Disclaimer: Do not own One Piece. All plot and OCs belong to Volleys-chan and I.
The Dragon Chronicles
Chapter 13 - Assuage
"Friendship improves happiness and abates misery, by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief."
-Marcus Tullius Cicero
"Can I go outside today, Doctorine? I'm much better today and there's nothing to do in your house except watch Toshi-sensei sleep on the bed." Rei attempted to reason with the woman.
In all honesty, she felt like she was going stir crazy being cooped up in the little home. Toshi-sensei's return had been a nice change of pace, however, the poor dragon had been so exhausted by his long trip and sleepless trip from Soshi Shima to here to wherever he had gone back to here again that he barely had the energy to shift into his smaller form, deliver the herbs to Kureha, collapse onto the bed Rei had been using as her own during her stay, and fall into a heavy sleep.
Dr. Kureha had cackled at his antics as she had turned to make the rest of Rei's medicine to administer for the remaining time she would be there for treatment. That had been yesterday and Rei was even more bored and agitated now that she couldn't at least sit on the bed and stare longingly at the snow fall. Both Kureha and she were slightly more hostile with each other due to the fact that Rei had shared a bed with the older woman and Kureha had learned that the young girl was a strong snuggler with a horrible habit wrapping her arms around the woman's neck as she slept. Rei had been forcefully woken up several times that night when Kureha had thrown her off the bed in an attempt to free herself from being nearly strangled to death by a innocent hug. Needless to say, neither of them had slept very well.
Rei barely managed to dodge the barrage of scalpels that were flung her way when she dared to ask the woman that question again.
"No. You will pass out, you brat, and I am not going to be the only one lacking sleep because you can't keep to your side of the bed." Kureha snapped waspishly as she worked on other prescriptions she needed to fill.
"Then teach me how! You seem to know enough about qi and its properties to be able to." Rei persisted. She needed to get out of this house, this room, or else she was sure she'd go crazy. "I'll go to town and fetch you that stuff you're always drinking! You ran out this morning, didn't you?"
Kureha paused in her work, contemplating what the girl had said. It was true. Her Umeboshi had all been consumed due to her elevated stress of having a dragon and his ward visiting her territory uninvited. She wasn't in the mood to deal with the idiot villagers at the moment, so it would benefit her greatly if she just quickly taught the brat what she wanted to know and let her go instead, then she could get more work done and not have to hear her whining for a good solid three hours. Sounded like a done deal to her.
"When dealing with climates as cold as Drum's, you must ready yourself by elevating your internal temperature and not allowing it to drop in response to the temperature outside. It will take all of your focus at first to accomplish this task, but once you are aware of how much of a gap there is between your required internal temperature and the actual external temperature, you can keep it regulated without much thought." Kureha quickly explained to the child as she deserted her work temporarily to grab the young girl a jacket, multiple socks, and her smallest pair of snow boots.
The girl had no shoes to speak of, no doubt that if she had had some at one point, she had eventually outgrown them. Being barefooted didn't really seem to bother her though and Kureha could see she had some thick callouses on her feet because of it. The girl quickly took the items, needing no explanation as to how to use them and dressed the best she could with a jacket and shoes a few sizes too big.
Kureha moved to the door, gauging the girl as she did so. "Now, raise your internal heat with your qi." She focused her qi on sensing how well the girl managed to use hers. Once Rei was at the designated temperature Kureha wanted her at, she gave out her next instruction. "Hold it at that spot. Focus everything you have at preserving it at that temperature, regardless of how cold it's going to get. Don't let it waver in the least." Rei closed her eyes, focusing hard as she gave solemn nod. "Ready, set-" and with that she opened the door, allowing the cold wind to blast upon the child full force.
The girl did well to keep her qi from wavering and soon found herself able to regulate her internal temperature regardless of how cold the air around her was. She peeked an eye open to see Kureha looking down at her proudly.
"Hee hee hee hee. Good girl." She grinned for a second before nudging her head towards the open door. "Now get out and don't come back without my Umeboshi. There's enough beli in the jacket for three bottles. If you don't come back before your dragon wakes up, you'll be dealing with him after he finds your body buried in the snow."
Rei didn't even bother to give her a response as she bulleted out of the small home and quickly danced in the snow, whooping and hollering as she experienced her first snow. A brilliant smile on her face as she turned for a second to glance back at Kureha.
The older woman, who had been smiling secretly at the girl's success and enthusiasm, quickly frowned as she snapped. "Stop dawdling and get me my Umeboshi, you brat!"
Rei didn't need more encouragement than that, taking off like a bullet once more and slightly impressing the older woman with her agility. She was out of sight within seconds, no doubt thrumming with glee now that she wasn't holed up in a tiny tree home. Kureha watched the outdoors a bit more before giving out a 'harrumph' and returning to her work now that there was no little, young drake within her home yowling about being bored.
As for Rei, she had no real clue where to find a village, but she didn't care! She was free as free could be at this point and she didn't intend to return to that stuffy old house anytime soon! At some point as she ran about in the wilderness of Drum Island, she tripped over the boots she was borrowing, since they were a few sizes too big for her smaller feet, but instead of getting right back up, she rolled about in the snow, reveling in the novelty.
"Ahhhhh," she sighed loudly when she finally got all the pent-up energy out of her system, lying on her back in the snow. She closed her eyes for a second, allowing the sensation of the sunbeams above to warm her face. She kept her qi, like Kureha had told her to, but she also decided to expand it a little, to allow herself the luxury of sensing the area around her as the qi within nature resonated with hers.
Rei was instantly put on alarm when another living creature's life energy responded loudly to hers. Someone was close and she had not seen them prior when she had been rolling about, due to her attention not being on her surroundings. She stayed still, curious as to what the other being would do upon seeing her. She realized not too long after sensing this creature that her dragon features were still in plain view, having never shifted away her tail, wings, horns, and claws. The other life crept closer to her, no doubt curious as to what she was doing covered in snow while lying on her back in the middle of the forest. When she could discern someone was hovering over her, Rei's eyes flew open as she shot up to a sitting position, spooking and startling the creature above her when their heads bashed together.
Rei's head throbbed a little, but was mostly unaffected due to her constant playtimes with the rough draco's of Soshi Shima. The other was not as use to taking a hit and fell back with a shout as he covered the spot their heads collided instinctively.
"Ouch!" He wailed before realizing he had been caught staring at her. "Ahhh!"
Rei was shocked at what she was staring at. She wasn't sure what it was, but it was terrified of her the moment it realized she was staring at it. It quickly tried to run away from her, but after so many years of hunting rabbits and other small animals as well as playing 'tag', which was more like 'run'n'tackle', with dracos, Rei easily caught the small creature and pinned it under her with her weight.
"Wait, don't run!" She said as her tail wagged above her in her excitement about the new creature beneath her. Her wings might have flapped about too, to rebalance her, if they had not been tucked oddly within the coat in the girl's haste to leave the home.
"Nooo!" It wailed, tears pouring out of its eyes, as she continued to observe it with intrigue and wonder. "Don't eat me!"
Rei blinked. "Eat you? Why would I eat you, whatever you are." Her eyes lit up with wonder as she came to a conclusion as to what the creature was. "Hey! Are you a raccoon dog? A Tanuki?" She had heard various legends about mischievous tanuki, with their ability to transform and their love of pranks.
"I'm a reindeer, you bastard!" The creature below her raged, his fear suddenly forgotten at her simple, childish mistake.
"A reindeer?" Rei cocked her head to the side. "You don't look like any reindeer I've ever seen..." She mused for a moment as she thought upon that. "Then again. I've never seen reindeer, only deer... but..." She looked back down at the 'reindeer' beneath her. "You should look like a deer since you're a reindeer, right?"
The frightened, self-proclaimed reindeer below her surprised her when he bellowed loudly, shouting 'heavy point' as he shifted into a large humanoid, knocking her off of him as he stood. Perhaps he had intended to frighten her off with changing like that, but instead of being scared, Rei was even more excited.
"You are a tanuki!" She proclaimed happily, unaware that the creature had been planning to run away right before she had said that.
"I'm a reindeer!" He shouted, stomping his foot. "Look, see!"
He quickly shifted his form into that of a small deer like creature and Rei instantly realized that the odd shaped things on his head were his horns, not some weird sort of transformation flaw. He stood before her nervously, ready to dash if she were to suddenly lunge at him again.
"So cool!" Rei couldn't help but gush. In all her years, she had never seen or heard of an animal that could shift forms like a dragon and speak the tongue of man. Tanukis might be real, even capable of doing the same thing, but she had no proof they were real, unlike the miraculous reindeer before her.
The small reindeer shifted once more into his smallest form, kicking his feet about as he blushed and swished too and fro. "That doesn't make me happy at all, you bastard!" He exclaimed joyously.
Rei stared for a moment, confused as she muttered. "You sure look happy though..." What he was saying and how he was reacting were two totally different things.
Deciding that was not really important, Rei decided to continue pursuing a conversation with the little reindeer. "Can all reindeer do that?"
He suddenly became somber as he shook his head no. "Nope. Just me, which doesn't help the fact that they already thought I was a freak before I was able to do this. Now, none of the reindeer will even stand me..." He looked down as he suddenly became more upset. "Now, aren't you going to run away now that you know there's no such thing as a talking reindeer that can change into other weird forms and... and..." He got even sadder as he muttered out the last part. "Has a blue nose..."
So he was bullied because he was abnormal. Rei couldn't help but sympathize with the little creature. She was also the odd one out in a crowd, regardless of whether or not it was a crowd of humans or dragons. She stood out both ways. She was a human, one with a dragon spirit albeit, yet that didn't mean she fit in with the dragons, since she had a human body. Eyes too bright to be normal, body too human to be dragon. Yeah, she could sympathize with the little reindeer easily.
He needed someone to show him that it was okay to be different and to celebrate that difference, not dread it, much like how Gin did for her. Yes, Rei was a little subconscious about standing out in a crowd still, but not like she was before. She didn't hate her eyes as much, but perhaps that was because all fire dragons had brilliant red eyes and it made her feel closer to them.
Deciding there and then, Rei decided to show the little reindeer what it meant to have a friend who cared for them regardless of appearances.
"No." Rei told him bluntly, surprising the little reindeer. "Why would I run now? I'm not scared of you."
"But I'm a talking reindeer with a blue nose!" He argued, stomping his little foot as if the movement helped prove his point. "You can't say that's normal!"
"No, I suppose its not..." She drawled as she thoughtfully looked up, "but you're not scary. Or mean. Or trying to eat me, which I would congratulate you if were able to accomplish that. If anything, I'm probably scarier than you." She looked back at him with a pleasant smile. "Nope. Not interested in running away at all, unless you want to play tag."
"You... you're not scared of me?"
"Nope. Seen scarier things back on the island I live on." Like dragons.
"And you don't care that I have a blue nose?"
"I have never seen a reindeer before now, so I didn't know it was different, but regardless, I think it suits you."
"Really?!" His eyes sparkled and he looked on the verge of tears.
"Really, truly!" Rei affirmed with a nod of her head.
"Th-that... That doesn't make me happy at all, you jerk!" He was doing that happy dance of his, giving away how he truly felt.
Rei laughed at his antics. He was just too easily seen through, despite his efforts to hide his true feelings with cruel words.
"You're the nicest human I've ever met!" He beamed before pausing to think. "Well, you're the only human I've ever met. But still!"
Rei laughed at how suddenly the tables had turned. "Oh? So you've never met another human before?"
"No. I've only been told by the other reindeer what humans look like... before... before they kicked me out."
"Well, I don't look like most humans." There was a twinkle in Rei's eyes as she proudly proclaimed. Once upon a time, she would have cringed at the thought, now, she was not ashamed of her uniqueness at all.
"You... you don't?" His eyes went wide at the realization.
"Nope~" Rei hummed, still smiling at the little reindeer. "Humans don't have tails or horns or sharp claws or wings. So, are you going to run away screaming now?"
"No!" He shouted urgently. "You're really, really nice! Why would I run away?"
"Because I'm different." She managed to throw his reasoning right back at him.
"Well, I'm not going to run away! Whether you are different or not!" He decided firmly, crossing his arms and scowling at her with great determination.
"Okay!" Rei smiled at him. "So since you're not going to run away, let's play instead!" It had felt like ages since she was able to play with someone, well, maybe a week or so to be more precise, but to a young girl like herself cooped up in a very small house, that felt like ages.
"Play? As in what friends do?" He cocked his head to the side, trying and failing to not show his hopefulness and excitement flicker in his eyes.
"Well, we are friends, aren't we?" Rei asked, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm Rei by the way! What's your name?"
All his enthusiasm deflated with that simple question, causing Rei to wonder if she had touched a taboo subject. "I don't have a name..." He quietly replied as he looked at the snowy ground. "My herd didn't give me a name, so I have none."
Rei felt bad for the little reindeer. He was so small and defenseless looking in this form and it was quite obvious he had a lot of issues because of cruelty of his own kind. Though Rei wished she could fix all his problems, she knew she wasn't capable of doing so. So, she decided, she'd do what she could during the small duration of her stay on this island.
"Well, that's no good. Everybody needs a name!" She told him. "How about I give you a name. You don't have to keep it, but it'll do you good to have something to be called by."
"Re-really?!" He looked at her with hopeful, surprised eyes. "You'll give me a name?"
"Yup!" She nodded, before deflating a bit herself. "I'm not very good with names though... so bear with me, kay?"
He nodded enthusiastically as she hummed and pondered what to call the little reindeer. Most normal names wouldn't fit him and she was not about to give the poor thing an overly complicated name. Something cute... but she couldn't think of anything. Finally she decided to go with the most obvious answer. "Well, since you're a tonakai, why don't I just call you Tona for now?"
"Tona..." He tested the name out himself and smiled. "I kinda like it!"
"Well, Tona it is then!" Rei declared. "Now let's go play Tona! Hey, do you know how to ice-skate?" Toshi had introduced the activity her one day when he had frozen one of the smaller ponds and after giving her a brief explanation, let the girl loose on the smooth ice to experiment.
"A little! I see the Laphan do it all the time though!" Tona told her, suddenly heading out of the clearing they were in. "There's a frozen lake right over here that we can play on too! The ice is thick enough to hold a dozen Laphan, and they are big!"
"Cool!" Rei shouted as she chased after Tona, following him to the spot. "Hey, Tona, what are Laphan?"
Rei almost wished that she hadn't promised Kureha a bottle or two of Umeboshi. She felt like she wanted to shrink away into nothing as she continued to walk down the street of the snow filled village as the curious eyes of the townspeople weighed heavily upon her. She came to realize as she walked down that long street that she still hated being stared at, regardless of how much more comfortable she was with talking to strangers and being around people she didn't know. She almost wished she hadn't asked Tona where the nearest village was and had kept playing with him, but a promise was a promise and she intended to keep her side of the bargain to Doctorine.
She pushed forward in her search for a general store, hoping to find what she was looking for there, ignoring the whispers of the people as she passed by them unfruitfully.
"Who is the world is that?" "She's not a child from this village." "Look at those eyes. Have you seen anything more vivid?" A thousand and one questions were all about her, it felt like, as her sensitive hearing picked up each and every word whispered.
She kept her eyes forward, secretly glad she had remembered to shift her dragon appendages away before leaving the safety of the trees. This was ten times worse than on Fireworks Island, where at least the locals knew of her features and she was only actively stared at by tourists. She came to the center of town and was slowly becoming more anxious as she looked about for a general store of any kind, but the village was built so differently from her home town that she had no clue what to look for. She almost said 'screw it' and turned around to head back to Kureha empty handed when a large man in a vivid forest green coat with bright yellow trimmings approached her.
Though he wasn't as big as Tatsuo in height, his build was much broader and thicker than the craftsmaster's. Though his towering height should have made her nervous, she felt instantly calmed by his presence. He was a gentle, kind person, she could sense it by the aura he gave off.
"Do you need help with something, child?" His voice was deep and firm, but not cruel. The moment he started to address her, the rest of the villagers stopped their staring and began to continue about their way. It made Rei feel even more relief than before.
"Yes." Rei nodded, looking up at him as she would with her male guardian. "I'm looking for a store that would sell Umeboshi. I need to buy some."
His brows raised higher upon his forehead as he responded to her statement. "Umeboshi? You are just a child. You cannot drink such a thing as that."
"It's not for me. It's for Doctorine." Rei informed him. "She sent me out to get some and even gave me the money to buy it." She then showed him the beli coins that had been within the jacket pocket.
"Doctorine?" He sounded confused, as if he had never heard of her.
"Yes." Rei nodded, trying hard to think of the name Hiluluk had used to address the woman. "She told me to call her Doctorine, but Hiluluk-sensei called her Kureha."
That name caught his attention. Both names actually. "You've met both Hiluluk and Kureha?"
"Kureha's my doctor. My teacher brought me here so she could treat my disease." Rei decided to inform him, being as vague as she could. "I'm actually from a different island."
"And you've been staying with her?" He still seemed quite stunned at the idea of the woman taking in a patient for a prolonged amount of time.
"Yes, for a while now." Rei reiterated for the man, since he seemed to be having a hard time understanding. She was speaking clearly, was she not? "Is that an anomaly?"
"You could say that..." He trailed off for a second before continuing. "Kureha-sensei is quite the enigma to the people of this island, so perhaps it is not as odd as we'd like to believe."
"She's kinda stingy and pretends to be mean and grumpy, but she's really nice- when she doesn't think you're looking." The young girl decided to inform the big man. It wouldn't do if people thought she was horrible or scary. She didn't deserve to be thought of so horribly as that, even if she did like to throw scalpels at her when she was annoyed.
The man apparently didn't know what to do with that sort of information and ended up staring at her for a long while before clearing his throat and changing the subject from Kureha.
"I... see..." He began. "My name is Dalton, by the way, excuse me for not introducing myself right away."
"Oh, well, I'm Rei. Pleased to meet you, Dalton-san." Rei nodded her head in a polite manner.
"And you, Rei." Dalton replied before pressing on with the previous request. "Shall I escort you to the store that sells Umeboshi? Children are not allowed to purchase the beverage, since it is an adult drink only, but I will assist you, since it is for Doctor Kureha."
"Un! That would be great, Dalton-san! I don't know what I would do if I had to go back empty handed since I have made her wait for most of today." Rei confided in him, truly nervous at the prospect of returning without the Umeboshi after tricking the older woman into teaching her how to handle colder weather.
Dalton lead the little girl through the village, easily navigating through the place as he was very familiar with it, unlike the little girl. He watched her out of the corner of his eye, curious as to what this child was like. She seemed quite comfortable keeping up with his long strides, very aware of herself and others within the village, and keen to what was being said and what was being unsaid in a conversation. Her insight on Kureha was astounding, or so he thought personally.
"People sure like to stare a lot." Rei finally spoke up, turning her gaze upwards to his again. "Do you not get a lot of outsiders?"
"No. And, if I were to be honest, your eye color are entirely new to them. No one here has red eyes like that."
"Oh. I guess that doesn't help me much either then..."
Realizing she wasn't comfortable with remarks about her eyes, Dalton quickly added, "They are very pretty eyes though, don't be so discouraged."
Rei forced a grin. "Un! Thank you Dalton-san."
He nodded and a silence fell over the two of them as they reached the store, where, to Rei's surprise, Dalton purchased her four bottles of Umeboshi to give to Kureha. She didn't even end up spending the coin in the jacket pocket.
"Are you sure?" Rei asked him for the umpteenth time as he showed her to the edge of the village.
"Yes, do not worry about it. Kureha-sensei may not be especially welcomed in the villages, because of her odd behavior and payment methods, but she does wonderful work." Dalton explained. "I think she should receive some sort of gift for all her hard work."
"Yeah!" Rei beamed. "Doctorine is the best doctor ever! Even if she does like to throw scalpels at her patients or insult her friends!"
Dalton blinked at that statement, but was unable to come up with a response before the girl took off in a dash towards the trees. "Thanks Dalton-san! I hope to see you again one day!" She shouted over her shoulder as she made a beeline for the border of the forest.
Dalton had been meaning to ask where Kureha lived, but it seemed like it wasn't meant to be. Oh well, the little girl had restored some of his faith in the next generation of the world. Perhaps things would eventually get better for this kingdom in time. As long as there were children like that out within the world, he believed there was some hope.
"Hey Rei..." The voice of the little Tona caused the girl to pause in her efforts. She looked down at the ground to see the tiny reindeer looking up at her through the branches of the tree she was climbing.
"Yeah, Tona?" She called back down, curious as to what the little reindeer had to say.
"How...umm... what... You said humans don't have horns... or tails... or..."
"Wings or claws," Rei finished for him as she continued her climb upwards. "What about it Tona?"
"Well... why do you?" He finally managed to ask.
Rei could have explained it thoroughly. But she decided to stick to the simple answer instead, the other one being too much of a headache to explain, since she didn't truly understand it all herself.
"I ate a really weird fruit and it made me this way."
Tona perked at that. "A strange fruit? Did... did it... taste really, really bad?"
Rei paused in her climb to look back down at the odd reindeer. "Yes..." She hesitantly answered. Now that she thought of it. "Hey, Tona, before you got your strange powers... did you eat a really odd, bad tasting fruit?"
"Yes. I was hungry though... and at the time, it looked so good..." Tona explained before looking at her with question. "Why? Does that have something to do with my weird powers?"
Rei felt bad for the little thing. If only he hadn't eaten that fruit, he wouldn't have been kicked out of his herd... just barely tolerated instead... then again, that wasn't much better in her eyes. "Yes, it does." She told him, jumping out of the tree and landing close to where he was, her landing was nice and clean with all her practice.
She sat down right afterwards so she could be at better eye level with the tiny creature. "What you and I both ate that gave us these strange powers are called 'devil fruit', Tona." She began to explain to the clueless creature. "Each devil fruit has its own one-of-a-kind power to give. Yours, if I had to guess, gave you cognitive powers, shifting abilities, and ability to talk like a human does... but you're a Zoan user for sure... the Tanuki Tanuki no mi?"
"It's not that!" Tona instantly raged before calming down. "But you're saying that I got these powers because I ate that fruit?"
"Yup," Rei nodded before adding in. "Maybe... you ate... the Hito Hito no mi? That's the only other one that makes sense..."
"Oi, oi, why wasn't that your first guess?" Tona muttered in a deadpan under his breath as he looked at the girl before him with a flat stare.
"Eeeh heh heh heh," Rei chuckled in slight embarrassment. "Because Tanukis are cool?"
Tona forewent trying to argue with her. It was obvious he didn't think so, so he pressed on. "What about you? What sort of powers did you get?" For the life of him, he couldn't figure out what animal she looked like with those appendages.
"Oh. Me? I'm a dragon." Rei pointed to herself as she explained it to him. "I ate the Ryu Ryu no Mi when I was much younger."
"Oh, a dragon..." He put one hoof onto of his other open handed hoof in a 'oh, I got it' manner, pausing as it fully processed in his mind. "A DRAGON!"
"Ow," Rei quickly covered her ears as he nearly screamed in them. "Tona, ears!" However, the little reindeer was too worked up to hear her. He backed up into the trunk of the tree, giving her a frightened look.
"B-b-b-b-but do-don't dr-dr-dr-dragons... eat rein-de-de-deer?" He stuttered out in fright.
"Ummm, I've never eaten a reindeer in my life." Only deer, rabbits, other small animals, triceratops, brontosaurus, and anything else I might have been given by Tatsuo and Ayane that I couldn't catch myself. "But even if I did eat reindeer, I wouldn't eat you, Tona, you're my friend." She made sure to add. "And friends don't eat friends."
That calmed Tona down as he gave a heavy sigh in relief. "Really?"
"Really." She affirmed sternly, before looking at him rather confused. "What brought that on anyways, Tona? How do you even know what a dragon is?" It was obvious none lived here.
"Th-the herd told me about it when I was little..." The child reindeer told his friend, looking down at his feet as he recalled what he had been told. "They said that bad little reindeers that don't listen to the rules and live outside the herd get eaten by dragons. They said that dragons are giant beast creatures covered in scales, teeth dripping in the blood of their victims, and are always, always hungry for the flesh of naughty reindeer... They also... they also said that dragons like to play with their food and... and that it is a long... and... and painful death..." Tona looked up at her in tears. "Th-that's not true... is it? You don't... you don't do that right?"
"No Tona." Rei told him firmly. "I don't run around doing things like that. No decent dragon would! We don't play with our prey. We give them a quick, painless death." She picked up the tiny zoan user and sat him in her lap as she continued to talk. "I won't say that I don't eat meat, because that'd be a big lie. Where I live, that's one of the main stables in my diet, but I don't kill for sport and I don't waste the life given to replenish mine. But you have nothing to worry about from me or other dragons. I promise you this."
"Th-thanks Rei..." The small reindeer child sniffled as he gave his friend a hug. He was grateful that she could set him straight on that reindeer tale that had caused him numerous sleepless nights when he was much younger. He felt bad for being scared of her, especially when she had never harmed him, only stood by him and be his sole friend.
"For what?" Rei cocked her head to the side, "I was only speaking the truth. Now," at this she stood up, setting Tona onto his own two feet, "I suddenly had the urge to show a herd of reindeer a sight that they soon won't forget. That'll teach them for being naughty and mean to my friend."
Tona looked instantly curious as to what his friend meant. It took him a second before he realized what she was suggesting. "You mean you're going to-"
"What do you say, Tona?" Rei cut him off with a mischievous grin stretching over her lips. "Wanna show them what a real dragon looks like? It'd serve them right, telling tall tales as they did."
Tona couldn't help smiling either. How many times had he wished that someone would stand up for him? How many times did he wish to get back a little at the herd who abandoned him?
"They're usually by the clearing near the west side of the lake." Tona easily tattled on their daily migrating pattern.
"Okay!" Rei shouted, heading to the location the tiny creature had given her. "One urban legend made real, coming right up~!"
Those reindeer never saw it coming and not a single one ever forgot it. None of them, not even the devil user. He would always have fond memories of the first human he ever befriended. His first friend. The one that taught him that humans might be worth getting to know better after all.
"All traces of the Kestia poison have vanished completely." Kureha announced to the two other occupants in the room. She looked up from the microscope she had been using to observe her young patient's blood work to look at both Rei and Toshi. "It would seem as if you are completely recovered, brat."
"Really?!" Rei couldn't help but beam at the news. Being healthy meant no more shots, no more blood work, no more grumpy Kureha in the morning, no more scalpels or other medical utensils being thrown at her randomly for mouthing off, and no more having to sleep next to Kureha! (She was a mean miser when it came to 'touching' and Rei had been thrown out of bed plenty of times.)
Kureha scowled. "What does that mean, brat?" Rei's tone seemed a little too excited, and not merely because she was better.
"Nothing~!" Rei quickly looked away, acting as if those thoughts had not come to mind first.
Kureha narrowed her eyes, about to call bullshit when Toshi decided to intervene. "So, this means that this one and his ward are free to leave thy care?"
Kureha glared at him too. Both of these people sounded way too excited to be free of her. "Yeah, you and the brat there can leave at any time. I would suggest later tonight, though, if you are going to be taking your... usual form."
"This one can easily wait till he is further away from thy island to shift forms." Toshi said. He wanted to be done and gone from this place as soon as possible, before the witch could think of charging him with something else, like her lack of good sleep the past few nights.
It wasn't his fault that Rei was just like any other draco child when it came to snuggling and cuddling.
"Right then," Toshi was eager to get the show on the road. "We shall leave posthaste."
Rei suddenly wasn't thrilled as the realization of her recovery actually meant. "Thou means now?"
"Yes. Why ever not now?" Toshi had only been awake for the last evening and a half, getting an earful of complaints from Kureha about Rei's snuggling issues.
"Hee hee hee hee." Kureha had a knowing look the moment the girl suddenly deflated. "You need time to go say goodbye to your friend?"
"Friend?" This was the first time Toshi had heard about Rei making a friend on Drum Island. Rei nodded, looking glum at the thought of saying goodbye, or worse, not being able to say goodbye.
Kureha was the first one to respond, walking to the door with a sigh. "Get ready for it, kid."
Toshi was surprised as Rei hopped onto the ground and began to do as she had been taught. "Thou hath taught her to manipulate her internal temperature?"
"It was either that or she drive me up the wall from being stir crazy." Kureha told him defensively, adding in, "that and I ran out of Umeboshi. Young Rei here was kind enough to go get me more, if I taught her the technique."
She suddenly threw the door open and Rei shot out of the cabin in a flash, already searching for her friend's unique qi. She didn't want to miss saying goodbye, she'd regret it for the rest of her life!
"Young Drake, return here when thou art finished in thy task. This one is eager to return back to Soshi Shima as should thee. There art many that hath been concerned for thee in thy absence." Toshi telepathically called out to her, letting the child know that she had his permission to find her friend and say goodbye.
"Yes Toshi-sensei," Rei responded to him, grateful that her teacher was a kind and patient dragon.
It wasn't hard to find the young reindeer child. He was in their usual spot, no doubt waiting for her to come find him. She was somewhat surprised, since she never got to leave the home until the afternoon, after she had been given her medicine and a few blood tests to see how her recovery was progressing. Did he always wait for her? It made her feel even more guilty that she was coming to say goodbye, but she knew she couldn't take him with her.
He'd never survive on Soshi Shima. The climate was way too hot for him and the dracos would accidentally be too rough or hard on him and not to even mention the normal wildlife. She was safe because of her dragon powers and only because of that. No. He would have to stay here...
The wind blew from behind her into his general direction and instantly his blue nose was in the air, taking in the scents the wind carried at perked as he recognized hers. He turned to where she was with a brilliant smile as he hopped off the tree trunk he was sitting and skipped over to her.
"Rei! You're here early!" He seemed so giddy, which only made Rei feel worse.
"Yeah. I got out early today..." She tried to smile, but she couldn't. She didn't want to say goodbye, even though she knew she had to.
Something inside her whispered, however. It was that something she had within which guided her in her difficult times. It promised her that this would not be the last time she saw this young child, merely a separation. She clung to that feeling, that promise, as she sat down on the snowy ground and pulled Tona into a strong hug.
By then, Tona could sense something was wrong. Animals, even zoan users, had that six sense about things like this and since he was both... Well that sense was probably much stronger than normal. "Wh... what's wrong Rei?" She wouldn't be hugging him so tightly if something wasn't wrong. Her scent betrayed her sadness as well.
"I'm all better Tona. I am not sick anymore." Rei finally told him, pulling away so she could look him in the eye.
He paused, looking curiously at her. "But isn't that a good thing?"
"Yes," Rei said in a bittersweet way. "And no. It means I am going home, Tona. Back to the island I live on."
Tona's face slowly transformed from one of confused contentment to broken-hearted tears in the matter of a minute. "You're leaving? Nooo!" He sobbed as he latched onto her. "Don't leave! Do-don't le-leave me all alone!"
"I'm sorry Tona," Rei felt like crying as she shook her head. "I don't really have a choice."
"Th-then take me with you!" Tona looked so hopeful, but his hope was crushed as she shook her head.
"I-I can't Tona..." Rei felt horrible for telling him no, but she honestly could not take him. "I wish I could, but I can't!"
At that, the small reindeer broke down sobbing. Rei felt like crying too, in fact, a few tears rolled down her face as she fought to keep her composure. She had never realized how hard it was to actually say goodbye to someone. There had been the time she had said goodbye to Drake, and while that had been hard, she had the prospect of seeing him again to cushion the blow. She had never had to say goodbye to someone before that she couldn't bare to part with. She had never really gotten to say goodbye to her parents, her siblings, or even Gin. The best she could offer Tona was a promise, much like how Drake had promised to see her again sometime in the future.
"Tona," Rei finally spoke after thinking of what to do. "I know it seems unfair. We just became friends only a few days ago and now I have to leave, but I promise you: this is not the last time we'll meet."
Tona managed to stifle his crying to look up at her with tears in his eyes. "You-you'll come back?"
"Yes." Rei affirmed. "I don't know when, but when I'm older and stronger and able to travel by myself, I guarantee I will come back."
"But... but what if I start traveling the world before you come back?" Tona argued. Rei had a feeling that he was simply arguing that point for the sake of arguing. She doubted he had any real intention to ever leave. Yet. Who knows what tomorrow might hold? Maybe one day he really would leave the only island he knows for the sake of adventure.
"Then I'd find you, no matter where you wander." Rei told him, a faint smile on her face as she looked down at the small zoan user in her arms. "Because, that's what friends do."
"Really?" Tona's eyes became wide with wonder.
"Un!" She was able to smile bigger, reaffirming their relationship not merely to the little reindeer but to herself as well. "True friends will always be friends, regardless of how much time passes!"
Tona sniffled a few more times, contemplating what she had said before finally nodding, wiping away his tears, and pulling out of her grasp. Rei stood now that she wasn't cuddling the little reindeer and was well aware that he was ready to say goodbye. He now knew that she had no intention of leaving him forever, just for a while.
"Goodbye Tona," Rei said softly. "I hope you make a bunch of friends while I'm not here. I hope you'll be happy."
"You too... Rei..." He looked up at her, eyes getting watery as he thought about her leaving again. "I going to miss you!"
"I'll miss you too, Tona." Rei hugged him one more time, holding the reindeer child as he once more started to sob.
She wasn't sure how many times they had repeated that cycle, but soon she was heading back to Kureha's house to make one last goodbye. One that she was sure was going to be much easier, but by no means simple. Both Toshi and Kureha were standing outside waiting for her by the time she arrived. She quickly hastened her pace to get to where they were waiting for her. She looked up at Kureha one last time, well aware that she probably had no reason to see the older female again.
"Said your goodbyes, ja?" Kureha drawled, a witchy grin crossing her lips.
"Yes, I did..." Rei nodded, looking back up at the doctor. "Doctorine?"
"Hmmm? You want to know the secret of my youth?" Kureha incorrectly guessed at the child's intention of addressing her.
"No, not that." Rei ignored the weird remark, well aware that Kureha was a bit odd at times. "I wanted to know if I could visit you again, when I'm older."
"Hee hee hee hee, what kid? You expecting to need a doctor again in the near future?" Kureha asked insincerely, taking a big swig of her Umeboshi.
"No. I'd just like to visit you." Rei told her truthfully. Both Toshi and Kureha looked surprised at that simple comment. "You're not as mean as you pretend you are and I bet you'll get lonely if no one comes to see how you are."
"Che," the older woman snorted, but couldn't entirely cover up the softness in her tone. "Like I'd miss a brat like you. Come back if you want, though you definitely must be crazy if you do."
Rei smiled. That was a 'I'll miss you too' in Kureha terms. "Thank you Doctorine, for taking good care of me."
"Ya happy, ja?"
"Un!" No matter how bittersweet saying goodbye was, Rei was genuinely happy.
"This happiness, don't forget it. Understand, brat?"
It took Rei a moment to understand what Kureha meant. She didn't just mean the happiness that life brought in general, but the happiness brought to her by good health. Without good health, she would not be able to enjoy some of the things in life that she took for granted on a daily basis, like feeling good, running around, or even the freedom of being unrestricted by ailment.
She always wanted her to remember this happiness and that made Rei smile brightly up at the woman.
"Yes Doctorine!" Rei nodded her head enthusiastically.
She would never forget how her health gave her such wonderful opportunities to be happy. Kureha gave her a witchy grin as she bowed her head in goodbye before casting a glance at Toshi-sensei. The two of them only exchanged a glance before Toshi-sensei nodded and began to lead Rei away from the little home hidden in a tree and to a clearing.
Rei easily kept pace with the long strides of her teacher, turning around quickly at one point to wave one last goodbye to Kureha before she lost sight of them in the density of the forest trees. She doubted it would be the last time she would see the girl, but she was certain that the next time they saw one another, Rei would no longer be a child, but a young budding woman.
"Good luck, brat, you'll need it with how your journey seems to be written." She mumbled to herself, going back into her home finally to work on her long list of prescriptions she had to fill. She had clients all across the Grand Line depending on her to fill them, willing to pay her price. She just hoped that damn courier she had would hurry the hell up with the rest of those herbs and get her ass here so she could deliver the prescriptions to their appropriate owner.
Knowing her, she was doing that damnable 'extreme fishing' of hers. Bah, oh well, its not like she really cared. Kureha had already received her payment. If they were too lazy to come to her, then they deserved to wait. Taking another guzzle of her favorite drink, Kureha sat down and began her work yet again.
Rei was familiar with this scenario. It wasn't uncommon for her to be summoned to the highest flat rock in the mountainous region of Soshi Shima where the Alpha lounged and surveyed her territory. She was merely unfamiliar to the idea of having to first greet Katsumi upon returning to the island, seeing as this was her first time doing so since her initial arrival. In all honesty, she had wanted to greet Tatsuo and Ayane and even Akira first, not Katsumi, but since she was the Alpha, Toshi-sensei told her it was imperative to show her respect by greeting her first and foremost.
Katsumi was lounging, curled into a comfortable ball as her head was slightly raised higher than the rest of her body, watching the small child that approached her with observant vermillion eyes. The sun was at just the right angle that it glimmered beautifully off of her red scales, making them look like they were set alit, like a sea of burning embers shimmering and glowing. It made Katsumi even more glorious and awe-inspiring than usual.
"Thou hath returned, Little One." Katsumi remarked to the young girl. "Willst thou not greet this one properly?"
Rei was pulled out of her gawking by those words and she immediately responded. "This one apologizes. Twas merely in awe of thy presence, Katsumi-san."
She heard the sound of Katsumi's laugher as the female dragon leaned her head towards the small child. "Thy flattery is very welcomed, but thou art to greet this one properly first and foremost. Do remember that in the future, Little One."
Rei nodded vigorously. Katsumi and Toshi were often drilling dragon etiquette into her brain and she had a feeling it was because they felt like she would need it in the future. Rei quickly bowed her head, giving off a thrum from her throat before telepathically speaking Drako words to her elder. Then, she puffed up her chest before letting out a chain of fire from her mouth.
Katsumi opened her maw and met Rei's weak flame with her own, the two swirling together where they made contact. Both cut off their flame seconds later, and Rei bowed her head once more. She only raised her head once she heard the sound of purring coming from Katsumi's throat.
"Very good, Little One. Thy flame is quite impressive." Katsumi complimented her, laying her head upon her back as she watched the child. Dragons with their long necks were very flexible and Rei was still amazed at the positions that they would put their necks, as if it was comfortable.
"Thank you, Katsumi-san." Rei shyly thanked her Alpha for the compliment. It was hard not to let that swell of pride show at her words. An Alpha does not often give compliments so freely, after all.
"Tis merely the truth." Katsumi dismissed. "Now, prithee, speak to me of thy time upon Drum Island and thy return to Soshi Shima. This one is curious as to what thou hath observed and pondered in thy absence."
Rei nodded, quickly sharing her story with her Alpha. She told her about Dr. Kureha, about Dr. Hiluluk, about Dalton, and also about the little reindeer she had named Tona.
"The Hito Hito no Mi, hmmm?" Katsumi let out a thrum as she mused upon that devil fruit. "This one hath not heard of this fruit in a long while."
"Thou hath heard of this devil fruit?" Rei was surprised at that. She didn't think Katsumi would know of something like that since it was known that she didn't like her herd to leave the island.
"Indeed. This dragon was but a young drake herself when she witnessed the powers of the Hito Hito no Mi firsthand. His name was Isamu and he was the very first of us to walk among humans. His devil fruit gave him the advantage long before our kind learned to shift our form. In fact, twas he that inspired us to do so. He died before this dragon entered her dragonhood and his devil fruit seemingly disappeared." She let out a chortling noise as she continued to muse. "To think that a reindeer of all creatures was to inherit his abilities. The world holds many mysteries still."
"Well, Tona did eat that fruit. This one merely hopes that it will serve him well." Rei commented.
"As does this one." Katsumi agreed. There was a pause before she pressed on to the next subject on hand. "Toshi spoke to this dragon. Thou hath taken thy first flying lesson in waters where the winds blow. What did thou think of the experience?"
"Twas very different than when flying here." The girl confessed, her wings twitching at the memory. "While tis difficult to fly here without much focus, energy, and stamina being used, twas nearly like floating in comparison. The wind currents makes flying easier than this one ever dreamed. There was even a storm as we flew back and Toshi-sensei explained to this one how to fly in such conditions. Twas nothing that she has every experienced before."
Rei could still remember the wind beneath her wings, keeping her up and guiding her and how she was to use the wind currents to guide her flight. And in the storm she had flown through with Toshi watching her every flap, she realized that even though the currents had changed, it didn't mean that she didn't mold herself to their ways. If she fought the flow of the wind, then it would only sap her of her energy. She had to go along with them while steering herself in the direction she wanted to go without forcing herself to go against their flow.
"Were thou surprised at how long thou could fly in such conditions?" Katsumi pulled her out of her musings with that question.
She nodded, remembering how she easily flew three times as long as she could in Soshi Shima's windless skies. Katsumi gave her a toothy grin as she thrummed.
"Tis one of the reasons we live here. Windless skies force our young to build greater strength and stamina when it comes to flight. The more difficult the natural properties of the area are, the more resilient our kin are in normal standards. Twill serve thee well one day when thou hath decided thy path to walk."
Rei blinked at that remark. "Thou thinks that this one will one day leave Soshi Shima?"
"This one doth not think it. She knows it to be truth." Katsumi told the young girl. "Thou art not ready today, nor tomorrow, nor any day soon, but one day thou will struck with wanderlust. Thou art human, despite thy dragon spirit, and thou will long to seek out thy own kind and find thy niche in their world. Thou were not meant to stay forever, though this one supposes that thou art more than welcome to. Tis not in thy nature though, Little One, regardless of if thee art human or if thee were dragon. This dragon can see that thou art one hungry for knowledge, knowledge that thou willst never be supplied here upon Soshi Shima. Nay, one day thou will leave this island and continue thy long journey forward."
"But..." Rei trailed off. She was so unsure of what to say. Leave? Yes, perhaps it had crossed her mind that she would leave after she had mastered her dragon abilities, but that had been when she was much younger. Now she couldn't imagine leaving, only for small periods of time to visit Tona and Doctorine, but in her mind, she always came back to the island.
"But nothing." Katsumi shook her head. "This one can sense thy turmoil and can guess at thy thoughts. Thou must understand that if thou art to leave, thou will not be able to find this island again, not without assistance."
"So this one is cursed with the knowledge of knowing that if she is to leave, she will never be able to return?!" Rei was torn. "Then she doth not ever wish to leave!"
"Thou will leave one day. Thou must! Little one, thou art not like us. Time flows at a different rate for thee than us. Remember that. Soon, thou will understand better what this one means, but till then, do not fret. No one but thyself can make thee leave. However, this one can tell thee this, thy red string of fate leads away from this island. It separates into many different paths, connecting thee to people and places far, far away from here. Thou art needed in thy human world, though how or why, this one cannot see or know, it is beyond her sight. She can merely see that thy fate, thy destiny is connected to others out there, far beyond the reach of Soshi Shima."
Rei stared at the fire dragon for a while. It was hard for her to think of a life not on Soshi Shima, but sometimes, she did wonder about the world beyond this one island. She thought of Drake and Gin and her siblings and her parents and even Captain Mizushima at times, but she had resigned herself to a life here, knowing full well that Katsumi wasn't keen on letting her herd leave the island.
Yet, she now realize, she had a choice to make one day. She could leave the island. Would she one day? She wasn't sure...
"Thou doth not have to decide now." Katsumi encouraged her. "Nor doth thee have to decide any time soon. Merely keep in mind that thou hath that option. For now, continue thy studies, Little One, they will serve thee well in the future."
"Yes, Katsumi-san." Rei seemed slightly encouraged, but still, she dreaded the day she would have to make such a decision. She stayed there for a while, lost in her own thoughts with the Alpha silently looking on at her young ward before Rei decided to ask one last thing before bidding her farewells and going to greet her guardians and her best friend, all who were probably waiting for her to return from her meeting with Katsumi.
"Katsumi-san... Thou spoke of seeing a red string of fate..." She didn't even have to finish her question, the Kasai dragon already well aware of what the question was.
"There are many people who have some form of a sixth sense or a sight beyond the physical realm. This dragon is merely one of those individuals. She can see the red string of fate that ties and binds people's lives together. She is connected to all her herd by this string and yet some are more vibrant or visible based on the connection. Thou hath very vibrant and visible strings connected to thee, binding thee to the fates and lives of others. This is how she knows that thou will one day leave, thou must meet these individuals who art tied to thy life. Tis not a sentence of banishment from Soshi Shima, but a promise of life and fulfillment away from this island, doth thou understand?"
"This one... thinks so..." Rei felt like she understood, but at the same time her head felt dizzy from trying to understand and accept such a fate as this.
"Go. Think of it at a later date, perhaps when thou doth not feel so overwhelmed by such foresight. Till then, go to thy keepers, they art anxious to see thee well again. Thou art dismissed."
Rei nodded, bowing her head and mentally giving her thanks before heading down the mountain and to her guardians. After covering some distance she let out a heavy sigh, expelling those thoughts from her mind before effortlessly taking to the sky and flying to the giant tree in the heart of the forest. Katsumi was right, it was best not to dwell on things that were not going to happen for a long time. For now, she had a people to greet, friends to play with, and lessons to learn.
She wasn't going anywhere any time soon. That much she was confident about.
Umeboshi-Plum Saké
Tonakai-Reindeer
Laphan-Rabbit
Tanuki Tanuki no Mi - Racoon-Racoon Fruit
Hito Hito no Mi - Human-Human Fruit
Ryu Ryu no Mi - Dragon-Dragon Fruit
(A/N Volleys-chan:) Hello all you wonderful readers! Surprised at the rate at which we updated this time around? Well, there's a funny story about that. You see, this chapter and the previous chapter were originally one chapter… yeah… that's about 60,000 words. We decided last minute (after I had finished writing it as a whole chapter) to break it up into two separate chapters instead. It works a lot better this way, allow me to assure you of that. Though it would have been great to have one 60,000 word chapter… that's a lot… to read… so we forcible broke it up for you in easier amounts to read. That and then we wouldn't have to worry about writing the next chapter within two weeks, especially since I started a new job that has me on a really early shift. I basically go home, find my bed, fight my sheets that had been tangled in my last bout of sleeping, and wrap myself in them so I can sleep…. then wake up, eat dinner, talk to my roommate, watch a episode of psych (maybe two if I'm daring), talk to Ryu-chan, then collapse in my bed again so I can get up super early again… repeat cycle.
And then there's the Law One Piece story I am writing on my own: No Gilded Cage to Hold Ye…. yeah. Those chapters are also 30,000 words. I also have to stop myself from making them 60,000 word chapters… though that one does not take precedence over Dragon Chronicles. I am apparently already a year behind in my side of things for this story… I'm surprised Ryu-chan has not smothered me in my sleep for that yet. Then again, she doesn't have keys to my new apartment… though she still has plenty of opportunity…. but then the story would never be finished… so, killing me is kinda a lose-lose for her :)
Okay. Enough about me and Ryu-chan's dreams of killing me, let's talk about the story. So, who did not guess that Chopper was one of the canon characters that she'd meet on Drum Island? Dalton, yeah, kinda would see how people would not think of him right away, but if one is on Drum, they have to meet Chopper, or Tona as Rei has dubbed him. Yeah, so this is waaaaay before Chopper meets Hiluluk and Kureha, back when he was all alone. In our special little head canon, Rei was the first human he met and befriended, inspiring him to eventually try to make more human friends. We know that originally backfires, but it allows him to meet Hiluluk.
So, also, factoid. Did you know, that when a person eats a devil fruit, they automatically know what the name of their devil fruit is? I didn't. Not until I re-watched the Enies Lobby arc again when Kalifa and Kaku ate their devil fruits. Since Luffy didn't seem to know his, we took a wild guess that children under a certain age might not understand that ummmm understanding? Shanks was the one who informed Luffy of the devil fruit he had eaten. So, because of that- Rei didn't know and Chopper really didn't know (especially since he was originally a reindeer(language barrier much?)).
So, according to Ryu-chan, I gotta give props to Tasteless Apples for actually guessing. At all. Just kidding! I'm giving her props because she actually guess CHOPPER! Which apparently no body else did. Which means, no body reads our notes…
So… If I put major spoilers in the notes- who'd notice? No one but Tasteless Apples apparently. Lol. If that's the case, go onto my DA profile, Volleysthedragon, and you probably match the description of our mysterious female character to one of the few pictures I have on DA. :) Love to hear what you all have to say about that. Especially since she's going to be a constant in the story later. Get a name to that… description? Yeah. Sure. Ryu-chan's probably going to delete this section, but if not, ha ha, enjoy that note readers!
Okay, so not to make it conspicuous for people who skim the notes and just read the bottom, I'm going to add a little more. Yes, this is probably a 1000 words of notes, but…. yeah… some of you should read the 1000+ notes on my first chapter of No Gilded Cage to Hold Ye. :D Those are some notes!
Yes, I am a talker, which probably explains the length of the chapters. Stop me anytime you want. Oh, wait. You can't. I'll keep talking. :) Lol just kidding! So. Just as a shameless plug in again for No Gilded Cage to Hold Ye (which you can find on my profile or Ryu-chan's favorite stories) I will now explain the reason behind the name. Law was once a member of Doflamingo's crew and in my story, he sees that relationship as being a bird in a gilded cage. By breaking away from Doflamingo and starting his own crew, he was breaking out of that gilded cage he was once confided in and is finally free to be his own person. It's not only Law, but other members that join his crew along the way find that yellow submarine as a way to break out of their own bondages and becoming free as well. So that is the reason for the name of the story. Yup.
SO, now I am wrapping up my notes. Ryu-chan is probably going to have an aneurism with how much I've written for a single author's notes, but I let her do it most of the time so you, my dear readers, can withstand a little longwinded notes every once in a while. Next chapter is hopefully (but one never knows with how long winded I tend to be) the last chapter of this current arc before we move onto the next arc, introducing a few new OCs and a lot of familiar Canon characters that will help Rei develop into the woman she is to become when she meets the Mugiwaras :) SUPER!
We love hearing from all of you and I know personally I check almost every hour the first few days for those reviews to come trickling in! I love hearing from you and your thoughts and input! It really, really makes my day. That's what makes it so special to receive reviews!
Thank you for taking the time to read all this! (Especially the notes) I will probably not be doing the author notes for a loooooong while… Apparently I'm too chatty.
Many thanks,
~Volleys-chan