Aw, it means so much that so many old readers are still here!

There's a new picture of Nora on DeviantArt done by a Happiness-Void!

Go take a look!

Two weeks later, 'Jun' was Nora's new friend at the temple. At least that's how she saw it. He spoke to her in English, but never said more than a few words, and even after watching one of his training sessions (which oddly no one picked on him or were as harsh with him) he was still the only person there close to Nora's age and willing to talk to her. She still sucked her thumb around him, but not all the time. He still called her Noa, and no one seemed to want to really tell him what her name was otherwise, not even Nora's mother. He didn't try to stop Nora's bad habit like everyone else did, but he noticed she would stop and take it out of her mouth if he talked to her or so she could answer a simple question.

They developed in a routine for themselves. Nora would stay with her mother or Aunt Winny in the mornings, and then join Sensei Hong to watch the last of Jun's training class around noon. Nora ate lunch with the grown-ups, but later would always join Jun for a walk around the grounds of the temple. Often Jun led her to the Zen garden, but sometimes he would take her to a new place like the cliff side where she could walk or a different pathway or training arena. People about the temple would often see them together with Jun doing most of the talking; quelling their belief that then boy was too unintelligent to talk. Some even saw that when Nora would start sucking her thumb, Jun would automatically take out a lollipop for both her and him.

Winny and Yasu were both a bit apprehensive when Nora would go on walks with the boy. Winny still had a grudge against him for hitting Nora when he first met her, and Yasu could still sense an air of darkness around that boy. But Helena would simply smile and ask 'Jun' to take care of 'Noa' and to bring her back safely. She would also supply Nora with an ample amount of lollipops for both of them, though each time it would seem they needed less and less. Helena was very happy about that.

"Look, I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention!" Winny whined to her one time when it was just the two of them sitting. "Mr. Buddha-knows-all didn't see her go off either! Are you really going to trust some odd kid to take care of her?"

Helena calmly regarded her. "I'm not mad at either of you, Winny. I'm happy that Jun found her and she made friends with him. Besides he's new here too, and his mother didn't stay with him. He must want a friend too."

"Are you forgetting that he hit her?" Winny reminded. "And just for giving him a piece of candy. Granted, it's not great candy."

"If memory serves, Winnona, you hit me the first time we met."

"Yeah! When we were both seven and you could hit me back. Which you did. Nora's three, and he's, like, six. That's not an even power balance, Lena!"

Helena laughed at how angry and unreasonable Winnona was being. "Easy, easy. Let's not cause a disturbance in the middle of the day. I know full well what he did to her, but it should be Nora who decides how long she should be mad at someone, Winny. I don't think she would give something Alex gave her to use to just anyone. If she's okay with this, shouldn't you be?"

"No!" Winny quickly shot back. "I'm her aunt! If I don't crack down on the bullies in her early years, imagine what her boyfriends will think they can get away with when she's a teenager."

"Now that's drastic."

"That's planning ahead!"

"Since when do you plan ahead?"

Both women were glaring at each other. Then they burst into laughter at their own antics! They often got into these little fights, but they never really got mad at each other. "W-We-Well," Helena said recovering from her giggles, "I sure hope Nora doesn't get any boyfriends that you need to bring the beat-down on."

Winny wiped her eyes and replied. "Aw, you know I love that little mouse. She's tiny and needs a little extra help; but I guess that's why I like coming around."

"To play the mom?"

"The fun mom."

"Taken."

"The extra-fun, then."

While the two women joked and conversed, someone was watching them. Ryuunoske Nakamara was one of the oldest teachers at the temple. His family line had been in this temple for generations, upholding the old and sacred traditions. He was also Jun's direct instructor per orders of Cassandra McAdams. In truth, Nakamara couldn't care less about the woman or her 'son' she left in his charge. But she did have what he cared about: money. Lots of it.

When that bombastic Finnwich came here years ago and persuaded the Elders of the temple to open their gates to foreigners, Nakamara's father was enraged and passed this story onto his son. The current Nakamara learned from this lesson that money was true power! Money can hire muscle, money can change the rules, and money can get you anything if you have enough of it! Nakamara wanted to use money to change things the way to what his father had taught him to value, maybe build his own temple and reinstate the same rules to keep out all of those unworthy low-lives!

The boy was but a stepping stone in his plan. He needed to get in good with his mother, and then she would require his teachings more often. Nakamara didn't care how much the boy got beaten down, he would get back up anyways. And all those rumors he spread about the boy to his other students and fellow masters would create an atmosphere of hostility, causing the boy to fight more often. Once Cassandra returned and to note of Nakamara's work, she would send the boy back under his tutelage and the whole cycle would increase his money each time.

But now there was a problem… and it was breeding more problems. That Yasu Hong clearly had some suspicions about Nakamara, if it weren't for the cruel master being such a long-standing teacher at the temple, surely the others might have agreed with Yasu's intelligent eye. Nakamara did not fear this foreign-born, so-called master though he noticed he was keeping a close eye on the boy. Then Yasu had invited these two women to the sacred temple, and one of them even brought her stupid, dull, little daughter! They stayed out of his way, and Nakamara could have brushed them off as a minor annoyance.

But that child.

What could she be doing to the boy? Her watching the lessons gave Yasu Hong an excuse to come and watch as well, stopping the other students from giving the boy his 'proper training'. Even more so, Nakamara had noticed that the fires of hatred had begun to cool since meeting 'Noa' in the garden. He knew her name by what the boy had told him. "I cannot make that brat into an assassin if that girl is constantly interfering along with Hong." Giving up on spying on Helena and Winnona, Nakamara slinked away from his hiding place to find the two children.

Nora was already off on her daily routine with 'Jun'. Deciding to take her outside of the courtyard where her mother and aunt were resting, Jun took her to the inner shrine. "Do you know what this temple is for, Noa?"

Her thumb nowhere even near her mouth, Nora replied. "Summer!"

Jun rolled his eyes. He had initially only tolerated Nora's presence on the grounds that he did not understand what kind of method she was using to lower his guard. But as she had not only given him a name, and had additionally come every day just to see him, he had started looking forward to spending time with this girl he had superiority and knowledge over.

"No, Noa." The six-year-old told her. "This is called the Temple of the Sapphire Snakes."

Nora instantly started sucking her thumb and squeezed Jun's hand that she was already holding, even tighter. This told him that Noa didn't like snakes. Confirming it she said. "Snakes bad."

"Snakes good, Noa." Jun told her.

"Alex say 'bad'." Was Nora's way of explaining. "Snakes bite."

Nora often mentioned Alex, but Jun seemed to already know he wasn't going to get a full explanation from her. "Snakes are guardians here." Jun looked Nora in the eyes as he began to explain. "This mountain was once a giant snake that defended those in the valley from attacks by demons and conquerors. After a while no more enemies came, but the snake still stood towering over the valley below, relentless in his mission. He stood for so long that eventually the earth molded itself around him just to keep him standing tall. This temple was built on the mountain and it's said that the snakes who live on the cliff-sides are descendants of the Sapphire Snake."

Jun expected an expression of amazement from his story to come from Nora. Instead she just continued to suck her thumb. Jun pouted, "Okay, so Sensei Hong tells it better. But inside this little house is a real sapphire statue of the snake. It was donated here, and people can come to make offerings in exchange for protection."

Taking the thumb out of her mouth, Nora said. "What's sap-hire?"

Jun face-palmed. "Saph-fire! Is a deep blue jewel and its really pretty, Noa." Then the boy cupped his hand over his mouth and started whispering to his friend. "But we are not here to see the snake. I found something even better!"

Nora ceased her sucking, this told Jun that she was interested now. "Follow me." He ordered. He led Nora back behind the shrine to large stone at the base. Jun moved it, revealing a secret passage.

Nakamara was watching the two of them. He could not here their voices; the older women had talked much louder. He saw the boy whisper something in the girl's ear with a mischievous smirk. "A warrior is a killer!" Nakamara seethed. "Not a child who goes about playing with little girls. Cassandra will never pay me if I do not meet her demands." He saw the boy lead her behind the shrine of the Sapphire Snake, Nakamara took a few steps in following them.

"Master Nakamara!" Drat, Yasu Hong steps out in front of his path. Interfering again.

Nakamara spoke in Japanese to Hong (A/N: But I make enough mistakes in my own language so I'll just put what they say in English). "[Hong. Why are you here? Are you not supposed to be in the middle of a lesson?]"

Yasu looked stern with just a touch of threatening in his eyes. "[My lesson was on the appreciation of beauty of the natural world, they are to report to me in half an hour to speak about what qualities of nature they most admire.]" Yasu saw the look of annoyance in Nakamara's eyes, and chose to ignore it." [I saw you watching over our newest guests, and then you suddenly departed. Has anything occurred?]"

Nakamara huffed, "[I have no interest in women who should not even be on this sacred ground. I was looking for my pupil. The strange one has taken to accompanying the girl-child everywhere. It is disrupting to his lessons!]"

At this, Yasu made no attempt to hide his glare. "[Those women are honored guests here, Nakamara. It was cleared by the elders for them to come and stay, and thus far there have been no objections to them save for yours. And the only disruption Nora is causing is a disruption of the boy's harassment!]"

"[She is making him weak!]"

"[She is making him able to smile!]" Yasu knew full well about Nakamara's real intentions. His abilities made it easy for him to know what a person was in their hearts. He knew about the amount of money Cassandra had even paid in advance. Nakamara complained about integrity when he was taking bribes? And even worse, making a child's life miserable on the promise of money? Yasu hated this man, but he had no physical evidence… yet. "[Why would you speak so disdainfully of a mere child who barely takes her thumb out of her mouth to speak?]"

At this point, Nakamara was done keeping in his anger too. "[How DARE you speak that way to me you half-bred swine! That boy is my student and he WILL learn as I see fit!]"

"[The Elders may also see it fit to remove you from this temple should they know what you are doing in the shadows!]"

"[You can prove nothing, Hong. The mere accusation of my name will be enough to have you removed!]"

"[And you think this will end with me? You have brought darkness to surface at that boy's heart, Nakamara. It is a master job to enlighten his pupil, guide them on the right path. Not use them and their suffering for personal gain! Another will no doubt see you for what you really are once I have gone.]"

Nakamara pushed pass and turned his back to Yasu Hong. "[An underling so small can never be heard from the ground by his superiors.]" he snubbed the other man. "[Just keep the girl out of my way… and she will come to no harm.]"

Yasu's eyes shot open. "[And to say such a thing is a threat upon an innocent life! A child who not knows your face nor means you any harm. Nakamara I swear that if any harm comes from to that child, I will know it was your doing….]"

Nakamara merely snorted and calmly walked towards the shrine. Yasu walked on his own way but kept an eye on the malicious character. He saw him go behind the shrine were the children had disappeared. When he came around twice in a confusion, Yasu was able to walk away with a smile.

In English he said, "Perhaps it really was a good thing I told that boy all of the secret passages." Now he and Nora could escape the eyes of Nakamara and enjoy their time together.

A/N: Just a few notes...

I always thought that Cassandra couldn't have made someone so evil on her own. And it's easy to imagine how she might have had a little help.

I felt like I should add Finnwich into this story too. Serpent can't be the only one she had a little prior connection with!

Keep reading! And if you like it, review it!