DISCLAIMER
Sorries everyone!!! T.T I know, you've haven't seen a brand new chappie in many months... Sooo here it is!

Chapter XXIX: Things Looking Up

Rose's P.O.V.

"Man... That's got to be tough," Ryan said after the long story of why it's my fault with the portals, starting from the beginning of why I am what I am now (leaving out the part of what started my journey in the first place...). "Sounds like me on some parts, though."

"You thought you were human too, right?" I ask.

"Yeah, exactly." The fire pretty much went out, being that it isn't night anymore, but now morning. So why bother to keep it going? "Our lives got thrown into this chaos for some reason."

"Yeah... But I guess it is something to keep me busy from thinking too much, maybe."

"Thinking? What, like depressing things?"

"Something along those lines, yes..." Giving a sigh, I close my eyes as I feel my stomach tighten again from hunger. Ryan laughs as he hear my stomach saying 'Feeeeeed meeeeee', but he suddenly stops and looks around. "What is wrong?"

"A bunch of noises comin' this way," he said as he stands.

"...Oh boy... I recognize some of that noise..." I said as I groan. "Prepare for me to be tackled..."

"Eh?"

"I FOUND HER!!" Ebony's voice shouts out as she bursts out of the tree line, stopping enough to catch her breath.

"Okay, maybe no-" I start to say, before Ebony DID tackle me to the ground, hugging tightly. "Eb! Choking, not breathing!"

The rest of the guys eventually show up in time to watch me struggle out of Ebony's grasp with Ryan's help.

"Ho boy, another weirdo," Hararu said with a slight bored look.

"You're one to talk..." I grumble as I finally get free of Ebony's Death Hug.

"Where'd that creep go?" Ebony asks as I stand up shakily.

"See that tree behind me? That would be him from now on," I said as I jab a thumb in the air, to the tree.

Many people gap at me.

"Think they're in shock, or just going to assume it's a joke at first?" Ryan said in a whisper, making me give a slight smirk.

"Hard to tell - Their jaws are hanging open, so their faces are hard to read," I said amusingly.

"So, who's this now?" Ebony said cheerfully, obviously over the tree thing now as she bounds over to Ryan and peer into his face.

"This is Ryan. He found me after the battle," I said as Ryan waves a little.

"Ahhhh, so I better give ya a hug, too!" Ebony said as she grins and leaps at him, hugging him tightly around the neck.

"Gah!! Choking, not breathing!"

—

Explaining all that I can remember of the fight, most of the others shut-up and listened in most part. It interests Sesshomaru and the other fighters when I reach when Rine couldn't continue on after an attack even I don't know, and to when I released an attack that I never known before.

"Things are unlocking within you," Myoga states as he cross his four arms. "Without training, though, I fear you won't continue making so much progress."

"Oh, and I am to train under a flea?" I growl jokingly, but he somehow took me seriously and jump onto Ebony's shoulder.

"I am not suggesting anything!"

"Stupid, she was joking with that growl. Even I can see that!" Inuakki scrowls, making a few people laugh.

"Ahem…" Myoga tries to regain his composer as he hops back down to the log. "But you see my point, right?"

"Yes, I do. But I cannot really ask my ancestor to help me out, being dead," I said with a small shrug.

"But we have other fighters to help."

"They can only help with homing my physical skills, which I pretty much lack, due to never having to fight for my frickin' life… I believe I would be a waste of time."

"Rose, stop doin' that!" Ebony said.

"Well, it is true."

"No it isn't, numbskull!"

"Hmph…" I instantly cross my arms and just give her a cold look. I'm not going to ask childish, not if I can help it.

"Now THAT'S scary," said Trila, laughing lightly.

I can only glare at her even more, making her laugh even more.

"So as it is, she needs to train to get stronger, doesn't she?" Ashitaka said questioningly.

"Well, that is the point, isn't it?" said the flea demon.

"Then we should help out with this," Jake suddenly speaks up. "We're all involved, whether we like it or not. With all that's suddenly happening, it's all for some reason."

(Prince Jake is correct with this. We will need to prepare for whatever is coming, and doing so will help with Rose's training.) Ax stamps a hoof into the dirt. (I am prepared to do what I may under my prince's orders.)

"Hmph. So whatever bastards comin' our way will be after da weird girl?" Barret huffs again. "Then it's Shin-Ra all over again. I'd say we beat 'em all off, or else we'll never have peace."

"Bold words from a human," said Sesshomaru.

"'Ey, we saved our Planet time and again and we'll do that again while helping out with da weirdo."

"Nice to be put as such..." I sigh. Ryan lightly pats me on the shoulder sympathetically, though it mostly made me roll my eyes.

"Looks like we have Barret's approval," Ebony said with a laugh. "Think you'll be whipped into shape in no time, Rosie?"

"Gee, oh joy..." But I have to admit, with all of this support, I might just have a chance at helping once I get help myself. I just hope I'm not a lost cause to the others.

---

3rd Person's P.O.V.

"I think it's time for a break, Lord Sesshomaru," Myoga said on the said man's shoulder. Rose is kneeling on the ground, exhausted from all the fighting each person brings to her to accomplish. She already got to avoiding bullets Barret had her dodge, Ashitaka and San with her wolf brothers attacking from all directions and not letting up until Rose finally got Ashitaka pinned and with the stick she was handed for her weapon against his neck. And THEN she had to fight off Link sword-on-sword (Kadaj had lent her his, being that she only has a rod with spikes sticking out of the tops), finding it more difficult than she originally thought. Once Link had enough, Sesshomaru decided to fight against her himself at last, giving her quite a fight that she now knows that he's holding back much than he would in a real fight.

"Hm. I believe she does deserve some rest time," Sesshomaru said almost thoughtfully as he sheathes his Toukijin sword. Just as soon as he turns away from her, Rose collapses onto the ground, growling at anyone that asked how the training went.

"I believe Rose is getting sick of this," Ebony giggles as she and Ryan help Rose to a hut where she could rest.

"Oi vey, I'd be too! Considering that she's fighting against experienced fighters, at that!"

Rose can only growl again in agreement as she rolls onto her side as soon as she got onto the floor with straw as cushioning.

"Looks like she doesn't wanna talk," said Ebony as she smiles big before leaving the hut, Ryan following her out.

"Think she'll be okay?"

"Yeah. She won't sleep, but she isn't going to get up any time soon."

"Heh. I don't think she expected every hero here to fight with her. I know all of them were being easy on her."

"She knows that, and that's another thing that's irking her the most. She must be thinking that the only way for her to get better is if everyone fights the best they can, making it almost impossible for her to beat them."

"Unfortunately, if they all were fighting their best, she wouldn't have lasted long," Ryan points out.

"True, true."

They both laugh lightly while sitting on the ground. All around, people are doing something to train themselves, even if it's in creative ways. Like Yugi and his friends learning to combine cards for a better effect (quite entertaining as Jaken constantly tries to hide behind Sesshomaru or something).

"It'd be nice to be normal I bet, for her anyway," Ebony sighs.

"You think?" Ryan laughs. "I sometimes wish I'm normal."

"Oh yeah, you're sorta like Rose, ain't ya?"

"Yup. Who knew I'd be a jaguar youkai?"

"Rose didn't expect to be any demon, and she ends up being what she loves most; a white cheetah, but a demon."

"Hm..." He glances thoughtfully at the hut. "She said she can control portals, doesn't she?"

"Yup, though she still doesn't really have any more control over it than when she first used it, us escaping the jets."

"Jets?"

"Yeah, government jets. Makes no sense, really, since they've responded much faster than they should have. It was almost like they were waiting for us to show up."

"Well, if that was true, then our planet may not have been any safer for us."

"That would suck, so much."

"Wouldn't you be better off, though? As far as I know of, you're a normal enough of a human, right?"

"Pretty much, yeah. But I dun know, I did escape with her, so maybe I wouldn't have been any better. Probably be questioned about Rosie, about everything."

"True enough."

They continue on to chat a little, while Rose is fighting to stay awake.

'This really sucks… This proves that I need to get much stronger…' she thought while stretching as best she can laying down. 'But I am not going to give up… I will become more powerful!' Easier said than done for this person, though…

Yayies, it's now updated. I know it's rather short, but I have to get started somewhere, right? Hope you liked it!