Collecting the pendant in my hand, I allowed my fingers to slide over the smooth metal, hesitating once they brushed against the clasp. I didn't open it though. I didn't need to. Instead, I raised my hand and gently held it against my cheek, feeling the stark difference in temperature between the two. I could hear movement behind me, and figured Will was once again checking the little ball he'd placed to observe the examinees while they battled it out to reach here. I knew for a fact he wouldn't dare approach me again. Not after my whole launching both shoes, biting his arm, kicking him in an unpleasant place and scratching him across the face escapade.

But he was on high alert. I'd already put up quite a fight, what with almost worming my way away from him at the very start and escaping the room, managing to make it down a rather impressive three floors before I was caught. I had to lower his guard. So, I pretended to sulk in the corner while I gathered my bearings. I supposed my deceptive skills had improved rapidly since I'd met the boys, seeing as though Will wasn't questioning my silence at all. Sighing, I replaced my locket, teasing a few stray locks of hair away from the chain to allow it to lie comfortably around my neck once more.

I had to force myself to keep my expression fairly neutral as I glanced around the room. Will and his little cat, Aquamarine, were locked in an intense discussion. They'd chosen to situate themselves on the left side of the room too, evidently to stay close to me, though they where in the far corner, while I satisfied myself with being as far away from the windows as possible. I need to get closer to the door. So, I did. Will jumped up, instantly alert and closed the distance between us in a matter of seconds. I ignored him. He didn't stop me as I fluttered over to the ball, leaning right across the table and peering into it. I was immensely confused by what I saw.

"Quiz show?"

The air around me was displaced as Will moved. He was closer now, right at my side. Studying me intently, making sure I wasn't trying to make a swift exit.

"Don't try anything, Hikari." He said. I hissed, baring my teeth at him in reply. Thankfully, he got the message and backed off. Don't try anything? Don't TRY anything? I have no name for that particular level of stupidity other than unfortunate. I figured, while I'd really like to high-five Will right now. In the face. With a chair... It could probably wait until I'd Houdini-ed my way out of there. Probably.

So, I went back to fake-sulking. Turning smartly on my heels, I sat down on the floor with a loud humph, placing myself between the door and the ball, my legs crossed and arms folded, shifting my gaze away every time Will would venture into my line of sight. Being immature seemed the right way to go. In fact, it inspired his inner-child. He was equally immature with me, and soon began completely ignoring me, which I loved. His concentration was affected, he wasn't focusing, he'd completely dropped his guard, and what's more, I'd definitely got under his skin. Now. It's time for phase two of my master plan.

Sneaking a look at Will, I slowly climbed to my feet. He glanced over. I pulled a face and stuck my tongue out him, he glared and pulled one back before promptly turning his back to me. Fists clenched, I began pacing. Up and down. Up and down. Then left and right. Left and right. Up and around in a circle before back down again. Then pausing, right back where I started. He didn't even seem to care any more. I seized this golden opportunity and bolted. My steps were light now, seeing as though they my feet were no longer clad with bulky trainers. It allowed me to reach the door before being detected. I really had to curse those doors, for when I threw one open, it squeaked.

"Hikari!" He yelled. "Don't even bother."

I did bother, though, and continued running. Out the door and down the corridor. Not bothering with the banister, simply flying down the stairs, jumping down the last four and landing strong. I managed to burst through the correct set of doors and make it halfway down the corridor before Will caught me.

I whined. A childish, high noise that came from the back of my throat. And fought. I fought hard. Wriggling and struggling and kicking and spitting. I fought. I bit him again. I scratched at his hands and arms. I arched my back. I stomped on his toes until he lifted me high into the air. I fought. I writhed. I screamed. Screamed, like my whole body was on fire. It was purely instinctive now. I couldn't remember anything I'd be taught. I was just striking out and squirming and yelling, just hoping for the best.

He threw me over his shoulder, flinching as I hammered my fists against his back, but carried me back up to the room, all while I took up an incessant chant of letmegoletmegoletmego. Nothing I could do was good enough. No matter how hard I fought against him, I couldn't release myself, so when he reached his destination and dumped me on the floor, I stayed there. Lying in a crumpled, defeated heap. My chest was heaving. My heart was still pounding. Every fibre of my being was urging me to climb back up and fly at the door once more in a desperate bid for freedom, but I ignored it. He's too fast. I have to find a way to slow him down. Suddenly, attacking him with a chair became a lot more appealing. In an attempt to discourage the idea, I allowed myself a fleeting glance at the ball. Zero and Ichii were already proceeding to the third level.

"Yes! They should be here in no time."

"I'm not so sure about that, Hikari. For the test isn't over quite yet. There's still one final challenge they must pass. After the mental and physical obstacles, a single test remains." Scowling at him, a fixed my eyes on my friends as they burst through a door only to be faced with. A dragon. A real life, green, scaly, possibly fire-breathing reptile of mass destruction. All razor claws and serrated teeth and blood-red eyes. This thing was the stuff of nightmares. And Zero and Ichii, my precious friends, had to fight it.

"Are you insane?" I screamed. "A dragon? A freaking dragon. Dude, what is your damage?" Will approached me. I guess he was attempting to calm me down, but that action only inflicted more distress. "Get away from me!" I shoved him hard in the chest and stumbled away from him, landing hard on my rear. "Zero, Ichii, no! Don't fight that thing, I don't want you to get hurt!"

No. You're not doing this. I won't let you hurt yourselves. Not over me. You're not fighting that damn dragon.

I stood up. Will caught my wrists. I screamed at him. No words came out, just a long, terrible scream as I yanked out of his grasp and kicked him for the second time that day. Right where the sun doesn't shine. And then I shoved him down and bolted. Zero and Ichii weren't kidding. When they said wanting to protect somebody made you stronger, they really meant it. Wanting to protect them definitely made me stronger.

I didn't really recognise the fact that I'd made it all the way down the stairs and into the corridor until I got to the end. I paused. Hesitating, bouncing on my feet so unsure of where to go. "Zero?" I yelled, my hands cupping around my mouth. "Ichii? Where are you?" I looked both ways. Will was struggling. I could hear him cursing as he clambered down the stairs. I dashed right, realising I hadn't yet explored this direction far too late to turn back.

"Zero? Ichii?" I was lost now. Confused and disorientated in the maze of hallways.

How far had I gone now? How do I get back?

My pace slowed. "Where are you?" I rotated in a small circle in a useless attempt to map my surroundings.

"Where am I?" My hand closed over my locket, right over my pounding heart.

Help me.

But I had to help myself. I couldn't rely on others. I had to become independent.

I heard footsteps. "Zero?" I asked, hopefully. But then I saw sense and ducked around the corner. Straight into the figure. Instantly, my arms were yanked backwards and I was lifted up. I screamed in protest. "Put me down!" Will didn't listen. "Zero! Ichii!"

"I must say, I'm pretty disappointed in this years examinees."

"What're you talking about? Screw you, you don't know anything! Zero and Ichii are awesome. You got it? They're awesome! They're going to find me, do you hear? They're going to find me and they're going to kick your ass, you idiot. There so awesome, they could've done this stupid test with their eyes closed. And if you think anything's going to stop them then you're dead wrong. Dead. Wrong. Do you understand? They're strong. They're powerful. Nothing can stop them. Not this stupid test, not the other examinees. Nothing! Not. Even. You."

"I'm not so sure."

"Bite me." I spat back, slamming my hand into his arm. Damn, was Zero rubbing off on me. Screw you and bite me in the same conversation? There was no doubt that I was positively leaping levels in sass. "Look, you clearly don't know who you're screwing with. Let me go, right now, and I'll see if they're kind enough to let you live, you scum-sucking piece of dirt. If not, I'll glad allow them to break every bone in your worthless body." We'd navigated our way back to the stairs. I struggled intensely.

Will didn't hesitate. Back up and into the room, he pushed me away. Blocking the entrance. "If you're sure that you're right, then let's see." I backed away from him, raising my hands to protect myself. What's he doing? Why is he coming over here? Stay away! "Let's test your trust." His finger was against my lips, hand grasping my wrist to keep me in place. No. Stop. Leave me alone! I opened my mouth to scream. No sound came out. I clutched my throat, staring at Will, unblinking, my eyes focused on the ball of light he held in his hand. It was a strange thing, soft, pulsating and glowing a pretty faint blue colour. Instantly, I reached out for it, but he simply raised his hand high over my head. I knew instantly that thing was important.

And as I failed once more to talk, I caught on to what he'd done.

My voice. That's what it is. He stole my voice. And he's planning something. I have to get it back, now!

"What'd you have to say now?" Jerk! You are so lucky I can't speak right now. The colourful things I want to say would make your ears bleed!

You see, I didn't exactly hate Will. But if he was on fire and I had water. I'd drink it.

"And now we'll finally see if you can trust your friends as much as you think you can." Oh, we'll see all right. Somebody's gunna get a nice old beat down. He clicked his fingers and for the first time, I really watched as he addressed Zero and Ichii with his little astro-projection-thingy. "Well, Zero and Ichii, Hikari is calling to you. Come to her. Try to save her."

I glared at Will and dived forward, striking out at him, beating useless against his chest. Give it back! Give it back! I want my voice, you jerk. You'll see just how sassy I can be. And I'm so hitting you with that chair, moron! How dare you steal my voice. How dare you! The doors slammed open. I stopped, turning to face my friends. "Are you okay?" Zero asked. Zero! Ichii, you found me. Thank god.

My hand grasped my collar, pulling at it in order to give me more air, shifting my weight as I forced myself to speak. It was, of course, to no avail. He stole my voice! I pointed back at Will, my voice only weird gasps and choking noises. I'm too small, help me get it back! Please? Zero gasped, shocked. "Hikari?"

"She can't talk." Will stated. No thanks to you, cape boy. "She made a pact with me-" How many spoonfuls of Liar did you have this morning? "I've agreed to let you pass the test, in exchange for Hikari's voice." I almost face-palmed at Ichii's shocked- It's can't be! I settled with sighing and rolling my eyes. Since I'm currently unable to to speak, yes, Ichii it apparently can be. "The deal is final. Now, take your friend back. Here-" He shoved me. I gasped and stumbled forward, tripping up and landing right in Zero's arms. I tugged on his shirt to gain his attention and shook my head, waving my arms around. He couldn't think I didn't believe in him. Damn you, Will. I'd drink that water ten times over. You're so going to pay for this. Heavily. With screaming.

"What're you saying?" Zero's voice was so gentle. I felt tears of frustration prickling at my eyes. I forced them back down, along with the lump that had risen in my throat. "I don't understand, Hikari. What is it?"

You do. Please, tell me you do, Zero. Can't you see? I never made a deal with that jerk. I was attacking him! When you came in, I was attacking him. I was trying to get my voice back. God, you're so... impossible, sometimes. I believe in you two. You know that! I always have. And can't you see? I'm all red. My cheeks are flushed, Zero. Notice it. I've been running, you big stupidhead. It means I tried to escape. That I tried to find you.

"She saw that you were struggling when you were battling the dragon, so Hikari begged be to stop the examination. She thought that you couldn't defeat the dragon-" That's it. You're in dangerous territory now, Will. You will be having a nice shoe imprint on your face in a minute. "So she gave her voice in exchange for your lives." Look here. I don't think you'll believe him, but if you do, you'll be getting hit with the shoe as well. You know I believe in you guys. I've proved that often enough. "She really is quite a sweet little girl-" I'll show you how sweet I am, buddy. How 'bout I start by shoving that crystal ball of yours. Right. Up. Your. Ass? "Thanks to her, you two have passed. Well done."

"Man. This isn't good at all." I could feel the anger radiating off Zero, in big, dark waves. To be honest, it scared me. I couldn't tell who it was aimed at, though I figured it would be Will, who, in my opinion, totally deserved some ass-kicking right about now. Z-Zero... Don't flip out on me. I-I didn't do anything. Oh god, seeing you seriously pissed is terrifying. "We made a promise to her, to protect Hikari, no matter what." I wanted to place my hand on his shoulder, to see whether it would help calm him, but I was frightened he might just push me away.

"Yeah, but even if we pass the test, if Hikari isn't safe, it's pointless."

"Enough! We're not gunna let you get away with this, you slimebag." Yeah! You go, Zero! You tell him. "So why don't you give her voice back, already?"

"Come, come. Relax," Will said and I tensed. That faux-calm voice ain't fooling them, buddy. They're out to kill, they are. Wait. Wait a minute. Hey, where's my shoes? I searched and found them, not too far away. "You have until sunset to retrieve her voice and, since I'm feeling generous, I'll give you two options to chose from." This doesn't sound good. The old two-option route. Neither are going to be desirable, we can be sure of that. "Hikari's voice is right here. If you like, I can give it to you now and call the whole thing off. But then, you two would have to drop out of the sorcery test for good." That's it! You're dead. How dare you threaten their dream like that! Oh, I am going to enjoy this. I left Zero's side and collected my shoes, though nobody was really looking at me. Ichii didn't even flinch as I sidled back up next to him. "So, what will it be? Sorcery or her? It's your move. Are you going to finish the test, or give Hikari her voice back? Tell me."

"Well then," Zero said, his voice cold and hard. "I guess we have no choice. We made a promise to Hikari and I'm not about to break it. I guess we..."

"Want both!" They exclaimed, completely in sync. You go! Take him down, you guys! You can do it! Ichii motioned me over and since I really didn't feel like dying today, I quickly flitted to stand behind them. Their magic was pretty powerful stuff, especially when they were annoyed. Zero fired his trusty Magic Cannon, and Ichii his Doppler Capsule. Yes! Get him. To my dismay, both were blocked. It seemed effortless, really, how Will just raised his hand to disintegrate the attacks. No way. He can't be that strong! Right? I took a quick note of their expressions. Both Zero and Ichii looked ruffled, but determined.

They shared a small nod. All of a sudden, the fireballs and magic went flying, and I seriously feared for my safety, so I dived to the ground; my scream of terror twisted into an unrecognisable mess. There was a lull in the fight, in which I heard the familiar sound of my name. I peeked out from behind my hair to spot the culprit. Zero was calling to me, his hand outstretched. I raised myself up and flitted over to him, tripping over the uneven ground caused by the explosions and falling heavily into his arm. He winced, but gently guided me behind him, where I stayed, hands grasping his shirt, head resting between his shoulder blades. I couldn't tell whether I was shaking or not. To be honest, I couldn't care less.

I drew closer. The heat was unbearable, pressing down on me from all sides. My body was engulfed, trapped in wave after wave of insufferable heat. My eyes stung, my head throbbed. The air was laced with acrid smoke that seemed to burn all down my throat and settle in my lungs, stabbing me with pain. The sound was intense. Bursts of noise that almost seemed to deafen me. The ground had almost fully cracked by now. Most of the ceiling was destroyed. If I bothered to look, I could see into the next room.

I didn't though. My eyes never left the very interesting sight of Zero's shirt. He was cursing now. And panting. His shoulders heaving with the effort. Will must be really strong. "Zero. Focus your techniques on me-" What? Ichii, how many spoonfuls of INSANE have you had today? That's crazy. Even Zero thinks so! "It'll be fine. I have an idea, I'll make it work." Zero was protesting again, his voice weak, uncertain. But it wasn't really like they had anything other ideas to go with. Ichii merely silenced him with the wave of a hand and a reassuring smile. "It's all right, you can trust me."

"Okay," Zero said, a more confident note creeping into his voice. "Just don't blame me when it all goes wrong." He took a deep breath, steeling his nerves, steadying himself. He glanced behind to address me first. "You might wanna step back a little bit." I didn't just step back, I stumbled back and crouched right down, my hands covering my head, sheltering behind a small mound in the floor. "Right, Ichii. Let's hope this thing works. Destruction Magic: Magic Cannon! Take that, Ichii." I gasped.

My hands flew to cover my eyes. Oh. I can't watch! Please, work. What ever you're planning, Ichii. Let it work.

I peered through my fingers as I heard Ichii's rather triumphant voice. "Gotcha. You fell for it." Ichii appeared to have caught Zero's attack inside his little capsule. Even from this distance, I could see inside it was concentrated, furiously circling around the enclosed space. Oh. Oh! I see now. And I did see. The force had built up, increasing the attack's power tenfold. Even Will was no match for it. He was struck and I was forced to avert my eyes from the brilliant flash of light which followed. I found him slumped against one of the interior walls, far across the other side of the room.

"I've got it! It's your voice." Zero yelled, his fist closed into a tight ball. He glanced up, a brilliant smile set upon his features and locked gazes with me, the ecstasy obvious in his expression. They'd crossed the distance in a matter of seconds, so quickly, in fact, I hadn't yet pulled myself together, though gladly took the hand Ichii offered me. "Swallow this, Hikari." Zero said, his hands cupped over the tiny blue ball, still pulsating, like the beating of a heart.

Having reached out, I hesitated and chanced a small, uncertain look at my friends who both nodded encouragingly- then I did as Zero instructed. I swallowed it. My throat felt warm, a little tickly, but not uncomfortable. "Z-Zero?" I gasped, a hand fluttering to my chest. "Zero, Ichii! My voice. It's back! Look, I can speak again!"

"I'm glad that you're safe, Hikari." Ichii said, and smiled his gentle, calming smile, brimming with pleasant warmth.

"Thank you. But, I'm glad you two are safe. That dragon looked pretty scary. It was huge! I was terrified just looking at it, though you two were so calm. Even if I couldn't break out, I knew you'd defeat it. I knew you'd find me. Always. I think you two are awesome!" I flew at them and embraced them, a sudden, almost awkward kind of thing. At first Zero was tense, startled by my unexpected attack, but then both he and Ichii relaxed and melted into the hug and I felt their strong arms around my back, gently squeezing me. It was nice. It was calm and comforting and safe. I felt safe. Well and truly protected, right there in their arms. "Zero, Ichii, you two mean so much to me, you know?"

"We know." Zero said, his voice so soft and sweet it almost brought tears to my eyes. "Just like we knew you had faith in us this whole time."

When Will climbed to his feet and scolded the boys on their recklessness, I flinched and edged slowly behind Zero. My discomfort didn't go unnoticed by Ichii, who ended it by keeping his arms wrapped tightly around me, quelling any fears I may have been feeling about getting snatched away once more. Impressed while he was, the boys had played a dangerous game, though Will noted it wouldn't have succeeded without the trust both Zero and Ichii had in each other. They were special. They were powerful. He could see that now. And he passed them. My precious friends passed their mid-term examination with flying colours and my urge to hit Will with that chair slimmed down considerably.

And, because he was such an amazing guy Will decided he would allow the others to pass as well, since they showed such determination and simply refused to give up. He respected their persistence and could see just how hard they would work to achieve their dream. The more the merrier, after all. With a little flourish of his hands, they dropped down from thin air, onto the floor, startled yells escaping their lips. I jumped. It was enough for Ichii to release me, allowing me to tease forward a couple of steps, assessing their condition. Will left everyone behind, fairly befuddled, with a small farewell. "So, does that mean we passed the test, Fo?" San asked.

"Yeah." Cheers of relief were uttered from everyone present.

"Hey, Hikari." San said. Oh, I really don't like her tone. "Do you wanna play a game?" Eyes widening, I backed away, frantically shaking my head.

"You mean, you guys are actually going to continue to chase me? After all of this? You've gotta be kidding me!" And after the bombshell that they would not be stopping, ever, I clung to Zero's arm, practically hugging it to my chest, well and truly hiding behind him now. "Whaaaat? Ever? Ever is such a long time~"

Zero and Ichii merely laughed. A happy, carefree laugh that made my heart swell with joy.

A/N: And that concludes my 12th chapter. This one returns to the usual anime/manga plot, though as you can see I've added my own touches which I hope you all like. Also, I've been reading outside my usual genre-stuff, and I've come to a Young Adult series which I really love, where all the main characters are incredibly sassy, you can probably see has flourished in my writing. Not really sure if making Hikari that sassy was a good idea, but I'll go with it for now. Tell me what you guys think, okay? Should I tone it down? Or should I amp the sass up a little?

LoveInuyasha22: Boom! Another fan! Though I'm really more of a My Chemical Romance kind of girl, you know what I mean? No worries, you've got a lot on your plate, I'm just happy you liked it. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this!

Moka: It was mostly suggested trust, I must admit. I figured that it was really trying to do Nina justice by reinforcing the 'trust' she had that Zero and Ichii would find and rescue her. It would be really interesting to know what you find eccentric about Hikari, I have a feeling I'd have a lot of fun playing around with that. The struggle is real when writing for Hikari. Zero and Ichii are pretty easy, seeing as though their characters are already mapped out. I just don't want her to be boring or be so amazing etc. that she goes into Mary Sue territory.