Kasai was walking in front of the two women who had their heads bent together.
"So, do you know Kasai's girlfriend?"
"No." Yukino frowned. "He won't tell me anything… In fact, until you came, he denied that he had a girlfriend."
"Serious?" Tsuchi snuck a look at the stiff back of the man in front of them. "I wonder if he is really attached to her?"
"I'm sure if you tried, you could win his heart." Hearts flickered briefly in Yukino's eyes.
Tsuchi frowned. "I'm not sure I'd want to… Kasai's kinda…"
"Tall, dark and creepy?"
"Yeah."
Kasai twitched.
Yukino snickered.
"Huh?" Tsuchi looked confused.
"Nothing. I just thought of something amusing."
"Oh."
Are you listening in to private conversations, Kasai?
No. But you're broadcasting louder than you could ever talk.
"Yukino? Are you alright?" Tsuchi looked a little concerned at the exuberant girl's silence.
"Sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment."
Too bad you actually found your way back.
She stuck her tongue out at Kasai's back.
Mature, Yukino. Very mature.
I try.
"What's going on?" Tsuchi looked between the two of them, knowing that something was up, and sure that she was out of the loop.
"Oh, didn't we tell you? Kasai can read minds."
Tsuchi stared at her. "He can read minds?"
"Yeah."
"So, he's been reading our minds since we started?"
"Pretty much."
Tsuchi turned bright red. "Oops."
"Don't worry. If you hum one long note in your head, he can't hear your deeper thoughts. Plus, it makes him twitch."
"Really?" There was silence for a few moments.
Kasai twitched.
"Hey!" Tsuchi cried. "It worked."
WILL YOU TWO STOP IT!
Tsuchi fell over in shock. "Oww."
Yukino rubbed her head. "Can that be classified as 'mind bullets'?"
Kasai suddenly dived, sword out and swinging. Yukino cast ice to her left and without thinking, Tsuchi rolled out of the way of an attack.
There were seven overgrown snakes on them before they had realized they had walked into the snakes den.
Well, there used to be seven. Now there were two ice cubes, millions of pieces of what used to be two snakes, and three shocked snakes staring at them.
Kasai went for another one, stalemating it. Yukino froze another while Tsuchi cast earthquake. The frozen one and a third fell into the crevice, and Tsuchi closed it. A few moments later, Kasai killed the last one.
He stood, and brushed himself off. "Well. That was an amusing jaunt. We should be entering the air realm soon."
"Okay." Yukino followed Kasai.
"Wait a moment! I didn't sign up for this to encounter random crap that wants to kill me."
"Honey," Yukino took her aside and put an arm around the taller girl. "None of us signed up for this. We were elected."
"I resign."
"I wish." Kasai muttered.
Yukino sighed and dragged Tsuchi forward.
A short time after the snakes, Tsuchi began looking ill, and falling behind.
"Are you alright?" Yukino asked.
"I don't feel well, that's all."
"Kasai?"
He sighed, and fell back. "We've entered the Air Realm. It's going to affect her a bit."
Tsuchi fell to her knees and threw up.
"I'll go get something for her to drink." Kasai said, and walked quickly out of sight.
Yukino sighed and rubbed Tsuchi's back while she waited. After a moment, Kasai came back with a glass from his bag full of water. With a moment's inspiration, Yukino poured some of the medicine into it. They forced Tsuchi to drink it, while Yukino ripped a part of her skirt off to wipe Tsuchi's mouth.
"I don't like this." Tsuchi moaned.
"The drink should help you a little." Yukino said, stroking her hair.
Kasai sighed and knelt in front of Tsuchi, his back to her. "Climb on. If you sleep, the transition is easier."
She nodded miserably, and with Yukino's help, managed to climb on Kasai's back. Moments after they started again, she was asleep.
They walked in silence for a while until a blush crept over Kasai's face and he jostled Tsuchi.
"Hey, be careful. She's been ill you know." Yukino frowned at him.
"She's dreaming. If I jostle her, it knocks her out of the dream stage."
"What's wrong with dreaming?"
"There's nothing wrong with it, it's the subject matter I'm having problems with."
"Too X rated for you?"
"It's not that. They all involve me!"
"Oh, poor Kasai. He's too hot and not at all comfortable with it."
"I had to do the same with you."
"Oops." A blush stained her cheeks as he jostled Tsuchi again. There was a moments silence as they waited for her to settle down. "I have one question."
"What's that?"
"How do we find the Air Prince?"
"I haven't the faintest idea."
"Oh that's lovely." She sighed and looked around. "I suppose shaking everyone's hand is out?"
"Too tedious, as we just discovered. It would make Tsuchi too ill, you'd turn everyone into icicles, and my power would go out of control."
"Right. That's out then. Any other brilliant ideas?"
"Not a one."
"I love the unknown."
They were well into the Air Realm when Tsuchi woke again. Kasai looked back at her. "Oh good. You're awake. And not dreaming."
"Oops." Tsuchi blushed.
"I had the same reaction." Yukino grinned.
"Get off."
"You could ask politely." Tsuchi said as she climbed down.
"He never asks. He only orders." Yukino sighed, then smiled sweetly at Kasai when he glared at her. "What?"
Kasai closed his eyes for a moment, and black wings spread out from his back.
"Woah. That's kick ass." Yukino said. Tsuchi just stared in shock.
"This is the Air Realm. Everything flies here. I figured anything that recognized me as something that doesn't belong in this realm is a good candidate for the Prince."
"Brilliant!" Yukino smiled sarcastically. "I'm so glad you thought of something. And something that is open to more holes than a sponge. I'm glad you're willing to get your ass kicked for the cause."
"Shut up, Yukino. The two of you wait here."
They watched as he lifted into the air, and flew out of sight.
"He's such a sociable creature." Yukino sighed and sat down on a nice patch of grass.
"Have you known Kasai long?"
"No. I met him about a day before you did, actually."
"You seem really close."
Yukino shrugged and picked a blade of grass, staring intently at it. "I guess I'm just like that. I meet someone new and I decide to annoy the fuck out of them. It makes it seem like I've known them longer."
"Why is it your life goal to annoy people?"
"I don't really know. It's just something I've always done. The people at the temple I grew up at were nice, but they were all very superficial. They grated on my nerves so much, I just got used to pushing them away. I guess I'm just used to it by now."
"You are an odd person, Yukino."
Yukino looked up and narrowed her eyes. "Hey. Do you think that's Kasai?"
Tsuchi looked to where she was pointing, to a small dot in the distance that was growing bigger as it flew towards them. "No, actually. It's too small to be Kasai."
Um, Kasai? Where are you?
Being held hostage by a bunch of crazy fairies.
Oh. That's nice. Can you get free?
I'll try.
They were silent as they watched a small fairy boy land in front of them. He was dragging Kasai's sword as if he was holding it with all his might. He threw it in front of the two girls and attempted to glare, a move that caused him to look more cute than scary. "I suggest you take your friend's things, and leave this realm."
Yukino glanced at the sword, then at the boy. "Where you the one that noticed he wasn't from the Air Realm?"
"Oh course. But it would have only been a matter of time before someone else would have discovered him."
"Naturally." Yukino walked over to him to peer closely at him. He looked like a fairy from the books she had read, blond hair, pale, and petite. The only difference was his bright yellow eyes. "By the way, what's your name?"
"Um… Tei?" He backed away from her a little bit.
"That's so weird." She muttered. "The Ice Princess is named ice, the Fire Prince fire, the Earth Princess earth and the Air Prince air. This is too redundant. Someone planed this."
"What are you talking about?" Tei looked utterly confused.
"Tsuchi come her. Can you shake her hand?"
"What?"
"Just shake her hand."
"I don't want to. You're crazy! Just go away."
"I'm serious. Just shake Tsuchi's hand. That's all I want you to do, then you can go away."
"Promise?"
She crossed her fingers behind her back. "Promise."
He shook Tsuchi's hand.
"How do you feel?" Yukino asked, hovering anxiously.
"Fine. Why?"
"She's from the Earth Realm."
Tei stared at his hand in shock. "Are you serious?"
"Yep! And because you can touch her, it means that you are the Prince of Air. Welcome to the group."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Tei yelled.
Tsuchi sighed. "She's like that."
"The Oracle sent us to collect you for our little group. We're going to restore balance to the world."
He stared at her, eyes slowly growing bigger. "THE Oracle?" He gasped.
"Yeah!" Yukino smiled, feeling as though the words 'complete bull-shitter' were flashing over her head.
Repeat after me, Yukino. Kasai's voice floated through her mind. Before you mess everything up.
Hey, I'm doing pretty good.
If you want to die, yeah, your doing great. Say: The Oracle has sent us to gather the legendary Princes and Princesses of the four realms.
"The Oracle has sent us to gather the legendary Princes and Princesses of the four realms."
Together, they will be sent to restore balance to the world.
"Together, they will be sent to restore balance to the world"
You have been chosen as the Prince of Air.
"You have been chosen as the Prince of Air."
It is your duty as a citizen of the Air Realm to help your people, and save the world.
"It is your duty as a citizen of the Air Realm to help your people, and save the world." Yukino grinned, proud of herself. The other two stared at her, noting the pauses and absolutely confused. Kasai sighed.
"I don't want to." Tei said.
"Neither do I." The two women chorused.
"Besides," Yukino said. "Can you imagine the disaster it will be when people discover you are holding the Prince of Fire in your realm?"
"He's a fire element?" Tei stared in shock.
"Yeah." Kasai, a good distraction might be nice now.
You mean, more than this?
Yukino looked up to see a giant pillar of fire rising above the trees. "Um… Tei?"
"Yeah?"
"You might want to go fix that." She pointed.
Tei looked over, emitted a rather strange squeak and flew off.
Um, Kasai? Could you bring back the Air Prince when you get free?
Whose the Prince?
A little blond haired, yellow eyed boy.
You mean the snot nosed brat that beat me?
He beat you? She giggled.
He called in backup, the little shit.
Yes, well, he's the Prince. Could you bring him back?
Yeah, yeah.
After a while, the two women saw two figures flying in the distance. They landed in front of them, and Kasai swept up his sword with one hand, making it disappear. Tei looked to be in shock.
"F-fire." He muttered.
"It was only an illusion." Kasai replied.
"Fire!"
"Oh Kasai, you traumatized the poor child." Yukino patted Tei's back. "It's okay. Kasai looks a little scary, but he's like a big puppy when you get to know him."
"I'm going to kill you, I hope you know that." Kasai told her.
"As long as you do it after we save the world." Yukino sighed.
"So… what now?" Tsuchi asked.
"According to the Oracle," Kasai looked around. "We have to find one temple in every realm that holds an item. This item will unlock a fourth temple where will restore the balance."
"Sounds like too much work." Yukino sighed again.
"We'll hit the Air temple first because we're here." Kasai said, ignoring her. "And just go around in a circle."
Yukino started to sing as they moved on. "On the road again…"
"Shut it, Yukino!" Kasai yelled.
"Everyone's so energetic this afternoon." Tsuchi smiled wearily.
"Fire." Tei muttered.
