So here's my next chapter! And to all my readers, I wish them a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and Season's Greeting, throwing in a happy New Year's Eve and Boxing Day, and Christmas Eve. Haha, so many celebrations!

Hope you enjoy, and anything confusing, wrong, you want to complain or encourage or flame, it's ok. Just don't flame too badly please.

I squinted; the sun was so bright. I hope I didn't need to run too hard, since now that I thought about it, the doctor said not to overexert myself. And he said that I would feel dizziness and light-headedness at approximately a month later. I didn't want to speed the process up until I was near the healing medicine when I was safe in Avril (wherever that is).

The Trick Tower was (on top) a really flat piece of grey concrete with tiles. It was hard to believe that there were murderers right under us.

I smiled at Gon, Killua and Dusky. But Dusky was staring at Kurapika. I sighed; I think I understood why she did that. But it was getting a bit obvious, so I tugged on her sleeve and led her from the group, flashing them a sign.

Me and Dusk are going to go around on our own ok? Meet you at the bottom, hope to see you there!

And I dragged Dusky away fast so that Gon won't start objecting. As it was, Gon was left there opening his mouth objecting to a dust cloud. Then he started chasing us.

Gah, so troublesome. I want to talk to Dusky alone about some stuff.

Killua stopped him, pointing to the edge of the tower. Gon reluctantly nodded, then walked to the edge with Killua.

Thank you!

'Why did you do that for?' Dusky hissed at me when I had pulled her to a blank spot. It was surprisingly hard to find one, since there were so many people.

'You were staring too obviously; Kurapika was starting to get suspicious.'

'Oh.' She scratched her head. 'Shoot. I really liked looking at him, though I don't want you to go suffer through the path that Kurapika takes, since I'm worried for you. It's so physically exerting. I mean, I wouldn't want you to run with a boulder chasing you. So let's take a random one!'

I nodded and stepped forward. The sound sounded hollow.

'Found one already. Find one that's very near mine. It would most likely be the same path, let's just hope and not die. And if it isn't the same path, remember this strong advice ok? Don't die.'

She nodded and snorted.

'Such good advice. I mean, we don't want to stay alive now do we?'

Dusky walked around and found one just two tiles away. 'Jump when you're ready.' she told me.

So I jumped without waiting for her, my backpack tightly strapped on and my staff tightly held. I landed in a room like the one that Killua and Gon landed in. Only, there were only two watches. Dusky landed in the room a few seconds later.

'You know how lucky we are?' she asked.

Yup. We're very lucky to get a path that just has two people and that Dusky and I are together and to think there are more that 70 paths! Nearly impossible chance.

I clicked on the watch and it flashed the time. Dusky did the same and a door opened. Right under us. Actually, the whole floor just dropped.

I screwed up my eyebrows, annoyed. Couldn't they have put the doorway in a normal place? In the wall maybe, like what Killua and Gon got. A door where we might not die a flat squashed death? Apparently not. Dusky screamed. I sighed and grabbed her hand. Then I imagined the wings on my staff growing really really fast. Then I dragged myself to sit on it (my arm muscles nearly died!) and pulled Dusky up. Then we were just flying down and down and down.

'You know Dusky?' My voice echoed weirdly around in the tunnel. 'If it was anyone but me or some person with a floatation device (which I highly doubt anyone would have), they would die? It's not quite fair is it? Or maybe there's something at the bottom, like water?'

'I think there's something to this. You have a light?'

'Yeah, in my pack. It's the crystal looking blob. Bang it on the top and it would light up.'

I felt Dusky rummaging through my pack.

'Hey Wind, does it feel like crystal too?'

'Yeah.'

'Then I've found it.' I heard a thump, a yell and the whole tunnel lit up. I looked at Dusky questioningly.

'Oh, I banged my fist too hard.'

I sighed. Then I looked up. Dusky was already staring. We looked around in wonder. There were many niches in the walls, and each of them had something in them. It was like a temptation trove. I bet if you even touched one of them, they would set of a trap. That would mean even if the person was standing next to a wall and was able to grab onto a niche, they would alert the alarm and they would die anyway. It was a wonderful scheme.

So we just slowly floated down, rocking slightly, since the wings were flapping. We did this for awhile, just floating down and appreciating the beautiful wares in the niches. Then I noticed something.

'Dusky, the tunnels getting narrower.'

'Oh, yeah! The stuff is much closer now!' she said smiling. I frowned. This was not good.

'Have you thought about the wing-span that is needed to lift us up? If it narrows any more, the wings would brush the stuff on the walls and we would probably set off a trap!'

She widened her eyes.

'What should we do?'

'What do you think is the lightest in the world?'

'Ummm… Feathers! No, feathers sink in air… Air! Wait, air weighs a lot too… Nothing! Nada! Void! Vacuum!'

I nodded.

'Hold your breath Dusky.'

'Why? Oh.' 'She looked panicked with a 'why did I talk aloud?' face on.

'What, you don't mean to?'

'Yup.'

She sighed

'Why did I answer your question with an answer like that?' She said, knowing what I was going to do was probably harebrained anyway. And we would need to sacrifice the wings.

'Remember Dusky; don't ever touch the niches, just the walls.'

Then I took a deep breath and thrust all the air in the tunnel, making it stream towards the room above. The air streamed then struggled; it didn't want to leave space unfilled. I was firm, though my grip did loosen, then I had to go back. My staff (with us on it) was starting to stream upwards too, with the air. I disabled the wings and guess what? We started to fall. Dusky started screaming, nearly crushing my hand to death. I tried to ignore the pain (Ouch, I think my bone just cracked a little...) and shoved all the air into the room. I closed my eyes and then I searched for the door that closed the room, then I shut the door, shoving the air one more time, not leaving a single particle of air in the tunnel. We stopped falling and stayed where we were. I took my book out, and the pencils.

I'm going to concentrate on changing the waste air in your lungs back into oxygen so you can live ok? I'm going to do the same for me, so you drag me along. Hold my hand, and don't let go ok?'

She nodded her face serious. She put the hood down and got this strap from nowhere. Then she strapped the crystal light onto her head. I did the same, since I didn't want anything to impede my vision when I needed it. I nodded at her, took her hand, closed my eyes and started concentrating on the air that our lungs held.

In Dusky's mind

I held Wind's hand tightly and kept on pushing the wall to let us go downwards. It was slow, but I now knew how good this idea was, since the tunnel was definitely narrower than the wingspan of the staff Wind was holding. I reminded myself not to breathe in. For twenty minutes, I haven't breathed in, and I was still alive, which meant Wind was doing her job well. The light was still working and I saw a glimmer of something at the end. It was getting uncomfortable for me, since I was manoeuvring Wind not to hit the other side while I avoided the niches myself.

It was a globe of…water? I shook Wind's hand and she opened her eyes slowly. Then she saw the water and smiled at me. We cleared the tunnel and we ended up in an open space. Wind stopped us just above the globe of water and I guess, summoning air back into the tunnel since I heard the whoosh of sound and suddenly, we were falling, the water was falling too, though not as much. We landed in the water, me holding Wind's hand very tightly in hope not to get separated.

We got bashed into the wall. To all the people who had not had the pleasure to get bashed into a wall by a freak wave, it hurts. But there was a metal bar. I tried to grab it, and I missed, my hand just millimetres from the rod. Then Wind's staff flashed into my hand. I hooked it behind the bar and drew the staff around it. Wind hugged my waist as I took both sides of the staff in my hands. The water started to try and pull us back. The metal bar bent, but the staff didn't snap. Even in this dire situation, I was amazed. Whoever heard of wood that's harder than steel? It really was indestructible.

The water surged up again, and I banged my head on the wall.

Ouch.

I took this chance (despite the throbbing in my head) and started to climb/slide the metal bar. I was gripping the bar with my legs while still holding the staff, as the water slid back, and kept hold of it in case the water slid back again. I would need it.

Wind climbed up, clambering on top of me. Her feet dug into my shoulder.

That really hurts. I wish I had Kurapika… then at least I would die staring at him...

She took the staff so I gripped the bar with my hands. Wind was above me now, and she started climbing fast. I guess she was afraid of the freak wave coming back too. We climbed and climbed, my hands were forming blisters.

Then we arrived at a landing with a metal air-proof door. (All this drama happened in the space of two hours; I checked the watch, which thankfully was waterproof. We were nearly ground level I think, although we climbed up again.) I blinked, water still stinging my eyes. Then I gasped. Behind the air-lock door, there was another door.

-The right path or the left? Press the cross for left, the circle for right-

I blinked. No clue? No criteria? Wind seemed taken aback as I was, while trying to dry her super long hair. It looked really pretty.

'So, what should we do?' I asked her. She had always been a good tactician; she had beaten nearly everyone in chess.

In Wind's mind

I stared at the door. I could only use air right now, which can't help… Can it? I looked around. Solid stuff didn't have air. So I strode forward and put my hands on the left door. Then I focused on the air behind it.

A tunnel with no furniture, goes down and down then suddenly rises up and ends at another door.

Then I went to the right door. I was starting to feel a little strange. Maybe it was because I used my power too much? I shrugged. So what? I concentrated on the air behind the door again.

This tunnel goes up, also no furniture. Up and up and up and suddenly drops.

This might be the wrong decision, but going down was the point right? Anyway, we could fly, so there was no problem.

I turned to Dusky, who was looking at me curiously.

'We go right.'

I started forward and suddenly stopped and scratched my head as I realised something..

'Hey Dusky, I just realised. You know that trick we did to float down here? It shouldn't have worked, according to the physics to our own world.'

Dusky widened her eyes.

'You mean you knew that and STILL DID IT?'

I backed away nervously.

~Meanwhile~

'Aaah. Already two hours. Perhaps all the other people have entered other doors. And the only ones still on top are just the last morons! Why can't Wind come down with us? That annoys me. That annoys me.' Leorio stood up, his hands on his hands, his expression in an angry face.

'Clack' the roof made a noise. All of them looked up.

'An annoying last moron is coming down now, Leorio.' Kurapika said.

'Shuu…' A tile started to flip.

And Tompa landed in front of them. He stood up, looked around and scratched his head.

'You!' Leorio burst out.

~Back to Wind~

After a little 'debate' and a scuffle, we both pressed the circle on our watches. The right door slowly opened with a mechanical whirring sound. And so, we started to climb.

'Hey Wind, aren't we supposed to go down?' she asked me.

'Just trust me. Anyway Dusky, can you let me see your sapphire dress? I really want to see it. And un-strap that light from your head, it's really distracting me. It looks like this weird glowing growth on your head. Trust me, it doesn't look nice.'

She complied, unstrapped the globe, gave it to me and took off the cloak. The condensed sapphire dress was brilliant. It was like the colour was compressed into this brilliant hue that was ten-thousand times brighter than a normal light coloured sapphire. And blue suited Dusky really well, as her black hair was a blue-black.

'Wow.'

'I know.'

We walked in silence for a few minutes. Then Dusky asked me the same thing.

'Can I see the moonbeam dress?'

'Sure.' So this time, I took off my cloak. The condensed moonbeams shone. Dusky's eyes widened.

'That looks amazing!'

I nodded in agreement, looking at the dress in admiration. Then I thought of something.

'Hey Dusky, Netero-san said that everyone had a status in Avril, and Jeb said that my dress was the sign of the imperial princess. Does that mean the colour of your dress is the status indication?'

She nodded.

'Sunbeams are for the high King/Queen. They are the highest see. Then the imperial princess gets moonbeams, and then the other princes and princesses have a dress or tunic corresponding to where they came from. There are five clans (for the elements). The Clan of Fire currently holds the high throne, since the last five-elemental possessor came from there. Then there are the Wind Nomads, where you come from, and then there are the Earth Kin and the Water Tribe of course!'

I nodded.

'Actually, you being the imperial princess from the Wind Nomads were a good political statement, since air can be connected, all in positive ways, to all the other elements except for the fifth. The Water tribe were starting to stir, since they don't appreciate the Clan of Fire that much. But since you became imperial princess, they have stopped. So you're really important, and because of all that good feeling, some people hate you of course, so there are people trying to kill you.'

I nodded again. This was expected, since when there are people who are happy, there are always people who disapprove. It was the nature of things.

'You are the daughter of the Head of the Wind Nomads, so even if you weren't imperial, you would have been a princess anyway. But since you are doubly royal (it hasn't been for some time, and the person who holds the five-elements is always a girl. Remember that!) You are a bit more powerful than the normal elemental people. That's why you haven't been killed yet.'

I chuckled a bit. No wonder Netero-san couldn't save his ball! Wait, that kind of sounded wrong…

'Anyway, the Wind Tribe has a multi-coloured shining robe. Its fabric doesn't have a set colour see? Then the fire clan has red and orange, etc. Water has blue and green, all shades. Earth has brown and yellow, (to represent sand, that type of stuff). Fifth element has black. The paler the colour is, the weaker you are. So a really pale red (like pink) means a really weak fire user. But the leader of the tribe (since they are the most powerful) would have a blazing red, get it? The robe corresponds with your power.'

'Huh? Corresponds? What does that mean?'

She sighed.

'Ok, explaining. No matter what dress you wear, if it was made in Avril, even if you swap dresses me, my dress would turn white, and the dress you gave me would turn blue again, so that we are wearing the same dresses again. And the colour shade too. When you're born and a week old, they put a similar materialed dress on the baby, and they indentify what clan they should be put in by the colour. Mostly, it is hereditary, but if, for example, a water controller was born to an air-user tribe, then the Wind user parents would go to the Water tribe to let the child grow up, and then when they are ten, they leave them there. The child could, of course, visit them anytime, but they would live there like a normal water controller.'

What a long winded speech! Dusky opened her mouth. I committed the section of information to my brain and listened attentively.

'I have such a blue dress, is not because I can control water, it's because I am your best friend, and they gave me a dress and it turned to blue, which means loyalty and friendship. So technically, I'm your bodyguard and friend.'

'Oh, ok.'

'I was apparently adopted by the water tribe because my dress turned blue. It seems that I was adopted by the head of the Water tribe, but I live with you in the high imperial palace anyway.'

She took a deep breath. I widened my eyes.

'Stop the info! My head's going to explode! Tell me later!'

This time, Dusky chuckled.

'Ok. Wow, is that a cliff? It sure looks like it. No wonder you chose this path.'

I smiled at her and got my staff out again. Then I imagined them growing again.　I felt a little dizzy then, but I shrugged it off.

'Hop on!'

And we just jumped off and flew down.

We had been flying down for a long time now, like four hours? Dusky and I were talking happily, reminiscing about the crazy stuff we had done. Then the light hit the floor.

'Oh look, we're at the bottom!'

'If it wasn't, what would it be? Idiot.'

She pouted at me. I stuck my tongue at her.

There was another message.

-Go right and reach the bottom in 5 minutes. Go left and reach the bottom in 45 minutes. Left can only admit 1 person. Press cross for right and circle for left-

This was simple. Gon had stumbled on a similar question. We both knew what to do. So we just pressed circle. We stood facing the wall. I blocked the video screen from what we were doing, (I had wanted to try this for some time.) I took Dusky's hand without telling her what I was thinking of doing, turned us as insubstantial as air and eased through the pores of the brick. That took like twenty minutes just to make us insubstantial another twenty minutes to make us solid again.

After we passed, Dusky immediately took her hand from mine.

'Don't EVER do that again. That was horrible, feeling that rock in your intestine literally is just… ergh, I want to vomit.'

I laughed.

'Then vomit in the corner where I can't smell it! Let's go!'

I hoisted Dusky up because she still looked a little green and ran forward in full tilt. We reached the finish in exactly five minutes! The door opened for us (I bet Lippo, the trick tower overseer, didn't expect us to finish do fast! Heh.)

I was surprised; we were nearly as fast as Hisoka.

When we stepped in, a voice announced our arrival.

'THIRD ROUND SECOND AND THIRD ARRIVED, WIND AND DUSK. TIME USED: 6HRS 45 MINUTES.'

Hisoka had built a card-tower already. He looked up, with a raised eyebrow. I guess this was Hisoka's really surprised face. We had put on our cloaks already, so were guys again. I led Dusky to the middle of the floor and sat. Why should I fear Hisoka? He wasn't bloodthirsty right now. I got my sticker sheet and pressed the on button and started to watch what Gon's shoulder was seeing.

I nearly gasped in surprise. I saw Killua's face. Then I saw him walking towards a hulk of a man with really long arms.

I was in time to see Killua's match! I smiled a bit, waved Dusky over and she watched with me. Hisoka just kept building his card towers, though I sensed his curiosity. As if I'll tell him I was really strong. If I did, he would probably challenge me to a match then and there. I wasn't that crazy.

And so, I leaned on my pack, hugged my staff, put my head on Dusky's shoulder (she was taller than me) and started to enjoy the show that was showing on the back of the sticker sheet. No doubt Hisoka would be confused as of why we were staring at the back of a Superman sticker sheet. Actually, does Superman even exist in this world?

So here it is, and as usual, anything you want to tell me about this story, just review!

Colbub ^(oo)^