Even just that morning, if someone were to tell me that I would discover magic that day, I would probably be worried about their mental health. To most, it was an insane idea, something that couldn't possibly happen to them. But magic doesn't need to explain itself to anyone. It has nothing to prove and nothing to be.

And it's what turned my life upside down.

The sky was a bright, pleasant periwinkle that soothed the mind. Like little lost sheep, clouds wandered aimlessly across the horizon, looking just as soft to touch. Sunlight streamed down, the warm, mellow golden rays illuminating everything it graced with a heavenly glow and, coupled with a cooling breeze that carried the sweet, crisp scent from the flower pots positioned around, it was utterly perfect.

Too bad this peace wouldn't last.

"I'm telling you, he is such a sweetheart. I don't think I've ever met a guy like him before."

I smiled past the thorns in my heart, the action weak and strained at the edges.

This wasn't the first time Ayumi had uttered those words, nor, I believe, it would be the last. I hoped this time it would be different, but deep down, I already had a sinking suspicion that it was doomed from the start. I just wished she wouldn't shatter when it ended.

Granted, she had a right to be devastated, considering it was her relationship falling apart. But Ayumi was the exact opposite of the phrase Look Before You Leap, for she leapt straight into new relationships, often without the common sense to see the warning signs of a bad boy. In the end, she only caused herself more heartbreak. For a long while I've wondered why she'd willingly destroy herself like this. Then, on day, it clicked... Maybe all she's ever wanted to prove was that she was worthy of being loved.

"Hikari? You're being awfully quiet, even for you," Kei, the eldest girl forming our little trio observed me with an expression of mild concern, absently brushing a stray petal from her shoulder. "Is anything bothering you?"

In the distance, a sweet, melodic birdsong rose from the trees.

Her words, soft and inviting, enticed a sheepish smile from me as I poked at my strawberry shortcake. My choice had thoroughly amused Ayumi, both for the similarity to my height- I was, quite unfortunately, very short- and the fact that the cashier wrongly assumed I was elementary-aged, and, worst of all, the younger sister of the aforementioned girl, who kindly helped me order it. I was just thrilled about that.

"No, I'm fine, Kei," Though my awkward fidgeting was doing a rather splendid job of contradicting that statement. "Nothing's bothering me at all. I just zoned out for a second there." Shooting Ayumi an apologetic smile, I lowered my eyes. "Sorry, Ayumi. I didn't mean to be rude. I did hear most of it, though. You were talking about Ken, weren't you? He does sound very nice."

Which was a complete and utter lie, but Ayumi seemed to fall for it hook, line and sinker.

"You're so adorable!" The girl in question squealed (it was lethal enough to deafen most dogs) and hugged me a little too tightly around the neck. I was debating the appropriate size for my tombstone when Kei, ever my guardian angel, noticed my discomfort and waded in. Thankfully, she saved me from a premature death, firmly prying the excitable girl away. "You should really hear yourself sometimes. You're so soft and quiet, you sound just like a little mouse!" I stared pointedly at the girl, wondering if she ever actually stopped to breathe at all.

Quite suddenly, she stopped, blinked and fixed me with wide eyes abuzz with energy as I took another bite of heaven. "Say, Hikari. What is your type?"

I almost choked on the cake. "My type?"

Ayumi nodded, beaming, looking far too proud of herself to possibly be deemed sane.

Evidently, I'd missed a memo somewhere. It seemed like this was Make Hikari Feel Uncomfortable Day, and I was not informed about it.

Boys were not one of my favourite topics. I didn't like to gossip in general, and even less about the opposite sex. In my eyes, relationships were not something that I needed to bother myself with yet. Unfortunately, in my little ground of friends, I was privy to exactly that far more than I would have preferred. Ayumi absolutely loved to talk about boys. She could go on for hours about who she found attractive and who looked cute with who, it drove me insane sometimes, when all I'd ever experienced were outdated, platonic displays of affection from Hiro.

Pouting, I delicately twirled my fork between my fingers. "Personality is what counts, right? So, someone sweet and funny would be nice. And... Maybe someone confident? That would bring me out of my shell... I guess I'd like someone who would support and trust me as much as I would them, and I'd hope that they'd care enough to protect me. Not just from situations or people that I'm uncomfortable with, but little things, like the cold? I... I always like wearing boys jumpers, they're always so much bigger and warmer than mine."

Ayumi nodded encouragingly. "Looks like you've got it all figured out. We gotta go find this guy of yours, Hikari!"

A small, unexpected clink caught my attention. An object had collided with my plate. I hoped to the Gods that it was my spoon, for I would be screaming and throwing up my hands in what was quite possibly a ritual dance to summon Satan if I discovered an insect blinking bug-eyed at me. I located the source immediately. To my confusion, the mysterious object was neither of those two things (thankfully sparing the eardrums of everyone in the vicinity). No, it was a small, flamboyantly pink little ball, which I scooped up and displayed to my friends.

"I didn't know this cake came with hard candy."

Ayumi cocked her head to the side, then shrugged. "Neither did I. Maybe it's a new bonus? I heard they've got competition for a different store, so they could be trying to attract new customers. Try it. See if it's any good." I nodded, and silently swirled it around in my mouth. Ayumi's expectant orbs followed my every movement. "How is it?"

"Weird... It kinda tastes funny... and it's really hard to chew. Are you sure this is candy?"

"It sounds disgusting." Kei wrinkled her nose. "Spit it out."

I didn't, though. In fact, I involuntarily swallowed the whole thing, almost triggering my gag reflex, because there were people falling from the sky.

In a heartbeat, I'd tackled my friends to the ground, throwing my body hap-haphazardly over theirs to shield them as best as I could. Both were wide-eyed at the sight. When no impact arrived, I cautiously lifted my head, and one heart-stopping second later, I realised the the weight of my trusty locket was no longer present around my neck.

"Stay down." I instructed, and, ignoring my friend's urgent whispers, I crawled over on my hands and knees. Desperately hoping I wasn't placing myself in mortal danger, I collected the pendant and replaced it to its usual position, promptly falling back into a pair of legs that definitely hadn't been present before.

Frightened, my eyes snapped up, clocking the strange crowd as they hurtled back towards me. "What the hell is going on?" I had to be hallucinating. That was the only logical explanation, right?

"Don't worry," The lanky legs swiftly moved to stand before me in a bored but unwavering stance. "We're on your side."

"On my side?" I echoed, struggling to slow my racing heart. Just a few paces away, Ayumi was clinging tightly to the usually emotionless Kei. Both girls looked appropriately terrified.

"That's right." He confirmed, almost seeming unbearably cocky as he tipped his head up and shot me a confident smile. And, damn, did he look nonchalant when a car also dropped out of the sky, for no apparent reason other than to strengthen the twisting pit in my stomach. I, as one can expect, obviously wasn't comfortable with having objects randomly appear from thin air, and barely managed to stifle my shriek.

(Ayumi, on the other hand, displayed fair less restraint. Her scream appeared to deafen Kei, and was the perfect reward for the brunette girl's frantic attempts at quelling Ayumi's distress.)

Nails pressing firm indents into the palms of my hands, I took a steadying breath. "Kei, listen to me! You and Ayumi need to get home. Go now! Run as fast as you can and don't stop for anything. I'll catch up, I promise."

Kei gnawed on her lower lip, critically assessed Ayumi, who looked set to burst into an uncontrollable pool of tears, and then, very reluctantly, nodded. She pulled Ayumi up and the girls went skittering away. Kei barely paused long enough to pull Ayumi to her feet when she tripped over a crack in the pavement.

Suddenly, my focus was captured by the appearance of a second boy, this one displaying a neat brunette head of hair compared to the first's unruly electric blue, as he flipped out of the car and landed with cat-like grace.

"Ready?" The brunette asked.

"Of course. I'm feeling so pumped. Let's get this thing started!" The blunette held the same edging note of arrogance, but when coupled with the unmistakably excited gleam in his eyes, and the slight softening of his features when he faced me, it was more endearing than anything. "Don't you worry. We're not going to let you get injured. Just stay back and we'll protect you. Okay?"

Wordlessly, I nodded, too weirded out to comprehend much, let alone form coherent sentences. "Shield Magic: Crystal Barrier!"

Spellbound, I blinked up at the opaque barrier with an utterly enchanting expression of total stupidity. This barrier, seemingly erected out of thin air, actually did a rather good job of keeping those strange people from getting too close as they hurtled past. Neither boy looked as worried as they should have been. I was on the verge of a mental breakdown, and yet they seemed cool and collected and utterly calm. All concepts which eluded me at this current point in time.

"Are you okay?" Define okay. I happen to still be breathing, is that adequate? "It looks like we scared them off. I don't think they'll be coming back." The taller boy outstretched his hand towards me, tenderly helping me to my feet, even going as far as to catch my upper arm and hold me steady when I stumbled on my shaking legs.

"Hey, are you sure it fell in this area? What if they find it before we do?"

"That's impossible, zura. We from the seahorse tribe are great admirers of the pearl, and I know exactly where to find it, even without that raggedy looking finder. So, you can count on me, guys!"

A talking, flying seahorse.

As if this day couldn't get any crazier.

The brunette raised a sceptical eyebrow. "You're positive?"

"If you don't believe me, then that's fine, zura," It seemed hurt on a spiritual level. "But even Zero's finder keeps saying it's somewhere around here."

Zero...? My gaze snapped to the shorter of the two, the boy with shockingly blue hair and an ever present smirk. So, that's his name? "That's weird... It says the Pearl's right in front of us." Both boys frowned, and glanced up, staring directly at me with identical expressions of confusion. "No... That can't be right. Maybe it's broken?"

The brunette shrugged, rolling his eyes as Zero pushed him forward, whistling innocent even under his glare. Awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, he summoned a fleeting smile. "Excuse me... You haven't happened to have seen a Crystal Pearl around here, have you? It's a pink, round pearl and it's about this big..." The brunette demonstrated by holding his thumb and forefinger apart at what he deemed to be the correct size. "Does it sound familiar at all?"

I visibly recoiled, fists my hands in my shirt. "Um... That kinda sounds like the hard candy that came with my cake." He stared, face blank, emotionless, possibly already aware of what I'd follow that statement up with. "And... I, um... I may have... accidentally... s-swallowed that candy..."

"What," Zero said, flatly. "Did you just say?" Frightened by the fury in his eyes, I tried to edge back. He'd seized the front of my shirt before I could get far, his face inches from mine, invading my personal space. "You stupid girl! Do you have any idea what you've done? Spit it out right now. You have to give it back. Throw it up if you have to. Just give it back!"

"Knock it off, Zero!" The brunette exclaimed, forcefully prying the boy away from me. "You're making it worse!"

"But-" Zero protested, wildly jabbing a finger in my direction, eyes abuzz with wild energy. "She's got the Pearl, Ichii. What are we supposed to do now?"

"There's no helping it if she's swallowed it. We can't do anything about this right now. If we make a riot here, we'll be at a complete disadvantage. Try to relax, alright? If the others come here, then-"

Ichii was swiftly interrupted by several things. My terrified scream being one of them. And the appearance of a giant owl nonchalantly hovering not far away as if it were completely normal for over-sized animals to appear in town centres, was another. It would be a monumental understatement to call this animal just big. It was at least two stories high, maybe pushing three, which was more than tall enough for me to wonder what kind of steroid-infused mice it was jacked up on. Seriously, that thing was unnatural. And that's certainly saying something, since this day has been full of insanity.

"What the hell are they thinking, riding around on that?" Zero hissed, fists clenching into tight balls.

"Hey, she's not safe here," Zura said, worriedly, curling around my neck.

Delicately spinning the car keys around a slender finger, Ichii whispered lowly, "We don't have any choice, we have to leave and now. To the car, quickly."

One of the figures sitting atop the owl leaned forward, squinting at us. "Hey, where are you two going? And why are you hanging around with that pathetic human?" I take offence to being called pathetic by a guy wearing a hat as ridiculous as that. "Have you found any leads on the Crystal Pearl?"

"As if we'd tell you." Zero said, rolling his eyes.

He promptly seized me around the waist, and, before I could fully comprehend the motion, we were in the backseat. Or, more accurately, Zero threw me into the backseat and clambered in after me. I was grateful that Zura instantly came to my defence, reprimanding the bluenette, who had the sense to look suitably apologetic.

Offering both the girl and boy a hurried goodbye, Ichii slammed his foot down, jolting the car into motion. Zero's strong, steady arm was the only thing that allowed me to stay grounded as I fell back into the plush cushion.

While my wish of escape had been granted, I wasn't exactly sure how I felt about the two boys gatecrashing my private plans.

"They're tailing us, Ichii. Lose 'em!"

"Like I'm not trying!" The brunette yelled back, making a sharp turn into the next street that tossed me and Zero around like rag dolls, and almost caused several collisions. At least Zero was chivalrous enough to at least attempt to use his body to shield me from the brunt of the force, not that it really did much in the long run.

"Ichii! That hurt!" The little seahorse whined, settling more firmly on my shoulder.

"Damn, sorry! Are you guys okay?"

"Are you trying to kill us?"

"I'll take that as a no. Hold on!"

Zero flew at me, keeping my body secured tightly against his, his free hand clinging onto the seat in front for dear life, throwing curses at the brunette as he floored the accelerator.

"I really will kill you if you don't shut up!" Ichii exclaimed, throwing a poisonous glare at the brunette, while Zura giggled quietly and reassured me that this kind of exchange was normal. "I'm trying to drive, I don't need you screaming in my ear!"

Ichii, bless him, seemed to have the short end of the stick here. Wildly spinning the wheel, the car skidded to the right, coasting around a sharp turn and barely managing to avoid crashing into at least sixteen different cars.

"Hey!" The blonde haired boy sounded indignant. "I'm talking to you guys. Get back here!"

"We're busy, Forte!" Ichii replied, braking so suddenly that me and Zero almost tumbled out of the car. Despite inflicting a nasty bump on Zero's head, the action did do some good, practically flooring the owl. "There, that should do it." He muttered, steering the car away as quickly as possible.

Zero took this pause in the chase to secure the both of us with a seat belt.

"Uh-Oh..." Zura intoned, settling down on Ichii's head. "They're coming back, Ichii."

"You're kidding!" He groaned, pressing down on the accelerator.

"Nope." The seahorse said, shaking his little head sadly. "You better drive a lot faster if you want to shake them. They're gaining on us."

The owl swooped back, almost causing every car in the vicinity to crash from the mere sight of it, couple with a furious glare from the blond and an alarmingly serene expression from the girl. "Why are you running? Just answer me already!"

"How about no?" Zero offered, childishly poking his tongue out at them. I shrunk against his side, terribly anxious. Zura, who left Ichii in favour of happily tucking himself up on my lap, tenderly nuzzled his little head against my hand in order to reassure me. Smiling gratefully, I tickled him under the chin. "Give up already!"

The impromptu chase was ended when our pursuers took a wrong turn. Ichii, with a series of sharp, erratic turns, lost us in a sea of buildings and cars before they could locate us again.

"This looks like a good spot." Ichii mumbled, carefully bringing the car to a stop. "You can get out now," He added, over his shoulder, as he stretched his aching arms. "We should be safe here."

"Jeez, they're so annoying." Zero sighed wearily, removing his arm from around my waist. This allowed me to back right up against the door, eyeing both boys with equal wariness. "Bet they've caused a massive riot in town." Ichii gave his own heavy sigh and nodded in agreement.

"What's going on?" I asked, voice shaking. Zura nudged his head against me, a reassurance that I desperately needed. "Who were those people? Why were the chasing us? And... who are you?"

"I guess we don't have much of a choice," Ichii chuckled softly, the corners of his eyes crinkling with amusement. His peaceful expression set my mind somewhat at ease. "This is going to sound crazy, but hear me out, okay?" I nodded uncertainly, a pit of dread curling in my stomach. "Those two were San and Forte, they're two of the many examinees that are after the Crystal Pearl inside your body. You see, it's the pivotal part of this massive Sorcerer exam that we're taking, me and Zero included. In pairs, we're supposed to find this Pearl and keep it in our possession until Christmas- by any means possible. The team that wins are able to become Professional Sorcerers, so it's a pretty big deal."

I blinked.

Once, very slowly.

And then slammed my head into the back of Ichii's seat.

I expected Zero to act as though there was absolutely nothing wrong with grievous bodily harm being done to oneself at whatever ungodly hour of the morning this was. Instead, he actually looked suitably worried, and insistently pushed me back against the plush cushions.

"Giving yourself brain damage won't help." He admonished, voice far more gentle than I had experienced so far.

"I'm a complete idiot." I mumbled against my hands. "I... I swallowed this Pearl? And... it's for a... Sorcerer exam?"

"You believe us?" Ichii asked, evidently a little surprised.

"This is way too weird for me to make up." I wanted to hit my head again, but Zero was being all hover-y and concerned, so I couldn't. "This... Pearl. You can get it out... Can't you? You've got magic. I saw you use it. So... it should be easy! You can remove it from my body, right? You can help me?" Feeling small and scared and terribly, terribly vulnerable, I almost collapsed into tears. "You... You will help me... Won't you?"

"Of course we will," Ichii assured, his voice low, soothing, filled with so much warmth that it almost instantly quelled my rising panic. He caught my hands, which had been twisting anxiously in his big, soft ones and gave them a gentle squeeze. "I'll put a call into Headquarters and get this whole thing sorted out. You don't need to worry."

Frankly, I had more than enough reason to worry. While they would start preparing the medicine to remove the Pearl immediately, it wouldn't be complete until Christmas.

"What... am I supposed to do now?"

Zero, being positioned in such a way that he could easily glimpse my expression, must have seen the tears welling in my eyes. What I didn't anticipate was him lightly hitting my upside the head. "Don't cry, for one thing," Ichii must have shot him a sharp look, for his demeanour instantly softened. "It doesn't suit you at all. Cheer up."

"B-But," I sniffled, swiping at my cheeks. "There are lots of other people looking for the Pearl, aren't there?"

"Of course there are. And just like us, they're determined to ace this exam."

"So how can I relax!?" I wailed, dread consuming me. "They're going to come after me!"

"Let them," Zero replied, with a nonchalant shrug. "They won't get very far."

"That's right," Ichii agreed, backed up with Zura, who was frantically nodding his head. "Because we're going to protect you. Until that medicine is ready, we will keep diligent watch over you and make sure that you remain safe. You shouldn't have been caught up in our affairs, so we'll make sure no harm comes to you because of it. Once the Crystal Pearl is extracted, the examinees won't have a reason to bother you any more, so you'll be safe after that point."

"You'll... Protect me?" I echoed, quietly. "But... I can't let you do that... It's all my fault that this happened... You're not obligated to help me in any way, so you can leave if you want to. I wouldn't blame you at all..."

Zero hit me again, a little firmer this time. Ichii didn't even try to stop him, even though it was well within his power to. It seems as though he also thought I needed some sense knocked into me.

"Don't be an idiot. If we thought this was a waste of time, would we still be here?" I floundered, speechless, so Zero took the liberty of answering for me. "No. We wouldn't. I would've dragged his responsible ass all the way back home. But I didn't, did I? We're still here, right in front of you. And you're going to be seeing a whole lot of us over these next six months, so you best get used to it now. Got it?"

"U-Uh... Yeah. Got it."

"What's your name?" Ichii asked, softly.

"Hi-Hikari..."

"Hikari?" He repeated. I nodded shyly. "Pretty. It means light, doesn't it? It definitely suits you. My name is Ichii, and you can call him Zero." I hesitantly gazed over at the bluenette, who grinned cheekily and snapped me a quick salute. "He's a bit of a stubborn idiot that enjoys hitting people, but I swear he's a lot kinder than he seems."

Ichii continued, swiftly ignoring Zero's spluttered protests, easily blocking a half-hearted punch thrown his way. "Last but not least, this is Zura. Technically all of the examinees could bring a familiar to help, but it doesn't look like many did. We're definitely going to ace the test thanks to this little guy."

Zura waved cheerfully, his little tail curling in excitement. Smiling a little brighter, I returned the gesture.

"It's settled then!" Zero announced, with a long yawn. "We'll protect her and the Pearl until the test is officially over."

"Aha, I knew it!"

A/N: I don't own Save me! Lollipop, all rights go to it's owners and producers etc. My cover image is a black and white picture of Hikari that I drew.

So, this story is basically one where my OC (Hikari) is in Nina's place and living the life she did and with my own little touches here and there. So that concludes my first chapter, I hope it was good and everyone enjoyed it. It would really help me a lot if I could get some feedback on this, to know how I can and improve or what people like is really helpful! xD