This is a long one, done over many days of 'working on another thing' and 'hella laziness'.

But it's here, and I hope you enjoy!

Obligatory Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Fair Weather for a Field Test

Yu was on his back again, limbs splayed out around him and laying inert as he fought to catch his breath. The clouds above him were moving slowly, pushed along by the wind that had stirred up as practice went on, and he found their languid and repetitious movement soothing as the burn in his arms and legs eased. He caught a whiff of water mingling with the breeze, crisp and clean and strangely refreshing. He imagined more rain was on the way.

A face appeared over his own, and the world came back into focus as Rhysana idly chimed, "Stay down there any longer, and you'll sink into the mud.~"

Yu smiled tiredly, then pushed himself upright with his arms, ignoring the way they trembled with exertion. Hours had passed by now, the day fading to the afternoon, and Rhysana had relentlessly put him through his paces, testing his limits with every round they went. Unfortunately, her martial expertise and his lack of legitimate training meant she could pinpoints weaknesses in his swordplay and defenses, which she'd then exploit if he didn't cover them quickly enough. But even if he played his part to perfection, he was always the one to be knocked off his feet. It didn't help that as soon as he started to get her stratagems down, she'd switch up and press him even harder than before.

That wasn't to say he hadn't given Rhysana a hard time with it. He'd been able to break through her own defenses several times, landing pretty solid hits and on one occasion almost managing to trip her up as she became lax in her stance. She'd saved it, but he was pretty proud of the damage he had done, as well as the way her breaths came harder as fatigue ate at her. She was better of than he was, currently, but with some polish and more practice, Yu could see his skills rising to something that could pose a very real challenge.

He stood up, shivering slightly as the mud slicked against his bare skin. During combat, it wasn't so much of a bother, as he was actively moving around and working up a sweat. But in the lull between, it was just cold and gross feeling. He must be filthy by now, come to think of it . . .

His stomach gave a low growl, and he blushed a bit as Rhysana laughed, "Worked up an appetite, did you?"

"Well, I can't really deny what my stomach just said," he replied, scratching a finger along the underside of his jaw.

Her eyes twinkled, "Then I guess we'll just have to listen!"

Turning from him, she gestured for Rise to stop (she'd been practicing almost non-stop since they'd started. Poor girl looked beat) before waving to get Nyras' attention, "Hey, Nyras, let's stop for now! It's about lunchtime, anyway!"

The ranger nodded, speaking to Naoto as the girl took aim again. Naoto paused, then lowered her crossbow, sighing a bit as her shoulders relaxed.

It wasn't long until word spread, and soon they were all gathered at the edge of the field.

"Ugh . . ." Yosuke groaned, kneading his fingers into his shoulder with a wince. Mud caked his legs from the knee down, some of it smeared across his arms, and Yu could see a bruise forming along the edge of his chin, "Who knew someone so tiny could pack so much of a punch . . ."

"It's not your fault, you were just dealing with a devilish master of deception and misdirection! And a sexy one at that!" Tirin crowed heartily, sweeping a hand along his hair in a manner that was all about showing off. There may have been sparkles.

"You got 'devil' right . . ." Yosuke ground the words out through his teeth, glaring at the blonde.

Tirin smirked, "Ooh, is that the voice of envy I hear? You know, it's perfectly acceptable to admit it! Not everyone can be as good as me.~"

Yosuke pointedly looked away, and the gloaming laughed as he nudged Teddie in the ribs, "What about you? Satisfied with your training, cub?"

"Abearsolutely not!" Teddie declared, a petulant frown on his face as he gestured to his muck-covered self, "Look at me! I'm a travesty! My bearutiful silky locks and fair skin, lost beneath a mire of yuck! How will I attract the ladies now?!"

"Uh-huh," Tirin replied, sounding bored even though Yu could just see the faintly amused upturn of his lips, "Guess you'll have to bank on your charming personality to woo the lovelies of the world. Hm, no wonder your upset."

Teddie looked affronted, "Grr, I'll have you know-!"

Yu shook his head as the two started another spat. Oh no, it was already starting to become familiar . . .

"A-bear-solutely?" he heard Yukiko muse, eyebrows knit together as she pondered, "That doesn't flow very well at all . . ."

Next to her, Ylvaria giggled, "'Bearutiful'. And his name is Teddie! Is that where he decided to take his bear theme from?"

"You could say that," Yukiko replied, rolling her wrist out to ease away the kinks.

"Man, I'm beat . . ." Kanji mumbled some distance away, shoulder popping as he rolled it back, "Hope there's some food after this."

"Warriors fight best on full stomachs!" Korval gave his young other a swift pat to the shoulder, "Don't worry, we'll get some grub soon."

Next to them, Chie was the complete opposite of worn-out, grinning from ear to ear even as she ran her forearm across her forehead to wipe away the sweat, "Man, that was so great! We'll do it again sometime, right?"

Cahira smiled, looking pleased by her enthusiasm, "Course! But first, we eat. Doesn't do to work yourself to the point of starvation."

"Yeah, yeah! Back home, I had a whole schedule to go by to maximize efficiency! Oh, I also had meat gum too during reps. That helped," Chie responded, real deep in the mindset of 'training' by now and all too happy to enthuse over it with Cahira.

But now the monk was looking at her in puzzlement, head tilting slightly to the left, "Gum?"

"Uh, yeah . . . right . . ." Chie murmured, awkwardly sliding a hand through her hair despite the mud clinging to it.

"Be careful, Chie-chan, you don't want to smear the mud into your hair. It'll be a nightmare to get out otherwise," Rise put in helpfully, though she was cringing a bit at the brunette's plastered locks.

"Sage advice," Rhysana added with a nod and a smile, "I'd listen to it."

"Oh, uh, right!" Chie pulled her hand down, looking a little self-conscious as she shuffled from foot to foot.

"Alright, everyone settle down," Nyras ordered, and everyone quieted to hear what she had to say, "The rain will be picking up again soon, so we will have to call this an end for today. But I believe we can end it on a positive note; you all did very well. In fact, I'd say you surpassed our expectations with your performances."

Everyone's faces brightened at that.

"Really?" Chie asked, beaming proudly.

"Alright!" Kanji crowed, grinning now.

"Well, nice to know we weren't total disappointments," Yosuke added in his usual way, though there was a small gleam of satisfaction in his eyes as he spoke.

Yu smiled, feeling a bubble of contentment well up inside. True, they had a ways to go before they were on the Champions level, but hearing praise from them was oddly fulfilling. He and his friends weren't starting completely from scratch, after all, and it was nice to hear that recognized.

"Not disappointing at all, but don't think that doesn't mean you can't improve," Cahira chimed in, arms akimbo as she stared meaningfully in his direction.

"You guys clearly know what you're doin', but your form's are all clunky," Korval added, crossing his burly arms, "You're self-taught, aren't you?"

"W-well, yeah," Yosuke stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck, "Don't exactly have teachers for this kind of stuff where we live, you know?"

"Well, you have teachers now, and we're going to work with you until your styles are as polished as Tylasian silver!" Rhysana said with conviction, and Yu wasn't sure if he should be worried about that or not.

"If I may ask . . ." Nyras began, a curious spark in her eyes, "What exactly prompted all of you to teach yourselves in the ways of combat? By your own account, your world does not have the dangers inherit in our own."

Oh . . . there was the question. Of course Nyras would wonder why they knew how to fight at all.

Thankfully, Naoto stepped in with the save, "Our world doesn't have things like demons or dragons, its true, but it is still beholden to other dangers. We simply took it upon ourselves to learn some manner of self-defense, and it grew from there."

"Then why didn't you all just use guns?" that question came from Tirin, who had laced his hands behind his head and was watching with interest, "That seemed a lot easier to use, and more effective."

"Ah, that is because not everyone here has license to use one. My work as a detective and subsequent ties to the police gives me leave to carry one, and even then, I had to undergo training and a psychological screening before I was given my license," Naoto explained, alternating hands on her crossbow, the wood creaking slightly with the change.

"So instead we just picked styles we liked, like my sword and Yukiko's fan," Yu added, taking it up from there, "And practiced with those."

Nyras nodded, but there was a small frown on her face that Yu had seen before with Naoto. She either wasn't quite believing everything they said, or she did but knew they were . . . omitting a few details. Which, in any case, didn't bode well for the future. It wasn't necessarily a matter of not trusting them or anything, but more like he honestly didn't know how they were going to explain the concept of Personas and Shadows to them.

"Well, it's a good thing you did. It means all we have to do is fill in the holes with proper education!" Ylvaria said, a pleased look on her face. She clapped her hands together, "And even better, it may be that physical weapons don't have to be your only mode of defense!"

Yu's eyebrows furrowed at her words, his confusion deepening when Nyras perked up and said, "So I take it your test was a success?"

"With flying colors!" Ylvaria replied with a smile, "Unexpected colors, really. You should have seen it Nyras."

"Oh, oh, oh!" Yukiko was now up and practically quivering with excitement, running to Chie's side and clasping the girl's hand in barely contained enthusiasm, "Chie, Chie!"

"What, what is it?" Chie asked, looking bewildered.

Yukiko continued, speaking rapidly, "I have to tell you, you won't believe it! I have to tell all of you! We can-!"

"Why don't we tell them over food, first," Nyras interrupted her, lips twitched in amusement.

Yukiko faltered, looking between the ranger and her best friend with an almost pout before lowering her head, "Oh . . ."

"Soon," Ylvaria promised, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder, "But remember, we don't know if it applies to everyone."

"I guess I did get a little carried away," Yukiko admitted softly, looking a bit embarrassed, "Sorry."

Chie frowned at her friend, still bewildered and now very lost, "Um, what-?"

"At lunch," Ylvaria promised again.

Yu looked on, now very confused and wondering furiously over what sort of 'test' Yukiko had been given and why it had elicited such an excited response. Well, he guessed he'd find out at lunch. He guessed everyone who wasn't Nyras, Ylvaria, and Yukiko would find out, because he noticed the rest of the Champions were looking just as curious too, Tirin leaning over to whisper in Rhysana's ear and frowning when all she gave him in reply was a clueless shrug.

Except Korval and Cahira, who looked suspiciously knowing. Or at least suspicious. That didn't surprise him.

"What do you think they're hiding, dude?"

Yu glanced at Yosuke, who had crept up to his side and had tilted his head in his direction to speak more privately, looking at the group with puzzlement in his brown eyes. Yu shrugged, "We'll find out at lunch, apparently. Whatever it is, it must be good, otherwise Yukiko wouldn't be so excited."

Yosuke nodded, "True. I just wonder what- . . . hey, what's that?"

Yu quirked an eyebrow before following Yosuke's puzzled gaze to the edge of the training field, right where the trees began to grow in droves. The branches were rustling in the breeze, the soft swish of their leaves the only noise to be heard aside from the clang of swords some distance behind them. The occasional bead of water would percolate from their sodden tips and splash into the fading puddles below, the water lapping quietly around their roots.

But then he became aware of something shuffling among the foliage, soft splashes rising up over the pattering of the rain drops and the rustling leaves. Immediately, his muscles tensed in readiness, having been through enough crap in this world to know better than to relax. He peered closer, trying to catch a clearer view of whatever it was that was wandering the edge of the field, but he only succeeded in making his eyes hurt.

At least, until it tumbled away from the greenery and out into the open.

It was about the size of a large dog, with a body vaguely reminiscent of an alligator and a long, thick tail to boot. It's skin, however, was bark-like in consistency, with fresh algae and moss growing along it's back and tail like a furry mane. It's head was long and narrow, ending in a snapping beak of rough bark with chipped edges resembling teeth. Two hollow grooves along the side of its head served as what he guessed were the creature's eyes, even though they lacked actual eyeballs. The entire creature was like a wood carving come to life, though he imagined it's bite was worse than the bark of it's flesh, especially when two others stepped out on either side of it.

"What is that? What are those?!" Chie demanded as she instinctively dropped into a crouch, everyone having caught sight of them by now.

"M-m-more mean tree things?" Teddie asked, taking a scared and wary step back.

"Those . . . oh, those are nothing," Rhysana said, idly brushing a lock of hair over her shoulder. She looked remarkably relaxed about this.

In fact, all the Champions did, now that he looked. Tirin was even yawning! He felt that that was a bit unnecessary.

"Those are common vermin in these parts. They like to root through the town's food stores and dig up the villagers crops," Nyras explained, watching the three with a calm stare, "They are easy to drive off, though."

Said vermin had sighted them by now, and were all growling and spreading their claws in a threat display to scare them off, mossy manes shaking as their bodies vibrated with every gurgling grunt.

"Still, it would be a problem if they got inside," Ylvaria added in, almost like an afterthought to the conversation as she watched the creatures.

"So shouldn't you be doing something about it?" Yosuke demanded, looking cross and worried at the same time, eyes flicking from their counterparts to the creatures.

As soon as the words left his lips, Rhysana's eyes began to sparkle, "Well, we would. But, I think in light of how well you've done, you should have the honor of keeping the quite town of Bailsborough safe!"

All eyes turned on her, stunned.

"Huh?" Kanji was staring.

"Really?" an excited gleam had appeared in Chie's eyes.

"Yes, really," Cahira cocked her head in the creatures direction, "I say you can handle a few little pests no problem."

"You really think we can?" Rise asked softly, giving a worried glance in Yu's direction.

Her concerned gaze reminded him that he'd only just recovered from almost dying mere hours ago. He'd . . . rather not repeat that.

"Sure!" Korval chipped in, "They'll put up a bit of a fight, but after you give 'em a few good thwacks, they'll know who's boss."

"Consider this another part of your training," Nyras said.

"Besides, every adventuring band has to start somewhere," Rhysana added cheerfully, giving her counterpart an encouraging squeeze, "And it usually starts small. And don't worry about your lack of experience. Just remember what I taught you and you'll be fine."

Rise pursed her lips, but nodded, unwilling to stand on the sidelines and wait. The creatures were shuffling closer, still growling, beaks clacking together with a rattling sound vaguely similar to jostling bones. It wasn't a nice sound.

"So just go in there and show them what for already!" Tirin shouted, shoving both Teddie and Yosuke forward, "Go on, go grizzly!"

"Hey, that's my catchphrase!" Teddie protested.

"And quit pushing!" Yosuke shouted.

"I say we do it!" Chie yelled, eyes sparkling at the prospect of battle, the same way they used to in the tv world.

"I'm with ya on that!" Kanji agreed, cracking his knuckles, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm tired a bein' pushed around."

"We'll knock them out with one strike!" Yukiko declared resolutely, snapping her fan open with a forceful flick of her wrist.

There was a sharp click as Naoto redrew the string of her crossbow, sliding a bolt in place and saying, "Still, exercise caution. It wouldn't do for any of us to get injured over our own foolishness."

"I think we know that already," Yosuke put in, flipping his knives into his hands in a ready stance. Already, Yu could tell he was more confident with holding them, giving one a twirl as he turned to Yu with a half-grin, "What do ya say, Partner?"

Yu smiled in return, the energetic aura of his friends giving life to his own somewhat sore muscles and making his heart burn with the familiar heat that came right before a battle. Drawing his sword, he took a step forward so he stood ahead of the party, the chill of the mud fading as he focused his attention on their new opponents, "Let's do it!"

At once, everyone fell in line beside him, easily falling into the same routine they'd grown accustomed too. Yu felt a quick surge of emotion, finding both strength and comfort in the motions he'd become familiar with and the quiet support that needed no words.

Rise chimed in from the back, sword in her hands and body in the stance Rhysana had drilled into her over the past few hours, "Okay, Senpai, if you're sure."

"Just give the word, leader," Yosuke added, knives up.

Yu was already planning out their course of action in his head. The creatures, seeing weapons drawn, had stopped stalking forward, now standing shoulder to shoulder as they waited for them to make their moves. The one at the center was slightly bigger than the others, while the other two were lither, and undoubtedly quicker.

Alright . . . "Chie, Yukiko, you focus on the one on the left. Kanji, Naoto, you take the right. The rest of us will focus on the one in the middle."

"Right-o, Sensei!" Teddie said, nodding determinedly.

Two hard-hitters offset with some ranged cover and the rest overwhelming the third . . . solid enough without the use of their personas. It also allowed him to keep an eye on Rise. He knew there were several stupidly powerful people behind them and watching careful, but he wasn't going to leave anything to chance.

Murmurs of affirmation were made, but if anyone did dislike the plan, they didn't get a chance to say so, for the two creatures flanking the leader suddenly gave hollow, yelping barks and shot forward.

A bolt went flying, hitting the right one in the snout and splintering the bark as it lodged itself under its eyehole. At the same time, a fan fwipped passed his head and cut across the length of the other one's back, pieces of moss fluttering to the floor.

Kanji and Chie both stepped up at the same time, barring the oncoming creatures path before they could come any closer. With an embattled cry, Kanji swung his hammer and nailed his opponent in the jaw, hitting it hard and making it stumble sideways as it struggled to stay on its feet. The other one was met with a fast and furious spin kick, it's leg giving out beneath it as the knobby joint of its knee buckled under the blow.

"Now!" He shouted, charging towards the leader while the others were occupied.

Yosuke, Teddie, and Rise fell in step beside him, following fearlessly even as the lead vermin hissed and lunged at them.

Yu jumped to the left, coaxing the creature into turning with him by delivering a sharp nick to its hide. He leaped back as it snapped at him, avoiding its beak as Yosuke and Teddie both came at its other side. They delivered a few quick slashes, clumps of moss and matted weeds fluttering to the ground. Growling, it sharply jerked its hips and lashed its tail out, sweeping the broad appendage over the floor. Both were quick enough to dodge, but Teddie's foot caught in the mud, tripping him onto his back with a cry.

Yu lunged forward as Yosuke went to cover the bear, driving his sword into the juncture of its shoulder, the wound spurting no blood as he pulled it free. It hissed again, and as it swiveled its head to face him, Rise took a chance and pounced at it herself.

In a great stroke of luck and timing, the tip of her sword caught it right in one of its eyeless sockets, driving the blade in almost halfway up the blade. But the beast reacted before she could pull it out, shaking its head and wrenching the hilt from her hands, leaving her defenseless. With a sideways thrust of its head, the creature's beak caught Rise in the gut and knocked her to the ground, "Ah!"

Yu was on it immediately, slashing his blade in a sharp upward slice that cut deep into the creature's neck. At the same time, Yosuke attacked, driving both his daggers up to the hilt in the creature's back.

The thing wailed once, then spun around and darted away, putting a good chunk of space between itself and them. Once it neared the tree line, it looked back, snuffling and growling but making no move to attack, Rise's sword still sticking out of its eye.

Another cry went up, and Yu spun around just as two more shapes darted passed him, fleeing to join there leader even as Kanji and Chie gave chase. They stopped when they reached Yu's side, breathing hard but looking victorious as the two beasts fled.

Panting slightly, he reached out to help Rise to her feet, the girl smiling appreciatively as she took his hand.

Everyone had gathered around him now, facing off with the three wounded creatures with no pretense of holding back if they came again. Yu held his sword up, emboldened by their victory, but tempering it with caution so he didn't blindly charge forward and do something they all came to regret.

"Had enough yet?" Kanji demanded, face twisted into an embattled scowl, waving his hammer threateningly, "Huh?!"

"You'll scram if you know what's good for you!" Chie shouted, punching a hand into her open fist.

"Now shoo!" Yukiko put in sternly.

From the back, Rise quietly spoke up, tone a touch embarrassed, "Uh, guys, can I get my sword back first?"

Oh right . . .

"What do you mean 'oh right'? Senpai, did really already forget?"

Oops, had he said that out loud?

Luckily, he was saved from having to explain himself when the three creatures all gave a simultaneous shudder and collapsed into a pile of inert and lifeless wood.

Or maybe it was more like 'unlucky'.

"Huh?" several of his friends murmured in unison, everyone staring in baffled surprise.

"What . . . is that supposed to happen?" Yosuke asked, fingers tensing around the hilt of his daggers.

"Don't let your gaurd down," Yu ordered quickly, anticipation knotting in his stomach. Who knows what anything was capable of in this world.

He was glad he gave the order when a moment later the wood along the things moss laden backs crack open, and a fine green mist rise up from the wounds, merging into a singular cloud that shimmered like emerald dust despite the lack of light. The minute motes flitted and twirled around each other, and Yu's eyes widened as they all concurrently pressed together into a singular and solid shape.

An unerringly beautiful woman was what floated before them, her skin the color of a dusk-lit amber and her eyes as rich as mahogany wood. Her long sable hair was wild and twined with shoots of grass and tiny wildflowers, blooming vibrantly against the black, and her clothes were little more than curling vines and leaves that left very little to the imagination. Yu swallowed, not knowing where to put his eyes even as they were continuously drawn back to her attractive face.

She laughed once, a joyous sound that brought to mind untamed forests and sunlit groves, before her body faded to mist once more and vanished back into the trees. As it departed, the three wooden figures the woman had been inhabiting began to glow with a green aura, their forms disappearing in a light that blossomed out into three lovely patches of lush flowers. Rise's sword lay at the heart of the central patch, with not a scratch to mar its surface.

For a few moments, all anyone did was stare after where the woman (if that was what she was) disappeared.

Teddie was the first to break it, "W-Wowza! Now that was one bear-utiful babe!"

Yosuke coughed slightly, and Yu didn't have to look to know his friend was blushing furiously, "Y-yeah . . . s-she was something . . ."

"Y-Yosuke, you pervert, why can't you keep your eyes down when things like this happen?!" Chie demanded, a definite quaver in her voice that said 'flustered' and Yu had to wonder if she was trying to cover it up by yelling at the other boy.

Said boy was shouting back now, "W-well, shit like this doesn't usually happen, and you're blushing just hard as I am, so you have no room to talk!" there was a quiet pause, then, "Wait, why are you blushing . . . ?"

"Shut up!"

There was a sharp thwack, followed by Yosuke's pained and choking cry that ended in a thud. Drawing a breath and deeming the 'pest' situation contained, Yu finally turned around, trying to ignore the burn on his cheeks as he assessed the situation.

Yosuke was on the ground (no surprise there), a fuming and flustered Chie standing over him, her arms crossed and eyes pointedly turned away.

Yukiko was next to her, face a cross between flummoxed and embarrassed as she mused, "How did they even stay on?"

He . . . wasn't going to ask her what she was talking about.

Teddie, meanwhile, had begun walking towards the tree-line, only to falter as Rise grabbed the cuff of his armor and snapped, "Oh no you don't!"

"But-!"

Teddie's whining was cut off by the Rise's shout, "No! You're not going after some creepy forest spirit with a storm on the way! Stay put!"

Teddie whimpered, looking forlornly after where the woman had gone, voice verging on dramatic tears, "Farewell, my beautiful forest nymph. Our love was not meant to be . . ."

"Kanji-kun, are you alright?" Naoto's voice made him turn his head, the concern in her voice making him anxious in turn.

It went away when he saw that Kanji had hunkered down and turned his back, face deliberately pointed in any direction where there wasn't people. He waved a hand at Naoto in an effort to get her to go away, voice muted, "M'fine, just go."

"Are you sure. You're face was rather-"

"I said m'fine, damn it!"

"O-oh. I see . . ." Naoto respected his wishes and backed up, looking puzzled by the outburst as well as . . . well, a little hurt. Yu really needed to help Kanji with his tact.

He sighed. Yu loved his friends dearly, but he had to marvel at how quickly their cohesion could fall apart in the face of truly bizarre and unexpected crap. He took comfort in the fact that if the situation had truly been serious (which it wasn't, thankfully), this sort of thing would never happen.

"Well, I'd say that was a splendid performance, wouldn't you agree Nyras?"

Yu's gaze shifted to the champions, who had come to stand before them and were now watching the unfolding drama with marked amusement. Ylvaria was even sniggering. Rhysana, on the other hand, was beaming, looking quite pleased as Nyras answered her question with a quick nod, "Indeed. Your level of teamwork and cooperation is quite exceptional, more than I would expect for those who have never taken up the calling of adventurer. Although it did fall apart at the end there . . ."

"S-she kicked him! She kicked him, and he went down! I-it's so funny!" Ylvaria's ramblings devolved into a fit of laughter.

Ah . . .

"And you know how to divide the work already!" Cahira added, arms akimbo and grinning, "That'll save us a lot of time!"

"As well as the fact that you already have a designated leader," Nyras finished, crossing her arms, face level despite the amused upturn of her lips.

"But come on, does that part really surprise us?" Tirin turned the question to his companions, holding his arms up with elbows bent and palms facing the sky.

"Nope, not at all.~" Rhysana said, folding one arm under her chest while pressing her other hand against her cheek, looking wistfully at Yu.

He fidgeted a little under her gaze, keeping it to only a slight curling of his fingers, and he wondered if their words were some sort of weird, back-handed compliment. Also, if he was reading the subtext correctly . . . it seemed his counterpart was also the leader here. Maybe it wasn't unsurprising, but . . . well, Yu wondered if their styles were similar. After all, what they'd been fighting against certainly hadn't.

Not to say he . . . didn't like the idea of talking about it with him. Whoever 'he' was here.

While that was going in, Korval had stomped over to Kanji and pulled the boy to his feet, giving him a few good swats on to the back that made Yu wince just listening to it, "Good job on that last swing! Woulda tripped you up if you hadn't side-swiped it like that."

"Uh . . . thanks . . ." Kanji muttered back, still not looking up.

From the ground came a muffled groan, and Yu glanced down at Yosuke, feeling a surge of pity. Although, in a flash of thought that Yosuke would have called betrayal, he noted that it had been a while since Chie had last given the boot.

Reaching down, he helped the other boy back to his feet, "You okay?"

Yosuke cringed, face pained, "I-I'll be . . . okay. Just give it about ten more minutes for the pain to go away."

"So, uh, are any of you going to tell us what that thing was?" Chie asked, looking desperate for answers.

"Oh, that was a nymph," Rhysana replied with a wave of her hand, as casual as the breeze.

"A . . . nymph," Rise echoed, eyes gradually widening.

"Mhm," Rhysana's eyes sparkled, a story brewing in her eyes, "This forest is a haven for fae of all sorts! Especially since its been blessed by the goddess Elohira!"

"Huh? Fae?" Kanji stood up now, and ooh yes, that was definitely a bloody nose.

"Eugh, Kanji!" Rise admonished, scowling.

"What?!"

"Fairies, nymphs, dryads, all those things are called fae here," Rhysana explained, ignoring their verbal spat. At least, until she tugged out a small, silky handkerchief from her belt and held it out to the boy, "And clean yourself up, sweetheart. Its not polite to bleed in front of ladies."

Kanji scowled at her, obviously hearing the jibe in her tone, but accepted it anyway with a sulky frown.

"So . . . there's fairies in the forest?" Chie asked, looking intrigued but also a tad disbelieving as her eyes swiveled to the trees.

"And lots of beautiful babes to score with?" Teddie added, leaning in with childlike curiosity. At Tirin's mocking laugh, however, it faded to an unhappy pout.

"Yes, there are. The one you just saw was a forest nymph. A wanderer, basically," Rhysana explained.

"Heh, guess that would explain the-guhrk!" Yosuke cried out as Chie's heel came down on his foot, nearly collapsing again because of the pain. Limping now, he gave her a glare, voice coming out in a constricted wheeze of pain, "W-what the hell, Chie? I was gonna say flowers! Flowers!"

"Oh . . ." Chie retracted her foot, but she crossed her arms and said, unrepentant, "W-well, try not to make it sound so creepy next time!"

"Tch . . ." Yosuke hissed, blush intensifying as Ylvaria's giggles grew stronger and more frequent. Yu patted an encouraging hand against his shoulder, knowing it wasn't going to do much to amend the boy's wounded pride. But he could try.

"So she was a forest nymph?" Yukiko asked, completely unconcerned with the pandemonium going on beside her, "But why would she attack a village? Hm, did the townsfolk take something they shouldn't have, or cut down too many of the trees, inciting the forest's wrath?"

"O-okay, can we maybe not do that?" Chie asked, looking uncomfortable.

"I'm going to say 'nothing like that', otherwise you all would have jumped in," Yu put in, eyes on the champions.

"While we're on that subject . . ." Naoto added, eyes glinting with a knowing spark, "You all already knew that was nymph even before she showed herself, didn't you?"

Nyras smiled, "Already figured it out?"

"Yu-senpai is correct. Had this been an unexpected encounter, you would have stepped in," Naoto pointed out, "Not to mention your rather vague explanation for the creatures presence, when normally you're more informative Nyras-sama. Their timing was . . . rather convenient too."

"Haha, she really is a littler you!" Rhysana commented, hiding her laugh behind her hand.

"To put it very simply, I'm sure," Nyras responded, angling her face slightly in the bard's direction. Then she faced the group again, explaining, "Yes, we did know it was a nymph. You could say I wasn't lying when I said this was another test."

"Of course . . ." Yosuke mumbled.

"We saw how good you were with your weapons, and we also wanted to see how well you worked as a team," Cahira explained, stretching an arm back behind head.

"Well, did we pass?" Yukiko asked.

"Um, slow down there a sec-"

Yu was the one to cut Chie off that time, only marginally feeling guilty for it, "No, I'd very much like to know as well. Did we pass?"

Hey, what could he say? He was a perfectionist.

"Flying colors!" Tirin cheered, and everyone's faces lifted.

Then he continued, "Until you hit the end there! Then there was no colors! But it was funny to watch Chie kick Yosuke."

Ylvaria laughed again.

Yosuke took offense, "Hey!"

"Well, to be fair, there were no monsters around at that point," Rhysana added gently, but her eyes were pointedly fixed on Tirin.

"Exactly. We got an A-, at least," Yu said, determined to get a high score.

The puzzled looks he got reminded him that basic grading scales probably didn't exist here, either. At least, not any kind he knew of.

"So, uh . . ." Kanji fumbled into the conversation after the awkward silence, "How'd you guys get a fairy to do this test with ya?"

"That's a good question," Rise mused.

"Actually . . ." Ylvaria spoke up, finally getting a hold of herself as she wiped at the corners of her eyes, "We weren't the ones who set that up."

"We take that as a compliment, though," Rhysana added.

"Huh? Well, if you didn't set it up, who-?"

Yosuke broke off with a startled cry of alarm as something suddenly zipped over him, landing on his head with enough force to make him stumble. Wings flapped furiously, wind rustling Yu's hair as he spun around to face it, hand instinctively going for his sword.

And blinked in perplexed astonishment when he saw the tiny dragon sitting on Yosuke's head. It was roughly the size of a hawk, with a long, sinuous body about a yard long, thin, whippy tail included. It was a quadruped, with four legs ending with three forward facing toes on each foot, each tipped with ivory claws. It's tiny scales were the color of newly opened leaves, vibrant and scintillating, the edge of each one tinged a cerulean blue. The only place lacking scales was its pale stomach, a smooth expanse of flesh like the underside of a snake. Wings flared out over it's head as it reoriented itself, the bat-like protrusions bearing strange black patterns along the translucent green membrane that bore a strange resemblance to the patterns on butterfly wings. It's red horns curled incredibly close to it's head, almost resembling twin proboscis' in shape, it's narrow, serpentine head swooping to the left and the right as it observed everyone through bright viridian eyes.

It gave a series of high-pitched warbling chirps and took off again before anyone could speak, circling over them once, then taking off back to the tree-line . . .

Where it proceeded to land on someone's shoulder.

A someone who looked a lot like . . .

"Holy shit," Yosuke mumbled, so quickly and quietly Yu almost didn't catch it, "Holy fucking shit."

'Holy fucking shit' was right. Yosuke's counterpart was finally here.

The man looked human as far as Yu could tell, no supernatural elements to be seen. Brown eyes as warm as he'd expect them to be, with dark chestnut hair falling almost exactly the same as Yosuke's, save for the fact that it was very much not dyed and had a thin ponytail of much longer hair tied of at the base of his neck, in view only because it had caught on the dragon's horn as it wound across his shoulders. But there were much more obvious differences as well. For one, Yu could see tattoos winding across the man's face, thick lines of black that curved artfully along his skin in a graceful array. Two curved under his eyes along each cheek, the one on top longer the one on the bottom, with a perpendicular line curling through the pair and ending in hooks that curved just beneath the corners of his mouth. Two perfectly mirrored lines were on his chin, their tips merging together just beneath his bottom lip on one side while the opposite ends curled down around his chin, disappearing beneath his jaw. And finally, four arching lines swooped from the edges of his hairline across his forehead, the lowest lines curving above his eyelashes while the ones above it had about a half an inch of space between them, leaving a predominately blank patch of skin along the center of his forehead. All four merged into a singular line at the bridge of his nose, the ink running the length of it before tapering to a point at the very end. It was . . . the uniformity and grace of the ink was very attractive, if he was being honest.

Very attractive.

And that wasn't getting into his outfit. He wasn't wearing armor, not like Korval or Tirin, replacing it instead with a robe of orange cloth hemmed with gold thread. The top portion fit snugly against his torso, the billowing sleeves ending just below his elbow, the edges sewn with runes that must have been magic in origin. Two flaps of cloth fell around his legs to just above his knees, the edges trimmed with gold and etched with more runes, two slits running up the sides of each all the way to his hips and leaving room to move freely. Dark brown breeches fit tight to his legs, with boots of dark leather were tied to his feet, a sundial symbol etched into the heel of each. Seamless black gloves were on his hands, long enough to vanish in the folds of his sleeves, small gold runes wrapped around the tips of each finger. On his forehead, right at the center of the blank space between his tattoos, a small red gemstone was affixed, seemingly fused the skin. There was a small dagger attached to his hip, the hilt glinting silver, and a smooth wooden staff across his back, the end of which was curled around a large clear gemstone that seemed to flicker with magic.

The counterpart, who's lips had turned up into a half-smile he had seen hundreds of times before, a smile tinged with amusement and satisfaction, then spoke in a voice all too familiar, "Well, can't say I'm used to rendering people speechless when they see me. Not a bad feeling, I gotta say!"

Behind him, he heard Cahira scoff, "Don't worry, that'll change once they get to know you."

The man fixed her with an unamused scowl, "Do you always have to rain on my parade?"

"I wouldn't have to if you weren't such an asshole about it," Was Cahira's curt response, but it was woven with a thread of humor that hinted towards happiness.

"Tch . . . and right after I help you out. too. You have a funny way of showing appreciation," the man commented, crossing his arms.

"We do appreciate you, we just know better than to give you too much credit, because then it goes to your head," Rhysana said, a smile in her voice that must have been present on her face too.

"Story of my life . . ."

His lamentations were cut off by a shadow jumping on to his back, Tirin exclaiming jubilantly as he locked his arms around the man's neck, "Surprise!"

The man scowled, dragon hissing in annoyance as it hopped to the tip of his staff instead, "Argh-Tirin-!"

"Where's Yalathas?"

At the gloaming's question, the annoyance in the man's face left, to be replaced by something a bit more serious, "He's . . . not here, right now."

Sensing something was up, Tirin let go, taking a step back to give the newcomer room as he addressed the now eager ears of the champions, "An . . . incident happened near Arvorod. The queen asked him to stay."

"What sort of incident?" Nyras inquired, lips drawn into a tight frown.

"We can talk about that later, someplace where people can't listen in," the man's gaze flickered back to Yu and his friends, a faint smile returning to his face, "Among other things."

He began to move towards them, but . . . his legs weren't moving. Yu narrowed his eyes, only to see with a start that the man wasn't walking at all! He was floating!

The man, rather blasé about their stares, made a strange motion with his hand, lips moving as he whispered something under his breath. A glint of silver flashed behind him, and Yu's eyes widened as he saw Rise's sword rise up from the flower patch seemingly of it's own accord, trialing after the man as he closed the distance between them. As he neared, a fresh breeze touched Yu's skin, this one fresher, cleaner, and Yu found himself inhaling a little more strongly than before. The dragon had slithered back to his shoulder, head raised like a sentry as it observed them all in turn.

When he stood before them, the rapier turned so its hilt was presented to Rise, who just stood their gaping at it and him in equal turn.

"I think that belongs to you, m'lady," he said with a wink and smile.

Rise glanced back at him again, then back to the sword, keeping still for a few seconds before cautiously reaching out and taking the hilt. As soon as it was in her hand, whatever force that was holding it up vanished, Rise's arm bobbing down a bit as the full weight came back.

"H-how . . . how the fuck are you . . . ?" Yosuke trialed off as the man turned to him, eyes widening a fraction more as his mouth fumbled uselessly.

"Magic can do a lot of things," the man replied with a half-smile, feet still not having graced the floor. His eyes then turned to focus on Yu, and Yu found himself staring perhaps a bit more deeply than he should into eyes he came to see were not just brown, but carried flecks of blue as well, as bright and colorful as a cloudless sky, "My name is Yvir. What's yours, stranger?"

(*)

A lone figure walked aimlessly down the worn dirt path, the road surrounded by scraggly trees that continuously shed their leaves in droves. Their withered husks continuously crunched under the loner's feet, the only sound save for the wind and her own even breath.

Her body was wrapped in a long, billowing cloak that tied to her throat with gold thread, hiding the attire she wore beneath aside from the black leather shoes on her feet that seemed to have no ties or buckles, leaving no footprints behind her as she walked. The cloak itself rippled in the wind, dark colors of purple, blue, and crimson occasionally bleeding through the black material before fading away again. It had no hood, allowing others to see her face plainly, her red eyes peering out from a face as fair as white birch, her skin seeming as fragile as glass. Her nose was pierced, as was the shell of her right ear, the tiny bloodstones set into the jewelry bland by most people's standards. The hair on the left side of her head had been partly shaved away, with the rest swooped to the right side of her face, the white strands falling to her shoulder. A small triangular symbol was inked upon her forehead, a larger circle encasing it and a line slashed vertically through the whole thing, the only mark to tarnish her otherwise spotless skin. Most would see the paleness of her skin and the red of her eyes would have some mark her a demon, an omen of ill-luck. Most would stay away from her. That was how she wanted it.

The breeze picked up briefly, showering the road with newly fallen leaves, their whispering corpses the only sound to be heard.

Until, a new sound reached her ears.

The sound of tears, of sorrow, being shed.

Breaking from the path, the woman set after the noise, following it until she came across a tiny copse with a small stone edifice at it's heart. The rock had long since been overrun by vines, the monument forgotten long ago. Seated upon it, she beheld a young woman who could be no older than twenty, her skirt torn and dirtied, tears leaving tracks down her face as she sobbed into her apron. A runaway, perhaps. She spun around at the sound of an intrusion, puffy eyes filling with fright.

The woman held up her hand, voice soothing, "Peace. I am a friend."

"W-who are you?" the girl asked, still not at ease.

"I'd say my name is the least of your concerns, little one," the woman replied, keeping her distance, "Tell me, why is it that you cry so?"

The girl pursed her lips, "Why do you care? You're a stranger to me, with no claim in my affairs aside from curiosity!"

"Or perhaps compassion," the woman restated, folding her hands patiently over her stomach, "Please, you do not have to be afraid of me."

The girl sniffed, looking her up and down for a long time before finally turning away, "Oh, what does it matter? It's not like everyone at home won't already know."

"Know what?" the woman pressed gently, taking a step forward.

She scoffed, the sound tainted with bitter tears, "That the man who promised me the world is taking another for his wife. After he slept with me, of course."

"Hm. A soured love," the woman said, nodding sadly. She stepped forward again, now standing behind the girl, "He broke your heart."

"Yes, he did, but its not like he's going to be punished for it! I just wish . . . I wish it didn't hurt like this," the girl buried her face into her apron again, sobs renewed, "It hurts so much!"

The woman placed a gentle hand on the girl's head, sifting her fingers through the strands, voice empathetic, "It does hurt, doesn't it? The one thing that all races in this world feel no matter who or what they are; we all know what suffering is."

She looked up, gazing into something only she could see as her hand stroked the girl's head, "It's a shame, isn't it? That our lives have to be dictated by pain. That our suffering is unavoidable. A world without such pain would be a truly wonderful place, wouldn't it?"

The girl sniffled, breath hitching, "If it didn't feel like this . . . then yes, it would. But it doesn't exist . . ."

"Perhaps it doesn't . . . but the pain does not have to last," the woman said, voice verging on wistful. She glanced down, "Would you like it if the pain went away, little one?"

She turned her head up to the woman, for the first time looking hopeful, "You could do that? Make it go away?"

"I could," the woman nodded.

"Is it . . . some kind of magic?"

"Of a sort," with a gentle push, she made the girl turn back around, "Close your eyes."

The girl nodded in compliance.

The woman continued to run a hand through the girl's hair as she tenderly placed her other hand on younger's cheek, "Now I want you to imagine a happy place. A place where this pain does not exist. A sanctuary that is yours, where you will always be safe," the hand on the girl's cheek traveled down slowly, coming to cup her chin a gentle embrace, "Imagine the glow, the warmth, the security. Imagine the fullness that you feel as you know nothing can ever hurt you again. That place . . . will be your home."

Once the words had left her lips, and with a move quicker than the eye could see, she snapped the girl's neck.

The woman caught the body before it could hit the ground, laying her gently out along the stone. She placed the girl's hands on her chest, smoothing away the tears and moving her askew head back into place, so it looked as she were merely sleeping even as the color left her cheeks.

"May you rest in eternity, where you will never know suffering again," the woman said as if in prayer, rising to her feet.

She remained there for a while, monitoring a silent vigil as another flurry of leaves fell like a mourning veil over the scene, clustering on the girl's body and tangling in her hair.

In that quiet rush, a twig snapped behind her.

The woman reacted faster than light, spinning around and hand thrusting out in a sharp jab, fingers extended and thumb crooked against her palm. She stopped just as suddenly, fingertips only a hairs breadth from the chest of the person who'd come up behind her. It all took place in only a second, so fast that force of air generated by the woman's movements blew the leaves around her back, their erratic fluttering the only sound.

"What do want in this place of solemnity, demon?" the woman asked.

The cloaked figure laughed, a feminine sound that chilled to the bone, indifferent to the hand pressed to her chest, "Only to ask for an audience. I hardly expected to find you at a funerary service, let alone for someone you murdered."

"I released her from this miserable world. But what would a demon care for that. You're kind desire suffering," the woman accused, red eyes burning.

"I won't deny that claim for most of my kin," the woman said, "But I'm not here to talk opinions. I'm here only to talk."

"Of what?"

The cloaked woman smiled, "Just now, I couldn't help but overhear how you thought a world without suffering would be ideal. What if I told you such a world was possible?"

The other woman blinked, but did not retract her fist, "And how could such be attained? How, even, would my goal align with yours, demon?"

"Oh, its as easy as chaos, my dear," the demon replied, "There's a way for both of us to get what we want, otherwise I wouldn't be wasting my time with you. But, you can be the judge of that for yourself! All we have to do . . . is talk."

The woman narrowed her eyes, wary and untrusting. But she removed her hand, "Then talk. And hope I like what you have to say."

"Oh, you will, my dear," the demon promised between a wire-thin smirk, "You will."

Yeah. Bet you forgot about this fucker.

But Yvir's here! Next chapter, we get to learn a bit more about him!

Rate and review, if it pleases you.