Authors Note: Hello :::waves::: I’m back with another chappie and I would just like to say “THANK YOUUUUUUU~” to Moon Moon, you are so nice ^_^ thank you so much really, you are like the only one that’s actually reading the story^_- and Yisa, I’m still waiting for another chappie of “A Maid’s Love”! I’m getting impatient… Anyways, this chappie… is long… and might be boring, but then again everything is boring to me -_- I think I mentioned that this chapter was going to contain one of the good parts, but since I haven’t been concentrating on this story I forgot what the good part was suppose to be -_- anyway, READ and ENJOY~ And thank you guys again~ Keep on Reading and Reviewing~

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=^_^=

  Ooyan-mu Shinatugo

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----- Episode 11: Making an Appearance -----

It took a while for Ayumi to recover from her emotional outburst. She stood quietly on the couch holding a cup of hot tea, though she has yet to drink from it, wrapping herself in a quilt.

Ooyan-mu was quietly watching Ayumi with concern as she just stared off at the cup. Sagasu was quiet as well, looking back and forth at Ayumi and Ooyan-mu, searching for some answers to what happened to her, and Mime was also silent and had her head down, taking side-glances at her sister. She had not spoken after she yelled out ‘Okaasan!’ and was trying her best not to cry.

“Ayu-…” Ooyan-mu stopped in mid sentence. He didn’t know how to break the silence. How should he break the silence? Was he supposed to ask her a certain question? Could his words make anything better? But as Ooyan-mu thought this Mime was the first one to break such silence.

“O-oneesan? Are you gonna’ be okay?” Mime said in a small voice.

Ayumi blinked a few times and looked up at her younger sister’s concerned face, Ayumi than thought of what she had said about Mime to her mother long ago. “I’m so sorry…,” she whispered to Mime, trying hard to keep a straight face.

“For what?” Mime asked.

“…” Ayumi just looked down at the cup once more and after a few minutes she drank from it, the mildly warm liquid made her shiver slightly.

“Ayumi?” Ooyan-mu asked, uncertain if he should talk to her, but than thought that it was the only way for their questions to be answered, “What-what happened back there?”

Ayumi stood silent for a while and finally spoke, “I don’t know” she turned to Ooyan-mu, “I just remember trying to fall asleep in my bedroom. I eventually did and then… there was… this…I saw my mother and” Ayumi let out a shaky sigh and fell silent unable to finish her sentence.

Ooyan-mu took a glance at the Kurayami Hooseki, which had been on the couch next to Ayumi. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at the crystal, its evil ki energy making his eyes burn lightly.

After a moment of silence, Ooyan-mu broke spoke, “Sagasu-sama” Ooyan-mu turned to him, “You noticed… how I touched Ayumi earlier?”

Sagasu nodded, “Yes, yes I did! How come the curse didn’t take effect?” he asked even more curious.

“Well, the only thing I came up with is that if she was possessed by Ayame then--…”

“What?” Ayumi looked up at Ooyan-mu cutting his sentence off.

Ooyan-mu nodded, “Yeah, I think Ayame was trying to possess you. She did possess you”

“…”

“If Ayame possessed you, it was really her. Therefore, when I had touched you, the curse didn’t take effect since Ayame was the one that had put the curse on me. Thus, it was immune to her presence.” Ooyan-mu began, “She had known that the Kurayami Hooseki was nestled here. 

“Yes, yes… I see now” Sagasu nodded and kept pacing around.

“Well, I don’t! I’m lost!” Mime yelled confused. She hated being left out in things, especially when she knew that it was VERY important.

“Nothing Mime, you’re just a child…” Ayumi said quietly.

“Argh! That is the last time I will EVER do anything nice for you, Kurenai Ayumi!” she yelled. ‘I hate being called a child! I’m not a child!’

“Mime-chan, I’m sure Ayumi didn’t mean for it to insult you” Ooyan-mu replied trying to calm Mime.

Ayumi nodded, “That’s right. I didn’t mean to get you mad, I’m sorry…” Ayumi said sincerely.

“Whatever…” Mime walked away sulking, sat on the floor, turned on the T.V, and said quietly, “and I’m not a child either” she said high enough for all of them to hear.

Ayumi focused her attention to Ooyan-mu once more, “But how do you know that? I mean for sure? And one simple touch doesn’t mean anything, right?”

“Ayumi…” Ooyan-mu sighed, “believe me, okay?”

~~~***~~~

Ayumi let the hot water cleanse her. It relaxed her. She looked down and saw the water tainted with blood. She had to rid herself of it. She didn’t even know how that happened. She lifted her hands and saw the bandage that Ooyan-mu had manage to wrap around her. She saw blood trickle from the bandage and she sighed.

‘I don’t even know what happened! I thought Ayame was dead? How could she possess me? She’s dead. The after world is never on earth. That’s what I was taught, so how is this possible? And when I looked at Ooyan-mu, I could see that there was something he wasn’t telling me. He left a part out, I know it.’

A sudden noise awaked Ayumi from her thoughts.

~~~***~~~

            Ooyan-mu was looking outside, watching the leaves on the trees blow into the night. He couldn’t tell Ayumi EVERY detail. It wasn’t right. What Ayame use to call him and all those things were between only Ayame and him. Therefore, he could NEVER tell Ayumi about the kiss.

It was the cold sweep of air that alerted Ooyan-mu; he stood quiet for a while, ‘I could have also sworn that I had heard something’

Ooyan-mu turned to Sagasu whom had fallen asleep on top of Mime whom was asleep herself. “Sagasu-sama…” he whispered trying not to wake Mime. She had been tired and today had kept her busy. “Sagasu-sama…” he repeated when Sagasu had responded. Sagasu then opened his eyelids, reveling his yellow eyes. “What is it?” he managed to whisper back before yawning.

“I feel this presence. An evil presence…” Ooyan-mu whispered back.

“Well that’s good to know. What do you want me to do about it? I can’t do much in this body”

“Sagasu-sama, just-- do you feel that?”

Sagasu stood motionless for a good 3 minutes then he finally spoke up, “Yes, I do. It’s not strong… it’s like a fade of evil energy.”

“Yes, that’s what I feel. I also thought I heard something”

“What could it be though?”

“Maybe Ayame’s spirit?”

“Again?”

“Maybe, I don’t what for though. She had already discovered the Kurayami Hooseki, when I was with her,” Ooyan-mu said.

“Well, now Ayumi has it.”

Ooyan-mu flinched at Sagasu’s words. He shifted his eyes on the bathroom door, where Ayumi was bathing in side.

~~~***~~~

            Ayumi stood motionless looking at the Kurayami Hooseki that was on the sink next to her, which flashing with a dark green glow. She had insisted on keeping the Kurayami Hooseki with her, since she was the only one that can hold on to it in case of anything happened to it, but now she regretted it.

“Why—why is it doing that?” she asked herself. Ayumi took the towel to wrap around her and tell Ooyan-mu of the crystal’s state, but a cold rush of wind swept through the bathroom and made her shiver with fear.

~~~***~~~

            “I feel it even more now,” Sagasu said. “Yeah, me too and the Kurayami Hooseki is still with Ayumi” Ooyan-mu added. Suddenly a piercing scream filled the ears of Sagasu and Ooyan-mu and aroused Mime at once.

“Ayumi!” Ooyan-mu ran to the bathroom door turning the knob, but it was locked.

~~~***~~~

            An evil miasma filled the bathroom and Ayumi could barely see. All she saw was the faint glow of the Kurayami Hooseki, and then suddenly the glow shifted to the right as if it was floating.

“AYUMI!” she heard Ooyan-mu’s voice come from the other side of the door.

“The Kurayami Hooseki, it’s acting all weird. I can’t see through the fog!”

“Fog? Just get the hell out!” Ooyan-mu screamed. Ayumi lifted an eyebrow when Ooyan-mu had been talking in that way as if he had turned into Shinatugo.

Ayumi tightened the Towel around her and was careful of getting out of the bathroom. She had placed her hands on the railing of the tub to get out safely and on the walls so she could find the doorknob. Suddenly she felt something…

‘What’s this?’ Ayumi’s hand ran over the object. She felt the smooth fabric and she went higher and felt a smooth—‘a face?!’

Suddenly something had grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to it. It’s hand wrapping on the small of Ayumi’s back and she gave a sudden scream.  Ooyan-mu was yelling even more at Ayumi as if that had done anything. Ooyan-mu was also making several attempts to break the door down, but failed.

Ayumi eyes widened in horror, it was a man’s figure that she could make out and his face was probably inches away from hers because she had felt his warm breath on her. “Who are you…?” she whispered in fright. The figure did not respond with words, but rather with a simple kiss on her hand.

Finally, Ooyan-mu had managed to break through the door and once he did this, the dark haze that filled the area had vanished along with the mystery figure AND the Kurayami Hooseki leaving a frightened Ayumi on the floor (since she lost her balance when the figure had removed his grip around her).

“Ayumi!” Ooyan-mu crouched next to Ayumi, “What happened? Are you okay?”  He asked quickly searching her with his eyes, looking for anything unusual, but the only thing he felt uncomfortable about was the fact that Ayumi was only covered with a thin towel.

“I-I don’t know. I was here taking a shower and … then the-the thing--…” Ayumi stuttered and pointed to the sink.

“The… ‘thing’?” Ooyan-mu was unsure of what Ayumi was trying to say.

“The- you know! The thing! The damn crystal!”

Ooyan-mu quickly looked around, his eyes searching for the dark crystal.

“Ayumi!” Sagasu walked in the bathroom.

“Oneesan!” Mime came and hugged her sister forgetting that she was ever mad at her.

“What happened?” Sagasu asked.

“The Kurayami Hooseki is gone!” Ooyan-mu cried out in dismay.

“WHAT?!” Sagasu yelled out in disbelief, “How…?”

“The fog…” Ayumi started, “you saw the fog right Ooyan-mu?”

Ooyan-mu nodded. He managed to see a little bit before it fully disappeared.

“Then…then I saw the Kurayami Hooseki glow--…”

“Glow?” Ooyan-mu asked, cutting off Ayumi.

“Yeah, it was glowing green…”

“Oh no.” Sagasu whispered and put his tiny paw on his forehead.

“What? You know what that means?” Ayumi questioned the animal and the guardian.

“Just continue” Ooyan-mu said looking at Ayumi with attentive eyes. 

“Um, okay, when the crystal started to glow I was gonna come and tell you guys about it, but then it was this… black fog surrounding me. I couldn’t see anything only the faint glow of the Hooseki. I tried to get out and find the doorknob, but I felt something else.”

“What did you feel?” Sagasu asked.

“A figure.”

“Ayame’s…” Ooyan-mu thought aloud.

“No, no, no…” Ayumi said waving her hand, “it wasn’t her. It was … a male figure.”

“Male?” Sagasu asked.

“Yeah…”

Ooyan-mu seemed to be thinking, then spoke up, “How do you know it was a male if you could not see anything through the miasma?”

Ayumi blushed slightly and put her head down breaking away from Ooyan-mu’s eyes, “I just… know”

“Wait. Did he do anything to you?!” Ooyan-mu asked, crouching next to Ayumi.

“No. He just—…”

Sagasu was angry and put he’s paw up, “Well when I find who it is I’ll kill him! I’ll tear his liver right out!” he growled.

Mime giggled, “Sagasu-sama, how can you with your small teeth?”

Sagasu put his paws down. He knew that was just an expression that he used and really didn’t want to tear his liver out, he wanted to bash that man’s brain in, but who was he kidding? He was so small at this state. Small and furry. Yep, a villain’s worst nightmare.

“He did what?” Ooyan-mu tried to suppress his anger, but failed.

“Oh, well when he grabbed me,” Ayumi began and Ooyan-mu arched his eyebrow, “I asked who he was. Though like I knew he wasn’t gonna tell me…” Ayumi sighed, “Then just before you broke my door, he had kissed me”

“WHAT?!” Sagasu asked in unison with his guardian.

Ayumi raised her hand, “On the hand! He kissed me on the hand!” Ayumi stated quickly.

Sagasu sighed, “Ah, don’t scare me like that.”

“Aw, Sagasu…” Ayumi then petted Sagasu’s furry head. ‘Even if he is a pervert, he can be rather caring at times…’ she thought and stopped at once thinking that Sagasu would become use to it.

“So that’s what I felt. That miasma, but why would ‘he’ take the Kurayami Hooseki?” Ooyan-mu asked more to himself then to the rest of them.

“Are you sure that he was a man?” Sagasu asked.

“Yes. I’m quiet sure. I mean… I had accidentally touched his chest and…you know” Ayumi trailed off.

“Well, why would he just appear after the Kurayami Hooseki?” Ooyan-mu questioned. There was a long pause; suddenly Mime had begun to speak. “Well, maybe Ayame had sent him” she said as a-matter-of-factly.

Sagasu gave a quick laugh, “Now really, Ayumi’s spirit can’t hold the Kurayami Hooseki. She’s dead--…” Sagasu stopped abruptly, “She is dead. Isn’t she?” he looked up at Ooyan-mu who gave him no response.

“Well, I don’t know what the hell happened, but I’m glad that that damn crystal is gone. It’s better that way” Ayumi said getting up making sure that the towel was securely fastened.

“Ayumi-sama, don’t you get it?” Ooyan-mu shook his head.

“Yes, I do. That Kurayami Hooseki, is dangerous. We had it we were in danger. I had it and I was in danger. Now, no one has it, no one is in danger!” she responded. 

“That is true… I think” Mime said quietly.

“No, whoever took the Kurayami Hooseki knows of its powers, therefore he must use it for evil. Then we are all in danger.”

“Maybe, he isn’t evil…” Ayumi said calmly.

Ooyan-mu had a look of disbelief, “What? You call appearing while you are taking a shower, causing a miasma AN EVIL miasma, stealing the Kurayami Hooseki, which has a reputation of pure EVIL, now how can you assume for one moment that he isn’t evil himself?”

Ayumi stood quiet. Ooyan-mu was taking this overboard. She knew that whomever that figure was… was after the Kurayami Hooseki, but if he was really evil. Pure evil… Why didn’t he kill her? Or turn her into some animal like Sagasu?

“Well, if he was really, truly evil, why didn’t he kill me? Or turn me into a …Docanda! Like Sagasu…” Ayumi replied.

“I think that guy must really like you~” Mime said with a smile.

“It’s teddy bear! Teddy bear!” Sagasu said with his furry paws crossed over his chest.

“Dammit!” Ooyan-mu turned around, “I knew I should have destroyed that thing”

“How could you?” Ayumi asked, “You said when you tried to touch it, it had rejected you with a shock.”

“Yeah. Well, argh you should have destroyed it!” He countered.

“I did that remember. I took a metal stick and started beating it up. Sagasu helping me…” She said.

“And that did absolutely nothing!” Mime responded and Ayumi turned around to stick out her tongue at her younger sister. Mime continued, “Why don’t you just… use your magic to burst it into flames!”

Suddenly everyone paused. Ooyan-mu turned around at Mime and blinked in shock and Sagasu did the same thing.

“You are so BRILLIANT!” Ooyan-mu laughed happily, picked Mime up, and swung her around, “I forgot about that!”

Ayumi sweat dropped, “How can you forget that you have powers?”

“I didn’t!” Mime said once Ooyan-mu put her back down on the floor.

“How’d you know?” Ayumi asked her younger sister.

“Remember when Ooyan-mu was saying that he came from the past and all?” Mime asked her older sister.

“Yeah?”

“Well, if they had come to the future by what whatever powers they had, then I thought maybe he could use those powers to blow up the evil crystal thingy.” Mime concluded with a smile.

“For a child you’re pretty smart.” Ooyan-mu said and Mime just glared at him. “I—uh, mean for a young lady, you’re pretty smart…” he phrased his response carefully, not to get Mime any angrier.

“Actually… that’s a problem.” Sagasu said.

“What is?” Ooyan-mu asked the furry emperor.

“Well, I used the little power that I had when I entered the future. I doubt that my power has fully recovered.”

“Oh. Well Sagasu-sama that is only you. Now let me see if I can conjure up my powers” Ooyan-mu rubbed his hands together and closed his eyes. He lifted his hands slowly, and Ayumi kept her eyes on his lifted hand a few minutes went by with no sign of any powers, but finally a small white glow was seen at Ooyan-mu’s palm.

Mime started to jump up and down with excitement, “Yes. You’re doing it Ooyan-mu!” Mime squealed out.

“Shhh” Sagasu put his paw on his lips.

“Oops. Gomen…” Mime said and claps her hands over her mouth.

“Suddenly the glow in Ooyan-mu’s palms began to flicker madly. Ooyan-mu opened his eyes and a look of confuse was stretch over his young face. “What’s happening?” he looked at the glow in his hand and suddenly it flickered off and stayed off. “What did I do wrong?” he waved he palms up and down.

“Maybe since you’re in the future it doesn’t work” Ayumi assumed.

“Well, if that’s the case then why is the curse still lurking?” Ooyan-mu asked.

“Because the Kurayami Hooseki is still around,” Ayumi said proudly.

“Duh!” Mime added in.

“Emperor Sagasu, see if you can use your powers. Maybe it was restored.” Ooyan-mu told him.

“I doubt it. If you can’t what makes you think I can…” he sighed, closed his eyes, and put his two paws up making him stand on his two hind legs. Suddenly a spark of fire was made, but it was hardly visible and like Ooyan-mu’s powers, the fire had flickered off permanently. “I told you Ooyan-mu, why don’t you listen to your emperor?”

“Gomen, Sagasu-sama, I just thought that by some chance it would be different for you…”

“Okay, while you guys keep telling each other sorry and trying to figure this out, I’m gonna be in my bedroom getting changed” Ayumi replied and turned around heading for her room.

“Wait, Ayumi~” Sagasu ran happily toward Ayumi. “I want to come~”

Ayumi stopped in her tracks, veins popped on Ayumi’s head. She closed her eyes in anger and clenched her hands into a fist. She turned around to the furry animal, “NO~!” she yelled and Sagasu flew to other side of the hall do to Ayumi’s blow.

“Owww…”

~~~***~~~

            Ayumi lift her baby blue sweater over her head and when she had put it on, she checked herself in the mirror. She was wearing dark blue jeans that fitted her perfectly, it went along well with the thin blue sweater she had on. It was thin (almost like thin fleece type of material) and reveled her shoulders. Her jet-black hair was in a low ponytail wrapped in a baby blue ribbon.

She smiled at her reflection, but was distracted when she saw something through the mirror. It was a black figure that quickly past by. She couldn’t make out enough, but she did make out that it was a dangerous attempt to find out more about the figure by herself. Panicked, Ayumi opened the door to tell Ooyan-mu about the mystery figure. Was it the same one from the previous moment?

~~~***~~~

            “Oi, Sagasu-sama, did Ayumi punch you too hard? Are you okay?” Mime asked concerned, her little face peering at him over the couch.

“Mime-chan, I’ve been punched before. This wasn’t my first time.” Sagasu responded with a sigh.

“Oh. I see… but you’re okay?” she asked.

“Yes, thank you…”

            Ooyan-mu was sitting next to the emperor on the couch, sitting in silence, but a sudden appearance of Ayumi made him concerned. “What happened Ayumi–sama?”  He asked when she opened the door and ran toward him. “Somebody is in the room! He was probably there when I was changing!” she yelled. Sagasu stood up, “Wait… someone was hiding in there? Someone was in there looking at you?! I can’t believe it! Lucky bum…”

“Sagasu! I’m serious!” Ayumi yelled.

“Yeah I know! Me too!”

“I didn’t feel anything though…” Ooyan-mu said looking around the area.

“I don’t care. Just…” she trailed off.

“Go outside with Mime and Sagasu-sama.” Ooyan-mu ordered her.

“Sagasu get Mime outta here.” Ayumi ordered Sagasu.

“What?” he asked confused.

“Ayumi, I said you go and take them,” Ooyan-mu repeated.

“I wanna be part of this! Some pervert was hiding in the room! Someone is gonna get beat…” Ayumi punched her palm in a gesture showing revenge.

Ooyan-mu sighed “Fine. Sagasu-sama, protect Mime-chan and go outside.” Sagasu nodded his head and took Mime to go outside.

After Sagasu had left, Ooyan-mu and Ayumi started their search. Ayumi was behind Ooyan-mu looking around attentively. Ooyan-mu had his hand on the handle of his sword, which was still in his scabbard. “I don’t feel anything…” Ooyan-mu whispered to Ayumi. “I don’t know how to feel…um, as in detecting” Ayumi said.

Ooyan-mu walked in Ayumi’s room and saw nothing, just an average teenage bedroom. A bed, CDs on the floor, a boom box at the far left of the wall (the of course Ooyan-mu knew nothing about CDs let alone boom boxes). He turned around to Ayumi. “I don’t sense anything here”

“Maybe it left?”

“Possibly, but why would it want to hide in your room?”

“What can I say? It’s a perverted villain” Ooyan-mu gave a quick laugh, “Yeah…”

Ayumi felt uncomfortable with Ooyan-mu alone… in her room especially when they were both quiet now as if determining what to say, “So…”

“So, we better tell Sagasu-sama to come back with Mime-chan…” Ooyan-mu said walking toward the door.

“Right, right… good thinking” Ayumi said with a wave of her hand.

Unexpectedly a loud scream had filled the ears of the guardian and Ayumi whom was right behind him. “Oh my gosh… MIME!” Ayumi yelled and ran right after Ooyan-mu.

Once outside Ayumi saw and felt the miasma this time. She could see, but no farther than her front yard. “Mime!” she yelled out her sister’s name and Ooyan-mu had been calling out the emperor’s name, “Sagasu-sama!” but no reply from any of them.

“Ayumi-sama!”

“What Ooyan-mu?” she replied.

“Stay close…”

“Okay…”

“Aw, isn’t that nice?” a voice was heard through the fog.

“Whose there?” Ayumi yelled, “What the hell have you done to my sister? And to Sagasu?!”

“Oh, don’t worry your little head about, Mime-chan. I haven’t done anything to that cute little girl. Though, I couldn’t guarantee the same for this child’s play thing.” The voice responded.

“LEAVE HIM ALONE!” the guardian yelled his sword reach out in front of him. He continued with a low and dangerous voice, “I swear I will kill you…”

The voice started to laugh, a high pitch laugh.  A kind of laugh that was expected from an evil “villain”. “Funny, how can you kill someone who’s already dead?”

Ooyan-mu blinked and let his sword slowly, “What…?” he whispered.

The fog started to clear up because Ayumi could see past the tree and see the sky again. Ayumi stood next to Ooyan-mu in fear and in confusion. Standing before them was a woman, she was bearing a long black dress, her hair was loose and wavy, and her eyes were a deep violet. She was gorgeous. ‘Whose that…? Wow, she’s so pretty. Wait… that can’t be--…’

“A-Ayame?” Ooyan-mu whispered. He let his Sword down, not pointing it forward anymore and had it rather for balance now.

“Hello, Ooyan…” she smiled as if she always greeted him with a smile. 

Ayumi saw Ooyan-mu look right into Ayame’s violet eyes… in shock. Ayumi was in some sort of a shock as well. After all a woman that was supposedly dead comes alive after 300 years, that would shock anyone. Ayumi stared at the woman she wasn’t anything like Ayumi had imagined her. She imagined an old, gray hair, witch with missing teeth and some rotten ones, but this- this was totally the opposite.  When she smiled, it showed beautifully whitened teeth and her hair was anything, but gray! It was a soft, and extremely long, the color of goldenrod or just a little darker. She shifted her eyes to the side of Ayame. “Mime…” she whispered and ran across to her sister. Ayame glanced at Ayumi, but said nothing.

“Mime, are you okay?” she asked looking at her sitting down on the grass.

Mime looked up; “I’m okay, but Sagasu…” she trailed off. Ayumi looked at Sagasu lying in her arms. “What happened?” Ayumi asked touching Sagasu’s skin lightly. “That lady” Mime pointed to the woman that was inches away from them, keeping her attention on Ooyan-mu. “What did Ayame do?”

“I was with Sagasu-sama, then there was this fog and Ayame came, she used some fire power. She sent him flying to this tree.” she looked at Ayumi, “He’ll be okay… right?”

Ayumi put her ear on Sagasu’s chest just to check on his heartbeat, “Yeah, he’ll be fine”

Ooyan-mu shifted his eyes on Ayumi, “Ayumi-sama, come over to this side!” Ayumi and the rest were TOO close to Ayame and Ooyan-mu didn’t trust Ayame, she could blast them to bits.

Ayumi nodded, took her sister and the emperor to Ooyan-mu’s side. “Aw, Ooyan I won’t hurt the girls.” She said in a sweet voice, no hint of coldness in it.

“I don’t trust you,” he whispered harshly.

“I noticed,” she said and started to pace, “but actually Ooyan I just came by to say thank you”

“Thank you? For what?” he asked rather coldly.

Mime was looking back and forth at the two talking in confusion then suddenly Sagasu started to move in her grasp. “Sagasu-sama…” Sagasu’s eyelids opened his yellow eyes searching around him.

“Hey, old perverted freak” Ayumi whispered to him with a smile.

Sagasu had a serious expression on his hairy little face, “She’s here, isn’t she?” he asked her. Ayumi nodded, “Yeah…”

“I don’t believe it! How could she…” he trailed off in puzzlement. How could Ayame still be alive?

“Actually,” Ayame began again, “I came to say thank you to my dear Ayumi” she shifted her eyes on her.

Ayumi stood motionless.

“Ah, seems that stupid fool has awakened” Ayame sighed, “I told him to hit that damn animal harder…”

Sagasu grinded his teeth, “Ayame! What are you doing here?”

“I came to do what I have done a long time ago. That’s why I came to thank my Ayumi for keeping my Kurayami Hooseki safe,” she said with a warm smile on Ayumi.

 “What? I didn’t keep it safe. I didn’t even know where it was…” Ayumi was uncertain of what Ayame was trying to say.

Ayumi put her hand on her chin, “Oh, but my children had kept it safe when I was gone then along the line you were born and you have protect it. It was a tradition in my family”

“What?” Ooyan-mu asked.

“When I left of course the only way to live on was through children Ooyan…”

Sagasu shook his head in frustration, “What? So Ayumi is your descendant?”

Ayumi gave a disgusted look, “Of course she is you idiot! Why else would she be able to hold the Kurayami Hooseki?”

Sagasu looked at Ayumi and moved a few inches away from her.

“That’s why you used Ayumi’s body to obtain the Kurayami Hooseki,” Ooyan-mu breathed heavily.

“Catching on quickly,” she smiled again, “I can’t do it myself. Otherwise I would have done that a long time ago”

“Why won’t you die?!” Sagasu yelled.

“Why won’t YOU?!” she yelled in raged, she had lifted her hands in the air and put it down almost immediately. “A body dies, but the soul remains…”

Sagasu drew up all his anger, he ran, and launched himself at Ayame, but---

“He went right through her!” Ayumi cried out. Ayame laughed, “You really are stupid Sagasu.” Sagasu shook his head.

‘So that’s why she said that she can’t do it herself’ Ooyan-mu supposed.

“Ah, Ayumi. I feel so sorry for you, I really do” Ayame said to her.

“Why?” Ayumi whispered.

“Being stuck with two idiots is difficult,” she sighed, “you know, you can get away. You can. You don’t have to live in this confusion.”

“But…” Ayumi trailed.

“But what? You think you’re happy here? Are you? Having to run to and fro things that these two men have claimed to be dangerous.” Ayame looked at Sagasu, “Well, one man…”

“But I am happy!” Ayumi stood up.

“Oh dear. Have they been filling your head with lies?” Ayame replied than laughed and Ayumi found this very confusing, “Ah, Ooyan’s been telling you all these sorts of stories, huh?”

Ayumi stood silent. “Don’t listen to her, Ayumi!” Ooyan-mu yelled to get through to Ayumi, but she just stared at Ayame.

“Yes, how those stories are famous. Me being evil and all? I’m not evil Ayumi, I’m just a woman who has reasons, just like you right?”

“Do not listen to her!” Ooyan-mu repeated.

“He hasn’t told you about the innocent villagers he killed did he?” Ayame turned to Ooyan-mu, “Ooyan did you tell her or did you forget?”

Ayumi glanced at Ooyan-mu waiting for him to respond to her, but he said nothing. “What? Is that true?” she asked. Ooyan-mu just looked at her, his expression soft, “… I had my reasons…”

“Ha!” she transferred her attention to Ayumi, “did you hear that darling? He has his reasons. Now Ooyan what makes you think that your reasons are better than mine?” 

“My reason’s are out of moral and values,” he said to the “sorceress”.

“Ah, just like our friendship years ago, huh?” she said in a soft voice.

Ayumi blinked. Her head was hurting, what happened? What did Ayame mean? This was getting to weird and more than anything, she wanted this to be a dream, so she could wake up and live normally. Why was it her that had to experience. It was too much when she lost her mother three years ago and had to coup with taking care of her little sister by herself. Alone. That was too much. She didn’t need more exhaustion, frustration…confusion.

Ayame shifted her eyes again, “You want to escape don’t you?” Ayame asked Ayumi as if she felt was Ayumi was feeling.

“I--…” Ayumi started, but didn’t finish.

“You don’t want be here. You want to wake up don’t you?” Ayame said with a smile.

Ayumi nodded. Ooyan-mu then grabbed her shoulders, “Ayumi, listen to me--…”

“Why should you listen to him? He caused enough damage. If it wasn’t for him this would have never happened” Ayame cut off Ooyan-mu off.

“Do not listen to her!” Ooyan-mu began once more, “this would have happened anyway. She just wants the Kurayami Hooseki so she could destroy! Listen to me okay? Ayame lives on a person’s weakness, so, don’t be weak. I know you, you showed no sign of weakness, don’t start now okay?” Ooyan-mu was looking into Ayumi’s pastel colored eyes. The same as Ayame’s…

“Ah, you believe him?” Ayame laughed.

“Yes, yes I do!” Ayumi said boldly.

“Oh, you do? Why?”

“I—I believe him because he’s my friend. Friends stick by friends,” Ayumi said. Ooyan-mu glanced at her and smiled, glad knowing that Ayumi had stood up for herself and for him.

“Oh, aren’t you noble…” Ayame gave another high-pitched laugh, “that is so cliché. Can’t you come up with a better line?”

Ayumi’s chin was high, “That’s the truth”

“Getting braver by the minute, I admire that, but sometimes bravery can be mistaken for stupidity. I don’t think you want to be brave toward the wrong people, you remember that” she took a step back, “Ayumi you’ll see that the more you stay with him, the more trouble you’ll be in. I heard what you said, I know what you know. I feel what you feel. So don’t try to hide it.”

“…” Ayumi suddenly felt uncomfortable standing there with Ooyan-mu.

“I do have to get going though. It was nice meeting with all of you again, especially you Ayumi. I know you will make the right decision some day” she shook her head lightly and her hair just swayed with her movement, “I have someone you might remember Ooyan-mu. Boy!” she yelled.

Suddenly from behind the tree a hooded figure appeared. “You still have it don’t you?” Ayame asked it.

“Yes, my lady” it said in a deep low voice, its head low. He handed a shiny black object toward her. “Fool! You know I cannot touch the Hooseki like this!” she growled at him.

Ooyan-mu looked at Ayumi, “You stay here. I’m going for that Hooseki. If it’s gone I’m sure that Ayumi would be gone.” He whispered.

“Be careful,” she whispered back.

Ooyan-mu was ready to attack that figure and destroy the Hooseki, but Ayame’s high-pitched laugh stopped him. “You are really ignorant… or just dumb,” she said with a sly smile, “the Kurayami Hooseki is nothing.”

Ooyan-mu blinked in puzzlement, ‘But… it’s her source of living and my freedom’

“So by you destroying it won’t do anything for you, except for your curse, which still remains.” She said with coldness to her tone, “It doesn’t hold my all my powers in it. Not all. Some, but not all. So don’t think by destroying it you’re destroying me, if you’re destroying the Hooseki. It doesn’t work that way. You’ll only let your people suffer more”

“But the Hooseki is your power source!” Ooyan-mu yelled.

“No it is not!” Ayame yelled back in frustration, “I have my own abilities, which was how I obtained it! You still don’t see how I am divine, do you?”

Sagasu grinded his teeth even more, “You little--…” he jumped up at Ayame, but like before, he just went right through her. He landed lightly on the grass, “You’re lying!”

Ayame started to laugh again and Ayumi’s hairs began to rise. “You know as a matter of fact. I’ll show you” she lifted her hand in the air, “let go of the Hooseki,” she whispered to the figure, whose head was still low in respect. “Yes, my lady” he let go and the Hooseki was glowing a deep green, floating towards Ayame. She closed her eyes and whispered a few words.

“What is she doing?” Mime asked Sagasu, whom had arrived back to Mime. “I-I do not know…” he whispered.

A cold rapid gust of wind made Ayumi almost fall backwards. She had her hands over her face since the wind was too strong. Ooyan-mu had driven his sword in the grass and held on the handle for support. He looked at Ayumi who seemed as if she would fall and if she did the wind would have taken her to god knows where. Ooyan-mu squinted his eyes to see Ayumi struggling against the current, he couldn’t touch her. He couldn’t let Shinatugo be released. His hands were tied. Ayumi had looked to see Mime and Sagasu holding on to a piece of grass, which was the only thing that wasn’t making them from being blown away. “MIME!” Ayumi yelled, but she could hardly hear herself. Mime looked at her with squinted eyes. “I can’t--…” Mime began and finished off with a scream. “MIME!” Ayumi screamed, Mime had let go and she was being pushed by the winds current straight towards the cliff!

Ayumi then saw a figure flash right by her and had grabbed hold of Mime, ran towards Sagasu and grabbed him as well.

“Ooyan-mu…” Ayumi whispered when she noticed it was him. She couldn’t mistake that long blue hair of his.

Ooyan-mu held both Mime (who wrapped her tiny arms around his neck) and Sagasu, while keeping balance holding onto the sword’s handle that he again had plunged in the ground.

Ayumi couldn’t take the pressure and was about to fall right over the cliff, what was Ooyan-mu suppose to do? If he was to save her the curse with prevail and Shinatugo would probably kill her himself. Suddenly Ooyan-mu saw the hooded figure pass him with agility. ‘How can he be so fast against the wind?’

The figure had ran and jumped behind Ayumi grabbing her waist, preventing her from moving backwards. Ooyan-mu stood in shock, ‘it just saved her…’

As quick as the gust had came it had gone leaving a group of exhausted individuals. Ayumi was breathing heavily, her back on a strong chest, but she was hardly aware of this. She clutched her shirt and took deep breaths. Suddenly she realized that who had saved her wasn’t Ooyan-mu since she stared to the side of her and Ooyan-mu gave a puzzled expression, holding her sister and the furry emperor. Ayumi blinked and lightly touched the hand that was around her waist. The figure let go of her and gently stepped back, not looking at her. Its head down and hood still over it as if the wind didn’t even harm it.

“Thank you…” Ayumi said quietly to her rescuer.

“…” was all that the figure had said, but Ayumi had seen only the bottom portion of the figures face, just the lips that were curved into a smile.

“Watch and learn!” Ayame’s voice made Ayumi break away from the figure and stared at the sorceress. She had the Hooseki floating in the middle of her hands, she then released the power binding the Hooseki and it was dropping.

“NO!” Ooyan-mu shouted out. If that Hooseki was destroyed all objective would have fail. He needed that Kurayami Hooseki if he wanted his curse to be liberated and the curse of many others back home.

As the Hooseki was only inches away from hitting the ground a loud ‘CHANG’ was heard and everyone stood in silence, gapping at what happened to the legendary Kurayami Hooseki. It had shattered in to pieces before it even hit the ground! The pieces were floating slight above the grass. “No…” Sagasu whispered. He would remain a furry Docanda forever…

“I told you…” Ayame breathed heavily, her hand clasped over her chest, “This is nothing. Just mere part of my plan.” She waved her hand and the pieces just disappeared.

“What did you do?!” Ooyan-mu yelled at her.

“Oh, now don’t think that the Hooseki can’t be repaired. It can, though it would be difficult to do so with so many pieces.” She let her hand that was on her chest fall to her side, “I’m sure that if you find all of them, Ayumi will release the curse. If she would want to help you by the time, you gather all of the pieces though. A lot could happen between that time.” She laughed lowly.

“You bitch…” Ooyan-mu growled and Ayumi stared at him. When did Ooyan-mu ever swear? Maybe he had turned into Shinatugo since he was still holding onto Mime.

“Ah, that’s not what you said to me before.” She gave him a look of amusement, “As I recall, you had said to me once that I was--…” she didn’t complete her sentence when she saw Ooyan-mu rushed over to her. He had his sword over his head ready to strike, even though he knew that did nothing, he just responded with anger. He let his sword down on Ayame, but before it even touched her, another sword intercepted it. The hooded figure had his sword clashing against Ooyan-mu’s.  “Not so fast” the figure whispered lowly.

“Ah, I’ll let you boys handle this” Ayame said backing away. She waved at Ayumi. “Bye again!” she turned to Mime whose face was in horror, “Bye-bye little Mi-chan, I hope to see you soon” she winked at her and Mime wiggled her fingers in the air slowly as a gesture of good-bye. Ayame then disappeared.

The figure then pushed Ooyan-mu’s sword back and kicked him in the chest sending him to fall back, “Ah, you have no idea how long I’ve waited to do that, big brother.”

~~~***~~~

A/N: Oi, you liked it? You know what this sounds like… and you probably noticed too. Inuyasha… I didn’t mean for it to sound like this, but it kinda did. The whole crystal thing, but don’t think it is exactly like it because it really isn’t. When the crystal was broken, Ooyan-mu suppose to gather them, BUT unlike Inuyasha he only obtains the pieces when he or the rest have past Ayame’s “levels” it’s sorta like a game… so I just wanted to clear that up before I get any reviews stating that this is similar to Inuyasha… anyways, REVIEW! It’s only a click away~