Chero walked back down the cave like hallway. She looked all around for something she had hidden…or thought she did. She reached the end without finding anything.
“No…It’s not here after all…Where did I hide it again? The third floor?”
She frowned, “Maybe not…But if I calm down…I can remember. Hopefully. There was another one I hid with Jenny and then…umm…”
“Finally! I found you, Chero!” a familiar voice called.
“What?” Chero questioned.
Chero looked up to where the ladder should lead and saw…Tsukino and Leonides Potenza.
“O-onee-ch-W-why?!” she questioned.
“Good thing the front door was locked. I poked around while I was waiting and I finally found you. What have you been doing? Are you hurt? Are you ok?” Tsukino called.
“Chhheeerrrooooo!!!! Thank goodness my adorable little apprentice is alright!”
Leon cried, “Where are all your friends? Where’s that blonde guy?”
“W-what are you doing here?! We didn’t ask you to come here!” Chero shouted.
“What did you do with the clocks? Did you break all of them?” Tsukino called.
Chero’s eyes went wide, “How…How did you know about that?”
“Answer me! Did you break the last clock?”
“It can be…What are you even doing here in the first place? You’re not supposed to know any of that!” she replied.
“Tsuki-chaaan, I know you’re excited to see your sister, but don’t get too excited!” Leon said.
Tsukino’s eyebrow twitched as she hit Leon for calling her Tsuki, “Chero, you stay right there. I’m coming down.”
“NO!” Chero cried, “Don’t come here! You can’t! Please go home! How did you know?!”
“Try saying my name…”
“Tsu-Tsukino…”
“No! Say my full name!”
“Tsukino Serenità Caffarelli Aoyama…” Chero replied.
“Now say yours.”
“Chero Letizia Caffarelli Aoyama…Onee-chan…this is rather si-”
“I am a Caffarelli too! I may not have inherited father’s magic…But we still have
a connection. We are sisters. I don’t know everything you remember. But I plan on
carrying at least a little bit of that burden on my shoulders. You haven’t been alone all this time, have you? You have broken quite a few clocks…”
“Yes…But…” Chero replied.
“The flow of time got fixed. Which is why we were able to find this place. Not just us, but your other friends too,” Leon said.
“I finally found you…” Tsukino said, tears slipping down her cheeks, “I kept trying to call you…But your phone would not work…And sometimes I would get frightening shocks…like you had disappeared forever…Every single time-”
“You…IDIOT!” Chero cried.
‘I was not able to bare all the memories…which is why they flowed over into Tsukino…my only living relative…and she came looking for us…Why did they have to come here? Why? Even if something happens to me…with my sister here…No. I’ve already had too much the first time…I am getting confused about what I should do…’
“Chero?” Tsukino questioned.
“I’m sorry Tsukino…But I have to go…Just…Just go home!” she called.
Chero turned and walked away from the hole where her sister and teacher stood.
“Chero! Chero Letizia Caffarelli Aoyama! GET BACK HERE! Don’t walk away from your sister!” Tsukino shouted as Chero disappeared from view.
Tsukino started to go down the ladder, but Leonides grabbed her.
“Whoa there, crazy lady! Let me go down first. We can’t see how far the ladder goes, so if it’s too short I can at the very least use magic to cushion my fall, unlike you,” he said.
Tsukino tsked and pulled away from Leonides, “I am a ninja. I can handle myself. But…You may go…Just don’t come crying to me if you break your neck…”
Leon started to climb down, “It’s fine! The ropes are not even rotten.”
Leon’s foot slipped as he reached the end of the rope. He started to fall, but used magic to cushion his fall, “GACK!”
“Are you ok?”
“The rope is burnt about half way down.” Leon called back, “But I am alright. Tsukino?”
“Y-yeah?”
Leonides smiled at her, “I’m really glad that Chero is ok.”
Tsukino’s tough expression softened and she nodded.
“Wait here. I’ll try and find something else I can use as ladder to get you down, ok?”
“Fine. Just don’t take too long…Or I am coming down anyways.”
Tsukino looked away her cheeks a little pink, “And be careful!”
Leon smirked, “You’re worried about me, Tsuki-chan? That warms my soul~”
“JUST GO!” Tsukino shouted.
Leon laughed to himself and he walked in the direction Chero had left. He thought it was odd that a cave was connected to a mansion. He entered a room with a bookshelf in it and went out the only other door there. There were two paths next.
“Right…or forward…?” he asked.
He heard a noise coming in front of him, “Maybe Chero?!”
So…he went down that hall. Leonides was not known for being extremely bright.
