"Owww," I groan as I roll over and grab my throbbing head.

"So you're finally awake I see," I shot up like a bat out of hell. The voice only chuckled, "Calm down I'm a friend, okay?"

I spin around wildly looking for the voice, panic rising in my throat I go to scream. A cool hand comes up to cover my mouth. "Shh! You trying to wake the whole damn forest?!" the voice hisses and I realize it is a females. "Now will you scream if I let go?" I shook my head no. "Good, now calm down," and with that I felt as though I could breathe for the first time in years. When I'm ready I turn around to look at the voice.

"Oh my!" I exclaim when I come face to face with a beautiful young girl. "Who are you?"

At that the girl wore a sad smile, "A friend. I know Naoki." At the sound of his name I feel the panic again. "No!" she grabs my arms and looks me straight in the eye, "No more screaming, he did this for you. He wants you to live."

'What is she talking about? That's his promise to me…wait…' I blink a few times and finally look at my surroundings. "A-a forest?!" I couldn't help it I screeched. "How in the actual hell did I get here?!" I flipped my anger onto this girl. "Who are you?" I bellowed. I didn't mean to sound so mean, I'm just so confused and lost.

"My name is Nozomi." Her look changed from one of seriousness to one of kindness, "I am the embodiment of Naoki's hope." I stare at her in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, you're what to who now?" I make a face and try to process this bizarre woman's claim. "I don't think I quiet understand." We both stand there in silence and I take the opportunity to really look at her. She is beautiful, short light purple hair and green eyes like a cats. She is about the same height as me, but with much paler skin. It almost looked translucent, it should have been sickening but on her it was perfect. I was going to speak again when-

"Oh, she's awake!" I am startled by a new voice from behind me. I turn to see a man coming through the trees with a bundle of wood in his arms. "I thought she was going to sleep forever!" with that he gave a hardy laugh, something I've never heard before. It sounded like bells and was beautiful to hear. "You guys hungry?"

"I'm starving!" Nozomi-chan yelled while running over to him. "Oliver-kun what did you bring me?" she gave him a coy smile.

"Harumph, go get your own damn food woman!" he bellowed as he started to arrange the wood into a fire pit. "I ain't gotta take care of you, you are a grown ass woman!"

"Oliver-kun why do you have to be so mean to me?" Nozomi-chan sat down without grace and started to draw circles in the dirt.

"Is anyone going to tell me what is happening, or am I going to have to just figure it all out on my own?" I raised an eyebrow at the two on the ground.

"Oh, right sorry Mistress I forgot you don't know what's happening."

"Eh?! Mistress? Who me?!" I nearly fell over from the unexpected title. "I think you've got the wrong person!" I start waving my hands in front of my face to cool the blood under my too hot skin. 'There's too much air out here! Coupled with the fact there is too much information to process!'

"I know this is confusing and scary Mistress, but please understand I am here to protect you." The man stands up and leaves Nozomi-chan to look after the fire he has started. With his hands up in a non-threating manner he approaches me. "Please, Mistress, let me explain everything to you in full." When he gets close enough he knees down in front of me.

I grab his shirt and drag him to his feet, "Don't do that. Never lower yourself to anyone, especially not me." I straighten his shirt and finally look into his face. I finally notice the details of his features. He has a strong jaw and sharp cheek bones, very well built from what I can see of his arms in his quarter sleeved shirt. His hair is as blond as the sunshine and his unnaturally grey eyes pierce my golden ones. "Please tell me everything…Oliver."

He smiles a radiant smile at his name. "It is so good to finally hear you say my name, Mistress." I flinch at the title. "Come let's sit by the fire and get you some food and then we can talk." He hesitantly reaches for my hand and when I don't object he grabs it. His hand is so warm and big that it makes my small hand sweat. "I hope you don't mind," he grabbed the rabbit he caught and held it up to me.

"I have no preferences in food," so he sets to work cleaning and roasting the meat. "Can you please tell me, what's going on where is my brother?" I must have looked lost and scared like a small child because they both glanced at each other with pity in their eyes. "I do not require you pity only your knowledge," I gruffed at them.

Nozomi-chan passed around the food and we all began to eat. "You see, well, okay so it's like this," I can tell Nozomi-chan is having a hard time finding the right words. "Like I told ya before I'm the embodiment of Naoki's hope. And Oliver-kun here," she trusts her thumb at him, "is the embodiment of your courage." I nearly choke on my rabbit. "Yeah I know it's hard to take in, but you two have got some pretty powerful magic if you can create us." She looks at me willing me to believe me.

"I believe you Nozomi-chan, but where is my brother?" At this she looks away with anger in her eyes.

"He didn't make it through the gate," she said it so bitterly that I was scared to ask what gate. Regaining some composure she looked at Oliver to continue.

"Your brother had found a way around the cursed chains you used to wear Mistress." At that my eyes shot up and nearly bugged out of my head.

"Used…to…wear," I look down at my wrist and try to make out the faint outline of the invisible chains that held back my magic and strength. When I did not see them I groped my own neck to feel for the collar, but it was no longer there. "How in the-?!" Nozomi-chan cuts me off before I can lose my cool.

"It was all Naoki. He is a clever boy isn't he?" she smiled saddly and continued. "Oliver-kun and I have been trying to get to you two for years now. But we could never get passed the barrier emanating from your chains. And your chains, my dear, were particularly powerful, must be because you are such a strong wizard." Nozomi stops to take a bite from her rabbit. "I'm surprised one of you got through the gate we created." She paused this time to make sure I'm keeping up, I look at her when I've processed this news. "We have been trying to find a way to break you both free from that terrible man's grasp. And finally when he left you alone for so long the magic he casted on the chains grew weak. There was a spot in the barrier that was thinner than the rest. So, Naoki found it around the same time as Oliver-kun did.

"Once Naoki understood who he was he brought me over." Her eyes glazed over, "I was so happy I was able to finally see him and talk to him." I looked away from her face, I just couldn't handle the adoration I saw in her eyes when she spoke of my brother. "So, long story short we all thought the hole was in both of your guy's barriers, but it was only you." She didn't say it in a mean way, in fact she still looked happy and dreamy. "I'm glad you made it through." Oliver sighed and poked at the fire while I racked my brain.

"Why didn't he tell me the plan? Maybe I could have found a way for both of us…" I trailed off because all of a sudden both of them looked at me like I grew a second head. "What?" I ask indignantly.

"Not to be rude Mistress but your brother wanted to make sure it was you who ended up here if only one got through." He said it slowly while staring me straight in the face.

"He knew there was a chance that we both wouldn't make it, didn't he?" I looked up to the stars. "So, as his last act to save me he pushed me through the gate?" Nozomi smiled at this and Oliver sighed in relief that I understood. But then I got mad, no I was livid! "How dare he?! He promised me he would live for us! I…He…promised!" I screamed at last and all the energy that has been building suddenly erupts from my body. "That liar!" The tears ran hot down my face, I think Oliver and Nozomi-chan were trying to calm me down but I couldn't hear them, I couldn't hear anything. All the magic that has laid dormant inside of me for so long finally surfaces and I cleared out all the trees within ten miles.

"Liar…" when the magic is finally back under my control I cried out, "Liar, he lied to me. To my face, he never wanted to live…" I slumped to the earth and sobbed until I felt like throwing up. Then I blacked out.

I awoke the next day on a warm sunny patch of grass. 'Grass…?' I sit up and look around at my surroundings and gasp. 'Wasn't I on a beach?!' Then the memories of last night come back and I feel the hot tears prick my eyes once more. "No!" I roared and wiped them away with the back of my hand. "I must find Naoki and save him and Kikiyo and Reggie!" I stood up and brushed myself off.

"So early…" I looked to my right and found a cat, a light purple cat, curled up in a ball. "Can't we have five more minutes?"

I poked the cat with my foot and I kept poking it with my foot until it rolls right off the hill and lands into a tree. She shoots up and cusses at the tree then at me. 'Well it sounds like Nozomi-chan…but…cat…' my thoughts go haywire starring at the lethal creature climbing back up the hill. "Gah! Get away from me!" I finally hollered as I clambered to my feet and shot off like an out of control wagon down the hill.

"Wait! Please wait! It's me—Nozomi!" the cat was in hot pursuit and gaining ground on me.

'Shit, when was the last time I truly ran? My goodness I'm out of shape!' I mentally chastised myself and kept running straight through the trees. I don't think I was running long before I came face to face with the largest blonde dog I've ever seen in my life. "What the hell is that?" this is just not my day!

"Mistress?" the dog cocked its head to the side and gave me a wolfish grin.

"No!" I screeched and turned so sharply I heard the cat collide with the dog.

"Dammit Oliver-kun, move!" the cat yelled at dog, but I didn't stop to see what happened to them.

'No, no, no, no, no…' my thoughts were scattering with the wind. 'Wasn't I with people yesterday? Since when do animals talk?!' I started to slow down as I regained my composure. 'Did I really know that cat and dog?' Finally I stopped and I heard the soft footfalls of my two companions. "I'm so sorry," I fell to my knees and they came up next to me. "I'm so sorry Nozomi-chan, Oliver…" I was crying. "I can't, I mean I didn't…I didn't know you could," I flicked my hands at them, "turn into animals." I finished lamely.

Oliver the dog placed his large paw on top of my hand. "Mistress, it is okay we forgot to tell you yesterday. This is all my fault, I was just so happy to finally be close to you; I failed as your protector." Oliver and Nozomi-chan both looked at the ground. I grabbed both of their paws and gave them a reassuring squeeze.

"You know, it has been so very long since beautiful magic has been a part of my life that I had almost forgotten it exists. This is not either of your guys' fault. It is only my fault, and I do not blame you for anything. Hell, you guys saved me from that awful place I was only in less than a day ago. And then I go and run away in a false panic because I didn't think for one second that you could do something like this." I sighed and scratched behind Oliver's ear, he gave a satisfied sound. "So, what now?" I look between the two of them. "How do we save my brother?"

Nozomi-chan spoke first, "Well you see, um, the problem is this: we don't know where that man's mansion is. We were manifested on the outskirts of his grounds and thus only went where you two went. Yeah sure we saw the area outside the barriers, but it looked an awful lot like where we are now. The only difference is the smell, it smells…cleaner? Yeah I guess that's the word for it, the air is cleaner out here. We're so sorry, we don't know where to start." She finished with a frown.

My brow creased in concentration, "Okay then I guess I'm going to try something I haven't done in years." I crossed my legs and started to meditate. "I'm going to search for Naoki's magic." As I concentrated the air around us became still and all noise fell away from me. "Naoki…" I don't know how long I sat there, but it must have been a really long time because I passed out.

I awoke a few minutes later with a pounding headache. "Ouch," I grumbled as I sat up to come face to face with my companions, back in human form, huddled around me.

"Oi, you done passing out on me yet?" Oliver poked my face and gave me a glare.

'He must have been so worried.' I touched his face, "Sorry Oliver, I guess that barrier is really strong around Naoki," I paused, "or we're too far away from him. Oh, I forgot to ask! How in the hell did we end up in a forest when we were on a beach?" I whipped my head between the two of them, but they only shrugged. "Well, this is a mess," I sighed exasperated, then my stomach made a most unladylike noise. I blushed deeply and held my middle, "Do we have any rabbit left?" I asked embarrassed. They both laughed at me, but karma is a lovely thing because both of their stomachs also grumbled. "Looks like it's time to hunt!"