The journey to the kingdom of ZEXAL was two days long, not including the time the five friends took for breaks. To pass the time the five of them told stories. It began with simple tales they'd known as children that set them all laughing. However, as the days dragged on, they began to share more about their lives. The things they said began to get deeper and they started to get to know each other better.

Fredrick's story…

Three years after he and his two friends had been transformed into animals and made to live in the castle of an evil sorcerer, they were still trying to get used to their new lives. Fredrick found himself tripping over his large feet a lot now that he was a rabbit. Though on the bright side, since gaining such large powerful teeth, eating had become a lot easier. He'd always loved food, though his attempts at finding some often got him into trouble. Like today. He woke up after oversleeping to find the other three people that slept in the room had already left. He yawned and hopped out of the basket. He pushed the door open with his forehead and hopped down the stairs. He made his way to the garden where he and his two friends had taken to playing. He wandered along the garden wall for a bit trying to locate his two animal friends. About halfway down the line, he heard shouting coming from one of the windows just above him followed by a crack and a cry of pain. He sighed, the sound of Don Thousand abusing Yuya wasn't uncommon but very heart wrenching.

"Ow." He moaned, rubbing his nose. He'd been so distracted he'd walked right into a tree. It had been planted too close to the wall and grown into it. He looked up at it too see a huge, bright, ripe apple growing on one of the upper branches. It was so mouth-watering to look at. Fredrick couldn't resist, he clambered up onto the branch he'd walked into and hoisted himself up through the tree towards it. When he got to the branch bellow it, he found he was too short to reach it. He stretched as hard as he could, moving his big paws up so he was on his tiptoes until he was finally able to reach. He knocked it so the stem snapped, however when he tried to catch it he slipped and went tumbling to the ground. He landed in a head of leaves with the apple on his stomach. He moaned in pain for a few minutes then rolled over and shook his head. He pulled the apple into his lap and sat to eat. With his powerful teeth, it took only four bites before the entire thing was gone. He sighed happily once his stomach was full and stood up, giving his body a quick shake to reawaken his senses. When he looked around he found himself in an unfamiliar part of the gardens, there were trees all around, their roots buried into a swimming pool of leaves. He knew he couldn't be in the infinite forest because the apple tree he'd fallen from was in the centre of the gardens. This had to be that collection of trees he'd seen from time to time over the wall separating the regular part of the garden from the part that remained unused and overgrown. He began to panic as he realised he was probably trapped, and since no one came to this part of the garden anymore, they might not find him.

"Help! Help!" He cried, running up to the wall and scraping at it with his claws. "Please, someone help!" Unfortunately, no one heard his cries. Don Thousand was in his lab, Yuya was dusting the west wing and Tate and Ali were still playing tag in the other parts of the garden. His voice rose several octaves as his cries became more frantic. He screamed out for help for several more minutes until his voice became so horse he had no choice but to give up and slump down against the wall.

"All this for an apple…" He sighed. Sure it had been a nice looking apple but it wasn't worth getting trapped down here for the rest of his life. Not that he enjoyed life as a yellow rabbit in an evil lord's castle but it was better than nothing, and nothing was definitely what he had right now. He began stroking his paws over the leaves of the ground sadly. He mulled over what to do when a snap caught his attention. His long ears danced around as they searched for the source of the sound. They flicked upwards again as another snap sounded. Fredrick jumped to his feet and hopped in the direction he'd heard it.

"Hello?" He called. He rounded a tree and was surprised to come face to face with a red fox. The two animals froze and stared at each other for a few minutes with wide curious eyes. The fox looked as if it was sussing him out, trying to determine whether he was a threat or not. Eventually, it seemed to settle on not and wandered away.

"Hey wait up." He called, hopping after it, not exactly sure following the fox was a good idea but he didn't want to be alone in this weird place. The fox scampered around the trees for several minutes before finally selecting one and climbing it. Fredrick tried to dig his claws into the tree and climb it like the fox had done, but he just didn't have the upper-body strength. As soon as he got his claws in the bark and pressed his feet up against it, he slid right back down again. He had several more attempts, all with the same outcome. He let out a heavy sigh and looked up to see the red fox observing him. It tilted its head at him, big black eyes staring unblinkingly at him. He shivered slightly under their gaze. Then all but jumped out of his skin as the fox decided to jump down beside him. He took a few deep breaths to calm down as the fox walked around behind him and began nudging his back.

"Woah!" He cried, spinning around to face the fox. "What are you doing?"

The fox simply nodded his head at the tree and pushed Fredrick with his head again. Fredrick stayed rooted in position for a few seconds, looking between the fox and the tree. Then finally it clicked.

"You're trying to help me?!"

The fox paused, looking at him with big eyes again. They sparkled in some form of a smile and Fredrick couldn't resist smiling back. The fox went back to butting its head against him and this time, he didn't resist. He clawed at the tree again and this time was able to get part the way up thanks to the fox's support. Enough to get him to one of the lower branches, from there it was easy to hoist himself between the branches and back onto the surrounding wall. The fox followed behind, sitting on a branch to watch him. Fredrick turned back to the animal and thanked it for its help. It seemed to smile at him for a moment then took off into the trees again. Fredrick smiled to himself once it was gone, silently promising to never come pick apples here again. He remembered this story because it taught him there are always people, or animals, in the world willing to help.

Yuya's story…

His 10th birthday. Now that was a memory. Every year, Don Thousand ignored Yuya's birthday. In fact, it wasn't until Tate, Ali and Fredrick came that it was ever acknowledged at all. The four friends had been having a conversation when Yuya casually let slip that his birthday was on May 4th (Note: It's never been clarified when his birthday is so I made it up, but I promise I'll change this if they ever do tell us.) So when the day rolled around that year Ali, Tate and Fredrick made arrangements to give Yuya the best birthday ever. They didn't need to worry about distracting him, Don Thousand would take care of that. So while Yuya worked they set up a small party for the four of them in the library since Yuya liked spending time there so much. Nothing over the top, just a cake and gift, normal party stuff. It took them three goes to get the recipe for cake right in their current state; not only were they children but also animals, cooking wasn't exactly easy for them. It still looked pretty sloppy but it'd have to do, they were sure Yuya would appreciate it anyway. Then there was the matter of a gift. Now this was where things got difficult. They couldn't buy him something since they couldn't leave and didn't have any money anyway. They couldn't make something because they didn't have anything to make the something with. There was only one thing for it. They'd have to steal something. Just something small. Something Don Thousand wouldn't miss. They decided to check the east wing of the castle. Don Thousand never went there. Not that he visited much of the castle anyway. He spent nearly all his time in his study, that none of them had seen, or his room. Sometimes he would go to other parts of the castle, but it was usually to find Yuya. Don Thousand liked to check on him to see he was doing his job right, and punish him if he wasn't. Though even if Yuya had done everything to perfection he still found some excuse to torment him, it was the only entertainment he had. He was even at it now. The three animals heard him yelling all the way from the east wing. They entered the first room to find it was an old unused drawing room. A bookcase, two chairs, a coffee table, a harp by the window, nothing abnormal.

"Okay, get searching." Tate ordered and the three of them fanned out to try find something Yuya would like. Ali checked all the books in the bookcase but none of them seemed particularly interesting or special. Tate and Fredrick searched under the chairs and around the furniture but also came up empty handed.

"This is hopeless; we'll never find anything." Ali said.

"We can't give up." Tate said. "Yuya wouldn't give up on us."

"Yeah!" Fredrick cried, he jumped happily and accidentally hit his head against the bookcase. "Ow."

Ali and Tate giggled as he rubbed his head, when something suddenly hit the floor beside him. It was a small wooden box. Fredrick's head forgotten, the three surrounded the box, wondering what it was and why it had been hidden atop the bookcase. They opened it.

"What is it?" Fredrick asked, looking at the soul item in the box.

"It's perfect." Ali replied. They had found their gift.

Meanwhile, Yuya had been spending the entire day dusting the north wing. It looked completely spotless but Don Thousand wasn't satisfied. He told Yuya his work wasn't good enough and gave him a quick back-hand slap just for emphasis. Yuya was sent to his room feeling depressed, but he was in for a shock when he arrived.

"Surprise!" The three animals cried when he entered.

"What the? What is this?" He stammered, staring in amazement at his three friends who were stood on a table beside a lopsided cake and a small wooden box.

"Happy birthday." Ali said, jumping into Yuya's arms and licking his face affectionately.

"H-Hey." Yuya laughed. "Cut it out."

She stopped obediently and re-joined her friends. Yuya sat down beside them with a huge smile on his face and tears shinning in his eyes.

"Thank you so much, no one's ever celebrated my birthday before."

"Well from now on we'll celebrate every year." Tate assured causing Yuya even more happiness.

"Sorry we couldn't find any candles, but we figured you could make a wish anyway." Ali said, offering Yuya a slice of the cake they made. He accepted it gratefully and took a large bite out of it, wishing hard as he did so. The others all cheered and tucked in themselves. Thanks to Fredrick's healthy appetite it was finished off pretty quickly and the time came to give Yuya his present.

"Here, from us." Ali said, nudging the box towards Yuya with her forehead.

"That's kind of you guys but you didn't have to get me anything, it was enough that you actually celebrated with me."

"Oh just open it." Tate whined playfully. They all chuckled and Yuya opened his gift. His eyes widened when he saw what it was. He took hold of the string and lifted it out to get a better look at it. It was a beautiful crystal pendulum with a silver crown woven around the top. He felt tears of happiness prick his eyes again. It was the first gift he'd ever gotten from anyone, and it was such a wonderful one too. He'd wanted to wear it everywhere every day, but he knew Don Thousand might find it and take it away if he did that, so he hid it under the floorboards in his room.

Thankfully he'd remembered to grab it before the five of them ran away. He took it out of his pocket when he finished his story to show it to Zuzu. She took it from him and looked at it carefully.

"What's this?" She asked, pointing at the silver decoration on it.

"What's what?" Yuya asked.

"There's some writing here." She said, pointing at the silver. "For Yuya, love mom and dad." She read.

"What?" The others cried. Yuya grabbed it and brought it down so the others could see it, they all checked and it did indeed say: "For Yuya love mom and dad."

"My parents gave this to me?" Yuya said. "How is that possible?"

"Isn't it obvious." Tate said. "You weren't really abandoned and your parents gave you this so evidently your parents did love you and you were somehow separated from them. When Don Thousand found you, you must have had this with you and he took it away."

"That man's the cruellest person I've ever known." Zuzu grumbled.

"Agreed." Added Ali.

Yuya dropped his head. "I can't believe it took me so long to see how horrible he was."

"Don't worry about it Yuya." Tate reassured. "We know you just wanted to feel needed."

"And you are needed." Ali continued. "By us."

Yuya looked around at his friends and they all nodded, confirming what she said to be true. He smiled at them and they continued on their way.

Ali's story…

The way the four hybrids of the group act you'd think they'd been friends right off the bat wouldn't you? Well, you'd be wrong. When Ali had been much younger, she had lived on the edge of the kingdom of GX with her parents. The house to the left of her's was owned by the family of her best friend Tate, and to the right was the home of her other best friend Fredrick. Life was good for the three children. They spent their weekdays at school and weekends playing in the forest. They liked to pretend they were spirit trainers like so many people in their kingdom or brave knights that slew dragons and demons. They were only make believe but the three loved to think that one day they really would be brave, strong heroes. They played these games among the trees of the forest on the outskirts of town. Their parents warned them to be careful and not wander too far into the woods as it was easy to get lost. Usually, they heeded the warning and always marked a trail or played with the village still in their sight. Unfortunately, one day while they were pretending to be hunters, they accidentally got so invested in their game, they didn't realise they'd wandered too far into the woods. By the strangest coincidence, the area they'd wandered to was Don Thousand's castle. As soon as they saw it their game was forgotten. They were completely awestruck.

"What in the world?" Ali muttered, looking up at it.

"Incredible." Said Fredrick.

"Come on, let's get a closer look." Tate said, curious as ever. The three of them headed over to the large wall surrounding the castle and began to climb it. When they reached the top they found themselves staring at a huge garden, complete with well-kept rose bushes, daffodils, lilies, bluebells and all variety of flowers. The hedges were trimmed and neat and there were fountains and arches set up around the different sections.

"Beautiful…" Ali whispered. She jumped down and ran over to smell one of the roses.

"Ali!" Tate cried, rushing after her. Fredrick tried to jump down too, but he slipped and fell on his backside. He moaned and trailed a bit the way behind Tate, still sore from his fall.

"This place is lovely guys." Ali continued, dancing around happily.

"Ali…" Tate whined tugging on her arm. "We should leave it's not our garden."

"Who's there?" A voice asked, making the three kids jump. They turned but couldn't find the source of the voice, though it sounded to be that of another child, maybe a few years older than them.

"Um… We're lost." Tate explained. "We're sorry we entered your garden without permission we didn't mean harm honest."

The voice giggled. "That's alright, no harm done. It's not my garden anyway, it's my master's. I was just trimming the hedges."

"Where are you?" Fredrick asked, looking around again.

"What were you doing out in the forest anyway?" The voice asked, ignoring the question.

"Hunting demons." Ali said excitedly. "Have you seen any around here?"

"Yes actually. It just so happens that you're talking to one." Said the voice in mock pride, though there was an obvious tone of sadness mixed in.

"Really?" Tate asked, playing along. "Then I guess we'd better catch you."

The voice laughed and the three then caught a glimpse of green rush past behind one of the bushes. The three immediately raced after it, laughing happily. The owner of the voice laughed too, and they followed that laughter all throughout the garden, until they were out of breath.

"We needed to spilt up and surround the demon if we want to catch it." Tate said, using his strategic mind, which was pretty strong even back then. "We'll spilt up and corner it in that small colour garden we passed a few times, then cut off the only three exits."

The three nodded and initiated their plan. Ali chased the allusive demon with a smile on her face as she managed to get him into the garden Tate mentioned. Then just as planned they cut off the exits and pounced on their prey. The four of them collided and ended up in a heap at the centre of the garden.

"Yeah we win!" Ali cried as the four of them laughed. It was only when she began to calm down that she became aware of her surroundings. She was surprised to feel something soft and feathery beneath her. She looked down as the others untangled themselves to see pitch black wings. She rolled off them in shock and the four young kids were finally able to sit up and get a good look at each other. Ali, Tate and Fredrick all gasped. In front of them was a boy, maybe a few years older, with waist length wings as black as his skin. Not the kind of black skin most people think of when they hear the term. A real ebony shade of darkness. It touched every part of his body except some of his face, which was framed by messy red hair with a mop of green hair perched on top. His eyes were a deep crimson like blood. He had been smiling happily, but the smile dropped from his face when he heard their gasps.

"Oh my gosh! A real demon!" Fredrick cried. Ali screamed and they all clambered to their feet and tried to run away.

"Wait!" The demon cried desperately, but they kept going, scared of what he would do to them. They were so scared they weren't watching where they were going and ran right into something big and heavy. They were all knocked to the ground moaning in pain.

"And what do we have here?" Asked a deep, menacing voice. The three children looked up to see a tall man with long gold hair, aside from red bangs on the side of his face, and mismatched blue and red eyes. He was wearing a dark black accented coat over a black shirt and pants with black boots. The three cowered in fear as he loomed over them threateningly. "well? Answer."

"Um… I- I'm Tate." Tate stuttered. "This is Ali and Fredrick, we accidentally wandered in here when we got lost, but we were just leaving."

The three of them scrambled to their feet and made to leave but they were halted by a large blinding light. They shut their eyes and suddenly felt very strange. Their bodies twisted and contorted in a painless but unnatural way. When the light died away they opened their eyes and blinked several times, surprised by how much bigger everything around them looked. I mean they were only like 2ft tall so things looked pretty big anyway, but this was ridiculous. Ali heard a gasp next to her and turned to see a very surprised dog with bright blue fur.

"What's going on." A familiar voice asked. She turned to see a golden furred rabbit with a very confused expression on his face. She shook her head and brought a hand up to her face but was startled by how soft and fluffy it felt. She brought her hands away to look at them and was shocked to find, not her hands, but paws.

"Ali?" The dog asked. "Is that you?"

"Tate?" She gasped. "What's happened to us?!"

"This is your punishment."

They turned to look at the mean looking man from before. He looked even scarier from this height and the three huddled together.

"You trespassed onto my land so you must pay the price. Now you will remain here forever and stay in these forms for the rest of your lives."

The three of them stared in shock.

"Yuya!" The man called. The three of them huddled together further, terrified by what was happening. After a few seconds, the demon from before was seen hurrying towards them making them shake even further.

"Yes, master?" The demon, apparently called Yuya, asked.

"These children trespassed here and have been suitably punished. He gestured to them. Yuya looked at them and gasped in horror. They whimpered and shied away from him, still scared.

"You will keep an eye on them." The man said, then snapped his fingers and disappeared in a flash of red light.

"Wait!" Yuya cried, but the man was already gone. He looked to the three, now animals, with pity in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry about this."

He took a step towards them and that was enough. After all the insane things that had just happened the three animals were so overwhelmed they just ran blindly and as fast as they could, sub-consciously hoping they could simply outrun this horrible fate.

Unfortunately, they discovered they were now unable to climb the castle walls to escape and were forced to either go along with Don Thousand's demands or die of starvation or hypothermia. Don Thousand was busy with his work or Yuya most of the time and soon forgot about the new editions to his home, occasionally he saw them wandering around the castle but it just became such a normal experience he learned to ignore it. Yuya on the other hand had taken a great interest in the three young hybrids. He would often try to talk with them when he saw them. The three of them were terrified, thinking him to be a monster that wanted to hurt them. It wasn't until much later that they discovered Yuya had simply wanted to ask them if they'd play with him. It had hurt him when they ran away, but he didn't blame them. This was back in the early days of his brainwashing. Where Don Thousand tried to drill it into his head that he was a freak of nature. However, it had already been affecting him. In fact, the new house guests' fear of him strengthened that belief. Yuya didn't let it deter him though. He tried his absolute hardest to befriend the young animals because he felt bad about them being trapped here. He could understand better than anyone what it was like to be separated from your family and forced to stay in the same place every second of every day. It became harder and harder each day though. His chores got bigger and more complicated, and over time new ones were added. Then whenever he could find a moment to try talking to the animals they would run away from him. The other day he'd almost caught them when they came up with the idea to use their size to their advantage and trip him up. He bruised his hands and felt embarrassed when they laughed, but he knew they probably couldn't resist, he must have looked pretty funny. His embarrassment was soon replaced with happiness as he watched them laughing. He had been reading some books in the library recently about entertainment but it was much better in real life. To see the genuine and happy smiles on their faces, well it made him feel… Proud. Something he'd never felt before. He'd never had anything to be proud of, but now he did. He had their smiles. Unfortunately the pride was short lived as they bolted moments later, still scared of him. Though that would change later that night.

Tate, Ali and Fredrick slept in a large basket in Yuya's room. Normally they waited until Yuya was definitely asleep before daring to sleep themselves. However tonight, there was no going to sleep for them. A horrible storm was raging outside and they were huddled together, quivering in fear. They whimpered and squealed every time the thunder struck, squeezing their eyes shut, willing it to disappear. It seemed as though their wish had come true, for the sounds of the storm were suddenly muffled and the three felt a warmth surround them. They opened their eyes to the last thing they expected to see. Yuya was sat next to them shielding them from the storm with his wings. They'd formed a kind of protective dome around the four of them, and Yuya was looking at them with so much kindness in his eyes.

"Don't worry, just go to sleep I'll see the storm doesn't bother you." He said. The three of them just stared at him. If their jaws dropped any further they'd hit the floor. All the kids at school, and even their parents, told them demons were cruel and would torture them until they begged for mercy. This demon wasn't anything like that. He was protecting them, being nice to them. It was horribly confusing. Perhaps they were dreaming Ali thought as exhaustion took hold of her body and she slipped into sleep.

The next morning, she woke up thinking it had been a dream. Until she looked up and saw a worn out, unconscious boy with his wings draped around her and her friends. He'd stayed there all night? Why? It didn't make sense…

"Hey, wake up." She said, nudging Tate and Fredrick. The two groaned and yawned tiredly.

"What?" Fredrick asked.

"He stayed." She said.

"Huh?" The two looked up to see Yuya, sleeping but still keeping his wings around them.

"This is so strange." Said Tate. "This is not what everyone says demons are like at all."

"Yuya!" Came the cry of Don Thousand. The boy jolted awake and rubbed his eyes; he didn't look very well at all. It can't have been healthy to stay up so late and then fall asleep upright like he had. However, he uncurled his wings and went off to work anyway, he didn't even complain once.

Later that day, as Ali was wandering the halls, she overheard Don Thousand and Yuya having an argument. She decided to investigate and was shocked by what she saw.

"Please master." Yuya begged. "They didn't mean to trespass here, let them go home."

"I thought you'd be happy." Don Thousand replied. "You did say you were lonely did you not? Now you have some friends."

"They don't like me." Yuya said sadly.

"I've tried to tell you, you're a monster and people don't like monsters."

"Yes, but it's not just that. They're just kids, they didn't mean any harm. I'm sure they miss their family and friends."

"What would you know about family and friends?"

Yuya had no reply, but Ali could tell from the look on his face those words had cut deep.

"Please, just punish me, let them go."

This seemed to be the final straw for the cruel man. He turned to Yuya, grabbed his collar and shoved him into the wall.

"For the last time, they remain here. Now go and tend the garden, I have more important things to do than waste time with you."

He threw Yuya to the floor. The young boy staggered to his feet and left the room as quickly as he could. Ali was very shaken by what she'd just seen. Even though they were scared of him, he stood up for them and tried to help them. He had already protected them when they were scared… Ali was starting to question whether he was really a demon at all. She was so lost in these thoughts she hadn't been paying attention to where she was going. She snapped out of her trance to find she was in the garden. She looked around and spotted Yuya trimming some of the flowers, he had such a warm smile on his face, the same kind, caring look he'd had last night. Suddenly, it became clear to her that they'd misjudged him, and he was really just a nice, lonely kid like themselves.

She ran back to Tate and Fredrick to tell them what she'd seen.

"And you're sure it's not a trick." Fredrick asked cautiously.

"I'm sure." She said. "He tried to help us guys, I think he's just like us."

"You know I agree." Tate added. "We're the ones who always run away from him, he's only ever been nice to us."

It was true. Don Thousand couldn't care less about the three young hybrids and didn't bother to take care of them at all. Yuya was the one who brought them food and water, who let them sleep in his room and comforted them when they needed it. They felt bad for thinking he was a demon and went to look for him to apologise. They found him still in the gardens taking care of the flowers like he was asked.

"Um… Hey." Ali said nervously. Yuya jumped, not expecting them. It only took a second to get over the shock though and he turned to them with a big smile.

"Yes?"

"Well uh…" Tate started.

"We were wondering if you would like to play." Ali cut in.

"Really?!" Yuya exclaimed, looking at them like they just offered him a million dollars and all the chocolate he could eat for the rest of his life. He must have been really lonely to get so excited about just being able to play, Ali thought. The three animals nodded enthusiastically and Yuya cried out in happiness. They all laughed and proceeded to play all their favourite games together for the rest of the day. Yuya got into big trouble with his master later but he thought it was worth it. Ali remembered this experience because it was when she learned that you can never judge people before you get to know them.

Zuzu's story…

When she was thirteen she went after the best steal of her life. Ever since she was five years old she'd been a thief on the streets, normally she'd just grab an apple or a loaf of bread from a stand in the market when no one was looking. However, this time, she was going bigger. It was the evening of the 3rd of July, and on the evening of the 4th, there was to be a party at the palace. The supreme king had just knighted Sir Zane Truesdale and the whole kingdom was invited to celebrate. Zuzu had been slipping through people in the market and snatching a few scraps if food when the announcement was made. One of the palace servants stood on a large podium in town and read the declaration to everyone there. When it was announced the invitation was extended to everybody she was over the moon. Finally, she could have a decent meal she didn't have to steal and mingle and celebrate with other people as an equal for once. Unfortunately, her festivity was interrupted by a stall holder just next to her.

"You go to the palace? Get real." She laughed. "They'd throw you out as soon as look at you." She gestured to Zuzu's scruffy appearance.

"They just said everyone was invited." Zuzu argued.

"They meant people, not garbage."

Zuzu's eyes widened and she tried not to look hurt. She took off towards the nearest alleyway feeling tears sting her eyes. She was not garbage! She was worth something… right? She leaned against the wall of the alley and mulled over what the woman had said. Perhaps she really would be thrown out, she was after all, not technically a part of this kingdom. She didn't have a home or a job, she just wandered around and slept on the streets, stealing the odd bit of food now and then. Tears pricked at her eyes again as she realised that woman was right. She'd never get into the party… Suddenly, a loud crash sounded from the end of the alley, startling her from her thoughts. She walked to the edge of the lane to investigate, being careful to keep to the shadows. She saw man lying sprawled out on the ground surrounded by several boxes. Clearly, he'd been carrying too much and tripped. She immediately ran over and helped him to his feet asking if he was okay. She noticed he was wearing a waistcoat made of very expensive materials, with a white shirt and grey pants. He had brown curly hair and a tape measure draped around his shoulders.

"Yes, thanks very much…" He tailed off as he looked at Zuzu properly, seeing how dishevelled she was. Zuzu blushed, suddenly feeling self-conscious. She quickly busied herself by helping to pick up his boxes. He didn't say anything, just began to do the same. Eventually, they had all of them and he motioned for her to follow him into the shop they were stood in front of. She looked up at the sign above as she entered: Francis' Dresses and Tailoring. She peeked through the folds of the lid in one of the boxes as she placed it down inside, seeing some kind of blue silk. She looked around the shop to see stands and mannequins wearing all kinds of outlandish outfits that were clearly very expensive.

"Thank you." The man, Francis she assumed, said.

"No problem." She replied, smiling. "I'll just be off." She began making her way towards the door. Francis simply nodded and returned to unpacking his material. Then, just as Zuzu was reaching for the handle, she caught sight of something that made her freeze. In the corner of the shop, almost hidden by several suits, was a purple ball gown. It was strapless and hugged the chest and waist of the mannequin wearing it. The skirt spread out in massive ruffles right down to kiss the floor and had a light purple boarder on the edge of each ruffle. They waist line was covered with diamonds and a large bow was fashioned on the right side. It was the most beautiful dress she'd ever seen, and right away she knew she wanted to wear it. No, she had to wear it. She found herself walking unknowingly towards it, still unnoticed by the shop's owner. She reached the dress and stretched out her hand to stroke it. The silk slid through her fingers, leaving them tingling in desperation. Desperation to have this gown hugging her waist and sweeping the ground she walked. She found her fingers brushing against a white piece of card stuck out of the bow. She flipped it open to reveal the price of the garment. $100,000. She nearly fainted when she read that. Were clothes really that expensive these days?! Naturally she hadn't paid for the clothes she was currently in, she found them in someone's bin a few months ago. The pants were grey and fading slightly and torn at the ankles, but they were warm and easy to move in. The same went for the oversized brown stained shirt she had on. She knew she'd never wear a dress like this one. It would hug the figure of someone worthy, someone who could afford such a dress. She dropped her head and kept her eyes on the floor as she left feeling more dejected than ever. She wished she could afford to buy such nice clothes and food and have home and a warm bed. Sometimes she would close her eyes and pretend she was a rich, beautiful, upper-class girl able to wear fancy garments like the purple dress and eat banquets every evening and be invited to parties. She paused just outside the shop to glance through the window at the dress one more time, when suddenly she caught something in the glass' reflection. Just across the street was that woman from the market, she was in some jewellery store purchasing an expensive necklace. Zuzu watched as she handed over the large wad of money like it was nothing and smugly agreed to wear the necklace out. She felt something boiling inside of her as she watched. Why was this cruel woman so successful and wealthy while she slept on a bag? She'd always been courteous to those around her, and never taken more than she needed, and certainly not from people who needed it more. She looked back at the dress and thought back to what that woman had said this morning, and then and there she knew what she was going to do. She'd steal the dress, and maybe some other stuff too, she'd go to the party and prove that she could fit in with the other people in this kingdom. Naturally, she'd take the stuff back once she was done, she just wanted to be an ordinary person, to be accepted, just for one night.

So the next evening, after Francis had closed up for the night, Zuzu broke into his shop. She climbed the supports on the side of the building and swung through a window on the second floor. From there it wasn't hard to get downstairs. She was thankful to learn that Francis wouldn't be attending the party, so no one would confront her about the dress. She pulled the cloth that was protecting it away and began peeling it from the mannequin. She pulled off her rags and slipped into the beautiful silky arms of the dress. It hugged her waist perfectly, and touched the floor around her at just the right length. As she spun around enjoying the feel of it, she noticed some odd looking hair clips on a table, she figured they might help her hair look less messy so she clipped them in her hair. There was an old mirror in the corner of the room and she wandered over to get a look. She nearly fell over when she saw herself. Was that really her? The girl in the mirror had short pink hair in two symmetrical pigtails that really complimented the shape of her face. The beautiful purple gown she was draped in hugged her perfectly, showing off her curves in all the right places. This girl was gorgeous. This girl would fit in and be accepted at the party. She smiled at the girl in the mirror, ready to go be her and have fun. Just once…

As she walked up the steps to the palace, she felt the butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. Would someone recognise her? Would she really be able to blend in? She knew nothing of high society life after all. She bit her lip as the guards opened the door for her, scared of what would be waiting on the other side. When she stepped inside, the whole party halted. Zuzu felt the blood rush to her cheeks as everyone stared at her. Whispers spread through the crowd, each person wondering who this mysterious girl was. Zuzu nervously began to walk forwards, everyone parted for her, still staring. She rung her hands together nervously and tried to keep her gaze anywhere but the people.

"Why stop? The party was just getting good!" Someone yelled. Everyone looked over to see it was the supreme king, Jaden, who had spoken. His advisors, Chaz and Cyrus, were shaking their heads, clearly embarrassed by their friend's outburst.

"Yeah!" Someone stood next to him said. He had sharp blue hair and Aqua eyes. Zuzu recognised him as Sir Jesse Anderson, the supreme king's best friend. He threw his arm round said best friend, agreeing that they should start the party again. Zuzu giggled at their antics as the music started up again and people went back to dancing or chatting.

"You certainly know how to make an entrance." Someone said. Zuzu whipped round to see a woman behind her. She had long blonde hair and soft hazel eyes. She was wearing a long red gown that stretched round her neck and flared past her knees. She was smiling at Zuzu warmly.

"You're dame Alexis aren't you?" Zuzu gasped, making to bow respectfully but a hand shot out from the dame in protest.

"Please none of that, and just Alexis will do fine."

Zuzu blushed again, embarrassed, and nodded. "Sure, Alexis."

"Hey sissy, who's your new friend?" A new voice said. The duke Atticus Rhodes came over and put his arm round his sister. She scowled and removed it violently, bending his fingers in the process, eliciting a howl of pain.

"I told you not to call me that."

"Ow…" He whined, clutching his hand. "Sorry. So who are you?" He asked again, turning to Zuzu this time giving her hand a quick kiss while was at it. She blushed again and Alexis rolled her eyes.

"Zuzu Boyle." She said.

"Nice to meet you Zuzu." Alexis said, holding her hand out. Zuzu accepted it and shook hands with her, happy to finally be getting along with people. "Come on, I'll introduce you to my other friends." She pulled Zuzu over to a group of people, among which she could see the supreme king. She began to grow nervous at the thought of meeting the ruler of the land, but he was actually really cool for a king. He and his friends clowned around a lot while Zuzu and a few more sensible people with them laughed appreciatively. They danced and ate and talked – though Zuzu was careful not to give anything away about who she was – and for the first time in her life, she felt completely happy. She felt free, like she could just be herself, personality wise, and no one would judge her. It was the best night of her life and she wished it could last forever. However, all good things must come to an end. Eventually, the clock began to strike the early hours of the morning and people began filing out. Zuzu realised she'd have to get the dress back to the shop before anyone discovered it was gone.

"I must be going now." She excused herself, waving politely at the royal party. They looked disappointed but smiled also and bid her farewell. She left and hurried back into town, running so hard her lungs almost exploded out of her chest. Just one block from the dress shop she tripped and began falling towards the dirty pavement. No, she couldn't let the dress get damaged, she had to return it! Suddenly there were arms on her chest, holding her upright and preventing her from hitting the floor.

"Careful, there you are." A voice said, steadying her. Zuzu looked up, opening her mouth to thank this stranger, when she suddenly noticed, she was no stranger. It was the woman from the market, who'd insulted her. She had a warm smile and her eyes showed concern. Zuzu was speechless. The same woman who'd belittled her and called her garbage was now helping her. "Are you okay miss," She asked, sounding worried.

"Oh." Zuzu snapped out of her daze. "Oh, yes I'm fine." She straightened herself, trying to rebuild her aura of sophistication.

"Good, you shouldn't really run in a dress like that." The lady advised. "Though I don't blame you, not a very nice neighbourhood this one, I don't like spending too much time here, too many disgusting rats running around." She practically spat the last words out, and Zuzu was fairly certain what she meant by rats. The woman nodded to her and continued on her walk. Zuzu watched her go for a few minutes until she was completely out of sight. She then hurried to the dress shop and climbed back up the supports, being careful not to damage her outfit. Thankfully it was still dark out and she was able to get in, put the dress back on the mannequin and get out without any bother. She rushed back to her makeshift home on the roof of some building and crawled inside. It wasn't much, just a few boxes and sticks for support with an old warn blanket over the top and an assortment of old rugs and clothes on the ground. It was pretty comfortable really, albeit a bit cold and smelly. She lay down on her back just looking up as she went over the day in her mind again. It was confusing to say the least. To think she was stealing scraps in the market this morning and partying with the royals only an hour ago. Then there was that woman. The one who'd insulted her in her rags and helped her in her ball gown. The more she thought about it, the more she realised that the reason she treated her differently was because that woman, like so many others in this kingdom, only judged her on how she looked, how she spoke and how she acted. As long as she looked and acted like she belonged with the richer people they would accept her. She sighed. It wasn't right, she should be accepted for who she was, she knew that. Apparently, she was the only one though… Zuzu always thought this day was important because it was when she learnt that some people can't see past the way others look; but you can still be yourself, whether you're in rags or stolen ball gowns.

Tate's story…

Tate was always trying to escape from the castle since the day he was trapped there. He tried all sorts of techniques, but none of them worked. He tried to climb over the outer walls, but they were too worn down and he couldn't get a grip. He tried to build a catapult, unfortunately, he learnt he couldn't grip tools in his paws. He could get them in his mouth but he couldn't control them like that at all. This of course meant he couldn't build any contraption to get out. Probably the best idea he had was to stow away inside Don Thousands satchel when he made one of his trips into town. Unfortunately, he was discovered and punished with a week in a bird cage. Thankfully the others still brought him food and water so he didn't starve. He was, however, too scared to attempt that escape method again. He would have to come up with a new one. Which was exactly what he was mulling over this very morning.

"Hey, Tate?" Ali called, jumping up beside him on the table in Yuya's room, where he was currently basking in the sunlight. "What are you up to?"

"Thinking." He replied.

"About?"

"How to get out of this place."

"Again?" Ali let out an exasperated groan. "Your plans to escape never work and yet you spend every second of every day thinking about them, can't you just relax once in a while."

"How can I relax when I'm trapped here?" He snapped at her. "What about our friends? Our parents? Don't you want to see them again?"

"Of course I do, but be reasonable."

"What's so unreasonable about it?"

"Well for one how do you think they'll react when they see us like this? Do you think our lives can really be the way they were now that we're animals? Also… There's Yuya…"

Ali's first words were still ringing in Tate's ears. What would their families think? Would they accept them as they were now? Yes! He told himself. Of course they would, they loved them no matter what. But still… Life probably would be different… She was right. Then the last thing she'd said suddenly hit him.

"What about Yuya?" He asked, all anger now gone from his voice.

"Well… He's taken such good care of us." She wandered over to the edge of the table and leapt up to the windowsill opposite. Tate followed her and they both looked down into the garden where they could see Yuya painting one of the many wooden archways. His eyes had a faraway look and a soft smile graced his lips as though he were deep in some beautiful dream. "He was all alone before we came here, it would break his heart if we were to leave. I know he'd want us to be with our families again but I also know it would hurt him if we left."

Tate didn't say anything. He just continued to watch Yuya work, Ali's words running round his head. He hadn't even thought about how it would affect him; he'd just been so determined to get home he hadn't considered their new friend's feelings.

"Besides." Ali continued. "He'd never leave, he cares too much about Don Thousand, and thinks he's too much of a monster to go anywhere." She muttered the last part darkly. Tate couldn't help but agree. At first the three of them had thought the same, but the more time they spent with the young hybrid the more they realised he was the complete opposite. Tate wanted to smash his head against the wall as he thought about it. Ali was right, they couldn't leave Yuya, but he wouldn't come with them either. He was lost in these thoughts he didn't even notice Ali leave. She felt she'd given him a lot to think about and decided to give him some time. She didn't however expect him to take five hours. By the time the other three were eating their dinner on that same table Tate had been sunbathing on earlier that day, he was still perched on the windowsill.

"Tate?" Yuya said, getting up and going over to him. "Aren't you joining us?"

"Hm?" Tate hummed, looking up. Yuya sighed fondly.

"Okay, talk, what's on your mind?"

"Nothing." He muttered.

"He wants to go home." Ali said. Tate glared at her but she just shrugged.

"Oh." Yuya said, sounding deflated. "I understand; you must miss your family." He smiled, sadness instantly masked. "I'll talk to my master and see if I can get him to let you go, I'm sure I'll find some way to convince him."

Tate stared at him. He was willing to lose his only friends so they would be happy?

He'd been arguing internally all day but this finally made up his mind.

"I'm staying." He said.

"What?" Said Yuya.

Ali sent him a knowing smile and he was more than happy to return it.

"I've thought about it and I've realised if we're going to leave here than we're all leaving together." Tate said firmly.

"But—" Yuya stammered. "Your family…"

"Is more than my parents." Tate said, addressing everyone. "It's you three as well, and families don't turn their backs on each other, so the four of us are sticking together."

Yuya was still gaping at him, while Ali looked pleased and Fredrick was stuffing his face with dinner, but there did seem to be a slight glint in his eyes as he glanced at Tate.

Tate remembered this well because he learnt that families were held together by more than blood. They were held by love, and the love the four of them shared as friends would keep them together for a long time.