A Lone Gunwoman

"Kyoku," the blue haired, red-eyed girl whispered, "Jump over that chasm. I see a treasure chest on the other side." She had on a black T-shirt, a navy jean skirt, a pair of metal gauntlets, and tan boots. The fifteen-year old girl was a little bit miffed at the moment. On her way to the town of Sarian, a large earthquake had opened a chasm beneath her feet, and swallowing her and her pet Wind Mouse inside. All the duo wanted was to find a way out, and get a few treasures along the way.

"Kay Sierra," Kyoku replied. She was a white Wind Mouse with black fur on her belly, the top of her head, and the end of her tail. They creature ran across the chasm, picked the lock on the chest, and brought its contents, a Duplicator, over to her friend. Sierra looked at Kyoku, and smiled.

The two were each other's only friend. Sierra's father, Domanick Kenju, had abandoned his daughter when she was small, in the saloon in a town called Vensnia. The saloon's mistress had raised the girl, but now forced the child to work in her establishment as a waiter and maid. Sierra wished that her dad had left her something useful when he'd abandoned her. Instead, he had given her Kyoku, a diary with the key missing, and a small Handgun ARM. It was almost as if he wanted her to become a Silver Wolf like him, and journey to the four corners of the world. If only to spite him, Sierra had done nothing of the sort. She never tried to force the diary open, to see why he had left her, nor had she tried to use the ARM. The only tool she used was Kyoku, who helped more as a friend than a slave. There was even times when she refused, in order to get a rise out of Sierra.

Suddenly, a monster appeared. It appeared to be a large red dragon, but without the wings. Sierra knew it must have been guarding the Duplicator, and wanted the key back. She drew her sword, and ran at the enemy. The dragon dodged the attack easily, and tried to strike back. Sierra took minor damage, it appeared to be much more agile than it was strong. As several more turns passed, the theory was proving to be true, what with her inability to harm the creature, and its inability to kill her.

Kyoku screamed, "Sierra! Use the ARM! I've heard that it is possible to Lock On to a target with something like that, maybe you can hit it then. You're sword is useless either way."

Sierra looked as if her friend had gone mad. "But I don't know how to use an ARM. Only experts can Lock On, experts like my father. There's no way I can fire this stupid thing." To emphasize her point, the woman pulled out the gun, and tried to fire. But things didn't go how she expected.

Out from the ARM came a sight scope, and the Force Skill Lock On was activated. Sierra felt herself getting a good look at where to strike, and then she fired the gun. It hit the beast square in the stomach. The dragon began to convulse, and died shortly afterwards. Sierra was lost for words.

"I did it," she stated, "I don't know how, but I did it. Maybe I am destined to be a Silver Wolf like my father. But first, I must get to town. That old hag will chew me out if I don't get her wine from Sarian, and come back home quickly. She complains too much, if I wasn't in her debt for raising me, by the Guardians, I'd leave right away and head out on my own to find a new home."

* * *

After getting chewed out by the saloon's owner, Sierra went back to her room. There, she found her father's diary, and began to look at it. The lock suddenly began to glow, in reaction to the Duplicator. Then, it opened. Sierra couldn't believe what was written on the pages inside.

"April 14: I was examining the wreck of this caravan, when I found something strange. There was a child, a baby girl sleeping in the wreckage. Nearby, a cage containing a Wind Mouse was left on the ground. I don't know what exactly happened here, but I must rescue these two lives. The girl will be my daughter, and I will call her Sierra. And the Wind Mouse's name is Kyoku."

"April 20: I find I can't leave my life as a Silver Wolf behind, I've done it for so long. Thus, I will leave Sierra and Kyoku at this saloon. She will be given this diary, so she might understand me some day, and an ARM. Maybe, she too will head out to become a Silver Wolf, and we will meet again."

"Can this really be? He wasn't my real father?! Now I'm definitely leaving here. I want to know why he took me in, only to abandon me again. This entry is just too selfish. I want to find him and beat the answers out of him if I have too. Heck, I want to know why I am able to handle the ARM, even though I have no previous training to aid me. Kyoku, we're leaving," said Sierra.

~ ~ ~ ~

In a small tent in the middle of the forest, Sierra was looking outside at the falling rain. She thought, 'It's already been two years since that day, and still I have no leads. Why did my birth mother abandon me in that caravan? For there weren't any women among the dead, so she must have given me to them. And why did the man who took me in, leave me as well?'

Kyoku sighed. "Thinking about the past again, eh Sierra? You know all it does is get me depressed. Why don't you try to cheer up some times, you can be such a dull and boring girl sometimes. Let's play something, we can have fun together. Right, Sierra?"

"Kyoku," she replied, "I just want to be left alone right now. That means, don't bother me, and I won't bother you. So just be quiet, all I want to do is think about the situation." Then, she returned to brooding. Kyoku could be so annoying sometimes, she never shut up. But she was all Sierra had, the only person who had ever cared about her. Even her foster mother only wanted something from her, she never really loved the girl that had been left at her saloon.

'Sierra, if only you hadn't found all that out. Then you would be open with me once again. We're best friends, and I wish you would just let me help you out. I don't ever want to see you get hurt. We have so much in common. You're all I've got Sierra, and I'm all you've got too,' Kyoku mused. But no answers came to the small Wind Mouse. All she could do was watch the rain with Sierra.

- - - -

Teefa's Last Words…

Kyoku and Sierra kind of remind me of me and my partner, Sky. I was going for a chattery pet, it's a gag. She's going to be much more playful than Hanpan or Pooka were. Another new friend in the next chapter, we're going to go one at a time until all four are introduced. Then we have to introduce them to one another.

Translations

Kenju (Sierra's last name)=gun.

Kyoku=song, musical composition.