[Sorry if I jump in and out of tenses. :D; I'm used to third person, so. I'm trying to capture the essence of the characters, and I hope I am. Thanks for reading~]

I found myself bouncing, lifting the balls of my feet and letting them go back down to the ground, my red curls bouncing slightly with it. I was a tad nervous, yes, but that never got me before... My body was tingling, from my scalp to the soles of my feet, my stomach felt unsettled, and worst of all, I had a silly grin plastered to my face. I couldn't help it, really. He was finally coming back, after a long, slow year and a half... And today I was going to see him. At this thought, my nervousness went to a whole new level, and now I was not only bouncing, I was biting and chewing my lip. After a whole three minutes of waiting, I was pacing, making myself even more nervous than necessary. I walked down the street, and finally to the cake shop, where I seated myself at the same table where I had been when I'd went ahead and swallowed the crystal ball, and met them. Ichii and Zero. That was four years ago, when I was twelve. Now I am 16, and here I am, biting my lip to rags. I waited for a bit before the waiter came, and I ordered some poppy seed bread, knowing it would calm me some while I waited.

As I waited, the anticipation turned to sickness, wondering if he would show up, then the sickness turned to anger, which turned quickly to disgust. It took all my willpower to not burst into tears then; I had been waiting for well over an hour, and I could tell by the funny looks the waiter was throwing me that I should leave. The tingling had long since stopped, my lips were pursed, my eyes sullen. He doesn't care, I heard my subconscious mind whispering. I growled at it to shut up, although obviously not aloud. I squeezed my eyes shut, a stray tear or two trailing down my cheek as I walked down an alley, dull and dejected. So much for... us.

At the precise moment I thought that, something hollow, much like a milk carton, hit the back of my neck. I whirled around to shout at the thrower, but when I saw his face, the grin, the blue hair, I lost it. All negative thoughts disappeared as I ran towards him, burying my face in him. He held me accordingly, stroking my hair. I felt safe with him, with his steady heartbeat. I finally, reluctantly, pulled away after a few minutes with us like this. "Zero.. I thought you wouldn't come," I whispered, holding him tighter. He smiled at me. "Idiot," he whispered back gently, "Of course I came." Which made me smile, but also shed a tear. He wiped it away just before I buried myself into him again. A cough behind me was the only thing that tore me away from Zero. "Ichi!" I squealed, although instantly appalled at my squeaky voice. That, however, didn't stop me from hugging him too. "Nina," he said simply, with a huge smile. Zero joined us with an equally huge grin, and more tears escaped to my face. "I'm so happy you guys are here," I said, looking at both of them with a smile that extended to my bright eyes. "Of course," they said in unison, both wearing happy grins. Sometimes I wondered if they practiced that on their free nights. I slipped my hand into Zero's happily, but then I was unsure, and I quickly looked to his face to see his expression. To my surprise, he squeezed my hand and held onto it firmly. He avoided my gaze, his cheeks colored with a slight red, his features softened, but he still had a smile, which may have seemed slightly dazed. Ichi, seeming not to notice this happening, chattered on about things in the magical realm. I listened, adding in things from time to time, but Zero hardly said anything, stealing glances at me here and there while I pretended not to notice. I never wanted to let go.

As we reached my house, I felt Zero's hand slip out of mine... I missed the warmth already. I tried to see what his face would reveal with a quick glance at him, but his face was turned away. Before I could wonder anything, Ichi said something that surprised me, "There is another advanced magical exam this year." He said it plainly, but I could tell it was slightly uncomfortable for him to say. I swallowed the feeling of dread, and instead smiled, although it was a little uneasy. "I...is that why you came?" I asked, although I was almost positive I wouldn't like the answer. Zero turned to me and said, a little indignantly, "Of course not, Nina. Well, partially, sure, but mostly to see you." I smiled then, because it was just sweet of him to say that. "If you say so," I said with a grin. "It is what I say," he confirmed, looking me in the eye. We froze, looking at other fully for the first time. Zero broke the spell as he leaned toward me, lowering his voice into my ear. "Love you." As he pulled back, I saw his eyes were twinkling, but his voice was dead serious. I barely suppressed a giant smile, and was about to say something when Ichi interrupted. Oops. I had almost forgotten he was with us. He didn't look angry at all, though, just amused, and a little happy. For us, for Zero... "So we'll be here in your world for the six months, and although our schedule might be tight, we'll try to come visit as often as we can." My face fell at this, and I realized that even though Zero might be here with me in my world, he couldn't be around forever. They had to concentrate on the exam. I dropped my head, now trying to suppress a big pouting frown. Now Zero was as glum as I was, which gave me some strength.

"It's okay... You guys have to concentrate on the exam," I said quietly, feeling like a small, lonely child. Both Zero and Ichi put them arms around me now, taking turns saying positive things. It felt nice, but I knew that they couldn't risk seeing me for more than a few minutes, lest it cost them the competition. I smiled at them anyway, so they wouldn't feel bad. It wasn't their faults, after all... I looked up, trying to stop tears from pooling in my eyes, and that's when I saw it. Something from the sky was glinting, and it wasn't just a trick of the light.. It was an object. A small one, by the look of it, but who knew far away it was. "What's... that?" I asked the boys, gazing up into the sky. They both looked up with me. "What's what?" Zero asked, mystified. "The glint up there... See it?" I asked, not looking away from it. "Uh... not really," Zero replied, still having that mystified quality to the tone of his voice. I ignored him as the shining got fiercer, although the other two looked baffled. The shining thing was so fast and small, neither Zero nor Ichi saw it until it was headed straight towards me. Time seemed to slow down. I hardly had time to turn, and possibly if my reflexes were faster, I would have been able to make use of that little time to turn, but as it were, the shining ball of light launched straight into my gaping mouth.

Then, everything seemed to pop back into normal speed, Zero's cry ringing in my ears, my muffled shout of alarm, Ichi's hand reaching for the ball, but not quite grasping it. Luckily, he made it project into my mouth much slower than it would have, but it still hit the back of my throat pretty soundly, making me gag and struggle for breath. Then, the shining ball was gone, down my esophagus. I breathed in a ragged breath of air, my eyes wide and hands clutching at my throat. Ichi grabbed my shoulders, gently prompting my mouth open, and shining a light into my mouth. God knew what else careful Ichi kept on his person. The thought made me smile, but Ichi didn't seem to approve, since it made my mouth smaller, and harder to look into. I relaxed my mouth again, just then realizing how much pain my throat was in. "Ouch!" I yelped suddenly, making Zero visibly jump, and Ichi pull his hands back. I tried to swallow, but my throat felt bruised, and the swallow did nothing but make it hurt more. I let out a small whimper, biting my lip. Zero glared at Ichi, looking upset and angry as he went to me and asked, "Are you all right? Does your throat hurt?" I nodded for both questions, feeling slightly miserable. "We should take her to a hospital," he said worriedly, his eyes distant, and avoiding mine. I tried to say, "It's okay." but as soon as I tried, I coughed, which gave away to a new burst of pain. I whimpered again, involuntarily, but luckily that was one thing that didn't send me into fits of talked quickly to Ichi. "Where's the car?" he asked. "She needs to go to the hospital.." All I could think was 'Poor Zero, he looks so worried.' That made me smile and want to giggle, but luckily I didn't, at the last moment remembering my painful throat.

What had happened, anyway?