Maaan...I was hoping I could get this posted the day I left, but I had no time. Mom wanted to go out to eat and didn't warn me...so I didn't get to get online... THE PAIN!

Mihara: ...That's greaaat. Can we get to it, yet?

Me: ...Meh. Yeah.

vampireizzy: Tibarn is only Tibarn when Tibarn is a badass. Mwahaha! Also, I will think on the fluff between Shoen and Sylvia, but they will more than likely not wind up together since I already have someone planned for Shoen. Oooh, the times when I hate having to make the decisions! Thanks for reviewing!

TheSilverHairedMaiden: Wwwooowww, quite the reaction to the kiss, haha. Harmony will get a bigger role, believe me! And I'm just trying to slowly bring back in the other new laguz, since there's a real reason on why they're all there. Thanks for your review that was crazy as always!

Predator Drone: That's perfectly fine – short reviews give me just as much joy/inspiration! The Phoenics history was much like the summary of Successor, but there's many details I left out! (evil laugh) Thanks for reviewing!

Angel Of Darkness And Light: Yay, a new reviewer! I'm so happy you like it so far! For the Mihara and Reyson...well, let's just say I created two types of reviewers: die hard Mihara/Ranulf and die heard Mihara/Reyson. Sooo, I'm trying to make everybody happy. The epilogue idea was actually pretty interesting... I honestly hadn't thought of that. Maybe I'll have to think on that! Thanks for your idea and review!

Rem: Haha, you're the second one to say it sounded like Star Wars. Curse you, Anakin Skywalker and Luke moment! I'm glad you like it so far! Thank you for reviewing!

XxXxXxX

Chapter 30

Mihara pushed herself out of the snow, catching her breath. She glared up at Kyo. "You... You're the one Ashera told me about."

Kyo narrowed her eyes. "I fought the Hawk King, who lived up to his name. I fought his son, who was slightly a disappointment. I have yet to fight the daughter."

She hissed, "What are you doing here?"

"I believe I just told you. I am here to fight you. Are you your father's daughter, my lady?" Kyo drew forth his muramasa, aiming at Mihara.

She ruffled her feathers, getting the snow off of them, and she crouched, getting ready to move. "I want to believe I am. I also can't wait to sink my talons into you after what you did to my father and brother," she said with an evil smirk. Already, she was slightly losing control.

Kyo chuckled. "Violent, just like him, that's for sure." Then, without warning, he dove at her, raising the beorc weapon.

With barely any time to spare, Mihara leapt out of the way, taking to the air. She got blood flowing in her wings before shifting to her full form. Then, she shot at him, her talons aimed at him. Kyo turned and saw her coming and gave one strong beat of his large wings, dodging her. Mihara turned sharply and wrapped her talons around Kyo's muramasa. He grinned. "Very good. I must admit, I'm impressed."

"That's nothing," Mihara scoffed. "We're just getting started."

"Indeed. We are."

Kyo kept a firm grip on his weapon and quickly pulled it out, leaving a small cut on the bottom of Mihara's feet. She winced and backed away slightly from him. She then decided to try a different manuver – one that she had used to beat Vlas (her eye twitched) with. She flew at Kyo and he prepared to fend her off, beating his wings to meet her halfway. Just as they were about to clash, she dropped a few feet and gave a powerful wingbeat, which boosted her up. Just as she was about to dig her talons into Kyo's back, she was stopped by his muramasa. He chortled. "Ian told me all about your fighting style. Don't think that you'll beat me with such a cheap move, princess."

Mihara growled and backed off, watching him carefully. He then flew at her and swung his muramasa with great speed, causing her to go on the defense. He slashed towards her stomach, then her wings, and then her legs. She didn't stop moving, she just kept going backwards, evading the blade by mere centimeters. She couldn't help but notice that he was forcing her away from the castle and towards the fields and the small forest off to the side that bordered along the ocean. "What's wrong? Not going to call for help?" he taunted, stopping his assault momentarily when he had forced her a fair distance away from the castle.

"I don't need help to defeat you," she snapped. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're the one who's scared, pushing me all the way out here."

"This way, I have more room." He sheathed his muramasa. "I may not be losing this fight, but I feel like going all-out tonight." Before Mihara could even blink, he had shifted into his full dragon form.

"Whatever. Now it'll only be more embarassing when I beat you since I'll know you were giving it your all." She prepared to fly at him.

"I never dish it out half-heartedly."

XxXxXxX

Ike sighed and held his head in his hand. "Ranulf, if you keep pacing like that, I'm going to lose my mind."

"Then don't watch me," he snapped lightly. "I have a bad feeling. That dragon's scent is only getting stronger and I can faintly smell blood." He stopped pacing momentarily and looked towards the growing land they were approaching. A light bulb clicking, he slunk into his full form so that he could see farther. He scanned the edge of the land, not seeing a single moving thing. Until he looked farther out towards the direction of the fields. He saw the small forest, and just at its border, he saw a flash of light, which was a dragon's flame. For just a brief moment, with the light that the large blast of fire gave off, he saw a hawk dodging it as quick as it could. Only, this hawk was not Tibarn. It wasn't even male.

Mihara. Ranulf inhaled sharply.

He turned to Ike. "Ike, you didn't see that, did you?"

"Umm...what should I have seen?" he inquired, looking up from the deck floor.

"Nevermind. Ike, can you transport me with Ragnell and Alondite?" the cat warrior demanded.

Immediately, Ike shook his head. "No, Ranulf, I'm sorry. I don't have the energy to at the moment. Why? Did you see something?"

"...Yeah. It isn't Tibarn that's fighting the dragon..." Ranulf turned back around, searching for the female hawk again. "It's Mihara."

"...Wait, I think I heard you wrong." Ike stood, giving Ranulf a stern look. "I thought I heard you say that Mihara is fighting him."

"She is, dammit!" He growled lowly in his throat. "If I didn't have to scale the cliff, I'd be swimming right now..."

"Is Mihara in danger?" a female voice asked from behind the two.

The two heroes turned and saw Harmony standing there, a worried look on her face. "Is she?" she repeated.

"Who are you?" Ranulf narrowed his eyes. "Your scent is familiar, but I don't recognize you."

"It's a long story. But please, Ranulf, tell me! Is she in trouble?"

Ranulf gave her a suspicious look as he shifted back into his half-form. "You're really trying my patience. I'll ask you one more time. Who are you?"

"...You've met me before. I just didn't look like this."

Ranulf took a moment and focused on her scent. Then, his eyes widened with shock. "Mihara's Earth sister? What are you doing here? And...like this?"

Anger flashed in Harmony's eyes. "Ashera," was all she said.

"What?" Ike and Ranulf bellowed.

XxXxXxX

Mihara tsked as she dodged yet another round of Kyo's fire. The dragon demanded, "What about you digging your talons into me?"

"Oh, it's coming!" she yelled. "Just you wait!"

She charged at him, aiming her talons at Kyo's neck. However, the dragon moved faster than she thought. With a powerful beat of his wings, he elevated himself above Mihara. Just as she began to gain altitude to go after him, he grabbed ahold of the top of her wings with his great claws. A wave of panic rushed through her entire body. Was he going to break her wings?

Oh, hell no!

She screeched at him, trying to turn her head and snap at his claws with her beak. If Kyo was going to break her wings, he sure was taking his sweet time. On the other hand, Kyo had other plans.

He began to push her downward, keeping a firm grip on her wings. She thrashed around, trying to break free of his iron grip. He gained speed quickly, which frightened the hawk. She only had time to glance towards the swiftly-approaching ground before her legs were suddenly screaming in pain. It took a few seconds before she could register that she was laying on the ground in the snow. She groaned softly and attempted to get up. When she got to the point of standing, her legs shook tremendously and refused to support her. She looked back up and saw that Kyo was about to roast her without a second thought. She looked at the ground, and then her wings – which Kyo had just barely cut. Adrenaline pumped into her system as she pushed herself up as far as she could before beating her wings as best she could. She managed to get airborne just in time, for she felt the heat from Kyo's flame just below her. She gained more altitude before facing Kyo completely.

He glashed a smirk. "Well, now... How do you plan on attacking me when you can't even hold yourself up?"

"I can manage," she hissed through a set jaw, trying to ignore the insanely painful tingling in her lower limbs. "I'm not that fragile."

"All the more fun for me, then."

XxXxXxX

Bam, bam, bam!

Tibarn jerked slightly, abruptly waking from his deep sleep. He looked out the window, saw it was still plenty dark, and mumbled under his breath. As he stood, shirtless, he ran a hand through his loose hair. He cracked open his door to see an alarmed Ulki standing there. Tibarn frowned. "What is it?"

"I can hear something. I hear a dragon's wings, as well as another hawk's," Ulki reported. "And the sounds of combat."

This made Tibarn truly snap awake. "How close?"

"The fields, sir. Just outside the area of the forest."

"Who is the dragon fighting?"

"I'm not sure, sir. It sounds female, but the fighting is drowning out the voices."

Tibarn threw his door completely open. He went around Ulki and headed for his daughter's room, his 'ears' following silently. He knocked on Mihara's bedroom door. When he received no answer, he opened it. He saw Sylvia laying in the bed, sleeping like a log, but there was no Mihara. He smelled the air. The dragon had been near here. Behind him, he heard Ulki shift around, which caused him to turn his head. Before them stood an enraged Irea. Before either of the men could say anything, she whispered, "It's him again - the one who came after me."

Tibarn gave her a slightly suspicious look, but changed it rapidly. At the moment, he didn't care. When he went to move, Irea pleaded, "Your Majesty, please allow me to help you."

With only a quick glance at her, he said, "Whatever you wish. Ulki, would you wake Shoen? I'll go ahead and head out."

"Right away, Your Majesty."

Tibarn went back to his room and opened one of his glass doors. He threw himself out, shifting to his full form, flying towards the fields. Only when he was a short distance away from the castle, he caught another scent. He looked down towards the ground. Cat tracks? What is he doing here?

Ulki moved to go and wake Tibarn's son, but Irea insisted, "Wait, I'll get him! You can go ahead and help His Majesty!"

Without giving Ulki a chance to reply, Irea counted down from Mihara's room until she knew she was at Shoen's door. With no knock, she flung open his door and rushed over to his bed, where he was soundly sleeping. She tapped his shoulder. "My lord Shoen! Wake up!"

Shoen's eyes creeped open as he murmured, "Whaaat...?" Once he saw who the intruder in his room was, he jerked with surprised. "Whoa! What the hell are you doing?"

"My lord Shoen, Lady Mihara needs your help! King Tibarn has already headed out towards the field to help! It is the dragon laguz that attacked me, only he's after your sister this time!"

Shoen's eyes flashed dangerously. He threw his covers off and stood, Irea moving out of his way. Despite the situation, she flushed lightly. What was with Tibarn and Shoen? It was freezing outside and chilly in the castle, yet both slept shirtless? She couldn't help but note how muscular the laguz was as he headed towards his balcony. Recovering, she stuttered, "Wa-wait, my lord! His Majesty gave his permission to let me help! I can use lightning magic!"

"Will you be warm enough?" he inquired, opening his door and shifting once he stood outside.

"I'll be fine," she replied with a determined face.

"Fine. Come on, then."

XxXxXxX

Argh...! I'm only wearing myself out...

Indeed, Mihara was launching attack after attack at Kyo, but he wasn't hardly wearing out at all. Her injuries were also slowing her down, which sucked when she had to dodge his flame for long-range and his claws and teeth (and occasionally his tail) for close combat. She couldn't deny Kyo was an incredible fighter, but she wasn't about to lose to him. She dove in for another attempt, but he brought his claw back and batted her with it, as though she were a gnat buzzing around his head.

She recovered before she hit the ground. It was then that she caught an odd sight. Out in the distance, she saw a small black...blob moving towards them. Kyo saw that she was looking at something and narrowed his eyes. "Ah, well, well, well. I haven't fought the horse tribe before. I suppose I'll test their strength. But first...I'll finish dealing with you."

Mihara quickly refocused on Kyo, seeing as he was flying towards her again. She waited until he was just a few feet away from her before shooting off to avoid him. She flew closer towards the forest, trying to outfly him. A few seconds later, Kyo's claws wrapped around her right leg fiercely and pulled her back towards him. She couldn't suppress the cry of pain that escaped her. His claw quickly left her leg and wrapped around her neck. He squeezed and sighed. "Well, I must admit, I had fun. You lasted longer than I thought you would. But now...die."

Mihara couldn't breathe. She couldn't raise her talons to fight him off – they were too badly injured. Her world began to blur, and she heard someone's voice shout something – it wasn't Kyo – but she couldn't tell what the person had said. Suddenly, Kyo (or his blur) appeared so much bigger. It took a moment for Mihara to realize she had slipped back into her half-form from the lack of oxygen. Her chest began to hurt, and it felt like there was a great pressure on her entire body. Then, she felt air rushing around her. She was falling. Falling away from Kyo...away from the pain...

Then, bam!

She gasped and sucked in all the air she could. When her lungs were refilled, she opened her eyes and saw that she was now in the forest. Kyo must've dropped her...either thinking she was dead, or the horses had engaged him. Whatever. She was alive. She pushed herself up and realized how sore she felt. She groaned softly and rubbed her legs, which were still throbbing with pain. It didn't hurt as bad as a minute ago, but it was still pretty bad. She wiped her sweaty cheek with the back of her left hand. When she brought it back down, she saw that there was a streak of blood across it. It then clicked that her left cheek was damp and that around the damp area, it stung painfully. She must've gotten cut on her way down. She slowly tried to push herself off the ground. Suddenly, she heard the crunching sound of running footsteps approaching her. She narrowed her eyes and practically grumbled with aggravation. Was someone else coming after her now? She prepared to call forth what strength she had left to transform. However, the person was not foe. They appeared from behind the trees and Mihara saw none other than Ranulf of Gallia. She relaxed. He was panting for breath, his hands were clenched into tight fists, and his eyes shone with indescribable relief at the mere sight of Mihara, even though she was wounded. "R...Ranulf?"

"Mi...hara...?" he breathed, taking a step towards her, feeling like he was in a dream. Mihara nodded slowly. Then, her legs buckled from under her again. Ranulf quickly ran at her and wrapped his arms around her – just below where her wings connected to her shoulderblades – and he gently eased her down. "Mihara...? I just... I thought..."

"Ranulf...?" Mihara whispered. "You're shaking..."

"I'm...just... Mihara, I thought... I thought I'd lost you..." Ranulf spoke softly into her hair, wrapping his arms around her tighter, as if still trying to prove to himself that she was real.

"...No, Ranulf. I'm not going anywhere." Mihara winced once Ranulf's grip had gotten a little too tight. He immediately loosened his arms.

"Ah, I'm sorry..." he muttered, gradually releasing her. He leaned back and looked deeply into her tired golden eyes that looked back at him. Then, Ranulf brushed his fingers against her unscathed cheek before cupping it. He leaned in toward her again slowly. He lightly captured her lips with his, giving her an entirely passionate kiss.

Despite how the rest of her body felt, butterflies formed in Mihara's stomach and her heart pounded heavily. She closed her eyes and kissed him back, lifting her arms and wrapping them around his neck. She finally knew. She finally knew Ranulf's true feelings towards her. Obviously, she was responding. She loved him...with all her heart and soul. She couldn't picture anyone other than him. He was just so perfect...

When the two finally broke for air, they kept their foreheads touching. Ranulf looked lovingly into her eyes again. "Mihara...I love you."

She smiled gently. "I love you, too, Ranulf."

There were more crunches in the snow, indicating that the two would soon not be alone. Ike, Harmony, Mist, Nailah, and Volug then came into their view from the ground and Shoen, Irea, Ulki, and Tibarn came from the sky. All at once, everyone began speaking.

"Mihara!" Harmony cried with relief.

Mihara blinked, then exploded, "Harmony?"

"Ranulf..." Ike grinned, seeing he got to Mihara in time.

"Mihara-! ...Ike? Mist? Nailah, Volug?" Tibarn frowned.

"Tibaaarn...!" Ike chuckled sheepishly.

"Hey there, Tibarn." Nailah smirked, Volug bobbing his head.

Shoen glanced between Ranulf and Mihara suspiciously. "Mihara...?"

"Shoen...?" Mihara smiled innocently.

Tibarn turned his head towards the two, also. He raised an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes. "Ranulf..."

"Hey, whoa, now-!"

"What are you doing here-?"

"How are you here-?"

"Are you okay-?"

"Just what do you think you're-?"

"Damn it, Tibarn, calm down-!"

Ulki sighed and rubbed his temples.

XxXxXxX A little while later... XxXxXxX

"So, what happened to that dragon?" was the first thing Mihara asked while Shoen supported her (though she was getting her strength back) back towards the castle.

"Keenan and a few others of the horse tribe chased him off. Apparantly, they were stronger than he thought," Tibarn told her.

"Oh. Okay..." Mihara turned to Harmony. "What about you? You're here and you're an otter laguz!"

"She explained it to us," Ranulf inputted. "Long story short: Ashera used a gate she created with your bond and got to Earth. She...tested her powers, shall we say, on Harmony, to see if they were still working properly."

"That's-!" Mihara growled. "That's horrible!"

"Yeah... It was really out of the blue. I was feeding the horses, and then a storm blew in. That storm was pretty much her..." Harmony trailed off, then blinked at Mihara's puzzled expression. "What?"

"The...horses...?" she mumbled.

Harmony sputtered, "You...you don't re-remember them...?"

"There's a lot she doesn't remember," Tibarn muttered. "It was part of her choice to stay here."

"...Oh..."

"Now..." Tibarn turned to Ike, Ranulf, Mist, Nailah, and Volug. "What about you five? Why are you here?"

"My brother suggested we visit you," Mist informed the Hawk King. "Queen Nailah and Volug just sort of...tagged along."

"I see."

"You said that that was the dragon that attacked you?" Shoen asked Irea.

She nodded. "Yes. I honestly have no idea why, either."

"He attacked Dad and I, too." Shoen turned his gaze forward again. "He said that all he wanted was a fight..."

"That's what he told me," Mihara said. "He wanted to know if I was 'Dad's daughter'."

"Me, too..."

Tibarn sighed. "I just don't understand him. However, next time we meet will be our last. He isn't getting away from me a third time."

There was a small stretch of silence between the small group before Mihara murmured, "Shoen, I think I can walk now..."

The two stopped walking for a moment. While Shoen withdrew his arm from around her side, he inquired, "You sure?"

Mihara took a moment to test standing on her own. Her legs were sore and tired and she could feel her muscles twitching, but she could at least stand. "...Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks."

"Once we get back, I can heal you," Mist offered.

"I'd appreciate that, Mist." Mihara gave her a tired smile.

"By the way, Mihara..." Shoen glanced back at her. "Happy birthday."

"Oh, yeah!" Mihara and Harmony smirked and faced each other, telling each other, "Happy birthday!"

The others blinked with confusion.

XxXxXxX

"Oh, so this was also your birthday on...Earth, was it?" Ginia smiled. "I see! Happy birthday to you, as well, then!"

"Uh, thanks." Harmony chuckled sheepishly. She looked back at the Hawk King, then to Janaff, then to Ulki, to Ike, to Ranulf, Mist, Nailah, Volug, and then beginning over again, all giving her questionable looks. She apologized, "Sorry... This is still really strange..."

"I know. They're so a real lookin', huh?" Sylvia nodded, remembering how she felt when she first arrived to Tellius.

"Yeah. That's also what she said." Harmony gestured to Mihara.

While the group stood around in the infirmary while Mist healed Mihara's wounds, the sun was slowly beginning to peak over the horizon, colors dancing freely in the sky. Even though Mist had finished healing her a while ago, they made no real movement to go anywhere. Harmony then turned her gaze to Shoen. "So...this is your brother?"

The siblings nodded and Shoen added, "I'm Shoen."

Harmony thought for a moment, then pointed out, "Mihara, I thought you said he got killed."

"Well, at that time, we thought so. When I went back the second time, I didn't have the time to tell you."

"Oh."

"Oh!" Ginia suddenly cried, "Wait, I'll be right back-!" and she ran from the room.

Silence fell in the room as they stared at where Ginia had been been only seconds ago. Then, Tibarn, Shoen, and Sylvia all shared a glance and quickly excused themselves in the same manner as Ginia had. Nailah rolled her eyes. "Well, they're not obvious at all."

"Indeed," Volug muttered in agreement.

Ike cracked his knuckles. "I'm ready. Bring it on."

"Brother!" Mist scolded. "It's not even gonna be for you!"

"We're all friends here. We can share!"

"There won't be any left with you and Ranulf in the room," Janaff put in, Ulki cracking a grin beside him.

Mihara narrowed her eyes threateningly. "I'll fend you both off."

Ike made a pouty face. "Aww...not even...a little bite?"

She raised a challenging eyebrow. "I'm sure that means a monster bite."

Volug interrupted the two. "You are talking about cake, right?"

They both looked at him and nodded. The wolf laguz then inquired, "How does it taste?"

Irea looked at Volug with wide eyes. "Goddess! You've never had cake, Sir Volug?"

He shook his head slowly. "No."

Mihara pointed at Volug while looking at Ike and Ranulf. "Now, he can have a bite. That's just terrible."

The two grumbled under their breath. The door to the infirmary then opened again and Ginia walked in, singing a victory tune while she carried a simple, single-layered brown cake with matching icing. She had no candles on it, but she handed it to Mihara. "This is your birthday present from me! I shouldn't add this, really, but I've never made a successful cake before, but I have a good feeling about this one...!" She handed her a fork.

Mihara dug her fork into it and took a bite. She grinned at Ginia when she swallowed. "It's great, Ginia! Thank you!"

The raven woman sighed with relief. "I'm glad!"

"I get next bite!" Harmony called, taking Mihara's fork. She, too, praised the baker. "It's not even too rich," she added.

"Well, I suppose it would've been a disaster if you hadn't like chocolate flavor, but I took a wild guess since you liked the hot chocolate from before..." Ginia flushed a little. "I suppose I should've just asked..."

"It's fine." Mihara laughed. "You're weird, Ginia."

Tibarn then opened the door from the outside. He gave Ginia a teasing look. "I told you she would like it."

"You only say that because she hasn't keeled over yet..." she mumbled.

"I doubt I will." Mihara snatched the fork from her Earthling sister and took another bite.

Tibarn glanced behind him, then moved out of the way and held the door open. Sylvia walked in, bearing a book in her hands. Mihara gave Harmony a quick glare as she handed her the cake so she could see what Sylvia had. Her lightning mage friend handed it to her, the large book having a small red bow on it, standing out against the white cover. Mihara opened it and instantly smiled. Sylvia had taken the pictures she had brought from Earth and placed them into a scrapbook, having labeled most of the things. Mihara slowly looked at the pictures, flipping through the pages and reading their captions. She looked back up at her friend and stood, setting the scrapbook on the bed. She hugged Sylvia. "Thank you, Sylvia."

"No prob, girl. Happy birthday." Sylvia returned her hug. When they broke apart, Sylvia then sang a little fanfare and stepped aside.

Then, through the doorway came Shoen, bearing a large, well-made, polished cello and bow in his hands. Mihara went bugeyed as she looked back and forth between her brother, the instrument, and her father. "R...really...?"

"I remember you mentioning to me one day that you had been wanting to keep playing," Tibarn replied. "This is from both of us."

Hardly giving Shoen time to move the string instrument and its bow, Mihara threw her arms around him in a hug. "Thank you so much, Shoen!"

He cleared his throat, obviously embarassed. "Uh, yeah. You're welcome."

Mihara released him and then hugged Tibarn. "Thank you, too, Dad!"

"You're welcome, Mihara. Happy birthday."

When she let Tibarn go, she carefully took the cello from Shoen's hands and sat on the bed, positioning it in front of herself. "Let me see if I can remember how to play..."

She drew the bow across the strings slowly, playing a single note. She put her fingers across the strings and changed notes. With a smirk, she nodded to herself. She remembered. She played more notes, forming them into a mini-song with a soothing tune. She move the bow quicker, picking up the tempo, changing it into a more happy piece. She quickly stopped and chuckled. "Uhh, that's all I remember from that one... But anyway...I'll practice. Maybe I'll play a whole one for you guys one day."

"We'll look forward to it," Nailah answered.

Mihara gave a puzzled look to the Wolf Queen. "Oh...you'll come listen, too?"

"Of course."

"I will, as well." Volug sniffed the cake that Harmony handed out to him, eyeing it curiously.

XxXxXxX Later that evening... XxXxXxX

"...I'm sorry, Dad, but did I hear you right?" Mihara raised an eyebrow.

"I did not stutter, did I?" Tibarn replied with a stern tone.

"But you can't be serious!" Shoen snapped. "You can't expect us to just sit here like good little kids! Why will you not let us help?"

"And I still clearly remember all about Earth! I can help lead you around there!" Harmony inputted.

"Me, too!" added Sylvia.

"No," Tibarn growled. "I will not allow you to risk your lives for this."

"And why not?" Mihara grit her teeth. "You know we can hold our own in a battle!"

"That is not the point," he said. "We don't know what kind of tricks Ashera has up her sleeve..." he narrowed his golden eyes on his two children, "...and I will not lose either of you."

"Your Majesty, with all due respect, do you not believe that they are old enough to make their own decisions?" Irea inquired.

"They are still my children. I will not allow you to come along because I can protect you this way. I could not protect my mother, my father...Trinity, or Tristen... I couldn't protect my people. But it's different now – I can protect my people...and I can protect my family."

There was a moment of silence before Mihara grumbled under her breath, "I hate damned guilt trips."

Shoen glared at his father, not breaking eye contact. "I still don't care. You tell us to stay and I'll just eventually follow."

Naesala then sighed, long and hard. "I guess that's why I'm here, huh?"

"Really?" Sylvia scoffed. "A babysitter?"

"Hey, I don't like it anymore than you do," he muttered. "I could be doing other things – more important things -, but since you're all misbehaving little kids, I guess I have to watch you."

"Watch me?" Harmony looked insulted. "I'm twenty! I don't need a freakin' babysitter!"

"Well, technically, I'm twenty-nine..." Mihara droaned.

"Don't go into technicalities. It'll just give me a headache trying to figure it out..."

"Either way, my decision is final." Tibarn crossed his arm and looked at the laguz, beorc, and branded before him.

"Well, what about Mom?" Shoen reminded him.

-Mihara...-

Mihara jerked suddenly and glanced around, thinking she was going crazy when she heard the feminine voice. It took a few seconds to remember what her mother's voice sounded like. Ummm...Mom?

-That's right, Mihara. This way, I don't need as much energy from us to make contact.-

"Mihara?" Sylvia looked at her friend who was dazing off.

Mom...I want to help you. I want to help you so bad... You and Dad... But he won't let us!

-It's okay, Mihara. He's just scared. He'll never tell you that, but he is very easy to scare in matters like this. Besides, you and your brother can help me just by staying safe.-

But...Mom...

-Please, sweetheart. I don't want you to endanger yourself. Besides, when Ashera went to Earth, the power on the seal holding me weakened. I can talk to you more freely now.-

Mihara's features lightened. Then...! You can tell me how to turn Ashera and Yune back into Ashunera?

-...Bits and pieces. The curse is still in effect.-

Pieces are better than nothing! How, Mom?

-Okay... Listen carefully...-

"What is wrong with her?" Irea pondered, looking at Mihara's blank stare.

"It can't be her... She would be in pain," Shoen pointed out.

"It may be Yune," Tibarn suggested.

"Does this happen often?" Harmony blinked with confusion.

"Occassionally..." Shoen answered.

When Mihara then blinked, Harmony and Sylvia yelped. Tibarn's daughter looked at him and grinned. "Dad...I know what to do about Ashera."

XxXxXxX

What, you wonder, will be the way to take care of Ashera? In what way do the new laguz play a role? Will Naesala truly stand to "babysit" the others? Hmm...I guess you'll have to stay tuned!

Mihara: Don't forget to add "what the heck is up with this guy trying to kill me?"!

Me: ...Right. That, too.

Mihara: Hey...! Why do you sound so unconcerned?

Me: Don't worry, Mihara. You're, like, my favorite OC.

Mihara: Damn right.

Me: Hmm...what do you think about happen if I offered to readers to draw pictures of, like, Shoen?

Mihara: (rolls eyes) You'd probably get so many people freaking out and going fangirl.

Me: Ah, such an accomplishment, though!

Mihara: So, are you going to?

Me: Why not! Readers, if you want to, you can draw a picture of Shoen or whoever you want to. If they belong to me, just give me credit! In return, if you give me the link if you post it online, I will put it in my profile for others to check out.

Mihara: Riiight. Well, you guys know the drill! Please review!