Ja ne,
--Rob
rob@mitsukai.com / mara@megami.net
AIM: mitsukaicom    ICQ: 121804090
Mitsukai! - http://www.mitsukai.com

"Reality is wrong. Dreams are for real."
- Tupac Shakur
====
Although I admit that it's rare when I retool anything, I recently reread
this series and found a lot that I'm not happy with.  Thus the entire series
has been streamlined for errors, typos and whatnot, though nothing has been
really changed.  Hope you enjoy the revision.
====
CAUGHT BETWEEN WORLDS:
Second Symptom: Europa & The Pirate Twins
A Magic Knight Rayearth story by Rob Barba
MKR belongs to CLAMP, Kodansha, Sega, and whoever the hell in the US who
owns the rights until further notice - last week Mixx, Working Designs and
Media Blasters, maybe next week Fisher-Price, Atari and National Geographic.
The way the US anime industry is, who knows?


    Light streamed into a room.  Coming into the window, it highlighted the
dust motes as they did their ballet movements, ebbing and flowing, all
coordinated by the exterior force that was the air conditioning in the room.
Outside, a bit of snow sat on the ledge, a gentle reminder of this winter
period, this cold part of the year that seemed to mirror the mood of the
quiet, relatively empty room.
    The room itself was barren, with the exception of a small table, a
dressing screen, a chair in the corner, a bed, and a table.  The table was
adorned with a large bouquet of reddish-yellow flaring roses, adorned with
the card, GET WELL SOON, 'KARU.  LOVE, 'KARI.  A small Hello Kitty plastic
doll sat there, with a note that read FROM EMILY, and a imported Ranma-chan
doll sat in its box, with a Post-it note saying, ALL THE BEST FOR YOU, LOVE,
LANCE. The rest of the table was strewn with cards, some from relatives and
the like, but quite a few from friends and associates.
    Next to the table, was the bed, occupied.  The current occupant was a
young woman of 16 years, half-Japanese.  The Japanese side of her ancestry
was showing in her facial features and body structure, while the Caucasian
blood in her was evident in the flaming red hair of hers that would have
been more common to someone of the Scottish highlands.  At the moment, the
young woman, Hikaru Marie Shidou, sat up in her bed, wearing nothing but a
hospital set of pajamas, and stared out the window, both watching the clever
interplay of the sunlight and the specks of dust that danced to its
inaudible tune, and the bleak emptiness of the snow outside.
    It had been a month since she had been admitted to the Everett Grove
Mental Health Center, a month since her best friend Umi Ryuzaki had been
killed in a car crash just outside of Fort Lewis, on the way home for the
Washington State Swordsmanship Championship.  Hikaru took home the trophy
amongst the kendo artists, while Umi had placed a respectable third for
fencing masters.  By contrast, Scott Le Fevre, the captain of the Seattle
Hills High School Fencing Club, placed a dismal fourteenth in the fencing
tournament.  However, the victory had its own price to pay, as both Umi and
Scott had been killed in the head-on collision with the semi, and Hikaru,
while saved by the backseat air bags, had the shocking view of seeing Umi
turned into so much pulp before her eyes.  The event had seared into her
mind, causing her to mentally retreat into a new world, into a new life.
She'd had her adventures in that new life, but had returned back to this
one, still thinking herself to be a child of that reality, and not of this
one.
    It had been a hard road the past few weeks for young Hikaru, but through
the patience of her family, remarkable progress had been made.  She had
begun to remember things, remember who she really was, how things really
were.  Now, they were at a fragile point.  She'd identified some members of
her family easily, such as her father and aunt Rachel Zagard, when she'd
come to visit.  Others, such as Dr. Joyce Choi (who for some reason Hikaru
had been calling Kuu Hououji) and nurse Lazlo Emerson (who had been turned
into a technocrat named Zazu) had been more difficult to be pinned down.
    However, the majority of the Shidou family was still in the
unrecognizable zone.  For starters, Hikari, on fear that she would be
mistaken as the doppelganger Nova, was not allowed near Hikaru.  Young
Emily, when presented to her, elicited tears over what Hikaru called her
unwanted slaying of Princess Emeraude.  Older brother Lance had come by once
or twice, until an amorous Hikaru had made a move on her beloved Lantis,
unnerving him.  Even her mother Priscilla had suffered, as she'd been
referred to as the weaponsmaster of Cephiro, Presea.  At the moment, though
it pained them much, only Clef had come by as the family representative.
    The second week into her treatment, Thomas Zagard and his family moved
permanently from Boston to Seattle, in a home not too far from the Shidou
residence.  Taking a permanent position with Everett Grove, Thomas threw
himself into a dedicated frenzy to help his niece return to sanity.
Alongside him, Rachel, a medical doctor, was able to visit regularly as
well; the visits from Hikaru's aunt helping the young woman along nicely.
Initially, Hikaru's female cousins Lila and Lily had come - twins in the
Zagard family were commonplace - but she identified them as a pair named
Tatra and Tarta, they soon joined the non-visiting list; the younger Zagard,
Kenny, fit no stereotype, and thus came to visit often.


    Today, however, no one would probably be coming.  It was a Sunday
morning, and with most of most of the medical staff gone for the weekend, it
would be a lonely, dull weekend.  Maybe there would be something on TV, but
she doubted it; the staff had a dull, non-offensive set of movies that they
showed on a closed-circuit system that pretty much was the epitome of bland.
Only that cute guy who was one of the regular nurses had come by to drop
breakfast off for her, and that was about it, really.  Hikaru sighed,
consigning herself to a droll, dreary Sunday.
    There was a knock at the door, and the young woman called out, "Come
in..."  Much to her surprise, it was Zagato - or Zagard -whatever he was
calling himself.  Composing herself, she said, "Good morning, Doctor."  In
her mind, she still wasn't sure if he was who he said he was, or if she was
who he said she was, but there was no need to be rude,
    "Hello, 'Karu," he said, in a tone that sounded sad; perhaps it was
because of the address she'd used?  As it was, she hadn't completely
adjusted to "'Karu," although her father called her that; there seemed to be
something more to that, though she couldn't pin it down.  "How are you
feeling this morning?"
    "A little lonely, I guess.  No one's come to see me since...." she
choked off the final words, determined not to cry in front of this man.  No
one had come to see her since she had been rejected by Lantis.  He'd come
out of nowhere, come to see her, come to rescue her from this place, or so
she'd thought.  She wanted so much to leap into his arms, to go away with
him, to marry him and have a life forever at his side...or, considering the
fact that she was the Pillar of Cephiro, he at hers, but that was a minor
detail.  She asked him if he loved her, to which he said yes, always.  So
she kissed him.
    She refused to play the rest of the scene in her mind, the pain of
rejection too much for her.  The fact that he actually pushed her away as
though she were anathema, to shuffle to the door quickly, as though he were
spooked, saying, "I hope you'll recover soon, 'Karu," then left.  She hadn't
seen him since.  And that was the better part of a week ago.
    Now, Zaga-whosis was here, saying he'd come to visit.  Well, while he
was, surely there had to be more to it than that.  "So, is that the only
reason that you're here?"
    He held up his hands in a surrendering gesture.  "You got me, 'Karu.
No, I have to work today.  However, you do have a visitor, someone that
would like to see you."
    The redhead perked at that.  "Is my father here?  Or Aunt Rachel?"
    "I'm afraid not.  Your father went to New York for a week to meet with
his publishers.  And your aunt and the rest of the ladyfolk went off to the
mall to shop."  However, he flashed her a warm grin and said, "But I do have
someone here to see you. "  Walking to the door, he cracked it open slightly
and said, "You can come in, Europa."


    Into the room, walked a young woman, slightly older than Hikaru by maybe
just a few years, Japanese in ethnicity, just as the redhead was, though by
the look of this woman, she was full-blood.  She had black hair that seemed
to be already streaking with gray, and lively brown eyes.  She had an
athletic build to her that was clear despite her clothing.  She wore a black
leather jacket, a black scarf, blue jeans, a white turtleneck, and a
sweatshirt that simply read WEDEuro.  She was also carrying a duffel bag
with her, and a pair of boots stuck out of one of the side pockets.  "Hey
squirt," the woman said, her voice a tone of impropriety, "what's a brat
like you doing in a classy place like this?"
    Hikaru stared at the woman.  There was something familiar about her, a
strange sort of elegance to her that she couldn't pinpoint.  A part of her
said something like Debonair, but the thought vanished from her mind as
quickly as it had come.  Another name came to her mind, but it lodged itself
her in her throat, and she was left to sit there with her mouth agape,
staring at the woman incomprehensibly.
    The woman, as haughty as an anime character, wagged her finger
disapprovingly as she tossed the bag next to a chair by the side of the bed.
"You've passed the two-second rule with your mouth open, squirt.  You're now
fair game for flies to enter your mouth."
    Somehow, that brought recognition to the redhead's face.  "'Ropa?"
    Europa Shidou rolled her eyes and looked at Thomas.  "She must've really
had a few screws knocked loosed, eh Tom?  Doesn't even remember her aunt,
and I'm only a couple of years older than she!"
    Thomas cautioned, "Now Europa, she's been under some strain la-"
    "Yeah, yeah," the woman said as she went over to the chair by the
redhead's side, plopping into it.  "I got it, Tom.  I ain't gonna let her go
Big Chair on you or anything."  Amused by the look of frustration in the
older man's eyes, she winked at her brother in law and shooed him out of the
room, dryly commenting, "don't you have work to do, Tom?  Geddouddahere,
already!"  As she shooed her the man out of the room, she focused her
attention on the girl.  "Hikaru."
    Hikaru stared blankly at her aunt.  With Europa Shidou being the
unexpected child of Hikaru Sr. and Hizashi Shidou, she was the same age as
Lance.  However, Europa was certifiably brilliant, enough so that she'd
graduated from college at the age of 14 and held a doctorate in engineering.
On her own already, she was living the high life in Europe as one of the
senior engineers over at Disneyland Paris.  Hikaru treated her more like an
older sister than an aunt and never even bothered to use the honorific with
her.  "What are you doing here?"
    The woman smiled.  "Well, I heard you had some problems as of late,
'Karu, and I came to see what I could do about it.  You're a Shidou, and you
shouldn't be here in the psycho ward."
    "You're right.  I should be in Tokyo, or Cephiro, or-"
    "-Paris, staying at my place in Ponthieu.  Then we could do the mall
hopping on the Champs, or hit the Louvre, or what have you.  Remember last
summer, when you girls stayed at my place?  The guy next door who kept
trying to get in your pants?"
    Hikaru blushed furiously at that memory; Jean-Claude had almost talked
her into it, if someone hadn't saved her at the last moment by starting an
insult-fest with him.  But who was it?  A name flashed in her mind: Hikari.
((But that's impossible,)) she mentally annotated, ((animals do not start
verbal wars with assholes.  But was there more to it?))
    Not really noticing her pause, Europa continued.  "Guy's a complete
wretch, that's for sure.  He knocked up that one girl in the downstairs
apartment, and Ysabeau is younger than you!  But enough of that," she
commented, dismissing the subject with a wave.  "I'm here because of you,
and frankly, I needed a break from all that French cooking, anyway.  That
stuff will wreak havoc on a girl's waist, if she's not careful."
    Hikaru caught that.  "But you came all the way out from Europe just for
me?"  ((And how would I remember that, unless....))
    Europa smiled.  "Look, I think that EuroDisney can get along well enough
without one of its senior engineers for a while.  Besides, they think I'm
spying for the Anaheim office anyway, so they were glad to see me bail for a
few."  Europa got to her feet, and in a swift motion, yanked Hikaru out of
the bed.  "C'mon, squirt.  We're going outside.  Got something to show you."
    Hikaru, dragged along until she hit the floor, winced from the cold
linoleum.  Looking up at her aunt, she commented, "But I don't have-"
    Europa gently booted the duffel bag over to where Hikaru was on the
floor.  "Yes you do.  Hope you like the Space Mountain jacket; it's a
limited edition and pretty hefty in the francs department, thank God and
union perks for employee discounts.  Now, I'll step outside and let you
change.  I'm gonna go grab some coffee, so I'll be back in a couple of
minutes or so."  As the younger girl opened the bag and began to pull out
its contents, Europa stepped out of the room, and went down the hall to the
visitor's lounge.


    Waiting in that lounge was Lance, and another male.  The second male had
a roughly handsome face, and blazing green eyes.  He also had pale blonde
hair, which he had a habit of dyeing a bright green just to piss off his
parents.  This was Rick Ferios, Lance's best friend and sometime antagonist,
as he was being at the moment:
    "I can't believe it, Lance," he said, trying his best not to laugh,
though not entirely succeeding.  "Hikaru - your own sister - giving you the
heavy tonsil check?"
    Lance's face was a study of embarrassment at that issue and annoyance at
his friend.  "You know, Rick, there are times when I really want to pound
you into the floor."
    Rick scrambled away from Lance like a bird from a snake.  "Hey, hey,
hey, c'mon, Lance, chill, okay?  You know I was kidding.  I just find it odd
that 'Karu did that - let's be honest for a second, and acknowledge the fact
that your sisters aren't the most up-to-date on the Birds and the Bees,
natch?"
    Lance said, "And personally, I like it that way.  I'm very protective of
them, and I like not having to worry if my sisters are on the pill or not.
Look at how much Dave La Farga brags about how he's nailin' Danni Caldina.
That could have been 'Karu.  I'm not going to put up with that."  He turned
that grimace on Rick.  "And that includes whatever you're trying on 'Kari,
too, pal."
    Rick blanched.  "Wha-what makes you think I'd do that to Hikari?  Chill,
wouldja?"
    Lance's eyes tightened for a second before he let Rick off the hook as
he grinned and said, "Touch�."
    Rick huffed.  "Thank you.  Thank you very little, Lance."
    "No one bothers to, Rick," Europa said as she strolled in.  "It keeps
his ego in check."
    "Gee, thanks, 'Ropa," Lance drawled sarcastically.
    The woman smiled as she poured herself a cup of coffee then poured hot
water into a second cup, adding cocoa powder to it.  "Yeah, whatever.  So's
everything set?"
    Lance smiled.  "Yup.  The last member of our coffee klatch is setting up
the final details before it's showtime."
    "Gotta admit: this idea is pretty golden, and certainly ballsy," Rick
commented, "But I gotta ask: do you think this'll work?"
    Europa suddenly went quiet as she admitted, "I hope so.  There's
something that these doctors and even Tom hasn't realized: 'Karu's special.
Despite the way she acts, she's not like your average girl.  Pop said it
best when he picked her to learn the family kendo skill: she has the Spirit
of Bushido in her - whatever the hell that means.  Personally, I think it
means that there's something inside her that drives her in that department,
not simply going through the motions."
    "I don't think that Hikari's gymnastics or my karate is 'going through
the motions," Lance countered.
    "And I didn't mean that, so turn down the sensitivity volume, Lance.
What I mean is that for all intents and purposes, a girl 'Karu's age would
have either given up on the skill, or tried for Olympic fame and glory.
Despite her awards, 'Karu doesn't really go for the 'big-name sports hero'
halo that goes with it.  She's dedicated to her skills, in that way that old
samurai were.  You and 'Kari are as well, but I think it shows in 'Karu the
most."
    She was about to elaborate further, when she looked at her watch.
"She's probably ready now.  Keep an eye out for the hand signals, guys.
It's important to the plan."  As both boys nodded, Europa grabbed both cups
and made a beeline back for Hikaru's room.


    Right on time, Europa entered the room, coffee in hand for her and cocoa
for the redhead.  Handing the other cup to the Hikaru, Europa drawled, "So,
ready to go on outside?"
    "I guess.  Why outside?"
    Europa's answer was to drag her out of the room and eventually out of
the building.  "Remember when we were kids?  Building treehouses in the
summer, or snow fortresses in the winter?  Gee, where did all that time go?
It seems so long ago.  You know what I loved most about it, though?
Remember the time that we three built that raft over by the lake near your
old house.  Us three, we called ourselves a name, after that old Thomas
Dolby song...do you remember?  'Europa and the Pirate Twins'.  We must've
been the only three pirate girls in all of Washington state!"  Europa
laughed softly, savoring the old memory, but more importantly, hoping that
Hikaru would remember as well.
    "Yeah, I remember those times," the redhead replied, as images filled
her head.  "Man, it was fun, wasn't it?  You, me, and...."  Hikaru let her
words trail off.  There seemed to be someone else.  A couple names flashed
in her head, but they weren't there for long, and faded away as quick as
they came.
    Europa, however, noted the moment of thought on the features of the
young girl.  "Drawing a blank already?  It wasn't that long ago, kiddo."
    "I know, I know.  It just seems like a part of...."  Hikaru's words
faded off without prompting, and for a second it seemed that the redhead was
at a loss for words.  That problem was rectified, however, when Europa gazed
in the same direction that Hikaru was.  Standing in front of them, over by a
freshly-made snowman, was Hikari, looking at them with a cast clear on her
face: she hadn't expected them to come out so soon.
    "Oops," Hikari blurted.
    A guttural snarl rose from Hikaru's throat, followed shortly thereafter
by a blood-curdling roar of *"NOVA!!!!!  THIS IS IT!!!!  YOU AND I FINISH
THIS NOW!!!"*  With no fanfare, Hikaru bolted towards Hikari, murderous
intent in her eyes.
    "Oh shit!" Europa cried.  "'Kari, run, damnit!"  But the girl needed no
such prompting, as she saw the enraged look in her sister's eyes.  Fearing
for her health, Hikari turned tail and bolted immediately in a random
direction.  Hikaru bounded hot on her tail, and Europa screamed for help
from Lance and Rick, cursing how her plan could have gone awry even before
she had a chance to put it into action.


    In the meanwhile, Hikari was finding out all sorts of interesting things
about her sister that she never knew.  For starters, normally due to
Hikari's gymnastics ability, she tended to be faster on the feet and more
nimble than Hikaru.  However, now, either fueled by anger, adrenaline or
something else, Hikaru was not only keeping up with her twin, but also
closing the distance between the two.  While the snow and other factors
might have been a cause, the fact that the normally slower Hikaru was able
to keep up was showing that something was clearly wrong.
    Hikari filed the basic situation in her head.  Yes, she was faster.  But
that didn't seem to apply here.  Hikaru, on the other hand, was stronger,
due to her kendo skills.  Whether that still applied, the girl was not in
the inclination to find out.  ((If she lays one good hit on me, oh, is it
gonna really hurt....))
    So, with no other immediate hope of getting away, the gymnast leapt into
the air, grabbed the nearest tree branch, and swung herself up to the
nearest wall.  Once up there, she felt very much safe, as Hikaru didn't have
the agility to swing up here, much less run flat out on a wall with the
width of a balance beam.  This was, after all, Hikari's element, and there
was no wa-
    ((What the hell?!?!))  Hikari reacted in shock as she heard a scuffling
of feet behind her.  Peeking over her shoulder, she saw the impossible -
Hikaru had managed to not only climb up to the same wall without losing a
beat, but was running along it even more nimbly than Hikari was!


    From where they were, Europa, Lance and Rick blinked rapidly in
astonishment.  They'd seen Hikari's upswing to the top of the ten-foot wall
via the tree branch, and considering her mastery of gymnastics, seeing her
racing across the narrow top of the wall was not anything to be concerned
about.  What *did* catch their attention though, was Hikaru's completion of
the same maneuver, without skipping a beat.  Hikaru was less quick on her
feet than her twin, but she managed to make the move as though it was the
easiest thing in the world.  There was no way that the kendo artist could
have performed such a difficult acrobatic maneuver, especially in light of
the fact that she wasn't anywhere near as flexible as Hikari was.
    "Did I imagine that?" Europa blurted out.
    "If you did, that was definitely a group hallucination," Rick breathed.


    Hikaru approached within striking distance of Nova.  Apparently, her
dark doppelganger was free once more, wreaking havoc on the countryside.  Of
course, nightmarish world or not, Hikaru was obligated to do something about
it before everything came undone.
    Nova turned and shouted out to Hikaru in sorrowful, panicked tones,
"'Karu, snap out of it!  Please!"  Something about being called "'Karu" rang
in Hikaru's head, and for a second she almost lost her footing on the wall.
Conflicting thoughts sang in her mind, she shouldn't have been able to do
what she did, she was able to because she had the power of the Pillar of
Cephiro, that such a claim was impossible because Cephiro didn't exist,
Cephiro had to have existed because she was able to remember every detail
about it with a clarity that couldn't be a mere hallucination.
    And just a couple of feet ahead of her was proof of Cephiro's
existence - Nova.  But she didn't totally look like Nova.  Her hair was
darker, for starters, and her ears were not of elfin length.  She didn't
wear that black spandex suit and armor that was so normal for the magical
clone, and Nova was usually much more aggressive than she was acting now.  A
word rang in her head again: sister.
    ((No,)) Hikaru yelled back at the voice in her head, ((I have no sister!
And Nova has to be stopped before she does any damage!))  But still, Hikaru
felt sorry for the mixed up, self-destructive clone who felt romantically
attracted to her.  Perhaps she could merge her back into herself once more,
as she did last, although she had no idea how they'd separated again.
((Still, worry about that later,)) she decided, ((because the time to act is
now!))  With a battlecry, launched forward, tackling the other girl.
    Both fell from the top of the wall, fortunate to land in a soft
snowdrift that only knocked the wind out of Hikari; Hikaru had instinctively
steeled herself for the drop and landed rather easily.  Taking a second to
shake off the daze, she got back to her feet and grabbed the dazed mirror
image, painfully slamming her against the cold, hard barrier.  Cocking back
a fist, Hikaru seethed, "Your reign of terror is over again, Nova."
    Gasping for air, Hikari asked, "Hikaru!  Why are you doing this?  I'm
your sister, Hikari!"
    "That trick may have worked on me once before, Nova, but not again,
never again!  I'm going to end this, once and for all!"  There was a regal
yet militant look in Hikaru's eyes that Hikari had never seen before, a look
that implied that Hikaru had seen far more in her life than had been
expected.
    Head still swimming with pain, Hikari looked back at Hikaru through eyes
that were beginning to tear and said, "Do what you must, Hikaru.  But no
matter what, I'm still your twin sister, and I still love you."


    "Lance, stop her!" Europa shouted.  "She's gonna kill 'Kari!"  The woman
had no need to shout that, as Lance had bolted forward as fast as he could
in the foot-deep snow and readied to knock out Hikaru, something he didn't
relish in the least.  Following close behind him was Rick, also concerned.
    Rick shouted out to Lance, "Suggest we pin her against the wall, Lance.
She'll still be conscious, and you won't be harming her."  Lance merely
nodded agreement.  There was a distance of thirty yards between the girls
and the two guys, and hopefully nothing would happen in that time frame.  If
something were to happen now, Hikaru might not be the only family member
suffering severe tragedy.


    Hikaru held her fist at bay, ready to unleash it in an instant.
However, something was preventing her from doing so, as though it were
wrong, something so out of tune with the universe, that she just could
neither punch forward nor unclench her fist.  Her fist merely shook and
shuddered as though something within it were keeping Hikaru from moving the
hand, or giving it any sort of command.
    In that moment, Hikari acted.  Out of desperation and sorrow, Hikari
lunged forward and grabbed her sister in a fierce hug, saying, "Please
remember!  You have to remember!  We lost Umi, and I won't lose you too!"
Tears rolled unashamedly down Hikari's face as she sobbed, "Please, for me,
'Karu.  Please...."
    Hikaru's fist began a downward descent, even as her mind erupted.

    ((...a pair of six-year-old girls, sitting on swings in a park, both
dressed in matching overalls and ballcaps, both holding Barbie dolls with
short hair and green clothing.  The one with the topknot turns to the one
with the loose hair and says, "Will you always be with me, 'Karu?"
    (("Sure I will," the other replies.  "'Cause you're my sister,
'Kari!"...

    ((...a thunderous, stormy night, with lightning splitting the skies.
The girl named 'Kari, is frightened and afraid of the storm and the noise.
Too afraid to leave the room because of monsters and things that go bump in
the night, she crawls out of her bed and into the one of the girl named
'Karu.  'Karu, not afraid of the storm, hugs the girl closer to her and
said, "I'll protect ya, 'Kari."  Satisfied with that answer, the girl named
'Kari falls asleep in the arms of her sister, feeling safe and
protected...))

    Images blazed through faster and faster through Hikaru's mind, a
kaleidoscopic montage of memories, a deluge of sensations that overwhelmed
and slam-danced within the mind of the redhead.  It grew, faster, stronger,
brighter, darker, all these at once and so much more.  It grew stronger and
stronger still, beyond the point of control, beyond the level that the
fragile barrier that was Hikaru's mind could accept.
    The redhead let go of her twin, then grabbed her head, shaking and
moaning, "No...make it stop...make it stop..."  She fell silent for a second
before an inhuman sound came from her throat that rapidly grew in intensity.
Hikari let go of Hikaru, as the other reared her head back and unleashed an
unearthly howl of madness and pain, of sorrow and delusion, of darkness and
despair and everything in-between.  The scream was enough to stop Lance,
Rick, and Europa in their tracks, scaring them out of their wits.  Upon
hearing it, several members of the medical staff inside, Tom included,
immediately headed outdoors, fearing the worst.
    Hikaru's scream lasted for a few minutes more, before she pitched
forward into the virginal white snow.  She lay there for a second, unmoving,
as though the scream was her soul cutting free from the bonds of its body.
Without thinking, Hikari snapped to and grabbed her sister, pulling her
close to her and whispering, "Hikaru...."


    "Hikari?" a soft, shaky voice said.
    "'Karu, is that you?" Hikari squeaked, unsure if believing it to be the
truth or not.  Unsure of what to believe, she whispered to herself, "Please,
God, let it be her...."
    "Wha...what happened to me?" Hikaru said, shaken to the core.  "I...I
almost attacked you!"  She broke from Hikari's hug with a fear in her eyes.
"I was almost going to kill you!"
    "But you didn't, 'Karu," Hikari said, in a tender voice.  "I knew you
couldn't.  I knew I meant too much to you."
    "You do, sis," Hikaru said, as she broke into tears.  "More than you'll
ever know."  A second later, Lance reached the pair, and Hikaru reached for
her older brother, breaking down in his arms in shame and utter sorrow.

<>()<>

    Once Hikari had broken through to Hikaru, the wall of Cephiro in
Hikaru's mind was smashed, totally and instantly.  By the end of the day,
she was able to see things and people for who they really were.  The
recovery was so instantaneous and rapid, the medical staff initially feared
that this was the calm before the storm, a brief period of lucidity before
they would lose her again.  However, those fears proved foundationless, and
Hikaru remained clear, with her personality climbing out of the marked
depression, coming to its original forte of joy and bright bubbly
cheerfulness, as though they rose with a kind ferocity that could only be
described as Hikaru.
    Though Europa and Lance were mildly rebuked by Tom and Clef for the
hare-brained plan they neglected to mention, it was clear that it was done
with Hikaru's best thoughts in mind, and that pretty much got them off the
hook.  Neither had mentioned Rick's involvement, so he was held pretty much
blameless, though Clef knew that usually where Lance was involved, Rick
wasn't that far behind.  Even so, Europa was made to promise not to play
amateur psychiatrist anytime soon.


    Released back to the world a few days before Christmas, Hikaru got the
chance to spend the holidays with her family, finally as they were and not
as she imagined them to be.  All her relatives came to visit, and both sets
of grandparents even flew in from Hawaii and DC, respectively.  For Hikaru,
it felt both as though it was great to have all her family together, and in
a strange sense, it also felt as though it was the first time she was
actually spending time with them.  Also, she knew where she was, finally and
totally; Cephiro was banished back to the dark recesses of her mind like the
phantom reality it was.  She was sane and her true self once more; she would
never be troubled by those traumatic imaginings again.
    Now, all that remained was to put her mind at rest, and to close that
chapter of her life.  On the 28th of December, the day after Europa returned
to France, she chose to make that step and move on.

<>()<>

    "I'm here to say goodbye, Umi," Hikaru murmured softly as she placed the
yellow roses on Umi's grave, a raised headstone with Shinto marks on it and
engraving in both Japanese and English: UMI RYUZAKI, DEVOTED DAUGHTER AND
SISTER. MAR 03 1982 ~ NOV 14 1998.  The redhead's voice was breaking, and
the tears rolling down her cheeks threatened to freeze in the wintry ground.
The snow-covered ground of the cemetery was a pristine white, a stark
contrast to the girl with the flaming red hair and black clothing.  There
was nothing around, save for a sea of other gravestones and the occasional
bare tree.  In the relative distance was a black Mitsubishi Eclipse, over by
which stood a girl dressed similar to Hikaru, and another, with long black
hair and glasses, dressed slightly different but no less somber for the
situation.
    "I-I'm okay now," the redhead said.  "It was hard for me, losing you and
watching you die.  I lost it completely, and I couldn't handle the strain."
Hikaru fought to keep her voice straight, as she didn't want to bury her
words under a mountain of sobs, a river of tears.  Nevertheless, she cried
still, teardrops cascading in synchronicity with the light snowfall that had
begun to pour down on the cemetery site.  "I lost my mind into a fantasy
world, and if it weren't for my family, I would still be there.
    "I wish you were there with me.  You were, but it was all a dream, all
my imagination.  I wish you had only suffered that, and not what happened to
you in the end."  Hikaru's heart ached, far more than when David had dumped
her like a bad memory.  Her heart of hearts was shattering, and for a brief
instant, she was unsure if she could continue with what she had to say.  "I
wish that you were here now, more so than ever."
    "Umi, you were my best friend - you're *still* my best friend.  We only
knew each other for a few years, but it felt like all of my life, and maybe
even more than that, sometimes.  Most of the world saw you as just a girl
who moved here from Tokyo, a girl with a funny accent and a talent for
fencing, but none of them really saw you as you were: one of the kindest,
sweetest souls that ever was."  Hikaru began to shiver, though whether it
was from the cold or the sorrow, she didn't know.  There was really no way
she could know; she felt numb long before she stepped out of the car and
onto the frozen ground.
    "Don't worry about your family.  We'll watch them for you, and 'Kari and
I will try to be the big sisters for Mutsumi that she'll need.  We'll never
take your place of course, but...."  Hikaru was stunned at the clarity of
what she said, as though a great dawning had set in.  She'd spoken the
truth-there would be no more of Umi's smile, her demure honesty, her need to
wear Japanese school uniforms to high school, her broken English, or any of
that.  Not anymore, and never again.  Hikari had already faced that, and now
it was Hikaru's turn.
    "I miss you so much already," Hikaru moaned.  "But I'll hold together,
because you'd want me to, because 'Kari, Lance, and all the others would
want me to.  I'll survive.  I only wish you had, as well."  Hikaru found
herself sinking to her knees, hugging the cold stone for comfort, but it
felt automatic, as though it was instinct rather than a planned motion.
"I'll miss you so very much, Umi."
    Finding the strength within her to wipe the tears from her eyes, Hikaru
got back to her feet.  "I guess I've gotta get going now, before I freeze
solid out here.  But I'll be back again soon, I promise."  Shakily, she rose
back to her feet and, looking at Umi's grave one last time, she turned and
headed back towards the car.


    From where she was, the look on Hikari's face didn't read that placid,
either.  Not only was the other redhead torn between trying to stand
directly behind her sister for comfort, or trying to give Hikaru the needed
distance to say her good-byes, but bringing Hikaru here was still bringing
back the pain of her own trials of Umi's loss.  Although both Shidou twins
had been best friends with the Ryuzaki girl, Hikari had already said her
farewell; Hikaru had not, and like it or not, this was very much a personal
moment that could not easily be shoved away under a guise of sorrow.  In the
end, Hikari simply decided to wait by the car, saying her own personal
Godspeeds for the soul of Umi Ryuzaki.  To her side she said, "Thanks for
coming, Allison."
    "No need to thank me.  I'm more than just your brother's girlfriend, you
know; I'm your friend as well."  Standing at her side in front of a car and
shivering from the cold was Allison Danvers.  A relative newcomer to the
group due to her relationship with Lance, Allison became a source of
strength for Hikari while Hikaru had been hospitalized.  Now, in a very
bittersweet sense, Allison had filled a hole in the heart of the Shidou
twins, though she could never take Umi's place.  "'Sides, Lance thought it
would be best if it were a 'Ladies Only' gig."
    No immediate answer came from Hikari, as she merely nodded agreement.
"It just might be for the best.  I know this is hard for Hikaru, but it's
not any easier for me.  It wasn't that long ago that I said bye to Umi, and
the pain hasn't really healed yet."
    "Know what you mean.  My grandmother died a year ago, and I still can't
totally get over it.  You never forget your loved ones, do ya?"  Taking an
extended sigh that crystallized once it left her lips, Allison said, "So, do
you think she's emotionally ready to start school again?"
    "Well, my uncle said she should be fine," Hikari responded, "though he
made it clear that he wanted her to call him at any time she felt disturbed.
Europa told her that if she ever feels the need to get away from it all,
just hop the first plane to Paris, and she'll help out.  Lance is being more
protective than usual, and has even hijacked Rick into that.  In fact, the
only problem will be her reputation when she gets back to school."  Hikari
ran a gloved hand through her long, loose red hair in a sign of frustration.
"While most of the students are going to be pretty supportive of her, I
don't know how she's going to handle those taunts of 'psycho girl' and the
like.  You *know* that Danni Caldina's going to dig into her at every chance
she gets, and since she's got Dave P-whipped, he won't stop her.  And Lance
is a senior, and you're a junior, while Hikaru and I are only sophomores-you
can't be there all the time, and there's only so much that I can do.
    "Mom and Dad suggested that Hikaru would be better off going to a
private school like Lily and Lila, but 'Karu said no, that she had to face
it head on.  I just hope that she doesn't run into a train in the process."


Next:
Third Symptom: Fitting Back In

Author's Notes:
I'm supposed to have notes?

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