Normally I would have some author's notes here, as this is the
beginning of a project. However, I do not as yet have my author's
notes prepared for this one. Nevertheless, I'm too excited about this
project to worry about that, so here's the first prologue. I'll have
the author's notes ready by the time I write the second prologue. 

For now, suffice it to say:

-This is a multiple crossover fanfiction, although only one universe
is covered in this prologue.
-A complete list of series involved in this story will not be
released until it is finished.
-Disclaimers apply where applicable.
-This prologue (as will be more or less the entire story) is DARK.
-This particular prologue contains sexually explicit material. 

C&C welcome. Flame me at your own risk. 



Prisoners of Our Dreams
Prologue: The Reaper's Harvest

	With a loud clang, her sword sank into the rocky ground, several
meters out of reach. 
	The demon's cruel, mocking laughter boiled her blood. Cursing, she
dodged as it lashed out of her with one of its many thick, muscular
appendages. Another limb rushed out to greet her; her conditioned
reflexes saved her, allowing her to leap high into the air to avoid
it. Somersaulting at the apex of her leap, she landed on the ground
in a ball, and rolled over to reclaim her weapon. She struggled with
it for a moment before finally wresting it from the earth. 
	She had less than half a second to swing it around, sparks flying
into the thick, dark air as the blade struck the metallic protrusion
which had grown from one of the demon's appendages. 
	Warily, she eyed her opponent. The demon stood well over two meters
tall, its ebony skin sucking up all the light around it. Four dark
red eyes burned from its insectile face, directly above a set of four
serrated mandibles which clicked audibly. It stood on two bony,
three-toed legs, which seemed to be double-jointed. Two long,
spindly, four-fingered arms hung from spine-plated shoulders. Those
arms, she knew, had a great deal of strength despite their apparent
lack of muscle. 
	The demon's torso was covered with a number of small orifices which
dilated seemingly at random, and served no purpose that she could
see. Upon its back, it bore six thick, muscular tentacles, with
amazing elasticity. At least two of the tentacles contained concealed
bonelike protrusions with serrated edges and needle-sharp tips. These
spikes seemed to be metallic, and she didn't want to find out what
would happen if one struck her. 
	The demon's mandibles clacked menacingly, and it launched itself
into the air. She leapt as well, holding her sword in a defensive
stance. 
	Three tentacles lashed out at her. She raised her sword to parry...
	The snap of metal rang out like a gunshot. 
	Spikes had emerged from all three tentacles simultaneously as they
reached her weapon.
	The broken blade of her sword clattered to the earth. She stared at
it in horror as she dropped to the ground, so shocked that she landed
badly, dropping the bladed hilt of her broken weapon. She cried out
in pain as her right ankle gave with a sickening snap. She dropped to
her left knee, touching her injured ankle gingerly. She winced as she
realized that it was very much broken.
	The demon loomed over her menacingly. She glared up at it defiantly,
even as she nursed her broken ankle. The demon's evil laughter both
infuriated her and terrified her.
	Its long, spindly arms reached out, hauling her off the ground. It
held her effortlessly by the shoulders. She struggled against its
grip, but to no avail. 
	The demon brought forth one tentacle, the bony blade emerging from
its tip with a dull *snik* sound. Pressing the tip just below her
throat, it slowly drew the blade down her torso. She choked back a
cry of pain as the needle-like tip of the blade drew a shallow cut
down the center of her body, beads of blood welling from the torn
flesh. Finally, the demon's jagged protrusion was withdrawn, leaving
a long, narrow rip in her dress. 
	Two more tentacles reached out, contracting at the ends to grip
either edge of the torn fabric. Tears of shame spilled from her eyes
as the demon tore her dress from her body. With two more quick
thrusts from its spikes, her panties dangled briefly between her legs
before dropping to the ground. 
	She closed her eyes, whimpering as the demon's tentacles wrapped
around her breasts, squeezing them until it became painful. Tears
flowed down her cheeks, tears of pain, shame, anger, and fear. 
	The demon used two more of its muscular appendages to force her legs
apart. She cried out as it thrust its final two appendages into her
sex and anus. The thick tentacles rippled, knots of muscle flowing
across the tip as it forced as much of itself as possible into each
orifice. Ragged screams ripped from her throat as the pain became far
more intense than anything she had ever known. 
	The demon continued its sexual torture for what seemed to be
forever. Blood coated her legs, flowing both from her womanhood and
from her anus as the surging, thrusting tentacles destroyed sensitive
tissue. Then, the tentacle in her anus withdrew. She felt the one
remaining with her tense, its powerful muscles contracting like a
coil. 
	Then, it thrust, more deeply than she thought possible. A sharp,
searing pain accompanied the thrust, a pain which seemed to transcend
her sex and spread through her abdomen.
	A sudden, sick feeling told her, even as her mind shut down from the
incredible pain, to open her eyes and look down. She did so.
	And promptly threw up. Thick, dark streaks of crimson tainted the
stream of bile which issued from her throat. 
	The sharp, serrated blade of the demon's tentacle protruded from the
space where her navel used to be. The heavy, knotted musculature of
the tentacle itself began to push through the improbable hole in her
abdomen, snaking downward to curl around the trunk of the appendage
as it again concealed its blade.
	Her numbed mind detachedly told her what the demon was about to do.
She wanted to close her eyes, wanted to scream, but all she could do
was watch in morbid fascination as the strong, coiled mass of muscle
jerked suddenly. 
	One part of her mind felt relief that at last, the horrible tentacle
was no longer inside her body.
	Another part of her mind wondered what that mass of slimy stuff
splattering on the ground was.
	A third part of her mind detachedly reported that the mass in
question was her small intestine.
	Mercifully, the rest of her mind shut completely down, as the demon
threw her roughly to the ground.

	*****

	"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do here," the doctor said.
	The wizened, elderly lady frowned worriedly. Beside her stood two
teenage girls, watching the still figure on the bed with concern.
"She's fallen into a coma, then?" the old woman asked.
	The doctor nodded. "I'm afraid so." He paused. "The problem is, I
can't find any medical cause for it. She seems to be in perfect
health. Has she complained of any symptoms before this?"
	The group was silent for a moment. The younger of the two girls said
at length, "Well...she did say something the other day..."
	"What was it?" the other three demanded.
	"Well..." The girl blushed. "She mentioned that her period's been
unusually heavy this time." This caused the other girl present to
blush in mortification. The doctor rubbed his chin, frowning. The old
woman sighed. 
	"Can you remember anything else?" the doctor asked.
	The younger girl was thoughtful for a moment. "Not really...she's
been complaining about nightmares a lot lately..."
	The old woman's head snapped up. "Nightmares?" she asked.
	The girl nodded. "Hai, nightmares. Bad ones." She paused, frowning.
"She's also been tired a lot lately. And she looked kinda pale
yesterday..."
	"Hmmm..." The elderly woman was silent for a long moment. Finally,
she turned to the doctor. "Is there anything you'd recommend?"
	"Frankly," he said, "I'd take her to the hospital, and let them run
some tests. If you like, I can have an ambulance here shortly."
	The old woman nodded. "Very well. If you would see to it, I have
something I need to check up on. I'll be at the hospital as soon as I
get done." 
	The doctor frowned. "Your granddaughter is in very grave condition.
Are you sure you want to leave her right now?"
	"I have to," the old woman said, grimly. "It may be the only way to
save her." 

	*****

	*why have you summoned me here?* a raspy, hollow voice rang out
within the old woman's mind. She stood in an isolated clearing that
few people knew about. A strong wind blew through the clearing,
rustling the trees and whipping her hair about her. On the other side
of the clearing, silhouetted in a cone of almost blinding blue light,
stood some sort of creature, its features indistinct. 
	"You've done this to my granddaughter, haven't you?" she said
flatly.
	*yes,* the creature's voice rasped in her mind. 
	The old woman narrowed her eyes. "I know you, Akumu. You are one of
the few mamono our clan has never hunted, because your presence in
this world is essential, and you do not threaten lives." She glanced
up at the silhouetted demon. "Why now? Why her?"
	*her nightmare is very strong,* Akumu replied. *it has provided me
with much energy ever since she discovered her destiny.* 
	The old woman snorted. "We both know that killing her would be like
throwing out a meal without eating. I ask again...*why*?" 
	The eyes of the demon began to glow, visible even through the field
of light surrounding it. *because, 107th mamono hunter mano madoka,
it is the bidding of my great and terrible master.*
	Madoka's eyes narrowed. "So, you're playing assassin for one of the
other mamono now?"
	Akumu chuckled dryly. *my master is not of this world or the mamono
world. i speak not of a mere mamono. i speak of the lord of all
nightmares.*
	"The lord of all nightmares?" Madoka asked. "What does that mean?" 
	*i can say no more, mamono hunter. i will not spare your
granddaughter. she will die.*
	Madoka summoned her soul weapon. "Not if I have anything to say
about it..."
	*you do not. the order of this world no longer concerns me. only the
will of my master prevails.* With that, Akumu vanished. The summoning
circle Madoka had used to call him forth burst into flames. 
	Madoka's soul weapon disappeared, as she stared into the
supernatural flames, worry creasing her withered countenance.

	*****

	Madoka arrived at the hospital to find Yohko's best friend, Chigako,
and the young hunter in training, Azusa, standing at the stricken
girl's bedside, clasping her hands in theirs. Tears streaked the two
teens' faces. She walked over, and Chigako moved aside, allowing her
to clasp her granddaughter's hand. Madoka steeled herself for what
was to come; she did not want to break down in front of these girls. 
	"What did you find, obasan?" Chigako asked.
	Madoka stared at the comatose form of Yohko grimly. "The situation
is not good," she said. "Yohko has fallen victim to Akumu."
	"The nightmare demon?" Azusa asked, blinking. "I've never heard of
the nightmare demon killing anyone."
	"That's because he doesn't," Madoka said. "But for some reason..."
She trailed off as the doctor walked into the room. His expression
told her that he was about to bear unpleasant news.
	"Mano-san," he said quietly. "We ran some tests, and we found the
cause of Yohko's affliction." Taking her silence as acknowledgement,
he continued, "I had a hunch when her friend said she'd been
complaining about a heavy period, and followed up on it. Mano-san,"
he said, pausing, "I'm afraid your granddaughter has all the signs of
severe internal bleeding." 
	Madoka winced. "I see," she said.
	"We could try to operate, to stop the bleeding," the doctor
continued, "but she's been bleeding consistently for some time now.
Far too heavily for it to be a simple internal injury."
	Madoka set her jaw. "Meaning it may already be too late to do
anything about it." 
	"We can always try," the doctor said, closing his chart. Sighing, he
said, "but I--"

	Azusa suddenly paled, squeezing Yohko's hand tighter. "Yohko?" she
said softly. Everyone turned to look as she grabbed the comatose
girl's wrist, her brow furrowed. 
	Madoka frowned, placing her fingers against the vein in Yohko's
other wrist. She swore. 
	The doctor immediately rushed over, stethoscope at the ready. After
a long, silent moment, he sighed heavily, removing his stethoscope.
"I'm sorry," he said simply. He left the room.
	"Where's he going?" Chigako asked quietly.
	Madoka stared down at the body of the 108th generation Mamono
Hunter, Mano Yohko. She suddenly felt three times as old as she truly
was. "To fill out the death certificate," she said numbly. A single
tear splashed onto her leathery cheek.

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