Chrono X Angel, Book 7: Trial By Fire

Chapter 8

A week had come and gone since Kanata's incursion and subsequent assault on Usoko. The Pinkette had mostly recovered by this point, though was still a bit sore when she moved her arms. Still, she was able to more or less manage the pain as she made the walk to school that morning. Her legs felt a bit sluggish, and since she was not in a real hurry anyway, Usoko decided to take her time and meander her way towards Tsukiyomi. As she walked, Usoko took some time to think about what she was going to tell her friends when she arrived. After all, she was only going to be there for a few more days, and then she was going to be off for Ireland once more. Her and Sarah had been pondering a way to communicate with the Pinkette's mom. Just a few days prior, Usoko had been trying everything she could think of to communicate...

"Mom, if you can hear me," she sighed, her tone sounding fairly defeated, "I could really use a sign to tell me where that place was..."

The Pinkette was back home in her apartment, and had layed out a oujia board, a scrying mirror, burned several candles, and had even whipped out a spirit box she had found online. That one more than anything had made Sarah burst out in a giggle.

"Lassie, those don't work ya know," she grinned in amusement, "I mean they do, sorta, but there's zero way of confirmin' you're actually talkin' to who it says it is. Watch."

The Banshee assumed her orb form and floated into the device. Immediately it began flipping through radio channels at a rapid pace as it was designed to. Through the white noise, Usoko could hear something faintly familiar... was that a synth drum...

"Oh my god did you just rickroll me from the next dimension??" She groaned as the music quickly subsided. From the device now came an unfamiliar deep masculine voice, one whose tone seemed tinged with malice.

"You see why these things are a joke? Any spirit can use 'em to sound like anyone or anything they want. Now then..."

The hazy green orb flittered out and returned to the familiar shape of Sarah, but not before a deep, malicious growl emanated from the spirit box.

"Very funny Sarah," laughed Usoko, rolling her eyes.

"Ah... that one wasn't me," replied the Banshee in a slightly concerned tone. Not wanting to tempt fate, and knowing it was useless to her plans now anyway, Usoko chucked the technological puck out her window and shrugged her shoulders.

"Well I have to try something," she groaned, "Mom's spirit form might be like, way different than yours, but there has to be some way for her to be able to communicate!"

Sarah pondered for a moment. She had been around a very long time, and had seen all sorts of things, but this was something new to her. A Spirit that was essentially to her what she was to a regular human. Tatsuya was existent, that much was certain from both Usoko's dreams and from their brief meeting in the Spirit World back in October. Unfortunately, said meeting was only made possible by the greatly diminished barrier between the two worlds during that time period... and then she had it.

"Us'ko, what ye might need to do is head back to the Veil," stated Sarah confidently, "If ye can't reach her in your dreams, and we know none of this junk will work-"
Her words were cut off by the planchette of the Ouija board vibrating violently. Sarah shot a soul-curdling death glare at the board which almost seemed to shrink a little before Usoko's eyes.

"As I was sayin', none of these will work for communicatin' with her, not here, but if we go the Veil itself..." she paused, still not entirely sure she believed what she was saying, "Maybe something will happen. It's a longshot, I know, but I think it could work. And I'll accompany ya lass, no need to worry there."