The POV of this chapter will be*drumroll* Masumi!~ So it will be told from her perspective and all!~Yay!

Masumi's POV

"Yawnnnn~" I stretched out across my bed. It had been a while since I had a good sleep. This journey made it hard to get some decent rest. I looked around the room. It seemed Aya and Sakura had already woken up. I frowned. They hadn't even taken the courtesy of making their beds. I didn't know about Sakura, but I was especially disappointed in Aya....after all the times I'd tried to teach her how to correctly fold her sheets back home....

It surprised me, though. Those two were the biggest sleepers out of the six of us(well, seven including Mokona). And I usually woke up the earliest. I grinned. Maybe the doc was having an all-you-can-eat buffet downstairs. Aya could smell food a mile away.

Aya....my eyes narrowed as I thought back to the night before.

"What do you mean I won't remember even if you tell me? You're not going to tell me your wish at Yuuko's shop?"

"It's nothing to concern yourself over. Really," I waved my hand and started turning towards my bed again.

"If it has something to do with you, it is my concern, idiot."

"......"

"I'm you're friend, aren't I?"

"Don't misunderstand-"

"Never mind. You know what, you're right. Its none of my concern. I know I'm not gonna get an answer anyway."

"Aya..."

"Its okay," she grinned and stuck her tongue out," I'm joking!~ Its payback for at your Grandma's place. I loved seeing you so serious, sheesh, its a rarity."

My jaw hanged open," W-what?"

"Haha, I said I was joking. Well...what I mean is, its fine. You don't need to force yourself to tell me anything if it bothers you. That wouldn't make me a good friend. Although, I wish you would tell me what troubles you sometimes. Its not good to keep it to yourself, Masumi."

I nodded and turned my head a to the side, a tear trickled down my cheek," Thank you..." She hadn't changed, she was still like that time. Her strange way of showing kindness never failed to touch me with full force.

"To tag along with you on this destined journey ;to protect you as much as I can, my friend...from whatever dangers fate will guide the six of us to; that was my wish...," I whispered. I smiled and glanced over at her to notice she was already snoring. She hadn't heard anything.

I looked back up at the room, bringing myself back to the present. My lips clenched into a tight line. The 'cloaked people' she had mentioned who attacked her in Hanshin. I hadn't expected them to come so soon. I had been trying to avoid the certain world, of course, with Mokona, it was still always a 50/50 chance where we would land. But... they were coming from somewhere else. Plus, if they wore robes that color, this was not good. And that name, I recognized it all too well. Revulz. And the other man, I knew it had to be Kamen. It confirmed that they were definitely the-

There was a knocking at the door.

"You can come in." I watched as Kurogane walked in. Mokona, Syaoran, and Fai not lagging too far behind.

"Good morning Fai, Syaoran, Mokona...Kuro-cousin!~", I sang. It was pretty fun to joke with him. I'd never joked so much on someone besides Aya nor had I met someone with a temper that was worse than her's.

"Will you shut up, you damn girl! Its KU-RO-GA-NE! And I'm NOT YOUR COUSIN!", he growled.

"Aw, c'mon now, Kuro-pin, we're all a big family now. Don't yell at your cousin so harshly~," Fai intervened.

"Hey where's Sakura and Aya?", asked Syaoran.

My eyes widened in shock," I thought they were with you guys...."

We all quickly plummeted down the stairs to find that the back door was swinging wide open.

"The two brats must have left through here," Kurogane grumbled.

"But there are no footprints," Mokona said.

"Yes, but it snowed last night, remember? Any markings in the snow would have been covered up immediately."

"Do you suppose they were kidnapped?" Fai added in.

Syaoran shook his head," If that was true, things would have been wrecked. But everything is clean and unbroken. They left on their own." I could tell Syoaran was doing his best to remain calm. I could notice his palm quivering.

"My dear daughter! She's vanished!", we soon heard a women shreiking.

"Did you keep the door locked, M'am?" a man answered.

"Yes, I kept it locked from the inside. I even put on another lock, just in case!"

"It has to be the legend! The Princess!" we soon heard people from the town yelling it in peril.

"Hey look! Its the travelers!" a man pointed at us.

"Two o' em travelers are missin'!"

"Those two probably took the children! Let's get 'em!" The started running towards us. The doctor ran in front of us and spread his arms out.

"Wait! These people are innocent! They have done nothing! My room is right by the entrance! I would have known!"

"Oh yeah, Doctor? Well two o' em are missin'! Look!"

"Huh?!", the doctor turned around and looked at us," Where are Sakura and Aya?!"

"We don't know. All we know for now is they left out the back door, not the front," Syaoran explained.

The doctor's eyebrows furrowed.

I placed my hand on Syaoran's shoulder," Sakura and Aya will be alright. Aya has a strong will, Sakura too. I'm sure if they are in danger, they'll find a way. We don't have much leads to their whereabouts and," I looked around at the people walking around town," if we move too freely, we will make ourselves too suspicious to the villagers. We can't afford to have any problems." I, to all honesty, said that to also reassure myself. If anything happened to Aya....

Syaoran nodded," Yes."

"I think the two of them left because they saw the culprit who's been taking these children. Well...I think that could be the only reason," Kurogane suggested.

"The princess of the legend then?" I said.

"Maybe. Or, its someone who is trying to use the legend as a cover up for themselves," Fai stated. A rare, serious glint in his eyes.

We had started out at the mayor's house, who had given us a book on the history of Princess Emaurade and the town of Spirit. The book in the story pretty much matched the one the bartender had told. Syaoran said that there was a chance the book was all wrong. Not everything in books was true. I couldn't agree more.

The book had also shown us a map to the castle of the princess which was not so far from the town in a north direction. In fact, it was less than a mile.

As we stood in the snowy street, I looked up at the window of the inn where a child was laying in bed. The doctor stayed beside the bed.

"He's a great doc! He even plays with the kids!" A bystander commented.

"Huh? Oh yeah..." I agreed. I frowned as I turned back to the window. Something wasn't right. When the doctor left, the child climbed out of the bed and pointed at the sky through the open window.

"Blackbirds..." the child said. I looked at the sky. I saw the others do the same.

"That's weird, I see no blackbirds," Syaoran said.

"Pfft. The brat has birds on the brain, that's all," Kurogane grunted.

"Aw, Kuro-chan is such a grouch," I patted his head.

"Oi, who gave you permission to touch my head!?"

Mokona popped from under his shirt," Puu!~ Kuro-rin is being a grouch because he is worried! Mokona can tell!~ That's one of her super 108 skills!~"

"Hey! What the hell were you doing in there!? And I'm not worried!!" Kurogane yelled. Mokona jumped into Fai's hands.

"108 skills? What about the other 107?", Fai asked.

"Its~a~secret!~" Mokona whispered.

"Haha!~", Fai gave Mokona a hug," Mokona you're such a tease!~"

I glanced over at Kurogane with a smirk,"Hmmm?~You're worried, ne?"

"Hmph. Whatever," he crossed his arms and turned the other way.

I sighed with a grin," Trying to play the tough guy, huh? They say that it is sometimes courageous to show your true emotions."

"And what about you?"

"Hm?~ What about me?"

"You're hiding something."

My smile faltered for a second,"And what of it?"

"Nothing. I could care less, I don't want to be involved. Same with the mage. I don't care about his sob story that he's hiding."

"...That's a good decision....Kuro-rin..." Its best if people stayed out of the past...my past.

I glanced over at Fai, who was now staring out into the trees with Mokona on his head. I was surprised the ninja had caught on. Fai was a pretty good liar, but I could read a person easily.

I suddenly saw Fai pointing, "Hey, isn't that Mr. Glosam?"

I turned my head around to see the man dripping wet. He was supposedly the owner of most of the property and land in the village. It was not snowing or raining...

I looked over Syaoran's shoulder to look at the map of the area. The closest river was the one next to the castle of the princess.

"Hmmm....", Syaoran mumbled," I think I have this wrapped up. Tonight, we're going to the castle. Here's the plan."

*****Masumi is keeping secrets about her past! And it has something to do with Aya as well!*gasps* What could this mean? What happened?! the truth has yet to be revealed!*****

I almost forgot to say this! Since I forgot last chp too! That I am really thankful to the hits and favorites and reviews and such, it means a lot to me! T~T The motivation and all.

I'm super hyper and happy this week! I think its because the weather has gotten much warmer, I really do love it! I've been tiring of the snowy and cold weather.