A/N No, I STILL don't own! Except Lyn and Crabby!!! Yay!!

Lyn woke to silence, too early in the morning for Flea to call her. The girl took advantage of the free time to practice her magic skills, summoning a flickering flame in her hand, face twisted in concentration. She had only recently learned any fire spells, and she wasn't very good with them yet.

The silent voice rang in her head and broke her concentration. Lyn's flame vanished, and she sighed. She had to learn to keep a spell up with distractions, and fairly soon; she was due for a 'test' before long.

Coming, Mistress, Lyn replied, practicing the telepathy spell Flea had taught her. She walked to Flea's room and opened the wardrobe. The Mystic didn't request any specific outfit, so Lyn chose a dark yellow one-sleeve shirt and dark green leggings. Still in silence, Lyn dressed Flea, who then sat at her vanity.

"I want my hair back today," the mage announced. Lyn pulled the pink hair into a ponytail and tied it with a green ribbon, all the while trying to suppers a shiver. Flea usually asked for her hair out of the way when she was planing on giving a test. And the tests were never pleasant.

After Lyn finished, Flea stood and walked away, the human girl following quietly. Breakfast went without incident, and Flea took Lyn back to her suite when her plate was empty.

Flea turned right from the chamber's entrance, taking Lyn to the library. "Into the circle, girl," the mage ordered, pointing to the silvery-black ring inset on the floor. Lyn sighed and stepped across the barrier, feeling the now-familiar tingle as she crossed the line that would reflect all spells inward, keeping any audience safe. Flea followed, attacking almost before she had crossed the line.

Lyn twisted wildly to avoid Flea's Flame Kiss. As she rolled to the side, Lyn focused, throwing a spar of ice at her enemy. Flea evaded easily, but the moment had given Lyn enough time to cast one of the few spells she was good at. A green shimmer pulsed around the girl as her Magic Wall took effect. Flea blew another fiery kiss at Lyn, which hit her full-on. Lyn's defensive spell only absorbed a small part of the spell's power, and Lyn cried out as the fire burned her. Through the flames, she saw the Mystic preparing to cast another spell, and the human rolled away without waiting to see which spell it was. A black explosion rose from the floor which Lyn had just vacated, and she used the cover to formulate a fire spell of her own. Unthinkingly she mimicked Flea's Flame Kiss, blowing a stream of fire at the pink-haired mage.

"That is MY spell, girl!" the Mystic hollered in rage. Lyn had only enough time to realize her mistake. Flea swooped down on her, catching her by the hands and spinning high into the air. "Don't you dare use my spells against me," she hissed before releasing the girl, who landed hard on the floor. Flea floated down beside the girl, and looked at the unconscious girl with something akin to satisfaction.

"I suppose it's time to make this official," the magician murmured. She incanted a spell and reached down to lightly brush Lyn's ears, then her hair, and finally her face. Flea smiled when she was finished. "There. But let's not find out just yet, m'kay?" After another spell Flea rose, contentment evident in her features.

Lyn awoke a while later, pain flaring in every part of her body. Flea was standing above her, looking at her with her head cocked to one side. Flea sighed, "Well, at least you DID cast a fire spell…" She walked away, indicating that the girl should follow.

They went to Slash's chambers, where Janus' lesson was already in progress. Lyn was surprised; Flea didn't usually let her off so easily when testing. The girl gave a mental shrug, deciding to just be grateful. Flea stopped outside the door, and Lyn entered alone.

Slash's rooms were much plainer than Flea's. There were no tapestries, no carpets, no decorations of any kind. Lyn crossed the stone floor and opened the plain wooden door.

"Sensei, I'm here!" Lyn called. The clanging of blades stopped and both Janus and Slash looked over at her.

"You're early," Slash comment, grinning at her.

Lyn nodded. "Mistress Flea let me come early. I don't know why; it's not like I did that good even."

"Are you able to fight?"

"Um…" Lyn grimaced. "With your permission…?" she asked. Slash nodded, and Lyn cast a quick Cure spell, shivering at the brief coolness. The swordsman shook his head; he didn't really like magic, although he was a competent magician when times called for it.

"Okay, I want you to team up with Janus against me. Teamwork's a hard lesson, but an important one. Ready?"

Lyn quickly got a sword and moved into a stance, nodding when she was ready. Janus was already prepared, and Slash floated into a position half-way between the pair. "I'm not going to help you yet. I want you to try this on your own. Salute," all three saluted, "And go!"

The fight was brief. Lyn used an overhand swing, which Slash easily blocked, turning her sword into the way of Janus' sword. Her blade went flying, taking Janus' with, and Slash stood grinning. "Do you know what you did wrong?" the Mystic asked. His students shook their heads. "You failed to consider the effects of your actions on your team-mates actions. You need to work together, and don't be afraid to speak to each other if necessary. Just remember that I can hear too. Again."

The next fight was equally brief, and the fight after. Lyn had completely lost track of time when Flea's voice interrupted her concentration. "As pathetic as always," she sneered. Lyn blushed at the words, and Slash used the distraction to disarm her again, stopping Janus with a motion.

"I've told you before to stay out of the lessons. You wouldn't know a good swordsman if he killed you. The girl is doing well, considering."

Flea snorted, "Well, it doesn't take much talent to be good at swords." She smirked and walked away. Slash growled, but restrained himself. Lyn shrugged sympathetically and hurried after Flea, trying to guess what had her mistress in such a good mood.

Lunch, too, was quiet -Slash was obviously still irritated by Flea's earlier comments. Lyn didn't see her mother in the kitchen, and realized that Shanda hadn't been there that morning either. Lyn didn't get a chance to ask Crabby about it, though; Flea ate quickly and soon left.

Once in Flea's rooms, Lyn wordlessly took down her textbook and began reading. Janus came in soon after, and Flea directed him to the practice circle with a nod of her head. Lyn watched covertly, admiring the ease with which Janus cast spells she still found impossibly hard. He hit Flea with a Dark Bomb, the lightless explosion detonating directly on top of the pink-haired mage. She growled and retaliated with a lightening bolt, which Janus simply reflected back at her, knocking her out of the circle. Lyn smiled; she enjoyed seeing Flea lose a fight. Unfortunately for the young woman, Flea noticed the grin and turned on her.

"And what's so funny?" Flea asked quietly.

Lyn inwardly cringed, but put up a brave front. "T-the book."

"Oh?" Flea raised a brow and took the tome from Lyn. Her eyes flicked over the open page, and back to Lyn's face. "So, tell me. What was funny in the book?"

"Just…they way it was written… The way things were said," Lyn stammered.

"Therefore, while the elements are derived solely from the planet, the origins of Shadow remains a mystery. Some few madmen suggest that there is a yet-undiscovered source of power, known only to the ancient peoples, but, as they left no records of such a power source, this theory is very weak indeed." Flea read a portion of the book aloud, then looked into Lyn's eyes. "I fail to see the humor in that.

Lyn blinked; she hadn't expected such a fortuitous passage. "Well, I was just thinking…About Shadow, and it's origins… And how one could also say that the origins are shrouded in shadows, and…"

Flea was silent, thinking, and then a small grin cracked her lips. "Yes, I see… Very well then, keep reading."

Lyn nearly sighed in relief, but kept a blank facade so as not to give the mage any reason to question further. Flea returned to Janus' lesson, and the rest of the day passed in peace.

Reader Reveiw Response Time! (RRRT!!)

Ollen70: What can I say to you now?? Yeah, Slash is cool. Wow, a favorites list!!

Sarah: I'll continue! Sorry, I update slowly...

Ummm....only two people...?? Aww... Anyway, I was going to have this chap and the next as one, but I wanted to update semi-soon, so ha. This is just a typical day for Lyn. Poor girl, huh? Anyhoo, Kd Zeal signing off.