Arle and some friends return back to her world, but nothing is as peaceful as she hoped. Rulue and Raffina investigate Rulue's dojo, and Yu and Rei search for fellow ghosts. Requested by a tumblr anon!

Return

Arle's head spun backwards, a long string of saliva spewing out of her mouth. She twisted in mid-air, Ecolo's hum the only sound echoing around her. She felt like she was floating, but the pain in her mouth circumvented that fantasy. Crashing on the ground, she clenched her jaw and shot upright. Her head spun, blood rushing to her skull as she tried to make out her surroundings.

"Well, this isn't what I expected," Satan mumbled, scratching his cheek as Ecolo snickered behind their hand.

"Where have you been? Just what in the world have you been doing?" Lala shrieked, her extended fist lowering to her side.

"Y-you didn't have to punch me! I wasn't gone for that long!" Arle cried, hurrying back to her feet.

"You've been gone for over a year! Do you know how hard we had to work to defend the village?" She threw her arm back, Camus streaking his fingers through his hair.

"Well, I think punching her was a little too strong, Lala," he said, and she flushed, her cheeks burning a hot pink.

"What...is going on?" Ringo asked, Amitie quickly hurrying over to help Arle stand up straight when she wobbled.

Ecolo sighed, crossing their legs in midair. When they and Satan managed to open a dimensional portal back the latter's world, they hadn't expected it to be so lively. With a gaggle of friends following them through, they knew there was a lot of fun to be had in the Magician's Village.

"We've been attacked by monsters! Demons! Even transmuted Puyo! While you were off playing around with your new friends, we had so much to deal with!" Lala stomped her foot, clenching her sharp nails into her calloused palms.

"Lala, please, that's enough," Camus insisted, grabbing her shoulder, but she shook him off, storming back towards the quaint village filled with wooden cottages and demure shops. Sighing as Arle healed her bruised jaw, he added, "I'm sorry about Lala. She's been overly wary of newcomers because of the recent monster attacks." He smiled at his old friend. "We're happy to see you and Rulue again, but we just wish it was sooner."

Rulue hummed, crossing her arms as Raffina scratched her neck. She hadn't realized they were gone for that long. She thought that time moved the same in Primp as it did in her world.

"It's great to see you, too, Camus," Arle interjected, dragging Rulue out of her thoughts. "Here are my friends! This is-"

"I'm checking on my dojo," she announced, moving past Arle and offering Camus a curt wave. "Is it still standing?"

"Yes. Count invaded it, but Lala and I threw him out." He observed her grimace, adding. "I'm sure your students would like to see you again."

"You have a dojo?" Raffina asked, hopping by her fellow fighter's side.

"Yes, I do. Let's go," Rulue said, taking Raffina's wrist and pulling her along. "I just hope my students are still there in one piece."

Raffina remained quiet, letting Rulue guide her along. She knew her brawling partner was an esteemed martial artist, but she never mentioned that she ran a dojo. As she gazed at the thick forest, she let the silence consume them as they trekked for over a mile and came out to a brilliant dojo made out of the finest wood and cement.

Rulue touched the doors, a fine layer of dust coating her palm. Sucking down a breath, she pushed open the double doors and the click-clack of her heels on the bamboo floor felt like home. Grunts and roars bellowed past the foyer, and she stepped outside, throwing a long curtain out of her way and gazed at her students.

Many men and women, each talented in their own rights, immediately stopped their duels. They gazed at her with wide eyes, some taking in Raffina's ogling expression. A beat passed, and they struck, dashing towards the young women with nunchucks and fists flying.

"A fine welcome! Come, Raffina, let's show them the full extent of our training!" Rulue shouted, and Raffina suppressed her yelp, the suddenness jarring her, but she had to grin at the idea of a challenge.

As they brawled, Yu and Rei floated about Arle as she introduced her friends. She flitted about, eagerly taking in the various people, all of whom would certainly live happier as ghosts!

"Rei, lookie lookie! Over there!" She snatched her brother's hand, shooting past the group and flew towards a thatch of shrubbery.

"It's an old house," he said, tilting his head.

"A boo-tiful haunted house!" She tossed her arms up. "There must be some ghoulish ghost in there! Let's go!"

They flew through the gaps in the rather decrypt home, mildew and mold contaminating the interior. Rei glanced around, finding cracked photographs of young magic students. Glass coated the floor, and to his bewilderment, he felt a strange sense of warmth surround him as if the house was recently inhabited.

"Ta~da! Yu's here!"

"A-and Rei," he quickly added, his sister's shout dragging him out of his discomfort.

Before them was an odd woman, watery in appearance with a muggy cloak wrapped around her slender frame. Wet tendrils shifted around her head like live snakes. She shuddered, her eyes hidden behind her murky hair.

Wraith gazed through them, her wide yellow eyes like blotted stars. She pressed her back into the wall and sucked down a sharp breath.

"No need to fear because Yu and Rei are here! We have a-!"

"Go away!" she cried, wrapping her arms around herself. "Leave! Leave!"

"Eh, what? What's this now?" Yu rocked from side to side. "We're all ghosts here! Don't-"

"No, no, leave, leave!" She cried, shaking her head and grasping her hair. "Leave me alone! Leave me alone! Why?"

"We should go," Rei whispered, but Yu frowned and continued.

"We're ghosts, too! Didn't you hear me? We're all floaty, happy-eep!" Yu ducked, Wraith shooting a watery blast for her head. "Heeey, don't be so ghastly!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she crooned, dropping to her knees and covering her eyes.

"Yu," Rei said, a rare tone of authority in his voice, "we should go."

He pulled her hand before she could reply. They left, Wraith's cries echoing behind them. Yu grumbled and scratched through her periwinkle hair. She couldn't understand what had happened or why Wraith would react so violently to them.

"Gee, I guess not everyone can feel floaty even when-oh! She had legs, though. Maybe she wasn't even a ghost." Yu tapped her chin. "Any thoughts, Rei?"

"Not really," he said, and Yu pursed her lips, her happy smile swapping for a frown.