Disclaimer: See previous chapters

Last Time:

"Okay. So we're both sorry. Are we… good again?" She nodded and hugged him tight. "Wanna go out to eat?"

"Sure." They were quiet as they walked to the restaurant. Just before they reached the lights of the boardwalk, Sarah tightened her arms around his waist. "Jareth?... I missed you."

"I missed you too."

"Don't leave me, kay?" He paused and looked down at her. She frowned. "I mean… you can leave for a few days but… don't ever leave forever."

"I'll won't."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise."

"Good." She squeezed him once more before pulling away and grinning. "Onward! To food!"

He rolled his eyes. "Can we be angry at one another again so I don't have to be seen in your insane presence?"

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Chapter 24 (April 26th)

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"Come on Jareth! Come on!"

"Goddess above. You'd think you'd never been to a party before."

"Parties, yes. Festivals, no. Move your-"

"Ah. You made it." Both turned to the doorway to find Haimon there. "Valdis will meet you in the entrance hall." He motioned towards the left. "Jareth the meeting will take place in the City Hall. It is on the way into the festival so we shall drop you off there."

Sarah let out a squeal of excitement and flew around the doorframe and towards then entry hall where Valdis stood, scowling at her brother. "VALDIS!" She turned, startled and was tackled to the ground.

"Panther gods! Get the hell off me! Sarah! Get off!"

Azrael's laughter made Sarah turn, efficiently distracting the mortal-turned-fae from her attack allowing Valdis to leap out of arms' reach. "Azrael!" Sarah chirped and hugged him. "It's been FOREVER!"

"I saw you just the other day."

"Only for a few seconds! Before Jareth was stupid."

"Hey!" Both turned and gave Jareth identical innocent looks. He scowled. "You two need to stop hanging out together."

"Azrael." Arms wrapped around his face. "Leave the Goblin King alone. Sorry Jareth."

"It's alright Aidan," Jareth chirped, smirking as Azrael tried to pry the arms off his face. "Who will be watching Sarah to make sure she doesn't destroy the Northern Panther City?"

"Valdis and Haimon," Azrael answered, finally prying Aidan's arms off his face.

Jareth lifted an eyebrow and looked towards the two panthers, one of which was yawning and looking bored and the other was bristling and scowling at the brunette whose mouth was running non-stop.

"Yeah…" Aidan said slowly. "We're not that bright."

"It'll be destroyed by dinner."

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"And then Arcadia and Westlyn just leave! And I was like, what the hell?"

Valdis rolled her eyes. "I was there Sarah."

"I know."

The panther rolled her eyes. "You're unbelievable, you know?"

"Yup." She sighed again. "We need to find you someone to love Valdis."

"Already do."

Sarah blinked then looked at her sharply. "What?"

"What?" she asked in confusion.

She leaned in conspiratorially. "You have someone you love?" Valdis flinched as though realizing she'd said something she probably shouldn't have. "Who is it?" She glanced back at the men quite a ways back. "Is it Haimon?" she whispered.

She flinched again. "Panther gods! No! Ew. No. He's like… well he's like a big brother not a body guard."

"So who is it?"

"No one." She shrugged. "Just wanted to see if you'd believe me."

Sarah sighed. "Valdis. You know if you don't tell me I will have to ask you in front of Haimon and your brother."

The panther scowled darkly. "Fine. Since you won't ever meet him. He's the general of the Southern Panther Tribe."

"What's his name?"

"Raniero."

"Is he nice?" A faint smile graced Valdis' lips and Sarah barely restrained from squealing.

"Sarah!" She turned to Azrael who motioned for them to wait up. Once the men had caught up, he smiled. "So, what's new in Goblin City?"

"Why are you asking me? Jareth's the Goblin King."

"Yes but you get all of the gossip."

She laughed. "Well I suppose that's true. Let's see… the best gossip I just got is that Kira found this awesome charm to turn her hand to ice and she sticks it against Alan's neck when he's not looking." Azrael laughed. "It's like the perfect weapon to use against annoying spouses, boyfriends and best friends. Oh and horses. Carmen really doesn't like it."

"To be totally off track," Aidan spoke up as they reached the doors to City Hall. "I was supposed to inform you of something but forgot. The Southern Army should be here this evening as well."

"YES!" Sarah cheered and Valdis paled. Aidan, Azrael and Jareth looked confused.

Haimon raised an eyebrow as Sarah boogied around the group. "She find out you like the general?"

She flinched. "Shut up Haimon!"

Azrael looked over. "Valdis likes General Raniero?"

"SHUT UP AZRAEL!"

"Well he is cute," Aidan commented. Valdis shot him a dark glare.

"That's called jealousy my sweetness," Sarah told her happily as she hugged her head. "Ohhhh! I can't wait to see him!"

"Shut up Sarah!" Valdis shouted, bright red. She growled, ears flat against her head as Sarah squealed.

Azrael smiled brightly. "So how do we get him to know she likes him?"

Haimon snorted. "Oh. I'm quite sure he'll know."

"How?" Aidan and Sarah chimed.

He snorted again, trying to hold back laughter. "You'll see."

"Shut up Haimon!"

"Lord Azrael, King Jareth." An elderly panther stepped out and dipped his head in greetings. "We're ready."

Azrael nodded. "We'll meet up later for dinner?" he asked. At Sarah's nod, he smiled and disappeared into the hall. Jareth sent her a 'behave' look and she grinned cheekily.

Once the doors closed, Haimon turned to her. "Where to first?"

"Well what's there to do?"

"The festival won't really hit it off till after lunch," Valdis informed her. "So we've got about two hours till then."

"Again, what's there to do?" She shrugged. "You're a bundle of help Val, ya know?"

"Yup. Oh. You like doodling, yes? There's a museum nearby full of random art crap."

"Ok. Let's go there!"

"Alright."

The museum they walked into had a twenty foot ceiling, paintings and statues everywhere. "Wow!" Sarah's voice echoed in the large room. "This is awesome!"

Valdis rolled her eyes, stalking into the next room and Haimon sighed, following her quickly. "Try not to look like a tourist." Sarah skipped into the next room after them and paused.

A young panther stood by one of the paintings, dressed in a black uniform consisting of a black military jacket and baggy black pants, several silver stars lining the neck. His arms were folded behind his back, left hand griping his right wrist. His hair was pale blond and slicked back between his ears. He must've spotted her movement because he looked her way, eyes bright blue. He merely glanced at her then turned back to the painting, blond tail flickering behind him.

Haimon turned to her, realized she was staring and turned to where she was looking. A grin spread across his face and he leaned in, glancing towards Valdis who was still ignoring them.

"That's General Raniero," he whispered under his breath.

Sarah's expression brightened. "General Raniero?" she said loud enough the blond could hear her. She saw Valdis' back stiffen, the girl spinning around quickly, pupils dilated. Haimon let out a quickly stifled chuckle, looking towards the painting as though it were the most interesting thing he'd ever seen.

The young panther turned and blinked at Sarah then cocked his head. "I'm sorry," he said smoothly as he walked over to her. "Have we met before?"

She shook her head. "No I'm friends with Haimon and Valdis and they told me who you were."

"Oh." He looked at Haimon with a nod and bowed lightly to Valdis. "It's good to see you again my lady."

To anyone else she looked furious, but Sarah could tell how uncomfortably embarrassed she was. "You too," she choked out. Haimon let out a suspicious sounding snort he somehow evolved into a sneeze. Sarah thought she was going to bite through her lip holding back her laughter.

"Allow me to introduce myself properly," he said with a soft smile and he fisted his right hand, placing it on his chest over his heart as he bowed lightly. "My name is General Raniero, leader of the army of the Southern Panther Tribe."

She smiled and curtsied. "And I am Sarah Williams, present citizen of Goblin City and girlfriend of the Goblin King Jareth."

His thin eyebrows rose. "King Jareth? He is here?"

She nodded. "He's in a meeting with Azrael at the moment." She sent a look to Valdis. "One which all members of the royal family should be included in." The blue haired panther shot her a dark glower then folded in on herself when Raniero turned to look at her.

"Did you not want to attend Lady Valdis?"

"It's boring," she snapped angrily and took a step back unconsciously.

He smiled warmly. "Such things usually are."

She glanced at Sarah with a 'help me!' look and the brunette took pity on her. "So General Raniero-"

"Nero, please," he smiled at her just as warmly and Sarah fought to not blush. "All my friends call me that."

Oh boy. He's adorable. Now I know why Valdis fell for him. If I wasn't with Jareth I'd fall for him.

"Nero then, no offense, but why are you here if you're the Southern army's general? Shouldn't you be… general-ing?"

He chuckled. "All tribes are invited to the festival." He frowned. "Did Lady Valdis and Lord Azrael tell you about the structure of our government?" She shook her head. "If you're interested I'll tell you but perhaps we could keep moving?" He laughed nervously, finally falling out of his 'General' stance, a hand coming up to rub at the back of his head as he blushed lightly. "I'm trying to avoid some members of the army and I fear staying too long in one place."

She inwardly squealed, already in love with this panther. "Sure. I wanted to see more art anyway." He smiled and motioned towards the next room. Sarah stepped in and felt a warm smile grace her features as she spotted paintings of families (in panther form), posing. Her gaze lingered on a group that consisted of a rust colored panther standing tall, a pale yellow orange panther lying beside him with two babies seated on her paws, one dark blue and the other a mix of orange and yellow.

She glanced at Valdis who was still blushing and looking furious. Turning to Raniero who was looking at the paintings, she shifted. "So…" He looked at her in confusion. "The government?"

"Oh. Right…" He blushed lightly. "Well our government is basically made of a pyramid," he said as he made the shape with his hands. "At the top is the ruler of all the lands, a figurehead if you will with very little actual power. He rules the neutral lands in the center where all are welcome no matter what time. Below him are the lords, rulers of their corner of the Panther lands."

"Azrael?" Sarah asked.

"Precisely. Let's use the Northern Panther Tribe for the example. At the top is the ruler, then Azrael, then the Generals, the advisors. People who hold a large title to a large amount of people. The council sits somewhere between where Azrael and the Generals would be."

"Are you a General?'

"Somewhat… I'm General of the first army. The person above me would be the General of the military, of our entire fighting force. I'm simply… the next step down."

"Still powerful though."

"Well… I suppose." He waved a hand. "Enough of me. You understand the basics of our leadership?"

"Yes… but not entirely. How are you all interlinked?"

"Well each section is separate yet the same… sort of like…" He looked around for inspiration. "Ah." He snagged a flower from the vase. "Like this! Every petal is its own but still part of the same flower, yes?"

Sarah smiled and nodded, glancing at Valdis quickly, the panther frowning slightly, whether out of irritation or thought Sarah wasn't sure.

"Without a petal, there would be a gap, but with it, the flower is completed." He twirled it for a second then held it out to Valdis who looked shocked then flushed furiously, snatching it and stomping to the next painting. He continued as if she hadn't done anything. "We are each like that. We don't take over each other's lands and we all stay relatively friendly." He grinned. "It's also helpful when the leaders are the best of friends."

"Who is the leader of the Southern lands? Are they such good friends with Azrael?"

"Azrael, no, but Oskarbi, yes." He shifted uneasily. "The leader of the Southern lands is a panther known as Castalia… my, er, aunt." He flushed and rubbed the back of his head. "I was adopted when my parents were killed in the raids decades ago. I'm the next in line for the throne."

"Congrats… on the ruling not the raiding," Sarah chimed then cocked her head. "Can two siblings rule different sections?"

Raniero looked confused but nodded. "Yes, provided one sibling marry into the other section."

Sarah spotted Haimon's look of 'wow Sarah. Real subtle.' Her lips twitched but she said nothing else.

"Sarah!" Valdis snapped, having also made the subtle connection. "Stop asking stupid questions!"

Sarah pouted. "So cruel." Haimon snorted and Raniero smiled faintly. "So! What next?"

"Well…" He glanced at Haimon who looked bored, staring at a vase nearby and Valdis whose arms were crossed angrily, glaring out the window. "We could… get lunch?"

"Sounds great! I'm starved!" She pouted again. "The Goblin King never feeds me!"

Valdis snorted. "You've quite enough meat to last through the winter, Sarah."

"Are you saying I'm fat?"

"Ah. You do understand the hidden meanings."

"That's not nice at all Valdis!" Sarah shouted, catching up to the panther who smirked at her, both falling into step and heading out of the building, seemingly forgetting the two males who followed them.

Stepping into the city, Sarah felt her jaw drop, eyes darting every which way in order to look at as much as possible. She noticed a lot of people giving Valdis a wide berth, many others dipping their heads in respect. Vendors lined the streets selling their wares; food, swords, clothes, jewelry, paintings, everything under the sun. She thought her neck would snap from looking around so quickly. She glanced to her companions. Raniero and Haimon were chatting lightly back and forth, Valdis' ignoring everything but the path before her. "Valdis!"

The blue panther looked over in annoyance. "What?"

Sarah jerked then scowled, hands on her hips. "Don't sass me, little kitty!"

Valdis rolled her eyes. "What are you, my grandmother? Who the hell says 'sass' anymore? And don't call me kitty!"

"I'll call you kitty if I wanna call you kitty! Anyway, I'm hungry!"

"So go get some food."

She jutted out her lower lip. "But-but-but… but I don't know what's any good!"

Valdis rubbed her forehead. "You. Are. Annoying."

"I know! I'm so good at it!"

"You excel at it." She turned to the vendor beside her and dropped a few coins in his hand, grabbing two plates of food, handing one off to Haimon. "Try this."

Sarah wrinkled her nose. "What is it?"

"Just try it."

"But it looks icky."

"Holy panther gods!" Valdis cried, throwing her hands into the air. "You're like a three year old! Just try it!" Sarah grinned and took a piece and popped it into her mouth. "Sarah. You're so annoying."

"I know. I should win a prize or something." She blinked in surprise. "Wow. This is really good. What is it?"

"We call it a paw pear." She popped a piece of the lime green and neon purple spotted fruit into her mouth.

"Paw pear?" Sarah asked, grabbing another piece.

"Yes. When we first discovered it, it resembled the shape of a pear. The flower, however, grows like the shape of a paw."

"It tastes like a sugary apple." Valdis shrugged. Sarah laughed. "You guys have weird names for stuff."

Valdis smiled lightly and bumped her shoulder into Sarah's. "Says the woman who lives with a guy named 'Jareth' and constantly makes up her own words like sturphenheimer."

"Val, that is the greatest word in existence." She could only hold a straight face for a second before bursting into laughter, Valdis lifting a hand to hide her wide grin, shoulders shaking in silent laughter.

Both girls missed Raniero's shocked look to Haimon who gave a half shrug and popped a piece of fruit into his mouth.

"So!" She linked her arms around one of Valdis'. "What next?" Valdis shrugged and glanced at Raniero.

"Well… there are fireworks this evening but they are still hours away. I suppose…" He turned to Haimon. "Would you be opposed to watching the dancers?" Haimon grunted but shook his head.

"Dancers?" Sarah asked.

"We've a talented group of panthers who dance to welcome in the season," Valdis explained, leading them towards the town square where music was loud and happy.

"Ooo. Can I dance too?"

"You know how to dance?" Haimon asked in surprise.

"Yeup! I know the chicken dance, the Macarena, the electric slide-" Valdis rolled her eyes and Haimon sighed. "Oh. Not the right dancing?" The looks she received were clearly 'no's. "Oh… shall we go watch anyway?" She was met with a pleasant nod from Raniero, a dull eyed look from Valdis and a shrug from Haimon. "Very well. Off we go!"

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The dancers had been amazing. Sarah wished she was a panther so she could bend and move like they did. The only way to describe it was cat-like and as she was mortal-turned-fae, she definitely wasn't able to move that way. It had seemed like only a moment but after an hour, the dancers had stepped off the stage and the couples began to dance. Much of it was simply swinging around and moving, but some made Sarah think she was stepping right into an old Victorian movie.

Raniero slipped away to snag something to drink and Sarah grinned wickedly. Valdis was watching the dancers, Haimon finishing some fluffy fishy thing he'd gotten a few minutes ago. "Perhaps you should ask Nero to dance Valdis?"

"Sarah!" Valdis snarled as Haimon choked on his food. "What's wrong with you?" she shouted, a dark blush on her face.

"What?" Sarah asked innocently and then pointed to Haimon. "I believe Haimon is dying."

Valdis cursed at her and slammed a hand on Haimon's back, the panther coughing up the piece of food that nearly killed him.

"Uh oh." Raniero looked confused as he walked up. "What happened?"

Sarah grinned, Valdis scowled and Haimon continued to choke. "Nothing! I'm going to get Haimon some water. C'mon Haimon. Be back in a minute!" Sarah chimed, winking at Valdis who turned cherry red and growled.

Raniero turned to her in confusion. "Are you alright?" he asked after Sarah left.

"Fine!" she snapped. "What are you doing here anyway?"

He blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Why are you at the festival?"

"My aunt decided that I was to attend."

"I thought you were supposed to be at some training thing!"

He shrugged. "They released me early." She growled and he frowned. "Would you rather I leave?"

"No!" she snarled, blushing even darker.

"Oh. Alright…" He shifted uneasily and looked around.

She bit her tongue seeing him look so uncomfortable and sighed. "M'sorry," she grumbled. "Sarah…" She growled.

Raniero frowned. "Do you dislike her? I thought you two were friends."

"No, we are. It's just… she's such a pain." He chuckled and opened his mouth as Sarah returned, Haimon looking composed though his eyes danced mercilessly. Valdis knew, knew she'd never hear the end of it.

"Sorry bout that," Sarah chirped. "So what's next?"

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Dinner hadn't been official. They had simply tried a dozen or so dishes from different vendors around the city. Sarah was having the time of her life. Valdis didn't have a smile on her face but her tone was significantly different than normal. Haimon actually looked interested with life around him and Raniero kept ducking out of sight of other panthers.

"So Raniero," Sarah chirped, hooking her arm around Valdis'. "Tell me. What's the Southern lands like?"

"A bit warmer," he chimed lightly, snagging a few pieces of… bright pink stuff from Haimon's plate. "But nearly the same."

"Anyone special there?" She felt Valdis' near-trip and knew the girl was clenching her jaw.

"I left my Mina back at home," he said with a frown.

"Mina?" Sarah asked nervously, realizing for a moment that this may have backfired ridiculously horribly. She felt Valdis' arm tense and she looked at the General quickly.

"Yes." He smiled. "She's been with me for awhile." He scowled. "Leaves my house smelling like wet cat though."

"So… who's Mina?"

He looked confused then jerked. "Ah! I'm sorry. She's my…" He shifted. "She's like a pet but she's a cat… well not a real cat. I'm not really sure what she really is… she's like the size of a house cat but she's got three tails and she can think to you." Sarah nodded slowly. He shrugged. "She appeared in my house one day and hasn't left."

"Hm. Interestin-"

"Sarah!"

Spinning, Sarah let out a shriek of happiness and nearly tackled Jareth to the ground. "You were gone forever!" she wailed.

He rolled his eyes. "Right. Did you eat dinner?"

"Yeup! Some paws and pink fluffy fish." He rolled his eyes again. "Did you?"

"Not yet. Aidan and Azrael are getting some things from the vendor." He nodded to the three panthers that had followed Sarah up the hill. "Valdis, Azrael says he needs to speak with you about the meeting. Haimon, Aidan wants to discuss something about security with you." The two nodded and headed for the other pair. Jareth and Sarah made to follow but Raniero didn't.

Raniero let out a nervous laugh. "I think I'll go hide. If the meeting got out, people are bound to be looking for me in the village."

"I'll keep you company," Sarah offered. "At least until you guys are done discussing." Jareth sent her another 'behave' look before following after the panthers. Raniero led her to a small grassy hill nearby that would overlook the square.

"Nero?" The blond looked over as he sat down. "Do you…" Should I interfere? She bit her lip. "Uhh…"

He smiled faintly. "Yes."

"Huh?" She blinked in confusion and sat beside him.

"I do like Valdis." He flinched. "That is what you were going to ask, right?"

"Yeah but how did…"

"You're the only person I've seen her interact with so closely. She usually has this shield around her." He blushed lightly. "I, uh, I figured since you were such good friends you'd have seen my crush on her and want to make sure I was a good guy."

"Oh… I just wanted to see if you liked her. She can handle herself if you weren't."

He chuckled and nodded. "I uh…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm glad she's got a friend like you. Before today I… I never actually saw her laugh."

"So a lot of people tell me." She sighed. "Why is everyone in the underground so… so… unhappy or depressed or traumatized?"

"Have you looked aboveground?" he remarked lightly. "Your world is much worse."

"Well yeah but it seems like all of my friends have some sort of secret, something horrible that happened to them."

"I was stabbed once." She shot him a look of incredulousness. He pointed to his left shoulder. "Right here. Straight through. No damage though." He shrugged. "I'm a general. In war, it happens."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "You're weird."

"And as I'm learning quickly, so are you, my dear." Sarah sent him a smirk. "Now tell me, what do you and Valdis do together? I wish to learn her hobbies so I may learn them myself."

Sarah shrugged. "Nothing of much interest. She usually just hangs around and makes fun of me. She does help me plan pranks sometimes." Sarah paused then turned to him. "She seems to have a fascination with my Sherlock Holmes novels."

"Sherlock Holmes?" Raniero frowned in confusion. "Is he not a detective?"

"He is. Not a real person, a made up one. I have a book of short stories about Sherlock but maybe… you could convince Jareth to allow me aboveground to retrieve a novel for you?"

He smiled. "You'd do that for me?"

With a bright smile, she replied, "of course! What are friends for?"

He chuckled. "I daresay, we've only known each other for a few hours Sarah. I don't think that constitutes as friends."

"Well that's what you are in my book-VALDIS!" She waved as the blue panther turned with a 'what the hell do you want you annoying pest?' look which transformed into 'oh goddess what the hell are you up to and will you PLEASE stop talking to him?' look. Sarah grinned and waved again, turning to Raniero. "How long will you be here?"

"The army will depart in the morning," he replied, playing with the cuffs of his sleeves. "Yourself?"

"Jareth will drag me home tomorrow unfortunately. Make sure you say good bye before you leave!" With a grin, she ran down the hill and practically tackled Valdis, only Haimon and Aidan holding them up. Valdis immediately transformed and began chasing her around the square. The chase only ended when Sarah ran straight into Jareth, nearly sending both of them sprawling to the ground.

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They hadn't left the festival until well after midnight. Sarah hadn't been pleasant to wake up a mere six hours after she got into bed but she'd cheered up considerably when she was informed Raniero was waiting to say goodbye to her before she left. A quick shower and dressing later, she stood in the front hall, wailing about missing Valdis and the rest, the blue haired panther looking furious at being awoken.

"Good bye Sarah," Azrael interjected between wails. "We'll miss you." She pouted and hugged him and Aidan.

"Sarah." Raniero dipped his head in a short bow. "It was nice to meet you."

"You too," she chirped then leaned forward to whisper in his ear, "keep an eye on my favorite panther when she's here."

"Both eyes shall be glued to her, as always."

She grinned. "That sounded nearly stalker-ish."

"Isn't stalking a form of adoration?"

With a laugh, she pulled away and winked then turned finding Valdis glaring uneasily at her, probably knowing it was about her. She blew a kiss to the panther who bristled angrily. Her vision of Valdis vanished into darkness, a leather sleeve covering her face.

"Jareth!" she protested, muffled into his arm.

"I'm sorry, General Raniero," Jareth spoke from behind her. "Had you but ignored her, you'd have been spared the insanity."

"Quite alright Goblin King."

"Azrael, I'll keep in touch." Sarah pried his arm down to her neck in time to see Azrael nod in agreement. "Until next time."

"Bye Az, Aid, Val, Hai and Nero!" Sarah chimed as Jareth dragged her back onto the apparation circle. Azrael, Aidan and Raniero waved happily, Haimon looked bored and Valdis was still scowling but she nodded once.

When Goblin Castle reappeared before her eyes, Sarah let out a happy sigh. Jareth raised an eyebrow and she smiled at him. "Love is in the air!" she sang and skipped out of the room. She heard Jareth let out a squawk of surprise and as she spun in a circle, she saw him following her quickly. "Valdis and Raniero!"

He lifted an eyebrow. "Valdis is in love with Raniero?'

"Yup!"

"… we are talking about the same Valdis, right?"

"Yes! And they are absolutely adorable!"

He sighed and rubbed his face. "Kira has tainted you."

"Why is it whenever I didn't do anything, I get blamed?" Both turned to find Kira standing in the doorway to the dining hall.

"Because you're you," they both said together.

She lifted an eyebrow then shrugged. "True. So anything interesting happen?"

"Oh have I got gossip for you!" Jareth rolled his eyes and quickly left before the squealing began.

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To all Heal Me, Hurt Me Readers and Reviewers,

This chapter is dedicated to those special people who said "MORI! GET OUT OF REALZ LIFE AND WRITEZ MOAR PHANPHIKSHUN! RAWR!"

… but not really. Thank you, all of you, for your patience with this writer :)

So real life consists of my fury at work and stupid people, trying to help out my sisters who are graduating high school (yay) and dealing with family illness. Everyone who reads this, include my grandpa in your thoughts as he's really, really sick and probably won't live to see another father's day. I love ya Gramps.

General Raniero "Nero" - Nero, being the short form Raniero (Italian) meaning "wise warrior".

And I just realized… I published the very first chapter of Heal Me, Hurt Me on October 17, 2005… it is currently 2010. I've been working on this story for FIVE YEARS…. Zomg… thanks to everyone who started with the beginning and is still chugging along XD

Kadasa Mori

Next Chapter Preview: Chapter 25 (really 75) (THIS IS A ROUGH BEGINNING OF THE NEXT CHAPTER)

Snarling, she spun around, knives digging deep into her enemy's flesh. Her blue hair whipped around, just missing her eyes as she charged forward into another enemy and quickly took them out as well. Smirking, she leapt backwards, avoiding being raked across the face by a pair of nasty looking claws. The owner of the claws quickly lost his paw then his life.

As she turned, her eyes widened, landing on one of her teammates. The candy-caned panther's eyes were dull, pupil less and glassed over. "Beck? You're ok?" she asked in confusion before gasping in pain as the other girl's sword jerked into her ribcage. With a cry of pain, she stumbled backwards, lifting her hands to her chest and seeing the blood bubbling out. She looked back up at Beck and coughed, feeling warmth trickle down her lips. "Why?" she asked before her vision blacked out.

Sitting up with a start, Valdis looked around the room, chest heaving as her mind tried to grasp the fact that she wasn't dead. She transformed into her panther shape and quickly raced from the room and down the hallway, slipping into her brother's room. Azrael was curled up on fluffy pillows in front of the fire. She raced to his side and batted at his face.

He jerked awake, looking around sleepily before focusing on her. "Valdis?" he asked. "Whatever is the matter?"

"I had a bad dream. I need to see Beck."