A form with redhair appeared inside Celestia's walls in a blink of an eye. With stealth, the person tiptoed towards another occupant in the same room sitting behind a desk, tinkering with something, and dropped his hand on the person's shoulder.

Before the young man behind the desk could yelp out in surprise, the red-haired intruder quickly placed his hand around the person's mouth and whispered in a laughing manner, "It's me Hikoichi."

The boy turned around towards the boy and gave a scowl, "Hanamichi! I told you not to do that!"

The redhaired boy grinned unrepentantly and said, "Can't help it. It's fun to scare ya like that."

Hikoichi scowled even more, "You do that again and I'll never give you any more of my stuffs."

Hanamichi lifted his hand in surrender, "Okay, okay! I won't do it again."

Hikoichi humphed, doubting his friend's words but decided to leave it at that this time. He turned back to his work and asked, "So what brings you here?"

Hanamichi walked to stand beside his friend and ask, "Uh... d'you remember about this material that you invented that makes our powers invisible?"

Hikoichi looked up at Hanamichi from his seat, "Oh, you mean the materia that cancels out the outer ripple of an elemental being's powers?"

"Yeah, kinda like that," Hanamichi answered, shrugging.

"And so?"

Hanamichi took a deep breath before he answered, "I want to go down to earth."

Hikoichi gasped, "What?! You're crazy! We can't go down there! It's against the rules! If Phoenix found out..."

"No he won't," Hanamichi cut in, "He's already too busy with Willow on this year's eclipse that he won't have the time to check up on me. Anyway, I don't hold any importance in father's mind since I still haven't grown yet. I'll be there just for a while and then I'll come back before anyone misses me."

Hikoichi arched an eyebrow, "And Maki?"

"That's why I need that materia," Hanamichi said seriously.

"But why do you want to go there?"

"I'm...I'm....... look Hikoichi, I need an adventure! Father won't give me a job till I've grown up and I've got nothing to do but practice and practice!" said Hanamichi, "I'm bored outta my mind!"

Hikoichi looked at his friend closely, "That's not all is it?"

Hanamichi was startled, "I..."
Slowly, the redhead bowed his head and whispered, "I'm so lonely that I'm afraid I'll go crazy."

"But there's Maki..."

"He's... he's just a guardian!" said Hanamichi forcefully but inside he feels differently. No, Maki will feel nothing for him except as a ward.
"And you already have your own work to do for Celestia. I'm just... on my own."

After a while Celestia's son sighed and said, "Alright, come back tomorrow. I'll have something for you then."

Hanamichi smiled and hugged his friend by the neck, "Thanks, Hikoichi!"

"Agh! Leggo of me!" choked the other boy. When Hanamichi released him he rubbed at his neck as he told the grinning boy, "For someone so short you sure are strong."

Before Hanamichi could burst out laughing, Hikoichi quickly jumped up and covered the redhead's mouth, afraid that the guard might come and investigate.

"Quiet! Or we'll both get in trouble!" hissed Hikoichi.

Hanamichi snickered behind his friend's hand.

The next day, Hanamichi sat on his bed looking at the bracelet in his hand. The accessory was dark green in colour and it has got a design of a phoenix on the front. Hanamichi chuckled at Hikoichi's fussiness for beauty but he must admit that the boy's craftsmanship is impressive for a one night job.

Hanamichi slipped the bracelet around his left wrist and found out that it was a perfect fit. Standing up he picked up his spear and headed for the door but then stopped to take one last look of his room before he left.
Knowing Maki would be here before long, Hanamichi quickly slipped out of his chambers and headed straight for earth.

It was not long after that Maki appeared in the chamber of Phoenix's third son. Puzzled to see that the room was empty he called, "Hanamichi! Hanamichi!"

When no answer came he walked around the room wondering where the redhead might be when he came upon a script written by the boy himself. Picking it up he began to read. As he read, his face turned dark and when he finished, he crumpled the script in his fist and stalked out of the chambers in fury.

"Damn that boy!" growled Maki, deep worry slowly lacing with the anger.

A redheaded boy can be seen running around in the tall grass trying to catch the green hopping insect. It was a fine day on earth and the boy was enjoying his time there with joy. Seeing that the grasshopper has managed to flee from him, Hanamichi scowled. He flopped among the tall grass and laid down with his spear on his hand and looked up at the wonderful blue sky and at the white fluffy clouds. The sun glared brightly at him and he wondered if Fujima or Koshino were there to help their father.
Well, my time will soon come, like Maki said. But now I want to enjoy my time here, thought Hanamichi. He breathed in the earth air, curious at the different scent it held. Sniffing he thought that it might be the smell of grass but at another whiff it smelled like the soil... or water. Is it a mixture of all these things?

Suddenly another green bug jumped across his face and he instantly got up to chase it. Hanamichi followed the grasshopper closely, trying to be inconspicuous but the green insect kept on one jump ahead of him.

"Keep still, dammit!" hissed hanamichi and instantly regretted it when the grasshopper took a long leap away from him as if disturbed.

"Shit!" cursed Hanamichi before taking a giant leap himself. He stumbled forward out of the grassy field and onto the dusty soil of a road to find not the grasshopper in his hold but a leg of a man.

"What d'ya think you're doin', ya runt?!" demanded the man when Hanamichi let go to scramble up.

"I was chasing the green thing," Hanamichi said frowning. Only Koshino talks harshly to him and Koshino is his brother so that gives the the second son of Phoenix an excuse but this earth man is a stranger and he is worse in his coarse and rough talk.

Hanamichi turned to leave, not wanting to waste his time with these dirty earth men when suddenly he felt a hand hold his arm and pull him back.

"Hey," the man said, "Nice looking spear. Can I have it?"

Hanamichi eyes widened at the man's request before his gaze wandered to his spear. It was a beautiful spear made out of slightly flexible material painted in cherry red with intricate designs of fire on the pole. The blade of the spear was sharp and the metal glistened clearly by the shine of the sun and adorning the area where the pole meets the metal point was a cluster of red plumes of excotic birds from the heavens . Hanamichi looked back at the man and said cooly, "You're crazy. Get your dirty hands off of me."

The man sputtered angrily at Hanamichi's insult when he was suddenly cut off by a laughter.
"That kid got guts, Raiki," said another man as dirty and ragged looking as the first man.

The first man, Raiki pulled out a knife from the sheath tied on his hip and pointed it at Hanamichi's throat.
"Oh yeah? He's not gonna have any guts soon if he doesn't kneel down and beg for forgiveness," he growled as he waved the knife meaningfully along Hanamichi's middle.

Hanamichi's eyes narrowed angrily. Stupid earth men! cursed Hanamichi as his hand tightened on his spear to start on a movement that will topple the man in an instant.
But before he could do so another voice broke in, "Bullying a kid, guys? Why don't you pick someone your own size?"

The trio turned around and saw a young man with an easy smile on his cheerful face and his dark hair pointing up to the sky as if each strand was held up by some invisible thread.

"Mind yer own business, stranger," the second man warned him.

"And if I don't?" asked the young man.

"Then that means that the vultures will have a man for their feast tonight," Raiki said letting go of Hanamichi's arm to turn fully towards the young man.

"Make that two," said another voice. Another young man appeared and he looked at the two other men with coldness in his blue eyes.
"And those two will be the both of you."

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