VANJA STORY PART 4

            I woke up with a start when I thought I heard a scream. I had fallen asleep in a chair as I stared at the man on my couch and the picture in my hand. It felt like I fall asleep only a moment too. That could wait the scream I heard, it was outside. I went to the door and peaked out. My eye’s scaned the area but I saw nothing. Satisfied I closed the door and locked it back up. My eyes went back to the man on my couch… I should really tie him down or something, but… I just feel like I don’t need too. Ahhhh! This is crazy! I yelled inside my head I had such mixed feelings about this man, why was that?

            The scream that came from outside was from the demons that found Archane. They found out that he may be predictable but not dumb.

“Well we lost five good shadows that way.” One of the three left said out loud as he tried to reshape his arm that had been burned off.

“Damn that Archane! He put a protective barrier around the house, but how did he do it injured as he is?” The other asked, as one of his arms was limp at his side.

“It’s obvious isn’t it, it must have something to do with his sword.”

“Grrr, your probably right, we will have to report this to the master… he will be most displeased.”

“We should soften the blow by finding him some more juicy women, if we each bring him back one we might save our skins.” The third one added. They all nodded in agreement and went there separate ways looking for their appeasement gift for Shaw.

            I woke up with a start as I slipped off the chair I was on. It was early morning; I must have fallen asleep staring at him. I spent most of the night trying to figure out what I was feeling for him. His eye’s then opened up and caught mine. For a moment I felt like a deer caught in the headlights of a truck.

“Hi there.” He told me as he sat up.

“Um… Hello.” I respond to him not sure what to say.

“Well… umm, I appreciate you putting me up for the night, I really shouldn’t impose anymore then that.” He told me as he started to stand up.

            “Not so fast!” I yell at him as I grab the picture I made. “I drew this yesterday, it’s you isn’t it? How do I know you?” I asked him. I wanted some answers and he wasn’t leaving until I got them!

“Umm, you must be… mistaken Vanja, we’ve never met before.” He told me. He wasn’t all that convincing about it ether. Wait…

My expression softened as I asked my next question. “How do you know my name? I never told you it.” I swore I could see his body freeze for a moment when I asked that. His shoulders then went soft as he looked back at me with a smile, that smile seemed so kind and warm like I knew it before.

            “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you babe. If you want the truth then look to your dreams and your heart. You look hard enough and you’ll find your answer. If you find it we will meet again.” He told me as he turned around and opened the door. I was about to stop him when he put up his hand waving goodbye at me as he walked out. I stood there stunned for a moment as if it was natural. Then I realized I didn’t get my answer.

“Grrrrr! That MAN!”

            I needed to calm down. So I went back to some of my unfinished comics deciding that might calm me down. I poured over the comics until I ran across my Inuyasha one; I ran my hands over the rough sketches. For some reason the Inuyasha I drew suddenly seemed familiar… It was from a dream. Looking over some other comics I suddenly got this familiar feeling in the pit of my stomach. I never felt this before… Check my dreams… bah! What did that man mean? Yet I never felt it until I meet him… but how could he be in my dreams? I sigh heavily. All this seemed to do is make me more anxious. Sigh.

* * *

            Walking through the streets of the city Archane had cast a minor illusion spell to conceal his sword. My face was turned into a frown. Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT! I talk too much, why did I give her that piece of advice, she might be able to figure it out. She is a smart girl… ARGH! I don’t have time for this. I have to take care of Shaw before the council picks up wind of this. I may be the oldest member but that doesn’t mean they won’t punish me for letting such a powerful demon onto this plane of existence and to make matters worse… they used my portal for Vanja to get here. This entire chain of events is my fault so I have to be the one to clean it up.

* * *

            Vanja was sulking at her drawing desk, the words of that man still ringing in her head. “Look to my dreams he says, bah. Now I just have this annoying feeling in my head…” Sigh, maybe I should take a nap. There was a technique that my old shrink taught me so I could remember my dreams better during the brief time I was with her. Perhaps that could help. Well it might be stupid but at the very least a going to sleep might get my mind off this. She focused her mind as she went to sleep. She didn’t get much sleep last night so it was easy for her to fall asleep. Keeping the command fresh in her mind. She slowly appeared in the mansion and… the first thing she did was yell. “TOLATEM!!!”

            Somewhere in the manner he heard that voice and cringed. “Shit! That’s not good.” He quickly came to her with a smile on his face. “Yes Mistress how can I help you?” He suddenly found himself lifted off the ground by the scruff of his collar. The mistress was… unusually violent today and the fact that she had used the subtle magic to alter her form to that of Android 18 from the anime Dragon Ball Z to increase her physical power was… disturbing…

“Why was my husband at my house? Why did he show up injured? What’s going on?”

“Ummm… why not ask him?” I felt myself shaken rather violently as she put her new strength and powers to use on me. Tolatem was quite scared!

“Wrong answer. TELL ME!”

Shit this is the first time I’ve seen her so upset. Tolatem thought wanting to cry. “Please put me down Mistress and I’ll answer what I know... Please?”

            Seeing that I had properly motivated him I set him down and crossed my arms waiting for an answer. He quickly explained everything to me, how Archane was missing the last couple nights because he was investigating a possible problem from the demons, when he found out they had come to the waking world. He went there. If he came to her in that world then something must have gone wrong otherwise Archane would not have done so. Now came the big question.

            “The night he came to my house… he was badly injured. He took my hand and had me repeat some words… then my hands glowed. What is up with that?” At this question Tolatem seemed utterly stunned, he didn’t even bother to hide it.

“Mistress… I have no idea.”

Hmmm, I studied his face and demenor my new Android sensors helping in that area. I believed him. Archane wasn’t the most forthcoming individual; it’s not outside the realm of possibilities that he wouldn’t tell him. Well Archane defintaly knows and I would ask him! Hmm I just have to focus on remembering. I thought to myself as I went to a chair and sat down and focused my mind. Come on focus…

            I soon woke up… It worked! However I didn’t remember everything… I did remember enough though. I had no idea where I could find him, yet… I was worried. So despite the odds I went out looking for him. I searched all day, I figured finding a guy with a sword on his back would be easy, surprisingly not. The sun was coming down and by what I picked up that would be a bad thing. I made one finally stop at a fast food restaurant and picked up some food only to hear a small argument going on.

            “What are you trying to pull? There’s no way this is real, I should call the cops on you.” An employee told someone. I looked briefly to see what was going on so out of curiosity… the guy had a sword on his back. I looked at him more carefully and it was Archane! Just like that! I search all day and he’s at a hamburger joint… Typically that was his standard meal.

“Come on man, I don’t have anything else and it’s real.” He told him. He was acting like his regular self, such a calm exterior even in this situation. I sigh as I walk up. I hand the employee the money.

“There I hope he wasn’t too much trouble.”

“Thank you Miss, but…” The employee started as I reached up and grabbed Archane by the ear.

“Don’t worry about it. Now come here!” I told Archane forcefully as I dragged him out as he was saying ow the entire way.

            “Ow. What was that for?” He asked me as he rubbed his ear. I smiled at him, a pleasant smile to the outside world but Archane knew better. I could see him cringe.

“What’s the matter, did you know I’m mad?” He quickly tried to change his expression seeing I was catching on. I didn’t remember everything… but I could bluff. I lean up and whisper into his ear. “I remember everything… husband.” I could see his entire face shatter as if a train had hit him. He hung his head as if defeated.

“So you probably want to know what’s going on?”

“That would be nice.” I tell him.

“Fine, I’ll tell you, after were no longer being followed.” He told me as he put his arm around my shoulder and walked us along.

            We were being followed? By what? We suddenly turned the corner into an alleyway… so cliché was my thought as two forms follow us in there. Archane stares at them for a moment as I feel their eyes on me. They finally spoke.

“Archane, what are you doing in this realm? You domain is that of the dream realm.” A male voice asked him. A hood hid his face.

“I’m well aware of that fact, I’m here on business relating to that.”

A female voice from the other person came and asked him.  “It’s not about contacting your wife is it? Such a selfish…”

“NO! It’s not that, don’t talk to me like I was handed this position, I’m oldest member on the council I know fully well the consequences of my actions if there were simply for that.” He told them forceful as he interrupted her.

            “Then why are you here?” The man asked.

“Several demons escaped from the dream world into this plane. Their leader is Shaw.”

“Shaw… it’s amazing he escaped.” The female said as she held her chin, as she seemed to think hard about this.

“How did this happen?” The male asked me. Archane seemed to hang his head as he asked this question.

“It… It is my fault. The portal that took my wife directly to my mansion in the dream world is what they used when they snuck a demon in on a one of the dream spirits that I saved.”

            “We see.” They both told him at the same time. They then looked at each other and nodded their heads. “Archane we were sent to place judgment upon you. Seeing that you are here for a good reason even if this entire chain of events is your fault we will not punish you yet. You have one week to set things right, if you fail to do so and the council must intervene to put this matter to rest there will be an inquiry and the most likely thing that will became a target is that girl.” They tell him as they point to me.

            “Now wait a second! How am I to blame for this!?” I yell at them. I was gratefully to them, they had brought forth the truth why Archane was here. However they ignore me as they seem to disappear from my sight.

Archane informed me why after a few minutes. “Because in order for you to visit my manor every night I had to set up a direct portal to your house to mine that you accessed every night when you went to sleep. That is how the demons used it to get here. Thus if it was not for you then the portal would never have been created and thus the demons wouldn’t be here.”

“That’s ridiculous! How can they use the fact that you wanted a personal life against you?” I ask him.

“Because… it would’ve been simple to simple integrate you and your friend as spirits into the dream world. It was the law but I found a loop hole and… I let my personal feelings determine that outcome.” He tells me.

            I recall the night Jeanette and I spent on that Island. How we went to work as spirits for a night living out some peoples perverted dreams… and it was the night I meet Archane… Yes all of the memories of that time and the years I had spent with Archane were quickly coming back.

“Lets go back to your home.” He told me as he grabbed my hand and we started to go home. As I held his hand I thought hard about this. I had lived my life without him in the real world without his interference. Even knowing this I couldn’t deny it. Even if they were just dreams that night I saw him when he came to my house was all the answer I needed. Despite having no memory of him, my heart instinctively knows who he was. He was my husband… He was the man I loved.

            He took me to my door and opened it for me. “Well I appreciate you bailing me out but I better get going.” He tried to walk away but I held firmly onto his hand. “Vanja?” He asked me.

I look up into his eyes. He did have a couple inches on me as I asked the question. “Why don’t you stay with me? You are my husband.”

“Vanja…” He then closed his eyes as a slight smile appeared on his face. He then walked inside and closed the door behind her. “I would love that.”

I lean up and kiss him lightly on the lips to see if my memories were real in a way. The taste, the feel, the feelings in my heart all seemed to correspond with what I already knew. This caused me to press further into the kiss as I pushed him against the door he just closed.

            He acted quite shocked and stood there for several minutes before he wrapped his arms around my back and returned the kiss. Crushing my lips in one of those kisses that always left me breathless from the intensity and length of the kiss. We stood like that for a long time our lips meeting as if it had been an eternity since we had tasted each other, since we had felt each other’s love. We eventually part, this time it was mutual, as I seemed to be able to hold my breath nearly as long as his.

“Vanja…” He then smiled as he moved his hand through my black hair. “I’ve missed those lips, I’ve missed the closeness we have even if it was only for a few days that I have not experienced them.”

I smile back at him. “So have I.”

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Authors Note- Okay, I know this goes without saying. WAY TOO LONG for this part. What can I say Real Life sometimes punches you in the face and then kicks you hard in the side several times? It’s nothing serious but distraction wise that’s what it did me. : P

Now as I said on the site I will be doing a Kim Possible Fantasy between Archane and the lovely Vanja soon. I personally hope our lovely web mistress takes my request in this form to do a pic for it when I finally come out with. Next story. Three months top, I promise.