Author's Note: passes out...too...much...TYPING...ugghhh. As you will see in a moment, this chapter is very long. Beware the wall of text.

To the reviewers:

Hazuki-Masaru: Thank you! Usually, ideas don't come to me that quickly but for this story they did..how strange. I like your fanfic as well! Keep writing, its good for the soul!

Disclaimer: I do not own Ojamajo Doremi or its characters, they are the copyright of Toei Animation.

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Doremi pounded her feet down the dirt path, the ojamajo's fists clenched so tightly that Hazuki could see the whites of her knuckles. "That pig-headed idiot!!Who does he think he is?! He's just trying to win so we can't have the prize," she fumed, grinding her teeth.

"Erm...maybe its just some friendly competition?" Hazuki smiled timidly.

"Friendly competition my butt!" Doremi simmered, stomping like an enraged elephant. Hazuki decided it was best she didn't say anymore, and studied the map, looking for the quickest way to the exit. About 10 minutes of silence passed by.

"That's it! I can't take it anymore," Doremi yelled, causing Hazuki to abruptly look up. The pink witch turned around, flailing her arms. "We're just strolling along, wasting our time away, while Kotake could already be halfway there!" She faced forward again, her fist raised. "I can't let him win that steak, I just can't.." Doremi froze, unmoving for a second, before taking off full-speed down the path.

Hazuki's eyes widened and the map slipped through her fingers. "Doremi-chan, you shouldn't run so fast!" The witch chased after her, legs pumping as hard as they could go. She turned right at the fork, looking around to find no sign of her friend. She pivoted and turned around to search to the left, running without thought.

Sometimes I think she can be a little too energetic... Her eyelids drooped, worried. The witch frantically searched the area as she flew across the trail, ponytail whipping the nape of her neck. And the day was going so calmly-

Before she could finish that thought, a fallen stalk snagged Hazuki's foot. The girl's pupils dilated in shock as her glasses slid down her nose, flying forward from the sudden jerk. Her vision blurred and she forgot she was falling. The witches body seemed to plummet in slow motion, before smashing into the ground with a sickening bang.

All the air rushed from her lungs and Hazuki wheezed, trying to breathe. Her chest felt as if it were crushed, unable to expand and take in air. Hacking and coughing, she pushed her torso from the ground. Piercing pain shot through her muscles and she winced. The brunette gasped for breath until her lungs began to fill out again, recovering from the impact. She inhaled slowly and coughed, making sure she could breathe normally again.

The witch exhaled and inhaled quietly for a few seconds before attempting to sit up. She rolled over and cried out, a throbbing sensation pulsing in her right ankle. Reflexively her arms reached to touch it. Hazuki probed the injury with her fingers, biting her tongue in reaction but managing to feel that it was inflamed and strangely bony.

"That doesn't feel good..." the young witch blinked, unable to see properly what was in front of her. She pulled back her hands, and assessed the precarious situation, though it was difficult to think about anything but the pain that racked her leg.

"I-I don't think I can stand and walk back with this injury...and I can barely see a thing without my glasses..." Hazuki struggled not to feel that she was stuck, destined to...die in the endless maze. A lump clogged the back of her throat at that grim thought, but she forced it down, knowing that crying wouldn't solve anything. She was helpless with no food or water, meaning there was only one option.

"Someone must be nearby, it's.." She paused for a moment and gulped. "...it's my only hope."

She ignored the messages of pain her ankle was sending and inhaled deeply. "Is anyone out there!!! I need help!!" The witches soft voice naturally didn't carry very far, but Hazuki refused to give up. She shouted again and again, hoping that by some sliver of a chance, there would be someone to rescue her.

A gust of wind settled and the map flittered to the ground, landing face up in the sun. The paths illustrated upon it looped and twisted, almost undecipherable until they sloped downhill, connecting at a point.

It was a bird.

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A cloud passed in front of the sun, casting a dim shadow across the fields, crawling over the tops of stalks. Silence wafted through the forest, almost deafening, for there had been a gentle breeze blowing only a moment ago.

Rather indifferent to the whole competition, Hasebe and Masaru walked at a sluggish pace, their expressions blank as usual. Hasebe picked at a corn husk he had torn from one of the stalks, flicking pieces of it absentmindedly. Yada had his hands shoved in his pockets, one curled over the crumpled up map. Both really didn't care which way they were going and were basically wasting time away.

Takeshi peeled off the last husk and tossed the stub to the side. He glanced at Masaru. "Yada-kun, did you see Kotake egging on Harukaze?"

The other boy grunted. "He's such as idiot. If he likes her so much, then why doesn't he just confess, so the rest of us can get on with our lives."

"He'd be too embarrassed I guess. But if he doesn't confess at some time, the feeling will haunt him for the rest of his life." Hasebe exhaled, agitated.

"Exactly," the quiet boy muttered. "...whatever. It's not really our problem." He kicked a pebble down the trail.

"Yeah, but sometimes it frustrates me for some reason." The clandestine boy mulled over the subject in his head, purple eyes squinting in concentration.

Masaru halted, his mouth slightly open. He turned to face the wall of corn. "Did you hear something," he inquired Hasebe.

The tall boy shook his head. "No. Your probably just-" A faint shriek rang out, almost too vague to hear. "...wait...what is that?" The distant sound rang out again, a little softer this time. Hasebe looked to where Yada was staring.

"It sounds like someone screaming." He pulled one of his hands out of his pocket and cupped his ear, searching for where the noise was coming from. It was getting softer every minute. Masaru inclined to Hasebe with his other hand, motioning for him to follow.

They pushed through the barrier of corn stalks, ignoring the repercussions they may get from Seki-sensei. The sound had stopped and it was eerily silent, but Yada and Takeshi already knew which way it had come from. Pushing out to the other side, they found a path leading to a fork strait ahead.

"It must be that way," Masaru mumbled. His best friend nodded and they started jogging down the trail, Hasebe one step behind Yada.

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Hazuki coughed, a nasty rasping noise coming out whenever she did. She had been shouting for twenty minutes strait, and still no one came to her aid. The brunette stared at her legs, blinking rapidly.

The situation felt even more hopeless. Her throat was on fire and she had no other way of calling other people. Maybe...maybe she was destined to die here.

I didn't even figure out what that dream meant yet... A crystal tear slid down her cheek and she sobbed, not even bothering to wipe it away. Alone and out of luck, Hazuki weeped.

Masaru skidded to a stop at the fork, listening. Hasebe copied his actions.

"Crying..." The green-haired boy mumbled to himself. He took two steps forward, peering down the left path. Hasebe stood behind him. "What is-"

"Fujiwara!?" Yada yelled, shocked and horrified at the scene before him. He dashed over to her without thinking, leaving Hasebe in the dust.

"What happened!? Why are you alone?! And where's Harukaze!? Did-" He stopped his barrage of questions when Hazuki looked up at his face. Maybe it was her bloodshot, solemn eyes or her tearstained shirt. Or maybe it was his whole disgust for the ordeal. Masaru's chest lurched, and he suddenly felt angry with the whole world that such a sweet girl could be punished this way. Squatting down to her eye level, he reached out to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear.

Hazuki sobbed and thanked the gods that someone, someone had come to save her. "M-Masaru-kun y-your...here..I-I'm a-alive.." She shuddered and wiped her eyes, smiling. "...Th-thank goodness.." Sniffling, she strained to see his features, which were but blurs of color.

Hasebe, who had recovered from his friends sudden sprint, leaned over holding out Hazuki's glasses. "I found your glasses. It's a miracle that they aren't broken." Hazuki fumbled for a moment and took them gratefully. "Thank you Hasebe-kun." The witches voice felt clearer and more relaxed. She put them on, overjoyed that she could see again.

Yada scanned her until his focus came to a halt on her ankle. The skin was lumpy, slightly deformed. He carefully touched it, causing Hazuki to yelp in pain. He jerked his hand back. "Sorry!"

Hazuki's half smiled. "It's alright." Hasebe bent his knees, hunching over to look at the injury. "It might be sprained," the tall boy assessed.

Masaru furrowed his eyebrows, thinking. "...Hasebe. You go and run ahead to inform the teachers. I'll make sure Fujiwara gets out of the maze safely."

Takeshi looked at him weirdly. "But wouldn't it make more sense to stick together?"

Masaru shook his head. "Think about it. If you get there before us, the teachers could get first aid to arrive early." He pointed to Hazuki's ankle. "And accounting for her condition, we shouldn't wait much longer." Hasebe nodded, understanding his point.

Hazuki, who had stayed silent through the whole exchange, stared at the ground, depressed. "I'm sorry to trouble you both so much..." She pressed a fist to her chest.

"It's nothing." Hasebe stood up and waved at the two. "I'll get help as fast as I can!" He broke into a run, disappearing down the first right turn.

Masaru turned back to Hazuki. "Idiot."

"Huh?"

"Idiot," the green-haired boy repeated. "You shouldn't worry so much about what other people think." He rose to stand in front of her. "If we want to help, it's not troublesome. Don't be so hard on yourself."

The brunette felt bewildered for a moment before realizing the meaning of his words. "...your right. I am truly grateful for you and Hasebe-kun's assistance." She perked up, orange-brown eyes sparkling with happiness.

Yada exhaled and glanced at the sky. Turning so that his back faced Hazuki, he crouched down, hands at his sides. "Get on", he said.

"Eh?!" Images flashed in Hazuki's mind.

Bawling, a young girl shook her head violently, refusing the hand a quiet boy held out to her.

He slowly turned around, bending his knees so that the girl could climb on his back.

"Get on. It's starting to get dark."

Hazuki snapped out of her state of Deja Vu with a squeak. Shyly, she placed her arms around his neck, bending forward. Yada responded by lifting her legs so that they were secure around his waist. He stood up and started walking in the direction he had come from with a constant stride, though not without some effort.

Hazuki blushed. He smells like the yard after a rainy day...fresh and calm. She held her breath and inhaled, eyes closed. Masaru heard her and a tinge of rose spread across his cheeks.

"...hey Fujiwara...how did this happen in the first place?"

Hazuki opened her eyes and frowned. She clenched the fabric of his shirt tighter.

Yada took this as a refusal. "You don't have to tell-"

Hazuki interrupted him. "No, it's alright..." Loosening her grip, she sighed softly.

"When the race started, Doremi-chan was furious at Kotake-kun. You know..." The boys hair rustled, indicating that he nodded. "She called him names for a while and we didn't talk after that." The witch tilted her head downward. "It turns out, she was more desperate for that steak then I thought. So she ran off, leaving me behind."

Masaru growled at this. "Harukaze, that idiot," he spat.

"W-wait Masaru-kun, you shouldn't judge her like that! She was blinded by her...passion and acted without thinking. Please don't blame it on her!" The brunettes eyes wobbled, pleading for his forgiveness, even though she knew he couldn't see them.

Yada grunted, still thinking it was Doremi's fault. Hazuki felt there was no use arguing with him and continued on with the story.

"I chased after her and came to a crossroads. I ran down the right path, but when I turned around to go the other way," she winced, her foot bumping against his thigh, "-my foot got snagged on a broken corn stalk, causing me to fall and my glasses to slip off."

"The wind got knocked out of me. It..it was so hard to breathe," she stuttered. "I had felt so helpless, unable to walk or see properly..." Hazuki fell silent.

Masaru prompted her. "And?"

"And...I thought I was going to...die. Alone, without experiencing everything there is to experience in life." She stared at the back of his neck.

Masaru thought over her account of the event. "You wouldn't have died. Everyone would have noticed you were gone and would have looked for you. But...I suppose when someone panics, they don't think strait."

"Yes, I guess I was a little too paranoid back there." She shivered. "But it was so frightening..."

"Don't think about it. Things like that don't matter, now that your safe," he ordered.

Hazuki smiled, her cheeks rosy. "Your right." She rested her chin on his shoulder. He flinched and she blushed crimson.

"Masaru-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"How do you know we're going the right way?"

"When I was little my," he hesitated, "-dad taught me how to navigate by using the stars." He pointed with his nose at the darkening sky, where many pinpricks of light were already visible.

"Wow, that's amazing! Your dad must be very intelligent."

"Not really..." He mumbled more to himself then her.

"...Masaru-kun?"

"What?"

Hazuki's eyelashes brushed her cheeks. "Thank you for saving me." The witch turned scarlet and felt his muscles tighten.

"...your welcome." He felt lightheaded for a moment, before both of them fell into a comfortable silence.

Content with Masaru's answer, Hazuki focused on the steady rising and falling of his back, trying to shut out the pain of her constantly throbbing ankle. Deciding that sleep was probably the best way to pass the time, she rested her head in-between his shoulder blades. The witch drifted slowly into unconsciousness, her heart thumping wildly...

Blotches of gray and black faded into view, the picture of her fears becoming clearer every second. Somehow, she was waking up from the eternal darkness that held her, the light at the end of the tunnel only steps away once more.

Hazuki rose up and leaped into the light, free from the chain that had bounded her. But what she saw on the other side was more shocking then even the the most grotesque of horrors in the maze.

Dancing in a whirlpool of wind and sunlight, pink petals flitted to and fro. Their source, cherry blossom trees, dominated the forest of enchantment, brittle tree trunks growing powerful and strong from the fertile soil. Beams of sunlight cascaded over the clearing, bathing it in a warm glow. Petals gleamed brightly from the path. Everywhere, rosy shades of pink glittered beautifully, giving the forest a sense of natural magic. Only it was nothing compared to what Hazuki saw next.

The melody that had lead her to this unbelievable place broke off. Staring at her from the shade of a cherry blossom tree was Masaru. He leaned against the tree, motionless.

Hazuki gasped and tried to call out to him, though her mouth refused to open. It didn't need to.

Masaru lifted his trumpet, brushing the mouthpiece with his lips.

He was playing her song.