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The fighter frowned when Dawn said what she could do. Really? That was it? How...disappointing. Joe couldn't help but feel sorry that Dawn got totally shafted in the ability department.

Though, with Dawn yelling at her summon(the sudden volume startling him), Joe got an idea.

"Dawn, dear, listen to your summon. You'd be surprised what they know about us. Plus, dancing is a way to attack. I mean, I'm sure you've heard of a sword dancer."

Thinking for a second while tapping his chin, Joe smiled. "Ah, here's an idea. Don't think about it. Just do it, feel it. Try dancing, and just do what feels right. Don't think too hard about it. Let instinct take over."

The male's eyebrow twitched. Oh, jesus, this girl was going to get on his nerves if she was going to do this.

"Okay, Dawn, let's fix something here and now." Joe's voice sounded a little harsh, but more so out of irritation than anything else. "When someone automatically sets themselves up to fail, they're going to fail. Me AND your summon are saying dance. So...try. You fail, you fail. No big whoop. You do it and nothing happens? No big whoop. You do it and something happens, well...we'll just wait and see, won't we?"

Towards the end, Joe's voice softened to a comforting tone. And with a smile, he added "Hey, if anything, I can dance for ya. I mean, I couldn't do anything with it except attack. But I'm sure we'd get amusement out of it, no?"

{ATE: A Different Adventure 2}

Journal 1 (part 2)

'Noelle . . . wake up . . . wake up, Noelle.'

I almost bolted upright feeling like I had overslept and dad was in my room telling me that I had to get up. But as I became more aware and less groggy the voice changed from a gentle prod to a gruff push. Upon opening my eyes I couldn't find the owner of the voice until I realized it was Titan. I couldn't tell if he was displeased or not, it was always difficult to pinpoint this. Whether he was angry or not was the last thing on my mind at that moment, however, because I was hurting pretty bad. I was cut up, exhausted and sore from fighting in Halloween Town, and depressed as hell. I just felt like lying there, wallowing in grief until dehydration or starvation ended me. I kept replaying the moment in my mind—Rae falling to the ground, my replica backing into a portal as my friend was motionless.

'Stop that. Get up.'

I didn't move, No.

'That wasn't a request, now move yourself.'

What use is it? I spat, stubbornly staying put.

'What do you mean what use is it?! You can get her heart back! Are you going to give that up? Maybe you ARE stupid.' He said heatedly.

Yeah, that's me. Stupid, weak little agromancer, good for nothing. I replied complacently, sighing with the determination of laying there forever.

'NO! Get UP!'

I felt myself twitch and rise as Titan did an override of my body and took control of it. It hurt a lot and I fought to take back my body and stay where I was, but my grief-stricken resolve was nothing compared to Titan's own willpower. The less I fought, the less it hurt, so I let him take over. I was stumbling at first, it took Titan a few minutes to get used to my stature, but he got the hang of it. I didn't know where we were going and I didn't care, but I knew Titan was trying to find out where we were. Halloween Town was clearly very far from there. The native greenery was lush and fairly overgrown, but I didn't pay much attention to it; between zoning out and vaguely paying attention to what Titan was doing with me, I didn't comprehend much. We finally stopped, and with my current state of being nearly comatose I couldn't gauge how far we'd gone or how long we'd walked. To me we were lost, but Titan seemed to know what he was doing. If this meant getting us in trouble with the locals, if there were any, then that was what was going to happen. I might as well have been dead if that were the case. Fortunately for me it wasn't. Titan was just trying to get me going again. To my misfortune he was good at it too.

Dear lord, are you TRYING to DROWN ME?!

I had just, quite literally, fallen into a lake. It was shockingly cold and made my cuts sting and ache. The lake was shallow enough for me to stand, but if it weren't then I surely wouldn't have been able to swim. The water rippled as I shivered in it and trudged out of it. Titan had given me control of my body again.

'I'm trying to wake you UP! You're being WEAK, giving up like this. This is not the Noelle I know!'

Well it is now—HEY!

I was back in the lake before I could finish my sentence fully. Feeling about ready to cry again, I crossed my arms over my chest and pulled myself back out. Water ran down my trembling face while I fidgeted agitatedly.

'You were saying?'

I hate you—

Back in the lake. Titan taking advantage of my weakened drive was really pissing me off. A frustrated shout came from my lips as I fought harder to get back out, but the moment I set a foot on shore my balance was gone and I tumbled back into the water. I screamed even louder this time.

"Why won't you leave me THE HELL ALONE?!" I said out loud.

'Say you're not giving up! SAY IT!'

"I'm not giving up, now let me out of the water!"

'Say it again, like you actually mean it!'

"Let me out!"

'NO! Say it!'

"Aaaurgh! LET ME OUT!"

'SAY. IT!'

"FIIIIINE! I'M NOT GIVING UP, I'M NOT GIVING UP, I'M NOT GIVING THE -*&% UP. I WILL FIGHT TO GET HER HEART BACK, I WILL GET HER HEART BACK FOR MY FRIENDS, AND FOR HER, AND FOR ME, BECAUSE I'M NOT. GIVING. UP."

I stood in the water, shaking from cold and rage, breathing heavily and staring at the ripples the water dripping from my face was making. My throat hurt from shouting, but the tension in my chest was no longer there. By no means did I feel amazing, but I felt a little better than I did; more alert, stronger, and almost more like myself again. The silence remained in the absence of my screams for quite a while. I soon thought I'd catch hypothermia but I didn't want to move yet, not without permission.

' . . . Better?'

What the hell kind of question is that? I'm in this god awful lake, freezing my a** off, I'm tired, I'm wet, I . . . yes . . . I feel better . . .

'Good. Now get out of the water.'

I obeyed this request willingly, though I moved sluggishly. The muddy shoreline was imprinted by my boots and made a sickly sound as I tugged my feet from it. Titan was still quiet as I stood alone in a pool of water. I suppose he was giving me some silence for self evaluation, but I didn't need time for internal thought, I needed action so I could deal. By stepping on my own heels I was able to get my feet un-suctioned from my wet boots, and I proceeded to take off my wet clothes. They returned to their original form, a green dressphere that sat in the grass.

'What are you doing?' Titan said gruffly, clearly disgruntled by the fact that I had just disrobed.

That doesn't much matter right now. I replied flatly before diving into the lake.

I swam around aimlessly for a few minutes, then set out to swim across it with a backstroke so I could see the sky. The setting sun created wonderful colors--like watercolor strokes. Titan didn't question my motives. In fact, he seemed to understand why I was swimming. The lake was relatively large, so once I had gone half way, I decided to go back and be done. When I was back on the shoreline I looked at the cuts and tears on my arms and legs, then gingerly touched the ones across my jawline and neck. The lake water had washed away all the blood and grime covering me. I finally felt clean.

'You know, those wouldn't be there if you would heal yourself.'

I suppose that's true.

After putting my dressphere back on I shuffled around in my pouches and pockets to take inventory of what I had. I somehow managed not to use the two potions I had on me in our last battle, so I had those, and an elixir. I was having a hard time for some reason, though; things didn't seem to be where they used to be. After a while I felt stupid—I hadn't even realized my clothing had changed. Glancing over my shoulder I could see the changes reflected in the lake. There was only a few things to take note of, some rearrangements and additions here and there, but it was definitely different; a little more gloomy and slouched. I fished around for my seed pouch and pulled out one of my hybrid types—a goldenrod pitcher plant. After sewing it and bringing it to life I drank the syrup like contents of the pitcher plant. My wounds healed quickly and, having not been very major, left no marks. I was finally ready to get moving again. Though grief still settled over my heart, I was slightly content and ready do do something. What I was going to do next? Prepare.

Dawn nodded as she glanced over at the the targets. She summoned her weapons and took a spot in front of them. Her eyes narrowed on them slightly. She raised her fans as she started to move her fan a little bit and move her foot slightly. Then she paused and glanced back at Joe. She looked away, hoping her hair hid the embarrassment on her face.

Which drew out another dilemma. Well two actually. One, she never danced in front of people, alone. And two, there was no music.

~'FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, SUNLIGHT. STOP THINKING UP EXCUSES AND JUST DANCE ALREADY!'~

Dawn flinched a little, but sighed. Garuda could be such a pain...

[Cue: Gentle, Blowing Breeze]

Dawn closed her eyes for several moments before she moved the fan in her left hand out in front of her and swung it to her left and twirled in a circle. She twirled it around her head a couple of times, before she let it fall back to her side. Then proceeded to do the same thing with the fan in her right hand, and swing in the opposite direction. After she let it go swing over her head and let it fall to her side she crossed them both, closed in front of her. With a straight movement out she opened them together, and proceeded to move in place, following the Tessen in her left hand once more. Continuing with the same sort of motions when she came back around.

As she proceeded with the dance, the feel of the air started to change, grow somewhat heavier. The targets themselves started to glow a light green. As to what it did, it was uncertain due to them standing still and not responding to anything other than the effect of the dance.

Dawn saw this from underneath her veil of hair. She continued with the motion of her dance for a few more moments to see if there was any sort of change, but saw nothing. After awhile she stopped and sat down on her legs, letting out a heavy sigh as she worked to catch her breathe.

She stared at the dummies, feeling somewhat pleased that the dance did something. But at the same time, curious as to what it actually did.

Dawn looked back at Joe, blinking in confusion. Mainly cause it seemed like he read her mind.

"How can you be so certain of what that did?" she asked turning to the targets that were still standing still in front of her, "I watched these things the whole time and I couldn't see anything, except that they were glowing. Then again, I was spinning around in circles...."

Joe stared at Dawn, face almost frowning. The girl had self esteem issues. And he wasn't sure if he should mention that she had put him under the status as well.

Then figured out that he couldn't come up with a response other than the truth that didn't sound like bullshit.

"Well, I got affected too. The range on that dance of yours in freaking amazing, but definitely needs more focus."

Joe sighed. Oh, he definitely saw what Dawn was hinting at. But, hey, it's not like he didn't plan for something like that at least once.

"Yeah yeah, sure. Let me just, you know." Joe stretched out his legs and body, hopped three times, then moved across the train, before facing Dawn. "Okay, ready? Go!"

The fighter was suddenly zooming around the car at full speed, blurring by Dawn repeatedly as he went around her and all over the car. He was going to make her work for it, that's for sure.

I managed to take a nap and woke up feeling a little better. I don't know how long I slept, but it was getting light out when I stepped out of my shelter. I must have slept through the night; it was nearly completely dark when I finished my shelter. I finally got up, stiffly, and Titan started to guide me away from my recently constructed living area so I could go back to find my trinity charm bracelet. I made sure to mark the way, though; every ten steps I took, a red flower grew so it was noticeable enough for me. We came back to the lake and I could see the Jungle transition into pine forest around there. Obeying the lefts and rights Titan was giving me I searched for some sort of conclusive evidence that would reveal to me where I could possibly be. Birds sang and bugs whispered but they all did so hidden from me. The only thing that was really all that peculiar was the size of the trees. They were all really large and old, meaning the forest itself had to be ages old.

Finally we stopped upon torn up dirt and scraps of briers ripped to shreds. I was immediately on my hands and knees, sifting through the dirt for my bracelet. My searching became slightly panicked when I had been looking for five minutes and couldn't find it. I went through a wider area, thinking maybe I had thrown it, and finally found it nestled underneath some leaves near the base of a tree. With a deep breath of relief I lifted it up and looked at it, but hesitated putting it back on. Did I really want the others to be able to contact me? I felt like this was my mission and I should do it alone. Though the next minute I could very well change my mind and want to go back with all my heart. But I knew that acting that way was my nature and I had to set up limitations for myself. So if I were to decide to remain alone, then I couldn't have my trinity directly on me—no backing out, no calling for help. Or I could use my trinity charm and find a way back without Rae's heart and probably without any self respect. For the third time today, I decided to keep at it. It's funny how I doubt myself every time the question asks itself again. You going to keep going? You going to keep going? You going to do this? Yeah. Even if I don't have a good reason at the time, I'll keep going.

I summoned my spear and wrapped the charm around the gripping. It felt right to me, so that's where I kept it. "Alright," I said to myself, "Now what?"

"My-my, we didn't go far, did we?"

I almost gave myself whiplash as I jerked my head up. There she was again, looking as cocky and arrogant as ever. Resisting the urge to cringe I took half a step back. I hadn't expected to see her so soon.

"Don't look so surprised, you seem weaker than you are. I congratulate you for that, though, I didn't think you could look any more infantile—you're quite the actress."

Actress? Did she think I was acting? Or maybe she thought my resolve to beat her was too strong for me to actually be frightened and I was trying to seem caught off guard to surprise her. Well that was confusing. Or maybe . . . wait. Why should I even care?

"What are you doing here, haven't you had enough already?" I demanded irritably, holding my spear defensively.

Elleon threw her head back laughing, "Shouldn't that question be reserved for me? Have you had enough? Now that I think about it, don't answer that, I'll be the judge. It's time for our first game."

"Game?" I couldn't help but make a face. This was all beginning to piss me off.

"Why sure! Let's play witch-hunt. It's much better than cops and robbers, you know. I can be the witch and you can try and catch me and burn me at the stake. Sound fun?"

I glanced up and down her, my, scantily clad body and sneered. "No."

"Too bad." Elleon replied, digging in a pouch that closely matched my own at her hip. "But there's a catch. You see, we can't both be witches, only I can."

"What are you talking abou—ahh! Hey!" I shouted as she threw a large wad of something orange at me from her pouch. It landed on me and clung to my arms and shoulders as it started to grow and enshroud me. It took me a moment to realize what it was, and when I did I was confused.

Dodder? . . . Witch's Hair? But it's just a . . . oh damn.

Dodder, more commonly known as Witch's Hair, is this stringy, bright orange plant that clings to shrubs and other plant life. It was fairly common on the trails of the wildlife reserve I lived by before I moved to Seaport City. Seemed harmless until I found out what it did. It was a parasite. The little orange tendrils would latch onto the branches and roots of other plants and rob them of their nutrients, sucking them dry. That's what was on me, and I could feel it draining me, not of my nutrients like a plant or anything, but of my magic. That's what she meant when she said we couldn't both be witches. I was royally screwed.

"Ahh!" I shouted and tried to tear the Dodder off of me but it was growing at an alarming rate. The more I tore the more it grew; little pink lines remained where I had peeled the strings from my skin.

'Human! What is this?!'

Titan's voice was faint, almost to the point that I couldn't hear him. He shouted to me until there was nothing but a whisper, and finally his cries were gone. I kept fighting to get the Witch's Hair off, even though my magic was completely gone, but what I took off kept growing back.

"Now cut that out, you'll tire yourself and I won't have any fun."

"I CAN'T cut it out, it'll GROW RIGHT BACK." I growled through clenched teeth, still violently tearing at the orange stuff. Elleon laughed.

"Now that was almost funny! Good one. But really, stop before it drains you of more than your magic."

With an angry shout I threw my arms down to my sides, arms lashed with pink marks, and panted. This was getting really old, really quick.

If there was a way to lounge without sitting down, Elleon had achieved it. She gave me a cat-like grin, "Good. Now before we start I have to tell you: you really are boring. I mean, not as boring as these weak little Disney characters—Belle's little french village was no more fun than watching grass grow. I need someone to test me before I kill them, give me a run for my money before it's over. You know, fun. And that's what I want you to be able to do. So you had better get good quick, or I'll think you're not improving and I'll just crush you."

What?! What kind of half-baked villain wants their enemy to IMPROVE?!

I could imagine what Titan would be saying to me in response. "One who hasn't anything better to do. One who has nothing to lose. One who's greatest pleasure in their worthless life is tormenting you."

Why does the Titan in my imagination sound like Sean Connery? . . .

He was probably scolding me at that very moment.

Elleon watched me as I continued to pant quietly, staring intently at her. "You've gotten quiet. What are you thinking in that pretty little head of yours?"

"I can't decide," I growled, resisting the urge to keep tearing at the dodder on my arms, "whether you're sadistic . . . or just plain stupid."

She smiled coldly and crossed her arms, "I thought we went over this. This is how I enjoy myself—you get better, I have more fun beating you to a pulp, and the world turns round. Got it?"

"I suppose I do now."

"Good. Ready?"

"No."

"Sucks."

She came at me with horrifying determination. The gap between us was closed in less than a second and her fist was jammed into my ribcage. I remember thinking that the cracking noise had better be the pine beneath my feet and not my bones. The combination of her hit and my fall to the ground knocked the air out of me. Pain shot up my left side as I rolled onto my front and tried to push myself up. Wonderful. Of course she would know I'm left-handed. She is too. Now I couldn't count on my strong side. I was going to get the s**t kicked out of me.

No sooner had I stood up was she trying to get in another hit. I could see some semblance of technique in there, even. Sure, I hadn't taken martial arts classes since the eighth grade, but anything I was slightly good at—even a long time ago—she was better at. This was certainly no exception. So, what could I do? Try and recall any memory of my measly green-belt skills. Yaaaay me. Two good punches later, I was on the ground again, wiping some blood from my newly split lip.

"Oh, come on. You're pathetic!" Elleon spat, moving to kick me. I rolled out of the way as quickly as possible so I wouldn't get murdered. She laughed, "Look at you, on the ground like the weak little b***h you are. I think I planned things a little wrong—you're not going to keep my attention for very long. And when that time is up, your time is up."

I grunted and stood, taking stance as best as I could, trembling with pain and anger. I just had to keep telling myself: Who's game is this? Hers or mine? It's my game, and she can't win. I'm the original, I won't let you be better than me.

Her next attack came swiftly and silently. I blocked two hits and took one to the shoulder. She smiled deviously; I could almost hear her saying it was just luck even though her lips didn't move. Luck? Yeah, definitely. Would it happen again? I hoped it would. It was time to make my own luck.

Things continued in that fashion for what seemed like forever, but was probably more like ten minutes. I was getting increasingly lucky . . . and increasingly bloodied as well. The more into it I got, the more wild she got. I think seeing me spit out blood from a new lip or cheek split did that to her. Sure, neither of us were martial arts masters—in fact, I probably looked like a flopping fish. That would be a new one. Fish stance. But truth was, she was definitely better than me at what little martial arts the both of us knew. Her ability to make things look fluid and flawless would have discouraged me if I hadn't been terrified that she would be bored and just kill me.

We probably hadn't been going at it for long—well, it was more like she was going at it and I was trying not to die—when I saw some fatigue in her. It was nothing though, her blood lust was insatiable. At this rate, I was toast. Things were getting blurry and I was disoriented. Maybe I shouldn't get hit so much? Easier said than done. I hardly had any time to move from defensive to offensive. That's when she started egging me on.

"Wow, it's amazing that you have any relation to me at all. You look like you've never had a day of training in your life. How useless!

That last word stung a bit and woke me from my stupor. "What did you say . . . ?" I gasped, wincing as a jolt of pain went through my jaw.

"You heard me . . . Useless. As in, not worth all the trouble put into making you who you are. Just like mummy said, right? How disappointing. She was absolutely correct—ough!"

She was too busy talking to realize I was inching close enough to throw a punch at her solar plexus. Elleon staggered backwards with a look of shock as she tried to regain the air that had be knocked out of her. When she could breathe again she cracked a smile and started scoffing, touching her diaphragm where I had hit her.

"Oh, don't tell me you're angry. That won't do either. Who does anger remind you of most? The angriest person you've ever had the misfortune to know?! She's nothing but a stain on your memory, isn't she? And you won't let yourself be anything like her! That's harder than it seems—you're already so much like her."

A memory flashed in my mind. I was sitting on the couch with my older sister, explaining where I'd gotten the cut on my knee from. I looked at her and she smiled. "You remind me so much of mom, you know that?"

I gave her a fake smile and got up to look for a bandaid. The moment I was out of her sight I was cursing myself.

Coming back to the present, I looked at Elleon and growled, "Shut-up!"

"There's no escaping it! Everything down to your precious little face is the same as hers! You even tried to change that but barely skimmed the surface of your semblance."

"SHUT. UP."

I really couldn't deny it. I did try to change everything about myself that I thought was similar to her. That's why I cut all my hair off my freshman year in high school. I looked too much like her, and it irritated me. So I cut it off, a good foot and a half of hair. My excuse was that I wanted to donate it, I wanted a change. Really I just wanted to be different, and do the opposite of what she wanted me to so I could prove her wrong. That was back when I first started really resenting her. It was just before our first really big fight.

Elleon came at me with a kick. I managed to block and keep blocking her next two attacks. Her strongest attacks were in threes, I found out, and if I could block all three I could get in a punch. And that's what I did. One good punch right to her face. I moved faster than I thought I could have, going to kick her as she fell back. But she was still better than me, and grabbed my foot, twisting it so I fell to the ground after her. She cackled, like I had just done the funniest thing she'd ever seen, as she got up.

"Wonderful, maybe I should stop holding back so much, eh?" Elleon coughed, rubbing her cheekbone where I'd hit her.

I didn't respond. I was flat on my back in the dead leaves, just wishing for her stupid play time to be over. She really had been holding back, and we both knew it. If she wasn't I'd probably have been dead a little while ago. That was great for the self esteem. There's nothing like the feeling that you can't win. But at the same time, there was that small glimmer of hope. Yeah, she was holding back and I was able to hit her. But she wasn't perfect, and even at maximum effort she would make a mistake every now and then. And I could get her when that happened, hopefully incapacitating her before she killed me. Well, that was quite a large 'if'.

"Well, it's been fun," She panted, turning away, "But I'm tired, and we still have the rest of the day ahead of us. I'd hate to tire you too much and not have any fun later. So, you sit there and think long and hard about how much of a dismal failure you are while I catch a cat nap. Ciao."

"What," I grumbled in pain, surprised by her sudden exit. "That's it? You're just going to walk away?"

She paused and glanced over her shoulder, "Hmmm . . . yep. Now go fix yourself, I'd hate to beat you to a pulp again without you in top health."

I really . . . really . . . can't tell if she's stupid or not.

I stayed on the ground for a few minutes after she left via psycho portal (that's what I've decided to call them. Psycho portals. Why? They transport psycho's. This is my conclusion). I needed to wait until my magic came back so I could heal myself fully. I took the small amount of serum from my pitcher plants that I had left in the bottle on my belt and drank some of that, but the most that did was close my cuts and start to make the swelling in my right eye and bottom lip go away. The rest of me still ached like crazy. I didn't want to use my potions, I wasn't in dire need and it was smart to save them for a time when I was. I did, however, contemplate the elixir. Finally deciding to just wait, I slowly pulled myself up and staggered over to a tree for support. Taking another few minutes to rest, I pulled at the dodder still on my arms. It was a weapon I didn't have yet, so I took a few tendrils and put it in my seed pouch to save it for later. I decided to get moving, stumbling from tree to tree to get around. I wasn't just hurting and dizzy, my right eye had already been swollen shut—my replica had hit it a good time or two—so it was a little hard to see. As I moved along the path I had grown the red flowers on I kept telling myself that I wasn't too bad off, that I'd been worse. When? I don't know, never. But it was a good lie and it kept me going.

After a while of stumbling along I came back upon the lake and nearly fell in. I got down on my front and pushed my face past the water's surface. It was cold and felt lovely on my swollen eye and sore jaw. With a little trouble, I disrobed again and practically flung myself in the water. The chill began to ease my aches and I was left to try and overcome the haze I had been left in after being hit on the head a good many times. Sure, I'm lucky to have a hard head—how could I not be after I'd been cracked on the scull with various heavy metal objects in color guard—but the daze of a good knock was the hardest to get over. I rested for a good while, my knees on a rock under water and my body submerged up to the neck, and splashed the frigid water up onto my face so I could wake up some. I didn't know how much time had past when I started to hear Titan again.

'Noelle? Can you hear me? Hello?'

Morning, starshine. The earth says hello.

'Quiet! Now's not the time to joke around! Are you alright? Anything broken?

Nothing besides my pride . . . and maybe my jaw.

I could hear him sigh and knew he was mentally shaking his head. 'Well that's nothing. You're lucky you're not dead.'

Remind me again why I'm not?

'That's not important now. You need to get back under cover, I still can't trust that you're safe until— . . . you're naked again, aren't you?'

Mmyuuuup. Nekkid as . . . well—

'Oh, just put on some clothes and get back to your shelter! You act like this is some sort of game or—'

Aw, quit being so bashful! I was just trying to save myself some pain, jeezum. You're like some old geezer ranting about decency . . .

'I see you haven't healed yourself yet. Why haven't you used one of your potions?'

I put my feet on the rock and stood back up unsteadily, my body stiff from being in the cold. I'm waiting to use those until I'm about to die or something. This isn't that serious.

'Not that serious? Titan spluttered, 'Sure. A likely concussion, possibly a broken jaw, and who knows what else, isn't very serious. Just brush off the dust and get back out there! I don't know why I put up with your—'

That was probably about when I tuned him out. He was just going to keep yelling at me. As I grabbed my dressphere I wondered if it would be a good time to bring up Sean Connery.

Alright-alright! I'll just grow a pitcher plant and it'll clear everything up. I said, interrupting Titan in mid rant about something possibly unrelated to what he was originally yelling at me for. I grabbed at my seed pouch and found that it wasn't where I had it last on my belt. Too disoriented to really comprehend the change, I searched for it and found it at last. Dropping the hybrid seed on the ground, I tried to get it to grow. It was somewhat difficult with what little magic I had, and I had to stop and rest for a few minutes half way.

'Just take your time. Don't push yourself.' Titan warned me, his voice somewhat faint again.

When the plant was finally mature, I grabbed the three pitchers and downed each one. It was amazing how quickly my mind cleared, and I was relieved to not feel any aches anymore. That's when I realized the reason for the misplacement of my seed pouch. My dressphere had changed again, though a little more drastically this time. I was confused, why did this keep happening, and why at such an alarming rate? I had always been vaguely aware that a dressphere would change if there was a change in the wearer's heart—it did of course reflect the state of one's heart. But I didn't exactly think my own would change so much. It truthfully surprised me. How was it that my heart changed? Well that really wasn't a good question. With all that happened, it shouldn't have been any surprise that my dressphere was altered. I looked myself over curiously, pinching at the fabric with my first two fingers. It was lighter, more elastic, yet felt more structured in a strange way—like it was a frame that made me stronger. After looking at it for a bit I felt contented with it. It oddly made me look stronger, more serious, more determined. It really was a reflection of the change in my heart.

With a great sigh I stood back up and headed back on my red-flowered trail. Titan stayed quiet, knowing I needed rest from bickering so I could recover all my strength; or, at least that was my reasoning. He may have just been frustrated with me. That was likely, such a thing happened often—our personalities seemed to clash in that way. He was bossy and I was stubborn. Strangely enough, I think it's what makes us such a good pair.

I continued on, deep in thought but managing to stay on the trail. My tests were every bit as much physical as they were mental. It was all up to who would break first, but it was a given that it wouldn't be Elleon. At the same time, it was a given that it wouldn't be me. She was going to do all she could to break my resolve, but that wasn't going to happen. There was no way I would let Rae go. For the time being she was my drive, my sole purpose. I also had something else up my sleeve, something still confusing to me but felt right. My replica's defeat wouldn't be in her death, but in her surrender. If I could get her to give up then my job would be done. I knew it was stupidly just and so typically heroic (the kind of heroic that ends up killing you in the end), but I had accepted that. There was no way I was going to kill the evil from inside of me, because fighting that would make me stronger. And that's what I wanted most. I wanted to be stronger, because I wasn't strong enough before and I needed to make up for that. It was all self justifying, but I should get an A for effort, right?

Titan? . . . I was wondering—BWAAH!

Something had come and knocked me over with dizzying force as I was trying to ask Titan a question. I blinked a few times to regain my composure. As my senses returned to me I felt something heavy on my chest and looked up to see that it was a large, angry-looking black panther. One of his massive paws was pressed to my chest and he was hunched over me, breathing on my face with his large canine teeth bared.

WHAT THE CRAP?!

"Who are you?!" The panther demanded. I was startled that it spoke, though I should have expected it to. It wasn't abnormal here after all.

Not knowing how to answer, I stared up at the panther in fear. He growled and leaned forward on my ribs, pressing the air out of me to hasten a response. I groaned—I had just healed those.

"I-I'm a f-f-friend!" I stammered, struggling for breath. He didn't respond kindly to this, placing both paws down on my chest and leaning more. I cried out and gasped for air, trying to push him off.

"Oh, really?! How do I know? How do I know you're not the one who made all the animals in the jungle disappear?! Did you kill them? You humans, you're all alike; taking more than your fill, ruthlessly destroying all things! I'll show you—!"

He raised one of his large paws to strike at me. I made a quick decision, hoping it would work. I brought a hand up to shield my face and my spear appeared. The spear seemed to make him more angry and he moved faster. Praying he would see what was wrapped around the handle of the spear I braced, don't kill me, don't kill me, don't kill meeeee. The impact never came. I looked up and saw his eyes locked on my trinity charm. He recognised the king's insignia, glancing between it and me. With a push he was off of me, backing away and sitting down. A rush of air filled my lungs and I coughed, feeling horribly light-headed. The panther was looking at me apologetically. Well, he seemed as apologetic as a panther could—animals in the Disney world were definitely more expressive than normal ones.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were with—"

"Don't worry about it," I grunted, sitting myself up. "I'm sure you were just being cautious."

"Yes," the panther said sheepishly, "all of the animals in the jungle have gone missing. I thought you might have had something to do with it . . . but come to think of it, the man-village was deserted as well. You're one of the King's people, aren't you?"

I shrugged, dismissing my spear (while inwardly complaining about my low magic level and having to summon it in the first place). "I guess you could say that. I'm from . . . well, not around here. The King asked us to help him, but I got separated from the rest of my group."

"I see . . . so you wouldn't know exactly what happened to all the animals, then." He said, somewhat saddened.

"Actually, I think they've been displaced." I said, crossing my legs tiredly.

The black jungle cat looked up, "What?"

"Displaced," I repeated, trying to be careful with my words. I didn't want to disturb the balance. "something strange has happened in the Disney Kingdom. In the end, many of the people have been moved around. I'm sure they're all fine, they're just some place else."

"Why didn't I become displaced as well?"

"I really don't know . . ."

The both of us were quiet for a minute or two. I was trying to figure out who this panther was but it wasn't coming to me.

"My name is Bagheera." He told me, standing back up. "Sorry again for jumping on you."

Oh, right! Why hadn't I thought of The Jungle Book before? Thinking about it, that deep, slightly-British sounding voice had been rather familiar.

"Don't worry about it, I've pretty much been knocked to the ground all day anyway. My name is Noelle. Nice to meet you." I stood back up and found myself feeling very small in Bagheera's presence. He was a very large jungle cat, practically half my height while standing on all fours, and undoubtedly hundreds of pounds.

"Well," he said, turning around, "Farewell."

"W-Wait!"

"Yes?"

I shuffled my feet a little. I wanted him to stay with me; a cat's senses were much stronger than my own. He could tell me if someone were close by, offering me more preparation whenever Elleon was back for more. Plus, I wasn't really one for solitude. Having someone around to talk to would be nice. Well someone besides Titan, that is. He's like my grandpa Jim, God rest his soul—grumpy and ornery as all get out.

"Er . . . well, i-it's really empty around here, you know? I mean, if you wouldn't mind sticking around, I would really appreciate the company . . ."

Bagheera looked at me curiously for a moment, then I saw the faint semblance of a smile. "Alright. I suppose it's the least I could do."

"Really? Thanks!" I returned his smile. Then I wasn't quite sure what to do, so I stood there awkwardly. He did the same.

"Well, now what?" He asked in a slightly encouraging tone.

I laughed nervously and shrugged, "I should probably get some rest, it's been a long morning. I've got a little place to stay over this way if you don't mind."

"Certainly not. Lead the way." He replied courteously. Such a gentlemanly . . . panther.

We began walking together and I observed Bagheera's saunter. He was very graceful moving through the thick creepers along the jungle floor. He would give a little hop here, maneuver his way around there . . . I would definitely have to learn a little from him. Being a dancer, my balance was alright, but it could be better. That's when I began thinking—I needed to start training. If I could get Bagheera to help then maybe he could teach me a few things. Not that I needed to know the ways of the jungle or something like that (though information on the plant life would be nice), I just needed more speed, grace, balance, and fluidity. He could help me with that.

"So," Bagheera interrupted my thoughts, "you said you were separated from the rest of your group? How did this happen."

I sighed a little, "The full of it is a bit of a long story. In a nut shell, one of my enemies transported me here to fight me. I have no way of getting back, though, and I have no idea where I am in relation to my friends."

"This enemy, are they strong?"

I grinned bitterly, "Stronger than you can imagine. And what makes her such a formidable opponent is the fact that she's exactly like me. She even looks just like me."

Bagheera glanced at me, a puzzled expression on his face. "How is this possible?"

"Well, about a day or two ago we were attacked. A bunch of . . . confusing stuff happened and somebody made copies of us, called replicas. They look exactly like us, have the same skill set, but are a hundred times more powerful. They are dark beings, and know all the weaknesses and horrors of our hearts."

"That's terrible!" Bagheera exclaimed, quickening his pace slightly in his shock. "And this replica wants to kill you?"

I shrugged, "I s'pose that's her goal in the end. She wants to destroy me; but awfully enough, she wants me to put up a good enough fight first. That's why she brought me here. It's like someone playing with their food before they eat it."

"You don't sound worried." Bagheera frowned.

I glanced at him with an expression that was nearly hysterical. "Oh? Well, I feel plenty worried. Plenty. I'm also plenty confused. I don't understand why she would do this, give me the chance to try to do my best and beat her."

"She's like a snake." He said, and I felt a chill go down my spine. "They watch their prey struggle for life before they die."

A serpent. How symbolic. I must have looked panicked, because Bagheera tried to comfort me.

"I'm sure you'll come out on top. You were sent by the King, weren't you? So you must be strong. I have faith in you."

I tried to smile, "Thanks . . . actually, I was just thinking about that . . . do you think you could help me?"

"Help you how? I don't think I could be of much assistance."

"Well, I need training if I'm going to have any sort of chance, and I just thought . . . well, I thought you might be able to help."

Bagheera thought it over for a moment, "I'm sure I could come up with some way of helping you. I'll do it."

Just then, we came upon my little shelter and I felt relieved. Bagheera seemed a little puzzled as to why we stopped though; it did look like a large tree after all. Having regained more of my magical strength during the downtime walking, I was able to open up a doorway into my hut. The large black jungle cat backed away cautiously, probably thinking something had opened it from the inside.

"Here we are, this is my shelter." I told him, smiling at the increadulous look on his face.

"But how?!" He gasped, "This is just a tree."

"Nah, I made it. I have the ability to grow plants and manipulate the earth. I'm an agromancer."

Bagheera could do nothing but gape. "This is increadible! Now I'm sorry for what I said back when I jumped on you. You certainly don't just take and destroy like other humans . . ."

I laughed, "I try not to. You can come inside if you want, I'll leave the door open. I just need to get a little nap in so I can recover some of my energy."

The panther nodded, already moving to climb to the top of my shelter, "I'll stay up top. It's more my place."

"Suit yourself."

I felt relieved to finally get the chance to rest a little. I had probably only been out for about two hours, but that was enough to make me tired. It's not that I don't have good stamina, though, I used to bike about fifteen miles to the beach regularly back home (before I moved to Seaport City and could just walk to the beach, that is), your stamina just doesn't seem to last as long when you're getting the crap beat out of you. Hoping I wouldn't sleep for too long, I closed my eyes and went to sleep.