Chapter 4- A Puzzling Dilemma/ A Passing Dream The Programmer sighed, leaning back in their large, plushy swivel chair. It was hard to tell what gender, exactly, the Programmer was; they had long hair, but their face was a tad too strong to be called "pretty". Their skin was very pale, from too much time working inside and too little time in the sunlight. Oh well, the Programmer thought absently, after a glance at their hands. Tans are overrated, anyhow. There was a lot of work to be had for taking up the thankless job of Programmer. Only LSS-sama and Tokio-sama even knew of their existence; the rest of the universe believed that the Bishie world had been created out of thin air, out of mere magic. If only they knew, the Programmer thought with a wry smile. Adding in new territories, sending in new people, taking out the old… no rest for the wicked here, that's for sure! At least I get a good sample of every new fantasy before anyone else. Thankfully, though, the Programmer had just started their short break, a time where the Programmer could do whatever they wished: read, sleep, eat… Or work on one of the most puzzling dilemmas ever; the concept of humans from my former world being "compatible" with Bishies from purely fictional worlds. And it was a dilemma, to be sure. To disable the compatibility was far too great a task, though it was by far the simplest solution. It would be nigh impossible to send the half-Bishies into their own little corner of the Bish-world, since their existence and life began with two full-bloods. It would be cruel to attempt to try to kill off the half-Bishies. What was left? To send them elsewhere, of course. But where? The Programmer sighed, tapping one finger against one of the many keyboards that lined their workroom. Then they stared blankly about at the hundreds of screens filled with data- Matrix, anyone? - as though they'd already have the answer somewhere in the Bishie-world. If only the creators hadn't approved of this. It's understandable that parents would want to have children, eventually, but still… people in my former world had enough trouble getting along with separate religions, people from different countries! Much less different races entirely. I know I'm thinking too hard. Jeez. This would be like Miaka having a child with Tamahome in the book world, only more complicated. The Programmer shook their head, then, defying their own lack of ideas, began to scrawl out a general thought on a bit of loose-leaf nearby. Maybe… . If only. Natala looked out of the windows of the city bus, watching the many buildings and people go by. It was raining, of course- on the very day that she hadn't thought to bring an umbrella or raincoat. Her books were about to be soaked. I'll bet the Library will love that! She brushed some of her dark hair out of her green eyes with one hand, and then blinked at the watch on her arm. The digital numbers read 4:37 p.m. One of the books in her lap began to slip towards the ground. She blinked and made a grab for it, catching it just before it hit the floor of the bus. However, that left another book free to slip, and she had to grab that while trying to secure the first one. In moments she was a regular juggler, frantically trying to keep all of the books (and herself!) from falling onto the ground. Unfortunately, the bus decided to make a too-hasty stop at a red light, sending her nose-first into the back of the next seat and all of her books tumbling onto the floor of the bus. "Oww…" She blushed at having caused a scene in such a quiet atmosphere. Then she hurried to try and pick them all up. "Jeez, Nat-chan, you're so clumsy. It's a wonder you don't kill yourself on a daily basis!" Natala's head snapped up. "Yusuke?!" But no; the only other person on the bus besides her and the driver was an old man, sleeping away. Her shoulders sagged with disappointment, and she hunched over her school things as the bus neared her stop. Must've been imagining things again... God, I miss him. And Kagome! The sixteen year old girl allowed a sigh to pass her lips at the thought of her old friends, and let herself wonder for a moment what they could be doing. If only I could've stayed… She signaled the driver of the bus, and once again the bus made a far-too-hasty stop a few feet beyond the actual stop point. Thankfully, Natala managed to keep all of her things together, and ran out towards the shelter near the bus stop with a shout of thanks towards the driver. The bus doors closed, and the vehicle trundled off. Natala set her things down on the small bench within the shelter, and then began to search through her bag for her cell phone. Mom's going to kill me for being so late! Oh well… It's not like I can help when the bus shows up and when it doesn't... She pulled out her new phone and flipped it open. She stared at the Dex in her hand. "Wha-?!" For a moment, it was as clear as could be; the Dex settled in her hand much more comfortably than her cell phone, with a small screen to use for looking up information or for speaking to someone face to face. Dials and buttons she had never been able to properly identify lined both the numerical buttons and the color screen itself. A picture of Kagome, her former Bishoujo, appeared in the screen. "K-chan?!" She stared at it, not sure what to do. Slowly, she brought the Dex up to her ear, whispering, "Kagome? Yusuke?" She heard nothing but a dull dial tone. Natala pulled her hand back to look at the Dex, and her face crumpled with disappointment; she held her cell phone once more. I must be losing my mind… Dexes and Bishies don't exist here. That was in the past. I can't think about that now. I've got work to do. Work and real life. That was just… a good dream. A passing one. She called her mother, and apologized for being late. Then she picked up her books and hurried off through the rain. Unbidden, a thought she'd tried to suppress came to mind: But if it was just a passing phase or dream, then why does it hurt so much when I can't turn around and see them smiling at me?