Samurai Souls 5       by  Kajite Gray
Stalactites      email  YoroidenGi@aol.com




    Terror. Terror. Terror.

    Sage was running, bare feet slapping against the stone floor beneath 
him. The passageway turned and twisted. Rocky spires flashed by on both 
sides as he ran. The cavern was dark and cold; he could barely see where he 
was going. The passageway turned and twisted. He was hopelessly lost. Sweat 
poured off his body. He was exhausted, and  his feet hurt. But none of that 
mattered. What mattered was staying ahead of IT, the nameless horror that 
lurched behind him. He could hear the heavy footsteps of the thing, 
somewhere in the darkness. There were no words to describe the creature. It 
was a dead thing, encased in crumbling grey samurai armor and weilding a 
wicked black spear. It persued him with mindless intent. Sage could hear 
the rasping of its breath, the creaking of ancient armor. And he could 
smell it. It smelled like death.
    Youja.
    The surrounding air grew cold at the thing's approach. As though the 
life were being drawn from the air itself.  Sage ran down twisting 
corridors, panic gripping him. Shadows snatched at him as he flew past. 
Weird rock formations loomed out the blackness. Half-blind in the darkness, 
he almost didn't see the pit until he was on the edge of it. He skidded to 
a stop at the edge, a rain of small stones clattering down into the 
fathomless depths. Sweat broke out on his face, trailing down his cold 
lips. He had nearly fallen into the endless black hole. He swayed dizzily 
at the lip.
    A soft footfall behind him stopped his heart cold. A fetid wind rolled 
over him, piercing him with icy terror. For a dreadful moment, Sage could 
not move. He imagined the thing just pulling his spine out and leaving him 
in a twitching heap on the floor.
    Sage wrenched his body around, unwilling to face Death with his back. 
The sight of the Youja chilled his soul. Behind the visor, the creature had 
no face. There was no flesh, only dread blackness punctuated by two glowing 
points where the eyes should have been. The dessicated jaw worked, withered 
lips and blackened stumps that used to be teeth grinding out a single, 
broken word.
    "Sssssaaaaaggggggggggeeeee...." 
    Its putrid breath enfolded Sage, filling him with mindless dread. The 
dead Youja's hand twitched, its corrupt face pulling into a lurid grin. 
Its withered fingers grasped for Sage's throat, eyes glowing with the 
promise of Hell.
     Wrenching his eyes from the undead horror, Sage turned and flung 
himself off the edge of the pit. Death was preferrable to having IT touch 
him. He plunged into darkness. Falling for a horrible eternity, until his 
body met with unyielding stone. The sound of the violent impact echoed 
hollowly in the darkness. Sage lay still. After a moment, he raised his 
head weakly. 
     Why aren't I dead? He wondered vaguely, sprawled on the rock floor. 
Darkness surrounded him. He could see nothing. But there was a sound.....
     A faint, distant ringing of metal on metal. Like the striking of a 
temple bell.
    Sage lurched unsteadily to his feet, the metallic sound echoeing in his 
mind. He shook his head, trying to clear it. Somewhere in the caverns, the 
Youja still lurked. He could not stop running now. He could never stop 
running. He fled down darkened pathways, trying now to outrun the clanging 
in his brain. It had grown to painful proportions, his body reverberating 
with the sound. It called him insistently, gouging at his senses like 
fingernails digging into an unhealed wound. No matter which way he turned, 
the sound grew louder. He tried to block it out, but it had gotten in his 
blood somehow, throbbing in time with his pounding heart. Hands over his 
ears to block out the hellish clamor, he ran down a narrow, twisting 
causeway. A blast of warm air struck him, engulfing him in a blizzard of 
pink petals. The overpowering sick-sweet stench of cherry blossoms 
surrounded him. Flurries of pink skirled around him in mad eddies. He was 
all but blinded by them. He gasped as a huge SOMETHING loomed out of the 
darkness at him. Sage reeled backwards, almost colliding with the thing. 
His grey eyes widened in horror. 
    A second armored figure towered over him, no less terrifying than the 
first. This one's costume resembled stylized Samurai armor - the metal 
strong and shining where the Youja's was broken and corrupt. The air 
throbbed with its power. Its armor was emerald and forest green, with huge 
shoulder plates. Sharp gold horns jutted from the faceless helmet. A 
no-dachi was gripped in one powerful hand. The thing lowered its head, as 
if acknowledging Sage. There was no face, only a silver metallic visor with 
terrible, empty eyesockets. Sage could only stare into the soulless black 
pits. The armored figure took a gliding step forward, extending armored 
fingers to him. 
    Sage recoiled, sick with recognition. He knew this armor - he had seen 
it before in countless nightmares. It had a name.
    Korin.
    He wanted no part of it. He turned in panic and ran, the awful clanging 
still tearing furrows in his mind. Korin lumbered mindlessly after him. 
From a dark tunnel, the dead Youja reappeared, joining it in its pursuit of 
the young man. Sage threw a frantic look back. BOTH reached for him, one 
seeking to destroy, the other to posess. He ran for his life through the 
caves. Rounding a narrow corner, the armored pair collided. As if aware of 
one another for the first time, they turned and attacked each other. Frozen 
in a corner, Sage watched them fight it out. The Youja lunged with its 
wicked spear, but the green armor was faster by far. There was a horrible 
wrenching, crackling noise.  Korin tore the head off the Youja easily and 
flung it aside with a sickening thump. Taking advantage of this distraction, 
Sage turned and fled down the tunnel. 
    He ran for a long time, finally coming to a stop at the edge of an 
underground lake. His breath came in ragged gasps, echoing through the 
empty cavern. The terrible ringing in his head had faded at last. He sat 
heavily at the water's edge, looking around wearily. White icicles of stone 
hung down from the ceiling. Water dripped monotonously, somewhere in the 
darkness. Thirsty, Sage bent to drink from the pool. An eerie, fitful light 
flickered across the water's surface; something glowed within the obsidian 
depths. Sage peered curiously into the pool. It was not his own face that 
stared back at him. It was that of Korin. The metal facemask seemed to grin 
evilly.
    Sage recoiled, but it was too late. The armored hands shot out of the 
water, locking around his pale throat. He didn't even have time to scream. 
Korin yanked him into the icey waters, and he plunged into darkness.


    He awoke with a yell, jerking bolt upright in bed. His breath came in 
tortured gasps; his hair was wild. His pajamas clung to his body, drenched 
in sweat. His hands clenched into fists, tightening on cool white sheets. 
Home. He was home. There was no Youja, no Korin reaching out lifeless hands 
to drag him to a fate worse then death. Here was safety. But he still felt 
cold; he shivered violently. The light flicked on.
    "Sage? Love?" His mother stood in the doorway in her pale green robe, 
looking tired and worried. She came into the room and sat on the edge of 
his bed. Sage shivered, not seeing her. All he could see was the vision of 
Korin reaching for him, the image burned into his brain. A white hand 
brushed the tousled blonde hair out of his eyes. He jerked away at her 
touch, his wild grey eyes locking with hers. 
    "Oh, Sage..." she whispered. He looked like he was scared to death. She 
drew his stiff body into her arms. He went limp, clinging to her and 
sobbing like a little child. Wordlessly she rubbed his back, trying to 
soothe him. She was used to his nightmares; her son had never been an easy 
sleeper. He had always had bad dreams, but now they seemed to be getting 
worse. Julia furrowed her brow. All her medical background had not helped 
her come up with a solution for his restless sleep. She wished more than 
anything that she could give him a peaceful night. He often woke in the 
morning with dark circles under his eyes and looking like he'd run a 
marathon in his sleep. What he was running from, he never said. He seemed 
cheerful and friendly during the daylight hours, but the nights haunted 
him. He even slept with the lights on sometimes, but it never helped.
    Minxie padded into the room, her calico ears twitching at the 
disturbance. Her white paws moved silently across the oriental carpet. The 
cat gave a concerned chirp, hopping up on the bed and crawling into Sage's 
lap. He needed so much watching. She rubbed her furred cheek against him 
appeasingly. His pale hand closed on her soft fur, pulling her close. Minx 
flattened her ears, staring about at the presence she felt but could not 
see. Her black lips curled delicately away from her gleaming fangs. 
Something had frightened her Sage. The room seemed dreadfully cold despite 
the cheerful yellow walls and bright light. Terror had touched here again. 
    Sage gradually quieted, his sobs subsiding to hiccups. Julia held her 
son, wishing for a way to cleanse the horror from him. She held him close 
until she felt his body droop against her. Careful not to disturb him, she 
settled him back under the covers. Sage didn't stir. He was already asleep. 
His mother frowned down at him, lips pursing. He looked so pale and 
exhausted. She wondered how he managed to function during the daytime. 
Dropping a kiss on his damp forhead, she prayed he would sleep. Minxie 
moved to the pillow and curled up by his cheek, warm fur pressing against 
him. 
    For a long time, Julia stood in the doorway, watching her son sleep. 
She stood there, unconciously twisting her honey-colored hair around her 
fingers. The intensity of his nightmares disturbed her. She could only hope 
that he would grow out of it. Maybe she would talk to Miagi again tomorrow 
at the clinic. Miagi was a sleep specialist, and had already done what he 
could for Sage. Nothing had stopped the night terrors so far, but it 
wouldn't hurt to ask if he had anything new.
    Probably doesn't, she thought, worrying at a painted fingernail. But 
it was all she could do. Sighing, she switched off the light and returned 
to bed.
    Sage slept deeply, free from the Youja for a moment. There was only 
darkness pressed against him now. That, and the faint sound of distant 
temple bells.




    Sashimi, Miso, Yakitori sandwich, Fruitplate, OJ, Chocolate milk, 
Cheeseburger, Ceaser Salad, Sushi Platter, FrenchFries, Milk, 
Applesauce......
    Kento looked around, balancing his mounded-up tray carefully. Had he 
missed anything? No. He had at least one of everything. Grinning in 
anticipation af a hearty meal, he ambled over to the cashier. She rang up 
his purchases.
    "That'll be 1325 yen," she informed him. Oops. He was short. He turned 
to Cye.
    "Uhhh... buddy?" Cye got a nervous look in his eye.
    "What...."
    "Uh, can I borrow 200 yen?" Cye looked at the sushi on his plate and 
grimaced.
    "Must you?" he asked in a pained voice. Kento gave him the puppy-eyes 
and he relented, handing the coins over.
    "Know what?" Cye muttered as they headed towards their table. "You'd 
starve without me." 
    Kento chuckled.
    "Thanks, buddy." He took a huge bite of his cheeseburger. "Mmmm-mmm! 
Who can pass up the school's Charred Beef Puck?" 
    Cye made a face, digging into into his salad.
    "I can." 
     Kento sat down across from him, wincing. Cye saw the look on his face 
and laughed.
    "HellDevil again?"
    "Yeah," muttered Kento ruefully.
    "So what did you do THIS time?" 
    "She found out about the frogs this morning. Got me on my way out." 
    "Oh." Cye started giggling, earning him a dirty look from Kento. 
"Sorry I missed it."
    "Don't be. It was pretty bad. Didn't know a dead frog could get up and 
dance like that..." He took another bite of his cheeseburger. "Coulda been 
worse. At least he didn't whip out a top hat and start singin'." Cye 
doubled up with laughter at the thought.
    "So..." he said, wiping at his eyes, "How mad was Mama?"  Kento winked.
    "Mad enough for one good shot before she was on the floor laughing. 
She is murder with that spoon, man! Tell ya, I got while the goin' was 
good."
    "Wise move,"  agreed Cye.
    They munched away companionably for awhile, Cye claiming some of 
Kento's fries as a buyer's fee. The cafeteria was noisy, crammed with 
students. But there was someone missing. Kento nudged Cye.
    "Seen Rowen at all today?"
    "Nah. Thankfully." 
    Kento frowned at him and peered around, trying to catch a glimpse of 
the familiar blue head. 
    "I don' think he's here," Cye mumbled around a mouthful of lettuce. He 
wiped dressing from his mouth with the back of his hand. 
    "I wouldn't worry about it."
    Kento looked like he didn't agree with that. 
    "Hope you're right. I don't like this."
    Cye noticed his look of concern.
   "Don't worry, ok? He's pretty tough - he'll be allright." He wasn't 
about to admit it, but Rowen's absence troubled him too. He knew now what 
Hashiba was capable of. Rowen had spent the entire weekend at the Fungs' 
without his father's knowledge. The repercussions might be... very bad.....   
    Cye shivered. He didn't want to think about it. His appetite spoiled, 
he pushed his plate away and set his chin in his hands. He and Kento sat in 
silence, both of them thinking the same thing. 
    Was Rowen in one piece? 


    Sage sipped at his tea slowly, only vaguely paying attention to the 
girl chatting in his ear. He was more interested in the two boys sitting a 
few tables away. One was chubby and round-faced. That was the Fung kid - 
his parents owned a resturaunt or something. Sage had seen him before, 
usually on the athletic field. But the boy sitting with him was unfamiliar. 
He was a slender, brown-haired boy who looked like he still belonged in 
grade school. Sage wasn't sure what had drawn his attention to them. Maybe 
it was the clanging in his head; it seemed louder now as he looked at them. 
It occured to him that they were together a lot.
    He dropped a bored look to the girl beside him. One of the drama-club 
Prima-Donnas, blonde haired and blue-eyed like himself. She had insisted on 
sharing a table with him , and was now fastened firmly to his arm. He 
didn't even know her name. 
    His grey eyes narrowed, watching the Fung boy and his little friend. 
Very carefully, he extended his mind towards them. There was a lot of 
psychic static in here - he had to work through it to see what he wanted. 
It was difficult with so many people in here. They all had their separate 
thoughts, needs and emotions. The room was full of these random thoughts 
and conversations, making the air feel muddy and thick. Sage pushed through 
the clutter with his mind, focusing his concentration. What he saw made him 
blink.
    Fung's aura blazed like a bonfire, glowing a healthy yellowish orange. 
The other boy's was a peaceful shimmering blue. The colors were normal 
enough, but the intensity shocked him. Their life-energies were incredibly 
powerful, their auras a shout in comparison to those around them. He never 
would have guessed that two such ordinary-looking boys could posess such 
energy. This warranted watching. Sage smiled a little, not noticing as the 
girl on his arm gave a happy sigh and leaned on his shoulder. She thought 
he was smiling at her. The boys' auras were overlapped, their edges 
intermingling with each other, the colors intertwining and supporting each 
other's weak points. These two were linked, indicating a close bond.
     Sage squinted, trying to read more. He had to be careful, though... 
if one of them was psychically sensitive, they might notice him. It was 
like trying to peer around a corner at someone without them seeing you. 
    The bells in his head seemed to intensify. He winced at the sharp 
sounds. This was weird. He wondered if these boys had any connection to 
his dreams of Korin and the Youja. They felt so powerful.... 

    Cye sat very still. He felt strange... as though tiny spiders were 
tickling up his neck. He stared blankly at the wall.
    "Hey." Kento poked him, and he jumped. "Are you asleep or somethin'?" 
     Cye blinked confusedly.
    "I- I don't know. Did you hear.... something?" He couldn't describe 
what is what he'd heard. A sort of ringing, metal-on-metal sound. So soft 
it was almost a non-sound. And he felt something else......
    Cye whipped around to find the young man a few tables away staring at 
him. Their gazes locked for a moment. Grey eyes met with blue. The 
blonde-haired boy looked away suddenly, and began talking to the girl on 
his arm. Cye frowned. He didn't know the young man - he looked American. 
He quirked a thumb back over his shoulder.
    "Who's Blondie over there?" Kento looked past him. 
    "Him? That's Sage Date, the Girl Magnet. Man....."  He shook his head, 
watching the girl fawning all over Sage, who looked bored. Kento sighed.
    "I wish I had that sort of luck with girls!"
    Cye grinned.
    "In your dreams, Hentai-Boy."
    "WiseAss," muttered Kento. He pushed the last few surviving frenchfries 
around on his plate, mouth turning down seriously.
    "I still wish I knew where Rowen went."


    The wind rushed across the low hill overlooking the school. The tall 
grass rippled in yelllow waves, half-hiding the young man sitting on the 
small rise. Rowen leaned his face into the wind. Late summer sun cascaded 
down on him, warming his body. His blue hair was tossed playfully by the 
friendly wind. Rowen sighed, stretching out on his back on the ground. He 
had put off going home yesterday for as long as he could, dreading a 
confrontation with his father. To his heartfelt releif, it had turned out 
to be a surprisingly uneventful experience. He had returned home late 
Sunday, only to discover Hashiba passed out on the floor in a drunken heap. 
Come Monday morning, he hadn't even remembered that Rowen had been anywhere 
but home all weekend. Rowen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He'd 
really dodged the bullet on that one. But one of these days, his luck was 
going to run out. 
    He folded his arms behind his head and squinted up at the white clouds 
blowing across the sky. Here was peace. He had skipped out of school early, 
not caring if anyone noticed that he was gone or not. They wouldn't miss 
him by the pool, at least. He had his excuse. Too bruised to even think 
about wearing a bathing suit, Rowen had begged out of swimming class for 
the next week, pleading a bad case of swimmer's ear. 
    "Happens a lot, does it?" remarked the coach, peering at the note from 
Rowen's "father". He'd shrugged and sent him out to run around the track 
instead. From there, it had been a simple matter to jump the fence and 
come up here. Rowen had, of course, written the note. Just like he had all 
the rest of them. It was his signature, too, that appeared on report cards 
and permission slips. Most of the time, his father was too drunk to sign 
his own name.
    Sighing, Rowen lay back in the tall grass. He would probably get 
another beating for THIS, but he didn't care. It would take awhile for word 
to trickle down to his father about him skipping. For the moment, he was 
at peace. Rowen curled up in the tall grass, watching the windswept sky. 
He wished he were a cloud, far above the earth where nothing and no one 
could reach him. It was twilight before he finally rose and reluctantly 
made his way  home.


    Darkness. The room lay in shadow. No light spilled in from the street. 
A single match flared, bringing life to the blackness. Sage lit several 
white tapers, chasing back the gloom. He was the light-bringer. Candlelight 
flickered, throwing soft shadows on the walls. Sage moved about, carefully 
positioning quartz crystals and geodes on his altartable. He fingered the 
banded green malachite pendant at his throat, putting his mind at peace for 
the foretelling ritual. He was curious about the two boys he had watched at 
school that day, and wondered whether they had any connection to the recent 
disturbances he'd sensed. Something big was afoot magically; it was 
frustrating not to be able to put his finger on it. It felt to him as 
though the whole world was poised on the edge of cataclysm. Something dark 
lurked beneath the calm veneer of normal life. Something weird and powerful 
waited below the surface. It lay just beyond his reach where he could not 
touch it. The air felt heavy, like the calm before a storm. Minxie felt it 
too, and wound anxiously around his feet as he worked. He picked her up and 
set her in a chair outside his circle. He needed to concentrate on what he 
was doing and did not want to have to worry about stepping on her. Minx 
settled her paws beneath her chest, eyes glinting like emeralds in the 
candlelight. She had no intention of upsetting his spell.
    Sage walked his circle three times, the embroidered hem of his green 
and white ceremonial robes flowing out behind him. He cleared the air with 
an incense of Rose and Cedar, whispering words of magic. The aura around 
his body glowed a shifting emerald green. His white hands cut mystic 
symbols through the smoky air. Sage sighed, feeling himself aligning with 
the natural power of the land. His eyes opened, eerily silver in the 
flickering light. He was in a proper frame of mind to read the cards now. 
Tipping his worn tarot deck from its box, he shuffled the cards rapidly. 
Their charge was electric. They felt like they were ready to tell him 
something. A soft smile creased his features.
    Now we shall see what is what, he thought.
    The cards held power - they told him things. Gave him clues to the 
future and helped to answer questions he could not figure out alone. He 
cut the cards and seperated out ten of them, fanning them out in a pattern 
inside his circle. Nothing they told him was concrete; just possibilities. 
They weren't always right, but he needed some answers. Hopefully, he would 
get some. Sometimes the cards showed him goobledy-gook; other times they 
were accurate enough to be frightening. At least the souls of the dead 
could not touch him through the cards. There were... other tools for that 
purpose. His gaze fell on the toy Ouijja board hunched on his top shelf, 
its box furred with dust. It had been given to him for Christmas three 
years ago. One bout of terror with THAT thing had been enough quite enough 
to convince him to stuff it back in its box and never touch it again. A 
Ouijja board was NOT a toy. No matter what those Parker Brothers fools 
said.
    Shrugging off the unpleasant experience, he turned back to his cards. 
They were spread face-down before him, their ornate gilded backs glimmering 
in the yellow light. He turned the first one over - the one representing 
himself - and smiled. The Magician. The card crossing him was the NightMare 
card, sometimes known as the Devil or Terror card. No surprises there. He 
tapped it with a pale fingertip. That card showed up for him a lot. The 
card of near future showed the Five of Wands, indicating turmoil and 
confusion. The goal card urged for unity, crowning that one. Two 
influencing cards came next. The stalwart Knight of Pentacles and the 
fish-tailed Knight of Cups, riding a silver wave. Two warriors. Sage 
frowned. Warriors for what purpose? He shrugged in confusion. The distant 
past showed the usual. Lost peace, a journey, a quest for answers. He 
flipped through the rest of them, revealing worry and fuss cards for his 
own emotions, and the Justice card at the top of the row.
    Sage frowned at the cards, unconciously jerking his head to flick his 
blonde hair out of his eyes. The cards said some interesting things, but 
answered none of his questions. He hesitated over the last card, the one 
that was supposed to show the probable future. That card disturbed him. It 
was the Ruined Tower, promising conflict, strife and pain. He did not like 
that card. He didn't like it at all. Somewhat unsettled and no less 
confused, Sage gathered up his cards. He was no closer to an answer than 
he had been before. All he had to show for his trouble was more questions.
    Before putting his things away, he had a little thought - a question, 
really. In a rather playful voice, he held up the deck of cards: "Allright, 
deck," he announced. "-what's the deal with these two boys I saw today? 
Who are they really?" He thumbed two random cards out of the pile, watching 
them float down. They landed face-up on the floor.
    Justice and Faith. Sage laughed softly. What kind of answer was that? 
Shrugging, he dispelled his circle and put the cards away. He gave Minxie 
a wan smile, rubbing his dully aching head. Reading cards always tired him 
somewhat. Exchanging his kimono for his pajamas, he flopped down heavily 
on the bed. Sleep overtook him quickly, and he fell into a deep slumber. 
Minx joined him, curling up in the crook of his knee. Only once did he wake. 
It was a queer thing - it seemed that someone was in the room, someone whom 
he could not see. Still half asleep, Sage frowned into his pillow. There 
were enough house-spirits around here to wake anybody up. Sometimes they 
got noisy. It was probably one of them. With a sleepy shrug, he buried 
himself back under the blankets. 
    He did not hear what Minxie did. She raised her head, eyes winking in 
the blackness. Her patched ears twitched towards the faint sound of metal 
rings on an old man's staff. 


    Kento blinked, scratching his head. He looked down at the marble 
sitting in the middle of the worn carpet, winking up at him. He'd nearly 
tripped on it on his way out of the bathroom. What was it doing out here? 
He'd found it on the edge of the sink the other day yesterday; this morning 
it had turned up in his jacket pocket, and later on his desk. He KNEW he 
hadn't put it there. And now it was on the floor, just waiting for him to 
slip and kill himself on it. It was eerie, the way the thing seemed to 
follow him around.... 
    Kento laughed at himself. It had to be Malachai. He looked over at the 
cat sleeping on his bed.
    "Stay out of my stuff, furball," he muttered, dropping the ball back 
into his dresser drawer. Malachai had probably been playing with it again - 
he liked shiny objects. On more than one occassion, Kento had caught him 
chasing it across the floor. The cat yawned and stretched as Kento plopped 
down on the bed beside him. He burrowed into his covers and tried to sleep.
    But it was hard. Some idiot was ringing a bell someplace, with mindless 
insistence. That alone was annoying enough, but there was something else 
too....  A hollow tapping sound that reminded him of spiders' feet reached 
his ears. Kento frowned. Strange scratchings and rustlings seemed to be 
coming from the walls. Malachai was curled up quietly next to him, but 
there was a sizeable SOMETHING moving around in the room. Kento wondered 
if there were rats.
     "Go get 'im, boy," urged Kento, suddenly very unwilling to set foot 
on the floor to see what it was. The cat refused to budge, growling low in 
his throat. Kento was shocked. Malachai never growled. He finally got up 
the nerve to snap on the light, but there was no one there. Hugging the 
still-growling cat to his chest, he spent a sleepless night reading with a 
bat in his hand. He didn't know what it was that he had been hearing.
    But whatever it was, he was going to hit it.


    Cye tossed uneasily in his sleep. He frowned, turning into his blue 
silk sheets. Whisperings and rustlings emanated from the air around him. 
The young man curled up tighter, burying his head under the pillow.  He 
somehow found sleep again, dropping into restless dreams of fishes and 
swordpoints. If he had been awake, he would have been very startled by 
what he saw. Nested in a branch of white coral, right where he'd but it, 
his crystal ball glowed. It pulsed, filling the room with an eerie light. 
Silver and blue water shadows chased each other over the dark walls, 
falling upon Cye's sleeping form. The patterns rippled, giving the illusion 
that the whole place was underwater, glinting off the glass whales and 
crystal dolphins on the shelves. The pale blue kanji of Trust glowed 
brightly within the orb.
    Unknown to Cye, his own forehead was lit with the same pattern, the 
watery blue light somewhat masked by the hair falling across his face.  He 
slept on, blissfully unaware of what was in store for him.  





     To be Continued......    Next Chapter: Kodoku 

"For those foolish enough to plagiarize from this story.... 
The Youja shall haunt you."--Kajite