Notes:

So, not really knowing much about OZMAFIA!'s Oz'verse, this... Well, let's just say I had some fun in all this uncharted territory! Don't worry, though! Not too much deviation from the original story.

More Notes: I know Elphaba is the WWotW's name in original versions, but I kind of prefer the name Disney gave her.

Then, into the past we go~

An apple thumps Fuka on the forehead.

At least, she thinks it's an apple...

But when she opens her eyes, she is lying in the dark on the floor of a smashed up house and there is a thin stream of blood trickling down her temple. Debris is falling freely through a small crack in the ceiling above her.

Fuka touches her hair and instead of loose strands, she feels familiar, braided pigtails. She touches the fabric of her dress and recognizes the blue and white pattern; notices how small her wrists and fingers are.

She's thirteen again, and she has just lost her family.

She is just a child, but very soon, Oz will be relying on her to defeat the most wicked witch in all their land.

Broken antiques and shattered glass litters the floor. Damaged furniture obstructs whatever areas its been tossed into. Several picture frames once perched on the walls and little end tables throughout her aunt and uncle's home now lie abandoned, crushed and abused by a merciless storm.

The house creaks. It was badly damaged in the cyclone, and she knows she would do well to leave while the roof is still holding, but...

As Fuka sits up, she hears the quick pitter-patter of something approaching the remains of her room. A small shape pauses at the doorway, scoots itself under a broken beam and then trots over to her side.

.

.

.

Totoh tilts his head, flicks an ear and whines softly. The pretty red gems embedded on his blue collar gleam in a rare stream of sunlight.

Fuka presses her hands to her mouth. Her throat constricts so hard it hurts. Her eyes fill with tears and she cries as she scoops up the little champagne dog and holds him in her arms.

.

.

"We'll stay together this time," she whispers, and it is a promise.

Totoh gives her chin a comforting lick.

'Dorothy' walks out of her ruined house with Totoh tucked under her arm and, just like before, she is greeted by Glinda the Good. The Good Witch informs her that her violent arrival has brought an end to Evanora, an awful witch who sought to hurt her and her people.

Fuka had never really given much thought to what had happened to the wicked witch of the east. Glinda and her munchkins were so delighted to see Dorothy's house drop on her that her terrified younger self could only comprehend that she had managed to avoid something scary, and that everyone was feeling more grateful for her than suspicious of her.

Now, Fuka can only feel a strange kind of ruefulness when she looks at the striped stockings and ruby shoes. Perhaps Evanora was a bad witch...but it is still terrible to think of how she died.

The munchkins shower her with gifts and sing her praises. They coax her to join them in song. They encourage her to smile.

Totoh springs out of her arms and leads her on a playful chase around the little village.

And then, Theodora appears.

Theodora disrupts the munchkins' merry parade with her acrid black smoke and wicked shrieks. They scatter like frightened animals as she touches down on her broom, and then she stalks them into a full retreat.

Glinda tells Theodora that she has no power in her territory and that she is not welcome, but the witch of the west doesn't hear any of it. She demands to know the owner of the house that killed her sister.

So, Glinda tells her.

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.

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Theodora flits over to Fuka in the blink of an eye and sneers into her face. She looks down her crooked nose. Her feet don't quite touch the ground.

Fuka tries to say something. Offering a mere apology to a dangerous witch who is bent on exacting her revenge seems like a foolish idea, but she is seriously considering it when the ruby slippers are suddenly zapped onto her feet.

Theodora screeches.

She is enraged, but Fuka feels a little less terrified as she zips around her, spitting curses and promising to get her.

Promising to get Totoh.

She knows it is empty words, but her old fears still try to seize her.

.

.

Theodora flies off and Fuka holds her companion just a little tighter.

.

When she says she wants to go home, she is told to follow the yellow brick road, and her adventure begins anew.

She meets Scarecrow first.

Like before, he earnestly attempts to give her directions on the forked road, but he can't seem to make up his mind.

Incidentally, he tells her that he doesn't have one.

.

.

.

Fuka laughs.

She tries not to remember Kyrie's hand on her face as she helps him up from the ground.

Tries not to imagine tears shining in his expressive blue eyes when she turns to look at the byroad.

Instead of waiting for him to ask this time, she tells him she is going to meet a powerful wizard, and that he might receive the brain he desires if he comes along. She knows that the wizard is merely a man, but in one form or another, he had been able to give her companions what they needed at the end.

Scarecrow accepts, and they take one of the roads just past his field.

Totoh trots between them.

They find Tin Man in the enchanted forest. They just barely get away from the offending-or is it offended? fruit-flinging trees after they have enough apples.

She notes that Scarecrow is actually quite clever for someone who doesn't have a brain.

Tin Man is standing among several tree stumps, holding his axe mid-chop just the way she remembers. They grab his oil can and lubricate his rusted joints. Eventually, he is able to move without a hitch, but instead of thanking them for their help, he coldly insists that their help wasn't needed.

Scarecrow tells her they should have left him to rust, after all. He tugs at her arm and cheerfully insists that they abandon him.

Fuka tells Tin Man about the wizard, and wonders if he might like to join them. Scarecrow is looking for a brain. She says she is looking for a way home. Perhaps, there is something the wizard can do for him, too.

.

.

.

When Tin Man eventually agrees to come with them, Fuka lags behind her companions to hide her smile.

Theodora attacks them as they resume their journey to the Emerald city. Her monkeys shriek and psych them. She cackles and makes threats.

Totoh snaps his jaws at her and growls.

When the witch throws a fireball in Scarecrow's direction, Fuka goes to deflect it with her magic.

The fireball hits the ground undeterred and sets the grass aflame. Fuka looks on in horror as her straw friend screams and frantically stamps his feet.

.

.

.

Fuka has gone back in time, she remembers, and Theodora is still alive.

She is not yet a witch. She does not have any power here.

Lion ambushes them in the jungle, but Fuka is anticipating him. When he leaps out of the trees, she gives him a light smack on the snout. Totoh backs her up with a series of sharp warning barks.

The cowardly animal bursts into tears, curls up on the ground and holds his nose.

"H-how could you do that?!" he wails. "It hurts sooo much!"

Scarecrow looks on in dismay. "Is he going to be like that for a while?" he wonders, scratching at his chin.

"This is a waste of time," Tin Man decides. He pulls out his rusty axe and lifts it to his shoulder. "He's a threat and this is clearly a ploy to catch us off guard. We should eliminate him and move on."

"Wait," Fuka holds her hand out. She kneels before Lion and pulls out her handkerchief. She gently wipes away his tears and helps him stand on his feet.

"This lion is actually a cowardly, but good lion," she explains. "He was more afraid of us than we were of him. Isn't that right?"

The sniffling beast nods his head. Then he cries some more.

"Well, I wasn't afraid, at least..." Tin Man crosses his arms, but the slight tremor in his shoulders gives him away.

"I wasn't afraid!" Scarecrow laughs out from under the brim of his hat. Fuka smiles knowingly and adjusts it so that it's sitting up right on his head again. She takes Lion's paw and he clings to her side.

She ignores the way her eyes prick when she recalls the last time Caramia had his arms around her.

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.

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"Come with us to see a wizard," she tells him. "Maybe he will give you some courage."

"And a heart for Tin Man," says Scarecrow.

"And a brain for Scarecrow," says Fuka.

"That sounds promising," says Lion, considering. "I feel like I'll be safe if I go with you."

.

.

Tin Man watches the trio walk shoulder to shoulder on the yellow brick road.

He can hardly believe his luck. A little girl, a dog, a talking scarecrow and a pitiful lion.

Honestly.

.

"...Wait. We're not actually taking this pathetic creature with us, are we?"

They manage to travel for a while with no further interruptions, but before long, they have run out of apples. Scarecrow suggests "we" scavenge for more food. As it turns out, by "we" he means Tin Man, Lion and Fuka. Scarecrow wanders off, presumably to try and terrorize any nearby crows.

Tin Man reminds her of which berries are only edible to birds.

Lion warns her not to pick the red mushrooms with the polka dots.

Totoh is feeling adventurous.

Fuka has her back turned for all of ten seconds when he disappears and comes back with something wiggling and colorful trapped between his teeth. She can't see what it is at first, but she doesn't have to worry about trying to take it from him by force because he trots right up to her and drops it onto her lap.

Fuka screams.

The live, rainbow-colored fish flops onto the ground as she quickly stands up.

Totoh hunches forward on his front legs, wags his tail excitedly and waits for his rewarding pat.

Lion cooks several rainbow fish for them over a small fire and they turn out to be quite delicious. She sits under a large tree with thick, gnarled roots and shares her portion with Totoh.

"I'm sorry for screaming so suddenly like that..." she apologizes sincerely, offering him another pinch of her meal. She had been more surprised than afraid when the fish had fallen into her lap. She doesn't remember finding a river with anything edible in it the last time...

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.

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The little dog barks cheerfully and shows his teeth.

Fuka is reminded of Soh's bright smile.

The wicked witch grabs her as they reach the end of the jungle. Fuka panics as blackened nails latch onto one of her braids and yank her into the trees. She tries to scream, but Theodora clamps a green hand over her mouth.

Her friends continue up the road, Lion holding the basket containing Totoh in his arms.

She had been at the back of the line, so they fail to notice.

Fuka looks at the witch. Her pale eyes are wide with surprise.

The witch's pointed chin, hooked nose and green skin are her most ghastly features. Her eyes are large and especially dark. Fuka doesn't think they reflect a thing, and that's a little unsettling.

Aside from that, however, she realizes there is nothing incredibly scary about Theodora.

.

.

.

Theodora scrutinizes the young girl. One of Fuka's braids is still held tightly in her grasp.

"What a strange child," she clicks her tongue; picks at her teeth with a sharp talon. "Scrawny and weak. And stupid, too. What manner of idiot throws themselves in front of a witch's fireball?"

"You attacked my friend..." Fuka insists.

She thinks of escaping, but she can't seem to move. She thinks of trying to scream, but she can't raise her voice to call for help.

Theodora may not look as scary as her older mind recalls, and she knows she is safe as long as the ruby slippers remain on her feet, but her young body is frightened. She is shaking with instinctual fear.

.

.

Theodora peers at her face; purses her lips in thought.

Then, she scrunches up her long nose at the fish bone necklace Fuka and Scarecrow made together, and says, seemingly in disgust, "...What an obedient little mutt you have. Someday, it shall make a loyal witch's familiar."

Fuka looks at her in wonder.

.

The wicked witch of the west grins a terrible, black-lipped grin. "Now, be forewarned, fool child," she whispers, "for those who cross the likes of this witch get no happy ending. I will get what belongs to me. In one way, or another..."

Theodora disappears in an exploding cloud of soot just as she hears the voices of her companions calling out to her.

Fuka formulates a plan while she and her companions continue their journey. They are nearing Emerald city, but she knows that it will only be a secure resting stop. The wizard will give them nothing until Theodora is vanquished.

But, Fuka has been thinking a lot about the wicked witch of the west since their last encounter.

Thinking about Prism Fish, flying monkeys and herbal tea.

She has been wondering if that wicked witch is truly so wicked.

.

.

.

A gusty rain storm hits.

Fuka and her friends do their best to continue following the paved yellow road, but for Tin Man's sake, they eventually veer off the path and into the dense woods. Not long after, they find an abandoned cave and decide to rest there for the night.

They lay in the dark without a fire and try to sleep. Fuka shivers and sneezes until first light.

.

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In the morning, they duck out of their temporary shelter and find a gracious fire crackling beneath a black iron cauldron. Three mugs are set out on the flat surface of a stone.

When Fuka carefully lifts the lid, there is a pleasant, herbal smell.

"What is it?" Lion asks.

Fuka lifts the ladle and watches a dandelion float around.

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It's tea," she says.

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A panther stalks them as they cross a field of sunflowers.

It hunches low between the long blades of grass, golden eyes feigning a detached interest as they tip-toe by.

Watching ever so sharply.

Lion steps on his own tail and lets out a yelp.

The big black cat leaps at them with a guttural roar.

.

.

The flying monkeys seem to appear out of nowhere.

One moment, Scarecrow is leading the panther through the field, waving his arms and laughing as tufts of straw come falling out. He seems to be missing his hat.

In the next, they come swooping down in the most outlandish flock Fuka has ever seen. They bat their wings and screech at their predator as they lift her and her friends up and away from danger.

The five of them are set safely on the yellow brick road. While Fuka wonders about the incident with Scarecrow, Tin Man endures being poked and screamed at by their little saviors.

After he is fed up, he crossly shoos the chimps away and they take off into the sky.

"That was terrifying," says Lion, the ends of his fingers tucked in his mouth. "Let's never do it again."

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To which they all agree.

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"What an obedient little mutt you have," Fuka recalls Theodora's odd comment, and then she thinks about the witch and her winged chimp familiars as she sets Totoh in her basket. She thinks about the cold she's just passed, the river and the fish that were never there before; she touches the colorful spherules of her pretty necklace.

Just what does it mean to be 'wicked'? she asks herself.

Fuka thinks about the stolen enchanted shoes on her feet and wonders what they meant to Evanora; what they might mean to her sister Theodora, the most wicked witch in all of Oz.

And she thinks, she's not so sure what to think anymore.

Notes: I can't wait to write Emerald city in the next chapter!

And I can't wait to finally write about Soh.