• Epilogue
    "Who..who are you?!" I managed to say. "You once you knew me." I looked at the masked man in curiosity and fear. I knew him once? I thought for a very long time. "Please. Tell me who you are. Why did you save me?" The masked man turned towards me. "I saved you for the good of us all. I will not tell you my true name. However, you may call me by my codename. Shadow."


    Chapter One
    Years Ago
    "Wait for me!" I yelled. As usual, Ajay Pion was ahead of me. Ajay turned towards me waiting at the corner. "Come on! Your not as fast as you used to be!" I finally reached the corner and took a long breath. "Geesh Ajay! You know you could wait!" She sighed. "They say the tortoise won against the rabbit but ONLY because the rabbit relaxed! I don't relax Nikki!" She took of her hair tie, letting her hair fall. Ajay had the most silkiest hair I have ever seen. Her looks are very deceiving though.. We went to my house to have some ice cream after our running fiasco. My mom saw us pigging out on the ice cream and I ended up getting grounded.

    I laughed with Ajay at the memory of the old days. " Back then it was just us two right?" She grinned widely. "Yeah it was. Now look at where were at! I don't know what I would do without you Nicole~" With emphasis on the last word we laughed again. "You know I don't like being called Nicole, Ajay." At this she smiled wider. "Exactly the point." We chortled and laughed until we teared. After many minutes she informed me that we would be having a transfer student from Asia somewhere. " I wonder whom it is.." I pondered aloud.

    Chapter Two
    Aya Mikage

    The next day we found out who the transfer student was. "Everyone this is Aya Mikage, a transfer student from Japan." Aya was medium-tall with long black hair that was just as beautiful as Ajay's. Aya bowed and said, "Yoroshku." Everyone muttered, wondering what she said. "Nice to meet you too." I was surprised at my own exclamation, not knowing what I just did. Mr.V looked at me with a smile. "You know Japanese?" I shook my head vigorously.
    "I don't know. I guessed thats what she said?" Aya stared at me for a while and smiled. She whispered something in Mr. V's ear and he nodded. "Aya will take a seat next to Nicole for the year." My mouth dropped open. Did I just make a friend?

    At lunch hour Aya spoke to me purely in Japanese. Strange enough, I understood it all. And strange enough, she spoke perfect English to me only.
    The next day Aya was sick so I sat with Ajay. "She's very strange you know. She told me to return home. When I told her my door was locked and I don't have a key, she shook her head saying that's not the home I mean." Ajay stared at me. "What else did she say?" I was a bit hesitant because what Aya said made me remember things that I don't remember happening. I told Ajay that and that Aya would take me to where she meant. Munching on her Pringle Stix, "That Aya kid is wierd..." she replied. I nodded not knowing what else to do but let her take me there.

    Chapter Three
    Secrets

    I was dissappointed because Aya was at school. After school I had to bail on Ajay's plan to feed the ducks at the lake. I sighed as she took me to the dead tree. She clapped her hands together as though praying and spoke rapid Japanese. The tree revived, turning into a cherryblossom tree. "Come with me, Hime-Sama." A mysterious wind blew around the tree and the school disappeared. I reluctantly took her hand as she walked behind it to see a passage. "Crawl." I followed after her until she stopped. The end was much wider so I could be beside her. She touched the bark door that was closed and a strange light encircled it and opened. I was sucked in, and I was falling. All around was crystal mirrors reflecting a different area. "There!" Aya pointed to a mirror with cherryblossom trees and a koi pond.
    Aya grabbed me and dragged me into the mirror, and we were reflected out.

    "Hime-sama! Hime-sama!" I woke, confused. I'm dreaming. I didn't follow Aya through the dead tree and fall through a crystal mirror tunnel thing. And I didn't get reflected out. It was a dream dream dream! But why was it so vivid?! I sat up, rubbing my eyes. "Yokata!" Everything was clear. Aya was beside me and we were in our school uniforms. We were in a cherryblossom forest by a koi pond. Aya smiled at me, acknowledging the fact that I good see better and was okay. "Okaeri!" I stared blankly at her. " No.. no.... this isn't my home!" A nauseous feeling went through me as I felt the koi pond's water. " You don't.. feel anything?" I nodded silently. Aya knelt to the ground. "It is time, princess. Welcome home."