Disclaimer: Two words: I. Wish.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I decided to go with the alternating chap. thing because it will make the story flow better, I think. Just forewarning, nothing very exciting happens in this chap, it's the next one that'll have a bit more action. Anyway, on with the story.

Kari closed her eyes and let the gentle breeze blow across her face. Behind her, Hiroki sat too, enjoying the scenery of the lush fields below.

It had been just under five weeks since they four children had split up, and Kari was missing TK and Katya more and more every day. She hadn't known Katya for very long, but she seemed to be a nice enough girl.

Over the past 33 days, Hiroki and she had only come upon three towns, and a small ones at that. They had gotten jobs at taverns in all three towns, waitressing and bartending. Kari had learned that taverns and Inns were pretty much the only places that hired outsiders, so they would probably be spending a lot of time in those kinds of places.

'Great,' she had thought sarcastically when he said that. 'As if three nights of those drunken horny men wasn't enough.'

They had been paid well each time though, and had bought some extra clothes, boots, and a little bread with their money. They hadn't stayed more than one night in each place, as they weren't sure that they wanted to be noticed just yet.

-You're very quiet Hikari, are you well?-

Kari smiled and ran a hand over Whisper's feathers. –Yes Whisper, I am well. Daylight is almost gone however, we should find a place to camp.-

-You're right. What about that cave over there? It seems protected.-

-That's fine Whisper. You can take us there and take a well deserved nap.-

Whisper whistled in agreement before beginning a slow descent.

"Are we camping already?" Hiroki asked.

Kari nodded, turning to face him. "Yeah. I figure that we won't find another safe place before the sun sets, we might as well just stop an hour early. Is that alright?"

Hiroki shrugged. "Sure. I was getting tired of riding this big pigeon anyway."

Whisper whistled offendedly and shot up and then downwards sharply, tossing Hiroki around while Kari stayed put. Hiroki landed sprawled on his stomach, very unceremoniously. Kari tried to control herself, but couldn't keep from laughing.

"Well," she replied, still chuckling, "You did deserve that, you know?"

Hiroki sighed and pushed himself up. "I was kidding. Geez, can't girls take jokes?" he asked exasperatedly as they landed. He slid off Whisper and walked into the cave, quickly starting a fire. Kari thanked Whisper for the ride and urged her to go get something to eat before entering the cave as well. It wasn't clean and homely, but it would have to do.

She sighed as she plopped down near the fire. She really missed TK, he was her best friend, and he had always been with her when they were camping in the Digital World. Sure, Hiroki was great, but it wasn't the same. TK knew everything about her, while Hiroki was still just starting to learn.

"What're you thinking about?" Hiroki asked absently from across the fire.

Kari looked up, surprised at the sudden interuption. "Just about TK."

"Who?"

Kari blinked, she had never talked about TK with him, but he should still remember. "TK…oh wait, you know him as Takeru."

"Oh, him. He's your lover, right?"

Kari blushed until she was as red as a tomato. "Are you crazy?! We're just friends! And even if we weren't, 12 is way to young to be…lovers!"

Hiroki looked at her strangely. "That's the usual age around here. But, I suppose Earth culture is different than Hiataian culture, no?"

"Yeah," Kari replied, still blushing, "very different."

"I think it would be interesting to visit your Earth. Perhaps, the 4 of us could go there some day, if we can find a way."

"That'd be neat," Kari agreed, "I could show you all the different kinds of technology that we have there, and you could meet my brother and parents, I think it'd be great fun. If we ever get back," she added in an undertone.

Hiroki walked around the fire and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't think like that, Hikari, you'll get back. With all the magic in Hiata, there's bound to be a way."

Kari smiled at him. "Yeah, you're right. I guess I'm ju-"

She cut off as a high-pitched scream filled the air. It sounded like a little girl. She screamed again. Kari and Hiroki scrambled up and headed towards the cave entrance.

-Whisper, what is that?! Who is that?-

-I'm not sure. But she sounds like she's in trouble.-

Thinking quickly, Kari clambered gracefully onto Whisper, followed closely by Hiroki.

-Whoever it is, we have to help her. Fly up Whisper, so we can see better.-

-Yes Hikari- Whisper replied, taking off. It took only four flaps of her great wings to place them about 35 feet above the landscape.

-Do you see anything Whisper?- Kari asked as she frantically looked around for any sign of movement. It was twilight, so she couldn't see that much.

-No Hikari, but…I can hear movement from about 75 yards ahead of us.-

-Fly us there- Kari urged, she had a gut feeling that the little girl really needed help. She cringed as the scream came again.

"There Hikari!" Hiroki called out, pointing down.

Kari narrowed her eyes and tried to focus her vision. At first, she couldn't see anything, but then she saw movement. A little girl was running through the meter high grass. And she was being chased by Jackal creatures! They were like large jackals, but they ran on two legs, leaving their razor sharp front claws free to swipe at the girl.

-Whisper, take us down! We have to help her!-

Whisper obeyed, recognizing the urgency. She landed in the path of the Jackal creatures, cutting them off from the girl. The two Elementals on her back slid off and went to retrieve said girl while she took care of the beasts.

Kari ran through the waist high grass with Hiroki by her side, searching for the girl. They saw movement about 10 feet ahead and heard slight panting. Then they heard a small thump and some quiet crying. It took them only seconds to reach the source.

They saw a dark haired girl lying on her side. She was holding her right elbow with her left hand and crying silently. She had her eyes squeezed shut and was shaking. It was obvious that she was deathly afraid.

Kari motioned for Hiroki to stay back for now and she slowly moved towards the girl. When she was close enough, she crouched down and gently reached out a hand to pet the girl's hair. The girl jerked, stared up at her with wide green eyes and whimpered a little.

"It's alright," Kari assured quietly, "We won't hurt you. My name's Hikari and that's Hiroki. We're here to protect you from those beasts. Alright?"

The girl was silent for a minute more, looking first at Kari and then at Hiroki. Then she sniffled and held her scraped elbow up towards Kari. Kari smiled and took the girl's arm. She tore a strip off of her skirt and wrapped it around the damaged skin.

"There now, it's just a scrape. It'll be better in a couple of days."

-Hikari! There are too many! I can't hold them off for much longer, you have to run!-

Kari's head jerked up at Whisper's exclamation. -What about you?-

-They can't kill me, I'll be fine and I'll find you again soon. Go, now!-

Kari nodded sadly, before turning to Hiroki, face serious. "We need to leave, now."

Hiroki looked at her strangely for a second until her meaning sunk in. "Oh shoot!" he exclaimed looking back towards where the Jackals had started wearing Whisper down.

Kari grabbed the girl in one arm and used the other hand to pull him the opposite direction. "She'll be alright, right now we have to go!"

Hiroki nodded and the two began to run. They seemed to be doing a lot of that lately.

Daring a glance back, Kari saw that a few of the Jackals had begun to pursue them.

'Faster!' she urged herself, though she knew she could run no faster, especially carrying the girl. The Jackals, having no such burden and being naturally faster, were catching up quickly.

She shot Hiroki a desperate look that he returned. With no Whisper, they had no way to escape. Kari looked behind again and yelped as a Jackal launched itself towards her. It came within just a few inches before it was blasted away, screeching. She saw that its fur had been badly burned, and upon looking at Hiroki, she saw that he had another fireball ready to go.

She sighed in relief. She was still so unused to these powers that it never occurred to her to use them to protect herself. Shifting the girl onto her hip she created a ball of wind in one of her hands and shot it at the chest of the next Jackal who leaped towards them. It was effectively knocked away.

She felt the girl tighten her hold on her shoulder and she, in turn, tightened her arm around the girl's waist, all the while blasting away any Jackals that tried to get them. However, she was getting exhausted, she knew she couldn't keep this up much longer. And looking at Hiroki, she guessed that he was feeling the same exhaustion.

The Jackals also seemed to be able to sense this as they began to attack with more energy yet again. Kari and Hiroki desperately fired at them, each fireball or windball a little weaker than the last. The girl seemed to be getting heavier and heavier in Kari's grasp. Kari suddenly got so weak that she had to sink to one knee. The girl shrieked, scared that something worse would happen now, and Kari forced herself to stay conscious and to keep blasting the Jackals.

She saw Hiroki sink down next to her, weakness in his face, but determination in his eyes. However, they were losing hope with every passing minute. No matter how much they tried, both Elementals were getting weaker while the Jackals seemed to be getting more enthusiastic in their attacks. They wouldn't be able to hold them off much longer.

One of the largest Jackals launched itself yet again at Kari, only this time, the Wind Elemental couldn't find the strength to fight back. Next to her, Hiroki saw the Jackal as well, but had the same problem. Kari was scared out of her wits, but instinctively turned so that her back was to the Jackal and the girl was turned away.

Suddenly, something amazing happened, but it was something that neither Kari or Hiroki saw. The girl's green eyes glowed. Just for a second, but it was enough. The Jackals froze in place before they were literally blown apart.

Kari and Hiroki looked up, wondering what had happened. Kari resisted the urge to vomit as she saw the bloody remains of the Jackals. She automatically pushed the girl's head into her shoulder so that she wouldn't see. Next to her, Hiroki had paled quite a bit too.

"Wh-what the hell just happened?" he asked breathlessly.

Kari shook her head, unable to form words. She looked at the girl in her arms, who, amazingly, was now asleep. Had this small girl had something to do with it? 'Impossible,' she told herself, 'This girl can't be more than 5. How would she have anything to do with this?'

After dismissing that idea, Kari decided that they needed to get back to Whisper and get out of here, just in case the Jackals had any… friends that might come avenge their deaths. But as she tried to get up, she realized that she literally couldn't move her legs because she was so tired. Hiroki seemed to have somewhat of the same problem too, as he could half-stand, but could do nothing else except collapse back down.

Kari vaguely noticed Whisper wobbling over to them before she passed out.

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When Kari awoke, she found herself in the most wonderful of places. She was lying on her back, looking up at a clear blue sky filled with puffy white clouds. Some overhanging tree branches blocked part of her view, but they also shaded her face from the bright sun. She rested her eyes again and breathed deeply while listening to the sounds around her. Birds were singing, water was flowing gently, children were laughing. …children! The girl!

Kari's eyes shot open and she jumped up. The girl, where was the girl? And where were Hiroki and Whisper? What had happened after she had fainted? Had they all been alright?

"Peace child," came a soothing male voice. "Your friends are well enough."

Kari spun around and found herself faced with one of the most gorgeous creatures she had ever seen. It was like an…an angel. He had a soft complexion, dusty brown hair, soft brown eyes, and magnificent white wings on his back. They were folded now, but Kari guessed that they were nearly 5 feet wide each. It was…breathtaking to say the least.

The angel chuckled at her apparent wonderousness. "Good morning young Gaurdian. I am Galeo. You had the same reaction to me as your friend did. I suppose neither of you have met any Caelons before."

"Caelons?" Kari asked, trying out the new foreign word.

"We are another branch of the Forgotten, commonly known as the Watchful Angels. We watch over Elementals as well as non-magical people, and help when we can. However, we have no physical form outside of this Paradise, so we can usually just watch until the danger is over. Then, we bring the wounded back here to heal. You and your friend were lucky we found you, you almost killed yourselves by using too much of your energy."

"My friend, Hiroki, he is here as well?"

"Yes," Galeo purred. "He is over in another grove with the girl, would you like me to take you there?"

Kari nodded. "Please. I must see them."

"Follow me."

Galeo led her through a path edged with trees, away from the place where she had woken up. It was a long winding path that had many twists and turns and Kari was thoroughly lost after just a few minutes. The Caelon seemed to know where he was going though, as the trees soon began to thin a little and Kari could see a clearing up ahead. When they emerged, she saw Hiroki sitting on a large rock, the girl climbing on some of the smaller ones a few feet away.

Kari rushed over, "Hiroki!"

Hiroki looked over sharply and a smile came to his face. He jumped off the rock and ran to meet her half-way. Her enveloped her in a crushing hug.

"You're alright! I was so worried, they wouldn't let me see you. They said that you needed to wake up on your own. I was starting to get scared that you'd never wake up," he said quickly.

Kari chuckled. "I'm alright, I was worried about you actually, and her as well," she said, indicating the girl. "What is her name?"

"She doesn't have one," Hiroki replied somewhat sadly. "She said that we should pick one for her. I figured I'd let you, since you're a girl and probably know more about girl names."

Kari smiled thoughtfully as she watched the girl balance on the rocks, not having noticed her yet. "Well…she's such a pretty little girl, what about Miyo? It means 'beautiful child'."

"Miyo? I like it. I bet she will too. Why don't you go ask her? She wants to see you, y'know. She keeps asking about the nice pretty lady who saved her, I don't think she remembers your name."

Kari smiled again before completely releasing Hiroki and walking towards the girl. "Hey there," she said, crouching down when she was close enough.

The girl turned around and squealed before wrapping her arms around Kari's neck. "Lady! You're okay!"

Kari chuckled. "Yeah, but call me Hikari, not lady, okay?"

The girl nodded.

"Now, Hiroki told me that you don't have a name and you think we should pick one out for you. Is that right?"

The girl nodded again.

"Well, how do you feel about the name Miyo? It means 'beautiful child.'"

The girl thought for a second before grinning. "I like it! Yea! I have a name now!"

Kari smiled at the girl's enthusiasm for something as simple as a name before standing up, holding the girl. She turned and for the first time, noticed that the grove they were in was filled with about 7 or 8 grown Caelon and a lot of children. All were looking at her, Miyo, and Hiroki.

Kari shifted a bit, uncomfortable with all of the attention. She wished that they would stop looking at her. She saw Galeo come forward, reaching out for her hand. She allowed him to take it and lead her towards the others.

"Wind Elemental, Fire Elemental, and Little Miyo, we Caelon welcome you to our Paradise. We are all that remain of the Caelon race, the eight of us, as well as these children. The grown ones are named Lejio, Carlion, Lexia, Diea, Tahia, Pumio, and Yushio. The little ones will not be named until their coming of age."

Kari bowed her head respecfully. "It is nice to meet you," she said politely to the group of Caelon.

One of the females, Lexia, came forward and raised Kari's chin. "Do not bow your head to us Gaurdian, it is we who should bow to you," she said softly.

As she said this, she and all of the other Caelon, children included, bowed deeply, spreading their white wings and pale arms. Kari and Hiroki were taken aback by this.

"Please, rise," Kari said, somewhat disturbed at the immense respect that they were showing the two Elementals and child.

The Caelons obeyed and looked at her and Hiroki, respect still showing in their eyes.

"Why do you bow to us like that?" Hiroki asked, quietly. "We are merely children." Next to him, Kari nodded in agreement.

"With all due respect, you are wrong my Lord Hiroki. You are two of the Gaurdians. You will be our saviors. You will defeat Isan and all of his evil and allow us to once again flourish. You will save all of Hiata and change it back to the way it was in the Golden Age when magic was accepted and respected," as he spoke, Lejio kept his eyes down, a sign of great respect.

Hiroki was stunned by this answer, as was Kari. The Caelon were treating them as if they were Gods, or at least great nobles, simply because of a Legend that named them the saviors of Hiata. Did these people truly believe that a group of children would deliver this world from evil? And, if so, were there others who thought as they did?

Kari was jerked out of her thoughts by Tahia placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "My Lady Hikari, please come with me. You need to rest and replenish your strength. We have food and bath, as well as warm places to sleep and fresh clothes. Pray, stay with us a while, at least until you are in top health again. When you wish to leave,we will place you back on Hiata, near the next town you were headed for."

Kari smiled at the honey-eyed Caelon. "Thank you. But, please, just call me Hikari. I am nobody's 'Lady'."

"I'm afraid I cannot do that my Lady. Calling you by your given name alone would give the impression that I think of myself as your equal or better, and I know that I am not," she stopped Kari's protests with an explanation. "It is the way of my people. Please understand my Lady, I do not wish to disobey, but it is my culture. And our culture is all we have left. Please, do not make us give up our ways my Lady."

Kari's eyes softened. "I would never dream of asking you to give up your culture, or anything else. It is just…odd to be treated with such respect."

"I'm sure you'll adapt fairly quickly, my Lady. Come now, bring the child and we will settle you both in. My Lord Hiroki will be taken by Carlion to the men's quarters. We will take great care of you while you are here, and will be watching you every day after you leave."

"I thank you for your hospitality and openess," she took Tahia's hand, "And I believe that we would be honored to stay here for a little while at least." She looked towards Hiroki who nodded his agreement.

Virtually all of the Caelon faces lit up as they agreed to stay, and all three travelers were hurriedly escorted to separate places within the Paradise to be given all the luxuries of home and many more.

-------------------

Kari sighed contentedly as she lay back on the soft bed, Miyo nestled against her, asleep. They had been in the Caelon's Paradise for just over two weeks, and it was a great place to be. They were always treated with respect and given anything they asked for, though they didn't ask for much.

Kari had spent much of the time with Tahia, forming a fast friendship. She felt as though she connected with the young Caelon. They would often spend hours by the stream, talking as Miyo played with the Caelon children. Tahia would tell Kari of how it was in the Golden Ages, and why it had so rapidly changed. Kari felt sympathy for these people, for all of Hiata, and wanted to do anything that she could to help them. Whether she believed that she was a true Gaurdian or not, she was going to help these people.

She sighed again, this one less content. To save them, she would have to leave them, leave this place, and go back into unforgiving Hiata. And she would leave Miyo here. The girl had grown on her, and she was very attached, but she wanted Miyo to be safe, and this seemed to be the safest place that they had been too. Even hard-to-please Whisper, who had been kept in a different grove, agreed that this place was a virtual heaven.

Kari looked down as Miyo shifted closer to her subconsciously. She hadn't told the girl of her decision, and hoped that she wouldn't take it the wrong way. It wasn't that Kari didn't want her around, it was that she wanted her to live a safe and happy life.

She looked up as the door to her room opened. It was Hiroki. He crept over quietly and sat on the bed, softly petting Miyo's head. The girl had grown on him too. He sighed and looked at Kari.

"I think we need to leave," he said almost regretfully. "We cannot help the Caelon, or anyone, if we stay here in Paradise. We have a role to fulfill elsewhere."

Kari nodded. "I was thinking that too. And…I think we should leave Miyo here so she can be safe and happy."

Hiroki nodded sadly. "I'm gonna miss her, but it is for the best. Have you told her yet?"

Kari shook her head. "No, I think I'll tell her tomorrow though."

"And we will leave tomorrow too?"

Kari nodded. "I think it's for the best."

Hiroki didn't say anything, but he shifted so that he was lying down next to Miyo and Kari. "Do you mind if I stay in here tonight? The runt's grown on me, and I want to spend at least a little more time with her."

"She's not a runt," Kari cooed, stroking Miyo's soft hair. "But you can stay in here if you want."

Hiroki smiled and shifted so that his head was lying on his arm. He saw Kari drift to sleep, and gradually, he did too.

---------------

"But I wanna come with you!" Miyo exclaimed, near tears.

"It's too dangerous. I don't want you to get hurt. Please try to understand," Kari replied softly, trying not to cry as well.

"No! I'm coming too! I wanna stay with you!"

Hiroki sighed sadly. "Miyo, listen-"

"No! You listen! I've never had a family, and you're the closest I got! You can't abandon me! Please!" Miyo had tears streaking down her face now. "I wanna go with you, I need to go with you! Why won't you take me?!" Miyo finally broke down sobbing and Lexia gathered the child up, rocking her and cooing to her.

Kari motioned for Hiroki to follow her. She now had tears brimming in her own eyes. When they were a few feet away, she turned to Hiroki.

"I just don't know if I can bear to leave her here. She called us her family, and how would you feel if you were just left somewhere by people you considered your family? We saved her Hiroki, we can't just abandon her now. She's our responsibility."

Hiroki nodded. "I know. We can't leave her with the Caelon, she doesn't belong. I…I have a gut feeling that she belongs with us."

Kari nodded too. "So, we take her with us?"

"Yeah," Hiroki replied softly, "We take her with us."

Kari smiled and blinked back her tears of joy as she hurried back over to Miyo. She was so glad that she wouldn't have to part with the child who she had grown to love as a little sister over the past 2 weeks. She took the girl from Lexia and held her tightly. Soon, Miyo stopped sobbing and just sniffled every so often.

"Miyo, are you absolutely sure that you don't want to stay here?" she asked quietly.

Miyo nodded, still sure that she was to be left here anyway.

"Well…then I guess you're coming with us, if that's alright with you."

Miyo looked up, unbelievingly into Kari's eyes. When she found no deception, she flung her arms around Kari. "You m-mean it?"

"Of course," Kari replied, "After all, who are we to break up a family?"

Miyo smiled first at Kari and then at Hiroki, and the two knew that they had made the right choice. All of the Caelon knew it too.

Hiroki turned to Galeo. "I think it's time that we go. We still have a long way to go before we can fulfill our part of the Legend."

Galeo nodded and led them to another grove where Whisper was. The full group of Caelon trailed behind. They watched as the three mounted the great bird and they watched as Galeo pulled out a blue glowing stone.

Placing this on the ground, he stepped back, muttered something, and motioned with his hands. The four travelers watched in amazement as the stone began to glow brighter and bigger until a portal literally materialized a few yards in front of them.

"Go now, Gaurdians. We wish you luck, and we shall watch your journey with much interest." He bowed deeply again and all of the other Caelon followed suit.

Kari looked at them once more before turining back towards the portal. –Are you ready Whisper?-

-Yes Hikari.-

-Then go.-

With these words of encouragement, Whisper took flight and soared through the portal at a daring speed, leaving the Caelon and their Paradise behind. The trip through the portal was very odd. It felt like they were suspended in time, just floating there, in a void. And then, they were out in the landscape of Hiata which they had left. Only now, they could see a town in the distance.

They turned as the portal shrank and said a silent thank you to the gracious Caelon. They had no doubt that they would be dead if it hadn't been for the Watchful Angels. They owed them their lives, and planned to repay the debt by accomplishing what they had been called upon to do.

With new enthusiasm, they landed and the three humans headed for the next town, eager to see what lay ahead in their futures. If there had been any doubt in their minds that they would succeed on this mission, it had been banished by the kind Caelons. They now knew that they could not fail. The fate of an entire world depended on them, and now that they had seen some of the fairer creatures of the world, they were determined to win.

-----------------------

"Things are going even better than we had planned," a raspy female voice said. "The Gaurdians are becoming attached to the Keys, and therefore, they will be easy to manipulate."

"Do not get ahead of yourself," said a gravely male voice. "We cannot underestimate these children."

"Don't be so negative, old man," a defiant female voice exclaimed. "They are merely children, we are great Magical Beings. What threat could they possibly pose to us?"

"They are the Gaurdians," the old man answered. "And you should not take them so lightly."

The defiant female scoffed. "They will not be so high and mighty after my forces take a shot at them."

"Then go ahead," came a second male voice, slightly younger sounding. "We shall use your forces to test them. I think it will be quite entertaining. It will also let us judge just how attached they are to those Keys, and to each other."

"Well, old man? What say you?" the defiant female asked, liking that idea.

The chamber was silent for a minute. "I say, go ahead," the old man said. "The data we collect will be useful in the future. And besides, maybe it will keep you occupied and away from me for a while at least."

The defiant female snorted at that but the old man ignored her.

"Go now," he ordered with a wave of his hand. "Choose which you will test and proceed. The rest of us will stay here and plan our next move. Well? What are you waiting for?"

The defiant female smiled maliciously. "I think I shall test the Mages. They seem to be so much fun," she looked at the Mages and her smile grew. "Yes, I think they will be very fun indeed."

A/N: Sorry that this chap's a little short, I couldn't think of a way to continue it and still have it be...decent. Let me know if you have any questions, andI would really appreciate ideas for magical creatures. If you have any ideas, just give a description and possibly a name. I would really appreciate it. Thanks in advance! And I'll try to get the next chap up in a couple of days.