I feel I must apologize to past ToF readers for posting it so late (most especially to Adelaine-san, GOMENASAIMASU!!!), and leaving the story hanging. It has been seven months, as stated, and I seem to be struck by the dreaded Writer's Block. Chapter 7 is dedicated to you readers out there who insisted I continue writing the story. You have no idea how those words mean to me. I have always treasured them, now and always.

Thanks.

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"Well, now, that was interesting."  A voice behind her said dryly. Mint realized that that voice definitely doesn't belong to Klaus… as she whipped her rings towards her uninvited visitor in one fluid motion. As soon as she saw that person, however, she had almost immediately changed her expression from a look of surprise to a look of genuine delight.

"Belle, you old hag! It's been awhile! How're you?" Mint exclaimed as she jumped backwards the second she uttered those words, when the ground she was standing on a moment ago was now black by Belle's fireball. (*)

"Who're you calling an old hag?!" Belle shouted at her, any warm feeling she must be having with this reunion was immediately disintegrated by that remark. Belatedly the older woman realized too late why she didn't really missed Mint in that year.

"You." Mint said smugly, as Belle visibly purpled. Any violence that this particular scenario might have led to was abated when Klaus was running towards camp as fast as his legs would let him, thinking that Mint was attacked by some sort of monster. (**) When he recognized Belle, however, he visibly relaxed.

"It's good to see you again, Belle!" Klaus said delightedly, glad to see a familiar face in this dangerous area.

"It's good to see you too, Mister Klaus." Belle replied politely, bowing.

"What's with the timid act?" Mint whispered to her as Klaus invited Belle for tea, in which the latter accepted graciously. That curiosity was paid off by a rather painful jab with Belle's elbow on Mint's rib.

"Unlike you, I'm perfectly aware that I am a lady."

"'Lady' is too strong a word. Or have you no idea how violent you can be sometimes?" Mint hissed back. Belle would have retorted, if Klaus had given her the teacup a second too late. Belle took the cup gratefully, letting it warm her hands.

"So what brings you here?" Klaus asked as he gave Mint her share of the tea. "[Relic] hunting, I suppose?"

"Duke and I decided that we're going to give that one a break for a while." Belle replied. "In fact, you can keep what you find in there with my blessing." Glancing at Mint's curious look, she added. "We're actually collecting old manuscripts for someone."

"Since when did you do book-hunting, Belle?" Mint asked her in horror, usually Belle was more concerned with [Relics] and jewelry than literary items. To see Belle working so much for these things was very much unlike her…

"Well you haven't meet my employer then. Believe me, by the amount of money he's willing to blow for this, I frankly believed it was even worth the effort."

"Hm. Now I'm interested with that person." Klaus said, half in thought. "Can you give me his name? He might be able to help me with my research."

"I'm sorry, but I can't give you that information." Belle said seriously. "We're being professional."

"Mercenary is being more like it." Mint muttered under her breath, then she suddenly heard some shouting a few meters away from their camp, the shouting seems oddly familiar. "Hey, I thought I heard Duke." She said to the others after a moment.

The shouting grew even louder as soon as Mint said those words. Apparently, Belle heard it as well when she cursed, "It IS Duke. That moron, what did he do THIS time?"

"Something pretty serious." Mint completed Belle's line of thought as she placed her now empty tea on the ground and stood up, her hands dusting off the sands that clung on her skirt. In the corner of her eye, though, she saw that Klaus was following their action. She immediately looked at her friend. "And where do you think you're going?" she asked in an un-Mintlike patience.

"Well, I've decided to come with you." Klaus was beginning to state when Belle decided to butt in with their conversation.

"I think it's much better if you stay and watch camp, Klaus." The older magician said seriously. "I'm sure whatever Duke is up against is not something that requires all our attention. Mint and I can handle this."

"But." Klaus said helplessly, knowing that logic behind that sentence, and that he can't really aid them if it had been a monster. He knew he'd only get in the way somehow.

"Besides… As long as the Wicked Witch of the West is with me, hopefully nothing can go wrong!" Mint's last sentence was muffled as soon as Belle's elbow connected to Mint's skull with an expression that would have curdled fresh milk. Mint responded in kind by giving her friend a swift kick on the face.

"Actually, that is the reason why I'm worried…" Klaus thought, but wisely kept those words to himself.

*****

Duke leaned against the huge rock with difficulty, half-exhausted from the fight he unwittingly placed himself in, and half-wondering what exactly he had done to deserve this. However, that welcome respite was short-lived as he jumped away a minute later when his enemy's weapon neatly sliced the said boulder, splitting it neatly into two halves. Duke felt his eyes popping out of their sockets in disbelief. If he hadn't been busy fighting for his life, he'd be impressed.

"HEY!! You could really hurt someone with that!" he shouted vainly as his counterpart easily dislodged his weapon from the rock and bounded after him in one smooth motion. Duke would have been sliced in mid-air (not a pleasant sight, he figured) if it hadn't been for that magical intervention in his behalf. He saw his enemy swept away by a magical wind, veering him away from his original trajectory, but virtually unharmed, as that is not the intention of the magic-user. His enemy landed on his feet, veering to the new trespassers.

"Rue!" Mint shouted at him, readying her rings as Belle rushed to Duke's side, a worried expression on her face. "What the hell do you think you're doing???"

But Rue looked at the girl oddly. He was looking but not really seeing anything. A very eerie situation. Mint crouched to where Duke sprawled on the ground, with Belle watching at Rue warily.

"Mint, how is he?"

"Duke managed to break a couple of ribs from a bad fall, but he should be alright with a cure spell…"

Duke actually found the time, in this critical moment, to be indignant. "Hey! I'm not that clumsy!"

"Duke, you actually broke a nose in your starsuit." Mint reminded him impatiently, proving her point. "Speaking of which, where is that stupid costume of yours? It would have been very handy."

"Yeah. Except your friend sliced it into pieces, so it didn't do much." Duke replied. "Watch it, he's fighting as if he's possessed."

"LOOK OUT!" Belle called out as Rue continued his assault on the wounded Duke. He apparently underestimated his enemy's smaller companion. Mint hesitated, unsure on what she should do for a moment, before firing a lightning bolt against the mad boy.

At first, Belle thought that Mint was going to put her friend out of commission, as her nature dictates her to (**). But she found out in shock that the spell wasn't aimed at Rue but rather at his Arc Edge. Yellow sparks flew from the axe's blade to hilt, and Rue threw it away from him as far as he could as if it was a live snake.

But even though he was now weaponless doesn't make him less dangerous. Glaring at Mint and ignoring Duke entirely, he ran towards her direction, his knuckles clenched.

Mint grinned in spite of herself. She knew Rue wasn't the sort of person who'd rush into battle like that, a sure proof that he wasn't thinking perfectly, and making him too careless. Only a few meters more…

But was surprised to see him thrown off from his feet by a fireball instead. Furious, Mint whipped around and glowered at her rival. "I thought the whole idea of this exercise is not to get him killed!" Mint yelled at her, failing to notice that Rue was slumped against the rocky wall, too disoriented to attack anyone.

"And I was wondering how much longer you keep doing this wussy tactic of yours!" Belle retorted, getting annoyed as well. "If you haven't noticed, I just saved your life!"

"I didn't ask you to put your big butt into this!"

"Big…?! Why you…!!" Belle spluttered. "I don't even know why the hell I was so worried about your safety, you ungrateful little brat!" this colorful argument would have been lasted much longer, if Rue hadn't suddenly sprang up towards Belle with murder in his eyes. Mint threw herself at the older woman as they barely tumbled towards safety, albeit both were now covered, from head to feet, with sand and dust

"The feeling's mutual, then!" Mint shouted back at her, resuming their pointless bickering. Belle would have facefault, if she wasn't lying on the ground. "This isn't the time for us to argue!" Belle shouted that instead.

"Funny. I'm thinking the same thing." Duke replied, punching at the staggering Rue with his fists as fast as he could, literally knocking the wind out of him. Finally drained by this long battle, Rue fell on the ground… and stayed there.

"For once, Duke, you've done something sensible tonight." Mint wryly replied as she stood up and dusted off her skirt. Belle, however, was at his side in an instant, angrily hitting his head.

"What the hell are you doing?! Aren't you wounded?!" She demanded, making Duke look embarrassed than usual.

"I can't let him hurt you, milady…" he was saying. Mint could have sworn she saw Belle flushing, either  an effect from the adrenalin rush or from Duke's sincere words. But she was too busy with her unconscious friend than eavesdropping on the duo's conversation.

"Uhhh, Mint…?" Mint looked at Rue's gentler, more familiar eyes looking upward and mentally gave a sigh of relief. Quickly she whipped up her hand and extended four fingers in front of his face. "Rue, how many fingers am I waving right now?"

"Uh… Six? Two? I'm sorry, Claire, but my head feels so blurry." Rue murmured as he drifted off to sleep, as Duke and Belle approached Mint, the young magician looked at Duke. "I think you should tell how this happened from the start."

*****

"So Rue doesn't remember anything at all?" Klaus asked, concerned as Mint returned to the fire with the empty soup bowl.

"Yeah. What do you think? Should we inform his family?" Mint said, giving the sleeping Rue an uneasy glance.

"I don't see the point making Claire and Ruenis worry."

"Well, they should be. I'm hoping Ruenis could shed some light on what's wrong with his brother."

"You have a point there. There are so many questions about the Valen dolls that we don't know about. Perhaps our ignorance is making Rue suffer… I think I should give this a little more research."

"Oh, speaking of research. This is for you." Mint said, handing a small paper to Klaus, when the researcher gave her a puzzled look, she gave a careless shrug. "Duke and Belle gave it to me. As a 'reward' for helping them out. He also said this what triggered Rue's attack."

"Interesting." Klaus said, looking at the parchment carefully. "Yes, I think this is worth looking at. Hopefully this can help Rue as well."

"I hope it does." Mint muttered, but whatever misgivings she had, she kept it to herself.

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(*) Never call Belle old. Even in jokes.

(**) This is Mint we're talking about. The same Mint who'd kick Belle on the head when the latter's being dramatic. The same Mint who'd conk Prima Doll's head just to make him stop crying and make a point. The same Mint who kicks her own sister, fake or otherwise… it's enough to tell she's not well known for being subtle ^^;;