Writer's Note: Hello, and welcome to chapter 2. Hope the first chapter was alright, setting up the story and all. I did make some changes if you didn't know. I probably don't do Swaine and Marcassin justice but I try my best. I own nothing of Ni No Kuni. Anyway enjoy.

Swaine's body still remained lifeless no matter how hard Marcassin shook him. Swaine still had a pulse so he wasn't dead, but it was very weak. The prince felt he was starting to lose hope again. He couldn't believe the scene before him. Just moments ago his brother was on his feet, all lively and talking.

"Not again...we've already lost father, I can't lose you too!" Marcassin cried. "Please! Save my brother! Anyone!" Marcassin prayed.

"Kyuuu?" The prince looked up at a sound he never heard before, and saw he wasn't alone. There was another familiar, but unlike the big boss, was much much smaller, and rather harmless looking. It looked rather plump like a tall marshmallow, only two little eyes making up its face, short flappy ears that looked like wings, and was a grassy green color to where it can blend among the plants to hide itself.

"That's...a Toko! They're quite a rare, found only on Ugly Duckling Island. But how did it get all the way here to Hamelin?" Marcassin spoke to himself, hardly believing his eyes. He had read about them in one of his books about familiars in Hamelin's royal library, but never had he ever think he would come across one.

It seemed curious at Marcassin and his unconscious brother, slowing walking up to them cautiously. Suddenly it tripped on itself, falling flat on its face like a marshmallow, and dropping its wand. The wand responded by shooting out a light that engulfed the two brothers and the familiar. The prince covered his eyes, holding tight onto Swaine. When the light faded, Marcassin, Swaine, and the Toko disappeared as well.

Somewhere Unknown

When Marcassin opened his eyes, he found himself in an unfamiliar place, alone. It looked like no land he had ever been to before, certainly not the outskirts of Hamelin. The place was full of strange looking trees, and the ground was rather mossy. He looked around to see that Swaine nor the Toko were with him.

"Where am I? Swaine? Swaine, where are you!" Marcassin searched around him worried. He found his brother just a few feet away, and it appeared Swaine had also woken up no longer unconscious.

"Swaine!" The prince ran to his brother's side with huge relief to see that his brother had opened his eyes at last. "Are you alright?"

"Huh? Where am I? Marcassin?" Swaine seemed shocked to see his younger brother, as if he hadn't seen him in ages.

"Swaine, thank goodness you're alright," the prince offered a hand to help his brother up. But Swaine ignored him and stood up by himself.

"What are you talking about Marcassin, of course I'm alright! I can take care of myself!" Swaine suddenly acted rather rudely towards him. "And why are you calling me Swaine? Have you forgotten I'm Gascon after all these years?"

"Huh? What are you saying? You go by Swaine, don't you?" Marcassin looked at him in confusion. And why was he acting so differently. It felt very familiar, like he was speaking to Gascon when they were kids.

"What kind of name is that? Some silly nickname you're trying to call me? For the last time I'm Gascon, proud prince of Hamelin," Swaine reintroduced himself, "Anyway where are we? Are we lost? Typical. Well no need to panic, I'm sure I can get us out of here so don't start crying like a baby."

Marcassin tried to think. Perhaps in midst of ending up on this unfamiliar land, Swaine's memory had been affected and re-winded back in time to when he was Gascon. But if that were the case, why hasn't Swaine questioned the fact that he and Marcassin were much older now in appearance.

"What are you standing around for? Come on, we have to keep moving. I don't want to be stuck in this deserted forest forever," Swaine huffed, moving on, not seeming bothered by the situation at all.

"S-Sorry Swa-Gascon!" Marcassin broke away from his thoughts and ran to catch up with his brother.

They walked for awhile until it clearly appeared they were getting no where. There were nothing but trees around. No sign of beasties or towns or people. The two brothers appeared to be the only living beings around. The two walked in silence until Marcassin noticed the area around them was starting to change a bit.

"Is it just me or is it starting to get misty around here?" Marcassin pointed out. Swaine didn't seem to notice at all.

"What are you going about? Are you scared? There's nothing but trees and grass, I don't see no mist!" Swaine waved off his younger brother's silly comments.

It was clearly evident that there was a mist forming around, but only Marcassin could see it for some reason. He was so fixed on the mist that he hadn't noticed Swaine had walked up so far ahead and was starting to disappear from view.

"Gascon! Wait for me!" Marcassin called, but no matter how much he tried to run he didn't seem to be getting any closer. Was this due to the mist too?

"Hurry up slowpoke or I'm leaving you behind!" Marcassin heard Swaine call back to him, but it was too late. He had lost sight of his brother.

"Gascon! No...I've lost him again. What is this place?"

Marcassin felt lost again, as if he had gone back in time too when he was just a kid, helpless without big brother to help him. He was now wandering alone, no sight of Swaine or anyone else. The prince was completely alone in the mysterious woods.

"Kyuuu!"

After awhile of wandering had passed, the prince stopped in his tracks. "That sound...I know it!"

Marcassin looked down and noticed a familiar at his feet. It was the Toko from earlier, having followed the prince all along. Marcassin was too lost in his thoughts he never noticed its presence until it made a sound.

"You're the Toko from earlier, why are you-" the Toko seemed to be pulling on the fabric of his pants, waving its little tiny hands to follow it. Marcassin also noticed that it wasn't holding its wand. It must of lost it when they ended up here.

"Who are you? Did you get lost here too? Where's your wand? And have you seen my brother?"

The Toko only tilted its head in confusion at the prince's questions and just kept waving and tugging trying to get the prince to follow him. It started off ahead, skitting rather fast on its tiny feet.

"Wait!" Marcassin followed without hesitation. He didn't seem to have any trouble catching up, but he tried his best not to lose sight. He felt the creature was a key to the answers of his questions, and ultimately to finding his brother. He didn't know why he had such a feeling, he just had to believe.

Suddenly the Toko stopped at a lake. Marcassin had never seen such a place before, since there were never any lakes around Hamelin. As he watched the calm surface of the water, there was a sudden light and shadow figures of two boys were standing there. Marcassin recognized them; one of them was himself as a little boy before he became a sage, and the other one was Gascon when he was younger before he ran away from homoe.

"I...I-I can't do it Gascon..." the little Marcassin told his brother, panting and using his staff to support himself.

"Don't lie to me Marcassin! You're not trying hard enough!" Gascon scolded his brother. "Come on, one more go."

"I...I can't..." Marcassin whined.

"Don't be such a baby!"

The shadows faded away and the lake was calm again. Marcassin felt a little pain in his heart remembering all the times he had pretended he couldn't do magic so he wouldn't become a sage and be separated from his brother. And now he was separated from his brother again, but this time he wanted to prove he had grown and he was stronger, not only in his magic but also in his heart.

"Kyuu?" Marcassin was so deep in reminiscing the past he just now noticed the Toko was still with him.

"Oh! Did you...did you bring me here to show me this...this memory?" Marcassin asked the little familiar. Still, it didn't seem to understand much, but it kept wanting the prince to following him up ahead. Without questioning it Marcassin proceeded ahead behind it, with a trail of mist following behind them.

Writer's comments: Even though Swaine's memory gets affected and he thinks he's Gascon, I still refer him as Swaine to not mix him up with his past kid self.