Frosty Hearts

***Frosty Hearts*** is a fluff story written by Crash Co. director Pokerninja2. It particularly stars Ruby, Pearl, and Pyro Enterprises' character Yukida, made to be the hypothetical encounter and friendship between Pearl and Yukida. It was made as a birthday present for Pyrostar's 20th birthday.

## Story

It was late at night in the Underworld, and the citizens of the kingdom were getting ready for rest. The queen of the kingdom, Ruby, was sitting in her throne room, as the royal guard were giving her a status report of the night's events. She was, however, pretty tired, and had trouble paying attention.

"Ever since more Underworlders found a home in the Mushroom Kingdom, our population has gone down by 11%," one of the guards said.

"The new bank is nearing the end of construction," the second guard added. "It should be finished by the end of the week- m'lady, are you alright?"

Ruby caught herself in the middle of a yawn, and quickly scrambled to regain her composure. "Oh, erm, I'm fine," she answered. "I'm just... a bit tired, that's all."

"Ah," the guard said. "Well, we were finished with the reports anyway."

"Very well," Ruby said as she stood up from her throne, doing her best to contain another yawn. "I'll just put Pearl to bed and you two can-"

Just then, a third guard came through the castle doors, running toward the queen with some news.

"Your majesty," the guard greeted. "The nightwatchers have spotted a strange... being in the outskirts of town. It doesn't seem to be an Underworlder, or like any other race we know of."

Ruby gave a confused look. "Have you forgotten about the Pipe to the world above we rebuilt ever since Mario came here?" Ruby questioned. "Several different races from there have visited and even made lives here. Why is this bad?"

"Because," the guard began. "It didn't come through the Pipe."

This made Ruby confused. Underworlders were the only race that originated in the Underworld, much like the races of its neighboring kingdoms. "Do the guards know what it looks like?" Ruby asked.

"The Nightwatchers say it had strange powers that caused it to snow around it," he answered.

Now Ruby was concerned. Could this strange being be a threat to the kingdom?

"The Nightwatchers are already standing by, waiting to attack," the guard. "On your call, we will catch it and-"

"That will not be necessary," Ruby interrupted. She then reached for her special trident and walked out the castle doors. "I'll take care of this myself."

The guards watched as Ruby shut the doors behind her. Deciding that the situation was in good hands, they decided to go to their quarters and retire for the night. Little did anyone know that from the window in her bedroom, Pearl was eavesdropping on the entire conversation.

"A strange creature?" Pearl questioned to herself. "With snow powers? I wonder what mom is gonna do with it."

Hopping off the chair she was standing on to look down on the throne room, she dashed to her bedroom's balcony and got to her telescope that Brooke let her borrow. Looking through it, she zoomed in on her mother, following her as she ventured forth outside town.

Ruby didn't need to travel far to get to where she was going. She didn't need directions either; her staff lit the way for her. When she eventually arrived to a huge cluster of crystals and stalagmites, she noticed some snow forming on them. Thinking the creature must be nearby, she circled around the cluster.

She wasn't expecting to meet a vicious monster, but to say she wasn't shocked at what she saw would be a lie. Inside a small alcove of crystals, there lay a small child, trying to sleep but shivering on the cold crystals. From the hair and the dress it wore, Ruby could easily deduce it was a girl. Looking closer, she saw light tear marks on her face.

As Ruby was observing though, the child fluttered her eyes open, sensing someone else's presence. She noticed the tall woman looming over her, and she gasped, trying to scurry herself as far into the alcove as possible.

Ruby's maternal instincts took over. "No no, don't worry child. I'm not here to harm you." She reached out her hand, sticking it through the alcove.

The child tensed a bit, but soon calmed down, and grabbed the hand. Ruby slowly and carefully puled her out of the alcove, and soon she was standing beside her. She looked no taller than Pearl.

"Tell me child, what's your name?" Ruby asked, trying to get some answers.

The child hesitated a bit, but finally spoke. "Y-Yukida..."

"Well tell me Yukida," Ruby said. "Why are you sleeping in this cold place?"

"I-I'm lost..." Yukida said, tears welling in her eyes. "I... I w-was r-r-running and I f-fell into a hole and was s-s-stuck here. I-I'm trying to find my way h-home b-b-but I... I can't... I c-can't..."

Yukida started sobbing lightly into Ruby, who simply patted her on the back. The Underworld queen herself was confused on what to do; she couldn't just leave Yukida stranded out alone. She needed some food, water, and a place to rest. Then she got an idea.

"Well Yukida," Ruby said, kneeling down to her. "I'll tell you what: I'll bring you to my home where you can rest comfortably. Then, tomorrow, I'll help you get home."

"W-Will you?" Yukida asked, rubbing her eyes.

"You have my word," Ruby said.

After awhile, Ruby took Yukida by the hand and they walked together, back to Ruby's castle. Pearl was watching them through the telescope. Needless to say, she was surprised at what she saw.

"Who's the girl mom is walking with?" Pearl asked aloud. "Did she fall into the Underworld like Mario did last year?" She continued looking through the telescope as they made their way back to the castle.

In no time at all, Ruby and Yukida finally reached the castle. The Yukida was fascinated by the interior, decorated with carefully-placed gems along the walls and columns. Each of them glistened under the lights above, and there was a very light sparkling sound as they passed through.

"You didn't tell me you were a princess," Yukida said.

"Well, queen is a more accurate term," Ruby corrected.

"This castle looks beautiful," Yukida said, taking everything in and looking in each direction.

"Why thank you," Ruby responded.

Ruby led her to the area behind the throne room and opened the door, revealing a much more domesticated place, better fit for the living of a common family. It wasn't as pretty as the room she was in earlier, but Yukida was equally as astonished.

"You'll be resting here tonight," Ruby said. "We have spare pajamas that you can wear, and my daught-"

As if on cue, Pearl came racing down the stairs to Ruby, eager to meet this new girl. "Hi mom! Who's this girl? What's her name? Why did you bring her home? What is-"

"Settle down, Pearl!" Ruby said, trying to stop the onslaught of questions. She could tell Yukida was a bit taken aback as well. "This girl's name is Yukida. The Nightwatchers found her alone and cold, and she needed a place to sleep, so I brought her here."

"Oh," Pearl said, calming down. "Sorry you got lost."

"I-It's fine," Yukida said, still a bit wary of this energetic girl. "So where am I going to sleep?"

"Can she sleep with me in my room?" Pearl suggested. "Can she? Can she can she can she?"

"She will," Ruby answered. "But please behave yourself for our guest. We want her to feel welcomed."

"OK," Pearl said. "Come on Yukida, my room is upstairs!"

Pearl raced upstairs as Yukida slowly followed. Halfway up, she glanced at Ruby and smiled. "Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome," Ruby said. "Now run along and get some sleep. You've had a long day."

As Yukida went into Pearl's room, Ruby yawned and decided it was time she went to bed as well. She retired to her bedroom to turn in for the night.

*Yukida and Jikero were outside the castle of the Sakura Kingdom, playing catch with a ball. Lotus and Chiro were out to get their wedding scheduled now that Jigea was all but a memory, so the two decided to find some way to entertain themselves.*

*"Isn't playing catch fun?" Yukida asked.*

*"Yeah but it's boring," Jikero answered. "I wish we could just... do something y'know? Jump into action."*

*"What do you mean?" Yukida asked as she caught the ball.*

*"Y'know how that Mario guy beats that evil king, uh, Boozer all the time?" Jikero asked. "I wanna do something like that!"*

*"But we already beat Jigea," Yukida said. "Who would we fight now?"*

*"Well, maybe we could go on an adventure," Jikero suggested, pulling out his boomerang. "Lotus and Chiro won't be back until midnight - plenty of time to go exploring!"*

*"Are you sure?" Yukida asked. "What if we get in danger?"*

*"Please, with my boomerang and your ice powers, nothing can stand in our way!" Jikero said. "Now I'm going. You coming or what?"*

Yukida fluttered her eyes open as she slowly got up. She observed her surroundings; at first she was unfamiliar with them, but then remembered that she was in Pearl's room, and that Ruby had let her stay for the night. She figured that she had a dream, and was a bit upset considering she wished Jikero was there with her. At least then she'd have someone she knew by her side. Yukida then noticed Pearl was wide awake, looking down the balcony as if talking to someone.

"OK, I'll be down in a bit!" Pearl announced. She ran into the closet to change out of her pajamas.

"Who were you talking to?" Yukida asked, yawning.

"My friend Brittany," Pearl said from the other side of the door. "You should come with me and meet her. She's very nice!"

"Oh, well, I don't know," Yukida replied. She was extremely shy around new people.

"Oh c'mon!" Pearl said as she opened the door, appearing in her usual dress and shoes. "It'll be fun!" She then grabbed Yukida by the hand and dragged her through the door and down the stairs.

"But, wait," Yukida said. "I haven't even changed out of these pajamas yet!"

As the two girls raced through the back door to the garden, Ruby came out of her bedroom, ready to start the day. She was going to hold an intervention with Yukida to try and help her, but figured that could be saved for later.

"Ah well," Ruby mused to herself. "It can wait until this afternoon. Besides, I'm sure Pearl's friends will help her relax a bit."

Outside the castle walls was Brittany, using her wings scale them and see within them. She saw Pearl with her new friend climb some steps upward. She was pretty confused who this strange girl was, and why she was with Pearl in the castle.

"Hey Brit!" Pearl said when she and Yukida reached the top of the steps and met Brittany face-to-face.

"Hi Pearl," Brittany greeted back. "Um... who's she?"

"Oh this is Yukida," Pearl introduced. "Mom found her lost last night and she's staying with us."

"Ummm... hi..." Yukida waved, still pretty nervous.

"Well anyway, we need your help now," Brittany said. "Someone blocked me, Belle, and Brooke's clubhouse off with a Chomp Rock and we can't even move it."

"Don't worry, I'll be there!" Pearl said. "Yuke can come along too."

"We'll meet you there," Brittany said as she buzzed off.

"'Yuke'?" Yukida asked.

"Oh, that's a nickname for you," Pearl giggled. "I hope you don't mind it."

"No, it's fine," Yukida answered. "I kinda like it. So... where are we going?"

"I'll show you," Pearl said as she got on the other side of the wall and started climbing down more steps. "Follow me!"

It wasn't too long before Pearl and Yukida arrived at Honeyhive Elementary. Though the Underworld Trials didn't really serve a purpose anymore now that the Underworld and the worlds beyond were bridged together, but it was the fastest way for Pearl to visit the homelands of her friends, so Ruby decided to keep them up. It didn't make how these strange portals between lands easier for Pearl to explain to Yukida though.

Now that they were in Honeyhive Elementary, the girls climbed up the giant tree that held up the school to Belle, Brooke, and Brittany's clubhouse. Or at least, the hole in the tree that led to it. Just like Brittany said, a giant Chomp Rock blocked the way, with no real way around it. The hole was a perfect fit for the Chomp Rock, so the girls couldn't even fly themselves over it. It also looked like a bunch of wood and rope was put together to build something to pull it out of it.

"Wow, what is all of this?" Pearl said.

"Pearl, you're FINALLY here!" Brooke said as she flew right in front of her. "The Chomp Rock here is blocking the way to our clubhouse and we can't move it. I have a plan, but it needs all of us."

"What do we do?" Pearl asked.

"I'm glad you asked, you see I built-" Brooke started to say until she caught sight of Belle staring at her dumbfoundedly from the back. She turned around. "What?"

"You aren't even gonna ASK who the new kid is?" Belle said.

"I-I was getting to that!" Brooke huffed. She turned to Yukida and smiled. "So, who are you?"

"Yukida," she answered quietly.

"My mom found her lost so she's staying with us for a bit," Pearl said.

"Ouch, sorry about that," Belle said.

"Don't worry about it," Yukida said.

"Anyway," Brooke said. "After doing a bunch of mathematical calculations and studying the width and proportions of this Chomp Rock, I've built this big contraption. I call it 'Brooke's Big Rock Puller-Outer!'"

Pearl and Yukida couldn't help but giggle at the silliness of that name.

"It's uh, it's a tentative name..." Brooke said. "But the only thing we need is Pearl at the counterweight so we can start lowering it. Right over there!"

"Sure!" Pearl said as she navigated around the big leaves, right next to Sarina and Diamond who were at another lever.

"They roped you into this too, huh?" Diamond asked.

"Yeah," Pearl sighed.

"OK everyone, listen up, because I'm only saying this once," Brooke said as she stood atop the Chomp Rock to get everyone's attention. "Now, first, Pearl will start lowering the counterweight by pulling the lever back. Next, Diamond and Sarina will tighten up the giant rope connected to the two wedges by the rock so we can nudge it out. And finally, Belle and Brooke will keep the wedges in place so they don't come off the ropes. Any question?"

"Um... what can I do?" Yukida asked.

"We already have all the bases covered," Brooke said. "We don't really need another set of hands. Just sit down and watch."

"Oh, OK," Yukida said as she sat down on a particularly large leaf.

"Alright everyone, GO!" Brooke called.

Everything was going smooth at first. Pearl started lowering a net full of rocks, which started pulling on a rope attached to one of the Chomp Rock's teeth. Diamond and Sarina began pulling on the two wooden ledges, which pushed them together. Meanwhile, Belle and Brittany were flying by the wedges and holding on to them, making sure they didn't come loose.

But once Pearl's rope snapped, the rocks fell off. The wedges came flying off as Belle and Brittany held onto them as they slammed into a giant branch, and Sarina and Diamond's lever began spinning out of control. The whole contraption almost fell apart.

Brooke, confused, started looking at her notes. "What happened? Did I forget to carry a number or something?"

"I told you this would never work," Sarina said as she held out her hand to Diamond. "So pay up."

Diamond sighed as she fished two Coins out of her pocket and put them in Sarina's hand, who gigged and put them in her purse.

"Well how are we gonna get this Chomp Rock out now?" Belle complained. "It's so heavy we can't even budge it!"

"Maybe I can help?" Yukida said from her leaf.

"Oh yeah, she can!" Pearl said. "Yuke has ice powers!"

"What good are ice powers when we're trying to move a big boulder?" Brooke asked while perched on the Chomp Rock, still flipping through her notes. "Like, what's she gonna do? Turn the thing into a big snowball?"

Yukida stood up and faced the Chomp Rock. Concentrating her powers, her hands started to glow as she fired a snowy blast at it, causing it to turn into a big sphere of snow. Brooke was too distracted at her notes to notice until the snowball started moving. It fell out of the hole with Brooke on top of it. She was too surprised to fly away as she began running to balance on the snowball as it rolled down the hill. After hitting a branch, it smashed and sent her right into a honeycomb, sticking her to it.

"BWAHAHAHAHA!" Belle and Diamond howled in laughter as they fell over and rolled around. Meanwhile, the others looked nervously down the tree, worrying if Brooke got hurt.

Brittany flew off the tree and toward the honeycomb, seeing that Brooke's entire body was covered in honey. "Are you OK?"

"That... was... AWESOME!" Brooke shouted as she flew off the honeycomb and shook the honey off of her. She flew directly to Yukida.

"I shouldn't have ever doubted you," she said. "Hope you can forgive me."

"That's OK," Yukida laughed. "I'm just glad I could help."

"What else can you do?" Sarina asked.

"Well... I can make snow," Yukida answered. To demonstrate, she began glowing cyan as a dark cloud formed above the girls. Snowflakes soon drifted downward, covering the branches and leaves they stood on.

"This is amazing!" Brittany said, kneeling and feeling the snow with her hands. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Well yeah, snow is pretty cool," Diamond said. "But what would be REALLY cool is if she could make sno-"

Before she could even finish her sentence, Yukida handed her a small snow cone. She took it and licked it, immediately tasting the blueberry flavor.

"You're good," she said, continuing to eat her snow cone.

"Thanks," Yukida said, blushing.

"I think we need to get back now," Pearl said. "Mom's probably waiting for us."

"You're right," Yukida said. "I had fun meeting all of you!"

"Hey, can you keep this snow cloud up?" Belle asked. "I wanna have a snowball fight!"

Yukida pointed at the cloud as a small blue beam shot upward into it, causing it to become darker. "It's all yours now," she said.

"Sweet," Belle said as she immediately made a snowball and threw it at Brooke.

"Oh it's on now!" she said, making a snowball of her own.

In no time at all the girls were in an all-out snowball war, pelting frosty projectiles at each other. Pearl and Yukida meanwhile made their way down the tree to return to the Underworld.

"Your friends are really nice," Yukida said.

"They're fun to play with," Pearl replied. "I'd be really happy if you started hanging out with us more. You're fun to be around!"

A snowball flew right past them, catching them both off guard.

"Something tells me they would like it too," Yukida said. Both of them had to giggle at that.

In no time at all, the girls were heading back to the castle. Yukida had to admit, as shy as she was, she had a fun time helping Pearl's friends out. And the prospect of joining the friend circle and having a lot of playmates was an enticing one. Back home, she really only had Jikero as far as friends in her age group went. He was nice, but a bit more on the... "strange" side.

That's when Yukida remembered how she even got here in the first place. She stopped in her tracks and let out a sigh. She hoped it was soft enough for Pearl to not hear it, but sure enough, she turned around.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"Oh... just thinking about home..." Yukida answered, sighing again.

"Oh yeah..." Pearl said. "Well don't worry, mom will help us find your home in no time."

"Thanks..." Yukida said. She wanted to say more but her words trailed off.

The girls were silent for the rest of the trip. A few moments later they finally arrived at the castle, climbing over the castle walls and going in from the back doors leading to the castle's more domesticated wing. Inside, they could see Ruby sitting on the couch, who perked up when the girls entered.

"I've been waiting for you two," Ruby said.

"Sorry we've been away for so long," Pearl said. "Me and Yuke were just having fun with my friends."

"And now they're... my friends too," Yukida said, cracking a smile.

"Well that's good, I'm glad you had fun," Ruby said. "Pearl, could you go upstairs? I need to talk with Yukida."

"Sure," Pearl said, climbing up the stairs and making her way into her room. With just the two of them, Ruby gestured to a chair opposite of the couch, and Yukida sat in it.

"Now then, while I'm letting you stay with me," Ruby began. "I do want to help you find your home."

"Thanks," Yukida said.

"Can you tell me where you came from and how you got here?" Ruby asked.

*It had been quite a while since Yukida and Jikero went on their little adventure outside the castle. They knew Lotus and Chiro weren't going to be back until later that night, so they probably wouldn't get in trouble. Jikero had been leading the way, using his boomerang to clear away the tall grass. Yukida simply followed, and was starting to get second thoughts about this whole idea.*

*"I dunno about this Jikero," Yukida said. "What if they come back and find out we've gone missing? Or find out we got lost?"*

*"Oh c'mon, where's your sense of adventure?" Jikero asked. "Isn't this more fun than playing something like catch the ball?"*

*"Well I think it was more safe..." Yukida answered.*

*"Hey, over there!" Jikero said as he pointed to a giant pit with crystals sticking out of it. The two looked down, and it looked bottomless.*

*"That's deep," Yukida muttered.*

*"I'll say," Jikero replied. "I wouldn't go down there, even if I had an extra life!"*

*"We should probably go back," Yukida said. "It looks like it's getting late."*

*"It's not that dark out," Jikero said, seeing it was only sunset. "We can probably keep-"*

*He was interrupted by the call of a bird. He looked back and saw a large Klepto swooping in to grab them. He leapt out of the way, accidentally bumping into Yukida, knocking her backward towards the pit. She tried to regain her balance and not fall in, but the Klepto went in for another attack. Jikero hit him square in the head with his boomerang, though it was sent careening into Yukida, which knocked her over. She fell back first on the side of the pit and began sliding down.*

*"Hurry, get back up before you fall!" Jikero called from the top, holding out a hand to grab her. She tried making the ground ice so she could get back up easier, but before she could grab Jikero's hand, the Klepto made a last stand and attacked him from behind. This shocked her so much that she lost her balance, and fell in.*

*All she could see was the light of the sky slowly draining away as she fell.*

"And... and that's how I... got here," Yukida said, reliving the episode.

"That's tragic," Ruby said, shaking her head. "I'm sorry you had to take that big of a fall."

"I was able to... m-make snow and land on something soft but then... I c-couldn't climb back out," Yukida continued, beginning to tear up.

"Hey, don't cry," Ruby said, trying to comfort her. "I know this place better than anyone, if you lead me where you fell down, we can send you back where you came from."

"You... you can do that?" Yukida asked.

"Of course I can," Ruby said.

"Thank you!" Yukida said as she leaped at Ruby to give her a hug, which she embraced. "Can... Pearl come too? I think we're good friends."

"I don't see why not," Ruby said. "It'd be good if she got to say goodbye to you anyway."

No sooner than an hour later, Yukida was leading Ruby and Pearl through the various tunnels and caves of the Underworld to lead them to where she fell through the ground. She was really thankful for Ruby helping her get back home, though that didn't mean she didn't have any questions to ask.

"So... how can you get me back home?" Yukida asked.

"Underworlders like myself have rock magic that can send you back to the surface," Ruby explained. "And since-"

"Every since Mario came down here and cleared the Underworld Trials, some sort of curse was lifted and we were able to go in and out again!" Pearl interrupted.

"Um, yes, that's right," Ruby said.

"Wait a minute... you know Mario?" Yukida asked.

"Of course we do!" Pearl said. "He's like, my biggest hero! And he's a great friend!"

"Well, I adventured with Mario a lot too," Yukida said. "We had to defeat the evil spider queen Jigea to stop her from taking over the world."

"No way!" Pearl said. "So you actually got to travel with Mario? Lucky..."

"Yeah..." Yukida said. "OK, we're here."

The three stopped at the bottom of the giant pit leading to the world above that Yukida fell into. The three looked up, and they couldn't even see the light of the sun from down here. This got Yukida worried.

"So... how are you going to send me up?" Yukida asked.

"Like this," Ruby said. Her scepter materialized into her hands, and after twirling it around, she stuck it into a nearby clump of crystals. This caused the ground below them to shake and glow red, as the floor detached and began rising upward.

"How are you doing that?" Yukida asked, amazed.

"Like I said, rock magic," Ruby giggled.

As they levitated upward, the light from above started to shine through. Yukida kept looking upward, in disbelief that she was actually going back home.

On the surface, Lotus, Chiro, and Jikero were standing at the pit, looking down at it. Lotus was doing her best to keep her composure, but her distress and worry was apparent from her eyes being red and puffy from the tears they shed.

"What... what could have happened to her down there..." she thought out loud.

"I'm sure she's fine," Chiro said, trying to comfort her. "She helped us in the battle with Jigea. I'm sure she could handle whatever is down there."

"I just want her back..." she sighed. "She was... my baby..."

"I'm sorry guys," Jikero said. "I really tried to get her back, but-"

"We told you it wasn't your fault," Chiro said.

"I just w-wish she was in my arms..." Lotus said.

As if on cue, red light from the pit began illuminating, catching everyone's attention. They looked down and saw a large rock rising from underneath, eventually reaching the surface.

"Someone order a lost kid!?" Pearl called out.

"Pearl, I told you not to say that," Ruby scolded.

"Sorry, I just couldn't help myself..."

Ruby was thankful that Yukida was too distracted with the people on the surface to pay attention to her daughter's comment. Yukida immediately ran to Lotus, almost tackling her with a hug.

"Oh, I'm so happy you're safe!" Lotus cried. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again."

"I'm j-just happy to see you too, L-Lotus..." Yukida stammered.

As Ruby stepped forward, Chiro noticed her and greeted her.

"So... did you send her back up?" he asked.

"Indeed I did," Ruby said. "She fell down into my kingdom, so I decided to help and send her back home. Rest assured, she was in good hands."

"Thank you," Chiro said. "Me and Princess Lotus are eternally in your debt."

"Oh, don't do any of that," Ruby said. "I'm just doing my duty."

She looked past Chiro and could see that Yukida was already introducing her new friend to (a much more calmed down) Lotus and Jikero, making her chuckle a little.

"...and she's seen Mario too!" Yukida explained.

"Really?" Jikero said, shocked. "That's so cool! It seems like Mario is EVERYWHERE nowadays."

"Well, it was very nice meeting you, Pearl," Lotus said. "I'm glad you made a new friend in Yukida."

"It was nice meeting you too!" Pearl said, shaking her hand.

Lotus moved past the kids, who kept talking to each other, and came over to where Ruby and Chiro were.

"Thank you..." she said. "Thank you for... bringing her back."

"It was my pleasure," Ruby said. "She had to stay with us for the night and I must say, she is very well behaved."

"Your child seems nice too," Lotus said. "Seems like her and Yukida are already close friends."

"I'm glad," Chiro followed. "She could use a little more kids her age to play with."

"Well, if you ever want to bring her over for a playdate, the Underworld is always welcoming new people," Ruby said. "We were recently put on the map, so I don't think it should be hard to find."

"Thank you," Lotus said. "The Sakura Kingdom is always open too."

"Maybe we can make this a regular thing?" Chrio asked.

"Perhaps," Ruby said. "But that's a discussion for another day."

Lotus turned around and held Yukida's hand. "Well, I think it's time for us to go home. Thank you again for... bringing Yukida back to us."

"Thank you for everything Ms. Ruby," Yukida smiled. "I had a lot of fun with you."

"Let's hope to meet again soon," Ruby said as she returned back to the pit. "Pearl, it's time to go!"

"See ya, Yuke!" Pearl waved back. Once Ruby activated the crystal again, the large rock began sliding back down the pit as everyone waved each other goodbye.

"What nice people," Lotus said.

"Yeah... they are nice people..." Yukida said. "Sooooo... since I had to go through the Underworld on my own, am I-"

"Still grounded? Yes," Lotus said. "I'm not letting you out of my sight anytime soon."

Yukida frowned. "Dang it,"