Hey everyone, I am so sorry for such a late update but I have been very very busy this week. I actually am getting a new room and a new roommate so I've been going through all that, plus I'm not going to be near a computer all weekend since I'm going out of town. Anyway, thank you all for your patience with me. Glad that you liked the last chapter and the happiness just, as you know, don't get too used to it. Haha! Anyway, glad you liked the last chapter once again and I hope you enjoy this one as well.

Chapter 14: Trip to Grandpa's

It had been about a month since Storm and Yuan let Aria into their home. Both had to admit that she was a sweet little girl and both of them couldn't help but love her. She was beginning to come out of her shell for them and she actually was quite talkative if she wanted to be. Aria really enjoyed going out with Storm when she went into town or into the woods for things. She would also come and see Yuan in his office at night if she couldn't get to sleep. He would have her come in and she would sit on his lap and talk with him as he worked. After awhile of this she would normally fall asleep in his lap and he would take her back to bed. She definitely seemed like she was going to be a regular member of their family, and they could lover like their own child.

"Aria, I'm going to the woods to get some more herbs," Storm called in the house. She soon got a response when she heard the pitter-patter of little feet running through the hall. She soon saw Aria running after her, afraid of being left behind.

"I wanna come too, don't leave me," she whined as she quickly put on her shoes.

"Slow down there, I'm not going anywhere that fast," Storm giggled as she watched the panicked girl struggle to put on her shoes quickly.

After looking at her shoes, making sure that she had them right, Aria looked back up at Storm and nodded her head in approval. "I'm ready now," she announced. Storm laughed at the girl, especially when she flashed a huge grin across her face.

The two walked out of the house and headed towards the woods behind it. It was a peaceful day and the skies were blue and clear. Storm loved calm, sunny days like this and felt at peace. It seemed like her life was finally on the right track. She was living in a quiet town with the man she loved and now she had this adorable girl by her side. Besides this and she hadn't heard anything from or about Anna since their last encounter. She began to wonder if maybe their last encounter had finally scared the girl into behaving. Still, she wondered what had happened to her.

Once they got into the woods Storm and Aria began to look for some of the herbs that they needed. Both becoming very skilled in the art of picking them. Storm was off picking in one area when she heard the sound of footsteps and a low growling noise. It was very faint, but she was able to pick it up with her sensitive hearing. She turned towards the sound which happened to be in the direction that Aria was at. She looked over and saw a wolf stalking the young girl, ready to pounce.

"Aria, get down on the ground," Storm yelled at the young girl as she ran towards her. Aria looked up and saw her running. She didn't even think about what was going on, but immediately ducked to the ground and covered her head with her arms.

Storm pulled out her sword just as the wolf leapt out of its cover towards Aria. She managed to slice into the wolf just before it reached the young girl. The wolf dropped to the ground with a thud, instantly killed by the attack. Storm landed on the other side of Aria and stood up straight.

Aria looked up at Storm and saw the sword in her hand, she had no idea that she was able to fight like that and was impressed with how she had defeated the wolf. She looked in awe at Storm as she placed her sword back in its sheath and walked over to where the wolf was lying.

"Hm...why would a wolf be this close to the town and attacking people on its own? Wolves are normally in packs and usually stay away from humans. There must be a reason," Storm thought out loud as she looked at the wolf.

"That was so cool," Aria said, still amazed with what she had just witnessed.

"Oh, that...something I learned when I was little. My dad taught me how to use a sword. There are some other things that I can do, but I will tell you about that when you get a little older," Storm said when she realized that she and Yuan were keeping things from this little girl like she had Anna.

"Can I see your sword, it looked pretty?" Aria asked as she stared at Storm. Storm nodded her head and pulled her sword out for her to see. She held the blade so it was down and away from Aria, careful not to let the girl hurt herself from it.

Aria came over and looked it over in amazement. "It's so pretty with the sparkly stones and the gold on it," Aria said happily as she ran her hand over the jewels.

"My Dad gave this to me, I really love it," Storm told her.

"I want to meet him," Aria replied. Storm looked at her as she realized that she had never even met her father, and that it had been awhile since she had seen him herself.

"I could take you to meet him sometime soon," Storm told her as she smiled at her.

"Really?! Can I?!" Aria said in excitement. Storm wondered if the girl would be disappointed when she realized her father wasn't as enthusiastic person as she was. All she could do was laugh once again at the young girl's enthusiasm. She almost reminded her of Lloyd in his younger days, except that she never seemed to grow bored of things like her brother had.

With this Storm and Aria walked back to the house to let Yuan know that they wanted to visit Kratos someday soon. Storm walked back to the house as Aria followed closely behind, picking flowers along the way and skipping bedside Storm when she caught up.

A few days later and the three of them were off once again to the city of Meltokio, ready to visit Kratos. Storm was about as excited about vising as Aria was, and Yuan laughed at the two for their impatience and anxiousness. They first made their trip to the Triet Renegade base before they took a Rheihard the rest of the way. This was a new experience for Aria who clung onto Storm for dear life during the entire ride. She wasn't too sure about the whole ride and was very happy to reach the ground safely in Meltokio.

Aria was a little intimidated by the size of Meltokio and clung tightly to Storm for comfort as they made their way through the streets. The immense masses of people moving through the market reminded the young girl of the crowds of people who threatened to and actually did beat her in the past. She eventually moved between Storm and Yuan as she held onto both their hands for some relief.

"Are we there yet?" she asked timidly as they walked out of the market square.

"We're almost there, don't worry, nothing's going to happen," Storm assured her.

Finally, they reached Storm's father's house as Yuan walked up and knocked on the door to see if he was home. After a few moments he heard someone moving inside as he stepped back a couple of feet. Soon, the door opened to reveal a very surprised Kratos.

"Dad! How are you?" Storm asked as she went to hug him. Kratos was never very good with hugs and it always took him a second to adjust before he wrapped his arms around her to return the embrace. Kratos looked to Yuan and have him a friendly nod before Storm finally let him go.

"Would you like to come in?" he asked the couple, still not noticing that there was a third member to their party.

"Before we do Dad, I have to introduce you to someone who's been looking forward to meeting you," Storm told him.

"There's someone else here?" Kratos said as he looked around, what he didn't see was the small young girl hiding behind Storm's legs. She peeked her head out and looked at him, too shy to introduce herself.

"Dad, this is Aria," Storm announced as she moved away a little to reveal the young girl who stood meekly in the doorway. Kratos looked down and looked at the young girl. He had to admit that she was very cute, but he was definitely confused as to where she had come from all of a sudden. He saw that she was nervous, and figured it was from him so he bent down to get to the girl's level before introducing himself.

"I'm Kratos, Storm's father. It's very nice to meet you Aria," he said as he nervously stuck his hand out for a handshake. He was not very good at interacting with children and he wasn't sure how to greet them.

Aria looked at him for a few seconds before she smiled once again before grabbing his hand and shaking it excessively and exaggeratedly. Kratos couldn't help but chuckle at the girl and realized that she reminded him of a younger Storm, before her training had begun.

"You gave Storm the pretty sword?" she asked him curiously as she pointed at him.

Kratos looked a little confused at first and looked to Storm. Storm patted the sword at her side before Kratos figured out what the girl was talking about. He simply nodded in reply.

"It's so cool!!!" she said happily. She stopped and looked at Kratos for a few more seconds. She seemed like she was lost in thought before she finally came back, ready to speak about what was on her mind.

"You don't look old like my grandpa was. Are you really her daddy?" Aria asked. Storm and Yuan laughed at this question as Kratos rolled his eyes. She definitely wasn't unobservant or unintelligent in the least.

"Yes, I'm her father, but I'm sure Storm and Yuan will explain to you someday exactly why I am so young looking for my age," Kratos said. "Now, why don't you all come in and you can tell me about how you met your third member and we can catch up," Kratos told them as he gestured for them to go inside. Storm and Yuan went first and Aria stayed outside and looked once more at Kratos. She held out her hand which he took in his to lead the young girl inside.

Well, that's the end of this chapter. You'll understand why Kratos and the sword are important, but that probably won't be until another story, but keep it in the back of your mind, okay? Like I said this was important, but not till later so sorry if it was short, boring, too transitional, etc. Anyway, next one gets into more action again and maybe out of the happy. Prepare yourself. Anyway, thanks and please remember to review!!