I gasp for air. It can't get to my lungs fast enough. I sit up and gulp as much oxygen as I possibly can. My vision has returned and I can see clearly again.

"Are you okay? What the hell was that?" I hear a voice ask me.

Not knowing who it is, I shove them away desperately. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Whoa-" They fall off the bed and onto the floor with a thud, taking the covers over the side with them. "WHAT IN THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!"

I realize who it is and I come to my senses. I just threw Kagura off the bed. "Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do that! I'm sorry!" I crawl across the bed and peer over the edge down onto the floor.

Kagura is on his back with the bedsheets wrapped and tangled all around him. He growls at me, and one of his eyes is visible through the covers. It glares at me.

"I am so sorry!" I extend my hand to him. "I just had a nightmare. That's all."

Grunting, he takes my hand and stands up, but his foot catches in the bedsheets and he falls down again.

Not even realizing, I chuckle.

"D-don't you dare laugh at me!" Kagura snarls, in an adorable, harmless way.

My chuckling grows louder. The hilarity of me shoving him off the bed, the way the sheets cover him, him falling down again; I can't help but laugh at it all.

Finally, he stands up and throws the sheets down on the floor, freed of the entanglement. "What happened?"

"I-I had a nightmare and I guess I wasn't fully awake yet, and I threw you off the bed. I'm sorry."

He shakes his head. "It's alright. Come on. We should be heading out."

"I call dibs on the bathroom first!" I say firmly and I point a finger at him. "You won't enter until I am completely finished. Got it?"

He puts his hands up. "Alright alright! Geez!"

It doesn't take very long for me to get ready. I brush my hair, brush my teeth, use the bathroom, and get changed back into my mess of an Element suit. It's all gross and shredded from Mykage's vines. "Hopefully I won't have to wear this much longer," I mutter. I put my hair up in a bun and of course, Shush nestles down into it, with only his ears being visible.

"I'm done," I say and Kagura takes my place in the bathroom. It only takes five minutes to return in his clothes and completely finished.

"You're done already?"

Kagura scoffs. "Unlike you girls, men take a lot less time to get ready. Seriously, what do you even do in there that takes so long?"

"Sh-shut up! Can we just go?"

We leave the hotel room and make our way out the door. Morning has already brought the bustling city to life. People and cars and buses are all around once again and they make their way to work or school or wherever else they may have to go.

"Come on. The dock isn't far," I say as I pull Kagura swiftly along.

We walk fast through the streets, making our way through crowds of people, just like yesterday. Amata. Amata. I'm going to see you again. Just a little while longer. I'm coming.

As we walk, I notice myself moving faster and faster, picking up the pace. My feet are itching to get back to the Academy.

And before I know it, we arrive. People are already boarding the next boat, the boat that will lead us home.

"Hurry! The boat's about to leave!" I grab Kagura's wrist and drag him to the dock. We board just as the ramp starts to close up the entrance. "We made it just in time!"

"Yeah. We're almost there. Just a little bit longer until we reach your prince," Kagura jokes.

"Hey! Don't say it like that!"

"What? You love the guy, don't you? He's your 'white knight' or 'Prince Charming' or something? You obsess over him. Like geez. You'll see him in a few minutes."

I frown. "Well, I love him. He's probably been worried sick about me! And you're the one who used to be obsessed with me last time I checked! How many times did you try to kidnap me?" I sarcastically say and I start to count on my fingers. "One, two, three-"

"Alright alright! I get it!"

"For your information, if you really wanna get a girl, DON'T KIDNAP HER!"

The rest of the boat ride is made up of the two of us bickering. I think I even slap him at one point.

"Hey! What was that for?!" he yelps.

"HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT APPLE JUICE IS INFERIOR TO CRANBERRY JUICE!"

Kagura just shakes his head. "How the hell did we even get on this topic in the first place-"

"Attention everyone!" a voice blares over the speakers. "We will be docking in two minutes!"

"We're almost there!" I cheer, completely dropping the topic. "Just two more minutes!"

Kagura looks down at my feet. "Do you have to jog in place like that? Are you that excited to get off this boat?"

As soon as the boat docks and the ramp goes down, I grab Kagura and zoom out, heading straight for the Academy entrance. My heart beats with excitement as we draw closer and closer. The giant, high-security, metal door comes into view.

"How are we supposed to get in?" Kagura asks.

We stop running and stand before the door. I press a button on a panel and state, "Mikono Suzsuhiro, Element User."

The door unlocks and it slides away to allow us inside. "Voice recognition. Only those registered with the Academy have access to get in. It's how we keep intruders out."

He smirks. "Huh. Clever."

"Now let's go!" I grab him again and take off into the building. We run through hallways and turn corners.

We turn one corner and almost crash into someone.

"Mikono?! Oh my god! It's you! And is that Kagura?!" the person says.

"It's alright, Malloy," I say. "He's with me. Where's everyone else?"

Malloy scratches his head. "Uh, I'm pretty sure the staff are all in Crea's office, or Fudo's; who's ever it is. A few people are in the Day Area hanging out, I think."

I grab him by the shoulders. "Amata. Where's Amata?"

"Uh, um, well, I don't know."

"What?! What do you mean?!"

"He's in the Academy, if that's what you're worried about. I just don't know where exactly."

I breathe a sigh of relief. "Oh."

"Just ask around and see who's seen him."

"Okay." I nod and take off again, calling behind me, "Thanks, Malloy."

"Do we have to keep running? Seriously, it's tiring me out," Kagura complains.

I don't listen. It doesn't take long for me to reach the hallway where the classrooms are and find Yunoha and MIX.

"M-Mikono?! You're-you're back!" Yunoha exclaims in surprise.

"What happened to you?! And why in the world is he here?!!" MIX shouts.

"I'll explain later. Where is Amata? Do you guys know?"

Yunoha pipes up, "I think he's in the boys' dorms! He should be the only one in there right now."

My heart flutters. "Yes! Thank you!" And I take off yet again, making a beeline for the dorms. I slow down once I see the door and eventually, I come to a complete stop and stand there, staring.

"You've been running the whole damn time and now you stop? What the hell is wrong with you?" Kagura scoffs. "Geez."

"I'm here," I mutter. "I'm home. I'm back. Amata, I'm here."

"Yeah yeah yeah. Just get in there already."

I turn to Kagura. "Thank you for everything, Kagura."

He snorts. "Yeah sure. You're getting all mushy with me now."

"No. I mean it. Thank you. I'm really grateful for everything you've done. But, maybe you should wait out here for now while I go in."

He crosses his arms. "Fine. I'll wait. Go find your Princey-Poo."

I chuckle and open the door.

"Amata! Amata, I'm back!"