I'm back! The holidays are here so I can update! Yipee! Ah-hem, I need a moment to regain my composure. ^0^

Anyways, sorry for the late update, here's the next chapter! Some of my own characters will appear and be mentioned in the next chapter (spoilers!), look forward to it. Also, I've found out that I suck at describing so yeah, please help me... T^T

Disclaimer: I'm a failure... I'm too depressed to do the disclaimer.

Chapter 7

"Ah...! Shuuya-kun... Mmmm~"

Um, what was that...? , was my thought but Gazel and Burn just chuckled. We reached the table and saw Gouenji feeding a cake to Fubuki.

"Mmmm~ Shuuya-kun, this cake tastes great!", –he said, which made Gouenji smiled tenderly. So it was the cake... "Ah! Nagumo and Suzuno! Come, join us! Shuuya-kun's cakes taste great"!

"Yeah, we heard you.", Burn snickered.

"Pardon the intrusion.", was mine and Gazel's reply.

I looked around. I also saw Endou, Kidou, Tachimukai, Goenji and Kogure. They were having a soccer themed tea party. The sugar cubes looked like soccer balls. The cookies and sweets looked like soccer balls. The muffins had a picture of a soccer ball on the wrapper. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Touko and an unfamiliar man approached.

"We brought the honey! Um, who's this?", Touko questioned when she noticed me.

"We have a guest.", Gouenji looked at me, his smile turned into a smirk.", "We must introduce ourselves. I'm the Hatter. Call me Gouenji if you like." Gouenji looked mostly like himself only his clothes were very different. He had a dark-colored top hat with a very formal attire.

"I'm March Hare! Nice to meet you!", Fubuki smiled brightly. He also had rabbit ears but white fluffy ones. He seemed to be wearing his pajamas.

"I'm Doormouse. Nice to meet you!", Tachimukai said with a tensed voice. I smiled at him and he relaxed. He was wearing a worn-out tuxedo.

"Dodo! Pleasure to meet you!", Endou said, munching on a cookie. Strangely, he look almost exactly the same and was wearing a jumpsuit and had a soccer ball beside him.

"Call me Absolem. I'm a caterpillar.", Kidou said, adding a few soccer-ball-shaped sugar cubes in his tea. He looked very elegant with a black tux and a light blue tie.

"I'm Touko, a flower.", she said merrily. She also wore a black suit with a matching black tie.

They lost me. They look human and they call themselves by animals and plants' names?

"This is our human form. We're originally other living things.", Kidou/Absolem said and as if to prove his point, he turned into a caterpillar and back to human. I was impressed, but still, not another mind reader...

"I'm Hirato, human gardener.", said the unfamiliar man, which explained why he accompanied the flower. He seems at least 25 with a firm body and tanned skin. Personally, I found it a little bit odd that he had scars all over his body, for example on his nose and arms. He had white hair and clear cerulean eyes. Furthermore, his hair was a bit longer than mine, on the left, there's a strand that's longer than the rest and is braided and kept in place by a worn-out black ribbon.

"Hiroto, human.", I felt the need to introduce myself.

"Hiroto?", they all turned to me, except Gazel, Burn and Hirato, "So you're the one Kazemaru's been talking about!"

I had all the unneeded attention from everyone from the table, of course except the couple and gardener mentioned above, who were calmly sipping tea. That rabbit...

"If so, than we have to hurry. We have to go to the King immediately!", Endou said with a sense of urgency in his voice.

"We think otherwise!", I turned around and saw Sakuma with a victorious smirk on his face. So those footsteps belonged to him and..., "Well, if it isn't the infamous Hiroto-sama. The queen can't be more eager to have your head on a plate, medium rare, hahahaha. Lads, get his head!", he shouted while petting his hawk. Then I saw Genda, Wheeze, Ulvida, Nero, Barra, Tsunami, Ichinose and Domon came out of the bushes. They excitedly look at me and smirked. Time to put that soccer ball to good use. Those thoughts ran through my head but then Gazel stood up, lifted his hand.

"Release.", from his hand, ice spread towards Sakuma and his gang, froze them all but Sakuma, who only got his feet froze to the ground, "Surrender or your subordinates will die in the freezing darkness.", he said with an evil look on his face. Sakuma gulped.

"Fine, but you want something else, don't you?", Sakuma asked.

"Join us.", Gazel said calmly, "She won't give you anything even if you bring his head back. You have a higher risk of dying if you work for her rather than the King."

"Then, let them go." –Sakuma replied almost immediately, "Me, Fudou, my dear hawk, and my crew will join you. But, I hope your King is rich, we pirates can't resist the temptation of riches."

"He definitely is.", Gazel smirked, "Absorb."

The ice flew back at him and disappeared. They don't even flinch when they see this? Drinking tea so nonchalantly, they're used to this... I looked at Gazel then the ones at the table. They didn't even glance at Sakuma. Endou, Tachimukai and Burn were munching muffins, Kidou drank his tea while Fubuki was feeding Gouenji. Well, I was still happy that we have more allies, even just temporary.

"Well, since those pests are on our side,", Fubuki said, "we'll have to use Shuuya-kun's hats to travel, too, right?" He asked, still smiling brightly while his voice was filled with sarcasm.

"No, these pests will travel by their own ship.", Sakuma said, clearly annoyed.

"There's no need for both.", Gazel said as Burn unfolded his carpet. Gazel's carpet instantly flew to his master. The two said in unison as if rehearsed.

"Carpet, maximize.", they ordered. The carpets grew larger; it turned from big to huge. Everyone stared at them with amazement.

"You guys should have told them the carpets can expand.", Kidou, the only one weren't surprised, said calmly as the others raised their eyebrows. Burn and Gazel just shrugged and hopped aboard. I left the table and followed their example, so did the others, right after they pocketed some muffins except Endou, who grabbed a worn out soccer ball.

We got to the castle in no time and found the King, Haruna, Aki, Natsumi, standing at the gate to welcome us.

"Aphrodi?!", My voice was a bit too loud. But there he was, standing at the gates. He was King and also looked a few years older than the Aphrodi I know.

"It's been forever since I last heard that! But call me Terumi, Hiroto-kun.", He beamed a smile at me. No wonder Natsumi's description sounds familiar. "Come on in."

"You didn't have to welcome us, your Highness.", Endou said when we were walking inside.

"Oh, but I do! It's been forever since someone visits me, except the kingdom's 3 cutest witches!", he laughed whole-heartedly.", we're your only witches, I heard Natsumi mumble.

Well, that's the end of the chapter! I'll try my best to update chapter 8 as soon as possible. Please leave reviews, I'm in desperate need of opinion and help. I also thank all of those who followed this story, are still reading it or have read it, reviewed it... Thank you all, you make me very happy. :)