I do not own Sword Art Online, Highschool of the DEAD or their characters.


Chapter 9

Tokonosu, Japan: Takagi Mansion. Seven months, 13 days into the death game.

Yuriko stood in the mansion's front entrance as she watched Morita's parents walk to the car she had provided for them. The couple stopped and turned back, bowing to her once more before entering the vehicle.

She sighed and turned away as they drove off. Rei's mother Kiriko was waiting for her just inside the foyer.

"You okay?" the ginger-haired woman asked her friend.

"It is a very hard thing to have to tell the parents of a child you swore to protect, that you failed," she said. "They had been so hopeful and now…their child is dead."

Kiriko hugged Yuriko's arm as they climbed the stairs up to the second floor. "You know we all trust you to handle this," the ex-policewoman said. "If anyone has the will and power to do anything about this, it's you."

Yuriko sighed again, "It was just so sudden. There seemed to be no warning, suddenly he just died."

They walked into the hospital ward and looked over the other teens still in their comas. Yuriko's eyes lingered on the empty space where Morita's bed had been before being removed a few hours after his death.

Turning to the computer tech she asked, "Akasuki-san? Can you tell us anything more yet?"

The woman looked up from her screens and leaned back in her chair, "All I can say is there was a slight increase in his heart rate and respiration right before he…terminated. This was not high enough to set off any alarms, so we had no idea what was happening until the end."

"Has this happened before?" Kiriko asked.

"Umm…yes…and no…" the tech said, chewing on her lip and looking away if she was holding something back.

Yuriko's eyes narrowed, "What are you not saying, Akasuki-san. Please tell us everything you know."

The woman sighed and nodded, "Okay, a few hours after the boy died, two of the other patients had similar, but different reactions. I did not say anything because this is something we have seen before and believe we know what the cause is." Her face reddened as she stood up and looked at the two mothers. "We think…well we are pretty sure…a pair of them were engaged in sex at that time."

Kiriko's eyebrows climbed to the top of her forehead as Yuriko covered her mouth in shock.

"How do you know?" Kiriko asked. "And who?"

"Yes, I am very interested in hearing this answer," the violet-haired woman said as she glanced at her friend.

"Ah…umm...Hisashi-san and Rei-san," Akasuki told them.

Kiriko's eyes got wider as she heard the names, "Hisashi and Rei!? Not Takashi and Rei!?"

Yuriko almost snickered at her friend's shock, but restrained herself. "How do you know for sure that was the case, if I may ask?"

Akasuki got redder and seemed to be searching for what to say when the medical intern stood up.

"In other words," he said as he walked around to the teen's beds. "When Akasuki-san noticed the increase in heart rates, I checked the patients to find the young man in question having an erectile episode. Shortly thereafter, he and the young lady both had cases of fluid issuance from the lower regions of their bodies. This data had been noted before in several other cases and the computer techs also…ah…"

"Gamed the system," Akasuki said. "In other words they took the Nerve Gear, hooked into a VR server and…tried it out. You have to understand, the full dive system was also being looked at by the eroge industry for future game play. The test subjects' reactions were the same as we have seen in several male/female and even a couple of male/male and female/female pairs."

"Oh my," said Yuriko. "I had no idea they had advanced that far."

"Has this happened before?" Kiriko asked as she stared at her daughter.

"Well…at the same time, Saya-san and Kohta-san's heart rates increased slightly, but not to the same levels and they did not have the same…side issues."

Kiriko thought for a moment, "So they could have just been consoling each other over the death of their friend."

Akasuki nodded, "Yes ma'am, that is my thought as well and why I did not bring it up."

"So if Rei and Hisashi have become a couple in the game, what happened to Takashi?" Yuriko said.

"Maybe Kage-san is not too far off in suspecting something between him and Saeko," Kiriko said with a smirk. "As for Hisashi…well, he was hanging around a lot before they went into the game."

"I'm sure Kage-san will be pleased beyond words to hear what we suspect!" Yuriko said with a small laugh.

000

Floor eight: Seven months, 13 day – morning

Saya awoke to see Kohta's sleeping face next to hers as she rested on his arm. She simply watched him for a while before leaning forward to press a kiss onto his lips. They were still as soft as she remembered them, the day everyone fell unconscious. She giggled slightly into his mouth as he responded to her; slowly opening hers with his tongue and deepening the kiss.

"My, aren't you the bold one," she whispered as he opened his eyes to look at her.

"Our first kiss,' he whispered back. "I just wanted it to be memorable."

She giggled again, "Sorry, Kohta, but that's the second one."

He frowned slightly, "Did you slip one in on me while I was asleep?"

This caused her to laugh as she smiled at him, "No, baka; not today. I stole one the day we all passed out. When I woke up you were kneeling beside the bed holding my hand and I just took the chance. Disappointed this was not the first?"

He smiled, "Not really. I think its sweet you wanted to do that. Anyway, I hope there will be many more…" He leaned over and captured her again, drawing her closer to him to feel her body heat as they hugged each other.

They stayed like that for a while, just hugging and snuggling before someone knocked on the door.

"Hey, you two," Rika called out. "We need to talk, something's happened."

"What else could go wrong?" Saya asked as she got up and they exited the room.

Rika was standing in the hall waiting for them with her arms crossed. She smirked at the boy as he blushed, before she led them down the hall.

Entering the living room, they found the others waiting on them. Saeko sat on one of the couches holding a note in her hands. She held it out to Saya as they sat down.

The pink-haired girl frowned as she read it.

I'm sorry everyone, I can't do it anymore. I take responsibility that everything is my fault. I got everyone into this and I should have been there for Morita. I don't know how his parents will ever be able to forgive me. I'm leaving to hunt those that did this and I don't know when or if I will be back. Please settle in and stay safe, and find a way to get home.

"THAT BAKA!" Saya roared as she crumpled up the paper and slammed it to the coffee table. "What the hell does he think he can do alone!?"

"Calm down, Saya," Rika said as she lit a cigar. "I can understand how he's feeling right now. Give him a few days to cool his head and come back. If not I'll go hunting for him."

Saya was already slamming through her menus. "Not only has he dropped out of the party, but he is either in a dungeon or has masked his location status."

"How can you tell, Saya-chan?" Shizuka asked, a curious look in her eyes.

"I am curious to know as well," Rika said.

"The player location finder will not work if the one you are searching for is in a floor dungeon. You can also mask your location, but if you are on someone's friends list, they can tell you are still in the game." Saya explained.

Rika held her chin between her thumb and forefinger, "Alright. As of now, we all keep our location trackers active and current. I don't want anyone wandering off and getting lost."

Rei looked at Hisashi and nodded. "Now is the time," she said.

The boy took a breath, "I'm sorry to break this on you now, but Rei and I have decided to leave also. We're going to move back to a lower floor and find some way to support ourselves."

Saya glared at both of them, but did not say anything.

Rika sighed, "I really wish you wouldn't, but I understand your feelings about this. Do not, for any reason, drop me from your friends list. Do we understand each other?"

Hisashi paused for a moment and glanced at Rei, but nodded in agreement. They reached out, opened their menus and dropped their names off the party list.

The boy nodded slightly to the others as the couple left. A few minutes later, Saeko got up and started out the door also.

"I'm not your parent, but will you tell me where you are going?" Rika asked.

The samurai stopped and nodded slightly, "I am going out and killing things until I feel better, or I clear my head; whichever comes first."

"Do you think that is a good idea right now?" Rika asked.

"If I do not let out some of what I feel right now, it will be much worse later. I will stay nearby and only fight low level mobs."

"That one I understand," Rika said as she watched the door close behind the girl. Looking back at the rest she shrugged her shoulders.

The police woman sighed, "So, who up for breakfast?"

000

Floor twenty-two: Nine months, 10 days

After the events of two months before, Saya had moved the group to the twenty-second floor. It was a beautiful woodland level with forests and lakes that just begged for camping and fishing.

The main town, Coral, was a peaceful place with a lot of older people that loved to spend time at the lakes. One man, Nishida, claimed to be the oldest person in the game. He had organized a fishing guild and tried every day to bring in the biggest catch.

Saya and Kohta sat on a blanket and watched Alice and Zeke play on the grass between them and the water. The pink-haired girl had found them a four bedroom house for a good price at the edge of town, and they were hoping to make it their last move in Aincrad. Really they only needed three bedrooms; one for her and Kohta, with Saeko in a second while Shizuka and Rika shared a third. Alice protested she wanted her own space so Kohta fixed up a closet for the child and her little wolf. One could hardly call Zeke little anymore, he had grown taller and heaver and soon would almost be big enough for Alice to ride.

They kept the fourth room just in case Takashi ever came back. Rika had gone out several times and sniffed around, but never came home with the boy. Saya wondered sometimes just how hard the woman was really looking, but understood the police woman felt he still needed time to work out his feelings about Morita's death. They had heard of someone fitting his description chasing down orange players and taking them to the player's prison at the Black Iron Castle in the starting city.

Rika had gotten herself a bit of a reputation apprehending robbers and monster PKer's also. She became known throughout Aincrad as 'the thief-taker'. The name came from Saeko and was what police officers of Edo Era Japan had been called. She was well thought of by the clearer guilds and when they heard of a PK problem, she was called and given a bounty when she brought in her quarry, which to be honest was getting to be far too often.

Saya checked her menu's and nudged Kohta. "We need to go to work," she said. "It's getting time for the front-liners to be coming back from the dungeon."

Since Kohta's shop was still the merchant's carpet, they did not always open up in the mornings. Later in the day was the time for the clearing guilds to return and many wanted to sharpen and repair weapons before calling it a night. It was also a good time for Saya to gather intel and learn more about what was going on.

She was not as dedicated to the job as Argo, but she did keep up with new quests and guild info when she could. To be honest, she much preferred to help her boyfriend with his shop.

Saya had changed a good bit since Takashi left. She would rather spend her time with Kohta and Alice than anything. Shizuka and Saeko stayed with Rika as much as they could, supporting the woman in her work.

Saeko had become a well-known player herself. Known as 'the quick-draw samurai', she stunned anyone and anything that was on the receiving end of her first strike.

"ALICE! It's time to go!" Kohta called out. The little girl waved and ran up the slope with Zeke at her heels.

"Where are we going today, Kohta-kun?" she asked as she grabbed his and Saya's hands.

"Floor thirty-five I think," he said.

"You don't want to go to thirty-nine?" Saya asked. "That's where KoB's headquarters are now."

"KoB has their own blacksmiths," the boy replied. "A lot of people are still using thirty-five for leveling. I think that's where we will do best today."

Saya shrugged, but did not argue. She found the boy had an uncanny sense of knowing where the business would be.

Stopping by the house, they grabbed their gear and set out. One quick portal jump and they were standing in the square at Mishe.

They settled down by the side of the plaza after waving to several other merchants they had met. It only took a minute for Kohta to settle and get his forge going. As soon as he had set up the stands that held his ready-to-sell stock, he turned to his girlfriend.

"When are Saeko and the others supposed to be back?" he asked.

"Sometime this afternoon or tonight they hoped," Saya replied as she watched Alice and Zeke run across the plaza to say hello to some other players they knew. "They are investigating a robber guild that has been working on the twenty-seventh floor. Rika said she had a solid lead and hoped to wrap them up today."

He nodded as he selected the first weapon to smith today.

000

Floor twenty-seven: same day

Rika stood quietly against the side of a tree she was in as she watched three orange players lay a trap for a pair of green players coming along the trail. She made a motion with her hand and received a return signal from Saeko, who was hiding across the clearing from her.

She waited until the trio jumped out and their leader called out, "Stand and Deliver!"

"What the hell? Do you think you're fucking highway men or something?" she said as she dropped down out of the tree she was in.

The three bandits jumped and two spun towards her as the third kept their victims covered. "Who the fuck are you?" their leader shouted out as he brandished his sword at her.

"I'm Thief-Taker Minami," she said as she lit one of her ever present cigars. "And you are under arrest for robbing players."

"The fuck you say!" he replied as he started circling around her. "No laws, no cops, no arrest! That's the rules of this game!"

"Are you really that stupid?" she asked as she watched him try to get behind her.

"What I know is I only see you and there are three of us," he snarled as he started forward to attack.

There was a blaze of light as Saeko burst from the brush and shattered the sword in the boy's hand. Catching him with a back-slash, she slammed him into a tree hard enough to make the 'Immortal Object' alarm go off.

"Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!" one of the others cried as he shook in his boots. "It's that crazy samurai! The zombie killer!"

Saeko stood back and allowed the bandit leader to get back up before a feral grin crossed her face.

"Stop!" Rika said. "They have not killed anyone so their lives are not forfeit here."

The dark-haired girl did as she was told, even though her eyes said she wished to continue.

Rika turned to the two almost victims, "What level are you?"

"Thirty-five, ma'am," one replied.

She nodded, "Not quite ten levels up, but close enough. You can go; we'll take it from here."

"Thank you!" they called out as they headed back towards the main village.

Looking back at the three culprits, "Now, the three of you follow my orders and all will go well."

After having the fight knocked out of their leader, the other two caved in quickly. Several menu moves later, all their worldly possessions lay on the ground beside them.

"Pick up any spare clothing and put it back into your storage. Don't try to hide anything, I'm scanning it closely." She watched as they did what she told them. She then had them put their hands behind their backs and she locked metal manacles on their wrists. "Now let's see what we have left here."

She dug through the armor, weapons and other objects that were left. In the end she had a pile of Col, crystals and potions.

"That should just about pay for the cost of the corridor crystal," the woman said. "Well that and selling your armor and weapons."

"Wait! What do you mean pay for the cost!?" the leader cried out. "That's our stuff!"

"Not anymore," Rika said with a grin. "It's all being confiscated by your friendly neighborhood thief-takers! That's the cost of stealing in SAO. The criminal pays a fine and serves time for their crimes."

"How long!? We never hurt anybody and only robbed a few people!"

"Oh I think the judges will let you off with about two to five," she said.

"Two to five months? I guess that's not too bad," one of the boys muttered.

"Months?" Rika said as she laughed. "Sonny boy, that's two to five YEARS!"

"Nooo…"one of them whined as the others stared at her.

"Now, line up," she said as she held up a big Indigo crystal. "Open a corridor: Black Iron Palace!"

A portal grew in front of them and she started pushing them through. She, Saeko and Shizuka, who had been watching from the bushes, followed. They appeared in the courtyard of the first floor fortress that was used as the base for the Aincrad Liberation Force, also known as 'The Army', and served as the in game prison.

"Got another delivery for us, Chief?" a big fighter in Army colors asked as they arrived.

"Yo Rathgar, how's the world of law enforcement treating you?" the police woman asked their old friend.

"Well I never thought I would end up being the number one law giver in the damn game," he grumbled.

"Well you should have never told me you were in the business. You have more training in law than anyone else," Rika said as she leaned on his shoulder. She glanced over at Saeko, who nodded to her, and then headed for the Monument of Life in the main atrium of the palace.

"She checks it every time she comes here, doesn't she?" Rathgar said.

Rika nodded, "She's just making sure a friend is still alive. Hell I've gone in and just stood looking at it myself trying to see if I know anyone on it."

"Well I could have told her he came through a few days ago and dropped off a monster PKer," the man said. "He always concentrates on them you know."

"She will still go look. I think she just needs to see it for herself to be sure," Rika told him. "Anything you have to tell me?"

He shook his head, "No; still no news about your young friend that died. If I ever find out anything I will let you know at once, so don't worry about that."

"Whoever it was played it smart," she said. "I've staked out the area several times myself, but have never gotten a single clue."

"If you've done that, how come you've never run into Takashi?" he asked.

"Who says I haven't?" she replied. "He's just not ready to come back yet. I think he will one day."

"So is Saeko-san like, his girlfriend?" the fighter asked.

Rika shook her head, "I think if he would come back around something might happen, but for now, no."

"She a very beautiful girl," Rathgar said as he watched the samurai come back across the courtyard.

Rika could agree with that. She and Saeko were both now wearing traditional Japanese armor, but Saeko made it look like she was born in it. While Rika's was plain black, Saeko's had purple, green and white bindings holding the metal plates together.

"What's the word today?" Rika asked as the girl stopped in front of them.

"Still safe,' she replied as Shizuka hugged her right arm.

"Well we will leave those three with you then," Rika said. "I'm ready for a bath so we're heading home."

"Tell Pinky and Kohta I said hi," the man said as he handed her a replacement corridor crystal, and watched the women walk out of the gates toward the teleport arch.

000

Business had been good all afternoon. The clearing guilds were gearing up for their push on the mid-forties floors. Forty-one, forty-two and forty-three had fallen easily with no deaths, but after floor twenty-five, players were still cautious. The game was not a year old and there were already close to four thousand dead.

Kohta had been sharping blades and even did a few upgrades, when a young man came up and asked for service.

"I need to get this upgraded," he said, holding out a normal long sword.

Kohta looked over the weapon and then called Saya over. "Give me an appraisal on this one please," he asked her. She concentrated on the blade and told him her findings.

"That's what I thought," he said. "Sorry, but the blade's durability is too low and it's already maxed out on upgrades, if I even try to sharpen it, chances are high it will shatter. I recommend buying another blade or if you have a backup I could look at that one."

The boy looked crestfallen, "No…this is all I have. I got robbed a few weeks back and someone I know gave me this one because it was an extra. I don't have enough to buy another sword."

Saya frowned and Kohta's face turned red with anger at the story. They didn't think the boy was lying, the leather armor he had on was old and so worn it looked like it was about to fall apart.

"I got faith in you, Kohta. I think you can do it," Agil said as he walked up. "In fact I'm willing to bet a spare sword I have in my inventory, that you're good enough to fix that sword."

"It's a bet you would lose, Agil-san," Saya said.

The big man stretched his arms over his head, "Well, sometimes you just feel like gambling. Today's one of those days. Plus, I've never seen what happens when a sword breaks on the anvil, so it might be interesting."

The boy looked at the axe-welder stunned, "Seriously? You're willing to bet a good sword just to see if the smith can fix this one or break it?"

Agil grinned, which could be scary at times, and nodded, "Yep! I had a good day in the dungeon today, so that's a bet I'm willing to make, but you have to put up your old sword to do this."

The young man looked back at Saya and Kohta. Saya nodded and said, "You can trust him. If he says he'll risk his sword, his word is good."

The boy nodded, "It's a bet then!"

Kohta sighed and turned to his forge. "I'll try to reinforce the blade first," he told them. "If that doesn't work there will be nothing left to sharpen." Laying the sword on the fire he watched it for a few minutes and then brought it over to his anvil. Picking up his hammer, he first tapped the steel horn a couple of times to set himself a rhythm before hitting the glowing blade.

As soon as the hammer touched the sword, it shattered into data.

Kohta frowned and looked at Agil, "Sorry, man; I told you it wasn't going to work."

"Ah, no worries," the man said as he grinned. He opened his menu and a minute later handed the boy a fine looking long sword. "I don't remember where I picked it up at. It's got several upgrades left on it though. Good betting with you. Oh, and when you get ready for metal armor, remember my man Kohta here. He told you the truth and didn't try to cheat you."

"Tha…thanks I will!" the youth said as he grinned in joy. "I'll be sure to come back!" With that he bowed and ran off.

Saya crossed her arms in front of her and frowned at Agil. "You are such a fraud," she said. "You knew damn well there was no way Kohta was going to be able to fix that sword, but you made that bet anyway. Why?"

The big man chuckled, "Well the kid needed a break. I heard him tell how he got robbed and the sword was one I picked up after some people got killed in a dungeon a few floors ago. No harm done helping him out."

Kohta held out his hand, "Give me your axe. You, sir, get free sharping from now on."

"I didn't do it for that, Kohta," Agil said as he handed his great axe over.

"I know. That's why I'm doing this," the blacksmith replied.

"Well I'll tell the two of you first. I'm going to open my own store," he said as he watched Kohta work on his axe. "General merchandise and such, things players need. I got a carpet and I've collected enough stock to start now."

"Giving up the floor clearing business?" Saya asked.

"I'll help out once in a while, like the boss rooms," he replied. "But there are a lot heaver and better players on the job right now. I need a break."

"Well I look forward to doing business with you," Kohta said as he handed the axe back.

Agil grinned and nodded, "Thanks for this, Kohta. I'll see the two of you later."

"Come over for supper some time," Saya called after him as he waved while walking away.

Alice and Zeke came running up with Harry and Dale trailing her.

"Where have you three been?" Saya asked. The men had come by earlier and took a walk with Alice since she was getting bored just sitting around. The pink-haired girl knew she could trust all the members of Fuurinkazan with the child's safety.

"Just around the square looking at shops," Harry said. "There sure are a lot more player merchants opening up."

"Yeah, Agil just told us he was going to open one," Kohta said.

"We better head to the house, Harry," Dale said. "Last time we were late for supper; Klein tried to eat our share." They waved goodbye and headed off.

"What is that?" Saya asked as she watched a blue, bird looking creature fly past. It pulled up and turned back to come hover over Zeke.

"Squee! Squee!" it called as the wolf looked up at it and woofed.

"Pina! What are you doing!?" a little blonde-haired girl cried out as she ran up. She stopped wide eyed as she saw Zeke. "That's a wolf!" she said, amazement in her voice.

"His name's Zeke!" Alice said as she waved at the little bird creature, who had landed on the blonde's head. "And he's my friend!"

"This is Pina, she's a feathered dragon," the other girl replied as she held out her hands with the dragon in them. "I never thought I would find another beast tamer here!"

Pina and Zeke leaned toward each other and touched noses. Each seemed to accept the other as they both nodded and pulled back.

"Can I pet her?" Alice asked.

"If she will let you," the blonde said. "She normally doesn't let anyone touch her unless they are on my friends list."

"Zeke is the same way," Saya said as she leaned forward to get a closer look.

Alice reached out, and Pina lowered her head to let the child rub her, as the blonde girl held out her hand to Zeke, who sniffed her and then pushed his head into her hand.

"Well that's never happened before," Kohta said. "I wonder if it is because they are both beast tamers."

"I don't know," the little blonde said. "I know some other people have tamed beasts, but I have not met them. You're the first." Her eyes got wide again, "OH! I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Silica."

"I'm Alice!" the little girl said as she bowed.

"It is nice to meet you, Silica," Saya said. "My name is Saya and this is my…boyfriend Kohta."

"Pleasure to meet you," Kohta said as he bowed.

"Well, who do we have here?" Rika said as she, Saeko and Shizuka walked over from the teleport gate.

"We made a new friend!" Alice said as she threw her arms in the air.

Everyone laughed as Silica and the others introduced themselves. The group then settled to one side as Saya and Kohta went back to work.

"She is so cute!" Saeko said as she held out her hand for Pina to land on.

"That is so weird!" Silica said as she watched. "She is happy to be friends with all of you. She never lets anyone, but me and a few people on my list, touch and pet her. She was even at ease with Kohta-san."

"Umm Silica-chan," Rika said. "Can I ask why Pina would not be easy with Kohta? Does she only like girls?"

The young girl looked a little embarrassed at first, but answered, "It may be because I try to stay away from boys. They are always asking me to m…marry them or they want me to join their party or guild to be their mascot. I try to party with girl groups when I can, though there are a few boys I will work with sometimes."

Rika's face turned stony as she heard this, "Marry them? Silica, can I ask how old you are?"

"I'm thirteen now, though I look younger than that," she replied. "I was twelve when the game started."

"I can understand why you would be wary of men," the woman said. "Let me tell you something. I know we are not really supposed to talk about the real world, but I want you to know I am a police officer there. If you don't mind, I want you to friend me and if you ever have any trouble with guys harassing you, I want you to message me at once. We will come to help as quickly as we can."

Silica looked surprised for a minute before she spoke, "OH! You're the one they call the Thief-Taker! I've heard of you and what you are trying to do for the players that get robbed!" She opened her menu and a second later the friend request popped up before Rika.

"I think it might be best for all of us to friend each other," Saeko said. "Since we are all girls it would be good for us to stick together."

Silica agreed with the tall samurai. She felt if Pina could accept them so easily, there was no reason she should not.

"So what are you doing on this floor? Are you high enough level to be hunting here?" Rika asked.

The girl shook her head, "No, I still need several levels to do that. The real reason I came up today is to look for all of you. Or rather, I had been told there was a girl hanging around up here that had a familiar like I did. So I came up to see if I could find out who they were. To be honest I thought it was just going to be an NPC with a dog. I didn't know anyone had a wolf." She smiled at the younger girl who was draped across Zeke's back like he was a hug pillow.

"It was a strange episode to be sure," Saeko said. "We were attacked by a lone wolf. Alice shouted at it, saying it was bad, and it paused, almost as if in shock. This gave us time to kill it, but a minute afterwards she heard a wolf puppy in the brush. She called it and it came to her wanting to be friends."

"In my case I had just entered the forest and saw a feathered dragon, but it didn't attack me even though I was in its range. All I had were some peanuts, but turned out that was her favorite food," Silica said as Pina cooed while lying on her head. "I didn't know familiars would grow though, Pina will never get any bigger than she is now."

"Zeke has grown pretty much as any dog, or wolf, would," Rika told the girl. "I'm going to guess he will continue to until he reaches full size, which if the original wolf is a template, will be half again what he is now."

"We're getting ready to pack up," Saya said as she walked over. "Silica? Would you like to come eat supper with us?"

The young teen smiled, "Thank you! I would like that!"

"Well we're ready," Kohta said as he walked over with the merchant carpet rolled up over his shoulder.

"Let's go then," Rika said as they started toward the gate and home.


A/N: Please Review, Favorite and Follow.

EN: 1st posted 1/17/15