Long time no see, folks! And yes, I've wrote another arc. I've been planning on this for years, so I have to write this. By the way, I took an example from Shonen Jump, the multiple Manga, involving skipping some arcs, so I skipped a few only.

Disclaimers: All but White Rose, Warashi and Shiva (not the FF summon) belong to their respective creators. And I'm using the ancient city's name, Zanarkand (from FFX) for a made up planet. Nothing more.

Warning: Contains hints of Shonen-ai (Boy Love), and, may also contain hints of Shojo-ai (Girl Love) involving an OC, too. Some of you readers might knows this, but there are some dummies out there. Homophobes, mostly. And any of you all are among them, I advise you not to read further now.

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It has been two months since my niece, White Rose, and Toboe arrived here in Hanakai. Since the two found Hearth Heart, the Orb of Fire, they've recruited a few more allies, yet more like friends, really. Haru and Elie seem to be pretty kind and strong, which Kagura and I didn't mind at all. Then two more kids joined this group.

If I recall correctly, Oichi joined after Noh was cured of a spectral illness, and after she coughed out a Light Orb, Starry Pious. Then Skuld was eager to come with us after Urd finally spilled her guts on a method to become stronger much faster. Skuld wanted to bring Noble Scarlet back this way.

Days later, an urgent mission occurred when Kagura delivered a distress message regarding an endangered race, the Burmecians. White Rose and her friends left immediately, joining her cousin Chiara's group, to evacuate the once sacred village. During the limited time of this ordeal, Elie discovered something at the bottom of the waterfall basin; the Orb of Water, Fathom Echoes. If it weren't for her, there would be nothing but shards already. Overall, everyone, Burmecians and the kids, are safely evacuated and were dropped of to New Zanarkand, the Sanctuary Planet. Afterwards, White Rose and Chiara parted ways once more. Eventually, Warashi and Musashi returned to us. They were lost in a snowy planet, which is a home to the White Lobo, the wolf women with amazing intellect and Mystic Arts. Sadly, nothing much happened there.

And now, four Orbs are in our possession. There will be a time for me to explain their origin, true powers and the reason why I'm searching for them. . . .

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Potion Peril

Chapter 1: Mischievous Light

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Shiva's Log

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Dear Log,

It was like any average day on the calendar. Just an ordinary time of day for all of us. Currently, in my laboratory, I worked on a new kind of arrow. An arrow that could change sides of enemies for better chance of peace and lesser chance of hatred. The ingredients sat on the potion table and shelves, but only a few were chosen for the new potion that is required for the arrows. Red rose petals, licorice extract, dove's wing feather, a Siren's lock of hair and Lamia's scales. After the ingredients are added to the pestle, I crushed them with the mortar. Minutes later, the powdery compound was dumped into a bowl of pure water. The scent lingered in the lab, therefore, I placed the arrowheads in the bowl.

As the arrows were soaking up the potion, I left the lab to find Warashi if he had found the main ingredient for an antidote, which I should be able to tweak its effect. . . .

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Warashi's Journal

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1st Year, 3rd Month, 26th Day,

All I can say right now is that doing something simple. . . .is NOT simple. The clot that I've collected had a mind of its own. No matter how we try to catch it, it slipped out of our clutches, and sometimes threw a raspberry at any of us as a taunt.

"Stupid clot ball!"

We had no choice but perform the Dog Pile on the little ball of slippery goop. Though it slipped out of us like seeping phosphates, I smirked as it got caught into my sink trap of a bottle. We got off of ourselves and I took the bottle of the struggling inorganic matter, and corked it, literally.

I left the Rec Room and walked down the hallways into the lab, passing Oichi who walked the opposite direction of mine, heading to the workshop. Strange as it may seem, she smelled awfully nice. Kinda flowery. Normally, she was never a fanatic of fragrance, except hygiene. I placed the bottle into the cabinet of various dead or living matter. Shiva already followed me back here.

"Thank you, Warashi." Shiva said while she checked the potion table. "Hm? Most of my arrowheads are missing."

I thought for a moment, remembering Oichi leaving the lab, but there was no way she'd steal. I shook my head and answered.

"I didn't know that. I just returned the imp of a clot."

"I smelled Oichi's scent, but it's not too strong due to the potion I've been working on tonight."

"I'll find the thief by asking. You finish the prototype."

"Splendid idea."

Shiva finished making the prototype arrows, when she heard a familiar sound from a halfway opened window.

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Kagura's Diary

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Dear Diary,

I thought it was a normal day, until the archangels summoned me to deliver a letter. Afterwards, I flew out of Heaven, message in hand. It was a normal night on my feather as a courier. It's quite uncommon for us to partake missions at night. Only Dark Angels can handle this sort of thing. But this one's different. A certain danger has been involved at a destination of the next mission. The time became right for my partially mastered spell. I chanted, then a harsh alarm-like noise sounded.

I vanished for a second and appeared from the vanishing pale green cloud, nearly losing my balance.

"Whoooaa! I'm fine, I'm fine!"

Soon, Shiva opened the mansion window and leapt out of it, landing in between me and the mansion. Immediately, I calmed down for a moment and sighed, commenting to my lady friend.

"Shiva, the spell you taught me is a little difficult to cast."

Shiva responded to my complaint "It's like that at first, but you'll get used to it."

I just shook my head, clearing the mind. "Oh right." I handed her the message and photo. "Tell the kids about their next mission."

"Thank you." Shiva patted my shoulder and walked back the parlor. "KIDS!! COME DOWN HERE!!"

The young people reported to the parlor. Shiva looked around and asked "Hm? Where's Oichi?"

"Hmmm…" Musashi hummed as he took out a horn and blew it.

The kids, even Skuld and Warashi, were disturbed by the most harsh sound.

"Oh, for Pete's sake, STOP!!" Haru yelled.

Oichi dashed up the stairs from the basement, fingering her ear. "Owww... What is it?"

Shiva mumbled "Remind me to get an intercom later." and cleared her throat. "Attention, attention. The mission had just arrived." Then she read the note.

White Rose thought for a moment. "What's it say, Aunt Shiva?"

Shiva grew silent for a few seconds. "Hmm...it says that your next mission will be in Ivalice to...help Marche and his clan, Nutsy."

Elie, at first, asked with her common guess. "What is it? A huge monster who's been difficult to beat?"

Shiva answered "No, Elie. What happened is that...hmm... Oh my…" She kept reading still.

"What? What?" Skuld asked curiously.

Shiva continued reading the message out loud. "Almost all of the clan has been intoxicated by a once Nu Mou outlaw named Ezel." A nanosecond later, the Ice Sage appeared to be ticked off.

Warashi tilted his head. "You know him, do you?"

Shiva looked with a cold expression on her face. "Yes. In fact, he goofed off when I left!"

I became nervous and walked closer. "Shiva, please. Compose yourself. There is no point in having a limited temper. Besides, we still have our job to do." I patted my friend's back.

Shiva breathed calmly. "Thank you, Kagura. Anyhow, your objection is to dilute the drunken condition off of the clan members before it ruins their craniums."

Haru guessed it all out quickly. "Y'mean we have to cleanse their brains?"

Elie exclaimed in a freaked out manner, "Gross! An operation's required?!"

Warashi merely giggled. "Silly Elie. It's not needed; we can use a special mixed remedy that Shiva and I made sometime ago."

Shiva folded the letter and faced the group with a neutral face. "Yes, indeed. And before you go, the Angels gave you a warning about a corporeal shadow on the loose."

Oichi threw the raspberry lips "So?"

Skuld raised her wrist and hand "What's the big deal?"

Shiva explained the warning. "This guy is deadly; his Omega spell can hurt living beings badly. But however, it can be fatal to an immortal life form."

Warashi, Skuld, and W. Rose listened to some horror murder scene tune in their heads and gulped.

Musashi dropped his head and raised it. "Calm down, you three! You won't meet your maker. Don't worry."

Oichi became confused. "But Musashi, White Rose, Skuld and Warashi know about their maker very well."

Toboe smacked his forehead. "It's one of those, um, figures of speech, Oichi."

Oichi sighed. Shiva reached for the envelope and took another content.

"And, here's his photo. "

She showed them the photograph. However, everyone but Shiva and me shouted in shock.

"He's weird and lumpy." Elie spoke as she scratched her head.

Shiva had her eyes closed for a few seconds. "Without a…doubt?" Then she checked the photo, herself. "Oops! Sorry, that's one of my lunatic suitors." The photo got crumpled up and thrown into the wastebasket by a doorway. Immediately, she separated the real photo that was stuck to the letter and showed it. "Here's the real deal."

Haru widened his eyes. "Whoa."

White Rose examined the photograph. "Looks can be deceiving."

Skuld checked carefully. "From the look on his face, he looks rather cold-hearted."

Oichi simply agreed. "I know, right?"

Shiva withdrew the photo and put it away. "Time to go, kids. And good luck." She chanted the Gaelic incantation for a teleportation spell. "Cadoan, Ivalice!"

So the kids were transported to Ivalice with Dark Angel magic.

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White Rose's Journal

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Cleric's Log, 533

It was late at night when we arrived at Cadoan. Rain poured on as if Ivalice's Mother Nature wept away. We knew what to do from here, so after the elemental change, we found the Pub. Once inside, it looked like…

"A rancid hutch. Yuck." Toboe responded with a fanning hand near his face.

"Indeed. It reeked of overripe oranges and…" Oichi whiffed "Ack! Something else!"

"Whew, it's worse than Urd's drinking habit back at Keiichi's." Skuld fell to her knees.

I raised my azure cape. "Oh, dear. I'll drive the stench away. After all, I can't stand it, either."

The light swirl of water hovered, and swished, taking the horrid smell with it in its dancing whirl. Skuld opened a nearby window to let the water out.

Warashi smiled as he readied his special med kit. "The minor worry's away, at last. But before we get to work . . . . where's Haru?"

Haru burst through the doorway, in shock.

"This is uber bad!"

"What's uber bad?" Elie asked.

"I left you guys to see if there are drunkards wobbling all their way to the Inn, but some, er, Moogle, gladly sober, was waiting for someone, but he claimed that this person, named Marche, is really late. I left to find him, but it was too dark and wet, I couldn't see a thing, but I found this blade alone in the streets."

He showed a blue sword, drenched in dirty water and very little blood at the handle and blade's edge.

"What is that sword?" Toboe asked.

"May I have a look?" Warashi asked.

"You're the object expert." Haru handed the sword carefully.

Warashi examined it for several minutes, and Skuld placed her hand on the handle, gathering her thoughts.

"Good thing she has the goddess instinct in her." Elie muttered.

Since I can hear anyone's thoughts, I heard a scary melody as Skuld had a vision of a fight and an unknown but chilling torment afterwards. Warashi finished examining the sword, and told us what kind it is.

"This sword is one of the unique weapons known here. Ayvuir Blue, but where's its red twin?"

"I only found this one. Nothing else." Haru turned his head left to right.

"Eek!" Skuld screamed.

"What happened?" Musashi asked in shock. "What did you see?"

"I saw…a clash of a sword against two, and something worse. It's too horrid to explain."

"I'll go find Marche." Oichi grabbed the doorknob.

"Bad idea to go by yourself, Oichi" I responded as I grabbed the human's wrist.

Oichi forcefully withdrew her arm away from me. "Forget it. I may look like a young girl, but I'm tougher than I appear. I'll find the big curdled dairy. I know he's out there, and I'll take the shadow down for good. You'll see!"

Haru correct Oichi "That's big CHEESE, Oi-"

The door slammed.

"…Chi."

Instantly, I grew worried since the fact that Nobunaga entrusted us with his sister after curing an illness that was unworldly. But we would surely be in trouble if anything happens to Oichi outside her home world. I made a decision out loud.

"If Oichi is seeking to save Marche, we gotta find him before she does. But however, we must be careful. The shadow is still out there."

"Hold up, White Rose." Musashi interrupted. "We still got clan members to treat and we can't just be off duty."

I motioned him to stop speaking for a bit.

"Let me finish. We'll split up. Skuld and Elie can accompany me outside and you guys can tend the brains. But just in case, one of you should be a lookout and guard, just in case if Oichi gives up and returns here."

"Good idea, but Oichi's the type who never changes her mind on an objective." Toboe said.

"Let her go for now, Toboe." Warashi spoke. "As kids, we took the initiative if anything happens. And it always worked. We can trust White Rose. Cut her some slack. She may be regal, but she was trained to be a brave angel."

"Okay, okay. Sorry about that. When it comes to you, White Rose, I worry easily. Anyhoo, all I can say to you now is . . . Be careful out there. And come back alive."

"You know me, Toboe. Leave it to us three."

Elie, Skuld and I left into the darkness outside the doorway. Skuld took out one of her inventions; a sound radar.

"Skuld," Elie asked. "Is it okay to use that thing in the rain?"

"I'm the Norn of the Future, remember? This detector's waterproof."

"How far can it detect sound waves?" I asked.

"This is just a prototype, however, so it'll detect within a five-mile radius, just like the normal radar control, but much, much lighter."

Suddenly, the device signal went off.

"Whoa, it worked!" Elie exclaimed softly.

"It's picking up something. Follow me!" Skuld dashed off with me and Elie on her tail.

When Skuld's device stops beeping, so does her dash. When the device goes off in a different direction, Skuld follows along with us. The closer the source, the higher the device's sound pitch. The sound radar served well as its inventor and us heard horrible screaming sounding in an instant. The shriek sent a knife-sharp chill down each of our spines. At the corner of Elie's eye took a second with a glimpse of a red sword, which looked exactly like the blue one. She tried to get it, but Skuld the engineer-turned Gadgeteer and I grabbed each of her arm, pulling her back.

"You wanna throw your life away already?! Only an arrogant person like Don Quixote would do something like that." I scolded.

"Who's Don Quixote?" Elie asked.

"Just a wacko protagonist in a literature I've read decades back. Anyway, we have to hide until that shadow goes away from our presence."

Elie found a crate and barrels. "There. We'll be safe in these." She pointed as she ran and hid in one of them. Skuld and I hid, as well, and waited in fear. I poked a cork out to be a watch angel for a time being. To my surprise, one of the orbs reacted by an unknown life aura.

What? The Hearth Heart has found another chosen being?In this imaginative realm? How's that possible? No living being, except a few whom Aunt Shiva talked about, can prosper here…

Skuld listened to my thoughts and communicated via mind.

White Rose, the other orb is reacting, too. Is Marche among us? Maybe?

Minutes later, everything became quiet, and the orbs stopping glowing. I lifted the lid and checked. It seemed clear, but to ensure this, I then flipped the barrel with my telekinesis and stood on my feet. I tiptoed to the corner and looked carefully.

"All clear." I climbed out.

Skuld and Elie climbed out, too. I looked away from what I saw in embarrassment. The youngest Norn turned away, too. But Elie, after strapping the sheathed Ayvuir Red on her back, knelt near the vulnerable warrior and checked the wounds.

"Not cool. White Rose, give me your cape."

"Alright, Elie."

So I took off my cape and handed it. Elie wrapped around Marche with the silky, dry cape. Skuld and I turned back in relief.

"We need a stretcher or something if we are to carry him to the inn…"

"No need to worry, Elie. Back home, I made a portable and foldable stretcher, but one of the others might have it. Probably Oichi. I'll find her now."

"Wait, Skuld! She dropped it here." I picked the item up and unfolded it.

"Thanks a bunch, Skuld. Looks like the give-and-take thing is working well." Elie picked up the wrapped Marche, with my help, and placed him on the stretcher.

"You go on ahead to the inn. I'll search for Oichi alone. And relax. I can travel through puddles of water and hide into them, too, in case if that guy comes around again."

"Keep your eyes open anyway, Skuld." Elie waved before we lifted the stretcher.

"I will."

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To be continued . . .

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That wasn't hard, was it? Like my first arc, this one's been divided into chapters. So no need to be imaptient, my friends.