Heya everyone! I am SO SORRY I haven't updated in forever... I've actually been working on this chapter well over a month ~.~ I've just been so busy, or when I do end up writing, I get stuck and don't really know what to write or things don't sound right... Maybe a bit of writer's block? Anyway, here it is! It may not be the best, so please bear with me ;-; Again, so sorry everyone!

-IN THE STARS-

I was in Fugue Forest, my shoes crunching fallen leaves under their soles. I couldn't remember why or how, but I knew I was lost. The forest was always known for its maze like layout, but not once had I ever lost my way. Heart beating frantically, shaking my hands with fright, I passed tree after tree. Each one I passed added to my anxiety until I thought my heart would burst, tears pricking the sides of my eyes.

Stumbling from the underbrush into a small clearing, I collapsed, tears breaking free and streaming down my cheeks, dripping from my chin and wetting the already moist soil. I wanted to go back home, but I couldn't. How long would I wander this forest, alone, scared?

Suddenly there was a light, making me squint my eyes from its brilliance.

"…ka…Hikari…."

A voice… but whose…?

"Hey… Hikari…?"

Jerking awake, I stare with wide brown orbs at a familiar face, bigger than I remembered it being. Swallowing, I could feel my heart shaking my small body. 'Finn…?'

"Hikari!" His arms wrap around my neck, hugging me tight. "I'm glad you're okay!"

Blinking frantically, I looked from Finn, to the wizard sitting on the edge of the bed, to the darkened window above me. How long had I been sleeping?

"Finn decided to stop by…" pipes in Wizard, helping with my confusion. "I asked him… not to wake you, but…"

"Cats sleep all the time! She can handle it!" Giving me one more squeeze, the sprite takes a few steps back. "How in the world did this happen?"

'Witch,' I reply simply, standing up and stretching, mouth opening in a yawn as I do.

"Right… I told you she would get you in trouble one day!" His slightly too big hat shifted down his face as he lectured, forcing him to push it back up.

Being older than he was, it always amused me to see Finn try to act like the parent of the two of us. Though, being a jump-before-thinking type of girl, I couldn't blame him.

'I've been fine! Till now…' I would have scratched the back of my head if I were still human, looking away and giving a nervous smile. Since I couldn't do that now, I just moved my whiskers and sniffed. 'And it's not like I'm dead or mortally wounded or anything! I'm just… a cat.'

"Yes, a cat! What about your farm? Your friends? You're lucky I can understand animals, or I wouldn't be able to help you!" He floated up into the air and flailed.

'I know, I know…' I couldn't deny that Finn had some good points, but Witch was a friend. I couldn't just avoid her because she was different. Glancing up at Wizard, I couldn't help but put him in that same thought. People were people, regardless of who or what they were. 'I'll be fine! Wizard's looking for a cure! And I trust he'll find one.'

"But…!" Huffing and pulling his hat down in thought, I watched as he visibly took deep breaths to calm himself down. "Witch should be helping as well!"

"That woman wouldn't know what to do…" comments Wizard, a frown covering his face. "Even if it slapped her in the face."

I snorted with laughter, surprised to hear Wizard say something like that so confidently. I knew from day one that Witch and Wizard didn't like each other, but I had always tried to avoid bringing Witch up… Now I knew that was a good decision.

Finn sighed and nodded his head in agreement, making me snort once more. "You've always been more helpful, Wizard."

Wizard blinks in acknowledgement. "Why did you visit… so late?"

"I couldn't just float around while Hikari needs my help!" He wraps his arms around my neck again. "So I came as soon as I could! I wanted to come sooner, but I've been running short errands for the Harvest Goddess and Harvest King."

'Seems you've been busy,' I say, pleased.

He nods enthusiastically. "Though, I sometimes miss the days we were partners trying to save the land."

'You visit me when you can. It's alright,' I say, bumping my head against his and letting out a short purr. He always tried to drop by the house and let me know he was doing alright, and those visits always brightened my life. It made me happy to know that the land was back to normal, and that we were both, in our own way, making sure it stayed that way.

"Anyway, have you gotten anywhere on how to change her back?" asks Finn, turning to face Wizard.

Sighing, Wizard shakes his head. "Nothing so far…"

"I see…" Finn adjusts his hat. "We could always ask the Harvest Goddess for some help. She knows practically everything!"

"True, but…" Wizard glanced outside. "It's still dark."

"Then first thing in the morning!"

I yawn, stretching. 'Sounds good. Wizard?'

He nods. "Any help we can get…"

"Great!" Finn lifts one leg and spins in excitement. Losing his balance and plopping down, he stays sitting there for a moment before falling onto his back, his eyes already closed in sleep.

'He must've been tired,' I comment, giving him a sniff before padding next to Wizard.

"I wonder if it's safe… for him to sleep so soon…" he says thoughtfully, making me tilt my head in confusion. "He hit his head on the door." He points in the direction of the entrance for emphasis.

I snort again. 'Sounds like him. Anyway, Wizard, did you sleep well?'

He nods, his eyes sifting through the room until they fall on his telescope. I follow his gaze to it, smiling internally. It was night, and because of me and my predicament, he hadn't been able to gaze at the stars. I hadn't realized until now, and as it sunk into my brain, I felt bad.

To make things right, I made myself comfortable on the bed and said simply, 'Go ahead. One night won't hurt.'

He looked at her, surprised. Surprised that she had acknowledged he hadn't been indulging in his habit. Surprised that she'd care so much to bring it up. Surprised that… well, that someone noticed.

She met his gaze, her eyes displaying the smile she couldn't physically show. Without even realizing, he was smiling in return. Ever since Hikari had shown up in Harmonica Town and started visiting him, taking time to get to know him, his life had brightened up. It was something small, such a subtle change that he never even noticed until it was too late for him to back out.

"What-"

Before he can finish, Hikari pipes in. "Don't think I haven't noticed you've become more of a book hermit than usual. Go on, look at those stars. They miss you." To add an emphasis to her words, she gently bumps her head against his hand.

His fingers twitch, his palm lifting off the bed to scratch behind her ear. Purring started echoing from her chest almost instantly, sending a slight vibration through her own body that he could feel.

"I'll go, but…" His voice falters, wondering how to word his question. "But, would you like… to come with me…?"

I looked at him in surprise, and a smile would have slowly gotten bigger had I had human lips. I'd never been able to stargaze often as a kid, since I had lived in the city, and I was always so busy during the day now that by the time night fell I was ready to run off into dreamland. Though, that never stopped me from walking to the beach at times to stare at the ocean and the stars.

"Are you sure?" I asked, not being able to stop myself from sounding excited.

"If you want to," he nods, his gold and green eyes straying away from me.

"I'd love to!" Jumping off the bed and hurrying to the door, I let out a meow.

I saw him hide a smile as he got up and followed me to the door. I rushed out into the cool air when he opened it. Taking in a deep breath, I turned to wait for Wizard. I'd follow him, since he was the stargazing expert and knew where all the good spots were.

Holding his crystal ball carefully, he looked at me and nodded, then started walking, making sure I was behind him. We didn't walk long, for he led me to the outlook by the church, where we had stargazed together once before. Whether it be because he remembered that night or because it was the closest spot to view the open sky, I still smiled, happy to be back here with him.

Jumping up onto the small concrete wall, I made myself comfortable as Wizard rested a hand beside me, his eyes already looking up at the twinkling lights above us.

"You know…" I found myself saying, twitching my tail. "As a kid, I used to imagine each star as a memory. That every time I experienced something important to remember, it would be etched into the sky at night, so all I would have to do was look up and be reminded of the important things in life." I shifted into a better sitting position. "Of course, being in the city with so many lights, I never saw that many stars. It didn't stop me believing though."

He listened quietly, happy to be able to share a memory with her. Her thoughts swam into his head, images of her as a child sitting in a cushioned chair, staring up at a night sky from an apartment window, the lights around her drowning out the beauty of the stars. She'd always move to the chair only when she knew her sister was asleep in the bed next to hers, and that it was late enough where her mother and brother would also be sleeping.

It was always just her, her thoughts, and the lights out in the dark.

"Of course now I'm old enough now to know they're not memories," she added, making Wizard blink back into reality.

"I believe stars… hold the keys to our hearts," he utters, eyes distant with thought. "Perhaps they do hold your memories…" He let his eyes connect the stars, one by one, creating a necklace of sparkling orbs.

"Perhaps…" she answers quietly. "If they do, I hope to find a lot of happy ones."

"I'm sure you will," he smiles, his mind already shifting to view each star as one of her memories. Link by link, star by star, the sky painted a picture of beauty.

Wizard shifting beside me snapped my mind back to reality, and I had to blink once or twice to swish away the rest of my thoughts. Looking around, and finally settling my eyes on him, I didn't dare disturb him. He had a faraway gaze, an expression of wonder, as if he was just seeing stars for the first time. It reminded me that there were a lot about the wizard I still couldn't quite grasp.

Suddenly his expression changed and his eyes dropped to meet mine. I tilted my head, showing him that I was paying attention.

"Find answers you were looking for?" I ask, remembering the time he told me that stars held the answers that eluded you, if you knew how to listen.

It was his turn to tilt his head in thought. "Sort of… I have a lot to think about…"

I just looked at him happily. I couldn't help but notice that whenever stars were brought up, he spoke more fluently with less pauses to think.

"Are you tired…?"

I look away, my body deciding to yawn and answer him itself.

"I see… Come, let us go back home…"

I sat up and followed him away from the church and down the short path to his house. As we turned off the path, I almost ran into Wizard's legs as he suddenly stopped dead, the air around him going tense.

'You okay?' I ask, glancing up at him then in front of us. As my eyes laid upon shining silver hair, I understood instantly.

"Witch," acknowledged Wizard.