The next day, I went back to Kazuma's house with both Aya and Freya. The baby was there as well. They immediately noticed the dolls, but they didn't say a word. I'm sure it's because I'd yell at them. Freya and Aya are my protectors. They're my friends. They're not a regular doll like they thought. They're all I need.

"Welcome back, Yona. Are you ready to get started?" Kazuma asked.

"Yes."

"Did you eat breakfast?" The baby asked.

"I did. Mama made a big meal because grandma came to visit."

"That's good. Did you bring your dolls so they can watch you?" The baby asked me.

"That's why I brought them. Freya is Aya's big sister. Grandma told me there are two more dolls. She's going to give them to me when I go live with her." I said happily.

"When is this?" Kazuma asked.

"After the summer. She wants me to stay with her for a while." I put the dolls down in a sitting position so they could watch from a corner. "Shall we start?" I said with a smile.

After a few hours, I was taught how to maneuver around punches. Though, Kazuma was taking things very slowly with me. He only wanted me to learn how to defend myself. "When someone goes for this kind of attack what do you do?" Kazuma asked me as I slowly moved away from a slow punch that was aimed for my head.

"Gouge the eyes."

"Well…that is one answer." Kazuma said at a loss of words. The baby chuckled.

"You might not be a Hibari, but you think like one."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"The Hibari are always violent. Though, you're the first child I know to think of gouging the eyes."

"I saw Aya do it. She even cut someone's hand completely off." Kazuma and the baby looked at each other and then back at me.

"Are you sure it was Aya?" Kazuma asked.

"I'm sure. Freya can come to life too, but she doesn't have any power."

"How do you power them up?" The baby asked. I hummed and looked at the dolls.

"I don't know. All I remember was calling out for help and Aya appeared. She brought me and Tsuna away from the men but stopped when she ran out of power." I explained shyly. The two didn't seem to get it. I didn't blame them. I didn't even understand most of it.

"That explains what we found." Kazuma said. The baby got closer to me.

"Look me in the eyes, Yona." I got on my knees and looked into his eyes. "Are you telling the truth about your dolls coming to life?"

"Yes." I immediately looked at the dolls. They were emitting a weird aura. Only the baby took note of this.

"Is that coming from the dolls?" The baby asked.

"Freya is angry with you. Please don't do whatever you were doing again. I fear for what will happen to you."

"You're a very kind person, Yona. For your kindness, I shall give you my name. I am Fon. We met at your mother's wedding."

For the rest of summer, Kazuma and Fon have been teaching me basic self-defense. They said I didn't need any more than that. Kazuma would have some of his family "ambush" me on my way to and back from the park. He wanted to see how I'd do during a surprise attack. I was finally done training when the summer ended. He and Fon both said their goodbyes to me. It would be the last time seeing them for a while. Though, living with grandma will be more fun. I'll have someone who understands me. Iemitsu drove me to grandmas. I wasn't happy about it, but mama had to stay back and bring Tsuna to a psychiatrist. I guess I accidentally scarred him for life. The car ride was relatively silent. There was only small talk like usual.

"Do you hate me?" I suddenly asked. We were about ten minutes away from grandma's house.

"I don't hate you."

"Why?"

"I can't hate you, Yona."

"Is it because you'd make mama sad if you did?" He hesitated.

"That's not it. I know it wasn't your fault for choking Tsuna." Iemitsu said softly.

"You said I was an evil person."

"When did I do that?"

"Will you get rid of me?" He gasped.

"Where did you hear all of that?"

"I heard it from Aya."

"Don't be ridiculous, Yona. Aya is a doll. She can't talk." He didn't say anything about not getting rid of me. He just changed subjects. Did that mean he was planning on getting rid of me? I was confused.

When we got to grandma's, Iemitsu took my suitcase and brought it to my old room. "My sunflower!" Grandpa yelled with his might before hugging me tightly. "Thank you for bringing her, Iemitsu."

"It's my pleasure. Hopefully, she'll go back to normal here." Grandma smiled gently. However, I could see her distaste for him.

"She just needs some time to relax. Let's go, Yona. We have a lot to do." She said softly.

"Okay!" Inside, I watched Iemitsu leave. His expression made me feel uneasy. It was dark.

"Don't worry, Yona. He will not hurt you."

"He'll send people." I said with certainty.

"It doesn't matter. I'll protect you. Now, go unpack. We have a lot we must discuss."

"Okay." I went to my old room and put Freya and Aya down on the bed. They seemed content here. The next day, grandma sat me down in the living room. Grandpa was outside with his luscious garden of sunflowers enjoying some snacks.

"Are you scared of yourself?" Grandma asked me.

"No."

"You produced a shield out of nowhere. Did that scare you?"

"It scared me at first. I guess it just surprised me. I don't know how I was able to do it."

"You're special like me, Yona."

"What does that mean?"

"We're alchemists."

"Isn't that only in myths and cartoons?" I asked.

"There's always truth to myths."

"What does being an alchemist mean?" I asked. Grandma only smiled.

"It's a wonderful thing. We can create and destroy anything. We can protect and kill."

"We can basically do anything then." I commented happily.

"We can almost do anything. We can't bring the dead back to life." I hummed with interest. "There's a curse that runs in our family, Yona. Every female born is an alchemist."

"Even mama?" She shook her head.

"You mama isn't one. I found it very odd until you told me about what you did. Most alchemist at your age cannot create shields or even manifest the dolls into life size."

"Why do you look sad?"

"Our ancestor was a very powerful alchemist. She was seen as a god by everyone. Those in our family that produce a pink shield like you are said to carry our ancestor's soul so she may live again. You will face a lot of challenges in life. You may not even live very long." Grandma looked serious, but she was in pain because of what I'd face.

"Does having our ancestor's soul make my smell weird?" I asked.

"That's part of it. It'll soon effect your other senses. You'll have very sensitive hearing and your eyes will be able to see the smallest of details. Your taste will even change. The stronger the alchemist, the stronger the effects."

"Is there anything good about this?"

"Let me see your hands, Yona." Grandma completely changed the subject. I placed my hands on top of hers without questioning. She kept staring at my hands. They were starting to feel warm.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm letting my power merge with yours."

"Why?"

"How else will you be able to wake Freya up?" I brightened up. I wanted to speak with Freya and ask what Fon did to me that angered her. I couldn't wait to hear her voice. She took her hands away from mine. "You see, Yona, I wanted you here because once you broke off that seal, you'll start to go through an alchemic puberty. Soon, you'll start to face many things. Your mama wouldn't understand." I nodded.

"Hey, grandma, why do certain people smell worse than others?" I asked out of curiosity. I wanted to know if Aya told me the truth.

"Humans have these things called flames. People like us have a very small flame. It's so small, no one can detect us. However, since you're so powerful, I'm sure you don't have a flame. We can sniff out powerful people. The stronger the stench, the stronger the flame."

"It all stinks." Grandma started laughing.

"It does. Though, once you go through your puberty, you won't struggle as much. Their smell will go away, but those who are very powerful will still have a smell to them."

"I noticed Kazuma and Fon smell the same but are different."

"Ah, those must have been the two who were training you. Fon is the baby, correct?" I nodded. "He and six others like him will always have a strong stench. You'll always be able to find them no matter where you are."

"Why?"

"They're an oddity like us, but they're very necessary for the world." I tilted my head. That made no sense. "You see, we're linked with them."

"Because we're alchemists?" Grandma nodded.

"We are what links everything together. Without them, life cannot go on."

"So, Fon needs to stay alive?"

"That's right. There is no way for him to grow or die of age."

"That's sort of sad."

"It is and there is no way to free them."

"Alchemy can do anything, right? Alchemy can free them from the curse." I said with determination. It wasn't fair for Fon to be like that for eternity.

"Alchemy has its limits, Yona."

"I'll just find a way to break that limit!" Grandma chuckled softly.

"You really do have a kind heart. I hope you break that limit one day. I'll be rooting for you."

"You'll be the only one, grandma. No one else will understand."

"That's the only downside. No one other than alchemists will take us seriously."

While at grandma's, I was able to make shields on command. She taught me how to read, as grandma calls it, the ancient text it and how to make things out of other things like sand and rocks. There were even these small creatures that would serve me. They were called Noise. They looked like made up creatures that varied in a slew of colors. If I put in a lot of power, they'd be human size. If I put in a small amount of power, they could be as tiny as ants. They're only used to destroy. Another thing I learned was how to put a homing symbol in rooms. Grandma had a small glass tube that when destroyed, will bring whoever broke it back to wherever the homing symbol is. It was a brilliant invention and something I'd definitely use in the future. Grandma sat down with me one day with two more dolls.

"Now, Yona, I want to introduce you to the rest of the dolls."

"Two more? I haven't even woken Freya up yet."

"I know, but I want you to have them." She handed me a doll with long lavender hair and yellow eyes. She wore a beautiful white dress. "This is Elf." She then handed me a doll with medium length platinum blonde hair that was put into a ponytail. She had purple eyes. And wore a black dress. "This is Alter."

"They're beautiful." I said with awe.

"I'm glad you think so. They'll help protect you along with Freya and Aya."

"How can I wake them up?" Grandma stayed silent. "Grandma?"

"You won't like it when I tell you."

"Just tell me." I pouted.

"You need to wake them up with memories." She looked at my confused face and smiled. "Aya needs to kill a person to wake one of them up. A life for a life, Yona."

"Equivalent exchange." I muttered.

"That's right. Aya woke up because she already had memories inside of her. All she needed was for you to call her."

"How come she didn't grow when I called her name before?" I questioned.

"When you were in danger, you unconsciously used alchemy to call Aya." I looked at Aya and smiled. She was my savior. They all were. I just needed to wake Freya, Alter, and Elf. And even though three lives had to be taken, I'm sure it'll be easy to find three people. If more people are after Tsuna, it'll be the perfect excuse. I won't feel guilty about killing them. Well, Aya would do the job for me. It's not like I'll get my hands dirty. I rubbed my eyes. They were starting to burn.

"I see your sight is starting to be effected. It's going to hurt for a couple of days. They'll be sensitive to light."

"Do I just keep them shut?" I asked.

"Unfortunately, that's the only thing to do."

For a complete week, I've been wearing bandages over my eyes. Grandma made sure to put a piece of cloth over the bandages so I couldn't see any light if I opened my eyes. Just moving them hurt. Unfortunately, my hearing was getting sensitive. Slowly, my sense of touch became sensitive. Grandma wrapped me up in a special blanket to help. She even had me wear noise canceling headphones to help. I was basically bed bound and slept a lot.

"I'm here with dinner." I head grandma whisper. I could hear her through the headphones. I felt her sit down next to me. "Open wide." I opened my mouth and felt a spoon hit my tongue. It was soup. "How is it?" Grandma asked.

"It's really good. What kind of soup is it?"

"I see your taste did change. I'm feeding you an herbal soup. It isn't the most pleasant thing to eat or smell."

"Will I get over it all or will I just get used to it?" I asked.

"You'll get over most of it, but you'll always have to deal with remnants." She fed me the rest of my meal. I wondered what mama was doing. I wonder if Iemitsu is plotting something while I'm not there. He might, but I'll have Aya and the rest. They'll protect me.

After a month of being bed ridden, my body was finally letting up. I could open my eyes as long as I wore sunglasses. I still couldn't go outside or have any of the curtains open. I was able to move around as long as my skin didn't touch anything other than the special fabric I used as a blanket. Grandma took extra fabric and made me a kimono and socks out of the material. I was thankful to everything she did for me. I still had to wear headphones, but it was getting harder to hear with them on. It meant my hearing was going back to normal. I was thankful for that. During this time, grandma taught me many alchemic symbols and what they mean. Each symbol derived from one of four families which represented the elements water, earth, fire, and wind. They were relatively easy to read and memorize. Grandpa would try and read them, but they looked like drawings to him. He did try for my sake and made learning them a lot more bearable. When my senses finally calmed down, I was good to go home. It only took another month. From what grandma told me, this was worse than actual puberty.

Iemitsu parked outside of grandmas. I had everything I'd need. Grandma gave me a few things I'd need. From my sensitive blanket to a machine that can aid in engraving alchemic materials, she made sure I was all set. She looked sort of sad sending me off. All she did was smile when I noticed.

"Become strong, Yona."

"I will, grandma. You don't need to worry about me. I'll become the world's strongest alchemist." Her smile widened.

"I'm sure you will." She watched me get inside the car. Her and grandpa both waved as Iemitsu drove off.

"How was grandma's?"

"It was fun."

"What did you do during your stay?"

"She taught me a lot of things like how to cook rice."

"Your mama will be so proud. You'll have to cook everyone dinner one night."

"I will." Iemitsu kept up the small talk on the way home. Once we arrived, I ran inside and hugged mama.

"Ah! You're finally home!" Mama hugged me tightly. "How was the academy?" I blinked a few times. Academy?

"I went to grandma's, mama. Don't you remember?" I asked her.

"Huh? Sweetie, grandma and grandpa passed away years ago. You were only five. Don't you remember the funeral?" What was going on here? Iemitsu walked in. "Honey, Yona thinks she went to my mother's." Iemitsu frowned.

"You must miss her a lot, huh?"

"I'm going to go upstairs to take a nap. I'm tired."

When I got to my room, I took out my four dolls. Grandma was definitely alive. Grandpa was full of life. There was no way they died. Iemitsu even asked me about grandma on the way home. I sat on my bed and pondered. What could have immediately changed their memories?

"They're dead, master." I looked and saw Aya. She was sitting up.

"How can that be? I was definitely there and interacted with them. I even got Alter and Elf."

"That's correct, but they're dead."

"That doesn't make sense."

"It does if you apply alchemy to the equation." I furrowed my brows. This was confusing. Alchemy can't bring back the dead. "They were a homunculus." My eyes widened. "Your grandmother did die when you were five. However, she knew you were a powerful alchemist the second you were born. That's why she created a copy of her memories as well as a homunculus to teach you. It carried your grandmother's memories and thoughts. In essence, she was the real thing with a fake body." My head started to spin. "It's okay, master."

"That's why she looked so sad when I left."

"That's right. She told us not to tell you until you got home." It made sense. Sometimes when they'd touch me, their bodies would be colder than usual. "When you become more advanced in alchemy, you'll be able to make a homunculus too."

"How did they die? I don't even remember the funeral."

"Murder." Aya said. I could tell she told the truth. She wouldn't lie to me. She wasn't programed to lie.

"Who killed them?"

"Are you sure you want to know, master?"

"Why wouldn't I want to know, Aya?"

"Your hatred will only increase. I don't want to see my master become a bitter person." Aya said with a cheerful smile.

"It's okay, Aya. You don't have to worry about that. I'll never be bitter to you or your sisters. You're my family." She suddenly gave a wicked smile.

"As expected, my master is most kind. They were murdered by no other than Iemitsu!" Aya said with a song like tone. My eyes widened. Why would Iemitsu kill them? Did he do that so he could have mama?

"Do you know why?"

"I don't. I've been with you. My sisters were locked away. So, they won't know either."

"How do you know it was Iemitsu then?" I questioned.

"I heard him talk about it while I was in the room." Anger started to fill my body. How could Iemitsu do this to me? Not only did he take away mama, but he also killed my grandparents. "By the way, master, Iemitsu had help. He has men under him that will do anything for him. He might send those people after you. After all, you hurt his son."

"What will we do, Aya? How should we make him suffer? Killing is too kind. Don't you think?" I asked. She chuckled.

"Should we hurt Tsuna again?"

"No. It would make mama mad. I don't want to hurt her."

"We'll just have to wait for the opportunity for an attack. Not only will we make Iemitsu angry, we'll also awaken Freya, Alter, and Elf."

"Thank you, Aya. Keep an ear out for anything and take care of anyone that you deem is a threat. However, do not harm Tsuna or mama." She stood up and did a curtsey.

"I'd never disobey my master's word."