I awoke to a dream.
    Not an ordinary dream, of course.  I'd just woken *from* one of those.
No, this was a dream of something real, a vision.  My grandmother called them
"the world's dreams", and talked about how, on rare occasions, we could
sometimes catch sight of them...
    I didn't believe her, of course.  But now--well, I'll get to all that
eventually.
    This dream seemed to be of the future.  I could tell because it involved
me, and I didn't remember it happening, so it wasn't the past.  Or the
present.  But then, what separates the past from the present from the future?
Just words, really... but that's not really important either.
    Like so often in dreams, or at least my dreams, I was doing something
while at the same time watching myself do it.  In this case, I was talking to
the four others.  (Four other what? I hear you asking.  Well, you'll find out.
More than you wanted to know, probably.)  I was fairly excited, which was not
a good sign.  Not with these four.  The expressions were not encouraging;
Akari's face was creased in worry, Shuukou was frowning with skepticism, Soshi
was--okay, he looked the same as he always did.  But Kenchi wasn't even
smiling, and *that* was really worrying.  To top it all off, this discussion
was taking place in a windowless room with concrete walls and a bare light
bulb.
    All this was definitely worrisome.  Of course I couldn't understand what I
was saying in the dream--come on, that would make the dream *useful*, and we
couldn't have that.  As I kept talking I noticed, out of the corner of my eye,
the shadows starting to leap and dance.  They made me uneasy, but I had
something very important to say... and then I felt the hate rising in the
room, streaming in through cracks in the concrete, pushing me down, until I
couldn't see and then there was screaming and darkness and something vaguely
whirring--
    And then I *really* woke up.  In my own bed, with happy sunlight shining
onto my face.
    Not a good start to the day.

=*=*=*=


John Evans and Ardweden present



                                Wings of Fate



                         Chapter 1: Call of Destiny


=*=*=*=

    I stared at the television, thoughts chasing each other around in my head.
I was slumped on a tatami in my living room, half of my breakfast on the
table in front of me.  Fish, of course, I'd had a traditional upbringing... in
some ways, very traditional.  Anyway, I was watching the morning news, and the
guy was saying something about a big puroresu tournament coming up.
    I realized I'd been watching for--I looked at the clock--half an hour, and
I couldn't remember anything the newscasters had said.
    I exhaled, and sat up.  "Okay," I said aloud.  "Something has to be done."
I looked around the room, studying the familiar clutter of magazines, books,
little statues, and shiny objects.  I bent down, pushed breakfast aside,
placed a swirly-snow-globe ("Rosebud"--heh) on the other side of the table out
of harm's way, and dug around until I found the report.  Then I slouched back
and looked at it for the first time in a couple of months.
    The title, inconspicuously enough, was 'The occurrence of unclassifiable
energy fields and their interactions with human minds'.  All our names were
below the title; mine was last, as all I'd really done was come up with the
entire idea for the thing.  Actually, no matter how it sounded, I wasn't
bitter, as I never considered it that important that everyone know about my
accomplishments.  In fact, sometimes it was more satisfying if no one else
knew... But the point was that I'd provided quite a bit of research material.
It was a decision that I might now possibly regret.
    I flipped through the pages.  A lot of the stuff was easily classified as
'irreproducible results'.  Not that it mattered, really, as the requirements
for graduation weren't that strict.  The hard part was getting *into* the
university... the fact that we'd gone through so much work to create this
monster of a paper was more than enough to get us *out*.
    The problem, though, was that some of the stuff in the paper was... well,
good.  Solid well documented reproducible experiments.  That was mostly
Soshi's fault, as he'd turned out to have a real knack for the stuff.  And it
didn't help that he was a devious bastard, either.
    I finished skimming the paper, and set it down again.  A rather unnerving
chain of logic had formed itself in my mind upon this reading.
    It was probable that someone reading the report would be able to duplicate
the work we'd done.  In fact, it was *likely*.  And if they did, they'd
probably wonder how far we'd taken things.
    And then they'd come looking...
    I stood up and walked over to the mirror on my living room wall.  Studying
my reflection, I ran my hands through my hair.  Everything looked to be in
order: short black hair, piercing dark eyes, chiseled features... (I will
admit to a certain amount of vanity, if pressed.)  My nose, as always, was a
bit long, but I liked to think it gave my face character.  Gray T-shirt and
slacks, and I pulled on a black turtleneck to complete the ensemble.
    "Ancestors, give me strength."  I patted the head of my favorite crow
statue, and walked out the door.

=*=*=*=

    I walked down the hall of the apartment building, and stopped in front of
what was hopefully the right door.  After double-checking the address I'd
written down (fortunately Akari had kept in touch with me), I knocked twice.
After several seconds, a brown-haired girl opened the door.
    "Judou-kun!"  Akari smiled at me.
    I returned the smile.  "Hi, Akari.  Long time no see."
    "Yeah, it has been!"  She stepped forward, hesitated for a moment, and
then gave me a hug.  It kind of surprised me, but I hugged her back.
    I don't think I've ever met a kinder, more giving girl than Akari.  She
had studied psychology in school, and was always volunteering at hospitals and
such.  Last I'd heard, before everything happened, she was going to try and
become a doctor of some sort.  She was very intelligent--I might even say
"brilliant", and that's not just a pun--but still projected an sense of
innocence.  And this impression was only heightened by her childlike
appearance; she was just under 155 cm, with brown hair in a bun, and large
dark eyes made larger by spectacles.
    And she also hugged people a lot.  Which always startled me, but I'd be
lying if I said I didn't enjoy it.  Of course, the other side of all this was
that she tended to get crushes on just about every guy who didn't act like a
jerk to her.  Not that there were *that* many, but I knew for a fact that, at
one point, Akari had had "feelings" for Kenchi.  Maybe she still did, at that.
And she'd also confessed a certain affection for me, a few months ago.  That
was what this was reminding me of.
    We were walking through campus, after a class.  She looked at me, and
asked, "Judou, do you have a girlfriend?"
    "Well."  I pulled on my nose nervously.  "No, but..." 
    Akari blinked.  "But what?"
    I looked at her.  My uncle, trickster that he was, had always said 'The
truth is the best lie'.  "I'm not... ready for a relationship right now."
    "...Oh."  Akari studied the ground.  "I see."
    It wasn't a lie.  Not really.  In fact, in a sense it was the absolute
truth.  "I'm sorry," I said.
    She looked up and smiled bravely... but something about her was fragile.
"Why?  You don't have anything to be sorry about."
    It was even harder than I'd feared.  I had to do something.  "So, we're
still friends then?"
    Akari looked startled.  Then she smiled, a real smile, and hugged me
again.  "Of course, Judou."
    A bright, white glow intruded on my consciousness.  I blinked.  "Judou!"
Then I realized that that hadn't been just a memory; it was another vision of
the past.  And now I was back to myself, standing in the hallway, with Akari
trying to heal me, bless her heart.
    I looked at her, and smiled a hopefully reassuring smile.  "Uh, sorry
about that, Akari."
    She shook her head.  "No, it's okay.  But is everything all right?"
    "Well..."  I rubbed the back of my head.  "That's kind of what I wanted to
talk to you about."
    "Of course, come on in."  She led me into the apartment, and closed the
door behind me.
    I stepped inside, and looked around.  I'd never been to Akari's place
before, but it somehow seemed familiar... although I wasn't sure if that was
from some half-remembered vision, or simply because the apartment fit her
personality.  It was airy and open even with the tiny windows, and looked
larger than it was.  Soft yellow light from several lamps accentuated the
whites and earth tones of the furnishings.
    Akari walked past me as I took in the room, and sat on a fluffy, light
brown couch.  She patted the spot next to her and smiled.  "Sit down,
Judou-kun," she said.  "Please."
    I smiled back, and walked over to sit down next to her.  She brushed some
hair back from her face and looked at me.  "So?  What's bothering you?"
    I blinked.  "Bothering me?  What do you mean?"
    "Come on, Judou-kun.  I know you."  Akari smiled.  "You didn't even say
'trick or treat' when I opened the door.  Something *must* be bothering you."
    I pulled on my nose (yeah, it's a habit), and looked down.  "Well... it's
hard to explain."
    "Hey.  Don't worry, okay?  You can tell me anything."  I looked up, and
she was still smiling.
    I sighed.  "Well, you see... All right.  Did you ever wonder what sort of
powers I gained from our... little project?"
    "Yes," Akari replied.  "But I figured if you wanted me to know, you'd tell
me."
    I nodded.  "It would have been a little difficult to explain at the
time... it still is."  I was silent again.  It was tough trying to figure out
how much to reveal.  Even Akari, if she knew, what would she say?  What would
she think?  "The truth is, what's been happening, is that I've been having...
visions."
    "I see," she said.  "What kind of visions?"
    I realized I was pulling on my nose again, and forced myself to stop.
"Lots of different kinds.  Things that happened in the past, things that might
happen in the future.  All jumbled up.  Like there in the hall, I had a vision
of when you--I mean, when we had that talk."  I saw her face lose a little of
its smile, and I grimaced.  "Damn.  I'm sorry, I shouldn't have--"
    "No, no, it's okay."  She put her hand over mine.  "Don't worry, really.
You can just tell me what's worrying you."
    I sighed again.  "Well, what's worrying me, is a vision I had last night.
Or this morning, or... sometime.  The point is..."  Did I really want to go
through with this?  Did I really have a choice?  "The point is that it
involved us."
    "Us?"
    "All of us.  The five of us."
    That got her attention, I saw.  "What about us?" Akari asked.
    "We were... somewhere.  Talking.  And we were all worried."  I gestured,
trying to grasp the intangible.  "And there was shadow all around, and hate,
and then there was this *thing* that--"  I broke off, realizing I wasn't
making much sense.  "Anyway.  We were attacked."
    Akari was silent for a moment.  Then, "Attacked?  By who?"
    I shook my head.  "I don't know.  All I could see was shadow."
    "Does that mean whatever it was *was* shadow?  Or it just *had* a
shadow?"
    I grinned a lopsided grin.  "I wish I knew."
    Akari sat back, and crossed her arms.  She was silent for several moments,
before speaking again.  "So you have visions of the past, and the future."  I
nodded.  "And this obviously wasn't the past.  So, does that mean it's going
to happen?  Can it be changed?"
    I shook my head.  "I don't know.  It's definitely something that *could*
happen."
    She frowned.  "But if it might not happen, and you tell us..."
    "If I get all worried about it, and talk to you all to see that it doesn't
happen, I may end up causing it to happen anyway.  And yet, seeing as it
involved all of you, I can't just not let you know.  Can I?"  I grinned again,
having the strange feeling that what passed for my sanity was packing its
bags.
    "I should have known," Akari said.
    I blinked at her.  "Known what?"
    "I should have known that your powers would be devious and confusing, just
like you."  She gave me a light slap on the shoulder.
    I winced obligingly.  "Ow!  Sorry."
    Akari hugged me again.  "That's okay."  She leaned back, brushed her hair
away from her face, and sighed.  "Well.  This is confusing.  But I think the
best thing to do is to tell everyone."
    "That's what I thought too," I said, nodding.  "I mean, if we know we're
going to be attacked, we should be prepared."
    She smiled a small smile.  "There is that.  Actually, I just think it
would be better to be around friends."
    "Ah, friends, of course.  So, we going to find Soshi now?"
    Akari just looked at me.
    "I'm sorry," I said, sagging.  "This mouth of mine..."
    "No, it's okay, Judou-kun."  She leaned against me for a moment.
"Nobody's perfect, after all."
    I pulled on my nose.  "No kidding..."

=*=*=*=

    "So this is where Kenchi's been hanging out," I commented as Akari pulled
the car onto a driveway.  "Nice place."
    "Yes."  She put the car into park and turned the key.  "He's been using
his powers to... get things."  She grimaced.
    "I see."  After stepping out of the car I took a deep breath of the crisp
autumn air, and surveyed the house.  It was a nice place--a well-kept, nicely
designed two-story home.  Quite difficult for your average recently graduated
college student to come by, but then Kenchi wasn't your average anything.
    We made our way to the door, and Akari rang the doorbell.  I chuckled as I
heard the muffled tune of "La Cucaracha" from the other side of the door.  A
corner of Akari's mouth turned up a little, though most of it was still in a
disapproving frown.  I'm sure we were both thinking about the time I got
Kenchi to dance on a table while singing that song.  There were footsteps from
inside the house, probably someone running down the stairs, and then the door
opened.  The man on the other side had mussed, sandy blonde hair and blue
eyes, and wore a bathrobe accompanied by a surprised expression.
    The expression only lasted a few seconds.  "Akari!  Judou!  So good to see
you!" Kenchi said, smiling warmly.  "Please, come in.  Make yourselves at
home."  He opened the door wide and gestured grandly with his free hand.
    I nodded and entered, followed by Akari.  Kenchi led the way through his
house.  "So, how's life?" I asked.
    "Oh, it's good.  Very good."  Kenchi laughed.  "Life is wonderful."  We
entered what I assumed was the family room.  There was a state of the art
entertainment system and a couple of plush couches, arranged around a coffee
table made out of glass and rich wood.  Paintings were hung tastefully on the
wall, and a few lamps on tall posts lit the room nicely.  I whistled, and I
could just feel Akari's frown deepen.  "Right."  Kenchi clapped his hands
together.  "Um... I've got some things to take care of," he said with a
sheepish smile, indicating his state of dress.  "So feel free to use the
television and stereo.  I'll be right back."  With that, he ran off.
    I sat in an easy chair, picking a Rubik's Cube up off the coffee table on
the way.  I was never very good at those things, and they frustrated me to no
end, but I couldn't help trying to solve them.  Akari looked out the window
for a bit, then gave into temptation and sat as well... on the couch.  She
grabbed the remote control and began flicking idly through television
channels.
    It was good to see Kenchi again.  I'd often felt myself something of a
kindred spirit to him... he was probably the only person out of our little
group who really appreciated my joking nature.  Akari laughed at times, of
course, but she was usually worried of someone would get hurt from a prank I'd
pull.  Shuukou never really cared for my jokes, either; she did have a sense
of humor, but it didn't run parallel to my own.  And Soshi... well... I
couldn't say I'd ever seen him laugh at all.  Kenchi, however, was a nice,
relaxed guy.
    Speaking of which, I could vaguely hear him talking to someone or
something.  I'd always had good hearing; you might say it's a family quirk.  I
tuned out the ten in the morning news and started listening more closely.  My
heartbeat... then Akari's heartbeat, as I started listening further.  Then the
ticking of a clock down the hall, and then I could hear Kenchi speaking in a
low voice.  "Mia," he was saying, "You will go home and forget everything
that's happened here.  You will be careful not to get hurt.  Leave."  There
was a pause.  "Now."  Light padding and the creak of the door followed this.
    I hummed as I tried to get all the reds on one side of the cube.  Seemed
like Kenchi was experimenting again.  I glanced sideways at Akari, who was
flipping through the channels with a (now) bored expression on her face.  She
obviously couldn't hear what was going on, and if she did, she probably
wouldn't approve.  Though I couldn't blame him for experimenting, certainly.
They were an integral part of who he was, now... understanding yourself is
important in any situation.
    There.  Finished the reds.  Now for the yellows.  I could hear footsteps
and the shower running; he seemed to be getting ready.  Akari sighed.
"Something wrong?" I asked, turning the cube a bit more.
    She jumped.  I chuckled; she must have thought I was so engrossed in the
cube that I wasn't paying attention to anything else.  I peered at the cube
and realized that I screwed up the reds in my effort to get the yellows... oh
well.  I turned it and started on the whites.  "No, no.  Nothing's wrong."  I
could hear the nervous smile in her voice.
    "You're upset that Kenchi's been using his powers, aren't you?" I asked,
twisting another row on the cube.  I frowned slightly.  The blues were in the
way...
    "It's not that."  She turned the television off and set the remote control
back on the coffee table.  "More like, he's abusing his abilities."  I could
see her watching me out of the corner of my eye.
    I knew exactly what she meant, of course, but could hear footsteps
approaching and wanted to cut this conversation off quickly.  We had to talk
to Kenchi, not get into a moral discussion.  So I played clueless.  "How do
you mean?"
    She opened her mouth to reply when Kenchi clapped a hand on her shoulder.
"So, my friends!  What brings you here today?  Not that I'm sorry to see you,
of course."
    I smirked and leaned back in my chair.  "What, you think I need an
ulterior motive?  I'm hurt, Kenchi."
    Kenchi shook his head, his newly combed hair shaking slightly from side to
side.  "I know you, Judou.  You never bothered keeping in touch.  And the
lovely Akari here doesn't like the way I go about things."  He smiled widely
and sat on the couch opposite us.  "What's going on?"
    I looked over at Akari, and saw her looking at me.  I sighed.  Okay, so I
had to do this myself.  I set the Rubik's Cube on the table.   "Well," I
started, "you know the experiment we did a while go?  Where we got our...
abilities?"
    Kenchi nodded and picked up the cube.  "Yes," he replied as he started
messing with it.  "You're the only one of us that didn't get any powers.  A
pity."
    I let out a breath.  "That's not true.  I get... visions.  Of the past,
and the future, and maybe the present.  I don't know."  I tugged on my nose.
    "I see."  Kenchi set the Rubik's Cube on the table, and I stole a glance.
It was completely solved.  How did he do it?  Kenchi, if he noticed, didn't
give any indication.  He just raised an eyebrow at me.  "And how does this
affect me?"
    "Well, I had a vision.  It was... well, the five of us were in a room.
And..." I sighed.  I wasn't going to make sense this time, either.  "We were
attacked."  Akari nodded.
    Kenchi's eyes widened.  "Attacked?"
    "Yes.  There was this... hate and shadow around us, and..." I looked into
his eyes.  They were beautiful eyes, actually.  A deep, dark blue with a
purple tinge... mesmerizing...  Kenchi blinked.  I shook my head.
    "Sorry about that, Judou.  Sometimes I forget."  He waved a hand
nonchalantly.
    I chuckled.  "Yes, like when you went to the bathroom once and didn't
return, and then after an hour I checked on you and you were staring at
yourself in the mirror?"
    Kenchi grinned.  "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"
    I returned his grin.  "Nope."
    Akari cleared her throat.  "The vision, Judou-kun."
    "Oh, right."  I rubbed the back of my head.  "Anyway, that vision got me
thinking.  What if people actually try to reproduce the experiment?  What if
they look for us, and discover what's happened to us?"  Akari nodded.  I
half-smiled; I hadn't told her about that train of thought, but she was
obviously thinking the same thing.
    "Hmm."  Kenchi scratched his chin.  "So what?"
    I blinked.  "What?"  I couldn't believe what I just heard.  Akari was
staring at him in shock, too.
    "So what?" he repeated as he stood and walked over to the window, looking
out at the midmorning sun.  "I mean, it's no skin off my back.  If they come
knocking, I can just 'persuade' them not to bother me anymore.  Or I can hide
it."  He looked at us over his shoulder.  "So can either of you."
    Akari's mouth opened and closed, as if searching for words.  "So you're
abandoning us?" she asked in disbelief.
    "Certainly not."  Kenchi walked back and leaned on the back of the couch,
peering at us with those striking eyes of his.  "I just think you're
overreacting."
    I finally found my voice.  "Even if we are overreacting, we need to
contact Shuukou and Soshi.  And we probably need you to convince them."
    "Me?"  Kenchi laughed.  "They don't need my brand of convincing.
Besides..."  He looked around his apartment.  "I don't want to give this up.
I can get almost anything I want, and it took a lot of work to arrange things
this way."
    "Why."  Akari sucked her breath in.  "You selfish..." she breathed out
without moving her lips.  There was no way Kenchi could have heard that.
    I looked at him.  Then an idea popped into my head.  If Kenchi didn't
think he had to worry... "You'll die, you know," I said, giving him my most
serious look.
    Kenchi blinked.  "I'll... die?"
    I shrugged, smiling on the inside.  Akari wasn't the only one who thought
that Kenchi was being selfish.  And as much as I liked the guy, he needed to
be taken down a peg or three every once in a while.  "I had another vision," I
lied expertly, "A while ago.  About you.  You were in a place like this, and
you collapsed.  Stopped breathing.  Alone."
    Kenchi laughed weakly.  "Very funny, Judou.  You can stop joking now."
    "I'm not joking."  Oh, this was too good.  It had been a while since I'd
tried to pull something like this off.
    He stared at me a while longer, then shook his head.  "You're lying,
Judou.  You probably think this is hilarious."  His voice trembled ever so
slightly.
    I raised an eyebrow, noticing that Kenchi was clutching the top of the
couch more tightly than was healthy.  "Why would I lie about something like
that?" I asked innocently.
    Kenchi bit his lip.  He was weighing the options, I could tell.  Finally,
he walked towards the hall.  "I know where Shuukou lives," he said.  "We can
get there without much trouble.  I'll drive."  With that, he disappeared down
the hallway.
    Akari and I sat in silence for a bit longer, and then she got up.
"Judou-kun," she began, giving me a questioning look.  "The vision you talked
about just now.  Was it...?"
    I winked at her.  "You know I never joke."
    She looked at me for a bit, then shook her head and exited as well.  I
stood, stretched, and pocketed the cube, then followed suit.  Some day I was
going to figure out how to solve one of those.

=*=*=*=

    I listened to the crinkle of dried leaves under my feet, and the stereo
crinkles of the two other pairs.  I always loved autumn; it wasn't too hot or
too cold, and there were plenty of piles of leaves to throw people in.  Not
that I'd ever do anything like that, of course.
    "Are you sure about this?" I heard Akari ask for the third time.
    "This is where she's been for the past few months," was Kenchi's reply.
"Don't ask me how she manages to live here, because I have no idea."
    'Here' was a forest preserve, the only large patch of greenery for miles.
The trees weren't exactly green at the moment, though; they were filled with
reds, golds, and oranges instead.  This, coupled with the gentle breeze that
rustled the leaves and the incredibly clear sky, made for a gorgeous sight.
    "What are you doing here?" a deep, female voice asked.  There was a loud
rustle of leaves from a tree in front of us, and I took a step back as a lithe
figure slipped off a branch and landed softly on the ground.
    I blinked.  Shuukou hadn't changed much, aside from the color of the
streaks in her hair.  Her eyes were an emerald green (the cause of which I had
verified were colored contacts), and her long, wavy hair was raven's wing
black with dark green streaks (they'd been blue last time I'd seen her).  A
green T-shirt and blue jeans completed the ensemble.
    "Shuukou-san!"  Akari stepped out of our little group and gave Shuukou a
hug.  The other woman stiffened in surprise, and then hugged back.  This gave
us an excellent view of the rose tattoos on the backs of her hands, and the
continuing branches and thorns that went up her arms and disappeared into her
sleeves.  Kenchi had once told me that they covered her whole body... I hadn't
thought to ask him how he knew.  I didn't *want* to know how he knew.
    "Hello, Akari-san.  How's the garden going?"  Shuukou smiled at the
shorter Akari.
    "With your help it's growing beautifully," Akari said, releasing her hold
on Shuukou.
    "That's good.  Always nice to know plants are thriving somewhere."
Shuukou looked up from Akari and narrowed her eyes ever so slightly.
"Judou-san, Kenchi-san.  To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
    I opened my mouth to reply when Kenchi stepped forward, cutting me off.
"Shuukou!  It's so wonderful to see you again.  You don't know how much I've
missed... everything about you."  He gave her his most charming smile.
    Shuukou smiled coldly at Kenchi.  "I'd say the same, but then I'd be
lying."  Kenchi pouted.  "Judou," Shuukou said, turning to me, "What's up?"
    I almost laughed.  This was what I'd missed, after graduation.  I could
just feel the love between those two.  Then I realized everyone's attention
was on me.  Damn, must've been zoning out again.  "Um," I began intelligently.
Great.  Now I had to explain everything again.  "Well, I discovered my power."
    Shuukou looked at me curiously.  "What is it?"
    "Visions," I said.  "I get these visions of the past and the future.
Maybe the present, too."  I started pacing, listening to the crinkle of leaves
beneath my feet.  "I can't exactly control them."
    "An uncontrollable power.  I take it you had a vision that had to do with
us?" Shuukou asked, with a slight frown.  She made a sweeping gesture at the
three of us, then herself.
    I let out the breath I had been unconsciously holding.  At least Shuukou
was making my job easier.  "Yes.  Exactly.  The four of us and Soshi were in a
room, and we were attacked."  I caught a slight nod from Akari.
    "Attacked?  By who?"
    "I..."  I paused, thinking back to the vision.  "I don't know."
    "You don't know?"  Shuukou sighed and brushed her hair back, revealing her
dangling, silver ankh earrings.
    I shook my head.  "That's not really the point, though.  I was thinking
about it, and... well, we wrote an awfully good paper about the experiments.
If someone were to come looking for us about them..."
    "I see.  And you probably want me to come to your little meeting so we can
discuss this?"
    I nodded.
    Shuukou placed a hand on the tree behind her and stared off into the
distance, as if listening to something.  I could see Kenchi nervously shifting
from foot to foot on my right, while Akari just watched Shuukou, fascinated.
A breeze swept by and tousled Shuukou's hair, making it fly wildly in all
directions.
    Her eyes regained focus and looked into mine.  "No.  I'm not going to
leave the forest.  I don't want to go back to society," she said, spitting out
the last word like it was venom.  "Especially not because of some 'vision' you
had."
    I tugged at my nose.  I should have known that Shuukou would be one of the
most difficult people to convince.  She always did hate authority.
    "Why is that?" Kenchi asked.  Shuukou raised an eyebrow at him.  "Maybe it
would be a good idea for you to be around your own kind, instead of hanging
out with these... plants."
    "It's not the humans that bother me," Shuukou stated with a glare.  "It's
their need to impress rules upon others.  In the forest, there are no rules,
there is no government.  Everything does what it wants, and that's that.
That's more than I can say for *your* system of things."
    I sighed into my hand.  Here we go again.  When they started talking about
this sort of thing, it was best to just tune them out until you could get a
word in edgewise.  I looked around the clearing for something to entertain
myself with, when a flash of red caught my attention.
    Turning, I made my way to it.  It seemed to be some sort of liquid,
clinging to a low-hanging bare branch.  I looked more closely; it was a rusty
red, almost like blood.  I sniffed at it.  There was no scent.  Slowly,
hesitantly, I reached out and touched it.
    It burned like fire.  I jerked my hand back, but the red liquid clung to
my finger, and the sensation only worsened.  I stepped away from the tree, but
instead of the dry crinkles I had grown accustomed to, I heard a squish.
    With wide eyes I turned my attention downwards.  The red liquid had
somehow found its way to the ground... and it was spreading, clinging to the
vegetation and my shoes.  With wild eyes I glanced around.  "Akari?  Kenchi?
Shuukou?"  There was nobody there.  The three must have gotten out while they
could... "Somebody!  Help!"  They'd abandoned me!  And now the liquid was
clinging to my shoes... I ran.  I had to get out of there.
    I had almost reached the path we'd used to get in when the trees in front
of me burst into flames.  My hand throbbed.  I looked around... all the trees,
everywhere, covered with the clinging red gook and burning.  The leaves on the
ground started to catch as well.  I had to get out.
    And then I was flying.  I looked down; the forest was covered with red,
and it was spreading ever so slowly.  I wanted to look away, but I couldn't...
and the burning sensation spread.  From my hand to my arm, then to my chest
and head and legs and feet and I was falling, plummeting to the ground and I
couldn't stop it... I closed my eyes, and everything turned white...
    "Judou!  Judou, wake up!"
    A face appeared--flawless skin and dark brown hair.  Her large eyes
sparkled with worry.  "An angel?" I murmured, half-believing I was dead.
    She smiled.  "Don't joke about that."  She removed her hands from my chest
and the white glow around them faded.  Then I was hit with a splitting
headache.
    "Ow... what happened?"  I grimaced as I put a hand to my head, trying to
think.  The pain subsided slightly, and I took in the details of my situation.
The angel was Akari... she still had that incredibly worried expression on her
face.  Shuukou and Kenchi were hovering just behind her.
    "You passed out," Shuukou explained.  "Then you started screaming about
fire and liquid and the forest..."
    "Oh."  I blinked.  "I was talking?"
    "Talking?  You were screaming for your life!" Akari cried.  Kenchi nodded
in agreement.
    "The forest," Shuukou prodded.  I looked in askance at her... she had a
haunted look in her eyes, one I'd never seen before.  The wind blew by again,
causing her earrings to jingle slightly.  "What did you see about the forest?"
    "I saw this red goop.  It was thick, and clung to the trees, and burned--"
I clutched my head as it complained in full force.
    Shuukou stood.  "I'm going with you."
    "So you finally saw the light," Kenchi chuckled.
    "Go screw yourself," she snapped.  "I'm going to help the forest.  And if
Judou's getting visions about it, I'm sure he's involved somehow."  She spared
me a glance, then turned and started walking down the path, towards where we
parked.
    "But Shuukou-chan, I don't excite myself as much as you do!" Kenchi called
after her.  She ignored him.  He looked back at us and grinned, then walked
briskly after our favorite environmental anarchist.
    I tried to stand, and felt my head spin.  Akari was immediately at my
side, offering support (which I accepted most gratefully).  I looked at her.
"We're all back together, minus Soshi.  Isn't this fun?"
    A small smile played at her lips as she helped me back to the car.

=*=*=*=

    I looked around as we walked along.  We were traversing one of the poorer
neighborhoods of the city at the moment; the feeling of crowding was intense,
as building piled upon building in unending succession.  People thronged the
twilight streets, seeking the shelter of home after a long day's work.  Or
maybe they were just coming out to enjoy the night.
    Either way, the symbolism made me uneasy.
    I looked ahead.  Shuukou was leading the way, a few steps ahead of the
rest of us.  I noticed that she was lightly touching each tree that had been
planted in the sidewalk as she passed it.  Kenchi was to my right, slightly in
front of me.  (Keeping an eye on Shuukou, I was sure.)  Akari was walking on
my left, a bit closer than usual.  I had the feeling that the streets were
getting to her, as well.  I reached out and placed my hand on her shoulder.
She almost jumped in surprise, but then looked up and smiled at me.
    I smiled back.  "You okay?"
    Akari shrugged and took a quick glance around.  "I've never been to this
section of town before..."  It seemed like the crowds were thinning out as we
walked farther along.
    "No, me neither," I replied.  Shuukou turned in front of us, and led us
down another street.  It was almost narrow enough to be called an alley, and
I only noticed a couple other people.  Akari shivered.
    "Don't worry, Akari."  Kenchi was looking back at us.  "You've got three
strong--I mean, two strong men and Shuukou to protect you."  He winked.
    Akari rolled her eyes, but then smiled.  I chuckled.
    "Here."  We looked back at Shuukou, who had stopped.  I took a glance
around; the street was almost deserted.  Most of the buildings looked
industrial in nature, with fences around their parking lots.  The four of us
stood in front of a low one-story house that seemed to be the only residential
structure in the area.  It was painted off-white, and was a bit..."dingy" was
the word that came to mind.  Gray curtains were pulled across all the windows,
hiding the inside of the house from view.
    "Here?" Kenchi asked.  I looked at him; his face was confusion itself.
"Are you sure?"
    Shuukou scowled.  "Yes."
    "He doesn't have the same tastes you do, Kenchi," I said.  Kenchi looked
askance at me, and I grinned at him.
    "So, are we going to see if he's in?" Akari asked.
    "Do we have to?" I heard Shuukou and Kenchi mutter, in unison.
    And then the door opened.
    "Well, well, well."
    Soshi stood in the doorway.  He still had short black hair, and dark eyes.
We could be twins, but... his face was bland, somehow.  Unremarkable.  Nothing
like my proud cheekbones and nose.  And his expression was just as insipid as
his features, being one of slight surprise and mild interest.
    His eyes, however, showed no emotion at all.  As always.
    "Hello, Soshi-san," Akari said from next to me.  I blinked, and noticed
that Soshi was dressed in a long black robe--or was it a coat?--that was tied
around his neck, but also had sleeves and was open at the front.  Under the
robe was a black dress shirt and black jeans.
    "Why, hello, Akari-san," Soshi replied.  He smiled, and I wondered if this
had really been such a good idea after all.  "My, all four of you here at
once.  This must mean something.  Won't you come in?"  He stepped to one side
and gestured through the door.  "It's not much, I admit, but it's home."  I
noticed him glance at Kenchi as he said that.
    I stepped forward.  "Thank you, Soshi," I said, trying to sound sincere.
"We're sorry to intrude."  He continued to smile at me as I walked past him
into the house, hearing the others file in behind.
    A short hall led to a living room, dimly lit by a single lamp clamped to a
bookcase.  I stepped into the room, and blinked.  The bookcase holding the
lamp was just one of three, and they were all overflowing with books,
magazines, tapes of various kinds, and random objects whose significance was
not immediately obvious.  I noticed quite a few items of an occult nature,
including some crystals, a prayer wheel and, most chillingly, a curved
dagger.  In the center of the room was a table, upon which was heaped more
clutter, and against one wall was a desk with a personal computer.  A couch, a
stereo and a dresser with a television on top of it completed the room's
furnishings.
    I sensed everyone else coming in behind me.  "Hm.  Not expecting guests,
were you?" Kenchi asked.
    "Yes and no," I heard Soshi reply, and he chuckled.  Then he walked past
all of us, and seated himself at the desk, turning the chair to face us.
"Please, make yourselves comfortable."  He gestured to the room in general.
Kenchi immediately plopped down on the couch, facing Soshi.  Akari hesitated
for a moment, and then sat down on it as well, though not quite next to
Kenchi.  I glanced around, and noticed Shuukou leaning against the wall behind
me, facing the rest of the room.  I sighed, and began pacing behind the couch.
    "Soshi," I began.  I pulled at my nose.  This day was turning out pretty
long.
    Soshi chuckled.
    I aimed a frown at him.  "What?"
    He shook his head.  "Nothing, nothing.  What brings you all out here to
see me?"  He raised an eyebrow.  "And how *did* you find me, by the way?"
    "People may forget you," Shuukou intoned, "but the trees, stones and wind
always mark your passing."
    I stopped pacing, and turned to stare at Shuukou.  She looked silently
back at me.  I turned back to Soshi, who was rubbing his chin.  "I see," he
murmured.  "That's very interesting.  Good work, Shuukou."
    I took a deep breath, and exhaled.  "Yeah, good.  But the thing is..."
    "You're here to see me for a reason," Soshi said.  "That's fine.  What is
it?"
    I glared at him irritably. Soshi was starting to get to me, like he always
did.  "Well, fine.  I had this vision, of us."
    He nodded.  "What about us?"
    "We were all somewhere, talking."  I gestured vaguely.  "And we were
attacked--"
    "Wait, hold on," Akari said.
    I frowned.  "Yes, Akari?"
    She looked at me uncertainly.  "You didn't tell him about... your powers."
    I blinked.  "I..."
    "So they have to do with visions," Soshi said.  He grinned.  "I wondered."
    Akari started to lean forward, like she was going to stand up.  I was
startled to see her that her face was pale.  "Soshi, you--"
    "Akari."  I waved my hand.  "Look, it's okay."
    She turned, and frowned uncertainly at me.  "But--"
    "I have a suggestion," Soshi interrupted.  We all turned to look.  "It
might be better to continue this discussion somewhere else."  He rubbed his
chin again.  "You mentioned an 'attack'.  If that's the case, then there might
be...hostile elements, searching for us right at this very moment."  Out of
the corner of my eye, I saw Kenchi stiffen.  "Therefore, perhaps we should
move to a more secure location."  He got up and started to walk across the
room, to a door.
    "Like?" I asked, as it seemed to be expected.  The door had a very
occult-looking circle painted on it in black.
    "Like the basement."  Soshi opened the door, revealing darkness.  Then he
reached in and turned on a light switch, showing a wooden staircase leading
downward.
    "Oh, gee.  The basement."  Kenchi tried to chuckle.  Listening to the
effort, I winced.
    "That's right."  Soshi gestured.  "It'll be totally safe.  Trust me."  And
he smiled.
    I felt a chill as I realized that just at that moment, he was smiling with
his eyes as well.
    Somehow, it wasn't very reassuring.

=*=*=*=

    The basement was surprisingly clean.  There was none of the usual junk
that tends to accumulate there; the furnace and boiler were off to one side,
and in the middle of the room was a wooden table.  The table was piled high
with bits of occult paraphernalia, and there were five chairs around it.
Aside from that, and the one light bulb hanging from a cord from the ceiling,
nothing broke the monotony of the concrete walls.
    I was starting to get a vague sense of deja vu.
    I turned, and watched the others come down the stairs.  Akari was silent.
She looked at me, and I could see the worry in her eyes.  Kenchi, behind her,
also seemed subdued.  And then Shuukou... her face was stone.  I had no idea
what she was thinking.  Finally, I heard Soshi shut and lock the door and
descend.  He pushed past us and seated himself in the farthest chair.  Leaning
back, he looked at us.
    "So," he said.  "Please, once again, make yourselves comfortable."  After
a moment, Akari and Kenchi took seats across from Soshi.  Shuukou just crossed
her arms.  Looking around, I realized that the earlier seating arrangements
had been duplicated.  Did that mean anything?
    "Judou," Akari prompted, hesitantly.  I blinked.
    "Oh," I said.  "Of course.  Well..."  I looked around.  Everyone was
watching me, waiting for me to speak.  "I had a vision," I said.  "Of us
sitting, and talking.  In a room, very much like this one."  I saw Kenchi grow
pale, and winced inwardly.  "I couldn't make out what we were saying.  But I
was talking, and then--something attacked us."  I sighed.  "I thought it was
important that we all know about this.  And... discuss it."
    "Better the devil you know," Soshi murmured.
    "So that's it?" Shuukou asked.  I turned to see her glaring.  "We just sit
here and wait to be cut down?"
    "Would you rather be alone?" Akari inquired, sounding angry.  I'd never
heard her angry before...
    "Judou."  I looked back at Soshi.  "What happened to us, in your...
vision?  After we were attacked?"
    I shook my head.  "I don't know."
    Soshi's eyebrows went up.  "Why not?"
    I rolled my eyes.  "Because it was a *vision*.  They're very random."
    "Look," Kenchi said.  "That's great, you had a vision.  But can't we,
like, discuss it somewhere else?"  I could hear his voice starting to crack.
    "Relax, Kenchi," Soshi said gently.  Kenchi glared at him.
    "There's something else."  I looked around, forcing myself to meet
everyone's eyes.  "There's something else I need to talk to you all about."
    Silence, for a few moments.  Then, "What is it, Judou-kun?" Akari asked.
    I looked in wordless thanks at her.  "It's about... our project."
    Soshi leaned forward and rested his arms on the table, peering at me with
those dark eyes of his.  "And what is it about the project, exactly?" he
asked, softly.
    This was it.  What I had to say wasn't going to be easy.  And Soshi knew
this was the real reason I'd gotten everyone together.  He might even know
what I was going to say already, the devious bastard.
    "We did all the research," I said.  "We studied magic and learned about
it.  And then we wrote a paper about it."  I looked around, meeting everyone's
eyes again.  "And we were just college students.  Don't you think someone else
could have done the same work?"  Akari's face was creased with worry.  Shuukou
was frowning in skepticism.  Kenchi almost looked ill, poor guy.  And Soshi...
looked as he always did.  Of course.  "And therefore," I continued, "Maybe
someone else, who got a hold of the paper, *has* done the work.  I mean, it's
been, what, two months already?"
    "Three," Soshi said, softly.
    "Exactly."  I sighed.  "So I was thinking.  Maybe what we did wasn't
right.  Maybe we shouldn't have researched... that.  And gotten these powers.
Maybe, if this got out, other people would learn to do these things."  I
looked at the table but didn't see it, seeing instead the nightmares of magic
out of control.  "There are a lot of balances in the world... light, and
darkness.  Body, and spirit.  Humans, and animals..."  I looked at Shuukou.
"And plants."
    "And crows?"
    I almost lost it.  I almost spun and glared at Soshi, or something
similarly disastrous.
    I was rather proud of managing to turn to him, and blink.
    "I'm sorry, Soshi?"
    Soshi smiled.  A real smile.  A real *evil* smile.  "Crows.  You know
about them, don't you, Karasuno-san?"
    I snuck a glance around the room.  Akari and Kenchi were looking at Soshi,
Akari with a frown, Kenchi with a stare of confusion.  I couldn't see Shuukou
without turning my head.  "Of course, crows," I said.  "Yeah, my family name
means 'Of the crows'.  What about it?"
    "I find it interesting," he said.  "Especially in view of *this*."  He
snapped his fingers, and I felt something brushing around me.  A chill hit my
stomach.  I looked down, but I knew what I'd see...
    Black feathers adorned my hands.  Talons poked out from my shoes.  And my
proud nose was now a long beak.
    Damn.

=*=*=*=

    Predictably enough, there was a shocked silence.
    Then Akari spoke up.  "What kind of joke is this, Soshi?" she snapped.
    My heart rose.  Then Soshi chuckled.  "It's a true joke."  He looked at
Kenchi.  "Kenchi, you can read minds.  What does Karasuno-san think of this?"
I met Kenchi's eyes, almost involuntarily, and felt myself sinking... then
thrown back to reality.  Kenchi took a step away from me, towards Soshi.  Fear
played over his face.
    Akari looked over at Kenchi, and I saw doubt begin in her face as well.
"Kenchi?"
    "Soshi," I growled.  Damn him, it even came out as a squawk.  "Get rid of
this illusion."
    "But it's the truth," he said, eyebrows raised.
    "Right now, I'm human."
    Akari looked over at me.  "Right now...?"
    "Now!" I yelled.
    Soshi half-closed his eyes and exhaled, and wind whispered around me.  I
looked down to find my human parts restored to sight.
    Shuukou then stepped around me, and peered at me from the front.  I was
relieved to see that the dominant emotion in her face seemed to be curiosity.
"Judou," she said.  "You're not human?"
    "My great-grandfather on my mother's father's side was human," I said.  I
smiled grimly as even Soshi blinked.  "Right now, I *am* human.  Any medical
test will show that."
    "Including DNA?" Soshi interjected.  I glared at him.
    "But... what are you?" Akari asked.  She was edging away from me as well.
    I'd wondered, many times, what I'd say if this somehow happened.  So
fortunately I had some answers ready.  "I'm the same guy you've always known,"
I said.  I looked intently at Akari, and she bit her lip.
    "But *what* are you?" Kenchi repeated.
    "He's a tengu," Soshi said offhandedly.
    Everyone swiveled to look at him.  "A... tengu?" Akari asked.
    "You mean those crow monsters, from the stories?" Kenchi asked, staring.
    "Yes," I said.  Faces turned back to me.  "A crow goblin.  A monster."
This was turning out even worse than I'd feared.  "Actually, a lot of the old
stories were right.  We play tricks a lot, and can change shape."  I shrugged.
"We can also interbreed with humans.  When the forests got scarcer, a lot of
us just... became human.  But we mostly keep to ourselves."  I took the
opportunity to check how everyone seemed to be taking the news.  Kenchi seemed
to be alternating between angry and scared, which was about what I'd expected.
I looked at Akari, and felt my heart sink as I saw hurt in her face.  The last
thing I'd wanted to do was make her feel betrayed.  But I couldn't have told
her... could I?  Maybe she would understand, eventually.  I turned to Shuukou,
and realized that she was looking at me with what seemed to be respect.  After
a moment, it occurred to me that she might think of me as a creature of the
forest.  Actually, I considered myself a 'city tengu', but whatever worked...
And, of course, there was Soshi.  His eyes were glittering, which was pretty
damn creepy.
    "Judou," Kenchi began.  "I can't believe... I mean..."  He trailed off.
    I focused my thoughts again.  "Look," I said.  "I'm going to level with
you all.  All cards on the table."  I caught everyone's gaze.  "The project we
did.  Who was it who came up with the idea, and supplied the initial texts and
research ideas?"
    "You did," Soshi said.  "Ancient tengu secrets?"
    I grimaced.  "Let's just say... family heirlooms."
    "So the other tengu are upset?" he asked.
    I shook my head.  "They don't know.  I hope.  And even if they do, that's
not the problem."
    "What is the problem, Judou?" Shuukou asked.
    "What I said earlier!"  I glared at the others.  "There are people who
know about magic.  People who have known for a long time."  I got a certain
malicious amusement from Soshi's look of surprise.  "They're going to sense
all this power being thrown around.  They're going to track us down."
Kenchi's expression, though, wasn't really amusing at all.  "And they'll have
a lot of questions to ask.  Especially about how five kids managed to become
magical experts in just a few months."
    Soshi frowned and rubbed his chin.  "Well, it was my computer programs..."
    I rolled my eyes.  "Do you really think a family of magicians knows how to
use a computer?"
    Soshi's eyes got very wide.  Suddenly I got the feeling I should have kept
my mouth shut.  "If that's so," he began, "then we have an advantage."
    "Will you shut up, Soshi!" Kenchi yelled suddenly.  "This is serious!  I
don't want crazed magicians hunting me down!"
    Soshi regarded him calmly.  "Haven't you ever heard of fighting fire with
fire?"
    "But what else gets burned?" Shuukou asked.
    Akari walked hesitantly over to me, as the others began arguing.  "Judou?"
she asked.
    "Yes, Akari-san?" I asked, suddenly feeling very tired.
    "Well," she began, "do you--"
    Then I heard it.
    "Look out!" I cried, and dove to the floor, pulling Akari down.  Then an
oppressive feeling of pain and hate grew in the room, and suddenly boiled--
    I was nearly deafened by a huge sound.  After a moment, I realized it was
a scream.  It continued, punctuated by short, sharp cracking sounds.  The
table shook, and the light dimmed.  I wanted to cower on the floor from the
sounds...  I put my hands over my head, but it didn't seem to help.  The
screaming went on and on, piercing my skull--
    And then it was cut off with a short, strangled cry.  Then there was... a
gurgle.  I blinked.  After a few moments, the aftereffects of the scream wore
off.  There was a repetitive grinding sound, but the light had returned to
normal.  And someone was saying something.  My name, in fact.
    "Judou!"  I blinked a few more times, removed my hands from my head, and
looked up.  Akari was kneeling on the floor in front of me.  Some of the worry
cleared from her face when I looked at her, but not all of it.  "You were
right," she said.  "We were... attacked."  She looked behind me, biting her
lip.
    "Judou," Soshi's voice came.  "Get up here, damn it."  I slowly got to my
knees, and then to my feet, and turned around.
    There was a thing strapped to the table.  My stomach clenched, but I
forced myself to be calm.  Our attacker appeared to be a mass of black
tentacles, writhing around some central point.  It was somehow intangible.
At the moment it was held to the table by several bands of darkness, of a
slightly different shade, and also by a few thorny vines of some kind.  Soshi
and Shuukou stood by the table, Soshi with his hands held out toward the thing
in a magical pose, and Shuukou with her arms crossed.  I noticed Kenchi flat
against the wall, breathing heavily.
    "Well," Soshi said.  He seemed to be breathing raggedly.  "It seems we
survived the attack.  All's well."  He looked at me.  "Any idea what this
thing is?"
    After a moment, I shook my head.  "Some sort of creature of magic, I
guess.  Created by a spell."
    "Interesting," Soshi murmured.  The thing continued to writhe, emanating
those unnerving grinding sounds.  "Akari," Soshi said.
    I turned to see Akari jump.  "Er, yes?"
    Soshi nodded to the creature.  "Light is the opposite of darkness, yes?
Why don't you see what you can see with it?"
    Akari stared.  "But... what do you mean?  What should I do?"
    He grinned.  "Try and heal it, if you want.  Maybe you can cure its
hostile nature."
    Akari paused.  "All right," she said finally.  I frowned at Soshi, but he
was concentrating on the bonds.  There was something nagging at my mind...
    "I can't... well..."  I looked, and saw Akari frowning.  She held her
hands up to the creature, palms toward it.  They began to radiate white light.
"I don't know," she said.  "It's so... alien.  Maybe..."  The light increased,
and the thing began to squirm faster.
    I noticed Kenchi stepping forward to take a closer look.  I stared.  There
was something important I was missing.  And Akari...
    "Come on," she whispered.  The light grew stronger, and the thing began to
squeal.  "No," she said.  "That's not... it's, I can almost feel it."
    "Can you tell us about it?" Soshi urged.
    Akari's frown deepened.  "Maybe I can... well..."  Concentration was
etched on her face.  The light grew even more, until I had to close my eyes.
    "Wait, Akari," I said, the uneasiness growing.  "Something isn't--"
    "No, it's okay," she said.  "It's almost..."  The creature squealed some
more, and the light grew, until the whole world was white...
    And then it dimmed.  I blinked and squinted, trying to adjust my eyes.  I
looked at the table, and realized there was nothing there but a few vines.
    "What did you do, Akari?" Soshi asked gently.
    I felt a chill on my spine, and looked at Akari.  She was staring at the
table.  "What did I... I was trying..."  She put her hands to her face.  "Oh,
God.  I just... I..."  Kenchi stepped around the table, and put his hands on
her shoulders.  She turned and buried her face in his chest.  I felt a surge
of jealousy, and then beat it back.  Damn it all...
    I looked at Soshi, who was looking at the two with a kind of fascination.
Something clicked together in my mind.  "Soshi," I said.
    He looked up at me.  "Hmmm?"
    "You planned this," I said flatly.
    Soshi blinked.  "Planned what?"
    "Everything."  I gestured, taking in the whole basement.
    "I don't know what you mean."  He was almost smiling, I could tell, and I
felt a surge of anger.
    "That ward on the door," I snapped.  "That was to keep things out.  But
not out of the basement--out of the main house.  This basement is unprotected,
isn't it?"
    He shrugged.  "In some ways, yes."  Shuukou turned to stare at him.
    "You wanted this all to happen!"  I pointed at him.  "You let that--thing
attack us!"
    "But you saw it happen," he said calmly.  "How could I stop something
that's fated?  Besides..."  Then Soshi seemed to really look at me, and his
eyes gleamed.  "Don't you think it's useful, that was got to see their tactics
first-hand?"  He gestured toward Akari.  "And now dear Akari-chan knows that
she can use her powers to repel shadow-monsters.  That's useful, wouldn't you
say?"  I saw Akari shrink back against Kenchi at those words, and ground my
my teeth.  "In all, I think this was a very productive evening."
    "You bastard," I growled.  "You--"
    "*Judou*."  I jerked my head up to see Soshi glaring at me with
undisguised anger.  "You are correct," he said in a softer tone.  "I'm the
type of person who is able to... *enjoy* trickery.  And cunning.  And
deviousness."  His eyes made me think of obsidian.  "But that's exactly what
you need, right now.  You need me."  He looked around.  "You all do.  To stand
a chance against this cult Judou's so afraid of.  You need my tricks, and
traps, and dark magic."  He smiled.  "You need a devious bastard."
    "Son of a--"  And then I felt my anger drain away.  The sad thing was, he
was right.  There was no one that would help us more.  There was no one I'd
less like to ask for help.  "Damn," I muttered.
    Soshi looked at his watch.  "Well, well.  The sun's gone down."
    "It certainly has," I whispered to myself.

=*=*=*=


To be continued...


=*=*=*=

John's Author's Note

Heh.  Heh heh heh...Ah ha ha ha ha!  OOOOOHOHOHOHOHOOOO!!!
...Anyway... that was pretty darn fun.  I'd like to thank Ardweden, for being
a wonderful coauthor in so many ways.  I just can't say enough good things
about her.  I also would like to thank Phoebe and Ravi for prereading and
offering suggestions.  Ravi also was a tremendous help in picking the names
for the characters.  Of course I'd like to thank Twoflower as well, for being
ImproFanfic.  He is the man.  Lastly, I'd like to thank you, the reader, for
taking the time to read through, and perhaps considering writing for this
story as well.  And on that note, here's Ardweden to give recommendations to
people who might want to do that very thing...


Ardweden's Author's Note

First, I'd like to thank... dangit.  John covered them all.  Except himself,
of course.  So thanks to John for being such a wonderful co-author and stuff.
(And a fast writer.  If he wasn't, my nerves would be shot, instead of just
frazzled. ^_^;)

<reads up> I have to what?!  Okay, okay.  Suggestions.  Right.  Let me think.
All right, you silly people out there.  This isn't going to be a rule by any
means; it's Impro, and all I can do is advise, which is how it should be.  So
here's some advice.

First of all, this story doesn't have to be in first person, from Judou's
perspective.  Feel free to change first person perspective to other
characters, or go third person.  Do whatever you feel comfortable with, and
whatever's best for the story.

Second, vision guidelines.  There's a very real threat that visions will
become hanging plot threads and build up, one on top of the other.  Having a
few visions motivate the cast throughout chapters isn't a bad thing, but we
can't have hundreds flying around.  So I suggest that a number of them be
solved in chapter or visions of the past.  If you want to have a long-term
vision, I suggest you contact future authors in the queue; they have to deal
with it, after all.

Gyah, I sound like a dictator.  And my author's notes are long.  I'm outta
here.  Thanks for reading! ^_^


johne@mit.edu
ardweden@netscape.net
3/7/00