Hope's Legacy
Hope's Legacy
The hall was almost empty this late after school. Everyone had gone home already. Her footsteps echoed as she made her way from the principal's office. She didn't really remember what had been said, just that she'd made some vauge promises to get more rest and stuff. Not that it mattered. She had an appointment with a tree and a view she wanted to sketch so she could etch it into a sheet of brass later.
It never occurred to her that today she normally met David to have a dance practice session. Or that she had three overdue calculus assignments, or that her friends hadn't seen her for days except in class. Or that her father might want her home for Dinner soon. Or that there was a postcard from her mother waiting on her desk at home.
No, none of these things occurred to her.
********
Hinako watched her student walk out of the building with a worried gaze. Both of the Teacher's forms had matured over the years, and so had her mind. She was much more perceptive now then she had been. And SOMETHING was wrong with Sari Yamada.
David was waiting in the gym for Sari to show up for their practice session, and she was 30 minutes late. "This isn't like her," he said to himself. He quickly left the empty gym to investigate this strange happening, looking for Sari.
In such a hurry, he bumped into Michiko. "David." she said softly. "I gather by your speed and look on your face that I am not the only one worried about Sari. You know her schedule better than I. Where do you think she is?"
David replied, "She's supposed to be meeting me for dance practice." David whistled, and Acchan came from outside the gate in her customary spot and began sniffing at a inpercpetable signal from David. The wolf ran off in a direction, and David raced off to follow. "She went this way."
The trail led to Sari's favorite clearing in the park, where the pair could see the dark haired girl bent over a sketchpad scribbling quickly, not looking in their direction at all.
Michiko walked over to the tree where Sari was drawing and tried to peer over her shoulder to see what the picture was. "Hey, Sari. How are you doing?" the detective asked, trying her best at small talk.
Sari blinked at the person who was trying to talk to her. She knew who it was, but her mind refused to provide a name. Her brain had been doing that a lot lately. refusing to provide simple information. her mind had been playing a lot of tricks on her the past week or so. "Fine." She said, standing and closing her book. "later." she said, ignoring Acchan's attempts to get a head scratch and walking out of the clearing without a backward glance.
Now Michiko and Fujiko had one thing in common. Stubborness. There was no way Michiko was gonna let that be the end of the conversation. Running up to Sari, the detective quipped the following. "Odd thing about time. It's relative and sometimes now is later, take now for instance. Anyway, I couldn't help but notice your drawings. Mother runs an art shop and is always looking for new talent. Would you mind if I saw them?"
Sari handed Michiko her sketch book and turned away. "They're nothing special. you can keep it if you want." Without another word, Sari took off, running not so fast as she normally did, but fast enough to be obvious that she didn't want to be pursued.
Michiko flipped through the book. Sari *did* have a talent for drawing. She made a mental note to tell her mother that. Fujiko would be pleased that her daughter had taken *some* interest in her hobbies.
The first few pages held few surprises. Some dance steps which Michiko didn't know if Sari invented them or just copied them. Sari also liked drawing landscapes. Michiko made a guess that these were places that Sari had visited before. They were varied. It looked like Sari had seen a lot of sites. She also drew pictures of her friends around the tree at lunchtime, including one of the junior detective. Michiko was impressed. Few people catch the intricate patterns on her scarf. No doubt about it, Sari could draw.
Flipping onward, though, Michiko's face began to frown. Pictures of Hope, that demon who had been turned into a human, only to be killed by Sari. Michiko had thought it might have been something to that effect. Now she had proof. Police officers have pyschologists to help them with trauma like that, especially when their actions lead to death. The detective cursed herself for her own stupidity. She *should* have double-checked to see that Sari had the necessary counseling.
Looking onward, it became clearer to the sleuth that things were not that simple. More landscapes. Much darker this time and definitely more desolate. It reminded her of David's telling of Hope's attack on Sari. "Poor thing," Michiko thought. The last picture gave a much different reaction to Michiko. One of fear. It was a facial picture of Hope. The eyes, though, looked very much alive. What spooked her was that the picture looked more life-like than the others combined.
Michiko dropped the book and muttered to herself. "Oh no. It's much more serious. I may be out of my league on this one..."
David nodded his agreement of Michiko's statement. After a few moments of thought, he decided to go and talk to his dad, and see if he could give David any useful info.
When it came to depression and emotional troubles, there was no greater expert in Nerima than Kodachi Maikaze. She had seen the entire exchange between Michiko and Sari. She recognized the symtoms that Sari was demonstrating. Kodachi herself had been depressed like that in her youth.
It wouldn't do to have Kodachi interfering...yet, but she followed Silk's daughter to see if she could get any other clues to the cause of her depression. Then perhaps she would be able to help.
Sari didn't notice the older woman following her, not that it mattered. She went right home and bypassed her father's dinner, claiming she'd aready ate. She sat down at her desk and logged onto her computer and her journal, removing the postcard propped on her keyboard without looking at it. she typed rapidly for the rest of the night.
********
The next day at School, Sari still looked like hell. It was the period right before lunch before anything came of it, though. Hinako sensei called on her to stand and recite yesterday's lesson.
Stand she did... for about ten seconds before she collapsed like a ton of bricks, falling backwards into the desk of the person who sat behind her.
Maya sqealed in shock as the force of Sari falling onto the front of her desk caused the rear end of it to catapult up, striking her in the jaw, fortunately due to her hibiki linage it was nothing more than a light bruise, the desk however now sported a large dent.
"Ow..." Noticing Sari's condition she quickly picked up the unconscious girl.
"Hinako-sensei?" She looked at Sari. Aw to hell with it, she'd just have to put up with punishment later. Still carrying Sari she ran to the window, looked out briefly and jumped. The landing jarred her legs but didn't affect Sari. She landed almost running, heading as fast as she could towards Dr. Kenryo's, praying all the time that she wouldn't get lost.
David and Acchan quickly followed Maya, to make sure that she didn't get lost while carrying Sari. "Need a lift?"
Before they'd made it out of the gates Sari had woke back up and was more then slightly surprised at her position, "What happened?" she gasped as she instinctively wrapped her arms around Maya's neck. "Where are we going?" she seemed very confused.
Maya didn't say anything for a few moments as she first leaped onto a roof and then hopped from one roof to another. once she had a fairly stable speed she spoke.
"You fell unconscious for no reason, huh, made my desk slam into my jaw too. We're heading to the doc's place, maybe he'll know whats wrong!" Maya stated in between breaths as they approached their destination, being guided by David all the way.
Noticing that Sari was seemingly falling unconscious again Maya leapt back down to ground level and continued running. She didn't even slow down to open the door when they reached Dr. Kenryos, she just turned so her back was to the door and slammed through with all the Hibiki strength behind her, protecting the weakened Sari from injury as she did so.
Kenryo walked quickly to the front room of his clinic with a concerned look on his face. As he walked in, he saw Maya, David and a consciously drifting Sari being carried by Maya.
"Bring her back here." Kenryo said leading Maya and David to the back room. "And as we go, tell me what happened."
Sari was in one of her more conscious states as they put her on a bunk. "I'm just a little tired. That's all!" her eyes told a different story, though, and her body betrayed her by crumpling onto the bunk despite her efforts to sit up.
Ryoko had stopped by Dr Kenryo's to return some books she had borrowed from him. She saw everyone focused around an unconscious Sari. She ran up and took a look at her friend.
The young mage could see that Sari was exhausted but was still fighting the sleep she desperatly needed. She did what came naturally, she cast a sleep spell putting Sari in a calming rest.
She turned back toward David and Maya. "How long has she been like this?"
"I don't really know, but she just well... collapsed in class, and she hasn't been completing her assignments recently either." She paused for a few moments.
"And if my experiance in the wild is any judge i'd say that she hasn't slept for a few days too." Rubbing her bruised jaw she looked at Sari.
"I hope she'll be okay."
Michiko walked in. "Bad choice of words." She showed the whole gang the sketchbook. "Our friend from the box may have a great deal to do with it."
Maya looked at the sketchbook and then at Sari.
"Oh... Thats... not good." She said, remembering the reason why her brother was still in hospital.
On the bed, Sari started thrashing about in her sleep and whimpering softly. Her cheeks were stained with tears. She look terrified.
David quickly rushed over to the bed, and put his hands on her shoulders and attempted to calm her. --Sari? It's me, David. You're safe, you're with your friends. We're all present and accounted for.--
Sari stopped thrashing at the physical restraint, but her tears didn't stop. --help me. hurts.-- was the only coherent thought David could make out from Sari's sleeping mind.
"Other than the bruise she's suffered from hitting her head on the desk," Kenryo said looking up from his examination. "She's physically exhausted... If what you said is true, Maya, it could be her body is beginning to shut itself down forcing her to sleep."
Kenryo continued to examine Sari. Something didn't seem quite right about her, but he couldn't determine what. Then he saw it.
"Her ki is very wan, almost as if its being oppressed by something. There is a slight aura around her head that seems to be the source. But I am not sure of its nature, or what is causing it."
Ryoko gazed down at her friend in concern, she hated to see Sari like this. She would do anything she could to help her. She didn't know how Sari's Ki was being suppressed but she did know what was causing it.
SHE reached down pressing three pressure points and leaving her hand on Sari's shoulder. She slowly began transferring some of her ample KI into the younger girl. She was hoping this would be a good quick fix.
Sari's color got a little better, and her thrashing stopped completely, but she didn't stop whimpering. The sound was that of a kicked dog that couldn't run away.
Kodachi looked through the window and got a good look at what all was going on. It took her a minute to realize what was really wrong with Sari. Something that Kodachi herself once had.
She saw the aura, and knew it was the source of the other Kodachi when she was cursed with the same thing. If they didn't do something about it soon, Sari would go insane.
Kodachi entered the clinic and aproached the group.
"I know what's wrong with her."
David looked over to Kodachi, and asked, "What's wrong with her? And more importantly, what can we do about it?"
Kodachi got quiet for a moment, she was always leery about her past a bit.
"It's a form of spiritual self punishment. I myself suffered from it for a long time in my youth."
She glanced at Sari, worry evident in her eyes. It took her years to fight this off. "It was Sari's mother and my own husband who helped me defeat this, but it isn't easy."
David replied, "So what did they do to beat this?"
"Most of it was forcing me to deal with the demons of my past. I had to defeat them to rid myself of the aura." She glanced back at Sari. "She does not have the 'Interesting' background I had. Something else is causing this aura."
David put two and two together. "Ok, now I know what's going on, I think. This must be something left over from when Hope attacked Sari." Then another question hit. "If this hapened to her, why didn't it happen to me?" After a split-second of thought, he decided to ignore that for the moment. "So, I guess we need to take a trip into her mind and help her out?"
"That would make sense to me also." Kodachi agreed. "The aura is from something in her mind."
David nodded, and sent a quick thought out to his father. "Ok, but let me call my Dad. He's a bit better at this than I am, and Silk's out of my range." Alex stepped out of...somewhere a few moments later. "So, who's all going on this little trip?"
Michiko sighed. *She* figured it out a while ago. "How" and "Why" were not the issues. Only "what". She listened to what Mrs. Maikaze said. She cautiously withheld any biting comments about her being the insane one. The detective had a few many run-ins with her husaband to seriously doubt that. "I'll pass. Mrs. Maikaze said this was going to be a long time before this puzzle gets solved. First, I need to do a little leg work, and no, I do not need any help in that."
"I'm with you David." Ryoko agreed quietly. "Sari need our help, and i have some experiance with this sort of thing."
Alex nodded. "So it'll be the three of you. Alright, then, I'll send you in. All of you take a seat and meditate." After everyone said they were ready, Alex began to concentrate, and the three of them found themselves in Sari's mind.
Not a pretty landscape, the inside of Sari's head. At first they only saw flashes of color and faces they didn't recognise, but then the chaos became a scene. IT was a scene similar to one from Sari's sketch book, the Badlands. The landscape was not the rich beautiful colors from the book, though. It looked like a wasteland and the most desolate place on earth.
They were standing on a tall spire of rock the thrust up from the floor of a canyon. Across from them was a small group of people apparently fighting. After a moment it became clear that it was two very familiar images battling on a cliff nearby. Keisuke Yamada and Silk were going at it with swords, and both were bleeding badly. Standing in a circle around them where filmy images of most of Sari's school friends, that floated over the gory corpses that had been them in life.
They watched as Keisuke finally managed to take Silk's arm off with an overhead swing, and the grimace on his face as he finished the job, whipping her head from her shoulders as she fell. Then Keisuke followed her, plunging the Muryamada into his own guts.
A hollow scream pierced the air, and the view shifted to show Sari standing behind them. She obviously didn't see them as she jumped off the tower and landed on the canyon floor, running through the air away from her fallen parents.
Ryoko was just a little freaked out by the scenes before her. She understood why Sari was so afraid of her dreams. She brought out a hankerchief and covered her mouth and nose. The smell of death was very real in the younger girl's dream.
Ryoko was turning a little green at the fight between Silk and Keisuke. She had to help Sari, thinking quickly she cast a blink spell of the trio hoping that they could catch up with Sari, hopefully before RYoko could lose her lunch.
Sari didn't notice the people who appeared in front of her, but ran past them, but stopped short when someone else appeared in her path. The David of Sari's mind was quite detailed, but the look of disapproval on his face was one he'd rarely worn in life.
She stopped in her tracks and stared up at him. "My parents... and my friends... I..."
"You. you didn't save them, did you? You could have. You have that sword. you could have defended them." The dream David even sounded real.
"Against... My mom? I... couldn't have stopped her. I... I'm sorry." Dream Sari cringed. "I shouldn't have that sword. To afraid to use it."
"You three! Don't move!" Came a voice from above the group, completely ignoring the conversation between Dream-David and Dream-Sari.
Floating down to ground level the spirit known as Muri snarled.
"Don't you EVER use magic here again!" She folded her arms in annoyance and glared at the group.
"This is just the sort of thing i came here to stop you doing. For all you know you could have wiped Sari's memories with that spell!" Grumbling something about stupid mortals she continued. "Of course some idiot didn't warn you how easy it is to damage a mind like that, which is the reason i decided to come along under my own power. If you've got to do something here do it without magic."
Sighing she pointed at the scene in front of them.
"Not a very good sight is it? That may not look normal for Sari but it is... sort of. Everything you see here represents something of Sari's, her thoughts her feelings, her memories and emotions. It's all messed up now but everything here is what makes Sari... Sari. You damage it and when she does get back to normal that thought, memory or feeling could be destroyed or messed up permanently." Moving in front of the trio she continued.
"The reason you can't use any spell is because they 'change' how her mind is organised, and that can be dangerous. You were lucky nothing terrible happened." As an afterthought she added.
"Oh, i suggest you should listen to those two now." as she pointed at the two Dream-people.
David looked at his dream double, and was quite agast at his insensitivity. "Man, I never thought I'd go that far. I'm not that mean." DAvid went over towards D-Sari. "Sari?"
"Ah... i would be a bit more careful if i were you. You can't just rush into things like this without thinking ahead. You could do serious harm that way." Warned Muri as she watched... Her voice took on a sadder tone.
"Thats how i was killed..."
The dream Sari turned and looked at David. "It never hurt you like this. Never hurt the strong. Did it?" Suddenly the scene before them faded until it was just the outline of d-Sari on a field of white. "Never hurt you... Never touched you."
There was a sense of falling, then they landed in another scene. Furinkan schoolyard, beneath the tree at lunch time.
Muri's head looked from side to side extremely quickly.
"Ummm... There's something wrong about this scene, something Not-Sari-ish... And i don't mean us."
The scene was fairly typical, as far as the lunch group went. But as each person went into what could be called a picture pose their image was replaced with one of Sari's black and white sketches.
Maya was caught in mid swing towards RJ's head. RJ was flying through the air. Yuu and Yokinojo were caught with identical hand behind head embarassed expressions. Chanel was replaying something from her holocam. Mamoru was contemplating a deviled egg. But something was still not right with the scene.
David wasn't quite sure what to make of the current scene, so he decided to play it by ear, and just take a look around.
Once everyone in the scene had been reduced to two dimensions and ink, the papers started to burn up. They curled and smoked like flaming paper, then burnt into ash.
moments later, the dream Sari ran up with her lunch, "Hey, everybody..."
the schoolyard was silent.
Muri's ghostly eye twitched. This... was just too scary. And there was still that 'presence' that she couldn't identify hanging around.
Maybe it was just paranoia. Maybe it was the fact that she had just seen reasonably lifelike versions of her adopted family, Maya and Yukinojo, turn into sketches and burst into flames before her eyes. Whatever it was she was feeling 'trigger-happy' right now.
Making a pistol shape with her hand she looked around for a target before she realized what she was doing.
"Grr... I must not blow anything up, i must not blow anything up." She repeated the words like a mantra as she floated upwards in order to look at the surrounding landscape.
What she saw surrounding the school made even her dead body want to throw up.
All around the school was a dead landscape. Crumbling buildings, dead trees. No people. There were shadows, though. Shadows that walked and played and laughed as shadows should not do. nothing in the details was sickening, but the feeling of WRONGNESS screamed to all of them.
But walking down the street was a single little girl. She was perhaps six years old and dressed for school. She looked up at Muri, "Will you play with me?"
"Uh... I-I..." Stammered Muri as she floated back down towards the girl, once she was on the ground she brought her Reiki to bear and made her body as corporeal as she could.
"I-I... I'll play with you... I-I guess..." She didn't know why but she just HAD to play with the little girl.
"S-So, w-what do you want to play?" Every ghostly fiber of her being was ordering her NOT to play with the girl but sill, she ignored the feeling and bent down beside the girl.
"It's been a long time since I've eaten." The girl suddenly showed fangs and lunged at Muri's throat.
"What the-" Muri's voice cut out as the girl drove her fangs into Muri's neck. Even switching back to her non-corporeal state didn't help, the girl was draining her Reiki, to a human this was just plain annoying for they could live without Reiki, to a ghost it could be fatal because they were almost pure Reiki.
Before the girl could drain more then a little of the host's reiki, Sari appreared and a black sword swung down close to Muri's head, severing the vampire-girl's head from her neck. "No more."
The girl's severed head growled at Sari, "Stupid girl. You created me. you can't kill me."
Sari's sword dropped. "Just go away. Leave me alone. I'm sorry... I'm sorry." the dream of Sari broke into tears.
Kodachi seemed to fade in behind Dream Sari. Having fought and destroyed the demons in her own mind, she knew how to function within this dream world without upsetting anything.
The older woman put an arm around Sari. "Sari dear, we're here to help you. You will not have to face this alone."
"Always alone." Sari sobbed as she buried her head in Kodachi's shoulder. "I'm always alone."
Kodachi wrapped her arms around the younger girl. She let Sari cry into her arms.
"No dear, you are not alone. I'm here as are your friends. Your parents are on the way. You never have to face anything alone, dear."
Kodachi remembered how long it took for her to realize that she wasn't truly alone. It had been a terrible ordeal.
"We're all here for you when you need us."
"And then you die." Sari said flatly as she puleld away from Kodachi. the girl's eyes were dry and held a note of chaos all to familiar to the gymnast. "I call for help and you all come. And then you all die and I'm Alone and it's my own fault for calling because I was weak. And I try not to call. I try not to need but I can't because I'm to weak to not call. And sometimes you all laugh when I call because it's something I should be able to do alone and then I die anyway cause I needed the help."
Kodachi was taken back by what Sari was saying, it all sounded oh so familiar to her. There was no way she was going to let the girl suffer like she had.
"That's where your wrong Sari." Kodachi said while her eyes never left Sari's. There was a determination in Kodachi's eyes that no one had ever seen before. "I've been where you are at right now, I know what it feels like dear. Had it not been for your mother and my husband doing what we are doing for you right now, I would still be there."
Kodachi's voice cracked as she spoke the last part. "Sari we're here for you, please let us help."
"Why?" Sari demanded. "Why do you want to help me? to make yourself feel better? Because you think you should? Because you owe my mother some debt?" the girl's eyes flashed with anger now. "Always people doing 'what they think is best'. Things people expect of them. never because they feel. Never because they love."
Kodachi was fighting to keep from crying; it was made worse because of what Sari said about owing silk a debt.
"You don't understand Sari, I owe your mother my Life and My sanity, but that is not the reason I'm here. " Kodachi's voice raised a little bit as it filled with confidence and determination. "I'm here for you Sari! I'm here to keep you from suffering as I have suffered, you shouldn't have to fight this alone. Not when you have friends who LOVE you and are willing to help you though anything. Don't get me wrong Sari, I love you dear, that is the reason I'm here, for you."
"then why is he here?" Sari pointed at David.
David blinked as he was suddenly thrust into the hot seat. "I'm here to help you, Sari. Not because it's 'the right thing to do', as you put it, but because I care about you. You're my friend."
Sari walked slowly towards David, staring into his eyes. "Strange." she murmurred to herself. "I actually see that you mean it, beneath the ice."
David nodded his agreement. "We're here to help you, Sari." David fingered Storm Striker behind his back. "So please, let us see what we can do to help you beat this thing."
______
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Ryoko knelt by Muri's side, letting her draw some energy from the young Mage. She was watching Sari and Kodachi, she wanted to help, but Kodachi seemed to have it all well in hand.
"Muri, are you going to be alright?"
For some reason the fang-marks on her neck wouldn't fade, no matter how much she tried to make them vanish. Lightly touching the marks Muri slowly sat up.
"Well... I-I should be okay... that hurt, a-and i haven't felt pain in a long time." She shook her head a few times to clear the dizzyness she felt, actually she didn't 'feel' it but it felt like she could... a fairly normal situation for ghosts.
"Whoo..." Standing (rather shakily) Muri stumbled up to Dream-Sari.
"You think you're not strong enough to do things on your own? Tell me. Did anyone help you when you saved me?" She looked around theatrically, glaring at everyone except Ryoko and Dream-Sari.
"From where i was it didn't look like it. Besides, Everyone needs help sometimes. And does it matter if we die? Even if we do we'll still be with you, even if only in spirit." She chuckled slightly.
"Hell, i should know that better than anyone. I'm ALREADY dead."
Sari looked at Muri, but she didn't seem to be listening. Instead she reached over and touched the holes in the side of her neck. Two small bits dropped form them and they closed immediately. "I've killed her ten times, and she never stays dead. That's how I knew about the teeth."
"She says that I made her, and that I can't kill her." Sari looked at the others. "And so far she's been right..."
"Hardly surprising really." Stated muri, as she rubbed her neck.
"After all, with the lack of confidance and spirit you're showing i'm surprised you're still corporeal." She shrugged her shoulders and looked at the others.
"Every time you kill her she's just gonna get stronger i guess, thats the way with some things, you just can't solve them with violence." Forcing herself into a physical form Muri took Dream-Sari's hands in her own.
"Look, you can't do this on your own or else it'll be the end of you, you need help, not because you're weak but because she knows you. She knows how to make you mad, make you scared or make you sad. Let us help you, they're you're friends and... even though i'm dead i consider you my friend... and we don't want to see you like this... let us help and we'll beat her okay?"
Sari slowly nodded, "Please... if you can..." then faded from sight.
As did the school and the rest of the city. In it's place appeared a large room carved in White marble with a Huge stained glass window glowing with light on the far wall. The sound of bells echoed slightly from somewhere above them. "Somewhere here. This is the place I've never seen her. But she's here. I just can't find her." Sari's voice was clear, but she did not appear anywhere the foursome could see.
David looked around. "Interesting. Seems like a church. Well gang, I think we've got an intruder to find." David began looking and sniffing around, thankful that his advanced senses still worked.
"Hmmm? Why would it look like a chur- hey! I know! This must be an untouched part of Sari's mind! I'm warning you now. Don't damage ANYTHING! If this is an untouched part of her mind the consequences could be disasterous." warned Muri as her gaze wandered about the room.
The room was bare of decoration, but the walls gleamed in a sort of splendor all their own. There was a ripple, and the Stained glass window changed. IT had been a geometric deisgn, but now depicted a pair of dancers in motion. The glass actually moved as they watched, and the colors changed from bright reds and yellows to cooler blues and greens.
David took a second from his search to look up at the window. He blinked in surprise, then looked again, trying to see who the dancers were.
One dancer had long black hair, the other had darker skin and was signifagenty taller then the other. After another moment, the sound of bells stopped, and the dancers stopped. After a long moment of silence, there was a very soft noise behind them. It sounded like a cat meowing.
David said as he looked at the dancers, "Call me crazy, but I think the big guy is me." He then heard the cat, and whirled around at the sound, not knowing what to expect.
Behind them was a doorway that hadn't been there before, with light streaming through it. A few shadows moved where they could see them., and the sounds of rushing water joined the sound of a cat, it was definately a cat, meowing softly.
Ryoko was standing quietly behind David. She ws much more subdued now than when she first entered. The red head was a living battery of mana, and she had to be careful in here, lest she do more harm than good.
She knelt down motioning toward the cat, it might be a clue. "Here Kitty Kitty .."
A black and white tabby cat stuck its nose around the corner of the door and meowed at them, then ran over and rubbed itself on Muri's legs, treating them as if they were as real as any living persons. Then it meowed again and ran towards the door, obviously wanting them to follow.
David waved teh others forward, and took the lead. "I think we should follow the cat. I'm not getting any bad vibes from it, and it seems to want us to follow."
The Cat meowed once again, then led them out the door. Outside was a long grass field with a brook with trees lining the opposite bank. The walls of the room they'd just exited were the same shining white, only slightly wheathered, from the outside. It was a bright sunny day in this part of Sari's mind. The tabby wrapped itself around David's legs, then ran towards the creek, then back again. "Meow." it said as it jumped into David's arms and rubbed it's head on his chin.
Muri blinked.
"Okay... that what i thought about that little vampire too you know." She muttered as she floated after everyone else.
The cat hissed at the mention of the Vampire girl, then rubbed it's head on David's face again, purring loudly. Then it hopped down and ran towards the stream again. "MEOW!" it was more insistent now.
Ryoko was following the cat quite closely. She had an idea of what the cat really was, but she wasn't sure. The little guy would be the key to helping Sari.
The cat waited for them at the edge of the stream. It was about four feet across, and the water rushed rapidly and deep. The cat looked down at the water, then up at the people and meowed mournfully, staring at the other side.
"Aw... you want to get to the other side right? Here let me give you a hand."
Muri smiled as the cat approached her. She was still feeling a little paranoid but then if anything did attack her she had David and the others to help her out.
Gently picking up the cat she went to float across the stream, only to bump into something solid half-way across.
"ow!" She backed away and gently put the cat back on the floor. Suddenly she darted forwards, only to slam into the invisible barrier again.
Backing away again Muri growled.
"I'm getting over that stream even if it kills me!" She brought one hand up to her side at shoulder height, two fingers extended.
"Rei Kou..." A medium sized ball of light faded into existance, balanced on her fingertips as Muri became slightly more transparent.
"Hadou..." the ball of light grew until it was easily larger than a soccer-ball in size.
"KEN!" She whipped her hand forward, literally 'flicking' the energy-ball at high speeds towards the barrier. There was a shattering sound as the ball hit the barrier and exploded. Floating up to where she had hit, Muri tested the barrier and smiled when she found it gone.
"And now we can take the cat across." Seeing everyones glares she shrugged.
"Hey, that wasn't part of Sari so it was perfectly safe..."
Once the barrier broke they could hear the sound of someone crying, and the cat jumped into the water and swam like mad through the hole in the stream and to the far back. It climbed out and ran upstream without bothering to shake itself dry. It meowed at them once before disappeared behind some trees on the opposite bank.
"Aw... Wait up!" Muri sped herself up until she was ignoring the terrain and just floating through it, after a few moments she caught up to the cat.
"now what?"
"Meow." the cat answered as it ran through a clearing in the woods, towards the source of the crying. When the feline and the ghost came around the bend, they saw the source. It was Sari, but it didn't really look much like the girl they knew. Her face was thin, her cheekbones jutting out at hard angles, and her eyes sunken in her face. Around her wrists and ankles were heavy iron chains that were attacked to the ground. The cat ran over to the girl and rubbed its body on the trapped girl. Sari petted the cat with a tiny smile. "Hua." she called it by name, and it started purring loudly. Sari picked up the cat and hugged it close. She never noticed Muri floating there watching.
Muri recognized a familier energy that the Sari in front of her possessed. In fact it was the same energy her own 'body' was made of.
Reiki, the energy that only occured in a human soul or in that of a ghost, since ghosts were formed from the energy of the soul.
Muri frowned at the chains binding what in all probability was Sari's soul.
If they stayed there then it was highly likely that Sari herself would become a ghost when she died, instead of progressing to the land of the dead like souls were suppossed to. TO be honest Muri would be perfectly happy to have another ghost to talk to but she knew that it would be hell for Sari, it was hell for her most of the time anyway.
She growled to herself. Almost instantly the Sari in front of her stiffened as she heard the noise.
"uh oh..." Muttered muri.
****
Michiko left the doctor's office with the appropiate apologies. There was really nothing she could do for Sari there. Sari wasn't ready yet. The best thing she could do was read up on post-traumatic depression. Maybe it could give her some insights.
Michiko also felt the need to talk to Yukinojo. Not only because he was also attacked by Hope, but she wanted to check up on her friend. The detective looked through her backpack. The donuts she had made were still there. Now she may not be as good a cook as Mrs. Hibiki, but they weren't poisionous. Michiko had sampled several times from each batch to make the assortment.
Chanel was walking down the street fiddling with her holo-camera.She was mildly irritated and lonely. She couldn't find any of her friends anywhere. She was also ignoring some of the looks she was getting. She was dressed in her shorts and a tight tank top, that outfit always got alot of attention, Chanel was too much like her aunt sometimes.
That's when she noticed Michiko. She walked up to say hi. that was before she noticed Michiko's look.
"What's wrong? Is something going on?"
Michiko looked up at Chanel and smiled a sad smile. "Unfortunately. Sari is suffering from a severe case of post-traumatic depression. Right now, the gang is at Dr. Kenryo's trying to help her. I am on my way to the hospital to see Yukinojo because I need a change of scene. Sometimes solutions to problems appear if you step away from the problem."
Chanel gave the doctors clinic a worried glance, then looked back at Michiko. She could tell that it was a serious problem if everyone was worried so much. This made Chanel worry, she rather liked Sari and hoped that she would be alright.
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
Michiko mused on it for a bit. "Just be there and be patient, I guess. This doesn't look like a quick fix, despite what the mages think."
"I will then" chanel agreed as he entered the clinic.
Michiko continued on to the hospital, only stopping at the bookstore to get some books. A basic book on psychology, a copy of Shonen Sunday and a copy of mystery books. Good thing she did too. Yukinojo was sleeping. Michiko didn't mind. She would wait until he woke up.
*******
When they came back to their own bodies, Sari was upright in bed and gasping. "What did you do? Why did you do that?"
David would have glared at Muri if she had been there. "Muri blew up something in your mind, and I'm not sure that was the brightest of ideas. Especially when there was a LOCK that I could have picked."
"Oh yeah, like i'm gonna touch something that was designed to fry her soul as soon as it was touched!" Moaned a currently two foot high Muri from the floor.
David countered with, "Between me and Ryoko, we could have disarmed that trap..."
Alex cut off the arguement at this point. "Enough. Can the chatter, kids. What's done is done. The important thing now is to see if any damage was done, and if so, to see how to deal with it."
Muri glared at David, her eyes were little more than slits as she snarled in annoyance at him.
"Boy, I have over three thousand years of experiance in these matters behind me. _Don't_ tell me what I can and can't do."
Sari just stared at them while they argued. "Shut up. Just shut up." she said. "I don't know what you did, but whatever it was, it hurts. I've got a headache like my brain is on fire, and your arguing isn't helping." this was probably the longest speech Sari had made in a week, which could be seen as progress, but it really wasn't. "You've already done enough damage. Don't make it any worse."
Chanel walked into the room at that point. She had no idea what had happened but they had done something that hurt Sari. She and Sari were not the best of friends but she couldn't stand to see anyone hurting.
She walked across the room next to the other girl and whispered softly in her ear.
"I don't know what happened, but I see that you are in pain. If you want me to, I have a few painkillers that might help."
Sari gave Chanel a look that clearly said she didn't understand the situation. "My Soul hurts. They've never made painkillers for that."
Of course Chanel didn't understand the situation. She didn't have a clue what was going on. All she knew was that a friend of hers was hurting, and she wanted to help.
"Is there anything I can do to help, Sari?"
Sari shook her head, her chin resting on her chest. "I don't know. Ask them." she pointed at Kodachi, Ryoko and David. "They were rummaging through my brain earlier. Maybe they got a clue or two."
David was torn between snipping at the ghost about the fact that she couldn't tell him from his dad or bashing her with his hammer, but decided that his father was on the right track, and ignored Muri. He started his report, leaving out the gory part at the beginning. "Well, we were going around in her mind, when we found this church. I think it was an untouched part of her mind. A cat showed up there, and led us to a stream, where there was a barrier preventing crossing. After Muri blew up the barrier, we followed the cat across to an image of Sari, who was chained up. Muri tried to destory the chains, and we were thrown out at that point."
"What kind of cat?" Sari asked him. She just didn't have the energy to stay mad at the moment. She sank back onto the bed. Wishing there was a pillow of some sort she could lean on.
David pulled a pillow from one of the empty beds, and put in behind Sari. "A black and white tabby. It seemed to like me for some reason."
"Hua?" Sari's voice was very small. "He was my tabby cat when I was younger."
David nodded, and jotted this down on a small notepad. "Ok, now the question is, what part of your mind did he represent?"
"You expect me to know how my mind's symbols work. You're funny." Sari said with a sweatdrop. "If he was anything, I think he would be my heart. He was the best part of me before he died."
David made a quick note of that, and put away his notepad, missing what it implied, considering the cat liked him. "Well, I'm not sure what to think just yet. Any other ideas?" David said as he looked at Kodachi and Ryoko.
"I'm sorry, Sari." Kodachi started softly. "I know what the problem is, but I don't know what is causing it. I think I may have a way around it but it will be difficult."
"You know but you do not say." Sari said with a tone of bitterness. "For my own good, no doubt. If you don't mind, I think I should go home now. And sleep where my dreams won't bother anyone but myself." Sari pushed herself off the bed by pure force of will, and took a few steps towards the door.
David stepped into her path, shaking his head. In a tone which reminded everyone of an experienced seargent, David said, "Listen Sari, we're your friends, and we're here to help you because we care about you, not because it 'for the best,' or 'for your own good.' Now you need to get back over there and lie back down." David glanced around the room at everyone. "Dad, I need you to do a scan, and see exactly what kind of spiritual and psichic damage was done. Mrs. Maikaze, I need you to tell us what you were going to say, as it may give us some ideas on how to proceed. Doctor, please see if you can detect any other physical side-effects of this."
Alex blinked, looking at his son in surprise, before giving him a nod before beginning. He also had the smallest of smiles on his face, proud at how the boy had taken charge.
Sari wasn't listening, however. "I don't care what you want. I want to go home so I can get some sleep, not sit here and be questioned by a bunch of people who are practically strangers about things that don't concern them!" Sari side stepped David and moved quickly towards the door. "You don't understand. All you do is hurt me."
David slid in to block her path once again, and looked her in the eyes, almost pleading. "No one ever intended to hurt you. Please, Sari, just work with me on this one, just for a little while. Can you do that?" There was no ice in his eyes this time.
Maybe it was the please, maybe it was the lack of ice, but something broke. She sank to the floor and curled into a little ball, her knees tucked under her chin, her face buried in her arms. "I'm scared and I want to go home where it's safe." She said softly.
David gently picked Sari up, and placed her back on the bed, thanking the kami for getting a break. "Now, you're with your friends, you're safe here. Just relax, and we'll get to the bottom of this."
"There is no bottom to find. It's not that easy." Sari insisted, her voice relatively calm as her eyes leaked tears independent of the rest of her face. "There is no miracle cure for this. The fear doesn't end, and you can't slay the monsters. Because the monsters are me and the if you kill them, you destroy part of me. But to tame the beasts is so much harder then to simply kill them. It is not that easy."
Ryoko was still confused by the things she saw in Sari's mind. Then again Magic, not psychology was her specialty. She didn't think that she would be much help.
She could tell that there was one thing Sari needed. Something no one in here had given her yet. Something no magic spell or ability could give her.
Ryoko sat down on the bed next to the younger girl and grabbed her in a big hug. That seemed like what she needed most right now.
Sari held onto the young mage like she was a lifeline and just started sobbing. She hadn't realized how much she needed the release until it was offered, and then she couldn't stop the tears. The tears she'd been so afraid to cry.
Ryoko held Sari close and stroked her hair. "Let it all out sweetie." Ryoko whispered softly. "I've got you, I won't let you come to harm."
Kodachi smiled slightly when she saw that Ryoko gave Sari the one thing she really needed. The one thing everyone else had neglected. It was amazing what a difference a hug could make.
She moved closer to Alex and David, trying to keep her voice low. "Alex, you remember what I was like when we first met? If we can't get rid of the aura surrounding Sari, eventually she will be the same way."
Alex grimaced and nodded. "Then we need to nip this in the bud, quickly. Let me see what I can find out." Alex then began his own ministrations.
Sari didn't notice Alex scanning her head. The older man found that Muri's attack had caused a backlash in area's of Sari's mind associated with security and emotional expression. When Muri attacked the chains, those two areas had slammed the foursome out of Sari's mind in self defense.
Ryoko overheard what was being said but was busy holding Sari at the moment. She hoped that Alex could help her. The young mage could think of nothing of magic that could help.
Alex stated as he finished his work, "Well, Muri's attack effected Sari's centers of security and emotional expression, creating a backlash. Her mind booted you out in self-defense." Alex rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "Well one idea would be to go back in and try UNLOCKING the chains instead of blowing them up."
"No." Sari looked at Alex over Ryoko's shoulder. "Not today. I just want to go home. You can try tomorrow." Sari wiped her eyes on her sleeve and got up slowly. "Would someone please take me home now? please?"
David walked up at that point, and said, "Sure. I'll take you home."
"Thank you." Sari said softly, walking out of the clinic with David on her heels.
Sari walked the short distance from the clinic to her house in silence, her mind turning over a lot of ideas she was more than half afraid of. When she got to the gate, she fumbled for her keys, dropping them and having to retreive them from the top of her shoe. "Thank you." she said to David as she unlocked the gate and walked towards the unlit and soundless house.
David looked up at the house, and didn't like the idea of Sari staying there alone. "Sure you want to go home? There's a carnival in town. Some fun would help you relax a bit."
Sari shook her head, "I don't think I remember how to have fun at the moment. I'm sorry." she started to turn back to the house, the paused. "You can come in if you want."
David nodded, and followed Sari into the house. "Thank you."
Sari thought he was hardly the one to be thanking her, but didn't say anything. She turned on the lights in the kitchen and living room, putting her coat on its hook by the door and slipping into her house slippers. The house was not spotless, but it seemed close. Certainly no one had been messing it up since the last time it had been cleaned.
Sari got a pitcher of lemonade out of the refridgerator and poured them each a glass. "I'm sorry about the trouble I seem to be causing you all." she said as she led him into the living room and found a seat. The room was covered in cushions of various sizes, and Sari leaned against one of the larger ones, her lemonade in her lap. "I guess I wasn't as ok as I thought, after Hope died. My mom tried to talk to me, but I wouldn't listen to her. I guess I should have."
David took a sip from his lemonade, and replied, "No trouble at all, amigo. And well, you couldn't have known this was going to happen. So how were you supposed to know this would happen?" David found himself somewhere to sit, on a cushion next to Sari.
"I don't know. I just feel stupid for letting it happen to me." Sari spun the ice in her drink with the tip of a finger. "I mean, she got you a little, but nothing bad happened to you."
"True, she didn't have as much of an effect on me. But, look at the factors. I've been trained to deal with this sort of thing since I was born. You haven't. So it's not your fault. If it's anyone's fault you got attacked, it's mine, because I should have know to check the box before I messed with it."
"No..." Sari's face looked determined. "My mom wouldn't have given it to me if there was anything overtly wrong with it. You couldn't have prevented it. You can't blame yourself for it."
I still think I could have stopped that madness. David looked over at Sari with a grin, having led her to where he was trying to go. "Exactly, I couldn't have prevented it. So why would you blame yourself? After all, your mom didn't find anything overtly wrong, and neither did I. So this wasn't your doing. It was a simple accident."
"Doesn't make it hurt any less." Sari countered, staring down into her lemonade. She could feel the tears coming again, which only made her feel more like a fool as she felt one fall from her face and land on her hand.
David pulled Sari next to himself, and gave her a hug with one arm while he wiped away her tears with his free hand. "There, there, now. It'll be better soon. Just let it out."
Sari just stared at him for a moment. I can't... it's so embarassing... does it matter? he's already seen you bawl your eyes out once today... She buried her head in his shoulder as she had done to Ryoko and cried softly, slowly letting go of the mental lockdown she'd held herself under for the past week.
David held her, making soothing sounds and gently stroking her hair as she cried. "Just let it go, Sari. Just let it go." David allowed her to let loose her feelings. "It's be alright."
Sari's tears took a long time to slow, but when they were gone, her breathing was slow and even. She was asleep. Not the sort of demon filled sleep she'd had at the clinic, but a real deep and restful sleep.
David smiled, as he sensed Sari getting some true rest. He gently lifted her up, making sure not to disturb her slumber, and put her to bed. As an after thought, he sent a quick message to his dad, telling him it would most likely be awhile before he got home. He then pulled up a chair near Sari, and tried to knock back a few zzz's as well.
ALl of this was observed by Chanel from the window. She was very good at sneaking into places unnoticed. Normally she would be angry about what she had just seen, but this time she wasn't. She could tell that Sari really needed the kind of help she was getting from david.
That didn't stop her from feeling saddened by it though. It looks like she might of lost David before she even had a chance.
"Sleep well Sari." Chanel whispered. "You need the rest."
*******
Michiko was broken out of her thoughts by an unearthly scream of pain and anguish. Yukinojo thrashed about wildly under his covered in what seemed like the mother of all nightmares.
"get away! No! AgggggrrrrhHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" His arm swung out and smashed into a small bedside cabinet, a blast of ki was released and the cabinet exploded into wood shards.
Michiko wasted no time. She got up and ran into his room, ignoring the comments from the hospital staff. Finally, she got to his room. "Yukinojo," she said with great concern in her voice, "are you okay?"
Yukinojo looked at her his eyes were open but they were glazed over and it seemed that he didn't register her presence. His hand lifted up and aimed, palm first at her.
"Stay... Stay away..." the bright glow of chi energy was visible in his hand.
Michiko steeled herself silently casting an armor spell in case things went wrong. "Yukinojo. Calm down. It's just me, Michiko. Whatever you're facing, it's past now."
"n-no! y-you're trying to trick me! You're not her! get away!" his eyes screwed tightly shut and his head turned away as he released the chi blast at Michiko, clearly thinking she was someone else in his dream-like state.
Michiko paused briefly and was knocked back as the armor spell absorbed the chi blast. Cautiously, she walked up to Yujikono. "No Yukinojo. It is me. You're currently between dreaming and being awake. What can I do to prove it is me?" Her voice was calm and even. She didn't want to convey fear or anger. She just hoped her spells could keep up with his chi blasts.
"Y-you... don't s-sound l-like her..." he paused, seemingly calmed for a few moments. " Y-you don't act like her..." his arm wavered a bit before moving down to rest at his side, the glow of energy still burning brightly.
"M-Maybe y-you're not her... M-Maybe you're a trick..." Yukinojo blinked a few times. He was obviously awake now but he seemed to be acting paranoid still.
Michiko smiled. She was making progress. "Well, I get a little more excitible when Yuu is shooting at me with her pop gun."
"Yuu? Sh-She looked like Yuu too... She... She..." He suddenly moved forwards, curling himself into a ball.
"I-i can't feel Muri a-anymore. I-i can't feel myself... It hurts... all the time it hurts..."
Michiko finally got over to Yukinojo. She reached over to him and gave him a hug and a kiss. Both were more gentle than passionate. "That is Hope's little gift. Sari is also suffering. I know a little magic. If there is anyway to help you, I would in a second. The exception is I can't enter your mind. I made a promise to my mother when I started to learn magic."
She knelt down and reached into her bag. "I brought some donuts. Baked them myself. Would you like one?" Michiko bit into the donut, partially because she was hungry and partially because she wanted him to see they were safe. "Not as good as your mother's cooking, but they aren't hazardous." She said, giving another soft smile.
"Hm?" Yukinojo looked up, he hadn't really eaten anything for the past week, what with the medical staff afraid to enter his room.
"Th-They smell nice... C-Can i-i have o-one? ... P-please?"
"You can have as many as you like, Yukinojo. I baked them for you."
Slowly, Yukinojo reached out, as if he were afraid of losing his arm or something and gently took one of the donuts. moving back into a half sitting, half curled up position he whimpered a little, a few tears staining the dark green simple cotton clothing he wore. He munched on the donut for a few moments before speaking.
"Michiko. Do you think there's an afterlife?" his voice was soft and timid, yet hard and bleak at teh same time.
Michiko thought about it. "I'm not 100% positive. Obviously, there's no proof one way or the other. Yet every culture for the most part *has* the belief of an afterlife. There must be something there. We all have to believe in something. Yes, I think there is. Why?"
"If there is or isn't i can't go there. M-Muri came and talked to me... she said t-that when i die... b-because of what ha-happened i'll b-become a ghost. She... She's ruined my life." Yukinojo picked something off the top of the remaining undamaged bedside cabinet. It was a small lens made of a greenish material and set in a steel ring.
"Michiko, t-take this i-its a special lens i-i made. Wi-with it y-you'll be able t-to see what i can see and... and if i do die y-you'll be able t-to see me with it."
Michiko took the lens and put it in her pocket. "I will when the time comes, but you're not going to die. Not for a long time. Not if i can help it."
She paused, looking for something to cheer him up, finally she came upon a question. "If I remember my lessons from Lady Reihime, spirits usually don't have that sort of power. Most of the time, they seek the warmth and peace of the afterlife and are here because of unfinished business. Now maybe I'm grasping at straws, but this sounds like something "Hope" would say. She's done a number on Sari as well. How do you know it was Muri? You had problems recongizing me and we've been schoolmates for a long time."
"Look through the lens at me, you'll see a-a line or something connecting me to somewhere. At the other end of that line is Muri. Thats our Bond. I can see the line normally... i used to be able to feel things the other end and to talk down it... but now i can't. That's how i knew it was Muri. And if you look closer you'll see a second bond. That's what'll make me a ghost. That bond now keeps me connected to this plane of existance, Muri has one like it too, that's why she's a ghost." Yukinojo grinned as he leant back.
"And anyway, there are always exceptions to some rules. Muri was made a ghost as some form of torture i believe, but after... after t-two thousand years sh-she didn't mind it anymore."
Michiko nodded. "Sometimes people and spirits could find peace in the darkest things. My dad seems to be most at peace when he's investigating a really grisly murder, as odd as it seems."
The junior detective pulled out the lens. "okay, let me see." With that, she peered into the green lens.
Looking through the green lens Michiko saw that most of what yukinojo had said was indeed true, there was a fairly thick thing that looked like a link of some sort heading in the general direction of where Michiko knew Sari was. That was the one leading to Muri.
There was a second link heading downwards towards the floor, Michiko identified that as the one holding him to this plane and then there were two other, much smaller links. More like strings really. One heading off to somewhere and the other was connected to...
Michiko almost dropped the lens as she realized that the other string-like link was connected to her!
"Oh my. That I didn't expect." she uttered with a sense of reverence. "No wonder I came calling. You really needed a friend and I'm the one who answered the call, even though I didn't realize it at the time. One question. Does Muri listen in on your conversations with the other lines? If so, I know where she is at and why she is there."
"uhh... she used to be able to talk freely with me, but you can't hear anything at their end, just feel what she feels, pain, anger and the like... And what didn't you expect? I don't see anything wrong."
Michiko smiled. "Nothing is really wrong. You have two smaller "spirit" links from your body. One of the new ones go to me. I was just thinking that if Muri saw these and investigated them, she could have seen what's been on my mind lately...Sari. I think she's near Sari, trying to help."
Yukinojo's eye twitched slightly.
"ummm... those two little ones... aheh... they aren't spiritual... aheh... 'cause i can't see them they uhh... they, well... they're emotional links from me... umm.. aheh... heh... ummm..."
Michiko laughed and handed him back the lens. "Does that thing work when you look at me? I think you'll be pleasantly surprised if they do"
"Well, i don't need it, but my vision is more selective, if i don't wnat to see emotional links then i don't. Keeps things from getting confusing usually. You should see the number of links based around my sister!"
Blinking his eyes a few times Yukinojo willed his sight to include emotional links as well as everything else. As his vision snapped into focus he almost fell back blinded by the intensity of the link he saw leading from Michiko, the lens was unsensitive compared to his sight so he coudl see thigns a lot brighter than teh lens. Either way that link was bright! and it lead... right ... to him...
"wow."
Michiko nodded and spoke in very quiet and soft tones. This is very unfamilar ground to her and she knew it. Figetting, she moved her fingers around each other. "Uh-huh. I'm not really good at admitting this sort of thing. I'm a little scared that my feelings for you would drive you away. I don't want to appear to be some obsessive stalker. I didn't do the wrong thing by showing you that, did I?"
"Eh... Well... Aheh..." Babbled Yukinojo as he groaned inwardly. If his sister was any indication he'd probably end up with more girls after him at some point. Well. At least he could enjoy peace while it lasted.
"No... Umm... i would have seen it eventually... ahhhh.... well... uhhh... aheh..." There was no denying that he liked Michiko, he liked her as much as he liked Yuu. but to him she'd always seemed 'out of reach' for him. But now... now he wasn't so sure.
Michiko just nodded. She could read it in his face. "It's hard to put into words, isn't it? I mean I always figured it was a pipe dream to be with somebody like you. My reputation for having a heart of ice doesn't help matters. It's a pleasant thought, but the thought that it could actually be boggles the mind."
Okay... this was... not what he had ever expected from Michiko.
Glancing at her yukinojo started to speak.
Well... i-i really like you too but... well... i've always seen you as... well... out of my reach."
Michiko's eyebrow rose. This was becoming a surprising day. Michiko put her hand underneath her chin. "What can I do to fix that preconception?" she said with a playful grin. She was glad her mother wasn't there to see this. That would result in death by embarassment.
"Aheh..." yukinojo paniced. Waitaminute. This was just like the date he had with Yuu a while ago, before this mess with hope ever started. Lets see... he had given them both something he had created on an 'instinctive' thought and he had discovered that both liked him.
An idea sprung to mind.
"y-you could go on a d-date with me... o-once i'm healed up that is." he said quickly.
Michiko answered without hesitation "Deal. Is there anything I can do to get you healed up quicker? I noticed you went through those doughnuts pretty quickly..."
yukinojo smiled at her.
"How about some more food? you're cookings the best ever! My mom might make good okonomiyaki but you make much better donuts!"
Michiko looked right at Yukinojo. "Flatterer. I've had your mom's cooking on several occasions. My donuts are nowhere near her league. I will be happy to make you more donuts though, and any other food you would like. I'll even get some take out if you want. So what sounds good for me to bring you tomorrow?"
Yukinojo thought for a few seconds.
"How about some cake? I know for a fact that my moms cake isn't the best and i've never tasted any cake you've made before. I bet it'll be really good!"
Michiko reached into her bag and pulled out a cookbook. "I haven't tried a cake before but if you're brave enough to try it, I'll give it a shot. Which one of these would you like me to bake?" She flipped to the first page with cakes on it and showed it to Yukinojo.
Yukinojo blinked. He hadn't expected Michiko to be carrying a cookbook with her. Looking at the pictures of cakes quickly he saw somehing that made his eyes sparkle slightly.
Chocolate cake.
With chocolate icing.
It seemed to be a generic thing since as far as he knew every Hibiki loved chocolate cake for some reason.
Especially himself.
Smiling he pointed to teh picture.
"This one." he stated, smiling as he did so. "Chocolate cake with chocolate icing."
Michiko looked at his choice. It was called Chocolate Decadence and was guaranteed to be sheer hell for a diabetic. Trying her best not to drool at the picture, she definitely admired Yukinojo's taste in deserts. Once she regained her composure, she said the following. "Okay. That makes a wonderful desert. So what do you want for dinner? I imagine that the hospital food is less than delicious."
"I can honestly say there are only two things worse than hospital food.
RJ's cooking and his moms. But i guess you could surprise me with something of your choice."
Michiko put the book away. "Okay. It will take me a while to think of the right meal, but I will have it tommorrow for you. Don't worry. I'm still as punctual as always so you will eat, I promise. I'm glad I can help you feel better. I just wish I could do the same for Sari."
Anticipating Yukinojo's question, Michiko began filling in the details, point by point. The detective pulled no punches in her descriptions and communicated her frustrations with Sari eloquently. Finally, she asked Yukinojo if there was something she missed that could help her friend.
"Well, there is one thing... you could use the lens to make sure nothings decided to 'link up' with her, check if she was bound to anything, that sort of thing."
Michiko grinned. "Next time I see her, I will do that."
The next few hours were full of friendly, but rather trivial conversations. Both Yukinojo and Michiko spent them having a pleasant time. Soon, much too soon, however, the hospital nurses came into Yukinojo's room to notify Michiko that visiting hours were almost over.
Michiko gave a sigh. "I guess this is it, until tommorow. Goodbye Yukinojo." She started to head out of the room when she remembered that she wanted to give Yukinojo something. She went back towards him, removed her scarf and placed it around his neck.
"I want this near you tonight when you sleep. If your dreams tell you that you are alone and no one cares for you, this is proof that they are lying." Michiko then did something unusually bold for her. She reached over and gave Yukinojo a goodnight hug and kiss.
Yukinojo blushed when Michiko kissed him, he smiled slightly as his eyes started to close.
"G'night.. Michiko..."
"Goodnight Yukinojo," she said as she shut the door very gently to let him sleep. Michiko, herself, wouldn't be able to sleep for a while. She had a lot to do and the energy to do it. Tommorow was another day and it looked like it was going to be fun. She just hoped everything was going well on the Sari front.
*********
The phone at Alex's house started ringing later that day.
Brush was in the library of the house when she heard the phone ring. "Hello?"
On the other end was Silk. "Brush? It's Silk. I'm in Beijing, but my flight has been delayed until tomorrow afternoon. I can't get through to my own house or to Keisuke's cell. Can you get a message to them for me?" Silk's voice sounded tired.
Brush replied, "Sure. I'll tell David to give the others your message. What do you need?"
"I'll be home tomorrow night around eleven oclock, at Narita. And I'd rather not have to take the train home." Silk's voice showed even more exhaustion as she seemed to relax. "My leg's not in the best of shape, if you know what I mean."
Brush replied as she jotted it down on a note, "I'll send Acchan over there with the message. Anything else, Silk?"
"Tell them I missed them and I love them. Please, Brush?" Silk asked.
Brush laughed as Acchan entered the room and took the note. "Of course, Silk. We'll see you when you get back."
*********
Keisuke sighed as he put the key in the front door. The train had been delayed and he was hours late getting home. He was surprised to find the light downstairs on, but Sari was nowhere to be seen. He put his coat away and grabbed an apple from the fridge. Then he went upstairs, calling. "Sari? you home?"
David heard Mr. Yamada entering the house, but while he was sleep, he tended to ignore anything that wasn't out to cause him harm. So he slept on in his chair, oblivious to the world.
Keisuke saw that the light was on and pushed open the door catiously. Sari must be asleep already. She was asleep, and he smiled at the sight of his daughter asleep. He then noticed that she wasn't alone. Asleep in Sari's desk chair was a dark skinned youth that Keisuke peripherally knew as Sari's dance partner and Alex's son. It didn't matter to him. He moved quickly over to the boy and grabbed him by the collar, intent on throwing him out the window. "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" he roared.
David woke up as he heard the yell, and found Keisuke trying to lift him in the air by the collar. While he was a bit impressed at his strength, he wasn't about to get a fight going now, with Sari sleeping in the room. David put both off his feet on the ground, and shushed Keisuke. "Mr. Yamada," he whispered fiercely, "Sari's had a VERY bad day, and she just now got to sleep. Can we take this downstairs?"
Keisuke released the boy's collar, then motioned pointedly at the door. David went.
Sari stirred a little at the yell, but rolled back over with a sigh.
"Start explaining, boy." Keisuke said once they were both in the hall and the door was shut.
David briefly considered cooling Keisuke's attitude, but decided it wouldn't help the situation any. "Remember when she was attacked by that spirit turned human a week ago? She's been stressed out about it, and had a breakdown today."
The anger melted from Keisuke's features. "Breakdown...? What happened?"
David nodded, and filled Keisuke in on the events of the day, up to the point where Muri's screwup had gotten them booted out of Sari's mind. "After we got back, Sari was feeling pretty bad and asked to go home. So I brought her here, and since I didn't think it was a good idea for her to be here without someone to talk to if she needed it, I stuck around."
A few minutes later, the two men heard Acchan scratching at the door with a paw.
Keisuke decided that David didn't deserve a one way ticket out the window, and invited him downstairs for a late supper. He looked surprised at the scratching. "Haven't had animals at the door since Sari's cat died..."
David smiled as he opened the door. "It's Acchan. She's mine." The wolf came into the room, and dropped an envelope with Keisuke and Sari's name on Keisuke's lap, before jumping up on David and licking him.
Keisuke took the envelope and opened it on one end and slid out the note. He read it and got a look on his face that David recognised from his parents sometimes. "Silk's going to be home tomorrow night, late." he reported.
David knew the look, but was too bust with a face full of happy wolf. "Well sir," he squeezed out between chuckle, "shall we go and check on Sari?"
Keisuke nodded. "You can use the spare bedroom for tonight if you want. More comfortable then that chair." the elder Yamada led David back up the stairs. "But if I catch you in there again when she's asleep I might change my mind about the window, alright?"
David nodded, while Acchan gave Keisuke a look that just DARED him to try such a stunt on her human. David went into the spare room, and said, "Good night, Mr. Yamada. Thank you."
"Thank you, David." Keisuke said as he sought his own bed. He didn't know what was wrong with his daughter, but he thought that Silk would. He certainly hoped so. He loved his daughter to much to let anything happen to her if he could help it.
*****
Across Town at CC&A
Chanel was asleep at her desk. It was piled high with books on depression and neurosis. She had read through them all hoping to find something that everyone else had missed.
Currently she was sound asleep with her head laying on a book of eastern medicine. She was exploring all options.
Perfume looked in and saw her eldest daughter asleep at her research. She smiled slightly when she realized how familiar that entire scene looked. Perfume quietly put her daughter into her bed. Her strength hadn't dimished much in the last 20 years.
Noticing the books Perfume knew what was up. This had to do with the problems Sari was having lately. She would have to Talk to Silk as soon as she arrived.
*******
Fujiko had wandered into her daughter's inner sanctum and saw a similar scene. Portions of Sari's online journal were on the computer. Also the sketchbook and Michiko's books on Psychology. She also saw a couple of cookbooks. Fujiko grinned when she saw those.
Michiko was sound asleep. Fujiko grabbed a blanket and placed it on her daughter. "Even Sherlock Holmes required sleep, Michi." the artist said as she kissed her baby a goodnight peck.
Fujiko grabbed the sketchbook and thumbed through it. If anyone had wandered into seeing it, they would be hard-pressed to gauage a reaction. The last pages were darker, but Fujiko didn't seemed disturb. "I hope they aren't going to psycho-analize or magic the poor girl to death. Treating her like a guinea pig would be the last thing I would want in her shoes. I'll give her back her book in the morning. "
She wanted to talk to Sari. How could anybody not? "Just like her mother," she mused "trying so hard to be indestructable and damn near pulling it off. So much so that even after this short time, everybody feels the need to play calvary to pay her back. Only one thing will help here and it's the one thing nobody wants to give her. Time."
Before Fujiko could leave the room, Michiko's computer blinked, and text started to scroll across the screen. Sari was writing a new journal entry.
"I'm so surprised at how everyone is so overeager to help me. I'm not sure why they are so determined to fix everything. And they want it all now. Can't they see if takes longer then a day and a night to heal anything? I'm not that strong..."
Fujiko looked at the screen for a reply button. She found one soon enough. A few edits so the mail was going to her address and not Michiko's, she replied.
"That's the irony of the whole thing, isn't it? Nobody is that strong, not *even* your mother. I can remember quite a few times where she was on the ropes. So you're in a crisis, these things happen. Care to chat? Fujiko Yamma."
Sari blinked at the unexpected email, then realized that Michiko must have hacked her files. -Typical- she thought as she opened a chat program and sent Fujiko an invitation to join her there. "Please, Miss. Yamma. Have you seen my sketchbook? -Sari Yamada"
Fujiko replied, opened up the chat program and started typing.
Fujiko: Please call me Fujiko. Yes, I was flipping through your sketchbook. You have a lot of talent and your encounter with Hope has not changed that.
Sari: Alright, Fujiko. Thank you. I spent a lot of time drawing when my father took me on trips with him.
Fujiko: I can tell. That kind of skill only comes with practice.
Sari: thank you. It's good to know I can do something well.
Fujiko: You're welcome. I hope they haven't been trying to over analize you or use too much magic on you. I imagine that must get frustrating.
Sari: they went into my mind without even asking. Then they gave me a headache. I don't even remember what they did while I was dreaming.
Fujiko: I wish I could say that surprises me. Silk wouldn't allow that. I will have to lecture Michiko about that.
Sari: Did you know my mother well? and Michiko wasn't there, if I remember right. I'm not sure. I was upset.
Fujiko: I guess I know her as well as anyone else. I have been extremely lax in keeping in contact with her over the years. I do recall sometimes where she wasn't the stable pillar everybody remembers her to be.
Sari: Pillar?
Fujiko: Pillar, like in pillar of the community. Silk could be generally counted on to help almost anybody in a serious crisis. From the looks of it, she could handle almost anything. There were times, however, that she bit off more than she can chew and almost lost it.
Like the time when she needed to break up with Alex, David's dad.
Sari: they were... I wouldn't have thought so. They're friends, but more then that?
Fujiko: One time they were boyfriend and girlfriend. At that time she was a student teacher at Furinkan, a charity worker in quite a few functions around town, and a shop owner. This was on top of her dating Alex and basically being the friend everyone could count on.
Fujiko: Oops. Forgot to mention the demon hunting and giving the Amazons trouble on the side. Needless to say, she was too busy for own good. She broke up with him when he was still entertaining Brush and Kodachi as possible girlfriends. I called him "player" LOTS back then.
As I recall, your father didn't care for him much either.
Sari: what happened? I mean, did she stop doing all of those things or what? it seems to me like she was a pretty good pillar if she could do all that.
Fujiko: It's too much for anyone and one afternoon, she damn near had a nervous breakdown. She forgot how to have fun and relax. I was lucky to catch it happening at the time. I don't even want to think about what would of happened had I didn't.
Fujiko: By the way, If you want to embarass your mother, ask her about tye-dying my hair.
Sari: nervous breakdown... like mine?
Fujiko: My guess is that it's similar. I don't have all the details to your troubles. I haven't hacked into my daughter's computer for some time now.
Sari: I... I can't see my mom doing that. she's so.. strong. like she could kill a dozen demons before breakfast.
Fujiko: If you want proof, I'll scan you the picture of your mother in blue hair. That was one of the things we did to break her out of her funk. We just got silly.
Sari: Blue.. hair. Are we talking about the same person?
Fujiko: Oh yes. We definitely are. ^_^
Sari: I might try that...
Fujiko: Take my daughter with you. She's way too serious for her good.
Sari: I don't know. I think my dad would be a little upset if I took off just now. I heard David telling him what had happened today. I guess my mom will be home tomorrow night.
Fujiko: I can see that happening. Alex and Happosai weren't really thrilled with Silk and I taking off like that, either.
Sari: why would Alex care? I mean, if she broke up with him?
Fujiko: She hadn't told Alex that she dumped him until sometime after we came back.
Sari: oh.
Fujiko: Your father, by the way, absolutely loved how Silk acted when she came back. She was flirting with him like crazy. I think that's when their relationship started.
Sari: like they act now? they act like stereotypical teenagers in america. It's strange, neither of them act very 'japanese'. not like most of the people I've met here.
Fujiko: From what I can see, pretty much. I'm not very Japanese either. I spent most of my life abroad.
Sari: must be it...
Sari: it's nice to know my mom is human too.
Fujiko: We all are, deep down. Just some of us hide it better.
Fujiko: I still have the mah-jongg tiles we used to determine our destination then, if you want to use them.
Sari: perhaps later. but I think now I should sleep some more. I'm so tired. I was so afraid of my dreams I didn't sleep at all last week. I used all the energy tricks I know to keep from sleeping.
Fujiko: Okay. Get some rest and don't fight it. If it's that bad, draw some more. Drawing is like writing, it's very theraputic.
Sari: thus says the woman with the art shop!
Sari: but I will. thank you, Fujiko-san
Fujiko: You are welcome. I'm going to send you the picture of us two crazy people back then. I think you could use a laugh. I pull it out when I need one.
Sari: thanks. I'll look at it in the morning, or whenever I wake up. Goodnight.
Fujiko: Pleasant Dreams, Sari.
Sari: so I hope...
Fujiko smiled as the chat program shut down. Sari was going to be all right. She sent the picture and then erase any evidence that she was ever on her daughter's computer. Before she left she made sure that Michiko would return the sketchbook. Fujiko also slipped a three-thousand yet gift certificate, earmarked "Art supplies", inside the sketchbook. Afterwards, the art shop owner went to sleep.
End