krad is responsible for all the damage, he thought, trying to imagine what had occurred in that clearing. How is she still alive? He gave a her quick once-over for the injuries responsible for that much blood, but soon found himself bewildered – she looked fine, at least on the outside. How could this be? That wasn't Krad's blood, was it?

When he moved his head in just the right way, he saw something sparkle on the ground in the spot where he had first found the girl. Alas, it was his little glass cube, the Purging Faces, that he had trouble locating before. He had given it to Mio as tool to cause mass chaos when he had sent her over, so she must have been present here somewhere along the line.

Kneeling upright, he flipped his cell phone open and dialed her number. When he held the phone up to his ear, an obnoxious pop song simultaneously filled the air. He followed the sound until he found her cell phone atop a pile of broken twigs and freshly disturbed dirt. Yes, she had once been here, but she was gone now.

Dave frowned and returned to Alyssa. I won't know what happened until she wakes up. As for now, she's coming with me.

He stuffed his cell phone, the pocket watch, and the Purging Faces into his pockets, and then picked the girl up. It would be a bit of a chore to squeeze through the trees while carrying her, but he knew he could manage.

"Alyssa," a voice called.

This time, I recognized it. "Is that you, Lena?"

I was in a room so black that I could not tell where the boundaries were, but I didn't care. I felt at ease, at home, well-rested, pain-free. By that point, I was so sick of light that I welcomed this darkness.

Right when I was about to move in search of her, she appeared. For the very first time, I got to see her face, which was the very definition of beautiful. Her lavender eyes shimmered softly; her skin was a cool shade of light chocolate, and looked smooth as silk; wavy tresses of silver hair fell gracefully about her petite face, which was smiling brightly. Her flowing, silver dress bared her shoulders and wrapped around her figure in a sophisticated way, even though she didn't seem much older than I was. As I stared, her bare feet carried her my way and she laid a kind hand on my face.

"H-how?" I stuttered.

"I have an excellent medium to work with right now, that's how. I thought I would take the opportunity to talk to you for a little bit, girl."

At last, the moment had come. "Where do I begin?"

The response began with a giggle. "Why not the beginning?"

So many questions swirled around in my mind that it was difficult to pick one. "Why are all these things happening to me?"

"I was so excited to have somebody wish to me, silly! Only a few of the stars out there contain spirits like me. My older, brighter sisters have received tons of wishes, but you were the first to find me. Not only that, but I saw ahead of time that you were going to wish for something so very unusual that I couldn't resist contacting you before you contacted me."

After seeing all the things that I had seen over the past few days, I didn't have any trouble believing her. "And why…why have all of these people come instead of Dark?"

She paused to gather her thoughts. "There are multiple reasons. Firstly, my father always taught me and my sisters that no matter how small or big a wish is, balance must be maintained. As an example, if a child wishes for a bunch of ice cream, somebody must be placed in the child's life who will nag him about brushing his teeth and exercising. In order to give you extraordinary happiness, I must give you extraordinary conflict. I do hope you understand this. Also, on a separate note, we spirits like to help you humans verify that you really want what you're wishing for."

I was completely fascinated by this. As she poured the answers out, I became thirsty for more and instantly blurted out another question. "And Dave? Who's he?"

"A little test subject of mine, whom you shall figure out in due time." She patted the top of my head and then shook her own. "I gave him a considerable amount of power on purpose."

"But he's threatening the others with it! It bothers me! I don't –"

A delicate finger landed on my lips. "Listen to yourself," she grinned. "Before this all started, you could've cared less about people. Now, you feel for them - you feel a genuine desire to help them."

It was true. When did that happen?

"So are you sure you want Dark and Dark only?" she asked with a serious tone.

My face lit up. "What do you mean? Of course I do!"

"Even if it meant trading the others in?"

I froze. Thoughts of Satoshi's eyes, Kyo's fits of fury, Ayame's boisterous laugh, Haru's gentle smile, and Mio's funny faces went through my head. Life wouldn't be complete without all of them. But Dark..

Lena winked. "Mhm, I see you're starting to figure it out." She backed up a couple steps and bowed her head. "It's time for me to go now. I have one last thing to say: stay strong!"

Silver light engulfed her and stole her away, leaving me alone in the blackness. I stretched my hand out toward the place where she once stood, thinking it was empty space, but my hand encountered something soft there. I couldn't see what it was, but it felt like feathers. They were all around me, and then two strong arms pulled me close, and my head was against his chest. I could hear his heart beating faster and faster.

"Even in a night so dark you can't see your own fingers," he whispered, "I will find you."

Unexpectedly, as Dave slipped around the last of the trees, the girl he was carrying tossed her arms around his neck and mumbled "thank you." He stopped moving temporarily – was she awake?

"Alyssa?" he whispered cautiously. Having her asleep made everything easier, so he didn't want to wake her up. Fortunately for him, she didn't respond.

He used the tip of his shoe to open a rear car door and then climbed in partially to ease her down into the back seat. Sweet satisfaction descended on him when he shut the door: with her in his possession, he wouldn't have to worry about dying anytime soon. It was a most excellent position to be in.

Once he started the car, he took another look at his pocket watch. All vessels of magic were located at Alyssa's house now, meaning he could return to his office safely, except for one little thing: it wouldn't be long before the others began to suspect him and came straight for it. There must be some place where he could go to be safe from Krad...

When he was close to solidifying a good plan of action, a very unmistakable voice began to speak in the car. "Dave – drop her off by the pond, and then return to your office immediately. We're going to make somebody else."

All of his plans would have to wait. Drat, she's using the Faces. "Lena? Do you want me to get myself killed by going back to my office?"

"You don't really have a choice, do you? Obey me or not, there's a chance you'll wind up dead either way."

He sighed in defeat and did as she ordered, kissing his new hope goodbye.

I woke up, finding myself on a soft carpet of grass next to a familiar, moonlit pond. What happened? What time was it? How did I end up here? And why was I covered in blood?

I didn't feel any severe pain that would explain the amount of blood all over me, but I did feel minor pain in the form of extremely sore muscles. My legs gave out when I attempted to stand up, and I tumbled back down to the grass, light-headed. I had never before experienced anything quite like it, and it became evident that getting home would be a bit difficult in this condition.

But just how did I end up here? I ran through my recent memories, and aside from meeting Lena, all I could remember was something about the sunset and something about Krad. That's right, he had tried to join me on my walk, but I did distinctly remember him walking away. I couldn't remember anything after that. The answer to my question would have to wait.

It was useless – after three tries, I couldn't get up. The weather was lovely, though, so maybe sleeping outside wouldn't be that bad. It seemed to be my only option.

"Alyssa? Need some help?"

My eyes popped open to find somebody leaning over me; after straining them in the dark to see who it was, they welled up with joy. The person happily tugged me to my feet and offered me a shoulder to lean on while we headed home.

Kyo's sensitive ears detected voices outside. It was about the time that Haru and Ayame would be returning, so he left his perch by Satoshi's side and waited in front of the house. As predicted, two shadowy outlines appeared in the distance. They seemed a bit too short to be the other Sohmas, though. Thinking that they could be just normal people out for a late-night walk, Kyo stealthily retreated to the shadows and waited for them to come closer to the street light.

So they weren't his fellow Sohmas, after all. They were girls, and one was helping the other to walk.

Hold it. One of them looked like Alyssa.

But the other one didn't look like Mio. Actually, she looked a lot like…

He found himself sprinting so fast that he defied the very fabric of time and space.

"What is that?" she questioned when a blurred figure started running toward us with alarming speed. I had a pretty good guess. Just a few feet away from where we stood, he slowed to a halt and fell victim to a flurry of pink lines.

"Tohru, it's…"

"Kyo? Is it really…?"

They looked at each other silently, beaming with joy, until Tohru said "I can't believe it!"

Kyo couldn't believe it, either. For the first time, he smiled a huge smile – then he turned to me and bowed deeply in the Japanese way to offer up his gratitude. With his eyes on the ground, he noticed a drop or two of something dark red splatter on sidewalk and followed them to their source. It dawned on him that my shirt wasn't at all red earlier on that day, and he gasped deeply.

"Are you two all right? What happened?"

Tohru flexed her free arm. "I'm just fine! I found her only a few minutes ago."

"Again, thank you so much," I told her, and then answered Kyo's question. "I don't even know what happened. But relax, I'm not hurt, I'm only a little sore!"

"Whudda ya mean you don't know?" His hair stood on end as he pointed at my clothes. "How can you not know where all that blood came from?"

"I seriously don't know! My only guess is that Krad tried to do something…he's the last person I remember seeing."

Kyo ran his fingers thoughtfully through his hair, smoothing it back down. "Yeah, that must've been it. Satoshi's been resting in the house, and he looks pretty beat up."

Tohru twisted her head back and forth between me and Kyo with a question mark above her head. "Satoshi? Krad?"

"Forget about it." He shook his head as if to empty it of negative thoughts. "I'm just glad you're both alright. Shall we?"

We were walking up the front walk to the house when his hair rose on end again. A clamorous call echoed from the distance: "Kyonkichi! Any luck?"

"Keep walking," he hissed under his breath.

"But Kyo, that sounded like –"

But he had already shoved us through the front door and plastered himself against the inside to keep it shut. Tohru and I covered our mouths and attempted to stifle our laughter when Ayame firmly demanded entry from the other side, only to be met with equally firm denial.

"So Aya is here, too?" she asked in-between lively shouts.

"Yes, and Hatsuharu, as well."

"Wow! I imagine there's never a dull moment around here."

"You've got that right…"

Ayame and Haru finally stormed through the door, flattening Kyo like a pancake. They flew straight toward us and catapulted forth questions of concern, but they were soon as glad as Kyo to hear that we were doing fine.

Ayame then took off for the stairs and paused before descending. "Alyssa, get plenty of rest so that you feel great when you receive your presents tomorrow! I shall be in the basement, furiously working away at two 'things', now that Tohru is here!"

Kyo shivered uncontrollably. "Just what are these 'things'?"

"Wait and see, Kyon-kyon! You'll love them!"

And then he was gone.

Feeling increasingly exhausted, I put an even greater burden on Tohru, who was still trying to keep me standing. "Yes, you should get some rest," she said. "Here, I'll help you get cleaned up."

Kyo released a yawn, and then remembered Satoshi who was still passed out on the couch. He had told Kyo to keep an eye on him for Alyssa's safety, and if her injuries were the result of Krad, it made perfect sense. He would not take the mission lightly. After explaining the details surrounding Satoshi's words to Haru, Kyo discussed his plan, and they both agreed to take shifts watching over and caring for Satoshi through the night. It was imperative that he return to full strength, and they would do whatever they could to help.

"Aww, he's so cute!"

Tohru waltzed into the living room to where Kyo and Haru were and crouched beside the transformed Satoshi.

Haru decided to have a little fun. "What do you think he looks like?"

She brought her finger to her lips while thinking, and then a lightbulb above her head blinked on. "A kitten!"

Kyo planted his face in his palm, and Haru continued speaking with a sweat-drop moving down the side of his face. "Yes, and?"

"He looks…a little bit like Kyo when he's transformed."

"Mhm, that's correct."

Tohru tilted her head. "Which means...?"

"It means," two arms wrapped around Tohru's waist, "that I can hug you all I want."

She turned bright red; Haru leaned his head toward one shoulder, admiring the sweet moment. "A mystery, huh? Y'know, I'm sorta jealous."

"K-K-Kyo, you're not transforming?"

"Nope. My curse – as well as Ayame's – went to Satoshi, here. All because of a stupid guy named Dave. Do you know him?"

The two moved to sit on the couch together as Tohru gave her response. "Why yes! He brought me here. He's not very talkative, but I'd say he's pretty nice!"

Confusion spread across Kyo's features. Satoshi and I, are we the only ones to have spoken with Lena? Does she even exist anymore? I'm starting to doubt it.

"So he told you about our temporary condition, then?"

She nodded gravely. "What do we do?"

"It starts with helping him," he pointed toward Satoshi, and then briefly explained Krad and how he may have been responsible for Alyssa's current state.

Tohru gently stroked the kitten's head, feeling endless sadness for him. I can't begin to understand how hard that must be, but I want to do whatever I can to help! "For now, all we can do is let them rest. I really look forward to meeting him in the morning!"

There's that stupid smile, Kyo thought. Man, I've missed it.

"Well," Tohru got up after a minute, "I'm off to bed. I'll be sleeping in Alyssa's room, just in case she needs anything during the night. Goodnight, Kyo, Haru!"

"Yeah, see you in the morning," Haru said.

Kyo didn't want to let her go with the same old answer. He got up, grabbed her wrist, and tugged her close for a good-night kiss.

"Should I leave those two alone?" joked Haru, but they weren't listening.

As Kyo watched Tohru retreat with mindless bliss from the living room, he started to feel a little guilty. Why did that wish for Tohru come true before the wish for Dark did - why am I allowed to be happy before Alyssa is? And why does she have to suffer so much on our behalf when she didn't even want us to begin with? It doesn't seem very fair.

Lena – if that is really your name – you're messed up.

"Ok, lover-boy, get some sleep. I'll watch Satoshi till about three, and then I'll wake you up. Hey, you listening?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm listening."

"And guess what, I finished it!"

Satoshi heard Ayame's loud declarations, as well as assorted clanking noises, and was relieved to wake up to an ordinary morning. He was back in his human form, and feeling much better. Inspecting some unusual sensations, he found that somebody had taken the time to patch him up and put some ice on his back. Moving was still painful, though, but it was nothing new.

When he sat up, he met the brilliant eyes of a brown-haired girl in the next room who then organized a tray of things and happily sprung to his side.

"Good morning, Satoshi! I made you breakfast so you can get strong right away!"

Satoshi rubbed his eyes. "Risa?"

She blinked. "No, my name is Tohru Honda. Do I look like somebody you know?"

He chuckled softly to himself. "You really do. Do you come from the land of Furuba, as well?"

Kyo marched in, wiping away his sick-of-Ayame face. "Yup, she's with me. So, how are you feeling?"

"As good as I'm ever going to feel, I suppose." Sudden panic struck him. "He didn't…he didn't come out when I was asleep, did he?"

"Nope," Kyo said in unison with Haru, who was standing in the kitchen with a mouthful of food.

All Satoshi did was sigh gratefully, because even talking was exhausting. The scenery around him had begun to swirl and his head felt hot; he struggled to steady himself. Krad had brought him dangerously close to his breaking point, and he was certainly now feeling the effects.

"Here, eat something," Tohru said while placing the delicious-smelling tray of freshly cooked food and tea on Satoshi's lap. The food looked very different from what he was accustomed to, and he didn't usually eat breakfast anyway, but this was a case where the energy was necessary.

"It's delicious," he announced with wide eyes, delighting the cook.

Ayame skipped along with rivers of tears streaming down his face. "Isn't it?"

"Shut up and eat, you," Kyo retorted.

Alone in the kitchen, Haru heard sounds coming from the hallway that the others failed to hear. He arranged a tray in the same way he saw Tohru arrange Satoshi's, and carried it with him down the hallway to my room.

I woke up and carefully stretched myself out, wary of the fact that I still wasn't totally better yet. Although, I wasn't in as much pain as I thought I would be – I could move and walk without too much difficulty.

"Good morning."

Haru was at my door with a tray of amazing food.

"Good morning! Whoa, did you make that?"

"No, Tohru did. It's awesome – even Satoshi loves it. Here, take it."

"Satoshi?"

I took the tray with me, set it down on the table, and scurried with Haru trailing behind me to the living room where I heard several voices.

"Hey, she's up!"

"How are you, Princess?"

"Did you sleep well?"

I ignored them all and pushed my way straight to the blue-haired one beyond, who was covered in bandages and scars. I just stood there, not knowing what to say, and no matter how hard I tried to hold them back, tears welled up in my eyes. They welled up in his, too. None of the others in the room knew quite what to do, so they awkwardly hushed themselves.

I dared to ask Satoshi the big question: "What happened?"

He gritted his teeth and allowed his hair to hide his eyes. "He tried to kill you, and almost succeeded. But, Mio…she gave her life to save us."

Everyone was blown away by this news, including myself. I almost died? Mio…

Haru raised his hand to interject. "I don't get it - why'd we all get affected if Krad was trying to kill her?"

"What is that all about?" I asked. There seemed to be so much I didn't know.

"Er..." Haru realized that he probably shouldn't tell me. "I mean, uh...you know what, never mind."

"That's the power of his magic," Satoshi stated gravely.

"Magic?"

"Yes, Alyssa, he found a way to secretly use it on you to make you desire firstly him, and then your own death. The headaches - I see now that they were the precursor to the full infection, which is essentially what it was. The demon almost succeeded in killing us all."

More awkward silence.

"But you're all alive, right?" said Tohru, filling in the dense quiet and trying to bring the once-cheery morning back to its former state. "Maybe something really frightening happened, but you can't let it get you down. You made it through – you're all ok! My mom always said that every new day is a brand new chance to act!"

"Oh, Tohru!" Ayame zoomed in for a hug, but Kyo slapped him down.

"Hands off, pervert!"

Ayame spontaneously thought of something only partially related to that last insult. "Oh, wait!"

He ran away and ran back with two boxes. "This one," he presented the bigger one, "you shall model for us later! I'll put it in your room, okay?"

Kyo and Hatsuharu tried to snatch it away and failed.

The other box was the small one from Dave that Ayame had arrived with, and he handed me that one. "Go ahead and open it. Dave gave me the OK."

With everyone but Satoshi crowding around me, I opened the box to find the most beautiful ring I had ever seen. It looked like it was made of silver and crystal, and the band was intricately carved; the stone atop it was a refreshingly blue color that reminded me of water, and glimmered in much the same way. Naturally, I had to try it on.

Once Satoshi had figured out what it was, it was too late – the ring that had started out a little too big rapidly shrunk to fit my finger and began to flicker with light. Oh no, Dave's gonna try his hand at this game, too – and while she's still recovering! Panicking, he pushed aside the pain and stumbled over to my side, hoping desperately that he could force the ring off of my hand. To his astonishment, it slid off with ease; the force he had prepared to use caused his hand to fling away so fast that he almost dropped it.

"What is it?" I asked as he scrutinized the stone. He wouldn't have done something so rash without a reason.

"This," he informed everyone while holding it up, "is a Hikari artwork passed down through generations, and is part of a pair collectively known as the Reflections of Regret. I am certain that Dave has the other half, which is capable of controlling this one from a distance. Theoretically, it should have done something to you the moment you put it on, but…"

Shrugging, I stated that I didn't feel anything different. It made me nervous to think about how Krad wasn't the only one out to get me anymore, but Dave, too? I had to be extremely careful from here on out, and definitely heed Lena's words: "Stay strong!"

Alerting us all, a piercing white light emerged from the hallway. Even rows of black shadows signaled that it was coming from behind the slats of the closet door. We followed Satoshi as he dug around for the source underneath a pile of towels, where his painting surfaced – now that the ring was so close to it, we witnessed visible slivers of energy being sucked into the painting before they could reach the ring.

Could it be? My painting is acting as a barrier?

Wonderful! Dave thought when he felt a particular heaviness about the watch that remained in his pocket. Ayame, you have served me well.

He pulled out the pocket watch and flipped it open. The mirror inside gave off a radiant light, signaling that the two works of art – two parts of a set – were complete and synchronized, awaiting instruction. He brought the mirror close to his lips and whispered: You don't need them. You don't need Krad, you don't need Dark, you don't need anybody. All you need is me. Me. Empty your mind of everyone but me.

This was it. His first and more reasonable plan was effective enough, but this one would be downright fun. A smirk of amusement crept onto his face.

Without warning, the watch stopped glowing.

What? How did she remove it without tearing a finger off?

He paced around for a few minutes, unsure of what to do. The watch didn't locate any new magic vessels that could've interfered. Then again...maybe there was something it wasn't picking up on.

As he walked to the door with an idea in mind, a white card on the carpet in front it caught his attention. Curious, he picked it up and found a fancifully-written note.

The script alone was enough to make him drop it again, scrap all of his other ideas and run out the door.

"Tonight at 7:00 PM, I am coming to steal the Reflections of Regret.

- Dark"