In the Land of the Dead

For the desert like conditions they found themselves in, Tiara realized she was very cold. But it was not the air that did it to her, more like the presence of the spirits. Some were crying out for vengeance due to murder, others wanted to live on and fight. Many appeared to be the souls of Partners who had died in order to protect the Magic User they served, these ones wanted to return to their duties when they lived.

"I don't like the look of this place," commented Japolo, "Let us just hurry and find Graham so we can get out of here. Many wicked souls inhabit these realms, and we are easy targets while we traverse them. Tiara, we must walk with care, there may be pitfalls and other traps lying in wait to stop our advance."

They walked onwards, looking every which way for a sign of Tiara's old Partner. The spirits of the long dead warriors called to her, begging her to avenge them, to reunite them with their Partners. But there was nothing Tiara could do. Her lifeline would only be able to latch onto Graham, and no one else. These souls were lost in this realm for eternity. Maybe one day they would be reunited with the ones they seek.

Suddenly, she heard a low growl. Behind Tiara was an enormous wolf with the wings of a Dragon. The young Princess looked at the reference book Sienna had passed her while they talked, it had info on every type of Mihan Demon out there. Looking this one up, she realized it was a Ryukami, a mid level Mihan Demon with powerful fiery breath and strong claws. Tiara knew that she would have to fight this one if she was to go onwards. It had come into this land in order to keep her from accomplishing the task.

"Powerful subjects, show me the source of your powers. Fulfill your contract with Tiara! Fulfill your duty! That is an order!" called Tiara. She created a field around her head as she spoke, and began to concentrate. Suddenly, air currents rose up around her. When they cleared, Tiara stood there in her demon form, grinning wickedly at the beast. Japolo took the initiative to bring up a stasis field to protect them.

But the Mihan Demon didn't aim for Tiara, now flying above him, instead it blew its fiery breath at the ground. Suddenly, the dust clouds began to part. Now they could clearly see the cliff that was next to them, with its edge dangerously close to where Tiara had stood. The beast blew a second lash of fire at the earth around Japolo, causing the rocks to crack. With one swift movement, Tiara reached out for her friend, grabbing him on the collar. But the force of the falling rocks caused the ferret to fall right out of his collar, and down the mountain. At the same time, Tiara lost her balance trying to avoid an attack. She too began to slip down the side, only catching herself after falling halfway. As Tiara looked around, she realized that she couldn't find Japolo anywhere. The woman began to worry, not noticing the demon had slipped away.

* * *

Meanwhile, Graham was relaxing under a tree at the base of the cliff. He was staring off into space, wondering how Tiara was faring since he had died. Had everything turned out ok with Kagetsu? Did he and Tiara have a fight? As much as he hated Kagetsu for how he treated Tiara at times, Graham hoped that the two had been able to make up. He didn't like seeing Tiara sad, and his death might have done that to her. At least let her have moved on, even if she was now permanently mad at Kagetsu for what happened.

Suddenly, he felt something land on his head. Picking it up, the former Partner saw that it was a small ferret with sandy fur; as well as black on the paws, tail and ears. The creature seemed to be knocked out, probably as a result from its fall. Graham poked it a little, and it began to stir. He then heard a small male voice say, "Oh, I hope I wasn't out for too long. I could already be lost." At that moment, the ferret stood on his hind legs, holding his head in his front paws. Then, he opened his large red eyes. Ironically, Japolo had found Graham. But of course, neither knew it at the time. Graham didn't know what kind of new Partner Tiara would summon, or how long the Elder would let her wait. And Japolo didn't know Graham's appearance since he had assumed that he would be sticking with Tiara the whole time they were here.

Graham looked at him. "What is going on? Is there a battle to be fought up there?" He hadn't been in a fight since the one that killed him, and his arms were itching for a good rumble. Holding the animal in his hands, Graham began to jump the cliff's edge. Of course, by this time, Tiara had begun flying around the sides, calling for her wayward Partner, so she didn't see him. Upon realizing there was no fight, the young man let out a sigh. He had so been hoping there would be a battle. But he could sense trouble.

"The demon we fought with must have escaped," Japolo stated, "Blast! Now I don't know where my Princess is. How much trouble is that girl getting into without me around? She could be taking on the entire Mihan Army behind my back just to get this over with." He began sniffing the ground impatiently. It would be just like Tiara to find the most deadly of situations when she was all alone, just her luck indeed.

"A living Princess in the Land of the Dead?! Why would one want to come here? This desolate realm is nothing but a land of sorrow. If I could have the chance, I would go back to the living world to fight alongside my Princess once more," Graham stated, clenching his clawed fist in anger and bloodlust.

Japolo explained, "You see, she is one of three who lost Partners in the past year. A war is on the horizon with the race of demons we just fought, and only one who claims the title of Divine Sorceress can win. So my Princess was chosen as the successor to the current one, so she can risk her life without losing the powers that she holds inside. We must retrieve her original Partner in order to pass the test. I can see that you are one of the spirits we felt, the ones who wish only to return to the service of a Magic User. Sadly, the only one that we can help is the one we came here for. But can you help me find her?"

Graham looked at Japolo, noticed his worry. "You, I had that look on my face when I still lived. I worried with each mission that I would fail to protect her. Even now, I take on that look whenever I think about her and what might be happening. I don't want to see that look on anyone else, so I agree to help."

With Graham as his protector, Japolo continued on to find Tiara. If he had looked closer at the man's leg, he would have seen a small white strand that had begun to glow. The lifeline that Tiara had thrown out was reacting to its proximity to the other. All that remained now was to reunite with her.

- - - -

I was going for irony of all ironies. Don't worry, they'll find Tiara in the next chapter. Oh, and about the name, Ryu is Japanese for Dragon. Okami is Japanese for Wolf. Also, Kami means god. Remember, have Japanese Dictionary, will travel.