Nothing.

	Miyuki looked long and hard at the cards, 
scrutinizing every inch of the layout, before 
picking them up and reshuffling.  A few minutes 
later, she laid them out in front of herself once 
more.

	Still nothing.

	She picked them up again.  It was futile, she 
knew, since, other than having assisted Hanako with 
her reading, she had not successfully performed a 
reading since the day that the council ordered her 
to kill the Magician, but she desperately needed 
some insight before the council contacted her again.

	Again, nothing.

	Sighing, she reshuffled the deck and put it 
away, lying down on the floor.  The recent events 
had tired her; a nap would do her good.



* * *

Arcana
begun by: Scott Schimmel

Chapter 19: Harmonic Oblivion
by: Brett Schimmel

* * *



	The entire room was shrouded in darkness, the 
only source of light coming from dim candles, 
strategically placed on the points of the pentagram 
that was drawn on the wooden table with chalk.

	The robed figure held a book before him, 
mumbling phrases in Latin.  After a few minutes, he 
waved his hands swiftly over the design.

	Nothing happened.

	He waited a few minutes more, arm 
outstretched, afraid that if he moved, the spell 
would be broken.

	Still, nothing happened.

	Confused, he recited the last Latin phrase 
once more, completing with the same gesture.

	Again, nothing happened.

	Sighing, Chris pulled off the heavy robe, and 
blew out the candles.

	"I told you this wouldn't work," he said aloud 
as he uncovered the windows, illuminating the room 
with sunlight. "Well, I tried, just like I promised, 
Aunt Francine.  And just like I said, it didn't 
work."

	He gathered his blazer and shades, deciding to 
put away the rest of the 'equipment' when he got 
back.  He stepped through the doorway, giving one 
last look back before he left. "Magic? Hmph! As if 
things like that really existed."


*



	"I'm so confused..."

	"Don't worry," Maki said soothingly over the 
phone. "You did the right thing."

	"How can you be sure?"

	"Think, Keisuke, if you had done nothing, you 
would have ended the lives of those two women.  Is 
that what you would have wanted?"

	"Of course not, but-!"

	"I know, you just don't want to see anyone get 
hurt.  Well, thanks to your actions, nobody has.  
And as long as you keep me informed, nobody will."

	"Alright," he said after a few minutes.

	"Good.  I have to run, but remember, you're 
doing the right thing," she assured him as she hung 
up.  No sooner had she done so, then she let out a 
heavy sigh.  All that acting was a pain.

	Lost in her thoughts as she was, Maki jumped 
in surprise at the sharp tap that came from her 
window.  Looking over, she saw the face of a middle-
aged man staring into her second-story room from an 
inverted position.

	Quickly, she marched over, throwing the window 
open. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be 
meeting with the others?"

	"The meeting ended a while ago" he grinned, 
looking up at her (though from his position, he was 
looking down).  "I just wanted to see how many 
uncles my niece has acquired now."

	"It's a convenient excuse," Maki said idly, 
folding her arms. "I hope you didn't come here just 
for that.  You'll regret it if you did."

	"Now, now," he chuckled as he began swaying 
from side to side. "Let's not be harsh.  After all, 
we're both after the same thing.  Sort of.  Kind of.  
Anyhow, we may as well work together."

	"Well, then what did you come for?" Maki asked 
impatiently.

	"A Curiosity," he replied. "I wanted to see if 
you're planning to recruit Justice."

	"Has Justice been found?" Maki asked.

	The man chuckled, "Dear 'niece'.  You should 
know; you've met him yourself!  Don't you recall 
your cop- uncle?"

	"Him?" Maki blinked.

	"No, his partner."

	"Either way, that's ridiculous.  I've met them 
both, and I haven't felt anything.  Even if he 
wasn't awakened, I'd still have been able to tell if 
he was one of us, or if he wasn't.  And he 
definitely wasn't."

	"Not yet," the man agreed as he swayed back 
and forth, "but he will be."

	"What do you mean?"

	"Just that.  Could I put it any simpler?"

	"But how is that possible?"

	"Does it matter? The important thing is 
winning his favor."

	Maki shrugged. "Easily done."

	The man shook his head. "You think so? Then 
you are mistaken.  I've already had a look at his 
records.  A regular boy scout!" smiling, the man 
looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. "You 
won't be able to bribe him."

	"Then I'll just have to find some other 
means."


*


	Hands in pockets, Chris walked down the 
street, glancing left and right every so often, and 
frowning in disappointment.  He wore black jeans and 
a matching t-shirt.  His jacket was a pleasant dark 
red color, unzipped so it hung about him like a 
short cape.  He wore shades.  He was a blond-haired 
American teenager in Japan.

	He was cool.

	However, being cool was kind of pointless when 
nobody was around to see him.  Everyone his age was 
in school.

	He sighed as he trudged up a steep hill, a 
lone car passing by as he went.  From his vantage 
point at the summit, he glanced around below, 
deciding that, since nobody was going to see him 
anyhow, he might as well try to find something 
interesting to do.

	It wasn't that he hated this country; far from 
it.  Sure, he wasn't particularly fond of their 
food, but the atmosphere was pleasant.  How did that 
saying go?

	"It's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't 
want to live here."

	His eyes stopped roving as he spotted an 
arcade.  Oh well, he thought as he started down the 
hill, might as well make the best of it.


*


	"... And you haven't been able to do anything 
since?"

	Natsu shook her head as she leaned against the 
tree, while Hotaru made a spot for herself in on the 
ground, opening her lunch. "You know, maybe that 
really was just a dream."

	"I don't think so.  After all, I had the same 
one, right?"

	"Right," she sighed.  "But still, it only 
happened in the dream.  Maybe I'm not really..."

	"Maybe," her friend echoed, unsure what she 
should say.  Natsu's voice seemed to hint that she 
missed her abilities, but on the other hand, her 
tone could very well be hoping that she didn't have 
them, after all.

	"Say, Hotaru," Natsu's voice caught her off 
guard.

	"Yeah?"

	"Are you okay with being here?"

	"I think so," she grinned. "Joker said I'd be 
safe at school..."

	"Not that, I mean are you okay being so close 
to that girl-"

	"I don't know," she admitted, gazing away from 
her friend. "I mean, I still don't understand why 
she did it.  I trusted her.  I trusted all of them, 
but now..." She sighed, her eyes staring at the 
ground as she finished: "Now I don't know who I can 
trust anymore."

	"You can trust me," Natsu assured her. "It'll 
be okay."

	"You think so?"

	"Sure.  I'll see to it myself! Anyone who 
tries to get to you will have to go through me 
first, and I don't fall easily!" She flexed one arm 
with a wide grin, causing Hotaru to chuckle.

	"I guess you're right.  Having lived with a 
cousin who plays all of those video games, I'm sure 
you've picked up enough to defeat any Arcana who 
come after us, no matter how strong they are!"

	"Hey, Chris is the one who plays them! I'm 
just..."

	Her speech suddenly stopped as a small group 
of four girls approached the two.  Her attitude 
seemed to completely change as she stood there, 
leaning against the tree, staring at them out of the 
corner of her eyes as she regarded them warily. 
"What do you want?"

	Hotaru recognized most of them.  One was 
Takahata-sensei.  Another was that short girl with 
the blue hair ribbon from before.  The others... she 
didn't recognize them.  One had her hair tied in a 
long braid, and wore a heavy pair of glasses.  The 
other had twin pigtails and freckles.

	"Um... Well..." The girl with the hair ribbon 
stuttered, laughing uncomfortably.

	"See, Mariko? I told you Shiho would mess up 
if we let her ask," the pigtailed girl whispered to 
the one with the glasses.  Her whisper was amazingly 
loud.

	"Hey, I'm getting there!" the girl with the 
bow spun around, waving her arms rapidly.

	Takahata threw her face in her palm before 
gently pushing her aside, confronting the them 
herself.  "What she was trying to say is that after 
school we were all going to get something to eat at 
that American place that just opened up nearby, and 
we thought it would be a nice idea to invite you 
two."

	"It was my idea!" Shiho grinned.

	"American place?" Hotaru inquired.

	"The International House of Pancakes," the 
girl with the freckles explained.

	"Actually, Natsumi, it's called the House of 
International Pancakes," the girl with the glasses 
corrected her.

	"Whatever."

	"You're always so nitpicky, Mariko," Shiho 
observed.

	"Same to you."

	"What do you mean?"

	"I mean, you always give your opinion, even 
when it's better to keep your mouth shut."

	"I do not!"

	Takahata sighed again as the arguments 
resumed. "Sorry.  They're always like that.  Anyhow, 
what do you say?"

	"No thanks," Natsu said coldly.

	To her surprise, Hotaru disagreed with her. 
"Why not? I think it might be fun to try a new place 
out."

	"That's what we thought, too!" Shiho added her 
opinion before returning to her argument.

	Natsu sighed in defeat. "Alright, I'll come."

	"Great!" her sempai said. "Well, we'll see you 
then."

	She turned around and, after convincing Shiho 
and the others to break up their argument, headed 
with them for the building.

	"Why did you agree to that, Hotaru?" Natsu 
asked once they were out of earshot.  

	Hotaru shrugged. "Well, why not? They seemed 
friendly enough..."

	"They're probably just going to make fun of 
us."

	"Why do you say that? They were nice about it, 
and Takahata was with them.  Don't you think that's 
enough reason to trust them?"

	Natsu shrugged, saying under her breath, "Look 
what happened the last time you trusted someone so 
easily."


*


	The last thing Chris expected was to see an 
aged man playing a fighting game in the arcade.  
Yet, he had seen just that, an old man playing 
Mystery Club Tournament Deluxe.  Furthermore, as 
Chris found out the hard way, he was quite good.

	"You're too kind," the elder said when he told 
him so.  "I'm just an old gamer seeking a good 
challenge."

	"I know what you mean.  It's hard to find 
people as good as you are these days, especially in 
America."

	He chuckled as he spoke to the American again.  
"Well, I may not get out much, but I've been a fan 
for a long time, since before the first game.  
Besides, I've never seen anyone play as Mirumoto 
before."

	"It's because nobody takes him seriously, 
since he's so old.  A huge mistake on their part."

	The old man smiled once more beneath his white 
beard. "More flattery? Or was that genuine?"

	"Can't it be both?"

	They both shared a laugh that time.  Just 
then, Chris looked over the aged one's shoulder, out 
the window.  There, he saw her: a girl about his 
age, passing by.  A vision of loveliness, she was 
dressed entirely in black, complete with a trench 
coat, and those leather pants that were popular 
these days.  Even her waist-length hair was black.

	"Sorry, old man, but I gotta run," he said 
quickly, heading for the door.

	"Fine, fine.  Perhaps we'll meet here again.  
Then I can show you how good I am with Ibuki."

	"Looking forward to it!" Chris called over his 
shoulder as he slipped on his shades.

	
*


	Miyuki stood alone, in the same spot she had 
stood the last time she had a dream, right nearby 
where Hotaru's body had lain in a pool of blood.  
This time, though, there was no corpse.

	Fortune looked around in confusion. From 
within the surrounding blackness came an 
indistinguishable, yet familiar, voice.

	"You've failed us.  The Magician lives."

	"She had some unexpected help.  I won't fail 
next time," she assured them.

	"Silence! Did you think we couldn't see 
through your plan?" The voice echoed.  "You should 
have known better than to try to fool the council."

	"So, you knew," Miyuki said, unsurprised. "I 
thought it was well planned myself, but I know how 
easy it is for you to learn what you want to know."

	"So you knowingly defied us?" the voice said, 
using a tone that meant it was more of an 
observation than a question.

	"I do not believe killing an undeveloped 
Arcana is necessary, even a Trump," she stated, 
"Furthermore, I don't see what the council gains by 
killing her.  And I consider her a friend."

	"So you plan to continue defying the council?"

	"If I'm forced to choose, then yes.  At least, 
until you give me a reason to kill her."

	"Do you realize what will happen if-"

	"I know you're aware of what I can do with the 
threads of fate," Miyuki said. "I have nothing to 
fear from you."

	Silence followed.  Then the unexpected 
response came. "Is that what you think? How foolish 
you are!"

	"What?" Miyuki asked, puzzled.

	"You don't seem to understand.  You see, the 
Magician was not our real target at all.  The actual 
target was Fortune!"

	"Me?" she giggled at the thought. "Asking me 
to kill Hotaru is a funny way of trying to defeat 
me."

	"You still don't understand?" The voice asked. 
"Very well, I'll explain it to you.  The order for 
you to kill the Magician was just something to keep 
you busy.  Of course, if you had succeeded, it might 
have saved us some trouble in the future, should she 
decide not to join us.  But that's beside the 
point."

	"So what does this have to do with me?"

	"Come, now, Fortune- or should I even call you 
that? Surely, you've noticed your abilities waning 
in the past few days?"

	Miyuki gasped. "What... What have you done?"

	"Are you aware of just how much of a thief the 
Page of Pentacles is?"

	"Hanako? What does she have to do with-"

	"Everything.  We've actually identified you as 
a threat some time ago.  So, we placed the Page in 
your hands to counter-act this." There was a soft 
chuckle and the voice continued: "Regardless of 
whether or not she knows it herself, that girl is 
the ultimate thief.  She stole your powers."

	Miyuki clutched herself.  That couldn't be 
true, could it?

	"And the best part? She can't give them back! 
Therefore, you're no longer a threat." The voice 
chuckled, as though reveling in its victory.  "So, 
what were you saying about the threads of fate?"

	"No!" Miyuki screamed as the darkness started 
to close around her. "This can't be! You're lying!"

	The voice didn't respond as the empty 
blackness swallowed her.

	And then she awoke, momentarily relieved.

	But only momentarily, for the darkness was 
still there.


*


	Chris darted around the corner, hoping to 
catch sight of the girl.  He sighed unhappily as all 
that greeted his gaze was an empty road.

	"Damn." He took a few idle steps as he spoke 
to himself. "Why didn't I follow her more closely? 
Why didn't I talk to her? I should've... Damn."

	He was about to turn back when he saw 
something.  Sitting inside a fast food restaurant 
was the girl he had been following, sipping on a 
drink with her head bent, her hair masking her face.

	Chris smiled to himself; he wouldn't miss the 
chance this time.  Entering, he quickly stepped up 
to the counter, ordering a soft drink of his own.

	He sat down across from her, pulling his 
shades down slightly so she could catch a glimpse of 
his American eyes. "Hey, there."

	Chris nearly yelped in surprise when her head 
snapped upwards, her hair falling back to reveal a 
long scar down her right cheek.  Her eyes were 
filled with a variety of emotions, most of them 
negative, he gathered.

	"Um... I noticed you... er... sitting here... 
alone, that is," he stuttered, his composure lost, 
"and... well... I thought... maybe..."

	He was still talking when he realized she had 
stood up and thrown her drink out, and was headed 
out the door.  

	What was that Japanese word he needed right 
now? Oh, yeah.
  	"Baka," Natsu's cousin said to 
himself, as he hurried after her.  So much for being 
cool...


*


	Natsu herself, meanwhile, sat at a table with 
Hotaru and the four girls who had invited them, 
bored as could be.  The food at the House of 
International Pancakes was okay.  It wasn't great, 
but she could stand it.  The conversation was a 
different story.

	"Shirosawa this, Shirosawa that," Takahata was 
saying.  "He's not the only cute guy in the school, 
you know."

	"Well, there's Hayashi," Mariko said.

	"But everyone knows you have a huge crush on 
him," Shiho grinned as Takahata shifted nervously.

	"Do not."

	"Sure you do," she insisted.

	Natsumi backed her up. "Pretty much everyone 
in the school knows it, sempai."

	"It's just a rumor!"

	"Sure it is," Shiho leaned close to Takahata, 
"Ha-ya-shi."

	The others snickered as their sempai blushed 
deeper with each syllable.

	"What about you two?" Shiho asked when their 
laughter subsided. "Surely you have crushes of your 
own."

	"'Each other', right?" Natsu asked 
sarcastically, standing. "I knew this was a set up.  
Come on Hotaru."

	"Natsu?" Hotaru looked at her in confusion.  
It was Takahata who stood up, though, confronting 
her.

	"What's the matter with you?"

	"It's fairly obvious why you invited us here."

	"Because we thought we'd try to get to know 
you?" Takahata asked angrily. "Because we thought 
we'd try to be friendly?"

	"Give me a break! I know you talk about me 
behind my back."

	"Um... I'm still really sorry about that," 
Shiho said guiltily. "I only called you a name 
because they threatened to kick me from the 
Shirosawa fan club if I didn't.  But I left on my 
own, so..."

	Takahata ignored her. "Why are you always like 
this? It's the same for the soccer team, too.  I've 
noticed that whenever someone tried to talk to you 
after class, you'd just shun them, like you're doing 
to us now."

	"They just did it to make fun of me," Natsu 
said, heading for the door.

	"Natsu!" Hotaru yelled, getting up and 
following after her.

	"She sure doesn't make it easy," Natsumi said 
after they'd left.

	"Yeah.  Maybe we should stop trying," Mariko 
agreed.

	Shiho looked at both of them, waving her arms. 
"Hey, that's not what we agreed on!"

	"That's right," Takahata nodded. "We all 
agreed to try and make friends with them, since 
nobody else was."

	"Yeah, but-" Natsumi began.

	"The way Forrester-san dresses, and her 
attitude make her difficult to approach," Mariko 
observed.

	"Which is why we've gotta keep trying!" Shiho 
said energetically, raising her fist determinedly 
"It wouldn't be good if they went through high 
school thinking everyone hated them, would it?"


*


	Hanako still couldn't believe it.  Miyuki 
couldn't really have attacked Hotaru, could she? 
There had to be some logical explanation.  It was to 
obtain this explanation she went to Miyuki's 
chambers, intent on finding out directly. 

	After knocking on the door repeatedly and 
receiving no response, Hanako opened it slowly and 
stepped inside, where she saw Fortune lying on the 
floor, asleep.

	"Miyuki," Hanako gently shook her. "Miyuki, 
wake up.  I need to ask you something."

	The girl whimpered, then suddenly screamed and 
bolted upright. "No!"

	"Miyuki? Are you al-"

	"Hanako? Is that you?" she asked, looking 
around wildly.

	"Yes, it's me," she said, crying out in 
surprise as Miyuki flailed her arms until she 
managed to get a grip on the Page of Pentacles.

	"Hanako, please! Give it back!"

	"Wha-?"

	"Please! You have to! I- I can't live like 
this! I- I-"

	"Huh?" Hanako's head swirled in bewilderment. 
"Give what back? Miyuki, I really need to ask you- 
Aaagh!"

	She cried out as one of Miyuki's hands struck 
her eye.  It she could still see through it, but it
hurt.

	The other hand managed to grab hold of 
Hanako's elbow, and she shook it pleadingly. "Give 
it back! Hanako! I can't live without it!"

	Miyuki was older than Hanako, but frail in 
comparison, and couldn't do anything when the Page 
batted away her arm.

	Hanako ran, half in confusion, half in terror.  
How could Miyuki have become so violent? Keisuke 
must have been right; she must have attacked Hotaru 
as well.

	"Hanako!" the girl cried, still flailing 
uselessly, unaware the she was alone now. "Give me 
back my power!" Tears fell from her eyes as she 
collapsed, whimpering "Give me back my sight!"


*


	"Natsu, come on! Why?"

	"They were going to start making fun of us any 
minute, Hotaru," Natsu said as they walked.

	"How can you say that? They were being 
friendly, and-"

	"I didn't wanna have to say this, but do you 
remember the costume party a few years ago?"

	Hotaru glanced at the sidewalk as the bad 
memories returned to her.

	Years ago she had been invited to a costume 
party by a rich girl.  She'd spent a lot of time and 
money picking out a good costume.  Only, when she 
got there, she'd found out it wasn't a costume party 
at all.

	"But this is different! Nothing happened to 
us!"

	"Yet," Natsu added as they came to the 
school's wall. "They might just be getting friendly 
with us to set us up for some big prank later."

	"I can't believe they'd do such a thing."

	"Hotaru," Natsu sighed, stopping, "I just 
don't want you to end up taking the brunt of a 
practical joke."

	They continued conversing as they turned the 
corner.  Mere seconds after, a frightened Hanako 
darted out of the gate, running in the opposite 
direction.


*


	"Now this is amusing," Ishido observed as he 
read the cards.  Fortune had practically been 
covered with Death. "A number of wheels seem to have 
been put in motion.  Things should be getting 
interesting."

	His statement came true when the door suddenly 
opened, and Hotaru's mother burst into the room. 
"Hotaru, I-"

	She lost her voice as she stared at Joker, 
sitting in Hotaru's bed,  who returned her gaze with 
a wide grin. "Ms. Komatane, I presume? Pleased to
meet you."


*



Author's Notes:


	I must say, I had a great time writing this 
one.  Once I got started, I couldn't stop myself. 
^_^  I hope the end result was worth it.


	I tried focusing on some characters that 
haven't been talked about much, namely Chris and 
Shiho (who now has a name).  Also, it should be 
obvious who the girl was that Chris had been 
following. ^_^
	

	I gave a few minor characters a reoccurring 
appearance.  Anyone else notice my tendency to do 
that? ^_-  There's still about 3 names that showed 
up in the first chapter which I can use, too. Heh 
heh heh... :P


	In regards to Miyuki, I took away her powers 
for a few reasons.  First of all, it had been 
mentioned previously that many Arcana would not be 
pleased if they lost their abilities.  Miyuki was 
the ideal person to illustrate this, as her powers 
gave her the ability to see.

	Secondly, Hanako hasn't really done much other 
than bond with Miyuki.  I felt that causing a 
disturbance in this bond would trigger her 
development further.

	Finally, it was once explained to me by my 
brother that the council couldn't act because it 
feared Miyuki's ability to eliminate the strands of 
time that she didn't like.  Now, with her out of the 
picture, they'll be able to take more actions.

	Of course, while she may no longer be Fortune, 
Miyuki isn't dead; I'm curious as to see how she is 
handled as a normal, blind girl.


	Thanks to NDebugger for prereading this part. 
Twice. ^_^