"Kim, run!"

Those same words had been uttered a thousand times by now. The same situation, the same result: those words, followed by a frantic dash out of the current location, jamming things into the bag. Day in, day out.

It did not matter that it was a street vendor. It did not matter that they had a bowl of ramen, a bottle of Pepsi, and some other seemingly unimportant item in their hands. It did not matter that it was during the middle of the afternoon.

All that mattered was that it was Kim and Kyo, trying to survive the only way they knew how to anymore: by running.

"Kyo-beaaaaaaaaaans!"

He paused for a moment, to turn his head and check on his partner. And that's when he saw what she was carrying.

"A chair? What the?"

The distressed look on her face didn't help the situation either.

"I don't know! I just thought-"

"There!"

No time to pause. The two continued running, playing out the oft-repeated scene. Ducking and weaving through pedestrian areas. Darting across roads, dodging traffic. Praying to Luck, Chance and Destiny with every breath. By the time they reached the alleyway, their pursuers had given up hope of ever catching them.

It was empty. Not a good place to hide, but then again, it is just as easy to hide in the open. The two collapsed: he against a wall, her on the chair that she had carried the entire time.

"Well, at least the chair will get some use."

He hadn't even broken a sweat. Or it seemed that way, at least. Maybe it was just that his body was yet to catch up with the physical exertion, in some odd animesque way. No heavy breathing. Unlike her.

"Heh... and what did... you grab?"

A chuckle came from his throat, followed by a raising of his right hand. Gripped between his fingers was a glossy piece of paper. No, a calendar. A cow print calendar.

"...should have guessed."

If anyone was still looking for them, they needed only to follow the laughter that ensued.

It was an impressive gothic cathedral. The kind that would inspire piety in even the strongest atheist. One so large that it didn't seem to belong to the city, but rather the city seemed to belong to it. It was old, that much is certain, its weathered sculptures and gargoyles guarding against attacks by the forces of darkness. Too bad they didn't work.

The city around the cathedral smoldered and burned, acrid clouds of smoke blocking out the sky, dimming the sun and plunging the city into darkness. Outside the cathedral was an orgy of senseless violence, neighbor against neighbor, father against son, brother against brother. It was Hell on Earth (so to speak, as it's not Earth, but rather one of the many planes that resemble medieval Earth in so many manners. Go figure).

A lone figure fought his way through the maddened mobs into the cathedral. He was a tall man, armed with shining steel and guarded in the strongest armor. He was a god among men. He murmured a quick prayer for strength as he entered the hollowed grounds of the cathedral. He was a paladin, one of the greatest there ever was and he was Hunting.

His prey was the madman who ruined the kingdom and city. A rabid wolf in sheep's clothing, he had come into the kingdom and wormed his way into the confidences of everyone. His advice made the kingdom the most powerful one in the world. Then he began to set faction against faction, suggesting imaginary slights and setting everyone against each other. Now the kingdom had fallen into an anarchic civil war, all thanks to him, the man who called himself the King in Yellow.

The paladin readied his holy blade and walked cautiously into the main hall of the cathedral. Nothing could prepare him for the carnage that lay within. Piles of bodies were scattered around the room. Soldier, women, children, it had made no difference to the killer. The paladin felt a wave of nausea. It was brutally obvious that none of them died quickly either if the expressions on their faces held any truth.

"Three hundred." The paladin jerked his head up to look for the source of the rough voice. "Three hundred... and they were all to weak. None of them could kill me. Hell, they couldn't even cut me." And there he was sitting slumped on a heap of corpses, head bent over, arms resting on his knees. The King in Yellow.

The paladin stepped forwards. "I, Ferris Steelsoul, Paladin of the Order of the White Wind, have come to end your existence." KiY chuckled.

"Many have tried, none have succeeded. Are you so desperate to throw your life away? Why don't you find that girl you in love with and take her out of here?" Ferris's jaw tightened. "What was her name? Helena? Eleanor? Maybe Yrlana?" The King in Yellow waved his hand dismissively. "Whatever. Do you know where she is through? Would you like me to tell you where she is?" The KiY's cruel smile radiated through his mask. "Yes? No? No matter, I'll show you..." KiY reached behind him and pulled up a corpse and threw it to Ferris's feet. The paladin's legs gave way as he recognized the face.

"Her name was Elena." whispered the grief-torn paladin. He looked up, eyes burning with hatred. "I will kill you this day King in Yellow. I shall avenge her death."

KiY just laughed more. "Personally I don't know why. I though she was kind of a slut myself. The things she said she'd do if I would spare her life..." KiY trailed off. Ferris's face turned a dark purple with his fury. Roaring like an animal he charged. "[Hate]. Your [hate] towards me almost matches the [hate] I feel towards myself. You may stand a chance." Flames gathered around KiY's gloved hands. Blood started to trickle down from his eyes like tears. "Make me feel it. Make me feel the [pain]." The King in Yellow spread apart his arms, exposing his chest. "If you're good enough, and if you're fast enough, and if your [hate] is strong enough, you'll be able to drive that sword through my black heart. If not..."

Sweat dripped down Ferris's brow going down into his eyes. His breathing started to deepen and quicken. His leather gloves creaked as he tightened his grip on the hilt of his holy sword. Neither of them moved, both frozen in a tableau. Exploding into motion, Ferris leaped forwards and cut down as hard and as fast as he could. KiY stumbled back, bring a hand to his mask. A hairline crack appeared in the mask right down the center. The mask fell into two pieces, shattering against the floor. A thin trickle of blood started flowing down the center of KiY's face.

"You know, that was the first time in ages that someone managed to get that close to me." stated KiY calmly. The cut on his face grew larger and more bloody. "Very close. A few more millimeters and you would have gone clean through the bone." The King in Yellows face twisted into a sad, wistful smile. "Too bad my head doesn't have my heart in it. If you had aimed where I told you... it could have been over." KiY looked deep into Ferris's eyes.

Ferris looked back at the burning orbs of the KiY. His face was that of a young man, bearded with a goatee, normal in every way. Except for the bones and scales around one of his eyes, that eye being a burning, clear yellow. Stark contrast to the other brown one. The look in the King in Yellow's eyes was like that of someone who stood at the edge of a great cliff and contemplates the fall.

The King in Yellow continued speaking, "But no, you had to be the [hero]. Striking the [villain] down with a mighty blow, never a swift cut to the heart." His face twisted into a bitter sneer. "Well [hero]? What are you going to do now? You've lost your chance. No one can save you. You had your chance to be a true [hero] and strike me down. You lost that chance. Now you will [burn], [burn] like everyone else that failed." KiY's face was a mask of rage. Flames engulfed his hands and arms. He gritted his teeth and spat blood. "[Ieranai Hi]!"

A jet of flame knocked the paladin back, sending his sword flying. The KiY stalked slowly towards him, blood dripping out of his eyes, ears and nose. His lips curled into a sneer. "Come on [hero]... what are you going to do?" He threw his head back and laughed. His head snapped down, a feral snarl on his face. "Well?" The paladin frantically searched for a weapon, his hand settling on a notched sword. KiY continued to advance. "Well? Aren't you going to do anything? Aren't you a warrior?" KiY sneered as he advanced, flames dancing on his hands, a trickle of blood running out of his nose. "I see... What is a warrior without a weapon?" The King in Yellow loomed over Ferris.

Ferris grinned back at KiY. "Still a warrior." His hand closed on the hilt of the sword and he swung it up with blinding speed. The notched blade cut through the King in Yellow, severing his left arm cleanly. A torrent of blood spilt out of the stump, spraying over Ferris. The salty blood burnt his eyes, blinding him. He could hear the King in Yellow giving a hollow laugh.

"You thought I didn't see the blade, didn't you? Give me some credit, [hero]. I lose a limb (I can get another) and you lose your life. Fair trade, no? You and your holy sword could have jeopardized my mission on this plane. Too bad for this plane that you failed. Now it will [burn], [burn] in the name of the true [god]." The King in Yellow raised his remaining hand and pointed it at Ferris's face, flames gathering around his gloved hand. "Good bye Ferris Steelsoul. Say good morning to your [God] for me." For Ferris, time seemed to slow down. Ferris gritted his teeth and prepared to meet his god. A few seconds passed. He opened one eye tentatively. Time hadn't slowed down... it had stopped. There in front of him was KiY, flames frozen in mid-blast.

"Promise me..." Ferris looked around for the source of the raspy voice. "Promise me..." repeated the voice insistently.

"Promise you what? Who are you?" Ferris looked back and forth in confusion.

"Promise me... your spirit."

"Why should I do that?"

"Because... I shall give you... [power]."

"Who are you?" demanded Ferris to the disembodied voice.

"I can give you everything..." Ferris jerked up as he felt smooth arms encircle his neck in an embrace. "I can restore life where it has been taken. Even to your love who was slain by the King in Yellow. Just promise me..."

Ferris looked into the dead eyes of his love Elena and smiled sadly. "If I am to promise away my spirit, I want to know to whom I am promising it to."

"I am... He-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named... I am... The Unspeakable... I am... Hastur."

Ferris smiled once more. He looked at the notched blade in his hand. His smile turned wistful and he looked at Elena and whispered, "I love you." and then plunged the sword into his own heart. His body fell to the floor with a loud thud. A pool of ruby-red blood formed underneath his body. Elena looked at the body.

"Fuck." stated the zombie, shifting its form to that of a coldly beautiful (and naked) young woman, her raven hair sporting a golden streak though it. She looked angrily at the KiY. A mass of tumors burst out of his stump and in a matter of seconds a new arm was formed. He sighed.

"We blew it big time." KiY shook his head sadly. "The boss really wanted this guy 'recruited'. He's gonna be pissed big time with us."

"With us? With US!?" The Golden Queen shrieked. "It's not my fault you're an idiot who can't even do a good impression of Hastur to con a guy into taking the Unspeakable Oath. And how come I always have to pose as the naked dead girlfriend/wife of the [hero]? You never have to lie around naked stiff as a corpse for an hour or two."

"The Tolarian Mission." stated the King in Yellow in a flat, even tone.

"Touché."

"Is Elena all right?"

"Yeah, she's safe. I'd give her around three years before she is ready for 'harvesting'." replied GQ, calming down. She followed the KiY gaze. "...You could at least pass me your coat." He took off his coat and tossed it to GQ. A slight beeping noise was heard. The King in Yellow reached into a hidden pocket and pulled out a pager. He squinted at the name displayed and smiled.

"Looks like the boss wants us back."

The GQ face turned confused. "Do you have any idea why Hastur insists on pagers these days?"

KiY shrugged. "It's kind of a tamagotchi thing right now. I hear Tsathoggua started it." He waved his hand, opening a portal. "I'd say lady first, but I'm damn sure you're not a lady." He made a mock bow. The Golden Queen calmly walked through the portal with a contemptuous snort. The King in Yellow paused to look back on the body of Ferris and smiled sadly. "Good for you [hero]. You made the right decision." His face twisted part smile, part frown. "And I'll keep on making the wrong ones." He started to step through the portal. "The King in Yellow found this world of marble..." The last half of his sentence echoed through the great hall long after he had left, "...and left it a city of ash."

In a surprising turn of events, or maybe just another animesque moment, two uncovered bowls of ramen were still full after being carried, in the open, by two running-for-their-lives petty thieves. And would probably still have been full, if the two thieves hadn't consumed the contents.

These two now-empty bowls were sitting on the ground in the alleyway, beside the two thieves. These two were lying, staring upwards, looking towards the early evening sky as it meandered and progressed through hues. Arms around each other, the two were oblivious to anything but the moment. Then the wind stirred, catching her attention, causing her to sit upright.

"What's this?"

Paper half-wedged beneath the chair. Paper notes. She waved them over his head.

"Wow. That's more than enough to cover for the food."

"Guess there was a reason for the chair."

She folded the notes, and slipped them inside her pea-coat. No-one would mind. Meanwhile, he was removing a piece of paper from behind his head, obviously blown there by the wind. Although the wind was moving in the exact opposite direction. He glanced across it.

"Tournament flyer."

"Huh?"

"Some kind of fighting tournament. Open entry... special prize."

"Does it say where?"

"...Granite Valley."

He quirked a brow, looking towards her.

"Never heard of it."

"Sounds like it's on Moebius."

"Nup... says here it's Sierra."

The two chuckled, lost in a private joke.

The King in Yellow laid back in his rotting sofa in his dive of an apartment and lit up a cigarette. He watched the smoke float up to the ceiling and gathered his thoughts. Hastur was rather unhappy. KiY's body was still numb from the shock the pain inflicted on his nerves. The Unspeakable did not take failures well. The paladin had much potential and would have made a good addition to the legion of minions of He-Who-Is-Not-To-Be-Named, as well as being a slap in the face of the gods of that world. Unfortunately, the paladin was a [hero]. He was a light reflection to KiY, showing what he could have been, if he hadn't taken the Oath.

The King in Yellow sat up, knocking over one of the myriad bottles of cheap booze that were scattered around the apartment. He watched with bored fascination as the moldy carpet soaked up the booze, forming another stain. To be honest, KiY couldn't even remember the original colour of the carpet, it was so badly stained. Blood stains, booze stains, vomit stains, food stains, every kind of stain possible could be found on that carpet. With each subsequent stain, the carpet became more and more hopelessly stained, until it was completely ruined. He took a long drag from his cigarette. He heard the front door open and close.

"You comparing yourself to upholstery again?" asked the Golden Queen as she carried in a few bags, one of them dripping red. "You really have some serious issues with guilt, you know?" She walked past him and into the fungal horror that was the kitchen. He looked over to the kitchen in vague interest.

"..." he wittily replied. GQ walked out carrying a bottle of cheap booze.

"Here," she said, "figured you'd need something to take the edge of the pain. If what you got from Hastur was worse that what I got, you'll need it." He took the bottle from her and took a long drink. He raised an eyebrow.

"..." he didn't say, looking at his slightly twitching fingers. "You put strychnine in it." He said in a deadpan tone. "You did that last week. Didn't work."

She smiled. "I upped the dosage and concentration. There's enough concentrated strychnine in that to kill off the population of Paraguay." He looked at her with a neutral expression. She sighed in disgust. "Hey, I have to keep trying, ok? If I can kill you off with poisoned booze, then I can blame it on suicide when the Boss asks what happened. It's not like you don't have suicidal tendencies." KiY smiled at her.

"It's true. But I'm not going to die. I hope I will die, but after every regeneration I know that I'll never be free from the hateful grasp of life. I'm like this stained carpet." He dropped the lit cigarette on the still damp booze stain. It burst into flame, however the flame quickly sputtered out and died as the numerous stains rendered the carpet completely unburnable. "My stains have rendered me indestructible, yet I'll always be crusted to the floor, never to be free." He sighed sadly and lit another cigarette. The Golden Queen just stared at him.

"You are totally fucked up." She stated in a matter-of-fact deadpan tone. He looked at her and stood up. Taking another drag from the cigarette, he walked to the door. "Where are you going?" she asked.

King in Yellow smiled ferally. "To vent and get stained." He put the cigarette out on his forehead and walked out the door. Golden Queen shook her head as she walked into the kitchen.

"As much as I hate him, I feel kind of sorry for him. He's lost his dreams and is left only with nightmares." she said to herself while she picked up some of the unpoisoned booze and lay down on the couch to watch TV. She picked up the controller and turned on the TV.

"Mulder, there is a perfectly scientific explanation for this freakish alien monstrosity that tried to eat us." GQ sighed in disgust. She hated X-files with a passion. Just how stupid could some people be. Worrying about alien invasion when the real threat lurked in all corners of the world and beneath the seas.

"Scully, just how stupid are you? This is the hundredth alien lifeform that we've en-" the TV was cut off into static and died. GQ shook her head. Nothing ever worked in this apartment. Suddenly it started up again, but not with the X-files, something much worse.

"gOldEn qUEEn, rEpOrt sItUAtIOn." came the warbling, oozing sound of a corpse possessed by The Unspeakable. She stood up at attention.

"Ready for service. King in Yellow is currently pursuing his own interests." she stated quickly.

"gOOd. I hAvE sOmEthIng I wOUld lIke yOU tO InvEstIgAte..."

"Hey, there's an End in this alley!"

"You're kidding, right?"

He turned his head, looking in her direction. All he could see was a brick wall. A brick wall that was acting like the surface of a pond: concentric circles moving ever-outward, causing the bricks to ripple. He stood.

"It doesn't look like an End."

"And how would you know what every End looks like, huh?"

Standing with hands on hips, she looked straight at him.

"You might want to read what's up on the wall, too."

"Huh?"

Paper. More paper. Paper covered in ink, paper describing a tournament, paper promising a prize.

"'Anything You Wish For.'"

"Sounds extravagant."

"Sounds like it could be good."

He grinned through the hair hanging across his face.

"You're going to enter it, aren't you?"

"Yup."

"Explain to me again your reasoning behind this, Kyo."

"If those posters are near an End, and they give directions to an unknown place, then it's most likely that the End leads to said place. They wouldn't be advertising if they didn't want people to come. And, it gives me a chance to fight."

"Why you want to fight, I'll never know."

"You'll see."

"And the prize?"

"Haven't though about that yet. Not much I really want anymore."

"What if this is a trap? Y'know, just a way of luring us through to some evil weirdo dimension so we can live in pain for a stupidly long time."

"All the more reason to go. Like, fight our way out, overcome the odds. Plus, it means that there are people who care enough about us to want to trap us... so we're important."

"As weird as you are, I love you."

"Ditto. So ditto."

Stepping beside her and placing an arm around her shoulder, he hugged her against him. A quick kiss on her forehead, then a lingering one, between lips. A grin.

"Shall we make like Alice with that looking glass?"

"Sure thing."

"...here goes."

Imagine yourself in a bathtub, slowly lowering your arm into the water; picture the way the water slowly folds around the limb, clinging to it, enveloping it, until it reforms over the fully submerged limb. Now, replace the water with a brick wall, and the arm with Kyo and Kim. This is almost exactly as it appeared.

(It should be noted that most Hollywood special effects have gotten the "liquid portal" image wrong: much less sticky, much more fluid. They move like water.)

Blackness. Stepping into blackness, on the other side of what could be eternity.

And then, a flash.

"We have an arrival. Two."

The King in Yellow wiped the blood off his face. Another day, another cult had bit the dust. He loved London. There were so many cults and secret societies to hunt. It was almost as much fun as the Dreamlands. He smiled as he looked to the moon. The best things about cults, he though, was that they always had a way of surprising you. Like tonight's cult having a shoggoth. He hadn't had that much fun in a long time. He walked down to his apartment, ignoring the stares from passers-by at his bloodstained clothes. The killing was a good release, an escape from his hopeless life. He opened his door and walked in.

"About time you got back." came the Golden Queen's voice from the living room. "The Boss has a job for us." KiY smiled. That's just what he wanted to hear. He walked into the living room.

"So, what's the job? Cracking down on the Bloat's cults? Or maybe establishing a beachhead on yet another world?" he said dryly. "Well?"

She smiled dangerously at him. "We're to go the world of Sierra and participate in a fighting tournament." KiY dropped the cigarette he was lighting.

"Of all the things you could have said, I would have never expected you to say that." he said in a mildly shocked tone.

"During the tournament, we're to survey the world's value, and if it is valuable, we're to establish a beachhead. Also, we're to keep an eye open for prospective people to take the Oath."

"Well, isn't this going to be fun." KiY said sarcastically. "Why should I even give a goddamn about this?"

"Simple. The competitors are among the most powerful beings in the multiverse." KiY looked up and a smile spread across his face. The Golden Queen just sighed. "Look. I understand that you have guilt issues after all the centuries of being the King in Yellow. I suppose it's natural. However, when you made that Oath, you were under no compulsion from outside forces. You made a bargain to serve Hastur in return for power, and Hastur has fulfilled its half; you've got to live up to yours. By going all suicidal like you did with Ferris, you'll just jeopardize the mission. You want to die. That's great. But do it on your own time." She took a deep breath. "You said it yourself; you'll never be free of the stain. Make it easier for yourself, just give in to the darkness within. It's too late for guilt." She looked at him with sad eyes. "As much as I hate you and want you dead, I can't stand to see you like this. The torment you put yourself through is worse than anything I could devise." She shook her head. "King in Yellow, just once, take my advice."

The King in Yellow looked at her... and smiled. "You're right. I've been tormenting myself over nothing." His mask materialized out of thin air into his hand. He placed it on his face. "I just got to let it go. Forget everything. Bury the past and embrace the now." He laughed, coldly and harshly. "Right. I'm ready. Let's do this."

"This... is a change."

"Yah."

An odd turn of events: the two had appeared in a plaza-like area, and before they could regain their bearings after travelling through what was most definitely not an End, they had been ushered to a small side-room by a handful of white coated people. And now they sat there, on two unusually soft bean bags, waiting. He kept reassuring her that it wasn't a jail cell; she kept telling him she knew this because of the bean bags, and would like him to be just as assured.

"Ehem."

They became aware of a third party, standing in the doorway, only when he made himself known. They had heard nor seen nothing before then, either wandering past the door or in some far-off but audible place, and they were both slightly unsettled. The new arrival seemed featureless; not without features, just nothing notable apart from his white coat and electronic pad in his hand. He seemed to have an air of disdain about him.

"Welcome to the Granite Valley Sportsplex. I'll assume that you're here because of the tournament. Are you here as a team?"

"Kim?"

The look he received is one that cannot be easily described, but to say that it wasn't "very nice".

"You want me to fight? What exactly happens inside that head of yours, Kyo?"

"Hey, I was just asking."

He turned to face the white coat again, and noticed movement behind him. More people, scurrying about. He still felt uncomfortable, but more so about the area than his previous worry. Clearing his throat, partially because it was needed, partially to counter the Disdain Field that the white coat seemed to be putting out.

"Looks like I'm entering alone."

"Well... that shouldn't be a problem. I'm sure that someone else will arrive without a partner. Your name?"

"Kyo Hokushin."

Space is an empty, soundless, void. Technically. If one has the right ears, one can hear anything. For example, take a small patch of nothingness outside the planet Sierra. If one listens very carefully, one could almost hear the sound of a scream. Not the scream of a man, woman, or child, but that of a plane having a hole torn into it. The scream of a man who has a botfly maggot eating his flesh from the inside. It was not a pleasant sound to hear. Of course, pleasantness is a matter of opinion, and to the King in Yellow and the Golden Queen, it was music to their ears. KiY smiled cruelly as he lead the byahkee down to the planet's surface, though not before directing five byahkee, each carrying a small orb to different areas of the planet's surface.

"Aww, man!..."

"Kyo?"

"We'll have to be on watch. No thieving or I'm out of the tournament."

The electronic notepad dropped to the bed beside him, with him, his hair fanning out as his head hit mattress. A few seconds later, he was upright again, dodging her almighty Pounce/Tickle attack. She altered her tactics and took to nuzzling him from behind.

"You think you're a kleptomaniac?"

"No, I'm just saying..."

Hands covering hers. Turning his head, he offered a brief kiss, before snuggling back against her, shoulders tight in her arms.

"Anyway, you're not properly in the tournament yet. Waiting on a partner, remember?"

"Yeah. Thirsty?"

"Mmm."

Another oft-repeated scene for the pair: he reached into the bag, removed a bottle of Pepsi, and tossed it to her absently. She always managed to catch it, no matter how poor the throw. Taking a swig, she realised that only one bottle had come from the bag, and that he was simply sitting on the bed, looking forward, lost in a thought.

"You're not?"

"Nah."

"Don't tell me you're still worried about it being limited."

"I don't call it 'Seb' as a term of endearment.... wait..."

He took the bottle from her hand and sipped, returning it to her. They operated on a "What's mine is yours," basis, down to sharing clothes. He grinned, his sheepish, goofy grin, the one she had seen so many times.

"Well, you know what I mean."

Tiktok's lab was not a pleasant place, unless you happened to be a psychotic scientist/evil fiend, in which case its paradise. It was filled with machines of all shapes sizes and functions, though, most of them had 'evil' written all over them, in some cases quite literally. As for Tiktok herself, she was busy occupying herself with a test subject for her experiments.

"Log: Patient is expressing extreme discomfort in the digestive tract." She looked down at the hapless test subject who was writing in agony in its restraints. "Increasing dosage." A tentacle-like robotic tendril came down from the mass of equipment over the test subject and poured a vile green liquid down the subject's throat. The subject's eyes widened and its body started to swell horribly. Tiktok ducked behind a large clump of machines and place her hands over her ears. There was a loud, wet, popping noise. She removed her hands from her ears and gave a sigh of disgust.

"Log: Muta-aid v. 1.8 experiencing failures. Resulting in corporeal explosion centered in the digestive tract. Cause?: Possibly reaction with stomach acids. Solution?: Add more base to next batch. End Log." Tiktok shook her head. She was a scientist, not a food technician, and yet she had to waste her time creating foodstuffs for the audience that would watch the tourney. She should be spending her time studying the unique properties of various viruses and their effects on various species, and yet she was stuck with a job better suited for cafeteria workers. She took a deep calming breath and prepared to mix a batch of Muta-aid v. 1.9 and try it out on another "volunteer".

"Alert." stated the computer. "Rift in spatial matter forming 100 km from planet's surface. Wave pattern detected. Pattern Yellow." Tiktok looked up in mild surprise. The rift was probably cause by the entry of another competitor, she thought. She frowned. She could not recall have ever encountered an entity with Pattern Yellow before. "A number of small objects moving towards planet at rapid speed. ETA to planet's surface: 10 minutes and counting." Tiktok moved towards the com system.

"Charnel." she called. There was a brief static filled pause.

"Charnel here."

"We have a new arrival. Get ready for welcoming committee duty."

A sigh of disgust was heard from the other end of the com system. "I'm on it. Charnel, out."

Tiktok rubbed her chin. Pattern Yellow, she mused, there was something important about Pattern Yellow, something the previous Master mentioned. She smiled, an unpleasant one. "Computer, prepare tissue sample analysis chamber." The computer chirped its confirmation. Looks like I may be collecting tissue samples in the near future for analysis, she though, grin widening.

He wrote. He wrote just about anything. Stories, scripts, ideas, poetry (formal, informal and haiku), letters... all into the one book. This book also included sketches of his, sometimes related to his writing, sometimes just inspired. A book, more a piece of therapy than a diary. And she was sitting upright in bed, using a small desklamp, reading through his 'therapy'. Currently looking at sketches of a cat. Turning pages, reading through a short story involving characters she recognised: some from her favourite animation series, some created by him. A series of stories, this just one part, a series he was writing for her. Chuckling. The story was good.

She was afraid he would wake after hearing her voice, but his claims of being able to sleep through almost anything rang true again. She went back to her reading, turning more pages, looking for anything new. A letter. To her. She knew he never wrote letters to her: they were addressed in the 'therapy' as letters to her, but they were more the 'true' diary entries.

"Kim,

        Interesting turn of events, ne? I'm sure that we didn't
     go through an End... just another way of getting here. I
     doubt that there IS an End to here. I guess we're stranded
     for now. Think of it as a holiday.

        While I was signing up, I found out a few things about
     the other entrants, along with the rules. The majority of
     people here are... well, overpowered. I mean, I have my fair
     share of weird abilities, especially with that cow that's in
     the SEB (which I take for granted now - by the way, I left
     some more cow paraphernalia in the SEB for you), but these
     guys can supposedly use magic and throw energy around, or
     have some kind of sword. Hell, not even the SEB's unique,
     some of them have unlimited storage devices. There's a
     decent assortment of non-humans too - no surprises there.
     All in all, I'm one of the underdogs.

        Probably gives me a good chance - if I beat any of these
     guys, it's cause for celebration. And I will beat these guys
     senseless, and give you that wish. No, I didn't just gain a
     violent streak... I just feel that I need to do this.

        We can't wander around outside the sportsplex. Kinda
     dampens your earlier thoughts of exploring the place. Maybe,
     though, we can make like Arsene and sneak around.

        Another thing - no stealing any stuff from here. You'll
     have to keep me in check, so I don't get booted from the
     tournament. Have to be more like Arsene in some respects,
     and less in others.

        Another day, another 'adventure'... I don't think a day's
     been dull for us since we met.

        I love you.

                                  Kyo-frijoles"

The horde of byahkee landed in an open air plaza of the tournament center in the early hours of morning. The King in Yellow and Golden Queen dismounted their byahkee and looked around. It looked like a standard sports arena, though relatively new and untouched. KiY smiled evilly beneath his mask. He was going to have some fun here. A man dressed as a tech worker came running out of one of the entrances to the plaza. His eyes widened as he saw the horde of byahkee in the center of the plaza.

"Hey! What are you doing! You can't leave those there!" the tech worker yelled as he ran up to the KiY and GQ. KiY moved over to the man.

"Please keep your voice down. These are sensitive creatures. If they are disturbed they have a tendency to... remove the disturber." he said in a mock concerned tone.

"Remove? To where?" asked the tech, raising an eyebrow.

"Places, you know. Like the inside of their stomach."

"Oh. Anyways, are you here for the tournament?" asked the tech. The KiY nodded and the GQ yawned in a bored fashion. The tech continued, "Well, are you here as a team?" KiY nodded again. The tech's face paled a little. "Excuse me." He ran off.

The King in Yellow looked at the Golden Queen. "Well, so that was one of the aberrations. A possessor of corpses and bodies." He snickered. "Sound familiar?"

The Golden Queen snorted. "He's limited to the powers that the body possesses. Not much of a threat. A notebook computer appeared in her hands. "From what we know, that aberration must have been... Charnel." She looked at the computer and sighed.

"So, it looks like notebook computers are now 'in'. Personally, I liked the old books, with pages made from human skin." He sighed. "Those were the good old days."

"Tiktok! We have a problem!" yelled Charnel over the com system.

"What is it?" demanded Tiktok in a bored tone.

"There's two of them."

"What? Two of what?" asked Tiktok in a slightly puzzled tone.

"Two fighters who are Pattern Yellow!"

"WHAT!" roared Tiktok. This was not good. She had remembered the old Master telling her about his dealings with a Pattern Yellow.

"Remember," he had said, "one Yellow means he's travelling or investigating. Two means they're invading. Three means get off the damn planet."

"Well, Tiktok, what should I do?" asked Charnel in a panicked tone. Something was bugging Tiktok, and if something was bugging Tiktok, it was going to be bad for all of them.

"All right, Charnel, don't let the Yellows form a team. We've had too few dealing with Cthonic entities in the past to know what to expect. Keeping them from teaming up may throw them off balance a bit, giving us a chance to figure out what they're up to. I'm going to contact the Master. He may have had dealings with Cthonics in the past."

"Didn't your old Master have dealings with Cthonics?" asked Charnel.

"Yes, but he always insisted on meeting them alone." stated Tiktok. "Get going and don't screw up. Tiktok out." Charnel sighed. This was not going to be fun.

The tech came running back to KiY and GQ, sweating profusely. "I'm sorry, but you two cannot form a team." Golden Queen arched an eyebrow.

"And why not?" she asked in a dangerous tone of voice.

"Umm... uh..." Think fast Charnel, said Charnel to himself. "Because... Ah! Because of the similar natures or roots of your powers, a team comprising of members with identical powers would be boring and unbalanced. We call it the second player rule." Charnel smiled smugly. That was a nice bit of BS, he thought.

"Really." said the King in Yellow in a tone dripping with cynicism. "Fine." he said, waving his hand dismissively in the air. "Are there any fighters who do not have a partner yet?"

The tech smiled. "There is one..."

A lone tech/Charnel possessed human named Raoul walked down the hall at a slow pace, at least until someone came up behind him and clubbed him in the back of the head, but this is just an unrelated tangent... or is it?

Kyo stirred in his sleep. He smelled something cooking. It smelled a bit like ham, but he couldn't be sure. At least Kim was making breakfast. Then his sleep addled brain clued into the fact that Kim was wrapped in his arms. He opened his eyes cautiously and looked into a white mask that was half-grinning maniacally and half frowning sadly. Through the right eyehole he could see a burning yellow eye. It was all about three inches from his face. He did the only thing natural. He screamed.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" he screamed in a surprised, panicked tone. Kim, rudely awoken, looked up at the masked man. And screamed.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" she screamed, Kyo's and her scream blending nicely together. The figure chuckled.

"Please, there's no need to scream. I'd like to introduce you to your new partner. Me." The figure bowed from his levitating cross-legged position. Kyo stopped screaming.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked angrily.

"I'm the King in Yellow. My associate bringing you breakfast in bed is the lovely Golden Queen, associate of mine and full time bitch." The Golden Queen glared at KiY as she brought over a tray with what appeared to be bacon. She bowed after she place the tray on Kyo's lap and punched the KiY, knocking him to the floor.

"I'm the Golden Queen. Pleased to make your acquaintance." Kyo took a tentative bite of the bacon lookalike. Kim winced.

"No thanks. Not since my old biology classes."

"This is good," Kyo spoke between mouthfuls, "But it's not bacon. What is it?"

The King in Yellow laughed maniacally while he stood up. "Have you ever seen the movie 'Eating Raoul'?" They shook their heads no. "Too bad," he continued, "because that's what you're doing." Both their eyes widened and Kyo made a mad dash for the washroom. KiY shook his head sadly. "Some people just can't appreciate people-food." he said while removing his mask to eat some of Raoul.

"Not good!"

The shouting from the bathroom meant that he had finally stopped retching and was most likely upright. She was huddled in the corner of the room, wrapped in bedsheets and staring, wide-eyed, at the two intruders as they made themselves quite welcome.

"You didn't disagree before you knew what, or who, it was." chuckled the KiY.

"I'm not a cannibalistic tendency kinda guy."

"You sleep in your clothes?"

He was now standing in the doorway of the bathroom, towel in hand, wiping his face and hair. Still fully clothed - khaki shirt, khaki cargos, khaki sneakers. The King in Yellow chuckled, replacing his mask.

"First night after travelling, sure. Unlike yourself... you live in those, right?"

The Golden Queen sighed. "Great start for a prospective team. Get up off the floor, dear." she said to Kim.

Hand extended, the Golden Queen helped her stand. That was all the time they spent near each other: seconds later, she was clinging to him again, and the Queen and King were on the opposing side of the room.

"I would have held your hair back if..."

"It's OK, Kim."

As the towel hit the ground, he hugged her, trying to reassure her. It would have been effective, too, if the other couple in the room were not bickering.

"King in Yellow, you've just managed to freak out your team member. Well done."

"And there's some way you would have done things differently?"

"Well, first, that art film reference. They didn't need to know."

"Philistine."

"I would have been more tactful and mature."

"And probably would have gotten him and his girl laid." stated the KiY in a deadpan tone.

The Golden Queen went red in the face. "And what do you mean by that?"

"Hey, I'm not the one who's been screwing almost ever Cthonic entity out there. You're practically a centerfold for tentacle porn."

Kim snickered, already slowly getting back into good spirits. It wasn't that she was completely scared of the other two - she had seen many weirder people in her travels. It was more the shock of being woken by them, and then being offered flesh for breakfast. Even that had worn off, in his arms. And so, she opened her mouth, and let her new assumption be known.

"Lovers' quarrel."

Both the Golden Queen and the King in Yellow turned and just stared at Kim.

"For your own sake girl. I suggest you do not say that again. Or you might not be able to speak again." said the King in Yellow his voice dripping with malice.

"Back off. Touch her, and you lose your partner."

The scene had changed quickly, from one of simplicity and cheer, to one of aggression. The King had stepped forward, and he had responded by coming to her defense, moving in front of her and confronting the King. He had no idea what he was up against, of what the King was capable of... and this made him step forward, grin in an unusual manner through his hair, and point directly at the King. The standoff was broken by the King's voice.

"You think I need you?"

"Well, it's not like you're going to find anyone else fast."

"I would much rather stay oblivious to your reasons or being here. But, thank you for at least telling me you're a servant of some Lovecraftian demon-god named Has-"

"What did I say about saying the Name?"

"-The Unspeakable. I thought you were just a random freak, but now I can get on and deal with it."

"Your sarcasm leaves much to be desired, as does your demeanor. If I didn't have to team with you, I wouldn't. If I had my way, I'd probably eat you and your girl, sacrifice your souls to He-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named, and annihilate the Earth that you came from. As things stand, you're my only ticket into the tournament..."

"...and you're mine. It's understood, don't worry, and I think we can co-exist. Just... don't touch the cow."

"You have a cow?"

"In the bag."

"Oh, by the by, don't go into the back room."

"Why?"

"Trust me. That and avoid the basement mens' washroom like the plague."

"Do I even want to know?"

"Not unless you have a very high madness tolerance. And you should probably avoid the broom closet... unless you want to see a portal to a Lovecraftian demon-god. Avoiding the fridge would also be a good idea. Unless you want some of Raoul's friend."

"You know, we don't have to room together. We're just in the same team."

"Who said I'm staying in this room?"