Quick notes on this part: Hiko does a little bit of singing in here. The lyrics quoted are from "Get Along," the opening theme from the Slayers anime series. I don't own the rights to them either. It's just a cool, energetic song that I thought suited her well.

~ * ~ * ~

High in the thick branches of a tree, concealed by clusters of leaves, somebody stirred. Pale tan eyes suddenly flashed open, standing out in the shadows, and quickly narrowed into angry, glittering slits. Slowly, their owner stretched out his lithe body, then shifted so that he could see clearly through the leaves and branches surrounding him.

"…Singing…?" he muttered, running a paw through locks of dark blue hair as he scanned the ground beneath his perch for any sign of the source. "…Who in Neopia would be…"

He abruptly cut himself off, tan eyes going wide for a heartbeat and then narrowing again as he spotted a single, small figure drawing steadily closer to his tree. Sinking back into the shadows, he watched in silence, ears pricked, listening intensely…

~ * ~ * ~

"…I won't flinch from any opponent as my cape flaps in the breeze," Hiko sang brightly, giggling as she flipped back part of her Forest Cloak so that it trailed behind her as she walked along the winding path.

Actually, the skunk Usul wasn't so much walking as skipping along, and the path she took was more of a winding trail consisting of wherever she happened to put her feet. She'd wandered off the main streets some time before, having decided that the sooner she got off the beaten path, the sooner she would be on the true road to adventure.

Already, she was enjoying herself: the sun had risen some time ago, and she had been walking for a few hours, but she was far from tired. The mere thought of the fantastic exploits Hiko was positive she would be having was giving her even more energy, as evidenced by the fact that she was singing so cheerfully. Sky blue eyes sparkling, she launched into the chorus exuberantly.

"Far away, I'm going where I want to! Don't want this journey to ever end! Even the worst of days I'll end with a smile! Far away, embracing all of the magic! I wanna go beyond this day! With my eyes on my dreams I'll keep walking on…"

Practically running through the forest now, Hiko all but cheered the last part of the verse.

"As far as I can! Get along, try again!"

~ * ~ * ~

The tree's occupant stared at the young skunk Usul with one raised eyebrow, completely and utterly silent. Disbelief gleamed in his eyes: what was a child like this doing running around in the forest?

…Other than wrecking my nap, an irritated voice in the back of his mind added.

Still, this matter required further investigation. With a silence that defied the maze of leafy branches surrounding him, the stranger swung himself into position. As Hiko strolled under his perch, he jumped down, landing directly behind the skunk Usul on both feet, still not uttering a single noise.

Hiko failed to notice this, for she was still caught up in her dreams of excitement and adventure. He studied her silently for a few seconds: an obviously young Usul clad in armor and a cloak, carrying a pack of items on her back and a Sword of Domar at her side. A slight grimace crossed his face: so this was little more than a child, then, wandering out here on her own…

"…So… what's a kid like you doing here?"

Startled by the voice that seemed to be directly by her ear, Hiko jumped and gasped. Whirling around to face its source, she almost reflexively reached down to draw her Sword of Domar, and whipped the blade out in front of her in what she hoped was an intimidating posture. However, her tense posture soon relaxed, and she blinked in surprise.

A male Kyrii with dark blue fur leaned indolently against a tree just before her, arms crossed over his chest. He appeared to be dressed rather casually, in a rumpled dark tank top and a leather glove on his right paw. The only thing that indicated that he was paying any attention to her was the fact that his narrowed tan eyes were sweeping over the young Usul, as if sizing her up.

"…Um… hi," Hiko managed to say once she found her voice.

The stranger said nothing in reply, simply continued to appraise her with his eyes. His gaze soon drifted to and paused on her Sword of Domar, still drawn and poised before the skunk Usul, and arched one eyebrow slightly. Hiko felt her face flush red for a moment as she realized she still had the blade aimed toward him, and slowly lowered her arm, smiling a bit sheepishly at the indifferent Kyrii.

"Sorry 'bout that…" she apologized with a grin, rubbing the back of her head with her free paw.

Still no reply. Hiko was beginning to feel a little annoyed now, but decided to cover her frustration up as best she could.

"You… can talk, right?" she prodded gently, a teasing smile on her face. "I mean, I've never heard of a Kyrii who could keep their mouth shut for long… What's wrong, did I scare you? Is that why you're not talking to me? Did I look that threatening?"

"…Hardly."

Even though she had known the Kyrii was really able to speak – after all, she was certain he was the one who had made that comment right by her ear – but couldn't keep herself from jumping slightly at the sudden sound of his voice.

"…So… who are you, anyway?" she tried, cocking her head slightly to one side as she studied the Kyrii's neutral face. When no answer came, she frowned for a moment, then decided to introduce herself first. Putting a paw on her own chest, she stated proudly, "My name's Hiko! Hiko FlashFlame! I'm going on an adventure!"

The Kyrii stared at her for a long, silent moment, one eyebrow arched. Suddenly, a low chuckling started up, and Hiko blinked in surprise as the stranger abruptly burst out laughing. Her face burned red, then she got control of herself and glared at the Kyrii with flashing blue eyes.

"What's so funny?!?" she demanded.

The blue Kyrii's only answer was to continue laughing, ignoring how the skunk Usul fumed at him.

By the Faeries, she looked so serious when she said that, his mind howled.

Hiko continued to glare at the Kyrii until he finally got control of himself, straightening up and facing her once more.

"No, seriously, why are you out here?"

"I just told you!" Hiko hissed, blazing blue eyes locked on his smirking face. Flipping the edge of her Forest Cloak back again, she added, "I'm going on a great journey to find adventure and excitement, just like I've always wanted!"

The blue Kyrii fell silent again at that, his tan eyes regaining their solemn gleam as he narrowed them at her. Despite her anger with the stranger, Hiko also felt a little awkward under his intense gaze. She couldn't help but get the feeling that she was under scrutiny, all of her faults coming to light.

Finally the Kyrii stopped staring at her, and turned away.

"…You won't get far."

Hiko's anger instantly flared up again at the simple comment.

"What do you mean by that?!?" she shouted, eyes beginning to glow with her anger.

He paused, then glanced at her from over his shoulder.

"I can tell that you're just a little rookie," the Kyrii replied matter-of-factly. When Hiko opened her mouth to protest, he added smoothly, "Don't say a thing, you and I both know it's true. It's clear in your eyes, and everything else about you. How long have you been around: about two months? That seems about right to me…"

"…So… so what if I'm young?" Hiko argued lamely, privately acknowledging that the blue Kyrii hadn't been all that off in his estimate.

He just smirked at her, tan eyes glittering.

"…Thought so. You're just a foolish little child, setting out in search of fun," he continued, ignoring the glare she leveled in his direction. "You have no clue just how dangerous the real world is. Go back home to your plushies and Usukis, little girl…"

"…I don't play with Usukis," Hiko replied truthfully under her breath. Louder, she added, "And I'm not going home until I find my adventure!"

"Fine. Then you'll likely be going home in a body bag."

With that, the blue Kyrii suddenly whirled on his heel and took off, sprinting deeper into the woods. Hiko blinked again, startled by his abrupt departure, then took off after him, running as fast as she could.

"Hey, wait…!" she shouted.

~ * ~ * ~

Perfect. Should have known that she'd follow me, the Kyrii berated himself silently as his sharp ears picked up on the sound of rapid footsteps behind him. Children always seem to have a problem with sensing when to leave well enough alone…

Weaving easily through the forest, he soon came across exactly what he was looking for: passing underneath one with thick, rather low-hanging branches, the blue Kyrii suddenly stopped short and sprang into the air. Both paws curled quickly around one of the limbs, and he swung up and out of sight, barely making the leaves surrounding him rustle as he touched down lightly.

Craning his neck, he allowed himself a slight smirk as the little skunk Usul scampered into view beneath his perch and skidded to a stop. He watched in amused silence as she looked around, not even needing a clear look at her face to see her confusion and growing frustration.

However, a clear look at her face was exactly what he got when she abruptly looked straight up, right to where he was sitting above her.

The Kyrii instantly froze, tan eyes nearly bugging out of his head with shock. Although the logical part of his mind reassured him that there was no way a simple-minded child could possibly see him through his cover, at the same time, another part was heartily wishing that he possessed green fur instead of blue.

This is insane… she's only a mere girl. A young, female Usul, a child… about as far from a threat as you can get. There is absolutely no reason for me to even pay her the slightest amount of concern or attention…

Still, he couldn't keep from heaving a silent sigh of relief when those pale blue eyes slowly shifted their gaze back to the woods surrounding their owner.

…Nothing to worry about…

Finally, the little Usul let out an exasperated shout and stomped off, verdant cloak swishing behind her as her twitching tail stirred it. The blue Kyrii watched her move further into the forest through slitted eyes. Once she had vanished from his sight, he swung back down to earth, landing in a crouched position, his glove-less hand on the ground for balance. Raising his head slightly, he glared in the direction she had gone from under dark, tangled cobalt bangs.

Perfect. Just perfect. The stupid kid WOULD have to head that way, wouldn't she…? …I swear, the Dark Faerie must be laughing her wings off at some of the stuff I have to put up with…

He slowly rose to his feet, narrowed eyes still fixed on where the skunk Usul had gone, then abruptly pivoted on his heel.

…Whatever. I can't be responsible for what happens to every starry-eyed newbie who wanders off looking for their idea of 'excitement'. If some brat happens to get hurt or killed 'cause they found the trouble they were looking for…

Slowly, the Kyrii began to walk in the opposite direction that Hiko had gone, only to pause and glance backward again. His expression remained composed, neutral, but a slight sigh escaped from him as he turned his gaze back before him.

…Good luck, kid.

Long cobalt locks of fur fluttered round his face as the blue Kyrii dashed away, deeper into the woods, and his retreating figure soon vanished into the shadows.