Yay, chapter two of the Ni No Kuni fanfiction. Sadly, I still don't own Ni No Kuni, but I hope that you all will love the attempt that I made at making a somewhat decent fanfiction.

Hopefully I will be able to update regularly for you people. Enjoy reading the chapters, I know I enjoy making them! :)

"Gogo, isn't he adorable?"

Esther giggled as the baby Shonky-Honker leapt onto her lap, nuzzling her cheek. Esther had been waiting for him to hatch for over a week, and the little thing had finally come out of it's egg and into the world. Shattered fragments of egg lay around on the dirt, pulsing a faint blue light before they faded to dust in the wind.

Gogo hopped over to the little familiar and gave a loud caw. The Shonky-Honker turned to the stranger and responded with an angry blast from his trumpet.

"Come on, now," Esther scolded the baby. "Gogo didn't mean it. He just likes to tease the younger familiars." Esther looked up at the trees above her. This place, once the dreaded Miasma Marshes, was now the Fortune's Forest. The poison rivers were replaced with sparkling clear waters, the bare trees now bursting with leaves that cast beautiful sunlight patterns onto the ground below. Who knew that a place once so terrifying could become so beautiful?

Esther herself had changed. She was no longer a child, recklessly plunging into adventures, but an adult. Her fiery temper had cooled somewhat, and she acted much more reasonably than she had as a child. She still wore her hair the same way: An untidy braid on the top of her head with two locks of hair around her ears, but her baggy pants were replaced with tight pink leggings underneath a purple skirt. She wore a purple jacket over a pink shirt, and a silver belt around her waist that had magical pockets you could barely see. She called it her bottomless belt, and it proved very useful in storing items.

"Do you want to come with us?" Esther asked the little creature. The Shonky-Honker leapt to his feet and bobbed his head in agreement. "You want to be a wizard's familiar?" Again, the familiar bobbed his head. "Alright, first off, you'll need a name. How about...Forte?"

Forte hopped in delight as he began to glow. He turned into a golden ball of light, which spun around Esther's head before plunging into her heart. Esther smiled and turned to Gogo, who squawked at Esther.

"What?" Esther blinked. "Sorry Gogo, I think the Nature's Tongue spell's worn off. I'll renew it again, okay?" Picking up her staff from the ground, she drew the symbols in the air. "There we go," she said, with a small sigh. The staff wasn't really hers, it was her father's, but she used it for the few spells she could cast. She wasn't a proper wizard, but she did know the odd spell or two, thanks to hours of training with Oliver and Marcissan. She tucked it into the bottomless belt, where it disappeared. Gogo squawked again, waving his wings.

"Don't worry, Gogo. We'll be going soon. Marcissan said that some guards have been reporting strange noises outside the city of Hamelin, and they want us to investigate. They think it's some kind of monster, maybe a bounty hunt of some sort." Gogo gave a short chirp. "No, I don't think it's the cause for all the disappearances. I don't think the thing gave any sound at all, there was just a lot of wind from what I can remember when it took Father." Esther sighed. "I can't remember the details much. There was a lot of black clouds, and then father was gone, and Swaine..." Esther bit her lip. Gogo hugged his mistress's leg comfortingly, and Esther smiled. "I miss him, Gogo. Swaine, Oliver, and I, we were a team. Oh, and Mr. Drippy. But half of the team's gone, and life just doesn't feel the same with them missing." Esther stood up, brushing the dirt off her leggings. "Come on, Gogo. We can't just stand around, dwelling on the past when there's things to be done. Next stop, Hamelin!"

~oOo~

Several weeks later, Esther stepped into the palace of Hamelin. The servants bowed to her as she passed, and she smiled to them in return. They knew her, and had raised her from her awkward teenage years to her adulthood.

"The Emperor Marcissan wishes to see you," one of the servants said, running up to her. Esther nodded. "Thank you." The servant smiled fondly at the girl as she made her way to Emperor Marcissan's chambers.

At the front of the doors she stopped and knocked. "Marcissan?" She called out.

"Come in," Marcissan replied. He sounded tired. Esther opened the door, and there was Marcissan at his desk, deep in a large pile of papers.

"So, how's running the empire been?" Esther asked, standing beside him. Marcissan looked up. His once slender frame had become strong and stocky, and he had grown a thick mustache. He had become the spitting image of his father, but his voice was softer, and he had a pale and more delicate appearance than the former emperor of Hamelin.

"Stressful," Marcissan said. "The babana merchant who we've usually bought shipments from has raised his prices to double what they were before, the guards have their hands full with the thieves that dwell in the backstreets of Hamelin, and so far the mechanics have been making little progress in their air filters, which we desperately need since more and more factories have started opening up."

"I'm sure everything's going to work out," Esther assured him. "Now, what about these strange noises?"

"The guards have claimed to have heard the noise for years, though only as a very faint noise that they could hardly hear. Lately, though, the noise has increased in volume, and they were able to determine where it came from: a certain mountain not too far away from the city. I thought it would be something you would be interested in. I'll send a guard with you to show you the way."

"Thanks," Esther said. "Oh, and the familiar egg I found hatched. This is Forte," she said, calling out the little Shonky-Honker. Marcissan smiled as the baby familiar curiously poked his mustache with his horn. "After you deal with the noise, I guess you'll be going back to work?"

"Yep," sighed Esther.

Marcissan raised his eyebrows. "What is it? I thought you enjoyed being a familiar healer."

"I do," Esther said. "But I miss adventuring with Oliver and you and Swaine and Mr. Drippy..."

Marcissan put a hand on her arm. "We'll find them. Swaine, your father, all of them. Do you want to go to bed before you investigate? It's going to get dark soon."

"No," Esther said. "I'll be fine. I have Gogo, after all. And Forte," she added, as the Shonky-Honker gave a loud honk.

"Very well then," Marcissan said. Standing up, he clapped his hands. "Hogsmo!" He called. There was a clattering of footsteps and a guard ran in, his spear held ready in his hands. "Yes, sir!" He said, standing to attention.

"You are to escort Miss Esther to where the noises were heard," Marcissan said.

"Yes sir. Come, Miss Esther," Hogsmo said, bowing to the lady. "I will take you to the mountain."

As Esther and Hogsmo stepped out of the gates of the city and into the open air, they were immediately spotted by a Sprog Cog, who rushed towards them, gears spinning, eager for a fight. Hogsmo jumped in front of Esther, spear at the ready, but Esther waved her hand and Gogo leapt out of her heart in front of the Sprog Cog, which slid to a halt, gears shifting nervously. Gogo thumped his chest and gave a challenging caw, and the Sprog Cog turned and fled, much to Hogsmo's surprise.

"Let's go," Esther said. Hogsmo nodded, and led her to a tall mountain. Esther walked around the base, trying to figure out a safe way up. The only way seemed to be a steep slope of loose stones leading to a small ledge. "Listen," Hogsmo whispered. Esther strained her ears, and she could hear it: A strange, yet somewhat familiar sound that amused her, though she didn't know why.

"Right," she said, turning to Hogsmo. "You stay down here."

"But Miss Esther-"

"If something happens, I need you to be able to get to Hamelin quickly," Esther said. "Just as a precaution."

Hogsmo nodded. "You can count on me, Miss Esther," he said, standing straight and saluting her. Esther turned and leapt up the stones, her feet seeming to barely touch the rocks. A few stones rolled out from under her feet, but she ignored them and continued upwards.

"Be careful!" Hogsmo shouted up to her. Esther payed him no heed. The sound was getting louder. She reached the ledge and looked down. Far below her was Hogsmo, shielding his face from the sun to look at her.

There was another ledge on the other side of the mountain, but a large gap separated her from it. And yet she was sure the noise was coming from over there. There was a small ledge that she could inch across if she was careful, but it would be dangerous. Of course, when you know a few spells, dangerous situations can become much less dangerous. Pulling out the staff from her bottomless belt, she drew a rune in the air, which looked like a large U with a line through it. The rune glowed blue, and Esther watched, satisfied, as a bridge of rock appeared at her feet, all the way to the other edge. She walked safely across the bridge, ducking under an outcropping of rock. As the sound grew louder, she noticed that from around the corner, there pulsed a purple light. A glowing rock of some sort? Esther crept along, tucking the staff back into her belt and pulling out her harp. Gogo waddled behind her, his staff in his hand, ready to give something a good whack.

Esther turned the corner and gasped.

"What is it?" Hogsmo said from below. Esther said nothing, stepping backwards. She tried to form words, but couldn't.

"Miss Esther?"

Esther swallowed. "Hogsmo, get Marcissan."

"Miss Esther, is something-"

"GO!" Hogsmo ran, dashing into the gates of Hamelin. Esther could do nothing but stare at the large crystal, and the floating figure inside. She placed her hands on the surface of the crystal, but could not reach him. Gogo squawked, giving the crystal a large thwack with his staff, as though to prove it was solid.

"I can't believe it. Gogo, I'm not dreaming, am I?" She peered into the crystal, and could just see enough of his features to recognize him. Now she understood why the strange noise was familiar.

"Esther? Are you awake?" Oliver sat up in his sleeping bag, looking around in the darkness.

"Of course I'm awake," Esther snapped. "How can I sleep with Swaine snoring louder than an Ulk?"

"Uh... do Ulk snore?" Oliver furrowed his brow, puzzled.

"You can hear a herd of sleeping Ulk from miles away," Esther said. "Mr. Drippy doesn't seem to be having any trouble getting to sleep," she commented, gesturing to the sleeping fairy.

"Yeah," said Oliver. "Anyway, I was wondering...Myrtle, your soul mate, she has a mom, but...what about you?"

Esther sighed. She had expected Oliver to say something about that. "Shadar killed her," she said. "When I was little, Shadar tried to kill me, but my Mom took the spell instead of me. As she was dying, she told my father to separate her soul from her soul mate, so she could save one more life. So my father took her to your world, and found Myrtle's mom, and separated their souls before mom died." Esther hugged her knees to her chest, deep in thought. "Mother always thought about others before herself. When she made a decision, she always made sure no one would get hurt in the process. I wish I was more like her."

Swaine grunted, turning over in his sleep. Esther's expression turned into one of annoyance. "I have half a mind to wake him so he'll stop snoring," she growled.

"I wouldn't recommend it," Oliver advised. "Drippy tried that once, and Swaine pulled out his gun and shot Drippy's lantern off his nose. I had to cast Rejuvenate and fix it for him."

Esther grumbled, pulling her pillow over her head and pressing it over her ears. "Good luck getting to sleep," she said.

Esther knocked on the crystal. "Swaine," she whispered. "Oh, Swaine, it's you!"