Chapter Two: Farther Into the Looking Glass

At least the school was in the right place, she thought as she rushed inside. That was lucky for her. She recognized a number of her classmates as she worked her way towards her shoe locker. They were all dressed in the same uniform she was, so that was a good sign. She was in the right place. Still, the trip over had not been exactly free of trouble.

She had waited as long as she dared to before realizing that Mato for some reason had not waited for her. That in itself was worrying to her. Why was Mato not there? The two of them always took the train together in the morning; they had since the day after they met. Yomi could have lived with any number of changes, if only she could still be with Mato.

Yomi slowly and methodically put on her indoor shoes. She then placed her outdoor shoes in the locker and shut it. She couldn't let this overwhelm her. It could drive her insane.

As she picked up her book bag and began to head inside, a thought suddenly occurred to her. If so many other things were different, then what about her classroom? With so little left that she could count on, she could easily find herself in the wrong class. Looking around her in the main hallway, she saw a number of people, all of them rushing off to their classes. At least one of them should be able to point her in the right direction.

"Excuse me, teacher?" She said to one of the teachers.

The teacher, a man Yomi recognized as the Basketball team's faculty sponsor, turned to regard the young girl in front of him. "Yes, Miss…"

"Takanashi, sir. I'm a little confused this morning. I can't remember which classroom is mine."

The teacher frowned. "You're in the same class as Miss Kuroi, if I remember right. Classroom 1-B."

Yomi bowed. "Thank you sir."

"Well, see that you write it down somewhere in case you forget again. At this point in the semester, you should remember where your classroom is."

Yomi let the implications of the teacher's answer wash over her. 1-B. First year. Had that much of her life really not happened? That would explain why she looked younger, certainly. Still, she did not like the idea that she had somehow lost a year of her life on top of all the other changes.

"Something troubling you?" someone asked. Yomi wheeled on the spot. A woman in her mid-twenties with short black hair was leaning out of an open room. She wore a pink jacket, atypical for any teacher Yomi had ever met.

"N-No. No, I'm fine." She scrutinized the woman for a long moment. Yomi certainly did not remember seeing her before. "I'm sorry, but who are you exactly?"

The woman smiled warmly. "I'm Saya; the school counselor! If there's anything troubling you, feel free to step in." Saya looked over Yomi's face. "Are you quite sure you're alright?"

Something troubling her. How could Yomi put it into words? What could she say that this woman would understand? That she was trapped alone in a strange world? That her closest friend, the only one who could possibly understand, had not waited for her? And then that feeling inside her began again. The horned girl was calling Yomi…

Dead Master walked through the checkered landscape. Cliffs and spires broke the monotony of the plane, bringing disorder to the otherwise tight grid. Had that world always been this colorful? Yomi could not quite remember.

Out of the corner of her eye, Dead Master caught a glimpse of movement. Someone else was there on the cliff watching her. Dead Master pretended to ignore the figure, but actually watched it out of the corner of her eye. It darted between shadows, keeping itself partially concealed. Dead Master waited until the figure moved to an area where the cliff top was relatively flat. Then, she spun to face the one shadowing her. Their eyes locked on one another.

It was a girl, older than Dead Master herself. Long black hair framed her pale face. Her red eyes blazed from the girl's expressionless face. On her head were two long, straight horns, curving inward then flaring outward. Her dress was similar in many ways to that other girl; bikini top, short shorts, jacket. Slung across her back, the girl carried an enormous sword.

Chains shot toward the figure, guided by Dead Master's thought. The red-eyed girl twisted at the last second, letting the chains fly past her shoulder. With a flip of her hair, she dropped below the far edge of the cliff. Dead Master smiled. With a flourish she produced her scythe. Then, stepping out onto the still-moving chain, Dead Master followed after the retreating girl.

Yomi nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. Just a little confused today."

Saya gave Yomi an odd look that Yomi could not quite read. "Well, if you ever need anything, feel free to stop by. My door is open anytime, even if you only come by for a cup of coffee." Saya's smile was back in place, but Yomi could not shake the memory of that odd, slightly shocked expression.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks." At that instant, Yomi heard the first bell. "Nice to meet you!" Yomi called back as she rushed off in the direction of 1-B.

When Yomi reached the door of 1-B, all of the desks except one were filled. No question which one was supposed to be hers, she thought. She scanned the room for one particular head with short black twintails. That teacher had said Mato was in this class as well.

There she was; two rows in front of the empty seat. She looked younger, the same way Yomi did in the mirror, and she was wearing the same uniform as the other girls, but Yomi could never mistake the face of her closest friend. Yomi walked over and dropped her bag in the empty seat before walking up to Mato's desk.

Mato looked up as Yomi approached. "Oh, good morning! How are you?"

"Why didn't you wait for me at the station?" Yomi asked.

Mato blinked. "Wait for you?"

"We always walk to school together! Ever since the beginning of Junior High!"

"What?"

"I waited for you to come. I waited as long as I could. Why weren't you there?"

"Takanashi-san, what are you talking about?"

Yomi's breath caught. "T-Takanashi-san?" Why? Why was Mato being so formal with her?

"Is there something wrong?"

"Why…why don't you call me Yomi?"

Mato looked confused. "You want to be friends now? Yesterday you acted like you didn't want to. Did you change your mind?"

Yomi looked down. This girl was Mato, certainly, but not her Mato. "It's nothing." Yomi turned back to her desk, pulling out her notebook and pencils.

Mato stood up and leaned over to her, trying to get Yomi's attention. "Hey! If you want me to take the train with you, I'll wait tomorrow! Hello? Takanas…sorry, Yomi-chan!"

At that moment, the door slid open and the teacher walked in. Mato sat back down. Yomi sighed to herself.