There was no sudden wakefulness, no jerk back to the real world. Ryan felt more like he was floating in a deep dark pool, floating to the surface ever so slowly. There was no sense of urgency, only a the warm calm of the darkness. But slowly, details were coming to him. He could feel a warmth on his face, a warm wind so gentle he wasn't sure it was there. Something brushed through his hair, and something else lightly touched his shoulder. Slowly, the darkness receded.
He became aware of the ground, carpeted in grass and moss. The half moon shone brightly in the night sky. And the barely-moving body of Rain was cuddled with his own. Still half-alseep, Ryan laid his head down, gently pushing back some of Rain's deep black hair.
But there was something else. Ryan looked up. Looking back was a bizarre sight. A man looked down at him. He wore old-looking armour which shone dully. He carried a sword at his belt and a dagger wrapped to each wrist. But it was his head that drew Ryan's attention. The fact that it was transparent.
Ryan shot to his feet in alarm, abruptly waking Rain up.
"What..? What's going on?" Rain sat up and looked from Ryan to the stranger. She sighed. "Dante. Why are you peeking at us?"
Dante's lips moved, but no sound came from them. Yet somehow, Ryan understood what the strange man was trying to put across.
(...not peeking...you're just sleeping...)
"And you always spy on me when I'm asleep?" Rain snapped. "What is it?"
(...Tigerbite...)
"Tigerbite?" Rain looked at Ryan, then down to Ryan's hand. Ryan followed her gaze. To his surprise, he found that he was wielding the large sword Tigerbite.
"Huh? How did this..? Oh, I think I get it." Ryan concentrated. The sword faded away.
(...that's a new trick...)
"How...how did you do that?"
Ryan shrugged. "I left a message for myself. Rain? Should I know this...person?" He indicated towards Dante.
"Oh...Ryan, this is Dante. He's my brother."
"Brother? You mean..?"
"No, he's a true ghost. Dante, you remember Ryan, don't you?"
(...younger...)
"Yes, something I didn't expect when I cast the spell."
Dante's transparent head grinned.
(...screwed up?...)
"Hey! I'd like to see you do better!"
"Well," Ryan smiled. "You guys sure act like brother and sister."
Rain stuck her tongue out at Ryan in a way that simply didn't suit her unearthly aura. Dante chuckled silently.
(...nice to see you...Lionheart...)
"Er, nice to see you too. Sorry I don't seem to remember you."
(...not a problem...memory will recover...)
Ryan turned to Rain. "Rain, while I was dreaming, I got this warning."
Rain turned serious. "Oh?"
"Yeah. I didn't get much, just something about the Hunter being more dangerous than you believe."
(...Shane...)
"NO!" Rain whirled towards Dante, a little anger evident in her voice. "For the last time, Shane is DEAD! Richard Scavenger is the one you sense, and he's little more than human. The Hunter is gone! Why won't you accept that?"
Dante communicated nothing. He just stared levelly at his sister.
"My Lionheart killed it! He died doing it, but he killed it. He...I..." Rain faltered. For a moment, Ryan thought she was going to cry, but she remained in control. "Dante, let it go. Shane Scavenger is dead. He has to be."
Dante shrugged, but did not argue. He looked over at Ryan.
(...leave you now...be around if you need me...)
With that, Dante left the clearing. Rain sighed. Ryan wnet over to her.
"Hey. Are you OK?"
"I'll be alright. I just hate thinking about that damned Hunter, and what he did." Rain looked Ryan dead in the eye. "Ryan...I need something from you."
The Dancer's gaze was making Ryan nervous, although he couldn't honestly say that he didn't like it. "Yes?"
"Would you stay here tonight? With me? I don't want us apart tonight."
Ryan's voice caught in his throat. It wasn't that his parents would notice anything unusual. He'd often stayed the night with friends on a whim before they'd moved, and his parents would probably assume he'd done the same thing tonight.
And it wasn't that he didn't want to stay with Rain. A part of him rejoiced at the invitation.
But he'd never had a beautiful girl ask him to stay the night with her before. And if Rain had been waiting for this for over four hundred years...Just what would she do with her long-lost husband?
But the point was moot, because his mouth and voice were working independantly from his brain.
"Of course. I'd love to stay with you."
Rain smiled and embraced Ryan. "Thank you." She took Ryan's hand and led him to a huge rock nearby. On one side, a deep hollow was imprinted into the stone. Rain curled up into the hollow, taking Ryan with her. Ryan's heart was beating faster than he'd ever thought possible as Rain took his head and kissed him.
"Do you remember the first time, Ryan?"
Ryan gulped. "Th-the first time?"
Rain was whispering into his ear now. "Yes...the first time we ever shared dreams..."
'Shared dreams? Oh!' Ryan realised. "I...I don't think so."
Rain breathed deeply. "I used to love this. Let me remind you..."
Ryan hadn't long woken up from his Tigerbite dream, but he was once again feeling sleepy...

...and the next thing he knew, he was sitting with Rain in a strange open field. The grass was crystalised with what looked like ice, and appeared to be black underneath the white-tinted exterior. The sky was a beautiful shade of violet, with light clouds passing quickly overhead. The scene looked the definition of a gorgeous winter wonderland, but there was no cold in the air or ice.
"How do you like this, Ryan?"
Ryan smiled. "It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen! It's just incredible!"
"It is lovely, isn't it?"
Ryan nodded, still in awe of the shared dream. "Is this place real? I mean, outside of a dream?"
"No. It only exists in our hearts. Yours and mine. No one has ever been here but the two of us."
"I'm glad. I feel like if anyone else came here, it'd kind of spoil it."
"I know what you mean. Dance with me, Ryan?"
Rain offered her hand. Ryan took it, and the two started to dance. The sky glistened and flowed from colour to beautiful colour, somehow matching the flow of the dance. Ryan couldn't tell how long they danced for. It seemed like only moments, yet it seemed like an eternity.

But all dreams must end, and as the sun rose over the forest, the Dancer and the Lionheart awoke.
"Morning...I wish I didn't have to go to school."
"I wish so too. But I can't just pluck you from your life and damn the consequences. Still..." Rain squeezed his arm. "I'll never be far away."
"A bunch of us are going to the arcade after school today. Would...would you like to come?"
Rain smiled. "I'd love to. You have some interesting friends. Do you think Sara and Phillip will ever stop fighting and get together?"
Ryan chuckled. "Get together? Maybe. But they'd still be fighting. The two of them stopping fighting is one of the signs of the end of the world."
Rain laughed, sending pleasant shivers down Ryan's spine. "We'll see. You'd better get going. I'll be waiting for you after your school."
Rain kissed Ryan, and they said their goodbyes.

Ryan spent most of his lessons that day staring into space, or at the paper he should have been writing on. Luckily, no one seemed to pick up on it at first. But eventually, in history lesson at the end of the day, Sara's amused voice whispered at him.
"How's Rain then?"
Ryan barely stopped himself from falling out of his seat. "Wha..? What..?"
Sara nodded at his pad of paper. A doodle of a girl in a flowing dress was there, which you could make out as Rain. If you used a little imagination.
"Got it bad for her, haven't you?" Sara chuckled quietly. "Any other stuff there I should see?"
"No!" Ryan hissed back. Sara smiled calmly, and tried to turn Ryan's pad a page back. Ryan moved to stop her, and the sheets of paper for the history lesson, and the math lesson before it, fell to the floor. Right by the feet of Miss Way, who apparently had been impatiently looking down at the two whisperers.
"Would it be too much to ask for the two of you to join us here in the class?" Miss Way snapped. She picked up the pieces of paper and started to say something. Looking at the paper, though, she stopped, looked at Ryan for a moment, then shook her head a little and walked back to her desk and resumed her lesson. Sara giggled before returning to her work.
Ryan wondered why Miss Way had so abruptly stopped what had looked like an impending lecture when she picked up the paper. He tried to remember what was on them. The one only had a mostly-completed doodle of Rain. Had he done anything in the math class? Thinking back, he vaguely remembered writing or doodling something while not paying attention to the lesson. Nothing important, he was sure.
The lesson went on for twenty more minutes before the bell rang for the end of school. The pupils jammed books and pencil cases into their bags. Phil came over to Ryan and started to say something, but was cut off by Miss Way.
"Ryan? Can I see you, please?"
"Looks like you're in trouble." Sara grinned. "If you get out of Alcatraz by four, meet us at the arcade, OK?"
"Yeah...sure..." Ryan puzzled over what he might have done. He went over to the front desk and looked at the teacher. She waited until everyone else had left the room. She produced the sheets she had picked up off the floor earlier.
"Interesting, aren't they Ryan?"
"What?"
"Let's have a look." Miss Way pointed at some scrawled pieces of writing on the sheet from maths. "'Lionheart, brave soul, Champion of the Free'...and so on. I remember you asking me about the Dancer legend."
"Yeah..." Ryan thought quickly. "I guess I got a bit too into it. Sorry."
"I guess you did." Miss Way remarked cooly. "But here's the bit I find really interesting."
She pointed to another rhyme just below the one from the legend. As Ryan read it, a sudden horror gripped hold of him.
"'I am your Lionheart, your Champion of the Free, Destroyer of the Evil wherever it I see. Waiting here for me no longer shall you be, for now I keep my promise to Dance with thee'..." Miss Way looked up at Ryan. "I don't remember seeing that one in the legend."
"Er..." Ryan cast around his mind desperately. "I guess...I have a lot of imagination, huh?"
"And a real knack for research." Miss Way retorted. "You've written the word 'Rain' here several times. Strange, because I'd say only three or four people in the world would know that the Dancer is supposedly named Rain Shackle."
"I guess I heard it somewhere."
Miss Way sighed. "Ryan, listen to me. All the students here know that I'm...keen on this subject. And I'm fine with encouraging anyone who wants to to learn about it, because they're just kids. They won't get very far." Miss Way leaned forward. "But people who research this legend, and I mean really research it...things happen to them."
"Things?"
"About six years ago, I was researching it as a student myself." the teacher explained. "I got through all the usual stories and things, and everything was fine. But then I started making real progress. I discovered a site in the forest outside of town where some personal items were buried, all that time ago. I even found a diary, kept by the witch in the legend. That night, all these things disappeared."
Ryan shrugged. "Someone broke into your house, maybe?"
"I went out looking for them. Instead, I came across this weird girl. I thought she was some sort of loony, thinking she was the Dancer herself. Except she knew all about me. My name, my address, my work. She threatened me, told me to leave the legend alone. If I didn't know better, I'd have said she was a ghost or something.
"Ryan, I'm not the only person this has happened to. My partner met this girl too. She put him in hostpital. Three broken ribs and a broken wrist."
'Rain did that?' Ryan thought. 'I can't see her doing that. Not unless she was really threatened.'
"Who was the partner?" Ryan asked carefully.
"Hmm? Oh Richard? He works as an estate agent now..."
'Scavenger! That explains it.' Ryan sighed. Scavenger sure had a vendetta against Rain. Ryan just hoped that Miss Way didn't know of Rain's true nature like he did.


As Ryan was enduring Miss Way's interrogation, the rest of the gang were enjoying themselves playing arcade games on the other side of the park.
"Ha! Take THAT!" Phil yelled in glee, as his in-game fighter knocked down Sara's. Sara growled and started tapping buttons frantically.
From just behind, Max watched the competition with more than a little amusement. Sure, the games were fun, but nowhere near as fun as the slanging match that would occur between his two friends as soon as one of them won whichever game they were playing.
Something caught Max's eye as Sara and Phil played and argued. A little distance away, a girl was looking around through the aisles of consoles. Max recognised her as Ryan's friend that had appeared in the park a few days before.
"Hey guys?"
The pair didn't answer. The machine gave some musical bleeps and displayed the result of the game in large, colourful letters.
"A DRAW?!"
"What the hell type of...?" Phil kicked the machine lightly. "Stupid game. I was way ahead!"
Sara snorted. "Yeah, right. I was kicking your ass all over the screen, pal!"
"Guys?"
"What?"
Max pointed over at the strange girl. "Isn't that Ryan's friend over there?"
Sara smiled widely. "Girlfriend, you mean. Hey, Rain!"
Sara ran over to Rain, barging several gameplayers out of the way, and grabbed Rain by the shoulder. Rain whirled round startled, then smiled.
"Hello. Sara, wasn't it?"
"Yeah! Looking for Ryan, are you?"
"Yes. He said he'd be here with the rest of you."
"Heh. Ryan's not here...and it's your fault!"
Rain looked quizzically at Sara. "My fault? How is that?"
"He got detention for not paying attention in class." Sara grinned slyly. "He'd much rather draw little pictures of you than pay attention!"
Rain sighed, though a small smile played on her lips. "Poor Ryan. Should I go and see him at the school, do you think?"
"Nah. Miss Way doesn't keep people in detention for more than about a quarter of an hour, usually, so he'll be along pretty soon."
At this point, the two boys finally got away from one of the customers Sara had barged into, who had voiced his displeasure very loudly, and joined up with the two girls.
"Hey, it's the girlfriend!" Phil cried.
"Yes, and she's found Ryan's girl too!" Max laughed. Phil and Sara immediately turned on him.
"Who are you calling a girlfriend?!"
"Awww, but Sara, Phillip..." Rain cooed. "You make such a gorgeous couple!" The Dancer pushed them together, chuckling mischieviously. They froze for a moment, then quickly pushed each other away, red-faced.


Ryan groaned as he walked away from the school. Miss Way had finally let him go, but only after extracting a promise that he wouldn't research the legend anymore. He didn't think she totally believed him, but at least he'd gotten away for now. He was a little over half an hour late for the arcade, and meeting Rain, so he took a short cut down a long alley that would shave several minutes off his journey.
About halfway down the alley, his senses told him that something was wrong. He shrugged them off, telling himself that Miss Way's interrogation had made him nervous, but he did throw a casual glance over his shoulder. What he saw made him feel cold and sick in the pit of his stomach.
Richard Scavenger was less than two metres behind him, with a small gun in his hand. He held it carefully, so a passerby would miss it, but to Ryan it was as big as if it was a shoulder mounted cannon.
"Greetings, little Lionheart." Scavenger sneered. "I see you have no Dancer to save your hide this time."
Ryan tried to say something, but his mouth had completely dried up.
"No stalling, Lionheart." Scavenger continued. "My car's just ahead, outside of the alley. Go to it, and don't even think of trying to run."
Ryan turned and walked in the way Scavenger indicated, eyes searching desperately for an avenue of escape. But the garden doors were all closed, and the only exits from the alley were the one ahead and the one that went through Scavenger. Ryan thought about making a break for it, but there was no way he'd escape before getting a bullet in the back. On the other hand, if Scavenger got Ryan into his car, Ryan doubted that he'd live to see the end of the day.
A sudden thought entered Ryan's head. He had no idea if he could pull it off, but anything was better than being led to the slaughter. He divided his concentration, enough on the outside world to register Scavenger's instructions, but focusing as much as possible on his right hand.
Ryan reached the end of the alley, and Scavenger's car was waiting there, just like he'd said. Scavenger walked right up behind him, tapping him on the spine with the gun.
'Come on...' Ryan prayed to anyone who might be listening.
"Good. No one around." Scavenger commented, quickly scanning the area.
'Damn it, open the door...'
"OK, Lionheart, into the car." Scavenger commanded. He moved a step and a half to Ryan's side and went to open the car door.
'NOW!'
Ryan swung his fist towards Scavenger. The Hunter raised the gun at him, but an instant before he could pull the trigger, Tigerbite was in Ryan's hand...and, in a more literal sense, in Scavenger's hand.
Scavenger screamed as Ryan twisted the blade that had run through his hand, and dropped the gun. Ryan kicked it away and pulled back Tigerbite. Scavenger staggered, gasping and clutching his bleeding hand. Ryan swung Tigerbite and brought the flat of the blade crashing into the side of Scavenger's head. Scavenger went sprawling into a nearby wall and collapsed. Ryan turned and ran, withdrawing Tigerbite into whatever part of himself it inhabited.


"Aaargh!" Phil snarled. "How are you so damn good?"
Rain smiled. "Talent."
"She's got your number there, Phil!"
"I wouldn't be so cocky, Sara. She was kicking your ass just now!"
"Look!" Max said. "Look who's decided to join us."
Ryan had burst into the arcade. He looked around wildly for a second, then saw his friends and quickly made his way over to them.
"Hey, Ryan. Long detention?"
"Are you alright, Ryan?" Max inquired. "You look a little pale."
"Me? I-I'm fine!" Ryan said quickly. He looked over to Rain, who was watching him curiously. "Hi Rain...sorry I'm late."
"You were worth the wait." Rain smiled, ignoring the various comments coming from Sara and Phil. She took Ryan's arm and kissed him on the cheek.
"Hey Rain, don't go all soft over Ryan." Phil demanded. "We still have to play a decider!"
"A decider? I beat you on that game four times in a row, and you haven't beaten me once!"
"Best five out of nine!"
"Maybe later, OK Phil? I need to talk to Rain, a sec."
Phil shrugged. OK, just don't take her away until I've beaten her." He grinned. "Meanwhile, I'll beat Sara a couple of times, for practice."
"Your mouth's making cheques, Phil..." Sara started up a new game. As they played, Ryan took Rain to one side and spoke quietly with her.
"Rain, Scavenger attacked me on the way here."
"WHAT?!" Rain quickly checked her voice, before continuing in a whisper. "Are you alright? Did he..?"
"I'm OK. He came off worse, actually. I kind of mangled his hand."
"You did?"
"Yeah, with Tigerbite."
"I don't suppose you killed him?" Rain asked casually. Ryan gulped.
"No...I hit him a couple of times then got the hell out of there."
"Pity. But I'm glad to see you're not hurt. Let's play some games, take our minds off it." Rain took Ryan's hand. "We can talk about this later."
Ryan nodded, and went with Rain to break up a tickling fight between Sara and Phil.