Chapter One

"The patient is regaining consciousness," a woman's voice flowed, overlapping itself in a girl's sleep-filled mind as she woke. The girl that lie in the hospital bed squinted her eyes open and tried to make right of this situation. The first thing she noticed was pain. A dull aching head-ache drummed through her head like finger pads on a drum skin. It didn't hurt as much as it was annoying yet still out of reflex she lifted her right hand to her head. A white square on her arm with a string connected to it caught her attention.

Panic filled into her body and she tried to work her mind faster. She felt lucid and slow. Things weren't coming to her as fast as they should. Her mind worked out that she was most likey poisoned. What was this thing on her arm? It must be a trap or something trying to mess with her blood. Furiously, she ripped it off her arm struggling to pull herself upwards.

As she propped herself up, a tornado of pain ripped through the flesh of her side. Why did she hurt so bad? Whoever did this would be in real trouble when she got through with them. They, afterall, had no idea or (maybe they did she concluded afterwards) who they were dealing with. Lifting up hospital gown she had on she saw a scar of stitches lining her side. Confusion wrote itself on her face as her brows folded themselves together. If they were her enemy and hurt her why had they healed her? Placing her fingertips on the wound, she closed her eyes. Seconds later she removed her hand and the gash was closed.

By this time her eyes had adjusted to the light and she noticed the fabric she held was not her original clothing. Hell, it wasn't anything she owned and she owned a lot of clothes. The fabric wasn't any she'd seen before. The stitching in it felt harsh to her skin and she wore naught but her underclothes under it. Her sword not in sight and upon closer examination she found this room was not anything like her own nor a medical ward.

Panic redoubled its efforts speeding her heartbeat and suffocating breath. Where was she? This was not where she was supposed to be. A glance around the room stunned the breath out of her. It wasn't anything like she'd seen before. Light from the sun came from a box in the ceiling. Beeping came from box on wheels sitting next to her. A cord connected itself from the box to her chest. There was something about it that paused her from tearing it off.

Beep....Beep...Beep.. The box sounded over and over tracing

The pace it had was familiar. Something everyone she knew was used to.

Beep...Beep..Beep...

Bump..Ba Bump...Ba Bump...

Beep...Beep....Beep...Beep..

It was her heartbeat.....Maybe this one patch could stay on longer. It gave her comfort in this strange place.

The brown-haired blue-eyed girl lay back on the hard cotton-filled pillow and tried to purify the rest of the 'poison' out of her body when the sound of approaching footsteps caught her ears. The girl scrambled to cover herself with the thin blanket. Too soon the door opened and a tall man in a white coat stepped in. He had a little stubble on his chin but his young looks gave the impression that he was just above his twenties.

A white coat! A healer! Is he the one that helped me?

Her mind raced as her eyes took in the man for any clues about him. Besides the coat she came up with nothing familiar. The man opened his mouth and strange words flowed out. The girl couldn't figure out anything he had said. It wasn't any langauge she spoke fluently. Unless it was like the dead langauges. Latin and English.

She hadn't studied it in so long or converesed with it for even longer. Maybe if they took it slow she could catch on again. She was a fast learner after all.

The man paused as if waiting for an answer. He had watched her face change quite quickly. When he first stepped in apprehension, fear, and rage had radiated off her entire being. She sat straight and quite stiff for a girl who had been torn in her side but when he spoke confusion shrunk her back into the sheet. When he paused the girl seemed overcome with demtermination, a certain proudness, and royalty about her. She sat back up postitioning her body a little more.

"Repeat. Slowly. Please." Her speech was broken and she tried hard to find the right words. Cursing herself for her slowness she listened attententivly leaning forward a bit.

The man sighed and took a step towards her. Almost immendiatly she stiffened and reached where her sword usually rested at her hip only with its absence to remeber it had been taken. She shifted her hands in front of her with a standard defense postion.

The man stepped back and pulled a chair up a few yards from the bed so as not to provoke her. "Do not worry. I will not hurt you." He spoke slow and raised his hands in a treaty like gesture.

It took a few minutes for her to understand, but finally she lowered her hands a bit. The man looked appreciative and he settled back in his chair with the clipboard on his lap.

"I will start over. Alright?"

It took less time for her to respond this time and she nodded her head. The doctor nodded back and started. "My name is Doctor Shoeman. I helped stitch you up and looked after you."

"Stitch me up?" The girl was confused again. This was not the way she had been taught to use that word.

"Stitch...you know...sew...heal." He tried to find the right words.

The girl's head snapped up a slight smile of pride on her face. "Yes, heal. Heal mean to set right. To restore health. Cure." So maybe he did not injure me. He seems trustworthy enough. Her hands lowered the rest of the way brushing the bed linen.

The doctor nodded. At least the girl was understanding some. "I healed your side. You had torn it somehow. You have been out for a while-"

The girl interrupted him. "I have no been outside. When?"

The doctor sighed rubbing the bridge of his nose. Or maybe she wasn't getting it. "Out. You were not awake. Unconscious."

"Oh. Please excuse me. I speak not English in long while." Her speech was imporving.

"Really, we thought it was just temporary effect from the anesthetics," he said more to himself then to her."

"Anesthetic? A poison?" She tried to act innocent when her mind worked over time. So he admits to poisoning her!

"Anesthetic. A kind of pain reliever to help." The doctor sat up from his clipboard to look her in the eye.

She watched him for a second longer before concluding he was telling the truth. "Alright." She decided to be polite with him for now. "Do you know how I injured?"

"No, when you were brought in we found no answers." He paused putting on his glasses and adjusting his clipboard.

"I am going to ask...," he paused to giver her time and she nodded, "...you some questions to see.....what you can remember." She nodded her consent. Better to cooperate with your captors than rebel and find yourself hurt.

Mr. Shoeman opened his mouth, but the girl cut him off finding a better compromise. "A question for a question?"

The doctor smiled. She had some of her fire restored to her. Good signs for a recovering patient. "Sure. Do you want a translator?"

"No, want to brush up on English." She smiled cheekly at him.

"Hmm. I'll start. What is your name?"

The question floored her. Didn't he know who she was? Everyone knew who she was. Maybe it was just a test. "My name..," she hesitated. Should she give her real name? Maybe they didn't know and she could be released. But if ths was a test and she lied who knew what the consequences were.

"My name..,"she started again stopping for another internal debate.

"Your name..?" The doctor tried tried to help her along a bit as his pen jotted on the paper every few seconds.

"My name is Aora Saienshi Hazuru. ASH." She studied the man for his reaction though she found none. He just continued to jot on his paper.

He did not take his eyes off the paper. "Mmhmm. Nice name. Now where-"

"My question," she cut him off demanding.

"Oh yes. Your question. Go ahead." He waved his impatience at her. He was anxious after finally getting somewhere with this girl who had been here for the past week unconscious.

Aora, known as Ash, glared at him. "Do you know who I am?" She waited for any reaction.

The doctor shook his head astounding her. How could he not know her? "I am sorry Aora-"

"Hazuru. Call me Hazuru." Her tone was sharp.

Almost like a spoiled celebrety or royalty. Shoeman cleared his throat and rubbed his chin looking at her quizically. "Ok, Miss Hazuru. Do you know who brought you in?"

She shook her head. English was all coming back to her now."Who was it?"

"A young man. I don't recall his name at the moment though. He brought you in unconscious and bleeding. Said he found you while taking a stroll in Cheroline Park one afternoon. Do you know where you are?"

"No. What is that?" She pointed to the ceiling. "That which gives light like the sun in the box."

He looked at the ceiling then back to her quizically. "You mean the light...er lightbulb." He stood and walked to the door flipping a switch. The room darkened as the light went out. Ash squeaked in surprise. Shoeman switched it again and the light restored itself in the room.

"Do it once more," she pleaded. The doctor complied before coming back. "Magnificent," she whispered the same time the doctor said, "Interesting."

Settling himself in the chair, he glanced up breifly at Ms. Hazuru. She sat mouth open staring at the light. "You might not want to do that. It could blind you."

"Oh." She turned away coloring a bit at her embarrassment.

"My question. Do you know what the date is?"

Ash shook her head again while trying to push the color from her cheeks. "Where am I?" She asked half to herself.

"You're at Washington D.C. General Hospital."

Washington D.C.?! Ash's head snapped up so fast the whole word seemed to tip for a second. Her sharp movement caught the doctor's attention. "What is it?" He asked slightly concerned for her health.

She had a very bad feeling. And like all the other times it meant impending doom. "What country am I in?"

He eyed her strangely never ceasing his pen from jotting on the clipborad. "You're in the United States of America. My question. Why-"

She waved one hand in front in his face blowing off the question and spoke with a commanding authority one was not used to in this day and age. "That is not of importance. I need these answers now."

The doctor scooted his chair back some and straightened his coat. He got a feeling that this girl was very different. He nodded aquiescing to her her request. You never know, he might find something useful.

Ash slowly started. "What...what planet am I on?"

The doctor raised his eyebrows. "Earth."

What in the hell was Earth?! "Earth?"

"Yes, Earth. You know, blue and green with oceans and it orbits the sun."

She waved him off again. "How many moons?"

"Moons?"

"Yes, moons!" Her voice rose with urgency.

Shoeman cringed. "One. Only one."

She froze. Good, lord! That explained it all. This wasn't her planet at all. She'd been taken to the Ancient Moon. Jumping from her bed ripped the patch off her chest and long drone started across the screen. Ash turned and with a swift swish knocked the machine over breaking it.

She paced the lenghth on the bed. How was she going to back?! What were her people going to do without her?! Whoever did this would pay! She started cussing in old Japanese. The doctor had stood and backed away from her.

Hearing his steps, she turned on him. "You, have someone bring my clothes. And my sword!"

Shoeman tried to stand and look big. Afterall, he was twenty-five and this girl looked hardly sixteen. "I am sure we can get your clothes, but weapons are not-"

She moved with swiftness he had not seen before and in mere seconds had him pinned at the wall bringing him down to her height. His reading glasses had broken from the force but he could still see her eyes flash a dangerous red color. "That is not a request, Mr. Shoeman. That is an order. I expect my clothes, sword, and the man that brought me here within the next minute. Understood?"

He stared at her in pure fear too shocked to say anything. This girl to move like she'd never been injured. To move with speed and grace unlike the Olympian's at last summer's Olympics. What on Earth was she? Or maybe, he thought back, what in the Universe was she? He gulped and answered meekly, "I, yes, I understand."

Ash glared at him a second longer before releasing him and taking a step back. He slid down the wall landing on his butt. Looking through his broken glasses, he watched her watch him.

She grew impatient with this man. It's bad enough her belongings are missing, but now she finds she's on the Ancient Moon. " Go! You have five minutes and five only."

He tried to shake the fear from himself and stood. Slowly, he pulled picked up the chair that had been overturned keeping his eyes on the girl the whole time. The clipboard, he found, had been thrown across the room. Not daring to move and leave this girl alone he pulled a walkie talkie from his jacket.

The girl stiffened and fear flashed in her eyes. "What is that?"

He glared at the girl, no thing, that stood before him. "It's a communicater. It's called a walkie talkie."

She snorted. "Idiot name."

"Yes, I guess it is." His eyes held mistrust. How could her personality change so quickly? Maybe she was insane. Pressing down on the button, he paged the front desk. "Rosa, I'm in room 543...."

As the doctor requested her stuff and talked with this 'Rosa' person, Ash examined the window. She found the glass to be double-sided making it hard to break through. Yet it was the only other exit besides the door and crowded hall from this place. Outside the window fascinated her. The buildings were taller than the trees back on Wyakin. There were hardly any trees here at all. The setting sun was cloudy with smoke and streets held garbage. She did not like this place at all.

A hand on her shoulder jerked her out off her thoughts. She turned finding Shoeman there. He smiled gently and she turned back to the window. If this girl was insane she'd need kindness and help from someone. "Quite a site isn't it?" Unlatching the locks, he opened the window. "Breathe in that fresh air."

"No." She turned sharply from the window and faced him. He stepped back a bit to give eachother space.

"What?"

"No. This air is not fresh. No, it's not a sight to see. I admit the buildings are bigger than I am used to seeing, but it's full of pollution. I do not like this place at all."

"Where are you from," he asked sincerity in his voice.

"I am from a place far away from here," she answered wistfully. Taking one last glance out the window, she turned away striding towards the bed.

He wanted to ask how far away she was, but her stride caught his attention. "How...Aren't you hurt?"

She eyed him over her shoulder from her seat on the bed. "Me? What an idoit question. I am fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Your side. It was torn open quite badly. You needed stitches."

"It's healed. I can heal fast when conscious. See?" She stood facing him and moved the gown just a bit so he could see...nothing. Not a stitch, scratch, or scar was left on her body.

The doctor stepped back towards the window. This was getting just a little too strange for him. Ash dropped the gown back down and watched the doctor carefully. After all, he was just a human.

"What...what are-"

She cut him off saying two people were coming. Sure enough, half a minute later a boy and an older lady stepped through the door. The elder lady, Ash suspected was Rosa, set her clothes on the chair. The boy held her sword in its sheath ackwardly.

"This is Mr. Sage Thompson, your savior. He's been visiting everyday," Rosa told me. Sage colored a little when she mentioned the visiting. She didn't really have to do that, did she?

"That's enough, Rosa, you're embarrassing the poor boy. Let's go and let them get more aquainted," Dr. Shoeman said motioning to the door.

What?! He's leaving me here with this...this boy?

What?! He's leaving me with a girl? We're probably nothing alike!

Rosa caught the children's obvious discomfort and turned to Dr. Shoeman. "Don't you think it is not wise-"

She was interuptd by Dr. Shoeman leaning down to whisper. "I have very pressing information on the girl. It needs to be seen to immediatly. They'll be fine." He pushed her towards the door. Rosa hesitated glancing one last time at them when a sharp poke in her back reminded her of her place. "Yes, Dr. Shoeman. You are right. Let us go."

Ash bowed a bit as the pair exited the room, the door clicking shut behind them. She bristled at their ignorance. What manners! Not to exchange a formal bow especially to her. If they were with her people they'd be in a hell hole of trouble. Straightening, she glanced at Sage. He hadn't done anything either. Maybe...just maybe these humans did not bow.

Sage watched as the girl had bowed as they left. Then seemed furious when they were gone. What was up with her? The girl turned regarding him carefully.

"Do you not bow here?"

Her English was strained a bit he noticed and she seemed confused. Her head tilted a bit to the side and a small frown graced her face. "No. We don't. People in Japan do."

"Japan?"

He seemed to confuse her more and she moved to the chair picking up her clothes. "Japan. You know, it's another country." It's a good thing Rosa had told him she had a slight case of amnesia.

Ash moved to the bed straightening the sheets. "A country on the Anc- Earth right?" If she kept up this act maybe she'd find some useful information.

"Yes, Earth."

"Oh." She paused picking up a brush on the stand next to her. "Mister Thompson?"

"Call me Sage, please. Thompson makes me sound like my father."

"But you are older than me. It's only respectful." She added the brush and some spare change she found to the pile in her hands.

"I'm not that old. Probably not much older than you. I'm sixteen."

"Oh. You do things differently here?"

The girl standing infront of him, hands full of clothes and other accessories looked genuinly surpirsed. "You really aren't from around here, are you?"

"No, no I'm not. Could you tell me more about it?"

Sage watched walked towards a half open door and cautiously looked past it. "Of course. What do you want to know?"

Slipping past the door, she found a dark small room made out of cold tile. "How about your life. What do you do on a normal day? I'm going to change in here. I'll be able to hear you." Her voice echoed out into the room.

Sage faced away from the door to give her privacy. "Ok. I'm sixteen. My name is Sage Thompson."

Ash listened in the dark with the door partially adjar. She couldn't figure out how to make the light the doctor had. If she had figured it out she'd find she was in the bathroom. Pulling off the gown, she traded for rough brown leather riding pants.

"I live with my mother, father, and little sister."

"Where do you live? What's it look like?" She asked cutting him off.

"It's a block and a half from the Cheroline Park where I found you. The house I live in has a blue roof and with shutters. Number 2124."

Blue roof, number 2124. She made a mental note of everything he said as she buckled the belt with her family emblem on it and pulled on a light blue flanel shirt with two holes in the back of it.

"It's a single family house."

"Single family?" Her voice came again from the bathroom.

"Yes. A house that stands by itself." Sage thought the amesia she had must be a really extreme case.

"Oh, what do you do during the day?" She asked buttoning the front of her shirt and tying her shawl around her waist.

"Well, I wake up, eat breakfast, get dressed, catch the bus and go to school like everyone else."

"School? Bus?"Ash stuffed the change in a pouch tied to her side and picked up a brush running it through her hair once before stuffing it in her pouch.

"A school is where people go to learn. A bus is like a car or a van that picks up people and takes them where they need to go," Sage explained as Ash came out of the bathroom. He paused at her strange as he took in her strange clothing. Ok, she definitaly is not from around here.

"You mean a carriage?" Ash asked to draw his attention from her clothing. Come to think of it his clothing was strange too. Where was his sword?

Sage snapped to attenion lifting his head to watch her face and tossed her the sword. "Kind of, but bigger."

"Bigger?" She asked not glancing up from tightening her sword to her belt.

"And it has no horses."

Ash's head moved up slowly and she released her hands to her sides raising an eyebrow. "Are you insane? You must believe me to be crazy to believe in this foolishness you spout," she whispered deadly calm.

"I am not insane," Sage protested standing straighter, "You must be the insane one. Talking like your from medival times wearing unearthly clothes and a sword. Who are you?"

Ash stood proudly with her arms crossed. "I am-" She halted suddenly and backed away from the door. Sage looked at her from the door and back. Ash glared at the door taking a defense position hand resting on the sword's hilt.

"What is it?" He asked not sure whether to be afraid of her or what's out of the door.

"People are coming."

He let out a puff of air. "Yeah, so. It's just the doctors."

"Hush." She kept her eyes fixed on the door as she spoke. "It's not the doctor. The footsteps are different and there are many. There is a strange metal on some of them.

"How do you know this?" Disbelief filled his voice raising it a notch.

"I said hush. If you must know I can hear them. Now get back to the window." She let go of the hilt and pushed him towards the window.

"Wha...why?"

"We're going to get out of here," She stated like it made the most perfect sense.

"Out the window!" He yelled in surprise. This girl was trying to kill him. She slapped a hand over his mouth to silence him. Too bad the damage was done. Footsteps could be heard pounding down the hallway and someone sounding suspiciously like Dr. Shoeman said something about them going out a window.

Ash glared at this boy that dared to defy her. Cold night wind flew through the open window ruflling her hair as Ash closed her eyes. Seconds later the chair floated towards the door and propped against the handle.

"That should hold," she said opening her eyes and releasing Sage's mouth.

"What the hell!? How did you do that??" His eyes were wide and his back was pressed to the screen of the window.

"Don't ask questions. Answer them. Move." Ash pushed him aside and tested the strenghth of the screen with her hands. Stepping back, she asked, "Where is Cheroline Park?"

Sage felt himself going into shock as she kicked out the screen and decided just to play along. "Where the tall tree is," he said pointing out the window to what would be green in the daylight strip of land.

Ash spotted a blue roofed house a ways from it. Good. They'll get there in no time. "How much do you weigh?"

The question caught him off guard and he stepped back. A slam on the door brought him back to reality and he jumped forward. He glanced at the chair that held out the people.

"I weigh about 120 pounds."

Ash nodded and motioned for him to step back. He complied and studied her carefully. She closed her eyes tightly fists at her sides. Her hair rose a bit and a sickening crack was heard coming from her.

He stepped forward slightly about to ask if she was ok when two things stopped him. One was the chair buckling under the pressure and the door slamming open. The other was the girl. Out of the slits in her shirt two huge white things spanning at least ten feet had burst.

Ash's eyes snapped open when the door forced open and a small whimper of pain came out of her mouth. She never did get used to the pain. The men in white coats carrying tasers had frozen when they'd seen her. Some had even run. She folded her wings and stepped towards the Sage.

The scene seemed to unfreeze then and the men ran at her. Sage blinked as Ash grabbed his still outstreatched hand pulled him near her. He asked one thing as he looked at her. "You aren't human?"

She just smiled at him and stepped out the window.