Lets move things along then. (equips cattle prod... applies to plot.)

And yet another reminder... I can't reply to comments if you have no account, or, have your PM's off.

Chapter 12

"Momiji, Kaede." I greeted the two of them at the gate the next morning, just in time for the morning warmup. "Loaner." I added, since he was soaking up all kinds of headpats from the mini-miko.

"Kodori-sama." They both greeted as I opened the gate and made way for them to step in.

"Just Kodori, please?" I asked, figuring I would probably have to give up on trying to convince them, like I had with Bell, "You got permission this time?"

Loaner jumped into my arms, and Kaede answered, "Yup! He just said to," And she tried to apply a gruff tone to her voice, "Make sure you get a fair share of the loot!"

"Chandra is not very good at ear scratching. But he means well." Loaner added as my fingers brushed the fur along the inside of his ear, "Ohhhh, I like this..."

"Chandra doesn't know how we do things here. But that's okay, we're kind of unorthodox." I turned and started towards the training field, seeing Maki about to square off with Bell. "Oh hold on." I raised my voice, "Hey!"

Everyone turned to face me with a clear, "Ma'am?" on their face.

"Maki, drop the wood, try out your new weapon. Bell, stick with defence, and I mean it. Gotta make sure it works before we let her take it into the dungeon." And to everyone else, "Pay attention, since if it DOES work, we have to figure out where to put her later."

They all nodded, and Maki went back to the weapon barrels and put her wooden long sword away. "This is really nothing like the Soma combat training." Momiji sighed, "If you can even call it that..."

"Yeah well, most are too interested in another sip of wine." Kaede shrugged.

"I'm curious actually, what about you two?" I asked, standing on the sidelines.

"Well, neither of us have any tolerance for alcohol at all. She," Kaede elbowed Momiji in the ribs, "Passed out almost right away." She laughed, but then her smile faded, "But anything I drink now tastes like water."

"I may have passed out, but it is the reason I am able to use my spell to deflect magic, along with arrows and spears." Momiji gave her friend a pat on the shoulder.

"Like water? Everything?" I blinked in surprise.

"Yeah. I mean, I still get the effects, and the smell hasn't changed. So if I drink a potion, or it smells bad or poisoned, I'm okay. But yeah... Plain water. Thankfully, I can still feel temperature. That tea you gave me was the closest thing to 'flavour' I've tasted since I joined Soma Familia."

I wanted to say something... undiplomatic about that. I mean, as it was, when you joined Soma Familia, after getting Falna, you were given a sip of His wine. It was basically like saying, 'Thanks for joining, have a sip of the most addictive drug in the world'. Most of the Familia managed to keep their cravings under control, but there was that incident with Zanis and a few others who were mugging people, including weaker Familia members to get another taste of it.

So, instead of the first thing I wanted to say, I said, "I'll be sure to make more of it for you." And gave the bunny girl a pat on the head.

"Thank you, Kodori-sama." Kaede smiled up at me.

"Oh! Maki-san has a spring festival mask!" Momiji exclaimed, "I rather like the design." She looked down at herself, "I wonder if I can get one for myself. Do you know where she got it?"

"Actually, she made it herself, mostly." I smiled, watching Maki put her marble white and red fox mask on, the gold eyes glittering slightly in the early morning light, "This is going to be interesting. Watch close now."

Bell got into a ready stance, both his unicorn horn dagger and Hestia knife at the ready. It was his usual low to the ground, ready to spring in any direction, all purpose stance.

Maki was in her new armour, the mix of hardened and soft leather, along with the spider silk and wool covering her properly, while still looking reasonably stylish. She'd chosen lighter colours to go with her mask and tail, and I suspected, when she replaced her boots, she'd get me or Welf to dye them to match as well. Her sword sheath was the same white as her mask, and the cap I'd made for it was gold like the eyes. It was actually Ha-steel, not gold, since gold was really soft, and it was mildly enchanted too.

"I'm ready, Miss Maki." Bell said.

Maki nodded.

Then vanished.

The colours of her body basically bled away like paint being dipped in thinner, and then she was gone. Anyone looking carefully (and we ALL were, no matter how shocked we were) could still see the outline of her boots, and I myself could still see her outline, kind of like the Predator effect, or Therm-optic Camouflage from Ghost in the Shell. But this was one step past what she'd shown us after she'd gotten her Falna.

Then, I saw her legs move apart, her arms raise, her arm extend...

And she appeared again, her sheathed sword, her 'magic wand', along the length of her arm. The gemstone was pointed at Bell, and she was looking down the sheath like one might look down the barrel of a rifle. "Tsurara!" Icicle.

Bell's eyes went wide as an arm length, bog standard 'killer icicle' zipped towards him at alarming speed. Mindful of the people around him, and behind him, Maki had aimed low, and Bell hopped backwards to avoid it, but...

Maki was already starting to vanish again. Sure, it was 'ground level' but this was a classic sniper technique. Shoot, move, shoot, move. Already, Bell was looking for her, and he spotted her boots deforming some grass that had managed to live on the hard packed clay of the training field. Turning towards her, he had just enough time to set his feet, when she appeared again, already looking down the 'barrel' of her wand, "Hi!" (Not to be confused with 'high', this was said H-ee.) Fire.

A short, sharp blast of fire, similar to Bell's Firebolt, hit the icicle, and instantly made a huge cloud of fog. Since I made the eyes of Maki's mask, I knew it wouldn't be a problem for her, but for anyone 'normal' it would be a hard thing to see through.

But Bell wasn't normal. Instead of going invisible again, Maki drew her blade, and jumped into the mist, executing a fast, bog standard fencer's thrust towards Bell's chest. There was a clash of steel, then another, followed by a third, and then a meaty sound as Maki went "Oof!" and rolled out of the dissipating fog, her new armour now sporting part of Bell's boot print on her right hip. She was on her feet quickly enough, and as soon as she had her feet under her, she looked at the gem on the sword, then made ready to dash at Bell again.

Bell however, held up his hand to stop her, "That was pretty amazing, Miss Maki!" He shook his head, "But I attacked, I'm sorry."

Maki paused, lowered her guard then put her sword away, "Phew." Her voice sounded hollow from inside the mask, "It's for the best I think." She hooked the sheath on her belt and rubbed her hip, "And yes, ow."

From where I was standing, from what I knew and could guess, Maki was just about out of magical power. Or at least, enough that the sword wasn't charging fast enough for more attacks. But still, a reasonably deadly magic icicle, a solid application of fog, near total invisibly...

"I might have stayed up a little late getting used to this thing in my room." She put her palm over the pommel of her sword, "I'm sure as I grow, I'll be able to use it more."

There were a few nods from around the circle, "Not too bad for a beginner." Aisha nodded, "Odd way to use a wand, but effective."

"Her sword work was clean. Not hesitant at all." Mikoto added.

"Lilly is jealous of that trick."

Maki was looking a little more hopeful with every word, then all eyes turned to me. "What? I'm not going, so it's up to you." I said, "And I told her so already."

"We can keep her in the middle I think. She's careful with her aim, so I don't mind having her behind me." Ouka said.

"There you go, Miss Maki. We'd be happy to have you along." Bell smiled, "We'll get you a backpack and basic gear ready for tomorrow."

"Woo!" Maki cheered.

(from Gros's cage) "Woowoowooooooooo!" went the birds.

"Oh quiet, it's nothing special." Gros said, before getting zapped by a little spark from one of the black birds, "Critic."

Shinkage spoke up, mounting Hagane, and accepting her new weapon from Aisha, "If you're going to be a magical girl, you should change your name or something. It's tradition, isn't it?" She looked at me, "The manga said so anyhow..."

No one would ever know why I burst out into laughter when Maki said, "You know, you're right. How about..." A dramatic pause, before she unhooked her sword again, struck a pose and said with dramatic flair and a 'V' sign with her free hand, "Hatsune Miku!"

It didn't take me long to recover from my giggle-fit, and I waved off the strange looks saying, "You only showed off two of your tricks there."

"Well, kinda." She grinned, "Always keep an ace, right? Well, what did you two think?" She asked the two rookies.

"I was impressed, Maki-san." Momiji said, "Though... I would like to ask..."

Maki looked puzzled for a moment at Momiji's sudden hesitation, then nodded, "Half, on my mother's side." It made me smile to hear her say it proudly, unlike the last time.

"This other place you're from must be really special." Kaede said, "Does that mean you can do that fire thing?"

A small puff of blue fire appeared over Maki's shoulder, "This? Well yeah. I might be even better at it than big sister here."

The two of them looked at her, then me in disbelief, so I shrugged and said "It's true. I can boil water and heat iron, but not much else. Though, to be fair, I can make a lot more than she can, but well." I looked behind me at my tails, who went still like they were trying to act innocent.

Maki was about to say something else, when there was an "Ahhh!" followed by a thump and the sound of someone rolling to a stop, "Ow."

Focusing our attention back to the sparring, we saw Asuka pick herself up and dust off her armour. On the other side of the field was Shinkage, Hagane, and Welf. Welf was trying, and failing, to push Hagane off him, his two handed sword across his chest between him and the metal cat's claws, while Shinkage was making ready to bonk him with her Padao. Bell came to the rescue and clapped his hands loudly, "Alright Miss Shinkage, Hagane, you can stop now."

"I'm trying, but... Just hold still a moment Welf." Hagane said.

"But you're hella heavy!" He did however stop struggling, and Hagane stepped off him carefully, "Phew, you weigh a ton."

"A ton an a half, rider included." Hagane corrected, "I didn't want to injure you."

"His claws are very very sharp." Shinkage said, "You will probably want to toss that into the fire."

Welf's solid wood weapon had taken quite a beating and that was Hagane being 'careful'. "Huh, eh, I'll make some coal out of it later." Welf shrugged, "You know, I'd love to see more of how you work."

"Just don't take anything off of me. Or save time, and ask Kodori to draw you a picture."

"You've gotten a lot better in just a couple days, tiny." Aisha said, stepping onto the field as Welf and Asuka went to the outer edge, "I'm wondering what else you're holding back. I mean, you're obviously really strong, tough, and work with your brother like you're a single person."

Trust Aisha to 'get it' without knowing all the details. Shinkage shrugged slightly, in that usual, minimal, old man style. "Since we do not use much magic in these morning exercises, I haven't shown you everything I can do, no."

"Our training had a special kind of magic, back where we were." Hagane added, his head turning ever so slightly so one of his eyes could see me, "And a very special healer, in case someone got a little rough, or had an accident."

"Ah, you must mean Miss Asia." Bell said.

"She is a kind and gentle soul with a heart of gold and a will of adamant." I said, "Not only did she learn Haruhime's spell, she also mastered Lord Takemikazuchi's special handshake." And made really good use of them too. "And, yes, we do lack a way to train our more powerful abilities, we must still grow in skill."

The Takemikazuchi part of our battle circle nodded, "But, Shinkage-san, Hagane-san, if you wanted to join us, we wouldn't know where you went in our formation." Chigusa said, hiding partially behind her tower shield, but still making eye contact with Shinkage.

"I'll even volunteer to be your opponent." Aisha grinned, "Can't be nearly as bad as you're thinking, we're tougher than you give us credit for."

"I am more worried about the area around us." Hagane said, "And not everyone in the area is an adventurer."

Yes, I was really REALLY missing that weird 'barrier space' magic that was so common on Earth. But the only versions I'd ever seen were 'Christian pantheon' based. And since that didn't exist here, it wouldn't work. I would have to talk to Fels... "Well, we do have the corner of the courtyard." Bell suggested, pulling me from my thoughts, "And we can all go to the other side and watch, and stay out of the way."

Yes, we did have the 'other corner', opposite Gros's cage. It was basically just a grass field we occasionally used for archery or the like. Hagane however gave his word on the matter, "I will pass. It is not safe."

Shinkage however dismounted and gave Hagane's head a pat as he stalked over to the edge of the circle. "My other abilities are shorter ranged, and easier to control."

"Suits me fine." Aisha got her Padao in a ready position and gave Shinkage a 'come here' motion with a hand.

Seeing that she was ready, Shinkage didn't pause, posture or procrastinate. She simply took a sharp deep breath, and exhaled a long line of angry red fire! Not a 'bolt' or a 'cone', this was a lance of pure dragon's breath, much like a blast from a high pressure flame thrower. Maki, Delly and I already knew she could do this, so we were the only ones not surprised. Weine (who was entertaining the children on the front porch with the Gods) 'squeed' at the sight, while Aisha kept her composure and tumbled out of the way.

Shinkage didn't pause however. The instant Aisha was clear, the line changed from 'stream' to 'cone' for a half second, forcing Aisha to back up a pace to avoid getting caught in the dregs of the blast. Still not done however, Shinkage ran forward, through that last bit of her own fire, and took a solid downward swing at Aisha.

Distracted by the urge to not get set on fire, Aisha almost didn't block in time, but once she did, she heaved her weapon against Shinkage's, pushing the much smaller girl back before she let out yet another short blast of fire!

"Satisfied?" Shinkage asked, her voice sounding a little rough.

"A little fire and you think I'm satisfied?" Aisha laughed, rushing forward, her Padao swept back, ready to swing.

Instead of trying to block the heavier weapon, Shinkage ducked under it, stood up as the weapon passed over her, and let out another breath right into Aisha's chest. Instead of fire however, it was lightning. A short, solid, heavy sounding 'ZOLT' noise as it hit the taller woman's chest and sent her staggering backwards.

The force might have thrown her back, but since I'd made that armour, I knew the 'shock' hardly touched her. Without a hitch, Aisha got her feet set, looked at the fist sized char mark right between her breasts and said, "Just full of surprises, aren't you? Where did you find this girl, Fox?"

"Inside a magical glacier." Technically not a lie, "But if you want her to continue, you might want to take her seriously, she only gets meaner from there."

"Na, I think I'm okay. Wow..." Aisha lowered her guard, Shinkage matching the motion. "So long as you keep your aim straight, I don't see a problem."

"I will stay up here, this time." Shinkage said, "If I counted the numbers, the house will be practically empty when you all go."

There were a few 'aww's from those assembled, but I gave Hagane a grateful pat on the head. I was expecting all kinds of trouble tomorrow, once the Donatis and the Expedition were underway. And aside from Gros, Sir Skitters, Jiru, Weine, and the bird collective, I would be alone to watch over my children, and the orphans.

"Don't mention it." Hagane rumbled without me saying anything.

"Oh dear." Haruhime mumbled, as her and I did a little equipment checking. Her Goliath Robe, made of the almost impenetrable Black Goliath Skin, from the 'level 18' incident, didn't quite seem to fit right. Since we'd both been 'on hiatus' all our equipment was in our room. Something we hadn't been in much since the children were born.

I watched her wiggle around a little, enjoying the sight a little more than I should have, before grabbing the robe and helping her shrug out of it again. "Yes, I had the same problem. Still do, but well, being my own armourer, and wearing something with straps and the like to adjust..." I put the robe on the nearest hook on our super sturdy coat rack. (I wondered as well, how many people on 'Earth' had a hand forged coat rack, that could hold about three hundred kilograms of stuff?) "But, we can overcome this little problem."

Under the heavy robe, she was wearing a second robe made of battle cloth. Before, when she was with Ishtar Familia, she wore a kimono and the Amazons would just guard her and walk as fast as she could. But since she worked extra hard to 'not be a burden' and also had access to my own brand of 'self buff', we'd switched to something more sensible, yet still close enough to her style to keep her feeling comfortable.

"What do you suggest, Ko-san?" She asked as I got behind her, "Oh!" And helped her strip out of her under armour too. "But it's only after lunch..."

She leaned back against me, even though I wasn't really (well maybe a little) thinking about that. "No no... maybe tonight, but business first..." I did however kiss the top of her head, nibble an ear, and hug her close, "Just getting a slightly better idea on how much you've grown..." I gave her breasts a gentle lift, hmm'ed thoughtfully, hugged her again (getting her to hug my arms as well) then left her to stand there hugging herself for a moment. "I think I have just the thing..."

After a little work, careful cutting and stretching, and a second attempt because the first simply couldn't handle her near divine assets, I'd gotten her into one of my 'sport bra'. Since I was smaller (before, and after our children were born), I had to put a few small cuts in the fabric of the bra to allow for her extra... bounty.

"It feels a little odd..." She said, doing a small jump in place, making me pay close attention to her again, "And these cuts... I hope no one sees..."

"This is more of a... proof of concept. Making something to see if it works." I added when she gave me a curious head tilt." Tonight, I'll make a proper one, using that as a model. The real question though..."

I got behind her again, gave her a hug (because I could) and helped her back into her under robe, and then the Goliath robe. She still didn't quite fit. But she didn't have that 'someone is squeezing too hard' look on her face anymore. "It is better, yes. Though... I hope I do not need to run too much..."

"Well, as they need less..." I sighed, looking forward to my usual bust size. "I might not even need to take that potion while you're gone." I smiled, "Do you have everything else?"

"I think so yes." She nodded motioning to one of our room's small tables, usually reserved for 'quiet tea time' before bed. "And yes... I made sure to put this in there too."

It was one of the Tarot of me, sitting there, reading a book, my tip of my tongue stuck in the corner of my mouth in concentration. "It should work, no matter what the distance." I nodded, "I've got one for Bell, Mikoto and Aisha." The team leaders, "And you, of course."

We leaned on each other, and went over her 'miscellaneous' equipment. As a support, she carried double the potions (mana, healing, antidote,) some medical supplies (bandages, styptic, smelling salts,) and some 'distractions' (smoke both white and black, a Marlboro vial, a couple of flash stones). New to her usual equipment was a pair of sturdy gloves. You never knew when you might need to handle something the might burn, melt or poison you on contact, and if you had to drag someone out of a fire, acid spit or poison mud, then you didn't want to touch it bare handed.

"Aside from the ration pack, I think you're all set." I said, trying to hold down a little edge of fear in my voice. This would be the third time she and I didn't go together into the dungeon. The first just before I ended up back on Earth, and the second when I did.

"I will be fine." She said with a smile, holding my hand while our tails curls up with each other, "We all train for this, even me, even while you were gone."

"I know... Just feeling a little worried." I sighed, "Lemme help you out of that again, and I'll go make one of those bras properly. You should ask Lady Hestia for an update. And I did notice you've kept up with your exercises." I teased, brushing a hand over her belly, "I love a lady who does her sit ups."

She gave me a playful swat on the arm and a laugh, before we got her back into her normal clothes again to continue our individual preparations.

After getting a little tailoring done, then a little more when Mikoto chanced to see what I was making (and wanting one of her own for her secretly large bust), I got to making the final batch of potions I could make, and cooking/drying/prepping in general, the dry food stuff they would all take with them. Since I was there, and a bunch of people had volunteered to take over my playtime with the children, I also cooked dinner.

It was done just in time for the people doing errands in the city to return, looking hopeful for tomorrow.

I did warn them however, that just because nothing has happened, doesn't mean it won't. Not a single one of them disagreed, even Weine. After dinner though, I had one more thing to do.

"Hey Bell." I called him over as he exited the kitchen with a load of dishes for (I think it was Asuka and Mikoto's turn to wash today) the washers to do. "Think we can make it to the wall before we lose the sun? I want to show you something."

A little surprised, he blinked, then nodded, "Yes Miss Kodori. Should I bring my equipment? Armour?"

"Yeah. I'll help you suit up."

Leaving the Manor behind, as well as a mildly grumpy Hestia (yes, I was still grounded) and Fen-chan (best sort-of-foxxo), we made our way to the same wall he and Ais trained at. We didn't talk, or really interact. It felt almost businesslike. I was about to teach him something, or try to, and he was getting himself super focused, so he could learn what ever it was I was going to show him. I could see that the city was taking note, and those who had seen Bell come this way before with that look, knew he was about to train.

It was only when we got to the foot of the steps leading up to the top of the wall did I say anything. "Bell. I know you're still thinking about how I got so strong. And I want to make one thing perfectly clear. It isn't your fault. It isn't that you haven't trained enough. Or tried hard enough. I beat you because I figured a few things out. Very important, practically reality changing things."

He didn't question or doubt me, and simply answered, "Yes Miss Kodori."

"No no..." I shook my head, "I need you to understand, not just accept. I'll start with this." I put a hand on his shoulder when we got to the next landing. "Stay here." He stopped, "Now, pay super close attention."

And I clapped my hands once. Nice and sharp. He looked as if he expected more, but I held up a finger for him to wait, and I finished the trip up the steps. Now a reasonable distance away, I looked down at him, caught his eye, then clapped again. He gave me that same confused look, but I just waved for him to come the rest of the way up.

He wasted no time, and was there in moments, "Now. Two questions. What did you see."

"You clapped."

"And, when did you hear it?"

He opened his mouth to reply, stopped, frowned, then perked up, "I saw it before I heard it!"

I applied one hair ruffle, grinned, then said, "Very good. That is one of the things I learned while I was away." I already knew that from long ago, but I had to lead into the next part with something. "Sound has a speed. It is limited by what it is in. For example, in the air, it takes about three seconds for sound to travel about a thousand meders." the Orario term for meters was exactly the same in both worlds, "Now, I know you're fast, and so am I. But we can't travel that fast. However..."

I turned a little, got into a stance, and punched the air with a super fast jab. There was a little 'pop' of air as my motion broke the sound barrier. To anyone watching, it looked like my arm had become the end of a whip before the blur caught up with my arm again.

"Your punch took me completely off guard! I saw you do that move before, but that time it was so much faster!"

"Shh shh... Be excited when you can do it yourself. There is a trick to it, a 'barrier' of sorts." I nodded as he contained his excitement, "Doing movements like that, is kind of like running into a strong headwind. The faster you go, the more resistant the air gets. Like exercising under water in the pool."

He nodded.

"As you speed up, and the air around you starts to feel like water, you have to keep pushing past it. But you can't do it slowly! You have to expect that resistance, and make it move." I did a 'one two' combo, and a single front kick, each with their own little 'snaps' of motion. "When you get really good at it, when you know how to push yourself past that barrier, where the world itself seems to be slowing down..."

I hopped on my feet once, twice, then with a 'bvvp' of displaced air, I took a single ten meter step. I then took a quick breath, and returned to my spot in front of Bell with two shorter steps, a pair of rapid static noises as I flashed from place to place. Kiba made this look easy, while it still made my feet tingle a little unpleasantly. Bell however, looked astonished. He'd seen me do something like this before, but it was... far more refined now. A far cry from when I left.

"We don't have much sunlight, but I want you to try. I also brought something for muscle soreness, because I know its going to hurt a little before we get back home. Ready?" I knew the answer. I really missed that look in his eyes when he set himself to do something. From learning to cook, to learning to fight, he had that single minded drive to improve, and it showed.

"Yes Miss Kodori."

He fell to his knees, panting, sweating, and after a moment of recovery, he staggered to his feet. He'd been trying for the last hour, the sun a tiny sliver of red on the horizon. Instead of trying to do one thing and succeeding, I had him rotating attempts. A few tries trying to punch or swing his daggers. A few tries to do a flash step. I wanted him to get his entire body warmed up to it, instead of just one part at a time.

I could see it frustrating him too. He was never one to quit though. He just got up, shook himself out, and tried again. He and Issei would have been really good friends, if they could ever meet. He was so close though... Before I left, we were both able to do something close to it. With my self boosting magic, I could actually do it. But it wasn't until I faced someone, a certain cheatyface sword maker, who could do it without much effort, did I really refine my skill at it.

"Let's stop for now." I said as he finished shaking his legs and knees out from the last set of attempts. "Any darker, and you might hurt yourself, and its a big day tomorrow."

He didn't say anything at first, that look of frustration cementing on his face for a moment, before he took a deep breath, relaxed, and looked at me, "Do you know what I'm missing?"

"Maybe." I said, handing him the potion of muscle relief I'd made, "Maybe it's because I learned more hand to hand from Lord Takemikazuchi." I thought out loud, "Here... One last thing to think on, maybe it will help."

He downed the potion, making a 'blehhhhhhhhh bitter' face (like Koneko did after a certain incident of overwork...) then paid attention.

"When I throw a punch." I got my hands up in a boxer's 'peekaboo', then did a simple, elbow only, straight punch, "I use just my elbow here." He nodded as I did another couple of punches.

"But that's nothing like your usual attacks. Well, unless you and Miss Haruhime are practising with your magic." Referring to our exchange of tails, and her using my 'body hardening' magic.

"That's right. Depending on how much time, or room, or any number of things, I use more of my body." I added in a little hip twist, then a little shoulder, then a little back motion, followed by a tiny bit of knee flexing and ankle pushing. "Each part of me that 'joins in' for the attack, adds to the power and speed. But, that alone isn't enough for this. Here, I'll try and do this so you can follow. Stay there, and look at my ankle." I got my feet ready, left in front of right, then said, "Cover your ears too." And put up my own hood to protect my ears.

He stayed put and plugged his ears, and I got in front of him and turned a little so he could see me from a forty five degree angle. Funny enough, I'd 'learned' about this from a manga, Grappler Baki. But, until I had trained with Takemikazuchi, and refined it, and made it my own, it was really just a thought exercise.

The motion started at my right foot, which was behind me. My left and right ankles then flexed at the same time, starting to lean me forward a little. My left knee was next, then my thighs. My back and hips turned in time, the muscles of my back extended, my shoulder rolled forward, my elbow extended... The motion used every joint from the ground up, but even with my entire body at work, it was a SINGLE motion.

As my fist shot forward, there was a sound like a ship's cannon going off in front of me. The hood of my coat was about the only thing that saved my ears, and I could feel the back pressure against my face. In front of me though, there was a cone of sand blasted stone, and my gauntlet was smoking with the heat from air friction. I took my hood down as the echo faded, I could hear a couple of dogs barking, and a few concerned voices from ground level.

I turned to Bell, the shock on his face clear, and I had to go over to him and take his hands off of his ears, "Like that." I said. I then ruffled his hair to snap him back to attention, "Was that a good enough clue?"

"That... that was amazing." He blinked, "And very loud."

"That's why we're up here, and not at home. My children would all start crying at once." I smiled, "Come on, you can think on it. Let's get home before we get in trouble for making so much noise."

All the way home, I kept my ears open, my eyes sharp, and my tails at the ready. It wasn't like I feared 'the authorities' since they were mostly Ganesha Familia, and they were good friends. I'd simply say 'sorry, I was showing Bell something, and didn't want to wake my children', and they would go 'oh, well, please try not to make too much noise,' and that would be it.

It was good to be liked.

No, I was more worried about the dim lights of the magic stone lamps, and being ambushed by someone. Sure, I could certainly defend myself, as could Bell. But fighting in the streets, and getting caught, meant the guild had to do paperwork.

Thankfully, nothing happened. And I got to watch Bell make slow practise motions with his arms as he tried to puzzle out what I had done himself.

The next morning, I let Haruhime get another few minutes sleep. This was mostly so I could see that sleepy smile of hers while she cuddled the nearest of our children. But, she didn't spend more than a couple minutes doing that, before she opened her eyes and joined me for 'breakfast'.

After, with Fen-chan distracting the children, I helped Haruhime get ready for the day. I may or may not of paused a couple of times to just... fuss over her. Brush a little hair from her face, run a hand through one of her tails to make sure it was tangle free, give her sides or back a pat to make sure her heavy robe was settled properly...

Sure, I wasn't really fooling her. I was worried, but she let me do it all the same, getting on tip toes so she could kiss me once I was done, and helping me collect our children to bring them to the living room for 'morning play time'.

Being the early risers, we started to get breakfast going while Fen-chan, Loaner, Maki's fox (who no, still wouldn't tell anyone her name), and Shinkage (who had sleepy-grumbled into the living room just as we did) entertained the children.

Delly, the naturally sunny girl that she was, joined us next, helping (and learning, now that she was tall enough to use the stove) make eggs. Mikoto was next, getting tea prepared (after giving Jiru a pat for being such a nice moss patch). Takemikazuchi was next, the small hoard of orphans surrounding him and at his direction, getting the table set up for everyone...

And so it went. Sure, aside from our children, not a single one of us was related by blood. But we worked together, no matter the task. Even Hestia, our last arrival at the table, brought freshly cleaned napkins from our laundry room. (And before you ask, we cleaned the children's wraps in a different room than our usual laundry room, no, she didn't confuse them.)

"Is everyone ready?" Bell asked, "Miss Maki?"

"Yup. Welf made up a pack for me, and Mikoto-sempai helped me pack it." Maki nodded.

"Kodori-san seems to have taught her much already." Mikoto nodded, "I only needed to remind her about the food."

"Well, we generally didn't need that." Maki said.

"Miss Delly?"

"All set! I can't really use a backpack though, so my pouches are kinda full." Delly replied.

"Lilly doesn't mind carrying your food. Lilly might eat it though if you are too slow." Lilly teased.

"How about your preparations, Miss Kodori?" Bell looked to me.

"Well, I've sent out the messages." I looked to my right, where Loaner was sitting on the table, carefully eating off his own plate, "If Welf managed to finish in time? Sorry I couldn't help more."

"Na, it's okay." Welf waved it off, "I mean, all I had to do was take the wheels off and put them on the bigger one. After that it was just a bit of cloth and padding. Still, are you sure it's a good idea?"

"I'll admit, its a bit bolder than I'd like." I said.

"You're still grounded!" Hestia grumbled at me.

"I want to visit a few people. And the best way to avoid an attack is to not be there when it arrives." I said, "And I'm not going to leave my children here without either the rest of you, or myself nearby."

"What about tomorrow? Or the next day? We will be in the dungeon at least three days." Aisha said.

"Tomorrow, I will stay indoors. But I will have a few guests, and if trouble arrives while they are here, well, there will be paperwork." I smiled evily.

"Royman agreed then?" Astraea asked.

"He did." I nodded, "Part of the many things I want do, will need the guild's support, and permission." My tails curled around Haruhime's "I need to show them proof of concept, a working demonstration, before things can proceed."

"And say there is an attack?" Aisha asked, "Paperwork isn't very scary after all, and while you're strong, you're still going to have to protect everyone here." She glanced towards the orphans who were at the end of the table, "What then?"

"Well, the orphans will be with me today, and staying with Ganesha Familia, for a tour and sleepover. Since I will be busy, they've agreed to school them while Lord Takemikazuchi is away. Gros will hide under that sand pit of his if need be, since we don't want our 'pet monster' to 'get out of hand' and bring people with hammers and pickaxes to 'make sure it doesn't happen again'."

"Also to avoid paperwork." Hestia groaned.

We laughed a little nervously, "As for some of the other things, like say, someone trying to sneak in to steal things, well, all those secrets of mine are either hidden really well, or simply not written down. The only exception is my lab. But there will be a giant metal cat guarding the door."

"Please don't blow up our home?" Delly pleaded, "We just got here, and I really like the place."

"We will be careful." Shinkage said.

"What... about me?" Weine asked.

We all looked at her, but I smiled to reassure her, "Well, I've come up with a few ideas. You could stay here, since the children love you. You could stay with the orphans and maybe visit the Lamia and her children. You could go visit the other Xenos... unless we don't have access to that warehouse anymore?"

"Nah, we still have it. We haven't used it recently, but when Lido and them bring up materials to trade, or they want to talk to someone important..." Welf explained, "Who went last time?"

"We did." Ouka said, "Still have the key."

"I'll get it before we go." Chigusa added.

"I'll leave the choice to you Weine." I said.

"Can I think on it a little?"

"Sure. You have a couple of hours before we leave. Bell? Ruffle her hair for me?"

Weine laughed as Bell did just that.

"You know, this is pretty good." I said as Welf showed off his latest in 'oddly similar to Earth' creations. It was basically a small crib on wheels. Accounting for having seven children, it wasn't really a proper 'pram'. But, it was big enough and wide enough, and most importantly, since the children were all learning to stand and sort of walk, deep enough, to hold them. Snugly, but still comfortably.

On the back were two smaller boxes, mostly for 'baby cleaning supplies' and 'cleaning supply containment'. It even had a hood!

"Um..." It wasn't that he was speechless, but that I was giving him a huge hug. It took him a moment to return it, but it was like he didn't know what to do, "It wasn't much, really."

"This is long overdue." I laughed, letting him go, "Not just for this, but everything you've taught me. You teaching me how to be a real smith, and not just someone who liked tapping metal for fun, is basically why I was able to return."

"Aw shucks." He laughed, "Well, you're a good student! And when we get back, I'm gonna pester you about how you did all these cool things!"

"I'll be happy to show you." I nodded, "Now I just have to catch them all and get them in here..."

"You better replace that." Shinkage grumbled, "Or at least clean it..."

"I will. But look, they love it!" Yes, we (definitely a group effort) got the children into the mobile crib, but to keep them amused while we got them all together, someone (probably Delly) thought to throw in the 'Hagane' stuffed animal. Being a soft, squishy and interesting thing, it was instantly a favourite, and they were snuggling it, hugging it, or drooling on it.

Those of them who weren't clinging to their new friend, were standing (while holding the side of pram walls) and watching everyone do their final equipment check. Weapons rattling, armour creaking, straps tightening... It was all quick and efficient, with everyone helping everyone else to make absolutely sure it was all in place. Any spot of carelessness here, might mean tragedy later.

"Do you have everything, Lady Hestia?" Bell asked.

"Yes." She sighed, holding up a nice leather case. It was one of the things I sent back a bunch of notes in. It was water tight, tough, and fireproof. Contained within were the notes I'd given her, the corners colour coded so she knew what paper held the answer to what question. With Takemikazuchi and Astraea helping her to keep her cool, she should have no problem dealing with the inquisition that was probably about to happen.

"We will make sure she remembers. We are in this together, after all." Takemikazuchi assured.

"It's what friends are for." Astraea nodded, "Delly? Please be careful. I know we haven't had long to get to know each other, but you are still my child."

Delly nodded, "I've hung around Kodori long enough to know how serious this is. And I already know the number one rule."

"To win, is to come home." We all said.

NOTES!

And the trip starts. It will be much different from the books, but in some ways very similar. Since Kodori is 'up top', there won't be as much dungeon. But, since I know a lot of you WANT some time in the dungeon (Akeno: "Fu fu.") I will be doing a few scenes while Kodori deals with what's going on above ground.

Party on!

Daeore on Ko-fi, if you want to toss a coin to your writer.

Daeore on Inkitt, if you want to read my book 'Were Too?'