***Author's Note***

Hello, my darlings! I know, it's been a depressingly long time since I updated that, you have my sincerest apologies. Though believe me, I will certainly be finishing it now! I have, sadly, been without a computer for over a year, which is why it's been so long since I wrote any bloody thing. However, I recently acquired a tablet, and it occured to me that with this acquisition I could finally return to writin! Therefore, I will be continuing henceforth with my fanfics; have no fear, I have a new one in the works to be begun as soon as I am finished with this one, have no fear! Well, without further ado, here is the next installment you've waited entirely too long for!

***End Note***

Chapter 25

Wen Tian was out of the room in a flash, his brother hard on his heels. "I never should have left her to your guards! I should have seen to her myself." Before Wu Dao could stop him, Wen Tian was out the door and halfway to the staircase in the space of a heartbeat.

"Wen Tian, wait!" he called, dashing after his brother. "It could be dangerous for you both, just chasing after her like this!" Putting on a burst of speed, he managed to put on a burst of speed and get in front of the younger Youkai. Arms out to stop his brother, he continued, "Just think about it. In the state she's in right now, she could become frightened or angry and she could easily hurt one or both of us! That would very literally destroy her! We need to go after her; of course we do. But I think to sneak up on her or charge after her would be a grievous error. We should got to the stables and pick up her trail from there, even if you do know where she's going to be. We need to be careful about how we approach her. She is bound to be very confused."

Wen Tian froze, staring at his brother for a long moment, glaring and breathing heavily. Slowly, his shoulders began to loosen and his face relaxed. "You have a good point. Fine. We'll go to the stables first and follow her from there." Wu Dao nodded sharply ad turned on his heel, continuing his sprint without a second thought. Within minutes, their headlong pace carried them to the stables, where they quickly picked up on the true extent of the damage Yao Yao had done, and just how much she could have done if she'd decided she wanted to. Wen Tian whistled low, "Given what I'm seeing here, it's a bit of a miracle that your man walked away from this. That's one hell of a dent in that pillar…"

Wu Dao nodded wordlessly, he head tilted back a bit to catch the scent on the air. "Do you smell that?" He asked, "There's a lot of fear in the air. I don't like it. She's more terrified than I thought. Come. We must find her." Without another word, Wu Dao rushed out of the stables, following the scent of fear while Wen Tian watched him for a moment, utterly bemused, with a slight smirk and a raised eyebrow. He rushed quickly after his brother, keeping his nose alert for Yao Yao's scent. Wu Dao was right. She was terrified.

It took them the better part of a hour to track her, but they finally found her beneath a tree in the enormous riding field the property boasted. As soon as they came within earshot, her head shot up, suddenly attentive and listening closely. Though they both noticed that her hearing seemed rather a bit sharper than a normal human's should have been. They exchanged a significant glance for a long moment before they began to slowly approach. "Yao Yao?" Wen Tian called softly, "Are you alright? I heard you had a bit of a fright early, and tossed my brother's guards like they were sacks of flour."

He chuckled for a moment, but was cut off by an unexpectedly vicious snarl from behind the tree. "Why are you here? I didn't ask for your help! I can handle…whatever this is…on my own!" Another rasping, animalistic snarl tore from behind the tree trunk.

Wen Tian's heart froze for a moment at her harsh tone. "I'm sorry, Yao Yao. But I'm worried about you, and so is my brother. I think we can help you understand what's happening to you, actually."

She slunk – that was the only word for the motion – from behind the tree, and sunk into a feral crouch. "How could either of you possibly understand? Neither of you is human!"

Wu Dao raised a sardonic eyebrow and approached her; slowly, but with great caution. "There is none better to understand your current upset, given that I am almost fully certain that it is of my doing."

Yao Yao froze, staring at him with wide, half-mad eyes and a dawning suspicion in her eyes, her mouth turning downward in a confused frown. "What do you mean, your doing? How can this be something you did?"

Wu Dao took another few steps toward her, motioning for his brother to wait. "I think you already know." He laid a hand on his chest, just over his heart, just as she made the same motion. Her eyes bugged for a moment, before sense seemed to return to them for a brief moment.

"The procedure? You think that's what this is?" Her eyes cleared for a moment before sheer rage clouded them again and she lunged at the older Dragon King. Her hands curled into furious claws that she raked across Wu Dao's face and neck. He barely reacted, but Yao Yao reacted with unexpected pain. "What did you DO to me!?"

Wu Dao stood rigidly straight and clasped his hands behind his back. "I'm sorry. We tried to warn you, but you didn't seem to take it terribly seriously. You are already beginning to show Dragon-like traits. Unfortunately, since these instincts, senses, and abilities new to you, you are experiencing an elevated amount of stress and fear. And that, I fear, is my fault as well. I should have been more…sensitive to your needs. Unfortunately, I saw only my own. As you've already noticed, what happens to me happens to you – or at the very least, you feel it. Should one of us die, so will the other. Should one of use feel exceptionally strong emotions, so will the other. I started noticing it about a week ago; but then, I've been…distracted. We need to act quickly, and train ourselves in the use of this newfound ability of ours. I think it may come in quite handily," he said with a smirk. A sudden frown of concentration crossed his face and he thought hard at Yao Yao, For example, communicating in this way, we can easily complain about my brother's stupidity without having to listen to his rebuttals. He smirked again as Yao Yao first jerked into a sudden upright position, surprise on her face, then burst into spontaneous giggles at his observation.

As the giggles ceased, she breathed heavily for a moment or two with her eyes closed, thinking. Finally, she nodded to herself. "You're right. This could be incredibly useful. We do need to train in its use – whatever that means." Glancing over Wu Dao's shoulder, she looked directly into Wen Tian's eyes, "Thank you for coming after me. It really means a great deal to me. I know you could just as easily have left me alone to figure this out by myself."

Wen Tian smirked and walked casually past his brother. "Yeah, I guess I could have. But I really couldn't pass up the opportunity to potentially watch you put my brother on his rear. Sadly, it looks like I'm going to have to wait. Hopefully it happens soon, though!" Wen Tian and Yao Yao laughed in unison. Holding a hand out to Yao Yao, Wen Tian said gently, "Come on. Lets go home."

***Author's Note***

I know it was too short, darlings! I'm so sorry! But the next one should be longer, promise! It's qiute late, and I'm tired, so I will say good night, and hopefully work some on the next chapter tomorrow and the next day! Until then, darlings; thank you for reading, as always.

- Lady Darkwind