MK ran through the forest, her father's bulky goggles weighing down on her.

"Nod!" She shouted, searching through the green leaves for a sighting of her miniature love.

"I'm here!" He shouted back, although it sounded like mere twittering. Grinning, she bent down and pushed aside the underbrush to reveal him perched on a green leaf. She stretched her hand down for him to climb onto. Adjusting her high tech goggled to the right frequency, she asked him how his day had been.

"Much better, now that I'm seeing you." He said suggestively.

I wish we could be together, she thought. Ever since she returned to the human world, all she could think about was her separation from Nod. They'd decided to remain friends and rid all thoughts of possibilities and what-if's, because they both knew it could never be. However, she couldn't fathom a life without Nod by her side - and not just as a friend. Of course, he didn't know that. He couldn't possibly understand how she felt. Besides, telling him would simply plant a seed of hope in his mind, one that reality would diminish and leave a world of hurt behind.

After their short rendezvous, MK traipsed back home, her heart heavy in her chest. Her birthday was tomorrow, and although Nod and Ronin would be present for the small celebration with her father, all she could think of was how perfect it would be to receive a birthday kiss from Nod - and no, not on the tip of her finger.

"What am I supposed to do?" She cried. "Forget about him? Pretend I don't love him?" Strangely enough, expressing her thoughts out loud cleared her anxiety some, so she continued to rant about her unfair situation. Why hadn't she tried this before?

Little did she know, was that Nod was secretly following her home, as he always did every time she visited him in his forest home. He was constantly worried about her safety. His attachment towards her had never diminished, despite her becoming a 'Stomper' once again, as leafmen liked to call it. Thus, hearing her words made his heart soar. She loves me? He thought ecstatically, his mind rushing to a million possibilities, just as they swore it shouldn't. Like her, he couldn't help it. The idea of a future with her was too tempting for him to simply let go of, and why couldn't he let his imagination wander?

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you!" sang Nod, Ronin and Professor Bomba. Nod and Ronin were perched on either side of MK's shoulders, loosely holding on to her hair for support. MK had never felt so loved in her life, and her heart swelled up as she picked up the cake knife.

"You have to make a wish first!" exclaimed Nod.

"Pfft, no! Who still believes in magic?" criticised Professor Bomba. Everyone looked at him, an awkward silence filling the air. "Ah, right, right. Magic exists along with you leaffolk. Don't mind me!" he stuttered.

Smiling, MK gazed down at the flickering candles and their billowing smoke, watching the smoke twirl and disappear into thin air. What did she want the most?

I wish I could be with Nod. She blew out the candles.

That night, the wisps of magic dances through the forest air and into MK's bedroom, weaving itself into her curled up form.