A/N: I'm trying my best to keep updating at least once per month (juggling between writing fiction, report and coding is hard you know). Here is a few responses to the review.

tearsfalldownmycheeks: CCS? Of course I know! I'm one of the Clamp-worshiper out there (grin). However, I don't intend to insert Sakura cs into this fiction. Sorry to disappoint you. And Brave Story has a novel? I didn't even know they had one until you mention it. 800 pages? Wow… there should be many details of Vision world and events that the animation had left out… Did you read it? envious stare Rest assured, Wataru would meet with his friends again.

koyuki-san: Yeah, I've added it into the disclaimer. I have just known that they have a novel though… I also ever thought if things had been different, probably Wataru would still be a crybaby and Mitsuru would still in his living in his painful reality, they wouldn't have a chance to help each other... (And we would miss a great movie!) About whether Mitsuru would have his power back, you will need to read this fiction through the end. :D

Title:helpan

Disc: Brave Story is an animation copyrighted by Gonzo and a novel written by Miyuki Miyabe (which I don't read... TT)

They descended the dull mountain and when the sun nearly set, they reached the camp. Wataru greeted a girl who was frightened over their sudden appearance. He apologized to the girl before asking for lodging and food. They introduced themselves as travelers and were welcomed with warmth and kindness. The camp was belonged to a traveling tribe who never stayed in one place - some sort of gypsy tribe. The tribe itself was consisted of 5 families. However, each family had a large member. Matchmaking probably was a tradition in this tribe. Tight blood relation had united the tribe, shielding them from hostility which had been a common trait in this modern community.

That night, Mitsuru awakened over a hazy dream which he could not fully remember. Sweat was trickling down his forehead. He remembered the temple's goddess statue – the goddess statue with blue pearl in her forehead. Instead of decaying and withering cold he felt in the altar room, he remembered a sensation of warmth and tranquility. Then he recalled looking a hand – a small shaky pale hand – grabbed over the pearl. There was shaking all over the place and he couldn't remember anything afterward.

Sitting up on his sleeping mattress, he rubbed his sweaty temples with his sleeves. A small murmur attracted his attention. His friend was not having a good sleeping time either. He looked around the tent, checking whether the tent owner was awake. Apparently not. They shared a tent with a male teenager who was sleeping soundly at the other end. The tent wasn't large but sturdy enough to stand over the hard wind and rainfall. Again, Wataru was tossing in his sleep. His face frowned. Mitsuru moved to his side and gently wake him up.

"Having that nightmare again?" Mitsuru asked his friend who was still blinking dreamily.

Wataru yawned and sat up. "Dunno. I didn't remember anything." Silence.

"Why are you awake in this kind of hour?" Wataru looked over his wristwatch. The hour hand pointed at the 1 figure. Mitsuru felt uneasy over his dream but decided to tell nothing to his friend.

"I heard you murmuring." He said with a low voice - half was because he was lying, half for not disturbing their host's sleep.

"Sorry."

"Never mind. Say, do you know where we should be heading? Any idea on who did this to you?"

"… I have a candidate, but I'm not sure on whether how to find her. Nor to prove whether she is the culprit." He paused again. "Last time I went here, I think I've angered a certain Goddess Candidate."

"Goddess Candidate?"

Wataru nodded. "She said something about replacing the Fortune Goddess. I don't really understand, but I conclude that if she can replace the Goddess then she must be some sort of Goddess Candidate."

"What have you done?"

"Refusing to listen to her anymore."

"Ha?"

"Yeah. Previously she was giving me hint on how to survive in this world and how to search for... the pearl." Wataru managed to hold his word. His tongue nearly slipped out 'to search for you'.

"That's all?"

Wataru waved his head with a 'nope'. "I stabbed her."

Mitsuru nodded with understanding. "I see." To have been stabbed was indeed a strong motivation to take revenge. Then a revelation dawned upon him. "You've stabbed someone?!"

"I was pinched. I didn't mean to, but yeah, I've stabbed someone." Wataru didn't try to defend himself.

Mitsuru stared at his friend. The thought of his kind friend stabbing someone alive was never occurred in his mind. "Then, how can you be so sure that she hasn't… died yet?"

"Well… considering that she has magic and she is not a real human…"

"Wait. Not a real human?"

"She had turned into a huge frog when I fought her."

Chewing this new information, Mitsuru's brain was overflowed. He massaged his forehead again and shut his eyes. "So, you're saying that this woman - who can turn into a frog and can use magic - is probably the source of the curse?" Wataru nodded.

"Have you some kind of strategy to face her?"

Wataru froze. That was the thing that never occurred in his mind. He only had been focusing on finding the culprit.

Mitsuru sighed. "I knew it…" He said. 'Planning ahead' has never and probably would never be his friend's department. This was one of the reasons he had been worried for him. When his friend had already too absorbed in something, he would focus all of its attention to it without even a single care of his surrounding. "Do you have any knowledge of facing a…" Mitsuru paused, trying to find a suitable word. "…witch?" He decided on the term.

If it was about magic, Mitsuru had a far advanced comprehension. But then again, that was the old Mitsuru, Wataru thought bitterly.

"What is it?" Mitsuru asked.

"Eh?"

"Your face looked troubled. Is there anything wrong?"

"No… nothing… About the magic stuff… I knew nothing about it…" He inclined his head downward.

"… Seems like you're thinking about something else." Mitsuru tilted a bit of his head, trying to get a better view of his friends face.

Wataru averted his gaze. "Nothing important." He clasped his own hand.

"Is the curse hurting again?" Mitsuru asked stubbornly.

Wataru's hand was unconsciously rubbing his chest. "No. It hasn't relapsed since we've came here." Mitsuru stared to him in pure disbelief.

"Really?" Apparently he really thought the curse was hurting again during their conversation. "Let me check it." He leaned forward and started unbuttoning his friend's pajamas.

"Wha-! What are you doing?!" Wataru said with strained whisper, trying to fend off his friend's hand.

During the struggle, Wataru fell back to his mattress with a soft thud. Their host tossed and mumbled some incoherent words. Both of the boys froze and shifted their attention to him. After a few seconds of silence, their host still looked very much sleeping. Both of them released a restrained sigh.

Blinking, they looked to their position which looked very much compromising. Wataru was pinned under Mitsuru with opened pajamas. His black spotted chest was slowly moving up and down according to his breath. A breeze blew past them and Wataru shivered. Both of them blushed. Mitsuru quickly pulled himself away.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to." Mitsuru sat himself at his mattress. He stole a quick glance to his sitting friend who was busy buttoning back his shirt. "Looks like it is ok."

Wataru nodded. "Let's just... sleep now." He whispered.

Mitsuru nodded. Both of them sleep on their mattress, blanketed with thick cover, facing opposite direction, averting each other's gaze.

The morning came and both of them - as well as the traveling tribe - prepared to depart. They went out of the tent to greet the new bright morning.

"Would any of you want breakfast?"

Wataru and Mitsuru whipped their head to the sound of an elderly woman. She brought a bowl of porridge in each of her hand. They took the breakfast with gratitude and sat down to eat together with her.

"Granny, do you know anything about witch frog?" Wataru asked after gulping down a spoonful.

The granny frowned, trying hard to remember. Half minute had passed and she was still in that state. Her spoon was still held in the mid air.

"Ano… it's ok if you don't know." Mitsuru said, afraid that she would never finish her breakfast because of them.

"No… I remember something that my mother… or was it my grandmother?" She put down her spoon back to the bowl, looking confused.

"Don't worry about it too much, granny. You should resume your breakfast." Wataru said, feeling guilty.

"My descendant ever told me a story about a frog worshipper village." She put down her bowl, looking serious, folding her hand over her stomach.

"Long time ago, an isolated village faced a long dry season. First, their plant was dying then the water was ransomed to sustain the village life. Following that, an epidemic disease occurred. One by one, the villager died. One day, a girl whose father is also dying from the disease decided to travel to other village to get a medicine. Nobody ever left the village before because there said to be a huge monster in the forest. Many people have witnessed its shadow and run before they were eaten. Despite that, she departed in early morning, leaving his father on his little brother care." Wataru and Mitsuru had finished their meal. The granny's bowl still lay untouched on the yellow ground.

"While she was walking through the forest, she met a small little frog. Surprisingly, the frog could talk. It asked her where she was going and what for. She answered its question politely. The frog warned her over the monster and advised her to return. The girl thanked it for the advice but she had no choice aside from move on. Then, it offered the girl its power to fight the monster. Normally, people would laugh over it and leave the frog behind. What can a tiny frog do in front of a big monster? But the girl felt thankful and accepted his offer. When the frog leaped to her palm, she received the secret knowledge of old magic. The frog disappeared after that. No need to say, you can guess the end of the story." The grandmother picked up her bowl and resumed her eating. Both of them decided to wait her to finish her breakfast before asking.

"Um, do you have any idea whether where this frog village is?" Wataru asked.

"It is folklore." The granny answered before leaving them.

Someone patted Wataru. "We're leaving. Do you want to come with us or do you have any direction?" Wataru and Mitsuru turned their head to see their tent host, Barǔ.

"Do you know anything about the frog village?" Wataru asked him instead.

Barǔ frowned. "Never heard of it. Where did you hear it from?"

"The granny just now."

"Ah… That granny." Barǔ smiled. "You can't possibly believe her, can you? Most of her stories are just made up. We've already get used to her."

Mitsuru and Wataru stared at each other. "Then do you know anything about frog witch?" Mitsuru asked.

Barǔ tilted his head. "We're not really into this kind of stuff. Why don't you just stop at Karkarǔa city to find some information?"

"Where is it?"

"North of here." He paused. "We're also heading north. Why don't you come with us and separate at the halfway later?"

Wataru and Mitsuru nodded. It seemed as a good idea.

"Do you want to ride the horse or just take carriage?" Barǔ asked them.

"I'll take a horse." Wataru replied, earning a surprise look from Mitsuru.

"You?"

"I'll stay in the carriage." Mitsuru replied politely with smile. Barǔ left them to finish the preparation.

"I never knew you can ride a horse." He said to Wataru.

"Happen to learn it once before." Wataru answered and left him, purposefully didn't want to elaborate though Mitsuru was still probing for a descent answer.

Wataru rode side by side with Barǔ and Gãla, behind Ashikawa carriage. They were at the last line. Barǔ and Gãla asked him whether he was a 'traveler' from another world to which Wataru answered honestly.

"I've been guessing that you are since your attire is very unique, especially your friend's. Ah, it's been long since we had a traveler." Gãla said.

"Not since the last disaster of black monster." Barǔ added. Wataru looked a bit guilty. Mitsuru was listening to their conversation until the girls also started to probe him when they had heard that he was a traveler.

The sun was already high when they parted on a bifurcated road.

"Just follow this path and you'll be in the city before sun down." Gãla said. They nodded and watched the group departed. Then they resumed their walk in silence.

"How much have you found out?" Mitsuru asked.

"The time flow in here and our world seemed to be the same…" Wataru didn't continue. At length, his stomach decided to speak for him.

"Come to think of it, we haven't have lunch yet…" He sighed.

Mitsuru pulled out a paper-wrapped square object. He gestured Wataru to take it.

"What is it?" Wataru opened the paper to find a pack of brown biscuit. The texture was not like anything in their world. It had a rough surface with big black spot spread disorderly. He took a bite and the biscuit melt as smooth as silk in his mouth.

"Sweet and delicious! Where did you get this, Mitsuru?"

"Those girls gave me."

"'those girls'? Oh… You're talking about the girls in your carriage. I wonder how you always success to infatuate any girl around you." Wataru said teasingly.

"Why don't you ask the girls instead of me?" He replied flatly. Girls – and any topic about girls – had always been annoying him.

"Oh, I thought you enjoyed your time. You seemed to smile a lot to them." Amusement tone was evident in his voice.

Mitsuru thought it was the time to turn the table. "Ah, are you jealous? You can't blame me for not being popular with girls." He grinned.

"Why should I? I'm not that interested."

"Really? You sound jealous to me. Or do you like boys instead?" He asked teasingly.

"I'm not!" Wataru was blushing furiously

"Which of it?"

"Both of them!"

"Oh yeah, you're not." Mitsuru made it sound as if he was giving up over a kid who ranted for candy.

"I told you I'm not jealous!" Wataru pouted.

"And didn't I agree with you already?" Mitsuru looked amused.

"Liar." Wataru muttered under his breath.

"What did you say?"

"Nope, nothing." Wataru added his walking speed and soon they saw a brass gate indicating the border of the Karkarǔa city.

They walked into the city and Mitsuru was frozen. Many kinds of creatures – such as lizard, cat, crocodile, etc – were closing their shop and doing the last trading for today.

"Animals… speak… sell…"

Wataru understood this scene must've been shocking for someone new. He remembered he hadn't react any better the first time he saw the lizard - Kee Keema, his first friend in Vision - spoke.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it." He patted his friend's shoulder reassuringly. "Now, what should we do first?"

"Finding an inn?" Mitsuru said, already recovered from his shock.

"Now that you mention it, I don't remember we have money…" Wataru grimaced.

"I have." Mitsuru walked forward, still sweeping his gaze to his left and right with disbelieve.

"Oh, you have…" he nodded in relief then surprise followed. "What? How you can have it??" He chased after him.

"Those girls gave me when I said I don't have any money." He kept walking and trying to read the senseless wood board sign.

"Wait! How can you - "

"Do you have idea how to read those things?" Mitsuru cut his word and pointed to a carved wood, hanging loosely at one of the house.

"Nope." Wataru answered curtly, earning a side glance from his friend.

"Strange… I find it familiar but I can't decipher it." Mitsuru said, more to himself, looking back to the writing. Wataru averted his gaze. Of course Mitsuru should know. A magician did need to learn ancient writing to create magic circle.

"Don't give it a fig. Let's just ask someone." Wataru walked and left him behind. He didn't want to see that confused face. He didn't want Mitsuru starting to remember. He was afraid that Mitsuru would remember. He knew well that someday he would remember. Slowly but surely he would remember. But for now, he would do his best by not helping him to remember.

They found it after asking a certain green lizard. When they were musing on how such a small dome shaped house could have rooms to be rented, their feet stepped into a neat looking room. A brown cat was writing something behind the front desk. A few racks with figures in each of the space, which probably denoting the room number, were standing behind her.

"Excuse me, is there any room left?"

Wataru was straightly welcomed with a gasp from the cat girl.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to surprise you."

"No, no, it's me who is not paying attention. It's pretty rare to have human visitors nowadays. How many rooms do you want?"

"One please."

"Regular or exclusive?"

"Just... regular. How much for a night?" Wataru asked nervously. Aside from he didn't know whether they had enough money, he also had never deal with money stuff before. Come to think of it, he had always been baby sit by his friends during his first stay in Vision, he never had to think about expense.

"It's 20 fol. You need to pay first."

Wataru suddenly realized he hadn't even seen the money. He remembered that the money should be coins with strange writing on it. Previously he was just relieved that they had money but now he was pondering how to differentiate the value of the coin when they definitely couldn't read. However, Mitsuru confidently pulled out 2 coins from the money bag and handed it to the girl. His friend was astonished.

The girl took one of the key from the space at the racks behind her and called out her friends to lead them to their room. They walked through a passage and went down an earthy stair. Now they understood how this small house could be an inn.

"I feel like a hobbit…" Mitsuru murmured.

They were taken to the room beside the stair and the white cat girl opened the lock. Instead of what both of them feared from an underground room, the room looked cozy and the air was far from damp.

"Please enjoy your stay and shall you have anything you wish, please go to the front desk." She left them and closed the door.

The room was not high; the ceiling was a head length from Wataru's head. Standing at the center of the room, when they were looking up, they could see the blurry starry sky. Wataru knocked on it and was replied with a deep thug. Apparently that part of the ceiling was made from a thick glass which had been corroded by weather.

"Pretty cool huh?" Mitsuru said, trying his bed. The bed was draped with blue squared patterned blanket. The size was barely fit with him. He sat slowly on it, unsure whether it could support his weight. After convinced enough, he laid back with a sigh.

Wataru threw himself onto his bed at the other end of the room. Aside from their bed, the room was decorated with a small bed-side table, placed between their beds. A vase with bouquet of white flowers sat comfortably on it. Wataru sniffed and knew that it was the element spreading a calming fragrance over the room.

"Nee, how do you know which one of it?" Wataru caressed the white flower, feeling the silky texture upon his skin.

"Which one of what?" Mitsuru didn't even bother to wake up. Mattress was not bad accommodation but lying on a real bed provided an entirely cozy sensation. (A/N: I'm not being paid for promoting spring bed in here)

"The money." Wataru slid his gaze to his friend.

"Ah, that. Of course I asked those girls which one is what value." He curled up and ran his fingers over the soft blanket. Sleepiness seeped through his consciousness.

"… I'm glad you are here. If I had come here alone, I wouldn't have gone so far."

Mitsuru smiled and push through his drowsiness. Sitting up, he saw his friend was also sitting at the bedside, opposite him. His hands were clasped in front of his mouth, elbow was put on his knee and his bangs covered his eyes.

"I know you are." Mitsuru said; not with self pride, but with a warm tone. "I'll be on your side whenever you need me." He said, standing up, and walking to a door at his side. He slid open the door to find a bathroom.

"I'm going in first." Mitsuru said, reaching blindly for the towel inside his bag and slid close the door, not waiting for his friends respond. He knew his friend would need time to be alone. Boys didn't say such things easily, even though if they have a 'best friend' relationship.

"Thank you. I'll also be on your side whenever you need me." Wataru whispered to the silent room. Mitsuru didn't hear it, but he knew his friend would. And he had never doubt it.

A/N:helpan was the root of 'help' word, it was again Germanic. My sister gave this title based on the help and support Mitsuru had given to his best friend. My plot will be a bit slow; you won't really see action until the climax I think… I'm trying to focus on the relationship and character development. By the way, is there any of you who didn't know what hobbit is? Please refer to JK Rowling's novel, or just google it. I believe you'll find you thousands of result. Now, please tell me what you think about this chapter.