The Dreamland Collection

A/N: Yes, at last another post. . I never expected this to poplar story, but I hope that those of you who read it will enjoy it. It’s a bit racer than the last one and they’ll probably get more so with each adventure.

The Disappearing Daughters of Dalshore By: boysluvcraft

It seemed like ages since Yusuke Urameshi had departed from the Waking World and for long he’d traveled on the roads of Dreams. But really he couldn‘t have been sure exactly how long it had been. Time passes differently in Dreams; it was fact. Months could pass in the blink of eye or a single night could seem to stretch out forever. Indeed, it did seem to Yusuke that he had been traveling forever. The feeling could not be put down entirely on the nature of Dreams. Part of it was longing. He had come into Dream accompanied by two of the most important people in his life. Kurama was his best friend, the most stable force in his life, and possibly more. And then there was Hiei, the little spit-fire who’d stolen Yusuke’s heart, however unaware of it he was. They had both come into Dreams with him, but at the Gates of Deeper Slumber they were separated and washed away to the far corners of Dreams. The days without them seemed so long, as did the road he traveled down. Neither seemed like they’d ever end. Then again some of it could have just been the effect of Dreams. Yusuke still wasn’t used to the ways time and space behaved in Dreams.

There was a one thing which worked the same in Dreams as it did in the Waking World; money. Simply put, you have to have it. And if you don’t got it, you’ve got to get it. Yusuke was painfully aware of this fact because he didn’t have it and he desperately needed to get it. He and his companion, Ianto, had just bedded down in a moderately prosperous fishing town called Dalshore, when they had discovered they were tragically low on funds.

Sitting on their single rented bed with what few coins they had left scattered between them, Yusuke said, “There’s no way around it, we’re going to have to sell your panties to a rich industrialist for cash.”

“What?” Ianto started. “Yusuke this is no time for jokes. We’ve got maybe enough to buy a loaf of bread to have for breakfast tomorrow.”

“All right, calm down, Blondie. I was just having a little fun with ya, is all,” Yusuke waved a hand dismissively. “I’m sure we can find some work around here. Look what I picked up on the way in.” He pulled a bundle of brown-grey papers out of his coat and spread them on the bed.

“A town newspaper?” Ianto cocked his head.

“Yeah, thought I’d check the help-wanted ads,” Yusuke grinned as he riffled through the papers.

“I hate to tell you this, Yusuke, but any job ads you find in there would be for long term positions,” he told Yusuke. “We plan to out of this town as soon as soon as our funds permit it. Remember, the trail gets colder with every additional day it takes us to get to Barharna.”

Yusuke hadn’t forgotten. Reaching Barharna on the Isle of Oriab had been the driving force behind his every move. Why? Because four days before Yusuke met his blond headed companion, Ianto had been in Barharna where he had briefly encountered a man who was beautiful, clever, redheaded, and a demon. It could have only been Kurama. After that he was determined to get to Barharna and Ianto would take him there. Unfortunately, a run in with some black-marketers had sent the both of them to the far northern reaches of Dreams, turning a four day trip into… a much longer one.

“All right, Mr. Know-it-all,” Yusuke snorted, “Where would YOU look for work in a place like this?”

Ianto answered, ignoring the other’s snide tone, “A number of places; the town bulletin, the livery stables, we could ask at the local the guilds. Sometimes they could use a few extra hands that need not be skilled. And of course there’s the tavern.”

“Oh, dibs!” Yusuke raised his hand.

“We don’t have enough money for you to go drinking,” Ianto sighed patiently as he scooped their money back into its purse.

“Ya, I know that,” Yusuke said idly flipping through his apparently worthless newspaper, “I’m just good at working a room full of drunken people, is all. It’s not surprising, you should meet my mother-- Hey look at this.” Yusuke pointed to a headline on the paper. It read in bold print: THE MYSTERY CONTINUES.

Yusuke read the article aloud, “At about 11:45 last night a local guardsman reported having seen an unidentified young lady in her night clothes. She was walking along the old dirt road leading out of town into the ravine. He noticed that she moved in an oddly oblivious way, as if hypostatized by something in the distance. By the time the guardsman got down to the road, she had already disappeared into the ravine. After fetching another guardsman, they spent the better part on an hour searching the ravine, but found no trace of the girl.

“Mr. Watts of 37 Trout Lane reported to having seen his neighbor’s teenage daughter (Name not disclosed) walking down the lane in her nightclothes approximately at 12:05. Mr. Watts claims to have called out to her from his upstairs window, but she did turn to face him. The night was clear and quiet so there was no doubt that she could have heard him. Mr. Watts claims that the girl moved in the way of a specter and seemed to be in a trance. When the young ladies parents where questioned, they stated that they did not know of their daughter’s disappearance. They often fall asleep before her as she is wont to stay up reading at night.

“At 12:35 Mr. and Mrs. Jacobe of 127 Marlin Road went to check on their daughter (Elizabeth Jacobe age 15) and found her bed empty. Elizabeth is the eighth young ladies reported to be discovered to be missing form her bed. As with the other seven, Elizabeth was back in her bed by morning and without recollection as to where she had been the night before.”

Yusuke snorted, “How gullible can you get? Oh mama, papa, I have no idea where I could have gone,” Yusuke impersonated a teenage girls voice as he moved off the bed and began to disrobe. They were staying in a room that night and Yusuke liked to sleep without the discomfort of his traveling clothes. He snorted again as he tossed his green wool shirt into a corner, “Bah, those girls are probably just out whoring around with some local boys or something.”

Ianto followed Yusuke‘s lead and removed his blue moleskin jacket and draped it over the chair next to where he’d already left his boots and gloves. He then removed his belt and laid it over his jacket. That was the extent of undressing he would do for bed, unlike Yusuke who would strip down to his undergarments, which was little more than string bikini. Ianto made a point of not looking at Yusuke as the man peeled off his leather leggings.

“‘Out whoring around’… You have no sense of romance do you Yusuke,” Ianto said as he pulled back the bedding.

“Oh and I suppose you’re one to talk, Mr. Dictionary” Yusuke prodded as he slid into the bed. “I bet if I asked you what sex was you’d tell me it was a process of reproduction and that tab A and slot B junk.”

Ianto slipped in next to him while he said with an indignant air, “Yes, yes I would. But I’d also tell you that it is often used as base means of physical gratification. Or--” Yusuke looked the blond directly in the eyes. Something in those chocolate brown eyes causing him to pause with a blush.

“Go on,” Yusuke urged him, thinly holding back the grin that tugged at his lips. For some inexplicable reason he found his companion’s compulsive prudence entertaining.

Ianto cleared his throat and continued, “Or emotional expression. Like when you have feelings for someone that are so vast that they can only be measured by comparing the feeling of emptiness you have when you are without out them, next to feeling of completion you have when you with them. A simple ‘I love you’ just can not describe it nor can any words. All you can do is… feel it and hope the other can feel it too, in the night when your two bodies fumble in the dark and become one.”

“Damn,” Yusuke’s voice wavered, “I guess you can be--”

“You know what that news paper article reminded me of?” Ianto suddenly changed the subject, “an old Waking World bedtime story, by the Brothers Grimm. I think it was called The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Have you ever heard it?”

“Can’t say I have,” Yusuke drawled, “But hey, it’s bedtime now. Why don’t you tell it to me?”

“Let’s see how did that one go,” Ianto mused as he lay back on the pillow next to Yusuke. “Once upon a time there was a king with twelve beautiful daughters. And even thought they where prinesses living in a huge castle, they shared one room, which was locked every nigh when they when to bed. But then when morning came their shoes were always worn with holes as if they’d out dancing all night. Of course it was beyond anybodies grasp how this could be or where the princesses went at night. So one day the king announced that anyone who could discover where the princesses danced at night would be permitted to wed the princess of his choice and be the next king. A man would be given three nights to discover where the princesses went to dance, but if they did not succeed in that time that person would be put to death. The first one was a king's son. On the first night, he fell asleep whole he was on watch and did not find out where princesses go to dance at night. The second and third night went much the same. On the third morning the king had his head cut off. Many others came to try their luck and found it to be much the same as the first. They were all executed. Ha, Grimm fairytales indeed!

“Then one day an old soldier was passed through the country. He had been wounded in battle and couldn’t fight anymore. Considering the time period, that meant the best could aspire to now was the status of a hobo. Well, he met this old woman in the woods and they began to talk about the mystery of the twelve princesses. He told the lady that he’d like to know where the princesses dance, so he could be a king. The old woman told him it wasn’t that hard, so long as he didn’t drink any of the wine the princesses gave him, because it was it drugged. Then she gave him a magic cloak that would make him invisible when he wore it. He took her advice and the cloak, no questions asked-- dig that. Anyway, the solder went to the king and was granted a try to discover where the princesses go to dance.

“That night, one of the princesses brought him a cup of wine, which he secretly threw away. Then he pretended to sleep and snore. The princesses laughed when they heard this. They thought it was so funny that yet another man would be killed over them. What bitches, right? They got all dressed in their finest clothes and then the eldest went up to her bed and clapped her hands. The bed slid out of the way to reveal a trap-door. The soldier quickly put on the magic cloak of invisibility and followed them down the stairs into the earth, where there was a grove of silver trees. The soldier broke a twig off to take as a token. The sound of the breaking twig scared the youngest daughter, but the eldest called her silly and told her it was only their princes, crying for joy that they were coming. They passed through groves gold trees and diamond trees. The soldier took twigs form these as well. Again the noises frightened youngest, but the eldest insisted it was only their princes, crying for joy. They then came to a great lake. There awaited twelve little boats with twelve handsome princes. Each took a princess-- the soldier snuck aboard one of these ships as well. Off they went across the lake till they came to a great illuminated castle. And there they danced until three in the morning, and their shoes were worn out. After that the princes ferried princesses home. The princesses promised to come again the next night.

“The soldier ran ahead of the princesses, so that he could be in his bed when they returned. In the morning, he didn’t say a word about what happened. He followed them again on the second and third night, and had quite a ball. On the third night he nicked a golden goblet from the party. On the third morning the king summoned him to ask where his twelve daughters dance at night. He told the king everything and showed him the three twigs and the golden cup as proof. The king called for the princesses and asked them if it was all true. Hey couldn’t deny it. The soldier decided to merry the eldest bitch, became the heir to the throne, and… well, I can’t imagine any of them lived happily after that. The End.” Ianto finished, “Um, Yusuke?”

Yusuke had fallen asleep-- deeply asleep. With one arm tossed over his head and his mouth wide open. Ianto smiled as he folded Yusuke’s arm down and pulled the covers up over his bare chest. He rolled over putting his back to Yusuke, still smiling. Sometimes traveling Yusuke was like traveling with a little kid. At times like this it was exceeding easy for the blond to forget about some of the man’s worse habits. One such habit was exhibited as the sun rose on the next morning. Ianto woke up with the most wonderful feeling taking place between his legs. It was warm and it was griping him, stroking him.

“Ohh,” he let out a sleepy moan as that warm thing worked him until he was hard. There was warmth behind him too, a great mass of it pressed against his back, firm and warm. And then there was something else, a thick, rock hard rod grinding into his backside. It didn’t feel bad, in fact it felt really good. His sleep idled mind wondered if he was used to this sort of thing from his old life in the Waking World.

Just then the warm bulk behind him, moaned, “Ahh, Hiei.”

At those words Ianto suddenly recognized the identity of the warmth at his back and that pleasure between his legs. He came awake so violently it was a wonder he didn’t break through too many veils of reality, winding up in the Waking World. Yusuke only stirred slightly at the blonds start, but quickly slipped back into restless slumber. His hips twitched for the friction they had so recently enjoyed. They wouldn’t find it. Ianto had already slipped out of bed and out of Yusuke’s reach. Truthfully, Ianto shouldn’t have been so surprised, this was not the first time he’s woken up to Yusuke dry humping him and calling out for his lost lover.

Agitated, the blond moved to the chair where he’d left his things and begin to dress. As he did so he glanced back at the dark haired male who was sprawled on the bed, covers thrown back, his entire body exposed. His body was taut and shimmered with sweat from his broad chest, down his rippling washboard stomach, and across his slim muscular thighs. His face was pinched from unreleased passion and his chest heaved with his panting breathes. And neither last nor least to come to the blonde’s attention was the painfully throbbing bulge that was being poorly concealed under that pathetic scrap of linen that served as Yusuke’s underwear.

Yusuke tossed in in the bed and moaned, “Nghhh… Hiei, please.” He actually seemed to be suffering.

Ianto threw his hands in the air as if pleading to some unknown gods, why me? He crept over to Yusuke’s side and then carefully, oh so carefully pulled on the strings that kept Yusuke’s arousal confined within his underwear. Yusuke gasped as the material fell away and his heated manhood sprang out into the cool morning air. Ianto froze, holding his breath, should Yusuke have woken. He was still asleep. Good. Ianto took Yusuke’s hand, spiting in his palm, and then placed it close to exposed erection. Automatically, Yusuke’s hand grasped his length and started stroking.

Ianto immediately snatched his own hands away and carefully stepped back as if he’d just completed an elaborate house of cards and was afraid that any movement would bring it crashing down. He snapped up his coat and satchel, beating a quick retreat. Yusuke was a ticking time bomb now and it was best that he not be there when he went off.

“Have fun buddy,” he whispered as he slipped out the door.

It was only minutes latter when Yusuke came awake with a horse cry on his lips and a sticky substance spilling over his hand. He fell back on the bed panting as his mind cleared and he got his bearings. He was aware that his underwear had somehow come off and that he had fresh cum cooling on his stomach from his recent release. He was in a small, but comfortable bed that he’d rented at the inn with-- Yusuke sat up abruptly looking round the room for his blond headed companion, having just remembered him. But, no, Ianto was nowhere in sight. Yusuke sank back down on the bed, breathing a sigh of relief.

Yusuke thought it would have been really embarrassing if Ianto had seen him masturbating in his sleep… again. As if Ianto wasn’t aware of Yusuke’s horny streak. Yusuke was forgetting about all the times he’d woken up to an elbow in his gut and complaints about morning wood in uncomfortable places. Yusuke would always feign innocence at those times, saying it wasn’t fault he rolled over in his sleep. To tell the truth, Yusuke half-way thought the petite blond should have been grateful for how Yusuke’s snuggling kept him warm at nights. That was one thing Yusuke noticed about the blond; he didn’t seem to retain heat very well. There was always a chill on his skin, low blood pressure, Yusuke supposed.

Yusuke got up, keeping in mind that the aforementioned blond would return eventually, he did not want to be naked and coated in semen when he did return. He found the washbasin in the customary place outside the bedroom door, washed himself and dressed. Not a moment too soon, as he was fastening the buttons on his leather breaches, a knock came at the door fallowed by Ianto’s voice.

“Are you decent Yusuke?” He asked through the stout wooden door.

Yusuke replied, “Never! But I’ve got clothes on. Come on in.”

The door opened and the Ianto came in with a loaf of bread bundled under one arm and a jug of cheap wine under the other. Yusuke took this to be breakfast. It was a depressing meal to say the least. The bread was at least a day old and the wine was half water. It was the best they could afford with what little coin they had. They would need to find a source of income that day or they would soon be exiled from their rented room and forced into the wilderness where they would have to chase scrawny squeals for dinner.

Yusuke escaped these dreary thoughts by reading over yesterday’s paper while he ate. “I’ve been reading about his disappearing girls thing,” He told Ianto, “It says here that the city counsel is offering a sweet cash reward to anyone with information that could close the case.”

“Well that would be great, if we had information,” Ianto said dryly, tearing off another piece of hard bread.

“We can get the information,” Yusuke rolled his eyes, “We can, ya know, investigate and stuff.”

“Investigate?” Ianto raised his pale colored eyebrows, “What are we detectives all of the sudden?”

“Why the hell not? And for your information, I used to be a detective back in the Waking World,” Yusuke boasted. “I closed a lot of important cases too.”

“You’re kidding,” Ianto cocked his head, “I never took you for the type.”

“What’d ya mean ‘type’,” Yusuke crossed his arms.

“I assumed detective work would require intelligence, a keen eye for detail, and a knack for planning,” Ianto said. “I sort of took you for the devil-may-care, rush in blindly and fly by the seat of your pants type.”

“Well, that just goes to show that you don’t know nothing about detective work,” Yusuke stated smugly.

“Apparently,” Ianto muttered. “So how would we go about solving this town’s little mystery?”

“First off it ain’t no mystery,” Yusuke pointed, “It’s pretty obvious that these girls are just out screwing around with boys or something. They don’t disappear, they just wait until their folks are asleep and sneak out. The trance’s people have claimed to seen them in are faked and the amnesia is just a friggen lie. And as for disappearing in the ravine, pssh, we passed that thing on our way into town. It was so full of crags and overhangs I doubt hardly any light gets in there at night. It’d be easy to loose someone in there. See, we just got to prove this stuff and cha-ching!”

“Yet, you haven’t told me how,” Ianto smirked.

Yusuke smirked right back, “The same way the soldier found out where the twelve princesses danced at night; we follow one of the girls. Let’s say… Elizabeth Jacobe of 127 Marlin Road, age 15.”

“You fell asleep before I finished that story Yusuke,” Ianto told him.

“Yeah so?” Yusuke snorted, “What? He married a beautiful princess became king and lived happy ever after, right?”

“Wrong,” Ianto told in solemnly, “The twelve princesses caught him following them and then they cut off his tongue as well as his fingers, toes and other short appendages.”

“No kidding,” Yusuke stared at the blond awestruck, but then he noticed the smug twitch tugging at the other’s cheek. “You bullshiter!” Yusuke squawked.

“And you believed me,” Ianto laughed into his hand. Then more seriously, “So you really want to try this… investigation thing?”

“Yeah,” Yusuke said.

Ianto nodded, “Aright, I’m with you then.”

A ten minute walk took the two to Marlin Road and the home of Miss Elizabeth Jacobe. It was not unlike the other houses of Dalshore, small, two stories, and fashioned out of green and purple flecked stone bricks. Also like any other structure in Dalshore, it looked old, save for the thatch roof which looked like it had been replaced sometime in the past few years. Yusuke also noted that one side of the house was barely visible for layer upon layers of creeper plants that grew along the irregular brick walls. Yusuke had noticed a lot of houses in the town were like that, it was the east side on all the buildings. It must be because the plants needed the early morning sun light. From the road they looked fairly sturdy, stout and well anchored to the walls, perhaps sturdy enough to bare up a person‘s weight. Up on the second floor there was a tidy little square cut out of the vegetation where a window was. Yusuke was almost willing to bet his left nut that window looked into the room of Elizabeth Jacobe.

“Don’t you think we’ll look suspicious,” Ianto’s voice broke in on Yusuke’s pondering. “If we’re out here watching the house all night, someone might see us and what would they think? They may call the guardsmen and have us arrested.”

“Oh, we won’t have to worry about that,” Yusuke told him half-heartedly.

“Why not?”

“Cuz we’re not going to standing out here and we ain’t going to be watching the house,” Yusuke said with an illusive grin that left his companion lost for words.

It was around mid-day when Elizabeth returned home from her lessons. Elizabeth was not a particularly impressive girl, but she could be considered beautiful on small town standards, average height, slightly thin, but with the promise curves as she developed into womanhood. Her hair was shoulder length curly and chestnut colored. Her face was pleasant if not still retaining a few ounces of baby fat with a light speckling of freckles across her cheeks. At this time of day her mild beauty was even more lack luster for the lack of energy after another day of listening to her old maid of an instructor drone on and on, about subjects she could really careless about. Elizabeth Jacobe was not the type of girl who enjoyed school, especially these days when she was so tired from un-restful nights. With a big yawn pushing its way past her lips, she stepped into the foyer of her home, where she usually deposited her books and kicked off her dirty boots in an automatic ritual. But today as she stepped into the foyer she was greeted by a sight that caused her some pause. Sitting in her family’s living room with her parents was the strangest pair of girls she’d ever seen.

They were older than her, maybe, it was hard to tell with the blond one. The blond one wore her long yellow locks back in pigtails, tied in thick pink ribbons. Her dress was a soft lavender with blue frills along the hem and at the bust-- if one could call that a bust. The poor dear was flat as a board. She had a pretty enough face, fair with rosy cheeks almost as if she were blushing. But she seemed to sulk as she looked down at the floor and tugged uncomfortably at her bodice. The other one looked slightly more mature in her dark forest green dress, but the dress only reached her mid-calves. For that fact Elizabeth noted the flat slippers she wore. A mature woman would wear heals and a full-length dress. The girl had jet black hair, where it peeked out of her bonnet. And was she TALL. She must have been the tallest woman she’d ever seen!

“Ah, look Lizzie’s home,” her mother stood to greet her, “Lizzie, I’d like to met Ianne and Yuna.” She indicated the blond and the brunette respectively.

“Oh, um, it’s nice to meet you, um, Ianne, Yuna.” Elizabeth said awkwardly. She eyed the one called Yuna. She was so tall!

Elizabeth’s mother quickly explained, “Yuna an Ianne are the daughters of my old friend from Ilek-Vad-- I’m sure I’ve told you about her before-- anyway they’ll be staying with us for a couple days.”

“You two are sisters?” She looked back and froth between them in awe. They looked so different.

“We’re step sisters,” the one called Yuna put in. There was something odd about this one’s voice too. “We were adopted, both of us. Orphans from the Waking World, ya know. Couldn’t ya tell we where Waking Worlders? What with me being so tall, it‘s a dead give away. Though, Ianne here can pass for a native, she’s just so itty bitty.” The one called Ianne seemed to bristle a bit at the remark, but Yuna ignored it in favor of gibbering on to Elizabeth, “Oh, I’m sure the three us will be great friends. Before you know it we’ll be braiding each other’s hair and telling each other all our secrets. Cuz ya know we all got secr--” Yuna’s monologue was cut short when Ianne’s elbow found its way into her sister’s gut.

Not too long after that Mrs. Jacobe sent Elizabeth out to pick up a few items for dinner. After she was sure her daughter was gone, she turned back to the others and said, “I think she bought it.”

“Cha, of course she bought it. Like she would expect her mom to lie to her about something like this,” Yusuke said, dropping the famine falsetto he’d used when speaking to Elizabeth, “That was a pretty clever story ya cooked up too, Mrs. J. ‘daughters of a friend from Ilek-Vad.’”

“Well thank you, Yusuke,” she said modestly, “That was very good save, that story about you two being adopted. I was worried that she’d see through us once she noticed you were Waking Worlders. But that’s not a problem now.”

Mr. Jacobe spoke up at that point, “Just so you know, Emily, I don’t like having to lie to Lizzie. She’s our baby girl for love‘s sake.”

“Aye, and it’s for ‘love’s sake’ we’re doing this, Howard,” Mrs. Jacobe told him. “I just hate the idea that she’s out there running around by herself at night. You know the kinds of dangers there are in the night. I don‘t want her to end up like poor Sarah!”

“Poor Sarah?” Yusuke tilted his head in question.

“Sarah was Emily’s little sister. She was about Lizzie’s age then,” Mr. Jacobe supplied.

“Silly girl was so forgetful,” Mrs. Jacobe said, her voice shaking a bit from long buried pain. “She forgot to bring in the firewood that day and it was so cold that night. She chanced going outside-- no one knew she’d done it until we heard the screams… they took her… swooped right out of the sky and took her!”

“Night Gaunts,” Ianto breathed close to Yusuke’s ear, “Sadly their tragedy is far from unique.”

“Yeah, no wonder they where so ready to go along with this scheme,” Yusuke muttered back. After surveying the house that morning Yusuke walked up to the Jacobe’s front door and knocked on it, much to his blond haired companion’s dismay. It was Mrs. Jacobe who’d answered, Mr. Jacobe still being at work. As any good natured Dreamlander would, she invited the two total strangers in for tea. At which point Yusuke told her of his idea that they stay in their home under the guise of being old friends, so that they could stalk their fifteen year old daughter. And what do you know she agreed to it.

The two adventurers soon learned that Mrs. Jacobe was once an actress, before she got married, but she did still have ties at the local the local theater. It was her idea that Yusuke and Ianto should pretend to be women, saying that her daughter would be less suspicious of them then if they were men. She then sent them down the theater with a note, requesting that they should be outfitted as such. By the time they returned to the Jacobe home, Mr. Jacobe had returned and been briefed by his wife. He too conceded after some time.

That night Yusuke aka Yuna helped the Jacobe women in the kitchen-- in fact he gave them a few pointer’s that would improve their cooking in the future. His skills not only impressed Mrs. Jacobe, but farther fooled Elizabeth into believing that this tall, brash creature was indeed a girl. Ianto, not being as handy in the kitchen, was resigned to set the table. At the same time he regaled Mr. Jacobe with the tales from Randolph Carter’s quest to un-known Kadath-- which he did in such a charming way that Mrs. Jacobe was forced to elbow her husband in the ribs and remind him that ‘Ianne’ may be cute, but would never make a suitable replacement for his wife. All through the evening Elizabeth never suspected a thing.

When bedtime came Yusuke and Ianto where given Mr. and Mrs. Jacobe’s bed-- because it was more comfortable-- was the thin reason given for Elizabeth’s sake. The real reason was because it was closer to the girl’s room than the guest room was.

“Alright, I‘m gonna get changed out of this girly shit,” Yusuke told Ianto in a hushed tone, “Ya think you could put your ear against that wall and listen for any weird sounds.”

“You mean like the sound of a window opening and the sound of vines rustling on the side of the house?” Ianto asked, his ear pressed against the plaster wall.

“Yeah, sounds like that,” Yusuke said, looking for the closures on his dress.

“Okay… Yusuke I can hear a window opening and vines rustling on the side of the house,” Ianto reported dryly.

“What!” Yusuke squeaked, “Right now?”

“No ten minutes from know,” Ianto rolled his eyes, “Of course now.”

“Shit,” Yusuke cursed and grabbed Ianto by the hand, dragging him out of the room and down the back stairs.

“Yusuke, we’re still in skirts,” Ianto pointed out, “Shouldn’t we change or something?”

“No time, we could loose her,” Yusuke told him as they dashed out the back door, just in time to see Elizabeth disappear through the garden gate.

They ran up to the fence, peering between the slates. The girl was walking down the road with the sort of carelessness as one who had taken that path many, many times. As for being in a trance, as eye witnesses have reported, Yusuke couldn’t really tell. The girl they followed did have faraway expression on her face, but natives always looked like that to men of the Waking World. In any case, Yusuke kept a respective distance, crouching in dark allies and ducking behind ancient moss covered walls as they followed her though the winding streets of the of the town. At some point the cobbled roads gave out to rough gravel which in turn gave way to dirt and pebbles as they neared the jagged scar in the earth that was the ravine, just where they expected her to go.

Yusuke already knew, from a lecture Ianto had given him when they first saw the landmark, this ravine was the place from which Dalshore had quarried the odd green and purple flecked stones which the city was primarily built of. That was a long time ago and since then the city’s growth had slowed to such an extent that the new materials were scarcely required, thus the ravine was seldom ventured into these days. Years of being a punk told Yusuke that it was the perfect spot for teenage tomfoolery.

Ianto and Yusuke clung to the shadows as they tailed the girl into the ravine. Their progress, however, was impeded when other girls started coming into the rock strewn area. Ianto and Yusuke where forced to squeeze back into the shadow of a boulder else they be seen. Unfortunately, this also meant that they could not longer see Elizabeth.

“Shit where’d they go?” Yusuke cursed softly as they investigated the shadows where they’d last seen the girl. She was gone and so were the other three or four girls they had seen in the ravine, vanished as if they’d melted into the cliff’s themselves.

“There could be natural caverns,” Ianto said, “But this place is so mazy it could take forever for us to find the entrance.”

“Shoot,” Yusuke blew air between his lips, “Okay, how’s about we climb up this cliff until we can we got a good view of the ground and watch for the girls when they come out of the cave or whatever.”

Ianto frowned, “That sounds like a good plan, but…”

“But what?” Yusuke challenged him to find flaw in his plan.

“Well… Do you really think you scale a cliff in that dress?” Ianto gestured at their clothes. Yusuke looked down at himself, with an oh-yeah-I-forgot look on his face. Ianto sighed, “How can you be so comfortable in ladies clothes?”

“I don’t know,” Yusuke shrugged, “Actually, I kinda like the breeze between my legs. And the silky stockings make me feel special.”

“Well, I think the stockings itch. The skirt keeps getting tangled around my legs. And the corset’s digging into my ribs.” Ianto complained.

“Yeah, but your hair’s real cute,” Yusuke grinned, reaching out and snatching one of the twin yellow ropes, “Wow, I never noticed before, but your hair is real soft and silky and stuff.” Thoughtlessly, he rubbed the captive strand against his cheek as he muttered, “nice.” If it had not been so dark in the ravine, he would have seen the crimson shade that his companion’s face turned.

“We should get out of this hole,” Yusuke said at last placing Ianto’s hair back on his shoulder with one final pet. “We don’t want those girls to spot us when they come out of… wherever the hell they are. Damn, if my sixth sense was working I could have tracked that girl no matter how friggen dark it was.”

“It’s regrettable that mine is so weak that she slipped out of my range while we were hiding,” Ianto put in with an apologetic air.

“Meh, Dreams suck, not your fault, buddy,” Yusuke said passively throwing an arm around Ianto’s shoulder. “We just gotta be smarter about this, that’s all. Maybe we can put some of that fossie-stuff-- ya know the junk that glows in the dark?”

“Phosphorous?”

“Yeah that stuff. We could put it on her shoes and then follow the glowing trial-- no wait. She would notice her shoes glowing in the dark wouldn’t she?” Yusuke frowned. “Okay how bout this, forget her shoes. We know she’s going to the ravine, so we spread flour or something on the floor of the ravine and then track her footprints in the flour-- no no wait. She’ll notice the flour too, damn it.”

“Fish scales,” Ianto snapped his fingers.

“That a new expletive you’re trying out there?” Yusuke quirked an eyebrow.

“No no,” Ianto waved his hands as if he could shoo away the misunderstanding. “I meant that your flour idea would work, if we didn’t use flour, but dried fish scales. You see they’d be practically invisible to somebody who was in the dark and not looking for them. But if you are looking you will see their telltale rainbow sheen.”

“Where are we gonna get that much, dried fish scales, though?” Yusuke asked.

“This is a fishing town, Yusuke,” Ianto reminded him, “And in any fishing town there are sure to be three things produced, one is fish. Another is fertilizer made from the fish byproducts. And the third is cosmetics-- the kind with the sparkly shimmer. Do you now what makes that shimmer?”

“Fish scales,” Yusuke said comprehension dawning on him, “Ianto you’re a genius.”

“Not really,” Ianto waved the complement aside, “Before dinner Mr. Jacobe was telling me about his job at the fish processing house as a de-scaler. He mentioned that the removed scales are sold to the local cosmetic artisans.”

“Ya think he’d be willing to get us a sack of those scales?” Yusuke asked.

“Considering that he was willing to let a couple of weirdo’s like us into his house…maybe,” Ianto said dryly.

“He seems to like you. So, just bat those pretty eyes of yours at him and I’m sure he’ll cave,” Yusuke laughed and clapped Ianto on the back.

As it turned out obtaining a bag of dried fish scales would not a problem. Mr. Jacobe even said he would arrange to have some of his buddies go out to the ravine that after noon and scatter them in the area the adventures described. That would give the two time to rest during the day so they could be alert that night when they stalked his daughter. Said sleep was both appreciated and apparently needed. Yusuke slept hard and woke up refreshed, pressed against Ianto’s sleeping back. A smile touched Yusuke’s lips. It was rare for him to wake before Ianto. The blond must have been plenty exhausted from the night before. He slept so hard that he didn’t even notice the morning wood gouging into his lower back.

“Heh, whoops!” Yusuke laughed to himself, backing out of the bed, “Man no wonder he gets so annoyed with me in the morning. Shit. I’m so hard; I could cut glass with this thing.” Of course it would go away after he used the bathroom, but dang it seemed like a shame to waste such a glorious boner like that. If it were someone other than Ianto in that bed beside him, he may have use for it. He knew just who he’d want in that bed too.

Ah Hiei. Sweet sexy Hiei, Yusuke formed an image of the small man in his mind. His spiked black blowing in the wind looked like a flickering black flame. It was very appropriate considering his personality and abilities. Yusuke envisioned his strong arms, shoulders, and chest, a swordsman’s body; Hiei was four feet and nine inches of raw male vigor. Yet at the same time he was as adorable as a kitten just learning to walk. It was those eyes of his. Yusuke thought of how Hiei used to look up at him with those big red, expressive eyes. Simultaneously they seemed to say, ‘I will destroy you,’ and ‘pet me’.

Yusuke shook his head. Thinking about Hiei was not a productive thing to do when he was trying to get rid of a boner. Yusuke took care of his business and dressed himself in girl’s clothes, even though Elizabeth was in school at that time. He and Ianto both agreed that they should stay in disguise at all times, lessening the risk of being discovered. Yusuke fixed his half-wig on his head and swept his natural hair back, blending the two together seamlessly. He looked in the mirror, he did make a convincing girl, if not a little too tall. Ianto made an even better girl, what with his long hair and small stature. He spared a glance at the sleeping blond who looked like some strange Dream-flower with his yellow hair and purple dress sprawled around him like petals. He was a good friend to go along with this crazy scheme.

With that last thought fading in the recesses of his mind, Yusuke slipped out of the room, thinking to find Mrs. Jacobe and offer to help make lunch or something. But then the calmness of the mid-morning was shattered when the front door opened and slammed shut, an agitated Elizabeth dashed through the room with a tear streaked face. She howled in the manner of teenage girls, “I hate my life! I with I was dead!” She mounted the stairs, brushing past Yusuke, heading toward her room.

Yusuke quickly scanned the downstairs, feebly voicing a, “Mrs. J?” But the lady of the house was obviously not in. Form upstairs he heard the squeaking of bed springs as the girl fell onto her covers, which was soon followed by soft sobs. Now any sensible man would think to make himself as scarce as possible, until the girl’s mother returned and then allow said matriarch to handle the situation. Yusuke however was not a sensible man.

Carefully, Yusuke poked his head into the girl’s room. He saw her laying face down on her bed. Her legs jutting off the side as if she’d stopped a pace away from the bed and dropped onto it like a felled log.

“Uh, you okay,” Yusuke squeaked in his attempted female falsetto.

“You wouldn’t understand,” Elizabeth sniffed into her pillow.

Now as a guy, Yusuke knew that ‘You wouldn’t understand’ was female code for ‘pester me about this and I’ll rip your balls off.’ But that was only when the phrase was directed at a guy. Elizabeth didn’t know he was a guy. Yusuke thought, what is that girls so in these situations? Oh yeah, they meddle. Resuming his girl’s voice, he said, “I might.”

Elizabeth sniffed and sat up, looking Yusuke in the eyes with tear filled eyes. She asked, “You ever… liked a guy that didn‘t like you back, Yuna?”

“Did some guy turn you down?” Yusuke said. “Is that what this is about?”

Elizabeth shook her head, “If only. This guy doesn’t even know I’m alive.”

“Oh,” Yusuke nodded, “Did ya try flashing him some lace?”

“What?” Her head popped up.

“Uh! I said, ‘How could he miss your pretty face’!” Yusuke saved. Dang it Yusuke you’re a girl right now. Watch what ya say.

“Thanks, Yuna, but I’m not so pretty, not compared with the girls of Ilek-Vad, Celephais, Serannian, oh and all those far away cities,” Elizabeth moaned. Then she fell back onto her pillow sobbing, “I don’t what to talk about it!”

Poor girl had some obvious teenage drama going on. Believe it or not Yusuke thought he really could relate. He sat down on the edge of the bed, placing a calm hand on the back her chestnut colored head. He said, “I used to like a boy.”

She stopped sobbing and turned her head to look at him with interest.

He continued, “His name was Hiei. I loved him even though everyone said he was a short tempered, overly violent, emotionally repressed, jackass.”

“They were wrong?” Elizabeth queried.

“No they spot on,” Yusuke nodded, “But then again people have said the same things about me.”

“Gee Yuna, that seems like strange thing to say about a lady,” Elizabeth cocked her head.

Whoops! Yusuke grinned nervously, “Well ya see I was a marshal artist, ya know a fighter-- back in the Waking World that is. And so was Hiei, that’s how I met him. We were fighting each other and latter we became friends, then I fell in love with him.” Yusuke felt so stupid saying it like that, but he was on the spot and didn’t want to divulge any details that would hint that he was in fact a detective, a demon, and a dude.

“Oh,” Elizabeth said at long last, “Things sure are different in the Waking World; Girls fighting and against boys no less. Oh my and you’re so tall, Yuna, I bet your Hiei was like what over six feet? Can people get that tall?”

“They can,” Yusuke told her, “But Hiei wasn’t. Get ready to laugh. My sweet heart’s only four foot nine.”

“That’s short even for us Dreamlanders!” Elizabeth was shocked, “You would have looked ridiculous kissing him-- er, um, sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Yusuke waved it aside. (Somewhere in Dreams Hiei was having a sneezing fit.) “Truth be told, I think that’s part of the attraction, well the physical one at least. He was so adorable-- like one of those little yippy-dogs that thought he was a big dog. Of course there’s more to Hiei then that-- a lot more. He’s honorable, loyal, and even protective in his own way. And man, you should have seen him fight, so cool.” Yusuke sighed slipping off into his own little world for a second.

Elizabeth pulled him back to Dreams when she spoke, “And he never knew that you liked him?”

Yusuke sighed, “I don’t know. I dropped some major hints, but before I could find anything out… I was here.”

“Oh!” Elizabeth’s hands cupped over her mouth, sympatric tears shining in her eyes, “You went into Dreams before you could… Wow you must have really loved him too. Most Waking Worlders can’t remember stuff from their waking lives. Um you aren’t, uh, late of the Waking World are you? Sorry that‘s an insensitive question isn‘t it?”

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Yusuke blinked.

“You know late as in,” she made a throat cutting gesture.

“Late? Oh, you mean dead. I remember Ian-- Ianne saying something like that once, but I didn’t understand. No, I’m just in really long deep sleep,” Yusuke told her.

“Then there’s still hope,” Elizabeth beamed.

“Yeah,” Yusuke breathed, “So, what about this guy that’s got you so wound up?”

Elizabeth took a deep breath, “His names Jackson. We go to school together, or at least we did. I found out today that he signed up to go abroad on a merchant ship. He’s gonna go to all those exotic ports with all those exotic women. Why would he want anything to do with a plain local girl like me?” She sighed, “Now I know how Rebecca Handly feels.”

“Rebecca Handly?” Yusuke questioned.

“Oh, she’s this girl at school. A few of us girls have been… hanging out with her lately,” She told him, “To tell the truth I was only doing it because I felt sorry for her. She’s so plain, a real bookworm type. None of the guys pay attention to her. Now, I think I understand how she feels.”

“Oh,” Yusuke said making mental notes. He hadn’t gone in there with the intention of digging up clues, but he may have gotten one anyway. He moved on, “I wish I could tell you something like, tell him how you feel and maybe he won’t leave or I’m sure he’ll come back, but I really can’t promise that stuff, can I? Take it from me when a guy feels like he needs to do something there’s no two ways about it.”

“I guess, but what do I do?” Elizabeth implored. “I don’t think I live without him.”

“Bullshit!” Yusuke spat, probably with a bit too much favor, because it caused the girl to jump, “If this jackass can’t see how awesome you are than that’s his loss. You got a lot going for you! Come on, I want o hear you say it, ‘I have a lot going for me.’”

“I have a lot going for me?” Elizabeth muttered.

“Louder!” Yusuke demanded.

“I have a lot going for me!” Elizabeth laughed, “You’re a strange girl, Yuna.”

“Heh, am I?” Yusuke scratched the back of his head.

“Yeah, but I think I like it. I’m glad I met you Yuna,” Elizabeth smiled, “Hey, Yuna?”

“Hmm?” Yusuke hummed.

Shyly she said, “Can you tell me more about these ‘marshal arts’ that girls can do?”

“Ha, tell you?” Yusuke snorted, “I can teach you! Come on out to the garden and I’ll show you a few moves.”

Later that night after the Jacobes retired to bed and Ianto stood listening at the wall, the blond said, “Was I hallucinating or did I see you out in the garden today teaching the young lady how to do a round house kick?”

“Yep,” Yusuke nodded.

“Weren’t you afraid that you’d blow your cover, with your shirts fluttering about and such?” Ianto pointed out.

“I was wearing my pantaloons,” Yusuke snorted, “and never make me say that again.”

Ianto chuckled and then after a quiet moment he said, “She’s on the move.”

Again Elizabeth had slipped out the window and down the clinging vines. And again it was too quick to give the boys enough time to change out of their female attire, not that it mattered. It was not as great a hindrance as it had been the night before. Mrs. Jacobe had introduced them to a special kind of stage underskirt which was split completely up the back and only held on by a drawstring tie. Thus the boys could be free of the annoying ruffles of their slips with one tug. And as for the corsets, she told them quite amusedly that there was no reason why they could not forego the things altogether. There was no reason for them to bind down breasts they didn’t have. So thus dressed the two men set off into the night tailing the young Miss Elizabeth.

They came to the ravine and waited in the shadows until they were sure no other girls were coming. Then they lit a single candle from the bunch they’d brought with them. They were too small to provide any real light, but that was the desired affect. They did not want anyone else to notice their light. The candle was merely there to provide the most minimal amount of light required to see the shimmer of the dried fish scales which Mr. Jacobe had arranged to have been scattered there. He had done a good job. The valley floor shimmered and sparkled under the dim candle light, save for little trail where the girls had passed.

“Got cha,” Yusuke grinned as they followed the trail into the pitch black shadows under an over hang and slightly behind a boulder. Then the trail seemed to disappear into the rock. Farther examination proved that it veered suddenly into a crag that was all but invisible in the shadows. Right inside there was a gap low in the wall which Yusuke and Ianto ducked into. After only a couple feet the space opened into a wide walkway which they followed until they came to a set of stairs cut into the rock.

“Do ya suppose we’ll find a big old lake down here with a fairytale castle on the other side of it?” Yusuke said smartly.

“I’d say it’s about as likely as finding a handsome prince in a boat down here,” Ianto said drably, “But wait, I think I do hear water. The echo of the ocean, maybe?”

“Forget the ocean, I hear giggling,” Yusuke whispered. They kept low as they peered round the next corner. There they saw that narrow hall had opened up into a vast room, if one could call such a large space a room. The area was as big as a baseball diamond and the ceiling was so high that it disappeared in the shadows. Yusuke had to guess the cavern was natural from the looks of the rough floor. Eerie amber light was provided by irregularly placed blazers that seemed to be fashioned from stalagmites that had been lopped off part way and hollowed out like a bowl. At the center of the cavern there was an area had been cleared of stalagmites and more or less leveled. It was in that area where ten girls congregated over jars of paints which they where in the process of applying to the floor in and intricate design. There was an eleventh girl. She was unattractively skinny, bespectacled with long stringy hair the color of strained peaches. This one was standing atop the platform of a stalagmite that either broken or been cut off part way up. From up there she studied the other girl’s work, glancing back and forth between it and the open book in her hand as if comparing.

“How does it look, Rebecca?” One of the girls called up to her.

“Perfect,” she hissed closing the thick book in her hands, “We could be ready tomorrow but….”

“But we need one more girl,” another girl finished.

“Make that two more girls,” a third corrected, “Did you not notice Annalisa is not here?”

“Her parents freaked when they found her bed empty,” Another girl supplied, “They locked her door and put bars on her windows. She isn‘t coming.”

“I just hope she doesn’t rat us out to save her own skin,” one girl snorted.

It was Elizabeth who came to the absent girls defense, “Annalisa won’t do a thing like that.”

“In any case,” Rebecca’s shrill voice silenced them all, “I’ll need to find two more girls who are trustworthy enough to bring into this. Hmm, it might take a while.”

“I might know of someone,” Elizabeth told them, “There’s this girl and her sister staying at my house. Yuna’s a really special girl. I just know you’ll all love her.”

“I’m sure she’s lovely,” Rebecca said shortly, “But this isn’t a matter of personality, it’s a matter of confidence.”

“I trust her,” Elizabeth said jutting out her chin.

“You would,” Rebecca muttered under her breath so faint that none could hear. Then, “Very well, bring the two of them. But don’t bother trying to explain all this to them before you get here. You know how it can sound if you don’t word it right. Just bring them here and I’ll do the explaining, kay?”

“Oh, alright,” Elizabeth said.

Rebecca nodded, pointing at the floor painting, “Alright, a few finishing touches, and then you’re all dismissed to clean up and go home.”

The girls went back to their painting as Elizabeth excitedly spoke, “You’re gonna love Yuna. She taught the neatest things this afternoon….”

Her voce faded into the background as Ianto and Yusuke slipped out of the cavern. Topside, Yusuke said, “Man, I kinda feel like an ass, lying to her about who I am and stuff.”

“She’s been lying too, Yusuke-- not that I’m saying two wrongs make a right, but…” Ianto shrugged, “Trance-like state my ass. Those girls were without a doubt operating of their own free will.”

“You got any idea what they were cooking up back there?” Yusuke asked.

Ianto shook his head, “For all we know it’s just folk art. Whatever it is, that Rebecca girl seems to be in charge. You think we should look into her?”

“Maybe. I don’t like her,” Yusuke frowned, “She was like all snotty and acted like the other girls were her minions or something. I can‘t believe a nice girl like Lizzie‘s falling in with a bitch like that.”

“Natives are typically trusting people who always look for the good in other human beings. Elizabeth is no exception,” Ianto told him blandly. “This Rebecca seems to be one those exceptions that prove the rule.”

Yusuke hummed, “Lizzie said she’s a bookworm, ya think you can do some digging at the library tomorrow, see what she’s been reading?”

“I could, but I can’t promise any useful results,” Ianto responded, “I fear the only way we might get to the bottom of this is if we accept Elizabeth’s invitation for tomorrow night.

Then next day came and went by quickly and smoothly, save that Elizabeth had taken up the habit of following Yusuke around the house prattling on about how-neat-you-are, Yuna, and how-I-with-I-was-more-like-you, Yuna. It was great source of entertainment for the other people in the house who knew that Yuna was in fact Yusuke. Yes, Elizabeth had quickly become attached to ‘Yuna’. And for ‘Yuna’s’ part ‘she’ had warmed up to the kid as well. Which made it all the less surprising when that night Elizabeth made her appearance in the vast cavern under the ravine, Yuna and Ianne in tow.

“Hi everybody,” Elizabeth bounced, “These are the girl’s I was telling you about. This is Ianne and this is Yuna.”

“Wow, Yuna’s just as tall as you said,” one girl gasped.

Another girl added, “And Ianne’s so pretty. Oh, I’m jealous!”

Yusuke chuckled. The sound was all but lost amongst the chattering of girls. Ianto heard it though and muttered, equally muted, “Oh shut up.”

“Awe don’t be that way, Ianne,” Yusuke whispered, “Now that I think about it ya are awful pretty.”

“Not the time… Yuna,” Ianto ground out, his face turning beet red.

“Alright, ladies enough with the pleasantries,” Rebecca’s shrill voice called out over the group. “We need to get started.”

“Um, excuse me,” Yusuke raised his hand, “Lizzie didn’t give us a lot of details, what exactly are we doing?”

Rebecca flashed them a cold, condescending smile, “Of course, but first allow me to ask you a question. Yuna, have you ever liked a boy?”

“Yes, I have a four foot nine stud-muffin waiting for me if or when I return to the Waking World. I’ve already been through this with Lizzie.”

“Ianne?” Rebecca turned to Ianto. Yusuke did as well, a little curious. Even though the blond was privy to some of the most intimate details of his love life, he’d never thought to ask the man about his own.

As he mulled over the question, Ianto’s expression drifted away to a far off unknown place. For a second Ianto looked like a legitimate native of Dreams, before he snapped back to attention, “I-I don’t remember.”

Rebecca snorted, “Not surprising, most Waking Worlders lose their memories when they’re in Dreams. But I’m willing to bet some jerk broke your heart at one time or another. It’s so hard to find a decent guy, right?”

A round of ‘here-here’s came from the group of girls. Rebecca continued even more firmly as if she drawing strength from the other girl’s approval. “If only you could just create your perfect man.” The girls cheered at that.

“But it is not possible right?” Rebecca postured, “Wrong! Fore we have discovered the means to just such. And tonight we will do so-- girls the pit!”

At that order two girls burnishing a thick metal rod moved over to the center of the room. Jamming the rod into the floor they used it to lever up a thick round slab, like a stone manhole cover. As they moved the cover a sweet odor wafted into the air. Yusuke and Ianto moved closer to look down into the pit. What they saw was a well of thick black viscous fluid, like molasses. It seemed to move. Was there some sort of tide in the pitch pool? Or was there something alive down there?”

“That,” Rebecca told them, “Is the stuff from which life springs, the primordial ooze, if you will. The proper recitation of the right incantations with a well laid sorcerer’s matrixes can allow a person or person’s to shape the stuff in whatever form she likes. All is set and now that there are twelve of you girls we can begin.”

“And then we’ll all have perfect boyfriends!” A girl to Yusuke’s right chirped.

“How did you come by this… thing,” Ianto whirled on Rebecca.

Rebecca’s thin pale lips curled into a smile as she held up a book, the same thick ancient looking tome she’d been consulting the night before. She told him, “I read a lot.”

“And do you always believe everything you read?” Ianto shot back.

“Oh now you’re just being silly,” Rebecca scoffed, “Don’t worry your pretty little head over this, I’ve got everything covered.”

“That’s right,” a girl to the left seconded, “Rebecca’s real smart. She thought of everything.”

“Ya couldn’t be that smart,” Yusuke burst out, “Ya need twelve, right? Well me and sis here ain’t gonna go along with your crazy bitch plan. So you can’t do squat.”

Rebecca laughed into the back of her hand, a sound that was at first but the tinkling of a bell, but soon grew into a full psychotic villain laugh. “Who said I’d need your cooperation. I merely need you to be present. Girls!”

Suddenly thick lengths of robe dropped over Yusuke and Ianto’s shoulders, pulling tight, binding their arms to their abdomens. Elizabeth gasped and rushed toward them, “Rebecca you can’t!”

“Her too,” Rebecca snapped and a group of girls converged on Elizabeth tying her up in ropes as well. Rebecca instructed, “Put them in their proper places and then take your own. Soon we will all be getting what we deserve.”

Six large markings resembling 8’s marked the perimeter of the great floor painting. To each 8 went two girls each of them standing in a loop of the 8, facing each other were the lines crossed. Elizabeth was dragged into her loop and sat facing her apologetic partner, who was assuring her that everything was going to be okay and there was no reason for her to freak out the way she had. Yusuke and Ianto had been given an 8 of their own, but they where set down propped up back to back, apparently whatever ritual the girls where performing didn’t necessary require them to facing one another. And according to Rebecca their corporation was not required either. But what kind ritual doesn’t need the consenting corporation of the participants?

“We’re a sacrifice,” Ianto hissed to Yusuke.

“Oh, no we’re not,” Yusuke growled testing his ropes. They were strong, tight, and very well knotted. Fisherman’s daughters, Yusuke thought bitterly, figures.

Meanwhile, Rebecca took up her position at the center of the floor, the open well at her feet. “Just like we rehearsed it girls, recite the words as you envision your perfect man. Nos, Vey, Ponna.”
The other girls took up the chant repeating over and over again the words, “Nos, Vey, Ponna.”

“What does it mean?” Yusuke demanded of Ianto.

“It is gibberish!” Ianto answered, “They are too simple to be words of power. If those words do serve a propose it is only to keep the girls occupied.”

That was when Rebecca started chanting of her own, and her words were no simple one syllable words. Hands raised in the air she droned, “Ghette, Truugreeta, Chg, Ctthuuthu, Maata! Rise that that it life but does not live! Ghette, Truugreeta, Chg, Ctthuuthu, Maata Den!” With a sloppy sloshing sound a column of sweet smelling, pitch muck rose from the well and swayed before the girl like a charmed cobra.

“Oi, get the ropes already, Yusuke,” Ianto shouted at Yusuke in a panic, “Use your bloody knife!”

“What the hell do ya think I’ve been doing?” Yusuke shouted back, “The stupid thing’s tangled in my skirt!”

“Ghette, Yatta, Ghoulte-Frabsous, Ctthuuthu, Maata!” Rebecca howled as the black goo split into twelve lesser serpents and slithered toward each to a girl. “Claim that which is yours by rite and give to me what is rightfully mine! Ghette, Yatta, Ghoulte-Frabsous, Ctthuuthu, Maata Cha!”

“Ah-ha!” Yusuke cheered as he felt his blade come loose form his skirts.

Meanwhile Rebecca was uttering the final recitation, “Ghette, Ctthuuthu, Dieiemell-Maata Kabeenie, Ghette-Matta Bell! Rise and claim the flesh that his yours! Ghette, Ctthuuthu, Dieiemell-Maata Kabeenie, Ghette-Matta Bell!”

“Hurry up, Yu--” Ianto’s struggles suddenly ceased, he half-whispered, “Do…do I know you?”

Yusuke had no time to question his companion because at that moment he looked up and there before him stood… Hiei. All four foot nine of him, plus the height of his spiked black hair, stood at ease, just beyond the boundaries of the 8. He was wearing the same black pants, boots, and tank top that he almost always wore, but he didn’t have his cloak on. That way Yusuke could see the broad muscles of his chest and the sleek collar bones that bleed back into his strong shoulders. He was smiling at Yusuke and reaching out to him. Hiei was smiling? Yusuke knew this must be some cruel trick of Dreams, that there was no way Hiei, the real Hiei, would be there in a place like that, right then. Those sensible thoughts were in his head, yet Yusuke couldn’t quite grasp at them, couldn’t conceive the fact that this was not Hiei. He knew he needed to look away from this false vision, needed to cut the ropes that held him, but he couldn’t move! It was like he was hypnotized.

If Yusuke could have looked around he would have seen the other occupants of the cave much in the same predicament as himself, enthralled and helpless before what she believed was the vision of her perfect man. Save for Rebecca, who stood in her place surveying the scene taking place around her with great anticipation.

Behind him Ianto gasped, “I do know you… No! Stay way… Don’t touch me!” In his panic he kicked out his legs, causing his head to whip back and make sharp contact with the back of Yusuke’s.

Yusuke rocked forward with the impact and when he brought his gaze back up it was no longer Hiei before him. It was a black blob of roughly man-shaped slime. A trail of black slime traced it back to its source at the well. In the sides of his vision he recognized the girls within the figure 8’s, each of them confronted with a body of pitch black corruption, yet they didn’t cower back in fear. Rather they gazed on them with adoration. Oh course, like Yusuke was they were entranced. The one before him reached for him. Galvanized by horror, Yusuke brought his blade to his ropes and cut them with one flick. He rolled out of the thing’s reach. He rolled to his companion Ianto and cut his bindings. Immediately the blond jerked out of the reach of the black thing that was groping for him.

“Looks like you were right,” Yusuke said.

“If it’s all the same to you, I wish I wasn’t,” Ianto replied.

“Let’s hope you right about this too,” Yusuke reached under his skirt for the thing he had strapped to the inside of his thigh before leavening for the cavern with Elizabeth. It was a crude device crafted of wood, cooper pipe, and sealed with wax.

Ianto pulled his out as well, pumping at the wooden lever on the stock. He said, “You ready?”

Yusuke grinned, “Lock and load, let’s go!”

Ianto going right and Yusuke left they picked their jiggling pitch targets, took aim and pulled back on the primitive trigger mechanism on their weapons, releasing a stream of pressurized water. The viscous goo things hissed. How a creature without a mouth hisses is beyond anyone’s reason, but hiss they did, pulling back form the young ladies they were so recently threatening. Now the girls where screaming, running, fore now the spell was broken and they too could see the things for what they where. Rebecca was screaming too, but not horror, but in rage! Her plot was being foiled by a couple of….

“What are those things?!” She demanded.

“Back in the Waking World they’re called them Super Soakers,” Yusuke howled clearly enjoying himself as he chased the screaming retreating things back to the hole for which they came. “But I like to call it my Boom-Stick!” He bayed as he released a long stream of water at a floundering goo-thing.

“I would run if I were you, Miss Rebecca,” Ianto told her pointblank.

“I do not fear you!” She declaimed.

“It is not us you need to fear,” Ianto pointed at he well where the black thing had re-converged into one great mass and loomed over Rebecca. Ianto told her, “When the a summoned creature fails to take its scarifie it is turned back on the Caller!”

Rebecca spun just in time to see the mass falling on her. She threw her arms up with a scream. Of course, Yusuke and Ianto were not about to let the thing have her, no matter how big a bitch she may be. Weapons freshly pumped they rushed to her side, blasting their streams of water up on the great lumbering thing. It screeched and quivered like a giant column of liquorish Jell-O. It tried to push forward, but Yusuke and Ianto’s streams were unrelenting. They pressed the thing back down into its hole. Ianto maintained fire-- or water as the case may be-- while Yusuke rushed around to the other side and kicked the big round stone covering, bringing the lid crashing down on the thing.

After that all was quiet save for the heavy breathing of our two adventures and the soft sobbing of Rebecca. Then the silence was broken from the sound of shuffling in the halls leading to the cavern. This was accompanied by the sounds of young girls crying and adults giving orders.

“Ah, here come’s the cleverly,” Yusuke said wisely, “Just in time to save the day, huh?”

“It seems,” Ianto smiled.

At that point a crowd of Dalshorans spilled into the cavern, muttering their individual comments of horror, astonishment and in some cases excitement. Heading the group was a plump little man of his middle years. The Jacobe’s where close behind them. With a cry Mr. Jacobe rushed to his bound up daughter with intentions of freeing her. Yusuke nearly went to join him, when he was grabbed by the plump man.

“Dells Ropingburg,” he introduced himself, “Mayor of Dalshore. You must be this Yusuke Urameshi the Jacobes told us about, yes? Good good. First I’d like to thank you two for what you’ve done for us. Thank you. Now I must ask. What have you done? Which is to say, what is going on here?”

“Explain it to the man Ianto,” Yusuke delegated.

Ianto cleared his throat and began, “The newspaper reports about the disappearing girls were greatly sensationalized. Girls wondering the streets in a hypnotic state, unexpanded whereabouts, sudden vanishings, these were all things that could easily be faked by girls who simply wished to sneak out at night. Theory was proven when we followed on of the girl to this very cave.”

“But once we got here we saw all this crap on the floor,” Yusuke took it up, “And heard Miss Despot over there ordering the other girls around with some big spooky looking book in her hand. Ianto went to the library to find out what she’d been reading.”

“Of course that book wasn’t a library book,” Ianto added, “In all likelihood she found it stashed away somewhere.”

“Yeah, but my little buddy here did find out that little Rebecca’s been dabbling in some heavy shit. She checked out a copy of….”

“Notes on the Cthaat Aquadingen,” Ianto supplied, “A book fully comprised of lore on water-based creatures. Of course, we had no way of knowing exactly what kind of creature she was summoning. However, it is known that water-based creatures are also commonly water-bound, thus we could ward the thing off or possibly contain it with simple H2O. We did have the issue however as how to carry that water in a manner that would be more effective than cumbersome. That when Yusuke came up with this ingenious little devise.” Ianto tossed a smile Yusuke’s way as he hefted up the water-gun.

“It’s just a toy I remember from back home is all. I figured, hey, it worked in Bordello of Blood, so I gave it shot,” Yusuke scratched his head modestly and grinned. “I’m just glad the boys at the craftsman’s guild could whip a couple of em up for us. They work real good too. You know you guys should totally start mass producing them. Ya could corner the market on summer fun.”

Before Yusuke could sidetrack the conversation any more Ianto added in, “But first you should bring some men with blasting equipment in here. That thing is trapped in the pit but you’ll want to bring this ceiling down and let the ocean flood in to make sure it stays trapped.”

“Yes, we will do that,” the mayor said, “But there’s still one thing you haven’t answered, “Why? Did she do it?”

“Why?!” Rebecca stopped her sobbing and advanced on the plumb little man, two strong men had to grab her and hold her back. “All my life I’ve been surrounded by pretty little nit-witted girls like that Elizabeth Jacobe. They practically get everything handed to them. At school the teachers baby them and practically give them the answers, while they, ‘expected more from me’ so I have to spend hour on end studying while they sit around taking about stupid boys. Of course they do, after all one of these days they marry one of those stupid boys who will take care of them for the rest of their lives. Boys fawn all over them, but their so stuck up about it, always bitching about wanting a better guy, a cuter guy, a richer guy. It makes me sick! I can’t even get one guy any guy to look at me. I was gonna wind up an old maid with forty cats. And I don’t even live in Ulthar!

But then I found that book when I was cleaning out an outbuilding at school. It told me where to find this place and how to gain power over this terrible creature. I could get rid of them all, and then I’d be the only girl in town! And I would have gotten away with it to if it wasn’t for those meddling brats and their ridiculous toys!”

“Gee, if ya wanted a guy’s attention all ya had to do was say so,” Yusuke drawled. Quick as a flash he brought up his gun and discharged it straight at her white cotton clad chest. She gaped as the cold water soaked her shirt and causing the material to cling nearly transparent to her chest. Some random guy in the background whistled adding to the comedic effect.

That was when a rotund barrel chested woman with a uni-brow pushed her way to the front of the crowd. Rebecca’s face grew even paler at the sight of this woman than it had when the thing from the pit had turned on her. The woman barked with a voice that was like a hundred nails on a chalkboard covered with broken glass and squeaky balloons. “Rebecca Ann Handly! What where you thinking, trying to kill all your classmates, you should be ashamed of yourself, why when I get you home young lady….” The woman dragged the girl out of the cave. No body made a move to stop her.

“Uh, ya guys just gonna let her go?” Yusuke asked, “Without a punishment or nothing?”

The mayor grinned, “That was Mrs. Agnes Handly owner of the largest fertilizer plant in town. She’s also young Rebecca’s mother. I’ve known Agnes for years, and believe me the girl will be punished. I almost feel sorry for her. But awe-well, I believe we’ve advertised a reward for solving this little mystery and boy have you two earned it!”

The people of Dalshore had invited Yusuke an Ianto to stay in their town for however long they wished. The Jacobes offered them their home to stay in. But the two had a destination in Barharna, which they wished to be at as soon a possible. So, only after a good meal and a single nights rest, they left Dalshore. It was probably best that they did not dally at the Jacobe house, because now that Elizabeth knew that Yusuke was man, she seemed to be developing a bit of a crush on him. So with the case solved, monster vanquished, and the girls returned safely to their parents, Yusuke and Ianto were given a few pieces of silver for their troubles. It would be enough to see them through a handful of weeks traveling, longer if they where frugal about it-- that is if Yusuke isn’t in charge of the cash.

“Ya know there’s one thing I don’t get,” Yusuke said after they’d been a while on the road, “How is it that you could see through that glob-thing’s illusion from the start and I couldn’t?”

Ianto cocked his in confusion, “Yusuke, I didn’t see through the illusion either, until after I knocked my head against yours.”

“What? But you were totally freaking out and yelling, ‘don’t touch me and’--” Yusuke paused remembering something else his blond headed companion said, Do I know you… I do know you….

Ianto hadn’t responded and he’d had picked up his pace. All Yusuke could see of him was his back and his swaying yellow ponytail, thin and thick braids of hair slipped within the curtain of loose ones. On impulse Yusuke reached out and grabbed a handful of those yellow threads. Ianto jerked to a stop with a yelp as he came to the end of his lead. “Yusuke, what do think--”

“Did somebody hurt you?” Yusuke asked abruptly.

“What?” Ianto said, not comprehending.

“You heard me,” Yusuke’s brows scrunched over his nose, “The illusion was supposed to show someone their ideal lover, right? It showed me Hiei. Who’d it show you? Someone you loved at one time? That person hurt you, didn‘t they?”

“Oh that,” Ianto said off-handedly, “It was something from a long time ago, something half-remembered from the Waking World. As a matter of fact I can’t hardly remember what it was that frightened me so-- it’s rather embarrassing in retrospect. Ah, whatever it was it must not have been important. Did you know that’s why most Dreamers can’t remember their lives in the Waking World? It’s because in Dreams it seems unimportant.”

“I can remember my life though,” Yusuke pointed out, “Some of it at least.”

“Like the parts pertaining to Hiei and Kurama?” Ianto smiled knowingly, “That’s because they’re important to you, awake or sleeping. It works the other way around too you now. You’ll probably forget all of this when you awake, these strange places, me, even that thing in the cave--”

“Whoa. What was that?” Yusuke stopped him.

“Oh, I know, you would think you’d never forget something like that. But when you’re awake it will be nothing but nightmare and you can forget those,” Ianto told him.

“No, before that,” Yusuke tugged at Ianto’s hair, which he still held captive in his fist. “Ya think I’d forget about you?”

Ianto looked at him quizzically, “Why wouldn’t you?”

“Cuz you’re my best friend in this place,” Yusuke exclaimed tugging again at the blonde’s ponytail.

“Ouch, Yusuke,” he complained.

“Nuh-uh, I refuse to believe that I‘d forget about you,” Yusuke said pulling again.

“Yusuke, my hair,” Ianto whined.

Yusuke paused looking down at the yellow strands as if only now noticing them. A soft incomprehensible smile spread over the demon’s face, he muttered, “Your hair.” He lifted one neatly wove braid up to his lips and whispered, “I could never forget,” before he dropped the locks and walked on.

Ianto stalled in the middle of the road staring at Yusuke’s retreating back. Then Yusuke half-turned glancing back at him, a cocky smile paying on his lips. Ianto breathed, “Yusuke… you devil!” He ran after the demon, who laughed and took flight. What Ianto would do with Yusuke if he ever caught his was anybodies guess. They had plenty of time to figure it out though, they was still a lot of ground between there and Barharna.

The Disappearing Daughters of Dalshore-- END.

A/N: It’s a challenge to do a series within an existing story. There are established things that I have to work around. Like at one point, in If Only in my Dreams, Yusuke notes that he didn’t recall ever seeing Ianto undressed. At the time it was a convention to assure the readers that, however close their relationship, was not of the physical type. That however means that I can’t let Yusuke see him without cloths on. It was because of this that in the story The Disappearing Daughters of Dalshore they were unable to change back into their normal cloths and thus had to do the rest of the story in drag… So yeah… Three cheers for continuity!

PS. Reviews would be nice.