They traveled through the prairie for the longest time. Nothing interesting really happened until gradually, the flat land started showing signs of sprouts jutting out through the grass. Soon after, the forest, small and immature, appeared before them. They walked through the foliage for quite a while.

"How will we know when we hit the border?" Crystal asked.

Sei, who was holding Coal's hand because the volcanic Number was a little frightened despite it being bright out, shrugged. "Ojii-chan said we would feel different, and sometimes, it'll look obvious."

"W-will it be scary...?" the frightened child asked in a trembling voice.

The shinobi shrugged. "It's nowhere here, though. Ojii-chan said that it's so deep into the forest that light can't even get in." This statement only caused Coal to whimper and bury his face in Sei's chest.

Ichigo sighed. "Sei, don't scare him like that, and don't say such things with such a straight face!"

"Would you rather me say it with a scary face?" Sei huffed, hugging Coal close.

"No, but saying it like it's natural makes it creepier!"

"Whatever!"

"Stop fighting, you two!" Crystal interjected. "You'll make things even worse for me and Coal." The red rose petals on her short, puffy black dress shook as she trembled. "We're both more scared than you, okay?"

The older two nodded with small sighs. They treaded along in silence, the sounds of insects and other animals ringing in their ears. Gradually, ever so gradually, the light dimmed, and the trees slowly turned gray. The eeriness shot up, as did the tension.

"M-maybe this was a bad idea?" Coal whispered. "What if something tries to eat us?"

"We're safe, Volca," Sei assured, using the five-year-old's nickname while stroking his hair. "In the dead forest, nothing can survive for more than a week. Even the trees are dead. We're safe."

Coal nodded. Suddenly, a large line of bushes just popped out of the darkness. What was different besides the fact that they were all in a straight line was that they all were alive and green. Insects buzzed around the lush greenery.

"This looks like it would be a border," Ichigo mused. "It looks like it, but wouldn't that seem too obvious?"

"Only one way to find out!" Sei exclaimed, pulling Coal along through the bushes. The moment they both crossed, the smell of fresh grass filled their nostrils. Ichigo and Crystal soon followed, and like the two boys, they stopped in shock.

"Whoa...!" Crystal gasped. "Where are we?"

"Let's ask around," Sei suggested to the dragon girl. "Maybe someone will tell us."

They all linked hands as they looked around for any signs of intelligent life, which they soon found when the quartet traveled far enough. The village was very plant-like, from the residents right down to the houses! It was rather strange seeing people like Crystal even though they weren't Numbers or Monsters of any sort. Their energies just seemed normal and nothing like the ones they knew.

"They look so much like me," Crystal whispered, hanging on to Ichigo. "Why? What are they?"

"Let's ask," Ichigo suggested.

"I'll do it!" Sei said excitedly and, being the charismatic little Number he was, strutted up to one being with Coal in tow. "Hello!" He didn't know if his lack of knowing this language would affect communications with these strangers, but the one he was talking to seemed to understand just fine, surprisingly.

The woman that he addressed turned to them. She had red, poofing hair with green skin and a red dress, making her whole look imitating a rose. On her arms, thorns sprouted. "Hello?"

"Do you know where we are?" The child shinobi grinned up at her. "We crossed the border of the Number Kingdom, see, so we don't know where we are. Would you mind helping us?"

"Oh?" She took a look at the four foreign children, noticing the 12 mark on the side of his face, right under his right ear, the 19 on Ichigo's neck, and the lava-like 61 right under Coal's collarbone. "You all do seem much more different than the other people here, but the young lady with the rose petals seems like one of us." She shook her head. "As to where you are, this is the Floral Territory, but the village itself is called Earth." The name seemed appropriate for the village since most of it was very ground-like with plants everywhere.

"Arigatou gozaimasu!" Sei exclaimed. "We'll look around!"

"Have fun, young ones!"

The quartet raced off to explore the new world they stumbled upon. Every once in a while, Sei would loot some money from unsuspecting people just in case they needed to buy something from this territory. After a while of exploring the village, night started to fall. The four children decided to find the next border before they left just in case the next territory wasn't turning to night. Of course, Ichigo insisted that they stay the night at the Floral Territory so they didn't fall asleep in the next one. Reluctantly, they agreed, so they rented a room at an inn and slept until morning.

~.The Morrow.~

"Guys, wake up," Ichigo whispered to her sleeping friends. "We need to go now."

Grumbling, they awoke, some earlier than others. When all of them were awake and aware, they thanked the innkeeper and set off in search of the next border.

"Where do you think it'll be next?" Crystal asked.

Sei shrugged. "Who knows? All I know is that there should be a clear sign of it just like with the dead forest."

"So, what should we look for?"

Another shrug. "I'm not an expert!"

More time passed, and it wasn't long until they found another border. This one was another set of bushes in a line, but this time, trickles of smoke seeped from below the greenery. It was so unnoticeable that no one noticed it until Crimson, who was fully acquainted with fire and how it worked, pointed it out before they walked right past it.

"Do bushes normally do that?" Coal asked, looking up at his older friends for confirmation.

"Of course not, Coal!" Ichigo nearly smacked the Volcanic Number upside the head. "Everyone knows bushes don't do that!"

Grumbling about how she didn't need to be so angry, Coal crossed his arms over his check, which swelled in indignation.

"Then this is the border!" Sei stated with finality. He marched to the smoking bushes, followed by an eager Coal, a tentative Crystal, and an exasperated Ichigo. The temperature dramatically rose when they stepped through, unlike their trip from the Number Realm to the Floral Territory. The sky was pitch black while the scorching heat nearly melted both Ichigo and Crystal, but both flame-based boys seemed perfectly fine aside a thin layer of sweat coating their skin.

"We need to get somewhere cool..." Crystal groaned. She leaned on Ichigo, who was already cooling herself down with her inner ice.

"I doubt there's anywhere cool," the Freezerdon sighed. "You'll just have to stay with me until we get out of here." Crystal nodded slightly.

"Look!" Coal gasped, pointing at a giant volcano that loomed in the distance. "It's dripping lava!" His statement proved to be true because even where they were standing, the lava was visible in red rivers.

"It's weird," Crystal stated. "It's so big and scary!"

"There can't be anyone living here," Sei mused. "I mean, it's super hot! I can't imagine anything or anyone living here!"

"Let's see, then," Ichigo stated with a small sigh.

The children started wandering toward the monster volcano to see if anything lived on top of it. Ichigo, being the cautious one, directed them away from anything that seemed dangerous or might explode. The boys complained loudly about this. Even so, they followed her direction, walking into suburbs and cities along the way. One of the Volcanic Beings, who looked a lot like Coal, invited them to eat, knowing that they were kids with no money.

"Looks like we don't have to go to the top of the volcano," Sei said with a laugh while he ate.

"You kids were looking to climb the volcano?" the man who paid for them asked in shock. "What were you thinking!?"

"Is there something dangerous up there, sir?" Ichigo pushed her plate away when she was done. When the man nodded, she proceeded to ask, "What is it?"

"A herd of beasts, but the most notable and dangerous is called the Mother," he explained. "They lay eggs near the crater every year, and when everyone is gone, the Mother stays behind to guard them. If she ever catches up to you, you'd better hope you outrun her."

The four children shared a worried glance. Well, now they were glad that they found what they were looking for. Who knows what could have happened had they gone up to the top?