X/1999 Fan Fiction ❯ Cycle ❯ First Signs ( Chapter 2 )

~Oh yea, just in case people noticed, I do not own X/1999… Damn…~

The computer hummed somewhat impatiently, waiting for something that it sensed was coming. Ali's fingers began to twitch, the heart rate meter blipping with more rhythm of activity. It made the two bystanders stop their conversation to await the awakening of the girl. Silence enveloped the room.

Slowly, the nerves in her body began to function again, although uncomfortable with all the wires that were hooked up to her making her muscles stiff. Her head nodded lazily forward as her eyesight became clearer with every blink she took, but it stung horribly. It had been two days since she last blinked. Once she reached a fair enough sight, well enough to see the strange (and poorly dressed) woman in front of her, Ali's head jerked up, searching the room and its occupants in panic.

"What?! Where am I? What and I doing here! Get me out! Get me out of this thing!!" she screamed in alarm, lunging forward in hopes of loosening herself from the computer. In the end, her attempts were to no avail.

"Now, now, Miss Umiyou, please don't be so frightened. I know you must feel quite shocked right now, but please realize we were trying to help you," Kanoe calmly spoke, taking great care in choosing her words.

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Two weeks before, the infamous dreamseer had crept into another one of her sister, Hinoto's, dreams. The visions had been quite vivid, beginning with the flaming death of Kamui's dearly departed mother, Toru Shirou. The image faded from view, the flames flicking out and dispersing in a plethora of feathers. Stray feathers found their way through an endless sea of cracking glass and rippling water, to a ball of some sort, one that held an ancient energy. Those feathers surrounded this ball, the flames rebirthing and burst back to life, enveloping the ball in an instant. The flames had twisted into a disfigured shape, narrowing and forming into that of a female body with the appearance of a teen. Its form took a deadly expression, a set of cold glowing eyes thrashing to lock eyes with both Hinoto and Kanoe. They slowly shut, no longer finding the two a threat. Its figure pivoted, floating on the tips of its embers, on the ripples of the sea. Arms kindly encircled dead air, sorrow pierced through its eyes. A large ripple flowed past the onlookers, water splashing up against their feet. Their eyes were soon caught, not by the lone embracing image of the fire girl, but to the reflection in the water below her. Under her drenched flaring feet was Toru, holding her son in a protective, loving hug.

Both sisters gasped in shock, Kanoe though, louder then her sister. Blank red eyes turned to gaze spitefully in the intruder's direction.

"Kanoe!!"

With a thrust of energy, Kanoe was being ejected from yet another dream when a revelation hit her. An evil smile crept upon her face.

"Too late, sister, I already received this wondrous dreams' message. I will see to it that this vision will not come to pass!" she hissed her last words as her body disintegrated from the now empty dream, leaving Hinoto alone to ponder her last words.

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Ali ceased her cries of distress momentarily to stare blankly at the woman below. Her gaze took on a suspicious glare.

"How do you know my name? I do not recall telling you or even seeing you before. And what do you mean by `help'? What happened?" Ali clipped, growling. It took much effort to suppress her need to scream.

"I can tell you that," a sudden monotone voice spoke from above her view. Satsuki leapt from her spot on Beast to land gracefully next to her Mistress, "Beast told me all about you. What little information that is." She finished proudly, turning to the girl who was still being read by the monstrous computer.

"And as for your second question…you were attacked and knocked unconscious. We brought you back here and nursed you back to health. That was two days ago." Kanoe added, taking a small step forward. She gave the worst smile, although convincing in its way, acting kind was not her strong suit. Ali gaped.

"Two days ago?! I've been hooked up to this shit for two days?!" she screamed, leaning towards them, hate bound in her eyes.

"Do NOT insult Beast! He's been keeping you alive, he can easily end it!" Satsuki jeered, her hands tightening to fists. Kanoe thrust a hand up to stop her threat.

"Satsuki we are here to talk with her, not to kill her! You'd do best to heed that advice!" She hissed again, harshly shoving the computerized teen back. The entrapped girl's eyes slit into a glare.

"Let me go…NOW. I thank you for nursing whatever wounds I had back to health, but I don't plan on staying here nor do I care about talking. I have much more important things to do now, so I'd like to leave," Ali said, keeping her tone proper. She was the one at their mercy right now, and doing something like insulting them would not have been the smartest idea, lest she end up being shocked to death or something.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I cannot let you do that. You see, we have much to discuss, Toru Shirou. And I wouldn't suggest pulling yourself free from Beast either. It will leave such unsightly marks and horrific pain…" Kanoe taunted, encircling a strand of dark hair around her finger. Screw the sweet talk; it just wasn't worth it with this girl.

"Who the hell is Toru?! I don't know anyone by the name of Toru! I'll ask you again. Let me out!!!" Ali's anger flared, desperately jerking her wrists in another attempt to break free of her wired bondage, but this time they pulled back, slamming her into its metal walls. She let out a yelp, but recovered from the shock.

"Hear me, girl! We are here to help you. Everyone wants you to live happily, but there's a terrible problem in the mix that includes you," Kanoe paused, a coy expression crossing her face, "Tell me…What do you think of…the Earth?" she asked suddenly, prying eyes awaiting an answer.

"Hm? How'd you know about that?" Ali was struck by the question, confusion riddling her face, "I see the Earth all the time in my dreams…" she mumbled, trailing off as memories of an Earth being shattered came to her mind.

She wasn't sure exactly why she had those dreams. They seemed so strange to her, all about earth, people who seemed a threat, but in the end caught the glass earth from shattering against empty space. It was something she blamed for not having any friends in her life. One factor in her life that scared any person off was the unusual tricks and balls of some light that blew away walls and people if she tried. Everything she did seemed to come from those damn dreams that just wouldn't leave her alone.

"Oh, your dreams, huh? And what is your view on the Earth?" Kanoe gave an `awe' of fake surprise. This had to be her. Toru had seen the Earth in many a form in her dreams when she was still living as a whole.

"This Earth is going down a relatively bad path. Pretty soon, it's gonna kill itself. But I assume you already knew that," Ali barked, uneasy of the strange questions she was getting. How did this whore know about her dreams? She shifted her arms, loosening the stiffness of her back.

"Yes, wouldn't it be better if all of those problems were wiped away? Put to rest, purified, so it could start again?" Kanoe urged, anticipation flowing through both the dreamseer and her assistant. Both their eyes were now locked on Ali, who seemed to be considering the question carefully. They could only hope for her answer to be an acceptable one.

"Like, were talking about…the apocalypse? It's all in perspective I guess. I mean, people abuse Earth so much…it might be helpful to try something desperate…But yet…" Ali explained in curiosity, but murmured the more she spoke. Something about what she was saying made her regret her ever saying it. But it was true.

The earth will die eventually, might as well start anew…right?

Suddenly a flash of images surged through her mind, breaking off Ali's concentration. People being burned alive to melt away as they screamed in vain, sliced into a bloody masquerade so sickening not even the greatest investigator would have been able to know it was even a person, women and children's backs arched in painful arrest as pikes were sent through their bodies to come to a dripping crimson point…and the images were not yet ready to stop.

Sweat trickled down her cheek, watching them, they watching her, and she couldn't do anything. The images broke to away, only one person standing in front of her now, crying, in the middle of death and destruction. He was left, sobbing. The vision of that same boy she cried for at school. A face she still couldn't put a name to. In her mind, she reached out to the figure, wanting to hold him, to tell him it was all right, even though she knew nothing about him, even though whenever she said that, a part of her screamed to differ. Outside, on the physical plain, she reached out, her eyes closed, her fingers stretched. He seemed so real, it all seemed too real and she just wanted to help him. He suddenly looked up, staring strait at her in pure fear, his eyes flickering with desperation and sadness. The boy lunged forward toward her and she reached back still, hoping to hold his hand, when her hope was cut short. It seemed out of nowhere, flames erupted from beneath her, separating them out of reach. Ali stared at him, full of shock and relief, because he was not the one burning, she realized. It was her. Realization hit her when somehow she knew this would be the last time she'd see him. Immediately, her eyes watered, crying helplessly as her throat was too dry to speak words. She wanted to tell him. All she wanted was to hold him, tell him it was alright and he didn't have to be afraid, he didn't have to be alone. But she couldn't that's not what she was suppose to tell him

.

Be strong…Just be strong…Go back home, go to Tokyo…

He looked powerlessly at her, the only thing he could do was listen, to reach for her one last time, before the flames rose too high and she was engulfed. She heard him, so faint to her ears, yet so loud to the world she was inside.

"Mother!!!" She heard it, his desperate call to her.

She struggled violently against Beast's cords and wires that were connected to her, holding her back. Tears flew from her eyes as she reached forward again, the wires creaking as they went taught.

"K…Ka…" she whispered to the vision, seeing the last flicks of his face through the flames, she took in a sharp breath.

"…KAMUI!!!!" she screamed, throwing her body forward. Satsuki and Kanoe gasped, left speechless. For what they saw was her fall into a deep trance, tossing and turning as she began to cry. But to hear his name…

Beast abruptly let out an emergency siren as the wires stressed under her force and began to break. Claps of electricity sparked from the open tears in the cords and wires, which continued to grow in size as she pulled away from it.

"Beast!!" Satsuki yelled in concern, running up to stop the girls struggle. She grasped what few stray wires there were, preparing to merge with her love to stop her from causing more damage. Ali's eyes glowed, a familiar glare resurfacing as she turned to Satsuki, her lips pulled back in a silent hiss.

Kanoe smirked in remembrance. That same glare she gave us in my sister's dream. So, it was her after all. The image of the flaming, no faced girl turning her head to glare in spite at both of them remained fresh in her mind as she watched the display.

"NO!!" She screamed, forcing an energy wave through the wires under her skin to Satsuki, who was thrown back and away from Beast.

Electricity pulsed and clapped loudly as Ali broke free from her restraints, suddenly falling forward, the wires detaching from her body as she fell, landing roughly on her feet. Her back slumped forward as her feet threatened to give way, but forced herself to gaze at the dreamseer ahead of her, a dead stare in her eyes. Ali lifted a hand, an invisible energy flying forward, sending Kanoe flying into the wall behind her. Taking the opportunity, she ran forward, bee-lining for the door ahead of her. Inwardly, she wasn't sure how the hell she was doing any of this, and the confusion began to grow back to the front of her mind.

"Damn…not now," she whispered to herself, somehow separate from herself and in dread of her normal personality, "I was just freed, at least let me get you out of here…" she murmured, but the calm stare in her eyes began to clear, normal instinct taking over again. Ali blinked as she still had her mind set on getting out, but was confused as hell.

How the hell did I get out of that? My dream… I remember that, but since when were Miss Lame and Mistress Whore down for the count? What…What did I do?!

The question lingered as she ran out the open door, but was soon in a maze of hallways. Getting out almost seemed worthless at this point. She pointed a finger to each of the hallways, silently muttering to herself.

"Eeny, meeny, minee, moe… God dammit! This is taking too long!" She finally burst in frustration, her hands ready to pull out her hair. Her mind flickered towards the left hallway, the only hallway with the most forks down it. No matter how she tried to deny it, something wouldn't let her take any other paths. She breathed a reluctant sigh.

This better be right, or I'm going to personally hurt myself later on… Her body turned and she began her way down the chosen hall.

She glanced behind her to see if either of the two she had left behind was following her, relieved as noticed she was the only one in the hall. A smirk crossed her lips. At this point, she might actually be able to get out…until she was thrust back when she ran directly into something. Not exactly a wall, but it could've been classified as one. Stumbling backwards, catching herself before she fell, Ali looked up to see just what was in front of her. Teal eyes shrunk in fear when she realized that out of anything she could've hit, she'd run into a rather tall and broad-shouldered man. She took the time to really look at his face, realizing that this guy was one of her old classmates, the only difference being the cold stare in his eyes.

"F…Fuuma?"

~Author's note: ~and it goes on… So, there's another chapter! I might continue on…let me know what you think! ~