I'm just an uploading fool, aren't I? Anyways, I recently got another review asking me to continue, so... it's continuing. I still have a lot of buffer, and I'll let you know when I run out. So what is Kaya like when she Character Changes? Well, it probably isn't what you expected...

So... just read.

Suddenly, Kaya's hair became like Jun's, with fox ears and a tail to match; a grand piano appeared in the middle of the benches and with a flick of her ears and a swish of her tail, and she had taken a perch atop the piano bench. Kaya's finger's bounced across the keys as she began the staccato to what sounded like a very sad tune.

A few measures in she began to sing a very recognizable song:

"One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do,

Two can be as bad as one,

It's the loneliest number since the number one, uh,

No is the saddest experience, you'll ever know…

Yes, it's the saddest experience, you'll ever know…"

Other instruments seemed to join in out of nowhere, the sound growing in power and her voice resounding as if it were coming from all directions. The songs meaning gripped your heart as she got to the chorus, and you truly felt how powerful the emotion was.

Isolated. Forgotten. Lost. Lonely.

"It's just no good anymore since you went away…"

Left behind.

These were the feelings the song was trying to convey, and boy could they feel them. Nearly everyone was crying, except for Kaya. She was in a completely different world. A world where it was safe to sing, a world where it didn't matter if she was loud or opinionated, somewhere she wanted to be.

The song came down with a final piano chord, and Kaya's Character Change timed out, leaving this socially awkward girl to deal with a room full of crying people.

The piano disappeared as Kaya surveyed the damage she had done.

Great way to make friends, stupid! She yelled at herself, sing a song that makes them fricking cry!

"I'm sorry you had to see that," Kaya apologized.

"Sorry!"

Kaya looked up at Amu, who was now standing, wiping her tears up, "That was beautiful! Why are you embarrassed by your Character Change?"

"I… I thought you would be mad…"

"Why would we be mad?" Asked Nagihiko, who was recovering pretty quickly.

"I kind of… well, you're all crying! That isn't a good thing!"

Kukai walked up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder, "When you sing a song like that, you want to move people. Everyone here was moved, so…" He gave her a thumbs up, "Success!"

Kaya thought about this for a moment, "In order to be successful, I have to make people cry!"

"That's not really what he meant," Tadase said.

She sighed, "I know what he meant… I just don't really like myself when I Character Change. I'm so loud and I sing too much."

"Are you kidding? If I could sing like that, I'd sing all the time!" Amu said, wiping away the last of her tears.

"Um…"

"Yeah, why haven't you sung before?"

"How did you keep from Character Changing in public?"

"I… I just, uh –,"

"When did you get your Guardian Character?"

"It was, ah…,"

"Kaya?"

"Hey, Kaya, are you okay?"

Kaya's words were getting smaller and smaller, diminishing to a lower volume than before, and she was actually physically shrinking away from the group.

Too many questions… I can't keep this up…

"Hey…"

If somebody says my name one more time, I –

"… Kaya –,"

"No! You've got what you want! You saw me Character Change! Now leave me alone!" Kaya exploded on them, her voice once again projecting, the absolute volume and conviction in her tone shocking them.

Her head down and her hands balled into fists, Kaya continued, "I'm going to ask you to never come back here. If you enter these woods alone you risk your lives. Leave here before the sun goes down. You should be safe until then. Goodbye."

Kaya stormed out of the room faster than any of them could react. Jun followed after her, and the former Guardians were left in the wake of her cold rejection.

"I wonder what's wrong," Amu lamented.

"I'll talk to her," Kukai announced.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Nagihiko challenged, "She didn't seem to take so kindly to you earlier."

Kukai's shoulders fell, "She transferred here last year and the teacher placed her right in front of me in class. She never attempted to talk to anyone, and because of her harsh exterior no one attempted to talk to her. Everyone was intimidated by her, so they avoided her. I didn't talk to her much either, because I was more focused on other stuff, but then I saw her Guardian egg, and I knew she was using an outer character. So I made a point every day to say hello to her. For a long time, she totally blew me off, but one day… she actually responded responded. And you know what else she did? She smiled. That was the frist time I had ever seen her smile. Truth is, I'm the closest thing to a friend she has, and she could really use a friend."

/?/

"Kaya," Jun tried to get her attention, "They really did mean well."

"Jun, I haven't spoken that much to that many people in years! I couldn't handle it…" Kaya slumped against a tree and let herself sink to the ground, "I just couldn't handle it."

"I think they can help you, though, and your mom…"

"We can't ask for help, Jun, don't you remember what happened last time?"

"Right… but can't you at least tell them what's going on?"

"All five of them! No way!"

"At least tell Kukai."

"Kukai? Why Kukai?"

"Kaya, you've told me since the day I was born that all you wanted was for someone to try. You said you hated it when people you ask what's wrong and as soon and you say 'nothing' they completely forget they asked. You wanted someone persistent; you told me you wanted someone that cared enough about you that they would be willing to intrude, even if it made you angry! You've been waiting for that person, and I think Kukai is the best you're going to get! So tear down those walls and just tell him!"

"Tell me what?"

"Kukai!" Kaya's head popped up to see Kukai leaning against the tree trunk next to her, "How much of that did you hear!"

"Just that I'm the best you're going to get and that you should just tell me."

Kaya let out a sigh a of relief, "Good."

"Why," Kukai sat next to her, "Do I want to hear the rest?"

"Maybe someday…"

They were both silent for a moment. Jun floated up into the branches of the tree, settling toward the one a branch toward the base of the trunk. She motioned for Daichi to follow her.

"This atmosphere is really tense," Daichi commented.

Jun sighed, "I know. Despite how much Kaya may like a person, she really isn't very good with people."

"But you're great with people!"

"Exactly," Jun replied with a wink.

"Oh, I get it, so Kaya wants to be…"

"…good with people, more out-going, cleverer, and a more versatile artist."

Daichi raised an eyebrow, "That sure is a lot."

"Kaya has a lot of potential; she just doesn't know how to use it yet. That's how I was born. One of her teachers told her she had a lot of potential and she decided that she was going to use every bit of potential she had."

"That's cool," Daichi commented.

"You aren't very deep, you know that?"

"Kukai doesn't want to be deep, necessarily, but he can be when he isn't thinking about it."

"Really? What happens when he actually tries?"

"He sounds like an idiot," Daichi said with a laugh.

/?/

"So, Kaya… why did you run away?"

"Too many people, too many questions."

The silence had drawn on for as long as the Guardian Characters had been talking. Now that Kukai was here, he didn't really know what to do. In truth, he had actually heard all of what Jun had said, he just didn't want it to get awkward.

That failed.

Because this was definitely…

Awkward.

Oh, Kukai, you mean so well and yet you are so... Awkward.

There sure is a lot of monolouging in this chapter. It's mostly boring developmental stuff. Don't you worry, it'll get plenty interesting pretty soon.