Tales of the Dreamworld, 3rd Night - The Wanderer's Tale
Rated R



	Lost: (adj) 2.a: having wandered from the path; 
	  unable to find the way  b: no longer visible  
	  c: lacking assurance or self-confidence; 
	  uncertain as to the direction or location; 
	  bewildered; helpless. 

			-Webster's 3rd International Dictionary


	Just as every life possesses an instance that can be brought 
to life in words, the event becomes a chapter in a book, a story for 
others to gaze upon and be swallowed whole within the realm.
	A realm beyond the waking hours, forged from the magik of a 
thousand dreamers and their dreams. Within every soul lies a story 
to tell, each event a tale to give unto others.
	These tales, both surreal and sensual, are but a few of many 
chapters in a world given breath by a creator. Her name is Naoko 
Takeuchi. The people and their lives are of her heart and soul. They 
belong in her embrace. But the lost soul of the Wanderer and the 
Dreamworld he travels through belong to another, and they are of my 
skin and soul. I embrace his solitude and secrets as my own 
children.
	I ask that none may steal any of them away from their 
creators. The world of the Moon Princess and her royal court belong 
to Naoko Takeuchi. Their hearts and souls belong to her; they are a 
part of her stories. But the realm of the waking dreamers, and the 
enigmatic nomad who journeys eternal amidst this place, are a part 
of my own story. Milady Naoko's princesses belong in their castles 
beyond the moon, and my wanderer belongs with a destiny to roam the 
Dreamworld. 
	One of honour does not become a petty thief; I ask for your 
requests if you wish for the raven of the shadows to wander into 
other worlds and other stories.

	-His lordship Chaos  (hislordshipchaos@hotmail.com)



	"The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
	 But I have promises to keep,
	 And miles to go before I sleep,
	 And miles to go before I sleep."
							
				-Robert Frost
				 "Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening."



	"When we are weary, we speak lovingly of dreams as if they 
	 embodied our true desires--what we would have when that 
	 which we do so sorely disappoints us. But for this wanderer, 
	 the concrete world has always been the true object of his desire. 
	 And weariness only came when the world seemed dreamlike."
				
				-Anne Rice, "Ramses the Damned"


	
	For centuries I have wandered this realm that is the 
Dreamworld. Perhaps blessed, perhaps cursed, to be between two 
worlds yet not a part of either one. There is an inherent danger in 
trying to forcefully cross beyond the gateways. Magik may be 
powerful, but it is also arbitrary. And can shift loyalties if used 
wrong.
	I learned such a lesson many years ago. I am but a myth in my 
own right, a ghost in the darkness. My dreams are filled with 
wanderings of beautiful realms and hellish kingdoms. I have no place 
to call home. It's been so long that I don't think I could ever feel 
at home unless I was without one.
	Though I may seem lost, in truth I know exactly where I am. No 
matter how dark the skies seem to be, no matter how hard the rain 
falls down upon you, there will come a time when everything will 
end. That is the first moment you reach out and believe in the magik 
that is love.
	Many souls, many dreamers have I met here. Each one has a tale 
I have listened to. Every soul has a tale to tell, and even I am no 
exception.
	Let me tell you a story...


	THE WANDERER'S TALE


	Violet eyes stared into the crimson flames. They burned before 
her, sacred and hot. They had been burning constantly for as long as 
she could remember, for as long as her grandfather could remember. 
	She was a priestess of a Shinto shrine, gifted in her own 
psychic powers and thus alienated by her peers. All until she had 
met the odango-haired blonde, and a soldier's destiny. The world 
grew quiet for a time after that. And for a time she thought 
everything was at peace within her.
	Then came the raven angel. And after him the raven knight. Two 
warriors from a world beyond dreams and dreamers, their own breeds 
of magik vivid and sensual. Each one had crossed over because they 
loved.
	They loved her friends: the tall brunette, the long-haired 
blonde. Such love she had only seen once before with the odango-
haired blonde and the dark-haired prince. And such a love she now 
found herself longing for.
	To find a soulmate, to find someone who cared for her until 
eternity itself came to an end. The magik shared between the 
guardian angels and her friends was one she could feel every night. 
Her body was tingling, excited and in suspense, longing for a 
release in the embrace of one she loved.
	And so she looked to the fire, using its own mystic powers to 
boldly step awake through a barrier that could only be crossed when 
a soul slept and dreamed. Perhaps in there, like her friends gone 
before her, she could find a guardian soul to love.
	They had told her not to pursue it. They had warned her that 
she was reaching into magik unlike any she had ever seen. Both the 
raven angel and the raven knight were grave in their words about the 
dangers in forcefully crossing over. The price was high, the 
damnation near eternal.
	Yet she continued.
	For much of her life she had been here at the Shinto shrine. 
And for the past few years she had discovered a new life as a 
mystical soldier. But now there was no more noise, and all she 
wanted was to feel for herself the passions in her friends.
	Her eyes widened in a heartbeat as the fires burned fiercer, 
the red glow intensifying and bathing the room in a pyre's aura. 
Something was happening; she couldn't lose focus. Not now, not while 
she was so close.
	A ripple of air cascaded through the room. The dimensions 
became warped as grey mists seemed to gush out like a river around 
her seated form. She could feel the crackling magik of the 
Dreamworld all around her.
	She was bringing it into this room. She was so close now, 
closer than she had ever been before. And then she lost control. 
Fear seized her body as a cold tempest flooded into the room, the 
loose folds of her ceremonial kimono dancing in the winds. The fires 
erupted, now a deep blue and brilliant white. Mist was blown about, 
swirling all around her.
	"Na ni?!" she exclaimed, half out of anger and half out of 
terror. Nothing, no words or warnings spoken by the two guardians, 
could have prepared her for this.
	A cloud of mist rose up and attacked, swarming around her body 
and enterring through every orifice on her face. She gagged and 
gasped for air as she felt it seep into her body, spreading like a 
plague.
	"Shimatta," she gasped hoarsely, clutching her throat.
	Her knees dropped onto the wooden floor. The room was blurred 
in her vision. She was barely even aware of the fusama being slid 
open and a young man enter the room.
	His scruffy brown hair was tossed around his face as the gales 
swept past him. The apprentice of the Shinto shrine raised his hands 
before his face defensively, eyes narrowing as he saw her.
	"Rei-chan!" he exclaimed.
	His figure became two and then four. Vision was lost and 
darkness settled into both mind and soul. "Yuichiro," she whispered. 
And with one last stifled moan she lost the battle.
	Her body slumped, rolling onto her back, the glow in her eys 
fading to a dark violet hue. The young man gathered her in his arms, 
desperately shaking her body in the hopes of a revival of her soul. 
But she was beyond his cries. She was beyond his touch.
	She was beyond their world.
	"Rei-chan!" he screamed. "REI-CHAN!!"


	It was cold atop the lofty peaks capped with snow and ice, a 
seemingly desolate place hardly credible for life. Yet there was one 
soul crossing through, leaving footprints in the snow, the winds 
invoking his silver cloak to flap around his body.
	The makings of an illusion gave him warmth. He felt no chill 
though he was wearing a black, formal suit and open jacket. Long 
blonde hair flowed around his shoulders, dancing much like the 
cloak.
	He found it strangely comforting to be alone up here amidst 
the mountain peaks. Though it meant in one way he was alone, in 
another way it too meant he was alone. No need to concern himself 
with the hobgoblins or bogeymen. They had been following him for 
nights on end as it was, finally giving up the eternal midnight 
before last.
	All his eyes could see was the world of waking dreamers far 
below, glowing with its own auras in different borders. These peaks 
marked the highest points of the realm, and from here he could see 
almost everything. Here was the highest point in this realm, left 
alone by both angels and demons. A gateway laid further down and out 
of the snow. But up here there was nothing except him. And yet he 
was not quite there, a mere shadow of the man leaving footprints in 
the snow.
	A sudden gale of cold wind swept past him, sending his cloak 
high above his shoulders in a maddened frenzy. The wanderer turned, 
staring back at the Dreamworld far below. The wave of winds died 
down as abruptly as they had stirred to life.
	He continued to stare down at the borders in the glowing 
darkness, his hand reaching up to slide a pair of shades off his 
face. Two crystal blue eyes solemnly watched the world below.
	"So," he said quietly. "Another has come."


	The sun was beginning to set, spreading dark night across the 
open skies of the city. For many nights gone before, it meant a time 
to celebrate in passion and in magik, to share a lover's warmth and 
touch. But not tonight. For tonight one of them laid beneath the 
covers of her bed, lost within a dark and dreamless sleep. Not quite 
alive yet not quite dead.
	"Rei-chan," the odango-haired blonde cried, still emotional 
after the first few hours of initial shock.
	They all had gathered together after the shrine protege had 
called them. He was upset to say the least, but understood that they 
were a part of this event. He could not ignore the two guardian 
angels and their powers.
	Each girl had come as quickly as they could. Matters were 
already complicated, but since her grandfather had been away paying 
homage to ancients long since passed on, there was less to worry 
about.
	"This is all my fault," the young man said, striking the 
wooden timber with his fist. "If only I had been there sooner I 
might have saved her!"
	"Yuichiro," the tall brunette said, trying to calm him down. 
The stress was showing in all their faces. Such a loss affected all 
of their spirits.
	"We all play a part in the blame," the raven angel countered 
sadly. "Our warnings should have been more than mere words, and now 
she's paid the price and wandered beyond."
	"I'm just impressed she managed to get this far," the raven 
knight said. "I would have never expected a Shinto shrine maiden to 
break through what other, more powerful wisemen have failed at."
	The blue-haired genius glanced over at her sleeping form. 
"Where is she, then?"
	Two warriors glanced at each other, exchanging looks of ill 
ease. "Rei-san's between worlds," the raven angel answered. "In 
trying to open up the Dreamworld to her, she opened herself up to a 
magik that cannot be controlled by those in this realm."
	"It works the same for us in regards to your magik," the raven 
knight agreed. "We cannot force our way into Earth or else we are 
destroyed from the inside out. But now her spirit is walking between 
two separate realms at once, making her but a ghost in either one."
	"How awful!" the odango-haired blonde cried, curling up into 
the arms of the dark-haired prince. The dark-haired prince held the 
odango-haired blonde tightly, a warm embrace giving as much comfort 
as it could.
	"Is that where she is, Sora?" the long-haired blonde asked, 
seated next to the raven knight. "Is Rei-chan in the Dreamworld?"
	Sora nodded, fingers clasping with those of the tall brunette. 
"Hai, Minako. Even now she is awakening. Yet she cannot return to 
her body in this world unless we can find a way to bring her back."
	"What about the Dreamworld itself?" the blue-haired genius 
asked. "How much danger is she facing?"
	The memories of the raven's knight former life and shadow, and 
the deadly battle waged to regain a soul, came back to haunt them 
all. No one spoke for a time.
	"Kishi?" the long-haired blonde pressed.
	The raven knight grimaced. "With Shadowdemons and their 
minions lurking in every corner, she is in very real danger. Rei
 could wake up in the heart of a shadow kingdom. If so we wouldn't 
ever be able to save her."
	"Don't say things like that!" the odango-haired blonde 
exclaimed angrily, hot tears spilling down her cheeks.
	"Usa-ko," the dark-haired prince whispered, trying to soothe 
the young lady with a gentle voice. Deep blue eyes turned to the 
guardian angels. "Is there any way we can locate her aura before 
then?"
	"The guardian angels have too much on their hands as it is 
looking over this world's dreams," Sora said. "And she's now a lost 
soul, nearly impossible for anyone to track. She's become a ghost in 
both realms now."
	"You're only limited in your sensory powers because you are 
limited in where you can go as angels," Kishi stated. "You and I 
both know that as a former Shadowdemon, I held access to the entire 
Dreamworld. I know the scents of every kingdom. Out of the two of 
us, I stand a better chance at finding her."
	The raven angel bristled. "Your kind only used that freedom to 
conquer, Kishi."
	The raven knight said nothing in response, but the expression 
on Kishi's face revealed he knew all too well the truth in the 
Sora's words.
	"Can't anyone do anything?" the odango-haired blonde pleaded, 
frantic to claw for any last hope remaining.
	The raven warriors turned eye to eye, and knew the thoughts of 
the other. "There is only one who could possibly help her," Kishi 
stated. "And he himself is but a myth even in our world."


	Her world was still reeling as she slowly pulled herself off 
the damp earthen floor. The shrine maiden's garments she had worn 
were still around her body, wet and grass-stained. With a groggy 
disorientation that could only come of crossing through realms, she 
tried to regain use of her senses.
	She was sprawled out on the grasses of a forest floor, knarled 
and tall trees looming all around her in a circular border that 
marked a strange clearing. The canopy of leaves overhead had 
swallowed up any light; she couldn't tell if it was night or day. 
Yet the forest seemed to radiate its own aura and despite the 
dancing shadows in every corner she could see. 
	She rose to her knees and finally to her feet. A throbbing 
arose in her skull and faded. "Where...where am I?" she moaned, 
clutching her forehead. 
	Slowly she turned to every angle and saw the forest. This was 
not her world; it did not look like her world nor did it contain the 
magik of her realm.
	"Am I...am I in the Dreamworld?" she whispered.
	What had happened? If only she could think clearer. The fog 
was still rolling around inside her skull, clouding her vision and 
her mind.
	And then she saw beyond the forest: she saw the creatures 
lurking within its borders. They might have, in another life, been 
humans. They possessed the form and slight appearance but that was 
it. Skin tinted purple, bulging albino eyes, savage teeth, elongated 
fingers with claws, a gangly scarecrow-like bipedal stance: they 
were grotesque creatures not meant for the natural world.
	Her breathing quickened as the small cluster closed in around 
her, eyes alight in decadent evils. They looked like goblins or 
kappas. And yet she couldn't accept this; such creatures were myth. 
They never existed in her world.
	Unless this wasn't her world any longer....
	"No," she whispered. And with a grim revelation she knew where 
she now was. The realm beyond the waking hours, beyond the sleeping 
dreamers. This was the domain of the Dreamworld. And the things 
before her were its angels of darkness.
	Minions of the Shadowdemons.
	They were indeed hobgoblins.
	She growled, suddenly on the defensive. Fear was never quick 
to remain in her mind; it was rarely ever an option. If this was to 
be her fate, then she would take down as many of the spawns as she 
could.
	"Ara ara," one remarked, a stretched finger tapping its cheek 
in a dark, quizzical manner. "It would appear a lovely young lady 
has decided to pay us a visit."
	Her head darted from one goblin to the next. They were at all 
corners of her vision, some beyond. Unless she transformed she 
didn't stand a chance. But could she transform here?
	"Shimatta," she cursed under her breath.
	The long-haired blonde had become a senshi once to protect the 
raven knight. Could she do it now to protect herself? Her hand 
reached into the folds of her kimono, pulling out a ward. With a 
rapid chant she summoned the powers of the spirits.
	"Rin, pyou, tou, sha, kai, jin, retsu, sai, zen. Akuryou 
taisan!" she shouted, launching the paper talisman at the nearest 
goblin. It shrieked as the ward struck its face, burning with 
sickening black smoke.
	But the creature simply tore off the ward, a burnt strip of 
purple-tinted flesh left in its place. "She's got real bite to her," 
it cackled. "I love that in a woman."
	She stepped back, faultering. Why didn't the ward work on 
these things? Was it...was it because their magik was different from 
hers?
	"A bitch like her must have an incredible body beneath such 
loose robes," another goblin laughed. "It's like she's begging for 
us to rip it off."
	Her eyes widened in horror as she looked from one creature to 
the next. "No," she whispered. This couldn't be. This couldn't be 
happening.
	They were going to rape her!
	She had no time to even consider transforming. One goblin 
darted forward, tearing at the folds of her kimono and exposing her 
chest. He laughed sadistically at the sight of her breasts.
	"Bastard!" she exclaimed. With a vicious kick to his groin, 
she leaped away as the hobgoblin let out a startled scream, 
clutching his genitals in agony.
	She desperately tried to cover her breasts, disheartened by 
the fact that in doing so she would be left nearly defenseless 
against their brutal attack. There was no time to transform, even if 
she could do that.
	Abruptly something hard--the heel of a foot--struck her back, 
sending her sprawling into the ground. She groaned as the thick mud 
was caked onto her skin, staining her kimono.
	"You damned bitch!" the goblin swore, still panting to control 
the pain. "I'm going to make sure you feel for that one!" He turned 
to the others. "Hold her down."
	She grimaced as he released his member, holding it in front of 
her like he was preparing for torture. "You're going to open your 
mouth and take what I give you, slut," he snarled.
	She struggled, but had neither the strength nor the spirit 
left to keep on fighting. They had already won, and she was going to 
be subjected to a physical hell by their hands.
	"Someone," she said in a hoarse whisper. "Tasukete."
	Help me....
	And then the shadows of the forest came to life.
	One hobgoblin glanced away as rustling swept across the 
clearing of the forest. "Did you hear that?"
	"Shut up!" the leader snapped, eyes glazed over in pure sexual 
malice as he started to kneel forward towards her face. She closed 
her eyes and tried to wake up from this nightmare. 
	"Tasukete," she whispered again.
	Another shadow rustled, this time with an audible thud! as 
something large and heavy landed onto the forest floor from the 
treetops above. Scuffling footsteps, rapid and brief echoed across 
the knarled trunks. It was moving.
	The goblins holding her down were starting to show a new 
emotion: fear. Their eyes were wide, nervously licking their lips as 
their breathing rate tripled.
	"Master," one hissed. "There's something down here!"
	"You ready to swallow it, bitch?" their master snarled, his 
grotesque member practically in front of her face now. 
	Her eyes were open, trembling in terror at what was about to 
happen: she was going to be raped by these savage creatures. She 
found herself fixated on the eyes of her brutal rapist, trying to 
find something human in his inhuman eyes.
	There was nothing but evil.
	And then there was something new. Confusion. Apprehension. 
Fear. The creature forgot about her, his hand falling from around 
his sex as he looked out past her into the forest.
	"What the hell?!" he exclaimed.
	Suddenly his body was blown backwards, struck by something 
unseen yet visible. As if the very air had come alive and forged a 
solid fist. The hobgoblin shouted as his body twisted around, 
crashing into the forest floor--which suddenly became like a river 
of mud that was quick to claim his body and swallow it up.
	His comrades frantically screamed and cursed. She was 
forgotten as they released her and charged to aide their master. 
Slowly she struggled to right herself, propping her upper body up 
with her arms. Her eyes darted to the source of the screams.
	The brutish creature was immersed up to his mouth now, 
burbling and choking on the dark mud. His eyes were wide as they too 
were sucked down, all that was left now were his two arms from the 
elbows up. One hobgoblin made a flying leap to grasp for one hand 
before it went under.
	He grappled onto fingers just as they were claimed by the mud, 
and fought to bring his master up from the cursed ground of the 
forest. Then came slack, and the goblin toppled backwards, screaming 
with a bloodied, severed limb of the master in his hands. The 
goblin's eyes were wide in newfound terror, dirt and blood staining 
his arms. The severed limb was thrown away, and panic swooped into 
the clearing.
	The rustling began again, of something large and swift weaving 
through the trees around them. The hobgoblins were whirling in every 
direction, frightened squeals coming from their mouths.
	And she was also frightened; the entire ordeal growing worse. 
Before she might have been raped. And now she might be viciously 
slaughtered with them.
	The air moved again in a burly, towering form. She could hear 
loud raspy breath as the shadow stalked past her sprawled form. And 
then the beast had vanished, invisible once more.
	The closest goblin was first. His head abruptly snapped 
forward as a geyser of blood erupted from the back of his skull. The 
head was torn off from the shoulders, rolling and bumping against 
the foot of another hobgoblin, leaving a gory trail behind it.
	Only two more creatures remained.
	One was whimpering, darting around the clearing. He was close 
to the trees--one step too close. Roots came to life as something 
reached out and seized his arms and legs, claws digging into his 
skin and drawing thick streams of blood.
	The goblin screamed as the claws pulled him into the trees, 
until he was frozen halfway into the knarled form of the trunk, eyes 
wide and forever trapped in terror.
	But within the trees she could see knarled bark rippling, a 
face emerging. Two large, yellow eyes fixated on her, and then on 
the last hobgoblin alive. The bark rippled and was still.
	She couldn't find a voice for her fear, slowly backing away 
from the tree. Was she next? Was it only attacking those who had 
attacked her? How fast would death come?
	Suddenly the last goblin rammed into her, elbow over her 
throat and fingers tightening around her windpipe, choking out the 
air.
	"I'll kill her!" he screamed in a mad frenzy, his fingers 
tightening around her throat. "You hear me?! I'll kill the bitch, I 
swear!"
	There was a low growl and a hot blast of air from behind.
	And then the hobgoblin screamed his last, hoisted off the 
ground as two enormous claws punched through his chest. The body 
went limp quickly, the goblin drooling blood and spit.
	She screamed in utter terror,throwing herself forward and 
racing. Her tattered and mud-stained kimono weighed her down, yet 
she almost flew like a raven across the clearing in frantic 
desperation.
	A shadow rippled in her peripheral vision.
	She threw herself left, leaping over a tangle of roots. Her 
foot struck them, and she tripped. Her body tumbled over the tangle, 
falling in a heap at the base of the tree.
	The raspy breaths were approaching.
	Her eyes caught sight of an opening in the ground, a place 
where bowed roots had hollowed out a small cavern. Her body 
scrambled into the opening, fighting past roots and grasses. Once 
her waist made it through, she slipped in with ease. Huddled there, 
trembling from head to toe, she waited for the beast to come. And 
prayed that it would leave her alone. The raspy breath stopped, 
replaced instead with slow footsteps. Something was walking on the 
tangle of roots overhead.
	She tried to push herself as far to the back as possible.
	The beast hopped down.
	Her eyes were unable to believe the sight of two human legs in 
pants and shoes making an imprint in the damp ground. They shifted 
before her; the beast knew where she was.
	She was crying again, the faces of her friends appearing in 
her mind. They were all smiling, and this would mark the last time 
she would ever see them.
	"Usagi...." she whispered as the bubbly smile of the odango-
haired blonde flashed before her. For as many times as they had 
argued with each other, she only wished she could have told to 
odango-haired blonde how close she held the girl to her heart.
	Something shuffled at the opening. And then two eyes hidden 
behind a pair of shades appeared, looking at her. They belonged to a 
human, a young man, who solemnly stared at her.
	"Komban wa," he remarked evenly.
	She froze, not out of fright but out of stunned shock. One 
heartbeat ago she had been ready to die at the hands of a savage 
invisible ghoul. And now this young man was staring back at her.
	He cocked his head sideways. "Are you going to say something?" 
he inquired. "Or are you just going to huddle in there?"
	He seemed friendly, warm and open. Nothing like the savage 
brutes who had just tried to rape her. At least they received what 
they truly deserved: no mercy. 
	Carefully she looked at the young man. He seemed to be one 
willing to help. There was something about his smile that she 
trusted. It was a beautiful smile.
	She extended a shaky hand, and he skillfully grabbed it. With 
his own free hand he touched the tangles web of roots. They moved 
aside, enlargening the opening enough for her to crawl through with 
ease.
	"Sorry to scare you like that," he said, helping her out. "but 
trust me, it is very satisfying to let those damned goblins feel 
absolute terror before you kill them. I didn't mean to frighten you, 
though. Gomen."
	She found herself fixated on him. At first he seemed to good 
to believe: a lone knight valiantly coming to her rescue. But was he 
responsible for the carnage back in the clearing? She realized that 
there was no one else. It had to be him.
	"You...you were the one who saved me," she said quietly. 
	He nodded, scooping his hand around her back and sweeping her 
up in his arms to carry her out. She felt too weak and emotional to 
do anything else but let him.
	"What about that thing?" she asked, violet eyes darting around 
the forest.
	With a skilled leap the young man sprang from the ground, 
bounding over the roots and onto smoother grasses. "That was a 
ruse," he admitted. "As I said before, it is satisfying to let them 
feel true terror. That beast you think you saw was just a construct 
of my imagination."
	She glanced down at the forest floor. "Oh."
	He let her feet touch solid ground again, but she was staring 
down at herself: bruised, dirty and with a few trickles blood. Her 
kimono was torn and muddied. Her entire soul felt dirty and 
corroded.
	"Shimatta," her rescuer said as he too stared at her body, 
grimacing. "If I had only been here a few minutes earlier. I wasn't 
expecting someone to drop into a shadow kingdom like this. You're 
just lucky I was nearby at the time."
	"Near...by?" she asked, still trying to sort through the 
muddled array of thoughts going through her mind.
	He pointed to the veil of green leaves far above their heads, 
and the branches parted to form an opening. Through it she could see 
a set of towering snow-capped mountains in the distance.
	"The flight over took a lot out of me," the young man 
admitted. "But now I'm glad I nearly exhausted myself." He made a 
slow, elegant gesture with his arm.
	She sucked in her breath as suddenly her kimono healed itself. 
Her body too was cleansed, everything about her sparkling like the 
stars in the night sky. It was a rush to her system, a loving tingle 
of every nerve as she felt a magik work its way around her. With a 
slow turn she faced the young man.
	"Who are you?" she asked.
	"Allow me to introduce myself," the stranger said with a 
slight bow. "Kageno Karasu. Technically seventeen, and at one time a 
Sagittarius."
	He was dressed in strange garments, mainly because they were 
so familiar to her: black pants and shoes, a loose white dress shirt 
beneath a long dark tie and a billowing black jacket that reached 
halfway down to his knees. If she didn't know any better she would 
have guessed him to be enrolled at one of Tokyo's elite high 
schools. 
	His hair for the most part was long and flowing down around 
his shoulders, a brilliant shining blonde. And wrapped around his 
collar and shoulders was a large, flowing silver cloak that billowed 
out around his feet, rippling like the waves of the ocean. It seemed 
regal, but not as much when contrasted with his formal attire.
	The stranger hardly seemed the type to exist in such a place. 
And yet she couldn't shake the feeling that in truth he really 
didn't exist in such a place as the Dreamworld.
	Her eyes darted over to the shredded corpses littering the 
clearing of the forest. Those were the skins of evil that had tried 
to defile her in her moment of physical weakness. For that she would 
never forgive them or feel sorry for them in death.
	"What were they?" she asked solemnly. "Shadowdemons?"
	"You're already familiar with the Dreamworld, I see," Karasu 
remarked. He turned to the corpses. "They are not the demons but 
minions of those creatures. I call those particular things 
hobgoblins. 
	"If a Shadowdemon manages to conquer a guardian's domain, the 
dreamers within that domain become imprisoned. Many times the 
guardian will sacrifice themselves to send the dreamers through the 
torii and into the kingdoms of surrounding guardians. Sometimes all 
the dreamers make it out before the evil sets in. Sometimes they 
don't."
	She shuddered at the thought. "And they become like that?"
	"Regretfully, yes. They're alive, but living in a nightmare. 
Not exactly the nicest of creatures, I admit. And on more than one 
occasion during my wanderings they have been a real pain in the ass 
to deal with."
	He removed his shades, revealing crystal blue eyes that 
sparkled like the clearest of fountain springs. She sucked in her 
breath, and was oblivious to herself blushing. The Wanderer was even 
more handsome without his shades.
	He glanced around the forest. "We had better get going, 
Ojosan. More of them are bound to be lurking about here." He held 
out a hand to her. "Come with me. I'll lead you to a safer place."


	Midnight beams of moonlight poured in from the open fusama, 
casting silver light upon her sleeping form. She looked peaceful 
despite her soul being caught between worlds. All her friends were 
still awake, though exhausted and needing sleep.
	They were waiting for something, a word to give them hope 
that she was alive, that she had indeed survived. She was always a 
survivor, but could she survive a world beyond her own 
imagination?
	"The Wanderer has found her," Sora said abruptly, sighing in 
relief and opening his eyes from the meditation. 
	The raven knight was still rigid and oblivious, keeping 
contact with the realm of the waking dreamers. At least one of 
them had to remain there unless they wanted to risk losing her 
again. And still holding some essence of demon within, both knew 
Kishi was the one who should remain linked to both realms.
	The girls in the room stirred, awakened by the raven angel's 
words.
	"She's alive," the blue-haired genius said with a weary 
smile, embracing the tall brunette who was now awakening in the 
arms of the raven angel.
	"Where is she?" the shrine protege asked, tired but still 
very much awake as he sat crouched over her comatose form. "Where 
is Rei now?"
	"She is with the legendary wanderer of both worlds," the 
raven angel answered softly. "Know that with him she is safe."
	"What do you know about him, Sora-chan?" the long-haired 
blonde asked, rising up next to the seated form of the raven 
knight.
	"He is quite an enigma to even us," Sora admitted. "He's a 
ghost, drifting in between realms as he pleases, lost amidst the 
boundaries that divide them. But his heart and soul are bright and 
pure. He will protect her as long as she is trapped inside the 
Dreamworld."
	"Another knight?" the blue-haired genius asked.
	The raven angel nodded. "A different breed, yes but a 
warrior for the Dreamworld none the less."
	"He is the only one to be a raven by name and not by wings," 
Kishi whispered, still gazing into the other realm with closed 
eyes. "Even the Shadowdemons know of his myth. His name is 
Karasu...."


	The Wanderer was laying on his back atop a large, flat rock. 
His eyes were staring up at the stars. "How is the water, Ojosan?" 
he asked, not taking his eyes from the night skies above.
	She smiled as she continued to bathe herself in the bubbling 
hotsprings. This was exactly what she needed after going through 
such a hideous ordeal.
	"It's wonderful," she answered.
	"We can take our time here," he added. "You were lucky in 
that you had only strayed into the outer fringes of a shadow 
kingdom. Any deeper and we would still be walking."
	She let the steaming water warm her body, her nerves being 
soothed and pleasured at the same time. "Is it safe here?"
	"After the stunt I pulled," the Wanderer said with a dark 
grin. "no hobgoblin will be coming around here for a long time. At 
least until they figure out the beast was just an illusion."
	She smiled at the thought; a dark pleasure yes, but one she 
was reveling in. After what she had been through, what she had 
nearly suffered. She cupped a handful of water, raising it to her 
shoulders.
	"How long have you been here?" she asked, letting the hot 
water run down her breasts. The skin all around her body was 
tingling from the sensations, letting her forget everything else.
	He shrugged. "Around twelve hundred years, give or take a 
century. It's been a while since I last counted."
	She paused in the water, eyes wide. "But to be that old, you 
would...you would have had to been from the Silver Millennium!"
	"Ah!" he remarked, rolling onto his stomach. "I thought I 
recognized you from somewhere, not that I probably haven't caught 
a glimpse of your dreams before."
	She let out a startled shout, ducking down into the water 
with her hands over her breasts as he looked into the hotsprings. 
"What are you doing?" she exclaimed angrily.
	The Wanderer rolled his eyes, avoiding her glares but not 
looking away. He seemed to take it all in stride--that or he 
really didn't care whether or not she was naked. That felt a 
little more insulting to her than if he had tried to get a look at 
her body.
	"So," he remarked. "you were from the ancient moon kingdom 
as well. Might I inquire about your previous life, then?"
	Resignedly she realized that he was simply staring at her 
for the sake of the conversation--not that it wouldn't have 
flattered her if such a handsome young man found her sexually 
attractive.
	Even still she kept most of herself beneath the surface of 
the steaming hotsprings. "I was a princess," she said, carefully 
wading over to the edge.
	He cocked an eyebrow. "Wait, don't tell me!" He looked her 
up and down. "The princess of Jupiter!"
	She laughed and shook her head. "Not a chance. I was--I 
still am the princess of Mars."
	He sighed, replacing his shades over his crystal eyes. 
"Well, can't be right all the time. Besides, it's been over a 
thousand years since I lived in that world."
	"What were you in the Silver Millennium?" she asked. The 
fact that he was of such an ancient life brought with it questions 
of the past, memories that had yet to surface. And she hoped he 
could give her some answers.
	He leaned back on the rock, resting his hands behind his 
head. "I was a warrior-mage. One of the best around." He tossed 
her a crystal orb, and suddenly she felt a warm towel drop around 
her shoulders.
	She smiled, wrapping the towel around her body as she 
emerged from the hotsprings. Much of the towel fell into the water 
and was damp, though she found it to be suddenly dry as she 
stepped out onto the grasses next to the rock.
	Another slight of hand.
	"What sort of warrior-mage?" she inquired warily. His 
bizarre abilities had to be the result of his training, but it was 
a style she couldn't place even in her past life.
	The Wanderer sat up on the rock, stretching out his neck 
from side to side. "I'm a master of illusion. That's how I was 
able to take out the hobgoblins back there. In fact, I was so good 
that I ended up getting stuck between realms."
	Another crystal rolled through the grass, gently tapping her 
foot. With a flash of light the crystal became a folded set of 
robes for her to wear in place of her dirty and tattered kimono.
	"Arigato," she said quietly.
	"My pleasure," he replied.
	She reached back and discovered that her long dark hair was 
now tied back in a single tail, held together by a long blue 
ribbon. "I thought we could walk between both realms at once," she 
said, lifting the robes for appraisal. 
	High black boots; white, collarless blouse; violet, 
sleeveless vest left unbuttoned and loose, a crimson dragon 
rampaging across the front; pantaloons with a dark violet tint to 
match her vest; a long cloak of silver to match his. They were 
elegant and very flattering to her body, yet practical for someone 
with travels far ahead. 
	The Wanderer shook his head. "Being a walking dreamer is 
something different than a walking ghost, Ojosan."
	"You don't have to call me 'Miss' all the time," she said, 
chiding him. "I do have a name, you know."
	"So do I," he responded. "Though I for one have already 
given it to you. I've yet to have the favour returned."
	He smiled as she turned a shade of embarrassed pink; her 
error this time. "Oh...My name's Rei."
	"A beautiful name," he remarked, nodding with genuine 
approval. "Goes very well with your beautiful face." 
	She blushed.
	Karasu turned around, allowing her the privacy of changing 
into the new garments. She was thankful for his consideration.
	"So what happened?" she asked, slipping on her blouse.
	"It was ten years after the birth of Princess Serenity of 
the Moon, if my memory is right," he explained. "Come to think 
about it, that was ten years after most of the princesses were 
born. I had already discovered the realm of the waking dreamers, 
and thought I could force myself into their world. I wanted to 
learn the magik of the raven angels."
	He turned his head, looking at her from behind his shades. 
"You made the same mistake, Rei-chan. Our magik may be able to 
have us walk in both realms, but it's not the same magik of the 
Dreamworld. We can enter when we dream, but that's the only way 
through.
	"I used up a lot of energy in smashing through the barriers 
and wound up trapped. I never found my way home that night. Still 
haven't for that matter. Not that I'm entirely sorry; this is a 
nice place to live."
	She felt cold suddenly as she listened to him speak, even 
though his garments were wrapping her in warmth. If he, a master 
of illusions, couldn't find a way out, then what were her chances? 
What were her chances...?
	"How long until I might get out?" she asked quietly, 
lowering her head. She didn't want to face him, for as strong as 
she was the reality of his answer might still crush her spirit.
	Karasu shook his head, walking past her. "I don't know; time 
works differently here. I still have to figure it out myself. The 
fact is that if you make it back to Earth, it could be two hours 
or two hundred years later."
	The Wanderer paused in his walking and glanced back; she had 
stopped moving altogether, dropping to her knees and trying to 
hold herself as her entire body trembled.
	"Masaka," she whispered hoarsely.
	Two hundred years?
	Karasu slowly removed the shades from his face; within his 
eyes there seemed to be concern despite his indifferent attitude. 
Perhaps because he had been through this centuries ago and had 
grown accustomed to his fate. But for whatever reason, he still 
remembered the pain of discovery in the lesson learned.
	She found herself suddenly scooped up in his arms as he 
carried her over to a tree. Laying her down on the grasses at the 
base of the trunk, he stretched himself out next to her. No words 
were spoken, though his eyes said enough.
	He understood.
	And he cared.
	She found herself blushing again as she looked into his 
crystal blue eyes, and then turned away in the hopes that her face 
would return to its normal colour. 
	"Come on," she muttered to herself. "Think of something to 
say. Start up a conversation."
	She looked back to the Wanderer, ready to say something, to 
say anything. She wanted to thank him again for his kindness and 
protection. She wanted to tell him--
	He was out cold, sleeping soundly. At first her expression was 
an indignant one, but it soon softened as she watched him sleep. He looked 
so peaceful.
	It seemed strange to gaze upon a sleeping soul within a 
world of dreams. Yet Karasu was curled up in his cloak, the only 
sounds from him being quiet breathing.
	She crawled over to the Wanderer and curled up next to him. 
She felt safer beside the enigmatic young man, and for some reason 
warmer. Resting her head against his chest, the rhythmic beating 
of his heart lulled her to gentle sleep.
	"Karasu...." she whispered.


	A darkened sky was beginning to be painted anew in yellow 
and orange. The moon was gone, the sun soon to come. Day was on 
the verge of breaking through the night's starlit fortress as 
those within the Shinto temple kept their vigil.
	"She rests," the raven knight said, sapphire eyes still 
closed. "The Wanderer is still with her." His eyes were shut but 
still saw those around him: the raven angel, the dark-haired 
prince, the shrine's apprentice. 
	The young ladies had long since lost to a war with fatigue, 
and were sleeping in different corners in the room. The blue-
haired genius and the odango-haired blonde had collapsed next to 
her comatose form on the bed. The long-haired blonde had been laid 
down on another set of blankets brought in by the young man of the 
Shinto shrine. And the tall brunette was in the caring arms of the 
raven angel.
	"Can we do anything, Sora?" the dark-haired prince asked. 
"Is it possible for us to sleep and search for her inside the 
Dreamworld."
	Sora nodded. "You can, but keep this in mind: the Dreamworld 
is vastly larger than you think. Rei-chan could be anywhere, and 
there is also the chance she is in Shadow kingdom. Despite the 
presence of the Wanderer, that places her in grave danger."
	"We can handle the Shadowdemons," the tall brunette said, 
surprising the males. They had thought all others to be sleeping. 
And the tall brunette had, but it was a light and restless 
slumber. Their words had stirred an awakening.
	"The priestess barely survived hobgoblins," the raven knight 
spoke up, slowly opening his eyes. "and they are but the weakest 
of the dark creatures. Minako lost her life to a demon itself. You 
venture into such kingdoms, and the Shadowdemons will come for 
you. I can guarantee that."
	He turned to the sleeping long-haired blonde. "I don't want 
to risk losing Minako-chan in such a place. I almost lost her 
once. The Shadowdemons now know her face...as well as mine."
	Kishi's voice seemed choked, forcing back emotions of bitter 
rage. All those deadly memories of a life without a soul. Of a 
battle against Sora that almost ended in death for them both. 
	Sora was grave as well. "Nor do I want to lose you, Mako-
chan. You mean too much to me."
	"Sora-chan," the tall brunette whispered, arms wrapping 
around his neck from behind. Head pressed against his chest, the 
tall brunette's eyes looked up to the raven angel. "We won't lose. 
Not Rei-chan. Not to anything out there."
	"Then let me go!" the young priest stated loudly, rousing 
the others. "Dammit, let me search the Dreamworld for Rei!"
	"You don't know what you're saying," Sora said solemnly. 
"There are over a thousand kingdoms, and not all of them are ruled 
by guardian angels."
	"To hell with the risks!" the shrine protege snapped, eyes 
blazing beneath scruffy bangs of brown hair. "If it will get her 
out, then I'll do anything."
	"The Wanderer has no doubt learned of her fate," the raven 
knight said. "He will most likely bring her into my former domain 
or else Sora's. Her aura will be easier to find in those places 
since our magik is still closely tied to them."
	"Please, Kishi!" the young man said, down on his knees. He 
seemed adament about going, determined to find their lost friend. 
"I'll take the risks, and those risks can be damned for all I 
care. But I refuse to sit here while Rei-chan's in danger!"
	He glanced away. "I love her," he said quietly, his passion 
exhausted from his voice.
	"You all are exhausted from this ordeal," Kishi stated. "It 
is far from ending, but at least try to get some sleep. Use your 
access into the Dreamworld as a means of searching for her. Sora 
and I will help. But let us define the boundaries--for your safety 
and for Rei's."
	The young man nodded, drained but relieved. "Hai."
	And so they slept once more. Not one soul within that 
building of the Shinto shrine was awake five minutes later. Their 
hearts and minds were already walking the beauty of the 
Dreamworld, paired up for protection.
	But no matter where they were, only one cry escaped their 
lips: "Rei-chan!" And the voice of the young shrine protege 
carried further than anyone else's.


	"Rei-chan!"
	Her eyes fluttered open; was someone calling her? The voice 
seemed to fade, perhaps simply a ghost caught in the winds. She 
stirred, coming out of a dreamless but comforting and warm sleep. 
As she opened her eyes, she saw Karasu looking down at her face. 
He was so close that she could feel his warm breath. It smelled of 
the air after a rainfall.
	"Komban wa," he remarked. "Sleep well?"
	"Komban wa, Karasu," she said, smiling. "Hai."
	The crystal eyes seemed to sparkle. "Great. Now would you 
mind removing your hand?" His nonchalance about the remark 
startled her.
	But then she was startled even more when she saw that her 
hand was in fact wrapped around his waist. Moreso she had 
practically crawled on top of him in her sleep, sprawled out over 
his body as if she were his lover. 
	With a yelp she scrambled off, blushing immensely from head 
to toe. Karasu stretched himself out and loosened his tie. 
	"Thank you," he said courtly. "Another ten minutes of being 
perfectly still like that, and I think everything from my neck 
down would have been numb permanently."
	"G-gomen," she stammered. It was all she could say.
	The Wanderer simply straightened and with a large yawn 
stretched himself out. As he stood his clothes seemed to ripple as 
if passing through a sparkling wall. Another illusion, she 
realized, one that seemed to clean and refresh his attire. As she 
stood the same illusion took place with her robes.
	"Breakfast?" he inquired, walking to the rock overlooking 
the hotsprings. It was still night, and a crescent moon shone 
brightly overhead. "You can have your heart's desire, Rei-san."
	Unsure of what to expect, she warily gave an answer. 
Surprise still managed to take her when Karasu dropped a crystal 
orb onto the rock and with its shattering a literal banquet 
appeared.
	"I always enjoy a little of everything when I eat," he said. 
"Come on, Rei-san. An illusion may have created this meal but I 
can assure you that the food is very real."
	The aromas were already reaching her, and with a rumble of 
her stomach she realized how hungry she really was. Seconds later 
found her wolfing down a bowlful of rice with a pair of ohashi 
that had her named engraved in jade down the sides.
	The Wanderer just stared at her as he watched her polish off 
in minutes what took him much longer to eat. "You really were 
hungry, Rei-san."
	Soon after she leaned back, fully satisfied. "Arigato," she 
said with a sigh.
	He nodded. "I was thinking about how to get you back," he 
said, adjusting his shades. "We'll need to cross through numerous 
kingdoms in the process, but getting you back to your world is a 
possibility."
	At least there was hope in that, but even still the daunting 
question of time plagued her. She could be gone here for only a 
few hours and return to a Tokyo two hundred years from when she 
went in. She tried not to dwell on that; she had to keep her faith 
in her friends.
	Karasu was making a map in his mind, somewhat oblivious to 
her now. "Kaika's domain will cut travel down by a day...but then 
we would be borderline to a shadow kingdom...perhaps Chie's realm 
might be wiser..."
	She asked, "Why are there so many different kingdoms here?" 
	With a snap of his fingers, the Wanderer's meal faded out of 
existence. "Each domain gives to itself a unique brand of magik, 
thus giving each guardian a unique power. And since in your world 
there are dreamers on the other side of the globe while you are 
basking in the noonday sun, the divisions in the Dreamworld are 
made to accommodate that."
	He stood, brushing off his pants. He seemed ready to start 
about on another journey, and she saw no choice but to follow in 
suit. Resignedly she had to admit that Karasu knew more about the 
Dreamworld than she.
	"What about the Shadowdemons? Do you have larger defenses on 
the borderlands?"
	Karasu shook his head. "The Shadowdemons don't have to worry 
about keeping a central empire or their borders. Their borders 
keep themselves. Once taken over nothing short of a miracle can 
recover the lost kingdoms from a hostile evil that forever plagues 
a once rich and beautiful realm. As a result, the Empress' 
kingdoms are scattered across the Dreamworld at random, depending 
on a Shadowdemon's success at conquest."
	His silence became her silence as well. As a senshi she had 
faced the darkness of evil before; that such evil could be found 
even in this beautiful world seemed cruel. 
	"Maybe Sora could help us," she suggested.
	"He belongs more to your world now," the Wanderer countered. 
"Besides, you are technically a ghost and almost impossible to 
track by anyone either here or on Earth. It's all a part of being 
a lost soul."
	She never truly heard his last words, though his first words 
were what became trapped inside her mind. Karasu was proving to be 
fully of strange surprises. "You knew Sora?" she asked.
	"I've heard tales of him," the Wanderer answered. "The first 
raven angel in a long time to find a way into your world. The 
magik from his love still ripples through a few dreams. The raven 
angels will find trouble in attempting to locate your spirit, Rei-
san. Our best bet is to head west, towards Sora's old kingdom."
	"Why there?" she asked.
	"Sora still holds access to the torii," he answered. "And 
his sensory powers are amplified within the borders. If we can get 
you there, we double your chances of a rescue."
	He stood up from the rock, brushed off his jacket and pants, 
and began to set a pace, departing from the hotsprings. She kept 
in step beside him, persistant in her questions. The better she 
knew the Dreamworld, the better off she was.
	"How long will it take us to reach Sora's realm then?"
	The Wanderer shrugged. "Depends on what we find along the 
way. If we are constant in our travels, giving way to sleeping and 
to rest stops, then maybe a few weeks. And that's if we somehow 
manage to miss any trouble that might come our way."
	"Weeks?" she exclaimed.
	"Calm down," he said, tilted back his neck to avoid the 
brunt of her attack. Under his breath he muttered, "The problem 
with Earth girls is the noise." Aloud he said, "Daijobu, Rei-san. 
Remember time works differently here. You might already be years 
into a coma back on Earth."
	"How long, then?" she asked dejectedly.
	"My best estimate is fourteen nights," Karasu replied.
	This confused her a little. "Doesn't the sun ever come out?"
	He shook his head. "This is the Dreamworld, existing only 
from dusk to dawn. The night here is eternal."
	This only managed to confuse her even more. "But doesn't the 
moon ever set?"
	"Iie. It just revolves around the sky on a vertical axis. 
The only change the moon makes is in its quarters. Sometimes a 
crescent moon, sometimes a half and other times whole. But that's 
just the way this world works. Don't blame me; I'm just passing 
through here."
	She couldn't help but smirk at that. "You've been passing 
through here for over a millennium, Karasu."
	"True," he admitted with a laugh. "Very true. We have a long 
journey ahead of us, Rei-san. I recommend that we start now if 
you're done with the interrogation."
	And so their journey began, and for the first night in over 
two hundred years the Wanderer found himself in more than just the 
company of his own shadow.
	He smiled to himself as he quietly whispered her name. "Rei-
chan...."


	The rays of the setting October sun were igniting the sky in 
a brilliant display of red, orange and yellow. From her place at 
the Shinto building's verandah, the odango-haired blonde watched 
the distant sunset.
	"It's been two days since she fell into the coma," the 
odango-haired blonde asked the dark-haired prince. "Do you think 
Rei-chan will make it?"
	The dark-haired prince seemed to hold the odango-haired 
blonde a little tighter in their embrace with those words. "I 
don't know," he admitted quietly. "We just have to keep hoping, 
Usa-ko." 
	They both turned as another soul stepped out onto the deck. 
"The others are getting ready to enter the Dreamworld again," the 
raven angel said. "If you wish to join them in searching, you too 
should get ready to sleep."
	"What are you going to do, Sora-chan?" the odango-haired 
blonde asked.
	The raven angel sighed with regret. "All Kishi and I can do 
is watch over her travels until she comes to one of our former 
kingdoms. To know that she is in good health is better than 
knowing nothing at all."
	She nodded, the hope still within her. "We'll find Rei-chan 
and bring her out."
	Sora smiled at the odango-haired blonde's compassionate 
tenacity for her friends. No wonder they all were willing to die 
in protecting her.
	"We'll find Rei-chan," the odango-haired blonde said again, 
slipped through the fusama with the dark-haired prince. 
	Sora turned his head as he felt a presence in the shadows 
appear next to him.
	"But what of the Wanderer?" the raven knight asked quietly.
	Sora shook his head. "I don't know, Kishi. Legend holds that 
he never found a way out and never will. Why should this time be 
any different?"
	"Legend also holds that he has helped at least a dozen 
others who became trapped like him," Kishi countered. "Maybe 
there's a chance to bring him over. Think of what we could learn 
about our world from him. Of what he has seen."
	Crimson eyes started out into the night. "Karasu helped 
others over at the cost of his own twisted immortality. I don't 
think he'll make it out with Rei. But the question is: if given 
the chance to see what he has seen, would Rei want to return?"
	The raven knight moved past Sora. "That decision is not ours 
to make, Sora. Don't dwell on it; we have other things to focus 
on."


	Cherry blossoms, petals pink and delicate, rained down all 
around them. Rows of thin, brown trees were everywhere, kept in 
perfect rank.
	They were walking through an orchard that stretched out to 
the horizon any way she turned. They had been in this orchard for 
two nights straight. Already four days had passed in a blur of 
magik and wonder.
	She found herself questioning how many memories she could 
carry with her when she returned to her world. But would she? She 
looked over at the Wanderer by her side.
	"This is Kaika's domain," he said, reaching out and 
snatching a few petals from the air. The silver cloak around his 
shoulders was gone; he was now dressed in his suit. "Very elusive 
and very protective. Whatever you do, don't carve your initials 
into a tree."
	She laughed. They had spent so much time together now, both 
in sleeping and in walking. It was his crystal eyes that she found 
herself waking to in the early hours of the eternal night. And it 
was his rhythmic heartbeat that lulled her to sleep at the end of 
a night's travels.
	Many nights she told him of the end of the Silver Millennium 
and their rebirths in Tokyo city on Earth. He listened somberly, 
having witnessed a few instances of these battles but not certain 
in every detail. He seemed grateful for the knowledge. For the 
chance to bring closure to it all.
	Karasu, though, was proving to remain very much an enigma; 
new revelations came night by night. Some were surprising, such as 
his remark last night that she was indeed an excellent singer as 
she hummed while she was bathing.
	"You knew I was a singer?' she had exclaimed.
	The Wanderer had simply nodded. "With my illusions I can 
cross over to Earth, you know. I'm not just confined to here--
though I can only stay a short while on Earth. The Fire River 
Temple is a wonderful place this time of year; maybe I'll visit 
when this is over. But yes, on a few trips I have heard you 
singing. Keep up the practice, Rei-chan."
	That had taken her aback for most of that night. Although it 
was disheartening to learn that she had not enough power to cross 
over as a ghost to her world as Karasu could, it did comfort her 
to know that the Wanderer had watched over her from time to time. 
Maybe that was why he was being so friendly to her.
	Maybe that was she was falling in love with--
	She turned her head as a chorus of giggles echoed through 
the trees and the rainfall of petals. A brief image of two little 
children playing together appeared and faded ten steps from them.
	The Wanderer motioned down the rows of trees in the orchard. 
"Some of the beautiful dreams existing in Kaika's domain. I must 
admit that this is one of my favourite 'haunts' as it were; if I 
ever need some reason for existing, I come here to stand amidst 
the dreams."
	For a moment he seemed caught by a memory from long ago, 
perhaps from another life in the Silver Millennium. To be 
separated from family and friends, to wander without a home for 
eternity, never changing from the form you possessed when you 
entered; how could he have survived, she wondered.
	"Don't you ever get lonely?" she asked him.
	The Wanderer paused, staring first up to the stars and then 
into her violet eyes. "From time to time, yes. Twelve hundred 
years is a long time to be in solitude." 
	It was a solemn answer, truthful and laced with what might 
have been regret. She couldn't be sure; if it was one thing she 
was already learning, it was that he hid his true emotions well. 
"How did you press on?" she asked.
	"I nurtured the hope that there was hope," he answered. 
"That there was a reason to press on. And in you and your friends 
I have seen it come to life." He removed his shades. "I believe in 
love, Rei-chan. That is what's kept me going this far, and that is 
what will finally take me to whatever I might call home."
	There was a time where silence reigned.
	Such a calm passion had never been in his voice before, yet 
it was this determination that kept him a survivor. "Back during 
the Silver Millennium," she asked. "did you have someone you 
loved? A girlfriend?"
	"To be honest, no," the Wanderer admitted. "And I think that 
not having any reason to return to my former world sealed my fate 
here. I've met a few other lost souls like ourselves every now and 
again, but usually nothing becomes of it...except for one." 
	That piqued her curiousity. "Who?"
	He looked up to the moonlight. "It was a long time ago," he 
said quietly. "Yui-chan...."
	Sadness seemed to wash over his face, perhaps of sorrow or 
regret for a love never found and never to be found unless he 
escaped. He was surprised at first when she wrapped her arm around 
his, leaning against his shoulder as the walked. But then he 
nodded, removing his shades and letting her see his crystal blue 
eyes.
	"Rei-chan," he said softly, and smiled.

	
	He was alone, though he could somehow feel the presence of 
the raven knight closeby. The folds of his ceremonial kimono 
rippled with the cool evening winds. "Rei-chan!" the young priest 
called out. "Please answer me!"
	He was standing in the midst of rows of trees as a continual 
rainfall of cherry blossom petals decorated his hair. Yet it was 
only him and the orchard and a few brief glimpses of beautiful 
dreams.
	"Dammit," he muttered, clenching his fists. "I could have 
sworn she was here."
	With a sixth sense he had been tracking her, trying to find 
her within a world of a thousand different kingdoms and realms to 
call its own. He was learning how to manifest himself in a desired 
domain; the only problem was that he did not have enough power to 
teleport from one kingdom to the next within a single dream. No 
one did but the two guardians. 
	It was early in the midnight hours, and now he was confined 
to this orchard realm unless he walked out and into the next one. 
The young man could only pray that perhaps this night one of the 
other girls might chance upon her.
	Four nights had passed since she was lost within the 
Dreamworld. Her grandfather had been thankfully delayed in 
returning. But in three days time there could be no hiding her 
condition.
	Why had this come upon her? Why did she have to be so 
stubborn sometimes? This entire ordeal had come without warning 
and now his heart was being torn at facing a life without her 
nearby. He had never even had a chance to tell her how much he 
cared for her, how much he loved her. 
	The young man reached out and caught a number of petals in 
his hand, closing his palm around them. "Rei-chan," he said 
quietly. "I swear I will find you. Even if I have to go into hell 
itself I will find you and bring you back to us."
	The shrine protege slowly turned and looked down one row of 
thin cherry blossom trees. The horizon was lost in their ranks. 
And with one more step, he began walking towards the end of this 
kingdom.


	In the distance the entire horizon was cast in an eerie red 
glow; rocks, trees and the mountain all seemed to be enveloped in 
a strange mist of crimson earth.
	The peak of the mountain opened up like a mouth, thick 
streams of dark and crimson smoke drifting out from the crater. 
The jagged face of the mountain seemed to add to the looming sense 
of forbidding danger.
	"It's beautiful," she whispered.
	"The lofty peak of the only volcano to grace the 
Dreamworld," Karasu stated. "The danger is only in appearance. 
That is the one place even Shadowdemons have shied away from 
attacking. Strange, in my opinion; I would think them finding such 
a forbidding place the perfect home."
	She looked to the Wanderer. "Does anyone dream there?" 
	He nodded. "As impossible as it seems, the volcano holds an 
abundance of dreamers. It is merely another strange face in a 
strange world."
	He pointed to the dark horizon. "In a few hours we'll be at 
the outer rim of Taki's forest. My best estimate is that we'll 
reach Sora's domain within the next four nights."
	They chose a place to settle down for the night close to the 
outer rim of the forest. She had grown accustomed to slightly 
rugged conditions for sleeping, insisting that Karasu didn't have 
to create a bedside illusion for her.
	The Wanderer was staring into the forest as they ate their 
final meal before retiring. "If we weren't so pressed for time," 
he said to her. "then I would love to take you into the heart of 
Taki's forest and show you the waterfall. It must be one of the 
most spectacular sights I have ever seen; the cataract itself 
empties into a twenty-storey gorge."
	Finishing off his dinner, he leaned back against a tree and 
relaxed his body. "Did you have a crush on someone back in the 
Silver Millennium?" 
	She paused; memories of such a distant life were still 
unclear to her and her friends. Perhaps she had in another life of 
serenity. But to be honest she did not know.
	"Pity," the Wanderer remarked when she told him just that. 
"I would think that you had to be dating someone in that century. 
You're just too cute to be ignored."
	She blushed at this; Karasu knew exactly how to charm her. 
But he was more than simply charming. He was unique: an immortal 
wanderer so long as he remained trapped in the Dreamworld, and 
still managing to keep a sense of humour about the entire 
situation. He cared for her and in getting her home. Karasu had 
done so much for her in her weakest moments. When she could no 
longer be strong, he had been there to help her back up.
	"Rei-chan!"
	She snapped her head around, uncertain if she had actually 
heard someone call her name. And yet the voice sounded familiar. 
She stood up, staring out at the volcanic peak in the far 
distance.
	The voice brought with it distant memories and images of a 
young man now helping her at the Shinto shrine. A good man with a 
kind heart--which the shrine protege usually wore on his sleeve. 
Someone who...who loved her. Did he love her?
	"Yuichiro," she whispered.
	"Rei-chan?" Karasu asked, walking to stand behind her. His 
own eyes were fixed on the dark silhouette of the distant volcano. 
If he had heard that voice, he was saying nothing. "Rei-chan, 
daijobu?"
	She blinked, the voice not returning to her again. Maybe she 
had dreamt of his face and voice. But was it all a dream? Her 
other life seemed so far away now, after all she had seen and 
walked through.
	His gentle touch brought her around until they stood cheek 
to cheek. He was taller than her, and she had to tilt her head to 
look up into his crystal blue eyes. The Wanderer's smile caused 
her to do the same.
	He leaned forward and gave a gentle kiss to her forehead. 
"Good night, Rei-chan. Sleep well, and dream of the man you love."
	With his silver cloak flapping behind him, Karasu settled 
own to rest his weary body. Moments later he was in a quiet, 
profound sleep. She found herself smiling, her body tingling with 
strange warmth, as she looked at him.
	So peaceful did the Wanderer look in his sleep, ever 
trusting and ever guiding. Helping guide her back home. She turned 
back to the distant volcano; what was home? A temple, perhaps.
	Was that her real home, or was it all simply a dream? Violet 
eyes glanced back at Karasu. She was falling on love with him, for 
all he had done and was doing for her. But what of those who were 
separated in her world, trying to call her back to them? 
	A city of friends: the odango-haired blonde and the dark-
haired prince...the tall brunette...the long-haired blonde...the 
blue-haired genius...the two guardian angels...the young man who 
was calling out to her.
	But who would she dream of tonight, then?
	Who would she dream of...?


	Atop the highest of the plateaus he remained, crouched low 
at the precipice and grimly staring out at the beauty of the realm 
surrounding him. On another night he would have found this 
breathtaking, but tonight the open domain of the plateaus gave him 
no comfort.
	"Rei-chan," he said quietly, sadly. "Where are you? Why 
can't I find you?"
	"Yuichiro-san?"	
	The young man turned and saw the blue-haired genius 
approach. The blue-haired genius had over her eyes a visor with 
flickering images he read to be backwards.
	"She's not here, Ami," he said. "Rei-chan's nowhere close to 
this place. And now we're stuck here for the night unless we find 
a way to grow wings."
	"Rei was here at one point in time," the blue-haired genius 
countered, the visor disappearing. "I've been able to locate 
traces of her aura as she and the Wanderer move. Tomorrow I'm 
certain I will be able to pinpoint the next kingdom she will be 
walking through. At the very least we know they're heading for 
Sora's domain."
	The young man stared out to the west. There in the distance 
an eerie volcanic peak, its land bathed in a crimson hue, stood 
tall and breathing thick dark smoke.
	"I should have never left her alone in the fire room," he 
said, shaking his head dejectedly. "I saw her go in and I saw that 
look in her eyes. I should have done something to stop this from 
happening."
	"Don't be so hard on yourself," the blue-haired genius 
answered. "Yuichiro, you're blaming yourself too much for this. 
Right now we need to focus on getting Rei-chan back."
	Far below hundreds of small lights twinkled across the dark 
lands.
	"Time is running out," the shrine protege said. "Her 
grandfather will be back in two days. I don't know if he could 
take the shock." 
	He slowly stood, eyes never leaving the horizon far below 
the plateaus. "Either we find her soon, or we won't ever find Rei 
at all."
	The blue-haired genius seemed to shiver. "Don't say things 
like that, Yuichiro-san. We'll find her."
	The wind pushed back his bangs, revealing his determined 
eyes. "If I can't find her in my world," he stated. "Then I'll 
become a ghost like her and find her in this one."
	And yet this prospect only seemed to frighten him. His body 
trembled with fury over his failure and hesitation to lose both 
worlds eternally like the Wanderer.
	"Ganbatte, Yuichiro-san," the blue-haired genius said, 
resting a hand on his shoulder. She looked out to the great 
beyond, clinging to her own hope in those words. "Ganbatte...." 
she whispered to herself.
	

	One night in the forest had already passed, and the Wanderer 
had stated that they would reach the coastal shores before this 
night was lost to their sleep. Karasu seemed in high spirits, 
leaping from forest floor to high branches to roots uplifted from 
the dirt and grasses.
	She, though, moved slower than usual, lost in the thoughts 
as only a lover torn in love could. The young man's face had 
haunted her dreams again, his scruffy brown hair and kind but 
clumsy nature causing her to smile. But then what of the Wanderer? 
She felt so close to Karasu now, almost joined at the soul.
	If the time came, which destiny would she choose? Return to 
Earth and Tokyo to be with the young man and her friends...or 
remain here with Karasu in wandering through the Dreamworld.
	It was this uncertaintly she felt that caused her to remain 
unaware of approaching danger. Not until Karasu's restraining hand 
grabbed her wrist to hold her back.
	"There's something else here," he said quietly, eyes darting 
around the forest. 
	She turned, trying to locate the source of the new 
presences. Her own psychic powers seemed to be magnified by this 
world, for she could see in her mind the creatures approaching 
them. They were but shadows with fierce glowing eyes, moving on 
paws of four. 
	"They are coming from the south," she said, pointing towards 
a section of the forest. "Over there."
	Karasu stepped forward, adamant about being the first to 
either defend or attack. His entire hand tensed up. A glowing 
light swallowed up his palm, sending out a magik that filled the 
entire area with sparkling blue light.
	Her eyes widened as something came out from the light. It 
was a sword, long and deadly. Over four and a half feet in length 
from tip to handle it stood, the grip adorned with a covering that 
wrapped around the hilt and tapered to a fine edge. In the centre 
was a large gemstone that shone like a storm. 	
	"Sugoi," she whispered. What an incredible weapon!
	"Arashi," he stated. "My illusions aren't the only magik I 
wield."
	But she was also a warrior, a soldier in her other life on 
Earth. And she still had the means of becoming that soldier. 
Despite the Wanderer's illusion, she located her transformation 
stick inside her robes.
	He glanced back with her shout, watching as she was engulfed 
in a bright light only to re-emerge in a sailor-style battle fuku. 
He slid his shades down his nose for a moment.
	"Impressive," he remarked.
	The Wanderer focused back on the forest as the creatures 
were now making sounds in their approach. Different breaths and 
different paces swarmed around them, and then the glowing eyes 
appeared from the shadows.
	She clenched her fists, ready to unleash her own magik of 
burning fire in a heartbeat. This time would not be like the 
hobgoblins. This time she would be ready.
	A pack of silver wolves converged on them.
	She held her breath, the aura of fire manifesting around her 
body.
	"Wait!" heuntered, holding out a restraining hand in front 
of her. He spun his sword around, jabbing the blade into the soft 
grass.
	The lead wolf, one with only a single glowing eye of bright 
yellow, stepped forward to meet with the Wanderer. Their eyes 
fixated on the other, each one having a solemn gaze. And to her 
surprise, the wolf pounced. Yet it was friendly if not playful, 
and Karasu laughed as his was pinned to the grass by the wolf's 
large body. They wrestled, rolling around the grasses until both 
were soaking wet from the dew. The wolf licked Karasu's face as he 
ran his fingers through his wet bangs.
	"Daijobu!" he called out to her. "They're Mystwolves. 
They're friendly--at least towards us."
	She lowered her defenses, glancing around the forest as more 
of these wolves appeared. A mother with a trio of small cubs 
emerged. The smallest pup gave a delighted "Yip!" and bounded over 
to her.
	Kneeling down she scooped up the young wolf in her arms, 
feeling the warmth of its fur nuzzle against her skin. She giggled 
as the pup's tongue tickled her cheek with wet kisses.
	"Kawaii!" she exclaimed. Curious how the aura of the 
Mystwolves seemed to be so threatening when they seemed so 
peaceful.
	As she turned to Karasu, she found the reason; he was 
kneeling next to a Mystwolf brought before him by its comrades. 
This wolf was in severe pain, limping with a hideous gash down its 
left leg.
	"Shimatta," he said quietly, removing his shades and 
appraising the wound. 
	The Mystwolf whimpered; its leg had been torn open to the 
bone, the mangled fur soaked in blood. He was surprised that the 
wolf had managed to limp this far and survive.
	He opened up his palm, a crystal orb appearing. He forced 
the crystal into the wolf's leg, the orb passing through as if the 
wolf was mere water. There was a quick yelp and an even faster 
recovery.
	"Will the illusions work?" she asked.
	"Healing illusions are specially crafted," he answered. 
"They will give you enough strength to recover, but the wound will 
still need to heal itself. When that happens the illusion simply 
fades away. It's only a temporary solution, and if shattered while 
the wound is still recovering the damage will be even worse."
	"Can you revive the dead?" 
	Sadly he shook his head. "No. I fear my illusions are not as 
powerful to combat death. And many a Mystwolf I could have saved 
had I but possessed such a magik."
	The Wanderer's crystal blue eyes looked to the alpha male of 
the pack. "How many others?" he asked.
	The wolf growled to him in its own language, one he seemed 
to understand. He turned to her, his expression somber. 
	"Bogeymen," he stated. He moved to another injured Mystwolf, 
and healed it with another illusion. "They attacked this pack by 
surprise about half a night's journey from here. Damned bastards 
they are, attacking mothers and cubs."
	She released the pup, the little Mystwolf running to its 
mother. "Are they worse than the hobgoblins?"
	He healed another wolf with an illusion. "Bogeymen are 
second in power and terror only to the Shadowdemons themselves. 
They travel in packs, are not confined to mere shadow kingdoms, 
and will only stop attacking you when the last one is killed."
	"Let me help fight them," she said, her voice trembling with 
fury. "We will have to cross by there anyways." Vengeance was 
seeping into her blood, a growing desire to exact cruel punishment 
on those creatures who had tried to rape her.
	He stood, having finished with the last of the Mystwolves. 
The pack returned to the shadows of the forest as he abruptly 
began walking. The sword was picked up in his grip and enveloped 
back into his palm with the same glowing light.
	"We're not far from the beach sands," he stated, 
deliberately avoiding her demand for revenge. "We can camp there 
for the night; hopefully the Bogeymen will have left the area by 
then."
	"Na ni?!" she exclaimed, chasing after him. "Let me help 
fight, Karasu! I want to get those bastards just as much as you 
do!"
	"This is not your fight," the Wanderer countered, glancing 
over his shoulder at her. "Nor is it mine. The Bogeymen and the 
Mystwolves have been nemeses since the dusk of the Dreamscape. 
Although I loathe the beasts myself, I don't go out looking for a 
battle."
	He might as well have slapped her in the face with that 
remark. And for all this time she thought him to be a valiant 
knight for the Dreamworld. So what did his attitude now mean?
	"Why not?" she exclaimed, fuming at him. She was barely even 
aware that they had come out of the forest, now reaching a small 
drop in the hills that led down to coastal sands and crashing 
waves. For the first time since she had met Karasu, she found 
herself despising him. How could someone who had been in all this 
wonder and magik for centuries be so indifferent?
	"Don't you feel anything for what evil is doing to such a 
beautiful paradise?" she shouted angrily.
	Karasu whirled, his silver cloak billowing out behind him. 
For the first time pure emotion shone in his face. Crystal blue 
eyes burned at her. "Yes, I feel for it!" he snapped. "That is why 
I fall upon any creature of darkness I find. That is why the 
Mystwolves come for healing if I am nearby. And that is why I 
rescued you."
	He turned away, staring out at the seas beyond the cliff's 
edge. "Over one thousand years have I been alone, Rei. But I know 
that the real battle in the Dreamworld can only be waged between 
the raven angels and the Shadowdemons. I do not belong in their 
realm. Against the full furies of either a raven angel or a 
Shadowdemon, my illusions will only prolong the inevitable for a 
few minutes. That is why I involve myself with those who don't 
hold such high power."
	He turned to her, replacing the shades over his eyes. "I am 
rather fond of life--namely my own. And rushing into the heart of 
the Empress' realm is thus not exactly high on my list of 
crusades. I still have to live with the mistake of becoming a lost 
soul, Rei; I don't want to live or die thanks to any other ones 
that I might make."
	She felt cut by a savage knife, stung by her own attack 
against him. Now she finally understood what it was like to be a 
wanderer in the Dreamworld. Karasu was still grimly staring out at 
the ocean waves, his chest heaving with every breath.
	Her expression softened, and when he saw the understanding 
in her eyes, he smiled. "You still fight, though," she said 
gently, wrapping her arms around his waist as she leaned against 
his back.
	He nodded. "I will fight when the war comes my way--and many 
times it does more than once a night--but in truth I am only a 
wanderer. My powers cannot destroy the Shadowdemons, but at least 
what I do here will keep someone's beautiful dreams safe for one 
more night."
	She stared out to this new Dreamworld kingdom with him.
The waves of a vast ocean stretching out beyond the horizon were 
crashing against the large rocks scattered across the sandy beach. 
At the far end of the shores, the fierce rolling hooves of a herd 
of Silvermanes threw up sand as they galloped away.
	He opened up his palm, the crystal within his grip bursting 
into a small fire. "I'll give us some lighting."
	She put her hand on his shoulder. "Please, let me. After 
all, it's my speciality."
	With a smile he nodded and closed his palm around the 
crystal, smothering the flames. "Hai."
	"Burning Mandala!" she shouted. A fury of ringed fireballs 
spread out across the beach, becoming pyres on sands and rocks. 
The stretching coast came to life in a brilliant dance of fiery 
hues.
	The beach was brighter now, the sands glistening white in 
the moonlight and glowing red in the firelight. They could see the 
deep blue ocean waves and frothing whitecaps striking the rocks 
and the sandy shores.
	Suddenly she was hoisted off her feet, held firmly in 
Karasu's arms. He leaped off the top of the slope, his silver 
cloak spreading out like a pair of wings as they floated down to 
the sands.
	"The closest I can ever be to possessing raven wings," he 
said with a sigh. Crystal blue eyes behind tinted shades scanned 
the beach. "Welcome, Rei-chan, to the Ocean of the Silver Orchids. 
If ever a comparison could be made, it would be with that of the 
ancient Sea of Serenity...in a place I once knew very well."
	For a moment he was lost within a bittersweet memory, but he 
quickly returned to be next to her.
	"It's beautiful," she said quietly, leaning against him.
	The firelights at first revealed them to be alone in quiet 
solitude on the beach until another dual shadows appeared from 
behind one of the rocks.
	Her eyes widened as she recognized the familiar faces of the 
two companions walking towards them. They were both tall, one 
appearing more elegant and refined, the other more boyish and 
athletic. The taller one's sandy blonde hair rustled slightly in 
the wind, but the other's wavy aqua-green hair billowed out if 
becoming the ripples of an ocean.
	"Ara ara," the Wanderer remarked. "It would appear we have 
some company with us tonight." He waved out to the two souls 
approaching them. "Haruka!" he called out. "Michiru!"
	She turned to him, surprised. "You know them?"
	He nodded. "Our wanderings have met from time to time."
	Once she thought a little more, she realized how much she 
was embarrassed by her own surprise. The tall brunette had told 
them of the fact that the raven angel knew these two young women 
for a while. Why not him, then?
	"Komban wa, Karasu," the sandy-haired blonde said to the 
Wanderer. "Managed to get lost in this place again?"
	He took her playful jab in stride, shrugging and grinning 
from behind his shades. "Oh you know me, Haruka. I'm like a 
compass without a needle when it comes to direction."
	The one with the aqua-green hair glanced over at her. "And 
who is your newest companion?" Equally aqua-green eyes focused on 
her, and then registered surprise. "Rei-chan! What are you doing 
here with him?"
	"I'm showing her around the Dreamworld," he explained. She 
felt relieved that he didn't tell the two young women the fact 
that she had brazenly gotten herself trapped inside this realm. 
	"That still doesn't explain the company she's keeping," the 
tall, sandy blonde remarked with a wicked grin.
	"I've been trying to find one for Michiru all these years," 
Karasu retorted. He glanced over at the aqua-green haired woman. 
"Why do you keep such company anyways, Michiru-chan?"
	"Someone has to pay the bills," the aqua-haired woman 
replied swiftly.
	"Hey!" the tall, sandy blonde protested.
	They all shared a laugh, though she felt uneasy around the 
others; she didn't know the two young women all that well. But 
Karasu seemed to be very good friends with them both.
	"What brings you to the northern shores of the Ocean of the 
Silver Orchids?" he inquired.
	"Michiru was complaining that we hadn't been to the beach in 
a while," the tall sandy-blonde replied. "So I decided this was 
the best place to go; no sweltering heat, no trash, and best of 
all no one else."
	"Or so you thought, love," the aqua-haired woman remarked. 
"It would appear you've managed to interrupt the two."
	And then as if ghosts themselves they faded. She was 
surprised though the Wanderer made no reaction. He had probably 
witnessed this before.
	"Yare yare," he sighed. "They're the only ones I know who 
can pull off a stunt like that. Only the raven angels can do that 
sort of teleporation...Showoffs."
	Together and alone now, they stared out at the crashing 
surf. "I've heard tale of this ocean realm," he said to her. "One 
that is from our old lives on the moon. A silver orchid is a 
legendary flower with silver petals tipped crystal blue; it could 
only be grown in the Imperial Palace on the moon. 
	"One of the planetary queens, from a time before Queen 
Serenity, fell in love with a guardian. They were doomed to never 
be together unless she dreamed. But they never stopped loving each 
other, even when she found a king and raised a family. She died in 
her sleep, and in her final dream she visited the guardian angel 
one last time. 
	"She brought with her a single blossoming silver orchid. 
When her tear struck the orchid, the angel used his magik to 
preserve the beauty of their love forever. It became this ocean. 
And nothing, not even the Shadowdemons, can try to conquer its 
magik. This is far too powerful a magik."
	He turned to her, removing his shades. "Let me show you such 
a magik, Rei-chan."
	He opened up his palm, a twinkling sphere of light slowly 
rising up from his hand into the night skies. And suddenly another 
glowing light appeared from behind one of the large rocks on the 
sands. And another. And another. Soon the beach was alive with 
these lights, as if a multitude of stars had come down.
	Minute bodies and tiny wings seemed to beat with the lights, 
a hundred souls that she could fit in a closed palm lifting up to 
the heavens.
	"Faery starlight," she whispered. Her violet eyes turned to 
the Wanderer, who was slowly twirling about in the middle of the 
faery starlights. He was lost from all the hesitation and regret, 
the burden of lives once lived and now untouchable, of a destiny 
he could never share with another.
	"Kara-chan..." she whispered softly. She wanted to tell him 
how much she wanted to thank him. How much she cared for him. How 
much she loved him.
	And then a distant call echoed past her ears: "Rei-chan!" 
The call belonged to the voice of a young man she knew in another 
life at a Shinto shrine. She found herself torn once more; just 
when she thought every last emotion had been sorted out, she was 
forced back onto her knees in doubt.
	Who did she love?
	But was the young man even alive now? The Wanderer had 
spoken of amok time within the Dreamworld, how nothing was aligned 
to her world. Two hours or two hundred years could have already 
passed her by. And what then?
	The faery starlight faded, the twinkling lights lost amidst 
the stars. As she watched the moonlit night, she made a choice. If 
this was her only chance at love, then she didn't want to waste 
it.
	Not when she had been brought here because of her search for 
such love. Perhaps it was fate that she found herself with him, 
walking the same worlds he walked. It would be alright for 
tonight, for this one night.
	With a sigh he returned to her, drawing her back up the 
grassy slope and onto the forest clearing. A perfect place to 
sleep and a magnificent view caught her breath and imagination. He 
leaned up against a curved rock, arms propped up on his knees. She 
sat a few feet away, content to watch his excited face.
	"Tonight calls for a celebration," the Wanderer remarked, a 
bottle of wine and two glasses appearing in his hands. "I would 
otherwise give a call to get drunk immediately, but then again I 
have a beautiful young maiden with me."
	She declined when he offered her a small amount of red wine. 
She wanted to be with him tonight, be one with him this night. But 
it still embarrassed her to approach him like this; would he see 
her as too aggressive?
	"You have a question you wish to ask me," he said abruptly. 
He glanced over with a grin, the bottle of wine vanishing. "I can 
read it in your face."
	She blushed; had she been that obvious? And she still 
couldn't find a voice for her words.
	"Go ahead," the Wanderer said, raising the glass to his 
lips. "Ask me anything. I've heard it all before."
	Her violet eyes lifted to the immortal young man who had for 
so long taken her under his wing. Ever since the raven angel had 
come to be with the tall brunette, she had wanted to experience 
love. And now she could feel it for Karasu.
	"Will...will you please make love to me, Kara-chan?" she 
asked of him.
	With a loud spluttering, Karasu coughed on the wine he had 
just tried to inadvertently breathe. "Okay, that was a new one," 
he remarked.
	She found it all the more difficult to even begin explaining 
as she looked into his crystal blue eyes. After all he had done 
for her, caring for her and watching over her.
	She moved up next to him. "You said yourself," she 
whispered, resting her head against his chest, listening to his 
heartbeat. "We could have already been here for two hundred years. 
I've been looking for this all my life, and I don't want to miss 
it. Please, Karasu, make love to me."
	She sat up, slowly pulling away the folds of her gown, 
letting it drop down from her shoulders to gather at her waist. 
Soft, rounded breasts were presented before him.
	Careful, if not hesitant, he reached out his hand and 
touched a coral-pink nipple. She moaned softly, her own hands 
digging through the buttons of his shirt and opening them up to 
display his firm chest.
	She purred as he stroked her long, dark hair. And then she 
lifted her head and pressed her lips against his. He made no 
protests, and didn't seem all that surprised. He returned her 
kiss, their lips meeting with a fierce passion.
	This was the love she had been searching for so long. But 
would she ever see those she too cared for again? The odango-
haired blonde, the blue-haired genius, the long-haired blonde, the 
tall brunette, the dark-haired prince; would she ever be in their 
company again?
	Was Karasu the only soul left for her now?
	It startled her to feel a drop of cool water running down 
her cheek. She was crying, and he saw it.
	He gently pulled away, staring at her with solemn yet gentle 
eyes. "Gomen, Rei-chan. You are a beautiful woman, and I find you 
very attractive...very attractive. But this doesn't feel right; 
your heart is trying to cope with the loneliness you are facing. 
And it would be wrong of me to take advantage of that."
	She closed her eyes, squeezing out more tears. Karasu 
grasped the edges of her robes and pulled them back over her 
shoulders.
	"Kara-chan!" she cried out, collapsing into his arms. He 
held her there, letting her tears of frustration and loneliness 
flow. Had she been deceiving herself that she loved him? Or did 
she truly love him?
	If only she knew.
	"Kara-chan," she cried.
	"Shhhh," he said quietly. "Daijobu, Rei-chan. Cry all you 
want. I understand. I understand...."


	Three young men stood together in the heart of a deep and 
lush forest of emerald trees and leaves. In the distance they 
could hear the faint roar of a towering waterfall crashing into a 
gorge far below. Around their feet were pawprints of a pack of 
silver wolves in the moist ground.
	"They're close," the raven knight said, slowly opening his 
eyes. "For now she and the Wanderer sleep, but the next time we 
walk amidst our dreams we shall find them both for certain."
	"There is a danger," the raven angel said quietly. "They are 
bordering on a newfound shadow kingdom. Its minions will be on the 
prowl in my domain."
	Both eyes turned to the shrine protege; they had taken him 
aside from the others. Once they had been like him, and knew what 
he was feeling, what he was capable of committing.
	"I can handle it," the young man stated. "Sora, Kishi; let 
me find her. Let me take the responsibility for whatever happens. 
I ask you, please. I can handle it."
	"Can you?" Kishi asked solemnly, sapphire eyes once more 
sealed. The raven knight's body faded like the evening mist, 
disappearing and once again leaving the young man alone.
	The shrine protege turned to Sora; the raven angel was 
retreating slowly, fading too like the evening mist. "Though he is 
not the kind to say it aloud," the raven angel's whispers came 
with the winds. "Kishi believes in you, Yuichiro...as do I. Go to 
her, and be careful."
	The young man bowed with deep respect. "Arigato," he said. 
This was his last chance to prove himself to her, the reason he 
had for pressing on in life: the girl he loved.
	"Rei-chan," he whispered softly. "Please hear me...."


	When she awoke, she was alone. At first panic struck as she 
searched the glen for Karasu but found only the clearing of the 
forests and the drop leading down to the coastal sands. The only 
sounds were of the crashing waves against rock and sand.
	Carefully she stood and looked around, reaching out with her 
senses. His aura was closeby, in sight but not in the sight of her 
eyes. She walked over to the top of the slope and looked down onto 
the sandy beaches.
	He was dressed in only his pants; bare feet and bare chest. 
Even the shades were gone. He was training, moving with slow and 
graceful elegance.
	Balance on one foot, kick over his head, maintain balance, 
deliver a swift jab with one hand, a vicious uppercut with the 
other. Even more complicated motions followed, the sweat 
glistening off his body in the moonlight.
	With the roar of the crashing waves she thought she could 
approach him unnoticed. But the Wanderer simply smiled as he 
perched on one foot, his other leg raised high over his head.
	"Komban wa, Rei-chan."
	She smiled softly at him. "Komban wa, Kara-chan."
	Her eyes drifted down to his chest; this was the first time 
she had seen him out of his entire suit. He was fit and very 
defined with his muscles, no doubt from over a thousand years of 
training. 
	But then she saw his back, and the marking. It was large, 
intricate and exotic. The foreign character was deep black, the 
numerous strokes reaching out to his sides and even stretching 
around his neck and shoulders.
	"What is that marking on your back?" she asked.
	He glanced over his shoulders at her. "This? Nothing much, 
really. A rune of the Dreamworld, though anyone I've ever 
encountered can't read it. It appeared when I first got lost 
here."	
	"It's beautiful," she whispered, running her fingers down 
his back. He shivered at her touch and she remembered last night. 
But he never pressed the matter, and so neither would she. It was 
better this way.
	"Yours isn't bad either," he added.
	She paused, confused. "I have one too?"
	"Look at your chest."
	She opened the front collar of her garments. A smaller rune, 
but noticeable none the less was nestled between her breasts.
	"Mine used to be small," Karasu said, resuming his training 
stances. "But the longer I've been here, the larger it has become. 
It stopped growing around four hundred years ago; I think it's 
reached its maximum size limit."
	He opened his hand, and a small light enveloped his palm. 
The sword emerged from the light, beautiful and deadly all at once 
in both form and elegance.
	"It's beautiful," she said quietly.
	"Arashi," he stated. "It's name is Arashi: the Stormsword. 
It comes from the root of my original magik, before I delved into 
illusions. I hold the power of a thunderstorm in my blood, and 
thus the Arashi holds the power within its blade."
	Almost like the tall brunette did with her attacks. She 
found herself wondering if Karasu might be related to any of them, 
a cousin or an older brother. And yet she found herself unable to 
ask when she opened her mouth.
	To wreck the charisma and mystery about him seemed wrong.
	"I will be done in a short time," he said to her. "If we 
hurry with breakfast we can reach Sora's domain before we need to 
rest again. Are you ready?"
	She nodded, her body warming up with her smile.


	The pale light of a crescent moon shone overhead, casting a 
strange crimson glow on the torii standing at the base of the 
mountain range. And four young women stood beneath the structure, 
waiting on the cobblestone path.
	"Why are we just waiting her to do nothing?" the odango-
haired blonde said impatiently. "We should be out looking for Rei-
chan!"
	"Calm down, Usagi-chan," the long-haired blonde said. "If 
Kishi and Sora told us to keep back, then I'm sure there must be a 
good reason for it."
	"I've been through the forest with Sora-chan many times," 
the tall brunette stated. "He's never acted this protective over 
me or any of us walking through it before. Something is definitely 
bothering him and Kishi."
	The cool breeze of the midnight hour swept past them, and 
none of the girls could tell whether or not their shivers were 
from the wind or from their fears.
	"Anything yet?" came a new voice. It was the dark-haired 
prince, appearing in step through the torii. "Gomen, Usa-ko; I 
would have been here sooner had something not come up."
	"Mamo-chan," the odango-haired blonde said, smiling at the 
prince. "Nothing yet; Kishi and Sora have told us to stay away 
from the forest."
	"I think I've found something," the blue-haired genius piped 
up, working at her compact computer, the visor still around her 
eyes. Fingers worked rapidly on the computer's keyboard. "I'm not 
sure but it might be Yuichiro."
	"So what's he doing there?" the long-haired blonde remarked. 
"Why can he go and not us?"
	"Wait," the blue-haired genius countered. "There's something 
else close to Yuichiro-san. It's hard to detect, almost like a 
ghost. Multiple signals...they're closing in on him."
	Everyone there waited for the computer to finish its 
processing. And then an answer was given on the screen to its 
user.  The blue-haired genius' eyes widened, and a blank stare was 
lifted to the forest at the end of the fields. 
	"What is it, Ami-chan?" the tall brunette asked.
	"Is it Rei?" the dark-haired prince pressed. "The Wanderer?"
	The blue-haired genius was quite still, the fear growing in 
two ocean blue eyes. "Shadowcreatures," she whispered.
	Bogeymen....


	There was an uneasiness in the shadows of the forest, though 
this domain held within itself an aura that glowed from every tree 
and plant in the green foliage. She glanced around, questioning 
herself. Her sixth sense was practically screaming out a warning 
in her mind, but there was nothing else to justify it.
	"Do you feel a dark aura?" she asked.
	The Wanderer paused atop a large root that had risen out 
from the ground. He was visibly disturbed as she; but in his 
expression she knew he could not locate the source.
	Karasu shook his head. "Something doesn't feel right about 
this place. It's different from when I last came here." He 
shrugged, shaking it aside. "I don't know; it's been almost five 
decades since I was this way. Maybe Sora's magik changed when he 
left."
	She closed her own eyes, focusing her psychic powers. Ever 
since the Mystwolves every last sense she possessed was opening up 
and making her aware of so much more than she thought existed. 
"It's not this place," she countered, opening her eyes. "I can 
feel a dark aura but it hasn't originated from this place. I'm 
barely even finding this presence."
	Abruptly Karasu came to a stop, staring out at the dense 
foliage before them. There was a path, worn and ready to be used 
once more.
	"What is it?" she asked.
	He turned to her solemnly. "This is the last stretch, Rei-
chan. Not twenty paces away lies the open fields and a cobblestone 
path leading to Sora's gateway."
	"Aren't you coming?" she asked, confused by his hesitation.
	He shook his head. "Not this time, Rei-chan. You must make 
the final journey alone, to decide where you want to be. And that 
decision is not mine to make."
	He was holding back more than just his emotions. He was 
holding himself back.
	"You...you're not going back to Earth," she said finally, 
unbelieving of the words she spoke. "You're going to stay here."
	The Wanderer nodded. "I don't belong in your world any 
longer, Rei. As much as I don't belong here in the Dreamworld." He 
gave a wry grin. "I don't think I belong anywhere except somewhere 
in between."
	"Baka!" she shouted angrily. "You can fit into my world! 
It'll just take time! Sora and Kishi could do it, so why are you 
walking away?" 
	"Because it is for the better," he answered.
	"We could be together even still!" she protested, hot tears 
threatening to stream down her face. "You can meet my friends and 
have a normal life! I'm a Sailor Senshi and I've been able to 
manage!"
	But he just shook his head.
	"You coward!" she exclaimed.
	Yet the Wanderer remained unfazed. "Search your heart, Rei. 
There must be a reason for you to leave. And if I am with you, the 
decision cannot be made. Our destinies were made to cross this one 
time, but now we must say good-bye."
	From behind his shades his crystal blue eyes darted to the 
trees behind her. As if he could see and sense something she could 
not. "Besides," he added. "There's someone else waiting for you on 
the other side."
	"Rei-chan!" a voice called out.
	She whirled, eyes widened at the sound.
	"Rei!" came the desperate words of a young man. "Please 
answer me!"
	"Yuichiro," she whispered. She turned to Karasu, searching 
his eyes. This was the final decision she had to make; she was 
still uncertain which destiny was hers to take. Which world was 
really hers, and which one was a dream? Whom did she love?
	"Go to him," the Wanderer's whisper echoed in her ear. "You 
have a reason to keep pressing on, Rei-san. That is why you hold a 
chance to escape."
	He was giving her his blessing to leave. And then she 
realized how much the Wanderer truly understood her. He knew her 
well enough to leave her alone despite his feelings. 
	She turned and embraced him for the last time. "I'll never 
forget you," she said, a tear rolling down her cheek.
	He smiled, removing his shades. "Hey, I'll be around. Just 
close your eyes and dream, and maybe you'll run into me."
	With his final act before she left him, Karasu took her hand 
in his and raised it to his lips to gently kiss it. She still 
found herself blushing, though not out of embarrassment; 
excitement had seized her entire heart and soul.
	She wanted to break into a run, but restrained until he 
released her hand. She turned and started to chase after the young 
man calling out to her.
	"Wait!" Karasu said abruptly, stepping after her. 
	She paused and turned.
	"Give Yuichiro this," he said, tossing her a crystal orb. 
"He has the heart to cross the Dreamworld and its dangers in 
search of you," the Wanderer said quietly, turning away. "Now give 
him the power to survive whatever crosses his path."
	Her eyes darted down to the crystal and then up to him. But 
the Wanderer had already vanished; all that remained was an empty 
clearing and the disappearing waves of a grey mist. There was 
nothing holding her back any longer. She was going to be with her 
friends again, the ones she cared deeply for, the young man she 
finally knew she loved.
	"Yuichiro!" she called out. "Yuichiro!"
	She was going home.


	At first the young man had thought his senses were snapping 
under the strain. Maybe all the pressure and anxiety was finally 
striking his mind down. For days he had been fighting fatigue in 
both realms.
	But to hear her voice--her voice calling out to him. It 
seemed as if he was imagining it. Every night he had come so close 
to finding her, only to discover that she had been there once 
before and moved on.
	"Yuichiro!"
	He whirled, that voice calling out his name again. "It can't 
be," he said quietly, trying to calm the beating of his heart. If 
this proved to be a mere illusion he doubted his strength would 
last any longer.
	But it wasn't.
	The shrine protege's eyes widened beneath his bangs of 
scruffy brown hair as he saw her running towards him. She was 
dressed in different robes, her hair tied in behind her back, but 
it was still her.
	He saw those violet eyes beckoning to him.
	And the young man knew this was no dream.
	"Rei-chan!" he exclaimed, racing up to close in the distance 
between them. He swept her feet off the ground when they met, arms 
around each other in a joyous embrace.
	"I thought I had lost you," he said, tears with no definable 
emotion running down his cheeks. "I've been following you like a 
shadow for as long as you've been wandering this realm."
	Abruptly a thought occurred to the shrine protege, and he 
looked around the forest. "Where is the Wanderer?"
	"He stayed back," she said, smiling at the brief image of 
Karasu in her mind. "How long have I been lost?"
	"Almost a week," the young man answered. "You're lucky; your 
grandfather will be coming back in one day. I don't think he could 
have taken the strain we've been through."
	She was surprised that her time in the Dreamworld passed 
faster than the time on Earth. But Karasu had said before to her 
that time differed on the dreamer. She was one of the lucky ones.
	"I've been calling out your name for as long as I can 
remember," he said, holding her tighter now.
	"I know," she replied softly. "I heard you calling me."
	She could have stayed forever in his embrace, feeling the 
warmth of his skin against hers, the power of his love encircling 
them both. Tokyo wasn't a mere dream; it was her world. And 
finally she could be going home with him, the man she loved.
	"Yuichiro," she said quietly.
	"Rei-chan," he answered. "I love you."
	They looked into each other's eyes, and their lips moved 
closer to touch in a passionate kiss. But it was not to be in that 
moment.
	The beasts of the darkness came. She sucked in her breath as 
their stalking figures approached, a chorus of delighted evil 
laughter rising up from around them. 
	The forms of these things were more grotesque than the 
hobgoblins, tall and gaunt and a stance like a scarecrow: 
elongated legs and arms with large joints ready to burst through 
tight, pale skin that seemed barely capable to hold the creature 
together. Buldging yellow eyes and a sloped jawline displaying 
rows of jagged, icicle-like teeth only added to the terrifying 
effect.
	"Na ni?" the shrine protege muttered, pushing her behind 
him.
	Her own eyes were wide in stunned disbelief. These things 
were indeed spawns of the Shadowdemons, but they were nothing like 
the hobgoblins. These were much worse.
	"No," she whispered. Please anything but these beasts. 
	"Rei," the young man said, stepping back as the creatures 
began to close in around them. "Do you what they are?"
	She nodded, reaching into her robes for her transformation 
stick. "Karasu called them Bogeymen."
	In form the Bogeymen were like a walking nightmare come to 
hideous life. But their laugh...it was like listening to a group 
of hyenas with sadistic cackles and choruses of laughter and 
chuckles. Each breath they took was raspy, hoarse and shallow. 
Their chests were pushed out and then sucked in with every last 
breath, their ribcage twice the length of a human's.
	The young man's eyes narrowed; alone and without any magik 
to call his own in the Dreamworld, he didn't stand a chance. But 
if he held these things back, at least she might.
	"Playtoys," a Bogeyman wheezed in cruel laughter.
	"And a pretty one too," another rasped.
	Their chorus of laughter echoed across the forest again.
	"Shimatta," she muttered, glancing down at her stick; he 
still didn't know that she was by magik a Senshi, a soldier with 
incredible powers. But if she didn't transform, they were both 
dead.
	"Get away from her, you bastards!" 
	She jerked her head up only to see the young man growling, 
taking a step forward to meet against the closest Bogeyman.
	"You so much as touch her and I swear I'll kill you!" he 
shouted angrily. Such hostility in his eyes, fierce and righteous 
with the intent to protect her. The young woman he had fallen in 
love with at first sight, whom he had been shyly watching as he 
tended to the shrine.
	"Yuichiro!" she exclaimed. "You'll get yourself killed going 
up against them!"
	He turned back, a peaceful smile on his face of already 
accepting fate. "I've loved you since the first night I met you," 
he said to her. "Right here and now is my chance to prove myself. 
If I have to die in doing so, then at least it will be for you."
	"Baka," she whispered, fighting back bitter tears. The hell 
she would let this happen! She looked down at her transformation 
stick.  "Mars Star Power!" she shouted. "Make Up!"
	The shrine protege was motionless, stunned as a white light 
swallowed her up and the aura of fire magik exploded around her 
body. She was now in her sailor battle fuku; there could be no 
more hiding of the truth, of who she really was.
	"You dare attack a realm of beauty," she growled. "and then 
the man I love. I don't care what you are! I'll never forgive you 
for what you've done!"
	One Bogeyman snarled, stalking towards her, thick saliva 
glistening from its jaws. "Pretty little face," it snarled with a 
decadent grin. It turned to the others. "She's mine."
	Its eyes locked onto hers, a blackest of desires creeping 
into its gaze. She had seen that before with the hobgoblins. But 
it would not happen like that again.
	Not ever again!
	"Mars Flame Sniper!" she shouted, launching her fiery attack 
at the master Bogeyman.  
	The creature was agile given its awkward form, dodging her 
attack and suddenly lunging at her. She cried out in a strangled 
gasp as she found her throat seized by its long, pronged fingers, 
hoisting her up off the ground to dangle in front of the beast.
	It chuckled as she gasped for air. "Maybe I'll ravish you 
while I choke the life out of your pretty little throat."
	And then something fell, its spherical form catching a 
glimpse of moonlight and flashing in the eyes of all around it. 
Her eyes widened; Karasu's crystal illusion. But how could it have 
simply fallen out of her battle fuku when she had transformed?
	"Illusion?" the Bogeyman said aloud, confused.
	The form of the beast abruptly shuddered and she was 
released, thrown to the ground. Her eyes were lifted to the 
creature of evil and found the young man still ramming against it, 
pushing it into a tree.
	With a grunt the Bogeymen stumbled, only to recover and swat 
the young man aside. He screamed as his chest was torn open from 
the clawed fingers, his body tumbling across the grasses.
	"Yuichiro!" she screamed.
	He moaned, slowly rolling onto his back. Streaks of crimson 
blood tainted the white shreds of his kimono. "It's not over yet," 
he said between shallow gasps.
	Already the Bogeymen were closing in around him like a pack 
of predators. Unless she intervened he was dead in a matter of 
heartbeats.
	Her vision found the Wanderer's crystal, just a few steps 
away from her. And then with a loud howl the master Bogeyman rose 
from the forest, its gaze fixating on her violet eyes. It snarled 
and leaped towards her.
	Panic struck, and she had but one last chance to save them 
both. She groped for the crystal, desperately trying to at least 
touch it with her fingers. But the howl of the Bogeyman caused her 
to turn back--and she braced herself as the creature lunged for 
her, claws and fangs displayed for a hideous torture of body and 
soul.
	Suddenly the air pulsated and moved, taking invisible but 
solid form. The Bogeyman reeled as it was struck, its body thrown 
aside as if it were a ragdoll. The creatures of darkness moved 
away from the young man, who was weakly pulling himself along the 
forest floor.
	"Who dares defy me?" the master Bogeyman hissed, wiping its 
bloodied cheek.
	Walking out from nothing, as if he were passing through a 
wall of visibility, the Wanderer appeared. The Arashi was in his 
hand, the blade glowing and ringing in the winds. Dark emotions 
were in his eyes as he slowly removed his shades.
	"So," he said, malice dripping from his every word. "You 
bastards attacked the Mystwolves."
	"Karasu!" she called out to him.
	He never even glanced in her direction his focus contained 
within a steel glare at the Bogeymen.
	"Wanderer," the master Bogeyman snarled. "You have come 
after all. Then it was your illusion the girl held."
	The creatures of darkness began to leave her and the young 
man alone, advancing towards the Wanderer.
	"My fight," he countered, leveling his sword to the Bogeyman 
master's throat. "is with you alone. The others will find 
vengeance stalking them in another form."
	The creature smiled, rows of jagged fangs moving forward and 
dripping with saliva. "Leave us!" it snarled, waving away its 
comrades in terror. "I will take care of this one myself. I will 
have the honour of feasting on your carcass."
	Karasu only smiled savagely, the Arashi still in his one 
hand. "Ara, you really believe that?"
	She could only watch the battle. In her arms the young man 
groaned, grimacing as pain spasmed through his body. "Yuichiro," 
she whispered softly. "You didn't have to do this for me. Not for 
me."
	"It would seem selfish if I did it for myself," the shrine 
protege replied with a weak smile. The smile faded as the young 
man tilted his head. "Rei-chan, they're coming."
	She whirled; the other Bogeyman were closing in around them. 
Gently laying the young man on the grass, she stood between him 
and the beasts. Fire crackled around her aura.
	She was vaguely aware of a crystal orb rolling across the 
forest floor of its own accord, destination and destiny to cross 
the injured shrine progete.
	The first Bogeyman smashed a fist into her chest, lifting 
her into the air and throwing her against tree. The breath from 
her lungs was stolen, her body crying out in pain. She hit the 
ground, coughing and gasping.
	"Rei-chan!" the shrine protege screamed.
	She barely even moved, though she slowly raised her head to 
see the creature's vicious claws being raked down upon her. And 
then came the light. Brilliant white light that tore the 
creature's arm from the rest of its body. The wound spewed out 
thick, murky blood that splattered across her face.
	Standing there, his entire chest moving with each passionate 
breath, was the shrine protege. And yet not so much a stranger 
from another world. Now he was dressed as a warrior with flowing 
cloak and armour, a pauldron on his left shoulder and his clenched 
fists crackling with magik.		
	"Rei-chan," he said with new energy. A second strike 
finished off the wounded Bogeyman.
	The power of Karasu's illusion was before her now, and she 
looked upon the young man with awe and wonder. He had changed, 
become a knight like the others.
	"Yuichiro," she whispered.
	Another Bogeyman lunged for him, but this was struck with a 
new source of magik, ripped apart by a tempest forged out of the 
air. A second Bogeyman suddenly found itself swallowed up by a 
fury of crackling blue flames. Out from the darkness the raven 
knight and the raven angel emerged, their own deadly magik flowing 
around them in a spectacular aura.
	"Kishi!" she exclaimed. "Sora!"
	"Komban wa, Rei-chan," Sora said. 
	She spun as another Bogeyman lunged for her; the Flame 
Sniper sent its head across the forest and its body to hell. 
Between the four warriors the last of the Shadowspawn were 
destroyed.
	"Damn, that felt good," Kishi said, cracking his knuckles.
	"What of the Wanderer?" Sora asked.
	They all whirled as the forest was filled with a deadly 
magik, as if streaked lightening had descended upon them all. The 
power was coming from Karasu, crackling arcs of blue light 
pulsating and raging around his body. The master Bogeyman was in 
an enraged charge, ready to tear through him. Karasu, crystal eyes 
locked and narrow, held his ground. 
	"Shin'ne!" the beast howled.
	The Wanderer raised his sword, and with a loud battle cry 
brought it down as the demon spawn lunged. He leaped from the 
forest floor, exploding into the air as arcs and tempests of 
lightening magik churned all around him. The slender blade shone 
with all the blinding lights, and suddenly out from the metal 
exrupted a swarming array of pure unbridled magik.
	The entire blade of the Arashi roared with blue light, 
unleashing a shockwave of storm magik that radiated out from the 
Wanderer. Its eruption was like a tsunami of lightening, and it 
fell upon the creature of darkness in a heartbeat. The Bogeyman's 
howl became a shriek it was swallowed up by the light.
	"NA NI?!"
	Suddenly Karasu punched through the storm's vortex, streaks 
of lightening pulsating all around him yet with no effect upon his 
body. Magik is always symbiotic if its wielder knew how to use it 
wisely enough. Yet when turned against another, magik is 
indifferent in its attack. It becomes all the more savage. 
	The Bogeyman pierced the dying rays of light, falling 
forwards with a horrified look upon its face. The pale skin was 
smoking yet unburned. By all appearances it had emerged unscathed 
by the Arashi's power. Yet appearances deceive. Before it would 
have crashed onto the ground it split apart, bisected lengthwise 
down the middle. Cut in half, the Bogeyman let out one final howl 
of agony before its corpse collapsed upon the green earth, 
spilling forth blackened entrails that gave off a foul stench.
	It laid there in a puddle of its own flesh and blood before
it was consumed by a white fire, incinerated by the final act of 
the Arashi's storm magik. Karasu's body relaxed, the sword 
retracting into the glowing light from his palm. He turned to the 
others, a dark but satisfied smile across his face. A quick flick 
of the wrist found his shades back over his eyes.
	She turned to Kishi and Sora, wanting to thank them. But the 
guardian angels were already gone, a few raven wing feathers 
drifting down to the grassy earth. They would be waiting with the 
others for her to return home.
	Her friends.
	Her family.
	Her world.
	She glanced back at the Wanderer. "Kara-chan, I..."
	But there was no one to talk to. No one she could see. Just 
like the winds and the mist they carried, the Wanderer had 
vanished back into the Dreamworld.
	"Rei-chan," the shrine protege said.
	She looked into his eyes, and found within them a love that 
had been willing to die in exchange for her life. For so long he 
had been calling her, ready to risk everything he possessed to 
bring her back.
	He grinned as he brushed his hand along the folds of her 
battle fuku. "Sailor Mars," he remarked. "All this time I never 
knew. Either you are very good at keeping secrets, or I'm very 
blind."
	She laughed, relieved that he thought nothing of her hidden 
magik as a Sailor Senshi. Perhaps this was from Karasu, or else 
from the young man himself. But it didn't matter. He loved her for 
who she was.
	"Yuichiro," she said.
	"Hai."
	"Kiss me." Before he could react she reached up and took 
hold of his cheeks in her hands, bringing his lips to meet hers. 
Together they kissed. It was with regret that they parted, but 
there were others who wanted to see her.
	She thought she caught sight of Karasu in the corner of her 
eye, a glimpse of the Wanderer's billowing white cloak dancing in 
the winds. But when she turned all she saw was the fading wisps of 
grey mist.
	"Rei-chan?" the shrine protege asked.
	She smiled to herself and looked back to the edge of the 
forest. "Let's go home," she said, leading the way.


	He smiled as her and the shrine progete disappear, walking 
hand in hand in a return to the world they belonged to. So where 
did that leave him? Right now he didn't belong to either world.
	The Wanderer opened his hand, twirling three crystal orbs in 
his palm with his fingers. Gracefully he plucked one of the 
crystals from their rotation, raising the orb to his lips and 
blowing it into the winds. It floated like a bubble, soaring high 
into the heavens until it was lost in the night. The other two 
crystals followed its fated path.
	Floating wishes, a constant hope.
	He sighed and shook his head, removing his shades. "Why do I 
always let it end up being like this?" he remarked to himself. 
"She was the best thing that ever happened to me in five hundred 
years."
	Someone like her only came along once in a lifetime. And he 
had easily lived through two or three during his roaming between 
realms. Only once before had he found someone like her, and in 
both cases it was not meant to be.
	Perhaps it was all for the better.
	He laughed in spite of himself and replaced the shades over 
his crystal blue eyes. And so the Wanderer turned away and took 
his first step towards another journey with an unknown 
destination, his figure melting into the shadows of the night.
	"Sayonara...Rei-chan."


	The rays of an evening October sun were creeping in through 
the paper screens of the Shinto shrine building's fusama. Two 
forms were beneath covers of the single futon in the room, asleep 
together.
	One stirred and rose up from the covers, long dark hair 
flowing around her face. She stretched as she awoke, the warmth of 
the fading sunlight across her naked body. The young man mumbled 
something in his sleep and rolled over, his hand brushing against 
her thigh.
	She touched her breast, smiling as the memories returned to 
her. They had all cried when she finally met with them beneath the 
torii. And then with the sounding of a raven, she awoke and found 
herself beneath the covers of a bed. All her friends were in the 
room too, and they awoke to be together again.
	A long time of sharing experiences and stories; they all 
listened quietly as she told them the tale of the Wanderer, a 
raven by name and not wings. And even though he was gone, his 
magik was still with them all as she retold the stories of her 
travels.
	A cool draft moved through the room, and she reached for the 
kimono beside the futon. Disgarded there in the dying hours of the 
night as the sun rose, she and the young man had come together for 
her first time. Her body tingled at the thought of being so close, 
feeding off the passionate heat of each other's bodies. She had 
cried out when the wave of incredible pleasure rushed through her.
	Both exhausted from their love-making and from their battles 
in the Dreamworld, they had slept as if sunlight was moonlight. 
And this time she found herself standing next to her beloved, no 
longer lost but safe in his embrace.
	She sighed, still basking in the afterglow. Wrapping the 
kimono around herself, she slipped through the hallway and stepped 
outside. 
	Grandfather would return tomorrow morning. 
	She doubted she would ever tell him of this until much later 
in life. The others, especially the two guardian angels, had 
agreed it best to keep her lost days quiet for the moment.
	All around her the trees were rustling with the winds of 
dusk. The Shinto shrine was quiet tonight, thankfully. The only 
company she found there in the courtyard was her own shadow. Her 
violet eyes lifted up to the firelit skies.
	This one time she wanted to see the sunset, her first in a 
long while. High overhead the skies were bathed in deep blue, 
igniting and blazing the closer she looked to the horizon line.
	As she watched the sun slowly go to sleep on her side of the 
world, her thoughts drifted to the Wanderer. Where did he find 
himself now as she gazed upon the setting sun? Did he still 
remember her, or had another hundred years passed him by since 
they parted?
	She turned around, and let out a startled gasp as she 
suddenly struck someone in her walk.
	"G-Gomen," she said, bowing slightly.
	"Daijobu...Ojo-san," replied a familiar voice.
	Her eyes widened as caught sight of a dark jacket and white 
dress shirt move out of her peripheral vision, long strands of 
vibrant, shining blonde hair drifting down around the young man's 
shoulders.
	"Kara-chan!" she whispered, her lead still lowered.
	She whirled, and was met with only an empty walkway into the 
Shinto shrine. The winds played with her tresses of long dark hair 
and the ends of her kimono. 
	"Rei-chan?" 
	It was the protege of the shrine, her beloved. He smiled as 
he saw her violet eyes, his own hidden behind that scruffy brown 
hair of his. Strange that the young man still appeared as handsome 
as when transformed in the Dreamworld. Now whenever they walked 
amidst their beautiful dreams together, he was her knight. And 
would remain her knight until both the illusion and illusionist 
ever found a way home.
	"Daijobu, Rei-chan?" he asked.
	She smiled quietly and nodded, slipping her hand into his, 
fingers lacing together. With the rays of a setting October sun 
behind them, they walked together into one of the buildings. The 
fusama slid shut behind them, giving the two lovers some privacy 
for the heralded nightfall.
	And from atop the torii of her Shinto shrine, the Wanderer 
replaced the shades over his eyes. He smiled quietly to himself, 
his form slowly fading out from their world as if her were a 
ghost.
	"Until we meet again, Rei-chan. Until we meet again...."