Yukari wasn't sure how long they ran. She only stopped once she felt that Ia was starting to flag. The two of them slowed their pace, then stopped.

Ia looked exhausted, her glow practically gone, bags under her eyes apparent as she put her hands on her knees and panted. "Are we…are we safe?"

"No," said Yukari, scanning the trees. The two of them had stopped randomly, in some part of the forest where the floor was covered in dead leaves, and where the trees were dense. Still, she knew that if they didn't keep moving, they would surely be found by that Tracker. She undoubtedly had their scent. Yukari's hope was that the twins had slowed her down. They seemed more than a little inefficient.

"Oh. I…I'm sorry for slowing you down."

Yukari glanced at her. "It's fine. You are unused to walking, let alone running. And your shoes aren't your size, either."

"I know, but…" Ia began, but faltered. She slumped down to the ground. "I'm sorry. You left your home for me. And now there're people after us. And you still protected me. I…not everyone would do that. Not everyone would help. And now I'm…and now I'm slowing you down, and…"

To Yukari's alarm, the star's cheeks and nose were turning red, and there was a wetness about her eyes that spoke of impending tears. There was that faint pain in Yukari's heart again. She quickly knelt down next to Ia and put an arm around her shoulders in what she hoped was acceptable comforting protocol. She wasn't sure what to say, so she stayed silent.

After a little bit of quiet sniffling, Ia wiped her eyes. "We, um. We should get going."

"Yes," said Yukari. A faint plan was solidifying in her mind. "The longer we stay in the wilderness, the more dangerous it is. We need to get to the city as soon as we can." With that, she started walking.

"Why?" Ia asked, following her.

"There are so many people in cities that Trackers get confused," Yukari explained. "So many scents of so many people mingling – it will be more difficult to track us down. And once we're in the city, there's all sorts of alchemists and apothecarists and perfumists. We can use their products to hide our scents. I will need to do some more research on this topic to see how people foiled Trackers in the past, but it has been done before. Trackers are not foolproof."

"W-what are Trackers?"

"They're part of a class of people who make deals with those beyond the veil in exchange for certain powers."

"In exchange for…" Ia screwed up her face, "in exchange for being able to smell people better?"

There it was again. Except it wasn't pain – it was a faint pulse of amusement, but even that registered as pain to Yukari's re-sensitized emotion handling. Her step faltered for a moment before resuming. "No. They become Trackers, or other things, for a duration of time, serving those beyond the veil until they buy back their freedom, and receive the power they asked for."

"But…why is a Tracker after me? I haven't done anything…"

"I don't know," Yukari admitted. "Maybe this Tracker is serving a master who needs the heart of a star. A star's heart is, after all, highly powerful."

"Right," said Ia softly, and the two lapsed into silence.

Yukari estimated the amount of time it would take them to reach Asmouse from here. Two days, at least. It was lucky that Yukari spent most of her time in these woods. Strange, that. She never had cause to think of anything from her past as 'lucky'. What, after all, was so lucky about a girl who was perpetually outcast from the village, to the point where her sole refuge was retreating to the woods? Still, she supposed she had cause to be happy about it now.

Speaking of which – the twinges of pain in her heart. Having been without them for so long, emotions registered only as pain. The relief Yukari had was that it was small emotions, at least. If she felt anywhere near as strongly as she did before, she wasn't sure if she could handle it. Still, it was…worrying, that she was starting to feel emotion. After all, such a thing should be impossible. There could only be two explanations. One, her emotion capacitors were malfunctioning. Two…the presence of the star.

Yukari knew that the only way to replace a missing heart was with a star's heart, because very often, a person with a missing heart was deceased. Merely putting in another person's heart was like stuffing guts back into a chicken and expecting it to digest normally again. Once someone died, it was all over. Only the immense power of a star's heart could bring someone back to life.

However, Yukari's case was different. For one, she had an actual heart in place of her old one. It may be artificial, but it was still a perfectly functional heart. For two, she had not taken any action with the star's heart, so how could it be that it was affecting her?

Still, Yukari knew that these twinges of emotion likely had something to do with Ia. If that was the case, though…that was deeply problematic. After all, Yukari had gotten rid of her heart for a reason. She no longer wanted to feel emotion like she once did. Emotions brought only pain. Emotions cloud the thinking. Emotions were what got her into this mess of being on the run from a murderous Tracker with a fallen star.

And, ah, there it was. Annoyance. Another petty emotion Yukari thought she had gotten rid of, one of the many that she had no desire to feel again. She pushed it down, but it stayed, a constant low-level buzz in her mind. Yukari did her best to ignore it.

The two walked on, taking only occasional rests. Throughout it all, Ia remained silent. Yukari got the distinct sense that she was trying to be as unobtrusive as possible. And when night fell, Yukari was surprised to see that Ia was hardly glowing at all. She barely needed the hood on to disguise herself.

While this was advantageous for night-time travel, Yukari couldn't help but to be a little distressed on Ia's behalf.

"Are you okay?" Yukari asked quietly.

Ia nodded. "Yeah. Don't worry."

"Your glow is rather diminished."

"I'm okay," said Ia, a little more force in her voice now.

"Are you hungry?"

Ia shook her head. "I…I told you. Stars only need sunlight and moonlight."

Yukari eyed her doubtfully, but let it go. "Do you want to stop to rest?"

"No! I told you, I'm fine." Ia raised her chin, as if to challenge her.

"Okay…" Yukari gave up. People were confusing, and stars moreso. Even back when she had her heart, Yukari hadn't really been good at talking to people. "Let me know if you're tired."

Ia didn't respond to that. When Yukari glanced back, she saw that Ia had a stubborn cast to her jaw, her eyes fixed on the road before her. Her oversized shoes flopped off her heels as she walked, and she was clearly trying to keep her balance on the rough road.

What bizarre behavior. Yukari didn't get it at all. Ia was clearly uncomfortable, so why was she trying to act as though she wasn't? While they were being pursued by a Tracker, it wasn't as though Trackers possessed supernatural speed to complement their supernatural nose. While Luka had looked capable, she ought to have all the attributes of an average, if well-trained, human. The fact that she hadn't caught up by now was encouraging, and told Yukari that they had had enough of a head start that, if they kept up their current pace, they should be able to keep abreast of Luka.

Yukari briefly considered offering to carry Ia before discarding it. She had a feeling that Ia would be offended by the suggestion, judging from the mood she was currently in. Besides, Yukari wasn't strong enough for that to be a sustainable plan.

The two walked on in awkward silence.

-xxx-

Ia wasn't sure of how long they walked before Yukari stopped again, and Ia did as well. Upon stopping, her exhaustion crashed down on her. She felt incredibly sleepy, even though it was night; her every muscle felt weighted and sore, and her feet hurt from the journey. If Yukari had asked her to start walking again…Ia honestly wasn't sure if she could.

"We should rest for the night," said Yukari.

"But the Tracker…"

"Has to eat and sleep, like all other humans. And we're both tired. If we keep walking tonight, we won't be able to move as effectively tomorrow. There's a cave over there where we can rest." Yukari waved her arm to the right. "We can start making our way there once you're ready."

While Ia had a feeling that Yukari was trying to be considerate, these constant reminders of her frailty were doing little to help Ia's self-esteem. She was reminded of people in certain areas around the world, where magic was lost to them. If stars fell in those fae-less areas…they would be little more than pitted lumps of rock.

And that was what Ia felt like now – a useless rock.

"It's good that it's not too cold," said Yukari, oblivious to Ia's thoughts. "So we don't need to make a fire."

Ia didn't answer. Instead, she started heading in the direction of the cave. While it was full night now, Ia was glowing just slightly enough that she assumed that Yukari was able to navigate the woods with her light. There was one use, at least. A makeshift torch.

The cave was small and dirty, though to Ia's surprise there were human provisions within. Some sheets, covered in brown leaves, lay on the dirty floor. Next to it were three books, and an open pack lying on the ground. It was empty.

"Is there someone staying here?" Ia asked.

"No. Those are my things. I spent a lot of time in these woods growing up. I thought it might be useful to leave provisions in shelters such as these." Yukari walked over to the sheets, picking them up delicately. "I can sleep on these dirty ones. I have cleaner ones in my pack. You can sleep on those."

Ia frowned and shook her head. "No. I'll sleep on those. You've already helped me a lot. This is the very least I can do."

Yukari seemed to give the proposal some thought. "That makes sense," she said at last. "If you sleep on the dirty sheets, it may help to diminish your glow due to discomfort and the fact that you'll be covered in dirt come morning. As long as you are willing to put up with that, it is better for you to sleep on these. Great idea, Ia."

Ia spent a few moments staring blankly at Yukari. Then, before she knew it, she was laughing. Yukari's reaction was so odd that Ia couldn't help it. Or maybe she was just so tired, and today had been so stressful, that she was ready to laugh at anything, just to relieve some of the stress clouding her heart.

Yukari stared at Ia for a few moments, clearly confused by Ia's reaction. She opened her mouth, closed it, paused, opened it again. "Well. We should get ready for bed, besides. We have a long day of walking ahead."

Ia was still giggling a little. Yukari, growing visibly disconcerted, mustered on. "I will….I will eat something while you get ready."

"Okay," Ia replied, mastering her laughter. "Thank you."

Yukari paused and seemed to think better of replying, for instead of saying anything, she only busied herself with her pack.

-xxx-

Ia, called a voice, gossamer sweet and light as a thread.

Ia groaned in her sleep, tossed on the cold floor.

Ia, said the voice again, and Ia awoke. She opened her eyes to darkness, save for the faint light of her own glow. She glanced to the side. Yukari was sleeping soundly. Quietly, Ia got up from her sheets, wincing as she did. Sure enough, the clothes that Yukari gave her earlier were already encrusted with dirt. Taking care to not disturb Yukari's slumber, Ia stepped outside.

The woods were silent, save for the rustle of wind through trees. Ia instinctively looked up at the sky and felt herself relax as she gazed at the infinite dance of the stars overhead. Her brothers and sisters, safe and sound, far, far away in the heavens.

Ia, said the voice again, and Ia turned in its direction. There, she saw a brightly glowing fae, slightly hidden in the undergrowth, dressed simply in leaves and grass. Her hair was a plain black, in contrast to her sharp blue eyes.

Ia obediently knelt to her level. It was generally understood among stars that fae were the closest kin to them on earth, though their magic tended to be more diffuse, and fae themselves trended towards the mischievous and malicious.

The faery smiled wryly, though when she spoke with her lips, it was with that same ambrosial quality. "You are trusting."

"I was always told that stars have nothing to fear from fae."

"Fae are not the only creatures that could speak in magic, in these woods. And your companion is deep in sleep. It is careless for you to go out in the night, especially when you are faced with such danger."

Ia's looked down at the ground, unsure of what to say. "I…I'm sure Yukari has a plan."

"Yukari!" the faery spoke the name contemptuously.

"You know her?"

"She spent her childhood here, in the very woods our Court rules over. It was often joked among us that she may very well be one of our taken children, that a changeling had been left in the village in Yukari's place."

"But you didn't take her."

"No. We take only infants, and Yukari had escaped our notice when she was one. Still, while we played tricks on her here and there, she was under our protection…for a time."

"For a time?" Ia furrowed her brows.

The faery glanced at Yukari's sleeping form, the expression on her face too complicated to identify. "I'm sure you've noticed too. It must have been the first thing you noticed."

Ia understood. "Her heart."

"If she had been so miserable in that village, we would have gladly taken her heart. It was a good one, as hearts go. If her life had been unbearable, there were plenty of opportunities for her to give it away, and give it to us. A sudden fall, or a slip in the river…these woods teem with possibilities," the faery shook her head. "But instead, she had it replaced with that mechanical thing, an anathema to all things magical in the world. The moment she came back to the woods with her clockwork heart, was the moment she lost our friendship."

The words the faery said so blithely stung Ia. She understood what was meant when the faery said that they would have taken Yukari's heart, and the understanding was black ink dipped in her soul. It seemed to Ia that earth was a crueler, colder place than it appeared from the heavens. "But…if you had taken her heart instead, then she would have…she would have died."

"Dying as a human is far better than living on as an abomination. And the way she is now, it could hardly be said that she is alive. But," the faery said abruptly, "I did not come to you to talk about Yukari. I am here to give you warning, from the earth-fae to the stars."

Ia bowed her head in a signal for the faery to go on, and go on she did. "You surely know that humans, unlike us, are bound by time. And as time marches on, humankind as a whole will forget all things magical. This is a destiny that is written in the heavens, a fate that you, as a star, should know especially well."

Ia nodded. There was nothing new in this telling. "There are places already where this is the case. Places where, if I fell, I would be rendered as little more than gas and rock."

"There will come a time when magic will disappear utterly from the memory of humankind – a time when, even when they are on the periphery of magic, they will be unable to detect it. It will be a direction that they are unable to look in, erased from their perception. This is a change that all humans can feel in their bones. And now, it is an especially precarious time. The death of magic is nigh on humankind. And you," said the faery, her voice dull and bleak, "will be one of the last stars to fall as they are. The search for you by humans will be all the more vicious, for they can feel within themselves that they are losing magic even as they grasp onto it."

Ia stared down at her hands as the words sunk into her mind. While she had known of the eventual loss of magic on part of humans, it had been a theoretical thing in her mind. As someone who lived in the sky, she had little reason to give thought to terrestrial beings. But if what the faery is saying is true…

"So the humans at the University won't be able to…" Ia couldn't finish the sentence.

"It was a great folly for Yukari to donate to them her heart," said the faery. "The moment they try to study the magic of it, it turns to science in their hands. A lump of bloody meat, good for pumping the blood, and little more."

"Then…" Ia felt tears prick her eyes. "But then, how can I ever…how can I return to the sky? Is it….is it truly impossible?"

"Whether or not you will be able to return," said the faery softly, "is something that we do not know. I can only warn you to take the greatest of care. And while Yukari is your companion, be wary. As a human who lost her heart, she is the farthest from magic of all."

"I…" Ia lowered her head, dazed. "Thank you."

"We will ensure your safe passage through the woods," the faery said. "And if that is all…"

"Wait," Ia said then. "You have given me so much aid, yet I don't know your name."

"Ah," said the faery with a slight smile. "How rude of me. My name is Avanna. If you ever need my help, call for me by name in any forest in the magical world. The wind will carry it through the trees, and I will aid you. Though," Avanna added after some thought, "perhaps not always in the form you expect. Now then, Ia, you ought to return to sleep. Time has not passed during our conversation, but it will pass the moment you re-enter the cave."

Ia nodded and gave Avanna her thanks. And since there was nothing more to say, Avanna took a step back, and disappeared in the bushes.

Ia glanced back at Yukari's sleeping form. In the pale moonlight, Yukari looked as innocent and peaceful as any other human. And yet, Avanna's words would not so easily leave Ia's mind.

Time did not pass while Ia stood outside, yet she had mulled over many things by the time she re-entered the cave. And if Yukari woke during the night, she was none the wiser as to the conversation Ia had with the fae whose voices were lost to her.