A/N: sorry to have waited... how long???.. nearly NINE months.. jeez!!!
But in the last couple of months I just did not have ANY inspiration to write the next chapter, sorry for whose who wanted to read! But I promise I will have the next chapter coming along next week... but bear with me if I don't I'll soon have both mock exams and oral exams so I will need some time to concentrate on studies (thought: yeah.. like that's going to happen) but anyways.... Hope you'll like this chapter... there's is a little mary sue but I hope you'll give constuctive critique so I will be able to get better!

Enjoy!!!!


Chapter 4 - A found ring

Three days had already past and Haru had never felt this way before. Each night when her classmates had gone to sleep she went out, deep into the forest while looking for the star left for the northern star. Baron had waited for her each night and they had talked for hours before she went back to the cottage. No time had passed from when she had left the cottage to when she came back.

For the first time Haru realised, smiling, that the time was for her advantage.

Again, on the fourth night, Haru could hear the light breathing of the girls' slumber and the heavy snores of the boys next door. She smiled to herself and got up. "Haru?" a voice asked. Haru jumped at sound of someone speaking but sighed when she realised it was just Hiromi. "I really need to go to the bathroom. Can you please go with me?" she begged.

"Still scared of dark places?" Haru asked. Hiromi nodded and with a hint of impatience in Haru's eyes she said, "Of course, I'll go with you."

They both walked down the hall towards the bathroom. "This place is so creepy at night," Hiromi said silently. "It sure is," Haru answered a little more confident. They finally came to the bathroom and Hiromi turned to Haru before she went in, "Can you please wait for me? Please?"

Haru giggled when Hiromi made her famous puppy eyes and a small pout, "sure, but please don't do the puppy eyes."

Hiromi smiled and went in.

Haru went over to the window and looked up towards the shiny moon and the tons of stars that shone. She then looked towards the forest and something caught her eyes. A shiny object which she couldn't identify was on the ground just by the edge of the wood. The door opened behind her and she jumped up in surprise. "It's just me, Haru," Hiromi said and giggled. Haru sighed and she went with Hiromi back to their room. "I need to go to the bathroom too, Hiromi," Haru said almost impatient to get away. "Do you want me to come with you?" Hiromi asked although Haru noticed the small hint of annoyance in Hiromi's voice. Could she blame her? They had just been there.

"No it's fine. You just go to bed. I think I'll be able to walk alone."

"Ok."

Haru walked silently out the door and finally made it outside. She ran towards the object she had seen earlier and soon came to the spot.

She looked towards the object and identified it as a light green ring with a grey nuance at the edges.

Curios as she was she picked it up and looked at it. It looked like it reflected the moon. It was so beautiful. She smiled and put on her ring finger. It turned emerald-green so fast that Haru wondered if she had really seen a grey colour.

But she didn't have much time to think before all of her surroundings turned periwinkle but with a few big, white dots. She looked around all confused but she never really had the time to collect her thoughts before she got the feeling that she was falling. First she didn't really realise it because the scenery didn't change but when a landscape started to appear underneath her mind got clear.

She screamed. What else was there to do? She would be dead in no time but at least some people would hear her. She closed her eyes and fell in the position where her face was turned to face the blue, now Brandeis blue, sky. But she didn't want to look. She was so terrified that she could cry… which she did. But the tears never really got to stay in her eyes. The tears flew upwards while she fell down. The fell in what seemed like an eternity but soon she was very near the ground. She could feel leaves that caught her and branches which scratched her skin and tore her clothes. Her body turned around so many times that she didn't know what was up or down before the air from her lungs was knocked out of her by the final fall. She had hit the final bough and had landed on her stomach.

She felt a great pain in her stomach and her head spun like crazy. She didn't dare to move because she knew that if she did her body wouldn't take it. She was lucky enough what none of her bones were broken. Or were they?

She slowly and carefully tried to move first her legs and feet and then hands arm but when she tried to lift her left arm she felt an urge to cry of pain. Why had this happened to her? She just wanted to see Baron, not end up falling from who knew how high up.

Her train of thoughts was interrupted by the call of her name, "Miss Haru?" a confused male's voice asked. Still lying on the bough, and head still spinning, she answered, "yeah?" but her voice was hoarse and dry and it was very low since she used most of it up to scream. She felt how her body fell of the bough and she didn't even bother to scream or anything. The last thing she felt was how she didn't hit the ground but that something, someone caught her. But instead of feeling relief she felt the shooting pain so many places and she cried out in pain and tears made her vision blurry.

"Shhhh…calm down," a soothing, melodic and familiar voice said. It did calm her down to her it, especially since she had already figured out who it was. "Baron?" she asked hoarsely.

"I'm right here, just breathe and don't move. And if it's not too much to ask; please don't close you eyes," he said looking directly at her now, "If you have a concussion it's not a good thing to doze of."

"How can you be here, where am I?" Haru asked bewildered, still hoarse.

He didn't answer immediately, he put her on the ground and when she wobbled and was about to fall, he caught her and lay her down instead.

"You're just outside the meadow. I was waiting for you but since you didn't show up I decided to head back home. But then I heard a scream and saw you hanging on the bough just above me all worn out and broken…" he trailed of and looked down. "You look so fragile everyday but now you just look even more so. It's painful to see you like this." Even though Haru's body ached she still managed to blush. "But how did you come here… it's obvious you didn't take the route through the forest," Baron said serious.

"I don't have a clue to go on but it happened just after I put on some ring…" she looked down and saw stone on the ring was now a very dark shade of grey, "it was green before…" she mumbled.

Baron took her hand and looked closely at the ring, "it looks quite familiar but I think we'll just have to check it when we get home to my house…" he looked up into the sky which had now turned Davy's grey, "and by the looks of it, it seems like now would be the time to go home. Are you able to move?" he asked worriedly.

Haru tried to stand up but when she failed to do so Haru was quickly swept off her feet and found herself carried by Baron. "I don't want to give you trouble, I'll walk by myself," she insisted with her broken voice.

"You have just fallen who knows how many feet, you have scratches and pain in your entire body and you don't want to trouble me?" Baron asked incredulously. "You surprise me every time," he said smiling. "But you do not have to worry Miss Haru, it is my greatest pleasure to carry you and you would never trouble me with such a thing," he added smiling his unique smile at her which, of course, made her turn magenta.