A/N: I wrote this fanfic in 1998 and uploaded it to my old Geocities-hosted fanfic website. I forgot all about it when Geocities went down until another user asked me about it. So, hiean, this is for you.

Also, I'm not an expert on Magic the Gathering. My brother came up with the battle sequence at the end of this story.

All the usual disclaimers apply. Magic the Gathering belongs to Wizards of the Coast (I think), and the characters of Akazukin Chacha belong to Ayahana Min. Only Cherubi and this story belong to me.

Chacha was in complete bliss that day. For some strange magical reason she was not to know yet, a fair of butterflies suddenly appeared from the forest and fluttered all over the path leading from Teacher Seravi's house up on Mochimochi Mountain. There were so many of them, big ones, small ones, all of different colors. The display enchanted the golden-haired apprentice witch, so she ran out of Teacher Seravi's house and chased the butterflies, laughing that tinkly laugh of hers as she did.

At that same time, Shiine and Riiya flew down from the sky on Shiine's broom.

"Hey, Chacha!" cried Riiya, a blue-haired kid with huge blue eyes and can turn into a little white wolf, whose strength and courage Chacha had always admired.

Chacha saw her friends coming towards her and her face broke into a big sparkling smile. Seeing her two best friends, who have shared all her adventures with her, always made her happy.

"Hi, Riiya! Hi, Shiine! Isn't this wonderful! The butterflies are so beautiful!"

But Riiya and Shiine merely ignored the rainbow display of numerous flitting fragile wings.

"Chacha, where is Teacher Seravi?" asked dark-haired Shiine, the wisest and most serious member of the group.

"He went to the market with Elizabeth, but he said he'll be back soon," Chacha replied. She noticed the somber look on Riiya's and Shiine's face. Then she felt that something is wrong.

"Why, did something happen? Why are you two so glum today?" she asked.

"Chacha, we have a problem," Shiine replied.

"What is it?"

"Teacher Dorothy ran away."

Seravi, chacha's teacher and guardian, and formerly the world's greatest magician, having been beaten by his own student at his own game, was having one of those thrills that a life of magic has endowed him. He was surfing the wind on his broom, with Elizabeth, his talking doll, on his shoulder, and the market basket on his head. Knees bent and arms held at shoulder level, Seravi is having the time of his life.

"Whee! This is fun!" Elizabeth proclaimed.

"Isn't it so, Elizabeth? I'm glad you agree with me," Seravi replied.

However, the excitement in his blood soon dissipated when he saw three children arguing at his front yard amidst a fair of disturbed butterflies. Wolf-boy Riiya, Dorothy's ward Shiine, and Chacha, the red-hooded magical princess entrusted to his care as a baby.

"That can't be, Shiine," Chacha was saying. "How can you be so sure that she ran away? Maybe she went to town to get something, or to the woods, or to school, or got locked in her dungeon-"

"Or maybe she did run away," Riiya finished for her.

"Oh, Riiya, cut it out!"

The three children were so absorbed with their discourse that they did not see Seravi land so near them. Market basket transferred to one hand, the emerald-haired sorcerer waved his broom away and approached the group. The butterflies suddenly parted at his approach.

"Who ran away?" he asked.

The kids turned startled eyes at Seravi.

"Teacher Dorothy," replied Shiine.

"Really? How can you be so sure, Shiine?"

"Uh, she left a note."

"Can I see it?"

Shiine solemnly handed to Seravi a sheet of pink paper folded into a butterfly. The sheet unfolded at Seravi's touch.

The note read:

I am on a quest. I may not return again. Please do not follow me, especially you, Seravi.

Signed, Dorothy.

The moment Seravi's eyes reached the "y" in Dorothy's name, the paper turned into a pink butterfly and fluttered away, along with the other butterflies that had magically appeared out of nowhere. All four of them witnessed how the fair of butterflies flew up to the sky and vanished in a wink.

"It's so beautiful," Chacha sighed. "I never knew Teacher Dorothy could do that."

"Did she take anything with her?" Seravi asked Shiine.

"She took everything, Teacher Seravi," Shiine replied. "Her clothes, her books, her potions, her crystal ball-everything. All that was left of her personal belongings was a bow."

"What bow?" Riiya butted in.

Shiine turned to Riiya. "You know. The big red bow that looks exactly like the one on Elizabeth's head, only that it's a little faded now and smells terribly of mothballs."

"Oh, is that so?" said Chacha.

Seravi lay a hand on Chacha's red hood. "Dorothy used to wear that bow when we were kids. She looked so cute then, big brown eyes and long golden hair-"

The children saw that Seravi was about to launch into a deep fantasy about the past. But Seravi recovered himself and went to the door. "Run along, kids! I'll call you when lunch is ready."

The children turned puzzled eyes at him.

"Teacher Seravi, aren't we going to look for Teacher Dorothy?" asked impudent Riiya.

"Yes, Teacher Seravi? Teacher Dorothy might get into trouble or something," added Shiine.

"Your Teacher Dorothy can take care of herself, kids," Seravi replied. "Didn't you understand the note? I don't think we should cross your Teacher Dorothy. She said she doesn't want any of us to follow her. You know how much she hates it when she isn't obeyed, don't you?"

The kids nodded reluctantly. Seravi smiled at them.

"Look, children, Teacher Dorothy will come back. You shouldn't worry about her. I'm not. See?"

The kids still looked doubtful, but Seravi waved them away, with a reassurance that he will look for Dorothy using his crystal ball. Promptly, Chacha and Shiine produced their brooms and jumped on them, while Riiya turned himself to his wolf form and chased after Chacha and Shiine. And then they were away.

Seravi closed the door behind him.