Chapter 5: Questions

The red haired toddler kept looking between the four strange men as they talked. The pretty eyed one was currently holding her and she couldn't stop trying to trace the red markings on his face. They were too pretty not to touch! The loud green haired kept touching her hair, petting her while talking. The white haired one looked like he wanted to grab her and hold her tightly to him. Then there was the golden haired one who was complaining, loudly. They were making her feel all giggly and warm inside, like she knew these people; but she'd never met them before!

Her tummy rumbled, she was still naked under the yellow haori jacket and she was starting to want her mommy. So she did what she always did when she needed attention. She cried.

Abi jumped slightly as the quiet child he had been holding suddenly started crying. She had been trying to grab at his face for awhile, but had seemed to give up on that venture. Now she was crying and he was at a loss. Holding her at arms length, he looked at the others who were no longer arguing how impossible it was that she felt like Hiryuu, but were looking at him.

"What'd you do!?" Guen asked loudly, his usually gentle nature vanished as the child cried even louder.

"I did nothing." he stated, which was the truth. He was glad they had moved from the open courtyard to the peaceful and secluded gardens that were near King Hiryuu's personal chambers. Since his wife having died in child birth years ago, Hiryuu no longer shared his chambers with anyone. Only his closest companions and his son, Yak-shi, were allowed in his chambers and personal gardens.

Shuten grabbed Yona from Abi and held her on his hip. Grasping her chin, he made her look at him. Forcing her mouth open he saw a couple of new teeth coming through her gums. "Her teeth hurt is all." he said causing everybody to look at her.

"I think she looks hungry." Zeno told them before giving a yawn. He'd been awake all night as he'd ridden back. "I'm still curious as to why she felt like Hiryuu and still does."

"It is curious." Abi stated with a slight yawn himself. "I've got paperwork to do. I still don't know where those barbarians came from."

"You were lucky we knew to come help you." Shuten groused as a deep frown appeared on his face.

"I sent a messenger." Abi stated as he began walking away. "Not my fault you still can't read."

"What'd you say!?" he half growled, half yelled. The child in his arms gave a loud yell that joined his causing everybody to look down at her. "Damn it, that's just too cute." He gave her a toothy grin, gaining one from her in return.

"Don't curse in front of a child!" Guen yelled, his protective side flaring.

"Don't squeeze her too tightly!" Zeno yelled out as her watched Shuten's arms tighten around Yona, who had stopped crying and was now enjoying these loud men and their arguments.

All four warriors were so eveloped in their argument with each other that none noticed that their voices were getting louder and louder, so much so that they had gained the attention of somebody nearby. King Hiryuu knew his time was running out in this life, he had known for awhile and it made him sad that he would be leaving his friends behind; especially Zeno.

This morning he had felt a sudden jolt of energy enter his being, a sense that he was needed for something; but for what he had no idea. Waking early, he had gone to his private garden and sat under his favorite tree to listen to the morning birds. However the serenity of the hour was suddenly disturbed when he heard his warriors begin arguing, quite loudly. Slowly standing, Hiryuu made his way to the koi pond they were arguing and just watched them for a moment or two. Then he saw a small child in Shuten's arms and Zeno was fretting over it. The scene was so adorable, so it wasn't really his fault that he began laughing when the child gave another cry at Shuten before she yanked hard on his very long green hair.

His laughter gained the attention of his companions and the child who suddenly looked at him. As soon as he stopped laughing, his eye met those of the child's and suddenly he felt his soul stir. A connection was made between them in an instant. He could see what once was and what would be, between the two and felt a gasp leave his lips. Brother, how can this be? he asked silently towards Ouryuu. He had spoken to his brothers for years, even after taking on his human form and they sometimes answered him, but Ouryuu was silent on this one.

Approaching the group, he opened his arms to take the child, the little one responded instantly as she wiggled to be taken into his arms. Looking down into matching eyes, he watched as recognition entered her eyes for a brief moment before it was snuffed out. Giggles erupted from her lips as she reached up at his face. Smiling down at her, Hiryuu spoke quietly. "You are far from where you belong." he kissed her forehead. "Fret not, you are safe and will be safe until you are returned home." he turned back towards the buildings where his chambers were. "Send Yun-han, have her bring some girl's clothing. We need to dress her properly." He suddenly heard a slight rumble and chuckled. "Also have Ik-shi bring some food for us, we'll dine in my chambers." he turned away from them, his eyes never leaving the violet one's of his future self. "You do not belong here." he whispered to her softly. "I do not know how you came into the past; but you must be returned to your time immediately." he paused in the doorway to his rooms. "If I came back to this world once again, there had to be a reason." he said watching the morning sun rise higher in the sky before returning to his darkened rooms.

Ora groaned as her eyes slowly opened, she had a horrible headache. Slowly she sat up in the bed she was in. Looking around the room, she found that it was empty; except for one person.

Zeno was rubbing his head, all night long he'd had a horrible headache. Then early this morning he had several flashes of memories overlapping. One where King Hiryuu died quietly in his bed; while another one had formed of Hiryuu playing with a red haired child, who giggled and called him Papa Hiryuu. In that memory Hiryuu had lived another six years, long enough to witness Guen and Shuten's sons to be born and to see the next generation of warriors come into life. His attention was drawn to the young woman before him.

"Zeno has questions that need answers." he said, a frown appearing on his usually calm face.

Ora nodded as she slowly touched her chest, pain radiating from her wound. She felt Zeno push her back onto the pillows. "Alright, but I want my questions answered." she said.

"Zeno agrees." he replied as he sat down next to her bed on the floor. "Your name isn't Kiana, what is it really and where do you come from?"

"That's a mouthful." she said quietly, the frown on Zeno's face deepened, this made her realize that he was serious with his questions."My same is Doctor Ora Tomoe, I'm a scientist and I hail from Kouka; but not from this era." That got a curious reaction. Zeno crossed his arms over his chest and actually looked to be contemplating the implications of what she'd just said. "I'm from a place where it's been five thousand years since Hiryuu's time." She saw his eyes widen and jaw slacken in shock. "Or a little over two to three thousand years since Princess Yona lived, created the systems that are still in use in politics in my time and the freedoms she implemented for young women."

Zeno cleared his throat. "Why are you here and where did the Miss go?" he asked, trying not to think too hard on what she was saying.

"Originally I created the machine that brought me here to help us understand our history better." he cocked his head at her, seeming to be confused. "Most of our history has been lost to time. Through wars with our neighboring countries or from natural disasters. I know for a fact that after Princess Yona's time, around five hundred years, there will be an earthquake the completely destroyed Kuuto, the castle and parts of the water and wind territories." she sighed. "The great library that Princess Yona builds for her friend, someone named Yun, was once filled with so much knowledge and the whole history of Kouka was in this library; however, the earthquake destroyed it. Everything was lost in a single moment of time." She shook her head. "My father had other ideas for my invention. He and my grandfather have been trying to prove for years that King Hiryuu and his dragon warriors did exist. That Princess Yona was Hiryuu's reincarnation and that if she and they never existed that everything that Kouka has become wound not be. They've been laughed at for years for believing the myth of Hiryuu was real. I've always believed it was real myself, but after facing ridicule myself, I dropped that issue and began looking into other things." She looked down at her hands. "I'm guessing my father got what he wanted and the young Princess is gone with him."

"No." Zeno said softly. "The Miss vanished before your father, or the man I assume was him, was able to grab her."

"Did she have something in her hands?" she asked causing him to look confused. Reaching under her blankets into her skirt she found her device still strapped to her inner thigh. "Like this?" she said pulling it out and handed it to him.

"Yes." he said. "What is it?"

"My invention." she tapped her chin as he laid it back in her other hand. "I wonder if I can return home. If so, I could find a way to track where my father's device ended up. If I find that I can find her." she began activating the TDD.

"You have questions for Zeno?" he asked.

"I know you are the Ouryuu, I figured that out when I found images of you." he seemed surprised at this information. "Besides, your current name isn't really original. Zeno Ouryuu, a.k.a. Onez Uuyruo. Not very original." Zeno flushed in embarrassment. "If this works, perhaps you can help me."

"How?" he asked.

"If you are still alive in my time, come find me." she said with a smile. "Ora Tomoe, I live in the Tomoe Labs Apartments." she scratched her cheek. "Hopefully you'll remember that."

"Zeno remembers import dates." he said. "Miss disappearing is an important date."

"Then I'll ask my questions then when we meet again." she stated as she looked at the time on her device. "Find my father and turn him in as Princess Yona's kidnapper. That should make him think about what he's done." she sighed as she typed in the date that she'd left. The TDD had five hours left to it before it's charge would end. Hopefully nothing has changed too much. She thought as she activated the device and left the bed she was in as the orb surrounded her and sent her back to her time.

As Ora blinked her eyes, the light from the orb vanishing and leaving her in a semi-ruined laboratory. The TDD was still active. Walking up the stairs to the control room, she found that the main device was fully active and that she was where and when she needed to be. She also Found that she had only entered the original portal only ten minutes ago. "Incredible." she said with a smile, as she pulled a chair back and began to type into the computer the ID number that her father's device used, it's was only number six. The computer opened a small portal into the TDD that would send a small probe that would search the timeline for the energy signal that her father's device would emit. Even if the time ran out, the fusion core battery would give off a signal for two decades afterwards.

Now all she had to do was wait for the results of her probe and for Ouryuu Zeno to appear.

M-Angel: So now Ora and Zeno will be working together to find the missing Princess Yona. Hiryuu knew instantly who Yona was through the connection he still has with who he once was. Yona is a very smart toddler, she knows how to get people's attention. LoL. ^_^