Ghost Dance

The oldest stories live deep within us. Deeper than our very bones. They define who we are and the paths we walk.

This is a story about stories. YST and BSSM crossover.

Warnings: Language, mild shoujo ai and implied shounen ai. Some blood and dark themes later. Also some possible OOCness either for humour's sake or the sheer fact it's been a few years since I've watched either series all the way through. Props to anyone who catches the Firefly quote :3

Monday

Chapter 1: Dream Catcher

Wind whistled against the windows, rattling the brittle glass and a cold draft swept through the room. Rotting wood furniture, its upholstery moldy and moth eaten, cluttered the room. Dusty cobwebs hung from everywhere, the only sign of their arachnid occupants were the dried, semi-translucent exoskeletons with their spindly legs curled in on themselves.

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair...

There was a spinning wheel in the corner. A pile of gold thread lay on one side, another pile of ancient straw on the other. Not far off was a bottle of poison drawn from the tail of a Manticore and a bowl of apples. They were the only things in the room that didn't seem decayed. Even under the layer of dust, their round, lush surfaces, red as blood gleamed in the orange torchlight.

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair,

High in your tower, I know you're up there

Everywhere, the room was filled with what seemed like useless junk. A dusty red hood and cape hung on a coat rack, a garland of dry and withered roses, a nutcracker, a golden harp, twelve pairs of worn out silk slippers, a glass shoe, a sword rusted firmly in it's scabbard, an old horn, a pea, a rusty flute and a gold clock in a glass case with a red rose blossoming among it's gears.

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, locked away for all time

Let down your hair and may you be mine

Under the cobwebs, the walls were decorated with old, primitive drawings and even older runes carved into the stone. If you just looked at them, you could see the darkness, made even blacker and kept at bay only by the meager firelight. You could feel hot breath on your neck and you hoped to high heaven it was just a draft, blowing a bit of heat from the fire. You could smell the blood of the hunt, and the fear of the unknown.

You could see the first stories taking shape in the form of eight legged buffalo, and a volley of arrows.

There were wolves and trees and the phases of the moon. But first...

First there was the light and then there were mountains, oceans, fire and stars.

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, locked away in the high tower

Shall no one see the blossom of this magnificent flower?

There was a horse. It didn't look like a horse, or at least the shell of horse. But you knew what it was, because it was how a horse flowed when it moved. It was drawn in white chalk and only looked like a couple of lines. But they were exactly what a horse was. There were four of them in a line and in they left in their wake Pestilence, Famine, War and Death.

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair

Or will you forever be locked up in there?

In the center of the room was a canopy bed. The curtains had probably once been velvet and a deep wine red, but time had faded them into threadbare old rags. Through the holes one could just make out hints of a figure sleeping deeply.

Reaching out, he drew aside the curtains...

Seiji sat bolt upright, breath coming in labored gasps. The room spun and his legs were tangled in his sweat-soaked sheets. He could still smell dust and rotting wood. As the dream receded, and reality seemed less hazy, he struggled free of the tangled mess he'd made of his bed. He'd have to do laundry later, he thought offhandedly with just a small sense of irritation.

Seiji felt angry. He was angry because he knew that hadn't been a normal dream. He was angry because he could still feel the ghostly touch of the cobwebs, and he was angry because the smell of mold was still present and making his allergies act up. But mostly he was angry because he knew that dream had been full of warnings, heralding some sort of threat.

He spared a glance to the bed across the room from him. Shin Mouri was dead to the world, and Seiji knew he'd be the one most upset by this news. For now, Seiji decided it was best to let him get some sleep. He'd been so excited to come visit with Nasuti and his friends. So had everyone for that matter. It was good to catch up on old times. It had been a little over a year since the incident with Suzunagi and everyone had gone their own ways. Seiji was off at university, and his grandfather had become quite sick. He'd been trying to find a good family to arrange for his grandson to marry into and carry on the family legacy. Touma was off studying Astronomy and chemistry at Todai, and loving every second of it. Shin and Shuu were going to the same school and shared an apartment in Aoyama. And Ryo... Ryo was taking a year off from school and working a lot of part time jobs to save up enough for tuition.

The reunion had been good. All but Jun had been able to make it, mostly because Jun's parents had started to wonder what sort of people he was spending his summers with. Certainly none of his friends from school.

It was a sad reality, but a reality nonetheless. The boy's parents wouldn't remember what had happened, and it was probably strange to them that their twelve year old son was spending his summer breaks with five college students and a young lady who had just gotten her Masters degree instead of kids his own age.

Seiji picked himself up off the bed and headed to the window. Looking out, he could just see a pale pink line of light against the dark, star strewn sky.

Red sky at morning...

He picked out his clothes for the day. It was about half an hour before he'd usually get up, so there really wasn't any point in going back to bed. Besides he could use that extra time in the bathroom, getting ready for the day.

It looked to be a long one.

---

Once upon a time, there was a poor woodcutter who lived with his wife and daughter in the Forgotten Forest. She was a good and obedient daughter, and quite beautiful as well. She did all her duties as a daughter. She cooked and cleaned and wove most splendid cloth when she could a hold of things with which to spin thread from.

Her weaving was well known throughout the village and nearby town as the finest in the district.

One day, her mother fell quite ill. The woodcutter and his daughter tended to the stricken woman until dawn before she finally died. There was a small funeral, and they buried her in the church cemetery where it is said roses grow around her grave.

After his wife died, the heartbroken woodcutter was never quite the same. He went drinking every night.

On one night before the village festival, he bragged in a drunken stupor that his daughter was so good at weaving that he claimed she could spin cobwebs in to the finest silk, wool into silver thread, and straw into gold.

This soon turned to a rumor that reached the King's ears. Now the King was a cruel man, and knowing that it was nothing more than a silly rumor, he called the woodcutter into his court.

"Woodcutter," he said in a voice cold as ice and loud as thunder, "I have heard great things about your daughter's weaving. Are these things true? If they are not, you will be charged with lying to your King, and you know that a lie to your king is as good as treason."

"They are true." The Woodcutter replied firmly, for he knew if he admitted to lying both he and his daughter would be put to death.

"Then I order you to bring her here so we might put her skills to the test."

The woodcutter had no choice. His daughter was brought before the King the next evening and she was told to weave straw into gold. She had until dawn to weave all the straw in the stables into shimmering threads.

As the moon rose above the horizon, and the woodcutter's daughter felt overwhelmed with despair, a voice called to her from the rafters.

"Beautiful girl, why do you weep? For are you not fortuitous to be beautiful and well-mannered and loved by your family?"

"I cry for my mother in heaven, and my father who by a drunken slip of his tongue has landed us a death sentence!"

"I can help you," said the little man, emerging from the shadows. He was small and dressed all in brown leather and leaves. He had skin like the bark of a tree, and curly red hair. He smoked a pipe and there was an oddly shaped carbuncle at the tip of his nose. "My name is of no importance, for all you need to know is that I am a friend of Robin Goodfellow. Are you not the girl who must weave straw into gold?"

"I am none other," said the woodcutter's daughter miserably. "Can you really help me?"

"I can in exchange for something precious of yours."

"You cannot help me then," she said with despair. "For I am the daughter of a woodcutter, not a merchant or a nobleman. My possessions are few and plain."

"Ah, but you are a woman and do women not carry children and give milk?"

The woodcutter's daughter couldn't help but to laugh. "Only when a woman loses her maidenhead can she carry a child and only when the child is born will she give milk."

"I see. Then I shall take the maidenhead, milk, and the child as my payment." Said the small man.

So on the first night, he took her maidenhead. The next night, in exchange for spinning wool into silver, she gave him sheep and goat's milk. On the third night, she was placed into an old, unused room where the small man spun cobwebs into silk.

"So where is the baby?" He demanded. The woodcutter's daughter explained that it took about a year for a child to be born.

"I will return every night to check on your progress until the child has arrived then."

"But I cannot give you my first born if you are just going to take him away!"

"Then if you can guess my name, you can keep your child."

So the princess was married to the King's son, and every night the small, strange man visited the woodcutter's daughter, who was now a princess. And each night she would guess many, many names until he left.

Six months into her pregnancy, after the man had left, the Princess was at a loss. She had guessed so many names, read so many books and studied every fairy and friend of Robin Goodfellow. She had become a wise and intelligent woman, and she spent much of her time pouring through the King's official documents. People didn't think much of it because she was a woman and not of noble birth. Her curiosity was harmless, though a bit eccentric. Especially because she always spoke of fairies.

That fateful night, she went to the room where she had watched him weave cobwebs into silk and thought, and thought, and thought. She was so deep in thought that she did not notice a small yellow and brown spider that had crawled up to her hand.

"Oh princess who has my name, and bears the gift and burden that I bore; if you wish to save this child from the fairies, I will give you this advice; on the seventh day of the week, follow the man back to his home in the Forgotten Forest. It is on the seventh day of the week that he goes to the bar and sings his praises for all his mischief. Wear a cloak of his silk, a crown of his gold and a ring of his silver so that you will carry the magic of a fairy and not be seen as a human. These things will protect you."

"You are a Arachne, cursed to be a spider because of your pride. How can I trust you?"

"Because you are Arachne, blessed with humility and you have no other choice."

So she took heed of the spider's advice and on the following Sunday, the small man returned.

"We have three more months of this, so I believe you know the routine."

"No, we don't." Said the Princess, resting a hand on her swollen belly. "You have given me much, and taken many important things from me in exchange. But I cannot let you have my first born child. However, I am grateful so I will give you this." From her breast she took a small, plain locket made of tin. Inside was a lock of her mother's hair. She gave it to him.

"Farewell, Rumpelstiltskin. I am glad we met, and my only regret is that we never shall again."

Without a word, the small man left with the locket held close to his chest.

And this was how Arachne had her soul stolen.

While Seiji was getting ready for the day, Hotaru lowered the book of fairy tales and nestled a little deeper into the blankets. The first light of day was just creeping up over the horizon and turning the morning mist a rich, orange and pinkish colour. The first day of summer vacation, and she couldn't sleep a wink. Reading hadn't helped put her to sleep either. Setting the book down on top of the bedside table, she glanced at the clock. 5:37 am blinked in red back at her. Puffing up her cheeks, she rolled onto her side and stared out the window. Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa wouldn't be up for another two hours.

It was another half an hour before sleep finally came. Her last thought before she dozed off was 'Was that really how Rumpelstiltskin ended?'

At around seven thirty, two alarm clocks went off and an eager Hotaru bounded downstairs.

"Good morning, Michiru-mama!" Hotaru chirped. Michiru greeted her with a bleary smile, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Usually Haruka was the late sleeper, but Michiru had been up late. The Aqua Mirror had been showing her some unpleasant things, none of which she could make head nor tail of. She would have to talk to Haruka, Hotaru and (when she arrived that afternoon) Setsuna.

"Good morning Hotaru," Michiru stifled a yawn, as she got down a box of Honey Bunches of Oats. "Just cereal today. We have that big lunch today. Did you sleep well?"

Hotaru nodded, climbing up on the counter to get down two packets of instant oatmeal. Haruka-papa and her always had instant oatmeal together on cereal days. "Yup! I'm really excited for today. Setsuna is coming over, isn't she?"

Michiru managed a smile. "She sure is. She wants to congratulate you on your grades. Now you just have ninth grade and you'll be in high school!"

Hotaru considered this. "It's going by so quick. Are you sure Setsuna isn't speeding up time?"

Michiru had to laugh. Last night, Haruka had said something along the lines of "It seems like only yesterday we were trying to kill her. Now she's family and off to high school in a little over a year."

The Soldier of Neptune smiled fondly as she watched Hotaru fix two bowls of instant oatmeal and pop them into the microwave. It wasn't a fairy tale family. Nothing ever was. But Hotaru had a family that loved her and that's all that really mattered. It gave Michiru half a mind to try calling up her parents again, perhaps at least try to reconcile something. But even though Usagi's idealism had won Michiru and Haruka over in regards to Hotaru, there was no changing her parents minds. When they had found out Haruka wasn't a man, there had been an almighty row and Michiru, their talented, their obedient, their perfect daughter had been disowned.

But Haruka and Hotaru had been worth it. Haruka's family had been far more accepting ('expecting ' seemed a more appropriate term at the time. Haruka's parents had long since given up any hope of their daughter bringing home a young man when she so easily passed as one herself).

Michiru sat down with her cereal, peeling open a magazine as Haruka ambled in, running a towel through her short, sandy blond hair.

"Morning," Haruka gave a long yawn, rubbing her eyes and giving Michiru a kiss on the forehead. "Guess I'm not making pancakes today, huh?" She teased, noticing Michiru's bowl of cereal.

"Nope," Michiru replied, patting Haruka's arm consolingly. Monday's were usually Haruka's day to make pancakes which had the honour of being 'almost as good at Makoto's'. She smiled, tugging at that small curl in Haruka's hair that always managed to stick up. "We've got a big day ahead of us. And after lunch today, I want to speak with Hotaru, you and Setsuna."

A grim look passed across Haruka's face. She knew what kind of chats involved all four of them.

"How close?"

"The mirror was being vague so... not so close that we can't enjoy our day and get to know our new neighbors."

Haruka nodded, as the microwave went 'PING'. Wordlessly, Hotaru set down the two bowls of oatmeal for her and Haruka-papa, but she didn't feel so hungry anymore.

"The two of you, really. Cheer up! We'll have lunch today and then nip this in the bud before it becomes a real threat. Now eat up! We need to clean up around here and I can't have you both dragging your feet."

Hotaru looked at Michiru and then to a baffled Haruka. The Soldier of Uranus's mouth curved into a grin. "Well, when you put it like that..." She grinned, digging into her oatmeal, and gave Hotaru a wink. "We'll be okay."

---

The words were writing themselves. Ink the colour of old blood spreading across the pages thin and brown with age. Words curled out like roots, and pictures began to form under the writing.

They made the face of a clock.

And Time was ticking.

---

Nasuti and Touma had been awake almost the entire night, having taken apart her P.C. It was time to back up her information on a few data discs, and put in a new hard drive, motherboard, and processor. The ordeal had taken a while, but Nasuti and Touma were champion night owls, and very little could keep them from a computer in desperate need of new parts. Besides, she had bribed Touma with a chance to play the beta of some new online Role Playing Game he'd been raving about but didn't have the funds to buy past the free trial.

As the first yellow light of morning shone in through the windows and the sounds of the shower starting filtered down from upstairs, the two surveyed their handiwork with a sense of pride. With the lack of error windows coming up on the brand new, wide LCD monitor, and the computer not shutting down at random, it was proof they had done well.

"Wicked." Touma remarked, flashing a thumbs up as Nasuti put in the first data DVD. "It worked."

"Let's not count our chickens before they hatch. I haven't done anything yet. I'll need to get the 'net all set up again, and I have to make sure I can actually- oh bullocks, don't tell me the DVD drive isn't reading DVDs!"

Touma looked over at the at the machine, before the menu came up on the screen.

"Never mind," Nasuti gave a small exhale of relief. "False alarm."

It wasn't long before Shin was downstairs, ready to make breakfast. "Good morning everyone. Fancy Touma seeing this side of morning. You pull an all nighter?" He teased, as Touma scowled at him.

"Quiet you. Didn't see you help fix the computer."

Nasuti rolled her eyes, deciding to focus on copying her old files. The morning banter was going to take a while, and there was no way of breaking it up since it was all in good fun anyway. Besides, there were more productive things she could be doing, like testing out her new processor.

They had gotten older, more mature, but the boys still liked to take the piss out of each other. Most surprisingly, shy little Shin had turned out to be a world class master of banter, who could hold his own against 'My IQ is 255!' Touma.

Observe.

"Well aren't you just the knight in shining armor. Isn't earning you any extra waffles though."

"Nah, you save those for your boyfriend, Cinderella."

Shin flushed, but otherwise didn't seem phased. Nasuti could only imagine Touma was talking about Shuu.

"Can it little boy blue. Instead of harassing Nasuti here, why don't you make yourself useful and get Sleeping Beauty and Snow White up?"

"Maybe I should do that then!"

"Well maybe you should!"

"Fine!"

"Good!"

Shin, the victor, wandered off to the kitchen, as Touma stomped off upstairs. Waffles needed making. There were six hungry mouths to feed, and Touma and Shuu were champion face stuffers. Ryo wasn't exactly a finicky eater either.

Seiji was the next one downstairs, rubbing the sleep from his gray eyes. His hair was still damp from his shower, and he was dressed in a neat, dark green button down shirt and khaki slacks. "Good morning Shin," he greeted his roommate who was already bustling around making batter for the waffles.

"Good morning to you too, sunshine," Shin chirped, sifting flour into a ceramic bowl. "Heard you didn't sleep too well last night."

Seiji inwardly cringed. "Oh bloody hell, I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

"Sort of, but I was pretty much out of it anyway, so I thought I was just dreaming. You kept repeating 'Rapunzel, Rapunzel' and a weird English rhyme."

Seiji wasn't the swearing sort. But he very nearly uttered an expletive when Shin's words sunk in.

"About that..."

"Save it." Shin said, keeping his voice very level. He didn't need Seiji's sixth sense to know that things were taking a turn for the worst. "Tell us when we're all together and-"

There was suddenly a very loud, very indignant scream from upstairs, shortly followed by another and then the pitter-patter of stampeding feet. It was the sound of Touma making a rapid get-away, closely pursued by Ryo and Shuu.

A blur of blue darted through the kitchen, nearly toppling a still-sleepy Seiji face-first into the table. Shin heard the hall closet open and slam shut.

Both very red in the face, Shuu and Ryo hurried into the kitchen as Seiji tried to regain his usual aloof composure.

"Where'd he go?!" Shuu demanded, while Ryo was scrubbing his lips with the sleeve of his pajamas.

It didn't take long for Shin to put two and two together. "...I didn't expect him to take me seriously," he mused to no one in particular.

"You put him up to this?!" A scandalized Shuu accused, pointing wildly at Shin who was demurely cracking eggs into a bowl.

"He kissed me!" Ryo wailed. "I've never been kissed before!"

"Ah, amoré," Shin gave a mock wistful look, before jerking his thumb in the direction of the hallway. "He's in the closet."

"Doesn't surprise me," Shuu replied, a devious grin passing across his face as he cracked his knuckles. Ryo was already storming off towards the hallway.

"Boys will be boys, hmm?" Nasuti said, wandering into the kitchen after Shuu and Ryo had gone off after Touma (who had abandoned the closet but was shortly cornered in the living room). "Anything I can help with?" She asked, stretching and popping her stiff neck.

"Yeah actually, do you have any of that sugar in the raw?" Shin asked, ignoring the muffled shouting and thuds coming from the living room. A growl and three surprised squawks suggested that Byakuen had woken up and decided to join in the three-way wrestling match.

"Should have," Nasuti yawned again. "Touma and I were using it in our coffee last night. Aha!" She produced the box, shook it to make sure there was substantial amount left, and handed it to Shin. "Should be enough."

"Fantastic," Shin smiled, taking the box and carefully started measuring out the sugar.

It was a morning like any other they had shared in the past four years. There was joking and rough housing. Even Seiji would come out of his shell enough to make a few backhanded compliments that Ryo and Shuu only occasionally picked up on, and left Touma snickering. Shin and Nasuti would occasionally take sides to even the score, or they'd talk about school. Not-so-far-fetched tales of eccentric professors, exploding Bunsen burners, toilet papered trees, the degradation of society and traditional values in Japan's youth today ("You sound like an old man, Seiji!" Nasuti had teased), and Ryo's borderline bi-polar boss who ate raw hamburger meat every Wednesday.

Ryo watched his friends laugh and joke and tell tales of their time away from each other. While they had enjoyed themselves, it seemed everyone was most happy when they were here, in Nasuti's kitchen together. Ryo smiled as Touma ruffled his unruly dark hair, talking about a chemistry professor at Todai who matched the description of Ryo's boss.

It was a lot like a big family. No matter what happened, they still had each other. Even if they all went their separate ways, there would always be reunions to remind them of how important they were to each other.

"Hey Ryo, better stop spacing out or Shuu's gonna grab your waffles!" Nasuti warned, pointing to a fork that was edging ever closer.

Ryo snapped out of his reverie and there was a brief battle between forks before he reclaimed his breakfast.

"Dammit Nasuti, I was that close!"

"Serves you right. Ahh, you jerk! Those were mine! That's it, no mercy!"

"Would someone please pass the pumpkin jam?"

"I don't know how you can eat that stuff, Seiji. It's got like, no sugar in it."

"Precisely."

"Shin, protect me! Nasuti's gonna stab me with a butter knife and eat my brains!"

"Nasuti's a zombie now, huh?"

"It's what you deserve, you little sneak thief!"

"Hey guys, what does a vegan zombie say?"

"Graaaaaaaaaiiiiins! ...C'mon Touma, you've done that one before."

"What's a vegan? Is it something from Star Wars?"

"Ryo, I think your confusing that with a Vulcan, and those are from Star Trek."

"Gasp! We have a closet Trekkie in our midsts!"

"Shut it, Shuu! You're not one to be talking."

"Heh, I never said it was a bad thing, dorkus."

Ryo smiled, taking a gulp of orange juice. It was true. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Outside, the morning mist rose up into the hot summer air, solemn as a ghost.

---

Early yellow sunlight filtered in through the new kitchen windows. Jun had just put two frozen waffles into the toaster, and was now eagerly awaiting his first breakfast in this strange new house that smelled of plastic finish and made unfamiliar noises. A new house, a new neighborhood and a new school after the summer. His father had hoped to put off the move until Jun started high school, but that proved to be impossible with the new promotion.

Still, Jun had dealt with worse and the neighborhood seemed all right. He was even a little excited to meet the neighbors. He'd heard they had adopted a kid his age, and it would be nice to make a friend.

His cat, Spike, wandered in, rubbing leisurely against the corner of the fridge. Spike was a lazy ginger tom cat who knew exactly what buttons to push to get his way. His way was usually food, or battling it out with Jun's father over the cushy recliner in the living room. Spike hated Jun's father and visa versa. In truth, the only one who actually liked Spike in the whole family was Jun's grandmother, who had gone quite senile around a year ago, just a little after her ninety fourth birthday.

Jun's mother had stopped by with a zucchini bread she had made, and found her mother's apartment flat overrun with stray cats she had taken in. The place reeked of moldy cat food, cat hair, and cat byproducts straight out of cat digestive systems. The old woman had spent the last month living off of cheese and water crackers and had refused any company.

It had taken a week of hard work to get most of the cats to the shelter (the ones that didn't manage to escape), clean up the flat, and move all of the old lady's things over to their house.

Jun's grandmother hadn't liked the move. She had protested constantly, but she had settled into a sort of grudging acceptance of the whole matter.

Jun set down a bowl of dry cat food for Spike who had gotten to licking his chops and preparing for the grand concerto of meowing his head off until someone gave him something edible.

Taking his monthly issue of a video game magazine from the stack of yesterday's mail, Jun plucked his toasty waffles from the slots and sat down with his breakfast. It would be a while before anyone was up and Jun liked these quiet mornings to himself. Circling a potential birthday present, Jun considered taking the Friday afternoon train up to Nasuti's. Getting out over summer break would do him some good. Not to mention get him some temporary relief from his mother nagging him with a million and one extracurricular activities she wanted him to sign up for over the break.

His musings were put on hold by a sudden creak from the stairway. Crap! The thirteen year old wolfed down his breakfast and quickly hid the plate and utensils in the dishwasher. He swallowed the last of is, just as his grandmother wandered in.

She was a thin, frail looking woman with skin like wrinkled old paper. Though she was nearly ninety five years old, she was in relatively good physical condition, despite the fact her mind was slipping. She only needed the aid of an old wicker cane with a handle carved in the shape of a crow's head to walk around. Right now she was in her night gown, bathrobe and mismatched slippers, and peering around the kitchen as if she were perplexed as to how she had got there.

"Grandma," Jun sagged a little with relief and hurried over to see what she needed. "Grandma, you okay?"

"Ijima..." she croaked and waved him off with a gnarled hand, "Ijima, I had the strangest dream. You were there and so was Elliot." His grandmother suddenly seized him by the wrist. For a frail old lady, her grip was almost vice-like. "They're coming, Ijima. They're coming back."

"Grandma? What's wrong? Who's Ijima?" Jun was alarmed by this outburst. Usually his grandmother was confused and sometimes called him by his Uncle's name, but this was the first time she had ever mentioned someone called Ijima.

"...Oh dear, Ijima, did the Forgotten Forest take your memory? Don't worry, the toxin will wear off and you'll be fine soon."

"No, grandma, it's me! Jun, your grandson!"

His grandmother gave him a blank stare, her grip loosening around his wrist. He managed to tug his arm away and rest a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Jun?" She croaked, letting him lead her out the kitchen to the stairs.

"That's right," Jun said in a level voice. "It's me. Jun Yamano!"

His grandmother shook her head, rubbing her forehead. "But that can't be right. You can't be here. That woman! She must be messing with time again! Ooh if I ever see her again I'll strangle her with my bare hands!" She paused, looking thoughtful for a moment. "No wait... yes, I'm ninety five in a few days. Yes... damn my mind, wandering off the time line and into the past." She gave Jun an apologetic smile. "Sorry love, it happens when you get old. Now help me up these god forsaken stairs. Honestly, your father..."

Jun gave his grandmother an incredulous look. It was true she said a lot of stuff and did even weirder things, but she was a nice old lady, in the cantankerous way that bitter old people could be nice. Helping her up the steps one at a time, he led her to her room, wondering just what was going on in that head of hers. Even before she had gone senile, she would say strange things like "Sorry, I didn't catch that. I was remembering the future again," or "Bullocks, that should have happened yesterday! What are those idiots doing?!" People just tended to laugh it off with 'My, isn't she a card!' but Jun always got the impression that his grandmother was the one really laughing.

She settled in among the sheets in a room that smelled strongly of lilacs and, for whatever reason, cats (even though they only had Spike and nowhere else in the house smelled of cat).

"You're a good boy Jun." She croaked, sinking back into oversized pillows that dwarfed her already diminished frame. "I don't think I'm going to be with you much longer though. Hard to tell though... Bloody Hell, I can remember Crystal Tokyo but I can't remember when I'm going to kick the damn bucket. Mind like a bleedin' sieve."

"Grandma, don't say that. The doctor said you're in good health and everything."

His grandmother gave a dismissive snort. "Pshaw. Health don't have nothin' to do with it. When a lady's gotta go, she's gotta go, and I ain't goin' peacefully neither. S'happening again, and damned if I ain't there when it does."

Jun sat at the edge of her bed as she rambled sleepily.

"But 'fore it happens, I got a little present for ya. You gotta promise me something though boy. You're gotta promise you're gonna look after what I'm about to give you. You can't show it to anybody, no matter how much you might trust 'em. Even if they ask you nice. I don't care if they're your mama, papa or best friend. You never let 'em see it."

"O... Okay."

"Swear it."

"I... I swear it...?" Jun was confused. One minute, she was an ambling, absent minded, grouchy old granny, the next she was looking at him with a stare like some ancient bird of prey.

From her bedside table, she removed a dusty, moth eaten old book from the drawer along with a blue fountain pen. Opening its stiff, yellow pages, she scribbled something out.

"Hold out your hand, palm up." She ordered flatly, capping the pen and removing something from behind her ear. Jun did as he was told and she caught his wrist a second time in that grip that would have made Shuu proud.

"Ouch!" Jun gasped, as she pricked the tip of his index finger with a pin. He tried to pull away to suck on the small wound, but to no avail. The old woman held fast. "What was that for?" He demanded as a bead of red formed on the tip of his finger.

"Oh, don't be such a baby. You've had worse than a little prick on the finger. Sign your name here." She said, holding up the page she had written on. The sill damp ink glistened black in the morning light.

"What?! In blood?"

"Give the boy a cigar. No lad, I only stuck a pin in your finger because I wanted to try me hand at acupuncture. Of course in blood! Makes it official." She huffed as if this was obvious. Jun was stunned. Was his grandmother some kind of cultist?

"Why? So I keep my word?" He asked very slowly, as if he were talking to someone just about to jump off a building.

"No lad. So when you're stupid enough to break it, your soul's got a fighting chance."

"I-"

"Sign it."

Slowly, Jun ran his finger over the page, writing out the characters for his name. There was no crack of thunder or dramatic flicker of the lights. The earth didn't even have the decency to quake, as convention dictates. Instead, his grandmother took the book and blew on the ink that was still drying.

"Good lad." She took out the last occupant of her bedside table drawer; a small, navy blue velvet pouch. Something heavy inside jingled with a decidedly metallic sound. He gave it a perplexed stare. "I was going to give it to your mum, but she wouldn't know what to do with it. Blasted girl wouldn't know magic if a dragon up and bit her in the arse. But you lad... I know what you've seen. You take care of that, and only use it when all other doors are locked."

"I... you... what?!" Okay, it was one thing to find out your grandmother was crazy. It was a decidedly different can of worms that she had just alluded to knowing about your childhood adventures with magical samurai fighting evil overlords.

"Don't start interrogating me. I'm tired and would like to get in a nice mornings sleep before I'm up and ready to embarrass the hell out of your parents in front of the new neighbors. You go off and open your present- Not here! Crikey, didn't I just say don't show it to anyone? Not even me!"

Jun's mouth was opening and closing, before he finally darted off to his room. He could hear his parents' alarm clock going off in their room.

Locking his door behind him, he sank very slowly down onto his bed, his mind abuzz with questions.

Just who was his Grandmother? And the Ijima person she had mentioned?

Carefully, he opened the pouch, wondering if its contents would give him any answers. He tipped out the metallic thing, followed by a small, rolled up piece of parchment tied by a red ribbon.

It was a silver key on a chain. It didn't look particularly fancy aside from the red stone set at the top. It was a either a rather large garnet or ruby. Well, no wonder his grandmother had been so adamant about him not showing it to anyone. If that thing was a ruby, it was probably worth a fortune. Tugging it on over his neck, he tucked it under his t-shirt and picked up the small piece of parchment.

Jun, this is for you. If you're ever in a pinch, hold up the key and recite this:

Guardian from beyond the Gates of Time,

I entreat thee,

Open the way so I might pass,

And go to where I need to be.

Memorize it and get rid of this paper.

---

Rei Hino boarded the subway on her Monday morning commute to her part time job. The train was as crowded as ever. There wasn't even room for her to read that new trashy romance novel she had picked up the other day to help keep her mind off her break up with Yuichiro.

It had been about a week now, and it still felt fresh. This annoyed her to no end, especially because her grandfather was trying everything in his power to make her feel better with the results almost always ending in a backfire. She was grateful that he cared, but his latest plans to introduce her to the son of a prominent family that he knew wasn't going to make her feel better. And the bastard who was snaking his arms around her waist had better knock it off or she was going to show him a whole new world of pa-

"Hi hi Rei!" Said a chipper girl's voice.

Rei looked down at the manicured and very feminine hands around her waist and turned in surprise to find Minako resting her chin on Rei's shoulder. Minako smiled, letting go of her friend and tipped a small salute.

"Minako! What are you doing here?"

Minako beamed. "I'm taking the train home from visiting my aunt. Fancy meeting you here!"

"Same to you! How was your aunt's place?"

"Just ducky!" She blew a kiss and tossed that mass of blond hair over her shoulder. "She's coming down in August so I'm pretty stoked. Where are you off to?" Minako had a tendency to mix and match slang that was trendy between ten and eighty years ago, but never managed anything current despite how religiously she followed the media.

"Well, you know that job at Westwood's in Aoyama we all applied for?" Rei grinned, watching Minako's expression go from cheerfully surprised to pure shock.

"Oh my gosh! You got the position? Darnit, I'm just working retail."

Rei huffed. "Well technically so am I, but not for minimum wage." She teased, patting a pouty Minako's head. "There, there."

"Oh you are a big meany sometimes, Rei. Hey hey, can I come see you at work today? I don't start my job until Thursday, so..."

"Sure thing! I'll be happy for the company."

"Sounds groovy. Dad's letting me borrow the car today. What time do you get off?"

"Five thirty sharp. Why?" Rei asked, wondering why Minako wanted a specific time.

"I'll give you a ride, you silly goose! You want to go the dinner party Makoto and Ami are throwing, don't you?"

Rei stamped her foot. "Oh bloody hell, that's tonight? I totally forgot."

"Well it's a darn good thing we bumped into each other. I'll be by at five with Usagi so we can loiter around the place. Crud, this is my stop!" She threw her arms around Rei's shoulder and gave a quick hug. "Have a good day at work, hun! I'll see you later!"

"Bye Minako! Say 'hi' for me to Usagi if you see her! Bye bye!"

She watched Minako waving from the train ramp, long after the doors shut and she was receding into the distance.

She was still down about Yuichiro, but the world always seemed a little brighter after a dose of Minako's particular brand of cheer.

It also cleared her mind enough for her ESP to kick in and the feeling that something was horribly, dreadfully, terribly wrong settled in her stomach.

...Oh damn.

---

Everything has a story. Everything has a beginning, a middle, and an end, and from every end comes a new beginning. Things change, but they change in patterns.

This story is just beginning, and it begins on a precipice.

Now, this place could be anywhere, but it was a very specific somewhere (or, in fact, nowhere if you want to be technical about it). You couldn't find it on any map because, for all intents and purposes, it didn't exist. It was outside the universe, and since the universe is, near as dammit infinite, this place was not real.

At least not physically, anyway.

It was a place to view the Universe. It was somewhere (for those someone's that knew how) to come and observe the fall of every rock, the spin of every star and to ensure that things happened (or ceased to happen as the case may be). It was a vantage point where the particularly skilled could organize the Universe and keep everything tidy. Couldn't have the wrong galaxies colliding because that would cause no end of trouble.

The precipice was quite high up and went on forever in every direction except the one where it came to a very abrupt and vertical end. They called it 'The Cliffs'. Below, the infinite space glowed as a brilliant red and orange web of light in the deep abyss of black. Above... well, people tried not to look at where the sky should have been.

The Cliffs were made of a sort of stone; solid, black and semi-translucent. Perhaps it was a sort of obsidian, what with the pale spots speckling it. If one were a particularly astute observer with a keen eye for detail, you would find that these white spots were, in fact, severed human heads trapped in the stone like a hapless mosquito in prehistoric amber.

This... observation deck if you will, was superimposed on the emptiness and it stood out like a bad special effect.

It was here that, like on the train, two old friends were reunited.

"Things are getting out of hand." Said a voice. It was shortly followed by the appearance of a tall, feminine figure with dark green hair. "Something needs to be done before the blasted thing wakes up."

"Indeed." Came a reply and another figure formed out of the nonexistent air. This one was smaller, younger, but with a definite air of age around her. "I imagine that the right people have already picked up on something being off."

"Two of mine have, yes." Replied the taller woman.

"One of mine picked it up in a dream. I also have those three on the look out for the first signs of trouble."

"Those three? Really? How are they... adapting?" A small, thin smile. She was clearly amused.

The younger-looking girl sniffed. "Sixteenth century thinkers, the lot of them."

"I'm terribly sorry to hear that."

"Don't be. It's good for them to get out of the Youjakai and bicker with each other somewhere else; preferably 'somewhere else' being not my presence. Believe it or not, Rajura's taken quite a shine to computers. Said something about depth perception not being worth a damn in the digital world, whatever that means."

"Really now? I'm surprised. He was the one with the eye patch, I believe."

"Yes. Now, back to the matter at hand. How should we handle this?"

The taller figure pondered this for a moment. "I believe a collaborative effort on our part is in order, but I think it best to keep either team from actually meeting. Bear in mind that while the Senshi operate very well on their own, four of them have yet to graduate from post-pubescent induced 'boy-crazy' syndrome."

"Yes. As it stands, hormonal teens and 'world crisis' probably don't mix well. I believe it is a matter of 'I'll talk to my people, and you talk to yours' and we'll exchange notes on the sidelines."

"Splendid. I look forward to getting this squared away, Kayura. And after this whole matter is taken care of, you should drop by the Gates of Time for a spot of tea."

Kayura smiled at her taller companion. "Likewise Setsuna. And I'll be sure to take you up on that invitation. It's been far too long."

They exchanged bows, and vanished.

Unfortunately, they just missed three lights shooting towards the milky way galaxy.

---

End of Chapter 1