Fan Fiction ❯ We Met in a Dream ❯ Wednessday, September 13 The dream world ( Chapter 4 )
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: Darialan 
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 05.11.2005 | Pages: 5 | Words: 5.7K | Visits: 161 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 05.11.2005 | Pages: 5 | Words: 5.7K | Visits: 161 | Status: Completed
Chapter 4:
(No, I do not own Sailor Moon or Tuxedo Kamen, but everything else is mine.)
Darien blinked his eyes and lifted his head. He was in his class room. But there was noone there. He looked all around him and found not a sign of anyone. Just then he heard the door and looked behind him. It was Megumi Tenaka. She started walking to her assigned desk with a great big pile of books.
She waved to Darien and sat down. She looked at him, confused. "What are you doing here so late?" she asked.
Darien looked out the window. It was quite dark. He hadn't really taken note of that before. He looked down to his wrist, where his watch should have been. It wasn't there.
"Oh, I'm sorry. You must be who I'm supposed to tutor tonight," she said a little embarrassed.
Darien reluctantly nodded. He knew it was a dream, so he played along.
Megumi looked around Darien. "You didn't bring your books. Shouldn't you have brought them?" she asked.
"Well, I ummm," Darien said placing his hand behind his head.
"That's ok. We can look at mine," she said. "What's the subject you're having trouble with?"
Just then the door opened. Darien and Megumi looked to the back of the room at the door. It was Sensei-Kumashiro who walked in.
"Oh, Hello, Sensei. What brings you here?" Megumi asked.
Something wasn't right. Darien could tell in an instant. Misato gave Megumi a cold stare and just stood there. She held out Megumi's last test. On the top was a big, red 'F'.
Megumi hung her head low and got out of her chair, walking towards Sensei. Miss Kumashiro handed her the paper, still looking at her very coldly. Megumi took the paper, still having her head bent over. She looked down at the 'F.' "An 'F?' But I've never gotten an 'F'," Megumi said sobbing. Her tears leapt from her cheeks to the paper. The 'F' nearly blurred. "How am I going to face my parents with this?" she continued with tears flowing out of the corners of her eyes.
"They already know. They're waiting for you out in front to take you home," Sensei-Kumashiro said coldly and in a bit of a growl. "You can no longer tutor," she added.
Darien knew things weren't right. Miss Kumashiro was never this cold. She was always the helpful type. It was just one lousy 'F.'
"But this can't be. Isn't there something I can do to bring it up?" Megumi continued.
"Get out of my sight, worthless child!" Misato shouted. "You're a failure!"
At that Megumi cried out loud and ran out of the door and to met her parents waiting outside.
After Megumi left Miss Kumashiro looked to Darien. Darien gasped. He wondered if the same thing was in store for him. He got out of his seat and backed up towards the board. She smiled and walked towards Darien. She had this evil sort of smile on her face. The kind of look that you know meant trouble. Darien backed up till his back touched the board. She came within a few inches of Darien and her smile widened.
She flung back her hair and said in a sweet and sexy voice, "What's the matter, Darien. Don't you like me?"
Darien gulped. "What was going on here? She's coming on to me!" he thought.
"Come on Darien. You know you want to," she continued in a sexy voice, tilting her head closer to Darien.
"W-want to what, S-Sensei," Darien stuttered, playing dumb.
She tilted her head back away from Darien and said, "You don't need to call me that. Just call me 'Misato.'" She giggled a bit with a low tone. She placed a hand on Darien's shoulder and leaned her head forward, close to his. "Now, how about that kiss?" she said again slowly.
Darien's face beaded up with sweat as her face came closer and closer. Her lips had almost reached his, so Darien turned his head. She quickly placed her opposite hand on his head and forced it to turn towards her. Her head continued towards his and Darien shut his eyes.
Suddenly there was a door slam in the back of the room. Misato turned her head and Darien opened his eyes. At the door stood a pig tailed blonde girl. She was very tall and slender. As she came closer her appearance was more noticeable. Not only was her hair done in pigtails she also had the two sides bunched up and they resembled little balls on her head. Darien's mouth and eyes widened, realizing that the meatball headed girl was Sailor Moon.
"Who are you?!" the sensei yelled.
"I am Sailor Moon. And on behalf of the moon I will right wrongs and triumph over evil and that means you," Sailor Moon called out striking a pose.
"Oh come on, Melissa. You can't be serious. Can't you be a little more original?" a voice said.
Darien looked all around. "What was that?" he thought.
Misato, also looked all around her, confused. "Where are you?" she asked in a frustrated voice.
The voice didn't answer, but Sailor Moon called back to the voice, "Hey, I'm a big fan and this setting is perfect!"
The voice sighed and replied, "Alright, fine. I'll be Tuxedo Kamen."
"Yay," Sailor Moon cheered, hopping up and down and clapping. Then she lost her balance and fell to the floor. She knelt there crying.
Misato took this as an opportunity to get after her. She turned her whole body around and magically threw failing test papers at her, screaming in a shrill voice.
The meatball headed girl, just noticing this dodged the papers just by swaying her body. The two tests stuck in the floor on each side of her. She cried even harder.
Darien sighed. This was such an awful sight. Here he was thinking he was going to be rescued and this girl just sits on the floor and cries. A large drop of sweat forms on the side of Darien's head.
Sensei Kumashiro was about to make a few more shots when a rose flew at her from out of nowhere. It hit her right directly in the forehead. Her body turned black and her eyes red, revealing her true form.
In the window stood a tall man dressed in a tuxedo with a white mask over his eyes. "Now, Sailor Moon," he called to the clumsy heroine.
She stopped crying and looked over to Tuxedo Kamen. She nodded and said, "hai!" She then stood up and took action. "Moon tiara magic!" she shouted out as she threw her tiara at the large shadow monster.
The shadow screamed a shrill scream as its form disintegrated. Darien blocked out the painful flashing of the tiara's magic with his arm against his face.
After it was all over, only a pile of black ash was left of the monster. The wind from an open window blew and swept it away.
Darien slowly moved his arm away from his eyes. He sighed in relief. His attention then turned to the back of the room where Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon stood. Sailor Moon had just put her tiara back on and Tuxedo Kamen had jumped into the room from the open window in the back. The two start walking towards Darien. They stopped for a moment and quickly changed from the two that had saved them to two different looking people. The girl had long dark brown hair. It was completely straight and with no pigtails. She wore a white shirt with a blue jacket and a light blue skirt that reached just above her knees. But Darien's attention soon went to the guy. Darien blinked. It was Otaru from just after school. The two came closer.
"Darien?" Otaru said. "Hey. I didn't expect you to be one of us."
Darien bowed to the both of them, thanking them for their help. "It's kind of a shock to see you, too," he added.
The girl looked over to Otaru.
"Oh, I'm sorry. This is my girlfriend from over the Internet. Her name is Melissa. She's an exchange student from the United States. I haven't met her on the outside yet, since her school is so far away. Seems my parents don't like the idea of me meeting someone from the Internet." Otaru put his arm around her shoulders, "Melissa. This is my friend, Darien. I haven't known him very long. I just met him after school, today," he continued.
Darien nodded and bowed to her. He took a moment to look at her. She was just as beautiful as Yuki. Darien almost found it hard to look away, but then he realized, what he felt for Yuki and he shook it off. Darien also felt a little ashamed, knowing he was looking at someone else's girlfriend.
"You know, judging by the situation you were in, you're probably SilentSwordsman. Am I right?" Otaru asked.
"H-hai," Darien responded. "You mean you're VentonValiant?" he asked.
"Yep," Otaru nodded and bowed.
"Wow, this is very weird. What a coincidence!" Darien said, astonished.
"Oh, I don't think it's a coincidence at all," Melissa replied. "There's usually a connection made with those who share a dream world."
"Well, you wanted us to help you. How about we start training right now?" Otaru asked confidently.
Just then Darien remembered Megumi. He wondered how things were with her. Last he knew she was headed out to meet with her parents. This dream world is so, weird. Her parents' might be shadows, too. Darien shook his head. "I believe there's another dreamer here," Darien said.
"Aha! So, you can tell the difference between another dreamer and an imagined figure. Very good," Otaru said. "I knew about her. This is part of your training. Shall we go?"
Darien nodded.
The three of them raced to the window. There they could see down below to Megumi as she slowly makes her way to a parked car. Otaru looks down and then turns his head to Darien. "Can you tell me what kind of danger she is headed for Darien?" Otaru asked.
Darien wasn't quite sure, although the idea that her parents were actually shadow monsters had crossed his mind. Darien shook his head.
Otaru frowned. "I know you're thinking it. Just tell me what your thinking," he said changing his frown to a smile.
"Her parents are probably shadow monsters, right?" Darien said with a half smile.
"No. Bzzz. Wrong. Her parents are dreamers, too," Otaru mocked.
"Huh?" Darien said confused. "Her parents can do that, too?"
Otaru laughed. "No. I was just kidding! Trust your instincts," Otaru said with a smile. He paused a moment and added, "Of course, imaginary figures such as the teacher aren't necessarily shadow monsters, either. This does make it hard sometimes."
"Uh, Otaru. We better hurry or she's going to get caught," Melissa said, worried.
"No sweat. We have time before they'll do anything," he replied.
"I sure hope you know what you're saying," Melissa groaned as she continued to look down out of the window, Megumi still making her way to the car at a slow, depressed rate.
Otaru turned his attention to Darien, once again. "Ok, fly!" he shouted, very enthused.
A large sweat drop from on the side of Darien's head. "F-fly? You can't be serious," he stuttered.
"Darien, this is the dream world. No need to be afraid. Things can only go wrong because of your fear. If you aren't afraid nothing can go wrong," Melissa said reassuringly. She smiled.
"That's right and the sooner you get over it, the sooner you can rescue the girl," Otaru smiled.
Darien paused and then looked out the window. His thoughts were on her now. She was in trouble and he really wanted to help her. But it was so hard. He'd been afraid, all his life. Darien was almost going to cry, but he felt this moment of courage. He had to do this. He did say a word and he climbed up on the window sill.
Otaru and Melissa stared a moment.
Melissa looked over and said to Otaru softly, "Is he really going to do it?" She was quite excited.
Otaru answered her, "He needed the proper motivation." He smiled and continued to watch Darien.
Darien gulped as he looked down onto the ground below. His sight began to blur and spin for a moment. Darien blinked his eyes and it stopped. He jumped out of the window. He had hoped to fly, but his fear forced him to start to fall to the ground.
"Darien!" the two shouted from above.
"Remember who you're doing this for!" Otaru shouted down.
Inches from the top of a parked car, Darien stopped and hovered. He opened his eyes. He sighed with relief.
Megumi was only a few feet away, still coming towards the car. She didn't seem to notice, since her head was hung low.
But Darien didn't pay her much attention. He was fixated with what he had just discovered. He didn't hit. This meant only one thing to him. He smiled. "I can fly!" he shouted as he flew straight up into the air.
"Huh?" Megumi said as she raised her head and saw Darien. Her eyes grew. "What the?" was all that came out as she continued to watch. She stared, wide eyed.
Darien flew back to the window sill, where he began, but not before doing a couple of loop de loops.
Melissa had a wide smile on her face. "You did it!" she cheered to him.
"Way to go!" Otaru said. "Much faster than I anticipated. You know? You're a lot more courageous than you give yourself credit for."
Darien turned his head away and reddened. "Not really," was all he said.
Just then as Megumi was still staring at the strange sight. Her father rushed out of the car. "Come on! We haven't got all day!" he shouted as he picked her up. He put her in the car and mumbled, "Worthless child." The car drove away.
Darien opened his eyes and looked down to see the driving away. He turned back to Otaru and Melissa. "She's gone. We better go after her," Darien said, concerned.
The two nodded and climbed up onto the window sill. They held hands and glanced at each other for a moment, before leaping. Darien watched as they glided down the side of the building and then leveling off towards the moving car.
"Hey Dar! Are you coming?" Otaru called back as he turned his head.
"H-hai!" Darien called back. He took a deep breath and spread his arms. He leaned down and positioned himself level with the ground below and sped forth, following Otaru and Melissa.
Darien was very nervous. But so far, he could fly. It was a great feeling. He'd never felt this way before. Just thinking of Yuki made his heart soar, not to mention himself. But as soon as he recalled how she was gone, his heart sank and slowly, so did he. He then thought about what he'd do if he had to face more shadow monsters. Slowly Darien, again, started to lose hope. He started sinking to the ground. His toes finally touch and since he was leaning he lost balance and fell on his face.
Melissa looked to Otaru and smiled, but out of the corner of her eye she could see that Darien was no longer behind them. "Otaru, Darien disappeared," she said.
Otaru looked back. He didn't see him. He turned completely around, turning Melissa with him. He looked all around and noticed him as he got up and sat by the side of the road, his head bent over. "Dar!" he called out as he headed down to join him. Melissa followed and landed softly next to him.
"You were doing so well. Why'd you stop?" Otaru asked as he sat down next to him.
Darien didn't say much of anything for about a minute. "Look you two have really helped me out a lot, but I'm afraid that it's no use. I'm not going to be able to save her," he said depressed.
Melissa sat down on the other side of Darien. "Why not? You just learned to fly and as Otaru said, you learned that very quickly," she said softly putting her hand behind his back, Otaru somewhat jealous.
Darien turned a little red and looked at her.
Melissa gulped and removed her hand. "Sorry," she said bowing her head.
Otaru frowned. Neither one of them seemed to notice, though.
Darien shook his head. "What about the shadows?" he asked.
Otaru replied, "They are merely shadows. Nothing more. It is your fear that hurts you. Not them."
Darien didn't believe him. He shook his head and looked at the ground.
"Look, once we get to Megumi and help her, I'll prove that to you," he said.
"Are we ready to go?" Melissa asked.
Otaru, who had glanced at Melissa as she asked, shifted his attention back to Darien.
Darien nodded slightly and stood up.
"Ok, here we go!" He said launching into the air with Melissa soaring next to him. The two were not holding hands this time.
Darien concentrated and thought of Yuki again. He slowly lifted off, flying after them. It was odd but every once in a while, still in flight, Darien thought of Melissa. He thought about her smile and then the hand behind his back. He gulped and shook his head. This was some other guy's girlfriend and he had his own ideal girl. The girl being Yuki. Darien started to smile. His thoughts about Melissa diminished and he concentrated again on Yuki, continuing after the car ahead of them.
The car parked itself in front of a small home. The three stayed out of the way, waiting for them to get out of the car. Megumi's parents each got out. Megumi took a moment before opening her door. Her head was pointed down as she slowly crept out.
"Hurry up and get to your room!" the man shouted.
Megumi looked back to her father for a moment and walked into the house only slightly faster. Her parents followed in.
"Why don't we go after them right now?" Melissa asked looking at Otaru as he sat on a nearby trash can.
"It's too risky. We don't want to let any harm come to Megumi," Otaru said as he jumped off the can and looked around the corner from the Alley.
"But didn't you say that dreams can't hurt you?" Darien asked a little confused.
"Yes, that's true, but it's obvious Megumi doesn't realize that. Remember, Darien, if you think you can get hurt, you can. It's only by not being afraid that you can't be harmed," Otaru said looking back at Darien. "And from what I can tell Megumi doesn't even seem to think it's a dream, which could be worse."
"Worse?" Darien said, again confused.
"Yeah," Otaru responded. "That girl, what was her name? The one you were talking about."
"Yuki," Darien replied.
"Oh yeah!" he said back in surprise. "Isn't she the one that I heard was sent to the hospital this morning?"
Darien nodded.
"Uh, huh. I bet she didn't realize it was a dream," he said. "You see, if you don't realize it's a dream, that could run you a risk. But not necessarily. In her case she was probably both afraid and not aware of her dreaming. That's when she was caught."
Darien nodded. But he had noticed that Megumi and her parents had already gone into the house. "Is it time?" he asked Otaru.
Otaru and Melissa looked around the corner and turned back to Darien, both nodding.
"We're going to need to peer into those windows to find her room," Otaru said.
Melissa slapped Otaru on the back of the head.
"Ow! What'd you do that for!?" Otaru screamed.
"Tsk. Looking in girls rooms are you?" Melissa said tapping her foot and looking at him with a frown on her face.
Otaru put his hand behind his head and sweat-dropped, grinning a little with his eyes closed. "Sorry," he said.
Just then Darien pointed to a window just above. Otaru and Melissa looked up to see the back of Megumi's head as she walked away from the window. Just a moment later her dad closed the curtains with a quick jerk.
"Well, we know where it is, now," Darien said.
"Great, now you can go in and rescue her," Otaru said.
"M-me?" Darien said backing up a bit, putting his hands face forward, shaking them rapidly back and forth. "I-I can't do it myself."
"You know, Otaru. It might be too early for him," Melissa said, concerned. "I think we should back him up, till he's ready."
Otaru looked back at Melissa and said, "Don't you get it. If he doesn't do this on his own, he'll never learn for himself."
"Oh, Otaru. You're impossible! Can't you see it's too early for him to do this on his own?" Melissa continued, a bit cross with Otaru.
"Melissa! Don't you see that there's no time to waste? He's gotta be able to do this on his own and the quicker the better," Otaru retorted.
By that time Darien was a little fed up with waiting. He didn't have much courage to face his fears, but he had just enough to fly to the window of the house to see what he could. The curtains were still shut. He stared at the curtains. He had this idea that maybe, possibly, he could have x-ray vision. Otaru and Melissa continued to argue down below, while Darien started to focus. He stared for more than 2 minutes. He concentrated on the curtain and Megumi's image slowly appeared through. She was sitting at her desk doing her homework. She looked like she was really concentrating. Darien could see her that her eyebrows were tight. He could see the tense look in her face as she studied. He floated back away from the window. And as quietly as he could he got Otaru and Melissa's attention. "Hey. She's alone. Can you get in?" Darien whispered down.
"Can I get in? Why don't you just float through the window?" Otaru said.
Darien thought for a moment, "Hmm, maybe I can." He paused a moment. He looked down to Otaru and said, "I can't do that. It's not right!"
Otaru slapped his forehead. "Darien, she's in trouble! You're just making excuses not to go in."
"She doesn't look like she's in trouble to me," Darien added. He floated down back to the ground.
"What was she doing?" Melissa asked.
"She was doing her homework. She seemed kinda frustrated," Darien replied.
Otaru closed his eyes and nodded a few times. "The more frustrated she gets the less she focuses on her impending danger. These monsters know exactly what they're doing," Otaru said. "That's why this needs to be done quick." He looked back up to Darien. "I feel you may have plenty of time to get in and get her out."
Darien was hesitant, but he floated back up to the window and concentrated again, peering through the closed curtain. Not a parent in site. Darien hesitated, but slowly drifted closer to the window. He intended just to float through the glass as if there was nothing there. He wasn't concentrating on the window. He was more concerned about what would happen on the other side. Darien hit the glass and went through. The glass shattered with a loud crash and Darien hit Megumi's floor, bleeding.
^^^^^^^^
"Dammit!" Otaru shouted. "Weren't you concentrating?"
"I think we better get in there and help him. He could be in a lot of trouble," Melissa said in an anxious voice.
"And I think he can do it on his own. You've seen how quickly he learned to fly," Otaru shouted back.
^^^^^^^^
Megumi gasped in shock as she looked at Darien, who was tangled up in the curtain, covered in glass. She stood up out of her chair saying in shock, "What are you doing here?"
Her door slammed open and Megumi's parents walked in. Their faces showed more than anger. Their expressions were almost monstrous.
Darien looked up and saw them coming forward. He slowly tried to get up. But it was no use. He was hurt to much by the broken glass. Too weak to stand up for himself and bleeding, almost soaking the curtains.
^^^^^^^^
"I don't care what you say. I'm going to help," Melissa said scowling at Otaru. She lifted her arms in the air and rose to the window.
Otaru growled a bit. "Don't give him too much. He needs to learn, ya know," he said starting up to the window.
Melissa floated in to Megumi's window.
Megumi gasped, "where are you people coming from? Hurry and leave while you can." She looked back to see her parents slowly approaching, The room getting darker as they drew closer.
"We're here to rescue you. You have no idea what danger you're in," Otaru said to Megumi as he, too, floated into the window opening.
Darien cringed in pain. "Help me," he moaned.
Otaru looked down. "It's all in your mind, Darien. Just close your eyes and imagine you weren't cut."
"It's too early for him to learn that!" Melissa said bending down. She hovered her hands over Darien as if to heal him.
Darien was healed. It was all in his mind that he was cut by the glass and it was also in his mind that he was healed.
Suddenly a sharp kitchen knife flew at Darien's head. He was still on the floor at the moment and the knife lodged itself into the floor, barely missing his nose. Darien's eyes grew large and he got up almost immediately.
Megumi stood up out of her chair and watched, fear in her eyes, as her parents threatened the team of three. She had enough of her parents. She thought about how much pressure they put on her. It was at this moment, she realized it was a dream and she could do something. She ran to her mother and shouted, "Don't hurt them!" Megumi had her arms spread, standing in front of her.
"Out of my way, you worthless child!" she shouted as she swung her hand across her face, sending Megumi flying to the wall. She hit hard and fell to the floor, a drop of blood running down the side of her face.
Melissa rushed to the side of the room where Megumi sat. "I'll take care of Megumi. You two can fight."
Otaru nodded and looked to Darien, "Are you ready?"
Darien shook his head vigorously.
"Come on, Darien. If you can't even say 'yes,' then how are you going to handle these monsters later," Otaru said.
Darien nodded a little, but he didn't look too convinced. He was still very afraid that this wouldn't come out good.
Just then another knife was thrown. It narrowly missed them as it flew between them.
Darien hit the ground, scared. Otaru decided it was time to take action and he ran towards Megumi's mother. He swung low to the stomach. She came around him dodging his punch and elbowed him in the back, sending him to the ground. "Darien! Come on!"
Darien couldn't stand to see his friends in trouble. He stood up tall. He looked Megumi's father in the eyes and said angrily, "Give me your best shot." He gasped, realizing what he just said. He focused so much on what he just said that he didn't realize the fist coming at him. He blinked when he suddenly realized it and he dived to the floor, dodging the punch.
Otaru got up just in time. A knife embedded itself in the floor where he had just been. His fists flew in a fury and the woman backed away, while his fists charged forward. This continued till they reached the window. It was at this moment that Otaru took the opportunity to give her a foot sweep. His leg hit it's target and she lost her footing and fell out the window landing on the car below. The car alarm went off. Megumi's mother turned into a shadow with glowing red eyes and then vanished.
Otaru smiled victorious and mumbled, "One down."
He looked over to Darien, who was laying on the floor. He was about to be stabbed.
"Darien! Get up!" Otaru shouted. He was shaking in fear for him.
Melissa was on the other side of the room helping Megumi and telling her about the dream world. She turned her head in Darien's direction and was shocked at what she saw. She stood up. "Darien!" she shouted, much fear in her voice. She took this moment to change herself into Sailor Moon. "Moon tiara magic!" she shouted and threw her jeweled tiara at the man attacking Darien. Megumi's dad was hit and he revealed his true form, a shadow monster, just before dissolving to a pile of ash.
Darien gasped and then fainted, thinking about the danger he could have been in. Melissa ran over to Darien, her body changing back to her normal self. She knelt to the floor and lifted his head. Darien's eyes slowly opened. "Th-thank you," he said weak.
"Darien, Darien, Darien," Otaru said, ashamed, shaking his head. "Why didn't you fight him?"
Darien turned his head to him and blinked.
Otaru looked down at him. He thought about what he had been putting Darien through. "Uh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was putting all this pressure on you." He walked over to Darien, who was still lying on the floor. "Forgive me?" he asked.
Darien nodded and the two helped him to his feet.
At this moment Megumi started walking towards them. "Hey. Thank you for saving me. I guess I didn't realize I was dreaming earlier," she said in a small voice.
"That's normal," Melissa said with a smile looking back to Megumi. "You just need to figure out whether or not what's going on around is real."
Megumi nodded. "Well, you see my parents put a lot of pressure on me. I feel I need to please them by getting good grades," she continued. She turned her head away a moment and added, "I feel as if they look down upon me all the time."
Darien stood up and slowly walked over to her. He wasn't too worried. It was just a dream, as Otaru kept telling him. His fear of people, since he's been around Otaru and Melissa, had started to go away. Hopefully, this would carry out into the real world. He continued to walk towards Megumi. "You worry about what your parents think of you." Darien turned his head away a moment and then added, "I worry about what everyone thinks. And until tonight, I didn't realize, I could have friends."
"We are," Otaru said smiling.
"Mhm," Melissa agreed.
"In dreams, we act out our life's problems," Darien added.
Otaru nodded, "It's the best place to learn to face them, sometimes."
Megumi turned around and smiled. "Thank you," she said.
A loud, annoying beep echoed throughout the room. Megumi rushed to the clock near her bed. She looked at it. "I think it's time to wake up," she said.
"Good morning!" they all shouted.
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(No, I do not own Sailor Moon or Tuxedo Kamen, but everything else is mine.)
Darien blinked his eyes and lifted his head. He was in his class room. But there was noone there. He looked all around him and found not a sign of anyone. Just then he heard the door and looked behind him. It was Megumi Tenaka. She started walking to her assigned desk with a great big pile of books.
She waved to Darien and sat down. She looked at him, confused. "What are you doing here so late?" she asked.
Darien looked out the window. It was quite dark. He hadn't really taken note of that before. He looked down to his wrist, where his watch should have been. It wasn't there.
"Oh, I'm sorry. You must be who I'm supposed to tutor tonight," she said a little embarrassed.
Darien reluctantly nodded. He knew it was a dream, so he played along.
Megumi looked around Darien. "You didn't bring your books. Shouldn't you have brought them?" she asked.
"Well, I ummm," Darien said placing his hand behind his head.
"That's ok. We can look at mine," she said. "What's the subject you're having trouble with?"
Just then the door opened. Darien and Megumi looked to the back of the room at the door. It was Sensei-Kumashiro who walked in.
"Oh, Hello, Sensei. What brings you here?" Megumi asked.
Something wasn't right. Darien could tell in an instant. Misato gave Megumi a cold stare and just stood there. She held out Megumi's last test. On the top was a big, red 'F'.
Megumi hung her head low and got out of her chair, walking towards Sensei. Miss Kumashiro handed her the paper, still looking at her very coldly. Megumi took the paper, still having her head bent over. She looked down at the 'F.' "An 'F?' But I've never gotten an 'F'," Megumi said sobbing. Her tears leapt from her cheeks to the paper. The 'F' nearly blurred. "How am I going to face my parents with this?" she continued with tears flowing out of the corners of her eyes.
"They already know. They're waiting for you out in front to take you home," Sensei-Kumashiro said coldly and in a bit of a growl. "You can no longer tutor," she added.
Darien knew things weren't right. Miss Kumashiro was never this cold. She was always the helpful type. It was just one lousy 'F.'
"But this can't be. Isn't there something I can do to bring it up?" Megumi continued.
"Get out of my sight, worthless child!" Misato shouted. "You're a failure!"
At that Megumi cried out loud and ran out of the door and to met her parents waiting outside.
After Megumi left Miss Kumashiro looked to Darien. Darien gasped. He wondered if the same thing was in store for him. He got out of his seat and backed up towards the board. She smiled and walked towards Darien. She had this evil sort of smile on her face. The kind of look that you know meant trouble. Darien backed up till his back touched the board. She came within a few inches of Darien and her smile widened.
She flung back her hair and said in a sweet and sexy voice, "What's the matter, Darien. Don't you like me?"
Darien gulped. "What was going on here? She's coming on to me!" he thought.
"Come on Darien. You know you want to," she continued in a sexy voice, tilting her head closer to Darien.
"W-want to what, S-Sensei," Darien stuttered, playing dumb.
She tilted her head back away from Darien and said, "You don't need to call me that. Just call me 'Misato.'" She giggled a bit with a low tone. She placed a hand on Darien's shoulder and leaned her head forward, close to his. "Now, how about that kiss?" she said again slowly.
Darien's face beaded up with sweat as her face came closer and closer. Her lips had almost reached his, so Darien turned his head. She quickly placed her opposite hand on his head and forced it to turn towards her. Her head continued towards his and Darien shut his eyes.
Suddenly there was a door slam in the back of the room. Misato turned her head and Darien opened his eyes. At the door stood a pig tailed blonde girl. She was very tall and slender. As she came closer her appearance was more noticeable. Not only was her hair done in pigtails she also had the two sides bunched up and they resembled little balls on her head. Darien's mouth and eyes widened, realizing that the meatball headed girl was Sailor Moon.
"Who are you?!" the sensei yelled.
"I am Sailor Moon. And on behalf of the moon I will right wrongs and triumph over evil and that means you," Sailor Moon called out striking a pose.
"Oh come on, Melissa. You can't be serious. Can't you be a little more original?" a voice said.
Darien looked all around. "What was that?" he thought.
Misato, also looked all around her, confused. "Where are you?" she asked in a frustrated voice.
The voice didn't answer, but Sailor Moon called back to the voice, "Hey, I'm a big fan and this setting is perfect!"
The voice sighed and replied, "Alright, fine. I'll be Tuxedo Kamen."
"Yay," Sailor Moon cheered, hopping up and down and clapping. Then she lost her balance and fell to the floor. She knelt there crying.
Misato took this as an opportunity to get after her. She turned her whole body around and magically threw failing test papers at her, screaming in a shrill voice.
The meatball headed girl, just noticing this dodged the papers just by swaying her body. The two tests stuck in the floor on each side of her. She cried even harder.
Darien sighed. This was such an awful sight. Here he was thinking he was going to be rescued and this girl just sits on the floor and cries. A large drop of sweat forms on the side of Darien's head.
Sensei Kumashiro was about to make a few more shots when a rose flew at her from out of nowhere. It hit her right directly in the forehead. Her body turned black and her eyes red, revealing her true form.
In the window stood a tall man dressed in a tuxedo with a white mask over his eyes. "Now, Sailor Moon," he called to the clumsy heroine.
She stopped crying and looked over to Tuxedo Kamen. She nodded and said, "hai!" She then stood up and took action. "Moon tiara magic!" she shouted out as she threw her tiara at the large shadow monster.
The shadow screamed a shrill scream as its form disintegrated. Darien blocked out the painful flashing of the tiara's magic with his arm against his face.
After it was all over, only a pile of black ash was left of the monster. The wind from an open window blew and swept it away.
Darien slowly moved his arm away from his eyes. He sighed in relief. His attention then turned to the back of the room where Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon stood. Sailor Moon had just put her tiara back on and Tuxedo Kamen had jumped into the room from the open window in the back. The two start walking towards Darien. They stopped for a moment and quickly changed from the two that had saved them to two different looking people. The girl had long dark brown hair. It was completely straight and with no pigtails. She wore a white shirt with a blue jacket and a light blue skirt that reached just above her knees. But Darien's attention soon went to the guy. Darien blinked. It was Otaru from just after school. The two came closer.
"Darien?" Otaru said. "Hey. I didn't expect you to be one of us."
Darien bowed to the both of them, thanking them for their help. "It's kind of a shock to see you, too," he added.
The girl looked over to Otaru.
"Oh, I'm sorry. This is my girlfriend from over the Internet. Her name is Melissa. She's an exchange student from the United States. I haven't met her on the outside yet, since her school is so far away. Seems my parents don't like the idea of me meeting someone from the Internet." Otaru put his arm around her shoulders, "Melissa. This is my friend, Darien. I haven't known him very long. I just met him after school, today," he continued.
Darien nodded and bowed to her. He took a moment to look at her. She was just as beautiful as Yuki. Darien almost found it hard to look away, but then he realized, what he felt for Yuki and he shook it off. Darien also felt a little ashamed, knowing he was looking at someone else's girlfriend.
"You know, judging by the situation you were in, you're probably SilentSwordsman. Am I right?" Otaru asked.
"H-hai," Darien responded. "You mean you're VentonValiant?" he asked.
"Yep," Otaru nodded and bowed.
"Wow, this is very weird. What a coincidence!" Darien said, astonished.
"Oh, I don't think it's a coincidence at all," Melissa replied. "There's usually a connection made with those who share a dream world."
"Well, you wanted us to help you. How about we start training right now?" Otaru asked confidently.
Just then Darien remembered Megumi. He wondered how things were with her. Last he knew she was headed out to meet with her parents. This dream world is so, weird. Her parents' might be shadows, too. Darien shook his head. "I believe there's another dreamer here," Darien said.
"Aha! So, you can tell the difference between another dreamer and an imagined figure. Very good," Otaru said. "I knew about her. This is part of your training. Shall we go?"
Darien nodded.
The three of them raced to the window. There they could see down below to Megumi as she slowly makes her way to a parked car. Otaru looks down and then turns his head to Darien. "Can you tell me what kind of danger she is headed for Darien?" Otaru asked.
Darien wasn't quite sure, although the idea that her parents were actually shadow monsters had crossed his mind. Darien shook his head.
Otaru frowned. "I know you're thinking it. Just tell me what your thinking," he said changing his frown to a smile.
"Her parents are probably shadow monsters, right?" Darien said with a half smile.
"No. Bzzz. Wrong. Her parents are dreamers, too," Otaru mocked.
"Huh?" Darien said confused. "Her parents can do that, too?"
Otaru laughed. "No. I was just kidding! Trust your instincts," Otaru said with a smile. He paused a moment and added, "Of course, imaginary figures such as the teacher aren't necessarily shadow monsters, either. This does make it hard sometimes."
"Uh, Otaru. We better hurry or she's going to get caught," Melissa said, worried.
"No sweat. We have time before they'll do anything," he replied.
"I sure hope you know what you're saying," Melissa groaned as she continued to look down out of the window, Megumi still making her way to the car at a slow, depressed rate.
Otaru turned his attention to Darien, once again. "Ok, fly!" he shouted, very enthused.
A large sweat drop from on the side of Darien's head. "F-fly? You can't be serious," he stuttered.
"Darien, this is the dream world. No need to be afraid. Things can only go wrong because of your fear. If you aren't afraid nothing can go wrong," Melissa said reassuringly. She smiled.
"That's right and the sooner you get over it, the sooner you can rescue the girl," Otaru smiled.
Darien paused and then looked out the window. His thoughts were on her now. She was in trouble and he really wanted to help her. But it was so hard. He'd been afraid, all his life. Darien was almost going to cry, but he felt this moment of courage. He had to do this. He did say a word and he climbed up on the window sill.
Otaru and Melissa stared a moment.
Melissa looked over and said to Otaru softly, "Is he really going to do it?" She was quite excited.
Otaru answered her, "He needed the proper motivation." He smiled and continued to watch Darien.
Darien gulped as he looked down onto the ground below. His sight began to blur and spin for a moment. Darien blinked his eyes and it stopped. He jumped out of the window. He had hoped to fly, but his fear forced him to start to fall to the ground.
"Darien!" the two shouted from above.
"Remember who you're doing this for!" Otaru shouted down.
Inches from the top of a parked car, Darien stopped and hovered. He opened his eyes. He sighed with relief.
Megumi was only a few feet away, still coming towards the car. She didn't seem to notice, since her head was hung low.
But Darien didn't pay her much attention. He was fixated with what he had just discovered. He didn't hit. This meant only one thing to him. He smiled. "I can fly!" he shouted as he flew straight up into the air.
"Huh?" Megumi said as she raised her head and saw Darien. Her eyes grew. "What the?" was all that came out as she continued to watch. She stared, wide eyed.
Darien flew back to the window sill, where he began, but not before doing a couple of loop de loops.
Melissa had a wide smile on her face. "You did it!" she cheered to him.
"Way to go!" Otaru said. "Much faster than I anticipated. You know? You're a lot more courageous than you give yourself credit for."
Darien turned his head away and reddened. "Not really," was all he said.
Just then as Megumi was still staring at the strange sight. Her father rushed out of the car. "Come on! We haven't got all day!" he shouted as he picked her up. He put her in the car and mumbled, "Worthless child." The car drove away.
Darien opened his eyes and looked down to see the driving away. He turned back to Otaru and Melissa. "She's gone. We better go after her," Darien said, concerned.
The two nodded and climbed up onto the window sill. They held hands and glanced at each other for a moment, before leaping. Darien watched as they glided down the side of the building and then leveling off towards the moving car.
"Hey Dar! Are you coming?" Otaru called back as he turned his head.
"H-hai!" Darien called back. He took a deep breath and spread his arms. He leaned down and positioned himself level with the ground below and sped forth, following Otaru and Melissa.
Darien was very nervous. But so far, he could fly. It was a great feeling. He'd never felt this way before. Just thinking of Yuki made his heart soar, not to mention himself. But as soon as he recalled how she was gone, his heart sank and slowly, so did he. He then thought about what he'd do if he had to face more shadow monsters. Slowly Darien, again, started to lose hope. He started sinking to the ground. His toes finally touch and since he was leaning he lost balance and fell on his face.
Melissa looked to Otaru and smiled, but out of the corner of her eye she could see that Darien was no longer behind them. "Otaru, Darien disappeared," she said.
Otaru looked back. He didn't see him. He turned completely around, turning Melissa with him. He looked all around and noticed him as he got up and sat by the side of the road, his head bent over. "Dar!" he called out as he headed down to join him. Melissa followed and landed softly next to him.
"You were doing so well. Why'd you stop?" Otaru asked as he sat down next to him.
Darien didn't say much of anything for about a minute. "Look you two have really helped me out a lot, but I'm afraid that it's no use. I'm not going to be able to save her," he said depressed.
Melissa sat down on the other side of Darien. "Why not? You just learned to fly and as Otaru said, you learned that very quickly," she said softly putting her hand behind his back, Otaru somewhat jealous.
Darien turned a little red and looked at her.
Melissa gulped and removed her hand. "Sorry," she said bowing her head.
Otaru frowned. Neither one of them seemed to notice, though.
Darien shook his head. "What about the shadows?" he asked.
Otaru replied, "They are merely shadows. Nothing more. It is your fear that hurts you. Not them."
Darien didn't believe him. He shook his head and looked at the ground.
"Look, once we get to Megumi and help her, I'll prove that to you," he said.
"Are we ready to go?" Melissa asked.
Otaru, who had glanced at Melissa as she asked, shifted his attention back to Darien.
Darien nodded slightly and stood up.
"Ok, here we go!" He said launching into the air with Melissa soaring next to him. The two were not holding hands this time.
Darien concentrated and thought of Yuki again. He slowly lifted off, flying after them. It was odd but every once in a while, still in flight, Darien thought of Melissa. He thought about her smile and then the hand behind his back. He gulped and shook his head. This was some other guy's girlfriend and he had his own ideal girl. The girl being Yuki. Darien started to smile. His thoughts about Melissa diminished and he concentrated again on Yuki, continuing after the car ahead of them.
The car parked itself in front of a small home. The three stayed out of the way, waiting for them to get out of the car. Megumi's parents each got out. Megumi took a moment before opening her door. Her head was pointed down as she slowly crept out.
"Hurry up and get to your room!" the man shouted.
Megumi looked back to her father for a moment and walked into the house only slightly faster. Her parents followed in.
"Why don't we go after them right now?" Melissa asked looking at Otaru as he sat on a nearby trash can.
"It's too risky. We don't want to let any harm come to Megumi," Otaru said as he jumped off the can and looked around the corner from the Alley.
"But didn't you say that dreams can't hurt you?" Darien asked a little confused.
"Yes, that's true, but it's obvious Megumi doesn't realize that. Remember, Darien, if you think you can get hurt, you can. It's only by not being afraid that you can't be harmed," Otaru said looking back at Darien. "And from what I can tell Megumi doesn't even seem to think it's a dream, which could be worse."
"Worse?" Darien said, again confused.
"Yeah," Otaru responded. "That girl, what was her name? The one you were talking about."
"Yuki," Darien replied.
"Oh yeah!" he said back in surprise. "Isn't she the one that I heard was sent to the hospital this morning?"
Darien nodded.
"Uh, huh. I bet she didn't realize it was a dream," he said. "You see, if you don't realize it's a dream, that could run you a risk. But not necessarily. In her case she was probably both afraid and not aware of her dreaming. That's when she was caught."
Darien nodded. But he had noticed that Megumi and her parents had already gone into the house. "Is it time?" he asked Otaru.
Otaru and Melissa looked around the corner and turned back to Darien, both nodding.
"We're going to need to peer into those windows to find her room," Otaru said.
Melissa slapped Otaru on the back of the head.
"Ow! What'd you do that for!?" Otaru screamed.
"Tsk. Looking in girls rooms are you?" Melissa said tapping her foot and looking at him with a frown on her face.
Otaru put his hand behind his head and sweat-dropped, grinning a little with his eyes closed. "Sorry," he said.
Just then Darien pointed to a window just above. Otaru and Melissa looked up to see the back of Megumi's head as she walked away from the window. Just a moment later her dad closed the curtains with a quick jerk.
"Well, we know where it is, now," Darien said.
"Great, now you can go in and rescue her," Otaru said.
"M-me?" Darien said backing up a bit, putting his hands face forward, shaking them rapidly back and forth. "I-I can't do it myself."
"You know, Otaru. It might be too early for him," Melissa said, concerned. "I think we should back him up, till he's ready."
Otaru looked back at Melissa and said, "Don't you get it. If he doesn't do this on his own, he'll never learn for himself."
"Oh, Otaru. You're impossible! Can't you see it's too early for him to do this on his own?" Melissa continued, a bit cross with Otaru.
"Melissa! Don't you see that there's no time to waste? He's gotta be able to do this on his own and the quicker the better," Otaru retorted.
By that time Darien was a little fed up with waiting. He didn't have much courage to face his fears, but he had just enough to fly to the window of the house to see what he could. The curtains were still shut. He stared at the curtains. He had this idea that maybe, possibly, he could have x-ray vision. Otaru and Melissa continued to argue down below, while Darien started to focus. He stared for more than 2 minutes. He concentrated on the curtain and Megumi's image slowly appeared through. She was sitting at her desk doing her homework. She looked like she was really concentrating. Darien could see her that her eyebrows were tight. He could see the tense look in her face as she studied. He floated back away from the window. And as quietly as he could he got Otaru and Melissa's attention. "Hey. She's alone. Can you get in?" Darien whispered down.
"Can I get in? Why don't you just float through the window?" Otaru said.
Darien thought for a moment, "Hmm, maybe I can." He paused a moment. He looked down to Otaru and said, "I can't do that. It's not right!"
Otaru slapped his forehead. "Darien, she's in trouble! You're just making excuses not to go in."
"She doesn't look like she's in trouble to me," Darien added. He floated down back to the ground.
"What was she doing?" Melissa asked.
"She was doing her homework. She seemed kinda frustrated," Darien replied.
Otaru closed his eyes and nodded a few times. "The more frustrated she gets the less she focuses on her impending danger. These monsters know exactly what they're doing," Otaru said. "That's why this needs to be done quick." He looked back up to Darien. "I feel you may have plenty of time to get in and get her out."
Darien was hesitant, but he floated back up to the window and concentrated again, peering through the closed curtain. Not a parent in site. Darien hesitated, but slowly drifted closer to the window. He intended just to float through the glass as if there was nothing there. He wasn't concentrating on the window. He was more concerned about what would happen on the other side. Darien hit the glass and went through. The glass shattered with a loud crash and Darien hit Megumi's floor, bleeding.
^^^^^^^^
"Dammit!" Otaru shouted. "Weren't you concentrating?"
"I think we better get in there and help him. He could be in a lot of trouble," Melissa said in an anxious voice.
"And I think he can do it on his own. You've seen how quickly he learned to fly," Otaru shouted back.
^^^^^^^^
Megumi gasped in shock as she looked at Darien, who was tangled up in the curtain, covered in glass. She stood up out of her chair saying in shock, "What are you doing here?"
Her door slammed open and Megumi's parents walked in. Their faces showed more than anger. Their expressions were almost monstrous.
Darien looked up and saw them coming forward. He slowly tried to get up. But it was no use. He was hurt to much by the broken glass. Too weak to stand up for himself and bleeding, almost soaking the curtains.
^^^^^^^^
"I don't care what you say. I'm going to help," Melissa said scowling at Otaru. She lifted her arms in the air and rose to the window.
Otaru growled a bit. "Don't give him too much. He needs to learn, ya know," he said starting up to the window.
Melissa floated in to Megumi's window.
Megumi gasped, "where are you people coming from? Hurry and leave while you can." She looked back to see her parents slowly approaching, The room getting darker as they drew closer.
"We're here to rescue you. You have no idea what danger you're in," Otaru said to Megumi as he, too, floated into the window opening.
Darien cringed in pain. "Help me," he moaned.
Otaru looked down. "It's all in your mind, Darien. Just close your eyes and imagine you weren't cut."
"It's too early for him to learn that!" Melissa said bending down. She hovered her hands over Darien as if to heal him.
Darien was healed. It was all in his mind that he was cut by the glass and it was also in his mind that he was healed.
Suddenly a sharp kitchen knife flew at Darien's head. He was still on the floor at the moment and the knife lodged itself into the floor, barely missing his nose. Darien's eyes grew large and he got up almost immediately.
Megumi stood up out of her chair and watched, fear in her eyes, as her parents threatened the team of three. She had enough of her parents. She thought about how much pressure they put on her. It was at this moment, she realized it was a dream and she could do something. She ran to her mother and shouted, "Don't hurt them!" Megumi had her arms spread, standing in front of her.
"Out of my way, you worthless child!" she shouted as she swung her hand across her face, sending Megumi flying to the wall. She hit hard and fell to the floor, a drop of blood running down the side of her face.
Melissa rushed to the side of the room where Megumi sat. "I'll take care of Megumi. You two can fight."
Otaru nodded and looked to Darien, "Are you ready?"
Darien shook his head vigorously.
"Come on, Darien. If you can't even say 'yes,' then how are you going to handle these monsters later," Otaru said.
Darien nodded a little, but he didn't look too convinced. He was still very afraid that this wouldn't come out good.
Just then another knife was thrown. It narrowly missed them as it flew between them.
Darien hit the ground, scared. Otaru decided it was time to take action and he ran towards Megumi's mother. He swung low to the stomach. She came around him dodging his punch and elbowed him in the back, sending him to the ground. "Darien! Come on!"
Darien couldn't stand to see his friends in trouble. He stood up tall. He looked Megumi's father in the eyes and said angrily, "Give me your best shot." He gasped, realizing what he just said. He focused so much on what he just said that he didn't realize the fist coming at him. He blinked when he suddenly realized it and he dived to the floor, dodging the punch.
Otaru got up just in time. A knife embedded itself in the floor where he had just been. His fists flew in a fury and the woman backed away, while his fists charged forward. This continued till they reached the window. It was at this moment that Otaru took the opportunity to give her a foot sweep. His leg hit it's target and she lost her footing and fell out the window landing on the car below. The car alarm went off. Megumi's mother turned into a shadow with glowing red eyes and then vanished.
Otaru smiled victorious and mumbled, "One down."
He looked over to Darien, who was laying on the floor. He was about to be stabbed.
"Darien! Get up!" Otaru shouted. He was shaking in fear for him.
Melissa was on the other side of the room helping Megumi and telling her about the dream world. She turned her head in Darien's direction and was shocked at what she saw. She stood up. "Darien!" she shouted, much fear in her voice. She took this moment to change herself into Sailor Moon. "Moon tiara magic!" she shouted and threw her jeweled tiara at the man attacking Darien. Megumi's dad was hit and he revealed his true form, a shadow monster, just before dissolving to a pile of ash.
Darien gasped and then fainted, thinking about the danger he could have been in. Melissa ran over to Darien, her body changing back to her normal self. She knelt to the floor and lifted his head. Darien's eyes slowly opened. "Th-thank you," he said weak.
"Darien, Darien, Darien," Otaru said, ashamed, shaking his head. "Why didn't you fight him?"
Darien turned his head to him and blinked.
Otaru looked down at him. He thought about what he had been putting Darien through. "Uh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was putting all this pressure on you." He walked over to Darien, who was still lying on the floor. "Forgive me?" he asked.
Darien nodded and the two helped him to his feet.
At this moment Megumi started walking towards them. "Hey. Thank you for saving me. I guess I didn't realize I was dreaming earlier," she said in a small voice.
"That's normal," Melissa said with a smile looking back to Megumi. "You just need to figure out whether or not what's going on around is real."
Megumi nodded. "Well, you see my parents put a lot of pressure on me. I feel I need to please them by getting good grades," she continued. She turned her head away a moment and added, "I feel as if they look down upon me all the time."
Darien stood up and slowly walked over to her. He wasn't too worried. It was just a dream, as Otaru kept telling him. His fear of people, since he's been around Otaru and Melissa, had started to go away. Hopefully, this would carry out into the real world. He continued to walk towards Megumi. "You worry about what your parents think of you." Darien turned his head away a moment and then added, "I worry about what everyone thinks. And until tonight, I didn't realize, I could have friends."
"We are," Otaru said smiling.
"Mhm," Melissa agreed.
"In dreams, we act out our life's problems," Darien added.
Otaru nodded, "It's the best place to learn to face them, sometimes."
Megumi turned around and smiled. "Thank you," she said.
A loud, annoying beep echoed throughout the room. Megumi rushed to the clock near her bed. She looked at it. "I think it's time to wake up," she said.
"Good morning!" they all shouted.
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