This is my first attempt at writing fan fiction based on the El Hazard series. Note that it is based on the continuity of the two OAV series and the second television series "The Alternative World". It certainly contains spoilers for the first OAV series, and a few for the second OAV series. At this point, six chapters are planned. Though I call them "chapters" they are more or less independent stories (which is what I said about my Sailor Moon stories, so you're free to believe as much of that as you like). El Hazard and characters therein were created by Hiroki Hayashi and Ryoe Tsukimura, and brought to North America by Pioneer LDC. All the normal fanfic disclaimers apply. I'll give this one a PG rating. Ken Wolfe Ken_Wolfe@mbnet.mb.ca El Hazard - Earth Chapter 2 "The Road Home" Makoto supposed that this corridor had not been used since the Eye of God had been constructed, so long ago. He couldn't help thinking of it as a service corridor, though certainly no service had been done to this machinery since it was built. It was all automatic, needing only the call of two pretty young princesses to do its work. A world-crusher operated by remote control. The widely spaced portholes and dim glow-lamps provided just enough light for Makoto to see by. Which was just as well, there wasn't much to see. The colossal ribs of the floating globe swept by in perfect monotony. Makoto would never have known where he came in if he hadn't painted a bright white sign beside the right door. The corridor wound uninterrupted around the entire circumference of the Eye of God. Which made it just a dandy place for distance running. He had found this corridor just days after moving in. Since then, this had become his daily regimen. There was no sound save his laboured breathing and the soft slapping of his feet on the floor. It was some strange ceramic material that was not cold to the touch, so he had found bare fee to be best. Proper running shoes was one of the things he missed. He was just beginning to appreciate the metaphor this represented for him. Running to exhaustion and going in circles. The white sign came up sooner than he had been expecting. Which was a good sign, he was not as winded as when he first started doing this. He came to a stop in front of the sign, taking air in deep, measured breaths. He turned the little sand-glass he kept there and took his pulse. Not too shabby, especially considering the altitude he was doing this at. Two long flights of stairs took him down to what was serving as his living quarters. The decor could best be described as the industrial style, something the scattered rugs and furniture did little to mitigate. But there was certainly no shortage of space here. Whatever their original purpose, these towering chambers were even bigger than the royal bedchambers in the palace far below. The enormous rooms had looked impossibly bare when he first moved in here. But over the months the books and papers and machinery had quickly accumulated. These days it was looking very busy. Makoto stepped out of the loincloth that was his only jogging attire and kicked it into the dirty laundry bin. At his touch the nearby door slid ponderously aside, and he was met by a gust of warm, humid air as he walked into his makeshift bathing facility. When he had begun his serious study of the Eye of God he soon found it had two things in great abundance: power and water. Even in its dormant state the Eye generated colossal amounts of power, presumably to keep it aloft. And there were vast reservoirs of water throughout, which appeared to be replenished by rainwater of all things. As far as he could guess, it was used for ballast or cooling or for all he knew the thing used hydrogen fusion as backup power. Whatever the case, diverting minuscule amounts of these resources to make his life here a bit more comfortable had been an interesting little project. One of the little victories that kept him sane, diverted him from his monumental failure. After scrubbing himself he soaked for a few minutes in the tub that was almost too hot to bear. Then a quick dip in the cold tub and a long soak in the warm. This was another thing he had missed in the palace. The Rostalian idea of bathing allowed only for water kept strictly at body temperature, the womb concept. Which was fine as far as it went, but it didn't get the blood flowing quite like a proper three-tub treatment. It had taken him a while to set up relative flow rates from his hot and cold water reservoirs to get it just right. Not that he minded, it had felt good to get his hands dirty and muck around with some simple machinery. When he felt all the tension drained out of him, Makoto got out of the tub and walked over to the air vents where the air was a bit cooler. He did some stretching exercises in front of the polished metal surface that served as a full-length mirror. He admitted he had to agree with Nanami's recent assessment, he no longer looked like he had one foot in the grave. After three years he'd settled out an inch or so taller than when he'd arrived at El Hazard. But a year ago that height had done nothing but emphasize the skin and bones he'd reduced himself to. Now he was lean instead of emaciated, and his mop of black hair was no longer that shoulder-length rat's nest. His brown eyes had lost the haunted look. It had been a long, hard climb out of that pit. Not a day went by that he didn't think about how grateful he was. To everybody. Makoto grabbed a white cotton towel on his way out and walked across his living space to the outer exit, drying himself as he went. There were no proper windows on this whole colossal structure, just a few translucent portals that offered hardly more than a complement to the glow-lamps. The only way to get a good view outside was to open a hatch and go onto one of the outside platforms. He had chosen this place to settle because of its proximity to one of these. A short walk down a dark corridor brought him to another of the featureless grey vault doors that sealed off the globe's endless chambers. If it was a sunny day, he'd get dressed and go check his flying-fish traps. It was good to have fresh meat now and then. He palmed the door open and squinted as he walked out into the morning light, shivering slightly at the stiff breeze that met him. Afura Man waved casually from the wicker chair where she sat. "Morning." Makoto was still embarrassed at the way his voice went up an octave whenever an involuntary shout was coaxed from him. But he was far more embarrassed by the fact that his towel happened to be draped over his shoulders just at the moment. It took him about one second to rectify that. "Gods Afura, can't you knock?" "Knock on what, that vault door? Sorry, I didn't bring a hammer and I didn't feel like barging in so I waited." Makoto fumed as he folded his towel more securely around his waist. If she wasn't smiling so gleefully her claim of innocence might have held more weight. She was in her priestess' uniform, a form-fitting bodysuit in two shades of bluegreen. Her short cape and black ponytail fluttered in the little gusts of wind that made their way onto the platform. The whistling that the high-altitude winds coaxed from the Eye's superstructure spoke of how wise Makoto had been in choosing a platform enclosed on all sides but one as his balcony. "Is everything okay?" "Everything is fine." She didn't lose her grin. "But you're looking a little flushed, are you feeling poorly?" "Uh, no." Makoto could feel his cheeks burning. "I just got out of the bath. And I went for a run." "That's good. You're doing that every day now?" "Yep. Once around the Death Star every morning." "The what?" "Earth cultural reference." "Oh." Afura shrugged. "Well, it's good to see you looking so..." her eyes wavered just a fraction, "healthy." Makoto found himself pining for Shayla's far more direct style of flirtation. "So what can I do for you this morning?" Afura cocked her head, regarded him with a disapproving frown. "Surely you couldn't have forgotten." Makoto caught himself before saying *forgotten what?* Okay, stall for time while you think. "Let's see, today is-" "Rune's birthday." Makoto slapped his forehead. His other hand still kept a firm grip on the towel. Afura didn't quite look disappointed. "Is it that day already?" Afura sighed. "I thought there wasn't any point in bringing you that calendar." "I'm sorry. Could I bother you to drop me off at the bazaar?" "Why do you think I came here so early? We can both go shopping." "I'll just go get dressed. Come on in." Afura followed him into the dark corridor. "This seems like such a waste," Afura said. "Your home is up among the clouds but you're cooped up in this crypt." "I try to spend more time out in the sun now." "I can see that, your complexion's improved." "Right. No longer the God-Demon's phantom." "No, these days the palace busybodies are calling you the Phantom of God's Eye." Makoto chuckled. "Maybe the Mote in God's Eye would be more appropriate." "Do you feel like a mote?" Afura challenged. "No. But after being here a while it's a challenge not to." "Then you should come down more often." "I do when I can." By silent agreement the argument came to an amicable end. Before moving in here he had promised Afura he would make time to join his friends for all birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and festivals. He had kept his promise, even when he needed a gentle reminder. They emerged into his apartment. "Just make yourself at home, I'll be back shortly." "Do you need any help picking out something?" "You *know* my formal clothes are stored in the palace. I'll just get something for our shopping trip then change for the party when we get there." Afura shrugged. "Okay, I'll *try* to find some place to sit down." She was exaggerating, despite the mess there were plenty of chairs. A few trips in a small merchant cutter had brought his furnishings and provisions. Pilots being a very superstitious lot they had balked at landing on the Eye of God itself. Eventually Makoto had to ask little Alielle to help him. Princess Fatora's mistress was not exactly an experienced pilot, but much of her short experience had literally been under fire. So with Afura to read the winds for her, the supply missions had gone smoothly. Makoto changed quickly in his bedroom, choosing some light trousers and black muscle shirt. He returned to find that Afura had found herself a place to sit. "I've already eaten, but can I get you anything?" "Thank you, I'll pass. I just can't stomach the idea of eating something that's been frozen solid." "Well, that's what's made it practical for me to stay here at all." There were parts of the Eye of God that were kept far below freezing. Whether for superconductors or some reason beyond Makoto's fathoming, it had provided a fine means of keeping most of Makoto's provisions. "Something to drink before we go? Uh, it's a bit early for wine so..." "Tea would be fine, thanks." Makoto poured them both a cup from the water he always kept heated. They went to sit amidst the chaos of his main work room. "It's hard to tell, but it looks like not much has changed here since my last visit." "I haven't been working on it much in the past few days," Makoto said. He smiled at Afura's poker face. "Aren't you going to say 'good'?" "It is good," Afura said seriously but gently. "You've found your center again. When your healing is complete, you'll finally be ready for the task you've set yourself." Makoto sighed. "Maybe." Afura regarded him for just a moment. She took another sip from her cup, set it down and leaned forward. "Makoto, the first time you lost hope none of us saw the signs until you were too far gone to care. I don't want to see that happen again. None of us do. Please, if something is troubling you then share it with us." Makoto knew this moment would come, had prepared himself for it. He looked away and composed his thoughts for a moment before replying. "Afura, coming here *was* a good idea, despite what everyone thinks. What I've learned from the Eye has let me go way beyond what had stymied me back then. But I've run into another brick wall. There's nowhere to go. I'm stuck." "Tell me about it. Maybe that will help." Makoto smiled. He knew what she was doing, and was grateful. When he'd been holed up in his little cubbyhole in the palace, she would often come to ask him what problem was vexing him. She hardly ever said anything while he was explaining the most recent puzzle of space and time he was trying to unravel. But more often than not just the act of trying to explain it in simple terms had helped him see the problem in a new light, attack it from another direction. He nodded. "Okay. Come with me." When he'd been in the palace, Ifurita's staff had been under lock and key and guarded day and night the few times Makoto was not with it. Understandably, Makoto's adopted country treated it much as his native country might have treated a nuclear warhead. Up here, where only the Priestess of the Wind could drop in uninvited, Makoto just reached up and took the staff from the hooks on the wall he'd made for it. He held it at his side by the balance point between the two large translucent globes, and led his guest further into the interior of the Eye. "Watch your head." The corridor they were in was much like the one Ifurita had fallen down, the difference being that here at the "equator" of the Eye it was horizontal. Bulky machinery thrust out from floor, walls and ceiling at intervals, they had to weave and duck their way around them. "We're not going to the core, are we?" Afura asked nervously. "No, just to the first power terminal. We're almost there." The terminal looked like two flat black parallel cylindrical stalks, thrust out from the corner formed by wall and floor at forty-five degrees. Each was truncated by a featureless circle almost a foot wide, of the same material but polished to a smoother finish. "They look something like the terminals we used to unseal the Eye," Afura commented. "I'm betting they're pretty much the same." Makoto placed his hand on the circle nearest him. Immediately, the glowing blue lines of power snaked up his fingers and across the terminal, making look like Makoto's hand had just taken root. The phenomenon did not phase him at all any more. "You can use the other one." He smiled encouragingly when she hesitated. "You just have to establish the link like you did when the three of you unsealed the Eye. I'll do the rest." "What will happen?" "You'll see the world as the Eye sees it. I'll go first." He closed his eyes and projected himself into the terminal. His sight returned... but it was not the steel corridor around him that he saw. A moment later, Afura's image appeared next to him. She gasped and her image wavered, her astonishment almost causing her to lose the link. After a minute she finally spoke. "All those twisting lines... there must be thousands of them. Are these the wormholes you spoke of before?" "Yes. We can't see them, but space is full of them. Each one of those links El Hazard to another world. They also go through time, many going far into the past and the future." Afura shook her head. "You said their numbers were legion, but I never imagined this." The blackness they floated in was filled with the gently swaying white lines. She pointed to a spot in front of them. "What is that?" "That's the center of El Hazard." It seemed all the lines they could see ended in a spot right in front of them. Scale was meaningless here, it could have been just out of reach or more distant than the sun. The spot where they converged was almost like a sun in itself, the wormholes all merging together into a gently glowing white mass. "The endpoints tend to congregate at the core of whatever world they settle onto." "If that is the center of the world, why does it not appear below our feet?" "It took me a while to figure that out. It's level with us because these endpoints of the wormholes occupy the same time as us. Here we are not seeing space as we normally do." He pointed up. "All those wormholes lead to the future." He pointed down. "All those lead to the past." "If they're all in the center of the world, how can you use them?" "They can be coaxed to the surface with a small application of force. That's what the Eye does. Let me show you." He reached out the astral projection of his hand. He concentrated. It happened so suddenly it was like it just appeared there. A brightly glowing line appeared just above his outstretched palm, writhing as if upset at having been wrenched from its natural resting place. "This is the wormhole that Ifurita used to bring me to El Hazard." "Makoto, you *found* it?" He smiled. "More like it found me. I seem to have some natural link with this wormhole, presumably because I passed through it. I can bring it to me at will." "Then, you've done it..." Afura's voice trailed off as she saw Makoto's smile fade. "Let me show you something else." He raised his other hand, which contained the astral image of Ifurita's staff. Another wormhole leaped out of the slowly writhing mass in front of them, this time lodging just above the key-shaped head of the staff. "I soon found that this one has a natural affinity for the staff, just as the first is attracted to me." "The one that Ifurita took to your world's past!" Afura blurted. "That's what I thought. I started experimenting with sending energy pulses into the wormholes... not enough to open them, just to prove I could do it in a controlled fashion. Watch what happens." There was a flash of light over Makoto's palm. It was instantly answered by a flash all along the wormhole... and many other wormholes besides. Makoto sent two more pulses, to make it a bit clearer what was happening. He let Afura consider that for a moment. When she spoke, it was with some hesitation. "Those other ones that lit up... they're from your Earth?" "Yes. Now watch again, I'll do the same with the wormhole that Ifurita disappeared through." This time the pulse of light appeared over the staff, and was answered in similar fashion. Again, he repeated it twice for emphasis. "Did you notice anything?" He saw growing comprehension in her face... and worry. "The ones that pulsed were different. And they were all below us." Makoto nodded. "She didn't get sent back to my world, Afura. She got sent to the past of a different world altogether. And it's like all the wormholes to the future of that world are closed to me. I can go pick her up any time I want, all I have to do is get there just before she arrives and wait. She won't have to wait even a day, never mind ten thousand years. If I go there, I'll meet Ifurita, but it won't be the one who sent me here." ---------- Afura just stared at the Earthling, letting the implications of his words seep in. "This explains much," she breathed. At his puzzled expression she shook her head. "I understand little of this, but it explains much about you, Makoto. I could tell you'd made a breakthrough that might lead you to Ifurita... when you spoke of her it was no longer with agony but with anticipation. I had wondered why you weren't telling us anything." "I want so much to just do it," Makoto said. He was no longer hiding his frustration. "To bring her back home and damn the consequences. I've been trying to think of what that would mean." Afura could see he was holding something back. "Makoto, what is it you are afraid of?" she asked gently. It took him a moment to work up the courage to answer. He spoke stiffly, struggling to keep his emotion in check. "The last time we fought Jinnai we found out there were many Demon Gods made in the same image as Ifurita." Afura saw the problem right away. "But Makoto, only one of them can be the woman you set free. If you meet her and she knows you, then she is the one." Makoto's stony expression did not waver. "I'll never forget the last time I saw the Ifurita who helped us defeat Kalia. She smiled at me, and told me I must go and find my Ifurita. There was something in her manner... she *knew* how my Ifurita and I feel about each other. I had thought it was because she shared the same feelings with Yuba Yurius, the man who had set her free. But now, I can't help feeling that somehow she knows, they *all* know the same things. At least at some level." Afura could see he was getting upset. "Makoto-" "Even if she knows me and I bring her back here I'll never be sure!" he interrupted. "What if the Ifurita who sent me here and the one who saved us all from the Eye of God are two different people? Do I have to choose? Do I have to abandon one of them? I don't even know if it makes sense to ask the question!" His image suddenly flickered and vanished. Afura felt just the barest twinge of panic before she realized what happened. He had lost his concentration, lost the link. She willed her own consciousness to sever her link with the Eye of God, return to the physical realm. The dim steel corridor appeared around her once again, it just took a moment to get oriented again. Makoto was standing beside her, his bent form clinging to the staff for support, his bowed face hidden from her view. He quivered at each shuddering breath. His astral form had only given hints of the state he was in. Afura feared he had hurt himself in the link somehow. She reached out and took a grip on his shoulders firm enough to support him if he needed it. "Makoto, are you okay?" He lifted his tear-streaked face to her. "Afura, I don't know what to do." His eyes pleaded more eloquently than his cracking voice. "Right now, I think you should sit down for a moment." She guided him over to a small boxy piece of machinery that emerged from the floor nearby. It would serve as a stool. She let him sit down and crouched down in front of him. "Makoto, I want you to do something for me, okay? I want you to close your eyes and recite in your head the mantra I taught you last year." He nodded weakly. His downcast eyes closed. After a moment, his lips began to move rapidly. Snatches of the difficult mantra came out as a soft whisper. His brow knit as he struggled to remember. But she could see that was helping him. His shaking subsided, his breathing came back down to normal. By the time he was done, it was no longer a struggle. When he opened his eyes, she didn't need to ask if he was feeling better. "Makoto, I wish you'd told us about this earlier. Keeping your troubles bottled up is what drove you to your collapse in the first place." "I know." He was cradling the staff to him like a child. She had seen him do it many times before, knew full well what it represented for him. "I just couldn't see how anybody could help this time. It's a paradox, pure and simple. There is no solution." "Well why don't I play Socrates like I did before." Makoto actually smiled. During his first year here, she had often asked him to talk of his own world. Her interests leaned towards history and philosophy, so she ended up learning much about ancient Greece, which as far as she could gather was the first civilization on his Earth worthy of the name. In his second year, when she and the others had been helping him recover from his depression, she had often adopted the role of Socrates, asking him questions meant to get him out of a rut. It didn't look like Makoto was going to answer. One wasn't needed. "Okay, how about this. If you really believe that each Ifurita you met shares the same memory, then in fact they are the same person and it doesn't matter whether you get her back from your world or this other one." Makoto shook his head. "Sharing memories doesn't make them the same person. You might as well say that Ifurita and I are the same person." "If they are two different people, then obviously you should bring both of them home. They'll both be waiting for you, after all." Makoto didn't answer. Afura sighed and laid a hand on his knee. "Makoto, you don't really believe they're two different people, do you?" "No." "There is one and only one Ifurita who knows and loves you." "Yes." "Okay then. Ifurita had the power to send you and your friends here to Earth. Maybe she had the power to travel from wherever she ended up to your world." "I've thought of that. She would have had no direct link with my own world, no way to distinguish it from the countless others. You saw that forest of wormholes." "Maybe that's what took her ten thousand years." He shook his head. "No, not in her state." He lifted the staff slightly. "Not without this. She would have drained her energy long ago trying to do that." "You've told me that there were other worlds near yours, hot and cold ones devoid of life. Perhaps she ended up there and simply flew to your world." "Even if she'd ended up on Earth's moon, I'm sure that journey would have been more than she could manage." Afura sighed. "Then we've got to figure out how she could be on your world and another world at the same time." She smiled. "You don't think there's another world out there called 'Earth' do you?" Makoto started to smile, then suddenly his face lit up with something Afura could not name. His wide eyes bore into hers. "What did you say?" he breathed. "Forgive me Makoto, it was a frivolous question." It looked like he hadn't heard. Afura still could not name what she saw in Makoto's face, it was like his whole universe had suddenly turned upside down before his eyes. Quick as a cat Makoto leaped up off the stool and ran for the terminal. Still crouching, Afura had to break her fall with her hand, he had nearly bowled her over. It took a couple of seconds to regain her balance and get to her feet. "Makoto, what are..." His hand was already upon the left terminal, the glowing blue veins of power linking him with it. She hissed an oath that had not passed her lips since having her mouth washed out with soap as a child. In one leap she landed at the terminal beside Makoto's and slammed her palm down on it, making the link far more quickly than what was considered advisable. She emerged into a universe that was pulsing like a heart. A writhing mass of wormholes were grasped in Makoto's fist. His hand flashed with a steady rhythm of the light bursts she had seen him send down the wormholes before. Only now it seemed as if he was setting half the Universe afire. "Makoto, what are you doing?" she asked sharply. His gaze was locked on something below their feet. He still had that haunted look that was somewhere between wonder and horror. "These are all the wormholes that lead back to the world Ifurita sent me here from," he explained, his bent head not rising from its fixed gaze. "Look below us and tell me what you see." Well at least he sounds lucid, Afura thought. She did as he had asked and looked straight down. She looked around to make sure of what she was seeing, then down again. "The ones that are pulsing... none of them goes straight down. The sky over our head is full of them, but the ones going down are all at a shallow angle." There was what Afura would describe as a hole or cone of calm below their feet, an eye in the storm Makoto was causing. Suddenly the storm stopped. Afura looked just on time to see the wormholes jump from Makoto's opening hand back to their resting place in front of them. She felt infinitely relieved. She had been unable to shake the notion that Makoto's rattling of the warp and woof of space would attract the attention of some enraged god. He finally looked at her. She found his gaze disturbing. "The vertical dimension represents time here," he explained tonelessly. "The steeper the angle, the farther in time. There are wormholes that lead to the far future of my world, maybe millions or billions of years. But none that lead any further into the past than Ifurita was sent. My world has no past before then. The world that existed before then was a different one, and its future is now closed to me." Afura tried to find some meaning in this madness. "Could that past simply be closed to you?" she asked meekly, not sure if that made any sense. Makoto shook his head. "Now what I saw on that other world makes sense to me." "Other.... Makoto, you've been going to other *worlds* without telling anybody?" "I don't really go there, just send my astral projection to the other end of the wormhole and come right back. I call it the bungee cord manoeuvre. Oh, a bungee cord, that's..." He rasped in frustration. "It's easier to show you." The globes of the staff he held glowed, and he seemed to be reading something there. Suddenly there was a wormhole embedded in the upper globe. Afura was startled when Makoto took the hand of her astral body. Her eyes went wide with terror. "Makoto, wait-" The Universe flashed by her at insane speed. ---------- Afura floated in darkness, more terrified than she'd been even the first time she had ever trusted the winds to keep her aloft. She mused that if it had been Makoto's real hand she clasped instead of his astral one she would have crushed bones long ago. Her eyes were adjusting to the dark. There was something out beyond the swirling wisps of silvery glowing gas that wrapped them tightly. Below them was a desolate landscape barely illuminated by what little light seeped through the oppressive dark grey clouds above. "Makoto, what in the name of all that's holy have you done?" "I found this world some time ago," he said, gazing out over the black desolation. "I've been here twice since. I suspected what it was, but I couldn't bring myself to believe it. Look at that city down there, and tell me if I'm crazy." City? She looked below where they floated. She began to see regular patterns in what she had assumed to be a crazy landscape of tumbled rocks. She could see the shells of collapsed buildings, could trace the outlines of rubble-strewn streets. She frowned, feeling that she was missing something. Something in the pattern of this dead city's layout. It was like a knife through her body. This was Floristica. After a few moments, she was finally able to speak. "Makoto... is this our future?" "No. This is the true present of El Hazard. The one where I never appeared. The one the Phantom Tribe used the Eye of God to turn into a lightless hell." Afura recited a brief mantra to clamp down on her overwhelming horror, at least enough so that she could speak. "Makoto, I beg you, take us back." Makoto looked at her as if noticing her for the first time. His stern, purposeful look wavered just a little. "Yes, of course." They were suddenly in freefall among a blizzard of stars again. Then they were back in the forest of wormholes again. The very instant Makoto released her hand she savagely cut her link with the Eye. Afura staggered over to the wall and leaned her back against it, panting. A moment later Makoto was in front of her, a worried expression coming to his face. "Afura, are you hurt?" She waved off his concern, brought her screaming nerves under control. "Makoto, what did you mean that was the true present of El Hazard?" "That was a poor choice of words. It was another El Hazard." "What do you mean?" she snapped. "Where did that... *other* El Hazard come from?" "It's more a matter of where ours came from," he explained. Incredibly, his calm words seemed to be tinged with the excitement she saw in him whenever he discovered something new. "It's like when we were talking about time paradoxes long ago, do you remember? Like what happens if you go back in time and prevent yourself from being born. There's only one way to resolve the paradox. Two worlds. Two Earths. Two El Hazards. Two entire universes." His expression sobered just a little. "Or maybe thousands. Maybe an infinite number." Afura slid down the wall and her rear hit the floor hard. She barely noticed the pain. When she became more or less aware again, Makoto was crouching down beside her, his placid face showing just a sad, apologetic little smile. "I'm sorry Afura, I forgot how scary travelling the wormhole was the first time. Are you okay?" Afura knew for an absolute certainty that she would never, ever have another sound night's sleep as long as she lived. "Yes, I'm fine." That seemed all he needed to perk him up. "Afura, I can't thank you enough for helping me find the truth. It's all clear to me now." "It is?" she asked weakly. He nodded eagerly. "The Eye of God was originally supposed to be a time machine, I'm sure of it now. They wanted to go back in history, probably change things in their favour. But somewhere along the line they must have understood what it was really doing, so they gave up and turned it into a different sort of weapon." "What it was really doing?" Afura asked, her creeping dread dulled by numbness. "Every time the Eye of God powers up and fires, it triggers a splitting of its universe in two. It creates a second universe with a different past and a different future. Ifurita was sent ten thousand years into the past, but she never appeared there. She appeared in the new Universe that was created by the Eye of God!" Afura shivered. A new Universe? Just because she had agreed to unseal the Eye of God? "Makoto, do you know what that means?" she asked with a tremulous voice. He grinned like a little boy. "It means I can go back to where I came from, where my Ifurita is waiting for me." In that moment Afura decided that young people in love were the most dreadful force in all of creation. All the works of gods and men trembled at their hand, nobody and nothing could stand before them. They would run roughshod over worlds and stars with not even a backward glance. "Afura, did I say something wrong?" How to explain to a man for whom a Universe was nothing but a pathway to his lost love? "No, I guess it's just sunk in that you've done it. You've solved the riddle of the Eye of God." She managed to smile. "I'm very happy for you Makoto." It was the truth, but for reasons she dare not name she wanted him to absolutely, positively know that it was the truth. "Thank you." Makoto stood up, suddenly looking very pensive. "I've still got to figure out a few things," he said, scratching his chin. "I have to make sure I don't arrive before I left, I don't want to even think of what that would do. But I want it to be soon in Earth time, I don't want her to wait any longer than she has to." Afura felt like she was stepping into the path of a speeding navy cutter, but she spoke anyway. "Makoto, why don't you give it a rest for today?" She stood up and smiled. "You've laboured three years for this, another day won't hurt, right?" She was relieved to see Makoto relax from his look of grim resolve. "You're right, we still have to go shopping don't we?" Right now, a shopping trip was about as profound an experience as Afura wished to deal with. ---------- It was two days later that Makoto broke the news to everyone else. They had seen the profound change when Afura had brought him down from the Eye, so it hadn't come as that much of a surprise. Back when he had been impersonating princess Fatora he had almost become used to having the palace's ubiquitous maidservants hovering over him all day long. But he still absolutely, positively drew the line at the bathroom door. When he donned his loincloth and emerged from the elaborate bathing facility of his huge suite of rooms, the two girls were kneeling in exactly the same place on the bedchamber's marble floor they had been when he'd managed to detach himself from them. Moving as one they stood, bowed and moved to help him dress, their downcast eyes moving up only when required by their work. Rostalia was a country where it never really got cold, so like most rooms of the Palace this one was open to the outside, its broad archways and balconies admitting the morning sunlight and just a hint of the gentle breeze. It was less than obvious where the rooms ended and the gardens began. When the girls were done he glanced at the huge mirror nearby. The white robes seemed a bit elaborate. But then again, this was kind of like a wedding day. He turned to them and smiled. "Thank you very much." They bowed in the way they always did. Without a word, one left the room and the other went to hover by the door, where she would stay until summoned to some new duty. They betrayed no emotion, but Makoto could imagine what they were thinking. Presumably they had been briefed, but even if they had not the palace rumour mill had by now whispered to one and all that today the Demon God would return to Rostalia. After just a couple of minutes, the great double doors were silently swung open by the two guards outside the room. Makoto's guest entered and smiled warmly. "Good Morning, Makoto-san." "Good Morning, Rune-sama." He was relieved to see that the princess wore just a semi-formal everyday outfit, so she wasn't treating this as a state function. And she didn't look all that nervous. Rune Venus walked over to him, as always with all the poise and grace of a supermodel. But without the belligerent arrogance. The elder princess was such a contrast to her younger sister, who still seemed to think the world revolved around her. Makoto sometimes found Rune's manner cold, but he never, ever got the feeling that she looked down upon him, or upon any of her subjects. He felt grateful that somebody like her was in charge. "This really is a happy day," Rune said. "Your years of work will finally be bringing your heart's desire." "I have you to thank for it," Makoto said. "Without your support, I never could have made it this far." Many in her council had always been in favour of denying him access to the palace's libraries and especially to the Eye itself, feeling that his research was too dangerous. Some had even demanded that Ifurita's staff be taken from him and locked away. But even in the days when he'd been ravaged by fits of frustrated rage and others had doubted his sanity, she had steadfastly stood by him. "You and Ifurita saved our world. I cannot think of two people more deserving of being reunited, more deserving of happiness." Makoto fidgeted a little. He was still uncomfortable with all the praise so many people here wanted to heap on him, just as he was when they were bestowing him practically every title and honour the kingdom had to offer. He had fought to protect his friends and his loved one, just like the many others who had fought and died in the War. How could he have done otherwise? "I really hope everyone's okay with this way of handling it." "I think it's for the best." Rune said. "The less fanfare the better." Makoto agreed. But that wasn't what he meant. "I was thinking more of our friends." Rune's expression softened. "You mean Shayla-san and Nanami-san," she said in a gentle tone that wasn't a question. "Well... yeah. I guess." She smiled sympathetically. "You know, it is your love for Ifurita that makes them feel the way they do." Makoto had nothing but a blank stare to offer, so she continued. "I must confess on more than one occasion I've come across you in one or another of the gardens here. You would be staring off into space, seemingly at nothing in particular. But even if I had not known you I could have read your story just from your face. You were longing for the one you had been separated from, the only one who could bring you happiness. "Makoto, no woman who sees that look in the face of a man she knows can help but long to have him look thusly in her direction." Once again Makoto could articulate no answer. Rune blushed ever so slightly. "Forgive me, I fear I've spoken out of turn." "No, not at all," Makoto blurted. "Thank you. I mean, for explaining." "I think everyone understands that this is a day for you and Ifurita to share in private. I will intrude for only a short while." "It's no intrusion," Makoto assured her. He knew full well why she was here. He had promised himself he would not blame her, despite how he felt. "Do you need any time to prepare?" "No, I'm as ready as I'll ever be. With your permission." She nodded graciously. Makoto walked over to the wall and removed the real reason there were guards outside the door, overlooking the balconies and on the grounds below. He had explained that only he and Ifurita could do anything with the staff, but its very presence made a lot of people very nervous. Not surprising. After three years, much of the devastation it had wrought upon the frontiers of the Alliance had yet to be rebuilt. He and Rune walked into the large central sitting room of his suite, shadowed by the two servant girls. The other occupant that shared Makoto's room uncurled from his spot on one of the wide sunken sofas. Ula jumped up onto the sofa's back and sat on his haunches. "Makoto go back? Go back to Eye?" "No Ula. I'm going to pick up an old friend. I'll be back in a few minutes. You can just wait here." "Okay Makoto." The cat stayed where it was, observing the curious activities of the humans as he always liked to do. "You should probably wait here," Makoto said to Rune. She nodded, and he walked over to where the room opened onto the broad balcony. He turned to face the others. "Don't be alarmed if there's a bit of light and noise, that's normal." Rune smiled. "Safe Journey, Makoto-san. For both of you." "Thanks." Makoto closed his eyes and slipped into the link with practiced ease. A mere thought opened it to the dimensions that the Eye of God had taught him to see. Another thought directed it to reach out and seek the wormhole he wanted. In an instant, he had snared it. In the few seconds it took the staff to build up its power level, Makoto let his mind drift. *Why am I so calm?* It didn't seem right somehow. This was the moment the past three years had been leading up to. His heart ought to be in his throat, he ought to be sweating like a bridegroom. Perhaps for him the catharsis had come when he had solved the riddle of the Eye of God, when he finally knew - with confidence - that he could do this. After that, everything just seemed inevitable. He would go to Earth and bring back the woman he loved. He knew he could do it. And they knew each others' feelings as well as they knew their own... his gift - the link they shared - had seen to that. Maybe there just was nothing to be nervous about. The talisman stood ready. He opened the wormhole. ---------- Ifurita's head slowly cleared. She was lying on the floor of her mausoleum. In front of the chamber in which she had slept the past ten thousand years. *I've done it. I've completed the circle of time.* Sending Makoto and his friends across time and space had cost her. The Demon God's implants, now drained of everything but the barest support functions, were now so much deadweight dragging her down. But the warrior's pride that was still a part of her refused the comfort that the ground offered. Slowly, painfully, she dragged herself to her feet. Her legs felt like rubber weighted down with lead. But they supported her. She shuffled over to the entrance of the mausoleum. Stopping a moment, she spared a glance at the hibernation chamber, now standing open. Her thoughts went to the one who had built this place, so long ago. A sad smile came to her lips. You must surely be long gone, Ifurita thought. I hope you had a good life, Erinyes. I hope you found what you were looking for, my sister. Ifurita stepped across the threshold of the mausoleum. When last she had passed through this door it led to the trench she had dug to expose it. Now there was a short tunnel. One that led to a wall that wasn't there before. Ifurita stepped gingerly up to the rough hole that had been pounded through that wall and peered outside. She was in a building. A staircase. Instruments of various sorts were strewn about, cables and floodlights and such, now all dormant. The only illumination was from a sign above a doorway. *Emergency exit door.* The words came into her head unbidden. This place should have looked alien, but it was familiar. She was remembering through his eyes. She climbed the flight of stairs that led to where the staircase opened up, slowly, leaning on the guardrail all the way. The moment she emerged into the hallway, she knew exactly where she was. Ifurita wandered through the school all night long. Just about every place, every room, held some memory for Makoto. Some memory that he had shared with her, allowed her to inhabit. She knew which desk he sat in... and which one they had together imagined she would be sitting in. Standing here now, she could picture all their friends sitting around them. If she stood here until morning, she could greet most of them by name as they arrived. Ifurita's face fell. How long would it be? How long would she have to wait for his return? The wormholes made time all but meaningless, but they did place limitations on what could be done. He might have to choose a time days from now. Or years. Ifurita wandered out onto the school grounds. She had met nobody in her wanderings. Naturally. The only people who had been here had been sent to another world. She walked through the grounds, now lit by the growing light of dawn. Here too, memories came to her at every turn. Becoming weary again, she came to an odd metal fence and rested against it. Ancient survival instinct began to tickle at the back of her mind, prompting her to assess her situation. She had the impression that Makoto's people were peaceable, but somewhat wary of outsiders. She considered her options. Perhaps she should seek out Makoto's mother and father. She knew how dearly he loved them. If it was going to be a long time before his return, they would be desperately worried. She owed it to Makoto to bring them the truth. Her story would seem a fantastical one. But the proof of it would be her own inhuman body. She was startled by a strange light. Then all thoughts of the future vanished. "Makoto..." He stood there amidst the wisps of shimmering mist that gently swirled around him. He was different, no longer a boy just emerging into manhood. His smile was warm, comforting, confident. The mist and the emerging dawn bathed him in a light that made his white robes glow like moonlight. He held the staff casually in the crook of one arm, held it with the easy confidence that a sword master held his blade. His eyes gently beckoned. He looked... beautiful. She should not have had the energy to run. But that was the least of the impossibilities for her to marvel at. It was impossible that a Demon God with the blood of millions on her hands could be granted such a sublime moment. It was impossible that any man or beast or machine could experience such joy and peace. Though she wanted it to last forever, to her enhanced time perception the distance between them closed with glacial slowness. To her regret, her tears blurred her image of the man she had waited ten thousand years to find. But her hand found his with perfect precision, and they clasped fingers an instant before she wrapped her arm around him and crushed him to her. She wept softly, drinking in his warmth like nectar. She felt him very gently wrap his arm around her, felt her talisman settle next to her. Its very proximity brought new life to her weary body. But that was as nothing to the way Makoto's presence had rejuvenated her. When her tears were mostly spent, she wanted to look at him again. She released his hand, gently lay her hands on his chest and looked up into his face. His smile was like a benediction. "Sorry to keep you waiting," he said softly. "You've... grown," she said in a husky voice that she could hardly recognize as her own. "Just a little." "It took you this long... and you still came. You didn't forget me." "A thousand days, almost exactly," he said. His smile broadened. "Not ten thousand years. But my thoughts were only of you, for each one of those thousand days." Ifurita could see it in his eyes. It had been difficult, a struggle. She had slept her time away in relative oblivion, he had laboured long and hard to make it here. "Thank you Makoto. You did all that just for me." "I did this for us. I love you. I want us to be together, always." "Oh...!" She could say nothing further. Inexplicably she had no control of her larynx and not all her backup control systems could get it back. He gently tilted her chin up with his free hand and leaned towards her. She responded automatically, just as she had those many times in their shared memories. When their lips met the reality was something altogether different. Her heart raced as it never had even in the midst of her most furious battles. Fire and ice chased each other up and down every nerve of her body. She floated, detached from the world more utterly than she had been while racing through the twisted corridors of warped spacetime. After an eternity, their lips parted and she opened her eyes. She was surprised to find the world in the same place that she had left it. Even more astonishing was the tear that trailed down Makoto's cheek. She reached up and with a touch more delicate than a butterfly landing she caught the tear on one gloved finger. She stared at it, utterly fascinated and awed. Water, the same saline content as seawater, nothing more. Yet the most precious gift of all. "Nobody has ever shed a tear for me before." He gently wiped away her own drying tears. "Nobody has ever shed so many for me." "Makoto..." His words to her filled her world, there simply were no others. "I love you. I never want to leave you again." He kissed her again. This one was but a signature planted on the first, leaving her with just a gentle tingling and a warm glow. "Are you ready to go home?" She nodded. He raised the staff up slightly. "Before we go, should I give you a power boost?" "No, I'm fine. Its proximity has given me enough." Which was true, as long as she didn't call upon any battle functions she would be fine. But in reality, she couldn't stomach the idea of having that thing stuck into her body, even by his hand. "Okay. Just hold on to me. I'll direct the talisman." She wrapped her arms across his back, snuggled close, marvelling at how good that felt. He gently kissed her ear. "Ifurita..." There was a bounce to his voice, a sort of playfulness. "Yes?" "I meant just hold on to my hand. This is rather... distracting." She chuckled lightly, infected by his mood. She stepped back and took his free hand. "I'm sorry." He kissed her hand and grinned. "Don't be sorry. I just want to make sure I get us to the right place." "Are we going to the Eye of God?" "No, I don't need the Eye for this. We're going to my room in the palace." He hesitated for just a second. "Rune Venus is waiting for us there." He squeezed her hand and smiled at the look of trepidation she gave him. "She wants to thank you for saving her kingdom." "She has every reason to hate me. They all do." His expression darkened. "Ifurita, I won't lie to you. Many people in Rostalia still fear you. But even they understand that the things you did were not your fault. You have nothing to be ashamed of." She had been so wrapped up in Makoto's return, she hadn't thought beyond that. "Your friends, are they well?" "Yes, everyone's fine. We've had a few troubles along the way, but I can tell you about those later. Are you okay to go now?" "Yes." He gazed into the large orb of the staff and it began to glow. Through their touch Ifurita could sense how easily it responded to his will now. Somehow, that made the talisman less sinister in her eyes. It had been a reminder of her past, but now it was a part of him as well. It was like his gentle touch had cleansed the key of her former prison, just as it had cleansed her. She felt the wormhole opening up. For a moment there was a floating sensation, then they were racing through a field of stars at a dizzying pace. In just a moment it was over, and they were standing in a different place. She recognized this as a room of the palace of Rostalia. And she also recognized the beautiful woman who stood watching them. Rune Venus walked closer and bowed. "Welcome back to Rostalia, Lady Ifurita. I am glad to see that you are well." For a moment, Ifurita was at a loss. Being treated with such respect by royalty felt surreal. Her kind had been programmed to abase themselves before their masters. Rune was greeting her as... As a human. Ifurita returned the princess' smile. "Thank you, your highness." It was heartfelt, she found herself hoping that Rune knew that. "Lady Ifurita, no words of mine could express how much we owe you. Our world would lie in darkness had you not saved us. You have our gratitude." Ifurita felt it inappropriate to point out she had done it all for Makoto's sake. "I am... happy I was able to help you." Rune's expression hardened. "I regret that on the very hour of your return I must ask you to serve us once again." Ifurita felt herself tense up. She glanced at Makoto. He looked troubled, but not surprised. Whatever this was, he had been expecting it. In her anxiety, she found herself falling back on ancient protocol. "How may I serve, Majesty?" "Since the War, the Alliance has become unstable. Though we were victorious, our armies were devastated, as were many of our cities along the frontier." Her eyes were now cold, accusing. "One of the strongest tribes, whose lands were least touched by the War, is now in open rebellion. Others may soon follow. Our forces yet lack the strength to march upon them. And the Eye is too unpredictable a weapon, I can only use it as a last resort. "Ifurita, I want you to show them what will happen to them if they do not submit to the rule of the Alliance. I want you to select one city in the rebel province and destroy it." ---------- Makoto's deathgrip on the staff became painful. He barely noticed. As the words truly sank in, stunned disbelief soon gave way to blind rage. "Rune! Have you lost your mind?" Her cold gaze shifted over to him for but a moment, then back to Ifurita. "The Alliance requires this favour of you. Will you serve?" "This is *not* what we agreed!" Makoto shouted. "It's beyond all reason, beyond all need!" He had never raised his voice at her, not even back when he had been near madness. But now he felt he was facing a different person, he could not believe what he was hearing. The princess' steely gaze finally settled on him. "It is my place to decide what the Alliance needs." "Ifurita was to pledge her allegiance to you, just as I have! Nothing more! When the rebelling provinces see that, they'll fall into line!" "They will fall into line. After they feel the power of the Demon God." "You can't do this! You can't ask *her* to do this!" "She will, if you both wish to remain within my realm." This time Makoto was truly struck dumb. It was insane, Rune had been doing everything imaginable to avoid a confrontation with the rebels. He knew she had been reluctant to even threaten the use of a Demon God... "I will not." Makoto's head snapped around at the sound of that chilling voice. What he saw fit the voice perfectly. It was the Ifurita he had encountered when Jinnai had woken her. The soulless machine that had gone to systematically level most of the cities along the frontier. Rune's expression did not waver. It was like watching two tigers staring each other down. "You refuse?" "Yes." "Why?" "My powers no longer serve the ambitions of any man or woman. I will only use them to defend the one I love." "Then defend the kingdom he has pledged himself to." Ifurita glanced over to Makoto and her expression softened for just a fleeting moment. "Makoto would never ask me to do such a thing, even to save his life. If your enemies march upon this city I shall do all I can to defend it. But I will not slaughter innocents." "You slaughtered them readily enough when you fought for the Bugrom." "Damn you, Rune." Makoto's voice expressed more remorse than anger... grief at the death of a cherished friendship. Ifurita's fists clenched. Makoto could hear the fabric of her gloves creaking under the strain. The staff tickled his hand, resonating with its mistress' roiling anger. "I am free now. I need no longer carry out the orders of murderers." "That is your final word?" "It is." "I see. Then you leave me no choice. Since you have refused my request I must conclude that you are no longer a threat to my people. I name you a guest of the palace and give you leave to move about my realm as you will." The words had been delivered with the same toneless formality as her request to level a city. The cold reality of what had just happened settled down like a shroud. "Rune, was this really necessary?" he asked bitterly. The forlorn look she gave him was no longer cold. But it chilled him to the bone. "Makoto, my friend, if my tongue belonged to me alone I would cut it out rather than say the things I did today. But it does not belong to me, it belongs to my people." "But *why*?" Makoto asked angrily. "To be sure you were not loosing another Kalia upon us." Makoto turned at the sharp intake of breath he heard. Seeing such alarm and loathing in Ifurita's face was a shock. "Kalia... I never thought they'd be fool enough to build one. She has woken?" Her anger had been redirected like a ricochet. "She's dead," Makoto assured her. "It's a long story. But Kalia and the Trigger of Destruction are gone." "Makoto saved our world a second time," Rune said, addressing herself to the Demon God. "He told me the whole story. At the end he had tried to free her, just as he freed you. When he entered her heart, he found the image of a lonely young girl yearning to be set free. But the image was false, it hid only hatred and bloodlust. She had everybody fooled... even Makoto." Memories flashed through Makoto's head, suddenly taking on new meaning. Rune sitting in rapt attention, listening with apparent sympathy as he pored his heart out, telling her about the lonely soul he had tried to pull from the darkness but could not. And all the while she was calculating, planning. "Rune, how could you..." Makoto said, shaking his head in disbelief. "You love her and trust her. If it were only my life at stake, that would be enough." She turned to Ifurita again. "I am more ashamed than I can say, at the way I have treated you. But for the sake of my people, I had to be sure in my mind that you are the person Makoto believes you to be. I don't expect you to forgive me. I only hope you won't let this grievous insult tarnish your homecoming. I've watched Makoto grow into a man, watched him pour every fibre of his being into making this day a reality. I couldn't love him more if he were my own blood. I hope that you will both be happy, today and always." She bowed. "I have overstayed my welcome." With downcast eyes, she turned to walk away. Makoto could only watch her leave. He was far from being able to figure out how he felt about what had just happened. He turned to Ifurita and took her hand. "I'm sorry Ifurita, I had no idea she was going to do that. This isn't the homecoming I had hoped to give you." Ifurita looked to be miles away. "Makoto, that woman... she's trapped. Like I was." Makoto frowned. "What do you mean?" "She hurt her friend for the sake of her people. And she truly hates herself for it. Yet she *chose* to do it." She looked earnestly into Makoto's eyes. "Is this the meaning of... duty?" Ifurita's innocent question took the edge off of Makoto's anger. "In her eyes, I guess she was just doing her duty." Ifurita looked like she was in the midst of a revelation. "Remarkable. She truly does love you, Makoto. I can tell, when she speaks to you there is a resonance in her voice and the blood in her face..." she sighed. "It's complicated, but I can tell. Makoto, I could never trade your life for that of a whole world, even if you begged me to. She did something that I could not. She truly has a warrior's heart." Makoto smiled. He still wasn't sure if he could ever forgive Rune. But he knew that he would like to. Maybe in time. "She supported me when near everyone on her council wanted to leave you stranded on Earth. I shouldn't forget that." "Makoto, is the Alliance in danger as she said?" He was surprised by the question. "I think she exaggerated a bit. One of the tribes has declared independence and moved troops to their borders, but that's as far as it's gone." "Makoto, I think I should pledge allegiance to her as she asked." That also surprised him, until he thought about it for a second. "In fact that was what she had told me she was here to ask of you. I didn't like the idea, but I have to admit it might solve the problem. They'd probably back down and there would be no bloodshed. But Ifurita, what if they called your bluff?" "I will not kill innocents. But an invading army would be another matter. I could protect this land, keep its people from harm." There was a look of reverence in her face. "That is something I could truly be proud of. I could finally do something meaningful with my powers." "Speaking of which, I should return this to you." He held out the staff. She smiled and shook her head. "It is part of both of us now, not just me. We can put it aside for now." "Okay." Makoto went to place the staff on its stand against the wall. He backed away and looked at it. "You know, in all this time it's almost never been further away from me than this." Ifurita came up beside him, taking his hand. "Then I have never been any further from you than this." "Gods, I should have asked you before... you were hurt when the Eye of God fired, was it really bad?" "No. I healed quickly, and my implants repaired themselves." "But your outfit is a mess." She laughed. "I've found I rather enjoy going barefoot. But I must really be a sight." "Well, I wouldn't worry about it. Rune has given you a wardrobe that would weigh down the Eye of God. It's over in the adjoining suite of rooms." Ifurita frowned. "Then... I am not to stay with you?" "I guess they're leaving that up to us. Anyway, would you like to go wash up a bit?" "I suppose I should. Even after all this time, I still have the stench of battle upon me." Not that Makoto had noticed. "I'll ask the servants to help you get cleaned up, and maybe pick something out from that enormous closet." Ifurita moved up next to him. "Actually, I'd much prefer if you helped me." They both smiled. Makoto cradled her upturned face in his hands and gently kissed her. "I'd like nothing better." Makoto soon discovered that the servants had already made a discreet exit. Which of course meant he was the only help available. As it turned out, it was quite a long time before they got around to looking at Ifurita's new wardrobe at all. ---------- Just as the breakfast crowd had about thinned out, a drowned rat dragged itself up to the bar. Nanami stared at it, her hands drying and stacking plates like nothing had happened. "Shayla, you look like shit." The drowned rat produced a coin and put it gingerly on the table. "One morning after special. Double," it said in a low, gravelly voice. "Absolutely no hair of the dog. And for the love of God stop making so much noise." Nanami sniffed. "I pride myself on how unobtrusively I serve my customers." She carefully put down the plate, scooped up the coin and went to mix up the concoction. It had become a fairly popular item, a formula Fujisawa Sensei swore on. Pretty dreadful stuff actually, but everyone agreed that it got the job done. She placed the tall ceramic tumbler full of murky liquid in front of Shayla. "There you go. That must have... been... some... binge... Gods, how do you *do* that? It takes me half an hour to force down half a glass." The priestess gingerly put down the empty glass. "It only hurts for a minute." The last guy who'd tried to down one of those all at once had ended up losing his breakfast all over the counter. Obviously Shayla was made of sterner stuff. Nanami took the glass and put it in the dishwater without even thinking. "Was there a party you didn't tell me about?" The redhead leaned forward on the bar and rested her cheek on her fist. "Nope. Just me and my bottle." "What, you're drinking alone now? That's a bad sign, Shayla." The young woman's bloodshot, half-open eyes betrayed no sign of reaction to the barb. "Didn't want to risk spilling the beans. Rune was adamant, nobody but me and Afura and Kauru to know until today." "Know what?" "He's done it. He's brought her back." It was the first time in nearly a year that Nanami dropped a plate. Shayla flinched at the sharp crack of ceramic shattering against stone tile, and her face screwed up in dismay. She groaned and buried her head in her hands. "Aw, why'd you have to go an' do that," she whimpered, barely audible. "When?" Nanami asked in a shrill whisper. "Where?" "Yesterday morning. In his room." "Yesterday *morning*? Well what on Earth have they been doing all this..." her voice trailed off. One expressionless green eye peeked out from between Shayla's hands. "Getting naked, I would assume." Nanami felt a flush come to her cheeks. "Shayla! Honestly, you can be so vulgar!" She quickly crouched down below the bar. With quick, sharp movements she began picking up pieces of ceramic and tossing them into the waste basket underneath. "So why was this such a big secret anyway? After all, we all knew he was going to try it soon, right? Just a matter of days, he said. We'd be the first to know, he said. I mean, of course they couldn't even step out of their room and say 'hi we're back Earth was nice' no that just would have been too much trouble." "Nanami?" She shot back up to her feet and put her fists to her hips. "What?" "I'm not buying any." Nanami felt righteous indignation building like a tidal wave. But it broke against Shayla's honest look of sympathy and understanding. There was no point in even putting up a pretence. She sighed heavily, her carefully nurtured fit of anger burst like a balloon. She massaged her forehead, rubbing away a headache that wasn't really there. It allowed her to close her eyes and escape the gaze of her counterpart, her mirror. "Damn. After all this time I could at least be happy for him, couldn't I? I feel like such a bitch." "That's what I was telling my bottle last night." Nanami stood silently for a while, her arms now crossed in front of her, staring down at the floor. "I guess I just didn't believe it. I mean, for the past three years this day has always been just around the corner. He's always been saying that, except..." She shook her head. It still hurt to think of the time he had given up. She had hoped he would give up permanently... and hated herself for it. "It really feels like this just dropped out of the blue." "To you and me both." Nanami met the young priestess' gaze again. She was looking a bit better now, with a double dose of Nanami's best tonic working through her system. "Have you seen them since they got back?" "No, only Rune has. She says they're both okay." Nanami hadn't even asked. Just how much worse could she feel about herself? "We should go tell the others. Fujisawa Sensei at least." "He's in the palace with Miz and the baby. Half the servants know by now, it won't take long for news to get around." Nanami pulled a stool from further back and saddled up to the bar across from Shayla. "This isn't going to sit well with a lot of people." "You mean besides us?" "I'm serious," Nanami said in a low but stern voice. She was tired of wallowing in self-pity, lamenting what might have been. It was her job to do the thinking that Makoto couldn't do for himself. Master of the Eye of God or no, he was still just like a little kid. The world would eat him alive if he didn't have her to watch out for him. "You remember that nutcase who broke into the library last year, the one who almost attacked Makoto?" "I broke the bastard's arm myself. Sure I remember." "There are a lot of people who feel the same way he does. They don't even like Makoto messing with the old Living Machines, never mind nosing around the Eye of God or bringing back a Demon God." "Hard to blame them." "Granted. But I'm worried. When this news gets out, it could make a lot of enemies for Makoto. The council is edgy enough as it is these days, what with the rebellion and all. They don't know Makoto like we do, they're afraid he'll use Ifurita's powers the way my shit brother did." Shayla didn't look as surprised at that notion as Nanami thought she would be. "Makoto hasn't helped himself much by sealing himself up all the time. Most of the people on the council haven't even seen him more than a few times since the War. Rune's done a pretty good job of speaking up for him, but that only goes so far. I didn't want to say anything before, but Afura's been worried too." "Well having this all happen in secret isn't going to help matters. What was the idea behind that anyway?" "Rune seems to think she can keep this all quiet." Shayla wasn't doing a very good job of trying to speak of her sovereign respectfully. "Like bringing back the Demon God who wiped out the frontier legions is no big deal. But look at it this way, as long as he's in the palace he's safe enough. He's going to have to get used to the fact that he's practically like royalty now and... uh, Nanami, are you okay?" Nanami just pointed. Shayla turned around, and instantly froze, no doubt matching Nanami's expression perfectly. It was such an utterly banal scene. The young couple came through the open doorway, walking arm in arm. Nanami's early shift waitress, sharp as ever, spotted them right away and greeted them cheerfully. She led them to one of the smaller round tables and they sat down on the simple wood chairs. The tunics and sandles they wore were a bit nicer than those of the labourers who made up the majority of Nanami's customers, but not so much to stand out. The man said something, held two fingers up. The waitress walked briskly over to the kitchen to call out the order. As Nanami had already gathered, two standard breakfast sets. The only thing one might call slightly unusual about all this was that the pretty young woman appeared to be albino. The young man spotted Nanami and Shayla, and said something to his companion. The two of them smiled and waved casually. Nanami did likewise, as she would to any customer. Shayla also did likewise, probably just from habit. *What's wrong with this picture?* Nanami stepped around the end of the bar and walked over to the couple. She sort of registered the fact that Shayla was following her. She was too busy thinking furiously... are they crazy just waltzing in here like this? What if somebody recognized her? There'd be a riot, panic in the streets... "Morning Nanami," Makoto said. "Morning Shayla. You remember Ifurita?" "Of course," Shayla said in a very carefully modulated voice. Nanami was proud of her. There was only the barest hint that she really wanted to say *how could I forget?* "Welcome back," was all Nanami could think to add. "Thank you," the young woman said with a friendly smile. It was becoming more difficult by the moment for Nanami to associate this woman with the thing that had nearly killed them all on the Island of the Demon God. "How did you get out of the palace?" Shayla asked Makoto. "Through the front door." "Oh." "What are you doing here?" Nanami asked him. "Having breakfast of course." "She eats?" Nanami said in surprise, looking at Ifurita. The platinum-haired woman, sitting calmly with her hands folded on the table, just smiled. "I can take energy through organic food as well. I'd like to get into the habit, it's much more pleasant than recharging with the staff." Nanami became more aware of what she'd said. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me." "I'm not offended. It's natural you'd be curious." "Do you have time to join us?" Makoto asked. Nanami felt awkward standing here, and somehow she couldn't just leave and go back to work. "Sure." That seemed to make the decision for Shayla as well. Nanami pulled a fourth chair over and they both sat down. "It's hard to believe, you really went back to Earth again." "Uh-huh, right back to the school." He looked fondly at his love. "Found her hanging out by the track field." "Wow." Nanami almost asked Makoto the question, but turned to Ifurita instead. She's here for good, better get used to it. "How long did you have to wait?" "Only until morning." "I was lucky," Makoto said. "I found a wormhole that took me to Earth just a few hours after we all left." Makoto had talked a bit about these wormholes before, about how they went to different times and different versions of the world... thinking too much about it made her brain hurt. "I keep thinking we've been gone for nearly three years, I was going to ask you if the place had changed at all. But you went back in time, right?" "Sort of." Nanami thought better of asking any further about that. Besides, there was a piece of unfinished business. "I'm sorry Makoto, this has all been so sudden." She lay her hand on his arm and gave him a gentle squeeze. "Congratulations. I knew you could do it." She looked over to Ifurita. "I mean congratulations to both of you. I hope you'll be happy." And I wonder if you realize how long and hard I've been practicing to say that. "I already am." It was an innocent answer, meant to assure her that her expressed hope was already fulfilled. But there were undercurrents in Ifurita's manner that Nanami couldn't help but pick up on... hints that Shayla's blunt comment had hit the mark. "You really should have gotten an escort before leaving the palace," Shayla cut in. Her voice was a bit sharper than it needed to be. Nanami knew why, Shayla tended to use anger to wash over more unsettling feelings... of course it takes one to know one. "I've never needed one before." Which had often been a point of contention with his worried friends. "Well you've never had a..." Shayla took a deep breath and let it out. She looked at Ifurita now, spoke in a lower voice. "Look, I'm sorry, but we're just worried what will happen once people realize who you are." Ifurita smiled. "The attention is a little... I'm not sure if I'm using the right word. Embarrassing. But I think I can get used to it." Shayla frowned "Attention?" She turned to Makoto. "Did something happen?" "We sort of got mobbed at the bazaar." He put up a hand, stopping Shayla's reply. "On the way here I went to say hello to old Asdic." That was a dealer in rare artifacts who ran a shop nearby - Makoto often went there looking for parts to fix the various ancient Living Machines he experimented with. "He's pretty sharp, so of course he figured out who Ifurita was before I even could introduce her. Well, his wife was there helping him open up shop, and you know how she is." Nanami knew well, an enthusiastic busybody with a voice that could carry right across the bazaar at rush hour. "Oh boy..." Makoto scratched the back of his neck in nervous embarrassment. "She bent over backwards telling me how pretty my new lady friend is and asking whether all Demon Gods were that beautiful. It took about a minute for half the merchants' wives on the block to come out of the woodwork." Just like a pack of obatarians, that lot. "Spontaneous press conference, huh?" "Big time. We would still be there telling our life stories, but I pleaded that we hadn't eaten anything yet today." "You mean, they knew....?" Shayla hesitated. "About Ifurita? Sure. They were more interested in knowing whether there was going to be a big state wedding for us." "A wedding?" the priestess asked. Makoto laughed nervously. "We haven't really talked about it yet." "We are already married." Ifurita's gaze dropped down to her folded hands. She couldn't keep a little smile off her lips. And apparently could do nothing about the flush slowly coming to her ivory cheeks. "In body and spirit. But perhaps a ceremony would be nice." *I don't believe this.* "So... you didn't have any other problem getting here?" she asked carefully. "Oh, just a few street urchins, the usual." He smiled. "They wanted Ifurita to fly them over the city." "*What?*" Shayla asked. Nanami winced. A few people were staring and mumbling now. "She would have done it too, if I hadn't shooed them away." "It would have been no trouble," Ifurita said, looking more relaxed again. "Well, I was getting hungry." As if on cue, the waitress came with their breakfasts. Nanami had already eaten and Shayla wouldn't be hungry with Fujisawa's concoction still cleaning out her system, so she just asked the waitress to bring them both tea. Nanami asked about Ifurita's experiences on Earth, which surprisingly led to a story involving another Demon God by the name of Erinyes. Then Ifurita wanted to know all about their adventure when they ran into Kalia. It only ended when Nanami had to excuse herself to help prepare for the midday crowd. The others left to return to the palace and pay a visit to the Fujisawa family. Nanami still wasn't sure how she felt about all this. There were suddenly a lot of things to think about. It would take a while. ---------- "Homeroom?" Ifurita asked. "That's what we call it," Makoto explained. "You remember what that is?" "Of course, Makoto. We had it every morning." Makoto smiled. Well, at least in her memories they had. He was finding that more and more he seemed to remember things that way as well. It was just impossible to imagine that she had *not* really been at his side as they grew up and awoke to the possibility of love. How could it not have happened that way? "It's more an excuse to get together and reminisce about Earth. I guess one of us calls for a homeroom whenever they're feeling a little homesick. Usually it's Nanami. She called for this one, in fact." "I see. So that's why it's always just the three of you." Ifurita had come to the point before Makoto could raise it. He was relieved. He stopped walking and turned to face her. She did likewise. She let his arm slip from her light grasp, and they joined hands instead. "Ifurita, in my mind you've become just as much a part of my life back on Earth as any of my friends and family. More, in fact. It's your presence in those memories that gives them meaning for me." He smiled. "Would you like to come talk about old times for a while?" It was a while before she spoke. Makoto just waited. There could not be such a thing as an uncomfortable silence between them. After just a couple of days together they knew each other more intimately than couples who had spent a lifetime together. "Makoto, I'm not sure if I should. It's hard to explain. Could I link with you?" It was something they could do with ease now. Just a touch and their innermost thoughts belonged to each other. "Could you try to explain in words?" Ifurita looked puzzled. "That's not the first time you've asked that." He took her hand in both of his, gently stroked it. "Ifurita, that link was what allowed us to become familiar lovers overnight. We went through years of courtship and intimacy in a single moment. But I think we should stop depending on it." "Why?" He smiled. "Because if we become one person, we'll be alone again." She cocked her head. "Was that a joke?" "Sort of. But I've been giving it some serious thought too. I'll always cherish the memories that I gave to both of us. But I'd like to make some real ones. I'd like to get to know you better the old fashioned way." She thought about that for a moment. "Is this something like... well..." Makoto had some idea what she wanted to ask, and why she was fidgeting. #I'm pretty sure nobody can hear us, but would you prefer to ask like this?# It was something they discovered they could do when they touched. Words sent silently. #Is this to do with the first time we were intimate?# #You could look at it that way.# He'd wanted so much for her to know what he was feeling, and to know what she was feeling, he'd entered her soul the very moment he'd entered her body. Her passion and his had resonated explosively, pushing them both over the edge in a split second that had nearly stopped his heart. It was what he would call - at a later time when he was lucid again - a positive feedback loop. #Wasn't the second time much nicer? Without the link?# She smiled. #Yes, it was. Perhaps you're right. The link is not the best way to become closer.# "So, do you think you can explain in words?" he asked, reverting to the spoken word but still cradling her hand. Ifurita thought about it for just a short moment before responding. "Makoto, I've already told you that some day I would like to visit my counterpart, that other Ifurita who stands vigil over the home she shared with her beloved. I think I will have things to say and to ask that should be only between her and myself. I must presume that there are such things which pass between you and the two people who have shared your journey from Earth. Does that make sense?" "Yes, I suppose it does." "Then I think that your homeroom should remain between the three of you." "This would be the first time we've been apart since we arrived." "How long does homeroom usually last?" "Usually 'til about noon. Nanami should be showing up in a little while." "I waited ten thousand years to be with you, I think I can wait three point five hours." "Was that a joke?" She smiled. "Sort of." Makoto had been putting off raising another matter. Maybe now was a good time. "Ifurita, Rune Venus asked if we could meet with her briefly this morning. I didn't make any promise." Ifurita nodded, responding to the unspoken question. "I'd like to meet her again. We parted on bad terms, but I don't blame her for what she did. I know she's a dear friend of yours, I'd like to make amends." "I'm sure she feels the same way," Makoto said, more than a little relieved. "I'm sorry I left thus until the last minute, but she said she'd be free about now. Do you feel up to it?" "Of course." She slipped her hand through his arm again, and Makoto led her down the wide, curving hall towards Rune's audience chamber. "Did she say what she wished to discuss?" "No. Probably just a more formal welcome for you." "I would like to discuss the rebellion with her. We might be able to make my presence here work to the advantage of the Alliance. Perhaps we could meet with the council." Makoto put his hand over hers. "I'm glad to hear you say that. Just one word of advice: make that suggestion but let Rune handle things at her own pace. One thing I've learned about Rostalia politics is that they don't like things to happen in a hurry. Protocol and procedure is followed religiously." "I spent centuries serving a court far more byzantine than this one. This time I do it of my own choice, but that experience will serve me." "Just remember, I'd like you to be her *friend* too." She smiled warmly. "I would like that too. I see much to admire in her, I would know her better." He squeezed her hand fondly, and they continued on their way, silently enjoying the cheery sunlight and fragrant air of the morning. Servants and guards they passed would bow respectfully, showing no other reaction to their presence. A far cry from two days ago, when he had taken her out to Nanami's restaurant on impulse. Some of the staff they encountered along the way had looked about ready to wet their pants. Perhaps some had glimpsed the Demon God the last time she had been here... when she had announced her presence by demolishing one of the towers. But most had probably figured out who the stunning albino beauty at Makoto's arm was by deduction. Rune had scolded him for that little outing, when he met her privately. But even she had to admit it had done a world of good. The city was abuzz with tales of the great and terrible Demon God whose heart had been captured by the Phantom of the Eye of God. Rostalian folklore was full of stories of beautiful Demon Gods whose wrath had been quenched by the love of a mortal man. They were seeing myth brought to life before their eyes. As they approached the great carved double doors of the audience chamber, Makoto noticed a frown on Ifurita's face. "Is something wrong?" "There is a commotion within. Raised voices. Rune's and one other." One of the doors swung open ponderously, so it no longer muffled the voices. "I told you no and I meant no!" Makoto winced. #That's Princess Fatora.# #What angers her?# #Everything.# The door opened enough so that the one pushing it became visible. She wasn't quite as much Makoto's double now that they had both fully matured, but the resemblance was still remarkable. They would have more difficulty impersonating each other, which they had both done in earlier days, but they could easily have passed for twin brother and sister. She was in her full dress uniform, with the long colourful robes and tall headpiece. Nevertheless she looked anything but regal, straining at the heavy door, her face twisted in anger. "Fatora, be reasonable-" "Forget it!" Fatora said, cutting off Rune's voice. She spun around to face her sister, who sounded to be just inside the room, letting the door finish opening by momentum. "I'm not doing it and that's final!" "You can't keep avoiding-" "The hell I can't!" She spun on her heel and pulled her robes up from around her feet so that they wouldn't interfere with her stomping down the corridor. Stomping straight for Makoto and Ifurita. Makoto tensed up. He guessed the thing Fatora was so anxious to avoid was the thing she was rushing headlong into: a meeting with the Demon God who had taken her into the clutches of the Bugrom. Fatora had been unconscious at the time, but nobody held grudges quite like she did. This could get ugly. "Can't *believe* they'd trick me into this," Fatora hissed, her heavy footfalls echoing through the vast hall. "Like hell I'd meet with her, she's-" She finally looked up from the floor as if casually wondering why the two maggots in her path weren't scurrying out of the way as they should. "She's-" She stopped dead in her tracks as her eyes locked onto Ifurita's. "She's..." The anger turned to shock and horror, she released her robes, letting them spill about her feet. "She's..." The shock evaporated as quickly as the anger had. A flush came to her cheeks. Her eyes were still like saucers, but now she smiled. "Absolutely gorgeous..." Makoto recovered quickly. "Uh, your highness, I'd like you to meet-" Fatora already had Ifurita's free hand in both of hers. "You must be Ifurita! I'm Princess Fatora, you can just call me Fatora we don't stand on ceremony here. Wow, they told me you looked just like the other Ifurita and she was really something to look at but now I really wish I'd come to see you sooner!" Ifurita's expression was neutral, except for slightly arched eyebrows, the way Makoto had learned she usually dealt with confusing social situations. "Thank you for your kind greeting. Our first meeting was-" "Oh don't worry about all that, I was already kidnapped anyway. And I didn't even get to see you that time which I must say is a real shame. I'd like us to become really good friends this time." Her sister had by now joined the unexpected meeting, in robes identical to Fatora's. She was trying to maintain some semblance of dignity, but obviously just like Makoto she was trying to roll with Fatora's abrupt change of heart. She cleared her throat. "Thank you for coming to see us, Lady Ifurita. I hope we've been treating you well." "Yes, your highness, you've been very kind." "Well at least they've given you something decent to wear," Fatora said, briefly fingering the fabric of Ifurita's sleeve. "You look absolutely ravishing in that dress." "Thank you," Ifurita said, glancing down at her hand as if wondering when Fatora was planning on giving it back. "Fatora," Rune said sternly, "Makoto will be otherwise engaged for the morning, perhaps-" "I'd love to." Fatora came up beside Ifurita and took her arm. "I'll just bet nobody has even shown you around the palace, right?" "Well, no..." "I *thought* so, people here can be such bores. Let me give you the grand tour." This obviously was not what Rune had in mind. "Well, I thought we could both-" "Just leave it to me onesama, I know you have other work you need to do." Rune sighed. "Well, with our guest's permission then." Ifurita looked to Makoto. He forced a smile. Best go with the flow. "Why don't you go ahead. Meet in our rooms at noon?" "Okay." "I'll see you then." Makoto took her hand and extended the act of kissing it with a flourish. #Ifurita?# #Yes?# #Watch your back. But please don't hurt her.# Just a moment's hesitation. #Understood.# Fatora pulled Ifurita along with her. "That leaves us plenty of time, we are going to have so much fun. Everyone will probably be looking twice thinking you're still with Mako-chan, you know he and I are alike in so many ways. Say, did you know I've got this bathing pool in my rooms that's a lot nicer than the big one down here? I am just dying to get out of these stuffy..." Her voice was slowly drowned out by the distance and the echoing hall. Makoto and Rune stared at the retreating couple. "I'm glad to see Fatora isn't angry anymore," he said softly. "I just hope she doesn't do anything to offend Lady Ifurita. She can be so... so..." "Impulsive?" Rune sighed. "Yes. Impulsive." "May I ask what we would have been talking about if Ifurita had not been spirited away so abruptly?" "I wished to ask the favour you and I had agreed I could ask Ifurita on your arrival." "She's already agreed," Makoto said quickly, before Rune could say more. "Just name another time when we can see you, we'll come." Rune regarded him with eyes full of pain. "Makoto-" "Please Rune," he said gently. "Don't. We both understand. And we also said things that we regret. I beg you, don't torture yourself." She smiled, but her eyes showed no less sadness. They both understood, things were not the same between them, not yet. It would take time. "If you would both have dinner with me tonight, perhaps we can discuss matters then." "We'll be there." That is, assuming Fatora doesn't provoke Ifurita into doing something unfortunate and we don't have to flee the country. "I'm sorry you got all dressed up for nothing." "Oh, it certainly isn't the first time Fatora has stormed out of an official state function." Makoto had seen it happen too. One day that little fool would cause a war all by herself. "Well, it turned out okay." So far. "I shouldn't be holding you up from your homeroom." "It's a bit early, but maybe I'll head over there." They said their goodbyes, and Makoto made his way to their usual meeting place. It was just a rather drab little office in the library complex of the lower levels that the scholars there let them use. Which made it about the only room in the palace that could even remotely remind them of the school they had been whisked away from years ago. Which made it a fine place for homeroom. Makoto was surprised to find both his fellow Earthlings waiting for him. "Good Morning Sensei. Morning Nanami. I thought I was early." "Well, it seems Nanami was here all the earlier, setting down our agenda for us," Fujisawa-Sensei said from where he sat at the table. "Agenda?" They had long since dispensed with any pretence that this was a regular homeroom, it had long since become just an excuse to meet and talk. But Fujisawa-Sensei had sounded quite serious. "That's right," Nanami said brightly from her own chair at the front of the room. "We have something very important to discuss." She got up and stepped next to the black painted wall there which served as a chalkboard. That was when Makoto noticed that the wall was covered with characters in his native language. In Nanami's hand. She picked up a pointer from the narrow shelf on the wall and tapped the upper line of her writing. Makoto read it as she recited it. "Action plan to prepare for our eventual return to Earth." "*What?*" Nanami waved her pointer. "Have a seat, and I'll explain it to you." "But-" "Makoto," Fujisawa said. "Better do as your class president says. She has the floor." He grinned. "And I assure you, she is dead serious." "Have you been talking about this?" he asked the sensei in disbelief. Nanami sighed harshly. "Makoto, Fujisawa Sensei's got *eyes* okay? He can read the agenda just like you can. Now are you going to sit down or not?" Makoto suddenly did feel like he did need to sit down. He did so. Nanami paced across the room and played with her pointer as she talked, only occasionally glancing at her audience of two. "Okay, let's get a few things out of the way right off the hop. First, I know perfectly well that none of us is going back to Earth permanently. We've all got ties here, especially you two. And we've got responsibilities here. We all got unique powers when we came here, so there are things only we can do. That's just a plain fact. We're here to stay. On the other hand, we also have friends and family back on Earth. Considering the circumstances of our disappearance, they'll always be wondering what's become of us. That's got to be at least as bad as them thinking that we're dead. We at least owe it to them to let them know that we're okay. Third, the only reason we haven't thought of going back is that until now we didn't really know if it was possible." She turned to face them. "Well, now we do know it's possible. So it's time to start thinking about it." "But Nanami, what is there to talk about?" Makoto asked. "If you want to go to Earth and visit your family, I can take you back any time." Nanami rolled her eyes. "Thank *goodness* you didn't get stuck here on your own. I guess I'm going to have to spell it out. Sensei!" Fujisawa-sensei flinched. He already had his long reed pipe in his mouth, and was reaching into his other jacket pocket. He self-consciously crossed his arms. "Wasn't going to light it," he mumbled through clenched teeth. "I should hope not. Okay, point one." She tapped the wall and paraphrased what was written there. "We've all aged nearly three years since leaving, and for Makoto and me it's pretty obvious. Point two. My shi-" She coughed. "My delinquent brother is missing and even if he wasn't he'd be shot on sight anyway and good riddance. Which leads to point three. We can't just go back to the morning after we disappeared and pretend nothing's happened. Regardless of how or when we go back we'll have a lot of explaining to do, like what we've been doing for three years and where my sad excuse for a brother has gotten to. That's essentially it." Makoto was still puzzled. "Nanami?" "Yes?" "Why can't we just tell the truth?" "Who would believe us?" "Well... we could prove it. Ifurita herself would be proof. Not to mention that you and I are obviously older. If we show up the day after like this, they'll have to believe us." Nanami's all-business expression suddenly became grave. "Makoto, no offense intended to Ifurita, but do you really plan on telling everybody that your girlfriend is a doomsday weapon who could level every city on the planet single handed?" Makoto's angry retort stuck in his throat. He calmed himself and thought about it. Then thought about it some more. Nanami waited patiently, giving him all the time he needed. Makoto finally slumped forward, leaning on the table. "God, it would be a *circus*." Nanami nodded. "Yeah. If even a small part of the truth got out, it would be a mondo circus. For all of us." "Well, couldn't we go back in secret? I mean, just visit our families in private?" "Wouldn't work," Fujisawa-sensei said. He took the reed pipe out of his mouth. "If we do that, what are they supposed to do then? As far as the rest of the world is concerned, we're still missing and they're still looking for us. What are our families supposed to say to everybody else?" Makoto tried to imagine his parents in that situation. "You're right, it would be terrible for them. They'd have to live a lie." He shook his head. "But if we don't tell the truth then what possible story could we come up with? Even if we could come up with something plausible we'd have to wait at least two or three years before we showed up again. I can take us back in time but I can't make us look sixteen again." "Even if we were willing to keep everybody waiting that long," Nanami said, "We'd still have to explain my idiot brother's disappearance." Makoto was at a loss. "I don't know. There's got to be some way we can do this." "Well, that's what we're here for," Nanami said. She pulled her chair in closer to the others and sat down straddling its back, leaning her arms across the top. "Let's do some brainstorming." ---------- Alielle was bored. It wasn't that she couldn't find anything to amuse herself when Fatora-sama wasn't around. If all else failed she could flirt with the maidservants. It was just that she and Fatora-sama were supposed to have taken a boat into the forest this morning, to hunt some flying fish. Though Fatora-sama had many virtues, even Alielle had to admit that punctuality wasn't one of them. But she had been waiting here at the palace shipyard for over an hour... even for Fatora, that was excessive. If some matter of state had come up, Fatora would have just come anyway. It had to be something more important. Which could mean only one thing. Fatora had scored with a babe. It didn't bother Alielle. Why would it? Fatora-sama had passion enough for a hundred lovers, she was the very goddess of love. And she offered of herself so freely, but alas so many women were simply intimidated by her station and by her peerless beauty. Which was a shame, they just didn't know what they were missing. Alielle finally decided to go look for Fatora in her rooms. If she really had gotten lucky today, she wouldn't mind Alielle peeking. Fatora quite liked that, in fact. She had such a generous heart, sharing came to her as easily as breathing. Alielle made her way up into the inner sanctum that held the royal bedchambers. She came into Fatora's chambers through the servants' entrance and walked in carefully, listening all the way. No sound. Maybe nothing going on after all. She'd go to the bedroom and check anyway. "You must be Alielle." She squealed, spun around and tripped, falling down hard on her rear. She stared up at the source of the voice that had been chillingly familiar. She recognized the face, and cried out even louder. "I'm sorry if I startled you," Ifurita said mildly, sounding like she meant it. "I thought you might be an intruder." "That's okay," Alielle panted. She swallowed, trying to get her heart back down her throat. Her mind was finally pushing through the adrenaline, reminding her that this was Makoto's girlfriend now. Not the Demon God. Not here to kill her. "I was just looking for Fatora-sama." Ifurita's expression darkened in a way that brought Alielle's heart back up into her throat. "She is in her bedchamber," she said coldly. "Oh. Uh... are you here visiting Fatora-sama?" "Yes. But I am done with her, I was just leaving." Alielle's blood turned to ice water. "I see-" Her voice broke. She cleared her throat. "I see. Well. Um, welcome back to Rostalia." "Thank you. If you'll excuse me, I have an appointment to keep. Good day." The woman whose face suddenly looked *exactly* like the thing that had tried to kill her on the Island of the Demon God turned on her heel and calmly walked out of the room. Alielle tried to push through her feeling of dread and think. No, Fatora-sama would never try that, the last Demon God they'd hit on had nearly broken Fatora's arm. Sure Ifurita was a real dish, with that beautiful wavy platinum hair and those gorgeous big round... Yes, Fatora would definitely try that. "Fatora-sama!" Alielle wailed as she scrambled to her feet and went into a dead run. The bed was a mess, and Fatora's nude, unmoving form lay on top of the rumpled sheets. Alielle's dread grew into full blown panic. "Fatora-sama!" she called again. She jumped straight onto the enormous bed, landing beside her still unmoving mistress. She took the princess by the shoulders and shook her roughly. "Fatora-sama, speak to me!" Fatora's eyes were glazed, and there was a silly grin on her face. "Ifurita..." she moaned. She was hoarse, like she had been screaming for hours. "Are you okay? My God, what did she do to you?" Fatora giggled, her voice cracking. "Sent me to heaven." ---------- "She did *what*?" "Tried to seduce me," Ifurita repeated in the same calm voice. Makoto slumped down on the plush couch. "Oh God. You didn't hurt her did you?" "No, of course not," Ifurita said mildly. "What... um, how did you handle it?" She told him what she had done, and how many times. "But you were only with her a couple of hours!" Makoto blurted. "That... that's got to be impossible. How... uh..." "How did I do it? I used direct neural stimulation." She raised one hand, and little blue-white sparks danced across her fingertips. "I used knowledge of my own neuroanatomy as a guide. It was surprisingly simple." "And she's really okay?" "Her heartbeat was becoming irregular towards the end, that is why I stopped. But she is unharmed." Ifurita's tone was cold. And she still stood stiffly. Which meant she didn't want Makoto to know how upset she was. "Ifurita, did she offend you?" She crossed her arms and looked out over the balcony. "She had no interest in becoming closer to me, she was simply consumed with lust and conquest. I did find that offensive. So I gave her what she wanted and left." Makoto felt more or less relieved. "I think you gave her more than what she was hoping for. By a couple of orders of magnitude, at least. We call that poetic justice." Ifurita gave him a sidelong glance. "You don't disapprove?" "Just please don't try it on me, that's all." "Of course not, Makoto. I did it that way to *avoid* intimacy." She looked away again. "I'll admit I was somewhat curious. And she does resemble you so much. But as I said, her attitude was offensive." "Well, with any luck you've adjusted her attitude just a little." "I rather doubt that." Makoto sighed. "Yeah, who am I kidding." "I find it hard to believe she is related to Rune at all." "Yeah, they're about as alike as Nanami and Jinnai." Thinking of Nanami offered a welcome change of subject. "By the way, I found out why Nanami wanted to hold a homeroom all of a sudden. She wants us to make a visit back to Earth." "Earth?" That obviously got Ifurita's interest. "Yes, mostly to visit our families there." "Are you going to go?" "I'd like to. But I'm not sure if it's going to be that simple." "Why?" Ifurita went to sit down beside him, looking curious now. "You have complete mastery of the staff, you could go back any time." "It's not the trip that's the issue." Makoto summarized the problems Nanami had raised during homeroom. Ifurita listened quietly until he was done. "I think I understand. Being from another world and having special powers has made you the center of attention on this world. But on Earth you wish to avoid this... notoriety. Is that the right word?" "Yes, that's more or less the way Nanami sees it." Ifurita gazed at him curiously. "You see it differently?" "No, I just think there's more to it than that. It's kind of hard to explain. I get the feeling that this world around the time of the Holy Wars was something like my world is now. Their technology was producing one marvel after another and they thought they were masters of the Universe, sole inheritors of all creation. That's the way it's like on my world. If they suddenly found out there was this other world full of things they'd never dreamed of, that would change everything. I don't know, I'm just afraid that a lot of people would react badly." "Do you think your people would invade El Hazard?" Makoto was shocked at the seriousness with which the question was asked. "I really wasn't thinking in those terms. Ifurita, I just don't *know* what would happen, that's what scares me. I don't want to play dice with the fate of two worlds." "But you wish to go back." "Yes, I'd like to. Ifurita, how do you feel about this?" She smiled. "I would love to go back to Earth with you, even if just for a little while. Being in your school made the happy memories you gave me so much sharper, so much more vivid. I would like to see all the other places we grew up together." Makoto took her hand. "And I'd love to show you those places." Ifurita's smile dissolved into a more pensive expression. "Yet I can see the problem as you do. The people who made me truly did fancy themselves the masters of all space and time. Discovering another world full of people would have caused an upheaval. I think you are right to fear that." She was silent for a moment, then shook her head and fixed sad eyes upon Makoto. "I'm sorry, but I just can't see any way around the dilemma Nanami pointed out. If we go back, the truth will come out." "I did think of something when we were talking about it. Nanami and Fujisawa-sensei were pretty sceptical, but I think it could work. I might need your help, though." "What is it you intend to do?" He grinned. "I call it hiding in plain sight." ---------- Fleet Admiral Hayashi tapped his Gavel of Lordly Might against the plastic phaser that lay on the tatami mat next to him, once again lamenting the lack of a table. "Okay, this emergency meeting of the Shinanome High SF Research Circle will come to order." Alas, he still faced an array of identical magazine covers. A few threats of court martial later, the last of them had been set down. Just his luck he had to call an emergency meeting the day Animage came out. Well, they'd be a damned sight more attentive when he showed them what he'd called them here to discuss. He cleared his throat. "First of all, my thanks to Rear Admiral Takeuchi for providing us a venue on such short notice." The Rear Admiral crunched down on the last of the pocky candy he had been methodically masticating. "No prob. Sorry 'bout the mess." Said mess had largely been swept aside, but still the little bedroom was a tight fit for the Inner Five. "So when do we get our meeting room back anyway?" Major General Ueda asked in his whiny voice. "When our fascist stormtrooper overlords see fit to give it back to us, that's when," Science Officer Takeshi said, her bitter sarcasm dripping all over the floor. "Huh?" Master Corporal Ishida asked, clearly reeling under this brutal assault of polysyllabic words. Hayashi sighed. "Our Science Officer is referring to the police officers who have cleared everyone out of the school grounds every day after closing bell since the disappearances." "Gallantly protecting us from those dangerous stone carvings," the Science Officer said, the sarcasm now an expanding pool. "Just as well," the Master Corporal said. "Wouldn't catch me dead after dark in that place, not any more." "In fact it is the matter of those disappearances I wish to discuss today," Hayashi said. "Hey, you heard the latest?" the Major General piped. "It was in the paper, the Police interviewed this lady who was walking by the school real early the morning after, doing her deliveries. She says there was this weird gaijin chick wandering around the school and then this angel came down and took her away!" "Of course we've heard it, General," Hayashi said. "It was in all the gutter press this morning." "Angels," the Rear Admiral snorted. "Yeah, we wish. Whatever came out of that temple and swallowed four people whole, it's still around, you can bet on that man." "Nobody swallowed nothing," Hayashi said. "I know exactly what happened." "Huh?" the Master Corporal said. "Admiral, you want to back up and tell us what we missed?" the Science Officer asked. "I'll show you," Hayashi said. He reached behind him, unzipped the portfolio bag he'd borrowed from the art club and pulled out the package it contained. He laid it in front of him. "Okay people, listen up. You remember when I brought us those Akira cels?" They all nodded reverently. "Treat this just the same. Nobody touch nothing, see?" "Whacha got there, boss?" the Major General asked. "It got delivered to my house yesterday," Hayashi replied. "Registered, but no return address, just from the post office downtown." "And you *opened* it?" the Rear Admiral asked indignantly. "Well what was I supposed to do, take it to the police and ask would you please have the bomb squad have a look at this?" "At least that." "Get real. Of course I opened it." "So what is it?" the Science Officer asked. "Have a look." He opened one end of the large, thin package and carefully pulled out a thick folder tied with a cord. He undid the cord and flipped open the folder of heavy, stiff paper, exposing the top picture of the portfolio. "Hey, cool," the Major General piped. "Who did this?" "No idea," Hayashi said. It was a portrait of a lovely young woman with platinum hair and blue eyes. She was in a quasi-military black and grey uniform, standing vaguely at attention, holding something that could be called a very elaborate staff or sceptre. It was on stiff white paper, done with some sort of coloured pencils. Hayashi carefully flipped it over, exposing the picture underneath. It was a pencil sketch of what could be described as a palace. "Wow, that's like something out of the Arabian Nights," the Science Officer said. "Naw, looks mor scifi," the Rear Admiral said, wrapping his words around another pocky. Hayashi flipped. The next was another pencil sketch, obviously of the same city dominated by that enormous palace, taken from a greater distance. "This is really great work," the Science Officer said. "Who sent them to you?" "Just wait 'til you've seen 'em all." It took a while. Mostly they were sketches, but there were a few more colour drawings and even a couple of watercolours. As they saw more, Hayashi's Inner Circle became more excited about the remarkable portfolio. "I like the redhead's outfit... that's kind of like those Starship Troopers bugs... are those flying boats? Cool, just like Barsoom... Looks like the Death Star..." Finally they came to the last picture, a group portrait done in pencil. The Inner Circle just stared for a few seconds. "Admiral, is this really part of the portfolio?" the Rear Admiral asked. "Yep." All of them were from the same school, so they would immediately recognize the three people. But in the sketch they were all in outfits that seemed to fit in nicely with the world depicted in the rest of the portfolio. "Wait a minute... there are only three," the Science Officer said. "Huh?" the Master Corporal said. Hayashi wondered if somebody would catch it. He flipped the drawing, exposing one final, smaller one underneath. The missing fourth, weirdly still in the blazer and tie of his school uniform but flanked by two of the bug creatures. "That's Jinnai alright," the Major General said. "Admiral, this is getting scary," the Science Officer said gravely. "Where did you get this, really?" "Told you, it just arrived. The only other thing was this." He flipped the last picture over, and under it was another pile of smaller papers. The top one was covered in writing. Done in hand but sort of weird, like it was done with a quill pen or something. "It's a diary." "Whose?" "Mizuhara Makoto's." "Hey," the Master Corporal said. "Those are the four people that disappeared." His long-suffering friends ignored him. "Boss, that ain't funny," the Rear Admiral said. "Not supposed to be. It's his handwriting, and it's obviously written by him. Besides, half those sketches were done by him, I'm sure of it." "Shit," the Major General breathed. "Does it tell, like, what happened to them?" "Sort of. It's more like a story." "What's that supposed to mean?" the Rear Admiral snapped. "I'll read you some of it." Hayashi ended up having an even later night than yesterday. Each of them had their own particular theory on where The Truth lay, and clung to it stubbornly. So it was a good long time before they finally decided what they were going to do with this stuff. ---------- This being one of the most respected jewellery shops in the country, the proprietor was well used to having beautiful women dressed to the nines come in search of that perfect stone with which to adorn themselves. But the vision that walked through the door quite took his breath away. A pale, platinum blonde with deep blue eyes. When she met his eyes she smiled warmly, and the Ice Princess look vanished like a snowball in the desert. She was in a pale pink dress suit, and more remarkably a matching veil that covered much of her hair. Her eyes never left his as she manoeuvred between the display cases. It was more than a little unnerving. "Good morning Madam," he said with his usual grave sincerity. "May I help you?" "Do you do appraisals?" she asked. "Of course, Madam." "I have recently come into an inheritance which included a very old collection of gems. I am interested in selling them, but it has been a very long while since they were appraised. I would like to get an estimate of their value." "Of course, madam," he said. "I could give you a very rough estimate right here. If you wished a more accurate assessment, you could leave them with us for a day." "I will do both." She opened up her shoulder bag, removed an odd little lacquer case and placed it on the glass table between them. The proprietor unlatched and opened the lid of the case. Then he very nearly did something he had not done since he was four years old. He very nearly wet his pants. ---------- "You say somebody bought the place?" the Fat Obatarian asked. "Why yes," the Skinny Obatarian answered, pouring the tea. "My husband said they closed the deal six months ago." "You don't say? I never heard." "Well, he never said a thing. Just like him. And they were so relieved too, he thought they'd never sell it." "Well, I'm sure it used to be nice but it's just so far out of the way now. Out in the middle of nowhere, really." "That's what I said. The younger kids in the family have all moved into town long ago and who can blame them? Probably glad to finally be rid of the place. But you know what else I heard? The people who moved in turned out to be a bunch of foreigners." "No! Really? That old place?" "Yes. Apparently they've spent a fortune fixing it up." "Oh, that's such a shame. It really should have been designated a national treasure, that place. It was the home of Samurai, after all." "Oh but I hear they're not really modernizing it or anything like that. They're actually restoring it to just what it was like before the fire." "Really? Imagine that, them being foreigners and all. Does anyone know who they are?" "No, nobody's ever seen them, not even my husband." "Imagine that. Do you think they're really living there? Maybe they're just investors or something." "Well, my sister knows the fellow who takes care of the grounds for them. They specifically asked him to do his work on Thursdays, I suppose they work in the city somewhere and come out for weekends. Except once he actually spotted somebody, I suppose one of the foreigners taking the day off or something." "Who did he see?" "He said it was a very pale woman with white hair, in a white dress. Gave him such a fright, he thought it was a ghost." "Fancy that." ---------- "Honey, it's the Chief Inspector," Mrs. Mizuhara called. Her husband, who had hovered in the kitchen when the doorbell rang, came out into the hallway. "Evening," he said stiffly. "Good Evening, Mr. Mizuhara," the Inspector said, bowing. "I hope I have not interrupted your dinner." "No, no." he answered quickly. He was trying so hard not to look hopeful. There had been just too many disappointments. "Please come in," Mrs. Mizuhara said. The Inspector removed his shoes and they all went to sit down on the cushions around the dining table. "Can I get you something to drink?" "No, thank you. I won't be long at all." She felt a stabbing pain in her heart. Just a little of it was relief. She could read the Inspector like a book by now, knew what to expect. No good news... but no bad news either. "I just wanted to let you know that we have returned the materials which Makoto's friends turned in for our inspection." Which meant they had been of no help. "So, they were telling the truth?" "It would appear so. They were simply materials for some creative project that Makoto had been participating in. An illustrated fantasy novel of sorts, apparently inspired by the uncovering of those odd ruins under the school. We have to assume that Makoto posted the package." Which meant that her son had been alive two weeks after he disappeared. "You said... 'participate'..." her husband said hesitantly. "Some of the pictures were almost certainly not done by your son." "Then by whom?" "Since this is our only lead so far we would like to find out. Which brings me to another matter. I spoke with young Hayashi-san when I returned the materials to his home yesterday. He wishes to publish the materials." "Publish?" "Yes. He believes that both the pictures and the story would be of interest to a particular fantasy magazine. He intends to return the materials to you. But he would like to pursue their publication first, and he requested that I ask your permission on his behalf." "You think we should agree?" she asked. "I think that a possible link to such a well publicized missing persons case makes their publication a virtual certainty." "Inspector," her husband said coldly, "are you suggesting that my son is part of some elaborate hoax?" "No sir. I'm suggesting that if this project of his is related to his disappearance then their publication can only help to shed light upon the matter." "I certainly see no harm," she said quickly, heading off any outburst her husband might make. He nodded, giving his assent with a wordless grunt. "Very well. I'm sorry there wasn't more I could report. Please be assured we are sparing no effort." She saw the Inspector to the door, then went to get her husband a beer from the refrigerator. "Thanks," he said softly, taking the glass she had poured him. "He said he's heading over to talk to Nanami's parents," she said. "I still think that Fujisawa character took them on some damned fool mountain trek. Probably got them lost in China or who knows where." She just bowed her head. That was the idea he had been insisting on for some time. Many others agreed it was likely. But she couldn't share it. It just led to a vision of her son's body lying frozen on some mountain top. Her own current idea envisioned them all having become involved in some cult. At least then they would be alive. But the idea was gradually failing, gradually using up its power to comfort. As she expected, Nanami's mother called some time later. They talked only for a brief while. What was there to say? Nothing had changed. Yes, they were all bright, resourceful kids. Yes, Fujisawa-sensei had his problems but he could be relied upon. Wherever they were, whatever they were doing, they would get through it and come back. Of course they would. Her husband brought his briefcase, and soon lost himself in office work. She soon followed suit, bringing her own case and spreading out her own materials on the table across from him. In silence, she doggedly continued on the assignment for her accounting night course. Makoto would likely be leaving the house in a year or two, it was a good time to think of a new career for herself. Yes, he would be in college and then probably married soon after, maybe even to that nice Nanami. Yes, he'd have his own life soon, it was time for her to start applying herself elsewhere. The room was suddenly bathed in a soft, silvery light. She looked up from her work, puzzled. Then she saw the angel. She heard her husband gasp. But she could not even manage that, her throat seized up so that she could not even breathe. The angel smiled warmly. "Hello Mother, Father." "Makoto..." she gasped. "Oh God, you're..." He shook his head, still smiling mildly. "No Mom, I'm not dead. We're alive. All of us are alive." She shot up from the cushion she sat on and ran the three steps over to him. But even before her hand passed through him, she could see it... could see the other side of the room right through him. She stumbled back, trying to convince herself she wasn't going mad. His smile became sad, apologetic. "I'm sorry I can't really come back mom. I just wanted to let you know that we're okay." "Makoto..." her husband was standing now as well. In just the short moment she glanced at him she saw all her own feelings reflected in his face, relief and fear and wonder and pain. "Son, where on Earth have you been?" "We're living in a different place now. A nice place." "You've grown," she said, mostly just to herself. He had been missing not much more than a month. "A lot of time has passed here." "Makoto..." her husband seemed unsure just what to ask. "What *happened*?" "I'm sorry dad, I can't say too much about it right now. I can tell you that it wasn't an accident we were brought to this place. It was meant to be this way. There was some important work we had to do. But everything is okay here. And we're all very happy." She reached out again, aching to touch him. It hurt so much that she couldn't. "Makoto, aren't you coming back?" she pleaded, refusing to believe it. "Not now. But we will meet again, I promise. Until then, please don't worry about me. I'll miss you more than I can say. But I've got lots of wonderful friends here. When we meet again, I'll have so much to tell you." "No..." she took a tentative step towards him. Then she felt her husbands hands on her shoulders, gently holding her in place. "Son." His voice was right by her ear, he was holding her close now. "We're not the only ones who have been worried about you. What on Earth do we tell all your friends?" His smile wavered for just a moment. "Tell them to have faith in us. Tell them, they can believe that we'll all meet again." "When?" she asked. "Before the millennium's end." His image was starting to fade, as was his voice. His sad smile came back. "Goodbye Mom, Dad. I love you both very much." Then her son was gone. She cried for a very long time, first standing there, then later lying in their bed. He held her, stroked her hair, kept telling her what a fine young man their son had grown into. After a while, that thought did bring some comfort. They decided they would never tell anyone. But they would do as their son had asked. They would tell his friends to have faith. ---------- Ifurita was in agony. She had never imagined she would see him cry like this. She wanted so much to merge her soul with his, imagining she could take the pain upon herself, relieve him of it. But he was right, that was not the best way. So she just cradled him in her arms, his head nestled against her breast. "God, I didn't want to leave them," he whimpered. "They looked so desperate. I think I did more harm than good." "No," she said softly, cuddling him closer. "They've seen that you're alive and happy. How can that be bad?" "But they don't understand. I should have told them everything." "You will tell them. Very soon." "Soon for us. Two years for them." ---------- "Now Nanami-san, you're our guest," Miz scolded gently. "A maidservant will be around shortly." "Oh don't mind me," Nanami said brightly, stacking up the last of their lunch plates. "I more or less do this without even thinking." "And we can expect her bill to arrive in the morning," Fujisawa said with a wink. "Well, if I did that you might start charging me rent." "Honestly, you two. I swear your native country must be run by the Merchants' Guild." "I suppose you could put it that way," Fujisawa said, gently bouncing their baby on his knee. "It's what makes the world go 'round," Nanami called just before she disappeared into the kitchen with the remains of their lunch. Miz looked disapprovingly at her husband. "You should take responsibility as a teacher, letting her become so materialistic like that." "I heard that," Nanami said, emerging from the kitchen again. "The way Fujisawa-sensei tells it, your eyes lit up like two gold coins when you found out he's a salaried government employee." "It was nothing like that!" Miz insisted. "It was love at first sight, wasn't it dear?" "Absolutely, my dove," he said quickly. "Though sadly, at the time I was too thick to realize it." Nanami sat down and poured herself some fruit punch from the pitcher. "Well, with respect Sensei I bet you're making a lot more here than you ever were in Japan. Allowing for the radically different economies, of course." "Oh my," Miz said with a long-suffering sigh. "Please don't remind me. He was at the frontier for a *week* the last time." "Now Miz, you know it's important work," Fujisawa said, gently patting her hand. "A lot of the people on the frontier are still living in tent cities." "I suppose you're right," Miz said sadly. "Well, I hear now that the rebellion's over, two more legions of the guards are being sent back to the frontier," Nanami said. "That's a lot of manpower and engineering skills, it'll really help speed up the reconstruction." "I hadn't heard that," Miz said. "Londs told me yesterday. He wanted to make sure I'd be available when they showed up here for review." "Oh, of course," Miz said, obviously understanding. It had been a while since any Phantom Tribe infiltrators had been found, but Nanami was still called upon to attend the review of any unit that passed through the city. Which was another excuse for her to be staying with Fujisawa's family in the palace. But besides just enjoying the company, she was anxiously awaiting their friends' return, wanted to be there when they arrived. "Now now, what are you fussing about, hmm?" Fujisawa said gently to his baby girl as he began bouncing her again. She was still fidgeting and gurgling. "Oh dear, you'd better give her to me." They both reached across the table and did the hand off. "You silly girl, I just fed you a while ago." "I can't believe how she's growing," Nanami said. "She'll probably end up as tall as you, Miz." "I think it's a bit early to tell that," Miz said, opening the front of her dress. "And with that hair, I could see her growing up to look more like Afura." "Speaking of Afura, any word from her?" Miz made sure her daughter was happily nursing before she answered. "Nobody's heard since Shayla went to visit," she said softly. "I think it will be a while before she's back from Mount Muldoon. She's on a pilgrimage, we... probably won't hear from her much." "I hope she'll be okay," Nanami said, not sure what else to say. They had all seen how spooked Afura had been by whatever Makoto had shown her in the Eye of God. Miz smiled. "She's a very disciplined priestess, Nanami-san. I'm sure it won't take her long to find her center again. We'll be seeing her soon." "I'd almost be tempted to join her," Fujisawa said. He flinched slightly under Miz' glare. "I mean, I understand how she feels," he corrected himself quickly. "Makes my poor head hurt, thinking of all those wormholes and multiple universes." Nanami could only agree, she just tried not to think about it that's all. She suddenly regretted having brought them to this topic. "Well, she'll have to come back if Rune really decides to reseal the Eye of God." "I imagine she'll wait a bit before doing that," Miz said. Before she could say more they heard the latch on the apartment door being opened. They turned to see a guard enter and bow to the four guests he admitted. "Hey, welcome back!" Fujisawa called out, waving at them. Makoto and Ifurita both waved and returned his greeting. They each had only one free arm apiece, since Kauru and Alielle respectively were clinging to them adoringly. Nanami couldn't help glaring at them. Just like those two oversexed munchkins to smell out their prey before they could even get here. And it looked like the objects of their affection really had just arrived. They were each in jeans and a light jacket, and were hefting two large backpacks. "Come sit down and tell us all about your trip," Fujisawa said, pulling out the chair beside him. "Thanks. Pardon me, Kauru." She gave him his arm back long enough for him to slip off his backpack and put it down on the table. "We brought back some souvenirs." "Oh my!" Kauru said, stars in her eyes. "Artifacts from the world where Makoto-sama was born!" *Oh spare me.* But Nanami was curious as well. "Mind if we have a look?" "Be my guest." Ifurita laid her own pack on the table. "This is reading material for you and Fujisawa-sensei," she said to Nanami. She decided to open up that one first. "Wow, you really packed this! Must have been heavy." "Not really." Nanami stared laying out newspapers, magazines, almanacs and books. "So how was the world of 1997?" Fujisawa asked. "Pretty much the same," Makoto answered, opening up his own pack. "Our families are all fine. The economy took a bit of a downturn, but things are generally okay." Nanami dug deeper into Ifurita's pack. "Oh great, you brought some manga too." She picked up one volume and flipped it to look at the front cover. Her jaw dropped. "Hey, what the hell is this?" "Language..." Fujisawa said sternly. Makoto smiled impishly. "What does it look like?" "I can't read it," Alielle complained, trying to see better and using that as an excuse for getting uncomfortably close. Nanami sighed. She didn't appreciate being pawed like this. "Oh, here..." Absently, she grabbed another volume out of the pack and shoved it into Alielle's hands. "What is it, Nanami?" Miz asked. She wasn't at all self-conscious about nursing her baby, had done it in front of their friends many times. "El Hazard, The Magnificent World," Nanami read, then held for Miz and Fujisawa to see the cover. It had a picture of what was unmistakably Rune Venus. "Well I'll be," Fujisawa said. "Looks like that little 'project' of Makoto's really took off." "Big time," Makoto said. "We bought some electronics for the house, so when we go there you can see the anime if you like. In the meantime I brought along an illustrated art book, and a few cels." "Hey, I'm in here too!" Alielle called out excitedly, flipping through the book Nanami had given to her. "We all are," Makoto said. "What?" Nanami flipped quickly through the volume she held. She didn't need to read, the story was certainly familiar. High school student discovers artifact under his school... goes there late one night to find a beautiful girl... she sends him to another world... he rescues a princess... has to impersonate the princess' sister. She looked back up. "Makoto... do people believe this is what happened to us?" "Mostly not." He pulled a slim laptop out of his pack. "I downloaded a lot of the internet chatter, you can judge for yourself." "Hey, pretty slick machine," Fujisawa commented. "Yeah, there's a two hundred megahertz pentium in this little thing," Makoto enthused. "Can you believe it? All I need to do is get one of those generators in the lab to put out AC current for the battery charger. You know, I may even be able to set up a protocol for linking this to the PC in the house, through the wormhole." So now he wants to use wormholes for a modem. God, he is just having too much fun. "So you figure it's okay for us to go?" she asked cautiously. "Sure, we've got the place all stocked and cleaned up." "That's not what I meant." Makoto didn't lose his smile, but he sounded a bit more serious. "Things went pretty much as we had planned. I think it'll work out." ---------- There was a sharp knock on his office door, "Come," the Chief Inspector called, not looking up from the report he was reading. The door opened, and there was the sharp click of the constable's heels as she walked up to his desk. Walked very briskly. He looked up. "What is it?" he asked the rather flustered looking police officer. "We've had a call from the Mizuhara residence, sir." It took just a second for that to register. It had been weeks since he had thought of that case. "Yes?" "He turned up yesterday. I mean, their son sir. I mean, Mizuhara Makoto." "*What*?" There was the sound of running feet approaching. Another officer burst into the office, not even bothering to stop at the open door. "Sir, we've just had a call from the Jinnai residence...." ---------- The two of them leaned against the table in the darkened room, watching the interview through the one-way glass. It had been going on for six hours now. That Ice Princess still looked fresh as a daisy. Hadn't even asked for a glass of water or a trip to the washroom or anything. It was the third interviewer, she was chewing them up like drill bits. "So what do you think?" the Chief Inspector asked his colleague. "It's the damnedest thing. Obviously all fabrication, but for the life of me I can't even put a dent in it. They must have been spending the last two years memorizing this crap." "Okay, off the record. What do you think really happened?" "Off the record?" "Off the record." "Okay, how about this. They open up that coffin thing inside the mausoleum and find it full of those gems. Jinnai takes some of them to get assessed... at some place run by the Yakuza say. They figure the gems are worth killing the little shit for, so they do. The others panic and run, figuring they're next or maybe they'll get blamed for Jinnai. They run into our Ice Princess here somewhere along the way. She takes control of things, pawns the gems for them, sets them up in that big old house they've got. She could have even had them out of the country for a while, maybe that's when Fujisawa meets this Miz character and decides to make the best of things and settle down. Finally, the kids start to feel guilty or homesick and they come home." "You don't think they did Jinnai themselves? Maybe for his share of the loot?" "I think this lady's the only one who'd have it in her. I interviewed her myself, remember. Like talking to the Terminator. She almost had me believing all this shit they've been feeding us. We should check the house just for good measure, but if she did it then I bet we'll never find out. And now that she's married Mizuhara we can't even deport her." "Where do you figure she's really from?" "Hell only knows. I'd just like to know if she has a sister." The Chief Inspector sneered. "Sure, she's got a twin sister over in El Hazard. Why don't you ask young Mizuhara to introduce you?" "I did. He said he would if I really wanted, but recommended against other 'Earthlings' going to El Hazard. Those side-effects, you know." "Ah, right. So how about this story anyway? Did they just figure if they're going to lie they might as well make it a really big lie?" His companion hesitated. The Chief Inspector glanced over to him. It was another moment before he spoke. "That's the scary part about this. I've interviewed all of them. Either they're the most convincing pack of liars the world has ever seen, or they really *believe* this stuff they're telling us. I've worked on cult cases involving some pretty elaborate mass delusions, but nothing even approaching this. Usually the more intricate the delusion the easier it is to make it fail. This one's just the opposite, it holds up no matter what we throw at them. It's no wonder the kids' parents have bought into it." The Chief Inspector mulled over that for a moment. "You realize the only way we can demonstrate they're obstructing justice is to ask them to prove this rubbish by doing something mystical." "Right." "If we do that we'll be a laughing stock." "I would expect so." The Chief Inspector sighed. He came to his decision. "Okay, let's wrap this up as quick as we can." ---------- "This is quite a lot," Miz commented, helping Nanami unpack the groceries that Nanami had just driven home with. "We've got a full house tonight," Nanami said, gesturing across the counter into the big open living space. Alielle and Kauru were glued to the television set, watching the El Hazard LD set for the second time in a row. Ifurita and Afura were equally absorbed with the PC system in the other corner. Fujisawa had a relief map of a nearby mountain range spread out on the floor. Through the door-windows, they could see Shayla sweeping autumn leaves in the garden. "And Makoto said he'd be bringing two guests with him." "Well, we'd best get busy then," Miz said. "Hmmm, you don't seem to have a daicon here." "I figure we'll get one from the garden. Thanks for reminding me, I'll go ask Shayla." On the way over there she detoured over to the workstation to peer over Afura's shoulder. She was paging through a long document that seemed to be about ancient Rome. Probably Gibbon's Decline and Fall. She was paging rather quickly too, she could read almost as quickly as Ifurita. "Man, ten million web sites and that's the most interesting thing you can find?" Afura looked up and smiled. "We were reading the history of the Han dynasty this morning. It made reference to another civilization that was developing on the other side of Eurasia, so we decided to look that one up as well." "I never figured you'd be the one to become an Internet junkie." "But it's such a marvellous thing. It's like having a million books floating in space over my head," she said, spreading her arms out wide. "And they're all connected by these little golden threads. I have but to pull on the thread and the next book comes to me!" "I thought you two were supposed to go climbing today." "We were planning to," Ifurita said. She smiled. "We became rather... absorbed." "The hills around here are pretty wimpy anyway," Fujisawa said, looking up from his maps. "Come with Miz and me next week and we'll show you some real climbing." "I can't believe I let you talk me into that," Miz said from the kitchen where she continued to separate out the groceries they'd need for today's dinner. "Stop being such a wimp, Miz," Afura scolded. "You two wiped out a whole Bugrom regiment together, mountain climbing should be like a walk in the park for you." "Well, I'm retired now. And I've a child to care for," she said, indicating the sleeping bundle strapped to her back. "You may be retired but you're very far from being an old lady," Fujisawa said. Miz blushed. "Honestly, the things you say..." But that seemed to put an end to the argument. Nanami grinned. *Score one for Sensei.* Alielle and Kauru didn't even notice Nanami stepping over them on her way over to the door. Probably wouldn't notice if I stepped on them, Nanami thought. She slid open the glass door and was met by the autumn chill. Replacing the rice paper panels in at least some of the rooms with these had been one of the compromises to modern comfort. Nanami didn't mind the idea of relying on quilts and sweaters in the winter, but their Rostalian guests were unaccustomed to the cold. Which was why Shayla was so well bundled. She noticed Nanami stepping out onto the balcony and waved. "Is Makoto back?" she called. "Not yet. We're just starting to get dinner ready. Can you go get a daicon for us?" "Sure, no problem. Say, you didn't run into those reporters on the way home did you?" "Didn't see anyone. Why, you had some problems?" "Not really, just shooed a couple of them away a little while ago." Nanami sighed. "Okay, what did you do this time?" "I didn't hurt them," Shayla said indignantly. "Just took one of their picture things." "Cameras?" "Yeah, cameras. I even gave it back to him. Both halves, in fact." "I'm just glad you weren't around for the police interviews, you probably would have killed somebody. And you're lucky we don't live in the United States, otherwise somebody in the gutter press would have sued us by now." "So, Makoto could buy a thousand cameras, he can get them a new one if they've got any complaints. My only regret is letting Alielle have one of them." "Yah, no kidding." She had *no* idea how that little weasel had sneaked into the shower room without her knowing. If I ever get my hands on the negatives... Shayla leaned her rake against a stone lantern and walked closer. "So did you visit your folks when you were in town?" "For a little while, yeah." "They're still taking all this okay?" "More or less." Nanami grinned. "But if my shit brother ever shows his face, grown up or not dad swears he'll give the stupid little troublemaker a really good thrashing." "Sounds good, but he'll have to get in line." Nanami winked. "Something to look forward to." "Right. I'll be around with your daicon in a few minutes." "Thanks, Shayla. See you in a bit." Nanami went back to the kitchen to find that Miz had the preparations well under way. Soon Shayla arrived with an enormous white radish and lent her hand as well, Surprisingly, the fiery priestess had taken quite a liking to Japanese cooking. Nanami suspected it was because she enjoyed working with really sharp knives so much... she was certainly very adept and flamboyant with them, often spending more time juggling knives than cutting anything with them. Nanami wondered if the priestesses had some weird ninja type training - they certainly made enthusiastic use of the doujou. "Oh..." Ifurita stood up abruptly. "Our guests are arriving. Excuse me." Which meant she had sensed a wormhole opening. "I'll come too," Nanami said, quickly wiping off her hands and walking around the counter. Ifurita smiled gratefully. "Thank you." It was odd, the Demon God seemed to have genius level intelligence, total recall and an unshakable will. But in some ways she was still very much an innocent. And she always felt bad about tripping over some social custom. They're sure lucky they've got me around, Nanami thought. Goodwill emissary to the universe, that's me. They emerged into the doujou just on time for the light show to start. The big exercise room was the largest open space in the house, and was not visible from the outside, so it was the logical endpoint for trips by wormhole. Three figures shimmered into existence, then the swirling lights faded away. To Nanami's shame, it was Ifurita who recovered first. She stepped forward. "Princess Rune. Princess Fatora. We are honoured." She bowed low. Their very presence here was enough of a shock, but it was their appearance that had really thrown Nanami. Makoto must have taken these clothes to the palace without telling anyone else. Rune really did look like a supermodel. And she had to admit that Fatora looked pretty cute... though Nanami was biased for reasons that had absolutely nothing to do with Fatora. "Wow, this sure is a surprise. Welcome to Earth." "Thank you," Rune answered. "I'm sorry we've come without warning. But if Londs found out about this excursion, I'm afraid it would do his health no good." "You came in secret?" "We felt it was for the best." "Sorry about not telling you," Makoto said. "More people than Londs would be very nervous about this. But they insisted on coming over." "It will probably be the last time," Rune said. "And we can't stay very long. But I wanted to visit your world at least once." "We are having dinner soon," Ifurita said. "I hope you can stay at least that long." "We'd love to," Fatora said. "Nice audience chamber, by the way." There was just a hint of her usual overbearing haughtiness, if Nanami didn't know better she'd say the compliment sounded almost genuine. She had noticed before how remarkably well behaved Fatora was in the Demon God's presence. But the way she looked at Ifurita was eerie - there was as much hunger in her eyes as fear, the way an alcoholic might view a bottle just out of reach. There was probably a story behind this... Nanami wasn't sure whether she wanted to know. Makoto chuckled. "This isn't a palace, Fatora-san. I'm afraid this is the largest room we've got. Excuse me, I should go lock this up," he said, hefting the staff. "We don't have guards here, so I don't like to just leave it lying around." "Oh dear, do you have problems with bandits?" Rune asked, looking very worried. "No, he's just being careful," Nanami said quickly. Her eyes darted over to Makoto for just a moment. *Dammit, watch what you say.* "Besides, we're very well protected today, what with the three Great Priestesses, Ifurita and Fujisawa Sensei all being here. But like Makoto said this isn't a palace so you'll have to put up with cramped quarters." "You should let us show you the garden before it gets dark," Ifurita said. "Not much is in bloom, but the autumn colours in this country are very striking." Nanami smiled. She sure seems to be enjoying herself now. "I've heard it's really cold," Fatora said, her tone implying that would be entirely unacceptable. "It's not too bad today," Nanami assured her. "And we've got jackets you can borrow. Come on, why don't we go meet the others." Makoto locked away the staff and they all followed Nanami down the long hallway to the living area. She found herself looking forward to this. All the people here were part of the Band of Brothers who had fought in the War and gone on the Quests together. It had been a long time since they had all been together. And in their own humble little home, no less. Might never happen again. "Hey everyone, look who-" "*Fatora-samaaa!*" "*Makoto-samaaa!*" Nanami sighed. "Incoming..." she muttered under her breath. ---------- "Man, look at her *go*!" Hayashi cried in open astonishment. "I can't believe she has never skied before." "Trust me, she hasn't," Makoto assured him. "Not before today." They watched from their table at the lodge's balcony as Ifurita and several of their old high school buddies sped down the slope. They were all avid skiers and all quite good. But Ifurita stood out among them, executing each turn with perfect machine precision. "Nobody can get that good after one run on the beginners' slope." "She can." Hayashi just stared at him. His old friend smiled. "Still having trouble accepting it?" "Yeah, I suppose I am." Makoto suddenly looked sad. "I wish I could give you the thing you want." Hayashi had never even asked. But Makoto was right, he wanted nothing more. "Am I that transparent?" "It's what I'd want if our positions were reversed. And believe me, I'd love to take you there. But if I start doing that, pretty soon it will be impossible to deny the truth." "I know. I read the manga. 'Plausible deniability,' right?" "More or less. I'm sorry." Hayashi shrugged. "Oh well. It's nice to at least know that it's all true." "Can I ask you something?" "Sure." "Why *do* you believe?" Hayashi chuckled. "Same reason your mom and dad believe. Everybody else thinks you're just a pathological case of my old SF fan circle. I'd go around calling myself Fleet Admiral of the Galactic Federation. They figure you and the others just put a lot more work into living your fantasy. But I tried getting you interested in the SF club and I know you're not like that. You couldn't come up with something like this, you've got no imagination to speak of." "Gee, thanks." "Well, if you want me to put it in a nicer way, you couldn't tell a lie to save your life." He looked out towards the slope again. "Looks like your wife's already lining up for the ski lift again. Maybe this time she'll break a world record." "I'll have to speak with her about showing off like this. She's supposed to be only human after all." "Say, can you do me a favour?" "What favour?" "Next time your friends come through the wormhole for a visit, ask them if they'd all like to come down to Komike in costume." "Give me a break." End Chapter 2 Next Chapter: Awakening