Luminaire

[color=crimson]I'm very glad I'm not only in my fear. ^_^ Just cause me sis isn't on OB, she needs some help. She has BAD Archnaphobia. She sees a spider and goes straight still, she can't move, she'll scream for me then start hyperventilating. I don't like to kill spiders, but me poor sis is so afraid of them. I tried everything to help, and now I just don't know what to do. >sighs< ~Lumi ^_^[/color]

[color=crimson]Like most shows on T.V., anime had a huge influence on my life. Before anime came to me, I was interested in NOTHING. My parents tried to get me into something, but I never cared for it. An episode of Cowboy Bebop seen while flipping channels caught my attention. Slowly, I began to watch more anime. My life was soon built around it. My parents thought it was odd, but they said "if it makes you happy, that's fine with us". Though at the time, I was 7 and Cowboy Bebop wasn't even showing in America normally, I found any means possible to see some kind of anime. >looks at stack of Sailor Moon videos< Ah...memories... Anime has changed my thinking on life as well. Shows containing bits of the past present and future made me look at each time separately and wonder. Even if it was a cartoon, couldn't it be possible? ~Lumi ^_^[/color]

[color=crimson]I have been looking into the show for awhile. I have read a few magazine articles and internet pages regarding Fruits Basket. But I was not sure if it would be the right anime for me. If anyone could give me some advice that would be great. If you have seen the show, what did you think, what kind of genre did it seem to be to you? If you liked it, why? What made you get into the show? ~Lumi ^_^[/color]

[color=crimson]I never really get angry angry, but when I do, I know it. I just have to look in the mirror. The few times I was really really angry, my eyes turned an ice blue color. I got really mad in school once, and one of the students thought I was a demon or something because I had closed my eyes to calm down and when it didn't work, I whirled on them and my eyes were so blue before I could start to threaten them they apologised and ran O_o;;;;. One time I got really angry at my older brother and I threw the butter knife I had been using to eat at him. It barely missed and enbedded itself in the wall. I didn't mean to do it, and I fraked out and left the table and didn't come out of my room until the next night. It took my mom like 2 hours to get the knife out of the wall. I don't even see how it should have punctured the wall, I still don't believe I threw it that hard. Out of the 15 years I have lived, my eyes only changed color 3 times. Damn mood eyes...The third time was also in school, but I managed to calm down before I did anything serious, walked out of the class, and punched my locker. I dented it, and I was still angry so I opened it and punched the inside of the door. It fixed the dent, but my fixed was bruised for weeks. You all probably think I am a psycho now, so I'll shut up. ~Lumi ^_^[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Semjaza Azazel [/i] [B]I think I'm far smarter now... the thing is that I no longer care. When I was younger, I just had a different opinion of the world and school in general. I wanted to try and do well and everything else. At this point I feel like I'm just going through the motions. I've become jaded and tired of the whole machine I'm stuck in. Doesn't mean I don't get good grades, just means I'm not as great academically as I used to be. A 3.6 GPA isn't too bad for someone who kind of just wanders around aimlessly lol. [/B][/QUOTE] [color=crimson]I am in complete agreement with you, Sem. My grades have dropped, but my intelligence has increased. After trying and failing and trying in failing in a system I believe is rather messed up, I just almost stopped caring. I have never gotten an F, but D's and C's are sometimes normal. ~Lumi ^_^[/color]

[color=crimson]I think this is already a topic called "phobias". Check that out. I agree with you that war is unpredictable, but I do not find it scary. I am afraid of the dark though, and I am 15. ~Lumi ^_^[/color]

[color=crimson]Personally, I believe the bomb never should have been created. Albert Einstein wrote the E=mc(2), but had no idea it would be used to make a bomb. Imagine how he must have felt. If you really do the research(I did several hours @_@), you see that the U.S. had other options. I think it was a matter of revenge though. It was after Pearl Harbor that it was decided to drop the bombs, not before. Before, no one had even considered using them. I wish war was still fought using swords, but it isn't. ~Lumi ^_^[/color]

[color=crimson]I am fifteen, and still afraid of the dark. I love the night time, but there is always some bit of light from somewhere in the house, but if I have to walk the dog, I freak out. I am paranoid about every little noise, I barely move away from the door, it's really bad. I don't know if I'll ever get over it, I've tried for 8 years. >cries< I can't even walk in the downstairs hallway at night without turning on every light or carrying a flashing with me. Most of the lights in my house have two switches one at each end of the hall. Also, I have a strange fear of closed doors. I think it has to do with the dark cause if there is light from under the door, I don't get as freaked out, but if there is no light...I open the door a bit slip my arm in and turn on the light first. It's so stupid, and I know it, yet I can't get over it. Another fear that has nothing to do with the dark is silence. I cannot be in a place of absolute silence. For a school thing, I once had to go into a soundproof room for a lesson on how the radio works. I went in and they closed the door and there was absolutely no sound. I started hyperventilating and ran out of the room and to the girls room. The teacher sent a student to check up on me and I just said I wasn't feeling well and went to the nurse's office. And a last thing: catapillars, centipedes, and millipedes. >shudders< I am actually on anti-depressants for anxiety, which is pretty sad. I miss a day and I start shaking and twitching and getting the butterflies in the stomach. It's a horrible feeling. ~Lumi ^_^[/color]

[color=crimson]Bleh, you can't take me shopping. My mom does not know this of course ^_~. Once, at a grocery store in Utah(I don't live there), I stole a cart, filled it with waterballoon(made in the bathroom of the store) and sent it careening into the empty toliet-paper aisle. They didn't have most of it wrapped in plastic...next day, we left our Utah vacation. Bookstores are bad places for me. I build walls on both ends of some aisles and the only way for someone to get in is to knock it over. Some people do jump it. Actually, I got caught building a wall, and I was going to be in big trouble, but the manager said that if I balanced a display of books, I was off the hook. It was fun because I set it up like a card house. Twenty minutes later, a kid knocked it over though. Also, I take like the entire manga section with me to one of those comfy leather chairs and sit and read the back of every one of them, them rearrange them alphebetically, then pass them out to random people and tell them its a good book and if they don't like it, put it in the history section. Manga goes down in history everytime I go to a store. I was banned from one Toys 'R Us. My sis and I were playing tag on bikes while throwing stuffed toys at other customers. I took all the blame even though it was my sis's idea to take the display bikes. You all probably think I should be in jail now, so I'll stop there. ~Lumi ^_^[/color]

[color=crimson]During Hurrican Floyd, our basement flooded. My older brothers and I had to go swimming to save the piano, exercise equipment and power tools. Trying to swim to your basement floor is an interesting feeling, we actually had to kick off the ceiling to get all the way down. Only problem was it was March and kinda cold, so the water was freezing. The other big problem was that while the piano floated, the exercise equipment didn't. We would swim to the bottom, lift it, and carry it underwater until we ran out of air, then kick back up. It would have been pathetic if one of us drowned in our own basement. ~Lumi ^_^[/color]

[color=crimson]The colonies are actually in clusters alongs the Lag Range points(I saw a map with them on it how the colonies were positioned). The clusters are: Colony Cluster L-1(Heero is from there) Colony Cluster L-2(Duo originates from there) Colony Cluster L-3(Trowa) Colony Cluster L-4(Quatre) Colony Cluster L-5(Wufei) Each cluster has numerous colonies in it, some of which are owned and governed differently by different groups. Most of L-4 is owned by Winner Corporations(Quatre's father company) and is governed pacifistly. Though it is not known how many colonies are in each cluster, each colony has it's own number. >runs off to find Episode Zero manga< In here, it says the exact colony some of the pilots came from. Duo is not a native of Colony V08744(an L-2 colony), but that is where he was when the "Maxwell Church Tragedy" occured and he got his last name. The numbers are kinda pointless...no code or anything in terms of location as far as I know. X18999 Colony is an L-1 colony that the Wing Gundam was built. It is also where Heero took off from for Operation Meteor. and the last one mentioned: Colony A0206, Wufei's from there. Part of the L-5 cluster. No clue what the numbers mean. If Haze thought he was a Gundam freak...I must have absolutely no life... ~Lumi ^_^[/color]

[color=crimson]Since I was the one to throw Vincent in the story to rejoin the turks, I would very much like to play the role of Vincent Valentine. ^_^ who cares if I'm a girl? So here's the form Name: Vincent Age: 27(it's true) Appearence: Long black hair with a red headband, red eyes, long red cloak with all black clothes beneath. I also have a metal clow for my left arm. Occupation: Ex-turk Bio: I am mystical man, stern and upright while at the same time dark and mysterious. Weapon: Shotgun Attack: Fire(shot from gun) Mag.Attack: Ice 3(freezes enemy), Bahamut(summon), and Chaos Sabre (Mighty blast of saber-shaped energy. Usually does 9999 damage. It's a limit break, I'll only use it rarely) ~Lumi ^_^[/color]

Ok, myself and DemonzDragoon figured out the idea. Here is the story: Four years after the planet and all who occupied it were nearly annihalated, days have gone from good to bad. After a few years of peace, a new threat arises. A man named Leon has resurrected JENOVA. No one expected this to happen, thus took it as a rumor. Then, a mysterious black shroud encompasses the sky one sunny day. The sun became lost and darkness descended across the land. This was no mere rain cloud as in ominously hung in the air. Then suddenly, as if by miracles, it faded away, leaving nothing but a smoky wisp. Not a day later, people were found dead in the peace of their homes. Men, women, and children began to get sick and die. The doctors, who could do nothing but watch, named it Black Squall. A few people began to suspect of Jenova's return. After, losing most of his friends to the terrible disease, Vincent Valentine took his last companion, Cid Highwind, and headed to Midgar. Half way there, they came across the Turks, who were coming to get Cloud and the rest of the gang. Upon learning that Cloud and the others were gone, the Turks asked Vincent and Cid to join them and return to Midgar to help figure out the mystery of the relationship between Black Squall and the resurrection of Jenova. Reno, Rude, Elena, Tseng, Vincent and Cid return to the city where everything started once, and was about to start again... ~Lumi

[color=crimson]How about characters in the same anime/manga/game? In Gundam Wing Blind Target(manga) Heero and a new character named>looks for booksquints at tiny pic< Manga/Game look alikes: Brain Powered's Yuu Isami and Chrono Cross's Serge look alike. Blue hair, blue eyes, and the way the characters were drawn and designed just look alike. Lloyd from Legend of the Dragoon and Loki from Ragnarok. Same hair, glare(hey it rhymes!), frown, and sometimes, attitude. Anime/manga look alikes: Chaos from Ragnarok and Krim from .hack//SIGN. They have the same hair style, but not the same color hair; they're eyes are the same and their smirks too ^_^. There are more out there, if you look around and broaden your mind. ~Lumi ^_^[/color]

[color=crimson]Hmmmmm, I maybe a girl, but Duo Maxwell is kinda who I look like. I got a pretty long braid too. :p But, for a girl character...>thinks< Geez, I can't think of anyone. O_o;;; For attitude, Kenshin Himura, all the way. Quiet, but kind. And when I get angry, I don't yell, I just say things so cooly and calmy, it freaks others out.

[color=crimson]Hmmmmm...What's it for? A class? It's supposed to give an image of what kind of person you are and what you have done with your life so far, I think. Think of the important things you have done in your life and write them on a piece of paper. They don't have to be long. Then think of the rest of your life and fill in the blanks. That's how I wrote mine for my creative writing class, I was one out of three people who got A's, hope yours is as good as mine. Good luck!!! ~Lumi ^_^[/color]

[color=crimson]Thank you very much, Domon. As I said above, this was for a creative writing class. If I put in the parts about the war and gundams, my class would have had such blank looks on their faces it's not funny. The story would also be much longer, which I wouldn't mind, but I had a deadline. The funny thing about the original story was someone said they thought a girl should be in it. >.> Wufei's original name was Amber...>gets killed by Fei fans< When I changed all the characters back, I reread it and realized I forgot to changes the "she"s to "he"s, it was funny to read it that way. Since I changed Wufei to a girl, I kinda had to change the character a bit. I based the Wufei in the story off my best friend, Amber. She had asked to be in the story, so yeah. My other friends asked, but I would have ended up with like four girls and a monkey, and I would have had to change all their characters. O_o;; So, the other friends either requested to name a character or be like a side character. You'll see Roxie later. To clear up some later questions, the names I used were Ken(Ken wanted to be in it, so he was), Duo, Ryo(friend request), Quatre(yes, I kept it because I take French in school >.>), and Amber. Heero became Ken, Trowa became Ryo. Characters' stayed the same('cept Wufei of course). Don't get me wrong, Wufei is my second favorite character. Well, enough of my ranting, ne? ~Lumi ^_^[/color]

[color=crimson]My favorite book is [U]The Crystal Shard[/U] by R.A. Salvatore. It's the first book of the [U]Icewind Dale Trilogy[/U]. The book is actully the first he ever wrote, and it started off groups of other books he has written. There are fifteen books out now about Drizzt Do'Urden and his friends, three of which are the prequel trilogy and three more have yet to come out. You don't have to read the prequels to understand [U]The Crystal Shard[/U], but they are good books as well. I recommend it because it is a compilations of problems today, set in a fictious environment. It has action(battles), interesting characters and a wonderful tale to it. I would also recommend [U]DreamCatcher[/U] by Stephen King. Yes, it has to do with aliens, and even if you have seen the movie, it is still a good read. >looks to bookshelf

My name is a tech that both Crono and Serge use in Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross. [color=crimson]Slowly dripping time Away like an hourglass Sometimes it's not sand[/color] O_o where did that come from? [color=crimson]Why do we all fight? What's the freakin' point of it? Can you answer me?[/color] All questions...that's new for me. [color=crimson]Soft purring comes from Her small pink nose I love so A kitten and she's mine[/color] I wrote that for my kitty who is sleeping in my lap ^_^ ~Lumi ^_^

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Syk3 [/i] [B]Episode #23: Hot Springs Tenrei. Yes, I'm watching that right now. Anyway, the point isn't to show that I know a lot about Outlaw Star or something, but the entire reason that they didn't show it on CN is because of the mature themes, due to a few parts, but they are entirely covered up on my DVDs save for maybe a quick moment of the cat woman, whatever her name is. They never show Melfina without her clothes on anyway, so I diagree about that R rating, but perhaps a PG-13 for suggestive themes, lol.[/B][/QUOTE] [color=crimson]Er...do you have like an edited version or something? Outlaw Star was the first anime series I entirel watched. I liked it so much, I snuck out of bed every night to watch it on the old Toonami Midnight Run. Some of the dubbing actually made me laugh at how stupid it sounded. Gene yelling "Moron!!!!" twice an episode had me on the floor everytime. All in all, this anime is very well put together. The balance of humor, action, and drama kept me watching for hours on end. I now own the whole series on DVD (thanks mom ^_^). I would recommend it to Cowboy Bebop and Trigun fans, but if you really look into it, I swear there is a little of every anime in there. ~Lumi ^_^[/color]

[color=crimson]I was never much of a UC fan, but I gotta say, I like the way this is going. There is a bit of jumping and that "quash" is really getting to me.

[color=crimson]Beautiful Petals Falling in a pink shower As winter draws near[/color] [color=blue]Dancing Twirling Leap Dance the dance of life and grief 'Til you fall down dead[/color]

[color=crimson]The very first anime episode I saw was Session 26 of Cowboy Bebop. My bro had gotten an import DVD and I didn't watch the other episodes. I thought it was awesome, but I was kinda confused. The next day, I was flipping through channels and came upon the third episode of the first season of Sailor Moon. It's kinda sad how good my memory is, ne? ~Lumi ^_^[/color]

[color=crimson]There are anime shows out there where there is no official couple. The only way for there to be one is for fans to make it up. If fans make up something and support it, and no one else has proof against it, so be it. In no way is the made up couple a part of the real show, but if you really consider it and other couples, does it not make you see the show in a different way, to notice thing you didn't notice before, to hear things you did not hear before? Try reading one fanfic with strange couples and watching the anime series again, puts things in a whole new light. It's funny that Gundam Wing was brought up. I have probably read one fanfic for every possible couple in that show, and some were really weird. Noin and Sally, Quatre and Relena, Heero and Lady Une? Pretty strange, ne? Out of the whole show, there were only three established couples: Relena and Heero, Noin and Zechs, and Lady Une and Treize. The rest of the characters were left unanswered. I have read many fanfics where the other characters are paired up and the original couples left alone. 3x4, 2x5 are popular couples among fans who respect the other pairings. There are people out there who just do not like a character or two. This is where bashing comes in. I think I read too many fanfics...O_o;;; The couples of Heero and Duo, Vashand Wolfwood, and ALOT of others come off of the more brotherly relationship of the characters. Oh, and the topic of clearly "straight" characters. I'll use Outlaw Star as my example. Neither Jim nor Gene say they are straight and just because they have/had a girlfriend does not mean they are straight and not gay. They could be bi, ne? ~Lumi ^_^[/color]

[color=crimson]This story was actually written for my creative writing class in 8th grade. The story is 17 pages long, everyone else in the class had 3 or 4 pages. O_o Heh. I actually had to reprint it and change the names cause everyone who i ask to read the beginning had trouble with them. There is a bit of out of characterness, especially on Wufei's part. It had to be a mystery/horror story, so yeah. I'm gonna post it in two pieces. If I get any reviews, good ones hopefully, asking for the next part it will be up. Here goes nothing:[/color] When the Sun Comes Up Duo walked down the stairs towards his friends. They were waiting for him so they could go home, Duo had the key. Duo knew he was late, and he hoped he did not have to explain why, he would be in big trouble if he did. ?Hiya, guys!? Duo cheered happily. Heero threw his normal death glare as Duo greeted them enthusiastically. Quatre, the blonde one, greeted Duo with his normal kindness. Trowa remained as silent as ever, he just nodded; his one-eyed gaze steady and unwavering. Wufei began to rant about the injustice of Duo always being late. By now, Duo was used to this kind of greeting, no matter how odd it would seem to normal friends. Duo started his way towards the crosswalk to get across the street; he paused only to see if everyone else was following. Once he knew they were there he continued. After crossing the street Duo headed for Elm Ave., the street on which their house was located. ?Wait up!? yelled a voice. Duo heard the distant call of Quatre as he watched the sunset as he walked. He turned around to see Heero and Wufei right behind him, but not Quatre and Trowa. Duo quickly asked Heero where they were, who jerked a thumb towards a stairwell about five houses back. Without another word to Heero or Wufei, Duo headed back to see what was wrong with Quatre and Trowa. Duo turned back just a moment to see the sun disappear behind the horizon. He sighed as he continued his walk. Upon reaching the stairwell, Duo noticed a small trail of blood leading towards where Trowa and Quatre sat. A small pool of blood also had formed where Trowa?s leg was resting. Quatre was fussing over the wound like a kitten?s mother. Duo slowly moved Quatre?s hands out of the way so he could inspect the wound himself. Trowa had what appeared to be a knife wound in his leg. ?Trowa, what happened?? Duo asked, concerned. He kept glancing from Trowa?s leg to Trowa?s face to Quatre. ?I?m not really sure,? Trowa responded quietly. ?I was walking and I felt a pain in my leg, and when I looked down, blood was gushing from my leg.? Duo glanced around for a knife of some kind. When he found none, he looked at the dark alleys suspiciously. When he saw no movement he looked to Quatre, who was staring dumbfounded at Trowa?s leg. Suddenly, Quatre realized Duo was staring at him with an expression of accusation. ?Duo, Trowa,? Quatre began, ?you know I would never hurt one of my friends, let alone my boyfriend. I would never even carry a weapon around, I hate violence. You know that.? ?Yes, we do,? Trowa stated, knowing all along it could not possibly have been Quatre. ?Sorry about that, man,? Duo apologized, a sheepish grin on his face. ?It?s getting really dark,? said a monotonous voice. Duo nearly jumped four feet in the air as he heard a voice right behind him. He whirled around; Heero was about two inches from his face. Duo quickly stumbled back, but kept his balance. ?I told you not to ever sneak up on me like that!? Duo yelled. ?Barton,? Wufei said referring to Trowa, like everyone, with his last name, ?what happened to your leg?? ?We?re not sure,? Quatre said uncertainly, speaking for Trowa. Trowa was still trying to stem the blood-flow. ?What do you mean? How can you not be sure?? Heero asked. ?Well, Trowa was walking and felt a pain and poof. Here we are,? Duo said. ?Uh?yeah,? Quatre said, still trying to figure out what the ?poof? meant. ?The blood?s stopped,? Trowa announced quietly. ?Then let?s go home and try to figure it out there,? Wufei said. He had started to wander back along the road. Duo had Heero lend his shoulder to Trowa for support; Heero was the only one about Trowa?s height. Once again they started down Elm Ave. The sun was completely gone by then and the street lights had already come on. By the time Duo, Heero, Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei arrived at the house, Trowa?s leg was bleeding again. Duo had been fiddling with the key nervously since they had resumed walking. He skillfully unlocked the door. They all piled into the main living room. Trowa went to the downstairs bathroom to bandage his leg up. Quatre followed him. Wufei headed upstairs to his room to read a book. Heero walked into the kitchen to start dinner, which Quatre normally made. Duo stood in the living room not really sure what to do. Around this time he would watch T.V., but he really did not feel like it after what happened to Trowa. Duo sat down in a chair and began to think. He always knew weird things would happen around him, but this was just plain scary. Out of no where someone gets hurt. Duo could not possibly figure it out, but the thought that someone might be after the five of them popped into his head. Duo shuddered. He remembered a story about a group of girls who were getting hurt and murdered one by one. Duo would never want that to happen to any one of his friends. Just then, Duo became aware that Heero was watching him from the kitchen doorway. Duo quickly put on his grin and turned to look at Heero. ?Whatcha looking at, Hee-chan?? Duo chimed. He watched as Heero?s face got an ugly red tint to it. Duo got ready to bolt out of the room just in case Heero decided to attack. Amazingly, Heero calmed himself. Glaring at Duo like there was no tomorrow he walked back to the kitchen, but not before Duo caught a look in Heero?s eyes he never thought he would see. Concern. ?The Perfect Soldier? Concerned?? Duo asked himself quietly out loud. He definitely knew something was wrong now. Of what could Heero be afraid? Duo?s smile disappeared, a rare occasion. Duo was quiet at dinner. He also did not eat a lot. He knew the others were giving him concerned looks, he even partially heard Quatre ask if he was sick. He told Quatre he was fine then left the table without another word. Wufei called after him. He stopped as he reached the stairs. Wufei had just come into the living room. ?You blame yourself, don?t you?? Wufei got straight to the point. ??? Duo remained silent. ?Trowa wasn?t even badly hurt,? Wufei said, ?How can it possibly be your fault if you weren?t even there walking with them?? Duo still did not say anything, just looked at the rug. ?Are you going to answer me or not?? Wufei asked, ready to walk away. Duo mumbled something then went upstairs. He did not realize Wufei had awesome hearing. Wufei frowned at what he heard, ?I?m just bad luck?? Wufei was not very superstitious, but that comment bugged him. Duo reached his room, which was at the end of the hall. He flopped down on the bed. He dragged his homework out of his back pack then froze. ?Duo?? called a very distant voice. ?Who?s there?? Duo asked the silent room around him. ?Duo?.? the voice called again, ?it?s your dark side?In the sunlight?? Duo was a little panicky by now, ?First Trowa, now this,? he mumbled to himself. He did as much of his homework as he could; he was trying to ignore the voice. He was not really sure where the voice was coming from. The voice had started repeating two words over and over by now. ?Shadow?Sunlight?Shadow?Sunlight?? Duo shoved his books in his backpack with tears in his eyes. The voice was scaring him more than he wanted to admit. ?Shadow?Sunlight?Shadow?Sunlight?? The house was silent; everyone had gone to bed by now. Suddenly, another voice joined the first. This one sounded an awful lot like Heero telling him to wake up. ?Wake up, Duo?Wake up, Duo?? Heero?s voice repeated over and over. Finally cracking from the voices, Duo rolled over on his bed, put his hands over his ears, and tried to sleep with tears streaming down his face. The original voice continued as Heero?s voice faded then disappeared. ?Shadow?Sunlight?Shadow?Sunlight?? With those words in his ears Duo fell asleep. Even in his sleep, Duo heard the voice. ?Shadow?Sunlight?Shadow?Sunlight?? Duo?s voice filled dream abruptly ceased when an agonized scream pierced the air. The voice Duo was hearing halted immediately. Duo jumped up as quickly as he could and ran out the door to find out from where the scream came. As he emerged from his room, Heero was walking across the hall towards his door. Heero had a very concerned expression on his face. ?Who screamed?? Duo asked quickly from fear. ?It wasn?t you?? Quatre asked emerging from his room. ?No it wasn?t,? Duo said. Trowa came out of his room. He took one glance at Duo, Heero, and Quatre, and headed for Wufei?s room. Duo was the first to follow. Trowa opened the door, but Wufei was not in his room. Quatre went to see if Wufei was in the bathroom, Heero went to look in the living room and dining room, Duo went to the kitchen. Duo and Heero both had to walk down the steps, so they went together. ?Are you okay?? Heero asked Duo with a strong tone of concern. ?You look like sh^*.? ?I?m fine,? Duo said even though he felt horrible. They reached the bottom of the stairs and Duo went through the living room to the kitchen door. He felt a sudden wetness on his foot and immediately looked down. It was water; a glass was about a foot away. Duo knew he was being paranoid now. He was in front of the door, now all he had to do was push it open. A sinking feeling had entered his stomach. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Heero reenter the room from the hall that led to the den and the dining room. Knowing he could not be a coward in front of Heero, he put his hand against the door, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open. At first all he saw was red on the floor. He closed his eyes and took another step. He forced his eyes open. Duo was so horrified he could not even scream. Wufei was lying on the floor, blood flowing from his back. A knife was a few feet away from him. Duo ran over to where Wufei was laying face-up and checked if he was alive. He had a steady heartbeat and was breathing normally. Duo slowly turned Wufei onto his stomach to see what had happened to his back. Duo looked then stumbled back. Heero watched as Duo flew out of the kitchen door once again stumbling backwards quickly, his breathing erratic. Heero ran over and caught Duo just before he fell over completely. ?What? What happened?? Quatre questioned frantically as he ran into the room after hearing Duo hit the door as he came out of the kitchen. Heero placed Duo into a sitting position on the floor against the wall. Duo was grateful for this because his legs would no longer support him. Trowa walked into the room and saw Duo against the wall, Quatre looking at the kitchen door uncertainly, and Heero moving to go in to the kitchen. Being the doctor of the five, he went over to Duo to see if he was all right. Heero opened the kitchen door at the moment and saw what Duo had seen: Wufei now lying on his stomach and a knife a few feet away. Heero also noticed the knife moving. The knife shot up from the floor aiming straight for his heart. He jumped out of the way, but the knife kept going. ?Duo! Trowa! Move!!? Ken yelled out, knowing who was directly in line with the door. Duo, who had been looking at the ground, glanced up at his name being called. He saw a knife heading straight for him. He pushed Trowa away, just in case his eyes were deceiving him, and threw himself forward under the path of the knife. A thud against the wall told him he could look up. He glanced at Heero in the doorway, and then looked behind him. The knife was embedded in the wall up to its handle, right where his head had been. ?Did you throw that?? Quatre asked Heero suspiciously. Heero shook his head, ?I did not, and neither did Wufei.? ?Wufei?? Ryo asked, he had already guessed where Wufei was, ?Is he all right?? ?Come take a look,? Heero said to Quatre and Trowa, knowing full well Duo did not want to go back in the kitchen. Trowa stepped forward with Quatre trailing behind him. He took one look at Wufei and knew he should get the band-aids. Quatre took one look at Wufei and the blood around him, and joined Duo in the living room. The wounds on Wufei?s back were slashes. Slashes that formed two words. ??Shadow? and ?Sunlight?,? Heero read out loud so that everyone could hear. Just then, the voice Duo had heard all night came back. This time it was louder then ever. ?Shadow?Sunlight?Shadow?Sunlight?? the voice nearly screamed the words in an everlasting mantra. Duo threw his hands over his ears and buried his face in Quatre?s shoulder. Quatre, who was sitting next to Duo, was very surprised by this action. Heero had also turned to see Duo?s reaction when he read the words. He was quite surprised, as well. Duo had actually started to cry silently. ?Duo?? Quatre asked, concern etched on his face, ?Duo?? ?Don?t you hear it?? Duo asked in a strained voice, his question muffled in Quatre?s shirt. Heero cocked an eyebrow in confusion and frowned, which Quatre noticed, but did not understand. Trowa had been trying to revive Wufei, and it seemed that he finally succeeded. Wufei stirred then winced as pain shot through his back. ?You all right?? Trowa asked. ?My back ?really? hurts,? Wufei said. He tried to push himself off the floor, but decided against it as soon as a burning pain shot through his back. ?I?m going to clean some of the blood off your back,? Trowa told Wufei like he was talking to a child, ?It?s going to sting.? ?To keep your mind off of it, why don?t you tell us what happened?? Heero suggested. Wufei nodded, ?I came down like I do every morning to start breakfast as the sun comes up. When I got down here, and came into the kitchen, it felt like someone clamped a hand over my mouth.? At this point he stopped and looked around suspiciously at his friends. ?It was not any of us,? Quatre and Trowa said simultaneously. Trowa glanced up at Quatre, smiled, and then went back to work. ?Whatever,? Wufei said as he continued, ?I tried to call out, but no sound came out, then I saw something flicker,? he glanced at the knife before continuing, ?And then it felt like someone was cutting open my back. The pain was pretty bad so I started to pass out, but before I did the hand disappeared and I was able to let out that scream I had been holding in.? The whole house was silent after Wufei concluded his tale. Duo was no longer crying, but he still had his hands over his ears. Quatre was trying to think of something to say, but instead he made a suggestion he knew Duo would like, ?Let?s turn on the T.V. and let Trowa finish with Wufei in peace.? Duo nodded, as did Heero, at this suggestion and the three of them headed for the den. Duo quickly got the remote from out of its hiding place, his hiding place for it, and flicked on the T.V. Instead of cartoons being on like every Saturday morning, there was a breaking news story. ?Be advised that 13 people have been murdered in this area,? the reporter was saying, ?and 36 more have been injured.? The screen went to another reporter at a hospital, ?These sudden injuries have been some of the strangest that doctors have seen. The injuries are all slashes that say ?Shadow? and ?Sunlight?.? Duo tossed the remote to Quatre who was watching him with concern, ?See if there is anything else on.? Duo said as he walked down the hall to the back door. Once he was outside, Duo leaned against the shadowed side of the house. The voice was still in his head, as he assumed he was the only one who could hear it. The voice tended to get louder whenever he heard the words ?shadow? and ?sunlight? on the outside. Every other time he could push it to the back of his head so that the voice was only as loud as a whisper. Heero came out the door just then, and came around the house to the side Duo was leaning against. Duo seemed to be lost in thought so Heero sat down in a sunny spot against the wall. ?I don?t get it,? Duo said and threw up his hands in exasperation. ?What don?t you get?? Heero asked. ?I feel like I should know what is happening, but I don?t!? Duo was clearly upset. Heero decided to change the subject, ?Before you asked us: ?Don?t you hear it?? and we never answered you. What did you mean by ?it??? ?A voice, in my head, I now assume,? Duo answered, ?it was bugging me all night too. It stopped when Fei screamed, but started again when you read what was on his back.? ?You mean, when I said?? ?Yes, ?that?.? Duo cut him off desperately, ?Please don?t say ?that? again.? ?All right, I won?t say it, and I will give the others a heads up not to say it,? Heero replied. Duo smiled happily. The door opened again and this time Quatre came out. Quatre headed over to stand by Heero, but he never got there. He froze in mid-step. ?Quatre?? Duo asked. ?I can?t move,? Quatre said with a little panic in his voice. ?What do you mean?? Heero questioned. ?I mean: I cannot move any part of my body even an inch because something is holding me in position!? Quatre yelled at Heero. ?Q-man, calm down and hang tight we?ll figure it out,? Duo reassured him. Quatre suddenly took a step towards Duo. ?You can move again?? Duo asked. ?Uh?I don?t know how to tell you this?but?no,? Quatre said uncertainly. ?Huh?!? Duo asked as Quatre took another step towards him. Quatre next took a running step forward and launched himself at Duo. His hands wrapped around Duo?s neck. Duo?s hands flew up and tried to pull off Quatre?s hands. Quatre had tears falling from his eyes as Duo?s struggling started to lessen. ?I?m sorry Duo,? Quatre wept, ?I don?t want to hurt you,? Suddenly, Heero flew into both of them and knocked them into the shaded wall just as Duo?s consciousness started to fade. All three of them hit the house with a thud. Quatre?s hands immediately let go, and Duo sucked in a deep breath and started to cough. Heero grabbed Quatre?s hands just in case he tried to do anything while Duo recovered. Duo tried to pull in another breath, but choked once again. He finally collapsed in a heap still coughing. Trowa appeared outside the door just then with Wufei following him. He was cleaned up and was wearing clean clothing. They both took a look at the scene in front of them. Duo was lying on the ground gasping for air and coughing, and Heero was sitting against the wall with Quatre in front of him. Heero was holding Quatre?s wrists while Quatre was telling him it was okay to let go. ?What happened out here?? Wufei asked. Duo tried to speak, but failed spectacularly. His coughing increased and he clutched at his chest in pain. Trowa ran over to him to help. ?I?m really sorry Duo,? Quatre said sadly and quietly, ?I didn?t mean to, I couldn?t help it. It wasn?t my fault. I tried to stop.? ?I don?t believe it was your fault,? Heero said to Quatre because Duo could not answer. ?I found the problem,? Trowa stated while looking at Duo?s bruised throat, ?his windpipe is partially crushed.? ?Oh,? Wufei said, ?How can we make him stop coughing?? ?Go get a glass of water,? Trowa ordered. Wufei went back into the house. ?Can you hear me, Duo?? Trowa asked. Duo nodded in response. ?I need you to sit up,? Trowa told him. Duo did so with a little help from Trowa. He still had one hand on his chest from pain in his lungs. Wufei came out of the house again with a glass of water, which he handed to Trowa. Trowa tipped Duo?s head back and poured some water in. Duo swallowed, and choked on a bit, but recovered from that quickly. Trowa poured some more water down Duo?s throat hoping the water going through would open up the passage a bit more. Soon the glass of water was gone, and Duo was breathing a bit easier. ?It?s all right Quatre,? Duo said to Quatre first, ?You didn?t mean to and I know that.? ?No one ever told me what had happened?? Wufei muttered. Heero quickly told the story from what they had seen on T.V. to the part where he had knocked all three of them into the side of the house. ?Can we go inside?? Duo asked after he had finished. ?Sure,? Trowa said as he helped Duo stand up. They all marched back inside and went their separate ways. Wufei headed back to the kitchen to restart breakfast which could now be considered lunch. Quatre went to help by setting up the dining room with plates and silverware. Trowa headed upstairs to take a shower. Heero looked as if he were about to go to his computer in the study, but instead he followed Duo upstairs. Duo did not seem to notice his presence; he just absently rubbed his neck as he went to his room. He followed Duo all the way to his doorway, and stopped at the entrance. He watched as Duo flopped down on the bed and fell asleep the moment his head touched the pillow. ?It?s all only a dream,? Heero said to himself with a smirk as he walked away from Duo?s room to his own room. An hour later, Wufei finally got tired of waiting for Duo to come down and eat his lunch. He marched up the stairs to the end of the hall, threw open Duo?s door, and turned on the light. Duo sat up on the bed and rubbed his eyes. ?What was that for, Wu-man?? Duo asked sleepily through a yawn. ?I made lunch and we were waiting for you, so I came up here to get you,? Wufei said a little embarrassed. He had not realized Duo was sleeping. ?Oh,? Duo said standing up, ?Okay, I?m coming downstairs.? Wufei and Duo headed back down the stairs. Lunch was quiet and after he had finished eating, Duo headed back for his room. He immediately went back to bed. He slept right through to Sunday. Duo?s alarm clock went off at 6 o?clock, and for once Duo woke up to it. Duo realized that no one woke him up for dinner when his stomach rumbled. He grumbled about ?mean friends? and headed out his door. The shades in his room were drawn, so when he walked out the door, the sun was rising in the hallway window. He rubbed his eyes in pain. Downstairs he heard the sound of sizzling bacon and smelt eggs. ?Woo Hoo!? He cheered sleepily and quietly as he slid down the banister. He walked through the living room and into the kitchen to find no one there. Someone had left the eggs and bacon on their own. Duo quickly grabbed the spatula and turned the eggs so they would not burn. Seeing that they would be fine, Duo went to find the chef. As he walked down the hallway to the backdoor, Duo felt a poke in his back. Duo turned on his heel and looked around, no one was there, only his shadow. ?Okay?? Duo said to himself. He looked out the back door. Heero was sitting on the steps. Duo opened the backdoor. ?What are you doing out here?? Duo asked. ?Your eggs are going to burn.? ?What eggs?? Heero asked as he turned around. ?You mean?? Duo?s voice trailed off. ?I have no idea what you are talking about,? he said. Duo walked back into the house with Heero following him. Duo went back to the kitchen to find the eggs were gone, but the frying pan was in the sink. The smell of the eggs and bacon was gone too. ?What are you looking for?? asked a voice. Duo looked to the window that connected the kitchen to the dining room to see Quatre and Trowa looking in from the other side. Heero glanced at Duo and raised his eyebrows. Duo began to laugh. He threw his hands up by his head and headed for the hallway to get to the dining room. He was laughing so hard he walked straight into Wufei who was coming down the stairs. Wufei raised one eyebrow and went to the kitchen to make coffee. ?What was that about?? Wufei asked upon entering the kitchen and seeing the others giving each other glances. ?Don?t know,? Trowa shrugged. ?Duo seems a little off lately,? Heero pointed out. ?He?ll be even more ?off? if he finds out we are talking behind his back,? Quatre said. To be continued.... [color=crimson]If you guys want the rest, just say so. I actually wanted to put book commentary in...LOL ~Lumi ^_^[/color]