It felt as though it was all over as the heavy weight of the murky water covered me from above. I could still barely remember what had led to this. My last memory was sitting at my old computer, opening a game my sister had installed without permission as usual, then a flash of light. Suddenly, I couldn't breathe, and the mud was covering my head to toe. My hands waved frantically under the watery soil, until I found it. Land.

It took all the strength I had to pull myself out of that murky lake. As my head came out of the water, I gasped for breath, pulling myself onto the shore with crossed arms keeping me steady. Crawling carefully, I managed to get out soon enough, though my head felt like it had never been lighter- likely from the change in pressure. When I managed to get the mud out of my eyes, I looked around, confused. “This...Isn't Tasmatal anymore...”

Tasmatal was a city in the far south of Rankal, the country I'd been born in. While it had plenty of technology in some ways- computers that were old and seemed like they could be made of cardboard and cash registers mostly- the buildings were plain and made of logs. This place wasn't at all like that. I saw people on bikes riding down the dirt roads, and the buildings were made of what looked like yellow sand molded together to make a strong wall. “Where am I?” I only knew I wasn't at all near home.

“Get out of the way!” A voice yelled, but I couldn't quite move my jellied legs yet. The biker swerved, falling off his bike and leaving me standing still in his dust. He walked over, grumbling to himself before yelling again. “What's wrong with you? I said to get out of the way!”

“I'm still trying to regain feeling in my legs, thank you very much.”

“Who are you?” He glanced at me, soon realizing that while I was covered in mud, I was also unfamiliar either way. However, I wasn't all that inclined to answer as I stared at him with a dull expression- his blond hair was uncommon, and his blue eyes were trying to penetrate into my soul, from what I could tell- but I wouldn't let him. “Hello? Cat got your tongue?”

“I'm allergic to cats, thank you very much.” It was an old fact that if there was a cat nearby, I would infact be unable to talk- I'd be struggling to breathe at that. “And for your information my name is Ai Tsukimori.”

“Strange name.” He rolled his eyes. “Stay out of the road next time, Tsukimori.” He said not another word, and wouldn't give me his name before he took his bike and rode off. That's when I saw what felt like a familiar figure- dark brown hair pulled into a thin pony-tail at the top of a masculine face, broad shoulders covered by a blue wrap tunic, which was held together by a lighter blue sash- and then, a pair of old trousers the color of the sash, tied at the bottom to keep them tight around his ankles.

“Conan, get back here!” A sigh escaped the man's lips before he looked at my disgruntled figure. “Oh. Miss, are you alright?”

“...Lance...?” I stared at him in surprise- even his voice was the same as the man I remembered. Crisp and smooth, and in a higher range then common for a male his age, though not too far off the scale.

“Do I know you, Miss?” I was surprised- it really was Lance. But he didn't recognize me.

“It's me...Ai. You know, Makai's sister? Ai Tsukimori.”

“Ai...? That's funny.” He seemed to fight to laugh, but it was too hard on him. “Ai and Ryoko died ten years ago.”

“What are you talking about? I'm right here bozo!” My voice whined the words. What did he mean?

“Oh really?”

“Yes really! I'm right here- and still covered in mud...”

“Why are you covered in mud?”

“To be honest, I dunno. I found a game on my computer that Ryo-chan had downloaded again, so I clicked on it to try it out. Next thing I knew there was a bright light, and then I was in a lake of mud!” He gave me a blank stare.

“A bright light...and then you were in the mud-lake... Tell me, what was the icon looking like?”

“It was a lady. Bare shoulders, closed eyes and hands in a praying position in front of her chin. I think her hair was in two buns, one on either side of her head, and a sort of indigo color. No bangs. Oh! And she had an hourglass marking on her forehead, which sorta made me think of Goddess Tokikio. She was really pretty...” A sigh escaped me again. “Oh. And the title on the icon was 'Traversal'.”

“Sounds like the legend...Alright. I believe you, Ai. Why don't you come with me to see Makai? We can get you cleaned up while we're there.”

“What're you talking about a legend?”

“No need to think too much right now, Ai. You need to get washed up or you'll get sick from all the mud-water...” I felt him grasp my hand rather tightly as he began to walk off. I struggled to keep pace, my feet still somewhat glued to the ground by their new weight. He didn't look at me, but somehow that scared me more than anything.

When we got to the large building with a book on the mantle of the doorway, he opened the wooden door to show me a figure I thought I'd never see again. The tall man with auburn hair, strong brown eyes and a narrow face, staring at me from a chair with a book in his hand. It was impossible to mistake him, especially when his velvet voice called my name, his legs moving to stand up near his chair, the book falling from his hand.

“Ai...?”

“Big brother?” We stared at each other for a long time. And then, it became black all over again, as I collapsed to the floor from the weight of my body.

“Ai!”

Even though the sun was glaring at her through the glass window-pane, the young blond girl still needed the warmth of the fire to help keep from freezing in her small cottage on the outskirts of the city. The girl sat on the wooden ground, curled up with her legs to her chest, a soft blue blanket wrapped around her shoulders, blue eyes staring intently at the flames in the fireplace. She closed the blue orbs quietly, a sigh escaping her lips as her stomach roared from below. “I'm so hungry...And I can't find a job that'll hire me...”

A bark came from outside as her trusted friend, a black laborador, scurried next to her with a think, hard tablet of sorts. She took it from the canine's mouth, patting it's head gently in thanks. “Thank you, Shadow. You're the best.” With a smile, she looked at the tablet. “Let's see...Anything interesting in the paper today?”

Sol Salor was a planet known for it's high-tech ways and strong economy- if you were able to work, that is. Still, the paper was free, and so for that Kana was lucky. Unlike many planets, the Sol Salor papers were all made using computer technology, typed and formatted into a special piece of metal that was touch sensitive, giving the information without wasting resources. Of course, one could only wonder how much polution the factory that made the tablets caused.

“Other Realms Realty seeks farmer for cheap land on new planet, Luna Blue...?” The girl stared more intently then usual at the news when she read this, keeping her eyes glued on the moving words. “Luna Blue recently discovered as inhabitable by Other Realms Realty. Land is being given away at less then two-thousand universal currency. Man, that is cheap. Even I could afford that, and I can't afford enough bread for the two of us...” She thought on it. “It says here they're giving free equipment with the deal to start off farmers who qualify...If we do this, we can afford to make our own food, and we won't have to worry about dealing with debt in the city. Okay, Shadow! Let's check this out!” She jumped to her feet, looking for her coat. When her arms were covered by the green down, she looked to the dog who ran after her, and then left the house with a smile.