A/N: First real chapter is finally here! I don't feel like this one is quite as strong as the prologue, but I'm going to attribute that to it being a 'setup' chapter. Both character development and action had to be mostly eschewed to make way for setting up the first strings of plot, setting, etc. Things will pick up next chapter, I promise. Until then, enjoy!

Kiyomaro didn't have to bother double checking his GPS to make sure he had arrived at the right place; he simply had to follow the stream of other people that were there.

The man from the nearby village who had offered to drive him out to his destination had told him he was the fourth person who had asked him to do the same that day, and that one of them had even paid him a good deal of money for his trouble. His 'destination' was, in fact, a hiking trail that led off of a road that only ATVs and heavy-duty trucks could reach. The burly but kind farmer who had offered to take him there had said that a few dozen people had all shown up in the past few days looking for that same spot, and had asked him if they were some kind of tour group. He'd made up some sort of excuse about a nature club and had left it at that.

The hiking trail was an easy walk, but so far out of the way that it seemed rarely used. The undergrowth had been trampled by all of the other people who had come before him, but it was easy to tell that before that it had barely been used for a very long time. Tree branches hung low enough to poke out an unsuspecting person's eye and weeds lined the sides of the path, scratching up unsuspecting hikers and depositing burrs onto their clothes. Not to mention the fact that it was practically obscured from the road by trees; if he hadn't been looking for it and the farmer hadn't been pointing it out, he never would have found it. Part of him wondered if it was a leftover from a time when the village had a more intense tourism industry, but the rest of him was too engrossed in thinking about what was waiting at the end of the trail to pay the rest of it much mind.

The letter had said that if the recipient went to the listed place exactly three months from when they'd received it, they'd have a chance to see their demon partner again. Kiyomaro had immediately called every former partner he knew to ask if they'd gotten a similar letter. All of them had, even those who were away from home at the time and didn't have a fixed mailing address. Some he couldn't get into contact with no matter how hard he tried, either because he didn't know how to get into contact with them or they simply didn't want to answer his messages, but he suspected that all of his former allies would be there. Of course, it was likely that a number of partners who had been anything but allies would be there as well, and that was what put him on guard. Zatch's letter and the enclosed picture seemed to imply that all of the former contestants were getting along quite well in their world, but the humans who had been paired with them might not feel the same way.

The path wound further and further into the forest, carrying on so long that Kiyomaro was almost sure he had gotten lost a few times. At the beginning he had wondered why he hadn't run into anyone else along the way, but the longer the trail went on, the less unlikely it seemed. Still, some part of him instinctively seemed to know that he was still on the right path, even when it was all but obscured by weeds and he had to practically crouch to walk under the tree branches. After nearly thirty minutes of walking during which he grew increasingly glad that he'd done his best to keep in shape over the months, he started to hear voices in the distance.

It wasn't hard to figure out when he had reached his destination.

The clearing was large and perfectly cultivated in comparison to the ill-used path leading to it, with short soft grass that rustled invitingly in the wind. Not a single weed from the thick forest that surrounded the clearing seemed to have touched its surface, aside from the occasional dandelion. But what interested him the most was not the immaculate nature of the place; rather, it was the people inhabiting it.

People milled around in small groups, anxiousness and excitement filling the air in equal measure. Some people had set up tents, while others were lounging around on picnic blankets. He tried to do a quick headcount, but he had a hard time keeping track of who he had already counted and who he hadn't. All he knew was that there had to be at least fifty people present, a number higher than what he had originally expected. In the crowd he saw a number of familiar faces, some friendly and some unfriendly, but it took him a while to find the people he was looking for. When he finally spotted a pair of tall blond heads and a brunette one in the crowd, he waved his arm above his head.

"Megumi!" he called, cupping his hand around his mouth to help carry his voice. "Sunbeam! Folgore!"

His three friends turned when they heard him call to them and waved his as frantically back. He lightly jogged up to them and deposited the sports bag he was carrying over his shoulder onto the ground in front of him, which seemed to be accumulating a similar collection of bags.

"We were wondering when you'd show up," Megumi greeted brightly. Everyone seemed to be nearly buzzing with anticipation, an excited gleam in their eyes. It wasn't just his friends, either; everyone in the crowd seemed to be that way. "How was your trip?"

"It was fine," he replied. He couldn't even remember most of the plane ride, to be honest. Besides the destination, nothing else had seemed to matter. He turned to Folgore as he wiped the sweat from his forehead, his limbs starting to remind him of the length of the hike he had just taken. "Thanks for loaning me the money. Apollo wasn't returning my calls." He glanced around momentarily, trying to see if he could spot the familiar American in the crowd. He couldn't, although he knew he would be there somewhere.

"Don't mention it! If we can't rely on each other, who can we rely on, ah?" the Italian pop singer asked, giving him a firm pat on the shoulder. It was a simple enough response, but Kiyomaro smiled at the truthfulness. They'd saved two worlds together. Who else could they rely on?

As he crouched to retrieve a lukewarm water bottle from his bag, a pair of feminine legs clad in hiking boots with a pair of long pants tucked into them appeared in his vision. He looked up into the smiling face of Elle. She had traded in her habit for an outfit that looked more well-suited to the African savanna, but it was hard to mistake those bright blue eyes.

"Hello, Kiyomaro," she greeted, offering a hand to help him to his feet. He accepted the offer and in turn her offered her his water bottle, which she politely declined. "How've you been? How's school?"

"Good," he replied to both questions after a deep drink. "Everything's good with me. What about you guys? How's everything been?" He spoke with Megumi and Folgore much more frequently than he did Elle and Sunbeam; it was hard to get into contact with someone who lived in the depths of Africa, after all.

"We've been fine," Sunbeam answered for the two of them, backed up by Elle's agreeing smile. He put his arm around her shoulder, and Kiyomaro smiled back. He was glad for them. They seemed good together. "Any idea about what's going on here?"

"No more than you," he replied, looking around at the other former partners. They had all gathered for the sake of seeing their demons again, but the letter had been extraordinarily vague about how that would happen. So vague, in fact, that Kiyomaro had been worried it was a trap. The fact that the letter had drawn them to a remote location in rural Europe and had given specific instructions to be burned after it had been read didn't help. It seemed like whoever had sent the letters had gone to great lengths to make sure no one else would know where the recipients were. With the knowledge that many wouldn't see the potential risk or see the risk as being worth the reward (he admittedly felt the latter), he had decided that no matter what kind of trap might be waiting, he had to go. At least he would be of more direct help if something went wrong, and he'd left instructions with his father that if he didn't call or otherwise get into contact with him in a week's time he should contact the authorities. What the authorities would be able to do about matters that were most certainly connected to the demon world he wasn't quite sure, but it had seemed better than not having any sort of contingency plan at all.

Another bag dropped onto their rapidly growing pile, accompanied by a body brushing up against his shoulder and a presence that he hadn't noticed at all up to that point. Even the people who had been looking in his direction seemed startled by the sudden appearance of the tall man with the piercing eyes.

"..hey," Dufaux greeted quite unsurely. The nuances of social interaction weren't his strong suit, although the fact that he was even making an effort was nice. Kiyomaro gave him a pat on the shoulder in greeting, determining that if he was willing to get so close he could practically feel him breathing down his neck before revealing himself, physical contact wouldn't be much of an issue.

"Good to see you," he said, giving his shoulder a squeeze. Dufaux had no roots and moved around so much that it was hard to get into contact with him— over the year and several months since they'd parted ways, with Kiyomaro going off with Zatch to defeat Clear Note and Dufaux staying behind to hope for their success, they'd only talked sporadically. Still, even though he hadn't been able to get in touch with him beforehand, he knew Dufaux would be one of the former partners who heeded the call. He didn't even need his answer-talker ability to tell him that. "Looks like we're pretty much all here.." He searched the crowds for the friends that weren't standing in their circle, catching sight of Apollo and Professor Riddle engaged in a conversation and Li-en double checking the contents of her bags. There were other familiar faces scattered throughout the crowd, people he and Zatch had met throughout the competition like Shiori and Jem, but there was one person he just couldn't pick out of the crowd no matter how hard he looked. "Hey, where's..?"

"She's here," Dufaux interjected, crossing his arms. The rest of the group stared at them oddly, but Kiyomaro knew that Dufaux was simply answering the question he hadn't been able to finish asking. "She probably just doesn't want to talk to us."

The statement was so blunt that Kiyomaro couldn't help but laugh awkwardly. "I'm sure that's not the case," he said, scratching the side of his head. "And it's not like she has to say hi or anything.."

Dufaux simply shrugged, slipping his hands into his pockets. He wasn't the type to be bothered by that sort of thing regardless of whether his statement was true or not, so it didn't seem to affect him either way. Kiyomaro had expected as much.

"Still," he continued, looking around a this other friends. "It's nice to have everyone all together like this."

"Yeah, especially when we don't have to worry about getting beaten up," Megumi agreed. The rest of the group murmured their own agreement, all nodding. Life had been peaceful for all of them since the end of the demon battle— too peaceful, maybe. There was a definite air of restlessness in the crowd, causing a buzz that seemed to infect every person there.

"It's almost time, isn't it?" Folgore asked, looking into the sky with his hand shielding his eyes as if he expected something to descend and carry them away at any moment.

"I wonder what's going to happen.." Elle said, staring up at the same blue expanse of nothing. "How did the demons get to our world in the first place, anyway?"

"Hm.. I'm not sure," Kiyomaro replied honestly, placing his hand under his chin in thought. "I have a few theories, but Zatch never told me anything definite.. any ideas, Dufaux?" He turned his head slightly, only to realize he was talking to thin air. Dufaux had wandered off while they were distracted and seemed to be raptly contemplating a nearby tree. Tch.. this guy.. you'd think he'd be a little less aloof after helping us save the world..

"I hope Umagon's kept up his training," Sunbeam commented, returning his attention to the rest of the group. "That kid has some real potential."

"I just hope everyone's still getting along," Megumi replied. "I know their last letters said they were all getting along, but it's hard to imagine some of the enemies we faced as friends.."

"I'm sure with Zatch as the king, everyone is getting along peacefully with each other," Elle said firmly, hands clasped in front of her. "With a kind king like him, why would anyone have a reason to fight?"

Everyone smiled and nodded at her assessment, but Kiyomaro smiled especially brightly. He knew the demon world under Zatch's rule must be a wonderful place.

Zatch.. soon you'll be able to tell me about all the things you've done as king. I know you'll make me proud..

Sherry's satellite phone rang as she sat on top of her bags, smoothing out her skirts. She pulled it out of her purse and answered it, holding it away from her ear.

"Hello?" she greeted.

"Ah, Sherry? I'm glad I caught you!"

"Ah! Koko? How are you?" she greeted brightly. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there to pick you up from school, but I promise we'll go somewhere together once I get back."

"It's alright, Sherry. Albert came to pick me up at the train station. I just wish I'd gotten back before you'd left."

"You had your job to worry about! We'll see each other when I get home. It's only a week, after all," she said gently, holding her arms close to her body.

"Are you really not going to be able to make any calls all week? Even with that satellite phone you have?"

"I'm.. not sure," she replied honestly. "I'll call you if I can, but I can't make any promises. I'll definitely call you as soon as I get back, though. If you need anything before then, just ask Albert. Anything at all."

Koko laughed on the other end of the line, a gentle sound. "Thank you, Sherry, but I'm sure I'll be fine. I'll just be excited to see you when you get back."

"I'll bring you back something special. A souvenir. Then you can tell me all about the rest of your trip," she said.

"It sounds like an evening. I'll make your favourite stew," Koko said brightly. "Just.. make sure you get home safe, alright?"

Sherry could feel the mood drop like a cold wind passing through her. "Oh— of course. It's just a vacation, after all. I just needed to get away for a little while."

"I know, but.. I can't help but worry. I know you don't like to talk about where you were and what you were doing after I got out of the hospital, but I know it was hard on you," she explained. "Whenever you travel.. I always worry that you're going to get involved in something tough like that again."

Her smile faltered as Koko spoke. "..I'm sorry to make you worry. I promise to come home safe. And I'll look forward to your cooking." She laughed, trying to make it sound genuine. In truth she felt a little guilty. She had tried desperately to keep Koko as far away from the demon battle as possible, afraid that any reminder might break down the spell that had protected her from the memories of what she had done under Zophise's influence. She didn't dare trust a word that the crazed clown said in regards to his own abilities. Of course, that meant that during the time she had been running around the world with Brago, Koko had been kept entirely in the dark about her whereabouts and activities. Albert had made excuses for her where he could, and she had tried her best to reassure her friend, but Koko was still acutely aware of how much she had struggled. She couldn't always hide how tired she was, or how much she was injured, even when Koko couldn't physically see her. And after Brago had lost— well, she hadn't been the most cheerful person for a while. She had put on a smile for her best friend, but she had been disappointed in herself for the failure. Still, she had carried on knowing that the demon world had a strong, kind-hearted king, and Brago's letter had eased her remaining concerns. There was still a lingering air of disappointment over their failure, but she had more or less moved past it.

"Well, as long as you promise," Koko said cheerily. "Call me whenever you can. I'll make sure Albert isn't lonely while you're gone."

"Ah.. thank you, Koko. I'll see you soon, I promise. I'll talk to you later," she promised. Koko mirrored her goodbyes and was the first to hang up, leaving her phone to make a high-pitched noise directly in her ear. She sat there staring blankly into the distance for a few moments before hanging up and putting her phone back in her bag. A pleasant breeze blew through the clearing and Sherry turned her face into it, enjoying the momentary refreshment. Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of another woman resting on her luggage, plucking flower petals to amuse herself. She looked up from the bare stalk, catching Sherry's eye as she tossed it to the side. Their gaze met for one long moment before Sherry looked away, ashamed to have been caught staring.

"Um.. excuse me.."

She looked up to see the same girl standing next to her, hands bunched in the hem of her shirt. When Sherry stared at her blankly for a few moments, her hand seemed to reach for her face as if by reflex, but she forcibly stopped herself and dropped her hand so her arm hung limply next to her body.

"Yes? Can I help you?" she asked, shaking off the confusion.

"I saw you making a call.. do you get reception out here? Could I please borrow your phone?" she asked. She bowed deeply at the waist in what Sherry recognized as Japanese custom. "Please, I'm a nurse and I forgot to leave instructions about one of my patients with the woman covering my shifts. I can pay you for the trouble.."

"That's alright," Sherry replied. She reached into her bag and pulled out the satellite phone, handing it to the woman. She paused monetarily to admire the girl's short pink hair, noticing for the first time that she had a thick scar over one eye. The woman smiled at her as she took the phone, thanking her again as she took a few steps away for the sake of privacy. She spoke quietly to someone on the other end of the line for a few minutes before hanging up and returning the phone.

"Thank you," she said, crossing her arms over her chest and retreating back to her bags before Sherry could say anything else. The woman projected a certain amount of unease, as though just being around the other human partners was unsettling her. Sherry's curiosity was piqued, as was her alertness, but she shoved it to the side for later consideration. They were all there for the same purpose, after all.

As she put her phone away, her hand brushed against a thick piece of paper in her bag. She pulled it out and unfolded it, fingers brushing over the blocky letters that she shouldn't have been able to read. The letters she couldn't process individually were scratchy and bold, and the idea of Brago trying to carefully keep his rule straight made her smile. She didn't need to read it to know what it said; there had been enough lonely evenings spent in her family home while Koko was away at school for her to more or less have it memorized. She smiled as her eyes briefly passed over the section where Brago was complaining about the ceremony the remaining eight runners up had been expected to attend. She folded the leather again and put it back in her bag, a new anticipation buzzing under her skin.

Kiyomaro and Dufaux were the first to realize something was going on. The high-schooler stopped in the middle of his sentence, head jerking quickly to the side.

"What's the matter, Kiyomaro? The only time someone's head should move that fast is when they've been slapped," Folgore commented, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"You didn't hear that?" he asked, his voice tapering off as he stared across the field. A mild gust passed through the clearing, rustling the grass and sending a few hats flying, but it calmed down momentarily.

"Hear what?" Megumi asked.

"It's starting."

Kiyomaro looked over his shoulder at Dufaux, who had rejoined the group while his attention had been elsewhere. His sudden reappearance didn't startle him; this time he'd been expecting it.

He nodded. "Yeah," he said, his expression becoming serious. The buzzing energy that had been hanging in the air now seemed to crackle around them as if hailing a lightning storm, although the sky above was perfectly clear. Slowly the rest of the crowd seemed to gain awareness of the fact that something was going on— starting with Professor Riddle and Apollo, and moving out from there. The excited murmur that had been present the entire time he'd been there became anxious and confused as the former partners tried to process the indescribable feeling. Tensions seemed to build not only in the crowd, but in the very air itself. Another strong wind made the long grass rustle.

"I didn't think they'd be able to do it," Dufaux breathed, his eyes sharp as he stared out across the people who were now gathering together in small groups, drawn together by the strange sense that something unnatural was going on. Even their own small group had moved in closer to each other, surrounding the bags tightly.

"Didn't think they'd be able to do what? What's going on here?" Sunbeam asked as he put an arm around Elle's shoulders once more. None of them were precisely frightened, but there was definitely a sense that something— be it physics, nature, or something less easily defined— was in the process of being defied.

"Humans have been dreaming about it for decades," Kiyomaro continued, his voice still betraying his distraction. "No one's ever been able to do it.."

"It's really great that you guys have all of the answers all the time, but would you mind sharing them with us sometimes?" Elle insisted, sounding a little wound up. Kiyomaro closed his eyes, letting the strange energetic feeling in the air wash over him. Even without being able to see him, he could somehow sense Dufaux crossing his arms next to him.

"Instantaneous travel," he said simply. "On a mass human scale. It must be using a ridiculous amount of energy.."

"I have a feeling this is going to be weird. Everyone, brace yourselves," Kiyomaro instructed. He turned to Dufaux and grinned. "Do you think they'll tell me how they're pulling this off?"

Dufaux shrugged. "You're the king's partner, aren't you?" he said, his eyes wandering. The buzz was so thick that Kiyomaro swore he could see the occasional spark in the air out of the corner of his eye, although it was always gone by the time he turned to look at it.

A strong light seemingly from nowhere suddenly threw the world into a sharp black-and-white contrast, forcing the assembled to shield their eyes. A few cries of surprise went up among the crowd, mostly from the younger children. Dufaux didn't even bothered to cover his eyes, instead looking down at the ground.

"Looks like it's time," he said, scuffing his shoe along a glowing line painted on the ground. The line led off into the crowd, joining up with other similar lines. When his eyes had started to adjust to the bright light, Kiyomaro followed the strange pattern of light, his might mentally reconstructing the shape as viewed from above. He let out a little gasp of realization.

"It's the same as the markings on the books!" he said, planting his fist in his open palm. So that's what's going on here.. no wonder they had to get us all in one place..

"This is worse than stage lights.." Folgore grumbled, shielding his eyes with both arms. Of the other four, only Sunbeam had adjusted to the bright light, and was squinting at the two answer-talkers as if waiting for some kind of explanation. Even if they could have given one, however, they didn't have the time.

As quickly as the light had appeared, it vanished— leaving an empty field devoid of any human beings or the bags they had carried with them, a breeze rolling through the grass.

There was an understandable amount of confusion when the bright light disappeared, not the least of which surrounded the fact that the dense tree line and rolling meadow had been replaced by elaborate architecture and marble slab floors. A murmur of surprise and concern went up among the fifty-odd humans, only to be silenced when a loud, authoritative voice informed them they were not alone. Immediately all heads turned to the far end of the room.

Standing on a dais behind what some sort of podium was a man in an immaculate three-piece suit. His huge black hands, tipped with inch-long claws and far out of proportion with his body, were folded neatly on top of the podium. A carved ivory mask with no defined features other than two closed eyes, one of which was surrounded by a blue diamond, covered his face and made him unreadable. The entire crowd was frozen, watching him as he adjusted his stance on the dais and held his head high.

"Welcome, human beings young and old, former partners of our esteemed Demon king challengers," he orated, holding his arms out in a wide gesture of greeting. "As a member of the High Imperial Council and a personal attendant to King Zatch Bell, I would like to personally welcome you.. to the demon world."