I

Kobayashi walked up to Kanna's door and gave it a few soft knocks. "Kanna? Are you okay?" she asked carefully. She waited a moment then asked, "Is what they are saying true? Are you responsible for those power outages?" She thought about just going inside when she still did not get an answer. First she looked back at everyone else in the room. Tohru seemed the most concerned, Fafnir just stood with his arms folded and his typical stony gaze, and Elma still seemed incredibly nervous and guilty.

Kobayashi sighed and reached for the door, but before she got her hand on the knob it creaked open. Kanna walked out with her head down, paused for a moment, then approached Elma and Fafnir and bowed. "I am very sorry for the trouble I caused," she said with a small shaken voice.

Fafnir used one finger to push up his glasses as he looked down his nose at the small girl. Kobayashi tensed, preparing to have a big problem with him if he said anything mean to her.

"You are forgiven," is all Fafnir said, then turned around and walked towards the hole in the wall. Two black wings sprouted out of his back and he looked over his shoulder to say one more thing before leaving. "If you plan on disturbing the human world further, just be sure it is only between the hours of eight and four. Otherwise you will be interfering with my MMO schedule, and I will find you."

Kobayashi could not help palming her face… of course that is all Fafnir cared about. She could not even get worked up over the fact that he technically just threatened a child.

With that, he jumped outside, falling down out of sight for a moment before reemerging as a dark shadow, his wings giving a few powerful pulls and blowing strong gusts of wind into the apartment. He then soared up into the air and out of sight.

Elma reached down to retrieve her trident then drove the blunt end into the ground as she stood over Kanna. "Kanna, this is a very serious crime you have committed. As a representative of the harmony faction I'm afraid there is no way I can simply look the other way on this! You are going to have to come with me and-"

Kobayashi quickly stepped forward, putting her hands on Kanna's shoulders and gently scooting her back a step to position herself between the young dragon and this older one. It only took a moment for Tohru to join Kobayashi's side, and each of them gave Elma hard expressions.

Elma flinched back, losing her commanding aura and waving her hands at them nervously. "H-hey come on guys! What's with those scary looks?"

"Sorry Elma, but you are not taking Kanna anywhere," said Kobayashi. "We are her guardians so we will be the ones to handle this."

"Yeah," Tohru agreed. "I mean, it's not like anyone takes you seriously as an authority either way." Elma stumbled back at that comment as if she had been jab right in the nose with a boxing glove. "People just kind of go along with it sometimes so you don't feel bad..." Right hook. "I guess it's kind of like you are a joke." Body shot. "Actually, I bet the harmony faction only sent you to this world in the first place just to keep you busy so you would stay out of their hair for a while." Uppercut.

Elma stumbled backwards a few more steps, her head spinning as if she had just taken a serious beating and now had no idea where she was. She managed to shake it off after a moment and regain her composure. She stepped forward with her trident and planted it in the ground once again. "Now listen here! I have an important job to do! I am stationed in this world for the sake of maintaining balance! Kanna has actively made a decision to interfere with the human world in a significant way and now must be brought before the council for punishment! I am not leaving until I am allowed to carry out my duty and that's that!" The three of them stared eachother down; the tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Then all at once, Elma made her move.

She bowed down and folded her hands in prayer, shouting: "Come on guys! I'm in a really tight spot here! I've been on thin ice as it is and if I screw this one up I'm seriously going to be in a lot of trouble!"

Kobayashi could not help palming her face once again, then leaned forward and said, "That's not exactly our problem!"

Elma straightened her posture, cleared her throat, and more commandingly stated: "Sorry, but I am not leaving without Kanna."

Tohru's eyes narrowed and she held the egg out to Miss. Kobayashi. "Here, take our daughter. It seems I have no choice."

Kobayashi took the egg and said, "Tohru, you sure about this? I mean, I'm sure we can find a way to solve this issue nonviolently. Like, we could try bribing her with a loaf of bread or something like that again."

Elma once again stumbled as if she had just gotten her bell rung in a fist fight. "You still are not taking me seriously!" She took a moment to close her eyes and take a deep breath, then removed her trident from the ground and positioned it firmly in both hands.

Tohru watched Elma's repositioned trident. She saw the sea-dragon tighten her grip on the weapon, and point it's three blades right at her.

"Fine," said Tohru as she rolled up a sleeve and extended the claws on one of her hands. Her mouth opened, splitting her face and showing a series of incredibly sharp monstrous teeth. Her voice lowered to a scratchy, echoing pitch and her eyes blazed. "Sorry Miss. Kobayashi," she said with her demonic voice. "But I am afraid that she is not wise enough to back down."

Tohru's power was so overwhelming it was like the human form of her body could not contain it and it released as gusts of wind into the room, ruffling Tohru's maid outfit and flapping the tail of Elma's tunic.

"Now Tohru," Elma cautioned her, trying not to show any intimidation. "Don't do anything you'll regret now!" Though Elma was trying to sound in control, the way her foot stepped back showed she knew she was getting in over her head.

Yeah, Tohru's pretty scary when she is like this, Kobayashi thought with a bored expression, cradling the egg in her arms while Tohru's aura continued blowing at her hair and clothing. She glanced around the already half-destroyed apartment. If they are really doing this I hope they at least teleport somewhere else first… Maybe I should step in and stop it...

"Wait!" Kanna pushed past Tohru and Kobayashi and got right in the middle of everything. "Don't fight!" she shouted with her small voice.

"Kanna?" Tohru asked, retracting her claws and allowing her hand, face, and voice to return to normal.

Kanna's head was down, her eyes glassing over with tears running down her face. "Th-this is all my fault so…" Her head lifted. "I'll just go away so I don't cause trouble for anyone ever again!" She then took off in a dead run for the hole in the kitchen wall.

"Kanna!" Kobayashi shouted and reached after her, but she was already leaping through the opening. Her white feathery wings popped out of her back as she jumped, then her body was consumed by magical light as she changed to her dragon form and took off into the sky.

"Tohru!" Kobayashi shouted.

"Right!" Tohru ran after her, extending her own wings and jumping out of the hole. Kobayashi followed right behind her; taking a leap of faith right out of the five story apartment building. She tucked her knees and arms around the egg as she fell, only descending for a few seconds before landing on Tohru's green scaley back as the maid took on her own dragon form and they both went soaring into the sky together, going after Kanna.

"H-hey!" said Elma, standing at the hole in the wall. "You can't leave!"

All she heard was Kobayashi shouting back down to her. "You better have my kitchen fixed by the time I get back home!"

"B-but…" Elma looked back at the destroyed kitchen, looked up at the dragons disappearing into the sky, and looked back again. Her head slumped down with her arms falling limp at her sides. "Y-yes ma'am," she said under her breath, then turned back into the kitchen and folded her hands together. Magical circles came forth from her palms and started repairing everything.

II

"Kanna!" Kobayashi called after her as she and Tohru soared through the air. The wind rushing against her face was so loud she doubted her voice was actually carrying far enough for Kanna to hear. She did her best to straddle Tohru while keeping the egg firmly tucked against her chest with one arm. Her other arm gripped Tohru's scales and her fingers found a small crevice to latch onto. This was not the first time she ever rode on Tohru's back, but she had never done so while Tohru was going quite this fast before.

"Where are you going?" Tohru called after her telepathically. She had her body straightened out as much as she could, trying to make herself as aerodynamic as possible, but Kanna was steadily getting more and more of a lead on them.

"Tohru? Can't you fly any faster?" Kobayashi shouted to her, trying her best to make her voice heard through the wind.

One of Tohru's fierce dragon's eyes glanced back. "I am sorry, but I can not. Kanna is a storm dragon and therefore speed is one of her greatest attributes."

"Then can't you create a portal or something and catch up to her that way?"

Tohru's head shook. "It does not work that way. I can only open a gateway to somewhere I have physically been before, and am familiar with. I can also randomly open gateways between worlds, but by doing that there is no telling where we might end up and that will do us no good."

Kanna soared further and further away until it was clear they would not be able to catch her, and Tohru began losing her speed and slowing to a stop. Kanna looked back for just a moment. Kobayashi thought she could see a tear fall from one of those big blue dragon eyes. Kanna looked forward again and rose up behind the clouds; far away and now vanishing from their sight.

"I am sorry Miss. Kobayashi!" said Tohru as she started drifting downwards. "I need to take a break… there is no way we can catch her…"

Kobayashi looked down over Tohru's side and only saw ocean and a few small islands beneath them. "Wow, we are already outside of japan…" Kobayashi said under her breath.

Tohru flew down to an open spot on the beach of an island and landed. She waited for Kobayashi to slide off of her tail and once she and the egg were back on solid ground Tohru returned to her human form. As soon as she was back in her maid outfit and with two normal human legs under her, she let herself fall back and sit on the sand, gasping for breath.

Kobayashi walked over and sat down next to her. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yes, I am fine. I just need a moment," said Tohru, holding a hand at her chest as she continued pulling in breath. "Funny… I once found my human form to be the more tiring of the two, but now it seems staying as a dragon is more difficult. I also have not flown like that in ages… so…"

Kobayashi tucked the egg up against her chest and started softly petting it. Tohru was always much better at reading their daughter's mood, but Kobayashi was still clearly able to tell that she was upset. "Is our daughter okay?" Kobayashi asked.

"She senses that we are upset, and that is making her upset as well… but… she is fine. I am not sure how much she understands but…" Tohru eye's narrowed, she seemed concerned. She softly reached over and put a hand on top of the egg's shell. Her eyes got that sparkle of understanding and Kobayashi watched her closely, waiting to see what she would say. Suddenly Tohru's face scrunched up and tears started forming in her eyes.

"Tohru?" Kobayashi asked, scooting closer to her and putting an arm over her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Tohru wiped her eyes on the back of her wrist and sniffed. "She can feel us, and she is glad for that… but… I can tell she is also reaching out. She is searching for someone else… I think it is Kanna and…" Tohru sniffed again, her voice beginning to shake. "And… she is very sad because she can not find her."

Though Kobayashi was always the more composed of the two of them, tears started touching her cheeks as well. It was too powerful. Her daughter was just an egg right now, who did not really possess complex thoughts like a fully developed person. She did not have sight, or touch, smell, or hearing, but she could still feel, and love. Her emotions may be undeveloped but they were strong, and in an abstract sort of way she was able to make strong connections with people. She probably did not understand why Kanna was gone, but simply understood that she was gone, and was reaching out with her pulse like Kobayashi felt her do so many times, trying to find her, and not getting an answer. It was so sad.

It was even sadder because… Kobayashi thought she understood why Kanna had been acting out. Really, once she stopped for a moment and thought back, it was really obvious why Kanna had not been herself lately. The tragic irony is that it was because of this egg that was now desperately crying out for her big sister, but could not find her anywhere.

It was not the eggs fault though… it was her own fault. It was Kobayashi's fault for not noticing something was wrong sooner.

"This is my fault," Kobayashi said, her voice dry and flat, almost as if she were admitting to some unspeakable crime. "I should have…"

"No, it's not," said Tohru, shaking her head. "At least… it is my fault as well. I have not offered to go to the field with Kanna to play even once. Nor did I take notice that she was in such pain… I just thought she was fine, and thought that she did not need anything. Lately all I have been thinking about is how excited I am about being a mother… and how great it is having sex with you Miss. Kobayashi!"

Kobayashi's head rocked forward, off of Tohru's shoulder. She figured she really should have been use to how blunt Tohru could be about those things by now. Well, at least one member of this family was always an open book about her thoughts. It was sort of a big part of Tohru's charm, actually. Even if she could be a bit inappropriate at times.

Tohru's earnest expression dropped away after a moment, and the sadness of their current situation caught back up to her. "Anyway, please don't blame yourself Miss. Kobayashi. You work hard for us and are very focused on your job. Besides, I also know more about Kanna's past so I should have realized sooner."

"She was originally banished from your world for playing pranks, right?" Kobayashi asked.

"Yes, it was her parents who sent her away."

"I see… So, what were they like?"

"Her parents? Well… I did not know them personally, but they did not seem to be around very often, and would usually just leave Kanna by herself. Kanna did have friends, but despite that I think she often felt very lonely." Tohru smirked. "When I started being friends with her she became rather clingy, but I did not mind of course. I think she kind of saw me as an older sister, and honestly I liked her better than my true sisters as well. I think it also impressed her friends that she would regularly play with a dragon from as prestigious a family as mine."

"Prestigious?" Kobayashi asked, raising an eyebrow.

Tohru grinned. "Oh yes. We are quite well known. It is actually my father who first organized the chaos faction, and began warring against the gods. I, along with my sisters and brothers, and obviously my father himself, are the most powerful dragons in our world."

"I see… So if the harmony faction opposes the chaos faction, does that mean Elma is on the side of the gods?"

"No, not exactly. The harmony faction is only concerned with maintaining balance, which often puts them at odds with us, but they could not be considered allies of the gods either. Honestly, those fools take themselves too seriously, and give themselves far more credit than they deserve."

"Where does Kanna fit into all of this?"

"Well, I suppose she is just neutral. Her parents had a reputation for being rather lethargic, and they certainly did not join either faction. They just spent most of their days eating and sleeping around, and never taking on or meeting any responsibilities. Unfortunately, that also included caring for Kanna. Despite having friends, I think Kanna felt very lonely because her parents would not pay attention to her. She eventually discovered that by playing pranks and getting into trouble it would force them to take notice, even if it was not in a good way. That eventually backfired, however, when they decided they did not feel like dealing with her at all anymore. They simply banished her from the world all together, and disowned her as their daughter so they would no longer be responsible for her."

Kobayashi stared at the sand and could feel her pulse rise in anger. What kind of parents would treat their child like that? she thought, bitterly. Then she started feeling guilty when she thought of how she had simply chastised Kanna and sent her to her room earlier today. She handled it that way simply because she was stressed from working, and didn't feel like dealing with it at that moment… her head bowed down. She felt ashamed.

It is no wonder Kanna was running away now. When she was trying in her childish way to reach out and get attention Kobayashi just brushed her off the same way her parents once did. To her, it must have felt like it was all happening again, and maybe she desperately ran away with the thought that she could at least take control and leave on her own terms… that way, it would not be like she was being abandoned for a second time.

She must feel so lonely right now. She may be a dragon, a being of unimaginable power, but regardless she was still just a child. Kobayashi failed her, just like her true parents had failed her.

Kobayashi tightened her arm around the egg. No, I can fix this, she thought. She made a mistake, but she loved Kanna just as much as she loved the baby inside this egg. She had two daughters now, and she was going to be a good parent to both of them.

Where would she have gone, though? Kobayashi pondered it, and after a moment realized the answer was actually pretty obvious. She stood up and looked out over the ocean. "Alright Tohru, think you can fly some more?"

"Yes, I should be fine now," Tohru said as she got up to her feet as well and brushed the sand off the back of her skirt.

"Okay, we have to go find her and bring her home… and I think I have a good idea of where she may have gone."

III

Riko had her thumbs under the straps of her backpack as she walked home. This was two days in a row now that she had to walk alone without her precious Kanna at her side. Why did she have to get in trouble? Riko thought with a sigh. They could have at least taken it easy on her… they didn't have to send her home early like that…

She thought how sad Kanna looked while the teacher chastised her and sent her to the principal's office. Riko clearly saw a tear glinting the corner of Kanna's eye as she turned and left the room, and Riko desperately wanted to just run after her and give her a big hug.

"Stupid jerk teachers."

She had gotten in trouble a few times today herself. The worst one was when she got caught not paying attention in class, because she was distracted worrying about Kanna, and the teacher made her come up front and read from the textbook. That wasn't too bad, but when she went to sit down again some idiot teacher's pet classmate of hers had to open his mouth and try to chastise her; as if it was his job in the first place! It made Riko so mad she stood right back up and told him off, but was then sent out into the hallway for the rest of the period.

"Everyone at that schools an idiot," she muttered to herself, sulking.

Later in the day she had gotten into a confrontation with the teacher's pet again. She was already in a pretty irate mood, and was trying to blow off some steam playing dodgeball in gym class. Of course, she couldn't resist targeting that jerk classmate of hers. She got him out, maybe throwing the ball a little harder than she needed too, but she was totally playing fair and within the rules. As the teacher's pet was walking off to the side lines she heard him say to another student. "It's no wonder Kanna-san is getting in trouble lately. Saikawa's bad attitude is probably rubbing off on her."

At that, Riko completely lost her temper. Without thinking about it she ran right for him, crossing onto the other team's side of the field and pushing him down the second she caught up. Of course the stupid pansy scraped his leg when he fell, and he started crying. So, Riko got in trouble with the gym teacher and ended up having to spend the rest of the period running laps around the field.

"It's not my fault," she muttered to herself as she continued walking home. "That jerk had it coming."

Her Kanna was a good girl, and he had no place saying anything bad about her! It didn't even make sense that she got in trouble in the first place. She would normally never do something like put superglue on her teacher's seat, or hide frogs in her desk or…

Riko stopped, her eyes widening in realization. Could it be possible that… Kanna was framed? She gasped, her hands coming up to her mouth as her mind started running through this new possibility. Of course… Kanna was the cutest coolest most adorable girl in the entire school! Everybody likes her… but that kind of popularity comes at a price. Someone out there must be super jealous of her and has been trying to get her out of the picture! She didn't even look all that proud of her supposed pranks, really. She was just too soft hearted to stand up for herself and explain she didn't do it, and that is why she looked so sad when she was told to leave! It was the only thing that made sense!

But who could the villain be? Riko put her hand under her chin as she ran through possible suspects. She tried to think of anyone at school who stood out, anyone who may have shown a hint of having it out for Kanna. It couldn't have been the teacher's pet; he wouldn't have the guts to go through with something so devious.

A black cloud filled her surroundings as she continued thinking it over. Could it be connected to the sports day? Kanna was the star of their class and it was thanks to her that they won. Maybe it was someone from another class altogether who wanted revenge and found a way to set Kanna up? But how?… how…

Riko then felt something warm and wet slide up her cheek. She shrieked with her face turning bright red. She had felt that before, and her muscle memory sent her into one of her squealing fits before her mind and eyes fully caught up - it was Kanna-san!

Kanna stood by with her usual blank expression, patiently waiting for Riko to calm down.

"K-Kanna-san!" Riko shouted once she was calmed down enough to get words out. "Um, w-what are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," Kanna said simply, staring straight at her with that unreadable expression of hers. "I'm glad I found you."

Riko blushed and rubbed the back of her head, letting out a bit of nervous laughter. "Oh yeah! W-well I'm glad to see you! Um…" Last time she had seen Kanna there were tears in her eyes. She seemed okay now, but with Kanna it was sometimes hard to tell. "Um… about earlier… are you okay?" Kanna's eyes drifted down… yes, she was still upset.

Without thinking about it, Riko took Kanna's hands in her own. "What's the matter?" she asked, watching her expression closely.

Kanna's eyes drifted further away from hers. "It's nothing."

"But…" Riko could clearly see that something was going on. "I mean…" Riko's hands tightened on hers. "I mean... You better not be lying to me Kanna-san!" she spoke more assertively, looking right into Kanna's eyes. "If there is something on your mind, then you have to tell me about it! And you better be honest!"

Kanna's head picked up at that. She did not posses a smile in her arsenal of facial expressions, but she had a way of smiling with her eyes that Riko had learned to recognise. "It doesn't matter anymore. Now that you are here, it's okay."

"Kanna-san…" Riko looked deep into her sparkling eyes, losing herself in them. Then Kanna's lips perked up; it was the first time Riko had ever seen a proper smile on her face before and she suddenly found herself at a loss for breath.

So... cute...

"Aaaaaahhh!" Riko's body suddenly arced backwards. She would have flipped right off her feet and onto her back if Kanna was not holding onto her hands. Sooooo cuuuuttee!

It's no wonder she doesn't smile! Riko thought as her body wriggled out of control in a fresh squealing fit. This kind of cuteness displayed irresponsible could be a danger to public safety!

Kanna let her go for a while, just watching her body reel around, but being careful to hold her hands and not let her fall. Kanna couldn't help blushing a little as well. Riko was always so kind to her and always made her feel really good about herself. She was glad to have her as a friend.

Kanna thought she could watch her like this all day, but eventually said "Saikawa" to help pull her back to reality.

Riko straightened herself up, still blushing and keeping her eyes on the fact she and Kanna were holding hands. "I-I'm sorry. A-anyway, as long as you are sure you are okay…"

Kanna nodded.

"O-Okay, great then!… Soooo, anyway…"

"I want you to spend the day with me."

"Um- y-yeah! I would love to!… Um… do you want to come over my house?"

Kanna shook her head.

"Then… we can go over yours? I'll just need to let my maid know that's what I'm-"

Kanna shook her head again. "I want to go somewhere private. There's something I want to show you." Without any further explanation Kanna started walking, taking Riko's hand with her.

Riko gulped as she look down at Kanna's hand around hers. She trailed a step behind, feeling incredibly nervous yet insanely happy at the same time. She was holding hands and walking with Kanna! Was this a step up in their relationship? She once confessed to Kanna that she wanted to marry her, but she knew that was a long time away. She thought holding hands would come some time before that, but not quite this early!

Her mind turned in circles, telling herself to calm down, it's just holding hands, but she was too giddy and excited to think clearly. Besides all that… Kanna said she wanted to go somewhere private? No, Riko knew she must have been reading into that too much, surely Kanna didn't mean anything by that!

"S-s-sooo, what did you have in mind?" Riko laughed as she caught up to Kanna and walked side by side with her, still holding her hand. "I-I mean you said you want to go somewhere private… I- I mean, I guess to play a game or maybe just talk alone and-"

"I want to show you my body."

AAAAAAH! IT'S DEFINITELY TOO SOON FOR THAT! Riko screamed inside her head, her limbs turning into jelly and she was now closer to being dragged by Kanna rather than walking beside her. MY HEART! I NEED TIME TO PREPARE MY HEART!

There was an entrance to the park right across the street from them. Kanna pointed to it and said, "Let's go there."

"O-okay!" The park was mostly empty but Kanna started leading her to the wooded area in the back. "H-hey Kanna?" Riko stammered, her heart fluttering inside her chest. "I-I mean, I really REALLY like you. B-but, do you think we should wait? I- I mean…"

"I was thinking about doing this for a long time."

"ME TOO! I- I mean, n-not like that, but I thought we could just be regular friends for a while longer first and then… like, you know, then m-maybe…"

Kanna let go of her hand as they found themselves in an area behind the trees that was out of sight from anyone else. Kanna looked around to confirm that they were indeed alone, then turned back to Riko. "Here's good."

This is happening waaay to fast! I mean, she's so cute but I don't know if I'm ready for this!

Her head was spinning, and her limbs suddenly felt too wobbly to stand on. "I-I need to sit down!" Riko shouted. She plopped down on the grass, propping herself up with her arms behind her as she looked up at Kanna and gulped.

"Don't be scared," said Kanna. "Are you ready?"

Riko closed her eyes and put a hand at her heart as she took a deep breath and told herself to be brave. She remembered when Kanna tried to do something before, after they played twister, but Riko chickened out. She kind of regretted it back then and wish she had another chance… now was that chance! They were going to be married one day, after all!

After taking a moment to gain her composure she looked back up at Kanna and nodded. Her face was bright red and her shoulders felt tense. "O-Okay! I-I'm ready! Kanna-san!"

Kanna nodded, staring into Riko's soul with that adorable placid expression of hers. "Okay… here it goes."

Riko gulped, her skin crawling with anticipation. This is happening! This is really happening! Oh my god oh my god OH MY GAAAA-

Riko's mouth dropped open in shock. Kanna shook her head to the left and two horns popped out over her left ear; one pointed up and the other curved downward and curled to the side. She then shook her head to the right and an identical set of horns popped out over her right ear. She wiggled her butt and a wire-thin tail popped out with a fuzzy purple cotton ball attached to the end of it.

"K-Kanna-san?" Riko asked, lost in thought and not entirely sure what she was seeing. Kanna's head slunk down into her shoulders and she blushed. She squirmed a little as she shyly kicked at the dirt with the toe of her shoe and waited for Riko's reaction. Her tail softly waved back and forth. "K-Kanna-san… y-you're… you're…"

Thanks for reading!

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-Atomyst