A/N: Thank you SOOO very much to those who read and reviewed, you were a beautiful audience! Hahah. I never expected to get that much of a reaction, really.
To I-Love-Anime0, it was the remix of 'Love Song' by Taylor Swift. :) thanks for actually reading the author's note.
DISCLAIMER: Seriously, do we HAVE to go through with this again?
Enjoy!
Amu landed in another forest, but one of earth, she knew. She felt such a relief and happiness in her heart, the same feeling you getas you're arriving home after a long time away feeling homesick.
She took a breath of fresh air, trying to take it all in.
"Ran? Miki, Su?" She called, surveying her surroundings.
"Ow... over here." Ran moaned, rubbing her bum as she crawled out of a bush. She was as tall as Amu, and appeared as a normal girl, like her. Same with Miki, who walked out from behind a tree.
"Portal's fault." Miki smirked when Amu arched an eyebrow.
"Yeah, the portal changes everyone to human once you cross into here." Su explained in her high, soft voice, walking from behind.
Behind them there was a small gazebo, flowering plants growing over and intertwining around its columns and white wood rails, tucked in between a tree and an overgrowth of bushes, hiding it from wandering eyes. Few people ever came this far into the forest, and the ones who did were of no threat.
The gazebo was the other side of the portal. Only the ones with particular auras could cross. Amu smiled at it, memories rushing back to her. She sat down on one of its two benches and let the nostalgia take her.
She remembered back when she was little, about 6 or 7, and had escaped from the castle into the forest, crying. This life she led, it all felt so unfamiliar. Everything about it was completely alien to her. She hated it, the robotic servants, the formal king and queens who she would not accept as her 'parents', the empty landscape that was like a bubble in space, with nothing beyond. It was... scary. Like everyone and everything was dead. The knight she'd met earlier today seemed like the only real person she'd met in ages, like everyone else were mannequins, and the dragon like the only real creature, her charas like her only real companions.
And that is when she came across the portal. She crossed it, and after hours of being lost in the forest, was found by an extremely kind young couple. They took her in and cared for her, taught her real things, and they felt. They weren't poker-faced and stoic, they smiled and laughed, and dreamed, and taught her to do the same. She felt at home for the first time in her life. They made her hate that place she once was forced to live in. Best of all... they made her forget it. That year, they had a baby. Amu helped them name her, in a way.
"Ami." She remembered the sweet smiles of the couple. "Your little sister." Amu had felt like she was part of a family, for the first time in her life.
But they found her. They kidnapped her. And they dragged her back into the sad excuse of 'life', the nightmare of a 'world', the plastic fake-ness of it all. And they locked her in a tower, on top of all of that.
"Amu?" Su called in a worried voice. She snapped back to reality, and the thought of her new reality brought the smile back to her face. She squealed with excitement, jumping from the bench and grabbing Su's hand while she ran, causing a human chain to form as Su gripped Miki and Miki clutched Ran.
They broke through the trees, and at the sight of the park, the streets and buildings and cars, she almost screamed in euphoria.
Walking through the town for a while like friends on an outing in a foreign country, they pointed at near everything and commented about it. Ran pouted after a while.
"I miss floating." She whined, and sat on the ground, rubbing her legs.
"You know, we can still revert to our original selves in a form only Amu and magic-aura possessors could see us." Miki informed as calmly as if she were discussing a deal on car insurance.
"What? Why didn't you mention that before?" Ran exclaimed.
"Because the exercise is good for you." Miki smirked.
"Screw exercise!" Ran grabbed Miki and Su's wrists and burst into the nearest clothing store, all the way back to the vacant dressing rooms, Amu following close behind.
"Okay. So, how do we do this?" Ran questioned eagerly, and Amu rolled her eyes when all three looked to her.
"What do you want me to do?" Amu sighed.
"Your lock." Su stated. Subconsciously, a hand placed itself upon her chest, feeling the necklace she always had hidden under her clothes. Hesitantly, she pulled out the small, intricately ornate lock that must have been made by an artist of some sort, and held it in her palm in front of her chest, the gold chain tugging at her neck.
All three of them placed a hand upon it and closed their eyes. Like dust, they seemed to be carried off by some wind, only leaving their now tiny forms behind.
"We're back to normal!" Ran marveled.
"Why didn't I know about this?" She shot at her two sisters.
"You never asked." Miki teased, Su laughing nervously. Amu smiled at their banter, and stared down at her lock. She longed to find the key, to discover the true power this small charm withheld. She found it the same day she found the portal for the first time, it hung from the side of the arch. Jumping to reach for it is how she fell through.
Tucking it back safely in her bosom, they ventured outside once more. Too quickly she realized they were homeless. The human parents she'd had, had they forgotten about her? This saddened her. What were the chances of her finding them again?
She walked to a bench, and laid down on it, staring up at the clouds sailing in the clear blue skies. She had to try to find them, right? She would. But for now, she really didn't mind hanging outdoors for a while. She'd finally escaped. She was home.
Another smile pulled at her lips.
Across the street, a boy a few years older than her stared at the pink-haired teenager watching the sky. He also stared at the three floating figures around her.
"...Princess Hinamori Amu.... Amu." He breathed her name. One second, he was in hell. The other, he was human and on earth. The strange occurrence was just like that one that had happened almost 9 years ago. The princess had done it again. And, man, was he glad that she did. He was so glad to be out of there, again. How this happened, he couldn't understand completely. But for all their sakes, it was best to keep Hinamori away from that 'world'. Running a hand through his navy locks, he sighed.
"Ne, aren't you glad we're free, and aren't you glad to see me again?" His guardian floated beside him.
He nodded, before tightening the slinging the instrument case strap over his shoulder and continuing down the sidewalk.
Amu looked to the dark blue, almost black haired boy walking in the opposite direction on the other side of the street.
"He looks familiar." She muttered to her guardians,a and they silently agreed.
There was something weird about that boy. Something unearthly. A feeling at the pit of her stomach told her that this was only the beginning.
Remember, R&R! Wow, ideas for this story are coming along easier than most of my others. It's probably half-hearted, if that's the case. Well, love you all!
~Yasu