~ Chapter 19 ~

Return to Reality: Part 1

(half hour later)

                "Run this by me again … how long will it take to get there??" I was kind of half listening, as I was tying the bracelet back on and flipping my goggles back to their perch on the top of my head.

                "A-ano … just about three hours no da."

                Tasuki grumbled and Mitsukake sighed heavily. "Three hours?!"

                I flinched, my eyebrow twitching as I heard Tasuki loudly complain. How dare he complain when it was ME who carried his sorry ass all the way here?!

                "What are YOU complaining about, huh?!" I walloped him over the head good, crossed my arms, and pretended as if he had never said a word.

                Mitsukake lay on his back and mindlessly played with part of his headband. "Is it really worth all this pain and torture?" He said dramatically, adding the exhausted sigh for flavor. No one bought it, naturally.

                "YES IT IS DAMMIT!!!!" Mits bellowed into the bracelet, once she saw it was back on.

                A sweatdrop rolled down the side of my head. "Good morning to you, too …" I mumbled.

                Just about three hours later, we were very close to our destination. For some reason, I didn't feel as worn out and tired as I did before. But I shrugged that off as mere luck. Tasuki looked as if he would latch on to someone's ankles and let them drag his butt the rest of the way. No such luck. What's that saying … no free rides? Well, I guess I'll give that a try, even though he had won me over before.

                I think another reason why I wasn't so tired out was because I wasn't thinking of how much my feet hurt … rather, I was thinking of what different kinds of spells I could use to get us back. I knew, one way or another, I had to reveal my wings to Mitsukake. Since he was levelheaded like Chichiri, maybe he wouldn't take it so hard … like Tasuki. I really hoped so.

                This place looked familiar … well, at least the trees did. It looked about noontime, since the sun was right overhead, making scattered shadows on the ground of the leaves from the trees. It was the same serene forest we had first arrived in. Now we just had to find some sort of a clearing … it was way too tight here …

                "It was … right here no da!" What dumb luck, he stopped right in the middle of a nice-sized space between the trees.

                "Great…this'll be perfect." I glanced down to the bracelet and spoke into it. "You got room fer four people in there? We're comin' now."

                "I can't make any more room than there is now, you know!!"

                "Right …" I paused. "Try not to startle him too much, okay??"

                "IIII won't …… too much…"

                I sighed exasperatedly. "Whatever," I paused again, thinking. "You can explain … THIS … to him, can't you?"

                "Sure! 'Cuz there's no where else for him to stay … except for here!!" She cackled under her breath.

                I closed my eyes, taking a breath, deciding not to continue any farther. I walked back towards the group.

                "Okay. Let's get started."