The girl stared at the demon. "Oh, shoot. I'm gonna die." She raised her shield in front of her face. "Please don't hurt me?" The demon chuckled behind his faceless black mask. "We'll see about that." He pointed and a line of shadow cracked towards her like a whip. She shrieked and jumped to one side, barely avoiding it. The demon put a hand up and the she found herself being pressed back by a wave of darkness. She cried out in pain, falling backwards. "Not very impressive," the demon snorted. The girl shook her head vigorously then looked up at the demon, eyes watering. "That really hurt, you know." She bit her lip and stood up. "Fine. Okay, I have this magical power, right? So I can use it to beat you. Somehow." "I like it when my prey struggles. It makes things so much more interesting," the demon purred. The girl could hear the smile in his voice. She shuddered involuntarily. "Now... catch!" The demon hurled a ball of darkness at her. She raised her shield to block, cringing at what would inevitably happen... It dissipated harmlessly against the silver. As the demon paused in surprise, the girl ran forward, instinctively bringing her right palm to touch the gems in the center of the shield. Her eyes glazed over for a moment as she chanted, "Power of the Dream Realm, grant me the weapon needed to purge the land of this unclean one!" She pulled her hand back a bit and a gleaming silver-white lute appeared. She lashed at the demon, who overcame his shock in time to dodge. With a hasty hand gesture, the black wind once again pressed the girl back. But this time, she raised her shield and pushed her way through it. He backed up, hoping to buy time, but was stopped when the lute landed on his head. He fell forward as the magical girl hit him again. Dream Warrior Ardweden looked at the fallen but still breathing demon, then to her lute, and blinked. "Ack!" she cried as she nearly dropped the instrument. "Where'd that come from?" The demon gurgled below her. The Dream Warrior looked down at him and gasped. His wound was healing. She bit her lip. "Um... go away. Please? Moon healing activation?" The demon clawed at the floor, slowly bringing himself up to his knees. "No! Stay back!" Ardweden flailed with her lute, shattering the mask. She grimaced and covered her ears as the demon screamed. His body became a dark mist, swirling in on itself and condensing into a floating black gem. "What...?" Ardweden murmured in astonishment. She reached out to touch it, but a hole opened beneath the gem in midair swallowed it. She was about to inspect the hole when she heard slow, deliberate clapping. "Bravo, bravo," a voice said from behind her. Ardweden spun around to see a man (or what she assumed to be a man) wearing a smiling harlequin mask and a patchwork cloak. He lowered his hands and approached her. "So you're Ravi's new toy. Hmm... I haven't seen a Dream Warrior in years. Yes, many years. He must be getting quite desperate by now." Ardweden could just hear the smirk on his lips, and it grated her ears. She pointed her lute at him. "Are you a member of the... um... are you a bad guy?" The man giggled and stopped just an inch short of the blunt glowing doom. "Oh, hardly. I'm just me." The Dream Warrior slowly lowered her lute. "That doesn't answer my question, really." He just shrugged. "I'm a man." He nodded to himself as if he needed reassurance. "I am a man playing the game." He looked to the sky for a moment, then back at the Dream Warrior. "And I know who you are!" he crowed, pointing at her. The girl blinked. "Me?" "Yes!" he cried with delight. "I know all about you, Ardweden, Dream Warrior." "How... how do you know my name?" The man giggled again. "Ah! But that..." He held up a finger. "Is a secret!" Ardweden blinked. She blinked again. Then she saw red. "Xelloss! Argh! DIEEEEE!" She tightened her grip on her lute and started beating Jason over the head with it. "Mother," he managed to squeak before he passed out. * * * * * Nightmare Fighter John Chapter 4: Blunt Glowing Doom! * * * * * John listened to the birds chirping and groaned. He slowly opened his eyes, letting the light in bit by bit. They felt so heavy. Eventually, though, he got to the point where they were completely open and he had a lovely view of his plain, white ceiling. He winced. "Ow, that hurts. Stupid light." He blinked a couple of times, trying to get his eyes to adjust. With a tired sigh, he sat up and looked at the clock. He was late for school. He shook his head and got out of bed, walking to his desk. Grabbing the notebook, he opened it to an empty page and frowned. He took a pen, uncapped it, and wrote, "Nothing. Woke up exhausted." John snapped the notebook shut, checked his calendar, and nodded. It was three years to the day in which he had his last dreamless night. He'd think it an odd coincidence, but now that he was the Nightmare Fighter, was anything a coincidence anymore? After going through his standard morning ritual (getting dressed, brushing teeth, and showering), John padded his way downstairs. He made his way to the front door quickly and silently, grabbing his jacket from the hook that was installed beside it. With a slight creak, he opened the door. "Hey, where're ya goin', John-kun?" The boy in question turned towards the voice. "I'm going to school," he said calmly. John's father wiped a hand on his stained shirt and half stumbled in his general direction. "Aww... keep an old man company," he begged. He could smell the alcohol on his father's breath. "I'm sorry. I'm late enough as it is." "Come on, John-kun. Who'll miss you at school, anyway?" He tugged at John's arm. "Please?" "No. Look, I really have to go. See you when I get back, okay?" He pulled his arm away and stepped out the door, shutting it quietly and ignoring his father's pleas for company. Another drink or two and he'd pass out. Squinting his eyes in pain, he reached into his coat pocket and grabbed a pair of sunglasses. John always did dislike overly sunny days, and this one only served to make his headache worse. He sighed and started walking to school, only to pause. He didn't feel like putting up with Damien, and he was late for school anyway. Nobody would miss him. Hell, nobody would even want to see him. And he could study on his own, which would make up for the review day. With a nod to himself, he turned and headed towards the subway station. He was doing his classmates a favor, really. After all, who would miss him at school, anyway? * * * * * Phoebe turned the corner at breakneck speed. She was late! She really couldn't afford sleeping in, not with her grades being as low as they are. But she and Ian had to make sure John was taken care of, and she didn't quite trust that Tsugi guy. He seemed kind of suspicious to her. She slowed down as the school came into view. It really was a gorgeous day. A pity she'd have to waste it by having to stand outside of class holding buckets the entire time. Phoebe sighed as she slowed a bit more. School didn't sound so appealing anymore, but she had to see how John was doing, especially after what happened last night. "Phoebe." The girl in question blinked and looked to her right, where Damien Roc stood. She frowned slightly. Damien wasn't such a bad guy, really, but he did have it in for John. "Where is Evans?" he asked. "I don't know," Phoebe replied as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Don't you have better places to be? Like in class?" "I don't think you understand, Phoebe. I need to know where Evans is." Damien paused as he brushed a wisp of orange-blonde hair from his face. "Don't make me hurt you." Phoebe started giggling. "What? Why are you laughing?" Damien asked. "Is it something on my face?" This only made Phoebe laugh harder. "Oh, come on. Tell me!" he pleaded. "It's just... hehe... the idea of you hurting someone..." she managed to gasp out as she clutched her stomach in laughter. Damien scowled. "I mean it, Phoebe," he said quietly. Phoebe finally caught her breath, then looked at Damien, who was staring at her. "You're serious, aren't you?" she said, half in wonder. Damien nodded and took up a stance. "I don't want to, but I will." "Well, I can't let you hurt John. He's my friend." Stepping forward, Phoebe raised her fists up and grinned. "Actually, a fight might be good for me. I haven't tried out the stomping potential of these boots yet." Her opponent blinked, then looked down. The high-heeled leather boots were black, shined so they reflected upwards and under the skirt... he tore his gaze away from them. "Um... those aren't regulation, are they?" Phoebe posed proudly. "You bet they're not! High quality Fuck- Me boots! Made of-- hey!" She jumped back as Damien lunged at towards her. "That wasn't very ni-- WHOA!" Damien laughed as the blonde girl stumbled and fell backwards. "There's a *reason* you should obey the rules!" he taunted. "Eww. Blood." Phoebe winced as she looked at her scraped elbow. She tried standing, only to have her right leg collapse. "Ow." "Now." Damien bent over and looked into her eyes. "Where is Evans?" Phoebe opened her mouth to respond when she heard yelling. "Phoebe! Damnit, Damien, what did you do to her?!" Damien stepped back as a pair of boys arrived. "Hi Ian, Chris!" Phoebe called as she waved. Ian ran up to Phoebe. "Are you okay?" he asked breathlessly. "Not hurt or anything?" "Well, I can't exactly get up..." "Damien," Chris growled as he tried to grab Damien by the jacket. He nimbly stepped aside. "What did you do to her?" "Nothing, really," Damien smiled. "Nothing my ass. What did you do? Tell me!" Chris demanded. "Honest. I didn't lay a finger on her." Damien shrugged helplessly. "I've had more than enough of you, you--" "That's enough!" Chris whirled around to see Ian supporting a shaky Phoebe. "We have to get her to the nurse's office right away," Ian explained. "Her ankle's twisted." "Oh, Phoebe! Are you okay?" Chris ran up and supported her other side. "Come on!" Phoebe cried, completely ignoring Chris' question. "We can't go! I haven't done any stomping yet!" The boys sighed and literally picked Phoebe up, carrying her off to the building. Damien shook his head as he watched the trio leave. Apparently Phoebe didn't know where John was, after all. He didn't like it. He didn't like it at all, and he'd been meaning to talk with John ever since he saw his sister and him disappear into an alley. He didn't hear from Kristen again. "You wish for revenge?" a quiet voice asked. "What?" Damien looked behind him to the source of the voice: a petite girl dressed in a uniform from his school. She had unnaturally pale skin and deep, black hair. The girl smiled a smile full of perfect, white teeth that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I said you wish for revenge. I can tell by your expression." "I just want to know what's going on," Damien said. But if John was responsible... yes, revenge would be nice. "What do you want?" The girl looked insufferably smug. "To help you, of course. Here." Reaching into her jacket, she pulled out a small white envelope and tossed it to Damien, who caught it by reflex. "A proposition for you. From the Loki Cult." Damien looked down at the envelope and turned it over in his hands. "Why are you helping me?" he asked as he inspected it. He looked up. "Who are--" He stopped. The girl was gone. * * * * * Ardweden entered the nurse's office with a sigh. She was not having a good day. She was normally a decent student, but paying attention in class was a chore; she couldn't get that dream out of her head. And even if she didn't care about her grades, being sent into the hall with buckets on the first day was a bit embarrassing. Then things only went from bad to worse. She got lost trying to find her way back to the classroom from the cafeteria, and while wandering (and thinking about the dream) a pair of boys who were running down the hall shoved her from behind. They apologized, saying that they were late for class, and one--Chris?--even offered to walk her to the nurse. Ardweden declined, as she figured she could get to the nurse on her own. So there she was, fifteen minutes later. She looked around nervously and would have probably stood there for quite some time if the woman behind the desk had not waved her over. "Why are you here?" she asked. "Um... I was knocked over in the hall and skinned my knees," Ardweden explained. "Let me see that," the secretary commanded as she leaned over the desk. "It's not so bad. You should do something about the bleeding, though. Bandages are in that room." She pointed at a closed door across the office. "Help yourself. Oh, and try to be quiet. A young woman is resting in there." Ardweden nodded and approached the door. She opened it without a sound, practically tiptoeing into the dark room so she wouldn't wake the person on the cot. After a moment's hesitation, she opened the cabinet and grabbed a box full of bandages. She turned to leave but was stopped by the rustle of blankets and the flickering of light overhead. "Hi! What happened to you?" the girl on the cot asked. "Well, I got knocked over in the hall and--what happened to you?" Ardweden gasped when she turned to see the figure on the cot. Her arms were covered with scrapes and bruises, and she had a rather heavy bandage wrapped around her right foot. "Just a fight," the girl shrugged off Ardweden's comment. "Just a fight nothing!" Ardweden cried as she ran to the girl's side. "How did this happen?" "Ah..." The other girl paused and looked down at the covers. "Do you know about Damien?" Ardweden shook her head. "I'm new here. Just arrived today." "You are? Wow, another one... my name's Phoebe. What's yours?" "Ardweden." She blinked. "Hey, your skin's awfully pale. Like mine." "Really?" Phoebe looked Ardweden over. "You part Irish?" "Yeah," Ardweden grinned. "That's so cool!" Phoebe beamed. "You'd think you wouldn't meet another foreigner in Japan, much less someone with even part of the ancestry as you." They sat in silence for a few moments, Phoebe watching Ardweden bandage her knees. "You know," Phoebe mused, "We get an awful lot of foreigners in this area." "What do you mean?" Ardweden didn't look up from her work. "Well... it's like everyone around here isn't from Japan. Do you think they ship out of country people here or something?" Ardweden laughed. "Now that's something. The school's really a concentration camp for foreigners! Cleverly disguised, of course." "Of course." Phoebe nodded. "It wouldn't do to have other governments looking in on it." "Tell me about it." Ardweden finished with the bandages and set them back in the kit. She turned her attention to Phoebe. "So, what happened to you?" "Well, there's this guy named Damien and--" "Ardweden!" The girls turned their attention to the doorway, where a young man with wavy, black hair and dark brown eyes stood. "Ardweden! I was looking all over for you," he said worriedly. "I'm okay, Ravi, really. Don't worry about me. Just skinned my knees is all," Ardweden replied. "I'll be out after I put away these bandages, okay?" "All right. I'll wait outside." Ravi said. "Sorry about interrupting your conversation." "It's okay! Don't apologize," Ardweden scolded Ravi. Ravi sighed and nodded, then stepped back out of the room. Leaning forward and peering through the doorway, Phoebe watched him leave the office. She looked back at Ardweden. "How do you know him?" "He's my distant cousin," Ardweden lied expertly as she placed the box back in the cabinet. "I'm staying at his house." "I see." "I'd better be going now. It is my first day of class, and I missed enough already." Ardweden grinned at her new friend. "See you after school?" "Sure. I'll show you around," Phoebe waved Ardweden off. "Get plenty of rest," Ardweden ordered as she shut the door behind her. * * * * * The sea was a little too calm that day, John decided. He could still feel the salty spray as he watched the ships, but the water wasn't angry like it usually was when he visited.. It was quiet and still and peaceful instead, with the sun half-shining on its surface (thanks to smog). Picturesque, almost. He frowned. It should be angry, to match his mood. Not even the sea empathized with him that day. So instead of watching the water like he normally did, he turned his attention to the cargo ships. His eyes followed the massive, powerful things as they moved slowly towards and away from the docks. He sighed and fiddled with his scepter- turned-pendant. Sometimes... just to get away... John shook his head and turned away, beginning his walk back to the subway station. Philip'd be home soon. * * * * * Stepping out of the subway car, John took a quick look around. He checked the time, nodded, and started pushing his way out of the station; it wouldn't do for him to be late. He was almost out when he spotted a shadowed, drunken man sleeping against the wall. While a sight like this normally wouldn't have earned a second glance, something about the shadow seemed *wrong* somehow. Terribly, horribly wrong. Taking a few steps back, John turned and ran to the nearest bathroom, resisting the urge to transform. He bowled over a number of males and ran into the nearest stall, immediately locking it shut. Pausing for a moment to catch his breath, he reached up and took the scepter from around his neck. "Let the dream begin," he half- whispered, "Let the power commence! My power, by right and birth, the power of the Dream Realm!" An almost familiar sensation of darkness surrounded and filled him... for a moment he thought he would lose himself in it, and then in an instant it was gone. The Nightmare Fighter stood where the schoolboy once was. He unlocked the stall and made his way out, slightly surprised that nobody saw fit to comment on his attire (a black nightgown and a silver tiara). Sprinting out the door, John ran towards the drunk. He almost laughed as he slipped through the crowd, taking full advantage of his enhanced abilities. The shadow wasn't just a shadow anymore--it was a dark, roiling cloud, swirling around the sleeping man. The Nightmare Fighter gaped for a moment, then came to his senses and concentrated. The dark aura formed around him, and a tentacle lashed out and slammed into the cloud. He swore he could hear it scream in pain. It writhed and twisted in on itself, slowly becoming a vaguely humanoid figure. John readied the scepter and started building up power. The shadow creature withdrew its clawed hand from the man's face and turned to look at the magical boy through feral, narrow eyes. He almost took a step back; its gaze was so intense. The demon hissed once and ran. Nightmare Fighter John blinked. He glanced down at the man, then prepared to give chase, only to stumble. Sighing, he adjusted his shoes. "Damn high-heels," he muttered to himself. "I don't know how girls can wear them for long." * * * * * "So this Damien caused you to fall? I'm so sorry," Ardweden said sympathetically as she and Phoebe walked down the street. Phoebe shrugged. "I probably should have known better," she sighed. "I still want to stomp on someone, though." "Really," Ardweden laughed. "That's the ultimate test of good boots." "Yup," Phoebe agreed. "Stompability is a must." She stopped. "Here we are." Ardweden took one look and whistled. Or she tried to. Actually, it sounded like someone exhaling, but it was an attempt. "So your friend John lives here? Nice place." Phoebe nodded. "He's pretty well off." She walked up to the door and knocked politely. A smattering of footsteps could be heard from the other side of the wall, and the door opened with a slight creak. "Mindless Sex-O- Gram!" Phoebe announced happily. Ardweden stepped away from her friend. A pair of large eyes stared at the two girls. The owner of those eyes smiled hesitantly. "Hi Phoebe." "Hello, Philip," Phoebe greeted as she squatted so she was face to face with the boy. "Is John-san home?" "Nope," Philip replied. Phoebe cast a worried glance up at Ardweden, then turned her attention back to the boy. "How about your father? Is he home?" Philip paused for a moment, looking up at Ardweden and then back at Phoebe. The second girl smiled reassuringly at him. He shook his head. Straightening up, Phoebe sighed and addressed Ardweden. "Something's very, very wrong here. John would never leave Philip home alone." The other girl nodded and looked down at the boy. "Where do you think he could have gone?" she asked with concern. "I don't know. Maybe to that bar he likes so much or--" "Hey!" The two girls turned to see Ravi running up the street. "Ardweden," he panted. "I have to talk to you. It's about--" "Can't you see I'm busy?" Ardweden snapped. "I have to help Phoebe find her friend." Ravi shook his head. "Look, I'm really sorry about this, but... it's about family." Ardweden glared at Ravi. Ravi glared back. Phoebe stepped in between them. "Um," she began intelligently, "I can take care of things here. You go help your family, Ardweden-san." She noticed Ravi's eyes on her and blushed slightly, then lightly nudged Philip. "Come on. Let's call Ian, okay?" Philip nodded and stepped back into the house; Phoebe followed him in. As she turned to shut the door, though, she mouthed 'thank you' to Ardweden and gave her a thumbs-up. Ardweden smiled and returned with a 'good luck'. The door closed with a soft click. The spirit guide sighed. "Look, I'm really sorry about this..." Ardweden shook her head. "None of that, okay? Where do we need to go?" Ravi shrugged. "Follow me." He led her to a dark, secluded alley. "There's been an attack at the subway station. The Loki Cult's gaining in power, and we can't afford to let this slip by." He looked at his charge sternly. Ardweden took the silver broach off her uniform. "I understand, Ravi. I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier, it's just..." Ravi nodded. "It's okay. Just remember what we have to do. Transform, Dream Warrior!" She nodded and turned the broach over in her hands, then chanted, "Let the dream begin... let the power commence! My power, by right and birth, the power of the Dream Realm!" Less than a minute later, Dream Warrior Ardweden and her spirit bird were well on their way to the subway station. Jason smiled. * * * * * Author's Notes: When self insertion goes too far... This was inspired by "self insertion", a stimulus for The Sunburst Project. It's based off a little joke Phoebe, John, and I have about the characters in Nightmare Fighter Yumeko; how John primarily characterized Yumeko, Phoebe Misako, and I Miwako by putting a lot of ourselves into them. I took this idea further, of course, and replaced every major character in chapter four of NFY with a previous author or an author in the queue. The only exception is Hiro/Ravi, who I'm sure will sign up as soon as the queue opens (sometime next year) because he loves us so very very much. ^_~ Apologies to anyone who's characterization I got wrong. I know some of you better than others. ^_^; But man, was that fun. :P (And yes, this is the first Nightmare Fighter Yumeko chapter to be... um... self inserted?) Ardweden The Sunburst Project, Week 6 http://www.mit.edu/~johne/btr/sbp/ 4/20/00 Nightmare Fighter Yumeko hosted by Beware the Radish http://www.mit.edu/~johne/btr/