Well, here's chapter eight. Before I continue, I'd like to make an important note, so...

IMPORTANT NOTE: A line in chapter 7 has been removed and redone.

Okay... I did this mostly because of the scene with Shu and Bouquet last chapter. I didn't like him being that mean to her, so I decided to remove it since no one else seemed to either. Now that that's out of the way, we'll get to the replies.

The Flying Frog: Yes, it was too ooc, which is something I hate unless the story calls for it. The scene has been changed, and there are notes/comments in Chapter 7 and 8 explaining it. If it still seems ooc, let me know, because I want to keep everyone as in-character as possible. Hmm... Bouquet developing feelings for Jiro? (Bouquet: My Darling is the only one for me!) Yes, dear, we all know. Please excuse her. :) The little "love square" that's going on is mostly my fault, caused by my indecision. When it comes down to it, I'll need help deciding who should go with who, but don't worry about it right now; I'll let you know when it's time. ;) Now, you see? This is why you have to watch the anime! In the anime, Shu, Kluke, Jiro, Marumaro and Bouquet are all 10. In Season 2, they're 12, because it's two years later. All of that aside, I don't agree with what the booklet says. If you're curious about what I think their ages are in the game, take a look at the second chapter of my fan fiction Blue Dragon Beyond. The thing with Shu was mostly the SCI; the sickness is partly caused by a hormonal imbalance. Still, it didn't seem right, but it should be fixed now. Please let me know if I need to fix it again.

WindGoddess Rune: I know, it was too mean. :( Like I was telling Flying Frog, it should be okay now. Can you also let me know if I need to fix it again? And you'll find out how Kluke's doing in this chapter.

WindGoddess Rune: Yeah; I remember the first time I saw Jiro smile in the anime (Episode 23). Too cute. :)

ultimashadow: Definitely. Things will start rolling in this chapter, but none of them are going to realize the storm that's coming until it's already hit them. Glad you're liking it. And I think you're the only one who didn't say anything about Shu's behavior last chapter. ;) I'd actually been talking about your story Training Stinks!, but I got your PM about it, so no worries.

Prince of Tennis' Shaman: Okay; thank you. Um... I don't mind you sending it to me, but I don't know what Nanowrimo is. I've never read your stories, so I wouldn't really know if you did or not. That's namely because I've never seen Prince of Tennis or Shaman King (though I did see a few seconds of Shaman King on Fox years ago while I was waiting for another show). Thanks; I've been a big fan of Blue Dragon since me and my dad started playing the game, and I love watching the anime online. On a side note, would you believe I haven't finished the game yet? I usually take a long time with games. *scratches head sheepishly* I'm planning on getting Blue Dragon Plus ASAP once it's out, but I'm not going to start it until I finish the first one (though I'm going to try to finish it by February 24th). Thanks; I was worried that it wasn't plausible at all. Kluke has a bad temper anyway, so it's just not as noticable with her. ;) Originally, Shu had yelled "Get off me!" and actually shoved her, but I edited it so that he was a little more docile; in fairness to him, he didn't even know it was her. Hope you like Chapter 9. :)

Okay, those are out of the way now. Hopefully this will be a better chapter than last time; I'm so sorry about that! *insert crying here* Alright - here's to better things! Let's get on to the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Blue Dragon. Since I don't, we don't have to worry about any mishaps like my serious slipup last chapter.

"Shu, why did you act like that around Bouquet, maro? She didn't do anything to you, maro." Marumaro had asked him once they had been walking for a while.

Shu sighed. "I don't know..." He wanted to forget about it; honestly, after Zola read Kluke's P.S., he'd been so wrapped up in his thoughts, he'd actually thought she was Jiro. "I guess the SCI is messing with me."

"That's not an excuse, maro!" Marumaro ran in front of him, blocking his path. "I can't believe you, maro! You're giving up on a hot girl like that, maro... Do you know what I'd do to be in your shoes, maro?!"

"I don't," Shu said flatly, several disturbing scenarios already having run through his mind when Marumaro said this. "Besides, there's nothing between me and her, not like that; she just thinks there is."

Marumaro snickered. "I don't know about that, maro... I think you like her, maro."

"W-what!?" Shu's face turned crimson. "Th-that isn't true!"

Marumaro rubbed his chin, still smirking. "I think it is, maro. Why else would you be blushing, maro! Admit it, maro: You like Bouquet, maro!" He pointed at Shu.

"I don't!" Shu practically wailed. "She's annoying... She's always going on about how we're each other's fiancé and one day we're gonna get married..."

"I wish I had a girl like that, maro..." Marumaro sighed dreamily.

"That's because you're weird and you're always chasing girls. Marriage isn't like that in my village," Shu folded his arms and closed his eyes. "Me and Kluke were brought up to believe that marriage is something sacred, not to be taken lightly."

"Me neither, maro." Marumaro's voice had become quiet.

"Really? I would've totally guessed." Shu said sarcastically, his arms folded behind his head.

"Marriage for a Devee is always arranged, maro," he spoke like he'd heard it a thousand times. "Once you're married, you stay with your partner for life, whether you like it or not, maro. It'll be the same for me, maro."

Shu's hands dropped. "Marumaro..."

"My parents have already chosen who I'm going to marry, maro. And we hate each others guts, maro."

"That's horrible."

Marumaro shrugged at this. "Not really, maro. It's one of the reasons I left home, maro; as long as I can see my parents and my siblings every once in a while, I don't really care, maro. I prefer traveling, anyway, maro," he smiled now. "It's the best kind of freedom, maro."

"So when you do all that perverted stuff you do, it isn't serious?"

" 'Course not, maro. I'm not so cruel as to lead a girl on, maro."

Shu sighed. "I still think it's awful. You should be able to marry who you want."

"Shu, look at me, maro," he continued when Shu did as he asked. "Whether it's Bouquet or Kluke or some other girl, when you decide who it is that you love, never let them go, maro. Hold on to 'em for both of us, maro." he grinned.

"Okay," Shu nodded, a small smile spreading across his face. "Thanks, Marumaro."

"..so I think this will turn out better than you doing the cooking right now. It's better to start out small, anyway. Oh, that reminds me; did you follow the instructions I gave you last night?"

"Um..." Kluke really didn't know how to tell her that she'd collapsed.

"Did you even look at the book?"

"N-no..."

Helen sighed. "Alright. We'll have you do some work, and then you can read during your break."

"Okay." Kluke nodded.

"So, come on over here," Helen went to stand in front of the conveyor belt. "Now, like I explained earlier, this chocolate isn't as good as the ones we make by hand. But we can get them out more quickly this way, so we use higher quality ingredients to make up for it. Anyway, what you're going to be doing is wrapping them. It's pretty easy; you just grab them and do this," she wrapped it quicker than Kluke could blink, than tossed it after the other ones going down the line. "And that's all there is to it. You have to be fast, though; things can get really messed up down the line if too many go by without being wrapped."

"What happens?" Kluke asked nervously.

"It's an issue with the machine. There had even been an accident when the store first opened. Don't worry about it, though; just focus on getting them done and you'll be fine."

"O-okay... Do you think you could show that to me in slow motion?"

Helen laughed. "Sure."

Marumaro sighed. He wanted to go and look for some girls really bad. But, instead, he was stuck on this dumb line. It wasn't helping his mood that Shu was freaking out about the cold, even though they were inside.

Shu cursed out loud. "It's too cold! I can't take this!"

Another sigh. "Shu, it won't take that long, maro. Besides, Zola asked us to do this, maro. You don't want to make her mad, do you, maro?"

"Zola won't get mad if I leave! It's too cold in here!"

"Shu, people are starting to stare, maro!" Marumaro whispered harshly.

"Next."

"Please, Marumaro... Just tell her I was here."

"Next?"

"No, I am not going to tell Zola you were here, maro! If I can't go look at girls, you can deal with a little chill, maro!"

"Next!!"

"Huh?" Shu looked over from where he was fighting with Marumaro.

"If you're not on line, then please stand off to the side." The pharmacist was glaring at them.

"Come on, maro." Marumaro tugged on Shu's wrist hard.

"I presume from that little episode that you're the ones who came for the SCI medicine?" he said, a little sarcastic.

"Yeah, maro," Marumaro was standing on the tips of his toes, desperately trying to see over the counter. "Can we have some, please, maro?"

"Well, I'm afraid to say, but we're all out."

Kluke giggled. "I was worried this was going to be a big deal... But, actually, it's not so bad."

After had Helen had shown her more slowly, it was easy to see how the wrapper went on, and it had been a breeze from there. She'd even been so confident in Kluke that she left her to do it by herself; they had a special shipment coming in anyway.

The shipment was very fragile, so almost all of the workers would be needed to get it inside quickly. Helen had been relieved that Kluke was there, since the machines probably would've had to be shut down if she wasn't.

"At this rate, I'll learn how to cook in no time. Then I'll beat Bouquet for sure!" Just the thought of it had put her in a good mood.

"Help!" someone yelled from outside.

"Oh, no," Kluke dropped the candy she was working on. "Someone's in trouble!" She sprinted towards the door, bringing out Phoenix only halfway, mostly a charge; if it wasn't that big of an emergency, she didn't want to reveal her Shadow without a good reason.

Outside of the store, she saw that everyone was trying to hold up a crate; apparently, some of the cables holding it down had snapped. Hoping that she had enough strength, Kluke ran over to help.

"Kluke!" Helen yelled when she had started trying to push the crate up. "What are you doing here?"

"It sounded like someone was in trouble, so I came to help!"

"I know, but the machine-"

As if on cue, there was an explosion.

Cliffhanger, anyone? Okay, I don't know if it's much of one... This is one of my first stories, if not the first, remember? Anyway, next time we'll check up on Bouquet and Jiro back at the inn, then see how Marumaro and Shu will deal with the new problem at the pharmacy. And make sure that everything's okay with Kluke, of course. ;) Once more, I'd like to deeply apologize for last chapter, and please let me know if it needs to be changed again. *insert more crying here* Well... Let me know what you think of this chapter. Chapter 9 should be up a little while after this one reaches the 10 hit mark. See you then. :)