Hi.

My eyes hurt.

So does my head.

And my arm.

And THIS is all I have to show for it.

THIS. IS. FRIGGEN. NOTHING.

I seriously feel like this is just a filler chapter to provide a bit of buffer for the dramatic climax coming up (next chappy, guys.) This one picks up RIGHT where the other one left off, when Zaha tells them Stella must start training.

REVIEWS!

Thank again, Omega, for being a wonderful editor and editing this for me.

Lonewolf685: You do exactly the opposite I do; I skip the fights and focus only on the cut scenes. And, even after all that, I STILL don't know what I neblade consists of. Mazuma was completely devoured, but that might have just been Kali getting exited. Anyway, here, we're just gonna stick with "they eat your soul." I think we can all agree on that."

RYNO IV: I do actually see this as an alternate storyline. I wish this would have been added into the original game, but I guess they just never thought of it. *Sigh* Oh well. Glad to see you still remember the summery. Right now that's a spoiler but I can answer your second question; yes, Nana will show up. And because I hate her, she will be a bitch.

That is all.


October 9, 2044

Location: Mother Ship

4:40 P.M.

"I-Immediately?" Mii asked Zaha. "Sir, this is very sudden."

Zaha shook his head. "I see no reason to wait. What happened today has proven that Stella has the coordination and stamina needed for training."

Lirio's jaw tightened. "Stella, would you go outside for a minute? We need to talk to Grandpa Zaha in private."

Stella didn't argue as she stood up and left the room, glancing back once nervously before closing the door behind her.

Mii looked at Zaha. "No se puede ser serio. Not already."

Zaha shook his head. "Stella needs to learn to start pulling her own weight. Just because she's your daughter, that doesn't mean she gets a free ride."

"But she's only five!" Mii protested!

"I began training the minute I learned to walk." Zaha replied. "I see no reason why she can't begin now." He looked at their worried faces and sighed. "And, just to make you feel better, I'll let you oversee Stella's training."

Lirio relaxed a bit. "We can train her?"

Zaha nodded. "Ultimately, the decision on how is completely up to you two." He said. "But I do want her to start her training. And this is non-negotiable."

Lirio sighed. "Is that all?"

Zaha nodded.

Mii's eyes narrowed. "You'll leave ALL training to us, correct?"

Zaha nodded.

Mii sighed. "Well, I guess the choice has been made, then."

"Very good." Zaha said, standing up. "I'll leave you, now. I imagine you'll want to tell Stella the news."

Mii stood in the doorway to Stella's room, watching her sleep. Even now, she still looked so tiny when curled up on her side, asleep. Even now, Mii still remembered when her bed was a crib and not a "big girl bed." Even now, she still made little squeaking noises as she slept, almost to faint too detect, but Mii could hear.

She clutched her robe and leaned against the doorway, sighing. She felt someone's arm wrap around her, but didn't have to look to see who it was.

"No la podíamos aferrarnos de ella para siempre." She said, looking back at Lirio. He wrapped his arms around her torso and pulled her back against him.

"It doesn't mean we have to let her go just yet." He said.

Mii chuckled. "Nosotros vamos a entrenarla." She looked back at her daughter. "But this is the last thing I wanted for her. I don't want her to be an Apostle." She looked down. "I don't want her to break." She sighed. "That amount of fighting and bloodshed will change her. It changed us." Mii looked at Lirio. "When she comes out of it, she'll be different from who she is now."

October 9, 2044

Location: San Francisco, C.A.

6:00 A.M.

Rothcol leaned on his elbow and sighed. Scouting missions could be so boring sometimes.

He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to see Xiaoming smirking at him. "I brought some cards. You up for a quick game of BS?"

Rothcol sighed and shrugged. "Fine."

Xiaoming sat in front of him and dealt the cards. "So…what's going on with you and Eki?"

Rothcol groaned. "Not this again. Xiao, I told you, nothing's going on between us."

"Don't gimme that. You're always the first one to volunteer to go on a mission together."

"It's fun. She's always so optimistic, so it adds a lighter mood." Rothcol replied.

"B.S." Xiaoming said.

"It's true!"

"No, I'm talking about your card." He pointed to the pile.

Rothcol chuckled and picked up the stack. "Ok, you got me there."

Xiaoming smirked.

The two continued playing quietly until Xiaoming said "I call being best man at your wedding."

Rothcol growled. "For the last time, NOTHING'S GOING ON BETWEEN US!"

"And for the last time, I'm not buying it." Xiaoming replied, putting down another card. "You know, she's got candy eyes for you, too."

Rothcol remained silent.

"Ro, it's your turn…" He said.

"Really?"

"Well yeah, I went so now it's your turn."

"No I mean…" He looked hopeful. "You really think she likes me?"

Xiaoming shrugged. "Well there's no point in telling you if you're not interested, is there?"

"Dammit Xiao!" Rothcol growled.

He smirked. "If you were to admit it, however, I just might tell you what I saw."

Rothcol shook his head. "You drive a hard bargain, Xiao." He sighed. "Alright…so maybe, possibly, I do have some slight romantic feelings for Ekishou-"

"Haaa, I knew it!" Xiaoming cried like a teenage girl.

"Shhh!" Rothcol hissed. "I just said possibly!" He leaned back. "Now, what did she say about me?"

"Well, she didn't say it so much as write it Xiaoming leaned forward. "I read her diary."

"You are an ass!" Rothcol said with a laugh. "You read your little sister's private thoughts?"

"You wanna hear 'em or not?"

"Yes I wanna hear them!"

"Okay…" Xiaoming said "So apparently, she had a dream where you kissed her."

Rothcol sighed. "Xiaoming, that doesn't mean much."

Xiaoming shrugged. "What are you talking about?"

"I once had a dream I was married to the Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man. Does that mean I would do that in real life? No." Rothcol shook his head. "Dreams are weird."

"Yeah…" Xiaoming smirked. "But she wrote that she wished it had been real."

October 10, 2044

Location: Mother Ship

8:00 A.M.

Early the next morning, Lirio opened the door to the weapons room, Stella close on his heels. The little girl was giddy as if she had eaten a bag full of sugar, but managed to keep her bouncing to a minimum as she followed her father through the vault.

"Daddy…" She asked, looking around "Por qué estamos aquí?"

"We're in here because I'm going to give you a very special present today." Lirio replied. He turned around. "Stay here for a moment. I'll be right back." In response, Stella sat cross legged on the floor and watched as he disappeared into the back of the room.

When Lirio returned, Stella could see he carried with him a long, black stick. He knelt in front of her, and with one fluid motion, pulled a pitch black sword from the sheath.

He held it out to her. "Be careful, the edges are sharp."

Instead of reaching out, Stella shrank back away from the blade. "B-But…I don't think I can."

Lirio placed the sword in his own lap and patted his daughter's head gently. "There's nothing to be afraid of. The sword won't hurt you." He held it out again. "A sword will only do what its master directs."

Stella hesitated again, then very slowly picked up the blade and placed it in her own lap. She ran her finger over the flat side of the blade and looked up. "What are all these markings?"

"That…" Lirio replied "Is the sword name." He pointed to each of the symbols, running his finger over the blade. "It says 'Black Blade.'"

"Black Blade…" Stella repeated, transfixed on the silver lettering. She looked up again. "Am I going to train with it?"

"Soon." Lirio replied. "But for now we'll start you off with something simple." He stood, picked up a cloth and a bucket of thin wax, and placed it next to her on the ground. "Today, you're going to clean it."

He saw Stella relax and chuckled as she picked up the rag. "Cómo?"

"That's for you to decide." He replied. "It's your sword; you must know its likes and dislikes." He went and sat down on a bench a few feet away from her. "I'll be here."

He watched as Stella looked at the blade for a moment, before she took the rag and began gently rubbing the blade.

The hours passed. As time went on, Lirio saw her change her cleaning technique, rubbing with the grain instead of back and forth. When she finally dipped the rag into the wax, she only brought out a very small amount and continued cleaning.

Finally, at noon, Lirio stood up. "That's enough for today."

Stella looked up at him in surprise, like he had woken her from a daze. She rubbed the sword once, and then handed it back to her father, who sheathed it and placed back on the wall.

As the two left the weapon room, Lirio noticed Stella looking back at the blade, like it was calling to her.

"When I was about your age, my parents stressed the importance of learning to play a musical instrument." Mii said as Stella followed her down the stairs. "They used to tell me that the music and the battle techniques are very similar; both teach stability and flow." She looked back at her daughter. "Por eso, cuando yo tenía tu edad, I began to learn how to play the piano."

Mii turned on the light in the room. In the center of the tiny room, there stood a small, black piano. It was dusty, but even under the dust Stella could see the shine of the keys.

She approached the piano and touched one of the keys, listening to the sound it made. She touched another and held it down, before she heaved herself up onto the bench and touched several of the keys all in a row.

Mii smiled and sat in a chair a few feet away from Stella, just as Stella noticed the several music books a few inches away. She began to reach for one, but Mii stopped her.

"Todo a su tiempo, little one." She smiled. "Right now, just play from your heart."

Stella looked up in curiosity. "What should I play?"

"Whatever you like."

Stella starred down at the keys. She pressed each one over and over, and Mii could tell she was listening to each one, taking in the sound and analyzing it. Finally, she closed her eyes, and let her fingers dance over the keys.

The melody she played was very simple and slow, but it picked up as she went on. The sweet tinkling of the keys filled the ears and hearts of both mother and daughter, and Mii felt a smile stretch across her face, followed by the warm, salty feel of tears down her cheeks, which she quickly wiped away.

The melody itself was a bit choppy; it sounded like she was still getting used to the keys. She played some twice and others more, some she skipped over, but the choppy inexperience only added to the beauty of the tune.

Stella wasn't even looking at the keys. She didn't need to; it was like the melody played itself. She slowed down again; they key sounds soft and quiet and lingering; creating a heavy feel of what almost seemed like sadness but bliss at the same time. Stella timed her breath with each keystroke, her fingers drifting over each one like she was touching air.

The keys suddenly felt heavy with a weight she didn't recognize, and she slowed even more to find tears dripping onto her hands, before she stopped all together as she broke out in silent sobs.

She continued to cry as Mii sat beside her and took her into her arms, whispering comforting words to her. "Now darling, why are you crying? It was such a lovely song. Lo hiciste muy bien."

"It…" Stella could barely find her voice. "It feels sad." She buried her face in her mother's chest. "It feels so sad, like it's lonely."

Mii smiled and took her daughter's face in her hands. "That's how it's supposed to feel, darling." She said. "I think your going to be very good at this. You've already found the song's flow."

Stella had been training for over a month. Every day, she would follow her father into the weapons room, where she would sit with a cloth and clean her blade, as well as other weapons, some her father had said would be hers one day, some not but she was told it would be good to get the feel for them, in case she ever needed to use them. At noon they would break for lunch, and then she would follow her mother into the tiny room in the basement, where she would play whatever tune popped into her mind on the precious piano.

And she liked this. Really she had feared that her training was going to be rushed and intense, but the slow route they were taking seemed to suit her just fine. She liked it.

Until Zaha found out.

Her parents had told her to leave the room, but she stayed outside with her ear pressed against the door in order to hear their conversation.

"When I said I wanted you to train her…" She heard Zaha say "I meant I wanted her to train, not do chores!"

"Sir, le aseguro, this is all part of her training." She heard her mother's calm voice reply.

"Then tell me, Mii," Zaha continued. "How exactly will polishing swords and playing piano help her in future battles?"

"I think you'll be surprised by the outcome, sir." Lirio replied. "Patience is a virtue that must be taught early on."

"Yes, but even so-"

"And you did say we could oversee her training, did you not?" Mii added. "How we train our daughter should be our business. Don't you agree Mi amor?" Stella didn't hear Lirio reply, but she assumed he nodded in agreement, because the conversation continued.

Zaha sighed. "Fine. Continue with what you're doing." She heard him approach the door. "Though I highly doubt she'll become an Apostle if you don't even teach her battle training."

Stella didn't have time to feel hurt, as she had to dive out of the way as the door opened and Zaha walked out, not paying attention to her.

As Stella sat there, she thought "Will I never become an Apostle, after all?"

Stella knew that, if she was depressed, she would never be able to hide it from her parents. They knew her too well.

So the only logical thing would be to tell them outright what was bothering her.

They comforted her like they normally did when something upset her; by sitting her down in one of their laps (this time it was Mii's) in front of the living room fireplace. It wasn't a real fireplace; one of those gas ones you turned on with a switch, but its warmth provided much comfort for little Stella.

"Stella, you have to remember…" Mii assured her "Todavía eres muy joven, and you're at the beginning of your training."

"Neither of us actually started any kind of fight training until we were twice your age." Lirio added.

"But Zaha said-"

Mii held her hand up. "Zaha has his own expectations; it doesn't mean you have to meet them." She smiled. "That was just the way he was raised, and he doesn't realize it might not be what's best for you."

Stella nodded. "Will my training change?"

"Eventually." Lirio replied "When you become older and stronger, you'll start to learn harder and more complicated things." He scooted closer and patted her head. "But for now, let's just stick to what we have."

"Hablando de eso …" Mii added with a sly smile "Would you like to show your father what you've learned on the piano?"

Stella's eyes widened, but when her mother gave her an encouraging nod, she said "Okay…" and stood up.

The tree retreated into the basement, and Stella sat down at the piano bench as her parents stood by and watched.

Stella took a deep breath and placed her tiny fingers over the keys. She seemed puzzled at first, then closed her eyes and began to play.

The music started out slow and sweet. It was soothing and tranquil, almost in time with the breath of those listening, before it began to speed up ever so slightly. The sweet music filled the tiny room, and suddenly everyone inside was entranced by it, weather they realized it or not.

Time slowed down, and the only thing that existed was the sweet music from the piano. The notes seemed to sing; laughing and crying all at the same time, joyous and grieving, voices of dryads and nymphs, screaming and whispering all in one. Faintly, if concentrated on, a slight breeze could be felt, and freshly blooming flowers could be smelled.

Finally, Stella's hand movements slowed and stopped gracefully, and an empty silence filled the room where the music had once been. Stella looked to her father, and saw a warm smile on his face as he knelt beside her.

"It was beautiful, Stella." He said. "I'm very proud of you; it was amazing."

"You really like it?" She asked as he picked her up.

"I do. It was beautiful." He replied.

"She's been focusing on that one for a while now." Mii said.

"Quería hacerlo perfecto." Stella added. "I even thought of a name for it!"

"Oh?" Mii asked her. "And what is it?"

Stella smiled. "It's called 'Mi Hija.'"


I added a bit in there about her inexperience at playing piano. It's more believable, now.

Ok...next chapter will be a major climax. It will probably be long, and don't be surprised if it takes up two chappys. Other than that, it's very late, so I'm gonna go to bed.

Goodnight.