AN: I've had a couple requests to put add a chart to keep up with the names so here it is:

Ayame- Iris- Fem Harry Potter

Shiriusu- Sirius – to-san/father

Ryu – Dragon – Draco- itoko/cousin

Miya – Beauty – Narcissa – oba/aunt

Asebi – Andromeda- oba/aunt

Takeo – Ted – oji/uncle

Maiko - Nymphadora– itoko/cousin

I now have a deviantart page under Aurora-Saphire where I've posted a couple of drawings I've done for Ayame's blade if anyone would like to look.

Chapter 25

Ayame had settled some by the next morning's training session but there was still an excess of energy bubbling within her, reminding Reo more of typical Uzumaki children then she ever had before. If it wasn't for her etiquette training Reo was sure she'd be running and shouting what ever came to her mind, like the red-haired sea of children that had always filled Uzushio with noise.

Even though their camp was warded to the skies and back, Reo had still scouted before heading to his own bed. There was nobody that he could sense in the area and he had covered as much of the island as he could, at a speed that would still allow him to feel if there were other chakra signatures within the area. Later he would drop beacons around the edges of the island. These would allow the wizards to place wards that would notify them if someone crossed the boundary. He would then take Maiko and search the island, even if seemed abandoned it doesn't mean it was. Bandits and civilians didn't have chakra signatures after all. He hoped for civilians but if they came across bandits Maiko had the skills to be able to handle herself, he just worried about how she would react to a real battle, better a bandit then a missing nin.

Which was always another possibility, The Land of Whirlpools was only a small island and, with it being mostly abandoned since Uzushio's fall, it would be the perfect hide out for missing nin. He'd be careful and scout slowly, no need to rush in and risk anything. They would clear the island of potential threats and either class them as friendly or remove them. If it had to be permanently instead of just hurrying them off the island than so be it. He was willing to kill in defence of the Kuro Clan as he knew any of the others would be; other than Takeo, they all had a ruthlessness to them, a darker edge that came from the Black Line. A certain dismissal of the value of another's life when weighed against one of their own. It was part of the reason he knew the Kuro's would be fine in the Elemental Nations. The other being that, again with the exception of Takeo, the were all insane – but in the good way. Well, most of the time, he still shuddered when he thought about the zoo incident.

He had demonstrated once why a shinobi would be able to beat a wizard every time, unless the wizard had the element of surprise, so they knew to keep magic use discrete. This was the main reason Asebi had accompanied Shiriusu when he had bought the tents, apparently, she had had to talk him out buying one that looked like an over sized doghouse, and one that looked like a giant sandcastle. He really hoped Shiriusu remembered, he didn't exactly have the best impulse control. Maiko's colour changing hair would be dismissed as a rather unusual Kekkei Genkai or a bad henge, but what ever Shiriusu eventually did would not be so easy to explain away, Reo knew it.

That was for the future, at present he had 3 hungry children working through a cool down routine.

"Ayame-hime, I want you to take extra time to meditate after breakfast, feel through the changes within you and settle yourself."

"Hai, Reo-sensei."

"Dismissed."

As the children walked off to their breakfasts, Reo focused on where Takeo was standing within the shadow of a tree. He stepped into the light and approached his daughter's sensei.

"I know I'm not a Black and I don't understand this battle joy they all seem to feel, but my Maiko is just the same. I know that some-how, some-way she would have found a way to fight. Even before all this happened Maiko wanted to be an Auror, a dark wizard hunter. I'm glad that you've been able to teach her to protect herself in ways I could never have hoped and that before we left she could have taken down any fully trained wizard with ease, but is she truly ready for here? I've heard your stories and histories just like everyone else, and that's my baby girl, I can't lose her."

"It is fine Takeo-san I understand your worries, they are the same as any civilian parent watching their child step out into the shinobi world. I will tell you what my sensei told my parents when they asked him the same thing. 'Your child could die tomorrow tripping down a flight of stairs, accidentally eating a poisonous berry, chocking on a bite of their dinner. Can you protect them from this? No? But you try to the best of your ability; have a stair rail, teach them which berries are safe to eat, tell them to slow down and chew. I cannot promise that nothing will happen to your child, I can promise that I will never return from a mission without your child for as long as they are my student and that I will do my best to protect them, like you do.'"

Takeo shoulders straightened as the worries slipped from his eyes, "Thank you, I needed to hear that."

-Page break-

Knowing that it was an order and not just a suggestion from Reo-sensei, Ayame headed to her bedroom where she knew she wouldn't be disturbed. With all the energy Ayame could feel running through her body she knew that trying to drop straight into a meditative state would be useless so she started doing yoga forms. Focusing on her breathing and the flow of energy around her body like she had been taught she flowed from Mountain to Warrior 2 and continued through the rest of the routine. Gradually, much slower than she was used to, her chakra settled and slowed until it was flowing much smoother around her body, until she didn't feel like there was bubbles popping and fizzing within the streams. It had taken 3 run throughs of the complete yoga routine before Ayame felt calm enough to roll over from the Corpse pose and start with the first relaxation/meditation technique she could remember Reo-Sensei teaching her.

Taking a deep breath and forcing herself limp Ayame focused on her right foot, she curled it up tight pulling on all the muscles holding it for 2 steady breaths before releasing it on the exhale and relaxing for a full breath. Moving over to her left foot she repeated the action and then worked her way bit by bit through all the rest of her body, tensing the muscles and relaxing them, focusing on one part at a time and continuing in pairs. Finishing by tensing her whole body and relaxing it twice, Ayame turned her attention inward, falling into her core like she had may times before. Having learnt meditation from such an early age it was nearly second nature to Ayame and Ryu now, Maiko found it more difficult, having started later but even she was more advanced than Reo-sensei now.

Laying upon the 'lake' that was the representation of her chakra within her core, staring at the Aurora of colours her magic made across the 'sky', she instantly noticed that the colours were brighter and moving much quicker across the dome like sky that contained her mind world. Standing upon the lake she realised that the only still part was around her, the rest of the lake heaved and swirled as if it were one giant whirlpool and she was stood within the eye.

Normally the lake would be calm and still, barely a ripple across it's surface, and the colours in the sky would slowly travel from one side to the other, much like the Aurora she had named it after, that her to-san had taken her to see. Knowing she needed to find the source she dived down into the centre of the whirlpool and let it drag her with it. It was her chakra and she was within her own mindscape, it wasn't like she could drown no matter the physical representations she gave it. Dropping through the surface of a pearlescent bubble Ayame landed upon the dry ocean floor and made her way towards the coral palace that sat at the centre.

Created after one to many stories about Atlantis and mermaids, Ayame's mind palace was a literal palace. Towers of every colour of coral, rose and twisted into gleaming points brushing the edge of the bubble that kept the 'water' out. Stepping through the grand double doors Ayame could not instantly feel anything out of place, her mind was not in disarray it was only the energies within her. That meant one thing, her link with Mother. Spiriting down corridors and up stairs, round corners and through secret passage ways, Ayame followed a path only she knew, that took her to the very centre of her mind. Slipping past all the traps that waited for any one who tried to get within her mind and by-passing the locks upon the door, she slipped through the doors of the treasure room.

She was almost blinded by the glow that was the part of her consciousness Mother had bound to Ayame. Never before had She burned like looking directly into the light of the sun, like the brightest of polished gold. Gently touching her hand to the edge of the glow, Ayame snatched it back as she was nearly overwhelmed with the images and feelings Mother was giving her. Mother never spoke as such, she communicated in thoughts and feelings, it was Ayame that interpreted those thoughts and feelings into concepts she could understand.

Mother noticed Ayame's hesitation and tried to calm Herself, but it was so very difficult when She was feeling such joy. Seeing the glow dim and feeling the pressure she hadn't even noticed, drop within the treasure room, Ayame reached out again. Placing first her hand and then touching her forehead to the orb of swirling light Ayame allowed herself to absorb what Mother was showing her.

She followed along as Mother showed Ayame Her memories of rushing through this world. Of the strength within the lay-lines of this world. How untouched they were. She slowed as She found someone tapping into a lay-line, She wanted to see what kind of magic this world had. But he didn't cast magic! He used it to add to his chakra, She watched as he pulled too much, too fast – He'd get hurt! – but an old toad smacked him on the head with a stick and he stopped. She was relieved as She did not have the control here to have been able to help him.

Satisfied She looked elsewhere. Here She could feel a darkness brewing and madness and sickness. She didn't touch that but she watched and felt how the Madness was spreading the Sickness and it awakened the Darkness. She knew there were hard times ahead, she could feel it. She followed the Sickness's path back and found the scars he had left behind him on a place of Warmth. She could feel the Anger that had been there, and She could feel where half the Anger now sleeps. There were roots of Madness and Sickness across this world, but the Pain wasn't here.

Mother wasn't dying here. Magic wasn't dying here. Mother would be able to Help here. Not like Before where there was the Hurt and the Pain and the Fading. Here She could be strong. They could be strong. The Madness and the Sickness did not touch Her but She could feel them within the land. She could also feel the Strength that Filled the rest of the Land, She could feel the Light in their hearts like the thousands of Stars in the night sky above a desert. The Madness, The Sickness, the Darkness were not insurmountable, and She would help how she could.

When the images slowed Ayame had her chance to ask her question, why had her energies changed? Mother stated that She was more powerful now, so she shared that power with Her Childe. Her Childe would be strong and safe, Power helped make you safe. Mother knew that Ayame would use her power well, She trusted Her Childe.

Ayame faded back into herself and out of her mind. A small frown crossed her face, this meant she would have to retrain her control, and she wasn't very good at that as it was! It would only get harder now with more Chakra and Magic to control. This would take forever.