Subject: [FFML] [Love Hina][Surreal] Sky and Shore -- Annotated
From: Brian Randall
Date: 9/16/2003, 12:28 AM
To: Innocent Bystanders


Sky and Shore

A Love Hina story

 > Now with annotation!

Disclaimer: Love Hina belongs to Ken Akamatsu, Kodansha Comics, Shounen 
Magazine Comics, TV Tokyo and Pioneer Entertainment.

Notes: This draws some elements from the original story of Urashima Taro.

 > Right. Well, best to address this now. Most people aren't familiar 
with the story of Urashima Taro, so I'll give you a brief version here. 
Essentially, a fisherman named Urashima Taro lived with his mother, and 
one day when he went out fishing, he saw some bullies tormenting a 
turtle. In some stories, the turtle is trapped by natural hazards, but 
whatever the turtle's plight, Keitaro helps it out. To reward him, the 
turtle insists that Taro follow her into the sea, and the man does so.

 > Under the sea, Taro is taken to the Dragon Palace, where it turns out 
that the turtle is the Sea Princess (in some stories, the turtle is a 
handmaiden, who just brings him to the palace). Once there, he feasts, 
lives, and spends time with her. After a while, though, Taro decides he 
needs to go back. Then the Sea Princess gives him a wooden box. (In some 
of the stories, she tells him not to open it. In some of them, she tells 
him to open it right away, once he's back on the beach.)

 > So Taro returns to the shore, and looks for his village (or just the 
house, in some stories), but there's no sign of it. When he finally 
meets a traveler, he finds out that decades have passed since he's last 
been home. Devestated, Taro opens up the box and find a crane feather... 
and then all of the missing years creep up onto him. This is probably 
the point where most of the stories disagree. Some of them say he turns 
into a crane, some of them say he returns to the sea and searches for 
the Sea Princess again, some of them say he just dies. But, that is the 
story of Urashima Taro in a nutshell.

 > And for those who look, references aplenty abound in the manga. When 
Keitaro has a fever, Suu even reads him the fairy tale.
---------------------------------------

[Counted Days]

Year one had been a failure. An abysmal failure.

Year two had been more hopeful. Hours turned to days turned to weeks 
turned to months of solid study. He was confident that he would make it. 
But he hadn't. Another failure.

Year three had been another. Not expected at all. His study was serious 
enough that he hadn't believed failure possible � until he had taken the 
test. But it was nothing but a failure.

Year four was the latest. It wasn't even over yet, but he knew � he knew 
what it was, and what it would have to be.

"Taking a break?" The old man. Teacher. Guide. Confidante, perhaps. 
Maybe even a role model.

"Yeah. Just resting."

"Well, shade's a welcome respite in the heat of the desert."

"Yep. Is this a good dig?"

There was a pause then, as the older man walked beneath the canvas 
sunshade, and took a seat on a closed cooler. He drew a cigarette from a 
pocket and lit it, taking a long, deep drag. When he exhaled, the smoke 
blew out in a long plume. In the dead air, the plume hung still, slowly 
expanding along a flat, curved plane, much like a crane's feather. "I 
think so," he said at length. "I'm not sure yet. I might have gotten 
myself a partner. I'd like that."

 > This is Seta, of course, but also the first hint that Seta is part of 
one of two sides in a battle... it's also deliberately misleading.

"Well, I...." He let the words trail off, wondering what defense he 
could readily pose against that. "We'll see."

***

[Meddler and Warrior]

"I would like to think that there is something there."

"Oh, I know there is. You want to lay a claim on him, daughter of Ida-Ten?"

The immaculate swordswoman raised an eyebrow. "And you can speak that 
name? I would have believed the very thought would pain you."

"Alcohol dulls all pains." The other woman allowed a grin to flit across 
her face for a moment. "You're avoiding the issue."

"Not entirely. His path draws along many lines, some which bring him 
closer to me, others to you."

"And the rest?"

"The sky, the shore... the dragon palace. Perhaps even the pillar of the 
heavens. Who is to know the ultimate conclusion?"

 > This is a deliberate (and obvious, now that you know the legend) 
reference to the tale of Taro Urashima. The pillar of the heavens is 
Shen Lung, the dragon that holds up the palace that all of the gods live 
in. This is important later here, and pretty much all throughout Compass 
Points.

"She would, I think."

The swordswoman stiffened, one hand dropping to her sheathed blade. "And 
she would not say, if she did. You would meddle more than even your kind 
should, to ask."

"Peace! Peace!" Hands waved in protest, the same smile returning. "I'll 
make no move, yet."

"As I am constrained by my elders. Who then can make a move?"

"The child of Marisha-Ten, the Sea Princess, and... our dreamer friend."

 > Marisha-Ten is a goddess of mercy to children, among other things.

"Your meddling worries me. A well-grounded but hopeful dream is no evil 
thing."

"Oh-ho! You think that if the right cards are played, he could be 
another Sakata Kintoki, do you?"

 > Sakata no Kintoki, who was once known as Kaidomaru, was the 
GoldenBoy. There's another legend there that isn't strictly relevant, 
it's mostly a veiled reference to the GoldenBoy anime, and the character 
of Kintaro Oe. (Kintaro means 'golden boy'; Oe is the name of a mountain 
where Kaidomaru supposedly killed a fierce oni.)

The swordswoman dropped her hand from her weapon and blushed darkly. 
"Golden boy or not, he will be what he will be."

"Fine, fine... now tell me why you count two out?"

"Of the one, I will not speak, even if I discover the reason. For the 
other, I could not guess, save to say that she wishes to observe more 
than meddle at this point." She paused, her blush fading. "As I would 
advise you to do. Regardless, it is time for the game to begin again. 
She comes."

Sticking her tongue out at the swordswoman, the other woman allowed 
herself to say, "Spoilsport," before vanishing from sight.

***

[Earth and Sun]

 > Another obvious reference, once you know the legend. Which you may 
not, come to think of it.

 > Well then. Before we go on, there's another legend that ties into 
this, one about the Heavenly Spirits and the Earthly Spirits. This is 
the legend that the anime 'X' (copywrite CLAMP) is based off of, but is 
substantially older (some variants do call them Dragons of Heaven and 
Dragons of Earth respectively).

 > Anyway. This legend is a bit more complicated. There are two sides of 
an ages-old-war. The Heavenly faction and the Earthly faction. Both are 
spirits, and have chosen specific avatars to represent them in their 
battle. The Earthly spirits represent spirits that have become 
powerful... concepts of humanity that have become like gods. Beings that 
were created by mankind's dreams, shaped and guided by them. They aren't 
(strictly speaking) the 'good guys', but they aren't the 'bad guys' either.

 > The Heavenly spirits are those that came before. Those that created 
and try to define what is below, even though man is apparently pretty 
good at creating its own gods.

 > Regardless. The Earth and Heaven forces always contest one another, 
and always fight. The war is, in some cultures, considered a parable for 
aristocricy versus the commoners.

 > I digress. They usually contest, but ultimately, both are required to 
maintain the balance of the universe. If one side should ever achieve 
dominance, they only divide themselves into two factions anyway, and 
that leaves us... right where we began.

 > And now you know.

Hot... so hot....

After a few hours of work, the actual process of digging seemed to... 
change. The shovel slid in with a grating and hissing resistance, 
causing the hairs on his arm to stand on end, and his skin to prickle. 
The resistance of the earth as he levered the shovel downward, and then 
hauled it upward made his back protest.

But the more he did it, the more the movement became a relaxing manta, 
and the sound a soothing whisper. It wasn't until the tip of the shovel 
hit something solid that he paused, realizing that more hours had passed 
since he had become accustomed to digging. The sun had passed behind a 
stand of tall palm trees, giving him shade, and a cool breeze rustled 
his tank top, making him wonder as its surprising surrender... but it 
was a near victory, he realized, moving the shovel to one side, and 
leaning against it to relax.

His sweat-slicked skin had nearly soaked the garment through, and he 
felt a bath wouldn't be amiss.

"Find something?"

He looked up sharply, smiling when he saw the older man. "I think I 
did," he admitted.

 > This is meant to show, in a subtle fashion, that Keitaro is under 
some pressure. Or, really, looking at two possible paths he could walk 
down at this point in his life. The contrast is obvious, given the above 
legend.

"Want to dig it up, or take a break? You've been working yourself pretty 
hard!"

"I'd like to catch my breath."

"Smart. Have some water." The older man produced a bottle of water, and 
handed it to him. "Drink it slowly."

He nodded, doing as the man instructed. The refreshing liquid left him 
feeling restored, and he sighed with contentment, handing the empty 
bottle back to the man.

"Maybe you should sit down and catch your breath?"

"Ah... I'm okay, Sensei."

"All right. Then why don't we see what you found?"

He nodded, shifting his grip on the shovel and carefully scooping more 
sandy earth to one side. A small wooden chest was revealed, with brass 
fixings. Crouching, and lifting it carefully, he studied it, frowning. 
"What's this?" he asked, cocking his head to one side.

"Many things," the old man said quietly. "At the moment, nothing. Were 
you ever given a box?"

 > Another reference to Urashima Taro.

"I... think so. Ah, that's where Tamago came from, actually."

"Hmm. There's a first sign for you."

 > This isn't anything specific, as much as the tendency for 'three' to 
be an oft repeated number in mysticism. The unearthing is actually the 
second time, since Mutsumi giving it to him was the first.

***

[Daughter of Heaven, Son of Ocean]

 > This might be confusing, so these are two separate characters.

 > My bad.

She leant against the rail before her, pursing her lips, and allowing 
the cigarette there to bob slightly up and down, unlit in the cool night 
air. "You're coming back, hmm?" she asked the night.

No voice answered her, but something happened, a man taking form from a 
shadow behind her. He stood illuminated in the darkness after a moment, 
solid and real, but staring up at the moon, even as she gazed at the sea.

"I like answers more than silence," she said, frowning slightly.

"Fair enough. I'm back, I'm back. He's coming back, too."

She turned her head to one side, almost far enough to see him. "I feel 
sorry for him."

"Then again, you know how it's going to end, don't you?"

"I could." She paused, and her cigarette lit itself suddenly, spreading 
a tiny glow against the darkness. After puffing slightly, she exhaled, 
the smoke diffusing in the night air, long streaks finally thinning and 
vanishing. "But I haven't looked. I think I already know, and to be 
right... would break my heart."

"Ah," he said softly. "So that's how it is."

"He is my blood kin. How could I not care?"

"But you're not his mother."

"True enough. I'll miss her, too."

"Pardon?"

She shook her head, taking a long drag from her cigarette. "You know the 
story. Whatever he wants, he has to go home. And there's nothing I can 
do without forcing his choice for him."

 > And this is true not just for the legend of Taro Urashima, but 
European stories reflecting the Fey as well.

"Then I shall follow him," the man said, turning to look at her, and 
clasping his hands together behind his back. "Would that be better?"

She did not turn to face him. "I'd like it, but all the same, it would 
change things... perhaps too much. I would have liked him to follow in 
your footsteps, my love. That's the path I would have wished he would 
pursue, if he had chosen my favored."

 > Keitaro's mother is from the same clan as Haruka. Just in case you 
couldn't tell, this means that Keitaro's got some blood from the 
Heavenly clan.... The key thing to remember is this. The primary 
difference between the two is EARNING power and being BORN into power. 
Keitaro has the potential to be either. He could awaken his dormant 
powers, and be committed to one side.

 > Or he could find his own path, and forge his own powers, and be 
committed to the other. This time, there is no middle ground, because 
the two forces balance one another, they aren't contesting.

"Then she is my favored, too, though you honor me more than I deserve. 
Tell me what I must do."

"You know too much to do anything. The story will play itself out. How 
he chooses... Your favored � your true favored � will do as she must. It 
is simply the way of things."

 > The idea here is that each Seta and Haruka (as the beings they are), 
has picked one person they would like to hold specific positions to 
alter how history is going to progress. The last thing a spiritual being 
wants is for magic to stop working.

"And... if this had never happened?"

"If 'this'? I cannot spot what changed." She blinked, raising a hand and 
tossing the cigarette away from her as a tear rolled down her cheek. 
"But it was something... and something, I think, that was not meant to 
be. Were things otherwise.... But our role in this play is nearly done, 
and I'm left taking care of a house of meddlers."

"Love...."

"Let us finish this. I must stay to watch over the young one � she is 
too innocent to be left with those who will remain. You must find a 
successor."

 > Naru is not in danger, but Sarah could be.

"There is one here who would serve in that capacity. If this is to be 
done with, I'd just as soon not leave your side. But at the same, 
despite what you say, I must watch over him for a while yet."

Turning to face him, the woman cocked her head to one side. "Is that so?"

"I will not interfere," he promised. "One of my kin will watch him for 
me." And with that, he was gone.

The woman shook her head twice, and then she too was gone.

 > From two different worlds... but they love one another anyway. Ah.... 
Explains why there's so much question as to which side Keitaro picks, 
doesn't it?

***

[Homecoming]

A day of defeat. Tragedy. Failure.

The day was a death of hope, for him. To return home with all of his 
things....

Attempting to get into the college for so many years... if he had gotten 
in the first time, then he would be nearly done by then.

The life he faced was not the life he desired, but it was the life he 
was going to lead. He paused, stopping on the street and looking at the 
building that he had lived so much of his life in. Biting his lip, he 
thrust his hands into his pockets, and shook his head. "What now?" he 
asked quietly.

 > And here we face the consequences of the change.

Returning... returning would be a permanent change. It was something he 
couldn't undo; not now.

"Urashima-kun?"

He jerked, pulling his hands from his pocket, and spinning about in 
surprise. He blinked, eyes widening at the woman standing behind him. 
"Otohime? What are you doing here?"

"Ara... I was on my way home, but I stepped out of the train to buy some 
udon, and it left without me. Then I went to see the sights while I 
waited for the next train, and ran into you! Where are you going?"

"Ah... well... this is where I live," he managed apologetically, 
gesturing to the building. "My... my parents are probably waiting for me 
inside."

"Don't you want to see them?" she asked, blinking curiously.

"Oh, well... I... I'm afraid," he admitted. "I failed to get in again. 
That's four years of failure. I don't know how to show my face to them, 
now. I just... four years of work for nothing."

"I know what you feel, Kei-kun," she said, taking another step closer to 
him. "I failed, too."

He was surprised to hear that, and stared in silence for a moment. 
"Really? I... I know Narusegawa got in, but I thought... I thought you 
did, too."

She shook her head, looking away. "I didn't, Kei-kun. I'm going to run 
away for a little while, and then I'm going to go home. I'm not sure 
what to do, either."

 > This is a statement on multiple levels. Namely, "I'm not a normal 
human being either."

 > You already knew that by now, though.

An intense desire flared up in Keitaro's heart, and he took an impulsive 
step forward. It wasn't simply for her body, it was something deeper, 
though he couldn't quite put his fingers on what it was. "Mutsumi...."

She smiled at him, a hint of... sadness? No, that had to be an 
illusion... or maybe it was for her own testing failure. "Would you like 
to come with me?"

He blinked, shaking his head, and was about to refuse, but.... "I... 
I... I don't want to go home yet. Well... okay, Mutsumi-chan. Let's run 
away together."

 > And so Taro Urashima followed the turtle to the palace of the Sea 
Princess....

A tear glimmered for a moment in the corner of her eyes, and she held a 
hand out to him.

 > Mutsumi, here, understands perhaps better than anyone else what the 
cost of loving someone like Keitaro is, given who she is.

 > And, in case you were curious, she is the servant of Seta.

He took it, frowning curiously. "What are you crying for?" he asked, 
worried.

"I'm happy," she said quietly. "But a friend of mine... is going to be 
very sad, and I feel sad for my friend."

"Who?"

"Ara... Let's go, Kei-kun."

He nodded slowly, tightening his grip on her hand gently. "Okay."

***

[Passing Days]

"Aaaaaand... that's the last of it." She nodded to herself, surveying 
the collection of carefully packaged boxes.

"Getting ready to leave?"

She turned to face her friend, and smiled. "Yep! I'm done with college, 
so I'm ready to move out."

"Why did you decide to go to college, again?"

Frowning thoughtfully, she tapped a finger against her lower lip. "It 
was a promise...." She blushed faintly, as she remembered the promise. 
"Ah, it's not important."

 > To Seta, so you know who his favored would have been.

 > Whoops.

"If you say so. Everything packed up... What a shame! How long have we 
known each other here?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. Her friend offered one of her trademarked 
grins, and pointed behind her.

"Is that yours, too?"

She turned around to look, and saw a feather drifting from near the 
ceiling of her room, rocking back and forth with strangely deliberate 
motions. Blinking, she watched it stop rocking, and begin to spin in a 
wide, lazy circle, finally coming to rest atop the small stuffed animal 
that she set atop the wooden board covering the hole in her floor.

Crossing the floor, she studied it closely, frowning in consternation. 
"A crane's feather?" she mused. "I wonder how that got here...." Shaking 
her head, she gathered the stuffed animal. "Can't believe I almost 
forgot this�" her words cut off, as the feather, precipitously balanced 
across the nose of the creature, crumbled into ash, blowing away on an 
errant breeze.

 > By now it should be obvious that the crane is meant to show one 
faction. I'm willing to bet you know which one, too.

Before she could say anything else, the animal, too, crumbled into ash, 
fading into nothingness before her very eyes. The last bit remaining 
stuck between two of her fingers � not the dull gray ash, but the small 
tag that had been affixed to the creature. The characters scrawled there 
in childish handwriting glowed briefly gold, and then faded, leaving her 
holding a blank tag.

 > And this... shows the other!

She opened her mouth to question her friend, but the other woman 
giggled, and waved a hand.

"I'm sorry, Kitsune," she said, shaking her head. "What were we talking 
about? I must not be paying attention � I just forgot everything!"

 > This is supposed to be one power Kitsune (fox-spirits) can have, 
though apparently they mostly focus on shape-changing and illusion.

"Nothing to worry about, I assure you."

***

[Four Corners]

 > Obligatory reference to Compass Points. Trust me, it does tie-in.

The swordswoman stood in her place at the peak of the roof, facing 
eastward. Her long hair billowed out behind her, and her arms were 
crossed over her chest as she stared at the rising sun. "It would seem 
then that our pretenses are not needed any longer."

"Maybe, maybe not," a voice answered her, another woman climbing onto 
the top of the roof, and staring out over the city. "Pretense or not, 
I've kind of taken a liking to the place, daughter of Ida-ten."

"As have I," a much more tremulously voiced young woman said. "And its 
purpose need not be abandoned forever."

 > Shinobu, daughter of Marisha-Ten.

"You speak the truth, daughter of Marisha-Ten," the swordswoman 
returned. "And all the same, I cannot leave in good conscience while a 
kitsune remains to meddle with innocents. Such illusions are unkind to 
those who deserve better."

 > Motoko, daugher of Ida-Ten, of course. Ida-Ten is a god of law and 
justice, typically characterized as a swiftly-moving young man that can 
run on the wind.

"I think you don't see everything that there is on that issue," a fourth 
voice said, this one from a darker-skinned young woman as she too 
appeared, sitting on the peak of the roof just behind the swordswoman. 
"What harm as she wrought? All her mischief was merely that, you realize."

 > Suu, daughter of...Ama-Tsu-Mara, god of smiths!

The kitsune merely smirked, while an errant breeze played with the 
swordswoman's hair.

 > We already know who this is, right?

Heaving a pained sigh, the swordswoman shook her head. "It pains me to 
admit that I realized that; but I do not wish to leave this place. 
However, that decision doesn't belong to us, does it?"

Another pair arrived on the rooftop. Turning to face them respectfully, 
the swordswoman, and the paler of the young women both bowed courteously 
to the pair. The kitsune and the tanned young woman merely nodded.

The woman leant against the man who arrived with, her, and shook her 
head sadly. "And I want to leave, but you would all prefer to remain 
anyway?"

 > Haruka, currently guarding Shen-Lung.

The swordswoman looked away. "I have no other calling," she admitted 
after a moment. "Few evils walk the Earth that can truly be vanquished 
as I am taught."

"And yet, there's still a place for you, should you wish it," the man 
murmured. "I am in need of a successor, and the one I had hoped for was 
not able to take the role I intended. Ida-Ten is one who I have nothing 
but respect for. Would you serve his will in my place?"

 > Seta, currently guarding the turtle that bears the earth on its back.

Blinking, the swordswoman nodded stiffly. "It would give my life 
meaning," she stated firmly. "I would be honored."

 > Those of you paying attention may have noticed that Motoko just 
switched factions. She earned a power she'd never been born to, here....

"Well enough," he said, nodding. "It will be done. Love?"

"Yes," the woman leaning against him sighed. "So many of us in one 
place... we make it less real, I think. It is not always a good thing."

 > The Fey sometimes defy reality its own realness. See Compass Points 
to explain that bit, though. Or not, come to think of it.

The Kitsune spoke again, shaking her head, "I don't know about that. No 
real harm done... though I have to ask: what's the Sea Princess doing now?"

 > The Sea Princess is Mutsumi, of course.

"My will," the man said, grinning slightly. "And when that's done, 
perhaps you'll meet my love's intended successor. For the time, however, 
we will leave what must be done to those who must do it. And that means...."

"I will take care of the foundling," the darker-colored young woman decided.

"And I," the other young woman added. "She is nearly of an age where she 
can take care of herself, regardless."

 > Not Naru, Sarah.

"The two of you?" the woman asked, frowning. "That will be something to 
see. It is good enough for me, then."

A stray breeze passed, and the man's smile widened slightly. When the 
breeze was gone, so were he and the woman with him.

 > If you want to see what happens to Haruka and Seta... well, read 
Compass Points. You'll see.

"Such is the nature of these things," the swordswoman mused. "I can only 
imagine that it was not meant to be this way."

"It wasn't," the Kitsune assured her. "But I'm not sure where it went 
wrong, either."

 > This was the way it was meant to be. More on this later.

"A pity." The swordswoman offered a faint smile, and vaulted upwards, 
flipping over in the air, and disappearing below.

"And what were your roles in this?"

"I've done nothing more than you," the darker of the two young women 
said, shaking her head. "Though I regret that sometimes. What's done is 
done."

"Are you going to leave?"

"Not until the daughter of Marisha-Ten leaves," she said, smiling 
softly. "I trust you, Kitsune, but there are limits to my gullibility. 
The masks we wear are not the roles we play."

"Touch�," she murmured. "Then I will take my own leave... except to give 
you a warning."

"What warning would that be?" the more timid of the young women asked.

"Motherhood may not suit you." Laughing aloud, the kitsune scampered 
away, vanishing in a mist as she reached the edge of the roof.

"Are we making a mistake?"

"Everything was a mistake. We've meddled too much."

"And what will happen?"

"Something interesting, I think. We must be careful, or the damage 
cannot be undone. How will he react, I wonder, when he wakes up from his 
time with the Sea Princess?"

 > And now you know who really made the changes.

***

[Another Homecoming]

Sitting on the train, he stared out the window, and tapped his feet 
impatiently. He wasn't sure why, but as soon as he had gone with 
Mutsumi, his mind had left him. Vague memories of her sad smile and the 
soft touch of her hands... the backgrounds of those visions were city 
streets, grassy slopes, and more than that, beaches. But they all melted 
and blurred in his head, the only constant her, and her whispers of 
apology to him.

 > Too much exposure to the Fey can warp a mortal mind. Keitaro's mind 
is not, strictly speaking, mortal. But the easiest way to protect 
himself, here, is to awaken to his heritage, and we know what that means.

Why would she apologize? They had been gone for a long time... far 
longer than he had intended, but all the same, it couldn't be that long; 
neither of them had much money.

Shaking his head, he rose as the train glided to a halt, his bag slung 
over his shoulder. When it halted, he disembarked, focusing more on the 
maze of his memories than the road before him. Eventually, he stopped, 
and raised his head.

But the building before him was not the building he remembered. Casting 
about, he realized that the other buildings, too, had changed. The name 
of the street, the address... those things were the same, but it wasn't 
the home he had known.

Stepping inside cautiously, his eyes widened at a familiar woman 
standing behind the counter.

She raised an eyebrow, regarding him curiously. "Can I help you?"

"I... Kanako?" he hazarded.

The woman's eyes widened slightly. "You knew my grandmother? I've been 
told I resemble her... but you hardly look old enough to have met her!"

 > Again, to reference Taro Urashima.

His hands rose, nearly of their own accord, and rubbed at his temples. 
"I... I think I made a mistake." He nodded apologetically, and turned to 
leave. "Sorry to trouble you."

"You've hardly troubled me, but maybe I could help�"

He had no time to listen to her, running out of the building, and down 
the street. That place... it fit, as little as he had liked it. What had 
his sensei told him when he had unearthed that chest, so long ago?

 > He had called it the first sign. Well, it was really the second, but....

Pausing in an alley, he pulled a box from his bag. It was the box that 
he had been given by Otohime after their long vacation, but too, it was 
the same chest he had unearthed when he had been digging for answers, so 
long ago. Swallowing a lump of fear back, he realized it was more than 
simply that; it was the same box that Tamago had emerged from.

With trembling hands, he opened the box, and vanished, nothing more than 
a crane feather drifting down to mark that he had ever been there.

 > This is the third time. Mutsumi gave it to him the first time, then 
he dug it up....

 > Well. He is given something he never tried to earn, there.

 > Rest assured, he didn't die. He's just no longer human... or 
interested in human things. Proceed to divinity, do not pass go, do not 
collect emotions.

***

[Mischief]

"Too easy," she murmured to herself, allowing her illusions to vanish.

 > No, she was actually protecting people from what Keitaro might have 
done had he awakened to his potential in a different manner.

 > Surprisingly enough, Kitsune was actually pretty well behaved 
throughout this entire fic.

"I hope you enjoyed yourself."

She turned, widening her eyes in surprise. "Oh! I didn't think I'd run 
into you here! But then, it's too late, and no real harm was done, anyway."

"Perhaps, perhaps not." The swordswoman emerged from a shadow, and held 
out a hand. The feather rose from the ground to float across her 
fingertips, finally balancing upright along her palm. "Nothing you could 
have done would have changed anything. He will belong to the Sea Princess."

"Your servant, of course."

Now that Motoko has replaced Seta, at least.

"In some capacity. More importantly, what was done, here, can be undone."

"Would you undo it, so easily? And how?"

"It is less difficult than you would imagine." The swordswoman allowed a 
smile to flit across her face.

"Say what you will � what would come of it?"

"Yes, what?" asked another voice, both of the younger women appearing again.

"What should. More importantly, I would ask you why you allowed this 
path to go as far as you have."

The darker-skinned young woman looked away, shaking her head sadly. 
"Curiosity," she admitted. "I knew it had been changed, but I wondered 
what path was there first, before the Sea Princess returned, or the 
innocent dreamer."

"And what did you find?"

"As I said, events were changed. The true intent is this path, but I 
cannot say that it is preferable. Let it be undone, and set him back on 
the path with the dreamer."

 > To make things clear: In this story, what just happened is the way 
things were always meant to be.

 > Obviously, they aren't happy with that.

 > I wasn't, either.

"I'll agree to that," the kitsune said, nodding. "She was something of a 
friend, after all."

The swordswoman nodded curtly. "If it as you say, then we will return 
things to the way they should be." She narrowed her eyes suddenly, faint 
power flickering within their depths as she studied the two younger 
women. "But this time, we must leave all as it was meant to be. The true 
path is not always the path we require."

 > Turns out that leaving things meddled with is sometimes for the best.

The pale-skinned young woman sighed unhappily. "But if the path is to 
change, then the dreamer will hold him in the waking world � I know in 
my heart that none of us want that. Not even you, daughter of Ida-Ten, 
heir to Ocean."

"What would you suggest, then?"

"A truce, where all of us may win the game, if on the surface it would 
be the dreamer who won."

 > See Compass Points to see how well _that_ worked out.

The kitsune raised an eyebrow, smiling slowly. "Ah, that could work... 
but at such cost...."

"And such reward," the darker-skinned younger woman countered. "Raising 
a daughter was not what I would have expected, but this path would grant 
me a son. One who would be instrumental in the changes that would 
follow. Very well. I agree."

"Good enough for me!" the kitsune declared.

"And I," the pale-skinned young woman agreed, nodding.

"Unexpected, but I will agree. What of the Sea Princess?"

"She would want the dreamer to be happy, and I believe she would agree."

"Done."

***

[Fever Dreams]

"Are you feeling any better?"

His eyelids fluttered open slowly, and he tried to make out his 
surroundings. It was as though he were deep beneath the waves, staring 
upwards at the sun, wavering and shimmering light spreading across him 
in a circle, a pair of feathers drifting towards him.

"I think so," he said quietly, as the vision faded into the electric 
light, and the feathers vanished. "Suu made me listen to the story of 
Urashima Taro...."

"That old fairy tale?"

"Yeah... I had an awful dream about it, too."

"What happened?"

"I... I failed to get into Todai, but you got in, and then I never saw 
you again."

"... What's so horrible about that?"

He sat up to regard her levelly. "Narusegawa?"

She flushed, and looked away. "And... Anyway, if you study hard enough, 
you'll make it for sure, this time."

 > And thus, reality is put back on course, Shen Lung dies, and magic is 
awakened again when he is reincarnated in four different pieces.

 > Which is, ultimately, a good thing for everyone involved.

 > Except for certain communists.

 > But that's Compass Points, not Sky and Shore.

***

Author's notes: This is (somewhat) the result of a conversation with 
Edward Simons. One half of it is my impression of the series, the other 
is Mr. Simons's commentary on what the names of the various characters 
meant. Now if anyone understands this, I'll be impressed. If you can 
guess who Suu is the daughter of, I'll be impressed even more.

 > Right. Now that that's said and done, if you're wondering about the 
specifics of the meta, I personally felt (though I was/am probably 
wrong) that Mutsumi was the promised girl, and that the story was 
changed to make Naru the promised girl instead. This story explored how 
I managed to put together in my own mind that it may have just been for 
the best.

 > Even if Mutsumi really does deserve better. ;)

-- Brian Randall -- I write fanfiction. Too much of it. You can read it here, thanks to a kind grant from the Larry F foundation: http://www.rakhal.com/florestica/durandall/index.html -- Together. Allegiance or death. BIGFIRE! -- Haiku of my lament: Forgive my spelling, my U.S. education, is the source of blame. .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List----. | Administrators - ffml-admins@anifics.com | | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@anifics.com | | Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject | `---- http://ffml.anifics.com/faq.txt -----'