Warning: Just an FYI, I am going to be describing wounds and such things in this story starting with this chapter. If you have: Weak stomach + overactive imagination, you might want to be careful. Ty!

Kyoko hummed down the hallway, feeling alive. She hadn't been outside of the concubine's quarters since that day in the gardens. It was nice to see different parts of the palace, and man was it huge! Kyoko wondered why in the world the royal family would need such a big space to live in.

To her surprise, the areas she passed were generally filled with people. Important looking men with important looking documents having important looking conversations. A couple of them openly stared at her as she walked past, though she didn't understand the reason for it. Her clothing wasn't too different from what the other women wore. Well, they might be a tad less modest, but the servants were wearing similar outfits, just not as grand.

It's the necklace. She realized, touching the weight around her neck. That's what they were all looking at. They recognized it and realized she was Kuon's concubine. It was probably why no one talked to her, though some looked like they wanted to. Uncomfortable with the stares that followed her through the palace, she hurried to her destination. She had asked a couple of palace guards directions to Lory's office.

"Are you feeling sick miss?" the guard had asked her. "I could send for someone to fetch a physician."

"Oh no, I just want to talk to the Duke. He wanted to see me." she had explained.

The guard looked puzzled, but had directed her towards a section of the palace. She soon was walking past ivory pillars and silk canopies spanning across huge hallways. She had to admit, the place was beautiful. Though her favorite part of the whole place had to be the stain glass windows that decorated the halls occasionally.

She had stopped to stare at one such window, reveling in the way the light shone through the colored glass, when she noticed an increase in the buzz of conversation around her.

Kyoko was in a large entryway with steps leading to the outside. It was one of the many entrances of the palace. The people that had been milling about had stopped to whisper excitedly to each other, nudging and pointing at something. Several women were frantically checking their appearance, brushing away strands of hair and tugging at the front of their dresses. Kyoko followed their stares and felt her heart drop.

Kuon Hizuri was walking through the entry hall. He was talking to a group of people wearing fancy clothes, smiling and laughing. Though the smile looked fake, it painted a pretty picture, the prince laughing happily with his subjects and peers in the palace.

What are you doing? She thought to herself. Now is not the time to be getting distracted. She needed to creep away before he noticed her and-

Their eyes met.

Kyoko gulped. They stared at each other for a moment, Kyoko unable to move. Then he shone her a smile that sparkled brightly

Way... way too brightly.

Kuon walked towards her, his steps seemingly calm and even, yet managing to cross the distance between them in seconds. All the while, wearing that glittery omen of doom plastered across his face.

He's going to kill me!

Kyoko spun on her heel and just as quickly power walked out of the entrance hall. Her nerves felt like they would burst.

So scary, he's so scary. How can he walk so gracefully while smiling such a creepy smile! She thought. Bathroom. I have to make it to the bathroom. Where was the closest one? If only I knew the palace better. Ah!

She spotted a door and marched towards it, hands outstretched to grab the handle.

A large hand thumped against the wood frame, halting the progress of the door. Kyoko froze, aware of the large body right behind her. She could feel his presence, heck she could practically smell him. He was too close. His breath tickled her neck as he spoke.

"Aren't you going to greet me?" Kuon said. "We obviously made eye contact."

It was totally unnecessary for him to whisper in her ear like that. She bowed towards the door, a jumbled of greetings issuing from her mouth.

"It's rude to not face someone when talking to them." he said.

Kyoko spun about, head still bowed so all she saw was his feet.

"Hello your highness." she said.

"Oh? So I'm 'your highness' today " he said. She could still feel him smiling that fearfully bright smile. "Glad to hear your vocabulary has branched out."

Kyoko stiffened. Why did he have to be such a grouch? He was the one who had picked a fight with her in the first place.

"You were probably thinking I was being unfair didn't you?" he said.

"No!" she said, head snapping back up. Then she saw the glittering smile.

"Yes." she admitted, bursting into tears. "I'm so soooorrrryyy." He was so terrifying with the smile, his aura threatening. Her vision was blurry from the tears, so she didn't notice where the handkerchief came from. It pressed itself against her face, whipping away her tears.

"Sorry." said Kuon, looking amused. "I shouldn't have teased you so much."

Kyoko was so surprised she stopped crying. The fake smile was gone, replaced with a genuine smile, and did he just say he had been teasing her? Since when did Kuon tease anyone? He was even whipping away her tears with a handkerchief.

"You really are a player aren't you?" she said, then choked on her own words. She hadn't meant to say that out loud.

Kuon gave her a quizzical look, pocketing the now damp handkerchief. "What makes you say that?" he said.

You carry handkerchiefs for one thing. She thought. "You made a girl cry, then made her apologize to you despite being the offending party. You should get a medal in manipulating hearts."

"Offending party? I believe you were the one who yelled at me earlier." he said.

"Only because you were being infuriating, and then you stalked me with that creepy smile of yours."

"Creepy smile? I don't know what you're talking about."

It's the one you're showing me right now She thought grumpily as the glitter reappeared.

"Well it's for your own good." said Kuon, standing up straight and folding his arms. He had been leaning towards her, and Kyoko relaxed. She didn't do well with such close proximity of the opposite sex.

His current tone had adopted a lecturing nature, like a teacher scolding a misbehaving student. "You should realize you can't just shout at people just because they annoy you. It's not proper. You're going to be socializing within the court from now on. Slips like that won't be forgiven very easily."

As much as it bugged her to admit, he was right. Even after two weeks, that much had been obvious from Setsuko's lessons. The social world of the court was not very forgiving and had a long memory. She bit her lip.

"You're right." she said. "I'm sorry about that."

His smiled stopped sparkling, and she was glad for his approval.

Wait! When did I care what he thought of me? She thought angrily. He nearly killed a man and didn't blink twice. I shouldn't be caring about his opinion. This man is truly scary!

Kuon, who had been studying her while she thought, let out a long sigh.

Her thoughts must be showing on her face again. Luckily he chose to change the subject.

"May I ask what you're doing in this section in the first place? Ah." he snapped his fingers as if remembering something. "You're here to see Lory aren't you?"

She nodded.

"Then let me escort you there."

She opened her mouth to protest, but the look on his face made her shut it again. Instead, she allowed him to guide her through the halls. As they passed through the corridors, the stares were even more prominent.

"If you're coming here, then I assume you've learned what you needed to from Setsuko." said Kuon making conversation.

"Ah, yes. I did" said Kyoko, feeling awkward.

"Does that mean you're ready to show me the fruits of your labor?"

Kyoko stumbled, nearly face planting.

Alright, so she had walked herself into that one. She was sweating bullets, and it didn't help that the man seemed to be so calm about it. Kuon kept walking alongside her, his face forward and impassive.

"Sure... well. I'm not sure how I could do that your highness." said Kyoko.

He stopped, and Kyoko noticed a door with the words "Palace Clinic" Painted against the frame. Lory's name was included in the list of offices inside. They had arrived not a moment too soon.

But before Kyoko could even move towards the door, she was blocked by a large and well-toned body.

Kuon came closer, Kyoko unconsciously backing away until her back hit the wall. He leaned down, his expression so intense it sent shivers through Kyoko's body. What was it with him and such close proximity?! A hand reached out, the back of his fingers brushing against her cheek. It immediately began to burn.

"I'll come by the main room tonight." said Kuon, a hungry gleam in his eyes. "And you can show me everything you've learned."

Kyoko couldn't move. Heck she couldn't even breathe!

He finally moved away, walking down the hallway. Then he stopped, speaking over his shoulder.

"Oh, and you shouldn't leave the harem without a guard escort." He tapped his neck with a finger. "That necklace will only stop so many people from trying to get their hands on you. For the others, it would just encourage them."

Then he was gone.

Unable to support her weight, her legs gave out causing her to slide down to the ground. Her heart was beating like crazy, the fire still in her cheeks.

That had not been good for her health.

Kyoko gripped her hair tightly, allowing the pain to bring her back to her senses. They had been merely inches apart. Almost cheek the cheek. It was enough to make any pure young maiden uncomfortable. It didn't help that he was handsome to boot. Those green eyes...

Kyoko rested a hand over her heart, breathing slowly to calm it.

That… that.. Emperor of the Night! She though. Who does he think he is that he can tease me like that? Her frustration at being toyed with was rejuvenating her, allowing her to think straight. No wonder he had such a large harem. He was more of a flirt than the concubines.

Kyoko knocked on the door of Lory's office, feeling a little nervous. She had taken a couple minutes to regain her nerves after the incident outside, but no matter what she did, she couldn't calm down completely.

Someone inside told her to enter. She opened the door and stepped into heaven. Or at least that's what she thought it was. Shelves and shelves of books and scrolls on medicine. Bindweed, ashiyenne, spearmint, and hundreds of other herbs and plants dotted through the room. And was that a marble mortar and pestle?!

She stood there, lost in awe of the room before her. At least until a cough brought her back to earth.

"Ah, excuse me." said Kyoko, giving a quick curtsey to Lory, who was standing beside his desk. "I didn't mean to space out for a moment."

He smiled at her.

"It's quite alright lady Kyoko." he said. "I take it you like what you see?"

"Yes, very much so." she said with enthusiasm. The room was perfect to her with all the plants and tools for crafting medicine. Even if it was a bit messy, she could tell the room had some sort of method in the chaos.

"I'm glad that you've finally taken the time to come out here." said Lory, walking over and extending a hand. "Welcome to the royal clinic."

Kyoko took his hand tentatively, shaking it. "I would have come sooner, but some... things had to be taken care of first."

Lory nodded as if he understood.

"Yes well, you are a concubine first, and a physician second while in the palace. Well, an apprentice physician at least, but who wants to split hairs on the details? Now here, let me show you around."

Lory held out his arm. A small owl appeared from nowhere, fluttering onto the duke's shoulder. Kyoko stared at him, feeling a little lost. This man was hard to follow.

And wait… had he just called her an apprentice physician?

Kyoko hurried to catch up with him.

"Sir." she said. "Did I hear right? You said I was an apprentice physician."

"That I did." he said.

"You mean You're going to let me learn here? To become a proper physician with a license and everything?" she asked, eyes wide in hope. Back home, she had only even been allowed to become an assistant. True, she had done more things then what were usually allowed for a simple assistant, but she had formally carried the title of a physician, or even of an apprentice.

"Of course." said Lory, stopping at another door in the hallway. "Why else would I have invited you here?"

A balloon of happiness swelled within Kyoko. She was finally going to become an official physician! Lory opened the door and they entered another room. This one was much bigger than Lory's office and had several long tables lined within. On each table were remnants of experimental research. Parts of plants, multi colored powders, and pots of boiling liquids heated by magic wire burners. There were also several men in white uniforms dotted within, scratching notes on paper and measuring flasks of unknown substances. She smiled at the familiar setting, feeling more and more at home.

The two of them walked up to one of the men, who was currently talking to one of the other researchers. He spotted them, his eyes lingering on Kyoko's necklace for a moment before addressing Lory.

"Duke Takarada. What may I help you with?" he said, waving away the other physicians.

"I'd like a moment of your time. If I'm not disrupting anything." said Lory.

"Not at all. We were just finishing up." he said, politely. Then gestured to Kyoko "May I ask who this is?"

"Ah yes." said Lory, placing a hand on Kyoko's shoulder and positioning her slightly in front of him. "This is Kyoko Mogami. Kyoko, this is Takenori Sawara. He is a general manager here at the clinic."

"It's nice to meet you." said Kyoko, curtsying. She was inwardly glad for all her lessons on manners at the moment.

"Likewise." said Sawara, obviously still puzzled with her presence. His unspoken question was answered a second later

"She is the new apprentice I was talking to you about." said Lory.

Sawara looked shocked, as did a couple of the other physicians that had been eavesdropping on the conversation. It was the expected reaction.

"Sir." said Sawara hesitantly, obviously choosing his words carefully. He was glancing around, lowering his voice to prevent the snoops from overhearing. "Are you being serious?"

"Of course I'm serious." said Lory, his voice perhaps a little louder than normal. Kyoko wished he would be a little more discreet. The glares from the other men were starting to make her feel uncomfortable. "Kyoko comes with a glowing recommendation from one of my friends. I promised him to let her study here at the palace and earn her title."

Glowing recommendation from a friend? Thought Kyoko. What is he talking about?

"Are you sure about this?" said Sawara. "Lory, she's a woman, and Kuon's concubine at that. People won't be too happy with her being here."

The calm she had been feeling earlier was completely gone by this point. Of course they would be uncomfortable with her here. She couldn't have expected them to be as open with her presence as others been back at the Fuwa's.

"It's not my fault the idiot prince found her before I did." said Lory. "She's come a long way to teach us the new medicine her clinic discovered."

Comprehension dawned on Kyoko as the other man turned to look at her questioningly. Lory was giving her a fake background. Rather than the truth, he had adjusted her history to make it seem like she had come to the palace to learn. Apparently the story about how she had been imprisoned first hadn't gotten out as far as she thought.

Another piece of information was also settling in. Lory was giving her the opportunity to demonstrate her new medicine! He had purposefully made it vague as to who exactly had made the discovery. They very well couldn't claim she had. Not after it had been recorded back in her hometown. But did that mean Lory knew about her past in Nembu?

Whether he did or not, it didn't matter. Lory was giving her the perfect opportunity to prove herself in front of these men, and she wasn't going to disappoint him.

"If you don't mind." said Kyoko giving another curtsy. "Before you send me away, I will show you my skills. Then you can judge if I am worthy of this clinic or not."

Taken aback by her forwardness, all Sawara could do was nod. She glanced at Lory to see his reaction. His eyes were sparkling in... was that pride?

"It's settled then." said Lory clapping his hands together. "Clear a space for Miss Kyoko and she can show us this new medicine. And let's get her everything she needs."

Reluctantly, the other men cleared a space for her on one of the tables. She stood before it, naming different things she would need them to retrieve.

"...nacladium, safflower starch and..." she paused. "Several stalks of sandgrass."

A small murmur arose from the last item. Obviously the clinic didn't have any, and they had to wait several minutes as someone ran off to get some. As they waited, the men whispered, every occupant gathered around to watch what she was going to do. There was an orange, tense aura in the room. She could feel the skepticism and judging expressions emanating from the crowd. Even Lory stood nearby, arms crossed, watching her every move.

It's going to be fine. She told herself, closing her eyes and breathing in. It's not that hard of a recipe. Just do it like you always do and you'll be fine. She opened her eyes, and spotted something shiny across the room. It was a lamp, the blue crystal within giving off a soft blue glow. It reminded her of the crystal aster in her room, supporting her and drawing away her insecurities. She smiled as she remembered the first time she had seen the flower.

"Here." Said Ren, handing her a flower, blue translucent petals shining in the sunlight.

"Is this... a crystal aster?" asked Kyoko, awed. She took the flower delicately. She had only seen pictures of the plant, masterfully drawn by her father. It had always been his favorite flower. He had told Kyoko about it on several occasions, declaring it to be the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on. Well, apart from his wife and beautiful child of course. She could understand his declaration now that she saw it.

"It's beautiful." said Kyoko, smiling at Ren. "Thank you so much for finding it!"

Ren smiled, the aura surrounding him kind. "It was my pleasure. But that's not all I have for you. There's something else."

"Really?" said Kyoko, excited. "What is it?"

"A legend."

Kyoko cocked her head. "A legend. What's that?"

"It's a story." said Ren. "Well, sorta. It's a story based on real events from hundreds of thousands of years ago, passed from generation to generation. This one is the legend of the crystal aster."

Kyoko squealed in excitement, then glanced around. She spotted a tree, and hurried towards it. She plopped down in the shade, patting the sandy ground beside her, indicating for Ren to come sit by her. He grinned, then walked over, squatting down

"Once upon a time." he started. "There was a family living in a kingdom. It was only a father and his daughter, the mother having died years before. The father loved his daughter very much, and gave her everything she could ever want. But he knew his daughter wasn't completely content. Without a mother, there was a hole in the young girl's heart."

"Determined to make her happy, the father married another woman, sure that this would complete his daughter's happiness. And it did. The three were very happy. At least for a while. The new mother soon became jealous of the attention her new husband showed his daughter. She let the anger fester, growing until she acted on her anger."

"The mother poisoned her daughter's dinner one night, in an attempt to kill her."

Kyoko brought her hands to her mouth, horrified. How could she think to do such a thing? What about their happy family life?

Ren noticed the fear, and softened his expression, continuing the story.

"The daughter ate the food, and soon fell very ill. Her father was completely distraught. He spent every day by her side, never sleeping. He finally sought the aid of a local magician to save his daughter's life. The magician could remove the poison form his daughter's body, but at a cost. The poison would have to be transferred to another person."

"The father immediately agreed to let the magician transfer the poison from his daughter to his own body, and died soon after. The daughter awoke, and learned of what had transpired."

Huge tears were falling from Kyoko's face as she listened to the story. It was so sad and so beautiful for the father to die protecting his daughter.

"The mother, so upset and feeling so guilty at what she had done, died of a broken heart. The daughter was now the only one left alive. She buried her father, and cried over his grave, sure that she too would die from grief. But in that moment of sorrow, a tear fell from her face and fell on the grave. From the spot where her tear fell, a flower grew. This flower."

Ren touched the crystal aster in Kyoko's hand.

"The daughter brought the flower to the magician who told her what it was. The father's spirit didn't want to leave her, but he couldn't stay with her in his other body anymore. Her tear had been a catalyst, and he had been given the form of a flower. And so, the daughter was reunited with her father. Through the crystal aster, he watched over her and gave her courage."

"And now, whenever a daughter loses her father, their father's spirits can rest within any crystal aster, watching over their beloved daughters. So you see Kyoko. Your father is watching over you, even now, wishing for your happiness."

Kyoko's eyes widened is surprise and joy. She hugged the flower closer to her.

"You mean he's here?" she said. "Watching over me right now?"

Ren nodded, and the girl began crying again, but this time in joy. She cradled the flower in her arms with new respect and love.

"Hello father." she said to the flower, with a sad smile. "How are you? Are you eating properly? You always had a habit of forgetting to eat unless I made you. I hope you're ok." Then she bent her head, and whispered. "I miss you."

She started crying in earnest now. Ren hugged her, and she buried her face into his chest, letting out all the feelings she had been suppressing for the past months. She didn't know how long she stayed there, crying in his arms, but eventually her tears dried up, and she pushed back from her fairy friend.

"Thank you Ren." she said, a new light within her. "I'll treasure this flower forever."

Kyoko opened her eyes, determined. Can you see me now father? She wondered. Would you be proud of where I am?

She knew the answer.

Kyoko could remember the smile on Ren's face, encouraging her to pursue medicine. He had brought her more crystal aster seeds the next day so she could grow them herself. She often wondered how Ren was doing. It had been so long since she had seen him. She had vowed to make them proud. She would become someone outstanding. Not just for the sake of her revenge, but for theirs as well.

Lory watched Kyoko with interest as her expression changed from fear to determination. He had been skeptical when Kuon had told her that she had yelled at him in the middle of the city. How could such a sweet girl yell at anyone? It was part of the reason he had created this opportunity. To see if she had the spirit he had described.

The other reason was for her own sake. If she couldn't handle this small opportunity, she wasn't cut out to make it in this society, and so far she hadn't disappointed him.

Kyoko took one of the thick stalks of sandgrass. She peeled away the grass into two parts, showing the slimy green insides. It was well known that sandgrass had an extremity sticky center. It was a defense mechanism to prevent animals from eating it, the sap gluing their mouths shut. What was she going to do with that?

She took a thin knife and pressed it against one of the ends of the leaves. Then she drew a breath, and concentrated hard on the knife. It began to vibrate quickly, and she expertly slid the knife along the insides of the leaf, scraping off the sap. Lory watched in amazement as she did this several times, scraping more and more sap from the insides of the plants, gathering it into a jar.

She was using pulse magic to get the sap off the rest of the plant. It was genius! By vibrating the knife quickly, she used the pulses to move the sap away from the leaves. Why hadn't anyone else ever thought of that?

Apparently one jar was enough, and she began adding more things to the sap. A dash of this, some of that, and soon there was a small pile of materials above the sap.

Interesting. Thought Lory. Others have thought to mix things together with the sap. But it was impossible to mix because of the consistency. What will you do now Kyoko?

He thought he knew the answer, and sure enough, a second later she confirmed it. Closing the jar with a lid, she held her hand over the top and sent pulses within the jar. The insides began to vibrate, slowly at first, mixing together. Then she increased the speed of her vibrations, until it was a whirl of green. Then she stopped. The contents inside the jar now had a gray tinge to it.

Kyoko took off the lid, scooping a small amount of water into her hand. Then she held it over the opening, vibrating the water into mist that fogged up the in glass.

"And now." said Kyoko, placing the lid back on the top. "We wait for a day before it can be used. It should be stored somewhere cool and can be stored indefinitely, as long as it can keep some condensation inside at all times and is sealed tightly shut."

One of the physicians snorted.

"You expect us to wait a whole day to see if your crackpot medicine works?" said the man, obviously not impressed. "I'm sorry, but I'm not waiting around for that long."

Lory was about to say something when Kyoko intervened.

"Of course I don't expect you to wait. Which is why I have some here with me."

To Lory's surprise, the girl took a small vile from her pocket and held it up before them. The contents were a little grayer then the jar's but it was obviously the same concoction. There was a unique consistency to the mixture. Why did she have some with her?

"Is there anyone here with an infected wound?" she said. "One that normal soap and water can't heal?"

A murmur rose from the crowd, everyone discussing what she had just said. Now that he thought about it, neither him nor Kyoko had told them what the new medicine did.

"Are you saying that sap can heal infected wounds?" said the man from before. Taradel was his name, Lory thought. "No one is going to let you stick that on them. I sure as heck wouldn't."

Several others in the crowd murmured in agreement, and Lory watched as the girl's face fell in disappointment. It didn't matter if she made a drug that could raise the dead. If no one was willing to try it would all come to nothing.

The seconds stretched on, no one willing to offer themselves or any of their patients as a guinea pig. Lory was trying to think of anyone he knew with an infected wound when a voice saved the day.

"I'll let her try it."

Kyoko looked up at her savior, unable to hide the relief in her face. At least until she saw the man. He was tall, with wild dark hair and a goatee. He had several pierced ears and an overall dangerous appearance.

"If no one else has the balls to let a little girl put some medicine on them, then I'll do it." he said, giving Kyoko a cocky smirk.

She gulped. Oh well, at least she had someone volunteering. She shouldn't complain.

"Thank you sir." said Kyoko, "May I ask your name?"

"Ushio Kurosaki"

"Mr Kurosaki, if you would please show me the wound."

Ushio grabbed a chair and sat down. He took off one of his shoes, then he showed her the side of his foot.

Kyoko grimaced.

The foot was completely infected, a dark aura of decay hovering heavily over it. A large section of his heel had rotten away, a clearly defined edge of tissue surrounding the hole. The insides revealed yellow and black blisters, puss oozing from within. Red and black skin surrounded the wound, extending past his heel and to his toes. Two of them were completely black. Now that the shoe was off, the odor of rotting flesh was so potent it made her gag.

"This should have been cut off years ago." said Kyoko, glaring at Kurosaki. Now that she was looking for them she could see the signs of sickness. He was sweating slightly and breathing just a bit heavier than normal. His internal body temperature was high, trying to get rid of the infection. How long had he been this sick? It was so dangerous to have your body warm for long periods of time.

He shrugged, uncaring.

"I won't die from something like this." he said. "Especially if your medicine works like you say it will."

Kyoko pursed her lips.

"Whether it works or not doesn't matter, this is serious." she said, angry "A doctor like yourself should know better than to take this lightly. How can you expect to save others when you yourself aren't healthy?"

Kurosaki raised an eyebrow. "Why should you care?" he asked.

"It's just..." she took a breath, calming herself. "I'm sorry, I spoke out of turn. You're right. Your body is your own concern. Please excuse my outburst."

He didn't say anything, and Kyoko busied herself with the bottle and a cloth. It just infuriated her when people didn't take care of their own health, especially when they knew better. Why didn't they take their own lives seriously?

She scooped some of the paste out with a wooden stick, hovering it above his wound.

"This may sting a little." she said.

Kurosaki rolled his eyes.

"There's no feeling left in my foot anymore" he said. "It's not going to-"

He drew a sharp breath as Kyoko spread the sap on his wound. The only thing that stopped him from shouting in pain was probably his pride.

"What the hell." said Kurosaki "That hurt like a.." he stopped as he examined his foot. The sap sunk into his skin, disappearing inside. Where she had spread it, the red and dark hues were disappearing.

"Well I'll be."

In seconds, the blistered black and yellow sections were gone, replaced with the soft pink of newly healed skin. There was still a chunk of flesh missing, but it would now heal in time.

Kurosaki lifted his foot, staring at it. He wiggled his toes, then prodded them.

"I can move my toes." he said, incredulous. "I can feel my feet. This... this is incredible!"

The other doctors were stunned, some exclaiming in shock, while other said it was a miracle. But it was Lory's face she was searching for. He was grinning, eyes gleaming.

Kyoko felt herself relax. She could tell by his face that she had done well.

Thank you for reading!

Man, nothing gets past you guys. I love reading all the predictions, questions and opinions. I feel so evil reading them while knowing what's going to happen. Fufufu. BWHAHAAH!

And yes guys, please keep correcting my spelling. No matter how many times I re-read it something slips through. Woops. If I do this again in the future. Yes, Fuwo = Fuwa. (If you look at some of my other works, I think I spell Tsuraga instead of Tsuruga sometimes. whups)

Thanks again for all the reviews and follows and such!