Only one hour remained.

It'd been four hours since I'd first found them, and we'd switched locations a fair bit since then, swiftly moving from place to place. Ichii absently followed much like a lost lamb, mentally calculating our next steps, sometimes being so wrapped up in his thoughts that we had to physically lead him (we learned this lesson the hard way, after he walked directly into the only obstacle within a eight foot radius of him, a single telegraph pole).

His wounded look of confusion had been utterly priceless.

For quite some time we had been resting in this park, tucked away from prying eyes. Me, cross-legged on the floor, still swaddled up in Zero's jacket, feeling cosy and content. Ichii just behind, perched on a bench, his slender fingers gliding through my hair. Zero eagerly leaning forward, watching Ichii work, his eyes bright, alive, the flicker of a grin rising at his lips when Zura would stir at his shoulder.

The wind languidly snaked through the trees, rustling what few leaves remained, lifting a few stray locks, causing Ichii to click his tongue and collect them back in his hand.

He was stressed, that much I could be certain of.

Before he had been fidgeting, drumming his fingers restlessly against his thighs, so I'd leaned against his legs, hoping to soothe him. The incessant movement halted almost immediately and, after several moments of hesitation, he began to play with my hair. I didn't complain. He was gentle and the motion was incredibly relaxing. Now, he was busying himself with twisting it into some complicated plait, Zero watching with far more interest than I expected from him.

"Band." I obediently held up my wrist. He pulled one of the hair bands off and held it between his teeth, using Zero's spare fingers to hold the end of the plait his was trying. The bluenette was happy to oblige, staying far stiller than I'd ever seen before. With the exam so close to ending, I'd expected him to be bouncing off the walls. Evidently, that was not the case.

Serene, I slid my eyes closed. It wouldn't have been too difficult for me to fall asleep right there and now.

The pressure dropped and a bobby pin was carefully inserted. A pause, then- under Ichii's instruction- Zero lightly pressed down some wayward locks. Another pin slide in.

The brunette sat back, proudly observing his masterpiece. Zero whistled appreciatively and, as if reading my mind, immediately pulled out his phone to snap a picture. He leaned a little closer than normal, arms hanging around my neck with his chin propped comfortably on top of my head, lazily angling the screen for me to see better, but quickly reeled back- the movement throwing Zura clear into the foliage behind- when I squealed high enough to deafen most dogs and rocketed up, throwing my arms around the startled brunette.

"Careful!" Ichii exclaimed as we tipped precariously. Swiftly, his hands clamped on my hips, shifting my weight so I was resting firmly on his lap. "Jeez, it'll fall out if you move too much."

"It's so pretty!" I gushed, giving him an affectionate squeeze. Zero, curious, lightly prodded the plait, which had been arranged in a perfect flower shape in the middle of my head, leaving the rest of my hair to freely cascade down my back. Ichii scoldingly swatted him away. Zero pouted. "How'd you do it?"

"He likes to mess with Sarasa's hair," Zero informed, ignoring the light flush that dusted across Ichii's cheeks. "Been doing cool stuff with it for years, he can do all sorts now. Makes all her friends jealous 'cause their little brothers don't do nice things like that for them."

"It makes her happy," Ichii added, with a little sheepish shrug that was the epitome of adorable.

Zero opened his mouth to say something, then stopped dead in his tracks. I watched his brows furrow in concentration, ear cocked to listen intently. And then his head snapped over his right shoulder. "... the hell?" His eyes narrowed dangerously, flicking over to Ichii. "You feel that?" His voice rumbled low in his chest. Small, barely noticeable flames glided over his knuckles.

"Examinees?" Zura asked, flying over to sit on my head.

Ichii nodded, tight-lipped. "Yeah. About four?"

"I make it five and that god-awful wolf. Damn thing better think twice before going at her again."

"No kidding. Coming from the south?"

"This is all kinds of fun right now," Zero spat, bitterly. "Must be picking up the signal. Couple are closer than the others."

The bluenette was already standing, body tense, wired, ready to spring, yet he still allowed his concentration to waver momentarily to lightly help me up to my feet. Ichii gave my shoulder a little squeeze, guiding me forward. I made sure to keep a steady pace so I didn't dislodge the little seahorse. "Stay close. You know what to do."

My hand fisted around the ball in my pocket. A muscle jumped in Zero's jaw; he bounced into a run, Ichii following with me only a step behind. They were faster, from all their intense training and physical endurance. It was a daunting task to keep pace with them for even a couple of minutes.

A blur streaked out of the trees.

Zero's warning was drowned out by Ichii's sharp cry as the creature collided with him, the brunette falling down in a wild tangle of limbs. A brief, panicked struggle ensued.

Horrified, my hands clapped across my mouth, muffling my scream.

Eyes gleaming with bloodlust, the wolf-hybrid pressed its paw harder against Ichii's throat. His delicate skin was marred with gradually deepening indents, the monster's knife-like claws stained red. The boy spluttered weakly, dribbling scarlet down his bottom lip, desperately fighting against the crushing force.

There was a moment of silence.

And then Zero exploded, fire leaping to life and engulfing him in a ball of flames.

"Only saying it once," The threatening undertone was unmistakable."Let him go, or I will kill you." Body shaking with unadulterated fury, I didn't doubt that Zero wouldn't carry through on his ultimatum.

"Is that meant to scare me? Cute." Smirking far too casually to be fully aware of the gravity of his position, Tomi dropped down next to me. I prided myself on barely flinching. Zero's hand closed around my upper arm, pulling me back behind him. "I'm quaking in my boots."

"Good enough for me," Zero flashed his teeth in warning. "But you just made the top slot on my enemies list. Too bad for you. Don't you think?"

Annoyed with the intruder's attitude, I growled low in my throat.

Tomi merely laughed, sealing his death sentence. "You know, you're really cute when you do that. You sound like a really fierce kitten."

Outraged on my behalf, Zero lunged towards him. His wolf partner cocked his head and put more pressure on Ichii, a strangled gurgle tearing up from the very depths of his lungs. Zero froze immediately, haltingly dropping his fist.

"Tomi, I swear to God-"

To say Zero was not amused would be putting it lightly. He looked as though he wanted to rip off the hand that Tomi arrogantly raised to silence him.

"The Crystal Pearl in exchange for his life. It's simple, really."

Zura was on the verge of tears. I was furious. Zero looked like he wanted to blow something up.

Heat flushed my body. Through my red haze, I span around and slapped Tomi. An open-handed, hard smack that echoed like a gunshot off the towering trees. There was a collective intake of breath. "You son of a bitch!"

I strained against Zero's grip, the still aflame bluenette showing a surprising amount of maturity, hauling me away from Tomi who rubbed his tender cheek with an ugly scowl, steel-grey eyes hard, glinting like flint. Already, a massive welt was forming. He sure as hell would be feeling that for quite a while.

"The Pearl." He all but growled, while his wolf partner dipped his muzzle down alarmingly close to Ichii's arm, jaws spread, ready to rip into his flesh. "Now."

I levelled him a look of absolute disgust. "You dirty coward."

He grinned, all shark-like in more than looks, sharpened canines glinting dangerously in the sun. "You wound me."

"You." The blunette's electric orbs were narrowed into furious slits. "You're going to pay for this."

"I'm losing patience, Zero."

"Didn't have much to begin with." I shot back, scathingly.

"I'm not waiting all day. Three," Zero clenched his jaw. "Two," Reluctantly, he loosened his grip, firmly pressing a cool object into my hand. "One." Lingering to placate me with a gentle touch on my shoulder, which expertly hid the subtle transaction to my pocket, Zero switched his gaze to Tomi, who cockily crossed his arms. "Well?"

"You win." He managed to spit out through gritted teeth.

The fire still flared around the bluenette as he approached, loose tendrils curling up my legs to ward off any souls brave enough to take a step in my direction with bad intent. Upper lip curled in a vicious sneer, Zero dropped a little pink ball into Tomi's expecting hand.

The steel-eyed boy's victorious grin disappeared in an instant. Angered, he threw the fake Pearl down, growling when it bounced mockingly back at him.

"This isn't the Crystal Pearl!"

A flash of silver, and the end of a pen was pressed firmly against a pressure point on Tomi's throat, Zero having twisted the boy into a tight lock. "Listen here, you little bastard," He scowled when the boy snarled. "S' a tactical pen. Specially made. Real strong and durable. Expensive, too. Supposed to be a Christmas present for Hikari, so don't make me get it dirty, get where I'm coming from?"

Deadly silence- then a very slow, thunderous. "... Yes."

Zero smiled, poison-sweet. "I'm glad we've reached an understanding. Now, you get that thing to back off."

"Alright. Since you asked so nicely."

"I wasn't asking."

"I'm aware of that." He snapped, more than a little pissed. "The sharp point at my neck did make it quite clear."

A high whistle sounded. Without any hesitation, his partner padded over and sat at his heels, perfectly serene as Zero shoved Tomi away from him, collecting the bouncy ball from the ground.

Releasing the breath I hadn't realised I was holding, I darted straight to where Ichii lay, throwing myself down beside him and ducking to cover my head when Zero blasted the boy through a tree with one fatal shot of his Magic Cannon attack. Zero's jacket was removed smoothly from my shoulders, successfully staunching the bleeding.

Zura sniffed mournfully. "Is he gonna die?"

Ichii, regaining his strength by the second, swiped the blood from his lip, sitting up despite my protests, looking amused at my rush of bossiness. "I'm fine," He assured the panicked seahorse. "There's a lot of blood, but it's not deep. Trust me, looks much worse than it really is." Ignoring my stern look, Ichii (with a little difficulty, though I suppose his magic helped) used the tactical pen Zero tossed him to tear the sleeves up into a makeshift bandage, which he allowed me to fasten firmly around his throat.

Heat seared across my skin. I grimaced, barely registering Ichii yanking me flush against his chest in the chaos that erupted.

The appearance of a miniature army of Steps Cats interrupted the two-on-one fight that Zero had most definitely been winning, signifying the arrival of a cheerful San and Forte. However, what was arguably worse were the outraged screeches from Rokka and Yakumo, the latter of which had apparently returned from training with Nanase.

I wish they'd stayed.

Ichii's sighed heavily. "I really don't have the energy to deal with this."

Evidently, he was done pretending to like people.

The brunette seized me around the waist, hoisting me up with him into the nearest tree, Zura tucked neatly under his other arm.

Below, Zero and the wolf were trading blows, while a disorientated Tomi staggered up, bleeding profusely from a cut at his temple, his clothes terribly singed in places. Rokka was still screaming gibberish. As usual, no-one was paying her much attention. San and Nanase were squabbling childishly. So much so that poor Forte, who was stuck standing next to them, looked as though he would rather being doing literally anything else with his time.

After assuring my safety, Ichii patted my head. "Stay here," he commanded, gently.

My hand tangled in his sleeve, keeping him in place. "You're hurt." I said, stubbornly. "Stay here. Rest."

He smiled, patient and soft, adopting the tone he usually reserved for children. My eyes narrowed into annoyed slits. "Listen Hikari, I really need to-"

"Cut the condescending attitude. I'm not a child." He faltered. I continued, looking surprisingly fierce as I glared. "You shouldn't fight. You'll only make that injury worse."

Ichii sighed, a faint grin forming. "You're getting bossier."

"You're getting more stupid." I retorted, but grudging smiled back. "Don't go," I stressed, voice firm, yanking his attention away from where Zero was gleefully prancing around the other examinees.

"Zero needs my help-"

"Zero needs you to stay safe!"

Ichii clenched his jaw. "I am not a maiden in need of defending."

"And you think I am?"

"You're not superman." He said, tone colder, harsher than I was accustomed to. "You're not like us, Hikari. You don't have magic. If you go in there, you will die. They're not pulling punches any more. Everyone wants to win. I will be going to assist my partner and you will stay here. No matter how capable Zero is, he is more injured than me and he can't fend off them all on his own for long."

I failed to stop him as he lightly jumped down, the tips of my fingers just barely brushing his back. Zura stopping me from following him.

The commotion only grew with Ichii's appearance.

The one and only merit seemed to be that none of the other examinees knew who was really in possession of the Pearl. I took out my phone, glancing at the timer I had set.

Half an hour remained.

Ten minutes had passed.

Zero and Ichii, for the most part, had just been artfully dodging everything that had been thrown at them. Often, wayward attacks would hit other examinees, which started petty squabbles and fights that allowed the two boys to slip away, unnoticed, sometimes taking a spare second to move me.

The boys had been messing around with Ichii's rubber ball for quite some time. They'd done an amazing job of convincing everyone it was the actual Pearl, it helped that Zero mockingly flashed his own fake to Tomi.

A cold breeze ruffled my hair. Almost instantly, it was replaced by a pleasant heat. Zero was next to me, absently swinging his feet. Immediately, we dissolved into playful teasing, though I had a sinking suspicion that Zero only appeared because he'd noticed how badly I'd been shivering. Void of the jacket he had previously entrusted me with, the bluenette took it upon himself to warm me up with the only means at his disposal. The boy usually had a warmer body temperature than most, but after discovering his affinity with fire, he had become akin to a personal space heater. With the cold chilling me to the bone, I was more than happy to snuggle up to him.

Several minutes later, there was a considerable distance between us. Zero was settled on the slimmest section of the branch, gracefully ignoring gravity which was inevitable going to protest. I was curled near the truck, Zura nestled in my lap, a flame flickering in my cupped hands, successfully keeping us warm.

I remained deathly silent, not wishing to distract the blue haired boy, who focused entirely on the group bothering Ichii, observing every movement with intelligent, calculating eyes.

I'd never seen him look so serious.

Zero was impatient.

His attention span was shorter than a gnat. He couldn't seem to sit still and a lot of the time fidgeted worse than a five-year-old on the holiest of sugar rushes.

He was impulsive.

He was always getting scolded by Ichii for acting without thinking about the consequences.

But right now, his concentration was solely on his best friend, calmly seizing up the battle, weighing up his options. Brows furrowed, he really was debating his next move with alarming precision.

He must have noticed something; a flicker of weakness, a subtle change in Ichii's speed, for he suddenly went surging forward, making a neat trade off with the older boy, who quickly went racing along the tree branches towards me, leaving Zero to fend for himself.

A greenish blur whipped past, slamming into Ichii's chest for a hug. Ichii humoured the little seahorse, giving him an affectionate squeeze in return, while I extinguished the flame in my hand. I gripped his arm tight enough to bruise when the wooden limb swayed under our feet. Ichii's touch was gentle against my skin. All of a sudden his arm was around my waist and the wind whipped past my ears in an exhilarating rush, then we landed, and at close distance Ichii's eyes were wide and jubilant and so, so charming.

"Enjoying yourself?" I asked, suitably entertained.

He flushed, a little embarrassed. "Well..."

I cut him off, beaming. "Let's do it again!"

Ichii took a moment to register my words, then grinned, a full blown, glowing smile that lit up his whole face. He looked like a child on Christmas. It melted my heart.

Rokka had noticed our decent and perked up, happily skipping towards Ichii. The brunette, pausing momentarily from where he had been brushing dirt from my shirt, shot her a chiding look that made her falter. Gou, seizing the opportunity, gently pulled her to the side.

Not too far away, Zero was taunting Tomi. He was definitely enjoying messing with him. Not that the boy didn't deserve it, after threatening to kill Ichii.

The aforementioned boy's slender finger teased at a stray lock of hair that must have slipped from the plait during all the commotion. The little frown that tugged at his features was the epitome of adorable. From somewhere to the side, a barely panting Zero jokingly yelled "Get a room!"

Ichii, in a rare moment of childishness, leaned even closer, tucking my fringe behind my ear deliberately slowly, his touch sending pleasant shivers up my spine, sticking his tongue out at the bluenette over my shoulder.

Zero only laughed, a flicker of cold fire brushing across Ichii's hand.

I rolled my eyes, giving Ichii a light jab with my elbow. Understanding the message, the brunette backed away, eyes still sparkling impishly. He blinked and narrowed his eyes at a flash of blond that bobbed in the corner of my vision. Forte had his head cocked to the side, watching me like a curious puppy. Ichii, protectively, shuffled forwards a couple of steps so that our arms brushed, his eyes flashing dangerously, just daring the boy to try anything weird.

"Something wrong, Forte?" I asked, sweetly. Beside me, Ichii tensed. I could see the tell-tale glow of his hands, an obvious sign that he was preparing his magic.

"You're by her." His brows furrowed in thought. "Why are you there? Why do you both keeping going back there?"

"So she doesn't get hurt, obviously."

Forte didn't even acknowledge him, merely continuing to mutter under his breath, mulling the words over. "No-one's near her. Why is he there? Everyone is after Zero. They're all going after Zero. He's the one that has the-" His stopped, glancing up in realisation. "You have the Pearl." It wasn't a question. There was no uncertainty in his voice. He was stating it, like one would state a fact.

Ichii sent me a quick, warning glance. Zero tripped and went down hard, yelping at the impact. I took in a deep breath and said, "Absolutely."

"Ah hell," Ichii breathed. "Okay, then. Run."

Forte came careering after us, shouting over his shoulder for San to follow which she did, albeit a bit hesitantly. Zero had clocked us, his expression shifting to one of horror. Smoke leaked from his nostrils, giving off a deadly demeanour. Without much effort, a wall of fire had spiked up behind us, blocking the blond's path.

While Forte stopped in shock, Zero went shooting past, directly through the middle of his flames. The heat switched in an instant, from a soft warning to searing at my flesh, despite the distance I and Ichii were already at.

The said brunette swore loudly and scooped me up into his arms, grabbing Zura out of the air and yelling fiercely over his shoulder at Zero to cut it out before you melt us, you moron! Zero obeyed immediately, having the decency to look ashamed as he caught up with us. "Sorry 'bout that. You okay, Hikari?"

"Perfectly fine. No burns or anything."

The panic in his eyes vanished, replaced by relief. "Good." Zero's smile was sweet, more inner and private than anything I'd seen from him before. "Ichii?" There was an edge of hesitance.

"Same here. Still in one piece." His jaw clenched with worry. "They're gaining on us. Take Hikari. Keep going, alright?"

Zero nodded, serious once more, catching me as Ichii gently tossed me up (despite my threats that I would kill him if he did so) and continued to run. Ichii erected a barrier behind us, stance unwavering as he clashed with a pair of female examinees I was sure hadn't been present earlier.

"Dammit," Zero cursed, breath ragged. Both boys, I'd noticed, were quickly beginning to tire. "The others have found us, too." Sharp as a knife, the boy turned on his heel, rocketing us back towards the brunette, voice raising to a parade ground bellow that had me clasping my hands over my ears. "Ichii, we have a situation!"

The brunette threw down a smoke bomb and a moment later, darted out of the fog, steadying himself on my shoulder, touch light and reassuring. "Surrounded?" He asked tight-lipped, raking a hand through his hair- more desperate than I'd ever seen before- when Zero nodded grimly. "How long do we have left?"

"Five minutes."

Zura ceased flying anxiously around our heads, my head apparently making a good enough purchase for the little seahorse.

"What?" Ichii murmured.

"Five minutes," Zura reported. "That's when the exam ends."

Zero's canines flashed in a childish grin, a playful wisp of flame teasing from between his lips, his limp all but forgotten as he stepped out from us, my shoulder still tingling from where he'd heartily patted it. "Who's ass am I kicking first?" He mused, fire erupting up his arms, shooting along the floor to encircle us, the mere presence of the flames enough to ward off the examinees that arrived.

His eyes gleamed with elation.

Cracking each knuckle in turn, he watched a pair of red headed examinees seize him up with mild interest.

Four minutes.

Ichii pulled me and Zura behind him as they collided in a rush of flames and water.

For a split second Zero looked perturbed, then the wave careering towards him evaporated under the intense heat. Ichii used a barrier to protect us against the searing steam. Zero darted out from the fog, engaging in a brief fist fight that ended soon enough with him coming out victorious.

Two and a half minutes remaining.

An extendable weapon crashed into the dirt by his foot. Zero smirked, a puff of flame setting it alight.

Yakumo shrieked and hurriedly batting it out, while Nanase rolled his eyes, looking as though he was seriously reconsidering his choice of partner. A pretty melody rose up, and one of the red headed twins were standing once more, as if pulled up by an invisible thread.

"Oh, hell no," I whispered, clutching Ichii's sleeve. "That's way too creepy."

Zura pressed himself closer, tail thrashing nervously. "Forte is here," The little seahorse hissed, nose wrinkled with disgust "Definitely his magic controlling that boy."

Water and fire clashed. Flashes bright enough to blind collided in what would have otherwise been a peaceful clearing.

Two minutes.

Ichii's shields were inadequate against sheer intensity of the attacks. His arm was tight around my waist, keeping me secured to the side.

The world seemed to explode.

It hit me as a hard, hot shove, and then I was down and rolling across the grass, landing hard on my back with twigs digging into my skin, hands clamped over my ears to muffle the strangled, pained cries that rose up and the wild crackle of flames.

I sat up, staring.

Ichii was no longer at my side.

Neither was Zura.

There were pieces of splintered bark everywhere, still falling like flaming rain. I could feel the heat and acrid smoke was carried in black plumes on the wind, but there was no fire.

A girl with golden hair came stumbling out, eyes hazy. She fell at my side, accepting my touch as I carefully lifted her into a sitting position. Blood smeared across her forehead, but it was merely a flesh wound that was healed with a simple touch of her slender fingers. She pressed a digit against my cheek, the dull ache from a cut fading into nothingness. Smiling, I thanked her and dived into the fray, hand delving in my pocket for the reassuring smooth surface of the Pearl.

I found nothing.

My throat constricted.

All of a sudden something came leaping out next to me. Gou caught the wild kick I swung at him, steadying me carefully and being certain not to move until I had relaxed. Calmly, he pointed in the direction he'd emerged from. "They're over there." He informed before heading off to locate Rokka.

One minute.

Both Zero and Ichii were on the floor, tussling the old-fashioned way with Forte and Yakumo respectively. Yakumo was sporting an impressive split lip. Up against Ichii, it was surprising he wasn't a little more worse for wear.

"Give me the Crystal Pearl!" Forte ordered, and Zero barely dodged the fist Forte slammed into the ground, where his head had just been situated.

"I don't have it!" The boy spat back, kicking the blond boy off him.

Thirty seconds.

Zero noticed me, eyes widening in horror. Forte looked like a cat who'd just caught a mouse. "What are you doing?" Zero yelled, shooting up when he noticed Forte's sinister grin at this new development. "Run, you idiot!"

"There's no point." I whispered, my heart twisting painfully. "It's gone."

Zero's expression went blank just a moment before he tackled Forte to the ground. "The hell do you mean it's gone?"

Helplessly, I shook my head. "It's not in my pocket, I must have dropped it or something. I'm sor-" A flash of pink caught my attention. The pearl was hovering next to my ear. "... ry?"

Twenty seconds.

We paused. Forte blinked, Zero pinned him. To the side, Ichii pushed Yakumo down, twisting his arm into a painful lock. "Grab it and run!" They both yelled.

I snatched it up.

Fifteen.

I lobbed it towards the brunette.

Twelve.

Like it had a mind of it's own, the Pearl looped back around to me, smacking me in the head. Perplexed, I rubbed the aching spot, the Pearl sitting in my palm.

Eight.

I caught it this time, as it returned to me after another failed attempt to pass it to Ichii.

Five.

Forte broke free, lunging towards me.

Four.

Zero shot to his feet, diving after him.

Three.

The blond's hand was a hair's breath away.

Two.

They went down in a tangled flurry of limbs.

One.

I dropped the Pearl into Ichii's hand.

Zero.

"The Magical Exam is over."

"Congratulations, Zero, Ichii," The sudden, yet familiar voice had Zero's arm shooting out, keeping me behind him. It was unnecessary, really, for I'd already awkwardly apologised to Will for attacking him. Several times. And for my previous repeated urges to hit him with a chair. "By passing the fiftieth Magic Exam, the Magical Exam Centre appoints you as professional sorcerers." Will's lips quirked in an amused smile, Aquamarine sitting contently in his arms.

I beamed and all of a sudden I was crushed in a hug, Ichii squeezing the absolute life out of me, disbelief etched onto his features. Zero was laughing, Zura so excited he flung his little arms over the bluenette's face. "Hikari," He called, and I obliged, throwing myself at him. We span in several tight circles before he stumped and sent the two of us falling down in a heap.

"We passed," He whispered softly.

"You did," I confirmed, eyes filled with warmth.

Zero affectionately cupping my cheeks, resting his forehead against mine. "All because we had our good luck charm with us. Hikari, the Goddess of Victory."

He winced at the sudden onslaught of pure, golden light emanating from the Pearl, using his fingers to shield my eyes. From the centre, a dazed delicate dragon appeared, flapping his little wings.

Once the little dragon, who I'd dubbed Pearl, had stopped chewing on my head, I finally managed to relax.

After choosing me as it's master in pearl-form, the little dragon had become inconsolable upon discovering I was a mere human, hence the teeth marks in Ichii's hand from where he'd tried to pry Pearl off of me. Zero had fared much better when the dragon had breathed fire at him for calling his precious horn an ear, the bluenette merely teasingly twisting the flames so they curled around me- not burning, never burning.

Will, who had been watching on for quite some time, amused, cleared his throat loudly. "Looks like you boys have your first task as professional sorcerers. Zero, Ichii, stay with Hikari and offer your support. The three of you together will raise the familiar."

They smiled at me- a sweet, heartfelt, delighted expression that lit up their faces.

Zero's expression turned wondrous. "Snow!" He exclaimed with child-like glee, pointing up.

Sure enough, perfect flakes were beginning to fall.

I'd never been so happy in my life.

Zero staggered in through the front door. He didn't make it very far. In fact, five steps down the hallway he gave up and collapsed against the wall, sliding into a sitting position. Instantly, I was crouching down next to him. His fists wound tight in his shirt, he gazed up at me with a strained expression, breath rattling in his chest.

"Hurts?" I asked, softly.

Wincing, his fingers brushed over the crimson staining his trouser leg. The blood was seeping through his bandages despite the help that Will had provided soon after him receiving the injury. Evidently, the examiners couldn't just sit back and watch one of the participants bleed to death.

"Like Hell," He gritted his teeth.

Ichii was incredibly pale.

He hadn't spoken much on the walk home. I'd expected him to be ecstatic, considering they both just passed the exam they had been working so hard for, yet the brunette seemed rather sombre, for some strange reason.

"Maybe you should wait upstairs?" I suggested kindly, fully aware that Ichii was just as exhausted, if not more so than Zero.

Wearily, he nodded and trudged up to my room. We both watched him go, Zero looking far more worried than I anticipated.

Keeping his voice low, the boy beckoned me closer. Obediently, I stooped down, allowing him to whisper in my ear, "Something's wrong with him. He's acting weird."

"I noticed it, too." I admitted, frowning. "He was fine earlier. I don't know what's changed..."

"He's hurting." The little dragon said, his keen eyes bright, gleaming in the light.

My own orbs widened. Annoyed at my own stupidity, I gave myself a light smack on the forehead. "Of course! His throat must kill." My hand on Zero's shoulder was gentle. "Will you be alright if I leave you alone with my mother? I'll take care of Ichii in the meantime."

"S'okay. I'd rather you be with him, anyway. Think he needs it more than me."

Grateful, I gave him a little smile. It took some effort to pull him up, but soon enough we'd meandered into the kitchen, causing my mother to almost drop Tabby in shock, the woman immediately yanking her earphones out before setting the excitable kitten on the floor.

"Zero! What on Earth happened to you?"

"Uh..." The boy froze. "Was breaking up a fight. Some punks beating on a little kid, you know? All a bunch of weaklings, mind, coulda taken 'em in my sleep. Something distracted me... May have got stabbed a bit..."

"A bit?" She echoed, with a hint of hysteria. "Stabbed a bit?"

He grimaced sheepishly, yelping when she coldly yanked down his trousers, displaying the tattered bandages on his upper thigh. I squealed, my hands clamping over my eyes, barely catching sight of Zero's flushed cheeks. He looked utterly mortified. My mother tutted as she inspected the injury with clinical precision, deftly ignoring Zero's half-stifled pained whines.

"Hikari, pass me the first aid kit under the sink."

I hurried to do so, respecting Zero's privacy and exiting the room. The entire time, both Pearl and Zura had remained docile, peeking out from a pocket each. The little seahorse giggled, settling on my shoulder as I clattered up the stairs. "He liiiiiiikes you."

"Quiet, you," I hissed back, only half serious. "Or I'll stuff you."

Pearl started snickering, too, as I entered my room. More precisely, my empty room, because Ichii wasn't anywhere to be seen. Confused, I cocked my head, even going as far as to peer under my bed. The little dragon emerged, taking my head for his perch and pushing his nose in the air, sniffing once or twice. Then his head snapped over his shoulder, focused on the door of my wardrobe.

"He's in there."

"Thanks, Pearl." He gave a rumbling purr-like sound when I tickled him under the chin.

Creeping into the boy's unit, I went to yell for the brunette, but Zura gently pushed his little feet over my mouth, stopping me. He was staring at Pearl, the little dragon sitting incredibly still, brows furrowed intensely.

"What's wrong?" I asked, quietly.

"Hallway. First door on the right."

Confused, but considerably more wary, I followed his instructions, pressing my ear up against the bathroom door. From inside, I could hear the shower. Sighing with relief, I backed away. "He must be washing the dirt off him." I whispered, but froze when a faint, hiccuping sound reached my ears.

Is he...?

Pearl appeared to be more downcast. "I think we should go." He decided, staring pointedly at Zura. Both the dragon and seahorse swiftly fluttered back into the boy's room, mostly likely to go wait in mine.

When I slowly turned the handle, the door didn't move even an inch. Locked, most likely. Which wouldn't be too suspicious, if he hadn't have been sobbing loud enough to be heard over the running water. It was ingenious, really. So much so that I wondered how many times he'd done this and neither Zero or I had realised.

Feeling shame and guilt rise in my stomach, I cautiously used my knuckles to rap on the wood.

Ichii sucked in a sharp breath.

There was silence for a long moment.

"Ichii," Complete stillness. "I know you're in there. Open up."

He debated this for a couple of seconds. The door creaked open a couple of inches just as I went to knock again, revealing a sliver of his profile. His eyes were puffy and red, still swimming with tears. Breath catching in my throat, I pushed it open all the way.

He cringed away from my touch as I breathed a quiet, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," His hand scrubbed down his face. "I'm fine."

"Liar."

"I'm not," He insisted. "These are... Happy tears."

Planting my hands firmly on my hips, I glared fiercely at him. "Then why did you hide in here?"

"I wasn't-" His voice was thick with agony, eyes begging me to leave him be. "I wasn't hiding."

I softened, my hands resting on his cheeks.

"Look at me," My fingers brushed over his cheekbones, palms noting his tightly clenched jaw. "You can tell me these things, Ichii. You know that, don't you? You don't have to suffer on your own." He remained quiet, staring at the ground. I gently raised his gaze, feeling my heart constrict when I felt water against my fingers.

"Please... You don't need to-"

"You don't have to happy all the time. It's okay to be sad."

He contemplated this for a moment, then suddenly screamed with pent up frustration, slamming his fist against the wall. Breaking down, he sunk to the floor, cradling his arm to his chest. The skin was torn, blood rippling out over his knuckles.

"The hell, Ichii?" I exclaimed, scrambling over to inspect his new injury.

I met his gaze, startled by the lost and defeated look he wore. "You're aware that in the past I wasn't exactly the best person to be around?"

"You did some things you weren't proud of," I recalled, with a frown.

"That's putting it lightly." He laughed darkly, the sound the bitterest I'd heard from him, full of self-hatred and shame. "I... was a delinquent. An orphan that thought nobody liked or loved him, and was lonely. My step sister tried her best for me, but she deserved her own happiness." A pause. "I felt like Jeff was stealing her from me, that if they continued to date, I wouldn't have anyone left."

His smile was tight. "I hated myself. Thought I wasn't good enough. That somehow I was inadequate, and Sarasa was with Jeff to escape me. Having them all in danger made me realise just how much I had. Jeff only recently told me that she'd lose sleep worrying over me..." His gaze returned to mine, brimming with sorrow. He ignored the crimson rivets streaking down his hand. "I still feel guilty for causing her so much pain. I couldn't bear it if anything were to happen to any of them."

"So," he continued, with a harsh sound, throwing his arms out to indicate himself. "Here I am. Ichii, King of Self-Imposed Insecurities. Behold me and all my failures."

"Failures?"

He was crying again, I realised, but he wouldn't let me touch him. "I can't make up for being a reckless brat. I'm constantly making you all worry about me with those stupid nightmares and even then I can't stop them from coming true; I couldn't protect Zero. He's hurt because-" A sob tore from his throat. "I'm useless."

"You're not." I contradicted firmly.

"I am!" He was yelling, frantic, his hiccuping sobs slurring his words. "Can't even sleep properly- pathetic! Someone my age should be able to deal with nightmares. You shouldn't be waking up in the night 'cause of me screaming." His hands fisted in his hair. "I specialise in Defence Magic. My entire purpose is to protect others! I should have been there. He's hurt because of me, because I couldn't protect him. But-" Another sob that had his voice breaking. "He saved me from that wolf. He's my responsibility and yet he saved me. In the end, I couldn't even protect myself."

"You protected me." I reminded, quietly. Ichii blinked, focusing tearfully on me. "That explosion. I've only got a couple of bruises now, but it would have been a whole lot worse if it weren't for you."

"I-"

"And why the hell are you trying to take on that much? You can't control everything, Ichii. Sometimes people get hurt. You can't help that, it's life. If you can't deal with that, you'll run yourself ragged." I reached up and slapped myself. He was stunned. "Could you protect me against that?" I asked softly, eyes blazing as he gently pressed my palms against the ground. "You can't read my mind. You couldn't have know I was going to do that, so does that still make it your fault for not being able to stop me?"

Affectionately, I rested my forehead against his. "You're not Superman, Ichii." I whispered, echoing his earlier words. "And neither Zero or I expect you to be."

"I'm sorry."

I hushed him, brushing my thumbs over his cheeks to wipe away his tears. "Don't apologise. Your feelings are valid."

"I hate failing."

I flashed him a secret smile. "Wanna know a secret?" His eyes implored me to continue. "Everyone does, even those who seem like they don't. We strive for success, it's who we are. Your ability to get back up after failing is what determines who you are. Will you try again?"

"Yes." His lips quirked. "I always do."

"You don't have to shoulder all this by yourself. It's good to feel responsible for some things, it helps you grow. But one person can't handle everything alone. Look out for Zero, I don't mind. But don't feel crushed if something out of your control happens." His eyes were free from tears. "Zero doesn't blame you at all, you know. He panicked himself, dived in front of me without even thinking. You saw how he vaporised the water earlier, it wouldn't have been impossible for him to do the same then."

"How is he?"

Grinning, I stifled a laugh. "Aside from being incredibly embarrassed, he's fine. I figure the scab was tore open during all the fighting. I doubt it'll even scar much, thanks to whatever Will did."

"He didn't have enough time to heal it properly," The brunette explained. "The examinees caught up to us quicker than expected, but he stopped the majority of the bleeding and slapped a bandage over it- said it had some kind of healing salve on it."

I nodded, thoughtfully. "It worked really well. Wish I had some for you." Cautious, I sat back on my haunches. "Will you let me take a look?"

He displayed his hand, grimacing at the sight of his bloodied knuckles, dancing away when I pulled it in to my lap. "You'll get your clothes dirty."

I snorted, laughing. "I don't care. It's just a bit of blood, it'll wash out."

He smiled, tentative and so utterly heart-warming with its delicacy.

I was so grateful for his existence.

Four days had passed since then.

Christmas had come and gone. The boys, of course, had celebrated with with my mother and I. Presents were exchanged, memories were made- for the first time in a while, we could all relax and have fun. Admittedly, I was wearing a fair few of my gifts. The pretty blue bow from Zura was tucked into my hair, the black cat pedant- a gift received from Ichii- was cold against my skin, and- upon Zero's instruction- the tactical pen he'd given me was snapped to the strap of my bag.

My favourite gift (though I would never say so aloud) was safely tucked away at home. A photo album full of pictures spanning from when I was a child until now. Early memories I could barely remember of playing with Hiro, visible years pass before Kei and Ayumi appear, then to more recently, where Zero and Ichii are added into the mix. I'd almost squeezed the life out of the three of them when they'd presented it to me, Kei looking cool and indifferent as usual- though the excited twinkle in her eye was hard to hide- Ayumi bouncing in anticipation, excited as ever, and a hopeful but anxious Hiro.

Cheerfully, I kicked my foot through a pile of snow, giggling at the boy's groans when the cold spray hit them. Pearl artfully hid himself in my hair, mostly protected.

The little dragon had somewhat calmed down, though both he and Zura could be fiercely possessive over all three of us when they wanted to be, which was usually entertaining.

At the moment, Pearl was sitting on my shoulder, too proud to admit that he was interested in all the new sights, sounds and smells around him. Zura had claimed Ichii, finding his head to be a suitable perch. Aside from a resigned little sigh, the brunette had no other reaction to the little seahorse settling himself there.

Not too far away a father was spinning his son around. The little boy was cheering happily, his excited squeals carrying across the park.

I smiled, adding a quick skip to my step to keep up with the boys, being careful not to dislodge Pearl.

Zero had noticed, too. But he clenched his teeth and kicked a pebble across the ground. Frowning, I watched as he roughly stuffed his hands in his pockets and quickening his pace.

Smiling sympathetically, Ichii said "You miss him, don't you?"

"Miss who?"

"Jeff," He clarified, when Zero only stared stupidly at him. "You miss him."

Embarrassed, Zero turned away. "No. Of course not."

My head swivelled back to the brunette as he released a small, humoured chuckle. "I miss Sarasa." He admitted, gently. Zero blinked, cocking his head, visibly interested. "This is the longest we've been apart for. It's more difficult than I thought I'd be."

"You never went on any school trips, right?"

Ichii nodded easily. "That's right. They didn't interest me back then, so I stayed at home."

I glanced at Zero, who had a small, nostalgic smile on his face. "I'm guessing you went?"

"Of course," He said, a melancholy glint in his eyes. "They were the best when you were a kid. Always had so much fun, and we could practically get away with murder."

"Sounds like the sort of thing you'd be interested in."

Zero childishly stuck his tongue out at the brunette. "You missed out on a lot."

Ichii gave a little shrug. "I guess I kinda regret it. But it's in the past, nothing I can do about it now."

Zero hummed a quiet acknowledgement. We walked on in silence for a little while, Zero seemingly caught in his own little world. Flushing slightly, the bluenette angled his head away. "Well... Maybe a little." He allowed, self-consciously scratching the back of his neck.

"A little what?" Ichii prompted, feigning innocence despite Zero's sharp glare.

"Maybe... I miss Jeff a little." The boy mumbled, then marched on a head when I cooed loudly and Ichii failed to hide his semi-victorious smirk.

"Ah- Wait!" I called after him, on behalf of both of us. Zero slowed, reluctantly, and allowed us to catch up. "I'm sorry," I said, as sincerely as I could manage, elbowing Ichii sharply in the side when he didn't immediately follow suit. The brunette grumbled quietly, before echoing my apology, his smirk wider than before.

It looked as though they were going to start arguing, or more accurately, it looked as though Zero was going to lose his temper and start yelling, while Ichii tired his hardest not to laugh, so I spoke quietly- more to myself than anything- before the situation could escalate from playful teasing to a full-blown fight.

"You miss them..." Mildly surprised, both boys snapped questioning gazes to me. "You should go see them."

"We can't do that." Ichii said, almost instantly.

Not even missing a beat, Zero nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we can't leave you all alone."

"Why not?" I asked, more curious than annoyed. "The Crystal Pearl isn't inside my body any more, so it's not like I'm in danger. Besides, I have Pearl to keep me company." I tickled the little dragon under his chin.

They blinked. It was a fair point.

Ichii gave the bluenette a long sideways glance, his hesitance obvious. "Well... it wouldn't hurt... I mean, we have to take Zura home anyway, he's got a little job of his own now..."

"Maybe for a couple of days?"

"A week at most." Ichii said, and Zero seemed satisfied with that.

"Yeah, a week sounds good. Wouldn't be gone too long that way."

"We don't have to go at all, though," Ichii added, suddenly, and Zero was quick to nod to that, too.

"Yeah, we can stay here if you want."

"It wouldn't be any trouble."

"No trouble at all." Zero echoed.

Smiling, I clamped my hands over their mouths, stopping both boys in their tracks. "Go." I instructed, firmly. "Be with your family. I'll be fine here with Pearl, I promise."

"Yeah!" The little dragon whispered, as not to attract unwanted attention, affectionately nuzzling his head into my neck. "I'll look after her, don't worry."

Ichii's lips gave a delighted little curve that lit up his whole face. "Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?" I asked, bemused. "It's not like I need to give you permission. I don't own either of you, after all. You deserve to visit your family just as much as I do."

"True," Ichii agreed, using a gloved hand- a gift from me- to brush a stray leaf from his shoulder.

"I'll bring you back a present," Zero said, decisively. "A real nice one."

"You don't have to-"

"I want to." There was a stubbornness in his vice that wouldn't be swayed. "There's lots of cool stuff in our world, trust me."

I nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Zero. I'd like that."

A/N: An extra long chapter to make up for the long wait. Life is so hectic at the moment, it's been a task just finishing this chapter. Parts of it I've had written for weeks, which is what annoys me the most.

Well, this chapter marks the conclusion of that arc.

I will actually be continuing with the Manga, but most likely will not have a chapter out for a while, considering I have exams very soon.

I really hope you all enjoy reading this and any feedback would be greatly appreciated.