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Tess coughed into her elbow, sinking to the ground gratefully. She leaned against a convenient tree trunk, her legs and feet glad for the rest.

Gale nodded, while Maddy looked relieved. While both enjoyed camping, it seemed as if they were going to be stuck here forever.


Rue shot a concerned glance at her friend. Would Setsuko ever heal?

Kuilak slumped down on the softest piece of ground he could locate. He kept his eyes open a while, watching over Setsuko and she curled up painfully. A welcome sleep quickly came to claim him, but not before he just barely picked up a few haltered sobs coming from Setsuko's direction.

Rue sat beside Setsuko, keeping a worried look trained on her. Her eyes slowly began to droop, her worries and fears blocked out by the welcoming embrace of sleep.

Tariq gathered Tess onto his lap, where the young child quickly fell asleep. He felt drowsy himself, and soon nodded off as well.

Ayumu stirred slightly in the Caverns. Jaci had found the others, he assumed. But would they come back? He wasn't so sure about that one. All he could do for now was cling to hope and watch while more and more dreamcatchers were destroyed. Even as a spirit, he felt so helpless...so vulnerable...and he hated it. Hated it with every fiber of his rotting body. But even he had to admit...he needed help.

Setsuko and Rue better hurry up, he thought, or this world could very well end.

Rue woke up some time later, her brown eyes fuzzy and unfocused from the lingering remnants of sleep. She blinked her grogginess away, struggling into a sitting position. Her gaze immediatly went to Setsuko. Rue would say she knew her quite well, after being here with her once before. But she had never seen Setsuko this upset, for this long.
She felt so helpless. They were stuck here, with only one way out. And that involved putting her children in danger. Setsuko was still grieving over Li, and wasn't helping at all. Rue just wanted to get home now.

Setsuko cracked her sore eyes open, both still red and swollen from crying herself to sleep. Kuilak sat cross-legged not to far from her, staring with concern. Setsuko, however, only slightly adjusted her position.

Kuilak sighed and turned to Rue. "Now or never."

Rue nodded, apprehension fluttering inside of her. "Let's go," she managed.

Kuilak stood and tentatively approached his grieving wife, sprinkles of sadness splashed across his face. "Setsuko?" he said softly, "We're going. Back to the caverns, I mean. We're going to fix Ayumu's world, and then maybe he can help fix ours."

Setsuko wanted to respond. She really, truly wanted to. But she couldn't. She was afraid...what if she snapped? The last time she broke down...well, she didn't really want to remember the last time she broke down. But still...

Still...

Tariq stirred, hearing some of Kuilak's comment. "We're going. Back to the caverns, I mean." Half-asleep still, the rest was filtered out. But those words were enough to rouse him, and he sat up.

"Tariq, can you please wake the kids?" Rue asked, noticing her groggy husband move.

He nodded, and gently shook Tess's shoulder. She grumbled, but got up. Maddy and Gale were soon awak as well, though neither looked happy about it.

"Alright, kids, time to get up," Kuilak announced firmly, hoisting young Yuumi right off the ground. "Today's an...um...important day."

"What the heck's supposed to make today oh-so-important, Dad?" Grumbled Sumi, slowly stirring from his spot on the ground and stretching uncomfortably with an exaggerated yawn.

"Well, we've gotta go back to the Caverns," Kuilak admitted nervously. Setsuko flinched slightly, but did not move.

"The...caverns?" Repeated Kanna. She gasped. "You don't mean the place with the creepy spirit...!?"

"Alas, I do," Kuilak replied. "Trust me, I'm no more eager to go back there than you are, but I think it's the only option left."

"Why do we have to go back?" Tess asked, moving to grasp her mother's hand. Rue squeezed it comfortingly, looking down at her youngest daughter.

"It's how we can get home," she explained.

"Can't we eat first, at least?" Gale pleaded.

Kuilak sighed. "Unfortunately, I don't think we have time. Or food to eat, for that matter, and there's certainly no time to hunt for all 12 of us."

Gale grumbled a little - along with his stomach - but didn't argue.

"I don't want to go," Tess said. "The creepy bird thing is still there."

"I agree," Maddy piped up. She had been uncharacteristically quite.

"We have to," Rue replied simply. Something in her tone made it obvious she wouldn't be swayed, though uncertainty raged on the inside. "We should go ahead and get moving," she added.

"Let's go, then," Kuilak announced. He carefully moved over to Setsuko, dropping his voice to no more than a whisper. "Come on, Setsuko. Maybe Ayumu can...make things right." Setsuko did not respond at first. But then, slowly, she stood, grasping Kuilak for support. Kuilak nodded towards Rue and Tariq, gesturing for them to begin the trek.

Tariq took Tess's hand as it slipped from Rue's. Tess slid closer to her father quickly, glad for his familiar presence.

Rue led the way, her brown eyes picking out the occasional landmark.