Tekki woke up and did a stretch. "Hey…I have bad news…we've been going the wrong way!" Zero said. "Really?" Tekki said in surprise. "Yes." Zero said with an awkward smile. He wasn't a very good liar, but Tekki could not detect those kinds of things very well. Tekki smiled. "Very well, you lead the way!" She said, holding onto Zero's hair gently. "Hey, do I look like a pony to you?" Zero said, blushing.
"What else could you be? You have such a long and shining mane…unless you're a lion!" Tekki said, giggling. "Rawr! I'm a lion!" Zero said, as he pounced on Tekki, knocking her over. He pinned her down by her shoulders. Tekki slipped out from under him and ran up a tree. "Where'd Tekki go…?" Zero wondered. Suddenly Tekki jumped on him from the tree and landed in his hair. "Uh…Zero…I think I'm stuck" she says.
One untangling and several months later, Tekki and Zero were close to a very special forest. The sun was setting as it felt like an eternity that Tekki's spent with Zero. "I'm going into that forest to gather some fruits, is that ok?" Tekki asked. "Sure, but don't take too long or else I might collect you" Zero said, chuckling. Tekki started for the forest opening, and then she turned around. "Oh, and Zero? Do you think we'll ever restore my memories?" Tekki asked. "Of course, now hurry up!" Zero said. Tekki ran into the dark forest.
It was misty and dark, but surprisingly peaceful. There were faded footprints of a child's shoes in the mud. The small animals and bugs that lived in the forest were making a variety of noises. Then, Tekki came across something shocking! A small red shoe and a pink rabbit plush. Tekki took a closer look, thinking a child might be lost in this forest. Then it hit her: these were her's from when she was only 8 years old!
Tekki's memories started to flood back as she remembered the night when her and her older brother Takeshi had to flee the palace. She remembered the horrifying sight of the guards taking her big brother away from her…the life she lead barely remembering his face…then she remembered everything else! Her birthdays, how to use chi magic, her friends and enemies, the faces of the people she loved! Tekki was overjoyed! She smiled and picked up the small shoe and rabbit plush, then ran back to where Zero was.
"Zero! Zero! Great news!" Tekki shouted excitedly. Zero looked at the rabbit and shoe in Tekki's arms. "What strange-looking fruit" Zero said as he grabbed the show and started to chew it. "No! Zero! That's not a fruit! That's one of the shoes I wore when I was 8!" She said, as she took the shoe out of Zero's mouth. "Wait…how did you remember this?" Zero said, puzzled. "I found these in the forest and I remember everything now! I'm so excited! By the way, you were wrong! This is not the trail to my palace, let's rest in the nearby city and get an inn!" Tekki said.
Tekki and Zero walked to the city that was beyond the forest, it wasn't terribly out of their way. The innkeeper let them stay for free because he recognized Tekki as the Princess of the Chi Kingdom. There was only 1 bed in their room because all the rooms that had 2 beds were booked. Tekki eagerly jumped into the bed, it was the first time she's slept in a real bed in months! Within 2 minutes, Tekki was passed out in the bed. Zero went into the bed with her and cuddled her. He heled her close, as he was afraid this would be the last night he'd hold her
