Zakuro lay in bed the next day, wondering if she should go to school. It seemed that she had simply fallen off her chair during homeroom the previous day.

Atleast, there wasn't any screaming in the real world.

The school had immediately contacted her parents who rushed to the school from important meetings. They took her to a doctor who gave Zakuro a clean bill of health.

"It's because you're pushing yourself too hard." Zakuro's father said as he drove his family home. "The school year just started and you're already burning the mid night oil."

"Honestly, honey." Zakuro's mother said, pulling her closer into a hug. "Don't scare us like that."

That night, Yuna, Satsuki and Rin had all called Zakuro together, worried.

"Sensei postponed the try-outs." Yuna said. "He said he needed to be with his wife. Do you think she had the baby?"

Zakuro bit her lip.

Why blue? Zakuro recalled.

"Zakuro?" Yuna said, on the other side. "You there?"

"Yeah." Zakuro replied. "Maybe. She was pretty big when I saw her yesterday. I'm so happy for them."

"Me too!" Yuna said. "Babies are so cute. Maybe we could pool in and buy him a congratulatory gift."

"That seems like a good idea." Rin commented.

They could hear quiet sobs on one end.

"Satsuki!" Zakuro said. "Relax! Toya is still up for grabs!"

"That's not why I'm worried." Satsuki said. "We were so worried about you. You almost hit your head on the adjacent desk. At the wrong angle, you could have been badly hurt. I see these kinds of things all the times."

"Where?" Rin said sarcastically. "In movies?"

Satsuki choked.

Zakuro and Yuna giggled.

"Are you sure you're OK?" Yuna said, concerned.

"Satsuki, Yuna asked you a question." Zakuro replied.

The girls giggled.

But Zakuro had been up all night. She wanted to dismiss it as a day dream. After all, she has been studying late into the night and until recently was worried about mending fences with Toya. Maybe it all piled up and Zakuro fainted.

But what bothered her was Sukunami's comment afterwards. What did he mean?

Zakuro pulled the covers over her head. And as a grim reminder, she heard a faint growl. Zakuro shot up and looked around her dimly lit room. She breathed deeply and threw her pillow on the wall.

"Stupid Toya." She mumbled.

"What did I do?!" Toya asked from the shadows.

Zakuro screamed and hit her head on the wall next to her bed.

"Ow!" She exclaimed in pain.

She heard Toya chuckle.

"Toya, you jerk." Zakuro cursed. "What are you doing in my room, you pervert?"

"Don't flatter yourself." Toya said, grinning the grin which Zakuro couldn't see in the dark. "Mom was worried about you. She made me promise that I would accompany you to school and get you back home."

"What if I said I wasn't going?" Zakuro replied.

Toya was quiet for a while. Zakuro then heard the chair move from the corner of her room.

"Should I get you some ramen?" Toya asked in a quiet voice.

Zakuro sat on her bed, motionless.

"I think I will go to school today." Zakuro said, ignoring Toya's offer. "The other girls will worry."

She could hear Toya's footsteps as he moved towards her bed.

"Could you please leave so that I can change?" Zakuro said, not raising her head.

Toya stopped. For a minute, the room was silent. Then she heard Toya walk away and leave the room.

Zakuro slumped to the wall. She couldn't fall for him again. She couldn't have her feelings dismissed again. If they had to be friends, she needed the time to get over him.

She jumped off her bed and locked the door to her room. She quickly got dressed and went downstairs to the sounds of Toya and her father laughing.

"Mom." Zakuro said, stomping towards her mother. "Don't send boys into my room when I'm sleeping!"

"Relax." Zakuro's mother said, her eyes twinkling. "It was only Toya."

Zakuro rolled her eyes and took a seat.

"How're you feeling, dear?" Zakuro's father asked.

"Much better." Zakuro said, eating porridge. "Why are we having porridge for breakfast anyway?"

"It's filled with nutrients and is the perfect start for a productive day." Zakuro's mother said.

"But why am I having porridge for breakfast?" Zakuro's father said looking at his bowl, in disgust.

"For the same reason Zakuro is, honey." Zakuro's mother replied. "We should improve the eating habits in the family. I can't be the only one…."

"We're off then." Zakuro interrupted, rising from her chair.

"Have a good day, dear." Zakuro's mother and father said in unison.

Toya and Zakuro left her house together.

"We can walk slower." Toya offered slowing his pace.

"We'll be late." Zakuro snapped. "You can slow down if you want."

Toya frowned and matched Zakuro's pace.

"You don't have to be so bad tempered." Toya complained.

Zakuro sighed.

Why was she being so hostile? Why blue? The words rang in her ears.

But this wasn't Toya's fault. Granted, Toya had done some shitty stuff. But this wasn't related to Toya.

"I know." Zakuro mumbled. "I'm sorry. So, all set for your date on Saturday?"

Toya looked at Zakuro uncomfortably.

"It's not a date." Toya mumbled. "She is the student rep and it would do me good to be on her good side."

"That makes more sense." Zakuro laughed. "For a minute, you made me think that you actually cared about somebody other than yourself."

"I'm just making friends!" Toya exclaimed.

"By forgetting your old ones?!" Zakuro retorted.

"Listen." Toya said, his temper rising. "I don't want to fight. Not when you're unwell. Can we just change the topic?"

"But looking at you makes me angry." Zakuro said angrily, trying to keep her tone even. "It makes me angry and sad. I messed up. I agree. But you didn't talk to me for 2 weeks! You didn't even give me the chance to apologize. I thought we were friends, Toya. But you ignored me like I was nothing. Can you begin to imagine how much it hurts to be invisible?"

Zakuro didn't realize that Toya wasn't walking with her. She stopped and turned to face him.

"I'm sorry." Toya mumbled.

"Oho." Zakuro said, trying her best to mimic Toya. "Is the wittle baby going to cry now?"

Toya shot an angry look at her. Zakuro took a step back in fear. He quickened his pace and walked past Zakuro, leaving her behind.

Zakuro's expression was unreadable. She put her palm on her forehead.

Why blue? Sukunami's voice rang in her head again.

Zakuro had the eerie suspicion that what she saw was real. And right now, she was scared out of her mind.

-X-X-

Zakuro got to class late. She hastily apologized to the homeroom teacher and took her seat. But she was jumpy the entire day. Too afraid to blink.

"Sukunami sensei?" A teacher in the staff room said when Zakuro went to find him during lunch. "He isn't in today. Can I help you?"

Zakuro shook her head and went back to class.

She tried to join the flow of the conversation but she just wasn't able to.

"You shouldn't be pushing yourself so hard." Yuna said, clutching Zakuro's hand. "You should have taken the day off."

She couldn't bring herself to tell them that she would have been far worse in an empty house. She smiled.

"I'm feeling better." Zakuro said. "And besides, it's a lot of fun to see Satsuki on the verge of tears."

Satsuki wiped a single tear from her cheek.

"You're one of my best friends." Satsuki said, with conviction. "I would hate it if something happened to you."

"Isn't this the second day that you're talking to Zakuro?" Rin commented, adjusting her glasses.

"You don't need to be friends for long to become best friends." Satsuki said knowledgeably. "I know the four of us are going to be friends forever."

"Four of us?" Yuna commented, winking at Zakuro. "But I was just thinking of jumping ship and becoming friends with Shiori-chan."

"WHAT!" Satsuki exclaimed. "Dark times have befallen our group."

The four, including Satsuki, giggled.

-X-X-

After school, Toya was waiting for Zakuro at the school gate. Zakuro approached the gate cautiously.

For all its worth, Zakuro was glad Toya was accompanying her home. The school day relaxed her. Now she felt guilty more than angry.

"Hey." Zakuro smiled when she approached Toya.

Toya shot her a dark look and started walking. Zakuro jogged to keep up.

"I'm sorry about this morning." Zakuro said earnestly.

Toya grunted in response. Zakuro sighed. They walked a while in silence, Zakuro's mind treacherously thinking of the horrifying growl.

"Udon." Toya mumbled after a while.

"Huh?" Zakuro asked.

"Step one of making up with me is Udon." Toya said, a little louder, a ghost of a grin on his face. "Maybe then I can consider forgiving you for being mean and selfish while I was worried about you."

"Oho." Zakuro said smiling. "So you were worried about me. You should be careful, Toya. You'll become bald at this rate."

Toya grinned.

"Bald is better than grey." Toya said, pointing at Zakuro's hair.

"What?!" Zakuro exclaimed and rummaged through her hair.

Toya started laughing.

"Are you supposed to be able to a feel grey hair?" Toya said, laughing.

He casually reached over and pulled her braid.

Zakuro smiled. Then she faked a yelp.

"Sorry!" Toya said, backing off.

Zakuro grinned toothily at him.

"From the shop near the park, right?" Zakuro said.

Toya grinned and nodded.

"So I noticed your hair isn't orange anymore." Zakuro commented taking the turn to the park.

"The stupid box said "Lasts for a Month!"" Toya said, frowning. "Bloody thing wore off in a week. I went back to black."

"Shoot!" Zakuro exclaimed. "I completely forgot to tell you! Don't tell anybody but did you know that you're the hottest guy in the year?"

"I figured as much." Toya said nonchalantly. "I have seen my competition and I can pick the cream of the lot."

"Excuse me?" Zakuro said, angrily. "Cream of the lot? That is so chauvinistic!"

Toya shrugged. Zakuro and Toya arrived at the park. Zakuro ordered the Udon while Toya waited.

They sat on a bench and ate. It had been a long time that Zakuro spoke with Toya. They laughed and teased each other, the way they did in the good old days, before Zakuro's feelings for him changed.

"What a cute couple!" Commented a man's voice.

"She wishes." Toya retorted immediately, before turning to face the man.

Zakuro turned at the same time.

A handsome tall man with blue eyes and hair was smiling kindly at them. His thick eyebrows were pointing upwards.

"Would you like to buy a book?" He asked Zakuro.

He held out a battered old book with a red leather cover. The book's title was written in ancient Chinese- The Universe of the Four Gods.

Zakuro looked at the book with interest.

"Go away, old man." Toya said, waving his hand. "We don't have any money to waste."

"What's it about?" Zakuro asked, looking up at the man.

She jumped back, scared. For a moment, it seemed like the man's eyes were a pond of blue with black slits. Almost reptilian.

But almost as soon as soon as she saw it, the man's kind blue eyes were back.

"It's been written many times." The man said, straightening up. "The last time it was written, it was a love story. Or rather a triangle. Two best friends fought to summon two deities, each protecting something they loved. It chronicled their struggle as the ones they loved were on opposing sides. The deities protected separate warring countries."

Zakuro was starting to feel uncomfortable.

Was this man emitting a faint blue light?

Why blue? Words rang in her head again.

"But in between the lines, there was another story." The man continued, rummaging through his cart. "The deities were friends. Very close friends who had ruled the heavens together for many millennia. But they had to protect the ones that worshiped them. Such is the duty of Gods. One of them had to do unforgivable things to protect his people. He was the God of war, after all. Everything was fair."

The man chuckled at this.

"The other deity, the God of love, couldn't bring himself to forgive his friend." The man continued, this time sadness lingering in his eyes. "Some say he still won't look at the friend when the friend visits his heavenly palace. Some Gods can be so stubborn! Tell me, child. If the only option you'd to make amends to a dear friend was to dance with destiny, would you do it?"

Zakuro looked confused at the question. Would she go to any lengths to mend fences?

She looked at Toya. And slowly nodded.

"I think." The man said. "This time, the story is going to be about mending fences."

"Stop encouraging him, Zakuro." Toya said under his breath.

The man bent down to Zakuro's eye level and extended the book.

"Would you like it?" The man asked.

-X-X-

"I can't find her." Taka said on the phone, running.

"You've to hurry, Taka." Miaka said in a worried voice on the other side. "She mustn't touch the book. Suzaku doesn't want that."

The character of the ogre appeared on Taka's forehead.

"I know what he wants!" Taka said, panting. "I can feel his resolve. But I just can't find her."

"At the park." Miaka said suddenly. "That's where they are."

"Got it." Taka said, disconnecting the call.

He jumped over fences and ran through traffic. He arrived at the park just as Zakuro took the book.

"Zakuro!" Taka yelled. "No!"

-X-X-

The man with the blue hair chuckled. For a moment, everything was still in the park. Not even a bird chirped.

"Isn't that Sukunami sensei?" Toya said, frowning. "Since when are you on first name basis."

Taka rushed towards the bench and tried to kick the blue haired man. The blue haired man adeptly jumped back.

"Well played." The blue haired man said, facing the sky. "But it is my destiny. I know that now."

"Sensei!" Toya said, jumping to his feet.

"Stay back!" Taka ordered.

He turned to face Zakuro, the character of the ogre glowing on his head.

"A mere seishi." The man with the blue hair said chuckling. "No doubt backed by his will. But he can't do much when he swore not to interfere."

In a blue blur, the man moved towards the bench, punching Taka in the stomach.

"HEY!" Toya shouted, getting to his feet.

"All you need is a little boost." The man in the blue hair said, looking at Zakuro.

Zakuro sat rooted to the spot, unable to move out of fear.

Why blue?

The man extended his finger towards Zakuro.

"Nope." He mumbled and Toya flew towards the park gate.

Watching Toya get hurt roused Zakuro.

"TOYA!" She shouted and got on her feet.

The man in the blue hair chuckled.

"Why must I always be the villain?" He said, touching Zakuro's forehead with his finger.

Zakuro remembered looking at scales on his finger. When he touched her, she was engulfed in blue light. The book the man was holding glowed dim red for a second and then started glowing blue. And just like that, Zakuro was pulled into the book.

"Damn you!" Taka yelled and tried to hit the blue haired man again.

The man caught Taka's leg. He turned to face him and wagged his finger at him. Taka looked taken aback. With a strong gust of wind, the blue haired man disappeared, leaving just the book behind.

Toya looked at the scene confused.

"Oi!" He called out to Taka. "Sensei! Where is Zakuro?"

He jogged across the park ignoring the throbbing lump on his head. Taka bent down and picked up the battered old book.

"This may not make sense to you." Taka said, his voice hoarse. "But she is in the book."

Toya stopped when he reached Taka.

After flying across the park and watching a weird blue haired man disappear, nothing seemed weird to Toya.

The character of the ogre on Taka's head faded away.

"Makes sense." Toya said, trying to chuckle.

Toya touched the book.

"How do we get her out?" Toya asked, as though trying to grab her braids and pull her out.

"We can't until the story ends." Taka said, handing the book to Toya.

"Ohk." Toya said uncertainly.

He simply flipped the pages to the end. However, the book was blank.

"The story will write itself." Taka said, as though trying to explain a child the alphabet. "You cannot change or meddle in it. You can only read."

Toya pulled out a pen from his bag and wrote in the book.

Kinomoto Zakuro comes out of the book. He wrote.

But the ink was blank. He took some dirt and desperately tried to write the same. But nothing happened. The faded parchment was as clean as ever.

"All I can do is read?" Toya repeated.

Taka nodded grimly.

"The pages are blank." Toya said, going to the first page.

"The story hasn't begun yet." Taka commented.

Almost as soon as he said that, letters started appearing in the book.

This is the story of girl who created a God. The story itself is an incantation and whoever reads it gains the main character's power. This is because once you turn the first page; the story will become real and begin.

Toya stared at the book.

"My wife was also pulled into this book." Taka confessed. "My brother-in-law was the one reading it. He once discussed with me about he felt when he was only able to read and not help. This is going to be hard on you. I can read instead, if you want."

Toya shook his head.

"I will get her out of there." Toya said, settling down on the bench.

Taka put his hand on Toya's shoulder.

A while later Taka's phone rang.

"Miaka." Taka said, receiving the call.

Taka walked away from Toya.

"No, I couldn't stop him." Taka admitted. "But the book said that Zakuro is going to create a God. When you were the priestess, it said you would collect the star warriors and summon Suzaku, right?"

Lady Zakuro awoke in a green plain with white flowers. Toya read in the dim street light in the park.

He clutched the hard cover of the book as the words appeared on the page.

"Please, Zakuro." Toya mumbled. "Turn around and come back to me."

AN: Don't you just love the holiday season. I have been writing so much. I'm already a couple of chapters ahead in this story.

But I've been neglecting my other stories on fictionpress. And it doesn't seem like too many people have been reading this yet. So I'm going to slow down a little on the uploads.

As always, keep reading!