Kurona's+Quest

"Whoa!" I ducked back behind the meter thick hill that had protected me from the fire until I foolishly tried to check what was going on in the fight. I loved to watch my demons fight. It was the most beautiful thing in the world. I crouched back down on the ground and glared at my empty bottle that had held my precious Fizzy Pop just moments before.

I was used to situations like this by now, but that didn't stop me from getting terrified. I mean, who wouldn't be? After all, my family **was** trying to kill a //Basan//. A Basan is a large, fire-breathing monster that looks like a chicken. Similar to those myths of a... what was it? A Roc? Oh well, this monster had been constantly setting a village on fire for a while now. I was hired by the village head a week ago to track and kill this thing for good. I wasn't particularly worried about my demons. It's not like the Basan could do any harm to my friends.

But the monster saw me as the weak link. Which I am, but that didn't give it the right to try and burn me alive. Every time I tried to take a peek at any of my demons, I would almost get a face full of fire. The thing was making me mad, I wanted more Fizzy Pop, and I was getting bored.

My group had already fought a Basan a year ago, when I was 9. We assumed that these two had a connection, and found we were right. Apparently, the one we killed last year was a female, and the one today was male. They had been mates, and the male blamed all humans for the death of his sweetheart, blah, blah, the whole melodramatic story. Small world, isn't it? Long story short, I had to clean up my own mess. I was a child, and I didn't like cleaning up my messes, hence the boredom and foul mood.

"Can't you hurry up?! I've been done with my Fizzy Pop for a while now. I want another one!" I yelled as, again, a blast of hot air grazed the top of my head. I gingerly touched my hair to make sure that none of it was burned.

"No, Imouto. I've told you time, and time again, that you can't have two bottles of soda in a row." Rin, the water demon, snapped. At the same time, she finally managed to shoot water down the monster's throat. Oh joy. Now I could properly stand up.

The Basan gurgled, trying to spit the water out. Stupid thing, it would only choke. Rin finally managed to force the water down it's gullet. I watched as Hiroyuki swiftly took his dagger in hand, jumped up, and cut a deep gash in the monster's stomach. Blood seeped out of the wound as quickly as I had flinched. My air demon had opened a major blood vessel. The monster died quickly, and, sadly, not without pain.

"Kurona, ready to go receive the payment?" Rean strutted past me, drawing my attention away from the body. I could still hear the sickening sound as the clawed foot was cleanly cut off of the limb when I walked away.

"Sure. What else are we supposed to do? But, really, is it necessary to bring back proof that we killed it? I don't really feel like lugging around a severed chicken's foot." I grabbed the empty bottle off of the damp ground. It was still technically morning, and the ground was still soaking up the morning dew. Rin caught up with me, tying a string around the sack that held the body part.

"Think of it as for good luck. So we can get the full pay." I glanced at Rin, who had spoken up.

"Isn't that a rabbit's foot?" I corrected. Despite being younger, I always felt like I had to keep my older sister's head on straight. Despite being over 200 years old, Rin could be ditzy. My Onee-san (elder sister) went off on a speech of how she could have sworn it was chicken's feet that brought good luck. But Rean's comment pulled my attention to him.

"Awfully senile for a 10 year old, aren't 'cha?" The fire demon spoke just loud enough for my human ears to pick up on.

"I heard that, you //Ikkoku//!" Ikkoku means a hot-headed person. The word was perfect for the crude and mannerless demon who only seemed to infuriate me.

"You were meant to, little Hime." Tama, I hated it when he called me a little princess. When I was 7, I was from a noble family, but never a princess, and I certainly wasn't one now.

The two of us argued for the rest of the way, Rin, Yuri, and Hiroyuki following quietly behind. My demons and I came to the hut that the head lived in.

"Ah... were you five successful today?" An elderly man called from a table off to the side of the room. He was the head of the village. We all bowed, and Rin handed the sack to the man crouched down on the floor. "Please, have some soup. You didn't have to go through so much trouble just to gather food." Gritting my teeth, I prayed to the Tama that the old man wouldn't put the foot into the boiling pot and try to serve it to us. //I don't want soup, you blind old ox. I want a Fizzy Pop and money to buy that Fizzy Pop. Now, open up the dang bag, and give us the cash!//

"Mura Riida, what is in the sack is the proof of our success. It is the foot of the Basan. We must get on our way as soon as possible, so if you could kindly verify that we have completed the job, and give us the payment you offered." Yuri-dear, sweet, smart, punctual Yuri-politely hurried along the village head's hands.

"Yes. Yes. That looks real enough. Now, where did I put it... yes, here they are. Let's see... the reward is..." The man trailed off as he tried to remember the number.

"It's 39, 905 yen, Mura Riida." The old ox blinked in my general direction before breaking into a smile.

"Did you know that Mura is translated into "village," and Riida is "leader?" But the way we see it is village head. Wonder why that is..." Again the elderly ox drifted off, only to be snapped back by Yuri. "Yes. 39, 905 yen, as promised... here you go." I snatched the paper bills out of his hand as the demons ran off to gather our things. I was so busy counting the currency that I had almost forgotten my manners. Silly me.

"Arigato gozaimasu!" I bowed again deeply before turning on my heel to walk out the door.

"No need to thank me. We should be thanking you."

"The pay is all the thanks I need. Be grateful that you didn't have to sell your granddaughter off or something." The old ox chuckled, amused.

"I did, but she can't marry a 10 year old girl, now can she?" I was about to ask why he would sell his own flesh and blood off like cattle when he wasn't even a noble, but Rean had grabbed my arm to pull me through the door.

I supposed it was time to go after all.

"I want a Fizzy Pop." I stated to my companions.

"NO WAY!" Rin and Rean exclaimed in unison. In the end, they gave in. Or rather, Rean bought my Fizzy Pop. Rin was only a stingy, stubborn water demon, so she didn't count.

The amount of time it took to walk from the coast to the library was roughly a month or two, depending how fast we were going. The travel was uneventful, so let's faze through the walking, sleeping, talking, and eating. Instead, I'll skip to when the four of us arrived at the foot of the gigantic mountain that, at the top, was a library full of romance novels, among others that never really mattered to me.

Rean had to stay at the foot of the mountain, considering that Cho-dono hated fire in the library, and Rean, being a fire demon, wouldn't even be able to see the library. I always thought that it was a pity, even though Rean would have no interest in books. Sometimes I would contemplate asking Cho-dono if she could allow Rean to at least //see// her library. Even if it was only from the outside. Of course, I never did ask Cho-dono that.

The honorific "dono" is a term of the deepest respect, and Madame Cho certainly deserved my utmost respect. She was probably the only "adult" that I would ever listen to, let alone respect. Yuri was an adult, but I never really listen to him all the time. Besides, I've known Yuri all of my new life, and then some. I had made Cho-dono's acquaintance only a year ago.

Rin would tell where the ice and water dangers were, which was helpful to not become blind. Cho-dono could sure come up with some nasty things to hinder invaders. Yuri was in charge of guiding us up the mountain, and understanding where we were headed. Hiroyuki would bring oxygen with him, and would give it to the rest of us regularly. With the teamwork of the three demons, we could always successfully and safely travel to the library. The only thing the four of us had to worry about was whether Rean would behave himself without me babysitting him.

"Cho-dono?" I whispered, wondering if it was alright to enter. No matter how many times I came, it seemed as if I would never relax when I saw the shocking amount of books. When no answer was heard, I wandered to the section that held the cheesy lines and cliche ideas. Cho-dono would come and talk to me when she wanted to.

Sure enough, after a few moments I heard her footsteps whispering on the stone floors. "Kurona-chan! How good it is to see you again! I hope you are well." Madame Cho bowed gracefully. "What brings you to the library?"

"Hai!" I bowed deeply, and snapped up again. I was still kinda nervous when I saw Cho-dono. Rubbing the back of my head, I smiled and continued, "I finished my last job, and as always, I thought I could spend a few hours reading before we leave for the next 'demon-slaying-investigation!' Is... is that alright?" Unconsciously, I thought that she would turn me away. I suppose it was left over from Uncle's utter hatred and plots.

"Of course, child! I hope you know that you are always welcome in the library. Choose a book and come with me." Cho led me to a lovely little alcove near to the romance section. It was furnished with a comfortable chair and a small table which held tea, snacks and a Fizzy Pop. A bluish-white light glowed in a lamp, casting the perfect light for reading. "Make yourself comfortable, Kurona-chan, and call me if you need anything else."

"Hai! Arigato gozaimasu!" I bowed as I thanked her. Giving her a smile, I turned to the books. I picked a random one and read the back. Yep, this one would be good. Turning to Cho-dono, I gave the affirmative.

Cho smiled in return, as she pushed her white hair away from her face. Her teal green eyes were kind as they gazed into mine. "I hope you will enjoy your book, Kurona. Perhaps, when you are done, we could talk for a bit. I feel the need to be informed about what is going on in the world outside my mountain and you might have information that would be of interest to me and my...shall we say... colleagues. Would that be acceptable?"

"Of course! I think my love of romance novels exceeds even my love of Fizzy Pops! I would also be happy talk to you, I'd like to help in anyway I can. And you can hear a lot of stories in my business, so I can tell you lots of interesting things. And... maybe... I can meet your colleagues in the future? Oh, but I don't want to intrude any more than I already have!" I paused, realizing that my childhood habit was starting up again. "I'm rambling... sorry."

Cho laughed. "Don't be sorry, my child. I find your enthusiasm refreshing."

I cast my eyes to the floor as I followed Cho-dono to where I could read my book without disturbing other visitors. Of course, I grabbed the snacks and Fizzy Pop before leaving. I contemplated grabbing the tea, but soon came to the conclusion that it was meant for Cho-dono. Hoping that my guess wasn't wrong, as I did not want to insult Cho-dono, I continued walking.

Cho saw me settled comfortably in the little reading room. "As to meeting my colleagues, that may be something that we have to save for later." She held up a hand, forestalling my reply. "Not because you are unworthy, simply because, well, you are very young. However, you are also very resourceful. I think, in the fullness of time, you will meet the others. Now enjoy, and when you are ready to talk, ask one of my monks to direct you to my Tea Garden. I will meet you there."

"Okay!" I beamed as Cho-dono left the room. "Now, let's see what you have in you? Shall we?" I spoke to the book. I had a few habits, one of which was speaking to inanimate objects as if they could hear me. I would most often talk to books, but also weapons and things of nature. Settling down in a chair, I opened to the first page of the book.

It was a wonderful story, like all the books that Cho-dono had in her possession, and of course, had a courtship and marriage added to the equation. It began from the point of view of a small town school teacher, then went to the heir to a throne. The woman was a smart and kind person, but had a sharp tongue; my favorite type of heroine. The man was arrogant and prideful, though he had a sort of gruff kindness; my favorite type of love interest. I always liked the male point of view more than the woman, maybe the reason being that I found it different and exotic. I also had no idea why my favorite type of hero reminded me so much of Rean. Either way, it turned out that the teacher was the lost heiress of the neighboring country, and therefor the two lovers could finally marry. I only found out about the lost heiress factor at the end of the story, after much trials and tribulations. I was the sort of fool that got too caught up in a story, and could not predict what would happen in the over dramatic storyline.

When I turned the last page, I bordered on skipping to the shelf where I placed the leather bound book back in it's proper place. I was also the sort of fool that was still caught up in the story even though she had already finished and would still hold the infectious happiness. I was able to quickly find a monk. After introducing myself and explaining where I needed to go and why, the monk lead me to a gorgeous garden. It suited Cho-dono perfectly with it's elegance and balance in nature and power. Looking around, I absentmindedly bowed to the monk as he left, and took in the beauty. It always amazed me how Cho-dono could pull things together.

Madame Cho was seated in a pagoda that floated like a lily in the heart of a jade green pond. "Kurona-chan, come and sit down next to me. We have much to discuss. You know that I am interested in the happenings outside my library. At times, I employ certain resourceful individuals to investigate rumors that reach my ears. You, and your elemental demons, have proven yourselves to be quite ingenious. I wonder if you would consider working for me?"

I was shocked for a moment. Never had I imagined that I could be of help to anyone. As I have mentioned before, I have always been the weak link. I was still relatively weak, but if I could be of help to Cho-dono, I'd do anything within my power. It took me a fraction of a second to think it over before giving my answer.

"Hai! Of course! You wouldn't even have to pay me, and that should be considered a miracle in my case! It'd be... I don't know... volunteer work? Well, what I mean is, that it's not a favor-you wouldn't owe me anything, it's not a job, I'd be willing to do it, so therefore... 'volunteer work.'" Could I really not stop rambling for the life of me?

Cho smiled serenely, as if she had already anticipated my agreement, and perhaps she had. "I am glad to accept your kind offer, little falcon. So, to business. In the north-northeast of Ringence there are the remains of a civilization called the Yuntai Province. Somewhere in those ruins is a book that has been taken from my collection. It is called //The Mystery and Mastery of Elemental Magics//. Find that book and return it to me. If it falls in the wrong hands, it could be disastrous."

"Yes, I'd be willing to look into it for you, and if I do manage to find the book, I'll bring it straight to you. It wouldn't hinder any of our plans either. There's a fishing port near that direction, and a type of water monster has been causing trouble. We-my demons and I- were hired to try and put a stop to it as soon as possible. But... question: I don't know if I should get the book back first, complete the job we were originally assigned to, then bring the book back;or should I get the book, bring it to you, and after that's done, go and get rid of the monster? I realize that the book takes first priority, but would you consider it in safe hands if the five of us kept it for a week or two longer than if we would bring it straight to you?" I paused, "I just asked a very complicated question, didn't I?"

Cho laughed, her teal eyes sparkling with merriment. "A complicated question with a simple answer, Kurona-chan. The book will be safe enough in your hands. There is no need to retrace your steps. But be wary, for many unscrupulous people would like to have the tome, and they may pursue you once you acquire it. I would not want you to fight a battle on two fronts."

"Thanks, we'll be careful. But it would be okay if we... 'fought a battle on two fronts?' What the heck does that mean?! I can guess... but I read romance novels, not Strategies on Battle Techniques." I felt foolish asking this, but when I didn't understand something, I would always want to solve it.

"Perhaps you should eventually read a book on battle strategy, little falcon. As Sun-Lung Zhang once said, 'Know your enemies, know yourself and you shall never be defeated.' But, to your question, fighting a battle on two fronts means that you are fighting two enemies at once. This can be very dangerous. You are not alone and so you should be able to do both things. However, just in case, take this," Cho handed me a medallion engraved with a dragon flying over a mountain. "If you should find yourself in jeopardy, touch this and say my name. I will come to help you."

"Arigato gozaimasu for telling me what you meant. I like learning new sayings. Though, I don't think I'm quite ready to broaden my horizons. Also, thank you for the medallion, but are you sure? It seems to be pretty... powerful, or at least important in some way." I looked down at the round metal engraving in my hand. I blinked as I placed the string on my neck. The metal was warm, not ice cold like a normal piece of metal would be. Yep, magic. "But why is it a dragon? The mountain, I can understand, but a dragon? I'd think it would be... I dunno... a book with little angel wings?" I was completely serious about this; see my serious face.

Cho remained calm, her eyes kind. "All in good time, Kurona-chan. And although this medallion is powerful, I //do// want you to have it. It is always good to have...shall we say...a bit of insurance." She stood. "Now, you have a mission, and I have duties. Good luck to you, little falcon. I hope to see you again soon." She bowed and then left the pagoda, her silken kimono whispering on the stones of the paths. I quickly stood up and bowed good-bye. When I looked up, Cho-dono was already nowhere to be seen.

Thinking about everything that I had discussed, I left the way I had come and set out to search for Rin, Yuri, and Hiroyuki. When I got tired of searching, I gave in and called for them. They were at my side as soon as I uttered their names.

"Are you ready to go, Imouto?" Rin started playing with my hair, I let her reassure herself. Rin didn't tell me much about it, I think even she herself could not remember, but I knew that she had lost a little sister. As a result, RIn would become hysteric if I wasn't anywhere to be found. It was better to let her confirm that I was still around.

"Yes." I grabbed my elder sister's hand, and started walking out of the library to the Lamasery. Soon, we were out in the cold and making down the trek to the foot of the mountain. Even in the cold that felt like it could give frostbite, the medallion gave off it's own source of heat.

When we reached the foot of the mountain, we immediately saw Rean heading towards us.

"Chikusho! Why'd you take so long?! I was getting ancy and was about to go and pick a fight! What would you do then, huh?!" The last couple of sentences gave Rean's true feelings away. He was just throwing a tantrum, so I refused to give him satisfaction, no matter how slightly cute he was acting.

"If you went looking for a fight and got killed, it would have been your own fault, you Ikkoku."

"What?! You brat-!" Hiroyuki clamped his hand over Rean's mouth before he could continue his insult.

"You would do well to refrain from insulting Kurona further, Ikkoku." I could barely hear the sentence that Hiroyuki whispered, but I managed to catch it. The strange thing was, it didn't seem like Hiroyuki had simply whispered, the expression on the air demon's face had the sentence being a snarl. I quickly dismissed it when Hiroyuki glanced at me and shot one of his winning smiles in my direction. He winked as I burst off into a fit of giggles. Rean flailed wildly around, drawing my attention to the fact that he was unable to breathe.

"As much as I enjoy the look on Rean's face, Hiroyuki, I think it would be better if you suddenly happened to remember that a flame needs oxygen to live. Rean, being practically fire itself, not to mention the fact that he is a human body, needs oxygen just the same. You are cutting off that supply, and I would like to keep the fire demon alive. He has a few uses." Rean gasped and continued to suck in deep breaths when Hiroyuki let go of the other demon.

"Really? I would have thought that the idiot would have no uses at all. I certainly can't think of any." Hiroyuki hurried up his pace to fall into step with me as he joked with that dry sarcasm of his.

"I only said he had a **few** uses. That doesn't mean that they really matter right now." I joked back. Hiroyuki had a similar humor to mine, and also loved to tease Rean as much as me. As the fire demon grumbled and sulked, Hiroyuki played some more games with me. The rest of the walk was the same as normal. Nothing eventful happening, just eating, sleeping, and talking. The only thing of interest was the destination.

I had heard of the Yuntai Provence. It was only ruins, but had a bunch of mysteries to it that drew people to the place. I was looking forward to exploring myself, though I had heard some strange and horrifying rumors about what went on. Some people claimed there was still a people living there, secluded and that they used the explorers that went there as human sacrifices. Others said that it was home to thousands of spirits, and was the center of all things in the Spirit Realm. I honestly had more interest in the latter rumor. A hidden people had been a common talk now-a-days.

When we could see the ruins, the uneventful journey still continued. Even when we entered the area, I still found myself stuck with boredom.

"Oh, by the Tama! Let's just get this over with! If whoever stole the dang magic book isn't going to even bother trying to protect their treasures, let's just take the dang thing!" I nearly screamed at the sky. My demons agreed to hurry the search along. Yuri knelt and placed his hand on the ground, closing his eyes. He was searching through all of the underground, and the buildings made out of earth for anything resembling a book. Hiroyuki sent his winds out to search by the sky. Rean and Rin waited with me under a rather deformed tree. It took around half an hour, but I had learned when I had first started traveling with the demons that patience was a key to magic. I might have been pacing, but I kept quiet and let the two men concentrate.

"Yuri and I have come to an agreement that the best possible place to look is in an abandoned temple not far from here. It's mostly empty except for a type of alter." Hiroyuki informed us after conferring with Yuri about each other's findings.

"So? It's a temple. What's so strange about it having an alter?" Rean snapped. He's patience was wearing down even faster than mine.

"The fact is, that the alter is located in a most unusual place." Yuri was the one to answer. He fell silent with the incomplete thought hanging in the air.

"Yuri, you need to tell us what's so strange about the placement." Rin urged. She was the only one of those who could do nothing in the situation that had her feet on level ground.

"The alter is placed dead center. Usually, the alter is placed further into the back, to allow believers to come in and worship. From the size and the placement, we can assume that something abnormal has happened in the temple. So, we should at least check to see if it has something to do with the book we are looking for." Yuri finished his analyzation as I nodded in consent. We headed towards the direction Yuri had said the temple was located.

The temple was the ruins of a Western style church. It was out of place, what with the building being surrounded by Eastern style ruins. It seemed a more recent addition, which caused the five of us to wonder if a group of Westerners had tried to settle in the East at one point. The stone slates that the church was made of browned with age, and had grown green from moss and other plant life. The steeple was collapsed to the ground, the door torn off it's hinges.

It was the door that had my demons' caution take on a growth spurt. The hinges had not simply collapsed from rust and decayed. The door was not simply laying on the steps to rot. The hinges were torn apart, one half on the wall, one half still on the door it's self, the metal warped. The door was thrown halfway across the yard that separated the path from the church, and it was not dragged. It was twisted off the wall, and flung over the shoulder. This suggested that a very strong being had broke in.

Rean, as usual, walked head first into the danger. As we called after him-like usual-the fire demon-as always-ignored us. We cringed and waited for the stupid Ikkoku to be flung backwards into the dirt, to run out screaming, for the whole place to catch fire, //something//. But nothing happened for several minutes. When the remaining four of our group was starting towards the door, Rean suddenly popped his head through the door. Rin and I grabbed each other and screeched.

"Chikusho! What are you doing?!" Rean rubbed his ears and took a few steps away from us.

"Well, I could ask you the same!" I chased after Rean inside the church, snapping at him with all the things I usually snapped and screamed when the Ikkoku ran head first into a dangerous situation. It took awhile for my stamina to fade, and for Rin to calm me down and get me to stop chasing him. Hiroyuki and Yuri were inspecting an oddly placed alter.

The alter wasn't oddly placed so much as the wall behind the alter was. The wall cut through the middle of the room, almost reaching the two vertical walls. But it was bluntly cut off a few meters on each side to allow room for a person to walk to the others side of the church. The dusty alter was made of what once was probably extravagant mahogany. Scattered around the floor of the church were broken pieces of sacred artifacts. In their place, a rather large, leather bound book was placed on the center of the alter. Obviously, someone had wanted to discard the actual sacred objects for the book. //Does this guy have a god complex or something? I know that the book is powerful, but to treat it like it's from a god or whatever these people believe in? That... there's a word for that... blasphemous. Yeah, that's the right word.//

"What do you want to do, Kurona?" Rin asked, grabbing my hand. I could tell she was worried about everything we could gather from looking around. "It could have booby traps or something."

"Well, I say we grab it and run for our lives." I grinned, trying to cheer my Onee-san up. Onee-san means older sister, and seeing that Rin was over 200 years old, and I was only 10, I figured I could call her elder sister. Plus, she liked it and replied with the opposite, Imouto, which meant little sister. "Rean, your opinion?"

"I agree with you. It seems like the best option. Plus, it sounds fun." Saw that one coming. If something is dangerous or exciting enough, Rean will be right in the middle of it. It doesn't even have to be much of anything to get Rean's nose near the grinder. 1 for and 0 against.

"Excellent. Rin?" I looked up at my water demon's worried expression, my eyes mirroring her feelings. //Come on girl, don't let me down.// If even one person disagrees with an idea, we would have to spend more time there and would be forced to come up with a new solution. It took her a rather long time to answer, I let out a breath I had no idea I had been holding when she finally managed to do so.

"I'll do whatever you decide, Kurona. You know that." She squeezed my hand, and we all turned to Hiroyuki. 2 for and 0 against.

"I'd prefer to wait a bit and see, but seeing as how we're pressed for time, I say we grab it while there is a chance, and leave before anyone figures it out." I smiled, and hugged the air demon. 3 for and 0 against. Now for the toughest.

"That's all very well and good. But I'm afraid that that chance has slipped by a while ago." Yuri had interrupted, pointing above the odd wall, and to a small balcony above. It looked to only be able to hold one person, and there was a person up there. I couldn't see the figure's attributes, because as soon as they were noticed they hid from view behind a heavy curtain. I could still make out their shape because of the moth holes in the fabric. Rather large holes they were. //Why didn't Yuri say anything before?! Oh, wait... this is Yuri we're talking about.// Sighing, I looked up at the figure and opened my mouth. //I need to stop getting surprised at things like this.//

"Hey! Quit hiding like a coward! Or are you really that much of a //Kusemono//?" There are a few things that I consider myself good at. The list being: reading, drinking Fizzy Pop, keeping track of money, and annoying a person. I must have put my skills of being able to magically annoy anyone I wish to to good use, because the //R////ouou// stepped out of the shadows in anger.

"Did you just call me a suspicious person?!" He was a middle aged man, with salt and pepper hair, a bushy beard, and who was slightly short.

"Yep. But not only are you a Kusemono, you also are a Rouou." I smirked when the man jumped down from the balcony with surprising agility.

"I'm only 41! I'm not an old man, so don't call me a Rouou!" His face was already red. //This man's temper could rival Rean's.// I closed my eyes, continuing to smirk, I replied with a distasteful choice of words, used especially for the Kusemono.

"You deny the name Rouou, but not Kusemono? Well, at least you realize the fact that you're weird." I shrugged, a Westerner's action. I had seen Rean do the action many times, and, as a child will do, learned to copy the things Rean did. Looking back on it, Rean was not the best role model for me, now was he? After all, shrugging is very rude for Ringencers.

"I have a name, you know!" Opening one of my eyes to look at him, I dropped my shoulders and crossed my arms across my chest.

"I wasn't told your name, so how should I be able to call you by it?" He seemed astonished, momentarily dropping his guard. Rean took advantage of that and sneaked behind the Rouou.

"You came looking for me even though you had no idea who I was?" The same astonished expression was on his face, making him seem almost nice. "Didn't you ask the person that sent you?" Ah, now the suspicious person was suspicious of me? How ironic.

"I don't see myself in a position to ask that person questions." I untangled my arms and let them drop to my sides. I could be a good actress, and I wanted to keep the guy's guard down.

"Well, you can call me Sheridan." He dropped his defensive stance. He took a step forward and reached for me. I flinched, but a warm hand came down and petted my head.

I wasn't used to such expressions of affections from strangers, and I quickly got embarrassed. //He's around the same age as Chichi-ue would be. Come to think of it... Chichi-ue's birthday is coming up.// Being from a noble family, we had long standing traditions, and as such, I always called my father Chichi-ue and my mother Haha-ue. Both were very formal and old fashioned names for a parent. Most common children my age called their parents Otosan and Okasan. That sort of distance I had with my parents was sometimes lonely. I wasn't used to warmth from someone besides my demons. I even kept a distance from Madame Cho.

"A Comerite?" I wanted to change the subject, and blocked his hand. The name sounded like the sort of name that the people from the West had.

"A Tsundere?" My head snapped up, I furrowed my brow, glaring up at the suddenly looming figure. Well, at least I managed to lower his guard. But this acting was becoming too real for my liking. I motioned for Rin to go and try to sneak the book away.

"If you're from Comeras, then why do you know so much about our culture?!" I was **not** a Tsundere. Tsundere is a term referring to a girl that seems stubborn and mean at first, but you start to see that she is cute as you get to know her. Nothing was cute about me, inside and out.

"I studied, of course." Suddenly, he turned. Worst of all, he turned to see Rin with the book in her hands, and Rean holding a piece of metal that was laying on the floor, the pipe was raised and ready to slam into where Sheridan's head would have been. Every one froze on the spot, too scared to move.

I couldn't see the expression on Sheridan's face, but his neck was getting red. Now it was purple. That couldn't be good for his health.

"Well." The middle aged man finally spoke, and his voice was strained like I had expected. "That's too bad... I was actually starting to like a kid like you." He turned around and faced me. His face still had splotches of red on the cheeks, but otherwise he seemed calm. Well, except that weird look in his eyes. You know what it looks like. It gives away that the person in front of you is most probably insane.

"I'm not someone a person like you should like. Plus, I'm older than you inside." I was about to smirk, but a strong blow to my head had my vision going black. I felt the cold of the boards beneath me, I had collapsed. I heard shouting, then a thump. Barely keeping my consciousness, I forced my eyes open and blinked. A rather familiar figure loomed a couple feet above me. When the rainbow colored spots in my vision disappeared, a realized that a warm mass was lying next to me, groaning. I sat up in shock, completely out of my daze instantly.

Rean had collapsed next to me. No, he didn't collapse. He was **thrown** **across the room**. I started shaking the Ikkoku, calling his name over and over again. A scream pulled my attention elsewhere just as I felt the cold of a shadow leaning over me.

"Imouto! Run!" It was Rin, her make-shift water daggers swirling around her and taking aim. Behind me was Hiroyuki, wrestling another man who was twice the size of himself. Rin was farther away, if you connected the dots, with Rin, Hiroyuki, and I as the dots, it would make scalene triangle. Both Hiroyuki and Rin were telling me to get out, they'd handle it. I ignored them and quickly looked at the silent hulk. His silhouette had rang a slightly loud bell for me.

Then it hit me. It hit me both figuratively and literally; both at the same time. It hit me figuratively by the fact that I remembered that this was the same person that had attacked me that last night in the mansion. This guy was supposed to be dead, and-by the fact that he was moving- he wasn't. //Oh by the love of the Tama... I got hit by a zombie.// I was hit literally when I was back-handed by the undead. The person that was supposed to be dead had managed to reach past Hiroyuki and strike my cheek. I glared up and stood on my feet.

"No, Kurona!" Hiroyuki could always guess what I was thinking, and today was no exception. "He's a demon, like us. I don't know how or why, but he is. Now, please leave and the four of us will take care of it." He gave a strained smile, and gave one last shove to the demon straight out of my nightmares. Amazingly, it stumbled, and fell to the ground. Apparently the body was too big, and the demon couldn't get back on it's feet. As it was struggling, the thick icicles that Rin had created pinned the monster to the ground.

"Wha-?!" I snapped around and found Rean sitting up, blinking at the massive hulk.

"Rean! Kurona! Let's MOVE!" Hiroyuki grabbed my wrist, effectively pulling me out the door. Rean followed closely behind.

"Wait! What about the book?!" Jerking back in the direction we had come from, I stared back at the church that was already in the distance. Hiroyuki had called his winds, and the five of us were soaring through the air.

"You do not have to worry. I have the book we are looking for in my possession." Yuri, who had been absent in the fight, showed me the same book I was sent to look for. Breathing out a sigh of relief, I leaned against Hiroyuki who promptly released my hand.

"We really need to cure you of your habit of not saying important facts out loud, Yuri." I closed my eyes and thought of our next plan of action. When I had reached a decision, I fell asleep. It's hard to stay awake after a situation like that, even if I didn't do anything to help. Again.

I had gained a new habit. My new habit was that I would constantly grip the medallion that Cho-dono had given me. Also, that's exactly what I was doing at that moment. Rean, Rin, Hiroyuki, Yuri, and I had arrived at the City of Water, Yanagawa.

Yanagawa was a city that, despite it's name, was not covered in water. The only reason it seemed to be called the City of Water was because it was the 2nd largest city in Ringence, and was also a fishing port. Tetravier was in no need of another fishing country, but it existed all the same. The fishing occupation was mainly kept for the people of the country. The city was not quite as rich in culture as Bandium, but it had it's own dangers.

We were in a mansion that was hauntingly similar to the mansion I had lived in before I reached the age of 7. It was the house of the "Mura Riida." I say village head, but it was more like he was an emperor. Why? Well, let's see. He was filthy rich from stealing the money from the people of the town, he had a //harem//, and a pompous attitude-and yes, I did meet him before.

Every single time a problem came up, the guy asked for my help. He may act like a hero, but the guy's actually a complete and utter coward. He's annoying in the highest degree, and get this-he always (and I mean always) tries to get me to join his harem. One time, he managed to trick me into walking right into a kidnapping trick. I was seriously going to kill myself if Rean hadn't broken in. But that's all in the past! I've forgotten about it already...

"Kurona! My flower! How are you doing this fine evening? I hope you're going to be nice to me during your stay." //I give up. I can't help but hate this person.//

"Come now. You know I'd never be nice to you, Yutaka." I forced a laugh and wouldn't meet his eyes. "By the way, I'm not your anything. How many times do I have to say it? I don't have anything to do with womanizers like you, //hentai//." With the way I described him, I think you should know what that phrase means.

"I'm not a pervert, my flower."

"By the Tama, I'm not your flower! Stop hitting on a 10 year old! Hentai! Hentai! You're an old man womanizer! Just direct me to where the octopus appears, you perverted cowardly brown-nose!" I realized that Yutaka had clamped onto my hand. "Let go of me!" I snapped my hand out of his reach and hid behind Rean, the tallest. Yutaka looked shocked. Serves him right.

"Come on, Kurona. I'm only 25 years old. I'm still young. Plus, do you even know what brown-nose means? I think that's out of context."

"I don't care! Now tell me which street and what time I should look first!" I gripped Rean's shirt, cueing the four of them to look intimidating. Hiroyuki was surprisingly good at emitting a murderous aura.

"Okay! Fine, fine." Yutaka threw his hands up in the air and continued. "I wrote down the places that the //Akkorokamui// often surfaces at on this piece of paper. I... hope that you'll be able to fix our problem." I took the paper and glared suspiciously at Yutaka. That pause of his worried me.

"I always do save the day when you're cowering in your mansion. What makes this time so different?" Yutaka's expression flickered, then it went right back to that nervous smile that he always wore. I wasn't able to catch what had been hidden, but I had my cautions on full throttle.

When we left, Rean remarked on Yutaka.

"Well, that was weird."

"Abnormal is more like it." Hiroyuki corrected. "I've never seen him this nervous. He usually is relieved as soon as he sees Kurona."

"Yeah." I looked back at the mansion. Yutaka waved from one of the balconies, another figure next to him. The two turned back into the confines of the house, seemingly in the middle of an argument. Narrowing my eyes, I turned on my heel back to the path. "Let's keep our guard up."

After we couldn't see the mansion anymore, I read the instructions. The Akkorokamui- or Kraken- as the Westerners called it, appeared at only one spot. Finding the situation to be growing more odd by the minute, I crumpled the piece of paper and walked on. The location was easy enough to find, seeing as how it was a quarter of a mile long. As we neared the pier, we saw less and less people. When we stepped onto the wooden boards, we were the only people in a cold, desolate world. I could practically see the tumble weeds.

I looked around, and found a damp bench to sit on. My demons followed my example, and we waited. However, we didn't wait for long.

"You there!" A group of men walked up to Yuri, who was the oldest, both in physical and actual age. For no reason at all, the four men started to pick a fight with Yuri. All the earth demon did was blink at them in turn as the men spouted incoherent insults. I only vaguely understood some of the profanities, but it seemed that Rean understood them all. Like I said before, Rean had his uses, but that didn't mean that they helped. Anyway, I decided to intervene on Yuri's behalf.

"Oi! You peabrains over there! Where'd all that come from?" All the adults turned to look at the ten year old that had spoken out of place. "What made you suddenly walk up to my friend and start mouthing off?" I suppose I looked rather silly like that, sticking up for the guy that was over twice my age.

Then I heard footsteps. A lot of marching footsteps. Down the road from Yutaka's mansion, around 200 soldiers came rushing down.

"Are you Kurona Himeko?" A man on a horse, a captain or something, scowled down at me as he asked me his rather simple question from his literally high horse.

"Yes, I am. May I ask, what's with the entourage? Isn't that small army a little excessive for four small men that barely know how to pick a fight?" Squinting, I struggled to focus on the captain's face. The sun was right behind him, and I think I was becoming blind. He didn't answer me, just turned to the four men.

"You did a good job stalling the enemy. Thank you. Lord Yutaka will reward you for your efforts." I gawked, astounded by what I could have sworn was the word "enemy" being used to refer to //me//. Even more so that Yutaka's name was used after that phrase. Almost like... almost like Yutaka- cowardly Yutaka- had set me up.

"Kurona." Hiroyuki drew me out of my shock. "It seems, for some reason, that Lord Yutaka has decided to turn on us. What would you like us to do?" I quickly thought up the different scenarios that I saw. //Oh, to heck with it.//

"Fight." That was all I needed to say. Hiroyuki drew his dagger and attacked the closest on-coming soldier. Rin used the water from the ocean and crashed a wave fit for a tsunami onto the beach, wiping away half of the army. Rean drew out a line of fire, and sent it hurling through the first row of soldiers. Yuri picked me up and retreated to the end of the pier. Yutaka was entirely wrong if he thought that an army as small as this would be able to defeat my demons and I. Didn't he know me better by now? I guess not.

A loud thump from behind startled me, and when I turned around, Yuri was standing in front of me. No, he was standing in between that hulk of supposed-to-be-dead flesh and me. Next thing I knew, I was grabbed from behind. A new one, a different body but same build, had roughly picked me up. From an on-looker's point of view, he could have been giving me a bear hug. Let me just point out, anybody who thought that was what was going on, were idiots. He was breaking my ribs, and I'm pretty sure he meant to do so.

Through the pain, I noticed that Yuri had been thrown aside. Now, don't get me wrong, Yuri is really strong when he's in his element. But seeing as how the closest thing to soil around was the long dead wood, he was one weak demon. Rin, Hiroyuki, and Rean were still fighting off the rest of the soldiers. It looked like backup had come for the dwindling army. //Aah... I see. So the army was just a distraction. These zombies are the real attackers. Thank the Tama that I have the book in my bag, all the way under that bench, 'cause if these guys are here that means-!// I winced as the one holding me squeezed even harder. I heard a couple of snaps, and-shoot- I was loosing consciousness. I was laid down on the ground, none too gently.

As the first monstrosity's shadow came closer, Madame Cho's words came through my mind.

//If you should find yourself in jeopardy, touch this and say my name. I will come to help you.//

"Well, I would say that this is called 'in jeopardy,' wouldn't you..." I slowly reached for the medallion, and squeezed my eyes shut, "Cho-dono." The magic inside gave me some comfort, and I was able to open my eyes a little wider. However, what I saw made me wake up immediately.

Bursting into the sky above me was a dragon. A dragon! It was bright white, scales shining like mirrors in the sun.

"//Kurona-chan! Take cover!//"

It was Cho's voice, in my head. Still in shock, I blindly did as I was told, crawling as fast as my broken ribs would allow me to another bench. With difficulty, I turned the bench over, facing the dragon, and ducked behind it. I hoped that this was what the voice meant. Was it really Cho-dono? If so, where the heck was it coming from?!

The dragon landed, placing me behind her and facing the enemies. "Come no closer," she roared. "This girl is under my protection. You must come through me to get to her, if you dare." //Wait... did... the dragon, speak?// Wide eyed, I stared at the blinding dragon. While I was focused on trying to figure the situation out, someone grabbed me from the back of my yukata.

"She took something that belonged to me. I'm just here to take it back." It was Sheridan. He glared at me with that slightly insane look again. "Where is the book?! I need it. Where is it, you brat?!" I said nothing, but put on a front and looked back at the dragon.

"Did Cho-dono send you? I don't know how she knows a dragon, but I wouldn't put it past her. Nice to meet you, I'm Kurona Himeko. Your name?"

"A moment, Kurona-chan," the dragon replied. She opened her great maw and breathed out a cloud of ice particles, coating the two men in front of her and effectively freezing them to the ground. She then swung her head around and faced Sheridan.

"Release her. Now." The dragon leveled her teal eyes at the man. Teal eyes? Where had I seen those before? Sheridan carefully placed me back to the ground, and I scurried away. My ribs really hurt, but I managed to reach where my earth demon had collapsed. I knelt down next to Yuri, who was just //now// waking up.

"I just want the book back. It belongs to me." I couldn't help but burst out laughing at Sheridan's excuse. Ow. That was a mistake.

"It doesn't belong to you. It belongs in Cho-dono's library. You were a fool for stealing it." I could hardly see anything anymore. My eyelids were going heavy. I needed to hurry up and complete the job. "Hey, dragon-sama. Do you think you could freeze the idiot? I need to tell you where I hid the book. Quickly. I think I may be losing consciousness. Okay, I am losing consciousness."

The last thing I heard was the dragon saying, "The book belongs to //me//, little fool," as she breathed another cloud of ice. When my eyes finally fluttered open, Cho was kneeling next to me and my head was in her lap.

"Welcome back, Kurona," she smiled. My eyes met hers. She had teal eyes. It took awhile for me to remember everything. My ribs felt better, and I could analyze the facts more clearly without pain running through me every time I breathed. Still, even as my brain came to the conclusion, I could not speak very well. Even then, I hardly finished a sentence.

"Wha-wha-wha-wha-huh? Dra-Cho-huh? Huh? What? Ho-how-" See what I mean? Even I could not understand the partial words that came out of my mouth in that moment.

"Rest easy, little falcon. It can be quite a shock to see me in my true form for the first time." Cho smiled and helped me to sit up.

"Eh, yeah. I'd call this a shock." I stared at Cho-dono for a few moments, thinking through a few things. "At least now I know why the medallion has a dragon instead of a book with angel's wings... the flying book idea sounds kinda funny now." I then realized things about the present. I tried to quickly roll of of Cho-dono's lap, starting to spout off apologies. But I soon realized that while my ribs felt a little better, they were still broken. I cried out from the unexpected pain, and found myself forced into a locked position of being halfway onto the floor.

"Shhh," Cho soothed. "Lie still, little one. Here, let me help." Her hands moved on my face, neck, shoulders and wrists, lightly touching, and I felt a cool wave of peace wash over me as the pain faded. "This is no magic," Cho continued. "This is a skill that can be learned by any who wish to study. However, your ribs are still broken. I will have to be in dragon form to fix them for you." She gestured to Rin. "Here, Rin, take my place and hold her still." Then Cho looked back at me. "Trust me, Kurona, and do not be afraid. I will not harm you."

Cho backed away and the light seemed to shimmer around her. Then she was a dragon again, bright white, gleaming in the sun. There were subtle variations of white in her scales, like snow and mist, pearl and opal. Her neck curved down and she breathed on me, lightly, delicately. A cool breeze played over my body and then, I realized I could breathe easier again. There was no pain. My ribs were healed.

"Er, wow. Thank you, Cho-dono..." I stared at the dragon in front of me. It was a rather beautiful sight in my opinion. "I have a question though. Does it... hurt? When you change forms like that I mean."

The dragon chuckled. "No, little falcon, it does not hurt to change forms. However, I do find my human guise...restricting. But different forms for different occasions. It would be hard for me to walk around in a home or building as a dragon." The image of this new found form of Cho-dono being stuck in a doorway floated into my head. I couldn't help laughing. This time, it didn't hurt.

"Yes, I suppose that would be awkward." When my laughter subsided, I smiled at Cho. "Thank you again, Cho-dono. Oh, and by the way, I think you want this." Yuri had already retrieved the book from it's hiding place, and he handed it to Cho.

"That thing sure gave us a lot of trouble, you know." Rean spoke up, and I was absolutely mortified that he had directed the sentence towards Cho.

"BE QUIET, YOU DARN IKKOKU! DON'T YOU DARE DISRESPECT CHO-DONO!!!" I leaped up, and stretched the stupid fire demon's cheeks.

"Peace, Kurona-chan," Cho said. "He meant no disrespect. He is a fire demon. Those with fiery natures tend to be...quick tempered. One might even say hot-headed. My brother was like that at times." She turned to Rean and bowed her head to him. "Thank you for helping to recover my book, Rean."

"Eh... sure. No problem." He wasn't used to calm answers, and he grew tense at Cho-dono's calm. I realized that Rean had never met Cho-dono. He would always stay far from the library, and had never bothered to try to meet with her himself. Rin, Yuri, nor Hiroyuki had met Cho before either.

"That's why I call him an Ikkoku, Cho-dono." I ignored Rean, speaking like he wasn't right next to me. "Ikkoku is used to refer to a hot-headed or quick tempered person. Doesn't it fit him perfectly?" I smirked at Rean's strangled retorts.

"But, Cho-sama, you had a brother?" Rin had interrupted, and I focused my attention on Cho-dono's answer. I was curious as well.

Cho nodded. "I did...or perhaps I should say I do. But he has been lost for a very long time now and I fear that I will never see him again." Her teal eyes held a depth of sorrow that I had never seen before. It was the type of sadness that Rin showed when she talked about her sister.

"I can sort of understand that. A lost sibling. I can't remember her well, but I think I may have had a younger sister. She might have been taken away from me." Rin explained with a thoughtful tone. "I suppose that I act like Kurona is my little sister. Even though logically, my sister must be long dead by now..." Rin's expression almost perfectly matched Cho-dono's.

"Rin..." I began to talk, but Rin completed what she was saying to Cho.

"Look on the bright side, Cho-sama. At least you know your brother is still alive. I'm sure you'll find him someday." The water demon smiled, all hint of hurt erased from her.

Cho laughed a little at that. "Well, since he cannot die, I suppose he must be alive, that is true. And I hope you are right, Rin. I hope I will find him someday." She sighed, odd to see in a dragon, and then turned to address me once more. "I must be going now, little falcon. Remember that you are always welcome at the Library." With that, she spread her huge wings and sprang into the air, spiraling up and out of sight.

"Well, that sure was interesting." Rean stated after Cho-dono had completely disappeared from sight.

"I was surprised." Rin added.

"I think we all were." After putting my two cents in, I turned around and walked down the pier, my demons filing after me. "I want a Fizzy Pop."

"NO WAY!" Rin and Rean exclaimed in unison.

In the end, they gave in. Or rather, Rean bought my Fizzy Pop. Rin was only a stingy, stubborn water demon, so she didn't count. We visited the city plenty of times after that, but we never went to see Yutaka. After the incident, we received a few job offers from him, but we ignored them. After a couple of years, the people of the city had rebelled and Yutaka was overthrown. During that time was the last my demons and I received a job offer from the back-stabbing coward. As all the rest, we ignored the message.