¿* Pinked * Memories * ?

¿* Chapter Seven * Dorothy's Curse * ?

"Are the bees gone yet?" Riya asked Shiine who was standing in front of one of the large windows that go from the ceiling to the floor inside the mansion.

Shiine scanned the situation outside very carefully, then he turned to them and nodded.

Everyone gave a sigh of relief.

"Good heavens child, I never expected you to have such powerful magic!" Doris' father praised. I must remember to keep away from her now on, he thought to himself.

Cha-cha smiled and scratched her head.

"Is anyone hurt?" Cha-cha's mother asked looking around worriedly.

"Is everyone here?" Carlos asked.

Cha-cha looked around. "Oh no! Teacher Seravi isn't here!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, that utterly rude man isn't here!" Doris' mother exclaimed at first. I hope the bees got him good, she thought to herself, smiling arrogantly.

"Relax Cha-cha!" Riya said to her, patting her on the back. "This is Seravi we're talking about, he can take care of himself!"

"I guess you're right Riya..." Cha-cha said smiling a bit.

"Oooohhh..." Doris mother said, clenching her fists. With the party spoiled, and an incoming-headache threatening, she turned her heel and spun out of the room.

His husband soon followed afterward.

They passed Serafid on their way out. He had his back turned on them. He turned around just as they passed him.

There were a lot of girls that were huddled around him. Earlier, when the bees fell, almost all of the ladies there had gone and thrown themselves on him to beg him to save them… (but in fact, they were the ones who pulled Serafid inside the mansion to where they were now).

He had a slightly annoyed look on his face and was thinking deeply.

He paid no attention to them.

When he was younger he would have taken up the opportunity to play with the most beautiful one there, but he had no care for that now.

Things are already different.

He already had her, all that he had ever asked for.

But now his very own brother is threatening to take her away. AGAIN.

And he just lost the chance to rid to rid himself of this ancient thorn in his side.

Was he jealous? Was he threatened that since Seravi now showed up in the scene

before he was eternally united with Dorothy, he might have a chance to take her

away from him again like before, so many years ago?

"No!" he groaned outloud. Fate had brought her back to him…

It was fate that had given them a second chance. And there is no way that that raggedly dressed brother of his could dissuade destiny! There was no way at all.

After all, wasn't it fate that had betrothed the two of them in the first place?

Weren't they meant to share forever with each other? Yes, that's exactly it.

But… if it was destiny… then why did she slip away the first time…? And with no one else but his own sibling to blame?

He frowned angrily. His lips twitched upwards.

In his mind's eye, he saw Seravi once again, running through the lawn, trying to escape the insect attack… look back at him slowly one last time… and then turned, heading straight to the hedgemaze's entrance…

Slowly, realization dawned upon him. His features change from one of anger, to confusion, to worry.

Without saying a word, he bolted out the door.

"What's gotten into him?" Riya said. Serafid almost collided with him in his run, save for a few centimeters. "Suddenly there's this gentle look in his eyes," he continued, his fangs were bared and looked ready to bite.

"You don't like him Riya?" Cha-cha asked.

"Anyone related to Seravi must be like him, therefore I don't like him at all!" he said conclusively, his eyes closed.

"But I wonder where he scurried off to...?" Shiine asked. He posed in his usual thinking gesture.

Then he gasped, "He must be going to where my teacher is!!!!"

"That's right! Let's follow him!!" Cha-cha suggested.

The trio immediately ran outside.

The crowd followed soon after.

¿¿* *??

"Ohh... my Seravi...?" Doris asked its voice somewhat shy. It wanted to look at Seravi but couldn't because of his position on its back.

A drool escaped Seravi's mouth. He was still in the land of the dreaming. In his mind, Dorothy's lips was still on his cheek, 

he was holding her blonde hair

they were locked in a tight embrace

dancing to the sound of the wind...

................

"Tell me... if I had been born a girl, would you have chosen me over my sister...?" They were still walking inside the hedgemaze.

"No!!!" it shook its head, answering its own question. A glimmer of intelligence shone somewhere in its eyes but it rapidly burned out.

"I just can't explain it... ahhh..." they stopped walking. "It feels so good to just be near you like this," it lowered its head. "I know that what I feel for you is not normal... but it doesn't need to be!" a hopeful look came over its

eyes. "I'm just overflowing with so much feeling for you! Its so hard to keep sane!"

The dreamy expression was still on Seravi's face. He was now holding Dorothy's hand and they were walking down the beach...

Roses are red, he would say to her

Violets are blue

And no one has

as blonde a hair as you

"Seravi...? I love you so much... No, you don't have to say anything..." it paused.

Then it frowned. "Its such a selfish love that's why I think it will never be requited..." a shady look fell upon its eyes.

"There are just soooo many things that I regret in my life... well, I regret almost everything... I regret not being born a woman so as to lose the first basic right to love you… But most of all I hate being Dorothy's twin and always have to compete with her!!!!!" tears formed on the edges of its eyes.

"And I lose everytime!!" a screaming bat flew overhead, as if something had startled its peaceful slumber.

"She was always their favorite. Even when she ran away our parents couldn't bring themselves to speak against her. I never have a chance against her!" it bawled.

"Huhuhuhuhuhu!!!" it gasped for air like a fish out of water.

"Supposedly..." it said, its voice croaking like a frog, all womanly-coating temporarily gone. "Supposedly, twins are the halves of a whole... but what whole was that? She--She's already perfect by herself!! I am the one who's inadequate!

The one always unloved..." its mouth was quivering, another bawling attack threatened to come out.

Seravi was still in a trance he did not want to wake up from... His eyes, ears and mouth were wide open, but nothing was registering in his brain.

"And then there was you... I don't regret having met you... You were just so perfect... its so hard not to fall in love with you..." it looked up to the sky, the tears on the edges of its eyes fell down its cheek..

"I just thought... if someone like you were to fall in love with me... then I...might not feel so...bad anymore... If someone like you were to see me beautiful then I can stop being so miserable..." it smiled bittersweetly. It had one hand over its chest.

"And if there's even the slightest chance that you could transfer your love from my sister to me... then I'll take it!" it proclaimed, its hands moved in time with its words, as if performing in a stage drama.

"Its not so hard! We're twins, we're alike! If you would only look the other way, if you can love me just as the way that you loved my sister... Maybe then, I will finally become a true woman..."

"Ohhh... and I know the road there is rough!!!!!!" it said as it finally continued on its walking on towards the exit of the warren. The conversation lost its intelligence and it began blabbering about how they could have a

child... and what the child's name would be...

When they were out of earshot, someone who had been in the shadows all those time came out.

There was a sad look clouding her gray eyes.

"Oh my sister..." she said.

¿¿* *??

Ohh no… If they were to meet and he tries to remind her… Serafid thought. He winced as he made his way across the lawn in a hurry.

Please be alright... he thought. If something happens to you again, I... He frowned.

I will never forgive myself... I will never be able to continue on living…

By this time he broke into a run and then turned around the corner where the hedgemaze started---

And then he bumped into something solid.

Serafid fell flat on his back and was thrown several paces back onto the lawn. He immediately tried to get up and looked at what kind of wall did he bounce back from.

There stood Doris who wasn't even stirred by the impact.

"You!" he said disgustedly. He got up and stared at it. "Where's your sister?! Who is that on your back?!" he demanded.

"Butt off! Why do you suddenly bump into a lady and not apologize?!" it said, not even flinching.

By this time, Cha-cha and the gang arrived at the scene.

"I do not have time to play games with you! I repeat, where is Dorothy?!" he said, his voice fiercer than before. "I swear I will hold you liable for even the slightest injury that might have befallen her all this time!!" his eyes were

serious and angry.

"What?!" Doris squealed again in that classic trying-hard-to-sound-like-a-woman's high-pitched voice. Its body was quivering with anger. Serafid could really get into her nerve sometime. It was about to launch a verbal attack that would render Serafid's eardrums in a state of revolt for several days, when a soft clearly audible voice came from behind it.

"The both of you, please calm down," the familiar voice requested from inside of the hedgemaze.

Doris turned to see her sister standing behind them. It cocked its head and moved forward, out of the entrance of the hedgemaze.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, the traitor-twin-fiancé-kisser has come," it said sarcastically. It then stomped away, with Seravi as its prize.

With the "IT" out of the way, the view opened up to a white-gowned, blonde-haired Dorothy who was holding Elizabeth with her left hand. Mask gone, her hair still pinned up in a chignon. She was the picture of a perfect

aristocrat, minus the self-asserting nature.

She was like an angel, a wonderful bride, an idol, a goddess...

Her beauty resonated from her out in all directions.

A breeze blew softly through. Everyone held their breath.

Her eyes were cast down at first, as if ashamed to look into the people that were gathered in front of her. Then after taking a soft sigh, she slowly raised her eyes and quietly moved forward. She scanned the crowd with a gentle gaze, and when they rested upon Serafid, she smiled a little.

All earthly worries flew out from his mind.

A sharp draw of breath came from almost all of the male population of the crowd.

"Teacher Dorothy!" Shiine cried, he raced towards Dorothy and embraced her

waist. He started crying uncontrollably.

"There you are! We were so worried," Cha-cha said, smiling despite her tears. The three of them moved closer to Dorothy.

"I knew you were alright, all along," Riya lied, tears falling down his cheek, he wiped it immediately.

The crowd gave a relieved sigh. They were all happy to see that Dorothy was indeed safe and well, and that she was still in this world. But she was acting so strange...

And some of the men were reacting strangely as well...

"Let me at her, let--me--at--her!!!" Yakku exclaimed as she tried to wriggle free from Suzu's grasp. "She has to pay for all the pain my Prince went through!!"

"We're so glad you're ok," Cha-cha said, wiping her tears. She looked up to Dorothy and then suddenly gasped, "Wait a minute you have blonde hair!!!!!"

For the first time they all noticed the transformation. The crowd suddenly buzzed with excitement. What will happen when Seravi sees her? they wondered and pondered the possibilities.

"She had a makeover!" someone said outloud. "With a new personality to boot!"

"Yeah, she must have taken anger management over the last few weeks! The transformation is remarkable!"

"Wow! It must be yoga!!"

"No! Its just a really expensive shrink!!"

"Ohhh my god, I'M IN LOVE!!!!!!"

The crowd blabbed on as to why Dorothy was acting this way. The men were now slowly making their way near to her.

Yakku froze in her movements, her eyes were wide with disbelief. Now, with that witch's hair blonde, she realized she didn't stand a chance...

"S-Serafid... w-who are all these people?" she asked, there was a hint of fear in her voice. She broke away from Shiine's clasp on her waist and went to Serafid's side, as if using him as a shield from them. Serafid's arms held her protectively.

"WHAT?!?!?!" they all exclaimed. The crowd got noisier. They all discussed what could possibly be going on with Dorothy.

"Aha! Amnesia!!!" someone shouted again.

"Bad news for Seravi! Good news for me!!!!!!"

"You're wrong, look at the way Serafid and her hold each other, it must be LOVE!!!!"

"Ohhhh yeahhh!!!!!!! I've found my reason for living!!!!"

"MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!" Yakku and Chiremeko laughed in chorus. Their victory is now at sight! But then they caught each other's eyes and electricity passed through them.

"Huh, huh?! Don't you know who were are?!" Cha-cha asked, her voice frantic.

"I-I'm sorry, no..." she whispered in a barely audible voice, the worried look never left her face. She buried herself into Serafid's arms, cowering away inside them.

"I'm the strong and handsome Riya!" Riya introduced to her, playing along.

"And I'm his wife Marin!!!" Marin said as she enveloped Riya in a bone-crushing hug.

"He-Hello Dorothy," Mr Rascal said, suddenly popping into of the scene and kneeling in front of Dorothy. He bowed his head and brought out a bouquet of red roses and pointed it to her. "I-if you don't remember me... M-my name is Rascal,

and I think I love you!!! Now is my chance... ohh Dorothy, I never knew you could be such a goddess with your blonde hair---"

"Get away from her!!!" Serafid screamed as he sent Mr. Rascal flying up the sky.

"Oh... hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi!!!" Yakku laughed her worries away. "And I'm Seravi's wife!!!" she introduced herself. Then she shifted her gaze to Serafid. "I…could be your wife too you know..." she suggested.

"What do you mean you're his wife, you're just our maid! I'M his WIFE!!!!!!!!"

Chiremeko protested. Then they rolled away and fought with each other like cats and dogs.

Mr. Bara-bara-man then appeared behind Dorothy, roses popping out of his head. "He-hello Ma'am... I know you're older than me and…and stuff... but I've never felt this way about anyone..." he said, his eyes shining, tears edging in its

corners. "I think... I think..... uhhhh," he was shivering. Dorothy backed away.

"I'M OVERFLOWING WITH LOVE FOR YOU!!!!!" he threw his arms open and a thousand thorns came out, as he tried to envelop Dorothy in a bone-crushing hug. Serafid came and traded place with her in time and he was the one pricked with the

thorns. Afterwards, Mr Bara-bara-man, with more than a few broken bones, joined Mr Rascal in flying through the skies.

¿¿**??

"Wha-what's happening?" Cha-cha's mother asked. "Its as if every man here suddenly fell in love with Dorothy upon seeing her... Dear?" she said, turning to her husband.

"Yes?" Carlos asked in a perfectly normal voice. His body was leaning towards his other side and he seemed to be doing something.

"You're not affected?" she asked.

"No I'm not... I don't know why,… but Father is..." he said, turning to her. He was holding his father with both hands, trying to prevent him from running in front of Dorothy and professing his love as well.

"Let go of me! Let go of me! I order you to! I am the King of this land!" Genus threatened.

"But father, you're going to disgrace our family!" Carlos said. "And you're just going to give yourself a heart attack!!"

"I don't care, I don't care!!!! I feel so young again!!!! Boy, I never realized how much children could grow so fast..." Genus said as he continued to stare at Dorothy with love-glazed eyes.

¿¿**??

"But, what are you talking about Teacher?! I'm Shiine! I'm your apprentice! Don't you remember me at all?!" Shiine said, his eyes pleading. He went to her side again and started pulling her skirt.

Dorothy, stricken with terror because of the harrasing events that was happening on her one by one, looked at Shiine frightenedly. She was on the verge.

¿¿**??

Riya's grandfather suddenly kneeled in the lawn, causing the ground to tremble. He too, had been captivated by her otherwordly beauty. "I-I may be old... and I may already have grandchildren... but in all my years of

wandering this world, never have I seen such a---" he said, then he became paralyzed and couldn't go on.

Serafid, now back into the scene, was now instructing a large crane to carry

Riya's grandfather away from the mansion. He was expertly handling the situation, as if he had already experienced it before…

¿¿**??

A lot of men followed suit... There was too many to enumerate them and to detail the various professions of love that had passed through their lips.

¿¿**??

At Serafid's cue, a group of black-suited, gunned men now formed a protective circle around Dorothy, Serafid, and the three kids.

¿¿**??

"But there must be some mistake!!!!" Cha-cha exclaimed, oblivious to the chaos happening around her. "Riya! Can you smell her? Is it really her?!" Cha-cha asked.

Riya went to Dorothy and started smelling her all around.

"What on earth are you doing?!" Serafid exclaimed, apparently still sane. He enveloped Dorothy in a protective embrace once again.

Dorothy was now in a state of shock. She was looking at the sky with blank eyes. There a bird flew and discarded its poop, which fell on Seravi's head.

¿¿**??

Riya went all around her, at one point, even pulling up her skirt to check if there's some artificial scent-emmiting concoction that could be there to alter her scent.

"There's no mistake, it is her!" he reported back to Cha-cha with big lump on his head and many guards pointing guns at him.

Shiine, thinking quickly, pulled out the circle memento that he got from the cliff. It was a circle piece of blue cloth with yellow lines that formed a star in the middle. It used to hang from a string that was connected to Dorothy's hat in her witch's costume not too long ago.

"But that can't be!" Cha-cha said, looking at Serafid and Dorothy who were so close to each other. One minute, Serafid was helping the guards keep the man circle from breaking, the next, trying to get Dorothy to come out of her

self-induced catatonia. "Teacher Seravi won't approve!! Where is he?!" she looked around over the guards' figure and saw the retreating figure of Doris with the still-stunned Seravi on its back.

"Hey thief!!!!! Where are you taking Teacher Seravi?!" Cha-cha screamed outloud and then chased after Doris. Riya turned into a wolf and followed Cha-cha. Yakku and Chiremeko saw Doris' attempted kidnapping and ran in to join Cha-cha in

pulling Seravi back.

"Teacher Dorothy... don't you remember me? Any of us?" he said, tears edging in the corner of his eyes. "Don't you remember this?" he asked as he placed the memento in her hands.

In that moment, the noise of the crowd seemed to cease, the only ones who were there were Shiine and his teacher… trying to talk heart-to-heart…

¿¿**??

"When I get through with you, you transexual, YOU'D WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN!!!!!!" Yakku screamed, for a moment, Doris with Seravi on its back, along with the chasing women composed of Cha-cha, Yakku and Chiremeko, plus the

barking dog, broke through the circle of guards when many men couldn't. They were still running around the lawn, fighting over the temporarily Dorothy's-kiss-induced-dumb-brained disease that has taken over Seravi's system.

¿¿**??

"Mi-Miss Dorothy... please remember us... please.... I... I don't know what I'd to without you..." Shiine confessed as he broke into silent sobbing. Serafid was busy keeping the circle of guards held in place, assisting in the bordering himself.

¿¿**?? scene-stealer again

The circle of guards broke again, this time it was Chiremeko heading the chase with Seravi in her arms and Riya biting on her head, they were still running around, still being chased by Cha-cha, Yakku, and the "it" Doris.

¿¿**??

Dorothy raised her hand where her memento was.

She stared at it with full eyes. Little by little, glimmer came back.

¿¿**??

Again intruders entered, this time, it was Yakku who had Seravi on her back, Riya was now standing on Cha-cha's head, barking at Yakku, the others still chasing.

¿¿**??

Flashes were coming back to her. Blurry pictures.

(a pink-haired woman was pointing her wand a green haired man who was holding a doll, behind them was a land of rubble and fire)

(a little sniveling, blue-robed boy was holding a book for the first time, and he consumed every word in the book as if it was the most delicious food on earth)

(a beautifully arranged small round table with every representative of the food groups present, the usual breakfast that…)

(a view of the deep sea as seen from on top of a high cliff at dusk, the breeze, the waves in the distance, a haunting memory)

A tear escaped her eyes.

(and then, she started to fall down the cliff… her vision turned black…)

Then suddenly...

She started to scream in pain

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to where the painful wailing has coming from.

Even Cha-cha, Yakku, Chiremeko and Doris who were playing human tug-of-war with

Seravi as the rope, everyone vs Doris, momentarily halted.

Seravi momentarily said "Huh," but then he immediately slumped to the ground.

"Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! uhh---" Dorothy yelped in pain, and then she suddenly fainted and fell straight into Serafid's arms.

"Dorothy!!!!" he exclaimed. For a prolonged moment, he looked into her troubled, unconcious form, his eyes were frantic. Then he slowly looked up.

His eyes looked cruel and murderous, they seemed to look around as if looking for someone—anyone to blame. And then he looked into Dorothy's frail, beautiful

form again.

The chignon was now outformed and her hair was free. He stroked her head gently.

"Right, let's get out of here," he said in a gentle voice, as if talking to her. He then lifted Dorothy to make her lean onto him and he held her tight in an embrace. Then, without saying a word, they disappeared from where they were

standing.

Everyone's jaw dropped in amazement. The guards that had formed a circle, one by one marched away in military fashion.

Only Shiine was now left in the protective circle that had been there.

Cha-cha, followed by Riya who had Seravi on his back, the winner of the match,

approached Shiine. "Did you see that?!" she asked.

"Cha-cha..." Shiine said, too shocked to speak.

"What the hell was that?" Riya asked.

"T-Teleportation, Teleportation magic!! They, they said it was all a myth..." he said, temporarily forgetting his weeping.

"Huh?!" Cha-cha exclaimed, willing Shiine to go on.

"A spell so powerful, it was said that it could never be used by mere humans,"

Shiine said a serious tone in his voice. "He must be very powerful..."

"Very powerful indeed..."

¿¿* *??

"Hohoho, that was quite a show," Doris father said as he turned away from watching the ruined party in the lawn from one of the balconies on the upper floor.

"Are they finished yet?" Doris mother asked, she was sitting in one of the benches there, quitely sipping tea.

"Yes, Serafid took Dorothy away," he said calmly.

"About time. My daughter should never be subjected to such circumstances, again," she said in an authoritative tone.

"You speak as if its such an unpleasant thing to endure, did you not enjoy the same events when you were young?" he asked.

"Not one bit!" she said indignanty. She placed her cup back into the saucer and placed it on the table. "Perhaps you men would, considering that you want to be surrounded by a lot of women all the time. Us, on the other hand, certainly do not desire overly-hormoned individuals, especially if there's too many of them to mooning around us all the time!" She stood up.

"Well, such is the curse of your lineage, my darling, its but natural that you pass it to one of your own," he answered calmly.

"Yes, I suppose you're right. This is the curse of being too beautiful, everyone would want you, say that they love you..." she looked into the eyes of her husband who she had been married to for so many years now. "Men would worship the very ground that you walk upon, wars would be waged because of you... all in the name of love. And yet..." her voice traced away.

"No one will ever, truly love you for as long as you are that beautiful…" her eyes looked away.

"Is that why you changed the color of you hair from blonde to violet?" he asked, looking at his wife's rich violet hair.

"Yes… that's precisely why. And I think that's the reason why I'm happy today…" she said as she took her husband's hand.

"Hahaha…" he said good naturedly. "But I am still waiting for the day that you'd change the color of you hair back to the way it was…"

"You will wait for eternity…" she said with finality.

And he decided, if there was the slightest chance to… he might…

¿¿*!*??

This is version two of Chapter Seven. I am awfully, awfully sorry for the TON of grammaticaly mistakes that were present previously. (I'm so ashamed…) thank you for pointing out this mistake, I wanted to edit it but did not have the motivation to do it… At least until someone actually pointed it out… errr… Really, thank you.

Expect the next chapter to be out by the end of next week.

Thank you for your continued patronage to this story.