#I NEED TO WORK ON THE RELUCTANT GUARDIAN DAMMIT

[smartgirlsaremean]

Wedding Dress

Fandom: OUAT

Pairing: Rumbelle

Rating: T

Summary: When Neal sees the wedding dress his father’s been working on, he knows this is a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad idea. Meanwhile, Belle is in love and she’s getting married, and she’s not very happy about either circumstance.

AO3

“Whoa.”

Neal Gold stopped dead in his father’s workshop, arrested by the sight of the gown on the dress form. Standing in pride of place in the middle of the room, the form was draped in icy white satin that shimmered with beads and crystals in intricate patterns. On closer inspection, Neal realized they formed trailing vines and roses, winding their way up and down the ruched bodice and flowing skirt.

“Pops, this...this is something else!”

From his drafting board in the corner, Roderick Gold gave a very small smile. “You think so?”

“Don’t you?”

Gold shrugged and bent his head so that his son couldn’t see his eyes.

“It’s…” Neal was a bit lost for words. “I mean, it’s incredible. This woman’s gonna cry when she sees it.”

“That’s usually the goal.”

Neal stepped a little closer still, careful not to touch the shimmery fabric. He didn’t have an extensive dressmaker’s vocabulary, but he’d been around his father’s business long enough that he could make out the fine details that made the dress so exquisite.

The beading was unusually beautiful, of course, but the stitches in the seams were so tiny and perfect as to be almost invisible. The cut of the fabric was so immaculate that the woman would look like the dress had grown on her. Gold was known for his taste and craftsmanship, as well as his ability to make the simplest dress appear as a work of art: a critic had once joked that he could transform burlap into cloth-of-gold, and from that moment he’d been known as Rumplestiltskin. He’d been dressmaker to the stars for years before decamping to sleepy little Storybrooke, Maine, to raise his preteen son and take over his father’s pawn shop.

Neal had hated the stupid shop as a kid, despised the junk and the clutter and the suspicious car stereos that were not at all stolen, no sir, just salvaged. He’d hated the desperate looks on people’s faces as they pawned the few valuable things they owned, hated his grandfather’s malicious smiles as he gave them a fraction of the objects’ real worth and claimed he was doing them a favor. When his father had taken over and slowly but steadily revamped the store into an antiques shop with tailoring services, Neal had been relieved.

The younger Gold drove a hard bargain and only accepted genuine antiques, but at least he never cheated anyone, and he never, never went back on his word.

Unfortunately, his refusal to acknowledge dear old Aunt Nancy’s porcelain doll collection as anything but a terrible monstrosity, or his outright disgust when presented with forgeries, had made him scarcely more popular than his own father. Neal understood their feelings - everyone wanted to believe that their family heirlooms were worth at least as much as their sentimental value, and his old man wasn’t exactly shy about expressing his opinions - but he’d always, even as a teen, been slightly resentful of the suspicious stares and uneasy murmurs directed at the man who had, more or less, always been his hero.

Things were even worse around prom season when, despite the fact that they were paying exorbitant amounts of money for their daughters to wear custom-made gowns that would get trampled and torn and stained, the parents of the town whispered maliciously about what kind of man willingly measured young girls in such an intimate manner. Neal had boycotted prom on principle both years, which had been just fine with his then-girlfriend Emma. Emma hadn’t cared much for dresses anyway, and she and her parents were pretty much the only people in town who didn’t consider his father a monster.

The last wedding gown Gold had designed had been for Emma herself, when Neal married her three years ago. It had been perfect too, simple and chic and pale blue without a single stitch of lace or even one bead. Emma had been in tears when she saw it, and no woman had ever looked so beautiful when she walked down the aisle.

The more Neal examined this dress, though, the more he had a gut feeling that something was wrong. There was too much of his father in this gown; the stitches almost looked handsewn, and the fact that Gold had bolted to his drafting board and hadn’t so much as looked up since Neal came in was suspicious in itself. Pops had never minded working in front of him before.

“Papa?”

Gold looked up cautiously. “Yes?”

“Who’s this for?”

His father’s shoulders tensed and then slumped a little, and Neal had almost guessed the answer before he said it.

“Belle French.”

Neal’s heart dropped to his shoes.

“Belle? Belle’s getting married?”

“Yes.”

“And...she asked you to make the dress?”

“Of course she did,” Gold said hoarsely, twirling a pencil between his thumb and forefinger. “I’m her best friend.”

“Oh, God, Papa.”

“Don’t.”

“But you…”

“Knew this was bound to happen.” Gold pushed back from his table and ran a hand through his hair. “She’s young and beautiful and vibrant. You were the one who hoped for more, Neal, not me.”

This didn’t make sense. None of it made a single lick of sense. Belle was crazy about his father, Neal was sure of it. He hadn’t been home as much in the last year or so, as Emma’s job was starting to pick up and someone needed to stay home with two-year-old Henry while she was away on jobs, but he’d been around enough to pick up on the sweet shy smiles, the come-hither glances, the coy flirting. And she touched him all the time, she was always touching him: smoothing his lapels and straightening his ties and flicking lint off his sleeves and tucking her hand into the crook of his arm when they walked anywhere together. Once or twice she even brushed strands of hair out of his eyes and Neal was pretty sure pride alone kept his father from melting into a puddle.

Belle had been in Storybrooke all of a month before the town was buzzing about the strange friendship that had sprung up between the bookworm and the beast. Neal knew his father had been long gone in a matter of weeks, and he’d been sure, absolutely, positively, felt-it-in-his-bones certain that Belle felt the same way.

But now she was marrying someone else?

What the hell happened?

“Nothing happened,” Gold said a little angrily, and Neal realized he’d asked that last question aloud. “There was nothing to...we were only ever friends. She didn’t love me, Neal. She was never going to love me.”

“Does she know how you feel about her?”

“Do you think she’d have asked me to make this dress for her if she did?”

Of course she wouldn’t. Belle wasn’t cruel. In fact, she was so soft-hearted that if she ever found out how much it hurt his father to make this dress she would probably burn it herself.

“She’s gonna know the second she sees it.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I knew.”

“You’re you.”

“Astute observation.”

“I mean, you have an artist’s eye and you’ve been around my work all your life. You see things the layman can’t.”

“So what else are you doing for her? Baking the cake? Arranging the flowers? Walking her down the aisle?” At his father’s shifty look Neal groaned. “Papa...no.”

“Her father had a heart attack recently and can’t walk very far. He’ll meet her at the altar and give her away. I just have to get her there.”

“That’s crazy, Papa. This is...why are you torturing yourself like this?”

“It is not torture to help give my best friend the wedding of her dreams.”

“Stop saying that. I know the truth, okay? Stop lying to me.”

“I’m not.”

“You are!”

Gold sighed. “Fine. I am. But mostly I’m lying to myself, alright? I have to if I’m gonna get through this in one piece.”

Neither of them heard the bell on the shop door ring.

She was supposed to go in for her final fitting the next day, and she was on tenterhooks. Ever since she’d asked Mr. Gold to sew her wedding gown, she’d been on edge, and she didn’t want to admit that she knew why. He’d agreed readily enough, taken her measurements with professional efficiency and not even a hint of impropriety (though the memory of his being so close still left her breathless), and just yesterday had called her to schedule her final fitting.

The last time she saw the gown, it was a mass of white satin with wide basting stitches in the seams and no adornment. Draped over her figure she got a better idea of how it would look, but her brain still couldn’t supply her with a picture of the finished product. She wasn’t sure she wanted to picture it.

Belle had always longed for love and marriage and a family and for the last year or so she thought she’d found the man who would make those things possible. Roderick Gold was everything she’d ever dreamed of in a man, intelligent and handsome and witty and God, so irresponsibly sexy, and she’d never wanted anyone so much in her life, and after almost a year she was certain he felt the same way about her. And then…

Well, not much had happened. Ever. Belle didn’t consider herself the subtlest person, and she thought she’d made her feelings extremely clear. When Greg Gaston asked her out about four months ago and Belle had asked Gold for his advice, Gold had shrugged and said that anything was worth a try.

His complete indifference had broken Belle’s heart.

And now she was marrying Greg because, quite frankly, she couldn’t think of a reason not to. Not one that mattered or would ever come to anything. Being hopelessly in love with a man who would never want her wasn’t a reason.

At least, she hadn’t thought so.

“What is wrong with you tonight?” Ruby huffed, setting their drink glasses down with a huff. “It’s girls’ night. We’re supposed to be having fun and you’re sitting there moping like the world’s about to end.”

Belle blinked and deliberately dragged her mind back to the Rabbit Hole and the booth she and Ariel and Ruby shared.

“Did someone ruin a library book?” Ariel asked sympathetically.

“No.”

“Greg being a knucklehead?” Ruby swirled the ice in her drink.

“No.”

“Then…”

“I have my final fitting tomorrow.”

The girls stared at her in total bafflement. “That’s...that’s supposed to be a good thing, sweetie,” Ruby said gently. “Shouldn’t you be happy about that?”

“Are you worried you won’t like the dress?” Ariel reached out and put a hand comfortingly on Belle’s. “You shouldn’t be. Mr. Gold designed my senior prom dress and it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

“You looked like a real-life mermaid,” Ruby grinned. “I remember that thing.”

“That’s not it. I’m sure it’ll be gorgeous.”

“Okay, that’s still not the tone of voice we expect from brides-to-be,” Ruby sighed. “Try again.” She widened her eyes and clasped her hands to her chest. “I’m sure it’ll be gorgeous!” she exclaimed in the sappiest, breathiest, Disney-princessiest voice Belle had ever heard. Ariel laughed and Belle smiled.

“So if it’s not that, what is it?” Ariel asked.

Belle shrugged, but she could feel tears welling up in her eyes, and to her horror when she tried to speak a little sob broke out. Ruby was out of her seat in a second and sliding onto the bench next to Belle; she took Belle in her arms and stroked her hair. Across the table, Ariel looked horrified.

“What...what’s wrong? Did...did he do something? Say something?”

“No,” Belle hiccuped. “He didn’t do anything. Say anything. That’s what’s wrong.”

“What are you talking about? He asked you to marry him!”

“Not Greg,” Ruby sighed, stroking Belle’s hair. “She’s not talking about Greg.”

Ariel’s mouth dropped open, and understanding washed over her face.

“Oh, hon,” Ruby said quietly. “When did you tell him?”

“Huh?” Belle gulped. “I didn’t.”

“Wait...what? You didn’t?”

“No, of course not!”

“Not...not even before Greg?”

“No!”

Ruby pulled away and stared at her incredulously. “Seriously? All this time...all those dinners and movie nights and strolls in the moonlight and you never mentioned to the guy that you wanna make mad, passionate love to him and have his babies?”

“Well, I...I thought I made it obvious. When he didn’t respond I thought…”

“Belle, I love you, but wow, you really messed up there.”

“Me? How?”

Ariel shook her head. “I keep forgetting you didn’t grow up here,” she said. “Mr. Gold is...well, he’s never shown an interest in anyone in town.”

“I know that, he told me himself he’s never dated anyone…”

“No, I mean he’s never shown any kind of interest. In anyone he’s not related to. For any reason.”

Ruby nodded. “Even the Nolans - y’know, his in-laws? - he only seemed to care about them after Neal married Emma.”

“So when he started hanging around you all the time...well, it threw us all for a loop. And when you seemed to like him back…”

“I didn’t know you never asked him out. I thought you were dating him!”

“If I were dating him, why would I start dating Greg?” Belle rubbed her eyes.

“Because…” Ariel’s voice trailed off and she looked worried, “because he’s Greg. He’s kind of gorgeous and charming, y’know? I guess we figured you’d...moved on.”

“You mean ‘traded up,’” Belle snapped. “You thought I broke up with Roderick and chose Greg?”

“More or less,” Ariel said apologetically.

“And from the way Mr. Gold moped around for a month, so did he.”

Belle slumped back into the booth, her mind whirling. If the girls were right, she’d gone about everything the wrong way.

“I can’t marry Greg,” she said finally.

Both women gave huge sighs of relief.

“I’m so glad you said that,” Ruby confessed. “‘Cause I wanted to, but I know how much you hate being told what to do.”

“I haven’t been fair to him, have I?” Belle said sadly. “All this time I knew I was still in love with Roderick. I just pretended I wasn’t so I didn’t have to deal with it.”

“Well, it’s not like it’s all on you,” Ariel pointed out. “Mr. Gold could’ve said something, after all.”

“Yeah.” Belle sat and stared at her barely touched drink for a moment more, then nodded decisively. “It’s still early. I’m gonna go have a talk with Greg and then...I guess I’ll go see Roderick and figure this out once and for all.”

The conversation with Greg was blessedly short. He was a nice guy, but he wasn’t exactly the deepest or most romantic of souls. He took back the ring with very good grace, told her to make sure Gold treated her well, and sent her on her way. Probably this time next month he’d even have a new girlfriend; Greg was just that kind of guy. In retrospect, that was probably why she’d agreed to be with him: he made no demands on her heart.

Gold’s antiques shop was empty, but the sign wasn’t turned and she could see the light from his workshop around the edges of the curtained archway. He was still there, possibly even working on her wedding dress, and at that thought her heart lurched. If her friends were right, and he felt as strongly for her as she did for him, every stitch would be torment. Every conversation about invitations and flowers and groomsmen and cake must have been agony.

Oh, God, he’d agreed to walk her down the aisle.

Steeling herself, Belle pushed open the door and was surprised when he didn’t emerge from the back room. Voices were coming from the workshop, and Belle could discern Neal’s as well as Gold’s. Frowning, she turned to leave again - she didn’t want to interrupt the very little time Gold got with his son - but her name floated out from behind the curtain.

“If you love Belle, why are you watching her marry someone else? Hell, forget watching. Why are you helping?”

“Because I love her. I want her to be happy. If this is what makes her happy, I’ll perform the damn wedding service myself.”

Belle raised shaking hands to her mouth.

“But what if you can make her happier?”

“Neal…”

“I’m just saying, you never gave it a chance. Did you ever even ask her out?”

“We have dinner regularly, you know that.”

“No, I mean a real date. Where you wear one of your expensive suits and she wears a dress and you go out for a fancy dinner and then neck in the car a little bit before you drop her off at her place. And then she asks you in for coffee and...”

“For Christ’s sake, stop.” Gold’s voice was strained.

Belle inched closer to the curtain, her heart racing.

“Did you?”

“No.”

“Because?”

“Because she didn’t want to.”

“She told you that?”

“She didn’t have to.”

“God, you’re arrogant,” Neal huffed. “What, did you read her mind? How could you possibly know that?”

Twisting her hands nervously in front of her, Belle stepped from behind the curtain and took a deep breath.

“I’d like to know the answer to that myself.”

Neal spun around and Gold nearly jumped out of his skin.

“Uh...hey, Belle.” Neal smiled frantically. Gold looked as if he might bolt or vomit. Maybe both. “I, uh, I...I was just...leaving.”

Belle nodded, her eyes still fixed on his father. Neal dashed through the curtain, and seconds later the bell on the door gave a very loud clang and then went silent.

The air between them was thick with unspoken words and long-buried feelings. Gold hung his head and tried to his best to will the floor underneath him to swallow him whole, but the polished hardwood remained stubbornly intact. The click of Belle’s heels told him she was walking toward him, and he was steeling himself for a very loud scolding or a very hard slap when she gasped and he couldn’t stop himself from looking up.

She’d caught sight of her dress and was staring at it, her eyes huge and bright with unshed tears. Inching closer, she grasped a fold of the satin and caressed it, then dropped it to trace the beading with her finger.

“Roderick, this...this is…”

When words failed her she turned her luminous gaze on him and he was powerless to look away. He shrugged, hoping she would just leave him to his humiliation if she wasn’t going to yell at him. But she stayed where she was, studying him, and he began to feel hot and twitchy.

After what felt like an eternity she dropped her eyes from his face. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, then marched toward him, her expression determined. Gold clenched his hands into fists, steeling himself for her ire, but she stopped only when the toes of her shoes touched his. She looked up and caught his gaze - they were almost eye-to-eye her heels were so tall - and her entire being softened, her eyes glowing and her skin turning a delicate pink.

He still could not speak.

Slowly, as if giving him time to turn tail and run, she lifted her face to his, closer, so close he could feel her breath tickling his chin, and then her lips were on his and he wasn’t sure whether he was awake or not anymore. The kiss was brief, gentle and sweet, and when she pulled away her eyes were fluttering over his face as if searching for something.

“What’s happening?” he croaked, his voice returning at last.

“I’m not marrying Greg,” she whispered, and moved in for another kiss, but he leaned  away.

“What? Why?”

Her hands were on his shoulders, he realized, and she was squeezing as if trying to ground him, to remind him that she was real. “Because I don’t love him. I never did.”

“Then why did you…”

“You didn’t want me. I mean, I...I thought you didn’t want me. But I was wrong.” Her brow creased and she looked nervous again in the face of his stunned silence. “W-wasn’t I?” He blinked, trying to clear his head and make sense of her words, which were contradictory to everything he’d ever known about their relationship. “If I’ve crossed a line, please just tell me. But I realized tonight that trying on my dress was the last thing I wanted to do, because it was just one more thing that made the wedding real.”

“You’ve had a change of heart, then.”

“No,” Belle sighed, “that’s just it. It’s always been you, Roderick. I’ve always loved you. Greg was just...the guy who asked. And I was sure you never would, so I thought...why not? Then you were so happy for me, and so helpful, and I thought, see I’m right, he doesn’t want me. And then you agreed to make the dress and…”

“You…” That couldn’t be his voice. He cleared his throat and tried again. “You love me?”

Belle nodded. “I’m sorry I didn’t say something sooner. And if you don’t want this, I’ll completely understand, but I…” Her little speech ended in a squeak as he leaned in and caught her lips with his own. Not want this? Not want her? He couldn’t imagine a reality in which that would be possible. He pulled away after a few blissful seconds and took in her flushed cheeks and wide eyes.

“I love you, too,” he said hoarsely.

Throwing her arms around his neck, Belle lunged at him, nearly knocking him off balance. By instinct he wrapped his own arms around her waist in an attempt to keep them upright, but that had the effect of pulling her flush against him, which did nothing for his equilibrium. He maneuvered them so that his back was to his drafting table, and now there was a whole world of possibilities for hands and lips because he didn’t need to worry about toppling to the floor and crushing her.

Gold pulled away just long enough to slant his lips over hers more securely, thrilling when she moaned and her fingers tightened in his hair. His doubts and fears were dissipating like shadows exposed to light. How could he not believe that she wanted him when she was pressing her chest to his, scratching her nails over his scalp, and pulling at his lower lip with her mouth? He pushed his hands under the wool of her coat and dug his fingers into her lower back, pulling her closer still. She gasped, and he dove in again, his tongue dancing with hers and finally gaining dominance, flicking up against the roof of her mouth.

Her hands left his hair and she shrugged out of the coat, which fell to the floor with a dull thump. Slipping her hands under his arms and around to his back, she dragged her lips away from his and pressed a kiss to his jaw, his neck, the hollow of his throat, and then back up again on the other side. He’d never been so glad in his life that he tended to shed his suit jacket and tie when he was working. Her fingers were working at the buttons of his shirt and he was toying with the zipper of her dress when something near their feet began to buzz. He tried to ignore it, but the sound was just low enough to register and whoever was calling was really quite persistent.

“Your phone, sweetheart,” he rasped. She huffed and bent to retrieve it, and Gold drew in great gulps of air, his head whirling from lack of oxygen. Or proximity to Belle. Probably the latter, actually.

“What, Ruby?” she nearly snapped. “Oh, for God’s sake, I’m fine...yes, that kind of fine...yes...yes...no! Look, I’ll call you tomorrow, okay? What do you mean what time? Whenever I get around to it!” She blushed. “Goodbye, Ruby.” She turned the phone off for good measure and looked up at Gold sheepishly. “Sorry. She, uh...she was worried.”

“Or nosy.”

Belle giggled. “That too.”

Gold reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, pulled back out of habit, then followed through with a little thrill when he remembered that she wanted him. He let his hand brush against her cheek for good measure, his heart pounding when she sighed and leaned into his touch.

“So...what now?” Belle asked, sounding just a touch insecure now that things had calmed a bit.

“Well, I need to close the shop,” he pointed out. “Unless Neal had the foresight to do so when he left, which I doubt, and anyway he doesn’t have a key. After that...well it’s a bit late for a proper first date, but…”

Belle smiled meaningfully, and his heart skipped a beat. “I’ve already eaten, and we’ve had our bit of necking. How about a cup of coffee at my place?”

“I...uh...coffee? Or coffee?”

Leaning up, she gave him a quick peck on the lips. “Close the shop and find out.” She headed for the front of the shop, but paused by the dress form. “I really do love this dress,” she said, brushing one hand against the silky skirt. “I...I hope I’ll get a chance to wear it some day.”

He smiled and pulled her into a kiss. “So do I.”

[iggy-of-fans]

Daminette AU idea part 4

I did not think this story would take off like that. Thank you all for your support! I also want everyone to know how difficult this part was for me to write. My Oma (grandmother) suffered from schizophrenia and PTSD, and a lot of Adrien's actions today will be a mirror of what she did or said. I apologize to everyone if this is offensive to you, I am basing this on my own personal experience but this is by far not what the majority of people are like when suffering from any mental health issues. If anybody has any tips for writing this, please message me! 

For better or for worse

The batfam immediately jumped into action, Dick rushes to the penthouse to pick up the Miraculous box, Tim runs to the batcave to locate where they might be, Jason goes immediately for his guns and Alfred transforms on the spot for the first time in 3 decades. Bruce makes sure the rest of the League has their costumes handy, while Barbara calls her father to set up a perimeter preemptively and minimize casualties. Damien holds Marinette close, wanting nothing more than to go get his sword and cut them down now, but not wanting to leave Marinette alone. Diana stands beside her also, looking at Marinette's pale face. She asks her quietly, will you run? Or fight? She says it in a steely voice that pulls Marinette from the tortures of the past and make her consider her surroundings. She will not stand by idly. She MUST protect the Miraculi. And she will not be a useless bystander. Her face still pale but set, she smiles to Diana. Dick chooses that moment to Portal back with the box and Marinette jumps on it, pulling out the Snake for Dick, telling him to transform and put his costume overtop. 

"if anything happens, this will give you a second chance. Use it as often as you need to, but know that you will need to recharge after" she then grabs another miraculous and asks him to pass it to Tim. She grabs the cat and gives it to Damien. "Transform or don't, but make sure that ring is well hidden." she grabs the dragon and calls Tikki to herself, asking her to change the shape. As she's doing that she turns to Diana. "Diana Prince, can I trust you to protect the Miraculous I hand you? Will you make sure that no matter what, this Miraculous will never fall into the hands of darkness and evil?" Diana nodded solemnly. ." I swear". Marinette nodded, picking up the changed Dragon Miraculous and handed Diana the Miraculous she would protect, while she transformed herself. The suit was still mostly black, with a red cape, but the five circles on her Cape and gloves looked slightly different. Damien couldn't place it, but something was different. Diana took her leave to quickly change. Damien turned to Marinette, still reluctant to leave her without a Wayne. Jason came in at that moment, nodding to Damien he then took the rest of the box and and led Marinette to the bat cave. Alfred was on the computer with Oracle already, Tim was trying to figure out how to hide the ears that came with his under costume, listening to the police scanner to see if they had any leads yet. The League was starting to gather and Damien as Robin materialized at Marinette's side. 

"The situation we find ourselves in today is quite different. Few of us are masters at magic, let alone an ancient magic to do with gods. However, this is what we know: Adrien Agreste, former Chat Noir, has lost his mind and is coming here because he saw the Miraculous Cure from Guardian Angel two weeks ago. According to our public source, he wants the Miraculi of the cat and of ladybug to wish back a dead classmate and create a "perfect world" for himself. What that world looks like for the rest of us is anybody's guess, but something I am unwilling to even entertain. With the permission from Guardian Angel we have the use of a few Miraculi at our hands. Angel? Do you have information to pass on?"

" I want everyone to remember that yes, we're dealing with teenagers, but they're not without their dangers. We're not only dealing with the former Chat Noir, but also Rena Rouge. Neither of them were big planners, but Rena Rouge was sharp and observative, and we also know that they have the, unwilling it may be, help from a brilliant strategist and hacker. Max created a sentimental robot at age thirteen and can override street cams and home security. Alya is an aspiring journalist, she spent her every minute since our first appearance tracking us, trying to unmask us. We know from Nino's message that they've got the backing from a metropolis villain, and that Adrien and Alya are more than slightly unhinged. That means there is very little they're NOT willing to do" 

The next 20 minutes were spent planning, they were counting on robots and guns, so they put the more bullet resistant members at the front. The majority would remain back up, protect the Miraculi in the tower, and run interference to keep civilians safe. All the planning in the world would not prepare them for what they met at Gotham City outskirts. 

Nino was worried. He'd seen some weird and nasty things in Paris during Hawkmoth's reign, but the fear he felt now eclipsed it all. Adrien was standing by the window at Luthor corp. He looked serene, a soft smile on his face. But his eyes weren't seeing the Metropolis skyline. They were unfocused and every once in a while he'd nod his head, as if agreeing with a thought he'd just had. His smile would become a smirk, and he would look dangerous, like when he had killed Max's parents. He'd been reluctant at first, Nino could tell. He'd hesitated. But then he'd turned his head, as if hearing something, nodded along, and then done what he had to. He'd turned back to sunshine child in a heartbeat, smiling reassuringly and telling Max that the Miraculous would bring them back, he just had to help them get it. The blood dripping down his shirt made the boy look far more deranged than reassuring. The fact he was looking over Max's shoulder rather than at his face made it even worse. This pattern continued for a while. He'd hesitate, and a bit of the Adrien from the first day of school would shine through, but he'd hear something and he'd do it. He always turned back to the sweet boy next door afterwards, but everytime became easier for him do something atrocious. Fourteen victims later and now he just smiled, as if trying to reassure his victim that they'd be okay. Nino shuddered. What the heck was happening with Adrien? He looked to the other two in the room. 

Alya was glaring at a computer provided to them. She shuddered at Adrien's behaviour as well, but she needed to get revenge. Ladybug had been her hero and then had turned around and had Alya arrested and Lila deported. And Lila could NOT be a liar. Because if Lila was a liar, that meant that Alya had ruined her reputation as a journalist, had fought with and hurt her friend for a nobody. And that was unacceptable. She was a journalist. She was never wrong!.... Except right now, when she was trying to prove Lila's innocence. Now, as she researched all the amazing things Lila had done, all she was finding were the stories she herself posted. And videos debunking each and every claim. Even Lila's mother had stated that they hadn't left Paris once since landing. "Dammit! Lila is not a liar!" Alya screamed at her computer. 

"She won't be when I make my wish" Adrien said, still smiling softly over Alya's head. 

"What do you mean?" Alya's voice was sharp. 

"Nothing" Adrien shook his head. 

"We're ready to proceed" Lex Luther stated from the door, a sick smile on his face.

Max was ready to wet himself. Or have mental breakdown number five. This was insane! How could Adrien think any of this was okay? How could he think the Miraculi would fix all the damage he had done, when there was no proof it even worked outside of magic? Max looked fearfully towards Nino for reassurance, but there had been no reply so far from any heroes. Had they received the message? Were Nino and Max also in trouble by association? What was their plan to help the heroes? Looking out at the elaborate lay out of Luther's hidden base, Max wasn't sure if there was anything they could do. Looking at Nino's pale face and Adrien's serene smile was not at all reassuring.

This is bad, was the collective thought from the members of the League. Usually Luther was a one man (even if that man was Super) job. But this.... How had he gotten so many people under his thumb? When? Staring back at them were the faces of jot only Luther's Army, but all surviving member os the League of Assassins, including Bane, and what looked like Scarecrow. Interspersed were some Luther Tec robots and hired guns.

"OH.... This is much worse than I thought"

Thank you so much for sticking with me so far! The next part will hopefully be out by tonight and then the last part will likely take me a few days between University! Hope you enjoy! I hope I got all the people who asked to be tagged. I'm still learning the ropes but I'm trying my best.

@bookreader20003 @mooshoon @artxyra @spicybelladonna @nyctamaximoff @captainmac6 @fsketchart @2sunchild2 @northernbluetongue @kuroko26 @multishipper1needshalp @ginamarie1512 @blue-peach14 @xxkelsey39

@throneoffirebreathingbitchqueen

[nelvana]

In which preparations are made

First [ARC 1]: In which the human is transformed First [ARC 2]: In which a present is prepared Next: In which another expedition begins Previous: In which a warning is received

    “The Lake Guardians?” Keahi repeated, “after you? Again?”

    Alex let out a sharp hiss, rubbing his forehead with one hand, “dammit…” he groaned, “okay… The Lake Guardians… also worked for Primal Dialga, so they didn’t like us much. That doesn’t explain why they would be upset at us now!”

    “They’re working for Palkia now,” Nelvana told them quietly, wrapping her arms around herself and shaking her head. “I saw… No, okay, we really need to talk to the others. It isn’t even just us two. It’s… Arceus, it’s nearly everyone they’re after.”

    “Do you think Tsuki has started talking to everyone by now?” Keahi asked, glancing back and forth between zir two friends.

    “Hopefully,” Alex muttered.

    “If not, no one should be that far out of town,” Nelvana pointed out, “bring everyone to the base. This is going to be incredibly important to have everyone there. Even those who have been staying at the base but aren’t on the team.”

    “Should we split up to find them?” Keahi suggested, “let’s all find Tsuki first, actually, and see where to go from from there, alright?”

    Nelvana nodded hastily, “yeah, that sounds like a good plan. Okay, let’s go then.”

    Despite the numbers between them only seeming to grow each time they had to gather everyone for one reason or another, it wasn’t terribly challenging to find everyone for this meeting. Tsuki was met outside the café, having rounded back to meet with the other three, so she helped guide them to where everyone else had wandered off to for the morning.

    Ceebee, Gardevoir, Edgar, and Damien had all grouped together in the dojo to train together; Ceebee having mentioned something about bypassing psychic weaknesses with types earlier that morning, and while Tsuki had already left by then, she also mentioned wanting to bring the absol for the next time. They, to some surprise, found Dusknoir with Kangaskhan. While he didn’t admit it, it was clear that he was trying to spend more time with the various townsfolk so that he could grow more comfortable with them and adjust to the cultures of this time.

    Sensing the urgency from the group of four alerting them, everyone was willing to drop their various tasks to meet back up at the team base to discuss whatever new news had been brought to the table.

    The rebuild of this house had been designed for larger groups, but at this point everyone had to silently admit that it was beginning to get crowded trying to fit everyone in the kitchen area of the building together. Nelvana sat on the stool at the head of the island table while the others gathered around it, Alex, Keahi, and Tsuki especially close to her sides as the others that had been around for the recent event. She took in a deep breath as several eyes turned to her, sensing that she would be the one to make this announcement, whatever it was.

    “I had another dimension scream vision,” she began.

    She paused for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts and her breath. She often wasn’t the one at the head of announcements.

    Fortunately, at least, they had explained her ability at the last meeting like this. Dusknoir hadn’t been there, but he was already familiar with the dimensional scream from previous interactions, back in the dead timeline, so she would be able to just move on to what she saw.

    “And I saw… Well, as Tsuki told you all before, Maurice the spinda, Spinda’s nephew and assumed as Baguette’s partner, arrived into town injured. He had a hat, and that’s what I touched to activate the ability,” Nelvana continued, backtracking momentarily to add more context, now seeing some nodding with confirmation.

    She went on to describe what had happened to him. She had seen most of it in her vision, from the point of view of Maurice. It began with him encountering the Lake Guardians and Ditto, and she had been awoken just as Maurice was beginning to flee and the howls of Ditto turning into a houndoom began. It wasn’t too hard to predict what had happened after that; leaving only the question of how he got away.

    “They specified a lot of us as these anomalies,” Nelvana stated, swallowing as she studied the expressions of the rest of the group. “’A time gear thief grovyle, a mislead servant dusknoir, a cursed spirit guide gardevoir, a corrupted celebi ahead of their time-“

    Ceebee bristled, “corrupt? The hell is that supposed to mean?”

    Nelvana shrugged with defeat. Ceebee exhaled, settling down some but crossing her arms with frustration. She nodded silently back to the cubone to finish.

    “And two humans who have taken pokemon form,’” she said, finishing the quote.

    “Two humans?” Damien blurted out, standing up. “How did I get involved in this world balance stuff? Heck, Gardevoir isn’t from the future either, how are-“

    He cut himself off, his own words catching up to him as he glanced over towards Dusknoir, who regarded him with a slightly widened eye.

    “You’re human then too, hm?” Dusknoir questioned.

    “Er, yeah…” Damien muttered, rubbing his forehead before moving on. “But still, by the way that started, I would have assumed this was focused on all of you from the future, but it’s Gardevoir and me too… dammit.”

    “Technically…” Gardevoir spoke up softly. “Technically, we are time travelers as well. Or you are, at least. You are from the past, Damien. And while I did not jump through time as a spirit guide, you did bring me out of my curse a couple hundred years early. That may have to do with it.”

    “That must be it…” Alex murmured, shaking his head almost in a daze, before his expression hardened. “Well, this may be bold to announce right away without knowing much, but I’ll bet Palkia is wrong,” he spat, “if we weren’t meant to be here, we wouldn’t. Gardevoir being mentioned as well helps confirm any suspicions that maybe Dialga messed up, the judge is a third party. Nel, Damien, you both said that Ninetales’ reluctance about breaking the curse had more to do with Damien anyway; she would have stopped you if it would disrupt the world’s balance more.”

    Nelvana nodded slowly, “Maurice said the same sort of thing. Aside from morality, that was what stopped him from going along with the Lake Guardians.”

    “I would have sensed disaster related to you all as well if that were the case,” Tsuki agreed.

    “So, that’s it then? We all agree that there must be something else wrong then,” Keahi spoke up, waiting to see nods before continuing. “Alright then! I had better not hear any of you doubting yourselves then, you hear that? If we’re going to fix this, then we can’t be doubting ourselves!”

    Keahi’s enthusiasm and insistence on the matter rubbed off on everyone, and there were some cheers and laughter after that short speech. Any cheer quickly faded, however, as the matter of the situation settled back in.

    “What next then? I don’t think that we can just stay here trying to search around like we have been,” Edgar said, “we’re gonna need an expedition or something. For information, and so the Lake Guardians don’t just corner us here. They know we’re here.” His voice was strangely firm, yet quiet.

    “If I may.” Dusknoir approached from where he had been leaning against one of the counters at the back of the kitchen. “Dialga would know most about this. They are related to Palkia, and the world’s balance. We should seek them out.”

    Ceebee sighed, “I hate to admit this, but I agree with you. Dialga would be our most solid source on the matter.”

    Nelvana winced slightly and Alex grumbled something under his breath, but neither of them spoke against this idea. Keahi, however, chimed in again.

    “I was thinking we could look over at the guild!” zie suggested, “they may not be as… familiar with the matter as Dialga would be, but they definitely would know a lot. We could also go there for more items, directions, maybe even allies…? They probably have figured something is off by now, so we could exchange ideas.”

    “Those are both good ideas, but…” Gardevoir paused, glancing over at Damien. “You mentioned the judge, and it got me thinking. Since they were able to help bring me back, and Nel you once mentioned that they knew about you, then they must be some… some sort of higher being. Perhaps they would know more on the matter as well.”

    There was a moment of silence, as the three ideas remained the only ones, but no one could think of anything to say that would truly push one ahead of the other. All three had their merits, and would push them closer to their goal.

    “Where is the judge? And the guild?” Dusknoir asked, finally breaking the growing silence.

    “The guild is… Here, we should get a map, I can point it out there,” Keahi responded, nodding towards the bag that Alex still had nearby himself.

    “I’ll get the map we used for our journey too! Ninetales marked on mine,” Damien added, already hopping off his stool and heading over to the bag. “Oh, hey, that does remind me, I have some TMs in here that we could use to prepare ourselves as well for the journey.”

    Alex laid out Team Galaxy’s main map first, some other scrap papers and notes falling out when he unfolded the large page. Many of the little notes were written by either himself or Nelvana, and would be unreadable to most pokemon, though there were some either from before that idea had come back to mind, or simply written by someone who wouldn’t have that option. He carefully swept those extra slips back away into the bag as Nelvana reached out to the table to flatten out the map with her hands.

    “Right up north up there, that’s where the guild is,” Keahi told them, pointing to one of the pre-marked dots on the map.

    “Murky Cave was over here,” Nelvana added, pointing out the location of the dungeon from memory.

    Despite hearing Nelvana say this, Damien brought over his own map anyway and laid it out with the first. It was the same sort of map as Team Galaxy’s, but less marked on yet somehow dirtier and more worn. He pointed out the hole where Ninetales had marked Murky Cave, comparing it to where Nelvana was pointing on the other map.

    “Ah…” Dusknoir rumbled, “this is just a map of this continent…”

    “I’m afraid we haven’t had a need for a world map before,” Tsuki replied.

    “Regardless, if I recall… We would have to head out south to get to the Grass Continent,” Dusknoir continued, reaching out as well to point out the general direction on the map; Nelvana swiftly removing her own hand as he did so.

    “All these locations are really spaced out,” Edgar pointed out.

    “We can’t go to all of them…” Alex mumbled, biting his lip as he stared down at the maps.

    “Or could we?” Ceebee chimed in again, fluttering closer to the rest of the group huddled around the table. “It may sound crazy, but hear me out. Keahi, are there any docks up north by the guild? Preferably towards the east?”

    “Oh, I think so!” Keahi answered, zir eyes flitting around as zie searched for the legend at the bottom of the map, and then for the icon that matched for boats. “Yeah, right over here!” zie exclaimed, moving zir other wing to point out a spot on the edge of the map.

    “Splendid!” Ceebee chirped, “okay, here’s my idea. To get to Dialga, we’ll need to go through Brine Cave, which is on the edge of the continent, towards the west. It will be a bit roundabout since we need to go south to get to the Grass Continent at all, but we could take a ferry down there after visiting the guild,” she explained, “or we could always teleport back to the base after visiting the guild and take a ferry a bit closer south, but on the chance that the Lake Guardians may be waiting there… I’m not quite sure about that. We’d have to see.”

    “What about the judge?” Damien asked.

    “Getting to that, don’t worry!” Ceebee hummed, “I’ll go to the judge! While the rest of you are on your way to the guild. I can fly really fast and skip over all the dungeons and water to get to the island in a day or so, and then go through the dungeon and speak to the judge myself. Then, I can either fly or teleport over to wherever you get to in the meantime, whichever ends up being more convenient for me. I’ll be able to sense you wherever, even if you get too far for telepathy, so you won’t have to worry about leaving me behind.”

    “You’ll go through the dungeon alone?” Damien questioned, “it was pretty bad… and there were a lot of poison-types, you are grass, right?”

    “I am! But I am also psychic, so that’s a type advantage!” Ceebee pointed out.

    “You could use the mobile scarf. We won’t be needing it, even if we have to go through dungeons on the way. There are enough of us that it wouldn’t make that much of a difference,” Nelvana offered.

    “Perfect! That would help a lot, Nel, thanks!” Ceebee replied, grinning widely by this point.

    “I like that idea! I think we’d be able to get through everyone’s ideas, and it makes more sense to visit Dialga last out of all of them, since they would have the more final take on everything,” Keahi exclaimed, “do we all want to do that then?” zie checked, glancing around at the others.

    Alex began nodding slowly, “I think we could make it work, yeah. Do you know how long it should take us to get to the guild, Keahi?”

    “I’m not quite sure… a few days, at least. Especially with a group our size now. We won’t be able to move at the pace we did for the last expedition,” Keahi murmured.

    “About that, then.” Dusknoir narrowed his eyes slightly. “Are we all going? Nine of us is quite the large group, you know.”

    “Says the one who traveled with an army at all times,” Alex hissed under his breath.

    “Well! We might have to fight Palkia, and the Lake Guardians if they catch up to us! Numbers in those sorts of fights wouldn’t be a bad thing,” Edgar pointed out loudly. “I mean… we’ve beat Rayquaza before, but Palkia sounds like a whole other matter…”

    “They are,” Dusknoir agreed, “but if we do not want the Lake Guardians to follow us, we would leave less of a trail if we were a smaller group. Besides, some of us are better in battle than others. We would not want to risk any weaker links slowing us down.”

    Keahi’s feathers puffed up with indignation at the statement, and Alex let out another hiss. While the latter had to silently admit to there being a point to not being tracked, he disliked that Dusknoir would say that in such a way.

    “No one is a weak link!” Keahi snapped, leaning over the table to glare up at Dusknoir with fire in zir eyes. “If someone stays behind, it will be because they want to, not because someone thinks they aren’t battle ready. Even those who don’t fight have their own strengths.”

    “I’ll stay behind,” Gardevoir spoke up, “someone should hold down the base anyway, and even though Dusknoir did put that rather rudely, I am not in the right state for long travels or battling.”

    “H-Hey, I’m sure he wasn’t referring to you in particular. I’m not the best fighter either,” Damien assured her, ears flattened.

    Gardevoir chuckled softly, “it’s alright. I don’t mind either way. I was going to offer in the end anyway; even if we never brought up the idea of someone staying behind,” she responded, “this sort of adventure… feels to be a bit too much for me right now. I still want to settle down some.”

    “Are you sure?” Nelvana asked quietly, her expression softening from under the skulled mask.

    “Yes, I am. Don’t worry, I’ll still be able to communicate through telepathy, at least until you all get too far,” Gardevoir responded, “I’ll keep an eye on the place, and warn you if the Lake Guardians show up.”

    “They are after you too though,” Tsuki reminded her, unable to keep the sudden worry from her own voice.

    “I’ll be surrounded by company. I have faith that I will be safe here,” Gardevoir hummed, “besides, I am just me, just one of us. If they catch wind that you have left, they would likely prefer to go after the larger group before you get away,” she added.

    “If you’re sure then, you could stay back here. We aren’t going to drag you after us or anything,” Alex said, letting out a snicker at his own comment. “Besides, the B Squadron could always stay here too like they did on the last expedition. They would be able to help you out if needed.”

    “Good point,” Keahi responded, nodding slightly as zie slunk back into zir own seat. “Is there anyone else who would rathe stay behind with Gardevoir then? Or is that that?”

    “Er, well, this isn’t be volunteering, more the opposite. I just wanted to clarify before anyone asks, there hasn’t been anything for me to do to help out around town. I think that they wouldn’t mind me helping you all go save the world anyway,” Damien stated.

    “I was wondering about that,” Tsuki replied, “thank you for explaining. We welcome your assistance in this mission.”

    “Oh, thank you!” Damien hummed.

    Past Damien’s explanation, no one responded to Keahi’s question. Even before silence overcame the room again it was clear that no one else would speak up to this. The adamant expressions on the faces of most confirmed that they were determined to go on this journey, for one reason or another.

    “Very well then. We will be a party of eight then,” Keahi announced, “tomorrow morning, we will all set out for the guild, except for Ceebee, who will head in the direction of Murky Cave. We should all meet up again before the guild, then we will arrive at the guild, and then afterwards we will take some sort of ferry down to find Dialga. Gardevoir will stay behind to inform us on news for as long as she can, and take care of the house. Is that our plan?”

    Nelvana nodded, judging the expressions of everyone else before answering, “I believe so. Today we prep then,” she hummed, “do… do you want to announce it to the town, or…?”

    “We shouldn’t have to,” Alex muttered, “they’ll know we went on an expedition soon enough, especially with Gardevoir here if they really have questions. Honestly, telling them in one big meeting in town may do more harm than good. They may panic at the prospect of the end of the world again, and world will spread quickly. We will be able to buy ourselves some extra time if the Lake Guardians don’t realize that we’re on to them,” he explained.

    Tsuki nodded, “that makes sense,” she agreed, “shall we head out to pack then?”

    “Probably. We can make use of Damien’s TMs too while we’re at it,” Nelvana answered, nodding again.

    “Alright, let’s go then!” Edgar exclaimed

    With those words, Edgar spun around and hurried out of the stuffy room by floating directly through the wall to get outside. After a moment, the door opened from the outside and creaked open slightly. Keahi chuckled softly before heading over to the door next, with the rest of the group beginning to follow.

    Stopping by Kangaskhan Storage was the obvious first choice for the team, and thus they began to work on checking through their items on hand, and what they would need for the journey ahead.

    “Are you all off on another journey, dearies?” Kangaskhan questioned, looking over at they spread out their supplies on the ground to look over in front of them.

    “Yeah! We’re going off to the guild,” Keahi told her, keeping in mind what Alex said about not wanting this to be big news, but also not wanting to lie.

    “That’s nice! It’s a long way though, make sure to pack lots of food and water,” Kangaskhan replied, “it has also been getting chillier lately, so if you have room in your bags, please try packing some blankets or warm clothing, just in case!”

    “We’ll keep that in mind, thanks mom,” Tsuki purred.

    Dusknoir glanced over towards the absol and kangaskhan, “’mom’? You aren’t even in the same egg group.”

    “Oh, shut it, as if you’d know what family is like,” Alex snapped, not even bothering to look up at this point.

    Kangaskhan frowned, “Alex! That wasn’t very polite.”

    Alex still didn’t look up, nor did he say anything in response at this point. Kangaskhan let out a sigh.

    “Alright, so I’ve got protect, earthquake, frustration, and thunderbolt here,” Damien announced, for the first time laying out the TMs he had collected back in Murky Cave. “Oh, at the bottom of the bag there’s toxic too. I actually already used that on myself though… do you have recycle yet?”

    “No, we don’t…” Keahi sighed, “that would be nice though, we have a few used TMs sitting around.”

    “Shame you got frustration and not return; we could have all made use out of return!” Edgar commented, “still, the rest are all pretty good!”

    “Earthquake risks hitting all of us, but you could still benefit by learning it, Nel,” Alex pointed out while he continued to handle most of the rest of the supplies with Tsuki. “It would be a good move if we get split up, or just need a good, strong, last minute move and can risk the team recoil.”

    “Hm… yeah, I guess I’ll take that then if no one else wants it,” Nelvana murmured, already reaching for the mentioned TM to look it over.

    “Protect could be used by any of us… so who gets that?” Edgar asked.

    “We may have to come back to that one later. You’ll probably get it though, since most of the rest of us are more of strikers,” Keahi answered, “how about thunderbolt though? Who could learn that?”

    “I could, but I would rather not,” Tsuki chimed in, “ice beam is the only special move I would want to make use of. If no one else can learn it though, I will take it for the type coverage.”

    “I believe that Damien should be able to learn it,” Dusknoir pointed out, “you are a special attacker, as you’ve said, after all. You would benefit most by having it.”

    “Oh yeah, of course! Damien, you should learn thunderbolt!” Keahi chirped, nudging the disc closer to the gengar with a foot.

    He hesitantly took it, before nodding. He and Nelvana both took the TMs that had been selected for them, and after a few moments, the resounding sound of cracking confirmed the item being used and the pair’s new moves being gifted to them.

    It was then that footsteps could be heard approaching, and with everyone turning their heads they could see four of the five members of the B Squadron making their way over to join the rest of Team Galaxy. Baguette was missing from the group.

    “BZZ BZZ! THERE YOU ALL ARE. WE HAD BEEN WONDERING WHERE YOU HAD GONE. WE HAD THOUGHT THAT YOU WOULD BE BACK AT THE CAFÉ,” Rayden greeted, continuing to float over until he was just beside Edgar.

    “Oh, we apologize for any confusion,” Tsuki replied, “we had a meeting, and are now preparing for a journey. We meant to tell you soon.”

    “A journey? Where to?” Bobo asked from his perch up on Hiram’s shoulder.

    “We’re going to the guild!” Keahi answered, then pausing. “And then… to Dialga. We’re going to get to the bottom of what’s going on with the world’s balance. We may not be back for awhile,” zie continued in a hushed voice.

    “We’re trying to keep a low status on it though for now, don’t want to raise any unnecessary alarm,” Alex added.

    Hiram huffed, but nodded, “that makes sense. This town can be prone to panicking, from what we’ve seen,” he agreed.

    “Would you like us to stay at the base again?” Pearl asked, “it may be best for us for the moment anyway; Baguette is terribly worried about Maurice there.”

    “So, they are partners then?” Edgar asked, “why did they split up before…? I think I forgot, if I heard about it at all. Did it happen before I joined the team?”

    Pearl chuckled softly, “I’m not sure if you got the news. It isn’t exactly something we feel the need to bring up often. Maurice went on a mission of his own, searching for the source of a special feather he found. He must have finished that and been on his way here before…”

    “Yeah…” Keahi sighed, and then shook zir head. “Well, you answer your question, yeah you can stay at the base! It would probably help a lot, actually. Gardevoir will be staying there, but you can always keep her company,” zie told them.

    “YOU ARE?” Rayden turned to look over at Gardevoir, who nodded and waved back at him. “OH! BZT!”

    Gardevoir nodded, “yes, I am. I wanted to stay back here; still not quite up for the big adventures yet,” she giggled, “you’re still welcome to stay at the base, of course. It’ll probably be a bit lonely otherwise.”

    “Yeah! We’d love to hang out with you, Gardevoir!” Bobo chirped.

    “The guild’s up north, right?” Hiram asked, focusing on the initial topic. “How many dungeons will you have to run into on the way?”

    “I’ll need to double check with a map, but hopefully not many!” Keahi answered, standing up and shaking out zir feathers. “I know Howling Forest is one though, we might have to go through Pitfall Valley too depending on the quickest path to the guild.”

    Hiram nodded slowly, and then turned towards Rayden, “hey, you should show them what we just got. It’ll probably help them out a lot.”

    “HM? OH, RIGHT! I HAD ALMOST FORGOTTEN!” Rayden exclaimed, “I THINK I STILL HAVE IT ON ME…”

    “It’s stuck to the back of your left magnet!” Bobo directed, pointing towards the mentioned limb with one foreclaw.

    “BZZ! BZZ! THANK YOU, BOBO!”

    Twisting the other magnet around back, Rayden detached the item from his left magnet so that he could hold it for the others to see. It was another TM disc, the number “67” visibly marked into the silvery record. It took a moment for the number to be pieced together mentally as to what actual move could be learned with that TM, but soon eyes began lighting up from the A Squadron.

    “That’s recycle!” Keahi exclaimed, “where did you guys get it? That’s really useful!”

    “Kecleon stopped us just now on our way in to give it to us,” Pearl explained, “he said that he knew Rayden could learn it, and said we could take it for free if we use it to repair some of their TMs for reselling.”

    “I HAVE NOT GOTTEN TO LEARNING IT YET SINCE WE HAD BEEN IN A HURRY, BUT I COULD NOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE,” Rayden offered.

    “That would be really good,” Damien replied, “we were actually just talking about that sort of thing, good timing.”

    Nodding to them, Rayden moved to place the TM on the side of his head. Like with other TMs, after a few moments it audibly cracked. Unlike most other TMs, however, it broke completely into several pieces, dropping to the ground as Rayden let out a static shriek of alarm.

    “BZT! WAS… WAS THAT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN? BZZ BZZ,” Rayden questioned warily.

    Kangaskhan glanced over to them, and offered the magnemite a comforting smile, “yes, it does do that. Do not worry, you did nothing wrong. Recycle is the only TM that can never been recycled. It’s strange how that works, but nothing has come up yet as a way to get around that.”

    “OH. THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME KNOW. BZZT,” Rayden replied, magnets sagging to his sides with relief.

    Tsuki, who had been just talking to Kangaskhan before, turned her attention more to the conversation being held. Piecing together what was being talked about, she collected the team’s used TMs that they already had and gave them to the group currently handling that. After receiving thanks, she went back to her own conversation with her mother.

    “Alright, so now we have all of Damien’s TMs, and then flamethrower, brick break, and calm mind!” Keahi announced, looking over the growing pile.

    “I WILL BEGIN TO PRACTICE MY NEW MOVE!” Rayden declared, floating over to the discs.

    “Ooh, did someone say calm mind?” Ceebee fluttered over to join the rest of the group, Gardevoir following behind her. “We could both learn that!”

    “I think Tsuki actually could too, would go well with her ice beam,” Damien commented, biting his lip.

    “I can learn calm mind?” Tsuki repeated, her attention regained at being directly mentioned.

    “Yeah, I think so,” Damien replied, “it would be worth seeing, since you have a special move.”

    “Well, once Rayden figures out recycle, anyone can learn any move we have laying around here, so there’s no waste or anything,” Nelvana added, “just whoever wants to learn it first, might as well go ahead. It’s one of the only ones left unused right now.”

    “I’ll go ahead and take it then,” Ceebee hummed, taking the TM in her hands and going to make use of it.

    It took another few minutes after this for the first TM to get repaired, but once Rayden figured out how to use it the first time, it didn’t take long for him to get in the swing of using the move.

    “Alright, once protect is ready or whatever, I think every one of us can learn it, so we should,” Alex instructed as he finished up rationing out the food for the expedition.

    “Sounds good!” Keahi agreed.

    “Actually, I’m not sure who exactly can learn flamethrower, but I think Nel should try learning it,” Damien suggested.

    Nelvana frowned, “me? How come?”

    “He’s got a point,” Alex responded, glancing up. “You won’t be able to use it much in general, but it’ll help cover your grass and ice weaknesses in a pinch.”

    “Ah, that is true. I didn’t think of that…” Nelvana murmured, “and Alex, you should be able to learn brick break, you should learn that too...”

    Ideas continued circling around the team, the discs themselves being passed around the group as well with the sounds of cracking and then repairing going ‘round as they made as much use out of the TMs as they could.

    “Should we really be learning so many moves?” Tsuki questioned as the protect TM was passed over to her. “It is not simple to be efficient in several moves.”

    “That is true, but we aren’t learning these to be perfect in all of them,” Alex responded, “we’re learning most of these just in case. I doubt we’ll all really need protect for example, and get good at using it, but just in case,” he explained.

    Tsuki nodded at this answer, leaving the question at that and learning the move for herself before passing it back over to Rayden to repair.

    While the B Squadron got their share of learning new moves, and A Squadron went over what Alex had planned for them to pack, adding and removing items as they saw fit. Ceebee gathered a small sac with some smaller items for herself, in advance for her separate journey from the others.

    Eventually though, they had finished what they needed to do at Kangaskhan Storage, and began cleaning up. Returning all their items they didn’t actually need, and making sure there wasn’t any shards left on the ground from the recycle TM breaking.

    “Alright, we can store all the TMs now too, right?” Nelvana asked Kangaskhan, passing over the last of the extra apples back over the counter.

    Kangaskhan nodded, “of course dearies! And since these aren’t cracked anymore, you will even be able to access them through the statues.”

    “That’s great!” Keahi chirped, hopping up to stand beside zir partner. “You never know when you need a spare TM!” zie hummed.

    “Do we need frustration though?” Alex pointed out, “Damien, you did mention that was one you had, right? We could just sell that one for some extra coins.”

    “Well, I would, but I can’t actually find it anymore…” Damien muttered, searching on his hands and knees through the grass.

    “I thought you put it back in your bag,” Nelvana commented.

    “I thought so too…” Damien sighed, sitting back up and brushing off his arms.

    Dusknoir approached the gengar, and held out his hand. Damien eyed it warily, and then relaxed as he saw that the larger pokemon was just holding out the missing TM to him.

    “Oh, thanks,” Damien told him, accepting back the item.

    He frowned as he looked it over. The TM for frustration was cracked, used.

    “If we’re done here, we should move on to prepare more elsewhere,” Dusknoir mumbled, already starting down the path.

    The rest of the group merely watched him leave at first, before they all scrambled back to their feet, ready to move on to the rest of their preparation for the journey. There wasn’t much left to do for now, but it would be good to make a couple more stops before considering themselves ready for the next day.

    “He used that TM, didn’t he? That’s why he had it,” Alex asked Damien in a mutter.

    Damien nodded, “I don’t get why though. Even if he doesn’t like us much, isn’t his plan to stay with Dialga once we get there? He doesn’t hate them.”

    “There’s more to the move than that,” Edgar pointed out quietly as he passed the other two by, and then continued on ahead of them without another word.

First [ARC 1]: In which the human is transformed First [ARC 2]: In which a present is prepared Next: In which another expedition begins Previous: In which a warning is received

[atrainernamedradish]

Starter Tier List

This concept was done by a Poketuber by the name of Aura Guardian. I liked the idea of it so much that I did my own version of a few weeks ago while I was “watching” the video.

While most tier lists are based off of skill this one is based off of pure opinion. It will be ranked like your typical American grading system of A-F while adding in SSS Rank like you find in a lot of Japanese games using rank.

Rank F - Sceptile

This is the weakest Gen 3 starter for me. There is nothing I like about it., well maybe except its shiny. I don’t find Treeko cute/cool, despite my fondness for The Mystery Dungeon series I don’t like Grovyle’s design, and Sceptile (nor Mega Sceptile) appeals to me. There are better grass starters.

Emboar

Tepig is cute. That’s the ONLY reason this line is higher than the previous one.

Greninja

(I am about to get SO much backlash for this!)

I am going to have to go with Ace Trainer Liam here and say that Frogadier looks so much better than Greninja. Not only is Greninja so awkward looking but I hate its level up moveset! Originally I thought it had no business being a dark type, but honestly I’m feeling this way towards its water typing. You can argue this for its dark typing, but the ONLY reason it’s a water type is because it’s a frog (and maybe it being blue...). And unless you’re running a Protean ability Greninja than the damn thing is not that good! In my playthrough of Y with Greninja (I like to play with a starter to give it a chance) it was the weakest member on my team! My Aromatisse was far more viable and it’s not even on a competitive radar!

Charizard

Charmander is cute. I have fond memories of the anime with the entire line. I can understand why Charizard is a fan favorite. But I don’t like the way Charmeleon looks, and there are better fire starters. Sorry Charizard. Nice shiny though!

Rank D - Chesnaught

Generation 6 had some of the weakest starter designs I’ve ever seen. While Chesnaught appeals to me... the rest of the line not so much. Ironically Chespin was my reluctant pick for Gen 6, and I say this because the first evolutions are underwhelming, but a certain unnamed starter from this trio took its place.

Meganium

This starter line is okay. That’s the only reason why it is where it is on the list. I have nothing bad nor good to say about it. It’s not my favorite or despised either.

Infernape

Infernape looks pretty badass. It’s pre-evolutions I honestly don’t care for. Plus it has better competition in this trio.

Rank C - Feraligatr

Totodile is cute. Feraligatr is pretty badass. Croconaw... dear God that thing is ugly lol! It’s resonates better than the Meganium line and that;s why it’s higher on the list.

Swampert

It has a solid design and typing. It’s am automatic secondary pick for the trio it’s in.

Incineroar

This starter has come a loooong way! I initially despised this entire line! But after bonding with it I have a new found perspective of it. Unfortunately Litten is still unappealing to me, but I blame the 3D model. I though Torrecat was pretty damn ugly upon its reveal, but Pokemon Refresher showed how cute it was~ I also adore its sassy personality~ Incineroar grew on me as well. I used to find its design horrendous but then I figured out what about it I loathed, and that my friends... is its hands! They look cartoony being way too big on the Pokemon and it looks like it had all fingers instead of fingers and a thumb. Other than that... it has great charisma and I’m glad I gave the line a chance~!

Blastoise

There are not enough good middle stage evolutions for starters, and by God Wartortle is sooo adorable~! The ears just slay me~ But aside from my gushing Blastoise has a well designed water starter line. It;s not my favorite but I have nothing bad to say about it.

Rank B - Samurott

Oshawott was an easy choice for me among the Gen 5 starters. It was adorable and it won my heart instantaneously~! The final evolution in the form of Samurott wasn’t my favorite at first, but it’s grown on me~ Just wish the move pool was a little better... (Also! It should have had fighting not Goddamn Emboar! D<)

Serperior

Sassy and cute things are my weakness and Snivy was no exception to that rule. While I’m not a big fan of the middle evolution in this line, it doesn’t waver its place on this list. At some point I will use a Serperior to better appreciate this Pokemon.

Torterra

While I have not officially used one in the official Pokemon games I never realized how badly I needed the dual typing of grass and ground. Grotle was a God send in Pokemon Glazed for that stupidly overpowered first gym! (The game was great but for fuck sake the beginning of it was a pain in the ass for no reason other than that dumb idea that harder = challenging!) Torterra is a beast and one day I will finally add it to an official playthrough~

Empoleon

While I love the unique typing this final evolution has... sonavabitch do I hate the fact that it’s weak to a type it should be able to take out...! To be honest I’m not a fan of the middle evolution. It looks super awkward and doesn’t fit in with the cuteness of Piplup and the regalness of Empoleon. But in generation 4 there isn’t a contest for starters when you have such an adorable little starter who becomes something that classy and badass!

Rank A - Delphox

Fennekin was my least favorite of the first evolutions for the Gen 6 trio. While it’s still not my favorite in design, in fact, all the Gen 6 starters are unappealing to me, I adore what it becomes. Just like Torterra the unique typing of fire and psychic is desirable combination I didn’t realize I wanted (I know Victini has it but I don’t use legendaries)~ While I have used one in Pokemon X my official introduction to this Pokemon was in a fanmade game called Pokemon Insurgence (it is an amazing game which I highly recommend to any Pokemon fan), which may it and the other Delphox R.I.P. since they both perished in my egglocke 3;= While Braixen is the best designed out of the line Delphox isn’t half-bad~ That model cry though... *shudders*

Primarina

Popplio was kinda cute when first revealed. When Primarina was leaked I instantly fell in love with it~ ...Brionne... well... I hate it initially. I thought it was goofy looking upon its reveal. HOWEVER, Pokemon Refresher changed my mind so fast on that! Brionne is still awkward looking but in an adorable way now. It makes my heart melt~ I simply love Primarina and he was the star of my Ultra Moon playthrough~!

Venusaur

That’s right ya’ll, I’m a Bulbasaur fan! I chose easy mode and ain’t lookin’ back! What can I say about this dinosaur plant thing...? It’s just so cute~! And grass types are in my top 5 favorite types. While Ivysaur is a bit meh for me I can tolerate it better than other middle starter evolutions. Venusaur is just a huge more mature Bulbasaur with a big of toad in him now and sometimes all you need is for the little guy to just get a bit bigger, ya know?

SSS Rank - Blaziken

There’s no competition when it comes to playing Hoenn for your’s truly. I picked Torchic in my first playthrough of Ruby and I did the same when I picked up Omega Ruby. The only reason this starter choice is on the low end of the top is because of Combusken. I don’t hate the design but I don’t love it. To be honest I prefer Mega Blaziken’s design to normal Blaziken, but Blaziken is love none the less~<3

Decidueye

It took me FOREVER to pronounce this little shits name! But despite that lol, I simply adore this entire line~! I was Team Rowlet the moment I saw the little guy~<3! It is just so insidiously adorable, and the anime has not helped (need to actually watch it, but thanks to screen shots/GIFs none the less lol)! I don’t care what anyone says I love Dartrix~! He’s so cute and sassy and oh my God his freaking out over his hair just... *bemoans*! I love it...! Decidueye was the other starter leak I fell in love with. It’s just so cool looking and it fits with the rest of the line~ The entire line is just cute and cool and Gen 7 really had some good starter designs~ But even something so cute and cool as the Rowlet line was still beaten in the end...

TYPHLOSION

Cyndaquil is my favorite starter of all times. Pokemon Silver to this day, and that includes awesome remakes, is my favorite Pokemon game! And when I initially got the game as a pre-teen up to when the games were ported to the virtual console Cyndaquil was always my choice for a starter in Johto. Sadly I had fallen out of Pokemon for a brief time so I missed out on Heart Gold & Soul Silver (ROMs don’t count dammit lol!)... Cyndaquil is just the cutest thing while Quilava is both cute and cool with Typhlosion just being such a BAMF! The entire line proves that you can be simplistic and still have a good design. All Cyndaquil did was get bigger and meaner and it works~! And that’s why it’s on the top~! ^v^

[rmoart]

Telepathy, an abandoned Naruto fanfic

2008-2009

A fic I started writing as a result of talking with a friend who was similarly into Naruto, and with whom I RP’d a horrendous amount of rather dubious content. Putting it here because the whole experience was a Learning Curve.

Chapter 1 - News Inuzuka Tsume stood before the Hokage, awaiting his news for her.

           The chuunin who had delivered the Sandaime’s request had informed her that the matter was urgent and concerned her family. Now her pack instinct was making her fidgety; the presence of another ninja was not soothing her at all, especially since he was from a foreign village.            Sarutobi noticed her restlessness, and decided to be as brief as reasonably possibly.            “Tsume-san, I have called you here both to inform you of news and to give you a mission of sorts. An envoy,” he said, glancing at the shinobi standing quietly at the window, “from the Hidden Mist has come to ask the Hidden Leaf to take in a child.” He drew a piece of paper from one of the ever-present piles on his desk, scanned it, and then looked up after confirming something. “Your aunt married into the Ogawa family, a Hidden Mist clan.” It wasn’t a question. “I’m sorry to inform you that the last of the Ogawa nin was killed in action a month ago; your cousin, Miharu.”            Tsume’s eyes widened as she slammed her hands down on his desk, disturbing one of the piles. “What? How did this happen? Even jounin need highly advanced specialised jutsu to detect them when they’re on the evasive! And Miharu… Miharu was one of the best, dammit!” Sarutobi observed that her nails were digging slightly into the wood.            Nodding tiredly, Sarutobi locked his fingers together, leaning his chin heavily on them. “While I am less familiar with the clans of the other villages than our own, I am curious as to how so many members of the clan were killed within such a short timeframe.”            “How short?” Tsume asked.            “Three months.”            Tsume spun to look at the Mist shinobi, who hadn’t even turned from the window as he spoke. “Three months?”            “Three months.”            “But… that’s over thirty nin! Who can kill that many in just three months?”            “We don’t know. We suspect that it may be someone, or a group of people with specialised tracking jutsu,” he answered, finally looking over his shoulder at Tsume, who growled as she realised his implication, “or those with doujutsu.” The shinobi locked eyes with Sarutobi, who nearly let a pained look flicker across his face. He was fully aware that the Hidden Leaf was home to two of the ‘Three Doujutsu’: the Byakugan and the Sharingan. “However,” the shinobi continued, “we do not believe that the Hidden Leaf is responsible. A... a rogue nin is the most likely candidate.”            Although Sarutobi was highly relieved that a political situation involving the two villages would not occur, he did not fail to notice the man’s reluctance to elaborate on the identity of the rogue nin.            The shinobi then turned to face Tsume, who still looked irritated. “Inuzuka-san, a child – about six years of age – has been left unscathed. As her closest living relative, I must ask if you would take her in, at least until she becomes a genin. At that point, which village she joins and her further training will be discussed. Can I ask you to do that?”            Tsume didn’t even hesitate to nod. “An orphaned pup of the extended Inuzuka pack needs help; I would be nothing if I did not uphold that.”            The shinobi bowed. “Many thanks, Inuzuka-san. I will ensure that the girl is prepared to leave the village in seven day’s time,” he said. He then bowed to Sarutobi, and turned to leave.            “Wait,” Tsume said. He paused in the doorway at Tsume’s request. “What should I know about the girl, and how come it too a whole month for you to approach the Inuzuka clan?”            The shinobi didn’t turn as he answered. “Her name is Ogawa Datsuko, and she is the daughter of Ogawa Shun and Ogawa Miharu. She is six years old, and appears to have inherited the family kekkei genkai very strongly. The reason we did not make contact as soon as we knew of Miharu’s death is because we only found out that she existed two weeks ago, when she submitted, in surprisingly good handwriting, a benefits form concerning her new status as an orphan of ninja parents.”            Tsume stared open-mouthed at the back of his head for a moment, and then regained her composure. “Didn’t know she existed? How?”            Shrugging, the shinobi answered, “Nin aren’t registered on the village documents until they start their education, and the Ogawa clan prefer not to declare children to the civil authorities. And I’m sure you, of all people, know how hard it is to find them without their approval.” With that, he left.            Tight-lipped, Tsume turned to Sarutobi. She looked distinctly like she wanted to maul the indifferent shinobi. “Weren’t aware of her existence,” she said angrily.            “Tsume…”            She sighed. “I’m sorry, Hokage-sama. I will leave to make preparations for… Datsuko’s arrival, and then in two days I will leave for Kirigakure.” She bowed, and then left the room, fists clenched and still muttering.            Sarutobi looked after her sympathetically, and wished that the village felt the same way about a certain, small blond boy.

Chapter 2 - Orphan Tsume and her nin-dog, Kuromaru, were met by the same shinobi a week later after they had registered their presence in Kirigakure. He gave them an address and directions, which Tsume declined when she realised that the address was her late cousins’ house, which she had visited before. A chuunin was to meet her there, with a packed and prepared child.            She briskly walked through the village, chilly and misty as usual, and ignored the strange looks she and her massive companion received. When an over-zealous genin challenged her right to be in the village, she calmly explained that she was carrying out a mission for the village, and pushed past the stunned girl.            On turning onto the street where the Ogawa compound was located, Tsume immediately focused on the fidgety chuunin standing by the entrance. As she strode up, he looked distinctly relieved.            “Inuzuka-san?”            “That’s me.”            “Thank Kami. The child is ready to go, as per orders.”            Tsume glanced around. “And where would she happen to be?”            The chuunin jumped and looked alarmed. “She’s not here? Oh crap, ah… umm…”            A slight tug on the leg of her shorts prompted Tsume to look down.            She struggled to keep her eyes focused on the child as she tried to take in the details, and crouched down, placing a hand on her head to help reduce the effects of the kekkei genkai.            Plain. Brown hair, slightly tangled. Green eyes. Pale skin, grubby in places. There were a few small stains on the black top and navy shorts she wore. Tsume sniffed, and realised that there was a confused smell of dirt and soap, where the girl had tried as well as she could to keep herself clean.            “Hi, Datsuko,” Tsume said. “I’m Inuzuka Tsume, and I’m the cousin of your parents. Sorry for not noticing you down here!” She laughed. “My pack will be looking after you from now on.” The girl regarded her silently, but she got a sense of acknowledgement from her. The she looked up at the chuunin, irritation on her features. “Who’s been looking after her?”            The chuunin shrugged.            Tsume growled at him, and then took one of Datsuko’s hands. “Come on, Datsuko. If I start ignoring you, make sure you get my attention, okay?” The girl did not respond, but dutifully followed her new guardian as they left behind the Ogawa compound and the village of her birth. * Tsume had managed to lose track of the girl at least once a day, even on the boat from the Mist Country, and was certain that if she hadn’t asked Kuromaru to carry her, Datusko would have been left wandering until she found either civilisation or death.            It wasn’t that she meant to.            That was the Ogawa kekkei genkai.            Gimantekimuu. Deceptive existence.            It rendered the person virtually invisible. Technically, they were still visible, but for the most part they were simply another face in the crowd, or nothing worth noticing. The eye, or indeed any other sense, seemed just to pass over them unintentionally. A reverse-doujutsu as such.            It was also impossible to completely deactivate.            This made it difficult to focus on any members of the Ogawa clan, even when they reduced the strength of the jutsu. Physical contact was necessary for most to focus on them for any length of time. This had lead to them developing jutsu that allowed these barriers to be broken to individuals, although Tsume had no knowledge of what they were, how they worked or whether Datsuko had mastered any of them. At the least, it certainly seemed that she hadn’t, or was choosing to refrain from using them.            The girl had only spoken out of politeness, to answer yes or no questions or to thank her. She hadn’t answered any of the questions of a personal nature, but listened courteously when Tsume filled the silences with chatter about her own pack, especially about her own two pups: Hana, who was twelve, was about to graduate from the academy, and showed a lot of promise in working with the dogs of the family, possibly even medically; and Kiba, who was boisterous and loud but was a good kid at heart, and was a few months older than Datusko.            On returning to Konohagakure, they reported in to the Hokage, and he welcomed Datsuko to the village. She had bowed respectfully and thanked him, but otherwise remained silent. Afterwards, they returned to the Inuzuka household, where Tsume had almost immediately given her a bath to get rid of the dirt that had accumulated on their way back from Kirigakure, in addition to that already on her. Then she had changed her clothes, been introduced to the dogs, who after sniffing her once ignored her, and was then shown to the room she would be sharing with Hana. It was as Tsume was about to leave Datsuko to fully unpack her few belongings that the girl spoke unprompted for the first time.            “Tsume-obasama.” Tsume turned in the doorway, surprised that Datusko was speaking. “Please, you and your family don’t need to use your chakra up to look for me all the time. Even Otousan couldn’t find me sometimes. If… if you can make sure that there’s food and … ne-necess- things I need, then I can look after myself.” The tiny girl looked deadly serious, and it was hard to believe that she was only just six years old.            Tsume smiled. “I’ll try to look after you better than that, but if I don’t and you need something, just make sure you get my attention, okay?” The girl thought for a moment, and then nodded. “Dinner’s at seven,” Tsume told her, and then left, closing the door behind her.

Chapter 3 – Settling In Tsume, unintentionally, did not look after her better than that.            This left Datsuko to her own devices for the majority of the time, which she was perfectly content with. She spent the days before she was to be enrolled in the academy wandering the village and the surrounding areas, completely unhindered by any.            She had learnt a long time ago about her family's kekkei genkai, Gimantekimuu, and accepted its repercussions quite happily. Her mother had recently begun to teach her about consciously controlling the strength of the jutsu and how to overcome the barriers it produced, ready for schooling, when she had been killed in action.            Datsuko had also been aware of the dangers of the ninja life for a long time, and although it had shocked her somewhat, she had coped with the death of her entire family. Unsure of what to do, she had investigated, and discovered Kiri's benefits system for orphans. Although the offices had been in chaos and confusion due to the mysterious disappearance of the Mizukage, she had been able to acquire, unnoticed as usual, a form and laboriously fill it in. Two days after she had submitted it, a jounin showed up on the doorstep, and things had gone from there.            She was very grateful to Tsume for taking her in. After all, no one else would have looked after her, or made sure she had an education. There was only so much that she could teach herself. The fact that the family ignored her for the most part didn't really bother her much. Hiding from the dogs was good practice at controlling her Gimantekimuu. And it was as Datsuko wandered around unnoticed that two incidents occurred that piqued her interest. 0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0            The first was the case of a small blond boy.            On her second full day in the village, she had been working to memorise the streets and shops in the centre of Konoha, and as she had been making her way down the main street when the people around her had started turning their heads and whispering to each other. Hearing comments like, "It's that boy," and, "Darling, keep away from him," Datsuko slipped through the crowd to see what the fuss was about.            A tiny, obviously neglected blond boy trudged down the street. Every time he heard and identified the speakers, he shot an angry scowl at them, causing them to recoil.            Datsuko blinked in confusion at the reactions of the villagers. This was just some kid!            "Who is that boy?" someone behind her asked.            "You don't know? That's Uzumaki Naruto, and he's a cursed brat. He's the-"            "Haruhi, you know we're forbidden by law to talk about that!"            "Fine. But so you know, stay away from him; he's dangerous."            The blond – Naruto – glared at the three talking, and he muttered under his breath. "Well, lady, one day I'm gonna be Hokage, so you can shut up." As his eyes passed over Datsuko, she gave him a smile; but, like everyone else in the village she had seen so far, he didn't even register her existence, and carried on down the street, hands in his pockets.            Datsuko sighed, for once wishing that the Gimantekimuu could be deactivated entirely, and trotted onwards, mulling over reasons for the strange behaviour of the people towards this apparently harmless, under-fed boy. 0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0            The second incident involved her discovery of one of the doujutsu kekkei genkai in Konoha.            She had been very pleased to find that Konoha had a river and a lake, and on finding the small pier, had made it her favourite place to sit after meandering around the area.            It was the last day of March, the day before the induction of new students to the academy. She was sat on the end of the pier, cooling her feet in the water – Konoha was too warm compared to Kiri – when footsteps came their way towards her. She thought nothing of it, expecting whoever it was to ignore her. She was quite surprised when they stopped and a voice asked her petulantly, "Who are you? You're sitting in my spot." Startled that she had been noticed, Datsuko turned to see a small boy, around her age, with dark eyes and hair spiked back. He looked comically annoyed, glaring at her with his arms crossed and tapping a foot on the wooden boards of the pier. The other was bound with a wet cloth around the ankle, like he'd injured it. "Well?" he asked.            She stared at him for a moment, and then turned to pick up her shoes. "My name is Ogawa Datsuko," she said, standing up and flicking the water off her feet. "I'm sorry for taking your place, but I'm new here, and I didn't realise." She slipped on her shoes, and bowed apologetically. "I'll go away."            Suddenly on a whim, she decided to try of one of the jutsu her mother had taught her. She briefly touched his arm as she walked past him. // You have good eyes… Uchiha Sasuke. ... See you in school tomorrow. //            Then, as his eyes widened, she increased the strength of the Gimantekimuu, and walked away.            Sasuke was left on the pier open-mouthed as he looked around trying to see the strange girl who had just spoken to him.            With her mind. 0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0            That evening, Datsuko wondered about the boy as she lay in bed. She had heard of both of the village's doujutsu kekkei genkai, although she only knew of them through a children's rhyme taught to the Ogawa children. "Facing white eyes that see through all, Don't think yourself safe behind your deceptive wall. The owners of these can see you and I, The possessors of the Byakugan eye. Facing red eyes and black tomoe, Run away, flee away, speed away, hide away, Even we, to them, will be no surprise, The possessors of the Sharingan eyes."            It was supposed to be a warning that there were those who could see through the Gimantekimuu. However, further details of the users, such as the clans with the abilities, and tactics to combat them weren't taught until genin level, and then by a senior Ogawa nin.            That probably wasn't going to happen.            It was also the first time that she'd tried to use the jutsu on someone out of the family. The concept was simple.            If the senses didn't send messages to the brain confirming the existence of something, then the obvious way to communicate was to bypass the senses entirely and go straight to the mind. The simplest method was to create a dispelling seal on the body of the user, activated by contact with another, and send messages through the chakra system. Information and messages on the chakra system could also be read. There were variants that increased in complexity and effectiveness, but those were going to have to be self-taught.            Datsuko sighed, and tried to go to sleep.

Chapter 4 – Enrolment Ceremony The next morning, Datsuko followed Tsume and Kiba to the academy for the enrolment ceremony. Because Tsume was now her legal guardian, she was acting as the family member for both children. Kiba was bouncing up and down like he was high on sugar, gabbling on about how he was going to be the best ninja the Inuzuka clan had ever had, and how he'd help the pack by being so awesome, and how he'd outdo Hana, and how he'd make his mum proud, and… Datsuko merely smiled at his antics, already completely used to the loud, rash but well-intentioned boy. He hadn't sensed her presence once – apart from when the two were forced to shake hands at introductions – unlike that Uchiha boy…            They turned into the academy, and Tsume checked off both Kiba and Datsuko's names on the list of entrants; even if the others couldn't sense Datsuko, Tsume had activated her hanajutsu, and knew that she was there. The chuunin looking after the list blinked, as he only saw one child, but waved Tsume on.             As Datsuko took her place in the playground, she took the opportunity to look around at the other entrants to the academy. They were lined up in alphabetical order, in nine lines of ten students. She was standing near the back of the fifth line, behind a bored-looking boy who was staring skywards, hands in his pockets. His hair, pulled back in a high, spiky ponytail, tickled her face briefly, his head was tilted so far back. She giggled slightly, and took a step backwards, but he merely continued looking up at the clouds.            She could see Kiba a few lines over, fidgeting behind a tiny, blue-haired girl, whose eyes were fixed on the ground as a tall, long-haired man spoke to her. Datsuko balked slightly when the man moved away from the girl, and looked directly at her. He has white eyes!</i? Then his gaze moved onwards disdainfully, and she relaxed a little.            Looking in the other direction, she could see Uchiha Sasuke. He looked… uncomfortable. Underneath the obvious irritation yesterday, he had felt upset at something, although she hadn't probed any further into his mind to discover what the cause was. Now he was standing stock-still, his eyes flitting around distractedly. Datsuko scanned the crowd for whoever was with him, and located the most likely candidate. A rather stern-looking man, he had his arms folded and his eyes closed, and certainly didn't seem to be focusing on the events around him.            To her surprise, the scrawny blond kid was standing behind the Uchiha, looking quite pleased with himself despite the glares of the parents and the hostile glances of some of the children. Datsuko hadn't seen anyone in the crowd who resembled him at all, but she looked again to see if there was anyone watching him without a glare. Nobody was.            Maybe he was like her.            Or maybe he didn't have anyone at all.            When Datsuko glanced over at Tsume, her gaze was mainly directed at Kiba, but it did slip to Datsuko once while she watched, accompanied by a smile. Datsuko smiled back, a little shyly, but then turned as a chuunin called for silence.            What followed was a series of speeches and introductions from the teachers, whose names Datsuko memorised. Then the Hokage spoke for a little, finishing with, "Everyone, congratulations on entering, From this day forth, please work hard to follow the shinobi way." With that, everyone applauded him politely, and then began to break up, children rushing back to parents excitedly. Some of them – the Uchiha and his father included – went to speak with the teachers, while others chatted avidly to each other.            Somewhat unsure of what to do, Datsuko remained where she was while people pushed past her. She noticed with concern that the blond – Naruto – also stood in his place while the other children went to their parents and avoided him.            Looking in the other direction, she was surprised to see that the blue-haired girl was also standing where she had before, but actually looking at Datsuko. She had the same white eyes as the man who had been talking to her earlier. Datsuko smiled shyly at her, and was perturbed when the girl started to return it, then stopped and averted her eyes.            Then a shadow fell over Datsuko, and she looked upwards to see that the white-eyed man was leaning over her. He did not look friendly. Choosing courtesy to cover her fear, she turned to face him properly, and bowed respectfully. "Konnichiwa, O-sama," she said.            He looked at her coldly, and then swept past to the girl. "Come, Hinata," he demanded, and the girl jumped nervously.            "H-hai, Otou-s-san!" She glanced back at Datsuko, and then hurried after her father as he went to talk to the Hokage. While Datsuko couldn't hear the conversation, it certainly didn't seem to be pleasant, as the girl's head sank lower and lower.            Suddenly a bell rang out, and the teachers started calling out for the children to be quiet while the classes were read out. The children turned from their parents to listen. The first teacher, a rather jolly-looking, slightly chubby man, who had been talking to the Uchiha – a Koimaru, if Datsuko remembered correctly – shouted out, "Class 1, in a line over here, alphabetical order please! Aburame Shino! Akimichi Chouji!" The list went on, and Datsuko found herself behind the same boy as before. He still looked bored. Then the teacher called for the students to follow him, and they walked into the academy where they would become ninja.

Chapter 5 – Introductions The pupils were brought into a classroom, but instead of taking seats at the obviously well-used desks, they were lead to the area at the front of the classroom, and instructed to sit down in a circle, still in order. Then to fill in the space between the first and last person, the teacher plopped himself down on the floor with them. He beamed around at the class.            "Well!" he said. "Welcome to the academy! I'm Mizure Koimaru, and I'll be your teacher for this year. Now, I want to get everyone to know each other, so I want you to say what your name is, something interesting about yourself and something you'd like to do in the future. Then I want to next person in the circle to repeat everything that's been said before, and then talk about themselves, then moving on again, and so on. Do you understand?" There was generally nodding around the class, although there were some scowls.            "Tch. How troublesome." This came from the boy next to Datsuko.            "Why do we have to do this? It's babyish, and you should be teaching us to be ninja!" Datsuko looked back towards the teacher, and saw that, three places from him, Uchiha Sasuke was pouting again, looking annoyed. Next to him, the blond kid folded his arms and nodded.            "Yeah, sensei! I'm gonna be Hokage someday. I don't need to waste time playing games!"            The teacher remained smiling, but seemed to refuse to look at the blond. "I am here to teach you all to be ninja. But ninja need to be able to rely on each other, and work as teams. The first step towards that is knowing your fellow students. This is also a good way to practise learning by listening. So," he said, looking down at the boy next to him, who had remained silent up to this point. "We'll start with you."            The boy, whose eyes were covered by black glasses, did not move anything more than his lips while he spoke. "My name is Aburame Shino. I am very interested in bugs. I would like to become an excellent shinobi and talented user of my family's jutsu."            The teacher shifted a little uncomfortably, but moved onto the next boy, who was… chubby, Datsuko decided was the polite way to put it. He was gently prompted by the teacher. "He is…?"            "He is A-bu-ra-me Shi-no, and he is… he likes bugs, and he wants to be an ex-ex-ex-"            "Excellent."            "-shinobi, and a ta-ta-"            "Talented."            "… he wants to be good at his family's jutsu."            The teacher accepted this cop-out. "And you…?"            The boy smiled. "I'm Akimichi Chouji, and I like eating my mum's cooking." A snigger was heard from one of the boys, and Chouji glared at him but continued. "And after I retire from being a ninja, I want to be Konoha's best cook!" He beamed at the class.            The children went on around the circle, each one working progressively harder to remember all of the names, and often compromising quotes for simpler things.            When they reached the blue-haired girl, she carefully and accurately repeated everything before her, albeit with a severe stutter, and then introduced herself. "H-hajime-m-mashite, m-minna-san… M-my name is H-Hyuuga Hinata, and I like p-pressing f-flowers. W-when I am older, I w-would like to b-be-c-come a … a k-kunoichi to m-make the H-Hyuuga cl-clan proud…" She seemed very flustered, looking distinctly upset as she said the last part.            Then it was Kiba's turn, and when he reached Hinata's name, he deliberately imitated her stutter, causing the poor girl to flush bright red in shame. Datsuko shot her a sympathetic glance, which she missed as she stared at the floor. He laughed it off, and introduced himself loudly. "I'm Inuzuka Kiba, and I share a house with my parents, sister, a cousin who's never there and four dogs, plus half the family's dogs end up around our place sometime! When I get my own dog, we'll be the best man-dog team the village has ever seen!"            A few turns later, they reached the boy next to her. Given the lack of attention he seemed to be paying, Datsuko was surprised when he simply sighed, and repeated everything word for word, introduced himself as Nara Shikamaru, said he liked watching clouds and wanted to go to sleep.            She was amused by his bluntness, and began to speak herself when the person on the other side of her started talking. Glancing at the teacher, she saw that he obviously hadn't registered her presence, sitting there smiling at the girl recalling names.            Datsuko was unsurprised.            However, she wasn't the only person to have noticed.            Both Sasuke and Hinata were looking between herself and Koimaru rather confusedly, and Sasuke was about to raise his hand when Datsuko smiled and shook her head. He frowned, and Hinata looked concerned, but neither spoke up.            The introductions went without hitch until they reached Sasuke, who looked rebellious. However, on being told that Itachi-sama (whoever that was) had done it, he brightened up considerably, and gave the names and information word for word. "I'm Uchiha Sasuke, and I like training because I want to be as good as my big brother, and when I grow up I'm going to join the police force!" Then, when the blond next to him refused to take part, Sasuke poked him. Naruto turned to glare at Sasuke, who merely looked back at him. "Your turn, silly." The blond glowered, and Sasuke smiled.            Then Naruto jumped up, and defiantly shouted, "I don't need to play silly games, I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm gonna be Hokage one day!" A large number of the students tittered or glared at him, and the teacher snapped at him to sit down. He scowled at the class, and reluctantly dropped back to the floor. Then, catching sight of Sasuke smiling again, he started having a go at the dark-haired boy. "What are you smiling at?"            Sasuke blinked. "You," he answered honestly, without malice.            "Yeah? Well, you people all think you're so much better than me, you're the ones who are stupid!"            Sasuke, previously unaggressive, was now riled. "If you can't even try in a simple game, you're the stupid one."            "Bastard!"            "Stupid."            "Naruto, stop arguing with Sasuke-kun!" Koimaru said. Datsuko raised her eyebrows, noticing the lack of an honorific for Naruto, and the one-sided reprimand. This rudeness was obviously not lost on everyone, and the Hyuuga girl frowned slightly.            The circle was completed by a blonde girl who said she like flowers, and then Koimaru sent them back around the other way, this time saying something the didn't like and their favourite food. Naruto immediately chose Sasuke as the thing he disliked, and proclaimed his love for ramen. Sasuke responded in kind, saying he didn't like Naruto, and the blond swore at him. Sasuke merely smirked, and was rather surprised when the boy launched himself at him, trying to pin him to the ground. He reacted almost immediately, untwisting his legs from their crossed position, jerking them upwards as he rolled backwards, sending the blond crashing head-over-heels into the space rapidly vacated by two quick children.            Kiba jumped up, and started shouting. "Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" Several other boys joined in, clapping.            "Naruto! Out of the classroom now!" the teacher said, stabbing a finger at the door. "And you boys, sit down and be quiet!"            "But-" Naruto tried to object as he prised himself off the floor.            "No! You do not fight against your fellow nin outside of sparring!"            Standing up, Naruto rubbed the back of his head where it had made contact with the floor. "Bastard-sensei," he said under his breath as he turned to the door.            "That does it! After-school detention!" All jollity was lost from the teacher as he dealt out the punishment.            Naruto stomped sulkily out of the classroom, a scowl plastered on his features, earning a few titters from the class. Before closing the door, he shot one last glare at Sasuke, who had just flipped himself back up into his sitting position. It was returned by an infuriatingly innocent smile. Then he slammed the door shut.            Datsuko looked back around the circle, and was rather unsettled to see so many smiles at the boy's punishment. A few admiring glances were also being sent Sasuke's way – mainly by the girls – but he was ignoring them, staring at the door Naruto had just slammed without any trace of a smile on his face anymore. Hinata was also frowning slightly at the door.            The teacher then gave the class a brief lecture on behaviour, and then set the game off again. It finished without noticeable incident, although Datsuko was missed out again. This time Sasuke and Hinata were too busy staring at the door to notice, and Hinata nearly missed her turn.            The teacher then sent the class to choose seats, not minding who sat next to who. Datsuko followed Hinata, who sat herself near the back, but stiffened when she saw Datsuko again. Datsuko blanched, suddenly afraid of rejection from one of the only people who had noticed her. "Hyuuga Hinata, right?" The girl nodded. "Um… is this seat taken?"            The blue-haired girl shook her head slightly. "D-damme. N-nob-body has t-taken that s-seat." For a six-year-old with a stutter, she spoke very formally, and with a cultured accent.            Datsuko smiled. "Then do you mind if I sit here?"            After a slight pause, the girl shook her head again. "D-damme." Datsuko slid herself into the seat next to her. Hinata looked down. "Gomennasai," she said, Datsuko looked curiously at her, not sure what the apology was for. "O-Otou-san… H-he obj-jected t-to your p-p-presence, as h-he s-said you w-were from K-Kiri-g-gakure." She started fidgeting with her hands. "B-but then, Otou-san ob-objects to m-most things," she said quietly. Then she looked up at Datsuko. "Go-gomennasai, I do not know your name. Th-they," she said with a slight frown, "they missed you out."            "Ogawa Datsuko, from Kirigakure, like your father said," Datsuko introduced herself. "I'm here because I'm an orphan, but related to the Inuzuka. And why they missed me out…" she said, tapping the side of her nose. "That's more than I can explain before the less—" she broke off as the classroom door slid open, and Naruto was frogmarched back in by a slightly irritated looking teacher. It wasn't clear whether his annoyance was directed at Naruto or Koimaru.            Koimaru introduced the teacher as Umino Iruka, who nodded at the class before having a hushed but clearly annoyed discussion. It ended with Koimaru reluctantly pointing Naruto to a seat next to the Aburame boy, well away from Sasuke, who had ended up in front of Datsuko and Hinata and next to Kiba. Iruka looked satisfied, and left the classroom, smiling at Naruto. The blond boy blinked in surprise, but then grinned at the door as it closed. "Thanks Iruka-sensei!" he shouted. Then he sauntered over to the seat, and sat there smiling.            Datsuko turned back to Hinata to finish what she had been saying, but stopped as she saw the girl was still staring at the blond. She tilted her head, watching the girl's face, and then smiled in faint realisation. Aww… I think she likes him. Then she poked her gently, both snapping her back to reality with a start and confirming the sense of happiness.            "Ah! G-gomennasai," she said.            "Don't worry. I was just going to say," she said, raising her voice slightly, "that I would take questions of that nature at break. That goes for the eavesdroppers too."            The Uchiha in front of them started slightly, but nodded in recognition.            The teacher then started talking about assessing the students' current abilities, and the class got down to work.

Chapter 6 – First Friends            The bell rang for break, and Koimaru dismissed the class.  Sasuke packed away his belongings, and got up to leave the class. He casually sauntered up the steps to the door, glancing at the girls sitting behind him and the Inuzuka as he passed them. The strange one – Datsuko – nodded slightly at him as she saw, and continued putting her possessions back in her bag.            As he walked out of the door, he heard a couple of boys talking.            "That kid's an Uchiha, right?"            "Yeah."            "So that means he must be awesome, eh?"            Sasuke felt a sense of pride wash over him as he thought of just how amazing his brother was, and how everyone knew that the Uchiha clan was great. Then he felt a little sad as he thought about how his father gave Itachi so much preferential treatment, and expected Sasuke to be like him. Then he smiled, remembering how Itachi was on a mission that would get him into ANBU, and silently wished him a little luck.            Sasuke looked around the playground, taking in the various areas. The main yard. A few trees and some swings were in a corner. Some benches were placed around the edges of the playground, and Sasuke picked one in the shade of some trees, visible from the entrance to the school. Other children began to come out as he walked over to it, some of them much older than him; the school took students until they became genin, although they normally didn't let students remain after failing the exam after their fifth go at sixteen. There didn't seem to be any that old around this year, unless they were still inside. Sasuke sat down on the bench, and waited.            Hearing a giggling noise, he looked up to see some of the girls in his class standing a little way away, chatting excitedly. He watched them disinterestedly, until one of them – a blonde, Yamanaka Ino if he remembered correctly – looked over at him, turned back to the group and started whispering and giggling. He then kept a cautious eye on them, not entirely sure how to react to this strange behaviour. It made him a little uncomfortable, to say the least.            A moment later, Datsuko and Hinata sat down next to him, and the girls turned to stare at the Hyuuga, making her hang her head in embarrassment. Datsuko whispered, "Ignore them, Hinata-chan. If it makes you feel any better, get out a book and pretend to read. Then they won't think anything of it." Hinata opened her bag, which she had brought with her, and got out a book on basic genjutsu, and pretended to read.             "Arig-gat-tou, Datsuko-san," she said, looking a little less uncomfortable.            Datsuko waved it off. "You don't need to be so formal, Hinata-chan." Then she looked between Sasuke and Hinata. "So… what do you want to know? I can't answer everything, but I'll try."            Sasuke kept his eyes on the gaggle of girls as he spoke, thinking carefully over what he wanted to know. "Ogawa Datsuko, right?"            "Yup."            "That's not a name from Konoha."            "Nope. That's because I'm from Kiri."            Sasuke frowned. "Then… why are you here?"            "I'm an orphan." The girl said it so bluntly that Sasuke turned to stare at her, shocked, before then feigning interest in his surroundings again. "However, I'm related by blood to the Inuzuka, so they were asked to take me in. I'm the cousin Kiba-hatoko claims is never there," she said, looking a little embarrassed on behalf of the oblivious boy.            Sasuke was silent for a moment as he thought that over. Then he nodded. "'kay. So why is it only me and Hyuuga-sama who can see you?"            Datsuko blinked, and then turned to look at the blue-haired girl, who was still 'reading' her book. "Hyuuga-sama?"            Hinata blushed. "H-Hai. Uchiha-s-sama is c-correct. A-as I am th-the heir-ress to th-the nob-ble H-Hyuuga clan, m-most p-p-people are exp-pected to ad-address me f-formally. A-as a ch-child of th-the h-head of the Uch-chiha cl-clan, I sh-should also ad-address Uchiha-s-sama f-formally."            Datsuko tilted her head around so that she was leaning in front of the blue-haired girl, and although Sasuke couldn't see her face, when she spoke she sounded a little concerned. "And do want you us to call you Hyuuga-sama?"            Hinata was silent for a moment, but then shook her head almost imperceptibly. "Damme," she said quietly. "I-it s-sounds … cold."            "Hinata-chan it is then. And you," she said, turning to face Sasuke, "what do you want us to call you?"            Sasuke blinked, and then shrugged. He didn't really expect people to call him anything fancy; that was for his father, and maybe for his brother, but not for him, who was barely acknowledged by the stern head of the clan. "I'm fine with Sasuke-kun or Sasuke."            "Then we're settled."            "You still haven't answered my question."            "I haven't, have I?" Sasuke frowned a little as Datsuko settled herself more comfortably on the bench. "Okay, I'm going to assume that you guys come from the families with the Sharingan and Byakugan kekkei genkai." Sasuke nodded, and saw Hinata mimicking the action. "Then you know how kekkei genkai work." He nodded again. "Well, your kekkei genkai aren't the only ones. My family has one too: the Gimantekimuu, or deceptive existence."            Sasuke was puzzled, not understanding what the brown-haired girl meant. "Deceptive existence?" he asked. "But-"            "It means that people can't sense my presence without the help of jutsu or amazingly good senses. Or…" she trailed off, and Sasuke saw that she was looking a little frustrated as she worked out how to explain it. "It's more complicated than that. It's not that they can't, it's just that… they don't. They ignore me. It's like… if you look at a forest, you don't notice each tree – they just blend into a bunch of trees. So they look but they don't see, if that makes sense. I'm just another face in the crowd, another kid in the class. They won't pay me any attention without prompting or a reason. You guys can see me because you have doujutsu kekkei genkai; and even without activation, your eyesight is good enough to be able to focus on me." Datsuko was then quiet for a little while as she let Sasuke and Hinata take this in.            Sasuke's mind raced as he pondered over what he had been told. It was just… ridiculous. People just… couldn't see her? That's stupid. But then… she did 'vanish' yesterday… what did she-            His thoughts were interrupted by Hyuu- Hinata quietly asking Datsuko, "S-so n-nobody knows you e-even ex-xist?"            Datsuko shook her head gently. "A few people know. Tsume-oba-sama makes sure that I have what I need, and I look after myself. I'm now on record. You guys know. It doesn't bother me too much."            "B-but that's awf-ful!            Datsuko shrugged. "Like I said, it doesn't bother me. I've been taught about it since I was able to understand it. I expect to be alone." She smiled a little, and looked at Sasuke and Hinata. "The fact that I have two people in my class who can see me is way more than I could hope for."            Looking down at the ground, Sasuke wondered what it must have been like for the girl to lose her family. He couldn't imagine it at all. Even if Itachi was the star of the clan, most of his family acknowledged him, and to lose that familial friendship… He shuddered, and hoped he'd never have to witness anything close to what the brown-haired girl seemed to be taking in her stride. He didn't think he'd be able to cope. But then… she wasn't exactly peaceful when… yesterday… Maybe she wasn't so calm about it.            His face must have conveyed some of his discomfort without his realisation, as Datsuko turned to look at him. He blinked, and then tried to work out how to phrase the question about…what she'd done the day before. "Ah… How…" He trailed off, perplexed as to how to put it without sounding idiotic. Like that blond twit, Naruto… He had noticed that the kid was sitting on his own on one of the swings hanging from a tree, watching the world sadly. Sasuke had tried to put him out of his mind, but had found he was thinking about the boy again.            He was jerked back to the conversation when Datsuko gently placed a hand on his wrist.           // You want to know how I did this, right? //            Sasuke flinched as the message passed through his mind in an instant. He nodded outwardly. "Yeah. That."            Hinata looked up. "Sumimasen… Nani?"            As Datsuko placed her other hand on Hinata's arm, Sasuke felt a tiny flicker of something in her mind, faint but a little worried. Then it vanished after a tiny flare, and Datsuko mentally poked him away. // Heey… no peeking. //            // You can talk, // he replied.            // That wasn't peeking, that was taking in surface info you weren't hiding. //            // Whatever. //            The girl laughed aloud, and Sasuke allowed himself a small smile.            A faint echo of Datsuko talking to the other girl passed through to him, and she jumped violently, dropping her book, and stared at Datsuko, white eyes wide with shock. "N-nani? How?"            Datsuko removed her hands from the two of them, and looked downwards at her lap. She sighed, and tried to explain. "It's complicated, and to be honest, I need to read up on a lot of it. But the idea is that if the brain doesn't notice something via the senses, then you have to send messages to it directly."  Sasuke frowned a little, not certain what she meant, and saw that the blue-haired girl looked as clueless as he felt. Datsuko looked skywards for inspiration. "Um, how to put it… Oh! It's like knowing the postmen are on strike, so you hand-deliver a letter. Does that make more sense?" Sasuke's expression cleared up in enlightenment, the silly comparison making it surprisingly easy to understand. He nodded, and Datsuko looked relieved. "Good. Well, my family's jutsu to overcome the Gimantekimuu is basically mind-communication, and bonds to dispel the effects. We call them Kiton – mind style – even though it isn't an element. Messages are sent though the chakra system by bonds, so we can talk and exchange information with others even if they wouldn't normally see or hear us. Pretty cool, huh?"            Feigning indifference to cover his jealousy at such a cool technique, Sasuke sniffed and looked back over the playground… to see the blond kid looking really depressed. He even considered getting up to see if he was okay, but…            "You're t-telep-path-thic?"            "I guess. But it's all jutsu."            "Sugoi…" the blue-haired girl breathed out in awe.            "Huh." Sasuke folded his arms. "Well, I guess that's pretty cool. But you don't stand a chance against the Sharingan or Byakugan, right?"            "Right." The bell rang to call the students back to class, and Datsuko stood up. "If you guys wanted to kill me, I'd be dead." She turned back to the two, who were also getting up. "But I don't want to be enemies with the only people who'll notice me." She looked a little resigned, and Sasuke felt a little stab of sadness for her, but then she smiled again, and held out a hand. "Friends?"            Sasuke and Hinata both stared at the hand for a moment, as they considered her. She seems a really nice person… And ignoring the fact that she talks mind-to-mind, she's not creeping me out, unlike those girls over there… and the Hyuuga girl seems okay as well. I hope she doesn't turn out too much like her dad though. …I'll take a chance. He stepped forward, and took her hand. "Friends."            // Thank you, Sasuke. // He felt her gratitude as her mind touched his lightly, and he smiled. Then she let go of his hand, and turned to Hinata, again offering her hand.            Hinata shyly took it, and nodded. "Hai. Friends."            Then the bell rang again, and the three hurried back to class.

Chapter 7 – Initial Assessments            After break, they went through some simple mathematic and literacy skills tests, and although Sasuke found very little too tricky in the papers, when glancing around the class after he was finished he was a little surprised to see so many people looking stumped at the exam. Cautiously looking behind him while the teacher was sorting the papers for the next test, Sasuke had seen that Hinata and Datsuko were finished more than ten minutes before the end of the assessment. They appeared to be some of the more intelligent people in the class. Turning back to his own desk, he resisted the urge to smirk when he saw the boy next to him – Inuzuka Kiba – was stuck on a multiplication question and was counting on his fingers, mouthing the numbers as he went.            After lunch, the assessments continued. However, these ones were of more practical skills for ninja: stamina tests, shuriken throwing and sparring. Firstly, they were lead back into the playground, getting a sigh from some of the students. Koimaru then marked out a twenty-five metre length in the courtyard, and told all of them to run up and down as many times as they could at a reasonable pace. Some of the boys dashed off, Naruto and Kiba included, and Sasuke saw Datsuko shake her head out of the corner of his eye as he set off at a moderate pace, smart enough to know he would wind himself if he ran too fast. However, some of the students did the opposite, ambling reluctantly along until they were ordered to run.            After a few lengths heading the group of sensible runners, Sasuke started to pull ahead as the rest started to slow down. Looking around, he realised that the only one of the students who dashed off was still running: Naruto. The others were all sitting at one end of the track, bent over with stitches and trying to catch their breath.            Soon, only Sasuke and Naruto were running, and Sasuke was trying not to admit that he was impressed by the blond's stamina, when said blond punched the air, shouted, "Twenty lengths!" and tripped, falling flat on his face. The class burst into laughter, with the exceptions of Hinata, who looked appalled; Datsuko, who glared at the teacher when he calmly noted down the total and summarily ignored the boy; and Sasuke, who was too out of breath to do anything but run if he was going to beat that clumsy twit.            Naruto lifted his face, grinning and laughing with the rest of the class. Then he rolled himself over so he was sitting, and closed his eyes.            Sasuke drew to a stop. "Twenty-two," he told the teacher breathlessly, and as Koimaru noted it down and started to shepherd the applauding class to the target range, he just stood next to the blond, trying to catch his breath.            Naruto tried to get up to follow the class. As he tried to put weight on his right leg, it twisted under him, his knee slamming back down on the ground, and as Sasuke straightened up he saw a grimace of pain cross the previously smiling face.            Sasuke looked at him, feeling a little sorry for Naruto, and extended a hand. The blond blinked as the hand entered his field of vision, but after glancing up at the owner he looked away stubbornly. "I'm fine, teme, I don't need your help!" He tried to get up again, but this time before his leg gave way Sasuke grabbed his arm.             "Moron. You don't have to be so stubborn, you'll get hurt."            The whiskered face stared up at him, looking as surprised as he felt at what he'd just said. Then Naruto scowled. "Oi, teme, I'm not a moron!"             "Only a moron would try and walk on an injured leg and refuse help."             "Oh yeah? Well… hmph." Naruto looked away again, but Sasuke could see a smile twitching the corners of the boy's mouth upwards.            Sasuke hid his own smile and sighed. "Come on," he said, tugging Naruto in the direction the rest of the class had gone. "Or they'll start without us, …dobe."            "Teme."            "Whatever."            Sasuke helped Naruto around to the back of the school building, where the teacher had just finished explaining the assessment. As the Aburame boy stepped forward onto the range, Sasuke let go of Naruto's arm, given that his injury seemed to have vanished already, and looked at Datsuko questioningly. "Six shuriken, that target, try and hit a bull's-eye," she said. Sasuke nodded, and repeated the instructions to Naruto, who hadn't noticed her or her words and was about to yell at the teacher to tell him what was going on. Naruto shut up and grinned, probably eager to show off what he must presume to be his 'awesome ninja-skills'. Snorting softly, Sasuke turned to watch as he waited for his turn.            The process went fairly slowly, as Koimaru had to total up all of the scores and make notes on each student's technique. A cheer went up from the class whenever anyone hit a bull's-eye or close to one, although nobody really noticed when Datsuko was called up and hit a chance one, her other five shuriken landing in the outer circles. The teacher looked completely stumped, both when he called out her name from his list, and when it came down to writing notes. Is she really that hard to notice? Sasuke wondered as he saw Koimaru's puzzled expression. However, the teacher totalled up the points scored, wrote it down, and called up the next student. As Datsuko came back to stand between Sasuke and Hinata, he gave her a pointed look.            She shrugged. "I told you they need prompting and hardly notice me anyway," she said, a neutral expression on her face. Sasuke frowned, but went back to watching the other students.            "Uchiha Sasuke!"            Sasuke walked forward, taking the practice shuriken from the teacher. Settling into the textbook throwing stance, he paused a moment, testing the weight of the projectiles – slightly lighter than the ones Itachi-niisan let him use, he thought – and ignored the twinge in his left ankle reminding him of the last time he practiced throwing dangerous objects the day before. The he collected himself, and threw all six shuriken in quick succession, each one making a satisfying thok as the points buried themselves deeply in the target. A tight but pleased smile on his face, Sasuke turned to go back to his place, two bull's-eyes and four near misses behind him.            After a moment of stunned silence, the class burst into applause and whoops. The teacher gave Sasuke an approving smile before shushing the class and calling Naruto up. The blond scowled a little at Sasuke as he walked past, but Sasuke merely smiled at him.            The class sniggered as Naruto comically tried to imitate Sasuke, failing magnificently. Even Sasuke smiled a little at how awful the clown was. Then, with a flourish, the blond threw his shuriken forcefully at the target. He paused as only two of the six throwing-stars hit the target, and only one of those was anywhere near the centre. Then he turned to the class, a grin on his face and scratching the back of his head. "Eheheh… I meant to miss that! All of them hit where I aimed, 'cos going for more different targets shows I'm an awesome ninja!" The class laughed at that, although the teacher looked disapproving, and Naruto joined in as well, sucking up the attention. Sasuke shook his head, pretending to be annoyed with the blond, when a genuinely serious face caught his eye.            Datsuko had her eyes narrowed as she watched Naruto laughing, although she didn't look angry, just… thoughtful. Sasuke nudged her. "What is it?" The girl's eyes narrowed further, but then she shook her head and put on a neutral expression.            "Nothing, don't worry about it."            Sasuke did worry about it. But he didn't say anything.            Once the last person had taken their turn, Koimaru-sensei announced that the last part of the assessments would be a two-minute sparring session with another student in the class. Punches were to be pulled, and no serious damage was allowed to be inflicted, but otherwise there were no rules, other than that if one person gave up the other must stop fighting immediately.            Some of the fights were… interesting, Sasuke mused. Some were quite dull, like most of those between the girls, although he became somewhat uncomfortable when the self-declared 'winners' started looking over at him, trying to get his attention. He tried to ignore them, but they creeped him out. He was not interested in girls.            However, some of the matches were interesting to watch. His newfound companions Datsuko and Hinata were paired up, and while neither of them exactly landed a hit on the other, their styles of fighting were mesmerising. Sasuke knew about the Hyuuga's Jyuuken style, but had never seen it in action before, and marvelled at how fluid and fast it was, even more surprised when he found out afterwards that she'd only been learning for a few months and was still very slow. Datsuko's style… wasn't a fixed style that Sasuke could think of, and seemed more like improvised dancing. Whatever it was, it was fast and, when developed, looked like it could be pretty deadly.            The other match that piqued Sasuke's interest was the one between Naruto and the Inuzuka boy. They seemed to fight quite similarly, both going for hard fast moves, quite wild really. Kiba seemed to employ more wrestling techniques though, while Naruto used his legs for kicks more. The two seemed matched overall in skill, although in different areas, but it was fairly clear that Kiba was stronger and had some experience of fighting. The fight ended after two minutes, Naruto having taken the worst of it despite the rule of pulling punches.            Sasuke's own fight was unremarkable. He clearly outmatched his opponent, and landed several 'strikes' while guarding against attacks. On each 'hit', several people whooped, and one or two of the girls called out encouragement to him. He ignored them.            After all fifteen matches, the bell rang again, and Koimaru dismissed them for the day.

Chapter 8 – Going Home When Sasuke got home after school, he was in high spirits. He'd officially started on the path to becoming a ninja, seemed to be the best in his class and had made some friends. He dashed home, a smile on his face, eager to tell his family about his day. He skidded to a stop outside his house, hurriedly took off his sandals and rushed into the kitchen where he threw his arms around his mother's waist, knocking her into one of the kitchen cupboards. "I'm home!" he said, smiling up at her.            His mother, Mikoto, looked down. "I think I can see that, Sasuke-kun, and the sharp pain in my knees is telling me that you're very excited about something!"            Sasuke's smile dropped and his eyes widened. "I'm sorry, Kaa-san!" he said, looking the picture of sorrow. "I didn't mean to hurt you!" He let go of Mikoto, a smile creeping back onto his face as he spun himself around on the balls of his feet. "I was just really really happy!"            Mikoto smiled, and washed her hands, Sasuke still spinning himself. "Don't worry, Sasuke-kun, I was only teasing," she said, drying her hands. She turned back to Sasuke, who was now still and pouting. "Mattaku." Taking his hand, she said, "You need to stop taking things so seriously, like your father and Itachi-kun." Mikoto tugged his hand gently. "Come on; you can tell me about your day out in the garden."            The two sat down on the decking outside, where the soft plunk of the deer-chaser and the quiet trickle of water had a calming on influence on Sasuke, mellowing any momentary irritation he had towards his mother. His face was now fairly neutral, although his swinging legs betrayed his happiness.             "So, Sasuke-kun, how was your first day of school?"            Sasuke smiled. "It was great! All the tests were really easy, and even though I don't know how I did on the written ones, I was the best in the class for the running and shuriken tests!"            "Now, why doesn't that surprise me?" "Because Nii-san taught me?"            "Well, that too, but even Itachi-kun couldn't teach you if you weren't such a talented little boy."            Sasuke blushed a little, pleased by the comment, but pouted as he remembered the adults' views concerning the brothers. "Tou-san wouldn't say that. Everyone thinks I'm amazing because Nii-san is, and they just want me to be like him."            Mikoto pulled Sasuke onto her lap and wrapped her arms around him. "Well," she said, "I know that you're amazing because you're you, not your brother." Sasuke only blushed further at this, and looked away to hide his pleased embarrassment. Mikoto smiled, and then asked, "So, what else happened today?" "Um… I made some friends?"            "Oh? Who?"            "Ogawa Datsuko, Hyuuga Hinata and—" he hesitated, not sure if could call it friendship, "—Uzumaki Naruto."            Mikoto tensed a little as she heard the names. "Ogawa, Hyuuga and Uzumaki." Sasuke nodded. Hesitating, his mother eventually said, "Don't tell you father."            Sasuke blinked. "Why, Kaa-san?"            Sighing, Mikoto replied, "The Uchiha clan has rather… strained relationships with the Hyuuga and Ogawa, and you father would not want to hear that you were associating with the Uzumaki boy."            "Is it because people with the Sharingan can see the Ogawa?"            His mother looked down sharply at him. "Who told you that?"            "Datsuko-chan did. She said that if me or Hinata…-chan wanted to kill her, she'd be dead. But… I don't have the Sharingan yet, and she managed to hide from me. I don't think she knows that I don't have the Sharingan yet." Mikoto didn't reply to Sasuke for a moment, causing her to look up, concerned. "Kaa-san? What's wrong?"            "Sasuke-kun, stop talking about killing your friends, it's not nice."            Sasuke blinked, and then smiled. "So you're not angry?"            "No, I'm not angry with you for making friends. Just be careful around your father and the Ogawa girl's family."            Sasuke was silent for a moment, and then looked away before saying, "Her family's dead – that's why she's here."            The stunned silence told Sasuke that his mother was shocked. Then she found her voice. "Then who is she staying with?"             "The Inuzuka."            "Oh." There was a brief silence. "Then, I have no worries. But still, be wary of telling your father."            Sasuke mulled over this before his mother asked him about what happened in the rest of his day, and he told her. Afterwards, they sat in silence for a moment, before Sasuke asked, "Is Nii-san back?"            Mikoto shook her head. "Neither Itachi-kun or your father are home right now."            A sad expression flickered over Sasuke's face, but he quickly stood up, forcing a smile. "Okay, Kaa-san, I'm going to do some shuriken practice!" He then ran inside to find his sandals before heading off to train.             0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 When Hinata arrived at the academy gates after timidly smiling goodbye to her newfound friends, she found her cousin, Hyuuga Neji, and her escort, Hyuuga Kou – both Branch House members – waiting for her. They both bowed stiffly to her, and she returned the gesture before nervously glancing up at them. Neji seemed as cold as ever, not looking at her as he shifted his satchel to hang more comfortably. Kou was a little more courteous, asking her politely how her day was, and listening attentively through her stutter how she had made a couple of friends. When she told Kou that they were Uchiha Sasuke and Ogawa Datsuko, Neji's lip curled ever so slightly into a sneer, which Hinata noticed but chose not to pursue; the slight frown on Kou's face seemed only to confirm that she had not made the best choice in friends, and she quickly stopped talking. She hung her head and watched her feet as she walked, each step louder on the stone streets than those of her companions. She clasped her hands, trying not to fidget or worry about what her father would say to her, and trying to think of all the things that had gone well that day.            She… had not disgraced herself?            She certainly hoped she hadn't.            She had not found the written tests too hard?            As the heiress to the clan, she shouldn't have.            She had made good friends?            Evidently not.            Hinata felt tears pooling in her eyes as she imagined her father's responses to her report of the day. He would probably be as disapproving as he had always been in the last few months.            Since her mother died.            She sniffed, trying to hold back the tears, and she heard a quiet "Tch," from her cousin. She didn't have to look up to know what his expression would be.            The rest of the journey passed in silence, and as they arrived at the Hyuuga estate the guards either side of the imposing archway bowed to her. Increasing the angle of her stoop, Hinata returned the gesture before she was hurried inside the main building and into an anteroom to the formal meeting room, where she was instructed to wait with Neji until her father – his uncle – was available. Neji dutifully sat down on his knees, and composed himself calmly. Hinata also knelt, folding her hands demurely on her lap, and trying to take advantage of the quiet moment to meditate. She needed more practice to control her chakra, and calming before she faced her father would be beneficial. She began to breathe in and out slowly, trying to visualise the chakra in her body slowing down and moving to a steady trickle.            Her eyes closed, she was starting to feel calm when a whiskered face topped by blond hair popped into life before her eyes, startling her and making her gasp quietly, all control gone.            "Hinata-sama?"            Hinata looked up at the voice, to see Neji staring at her.            "Hinata-sama," he repeated, "are you alright?"            Forcing herself to try and breathe normally again, she nodded slightly. "H-hai, Neji-nii-san…"            Either satisfied or not caring if she was lying, Neji settled back down to await her father's arrival.            Hinata closed her eyes again, still slightly shaken by the image of the boy: Uzumaki Naruto. However, she couldn't focus on her meditation with Naruto's face in her mind, and she was sure her father would be even less approving of her interest in him; she'd been told before to stay away from the blond.            He had looked sad.            "Hinata. Neji."            Hinata's head jerked back up to see her father standing tall above her. She stifled a squeak of surprise, and bowed to him. "K-konnichiwa, Otou-san…"            "Konnichiwa, Hiashi-sama," Neji said courteously.            Hiashi knelt down in front of them. "Hinata, how was your first day at the academy?            "A-ano, Otou-san, i-it went well, th-thank you."            "What occurred?"            "E-etto… W-we took p-part in s-some activities s-so we c-could get to kn-know each other a little better, a-and then m-most of the day was t-taken f-for tests."            "What manner of tests?"            "L-literacy, n-numeracy and physical."            "How did you do?"            "I-I had little d-difficulty o-on the literacy a-and numeracy tests, a-and I did q-quite well on the physical tests."            "What were the results?" Each of Hiashi's questions came relentlessly, not pausing to comment on Hinata's report, or give any sign of approval or disapproval.            Hinata hesitated before answering, sure that her father would not be happy. "E-eto… K-Koimaru-sensei h-has n-not m-marked the p-papers yet…"            "And the physical assessments?"            Nervously looking up at her father, Hinata swallowed. "I-I m-managed t-ten lengths, I-I sc-scored t-twelve p-points on the sh-shuriken range a-and I p-performed f-fairly well i-in sp-sparring." As Hiashi's eyes hardened even further, Hinata flicked her eyes downward, afraid of what was to come next.            A silence followed before her father's controlled but cold voice questioned her again, making her even more nervous but not persuading her to look up. "And… what was the highest score, attained by whom?"            Hinata kept her head down as she quietly said, "U-Uchiha S-Sasuke, w-with t-twenty-two lengths a-and a sc-score of t-twenty-s-six on the shuriken range."            Hiashi was silent for a moment before speaking. "Who are you?"            Hinata tensed, familiar with the words her father made her say every time he felt she had forgotten her position. "I-I am Hyuuga Hinata, the f-first heiress t-to the Hyuuga c-clan, the st-strongest, m-most n-noble a-and w-wisest clan in the village of K-Konohagakure, a-and I sh-should act as s-such, w-working towards the b-betterment of m-myself and the c-clan."            "Do not forget it." Hiashi stood, his white robes swirling around him as he turned to leave.            "Hiashi-sama." Neji spoke calmly, and his uncle paused, waiting for him speak. "Do you not wish to know which of her classmates Hinata-sama has already associated with?"            Hiashi slowly turned back to face them, and Hinata cringed as she felt his gaze boring into the top of her head. Eyes on her, he levelly asked Neji, "Who?"            A barely disguised smug tone eased into Neji's voice as he answered, "Uchiha Sasuke and Ogawa Datsuko. And someone she has not mentioned."            Hinata felt her face heat slightly as she snapped her head to see Neji with an air of self-satisfaction around him. "N-Nii-san! Th-that is n-not true! I-I have n-not sp-spoken to a-anyone apart f-from S-Sasuke-k-kun a-and Datsuko-ch-chan o-out of l-lessons!"            Neji looked triumphant as Hiashi spoke. "Hinata." Hinata turned back to her father, trying not to panic. "Do you know who you have made 'friends' with?" He made the word sound rude.            Hinata nodded.            "Then you know that the Hyuuga have bad relations with the Uchiha and their intentions to ruin the village, and that the Ogawa are our enemies?"            Hinata nodded again.            "Then," Hiashi said, sounding slightly chagrined, "why?"            Cringing at the disappointment she could hear, Hinata stared at her lap. "B-because Datsuko-ch-chan w-was k-kind to me, a-and S-Sasuke-k-kun w-was n-nice enough." She quailed as she felt the atmosphere drop several degrees.            "You made 'friends' solely based on superficial actions." It wasn't a question, and the criticism stung like a slap in the face. "Have you considered that the Ogawa girl, who is a nemesis of both the Hyuuga and the Uchiha, is acting out of a desire for requital and lulling you into a delusory sense of security, or trying to corrupt you? Or that the Uchiha is working on behalf of his clan, debauching the youth of the village as his elder brother perverts his seniors?"            Trembling, Hinata tried to keep her composure, but it was stolen away by the gist of what her father was saying; even though she didn't know many of the words he used, she understood his meaning. Tears started to roll down her face, and she sniffed, not saying anything as she didn't trust her voice.            Hiashi was silent for a moment as he appraised the crying girl – his crying daughter – before standing. "Be ready for training at four o'clock." He turned, and stopped at the door. "Do not allow them to lead you astray."            Hinata looked up, surprised. "D-does that mean-" But he was already gone. After throwing a smirk in Hinata's direction, Neji got up and followed the patriarch, leaving Hinata in the anteroom, free to cry.            She did so.            After a few minutes curled up in a ball and crying, Hinata forced herself to stop snivelling, wiped her eyes on her sleeve and shakily stood up before picking up her schoolbag and slipping through the estate to find one of the only people who ever seemed happy to see her. It was likely that it was because she wasn't old enough to see the first heiress' mistakes and failings, but she didn't care.            Seeing her baby sister's beautiful smile was enough for Hinata.            As Hinata trotted down the corridor leading to the nursery, she heard the thin wail of her sister and increased her pace, worried that she had been left alone again. She stopped in front of the door, and timidly opened it, half expecting someone to be angry with her for being there. As it was, the room was empty of people, bare as usual, and with the white cradle in the centre of the room. The wailing quieted to a whimper as the door opened and shut, and Hinata dropped her bag, hurried over to the cradle, and leant over the edge. The whimpering stopped.            Hanabi was a beautiful baby. Large white eyes took in everything with curiosity, and her face was framed by soft dark brown hair, like her father's. As a smile cracked the chubby face, Hinata wondered how anyone could bear to see the child upset, and what it would be like to have her own baby. She gently stoked a tear-stained cheek with one finger, and Hanabi gurgled happily. Hinata smiled.            Struggling a little, the small girl lifted the baby out of the cradle, blankets and all, and held the heavy yet fragile bundle close to her as she carefully trod towards the door. She pulled it open with one foot as she caressed the dark downy hair of her sister, and was slightly startled by the appearance of Hanabi's nursemaid in the doorway.            "Hinata-sama!" The woman bowed to her. "I heard the child-"            "Hanabi-ch-chan," Hinata cut across, slightly upset by her sister being merely another baby.            "-Hanabi-sama, and came to investigate." She looked slightly worried. "Hinata-sama, are you sure you-"            "Sh-she was crying." To Hinata, her explanation seemed perfectly reasonable. Still, the nursemaid sighed and leant down to take Hanabi. Hinata shied away, pulling her sister closer, but the woman prised the baby away, although panic returned to her eyes when Hanabi started mewling again and tears formed in Hinata's eyes. As the volume of the wailing increased, the nursemaid looked between the two crying heiresses and slowly gave Hanabi back to Hinata.            The blue-haired girl clutched Hanabi protectively, smiled through her tears, inclined her head and whispered, "A-arigatou, Junko-san," before slipping out into one of the many gardens to watch the blossom-filled trees, and spend a little time with her sister before she went to the dojo for practice. 0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0            Datsuko felt the need to stifle a smile as Kiba practically danced around his mother on the way home; if he had been a pup on a leash, Tsume's legs would have been tangled in moments. However, he wasn't, so he kept on darting around, retelling most of the day with wild gestures and exaggerated details. He pouted as he complained firstly at how hard the written tests were, and then grumbled about why super-ultra-cool ninja like him had to waste time writing and doing maths when they should be out on ultra-super-cool missions. Datsuko didn't quite stop the giggle escaping at this, seeing a similarity between her cousin and the blond he had sparred with, Uzumaki Naruto, but it wasn't as though anyone noticed it. The two boys were similar in many respects, it seemed.            But at least he didn't complain about the concept of teamwork, which was a good sign, she supposed.            By the time they reached home, Kiba had finished telling Tsume about his day, and begged her to let him run over to the Inuzuka-run Konoha Kennels to tell his father, Genshu Hiraku, and Hana if she was there. After a moment's hesitation, Tsume granted him permission on the basis that he was home by six, and told the others that dinner was at six-thirty. He eagerly agreed and dashed off, leaving his mother and cousin on the doorstep. Datsuko heard her aunt sigh as she unlocked the door, and reached up to touch her wrist. Tsume looked down at her, blinked, and then smiled.            "Ah, sorry, I was ignoring you again, wasn't I? How was school for you?"            "It went well, Tsume-oba-sama. I found the tests relatively easy, and due to their kekkei genkai I have made friends with Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Hinata."            Tsume looked a little surprised, but then smiled as she led Datsuko inside. "I'm glad you've made friends. Maybe the families are too strict and traditional, but they make good ninja, and are good to work with once they get over their superiority issues."            Datsuko said nothing on the matter, and simply stared up at Tsume before showing her aunt, through the temporary bond their contact made, her moment of hesitation at letting Kiba go to see his father, and putting an enquiring presence behind it.            Tsume actually flinched, either at the mental contact or Datsuko's observation. She took a breath and looked like she was about to deny everything before she sighed, conceding to her niece.            "Your uncle and I are having a difficult patch, Datsuko." Tsume's eyes flickered to the room where the dogs usually slept. This did not go unnoticed, but Datsuko kept her thoughts to herself this time, drawing her own conclusions. Tsume forced a smile. "Now, why don't you go and do some shuriken practice? I need to check on Ami's bitch, Byakuko, since she's due any day…"            Datsuko was left standing in the living room while Tsume hurried off, concerned for her family's precious canines. Datsuko shrugged and padded upstairs to the room she shared with Hana, settling down with the Sudoku book she had bought with the pocket money Tsume allowed her, wondering whether her aunt and uncle would make up.

Chapter 9 – Late Nights If that night was anything to go by, they would not.            Datsuko was woken, about ten o'clock, by barking and whining, and voices from the dogs' room; more precisely, the whelping room. Wondering what was wrong, Datsuko slipped out of bed, noting that Hana was not in hers as she did so, and padded down the hallway. She walked straight into the room, pressing herself against the wall so she wasn't in the way, and silently watched.            The dog was having her puppies, and the family had come to watch.            Hana was kneeling by the labouring dog, doing things Datsuko didn't know about but made sense to help the birth. Tsume and Hiraku stood over her, occasionally whispering advice to their daughter, which she accepted readily. Kiba was fidgeting in the background, kept from interfering with the birth by Tsume's massive dog, Kuromaru. The bitch's owner also hovered in the background, concerned for her companion.            As each puppy was born, Hana helped the dog bite through the umbilical cord, and murmured the gender before passing the pup to her mother to be checked over and weighed. Hiraku made a note of all the details as his wife and daughter whispered them to him, a calculating look in his eye. Tsume would then gently lay the newborn back down with its mother, where it squirmed into her warmth blindly. The process would then start again as the contractions began for the next puppy.            "Bitch."            "Dog."            "Dog.            "Dog, but looks like it's got a bad paw."            "Bitch, looks like a runt."            And then it was over. The mother tiredly licked her puppies clean, and guided each one over to her teats so it could feed. Hana helped to clean the mess up, and the dogs in the room barked happily. Kiba started pestering his parents in the hope of being able to have one, which they refused, much to his annoyance. Leaving the happy owner with her dog and litter, Tsume, Hiraku, Hana and Kiba all left, going to the kitchen, with Datsuko trotting silently behind. Tsume and Hiraku were arguing in angry whispers, and they stepped out into the back garden as soon as Hana and Kiba had sat down, shutting the door behind them. Raised voices immediately drifted through the wood, and although the children couldn't see their parents, it was easy to imagine their faces.            Datsuko started to make hot chocolate for the three of them.            "The runt and the lame should be put down – they'll be no use for working or breeding!" This was Hiraku.            "No! Just because she's the runt of the litter doesn't mean she can't work, or breed, or be a companion! And the dog could be a companion too," Tsume responded.            "It's not worth the resources to rear them!"            "It's always worth it!"            "It's uneconomical!"            "It's ethical and moral!"            "Leaving them to grow and be useless is immoral!"            Hana had long brought Kiba into her arms and covered his ears, trying to muffle the row. Kiba was snivelling into her nightgown and clung tightly to her.            Datsuko quietly put two mugs of hot chocolate in front of the pair and tapped Hana's wrist to let her know. The pre-teen, used to Datsuko appearing randomly and only communicating with feelings, nodded gratefully in Datsuko's general direction before taking Kiba's arms from around her waist, pressing a mug into his hands and gently leading him up to his bedroom for the night. Datsuko waited patiently in the kitchen for Hana to return for her own drink. When the girl returned, looking distinctly upset now and glancing nervously at the back door, she slid onto a chair and sipped the warm drink. She started slightly as Datsuko touched her arm, sending a questioning thought to her cousin. Hana slumped on the tabled and cradled her mug in her hands before speaking quietly.            "Mum… Dad… They always argue after a litter's been born. Dad's an outsider, not from the village; he was a prominent dog breeder from the Tea Country, and Grandpa thought it would be a good idea to have him marry Mum, so they could share talents and experiences and improve the Inuzuka pack. But as a civilian, he specialises in domestic and traditional working animals. While he cares for the dogs, he's more interested in breeding specialised ones and selling on the stock. A runt or a lame is a poor investment." Hana paused for a moment, and sighed as she eyed the door again. "On the other hand, Mum specialises in nin-dog and is much more concerned about the dogs than the profit. Dad just… doesn't get it." She sipped her drink. "He doesn't get it at all, so Mum's always fighting with him. She normally wins, but…" Trailing off, Hana stared into the frothy brown mixture. Then, almost inaudibly, she said, "One of my triplets is the father. His first."            Datsuko's heart went out to her cousin, and the girl smiled a little as she felt it through the temporary bond. Then she picked up her mug, downed the drink and stood up. "Anyway, if he puts any of them down, it won't just be Mum he's answering to; I'll put him down myself," she joked awkwardly. Patting Datsuko's head she said, "Come on; bed for us. They… They'll stop arguing in their own time." She glanced again at the door, where voices could still be heard, although they were quieter and more intense, so only the occasionally "Bastard," and "Stupid woman," came through. Hana then steered her cousin into bed before going to bed herself. Before long her breathing had evened out in the depths of sleep, and eventually lulled Datsuko's fretting mind to sleep. 0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 Late the same night, Sasuke was padding quietly though the dark corridors of his house, coming back from a visit to the bathroom, when he heard voices coming from the meeting room, and a beam of light spilled from a crack in the sliding doors. As he recognised his father's low chuckle he stopped to listen to the conversation.            "You are my son, indeed. I knew I could trust you to enter ANBU."            Sasuke regarded the statement for a moment, before realising that Itachi had succeeded in his mission.            It was probably unfair of him to be upset that his brother had gotten into ANBU.            It just meant that there was even more for Sasuke to work up to. 0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 Hinata lay awake that night in her stark, cold room, thoughts of the day passing incessantly through her mind: her father's angry words at an innocent girl not born in the village; the rudeness of everyone towards Naruto; the surprise friendship and acceptance of an 'enemy' and a rival clan's heir; the blond's smile as he lapped up the class's attention; her father and her cousin's disapproval of her friends, and the harsh training session, which had left her with several bruises from Jyuuken strikes, even if they were free of chakra to 'protect' her; the look of disappointment when Hinata failed to land a strike on even Neji, who was a Branch House member and supposedly below her; and Neji's smug air when Hiashi nodded in silent approval of his skill.            Hinata wished so badly that he would give her even that simple nod to show pleasure in her.            She sighed and rolled over on the bed, trying to ease the pressure on a bruise on her ribs, and stifled a sob, making efforts to reassure herself that she was just a slow learner and that she would one day meet her father's expectations. It was of small comfort. Then she remembered the blond boy's sunny smile, even after he had tripped and embarrassed himself. Smiling weakly, Hinata took a little courage from the memory, and eventually drifted off to sleep.

And that’s where I abandoned it! Sorry if you wanted more, but I hope you enjoyed it.

[skaliriens]

I just gotta ramble about my story for a second oh man

Sorry had a moment where i just needed to type things out cause i was planning things with my story and i love my kids so much but i don’t have enough posted about them on tumblr so no one understands what their about rly

But like heres the thing right,

I’ve been working with the skaliriens for ages right. I only started altering and working with the other empires history and development recently but i’m really proud with what i’ve done!

I’ve grown to be more invested with Takashis story then Kotras.

Because sure saving your own empire and rebuilding the empire from the ground up is all fine and dandy. “ and it also develops the characters from the first ark in to who they are going in to Takashis story “

But Takashis story isn’t solely about the Skaliriens!

Takashi starts off as a restless young boy who just wants to go on an adventure, Due to the broken state of the empire he was born into he didn’t exactly understand or see the appeal that both Kotra and Chioke had for their kingdom. Chioke and Kotra fought long and hard to save the kingdom and they themselves were unable to understand why their son would be so reluctant to rule over it.

In the background of all this, “ hinted out in the first ark, since the reason the Skaliriens were able to win the war was because of the Valkyrian forces being struck by some unknown second force “

There are reports of strange epidemics popping up amongst the kingdom. Not just confined to the floating islands but all around the world as well.

Takashi who is often left to entertain himself with books since he is not allowed to leave the islands begins to uncover old totems and legends about the Virus. Thousands of years ago when the empires were young this very sickness rose up and threatened all life on its surface.

The guardians have been going around to multiple young aspiring adventures, attempting to motivate the people of larthar to fight and rally the empires together to combat the sickness. Perhaps finding a permanent way to rid the world of the sickness seeing that their efforts before did not work.

Takashi is one of the people chosen for this mission and along the way he Meets Lucius” Fallen “ Who is a Solace. But just like him he is nervous, not ready to take on the responsibilities of being a Cheifrian to his people.

Latter on they also meet Edgar, who at first is very loud, and aggressive towards them but after finding out what their quest was grows a lot closer to them

Takashis biggest motivation was to at first save his mother, who when he last saw her was going through the early symptoms of the sickness. But latter on Passes away. Turning his motivation to avenging her

Edgar had noticed something off with his own mother

“ The Baron empress had casted a law several years ago. She was unable to have any eggs of her own so she made a rather selfish law. Having all eggs laid in the territories sent to her to be raised and hatched. This enforces a strengthened relationship between all of the Barons. Everyone is family and all hail and serve their Mother. Eagerly craving her attention and approval. “

Edgar is no different than the average Baron, he is just as jealous and attention craving as any other but his role as a personal guard allows him to be closest to his Mother. He notices her growing more frail and sick over time. But suddenly just like nothing happened she was well again. Of course similar effects began to fall over the barons. And Mother had become more aggressive and commanding.

The three eventually find out she is being used a Virus proxy. When someone is infected and passes away if their strength and abilities are useful to the sickness they become scouts or stronger members of the infection tasked with replacing the original person they had killed and infected and infecting those around them.

Edgar and Takashi originally hate each other, both being raised to hate each other due to the wars between both of their empires but after the Baron empress is defeated the two have an unfortunate similarity,

Edgar is torn open after aiding Takashi and Fallen kill the empress. Sure his sister had shown to be the next chosen heir to the Baron throne and she could possibly undo what the Previous empress had down to break the empire. But his mother's damage on him still remained.

Takashi and Edgar are the only two in the group who have had major family loses due to the sickness. Though its an unfortunate connection it's enough to have the two forget their differences and makes them grow closer “ I’m sorry my beautiful boys it had to be done “

Fallen feels nervous and different from the two, He was lucky enough to not lose anyone. He could see the pain both Takashi and Edgar shared and he felt powerless to do anything to help them, since he couldn’t relate. He would feel ashamed if he even tried to relate with that kind of pain.

I know it might be a cheesy story about three characters from different walks of life who at the start know nothing about each other and their culture, even hating each other but learning about each other and growing closer as friend while the world's ending behind them but i’m really Happy with the word and the characters I’ve made!! Like!! I’ve been watching them grow up and i love it!!

I’m like invested in whats going to happen to them, I feel proud whenever i see them succeed or take a huge step forward in their story towards their goal and like FUCK i love my characters a lot and i have so much god damn shit on them that i can never really explain or get all down in one sitting or conversation but god dammit one day I hope i can make an animation, a movie a show or a comic series. A webcomic or something with this story. I hope all the work i put into it is enough for people to at least check it out. Tell their friends about it. I wanna see people guessing to see what’ll happen next. Maybe coming up with head canons or theories that i didn’t even think of but it makes sense!

And i say all this shit as if i have like enough stuff out there on my characters but nope

Its all stuck in my head

And god dammit it i don’t wanna burn myself out with this i’ve had these characters for so damn long and i’m so god dang proud of my babies