—Hazu—

I felt a sense of accomplishment as I finished packing my bag. This was definitely going to be enough got my trip back to Kumamoto. Breathing a sigh of relief, I picked my suitcase off of my bed, set it on the ground, and began rolling it along with me. If I was honest, I had mixed feelings about going back home. I mean, on one hand, I had so many good memories from Japan, and there were so many things from my youth that I was excited to see again, but there was something bothering me. I'd be traveling with Kallan.

Now, don't get me wrong, I really like Kallan and all, but it was Kage I was truly afraid of. Ever since that incident when she had figured out that Luc and Scarlett were a couple and had already accepted each other as mates, Kage had been spending all her time trying to think of ways to legitimately kill her. As weird as it sounds, it was actually a relief that Scarlett wasn't coming with me. If she had been, she would be in a lot more danger and I couldn't guarantee her safety.

Despite that, I guess it would still be nice to go with Kallan if Kage didn't decide to release her shadowy wrath upon her. I mean, Kallan was so nice to everybody, and she had such a happy and contagious attitude that was just refreshing to be around. She was also super fit and could beat any boy at any sport, giving her the nickname "The Sonic Wave" on campus. She was so pretty and outgoing and amazing; everything that I wasn't. She was everything that I wish I could be. I guess that's why I fell so hard for her.

Stop thinking about her! Kage's voice echoed in my head. We're only focused on my happy ending, got it? We need to win over Luc by any means necessary.

"Look, Kage, it's not like you have anything to worry about." I muttered, playing with the morning glories growing around my wrist that I had worn as an accessory. "Kallan is so popular, she could have literally anyone she wants. Why would she pick me anyways? I'm literally a nobody."

Don't belittle yourself like that, Hazuki. She said, allowing a hint of what I would have otherwise sworn was sympathy. You're pretty, talented, skilled in Flora magic, and most of all, adorable. Don't you see? This is why you are the perfect host for my plan in securing Lucian's affections. That is why my plan should be foolproof! But when we have that wretched harlot of a Prince batting those eyelashes and tricking Lukie-poo into falling in love with her, then we have a problem. She needs to be taken care of and disposed. It's all for the sake of true love.

"Well, if you're that confident that Luc will like your personality, why don't we just create you your own body, then?" I suggested. "That way, you wouldn't just be hiding behind me as a facade. You could get Luc to know the real you instead of just you through me."

I could hear Kage's snort. Yeah, when that happens, I would definitely leave your body, but I just don't see how it would work, Hazuki. It is no more than wishful thinking, and you know that for a fact.

I sighed. "You know, you're not all bad, Kage." I said, adjusting my grip on the handle of my suitcase. "You always help me focus in class and on my homework, especially in Sciana's history."

Because I've literally lived through half of it. Kage snapped. Besides, a good education will lead the way to supporting Luc and any future kids you might have with him.

"Do you ever think of anything besides him?" I asked out of curiosity.

I'm not even going to answer that. You should know the answer to that question by now.

I continued my journey down the hallways in silence without saying another word to Kage. I knew that there was a specific reason that she had such an infatuation with Luc, but she had never really gone into much detail other than her telling me that she would tell me about it later, and then never get around to telling me. The two of us may have shared bodies, but that didn't necessarily mean we could read each other's minds. It was comparable to having a roommate. You only know as much about them as they're willing to tell you.

Kage has been with me for about three years now, ever since I took her from Adrian's body. I don't know why she hasn't been fighting much for control over my body lately, but my best guess was that she actually meant what she said about wanting to take down Kali. If her former mistress was dead, then there wouldn't be a threat to Luc anymore.

Once I got to Drake Cakes, I pulled out a syringe from my pocket and stuck the needle into my arm, taking another injection for good measure. I didn't want Kage killing Scarlett. That couldn't happen. I absolutely would not allow it. I sighed and pushed open the door after wrapping the syringe in a small plastic bag and throwing it away. It didn't take long to find all of my friends sitting around a table and chatting amongst themselves. I smiled and walked over, setting my suitcase down and taking a seat between Jian and Scarlett. Today's chatter was buzzing with excitement about our upcoming trip.

"Man, I can't wait to go back to Scotland!" Kallan chirped, her aquamarine-colored eyes shining with joy. "It's so scenic there! It's literally like something straight from a fairytale!"

"Well, that scenery won't top the cuisine back in China. Two words: bean dumplings. Talk about comfort food." Jian said, rubbing his stomach.

"Oh, you wanna talk about great cuisine?" Luc challenged, rolling up his sleeves. "Do you forget where I come from? France! You know, it's kind of a well-known hotspot for five-star cuisine. Over there, we talk about food like Americans talk about the weather."

"At least all you two are only worrying about food. I mean, let's talk about where you were raised!" Talia exclaimed, pounding her fist on the table. "I had to be perfect at literally everything! I had super high standards and never had any free time! I bet you losers wouldn't survive a day in the Stalin household."

Madia stood up. "Is that a challenge, amiga? I have enough fabulousity coursing through these veins to meet all of those standards of perfection! I mean, look at me! In fact, I would be able to beat you, Kali and our very own Scarlett combined with just the wave of my pinky finger!"

Scarlett chuckled, crossing her arms. "Oh, really, Madia? Do you really think you could take on me, the Prince of Sciana, and nonetheless a user of Dragon Soul magic? I'd like to see you try!"

"Ooh, look who's full of themselves now!" Madia jested.

Adrian gasped, his eyes widening in childish excitement. "Are you two about to have a grand duel to define the ages, just like the jousting competition between Olaf the Great and James the Red at Rene-Con 2015?"

Kallan laughed, her wavy blonde hair bouncing as she did so. "No, Adrian. They don't roleplay like you do. Even if they did duel, it would be very much real and more graphic, and I believe that the two of them are more than mature enough to avoid causing a scene."

As the conversation continued, my focus rarely wavered from Kallan. She was so happy and pretty...if only she could be mine. Even if Kage didn't forbid me from being with her, there was nothing particularly special about me. I was too shy to say anything to her these days, and anything that I did try to say came out disastrous and awkward. Besides, I wasn't pretty, or strong, or brave. I was just me. Nothing special, just regular old Hazu.

"So what about you, Hazu?"

I was immediately brought back to reality when I heard Kallan's voice. She looked at me with those beautiful shining blue eyes that were full of expectation. I swallowed down the lump that was forming in the back of my throat. I began to speak, my stutter becoming very prominent. "U-um...I-I'm sorry, w-w-what did you s-say?"

Kallan giggled. "Going back to Japan. Won't that be fun, revisiting the place where you grew up? Like, is there anything in particular that you're excited to revisit?"

I nodded. Kumamoto held a lot of good memories for me. There was definitely something that I was looking forward to seeing again.

"Why don't you tell us about it?" Kallan asked, flashing that trademark friendly grin.

I folded my hands in my lap. "W-Well, the house where I grew up in w-was really close to this place called Suizenji. In that city of the prefecture of K-Kumamoto, there's this place that was really special to me. It's a garden, a-and it's like something straight out of a f-fairytale. There is a bridge that spreads across this crystal clear lake, and the most beautiful greenery that I have ever seen in my life. Even if there aren't really any flowers that grow there, the trees and shrubs there are still pretty. It's definitely worth it to go there sometime in your life if you haven't already planned on it." I smiled to myself and started nervously playing with my braid. "I mean, I know it's kind of dumb--"

"That sounds amazing, Hazu." Scarlett said, her jaw hanging wide open in awe.

Kallan giggled. "Wow! You'll have to take us there when we go to Japan. It definitely sounds like it will be worth it."

"Easy for you to say, Kallan." Talia complained, rubbing her nose. "I have pollen allergies. My sinuses will be in hell."

"Come on, Tal," Madia started, spreading her hands. "Even I have to admit that that garden sounds pretty amazing."

"Don't mind her, Hazu." Jian said, kicking his combat boots up onto the table and leaning back in his chair. "You know as well as I do that her sole purpose in life is to kill the mood."

Everyone laughed while Talia shot them all dirty glares. I allowed myself to giggle just a little bit. I didn't want to make Talia too mad. She was absolutely terrifying whenever she got angry,

What's there to be afraid of? You know that she's all talk and no action when it comes to her friends. Kage pointed out.

That still didn't change that she was scary, though. If she did really feel like hurting someone, Talia definitely had the muscle and the training to do so. I knew that Talia would never hurt any of us, but there was still something about her that made me feel uncomfortable. Maybe it had something to do with her piercing gray eyes that seemed to stare into your soul. Or maybe it was how she never seemed to be happy. Whatever the reason, Talia was the one person that I had trouble actually calling a friend.

The chatter amongst my friends continued, but half the time I was too anxious to join in. I was too busy watching the minutes slowly tick by on the clock, my time to go home drawing ever nearer.

I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I picked it up to see that Lavender and Ruby had sent me a picture over Snapchat. It was the two of them making hearts with their hands. The caption read: "Hope u have a good trip!!!" with about seven different emojis next to it.

I let out a sigh. I was going to miss those guys. It would kind of suck not having my best friends with me on this trip. I'd miss Ruby's energy and Lavender's cautiousness. I'd miss their support, and the way the two of them could so easily make me laugh. I stuffed my phone back in my pocket and let out another sigh. I'd get back to them later. I didn't want to seem disrespectful to the rest of my team if I was always buried in my phone.

I couldn't help but feel kind of left out as I saw the rest of my friends talking to each other so easily. Sometimes I felt like such an outsider. The rest of them seemed to know each other so well, whereas I was no more than a fish out of water in any kind of socialization. Sometimes I wondered why I was even part of this group. What was so special about me in the first place? Nothing. I was just a girl who liked plants more than people.

Hey. I am so sorry for the lack of updates this summer. I''m just going to say that I have been under a lot of stress because my parents are getting a divorce. Because of this, I have to live in a small town with five siblings, my grandma and my mom, and I have been too depressed to do much anymore. Today I finally kicked myself into gear and got something done so I hope you like it. The good news is, I'm going to be sort of adopted into a new family for the school year so I can continue going to my school with all of my friends. Hopefully this means more updates but I won't give you a for sure on that. Again, I'm super sorry that this is so late.

Signing off, Kiera Savage