D/N: For those of you who think this is sounding like a mary-sue, I'm sowwy. I try my hardest not to do that, but sometimes. .. . I can't help it! Nya. Well, Chapter ten already, my, my. It's been a fast ten chapters, hasn't it? wipes away tears Oh, how I hate to see them grow up! If they only knew what I had in store for them! sighs

Ah, yes, one point to make. I know that the ending "-chan" is for girls, but Raine uses it to make fun of Hatori. . Sowwy about not pointing that out earlier. I thought it might be nice to clarify it. .. . on the tenth chapter. . hits head steadily against wall Bad Rieh! Baaad Rieh! Rieh shall be punished for her badness! falls off of her chair and picks up her shoe BAD RIEH! BAD BAD BAD!

I stopped in front of my room, glaring at the grainy wood of the door as though it too had wronged me in some way. That man had no right to say that I couldn't be a warrior just because of my height. He didn't even realize that I was female! Some trainer he was.

I kicked open the door, and marched over to my bed, and lay down with a violent sigh, staring at the pock-marked ceiling, probably from someone bored enough to chuck a knife up at the otherwise clean, white surface. The design was random, confused, but it still calmed me down to the point where rational thought forced its way through my clouded mind, clearing it. He was testing you, maybe. You lost your temper too quickly.

I talked back to that little voice that spoke up, angrily. Maybe not the sanest thing to do, but I didn't care at that point, "He was insulting me!"

So? People insult each other. They're only words, and you shouldn't allow them to pierce so deep. I thought your hide was thick. Hatori never got through.

"I never let him through." I murmured, rolling over onto my right side, careful of my bruised shoulder.

Then what made you open up to a stranger like that?

I paused, and thought about that question seriously. What HAD brought me to that point? My heart was strong, iron, as Hatori sometimes grumbled, but that stranger got to me; he had hit me straight in the heart without even trying. "Maybe he's magicked me."

Or maybe you judged him for someone who wouldn't try to dig into your heart. You didn't expect to meet him.

"Screw you." I murmured, turning over onto my back again, and sitting up. "If you're so damned smart, then who was that person?"

Talking to yourself isn't sane.

"That's not what I asked. Answer me!"

The voice, my own voice, sighed, Think and remember.

I threw a pillow moodily at the wall, knowing it wouldn't be nice to hit myself with it. How could I remember someone who I have never met before?

But there was the nagging sensation from before, as soon as I had heard his name. That feeling was telling me that I had heard of that man before, maybe not in this world, but I have. I couldn't shake the feeling that I somehow knew him, and that the memories would float up soon enough.

My mind turned back to Miss Tanaka as the sun began to set; time passed quickly. It was getting late, and Hatori and Miss Tanaka should be returning home soon. Or Kairi, as she was once known as. I thought, amused by the fact.

I froze, suddenly realizing where the name 'Sora' came from. There were three people who had left my island to seek adventure; Riku, Kaira, and Sora. It was so simple, so amazingly close to the surface of my mind, yet I hadn't the time to think. Everything happening so fast, it probably had taken me all of this time just to process all the events properly.

From down the hall, as I sat back against the headboard, wondering where the stranger went, came the sound of drunken singing; had the men in the tavern already gotten that smashed? No, that voice was a woman's. Unless someone kicked him in the balls, that couldn't be any of the rough looking men from the tavern. It was too early in the night, anyway, for any person in the right state of mind to get drunk.

With growing alarm, I scooted off of the bed, and sprinted over to the door as the singing grew louder and louder, followed by the odd thump of someone hitting a wall. I opened the door, and peered down the hall, to see Miss Tanaka leaning against the wall across the hall from our room, knocking on it busily, still singing lustily. Now that she was so close, and the door open, I could hear what she was singing.

"Leave alone the orange cow,

That leaves you wondering what and how!

As it jumps through the mists of time,

Don't touch the rose's yellow slime!"

I shouted, not wanting to get near her for fear she might just and try to attack me, "Miss Tanaka! What's wrong!"

Something crashed from behind her, as she continued with her determined knocking, as though it were a door. I looked further down the hall, and saw Hatori on the floor, clad in a long flowing black robe with several large packages spread around him. Ignoring the drunk, I sped over to him, "What happened to her?"

He rubbed his head and sat up, "After getting all the stuff she wanted to, she went to a friends' house. She didn't tell me who it was, and left me in the hallway for about an hour. When she came out, she was like this." He sighed, "It was hard getting her to come back. The damned woman nearly started three brawls!"

"Climb the branches of the golden tree,

Looking from the top, do you see me?

Deer of love,

Velvet dove,

Dancing angels in the sky,

Hear the winds laugh then sigh,

Innocent feelings are what you find,

Deep in the crevasses of your mind."

I watched her for a moment, and then helped Hatori gather everything into one neat pile, "What song is she singing?"

"How should I know? She's been repeating it over and over again, as though it has some sort of meaning. If you listen to some of the lyrics, it's actually a sad song."

Grunting with the exertion upon my sore muscles, I picked up half of the packages, and made my way toward the room, "I'm surprised no one's thrown anything at her yet."

"They've tried. I had to take away her whip twice to make sure she didn't hurt anyone."

I stared at him from around the brown packaging, "And how did you do that?"

He shrugged, "Even I don't know. I just got it from her, and that's all I care about."

"Wander through the fields of light,

The forests deep are embraced in night,

Human time is so very slow,

And yet the orange cow still flows,

A phoenix lays down to sleep,

Wary of the rabid sheep,

Soon your wandering soul will return to bed,

The cloak you wear shall be shed."

We piled the packages on the table. After a brief shared glance, Hatori held up his hands, "I had to deal with her all the way here. It's your turn." He nearly ran into the bathroom, as though afraid of what might happen next.

Confused, I looked after him, and then shrugged. I walked back out into the hallway. Miss Tanaka had leaned against the wall, her eyes staring absently at the ceiling. She was singing slower now, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. I stopped in the doorway, startled; never had I expected Miss Tanaka to be able to cry, but here she was, so very close to the edge.

"Singing stars light your face,

Meteors drop from outer space,

Teardrops fall from my drooping head,

My heart feeling as though it's filled with lead,

Must I wait for another night,

To feel your sheer imaginative might,

You bid me farewell and leave,

The dreamland that you can only perceive."

Suddenly, Miss Tanaka bent her head, burying it in both of her hands, and her shoulders began to shudder, as though she were crying. I was at her side in an instant, aches or no aches. I gripped her arm, "Miss Tanaka? What's wrong?"

She looked up at me with red-rimmed eyes, and whispered, tears still streaming from them, "This song. .. It. .. It reminds me. . . of Sora. .. and Riku, and the good old days. . .. when we used to sit on the beach. .. and sing under the stars." She yawned, all of a sudden, and slumped forward onto the hallway carpet in a dead faint.

I ran back into the room, and pounded on the bathroom door, which was locked, "Get out here, Haa-chan! She's fainted!"

The door opened, and Hatori walked out to survey our teacher. "I wondered when she'd finally conk out. She's going to have a monster hangover tomorrow."

"Shouldn't we bring her inside?"

"I don't know. . ."

I looked at him incredulously, "She could be raped out there!"

"I think she'd enjoy that. . " He muttered, but still pulled the teacher over his left side, "Come on and help me!" He grunted, staggering under Miss Tanaka's weight.

I helped him pull her inside the room, laying her on the bed designated as hers. I sighed, and leaned against the wall. "Gods, she makes it so tough on us." I

looked over at Hatori, "What're in these packages?"

"Like I said before; the stuff we need. The ones with the black marks on them are yours, the ones with the blue are mine. Each piece of armor is fitted for both of us, so you're going to have to pay attention." He looked at Miss Tanaka, "She knows such strange songs."

"I didn't think it was all that strange. Do you know the whole thing?"

He rolled his eyes at me, "Of course I do! I've heard her sing the same damn thing for what seems like an eternity."

"If it was an eternity, then you'd still be listening to it."

"Will you shut up?"

I paused, and then asked with an evil grin, "What's the entire thing?"

"I'm not going to sing it!"

I made a face at him, "You'd break all of the glass. I just want to know how it goes."

Hatori hesitated for a moment, and then recited;

Let me know your beating heart,

The one that inspires my mysterious art,

Of fish green clouds,

The very ones that shrouds,

The world that lies beyond the world you know,

Don't allow reality to show,

Open your ears to the world above,

Listen to the velvet dove.

Peer through vast forests green,

To see the magical beasts that are left unseen,

Tropical fruits fall right to your feet,

Pick them up and don't hesitate to eat,

Dragons flying,

Banshees crying,

Phoenixes welcoming the day,

Let the sleeping sphinxes lay.

Fly on the wings of your mind,
Go and see what you can find,

Soar high above the oceans red,

Dive deep into the graves of the dead,

Leave alone the orange cow,

The one that leaves you wondering what and how,

As it jumps through the mists of time,

Don't touch the rose's yellow slime.

Climb the branches of the golden tree,

Looking from the top; do you see me?

Deer of love,

Velvet dove,

Dancing angels in the sky,

Hear the winds laugh then sigh,

Innocent feelings are what you find,

Deep in the crevasses of your mind.

W-"

I stopped him, "I've heard this part already. Remember?"

"I thought you wanted to hear the entire thing again."

I shook my head, "Gods, no. It's depressing enough."

A heavy silence passed between us, and then I finally commented. "It's such a strange song."

He shrugged, "Considering the one who was singing it, I don't think it was all that strange. It could have been worse."

I snorted, "Anything could be worse." I pointed a finger at him, "Even you could be worse, and that seems impossible."

He growled at me, and threatened to throw his pillow at me. I reached behind me, to grab my own to defend myself, forgetting that I had thrown it at the wall earlier. Because of my stupidity, I got a face full of pillow, and fell off of the bed with a loud bang.

Miss Tanaka snorted and tossed violently in her sleep, but then calmed down, as if nothing had happened. I, on the other hand, had to bite deep into my forearm in order to stop a cry of pain. I had forgotten about my shoulder, the one that was bruised, and didn't save myself in time from falling on it. Hatori rushed over, seeing blood dripping from around my mouth, "Gods! What happened to you?"

I let go of my arm with a hiss, "I'm fine! Just let me rest."

He looked at me, strangely, and then sighed. "It'd be so much easier to stay with you if you'd just open up to me more." Hatori got up and walked over to the packages, going through one of the ones with a blue marking on it. He threw a potion at me, "At least drink this. I don't want your arm getting infected because you have issues."

I looked at it for a bit, and then relented; he was right. I didn't want to risk the loss of my arm over some stupid trifle. Quickly, ignoring the pain in my arm, I drank it down. Nearly instantly after the liquid hit my stomach, my arm burned and itched, and then the wound closed up on itself, the blood under my skin disappearing as though it were never there. My shoulder stopped aching, and I pulled the sleeve up to see what was happening. The bruise was, by time I had gotten the sleeve up, gone. Nothing but a phantom pain lingered, along with the feeling that it was going to be sore tomorrow.

Miss Tanaka rolled over in her bed, and fell out with a loud thud. She snorted, and continued to snore loudly. Hatori stared at her, "She's a heavy sleeper."

"You mean heavy drunk."

He glanced at me, "Are you feeling better now?"

"I don't know." I stood up, using the side of the bed to help me, "I think so. Nothing hurts, that is. Only deep aches."

"Well, that's good. Then go to sleep." He stared at the wall for the moment, as though recalling something, "I think we have something huge planned for us tomorrow." He sighed, and lay back on his bed, sheets thrown over him, not bothering to even take off his shoes.

I wondered, briefly, what Miss Tanaka had told him when they were out, what she had still yet to tell me. Taking Hatori's words into consideration, I lay back and was asleep in moments.

D/N: . Too cold out to think. sighs

Bad chapter, I know, but I don't feel like thinking.

The song that Miss Tanaka was singing was of my own creation. I randomly found it deep within the recesses of my computer, and decided it would make a good drunken song. Sadly, Miss Tanaka's a sad drunk, so she cries at the last part. . . . . .