Love Hurts 5 Ways (OUTDATED STORY) Chapter 18: Room For Two,Wait, What?, a Fushigi Yuugi + Ouran High School Host Club Crossover fanfic

ATTENTION READERS: This is the Beta version of LH5W, if you want to read the official, updated version of the story, you'll have to go over to DeviantArt. com and head on over to my page. My username is Aloubell. You can also get there by going to my fanfiction. net profile which provides a link over there.
In any case, this Beta version is basically the rough draft of LH5W, my first attempt at it. Much of the plot points from this version will be the same in the official version, but there are significant and consistent characterization changes, a few (but very important) plot differences, expansion of past ideas, and overall better quality in storytelling.

All of this will be done over on DeviantArt. I no longer will write the story in traditional prose nor submit/update it here to fanfiction. net. The Beta version will remain here, just know that it isn't the 100% official story.
The official version will be written in a lazy prose mixed with play-writing elements (you'll get what I mean when you see it).
This is the new format for the story from now on.
So please head on over there if you're interested in updates to the story! Thank you for stopping by =D

-Aloe

PLEASE NOTE: The official version is being written somewhat out of order. The official version will start on chapter 46, the place where the Beta version left off. The official version will go on to complete the last chapters of Season 2. Once those are done, I will redo the story over again from Chapter 1 which will be the official version.

Having said that, if you choose to continue on reading, I hope you enjoy the Beta version and look forward to the official!

~*Season 2*~

Body shaking with anticipation, I looked ahead in the darkness waiting for the next world where I would potentially get my wish.

A little over than half a year had gone by for me since I started this journey—so technically, my body had probably aged to eighteen years old, but considering my world was still frozen, I may still in a technical sense be seventeen. I know, it's confusing, but I realized a while ago that many things didn't make sense.

Backing up the story a bit, I need to do a short recap of my life since the beginning of my tale.

After a rather ugly scene between my "friends" at the mall in my world, I found that I just couldn't take the way my life was going anymore. Ever since I could remember, life for me has been miserable. Not only did my parents wish that I was never blessed into their lives, but because of some odd dark force around me, people have always shunned me, saying that just being around me caused them to feel horrible—recalling feelings of anger and depression. There were only three people in my life who ever gave me the time of day: My older sister, Kajou, who was the only one to really love me, and my two "friends" Saruwatari Michiyo and Kyoko Fujiwara. Well...there were technically four, but I wasn't completely sure to include that particular person or not...

But eventually, even those relationships came crashing down. My sister died when I was ten due to something that is still to this day difficult for me to mention. Not long after that, Saru and Kyoko began to drift apart from me—finding other crowds that suited their own interests, and only coming to me when they needed to blow off steam or needed help with something. Those three (plus one) were the only people at the time who seemed to be able to withstand the dark ring that was always surrounding my body. Regardless though, they all left me in a world filled with people who wouldn't even try to give me the time of day.

But I managed to stay strong on the outside—never letting anyone see that how my life turned out to be really bothered me. If anything, I was going to show the world that I was strong and that I didn't need affection to go throughout my life. However, loneliness is a deep wound that takes a while to heal and one that could grow worse and worse over time. Even with me being tough, I couldn't deny that I was miserable and needed someone to be with me…even if it was just one person. I needed someone to care about me and accept me, be willing so face challenges to be with me. I needed to find my true love.

So, one day, I took a chance with the universe and wished that I could find this person. And that was when my long and interesting journey of discovering the powers hidden inside of me began. I met a lot of people and just as easily left them to continue on with my quest. Sure, it was sad to leave behind something that I have craved for years, but knowing that I still remembered them and that the memories will always stay in my heart made me grow stronger as a person. No matter what, I was willing to see this thing through to the very end.

It started to become obvious a while ago that this journey was a lot more than just finding my soul mate. Being the most recent girl to go on this journey, I have to go up against an unknown entity as well as the troubles souls of the girls who had been weakened to let darkness overcome them. I didn't know why these things were happening , how, or why I ended up being the one to have to fix this mess. But just like in the beginning when Taiitsukun didn't give me much to go on, I'll have to tough this thing out and find my own answers.

So here I was, once again, going into the unknown leaving my fate to the universe.

Yup…I'm in for an interesting ride.

"So…Taiitsukun, I'm curious. You said that this new place I'm going to is really important. How come?" We kept walking in the familiar darkness that we always seemed to go through whenever I went to a new world. The question of why we had to keep walking around like this always ate at me. I mean, couldn't she just open a portal wherever she wanted? Or do we actually have to walk around for the right place to open the correct portal? I honestly didn't want to ask the old woman—she tends to get annoyed when I ask things like that—usually because it comes out as complaining.

I expected her to stop in mid-air like she normally did when I asked a question, but she continued on. "When you produced that wave of light in that last world, those creatures that you fought—"

"Shadow Maidens," I interrupted.

That made her stop. "What?"

"Shadow Maidens, that's what I decided to name the shadow creatures that have been attacking me." Now that I sort of know what they are I figure that they deserve a name. It was getting annoying calling them "shadow creatures" all the time. It just sounded too ambiguous.

"Fine, Shadow Maidens then." She decided to keep moving forward. Releasing a deep sigh, I thanked the universe that she didn't chew me out for correcting her. "When that wave of light impacted those Shadow Maidens, they immediately started to concentrate themselves into this particular world. I honestly thought it would take a lot longer for them to be pushed back that much and that dramatically."

This time, I stopped in my place. "What? Wait—you knew that I'd end up wherever you're making me end up? Did those other worlds I was in even matter?"

"That's irrelevant." Part of me really wanted to lash out at her for making me go through all of that just to take me to an already pre-determined destination. But the more rational part of me—which had just began to form—was just happy that I was able to go through all of that. Sure, a lot of bad things happened, but a lot of good things did too. So with every fiber of my being, I mentally held onto those good things to refrain myself from smacking Taiitsukun. Not only that, if I did attack her, it probably wouldn't end up very well…for me. So I kind of have no choice but to grin and bear it. "The point is that you have gotten them trapped in a single place. Unfortunately, I feel that since they're regrouping, they may get even stronger." She turned to look at me out of the corner of her eye. "You need to be careful Akimoto. You may be stronger now, but until you can tap into the true light inside of you, you don't stand a chance."

I scoffed. "I did it before. What's the problem?" The first time I successfully got rid of the Shadow Maidens was when I remembered my happiness with Inuyasha and Kyo. A small amount of light flashed around me causing then to retreat. The last time was when Inuyasha, Kyo, and Hikaru all came to help me—even though I'm not completely sure it was really them. For only a few seconds, a wave of light overwhelmed them and totally made them disappear.

"You fool! Both of the times that you survived were mere luck. Not only could you only produce that power for a few short seconds, but you failed to actually destroy the Shadow Maidens. The only thing you accomplished was making them retreat. As of now, you lack what it takes to defeat them."

"Then tell me how I can become stronger! Tell me what I can do." Waiting a few seconds for a response, I realized that—like everything else with this woman—I wasn't going to get it so easily. It always aggravated me that she wouldn't tell me things that would make my life simpler. Showing a bitter smile, I looked away. "I see, so you're going to force me to do this on my own as well, huh? What will it take for you to be completely honest with me? Do I have to be on the verge of death or something?" No answer. "Well then…I guess it's same old, same old. I'm ready to head into the new world."

There was honestly no benefit to me being bitter about this. I've accepted a while ago that Taiitsukun could be very unfair. But the fact of the matter was that she was the one who answered me when I made the wish. So even though I wanted to complain a lot, it wouldn't be cool and I was actually getting used to figuring out stuff on my own. As I looked back on things, Taiitsukun did help out in her own way, and my journey did have the tendency to make certain issues come to light. After all, I was able to figure out how to use a wand, how to use the elements professionally, how to fly, how to not use a wand, and I figured out that the Shadow Maidens were the missing girls. And usually along the way, I've had help—so I know that things will be revealed eventually. It's just so damn annoying waiting for it to do so!

"Very well then—a few things first." You know, something suddenly hit me. Taiitsukun seems like the sort of person who wouldn't hold back when she's angry. In order for her to dismiss what I say like that, she must either be really guilty about something or her self-control is worth applauding. "Unlike before, feel free to use your powers as much as you want—they no longer have to be a secret." I figured that I didn't need to ask why because I had absolutely no complaints with that. It was driving me crazy having to keep that secret especially when it was already such a big part of my life. "However, you still have to refrain from telling people about your wish. For if you tell, an outside force may influence your decision and that isn't what you want." That, I could do. The subject never came up all that much, and I could easily say a lot by saying very little just as I had done with Hikaru. I managed to tell him without telling him.

"So basically, ex-nay on the wish info and I'm able to spell-cast and kick ass as much as I please. I think I can handle that." But everyone knows that life isn't that simple—it wouldn't be healthy for me to be stuck in the illusion that it was. The universe just loves to keep me on my toes.

On a side note, I knew that everything would be fine—at least in the beginning. I'm a Master Sorceress and I finally had on a suitable outfit that Miss Emiko gave me to fight in. I wore a black tube top that showed about three inches of my stomach and white spandex bike shorts with various black and blue designs. The outfit was complimented with a white wind-breaker jacket with similar designs to the shorts and black high-top shoes with white laces. And of course I still wore the beautiful crystal flower bracelet that Hikaru gave to me. Maybe it was true that we were (technically) over, but I still cherished it and never wanted to take it off. It may not have been practical for fighting, but it was staying. The sorry dumbass that comes along and causes me to lose it would be on a straight way to Hell should they ever cross me.

Feeling a sudden jolt of adrenaline, I brought my fist up in front of me and said, "Okay Taiitsukun, enough with the waiting. Just drop me off already."

She turned around to face me as she cocked an eyebrow. "Well… aren't you fired up?"

I nodded and used a fist to punch my opposite palm. "You could say that. Sure there're some unknown force that I have to face, but this also means that I am that much closer to having my wish granted. If this world is another step in the right direction, then I'm all for the challenge."

She extended her arm to the side and not a second later, a huge hole-shaped portal appeared on the ground next to us. Catching the hint, I walked over to its edge looking down at the doorway to yet another new life. Taiitsukun soon floated over to me.

"Good luck, Akimoto. We will be meeting again. By that time, I'm sure you'll have more questions for me."

That immediately caused me to shoot my head up. "Wait—what questions?" Without an answer, I felt her hand forcefully push me forward into the portal.

A few seconds of free-falling later, I found myself landing hard on my butt.

Rubbing my bottom, I shouted, "Dammit Taiitsukun! I am so freakin' sick of you always getting the last word!" Before I started to curse like a sailor, I heard a whiny and panicky voice coming from somewhere. Standing up, I decided to investigate more thoroughly. Without much trouble, I was able to find what was making such a racket—or shall I say who.

"Yui! Yui! Where did you go? You were just here! Please don't tell me that that guy kidnapped you. Oh Yui, please answer me!"

Wait a second…I know that girl. She was a couple years younger than me and was wearing the same middle school outfit that my sister and I wore: the short brown jacket, skirt, and vest, along with the sky-blue bow on the collar of the long white shirt that I knew was also included. Her eyes were a dark olive color, but it was the way she put up that red-brown hair of hers that tipped off who she was. She had neat bangs in front and her hair up in two buns on her head, one bun sporting each side with a red ribbon keeping them tied up. When I was younger—like elementary school younger—that was my hairstyle. She got it from me.

"Yui! Please answer me!" She shouted.

That girl's name was Miaka Yuki.

"Give us the teddy bear, little girl," said a rough looking kid.

He as well as other bigger boys surrounded a small girl, no older than five or six, with reddish-brown hair in two braids holding on tight to a newly bought light- brown teddy bear. She had tears in her eyes making it obvious that she was afraid of the bullies around her. Regardless of her fear, she refused to let go of her toy.

"N-no. L-l-leave m-me al-alone!" She stuttered in between hiccups.

"We weren't asking twerp. Give us the toy!"

"Don't you know it's better to share?" Grabbing the bear by its head, the boy managed—with little trouble—to snatch the toy away.

She started to cry even more. "Give it back to me, please! It was a gift from my daddy!"

The bullies began to cruelly laugh at her misery. "Watch the little baby cry!" She ran up to him and tried to get it back, but the group of boys began throwing it amongst each other, making sure to avoid her advances.

She eventually gave up and sank to the ground—the back of her hands covering her crying eyes. "Keisuke, big brother, where are you? Th-these guys are taking my bear!"

The boys ignored her crying and seemed to have gotten bored with the tease. As they began to walk away, they didn't expect to see me standing there blocking their way.

They chuckled. "Who's this Odango head?" I automatically gritted my teeth, but did so in a way to not allow them to see how much they ticked me off. I hate it when people call me that. They were referring to the two buns I wore as a hairstyle. I rather liked it because my sister said it was cute. But it always annoyed me when not only would people not play with me, but when they would talk behind my back and call me "Odango head". "Do you have something for us to take as well?"

I know I shouldn't care about else and that I probably shouldn't get involved, but... I could just never understand why I sometimes cared about the well-being of others when it was obvious that they didn't care about me. I looked down at the little girl. There was a high chance that she was no different than the rest of them. But still... Something about seeing a seemingly innocent girl be harassed really bothered me. Bringing my head up from behind my bangs, I glared at the group of guys. The moment they saw my eyes, they immediately froze.

"Those red eyes...you can't be…"

"It's the third-grader, Akimoto Tsubaki!"

My face remain stoic although I was a bit surprised. I didn't know that I was so popular. "Do me a favor and give the poor girl her bear back."

Regaining their composure, they started to surround me in a similar way that they did to the girl over there. "Why should we? And since when did YOU help anyone out?"

"And what are you gonna do about it? There's six of us and only one of you."

"I'm glad that you guys know math, but what does that have to do with anything?" I asked without showing fear. There wasn't any way I could respect people who ganged up on someone like that. Regardless, it didn't matter how many of them there were. This whole thing was going to end up exactly how it always did. As upset as I was towards them, there was a small ping of guilt for what as coming. But I couldn't let them see the guilt...or the fear...or anger, or anything they'd be able to use against me.

That remark seemed to tick them off. "Of course we know math! Most of us are in the third grade too! But besides that, no one will be coming to help you out." He pointed to the girl behind them. "That girl definitely won't. And since you're a loner, you have absolutely no chance against us. So are you going to run away, or do we have to make you cry first?"

There was an incredible urge to clench my fist, but the self control Kajou had taught me told me to hold back. I remarked quietly, "You guys could never make me cry. Vice versa, however…" Feeling the anger well up inside of me, an odd feeling went throughout my body had somehow…branched out. All of a sudden, the group of boys started to shiver and hold themselves, with looks of fear in their eyes.

"Wh-why do I f-feel so cold?"

"Dude, you're crying!" One of them pointed to another.

He countered, "Shut up! You are too." They all sank to the ground all saying how they feel something bad and it frightened them to death. None of them could explain what was going on with them, but I knew. This was what happened when people got too close to me. Their minds would recall how they felt when they were the most miserable and make them emotionally experience it once again...but much, much worse—whether or not the catalyst for the fear was actually there.

Knowing that I had already won, I told them in monotone, "If you want the pain to go away, then you'll give the girl back her bear and go home." And with that, the boys immediately got up, threw the bear to the ground, and ran off.

Picking up the bear, I slowly walked over to the still crying girl. She finally looked up to me with big green eyes. Extending the toy out to her, she took it back and hugged it. Crouching down and keeping a straight face, I mechanically patted her on the head, temporarily forgetting that my negative powers were still flaring a bit.

"Just because I'm having a bad time doesn't mean that you should either. Try not to have those guys bully you again." When it didn't seem like she wouldn't stop crying, I rattled my brain. What do I say to her? I can't just leave her like this, although I know I should...she's probably just a first grader or something, and she doesn't seem like the type to do anything wrong. Fighting against my best judgement which told me to exit the scene, I did the unexpected and tried engaging in conversation with her. "What's your name?"

Through a few stray tears, she said, "M-Miaka Yuki."

"How old are you?"

"Today's my birthday. I'm six." Well that would explain the new bear, but how did she end up in this mess? She started talking again. "I was walking with my big brother, Keisuke, but we got separated. And…and…"

"And then all this happened." She nodded. I was also on a walk with my older sister, Kajou, when I felt that something was wrong, so I ran ahead of her. It was hard to explain...how I had just been drawn to Miaka like that...

She started to cry again. "They almost took my bear! I love my bear!"

"C'mon Miaka, stop crying, they're gone…" How do I get her to stop crying? It was so irritating! Reaching inside my pocket, I took out a lollipop. "If I give you this candy, will you be happy?"

Almost immediately, she had a wide smile on her face. Looking back to my hand, I realized that the lollipop was already gone and in her mouth. Was that really all it took? That was easier than I thought.

"You're my big sister!" She proclaimed.

I gave her an alarming look. "What?"

"Big Sister Aki!" She sang. "I have a big sister and she is so awesome! She gave me food and I love her! My big sister Aki!"

"Wait a second—" The girl then jumped up and launched herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck as she rubbed her cheek against mine. My arms were spread away from my body to avoid complying with her hug. I honestly had no idea what to do, but my face was heating up faster than it ever had.

"Big Sister Aki! Aki-nee-chan!" What have I gotten myself into? And why isn't she bothered by me?

Before another second could go by in that awkward situation, Kajou rounded the corner with a worried look on her face.

"Kajou…"

"Aki, I couldn't find you. Why did you run off like that?" She tried to keep a strong face, but I could tell that she was really stressing on this. And seeing me being hugged by some stranger probably wasn't helping at all...

As quickly as I could, I pushed Miaka away and stepped closer to my big sister, not knowing how to give a good explanation. "I'm sorry, I just felt like I had to."

"Aki-nee-chan?" My body cringed at that honorific. "Who is this?"

I shook my head knowing that I couldn't fight the determination of a six-year-old, especially when it came to labeling things. "It doesn't matter."

Kajou looked from me to Miaka. It sort of seemed like there was a slight frown on her face when she saw the little girl, but quickly replaced it with what seemed like a fake smile. "Oh you...you made a friend?"

Knowing that she told me not to stay attached to anyone, I said, "No, not really. I was just helping Miaka out."

Kajou reached down for my hand. "Well I'm sure you've helped her enough. Let's go now, Aki."

"Onee-chan? Are you going away?" Usually, I would have gone away with her, but something was telling me that I should stay with Miaka at least until her brother found her. Really...why did I even care?

"Miaka…" Kajou must have noticed my hesitation because a sour look started to form on her face.

"Miaka!" Shouted a male's voice. Out of nowhere, this guy who looked a few years older than me with short light-brown hair ran up and embraced the little girl. "I thought I lost you! Never scare me like that again!"

"Keisuke!" Well, once again, that was easy.

I looked up at Kajou. "I'm okay with leaving now."

Hearing my voice, the boy named Keisuke looked up at my sister and I. But the moment he saw Kajou, his face instantly went red. He shot himself up and cleared his throat. "Kajou Tsubaki-sama, I didn't think that we would be meeting this way. Thanks for finding my sister. My name is—"

"Keisuke Yuki-kun," Kajou interrupted as she put back on that fake cheery smile. "We used to go to the same elementary school until I graduated—you graduate this year right?"

He nodded slowly as his gaze stayed focused on her. "Uh-huh…"

She flipped her long flaming hair over her shoulder. "Well that's good, can't wait to see you in middle school! By the way, it was my sister here who found your darling little sister."

Without hesitating, he came up to me and grabbed my hand out of gratitude. "Thank-you so much little sister of Kajou-sama."

Miaka tugged on his jacket. "She's my big sister Aki-nee-chan!"

He smiled at me. "Well, thank you Aki-chan." Even though I knew that half of his gratitude was because of his obvious little crush on Kajou, I couldn't help but blush a little myself. I had never been thanked so much for anything before. It sort of made me feel…good.

After that, we had said our good-byes with Keisuke drooling after Kajou. Quite frequently afterwards, Miaka would get into even more trouble with other kids or if she was upset because of bad grades…there were even times when she came and found me when she was hungry. On some level, I knew that she was a nice girl, but she was so clingy and annoying that part of my daily mission began to be "look out for Miaka: 3pm". Yet somehow, she always managed to find me and she didn't seem to be affected by the negative energy around me. This completely baffled me, and it didn't seem to change her needy nature. It also didn't help that we went to the same elementary school. However, two lucky incidents made my life simpler: the first was that I was two years older than Miaka and would eventually leave her school (which I did), the second was that she eventually met a girl named Yui Hongo who she started to cling on. Miaka still visited me every now and then, but Yui gave her more…reliable company. I also started wearing my hair down after Kajou died right at the same time as Miaka decided to wear her hair in buns more frequently.

But even after all of that, seeing her there…in that foreign world…completely threw me for a loop.

"Yui! Yui!"

But seriously, though. WHY THE HELL IS MIAKA HERE? Our world is supposed to be frozen!

Rushing over to her, I thought that she would immediately embrace me, but she was too caught up in calling for Yui who may or may not have been there. Again, what the hell? I wonder if it's really her though…

"Yui! Where did you go? I'm getting hungry!" I sighed. Yup, it's her alright.

Seeing as how she wasn't going to notice me so easily, I put my hands on her shoulders, facing her head-on. "Oh, Miaka."

"Yui!" Her panicking was getting on my nerves.

"Miaka…"

"Yui!"

At this point I was shaking her feverishly and yelling. "Miaka Yuki! Get. A. Grip!"

Finally, she opened her eyes and saw me standing there. Her eyes went wide in disbelief. "Akimoto Tsubaki-nee-chan?" Groaning, I nodded. And here I thought as she got older, she would quit calling me that. I guess some things don't change. A little off cue, but still as expected, she wrapped me in her arms and buried her face into my chest. "Aki-nee-chan! I'm so happy to see you! How long has it been? Five years?"

"About that long." Like the rest of my life in Japan (except Saru and Kyoko), I left her behind when I moved to America. Trying to get to the point, I asked, "Miaka, what are you doing here?"

She broke apart from the hug as her smile faltered. "I'm not sure. I don't even know where 'here is'. Yui and I—oh! Yui! Have you seen her?"

"Was she here?"

She nodded. "Yeah, she was just here with me. Two guys came by and tried to hurt us, but then this other guy came along and saved us. I looked down for just a minute but when I looked up, the two of them were gone! You don't think that that guy kidnapped her do you? I wouldn't be able to live with myself if they did." She sank down to her knees and started to cry. "It's all my fault for reading that stupid book in the library!"

Huh? Book? What does she mean by that? Disregarding the idea for the moment, I told her, "I'm sure that Yui is okay. She's a smart girl—and I'm sure that she's smart enough to not go along with some random guy who happened to save you. He probably only did it to get some anyway."

"Get some what?" She asked curiously.

Chuckling, I was instantly recalled on her naivety. "Never mind. The point is…she's probably okay."

"You're probably right Onee-chan. But…but…" She started to sob once more.

"What is it?"

"I've been calling out for her for so long that all my energy is gone. I need food!" Slapping my head to my forehead, I gave another sigh. This girl is stuck in a completely different world, and all she can think of is food. Yup…that's my Miaka. She began flailing on the ground over-dramatically.

"I thought you said that you had no energy."

"I'm running on back-up fuel. We need to go find something to eat and fast!"

"Okay, okay." Looking around, I tried to look for something to help out the situation. That was when I saw something that could help us.

Miaka and I managed to hitch a ride on the back of a passing-by wagon in high hopes that it would lead to some sort of civilization with food and…other people. As we rode, I decided to dismiss this whole "Miaka being here" thing as one of those things that Taiitsukun said I would eventually ask her about. So I finally managed to get a feel of the kind of place we were at. This place was completely different than all of the other dimensions I was in. We seemed to have traveled back in time to a less…technologically enhanced civilization. There were mostly green fields and farmland everywhere and the occasional shack that people lived in. Actually, the more I thought about it, the stupider I felt when I knew that I had been in a similar place—when I was in the Feudal Era. Wow, it's been so long that I'm already forgetting stuff. How could I have forgotten that?

Anyway, this place didn't give off a Japanese feel. The feel was definitely Asian, but not Japanese. Was it Chinese perhaps? I didn't dwell on where I was for too long because I knew that the answer would eventually reveal itself. Even though I knew that I would eventually find out why Miaka was there, but it still irked me. I wasn't thinking that I didn't want her there—it was just that I thought her being there would put her in danger. She was defenseless and I didn't want to be in charge of her like I was when we were younger. The scale on danger is much, much higher now.

"Onee-chan?"

I snapped out of my thoughts. "Huh? What?"

"I asked how you've been all this time."

"Oh, well…I've been fine I suppose."

"I was really worried about you after Kajou-senpai…well, you know…" Her voice suddenly went sympathetic. "I was thinking that maybe going to the USA would do you some good."

Well, it definitely all lead to one hell of a journey. "It did. Leaving Japan definitely wasn't a mistake."

"Oh…" Now it seemed like she became sad because of my words.

"It wasn't because of you, I promise! It was…a bunch of combining factors. But things have gotten better." And I'm sure that dimension-hopping had something to do with it.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that! And I'm sure that Yui will be happy to hear it too!" Yui Hongo and I had never really been friends—we were more like acquaintances. We really only knew each other through Miaka. But I did know that she was a nice, mature, and rather brilliant girl who—through some cosmic force—found a best friend in the naïve and not-so-brilliant-but-still-kindhearted Miaka. I was actually really glad that those two had each other. "You're graduating from high school this year, right?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah…" I've been scrambling around worlds so much that I forgot that I was a senior getting ready to graduate. Miaka may have been two years younger than me, but I was three grades higher than her—bringing us back to that whole me being born in October and starting school early thing again. "Aren't you graduating middle school? What high school do you want to get into?"

She suddenly pepped up. "Jonan Academy! Yui and I plan on getting in together!"

"Jonan, huh? I remember that being a tough place to get into," I started to get skeptical. "Are you sure that you can get into such a place? I mean…there are other high schools." It felt so weird to be speaking to someone from my world again. Talking about high school issues with her just felt a bit more real than they had when I went to Kaibara High school with the Sohmas or Ouran Academy with the Host Club. Not that I missed being back at home, I really didn't, but regardless of my bewilderment of her being in that new world, it was a bit refreshing to have Miaka around again.

"No! I want to go there with Yui. I can do it—all I have to do is pass the entrance exams! Sure, my grades are only average, but I know that if I study hard enough, I can get in. Yui is a genius, so I know she'll be accepted no problem…"

Seeing how much she wanted to get into that school, I patted her head in a similar way that I had nine years before, however this time, I bothered to show some sympathy. "You're determined and I can respect that. Keep going on with your dream Miaka, and I'm sure it'll become a reality. I mean, you'll have to study like crazy, ya know, just 'cause it's you, but I believe you could probably do it." Like myself, she had a wish that she wanted granted and she was willing to work hard for it. I couldn't help but applaud her for her determination.

She giggled as her face went a light pink shade. "Thanks Onee-chan."

Getting that embarrassed, warm, but pleasant feeling inside of me again, I laid my head back onto the pile of hay that was on the back of the wagon. I tried to change the subject. "So, Miaka, I'm a bit surprised that you aren't freaking out about being in a different dimension."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, does this look like modern-day Tokyo to you?"

"Oh, that. Well, I just decided that this is all a dream and that I must have fallen asleep in the library waiting for Yui. So I'm just gonna go with it."

"A dream huh?" Extending out my arm, I pinched her real hard on the arm, causing her to jump in pain.

"Ow! Why did you do that?" She cried.

"Nope, I don't think that you're dreaming. That pinch just proved it." Feeling accomplished, I brought my hand back and closed my eyes. "You can be stuck in the delusion that this is a dream, I just wanted to make sure that you got the message that this was real before you continued fooling yourself."

"What? Not a…dream?" Her voice started to waiver. "Then that means that…bandits…guy with a sign on his forehead…Yui…" Hearing her fall back suddenly next to me, I opened my eyes to find that she had fainted.

Seriously? Initially, I decided to not wake her up for a while, but when I discovered how the scenery suddenly turned into a city full of people and marketplaces, I figured that it was time to go on foot.

Summoning energy to my hand, I effortlessly formed a four-inch diameter sphere of water. Throwing it in the air above Miaka, it wasn't too soon later when I heard a splash followed by the girl scrambling to get up.

"Cold!" She shouted. "Where did that water come from?"

Before giving an answer, a plan formed in my head. Taiitsukun said that I am free to use my powers as I please here. But what if—just for fun—I was to keep my powers a secret? Since I have a complete handle on my powers now…I could have some fun with this. I mean, there's no pressure if they did find out—no consequence—so I don't have to stress about it at all. Sure, maybe I hated the fact that I couldn't tell anyone before, but now that I'm allowed to let people know…I don't want them to know—yet. Three cheers for reverse psychology!

So, I shrugged. "Good question. But since you're awake, maybe we should get off."

"Now?"

"You want food don't you?"

She gasped and held her stomach as it growled very prominently. "And I was finally able to get my mind off of it!"

Grabbing her hand, I said, "C'mon!" as we jumped off the still moving wagon. I managed to land on my feet pretty successfully, but Miaka lost her grip and fell flat on her face.

"Ow!" She sat up and held her nose. No blood was coming out, so I was sure that it wasn't broken.

I was about to ask if she was alright when I realized that we were being watched. Scanning the area, it was revealed that quite a few people were looking at Miaka and me. It seemed like the majority of them were wearing rather simple clothes—nothing too obvious and extravagant and obvious like back in my world…or any twenty-first century world. Like these people, all you really need is a shirt, pants, skirt, dress, robe, whatever gets the job done. But since I am a twenty-first century girl, I need a little more than that. Their stares were understandable—our clothes made us stand out. This was bad for me considering I hated it when a bunch of eyes are centered on me—it made me self-conscious and paranoid.

Standing there, I tried to get my mind off of being looked at by doing some more observations. This place seemed slightly more advanced than back in the Feudal Era Japan, this looked like it was actually a city full of stores, houses, and such. None of this answered for where we were though.

Wait a second…Something felt…off. It was too quiet around me. Not quiet as in it was silent, because there was still a bunch of people moving around going about their day. It was quiet in the sense that Miaka wasn't talking. She wasn't even there.

"Miaka?" I looked around and I couldn't spot her anywhere. Starting a rather brisk pace, I went past a bunch of gawking people to find my absentminded friend. "Miaka! Where did you go?" Feeling a sense of panic, I was beginning to think that maybe someone took her. Before things got out of hand, I had to make myself calm down and think in a more positive sense. Stopping in my tracks, I pondered. Okay, think Aki. If Miaka were kidnapped in some way, someone would have said something. And people—well, smart people—don't usually commit crimes in the open unless they're complete morons, or very sneaky. I just have to think like Miaka. Allowing my senses to take control, I realized a delicious aroma floating around in in the air. Following my nose, I was relieved to find that Miaka was at a booth staring at a dozen of dumplings.

Should have seen that coming. I can't believe that I didn't think of this first. Stomping up to her, I put my hands on my hips. "Miaka, what the hell?"

With drool coming out from the side of her mouth and eyes alit, she turned to me. "Oh, Aki-nee-chan, I didn't see you there."

"And I suppose you didn't see that you completely ditched me back there. You scared me!"

"I'm sorry. I was just so hungry and I smelled this awesome food!" She turned her attention back on the dumplings. I gulped. They do smell good…Feverishly shaking my head, I tried to get a grip on myself. This isn't the time to think about that!

"Miaka, I—"

"Here, Onee-chan!" She held out a dumpling to me. "I bought this for you. I know that you gotta be hungry too!"

Calming down, I gave a small smile. "Thanks…" She may be a goof, but she's still a really sweet girl. I took the dumpling out of her hand as she began chomping down on her own. Wait a second…how did she even pay for these? Did she somehow get this word's money? For some reason, I don't think that Yen works here…

Believing that the dumpling maker would eventually catch on, I silently suggested that we walked fast, mixing ourselves with the crowd. This wasn't the type of commotion I wanted to cause. As we walked away, she talked in between bites. "This is so yummy! By the way, when I went chasing for the food, I was asking around to see if anyone had seen that guy who saved Yui and I."

"That guy huh?" While we were on the wagon, Miaka was telling me how she and Yui went to the National Library to check out a book. Apparently, Miaka got side-tracked—big surprise there—and ended up exploring the place. I've been to that library before and it's huge. Anyway, she said that she saw some kind of magnificent big red bird flying around and decided to follow it. The fact that a bird like that was even in that library made me sort of skeptical but then she told me of how she then found a book called The Universe of the Four Gods which was written in Chinese—which is what led me to believe that we were in some kind of ancient-Chinese world. When Yui joined her, the two of them were somehow sucked into the book and ended up here. Before I came along, some slave-traders tried to kidnap them—as if they weren't already freaked out enough. Then some guy with a dark teal hair color and the character for "ogre" glowing on his forehead written in Kanji came along and kicked their asses. After that, both Yui and the guy seemed to have disappeared. That was when I made my appearance.

It was a good idea looking for this guy—especially if he really did have anything to do with Yui's disappearance. Even if he wasn't her kidnapper, he must have been a decent enough guy to go out of his way to save a couple of odd-looking girls. If there was anything I learned during my journey, it was that finding an ally in a foreign world was definitely a primary thing to do.

We went about walking through the crowd asking various people if they had seen this mysterious stranger. Wherever we asked, no luck.

"What are we gonna do?" Miaka whined. "What if we never find that guy or Yui?"

"Don't worry. In situations like these, answers tend to eventually reveal themselves." Which was true—aggravating, but true.

Soon enough, the inevitable happened: the man who was selling the dumplings came running through the streets after us yelling, "How dare you give me foreign money! Give me real money that I can use! Come back here and pay!"

We simultaneously turned our heads around to find the source of the yelling. The moment we realized who it was, we ourselves went dashing even further into the unknown city.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Miaka repeated a few times. "I was just so hungry!"

"Dammit Miaka! You gotta eventually realize that your actions have consequences!" Seeing a corner up ahead, I grabbed Miaka's hand and hid ourselves in a group of oncoming people. When I was sure that we were out of sight for a few seconds, I had us go around the corner and into an alleyway. Lungs already burning as if on fire, I was never the best at sports or running—my body was just never used to physical stuff like that. So you can imagine how running my ass of like this wasn't easy. But for the sake of not beating the crap out of an innocent guy just for the sake of not getting in trouble, we had to ditch him no matter what, even if it meant enduring the pain my leg muscles were experiencing.

"Onee-cha—" I slapped my hand over her mouth until the guy ran by.

When the cost was clear, I released my hand as we both let out a deep sigh.

"Miaka, you really got to think things through next time."

"Well how was I supposed to know that he'd chase us?"

"We're in a completely different world. What gave you the notion that your money would work here?"

She started to whine. "I don't know! If you knew, Onee-chan, why didn't you say anything?"

"Why do you think I had us walk faster? Besides," I blushed a little as I looked away, "we had to get food somehow."

She giggled. "So you were hungry too!" I continued to blush without saying anything. It was still wrong.

"Hey, you two girls," A man came up to us from the street while Miaka and I were talking.

Putting my guard up, I asked, "What is it?"

He put on a sincere smile. "I heard around that two girls with odd looking clothes were looking for a guy with the 'ogre' character on his forehead."

Miaka perked up. "Yes we are! You know the guy?"

"Know him? He's a good friend of mine!"

Something didn't seem right. "Good friend huh? Then what's his name?" The guy's smile faltered a bit before he quickly put it back on. Seeing Miaka's eyes light up with hope showed me that she didn't notice how the guy's stature suddenly changed when I asked the question.

"I don't think that he would want me telling strangers his name. You know how it is with a bunch of weirdoes running around out there."

I frowned. "What a load of—"

"Yeah! He's right you know," Miaka said while going up to him. "People can be really creepy. We completely understand where you're coming from sir. I wouldn't want my name out there with strangers either!" Oh come on Miaka, don't tell me that you're actually buying all of this.

"Yeah, I can take you girls to him if you want."

Please, we're not that stu—"Sure! That would be super nice of you!" Miaka exclaimed with gratefulness in her voice. You've got to be kidding me.

"Well, just follow me and I'll take you there. He's been meaning to catch up with you." He went further down the alley we were in and onto a street that appeared on the other side. Without hesitation, Miaka followed with anticipation in her eyes. Now, I had two options here. The first was that I could beat the stuffing out of this guy right now before he got us into trouble. Of course, with that scenario, I wouldn't be completely sure that he was truly up to no good. The other option was that I'd let him think he fooled us—more like me, 'cause he definitely fooled Miaka—up until he does something he'll regret. Then I could beat the stuffing out of him. In some off chance that we did run into the guy with the "ogre" symbol on his head while going along with this guy, then it wouldn't be wise to pass it up.

So we followed him.

Soon, seconds turned to minutes, and minutes turned into an hour. We had been walking further and further into the unknown city. I expected people to continue to stare at our odd outfits, but I began to notice how the number of people we saw began to diminish more and more the deeper we went. And that's odd for any city. Can you say "trap"?

Luckily Miaka wasn't completely a lost case because even she was starting to become skeptical. She leaned into me in a conversation meant for only us.

"Onee-chan, don't you think that we should have reached this guy by now? Why is it taking so long?"

"I have my theories." I decided that my annoyance level had started to rise at an increasing rate, so I shouted at the guy. "Hey! How long until we get there?"

He stopped. "Why, we're here."

"Really?" Miaka looked around excitedly. "Where is the guy with the 'ogre' symbol?"

The guy started to snicker evilly. Okay, good guys don't usually laugh like that. Turning around to face us, he reached into a pocket on his outfit revealing a knife. Miaka and I stiffened. "Sorry ladies, but you have been tricked." I rolled my eyes. No, really?

"Tricked? What do you mean?" Miaka asked.

From the shadows, six other looking-for-trouble-men came emerged completely surrounding us. Each with a mischievous look on their face, they talked as if we weren't there.

"You were right, they are wearing peculiar clothes. Where do you think they're from?"

"Who cares, we'll probably get a good amount for them. I'm sure that some people would pay pretty nicely for young girls like these. We could also sell their exotic clothes for a pretty nice price as well."

"Hey, maybe we could have some fun with them first."

"I agree." The guy who led us here turned to face us. "What do you say, ladies? You gonna cooperate or not?"

My fists clenched in anger. I absolutely hated guys like this—guys who treated people like items and though that they could have their way with any one that they harass. No matter where you go, no matter which dimension you travel to, there will always be guys like this. To make things worse, they planned on selling us. I knew that chump was leading us on, but an ambush? Come on! Bad guys were really lacking in creativity nowadays.

Miaka's body started to shake as she tried to hide behind me. "What do you guys plan on doing?"

He sneered. "It's best that you don't know." At that cue, the circle closed in on us as the criminals tried to grab at us and pin us to the ground. Miaka and I managed to slip from their clutches and up against a wall that we didn't know was there. One of the guys had a rope that he tried to capture one of us in, but it was no use when we dodged that one as well. Trying to avoid even more trouble and Miaka in danger, I grabbed her hand and attempted to run away. Unfortunately, a knife came rushing past my head and onto a nearby tree.

Letting out a sigh of relief, I thought, thank God, he missed. I forgot that those guys have weapons like that. I may have no choice here. One of them used my being distracted as an opening and body slammed me onto the ground.

"Dammit. Miaka, keep running!" I yelled out at her. I'll handle these guys once she's at a safe distance.

"Shut up, wench!" The one on top of me yelled. Seriously though, can't these guys come up with a better disrespecting name for me? Why do they always call me that? He yelled out to his partners. "Don't let that one get away!"

Each one of them raced after her as she just stood there, in shock.

"Miaka! Now is not the time to play statue! Get the hell out of here!"

With that, she blinked and took a step forward to the six guys coming after her. What is she doing? She suddenly threw off her brown school jacket to the ground, making the guys become curious and stop in front of her. Pushing up her white sleeves, she flashed some of her biceps at them.

In her toughest voice, she proclaimed, "I have watched many wrestling matches with my brother as well as a bunch of action-y anime! So you better not mess with me! I've seen enough to be able to imitate their moves almost exactly!" Although they pretty much didn't understand a lot of what she said, they must have understood that she basically said that she could take them. Knowing that, they all laughed hysterically. I could even feel the vibrations from the laughing idiot on top of me.

Feeling insulted, Miaka threw herself at the bunch with an array of punches, kicks, and slams. It was actually quite a sight to see. She managed to throw a few of them away from her. At another point, she jumped off from a rock and performed a leg-drop on top of the chest of one of the guys she managed to throw causing him to gasp as the wind was knocked out of him. She then took a risk and grabbed a guy next to her around the waist and did an almost professional looking suplex, ending in the guy crying out in pain on his back. Of course, my eyes were wide, and jaw was dropped during this whole thing. Holy crap Miaka.

As she stood back up from the suplex, one of the guys grabbed her in frustration and threw her straight to the ground, using his body weight to keep her down. Two of limped over to hold down her legs and feet to make sure that she wouldn't escape.

"Help!" She screamed.

"You little bitch, you honestly thought you could take us?"

Feeling that the last straw had been broken already, I used a huge gust of Wind to blow the bastard right off of me. Alarmed, the remaining three came racing towards me to avoid my escape. Well, they had absolutely nothing to worry about.

Summoning Wind to my hands and feet, I got ready to make sure that they paid for crossing me. As one of them approached, I ducked under his punch and, instead, punched him in the gut with Wind sending him flying right into the nearby wall. "Tornado Fist!" Another one determinately came at my side causing me to bring my leg back, only to swing it forward right into the side of his arm resulting in him being shot into the bark of a tree. Sure, maybe my physical attacks weren't as…colorful as Miaka's, but considering the fact that I was trying to keep my magic a secret and that I was still managing to kick these guys' asses, who the hell cares?

Right as I was in my prime, a threatening voice came from behind me. "I will have you even if I have to rip you up in PIECES!" It was the voice of the guy who I blew off my back—the guy who had lead us there. Looking back out of the corner of my eye, I saw that he was directly behind me, ready to stab me in the back. When I tried to get distance between us, he grabbed onto my jacket to pull me in as her brought back the hand with the knife in it. Fearing that I couldn't escape or react fast enough, I braced my body for the pain I knew would inevitably come.

When my hope seemed to have completely died, something impacted the guy sending him flying straight through the same wall that I hit his friend into. Ignoring the gasps from all of his buddies, I quickly turned my body to the force that saved me. Then I was face to face with a nicely tanned guy who looked about my age with dark teal hair that was in a long, loose ponytail that went down to the middle of his back while the top of his hair and his bangs were messy, but in a neat sort of way (if that makes any sense). Wearing a midnight-blue, long-sleeved Chinese shirt with a yellow collar and cuffs. On his waist was red a long tied-on piece of cloth along with long black pants and flats. He had gentle violet eyes that made me feel that I was definitely in safe in his hands.

Feeling my face completely flush at the sight of my rescuer, my eyes went wide as I discovered that in the middle of his forehead was a glowing bright scarlet character for "ogre".

This was the guy we had been looking for.

-Aloe

Having said that, if you choose to continue on reading, I hope you enjoy the Beta version and look forward to the official!