A/N - I saw WICKED for the first time when I studied abroad in Japan. Therefore, I will always see Elphaba and the other WICKED characters with Japanese features and speaking Japanese. In this story, Elphaba looks Asian and speaks Japanese (which is "Ozian") but, there is a translation charm that comes into play later, so English will be spoken (no worries for those of you who can't speak Japanese). In the first few chapters there will be Japanese translations at the bottom of each chapter. I do not own any of the Harry Potter or WICKED characters.

"Fiyero! No! Don't, PLEASE! FIYERO!"

Elphaba watched in horror as her lover and soul-mate burned before her. Hot tears streaked down her cheeks as she screamed out her grief and fury. Lightning flashed and thunder crashed above the group crowded around her; mirroring her bleeding heart. As rain soaked Elphaba and the furious crowd, the witch-hunters yelled,

"Burn the witch! Burn the WICKED WITCH!" Elphaba felt rough hands lift her from the ground and drag her toward another stake next to the one already burning. Elphaba's grief overtook her again as she bowed her head in defeat. She had no fight left in her; she felt cold embrace her heart as the last ounces of the will to live left her. She stumbled to the ground, was yanked to her feet by her hair, and flung forward to the stake; her execution. The stinging lash of a whip cut into her already raw, stripped back. Elphaba screamed in pain, and climbed to her feet again. Earnest sobs escaped her mouth; barely able to breathe. She could think of nothing except the loss of Fiyero and the impending, excruciating pain of the flames.

As she stumbled again, more stinging lashes along with punches and kicks rained down on her torso and head. Feeling light-headed and nauseous, Elphaba hoped that unconsciousness would take her so she could forget her pain. If she passed out now, she would never wake again, would never have to worry for her life, or remember Fiyero.

Just as she felt herself being lifted again by the men around her, the bonds on her wrists loosened. 'What…' she thought hazily. Looking to her right, she saw a pair of white, glittering shoes; spattered with mud from the storm. Elphaba knew only one person who would wear shoes like those. 'Glinda?' Elphaba lifted her face to see Glinda crying but determinedly holding her right hand tensely as she muttered under breath. Elphaba's bonds fell off her wrists. No one had noticed except the two women.

"RUN!" Glinda yelled over the thundering rain. "RUN, ELPHIE! Get out of here!" Glinda lifted her white wand and pointed at the crowd opposite her and Elphaba. An unseen energy forced the crowd to split in two. Elphaba saw her chance. It was now or never. She pushed her tired, beaten body up and launched herself through the split crowd.

She broke free of the mob as they began to converge on her again. Elphaba felt hands grab at her, but she yanked away and sprinted for the cover of the forest. Grabbing her shredded dress and lifting the skirts, she ran as fast as she could. The rain lessened as Elphaba reached the edge of the forest, but she could hear the witch-hunters running hard on her heels. Hell was chasing her.

New tears of fear raced down her cheeks; her chest burned with the effort of running as her body used energy it didn't have. Pain lanced through her as the undergrowth of the forest cut into her bare feet, and branches of trees and bushes whipped at her face. The trees became thicker; vines and roots slowed her attempt at escape. Elphaba could hear her captors closing in on her. She forced herself faster; not caring about her pain, fear, or grief. Elphaba pushed all of her emotions to the back of her mind, and focused on running.

Elphaba didn't see the cliff right in front of her; the combination of the thick forest and storm made the area as dark as the starless night sky. She ran and ran, and then there was nothing but air under her feet. She fell into the darkness and swirling mists.

Elphaba flung out her arms to catch onto something, anything to stop her descent. 'At this height I will surely die!' she thought frantically. 'I DON'T WANT TO DIE!' she mind screamed. Just as that thought crossed her mind, she crashed into an outcropping rock. Her body folded over the rock only as wide as a man's torso. As the wind rushed out of her lungs, she felt and heard her ribs crack and break as her face snapped forward and slammed into the unyielding rock. Nearly unconscious, Elphaba slipped off the end of the rock and began her descent again. She had no thoughts of death anymore; her mind and body too far gone. As a result, she didn't see the air below her ripple and swirl unnaturally. She fell right into the circle and disappeared from thin air.