A/N: last chapter but not the end of the story. We still got the epilogue and then it would be over. I know, I know. You're probably say 'THANK GOD!'

Disclamer!: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE KLONOA CHARACTERS!! I ONLY OWN HOLLIS AND ANY OTHER OF MY OCs

Chapter 14: Down the Rabbit Hole and Back Again

"Stop it!" Hollis yelled once more. She crouched in a fetal position with her arms covering her head. She rocked back and forth.

The voices had stopped mocking her but the hard objects persevered on hitting her everywhere on her visual body. For a second Hollis had actually began to believe she was back at her house with her annoying brothers, hateful mother and abusive father. Had finding that well and coming to Lunatea been all her imagination along with running away? Was she just some insane child with an over active imagination?

'No, no, no, no! No! No! NO!' She clutched her hair in her hands. 'I'm not insane! All of it was real!' She fell over on her side. 'Klonoa, Pango, Guntz, Lolo, Popka! They were all real they were all my friends!' The tears broke and began to stream down her fleshy cheeks.

'I love them all! They treated me with kindness and all I did was being a burden to them!' The hitting increased.

She couldn't take it anymore! She was becoming some weepy cry-baby now?! No she wasn't the type to begin crying and break down right then and there. It would take much more then a few beatings to get her to cry. You could chop off her hand and she still would refuse to cry. She hated crying just as much as she hated screaming.

"Stop it! Leave me alone!" She shot up to see that there was no one around. "Huh?" She was completely dumb founded. Where did all the voices and beatings go? Her body was covered in bruises, scratches and a little blood here and there. But she didn't feel the pain that she should. Why was that?

All of a sudden she felt someone slap her across the face. "Ow! What the-!" She started to say when she once again was meted with no one. She was hit again but in the stomach this time. She toppled over on her hands as she coughed. 'What the hell hit me?!' She franticly thought as she looked around once more.

A flash of silver shown in the surrounding darkness, Hollis became alert at once. What was stalking around in the dark? Silver flashed again and this time it wasn't so far away.

Hollis watched as a thin line of blood began to ooze down her right upper arm. She gasped as she jumped back in alarm. Then another flash of silver slashed threw the air. A second oozing bloody line seeped down her left leg but much longer and deeper then the last.

The young girl jolted right up in surprise as a thousand more silver slashes cut threw the air. Sometimes missing and but most of the time slicing her flesh and at time her clothing. Standing up again, she backed away and then went into a full run.

Even when she ran away they still attacked her. She bled in random places but, yet still no pain. How was this possible…unless.

A dream! It had to be a dream. She had remembered hearing somewhere that you could never feel pain in your dreams but if you died in your dreams you die in real life.

'Oh no, does this mean I'm going to die?!' She frantically thought as she collided with something solid in the dark.

She had to wake up. She just had too; she wasn't ready for death yet. She still had many important things to do. Like graduating from high school and going to college, getting a job and supporting her self and maybe getting married and having children. But first she had to save Lunatea. She had to wake up!

As the flying silver slashes continued to scar her body she closed her eyes.

"Wake up, wake up! Come on you have to wake up!" She screamed at her self. Opening her eyes to see if it worked and falling to her knees once again when she realized she was still in her nightmare. 'No it's not real! It's just a dream!' She banged her fisted hands at her head.

The young girl then felt something rip into her abdomen. She looked down to see the silver light rip out of her. Blood leaked out of her abdomen. Slowly she fell to her side, the blood pooling around her, mixing in with her fiery orange hair.

Pictures of her new found friends and family flashed before her in her mind. Slowly she then began to think, 'maybe dieing wouldn't be so bad after all.'

Very faintly she heard someone talking, "But if the Ageha Tenshi dies or is murdered then an awesome tragedy will take over our world and it will last until the next generation of Ageha Tenshi arrives." The High Priestess' words echoed in Hollis' mind.

"I. Will. Not. DIE!!" She shouted at the top of her lungs.

Hollis' eyes fluttered opened. The first things that registered to her brain were that she wasn't surrounded by complete darkness but semi-darkness for it had just turn night fall. The other thing was that she was moving instead of being on the ground. Someone was carried her.

Panic filled Hollis' body. But the panic was soon forgotten when a tarring pain seethed through in-between the connection of her neck and shoulder. Out of reflex she yelped and shot her hand toward her wound and clutched something leathery instead. All the while she lost her grip on the person who was carrying her.

"You finally awake." She heard the familiar gruff voice of none other then, Guntz.

"Guntz!" Relief and joy flooded her emotions. From her sudden out burst of emotions she hugged him around his neck or what she could reach. She was alive!

"I need to breath," He irritably said. Quickly she stopped hugging him at his little hint. It felt strange when she hugged him. Maybe it's because he's just not use to being in that kind of contact with another person. But then again here he was carrying a young girl. So what's up with that?

Hollis had totally forgotten about her wound on her neck. She held on tight to Guntz' shoulders while him and his two other comrades ran with him to the Sacred Well.

"Hollis?!" Klonoa exclaimed in confusion when he saw her wide awake and alive. "You're alive!" Joy was obvious in the young cabbit's voice.

"Damn straight I'm alive!" She had the unexpected burst of optimism lit up in her attitude.

Her attention changed when they all stopped. They stood in front of a tall white bricked building like tower with stairs spiraling around. "You've got to be kiddin' me," The vixen whispered as her mouth hung wide open, her eyes bugging out at the size of the Sacred Well. "Hey you're not the only one amazed." She looked over at Pango. She held a determined expression and nodded toward him.

"Um…aren't you going to let me down?" She asked as she looked over the Shinigami's shoulder to try and look at his face.

"Listen here girl, you've suffered from blood loss and because of that you can barely walk. So yeah we all believe you can run much well." He said the last part with a hint of sarcasm.

"I don't freakin' care! I can do things myself. I'm tired of being helpless in your eyes!" Hollis gently struck her fist on his back. When she did so, a sharp pain shot out from her recent wound. She whimpered as she brought her hand to clutch where the pain was coming from.

"Stop being so stubborn and let people help you for once." Guntz growled at her.

"No!" She shot back, glaring at the back of his head. She felt the wave of pain and weakness bottle up but, she refused to show it.

They continued to bicker all the while a certain cabbit tried to get their attention. Klonoa had finally gotten the two canines attention when he yelled at them, "Guys!!" In return they both snapped at him, "What?!"

"Uh…guys we don't really have time for this," Klonoa's nervous reply was as he jabbed his thumb in the direction of their new enemies.

Awkward silents filled the group. Guntz and Hollis both stared at the younger furry with blank expressions.

Pango cleared his throat as he gave the signal he was about to speak, "We're wasting more time if we just stand here." With out further delay they started up the stairwell. Skipping one or two steps to try and get to the top faster.

Bishamon and Kentaro were gaining speed as they got closer to their prey. Swiftly they climbed the stairs after Klonoa and his friends. Thinking maybe they still have a chance.

Hollis stared down at the lowering ground and then she moved her gaze upward at the Sacred Well. It was awfully high up. It felt like forever climbing this thing. She couldn't help but wonder why they built it up so high. What was the point?

She then began to feel a little uneasy about the Sacred Well being up so high. She wasn't use to these certain heights. It made her tighten her grip on Guntz. A grunt of protest from the bounty hunter told her not to, made her loosen it but, hesitantly.

Soon she began to feel sad when she knew that every stair step that they take it meant that she was getting closer to leaving Lunatea and all her new friends. She had only been there for a few weeks, 'it was weeks right? Or has it already been a month?' For some odd reason she felt that she was never going to leave this new strange world. She had met so many different people and been to so many different places. She was going to miss her friends.

She wondered what she was going to do once she made it back to her world. Where was she to go? She had no one to turn to. She most certainly couldn't live on the streets. It was too dangerous.

Is it too late to change her mind? She could stay there in Lunatea and travel it with Klonoa and his friends. No, no. She knows full well that she would be nothing but dead weight for them. She could never stay, no matter how much she wanted. Plus Bishamon is still after her. And he could grant a whole army to go after her. Or then again he might try to kill all of her friends.

There was no turning back now, she had to go.

"They're gaining on us!" She turned her attention behind them to see a small portion of the buffer tiger man. They were barely even half way up the stairwell! And then she saw Pango turn right around and rush towards them, a bomb in his hand to rid of the villains who dare try to cause harm to the Ageha Tenshi and Lunatea.

Klonoa and Guntz both stopped, "Pango what are you doing!?" Klonoa asked in astonishment as he watched Pango struggle with both of the foes. "Go!" And with that simple command they all started back up to their destination.

Hollis took one last glance at Pango. 'Hmm…Pango,' He had always been the one who treated her like a daughter. He was always the idea of a father to her, 'Maybe because he is a father.' She thought to herself. Klonoa had told her about Pango looking for a certain kind of book to save his son from a sleeping illness. She wished she had a father like that. Going to the ends of the world to save his kid, was more then just wow in her book.

She then looked over her shoulder at Klonoa. 'He sure looks determined,' Aw…Klonoa, there was so much to say about him. Sweet, cute didn't even begin with what she thought about him. He was like a best friend to her. Always standing up for her or trying to protect her. The little brother she never had. But yet he still held that little mischief air whenever he saw Guntz and her together or saw them arguing. It was completely flabbergasting to her.

And last but not least. There was Guntz. Basically all she could see at that moment was the back of his head. There was too much for Hollis to say about Guntz, more then Klonoa. He was different then all the other people she had met in her life. She remembered the first thing she thought she felt for him. Hatred. She doesn't even remember now why she thought she hated him. But yet she had grown not to hate him any more. Heck she wasn't afraid to admit it now that she thinks very differently about him. But she barely knew anything about him. Every now and again she would get something out of him but not very much. He was the first person she had told about her tragic past. There were many things she would like to tell. On the contrary she knew he felt nothing for her. Only curiosity and that's it.

If she wasn't the Ageha Tenshi then most likely Guntz wouldn't find any interest in her.

This mere thought broke the young vixen's heart.

They had made progress and they were almost to the Sacred Well. The stairs had ended with an old wooden door. Since because Guntz' hands were full Klonoa moved in front of them to open the door.

Once the door was open it displayed a rather grey atmosphere room. Cobwebs hung up on the ceiling while dust coated the walls and floor. There was only one window and it was a very small circular one. It was about the size of a ruler. In the middle of the room stood a stone well, the Sacred Well. It was the very well that had been used so many times by Ageha Tenshi girls.

When they entered the room of the Sacred Well, Guntz let Hollis climb off his back. Slowly (while staggering) she made her way to the Sacred Well. Every step she took left her foot prints from the dust. She placed her hands gently on the curving top of the well. Slowly she looked over her shoulder at the two boys. They waited for her to do whatever it was for her to do.

Something didn't feel right. She didn't know what but, whatever-it-was told her that something wasn't complete. And she knew what it was.

"Guntz," Hollis twirled around her fiery hair fallowing behind her. "Before I go there is one last thing I need to tell you." She faced Guntz and Klonoa and slowly she walked in front of Shinigami Guntz. "In my time of being here I have thought about many things. I have seen many things. I have learned many things." The young vixen stood about a foot away from him. She held a positive and determined light in her soft brown eyes. "And I have felt…many things." Those certain brown eyes stared up at electric blue eyes.

She paused for a moment. Her eyes still staring in his, searching for something unsaid.

"What I'm trying to say is," She felt her face growing hot with a deep blush. She also felt giddy with butterflies fluttering in her stomach. A tiny smile appeared on her lips. "I think I have a crush on you."

Awkward silents filled the room. Both boys were astound by this new discover. It didn't surprise Klonoa as much for he could tell that she liked the bounty hunter but he was just surprised that she had just admitted her feelings. The main person who was taken by surprise was the bounty hunter himself. He was all out of sarcastic wit at the moment. He stared at her. Just stared at her for what felt like all of eternity.

Ok Hollis' good feeling was gone now.

It felt like her heart had just been ripped in two. Yes, she had expected him not to feel the same way but it just still hurt so much, to be rejected. But that shouldn't matter right? She was about to leave Lunatea and him. So why did her gaze blur up in unshed tears?

"Well this is awkward," Klonoa said, trying to break the tension but failed as he saw the most unexpected thing from Hollis.

No matter how much she tried to hold the tears back. No matter how much she tried to push the lump in her throat back. The hot tears they had a mind of their own and they flowed down her cheeks. She lowered her head to try and hide her already seen tears. She took an uneasy breath, "I understand." She whispered.

Hollis then started back to the well.

While, her back was turn Klonoa glared at Guntz. Guntz only snarled at him. But still something did tug at his heart strings when he saw her silent tears fall on her face. Guilt wasn't even the feeling he felt when he saw the disappointment on her face. Did she hate him now? No, she had just confessed her feelings. He didn't know why but he just felt like he couldn't bare her hating him.

They both watched as Hollis dug in her jeans' pocket and pulled out a copper colored coin. She surveyed the tiny round penny in her hand and then clamps it in her hand while her other moved over and sat on top. She brought it to where her heart would be.

To the two anthroes they thought she was deep in prey but she was actually wishing. She was wishing to go home, to where she belonged. And among other things that she wished for.

Slowly she opened her eyes and then placed the penny on her thumb. She waited a moment before she turned around and took one last glance at her witnesses. The one she had confessed her feelings to stare at her but there was a different light in his eyes. She didn't know what, but she wasn't quite sure if she wanted to know. She smiled at both of them before she turned right back around.

The penny flipped in the air a thousand times before it fell downward in the dark well. Considering how high up they were it would probably take a minute or two for it to land in the dark murky water at the end.

"Now what?" Klonoa asked as he watched as Hollis turned around. The fur on her cheeks wet from the tears. They had stopped not to long ago as she finally had gotten control of her self.

"Tell everyone good bye for me, will you Klonoa?" Hollis requested her eyes caste to the floor, ashamed that they had just seen her crack over such a silly thing.

Soon drowsiness was all Hollis could feel and think. It was getting so tiring that she really did fall over on the dusty stone floor. She didn't feel the harsh pain of her body making contact with the hard floor. The main thing that she seems to care about was the darkness over taking her vision. Klonoa and Guntz rushed over to her unconscious body.

Once they had lifted her up in a sitting position a blinding white light invaded the room. After the light had cleared up Hollis' body wasn't there anymore. Mission of accomplished.

"Hey look its snowing!" Klonoa pointed out at the window. Indeed tiny white snow flakes fluttered down from the sky. But Guntz could care less about the damn snow. "That's strange it was burning hot awhile ago," The cabbit raised a brow in confusion.

Guntz picked up the silver cross necklace on the floor. He remembered seeing Hollis always wearing it. He didn't know what it meant. All he knew was that it belonged to the Ageha Tenshi. It was the only thing he had left of her.

He then noticed that his red jacket was missing. It didn't matter though he could always replace it.

Darkness.

How many times had Hollis been surrounded by darkness on her journey in Lunatea? It was mostly in her dreams but this time it was real or at least she thought it was real. She didn't stand on solid ground but, floated like the first time she was surrounded by darkness.

She didn't try to cover her naked body like the first time. For her unknown reason she didn't feel afraid any more. She just floated there absentminded. Not caring where she went.

And once again the blinding light appeared. This time she didn't ram into anything. She saw where she was being taken to. She was brought back to the broken glass wall. She was about half a foot away from the broken glass wall when the very same vixen jumped out of her body.

When it was on the other side of the broken glass wall it turned around to face Hollis. They both stared into one another's eyes so inattentively that you would think they were mentally speaking. The vixen then closed its eyes and bowed its head, "Well done." A sultry feminine voice rang from the vixen as the glass wall repaired itself.

Hollis closed her eyes once again, smiling to her self. She opened them to find herself back under the bridge and be sided the wishing well. Somehow leaves covered her whole body as to hide her. She then looked down to find that she was still in her tattered night gown.

'What happened? Was it all just a dream?' She thought as she sat up making the leaves scattered off of her. She barely remembered anything. Why couldn't she remember what happen!? She had the strangest feeling that her heart was empty and heartbroken but yet at the same time her life was complete and content.

"Come on Bill we've checked the woods over seven times and we still haven't found anything. We're not going to find her!"

She heard a gruff accented voice say, leaves crunching under their feet and dogs barking. Sitting up straighter, she saw silhouettes of a few people and a large amount of dogs. Then the dogs tugged on there leashes in her directions.

"Hey, I think the boys here have caught the smell of something!" A different voice said.

The noises gotten closer to Hollis and soon four men dressed in sheriff jackets and brown cowboy hats with a group of blood hounds stared at the young girl in disbelief. It was still winter and she sat in the freezing cold in a tattered night gown and seeming to not notice. It was amazing how she didn't have frost bite.

One of the men then walked over and crouched down to her level. "Are you Hollis Grime?" He asked. When he spoke to her, Hollis was deeply confused. For a second she couldn't understand a word he said until it finally dawned on her. "Yes, I'm Hollis." The man smiled at her, "Would you like to come with us. We've been looking for you." She accepted.

They had taken her to the police station. On their way there she was asked many questions. Like how did she survive out there during the winter or how come they could never find her? Most of the questions were answered by 'I don't know' or 'I don't really remember'.

Hollis sat on the police stations chair while they told her to wait so they can contact her mother. She had found out that she was missing for over a month.

She was changed into different clothing from the suitcase that she brought with her. She wore a black long-sleeved shirt with light blue jeans and rusty red boots. Her wavy fiery orange hair was neatly brushed back into a ponytail.

She stared blankly at the tiled floor. She thought to her self, trying to figure out why she didn't remember any thing after she blacked out. She remembered making a wish at the well that sat in front of her. She also remembered staring up at the stars at night with someone, talking to them. Wait they were talking right or were they arguing? She growled at her self.

The girl looked over at her burnt fingers. She discovered them after she was finished changing into different clothing. She also found a large bite mark on her neck and shoulder. It was still sensitive when she touched the wound. She hoped it wasn't notable.

The other thing she noticed was that her silver cross was missing. It wasn't around her neck or anywhere else. She felt completely disappointed at her self for losing her cross.

"Excuse me miss, but you almost left this when we were about to leave." Hollis stared at the leather red jacket that the man held in front of her. She listened as he continued to talk. "It was covered in blood so we washed it out for ya." She hesitated before she took the jacket in her arms. "Thank you." She whispered and with that the man left her.

While she hugged the leather red jacket close to her, she took in the faint sent of gun powder and strangely enough vanilla. The jacket was familiar too. She remembered someone draping it over her head on a cold night. This jacket belonged to someone else. Someone she couldn't remember.

"Hollis,"

The young girl turned her head in the direction of the voice. There stood a woman in her late thirties with shoulder length blonde hair and large light brown eyes. A slender face with rosy red cheeks and peachy pale skin, the woman was slender in the body as well but gave hint in her curves that she was a mother. Most people would say that she was beautiful. To Hollis she would call her, her mother.

Hollis stood up from her set. For some reason there was a different vibe about her mother. As if all the hate and cruelty had vanished and was replaced by a newer, kinder, and loving woman? There was a strange look in her eyes. Never before had she seen her mother hold the look of love in her eyes. Not even to her brothers had she seen them with love. The main looks she usually received were hate and pity. But love never before until now.

Hollis did no more then just standing there the whole minute, looking at the strange new emotion in her mother eyes.

A small smile crept onto Lily's face as she watched her daughter. She was quite surprised that Hollis didn't shake with fear but, instead stood calmly staring back at her. Then Hollis did the most unexpected to her mother.

The young girl crashed into her mother's arms. Her mother was taken aback by this but soon recovered. "I love ya, mom." Hollis whispered.

And for the first time in a long time the mother and daughter embraced one another.