Author's Note: This is pretty much the definition of frivolous at this point. XD Happy groundhog day guys!

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A few nights later, Yuzuriha found herself lying in bed with the book again, Inuki curled up dutifully by her side. Sorata knocked on the door briefly, then poked his head in.

"Hey there kiddo."

"Hi Sora-san! What's up?"

"Just wanted to check on you; your light was still on and I wanted to make sure you weren't up cramming for a test or something and needed some help."

Yuzuriha laughed, having already witnessed Sorata's "help" as Kamui struggled with assignments.

"Nope, just reading." She held up the book to demonstrate.

"Alrighty. Well don't stay up too late!" Sorata happily replied. It was interesting, knowing that he had no siblings that he knew of, that Sorata had so easily stepped into the shoes of an older, protective brother.

Yuzuriha wished him a warm goodnight then slid a bookmark into the pages between the second and third chapters. She turned off the lamp beside her and wrapped an arm snuggly around Inuki, drifting into a deep sleep.

She sat up in a field where even standing up, she was dwarfed by cornstalks. Something seemed a little odd about them though… wasn't corn normally planted in rows rather than allowed to grow in sprawling expanses like this? She slowly turned in a circle, sensing no danger, but having no idea which way would take her out of the agricultural forest.

"Inuki?" She called to the dog cautiously.

He poked his head between stalks, wandering into the tiny clearing she had been fast asleep in.

"Which way is out boy?"

Inuki gave a small yip then led her through a narrow passage between stalks, twisting and winding, occasionally disappearing amongst the leaves until they came to the edge of the field. Yuzuriha gave a sigh of relief as she tumbled onto the beaten dirt road, plucking bits of vegetation from her clothing and hair as Inuki relieved himself on a nearby stake.

"Hey now. Don't do that!" A voice snapped mildly.

"Huh?" She looked up to see Inuki backing away from what was not simply a stake after all, but a stand on which was hung a scarecrow.

"Did you… say something?" she hesitantly wandered up to it.

"Of course I did, told your pup not to wee on my stick. He's welcome to use one of the other stalks though, or a tree or two over there." The scarecrow nodded at an orchard across the road, sending bits of hay scattering over the ground between them.

Yuzuriha gasped as she got closer, realizing that the stuffed face and body bore a striking resemblance to…

"Sorata-san!"

"That's what they call me!" The scarecrow agreed proudly. "Or well, what they would. If I ever was around they." He sadly stared at the road behind her. "No one ever really comes by anymore though to talk to."

"Well why don't you go to them?" Yuzuriha inquired.

"Can't." Sorata gave a feeble shake. "I'm stuck here. Stuck stuck stuck!" He shook his head with a goofy grin.

"What if I got you down?"

"Oh that would be awful sweet of you!" Sorata chirped. "Although I haven't a clue what I would do if I did get off this darn stick."

"You could help me." Yuzuriha offered.

"Help you do what?"

"I need to find a certain road."

"There's a road right there!" Sorata nodded once more at the one behind her.

"No, that's just an ordinary road, I need to find the Yellow Brick Road!" Yuzuriha paused with a small frown. "Wait… no… Hinoto said the Yellow Road…" She quickly shook her head. "Anyway, can you help me?"

Sorata gave an approximation of a shrug, rustling hay-stuff cloth shoulders as he wriggled them in a more or less upward direction. "I can certainly try."

"Good enough!" Yuzuriha declared and crawled through the stalks behind him to cut away the ropes that bound him to the planks. From behind she realized that they were in the shape of a cross and for a brief moment she felt like the wrong person was tied to them. She pushed the feeling away though, having no idea what had spurred such an idea and pulled away the last bit of rope without warning, leaving Sorata to collapse limply to the ground with a startled cry.

"I'm sorry! Are you okay?" Yuzuriha poked her head around the planks.

"I'm good, I'm good!" Sorata brushed himself off in poofs of dust from the road. "So what is it we're looking for again? The Purple Road?"

"Yellow." Yuzuriha crawled back out of the stalks.

"Right, right. Yellow. Which color is that again?"

"Like the corn." Yuzuriha pointed to a stalk and then realized that they were still in their husks. "Well the color that it is underneath the shuck that is.

"Right, right. So like this tree right here?"

"No, that's brown…"

"Oh, well like… like my hat?" He pulled the tattered cap off of his head and held out to her hopefully.

"No, that's blue."

"Oh."

"Um, Sorata-san? Are you… colorblind?"

He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Maybe, maybe. I guess I won't be much help after all."

"That's alright!" Yuzuriha chirped brightly. "You can still keep me company, surely we'll have fun together anyway!"

"Righto!"

And so they set off down the road, Yuzuriha skipping happily with Inuki by her side and Sorata whistling cheerfully, despite the occasional stumble over his own feet.