I could contain it no longer; it must end now.

	You had to know someone was going to do this sooner or later anyway.
^_^

	Anime Hearts.

	Another brilliant comedy by me.













	What kind of accent did you give me in your head when you read that
first part? ^_^













	Sort of an English one? Southern drawl? Hillbilly? A used car salesman?
A Northeastern accent? South central? New England perhaps? Hispanic? A
dude?  Maybe a snotty yuppie? 








	What about tone?









Maybe a dry monotone? A crazed scream? An insane superior tone, or just
a regular superior tone? Perhaps an angry snarling tone? Perhaps even a
slight lisp? 














	Well, I dunno about that last one, but...

	Anyway.

+++++++++++++++++++++

	The theme song.

	Simple and Clean [PLANITb Remix]
	
	Part 1.

	Complexities of life. 


++++++++++++++++++++++

	"Falling."

	Carrot sighed as he looked around. He was falling headfirst and facing
up away from the ground. 

	"This dream again? Wonder if there's anything underneath me this time?"
He twisted his neck and tried to jerk his body as he fell. It didn't do
much to change his position, and he couldn't see what was below him. His
loose brown shirt flapped in the wind as he fell. His pants were loose
blue jeans that were flapping loudly as he fell as well. A silver chain
hung in the air just above his neck with a medallion hanging from it.
The medal was a medium sized dragonhead styled into an axe with two red
gems for eyes. His brown hair waved wildly, he could feel the short
ponytail brushing the back of his neck violently.

	"Probably another dark void. Man, this dream gets old sometimes."

	He was completely taken by surprise when he fell beneath the water in
his dream and simply watched the bubbles for a moment. It lasted less
than a second, and he found himself standing on a beach. He glanced
around and saw something odd.

	His old friend Dan was standing in the water with his hand reached out
to him. He had a confident smirk on his face as he stared him directly
in his face. He was a large man of about twenty-three years old. He had
black slicked back hair and cold blue eyes. He was wearing street
clothes, blue jeans, a black leather jacket, and a plain white button up
shirt. 

	"Okay, this dream is definitely going in the wrong direction,"
commented Carrot as he stared at the boy. He was a healthy heterosexual
boy of twenty-four years himself, and he didn't really feel like
exploring his feminine side in so graphic a nature. He stood up and
smiled as a large wave rolled up behind Dan's back. 

	He was going to start laughing, really he was, but the wave didn't stop
with Dan. Carrot found himself swept underwater by the force of the
water as it slammed into his body. He saw Dan glaring at him angrily
under the water and smirked despite the water that had rushed up his
nose. The pair floated up out of the water, and Carrot found himself
able to stand in knee deep water. Dan stood beside him brushing the
water out of his hair while giving him irritated glares. 

	He wasn't paying much attention to that as another one of his friends
was standing on the edge of the water laughing and pointing at them.

	Her name was Jennifer, but everyone called her Jenn. A cigarette hung
from her fingers as she pointed at them and turned red with laughter.
She was not dressed for the beach either. She wore her usual wardrobe of
an ankle length skirt and a simple T-shirt. She was a skinny girl with
long brown hair that hung to the middle of her back. 

	"Why that dirty little. She didn't tell either of us!" Carrot grumbled
under his breath.

	Dan flashed him an angry glare and uppercut him.

	Carrot sailed into the air and came down hard in the water. Rather than
stop when he reached bottom, he continued to plummet downward, further
and further into the darkness of the deep. 

	"I'm gonna get him for that one," grumbled Carrot without thinking
about the fact that he was dreaming still.

	He floated upright suddenly and realized that his feet had hit
something solid. It felt like a floor, and he didn't seem to be
underwater any longer. "What the?"

	As he looked around something seemed to float off the ground, shards of
black began to float away from the ground below him and float away. A
light shined up from the surface below him. As the shards floated away,
a huge stained glass window appeared below him. "What the?"

	He didn't even notice the shards of black turn into birds as they flew
away behind him. His eyes were fixed on the huge image below him. It was
Kei, from the Dirty Pair. A wreath of mechanical looking weapons
surrounded the giant image's torso. He looked up and glanced around at
the nothing that surrounded him. "This is too weird."

	A voice called out to him, it was feminine, and he had heard it before,
but he couldn't place it. "So much to do, so little time. Take your
time.  Don't be afraid, the door is still shut."

	He stared at it for a moment and stepped back as he realized that there
was something else on the edge of the image. "What?" He turned his head
and saw three things floating over simple stone pedestals, a sword, a
shield, and a staff. The blade was a short sword, it the blade shined
brightly in the light that shined above it. The shield was simple, a
basic shield with a painted red surface. The staff was unassuming,
nothing more than a wooden rod with a black orb on top. The orb had a
faint orange light within it.

	He walked up to the sword and stared at it for a moment. 

	"You must choose."

	Carrot spun around to look at the source of the voice.

	A lone woman with light blue hair was standing in front of him. She had
two small dots on her forehead and long flowing robes covered her body.

	"Choose?"

	"Your power is great, but limited. Choose your skills now."

	"Um, Tsunami right?" said the boy with a nervous laugh as he scratched
the back of his head. "Man, this dream is getting really weird," he
muttered under his breath. Though, he admitted he'd be far from upset if
the dream got a little dirty.

	ZOT!

	"Yeowch!"

	"Stop wasting time, you must choose! Hurry! My time grows short."

	"Jeezus lady!" cried Carrot fearfully as he stood smoking in front of
the sword. "Alright!" He snatched the sword and glared at her. "Happy?"

	"You have chosen the power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword
of terrible destruction. Your path is set. Now you must choose again,
choose, the power you will give up." She looked quite ominous as she
said this. 

	Carrot had no idea what that meant. He also didn't know you could feel
pain in a dream. It kind of sucked. He merely rushed over to the
pedestal furthest away from her and snatched up the staff. Tsunami spoke
again. "The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and
ruin. You give up this power. Is this the form you choose?" 

	Carrot stared at her for a moment in confusion. "Yeah, sure."

The staff vanished in a flash of light and Tsunami merely smiled at him
softly. "Remember, you cannot be harmed by the darkness, so long as you
remember that there is light, even in the darkest depths. 

	"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

	Tsunami faded away and Carrot found himself staring at the empty place
where she had once been.

	"Well shit."

	Carrot paused as the pedestals sank into the glass. "Uh oh." The glass
under him shattered away and he fell deeper into the darkness. He landed
on another great circle of glass and glanced around, he was standing
somewhere different. This time he saw a gigantic image of the goddess
Belldandy.

	He paused as he gripped the handle of his blade and noticed an odd
black shadow moving across the floor towards him. "What the?" He backed
away, but he was trapped on the edge, it slid underneath him and spread.
Panicking he flailed his arms as he sank into the floor. It consumed him
completely and he struggled.

	Finally, he opened his eyes and found himself lying on his back on yet
another window. This time there was no face on the glass, but rather a
large mosaic of hearts.

	On the other side of the image was a door that led to nothing. Carrot
walked over to it and pulled on the handle. It was locked apparently. He
frowned, it didn't go anywhere. He peered around the other side and saw
the other side with no problem. "Great," he muttered as he kicked it. It
popped open with a rather unpleasant ripping sound and Carrot looked
around guiltily for a moment before he remembered he was alone.

	He stepped through the door and found himself standing inside his own
apartment. He moved through the room and found he was the only one
there. Without a word, he walked to the front door and opened it.
Tsunami's voice spoke to him once again. "Your adventure begins in the
dead of night. Your road won't be easy, but a rising sun awaits your
journey's end." He looked back at the room again with a small frown on
his face as he stepped forward. He looked more annoyed than anything
else. "The day you will open the door is both far off and very near."

	He found himself walking onto another window; this time there was an
image of Hikaru Shidou, of Magic Knight Rayearth. A bright light shined
down from above him and he stared at it as it moved across the glass
like a searchlight. 

	He turned and stared up at the stairway that had appeared behind him
for a moment before he shrugged his shoulders and continued forward. It
floated in the air, and was made of simple stained glass. He couldn't
see where it went and stepped over to it somewhat reluctantly. "How bad
could it be?"

	As he neared it, he could see a great pillar, the sides were covered in
stain glass windows, and as he expected there was another image in front
of him when he finally reached the top. This time it was a picture of
Pai, from 3x3 Eyes. 

	Gripping the blade in his hand he started forward. "Okay, now what?" he
muttered under his breath.

	"The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes; but
don't be afraid, and don't forget..." 

	He slowly turned to face the new noise in his environment. He almost
dropped his sword at what he saw in front of him. "Fuck this!"

	His shadow seemed to crawl out of the ground. It became a giant black
figure; easily forty feet tall loomed over him. It's arms had massive
claws and its eyes glowed with a dark presence. It crossed its arms as
it stared down at him. The thing didn't even closely resemble him any
longer.

	Slowly, he backed away and swung the blade down reflexively. He held it
at his side, with the point facing the floor to his right. 

	The creature slammed its fist into the ground and he jumped away from
the strike. Its hand went into the glass and spread into a pool of
blackness. Smaller creatures seemed to rise out of the dark pool and
bounce around inside it excitedly. 

	Carrot backed away from the scene defensively as he frowned at his
position. The larger creature swung its fist towards him and he had to
rush to the side to avoid being hit. The smaller things swarmed around
him suddenly and he jumped over three of them and into the middle of the
back to avoid another slash of the large beast's claws.

	One of the creatures stared at him with its gigantic yellow eyes for a
split second before slamming its head into his stomach. 

	Carrot rolled across the ground from the blow and stood slowly while
holding his stomach. He had felt that, there was something off about
this dream. "Is it a dream?"

	The giant monster raised both hands into the air and a dark power
formed between them.

	"Can I take that chance?" he said to himself as he eyed the smaller
creatures for a split second. They were hanging back at the moment.

	Carrot shifted his stance and placed the shield on his back. There was
a larger strap attached to it to allow it. He seemed to place the blade
into a scabbard that wasn't there and waited with his free hand held
over the blade almost as if he was holding it. His options were limited,
he had no where to run, and all he could do is hope to hold it off until
he could think of something better.

	Balls of power began to slam into the ground around him, but they
missed him completely. The large monster didn't seem to be aiming at
anything in particular yet.

	The smaller creatures swarmed forward and he jumped into them again.
This time he lashed out with the sword in a wide arc. Three of them were
thrown back, injured, but not beaten. 

	"Damn!" he muttered as he rolled aside to avoid the large creature's
claws as they slammed into the ground again. He growled angrily as more
of the creatures started to rise out of the pool of darkness that had
formed again.

	"No!" He rushed towards it and slashed the monster in the wrist, hoping
to get it to remove its arm and stop creating more problems for him. It
didn't seem to phase the creature as it continued to ignore him. 

	Carrot growled in frustration as he hacked and slashed at the arm
repeatedly. The monster continued to ignore him and pulled its arm out
of the dark pool. 

	The boy stepped back as he stared up at the monstrous being. It was
looking at its arm. Suddenly, its eyes grew brighter as it glared down
at him.

	"Oh man. I think I just pissed it off."

	He was blindsided by three of the smaller creatures while his attention
was elsewhere. Carrot rolled with the blows and staggered to his feet
painfully as he turned to stare them down. 

	There were about eight of them now, he clenched the sword in his hand a
little tighter and frowned. Charging forward he slashed down on one of
the thing's head. His blade flew from his grip and sailed over his head
impaling itself into the ground. The creature screamed in anguish and
faded into a black puff of smoke. The boy was flat on his back from the
force of his own blow and stared in dumbfounded shock as a glowing red
heart shot into the sky from the remains. Small crystals littered the
ground, along with a few green orbs of energy. He had no idea what
either one was.

	"What the fuck is this?" he cried as he jumped too his feet and moved
aside to avoid the creature's companions as they swarmed towards him
again.

	He found himself standing over one of the green orbs of energy and
noticed it roll into his foot. It seemed to shatter on contact with him
and create a cloud of green mist that seemed to float around his body.
He staggered back, expecting it to be some kind of attack. 

	Instead, he felt refreshed; a small surge of power seemed to flow into
his body. "This is a game?" It made sense in an odd sort of way. He
stared up at the monster above him for a moment and smirked.

	The smaller creatures were moving towards him again, spreading out to
surround him.

	Carrot narrowed his eyes as he saw his sword sticking up from the
ground a short distance away. 

	Running directly into the creatures he pushed into the air with his
feet. Three of the things jumped into the air to meet him and he lashed
out with his foot to kick the one in front of him out of the air. It
sailed off the edge of the glass and into the darkness. One of the
others missed him completely, and the last one was deflected with his
hand as he pushed off its attacking head.

	Carrot hit the ground hard, back where he started. His entire arm
throbbed with a quickly fading pain. "Damn, not such a good idea."

	The large beast decided to make its presence known again and swung its
hands down at him. Carrot lay flat on his back as they passed over him;
a huge gust of wind blew at his shirt as they passed inches above his
nose.

	"Okay, new plan," he muttered as he scrambled to his feet to avoid the
six remaining shadows. 

	Slowly he backed away from them, finding himself on the edge of the
platform. "Damn!"

	One of the smaller things jumped forward and he hit the ground and
covered his head as it dove headfirst towards him. The hit would hurt
like hell, but it was better than being thrown off. 

	A loud clang met his ears and he blinked as he saw the thing land on
its rear in front of him. It shook its head and seemed pretty dazed.

	"The shield!" he gasped as he slipped it off his back as he stood. He
hooked it across his left arm and pulled it up to guard his torso.

	The massive beast swung its claws into him and he jumped. The thing
swatted him out of the air easily and he rolled across the glass. The
shield had prevented the claws from harming him, but not the force of
impact. He groaned as he staggered to his feet. He had moved several
feet, but the smaller things were still between him and the blade. 

	He peered at them from the other side of the shield and narrowed his
eyes. They slowly moved in around him and he waited for them this time.

	When the things were about three feet away, the larger creature was
making another energy ball in the air and ignoring them. Dark flames
floated down around him and burned for a moment on the ground as the
larger one released the attack. 

	Carrot ignored this and charged forward with the shield in front of
him. Three of the creatures were bowled over as he passed right through
them. He rolled and slid as if stealing a base as the large thing
slammed its hand into the ground again. His hand reached out and grasped
the hilt of the blade. Unfortunately, his momentum did not stop. "Oh
shit!"

	Carrot grasped the blade desperately; the shield on his other arm
complicated matters as he clung to the handle with both hands despite
it. The blade had sunk in deep, and it seemed to be holding. The side of
the giant pillar was incredibly slick. He kicked his feet as he tried to
find something to pull himself up with below him. 
	
	He strained painfully as four more of the small creatures began to form
directly in front of him. The large monster ignored his predicament, but
the smaller ones were moving in quickly.

	"FUCK!" he grunted as they started to become uncomfortably close. He
was straining with all his strength just to hold on to the blade.

	One of the things jumped for him and he screamed in angry pain as he
kicked one of his legs with all his might. He managed to hook it over
the ledge just in time to take a strike to the gut. He rolled onto his
side and felt nothing holding his left shoulder up from the force of the
blow he'd been given. Gasping for breath he panted painfully as more of
them jumped to attack him. His eyes went wide as he saw two more diving
straight for him. Quickly, he rolled away and jumped to his feet.

	He wasn't in good shape and he knew it. He was having trouble standing
on his right leg, and one of his eyes was squinted shut. "What am I
going to do now?" He was fighting a losing battle, he knew he was
probably doomed. "Well, lets see how many I can take with me?" His voice
calmed remarkably as he assessed the situation carefully. "That's it!"
he cried out loud as he focused his attention on the large swarm of
smaller shadows. There were around a dozen of them now, and they were
all itching to attack again. 

	Their attack pattern was strange, they seemed to be hanging back
somewhat. Then they'd rush forward in coordinated attacks. 

	Carrot was alone; he had to worry about the big one as well. That
didn't leave much room for tactics. He glared up at the giant as it
thrust its hand into the ground again. "Just keep making those things
ugly."

	The boy rushed forward with an animalistic battle cry. He slashed with
the blade and sent the smaller things flying away. He used wide low
slices to fight them and it proved effective. They were forced away from
him and allowed a little breathing room. They quickly grew more cautious
and he was forced to spin constantly to keep them from attacking from
behind. One of them dove with its head again, jumping straight at him. 

	Carrot slashed again and the thing's head met with his blade. The
weapon and the monster flew apart, but neither party seemed injured.
"Okay. I can parry, that's nice to know." His condition hadn't grown
worse, but it also hadn't gotten any better. He frowned and eyed a small
group of the things that had congregated to his left. 

	The giant decided to put its two cents in as well as it started lashing
with its claws once again.

	Carrot jumped into the air and slashed downward at the thing's wrist as
it passed under him. He rolled as he hit the ground and jabbed forward,
stabbing one of the creatures in the chest. It vaporized as the heart
shot into the sky again. As before, a small shower of crystals and
energy was scattered across the ground. Carrot ran around the area,
slashing with his sword as he absorbed them.

	His eye was better, and he wasn't hurting nearly as badly. "All right."
He turned slowly to face the pack of monsters and frowned. "Who's next?"

	This time they reacted in a swarm. 

	"Oh man," whined Carrot as he was forced to move through them. He
tagged a few more as he did this and kept them at bay. Another one of
the creatures exploded and he rushed over to collect the energy once
again. The crystals vanished as well as he passed over them, but they
didn't seem to make him feel any different. 

	The large monster thrust its hand into the ground again.

	"Stop that you asshole!" screamed Carrot as he rushed up to it and
began to hack at the arm again. The blade was becoming a little easier
to use now. He was growing accustomed to the weight and feel of it
slowly but surely. 

	He stepped back as it pulled its arm up. Stepping back across a shower
of crystals and power as one of the smaller creatures that had grown
caught in one of his swings exploded. 

	He glanced around himself and backed up. There were close to thirty of
the small things around him now. They jumped and stared at him excitedly
as they began to move in.

	Carrot stared up at the dark creature above him as it raised its hands
into the air a final time. Its eyes grew brighter as a dark storm cloud
formed over its head. 

	"Oh shit," muttered Carrot as the thing's arms slammed into the ground
on either side of him. He struggled as his feet slowly began to sink
into the blackness below him. "No! No fair!" He turned to slash at one
of the arms nearby, but the beast merely ignored him as he sank every
deeper.

	Carrot's struggles grew more frantic as he struggled against the force
pulling him downward. His neck and arms began to sink below when a voice
rang out inside his head. It was Tsunami again.

	"Don't be afraid, for you hold the mightiest weapon of all. Always
remember..."
	
	The boy stared at the sky as long as he could; his face was becoming
enveloped as well. He didn't seem to care much about the voice at the
moment.

	"You are the one, who will open the door."

	Carrot blinked despite his struggles. "What the hell is that supposed
to mean!?" The voice did not answer, as he became swallowed by darkness.

	His eyes went wide at what he saw before he vanished into the pool of
darkness completely. It was the bottom of a white Kimono standing in
front of him. A woman, her face shrouded in shadows as she slowly drew a
blade from her side and plunged it into the darkness that was swallowing
him up. She seemed to be smiling.

	Then, everything went black.

++++++++++++++++++++++

	Carrot sat up and stared forward.

	"What the hell are you doing sleeping out here?"

	He blinked and looked up to see Jenn staring at him irritably. "Having
a really weird dream."

	He glanced around and found himself sitting in the back yard of a small
apartment building. It was no more than a twenty-foot square area with a
few clotheslines hanging across it. In fact, it was his home, Jennifer
stayed a few doors down from him, with Dan living on the second floor.
He lived on the second floor of the three-story building.

	"Don't you have something you're supposed to be doing?" she snorted as
she lit a cigarette and sat down on the back porch of the building. It
was a raised wooden platform with a sliding glass door that went into
the building. 

	"Huh? Not really." He scratched his head in confusion and frowned. 

	"Carrot! What the hell are you doing!?" screamed a familiar voice from
above them.

	He looked up and began to sweat nervously. "I fell asleep?"

	The woman looking down on them sighed and rolled her eyes as she leaned
out of the window. She was an Asian woman of about his age. Her long
dark hair was tied back in a ponytail. She was wearing a turtleneck
shirt and glared down at him irritably. "You're supposed to be fixing
that porch!"

	The man sighed as he looked at the hammer and nails that were strewn
across the ground beside him. "Oh yeah." He stood up and stretched his
back. "Don't worry about it, I just took a little nap that's all." He
seemed somewhat irritated by the two women bothering him.

	A tennis shoe slammed into his forehead and sent him back to the
ground. "So get to work!"

	"Ouch!" he cried as he sat up again. "Why you..."

	"Heh. Mia is pissed," said Jenn as she blew out a cloud of smoke and
grinned at him.

	"Shut up," he grumbled as he picked up the hammer and stared at the
loose boards. It probably wouldn't take him very long to replace them.
"I got all day to do this."

	"Don't you mean you're trying to make this last all day?" asked Jenn
cheerfully.
	
	"Well, that too," he admitted as he laughed nervously.

	The door opened and Dan walked out and put a pair of dark sunglasses on
over his eyes as he squinted into the sun for a moment. "Gah. Daylight."

	"Hey," said Carrot as he waved at him cheerfully.

	"Makin you fix the porch?" he asked as he noticed the pair.

	"Um, yeah," said the man in reply. "Finally finish?"

	"Yeah," replied Dan with a small shrug. 

	Carrot shook his head and sighed. Dan had discovered that Doom 3 would
be released, and had taken it upon himself to go through every single
Doom game using a single life. "Guess you'll have to find something else
to do. Didn't think you'd manage it this fast."

	The man merely nodded and glanced around the yard. 

	"PC's free," said Dan as he looked down at Jenn. 

	"Great!" said the girl as she jumped to her feet and smiled warmly as
she rushed by him and into the building. 

	Between the three of them, they had every major game system on the
market. Dan had a rather high end PC in his room that was used
exclusively for gaming. There wasn't much else to do in the area for
fun. Save a bar they all frequented, and their low-income jobs at
'Burger Thing'.

	"How's it goin?" asked Dan as he sat down next to Carrot and looked at
the old porch.

	"Just started," he replied with a heavy sigh. "Shouldn't take long
though."

	"Too bad," said Dan with a small shrug.

	Carrot merely stared at it irritably. "Yeah. Who knows what else she'll
want me to do today?"

	"Carrot! Quit stalling and get back to work! I've got a whole list of
things that need to be done!" cried Mia from overhead.

	"Of course Muffin," grumbled the man irritably as he clenched the
hammer a little tighter.

	"You married her," said Dan as he walked by with his hands in his
pockets.

	"I was drunk," grumbled Carrot irritably.

	"Not as much as you'd like to think," replied his friend calmly. "I'm
goin for a beer. Meet me later, if you can escape."

	"Right," replied Carrot halfheartedly.

	Dan walked around the side of the building towards the front and went
towards the local bar. It was only about a block away.

++++++++++++++++++++

	Carrot knelt over the wooden porch and hooked the nail remover end of
his hammer under one of the old nails. It came up rather easily and he
fell flat on his rear as he pulled it out. "Son of a..." he muttered
irritably as he pushed himself back forward and pulled the board up.
There were several more he had to replace, but the job was mostly done
now. There were several new boards behind him as he worked on the small
wooden platform. 

	He placed a new one over the hole and paused. He blinked and pulled it
back up before placing any nails in it. "What the?" He stared down
underneath the platform for a moment and noticed something odd. There
was a large hole in the ground underneath it. He stood up and stepped
back for a moment. It looked big enough for a human to crawl into it,
and it was angled slightly downward.

	"Wonder where it goes?" he muttered as he dusted his hands off on his
pants and walked towards the glass doors.

	He was stopped cold as Mia stood glaring at him from the doorway. "What
are you doing? Quit screwing around."

	He blinked and smiled at her cheerfully. "There's a hole in the ground.
I'm gonna go get a flashlight and check it out before I cover it."

	The woman stared at him for a moment in confusion. "What?" She was
wearing a simple apron over her jeans and tossed a rag onto a nearby end
table.

	"Shouldn't take long, I'm just curious," he replied as he walked up the
stairs towards their apartment.  

	"Well..." started Mia as she followed after him. She wasn't sure what
to make of what was going on. "A hole?"

	"Yeah, a big one," he replied as he opened the door to their apartment
and started rooting through a small end table's drawer. He came up with
a small metal flashlight and grinned at her. "Probably goes to some
pipes or something I guess."

	"That sounds dangerous," commented the woman as she frowned at him.

	"I guess it would be," he replied simply as he walked out the door.
"Seems weird for someone to not have filled it in though."

	"I guess I should call my uncle about it," muttered the woman with a
slightly worried frown. She managed the apartment for the man, as a
result, her and her husband were allowed to live in one of the rooms
without worrying about rent. Several of the boy's friends had decided to
tag along, as it was a rather old building, and the rent was cheap. 

	Carrot walked out into the hallway again and waved to a man who was
sitting behind a computer terminal in one of the rooms with the door
open. He was a rather nerdy looking man with short cut blonde hair. He
had on thick glasses and had a dark spot in his hair just above his
forehead. 

	"Hey Phil," said the man as he walked by.

	There was little reaction to his passing as the man continued to stare
at the screen in front of him. There was a lot of electronic equipment
scattered about the room along the walls and on the floor. 

	Mia looked at the man and frowned, making a disgusted sounding snort as
she closed the door. "Maybe we should just call somebody about it? It
could be some sort of..."

	"It's probably just some sort of maintenance that got done, and the
contractor just got lazy because there was a deck over it. I just wanna
check it out. We should be able to find out who we need to call."

	The woman nodded and stayed behind her husband. "All right, just be
careful."

	Carrot walked out the door while looking over his shoulder. He had a
dumb grin on his face as he strolled out across the wooden deck. "Don't
worry about it. I'll be..." He stopped talking and looked down as a
cracking sound started at his feet. "Aw man..." He dropped through the
boards like a rock.

	"Carrot!" cried the woman as she rushed out onto the deck. She knelt
down beside the hole and screamed into it. "Are you all right?"

	"I'm fine," he replied as he picked himself up and shined the light up
into her face.

	She recoiled away and he shifted it away from her face. "Sorry."

	"Get back here you idiot!" she snapped irritably.

	"Well, I'm already down here," he replied as he peered into the
darkness around him. "Hey, this place is pretty big." He strolled
forward a little moving out of sight. 

	"Carrot! Get back here!" snapped the woman as she became even more
upset with him.

	"This isn't good," he called back.

	"Now what?"

	"There's some sort of cave down here."

	This gave the woman pause. "What?"

	"It's a cave of some kind. Looks like they built the place on top of
it. Can't be safe to have this big hole under our building."

	Mia started climbing down the hole. "You'd better be kidding, or you'll
be shoving concrete down here for months..." Her voice trailed off as
she reached the bottom and looked around.

	She could see her husband standing there looking around in the middle
of the darkness. While the room was mostly pitch black, his erratic
movement of the light showed that the cavern was definitely more than
she could afford to fill in. "Holy..."

	"Yeah. Kinda cool isn't it," he said as he grinned back at her.

	"You idiot! Do you have any idea how bad this is?" she cried as she
latched her hands around his neck. "This can't be more than five or six
feet under the building!"

	"Calm down," he said as he gently pulled her off. "Hey. What's that?"

	"Stop looking around! Who knows what you'll find!"

	He ignored her panic and walked towards something his light had found.
"A...door?"

	Mia blinked and stared at him. "What?"

	"There's a door here. No handle on it though."

	She was at his side and glaring at the wooden door in an instant.
"Great. So somebody put this here."

	"Got no clue," he replied. "Looks like it's been here a long time
though." He blew on the side and a cloud of dust rose into the air.

	"Carrot. I don't like this," muttered the woman as she suddenly felt
chilly. "I'm getting a bad feeling."

	Carrot was feeling unusually adventurous. "Nah. Looks fine to me.
Nothing to be scared of anyway. Wonder where it goes?"

	"Another world..."

	"Eh?" muttered the man as he looked at his wife dumbly.

	"Nothing," she muttered as she backed away.

	"Well, I don't see a handle, and I think we should know," he handed her
the flashlight.

	"What? What the hell are you doing?"

	He rushed by her and slammed his shoulder into the door. Of course, it
did nothing but cause huge amounts of pain in his shoulder. "YEOUCH!"

	"I don't think we're going to get it open." She wasn't sure why, but
she found herself greatly relieved by this. The door seemed to create a
bad feeling inside of her, something she couldn't explain. It was almost
like she was angry at it, but had no idea why.

	Carrot frowned at the old wood and rubbed his shoulder. "I'm gonna open
that damn door."

	Mia said nothing and found herself nodding. "I think we should leave."

	Carrot scratched his head and shrugged. "Whatever. It's getting late. I
should probably put something up around that hole though."

	"What? You're going to finish that porch!" snapped the woman irritably.

	"It's too late, it'll be dark by the time I get started again."

	Mia growled, but relented. 

	"I'll get it tomorrow. I work the late shift, so I should have all
day."

	"If you don't waste time all day like you did today!" She elbowed him
in his gut as she passed by.

	"Hey, I helped out didn't I?" he muttered lamely.

	"We only get to stay here if things like this get taken care of
Carrot."

	"Yeah, yeah," grumbled the boy irritably. He seriously doubted if the
old man really cared.

+++++++++++++++++++++

	Far away...

	It was a great hall, shadowy figures stood around a great symbol in the
floor. It was a heart stylized into a crest and the dim light shining
down on it was all the light the room had in it.

	There were around eight figures standing around it conversing. "We must
act quickly. The Key has chosen its master. Tsunami's power was not
sealed properly." The figure was not human and a long thick tail waved
behind its legs as it stood with its arms crossed.

	"Her world has not yet fallen to the darkness," replied a male voice.
It dripped with cultured evil. "It is difficult to contain the power of
a goddess."

	"I had no problems," replied a nearby woman.

	"You have more experience dealing with such power," replied another of
the figures. Two large wings silhouetted his body as he moved them in an
irritated manner. "You should have let me deal with it."

	"Enough," snapped a rather calm sounding male. He looked human, if not
for the glowing red irises that lit his eyes. "We'll deal with the
problem soon enough. Still, this one should pose no problem. He is weak,
a mere human. What possible chance does he stand against us?"

	"Don't underestimate the power of the light," responded a calm sounding
voice from the other side of the group. He stepped forward into the
light. He was wearing a rather ornate set of armor. His shoulders were
stylized into dragons, and his long blonde hair hung down his back. "It
can be very strong, and dangerous."

	"Still, we should deal with this now," said the inhuman shadow. "Best
not let the weeds take root."

	"We'll see," said the calm shadow as he chuckled. "Perhaps they could
be made to be of use to us?"

	"We shouldn't play with them," warned the armored man as he narrowed
his eyes at the shadow dangerously. "Not when we are so close to our
goals."

	"Bah," replied the inhuman shadow as he turned away and left the group.
"Toying with one's prey is the only pleasure one as strong as I can have
in life."

	"The problem should take care of itself, the Heartless fear the power
of the key. They will seek to destroy it, or it's wielder if at all
possible," replied the cultured sounding shadow. "Let them deal with it,
for now."

+++++++++++++++++++++++

	Carrot stood at the bar with Dan at his side. Both of them had a beer
in their grip as they simply stared forward wordlessly.

	Jenn was off in the corner playing on a rather large flight simulator
video game. There was a small crowd around her as she played the game as
usual. 

	"So, you found some kind of door under the building?" asked Dan as he
looked at Carrot in a somewhat thoughtful manner.

	"Yeah, I couldn't get it open though. There's no handle," replied the
other man as he shrugged.

	"I might have something that could do it," replied Dan with a small
shrug.

	Carrot frowned at him. "I'd like to get it open without bringing the
building down on top of me. I'm thinking that maybe there's a lock
hidden somewhere else in the cave."

	"Could be," replied the other man as he took a gulp of his beer. 

	"Man, I gotta work tomorrow," grumbled Carrot as he hung his head. "Now
I've got to fix those stupid boards too."

	"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'm off tomorrow."

	Carrot glared at Dan irritably. "Yeah. Gee thanks."

	The man continued to speak ignoring his friend's annoyance. "I'd help
you out and all, but I'm actually paying rent. It wouldn't be very fair
if I did."

	He almost seemed surprised when he was slugged across his jaw. Carrot
loomed over him as he lay flat on his back on the bar room floor.

	Jenn turned to face the noise allowing her airplane to crash into a
mountain as she did so. "Huh? Oh man, again?"

	"Take it outside you two," said the bartender firmly.

	Carrot and Dan calmly walked towards the front door. Neither looked
particularly upset, in fact, they almost looked cheerful.

	"After you!" said Carrot as he opened the door.

	Dan shrugged and walked outside. Carrot promptly kicked him in the rear
and sent him stumbling through the door.

	"Idiots," grumbled Jenn as she went back to the next life in her game.
Everyone in the bar remained where they were, no one appeared to be even
slightly interested in the fight.

	"Gets old after a while," commented one of the men standing near to the
arcade machines. He was looking at a newcomer, who seemed confused at
the lack of reaction within the crowd.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

	Carrot stumbled into his room a few hours later, he was beaten and
tired. A large red mark was covering his cheek. 

	Mia frowned at him as she sat at the table near the kitchen. "Rough
night?"

	"Same as always."

	"You won?" she asked as she sipped at a cup of tea.

	"I always win," he replied calmly. "Dan sucks at fighting. Well, unless
he's got a gun or something."

	"If he could fight you with one without killing you, he would," replied
Mia as she flipped the page on the magazine in front of her.

	"Whatever, I'm goin ta bed," muttered Carrot as he started walking
towards their bedroom.

	"Don't forget to set the alarm. You know what'll happen if I have to
wake you up."

	The man stopped in the doorway and shuddered slightly. "I'll get up,
don't worry."

	"I'd better not catch you napping tomorrow unless that porch is fixed."

	He cringed again. "Damn."

	"What was that?" she asked in a slightly amused tone.

	"Nuthin."

	"Good."

	Mia shivered slightly as she watched her husband go into his room.
Outside it was summertime, but she could feel a strange chill in the
air. "Something isn't right." She stood up and looked out the window.
The moon was full, and the sky was clear, but there was something
missing in the night sky, something she couldn't place her finger on.

	Her eyes went wide as she stared into the endless sea of black. A light
flickered out and died, a single star faded into nothing. "What?"

	A noise from behind her startled her and she turned, half expecting to
find her husband standing there. There was nothing though, nothing but
an empty room of shadows.

	"A star has faded."

	"Who's there?" she said fearfully as she backed towards the window. 

	"A world has fallen into darkness..."

	"Carrot, this isn't funny," she spat.

	"Will you fall into darkness as well, or will it consume you?"

	"What?" her eyes went wide as she stepped forward towards the voice. It
was masculine and deep, but oddly quiet.

++++++++++++++++++++++

	Carrot sat up in bed and rubbed at his eyes. "What the?" He was groggy
and still half-asleep. "What time is it?" He turned to look at the clock
and frowned as he noticed the late hour. "Hey..." He reached behind him
to touch his wife and see if she was still sleeping. He touched only
empty sheets. 

	His first reaction was surprise, he blinked and looked at her empty
pillow. "Mia?" He stood up and staggered out of the room. He was still
dressed, and his shoes lay at the foot of the bed. He ignored them and
walked out into the living room. "Hey. You fall asleep out here or
somethin?" He wandered through the home and found only empty rooms.
"Great."

	With a heavy sigh, he wandered back into his bedroom and put on his
shoes. "Where the hell did she go at this time of night?" His first
thought was Jenn's room. He'd check there next, there weren't a whole
lot of places he could think of.

	Scratching his head and his crotch at the same time, he walked out of
the room again and paused when he entered the living room. Mia was
standing in front of the open window. 

	He blinked and grinned as he stepped towards her. "Hey. Where ya been?
I woke up and you..."

	"Carrot," she said simply as she turned to look at him. It was an odd
expression on her face, one he didn't recognize.

	"Huh? What's up?"

	"Come with me."

	"Okay."

	She reached out her hand to him and smiled, it was cold and empty
though.

	"Am I in some sort of trouble?" he asked nervously.

	"No. I just want you to go with me."
	
	"It's four in the morning."

	"The sooner we go, the better."

	Carrot was tired, and he wasn't really in the mood for this. "Where are
we going? I've got to work tomorrow."

	"Don't worry about that anymore. Just come with me."

	"This is kinda freaky. Where are we goin?"

	"Come," she insisted patiently.

	"Where?" insisted her husband sleepily.

	"Onto the darkness of course, you don't need to be afraid. If you do
not fear it, the darkness cannot hurt you."

	Carrot stared at her for a long moment. "Great. Another one of these
weird darkness dreams. Maybe I should cut back on eating before bed a
little?"

	She reached out and touched his arm gently, pulling him towards the
window. 

	"Why don't we take the stairs?" he asked calmly as he glared at her.
"I'm getting a little tired of all that falling crap."

	Carrot jerked his arm out of her grip as she moved closer to the
window. "Hey. What are you doing?" he said as he noticed her lift her
foot over the ledge and step onto the roof.

	"Come through the door with me."

	"Hey!" he cried as he rushed forward to grab her as she neared the
edge. A sudden gust of wind shot through the open window and tossed his
entire body into the air. Mia fell back off the edge of the roof as he
was thrown into the hallway through the front door. He hit the wall hard
and cried out in pain as he slumped down against the ground. Splinters
of wood surrounded him as he lay still for a moment. He staggered to his
feet and steadied himself on the wall. "What's going on?" 

	A small tickle started on his forehead and he squinted his eyes as he
reached up to touch it. His fingers became sticky and wet as he recoiled
away in pain. "I'm bleeding?" He stared at the window opposite him and
took a slow step forward. "Mia?"

	His steps became more urgent as he rushed forward, remembering what had
happened. "Mia!" He leaned out the window and tumbled onto the edge of
the roof clumsily. Reaching the edge he slid to a stop and was barely
able to keep from tumbling off the sides with his palms. "Oh shit."

	He could see the porch below him, and the violet light from within the
hole underneath. "Oh man..."

	He staggered back into his room and rolled onto the floor after
tumbling back through the window. He still didn't have his bearings
straight. "What the hell is going on?" He walked out into the hallway
and blinked as he noticed both Dan and Jenn standing in front of him. 

	Dan had a handgun pointed at his head, and Jenn was simply cowering
behind the larger man. 

	"Watch where you're pointing that damn thing!" cried Carrot as he
realized his position. 

	"What's going on?" asked Dan as he noticed the door. "You two fighting
again?"

	"I'm not sure," said Carrot honestly. "Look, it's been a really weird
night, and I've got to go find Mia."

	"Where's Mia?" asked Jenn with a very worried frown. 

	"I think she went into that hole in the back yard," replied Carrot
simply.

	"What the hell are you talking about?" said Jenn.

	Carrot paused and cocked his head. "Shhhh."

	Dan didn't look particularly happy with what was going on. "Look..."

	The man put his finger up to Dan's lips and scanned the hallway behind
them while ignoring the pair's confused frowns. 

	"What are you looking for?" asked Jenn.

	Carrot stepped back slowly, backing away as he watched the hallway in
front of them carefully. 

	Jenn noticed the two yellow orbs staring back at them first.
"Carrot..." she squeaked nervously as she clutched his arm.

	"I think we should go," replied the man as he continued to step back.

	"What the hell is that thing?" asked Dan as he leveled his handgun on
it. 

	"Well..." said Carrot with a nervous laugh. "Um, we should leave."

	Dan was about to unload a clip or two into the thing when he realized
exactly what his friend was talking about. He could see dozens of things
moving about in the darkness in front of them. There was no clear
definition, just spots of black almost like puddles moving across the
ceilings, walls, and floors. "I think you're right."

	Carrot spun around and rushed towards the stairs. He turned to move
down them and staggered through the darkness with his two friends as
fast as he could. When they reached the bottom, he stopped suddenly and
stumbled forward.

	"Carrot?" asked Jenn as she reached out to help him up. 

	The boy was holding his side as if he'd been struck. "Ouch." He turned
to look at her and his eyes went wide. He reached forward and cried out
to her. "Look out!"

	Jenn screamed as two of the large yellow orbs appeared out of the wall
beside her, one of the thing's head was inches away from her face. She
opened her mouth to scream, but any sound was drowned out by a loud
report. 

	Black ooze splattered the wall as the thing seemed to explode.

	Carrot and Jenn both turned to look at Dan as he calmly lowered his
smoking handgun. "Get moving."

	"Where are they coming from?" said Jenn in a panic as she noticed more
down the hall. 

	"I think he knows," replied Dan as he turned to look at Carrot.

	The man was staring out the glass window, his face lit by a pale violet
light. "Yeah. I know."

	"What the hell is that?" cried Jenn as she moved up to his side.

	Where the wooden porch had once been, was now nothing more than a
vortex of black and purple. 

	"The door," replied Carrot.

	"Door?" asked Dan.

	A geyser of ooze shot from the center and into the sky. The trio was
thrown to the ground as the building shook violently. The glass doors in
front of them shattered and the walls cracked as the force tore through
the building. 

	Finally it stopped.

	Carrot found himself standing up in a pile of rubble. All around him
was a giant wall of rubble that had once been his home. He looked up at
the night sky as Jenn and Dan stood up beside him. The only undisturbed
area of the building was the small portion of floor they all now stood
on.

	"What the hell is that?" cried Jenn as she noticed what Carrot was
looking at.

	Above them was a gigantic orb of black and red. Power crackled across
it as it seemed to suck in the very sky from above them.

	"It is the darkness," replied a familiar voice.

	Carrot spun around to see his wife standing calmly in the middle of the
vortex of ooze that churned in front of where they were standing. "Mia?"

	"Come with me, it is the only way to save yourself. You must accept the
darkness."

	"The hell!" he cried angrily. "Come over here! Get out of that stuff
before..."

	"I see," she replied with a small sad frown.

	"Mia?" he muttered as he stepped towards her once.

	"You will not come with me? You will not pass through the door? To your
destiny?"

	"What?" he said in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about?"

	"That doesn't sound much like Mia," said Jenn quietly.

	Carrot turned to look at her with a shocked expression on his face.
"But, it's her..." He looked at her again and stepped back. "It is her.
I know it is..."

	"Carrot," said Dan carefully. It was obvious neither of them wanted to
get any closer, even if it was to pull him back away from her.

	"Stop talking crazy and get away from that thing before you get hurt."

	"If you do not come with me, you are the one who will suffer. I offer
one last time."

	Carrot snarled angrily as he rushed forward suddenly. "The hell! You'll
thank me after we figure this mess out!" He grabbed her arm and pulled
at her ignoring the sludge that was now knee deep around him. He
struggled to move back, but his feet found no purchase to move back out
of the ooze. 

	Carrot looked at her with horrified eyes as she smiled at him. "At
least we will be together..."

	"No!" he cried as he struggled against the slime that crawled up his
body. It lashed up as if it was ropes and wrapped itself around his
body. "I can't..."

	"Carrot!" cried Jenn as Dan pulled her back further into the rubble. He
looked angry, but was also watching the small creatures that were
emerging from the piles of debris around them. He started to fire at
them causing a few to explode into rather messy piles of the black
slime.

	"We've got to get out of here! We can't help him!" snapped Dan as he
pulled on the girl forcefully.

	Carrot stared into his wife's smiling face as the darkness wrapped
around him completely. Only small portions of his fingers and face were
still visible. 

	Her dark and triumphant smile faded as his eyes became angry suddenly.
"No!"

	She stepped back away from him with a confused and hurt look on her
face.

	"I won't! You're coming with me!" he cried as he raised his arm into
the air.

	"No! It...can't be!" cried Mia as she raised her hands to shield her
face.

	A flash of light formed over the man's head as a white power shined all
around him, pushing the darkness away from his body forcefully. He
stared forward and hefted the giant key that had appeared in his grip
into an offensive stance. "Quit fooling around and come on!"

	"It's...too late for me," she replied with a sad looking smile. "I will
await you, in the darkness. Your time will come soon enough. I do not
think the darkness will consume you easily."

	"What?" he cried as he rushed forward as she sank into the vortex of
darkness. "Nooo!"

	A giant fist blasted out of the center shielding her exit and Carrot
was tossed into the air and on top of the rubble just above Jenn and
Dan. He landed on a large section of floorboard, but the small rocks
that were scattered across it slammed into his back and sides like hard
punches. The wind was knocked out of him and he coughed violently.
"Damn..."

	"Carrot!" cried Jenn as she climbed up to him. Dan followed after her,
knocking one of the dark creatures aside with the butt of his gun. It
wasn't hurt, but neither was he. 

	"I think we've got bigger things to worry about," commented the man as
he looked up at the creature that loomed over them now. Neither of them
knew it, but Carrot knew what it was. It was the monster from his dream.

	Carrot staggered to his feet and pushed Jenn away gently. He held the
key in front of him again and frowned as he glanced around. 

	"What the hell are you gonna do? Unlock it to death?" grumbled Dan.

	"I don't see you shooting it," replied Carrot.

	"Wouldn't waste the bullets on something that big," replied the man
angrily. "We should go."

	"Where?" asked Carrot calmly.

	Jenn screamed as she realized what the boy was talking about. She was
on her hands and knees looking out over the edge of the rubble that had
been their home. There was nothing beyond the edge but an endless void.

	"What's the hell?" said Dan as his eyes went wide.

	"Isn't it obvious? This thing eats worlds," replied Carrot calmly. He
was looking up at the giant. "Get ready guys, this is really going to
suck."

	"No kidding!" screamed Jenn angrily.

	Carrot screamed as he rushed forward with the key held over his head.
He charged into the mass of smaller creatures that had formed around the
thing's feet. 

	Naturally, they kicked his ass rather soundly.

	He hacked down on top of one of the things. It was obviously hurt, but
not killed, before he could spin into another attack three more slammed
into his back. 

	"What the hell is that idiot doing!" cried Dan as he stumbled down
through the debris. 

	"Getting himself killed!" snapped Jenn angrily. "Not that it matters
much now..."

	"Guess you got a point. Ready to go down in a blaze of glory?" He
replaced the spent clip in his weapon with a new one and cocked it. 

	"Do we have a choice?"

	"Well, we could die quietly," he replied.

	"Stop talking and help me you assholes!" cried Carrot as he shook off a
dog pile of the smaller creatures.

	Dan slipped and jarred his foot on a large brick. A small avalanche
crumbled away sending him and Jenn tumbling into the crowd of tiny
creatures along with a shower of medium sized rocks. The things
scattered away as they landed, but a few were knocked around a bit.

	Carrot backed towards them with the key held in front of him. "So now
what?" He hacked down and one of the creatures exploded into a shower of
green balls. He blinked at this and looked up at the big one. "You've
got to be kidding me."

	"What is it?" snapped Dan. He seemed somewhat distracted. 

	"Those green things! Grab them quick!" Carrot spun around and sent two
more of the small creatures reeling. 

	The larger creature seemed to notice that his minions weren't doing so
well. It arched its back and roared. A beam of light shot from the heart
shaped hole in its torso and giant balls of energy began to separate
from it. They moved through the air and towards the trio. 

	"Damn," muttered Carrot as one of his strikes was deflected. He pressed
his attack and jabbed the thing in the face with his key. It vanished
and became more of the green balls. 

	"What the hell are these things?" said Dan as he watched a small cut on
his arm vanish as he came into contact with one of the green balls. 

	"Don't worry about what they are, only what they do!" snapped Carrot as
he backhanded one of the creatures that had jumped for him in the face.
He shook his hand painfully for a moment afterwards. 

	Jenn was standing between them helplessly. The two men had been able to
keep her pretty well protected so far. She stepped back to avoid running
into their backs as they moved closer to her and tripped. "Ouch!" 

	Dan looked back and noticed her on her back. "Hey..."

	Carrot batted three more of the little things away. The larger one was
growing irate with them rather quickly. It began to form a ball of power
in its hands.

	"Shit! It's gonna make more of these little ones!" snapped Carrot as he
recognized the attack from his dream.	

	"What? How the hell do you know?" screamed Jenn from where she was
sprawled across the ground.

	"Had a dream once," replied Carrot simply.

	"Hold them off for a sec," said Dan as he moved back next to Jenn. 

	"Huh?" said the man as one of the creatures slammed into his face
headfirst. He was sent sprawling into the crowd of shadows and became
the focus of their attention.

	He pushed them away and spun the blade wildly around his body. They
were forced back, but the giant decided it had collected enough energy
and slammed its fist into the ground. 

	"Son of a bitch!" screamed Carrot as he realized that he was sitting
waist deep in the dark ooze. It didn't seem to stick to him, but the
smaller creatures that were rising from it all around him were really
starting to piss him off.

	"What the hell are you doing!?" cried Jenn as she slapped Dan in the
back of his head. He was shoving rocks aside calmly, and ignoring
Carrot's predicament. "He'll die!"

	"Nah, he can take a pretty good beating," replied Dan simply. "We both
can." 

He stood up and Jenn stared at what was in his hands with wide eyes. 

	"Oh you have got to be kidding!"

	"Hey Carrot," called Dan. "Move."

	The boy was struggling with one of the smaller creatures that had
landed on his chest. He was pulling at the thing's antenna angrily while
biting another on the foot. The key was gripped in his other hand and
was being waved around wildly at the larger group in front of him. He
froze as his eyes went wide quite suddenly. 

	"Oh shit."

	Rolling aside he pushed himself to his feet and ran, ignoring the
creatures as they bounded after him.

	Dan simply leveled his rocket launcher at the giant and grinned. "Good
night."

	The explosion echoed across the void and the creature reeled back
waving its arms wildly. A blue energy crackled through it as it started
to fade, along with the smaller things. 

	"Holy shit Dan! Do you realize what my wife would have done to you if
she found out you had one of those in the building?"

	"It was my last shell anyway," replied the man as he shrugged.

	"Um guys?" said Jenn as she looked at them both. 

	"Yeah?" asked Carrot as he staggered to his feet.

	"Now what?" she asked.

	"Well, I'm gonna go look for my wife," replied Carrot simply. He
started to step towards the vortex, but stopped quite suddenly and
dropped the key. It vanished in a flash of light before it even hit the
ground. "No."

	Jenn stared at him for a moment in confusion. That was when she
realized what he was looking at. The vortex was gone, and there was no
sign of the hole, or his wife. "Carrot..." she whispered
sympathetically. 

	"Now what do we do?" grumbled Dan as he checked over his handgun again.
He now had a shotgun strapped across his back along with a high powered
rifle. He had also found his S.W.A.T jacket and badge in the debris.

	The dark orb overhead was still there. Carrot looked up at it and
frowned. "I...don't know."

	"Do you guys feel something?" asked Jenn as she glanced around.

	"This place is getting smaller," said Dan as he noticed the edges were
still flying up towards the orb. 

	"Aw man," said Carrot as he looked up. 

	That was when the wind picked up. It increased in force quite suddenly
and they were forced to grab onto the protruding debris to remain on the
ground. They screamed as the force pulled at them, then, one by one,
their grip gave out. 

	The trio sailed into the sky, sucked into the void.

++++++++++++++++++++++++

	TBC...

	Author's notes! Wheee!

	Well, I wanted to do something a bit different than normal. I bought
Kingdom Hearts, and realized at once that it was the ultimate SI set up. 

	The fic will use the basic idea behind the game, the enemies are the
same [except for the bosses and such]. What I didn't want to do was have
the same story behind the hero characters.  I didn't want to make
somebody Riku, and somebody Kairi, and then make the hero Sora. I wanted
a bit more difference than just personality. I don't recall the
relationship between the heartless and the villains being explained very
well, at least not in the first game. [If the ending is to be believed,
there will be a sequel.]

	Anyway, this just takes the basic premise of KH and applies it to a
completely new set of characters. Think of this as in the same Universe
as KH, but a different set of worlds, far away from the ones Disney and
Square covered. Well, pretty far away at any rate. ^_^;

	Here's a list of worlds that will be visited. Just because someone's
world isn't there, doesn't mean that there won't be characters from the
anime/manga there. 

	Ranma 1/2: Nerima
Urusai Yatsura
Sailor Moon
Bubble Gum Crisis
The Slayers
Tenchi Muyou
Dragon Ball Z
Sorcerer Hunters
Street Fighter
Fushugi Yuugi [For those who have played the game, Think 'Pooh']
Evangelion

This list has no particular order, and is by no means a final definitive
list. ^_^ Each world will probably have it's own 'Chapter' and won't be
released until the story from that world is finished. Towards the end,
there will probably be a bit of world hopping and maybe some back
tracking, but for now, one chapter = one world. 

For now, I go back to writing other things. Maybe I'll have something
else out within a couple of days? I'd like to think so, but I'm not
making promises. ^_^;

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