Heroes of Dreamland Rewritten, Book 3: Stars Amidst Darkness

Chapter 5

Sakura | 桜

I'm still not sure how I managed to sleep for four years straight, but it somehow feels like I've been gone so much longer than that, even. Every landmark I recognize—the castle wall, the moat, the distant edge of the Whispy Woods and the dirt path that leads to them, the far-off loop-the-loop rainbows that paint the skies all over this region of Dreamland—fills me with such a sense of nostalgia and homecoming. It's all exactly how I remember it, and it feels like I was away from all of it for so very long. Being here again makes me finally realize just how very much I missed being here.

As a warm Earlsummer breeze breathes past, fluttering my cape and ribbon, I snuggle a bit deeper into the top of Dweebert's head, holding my face in my gloves and watching ahead of us. (He picked me up again as soon as we passed the castle wall, and since it's comfy up here, I didn't complain.) The air smells of wildflowers and ripening strawberries. Kirby, I notice, is still as easily distracted by snacks on the side of the road as ever, but at least he's doing a better job of staying with the group now than he did last time. Bandanna's learned how to walk quite a bit faster, too, I can see. We're still as slow as our slowest member, who is now Dweebert, but his longer strides (caused by his bigger size) help make up for his relatively slow pace.

I close my eyes and sigh blissfully to myself, stretching out my wings and holding them half-furled above me, glorying in the sensation of the warm sun pressing its kind face against the feathers. The peaceful smile on my face grows a little smaller as the utter comfort of my current situation makes me a tiny bit drowsy.

The boys would love this place so much, I think blearily to myself. Everything about it.

Then, though, I frown deeply, my brow furrowing a bit. The 'boys' are right here. I half-open my eyes, looking first at Bandanna, who's tagging along right behind Sir Knight in the lead, and then at Kirby, who's off to the side, hurriedly plucking several still-not-quite-ripe strawberries off a wild plant and stuffing them in his face. I giggle to myself just a tiny bit, but then frown again.

The boys are right here. They've always been right here. So why'd I have a weird thought like that?

Nothing in my mind makes any attempt at an answer, so I shrug it off with a small yawn. I let go of my face and rest my gloves on Dweebert's head, turning my face and resting one cheek against them.

Sir Knight suddenly gives a small snort. I raise my eyes back up just in time to see a flash of amused pink as he faces forward again. Putting my face back in my gloves, I call ahead, "What's so funny?"

"You just look so at ease," he calls back without turning towards me. "I look back, expecting to see you keeping watch from the rear, and see you half asleep on top of our stuffed new compatriot's head."

"I was not half asleep," I tell him, but follow that declaration up with a yawn. He snorts again. Blushing, I continue, "Riding on Dweebert is like riding on a pillow, okay? And I'm sorry about not thinking to keep watch. I guess I'm a bit out of practice. I can if you want me to, though."

"You're completely fine, Lady Dee," he reassures me, voice amused. "I'm still just happy to have you back."

I sit up straight, putting my gloves in my lap and stretching my wings out the rest of the way to catch more of the early afternoon sunlight. "I'm happy to be back, Sir Knight." Patting Dweebert's head with one hand, I add, "I'd missed this place so much, even if I didn't realize it. I'm so happy to be home again."

"I'm happy you're home too," Kirby agrees as he dashes across the path between Meta Knight and Bandanna in front and me and Dweebert in the back, heading towards another strawberry bush. "It wasn't the same without you. I mean, it's still not exactly the same with you, since you look so different, but at least it's definitely you again."