The Elder Scrolls: Ed-berry Panic! Fakku edition

Well, this story took months to produce and I've only two chapters written (three if you count the prologue). It didn't get too much attention on fanfiction.net, and the only reviews I managed to were basically from people I asked to read it. Hopefully that won't be the case here.

Now for my special Fakku edition, the fic will be completely uncencored and contain full detail yuri scenes, so expect lots of cussing, sex and violence.

If you haven't guessed it by now, this is an Ed, Edd, n' EddyxStrawberry Panic!xElder Scrolls crossover. Hope you like it.

Also note that chapter 2 is extremely long and is in the process of a re-write.

Prologue: Dreams

Many centuries ago, a demonic being appeared in the mountains of Hokkaido, Japan and cast a dark shadow over the whole of the small country, if not the world. For days, the world of mortal man fled and hid from this demon and his blood-thirsty army; his generals known as Kuro-Saishi, or “Dark Priests”, and their soldiers, demonic creatures known as “Daedra”. This creature’s reign of terror seemed to last forever, until a new hope was cast forth upon the world. This new hope came in the form of a foreign warrior hefting a giant axe, bringing with him several weapons and amulets. Five others were chosen, and together, with an omniscient presence as their guide, these people, known only as the “Muttsu-Tenrai” defeated the Kuro-Saishi, their army of Daedra and sealed away their dark leader.

Time passed, and Japan rebuilt. But it would seem that the demon would have the last laugh. Though he himself could not defeat the Muttsu-Tenrai, time and age eventually did, and all the demon had to do now was recover.

His dark powers return, and his ranks reform. It would seem the demon would return to resume his dark crusade, and an ignorant world, ruled by science and technology would fall prey.

But, even if the world forgets, the presence of the Muttsu-Tenrai is still felt, whether humanity realizes it. A new Muttsu-Tenrai has been chosen by the items themselves, and the battle shall begin anew.

And it starts with two complete strangers having a dream…..

Ed stirred in his sleep as he rolled around in his deformed mattress. The air around him felt hot, his nose stung with the thick smell of smoke and his ears filled with the sound of crackling and popping all around him. He sits up and opens his eyes slowly to see he is wearing his street clothes; his trademark green jacket worn open to show a red and white striped T-shirt, purple cargo pants and black sneakers. Soon, Ed is greeted by the sight of the flames destroying his room; the monster movie posters curling and blackening as they crumbled to ash, the twisted dumbbell on the corner melting and burning a hole in the floor, the walls cracking and splitting, and the roof breaking apart

“FIRE!” Ed shouted

In an instant, he bolts from his bed, and bursts through the burning basement door. The flames seem to jump and lick at Ed as he ran up the stairs to the living room, skipping steps as he did. The story was the same in the living room; the sea of hellish flames burning away and devouring what was once the center of the Stallone family life. Ed’s mind raced when he ran up the stairs, the first thing coming up was the safety of his family. The smoke stung Ed’s eyes and lungs as he searched the top floor for his family.

“SARAH!” Ed screamed when busting down the door of his baby sister’s room.

But there is no response, He goes for his parents’ room

“MOM, DAD?!”

Nothing, the only thing answering Ed was the continued crackling; the sound of the flames destroying his house. There were two possibilities, either; 1. His family had gotten out the house, but left him inside, probably forgetting him. Ed prayed to God, Vishnu, Allah, and anyone else that it wasn’t possibility 2: The flames had gotten to them, and the only living person in this burning house was him.

Tears formed and fells from eyes to chin as Ed searched desperately, but he couldn’t tell if this was from the flames or from his fear of the worst. Still, he had to try, he wouldn’t leave his family to burn, but

“SARAH?! MOM?! DAD?! ANYONE?!” The more he pleaded, the more the answer seemed obvious.

“Oh, dear god, please tell me they got out the house and forgot about me!” Ed clutched his head and soon the fact that he was standing in a burning house that would collapse with him inside at any moment had left his mind. But soon,

“Something wrong, Ed?” A voice called from nowhere

Ed’s head snapped around as amber eyes tried to scan the burning house, ears trying to pinpoint the source. It seemed as if the voice was coming from inside his head.

“Who said that?! Where are you?! Where is -“

“Your family, Ed? Oh don’t worry, they’re not in the house.. In fact, you and I are the only ones here” The voice tells him

“Huh?! What do you mean? W-What’s going on?!” Ed questioned frantically, the fact that he was standing in a burning house suddenly coming back to mind

“Oh dear, you seem quite uncomfortable in there.. Why not come outside and get some fresh air? You and I have something to discuss anyway” The voice sounded from inside Ed’s head.

As the voice spoke, the flames and smoke in front of Ed seemed to split and aside, as if to clear a path right to the door. Not having any better options, Ed followed the path and headed outside. But something just seemed off, and what he would find next confirmed it.

“Holy shit!” He shouted

In front of him, the Cul-de-sac, the whole damn thing was lit up in an ocean of flames. The night sky was even blacker than normal, and the moon was gone, the only thing lighting the streets were the flames of the burning houses surrounding him.

“Wh-What happened to the cul-de-sac?!” Ed questioned and frantically looked about

“They are quite beautiful, the flames. Look at them dance, look at them jump! †˜Tis a work of art!” The voice sounded again, but this time not in Ed’s head, boomed from in front of him.

In a moment he couldn’t see it, but Ed spotted a dark figure standing some distance away in the middle of the Cul-de-sac. The figure stood with his back turned and watched as the flames continued their “dance”. Ed could actually hear him chuckle, trying but failing to keep himself from laughing full heartedly. The voice didn’t sound human; the very presence of this person was demonic in nature. He had no idea what was happening, but somehow Ed knew this person, no, thing was responsible for what lay before him.

“How is this beautiful?! Everyone’s homes are being destroyed! Even if there’s no one around, it doesn’t give you the right to just go and burn down someone’s home!” Ed shouted at the distant figure

“Forgive me for neglecting to tell you, Ed. This isn’t Peach Creek, or to be more specific, you “Cul-de-sac”.. This is my plane. I simply shaped this setting to be familiar to you, but “added a touch of home”. Ah, but where are my manners” the demon spoke in polite tones.

“First I must welcome you to my humble abode and thank you for coming to hear me out”

“Who are you, demon?!” Ed shouted back at said demon. He was now confused; this was the first time he had ever seen this thing, and should they have ever met before, let alone make such a deal, Ed certainly would have remembered.

The demon let out another chuckle and turned to face Ed, his piercing, glowing crimson eyes studying him as their owner crossed the seemingly vast distance between them.

“Who am I, you ask? Ah, it seems my manners are escaping me, today. You may refer to me as the lord of lords, the purifier of this universe. I’ve brought you to my plane because I have a proposition for you. You see, Ed.. This world is overrun with the weak and retched vermin, the gods and demons refer to as the “Mortals”. The mortals are weak, foolish, and are in no way worthy of the gifts and powers the gods have wasted on them, especially the world they all live in. But every once in a while, there comes a mortal that is indeed worthy, Ed.. Mortals such as yourself.”

Ed fixed the demon a dark glare as he listened to this “So what’s this got to do with me? ”

The demon laughed a bit as it continued walking. ”My proposition is simple, Ed: I want you to join my cult following as a “Priest”. Think about it, Ed. You are indeed strong and skilled as a warrior, but your mortal boundaries will deny you from realizing your true potential. If you join me, you will have powers beyond your wildest dreams, and you could have them instantly, too. No, hauling yourself up in a mountain, and take three very long years to gain what you could in let’s say, three seconds?”

The distance between the two was finally bridged. The thing before Ed was human in form and shape only, as the air around it screamed otherwise at him. The demon was a bit shorter than Ed, its body shelled in a glowing armor that seemed to mirror the wild dances of the flames around them, and its hood hid a dark blue face and red eyes from view. The very ground seem to burn and render under its feet and a hellish aura twisted around it. This demon was indeed something to be feared, and Ed could sense its murderous intent. Even so

“I will not join you ranks, demon!” Ed would hold firm, not one to be intimidated by mere appearances. But, the demon seemed to chuckle at Ed’s resolve, almost laughing at him. It seemed as though it wasn’t taking Ed very seriously.

“Is that so? You do realize that there are others who have seen the logic in my divine mission don’t you? Now, I can’t have any resistance, not that such resistance could stop me anyway. But, I’d prefer if there were no obstacles, and I can’t have any outsiders know my cause. So, join me Ed” The demon said with a smug smile

“And what if I don’t?” Ed questioned, placing his right foot behind him and waiting for an answer.

The demon could no longer hold it in this time, his laugh came bursting out as he held his face and whipped his head back, and cackled into the smoke filled skies. It took him a moment to regain composure and looked at Ed with a less smug expression.

“Then I shall kill you where you stand..” The demon replied sharply as it drew a sword from its waist and a shield appeared in its free hand, both glowing with the wild mix of orange, red, yellow and black dancing upon their surfaces like flames around them

Ed’s answer came in the form throwing his jacket aside and raising his fists in front of his face, taking a fighting stance. The demon smirked and cocked an eye, finding it humorous that a mere mortal would face a deity such as himself, let alone unarmed. Still, the demon took its stance and answered Ed’s piercing stare with its own.

(Cue BGM: Elite-Deftones)

“In that case, allow me, the first move” The demon spoke as it leapt forward, swinging the sword to chop Ed in half.

Ed, seeing the attack turns his body to the side as he steps back on his left foot and let the blade pass in front of him and slam into the ground. The demon quickly recoils and swings the sword at Ed’s neck, who then ducks under the attack and steps back. The demon steps forward yet again and swings the sword at Ed’s face, the speed giving the latter only enough time to block. And so begins their battle; the demon viciously attacking Ed, who can only dodge or block the sword. Though the sword was unable to cut Ed’s tough, stone-like forearms, the heat of its blade, without a doubt made itself apparent. Each time Ed was forced to block and deflect an attack with his bare arms, he felt as if the very flames of hell were swiping and lashing out at him.

This continued until the demon slammed Ed with his shield to follow yet another missed attack, the push knocking Ed back and breaking his stance. As Ed stumbles, the demon rushed in and thrusts his sword into his stomach… Only for Ed to catch it between his palms at the last moment. The two struggled against one another, with the demon stepping forward to push the blade further and Ed stepping back in response. The demon smiled as it glanced at Ed’s hands, listening closely to the hot blade slowly cooks his hands as they struggled. Ed, could feel the heat burning his hands, but tried not to let it show, a lesson from his master to never let the opponent see a weakness.

A thought soon hit Ed, and he quickly stepped around on his right foot, and turned his body aside, letting the demon’s blade pass and the owner to stumble forward. Taking his chance, Ed grabbed the demon’s wrist with his left hand and pulled his right hand up to the demon’s shoulder from under its armpit while stepping around until his back was touching the demon. Ed then bent his knees slightly and leaned forward as he threw the demon across the street with an over-the-shoulder-throw.

As the throw tossed the demon several feet, it suddenly disappeared. Ed looked around, and turned just in time to see the demon appear again and slash him down the middle of his chest. Ed stepped back and clutched the light wound as the demon pursued and went to follow up with a strike across the chest this time. Ed blocks the attack and attempts to counter, throwing his right foot up in a front heel kick, only for the demon to repel the kick, knocking him down. Ed rolls backwards onto his feet, just in time to duck and step around a swing at his neck, now behind the demon. The demon wheels around, swinging the sword at Ed’s face and Ed counters crouching low and thrusting a low sidekick with the left leg, hitting the demon’s knee and follows up by stepping forward in on his right foot and drives his right elbow in the demon’s abdomen, knocking the wind out of it, despite its armor, and then finishes with an uppercut to the chin with the same fist, this last strike knocking the demon into the air.

With the demon in the air, Ed grabs its ankles begins to swing it around with tremendous speed until letting go, throwing the demon into a lamppost. The demon hits the lamppost with enough force to bend it and hits the ground on its face. The demon tried to figure out what had just happened as it slowly picked itself up, but its thoughts are interrupted by the sight of Ed running towards it. The demon doesn’t even have to think as it thrust its arm out, and lets a fireball rip from its fingertips.

This attack surprises Ed, but doesn’t deter him, as he simply dove over the projectile and rolled back onto his feet and kept going. The demon stands up, and tries the attack again, this time aiming the projectile at his face. Once seeing the second fireball, Ed stomped his foot into the pavement with a thunderous force, making a chunk pop up in front of him and held it out as shield. Though this tactic protects Ed from the attack, the force of the following explosion is still enough to knock him several feet back as the ash fault chuck is reduced to nothing.

As Ed landed on his back, the demon had teleported directly above him and falls down to plunge its sword into Ed’s heart, the blade seeming to gather energy as it descended. Ed rolls away to avoid the attack, but the blade lets out a wave of energy as it hit the ground, knocking him back yet again. Ed recovers mid-air and lands on his feet then looks up to see the demon’s sword is now stuck in the ground. Not wasting a second, Ed charges the demon at full speed and once close enough, jumps and while in the air, parallels his body with the ground and thrusts his feet at the demon’s face in a drop kick, only for the demon to step to the side and punch Ed in the chest, the force, once again sending the young man into a brief flight. Ed stands up slowly and clutched his aching chest, thankful the punch didn’t break anything. From what he saw, the demon was still trying to retrieve his weapon.

The demon glanced in Ed’s direction and cocked an eyebrow, and watched as his slow trudge turned into yet another full speed charge. Thinking quickly, the demon’s hands glow an abysmal black as he cast a small ball of energy at the ground that soon rose and took the form of a tall creature. Its body seemed to be made entirely of flames adorned by a few pieces black armor, covering its face, chest, forearms, groin & waist and ankles. The demon approached Ed as it shot off a fireball of its own. However, the attack lacked the power of its summoner as Ed simply batted the projectile away as they approach, and once in close quarters, the creature swipes its claws at Ed, who blocks the attack with his left forearm while stepping in with his right foot, and thrusts his right palm into its chest. The ground quaked and shattered under Ed’s foot and the force of his strike punched a hole in its armor. The creature is sent flying toward its master.

The demon had finally yanked its sword from the ground and turned in time to be decked in the face by its lifeless summon, but quickly recovers. As it does, Ed rushes in attempts a shoulder ram, that the demon teleports to avoid. It appears behind Ed as the young man skids to a stop and raises its sword to strike him down. Ed acts on instinct as he turns and thrusts a left back sidekick at the demon’s face. The demon is taken by surprise by the sudden counter and raises his shield the block, but the force of the attack knocks its arm back and breaks its stance. The demon stumbles back as Ed follows up by stepping in on his right foot and drives a right vertical punch into the demon’s solarplexes and ends with a step in with the left foot to close the distance and knocks the demon some feet away with a shoulder ram. Ed chases the demon as he rolls backward and recovers.

Once the demon is on its feet again, Ed had already caught up with it, and hits the demon with yet another shoulder ram, this time while grabbing its ankle with his free hand. Ed then grabs that one leg with both hands and applies a knee-lock, a telltale SNAP, confirming a successful break. Ed then pulls the demon up and grabs around its chest while holding its head between his knees, then hops forward and slams the demon’s head into the ground with a tombstone slam. Ed lets the demon’s body fall and this time grabs him by the head and lifts him onto his shoulder. Ed then, with all his might jumped as high as he could into the night’s sky and grabs the demon’s legs, and held its body out in front of him while holding his feet against the demon’s armpits. The two seemed to pick up a bullet-like speed as they plummeted towards the earth and then

BOOM!!!

Ed slammed the demon into the ground on his head yet again with a devastating Demon Bomb, the sound of the ground shattering like glass from the impact, masked the sound of several of the demon’s bones breaking and snapping. Once Ed released his hold on the rest of the demon’s body, it fell to the ground like a ton of bricks. Ed took a moment to stare at the demon, it didn’t move, it seemed to be dead. But upon its face, a sickening smile could be seen.

Very impressive, very impressive. I didn’t think you’d actually best me in my own realm, Ed. I suppose this match is yours, but don’t grow over confident. There are others who have joined me and accepted my gift, and they will not greet you so kindly. We shall meet again in three months’ time, and then the true battle shall begin…

The demon’s lips held still, but Ed knew without a doubt it was speaking to him, once again hearing the demon inside his head. Ed only answered with a stare, and watched as its body dissolved into flames and blew away with the wind. With that, the fires devouring the Cul-de-sac ceased, their damage undone. The peaceful Cul-de-sac took its original form with the midnight blue sky hanging over Ed’s head, and the moon beaming down on him…….

BLAM!

(End BGM)

Ed’s eyes snapped open when he felt something smack him across the face and groggily sat up. He was once again in his room, only this time he was in his nightwear of grey briefs and bare body, and his room was the same normal disaster zone it had always been. Ed then noticed something eclipsing him and looked in front of him. The presence of evil was indeed still upon him, but this time it wasn’t a demon

“You retard! Can’t you have stupid dreams more quietly?! Some of us are trying to get some sleep!” This time, the dark presence was that of Sarah Stallone, Ed’s little sister

“A dream…? Sarah, you’re okay!” Ed cried out in joy

“Huh?” Resounded from Sarah

“I dreamt that the house was on fire and you, mom and dad were gone, and then there was this demon dressed up some kinda armor, and we fought and.. Oh, Sarah I’m just glad it was just a bad dream and everyone’s okay!” Ed joyfully embraced his sister in a brotherly hug

Sarah then returned the gesture by effortlessly throwing Ed across the room into the adjacent wall.

“Touch me again and I’ll shove a golf club up your ass!” Sarah growled as she left the room.

Ed sighed and sat up against the wall as she left. Everyone in Peach Creek cul-de-sac had changed a lot over the years. Sarah in particular, was no longer the little girl he once knew, especially in appearance. Now fourteen, Sarah’s hair had began to grow longer, she was developing a modest bust size and her figure began to fill in. She was growing into a beautiful young lady, and the fact that different boys from school would call her up and hit on her showed that it was a known fact. But, should one of them actually get lucky (And that includes getting past Ed and their father), that boy would learn the hard way that Sarah’s beauty was only skin deep. Even after three long years, Sarah was still the bossy, abusive, controlling and overall spoiled little bitch she’d always been. This combined with her own inheritance of the Stallone family’s trademark strength made her a force to be reckoned with. The only thing about her character that had changed was the fact that she picked up swearing.

“Some things never change…” Ed remarked to himself as he stood and made for his bed.

Ed too had changed a bit during his three year absence. He now has the muscular figure of a professional heavy weight wrestler, his once barely noticeable hair now grew out into a spiky orange mess with the bangs hanging over his forehead and his famous uni-brow was now split into normal eyebrows. This towering young man of 6’2 and 200 lbs of raw muscle would lead most to believe him to be an intimidating brute. However, unlike Sarah, Ed had also made some adjustments to his character. Over the years, Ed’s brain’s ability to function properly had improved; he now acted like a normal human being, had developed a decent sense of hygiene, and his posture had improved

However, Ed was still in some ways the oaf everyone knew and loved; he was still terribly unorganized, his own physical strength had actually increased since the three years he had been away and though he now acted like a normal guy, Ed was still capable of lapses in judgment. But on top of all that, he still had a heart of gold.

Tossing away his thoughts, Ed propped himself on his bed and reached to pull the covers over him but stopped when he looked down. Down the center of his body, from his collarbone to his lower abs, the same place the demon had cut him in the dream, Ed found a long scar. Ed then looked at his arms that were indeed covered in multiple burn marks. Anyone could say it was just a coincidence, and that Ed probably did this to himself in his sleep. But, something about that dream was different, more real

We shall meet again in three months’ time. Then the true battle shall begin…

Ed remembered the final words of his opponent as its body dissolved into the flames that ate away the fake cul-de-sac it created. His hands trembled uncontrollably as he looked at them.

“I guess it doesn’t matter at this point.. I better train and get ready” He muttered to himself.

Having said this, Ed hops out of bed and makes for his closet and comes out a moment later with some rolled up clothes under his arm. He keeps quiet as possible when moving through the house to the front door, waking Sarah again would result to her getting more physical than just a slap across the face. Once outside Ed picked up the pace and marched towards the only place in Peach Creek County that would offer any real solitude, the forest.

But it seemed Ed wasn’t the only person that demon would visit tonight. And so we meet the second dreamer…
------

Hikari shivered as she felt a sharp chill take her body, the air around her suddenly becoming cold and felt the surface underneath her body to be hard, flat and just as-if not more-cold than the air. Hikari stirred a bit, and wonder if the window had been left open, spring was a while off anyway.

It’s time to wake up, Hikari-san..

(Cue BGM: Tiamat-Tekken Dark Ressurection OST)

Hikari’s eyes opened slowly at the sound of the voice beside her, at the same time she felt the air next to her become unbearably hot. Once her eyes open, her gaze is met with that of two glowing crimson eyes.

-“Hello, Hikari-san..”-

Hikari gasped at the sight of the man draped in a hooded robe glowing with a wild mix of orange, yellow and black that danced and swirled about its surface. The hood hung over what is seemed like a blue face and devilish red eyes. The man grinned inwardly at Hikari as his eyes studied her shivering form while fixing the girl a kindly expression that made his fang-like teeth visible.

“Wh-Where am I?” Hikari stuttered to speak.

“You’re in my plane, Hikari. But, to make things a bit more homely, I’ve shaped the setting to be familiar to you, while adding my own “touch of home”. I believe this is the student council room of the school you attend” The man’s voice trailed off.

Hikari slowly turned her head and scanned the room. She lay upon a large desk that sat in front of two smaller ones that sat in front of chairs, and a large window behind the larger desk. The “touches” the man mentioned made themselves apparent as the furniture, the walls and their outlines were all black with blood red trims.

-“What’s going on.. Why-… Why did you bring me here.. Who are you?”- Hikari asked slowly.

-“I shall answer your question, by first thanking you.”- The man replied

Hikari stared back at the man with an expression combining stiffening fear and utter confusion. To be honest, this man didn’t seem much like a man at all. His eyes glow a blood thirsty red, the very air around him was scorching hot, and above all else, there was his voice. It was deep, gruff and seemed to echo as he spoke, as if made up of many instead of one. The very essence of this man seemed inhuman in nature. Perhaps it wasn’t even a man that brought her to this strange, desolate place. She said nothing, somehow losing the courage to even speak

-“I must thank you for coming here, I’m much honored that you would consider my offer”- The man spoke in polite tones.

Again Hikari said nothing, frozen in a frightened stare.

-“You see Hikari-san, this world is overrun with the weak and mindless creatures that the gods and demons refer to as mortals. They don’t appreciate the gifts and powers that have been wasted upon them, as many don’t acknowledge them. And those who do acknowledge such gifts, simply waste them on selfish pursuits of self-elevation. The time when I can once again walk the mortal realm is approaching, and I shall lead a great army to do away with the mortals, and claim that world as our own.”-

-“D-Demo, what do you want with me then?”- The courage to speak suddenly returned to Hikari, yet her body remained still and shook.

-“Ah yes, you’re probably wondering how I plan to fit you into this little picture of mine. You see, I wasn’t always the higher being you see before you, as I was once a mortal myself. Therefore, I recognize that every once in a while, there comes some mortals that are different from the rest, special, mortals such as yourself. But even so, you Hikari-san are more special and unique from even those mortals!”- The man’s voice seemed to rise with excitement as he spoke, and his face broke out into a full grin as he continued studying Hikari

-“To make a long story short, Hikari-san, I want you to join me, but not as a mere follower, but as my queen! Together, you and I will sweep across that now retched realm, and turn into it our own beautiful kingdom”-

Hikari shook her head slowly and moved back as the man approached, lowering his face to her level. They’re eyes seem to lock on to one another, and that grin remained on the man’s face.

-“Come to me Hikari! Take my hand be mine, and mine alone!”- The man commanded in a playful tone, and extended his hand.

The air around the man’s hand burned Hikari’s face, and her heart pounded so strongly in her chest, she swore it would jump out any minute now. Hikari wanted to move, to run away, but her body wouldn’t respond to her mental pleas. It seemed as if this person’s very gaze paralyzed her, very similar to a silver haired young lady she knew of. The man chuckled inwardly as his clawed hand slowly moved towards her chest, towards her pounding heart. Hikari closed her eyes, and mentally begged her body one more time to move

-“IYEEH!”- Hikari screamed with all the strength she could muster as a sudden jolt went through her body, as if closing her eyes freed her from the man’s apparent spell.

She didn’t waste a moment and quickly slapped the man’s hand away, hopped off the desk and made for the door. But as she hastily turned and pulled at the knob, the door didn’t move. The man chuckled behind her as the door slowly turned into part of the wall. She was trapped.

-“Oh, your foolishness is so amusing, Hikari-san!”- The man laughed from behind her.

-“This place is under my total control, there is no intervention or recall. There is no escape whatsoever.”-

The man appeared right in front of Hikari as she turned sharply and her eyes reluctantly fixed onto the gaze of the man once more, his spell taking hold of her again. Hikari pressed against the door as he strolled ever closer, that kindly smile taking form again as he chuckled lightly at her, the two of them now mere inches from one another.

-“Try as you may, Hikari, but you will not escape me. Normally I kill those who refuse me, but you are different. You are just too valuable let go. Now, come to me, and be mine!”- The man reached out and grabbed Hikari by her shoulders and drew her close

The young girl winced at the man’s touch, feeling as if the very fires of hell were grabbing her and pressing her against itself. Hikari looked away and tried to push the man off, but her hands jerked back from the heat of his robes.

Tears slowly slid down her delicate features as her senses cried out in agony of the heat -“It hurts..”- She whimpered softly

The man’s fingers cupped Hikari’s chin as he slowly lifted her face.

-“You really are making this bothersome, you know”- The man said playfully

-“Let me go, onegai, let me go”- Hikari begged softly

She closed her eyes tightly, now feeling the demon press her against wall with one hand and the other trace her shoulder to her chest, just over her heart.

-“Don’t worry, this will not take long..”- The man said in a polite tone.

The man’s fingers slowly pushed though her skin. Hikari screamed in agony, as they dug deeper, and closer to her frantic heart.

_”YAMEDAE-KUDASAI, ITAI!! LET ME GO, ONEGAI, LET ME GO, ITAI! LET ME GO-KUDASAI, LET ME GO-KUDASAI!” Hikari cried and begged the man.

The man chuckled, then laughed, taking some kind sadistic pleasure in seeing her body shake and cringe in pain, listening to her desperate pleas and cries. He laughed full-heartedly while chanting her name over and over.

Hikari

Hikari

Hikari

-“Hikari, wake up will you!?”-

Hikari woke up with start and found her eyes meeting two hazel ones. She jumped back impulsively and hit the wall behind her, pressing herself against it.

-“There you go. Daijabu desuka?"- The owner of the hazel eyes spoke worriedly

Hikari quickly recognized the person before her, a girl just a few inches taller than her, with long black hair and wore a long red t-shirt with a pink butterfly in the middle.

-“Yaya-chan…”- Hikari whispered softly and sighed.

Hikari found herself on her bed, she was back in her dorm room, with her friend, in reality again.

-“It, was just a dream.. Yo kata..”- Hikari brought her knees to her chest and looked up at Yaya when she placed her hand on her shoulder.

-“Daijabu desuka? You’re shaking”- Yaya spoke softly

Hikari nodded slowly and looked around again.

“Mm. I, just had a nightmare is all. Daijabu desu..” Hikari answered back.

-“You were screaming and crying in your sleep and now you’re sweating like a pig. Must have been a real nasty nightmare”- Yaya said and offered a kind smile

Hikari nodded and said nothing, then slowly got off her bed and made for the bathroom, closed the door and began to strip from her yellow pajamas. For some strange reason, her body still felt the burning touch of that man from her dream.

Soft and slow knocks sounded from the other side of the door. –“Hikari, you sure you’re okay?”- Yaya asked from her side of the door

-“D-Daijabu desu, hotoni”- Hikari sounded from the shower.

What happened back there was simply a bad dream, not something to worry about. At least that’s what Hikari kept trying to convince herself as she stepped into the shower and turned the water on.

-“It’s just a dream, it’s just a dream.”- Hikari repeated to herself

Something in the back of Hikari’s mind didn’t agree with her repeated whispers. That dream felt too vivid, too real. She breathed in slowly and let out a long sigh. Perhaps the stress of being the “Etoile” was finally going to her head? Again, the back of her mind disagreed and suggested the dream was real. Hikari closed her eyes and repeated her whispers a bit louder and tried to push those thoughts back as the icy water rained down and slowly washed away the agonizing feel of that strange man’s touch..

Lol. Who knew Ed could be a Fighting Oaf^^

Wait... This was on Fanfiction?! Could you give me a link to that story? I always read more accurately and faster when it's on Fanfiction. Dunno why though^^

To be honest, I didn't like the present-tense in the battles. It seemed more like you were relaying information that describing a battle.

it was cool im waiting for more lol =]

Here it is

also, there's a little story behind Ed's ability to fight, but I don't wish to give it all away just yet. But I'll say this much, all three Eds are fighters

woot yay all three =] but when is more coming out....?

Here's the next chapter. Now this one focuses on the Eds mainly, but you SP! fans will see a character from the anime in there.

Chapter 1: Three months later

His mind is a void, his hands steady, his feet firm and stable, his form is perfect. The air quivers as Ed moves, effortlessly defending the strikes of invisible opponents and countering with an earth-shaking force. The days passed like hours, weeks likes days, months like weeks. Those images of the burning homes, his hellish opponent, that opponent’s declaration of war had been seared into Ed’s brain. They flashed back every so often to provide the necessary motivation to keep up his practice. Three months passed since he had that nightmare, and Ed had spent every chance he had training in this forest.

Though Ed had told everyone who could about his surreal encounter with the demon and warned them of the impending threat upon the cul-de-sac, few believed him, and those who did eventually grew tired of Ed repeating himself. It seemed more and more likely to Ed that he would face this endeavor alone. He believed in his new strength and skill of technique, forged by three years of strenuous training, and he made excellent progress in his time in the forest. But Ed had to admit it too; the task of fighting a demonic knight and his army of hellspawn alone might as well be called a suicide mission.

Still, nothing would shake Ed’s resolve, he would protect Peach Creek and stop that demon, or die trying. After blocking a kick to his groin and sending the imaginary offender packing with a spinning back sidekick, Ed took his fighting stance, performed the commencement movements again and finished his kata. His attention then turned to a boulder on his right.

This was the largest stone Ed could find today, and it would make good breaking practice. Ed took his stance again, then deepened it as he pulled his right fist behind his waist and let out a slow sigh. Gauging his strength, Ed stepped forward and drove his fist into the boulder. He let out a brief yet powerful yell as his fist connected with the dense stone and reduced the once proud boulder into a cloud of dust and pebbles. Ed took a step back and slowly released another breath of air.

He then took a moment to brush the pebbles from his clothes. He wore a karate gi with a scarlet red top, black bottom and accessorized with a black belt, and a pair of black studded wrist bands. The gi itself would seem unusual to those in the know as the back and the outer fold of it held a pair of Chinese characters stitched with gold thread.

“It’s already been three months already.. The day is upon us or almost here.” Ed took a look at the sky as night faded to day and the sun peeked out of the horizon, its beams filtering though the many tall trees in the forest. Ed closed his eyes and took a moment to take in the essence of spring, the fresh forest air, the sound of birds chirping, and feel of the warm and crisp spring breeze. It certainly would be another great day to prepare for the apocalypse

“Okay, time for Chan meditation..” Ed said to himself and stretched as he turned from the remains of the boulder.

You’ve been practicing very diligently these last few months…

Ed turned around to see a woman standing by one of the trees. She definitely was a strange woman; she was some few inches shorter than Ed, had bluish grey skin, big red eyes, dark blue hair tied in a knot and wore a metallic blue sleeveless gown. This woman seemed similar to the demon Ed fought in his dream, but at the same time she was drastically different. While the demon had an aura of an unbearable heat, the woman in turned had an aura of a soothing breeze. Add to it, her glow was much different from the demon’s; instead of a glow that was animated by the fires of hell, this woman had the glow of an angel, or even a Goddess. This would mean one thing to Ed…

“Are you my fairy godmother?”

Another breeze past followed by absolute silence. The woman looked back at Ed incredulously and blinked

“Um, no, I’m not…” The woman spoke awkwardly.

“Aw, †˜cause if you were my fairy godmother, then I could wish away that demon and his army of hellspawn… Among other things..” Ed’s eyes shifted about as his fidgeted with his fingers

“Right, um speaking of that matter” The woman cleared her throat and stepped forward. “Now, I’m sure you remember the dream you had about that encounter with “The demon”?” The woman began

“Yeah, like it was yesterday. I’ve been coming here to tr-“ Ed stopped himself “…. Wait, how’d you know about that? Who are you?” then shot her a suspicious look. From his experiences, he had come to at least recognize the faces of everyone he had spoken to about this present matter. This woman however was definitely unfamiliar.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Azura, the Daedric Prince of Twilight.” The woman replied with a curtsy

“Oh, my name is-“

“I already know; you are Ed Stallone, the one I have been watching over for the last three months, since you’ve had that encounter. The time where you and the demon would face each other again is indeed approaching and you have been chosen by fate to destroy it as the Crusader born under the sign of the Warrior, the first guardian…” Azura explained.

“Is that so? Then that means you believe me?”

“Not only do I believe you Ed, but I have come to help you get started on your journey. Here, take this” Azura produced a long box from behind her waist and handed to Ed.

Ed’s eyes scanned the oak wood box and stopped when finding some engravings.” The Crusader” He read. After receiving an encouraging nod from Azura, Ed slid the lid off and looked into its contents.

“Cool” he whispered when eying the glistening items.

“Inside are three items you will need for you quest; a polearm, an amulet and a book” Azura explained.

Ed took the polearm first. It had a five foot long staff painted blue with gold pines snaking along to the blade. The blue and gold stripped blade itself was about two feet long and resembled that of a Chinese pudao. Next was the amulet, an orange gem in the shape of half of the Yin-Yang symbol with a thick black thread strung through a hole where the dot would lay. Ed put the amulet around his neck and reached for the book, which seemed like an ordinary hard-cover book. Before Ed opened it, he looked at the woman and noticed a concerned look on her face

“Something wrong, Azura?”

“Strange, your friends should have arrived by now.” Azura looked around and held her chin.

“Oh, you mean Eddy and Double D?” Ed asked

“Yes, I asked them to meet you in this area so I could give the three of you your items and tell you the necessary information. Perhaps they didn’t believe what I told them.” Azura answered distantly.

Ed shrugged, but also smirked at this. His friends Eddy and Edd (Also known as “Double D”) were the first people he told about his dream and predictions of Peach Creek’s peril. But like most of the people in the cul-de-sac, they hardly believed him and Eddy was convinced that his battle scars were the result of sleeping walking. But, if someone who believed Ed wanted to have them involved in this mission as well, then there would be no doubt they would find merit in his words and help out. Ed was about to speak when Azura’s head snapped up and looked at the sky with a shocked expression.

“Not good..” Azura whispered softly

“What’s not good?” As if on cue, Ed noticed the filtered beams of sunlight disappear in an instant and looked up. The sun had been eclipsed, now turning into a large black dot in the sky, as said sky changed from a serene orange into a bloody crimson shade adorned with black clouds. The temperature began to plummet almost instantly and Ed shivered and instinctively rubbed his arms to generate some warmth

“Wh-Wh-What’s h-h-happening?!” Ed tried to speak through his shivering

BOOM!

The answer came from a loud explosion. He and Azura snapped their heads to the direction of the cul-de-sac to see a long column of smoke snaking its way up to the crimson sky.

“Ed, there isn’t much time to explain, you must get to the cul-de-sac before it’s too late!”

The instant these words left Azura’s lips, Ed had already dashed past her and towards the direction his home. He cursed inwardly at his mistake; today was the day the demon and his minions would attack Peach Creek and he should have stayed in the cul-de-sac to fight them. But there was no point in crying over spilt milk, Ed’s first priority now, was getting back to the cul-de-sac. Hopefully Edd and Eddy were already awake and started the battle, and then together the three of them would drive the hellish creatures from their home.

Entering a clearing, Ed could see the houses in the distance; soon he could see the origin of the explosion.

“EDDY!!!!” Ed picked up the pace, timing was running out

Going somewhere, Crusader?

Ed stopped when hearing the voice, but didn’t have enough to time search its origin as something sped towards him. Ed leapt to the side and watched a bright crimson projectile collide with the trees behind him and disintegrate them into dust. Footsteps came afterward, and two pairs of glowing red eyes could be seen approaching the clearing

“I don’t have time for this, so…” Ed narrowed his eyes and took his stance with his new weapon. “…Either move aside or be vanquished!”

One of the crimson eyes scoffed at this. “Such high talk coming from a lowly creature.” Spoke a gruff voice in mocking tone.

Soon the owner of one of the crimson eyes stepped into the clearing. He came as a pitch black figure carrying what appeared to be an axe

“Allow me to correct you mortal; it is you, who shall be vanquished!”
---------------------------------------

Eddy felt something tickle his face and slowly pushed himself up and his eyes opened.

“What… The hell?!”

Eddy scanned his surroundings; he was now sitting in an array of flowers that seemed to go on forever. Something stirs in the flowers some feet away from Eddy and sits up. It’s a boy about 5’8” in height, had a light muscle tone, deep blue eyes and his black hair poked out of the back of a white stripped sock hat in a braid reaching down his back and hung out near each ear in front of him.

“You’re here too, Double D?”

“Oh, hello, Eddy” Edd greeted his friend groggily as he rubbed his head. “Well, this is certainly strange.”

“Yeah… The hell’s this faggy lil’ place?!”

“Well, young man this †˜faggy lil’ place” is my home.”

Edd and Eddy turned their heads behind them to see a slender woman of moderate height with blue-grey skin, large red eyes, dark blue hair tied in a knot behind her head and dressed in a metallic blue Greek-style gown approach. This woman carried a warm glow about her, making the appearance of a divine presence.

“I know that I am currently in need of your help, Eddy, but you would do well to show some respect to one’s abode; it’s simple manners.” The woman scolded.

Eddy scowled as Edd began to scan the endless field of flowers. The sky above was a bright orange with dark clouds, yet they seemed light and free flowing, like a normal cloud, and in the distance a glimmering city could be seen. Edd then turned his attention back to the woman.

“Pardon me, ma’m, but where have you brought us exactly?” Edd asked politely

The woman fixed Edd a more kind expression. “Well, at least you’re more polite. This, Eddward is my home, Moonshadow. I’m sure you two are confused, and would like to know what is going on.”

The two boys nodded.

“I have brought you two here to personally relay a message; the time has come, and you two have been chosen…” The woman spoke in solemn tones

“I’m sorry, but we’re not sure what you are talking about. What do you mean “The time has come and we have been chosen”?” Edd questioned.

The woman cocked an eyebrow at Edd’s question. “You mean Ed hasn’t told you? Surely he spoke of his encounter with the demon, and said demon’s coming” Azura explained.

Now it was Edd and Eddy’s turn to shoot the woman a confused expression.

“Wait, you mean that stupid nightmare Ed had that he’s been yakkin’ away about for the past three months?” Eddy seemed a bit taken back at the idea of Ed’s nightmare actually relating to anything and fixed the woman an incredulous look

“Yes, but you should understand that what your friend experienced was far more than a simple “nightmare”. And there is merit in his words.” Azura answered.

Eddy scowled and looked away with his arm folded across his chest. “Yeah right”

“Alas, it is best that I explain this to all three of you at once, so meet with you friend in the area of the forest he trains in, then I shall explain the rest when the three of you have gathered”

Edd and Eddy exchanged a confused expression and looked back at the woman… Only to find the view of the field ahead of them.

“She’s gone..” Edd blinked and looked about

“Okay, this is weird…”

Eddy’s eyes popped open with a start and he quickly sat up and scanned his surroundings. He was now sitting in his royal purple bed in his retro style room.

“Just a weird dream, figures…” Eddy rubbed his eyes and looked over at the clock sitting on his nightstand, it read 7:45. “Geez, should’ve been up by now, stupid dream…”

Having successfully made the transition from the realms of dreamland to reality, Eddy shifted his covers to the side and hopped out of bed, first stop being his mirror.

“Hey there, good lookin’!”

Eddy grinned at the young man on the other side of the mirror and gave him a thumbs up. The person looking back was about 5’6” tall, a moderate muscular build, emerald green eyes, lavish locks of black hair gelled back in a sheen with three taller cowlicks standing straight up, and dressed in a Lakers purple jersey with the number eight and gold shorts. Eddy had certainly come a long way these past three years, especially since his body finally decided to grow… But he was still a bit shorter than the rest of his friends.

Eddy usually got up earlier than he did today, and by now his parents would have already left for work; his father being a crooked used car salesman and his mother a bank teller. Eddy, just like every other kid in the cul-de-sac would be left with the house all to himself. He sighed heavily, already knowing very well what he would be doing today: Trying to find something to do in a place that’s miles away from something to do. That was the curse of suburban living.

Eddy stretched and sauntered into his closet. The closet was large enough to be a room within itself,: Hundreds, if not a thousand different outfits, suits and clothes of various fashions, countries and decades hung around the young man as he walked past. In a minute or two, Eddy emerged from that huge closet now dressed in his work out clothes that consisted of a black sleeveless hoody, black kickboxing slacks with broad green stripes going down on each side, black sneakers with green stripes and emerald green MMA gloves.

Eddy sighed again when he walked to the empty kitchen, grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator then made for his garage-turned-work-out-room.

“Another dull day in this shit-hole…” Eddy said to no one in particular.

Or so he thought… Once inside the garage, Eddy stopped and the water bottle fell from his hand.

“What the…?”

In front of him, sitting under the punching bag was a long oak wood box. Eddy looked around suspiciously then approached the box slowly. It seemed like an ordinary oak wood box, but on the surface of the lid, Eddy found an engraving reading The Assassin. Eddy’s eyes darted back and forth one more time, once again finding the cost clear. His fingers pressed the lid and he held his breath then slowly began to remove it. Until…

CRASH!!

Eddy’s eyes shifted to his side, the sound had come from behind the door. He scowled, and put the box down then made his way for the door. On the other side, Eddy could hear a loud commotion. He gritted his teeth, knowing some asshole decided to break into the house to do God knows what. Eddy popped his knuckles and opened the door slowly. He would find that unwelcome guest and make them understand that the Conner household was not some place to pillage

Eddy’s steps are soft, silent, but rapid, as he wanted to quickly catch the intruder by surprise then beat them into submission. The crashing could be heard from the other side of the house, probably from even outside. Eddy almost laughed at the commotion being made; this person knew nothing of basic stealth skills. But, his smile soon faded when finding that the noise was coming from his bedroom.

(Cue BGM: Suckas need bodyguards(instrumental)- Gangstarr)

“That sonavabitch better not be breaking my stuff…” Eddy’s eyes narrowed and he gritted his teeth again as he carefully rounded the corner and approached his closed bedroom door.

“Alright”

3

He grabs the knob

2

He gently turned the knob and slowly opened the door

1

Upon entering his room, Eddy stops dead in his tracks at an unusual sight

“What the fu-“ A bright flash interrupted him

BOOM!!

In an instant, Eddy is sent crashing through the plaster walls of his home before being slammed against the metal sheets of the garage door and made a nice Eddy-sized dent. Falling to his knees, and then his face, Eddy gagged when trying to breathe as blood shot up through his throat and came sputtering out of his mouth on to the concrete floor. His body burned all over as he lay on the floor. He had no idea what hit him, but he would soon find out as footsteps sounded from the garage entrance. Eddy’s eyes shifted up to the figure that entered; it was tall, about 6’2’, muscle bound, messy black hair, small devil horns growing out of its head, glowing crimson eyes and deep blue skin, dressed in nothing more than a loin cloth and held a long medieval sword at its waist.

The figure’s steps seemed very heavy as they boomed when it approached Eddy, but it stopped when something touched its foot. Both their eyes shift to the oak wood box under the punching bag, right before this strange creature kicked it away and continued its approach. Eddy closed his eyes and concentrated on gathering his strength to pick himself up. He had no idea what was happening, but if this creature was going to kill him, then Eddy would go out swinging.

Once on his feet, Eddy charged full speed at the creature and began to pummel the creature’s body with a rapid series of well-aimed punches. This assault however seemed to have little, if no effect on the creature, and before he could react, a sharp pain shot through Eddy’s chest as he was once again sent reeling into the garage door behind him. This time the dent was deep enough to hold Eddy in place. Eddy struggled to wiggle free of his bindings but he efforts proved futile. He looked at the creature and watched in confusion as it raised a hand and electricity seemed to gather and concentrate into a large ball in the palm of its hand.

“Aw, shit…” Eddy braced himself for the pain.

BOOOOOOORRRRAAAAAAAAAMMMMPPP!!!!!

Before he knew it, Eddy had been blown into the sky and was spiraling towards the ground, before slamming against it face first with a loud THACK!! Eddy’s whole body ached and twitched as electricity seemed to course through his body and shocks him. His eyes drifted towards the blue creature as it approached. Eddy tried to move, but his body already gave into the pain and shut down. He could only slowly breathe in and out and watch as the creature stepped closer and closer. This whole thing felt surreal, the sky was blood red with black clouds, and the temperature had dropped below freezing in the middle of March.

†˜This has gotta be a dream…’ He thought

The creature stood over Eddy and looked down upon his battered body like some kind of God as it kicked him on to his back. Eddy could only stare back into its eyes and mentally flipped the creature off. It seemed to have picked up the message as it raised its foot and brought it down hard on Eddy’s chest. He gagged and coughed violently as the creature pushed and ground its heel into his chest before stomping him again in said area.

No matter how much pain this creature inflicted on Eddy, the young man would continue to fix that spiteful glare onto it. Eddy tried to command himself to stand up again, but his muscles, again didn’t respond. Creature’s cold stare narrowed into a frustrated glare as it reached down and lifted Eddy up to eye level by his neck, then slowly applied pressure.

Eddy coughed up more blood before his air way was forced closed. The creature smiled in satisfaction and listen intently as Eddy gagged and desperately tried to breath. Eddy’s arms and legs hung uselessly, the sharp electric pains running through his body faded, and his vision failed into a blur. The creature laughed mockingly at Eddy and suddenly loosened its grip over his neck.

“Last words, Assassin?” The creature looked at Eddy expectantly

The young man looked the creature right in the eye and darkened his glare, knowing very well what to say the moment it appeared in his house. Add to it, a bit of strength returned to Eddy’s right arm. Eddy fixed the creature a mocking smirk

“Fuck… You…” Eddy slowly lifted his hand to his face, then slowly closed each finger until the middle finger was left.

The creature got the memo as its dark glare returned. In an instant, Eddy was sent crashing down into the pavement again as the creature stomped on Eddy’s chest, then held it in place.

“How pitiful, wasting thy last words on an insult…” The creature mocked.

Eddy could barely breathe now if at all. The searing pain of that electrical attack melted away when his body went numb and his blurry vision faded to black as he watched the creature draw its sword and raise it over its head.

Eddy’s world grew darker and narrower by the second. The sum of the offbeat set of events Eddy called his life flashed before his eyes now. The crimson sky was gone, the strangely colored man, whose blade dangled but a few feet from his heart faded from view. Eddy could no longer feel what remained off the electricity rip through his body...

In Eddy's failing vision were now the memories of years gone and past. But as they got closer and closer to the here and now, they suddenly froze, the image lingering. Just before his eyelids could no longer bear the burden of their task, he could hear something beside him, but his hearing began to fail before he could make out the sound.

Eddy's body shut down, and his mind drifted away
-------------------------------------

In the dead center of the cul-de-sac, there sat a pile of junk. Once a man's treasure became their treasure.

No, it wasn't their treasure; more like the means of obtaining their treasure. Having once stood still, the pile of broken remains began to shift until finally a trio of boys emerged.

The bright blue sky now became hidden behind the dark storm clouds that cast a shadow of dull grey over the world underneath. Edd and Eddy stood on opposite sides of the wreckage, whilst Ed sat contently in the pile. But, the stupid smile he wore as he counted his teeth disappeared quickly. Even one as dull-minded as Ed could sense the tension between his friends.

It started raining. It was a light drizzle, barely noticeable.

Eddy started first, barking something at his sock-headed friend and ended his remarks with an accusing finger.

Edd swayed back, the comment caught him. But he just as quickly snapped back, pointing a finger at him.

The rain began to grow heavier as the two boys argued. The louder they yelled, the more they argued, the heavier the rain fell, and the colder it felt. But even though Edd and Eddy yelled at one another with all the strength their voices could muster, neither boy could be heard.

You could only hear the rain.

Edd waved a dismissing hand and turn his back while Eddy stood stunned at his last comment. His hands that hung at his sides balled into fist, his face turning red. Edd cocked his head back to watch the shorter boy boil with anger then looked in front of him and walked.

Suddenly Eddy stopped, his hands became lax and his flustered face faded back to normal on a dime drop. An insidious grin began to creep onto his bruised features as he called out to Edd once more.

The comment made Edd stop in his tracks and walk back towards his friends and the wreckage, stopping where he began moments ago. Eddy folds his arms over his chest and smirk victoriously

"So, that's how you're going to play it, huh?" The sock-headed boy replied, soft enough to give the illusion of calm, but loud enough for Eddy to hear

"With that lil' trump card, you can say I own you, sock-head"

Edd folded his arms as well. His eyes narrowed wolfishly, making one expect Eddy's trump card to push Edd to his breaking point.

"Tsk..."

But of all things, Edd smirked and looked at Eddy. He reached up to the hat that adorned his head for so long, then quickly yanked it off and tossed it at Eddy. The rain begins to lighten up again.

Edd turned and walked away again. Just as soon as it began to die down, the rain returned full force. Eddy yelled towards his friend again as he disappeared into the forest, but his words were mute again....

“ACK!!” Eddy started awake as a sharp smell filled his nose and brought him back to reality

“There you go, Eddy” Someone beside him breathed a relieved sigh.

Sitting beside Eddy on one knee with a stick of smelling salts in hand was none other than Edd. He was now dressed in a blue leather jacket worn open to show a white t-shirt tucked into black jeans with black, silver buckled belt and black with blue stripped slip-on sneakers, complete with his trademark sock hat.

“You okay?” Edd asked in concern

“I feel like shit…” Eddy responded in a low tone.

“You also look like it”

Eddy’s hoody had been burned off, his pants had been burned off up to his thighs and his sneakers were obliterated. If it weren’t for the gloves still being intact, he would have the appearance of an Incredible Hulk impersonator. In a moment something hit him and Eddy sat up abruptly.

“Hey, where’s that- OW!” Eddy held his side as a sharp pain suddenly ran through him.

“Don’t try to move just yet, your nervous system is in the process of rebooting.” Edd warned.

“I’m fine.” Eddy slowly forced himself onto his feet and looked ahead of him. He growled at the site of his house being lit on fire, buried his head in his hand and sighed.

“That sonavabitch…!!” He cursed.

Edd stood up as well and tapped Eddy’s shoulder. “You’re not the only one, look” With a hand gesture, Edd turned Eddy’s attention to what was left of the Sanchez household; ice encasing what wasn’t smashed to bits in his own ensuing battle with an other-worldly creature. Eddy was about to speak when Edd tapped his friend’s shoulder again.

“Something weird is going on here, Eddy” Edd began. “I saw you being attacked by that blue-skinned person, and after I knocked him out, his body dissipated into a gold dust.”

“Really? Tsk at least that’s the last of him” Eddy answered.

“That’s not all”

“Huh?”

“I went back to my house to retrieve my medical supplies and was subsequently attacked by a creature that resembled a crudely made ice sculpture. Though I managed to defeat the creature, it still managed to destroy the upper floor of my residence; the smelling salts I used were all I could salvage” Edd explained and looked grim

Suddenly Eddy’s body began to shiver uncontrollably, a sign that his nervous system was fully functional again.

“Furthermore, as you may have noticed the sky has turned a very unusual color, the sun is unseasonably eclipsed and the temperature has dropped to below normal temperatures.”

Eddy knew where his friend was going with this.

“If I didn’t know better, Eddy I’d say there was some merit to Ed’s prediction.”

“So, the lump was right, for once… Fuckin’ A” Eddy sighed.

“Well, there’s no point in beating ourselves up over it now. I think its best that we locate Ed. Come on he must be in the forest at this time” Edd turned and started towards the forest behind the houses.

“Uh, Houston we have a problem…” Eddy peeped.

“Huh?” Eddy grabbed his friend’s head and twisted it around to show him what he spoke of: some short distance away, a mass of obscured creatures marched in from the woodworks towards the two boys. Their crimson eyes glowed with an intense bloodlust.

“Not good!” Edd peeped.

“Well ain’t this a bitch!” Eddy cursed.

The boys backed slowly towards one of the houses. The only logical thing to do was to escape now and go find Ed so they could fight another day. But if they did that, then the other residents of Peach Creek cul-de-sac would be left undefended. Of course there were two issues with this line of thinking; A. The boys don’t know whether or not Ed is even alive right now, and B. As far as Edd and Eddy know, these creatures are only here to for them. Time ran thin as the creature drew ever closer, and in a final act, the boys took their stances.

“Double D…?” Eddy began

“Yes, Eddy?” His friend answered

“There’s something I gotta confess… Y’know, just in case we don’t make it outta this.”

“What?” Edd looked to his friend expectantly

“I used your telescope to unclog my toilet once…” Eddy said with a sad smirk

“Oh, wel-… YOU DID WHAT?! EDDY!!”

But in a moment, none of this would matter. When the creatures had all stood in the cul-de-sac street, a few of the humanoid shaped creatures took to the front lines. Those in the front held their hands together and chanted an incantation in a foreign tongue as masses of fire, electricity, cold vapors and magical energy accumulated in each respective creature’s hands. The earth quaked a bit in response of the energy, and soon the spells were launched!

3

“Goodbye, Double D…” Eddy said to his friend and hugged him for dear life

2

“Goodbye, Eddy. It was great knowing you and Ed”

1

They squinted their eyes shut and accepted fate

BOOM!!

The projectiles exploded in front of them. When the smoke cleared and it was all said and done, Edd and Eddy found a strange creature lying on the ground between them and the horde. Before the boys could get a good look at the creature its body began to dissipate into a glowing gold dust, and scattered to the wind. Both sides looked around in confusion.

“I SHALL SEND YOU ALL BACK TO THE DEPTHS OF HELL YOU BASTARDS!!”

Edd and Eddy turned just in time to watch something jump from the house behind them. A silhouette hit the ground with a PLOP! then charged the horde of monsters screaming. The figure was outnumbered, but the horde proved to be outmatched as he began to spin around and twirl a polearm around his body, slashing away the creatures as he passed. The two boys could only watch in awe as the seemingly massive wave of monsters was destroyed in less than a minute with the figure splitting the last one with an overhead chop. The horde’s bodies soon littered the street, and one by one became nothing as they disintegrated and formed a cloud of dust.

“Wait, is that…?” Edd squinted his eyes and saw something emerge from the cloud of dust

“Hey guys, sorry I’m late” Ed stepped out into the clear and hefted his polearm on his shoulder.

“ED!” Edd and Eddy rejoiced as they ran to their friend.

“Oh, I’m so glad you’re okay! I was scared those creatures had gotten to you…” Edd breathed a sigh of relief and gave his friend a brief hug.

“Oh, they wouldn’t have gotten me, Double D, and I got three months of extra training to thank for that.” Ed said reassuringly and stood with a proud expression.

“I can’t believe I’m sayin’ this, but you were right, Ed” Eddy said

“I told you! But, it doesn’t matter now, at least you’re okay.” Ed replied.

As if on cue, the doors of the houses around them opened. “Is it safe to come out?” A small voice called from one house. Ed gave a nod of encouragement and the other residents of the cul-de-sac slowly stepped out into the street towards the Eds.

“Ah, geez it’s cold out here!” Nazz shouted in shock and shivered.

She was a blonde blue eyed happy-go-lucky 17-year old of moderate height and a slim figure, dressed in blue pajamas with crescent moon prints and wore her hair in a ponytail decked with blue streaks. Much like Sarah, Nazz was a major hit with those of the opposite sex and nearly every boy that came across her (including the Eds) dreamed of making her his. But such hopes became dashed for all but one lucky boy

“Sarah look! The sky’s turned a dark crimson! Oh what peculiar events have brought such a terrible shade to our once beautiful and so friendly skies?”

The small, soft-spoken voice belonged to Jimmy; a scrawny thirteen-year old about 5”2’ with curly bangs that seemed to match his pale skin, and dressed in a purple long sleeved t-shirt and matching pants. Jimmy was the resident metro sexual, whose dramatic nature, poetic speech patterns, questionable wardrobe, and general lack of any masculinity whatsoever caused many to believe that he is gay. The only thing about Jimmy that had changed besides an updated look was the fact that his oversized retainer was gone and replaced with braces

“Yeah! Plank wants to know what the heck’s going on here!” Shouted Johnny 2x4

Johnny, a reasonably built thirteen-and-a-half boy that stood 5”5, was dark-skinned, bald, had dark brown eyes and was draped in yellow and green striped pajamas that resembled a hippie’s tunic. Johnny was known around town for his large head, annoying antics and his long time companion, Plank. Plank, who sat comfortably in his friend’s arm was a wooden plank that stood 2”6’ with red crayoned eyes and a blue crayoned smile. He was the “imaginary friend” that often spoke a sharp wit and quick-to-insult dialogue through Johnny as Plank himself could not speak, or even move on his own. However, the idea of Plank being some “inanimate object” was often left open for debate as more than a few incidents suggested otherwise.

“Johnny, it’s obvious 'What the heck’s' goin’ on around here!” Called a voice.

Now amongst the confused residents was a 17-year old boy with an athletic build that stood 5”8’ with buzzed-cut red hair, green eyes and dressed in a white t-shirt, jeans and a red cap turned backwards. He was one of, if not The most popular kid in school; the star quarterback of the Peach Creek Cobblers, had a dad who worked at the Jawbreaker factory, good at all sports, good looking (but was only second compared to Eddy in said person’s opinion), and was dating Nazz. Many except a select few would sell away their entire lives just to live in his shoes for a day.

“This whole thing is just a scam, these dorks cooked up!" The boy pointed an accusing finger at the Eds.

“Kevin, I can assure you, all of you that this isn’t our doing! We haven’t tried an underhanded scheme since our return!” Edd tried explain.

“Oh sure, you dorks run away for three years, then come back and lay low while you come up with this crap!” Kevin pressed. "Let me guess, the retard's doomsday theory was right and now it's up to you assholes to save us all for a 'nominal fee'!"

Eddy fixed Kevin a hateful glare. For as long as these boys could remember anything, they hated each other’s guts. Kevin may be one of the popular kids, but he wasn’t very nice; always picking on those weaker than himself, always laughing at the misfortune of others, always a jerk and a bully. It was a wonder why Kevin was so popular.

“Yeah, but there’s one problem with your theory, Kev.” Eddy started “Why the fuck would I blow up my own house?!”

“Please! You could just get that back from the insurance money! A couple of lost houses would be just a small price to pay to rip us off!” Kevin sneered, stepped towards Eddy and popped his knuckles

“So, you’re gonna fight me? “ Eddy smirked and narrowed his eyes “Fine, let's dance!”

“Uh… Nah, I don't need to waste the energy. I got better things to do then grind your face into the pavement!” Kevin tried to put on a brave face, but his resolve began to falter as Eddy seemed to have recovered from his near-death experience.

“Is that right?” Eddy took a step forward while Kevin backed away. Like everyone else, Kevin had no idea where the Eds had been for the last three years and what they were doing, but whatever it was, an incident that occurred when they enrolled in Peach Creek High school demonstrated that he was no longer a match for Eddy. Kevin for the first time in years found himself being afraid of the shortest Ed. He loathed the fact that someone he used to pick on and beat up was now the one who could hand out the beatings. But strangely, the Eds had been mostly out of the way over the months except for Eddy who would aimlessly wander the cul-de-sac.

Edd grabbed his friend’s shoulder and stopped him while Kevin found himself being comforted by Nazz’s arms as she whispered into his ear. Eddy sneered at the sight and tried not to make his fit of jealousy obvious to the others.

“Uh, yeah go calm down your boyfriend, Double fag!” Kevin tried to look unphased as Nazz held him. Johnny and Jimmy however looked at him unimpressed. Eddy glared at Kevin again while Edd ignored the comment and sighed.

"Plank says we're getting away from the issue here" Johnny interjected.

"Yeah, what's happening to the cul-de-sac?" Jimmy joined in.

"I'm not certain. But, rest assured that whatever is happening is not a hoax nor a scam on our part" Edd began to explain calmly, with the later part of that statement being directed at Kevin.

"It would appear that this is somehow linked to Ed's dream-"

"You mean Ed was right?!" Jimmy's question had highlighted the steadily increasing uneasiness in the other cul-de-sac residents.

"Well, perhaps, but then again this could all be a coincidence. However, considering the.. Unusual circumstances and occurrences, it could be more towards the former than the latter. That's why Ed, Eddy and I are going-"

"To continue our mission to banish the demon knight and his hellspawn army to the depths of oblivion!" Ed declared proudly and raised his new weapon to the heavens with the other residents looking at him strangely. Edd on the other hand sighed and shook his head from having been interrupted yet again, and Eddy busied himself with combing his hair back into shape.

"Well, at any rate, we the Eds are going to investigate this occurrence and find the source of it. For the time being I must advice all of you to stay in your homes and secure your doors and windows. Further more it would be a good idea to alert the authorities." Edd warned them

The kids looked amongst one another a bit unsure of themselves and then looked to Kevin. The neighbor jock simply crossed his arms and shook his head with a disapproving expression.

"Remember folks: Never trust the dorks..." He told them as he turned to leave with Nazz at his side.

The others did the same and walked away from the Eds, with Sarah turning around to flip them off. The sound of the doors coldly shutting on the Eds all at once left an eerily echo effect.

"And with that the defense of the cul-de-sac is a success" Ed declared once more

As if on some kind of cue, the bloody crimson sky returned to its lovely shade of blue dotted with fluffy white clouds, and the temperate almost instantly turned back to normal. Aside from some cracks and charred marks in the pavement, as well as Eddy and Edd's homes were destroyed, the cul-de-sac was mostly untouched. Eddy sighed heavily as his gaze lingered back to the pile of ashes he once called home.

"I'll say, our parents will not be pleased with this" Edd stated rather plainly.

"Well, Kev's right about one thing, the insurance'll handle it..." Eddy said dismissively with folded arms and a shaking head. "We just busted our asses to save this place! The least they could do is appreciate it!!" He then barked while throwing those hands over his hands

"Come on, Eddy, you know the drill by now. Whenever we do a good deed, no one cares, when we do a bad deed everyone's out to get us. That's just the way it goes for us.." The sheer disappointed in Edd's eyes and the low hopeless tone was hard to miss as Edd spoke this cruel truth.

Perhaps, however the three of you have still performed a vital service

Edd and Eddy whipped their heads about to track down the source of these words, but could nothing. It seemed to be coming from inside their heads. In a moment a flash of light appeared before the three boys a a feminine form took shape. Now standing in front of the Eds, was a woman with blue skin, red eyes, dark hair dressed in a white Greek-style gown. Edd and Eddy stood bewildered by the woman's suddenly appearance while Ed just smiled.

"We did it, Azura, we saved the cul-de-sac!" Ed stated proudly

"Yes, I can see this." Azura answered. She then turned her gaze Edd and Eddy who couldn't stop staring in shock. She offered them a calm expression and a kind smile as she nodded to them.

“Hey, you’re that woman from my dream!” Edd and Eddy said in unison.

“Yes, I am Azura, the Daedric Prince of Twlight" Azura introduced herself and bowed

"So lemme guess, Ed was right, and now its up to us to save the world or somethin' like that?" Eddy questioned

"You catch on quickly, a trait that will serve you well for your mission. However, there is more to what is happening than you know.” Azura explained and reached behind her back, then produced a pair of wooden boxes.

"Before we get started, I believe you left these in your homes"

The boys looked at the familiar boxes, then exchanged a look. “You first, Double D” Eddy said.

Edd slid the lid off the box and retrieved two items; a staff and an amulet. The staff was five feet in length with a metallic dark grey shaft and a one foot long crystal fixed to the top that held a dim teal glow.

“Hm, despite its design this staff seems to be well-balanced.” Edd said to himself as he gave the staff a twirl then went on to the next item. The amulet was the exact same design as Ed’s, but cut from sapphire.

“You, Eddward, have been selected by fate to take the role of †˜The Monk born under the sign of The Mage’, the second guardian” Azura spoke as Edd examined the amulet in his hand and put it around his neck.

Eddy next opened his box and retrieved two items; a scimitar and an amulet. Eddy’s eyes sparked as he eyed the scimitar and unsheathed. It was about three feet in length and had a dark grey blade, a gold guard with a ruby in the center, a brown hilt with gold pines snaking down to a gold pummel. The sheath was covered with a dark grey leather skin and the back tied together with black threads. The amulet was identical to Ed and Edd’s but was cut from emerald

“You, Eddy have been selected by fate to take the role of †˜The Assassin born under the sign of The Thief”, the third Guardian.” Azura explained while Eddy sheathed his weapon and put on his amulet.

"Kickass!" Eddy's eyes lit up as he unsheathed his new weapon and proceeded to swing it about.

“However, the weapons and amulets you hold are... Incomplete so to speak.” Azura added, causing Eddy to stop in his tracks and join his fellow Eds in another staring session.

"Incomplete you say?" Came out of Edd as he examined the staff in his hand then turned his gaze towards the amulet around his neck.

"Then what good is this stuff if it ain't done yet?!" Eddy's voice echoed through the empty streets as he shouted.

"Shut the hell up!!" Soon followed from the interior of Kevin's house, earning an awkward expression from all four persons. In a moment, Azura shook her head and turned back to the Eds, addressing the annoyed expression that took form upon Eddy's bruised and battered features.

"What I mean by incomplete is that these items are not at the peak of their abilities. The amulet piece you're wearing for example is obviously missing another half and is to contain your 'armor'. The 'rest' of your equipment so to speak lies in a series of shrines, to which the items are to be used as keys. However, you those shrines are located in Japan, as is your main objective."

"And what is that again?" Eddy asked in an unenthusiastic tone.

"A terrible string of events plague the island nation of Japan, which are being caused by those that serve the one who antagonized Ed and another three months previous"

"Another?" The Eds repeated.

"Yes, did you think, Ed was the only the antagonist approach in their dreams who refused his offer? There are actually three others involved in this in their own ways. But, you will meet them later on in your journey. Right now your priority is to go to Japan and acquire your equipment, whilst defeating the servants of the antagonist that you come across"

“Uh, that’s all fine’n good, Azura but in case you never picked this up from how long you’ve been watchin’ us… WE’RE FLAT BROKE!! How the hell are we supposed to get to Japan when we ain’t any money?!” Eddy yelled and yanked out the insides of his pockets to emphasize his point. "On top of that, what about our houses?! Our parents are gonna kill us when they come home!!"

Azura smiled and touched Eddy’s shoulders.

“Don’t worry, about traveling to Japan as I will send you. As for your homes.” She started. "Let's just say you parents won't notice a thing when they return.

“Um, with all due respect, Ms. Azura, but how do we know we can trust you?" Edd added. "I mean we only just met you, how do we know you're not involved with who or what attacked us?"

“I can understand your suspicions, Eddward, but I assure you that I am an ally. That is all I have time to say as of now, since time is of the essence” Azura held her hands out in front of the Ed’s face. “Are you ready to go?”

The Eds looked at each other, then to Azura, and then at each other again.

"Alright, we'll go along." Eddy stated and crossed his arms over his chest. "For now"

Azura only nodded, then held her hands out in front of them whilst whispering in tongues. At first there was nothing, but a sudden flash interrupted the tedium. And before the Eds could react

It went dark(Cue BGM: Suckas need bodyguards(instrumental)- Gangstarr)

Hey langying, keep this up. I'm beginning to get hooked onto the story. If there's anything to edit, I'll let you know. (I'd like to see a couple more chapters before starting to comment anything serious.)

took me like a houre to read all of this lol but it was cool im already waiting for more lol =]

And here's the next chapter. This one focuses on the Strawberry Panic! characters, Hikari and Amane specifically and starts the day before chapter 1. It took me a little time to edit it, but I got it done.

Oh, this is also a long one, so I'll post it below

Chapter 2(Part 1): The Star of Three Saints

The months passed, and the cold winds of winter eventually made way for the gentle breezes of spring. This place now bustled with life as the sight of tall green trees, colorful flowers and the sound of chirping birds enticed Azura who strolled through Astrea Hill towards the dormitory that had been dubbed “Ichigo-sha”.

“Ah, this place is so much like home” The Daedric Prince breathed a sigh of fresh morning air and let the warm sun rays beam down on her face.

But, she did not come to this place to admire it. She had come to find the Star of Three Saints and alert of them of their destiny. She had already found and spoke to one in a stable. Her search for the other leads her to a tall three story Victorian-style building with beige walls and a red roof. If one were to see this building from above, they would find that the Ichigo-sha resembled a strawberry, hence its name. Azura slowly ascended to the sky then looked down on the building, and closed her eyes.

Her mind scanned the building for a certain someone and she soon found her sleeping in one of the rooms on the second floor. With a thought, Azura now stood in a small room in front of a bed and eyed the person under the covers. The person in the bed was a petite teenage girl, about 5’2” in height, had long pale blonde hair and dressed in yellow pajamas with a white collar.

“Hikari…” Azura whispered the girl’s name and knelt next to her bed. Hikari seemed to be in terrible shape. Her body laid still in bed as the only visible she gave was her slow breathing. Azura picked up the small plastic object at Hikari’s bedside.

It was a bottle of sleeping pills

†˜Poor girl… I’m not sure who is the cruelest; Fate, the enemy, or… Myself.’ Azura closed her eyes and her hand began to glow pink that turned to a blinding flash. Just before they departed, Azura heard something move behind her and turned her head just in time to see a girl rise from a bed across the room.

-“Nani?”- a half-asleep voice sounded from behind her just before they departed

Hikari stirred in sleep and her eyes slowly fluttered open. Soon enough she found that she wasn’t in her dorm room, and when she sat up, she met eyes with a familiar pair of great crimson ones.

“GAH!!” Hikari screamed

-“Oh, did I startle you?”-

Hikari knew this scenario all too well as it repeated every night for three straight months. Instinctively she backed away from the person before her and closed her eyes to avoid eye contact. However, she didn’t get very far as she stopped when something hit her back. Hikari opened her eyes and saw that she backed into a stone. She stood up only to meet the gaze of bright red eyes and froze.

-“Hikari, calm down-kudasai.”- The person spoke softly.

For once, Hikari stopped to look at the person in front of her and found that she was not in the presence of that horrific man she couldn’t stop dreaming about. Before her stood a tall, thin woman with grayish blue skin, large red eyes, dark blue hair tied in a knot behind her head and wore a metallic blue sleeveless gown. The woman reached out to touch Hikari’s shoulder, but jerked her hand back when the girl flinched. The woman reached out again, this time more slowly and carefully placed a hand on Hikari’s shoulder.

-“Daijabu desuka, Hikari?”- The woman asked.

Hikari felt at ease and her body stopped shaking. This woman for some reason seemed similar in appearance to that man, and yet was so different in essence. Her touch felt soothing, the air around her was a calming gentle breeze and a dim angelic glow of white lingers about her form. Hikari looked the woman in the eyes and took a step back.

-“Who are you? Where have you brought me?”- Hikari questioned the woman.

The woman in turn offered Hikari a kind smile -“My name is Azura. If you wish to know where you are, then feel free to look around.”- The woman then stepped to the side.

Hikari stared in awe of what lie before her; a colorful array of flowers that’s beauty would put even the flowers of the Etoile’s garden to shame. They seemed to go on forever too. Hikari then turned her head westward when something bright caught her eye and was treated to the sight of large sparkling buildings of silver shining brilliantly in the distance.

-“Kide!”- Hikari gasped. She soon felt a hand on her shoulder.

-“Arigato, Hikari”- Azura spoke from behind her. -“This is my home: Moonshadow”-

-“Ah, this place is so wonderful… Demo, why have you brought me here, Azura-sama?”-

Azura stepped in front of Hikari, and her jovial expression turned serious. She let out a sigh and looked Hikari right in the eyes.

“Hikari… There is a task that you have been chosen for… I don’t want you to become involved, but choosing you was not my decision.” Azura stated sadly.

Hikari grew concerned as the woman turned away and stared aimlessly into the distance. She walked around and met Azura’s gaze, as her curiosity at the same time picked up a bit.

-“What do you mean? What have I been chosen for, Azura-sama?”-

Azura breathed a sigh and tried to think of a way to break this to the young and seemingly innocent girl. Considering what Hikari had been going through, Azura worried if this next bit of information would be too much for her. -“Hikari… This involves the nightmares you have been having for the past three months.”-

Hikari felt a chill shoot through her whole body and clutched her head. Images of those hellish dreams and the sadistic man in the hood flashed before her eyes, as she tried fruitlessly to shake them away.

-“What do you mean? H-How did you know about this?”- Hikari fell to her knees and tears streamed down her face as her body felt an all too familiar agony. The images continued to burn in her mind as the young lady continue to try to shake them away, quietly saying something to incoherent in between her sobs

Azura hung her head and cursed something in a foreign tongue, a feeling of guilt overtaking her. She knelt down before the girl and gently took her shaking form into her arms.

(Cue BGM: Utsukushiki Kyougaku- Strawberry Panic! OST)

-“Listen-kudasai. The person I speak of, the one who has tormented you in your dreams is currently sealed away in the mountains of Hokkaido. Unfortunately though, his power has almost completely recovered and their affects are already being felt.”-

-“I’ve heard that some terrible things up there are happening. And lots of people that lived there have mysteriously died because of it”- Hikari reminisced about overhearing the various rumors the other students would speak of. -“Are you telling me that all these things are happening because of what you told me?-

Azura nodded. -“Hikari, the time is coming where he will break free of his bindings and cast his shadow over your world once more. You have been chosen to defeat him as †˜The Mage born under the sign of The Apprentice’.”-

The Daedric Prince could feel Hikari slowly shake her head and her small hands reached up and clung to her shoulders.

-“That can’t be true…”- Hikari whispered -“I know nothing of magic.”-

Azura gently pushed her back to give herself distance and looked Hikari in the eyes.

-“And neither did the woman chosen before you in the centuries past. The powers and spells you will need are contained within this”- Azura pointed towards Hikari’s chest, and right on queue, something glowed a bright red from inside her shirt.

Hikari reached into her shirt and gasped at what she saw: the ruby pendent that she was given when she and her girlfriend Amane won the Etoile election four months previous. Hikari shook her head again and closed her eyes, streams of tears descending her face, and her body shook once more.

-“I can’t..”- Hikari whispered as she held the pendent to her heart and closed her eyes, trying to still her shaking body. -“I’m scared…”-

Azura’s gentle hands found themselves on Hikari’s shoulders, and the young lady met her gaze. –“Fear not, as you will not be alone.”- She looked at Hikari with an assuring expression. -“Amane will accompany you: she and during your journey, four others will join you.”-

Hikari’s frightened expression melted away as she perked up at the mention of Amane being with her. Now matter how scared or hopeless she would get, the very presence of her beloved Amane would give her the courage to do anything. But, Hikari then became looked confused at the mention of the four other people.

-“I’m glad believe that Amane-sempai will be helping me.. Demo, who are these others you mentioned?’ Hikari cocked an eye at Azura, who looked back knowingly.

-“Who they are is unimportant, you will meet them in time. However, I will have to explain what must be done in greater detail later on”-

"Wait, why can't you tell me the rest now?" Hikari questioned the woman.

-“Because, it's time for you to wake up"-

And then Hikari’s vision went dark…

†˜Chikashou, where could she be…’

This question came posed to a teenaged girl that walked through the halls of the Ichigo-sha deep in though. This girl was about 5’7”, slim, petite, had shaggy light blue hair, crimson eyes and a boyish face. In fact, this face caused more than a few to mistake this worried girl to be a boy. She looked very professional in an all white uniform complete with a blazer, tan with brown stripped bow tie, a skirt cut just above her knees, black socks and brown shoes.

She huffed a sigh and listened to the sound of her own footsteps echo through the empty and lifeless hallways. The students and inhabitants of the Ichigo-sha had already departed, breakfast was already served and eaten, and there was just a little time left before classes started. This girl on the other hand had been searching for someone since that someone’s roommate came to her at the stables asking for help. The girl came upon a door in the middle of the hall, this one being the most familiar out of all the other doors that decked the walls.

-“Onegai… Be here..”-

This was the last place the girl could think to look for the missing person. Her hand gripped the knob and began to turn.

-“Oi, Amane-san.”-

Her hand stopped, and Amane turned her head to see a slim girl with long ravenous hair and dazzling hazel eyes, dressed in the same white uniform, Nanto Yaya. Yaya rounded a corner and jogged to meet Amane.

-“Any luck?”-

-“No, you?”-

-“I haven’t found Hikari yet, but I thought to look here.”- Amane said.

There was an awkward feeling between these two as they spoke. Amane never knew why, but for as long as she had known Hikari, the missing girl, she had sensed an intense hostility from her raven haired friend. Yaya would every so often fix Amane a glare from the corner of her eye. It was the glare you would give someone that had stole something precious from you, something that meant the world to you. Whenever Yaya and Amane were forced to speak to one another, Yaya’s voice was slightly laced with sharp sarcasm and ill-intent. In fact, this was one of the few times that Amane and Yaya were around one another and Yaya lacked hostility, probably because her thoughts were elsewhere.

The moment the door opened, the two apparent rivals were treated to a relieving sight. There Hikari would lay in bed with her hands folded on top her chest, rising and falling with her steady breaths. Her neatly brushed hair shimmered as it streamed under her back, and all color had been returned to her face and glowed with youthful radiance. The gentle rays of sunlight that beamed down on Hikari seemed to cast a divine aura over her. The two girls carefully stepped into the room and each took a knee beside Hikari’s bed.

-“There she is… Isn’t she beautiful?”- Yaya whispered softly.

Amane couldn’t say a word, and just nodded in response. Her eyes were locked to the blonde beauty in front of her, as she was lost in blissful relief. It had been some time since Hikari had looked like her angelic self. However that gaze picked up something and slightly shifted to Amane’s right. On Hikari’s nightstand, the little white bottle of sleeping pills was conspicuously absent.

-“Hikari?”- However.

-“Hikari!”- It would seem with a miracle, came yet another problem.

-“Hi-Ka-Ri! Come on wake up already!”- Yaya almost yelled at her sleeping friend and gentle nudges became desperate shakes. But Hikari, in her peaceful slumber would not awaken.

As this went on, Amane could only stare at her beloved as she lay sleeping. Only three months ago had she been allowed to see Hikari in her full and most innocent beauty. She fell in a trance as crimson eyes drifted to soft moist lips that said lover’s illness had denied the right to taste.

-“Araa! Now she sleeps like a rock…”- Yaya pouted then sighed, letting her head fall into her hand. She soon felt Amane’s hand on her shoulder, and turned only to see Amane’s gaze transfixed to Hikari

-“I have an idea..”- Yaya looked away with disgust when Amane’s face slowly turned red as she caught the hint. A hand brushed the golden strands from Hikari’s eyes as Amane’s eyes became shaded. The blue haired tomboy leaned in, ever so slowly until her face hovered just inches from that of her beloved. And then.. She kissed her.

Amane’s heart raced with the first joyful burst of adrenaline she hadn’t felt in months. Hikari’s lips felt so soft, and tasted so sweet, she could swear she was in heaven. But Amane’s eyes snapped open when she heard Hikari moan into the kiss. The blonde’s eyelids carefully open to reveal two sparkling baby blue orbs. Hikari’s eyes widened in shock and her cheeks burned red when she found herself being awakened by her lover with an impassioned kissed. But as surprise turned to ecstasy when those eyes shaded, Amane jumped when she saw Hikari awake and withdrew.

-“Uh, gomen, Hikari… It’s just that, you looked so… Kawaii, I just couldn’t-“- . She could say no more. Hikari looked her girlfriend in the eyes, and her expression had already shown forgiveness.

-“Ohaiyo, Amane-sempai.”- Hikari almost sang to Amane who drew closer, ready to give her girlfriend another kiss when she felt something grab her.

-“Ah, you’re finally up, Sleeping Beauty!”- Yaya playfully constricted Hikari in a headlock and gently grinded her knuckles against her noggin.

-“Gah! Yaya-chan let go!”- Hikari giggled as she struggled to break free of her playful friend.

-“That’s for making us worry about you this morning.”- Yaya stated matter-of-factly as she released her friend.

-“Oh.. Gomen nasai, Yaya-chan, Amane-sempai. Demo, there’s no need to worry anymore, I feel much better today”- Hikari stated proudly and smiled to the two girls in front of her. They however didn’t seem swayed by her words and Amane looked Hikari right in the eyes.

-“Hai, we can that; however that isn’t what we meant.”- Amane stated carefully

Hikari could only respond with a confused stare and a raised eyebrow. She looked back and forth between Yaya and Amane who looked at her expectantly. -“What do you mean?”-

-“Something woke me up this morning and when I turned to see what it was, you were gone. Amane-san and I spent the whole morning looking for you…”- Yaya explained.

-“I was? Demo, I.. I don’t remember leaving the dorms.”- As far as Hikari knew she had been in the Ichigo-sha since the previous evening. All she could remember is that she had a dream about being taken to a field of flowers and talking to a woman named Azura about the cause of her nightmares. Unless…

-“ETOILE-SAMA!”- A small voice broke in from the door. The three girls turned their heads to find a girl with short violet hair and red eyes wearing a white uniform identical to Yaya and Amane’s. This small girl looked like a first year student as she was rather young.

-“Hai?”-

-“Something’s happened at the Cathedral, you must come see, haiyaku!”- The excitement in the girl’s voice was very evident and she practically bounced on her toes as she stood. When Amane replied that they would check it out, the girl almost instantly disappeared, trailing footsteps resounding through the empty halls.

The three girls left in the awkwardly silent room exchanged confused glances. A silent “let’s go” spoke from Hikari’s expression as she slipped out of bed and went to the closet to retrieve her uniform.

The cathedral was not only one of the tallest buildings on Astrea Hill; it was also the oldest. Its history spanning to the existence of the place it was built on, the Cathedral was barely used except special ceremonies and the choir practice of the widely renowned †˜Saintly Chorus’. This tall proud building in white could be seen from practically anywhere on the hill’s grounds, even from a great distance away from the hill. Today the cathedral was surrounded by a sea of black, white and fuchsia.

Hushed and excited whispers filled the air as students from all three of Astrea Hill’s prestigious schools had come to see this spectacle. Those in black gothic dresses hailed from St. Miator; the oldest of the three schools whose highest value was placed in tradition. Many higher up families from all over Japan and even abroad sent their daughters to this school to develop into a fine bride; hence it was called “The school for brides”. The girls in the professional white uniforms came from St. Spica; the second oldest school and Miator’s long time rival. Many higher up families of Japan and abroad also sent their daughters to this school as they would later use its education to go and do great things in society whether it was in business, politics, sports and beyond. Finally the students in the fuchsia sailor style uniforms with red checker patterned skirts belonged to St. Lulim: The youngest of the three schools, Lulim steered clear of the intense politics between Miator and Spica as this school held a more laid back style of things. The school was most known for their plethora of extracurricular activities that were more about helping a girl find a nice hobby than anything. This didn’t mean, however that they slacked behind in academics.

In front of the thick crowd of students stood two girls in Miator’s black uniforms. The taller girl, a beautiful, buxom young lady of 19 with free flowing silver hair, and deep olive green eyes held hands with a shorter girl while staring at something that was enough to draw the attention of the three school’s students. The shorter girl was a pretty petite girl of 16 with crimson hair tied back in a short ponytail and matching crimson eyes. These girls were known throughout Astrea Hill as probably the most popular couple besides the current Etoile, Amane and Hikari. These two had been nothing but inseparable since the silver-haired lady barged in on the Etoile election, then confessed her loved for the girl with crimson hair, and after a long awaited embraced between the two, they escaped the election, leaving Hikari and Amane to win by default.

-“Kide desune, Shizuma-sama?”- The crimson-haired girl asked her companion.

Shizuma studied what stood between the crowd of gushing school-girls and the entrance to the cathedral: A tall and mighty Sakura tree whose bark glowed a brilliant cyan and the leaves upon its branches a bright pink The cathedral was surrounded by a perimeter of these lovely trees. There was no doubt that these trees were beautiful, but something about them didn’t seem to sit well with Shizuma.

-“Hai, they are… Demo, they raise a lot of questions such as: Where did these come from, and why someone would put these kinds of trees here in particular”- She replied.

The crimson-haired girl looked confused and Shizuma points towards the objection of her speculation; an intricate white cloth that tied around the bark of each tree and connected them together. Anyone who knew a little about Japanese culture and religion could tell these were charms. Shinto charms to be exact, used in rituals to create a barrier around something. Shizuma, her girlfriend and the surrounding crowd continued to stare at the trees in awe.

-“Nagisa-san!”-

Nagisa and Shizuma turned and watched the thick crowd split into two. The members of the crowd bowed respectively and uttered “Ohaiyo, Etoile-sama!” as three figures passed, two of those figures waving to each individual and either greeted or nodded their head in acknowledgment. They soon met up with Nagisa and Shizuma who then bowed respectively and uttered the same lines as those in the crowd, with Nagisa adding “Ohaiyo, Yaya-chan”. Hikari and Amane, the apparent Etoile rolled their eyes in slight annoyance of this, as each knew either Nagisa or Shizuma personally.

-“You know, Nagisa-san there’s no need to call me that. We’re still friends, ne?”- One thing about the title she and Amane won that annoyed Hikari was the fact that everyone on Astrea Hill, even the adult staff referred to her as “Hikari-sama”. The special treatment made Hikari very uncomfortable, especially when coming from her friends. She would much rather stand beside her peers as a fellow student, instead of some lofty figure. Amane in turn had been long used to this life as the girls of Astrea Hill already worshiped her because of her exceptional talents, especially in horseback riding. But that didn’t mean she liked it any less than Hikari.

Nagisa nodded and Yaya stepped out to take a look at what was so damn fascinating about the cathedral. In a moment she found herself being entranced by it like everyone else. Hikari and Amane soon joined her.

-“Oh my gosh!”- Hikari exclaimed.

-“Kide..”- came from Yaya

Amane could only gasp at the sight of trees and found herself drifting into deep thought. For some strange reason, these beautiful, but mysterious trees reminded Amane of a something strange that happened this morning…

The stables are quiet. It was always just the way Amane liked it; peaceful, serene, and quiet. No cheering fangirls, no bothersome visits from Spica’s student council president… no hassles. It was just Amane, the quiet stables and her horse. But, a heavy sigh escaped the other half of the Etoile as her gaze found a lone tree on the other side of the track. This tree, the same one where her beloved Hikari would stand and quietly watch her practice, was now empty.

This place was actually where Amane and Hikari first met. After returning to Astrea Hill from winning yet another horse riding competition, Spica’s nationally renowned horseback riding team would be treated to a song by Spica’s Saintly Chorus that Hikari was part of. But, before they could start, Hikari in all her fear and fleeting emotions began too early and ended up making a fool of herself in front of all and it took Amane’s piercing glare to make the mocking laughter cease. But it didn’t help, and as the angelic voices of her fellow chorus members enticed the crowd, Hikari could only sadly at the floor in silence. Amane was probably the only one who picked up on this, and it bothered her for the rest of the day.

The next day, on a morning like this, she would get ready to practice, but stop as a soft and delicate voice could be heard singing the Astrea Hill’s anthem from out of nowhere. When Amane saddled up on her horse to find the source of the wondrous singing, she would find that girl standing by a tree out in the cold singing her heart out. The two would then talk and Amane managed to quell Hikari’s feelings of heartbreak and sway her from leaving the choir. From there a beautiful romance story of a prince finding her princess began. But today that tree in particular seemed so dull and lifeless. All it did was remind Amane that her beloved is not well.

Amane turned away and looked at her horse; a mighty white stallion with a brilliant golden mane, appropriately named “Starbright” in English. But the steed seemed to be down in the dumps as well as his sad eyes looked in to hers.

-“Worried about Hikari too, Starbright? At least I’m not alone in my grief..”- She sighed and lightly scratched his ear.

Amane gripped the saddle and took a foot into the stirrup but stopped when Starbright suddenly whined. It took her a split second later to catch the sound of footsteps from outside.

-“Who is that?”- Amane called out.

-“I remember there was a time when you were famous for your skill in another field”-

A strange woman with grey-blue skin, large red eyes, and dark blue hair tied in a knot behind her head and dressed in a Greek style gown stood out into the open and looked at Amane with crossed arms.

Amane in turn raised an eyebrow at this and took her foot down from the stirrup and face the woman. But she wasn’t given a chance to speak.

-“Before you came to this place and became famous your horseback riding, you were known throughout Japan and even abroad for you skill in Kendo.”- The woman began -“They say your Hyoho Niten Ichi Ryu is unmatched. Should you have continued down that path you would have become the greatest swordsman in Japan since Miyamoto Musashi..”-.

Amane looked shocked as the woman knew this about her. Amane never told anyone on Astrea Hill about the past this woman brought up, not even Hikari. But she quickly regained composure and looked the woman in the eyes.

-“If you know that much about me, then you would know that I quit my study of the sword…”- She replied calmly

-“Why?”-

The next question for some reason was to be expected.

-“My study of the sword, and quest for strength, was a path that everyone expected me to follow until the end. Daga, after a while, it felt too childish. So I quit and came here then took up horseback riding”- Amane answered.

-“Oh, like horseback riding isn’t †˜childish’?”- The woman approached Amane and laid a hand on Starbright. The stallion couldn’t pull its eyes away from the woman’s, as if entranced, but oddly enough found her presence entrancing, now a moth to a flame. Amane found herself studying the strange woman and noticed the strange aura about her. Just who is she?

-“You may have left the sword, Amane-san.. Demo, the sword has not left you. The time when you will once again stride into battle is fast approaching”- The woman turned and strolled out of the stables.

Those words left Amane taken back and very confused. She tried to catch up to the woman, but she seemed to walk faster than Amane could run.

“Wait! What did you mean by that? Who are you?!” Amane cried out to the woman.

The woman stopped, but did not face Amane and only looked out to the sun that slowly rose over the towering trees. Amane could hear the woman sigh deeply and her gaze seemed to fall back to what lay in front of her.

-“I’ll put it to you like this… You found what you’ve been searching for, so why not go back to your old life? At least for a little while anyway…”-

Amane raised an eyebrow and took another step forward, but stopped when a light flashed from inside her shirt. She looked down and pulled a sapphire pendent from her shirt. It was now glowing brilliantly and felt warm as Amane held it in her hands. She looked back up to woman.

-“Nani?”-

Only to find that she had disappeared

-“Oi, Amane-san!”- Shizuma’s words brought Amane back to the present and she turned to see the silver haired young woman’s annoyed expression.

-“Welcome back, Space Cadet.” Shizuma teased with a smirk curling her lips.

-“Oh, gomen..”- The girls around them giggled a bit at Amane’s momentary trip and the blue-haired tomboy blushed a bit.

-“As I was saying: I heard from Miyuki that Sister Hamasaka is calling a meeting with the representatives of all three schools to talk about these Sakura. You know what that means…” Shizuma trailed off

-“Hikari and I will have to attend and decide what to do with these…”- Amane picked up the rest of her friend’s sentence, and then hung her head in defeat.

-“Knowing that old hag, she’s going to lobby to have these trees taken down and consider them †˜An act of vandalism’… It’d be a terrible shame if they were; they’re so beautiful aren’t they.”-

Amane nodded in agreement, but noticed that Shizuma didn’t look at the trees or at her as she said this. Her gaze transfixed to Nagisa who chatted and laughed casually with her friends Yaya and Hikari. Shizuma sighed dreamily and beamed a loving smile at the red-head

-“In a month, Miyuki and I will be leaving this place for good. If it weren’t for Nagisa, I would leave and not look back while saying something along the lines of †˜With Kaori gone, there’s nothing left for me here’.”-

Again Amane would just nod in agreement to her friend’s comment. Shizuma was one of the people that lobbied for Amane to run in the Etoile election, though in secret. Considering the fierce political rivalry between their schools, word of a Miator student supporting a Spican would cause more than a few problems. After the election, the mysterious Shizuma would appear before Amane every so often and offer advice on how to get through the bothersome duties that came with the fame and “Special something” her and Hikari’s title offered.

In a minute, the bell rang and the crowd quickly dispersed. The once colorful sea of white black and beige filtered out as the students headed towards their respective schools. Amane looked back at the trees one last time and thought about what the woman said. Though Amane wasn’t sure what that woman meant when she said, somehow these trees had something to do with it…

-†˜Did that person do this?’- She thought quietly before she turned and jogged off to school.

The whole day seemed to go by as a blur. Both Amane and Hikari had operated on auto-pilot as their minds meditated upon what they had seen and heard earlier this morning. Every so often when either girl was by a window, they would stare out into the direction of the Cathedral. But, just as every so often some random student or even staff member would snatch them away from their thoughts to ask them for information about those strange yet beautiful trees. The separated couple would nod as the person’s words faded to just sound as their minds slowly drifted back to thought when listening to that person’s theories.

Soon enough the classes eventually came to an end. Hikari and Amane met each other back at the Ichigo-sha and stood before the door to the student council room. Already voices could be heard on the other side, as it seemed they may have started without the Etoile couple.

-“My first meeting in months and I’m late. That can’t look good on my track record…”-Hikari remarked sadly.

-“Don’t worry, my love: They would never start meetings like this without us.”- Amane said reassuringly. -“Saa, shall we?”-

Hikari puffed a sigh and Amane opened the door. The council members seemed to be all over the place, and quickly filed towards their seats when the Etoile arrived. Those present bowed to the Etoile who then returned the gesture and took their seat at the head of the large table. A tall elderly lady, with her gray hair tied in a knot behind her head, stern dark brown eyes and dressed in a black old-fashioned gown stood at the other end of the room.

Old, but observant eyes scanned the room and addressed the eyes of those in attendance. The student representatives met eyes with the elderly woman with external conviction, but deep inside they found themselves deeply intimidated. This woman had a reputation for being very strict with the students of Astrea Hill and even handed out harsh punishments followed by dreadfully long lectures for minor offenses. This elderly woman was Sister Hamasaka, or as some called her; The Nun from Hell.

-“Right, with everyone in here, this emergency meeting shall begin. All in attendance announce yourselves-kudasai.”-

The girls present mentally sighed in annoyance as they had done this every time there was a meeting like this. Everyone had already knew each other and the schools they represented by now, this procedure was unnecessary. But, it was tradition, that and Hamasaka was in attendance, so they couldn’t just skip it like Hikari normally suggested. On the left of the long table, the Council President of Miator stood up.

-“Rokujou Miyuki, representing St. Miator Girls’ Academy.”- The first to stand was a young lady of about 18-19 years old. She was a sixth year, like Shizuma who had midnight blue hair hanging some few inches from shoulders and hazel brown eyes. Those few that actually knew Miyuki personally knew her to be a very serious and organized individual, a bit of a sharp contrast to her friend Shizuma. Miyuki was intelligent, hard-working, a capable leader, and known to have a strict attitude when leading. But unlike “The Nun from Hell”, Miyuki was also understanding and would yield when necessary.

-“Toumori Shion, representing St. Spica Girls’ Institute.”- Second to stand is another young lady, this one being about 16-17 years of age. She’s a fifth year with long blonde hair reaching past her shoulders, blue eyes, and a high forehead. Much like their respective schools, Shion and Miyuki were bitter rivals since Shion was elected as Student Council President of Spica. However, one couldn’t help but wonder if these two only had it out for each other because of their schools’ politics. It didn’t matter. Shion, like Miyuki was hard working. But she was also a very proud girl from a high classed family, so she was always eager to show off her achievements. The fact that Amane and Hikari -two Spicans- held the position of Etoile was one of her biggest, and she made a point to get in Miyuki’s face about it when the chance presented itself. Shion also made sure the current Etoile performed their duties properly; she would rather die than have Spica’s first Etoile follow the footsteps of their Miator predecessor.

-“Minamoto Chikaru representing St. Lulim Girls’ School”- The last to stand is young lady about Shion’s age. She too is a fifth year student of her school. She has flowing ravenous hair decorated with a scarlet bow on both sides, and hazel eyes. Chikaru, much like those of her school preferred to stay out of the intense rivalry between Miator and Spica, or in this case Miyuki and Shion. Chikaru, like those around her now was hard-working, but balanced her work with play. She is also the founder of a lot of-if not- all of Lulim’s extracurricular clubs. Chikaru, being a loving and friendly (if not somewhat eccentric) girl barely had trouble making friends, and many from all three schools (especially younger students) were drawn to her warm, motherly persona. In fact, she and Shion had been good friends for practically as long as either girl attended Astrea Hill. Chikaru probably would have become friends with Miyuki as well, if it wasn’t for Miyuki constantly parenting Shizuma combined with her somewhat withdrawn personality.

-“Konohana Hikari,”- Hikari began

-“And Otori Amane”- Amane picked up

-“Representing Miator, Spica and Lulim as Etoile”- The two lovers now said in unison.

-“Good, you may all take your seats”- The girls wanted to sigh in relief at these words, but the elderly woman’s presence kept their mouths closed as they sat. Hamasaka then produced a sheet of paper and stood up to face the assembled council.

-“As you all know, this meeting has been called to discuss the topic of the strange †˜Barrier Trees’ that have been placed on the grounds of our Cathedral.”-

Miyuki took the floor first. -“There is much speculation about the trees’ origin and purpose, but there are definite clues of either. When examined, the ground surrounding the roots of the trees seemed to be undisturbed. It is as if those Sakura had always been there. For the time being, it is undecided what to do with these trees.”-

The council members nod, but say nothing in response. All but two eyes are on Shion who stands up next. -“As aforementioned, there is much speculation about the origin and purpose of the trees. Like Miator, Spica has not decided on what course of action to take with the trees considering that we don’t know anything about them.”-

Chikaru takes the floor next and first looks around the council. Then her gaze shifts towards the window. There is no doubt she’s looking towards the Cathedral, from where the glow of those Sakura trees could be seen.

-“To be honest, the sudden appearance of these trees actually brings up some current events as well as rumors involving said current events”- Chikaru began.

-“Is that so?”- Hamasaka retorts.

-“Hai. We all know about the drastic changes and severe epidemic that plagues Hokkaido; the snow has turned into a blood red sand, the plants dry up as if exposed to excessive heat, but the temperatures are much below freezing, the sky has turned red with the sun being eclipsed. Not only that, but the locals that lived on those mountains when this began has either died right away, or has gone insane first. The entire province of Hokkaido has been quarantined, but several people, specifically those of various religious faiths from all over Japan and even abroad gathers in Hokkaido.”- Chikaru explained.

-“During the time that these changes in climate occurred in Hokkaido, people from all over Japan disappeared, at practically the exact same time. Several weeks later, all of the missing people’s friends and relatives had been found dead from an ill-defined cause. Finally, in the recent weeks; at night, or even the day sometimes, there have been similar changes in climate to that of Hokkaido, occur in those very same regions and the people living in there have even reported seeing ghosts and monsters when these brief changes occur. Those of us in Lulim have been wondering if the †˜Barrier Trees’ have been erected as a response to these events, as many say they may have supernatural causes. So, we have decided that we want them to stay.”-

All eyes turn to Hamasaka who looks at Chikaru. The girl freezes in her seat when their eyes deadlock and the expression on the elderly woman seemed unmoved. She stands up, and follows Chikaru’s movements in looking out the window towards the Cathedral. She stays there for a moment, and an unshakable tension fills the room. A minute passes, and Hamasaka faces the council with her hands behind her back.

-“Now, Minamoto-san,”- Hamasaka addressed the raven-haired fifth year.
-“I must start by saying that your view of this situation is ludicrous and rather childish at best! Dateh, then again being a student of Le Rim, I’m not surprised that you would have such a ridiculous perception of things.”- Those words were an insult towards Chikaru at best, and she seemed to have caught it as she looked away hurt. The look on Chikaru’s face was close to glaring daggers into Hamasaka, but the raven-haired fifth year held her emotions back, knowing the elderly nun would attack her again if otherwise. Hamasaka could see this, and almost scoffed as Chikaru fought with herself, then forced the girl to meet her gaze when hazel eyes deadlock to dark brown ones again.

-“Now, mind you, Minamoto-san, that I am fully aware of the peculiar events befalling Japan. However, I have also worked here longer than you have even been alive. In my years, I have seen several pranks, hoaxes and other nonsense of this magnitude, and I can safely assume the presence of these trees is not only a small-minded prank, but I could even go as far as call it an act of vandalism!”- And with that, more than a few gasps filled the room before the council members collected themselves. For as long as any of these girls had been attending their respective schools on Astrea Hill, they never heard of an act of vandalism. The idea seemed incredible, but Hamasaka looked dead serious, her expression putting down an up-roar before it even started.

-“Reason being, is the act of someone placing items of a conflicting religion upon Catholic grounds. Some could even consider this an attack on the cross. Therefore, I would like to see those trees removed and disposed of, then to find the ones responsible for this and have them dealt with accordingly”-

(Cue BGM: Number nine (back in Tokyo)- Tsutchie)

-“You mustn’t!”- Amane suddenly stood up and demanded this from across the room. The council presidents and even the “Nun from Hell” herself jumped inside themselves when Amane’s voice shouted from nowhere.

This whole time, Amane and Hikari had mentally left the room the moment they sat down from announcing themselves. They cocked half an ear at the meeting and only picked out pieces of what each girl said. They were too busy thinking over what they heard from a strange woman that Hikari knew as “Azura” and Amane by no name at all. Their gaze would drift back and forth between the Cathedral some distance outside the council room window and the pendants they held in their hand. But, when mention of the tree’s removal was brought up, the Etoile Couple snapped back to the here and now. They felt a need to protect those Sakura.

-“I know that there is no information about the trees’ whereabouts, demo, since we know what they are, we should already know their purpose. Am I the only here who finds that a spiritual barrier has been placed around the same building that Astrea Hill’s Administration uses as an evacuation point for emergencies an †˜Interesting Coincidence’? Mind you, this has occurred in a time of great fear and uncertainty!”- The others found themselves being caught off guard when this was brought up. None of them had actually thought of that before.

-“I agree with what Minamoto-san said when she mentioned that the trees had been placed there to ease the worries of the students.”- Amane pressed. The look in her usually calm crimson eyes flared with conviction when she spoke, and every word grabbed her fellow council members and refused to let got. Her gaze shifts to Hamasaka who surprisingly looked a bit intimidated by Amane.

-“And, with all due respect, Head Sister, demo; for a devout follower of the cross, I’m rather shocked that you would discredit the idea of these events being supernatural in origin.”-

The sister recovers herself and almost glares back at Amane with as much, if not twice as much intensity. That girl had just doubted, no, probably insulted her personal belief in the cross.

-“Are you questioning my faith, young lady?!”- Hamasaka spat

The silence from the others became deafening as Hamasaka retorted. This meeting certainly got interesting. Amane could see Shion glaring at her from the corner of her eye with an expression that yelled “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! TAKE THAT BACK, TAKE IT BACK DAMN YOU!”. Amane didn’t meet eyes with Shion, her attention focused on the Nun from Hell, and she might have just opened Pandora’s box. But the look in her eyes said it all; “I don’t care, this is too important…”

However

-“Well, you did insult Minamoto-san’s with what you said!”- Hikari interjected right when Amane was about to defend herself. Should Hikari have looked towards Chikaru, she would have seen her beaming a grateful smile and a wink.

-“You can’t take down those trees, you just can’t! All the things that Minamoto-san mentioned, true or false have been scaring the students here. Everyone is worried that these occurrences will spread and eventually plague Astrea Hill too. If you have them torn down, it will only make everyone sad and even cause more unrest amongst both the student body and the faculty alike!”- Just as they had for Amane, the council members found themselves being taken by surprise by Hikari’s sudden interjection as well. Hamasaka almost looked like she would have a heart attack, knowing that Hikari usually wasn’t very bold as a person. Amane however just beamed at her lover with pride.

-“That is why we would like to vote to allow the Sakura to stay.”- Amane added.

Miyuki and Shion looked at one another from across their seats. The silence is now calm as understanding forms between the two rivals. They say nothing and let their expressions do the talking.

-†˜For once something we can both agree on?’- Miyuki’s expression asks.

-†˜I suppose. It’s been a while since I’ve even heard someone stand up to The Nun from Hell. It seems Hikari-san’s ordeal has made her grow up a bit’- Shion’s expression responds.

They look to the others and Miyuki takes the floor now.

-“In my confusion, I have actually forgotten about the feelings of my fellow students, and I shall try not to do this again for the remainder of my term as Council President of Miator. I vote in favor of Minamoto-san and the Etoile.”- Miyuki states.

-“Considering Minamoto-san’s point, as well as the Etoile’s case, I shall also vote favor of Minamoto-san and the Etoile.”- Shion adds.

All eyes are on Hamasaka. At first the look on her face seemed none too please Amane and then Hikari’s act of defiance. But that look softens somewhat when she looked into their eyes. She closes her eyes and mutters something incoherent. Once opening her eyes, Hamasaka addresses the council.

-“Then it is settled with a 4-1 majority vote. The Sakura will stay put, and with that said; meeting adjourned.”- Hamasaka states.

-“Arigato Goszaimashita!”- The student council members stand and bow before they open the door to be almost blockaded by a wall of students who have huddled at the door to eavesdrop on the meeting. With a glance, Hamasaka sends the students on their way in an instant. She then turns to say something to the Etoile couple…

-“They’re rather quick on their feet…”-

Only to find that they had already left.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-“Wow, I never realized how much time had passed!”- Hikari sighed

It would seem that the meeting took a bit longer than everyone thought. Amane and Hikari strolled down the cobblestone path hand in hand. Today certainly has been interesting with all that had happened. To be honest, the two were just happy that day was coming to an end. Perhaps now in the aftermath of all this excitement, the Etoile couple may actually experience a quiet moment to themselves. But neither girl could ignore what had happened and what had been said today, and had been simply coasting along while trying to place such things into context.

Soon they reached their destination at the place that started all this commotion; The Cathedral. The Sakura seemed more beautiful than before as the lack of sunlight gave the illusion of an intensified glow. The evening sky could do little else besides enhance their beauty. Day turns to night, the sun slowly descends down the horizon as a small orange orb. The moon is full and bathes the earth in a heavenly aura and the millions of bright dots slowly faded to view. A stray breeze blows and Hikari closes her eyes and lets the air flow through her golden strands as they began to dance in the wind.

-“Hotouni, kide desu ne?”- Hikari asked quietly

-“Ou…"- Amane slightly nodded in response

-“Amane-sempai…?’-

-“Doshita no…?”-

Hikari remained silent a moment, debating whether or not she should tell Amane about her dream. Afterall; she was still unsure of whether to trust in its message or not.

-"Hikari.... Earlier this morning when I was in the stables, someone approached me." But Hikari's indecision gave Amane a chance to speak her own mind.

-"Who was it?"-

-"I don't know, she never told me her name."-

Hikari nodded at this then asked -"What did she say to you?"-
Amane's gaze stayed on the glowing Sakura for a moment, before it wandered toward the sapphire pendant around her neck. -"Not much... About the Sakura anyway..."- Amane's ruby eyes studied the precious jewlery that now sat in the palm of her hand. Her mind went back to earlier, when the gem actually began to glow as she held like she did now.

(Cue BGM: Ask- Nujabes)

-"But, ever since we spoke and seeing these sakura, I can't shake the feeling that..." Amane trailed off

-"Something bad will happen to this place"- Hikari quickly finished. -"I've... Been feeling the same way."-

Amane's eyes broke away from the pendant and caught Hikari doing the same. A shallow sigh blew out of the blue-haired girl's mouth while her ruby eyes addressed the sky blue ones of the blonde. There was more about her encounter that Amane wanted to, no, had to say. But that was an aspect that words could not describe. Even so,

-"Hikari..."-

There was one thing Amane had to say right here and now.

-"I'm not certain about what's going on or will happen from here. Demo, this much is certain..."-

Amane's words trailed off lightly. She stepped to close the small space between her and Hikari.

-"No matter what happens; I will protect you"-
Carefully, Amane reached out to Hikari. The blonde saw through the gesture and let herself be captured into Amane's arms, all the while bringing the older girl into an embrace of her own. Their gaze into each other's eyes never broke.

-"You're my angel, Hikari. You're more important to me than anything. And no matter what; I will protect you"- Amane spoke with determination, but her soft tone masked it.

-"Amane-sempai..."-

Immediately losing her words, Hikari let her face sink into Amane's chest, gently nuzzling her cheek against the blue-haired girl's small bozom. A hand lightly stroked down the length of Hikari's blonde hair. She shivered at the touch, prompting Amane's free arm hold her closer. Hikari tilted her head up to address the ruby eyes carefully studying her. Now feeling bold, the blonde let her hands run up Amane's chest, making her shiver at the touch as her hands snaked around her neck and gently pulled.

-"Amane-sempai..."- The name of blue-haired girl escaped the delicate blonde's lips again.
Amane leaned closer to meet the pull, her own hands slipping down Hikari's back until finding and securing her waist. One could feel the breath of the other tickling their skin just before their noses made brief contact. They stopped a moment.

-"Aishiteru, Hikari"-

-"Atashi mou, aishite masu..."-

And their lips finally touched.

uh, guys... my fic......?

Your newest chapter was a bit confusing, not sure if it was completely necessary to introduce the entire school system, but overall I liked it. (A huge influx of new characters I think contributed to the confusion, but I read rather fast so it might just be me.)

hmm i havent read ur newest one yet but ill get to it later on 2day i it seems good =]

Hm.. What exactly confused you?

yea im confused also but i know why.....
umm is amane or w/e a chick or a dude i cant tell its like calling him/her a price then saying "Time crawls to a stop, and nothing matters to these girls but this one moment"...girls...u mean girls in general or those to right there thats y im confused......

*Ahem* If you watch Strawberry Panic!, you'll find that Amane is indeed a girl. She's referred to as a "Prince" because she's like some prince out of some fairytail, which would then be bought and warped by those bastards at Disney

lol ok my bad u see i thought i saw that anime but i guess i was wrong it must have been ichigo 100% lol but ok im going to watch the show but that was a good chapter =] keep it up