Ever since they ran away from Celly (again! What a habit that was becoming!), P-kun had been walking around in an extreme state of confusion. And it wasn't Celly. Actually, her continuous personality switches, although somewhat annoying at times, were becoming normal occurrences. That little episode at the Mori didn't surprise him one bit and, if he was being totally honest, he could almost admit that he was expecting it to happen. No, it wasn't what happened to the Otaku that bothered him.

It was Ko-chan.

First off, she didn't seem the least bit fazed that Celly reverted back to her "kill" mode or that Dionysus and Celly had suddenly disappeared from the Mori. She had entered into an alliance... at least, he thought she did... and she had no clue what Celly and Nyx and Dionysus were up to or what their plan was... or even if they *had* a plan! And she was making no effort to find out.

After Celly's transformation, Ko-chan merely shrugged it off and started off toward the forest... towards this little paradise where they were now. It was almost as if she knew exactly where it was and what it was... what the hell was going on?! Ko-chan knew something... but what?

***** * *****

Remy lounged back against the softly cushioned sun chair and let out hearty laugh. P-kun's confusion was very amusing, VERY amusing. She knew her behavior threw him off balance. In fact, she reveled in the fact.

"Nani? What's so funny?" P-kun asked, annoyed at her mirth. She should be trying to find some sense in this Game. Even though she couldn't possibly remember, P-kun knew that this game was completely different from the ones that they were used to, totally different. She should be trying to find her powers, not lounging like it was the beginning of summer. "It's April, goddammit!!"

She laughed.

"Ko-chan," P-kun started, "I really don't think you should stay here. I know you don't like the idea of fighting any of the Otaku, but you can't just ignore everything. And we have no clue where we are... how do we know this place is safe?"

"P-kun, this place is safe... trust me."

"How do you know that?"

"I said 'trust me', okay."

"That's not good enough!" P-kun said between clenched teeth.

"Fine, fine." Remy, sensing his rising anger, quickly decided that she might as well tell him, even though she didn't quite understand it herself. "It's safe because I made it..." Here it comes...

Ichi...
ni...
san... y-

"NANI!"

"A little late there aren't you?" at P-kun's annoyed look, Remy straightened in her seat. Now was not the time for jokes. "I made it," she took a long breath, "I know it's safe because I made it."

"n-nan de? How?"

"It's kinda hard to explain?"

"Try."

"Well... ummm... it was Dionysus... well, no, it wasn't exactly him... demo, ummm... well ever since I met him I've been thinking, not exactly thinking... it's more like unwanted thoughts invading my mind... kinda... uhm... anyway, I kinda remembered some of the stuff I read in that handbook a while back. I don't know why it came to me just then, but I realized that since this place isn't real, then it's all fake..."

"Nothing gets past you," P-kun added sarcastically.

"Do you want to hear this or not? Okay then, where was I... Oh, right... not real. Anyway, I realized that this place is kinda like living a dream. Granted, it's a dream with a purpose (mainly to fight all the other Otaku), but a dream just the same. I wasn't sure if it would work... but I guess it does... because here we are. But then I got to thinking that if I could manipulate this world like I did, then why aren't the other Otaku doing it. And who thought up this whole Bishounen World. Then I realized that making this small little place took a lot out of me. I mean, for the first 2 days, I couldn't even stand up... don't tell me you didn't notice that?"

"I did... but I thought... well, I thought you were doing that on purpose."

"In a way I did. I purposely didn't tell you. But anyways, because making this place took that much energy, I got to thinking about the Mori and Celly... she made the Mori, and Castle Anthrax... so, she either was out of commission for a long time or..."

"Or what?"

"... or she's really powerful. And, even though we may be allies now, all Otaku have to fight each other sooner or later... it said so in the book. It also said that the ultimate power an Otaku has is released as soon as she realizes and accepts the truth. And that an Otaku's power is created by them, not their writer. So-"

"So all this time, you've been trying to find your ultimate power?"

"Kinda, yeah... but I'm not getting something about this whole situation because I haven't found it yet... but have found something else."

"And what's that?"

"My weapon," Remy jumped up in glee, raising her right had and brandishing a wooden stick that had some sort of bird carved at one end of it. A blue gem rested on the bird's breast. It looked very familiar to P-kun, but he could quite place it. But he did understand that that wooden *thing* was no weapon. What was she going to do? Play fetch with the other Otaku?! What kind of joke was she pulling now?!

"You're kidding, right? *That* is not a weapon. So put that down and lets go back and find the other Otaku. If we leave now, we might get back to the Mori by dark."

"No problem." With that, she bounced away from the chair she had previously occupied and ran to a medium sized log laying on the grass nearby. She sat on it and motioned to P-kun to follow suit. He scampered to the log and jumped up.

"Now what?"

"No, I don't think this will work. You might fall off. Ummm? you have to change."

"Excuse me?" What the heck was Ko-chan talking about?

"To your human form. You're too little right now, and I can't hold you and drive this thing at the same time."

"You're going to drive a *LOG*?!"

"Don't ask questions? just change, and trust me."

"If you say so..." P-kun jumped back off the log and closed his eyes, as a soft blue flame slowly surrounded his body. The flame grew and grew. Then stopped and dissipated. In its place stood the human form of P-kun. His eyes were the same emerald green and the hair that topped his head was the same off white, beige color that he was in his fluff ball form, but he possessed the fullest lips and the smoothest complexion Remy had ever seen on a man. Like Dionysus, P-kun was breathtakingly beautiful and a full head and shoulders taller than she was. Damn. Were all Guardians this beautiful?

"Now I understand how Otaku can fall in love with Gaurdians. You're all beautiful!"

P-kun laughed at her shock. "Is that an invitation, Ko-chan?" He raised an eyebrow in a flirty, questioning manner.

"You wish!" she chuckled back at him. "I said I understood, not that I *was* in love. Pul-leazze. You may be beautiful, but you're attitude stinks."

"Ditto." P-kun said, climbing on the log in back of her. "So, what do you intend to do to this log."

"Mite soshite matte yo."

Remy took the wooden stick and clasped both hands around it. She slowly closed her eyes while the blue gem began to glow, engulfing the log and the two figures sitting on it in it's brilliance. P-kun watched expectantly.

"Izati Abamehinamu Etokafe Nan!" The log slowly began to rise until they were dangling 5 feet above the ground. So this is what Ko-chan had planned. The words she had spoken and the flight of the log suddenly brought back the memory. Now P-kun realized where he'd seen the wooden stick before? actually, it wasn't a stick. It was a wand? she was-

"Well?" Remy broke into his thoughts, "What do you think?"

P-kun looked into her smiling face and laughed. "I think you watch waaayyy too much anime!"

"Hey! There's nothing wrong with that! And you be careful? I might turn you into a toad." She grinned at him. "Exsarute Beitoen! Toooow-"

"Don't even say it!"

She laughed. "I wasn't going to?well, maybe?" The log rose further off the ground until they towered above the trees. The Mori and the majority of Bishounen Land was in their view. She pointed the log toward the Mori and reveled in the feel of the wind idly stroking her hair. Time to get back to work... but what fun work would be from now on!