chapter five: When in doubt, rely on the children

The captain of the red guard steals an entire set from the champion tennis players.

The name of their savior is supposedly Shiro, which Hitoka hopes against hope is her last name. She can't bear the thought of all the horrors that could go wrong with calling a foreign delegate by first name. The woman's victorious grin is smugness with a cherry on top. Even the cherry probably has a tiny little marker smirk doodled on it with how much her lips are pulled back.

The twin champion tennis players take this loss very differently. The one Hitoka had spoken to first, with the darker hair, gives a sort of resigned smile and a shrug when the ball Shiro serves ricochets from a spot a foot away from him, scoring the second point they need to win the deal. The other twin, with the lighter hair and the meaner streak, throws something Hitoka really doesn't want to call a tantrum, but can't really think of a nicer word to label it.

He's still huffing and puffing when the dark haired twin walks up to them.

"Didn't know you had pull with the royal guards. I'm sort of impressed," he says, with a small smile and a tone that doesn't at all sound impressed. Still, Hitoka feels just the tiniest surge of pride course through her. The plan she had come up with had come leaps and bounds and baring gifts. It's been awhile since something she's planned worked the way she had wanted it to. It sequesters her conscious in a place she doesn't visit often enough, and she feels amazing to finally visit the land of Cupcakes and Rainbows again.

It's the one place where Hitoka feels like she's finally improved as person in a way.

"Hah! That's what you get for underestimating the tiny blonde ones!" taunts Kuro the black cat before arching his back and purring next to the face of neither the tiny blonde ones he's so proud of. The distasteful cringe marring the captain's face goes completely over the ridiculous tuft of fur sprouting between his angular ears.

"I didn't though," affirms the dark haired twin at the same time Kozume grumbles, "I'm not tiny."

Unknown to Hitoka, the pointed affirming smile the dark haired twin sends her way goes completely over her own head as well.

"Are you done? I want ice cream." The lighter haired twin throws himself on his brother's back and hangs off there like a particularly brooding child.

Dark Haired Twin sighs. "Why does your mental age always go down five years after a match?"

"Shut up."

"I was informed," begins Shiro, delicately seizing the scruff of Kuro's neck to pull him off her shoulder. He yowls and digs his claws into her uniform in protest. She rolls her eyes and leaves him be, "that you had information on the whereabouts of Clockwork Koushi."

Here, Hitoka waits with bated breath. Who knows the sort of location Wonderlandians deem vacation worthy. It could be the last room in a high tower guarded by a dragon, where Clockwork Koushi could read books to his heart's desire. Or some island protected by a monster infested sea where he could relax in peace and quiet. Or at the end of a thorn ridden labyrinth having his own little teatime. Or worse, on a tiny patio hidden away barbecuing plot bunnies—

"He's at The Beach."

Hitoka has the wildest notion Kozume is about to go Huuunnh?

On further examination, he looks like he's about to go bang his head against a nearby tree.

Hitoka is just grateful no plot bunnies are being harmed in the duration of this plot twist.

After much hair-pulling, name-calling, and toe-stepping (really, Hitoka hadn't at all expected all that from Kenma, let alone the royal captain of the Knights just because of a suggestion of sleep), they decide to rest for the night before moving on.

Well, not really a night since the sun hasn't move in the least ever since they fell in Wonderland. Though, the sunshine flitting through the curtains is but a second thought when she lays eyes on the bedroom.

The bed dwarfs her by a margin which is almost pitiful. Three people could fit very comfortably in the massive four poster. And that's not even taking into account the satin mountain of pillows at the headrest. Hitoka might be able to make an entire other bed just out of those. And everything is so soft to touch; the comforters, the blankets, the sheets, she can barely believe it's real.

Dinah would have loved this.

Hitoka plumps down forlornly at the foot of the bed, wishing her beloved cat were here. If Hitoka could just be given the chance to bury her face in her fur, she'd feel so much better about this entire situation.

It's the first time today she's had a moment to breathe and just think about... everything. There's a part of her that still solemnly believes this is all a very weird dream. It's a small part though, eclipsed by the fact there being no way she should be able to feel all these sensations in a dreamscape. Still, as much as it's all overwhelming to her, there's something to be said about escaping into a fantasy world right at the moment she needed an escape most of all.

Hitoka pokes her fingers through her pockets and pulls out a golden ballpoint point. It's shiny enough for Hitoka to be able to see her own face staring back at her.

"Hey. Blondie. Wait up."

Hitoka lags behind the bickering group and turns to face the Dark Haired Twin jogging up to her. She gets a bit intimated by how tall he is compared to her, but she thinks the twins have both proved their harmlessness outside of tennis matches. Probably. Hopefully. Hitoka is a little too relived about the hands empty of tennis rackets.

Dark Haired Twin rubs the back of his neck for a moment. Hitoka honestly has no idea what he could possibly want. She just hopes it's not a request for a rematch or something because dear lord does she never want to see another tennis ball again in her life.

"Are you a hero?"

A hero? Hitoka cocks her head. What sort of question was that? Was hero a codename for something in Wonderland? Nothing immediately jumps to her mind, though. She hopes it isn't anything secretly offensive or anything someone would take offensive to if met with ignorance.

"I'm sorry?"

Dark Haired Twin's hand slides down to the side of his neck. "So you're not then." He gets a sort of thoughtful look about him and mumbles softly, "Koushi might not give favors to someone who isn't a hero...what to do, what to do—Oh."

Hitoka is still very, very confused about what's going on when Dark Haired Twin starts padding down his pants and rummaging through his pockets in search of something. There's quite a number of them actually, and Hitoka is sure there is no possible way he's going to be able to empty all his pockets by today when Dark Haired Twin pulls out a pen of all things with a triumphant, "Found it."

He holds it out to her. "Here. For you."

Hitoka automatically refuses on principle, but Dark Haired Twin grabs her hand and bodily places the pen between her fingers.

"You'll need this. It's easier for someone to become a hero with a sword."

There is, in fact, a pen in Hitoka's hand. A fact Hitoka is very grateful for because Sword and Yachi Hitoka do not go in the same sentence.

"Go on, click it. I wanna see something."

Hitoka really hopes this doesn't do what she thinks it's about to do.

It does it.

The only reason she doesn't fumble with the honest to god sword now in her hands is because her entire body has frozen solid. The ice in her bones is the only thing keeping Hitoka from accidentally impaling someone.

Very slowly, she looks up at the Dark Haired Twin with a look that says 'help me' with every fiber of her being.

He grins at her.

"Yeah, now I'm sure. Click the button on the hilt to turn it back."

Hitoka clicks it faster than she's ever done anything before. She shoves the pen back at Dark Haired Twin.

"I-I can't accept this!"

"Hey. Hey, listen," the pen somehow makes it back into her hand, and Hitoka's knees are already wobbling at the thought of a sword at her side. She barely hears what Dark Haired Twin says next.

"There was this guy who came here once. His name was Rick or something? Had the same exact look you just had on his own face when I gave him this. That guy? He's a hero now. To a whole lot of little kids."

There's a shimmer in Dark Haired Twin's eyes.

"Don't you want to be a hero, too?"

Hitoka wants...

The golden pen catches some sunlight and flashes too close to her eyes.

Hitoka wants to go home.

After a few hours of rest, they head out to continue their journey.

Well, a few hours of rest may be an understatement to the morning Hitoka had just experienced.

She wakes up groggily to the sound of shouting, which she's still surprised didn't send her immediately into panic mode. Or at all. Imagine that. Yachi Hitoka waking up in strange foreign bedroom with guerrilla shouting match outside and her only reaction is to turn the other way and continue sleeping. It'll make the headlines everywhere. Her mother would be in teary delight.

It dies down, and it's here where Hitoka finally slips out of bed and goes to investigate.

Opening the large wood red door greets her to a sight Hitoka is slowly becoming used to. She's talking about the royal red interior, of course, and not about the hair pulling competition between Kozume and the captain.

The captain smiles widely at her. "My lady, I was just informing Kenma that you're both late for teatime—" the sentence is caught off from an annoyed grunt as Kozume chooses this opportunity to yank the silver ponytail he has in his hand.

"We're going to find Clockwork so we can leave," he says before cringe mirrors his own facial features when the captain returns the hair tug. Hitoka winces and almost wants to rub at her own scalp, having personal knowledge of how much that hurts.

And really, her stomach would love some food right now, but her heart can't stop reading 'teatime' as 'potential beheading'.

"You will eat," the captain reiterates, giving another good yank before grasping the higher part of her hostage ponytail in an attempt to lessen the damage of a returned blow.

Kozume favors using both of his hands when returning the blow instead of mimicking the defense tactic.

"We're going to find Clockwork. So we can leave."

"Food."

"Clockwork."

"Food."

"Clockwork."

"A-actually, I'm not very hungry—"

Hitoka is betrayed by her own growling stomach. She can't tell if the sound actually echoes in the hall or if that's just her embarrassment intensifying.

Kozume pauses with an owlish blink to his eyes mid-hair-pull. He immediately looks to floor when he catches her eyes, and, after a long quiet moment where Hitoka's embarrassment levels are over nine thousand, he says softly, "We'll take something with us."

He immediately continues the hair tug when the triumphant smirk across the captain's faces reaches maximum smugness.

Hitoka and Kenma are then bombarded with cupcakes. Actually bombarded. As soon as they enter the kitchen, cupcakes come sailing at them as a furious Lady Mika criticizes, "You're late!"

The only reason Hitoka doesn't suddenly have an intimate session with cupcake frosting is because her survival instincts kick in and she immediately ducks behind the captain with an eep. Kozume isn't so lucky.

"My perspective, my lady, believes otherwise." The captain swipes some frosting off Kozume's head, ignoring the glares of both him and the lady as she licks the frosting off her finger.

There's an improving hum before the captain comments, "These are better than your previous attempts. I would like fifty."

The captain of the red Knights lives up to her name as she snatches the incoming cupcake out of thin air and digs into with a happy chomp.

After they've all filled their cupcake quota for the next year, Hitoka and Kozume finally can get back on track on their journey.

Except they gain a new tag along. A tiny familiar redhead with the Mickey Mouse ears and a tiny red uniform that matches both the captain of the red guard's and the other black haired woman that comes along to see them off.

The new woman and the tiny mouse girl look absolutely nothing alike, yet she sees off the tiny mouse girl like a mother would a daughter.

"Do you have everything? Your sword's just been polished, right? Are your boots laced too tight? Is your uniform ok? Oh, do you have to go?" The woman pats down and smooths every crinkle on the little mouse girl's red uniform until it's pristine enough to win a Nobel award.

"Leave the girl be, Kanoka. You're not her mother," critics Shiro, right after she pulls some spare lint off Kozume's shoulder.

He gives her a look only Hitoka catches.

'Kanoka' gives her the same exact look, right before she goes back to worrying over the tiny mouse girl with an almost teary fever.

"Are you sure you're ready? You can always take on another quest—a much easier and much simpler one—"

"I'm fine, captain! I'm ready to prove my worth!"

Kanoka almost seems more teary eyed at that, but then she hugs the little mouse girl fiercely and whispers, "Stay safe, Natsu."

"Are you guys ready to go or nyot?"

Kuro the black cat finally makes his reappearance and immediately drapes himself on Kozume's head. Kozume looks as done with this situation as those people who'd been forced to listen to seven rendition of an old American song Hitoka had seen in a video once.

"Yes," he says for all of them, before turning around and leaving. Hitoka says some quick goodbyes before rushing after him. It's a moment before the tiny red solider—Natsu?— is at her side with a determination in her step Hitoka doesn't ever think she could have found at that age.

Hitoka peeks behind her one last time. Kanoka is weeping. Shiro rolls her eyes before she roughly ruffles the black locks. Crying Kanoka bats her hands away, and, even with the tear streaks down her face, something like determination fills her bright eyes.

Hitoka looks back ahead, feeling like she's witnessing something she isn't meant to see.

Hitoka touches the fabric of her pocket. The shape of the golden pen meets the trace of her fingers.

"I just want to be better," Yachi Hitoka had once said, with tears in her eyes and despair in her heart.

"Don't you want to be a hero, too?"

Maybe, she thinks. Maybe.

"Kozume-kun, do you think—"

"No."

"B-but... are you sure? It looks really familiar—"

"No."

"..."

"..."

"B-but it looks exactly the same as the movie—!"

"Yes."

Hitoka feels a little too giddy and accomplished at her victory. Kozume doesn't meet her eyes or her smile as he rubs his upper arm. Hitoka has noticed he isn't the greatest with looking people in the eye—or, well, looking her in the eye, but he seems to be slowly getting over it. She feels a little happy about that accomplishment, too.

But really, the gigantic twelve legged cat with the bus appendage on its back looks uncannily familiar to the Ghibli movie. The colors are off, with a grayish tinge and black spots instead of the original cream and brown spots, but it's eerie how alike they are. Hitoka isn't sure if it's a coincidence, or if it means, according to Hitoka's own personal theory, Miyazaki once found himself in Wonderland just like Kozume and Hitoka had.

"Hey, ya old cat!" yowls Kuro, walking around on the ginormous sleeping cat head like he owns it. "Wake up! I need a favor!"

One of the gigantic eyelids uncovers. The huge sharp pupil staring at them gives Hitoka second thoughts about checking Ride In A Cut Bus off her childhood bucket list. The cat could eat her whole in one bite. She'd taste exactly like cupcakes too; she can still feel the overload of frosting at the top of her throat.

"What are mewling about, kitten?" asks the giant bus cat with a deep scratchy voice. Hitoka is really starting to have third and fourth thoughts about this.

Kuro, oblivious to Hitoka's inner dilemma, swipes at one of the gray ears five times his size in agitation.

"Who are you calling a kitten? I'm an old tom, just like you!"

The bus cat closes the one giant eye it had opened.

"No nose knows like a gnome's nose knows."

Kuro bristles, his fur stands on end, but then something like steel flashes in his cat pupils.

"Nyo nyose knyows like a gnyome's nyose knyows—goddammit!"

The resulting grin of the bus cat almost goes full circle.

"What does the little kitten desire?"

Kuro stretches and sprawls across the head of the cat bus, his tongue out like he's accidentally bitten it (probably has). There's a mope in his movements even Hitoka can read.

"Can you take us to the Beach?"

Kuro tumbles over as the bus cat yawns. White fangs as tall as Hitoka gleam menacingly. Hitoka's knees join the Not Sure About This Plan act with a wobbly salute.

"Perhaps."

The bus cat opens both its eyes and stares at Hitoka and Kozume with an intensity Hitoka can feel reach the marrow in her bones. Hitoka spies Natsu reach for the sword at her side. The ginormous cat must not be giving the mouse girl the best of feelings.

"Is one of you to become a hero?"

Hitoka is shaken once more by the question already plaguing her mind. Does she want to bookend this journey with a title for herself in the ranks of heroes? Or does she want to stay herself and return home like nothing has ever happened? Is there something to be found in her friendship with Kozume Hitoka would have never been able to find herself, or was it all just a horrible mistake?

Does she want to be a hero?

I want to be better, Yachi Hitoka had cried.

"Y—"

"Nekomata! You owe me a favor, remember?"

The bus cat chuckles deeply, the sound travels and vibrates.

"How could I forget such originality?"

Hitoka swears the ground creaks when the bus cat rises to all twelve feet. It shuffles to the side, and one of the square hole-like windows in the bus attachment on its back shifts and grows in size, until there's enough space for all four of them to walk into the bus.

The seats are made of fur-like material soft to touch. When Hitoka takes a seat, the feel of the fur against her hand reminds her again of Dinah. What Hitoka would give just to hear one her hungry meows right about now.

Natsu and Kozume each take a seat on either side of her, both with fearful expressions. Kuro trots in and leaps into Kozume's lap. Even though Kozume lets out a disgruntled noise, he leaves the cat be.

"Onward! To infinite and beyond!" taunts the bravest amongst them, who also happens to be the smallest.

Natsu seems to sense this, and opens her mouth to say something, only to shut it immediately when Mr Bus Cat leaps into the air and up into the trees.

There's a lot of screaming after that.

Some of is happy and excited (Kuro), some of it is fearful and horrified (Hitoka). Hitoka immediately closes her eyes tightly, not wanting to give herself more nightmare fodder. She can barely hear anything, either. Her heartbeat is in her ears and drowning out her thoughts. But she can feel the air and whiplash of it against her skin. It's almost nice, too. However, she's too busy screaming to enjoy it.

It's a few moments after that when she feels a hand enclose one of hers and an excited shout that isn't Kuro.

"Lady Yachi! Lady Yachi! Look! It's amazing!"

Hitoka only opens her eyes to relive them a little from the tightness. Yet the sight greeting her strikes a deal that may entail never closing them again.

Sequestered away in a round alcove where the sea overrides the land, is a beach with sand every color of the rainbow. It starts of a dark purple to the right, before it slowly fades into an indigo and then blue and lighter. It continues this trend across the entire expanse of the sand, going from light blue to green to yellow to orange and then ending in a perfect red at the left side. The ocean water is clear enough for Hitoka to continue to see the rainbow sand go on into eternity, like a rainbow road that goes on forever. It almost reminds Hitoka of one of those racetracks in Mario Kart—

Just how many people have fallen here before?!

"It's so cool! All the colors are just like—! Like—! All wooooah and wooosh!"

There are barely contained squeaks at the end of her sentences that make Hitoka giggle. She glances down at their conjoined hands. Only, the hand in hers is a little too big to be Natsu's, and on the wrong side.

The bus cat alights on the top of a palm tree and springs down onto the sandy floor before Hitoka can think on it more. Natsu squeaks as the bus tilts sideways and they're all dumped out onto the beach.

The cat bus leaps back atop the palm tree with a hearty chuckle escaping its throat.

"Good luck, heroes to be."

The bus cat disappears within the tree tops. Hitoka shouts a goodbye automatically.

There's a lot of whooping and cheering as Natsu and Kuro, now a six foot catman with cat print swim trunks which looks suspiciously like the cats from Neko Atsume (Hitoka is not even going to bother to pretend her theory isn't true anymore) run laughingly to the water.

She doesn't have time to think about why Kuro, the six foot catman, is excited about water of all things when she's too busy chasing Kozume, who's made a beeline for a single umbrella propped at the center of a the beach.

She reaches him just in time to see him scowl. Hands on her knees to catch her breath, she finally catches sight of the person lounging under the umbrella on a beach chair.

A woman beautiful enough to make Hitoka blush stretches out on the length of the white beach chair. There's a book between her slender manicured fingers, and a pair of dark sunglasses over her unblemished face. Her long, luscious, dark locks match the color of the tiny bikini she wears. Somehow, Hitoka can feel the uninterested once over the beautiful woman asses them with before she returns to her book, and, also somehow, Hitoka can feel the murderous intent of the fanclub the beautiful woman is sure to have on the back of her neck.

Kozume is completely unaffected.

"Where's Clockwork," he demands, with a glare hot enough to make Lady Mika jealous.

The beautiful woman doesn't even spare him another glance at the question.

Hitoka is starting to worry Kozume is going to lose his patience with these Wonderlandians eventually. She just hopes whatever anger punch building up doesn't get introduced to this particular woman.

"Tell me where—"

"Kiyoko! Look at me!"

Hitoka and Kozume immediately whip around at the sound of the voice. It comes from far out into the ocean, where a pale man with starlight hair and aqua blue swimming shorts waves at them from atop a surfing board.

He immediately gets whipped out by a huge wave from behind.

Hitoka's heartbeat reaches her throat. She really hopes they didn't travel all this way only for Clockwork Koushi to die on them.

Thankfully, the man comes back up alive. Soaked to the bone and coughing up water but alive. He swims back to the beach and clumsily wades through the shallows back to the safety of the beach where Hitoka can finally let out a breath of relief.

"I was doing so good, too," he pouts, with a final cough to clear out his throat. "How come it never works when you're actually looking—"

"C-clockwork Koushi?" Hitoka asks before he can finish. She hopes it doesn't come off as rude. The anticipation of finally going home makes her blood race.

He blinks owlishly at them, before a smile touches his lips. Hitoka can't believe they actually did it. They actually found him. They can go home. She can see Dinah again. And her mother. Oh god, her mother must be so worried—

"I'm sorry. You have the wrong guy."

Hitoka's heart falls to her feet.

"O-oh..."

Hitoka had thought she could finally end all these worldly questions plaguing her mind by just leaving them all in Wonderland. Now, when the opportunity to leave that has supposedly been just within reach suddenly torn from her, she isn't so sure what to do anymore. Do they go back and look for more clues on Clockwork? Or do they just... give up?

"Don't you want to be a hero, too?"

The question echoes once more in her mind. It makes her heart clench. What does being a hero even entail? Knowing when to give up? Knowing when no hope is left? Or is it persevering despite the blood-drawing hurdles along the way? Is it finding bravery and courage when most would fall into despair?

How is Hitoka supposed to be a hero when she doesn't possess any of that? What type of hero can she even be?

"Hey, Koushi! Long time nyo see!"

Kuro bounds over with a laughing Natsu on his shoulders. He grins wide and his bushy tail whips once. His eyebrows waggle.

"I see you finally convinced nature princess over there out on a date. Nice!"

The pale man, who is definitely lying about not being Clockwork Koushi as evidenced by the cold sweat he breaks out in Hitoka can see despite him already being wet, still has a disarming smile on his face. How he isn't melted into a puddle under the heat of the accusing glares Kozume throws his way is a mystery to Hitoka.

Clockwork Koushi bolts and Kozume dives for him.

Hitoka fidgets with her hands, unsure if she should join the squabble of limbs on the floor. There are a lot of squawks and protests from Koushi ( "I'll never go back! You can't make me! You can take this vacation away from my cold, dead hands!") and quite a few cold declarations from Kozume ("I don't care. I want to go back home. And you need to do your job for that.") She could join the cheerleaders' side with Kuro and Natsu, but this isher ticket home at stake.

Hitoka finally steels herself and, with purpose she hasn't previously been aware of, walks over and sits on Koushi's legs. It gives Kozume the opportunity to sit on Clockwork Koushi's torso and pins his arms down.

"Please," Hitoka begs. "W-we just want to go home."

Koushi struggles some more, bucking and wriggling and doing everything to try to wrestle himself out from under them, but both Hitoka and Kozume stay strong.

"Koushi."

The light voice saying Clockwork's name halts his movements immediately, and there's a sudden rush of color in his face.

"Y-yes, Kiyoko?"

Even her name is pretty, thinks Hitoka, as Kiyoko finally sits up in her beach chair, her bare legs danglung off the side. She removes her sunglasses, only for there to be another pair of normal eyeglasses underneath, which gives Hitoka a lot of pause. Was she... trying to look cool or something?

"It's time to get back to work."

Hitoka doesn't care if it's an act or not. Kiyoko is definitely the definition of super cool in her books.

Koushi groans and his body goes slack. Hitoka, hesitantly, stands up. Kozume follows her example a minute later, after glaring at Clockwork Koushi to make sure he doesn't try to run away.

Koushi sits up, and crosses his legs. There's a pout on his features, and a droop to his shoulders.

"Which one of you is a hero?" he whimpers. And it's that exact question that would have saved him earlier.

Hitoka stiffens, and Kozume doesn't say anything. Kuro cackles and Natsu tumbles off his shoulders with a squeak.

Koushi's expression takes a one eighty and he grins.

"I don't do favors for non-heroes! Better go slay a jabberwocky or behead a tyrant before you come back to ask me for anything!"

Kozume makes a move towards Koushi, and Hitoka sees the angry punch she knew was there about to unleash. She grabs his arm without thinking and says quickly, "Kozume-kun, i-it's ok! We'll figure something out! We... " Hitoka searches for the right words. What would a hero say now? What would Hitoka, if she were in need of a hero, want to be said to her?

She finds the words immediate with that thought.

"We're going to go home. No matter what."

Kozume blinks. He slowly removes his arm, and Hitoka is quick to return her hand. He fidgets a little before saying, "Ok."

"I'm a hero!"

All four adults turn to stare at the little mouse girl, who shakes her head rapidly to remove the green sand stuck in her hair. There's a bright fire in her eyes.

Clockwork Koushi starts sweating again.

"I'm a red knight! I became a knight so I could save my family! That makes me a hero, right?"

Hitoka's heart hurts. She wants to grab the little mouse girl and hug her tightly enough to erase the hardships she had to go through. What had Hitoka been doing at that age? Crying because some mean boy pulled her hair? How did little Natsu with the orange Mickey Mouse ears find enough drive, bravery, and courage to become a knight and save her family?

Kuro lifts the little girl and spins her around, pulling her into a tight hug in the end as she squeaks in protest. There may or may not be tears in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry I tried to eat you! W-will you ever forgive this big old scary cat?" he wails, and yes, those are definitely the beginning of waterworks on his cheeks.

Natsu laughs. "You're not as scary as I thought you were! You're just a big softie!"

Kuro starts sobbing into her shoulder. Natsu starts protesting about the— "Ew! Don't leak on me!"

Hitoka rubs her own eyes and takes this opportunity to glance at Clockwork Koushi.

He seems resigned to the fact that his job is calling and that he has to go back to work no matter how much he doesn't want to. With a long sigh, he stands up and dusts the neon yellow sand off his swim trunks.

"Fine. I'm going, ok? You can stop now."

Kiyoko stands up and walks over to Koushi. She leans up on her toes and presses a kiss to Koushi's cheek.

"I'll see you later."

She disappears in a tornado of leaves, much to Hitoka's surprise. Clockwork Koushi turns red, from his forehead all the way down to his toes.

Kuro continues to sob. Kozume rolls his eyes, but Hitoka thinks this is the first time she sees something happy in his expression.

Which reminds her of the hand that held hers while she screamed in the bus cat.

She walks over to him, and holds a hand over her mouth so she can whisper.

"Kozume-kun," she waits until he turns to her before continuing, "Thank you. F-for holding my hand. When we were in the cat bus. It really helped."

Kozume immediately looks away from her, a pink blush on his cheeks.

"It was nothing."

Hitoka smiles warmly.

"Ok, so I'm leaving," Clockwork Koushi begins. They both turn to him. "Time will start running again when I get back. You two should probably find a book if you want to go back. And also... maybe deal with that?"

Koushi points towards the hot mess of a six-foot catman who is still crying. Natsu is really starting to look rather disgruntled.

"So... bye, I guess?"

Hitoka waves as Clockwork Koushi walks back into the groove of palms trees at the end of the beach and begins weaving through the trees.

She drops her hand, and pivots back toward Kozume with a great need to comment on this whole journey.

"Well," she weaves a stray hair back behind her ear, "There were, um, a lot of things I don't, um, want to experience again. B-but, um, there were also things that were... really fun."

And again, almost immediately, all three times she's been asked the plaguing question blend together and melt into one foreboding Don't you want to be hero?'

The voice inside her head that asks the question this time sounds like suspiciously like her own.

Kozume stares at his feet. A tiny smile stretches his mouth.

"Maybe—"

A pirate swings down and sweeps Kozume off his feet before he can finish his sentence.