Disclaimer: I do not own any Klonoa characters or the Wizard of Oz storyline.


Chapter 7: Like No Other Place

"Hey, Lolo! Are you in there?"

Lolo straightened quickly from her slouched position at the voice. She stood up and ran toward the door of the room she was in. "Yes! I'm here," she called back.

"Told you," Guntz said from the other side of the door. "How're we gonna open it?" Popka asked. "I have… an idea," Klonoa suddenly said dramatically. "That's a first," Popka remarked. "It'd better be good," Guntz muttered.

A short moment later…

"This is not a good idea!"

"Charge!"

Klonoa and Popka held Guntz' metallic body up and ran for the door. With a loud bang, it swung open in pieces. "It worked!" Klonoa cheered, proud of himself. Distracted, he let go of Guntz. Unable to hold his weight by himself, Guntz fell on top of Popka.

Guntz quickly jumped to his feet and struck Klonoa's head. "You idiot!" he growled furiously. Lolo wasn't sure what to do. "Lolo! Are you okay?" Popka asked. "Yes. I'm fine," she replied.

"Good. Then let's go," Guntz prompted, cooling down. "Where's King?" Lolo asked as they quickly exited the room. "That coward ran off. Who needs him?" Guntz replied. They ran down the staircase and headed toward the castle exit.

A large door leading to the last room swung closed in their faces just as they reached it. A crackling laugh made them turn around. The Wicked Witch was standing from atop the staircase with the now finished hourglass. "It's time, my pretty," she laughed.

Moo guards suddenly swarmed into the room. With dramatic slowness, they got closer. Klonoa noticed an unexpected button on the wall next to him. "What does this button do?" He asked quietly, pressing it. As if in some Loony Toons cartoon, a Grand piano suddenly appeared from the ceiling and fell. With a quick series of random, out of tune notes, it crushed half of the Moo guards below.

"That was random."

"That was awesome!"

"Let's go!"

The four ran around the piano and up a different staircase. It led them outside on the walls of the castle. Guards were swarming from all over the place, making the group turn around several times.

"We were just here!" Guntz said when they entered a room. They couldn't run out again, though, as guards came in and surrounded them. The Wicked Witch pushed them aside and got closer.

"No more games! I want those slippers now," she demanded. Guntz and Klonoa stepped forward protectively. The witch grinned. "I see." She held her broom stick up toward a burning torch. The straw end of it caught fire and she lowered it again. "How's this?"

The witch suddenly lunged the burning end of the broom toward them. Klonoa's arm immediately started burning. "Ah!! I'm on fire! Put it out—Put it out!" He yelled, throwing his arm around. "Stand still! You're making it worse," Guntz barked.

"King to the rescue!"

King, dressed in armor like the others, suddenly jumped into the room. He made a charging yell, holding up a spear that the other guards had, and started running toward the witch.

He didn't get far, though, before tripping over a bucket of water. The bucket went flying as he fell. Water sprayed everywhere. A large splash hit Klonoa's arm, putting the fire out. He sighed in relief.

"King to the rescue, huh?" Guntz mocked irritably. A scream caught them all off guard. The witch's face had been splashed and steam was emitting from her body. "I've been hit! Who would've thought that I'd ever get wet? I'm melting!" she yelled.

The witch's body suddenly got smaller and smaller until only her clothes were left. Everyone just stared. "She's dead," one of the Moo guards suddenly remarked. They all looked at the group as King got up again. "Wasn't me…"

"What's your name?" Another Moo guard asked King. "Err… King," he replied hesitantly. "All hall King! The Wicked Witch it dead!" The Moos cheered all at once, bowing. The group exchanged glances.

"So, uh… we'll just be taking this broom and be on our way," Popka said quietly, picking up the now burnt out stick. The guards didn't object. Quickly, the group left before the guards could have another mood swing.

---

"Why are you here? Go away!"

The booming voice of the giant sphere echoed throughout the room in Moon City. "We got the Wicked Witch's broomstick, just like you told us to," Lolo replied. "What? Impossible! Don't lie to me," the sphere yelled.

"I'm not lying! Here it is," Lolo said, holding up the broom. "N-Now… w-we want our stuff," King stammered. "Wait!" The sudden yell made a few of them jump. There was a silence. "Come back tomorrow."

The group blinked. "What?" Klonoa asked. "Come back tomorrow! Then I will give you what you want," the sphere repeated. "No way! We went through all of that trouble and we want our stuff now," Guntz growled.

"Don't question my actions! Come back tomorrow!" the sphere demanded. Popka twitched his ears, noticing a curtain in the corner of the room that he didn't notice before. He quickly, he hopped over and peeked inside.

"Oh, guys, I think you'll want to see this," Popka whistled with amusement. "What? Go away!" the sphere yelled as the group walked over to Popka. He drew the curtain back, revealing a short, blue boy. He wore a red cape and had a child's face. He was holding a microphone to his face.

"Go away!" Yelled the sphere. The group stared down at him. "Oh…" the boy dropped the microphone in defeat. "Um… who are you?" Lolo asked. "I'm… the Wizard of Moo," the boy admitted in a high-pitched, squeaky voice.

Guntz cracked his knuckles. "All right. Stand back, everyone. This is gonna get ugly," he warned. The boy backed up. "Wait a minute…" Lolo interrupted. "Who are you? You can't really have been the Wizard of Moo." The boy shifted.

"It's true. I am the Wizard of Moo… I guess. My real name is Huepow." Guntz growled. "Wizard or not, I'm hoping you can still get us our stuff, for your sake." The boy examined the group for a moment. "What were you expecting?" He suddenly asked.

Klonoa, Guntz, and King exchanged glances. "The ability to think, feel, and be brave can't come in any physical form. They're all inside us, we just need to find and use them correctly," Huepow began.

He looked at Klonoa. "You thought it'd be good to help Lolo on her journey to receive a brain. You thought you should defeat the Wicked Witch with the others. In reality, everything we do we think about. If you didn't have a brain… heck, you'd be drooling and mumbling incomprehensible words all the time."

Klonoa blinked thoughtfully. Huepow looked at Guntz. "And you want a heart. Meanwhile you were able to help and stay with this group peacefully. You didn't even use them for your own convenience and come here by yourself to make it easier."

"Can't say it didn't cross my mind," Guntz said. "You had the heart to work with these guys and help them all get here together," Huepow added. Guntz looked to the side, as if embarrassed. "Your voice irritates me…"

Huepow then turn to King. "And you were too afraid to even leave your forest before meeting them. But now you can travel to unknown places and challenge witches. How much more courage can you ask for? Everyone gets scared sometimes."

King nodded slowly. "Bah! Don't act like you expected him to say that," Guntz said, swiping a hand near King's face. "What about Lolo?" Klonoa suddenly asked. Huepow paused, frowning.

"Well... I think there is one way," he said quietly. "What?" Lolo asked. "Well, I wasn't born here, you know. I can here by accident. You see… I was riding my seadoph to Cress, the Moon Kingdom, my home, when we were suddenly attacked by mad crows."

"Evil crows…" Klonoa muttered quietly. Huepow continued. "My seadoph was injured and we landed here. The Moo people here thought I was some sort of god. I couldn't help but… agree."

"You're the only one that needs a heart here," Guntz remarked. "He could use a brain, too," Klonoa added. Huepow stared at the floor. "So… your seadoph," Lolo began slowly.

"She's healed by now. But I never really thought about going home… I guess I should. I am the prince and all." They group blinked. "Prince?" They echoed at once.

Huepow led the group outside of Moon City. A group of Moo people watched, most probably not even knowing that the little boy was their 'great Wizard of Moo'. They approached a large lake they hadn't noticed before.

"Pamela!" Huepow yelled. Suddenly, a large golden fish emerged from the water. It floated majestically in the air in front of them. "Here she is. My seadoph," Huepow said, petting the fish's side. The five gaped.

"We're going home, Pamela," Huepow told the fish. Pamela made a squeal that sounded like the whistle of a flute. "C'mon, Lolo. She gets restless easily," Huepow prompted, climbing onto Pamela's back.

Lolo and Popka quickly joined him. "I guess this is goodbye," Lolo began. "See ya, weirdoes!" Popka barked cheerfully. "Watch it, mutt, or I'll tear you off that fish as it's leaving," Guntz warned.

"Goodbye, Lolo. And thanks. If it wasn't for you, none of us would have gotten what we were missing," Klonoa said. King nodded and Guntz simply crossed his arms, too stubborn to admit it, too.

Lolo smiled sadly. "I'll never forget you all," she said. "How could you?" Popka asked. Pamela suddenly jerked. "And we're off!" Huepow yelled. The large fish elegantly waved two thin, long wing-like strips coming from its body. It lifted higher in the air slowly.

Popka looked down. Something red suddenly caught his eye. "My bandana!" he suddenly yelled. He reached out for the piece if cloth that had loosened from his neck. He couldn't reach it and quickly jumped off of Pamela.

"Popka!" Lolo called. She jumped off after him. Popka retrieved his bandana as Lolo reached him. She noticed Pamela starting to fly away. "Wait! Don't leave!" she yelled. "I'm sorry! Pamela's become quite untrained since we came here. She won't stop!" Huepow's voice faded as Pamela's pace quickened and they were far in the sky.

"I'm sorry, Lolo," Popka apologized quietly, tying his bandana on. "It's okay…" Lolo mumbled. Klonoa, Guntz, and King walked over. "Why don't you… just stay here?" Klonoa asked.

Lolo paused. "I can't… I'm still worried about my aunt… I may have wanted to run away once, but… I really miss Lunatea," Lolo replied, close to tears. The three boys looked at each other sympathetically.

Exclamations caught their attention. The Moo people were pointing at the sky, murmuring loudly. "It's a… bubble," King remarked. "A big bubble," Guntz added. "It's Lephise," Lolo said.

The large bubble slowly floated to the ground in front of the group and from it appeared Lephise. "Lephise, please tell me you can help me get home," Lolo pleaded. "Nope," Lephise answered with unexpected casualness. Lolo stared at the ground.

"You can do it by yourself," Lephise added, smiling. "I can?" Lolo asked. "Certainly. You always could. But first you had to find it in yourself to," Lephise explained. Lolo blinked.

"What does home mean to you?" Lephise asked. "Well… It's where I live; where I belong. I… It's a place I know I can always go to… whenever I want. It's a place like no other," Lolo answered thoughtfully. "Then that's it," Lephise said simply.

"You mean…" Lolo began. "Yes. You can go home whenever you like," Lephise replied. Popka hopped on Lolo's headed. "Me, too!" Lephise nodded, smiling still. Lolo turned around, facing the boys. "So… this is goodbye, again," she said.

"Goodbye again," Klonoa replied. "We won't forget you, either," King said. Guntz said nothing, his arms crossed. Klonoa nudged him, catching him off guard. "Yeah, well… hope your… aunt's all right, and stuff," he mumbled quietly.

Lolo smiled. "Are you ready?" Lephise asked. "Yes… I am," Lolo replied, facing her again. "All right. Now, close your eyes."

Lolo closed her eyes.

"Tap your heels together three times."

Lolo taped her heels together three times.

"And think to yourself, 'there's no place like home.'"

There's no place like home... there's no place like home... there's no place... like... home...

"…up… Wake… Lolo… Wake up. Lolo!"

Lolo slowly opened here eyes at the sound of the in-fading voice. She widened them quickly when she saw her aunt. She immediately recognized where she was. She was in her house, in her room, on her bed.

"You were talking in your sleep," her aunt said, placing a wet cloth on her head. Lolo quickly sat up. "I'm… home?" she mumbled. "Of course. You've always been home," her aunt replied. Lolo paused thoughtfully.

"Is she finally awake?" A familiar voice asked. Three boys looked in from outside through the large window in the room. One was carrying a young boy on his shoulders. "Yes. She seems a little delirious… but fine," the aunt replied.

"I think… I had a dream…" Lolo said slowly. "You most certainly did. Tossing and turning in bed all day and mumbling such strange things," her aunt remarked. "But… it couldn't have been a dream… it was so real…"

"All dreams seem real while you're having them," one of the boys said. Lolo stared at each one for a moment, then she looked at the younger boy. "Say anything about the kid and I will kill you," the boy carrying the kid grunted.

"What's with the kid?" Lolo looked over to see Popka jump up on her bed. The boy sighed. "I'm babysitting, okay? One of the only ways to get money nowadays," he answered irritably. The two other boys smiled.

"Yes… I remember you. You were all in my dream, even the little boy," Lolo said. The boys exchanged glanced. "Us, sure, but you've never seen the kid before," one of them remarked.

"Dreams are strange things. Just forget about it and rest," the aunt insisted, making Lolo lay down. The boys left the window and continued with whatever they had been doing. Popka lay next to Lolo on her sheets.

The two caught each other's eyes. Popka smiled, and Lolo did, too. It was there own little secret, then; of the journey they had in their so-called "dream." Lolo sighed peacefully.

"There really is no place like home…"


And that's it. I hope you enjoyed it! Now I'll get to working on New, Interesting, and Unusual. Bye-bye for now!